ã€ŠHello, Mr. Major Generalã€‹


 Chapter 1: You Absolutely Have to Come

    <h4>Chapter 1: You Absolutely Have to Come</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was a spring afternoon. The sunlight shone bright and warm, and there was a gentle breeze in the air.

    Gu Nianzhi, wrapped in a thin fleece nket, was asleep on a red European-style velvet sofa next to a bay window. She was in the penthouse apartment on the 28th floor of Apartment C, in the Fengya precinct.

    The room was silent. Suddenly, a phone began to ring.

    ¡°The rain falls softly, my hometown is overgrown with grass and trees. I hear that you are still alone¡­¡±

    The ringtone, ¡°Fireworks Cool Easily¡± [1] woke Gu Nianzhi from her afternoon nap.

    She gave a start, but didn¡¯t feel like picking up the phone. She continued to lie on the sofa motionless, her eyes still closed. She was feelingzy.

    ¡°The rain falls softly, my hometown is overgrown with grass and trees. I hear that you are still alone¡­¡±

    The phone continued to ring. Whoever was on the other end was calling her phone over and over again, and was clearly not going to give up.

    It was no longer possible for Gu Nianzhi to pretend to be asleep. She reached out a finger, unlocked her phone with azy swipe, and said, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Feng Yixi¡¯s sweet, melodic voice sounded from the other end. ¡°Nianzhi, you absolutely have toe over tonight! You¡¯re my best friend! It¡¯s my birthday today, and tomorrow we¡¯ll both be taking the final test for our post-grad admission. It¡¯s a double celebration!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. Your house, it¡¯s in Dexin, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Fengya precinct consisted entirely of apartments. Dexin, on the other hand, was the vi precinct.

    Gu Nianzhi usually stayed at a penthouse in one of the Fengya apartments but her guardian, Huo Shaoheng, also owned a vi in Dexin, and it was currently vacant. If she used the vi, it would save her a lot of the hassle involved in attending Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday celebration.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll send the address to your phone.¡± Feng Yixi was standing on the balcony of her vi under a parasol. Her eyes were fixed on the azure sky. On her pearly white ear was a shell white wireless headset.

    Sweet, honeyed words continued to tumble out of her dark cherry lips. The words, irresistibly charming and bewitching, were inplete contrast to the twisted, vicious expression on her face.

    Feng Yichen stood across from Feng Yixi, watching her silently as she nursed a cup of cappino. Once Feng Yixi was off the phone, Feng Yichen shook her head disapprovingly. ¡°Yixi, are you really doing this? Gu Nianzhi¡­ it¡¯s not like she¡¯s done anything to you, right?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean she hasn¡¯t done anything?!¡± Feng Yixiughed coldly before walking away in a huff. ¡°Big Sister, surely you can¡¯t be this na?ve?! Before Nianzhi transferred to our college, I was the top-scorer in my faculty! I was the faculty princess! Then she appeared, and took everything from me! How dare she?! She¡¯s just an orphan girl! How dare she pretend to be one of us, the rich and the beautiful!¡±

    Feng Yichen set her cappino down and followed Feng Yixi into the house. The two sisters stood before the French windows, whispering conspiratorially.

    ¡°Okay, fine, I know you resent her, but don¡¯t forget that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s parents are both dead. She has no rtives, not a single one. She needs her schrship and the money from working part-time just to get by. We are leagues above her. Can¡¯t you just grin and bear it?¡±

    ¡°I did, for two years! But not this time.¡± Feng Yixi¡¯s voice had gone very, very low. She extended her left hand: on her middle finger was a pear-shaped yellow diamond ring. There was a tiny protrusion at the top.

    A mysterious, self-satisfied smile spread across her face. ¡°Look at this, Cousin Brother got it for me. Tonight, all I have to do is give Gu Nianzhi a tiny prick with this, and it¡¯s goodbye to the rising star of our faculty, hello to our next inte celebrity! She¡¯ll be making her ¡®debut¡¯ at the tender age of 18! I¡¯m throwing a million yuan birthday banquet just for this, she won¡¯t be able to use me of being stingy¡­¡±

    Feng Yichen¡¯s hand flew to her mouth as her almond-shaped eyes grew round and wide. ¡°Are you serious? What on earth is that?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s not all.¡± Dropping her left hand, Feng Yixi indicated thewn beyond the French windows with her chin. ¡°I spent a fortune getting pinhole video cameras with the highest possible resolution. When the video goes on the inte¡­ teehee!¡±

    Feng Yichen¡¯s brow twitched. She said, anxiously, ¡°Little Sister, don¡¯t go too far. What if she goes to the police? What¡¯s going to happen to our family then? Dad¡¯spany will be going public soon. This is a very important time for us, so don¡¯t go making trouble.¡±

    ¡°Heh, she won¡¯t go to the cops. Cousin Brother said that one tiny drop of the stuff in the ring cost him a million yuan. It¡¯s the good stuff from Japan. No one can resist it!¡±

    Feng Yixi waved her left hand; the yellow diamond ring on her middle finger reflected the sunset outside the French windows, creating a rainbow halo. ¡°You¡¯ll get what I mean once you see the video. Nianzhi suing us? Fat chance!¡±

    Feng Yichen narrowed her eyes. She hesitated for a long moment, then said,carefully, ¡°You just have to teach her a small lesson, that¡¯s all. You don¡¯t have to go so far. What if she decides to sue us anyway? She¡¯ll go to the hospital, get a blood test¡­¡±

    ¡°Big Sister, are you really this stupid, or are you just ying dumb? The final exam for post-grad admissions is tomorrow! She¡¯s the top-scorer in the admission exams, I¡¯m second behind her¡ªand Professor He Zhichu, the one from B University¡¯s Law School, will only take one student!¡± Feng Yixi swore so viciously the foundation on her exquisitely made-up face was in danger of king off. ¡°I can¡¯t let an opportunity like this slip through my fingers! Besides, Cousin Brother said the stuff I have here onlysts for 24 hours. Once the 24 hours are up, there won¡¯t be any trace of it left! And she won¡¯t remember a thing!¡±

    ¡­

    It was now evening. The streetmps had just flickered to life. In the main hall of one of the Dexin vis that looked out towards the main street, several long tables had been set up. These tables wereden with the best food and wine from the biggest restaurant in town.

    In the hall, before the French windows, was a redwood screen with a carved depiction of the Eight Immortals as they crossed the sea [2]. Seated between the screen and the French windows was an orchestra ying melodious music that drifted out from behind the screen leisurely and elegantly.

    The entire hall had been decorated extravagantly in varying shades of gold. The wallpaper was dark gold, the sofas were a lighter shade of gold, and even the European-style tables and chairs were gilded. Everything glittered in the light of the crystal chandelier.

    The female guests milling in the main hall were alsovishly dressed, each and every one of them. Anyone looking in from the outside would think party goers were in danger of going blind from the sheer brilliance of it all.

    Dazzling gold and extravagant flowers everywhere¡ªit was truly a magnificent feast for the eyes!

    The delicately styled hair, the scent of perfume, and the clink of champagne sses indicated that half of the wealthy elites of C City could be found here tonight.

    Feng Yixi was the Feng family¡¯s youngest daughter, and it was her 22nd birthday.

    Compared to the other more established families in C City, the Feng family was a neer to the scene. However, their business had been expanding rapidly, and everyone had heard that theirpany was about to go public.

    Theirpany going public was the sess the Feng family needed to seal their transformation; it would propel them into the ranks of the rich and powerful.

    This was why there were so many people at the banquet: they were all eager to get into the Feng family¡¯s good graces.

    Gu Nianzhi changed into her evening gown once she arrived at Dexin. With the invitation Feng Yixi had especially given her in hand, she walked, all alone, on a small path that took her to the Feng family¡¯s vi and to the main entrance of the banquet hall.

    The noise and merriment in the hall suddenly died away.

    All eyes were on the girl standing in the doorway, the girl dressed in a violet, one-shoulder organza evening gown.

    She was extremely fair, with delicate, clear skin that was truly whiter than snow. She was so fair that the blue veins on her long and slender neck were visible to the naked eye.

    The violet organza gown clung to her shapely body, outlining her figure. The dress was a modest affair; only her arms and the upper half of her shoulder were exposed. But, against the puffy violet organza, her bared skin looked like a tender and delicate lotus sprouting from a bud of purple, a lotus so fragile and lovable, one could not help but feel the urge to hold it lovingly in the palm of their hand and caress it, over and over again.

    Gu Nianzhi scanned the crowd, a smile on her face.

    Mei Xiawen quickly walked over to her and offered his hand as he said, ¡°Nianzhi, finally, you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°I see the ss rep [3] made sure to be here early,¡± Gu Nianzhi said, giving him a cheeky nod. ¡°Where¡¯s Yixi? I haven¡¯t congratted her yet.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s over there, let me take you to her.¡± Mei Xiawen looked Gu Nianzhi up and down as they walked. ¡°That evening gown looks amazing on you.¡±

    He had always known that Gu Nianzhi was a beautiful woman, but he did not expect her to look so stunning with just a bit of dressing up.

    Notes:

    [1] ¡°Fireworks Cool Easily¡± is a song by Jay Chou. It is part of his tenth studio album, ¡°The Era,¡± released in 2010.

    [2] For more information on the legend of the Eight Immortals (Baxian)

    [3] In case this was unclear, Mei Xiawen is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ss rep(resentative).

 Chapter 2: Afflicted

    <h4>Chapter 2: Afflicted</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Smiling, Gu Nianzhi entered the banquet hall with Mei Xiawen.

    Behind a giant taro nt not far away, Feng Yixi, who donned an apricot hued, shoulder baring evening gown, witnessed this scene. Her expression contorted greatly and she grasped the wine ss so hard it nearly shattered.

    Feng Yichen nudged her. ¡°Go on, she¡¯s here.¡±

    Feng Yixi swallowed all the wine in her ss with one gulp. She mustered her courage, rearranged her face into a smile, and approached Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen. Covertly turning the position of the pear shaped diamond ring on her middle finger, she then patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rosy and fair half-exposed shoulder to swiftly stab into it. Her sweet voice eximed, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re here!¡± She eyed her evening gown, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re truly the most beautiful girl in C University¡¯s Faculty of Law. You¡¯re just stunning in this gown!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi merely thought her shoulder was stung by a mosquito. There was a moment of sharp pain, but the feeling quickly dissipated. She dismissed it, passed a small box into Fend Yixi¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°Yixi, Happy Birthday!¡±

    Feng Yixi epted the box and grasped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, the pear shaped diamond ring on the middle finger of her left hand returned to its original position.

    ¡°You are too kind! You only had to show up, what¡¯s with bringing a gift? Think about how close we are. We don¡¯t need these formalities,¡± Feng Yixi passed the gift box to a domestic helper, then took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and winked at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll introduce you to a few of my friends. You remember my cousin, right? He¡¯s liked you for a long time. Have a chat and drink with him today for my sake.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t decline, and was pulled along, stumbling to outside the hall.

    Colorednterns hung in the backyard, where the silhouettes of people in groups of two and three stood, and sounds ofughter erupted intermittently.

    Feng Yixi dragged Gu Nianzhi before five or six men. ¡°Cousin, this is Gu Nianzhi. She¡¯s the genius in our Faculty of Law, and not only is she smart and pretty, but she¡¯s also young. She is a youth university student, who started when she was fourteen and is graduating this year at eighteen!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes. Her birthday was in October, so she was only 17 and not 18 yet.

    The men snickered and looked over.

    Their gaze was wanton, pausing at her chest and the area below her waist and above her thighs for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly displeased, but did not walk out, for Feng Xiyi¡¯s sake. She forced a smile and nodded, ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡±

    ¡°I like this babe, she¡¯s nice and juicy.¡± A lecherous looking man with hair dyed in multiple colors was almost drooling.

    Under the night and colorednterns, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skin appeared almost luminous and truly delicate.

    Feng Yixi loosened her hand and let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s elbow. The men saw that a ring of red had already imprinted her fair and rosy skin

    They wondered what it would feel like to have such a supple and delicate girl pressed underneath their bodies to do as they pleased? Without even taking any type of aphrodisiac, they were as aroused as if they had been injected directly.

    Seeing how much Gu Nianzhi stirred the men, Feng Xiyi almost couldn¡¯t conceal the deep jealousy and hatred in her eyes. She quickly averted her gaze and saidughingly, ¡°Take your time chatting. I¡¯m going to greet guests back there¡± and turned to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to go with her, but the men surrounded her.

    ¡°Babe, don¡¯t leave so quickly. Come have a drink with us first!¡± A hideous man handed her a cocktail.

    Gu Nianzhi knew she couldn¡¯t drink, but suddenly she felt weak and a wave of arousal began rising from her abdomen.

    The man facing her was disgusting and someone she would certainly p on a normal day. However, as he moved closer now, she breathed in an irresistible male scent and had a sudden urge to throw herself at him!

    Hands shaking and eyes brimming, she wanted to refuse and back away. Her voice was weak and breathy¡­

    Was she possessed?!

    She didn¡¯t know that a normal person would have lost control of their body by now. However, she had a unique body constitution and her resistance was stronger than normal.

    In a moment of desperation, she bit her tongue fiercely.

    The sharp pain suppressed the fever in her body, and the lust brimming in her watery eyes ebbed away. She took a step back and looked both ways smiling. ¡°Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.¡± Holding her skirt, she slipped away like a fish and darted into the the crowded banquet hall of the hotel.

    Feng Xiyi¡¯s cousin was dumbfounded.

    What happened to turning the virtuous girl into a slut?! How could she have just run off?!

    The man hurried after her, his forehead covered with sweat, and instead found Feng Xiyi in the banquet hall. ¡°Crap, your friend escaped¡­¡±

    ¡°Escaped?¡± Feng Xiyi wanted to ssh the ss of wine over her cousin¡¯s head. ¡°What the h*ll were you doing? Didn¡¯t you say that this was the finest aphrodisiac from abroad?! That it¡¯s worth more than gold?!¡±

    Feng Yichen walked over and said, lightly, ¡°No matter, it¡¯s actually worse if it happens in the house¡­¡± She looked around and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s violet organza gown flitting through the crowd and towards the door. She hastily pointed in her direction. ¡°She¡¯s going to leave, hurry up and follow her. It¡¯s better if you take her to the field outside to do it.¡±

    ¡°Outdoor sex?! I like this idea!¡± Their cousin¡¯s eyes gleamed as he took his friends to chase after her, but once they stepped out the door Gu Nianzhi was nowhere to be seen!

    There was only one road out of the Dexing vi precinct, yet they didn¡¯t see any sign of Gu Nianzhi along the way.

    ¡°What the h*ll, it¡¯s not like she can fly away!¡±

    ¡°No way, we have to get this girl tonight and teach her a lesson!¡±

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi did not leave Dexing Vis.

    Immediately after fleeing the Feng¡¯s vi, she had turned onto a path in the the direction of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vi in the center of the precinct.

    Her hands were shaking as she groped for the keys and opened the door.

    Upon entering, she quickly closed the door. Her back against it, she hugged herself andy on the floor. She detested her urge earlier. It was as though she hadn¡¯t seen a man for hundreds of years!

    No one knew that she saw the lecherous and hideous men earlier, inhaled the strong scent of male pheromones on their bodies, and desperately wanted to throw herself at them¡­

    Her mouth was dry with thirst, but her body was thirstier.

    She was soaked all over.

    Gu Nianzhi set the air conditioning in the house to the highest setting and stripped down. It did nothing to quell the fever inside her body.

    I can¡¯t take it anymore. I have to find a doctor.

    However, in her current state, she was afraid she would throw herself at the first man she saw and tear at their clothes before she could even realize what she was doing.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly while looking at her phone, but she finally managed to get through to Chen Lie¡¯s number.

    Chen Lie was a very busy person. He was the youngest and most skilled physician in the entire Empire Military Hospital. He was also the entrusted by her guardian, Huo Shaoheng, to take care of her.

    Chen Lie saw Gu Nianzhi calling and picked up immediately. He asked her jokingly, ¡°What? It¡¯s so rare that you would finally call me.¡±

    ¡°Brother Chen? Can youe over? I¡¯m at Major Huo¡¯s vi. I¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t feel so well¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it serious?¡± Chen Lie had been organizing his mail when he had taken Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call. Her voice sounded raspy, deep, and extremely seductive. His heart couldn¡¯t help but drop, and he instinctively sensed something was wrong instantly.

    Switching the phone to his other hand, Chen Lie had already closed hisptop lid and began packing as he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Where do you feel unwell? I¡¯lle over right away.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t exin it, something¡¯s very wrong. I¡¯m heating up, feverish, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m turned on¡­¡± Her face was flushed when she finished the sentence. Gu Nianzhi wanted to bite her tongue off.

    Chen Lie¡¯s hand paused, his round mouth gasping before he said, ¡°I get it, don¡¯t move and don¡¯t go outside. I¡¯m going to bring my medical equipment over.¡±

    Carrying hisptop bag and a suitcase full of portable medical equipment, Chen Lie left the base infirmary with a grim expression.

    ¡­

    ¡°What did you do tonight?¡± Chen Lieid out his equipment as he asked Gu Nianzhi and took her blood for testing.

    After an hour, the blood test results were ready. His eyes suddenly widened as he saw the results, and he stuttered, ¡°You¡­ you¡­ you¡¯ve been afflicted by an aphrodisiac! Who did this to you?!¡±

    The drug¡¯s potency appeared to be very powerful. This wasn¡¯t a normal product off the streets.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank violently as she listened, but she no longer had the energy to speak to him. Her body twitched and copsed onto the sofa in the room. Her eyes were brimming with tears and she had been biting her lower lip so hard it was about to bleed.

    ¡°Cr*p! Cr*p! What should I do?!¡± Chen Lie panicked and quickly said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi! You! You! You have to hang on! I¡­ I will call your guardian!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t eighteen yet, but she was afflicted with such a potent aphrodisiac. What could be done?!

    Holy Sh*t!

    Chen Lie shook his head and took out his phone to call Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian, Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 3: Guardian

    <h4>Chapter 3: Guardian</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was a soldier. At the moment, he wasn¡¯t in C City.

    He had epted a secret mission a month ago, and had soon after left the C City military base. No one knew where he had gone.

    Before leaving he had entrusted Gu Nianzhi to Chen Lie, instructing him to look after her.

    Who would have thought she would get into trouble the moment he left?

    Chen Lie thought of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cool, imperious eyes, and his methods of punishment. Just thinking about them made him feel as though his heart was about to leap out of his throat.

    Holding his phone, Chen Lie stole a sideways look at Gu Nianzhi, who was writhing and moaning on the sofa., Well, he thought, surely this counts as a matter of life or death?

    Chen Lie was thinking of the phone number that Huo Shaoheng had given him before he left. Huo Shaoheng usually came and went as he pleased, without a thought for anyone else, but this time he had actually left a number with which he could be reached at any time.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng had also warned Chen Lie, repeatedly, that he should never, ever call this number unless it was a matter of life or death.

    This was it. It was now or never.

    Chen Lie dialed the special four-digit number, then stared at the phone interface, muttering agitatedly, ¡°C¡¯mon, pick up! Pick up! Pick up!¡±

    When Chen Lie called him on the phone, Huo Shaoheng had alreadypleted his mission and was in the imperial capital, standing outside the door leading to the Senate, awaiting his turn.

    His current mission was to persuade the Senate to fund the newly established Sixth Military Region.

    It was not yet time for him to enter the hall.

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the end of the corridor outside the assembly hall, a cigarette between the fingers of his white-gloved right hand. His left hand was in his trouser pocket. He stared quietly and vacantly at the night view beyond therge ss window, his thoughts elsewhere.

    Not too far from him, a few female assembly interns hung about, all beautiful women from distinguished families. They kept looking his way, but none dared to walk over and strike up a conversation with him.

    Huo Shaoheng was in full military uniform today. He had on a navy blue army zer, made of fine wool; the bright brass buttons shone in a line, up to his slender neck. On his epaulettes, a pine branch and a solitary star, both picked out in gold, glittered under themp light.

    Around his waist was a wide military-issue belt made of rhino skin. Below that were the navy blue uniform trousers, also made of fine wool, the seams impably straight. His feet were d in a pair of knee-high riding boots.

    He was about six feet tall, and with his shoes on he was easily over six feet. He was not only tall but strapping, with wide shoulders and a broad chest. He had begun his military career at the age of 15, and before that he had trained in martial arts. Standing there, he was as imposing as a mountain.

    The military uniform clung to his waistline, before dropping away. Below the waist his long legs seemed to go on forever.

    His tall, strapping figure alone was enough to set hearts racing, but as though that weren¡¯t enough, the face that went with the body was so handsome that all who looked upon it despaired over their own inadequacies.

    Fortunately, the world wasn¡¯tpletely unfair. His enviable looks were bnced out by the fact that nobody dared go near him. His exceptionally handsome face was perennially grave and forbidding, and anyone on the receiving end of his gaze always felt overwhelmed by the weight of it. His eyes, cool and aloof, seemed to say¡ªthis was how Gu Nianzhi described it, at least¡ª¡±you are all scum.¡±

    He had earned a reputation as the ¡°unicorn¡± of the Special Operations Forces, the unattainable flower growing on a mountain top, forever out of reach. He was the perfect specimen everyone coveted, but that could only be admired from afar.

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at the deep blue night sky beyond the window as he breathed out wispy circles of cigarette smoke. He was mentally going over the lines of the speech he was about to present to the Senate.

    Suddenly, his bluetooth headset began to ring.

    Someone was calling him on his private, military-use only, top-secret number. He had only ever given this number to Chen Lie, and Chen Lie was supposed to only call him when it was a life-or-death situation for Gu Nianzhi.

    Had something happened to Gu Nianzhi?

    Huo Shaohengposed himself, flicked his cigarette into the bin, and said, tonelessly, ¡°Speak.¡±

    His headset immediately established a private line, meant only for the military. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep, mellow voice shot through the connection and into Chen Lie¡¯s ear on the other end.

    Chen Lie let out a long sigh of relief, as though finally free of a heavy burden. He quickly exined what had happened to Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thick, oblique brows contorted. ¡°An aphrodisiac? You¡¯re calling me, on this line, because of something as silly as that? Just give her the antidote!¡± His voice was low and indifferent, but Chen Lie could tell that Huo Shaoheng was annoyed.

    ¡°I have a few different antidotes for sexual stimnts, yes. But this is an act of sabotage. Someone tried to ruin her, which is why I thought that you, her guardian, might want to know about it. Also, this is no ordinary aphrodisiac! It¡¯s highly potent and I don¡¯t know if I can neutralize it¡­ here, just listen to her.¡± Having finished his angry outburst, Chen Lie ced his phone close to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek and said, ¡°It¡¯s Huo Shao [1], your guardian.¡±

    It was as though a ray of sunlight had prated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fuzzy, muddled brain. Mustering all the strength she had left, she called out ¡°Huo Shao¡­¡± before fainting dead away.

    ¡°Huo Shao¡±¡ªthe two words came out soft and purring. Huo Shaoheng felt as though a newborn kitten had reached out a fleshy paw and yfully caressed the palm of his hand.

    Huo Shaoheng was a solemn and restrained man, standing in a stately and dignified ce. He had never thought of Gu Nianzhi as anything other than a young child under his care. And yet, despite all that, he felt his scalp go numb all over at the sound of her voice.

    Something wasn¡¯t right here.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately asked, ¡°How long does she have?¡±

    Chen Lie nced at Gu Nianzhi, who was now tossing and turning on the sofa, trying to get her clothes off. He said, his temples throbbing, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m going to try giving her an antidote. I have to warn you, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the aphrodisiac so I can¡¯t guarantee that the antidote will work¨C oh no, I have to go, can¡¯t talk, she¡¯s taking her clothes off¡­¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow raised at this, but when he spoke his voice remained level. ¡°Tie her up and gag her. Just think of it as Special Operations Forces training.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t have anything handy here¡­¡± Chen Lie looked around. ¡°Hey, do you have ropes in your vi?¡±

    ¡°There should be some in the storeroom. Stop wasting time. Take her to your clinic at the military base, as soon as you can.¡± The veins on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s temples were standing out by now. He ended the call, and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag on it before slowly breathing out, the smoke dissipating in the twilight.

    Chen Lie red at his phone. He tossed it aside and hurried to the storeroom. He found the ropes and trussed Gu Nianzhi up like a Chinese rice dumpling.

    Gu Nianzhi was now tightly bound. The intive, protesting moansing from her were still too much for Chen Lie, even with his medical training, so he gagged her with some gauze. He carried her from the house and towards the vi¡¯s basement carpark. He then secured her in a car before driving out of the Dexin vi precinct and towards the C City Special Operations Forces base.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face remained calm andposed, but inside, he was beginning to worry. It was just an aphrodisiac, hardly a poison. Nianzhi¡¯s life was not in danger. There was no need for him to hurry back home.

    But¡­ who could say for certain?

    He checked his watch for the time, then called for his orderly, Fan Jian. ¡°Prep a military ne for me. As soon as the meeting is over I¡¯m heading back to base. I¡¯m taking the fastest ne, Gray Shadow. This is non-negotiable. Tell them it¡¯s for a test flight.¡±

    Gray Shadow was thetest two-seater supersonic fighter jet toe out of military R&D, and it was still in the testing phase.

    Huo Shaoheng was not concerned by this. He had been trained as a fighter pilot, and his skills as a pilot were second to none in the entire military.

    The orderly, Fan Jian, immediately stood at attention. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He then hurried off to secure the ne.

    Huo Shaoheng had just finished giving out his orders when a pretty woman with a shapely figure came out of the assembly hall. She bowed and said, ¡°Major General Huo, it¡¯s your turn now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng strode solemnly into the hall; his face was the very picture of collectedness andposure.

    The main assembly hall for the Imperial Senate was set up like a giant shell, with the seating arrangements for the senators resembling an open fan. Those at the front had the lowest seats, while those at the back had the highest. Each row was distinct and no one obstructed the view of another.

    The speaker¡¯s podium was ced at the center, right where the pivot of the fan would be.

    Behind the podium was a massive electronic screen: it was sorge that it took up the entire wall.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped onto the podium and snapped his heels together in military salute to the senators below. He introduced himself: ¡°I am Huo Shaoheng, Major General of the Imperial Military, and also the Commander of Special Operations Forces, operating under direct militarymand. I am here today to request that the Senate allocate the funds necessary to support the 6th Military Region through the next 10 years.¡±

    The floor was quiet.

    After a moment, a gray-haired senator seated in the front row said, in a tone that conveyed his skepticism, ¡°Major General Huo, there are only five military regions in our empire: East, South, West, North, and Central. Where is this 6th Military Region you speak of?¡±

    Note:

    [1] ¡°Huo Shao¡± is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nickname for Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 4: You Are My Medicine

    <h4>Chapter 4: You Are My Medicine</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly and spoke into the microphone on the podium, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s only natural that you didn¡¯t know. The Sixth Military Region was born out of the expansion from the Special Operations Forces reporting directly to the military. It was never meant to be an amulet under the sunlight, but rather the protector of light and existing solely in the dark. In terms of division of authority¨C aside from the regions and affairs under the jurisdiction of the 5 Major Military Regions¨Call other regions and affairs are to be under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Military Region.¡±

    This was the result of thepromise between the five Major Military Regions and the Central Military. Huo Shaoheng had been transferred from the Central Military to specially undertake in forming the Sixth Military Region.

    ¡°What? Major General Huo, are you mistaken? As far I know, the five Major Military Regions epass the entire country. There is not an inch ofnd left. May I ask where your jurisdiction lies?¡± Another senator in his forties, but with a belly asrge as a woman who is five months pregnant, grew more more dubious and tapped the table with his pen. He read the appropriation report Huo Shaheng had submitted and shook his head.

    ¡°How can there not be?¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up theser pointer on the podium and turned around. Behind him, a topographic map of the Empire appeared on the enormous electronic disy as programmed.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed theser pointer towards the topographical map on disy and circled the territory. He calmly stated, ¡°You see? Everything beyond this territory is under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Military Region.¡±

    The senators straightened in their seats with shock. ¡°But Major General Huo, are you sure? Those are foreign territories.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± A twitch suspiciously resembling a smile appeared on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s passive face. ¡°Anynd not belonging to the Empire is under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Military Region. The Sixth Military Region is the Empire¡¯s army, and only observes thew and order of the Empire.¡±

    ¡°Simply stated, we take over anything the five Major Military Regions cannot do, but should do. The Sixth Military Region, like the previous Special Operations Forces, is not required to report to the Senate, but only to to the Supreme Military Council.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped theser pointer in his hand and shut off the topographical map on the enormous electronic disy.

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hands behind him and set his feet apart in standard military stance on the podium, an air of extreme fierceness about him.

    He disyed a mettle unlike that of ordinary soldiers. It was the lethal air of someone who had not only truly experiencedrge scale and bloody ughter, but also frequented battlefields.

    Howeverrge scale warfare had not ured on Blue for over seventy years, so where did this Major General Huo get his lethality from?

    The Great Assembly Hall buzzed with noise and senators looked at each other, whispering to discuss the sudden appearance of the Sixth Military Region.

    ¡°In conclusion, the Sixth Military Region inherits the mission of the Special Operations Forces in order to protect the interests of the Empire¡¯s citizens on Blue. Although there are only six key members, each one has the support of tens of thousands. Every operation requires the transfer of arge number of resources, and cross operations with other countries have been increasing. Therefore, the formal establishment of the Military Region is necessary.¡±

    The senators pondered deeply and kept quiet, but they all knew this implicated the Empire¡¯s increasingly substantial foreign interests.

    Very quickly, buttons indicating agreement of the appropriation finally lit up row by row.

    The Upper House of the Imperial Senateprised one hundred members. With 90-8 votes in favour and two votes forfeited, the bill supporting appropriation of 10 years of military expenditure for the Sixth Military Region was passed.

    I have finally seeded!

    Huo Shaoheng shifted slightly, his military stance ramrod straight as he snapped his feet together. He gave the senators a military salute and left the Great Assembly Hall unhurriedly.

    Once he stepped out, he saw one of his orderlies who immediately said, ¡°Grey Shadow is ready and outside on the hangar.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded his head and strode outside.

    The female interns of the Upper House of the Imperial Senate were extremely excited but dared not to follow him. They pumped their fists at his back and eximed, ¡°Major General Huo is the greatest!¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo! I¡¯m your biggest fan! Do you have Weibo? Will you follow for follow?¡±

    Huo Shao Heng¡¯s face was still like water as he continued to takerge strides away from the Senate and ignored the voices of the female interns behind him.

    By the time he sat in Grey Shadow¨Cthe military¡¯s newest supersonic bat-style fighter jet¨Chis brows were knitted together.

    The orderly dared not ask him what was the matter, but quickly sat beside him and put on his helmet to be ready as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s co-pilot.

    Grey Shadow quickly ascended into the night sky and emitted an explosive sound like dry thunder. Snow-white vapor appeared almost instantaneously behind the phantom-grey body of the aircraft.

    Like a ck bat that had just flown out from the clouds of a garden in the heavens, it immediately disappeared into the night sky.

    The orderly sat tensely next to Huo Shaoheng and stared at the rapidly changing cloudyers whizzing around the aircraft, the speed was enough to spin heads.

    The flight instrument recording flight data was chattering with noise, and in a hidden underground research and development room in another corner of the Empire, the technians monitoring Grey Shadow¡¯s flight data were shaking with excitement.

    As expected, Huo Shaoheng was the Empire¡¯s ace pilot!

    While in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands, Grey Shadow¡¯s data continued to climb and exceed their expectations!

    ¡°Sess!¡±

    ¡°Sess!¡±

    ¡°Sess!¡±

    When Grey Shadow indicated it had sessfullynded, the technicians couldn¡¯t hold themselves back from jumping out of their seats to cheer. Their voices shook the roof and they threw everything possible into the air.

    The control room was full of cheering andughter, and many brought in champagne to celebrate.

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng was undoing his helmet and seatbelt. He alighted from Grey Shadow and walked while speaking into his bluetooth headset. ¡°Call Chen Lie.¡±

    The bluetooth headset with call capabilities automatically dialed Chen Lie¡¯s number.

    ¡°Chen Lie, how are things? Is Nianzhi any better?¡±

    ¡°Major Huo? You¡¯re here? That¡¯s great! I¡¯m out of ideas,e quick! Things aren¡¯t good.¡± Chen Lie looked at the phone with great relief. ¡°We¡¯re at the infirmary in the C City military base.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng made a direct turn and headed towards the infirmary building.

    ¡°Major Huo is back?!¡±

    ¡°Major Huo!¡±

    ¡°Major Huo!¡±

    Everyone at the base was ustomed to calling him Major Huo. He had not yet been a Major General when he formed the Special Operations Forces, and he was close with the people here. The name Major Huo gave him a sense of family.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded his head, his eyebrows slightly rxed as he quickly walked to the second floor of the infirmary building.

    Chen Lie emerged from the room. He was a twenty-something, plump young man. He was not tall, wore ck framed sses; and his eyes, nose, and even mouth were round.

    His round body was cloaked in his white doctor¡¯sb coat, his round face flushed, and his forehead at the moment was covered with sweat.

    Chen Lie took a handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat off his face and pointed to inside the room. ¡°Nianzhi is inside. Quick, go see her. You¡¯re her guardian, so you can make the call now that you¡¯re here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had never seen Chen Lie so terrified, yet ufortable.

    He pursed his lips and quickly strode inside the room.

    Nianzhi was tied up like a sticky rice dumpling, curled up on the sofa in the corner.

    Her consciousness waspletely blurred; she only felt countless feathers gently caressing her. Her entire body was starving with desire, shaky moans escaping from her throat, and she twisted and moved madly like a small beast.

    Listening to her lustful sounds, Huo Shaoheng felt his scalp go numb again. He turned to Chen Lie coldly. ¡°What on earth is going on? Didn¡¯t you give her the antidote?¡±

 Chapter 5: You Are My Medicineï¼ˆ2ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 5: You Are My Medicine£¨2£©</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°That¡¯s just it!¡± Sweat was spreading over Chen Lie¡¯s brow like an oil spill; he was so flustered he was now tripping over his own words. ¡°I¡¯ve tried all the antidotes avable, none of them work! She¡¯s not getting better¡ªin fact, she¡¯s getting worse!¡±

    ¡°Getting worse?¡± Huo Shaoheng was skeptical. ¡°What¡¯s the worst that could happen? This isn¡¯t poison. If we run out of options we¡¯ll just let her shake it off on her own. It¡¯s not as though she¡¯ll die.¡±

    ¡°Shake it off? What do you think she is, one of your Special Ops men?!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s eyes were wide, and his neck was rigid with indignation; in his mind, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suggestion waspletely barbaric.

    The soldiers enlisted with the Imperial Military¡¯s Special Operations Forces lived up to their name¡ªthey were the truly exceptional, and the best of the best. Their training was extreme, requiring them to risk their lives, and they did not hesitate to use shady methods that were shunned by other soldiers.

    Poisons, aphrodisiacs, seduction: each and every one of the Special Ops soldiers had experienced them first-hand, and consequently developed the constitution to resist them.

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Huo Shaoheng gave him a look that was sharp enough to kill.

    Chen Lie produced a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat off his brow. He mumbled, ¡°But she¡¯s struggling so viciously. Look, she even broke the rope.¡±

    He pointed towards a corner, where a white nylon ropey, torn in two.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at it and said, without missing a beat, ¡°Then give her a sedative. She¡¯ll sleep it off in a day or two.¡±

    It was just an aphrodisiac; nothing he hadn¡¯t seen before.

    The Special Operations Forces had to undergo anti-seduction training, and as part of the program they were required to prove they could resist the effects of sexual stimnts.

    The soldiers were given aphrodisiacs, injected in small doses.This allowed them to understand not only how the drugs worked, but also how to quickly and effectively take the necessary counter-measures.

    It was hell to experience, but the effects always went away, eventually.

    Chen Lie closed his eyes. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give her a sedative. But I¡¯m not taking any chances. I¡¯m hooking her up to a respirator. I¡¯ll monitor her heart rate and pulse, too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Do it.¡±

    Both men walked over to Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the edge of the bed. He gripped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder with one hand and held her arm with another. His grip was as powerful as a metal mp; Gu Nianzhi, who had been struggling violently just a moment ago, suddenly found herself pinned down.

    Chen Lie immediately found a vein and injected a sedative.

    During the injection, Huo Shaoheng noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s struggling was bing increasingly powerful and violent.

    He hadn¡¯t been using his full strength, as he was afraid of hurting Nianzhi. Now, however, he had no choice but to pour his entire strength into his grip.

    He kept her shoulders pinned in a death grip, and only let go when Chen Lie had finished injecting the sedative.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body convulsed once, then slowly subsided.

    Chen Lie heaved a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and said sheepishly, ¡°I should have thought of giving her a sedative earlier.¡±

    As he said that, he put an oxygen mask on Gu Nianzhi and hooked her up to the equipment that would monitor her heart rate and pulse.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, and rose from the bed.

    His entire back was drenched with sweat. He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, who had calmed down, and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m heading back for a bit¡ª¡±

    He had scarcely finished his sentence when, out of the blue, the monitors Chen Lie had finished setting up started wailing.

    The piercing noise echoed all around the sickroom, as loud as a police siren. Chen Lie was so startled he nearly fell over.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s going on?¡± He jumped to check the numbers on the monitor, and his face immediately paled. ¡°Sh*t, why is her blood pressure spiking?! Her heart rate is increasing, and it looks like she¡¯s suffocating. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the sedative!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was apparently having an allergic reaction to the sedative.

    Chen Lie did not have the time to wonder about this: he immediately said, ¡°We have to give her something to counter the sedative, now, or she¡¯ll die.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Then do it quickly!¡±

    Chen Lie produced another syringe, found a vein, and gave Gu Nianzhi a shot of the counter-sedative.

    Almost immediately, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood pressure began to fall. Her heart rate and pulse also returned to normal. However, this also meant that her body was no longer sedated.

    The itch was burrowing deep inside her, into her organs and bones. It felt like she had a million ants running through her veins, like she was being caressed all over with countless soft feathers.

    She could not stand it any longer; she cried out, ¡°No¡­ no¡­ save me¡­ save me¡­ save me, Huo Shao!¡±

    With her incredible strength she quickly freed herself from the respirator and the monitors, kicking and shoving the equipment away. She rolled about, nearly falling off the bed.

    She was behaving like a longtime drug addict, forced to quit cold turkey.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm demeanor finally cracked, and there was now a flicker of doubt on his face.

    Chen Lie looked like he was about to cry. ¡°I knew it, there¡¯s something funny about this drug. I started aponent analysis of the drug after getting her blood sample, but reverse analysis takes a long time. It¡¯s not done yet!¡±

    ¡°How long do you need?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows were knit together.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, maybe at least six hours.¡± Chen Lie checked his watch. ¡°What are we going to do in the next six hours? Before I¡¯m done analyzing the drug, she might already be¡­¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shivered.He could not help looking at Gu Nianzhi, who was lying on the sofa.

    Huo Shaoheng became her guardian when she was only 12. She practically grew up under his care.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes she was still only a little girl.

    But now, tortured by the effects of an aphrodisiac, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body appeared to be impossibly lovely and supple.

    Huo Shaoheng tore his eyes away from her, and looked at Chen Lie instead. ¡°What will happen to her?¡±

    Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but judging by her current numbers, the drug may destroy her central nervous system if she doesn¡¯t find relief from the violent effects of the drug soon. If that happens, turning into a vegetable would actually be the best-case scenario for her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows were once again contorted. He paced a little, his riding boots tapping out a steady, unhurried rhythm on the floorboards. Gu Nianzhi, who was shivering and moaning, seemed to sense him; she opened her eyes, and turned her head towards Huo Shaoheng, staring at him with unfocused eyes.

    Her burning desire showed openly on her small, oval face.

    Chen Lie gave a mirthlessugh. ¡°She¡¯s lost it, she¡¯s not in there anymore. Don¡¯t believe me? Try calling her name, she won¡¯t respond.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in front of the sofa, and scooped Gu Nianzhi up. She was still tied up securely, but her head would not stop thrashing about; Shaoheng had to keep her head still with his hand. ¡°We¡¯re going to my ce.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had a privatepound on the grounds of the Special Ops base,plete with a 3-storey house. It was heavily guarded: only those with high-level security clearance were allowed to enter.

    Chen Lie nodded. ¡°I was just about to say that. Your ce is a lot safer. There are just too many peopleing and going here. If someone sees her¡­¡± He gave a wry smile.

    The soldiers around them may be trustworthy men who had gone through hell and back together, but Gu Nianzhi was a youngdy, and under the current circumstances it was necessary to keep her best interests in mind.

    Chen Lie covered Gu Nianzhi with a nket.

    Huo Shaoheng bundled Gu Nianzhi in the nket and took the only elevator in Chen Lie¡¯s clinic down to the underground passage. From the passage, he entered the basement of hispound and went up to the third floor.

    Chen Lie followed behind, carrying an emergency medical kit on his back. In his hand was aptop bag stuffed with sheets of handwritten notes he had yet to key into hisptop.

    They reached the third floor of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s house, entered Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, and ced her on the small bed. Huo Shaoheng freed her from the nylon ropes.

    But the moment her limbs were free, Gu Nianzhi leapt on him like an animal with bloodshot eyes. Huo Shaoheng did not mind. He pinned both of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrists together in a single-handed grip. He turned to Chen Lie and said, ¡°Come help me.¡±

    Chen Lie looked over to him, and gestured. ¡°Tie her to the bed. Make sure her arms and legs are tied, so she won¡¯t be able to move.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bare arms¡ªthey were already bruised purple from the nylon ropes.

    He thought for a moment, and then rummaged about in his closet. He found several indigo scarves and proceeded to tie Gu Nianzhi to the bed with them, spread-eagle.

 Chapter 6: You Are My Medicine (3)

    <h4>Chapter 6: You Are My Medicine (3)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Chen Lie¡¯s eyes bulged as he pointed at the scarves and stuttered, ¡°Major¡­Major Huo! You¡¯re actually using Hermes scarves as ties?!¡±

    Oh my god. Hermes scarves are at least five or six thousand RMB! The expensive ones are at least forty or fifty thousand RMB. Was it really a good idea to use such things to tie up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrists and ankles?! Chen Lie thought anxiously.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and pursed his lips tightly. He quickly tied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms and legs onto the 4 corners of the bed.

    Chen Lie helped on the side, a strange expression on his face as he looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major Huo, how do you have so many Hermes scarves?¡±

    All the while he was thinking, these are for women.

    Huo Shaoheng stated dryly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi loves them, so thest time I was on business in France, I picked up two dozen or so at the Hermes headquarters on the way. These were going to be her birthday gifts this year.¡±

    He actually had no spare time to pick and choose, so he had a quick look and bought all the new styles for the year. It was a dizzying variety of short and long ones, square and rectangr ones; all kinds of different styles, colorful and patterned ones.

    Chen Lie gave a thumbs up and grinned. ¡°As expected of Major Huo! A guardian who puts in effort and money. You arepletely qualified!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him coldly and motioned with his chin towards Gu Nianzhi to get back to business. She¡¯ll be ok if she gets relief right?¡±

    Chen Lie winked and smiled, his head nodded rapidly like a bobblehead. ¡°Exactly, exactly! That¡¯s the desired effect of normal aphrodisiacs, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips pressed even tighter, his sharp jawline revealing obvious tension.

    His strapping physique was like an arched bow, giving the impression of subjecting anyone within three feet of him to a merciless death.

    Chen Lie was frightened by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sudden disy of cold cruelty. He backed away, tripped, and fell on the ground with a thud. Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze, his face expressionless.

    Lifting his head to see that Huo Shaoheng had already looked away, Chen Lie gripped on to the table and quietly stood up. He took off his fogged up sses and gave them a wipe. ¡°Actually, honestly speaking, she¡¯ll be fine once we find a guy to have sex with her. The problem is that she¡¯s not 18 yet and has no consciousness. I can¡¯t make the call, so I had to find you. You¡¯re her guardian, so as long as you agree, I¡¯ll go find a guy right away.¡±

    Chen Lie finished speaking and squinted his 800-degree myopic eyes to look at Huo Shaoheng in a business like manner.

    To Chen Lie, this wasn¡¯t a dire situation. He had seen it all in his years as a medical officer for the Special Military Forces.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but make a fist as his eyes shed, but then quietly, he folded his hands behind his back.

    His gaze fell on Chen Lie¡¯s face, sweeping over it inch by inch as though he were dismembering him.

    ¡°Find a guy? Who, exactly? What do you take her for?¡± His hands behind him, he stalked towards Chen Lie aggressively.

    Without his sses on, Chen Lie couldn¡¯t see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression. He only felt an icy draft hit his face so hard that it hurt.

    He could only back away a few steps and put his sses back on. Looking at the notes he made on Gu Nianzhi while she was in the infirmary, he muttered, ¡°Nianzhi hasn¡¯t had a boyfriend yet, so she¡¯s still a virgin. I¡¯ve got to find her a reliable man.¡±

    Huo Shangheng was silent.

    He reached out to grab the notes Chen Lie was reading and scanned through them. His face expressionless, he ripped all the pages out and took a lighter out from his trouser pockets. The me lit up with a click, igniting the bottom of the notes which were then tossed into a stainless steel garbage can in the corner.

    The mes lit up in the garbage can and the notes turned to ash in a second.

    ¡°Major Huo! What have you done?!¡± Chen Lie stomped towards the fire to put it out, only to be blocked by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Why would you make a paper record of something like this?¡± Huo Shaoheng red at him. ¡°Are you stupid? Tell me, did you record this on yourptop?¡±

    ¡°This is important data!¡± Chen Lie wailed and he watched the detailed record be ash in the garbage can, his heart wrenching. ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done! I didn¡¯t get a chance to record it into myptop yet!¡±

    Chen Lie was a medical genius and had almost a perverse obsession with all medically rted data.

    Huo Shaoheng had destroyed his precious observations in one moment.

    Chen Lie was so livid he forgot his fears and turned away to the door. He crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling, his face like stone. ¡°Well, let¡¯s not talk anymore. Let¡¯s find a guy!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng only felt a lump in his throat, like something was stuck inside and he was unable to utter, ¡°Yes.¡±

    After a long moment, he turned his head to look at Chen Lie. His voice was cold enough to form frost. ¡°She just needs to find relief, right? Why do we need to find a man? For her relief, it doesn¡¯t require direct contact, right?¡±

    Chen Lie was stunned for a second and murmured, ¡°Theoretically¡ªabsolutely, as long as she finds ¡®pleasure,¡¯ it should resolve naturally. But, she has no consciousness right now. You can¡¯t expect her to find ¡®pleasure¡¯ by herself?¡±

    He was too ufortable to volunteer ¡°pleasing¡± Nianzhi himself, which was why he had called Huo Shaoheng. ¡°If you have a problem with it being a man, I can find a female physician to help her.¡±

    Chen Lie made a lewd gesture gingerly.

    Huo Shaoheng glowered at at Chen Lie¡¯s gesture.

    Chen Lie felt as though his fingers were about to be sliced off by his re.

    He hurriedly put his hands behind himself and chuckled. ¡°Of course, if Major Huo does not agree, let¡¯s just pretend I didn¡¯t say a single thing. Not one single thing. We might be able to let her bear through it.¡±

    It was only someone like Huo Shaoheng, with his mind full of weapons and massacres, who could fathom letting a youngdy bear through this.

    Chen Lie couldn¡¯t help chiding Huo Shaoheng in his mind: he really treats women like men, and men like livestock.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows tightened and he raised his hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough, let me think.¡±

    He took out a pack of cigarettes. His slim and powerful fingers plucked one out and ced it between his lips. He then lit it up and inhaled deeply.

    It was alreadyte at night, the Special Operations Forces established base in the backcountry of C City.

    The moon appeared washed and shone between the trees in the forest. Its light was nted and icy, but did nothing to quell the fever deep in his heart.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the balcony in silence, the cigarette dangling between his fingers. He took a draw asionally, his heart agitated.

    Before he could make sense of what was happening, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wails sounded relentlessly from the open French windows, numbing his scalp.

    Tossing away the butt, he turned to the room with resolve. ¡°No need to find anyone. I¡¯ll watch over her. I don¡¯t believe she can¡¯t bear through this!¡±

    He bent over to pick up Gu Nianzhi and headed towards his bedroom, closing the door in Chen Lie¡¯s face with a loud thud.

    Chen Lie had already predicted this while he watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s silhouette smoke on the balcony.

    He had never seen such hesitation from him. Huo Shaoheng hadmanded whole armies with the snap of his fingers. As a soldier, and an outstanding one at that, hesitation in battle was the most uneptable. This time, it was surprising that Huo Shaoheng had hesitated.

    However, it was fortunate that he had quickly made a decision.

    Chen Lie knocked on the Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom door and shouted, ¡°Remember to watch her heart rate. If it gets too high, call me right away! I¡¯ll go do the drugposition analysis!¡±

 Chapter 7: You Are My Medicine (4)

    <h4>Chapter 7: You Are My Medicine (4)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The houses built on C City Special Ops grounds were entirely sound-proof and insted against radio and electromaic interference. It was simply not possible for anyone to eavesdrop or spy on any of these houses.

    After kicking Chen Lie out, the house was now empty save for Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    At the moment, Gu Nianzhi had already lost her senses and was therefore not really there. Huo Shaoheng was the only one alert and in full control of his faculties.

    He was still in uniform. He sat on the white hardwood sofa¡ªhis long, boot-d legs were stretched out, and he gazed in the direction of the bed.

    The night grew darker. Inside the house, the lights were off. The thick, sound-proof, ck-out velvet curtains were drawn. They hung from the ceiling to the floor, motionless.

    Opposite him was his bed, covered with a clean and fresh ivory-white striped bed sheet. It was Egyptian cotton, with a thread count of 1800. Gu Nianzhi had picked it out for him.

    Huo Shaoheng did not actually care about the little things. He had slept in all kinds of ces during his missions: in snow, in mud, at the pr regions, up on a mountain, in the desert, in a swamp¡ªhe had experienced them all.

    But he always depended on Gu Nianzhi when he was back home.

    Gu Nianzhi had good taste for someone her age. Everything she bought for Huo Shaoheng suited him perfectly.

    The ivory-white striped bedsheet, for example, was extremelyfortable and the perfect choice for a neat freak like Huo Shaoheng.

    The pillow on the bed was of the same color and material. It was Egyptian memory foam and was supposedly good for the spine and back. Gu Nianzhi had especially chosen this for him too.

    The only thing difference with the bed today was the addition of a living, breathing, and impossibly supple girl¡ªGu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t resist lighting another cigarette. He watched Gu Nianzhi for a long time.

    He did not smoke his cigarette: he had only lit it out of habit. When the cigarette finally died out between his fingers, he peeled his eyes away from Gu Nianzhi and pressed the cigarette into an ashtray.

    There was a hint of cigarette smoke in the air. Huo Shaoheng found the remote and turned on the venttor. The smell of smoke quickly disappeared as fresh air came rushing in.

    He slowly removed the cigarette pack in his pocket, tossing it onto the table. Heid back on the sofa and let out a long sigh.

    He was suddenly aware of the zippo lighter in his hand. The lighter, too, was also a present from Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng raised the lighter. His face was nk and unreadable. He flicked the lighter: On. Off. On. Off. On. Off.

    He continued ying with the lighter for a while.

    The room was getting darker by the minute. The intermittent light produced by his lighter illuminated his chiseled features: beautiful, forbidding, and heart-wrenching.

    It was quiet, save for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s continuous moaning.

    Huo Shaoheng could not tell how much time had passed, when his phone suddenly lit up in the dark.

    He nced at it.

    It was a message from Chen Lie: Remember to keep an eye on her heart rate. If it goes up, call me right away, I¡¯ll send someone to head over.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow wrinkled. He threw his phone to the floor, smashing the screen, and tossed the lighter aside. He stood and watched Gu Nianzhi for a long moment, before finally walking over to the bed and sitting on it.

    He patted her cheek and in a hoarse voice asked, ¡°Does it hurt? Do you need relief?¡±

    His gaze was dark and unfathomable. It was impossible to know what he was really thinking.

    Gu Nianzhi drifted in a hazy stupor. Shey meekly on the bed, her mind gone.

    Suddenly, she caught a whiff of male pheromones. Gu Nianzhi eagerly arched towards him.

    Huo Shaoheng had excellent night vision.

    Although the room was dark, his eyes had already adjusted to the gloom.

    There was a subtle, sweet scent in the air. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was unusually flushed, and her eyes, although unfocused and empty, were wet and bright. All this only served to make her look all the more alluring.

    Huo Shaoheng looked away. He grabbed one of the unused Hermes scarves from the bedside table, and pulled it over her face. He lifted her head and knotted the scarf together at the back of her skull, effectively blindfolding her.

    The dark blue Hermes scarf hid her bright, misty eyes.

    The blindfold was unnecessary, as Gu Nianzhi could not actually see a thing. Her mind was inplete shambles. It was as though she was trapped in a dark room, with no exit in sight. She could only wait and hope for the best.

    Deep down, in the darkest recesses of her mind, something told her that this was not the first time she was experiencing this.

    After blindfolding her, Huo Shaoheng caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek. Her skin was warm and soft to the touch, but at the same time his hand came away wet with her sweat.

    He could not afford to wait any longer.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath, and rose from the bed. He undid the buckle on his belt, and threw it to the floor before moving on to the buttons on his uniform. He started from the bottom, his slender, powerful fingers moving upwards, undoing the buttons one by one. Upon reaching his neck he stopped and hesitated, then slowly unhooked the sp on the cor.

    He removed his uniform and tossed it onto the sofa beside the bed. The knee-high army boots soon followed. He walked into the bathroom, d only in his gray-ck boxer briefs.

    Soon after, the sound of running water came from the bathroom. The naked figure of a beautiful, well-toned man could be seen as an indistinct outline through the frosted ss door.

    ¡­

    When he was done Huo Shaoheng walked out of the bathroom, naked except for the brown towel wrapped around his waist.

    He turned on the corner lights of his bedroom. The shadow of his tall, strapping body¡ªlike that of an ancient Greek god¡¯s¡ªmoved along the beige wallpaper.

    His skin was slightly tan, and his shoulders were broad. Complementing his eight-pack was his prominent Apollo¡¯s belt. The V-line abs appeared to plunge and disappear into the hidden recesses of his towel.

    His waist was muscr and taut, and his buttocks were full. Below that were his long, powerful legs: they seemed to be full of hidden power, like a tightly-coiled spring.

    He stood beside the bed, his head lowered. A drop of water rolled off the ends of his hair, slowly making its way down his neck and onto his strong, muscr chest.

    Gu Nianzhi was struggling violently on the bed, as though fighting for her life. Her clothes were a rumpled mess, and her exposed skin was all pink.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her, his face devoid of expression. He pulled his towel off and tossed it onto the sofa.

    He had a pair of gray-ck boxer briefs on underneath the towel. He sat on the bed, d only in his underwear.

    Gu Nianzhi sensed that someone hade. The scenting from him was exactly what she wanted: she arched desperately towards him.

    Huo Shaoheng put his arms around her shoulders. Holding her in his arms, he watched as her plump, pouty lips tilted up towards him. He lowered his head and kissed them.

    The scent of male pheromones helped ke Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thirst. She returned the kiss eagerly. As their tongues entwined, she felt as though a cool, refreshing breeze hade to soothe her fiery body. The tingling feeling deep inside her subsided a little.

    She couldn¡¯t help but get closer.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows were knit together. He was reacting to her.

    All those years of anti-seduction training¡ªhad they all been for nothing?

    During his training, he could take an aphrodisiac and still remain cold and aloof towards the most seductive women. He had never once lost hisposure.

    In all these years, he had never actually used his ¡°equipment¡± in ¡°actualbat¡±; this was partly due to his incredible willpower and self-control. No one had ever seeded in making him lose himself in his desires.

    He had always thought of himself as the perfect war machine.

    Which was why Huo Shaoheng could not understand why his body was reacting now. He was not happy about it.

    He took a deep breath, and flopped onto the bed, his brows furrowed together. The bed sank under his weight.

    With a press of a button he switched off the corner lights on the wall. The bedroom was immediately plunged into total darkness.

    By this time, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s instincts had taken over her body.

    She gave a low moan, and eagerly inched closer to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side of the bed.

    Huo Shaoheng gently stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, before he twisted on top of her. He said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have to do this to save you from the aphrodisiac.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was rolling about in her thirst. Huo Shaoheng was like a fine wine to her, and she felt like she could get drunk on him.

    The stirring masculine scent filled her nose and clouded her mind. She couldn¡¯t think; everything was a blur to her. She only wanted to touch and hold the body that was so close to her, and satisfy her hunger.

    But her arms and legs were securely bound. She could not move.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng was a very handsome man, but there was an edge to his beauty, one that could bring women to their knees.

    But here, inside the dark bedroom, his eyes watching Gu Nianzhi, the edges on Huo Shaoheng uncharacteristically melted away. His pristine fingers, slender and strong, gently caressed her cheek.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head, and pressed her cheek into the palm of his hand. She breathed in his scent greedily.

    A fire was burning inside her chest. She wanted to get closer¡­ closer¡­

    Closer.

 Chapter 8: You Are My Medicine (5)

    <h4>Chapter 8: You Are My Medicine (5)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Pressing down on her shoulders, Huo Shaoheng maintained distance from her body. The strength of his arms bore down on and immobilized her.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t watch to touch her body because he feared it was a trap that would doom him eternally¡ªan addiction he would never shake off from after the first try. But in this moment, it should be fine if he just used his hands and had no actual and direct contact.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as though she was being submerged in cold water one moment, then burned in mes the next.

    It was as though someone was gently kissing her all over her body. Her most sensitive spot was being teased, faster and harder.

    The long suppressed desire in her heart was released by the increasingly passionate kiss. She gave a long moan, sweat drenching her body while she was unable to stop trembling.

    Huo Shaoheng gave a deep growl with her release.

    Her voice was seductive and carried the relief from straining for so long, but his own outburst took him off guard.

    His heart dropped.

    He had never lost control like this before, he hadn¡¯t done anything but help her.

    No, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to lose control like this.

    He couldn¡¯t afford any weaknesses.

    Raising his head, he sighed deeply twice in the darkness to calm his increasing heart rate.

    His vision was getting ustomed to the darkness, and although it was blurry, he could see her face.

    Though her eyes were blindfolded by a silk scarf, it happened to draw attention to the exquisite ne of her nose, and her delicate, full, and soft lips. Like a rose, it bloomed before him.

    Her pants grew heavier and her mouth let out gasps like a lure.

    All lures were sweet and beautiful.

    He reached out his hand to palm her lovely cheek, his right thumb unintentionally brushing across her lips: moist, trembling, and soft beyond belief.

    He quickly moved his hand away as though it were burnt, his right hand traveling down her face to her exquisite corbone.

    Although it was bone, it felt so delicate that he could easily snap them with a touch.

    Huo Shaoheng faltered, the pads of his fingers skimming along her corbone gently like a breeze, across her thin shoulder, her seemingly boneless arms, and finally her waist.

    He paused slightly.

    It was truly a delicate and tiny waist.

    Pressing his lips together, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s adam¡¯s apple bobbedboriously and he panted heavily.

    Suddenly, he didn¡¯t dare to get any closer and increased his distance.

    ¡­

    Although Huo Shaoheng had never had sex with anyone before, he had ample theoretical knowledge. He had seen the bodies of many women during his training to resist sexual temptation, but had never been aroused.

    Facing those women, he was even able to control his biological desires and suppress arousal.

    With Gu Nianzhi however, merely looking at her had destroyed his defences.

    Huo Shaoheng coughed gently and made the logical decision to not think about this.

    Looking at his own powerful body and how tiny she was, how on earth would he¡­

    Huo Shaoheng knew he couldn¡¯t ruminate about this problem.

    As soon as he began thinking, he waspletely covered with sweat as he moured to quell his desires and relieve her hunger.

    Fortunately she had already received release, so Huo Shaoheng thought it would be alright to undo the Hermes scarves tied on her body.He sat up from the bed to go wash up in the bathroom and he even filled a basin of water to clean Gu Nianzhi as well.

    As soon as he touched her bare arm, Huo Shaoheng felt that her body temperature was frighteningly high.

    How could this be?

    Gu Nianzhi pressed against him as soon as he withdrew his hand.

    Her long legs circled him and refused to let go, like a person suffering from a long thirst and craving for hydration from the rain.

    Huo Shaoheng grimaced. It appeared once wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy her, so he would have to do it again.

    It wasn¡¯t as if they were really doing it anyway.

    Huo Shaoheng tossed the towel and tied Gu Nianzhi up again so he could use his hands to help her.

    Gu Nianzhi had already turned to jelly from the aphrodisiac, but when Huo Shaoheng caressed her, she felt herselfe like a summer storm¡ª swift and electric.

    She wanted to move closer to the source of her ecstasy, but her wrists and ankles were marked red from being tied by the silk scarves and she was unable to escape.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm grew heated, and Gu Nianzhi felt herself getting warmer and softer.

    Finally, just as Huo Shaoheng thought he was about to explode, Gu Nianzhi shivered fiercely. Her entire body shook and her eyes were unable to see¡ª her mind unable to think.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to embrace the source of her pleasure, but her arms and legs were tightly bound. She couldn¡¯t help but cry.

    Though Huo Shaoheng was normally strong willed and normally demonstrated great restraint, her moansbined with her weeping were about to drive him insane.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¨C!¡± Gu Nianzhi cried sharply from deep inside her throat.

    Luckily the room is sound proof, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help having the thought sh through his mind.

    He had the sudden urge to kill when he thought of anyone else hearing Gu Nianzhi make this kind of sound.

    It all came swiftly and like electricity. Although her eyes were covered, Gu Nianzhi saw golden blossoms bloom before her, before her mind went nk and her entire body copsed.

    This time should truly do it for her, Huo Shaoheng thought, as he rose up and picked up the clean towel from earlier to wipe her down so she that she could sleepfortably.

    Only after he cleaned up did he lie next to her.

    Gu Nianzhi was now still, as docile as before she had been afflicted by the aphrodisiac.

    Huo Shaoheng gave a sigh of relief and thought how potent an aphrodisiac this was. She had toe twice to resolve the effects.

    He turned towards her to undo the Hermes scarves on her arms and legs once again, then massaged the swelling and bruising on her wrists.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calmed breathing became heavier again with his touch on her wrists.

    She turned her head, her blindfolded face moving towards Huo Shaoheng and lips pouting.

    Huo Shaoheng was looking down as he massaged her wrists when he suddenly felt Gu Nianzhiing closer.

    Without moving, he lowered his eyes to avoid looking at her. He only wanted to know what she would do next.

    And, what urred next left Huo Shaoheng in shock: it was all too fast. It was as though all his previous training to resist sexual temptation and the effects of aphrodisiacs had be useless.

    He had forgotten to shut off the bathroom light, and the dim yellow glow shone through the frosted ss.

    The female body before him was tender and voluptuous, with a very conflicting sense of allure.

    ¡°You want it again already? Hmm?¡± Huo Shaosheng murmured in her ear, pulling her into his arms and lowering his head to kiss her.

    This time he didn¡¯t use his hands, but rather his kisses to take her to climax.

    Under his new technique, her third time came suddenly.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough, so there was a fourth,a fifth, a sixth¡­

    After the sixth time, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing gradually subsided. Shey unmoving, her breathing evening out. Only then did he close his eyes to sleep.

    However, he was still alert while dreaming.

    After sleeping for an undetermined amount of time, when Gu Nianzhi began moaning softly and wound around his body, he didn¡¯t even open his eyes as he pulled her into his arms and his hand found its familiar way in.

    Huo Shaoheng had never thought that such a normally docile looking girl could be like the demon feeding on schrs¡¯ blood in Liaozhai.

    In under fifteen minutes, she orgasmed twice. She only panted and didn¡¯t take a single breath.

    Huo Shaoheng gave a long sigh and looked at the watch on the night table, it was already four in the morning.

    Will she be able to sleep longer this time? Huo Shaoheng wondered.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was unable to sleep, as he was used to waking up at four or five in the morning to train. Although he had gone through an absurd night, he was still able to hold up thanks to his usual high intensity training. He got up quietly to go shower in the bathroom.

 Chapter 9: You Are My Medicine (6)

    <h4>Chapter 9: You Are My Medicine (6)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After he was done showering, he heard his phone vibrating furiously on top of the bedside table.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the phone. It was an iing call from Chen Lie.

    He unlocked the phone with a swipe, epted the call, and heard Chen Lie say, ¡°Open the door! I have something to report! It¡¯s important!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the door, opened it, and hurried out of the bedroom.

    Chen Lie stood before him, his face as white as a sheet.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly asked, ¡°You have the results of the drug analysis?¡± Six hours had passed.

    Chen Lie¡¯s face was pale; he said, stuttering, ¡°Sir, I know what it is. This is no ordinary sexual stimnt!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Huo Shaoheng. His voice was quiet and calm, but deeper than usual. It seemed toe from somewhere deep inside his chest.

    ¡°It¡¯s H3aB7!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s voice was now high and piercing. ¡°You know about H3aB7, right? It¡¯s the drug we¡¯ve been investigating recently!¡±

    The blue veins on the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands stood out. ¡°What? You¡¯re sure it¡¯s H3aB7?!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it!¡± Chen Lie looked like he was about to cry. ¡°Your team obtained the molecr form andposition ratio for it not too long ago. I have them stored on myputer, so I cross-referenced the data with the results from the aphrodisiac. I¡¯ll be damned if they aren¡¯t exactly the same!¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s a very expensive drug, and very little of it has been produced so far. How¡­?¡± Huo Shaoheng could no longer keep hisposure.

    ¡°H3aB7 is a special gic drug developed by Japanese scientists. It can destroy, on the gic level, both the immune system and gic inheritance system.

    ¡°Children born to women affected by the drug be less gically viable with each subsequent generation. Their IQ decreases, but their physical strength increases. They eventually end up like the dumb trolls portrayed in Western myths. By that point they are no more intelligent than your average farm animal, and have to be treated as such. They won¡¯t even be good enough to be used as ves. Now on to the drug¡¯s side effects: the drug causes women to ovte and emit pheromones that entice men into mating with them, so their eggs can be fertilized. The scientists then screen the subsequent offspring to see whether their genes deteriorate with each generation. So when a woman is injected with this drug, her reproductive instincts take over, and her appetite for sex increases, way beyond that of the average women. She basically behaves like an animal, living and breathing ording to biological instinct¡ª¡±

    Huo Shaoheng interjected, ¡°But our intel shows that the drug experiment was a failure. H3aB7 does not actually weaken the gic material of the maternal carrier.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded, and said, somewhat awkwardly, ¡°That was what they were aiming for, but they failed to achieve the desired effect because their research wasn¡¯t quite there yet. They¡¯re still experimenting with it. Something dide out of their research, however¡ªthey learned that the drug has a fatal side effect.¡±

    ¡°What side effect?¡±

    ¡°You know the drug ¡®Viagra¡¯? It wasn¡¯t supposed to be a male aphrodisiac. Originally, the researchers were developing a treatment for heart disease, but along the way they found that the drug increased blood flow to the male groin. That was how they discovered an exceptionally effective male enhancement drug for men.

    ¡°Do you get what I¡¯m saying now? To put it simply, they haven¡¯t found a way to sabotage gic material with H3aB7, not yet, but its effects as a first-rate sexual stimnt for women have already been proven.¡±

    Chen Lie was bing increasingly embarrassed. He said, with some difficulty, ¡°The end-goal for this drug is reproduction. That means that a woman under its effects needs to experience actual sexual contact¡­¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a full minute. He finally said, in a hoarse voice, ¡°She needs actual sexual contact?¡±

    Chen Lie nodded gravely. ¡°It¡¯s either that, or she dies. I¡¯m not joking! These gic drugs are incredibly potent!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long moment. He finally nodded, and rattled out a string of conditions as he paced the room, counting them out on his fingers. ¡°Number 1: No one else must know. Number 2: Get a man who is healthy, free of STDs, and has never fooled around with multiple partners. Better still, get a virgin. Number 3: This man must forget everything once it¡¯s all over and done with. Got it?¡±

    Chen Lie rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got it, but what do you think you¡¯re doing¡ªlooking for a son-inw? Healthy, STD-free, and a virgin to boot?! Why don¡¯t you set up a martial arts tournament and have the entire army fight for her hand in marriage, while you¡¯re at it?! And besides, this drug was injected into her bloodstream, so it¡¯s a lot more effective than ingesting it orally. One man may not be enough!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng fell silent again. After a moment he said, through gritted teeth, ¡°It was injected into her bloodstream? Who did it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now. You have to do something about her situation, ASAP. She only has 24 hours, but 6 hours have already passed.¡± Chen Lie pointed at his watch. ¡°Keep dragging your feet, and she¡¯ll be the one to suffer.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply.

    He could look the other way¡ªjust barely¡ªif she did it with one man¡­ but multiple men? That was crossing the line.

    He had watched this little girl grow up before his very eyes, and now, she was about to be thrown into a wild orgy with multiple men. Just thinking about it made him feel like his brain was about to explode.

    Chen Lie kept his eyes on his phone and said nothing. Several times, he opened his mouth as though about to say something, but he stopped himself each time.

    He knew that Huo Shaoheng was not the type of man who could be persuaded. He had to figure it out on his own.

    As he mulled this over, Chen Lie stealthily pressed the start button on his stopwatch.

    He wanted to see how long it would take for Huo Shaoheng to make up his mind.

    It took him exactly 10 minutes and 20 seconds.

    A new record.

    Huo Shaoheng finally said, with great difficulty, ¡°Forget what I said. Don¡¯t bother looking for candidates.¡±

    Chen Lie grinned. ¡°Very noble of you.¡± He paused, then said, ¡°You¡¯re going at it alone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said in a low voice, ¡°I was careless. I should have taken better care of her. ¡±

    The Imperial Military had specifically asked him to be her guardian, and he had failed his mission.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Don¡¯t say that, it¡¯s not like you. What¡¯s that motto of yours, again?¡± Chen Lie imitated Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone of voice. ¡°Death is the only thing that cannot be ovee. There is always hope, as long as you¡¯re alive.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like having sex with a man would kill Gu Nianzhi. It was simply a necessary cure for her condition. So why get all hung up over the number of men she would have to sleep with? One man, several men¡ªwhat difference did it make?

    Chen Lie secretly thought that Huo Shaoheng was acting like a hypocrite. He would never dream of saying this to his face, however.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the bedroom door. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was starting to be restless on the bed again, and asked Chen Lie, ¡°She¡¯spletely unaware?¡±

    Chen Lie understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s concern. ¡°She won¡¯t remember a thing. She can¡¯t recognize anyone: she¡¯s just acting ording to her instincts.¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi was not rted to Huo Shaoheng by blood, she had stayed with him from the young age of 12 and had grown into a youngdy before his eyes. He was her guardian, and had always thought of her as a child under his care. The situation was impossibly awkward for him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Chen Lie nodded his head in understanding. ¡°I know this is serious. And anyway, there¡¯s the Hippocratic Oath. I have to protect the privacy of my patients.¡± He thought for a bit, then added, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it a secret from the military, too.¡±

    ¡°All right. This is an official military order: if you tell anyone about this, you¡¯ll be conducting your medical experiments in prison for the rest of your life.¡± Huo Shaoheng was a cautious and prudent man; he knew that a verbal promise was worthless and could not be trusted.

    He went into his study and returned with the official form for military orders. Chen Lie was forced to seal his promise with his signature and thumbprint.

    Chen Lie had been about to remind Huo Shaoheng of a few other precautions, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s insistence on an official military order had rubbed him the wrong way; he decided to keep them to himself. He tossed a small box into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s receiving hands. ¡°Take it. You can put them on after the first time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at it. It was an unopened box of condoms.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pack of 20, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be enough.¡± Chen Lie looked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s well-built body over. He slyly asked, ¡°Are you really up to the task? You¡¯re 28 years old, yes? What¡¯s your record for a single night? Don¡¯t overestimate yourself! She has to climax every time, are you sure you can do that? I have a little blue pill here, it¡¯ll help¡ª¡±

    He did not finish his sentence, because Huo Shaoheng was already dragging him by the cor towards the door. He was promptly thrown out of the house.

    ¡°Son of a b*tch, was that necessary?¡± Chen Lie¡¯s face twisted in a grimace as hended painfully on his butt. But the door had already closed behind him with a thunk, and it was no longer possible to hear what was going on inside the house.

 Chapter 10: You Are My Medicine (7)

    <h4>Chapter 10: You Are My Medicine (7)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Sensing her uncontained impatience, Huo Shaoheng paused. His voice was low, carrying a tinge of emotion and raspiness he failed to detect in himself. ¡°Darling, be patient, I¡¯ll give it to you right away, just hold on a bit longer.¡±

    This time he used neither his hands, nor his kisses.

    ¡­

    C City was still very cold during the evenings in the end of March.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s house was set to a mild temperature all year long and had a central air conditioning, so it didn¡¯t feel too cold or hot.

    However he had just experienced an unprecedented and intense ¡°workout,¡± so he was feeling mixed emotions and needed so refresh himself with cold water.

    The cold water sloshed over his head like a bucket of a cold water. He felt his mixed emotions slightly subside.

    I¡¯ll pretend this was just a mission, like the hundreds and thousands before.

    Although this mission was more erotic and had less difficulty, it was just a mission nevertheless.

    There was no other meaning.

    But, before hepletely erased the memory, he wanted to savour it once again.

    Standing underneath the shower, Huo Shaoheng leaned against the wall with one arm. He closed his eyes to enjoy the cool water rinsing over him and the severe expression on his face finally eased.

    After showering, he draped a towel around his neck and strode out of the bathroom with his powerful and long legs.

    The corners of his mouth twitched as he smelled the heavy musk in the room. He found the remote and turned on the venttor again to change the air in the room.

    Afterwards, he sat down on the white hardwood sofa and poised to have the fabled ¡°cigarette after s*x.¡±

    He watched Gu Nianzhi take great gasps, heart rate stabilizing but face extremely pale. He pursed his lips, emotions mixed as enshrouded before him were thoughts he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge.

    Gu Nianzhi was dead asleep.

    It was unlike the previous times she had lost consciousness and passed out.

    Huo Shaoheng picked her up and ced on her the bed with fresh sheets, then covered her with a thin nket.

    He Hesitated for a second; he had not yet removed the silk scarf blindfolding her.

    Once she was deep asleep, he rushed back to the bathroom to clean himself again and change into a crew neck ck t-shirt and military camo pants.

    Opening the French windows in the bedroom, he went out to the balcony and finally lit a ¡°cigarette after sex¡± to smoke in rxation.

    Crossing arms and standing on the balcony, his eyes were dark as he looked at the mountains in the distance. He appeared as if he had troubled thoughts or could be thinking of nothing at all.

    Lavender mist snaked between the mountains. The sun had just risen and a sliver of light revealed itself from behind the mountains, almost about to break outpletely.

    At that moment, the wake up call sounded in the base, stirring the previously serene paradise.

    Huo Shaoheng watched the familiar scene and blew out a puff of smoke. He raised his hand and threw the butt with a beautiful arc, whichnded in the garbage can in the corner of the balcony.

    He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and turned back to the room.

    Closing the French windows and drawing the ckout and sound proof gold velvet curtains, he nced at Gu Nianzhi on the bed.

    She¡¯s still fast asleep and unmoving. She must be exhausted, Shaoheng noted.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips turned slightly and he exited the room in good spirits.

    As soon as he opened the bedroom door, he heard a thud.

    A chubby silhouette lurched inside, its round head hitting the ground with a thud.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows twitched and his voice was deep. ¡°Chen Lie!¡±

    Naturally, the person who had waited outside all night and fell in was the most highly skilled physician in the country, Chen Lie.

    Rubbing the back of his head and grasping the door frame to stand up, he looked at Huo Shaoheng incredulously, ¡°You, you, you¡­finished it all?!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was cold enough to glean Arctic ice from. ¡°Who allowed you to sit in front of my door?¡±

    ¡°I was worried about you!¡± Chen Lie chattered and snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng like a thief. ¡°How many times did you do it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer and waved his hand with no change in expression. ¡°Go and see if she¡¯s any better.¡±

    ¡°What? Really?¡± Chen Lie rushed into the living room to retrieve his medical box that could easily double as a field hospital. He was so excited that he was stuttering, ¡°It¨C it¨C it¨C it was all done?¡±

    Huo Shaohengpletely ignored his questions and lowered his head to take out a pack of of cigarettes from his camo pants. He lit one and inhaled deeply.

    He watched Chn Lie open the medical box to take out a needle and draw blood from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm.

    Gu Nianzhi remained deep asleep, an arm like white jade resting on a pillow, her face devoid of color.

    The violet silk scarf covering her eyes remained.

    Huo Shaoheng took a nce and felt a bit feverish. He lowered his gaze and inhaled the cigarette fiercely, twice. Taking the opportunity while Chen Lie waspleting the blood work analysis, he walked over and nudged his shoulder, ¡°Come outside for a talk.¡±

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t leave the bedroom with Huo Shaoheng until he finished preparing the equipment to await for results.

    Huo Shaoheng peered his head into the room to ensure Gu Nianzhi was still deep asleep and closed the door gently. He spread his palms at Chen Lie. ¡°Give it.¡±

    ¡°Give what? Huh, what do you want? What do I owe you?¡± Chen Lie squinted his eyes at Huo Shaoheng like a fox. ¡°I¡¯m severely myopic so I can¡¯t see clearly. Don¡¯t deceive me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and pursed his lips, ¡°The drug, you said you had something to make people forget things.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Chen Lie froze, ¡°Forget what?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was deep and icy, his piercing gaze directed at Chien Lie trapped him like a lobbed knife. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would find someone to help, earlier, and guaranteed that they wouldn¡¯t remember anything after? How would you have guaranteed they didn¡¯t remember?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh!¡± Chen Lie finally remembered, his expression fluctuating in an instant. After a long pause he rubbed the back of his head and said, in shock, ¡°That drug, you want to take it too? You¡¯re not an outsider though.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and continued to spread his palms, ¡°Cut the cr*p, where is it?¡±

    Chen Lie truly never thought Huo Shaoheng would need the drug to help him forget.

    His round mouth gasped and after a long pause he said morosely, ¡°Well, Major Huo, the thing is, that drug only guarantees forgetting if you take it before doing the deed. Just like Nianzhi, look at her, I guarantee she won¡¯t remember a thing when she wakes up.¡±

    That¡¯s to say it would cause a person to enter a clouded state and only act on biological instinct to do the deed, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts clicked with this realization.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart thudded, and he cursed to himself.

    Chen Lie shrunk back and desperately wanted to hide his round body in a hole as he stuttered, ¡°It won¡¯t do anything if you take it after it happens. Major Huo, it¡¯s toote for you to ask for the drug that allows you to to forget partial memories now.¡±

 Chapter 11: Who Does She Think Sheâ€™s Kidding?

    <h4>Chapter 11: Who Does She Think She¡¯s Kidding?</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was inscrutable, but his eyes seemed to grow darker, like the gloomy, sunless sea before a hurricane. He looked at Chen Lie, his arms crossed and his gaze imperious. ¡°Is there no other way?¡±

    ¡°Well, not exactly,¡± said Chen Lie, smugly. He wiped the beads of sweat off his brow with a handkerchief. He then removed his sses, and began taking his time by leisurely wiping them with a cleaning cloth.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°If you absolutely insist on wiping your memories, the only way to do it is to physically remove them¡ªsurgery, in other words. We¡¯ll cut a piece out of your frontal lobe¡ª¡± Chen Lie risked ncing at Huo Shaoheng, but did not wait to see his reaction to what he was being told. He barreled on. ¡°But this will have serious consequences. Boss, you are a high-ranking military man, the military will never let you undergo a surgery of this kind. And besides, the military will want to know why. What are you going to tell them?¡± Chen Lie waspletely candid in his analysis of the pros and cons.

    ¡°F*ck!¡± Huo Shaoheng mmed his fist into the metal door, hard enough to leave a dent.

    Chen Lie¡¯s brows shot up at this. Heughed, and decided to have a bit of fun at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expense. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Boss? Why are you getting so worked up? With your incredible willpower and self-control, I¡¯m sure all you have to do is tell yourself you want to forget the experience and the memory will be gone, just like that, easy-peasy! Surely something as trivial as this isn¡¯t going to be a problem for you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng loudly and deliberately cracked his knuckles in front of Chen Lie, his face as rigid as stone.

    Chen Lie began to sweat again. If he wanted to live to see tomorrow, it would be best if he quickly changed the subject. In his flustered mind, he remembered Gu Nianzhi and immediately used her to deflect Huo Shaoheng¡¯s anger. ¡°Boss, I have to go check on Nianzhi. A little virgin girl like her, God only knows what you did to herst night¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold it.¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped him, his brows furrowed. ¡°Get a female doctor to check on her.¡±

    ¡°Boss, you are discriminating against male doctors!¡± Chen Lie protested with a straight face, but before Huo Shaoheng could react to this, Chen Lie quickly switched on his pager and said, ¡°Doctor Ye, please report to General Huo¡¯s quarters. We need you for a secret mission.¡±

    At this, Huo Shaoheng finally let him off the hook. He dropped his hand, walked to the window, and stood looking out, his arms folded. ¡°I assume you understand that some things will have to be kept confidential.¡±

    ¡°Confidential! Yes, of course, no problem!¡± Chen Lie nodded vigorously and deferentially, the very model of contrition. He did not want to get on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bad side again.

    Huo Shaoheng merely gave him a cold look and said nothing.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Ye Zitan to appear with a medical kit. She greeted Huo Shaoheng with a military salute, then looked over to Chen Lie. ¡°Doctor Chen, what is the mission?¡±

    Chen Lie indicated the bedroom and led Ye Zitan towards it, saying, in a low voice, ¡°You know Gu Nianzhi, yes? She was attacked, if you get what I mean. We only just rescued her. Go check on her, see how bad it is, and treat her injuries.¡±

    Ye Zitan was also a Medical Officer, working under Chen Lie. She was shocked to hear this and immediately asked, ¡°What? Who did it? Have you arrested the culprit?¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s eyes flew towards Huo Shaoheng, who turned wordlessly away from them and towards the window. Chen Lie¡¯s mouth twitched. He coughed softly, then said indignantly, ¡°Don¡¯t be nosy. And anyway, did you honestly think that General Huo would let the attacker go free? I¡¯ll have you know that he¡¯s already smashed the bastard¡¯s bones to pieces and spread his ashes to the wind. Now remember, you absolutely have to keep this a secret. General Huo will have a military order ready for you to sign when you¡¯re done. I¡¯m sure these precautions implicate to you just how serious this situation is.¡±

    Ye Zitan nodded solemnly. ¡°I see. I understand; this will be kept strictly confidential.¡± She walked into the bedroom with her medical kit.

    The room was dark, so the first thing Ye Zitan did was turn on the lights. She put on her gloves before lifting the thin nket that was covering Gu Nianzhi.

    What she saw made her suck in a breath.

    ¡°Oh my god! Animals! Savages! How could they do this to such a youngdy?!¡± There were bruises of every kind on Gu Nianzhi, and the sight of them made Ye Zitan see red. She swore up and down in the bedroom, cursing the man who had done this and dering the bastard¡¯s certain fate to burn in Hell.

    Chen Lie stood in the doorway, his features contorted. He was trying very hard not tough, but he would be suffering internal injuries very soon if he continued to keep this up.

    Huo Shaoheng was standing by the window. The corners of his mouth twitched a few times. When he turned away from the window, his usual stony expression was back in ce. He casually walked out the front door.

    His hands were shoved into the pockets of his camouge pants. He had already put on his Bluetooth headset out of habit. He descended from the third floor, saw that it was still early, and decided to go for a bit of morning exercise. A 10-kilometer obstacle course would be just the thing to release his pent-up energy.

    He had just started his run when a call came through to his headset. It was from the call operator stationed at the military base.

    ¡°Sir, someone left a voicemail on your civilian phone line. It¡¯s about Miss Gu. Do you want to hear it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian, but he had never publicly disclosed his true identity.

    The number he had given Gu Nianzhi was a civilian number; the identity he assumed was that of a lowly wage ve. Because of this, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmates and friends were under the impression that she was an orphan under the care of an uncle who was not particrly rich.

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°This is about Miss Gu¡¯s final interview for her post-grad admission. Her university tried to call her all morning. They said they dialed her number at least 10 times, but no one picked up the phone. They finally gave up and called your number instead.¡±

    The final interview for post-grad admissions?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s furrowed his brows. He suddenly remembered: Gu Nianzhi had previously told him that she was going to sit for her post-grad admission exam. Had she already taken the exam? Was her interview up next?

    Huo Shaoheng stopped running. He called Chen Lie and asked, in an impassive voice, ¡°Chen Lie, did Gu Nianzhi sit for her post-grad admission exam?¡±

    Chen Lie said, ¡°Oh, that. Yes, she did. She got first ce, too. What about it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lit a cigarette. He asked, ¡°When will she be up? Her final interview is today, did you know?¡±

    ¡°Interview? Forget it. Even if she wakes up today, she won¡¯t be able to get off the bed. She¡¯s been through hell and back. I expect her to stay bed-ridden for a week,¡± said Chen Lie, rapping his knuckles on the table.

    Huo Shaoheng took a long, unhappy drag on his cigarette, before breathing out a lungful of smoke. He said, calmly, ¡°Okay. Make up a medical condition for her¡ªthe worst you can think of¡ªand put it on a medical leave certificate. I¡¯ll get someone to take it to Nianzhi¡¯s university and see whether we can get them to postpone the interview.¡±

    Chen Lie did not object. He knew that Gu Nianzhi had her heart set on going tow school. He fiddled with the hemodialysis equipment in the bedroom as he said on the phone, ¡°No problem. Just a suggestion: you may want to send someone who¡¯s a real smooth talker. I mean, we may have a problem if whoever¡¯s calling the shots at her university is a hardass who insists on ying by the rules.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Yin Shixiong to handle this,¡± said Huo Shaoheng. He immediately ended the call and dialed Yin Shixiong¡¯s number.

    Yin Shixiong was one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries. He was usually the one who handled all of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s external affairs. He was loyal and good at dealing with people. In addition, his powers of persuasion were such that he could even coax a starling out of a tree.

    Yin Shixiong took the call from Huo Shaoheng and immediately agreed to do what was required of him. He came over, took the medical leave certificate and medical report, and personally drove to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s university to request that she be granted sick leave.

    It was now 15 minutes before the interview.

    Feng Yixi, dressed in a light gray skirt suit, waited with a dignified air in the conference room. Professor He Zhichu of B City was personally interviewing the post-grad candidates today.

    Gu Nianzhi was still nowhere to be seen. She was probably noting.

    Feng Yixi bowed her head to hide the smirk on her face.

    In the office next door was a man in a white suit; he was He Zhichu, Professor of Law at B University, located in B City. He had his back to the door. He said impatiently, ¡°If she can¡¯t even make it in time for the interview then she may as well forget it. Sick leave? Who does she think she¡¯s kidding?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, Miss Gu really is sick. It was very sudden and unexpected. I have her medical leave certificate, issued by a fully qualified doctor. You can have a look at her medical report, too.¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s acting was impable. He produced the medical report he had gotten from Chen Lie.

    It went without saying that the medical report was aplete fabrication. The truth had to remain a secret.

    He Zhichu turned from the window. He looked at the medical leave certificate and the report that Yin Shixiong handed over to him.

    Yin Shixiong quietly looked He Zhichu over, secretly surprised. He had not expected the renowned professor of B University Law School to be so young!

    The professor was tall and well-built. His tailored white suit was perfect on him: itplemented his suave demeanor and exceptionally handsome face.

    He Zhichu had long, narrow eyes that nted upwards into his temples. He was famous for his bewitching, dewy, almond-shaped eyes.

 Chapter 12: What Is The Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 12: What Is The Evidence</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Leaning in the office chair behind his desk, He Zhichu rested one hand on the armrest, and reached his other arm out. He scanned the medical note and diagnostic report and coldy stated, ¡°She¡¯s truly ill?¡±

    ¡°Of course she is. Why would we even lie about this?¡± Yin Shixiong spread his palms and appeared aggrieved, ¡°Our Nianzhi is the top of her ss! Why wouldn¡¯t shee unless she is truly bedridden?¡±

    He Zhichu lifted his gaze at him, the corners of his narrow eyes raising slightly, ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew He Zhichu was not only the a Faculty of Law professor and doctoral advisor at the best university in the Empire, B University. He was also a top student at the Yale School of Law, tenured professor at the Harvard School of Law and partner to the top majorw firm in the United States.

    Such a person would not easily trust just any statement.

    Hence he wasn¡¯t going to reason with He Zhichu, but rather use another way to tter him, ¡°Professor He, our Nianzhi has been admiring you since she was young and wanted to apply as your post-grad student for a long time. When she found out you were conducting the interview yourself, she was so excited she couldn¡¯t sleep for several nights! You can¡¯t smother the hopes of such a model student!¡±

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s eyes twitched twice, he closed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s file to set it aside and said dryly, ¡°That¡¯s an overstatement. However, I¡¯ll give Gu Nianzhi one chance since she is the top of the ss. Have here interview, three days from now at this time. ¡ªI will not entertain anything after.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was overjoyed and quickly stood up, ¡°Not a problem, not a problem! We will absolutely be there in three days!¡±

    ¡­

    At that moment in the C City Special Operations Forces Base, Ye Zitan had already left. Chen Lie was waiting in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom alone and preparing his medical equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi remained deep asleep without stirring on therge bed beside him.

    Looking at the newly printed out results of her blood work, Chen Lie was carefully poring over it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood was clean and all the negative effects created by the H3aB7 in her system had all been eradicated.

    Chen Lie looked at the data as hepared it with the H3aB7 rted information he had previously collected, and shook his head in awe.

    Major General Huo was truly Major General Huo, this was incredible¡­

    Chen Lie hummed a tune and took the medical box from the bedroom. He said to Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting in the living room and having breakfast, ¡°Boss, you really had it toughst night. Here, let me do aplete physical examination.¡± He rolled up his sleeves, stethoscope around his neck and blood pressure monitor in his hand as he walked over.

    On the table before Huo Shaoheng was a te of 6 giant beef buns, a te of medium-rare steak, a bowl of cereal rice porridge, a te of pan-fried bacon and shrimp, and a bowl of mashed potatoes with cheese. These were all high calorie and high protein food.

    He set down his cutlery and extended his arm for Chen Lie to examine.

    After a minute, Chen Lie found that Huo Shaoheng waspletely normal.

    He didn¡¯t stumble, have shortness of breath or cold sweats. His blood pressure and heart rate were normal, and he did not appear pale.

    This was unlike someone who had exerted themselves the previous night¡­..

    ¡°¡­Boss, where are the things I gave you yesterday? Did you use it all?¡± Chen Lie packed away his blood pressure monitor and stethoscope, pretending to ask casually.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed in the direction of the bedroom, ¡°It¡¯s in the nightstand over there.¡±

    Chen Lie hurried to the bedroom and found the box in the nightstand.

    There were twenty unopened condoms inside, which meant Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t use a single one.

    Chen Lie¡¯s face shifted with countless expressions in one moment. There was no expression to show his shocked feeling of ¡°Oh my f*cking god.¡±

    This was incredible!

    They were all in there!

    He is not human!

    Chen Lie stood dazed in the bedroom for a while before clutched his iPad and floated outside. He looked at Huo Shaoheng strangely and asked in a low voice, ¡°¡­..Boss, you seriously¡­?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded his head, impassive, ¡°I never fake things.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded rapidly, beads of sweat on the tip of his nose, ¡°I believe it! I believe it!¡±

    After a while, he tapped away at his iPad to enter in strings of data. He pretended as if nothing had urred and asked, ¡°¡­So how many times did you finish? You didn¡¯t use a single condom¡­¡­¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°¡­¡±

    Not wanting to acknowledge such ludicrous questions, Huo Shaoheng lowered his gaze and did not answer. He speared arge piece of medium-rare steak into his mouth and chewed carefully.

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t get a reply after the long pause and became slightly agitated. He leaned down beside him and muttered, ¡°¡­Boss, tell me about your experience? You should share good things with your close friends, right?¡±

    ¡°What experience?¡± Huo Shaoheng lost his appetite when he heard this question and set down his cutlery. He picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and stood up to grab he iPad from Chen Lie¡¯s hands.

    ¡°What did you record exactly?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed again.

    If he was seeing correctly, Chen Lie had recorded all the food in his meals.

    Chen Lie was blushing slightly, but spoke seriously, ¡°I¡¯m just performing a scientific experiment to see if your diet had natural¡­.. effects.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and threw the iPad back. He neither exposde nor ridiculed him, then pointed at the breakfast on the table, ¡°Eat all this and train every morning with the others at the Special Operations Forces. I think you have too much free time.¡±

    Chen Lie looked at the high calorie and high protein food in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breakfast with distaste. He pouted at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back as he exited the room, but sat down and ate breakfast anyway.

    As soon as he was finished eating, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderly, Fan Jiane over to escort him, ¡°Dr. Chen, the Chief is waiting to meet with you in the small conference room.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Chen Lie scrambled for his meeting memo and headed towards the small conference room.

    The small conference room was in the basement of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters.

    Chen Lie walked in and saw Huo Shaoheng sitting alone at the head of the oval shaped table.

    ¡°Boss?¡± Chen Lie entered and closed the door of the small conference room.

    ¡°Sit.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed at the seat across from him, his voice very deep, ¡°I asked for you because I need to ask about the incident of Nianzhi getting afflicted by an aphrodisiac. I wasn¡¯t able tost night, but I need you to tell me everything today.¡±

    Anyone daring to mess with his people certainly had a deathwish.

    ¡°We need to thoroughly investigate this incident.¡± Chen Lie¡¯s expression became uncharacteristically stern, ¡°To summarize, Nianzhi attended her ssmate¡¯s birthday party and was pricked by a needle there.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it was a needle?¡±

    ¡°Needle or not, it was something needle shaped. Before Nianzhi lost consciousness, she also told me she was afflicted from the back. I examined her and found her right shoulder indeed had a small hole, and the concentration of the aphrodisiac there was much higher than anywhere else in her body, so it must have been pricked there.¡±

    ¡°Haha, impressive.¡± Huo Shaoheng knocked on the table, ¡°Does she know who did it?¡±

    ¡°She thinks it was her ssmate, Feng Yixi.¡± Chen Lie pushed up his sses, which was about to slide down the bridge of his nose. ¡°But we don¡¯t have single bit of evidence.¡±

 Chapter 13: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 13: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (1)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Feng Yixi?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s finger tapped the conference table, once, twice. He spoke quietly into his Bluetooth headset. ¡°Give me everything you can dig up on Feng Yixi, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmates had already been subjected to a background check once, before her transfer to C University two years ago. She had been cleared to study there only when each and every one of her ssmates had proven to be ordinary andw-abiding citizens.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s database soon uploaded all avable information on the Feng family and projected them onto the screen in the conference room.

    Huo Shaoheng idly toyed with a gold coin in his hand as he looked over the information. His dark eyes narrowed. ¡°No evidence? What do you mean, there¡¯s no evidence?¡±

    ¡°Of course we don¡¯t have evidence. We only have what Nianzhi told us, and she may not remember a thing when she wakes up. We need hard evidence, Boss!¡± Chen Lie reminded Huo Shaoheng.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth curved upwards. He mmed the gold coin onto the conference table and stood up. ¡°Did you forget our biggest evidence? H3aB7.¡±

    Chen Lie jerked his head up and stared at the Feng family dossier that was disyed on the screen. He pped his head. ¡°You¡¯re right! How could I have forgotten?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked towards the screen, arms folded. The ck T-shirt on his back was supposed to be loose-fitting, but on him it was tight;the muscles on his chest were visible beneath it.

    ¡°I recall hearing you talk about this drug, once. You said that ording to the data, it¡¯s a highly potent drug. Naturally, I wanted to use it on our men as part of their training, but you said you couldn¡¯t get it for me because it¡¯s very rare. You also said that even in Japan, only the top dignitaries get to enjoy it.¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped in front of the screen.

    Chen Lie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. So¡­¡±

    ¡°So tell me, knowing what we do of the Feng family: how did Feng Yixi get her hands on it?¡±

    The Feng family may be filthy rich in the eyes of most ordinary folk, but ultimately they were just wealthy businessmen, nothing more.

    H3aB7 was not something you could buy with money alone. Even Chen Lie, a high-ranking Medical Officer backed by the Special Operation Forces, had never gotten his hands on the real thing, only bits and pieces of data regarding it. So, how on earth did Feng Yixi, a mere college senior, pull it off?

    Huo Shaoheng turned; once again, he barked orders into his Bluetooth headset. ¡°Zhao Liangze, get someone to look into what Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmate, Feng Yixi, was up to before and after her birthday party yesterday evening. Who she met, what she did, the things she said, everything. You have half an hour topile aplete report on herst 24 hours.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s other personal secretary. He was meticulous, thorough, and had an exceptional memory. He was also aputer whiz, and usually helped Huo Shaoheng take care of confidential matters.

    Zhao Liangze answered in the affirmative. Huo Shaoheng grunted in reply and disconnected the call.

    Chen Lie shed Huo Shaoheng a thumbs-up. ¡°The Bossman does it again! Nothing escapes you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slipped the gold coin on the table into the pocket of his camouge pants. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll know what the deal is when we hear from Zhao Liangze.¡±

    Chen Lie followed behind Huo Shaoheng. He said, ruefully, ¡°I really want to know how Feng Yixi got her hands on the drug. And so much of it, too.¡±

    Something stirred inside Huo Shaoheng. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but he felt that something was amiss.

    He returned to the third floor. He looked at the door to the bedroom but could not bring himself to enter.

    He was saved by a phone call from Yin Shixiong. ¡°Sir, Miss Gu¡¯s interview has been postponed to three days from now, and will take ce at eight o¡¯clock in the morning.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, impassively, ¡°Understood. Now, I want you to report to the small conference room as soon as you¡¯re back.¡±

    He turned and said to Chen Lie, ¡°Keep an eye on her. I have things to take care of.¡± Then he left.

    Half an hourter, both Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze entered the small conference room for a meeting with Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhao Liangze stood before the screen and presented his findings.

    ¡°There was nothing particrly suspicious about Feng Yixi¡¯s behavior in thest 24 hours, aside from the fact that she bought a yellow pear-shaped diamond ring from her cousin for one million yuan.¡±

    A photo of the pear-shaped diamond ring appeared on the screen. Huo Shaoheng stared at the protrusion in the middle of the pear-shaped diamond ring, and then said, ¡°Zoom in on the ring.¡±

    The ring on the screen grew bigger and bigger, until atst every single groove could be seen clearly. It was scary how much detail could be seen on a high resolution photo.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the diamond ring now?¡±

    ¡°Still on Feng Yixi¡¯s finger,¡± said Zhao Liangze as he pulled up a photo of Feng Yixi; in it she was stepping out of a ck car, her left hand resting on the top of the open door. Clearly visible on her left middle finger was a yellow pear-shaped diamond ring.

    ¡°This photo was taken just fifteen minutes ago, when she returned to her house afterpleting her university interview,¡± said Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Interview?¡± asked Huo Shaoheng, surprised. ¡°What interview?¡±

    ¡°Feng Yixi and Miss Gu both sat for the postgraduate entrance exam for B University¡¯s Law School. Miss Gu came in first ce, Feng Yixi, second,¡± said Zhao Liangze. He exchanged a look with Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong recalled that Gu Nianzhi did not go for her interview that morning, and also that General Huo had specifically asked him to help arrange her leave of absence. He turned to Huo Shaoheng and asked, ¡°Sir, does Miss Gu have something to do with all this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply. His face was grim as he gave the order. ¡°Keep digging. Find out where Feng Yixi¡¯s cousin got the ring from.¡± Having said this, he took the sh drive containing all the information from Zhao Liangze, and marched off to find Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie took the sh drive from him and immediately transferred all the information into hisptop. He began analyzing the ring.

    Although he had never seen the ring with his own eyes, it was possible to calcte the actual dimensions of the ring with the help of the high-res photo. This meant that it was also possible to ascertain how much liquid the protrusion at the top of the ring could have potentially carried.

    An hourter, Chen Lie aborted the program running theplicated calctions on hisptop. ¡°The volume matches the amount of H3aB7 that was injected into Gu Nianzhi yesterday.¡± He rubbed his bloodshot eyes, and looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It¡¯s irond. It¡¯s definitely her.¡±

    ¡°I know, but she may be just another puppet. Someone else may be pulling the strings.¡± Huo Shaoheng changed into his military uniform. He put on his ck fingerless leather gloves; he was going to the firing range for shooting practice.

    Chen Lie said nothing. Like Huo Shaoheng, there was now a flicker of uneasiness inside him.

    ¡­

    Night had fallen. The evening lights had juste on at Fortune Pce, C City¡¯s luxury club. Inside, well-groomed men and womenughed and talked in low voices.

    The club upied the top five floors of a high-rise building. On the top floor, in a private room at the very end of a corridor, a well-dressed young man was so drunk he could hardly make out who he was talking to. He mumbled vaguely, ¡°You want H3aB7? It ain¡¯t cheap¡­¡±

    ¡°How much? Name your price,¡± said a fat, oily-faced man, in a voice oozing with greed. ¡°I have all the money in the world!¡±

 Chapter 14: Following the Vine to Find the Melon(2)

    <h4>Chapter 14: Following the Vine to Find the Melon(2)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Prepare two million¡ªin cash¡ªand I¡¯ll see if I can find someone to get you a bit of it.¡± The drunk young man grinned, his eyes rolled back. He did not appear drunk, but that he was actually under the influence of drugs.

    The overweight man who called himself ¡°Master Zeng,¡± smiled as he bowed hastily. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go prepare it. When will you have it?¡±

    ¡°Be patient, I¡¯ll give you an update in two days.¡± The young man belched and took out his phone. He called his cousin as he waved goodbye to Master Zeng and said in a drunken slur, ¡°Sister, today it¡¯s my treat. I¡¯m gonna celebrate you passing the interview. Come to room 518 on the top floor of Fortune Pce. See you here!¡±

    Feng Yixi was on the other end of the line. Her interview had been very sessful that day. The 28-years old, overseas educated, Faculty of Law professor at B University, He Zhichu, was extremely aplished and handsome. The thought sent her heart fluttering. She wanted to jump for joy and share her exuberance and pride.

    ¡°Cousin, are you really holding a celebration for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course! You are my cousin, what kind of rtionship do we have here? Hurry up! Once you get here you¡¯ll know, there¡¯s a huge surprise!¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯lle over now.¡± Feng Yixi smiled and changed into a ck and white dress so short that it ended on tops of her thighs. It made her legs appear even more fair and slender.

    Feng Yixi arrived to the private room 518 on the top floor of Fortune Pce alone. Just as she opened the door, the dark room suddenly lit up and a waterfall of petals and confetti fell from the ceiling. Complimenting this were the pops of champagne bottles opening and sounds of party horns, whichpleted the atmosphere of boisterous cheer.

    ¡°Surprise!¡±

    A group of finely dressed men and women appeared from different corners of the private room to apud and wee Feng Yixi, who was still at the door.

    Feng Yixi¡¯s cousin walked up from behind the crowd with a giant bouquet of roses. He smiled as he handed it to her, then took her into an embrace and kissed her on the cheek as per the Western customs. ¡°Sister, I¡¯m throwing this party as an early celebration for your sessful admission as He Zhichu¡¯s post-grad student in B University¡¯s Faculty of Law!¡±

    Feng Yixi couldn¡¯t stop grinning.

    While the party was underway, someone took out ¡°the good stuff¡±, which everyone started snorting. Feng Yixi normally was not the sort of person to fool around with drugs, but she was especially euphoric that night and couldn¡¯t help giving into her curiosity when she saw the others in utter ecstasy from it.

    She had no grasp of what was happening around her after she took it, feeling feverish as she continued to drink and enjoy herself to maddening levels. Thest thing Feng Yixi recalled doing was removing her clothing and embracing someone while the party carried on.

    Before the monitors in the Fortune Pce security room, a man appearing as a security guard covertly recorded the crazed revelry of room 518, then sent it to a mysterious ount.

    Soon after, Zhao Liangze received the video on the other end.

    ¡°Sir, we have the video. Feng Xiyi¡¯s cousin, Hu Chuanxin, was the one who sold the H3aB7.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng acknowledged the information with a firm nod, his jaw clenched.

    ¡°Keep an eye on him.¡±

    Late into the night, Huo Shaoheng returned to his quarters and saw Chen Lie sitting on the living room floor. A pile of his medical instruments wasid out before him and he was concentrating on extracting and purifying blood samples.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked. He paused mid-step. ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Did she eat yet?¡±

    Chen Lie sighed and shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s not awake yet.¡± He nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Do you realize what you¡¯ve done? You were only supposed to let her get to release, but you nearly killed her!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood in silence. He then crossed the small hallway to the bedroom and saw that the door was, indeed, still closed.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a twinge of worry and asked,¡±She really hasn¡¯t woken up?¡±

    He opened the bedroom door to enter.

    A full day hade to an end, and the curtains in the bedroom were drawn closed;it was silent and dark inside the room. Upon stepping in, however, he could still sense a lingering scent of the peculiar seductive aroma that had filled the air just the night before .

    Huo Shaoheng left the room without a sound and closed the door gently behind him. He returned to the living room and made his way to the sofa.

    Chen Lie turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and saw his sombre expression. The man¡¯s eyes were lowered and did not reveal what he was thinking about.

    ¡°Boss, if Nianzhi doesn¡¯t wake up by tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid something might be wrong.¡± Chen Lie picked up a vial and swirled its contents, his voice low.

    Even without Chen Lie pointing it out to him, Huo Shaoheng had sensed something was amiss far earlier.

    He gave out a long sigh, and wordlessly got up to return to his study.

    That night, neither Chen Lie nor Huo Shaoheng slept.

    Early the next morning, Chen Lie went to the room to check on Gu Nianzhi again to see if she had awaken. Not only was she not awake, but she was also running a high fever.

    Chen Lie hurried to get a fever injection and gave a shot to her arm. He then proceeded to withdraw more blood. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair arm was already beginning to disy dark patches, all of them bruises caused by withdrawing blood.

    Huo Shaoheng came out from the study, saw Chen Lie exit the bedroom with yet another vial of blood, and stopped him with an outraised hand. ¡°What are you doing exactly? How much blood did you take?¡±

    Chen Lie pushed him away with one hand to protect the vial in his other and said, unwaveringly, ¡°This is for her own good. She¡¯s running a fever today. I think this H3aB7 is really something else. Oda Masao, the man behind the discovery of H3aB7, is an acimed biomedical specialist at the Tokyo Imperial University Hospital in Japan. How could he stoop to create something as low ss as an aphrodisiac.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow furrowed; his voice was dangerously low. ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything that isn¡¯t true. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m certain H3aB7 is not as simple as we thought. It¡¯s not only an aphrodisiac; I suspect it has other effects.¡± Chen Lie carefully streamed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood into the hematology instrument for another analysis.

    ¡°Fever? You¡¯re saying Nianzhi has a fever?¡± Huo Shaoheng had obviously not foreseen this as an oue. ¡°Why does she have a fever?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, can¡¯t you see I¡¯m doing the analysis? I have to develop the blood sample, so stop loitering here and go do whatever you¡¯re supposed to be doing.¡± Chen Lie waved his hand and shooed Huo Shaoheng away.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and took out a cigarette to light it. He inhaled once viciously and said dryly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m not going to wait.¡± He turned to look at the closed bedroom door before leaving his quarters. As he descended, he made some calls and assembled his men.

    Twenty minutester, a grey sedan parked across the street from the building where Fortune Pce, the luxury club in C City where Feng Yixi had been celebrating, was situated.

    The vehicle was inconspicuous and in, but all the ss had been specially tinted so as to allow clear views of the outside from within. Additionally, the body of the car and the windows were bullet-proof, and the interior was upholstered with genuine leather seats. A state of the art sound system, built-inputer and inte services, and an enhanced GPS console were installed in the car as well. It had the capacity to act as a mobile militarymand center at any time.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the back seat, his eyes hidden by his dark sunsses as they focused on the building across the street like a hawk¡¯s. The orderly, Fan Jian, was the driver and sat with the personal secretary, Zhao Liangze, in the front. His other personal secretary, Yin Shixiong, sat on the other side of Huo Shaoheng.

    The 4 men sat and waited in silence.

    It was still early, so there were only a few people on the streets. The stalls selling breakfast had just opened for the day, and the aroma of food and the refreshing cleanliness of the morning wafted in the air.

    Not long after, the re of sirens pierced the serene morning scene. Police cars pulled up and stopped before the building. Teams of officers in riot gear jumped out of the vehicles in a rush. They all wore ck helmets, their faces obscured and only their eyes showing. In steady formation, the officers pointed their semi-automatic rifles and quickly blocked off the exits from the stairs and elevators. At the same time, more officers ascended the stairs and elevators to the club on the top floor.

    After a night of mour and uproar, Fortune Pce was about to close for the day.

    Most of the guests had left already, but the few who had stayed to party over night were still slumped in the private rooms. The men and women who had partied all night in room 518 on the top floor were still sleeping off the celebrations of the night before.

    ¡°Open up, open up! The police are here for an unannounced check!¡±

 Chapter 15: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 15: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (3)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The sound of running footsteps filled the hallways of Fortune Pce. The stragglers who had yet to leave the private rooms were confused. What was going on?

    Before the staff had time to react, policemen in full face masks kicked open the doors to the private rooms, their guns at the ready.

    Light rushed into the dark rooms.

    The upants had been in there the entire night. With the sudden bright light streaming in, they reflexively closed their eyes; their brains were too sluggish and dulled to understand what was going on.

    These were no ordinary policemen: they were the Special Taskforce, equipped not only with guns but also with cameras. An officer immediately began snapping photos of everyone in the private room.

    ¡°Police! This is a raid! You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court ofw. Now put your hands on your head and squat in the corner!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Run and we¡¯ll shoot!¡±

    A gunshot rang out. A man who had been about to bolt for the door immediately knelt down to the floor with his hands on his head, trembling with fear.

    Feng Yixi, her mind in aplete haze, was still lying underneath a pile of men and had to be extracted from them by a policewoman. She had only her blouse on and was totally naked from the waist below. Her underwear nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Group licentiousness!¡± [1] One policeman spat contemptuously. ¡°Where¡¯s your ID?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Been snorting drugs, too? What¡¯s this?¡± Another officer found some white powder on the sofa and on the round table in the room, and was sweeping the substance into a stic evidence bag with his gloved hands.

    ¡°Crystal meth? Can¡¯t wait to put a foot in the grave, eh? Take them away!¡±

    Feng Yixi had just regained her senses, and was now looking about in fear and bewilderment. Suddenly, she felt a breezy sensation below her waist. She looked down and immediately screamed as she covered herself. Tears streaming down her face with the sudden shame and distress she felt, she asked shrilly, ¡°Where¡¯s my skirt? Where is it? Let me put on my skirt!¡±

    A policewoman in a full face mask looked around and found a pile of torn rags that looked like it could have been a miniskirt once. She picked them up with her baton and showed them to Feng Yixi. ¡°Is this your skirt?¡±

    Feng Yixi grabbed the rags and covered her lower body with them. She stammered out, ¡°W-w-what¡¯s going on? I want to see mywyer!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see yourwyer alright¡ªwhen they post your bail at the station.¡± With that, the policewoman ordered everyone to stand in a line, hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. They were then marched out, greeting the day with stunned and disheveled appearances.

    Feng Yixi¡¯s cousin waspletely unconscious, drunk out of his mind. There wasn¡¯t a single shred of clothing on him, not even his underwear. He was the only one who had to be carried out on a stretcher because the policemen couldn¡¯t get him to stand on his own two feet.

    By the time the riot police marched the pathetic group out of the building, a crowd of curious spectators had already formed outside.

    Some of the people in the crowd, upon seeing that some of the women in the group were only half-dressed, immediately whipped out their phones and snapped photos. One of the nosier gawkers was overly excited and had called the news hotline when the heavily armed policemen first stormed the building. Thanks to him, all the TV stations, inte self-media, and national newspapers already had their reporters and crew on stand-by. Passerby who enjoyed micro-blogging and sharing news on Weibo also rushed over, eager to be the first to cover thetest developments.

    On that morning, nobody paid any attention to the morning news, the empire¡¯s official Weibo, or even the top influencer ounts in C City. The raid conducted by the C City Special Taskforce had effectively hijacked everyone¡¯s newsfeed.

    The inte was swarming with the events at the Fortune Pce.

    Netizens were quick to mash the ¡®like¡¯ button on photos of the Special Taskforce, leavingments such as ¡°OMG!¡± and ¡°So cool!,¡± but they were also just as quick to drool over the photos of those who had been arrested.

    One of the photos that made its way to the online headlines was of Feng Yixi, her eyes vacant and her buttocks as bare as the day she was born. As worn out as she was, she had the best figure out of the bunch, so naturally her photo attracted the most attention andments. The photo ensured that Feng Yixi was already viral before even setting foot in the police station.

    Although her half-naked photos were quickly taken down from most websites, the photos just as quickly turned up on the ¡°Hot Right Now¡± section of certain private websites. Soon enough, her name began to appear on the trending lists: ¡°#Feng Yixi: C City Fortune Pce¡¯s half-naked student druggie.¡± She had be a true ¡°inte celebrity.¡±

    By this time the main entrance to the Fortune Pce building had taken on an almost festive-like atmosphere. An inconspicuous gray car was parked on the street nearby. Inside the car, all was silent. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face betrayed no emotion. His expression changed only when Zhao Liangze, who was sitting up front, handed over the phone he had been fiddling with and said, ¡°Sir, look, Miss Feng got her wish. She¡¯s an inte celebrity now.¡±

    Both Yin Shixiong and Fan Jian were dying of curiosity, but they kept silent. They did not dare ask what was going on. Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were the only ones who knew. Zhao Liangze had already thoroughly investigated what Feng Yixi had said and done in thest 24 hours. His extensive methods had yielded excellent results, and had uncovered a dangerous plot: Feng Yixi¡¯s ploy to sabotage Gu Nianzhi. It was pointless to ask how he had managed to ess the information. He guarded his methods zealously.

    Gu Nianzhi would have suffered a terrible fate, one that was a hundred times worse than Feng Yixi¡¯s, had it not been for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quick thinking and the fact that her body¡¯s unique response to the aphrodisiac has worked in her favor. Nevertheless, she was still paying a heavy price.

    Zhao Liangze shook his head and said a silent prayer for the Feng family.

    How had they managed to raise a vicious, silly, and ignorant girl like Feng Yixi? The Feng¡¯s deserved their unlucky fate. An eye for an eye¡ªthat was one of the mottos of the Imperial Military¡¯s Special Operations Forces.

    It had, naturally, originated from Huo Shaoheng, the founder of the Special Ops.

    The crowd outside gradually dispersed. The traffic police made their appearance, and soon enough the vehicles on the road began to move.

    ¡°Start the car.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally tore his eyes away from the building in front of him.

    Fan Jian started the car, turned a corner, and drove back to the base.

    The wholemotion had started because someone had alerted the authorities to the illegal activities taking ce in Fortune Pce. The C City police responded by sending the Special Taskforce to deal with it.

    For the moment, the Imperial Military was seemingly uninvolved.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s division only concerned themselves with matters rted to the 6th Military Region. Drugs developed by Oda Masao¡ªthe biomedicine specialist under the employ of the Imperial Hospital of Japan¡ªfell under their jurisdiction, as it was necessary to assess what kind of threat the drugs posed to the empire.

    In other words, the Special Operations Forces could only take over the case if the Special Taskforce turned up something that was of interest to them in their interrogations.

    Back at the base, Huo Shaoheng retreated to his office to deal with official paperwork for the establishment of the 6th Military Region. This was followed by a string of video conferences with the higher ups in the military and in the Senate. By the time he returned to his quarters for dinner it was already dark.

    On the table were fourrge pieces of medium-rare mignon steak, drizzled with a thick cheese gravy, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s favorite. There was also a small bowl of mashed potatoes, another one with oyster bisque, and arge te of Caesar sd. A bottle of red wine sat on the side.

    Chen Lie had just finished his dinner; he stacked his tes in the dinner basket for the orderlies to whisk away.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped before him, and quickly looked in the direction of the bedroom. ¡°How is Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Still feverish. And still unconscious.¡± Beads of sweat broke out on Chen Lie¡¯s pudgy face.

    The central air-conditioning in the house kept the rooms cool andfortable year round¡ªnevertheless, it was still possible to feel warm under the cor, for reasons entirely unrted to the temperature.

    Note:

    [1] Group licentiousness¡ªdefined as sex between three or more people¡ªis an offense punishable by up to five years in prison in the PRC.

 Chapter 16: Following the Vine to Find the Melon(4)

    <h4>Chapter 16: Following the Vine to Find the Melon(4)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The next morning marked the second day of Gu Nianzhi¡¯sa.

    ¡°Has her fever broken?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood at the door for a while, but, as was usual now, did not enter. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket. He plucked one out and put it in his mouth, deftly lighting it, and then inhaled once and blew out a ring of smoke. ¡°Will she wake tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting worried? Feeling concerned all of a sudden?¡± Chen Lie snarked at Huo Shaoheng and waved his hand in attempt to dissipate the cigarette smoke curling in the air. Unexpectedly, Chen Lie detected a tinge of lethality from Huo Shaoheng after his snarkyment. He smartened up and quickly said, ¡°Not to worry, not to worry. Eat dinner first then go for a smoke.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent, keeping one hand in his trouser pocket as the other one held the cigarette. He squinted at the murky night sky outside the window, his strong silhouette unmoving.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried.¡± Huo Shaoheng flicked the ash and said, ¡°If Nianzhi¡¯s fever doesn¡¯t break, should we take her to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°Hospital? Why would you want to take her there when you have me here?¡± Chen Lie gave a snort of extreme contempt. ¡°Wherever I am is where the best medical care is to be found!¡±

    ¡°Then why does she still have a fever? Why hasn¡¯t she awaken?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s questions hit right on the mark. Chen Lie gave in to the temporary defeat, unable to provide an answer for all his medical genius was worth.

    ¡­

    At the same time, it was utter chaos in the Feng household in the Dexing vi precinct of C City.

    Feng Yixi¡¯s father, Feng Guodong, had seen the extensive coverage on the online news and his fury nearly induced heart attack. He bellowed at his wife, Hu Qiaozhen, ¡°Look at what your nephew has done! My daughter has always been obedient and smart. How could she have snorted that stuff?¡±

    Hu Qiaozhen¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying. She was worried on the one hand about the trouble her daughter was in, and on the other, about her nephew, who was now the prime culprit. She screamed back at her husband. ¡°My nephew was also set up! Both he and Yixi are victims!¡±

    ¡°He is a victim?¡± Feng Guodong pointed at the door, his face livid. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time he¡¯s snorted that stuff! I saw it with my own eyes not long ago! And now you¡¯re telling me about him being set up?! It was he who set my daughter up! His whole family set my daughter up!¡±

    ¡°Feng Guodong, do you have a conscience or not? How could my brother¡¯s family set Yixi up? My brother and his wife treat Yxi better than even their own daughter. Do you look down on my side of the family that much?!¡± Hu Qiaozhen covered her family¡¯s faults to an almost desperate extent. She was quick to jump in with retorts as soon as her husband used her own side of the family.

    Feng Yichen stood on the side, her brows knitting closer and closer together. She couldn¡¯t stand to listen anymore and interrupted her parents¡¯ fighting. ¡°Father, Mother, now is not the time to me each other. We have to quickly find Lawyer Yan to get Yixi and Chuanxin out before things get out of hand.¡±

    At these words, Feng Guodong and Hu Qiaozhen stopped fighting, but they red at each other relentlessly. They both turned to look at Feng Yichen. ¡°Yichen, hurry and find Lawyer Yan, take him to the police station to get your sister and cousin out.¡±

    Feng Yichen shook her head, ¡°Mother, you take Auntie and Lawyer Yan to the police station. I still have something to discuss with Father.¡±

    ¡°What could be more important than your sister and your cousin?¡± Hu Qiazhen was extremely displeased. She jabbed her finger at Feng Yichen and screeched. ¡°Do you even understand what is going on here?!¡±

    Feng Yichen shut her eyes briefly. She passed the phone she had been holding and her voice was low as she said, ¡°Of course, but there is is something more important. Here, look for yourselves.¡±

    Feng Guodong and Hu Qiaozhen leaned over to look at the screen in Feng Yichen¡¯s hand.

    They only saw an extremely popr expos¨¦ post on one of the Empire¡¯s online forums, titled, ¡°Let¡¯s Talk About My ssmate¡ªC University Faculty of Law 4th Year Girl, Feng Yixi¡±. It not only revealed her name and identity clearly, but also the Feng family history in explicit detail. It even exposed the news that the Feng¡¯s family business, Fengting Home Improvement Company, was about to go public.

    With the release of the news, there was an increasing number of all sorts of peopleing out with expos¨¦s. Even theirpetition went into action immediately, employing Inte Water Armies1 to kick them while they were down. They had manipted a criminal case into stock market incident rted to going public.

    There were already people immediately making defaming posts about the behind-the-scenes of the Fengting Home Improvement Company going public.

    Huo Qiaozhen¡¯s face nched. She grabbed Feng Yichen¡¯s phone, babbling and cursing. ¡°What nonsense! The sheer absurdity! These people get a quick rush from creating rumors, but our family is the one to suffer!¡±

    Feng Guodong was panicking. ¡°What should we do? What should we do?! If this affects the Fengting Home Improvement Company going public, then we are going to suffer a huge loss!¡±

    ¡°Father,¡± Feng Yichen said, ¡°stay here with me. I have a couple of friends and they have connections to the Inte Water Armypanies. We¡¯ll spend some money and use them to restore our reputation. Also, we¡¯ll pay Qiandu2 some money to block all kinds of searches rted to this incident, so it¡¯ll be ok as long as it doesn¡¯te up on a search engine.¡±

    Feng Yichen was quite familiar with the inte. She was also a Faculty of Law student at C University and was about to graduate with her post-grad, so she knew some people who made a living online.

    Trouble with the family business held precedence over Feng Yixi¡¯s personal reputation. The family ceased fighting then, and quickly came to agreement.

    Hu Qiaozhen would take Lawyer Yan along with her brother and sister to the police station to get them out. Feng Guodong and Feng Yichen would stay home and contact different Inte Water Armies and also get in touch with the nning department of Qiandu to mp down on rted search terms.

    Though Hu Guodong and Feng Yichen made a round of calls, they found that not a singlepany wanted to take on the job. Although Qiandu agreed to work on the search terms, they quoted an exorbitantly high price.

    ¡°50 million?! Why don¡¯t you go to hell!¡± Feng Guodong threw his phone. He held his head in his hands and was just short of crying out loud.

    ¡­.

    That night in C City, many people were unable to sleep. Huo Shaoheng had another sleepless night. When the morning came, he opened the curtains in his study to find it was gloomy outside and drizzling. Spring rain was as precious as oil. The end of spring and beginning of summer were the best seasons in C City, but he had no interest in enjoying this scenery.

    It was already the third day.

    ¡°Chen Lie, has Nianzhi waken yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng emerged from the bathroom in the guest bedroom after taking a shower. He asked this as he was drying his hair.

    Chen Lie was carrying the medical box as he left the bedroom and shook his head helplessly. ¡°She is still running a high fever. I¡¯ve already called Dr. Ye toe and give her a transfusion.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anymore, but the space between his brows had hardened with resolve. He had always been this way¡ªthe more difficulty he faced, the more he was able to stay calm. Many said he had the way of great generals, so the majority wholeheartedly epted him being promoted as Major General at a young age. This was because his military rank had been exchanged from real blood and life.

    Taking a seat to enjoy breakfast, Huo Shaoheng called Zhao Liangze. ¡°Move the original n to a day earlier.¡±

    An hourter, Huo Shaoheng was sitting inside a silver Chrysler sedan. This car was neither expensive nor cheap. It was the least distinctive car to park near Fengting Home Improvement Company, perfectly blending in with the simrly colored and modeled vehicles. Huo Shaoheng sat in the backseat and quietly watched the thirty story high building across the street.

    The Fengting Home Improvement Company upied the first to fifth floor of the building. It was certainly not a small scalepany, but even so, this was an extreme case of putting on airs for a standard home improvementpany.

    Zhao Liangze was in the front seat and briefed Huo Shaoheng on his findings on the situation with Fengting Home Improvement Company. ¡°Thispany has been established for over thirty years, but has curiously remained small scale. In thest two years, they have been raising funds to go public, and so obtained a major bank loan to put on a front¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish, a van stopped in front of the building across the street. Several men in white police uniforms and security uniforms exited the vehicle and entered the building. Huo Shoaheng was impassive as he leaned back in his seat. His eyes were dark as he watched the scene across the street.

 Chapter 17: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (5)

    <h4>Chapter 17: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (5)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The rain, which had started out light in the early morning hours, had gotten heavier. The sky, too, had grown darker.

    The few people out on the streets were eager to get out of the rain and, therefore, did not stop to look about. No one paid any attention to the unusual number of cars parked on the street.

    The employees of Fengting Home Improvement Company had just arrived at their building for yet another day of work.

    Suddenly, a troop ofw enforcers barged in waving a search warrant. Without wasting a moment, they confiscated every single item they could find in the office.

    By the time they were done, the office of thepany¡¯s CEO, Feng Guodong, was as barren as a cave. Nothing had been spared from the inspection, not even the trash can.

    Thepany¡¯s secretary and managers frantically called Feng Guodong on his phone. By the time they finally got ahold of him, his phone had been ringing for nearly an hour. Feng Guodong got in his car and sped to the office as quickly as he could.

    ¡°What are you doing? This is a perfectly legitimate business we¡¯re running here, you can¡¯t just barge in and ransack the ce!¡± Feng Guodong furiously confronted as he rushed into his building. He had stayed up the entire night trying to sort out Feng Yixi¡¯s mess. Thest thing he had expected was for hispany toe under fire as well.

    One of thew enforcers presented the search warrant. ¡°The bank is suing you for fraud. We¡¯re just here to collect the evidence.¡±

    Feng Guodong felt a rush of anxiety squeeze around him in its mmy grip. Half an hourter, thew enforcers exited the building with boxes in a variety of sizes: they all contained an assortment of documents,puter hard drives,ptops, as well as mobile phones and tablets.

    Thest person toe out was Feng Guodong. With his bound together by the cuffs, Feng Guodong shoulders were hunched as he shuffled along with a resigned gait. The man was the pathetic image of an upper-ss elite brought down from his glorified perch. When Feng Guodong finally appeared outside, reporters from national TV stations and online publications were already waiting for him. Cameras and phones scrambled as they struggled to get the best angles for photos while questions were fired at the disgraced Feng Guodong. Thus, another trending headline was given to the eager masses by the Feng family.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in a Chrysler RV parked opposite the building. He watched the scene unfold without saying a word. When everyone had been taken away he calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    In the afternoon, Fengting Home Improvement Company¡¯s application to be listed on the stock exchange was officially rejected by the CSRC. In addition, the bank asked the Fengting Home Improvement Company to repay their loan, effective immediately.

    The Feng family¡¯s phone rang incessantly throughout the sessive setbacks that urred, one after another.

    Hu Qiaozhen had just returned home, her younger siblings and Lawyer Yan in tow. She barely had time to get a drink of water when her eldest daughter, Feng Yichen, came to her looking as pale as a ghost and her phone in her hand. She said, ¡°Mom, we¡¯re finished.¡±

    Lawyer Yan immediately asked,¡±What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ve already spoken to the police about your sister. They¡¯ll release her once they¡¯re done with the investigations.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about Yixi. It¡¯s about ourpany¡±, said Feng Yichen. The phone trembled in her unsteady hand before falling to the ground with a thunk.

    Hu Qiaozhen was anxious to go to the police station to pick up Feng Guodong, but before she could get ready two policewomen showed up. Announcing that she had falsified the ounts for the bank loan, they arrested her on the spot. Hu Qiaozhen was the financial director of thepany, as well as the legal representative. Her legal liability was therefore greater than her husband Feng Guodong¡¯s.

    To top it all off, the family house had been bought under thepany name. Thepany going bankrupt meant that the house would soon be repossessed by the bank.

    ¡­

    While the Fengs were still reeling from the sudden twist in their fate, Huo Shaoheng had already quietly returned to the military base.

    It was now evening. The rain was still falling, but it had calmed down to a light drizzle.

    Huo Shaoheng did not have an umbre. He walked to his quarters, all alone, his hair wet from the rain. Drops of water glistened in his hair; the evening gloom outlined his solemn face and enhanced his breathtaking beauty.

    Numerous female officers sent amorous looks his way as he made his way back home.

    Huo Shaoheng did not notice any of them, however. Upon reaching his home he headed straight to the bathroom, grabbed a bath towel, and began drying his hair.

    Chen Lie came out of the bedroom where Gu Nianzhi stilly. He saw that Huo Shaoheng was back and did not wait for him to ask the inevitable question. He immediately raised his hands and said, ¡°Nope, she¡¯s still out, and the fever hasn¡¯t broken, either.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng bit his lip. He dropped the towel and strode to the bedroom.

    This was the first time he had stepped into his own bedroom in thest three days. The light was still on; Chen Lie had forgotten to turn it off before exiting the room. Beside the bed was an IV stand. Gu Nianzhiy on the bed, unmoving; a thin arm rested on the the dark purple nket, an IV needle attached to the back of the hand. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was nk. He sat on the bed and touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead, but quickly retracted his hand.

    Her forehead was burning with fever. Even so, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face did not have the sickly flushmonly seen in feverish patients. Shey on the bed with her eyes closed, her skin as pale as the moon. Her thickshes, dark as a raven¡¯s wing, were like two small paper fans that had closed over herrge and usually lively eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng was suddenly hit with nostalgia. He longed to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s longshes flutter animatedly again, the way they always did when she talked to him.

    Although it was almost always a one-sided discussion, with Huo Shaoheng grunting a nonmittal reply most of the time, Gu Nianzhi never seemed to tire of it. She enjoyed talking to him, even if it sounded like she was talking to herself.

    Now, the little girl who had once been so lovely and full of lifey unconscious on the bed, feverish. God only knew if an uglier fate awaited her.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up, his brows furrowed, and walked out of the bedroom.

    Time was not on his side. He would have to report to the military if Gu Nianzhi did not get better.

    As soon as he walked out of the bedroom, his Bluetooth headset began to ring.

    It was Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Sir, Hu Chuanxin said that he bought H3aB7 from a Japanese woman. This means we¡¯re dealing with hostile forces from outside the country, so this falls under the jurisdiction of the 6th Military Region. We¡¯re involved now, whether we like it or not. The Special Taskforce over at the police station have already contacted the Special Ops base. They said they¡¯ll be transferring Hu Chuanxin to our interrogation office ASAP.¡± There was a brief pause as Zhao Liangze checked the GPS tracking system. Then he said, ¡°They¡¯re already on their way.¡±

    ¡­

    Hu Chuanxin was blindfolded and taken to a special interrogation room at the C City Special Operations Forces base.

    The C City Police: Special Taskforce were ultimately officers of thew and therefore were not permitted to use any method that was considered out of the ordinary to get Hu Chuanxin to talk.

    Even so, the policemen had intuited that Hu Chuanxin was hiding something, and whatever it was had to do with foreign hostile forces. They had immediately tossed him over to the Special Operations Forces for them to deal with.

    ¡°He¡¯s still hiding something?¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze rushed to the door of the interrogation room, sardonic smiles on their faces. ¡°He colluded with foreign forces to sabotage a fellow countryman. We don¡¯t have to y nice with traitorous scum like him!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked in. His face was grim, and his entire being seemed to exude a ruthless, bone-chilling aura.

    Those in the monitoring room next door could feel the hair on their arms stand on end.

    Thest time Major General Huo had looked so grim was when a certain country had gone on a massacre, indiscriminately killing the descendants of those who had immigrated from the Empire.

    The Empire had made no officialment, but the Special Operations Forces had been dispatched to that country, for one night. Afterwards, the government of that particr country had been forced, as a form of apology, to publicly conduct arge-scale religious ceremony to pacify and send off the spirits of the victims of the massacre.

    This time, the unforgiving aura around Major General Huo was even more terrifying than it had been during thatst asion.

 Chapter 18: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (6)

    <h4>Chapter 18: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (6)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his hands behind his back and stood in the monitoring room next to the interrogation room. Before him was a transparent, one-way wall. He was able to see inside the room he was facing, but those in the room couldn¡¯t see him.

    ¡°Sir.¡±

    The personnelle monitoring the interrogation immediately stood up. Huo Shaoheng raised his arm to make a gesture at them, his gaze steady as he watched the scene ahead.

    Hu Chuanxin had onlysted 15 seconds in the interrogation room of the Special Operations Forces base before confessing everything.

    ¡°That Japanese woman is called¡­ called Yamaguchi Youko. I met her while drinking at the Fortune Pce; she was alone at the time. She overheard me boasting to my friends about wanting to find some potent aphrodisiac. We were having a good time and she came over, introduced herself and said she had the best aphrodisiac in the world, but getting it was a matter of whether or not I could afford it.¡± Hu Chuanxin gritted this out between deep breaths while he endured immense pain.

    This Hu Chuanxin was not a total idiot. He even knew about concealing the fact that he and Feng Yixi had used this aphrodisiac to frame Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were dark and unreadable. He raised a hand to his jaw as he pondered for a long while. He turned to leave, activating his Bluetooth headset, and gave an order to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Dig up information on Yamaguchi Youko.¡±

    Because Hu Chaunxin had dealt with Yamaguchi Youko and knew more information about her, Zhao Laingze also partook in the the interrogation to squeeze out more from him. The more details he knew, the easier it would be to find this person.

    Leaving the interrogation room a littleter, Zhao Liangze then returned to his office. He immediately connected to the Empire¡¯s Customs database and looked up Japanese tourists by the name of ¡°Yamaguchi Youko¡± who had entered the country that year.

    Soon after, lines of data were generated. Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand tapped at the keyboard at lightning speed and gradually narrowed down his search field.

    After 15 minutes, he was down to only three women.

    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve found that there were 15 Japanese women by the name of Yamaguchi Youko who had entered the country this year. Eliminating 12 who did not fit the age, there are three remaining. The first one and the second one had left our country a month ago, so it doesn¡¯t match up with Hu Chuanxin¡¯s timeline. There is only one remaining Yamaguchi Youko. She had entered the Empire two weeks ago and happened to stay in C City during that time. I also checked her credit card history and discovered that it had been used at the Fortune Pce. Without a doubt, this Yamaguchi Youko is the one who sold the H3aB7 to Hu Chuanxin.¡±

    ¡°Ok. What took you so long?¡± Huo Shaoheng was slightly displeased. Hu Chuanxin had already confessed in detail, but it had still taken Zhao Liangze another 15 minutes.

    ¡°Sir, they had used cash for the transaction. If it was through the banking system, I wouldn¡¯t have needed even a full second to figure it out.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s face was grim as he tried to pacify Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Cut the cr*p, where is Yamaguchi Youko now?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and got ready to assemble his men to make the arrest.

    Suddenly, Zhao Liangze gave a shout.

    ¡°Sh*t! Sir! She¡¯s already on a ne departing for Japan!¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s face paled. ¡°She got on the ne before we received Hu Chuanxin¡¯s confession!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng punched the desk in frustration. ¡°Continue your search! Send me the Customs information!¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately used his highest permission settings to ess the C City Customs system. C City was thergest city in the Empire and had countless international flights going through it per day. To find a single person within all the possible flights was not easy, but it was much easier if the flight number was known. Zhao Liangze used ¡°Yamaguchi Youko¡¯s¡± name and passport number to find her flight number returning to Japan. He then isted the video footage of when she departed from the airport Customs and sent it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over to therge monitor before him and squinted to scrutinize the throngs of people at the C City airport customs. Zhao Liangze guided him over the phone. ¡°Sir, this person is Yamaguchi Youko.¡±

    In the footage of the C City airport customs, Yamaguchi Youko smiled at the camera. She had thick, ck, medium-length hair and wide bangs across her forehead. She worerge, ck sunsses that blocked half her face, but her skin, as pale as a statue¡¯s, was visible. She applied red lipstick to her thin lips and had thin brows, making her looking like an ancient Empire beauty, but also with the obvious features of a Japanese woman.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, rose to shut off therge monitor and directly ordered Zhao Liangze. ¡°Are you able to connect to the Japanese database? Look up her background.¡±

    Someone who could obtain H3aB7 was not merely an ordinary person, Huo Shaoheng surmised.

    Zhao Liangze loved hacking, but was unfortunately restricted by military discipline and was not able to do as he wished online. However, Huo Shaoheng had given him authorization this time and he was incredibly excited. He rubbed his hands together and said ¡°No problem! Where am I hacking? Is it the Japanese securitywork, or their financialwork? Will this affect the level of safety for the Japanese inte?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said coldly, ¡°Why does the safety of the Japanese inte have anything to do with me? I just need you to to dig up this woman¡¯s background.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded to himself. ¡°Understood!¡±

    He cherished each time he was able to hack another country¡¯s inte legitimately. These were rare opportunities, and one of the reasons why he joined the Special Operations Forces. As a former world ss hacker who had been offered amnesty, he was very satisfied with his current job. It not only fulfilled his interests, but allowed him to contribute to the country.

    Strings of data flew between his fingers as he tapped away, relentlessly attacking the security ws in the Japanese inte. He only needed to find one and rip it open so that he could ¡®view the scenery from the other side¡¯ so to say. Before dawn broke, Zhao Liangze had sessfully found the password of the Japanese inte and strolled through the country¡¯sputerworks. However, the results he found were not favorable.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face grew grim and after 10 minutes, he ryed the information to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Sir, Yamaguchi Youko has a close rtionship with Yamaguch-gumi1 , thergest yakuza group in Japan. Also, ording to this information, she has died in a car ident just afternding in Japan¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in his study and faced a wall covered withrge monitors. He sat in the high-backed chair behind the desk, intently reading the information on therge monitors. It was the intelligence Zhao Liangze had gathered on the Japanese inte, all with tranted subtitles.

    ¡°Sir, could this incident be tied to Yamaguchi-gumi, thergest yakuza group in Japan? Should we be dealing with yakuza, then?¡± Zhao Liangze discussed this question with Huo Shaoheng over the phone.

    Deal with Yamaguchi-gumi? Huo Shaoheng remained silent, his eyes as dark as night. One hand lightly rubbed at his jaw and felt the growing stubble. His other hand produced the gold coin from his trouser pockets, and he began weaving it through his fingers.

    His instincts told him the clues ended here. It is not as though I am scared of facing the Japanese Yamaguchi-gumi, but why do I have to face them? Huo Shaoheng wondered irritably. His thoughts continued to spiral: Yamaguchi Youko is now a dead person who can tell no tales. Could she truly have proven that this was connected to Yamaguchi-gumi, thergest yakuza group in Japan? The entire event is linked and led us to ¡®follow the vine to find the melon¡¯. After getting to the bottom of it, were we finally able to find Yamaguchi Youko step by step. But Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instinct told him that this kind of ¡®following the vine to find the melon¡¯ was too simple. The clues that appeared were obvious, but there is more than what meets the eye. If this was truly an act by the Japanese Yamaguchi-gumi, what were their intentions, and why did they target Gu Nianzhi?

    Huo Shaoheng firmly believed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s existence was probably not something in the Japanese Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s knowledge. The Empire had concealed her well, otherwise Gu Nianzhi¡¯s foolish university ssmate wouldn¡¯t have used such a wicked and stupid way to set her up.

    If this wasn¡¯t an act by Yamaguchi-gumi, why did this mastermind cast their sights to Yamaguchi-gumi? What was their intention for covering up the truth? Huo Shaoheng closes his eyes, a mounting sense of worry and dread looming in his mind.

 Chapter 19: Not a Chance in Hell

    <h4>Chapter 19: Not a Chance in Hell</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Tracking down Yamaguchi Youko was just the beginning. They could not afford to rest easy just yet.

    That night, Huo Shaoheng was unable to sleep, and he did not know why. He tossed and turned on the bed in the guest room, before finally getting up. It was still the middle of the night, but this did not stop him from going to the military archive to look up some old files.

    Almost everything could be found on the inte nowadays, but those who truly understood how the inte worked knew that thework was full of vulnerabilities. For example, Zhao Liangze, one of his personal secretaries, knew a hundred different methods to crackwork security systems of any kind. It was easy enough for him to break into anyputer, phone, or tablet.

    The Imperial Military was aware of the security risks to the governmentwork and databases. It was for these reasons that arge number of top secret files existed only on paper. They had never been uploaded to the inte. The archive even had information recorded on bamboo and stone. Those files would oust them all.

    Huo Shaoheng worked in the archives throughout the night. It was only when the morning dawned that he finallyid his head on the table for a quick nap. He was awakenedter by the sound of gentle knocking of the archive staff on duty at the door.

    The archives were blocked off from all electromaic and radio signals. It was not possible to call someone on their mobile phones as long as they were inside and there were nondlines avable either. The only means ofmunication in the archives was good old-fashioned yelling loud enough to be heard through the door and walls.

    ¡°Sir! Sir! Your personal secretary is looking for you. It¡¯s urgent!¡±

    The insistent knocking on the door finally awakened Huo Shaoheng, who had just dozed off. He pulled himself together, and went to the bathroom to ssh cold water onto his face. Then, he looked at his watch and found that it was already eight in the morning.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Bluetooth headset rang as soon as he walked out of the archives.

    It was Yin Shixiong, his other personal secretary.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Sir, Miss Gu¡¯s interview is today! Her university has been calling non-stop. Even Professor He himself called to ask.¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s tone was urgent. He had personally gone to C University¡¯s Faculty of Law department just three days ago to obtain sick leave for Gu Nianzhi; getting Professor He Zhichu to postpone the interview for three days had been no small feat.

    If Gu Nianzhi were to bete again, Yin Shixiong did not imagine that Professor He would think favorably of Gu Nianzhi.

    And to think he had even gone so far as to butter Professor He up by telling him that Gu Nianzhi had always ¡°admired¡± him made the matter even more troublesome.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his brow, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call Chen Lie.¡±

    Chen Lie took the call. Before Huo Shaoheng could say a word, Chen Lie was already saying, ¡°Boss, Nianzhi still isn¡¯t awake, but her fever has gone down a little.¡±

    ¡°What the h*ll is going on? Please tell me you actually have a clue.¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped walking and looked up at his house, exasperated.

    He got out a cigarette and began to smoke.

    Chen Lie was also frustrated with the situation. ¡°Boss, I guarantee there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. I¡¯ve been monitoring her heartbeat and pulse 24/7, and I test her blood every two hours, too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been drawing blood samples from her every two hours? What do you think she is, your private blood bank? Cut her up and make specimens out of her, why don¡¯t you?¡± This bit of sarcasm was highly uncharacteristic of Huo Shaoheng, who was known for being calm and collected.

    Chen Lie could not refute this. He covered his face and resigned himself to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s verbal ying.

    Huo Shaoheng hung up and was about to call Yin Shixiong when the voice of the call operator came through on his headset. ¡°Sir, Professor He of B University Law School called. He insists on speaking with you, personally.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a brief moment as he leaned against a tree, his cigarette dangling from one hand, his other hand in a trouser pocket. He said, dispassionately, ¡°I¡¯ll take the call.¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi had been with him for six years, he had never actually taken a direct approach to raising her. He was her guardian in name only.

    Gu Nianzhi had already been 12 years old when he took her under his wing; she had been practically old enough to take care of herself. It had never been necessary for him to get personally involved with the details of her life.

    His personal secretary, Yin Shixiong, had been the one to arrange everything rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s studies. But, this time, the problem was too serious for Yin Shixiong to tackle alone.

    His Bluetooth headset crackled as the operator connected the call. Huo Shaoheng did not speak. The individual on the other end was also silent for a full minute before he asked, ¡°Am I speaking to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legal guardian, Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted in the affirmative. ¡°Yes. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Today is the day of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interview, the day we agreed to postpone it to.¡± He Zhichu said simply, his voice cold. ¡°She¡¯ste. Again.¡±

    ¡°Well, she¡¯ll have to be excused for a few more days. She just isn¡¯t feeling well.¡± Huo Shaoheng flicked the ash off his cigarette as he spoke, his voice nonchnt.

    Over the phone, He Zhichu was very obviously irritated by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s flippant attitude. ¡°Sick leave, again? Don¡¯t cross the line. I¡¯ve already given her a chance. If I have to keep makingpromises to amodate her it would be unfair to the other candidates. You are Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian. I am officially informing you, right now, that she does not have a chance in hell to get into B University Law School this summer. She must apply elsewhere.¡± With that, he abruptly hung up.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, but shrugged it off. He returned to his office to work.

    ¡­

    The next few days were excruciating not only for those close to Gu Nianzhi, but also for the Feng family.

    Things had spiraled out of control.

    Fortune Pnce, the luxury club in C City, was owned by Feng Yixi¡¯s uncle, the Hu family. Feng Yixi and Hu Chuanxin¡¯s illicit activities in the club meant that the Hu family were faced with a hefty fine. They were also swimming in debt. The bank cancelled their loan and sent letters asking them to repay their debt, effective immediately. Business acquaintances, friends and rtives all avoided the Hu family like the gue.

    The Feng¡¯s would have been able to help them¡ªif they themselves weren¡¯t already in trouble.

    The Hu family had no choice but to dere bankruptcy, which meant they did not have the money to get an expensive and acimedwyer to bail Hu Chuanxin out.

    The investigations found that Hu Chuanxin had drugged and assaulted minors multiple times. He had also set up the den for the purpose of illegal drug use. The evidence was d*mning. He was looking at a life sentence, at minimum.

    The Feng family had fallenpletely apart.

    The Feng family¡¯s Fengting Home Improvement Company was found to have falsified ounts to secure their bank loan. They were also guilty of tax evasion. Thepany would never go public now. Not only that, Feng Guodong and Hu Qiaozhen had already been convicted and were going to jail.

    Feng Yixi¡¯s crimes were not as serious. She was only guilty of taking illegal drugs as well as having an excessive amount of drugs in her possession. She was sentenced to three months of jail time and one year ofmunity service.

    Because she had vited thew, she was expelled from C University¡¯s Faculty of Law, in ordance to the school rules. She would not graduate.

    The Feng family¡¯s properties and bank ounts had been repossessed and frozen, respectively, by the bank. The only member of the Feng family who had not been hit with awsuit or a prison sentence was the eldest daughter, Feng Yichen. The heiress to a multi-million family fortune, one of the luckiest girls alive, had turned into a penniless beggar overnight.

    It was too much for her to bear.

    It was early the next morning. Feng Yichen looked at the vi she had lived in for over ten years, her face streaked with tears. She was carrying a small Louis Vuitton suitcase.

    ¡°Sister Chen, Brother Bin is waiting for you,¡± said a skinny, twig-like man with bleach-blond hair, smiling as he opened the car door for Feng Yichen. She turned to look at the car, her heart instantly lifting at the sight of the ck Mercedes 700. She stepped into it, already in a better mood.

    ¡°Sister Chen, Brother Bin told me his heart was always set on you, even when he married. He¡¯s already sent that frumpy wife of his back to her folks yesterday. Sister Chen, you¡¯re the boss¡¯s wife now. I hope you¡¯ll put a good word in for me now and then!¡±

 Chapter 20: The First Time Seeing Him

    <h4>Chapter 20: The First Time Seeing Him</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Feng Yichen nodded her head in silence as she watched the scenery outside the car window fly by. Her heart was wrenching inside with the pain of thest few weeks, however.

    If disaster hadn¡¯t befallen her family, she wouldn¡¯t be going to stay with someone like Brother Bin. However, she never intended to marry him, so whether or not he had a wife made no difference to Feng Yichen.

    The ¡°Brother Bin¡± the blonde man referred to was a notorious gang leader in the C City crime circle. He had pursued her for a long time and Feng Yichen had never considered him as a nuisance before because she had always had been good at dealing with people. She had never looked down on him or showed contempt, which was why he could be her veryst life line in this moment.

    The car gradually sped away, and the Feng¡¯s became ghosts in C City.

    ¡­

    These days, Huo Shaoheng was also very busy. After learning that Yamaguchi Youko had supposedly died in a car ident after returning to Japan, he felt that overall, the incident was very peculiar. He had initially believed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current plight was a disaster brought on by the jealousy of Feng Yixi, but he hade to discover that it was not that simple.

    ¡°Sir, are we really not going to deal with the Yamaguchi-gumi?¡± Zhao Liangze had been focusing on collecting data from Japan these days and was especially focused on the Yamaguchi-gumi.

    Huo Shaoheng toyed with the round gold coin hand in his hand and finally mmed it down on the desk. He hade to a decision. ¡°No, we will not deal with the Yamaguchi-gumi.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze both jumped up, ¡°Sir! You don¡¯t want revenge?!¡±

    This was not his style at all.

    Huo Shaoheng shot them a look. ¡°How can that be? We will not look for Yamaguchi-gumi, but look for Oda Masao directly.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was the first to react, his eyes shining as he gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. ¡°The General is truly the General! Shoot the horse before the horseman, capture the leader before the minions! Let¡¯s go find Oda Masao!¡±

    Now that they had selected a target to go after, the next step was to find information about him.

    ¡°¡®Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril''¡± Huo Shaoheng recited to himself. The famous words by the legendary military strategist and philosopher, Sun Tzu, in his book, The Art of War, would need to be closely followed and applied as Huo Shaoheng and his men proceeded with this private mission.

    ¡°Sir, it looks like there is really something suspicious about this Oda Masao.¡± Zhao Liangze disyed the information sent by a Special Operations Forces member in Japan on therge screen disy to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng ced one hand on the long table before him and rested the other on the armrest of the easy chair. He appeared in thought as he nodded in confirmation. ¡°Let¡¯s move then; we¡¯ll go to Japan.¡±

    ¡°You are going personally?¡± Zhao Liangze was shocked. ¡°Can¡¯t we have our people on that side take action?¡±

    ¡°This is a serious matter. It¡¯s best I go and handle it myself.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and closed the notebook beside him, then said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°You and Yin Shixiong let your families know that you¡¯reing to Japan. This time it¡¯s just us three.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Zhao Liangze replied enthusiastically. Then, in a smaller voice, he asked, ¡°What about the base? And Miss Gu?¡±

    It had already been five days and Gu Nianzhi had not yet woken up. Furthermore, Chen Lie believed that something was changing in her blood samples and was scrambling around to try and find information on what was going on.

    However, professionally and privately, Huo Shaoheng had to go to Japan himself and meet this Oda Masao.

    ¡°For the base, I¡¯ve asked Old Three and Old Four toe over. It¡¯s fine,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he left the conference room.

    ¡°Old Three¡± and ¡°Old Four¡± were his other two personal secretaries.

    ¡­

    It was the weekend again, and the Saturday since Gu Nianzhi had been afflicted by H3aB7. Exactly one week ago, she had been taking afy afternoon nap in her apartment. This time, however, shey unresponsive in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters in the Special Operations Forces base.

    ¡°Nianzhi is still not awake?¡± Huo Shaoheng had taken Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong to Japan, and the first thing he did was to call to ask after Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition.

    Chen Lie was staring at his equipment nervously. Listening Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grave voice over the phone, he almost didn¡¯t want to answer. After a long while, he spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°It seems like¡­she¡¯s about to wake up.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? What¡¯s do you mean it seems like she¡¯s about to wake up?¡± Huo Shaoheng gripped his phone and sat beside the window of the Chiba Hotel room in Tokyo. His long legs were stretched out before him, but he sat upright and rigidly at the news Chen Lie delivered. Situated on the 28th floor, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom window revealed the mor of the city¡¯s night life, and he stared back at his tense face that was reflected on the window ss.

    ¡°Her brain activity has suddenly be very active, heart rate is increasing, eyelids are moving. Compared to the data a few days ago, this is a very sudden turn of events.¡± Chen Lie was very excited. ¡°Do you know what this means? Her state right now is exhibiting the signs associated with REM sleep!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in silence. After a long while of looking at his phone in disbelief, he epted that he had indeed called the right number, and that the news wasn¡¯t too good to be true.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you,¡± Chen Lie said again ¡°she¡¯s dreaming right now. This means she will wake up soon!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was indeed dreaming.

    In her dream, it was six years ago: the day she had met Huo Shaoheng for the first time. She experienced everything lucidly: the azure sky, white clouds, and finally the golden sun zing down on the soft earth she was standing on. The wind blew on her face; it carried a touch so familiar, of a balmy day and itszy warmth.

    Suddenly, a huge passenger aircraft emerged from the tall cloudyers, a shocking sight incongruous to the unassuming day. Everyone raised their heads to look at the sky, the alpha-numericalbel ¡®MH210¡¯ painted in crimson red, looked like a brand on the snow-white exterior of the aircraft body. It left a deep impression in her mind.

    In the next instance, she was in a sea of mes and alone in a car. She was terrified, crying and screaming. She pounded hard at the car window and only saw the silhouettes of people pointing at her. The mes licked closer, burning her skin. She could even smell the ends of her hair burning. She wanted to escape, but found that she was unable to undo the seatbelt on her body. The smoke snaked inside the car and her vision grew blurry. In her despair, she finally saw someone break open the car window.

    The great mes crept closer and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping body appeared in the ze.

    His handsome face was illuminated by the mes, the sight scorched into her memory. He braced himself against the door, using his powerful arms to pry it open and then fiercely tearing off her seatbelt. He held her head to his heart in a firm embrace, and trapped the mes in the car. Turning around quickly, he carried her and escaped from the burning vehicle.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Several thunderous sounds met her ears and the huge mes behind them reached for the sky. The burning car was on the verge of exploding. Then, with overwhelming force, the explosion blotted the sky with a cloud of heavy smoke and covered the earth, the tremors from the st knocking over many people nearby.

    Her rescuer, Huo Shaoheng, realized that it was toote to escape the ze zone, and so, in desperation, he dove down to the ground with her, and covered her with hisrge body.

    Shey on the ground and peeked from around his neck. She saw only the wild hues of the fire around them. The mes alluring outline mingled with the thick smoke.

    Around where the explosion had originated, a deep crater had formed. The car she had been in was reduced to mere ashes.

 Chapter 21: Finally Awake

    <h4>Chapter 21: Finally Awake</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes moved rapidly under her eyelids. It was as though she was trying very hard to wake up, but could not open her eyes.

    She had never felt so tired. Her mind was trapped in an endless dream. In her dream, she had gone back to the very beginning of her known memories: the car ident she had been in when she was 12.

    She remembered the raging fire in the car. She also remembered that Huo Shaoheng was the one who had rescued her from a car that was only moments away from exploding.

    Of course, she hadn¡¯t known the name of her savior, not during that first meeting. But, she remembered him¡ªshe remembered that he had saved her from the burning car.

    She had no memory of who she was, where she hade from, or where she was headed. She did not remember where she had lived, or where her parents were.

    The car she had been riding in would have served as the most important clue, had it not been reduced to ash in that massive explosion, leaving only a huge crater in the ground. It was such a perfect coincidence¡ªso much so that it seemed almost deliberate. However, the Imperial Army had not been able to detect any trace of explosives from the crater.

    But surely a simple gasoline explosion could not have caused such a massive ball of fire to form?

    She could not even remember who the driver of the car had been.

    In her dream, she relived the tragedy from six years ago. Her 12-year old self was crying hysterically, desperately trying to get out of the car. It was Huo Shaoheng who had retrieved her from the twisted and burning pile of metal, and shielded her from the st.

    When she was rescued she had been like a small animal. She made to bite anyone who tried to approach her. She trusted no one, and ignored everyone¡ª except her savior, Huo Shaoheng.

    He was the only one whom she trusted.

    Huo Shaoheng had been only 22 years old when he first met her. He had just been transferred back to his country after a stint abroad; the military had tasked him with the honor of setting up the Special Operations Forces.

    At the time, he had been the only person who couldmunicate with her. The Imperial Army prudently made the decision to have Huo Shaoheng be her guardian.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi mumbled and tossed uneasily in her sleep.

    Her long-forgotten memories seemed within her grasp now. Her heart raced, faster and faster, and her head began to hurt.

    She grit her teeth and tried hard to remember because, this time, something was different. There was now an airne in her memory.

    The ne was up in the blue sky, soaring among white clouds. It had ¡°MH210¡± painted on the fusge in blood-red letters,rge and striking.

    She had seen this ne once, before the car she was riding in exploded.

    She was so close to breaking through the mist shrouding her memory, so close to remembering what had happened before the ident six years ago. The effort was almost too much for her brain.

    It did not make any sense.

    She remembered seeing the ne descend from the sky while she sat inside the car. At the same time, she recalled that the car crash had taken ce on a bustling city street, far from any airport, and there had been no trace of the ne anywhere.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were clenched tight in her sleep. Her brow was deeply wrinkled.

    The equipment monitoring Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain activity immediately sounded a keening rm.

    Chen Lie quickly prepared arge needle and injected Gu Nianzhi with a sedative, forcefully interrupting her dreams so she could go back to a deep sleep. This was to protect Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain from being damaged by an overload of brain activity. She had been out for a week now; Chen Lie did not think her frail body could withstand the abnormally strong brain activity.

    What she needed right now was a good sleep. She would be up and about the next morning.

    Chen Lie watched the numbers on the monitors for a while, then confidently said to Huo Shaoheng, who was still listening on the other end of the phone, ¡°She¡¯ll wake up tomorrow morning, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let out a long sigh of relief. He switched his phone to his other hand and said, in a low voice, ¡°In that case, take her back to her apartment. I¡¯ll send over double the number of men. Have them stand guard and watch over her¡ªin secret.¡± He paused, then reminded him, ¡°do not breathe a word about me. Tell her I wasn¡¯t able to get back in time, and haven¡¯t seen her this whole week.¡±

    Chen Lieughed and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The Bossman wants to be modest, doesn¡¯t want anyone to know of his noble deeds? Tsk tsk! Well, to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t know how to bring it up anyway, so it never even crossed my mind.¡±

    Besides, Chen Lie thought, Huo Shaoheng still has my signed military order. Why risk it?

    ¡°You¡¯d better not. Don¡¯t forget, you signed a military order.¡± Just as Chen Lie had expected, Huo Shaoheng was threatening him with the military order again.

    Chen Lie rolled his eyes as he groaned. ¡°You don¡¯t have to remind me every single day! My memory¡¯s just as good as yours!¡± With that, he got up and summoned two orderlies toe in and pack up all the equipment. At the same time, he asked Ye Zitan to help change Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clothes before taking her to the car.

    That very night, Gu Nianzhi was whisked back to her Fengya precinct penthouse in her sleep.

    Her apartment building had two units to each floor, but on the top floor there was only the one penthouse, with the elevator leading directly to it. It was not only extremely safe but also hidden from prying eyes.

    ¡­

    The next day was a Sunday. Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes to a pale,vender-tinted morning. Herrge eyes, not yet ustomed to the morning light, shut again as soon as they were open.

    She promptly draped an arm over her eyes. All she wanted was to lie quietly for a little longer.

    A pleasant baritone voice spoke up just then. It was the familiar voice of her ss representative, Mei Xiawen. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally opened her eyes. She took a good look around. She was in her apartment, lying on her bed¡­

    ¡°ss Rep? What are you doing here?¡± Gu Nianzhi stared at Mei Xiawen, who was standing beside the bed.

    Mei Xiawen was wearing a soft blue shirt and ck trousers. His clothes were neat and straight, with not a wrinkle in sight.

    Over his shirt was a dark gray V-neck cardigan made of thin cashmere. On his intelligent face were a pair of gold-rimmed sses. His lips were curved into a joyful smile. He was the very picture of sophistication as he stood before her bed, his hands in his pockets.

    Mei Xiawen returned her observant gaze and took note of her unique appearance, a stark contrast to how she normally looked when in public. In particr, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s naturallyrge and dark pupils caught his attention. Her small and exquisite face was smooth and unblemished, and the faint rosy hue in her cheeks made her wide, doe-like eyes sparkle. She looked very much like she had just walked out of a Japanese manga. He scoffed inwardly at the jealous girls at their university, who frequently spread spiteful rumors about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beauty, using her of applying makeup with a heavy hand, or of wearing circle lenses.

    Mei Xiawen was forced to look away. He thenughed. ¡°You¡¯ve been sick for a week. I¡¯m here to check on you, on behalf of the entire ss.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± said Gu Nianzhi. She said, in a tone of utter disbelief, ¡°I was sick for a whole week? Really? How could I have been out for so long?¡±

    Having said that, she immediately remembered the birthday banquet at the Fengs, and the embarrassing, highly awkward situation that had followed after someone had tried to sabotage her during the party. She recalled that thest person she had seen before passing out was Chen Lie. She nced about and asked, ¡°ss Rep, who let you in?¡±

    This was her private bedroom, after all.

    Mei Xiawen seated himself next to the bed. He looked at her rosy cheeks, and smiled as he said, ¡°An uncle of yours, I think.¡±

    ¡°Was it Huo Shao?¡± asked Gu Nianzhi anxiously. She gestured as she described him. ¡°Tall, very handsome, has a really solemn look on his face?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Mei Xiawen hesitated as he looked at Gu Nianzhi, trying to guess at the look in her eyes.

    The man who had let him in had had a round face, a round nose, and a round mouth. He wasn¡¯t exactly short, but no one would ever describe him as ¡°tall.¡± As for ¡°handsome,¡± well, that was entirely out of the question. And anyway, the man had given his surname and it wasn¡¯t ¡°Huo.¡±

    ¡°He gave his surname, it was ¡®Chen.¡¯ Do you know him?¡± replied Mei Xiawen cautiously as he tucked the nket over Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 22: Sheâ€™s Out of My League

    <h4>Chapter 22: She¡¯s Out of My League</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi softly said, ¡°Oh,¡± and rxed instantly.

    With Chen Lie she didn¡¯t have to worry because she truly didn¡¯t want Huo Shao to know that she had gotten into a situation that was beyond humiliating.

    ¡°That¡¯s my Brother Chen.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she exined. ¡°Where is he?¡¯

    ¡°He said he had something to do and just left.¡± Mei Xiawen rose to pour her a ss of water and brought it over. ¡°Thirsty?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi licked her chapped lips and took the ss with both hands. Before she took a sip, she thanked him, smiling. ¡°Please sit, ss Rep. You are a guest, how could I be so rude to ask you to serve me a drink?¡±

    Mei Xiawen pursed his lips in a smile. His elegant face was gentle. He asked delicately, ¡°Nianzhi, so you live here? We all thought¡­¡±

    Everyone in the faculty knew Gu Nianzhi was an orphan and had an uncle with an average background as a guardian. She normally dressed inly. Although she was beautiful, the sharp eyed Faculty of Law students at the C University looked at the external things first and foremost, like what she wore, the brands of her shoes and bags, as well as where she lived. Gu Nianzhi had always stayed in the dorms. Gu Nianzhi had no brand name items and didn¡¯t stay in the dorms on the weekend. It was said that she was working part-time to support her studies. Everybody thought she was struggling financially and pitied her.

    Mei Xiawen was the son of a wealthy family and their status was higher than the Feng¡¯s. He could tell that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment in the Fengya Precinct was not cheap.If she was truly an orphan with an average background, she wouldn¡¯t be able to afford such a home. The furnishings were elegant and subtle. To someone who had an discerning eye, all the items in the home were exquisite. Even Mei Xiawen could not determine where they were from, but that didn¡¯t stop him from estimating their value.

    Gu Ninazhi tilted her head and smiled. She was unabashed and said crisply, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about this home? It¡¯s not mine, I¡¯m helping to look after it. You knew that, right?¡±

    ¡°Look after it?¡± Mei Xiawen didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°This is not yours, or your rtive¡¯s home?¡±

    If Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rtive could afford such a house, she should be rtively well off, he thought.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not my rtives¡¯ house either. I¡¯ll be honest, this house is someone else¡¯s and they¡¯re abroad right now. They didn¡¯t want to leave the home empty or rent it out, so they found someone they trusted to look after it. I actually met them when I was working, so they had me live here on the weekends to help clean, check the mail, pay property management fees, and the utility bills. See, the master bedroom over there is locked: that¡¯s their room. I can¡¯t go in and can only stay in the smallest bedroom. Also, I¡¯m not permitted upstairs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want anyone to know about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true identity. She didn¡¯t want his esteemed reputation to follow her, nor did she want to get used to all of this luxury. She had always felt that this ce didn¡¯t belong to her. Once she regained her memories, she would leave Huo Shaoheng and return to the normal circle of people she belonged to.

    The apartment was under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name and the master bedroom was also his. But he was very busy and spent most of his time living at the Special Operations Forces base. He would only live in the apartment on the weekends when Gu Nianzhi came back, because he was worried about her living alone. As for the second floor, that was housed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s studio, shooting range, and gym. Gu Nianzhi despised the shooting range and the gym. Since moving here for university two years ago, he had been making her practice shooting and kept a keen eye on the stopwatch to supervise her training.

    For someone who hated long distance running, seeing a treadmill in the gym was like seeing her worst enemy.

    ¡°Is that so¡­ no wonder you don¡¯t live here everyday.¡± Mei Xiawen smiled and nodded, believing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    It was because they all knew that Gu Nianzhi lived in the C University Faculty of Law women¡¯s dormitory. She only left on the weekends and it was said that she worked. She had made sure that her cover story corresponded to the rumors about her personal life.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded her head and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    She lowered her head to look at herself and saw that she was not wearing the evening gown. Instead, she was in her cherry blossom patterned, pink-striped Egyptian cotton pajamas, with full length sleeves and pants, and a neat cor. She immediately lifted the thin nket away to get off the bed and changed the topic without batting an eysh. ¡°ss Rep, I¡¯m all better now. Thanks foring to see me.¡±

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi intended to send him off, Mei Xiawen finally remembered the reason why he came. He tilted his head in concern to look at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beaming face, ¡°Nianzhi, your final interview for post-grad admissions¡­¡±

    ¡°Post-grad final interview? Cr*p, cr*p, how could I have forgotten about it?!¡± Gu Nianzhi had a sudden revtion. She pped her forehead worriedly, her face twisted into immense pain, ¡°What should I do, what should I do? My interview¡­¡±

    A week had passed. She had long missed the interview!

    Just before she finished her sentence, she heard the click of the door lock. Chen Lie¡¯s round head poked in the room and he smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ve finally awakened!¡± He was shocked that Gu Nianzhi was bouncing around the room. She was smiling, fussing, shocked, worried¡ªthis was unusual in a patient who had just awaken from a week longa.

    If Chen Lie hadn¡¯t personally cared for Gu Nianzhi for a week, he would have never believed that Gu Nianzhi had been a patient who hadpsed into a week longa.

    ¡°Brother Chen! Has it really been a week?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little nervous as she crept closer to him. ¡± My¡­my interview¡­¡±

    Chen Lie wanted to reassure her, but turning around and seeing Mei Xiawen look at them with interest as they talked displeased him. He coughed. ¡°ss Rep Mei, right? Thanks foring to see our Nianzhi. She has just recovered from a serious illness, so I want to take her to the hospital for a check up. Did you want to¡­?¡± Chen Lie deliberately trailed off, hoping that Mei Xianwen would take the hint.

    Mei Xianwen understood him and he quickly said, ¡°I just came by to see Nianzhi. I¡¯m d to know she¡¯s better.¡± As he spoke, he took out the gift box he had brought. ¡°This was the gift I had wanted to give you at Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday party. I bought this just for you. Please keep it and use itter when the asion arises.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt uneasy when she recalled that incident, but it had nothing to do with Mei Xiawen and she couldn¡¯t be upset at him. She smiled as she epted it with both hands. ¡°ss Rep is too kind. I¡¯ll have to thank you when I go back.¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked at her and remembered Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday partyst Saturday. Everyone was still chatting andughing, but they were now no longer people from the same world. His heart felt a pang as he sighed and said, ¡°Ah, you still don¡¯t know right? Our ss has gone viral online recently.¡±

    ¡°Viral online?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked as she opened Mei Xiawen¡¯s gift. ¡°You¡¯re saying our ss is famous now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, famous. It¡¯s because your best friend, Feng Yixi, got famous.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused, her hands hovering over he partially opened gift box. She said dryly, ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll have to congratte her. But, how am I her best friend? Please don¡¯t misunderstand, ss Rep, she¡¯s out of my league.¡±

 Chapter 23: A Love Confession

    <h4>Chapter 23: A Love Confession</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi recalled that Feng Yixi had tapped her on the shoulder, before she passed out. That was how Feng Yixi had sabotaged her.

    It had been just the slightest hint of a prick on her shoulder, but she had felt it all the same.

    She was never going to forget the excruciating pain and embarrassment that had followed. Feng Yixi had very nearly destroyed her life.

    Gu Nianzhi was also quick to connect the dots: she had been the top-scorer for the post-grad entrance exam, but had missed the interview. Feng Yixi, who had gotten second ce in the exam, would have reaped the benefits.

    Gu Nianzhi was already being very lenient with Feng Yixi; anyone in his or her right mind would have descended upon the Feng family house in a state of righteous fury and avenged themselves by now. For now, however, Gu Nianzhi had to content herself with denouncing Feng Yixi as her ¡°best friend.¡±

    She may be na?ve, but she was no fool.

    Mei Xiawen was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Feng Yixi¡¯s reputation has taken quite a beating over the past few days. It¡¯s actually best that you cut all ties with her. You don¡¯t want her dragging you down.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her reputation? Didn¡¯t you just say she¡¯s famous now?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked, then cheekily said, as she looked coyly up at him, ¡°ss Rep, please stop pulling my leg, I¡¯m just a young and uneducated girl.¡±

    Mei Xiawen did not respond.

    Chen Lie had been watching the two of them with great interest. He snorted at this. ¡°Our dear Nianzhi may be young, but she¡¯s not at all uneducated, is she now, ss Rep Mei?¡±

    Mei Xiawen had gone to pieces at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s coy look, and it was with some difficulty that he finally pulled himself back together. He lowered his head, flustered; he did not trust himself to look again into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful, yful eyes. He took out his phone, but hesitated for a moment before finally plucking up the courage to hand it to her. ¡°Here, have a look for yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi epted the phone and found herself looking at a photo of herself. Mei Xiawen had used her photo as his screensaver. She blinked, not knowing how to react. She decided to pretend not to have seen it. She made a few half-hearted attempts at unlocking the phone, then handed it back, smiling. ¡°ss Rep, I can¡¯t unlock it.¡±

    The phone could only be unlocked with a fingerprint password. Of course she couldn¡¯t unlock it.

    Mei Xiawen smiled, pressed the Home button, and entered his fingerprint to unlock the phone. He then took ahold of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said gently, ¡°Here, enter your fingerprint, too. Then you can unlock my phone whenever you like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. What was happening?

    ¡°ss Rep, your phone should be kept private. I-I-I don¡¯t want to invade your privacy.¡± Gu Nianzhi tried to extract her hand from his grasp.

    Mei Xiawen did not let go of her hand. His gaze was gentle but insistent. ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep anything from you. I¡¯m giving you the right to my privacy.¡±

    By this time, Gu Nianzhi, as na?ve as she was, finally understood what was going on, and was nowpletely flustered.

    She had never had anyone confess their love to her in such a tant manner. She did not know how to deal with it. She looked towards Chen Lie for help.

    Chen Lie¡¯s eyes crinkled as heughed and winked at her. He whistled, and said, ¡°Our dear little Nianzhi is going to have her first boyfriend! I¡¯m sure your Uncle Huo will be very happy to hear this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words.

    Mei Xiawen quickly seized the opportunity to save her fingerprint into his phone and set it up as a secondary password. He then opened his Weibo and showed her thetest news on Feng Yixi.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her face grow hot. Her mind was inplete turmoil. However, her attention was instantly captured by the trending Weibo posts on Feng Yixi.

    She quickly scanned the news. The corners of her mouth slowly curved as she said, ¡°I see. Yes, she¡¯s an inte celebrity now, in every sense of the word.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Feng Yixi had very little regard for inte celebrities. Every time the topic came up, Feng Yixi would sneer in utter contempt.

    In the past two years, Feng Yixi had always yed second fiddle to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi had sensed Feng Yixi¡¯s jealousy towards her, but pettiness and envy had always been part and parcel of any rivalry between women. Gu Nianzhi had paid no attention to it, never imagining that Feng Yixi¡¯s jealousy would one day drive her to sabotage Gu Nianzhi.

    Mei Xiawen let out a small sigh. ¡°She really should have known better. Why did she ever think it would be a good idea to do drugs? She only has herself to me for the huge mess she¡¯s in now. She was all set to go to B University Law School; the spot was hers, but she threw it out the window. She¡¯s been expelled, and I hear they¡¯ve sentenced her to jail and one year ofmunity service.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned the phone to Mei Xiawen and smiled. Deep down, she could not deny that she was happy to learn of Feng Yixi¡¯s misfortune. ¡°You reap what you sow. Like I said, she¡¯s in a whole different ss, way out of my league. Please don¡¯t ever call her my best friend again. She always imed to be my best friend, sure, but I never said she was, not even once.¡±

    Mei Xiawen nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯m on your side, and I¡¯ll make sure to correct anyone who says otherwise, in the future.¡± He paused, then asked, ¡°What about me? Am I your best friend?¡±

    ¡°ss Rep, you¡¯re a good friend to everyone in our ss.¡± Gu Nianzhi had hurrriedly racked her brains toe up with this reply, and she was d to have found it.

    Mei Xiawen put his hands in his pockets, and said, with augh, ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to friend-zone me. I want to be more than just your best friend, you know.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a nice one, ss Rep, you sure know how to crack a joke.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened the gift box from Mei Xiawen: it was a pea green fishtail evening dress made of real silk, a Valentino.

    ¡°ss Rep, I can¡¯t ept this gift, it¡¯s too expensive,¡± said Gu Nianzhi, looking at the brand on thebel. She quickly put the dress back in the box and handed it back to Mei Xiawen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not that expensive, really. I can afford it.¡± Mei Xiawen stubbornly refused to take the box back. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll throw it in the trash.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was once again at a loss for words.

    Chen Lie squinted at the dress, then chuckled. ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s not even from this season. Last season¡¯s clothes are only fit for the bin, nothing wrong with that.¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked at Chen Lie in surprise.

    How had he been able to tell, with just a single nce, that this dress was fromst season? He must have an exceptionally good eye, Mei Xiawen mused.

    Once Chen Lie said that, Gu Nianzhi knew it would be impolite to turn down the dress. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a really lovely evening dress, and from such a famous brand, too. It would be a pity to throw it out with the trash. I know ss Rep was just joking about doing that. I¡¯ll ept it. Thank you.¡±

    She would just have to return the favor with a gift of equal value as a graduation present.

    Chen Lie had already opened the bedroom door, and was standing there smiling at Mei Xiawen. It was obvious that it was time for Mei Xiawen to leave.

    Mei Xiawen knew he could not stay any longer. He reluctantly asked, ¡°When will you be attending sses again, Nianzhi?¡± He added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the postgraduate interview. Feng Yixi scored the highest for the interview, but now that she¡¯s gotten into trouble, B University¡¯s Professor He will never take her. You still have a chance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to Mei Xiawen with the intention of seeing him out. Sheughed in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°What chance? I dropped the ball at the crucial moment. If she¡¯s out of the running, the candidate with the second highest score will take her ce, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Mei Xiawen walked out the front door, and stopped before the elevator. He said, ¡°Feng Yixi was the only one who passed the interview that day. Everyone else has already been rejected. I heard our lecturers say that Professor He is still at our school, and that they¡¯re trying to get him to do another interview. So I hurried over to tell you. See, what¡¯s yours is yours. No one can take it from you.¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s words made Gu Nianzhi very happy. She smiled and said sweetly, ¡°Thank you for your kind words, ss Rep. When I get back to school I¡¯ll look for Professor He and try my luck.¡±

 Chapter 24: Donâ€™t Tell Him

    <h4>Chapter 24: Don¡¯t Tell Him</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After seeing Mei Xiawen off, Gu Nianzhi realized that her face was numb from all the smiling. She used her hand to rub her cheeks and rolled her eyes at Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen, that was unkind.¡±

    Chen Lie brought out his equipment and pulled her over for an examination. He smiled as he said, ¡°How was I unkind? A gentleman desiring a fairdy, that¡¯s very normal. Our Nianzhi is so pretty, smart and capable. It would be strange if no one was pursuing you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as wonderful as Brother Chen ims.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat before Chen Lie, watching him attach various apparati to her skull, chest, and arms. He was just short of giving her a full body CT.

    Chen Lie stared at the data being disyed on the equipment and asked her, ¡°Where do you feel unwell? Are you dizzy? Have weak knees? Blurry vision?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel unwell. No dizziness, no weak knees, and my vision is normal.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded, one hand rubbing his chin and he pondered the situation.

    ording to the data he had researched, anyone who had been afflicted with H3aB7 said it was like peeling off ayer of skin. It basically made a person use their entire being to have sex. Their bodies would be weak for a long while afterwards. But, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s various vitals indicated that she was very healthy and had no issues at all.

    Chen Lie had the data from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s annual body checks, starting from six years ago, once a year. Everything was normal. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body index was the same asst year as well¡­no, Chen Lie corrected himself, it was maybe actually a bit healthier thanst year. She had grown 10 centimeters and her weight had increased ordingly. Her body fat level was slightly high, but she was certainly not fat seeing as her bone structure was small. Although she was not 18 yet, her figure was voluptuous. She was curvy where she should be, and also delicate and thin where she should be. She was an absolute beauty.

    Comparing such healthy vital statistics to the previous data he found on H3aB7 almost made him think that he had erred somewhere. Gu Nianzhi almost seemed too healthy. Even if she had not been afflicted with H3aB7, to be able to jump around after waking from a seven daya was amazing.

    Chen Lie¡¯s gaze moved to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm. His fingers involuntarily twitched with the urge to take another blood sample. But, thinking of how much blood he had already taken the past week, he knew that withdrawing anymore was going to make Gu Nianzhi pass out. He was scared to take anymore. Furthermore, if Huo Shaoheng found out, he probably would make his life miserable. Chen Lie absolutely did not want Huo Shaoheng to hold a grudge against him. He was a boss who was vicious to the point of being diabolical.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Chen Lie several times and saw he was staring at the equipment in silence. She had no choice but to ask with reluctance, ¡°Brother Chen, what happened to me¡­after?¡±

    ¡°After what?¡± Chen Lie was focused on preparing the equipment and monitoring Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood pressure and heart rate at the same time. Like a lie detector, he could tell if she was speaking the truth.

    ¡°After I passed out that day?¡± Gu Nianzhi blushed and couldn¡¯t help covering her face.

    It was too humiliating. She remembered having called Chen Lie to tell him she that was unwell and had felt turned on¡­ no, unbearably aroused.

    Chen Lie eyed Gu Nianzhi, his voice softening. ¡°Nianzhi, do you remember what happened before you passed out?¡±

    He had to figure out how much she remembered.

    Gu Nianzhi opened a crack in the fingers covering her face and peered at Chen Lie through them. Her voice was very quiet. ¡°I went to Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday party, right? Brother Chen even helped me select the evening gown I wore.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, and then?¡±

    ¡°And then? Didn¡¯t I tell you? And then I went there and Feng Yixi stabbed me on the shoulder with something, I¡­ I¡­ felt strange all over. I rushed to Huo Shao¡¯s vi and called Brother Chen for help.¡± Only by saying it all in one breath did Gu Nianzhi feel less embarrassed.

    She lowered her hands from her face. Her cheeks, pink and full, were like tender flower buds, and her eyes shimmered like water.

    Chen Lie nodded, his voice growing even more gentle, like the devious wolf coaxing Red Riding Hood. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And then I don¡¯t remember¡­¡± Gu Nianzhi, paused, and then finally asked the question that was stirring such unease in her heart. ¡°Brother Chen, was I afflicted by an aphrodisiac? Afterward¡­ how did I get better afterward?¡±

    She was afraid to raise her head and look into Chen Lie¡¯s eyes. Her head was bowed deeply and her fingers dug into the embroidered flowers on the seat cushion of the love seat sofa.

    Chen Lie walked over and removed her hands from the cushion. He patted her head andughed. ¡°Of course, Brother Chen was awesome, and cured you! That aphrodisiac was nothing. With Brother Chen helping you, it was a piece of cake! Its ok, it¡¯s ok, aren¡¯t you fine now?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head in surprise. ¡°Really? Brother Chen cured me? You¡­ You¡­ You didn¡¯t have me do that¡­ with a guy? A lot of the novels I read say to do it like that¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Chen Lie quickly shook his head and rebuked her sternly. ¡°You are still young, Nianzhi. Don¡¯t read those messed up novels. Needing a man to remedy an aphrodisiac is something only an ignorant fool would say. Your Brother Chen is from a high ss of physicians in the military. Of course I have a cure the aphrodisiac!¡±

    It was true that Chen Lie had a corresponding antidote to all the aphrodisiacs in the world, with the exception of H3aB7. There was the exception of H3aB7, however.

    Chen Lie gritted his teeth mentally, vowing to find the antidote to this aphrodisiac. He refused to believe that Oda Masao, that pervert, could really create such a potent substance. Why doesn¡¯t he go to h*ll?! Chen Lie thought agitatedly.

    With Chen Lie¡¯s reassurance that the aphrodisiac had been cured with an antidote, Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. Her lips curved into a smile and her huge eyes were like two crescent moons.

    ¡°Brother Chen, I have something to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What else? Tell me.¡±

    ¡°The whole thing of me getting afflicted by an aphrodisiac, can you not tell Huo Shao?¡± Gu Nianzhi knew Chen Lie had been entrusted by Huo Shaoheng to take care of her while he was away from C City. She had alsopletely forgotten that Chen Lie had called Huo Shaoheng.

    Chen Lie was mentally ted and thought this is too easy. He couldn¡¯t believe how thorough the effects of the aphrodisiac were, and how they granted him such the advantage of such simple secrecy.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell him, I certainly will not tell him! It¡¯s not as though I¡¯m bored enough to go and get into trouble with him, am I?¡± Chen Lie smiled and bantered, extending his palm. ¡°We will swear on it. Give me five!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily high fived him three times and crossed one worry off her mind.

    After taking care of that concern, she felt her stomach grumbling. She was starving and clutched her stomach as she made her way toy on the couch. She said to Chen Lie breathlessly, ¡°Brother Chen, I¡¯m hungry. Do you have any food?¡¯

    ¡°Of course. Wait here and I¡¯ll order delivery.¡± Chen Lie smiled as he took out his phone to order food. After she ate, she felt sleepy and napped the whole afternoon.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi woke on Sunday. It marked the second day since Huo Shaoheng had brought Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze with him to Japan. Sunday evening, the three of them had finished scouting locations and returned to their room in the Chiba Hotel to summarize their findings from the day. After the briefing, they started talking about all sorts of things.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixioing exchanged a look and crept conspiratorially to Huo Shao Heng. ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve endured the sexual temptation resistance training for so long. Should we check the results today?¡±

 Chapter 25: Youâ€™re Overthinking It

    <h4>Chapter 25: You¡¯re Overthinking It</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng gave them a sideways look as he put his phone back into his trouser pocket. ¡°A test? How do you want to do it?¡±

    ¡°Heh, how else? By meeting famous Japanese porn stars, of course!¡± Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong rubbed their hands together and wriggled their eyebrows suggestively. ¡°If we don¡¯t ¡®test¡¯ ourselves with Japanese porn stars, how do we know for sure our anti-seduction training actually works? And anyway, we¡¯re just ¡®testing,¡¯ we won¡¯t actually be doing ¡®it¡¯ for real.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was fairly certain that the young men just wanted to see Japanese porn stars perform for them live.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored them. He walked over to the window, a cup of tea in hand, and gazed at the night view outside.

    The night scene of Tokyo was beautiful. The lights from the high-rise buildings flickered and sparkled like diamonds; they mingled with the stars in the dark blue night sky, quiet and peaceful.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong saw that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t going to humor them with a reply. They backed off, disappointed.

    Both secretaries sighed, and sat heavily on a sofa, each nursing a cup of coffee as they talked in hushed whispers.

    ¡°Big Xiong [1], have you ever done it with a woman?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never even had a girlfriend, let alone slept with a woman.¡± Yin Shixiong snorted. ¡°What about you? You were trying to get with that female officer from District 3, right? What was her name again?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me. I failed to impress her and I almost got beat up in the process.¡± Zhao Liangze shook his head forlornly. ¡°She has so many suitors waiting in line. I bet the queue stretches from District 3 all the way to District 4. What chance did I have?¡±

    ¡°Seriously? I don¡¯t see what all the fuss is about, she doesn¡¯t look all that special to me.¡± Yin Shixiong rubbed the back of his head and said in a disconste tone, ¡°I wonder what it¡¯s like to do it with a woman? What if we keep resisting our urges, and eventually we be so removed from sexual desires, we can¡¯t even get it up? How are we going to have children then? My family goes back five generations, and they¡¯re depending on me, the only son, to continue the line!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around at this. He walked over from the window, set his cup of tea down, and said, indifferently, ¡°You¡¯ll get it up. You¡¯re overthinking it.¡±

    ¡°Overthinking it?! Sir, you know what our anti-seduction training is like because you¡¯ve experienced it. Are you honestly not worried you won¡¯t be able to get it up?! Or afraid that you¡¯ll suffer from premature ejaction?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head as he lit a cigarette. He took a drag and then continued his reproach. ¡°Don¡¯t be so pathetic. Obsessing over women 24/7, that¡¯s just sad. It¡¯ste. Go to bed, we have an early day tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Sir, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± said Zhao Liangze brazenly. He had summoned his courage and was now zealously fighting for the right to reproductive activity between men and women. ¡°You¡¯ve never tried it, so how do you know it¡¯s not going to be a problem? And who¡¯s obsessing over women? We¡¯re in Japan, I¡¯m just saying we might as well!¡±

    ¡°How do you know I haven¡¯t tried it?¡± Huo Shaoheng cocked his head, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and turned away, prepared to return to his room. His face, normally impassive, actually seemed to have taken a bit of color in his cheeks.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. They shouted at his retreating back. ¡°When did you lose your virginity, Sir?! Why don¡¯t we know about it?!¡±

    They were the personal secretaries of Major General Huo and they followed him like his shadow: how could they not have noticed this momentous milestone in his private life? They had failed in their duty! FAILED!

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng ignored the frenzied shouting from his personal secretaries as he calmly made his way back to his room. He got out his phone, and before he knew what he was doing he had already dialed a number.

    ¡°Yes? Who is this?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet, lovely voice sounded from the other end of the line.

    Huo Shaoheng had not expected Gu Nianzhi to actually be awake. He collected himself and said, ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was running on the treadmill, in the gym. She had been listening to a song on her headset when the call came in, and had immediately taken it without stopping to see who it was. When she heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep voice, her heart immediately burst into a joyous flutter. She said, her voice full ofughter, ¡°I¡¯m working out!¡± and then continued, a little flirtatiously, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten fat again. I need to lose weight!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng dangled a cigarette in his hand as he said absent-mindedly, ¡°You¡¯re not fat. It¡¯s better to have more curves. Feels nicer to hold.¡±

    As soon as he said that, an awkward silence fell upon the both of them.

    Huo Shaoheng was the first to recover his wits. He took a drag on his cigarette before exhaling a cloud of white, lingering smoke. He asked casually, ¡°Sweetie, is that you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi mentally spat in disgust at this. She said, slowly and deliberately, ¡°Huo Shao, this is Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi. Were you thinking of someone else?¡±

    She had known Huo Shaoheng for six years, but had never heard him call anyone with a nickname as intimate as ¡°Sweetie.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, and stubbed his cigarette out on an ashtray. His voice was indifferent and low. ¡°Wrong number. Don¡¯t stay up toote.¡± Then he hung up.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to jog on the treadmill, her mind full of questions: did Huo Shao have a girlfriend? Should she try asking Chen Lie about it?

    Over on the other end, Huo Shaoheng was feeling a little warm after the phone call. He changed into his sportswear and made his way to the hotel gym.

    The Chiba Hotel gym wasn¡¯t particrly crowded thiste at night.

    Several Japanese men in tight, body-hugging shirts were huddled together. They were in the middle of an animated discussion.

    They spoke rapidly, their expressions exaggerated.

    They saw Huo Shaohenge in but automatically assumed that he did not speak thenguage. They did not bother to lower their voices as they continued what should have been a private conversation.

    ¡°That male bra they just came up with is soooofy!¡±

    ¡°I know, right? I wear it every day when I¡¯m out and about. I feel funny without it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s understanding of Japanese was rudimentary, but his Bluetooth headset came with an auto-trante feature. Thus, he could clearly hear and understand every word in this passionate conversation about male bras.

    The subject of their discussion left him dumbfounded. He stepped onto a treadmill without letting his face betray his amusement. He selected the highest speed setting and began to run.

    The long-legged, broad-chested Major General Huo was like a sleek, powerful cheetah on the treadmill. It was an awe-inducing disy of strength and virility. His raw energy radiated outwards from him, enveloping the room.

    A few Japanese women who had just entered the gym could not help ogling him.

    ¡°Oh my god, he¡¯s so dreamy!¡±

    The effeminate Japanese men who had been talking about male bras heard the women, and were immediately filled with jealousy and resentment. They sneered and disparaged him in Japanese, sour as grapes.

    ¡°If you¡¯re such a fast runner, why aren¡¯t you in the Olympics?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Show-off!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finished his run. He stepped off the treadmill, grabbed one of the Japanese men next to him, and single-handedly hoisted him onto the treadmill. He strapped the man¡¯s arm to the handlebars of the treadmill, then selected the fastest speed. He patted him on the shoulder, and, in a low voice, said to him in Japanese, ¡°Good luck!¡±

    The treadmill started moving. Fast.

    The Japanese man was forced to run, screaming and shouting as he struggled to keep up.The treadmill was moving too fast for him; he was soon wheezing to catch his breath, but his arm was firmly secured to the treadmill. He was trapped. He squealed like a pig under a butcher¡¯s knife. ¡°Help! Someone save me!!¡±

    The gym security guards standing at the door rushed in upon hearing his cry for help. After a bit of confusion they ¡°rescued¡± the Japanese man from the treadmill, but he had already fainted dead away.

    By this time Huo Shaoheng had long since left the gym and was already back in his room.

    Just as soon as he was done showering, he heard his phone ring. He picked it up and saw that it was an iing call from Chen Lie.

    Note:

    [1] ¡°Big Xiong¡± is Yin Shixiong¡¯s nickname.

 Chapter 26: Absolutely No Privacy

    <h4>Chapter 26: Absolutely No Privacy</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Boss, Nianzhi is awake. Do you want to talk to her?¡±

    Chen Lie had just finished organizing the data on Gu Nianzhi and was recording it onto hisputer. It waspiled in batches and uploaded onto backup copies in his Cloud drive.

    ¡°Really? It¡¯s toote now.¡± Huo Shaoheng sounded indifferent and wasted no words. He thought it best to not mention that he had already spoken to Gu Nianzhi.

    Chen Lie figured that Huo Shaoheng had no intention of speaking with Gu Nianzhi, so he had no choice but to take the initiative and report on her condition after waking up.

    ¡°Speaking of which, what a coincidence! I had predicted that she would probably wake up today, but wasn¡¯t exactly sure at what time. Afterwards, the ss Rep from Nianzhi¡¯s ss happened toe visit her. I let him in first and not long after, I heard Nianzhi excitedly chattering.¡± Heughed to himself. ¡°They have such an interesting chemistry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng used arge towel to wipe the water off his hair. His voice was icy. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to listen to your nonsense.¡±

    ¡°How was that nonsense?¡± Chen Lie rolled up his sleeves, sat on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s swivel chair in his study and began spinning. ¡°Also, I have something more important to tell you!¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s ss Rep confessed to her! He is a refined and tall young man: good looking, fairly well off, and very gentle with Nianzhi. A young girl like Nianzhi should be cherished gently and treated like a precious treasure.¡± Chen Lie sighed.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused from drying his hair. He only grunted in acknowledgement.

    ¡°Seriously! Believe me, her ss Rep has good character. He showed Nianzhi his phone right in front of me, and not only was Nianzhi¡¯s photo set as the lock screen, but he also lovingly saved her fingerprint as one of the passwords to unlock his phone. With that, he said that Nianzhi can unlock his phone anytime, because he had absolutely nothing to hide from her.¡± He chuckled and then said, Boss, I think this person is suitable for Nianzhi as a prospective marriage partner.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his phone and discovered he had set Nianzhi¡¯s photo as his lock screen some time ago. He swiped at the screen to open the photo album and deleted the photo without betraying any emotion. In an instant, he had removed all traces of Gu Nianzhi from his phone. Chen Lie was still babbling on the phone about something. Huo Shaoheng said dryly, ¡°Nianzhi is not 18 yet, so it¡¯s a bit early to start dating. But as long as she likes him, I won¡¯t interfere.¡± He stood up, feeling restless again. ¡°I have something to take care of.¡± He abruptly hung up.

    He then calmly called Zhao Liangze and his voice immediately deepened. ¡°Connect to Nianzhi¡¯s university¡¯s ss Representative¡¯s phone right now, and delete all her fingerprints from there. Remember, delete itpletely and make sure it cannot be recovered with any software.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had been lying on the bed. He and Yin Shixiong were trying to determine which female hero had ¡°popped¡± the Major General¡¯s ¡°cherry.¡± He was so startled by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call that he nearly fell off the bed.

    ¡°What?! Nianzhi¡¯s fingerprint is saved on someone¡¯s phone?! What a foolish thing to do! Fingerprints are so important, how can it be freely given to anybody? The person can use her fingerprint, and Nianzhi will have no privacy from them. They can use Nianzhi¡¯s fingerprint to do anything and then use it to frame her! Sir, I agree. We must delete this fingerprint!¡± Listening to Zhao Liangze¡¯s indignation and how his words echoed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sentiments, a ghost of a smile appeared on thetters face and then quickly disappeared.

    Zhao Liangze sighed and gestured to Yin Shixiong. ¡°All good.¡± He hung up immediately.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? A mission?¡± Yin Shixiong grew serious.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. Nianzhi¡¯s fingerprint had been saved by someone.¡± Zhao Liangze tapped amand on his phone and transformed it into a mini server with immense capabilities. ¡°Hey, Big Xiong, what is the name of Nianzhi¡¯s ss rep? Do you have his number?¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked after Gu Nianzhe¡¯s school affairs. He responded right away. ¡°Mei Xiawen? His phone number is¡ª.¡±He ryed a phone number to Zhao Liangze and asked with concern, ¡°Are you able to do it? I think that kid¡¯s phone is by Apple. The security is excellent on them.¡±

    ¡°Pfft! Don¡¯t underestimate me! My motto is: Give me a phone number and I can use it to dig up the owner¡¯s entire background!¡± Zhao Liangze blew on his hands and proceeded to enter Mei Xiawen¡¯s number on his meticulously created software. He pressed the search button and began looking for Mei Xiawen¡¯s phone in the vastwork.

    In his room, Huo Shaoheng brought his phone with him as he returned to the bed. He had nned on turning in for the night, but ended up smoking a cigarette and was alert again. He scrolled through the address book on his phone and stopped at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name for a moment before finally dialing her number.

    Gu Nianzhi had finished working out and was freshly showered. She was sitting at her vanity and prepping her face for a face mask. Hearing her phone ring, she looked at it and saw that it was an unknown number. She hesitated, but still picked up and answered.

    ¡°Nianzhi.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice traveled from the other end of the line, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face lit up like sunshine. ¡°Huo Shao! You didn¡¯t call the wrong number again this time, right?¡± She asked cheekily.

    ¡°Call me Uncle.¡± Huo Shaoheng was suddenly insistent on correcting how Gu Nianzhi addressed him.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She looked at her phone, feeling the sting of the sternmand. However, she was ustomed to obeying Huo Shaoheng, so she had no choice but to change her words. ¡°Uncle¡­Huo.¡±

    Although he was not too satisfied with this name, it was still better than the overly familiar ¡®Huo Shao¡¯.

    He threw away the butt of his cigarette. His tone was still stern, but the smooth cadences of his voice warmed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears. ¡°Nianzhi, I heard from Chen Lie that you were sick and missed your final interview for the post-grad admissions?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Ah, yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit embarrassed. ¡°Brother Chen told you?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm. He also told me you saved your fingerprint on someone else¡¯s phone.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was usually scary due to its deep and resonant sound, but it was tempered by the even manner in which he spoke. However, when he was truly angry, his words were as sharp as des. The sound of them could carve a person¡¯s heart out if it were possible.

    Gu Nianzhi realized that Huo Shaoheng might be angry. She straightened in her seat and tried to keep her voice steady. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Huo Shao¡ªI mean, Uncle Huo, please don¡¯t be upset. I¡¯ll ask my ss Rep to delete my fingerprint when I go to ss tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted. He had already decided to leave out that he had ordered Zhao Liangze to delete it.

    Gu Nianzhi felt perturbed as the silence grew longer.

    ¡°Remember to take care of yourself from now on.¡± Huo Shaoheng then sensed there was something off with Gu Nianzhi. She seemed very stressed out, and he did not want to frighten her. He didn¡¯t know how to put her at ease, so he stayed silent for a long while before saying into the phone, ¡°Please, darling.¡±

 Chapter 27: Hiding in Plain Sight

    <h4>Chapter 27: Hiding in in Sight</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the phone for a long moment, then coughed and said in a small, uncertain voice, ¡°¡­Uncle Huo, this is Nianzhi¡­¡±

    Had he gotten her mixed up with someone else again?

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t stay up toote.¡± Huo Shaoheng ended the call. He could now finally sleep in peace.

    Early the next morning, Huo Shaoheng and his subordinates got up and checked out from Chiba Hotel with their backpacks before splitting up. They each had their own objectives.

    Huo Shaoheng went to the Tokyo Imperial University Hospital.

    Zhao Liangze went directly to Tokyo International Airport; he would be responsible for the logistics of the mission.

    Yin Shixiong went to Shinjuku Gyo-en National Garden to monitor Oda Masao. He had to make sure Oda Masao wasn¡¯t about to suddenly make a U-turn for hisb; that would throw a wrench into their ns.

    It was Cherry Blossom Day for Tokyo. ording to the weather forecast, the cherry blossoms in Shinjuku Gyo-en would be at full bloom today.

    Although it was an early Monday morning, Shinjuku Gyo-en was already packed; everyone was eager to see the cherry blossoms.

    Many of the most beautiful cherry trees already hadrge families camped beneath them, spread out on cushions and stools.

    Yin Shixiong had specially booked a spot with a tour group to Shinjuku Gyo-en.

    The three military men had undergone special training, and were experts at disguising themselves when carrying out their objectives in public.

    For anyone who did not know better, Yin Shixiong looked just like any other tourist from the Empire,plete with sunsses, a stooped posture, and a silly little red I¡¯m-with-this-tour-group cap on his head.

    ording to their intel, Oda Masao was going to be at Shinjuku Gyo-en for the cherry blossoms today.

    Oda Masao was a schr, obsessed with biomedicine. The degree of his obsession rivaled that of Chen Lie¡¯s.

    He spent most of his time in hisb, and was more reclusive than even Chen Lie.

    He had no family, no rtives, no friends ¨C his only earthly possessions were hisboratory equipment, and his research.

    His one and only interest, outside of work, was visiting Shinjuku Gyo-en once a year, to see the cherry blossoms.

    Huo Shaoheng had gone to the Tokyo Imperial University Hospital the day before for recon; there, he had discovered that the security system for Oda Masao¡¯sboratory wasn¡¯t particrly sophisticated. Breaking in was easy enough; their biggest problem was Oda Masao himself.

    He practically lived in hisb: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    They hade up with a few different methods to break in, but all of them would tip Oda Masao off and send him into high alert.

    Then they discovered, quite by ident, that Oda Masao was going to leave hisb and go to Shinjuku Gyo-en the next day, to see the cherry blossoms.

    Luck was on their side.

    They had returned to the hotel to n, then split up the next day to make their move.

    When Yin Shixiong arrived at Shinjuku Gyo-en, Huo Shaoheng had also just arrived at Tokyo Imperial University Hospital.

    ¡°Sir, I have eyes on Oda Masao. He¡¯s with his grad students, sitting under a cherry tree.¡± Yin Shixiong had his headset on; he talked as he walked, but to any casual observer he looked like he was only listening to music. He was dressed like the countless tourists around him.

    Huo Shaoheng had just emerged from a small room next to Oda Masao¡¯sboratory.

    He had on a white coat and special ck-rimmed non-prescription sses. A light blue surgical mask covered his face, and theboratory ess card Zhao Liangze had prepared for him hung around his neck.

    Zhao Liangze had sessfully hacked into the security system for Oda Masao¡¯sb the night before and forged a barcode for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ess card.

    Of course, they did not find any experimental data on H3aB7 on theboratory¡¯s intr.

    Chen Lie had already told them not to expect to find anything there. He had once been obsessed with the drug, and had done everything he could think of to get his hands on the research data ¨C to no avail. All he managed to dig up were random bits and pieces Oda Masao had published in prestigious academic journals.

    It would seem that Oda Masao shared their reservations about the inte. He did not trust it to be safe, so he kept his most important documents on paper, never uploading them to anywork.

    If it weren¡¯t for Gu Nianzhi falling victim to the drug, Huo Shaoheng would never havee to Japan. He was only here because he wanted to get all the research data avable on H3aB7, as well as the form, just in case something worse awaited her.

    Huo Shaoheng walked down the corridors of theboratory,pletely inconspicuous.

    Everyone around him was dressed more or less like him; Oda Masao¡¯sb shared the same building with the Imperial University Hospital¡¯s surgical outpatient department.

    He turned a corner, and found himself outside the in, unassuming door to Oda Masao¡¯sb.

    It didn¡¯t look like a very important or valuableb. At all.

    But it wouldn¡¯t do to judge a book by its cover ¨C it could very well be a cunning ruse.

    Hiding in in sight could be very effective sometimes.

    There was no one else about. Huo Shaoheng produced his ess card, swiped it, and entered theb. Everything was going as nned.

    Once he was inside, he immediately locked the door behind him, and tapped the speaker on his headset: three long taps, followed by two short taps.

    On the other end of the connection, Zhao Liangze understood Huo Shaoheng had made it in, and immediately seized control of the surveince camera inside Oda Masao¡¯sb.

    Oda Masao may have kept all hisb data offline, but the same couldn¡¯t be done for theb¡¯s power supply, central air-conditioning, and surveince cameras. These were all connected to the Imperial University Hospital¡¯s central power grid and controlled by the security department.

    Soon enough, three long beeps came over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s earpiece, followed by a short beep. That was the signal indicating that Zhao Liangze had sessfully hijacked the surveince camera.

    With the surveince camerapromised, and no one else in theb, Huo Shaoheng was now able to openly search for the information he was after.

    He looked everywhere, and finally found a safe in the small, innermost office of Oda Masao¡¯sb. On the safe were several promising clues that appeared to point to H3aB7.

    The password for the safe wasn¡¯t difficult to crack. Huo Shaoheng had previously undergone training in decoding and cracking passwords; this was easy enough for him.

    He cracked the password, opened the safe, and saw a stack of documents and a box of test tubes, all neatly arranged. Huo Shaoheng could not help feeling just a tiny bit moved by his sess.

    There was an infrared sensor inside the safe; he could not reach in and take the documents without tripping the rm.

    Huo Shaoheng lifted his head and looked straight at the surveince camera.

    On the other end of the camera was Zhao Liangze. He immediately understood the meaning of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s look and promptly cut off the power supply to the safe¡¯s infrared sensor.

    Once the power was cut, Huo Shaoheng reached in and extracted the stack of paper documents and the box of test tubes, quick as lightning. He reced them with a stack of nk paper that was more or less the same size and weight.

    Task aplished, Huo Shaoheng immediately exited theboratory and made his way to one of the bathrooms in the building. He removed his custom-made non-prescription sses and converted them into a scanner. He began to rapidly scan all the documents, transmitting them directly to Chen Lie¡¯s office back at the C City military base, via the Empire¡¯s exclusive encrypted satellite.

    Zhao Liangze seized this opportunity to quickly reconnect the surveince camera to its normal video feed. Over at the hospital¡¯s security department, the surveince monitors showed a squeaky cleanboratory. Not a single thing looked out of ce.

    Back in C City, inside the Special Ops military base, Chen Lie had just returned to his office.

    He turned on his workputer, and immediately saw a number of high-priority encrypted files being transferred over to him.

    He epted them, and opened the first document. He had read only a few pages when his entire body froze, as though paralyzed.

    Sweat poured from him like rain. His round eyes were full of terror.

    He whipped out his phone and dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private, military-only number. His teeth would not stop chattering; at this very moment he looked for all the world like he had lost his mind.

    When Huo Shaoheng received the call from Chen Lie, he was almost done scanning the documents.

    As he took the call, he carefully packed the test tubes in a thermal insted lead box, which he then ced inside his backpack. He asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I just looked at the documents you sent me. H3aB7¡­ H3aB7 isn¡¯t a sexual stimnt, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s clearly a virus!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. ¡°¡­What did you just say? Say it again.¡±

    His voice was low and deliberate, like a heavy metal object sinking, slowly, into a bottomless sea. It made one feel like gasping for air.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had a closer look just yet, but I can assure you that this is no ordinary aphrodisiac. The chemical structure is that of a deadly virus ¨C it¡¯s a silent killer, capable of killing without leaving a trace!¡± said Chen Lie, his face grim.

 Chapter 28: A Life or Death Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 28: A Life or Death Struggle</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Holy sh*t! No wonder I couldn¡¯t formte an antidote! Antidotes do nothing for viruses! Only vines can fight them!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s curses rang out in his office. Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes. He was normally calm in times of emergency,, but at the moment he felt like he was choking. He didn¡¯t doubt Chen Lie¡¯s words, nor did he think he was exaggerating. Chen Lie was the brightest of medical officers in the Empire and had majored in Viral Bio-Weapon Theory for his doctorate degree. Chen Lie had the most authority, whether it was on natural or synthetic viruses.

    Ding! The scanner emitted a crisp sound andpleted the transfer of all the scans. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brain whirred and he made a mental note to change the ns. None of the men had predicted that things would be this serious.

    Chen Lie promptly opened thest file that was sent over. With the assistance of the auto-trantion software on theputer, he read through thest set of ¡®effectivenessparison¡¯ data. His face went from grey to white. Even his lips had paled. He let out a shaky breath and spoke to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°The effectiveness of this virus is astounding. ording to thest set of ¡®effectivenessparison¡¯ data, anybody injected with this virus had died within half a year to a yearter.¡± He paused and looked at the data before he exined further. ¡°These were all women from the Empire. They had all died of illness. Just typical illnesses. And there were no traces of abnormality found. In other words, this type of bio-weapon has now distinguished itself as an invisible killer.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression became more grim as he adjusted his sses. He asked quietly, ¡°Then why is H3aB7 said to be the top ss aphrodisiac?¡±

    ¡°The aphrodisiac element is probably a side effect discovered when they were studying the virus. This kind of thing is amon phenomenon in the history of drug development. The infamous little blue pill, the male potency drug Viagra, was originally developed as a wonder drug to treat hypertension and angina pectoris, or chest pain associated with heart disease. However, the researchers found that it induced erections and exceptionally increased male potency. It worked even better as a sexual stimnt than as a treatment for heart and blood pressureplications. So it instead became what we know today as Viagra.¡± Chen Lie sighed. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this H3aB7 was developed much like Viagra. That¡¯s why it¡¯s known for its side effect. This also allowed them to mask its true effects when they were testing the virus dosages during clinical trials, I assume.¡±

    It was purely coincidental that they had uncovered this huge conspiracy. Chen Lie got cold sweats thinking about it. Although he had been previously interested in H3aB7, it was only because as an insider to the industry he, like most others, believed that it was an aphrodisiac. Not many people paid much attention to such a low ss substance. Even though Chen Lie had been extremely curious about it, he had not gone out of his way all to obtain the pertinent data. If Gu Nianzhi had not been poisoned with it, Huo Shaoheng, the highest ranking officer in the Special Operations Forces, would not have personally traveled to Japan to attain the primary data from Oda Masao.

    Without the primary data, they would have never known that these Japanese scientists hade such a long way in targeting the Empire¡¯s citizens with a specialized virus. Huo Shaoheng was the only person with ess to the amount of resources and opportunity necessary to arrange this mission. Although it seemed like only three people were participating, they actually had the support of over 1000 personnel.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent for a long time on the other end of the line.

    Chen Lie became worried and spoke up. ¡°Boss! Listen carefully. This is a virus! And what is characteristic of viruses? Endless encroachment and destruction, until the body¡¯s immune system ispletely destroyed! If we can¡¯t create a vine, not only is Nianzhi¡¯s life is threatened, but all the females in the Empire can be a target for this specialized virus!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart hammered against his chest, as though it were repeatedly trapped and released by the string of a tightly drawn bow.

    ¡°Can you develop a vine if I give you all the data and the natural viral copy?¡±

    ¡°Theoretically, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡ª¡± but before Chen Lie could finish his sentence before Huo Shaoheng had already hung up.

    In that instant, he had reached a decision: considering that Oda Masao had concealed his status, the Japanese Army believed they had H3aB7 in the bag. There was also how the CIA and MI6 had attempted to reach out and rope in Oda Masao. Huo Shaoheng concluded that this man was irreceable in the development of this virus. In the field of high technology, the person possessing a specialized skill set was always the most valuable. The loss of such a talent could cause certain industries to regress 50 years or to be evenpletely eliminated. Oda Masao could be made unnecessary if Chen Lie could develop a vine.

    Huo Shaoheng transferred a call to Yin Shixiong. ¡°The circumstances have changed, the target must be eliminated.¡± Yin Shixiong had been holding a oil-paper umbre andzily eating onigiri1 under a cherry blossom tree when he received the order. His eyes instantly lost their rxed look, glinting in the gentle pink light. He replied, ¡°Roger.¡±

    As an officer of the Special Operations Forces , and also as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary, he had been long ustomed to never question hismanding general and to onlyply,ply, andply!

    Compliance was the unquestionable duty of all soldiers.

    Before him were trees heavy with pale pink cherry blossoms, the thin and tapering branches swaying with the overflowing clusters. They looked almost like snowden branches, and when the gentle breeze came, Shinjuku Gyo-en2 looked like it was caught in a cherry blossom rain.

    Embracing the shining sun, the clear sky formed a beautiful backdrop. In such exquisite scenery, many Japanese people couldn¡¯t help but dance beneath the trees. Melodious music coupled with the drifting petals made the scene beyond gorgeous.

    However, Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t feel an ounce of rxation. If Huo Shaoheng had suddenly ordered the elimination of Oda Msao, then something was very wrong. Yin Shixiong closed the oil-paper umbre andnguorously stroked it from the the tip to the handle. He had applied on the tip a highly toxic poison specially developed by the Empire. It was colorless and odorless. As soon as it was injected, it would enter the bloodstream and circte to the heart, causing death from what would appear as myocardial infarction. No amount of medical attention would save the unfortunate victim.

    He bent his knees and stood up, holding the umbre as he slowly walked along the flower strewn pathway. Oda Masao was in high spirits, singing and dancing with his post-grad students under the cherry blossom trees. It was his happiest and most exciting time of the year. Shinjuku Gyo-en was bing more boisterous; more people were singing and dancing, and crowds were forming. In a group of merrymakers dancing and singing under a tree nearby, a few people took too big a step, tripped on the uneven ground, and then fell over. This movement pushed Yi Shixiong, who happened to pass by them. Yin Shixiong used the momentum from this as leverage and fell forward towards the dancing Oda Masao. He surreptitiously raised the umbre he had been using like a cane, and lightly stabbed at Oda Masao¡¯s calf.

 Chapter 29: A Thousand Times Over

    <h4>Chapter 29: A Thousand Times Over</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong had attached an exceptionally fine needle to the tip of his oil-paper umbre.

    The refined needle was hollow, and contained a deadly poison specially developed by the Imperial Army.

    Oda Masao was really getting into the swing of things now. Just as he was at his most excited, he felt something cold brush against his calf; it was barely perceptible, lighter than a mosquito bite. He did not stop to think about it. His short, stumpy figure continued to twirl and dance around the cherry tree.

    Yin Shixiongughed and, following the example of the other dancers, gave a few twirls himself. At the same time, he nosed his way out of the crowd with the umbre, and made for the main street.

    He could see that there were several Secret Service personnel around Oda Masao, surreptitiously watching over him.

    However, everyone present was entranced by the beauty of the falling cherry blossoms. And besides, Oda Masao had sessfully hid his true identity for many, many years, and had never attracted any kind of trouble. The Secret Service personnel could not be med for not noticing that Oda Masao had already fallen victim to an attack.

    Large streams of people ebbed and flowed from Shinjuku Gyo-en. Yin Shixiong quickly blended into the crowd leaving the garden grounds, and made a beeline for Tokyo Imperial University Hospital. He was going to regroup with Huo Shaoheng there.

    By this time, Huo Shaoheng had already returned to Oda Masao¡¯sboratory and grimly set fire to all the documents, leaving nothing but ashes. For the coup de grace, he installed an incendiary time bomb in theb, one that would soon start a massive fire.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face grew even more solemn as he watched all this over the surveince camera. He silently erased the video, then decided to be even more thorough: he uploaded aputer virus to Tokyo Imperial University Hospital¡¯s intr.

    The virus would lie in wait on thework; it would only spread through the intr, wiping all confidential data along the way, when thework administrators realized something was up andunched their contingency measure.

    When Yin Shixiong arrived at Tokyo Imperial University Hospital, Huo Shaoheng had juste out through the front doors.

    The two men met up, but did not say a word. They got into a taxi, one after the other, and sped towards Tokyo International Airport.

    Zhao Liangze, who was in charge of logistics at the airport, was already on the phone with the Empire¡¯s civil aviation airline.

    As they would be flying on one of the Empire¡¯s civilian aircraft, they were allowed to bypass most inspections when boarding the ne. It was their privilege as citizens of the Empire.

    Once Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong arrived at the airport, Zhao Liangze immediately led them to an airline attendant, and registered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s backpack as check-in luggage. This was how they were going to get the test tube samples out of the country.

    Huo Shaoheng and hispanions shed their special boarding pass at the boarding gate. They did not have a lot of luggage with them. After going through airport security, the three of them strode confidently to the VIP passageway.

    ¡°This way, please.¡± An attendant stood politely at the entrance to the cabin, smiling as he ushered them inside. He arranged for them to be given a private room in First ss, away from all the other First ss passengers.

    The ne quickly took off and did a half-circle above Tokyo before flying towards the Empire¡¯s International Airport, in C City.

    The ne had just entered the Empire¡¯s airspace, when, over in Japan, a sudden, thunderous boom sounded from a seemingly ordinaryboratory inside Tokyo Imperial University Hospital. This was apanied by a blinding burst of light from theb windows as everything inside exploded into smithereens. The massive fire that followed then burned everything to a crisp, leaving nothing behind.

    Theboratory staff had been in too much of a panic to put out the fire.

    Just half an hour before, their mentor, Oda Masao, the Japanese Colonel whose identity had been top-secret, had suddenly suffered a heart attack while admiring the cherry blossoms. He died on the way to the hospital.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and settled into his luxurious chair in First ss. He tried to catch a few winks, his arms folded across his chest.

    Zhao Liangze was zealously monitoring the news on the Japanese intr.

    Soon enough, the explosion and fire at Tokyo Imperial University Hospital appeared on the front page of Asahi Shimbun, the Japanese news site. News of theboratory fire was apanied by reports of theb owner, Oda Masao, dying of a heart attack in the middle of a cherry blossom viewing. His sudden death had presumably been brought on by over-excitement.

    Zhao Liangze raised his hand and snapped his fingers. He turned to Huo Shaoheng, whose eyes were still closed, and said, smiling, ¡°Mission aplished, sir.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and looked sideways at him.

    Zhao Liangze quickly pushed his tablet over, positioning it right under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Have a look for yourself¡­¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his gaze and watched the headline scroll by on the website. His face was stony and impassive. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

    Oda Masao had been a truly despicable man; he had deserved his death, a thousand times over. But what about Gu Nianzhi? Would Oda Masao¡¯s death bring about negative consequences for her?

    Chen Lie would be able to develop a vine with the documents and research data they had obtained. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, Huo Shaoheng would soon be back at the military base with the original virus strain.

    But what if a vine couldn¡¯t be developed in time?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brain automatically pulled the blinds over this possibility.

    Meanwhile, Chen Lie had been feeling ill ever since the phone call.

    After the call, the first thing he did was wipe the sweat from his brow. Then he stayed up the whole night to study the documents that had been sent to him. He used a trantion software to automatically trante the documents into thenguage of the Empire, and made sure to leave back-ups everywhere.

    The documents and research data from Huo Shaoheng were highly detailed andprehensive. They not only contained analyses of the virus¡¯s various biochemicalponents, but also its cultivation process, which could be reverse-engineered.

    Oda Masao¡¯s research made top academic journals like Science and Nature look like trashy gossip rags. Cell was maybe a worthy enough publication for his findings, but only just. Heck, this was more than enough to win a Nobel Prize.

    However, Oda Masao did not publish his findings. Instead, he locked them away in a safe inside hisboratory.

    A true scientist would never do something like that. His behavior was highly out of the ordinary.

    But what if he wasn¡¯t a ¡°true scientist¡±?

    Chen Lie felt a chill go down his spine. He spent the entire night working in his office; it was morning when he finally finished reading all the drug reaction data andparative analyses.

    There was the pressing matter of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s health and safety, so Chen Lie did not bother with a careful reading of the documents. He skimmed through them, stopping to read only when he came across anything that had to do with reactions to the drug.

    He had recorded in detail his own set of drug reaction observations after Gu Nianzhi had fallen victim to the drug, and even had the results from aprehensive set of blood tests.

    When hepared them, his face contorted into an expression ofplete bewilderment.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s drug reactions were entirely different from that of Oda Masao¡¯s test subjects.

    ording to Oda Masao¡¯s records, the women under the effects of the drug found relief after sleeping with men, but that had not prevented the deterioration of their bodies.

    Their hematopoietic organs rapidly declined, resulting in irreversible anemia. This was followed by a series ofplications, and the women all eventually died from multiple organ failure.

    He had recorded no signs of deterioration whatsoever in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hematopoietic system.

    Perhaps he had ended his observations too early?

    But that couldn¡¯t be the exnation¡­

    Oda Masao¡¯s data had shown that the deterioration urred within one week.

    Chen Lie was feeling ill at ease. He opened his office door and stepped out to get some breakfast.

    In the hallway, several doctors were huddled together, talking in hushed tones.

    Ye Zitan saw hime out of his office and quickly stopped him. ¡°Doctor Chen, you know Oda Masao, that scientist you¡¯ve always admired? He¡¯s dead, sudden death from myocardial infarction. There was also a fire at hisb in Tokyo Imperial University Hospital; everything¡¯s gone, up in ashes.¡±

    ¡°Oh? That scumbag Oda Masao, dead? Really?¡± Chen Lie was pleasantly surprised to hear this ¨C finally, some happy news for a change!

    He hustled over and watched the news on the tablet with the other doctors. When he saw that someone had set fire to Oda Masao¡¯sboratory, Chen Lie immediately understood whose handiwork it had been¡­

    He chuckled at this, then heard his phone ring. He was ted to see that it was an iing call from Huo Shaoheng. He asked as he walked, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at the airport, I just got off the ne.¡± Huo Shaoheng was carrying his backpack with one hand. ¡°Are you still at Nianzhi¡¯s apartment?¡±

 Chapter 30: Confessing My Heart

    <h4>Chapter 30: Confessing My Heart</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°No, no, I came back yesterday. Nianzhi had to go to school today.¡± Chen Lie exined in a rush. ¡°Do you want to see her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°No need; we¡¯ll talk at the base.¡± The orderly, Fan Jian, parked on the side of the road. Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong got on and arrived back at the base shortly afterward.

    Chen Lie was waiting for Huo Shaoheng in his office. Huo Shaoheng walked in and threw a backpack at him as soon as he entered. ¡°See if this is useful.¡± Chen Lie opened the backpack and took out a pencil case. He opened it to find a box of vials. He then opened it and when he saw the liquid filled vials, his heart nearly leapt out of his throat.

    ¡°Boss! What¡­w-what is this stuff?!¡±

    ¡°The natural viral copy from Oda Masao. See if you canbine it with his data to find the antibody soon and develop a vine.¡± Huo Shaoheng was looking at Chen Lie with a seriousness that took him aback for a moment.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Lie nodded, then pondered briefly before he assured Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Nianzhi, I¡¯ve kept a close eye on her condition. At the moment, there hasn¡¯t been any sign of deterioration.¡±

    ¡°At the moment? It¡¯s only been a week.¡± Huo Shaoheng would not let his guard down even in the wake of Chen Lie¡¯s positive review of her health. ¡°Can you make a guarantee for the future?¡±

    Chen Lie snuck a look at Huo Shaoheng and tried to decipher what had changed in his expression. But, as always, the general had the same aloof expression. It was hard to tell what the man was thinking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to perform thorough body checks on Nianzhi. Last time, I told her that I had created an antidote for the aphrodisiac, and that she hadn¡¯t needed to do¡­that¡­ with a man.¡± Chen Lie quietly said this as he put the test tube containing the viral copy Huo Shaoheng had brought back into refrigeration, ¡°Also, Nianzhi asked me not to tell you about her being afflicted by an aphrodisiac. So, don¡¯t let it slip.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer at first, instead reaching inside his coat for his lighter. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply before he finally grunted in acknowledgement.

    Chen Lie returned to sit down at his desk and turned on theputer. He opened up twoparison images for Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I¡¯ve found that Nianzhi¡¯s condition is much better than the others, so maybe it¡¯s not as bad as we thought.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and stood behind him. He squinted and looked at the monitor, one hand holding a cigarette and another hand crossed behind his back as he listened to Chen Lie exin.

    ¡°On the left is the image of the data from Oda Masao¡¯s findings. Look here: all the vital stats are at least half of those of normal people. The data image on the right is Nianzhi¡¯s results from the past week. See? She¡¯s healthier than ever. Even normal people don¡¯t have such good stats.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes locked on the monitor for a while before he turned away. He sat before Chen Lie on the sofa pushed up against the wall. He had one elbow on the back of the sofa and held the smoldering cigarette in his hand. After thinking for a while, he finally said, ¡°Develop the vine quickly. I¡¯lle back to check on it in three days.¡± He then got up and turned to walk away.

    ¡°Three days?!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s voice rose. ¡°Sir, there is no way to set a definite time for developing a vine! Do you think this is a military mission for your subordinates? This is scientific research! Scientific research, I say!¡± Chen Lie red at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s receding back and almost screamed out in frustration.

    Huo Shaoheng left Chen Lie¡¯s building and returned to his own quarters in time to see Yin Shixiong set down the main phone.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and Yin Shixiong quickly reported. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s Gu Nianzhi. She¡¯s going back to school and asked when you¡¯re toe back.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng waved his arm and threw the cigarette butt. It drew an arc in the air beforending in the garbage. ¡°I have to return to the Military Headquarters. Little Ze1 wille with me. Big Xiong2, you stay here. It¡¯s easier if you¡¯re close by, in case Nianzhi needs you.¡±

    Yin Shixiong gave a quick ¡°Yes, Sir¡± in confirmation and returned to his own desk in the office. He opened theputer to check his schedule and furrowed his brow. ¡°What about Nianzhi¡¯s final interview for post-grad admissions?¡±

    ¡°You can take it from here.¡± Huo Shaoheng said and walked out without looking back.

    ¡­

    Early Monday morning, Gu Nianzhi had her backpack on and a small rolling suitcase. She had just left the Fenya Precinct to hail a cab when she saw ss Rep Mei in a light grey, mid-length Burberry trench coat. He was leaning on a Buick parked on the side of the road by the entrance of the precinct and smiling at her as she walked towards him.

    ¡°ss Rep?¡± Gu Nianzhi was more than a little surprised and looked both ways. ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yep, I was waiting for you and wanted to give you a surprise.¡± Mei Xiawen walked over and smoothly took the suitcase from her. ¡°You¡¯re even bringing a suitcase back to the dorms? You should¡¯ve called me earlier if you had so much to bring.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head to look at Mei Xiawen. Under the morning sun, his face clearly showed how fair and handsome he was. His eyes were bright behind the gold-rimmed sses and his voice was gentle as he said, ¡°Why are you looking at me? What, you don¡¯t recognize me suddenly?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°ss Rep is truly ss Rep. If I have the chance to be in your ss again, I would definitely choose you as my ss Rep.¡±

    ¡°Mei Xiawenughed out loud, ¡°Nianzhi, I didn¡¯te pick you up for the vote.¡±

    He extended his hand and opened the door for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Get in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to sit in the car. She smiled. ¡°Tell me ss Rep, what are your intentions then? I¡¯ll have to see if I can afford it!¡±

    Mei Xiawen grinned as he seated himself behind the wheel and said, ¡°Nianzhi, can¡¯t you tell that I¡¯m pursuing you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blushed. ¡°ss Rep¡­you shouldn¡¯t joke about something like that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I¡¯ve liked you for two years but you never picked up on it. So I decided it was high time that I confessed.¡± Mei Xiawen winked at her before he drove, and then nced at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was not yet 18, making her four to five years younger than the others in their ss. Compared to them, she was certainly ate bloomer. All her ssmates knew she was young, and so most of the male students treated her more like a younger sister and took care of her, but never pursued her as a potential girlfriend.

    This feeling was new and exciting. Her fair and delicate face couldn¡¯t help blushing pink, her cheeks as round and tempting as a ripe peach.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking? You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Mei Xiawen chuckled. ¡°I even confessed with your uncle present yesterday, and you still don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally blinked, her eyes huge and misty, ¡°ss Rep, I really hadn¡¯t realized that you were pursuing me.¡±

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t know? Whenever there was a good opportunity to intern at arge firm, I would always tell you first. I would only tell the others in our ss if you didn¡¯t want it. You don¡¯t like the morning runs, so I helped you get out of it. You woulde backte after studying, so I would always be thest to leave so I could wait for you, and take you back to the dorm entrance before heading back. You like to sleep in and skip breakfast before ss, so I bought milk and honey cakes for you during the breaks: Gu Nianzhi, I¡¯m not telling you these things so you can thank me, but it¡¯s because we are about to graduate. If you still didn¡¯t know I like you and am pursuing you, then I¡¯ve totally failed as a man.¡±

 Chapter 31: Let Me Woo You

    <h4>Chapter 31: Let Me Woo You</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi smiled awkwardly.

    Mei Xiawen was her ss representative; he was always nice to everyone in her ss.

    Thew students at their university were given the opportunity to intern at prominentw firms, starting from their junior year. At the time, she had only just transferred to the university; she therefore had not realized that Mei Xiawen had deliberately let her have the first pick. She had always assumed that it was customary for the student with the best grades to choose first ¨C and that had been her, of course. How was she to know?

    It was also true that Mei Xiawen had walked her back to the dormitories more than a few times, when it was dark out because she had lost track of time while buried in her books. But she had assumed this was only because ss Rep was just as passionate about his studies as she was.

    And Mei Xiawen always knew exactly what to say. Everyone feltfortable around him. He was a real people person, all right.

    He had brought her milk and honey cakes between sses, yes, many times, in fact ¨C but he had made sure everyone else in ss got them, too!

    And now he was saying all that had actually been just for her?

    ss Rep, you¡¯re just way too subtle. If you hadn¡¯t told me, I would never have guessed you were trying to win my affections¡­

    Gu Nianzhi was so moved by this she thought she would cry.

    So he had been nice to her because he liked her, and not because that was just the way he was¡­

    Then again, ss Rep had always been a loyal friend to everyone in ss.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feelings wereplicated. Her first reaction was to ask the person she trusted most ¨C her guardian, Huo Shao ¨C what to do.

    But the thought of Huo Shao immediately brought to mind the incident with her fingerprint. She took a couple of deep breaths, smiled, and said, ¡°¡­ss Rep, um, please delete my fingerprint from your phone. My¡­ my family isn¡¯t happy about it¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Mei Xiawen nced at her; he, too, felt that he had been too hot-headed the day before, and had perhaps scared her with his rashness. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll delete it. But you have to promise me you¡¯ll let me woo you, okay?¡± As he said that, Mei Xiawen unlocked his phone with a swipe, and navigated his way to the fingerprint storage folder ¨C only to find that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingerprint wasn¡¯t even there.

    Had he forgotten to save it?

    Mei Xiawen showed his phone to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Here, have a look. I didn¡¯t even save it, so there¡¯s nothing to delete.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the phone, then put a hand over her chest in relief. She said,ughing, ¡°Thanks, ss Rep.¡±

    ¡°Then you agree?¡± asked Mei Xiawen.

    It was yet another bold confession from him.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a strange feeling bubble from deep inside her. It made her heart race and tumble. She did not know how to respond.

    She lowered her eyes. After a moment, she looked up and stole a peek at Mei Xiawen.

    Mei Xiawen had turned back to the road, but he was looking sideways at her, a smile on his lips.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart gave another leap. She quickly turned her head and looked out the window, at the scenery that was flying past her.

    Her heart was inplete turmoil¡­

    Should she call Huo Shao and ask him?

    He was her guardian, after all ¨C but was this even something she ought to ask him about?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart lurched up and down like a rollercoaster. Mei Xiawen¡¯s confession had sparked her curiosity; she wanted to know what it was like to date someone. But in the very next moment she thought of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s serious, solemn face, and was afraid that he would scold her¡­

    Still, it was only natural for a girl who was almost 18 to want to be in love.

    Nowadays, most fourteen-year-olds had already experienced their first love. Surely, at the age of 17, she wasn¡¯t too young to be in a rtionship?

    To be fair, her life so far had been out of the ordinary. She had followed Huo Shaoheng to a military camp at the age of 12 and simply had had no opportunity to fall in love with the right boy.

    She had onlye to C City for college at the age of 16.

    She had heard her three roommates talk about their love life, and she could not deny that she was envious¡­

    Why not give it a try?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was in a flutter, but she did not dare say it.

    She still had to inform Huo Shaoheng about it. If he did not agree, she would turn Mei Xiawen down.

    ¡°Do you agree?¡± Mei Xiawen nced at Gu Nianzhi; he smiled as he added, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to agree to be my girlfriend, right away. I¡¯m just asking you to let me woo you.¡±

    He was graduating soon; in a few months, everyone would be going their own way, scattered to the four winds. He did not want to miss this opportunity.

    There were plenty of beautiful, talented girls in theirw department, but they were all sly, calcting foxes, capable of seeing through anyone with just a single nce.

    In the end, a lovely, lively, intelligent, yet sweet and innocent youngss like Gu Nianzhi was still the most popr.

    For example, most of the boys in their ss were dating freshmen and sophomores; it was rare for them to date their own ssmates, because of the reasons stated above.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was his ssmate, she was a lot younger, about the same age as a matricting student. She had been his ssmate for two years now, and they knew each other well. There would be fewer uncertainties in their rtionship if they started dating;pared to her, his underssmen were practically strangers to him.

    Mei Xiawen leisurely looked at the road ahead. It seemed to be a metaphor for his life: a straight, open road, leading directly to a brilliant future.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze snapped back from the view outside the window. She lowered her head, flustered, her fingers ying with the fabric of her light gray woolen jumper skirt. She mumbled, ¡°¡­ ss Rep, what do you expect me to say to that?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t think of an answer? In that case I¡¯ll just assume you agree,¡± said Mei Xiawen, smiling. ¡°Now the first thing you have to do is to stop calling me ss Rep, we¡¯re closer than that. Call me Xiawen. That¡¯s what my family calls me.¡±

    Calling him by his first name was a big step in closing the distance between them.

    And it wasn¡¯t too intimate.

    Gu Nianzhi replied in a small voice, ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    There was a hint of trepidation in her soft voice. Although her voice had not been loud, it seemed to echo in Mei Xiawen¡¯s ears, over and over again.

    His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He did not expect a simple ¡°Okay¡± from Gu Nianzhi to send his heart racing.

    Maybe his feelings for her were stronger than he realized?

    The two of them stayed silent for the remainder of the car ride, as though by tacit agreement.

    When they arrived at the university, Mei Xiawen drove up to the entrance to the female dormitory.

    He got out of the car first, and helped her get her suitcase out. He carried her backpack with his other hand and escorted her upstairs.

    Normally, men were prohibited from entering the female dormitory.

    However, Mei Xiawen had been a ss representative for thest 4 years. The Resident Advisor for the female dormitory was therefore well-acquainted with him. When she saw him enter, she merely waved at him and let him in.

    Mei Xiawen politely greeted the Resident Advisor, who was a middle-aged woman. He said, ¡°My ssmate has just returned to school after recovering from an illness.¡±

    The Resident Advisor recognized Gu Nianzhi.

    She was the youngest student in the Faculty of Law, and the top student. Of course she would recognize her.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re all recovered now?¡± The Resident Advisor smiled as she greeted her. ¡°Your ss rep is so responsible. Hees by three times a day to ask if you¡¯re back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, smiling. She produced a packet of snacks and handed it to her. ¡°Thank you. Here¡¯s a small token of my appreciation.¡±

    The Resident Advisor epted her gift with an easy heart. It was just a packet of snacks, after all, not a bribe.

    Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen went upstairs. A soon as they opened the door to her room, her three roommates were there, screaming in their faces.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°Lil Sis, are you all better now?!¡±

    ¡°ss Rep personally picked you up and sent you back here? Ooh, you have to repay him!¡±

 Chapter 32: Finding an Excuse

    <h4>Chapter 32: Finding an Excuse</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommates squealed as they barrelled towards her and hugged her in a group embrace.

    Mei Xiawen stood by the door and amusedly watched them squeeze and tackle each other. He felt deeply impressed by Nianzhi, since each of her three roommates were all excellent sophisticates.

    The oldest was Fang Wenxin, also known as ¡®Green Tea Fang¡¯.1 With a nickname like that, it was obvious she was a goddess to all men, and an enemy to all women.

    The second was Cao Yunshan, also known as ¡®Lady Saint¡¯, or more poprly as ¡®Lady Cao¡¯. It was said that her one of her ancestors had been an actual royal concubine. She projected a natural dignity and power that was certainly inherited from the bloodline of an old and distinguished family.

    As for the third, Wang Junya had been from a young age, stunning and alluring. She was known as the ¡®Little Temptress¡¯, and with one nce, she wielded a seductive charm that toppled men by the dozens.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was a transfer student¡ªand was also an orphan with a modest background¡ªthese three haughty girls treated her exceptionally well and cared for her like a younger sister.

    ¡°You¡¯re all too overly excited. Don¡¯t go about scaring our Gu Nianzhi.¡± Mei Xia wen was holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s backpack and pulled her luggage behind him as he walked in.

    ¡°So, the ss Rep personally picked you up? Nianzhi, what a huge honor!¡± Little Temptress winked at Gu Nianzhi secretly.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the ss Rep pick up anyone in the ss that gets ill and hospitalized?¡±

    ¡°Stop it now Lil Sis! You always talk back to me!¡± Little Temptress pped her shoulder yfully. She pouted at Mei Xianwen. ¡°ss Rep, this is as much as I can help you. Our Lil Sis may be young, but she did notpromise her grades to top the ss the entire year!¡±

    ¡°My feelings are sincere, how could they be faked?¡± Mei Xiawen was not abashed at all.

    Looks like my roommates have already been on it with him, Gu Nianzhi realized.

    Lady Cao was silent as she helped Gu Nianzhi take the backpack and suitcase from Mei Xiawen and ced it by her desk.

    Green Tea Fang put her arms on the desk and had a half smile stuck on her face. ¡°ss Rep, I see how your cheeks are rosy and how your face shines. Something good is to happen. How about it? Treat us to dinner as a celebration of Nianzhi¡¯s recovery and return?¡±

    Mei Xiawen twirled the car key around his finger and said while at the door, ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll treat tonight. But¡­¡± He turned to eye Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, I think you should first go to the Faculty and report back from your leave?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burrowed her head in her backpack to dig out the medical certificate Chen Lie had written for her. ¡°I was about to go.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, I happen to have something to care of at the Faculty of Law Students¡¯ Association Office.¡± Mei Xiawen was also the President of the Faculty of Law Students¡¯ Association. He made way to drape his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and proceeded to walk her out.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly walked forward faster to avoid Mei Xiawen¡¯s iing arm. ¡°ss Rep, I still have to go to several professors to report back from my leave. They must be displeased that I missed a week of sses.¡±

    Mei Xiawen smiled and followed her pace to walk out together.

    The three roommates winked at each other andughed. ¡°Looks like our Lil Sis is growing up!¡±

    ¡­

    Mei Xiawen and Gu Nianzhi left the dorm and he immediately said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to report back for your leave. Your family already did it for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°Then, why did you tell me to go report to the Faculty?¡±

    ¡°I was giving you an excuse. The most important thing you should do right now is find Professor He and ask for another chance to interview.¡± Mei Xiawen took her to his car and opened the door to let her in. ¡°I found out that Professor He lives in the specialist building on campus, I¡¯ll drive you over. Go find him and show him your medical certificate and ask for another chance for an interview.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t expected to face the esteemedw professor, He Zhichi, as soon as she got back. She was suddenly nervous and clutched her medical certificate, stammering, ¡°C-ss Rep¡­ i-i-is Professor He easy to talk to?¡¯

    ¡°You¡¯re calling me ss Rep again, so I won¡¯t tell you even if I knew.¡± Mei Xiawen pretended to be unhappy and tilted his head to pout at her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled to butter him up. ¡°Don¡¯t get impatient, ss Rep. I¡¯ve got to ask my family about this and get their opinion.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, why don¡¯t you call them now?¡± Mei Xiawen turned the steering wheel to reverse the car and put it in park: He didn¡¯t give her a chance to muddle through. He was confident that he could win her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi gripped her phone and considered it. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±

    She first called Huo Shaoheng, it rang for a long time but he didn¡¯t answer.

    She then had no choice but to call Chen Lie. Chen Lie on the other hand, picked up right away.

    Before she could even speak, he was already quick to ask, ¡°Nianzhi? What is it? Are you unwell? Where are you? I¡¯lle pick you up right away!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thought that Chen Lie was much too influenced by his profession; he assumed she was sick just by her calling him.

    She shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not unwell. How are you, Brother Chen?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re feeling well? Well, that¡¯s great! That¡¯s great! Was there something you needed from me?¡± Chen Lie breathed a sigh of relief so great that Gu Nianzhi could hear it even over the phone.

    Her brows slightly furrowed as she lowered her voice and faced the phone towards the car window. She hesitantly asked, ¡°Brother Chen, the thing is, do you¡­ do you know Uncle Huo¡¯s phone number?¡±

    Originally, Gu Nianzhi wanted to ask Chen Lie about what he thought of ss Rep pursuing her. It was on the ip of her tongue, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it and asked for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number instead.

    Chen Lieughingly asked, ¡°What is it? Why are you looking for Boss? What¡¯s the matter? Need my help?¡± Chen Lie looked at the general¡¯s schedule. ¡°Huo Shao went back to the base, he¡¯s going to be hard to track down.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi was slightly disappointed. She had intended to hang up, but saw Mei Xiawen nce over again; she was too embarrassed to look him in his face. She could only take a deep breath and murmur, ¡°Brother Chen, the thing is, m-m-my ssmate wants to pursue me and asked if I ept him. I wanted¡­ I wanted to ask¡­ your guys¡¯ opinion¡­¡±

    ¡°Just let him pursue you if he wants. Why would permission be necessary?¡± Chen Lie guffawed and then asked in a quiet voice, ¡°Is it your ss Rep?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and gave a

    barely audible confirmation.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it seems very important. This is our Nianzhi¡¯s first boyfriend after all; we have to be careful. How about I ask Boss for you? He¡¯s your guardian after all!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. A thought spun around her heart and she waspelled to spill it out. ¡°Brother Chen, is Uncle Huo very busy with worktely?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been ok. He was busier a few days ago, but it¡¯s wound down now. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Then, did he get a girlfriend?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, a little curious.

    Thest time Huo Shaohend picked up the phone, he had made her call him Uncle and forbade her from calling him Huo Shao like she had done before. It was almost as though he were hiding something.

    Thinking back to the day Huo Shaoheng had identally called her ¡°darling,¡± Gu Nianzhi sensed that he probably¡ªand it was about time¡ªgot a girlfriend.

    ¡°Huh? This I¡¯m not sure about.¡± Chen Lie¡¯s round mouth gaped. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just asking. It¡¯s about time Uncle Huo found an Auntie.¡± Seeing that even Chen Lie didn¡¯t know, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anymore. But she was unable to forget Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude.

 Chapter 33: Someone Picks Up, Someone Hangs Up

    <h4>Chapter 33: Someone Picks Up, Someone Hangs Up</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This was almost too much for Chen Lie. The pen in his hand was spinning so wildly it looked like it was about to take off any moment now. He said, ¡°Nianzhi, could you hold for a minute? I have another calling in.¡± As he said that he turned around and used thendline to call Huo Shaoheng on his private military number.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice sounded from the other end.

    Chen Lie¡¯s face was split into a massive grin. ¡°Boss, can you talk right now? It¡¯s about Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Hold on.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the room full of men; they were all high-ranking officers, the lowest of them a Lieutenant Colonel. He said to them, ¡°I have to take this call. Proceed without me.¡±

    The field officers were all sitting solemnly; they were in the middle of an important military conference. Upon hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words they sat in stunned silence.

    How important was this phone call, for him to interrupt a high-level meeting just to take it? Had the Special Operations Forces gotten into trouble outside the country? Or had they caught the most elusive of spies, the secret agent they knew the United States CIA had nted in their Empire?

    Everyone in the room was actively engaged in intelligence gathering; it was part of their job description. They therefore had very active imaginations.

    Huo Shaoheng knew what they were thinking, but he had priorities. Right now, anything to do with Gu Nianzhi was of the utmost importance to him.

    He walked out of the conference room, his face betraying nothing, and found a seat in the small office next door. He opened the blinds, looked out, and said, ¡°Go on.¡±

    Chen Lie was a little surprised. ¡°Were you in the middle of something?¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng had been in the middle of something important, Chen Lie felt that he might have been a little too rash in calling him.

    A joke now and then was perfectly fine¡ªbut there were limits. Chen Lie was feeling uneasy right about now.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Go on, you said something about Nianzhi?¡± said Huo Shaoheng. He called Zhao Liangze on the internal line and told him to bring him his personal, civilian-use phone. When it was brought to him he discovered that he had missed a number of calls from Gu Nianzhi.

    Chen Lie quickly said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing important. Nianzhi called me to say that she couldn¡¯t get ahold of you, so she told me to ask you instead: her ss rep wants to court her, and she wants to know if you¡¯re okay with that.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng realized that Chen Lie had called him over something so silly and trivial, he mmed his personal phone down on the table in anger. ¡°I told you to only call if it¡¯s important. So why are you calling me about this nonsense?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry!¡± Chen Lie voice was high and panicky. ¡°Why don¡¯t you call Nianzhi when you¡¯re free? You know she listens to you, right? All you have to do is frown and she¡¯ll dump the poor guy, no questions asked.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°I still have a meeting to attend, I don¡¯t have time for this. We¡¯ll talkter.¡± He ended the call, rose from his seat, and returned to the conference room to continue the meeting.

    On the other end, Chen Lie switched back to his call with Gu Nianzhi, and found that she had been waiting on the line the whole time. He felt bad for making her wait, so he decided to console her with a white lie. ¡°Nianzhi, Huo Shao is in a meeting, I can¡¯t get ahold of him, either. I asked the operator to leave a message for him, so he¡¯ll call you once the meeting¡¯s over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked out the windshield. Mei Xiawen had already stopped the car.

    They were at the specialist building for C University. He Zhichu lived here.

    She quickly said to Chen Lie, ¡°Uncle Huo is always so busy. It¡¯s all right, don¡¯t bother him. I¡¯ll talk to himter, when he has the time. You take care too, Brother Chen.¡± Having said that, she hung up and turned to look at Mei Xiawen, who had been watching her in silence. She spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness and said, ¡°ss Rep, you heard everything. It isn¡¯t me; my family really is too busy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had made a number of phone calls, waited for what seemed like forever, but still hadn¡¯t been able to speak to her guardian.

    This made Mei Xiawen think of his own parents. They were also busy and important people, but no matter how busy they were, they always made sure to take his call as soon as possible. They would have never left him hanging like that.

    This was probably the difference between blood rtives and adopted families, he supposed.

    Mei Xiawen looked at Gu Nianzhi with sympathy and pity. He hadn¡¯t intended to make things difficult for her. He said in a voice that was even more gentle than usual, ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll wait for you to get your family¡¯s approval.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for understanding, ss Rep.¡± Gu Nianzhi was grateful to see how reasonable and considerate Mei Xiawen was being. She was even more impressed with him now.

    The two of them got out of the car. Mei Xiawen led Gu Nianzhi to the specialist building, briefing her on He Zhichu along the way: ¡°He may be young, but he¡¯s already a partner at thergestw firm in the United States. He got his Ph.D in Law from Yale Law School, and is a tenured professor at Harvard Law School. As you can see, he¡¯s actually earned his right to be arrogant, but at the same time, he¡¯s like a very typical American¡ª he¡¯s only interested in the facts. He doesn¡¯t discriminate or bear grudges. As long as you¡¯re in the right, and can find the words to convince him, he¡¯ll listen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a mental note of everything Mei Xiawen said, nodding from time to time to show that she was listening attentively.

    As Mei Xiawen spoke he led Gu Nianzhi to the elevator in the specialist building. He produced a card and essed the 18th floor with it.

    The elevator steadily rose. Gu Nianzhi looked at Mei Xiawen and said, ¡°ss Rep, why do you have an ess card?¡±

    The elevator in the specialist building could only be used by those with an ess card, and only stopped at the floor of the card owner¡¯s unit. Going to another floor required getting the necessary approval from the relevant department in the university, and then getting one of the service staff in the specialist building to escort you. Security was tight here.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s original n was to call He Zhichu¡¯s ce from the first floor, or perhaps stick around to see if she could catch him when he either came downstairs or entered through the front door.

    Mei Xiawen put his hands in his pockets as he watched the floor number steadily increase on the elevator disy. He smiled and said: ¡°I told you, I want you to be my girlfriend. Naturally, I have to show you I mean it. Getting the ess card for this ce is the least I can do to show my sincerity.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was red, but luckily for her the elevator had reached the 18th floor. The doors opened and she walked out, relieved that she did not have to give a reply.

    Mei Xiawen followed her out, pointed to thest room down the hallway on the left and said, ¡°Professor He Zhichu lives there. You can call him from here.¡±

    There was a payphone on each floor of the specialist building.

    Once again, it was Mei Xiawen who took the initiative: he walked to it and helpfully dialed the number for her.

    Gu Nianzhi epted the receiver nervously. After ringing twice, someone picked up the phone.

    ¡°Who is this?¡± The man who answered the phone had a clear and brisk voice, but there was also a hint of weariness in it, having matured there over a period of years it seemed.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded in her ears as she hastily asked, ¡°Is this Professor He Zhichu? My name is Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    As soon as she said that, the phone went dead silent. Even the sound of shallow breathing had disappeared.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while, astonished by the sudden silence. The call was still connected, so she decided to press on.

    ¡°Is this Professor He Zhichu? My name is Gu Nianzhi. I applied for a spot as your graduate student, but I fell really sick. It was all very sudden, and I missed the interview. I just wanted to ask¡ª¡±

    ck.

    Whoever it was on the other end had actually hung up on her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the phone, bewildered and unsure. She tapped the receiver, said a few ¡°Hello¡¯s¡±, then looked up at Mei Xiawen and said, ¡°Does Professor He live alone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He has a teaching assistant, a woman, but they don¡¯t live together.¡± Mei Xiawen had done everything in his power to help Gu Nianzhi, and that included extensive research on He Zhichu. He knew more about He Zhichu than even Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Well, that means Professor He hung up on me.¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. She was not giving up. ¡°I¡¯m calling him again!¡±

 Chapter 34: Personal Limits and Professional Ethics

    <h4>Chapter 34: Personal Limits and Professional Ethics</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°He hung up on you? He didn¡¯t say anything else?¡± Mei Xiawen tilted his head to look at the room at the end of the corridor, ¡°Was it not a good time? Maybe he had a guest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He didn¡¯t saything and hung up before I could finish.¡±

    Meanwhile, He Zhichu was sitting in the single seater sofa before the French windows in his room. He held an application form and stared at the one 1¡åx1¡å photograph for a few minutes. He then called Wen Shouyi, his teaching assistant who lived next door. ¡°Shouyi,e over for a second.¡±

    Next door, Wen Shouyi closed herptop. She fluffed her hair in the mirror and changed into heels beforeing out. As soon as she exited, she saw a young man and a young woman at the other end of the corridor. They made an attractive pair¡ªthe man was slender and elegant, while the woman was delicate and beautiful. She eyed them before knocking on He Zhichu¡¯s door.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi persisted in continuously calling He Zhichu¡¯s phone. He Zhichu didn¡¯t answer right away, but let it ring relentlessly for a full 15 minutes before pressing on the speaker phone button. Wen Shouyi quietly stood behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mellifluous voice filled the room. ¡°Am I speaking with Professor He Zhichu? I¡¯m sorry to bother you, I¡¯m¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you knew you were bothering me and still continued to call, that means it was deliberate, which is even worse.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was steely, shocking Gu Nianzhi to the point she almost forgot what she wanted to say.

    She was quick to recover and hurriedly said, ¡°But you didn¡¯t answer all this time and never told me if you are Professor He Zhichu. How was I being deliberate? I didn¡¯t know, so I only attempted to validate.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s my fault?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s wide brow raised as if he were offended, but his expression disyed no annoyance. Rather, he smiled briefly, and then with a sh in his almond eyes, the smile faded.

    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t say it¡¯s your fault.¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly sighed. It was a tentatively earned victory as long as he didn¡¯t hang up.

    She shed a thumbs up at Mei Xiawen. Her face was beaming as she continued glibly. ¡°I can only say it was amunication issue, thus we need more modes ofmunication. Professor He Zhichu, can you please give me another chance? Thest two times I missed the interview, I really¡ª¡±

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi mention missing the interview twice, He Zhichu¡¯s face became stony once more. He despised tardiness, and not only had Gu Nianzhi been absent, but she done it twice. This crossed the line.

    He Zhichu sat on the sofa with one hand supporting his head and the other draped on the armrest. He impatiently said, ¡°Late iste, missed is missed. No matter the reason, the fact remains that it is your problem. You don¡¯t have to tell me and I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s icy refusal angered Gu Nianzhi. Her fingers mped on the phone cord and her voice was sharper than usual. ¡± Professor He Zhichu, is that you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°If you are Professor He Zhichu, I¡¯d like to ask why it is that you won¡¯t listen to my exnation?¡±

    ¡°Because this is my personal limit. Your actions have crossed my personal limit.¡± He Zhichu did not mince his words; his eyes were hard and his tone unrelenting.

    Standing behind him, Wen Shouyi smirked. She knew Professor He Zhichu¡¯s temper best¡ªhe never went back on his words. Even in the face of many requests by rich and powerful at the Harvard School of Law, he had never once catered to anyone. This Gu Nianzhi was too insolent. Wen Shouyi shook her head with only a small feeling of pity.

    Who could know though, that the Gu Nianzhi on the other end of the line would be even more audacious than what Wen Shouyi had thought, as she began to directly challenge He Zhichu¡¯s limits. ¡°Professor He, I respect your limits but I want to ask you: do your personal limits have any conflict with the professional ethics you are required to abide by?¡±

    Oh? What a smart little mouth, He Zhichu thought. He couldn¡¯t help perking up, his interest piqued. ¡°My personal limits certainly have no conflict with my professional ethics.¡±

    ¡°If you say there is no conflict, I would like to ask you that as a B Universityw professor, shouldn¡¯t you abide by the rules and regtions of B University?¡±

    He Zhichu was an eloquentwyer in court, so how could a fresh newbie like Gu Nianzhi quip back at him so effortlessly? However, this didn¡¯tpel He Zhichu to stop Gu Nianzhi from continuing, and so listened quietly.

    Gu Nianzhi went on. ¡°I applied as a B University Faculty of Law post-grad student as per regtions. Although I waste twice, the B University Faculty of Law guidelines for examinees state that ¡®if the examinee iste due to force majeure,1 it is not considered the examinee¡¯s fault. The school shall give the examinee another opportunity for the final interview.''¡±

    ¡°I had suddenly be seriously ill, and that is force majeure. I¡¯m only human; it is not possible for me to remain immune to every manner of illness or infection, right? I have a medical certificate from an authoritative physician from the finest hospital in the Empire. No matter where this case is presented, I am not unjustifiable.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished eloquently and awaited He Zhichu¡¯s answer.

    A wrinkle of a smile emerged on the corner of He Zhichu¡¯s lips, but his tone remained dry. ¡°So what? You crossed the boundary of what I can ept, so I don¡¯t want to give you another chance.¡±

    ¡°That was the point of my previous question. Professor He, may I ask again whether your personal limits are in conflict with you professional ethics? As a B Universityw professor, your professional ethic is to abide to the rules and regtions of B University and the B University Faculty of Law. In the B University: Faculty of Law Rules and Regtions, nowhere does it state that being absent twice due to extenuating circumstances will result in the disqualification for an interview. It serves to show that you are using your personal preferences, instead of the university¡¯s rules and regtions, as your measure of principles. As an esteemed figure in the profession ofw, your disregard of thew and using your personal ideals to interfere in your duties means that you arecking in your professional ethics.¡± Gu Nianzhi was certain He Zhichu was abusing his powers, and even doubted his professional ethics.

    This girl has done it now! Wen Shouyi covered her mouth in shock and couldn¡¯t utter a single sentence.

    He Zhichu nodded his head and maintained his rxed posture, his head supported by his arms. He opened his eyes and addressed her. ¡± Gu Nianzhi, you persistently found opportunity despite my numerous rejections. This spirit of perseverance is rare andmendable for aw student. You didn¡¯t submit in the face of rebuttals from authority, but were brave enough to question authority and respected the spirit of thew. Your determination to neverpromise is rare forw students. Well, Gu Nianzhi, you did not disappoint me as the top student in your ss. I¡¯ll give you another chance.¡±

    What a reversal of fortune! What good luck! Gu Nianzhi was so ecstatic she could hardly resist jumping up and down.

    She didn¡¯t care that she was still holding the phone as she did this, and grinned at Mei Xiawen. ¡°ss Rep! ss Rep! Did you hear that? I got the chance for another interview!¡±

 Chapter 35: Lovebirds

    <h4>Chapter 35: Lovebirds</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? If it¡¯s yours, it¡¯s yours. No one can take it from you. You are the best student in our department after all!¡± said Mei Xiawen. He felt so proud of Gu Nianzhi; he could not help patting her on the head affectionately.

    Gu Nianzhi was ovee with joy. She did not mind Mei Xiawen patting her on the head. She could not stop smiling. Her eyes were brimming with happy tears and she bit her rosy bottom lip in excitement.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice sounded through the receiver, crisp and clear. ¡°Tomorrow morning, eight o¡¯ clock. This is yourst chance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hastily nodded at the receiver, and then said, ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve got this! I will not bete this time!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu then decided upon the venue for the interview. Once that was settled, Gu Nianzhi happily set the receiver down and left the specialist building with Mei Xiawen.

    They returned to her dormitory building, but Mei Xiawen did not follow her inside this time. He undid her seat belt, but then grasped her hand. ¡°Chin up, and put your best foot forward. I¡¯ll pick you up for the interview tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, ss Rep. The interview will be in thew department¡¯s conference room. I know how to get there.¡± Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the car and waved. ¡°See you around, ss Rep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ran up to her dorm room, her loud steps echoing in the hallway. She pushed open the door, and shouted, ¡°Green Tea Fang, Lady Cao, Little Temptress! I¡¯m back!¡±

    ¡°What are you so excited about? Forgot to take your crazy pills?¡± Green Tea Fang smiled as she handed her a ss of water. ¡°Here, have some warm water. The crazy pills go down easier if you dissolve them first.¡±

    ¡°Green Tea Fang, my, you¡¯re looking more and more lovely today! Come, give your Lil Sis a kiss!¡± Gu Nianzhi bent her face towards her.

    Green Tea Fang kissed her face with exaggerated kiss sounds, then patted her cheek and said, ¡°All right, now go tie up whatever loose ends you have while the sun¡¯s out. ss Rep will be treating us to dinner tonight. Lil Sis, don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re the VIP today.¡±

    They were always kidding around like this in the dormitory. The other two roommates werepletely used to it by now. One was sitting on the upper bunk bed, takingrge bites out of an apple, her long, slender legs leisurely swinging back and forth in the air; the other was out on the balcony with her headphones on, working on her English.

    The one on the balcony was Lady Cao.

    She smiled and waved at her roommates. ¡°Lil Sis,e here, quick. Your boyfriend still hasn¡¯t gone. Tsk tsk, someone should tell our lovestruck ss Rep to stop being such a show-off. Such a tall, strapping body! Such a lovely, handsome face! Oooh, I feel the need to fan myself very time I look at him! Like they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!¡±

    ¡°Lady Cao, stop. Your ignorance is showing. That idiom isn¡¯t used the way you think that it means,¡± said Little Temptress as she walked out to the balcony, arm-in-arm with Gu Nianzhi. Green Tea Fang followed behind them, eager to join in on the fun.

    Downstairs, in full view of the balcony, Mei Xiawen leaned against his deceptively in Buick. He would asionally look at his watch.

    ¡°Lil Sis, you should seriously consider dating the ss Rep. Look at him! He has the body of a male model, a gorgeous face, and an IQ worthy of the best universities around. He¡¯s also the heir to a massive family fortune, and¡ªthis is obviously the most important part¡ªhe treats you like a princess. Where else are you going to find another man like him?¡± Little Temptress had just finished singing Mei Xiawen¡¯s praises when a girl in a white woolen dress appeared downstairs. She walked over to Mei Xiawen, and presented him with a scarf that was very obviously not store-bought.

    ¡°Ugh! She¡¯s doing it on purpose! That¡¯s Song Ruyu! She¡¯s that two-faced b*tch from ss Two, isn¡¯t she? She has no shame!¡±

    Of the four onlookers on the balcony, three hadpletely blown their tops at this new development.

    Little Temptress picked up an empty Coke can from the balcony and tossed it down to the ground, shouting, ¡± Song Ruyu! Release the ss Rep this instant!¡±

    Mei Xiawen and Song Ruyu looked up and saw the four girls crowded on the fifth floor balcony.

    Song Ruyu felt humiliated in front of her crush. She was so angry that she was unable to stop grinding her teeth. She did not retaliate, however. Instead, she inched closer to Mei Xiawen and arranged her face into a gracefully hurt expression. She shyly murmured, ¡°Xiawen, I like you. That¡¯s all, really. I don¡¯t have any ulterior motives. We¡¯ll be graduating soon. If I don¡¯t tell you how I feel now, I¡¯ll regret it for the rest of my life.¡±

    Mei Xiawen did not say anything. He merely smiled quietly, his hands still firmly in his pockets. He made no move to take the scarf from her.

    It didn¡¯t take long for two of the four girls to spring into action at this development.

    Green Tea Fang had always been the de facto leader of their little group. Little Temptress was assertive and had a sharp tongue; she was not the type to take things lying down. The two of them ran downstairs. They pointed usingly at Song Ruyu once they reached them. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re trying to pull here?¡± Little Temptress asked.

    Song Ruyu held her head high and refused to back down. ¡°What, am I not allowed to confess my love to ss Rep? What¡¯s it to you? He¡¯s not your boyfriend!¡±

    ¡°Song Ruyu!¡± Green Tea Fang red at her, ¡°he¡¯s not even your ss Rep! You¡¯re from ss Two, so you don¡¯t get to call him ss Rep. I bet your actual ss Rep would cry at this embarrassing act, ashamed by your ignorance!¡± Little Temptress pulled Song Ruyu towards her. ¡°Don¡¯t stand so close to him; he doesn¡¯t even know you!¡±

    Song Ruyu stole a nce at Mei Xiawen; he was still calm andposed, unperturbed by themotion. She swooned. She could feel herself falling even deeper in love with him. She turned and scowled at Little Temptress and said angrily, ¡°You little transvestite! Mei Xiawen isn¡¯t even your boyfriend! What are you all up in arms about? Ooh, I know! I bet you¡¯re also secretly crushing on your ss Rep!¡±

    Wang Junya¡¯s nickname was ¡°Little Temptress¡±, but Song Ruyu had deliberately twisted it into ¡°Little Transvestite¡± as an insult.

    Little Temptress was furious, but before she could say a word Green Tea Fang had stepped in front of her. She sneered at Song Ruyu. ¡°Everyone in our department knows that ss Rep Mei already has someone he likes. Are you really this stupid, or are you just pretending?¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking! Yes, I know ss Rep Mei is crushing on Gu Nianzhi, that little orphan girl roomie of yours! But she hasn¡¯t said anything, so why are you all so eager to suck up to her?¡±

    ¡°Oooh, you¡¯re a two-faced b*tch, all right! You¡¯d do anything to steal a man!¡± Green Tea Fang had struck a nerve with herment. Song Ruyu was now hopping mad as she shrieked, ¡°Well, what about you?! Green Tea b*tch! Fake Green Tea!¡±

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m a Green Tea b*tch? I don¡¯t sabotage my friends. What about you? You¡¯re always seducing guys who are already taken: that¡¯s why everyone knows you¡¯re the Two-faced B*tch!¡± Green Tea Fang coolly retaliated. She was still standing tall and dignified, not a strand of hair out of ce despite the yelling and arguing.

    She may be praised for her ¡®green tea¡¯ disposition, but she wasn¡¯t going to let anyone walk all over her.

    They had not bothered to lower their voices; Gu Nianzhi and Lady Cao, who were still standing on the balcony, were able to hear every retort, loud and clear.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her face and said, despairingly, ¡°Please, stop, this is so embarrassing!¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? We¡¯ll be graduating soon. We¡¯ll probably never see most of the people around here again. This is our chance to tear off our masks and say whatever we like. I¡¯m done pretending to be a properdy. I¡¯ve had to keep it up for four years!¡± said Lady Cao as she watched them from the balcony, relishing every minute of the quarrel below. She held Gu Nianzhi firmly in her grasp, preventing her from ducking back into the room to hide.

    Song Ruyu was sorely humiliated by what Green Tea Fang had said, but she was unable to refute her. She did not get along with her dorm mates; she had slept with the ex-boyfriends of all three of her roommates. It came as no surprise then that no one hade forward to back her up now. She was all alone, and she was out-numbered. She was in a ring, up against two fiery women from ss One¡ªshe didn¡¯t stand a chance.

    She became increasingly desperate as she saw the crowd of onlookers, attracted by themotion, continue to grow in size. Finally, she grit her teeth and said loudly to Mei Xiawen, ¡°Xiawen! Tell me, right here, right now: do you have a girlfriend?! If you actually have one, I¡¯ll leave you alone. I¡¯ll be gone from your sight this very instant! I am not a boyfriend stealer! I¡¯m not going to stand for these baseless usations!¡±

    Mei Xiawen slowly lifted his head at this. He looked straight at Gu Nianzhi, who was still watching. He said, in a clear voice that soared up to her, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, will you be my girlfriend?¡± As he said that, he brought out arge bouquet of red roses from his car and slowly knelt in the direction of the balcony, lifting the roses towards her.

    ¡°They¡¯re soooo getting together!¡±

    ¡°Watch out, there¡¯s a new couple in town!¡±

    ¡°Look at the lovebirds!¡±

    The onlookers, mostly graduating seniors hungry for any kind of excitement, had gonepletely wild. They pped and cheered, making a tremendous show of the public confession.

 Chapter 36: An Uninvited Guest (1)

    <h4>Chapter 36: An Uninvited Guest (1)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stood on the balcony outside her room, unsure as to whether tough or cry.

    Mei Xiawen had actually stored a giant bouquet of roses in the trunk. She realized that this must have been nned beforehand, but she wasn¡¯t repulsed; rather, she was merely thrown off by this approach. She helplessly stood on the balcony and suddenly wanted to gnaw at her nails in her increasingly nervous state. Lady Cao was standing with her and saw that things weren¡¯t exactly going as hoped for on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s end. She immediately pushed her back into the room and waved at the rowdy group below, shouting, ¡°ss Rep, you want to win over our Nianzhi was just a bouquet of roses?! That¡¯s hardly enough!¡±

    Mei Xiawen stood up and raised the bouquet in a wave like a gold medal Olympic athlete. ¡°This is just the beginning! I¡¯m not through yet!¡±

    Song Ruyu finally understood what it felt like to be snubbed. Mei Xiawen had confessed his love to Gu Nianzhi in front of all these people, and despite the fact that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t answered him right away, Mei Xiawen was now seen as ¡®off the market¡¯ by the students at C University.

    Little Temptress couldn¡¯t stop grinning. She pressed one hand to her ear, and pretended to hold a microphone in the other and hold it up to Song Ruyu. . ¡°Cunning b*tch, was that the first time you stubbed your toe on a metal te? What does it feel like to deliver yourself to the door and be rejected? Tell the audience more!¡±

    ¡°Piss off! Stupid transvestite!¡± Song Ruyu shoved Little Temptress and ran back to the dorm sobbing.

    Mei Xiawen handed the roses to Green Tea Fang. ¡°Give these to Nianzhi for me.¡±

    ¡°For sure. By the way ss Rep, don¡¯t forget about dinner tonight!¡± Green Tea embraced the roses and smoothed her hair.

    Mei Xiawen thought of the interview Gu Nianzhi¡¯s had to attend early the next morning. He was concerned that partying toote that night would affect her performance. He opened the car door and then turned to apologize to Green Tea Fang and Little Temptress.¡±Oh, I¡¯m really sorry, but I really can¡¯t go tonight, I have something going on at home. They called me just now to ask me toe home early. I¡¯ve already told Nianzhi. However, tomorrow¡­tomorrow is my treat for sure. He took out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll book tomorrow¡¯s reservation right now.¡±

    Green Tea Fang and Little Temptress exchanged a look and turned to Mei Xiawen, their voices making clear their displeasure. ¡°ss Rep, we only promised to help you pursue Gu Nianzhi because you seemed sincere. Don¡¯t deceive her.¡± He had just promised to buy dinner this morning, but then changed his mind in the afternoon. Where was his sincerity? The delicate friendship he had built with Gu Nianzhi was already facing the danger of copsing in the face of the new romantic progress.

    Mei Xiawen quickly exined. ¡°I really had somethinge up. Nianzhi knows about it too. Ask her if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Mei Xiawen needed to send Gu Nianzhi a text immediately tomunicate this n and set up the ruse.

    ¡°Really?¡± Green Tea Fang looked at Little Temptress conspiratorially and asked her with a small roll of her eyes, do you believe him?

    Little Temptress shrugged her shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll ask Nianzhi when we go back.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was about to make the reservation on his phone when suddenly he had a new thought. ¡°Does Nianzhi like local or other cuisines?¡±

    Green Tea Fang pushed the roses into Little Temptress¡¯ arms and had her go back first. She then said, ¡°Nianzhi tends to visit the local restaurants more often.¡± Her words implied that Nianzhi¡¯s background didn¡¯t allow her to go to very high ss restaurants.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s hand paused and a tenderness swelled from deep inside his heart. He wanted to cherish that girl well, because she was worthy of his devotion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Red Manor Restaurant in the city.¡± Mei Xiawen found the phone number and called. Red Manor Restaurant was a long established foreign cuisine restaurant in C City. It was devoted to taste and experience, and the food was said to be very authentic. Of course, the prices were also outrageously expensive.

    Green Tea Fang gave silent approval when she saw that Mei Xiawen had reserved for six pm at the Red Manor Restaurant. He would likely be spending at least ten thousand yuan on the meal. ¡°ss Rep, let¡¯s get something straight. This is thest time we¡¯re helping you out. You¡¯re on your own after this. Nianzhi is still young, but don¡¯t y around with her feelings. You don¡¯t want to mess with us.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is lucky to have roommates like you three. Of course I¡¯m dating her with the intent to marry,¡± Mei Xiawen stated seriously.

    It was only because the three of them had gotten to know Mei Xiawen well these past four years and realized his true and good character, that they had agreed to pull the strings for him this one time.

    Green Tea Fang turned to go back upstairs and Mei Xiawen quickly texted Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Rest well tonight, I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow morning. I told your roommates I had something going on at home and pushed the dinner to tomorrow. Don¡¯t let that slip. Also don¡¯t tell anyone about your interview tomorrow. It can wait until you have the letter of eptance.¡±

    Anything can change before she reaches that step, Mei Xiawen thought.

    If it were before, Gu Nianzhi would have thought Mei Xiawen was making a fuss over nothing and being too paranoid. But after the incident with Feng Yixi, Gu Nianzhi felt it was better to be more careful. Although she thought her three roommates were unlike Feng Yixi, her final chance was tomorrow and she truly didn¡¯t want any more trouble. She would treat them for dinner after her interview as an apology. So when Little Temptress returned to the dorm and asked her about the ns for that night, she quietly said, ¡°ss Rep already told me that he had something going on at home.¡±

    ¡°He really has something going on?¡± Little Temptress pouted her lips and pulled Gu Nianzhi down to sit beside her as she advised her earnestly. ¡°Nianzhi, since it looks like you quite like Mei Xiawen, I have to warn you as an elder sister. Men are scum. Don¡¯t be too nice to them; you have to leave them hanging. Don¡¯t give your heart away when they¡¯re just a little nice to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a touch of anxiety at these words. She brushed her fingers over Little Temptress¡¯ forehead, ¡°My dear sister, Little Temptress, did you experience something painful? How could you say something like that? That ¡®men are scum?''¡±

    ¡°Tch! I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯ll be the one to suffer if you don¡¯t take the advice of your elders! I have lots of experience with men and have transcended to the level of ¡®Temptress¡¯. I can understand what a man is really up to with just a nce!¡± Little Temptress poked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi and Little Temptress giggled over this for a bit, releasing the tension from the air. She then changed the topic and shared some snacks with her and the other girls as they chatted away into the night. When midnight struck, Gu Nianzhi changed andid in bed to rest. She had to wake up early tomorrow and rush to campus. Not sleeping well the night before made her in particr need of a good night¡¯s rest.

    Her friends saw that she had fallen asleep and did not disturb her. They cleaned up and went about their own ways. Gu Nianzhi slept alone in the dorm untilte night, when the Resident Advisor¡¯s boorish voice crackled out of the dorm inte and woke her.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi in room 518, someone¡¯s looking for you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly got up and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail before going downstairs. A small and exquisite vintage Beetle was parked in front of the building. An elegantdy in a grey dress suit stood beside the car. Her skin was baster and her face was gentle and round, like the moon¡¯s. She had delicate brows and lips, and a full figure. She smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You are Gu Nianzhi? I¡¯m Wen Shouyi, Professor He Zhichu¡¯s assistant.¡±

 Chapter 37: An Uninvited Guest (2)

    <h4>Chapter 37: An Uninvited Guest (2)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Professor He Zhichu¡¯s assistant?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    She had only just secured an interview with Professor He Zhichu to take ce the next morning. Had something gone wrong, so soon?

    ¡°Do you have time? Let¡¯s go get a drink,¡± said Wen Shouyi in a gentle voice. She did not answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Her eyes were warm, and she looked at Gu Nianzhi with genuine interest. She turned and opened the car door as an invitation for Gu Nianzhi to get in.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes as she looked at Wen Shouyi. She remembered seeing this woman in the morning.

    When Gu Nianzhi had called He Zhichu, this woman hade out from the room beside He Zhichu¡¯s. She had watched as she knocked on his door and entered.

    Mei Xiawen had told her that He Zhichu had a teaching assistant.

    Was he referring to this woman?

    What exactly did she want from her?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s top priority right now was the interview at eight o¡¯clock the next morning. Thest thing she wanted was to have her mood affected so close to the interview.

    Gu Nianzhi politely refused her invitation by saying, ¡°Assistant Wen, if you have something to say, please say it now. I have an interview tomorrow, and I would like to go over my notes again this evening before I turn in for the night.¡±

    In actuality, a top student like Gu Nianzhi was already fully prepared for any interview. Only a lesser student would have to go over their notes again when the interview was taking ce early the next morning.

    Wen Shouyi looked at her in surprise, then smiled and said, ¡°But what I¡¯m about to tell you has to do with your interview tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Really? So Professor He sent you?¡± Gu Nianzhi got out her phone and looked up the number for He Zhichu. ¡°I¡¯ll check with him, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Wen Shouyi hastily stopped her, a wry smile on her face. ¡°My dear girl, why are you so suspicious of me? I¡¯m here to give you advice. Did you think I¡¯m here to harm you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger slid surreptitiously over her phone. She smiled a gentle, angelic smile. ¡°Oh no, please don¡¯t say that, Assistant Wen. We barely know one another. Why would you want to harm me, when I¡¯m practically a stranger to you? That¡¯s such a crazy thought, and I would never think that.¡±

    ¡°Yet, you refuse to have a drink with me, and was quick to check with Professor He. You don¡¯t trust me, anyone can see that.¡± Wen Shouyi sighed and shook her head as she looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It¡¯s no use. No matter how hard you try, it¡¯ll all be for nothing, in the end.¡±

    Thest thing Gu Nianzhi needed right now was for someone to extinguish her tiny flicker of hope.

    Her face clouded over. ¡°I¡¯m not one to give up. If Ie up against a wall, I¡¯ll keep beating away at it, until one of us gives. So even if it all amounts to nothing, I don¡¯t want to hear it from you. Not now. Feel free to gloat only after I¡¯ve shattered my bones against the wall.¡±

    ¡°But I had a good feeling about you from the very moment I set my eyes on you. I like your character and your spirit, and I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice was full of sympathy. ¡°Nianzhi¡ªmay I call you Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°If you wish.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, you are talented. Exceptionally so. I just know you¡¯ll be the best femalewyer the world has ever seen, one day. Your future is bright. You will aplish many great things.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I think so too,¡± said Gu Nianzhi withplete confidence. Deep down, however, she was trying to figure out what Wen Shouyi¡¯s game was.

    ¡°My, aren¡¯t you modest?¡± Wen Shouyi raised a brow. ¡°But, you don¡¯t understand. You¡¯ve offended Professor He. I¡¯ve been by his side for many years, and I¡¯ve never seen anyone go up against him like this. You¡¯re the first. I came here only to remind you: when someone has a bad impression of you, it doesn¡¯t matter how hard you try, you¡¯ll never be able to change their mind. He may offer you the opportunity to study under him, but there will be no future for you, none whatsoever. There are other roads, so why continue to insist on taking one that is already off to a bad start? You¡¯re just driving yourself off a cliff at this point.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned at this. She did not appreciate Wen Shouyi¡¯s metaphor. She held her phone tightly in her hand and crossed her arms. Her stance was assured and stubborn. ¡°Assistant Wen, are you saying that Professor He is a hypocrite? Or that he is a liar?¡±

    ¡°What on earth makes you say that?¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s looked as though she had just been pped in the face. ¡°Professor He is a noble, upstanding gentleman. Why do you ask whether he¡¯s a hypocrite?¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s noble and upstanding, and not some kind of petty back-stabber, then I don¡¯t understand why you came to me to tell what you have,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you not to get hung up on being Professor He¡¯s student. You¡¯ve stepped on his toes! Angered him. There simply isn¡¯t a future for you if you choose to study under him. Don¡¯t believe me? Go ahead, ask your seniors in grad school; see how many of them crossed their mentors and actually got away with it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a smallugh as she began tapping her foot impatiently. ¡°You¡¯ve been going round and round in circles, but basically what you¡¯ve been trying to hint at is that Professor He is a petty, mean-spirited narcissist who absolutely won¡¯t let go of a grudge. I honestly don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done to deserve such kind attention from you. Why would you go so far as to vilify and nder your own employer, all for the sake of my future?¡±

    ¡°You just don¡¯t believe me, do you?¡± Wen Shouyi stared at her. Her hand was reaching for her phone. The look on her face was one of heart-wrenching distress.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t given me a reason to trust you,¡± said Gu Nianzhi without hesitation. ¡°You have known Professor He far longer than you have known me, and you¡¯re probably closer to him than anyone else, yet you seem not to care about his public image. Instead, you imply that he is dishonorable, and probably a degenerate. You barely know me, but you act all distressed and concerned about my future. Assistant Wen, please forgive myck of civility but I truly cannot fathom why you are behaving this way.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I have nothing more to say. I just didn¡¯t want to see someone with as much potential as you destroy their own future.¡± Wen Shouyi returned to her car. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get a drink with me, fine. I¡¯ve said everything there is to say.¡± With that, she started her car and sped off.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the back of the Beetle and snorted. ¡°What a nutcase!¡± She stood outside for a bit longer before back to her room upstairs.

    Her three roommates were out, and Nianzhi knew that they would only returnte at night, minutes before the dorm lights were to be turned off.

    Green Tea Fang had been admitted to grad school at the school of Political Science and Law, located in the Imperial capital; she had busied herself withworking with the upperssmen over there. Lady Cao had joined the city¡¯s biggestw firm, and was preparing for the bar exam. Little Temptress was also going to the Imperial capital; she would be working in the legal department of her family business.

    Graduation day wasing up. Everyone was busy paving the way for whaty beyond graduation.

    The four roommates had only time to exchange a few words of friendly ribbing before splitting up to shower and preparing for bed.

    Gu Nianzhi was lying on her bed, fiddling with her phone. She hade up with a number of reasons for Wen Shouyi¡¯s sudden visit earlier that night, but none of them seemed to make sense.

    Luckily, she had been prepared: she had secretly recorded their conversation and saved it to her phone.

    Just to be on the safe side, she had also uploaded a copy of the recording to theputer in her Fengya Precinct apartment.

    Elsewhere, the object of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s scrutiny, Wen Shouyi, was sitting in her room. She, too, was on her phone and transferring her recording of the conversation with Gu Nianzhi to herputer. Gu Nianzhi had not been the only one who had thought to record their conversation today.

    The recording began to y over the speakers of Wen Shouyi¡¯sptop.

    Wen Shouyi sat on the sofa and listened attentively to the conversation. She shook her head, closrd her eyes, and let out a small sigh.

    Everything depended on the next morning.

 Chapter 38: The Interview (1)

    <h4>Chapter 38: The Interview (1)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Despite warning herself to not take the teaching assistant Wen Shouyi¡¯s words to heart, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was inevitably affected. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. She was also afraid of missing the interview again and checked the rm on her phone several times, paranoid about forgetting to set it. If she werete again, there would truly be no more chances for her. Afterwards, Gu Nianzhi forced herself to count sheep and fell asleep after a few hundred were counted.

    She was suddenly dreaming. It was the same azure sky and fluffy white clouds from previous one. The sun was shining and a gentle breeze moved in the air. Suddenly, an airne emzoned with the series ¡®MH210¡¯ in crimson fell from the sky.

    The next moment, she was once again inside the burning car. She turned around to look behind her. The rear window had been shattered with something, leaving a gaping hole and shards of tinted ss everywhere.Through therge hole, she saw a great ze burning and mixing with dense smoke; the background a blur. She faintly saw a man scream for her and attempt to get closer, but he was then held back by by several people. Her eyes widened as she tried to make sense of what was happening, but a sudden cloud of thick smoke engulfed her and made her eyes water. She blinked quickly to look again, but the fire at the rear window had grown. The mes licked closer, the thick smoke almost suffocating her andpletely blocking the view of what was happening behind the car.

    She turned her head again and soon saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stony face as he ripped open the door and rushed in to save her. The painful heat of the mes on her skin suddenly awoke her and she sat right up. Turning on her phone, she saw that it was only three in the morning. It was pitch ck in the dorm and calmed herself to the quiet breathing of her roommates. She was in the bottom bunk by the window. A sliver of yellow light peeked through the the curtains, illuminated by streemp next to the dormitory. The night felt cool.

    She thought about the dream and rubbed her temples.

    I saw a little more this time.

    This time, there had been another man who seemed close to her. Unfortunately, it had been too blurry and she hadn¡¯t managed to get a clear glimpse of his face. Could the figure have been her father? He¡¯d seemed as though were about go insane when he screamed and tried to rush over to her.

    Ah, when will I remember what happened before the car ident?

    Father, mother, where are you? I really miss you. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help from crying a few tears. The overwhelming emotion from the dream left her heart aching with a deep sadness and regret.

    Thinking of her parents gradually calmed her anxiety. No matter where they were, they must love her a lot. Her lips were still smiling when she slowlyy down to sleep again. When she woke up the next time, it was due to the phone rm beside her pillow. As soon as it rang, she reflexively switched it off and got up in a hurry. It was seven in the morning and the other three in the room were still fast asleep. No one heard her rm.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her dress suit and rinsed up in the bathroom. She brushed her hair and finished her skincare routine before grabbing her backpack and going downstairs.

    Mei Xiawen was already waiting in his car and had parked across the street from the dorm. He hurriedly opened the door to get out when he saw Gu Nianzhie out. ¡°Nianzhi, did you have breakfast yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll have time to eat after the interview.¡± The interview was at eight and would take no more than an hour, so she would eat then.

    Mei Xiawen seemed to have predicted that she would do this, since he handed a paper container to her once she sat in the car. ¡°Drink and eat this. It¡¯s fresh soy milk and xiaolongbao.1 Fill up first.¡±

    It was hard to reject such thoughtfulness. Gu Nianzhi blushed as she took the container from him and softly said, ¡°thank you,¡± before eating in small bites. She had just finished the food by the time they got to the Faculty of Law building. Mei Xiawen passed her a bottle of spring water and a pack of gum. Gu Nianzhi opened the bottle and rinsed her mouth, then chewed on a few pieces of gum to freshen her breath. It was only 7:45 AM when she got out of the car and entered the building. At 7:50 AM, she punctually waited in front of the conference room. Five minutester, a young man wearing a fine wool three-piece navy suit and a pale blue checkered tie walked over unhurriedly from the other end of the corridor. He was well built, with broad shoulders and a tapered waist, making him look overall very sophisticated. One hand was in his trouser pocket and the other held a file, as he walked elegantly to Gu Nianzhi. His voice was formal. ¡°You are Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    He Zhichu was fair skinned with sleek, ck hair falling across his forehead, shading the lovely almond-shaped eyes that looked at her closely. When he blinked, his long and straightshes fluttered. His tall nose and thin lips made him appear somewhat aloof, a stark contrast to his gentle eyes. He radiated a mysteriousbination of allure and professionalism.

    Gu Nianzhi promptly stood up. ¡°Professor He Zhichu?¡± She had seen his photo on the Harvard Law School website and was able to recognize him in person immediately.

    ¡°Yes,e in.¡± He Zhichu nodded his head slightly, then opened the door of the conference room and entered first. His voice was now much more pleasant than it had been over the phone yesterday; maybe because they were meeting in person. Gu Nianzhi followed after him and closed the door.

    ¡°Sit and make yourselffortable. This interview will be like just having a chat.¡± He Zhichu sat where the oval table was closest to the window. He extended his hands to the seat across from him and gestured for Gu Nianzhi to join him.

    Gu Nianzhi had selected a wool dress suit in smoke grey and had even wore heels for this interview. It made her appear slim and graceful, and, most importantly, more mature. She was still young and didn¡¯t want to be looked down on.

    He Zhichu flipped open the file with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s information. It included her application, transcripts, r¨¦sum¨¦ and a cover letter. These had all been required for the application.

    ¡°First tell me, why did you apply as my post-grad student?¡± He Zhichu lifted his gaze and asked.

    This questions was a simple way to start off: it was basically a standard interview question and Gu Nianzhi had prepared for it long before.

    She began by expressing her admiration for He Zhichu anduded his impressive sesses, but then sharply changed the topic. ¡°Professor He Zhichu, you are young and aplished, but you had only mentored doctorate students and not those applying for their Masters. I had thought it was a shame until I took my graduate entrance exams and filled in the program request, and saw that you were actually recruiting for a graduate student position. I was ecstatic and immediately applied for your concentration.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled faintly and lowered his head to scribble a few lines on her file. He then flipped through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s r¨¦sum¨¦. ¡°You had passed the Empire¡¯s Special Talents Examination at the age of 15, and were already at the level of a third year undergraduate student. Looking at these grades, you could¡¯ve easily applied to the B University School of Law. Why did you choose C University?¡±

 Chapter 39: Interview (2)

    <h4>Chapter 39: Interview (2)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu¡¯s question made Gu Nianzhi feel like she was about to break out in a torrent of sweat. She thought to herself, ¡°He¡¯s one of the bestwyers around, all right. He knows exactly which questions to ask¡­¡±

    Her ssmates were under the impression that she was just another transfer student at C University, but that was not the whole truth, not really; she had sat for and passed a special examination administered by the Imperial Army, thereby earning the privilege of direct admission into any university within the Empire.

    Her choice of C University had been aplete coincidence.

    When she had been trying to decide on her school, she had asionally overheard Huo Shaoheng mention to his two Private Secretaries, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, over the phone that there was a Special Ops military base in C City, but none in the imperial capital.

    Had Gu Nianzhi chosen to go to B University ¨C which was located in the capital city ¨C she would have had to part with Huo Shaoheng. She would have been left in the care of Yin Shixiong instead¡­

    She had therefore chosen, without a moment¡¯s doubt, to studyw at C University.

    Now that she was graduating, she had heard that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s division was about to establish their headquarters in the imperial capital. The knowledge had given her the confidence to apply to the graduatew program at B University.

    Deep down, she was still the same little girl in the burning car, scared out of her wits and, quite literally, her memories. She was not capable of living on her own, apart from Huo Shaoheng.

    Ever since the car ident six years ago, she had lived in fear and insecurity.

    She was only at ease around Huo Shaoheng; she needed to live with him to feel safe.

    There was no way she could tell He Zhichu any of this, however; in fact, she had not even told Huo Shaoheng. These were her most intimate secrets, buried deep within her heart. Moreover, she had to keep Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true identity a secret.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and steadied herself against the table. She said, choosing her words carefully, ¡°C University is closer to home. I was still very young back then, I didn¡¯t want to be too far away from home.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Where are you from, Gu Nianzhi? Where did you grow up?¡± He Zhichu closed the folder and leaned back on the easy chair, his tone casual. His bright, nted almond-shaped eyes watched her coolly.

    Gu Nianzhi did not remember a thing from before she was twelve years old.

    Her memory was gone, and so was her car, reduced to ashes; no one had seen the number on the license te.

    The only thing she had on her back then was a small backpack. Inside it was a photo, and a set of data charts.

    The little girl in the photo was Gu Nianzhi. Written on the back of the photo was: ¡°For Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eleventh birthday¡±. The date below it was from one year ago.

    It should have been easy enough to find her parents or rtives, but even the Imperial Army, with its massive reach and connections, had not been able to uncover where she hade from. It was all very strange.

    This had been one of the reasons behind the Imperial Army¡¯s decision to ask Huo Shaoheng to be her guardian.

    It was their custom to keep a tight rein on any element of uncertainty.

    Because of this, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background had to be kept a secret. When Gu Nianzhi entered C University, the military had already faked her personal history, which was now on her resume.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly repeated the contents of her resume, making sure to word them differently so as not to sound suspicious.

    These ¡°experiences¡± would all check out; the military had prepared witnesses and physical evidence that would hold up to the closest scrutiny.

    The Imperial Army¡¯s Special Operations Forces fabricated dozens of identities on a daily basis. Faking hers had not been especially difficult.

    He Zhichu gave a small nod of his head. ¡°¡­Your parents passed away when you were three years old? Your distant rtives have been taking care of you ever since?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve been very good to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi was keen to move on from this topic; she deliberately changed the subject to He Zhichu himself, asking, with great interest, ¡°Professor He, you have a brilliant future in the United States. Why did you choose to be a professor here, in the Empire?¡±

    He Zhichu raised his head, his expression grown even more frigid. He appeared to have seen through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attempt at deflection, but did not call her out on it. His slender fingers tapped on the table as he reminded her, ¡°I¡¯m the one asking questions right now. Your questions will have to wait.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°¡­In that case, please proceed with your questions.¡±

    He Zhichu asked her several highly specialized questions.

    This time, he spoke in English, interspersed with Latin termsmonly used in Americanw.

    Gu Nianzhi answered readily, without the slightest hesitation, in a British ent that sounded very authentic, like she had grown up in the British Isles.

    He Zhichu was a little surprised by this. The corners of his bright, slender eyes seemed to arch further upwards as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this fluent in English. Do you n to further your studies abroad in the future, or will you remain here, in the country?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi folded an arm across her chest and held her chin with her other hand as she thought about it. She replied, honestly, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it.¡±

    Her future destiny could only be decided after discussing it over with Huo Shaoheng.

    She wanted to study abroad, to see the world outside, but if she did not have Huo Shaoheng by her side, she had a feeling she would go mad with fear¡­

    But she also knew that she could not depend on Huo Shaoheng for the rest of her life.

    She was trying to free herself from the shadows of her past. She was trying to learn to live independently, on her own.

    But she was not in a hurry. She would wait until she was twenty before striking out on her own.

    He Zhichu did not ask any more questions. He shut the folder, and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Well, in any case, you werete twice. You¡¯ve missed the deadline for Fall enrollment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She had worked so hard and for so long; was it all for nothing?

    ¡°However, I am also recruiting for Spring semester. Are you willing to start next spring instead?¡± He Zhichu was being a deliberate tease. He had sent Gu Nianzhi straight down into hell with one sentence, then up into heaven with the next.

    ¡°Spring semester? You bet I¡¯m willing! I¡¯ll be admitted next spring, right? It¡¯s official?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu extended a hand to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Wee to the club. You will be He Zhichu¡¯s one and only graduate student.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had not expected He Zhichu to take her on the spot. She was giddy with joy. She grabbed He Zhichu¡¯s hand to shake it, only to release it almost immediately.

    He Zhichu¡¯s palm had been cool to the touch, but this was only fitting for someone as aloof and indifferent as he was. It would be odd for someone like him to have warm hands.

    ¡°Professor He, you really mean it? I¡¯m going to be your student?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes had turned into two smiling crescents. She was so happy she could barely control herself; tears threatened to spill from her eyes. ¡°Your assistant came to me yesterday and tried to talk me out of the interview. She said I would only be sabotaging my own future if I became your student. I¡¯m just a timid little orphan girl, with no one to support me. I was so frightened by her words I couldn¡¯t sleep the whole night!¡±

    He Zhichu froze. He looked up at Gu Nianzhi, pinning her with his dark, inky eyes. ¡°What did you just say? My assistant paid you a visit yesterday, and advised you to forfeit the interview?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I shouldn¡¯t have said all that, sorry¡­ sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed in apology again and again, a flustered look on her face. But she was only putting on a show ¨C she had deliberately spilled the beans on Wen Shouyi¡¯s distasteful visit.

    Gu Nianzhi was careful and vignt. She was not the sort to keep her grievances to herself, and she was most definitely not one of those ¡°I¡¯m so noble because I suffer in silence¡± idiots, the kind who reveled in turning the other cheek because it made them more ¡°saintly¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ount of what had happened the day before had caught He Zhichupletely by surprise. He seated himself on therge sofa in the conference room, dignified and elegant, as he digested this. After a moment, he nodded, and asked, ¡°¡­My assistant, you say? Who?¡±

 Chapter 40: The Interview (3)

    <h4>Chapter 40: The Interview (3)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°She said her name was Wen Shouyi.¡± Gu Nianzhi scrutinized He Zhichu¡¯s expression¡ª he appeared to be calm, but she could see the stiffness in his shoulders. Sheughed lightly and said, ¡°Professor He, maybe she did it for my good own? Please don¡¯t be upset.¡±

    She paused, her voice tinged with sarcasm. ¡°Or maybe, she knew that I¡¯m the type who can¡¯t stand to be goaded, so she prodded me at thest moment to encourage me to perform better in the interview. See, didn¡¯t I do well today? You¡¯ll still be sending me the letter of eptance, right?¡±

    He Zhichu tidied the file, unperturbed. He stood up and nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You are quite eloquent. Keep it up and work hard to be a sessful barrister.¡±

    Befor he left the room, he took out his phone to send a text, then clicked ¡°Admit¡± on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name on the B University School of Law¡¯s admissions site. He confirmed the change and showed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You can check your inbox; the admissions email should have been sent automatically. You should receive the hard copy in three days, but call me if you don¡¯t.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi checked the inbox on her phone. A notice of admission from the B University School of Law Post Grad Admissions Office was already there. With this, Gu Nianzhi finally sighed in deep relief and shrugged the tension off her shoulders. She immediately forwarded the admissions email to Yin Shixiong and Chen Lie. She didn¡¯t send it to Huo Shaoheng, because he didn¡¯t have a personal email. She didn¡¯t bother with his work email either because rather than going through it himself, he had it monitored by his personal secretary, Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Thank you, Professor He. I look forward to working with you.¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed at He Zhichu again. ¡°I hope that you will graciously forget that I waste twice.¡±

    He Zhichu was still texting on his phone. ¡°If I truly hadn¡¯t wanted to admit you, I could¡¯ve simply failed you after your interview. Why would I go through all that trouble and give you a special position in the spring semester? I don¡¯t have the free time to make your life miserable.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a silly face behind He Zhichu¡¯s back and then giggled. ¡°I knew Professor He wasn¡¯t a petty, two-faced backstabber. That¡¯s why I came to interview despite the great mental pressure. Thank goodness I made a winning bet.¡±

    He Zhichu paused and turned around to look at her, his ck brows raised. ¡°That¡¯s silly.¡± He then changed the subject. ¡°You have over half a year from between graduating this summer till sses start next spring. What do you have nned?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet. I still have to discuss it with my family.¡±

    ¡°You really listen to everything they say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged andughed, ¡°I¡¯m still young; I¡¯m not even eighteen yet. Of course I have to listen to my family, they would never do me harm.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything more and instead dialed a number. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone began to ring, but the call ended just as as she was about to pick up.

    He Zhichu raised his phone. ¡°That¡¯s my number; save it. If you don¡¯t have much going on, you can help me with cases this summer break.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was delighted and quickly saved He Zhichu¡¯s number. ¡°I will definitely contact you then.¡±

    He Zhichu said goodbye and had her leave first, then sat down in the small office next door. Wen Shouyi appeared not long after and asked gracefully, ¡°Professor He, you called?¡±

    He Zhichu pushed a file towards her. ¡°I¡¯ve admitted Gu Nianzhi. Complete her registration.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was floored. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re really admitting her? But she¡­¡±

    Notwithstanding that Gu Nianzhi had been absent twice, she had also argued with He Zhichu. Wen Shouyi had known him for years and Gu Nianzhi had certainly touched a nerve.

    ¡°Business is business. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡± He Zhichu lit a cigarette, his eyes focused on hers. He didn¡¯t ask the question aloud but Wen Shouyi already understood that Gu Nianzhi had already told him of their encounter. Wen Shouyi smiled a bit helplessly and yed yesterday¡¯s recording for He Zhichu.

    ¡°That was all. I was being kind and didn¡¯t want Professor He to be vexed with herter on. I also didn¡¯t want anything to happen to this youngdy¡¯s future because of her previous mistakes. I didn¡¯t think she would be so sharp tongued and skilled at twisting people¡¯s words. I almost feel cornered by her,¡± Wen Shouyi carefully said in a quiet voice as she opened the file He Zhichu had passed her. She organized all the documents inside by category.

    He Zhichu blew out a ring of smoke, his inky eyes half-open. He stared in the direction of the door for a while. until the recording ended. He did not speak.

    Wen Shouyi sat elegantly across from He Zhichu, lifting her eyes to smile at him. The morning sunlight was sliced into strips by the blinds and illuminated her, casting her half in light and half in darkness. He Zhichu smoked and shifted his gaze to Wen Shouyi¡¯s face, deep in thought.

    Before him, Wen Shouyi slight but full figure was outlined by her sleek business dress ensemble. Her brows and lips were delicate, her nose straight and fine, and her almond eyes slightly lifted at the corners. She was like an ancient beauty from a ssical painting¡ªvoluptuous, enchanting, and possessing the graceful bearing of one who had weathered through many a storm.

    He Zhichu stubbed the cigarette in the ash tray. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    Wen Shouyi rxed. She took out her electronic organizer. ¡°There was a request today. A client in C City is seeking to hire you as an attorney, for a generous sum.¡±

    He Zhichu was not only a partner to a major Americanw firm, but he also held aw license in the Empire. He had his ownw firm in the capital as well.

    ¡°Oh? Who is it?¡±

    To hire He Zhichu as an attorney, one not only needed deep pockets, but would also be in big enough trouble.

    ¡°This family¡­has a bit of history with you.¡± Wen Shouyi withdrew a file from her briefcase. ¡°Do you remember the first student you interviewed, Feng Yixi?¡±

    He Zhichu took the file and skimmed over it. ¡°Didn¡¯t Feng Yixi vite the school rules and get expelled? The Feng family, yes? What¡¯s going on with them?¡±

    ¡°Feng Yixi did vite the school rules and not only was she expelled, but she was also sentenced to one year ofmunity service.¡± Wen Shouyi said, her voice expressing the pity she felt. ¡°What a shame for this student. She somehow messed with the wrong people and got into trouble.¡±

    ¡°Shouyi, remember that you are also awyer. Your unprofessional verbiage is enough grounds for termination.¡± He Zhichu tossed the file back. ¡°I don¡¯t want my people to spout this kind of nonsense and be seen as a joke.¡±

 Chapter 41: Touched a Nerve

    <h4>Chapter 41: Touched a Nerve</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi felt her blood run cold. She was acutely aware that she had touched a nerve¡­

    She, too, regretted her conduct with Gu Nianzhi. She thought she had gotten away with it when He Zhichu did not press the matter after listening to the recording, but it was now apparent that He Zhichu had merely chosen to bide his time, waiting for just the right moment to express his anger.

    In retrospect, she should have seen iting. It was only natural for someone like He Zhichu to keep his cards close to his chest.

    If he wanted to punish someone, he would do it without ever revealing his real reasons for doing so.

    Two years ago, when he was only 26 years old, he became a partner at thergestw firm in the United States. He had aplished this feat not only because of his exceptional talents as awyer, but also because he was always one step ahead of everyone else¡­

    ¡°Professor He, forgive me, I was wrong,¡± said Wen Shouyi as she stood up quickly, ¡°but what about this case? Will you take it?¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t,¡± said He Zhichu impatiently as he, too, rose from his seat, ¡°and stop bringing me all these garbage cases. You¡¯ve been sloppy recently. Perhaps you¡¯re overworked? Shall I give you a nice, long vacation? Or perhaps you¡¯d like to resign and go home to your folks? I can always get another assistant.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯sposure evaporated upon hearing this. Her mind was reeling. She never imagined He Zhichu would actually send her away!

    ¡°Professor He! Please forgive me, just this once! I¡¯ve been loyal to you for so many years!¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes were wet with tears; she looked like she was ready to kneel and grovel before He Zhichu.

    Gone was her calm and gentle demeanor. Her face was full of terror, her entire body trembled, and her full, luscious lips quivered.

    He Zhichu looked quietly at her for a few moments. He reached out, his cool fingertips brushing her cheek as he wiped a few drops of tears from her face. His voice was clear, but also cool and deliberate, as he said, ¡°Very well. But there will not be a next time.¡± He went out the door as he said this.

    Wen Shouyi let out a long sigh of relief. She steadied herself on one corner of the office desk, not trusting her legs to be able to support her just yet.

    She lifted a hand and touched her face, where He Zhichu had wiped away her tears, and told herself that she could not afford to make another mistake.

    She knew exactly how cold-blooded and merciless He Zhichu could be.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi walked happily out of the administrative building for thew department, and ran over to Mei Xiawen, who was waiting for her at the sheltered parking spot nearby. She showed him the enrollment email on her phone, and said, ¡°Professor He has epted me as his student!¡±

    ¡°He admitted you right then and there?¡± Mei Xiawen was smiling, too. He peered at the email on her phone. ¡°Oh, it really is a letter of admission for B University Law School. Congrattions, Nianzhi!¡±

    Mei Xiawen, swept up in the moment, grabbed hold of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, then put his arm over her shoulders, practically holding her in his arms as he bundled her into the car.

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling a little ufortable by this, but luckily for her Mei Xiawen released her as soon as they were inside the car; he had not lost all sense of propriety. But when he leaned over her to get her seat belt, she hastily pushed his hand away, saying, ¡°I can do it myself.¡±

    Mei Xiawen did not insist. He started the car and began driving towards the dormitory block, smiling as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve made reservations for a nice hotel dinner. We¡¯ll be celebrating your grad school admission tonight!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°Thanks, ss Rep!¡±

    As she said this, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone began to ring. It was Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiongughed heartily as he congratted Nianzhi over the phone. He said, ¡°¡­Wait till Mr. Huo hears about this, I bet it¡¯ll knock his socks off. I¡¯ve already sent him a message.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Brother Xiong,¡± said Gu Nianzhi, a smile on her lips.

    Right after her phone call with Yin Shixiong, a text message from Chen Lie arrived: ¡°Congrattions, Nianzhi! When you get back, I¡¯ll treat you to a nice dinner!¡±

    ¡°I recall Brother Chen being a man of his word.¡± Gu Nianzhi texted back in reply.

    Chen Lie¡¯s message arrived almost immediately: ¡°Of course. Has your Brother Chen ever lied to you? By the way, will you be going back to your apartment this weekend?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sent a ¡°?¡± in reply.

    Huo Shaoheng was not in C City right now. Gu Nianzhi did not want to go back to the apartment if he wasn¡¯t around.

    Chen Lie sent another text: ¡°You still have to get a check-up every week, for a month at least.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay. I¡¯ll be back this weekend, then.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought Chen Lie was being paranoid.

    She felt perfectly fine, and she certainly hadn¡¯t been ¡°feeling funny¡± around men, either. She could not understand why Chen Lie was so obsessed with running his barrage of tests on her.

    She gave a small pout, put her phone away, and began chatting with Mei Xiawen. ¡°ss Rep, what about you? No ns on going to grad school?¡±

    Mei Xiawen shook his head as he handed Gu Nianzhi the Greek yogurt he had bought for her. He said, ¡°My family wants me to help out with the family business. I¡¯ve already passed the bar exam. I can get mywyer¡¯s license after interning for a year.¡±

    The Mei family¡¯s business was based in C City, which meant he would have to remain in C City after graduating.

    And Gu Nianzhi would be attending graduate school at the imperial capital next spring.

    Were they going to be separated?

    Mei Xiawen seemed to sense what Gu Nianzhi was thinking. He said,ughing, ¡°My family is going to expand the family business in the imperial capital. When it¡¯s time for you to go there, I¡¯ll ask my family to send me there as well, as an advance party to pave the way for our business.¡±

    That way, he would be able to apany his sweetheart in her studies.

    How thoughtful and considerate of him¡­

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face had grown redder than a tomato. She turned to look out the window in childish defiance, but the corners of her lips were already curved upwards.

    Mei Xiawen had just pulled up in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory when a message arrived on his phone with a ding.

    [Weinan]: ¡°ss Rep, things aren¡¯t looking great for me right now¡­ Sob sob sob¡­ ss Rep, send me some hugs andfort please¡­¡±

    Mei Xiawen nced at the message, then quickly unlocked his phone and dialed a number. His voice was rxed and amused. ¡°Weinan, you little tomboy, what¡¯s with the girly message? So tell me, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°My family¡¯s in a bit of a jam right now. ss Rep, can you lend me some money? I¡¯ll pay you back soon as my dad¡¯spany collects!¡±

    ¡°No problem. Go on, how much do you need?¡±

    ¡°¡­I need a hundred and fifty thousand, just to pay the interest on our bank loans for the week. We¡¯ll be back on our feet after that.¡±

    ¡°A hundred and fifty thousand? Okay. Give me your bank ount number, I¡¯ll send it over,¡± said Mei Xiawen easily as he checked the bnce for his bank ount with his phone.

    Whoever was on the other end sent him a bank ount number. Mei Xiawen promptly transferred a hundred and fifty thousand yuan into the ount with a single swipe of his finger.

    ¡°Thanks, ss Rep!¡± A woman¡¯s heartyughter sounded over the phone, loud and happy.

    Mei Xiawen ended the call and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s puzzled look. He said, without waiting for her to ask, ¡°It¡¯s an old ssmate of mine, from high school. Her family¡¯s in a tight spot right now so she asked if I could lend her some money.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened the car door and got out. She was a little surprised that Mei Xiawen had loaned out such arge sum of money, just like that. ¡°¡­Are you sure it¡¯s your ssmate? Could be a scam, you know.¡±

    She had read about simr scams on the inte.

    Mei Xiawen smiled as he reached out and tousled her hair. ¡°Nianzhi, are you worried about me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes, and said, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about dinner, we can kiss our dinner ns goodbye if you lose all your money to a scammer.¡± After a small pause, she continued, ¡°¡­How about this: I¡¯ll pay for dinner tonight. I was thinking of treating my dear dormitory sisters to dinner, anyway.¡±

 Chapter 42: Real Bros

    <h4>Chapter 42: Real Bros</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken. It¡¯s only a hundred and fifty thousand yuan. Lending her that money won¡¯t make me unable to afford dinner.¡± Mei Xiawen smiled. He couldn¡¯t resist pulling Gu Nianzhi into his embrace. He patiently exined exined. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know Ai Weinan from high school; we¡¯re pretty close and our families know each other too.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s worried about you?¡± Gu Nianzhi was aware of his body now that she was up against him. She tilted her head and the white-gold floral earrings on her earlobes refracted the sunlight into a tiny rainbow, and briefly blinded Mei Xiawen. He raised his arms to block it out, and Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to push him away and quickly strode back to her dorm. Mei Xiawen smiled as he watched her and only drove away when he saw her enter the building. On his way back, he got another call from Ai Weinan.

    ¡°ss Rep, you¡¯re a true bro! With someone like ss Rep as my dear

    friend, I have no regrets in life!¡± Ai Weinan was so emotional over the phone that her voice wavered.

    Mei Xiawen smiled. ¡°We¡¯re bros, so there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±

    ¡°This is not being polite. This is being thankful.¡± Ai Weinan was overjoyed. ¡°ss Rep, what are you up totely? Did you take the graduate examination?¡±

    ¡°No, graduation is around the corner, and right now I¡¯m headed home.¡± Mei Xiawen turned the steering wheel to navigate out of campus and drive back to his ce. Ai Weinan chatted with him for a while along the way. Mei mentioned that he was treating some friends to the Red Manor Restaurant tonight and Ai Weinan was ecstatic. ¡°ss Rep! I haven¡¯t eaten there for a few years now. Be sure to eat lots for my sake!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I will. ¡± Mei Xiawen eased into the highway ramp. ¡°I¡¯m driving, so I¡¯ll talk to youter. See you when I get back.¡±

    ¡°Yup, bye ss Rep!¡± On the other end of the line, Ai Weinan hung up and looked at the extra one hundred and fifty thousand yuan in her bank ount and felt at once envious and ted.

    Ai Weinan¡¯s roommate poked her shoulder and asked curiously, ¡°What is it? Why are you grinning like an idiot. You were just bawling about a hundred thousand and some yuan yesterday, and now it¡¯s like you¡¯re totally ok.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m ok. I borrowed the money.¡± Ai Weinan showed her phone to her roommate. ¡°Remember the handsome ss Rep I told you about?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, the one who¡¯s polite and elegant, and rich to boot. What about him?¡±

    ¡°He lent it to me. I just asked him and he transferred it to me right away.¡±

    The roommate shrieked, ¡°Really?! He lent you a hundred something thousand without any coteral?!¡±

    ¡°Like I said, what coteral? What kind of rtionship do you think I have with him? We¡¯re true friends!¡± Ai Weinanughed loudly.

    ¡°Even true bros or true friends or whatever, wouldn¡¯t transfer you this much money without question.¡± The roommate¡¯s eyes opened wide suddenly, and she grabbed Ai Weinan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Unless¡­he¡¯s interested in you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Ai Weinan shot up, her face flushed. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re just really good friends!¡±

    The roommate crossed her arms as she looked at her, dubious. Ai Weinan lowered her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror opposite them. Her eyes were glossy and skin rejuvenated. She looked prettier than she normally felt, and couldn¡¯t help caressing her face and muttering, ¡°Really?¡±

    Was it possible that ss Rep liked her?

    ¡°Of course. Weinan, as someone with experience, I can tell you that there are not many men in the world that will transfer you so much money without question. You have totch onto him, so good luck!¡± The roommate gave her a thumbs up.

    Ai Wennan felt her lips curve into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re overthinking it.¡± She put away her phone and reached for her Chanel bag. ¡°Right, now that I¡¯ve borrowed the money, I have to make a trip home.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that in C City?¡±

    They were attending university in Z City, and the drive from there to C City was three hours. The trip time was significantly reduced to only half an hour via the bullet train, though.

    ¡°Yep, I¡¯ll take the bullet train home ande back tomorrow. Cover for me and help me out if they take attendance during the public course in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡­

    That evening, Mei Xiawen picked up Gu Nianzhi and her roomates in a Chrysler SUV, and drove to the Red Manor Restaurant. Gu Nianzhi was in the front passenger seat while Fang Wenxin, Cao Yunshan, and Wang Junya sat in the back. Mei Xiawen had also brought his roommate, Lei Qiangsheng. Everyone called him Strongman because he was extremely tall and muscr. Mei Xiawen parked the car and guided them to the restaurant.

    Inside, a hostess took them to the private room Mei Xiawen had reserved. It was a ssical European style room with chandeliers glittering, strung in single file from the mirrored ceiling. An oil painting of a nude woman in a garden on one wall, and M¡¯s Water Lilies series spanning the others, added a refined element to the space. Several champagne-colored, velvet couches were near the walls. A few small side tablesden with ashtrays, tissues and tiny sulent upied the spaces between them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered. Italian for six.¡± Mei Xiawen obviously frequented the establishment and was familiar with the food and seating.

    The group seated themselves at a round dining table and Strongman began to tter Green Tea Fang. ¡°Green Tea, you¡¯re wearing such a pretty outfit today, where is it from?¡±

    Green Tea Fang held a cigarette in an ornate holder between her slim fingers as she elegantly blew a ring of smoke and gave Strongman a sidelong nce. ¡°Strongman, I¡¯ll tell you the brand if you wipe the drool off your face.¡±

    ¡°Am I drooling?¡± Strongman hastily wiped his mouth with a napkin and realized that Green Tea Fang was only teasing him. He didn¡¯t care andughed, then continued to praise her. Fang Wenxin¡¯s exquisite aura and made her a goddess to most the male students in ss One of the Faculty of Law. Mei Xiawen was one of the few who could resist her charms because he only had eyes for Gu Nianzhi.

    He sat besides her and patiently arranged the cutlery for her, quietly telling her the order in which to use them, and even pouring her a ss of milk tea. Gu Nianzhi actually wanted to drink ck coffee, but supposed this would do.

    ¡°Thank you, ss Rep.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat besides Mei Xiawen; Little Temptress was on her other side. Little Temptress rested her head on a hand and leaned on the table. She asked Mei Xiawen feebly, ¡°ss Rep, when is food going to be served?¡± I¡¯ve been fasting since this morning for this dinner.¡±

    ¡°Little Temptress, I have some cookies, you want them?¡± The brawny Strongman actually had a soft side and liked to have snacks around. Of course, this was also another one of his tricks for flirting.

    Wang Junya¡¯s nickname was Little Temptress, and she would certainly not be fooled by tricks used on younger girls. She smiled charmingly and Strongman melted.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want cookies. I want to eat fried onions and cmari rings.¡±

    ¡°Waitress! Waitress¡ª Fried onions and cmari rings, right?¡± Strongman waved his arms at the waitress standing in the opposite private room and shouted, ¡°An order of fried onions and cmari rings! Large!¡±

    Mei Xiawen smiled as he shook his head and then turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Do you want a te too? They¡¯re pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Me? Can I order fish and chips?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head.

    The popr English street food was her favourite. It was fried in butter in a savory beer batter, and was absolutely heavenly when paired with tartar sauce. This was simple fare, but Gu Nianzhi was quite particr about its preparation.

 Chapter 43: A Thick-skinned Guest

    <h4>Chapter 43: A Thick-skinned Guest</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    At the age of thirteen, Gu Nianzhi had flown to Scond on a holiday with Huo Shaoheng. While there, she had had fish and chips at the famous Caroline Tavern, the very best in town.

    She had fallen in love with it, and never forgotten the taste. She had even gone so far as to learn to make the dish for herself after returning from Scond, but Chen Lie had eventually imposed a ban on it; it was just too greasy, too unhealthy, and much too fattening¡­

    The look in Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyes had grown even more sympathetic.

    To him, fish and chips were nothing more than fast food, the kind served at McDonald¡¯s and KFC. It was not worthy of being served at a proper restaurant. Anyone with money or any sort of social standing would never choose to eat something like that.

    ¡°¡­I think you better get fried onion and cmari rings instead.¡± Mei Xiawen gently squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as he said to the young waitress standing at the door, ¡°I¡¯ll have two more fried onion and cmari rings, please.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not like either onions or cmari.

    But before she could object, the waitress had already served them. She could not very well raise a fuss now, so she politely took a few bites. It was easy enough for her to pretend to like them.

    Everyone else at the table devoured their food happily. Gu Nianzhi merely sipped at her milk tea, smiling at everyone over the cup.

    After they were done with the appetizer, it was now time for the main dish.

    They were having Italian tonight, which meant that the food was served on individual tes, Western-style.

    Everyone had their own te of food; it was not necessary for anyone to get up and serve from a sharing tter.

    Mei Xiawen had ordered two dishes for Gu Nianzhi: Veal Mnese, seasoned with onions and bay leaf, and grilled cod in tomato sauce.

    Gu Nianzhi surreptitiously quarantined the onions to one side, then cut a small piece of the beef to taste.

    ¡°Nianzhi, a toast to your admission to B University Law School!¡± Mei Xiawen was all smiles as he raised a ss of Moscato d¡¯Asti ¨C a sweet white wine from Italy ¨C in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    ¡°What? Lil Sis, you got your admission letter?! When?!¡± said Little Temptress, surprised and happy. She immediately lifted the ss in front of her.

    The alcohol content for the Moscato d¡¯Asti was only 5.5%; it was more of a carbonated drink, barely qualifying as an alcoholic beverage. Mei Xiawen had chosen this because he was going to be drivingter.

    ¡°Just this morning. Professor He sent me the letter of admission right after the interview. It¡¯s just an email, though. He said I¡¯ll get the official letter in three days,¡± said Gu Nianzhi happily as she, too, held up her ss.

    She was over the moon right now.

    It was one of her dearest wishes to study under Professor He Zhichu at B University Law School.

    ¡°Well done!¡± Green Tea Fang had also raised her ss; she smiled gracefully as she said, ¡°When you missed the interview because you were sick, I almost died of nausea watching that Feng Yixi from the opposite dorm strut around campus. Thank god she got herself into trouble. Otherwise I would have to graduate knowing that Feng Yixi had been admitted to B University Law School ¨C that would be such a distasteful stain on my college memories.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been worried that her roommates would be mad at her for keeping her interview a secret.

    But her roommates were not bothered by that at all. They smiled andughed as they congratted her.

    She had worried herself silly over nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi was smiling so hard now her lips seemed to be permanently curved upwards, like a buffalo nut. She raised her ss and they had a merry time clinking sses.

    Everyone downed the contents of their sses; almost immediately, the atmosphere rxed.

    Mei Xiawen very thoughtfully refilled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ss, but was careful not to give her too much; it was just enough to cover the bottom of her ss.

    Everyone talked in soft voices, caught up in the ssy ambience at Red Manor Restaurant.

    A phone suddenly rang; it sounded more disruptive and out of ce here than usual.

    Mei Xiawen frowned as he looked at his phone. It was an iing call from Ai Weinan. He didn¡¯t feel like taking the call, so he cancelled it.

    But Ai Weinan immediately followed this up with a text message: ¡°ss Rep, I¡¯m right outside the entrance to Red Manor Restaurant.¡±

    Mei Xiawen: ¡°¡­¡±

    He put his phone back into his pocket, stood, and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m going outside for a bit. Take your time eating ¨C don¡¯t leave without me.¡± He patted Strongman on the shoulder, and told him, ¡°Help me entertain them. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    After Mei Xiawen left, Little Temptress, who was sitting beside Gu Nianzhi, took a sip of her wine, and asked, ¡°Why did ss Rep leave?¡±

    ¡°Seems like something came up. Someone just called him on the phone.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not know why either, so she made only a half-hearted attempt at a reply before changing the subject entirely. ¡°Little Temptress, I hear you¡¯ll be returning to the capital city after graduation?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my family¡¯s been harping on about it.¡± Little Temptress was having parmesan chicken and a sd made of lettuce, bell peppers and baby octopuses. With a fork, she blended the finely cut cheese into the tomato sauce, before spreading the sauce on the chicken breast. She then cut a small piece and chewed slowly, relishing it.

    The cheese was rich, the ketchup fresh and delicious; mixed together, the taste was a little heavy on the pte. A white wine with a low alcohol percentage was just the thing toplement her meal.

    Green Tea Fang ate a few mouthfuls of squid ink pasta, then stopped and stared vacantly at the door as she nursed her sweet white wine, her thoughts elsewhere.

    It wasn¡¯t until Mei Xiawen led a good-looking, moderately shapely girl into the room that she smiled, gave a small cough, and said, in a toneden with significance, ¡°ss Rep, I see that you¡¯ve been busy picking up prettydies.¡±

    Mei Xiawen pulled a chair out for Ai Weinan, and introduced her to his ssmates: ¡°This is Ai Weinan, my ssmate from high school. She¡¯s aw student at Z University.¡±

    He then did the same for his ssmates. ¡°These are my ssmates. You already know Strongman here. The others are¡­ my ssmates Fang Wenxin, Cao Yunshan, Wang Junya, and Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Mei Xiawen had briefly considered using their nicknames, but ultimately decided on introducing them with their proper names.

    Ai Weinan did not hesitate to pour herself a generous ss of wine. She said, as though she was hosting tonight, ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte. I¡¯ll drink three sses of wine as punishment. Go on, help yourselves, Xiawen here is real generous with his friends. Really, don¡¯t be shy now, eat whatever you want.¡± Having said all that, she downed her ss in one go, then repeated her feat with another two sses of wine. She was behaving as though everyone at the table were her guests, and were only there on her ount.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommates were shrewd, worldlydies. They saw at once that this neer was, ever so subtly, trying to assert her dominance¡­

    Green Tea Fangughed lightly as she silently thought to herself: Look at this silly girl Ai Weinan, making aplete fool of herself in front of us, the real experts. C¡¯mon, your tricks are crude and unsophisticated ¨C I¡¯ve stopped using them after grade school!

    She turned the ss of wine in her hand, and said slowly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing particrly ¡°punishing¡± about drinking three sses of this grape juice. It should be three cups of sake.¡±

    Little Temptress immediately echoed this. ¡°That¡¯s right! If Miss Ai here is truly sincere about redeeming herself, she should drink three cups of sake!¡±

    ¡°Ooh, I like that! Say, did ss Rep actually invite you to dinner here?¡± Lady Cao smiled beatifically as she raised her own ss.

    Ai Weinan stared dumbly in surprise. She shook her head, and said, ¡°ss Rep had no idea I wasing to C City today. Why on earth would he invite me?¡±

    Lady Cao set her wine ss down on the table with a firm thunk, but her voice was light and casual as she said, ¡°In that case, what¡¯s all this nonsense about ¡°punishing¡± yourself? You make it sound like we¡¯ve been sitting here waiting for you to show up. Your skin must be as thick as the bottom of this wine ss.¡±

    Ai Weinan flushed. She looked at Mei Xiawen, bit her lip, and said, ¡°ss Rep¡­¡±

    Mei Xiawen smiled as he tried to ease the tension. ¡°Thesedies here are always quick to crack a joke. Their tongues may be sharp as knives, but they¡¯re sweet, gentle creatures inside, really. They¡¯re just having some fun with you.¡±

 Chapter 44: Green Tea Vs. Manly B*tch

    <h4>Chapter 44: Green Tea Vs. Manly B*tch</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes, yes, we love cracking jokes.¡± Little Temptress gave a fake smile and pouted before eating her food.

    Green Tea Fang and Lady Cao nced at each other, then looked at Gu Nianzhi who was sitting across from them. Gu Nianzhi actually didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. The corners of her lips were turned up as she watched them chatter and even winked at them.

    Green Tea Fang couldn¡¯t help but sighing andined to Lady Cao, ¡°I think the three of us just yed the eunuchs.¡±

    ¡°Eunuchs? What eunuchs?¡± Strongman¡¯s ears perked up as he helped Ai Weinan by getting her cutlery and tes.

    ¡°What else? The emperor is not worried, but the eunuchs are worried to death.1¡± Little Temptress nced at Gu Nianzhi with disappointment, scraping her cutlery on the gold-ted bone china butterfly dishes so hard they were screeched.

    She was supposed to be the star of the show tonight! How can she let a woman that popped up from nowhere take her spotlight? Little Temptress clenched her jaw agitatedly as she watched the intruder, Ai Wenan.

    Gu Nianzhi was indeed a little displeased, but she wasn¡¯t officially together with Mei Xiawen yet. What right did she have to stop another woman from flirting with him?

    Mei Xiawen picked up on it too and smiled secretly at Gu Nianzhi, who was on his other side. He said affectionately, ¡°Today, Nianzhi was admitted to the B University Faculty of Law as a post-grad student, so we¡¯re celebrating for her.¡±

    ¡°ss Rep is the one celebrating for her. We¡¯re just tagging along.¡± Lady Cao valued titles and status above everything. Her motto was ¡°if the name is not correct, the words will not ring true.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! You just dered your intention to pursue Nianzhi in front of us yesterday. Why are you mute now that your spare tire is here.¡± Little Temptress was the expert as using her beauty to do as pleased. She neitherminced her words, nor cared if people were humiliated by them.

    ¡°Wang Junya!¡± Mei Xiawen raised his brows and said Little Temptress¡¯ full name angrily. ¡°Can you give me some decency in front of strangers? Nianzhi hasn¡¯t agreed for me to pursue her. What if you scare her off by saying that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommates finally rxed their expressions once Mei Xiawen had segregated Ai Weinan as an ¡°outsider¡± in one sentence.

    Ai Weinan¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment, and in a sh she seemed to understand why Gu Nianizhi¡¯s three roommates were so hostile towards her. She burst outughing. ¡± Maybe there¡¯s been a misunderstanding? I¡¯ve been ssmates with ss Rep for six years, and we¡¯ve always been good friends and true bros. His joys are my joys.¡±

    As she spoke, she held her ss and stood up. She walked over to Gu Nianzhi and signalledna a toast to her. ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi? Our ss Rep¡¯s crush? What a delicate and pretty girl! Don¡¯t be afraid, let me know if doesn¡¯t treat you well. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson for you! He..¡± Ai Weinan looked at Mei Xiawen and drawled, ¡°he is just as sweet-tempered as he seems. He¡¯s good to everyone and is especially good to the ones close to his heart.¡±

    Mei Xiawen listened to Ai Weinan¡¯s words and said helplessly, ¡°Weinan, are you drunk already? You¡¯re not such a lightweight, are you? Why are you giving drunk speeches?¡±

    ¡°ss Rep, I¡¯m only speaking the truth. I have to let little sister, Gu Nianzhi, know your good traits! A girl would be lucky to be with a guy like you. Little Sister Nianzhi, I see that you¡¯re an extremely fortunate person. As for me, don¡¯t mind me. Don¡¯t see me as a woman. I¡¯m a real tomboy!¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s a fundamental difference between a tomboy and a manly b*tch.¡± Green Tea Fang giggled with disdain. The words hit Ai Weinan like a p in the face.

    Ai Weinan suppressed her anger and pretended she heard nothing. She set down her ss and straightened up to face Mei Xiawen. ¡°ss Rep, I especially came out today to thank you for lending me the one hundred and fifty thousand. I came back to C City to bring the money to my family and they need it urgently. You guys have fun. I¡¯ll go now.¡±

    Mei Xiawen stood up as well. ¡°Let me drive you, since it¡¯s sote now. It¡¯s not safe for a girl to go alone.¡±

    ¡°ss Rep, she¡¯s a tomboy, not a girl. Why would it be unsafe?¡± Green Tea Fang gracefully wiped the corners of her lips with a napkin as she delivered the seemingly harmlessment, but her eyes were scathingly cold. ¡°You came to bring money in person? Haha, who doesn¡¯t use online bank transfers in this day and age? Do you want me to show you how? Why not use Alipay1 or even Wechat Pay2? Why would you need toe all this way to bring money?¡±

    Her statement ripped through Ai Weinan. The girlughed with embarrassment. Mei Xiawen sat down slowly as he raised his head to look at Ai Weinan apologetically. ¡°Call me when you get home.¡±

    Ai Weinan nodded and waved graciously. ¡°Enjoy the rest of your dinner. I¡¯ll be going now.¡±

    After she left, the atmosphere couldn¡¯t recover. Even Strongman, who usually loved being in the presence of beautiful women that he couldn¡¯t be bothered by anything else, was unable to cheer up. A nice dinner had ended in discord.

    Mei Xiawen drove Gu Nianzhi and her roommates to their dorm. He wanted to speak with Gu Nianzhi alone, but his phone rang again. He took it out and saw that it was Ai Weinan He picked up right away.

    ¡°Weinan, are you home now? Is everything ok with your family?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to nce at him, but didn¡¯t wait. She went back to the dorm with her roommates. After they got inside, Little Temptress cursed Ai Weinan. ¡°I can see her tricks a mile away!¡±

    Green Tea Fang put her arms on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders and assured her. ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. All men are like that, I¡¯ve been dating all kinds of men for many years. They can¡¯t hide their intentions from me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst intoughter and hugged Green Tea Fang in return. She leaned her head on her friend¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I¡¯m so happy that you¡¯re my friend, but you¡¯ll have to keep up with your reputation as a woman who never lets a man get the best of her, you will rabbit!¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi you traitor! You dare to tease me? Don¡¯t get so cocky!¡± Green Tea Fang pped Gu Nianzhi on her perky bottom.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled as she pounced on Green Tea Fang to pinch her cheek. ¡°Green Tea Fang, how lucky would a man be if he got to kiss you? Look at how tender your skin is. I can almost squeeze water out of it.¡±

    ¡°Really? Really?¡± Little Temptress and Lady Cao also joined in with kneading Green Tea Fang. The dorm sounded inughter and immediately dispelled the previous difort from being interrupted by Ai Weinan.

    Mei Xiawen hadn¡¯t realized that Gu Nianzhi had long left by the time he ended the call. Strongman was slumped in the backseat and spoke up. ¡°ss Rep, do you really like Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Mei Xiawen nodded. ¡°If I didn¡¯t really like her, then why would I pursue her? I¡¯m not looking for her money or status. It¡¯s her incredible personality.¡±

    Strongman watched the girls¡¯ dorm. ¡°That¡¯s true. Good luck ss Rep! Though Gu Nianzhi has no family backing her, her future is unlimited because of her intelligence. She¡¯ll make for a worthy and proud girlfriend ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always babbling and doing crazy things, but you¡¯re actually very perceptive as well, huh?¡± Mei Xiawen smiled as he shook his head and shooed him out of the car. ¡°You go back first, I still have to talk to Nianzhi.¡±

 Chapter 45: Hoes Before Bros

    <h4>Chapter 45: Hoes Before Bros</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Hoes before bros, ss Rep? Really?! I bet you¡¯d throw your best friend out the window in exchange for a date!¡± Strongman was deliberately overreacting. He crawled out of the car and gave a drunken belch before stumbling back to his dormitory, swaying unsteadily the whole way.

    Mei Xiawen leaned against the hood of his car, in the shadow of a streetmp. When he called Gu Nianzhi on the phone, the corners of his mouth automatically curved upwards. He couldn¡¯t help it.

    He had not felt this sweet, bubbly feeling inside him since high school.

    This time, he wasn¡¯t going to let go. If he let her slip by, he was going to regret it for the rest of his life.

    Mei Xiawen dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number but the call was declined.

    He stared at his phone for a few moments before looking up to check Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room in the dormitory building. The lights were still on; Gu Nianzhi and her roommates were obviously still up and about. But she had refused to take his call.

    It seemed that the ¡°good girl¡± of ss One wasn¡¯t without a temper of her own.

    Mei Xiawen smiled at this. He did not call again.

    He got out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled. He held the cigarette in one hand as he sent Gu Nianzhi a series of texts with the other.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you asleep?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re still awake, can youe downstairs so we can talk?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, I miss you so much. We¡¯ve only been apart for half an hour, but I¡¯m missing you already.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you mad at me?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re angry, I absolutely have to make it up to you.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s make a promise. We can quarrel, but we¡¯ll make up before the day is over. No going to bed angry.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, pleasee downstairs. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll wait here the whole night.¡±

    The text messages kept oning. It was impossible for Gu Nianzhi to ignore them.

    She did not dare turn off her phone, because she was still waiting for Huo Shaoheng to call her.

    She was leaning against her bed, fiddling with her phone. Seeing the long stream of messages from Mei Xiawen, she let out a small sigh, got up, and walked to the window. She saw Mei Xiawen leaning against his car, tall and slim. A small speck of red flickered in his hand¡ªit was probably a cigarette.

    For some reason, she held in ce by his solitary figure. She could not bring herself to look away.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the tiny speck between his fingers for what seemed like a long, long time. Her phone was held tightly in her hand.

    The look on her face did not escape her roommates. They were well aware that Mei Xiawen was still waiting downstairs.

    Green Tea Fang was in the middle of putting on a face mask. She saw what was going on, gave a small cough, and said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of getting Starbucks. Anyone else feel like coffee?¡±

    ¡°Count me in. I want atte, no sugar.¡± Little Temptress was checking her Weibo and chatting with her family at the same time.

    ¡°Cappino for me, with sugar and milk.¡± Lady Cao was sitting primly in front of herputer, prepping a case as part of her internship.

    Green Tea Fang called out to Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at her; she shook her head and said, ¡°You girls want coffee at this hour? Insomnia, much? What about your beauty sleep?¡±

    ¡°My dear girl, you¡¯re talking to an immortal elf. What¡¯s te to me?¡± said Little Temptress coyly, emphasizing her point with a snap of her fingers.

    Green Tea Fang picked up her phone, and called the on-campus Starbucks. ¡°Hi, two cups of cappino, atte, a carton of fresh milk, and a box of muffins, please.¡±

    The C University on-campus Starbucks was very efficient with their deliveries. Soon enough, the Resident Advisor for their dorm buzzed them on the inte: ¡°Room 518! Starbucks!¡±

    ¡°Coming!¡± Green Tea Fang got up and was about to leave the room when Gu Nianzhi stopped her. ¡°Are you seriously going out with that mask on your face? Sit down, I¡¯ll get it.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Lil Sis!¡± Green Tea Fang smiled as she thrust the money into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands.

    Gu Nianzhi ducked her head and went out.

    Green Tea Fang ran out to the balcony. Shortly after, she saw Gu Nianzhi walk out of the dormitory building and ept arge take-out box from the good-looking Starbucks deliveryman. At this point, Mei Xiawen walked towards Gu Nianzhi, his cigarette dangling from his hand.

    Up above, Green Tea Fang nodded as she folded her arms across her chest elegantly. ¡°ss Rep should be paying for our coffee tonight. If it weren¡¯t for me, God knows how long it¡¯ll take for these two to make up.¡±

    She had tossed them a rope. It was now up to them to decide whether they wanted to take it.

    Down below, at the entrance to the dormitory building, the Starbucks deliveryman had just left after receiving the money from Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, found herself trapped; Mei Xiawen had his hand around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and wouldn¡¯t let go.

    ¡°Is something else the matter, ss Rep?¡± said Gu Nianzhi coolly. ¡°I have to take this back to my room.¡±

    ¡°How can I let you go back to your room, seeing you like this?¡± Mei Xiawen tossed the cigarette in his hand, and relieved Gu Nianzhi of therge take-out box. His other hand was still on her arm as he led her towards his car.

    Gu Nianzhi struggled a little, but before she could break free Mei Xiawen had already pulled her into the shadows beside his car.

    They were standing in a blind spot, right outside the reach of the light from the streetmp. It was darker here than everywhere else.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you angry?¡± Mei Xiawen put the Starbucks take-out box on top of the car hood; he grasped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands in his, holding them before him as he exined in a gentle voice. ¡°Ai Weinan was my ssmate in high school. She¡¯s always been a real tomboy. We¡¯re just bros, nothing more. You¡¯re not jealous of her, are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately flushed¡ªnot because she was shy, but because she was angry.

    She wasn¡¯t even in love with him yet. Why would she be jealous?!

    ¡°ss Rep, your rtionship with that ssmate of yours is none of my concern. You don¡¯t have to exin yourself to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi huffed as she turned her head away from him, choosing to stare instead at the moths dancing in the cone of light beneath the streetmp.

    ¡°How can I not exin myself? I like you, and I want you to be my girlfriend.¡± Mei Xiawen thought Gu Nianzhi was adorable even when she was choosing to be difficult; herrge eyes were narrowed in anger, and the full, luscious lips that were currently extended in a slight pout looked so very tempting. He wanted to kiss them.

    Mei Xiawen licked his lips; the temptation was strong.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were red, but luckily for her Mei Xiawen could not see them in the dark.

    ¡°She was my ssmate for many years. If there was ever going to be anything between the two of us, it would have happened long ago. Why would it wait till today?¡± Mei Xiawen sighed. ¡°I¡¯m serious about you, and I know you¡¯re not the type to be petty. And anyway, you¡¯re smarter than she is, and more beautiful. I¡¯m not blind, why would I choose her over you? Even if you don¡¯t have any confidence in yourself, please at least have confidence in me.¡±

    ¡°So if I¡¯m not as smart as I am, or more beautiful, you wouldn¡¯t have liked me? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± Gu Nianzhi shot Mei Xiawen a fierce look, before looking away.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re aw student. Why are you acting like an ignorant high schooler? I like you. That alone proves that you are better than all the other girls. If you won¡¯t believe in yourself, you must at least believe that I have good taste,¡± said Mei Xiawen as he leaned closer to Gu Nianzhi.

    She could feel him approaching her, closer and closer. The warmth of his breath was upon her face now.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, and with a sudden twist and turn of her arms, quickly freed herself from Mei Xiawen.

    Mei Xiawen was surprised. He stared at his hands, unable toprehend how Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft arms had slid out of his grasp just like that, as slippery as a fish.

    ¡°ss Rep, I¡¯m going back to my room now.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned across the hood of the car, and retrieved the Starbucks take-out box. Sheughed lightly as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not angry.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t angry, just embarrassed by Ai Weinan¡¯s behavior: she had first crashed the dinner that was supposed to be a private celebration among friends, then acted like she owned the ce in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommates. How embarrassing!

 Chapter 46: Comparing People

    <h4>Chapter 46: Comparing People</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Are you really not mad?¡± Mei Xiawen looked into her eyes, trying to determine the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was clear, and sheughed again, smoothing her hair. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m not going to get mad over someone who doesn¡¯t concern me. It¡¯ste, go home first ss Rep.¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked at his watch, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go now. I¡¯ll bring you breakfast tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s ok, I have to work on my thesis tomorrow¡±

    ¡°Ok, you go up first. I¡¯ll leave after I see you get back to the dorm.¡± Mei Xiawen lit another cigarette and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. She seemed like an easy going person, but it would actually be difficult to win her affections.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that she couldn¡¯t convince him otherwise and said no more before turning back to the dorm. She went upstairs and took out the coffees and muffins her roommates had ordered from therge Starbucks box and set them on their respective desks. She then went to the veranda to look downstairs.

    Mei Xiawen raised his head and squinted as he waved goodbye, then got back in his car and drove off. The roommates saw that Gu Nianzhi appeared rxed and cheerful, so they knew that the pair must have worked it out. They didn¡¯t point it out openly, but purposely said, ¡°What a tiring day, we should sleep soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came out after showering and saw that her roommates were all asleep. She checked her phone and saw that Huo Shao still hadn¡¯t called back. She took herptop to bed with her and began to write her thesis, not stopping until the clock struck two in the morning. By that time, her eyes couldn¡¯t stay open, so she finally closed theptop and fell asleep. She kept the phone beside her and didn¡¯t set it to vibrate, in case Huo Shaoheng did call.

    She woke in the morning when the sun was already bright. Little Temptress was doing yoga on the balcony and when she heard Gu Nianzhi speak to Green Tea Fang, she said, ¡°Lil Sis, ss Rep brought breakfast over for you. I think it¡¯s a breakfastbo from Fortune Terrace.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi checked her phone and saw that there were no calls or texts.

    Looks like Huo Shao was very busy, or maybe he doesn¡¯t care about something as trivial as my eptance? The thought saddened Gu Nianzhi. Although she called him Uncle Huo, they were not rted at all. He was an esteemed Major General, and she was an orphan. Gu Nianzhi shook her head and hurriedly dressed and washed up. She then took herptop bag and went downstairs.

    Mei Xiawen walked over. ¡°Did you eat yet?¡±

    ¡°ss Rep, you knew I hadn¡¯t eaten yet and brought this over?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the Fortune Terrace container Mei Xiawen was holding with interest.

    I really am hungry.

    She barely atest night due to her excitement. When she woke up in the morning, she finally realized she was truly starving. Mei Xiawen took her to the stone table and bench by the campuske to have breakfast. Early March in C City was a little chilly in the mornings, but Fortune Terrace¡¯s steaming birds nest orzo congee, freshly steamed soup dumplings, and authentic stewed beef were so deliciously warm that she hardly noticed the nippy air.. Before they knew it, she had devoured the entire breakfastbo.

    Mei Xiawen only dipped from a box of milk. Heughed. ¡°Looks like you really didn¡¯t eat yesterday. You didn¡¯t like the Italian food from the Red Manor Restaurant?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like Italian food.!I just don¡¯t like onions.¡±

    Mei Xiawen thought about it and realized that there were quite a few dishes with onionsst night. He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll know for next times I won¡¯t order anything with onions for you.¡±

    They talked for a bit more, then tidied up and went their separate ways. Gu Nianzhi sat in the library all morning and revised the abstract statement for her thesis. Her neck was sore from sitting in front of theputer for so long. She rubbed the back of it and suddenly noticed that someone had sat down in front her her. Gu Nianzhi raised her head and saw it was Professor He Zhichu.

    ¡°Professor He?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked and delighted. ¡°You came to read at our library?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded his head. He was in a navy blue casual suit jacket made of wool, paired with matching trousers. He sat across from Gu Nianzhi, a whole head taller than her even while seated. It was only then that Gu Nianzhi really took note of just how tall and handsome he was. Although he was not as muscr as Huo Shao, he had a simr athleticism about him. With thebination of his piercing eyes and mature demeanor, he radiated an enigmatic presence.

    As Gu Nianzhi observed him, he did the same to her. She was taller than most girls her age and was already nearly 5¡¯7 before even turning 18. Her skin was so fair it appeared translucent¡ªfrom a distance it looked like it was as smooth as marble, and up it was even more wless. Her wide eyes were especially captivating. As for her figure, although she was wearing a loose fitting,vender cashmere sweater, he could see that her curves were more pronounced than the average woman¡¯s. He lowered his eyes and casually closed the book before him. ¡°What are you writing?¡±

    ¡°My graduate thesis.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about He Zhichu bing her instructor next spring and instantly became excited about discussing the abstract for her thesis. He Zhichu was indeed able to quickly point out defects in her abstract. He also helped her formte several excellent breakthroughs.

    Gu Nianzhi revised her abstract again and sighed in appreciation. ¡°Applying the words and corrections of a wise man is truly superior to ten years of studying.¡±

    He Zhichu stood up. He took out a slim card holder from his pocket and pulled out a business card. He set it on the table. ¡°Work hard on your thesis. You can send it to me after you¡¯re done and I¡¯ll help you revise it further.¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She took He Zhichu¡¯s business card with both hands and saw that it had his email, phone number, and his office¡¯s address. It also had the address of aw office.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it carefully. ¡°Professor He, are you working part-time at the Sovereign Law Firm?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s softened slightly as though in amusement, but it was so faint that it dissipated immediately. ¡°No, not part-time. This is myw office.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You truly are the role model for usw students!¡± Gu Ninazhi marveled, genuinely impressed. When would she ever be able to be a partner, or run her ownw office?

    He Zhichu seemed to read her mind and said dryly, ¡°Bing a partner is not a difficult thing to do, as long as you can prove your abilities.¡±

    ¡°I humbly ept your blessings, then.¡± Gu Nianzhi was thrilled to be receiving such advice and praise from He Zhichu. This was to be her instructor and boss for the next three years, and things would be a lot smoother if she was right by his side! As she watched him leave, her phone rang intively.

    She extended her finger to swipe it open. ¡°ss Rep, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s noon; I¡¯ll pick you up for lunch.¡± He then said, ¡°It¡¯s raining too. I brought you an umbre. Stay inside and wait for me at the door.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked outside and saw it had indeed started raining without her realizing it. She was a little touched. She tidied up to go downstairs and ended up seeing Wen Shouyi attentively hold an umbre for He Zhichu, bending over to open the car¡¯s rear door for him to get in. Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue to herself and thought that Wen Shouyi wasn¡¯t a teaching assistant, but rather more like a housekeeper.

    He Zhichu¡¯s ck Mercedes sshed through the puddles as it drove off in the rain. Several people standing in front of the library quickly moved out of the way to avoid it. One of them was Mei Xiawen, who was holding a grey umbre.

 Chapter 47: Antibody

    <h4>Chapter 47: Antibody</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her bag over her head, and ran towards Mei Xiawen.

    The umbre wasn¡¯t quite big enough for the two of them; they stumbled awkwardly under it as they made their way to the car park outside the library.

    The umbre was tilted towards Gu Nianzhi the whole way. Mei Xiawen was already drenched on one side when he finally got in the car and put the umbre away.

    ¡°Xiawen, do you have a change of clothes in your car? You should take off your windbreaker and put on some dry clothes,¡± Gu Nianzhi said, in case he hadn¡¯t thought of it.

    She was only human, made of flesh and blood. How could she not care about him?

    Mei Xiawen had been very good to her, and she knew it. She was so moved by his sincerity she had changed the way she addressed him, without even realizing it herself.

    Mei Xiawen was ecstatic to hear Gu Nianzhi call him by his first name. He smiled widely, and said, ¡°No worries. This windbreaker is waterproof.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all right then. I wouldn¡¯t want you to fall sick after getting drenched by the rain. I¡¯d feel really bad about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but I want to get sick. You¡¯lle visit me when I¡¯m sick, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face had gone slightly pink. She gave a small cough, and side-stepped the question by saying, ¡°It¡¯s raining really heavily now. Let¡¯s just have lunch at the cafeteria.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Mei Xiawen turned the steering wheel and drove towards one of C University¡¯s cafeterias, Cafeteria Three.

    He had nned on taking Gu Nianzhi to lunch somewhere outside of campus, but she was right. Although they had a car, it was raining, which meant traffic was going to be worse than usual.

    They entered the cafeteria. Inside, couples were everywhere, spoon-feeding each other and taking frequent breaks from eating to exchange kisses. It did not seem to ur to these couples that their mouths may be a little too greasy for kissing, right now¡­

    Gu Nianzhi used to be indifferent to the sight of these couples. Now, however, she found it disgusting. She averted her gaze, and resolutely stared at a fixed point just ahead of her as she followed Mei Xiawen. They found a spot by the window with two open seats.

    Mei Xiawen said, ¡°Sit, I¡¯ll go get our food.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was a very thoughtful and considerate man.

    Gu Nianzhi had a wonderful time having lunch with him. It was so much more enjoyable than the expensive Italian dinner they¡¯d had the night before, and that had cost more than 10,000 yuan.

    After lunch, Mei Xiawen escorted her to the library. He sat with her the whole afternoon.

    The two of them busied themselves looking up references for their graduation theses. Whenever they were tired and needed a breather, they would look up and smile at each other. As the day progressed, the distance between them slowly, but surely, decreased.

    For the rest of the week, Mei Xiawen brought Gu Nianzhi breakfast every morning. They also ate lunch and dinner together.

    Even when he was busy, he made sure to call her three times a day, during meal-time; he told her, over the phone, what he had been up to, and wanted to know if she was doing okay. He also asked her if she would go out with him over the weekend.

    Gu Nianzhi was still waiting for Huo Shao¡¯s phone call. It was now Friday, and still she had not gotten a response from Huo Shao. She did not want to call Chen Lie again and insist that he follow up on the matter, and she was still more embarrassed to ask Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze about it ¨C and so she had dragged her feet for the entire week. On Friday afternoon, after her final ss for the day, she found herself apologizing to Mei Xiawen, who had been looking forward to spending the weekend with her. ¡°Xiawen, I can¡¯t go out with you this weekend. Something¡¯se up. I have to go back to my apartment.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What is it? Do you want me to go with you?¡± Mei Xiawen had only just made a little headway in his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi, and was therefore reluctant to part with her now.

    Although he was graduating soon, and his graduation thesis was almost done, he was a very busy man: he still had his responsibilities as a member of the student council, not only for his department, but also for the university in general. He had been sleeping for only three or four hours a day just to find the time to be with Gu Nianzhi.

    It was finally the long-awaited weekend, when the two of them would be able to spend time together without any interruptions ¨C and Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t even going to be on campus.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what to say.

    She had to return to the apartment; Chen Lie had insisted on it.

    She had to have her weekly health check.

    Although she did not think there was anything wrong with her, Chen Lie was the doctor, not her. If he thought it was necessary for her to get a check-up every week, who was she to argue?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was gentle and full of warmth as she said, ¡°It¡¯s my guardian. I¡¯ll let you meet him when we have the time.¡±

    Was Gu Nianzhi saying that she wanted to introduce him to her parents?

    Mei Xiawen was overjoyed to hear this; he nodded again and again as he said, ¡°Well, call me if there¡¯s anything.¡± Then he asked, ¡°Do you have enough money? What¡¯s your Alipay ount? I¡¯ll send you some money.¡±

    ¡°What? Um¡­ I don¡¯t have an Alipay ount,¡± said Gu Nianzhi, stuttering. She lowered her head as she said this, feeling guilty and awkward.

    She did have an Alipay ount, but Zhao Liangze hadplete supervision and control over it. He would be notified at once if there were any transactions.

    This was exactly why Gu Nianzhi did not want to give Mei Xiawen her Alipay ount.

    If he knew about her ount, and transferred money to her, Huo Shao would know about it. She did not know what Huo Shao would think of that¡­

    As for Mei Xiawen, his sympathy for Gu Nianzhi deepened after hearing what she said.

    How could her guardian not have thought to prepare an Alipay ount for her? That was just uneptable.

    Shameful!

    There was a long moment of silence as Mei Xiawen wordlessly busied himself on his phone. He used his own bank card to register a new Alipay ount for her, then texted her the ount number and password. He said, ¡°I may not be in the city this weekend, either. Here, use this ount. Now you won¡¯t have to worry about a thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°¡­¡±

    Her phone remained in her hand as she returned to her dorm room to pack and make preparations for her trip back to her Fengya Precinct apartment. Green Tea Fang saw that Gu Nianzhi was spacing out; she put her arm around her shoulder and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something worrying you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Green Tea Fang. She knew that she was wise and astute when it came to rtionship matters. She showed Green Tea Fang her phone. ¡°¡­This is what¡¯s bothering me. Mei Xiawen gave me an Alipay ount. I don¡¯t know what to do about it.¡±

    Green Tea Fang leaned over to look at her phone, thenughed and patted her on the back. ¡°Not bad, not bad at all. Looks like our ss rep may be a bossy CEO in the making ¨C one minor disagreement, and he gives you an Alipay ount, just like that! Lil Sis, keep this ount, and remember to buy something with it for your sisters, as a memento.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know whether tough or cry when she heard this. She shook her head and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to use it. If you want to use it, let Mei Xiawen know about it beforehand. I certainly don¡¯t have the right to use it.¡±

    ¡°My, how decent and honest of you!¡± Green Tea Fang poked her on the forehead cheekily, then turned and got her backpack. ¡°Well, I¡¯m out of here. See you next week!¡±

    All of her roommates had gone. Gu Nianzhi was thest to leave.

    She called for a taxi, and after a circuitous journey through the city arrived at her duplex apartment, on the top floor of the 28-storey Block C apartment building in Fengya Precinct. It was nearly dark by then.

    Chen Lie was already waiting inside. When he saw here in, he immediately waved her over and asked, ¡°What took you so long? Come on, I¡¯ll run some tests on you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised to see him. ¡°Brother Chen, why are you here today? It¡¯s only Friday. I thought you wereing tomorrow.¡±

    Chen Lie had spent the week in a state of extreme agitation.

    Using the data Huo Shaoheng gave him, he had reverse-engineered the manufacturing process for the virus. However, he wasn¡¯t able to guarantee that the reverse-engineered drug worked exactly the same as the original.

    After all, he couldn¡¯t very well follow Oda Masao¡¯s example and test it on living, breathing women, his fellow countrymen¡­

    Inparing the two sets of data, he had discovered something very interesting. The blood sample he had obtained from Gu Nianzhi appeared to have an inhibitory effect on the virus.

    Unless he waspletely off the mark, all signs pointed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s immune system having taken down the virus on its own.

    In other words, if she continued to be healthy for the next month or so, it was probably safe to assume that her body had produced antibodies.

    The creation of antibodies was a major milestone in defending against synthetic bioweapons such as man-made viruses.

    It was normal for the human body to produce antibodies against natural viruses, but this was not the case for synthetic bioweapons. This was especially true for H3aB7, which had been created with specific human targets in mind. It was simply not possible for these human targets to produce the necessary antibodies.

    If the targets were able to generate antibodies, that would mean the virus was aplete failure as a bioweapon.

    Oda Masao¡¯s synthetic virus was already in the refinement stage, one of the final stages of production. This meant that the virus had already proved to be a viable bioweapon: no human body would be capable of producing the antibodies for it.

    And yet, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood had produced something that had suppressed the virus ¨C and they looked very much like antibodies!

 Chapter 48: Weekend of Disconnection

    <h4>Chapter 48: Weekend of Disconnection</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Come over quickly, my equipment is all ready. I¡¯m going to stay over this weekend, and you can¡¯t go anywhere. Stay here and let me examine you.¡± Chen Lie dragged Gu Nianzhi into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study, where his materials and equipment were set up and arranged inplicated positions.

    Gu Nianzhi was frazzled from being pulled along by the portly doctor, and she couldn¡¯t suppress herughter. ¡°Brother Chen, you¡¯ve got to at least let me put my things down and wash up first, ok? Also, I haven¡¯t had dinner yet; I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Dinner? It¡¯s ok to skip a meal, just consider it as dieting.¡± Chen Lie continued to lead her, taking her backpack off and dragging her to sit on the examining chair. He swiftly attached an array of apparatuses to her head, wrists and chest. Gu Nianzhi knew he was obsessed with medicine, but had never thought that she would end up as his test subject one day.

    There¡¯s nothing I can do, I¡¯ll just have to lean back on this big examining chair, close my eyes and let him examine me. Gu Nianzhi resigned herself to his ministrations.

    After attaching various apparatuses on her, Chen Lie began drawing her blood. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flew open as she stared at her arms and she suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, Brother Chen, why are there so many needle pricks on my arms?¡±

    The marks weren¡¯t immediatelyapparent, and some had already faded away after a week. However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes could discern even the smallest pin pricks now. She had been busy the whole week at school and had even rushed her showers. She hadn¡¯t looked at her body carefully until now.

    Chen Lie¡¯s kept a straight face as he said, ¡°Well, these were from all the blood I took when you passed out that week.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She stared at Chen Lie steadily, then closed her eyes and tried to rest, but his words kept ringing in her head. She wondered why she hadpsed into a week longa, when she had only been afflicted with an aphrodisiac. If she had truly been ok, why had Chen Lie take so much blood? Also, why did she still have weekly examinations when she was clearly fine already? Had it been simply an aphrodisiac she was afflicted with?

    Gu Nianzhi was a very cautious person. These thoughts spun in her head and pointed to a more serious problem. She opened her eyes to watch Chen Lie, who was busy with his equipment, and suddenly asked, ¡°Was I poisoned?¡±

    She had asked so unexpectedly that a normal person would have blurted out the truth. However, Chen Lie was a Medical Officer in the Empire¡¯s Military and held a Senior Colonel rank. He was more vignt than most to start with, and had also undergone extensive professional training. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little outburst didn¡¯t work on him.

    Chen Lie shook his head calmly. ¡°Of course you weren¡¯t poisoned. It was just a potent aphrodisiac that had stronger effects than average. I had to dig out everything to formte an antidote for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. They possessed an almost childlike innocence and trust when she looked at him.

    Chen Lie quickly turned his head to look at the instruments and data, and avoided her gaze. He was worried that he would blurt out the truth when he faced those eyes filled with honesty and sincerity. The consequences he risked at the hands of Huo Shaoheng were severe enough to keep him quiet. He didn¡¯t want to be beaten to a pulp and resigned to conducting experiments in jail for the rest of his life!

    ¡°Of course! So to thank me, you have to let me continue observing you so that I may perfect my antidote research.¡± Chen Lie¡¯s sses nearly slide down his nose and he pushed them up before resuming his stern expression.

    Gu Nianzhi finally believed Chen Lie¡¯s words and breathed out in relief. Shey on the examining chair andzily said, ¡°You should¡¯ve said something earlier. You know how I tend to overthink things.¡±

    ¡°What did you think it was?¡±

    ¡°I thought that I had been poisoned and that there were still traces of it in my system.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled and unexpectedly fell asleep on the examining chair slowly.

    It¡¯s better that she¡¯s asleep. Chen Lie had injected her with a drug to put her into a deep sleep and better allow him to continue observation of her bodily functions. For two days, Gu Nianzhi drifted in and out of sleep. Chen Lie also called Ye Zitan over to help him take care of Nianzhi. She was a female physician and certain things were more convenient with her assistance. Mei Xiawen called Gu Nianzhi numerous times the whole weekend, but she might as well have fallen off the face the earth. He was sick with worry. He even went to the Fengya Precinct, where she had told him before that house sat for. However, this time he couldn¡¯t even enter the precinct. He had o only been able to get inst time with Chen Lie telling the security to allow him entry. This time, Chen Lie didn¡¯t want any interference with his examination of Gu Nianzhi, and certainly didn¡¯t want him toe in and be a nuisance.

    Gu Nianzhi only regainedplete consciousness on Sunday evening. She sat up from the bed to see Ye Zitan tidying up.

    ¡°Dr. Ye, when did you get here?¡±

    Ye Zitan turned to smile at her, ¡°You¡¯re awake! Hungry? Chen Lie ordered food, so let¡¯s eat together.¡±

    As soon as food was mentioned, Gu Nianzhi lifted her nkets to get out of bed. ¡°Gosh, where? I¡¯m so hungry I could eat a cow right now!¡±

    ¡°No cows, but how about red braised pork belly?¡± Chen Lie poked his head in and smiled approvingly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s energetic state. He rubbed the stubble on his chin. ¡°This was a meal delivered from the cafeteria at the base, you can¡¯t get it elsewhere!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw Chen Lie and ran over to grab his elbow. She tilted her head and smiled. ¡°Brother Chen, the cafeteria in the base has red braised pork belly? Don¡¯t tease me!¡±

    ¡°Haha, you silly child, you¡¯re getting more and more impish!¡± Chen Lie decided to assert his older age. ¡°Thinking back¡­ when I first met you, you were like a small animal, wing at anyone you saw. My hands still have the scratch marks from your nails!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth,ughing.¡±I did that? I don¡¯t remember at all.¡±

    As the two bantered, Ye Zitan had already set the table and was calling them over to eat. Gu Nianzhi ate until she couldn¡¯t any more, and finally put down her chopsticks.

    It was alreadyte and Ye Zitan still had to return to the base. Chen Lie was worried about her leaving alone and discussed this with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m going back to the vase with Dr. Ye. Will you be ok here alone?¡±

    He knew Gu Nianzhi rarely stayed here alone since she was usually with Huo Shaoheng. However, she had been alone forst time. The week before, Chen Lie had left early and Gu Nianzhi stayed alone for one night. She had returned to campus early next morning.

    Gu Nianzhi felt she should get used to living alone as soon as possible, so she didn¡¯t ask Chen Lie to stay. It wasn¡¯t ideal for Ye Zitan to go back to the base alone, and more importantly, Gu Nianzhi knew Chen Lie secretly had feelings for Ye Zitan but couldn¡¯t find the courage to pursue her. Chen Lie was so good to Gu Nianzhi; of course she had to return the favour.

    Gu Nianzhi winked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, Brother Chen. Go back with Dr. Ye. I still have things to do.¡±

    Chen Lie turned to Ye Zitan. ¡°Dr. Ye, I still have some data to discuss with you, we can do this on the way back.¡±

    ¡°Ok, sounds good. I also happen to have some matters to consult with you about.¡± Ye Zitan got up to get herptop bag.

 Chapter 49: I Miss You

    <h4>Chapter 49: I Miss You</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When she was sure Ye Zitan wasn¡¯t looking, Gu Nianzhi turned and gave Chen Lie a big thumbs-up while mouthing, ¡°good luck¡±.

    Chen Lie blinked at her. His round face shower his embarrassement as he ducked out of the apartment with Ye Zitan.

    The front door shut with a resounding click, and suddenly the whole apartment was silent.

    Gu Nianzhi stood in the empty living room for a moment, then ran about the apartment, turning on all the lights.

    Once the lights were on, however, she felt even more alone. The lights had only served to show her exactly how lonely the spacious apartment was.

    ¡­

    At that very moment, at the C City airport, Wen Shouyi was just about to board a ne headed for the Imperial capital. Before doing so, she sent an email to the client seeking help with regards to the Feng family: ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯ve been declined. My boss will not take your case.¡±

    A voice came over the airport¡¯s PA system, urging passengers to board their nes. Wen Shouyi turned off her phone and headed for the special passageway meant for First ss passengers.

    On the ne, Wen Shouyi entered the First ss cabin and saw that He Zhichu was already seated in his spacious, first-ss chair. His face was turned to the side; he was watching the twilight sky darken on the other side of the window.

    ¡°Professor He.¡± Wen Shouyi reached over and arranged a nket around him as she lowered herself into the seat next to him.

    He Zhichu did not speak. He adjusted himself in his chair, then closed his eyes for a nap.

    ¡­

    Chen Lie and Ye Zitan returned to the base, bumping into Huo Shaoheng, who was returning from the training ground.

    He stopped by the side of the road when he saw Chen Lie and Ye Zitan.

    ¡°Sir, did you just finish a 10-kilometer cross country run, again?¡± Ye Zitan waved at him with a smile on her face.

    Huo Shaoheng was wearing a ck T-shirt and military green camouge pants. His pants were tucked into his military boots, and there was a cigarette in his hand. Standing under the street light, his tall, muscr body was both majestic and imposing, sweat glistening on his bare arms and down the side of his face from the intense exercise. He called beckoned for them toe to him.

    Chen Lie and Ye Zitan immediately stood at attention before him.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you with Nianzhi? How is she? Has she returned to her college yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng inclined his chin, motioning for them to be at ease as he fired off a round of questions.

    Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°Nianzhi is in good health. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, for now. She hasn¡¯t gone back to her school yet. She said that she¡¯ll return tomorrow morning.¡± He shuffled his feet and then looked at Huo Shaoheng pointedly.¡±She did the samest week as well.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a drag on his cigarette, and waved them off.

    After Chen Lie and Ye Zitan left, Huo Shaoheng walked over to a tree and stood under it, the light from his burning cigarette flickering between his fingers.

    He finished smoking his cigarette while enjoying the silent evening, then walked to his residence on the Special Ops military base.

    ¡­

    After taking a shower, Gu Nianzhi sat on the sill of the bay window in her apartment, alone. She hugged her little doll as she quietly watched the lights from the houses outside, beyond the window.

    She turned on her phone as soon as it finished charging, and was immediately flooded with a list of missed calls and text messages. Most of them were from Mei Xiawen.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little strange looking at all the missed calls and messages. She had never before had someone pine after her like this. It waspletely new to her.

    She read the messages, one by one, in the order they had been sent.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where did you go?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, give me a call if it¡¯s convenient for you.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, if you can¡¯t call me, you can just text me back.¡±

    ¡°Or you could send an email. Please don¡¯t leave me hanging.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, we¡¯ve only been apart for 36 hours and 12 minutes, but I look in the mirror and I can see my hair going white. For the first time in my life, I understand what they mean when they say, ¡®every minute without you feels like an eternity.''¡±

    ¡°I just had dinner with my family. It was a big, noisy dinner with lots of people, but to me it was like getting lost in a busy city. I feel so detached and removed from the hubbub and merriment around me. All I want is to be with you, forever and ever.¡±

    ¡°I miss you, I miss you, I miss you.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Thest message was made up entirely of her name, repeated over and over again.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi¡­¡±

    It seemed to go on forever.

    With her chin resting on top of the doll in her arms, Gu Nianzhi silently thought to herself that Mei Xiawen was not the typical prodigal son waiting to inherit a family fortune; he was a thoughtful and sophisticated man. He wrote eloquently¡ªeven his text messages were a joy to read.

    Her finger hovered uncertainly over her phone before finally dialing his number.

    ¡°Nianzhi? You¡¯re back?!¡± The phone had rung only once before Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice sounded from the other end of the line. It was obvious that he had been waiting for her to call.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little touched by this. She gave a faint ¡°Yes¡±, then said in a gentle voice, ¡°we had a visitor, and I followed them up to the mountains afterwards, where they lived, because they insisted on hosting me. The signal was really bad up there.¡± She felt sorry for lying to him.

    Mei Xiawen let out a long sigh of relief. He was in his car, driving.

    ¡°I¡¯m on my way back to school. Do you want me to pick you up?¡±

    He did not bother to hide the joy in his voice. He had been in a gloomy mood the whole weekend, but now the clouds had dispersed, the sun was shining again, and the warmth of Spring was upon his heart¡ªall because of a single phone call from Gu Nianzhi.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s offer was too tempting to pass up. Gu Nianzhi found herself unable to refuse.

    She really did not want to stay here tonight, all alone.

    In the past, Huo Shaoheng had asionally left her alone over the weekend when he had to deal with some urgent business. She had not felt lonely those times, however.

    She had believed, deep down, that it didn¡¯t matter if he was away, because he was always going toe back here, to this apartment, in the end.

    This week, however, she had felt that Huo Shaoheng was drifting further and further away from her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hesitationsted for only a few seconds. She then asked, ¡°Would it be convenient for you to pick me up?¡±

    She did not think she would be able to sleep here, all on her own. She would actually get a better night¡¯s sleep back in her dorm room, even with all the noise from her roommates.

    Mei Xiawen was happy to hear this; he quickly turned the steering wheel and drove towards Fengya Precinct, where Gu Nianzhi lived. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in about 20 minutes. Around ten o¡¯clock, I think.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stepped away from the window sill. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the gate.¡±

    She went to the bathroom and had a quick, no-nonsense, 10-minute bath. Then she packed her things, and walked out the door with a backpack and a small suitcase.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng was in his study; he had just finished his work. He looked at his watch, and found that it was almost ten o¡¯clock.

    He got out his phone, but did not call Gu Nianzhi because he thought she might be asleep. Instead, he called the Special Ops personnel who was secretly watching over Gu Nianzhi.

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi had gotten into trouble two weeks ago, Huo Shaoheng had secretly increased her security detail.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secret bodyguard had been selected from the Special Operations Forces; this was only natural, owing to the fact that their leader, Huo Shaoheng, was her guardian.

    Her bodyguard took the call from Huo Shaoheng; he said, quietly, ¡°Miss Gu just exited the precinct. She¡¯s standing at the gate. She appears to be waiting for someone.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s she waiting for, at this hour?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer; his cursor hovered over a certain executable file for a moment, before finally moving away. He did not run the special program.

    The bodyguard on the other end was about to reply that he didn¡¯t know, but then he turned and saw a Buick pull up in front of Gu Nianzhi. Someone got out from the car: it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ss representative, Mei Xiawen.

    The bodyguard quickly reported what he had seen to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It appears that Miss Gu has been waiting for her ss Rep, Mei Xiawen.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hung up at this. He threw his work phone onto the desk, and walked out to the balcony. There, he lit a cigarette and kept it between his fingers. while he put on his custom-made, multi-function Bluetooth headset. With it, he finally called Gu Nianzhi with an outside line.

    Gu Nianzhi was inside Mei Xiawen¡¯s car, chatting amiably with him, when she suddenly heard her phone ring and vibrate furiously.

    She looked down, and saw that it was an iing call from Huo Shaoheng.

    She did not think Huo Shao would personally call her thiste in the night. She assumed it was Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi epted the call with azy swipe of her finger, and said, ¡°Hello?¡±

    It waste, past her usual bed-time. Her voice was therefore a little lower than usual, a little more alluring and seductive. It was not deliberate, however; her voice was just naturally like that.

 Chapter 50: With You All The Way

    <h4>Chapter 50: With You All The Way</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Mei Xiawen had been concentrating on driving, but his heart couldn¡¯t help trembling when he heard Gu Nianzhizily answer her phone with a simple ¡°hello.¡± He could listen to her voice tirelessly.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze was lowered to the cigarette in his fingers. His voice was deeper than usual and held a indescribable maism that could steal hearts. He slowly called out her name, ¡°Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi straightened immediately, delighted.

    ¡°Uncle Huo??¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Huo Shaoheng answered dryly.

    ¡°Uncle Huo, you¡¯re not busy now?¡±

    ¡°I just finished.¡±

    ¡°When will you be back?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked softly, her question bncing within the tender notes of her voice.

    It was only with Huo Shaoheng that she could totally let her guard down. If she were to choose only one person in the world in whom to totally trust and rely on, it could only be Huo Shaoheng. Mei Xiawen couldn¡¯t help turning to nce at her. He never knew her voice could be so sweet, and he was felt warm all over.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely focused on Huo Shaoheng. The night was no longer lonesome and she no longer felt the forlorn sensation that had been weighing on her mind earlier. Of course, Gu Nianzhi knew this feeling really had nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng himself: it was because she secretly found emotional sustenance with him. Just like people who devoted themselves to their religion and demonstrated unwavering faith, so did Gu Nianzhi when it came to her uncle. Huo Shaoheng was her religion.

    Huo Shaoheng was unsure about what to say next. He was not an eloquent man and had no patience when it came to conversation. He was better suited, he felt, as a man of action. Within the space of silence, the quiet murmur of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing traveled through his headset and he fancied that he could almost make out the sounds of her heartbeat.

    Gu Nianzhi was nervous too. Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t say anything and she was too scared to even breathe loudly. She was holding her breath and her heart rate was going up. If Chen Lie had been there to observe her vital signs, he would have said that her body was activating a self-defense mechanism in response to a hypoxic state, or some other convoluted medical exnation.

    Mei Xiawen continued driving and thought Gu Nianzhi had finished the call when she didn¡¯t speak for some time. He asked casually, ¡°Was that your guardian?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice through the line and opened the study door and walked downstairs. He asked easily, ¡°Where are you? Who are you speaking to?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gently breathed out and her rigid body rxed. She leaned back in the seat to watch the street lights sh by outside the car window andughed quietly. ¡°That was my ssmate, my university ss Rep. I¡¯m in his car because he¡¯s taking me back to campus.¡±

    With the ice broken, it was much easier to keep the conversation flowing.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted and continued to speak.

    ¡°What did you do this week?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to end the call so soon, so she fervently told him about what had happened at school, at the dorm, and even with the interview. She told him absolutely everything in detail.

    She had always been articte, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have wanted to studyw. As always, Huo Shaoheng grunted intermittently to let her know he was listening. Gu Nianzhi spoke to him the whole way and when she looked up, they had already arrived to the dorm.

    Time to hang up already. Gu Nianzhi felt her loneliness begin to creep up again.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t hung up yet and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even bother to say so much as a goodnight to Mei Xiawen before she turned to enter the dorms. She was going up the stairs when Huo Shaoheng asked over the phone, ¡°Nianzhi, Chen Lie told me about you wanting to look for a boyfriend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks flushed hotly. She was about to rify that she didn¡¯t want to find one, but someone was pursuing her. Huo Shaoheng continued before she could start, ¡°I have no issue with it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes dimmed and she was silent for a long time. She managed a hollo ¡°Ok¡± and then ended the call. Stopping to look up, she found herself standing before the door to her dorm room.

    Huo Shaoheng had been on the phone with her the whole way here. She had barely spoken to Mei Xiawen in the car and had basically treated him like a driver. It was rude of her and she had to thank him properly tomorrow. She made a mental note to do so before she worried or upset him.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed open the door but it didn¡¯t open because it was locked¡ªher roommates were still out. She took out her key to open the door. Turning on the lights, she saw the empty room with two bunk beds, four desks and four dressers. Gu Nianzhi smiled. The phone call she had been pining for days finally came and to her, but it was like another shoe had finally hit the ground. From now on, she would learn to live alone. Gu Ninazhi set down her backpack and suitcase to begin tidying her things. She had already showered before heading out, so she went to the bathroom to wash her face and put on a face mask before opening herptop to continue her thesis.

    ¡­

    The Special Operations personnel who was secretly protecting Gu Nianzhi had followed Mei Xiawen¡¯s car the whole way and also maintained contact with the base¡¯smunication system. Before going to bed, Zhao Liangze opened hisputer to check on the tracker and found that Huo Shaoheng had been on the phone with Gu Nianzhi the entire time. He clicked the mouse and a topographic map of C City appeared on the monitor instantly. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small red dot continued to move and quickly arrived to the entrance of C University. This meant that Gu Nianzhi had been calling Huo Shaoheng for the duration of her trip.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Zhao Liangze tapped the mouse and muttered to himself, ¡°Why would that be? Has something happened to Nianzhi?¡±

    No one knew better than Zhao Liangze how busy Huo Shaoheng was as a high ranking officer. However, Huo Shaoheng, who dealt with a thousand things a day, had taken precious time on a Sunday evening to call Gu Nianzhi and speak with her for nearly half an hour. Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help calling Yin Shiziong¡¯s extension and grilling him. ¡°Big Xiong, is something going on with Nianzhi?¡±

    Yin Shixiong had been asleep and was groggy when Zhao Liangze woke him. His eyes remained shut. ¡°Nope. Nothing¡¯s going on with Nianzhitely.¡±

    If there was something going on, how does he not know about it? He takes care of everything that has to do with Gu Nianzhi. Yin Shixiong remembered this in his awakened state.

    Zhao Liangze scratched his head and watched the little red dot on the monitor arrive at the entrance of C University. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone line indicated he was still ¡°in a call.¡±

    ¡°Why was he on the phone with her the entire time? It¡¯ste already; Nianzhi should be on her way back to campus.¡± Zhao Liangze rubbed his chin and mulled it over. Yin Shixiong ad taken care of Gu Nianzhi for many years already, so he knew, better than Zhao Liangze did, exactly how important she was to Huo Shaoheng.

    Yin Shixiong yawned and impatiently said, ¡°You still don¡¯t get it? Nianzhi was going to campuste at night and he was worried, so he stayed on the line with her the whole way. If something happened, he could immediately mobilize help and wouldn¡¯t have to wait for someone else to report back.¡±

    Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t buying it. Something didn¡¯t quite add up. A thought shed in his mind but he suppressed it.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then, I was worried there was something going on. Go back to sleep, I¡¯ll call it a night too.¡± The base had personnel on duty anyway. He could sleep for 24 hours if he so wanted.

    Late at night, the C City Special Operations Forces base was serene. Huo Shaoheng stood beneath the night sky and raised his head to look at the myriad of stars, no longer worried. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and leisurely walked back to his quarters.

 Chapter 51: Search

    <h4>Chapter 51: Search</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The days that followed weren¡¯t particrly exciting.

    Three weekends quickly passed; it was now the end of April.

    Gu Nianzhi had dutifully returned to her Fengya Precinct apartment very weekend, and let Chen Lie run his tests and draw blood samples.

    Every Sunday evening, Mei Xiawen picked her up and drove her back to school.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, never called again.

    Chen Lie had profited the most out of the past month.

    He had discovered, from the health checks conducted on Gu Nianzhi over thest four weeks, that she waspletely unaffected by the virus.

    The horrific decline in health that had been observed in other imperial women ¨C Oda Masao¡¯s test subjects ¨C did not apply to Gu Nianzhi, at all.

    She had miraculously recovered from the virus. Chen Lie was also convinced that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body had produced antibodies that were 100% effective against this bioweapon.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s all. I¡¯ve extracted the antibody.¡± Chen Lie was proudly showing off thetest results of his research to Huo Shaoheng.

    The antibody was a blood serum. If anyone fell victim to the virus again in the future, they would be able to counter it simply by injecting the antibody into the victim¡¯s blood stream. It was fast, and convenient.

    The next step would be to develop a vine, so everyone would be immune to the virus.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms. He looked at the test tube in Chen Lie¡¯s hand, his eyes dark and gloomy. ¡°Don¡¯t report this. You have the antibody. That should be enough.¡±

    He did not want the Imperial Army to be any more interested in Gu Nianzhi than they already were.

    He had been her guardian for six years now; at no point had Huo Shaoheng ever felt that Gu Nianzhi was in any way abnormal or different.

    He wanted Gu Nianzhi to be able to live the life of a normal girl. He did not want her to be Chen Lie¡¯sb rat.

    Chen Lie understood what he was implying. He rolled his eyes, and said, ¡°Hey, I resent that! Did you really think I¡¯d stoop that low? Who do you think I am ¨C Doctor Frankenstein?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him, his expression stern and solemn. ¡°You signed a military order. Don¡¯t forget.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Chen Lie put the test tube back into the medical refrigerator. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it then. Everything¡¯s settled. It won¡¯t be necessary for Nianzhi toe here and be myb rat anymore.¡±

    ¡­

    It was the end of April, when the weather was at its best in C City.

    It was also the best time for the seniors at C University.

    The graduating seniors were mostly done with their job hunting and graduate school entrance exams. Their graduation theses were also nearly finished; all that was left was to polish it, and to look up a few more references to prepare for their thesis defense.

    Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen had been inseparable the past month; they went to ss together, studied together, and worked on their theses in the library together. They even ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner together.

    The students were beginning to think of them as conjoined twins.

    ¡°ss Rep, why don¡¯t you marry our dear Nianzhi after graduation?¡± Little Temptress had bumped into Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xianwen at the cafeteria; sheughed as she cheekily tapped her rice bowl with a spoon. ¡°Look at you two lovebirds, all lovey-dovey wherever you go. The C University student body will be protesting your PDA very soon, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked at Gu Nianzhi. He smiled easily, and said, ¡°If she agrees, I¡¯ll get started on the paperwork, right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed, and changed the subject. ¡°Little Temptress, shouldn¡¯t you be at the food counter? I hear they have your favorite today, bitter melon with scrambled eggs. If you don¡¯t hurry, it¡¯ll be all sold out¡­¡±

    Little Temptress had unique tastes; this dish was, indeed, her favorite.

    She gave a little shriek and ran to the nearest counter.

    Mei Xiawen looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was blushing at Little Temptress¡¯s joke. He found her naivet¨¦ particrly charming.

    His school mates would never believe him if he told them, but the truth was, he and Gu Nianzhi had only ever held hands in the past month, after officially bing a couple. He hadn¡¯t even kissed her cheek yet.

    For the other students, a couple wasn¡¯t really a couple unless they¡¯d already had sex. That was their golden standard for what counted as an ¡°official rtionship¡±.

    So were the two of them really in a romantic rtionship? Or were they something more than friends ¨C but not quite lovers?

    Mei Xiawen was not in a hurry. He smiled and led Gu Nianzhi to a window seat on the second floor of the cafeteria. He hung his school bag over the back of a chair, and ced his phone on the table. ¡°Sit here. I¡¯ll go get our lunch.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. At this very moment, her phone began to ring. She saw at once that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number, and immediately took the call with a swipe of her finger.

    ¡°Uncle Huo!¡± cried Gu Nianzhi joyfully. Her small, exquisite face instantly brightened; it was as though there was a light shining from within her.

    It didn¡¯t matter what she told herself ¨C she just couldn¡¯t resist a call from Huo Shaoheng. She was a believer who could not shake off her faith.

    At this very moment, Gu Nianzhi was like a flower that had suddenly opened up into a full bloom; her loveliness dazzled Mei Xiawen, swept him off his feet. He had to turn his head slightly and avert his gaze as he quickly made for the food counter.

    He did not see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fall the very next instant, when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Personal Secretary, Zhao Liangze, spoke to her from the other end of the line.

    Zhao Liangze held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone in his hand; he was feeling very guilty, and had to force himself to say, with a wry smile on his face, ¡°Nianzhi, this is Brother Ze speaking. Mr. Huo has been very busy recently. He¡¯s about to go on a business trip, so he won¡¯t be able to call you for quite some time.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I understand,¡± said Gu Nianzhi in a small voice. She had already recovered from her disappointment.

    At this very moment, Zhao Liangze was standing on the balcony of the Fengya Precinct penthouse. Several orderlies were packing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s belongings.

    ¡°Nianzhi, Huo Shao said to tell you, you¡¯re all grown up now, you can do whatever you want. You don¡¯t have to keep asking him for his opinion.¡± Zhao Liangze kept a watchful eye over the orderlies as they searched the apartment. He turned from the balcony, and went to the gym on the second floor.

    Huo Shaoheng was checking the fitness equipment inside the gym.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s words sounded like a farewell speech.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as though she was walking on a tightrope; buffeted by the wind, her feet swayed in mid-air, trapped between the sky above and the ground below.

    It was noon; the cafeteria was full of sunlight, people, and the sound of talking andughter. But Gu Nianzhi felt like she had suddenly been transported to a barren wilderness.

    Gu Nianzhi had to bite her lip to suppress the extreme panic that was bubbling within her.

    It was as though she was back in the burning car: she was crying, shouting, but no one answered her.

    The fire had cut off all exits, separating her from her past and her future. Everyone that had showed up in her life had proved to be no more than a passing traveler. She was alone. Again

    Even Huo Shaoheng was leaving her¡­

    ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you still there?¡± Zhao Liangze waited for a long moment, but did not hear a response from Gu Nianzhi. Something seemed off; he could not help but cover the mouthpiece and say to Huo Shaoheng, who was busy turning a screw, in a low voice, ¡°Sir, Nianzhi doesn¡¯t seem happy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him. His hands moved methodically, precise and efficient.

    Zhao Liangze grinned, and walked out of the gym with the phone in his hand.

    On the other end of the line, Gu Nianzhi finally recollected her wits. She forced herself to smile as she said, ¡°¡­I¡¯m here, I hear you. I understand.¡±

    Zhao Liangze breathed a sigh of relief. His voice was light and easy now. ¡°Great. Okay, if somethinges up, look for Big Xiong. Mr. Huo and I will be going on a business trip, so we won¡¯t be seeing you for a while. You be sure to take care of yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in a panic now. She quickly said, ¡°Brother Ze, don¡¯t hang up! When¡­ when will the two of you be back? Can I see Uncle Huo before he leaves?¡±

    Her voice was loud over the phone; anyone nearby could hear her.

    Zhao Liangze was about to agree to her request, when he saw that Huo Shaoheng hade out of the gym. His dark, inky eyes were inscrutable as he gave Zhao Liangze a small shake of his head.

    Zhao Liangze was forced to say, ¡°No time to talk, you know how it is¡­ okay, I¡¯m hanging up, we have to go now, see you!¡±

    Zhao Liangze hung up the phone, his brow drenched in sweat. He turned to Huo Shaoheng and said, resentfully, ¡°Sir, did you have to go so far? Nianzhi practically grew up under our noses. How could you?¡±

 Chapter 52: The Pajamas Under the Pillow

    <h4>Chapter 52: The Pajamas Under the Pillow</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°She¡¯s grown up now and has to learn to be independent, she can¡¯t rely on others anymore.¡± Huo Shaoheng typically never exined himself, but had made an exception this time. He turned the corner and went towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom.

    Zhao Liangze was following him and continued to express his displeasure. ¡°You¡¯re correct, sir. But, can you not be so brusque? She¡¯s not tough or thick skinned like me and Big Xiong, nor is she one of your Special Ops soldiers! Cutting her off so resolutely will make a young girl like her weep!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made arrangements, don¡¯t worry.¡± Huo Shaoheng was unperturbed. He stopped walking and stood in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room before turning to nce at Zhao Liangze. Although his face was calm, his eyes were hard. It was clear that Zhao Liangze was getting on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s nerves.

    Terrified, Zhao Liangze ducked his neck, but he still refused to back down and muttered, ¡± Nianzhi is especially timid, she was so scared before she even lost her memories. Aren¡¯t you concerned that she¡¯ll get scared again and forget you too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not bother to answer such hypothetical questions. His gaze shifted around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. She had kept it very neat and tidy. White, bamboo-print sheets with an 1800 thread count that were spun from Egyptian cotton, covered afortable andrge bed. She had ced several dolls by the headboard¡ªthey wore ornate princess frocks, had heavy bangs, round eyes, heart-shaped faces and petite figures. They were unlike typical Western-style dolls, and were reminiscent of ancient Empire-style dolls. Someone with a discerning eye would know that they hadn¡¯t been purchased in a department, but had been custom-made. An image of a 12-year old Gu Nianzhi clutching these dolls shed through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind. He had been just as busy back then, so he couldn¡¯t make much time to be with her everyday. She would cry every time she couldn¡¯t see him. Later, Chen Lie suggested that, ording to studies in developmental and child psychology, her anxiety could be relieved if they gave her something familiar. These dolls were like the ones she hugged in the photos, so they counted as familiar objects. They had then custom ordered dolls that mirrored the ones in the photos.

    ¡°Did you check this room?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes moved calmly from the dolls to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Remove everything that belongs to me.¡±

    ¡°This is Nianzhi¡¯s room, why would your things be in here?!¡± It took all of Zhao Liangze¡¯s willpower to not roll his eyes in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back, his posture straight and his expression stoic. ¡°This is a military order.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was tongue-tied, and had no choice but to answer loudly, ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    Military orders are absolute, so how could I possibly question it? But, this is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. Can¡¯t we just have an orderlyb through it? Zhao Liangze rambled hisints in his head.

    Zhao Liangze was still hesitant, so Huo Shaoheng said firmly, ¡°Be thorough.¡±

    Fine, Zhao Liangze sighed, I¡¯ll do it myself. Since the room had to be scoured and could leave no indication that anything had been touched, it could only be up to him, the unfortunate and exceptionally meticulous personal secretary. Zhao Liangze coughed before he held his head high and walked in. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was actually sparse and neatly organized. He carefully made his way through her belongings and even peeked into the bathroom cabs, a ce a youngdy would keep her personal items, but didn¡¯t see anything that belonged to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Tch, what a psycho. Why would a youngdy have his manly things in her room.¡± Zhao Liangze secretly berated Huo Shaoheng as he left the bathroom. He looked up to see Huo Shaoheng sitting on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and his feet immediately snapped together as he reported loudly, ¡°Reporting to Chief! This room does not contain your items!¡±

    ¡°You looked through everything?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up at Zhao Liangze, ¡°All the ces? Without missing anything?¡±

    Zhao Liangze scratched his head and cursed himself internally. Have I missed something? Huo Shaoheng usually asked these kinds of questions when he was about to reveal their mistakes. Zhao Liangze pressed his lips together and kept silent.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at him as he reached a hand under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pillow to pull out a ck T-shirt and waved it at him. ¡°What¡¯s this then?¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes were about to pop out!

    What the h*ll?! Why is there a man¡¯s T-shirt under her pillow?!

    Huo Shaoheng actually didn¡¯t know why his shirt was there either, and even more so, why he had flipped her pillow over.

    ¡°Take it away.¡± Huo Shaoheng flung therge ck T-shirt at Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze had intended to take onest shot and question how the general knew it was his. It wasn¡¯t as if Major General Huo was the only one in the world to wear such a shirt! But, upon inspecting the tag on the shirt, Zhao Liangze could only shut his mouth. It was really his. This was casual wear distributed by the military. Considering Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rank, all his items had a unique code.

    Zhao Liangze rubbed his nose and began tob through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s closet again.

    Huo Shaoheng got up to leave and went to his study to put something into the safe.

    Zhao Liangze scrutinized the room several more times to confirm that there weren¡¯t any more of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s items before he secretly called Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, why is the General¡¯s T-shirt under your pillow?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been eating in the cafeteria. ¡°Oh? Those are my pajamas! Where else would I have them?¡±

    ¡°You use his T-shirt as pajamas?!¡± Zhao Liangze was even more shocked. ¡°Are you serious? He didn¡¯t even get you pajamas?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Little Brother Ze, don¡¯t freak out. It¡¯s not what you think.¡±

    ¡°What am I thinking?¡± Zhao Liangze shoved the T-shirt in a stic bag with resentment. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Big Xiong about how exactly he was taking care of you? Mr. Huo might be busy, but Big Xiong isn¡¯t!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly muffled the phone and turned towards the window, then said quietly, ¡± Little Brother Ze, you misunderstand: I like wearing men¡¯s T-shirts to sleep! They¡¯re 100% cotton, breathable, and sweat absorbent. Plus, they¡¯re also reallyfy. I¡¯ve been wearing my uncle¡¯s shirts as pajamas since I was 12, and I guess I just got used to it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were half true.

    The truth was, no one had prepared pajamas for her when she started living with Huo Shaoheng. He was just a rugged bachelor and unfamiliar with the world of women, so to save trouble, he¡¯d tossed a new ck T-shirt from the Special Ops for her to use as pajamas. She wasn¡¯t ustomed to it in the beginning, but grew to like it after a while. Other than the one under her pillow that they found in the apartment, she had also hidden three or four more brand new ck t-shirts that the military had distributed. Huo Shaoheng had probably forgotten all about this. In the past two years, Gu Nianzhi never appeared before him in pajamas. Huo Shaoheng also never went to her room.

    Zhao Liangze confirmed and asked curiously, ¡°Is it thatfy? I didn¡¯t think so.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled, ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll find out once you give it a try?¡± Then she had suddenly realized, ¡°Huh? Wait, how do you know I have my pajamas under my pillow?!¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed and closed the suitcase he had been organizing with a click. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I have something to take care of, we¡¯ll talk after.¡± He hung up.

 Chapter 53: How Rude

    <h4>Chapter 53: How Rude</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone; she wondered what Zhao Liangze was doing at her apartment. At this very moment, she heard a chime from Mei Xiawen¡¯s phone, which he had left on the table. It was a text message.

    Gu Nianzhi automatically nced at the phone, and saw the contents of the message without meaning to.

    It was from Ai Weinan.

    [Weinan]: ¡°It¡¯s that time of the month for me again. I feel so ufortable¡­ I miss the ginger tea you used to make for me, all those years ago¡­¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind reeled upon seeing this. Her mouth twitched as she nudged Mei Xiawen¡¯s phone away from her.

    Before long, Mei Xiawen appeared with a big dinner tray. He set it down before Gu Nianzhi, and moved the two tes of food that had been on the tray onto the table.

    Gu Nianzhi silently picked up her pair of disposable chopsticks, and began to eat.

    Mei Xiawen sat beside her. He watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s profile as he ate, a smile on his face.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed by this. She tapped Mei Xiawen¡¯s bowl with her chopsticks as she said, ¡°Your lunch is over here. What are you looking at?¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyes sparkled behind his gold-rimmed sses. Heughed, and said, ¡°I¡¯m looking at you, of course¡­¡±

    ¡°What nonsense. I¡¯m not food, so why are you looking at me during lunch?¡± said Gu Nianzhi, before taking a sip of iced milk.

    ¡°You¡¯re a real feast for the eyes.¡± Mei Xiawen reached out and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand with his free hand.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily pulled away. ¡°Don¡¯t be so cheesy, I¡¯m still eating here.¡±

    As they spoke, Mei Xiawen¡¯s phone rang again.

    He reached for his phone, but the first thing he saw was the text message from Ai Weinan that he had missed.

    The phone continued to ring relentlessly, but Mei Xiawen did not take the call. He was staring at Ai Weinan¡¯s message, his thoughts far away. He couldn¡¯t help it; he was awash in old memories. His eyes lingered on the words ¡°ginger tea¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi found it strange that Mei Xiawen wasn¡¯t answering his phone. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who¡¯s calling? If you don¡¯t want to pick up, just cancel the call. It¡¯s kind of noisy.¡±

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s the student council.¡± Mei Xiawen had returned to his senses. He unlocked his phone and took the call.

    He gave a few nonmittal replies to whoever was on the other end, before hanging up to check Weibo on his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi was done eating; she saw that Mei Xiawen had left most of his food untouched. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Not hungry? Did somethinge up with the student council?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have some student council stuff to deal with, but I¡¯ll give you a ride back, first.¡± Mei Xiawen stood up, toozy to eat now. He dumped the rest of his food.

    When the two got up to leave, a woman wearing one of the newest dresses from Chanel¡¯stest summer line-up entered the cafeteria.

    It was Feng Yixi¡¯s older sister, Feng Yichen.

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi as she walked past her. Gu Nianzhi was radiant and full of smiles; the tall, slim, elegant, and dignified man beside her had his arm around her shoulder.

    She recognized the man: it was Mei Xiawen, her sister¡¯s ss representative, and also the only son of the Mei family, one of the wealthiest families in C City. The Feng family had once tried to curry favor with them.

    The two of them walked past her, absorbed in their own little world. They did not recognize her.

    Feng Yichen turned, and watched Mei Xiawen hold open the door to a Buick for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Yichen, what are you looking at?¡± Feng Yichen¡¯s roommate followed her gaze, and saw Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the golden couple from ss One, the undergrad seniors from our department. They¡¯re like the Golden Boy and Jade Maiden; it¡¯s a match made in heaven.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re dating?¡± Feng Yichen finally looked away, and ascended to the second floor of the cafeteria with her roommate.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been dating for some time now. More than a month, I think? You know how it is. The senior year is when couples break up, but it¡¯s also when new couples pop up like mushrooms after a rain.¡±

    Feng Yichen and her roommate were both third-year post-grad students in the C Universityw department. They were also graduating this year.

    Feng Yichen did not like to hear her roommate gush over Mei Xiawen and Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Golden Boy and Jade Maiden?¡± She gave an odd smile, and continued, ¡°¡­Jaded Slut, you mean?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡± Feng Yichen¡¯s roommate had been concentrating on the menu, and had not heard Feng Yichen properly.

    ¡°Nothing. Just saying how wonderful they look together,¡± said Feng Yichen with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go sit over there.¡±

    Her roommate wasn¡¯t done talking about them, however. After securing a seat, she said, with great interest, ¡°¡­By the way, I heard that Professor He Zhichu, the famous professor from B University, epted Gu Nianzhi as his graduate student. It¡¯s such a pity about your sister. If she hadn¡¯t gotten into trouble, that spot would have been hers!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Feng Yichen¡¯s head jerked up; her almond eyes were narrowed, her face clouded. ¡°Didn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi miss the interview?¡±

    He Zhichu was famous for his zero-tolerance policy towards people who weren¡¯t punctual. So how was this possible?

    ¡°She missed it, yes, but I heard that was only because she was seriously ill. She had a medical certificate proving she was sick and all, so Professor He gave her a second interview.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Feng Yichen¡¯s voice had gotten very low, and sounded almost sinister.

    Her roommate looked at her, astonished. ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure! You haven¡¯t been to the administrative buildingtely, have you? The grad school admissions list is posted there, that¡¯s as urate as ites.¡±

    Feng Yichen¡¯s appetite had vanished.

    She prodded at the rice in her bowl a few times, before standing up to say, ¡°I have to go, I have something to do.¡± Having said that, she walked out of the cafeteria without a second nce.

    Feng Yichen¡¯s roommate grumbled behind her back, annoyed by her behavior. ¡°Tch! What a nutjob! Who does she think she is? Her wealthy heiress days are over¡­¡±

    ¡­

    It was the weekend again.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t nned on returning to the Fengya Precinct apartment ¨C not originally.

    Chen Lie had told her that she was fully recovered, and therefore her weekly check-ups were no longer necessary. As for Huo Shaoheng, he had apparently left C City.

    She did not see the point in returning to that empty apartment.

    But since receiving the call from Zhao Liangze on Thursday asking about her pajamas, she had be somewhat restless. She kept wondering how he had found her pajamas¡­

    And anyway, Mei Xiawen had been busy with the student council since their lunch together on Thursday. He was too busy to spend time with her, so it was actually a good time for her to go back to the apartment.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi hurried back to her apartment ¨C and immediately noticed all the changes.

    She rushed into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room, to discover that all of his personal belongings were gone. It was as though his room had been burgled.

    The bathroom was sparkling clean. It could have passed for a disy unit in a showroom, even; it looked brand new, devoid of all personal items.

    It was the same for the study room, gym and gun room upstairs: everything that belonged to Huo Shaoheng was gone.

    Her own belongings were intact, except for the pajamas under her pillow. But then again, that was also Huo Shaoheng¡¯s¡­

    If the apartment had indeed been burgled, the thief must have been extremely particr.

    Deep inside, she knew she was only kidding herself: this couldn¡¯t have been the work of a burr. She thought of Zhao Liangze¡¯s phone call, and everything was now clear as day to her.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the door to the gun room, and slowly slid to the floor. She buried her head between her knees.

    The door had been soundproofed; it was covered with a thickyer of ck leather on the outside, secured by dozens of ck brass tacks. It was a very imposing door.

    As she leaned against this dark, massive door, all alone, Gu Nianzhi looked smaller and more fragile than usual.

    She sat there, hugging her knees, the entire night. Her mind was aplete nk, and her heart felt like it had been hollowed out.

    This time, she was convinced that Huo Shaoheng no longer wanted anything to do with her.

    Whatever. She would be turning 18 in the second half of the year, anyway. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s responsibility as her guardian would be over then.

    She knew this day woulde, sooner orter.

    But surely he could have spoken to her about this?

    Instead, he had stealthily removed all his belongings when she wasn¡¯t around. How rude.

    Uncle Huo wasn¡¯t like that, was he?

    What happened?

    When dawn came, Gu Nianzhi slowly raised her head, her lipspressed into a straight line. She watched the apartment slowly grow brighter and clearer before her eyes.

    It was a new day.

    Her legs were stiff and numb. She rubbed them with her hands, and was about to stand up when she heard her phone ring.

 Chapter 54: Unexpexted

    <h4>Chapter 54: Unexpexted</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    She unlocked her phone and saw that it was Mei Xiawen calling. To see that someone was seeking her out while she was lonely was like being gifted a fire on a winter¡¯s night, like a parched traveler seeing a fountain in the middle of a desert¡ªone one could refuse such kindness. Gu Nianzhi answered in a soft voice.

    Mei Xiawen smiled on the other end of the line, ¡°Nianzhi, you went home? Did something happen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine now, I want toe back to campus.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯lle pick you up.¡± Mei Xiawen had woken up early to train and just finished eating breakfast when he realized he hadn¡¯t eaten with Gu Nianzhi in days, so he called her in a hurry.

    Gu Nianzhi supported herself on the soundproof door of the shooting range in order to slowly stand up, her voice trembling slightly., ¡°I just got up, I¡¯ll call you after I have breakfast.¡±

    Mei Xiawenughed as he agreed and hung up. Gu Nianzhi put away her phone and suddenly hesitated. If Huo Shaoheng had taken away all his belongings, should she move out too? The apartment was under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name and with the owner away, it wouldn¡¯t be proper if she squatted here. She was also about to graduate and wouldn¡¯t start her post-grad until next year, so she still had time to look for a summer job. With an ie, she¡¯d be able to rent her own ce and not have to worry about people barging in and taking things away. Gu Nianzhi was sulky and called Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Brother Big Xiong¡± Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°did I wake you?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was in a meeting with Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and a few essential members of the Special Operations Forces. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was calling, he picked up right away and got up to leave the conference room.

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m already up.¡± Yin Shixiong poked his head into the room to mouth ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± at Huo Shaoheng and let him know she was calling.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t move an inch, and instead indicated that Yin Shixiong was to continue speaking with her.

    ¡°The first phase of preparations for 6th Military Region is nearlyplete; the funds and personnel are ready. General Huo Shaoheng, we should confirm the ns and report it.¡± Zhao Liangze picked up a report from the printer and distributed it to everyone at the meeting.

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Big Xiong, I¡¯m at the apartment in the Fenya Precinct. All of Uncle Huo¡¯s things are gone. We¡¯re we robbed? Should I call the police?¡±

    ¡°Oh?! No! Don¡¯t call the police!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s forehead began to sweat, ¡°There¡­ there were no thieves! Who would dare rob your apartment?¡±

    ¡°My apartment? This isn¡¯t my apartment, I¡¯m just staying here.¡± Gu Nianzhi stated calmly. She walked to the window.

    ¡°So, if that¡¯s the case, then why are Uncle Huo¡¯s things gone?¡±

    ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s because¡­¡± Yin Shixiong had always been quick witted, but he was at loss for words now. He stammered for a while before finally saying, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the Imperial capital for your post-grad, so we¡ª¡±

    ¡°Haha, yeah right. Brother Big Xiong, don¡¯t find some random excuse. You know that I¡¯m not going to the Imperial capital for my post-grad until next spring. It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t have to worry now that I know we weren¡¯t robbed. You know Uncle Huo¡¯s things are confidential, it¡¯d be a disaster if they went missing. Uncle Huo takes cares of a thousand things a day. I understand and I won¡¯t give him trouble. Please tell him that I¡¯m moving out today.¡±When she wanted to, Gu Nianzhi could speak with an even sharper tongue than Yin Shixiong, or even her uncle.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t move out!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯ silver tongue was useless now. He quickly muffled the phone and poked his head into the conference room. ¡°General Huo, pleasee out for a second, it¡¯s urgent.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t move and so he had no choice but to add, ¡°It¡¯s concerning Miss Gu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at him, his expression indifferent. ¡°That¡¯s your responsibility.¡±

    ¡°But she said she¡¯s moving out!¡± Yin Shixiong was helpless. He had no choice but to blurt it out.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent, but Zhao Liangze had already faked a cough and patted the mouse heavily, ¡°What did I tell you?! We Special Ops can¡¯t be brusque with our work with civilians!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and stood up from his seat. The ck, heavy belt on his waist further entuated his toned midsection. He put one hand in his pocket and held a cigarette in the other as he strode out with his long legs, the tall military boots tapping on the floorboards.

    Yin Shixiong hurriedly repeated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words to him andined quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to exin this to her! She thought the apartment was robbed and wants to call the police! See, I told you that you shouldn¡¯t move your things out, right? That was too excessive! The youngdy couldn¡¯t take it and now she¡¯s talking about moving out¡ª¡±

    ¡°Moving out?¡± Huo Shaoheng flicked the cigarette ash. ¡°Tell her that the apartment is now under her name, it¡¯s hers. The deed is in the safe in the study. She knows the password.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s almost choked. He stammered, ¡°T-t-t-the house is now under Nianzhi¡¯s name?¡±

    Jesus, this is a penthouse in the best area of the Fenya Precinct. With 160 square meters of living space and a current market value of at least five million yuan¡­he just gave it away to Gu Nianzhi?

    Huo Shaoheng grunted. ¡°Also, the vi in Dexing Precinct, that¡¯s her dowry, but don¡¯t tell her yet.

    He turned back towards the conference room and said before he left, ¡°Alright, convince her and I¡¯ll continue the meeting.¡± He walked back.

    Yin Shixiong watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s broad back in awe. The door to the conference room shut in Yin Shixiong¡¯s face with a thud. He stared at the door and almost crumpled to the floor.

    This is truly the best guardian in the Empire, and our role model! Yin Shixiong thought in wonder.

    Unfortunately he didn¡¯t have the ability to gift a penthouse apartment. He collected himself and picked up the phone,ughing in disbelief. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Nianzhi. Mr. Huo has business to take care off. Also, the apartment is under your name now, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate that he continued to live there. That¡¯s why his things were moved. If you don¡¯t like living alone, you can stay at our base! You have a room here too, did you forget? Why do you have to move out?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect this at all and was stunned. She reacted just like Yin Shixiong did and stuttered, ¡°W-w-w-what what did you say? This apartment is under my name?! This is Uncle Huo¡¯s home! I can¡¯t take it!¡±

    ¡°I know. Mr. Huo said¡­¡± Yin Shixiong almost blurted out the truth and quickly changed topic: ¡°Mr. Huopleted the paperwork before he left on business, so go look in the safe in the study, the deed should be there. You know the password, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grasped the phone, her voice shaking as she sputtered, ¡°I¡­I thought Uncle Huo didn¡¯t care about me anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why would he not care about you anymore?¡± Yin shixiong was astounded. ¡°You forgot that you have a room in Mr. Huo¡¯s quarters at the base too? If he really didn¡¯t care about you anymore, why did he make all these arrangements for you?¡±

    He¡¯s even prepared a dowry, but it¡¯s a shame that can¡¯t be revealed right now. Yin Shixiong sighed. He chastised Huo Shaoheng internally and again thought about how the General had oveplicated what had been meant to be a simple thing. Gu Nianzhi was slumped against the heavy leather door again, and felt beyond ashamed. She had thrown a fit for nothing, gauging a gentleman¡¯s heart with her own pettiness. She raised her hand and pped herself once, hard.

    ¡°Nianzhi, what happened?¡± Yin Shixiong heard a p on the phone, as though someone had just been hit on the face. He became alert instantly. ¡°Did someone hit you?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke faintly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just pped myself.¡±

    Yin Shixiong gasped, ¡°How vicious! Nianzhi, you get so sad that you would even p yourself!¡±

 Chapter 55: Someoneâ€™s Happy, Someoneâ€™s Sad

    <h4>Chapter 55: Someone¡¯s Happy, Someone¡¯s Sad</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhiughed at Yin Shixiong¡¯s witty remark.

    Yin Shixiong was a very considerate and understanding man; he knew better than to ask her why she had pped herself. Gu Nianzhi did not offer an exnation, either.

    She said her goodbyes, hung up, went downstairs, and walked towards the bedroom window. She drew the curtains apart before opening the window, and was immediately greeted by the sun, shining full and warm on her face.

    She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh morning air. Happiness radiated throughout her.

    She was happy to learn that Huo Shaoheng had not been trying to push her away.

    The apartment was supposed to be a gift for her but she certainly wasn¡¯t going to ept it. She would find an excuse to see him again, and give it back to him.

    For the moment, however, she was grateful for his kind and thoughtful gesture. She had not had many opportunities to know that he cared about her.

    What she needed was this sense of security: the knowledge that she had not been abandoned.

    He was still her Uncle Huo.

    Gu Nianzhi was no longer in a hurry to leave the apartment.

    She called Mei Xiawen and said, with a smile in her voice, ¡°Xiawen, something¡¯se up. I won¡¯t be heading back, for now. I¡¯ll go back this Sunday night instead.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll pick you up Sunday night.¡± Unbeknownst to Gu Nianzhi, Mei Xiawen had been feeling down the past few days; Ai Weinan¡¯s text about ¡°ginger tea¡± had reminded him of certain memories from his high school days.

    But it was no use wallowing in the past. He had to soldier on.

    He had also discovered that he desperately wanted to see Gu Nianzhi again, after having been apart from her for several days now.

    It was a novel experience for him.

    Given enough time, perhaps Gu Nianzhi would be able to erase the old yearning and regret in his heart. Gu Nianzhi was, after all, the only other woman he had met in thest four years who had been able to make him feel again.

    ¡­

    On Sunday night, Mei Xiawen arrived at the gate to Fengya Precinct, right on time.

    Gu Nianzhi only had her backpack this time. She did not have her little suitcase with her.

    Mei Xiawen opened the car door, and quickly looked Gu Nianzhi over before asking, ¡°Where¡¯s your suitcase?¡±

    ¡°I left it in the apartment. I don¡¯t have to bring it with me today.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she got into the car.

    The two of them drove out of Fengya Precinct, then pulled into a gas station to refuel the car.

    At that moment, Feng Yichen came out of the gas station¡¯s convenience store. She spotted Mei Xiawen at once, and then Gu Nianzhi, sitting inside his car.

    It had only been a few days since shest saw Gu Nianzhi, but it seemed to Feng Yichen that she had gotten even more lovely and charming.

    Feng Yichen stared at the two of them for some time, before finally leaving in her own car.

    She was going to the detention center the next day to visit her parents and her sister, and wasn¡¯t in the best of moods. She had gone for a drive to take her mind off things.

    She hadn¡¯t expected toe across Gu Nianzhi¡ªthe absolutest person she wanted to see right now ¨C and her rich, handsome boyfriend, all lovey-dovey together in public. Her mood soured further.

    Mei Xiawen had returned to the car after he was done refueling. He chatted amiably with Gu Nianzhi as he drove to the university.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where do you want to go for our ss graduation trip?¡±

    ¡°Anywhere¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Nianzhi said indifferently. But then she was struck with a thought, and had to add, sheepishly, ¡°But I hope it isn¡¯t too far away. My family won¡¯t let me go on the trip if it¡¯s too far away.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Mei Xiawen nodded, then said, ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, too, so the ssmittee chose Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi for our trip. It¡¯s only 25 kilometers from the city. We can get there in less than an hour by car.¡±

    ¡°Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi?¡± Gu Nianzhi got out her phone and looked up the location; it was in the exact opposite direction of the Special Operations Forces military base.

    The Special Ops base was located north of the city, while Dufeng Mountain was south of it.

    But they were both reasonably close to C City. Gu Nianzhi did not think Brother Xiong would object to the trip.

    Gu Nianzhi gave an ¡°Oh¡± as she looked at the phone, and said, ¡°Looks like a good choice. We can swim and hike.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been there a few times and it¡¯s really fun. There are many quaint, ssical-style courtyards in the vi, and there¡¯s also a really long cloister, a covered walkway, built alongside a smallke. In the summer, you can dive into theke, right from the balcony of your room.¡± Mei Xiawen was already nning on staying in a room close to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s this time around.

    There were more than 20 students in their ss, and there were six, maybe seven rooms within a vi courtyard, including the bigger rooms in the main building, and the smaller rooms in the wings. There would be enough rooms for everyone.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have an entire courtyard for ourselves. Food, drinks, and entertainment will all be covered by our holiday package. At night, we can barbecue, sing, dance, swim in theke, fish, y games¡­¡±

    As she listened to Mei Xiawen¡¯s vivid descriptions, Gu Nianzhi could not help but begin to look forward to the trip.

    ¡°If you have no objections, I¡¯ll let the others know we¡¯re all decided. I¡¯ll negotiate the price with the resort, and have the rooms reserved. If everything goes as nned, we¡¯ll have our trip at the end of May.¡± Mei Xiawen was extremely efficient when it came to organizing activities of this sort; not only that, he had good taste, and knew how to enjoy himself in style.

    ¡­

    The following Monday was by no means a beautiful day; the weather was gloomy, and the skies were heavy with dark clouds.

    Feng Yichen walked out of the luxury apartment she was currently living in and spotted a familiar BMW 7 parked right outside.

    She gracefully stepped into the car. Someone else was already inside, wearing sunsses; she smiled at him, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°Brother Bin, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re visiting your family. Of course I¡¯ming with you.¡± The man took off his sunsses, revealing a swarthy, intimidating face.

    He was already past the age of forty. He was no longer young, but he was still in very good shape.

    He had thick, dark eyebrows, arge nose, and a mouth that was very wide and very square; his face matched, with its fierce expression. His body, too, seemed to be made up entirely of muscles.

    His arm was thick and scarred.

    Feng Yichen clung to him, and buried her head in his chest. She was extremely upset. ¡°Brother Bin, you don¡¯t have to go¡ªnot to a ce like that.¡±

    Feng Yichen was going to the detention center to visit her parents and her sister.

    Brother Bin chuckled, then said to the driver, ¡°Go.¡±

    Brother Bin dropped Feng Yichen off at the detention center, but did not get out of the car himself. He waited for her inside the car, parked at a distance.

    The driver had served Brother Bin for many years, and was therefore a close confidant, but he could not wrap his head around Brother Bin¡¯s behavior. ¡°Brother Bin, why are you being so nice to Miss Feng? Is she really worth it?¡±

    ¡°Heh, I was just ying around, at first. I wanted to see what it was like to have some ¡°fun¡± with a rich, beautiful graduate student¡­ Then her family got arrested, and look at her, she¡¯s still trying to bail them out. That really got to me, you know. Think about it, we aren¡¯t exactly upstanding citizens, if you get what I mean. If we end up in a detention center ourselves one day, well, wouldn¡¯t you want a nice, caring person on the outside, busting her ass to get us out? Aren¡¯t I right?¡±

    The driver had not thought of this, but now he understood. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he smiled and said, ¡°Brother Bin, you think of everything.¡±

    ¡­

    Feng Yichen sat in the meeting room of the detention center, and watched her mother, Hu Qiaozhen, slowly shuffle in. Save for a few strands, her mother¡¯s hair had gone entirely white. Feng Yichen¡¯s heart ached at the sight.

    ¡°Why are you crying? Last time you came, you told me there¡¯s aw firm over in the capital city with an impressive track record. Did you hire them?¡± Hu Qiaozhen looked at Feng Yichen with eager eyes. ¡°Your father and I are counting on you!¡±

    Feng Yichen shook her head. ¡°I tried, but they refused to take the case.¡±

    Hu Qiaozhen suddenly gave a loud cry. ¡°Why?! Did you not offer them enough money?! This isn¡¯t the time to be cheap! Your father and I will go to jail!¡±

    ¡°Number 38! Lower your voice!¡± The policeman standing guard at the detention center shouted.

    Hu Qiaozhen immediately shrunk back; her voice was much smaller now. She looked at Feng Yichen with wide, helpless eyes and said, ¡°Yichen, you must think of something! Your father and I haven¡¯t been able to eat or sleep in here. We¡¯re counting on you! And think of your sister, too!¡±

 Chapter 56: Edge Ball

    <h4>Chapter 56: Edge Ball</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Hu Qiaozhen was demanding too much; she wasn¡¯t considering the situation their family was in.

    Feng Yichen was suddenly irritated and brushed her off. ¡°I know. I¡¯m trying my best.¡±

    ¡°You have to help us!¡± Hu Qiaozhen cried out before she was led back inside. The next person toe out was her father, Feng Guodong. His hair had also turned white, and his rotund body was now whittled down to a pole, making him appear even more aged.

    ¡°Yichen, we were screwed over by your uncle¡¯s family. They only went bankrupt, but your mother and I now face jail time! Don¡¯t let them off the hook! Demand our money! Have them get us out of here! Otherwise, I¡¯ll get them back once I¡¯m out of here!¡± Feng Guodong balled his hands into fists and swung them around, upset and half crazed. Feng Yichen knee that she couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t erate her uncle¡¯s family, so she only gave Feng Guodong some superficial assurance.

    Thest person toe out was her sister, Feng Yixi. Feng Yichen already felt exhausted. She perked up and looked at her waxy and sallow faced sister sitting across from her.

    ¡°How are you, Yixi?¡±

    Today was Feng Yixi¡¯sst day at the detention center. Tomorrow, she would be transferred to the Northeast Labour Camp for a year ofmunity service.

    ¡°Yichen! You have to save me! Save me! I don¡¯t want to go to thebour camp! Look, my nails have all cracked, my hair has split ends, and my skin is dry. Did you bring me any face masks and hair masks? I haven¡¯t done my nails in so long.¡± Feng Yixi was sobbing. Although she knew these luxuries were already beyond her reach now, she needed to let out herints somehow.

    ¡°Yixi, don¡¯t be like this. You only have a year, you¡¯ll make it through.¡± Feng Yixi said listlessly. ¡°Father and Mother¡¯swsuit will use up a lot of money, and so I can¡¯t take care of you right now.¡±

    ¡°Yichen, you can¡¯t leave me alone!¡± Feng Yixi sprawled on the table and used her sleeve to wipe her tears. She suddenly grit her teeth. ¡°Yichen, I have to ask you one more thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°What happened to the little b*tch, Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Feng Yichen was surprised, she straightened in her seat and looked around vigntly. ¡°Why are you asking about her? Aren¡¯t you in enough trouble as it is?¡±

    Feng Yixi had only been charged with the use and possession ofrge amounts of illegal substances. But if the incident with Gu Nianzhi were toe to light, Feng Yichen knew it would be even more disastrous;Feng Yixi wouldn¡¯t simply shipped off to abour camp. That was also why she hadn¡¯t revealed the truth behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s one week of ¡°sick leave¡± at school. If the truth came out, Gu Nianzhi would certainly humiliated, but Feng Yichen couldn¡¯t distance herself from it and the clues would point back to her. She couldn¡¯t have the whole family incarcerated.

    However, Feng Yixi stiffened her neck and red, unable to let go. ¡°Did she get admitted as He Zhichu¡¯s post-grad student? Is it true?!¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Feng Yichen¡¯s jaw dropped. She herself had only found out l not too long ago. Feng Yixi had been locked up here the whole time, so how did she find out?

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point, just tell me if it¡¯s true or not!¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­she was admitted as He Zhichu¡¯s post-grad student. The Faculty posted the admissions memo already.¡± Feng Yichen sighed deeply, ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it, just let it go, ok?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not ok!¡± Feng Yixi¡¯s face was contorted with rage, she braced herself against the table and leaned forward, her eyes shooting daggers. ¡°Why the h*ll am I am sentenced tomunity service, but she can happily go be He Zhichu¡¯s post-grad student?! It was supposed to be mine! Mine! It was all mine! Who does she think she is? A lowly beggar like her doesn¡¯t deserve it!¡±

    Feng Yichen quickly gestured to her, ¡°Sit down! Hurry! Someone¡¯s watching.¡±

    The two female officers had been ring at them for some time. Feng Yixi came to her senses and sat in the chair, then held her head in her hands and bawled. This time she wasn¡¯t throwing a fit like before, but sobbing quietly¡ªshe was devastated and unable to release her grief fully.

    Feng Yichen bit her lower lip as she watched her, too scared to even say a word. Feng Yixi slumped after she finished crying. The person she was most jealous of and looked down on the most, had taken what she desired most of all. It was all useless now, despite how she hard she had tried to prevent and sabotage her. This knowledgepletely destroyed Feng Yixi¡¯s confidence and will.

    Feng Yichen¡¯s hatred for Gu Nianzhi had began to arise when she saw her beautiful and intelligent sister reduced into this ghoul-like creature. Why did her sister have to lose everything, while Gu Nianzhi had shamelessly slept with multiple men and still had the gall to put up a pure and innocent facade? She even got the jackpot of all boyfriends and walked around with him like they were a lovesick couple for everyone to see. Feng Yichen couldn¡¯t bear to think about Gu Nianzhi being admitted by He Zhichu, it felt like a dagger stabbing her through the heart. Nobody deserved to get the things her sister wasn¡¯t able to attain. Her family was bankrupt anyway, what more did she have to lose? She had fallen from grace too, and a fallen phoenix was more lowly than a chicken.1 Wasn¡¯t she a wh*re now?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yixi. I¡¯ll try my best to help you.¡± Feng Yichen spoke through the pane of ss at the visitation room and nodded to Feng Yixi. This was a detention center, so she couldn¡¯t speak anymore. She hadn¡¯t lost her mind to the point where she would choose this ce to discuss how they were going to make Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life miserable. Everything was under surveince here. Who knew the reason behind why their family was destroyed? Feng Yichen did not understand even now what her family had done wrong, but she agreed with the message she had received from a mysterious sender: she too believed that they had messed with the wrong person. But, even now she didn¡¯t have a clue as to whom this may be. She dared not go after the big shots, so she could only take it out on a nobody like Gu Nianzhi. She firmly believed that Gu Nianzhi was ¡°seriously ill¡± for a week because she had fallen into Feng Yixi¡¯s trap and had needed to recoup for a week after getting worn out by multiple men. Gu Nianzhi was merely an orphan with no one backing her. Who would cry for justice if something were to happen to her? The distant rtive that was her guardian in title would probably thank Feng Yichen for getting rid of his burden.

    Feng Yichen left the detention center and got in Brother Bin¡¯s car. She was silent the whole trip. Once they arrived back to his apartment, she uncharacteristically initiated things with Brother Bin. Pulling out all the stops that night, she could barely get out of bed the next day after ¡°serving¡± Brother Bin. Brother Binpletely trusted Feng Yichen after this and took her into his inner circle; it was an wild gang full of criminals. Feng Yichen was gorgeous and highly educated, so none of the bottom feeder criminals could resist her charms when she was friendly with them. Also, she had Brother Bin backing her and thus she was able to earn a seat in the inner circle very quickly. However, she was careful to tread the line between the illegal and legal, and never broke thew. She yed the edge ball and never dirtied her hands. After scheming for a few days, her luck finally came.

 Chapter 57: Targeted

    <h4>Chapter 57: Targeted</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    One evening, in early May, Feng Yichen left her university campus and went to Brother Bin¡¯s nightclub to look for him. She was just in time to overhear some of the gang leaders.

    ¡°¡­When are those Big Circle Boys [1] going to beat it? They¡¯ve been hangin¡¯ around for ages. They tryin¡¯ to take over our territory or somethin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I think, too. They¡¯ve been here for more than a month now. We¡¯ve been payin¡¯ for their food and expenses the whole dang time. The second we say somethin¡¯ they don¡¯t like, they pull out their guns and threaten us.¡±

    ¡°Pfft! What¡¯s so scary about guns from the ck market? Let them try steppin¡¯ on my toes ¨C I¡¯ll smoke everyst one of ¡¯em!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t! It¡¯s money the Big Circle Boys are after, they don¡¯t actually want to kill us. And there may not be a lot of them, but any one of them can take on ten of ours, easily. We better not provoke them. Besides, it¡¯s money we want, too. No point shooting it out with them.¡±

    The upants of the exclusive private room were gang leaders from the neighboring cities. They were all equal to Brother Bin in status; even so, they were afraid of these so-called ¡°Big Circle Boys.¡±

    Feng Yichen could not help but listen to their conversation with great interest.

    A man with bleached hair had juste out of the private room to have a smoke. He saw Feng Yichen walk over to him with a smile on her face, and immediately began to bow obsequiously as he greeted her: ¡°Ma¡¯am, very nice of you toe.¡±

    ¡°Brother Bin hasn¡¯t been feeling welltely. I came to check on him, see if he¡¯s taken his medicine. Also, he shouldn¡¯t be smoking or drinking while on his medication, doctor¡¯s orders.¡± Feng Yichen said all this casually, in a soft voice, but her voice was just loud enough for everyone inside the private room to hear her.

    Brother Bin, his face split in a wide smile, called out to her from inside the room. He invited her in and introduced her to everyone in the room.

    Feng Yichen was much more educated than everyone else in the room, to say nothing of her background and upbringing. Brother Bin was always more than happy to have her on his arm in public, and he was proud to show her off now.

    The gang leaders in the room sang Feng Yichen¡¯s praises, before politely moving on to idle conversation. They did not bring up the Big Circle Boys again.

    Feng Yichen was not in a hurry. She sat patiently next to Brother Bin and watched over him to make sure he did not drink any of the alcohol.

    After the party was over, Feng Yichen returned to her house with Brother Bin. On the way back, she finally heard what she had been waiting for: Brother Bin gave a sigh, and said, ¡°¡­Those Big Circle Boys are absolutely fearless. Armed to the teeth, too. Sure isn¡¯t easy dealing with them.¡±

    ¡°Well, if they¡¯re as powerful as you im, maybe you should ask them to stay¡­¡± Feng Yichen probed tentatively. A soft hand gently made its way to Brother Bin¡¯s brow and began to tenderly massage his temples.

    Brother Bin had a migraine; he closed his eyes and patted Feng Yichen¡¯s arm. ¡°I can¡¯t have them hanging about¡­ this town just isn¡¯t big enough for the both of us. And anyway, the Big Circle Boys are very ambitious. This tiny city won¡¯t be enough to whet their appetite.¡±

    ¡°Well, in that case, what are you worried about, Brother Bin? They¡¯ll leave, eventually.¡± Feng Yichen¡¯s voice was even more gentle and sympathetic now. Her hands were now massaging Brother Bin¡¯s arm.

    Brother Bin sighed, and moved Feng Yichen onto hisp as he folded her into his arms. ¡°They don¡¯t have the money to leave¡­¡±

    The Big Circle Boys needed a massive amount of money ¨C much more than Brother Bin and his gang were willing to spare.

    ¡°¡­No money?¡± Feng Yichen suddenly understood. She smiled, and said, ¡°The Big Circle Boys don¡¯t need any capital for the kind of business they¡¯re running, so what are you worried about?¡± She continued, lightly, ¡°There¡¯s certainly nock of wealthy people around here¡­¡±

    Brother Bin yawned. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let them take care of themselves!¡±

    Brother Bin and Feng Yichen fell silent after this ¨C but everyone inside the car was thinking about what Feng Yichen had just said.

    It was true that C City had more than its fair share of wealthy people; in fact, if someone were topile a list of the cities within the Empire with thergest concentration of rich people, C City would probablye in 1st or 2nd.

    On top of that, most of the wealthy families here only had money to their name, unlike those in the imperial capital; over there, the rich also had the status and influence to match their bank ounts. It was therefore a lot easier to squeeze money out of the C City fat cats,pared to the capital city¡­

    But still, no one could guarantee that the Big Circle Boys would be able to extort money from the rich without identally stepping on the wrong toes. That would depend entirely on their skills and good judgment.

    Brother Bin had suffered the Big Circle Gang¡¯s presence in his territory for more than a month. Now, his eyes opened and gleamed in the dark interior of the car as he gave a silent and ruthless snort.

    This time, Brother Bin and his gang would sit back, rx ¨C and watch the police and the Big Circle Boys go for each other¡¯s throats.

    ¡­

    A few dayster, one of the sub-chiefs in the Big Circle Gang approached their boss, Yang Dawei, with what seemed like a promising lead: ¡°Brother Dawei, the C City boys just gave us a tip. One of the senior sses in C University¡¯sw department will be going to Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi for their graduation trip.¡±

    ¡°College students on a graduation trip? Lame. What¡¯s in it for us?¡± asked Yang Dawei incredulously. He threw one of the ying cards in his hand onto the table. ¡°Four of a kind!¡±

    They were ying poker.

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s lots in it for us.¡± The sub-chief moved closer to Yang Dawei, and whispered in his ear, ¡°¡­I hear most of them are heirs to family fortunes worth billions. Some of them are poor, of course. We¡¯ll just have to think of them as sides for the main dish¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yang Dawei was immediately interested. ¡°You have the details?¡±

    ¡°I have a list of the students, with additional notes on their family background. I had to pay big bucks for this. Have a look, Brother Dawei, it looks really promising¡­¡±

    Yang Dawei tossed the cards in his hand. ¡°Here, take my ce for this round.¡± He took the list and carefully looked it over.

    His eyes shed when he saw that the Mei family, Wang family, and Cao family were on the list.

    These were distinguished families ¨C they were famous even in the five neighboring provinces!

    ¡°Check their backgrounds carefully. Make sure all they have is money ¨C we don¡¯t want to mess with them if they¡¯re well-connected behind the scenes.¡± Yang Dawei was a cautious person. Although his interest had been piqued, he was not the type to make rash decisions.

    ¡°I checked, these three families are wealthy, but they don¡¯t have a lot of pull. As for these families¡­¡± The sub-chief circled several names. ¡°They¡¯re not as rich as the first three, but they¡¯re still a lot richer than most. They¡¯ll be able to cough up a million or two.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The other card yers were no longer interested in their game; they threw their cards down, and gathered round to join the discussion.

    Eight members of the Big Circle Gang hade to C City, all of them exceptionally powerful and skilled. They called themselves the Eight Mighty Warriors; it was no exaggeration to describe them as veterans of the battlefield.

    But they had attracted too much attention with their ¡°talents¡± and could no longer afford to remain inside the Empire; they were wanted by the police all over the country. The eight of them had therefore decided to find a way to leave the Empire and set up a territory of their own in some other country.

    But getting out was not so easy.

    They were wanted criminals, and did not have valid IDs. The only way to get out of the country was to have someone smuggle them out.

    If they were to be smuggled out, they would have to pay the smuggler a considerable sum of money. On top of that, they could not leave without first making sure all eight of them would have enough money to get settled in at their destination.

    They each had families, parents and children to support; times eight, that would amount to at least 10 million yuan to cover their initial expenses when starting over abroad. With the smuggling fee included, that would mean 20 million yuan at minimum ¨C in cash.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be conveniently gathered in one ce. Easy pickings for us, we won¡¯t even have to split up. If we can pull this off, we¡¯ll have enough to cover everyone¡¯s resettlement and smuggling expenses.¡± Yang Dawei¡¯s second-inmand, Warrior No. 2, looked at the photos on the list, a lusty glint in his eyes. ¡°There are six female students. Check out this face, and these curves. These babes are just as smokin¡¯ as Brother Bin¡¯s mistress.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get ready then! Some of us have been itchin¡¯ for some work to do!¡±

    ¡°Oh man, I can¡¯t wait. I¡¯m getting a boner just looking at this photo¡­¡±

    ¡­

    A few weeks passed, and it was now thest weekend of May. It was the day of the graduation trip for the students of ss One.

    They had made a reservation for one of the courtyards in the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi. There were seven rooms in it: six were furnished to serve as bedrooms, while the remaining room functioned as arge living room.

    There were exactly 24 students in their ss: eight girls and sixteen boys, four to a room. It wasn¡¯t even necessary to draw lots to decide who would be rooming with whom; it would be just like their usual living arrangements back in the school dormitories.

    Note:

    [1] ¡°Big Circle Boys¡±, also known as ¡°Big Circle Gang¡±, is an actual Triad (think Chinese Mafia). For more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Circle_Gang

 Chapter 58: Concentric Circles

    <h4>Chapter 58: Concentric Circles</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Brother Big Xiong, I¡¯m going to the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi this weekend for our graduation trip. I won¡¯t being back to the apartment.¡± Gu Nianzhi texted Yin Shixiong on Thursday.

    She had to report to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s people if she left C City alone. Yin Shixiong looked up the address and saw that the resort was only 25 kilometers away and was connected to the highway. The location had good traffic, there were prosperous towns nearby, and many wealthy people also built their vacation homes around the the area. The vi was in the best topographical location. It was built around the mountain and snaked around half of Little Mirror Lake. Little Mirror Lake was a exorheicke, so someone swimming in it could eventually reach the ocean. The water was clean and refreshing, making it a great ce to escape the summer heat.

    Yin Shixiong notified the Special Ops personnel protecting Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu is going to the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi this weekend for her graduation trip. You¡¯ll get to vacation with her too.¡±

    The personnel chuckled, ¡°Roger! I will submit the trip¡¯s expenses to Mr. Huo!¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯ll be expensed, since there¡¯s a bonus too. You hit the jackpot.¡± Yin Shixiongughed and hung up.

    On Friday evening, the tour bus Gu Nianzhi and her ss booked was parked before the entrance of C University. All 24 students in the ss One: Year Four of the C University Faculty of Law wore backpacks or carried duffel bags as they got on the bus and went on their merry way to the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi. This was theirst activity as a group after studying together for four years. In just one month, everybody would be pursuing their independence or job hunting. Many of them would likely never see each other again for the rest of their lives, so everybody cherished this graduation trip. The tour bus hurtled down the highway and got off the exit ramp in only half an hour. They still had to take a short mountain road to reach the vi, and had to drive much slower than before, due to the winding and steep roads. After about 20 minutes, they finally arrived at the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi. To everyone¡¯s surprise, they weren¡¯t the only C University Faculty of Law students there on a graduation trip!

    ¡°ss Rep, see that tour bus over there, isn¡¯t that ss Two?¡± Strongman poked Mei Xiawen¡¯s shoulder to get his attention.

    Mei Xiawen looked over and waved at the people descending from the bus. ¡°It is. The other day, I was telling them how we wereing here for our graduation trip, so their ss talked about it and decided toe too. The more the merrier, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, I guess.¡± Strongman dragged his feet and walked behind Mei Xiawen.. Heined in a low voice, ¡°They might have ulterior motives though, so who knows what their intentions are?¡±

    ¡°What intentions?¡± Mei Xiawen chided his friend. ¡°We¡¯re all ssmates, we should spend thest two months of school together peacefully, since we will all part ways after.¡±

    Strongman couldn¡¯t voice a rebuttal to this. He and Mei Xiawen took their ssmittee members to walk over to where ss Two was. ss Two¡¯s ss Rep had the surname ¡°Chang,¡± and he was was waiting for them at the door with Song Ruyu, who was in charge of ss Two¡¯s recreational activities.

    ¡°ss Rep Mei, you guys arete.¡± Song Ruyu winked at Mei Xiawen. ¡°As agreed, shouldn¡¯t you give up your Mingyue Court for us?¡±

    Strongman looked at Mei Xiawen, aghast, ¡°ss Rep, you made a bet with them?¡±

    Mei Xiawen adjusted his gold rimmed sses andughed, ¡°I was only joking. You really believed it Ruyu?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did! I believe everything that ss Rep Mei says.¡± Song Ruyu sent him a suggestive look: she clearly hadn¡¯t given up on him.

    Gu Nianzhi and her roommates saw this from afar and scoffed in disgust.

    ¡°The two-faced b*tch from ss Two is here too. If I¡¯d known she wereing, I would have stayed home. She makes me sick! What an ugly blemish on my undergrad graduation trip.¡± Green Tea Fangined about Song Ruyu with elegance.

    Little Temptress dragged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm to pull her towards the vi and held her head high. ¡°We didn¡¯t promise to switch rooms. If this is a case of firste first serve, who would spend money on making a reservation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to deal with Song Ruyu, so she didn¡¯t refuse when Little Temptress pulled her to the resort entrance. A hostess in the vi weed them in and asked, ¡°Which courtyard have you reserved?¡±

    ¡°Mingyue Court, ss One: Year Four, C University Faculty of Law. The reservation should be under our ss Rep, Mei Xawen¡¯s, name,¡± Little Temptress promptly said as she looked around the resort. She was from the Imperial capital and wasn¡¯t familiar with the areas around C City. During her four years of undergrad, she had either gone back to the capital or travelled abroad on holidays. She had never been here before. The hostess smiled as she took them south and turned a corner onto a narrow, winding path. Tall and straight green bamboo trees lined the path and when the night breeze came, the scents of bamboobining with theke water from the Little Mirror Lake made it especially refreshing.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and the slight disappointment that had previously filled her heart instantly dissipated.

    Little Temptress was also curious about the scenery here and looked around in great interest. She pointed. ¡°These rooms are vintage replications. It looks like they¡¯ve spent a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°Yes, all the decorated pathways are crafted in wood and are of truly fine workmanship. There are over ten courtyards and the structures are wood framed, so it allows you to steep yourselves in history¡ªthis is the perfect ce to escape to.¡± The hostess had a mellifluous voice and gave them a tour through the resort to Mingyue Court.

    Mingyue Court mimicked a traditional siheyuan,1 with an exquisite entryway opening up to arge, square courtyard. There were three main houses directly facing the entry, and two side houses on the other sides, as well as nking rooms. It was truly an antique design. Little Temptress followed the hostess though the entrance of Mingyue Court. However, just as Gu Nianzhi went through the door, she caught a glimpse of a tiny concentric circle drawn in chalk on the wall by lower right corner of the door. The symbol was very small and barely visible in the daylight. But the chalk appeared to be fluorescent and the symbol revealed itself in the low light. It glowed in dark green and nearly blended with the lush greenery by the door. If it were not for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp eyes, the tiny symbol would have been difficult to spot even with the aid of a magnifying ss. Gu Nianzhi had randomly discovered this dark green fluorescent symbol but didn¡¯t stop for a closer look.. She merely paused her step for a second, then entered the courtyard with a smile.

    Mingyue Court was breathtaking. It was apparent that the resort¡¯s management had spent a lot of time and effort to replicate a vintage look, while subtly adding various modern elements. For example, the post-modern bathrooms were equipped with a central air conditioning to control temperature, outlets were hidden away, and themps were styled like ancient pcenterns. There was also Wi-Fi, which was indispensable to people in this day and age.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone to check the signal and found that, although they were in the mountains, the signal was especially strong. There must be a cell signal tower nearby, she guessed.

    Little Temptress was following the hostess to check the rooms, but Gu Nianzhi stayed behind in the courtyard to wander around. Her eyes flitted casually to all the doors. She soon discovered, after, she squinted her eyes, that there were a total of seven doors in the courtyard and on the lower right corner of four of them was the same fluorescent symbol¡ªjust like the one by the entry, a dark green concentric circle symbol. The only difference was the number concentric circles, some had four and some only had one.

 Chapter 59: Concentric Circles (2)

    <h4>Chapter 59: Concentric Circles (2)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze swept across the concentric circles, taking them all in; she did not venture any further.

    While she was doing this, the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi usher led Little Temptress out from the main building, and handed her a list of names. ¡°This is the guest list for your ss. Please take a look and confirm that everything is in order. As you can see from the list, we have already assigned the rooms.¡±

    Little Temptress epted the list, smiling as she said, ¡°Not my job, actually, but I¡¯ll hand this to our ss rep for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The usher smiled courteously, before leading the two of them outside.

    Gu Nianzhi fell behind. She continued to look around as she walked.

    She was now actively looking for the dark green concentric circles, the fluorescent ¡ò symbols.

    This time, she did not find the concentric circles; instead, there were other markings.

    For example, she saw faint scratches, made by bays, on the bamboo trees along the road. They appeared to be depictions of arrows.

    Some of the arrows were pointed forwards, while others were pointed backwards; some were pointing up, others were pointing down. They looked like messy, random graffiti, the work of a naughty child.

    Even so, Gu Nianzhi slowly but surely discovered an underlying pattern.

    It was like working out one of those questions in a mathematicspetition, the kind where you had to work out an underlying pattern from a group of seemingly random numbers.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered being really good at this, back when she was 12.

    Chen Lie had given her simr math problems to solve, as part of his psychotherapy sessions with her¡­

    Before she knew it, she had broken away from the usher and Little Temptress and wandered off on her own.

    She looked inquisitively about, acting the part of a curious child who had gotten lost; in actual fact, she was deliberately walking the perimeter of Mingyue Court.

    There was a covered passageway, decorated with red hangingnterns. She walked along it and made her way to Little Mirror Lake, behind Mingyue Court. She had just reached theke when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a figure zip past her quickly before silently diving into the water.

    The man¡¯s movements had been as quick and precise as a professional diver¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi knew he was a good diver because he had made only the barest ssh when he jumped into theke. The water surface had quickly be still and tranquil again; she could have imagined the whole thing.

    But Gu Nianzhi had the eyes of an eagle. Most people would not have seen the figure jump from the passageway into theke ¨C but she had, and she was sure of it.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended not to have noticed anything. She picked up a small stone and threw it into Little Mirror Lake. She watched the resulting ssh, then smiled beatifically as she turned to walk away.

    The sky gradually darkened. The moon was obscured by a cloud. Misty moonlight leaked feebly from the edges of the cloud, up above in the sky and down below, reflected on the surface of theke.

    Little Mirror Lake sparkled with moonlight, quiet and peaceful. Every once and a while, there was the sound of fish breaching the water for some fresh air.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her brow, and her hand came away sticky. She had been sweating profusely, and she hadn¡¯t even realized it.

    It was getting warmer.

    The cool breeze had vanished. The bamboo forest was nowpletely still. The bamboo stood motionless, like a gathering of stakes in the quiet night.

    After Gu Nianzhi had gone, a man in a ck wetsuit poked his head out from theke. He gave Gu Nianzhi¡¯s retreating back the middle finger, and cursed her under his breath before sinking back into the water and swimming away.

    Gu Nianzhi hurried back to the main road; there, she found Little Temptress and the usher, looking around anxiously.

    When she saw Gu Nianzhi walk out from the depths of the bamboo forest, Little Temptress immediately pounced on her; she patted her on the back, and said in a low voice, ¡°Where did you go? I almost had a heart attack wondering what happened to you!¡±

    ¡°Little Temptress, my dear sister, I simply couldn¡¯t resist looking around, it¡¯s just so beautiful in here. I forgot to keep up with you, and almost got lost in the bamboo forest just now. It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯ve got a good memory ¨C I retraced my steps, and vo! Here I am,¡± said Gu Nianzhi lightly. She gave augh, and squeezed Little Temptress¡¯s hand.

    Little Temptress held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in a firm grip. ¡°Don¡¯t go off on your own again, you might not be so lucky next time. You can absolutely get lost in here ¨C this mountain resort is huge.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she gently rocked Little Temptress¡¯s arm. ¡°My dear sister, that was stupid of me, I know. Let¡¯s not bring it up again.¡±

    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re such a good girl, I¡¯ll forgive you, just this once.¡± Little Temptress poked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exquisite little nose, and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here and look for our ss rep. No way am I giving up Mingyue Court to that Two-faced B*tch from ss Two. I checked Qingfeng Garden out just now ¨C that¡¯s the courtyard ss Two reserved, you know ¨C and the rooms there are tiny. Plus, you won¡¯t get any peace and quiet there, the doors look out towards the main road. It¡¯s not even half as nice as Mingyue Court.¡±

    Mingyue Court was spacious and remote. Surrounded by Little Mirror Lake on three sides, it was nice and quiet. The main entrance opened out to awn, which was in turn connected to a winding bamboo forest path.

    The night view from the rooms in Mingyue Court was breathtaking, the best in the resort. And most importantly ¨C Mingyue Court was 1/3 more expensive than Qingfeng Garden.

    The usher politely exined the difference between the two courtyards to Little Temptress and Gu Nianzhi, and summed it up with: ¡°You get what you pay for. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Mingyue Court, hidden in the depths of the bamboo forest. Her eyes shed; she had already seen, with her mind¡¯s eye, what the symbols looked like when connected.

    She did not like the picture it presented.

    It was as though a spider had spun countless webs around Mingyue Court ¨C and Mingyue Court was its prey, trapped in the middle.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. The image had popped into her mind out of nowhere, and seemed ridiculous.

    Still, there was something particrly ominous about those symbols.

    She remembered watching the Special Operations Forces perform their drills; this was when she was 12 and living with Huo Shao in his residence inside the Special Ops base.

    Back then, she followed Huo Shaoheng everywhere, like an essory strapped to his leg. Wherever he went, she followed. They were never apart.

    She had seen the Special Ops drills for making what they called a ¡°clean sweep of the enemy.¡± The men would first scout out all possible exits and routes during recon, then mark it with inconspicuous symbols.

    Of course, the markings the Special Operations Forces had used were much more subtle and covert than the ones currently on the doors of Mingyue Court. There was simply noparison; the Special Ops symbols were on an entirely different level.

    To use academic qualifications as an analogy: the markings by the Imperial Army¡¯s Special Operations Forces were extremely high quality, like the work of someone with a PhD; the markings here, on the other hand, looked like the work of pre-school toddlers.

    Gu Nianzhi was therefore unable to say for certain what these markings were supposed to mean. Was she overthinking it?

    She was afraid of jumping the gun and making a scene over nothing. Thest thing she wanted was to ruin the graduation trip for everyone.

    She followed Little Temptress out of the resort¡¯s main gate, and saw that her other ssmates were now idly chatting in small groups of three or five, their suitcases scattered around them on the ground. The ssmittees for ss One and ss Two were still discussing how to allocate the rooms.

    Song Ruyu was adamant that Mei Xiawen honor the bet he had made with them. Whoever arrived first would have first pick of the courtyards ¨C that had been the bet.

    Some of the students from ss Two were aware that Mingyue Court was much more expensive than Qingfeng Garden, and were therefore eager to milk the bet. They, too, began to join in the protest, thinking that it was at least worth a try. Perhaps Mei Xiawen would actually cave and give in to them ¨C who could say?

    They were gathered round the entrance of the resort; the noise and general hubbub from the students made the resort vi seem livelier than usual.

    Although it was already dark out, there were still many peopleing and going. It was clear that the resort was popr with tourists.

    A ck SUV drove into the resort, made a 3-point turn, and got on the road leading towards the administration building for the resort vi.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to Mei Xiawen. She tugged on his sleeve and said, in a small voice, ¡°Xiawen, let¡¯s just take Qingfeng Garden. It¡¯s dark, and I¡¯m feeling a little hungry.¡±

 Chapter 60: Concentric Circles (3)

    <h4>Chapter 60: Concentric Circles (3)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°But Mingyue Court is better!¡± Little Temptress was standing on the side and stamped her foot in disagreement. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the Two-Faced B*tch! I¡¯ll go give her h*ll!¡±

    ¡°Dear sister!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was trembling slightly, like she was about to cry. ¡°Please listen to me just this once, don¡¯t stay in Mingyue Court.¡± She then turned and spoke quietly to Song Ruyu, who was crossing her arms and smiling smugly. ¡°I don¡¯t think you guys should stay in Mingyue Court either, it¡¯s too remote.¡±

    ¡°Hah! What a bumpkin! We¡¯re at a mountain resort vi, so of course we want to be in a remote ce. If you wanted crowds, why did youe up to the mountains? Just stay in the busy city why don¡¯t you!¡± Song Ruyu jumped on the chance to insult Gu Nianzhi and refused to let go. She red so hard that her eyes were mere slits.

    Song Ruyu was right, Mingyue Court was the most remote and the most expensive ce to stay in the mountain resort. Mei Xiawen had been here many times and always stayed in Mingyue Court. He was miffed that Song Ruyu was snubbing Gu Nianzhi and held her hand gently. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. We¡¯ll listen to you and stay whereever you want to stay.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss. Listen to me? But I¡¯m not the ss Rep! She didn¡¯t want to carry the burden of the decision.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Little Temptress with pleading eyes. Little Temptress red at her and begrudgingly relented. ¡°Fine, fine. If ss Rep made a bet with them, we can¡¯t be sore losers. Let¡¯s stay in Qingfeng Garden, and we wish you a merry stay in Mingyue Court. This kind of freebie doesn¡¯te along all the time¡ªyou bettertch onto it for life so you don¡¯t regret itter.¡±

    Little Temptress truly got ss Two angry with her harsh words. ¡°Hehe, your ss Rep agreed to make a bet, and now you guys are trying to weasel out of it and insult us in the process? If you¡¯re not ashamed of yourselves, we¡¯re ashamed for you!¡±

    Most of the students in ss Two didn¡¯t mind where they stayed and it was only human that they would be tempted by a freebie. But Little Temptress¡¯ words were too hard to swallow and they were angry enough to spite her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at ss Two¡¯s ss Rep like she wanted to speak but was hesitant. He smiled and nodded his head at her. ¡°Nianzhi, how gracious of you.¡± He also patted Mei Xiawen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Treat our year¡¯s number one well! If you don¡¯t cherish her, we have people waiting to pursue her!¡±

    Mei Xiawen pulled Gu Nianzhi into a hug andughed. ¡°You snooze you lose! I¡¯ve made her mine for life! You guys will just have to wait for the next life!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hastily pushed Mei Xiawen off and smiled gingerly. ¡°Xiawen, are you already drunk before actually drinking? What are you rambling about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk. It¡¯s the truth.¡± Mei Xiawen grinned as he took her hand and turned towards Qingfeng Garden.

    Many people in ss One were unhappy when they heard they had to suddenly switch rooms and loudlyined, ¡°ss Rep, why do we have to pay for them to stay in our rooms?

    Mei Xiawen exined it as best as possible, apologizing profusely. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I¡¯ll refund everyone the difference when we get back.¡± He continued, ¡°All the expenses for food and activities are on me, so let¡¯s have fun!¡±

    Everyone let it go since Mei Xiawen had stepped up. Although they were still slightly unhappy, everyone were soon caught up in the excitement of barbecuing and forgot about it as soon as the grill was lit.

    ss Two went into Mingyue Court and felt a little ashamed when they saw how much nicer it waspared to Qingfeng Garden. They were all in the same grade at school, so it¡¯d be awkward if things were tense and they ignored each other. Their ss Rep suggested that they invite ss One over to Mingyue Court for a gathering.

    Song Ruyu agreed loudly and went to Qingfeng Garden with ss Two¡¯s studentmittee to invite them over for games. ss One had just finished eating their barbecue and wanted to move around a little to better digest the food. After some convincing, they finally agreed and therge group roared with the sounds of merriment andughter as they went over to Mingyue Court.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to go and said to Mei Xiawen and her roommates, ¡°You guys go, someone has to stay behind and watch the things here. I¡¯ll stay back so you guys won¡¯t have to worry about anything missing.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you really not going? I won¡¯t go if you don¡¯t go.¡± Lady Cao offered to stay back with Gu Nianzhi because she or proffered the quiet and rarely joined group events.

    Mei Xiawen discussed this with Green Tea Fang and Little Temptress, then agreed. ¡°Ok, you guys have fun here. I brought a couple of Blu-Rays, you can watch movies or y video games.¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok, we¡¯ll take care of ourselves. Have fun.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she saw them to the door and pulled Green Tea Fang and Little Temptress back. ¡°Come back early; don¡¯t stay out toote.¡±

    There are over forty people with the two ssesbined. Things should be fine at Mingyue Court with all those people there, I think. Gu Nianzhi watched them leave for Mingyue Court uneasily. After they were out of her sight, Gu Nianzhi hurried back to her room and said to Lady Cao, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s change into our bathing suits and swim in Little Mirror Lake!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lady Ca was perplexed then quickly understood, she pointed at Gu Nianzhi andughed so hard she couldn¡¯t straighten up. ¡°So you had this in mind? You¡¯ll have to go alone; I don¡¯t like skinny dipping.¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about skinny dipping?¡± Gu Nianzhi removed her swimsuit from the suitcase and waved it. Rather than calling it a swimsuit, it was better to call it a diving suit. It covered her from neck to toe and she even had a big pair of diving goggles¡ªall she was missing was an oxygen tank.

    Lady Cao smiled as she watched Gu Nianzhi change and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t look this professional even when I did deep sea diving before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just going for a swim. Too bad I didn¡¯t bring an oxygen tank.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at her, then opened the back door of Qingfeng Garden and went into the water from the deck. The water was deep enough to swim in and there were two steps leading down. It was early summer and the water in Little Mirror Lake was cool. The reflected moon and stars of the summer night and covered theke like a thin nket.

    Gu Nianzhi perked her ears and could make out the noise from the party at Mingyue Court.

    Everyone is having fun.

    She quietly slid into the water and swam silently like a fish towards the water by Mingyue Court.

    ¡­

    In the Managing Director¡¯s office on the fifth floor of the administrative building at the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, the Managing Director was wrapped up like a sticky rice dumpling, his mouth stuffed with a bundle of rags. He was trapped under his desk. Seven or eight burly men carried sniper rifles and sat scattered around the room. One of them was at the window sill and used binocrs to peer in the direction of Mingyue Court.

    ¡°Brother Dawei, the university students have all gathered at Mingyue Court. Everyone on this list is here. Two sses came this time.¡± The person patiently counted and made a note.

    ¡°Good, let them enjoy onest night. Remember to send lots of drinks over.¡± Yang Dawei yed with the the dagger in his hands as he spoke casually.

    These people were the Big Circle Boys and they were finally ready to hit the jackpot of C City.

 Chapter 61: Concentric Circles (4)

    <h4>Chapter 61: Concentric Circles (4)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The ck SUV parked before the resort vi¡¯s administration building belonged to the Big Circle Boys.

    Once they had confirmed that the seniors of C University¡¯sw department would being here for their graduation trip, the Big Circle Boys had made frequent trips to the vi. They had visited the vi more than ten times now, just to stake out the ce and work out the logistics.

    They were back again, and this time they had driven straight to the administration building after entering from the gate.

    Yang Dawei, the leader of the Big Circle Boys, got out a key he had prepared in advance, and led his men directly to the managing director¡¯s office, located on the top floor of the administration building.

    They quickly subdued the managing director¡¯s security personnel, before rushing into the director¡¯s office to take him hostage.

    The director turned out to be an unexpected windfall for them. They had originally nned on killing him right off the bat, but the moment they rushed in the director had immediately proposed that they spare him in exchange for money: five million yuan!

    The Big Circle Boys were after money.

    An extra five million yuan, and all they had to do was add the director to their hostage list. It was easy money, and they saw no reason to refuse.

    So instead of killing him, they tied him up and knocked him out before shoving him under the table.

    Since the director was willing to cooperate, it was now much easier for these Big Circle Boys to carry out their ns.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi swam effortlessly, and before long she was already swimming near Mingyue Court.

    She deliberately swam towards the spot where she was sure she had seen someone jump off the passageway and into theke. She circled the area, but did not find anything strange under the water.

    What was going on?

    Was she making a fuss over nothing?

    Perhaps she had been hanging with the Special Ops men for far too long, and she was now turning into one of those paranoid conspiracy theorists¡­

    Gu Nianzhi inwardly chided herself for being silly, before flipping over gracefully to swim on her back.

    The moment she flipped over, she caught something dark green and fluorescent from the corner of her eye. It hade from one of the back walls of Mingyue Court that was facing Little Mirror Lake.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. She immediately looked towards the wall, and there it was: another one of those concentric circles, the ¡ò marking!

    This discovery made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sink again.

    She was about to swim closer for a better look when she heard sshesing from Mingyue Court; it was the sound of people getting into the water.

    A few of her fellow students from ss One and ss Two had decided to go for a swim as well.

    She did not want them to see her. She quickly dove below the surface, and swam back to Qingfeng Garden.

    As she climbed the stairs leading to the terrace, dark clouds drifted towards the moon, blotting out the bright moonlight.

    The vi was nowpletely dark. Gu Nianzhi stealthily made her way back to her room under the cover of darkness.

    ¡°Back already? How was Little Mirror Lake? Fun?¡± Lady Cao had showered, and was now sitting on the bed before herptop, adding the finishing touches to her graduation thesis. She heard Gu Nianzhi enter through the door, looked up at her, and said, with a click of her tongue, ¡°Wowzers, I had no idea. Nianzhi, you¡¯re really busty for your age.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi had first arrived at C University, she had been very shy, and hadn¡¯t known how to react to her roommates¡¯ lewd jokes. Now, however, she waspletely immune, and knew not to take their remarks seriously. She took off her swimming cap and said, with a smile, ¡°The size of an adult woman¡¯s chest is determined entirely by her genes. Age has nothing to do with it.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not an adult, you¡¯re not even 18 yet,¡± argued Lady Cao, but half-heartedly. She was just having some fun with Gu Nianzhi. She pointed in the direction of the bathroom and said, ¡°You should go take a shower, before the otherse back. I think the water isn¡¯t hot enough today.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, it¡¯s a warm day today anyway.¡± Gu Nianzhi got a change of clothes, went to the bathroom, and carelessly dried herself off with a towel.

    When she was out of the bathroom and settledfortably on her bed, she saw she had received two messages on her phone.

    One was from Yin Shixiong, asking whether she had arrived at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi.

    The other was from Mei Xiawen, asking if she wanted to go over to Mingyue Court, since everyone else was there. They were ying Truth or Dare.

    Gu Nianzhi absolutely hated ying Truth or Dare, so naturally, she ignored Mei Xiawen¡¯s message. She sent a reply to Yin Shixiong: ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯ve arrived at the vi. I¡¯ve just had my shower and will be going to bed now.¡±

    Yin Shixiong received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s message, and immediately replied: ¡°Good night.¡±

    This exchange was actually nothing more than a formality.

    In truth, there was already someone shadowing Gu Nianzhi at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, watching over her in secret. There were also a few other precautions in ce to help ensure her safety.

    As long as she was within range of theirmunications system, her safety was guaranteed.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong¡¯s message, a sweet smile on her face. Her finger was now restlessly tracing circles on her phone; she wanted very much to call Huo Shaoheng.

    But she thought of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status and rank, and suppressed the urge to call him.

    Her phone calls with Huo Shaoheng had almost always been initiated by him; she had not had many opportunities to call him directly.

    And most of the time, it was Zhao Liangze who took the call before transferring it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi put her phone away. Her eyelids were already drooping. Shey on her bed, mumbling to Lady Cao as she did, ¡°Wake me when the others are back¡­¡± and promptly fell asleep.

    She slept soundly, undisturbed by dreams. When she woke up, she was surprised to see it was already noon!

    Lady Cao was still sitting before herptop, on her bed. She had headphones on now, and appeared to be watching a TV show.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and sat up. She did not see Green Tea Fang and Little Temptress, but noticed that their beds were messy. She covered her mouth as she yawned and said, sleepily, ¡°¡­What time did theye back yesterday?¡±

    ¡°This morning, you mean.¡± Lady Cao replied without even lifting her head. ¡°Mingyue Court¡¯s pretty big, so most of our ssmates didn¡¯te backst night. They partied through the night, and only returned this morning to get some sleep. ¡±

    ¡°Where are they now?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed towards the empty beds of her other roommates. ¡°They returned this morning to sleep, you said ¨C but it¡¯s only noon!¡±

    ¡°Well, you may be azy pig who can sleep all day, but not them!¡± Lady Caoughed as she nced over at her. ¡°They got up an hour ago. They¡¯re out hiking with ss Two now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s insane. Must be the endorphins from all the fun and excitement,¡± said Gu Nianzhi with a shake of her head. She was wearing a long ck T-shirt for pajamas, with nothing on underneath to cover her long, milky legs. She got off her bed, put on her slippers, and made her way to the bathroom with her toiletries.

    After washing up, she decided to follow Lady Cao¡¯s example and be a good model student. She turned on herptop and began polishing her graduation thesis.

    She busied herself with her thesis; it was almost evening when Gu Nianzhi felt her neck had gotten a little stiff. She told Lady Cao she was going out for a walk.

    Lady Cao, too, had stayed inside the whole day and was feeling a little sick of it. She shut herptop and said, ¡°I¡¯ming with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lady Cao changed into their dresses and went for a stroll, away from Qingfeng Garden.

    A few male students were still sleeping in their respective rooms when they left, so Qingfeng Garden wasn¡¯tpletely empty.

    The two of them exited Qingfeng Garden from the yard gate, the one facing the main road, and made their way to the small, winding path leading towards Mingyue Court.

    Mingyue Court was very quiet. There were only two male students there; they had stayed behind to watch the courtyard. Everyone else had gone to climb Dufeng Mountain.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lady Cao stood beside Little Mirror Lake. As they watched the sky gradually darken, they both let out a long sigh, at the exact same moment.

    The two of them looked at one another, before bursting out inughter. Off in the distance, they spotted their ssmates, back from climbing Dufeng Mountain.

    ¡°Looks like rain tonight,¡± said Gu Nianzhi, her eyes on the increasinglyrge gathering of dark clouds up in the sky. She continued, frowning, ¡°Those clouds, they¡¯re the kind that messes with mobile phone signals.¡±

 Chapter 62: Might As Well Feed the Dogs

    <h4>Chapter 62: Might As Well Feed the Dogs</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was nearly dark. In the Managing Director¡¯s office, the leader of the Big Circle Boys, Yang Dawei, was sitting in the manager¡¯s chair with a pistol swinging casually from hand to hand. Yang Dawei smiled at the Managing Director, who had sweat beading on his forehead and was kneeling before him. ¡°Mr. Managing Director, don¡¯t be scared. We won¡¯t hurt you; but, we need your help with a few things today.¡±

    The Managing Director stiffened his neck and he squeaked. ¡°Tell me what you need! I¡¯ll help you! Most certainly!¡±

    ¡°Good! First, I need you to have your employees give free food to the university students staying in Mingyue Court.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The Managing Director was perplexed, these criminals didn¡¯t appear very kind hearted. But, Yang Dawei¡¯s next sentence instantly cleared his doubts.

    Yang Dawei looked to his underlings. ¡°Spike the free food.¡± This would minimize the risk of having their cover blown and would also avoid raising suspicion. The students in Mingyue Court were guaranteed to pass out if they consumed the free food and drink. They would then be free to kidnap as many students they wanted and demand for ransom as they pleased, all while avoiding any risk. Kidnapping an unconscious person was a lot easier than a conscious one.

    ¡°Second, order all your employees to be at the conference room 8pm tonight. All must attend and thete ones will have their bonuses deducted.¡±

    The Managing Director thought the criminals nned to attack and eximed, ¡°What are you going to do to them?!¡±

    If the resort vi was to be the site of a massacre, his business was toast and he might as well dere bankruptcy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t kill anyone.¡± Yang Dawei smiled pleasantly as he lifted the Managing Director¡¯s chin up with the muzzle of the gun, ¡°As long as you obey us, they won¡¯t have to die.¡±

    The middle-aged Managing Director had never been threatened with a gun before, his legs turned to mush and he struggled to kneel.

    Yang Dawei watched the Managing Director as he made two calls for the arrangements as instructed, then blew the muzzle of his gun and flipped it over to club the back of the Managing Director¡¯s neck with the butt, knocking him out.

    ¡°Tie him up, stuff his mouth, and lock him up in the storage room.¡± Yang Daweimanded his underlings as he pointed to the location of the storage room.

    After the Managing Director was dragged out, Yang Dawei assembled his underlings and asked each one individually about the progression of the n.

    ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve been keeping tabs on Mingyue Court with binocrs. The targets are all in there.¡±

    To avoid raising suspicion, they avoided monitoring up close and had used binocrs the whole time. For now, they had no idea that the two sses had switched courtyards and only knew that two sses of university students showed up.

    ¡°Boss, looks like there¡¯s more than one ss here, what should we do about the other one? They¡¯re in Qingfeng Garden.¡±

    ¡°Two sses? One flock of sheep, two flocks of sheep, we¡¯ll herd them all the same. Drug them too so they don¡¯t get in the way.¡± Yang Dawei earned his position as the leader of the Big Circle Boys not only through his viciousness, but also through his meticulous nning.

    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll have another batch of free food sent to Qingfeng Garden.¡±

    ¡°Second Brother is already at the cell tower. He¡¯s gonna to wreck it soon and there won¡¯t be any cell service here.¡± Yang Dawei walked to the window and looked to the direction of the cell tower directly across. As soon as he finished his sentence, a bright light from a military grade shlight shone from the direction of the cell tower¨Ctwo short shes followed by one long sh. It meant that he had seeded.

    Yang Dawei took out his phone to check and saw the signal was gone. He guffawed and threw it out to the Little Mirror Lake below the building.

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s move. Thendline and inte are down too. I want this ce to be a deadzone tonight! No inte, no cell signal, nothing!¡± Yang Dawei twirled the silver gun in his hand. The Big Circle Boys used their walkie-talkies tomunicate as they proceeded with their heinous mission.

    ¡­

    In Qingfeng Garden, Green Tea Fang and Little Temptress had returned to their rooms and threw down their hats before saying to Gu Nianzhi and Lady Cao, ¡°It¡¯s too bad you guys didn¡¯t go, the views are quite nice on this mountain!¡±

    Lady Cao and Gu Nianzhi rested their chins on their hands while sitting on the couch and listened to Little Temptress and Green Tea Fang talk about their mountain climbing adventure that day. It was getting darker outside, Before it was even 7pm, it was already so dark they couldn¡¯t see their own fingers.

    ¡°Why¡¯s it so dark?¡± Gu Nianzhi got up to turn on the light and pulled out her phone to check, ¡°It¡¯s almost seven, are you guys hungry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so hungry I could eat a cow.¡± Little Temptress stretched her back, ¡°But I¡¯ll shower first, I was all sweaty today and I probably smell.¡±

    ¡­

    A food delivery car stopped in front of Mingyue Court. A man in Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi¡¯s chef uniform shouted, ¡°Mingyue Court? The resort has sent you dinner.¡±

    ss Two¡¯s representative rushed forward in surprise. ¡°But, we didn¡¯t order anything¡±

    They had brought their own food and were about to barbecue.

    ¡°It¡¯s free! A gift from our vi. Mingyue Court is the VIP room, it¡¯s customary for us to provide one free meal.¡± The chef waved his hand. ¡°Quickly take it in. Wait, don¡¯t take it all. Leave some for Qingfeng Garden.You guys are ssmates, right?¡±

    The ss Rep was overjoyed. Mingyue Court was truly a luxury experience! For them to have been able to steal it away from ss One had turned out to be even better than they¡¯d imagined.

    A few male students quickly picked out the best food and drink and left a meager amount of shabby looking food for Qingfeng Garden. The chef grinned as he watched them go back into Mingyue Court; they werembs waiting for ughter. After delivering free food for Mingyue Court, he drove to Qingfeng Garden.

    ¡°Qingfeng Garden? It¡¯s your lucky day! We have some extra food and drink today, you guys want it?¡± The chef changed his tone in Qingfeng Garden; he was arrogant and haughty:

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we want free stuff?¡± Strongman scurried out quickly and directed the other boys to bring the food in. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much because ss Two in Mingyue Court had taken most of it. The remaining food wasn¡¯t even enough to feed 20 people.

    Mei Xiawen came over to look and thought the food looked shabby. He didn¡¯t want to touch it, so he said that Strongman and his friends share it and since he had already ordered food for everyone.

    ¡°No way! Why would you guys get to eat nice food while we¡¯d be stuck with this free cr*p?! I disagree!¡± Strongman and his friends immediately shunned the free food as soon as they heard there already was food ordered.They threw away their chopsticks and crossed their legs. Mei Xiawen was covering all the food and drink expenses anyway, so the students had no qualms about having better food.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought it in then. This food, you might as well feed it to the dogs!¡± Mei Xiawen crooked his finger and flicked Strongman hard on the forehead.

    Strongman covered his reddened forehead and yelled jokingly, ¡°Where¡¯s a dog? Where¡¯s a dog? Hurry, let¡¯s find one!¡±

    It was nearly eight at night by the time Mei Xiawen¡¯s delivery came. The delivery man was frantic. ¡°Hurry up and sign for it, I have to go to a meeting. The Managing Director said that everyone had to be in time for attendance for eight. If I¡¯mte I won¡¯t get my bonus this month.¡±

 Chapter 63: No Signal

    <h4>Chapter 63: No Signal</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Strongman hurried out to sign off on the delivery. He had just brought everyone¡¯s dinner inside, with the help of two other male ssmates, when there was a loud boom of thunder.

    The sound of rain followed. It was as though a reservoir up in the sky had burst open; the rain poured relentlessly, in an unending torrent.

    The staff who had delivered their food rushed back outside, and disappeared into the wind and rain.

    It was impossible to eat outside in the yard while it was raining like this.

    Mei Xiawen had everyone im their dinner and return to their respective rooms to eat.

    Gu Nianzhi, as per her usual habit, had her eyes glued to her phone while eating dinner. Suddenly, she frowned, the wrinkles in her brow deepening with every passing second.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lil Sis? Why are you so upset? ss Rep was super well-behaved today¡ªhe totally ignored the Two-faced B*tch from ss Two, so don¡¯t worry!¡± Little Temptress had automatically assumed that Gu Nianzhi was angry with Mei Xiawen.

    Gu Nianzhi did not bother replying; she put her chopsticks down, and walked around the room with her phone raised. She tried every spot, and finally walked to the door, her phone still held high above her.

    It was still raining cats and dogs outside; there was even the asional sound of thunder.

    Was it the rain? Was that why there was no phone signal?

    ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡± Green Tea Fang was dumbfounded. She asked Lady Cao, ¡°Did Lil Sis eat something funny?¡±

    Lady Cao was also frowning at her phone. She said, perplexed, ¡°Lil Sis is looking for a signal. What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m not getting a signal on my phone, either.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s your phone?¡± Little Temptress produced her phone. ¡°Vo! Mytest Vertu diamond phone! Hmm? Wait¡­ it looks like you¡¯re right: there¡¯s no signal!¡±

    Green Tea Fang got out her iPhone, and found that she didn¡¯t have a signal either.

    Gu Nianzhi had turned back to her roommates. She looked at them, her face very pale. Although she was trying very hard to stay calm, she could not hide the panic in her eyes.

    ¡°There¡¯s no signal: there¡¯s no signal anywhere.¡± Gu Nianzhi said, her face white as a sheet. ¡°I¡¯m going online.¡±

    She tried to connect to the resort Wi-Fi, only to find that even the inte was down!

    ¡°What happened?!¡± Little Temptress asked worriedly. ¡°No inte? Are they trying to kill us?!¡± She slumped dramatically.

    Everyone had long since taken the inte for granted, and expected it to be avable at all times.

    In this day and age, being unable to connect to the inte was an unimaginable nightmare, tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone, and thought for a long moment. She opened the door and walked along the covered passageway to look for Mei Xiawen. She wanted to ask him if he could get ahold of the resort staff and ask to borrow their telephone.

    ¡­

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re here! Looking for the ss Rep, I suppose?¡± Strongman had spotted Gu Nianzhi, d in an olive green camouge T-shirt, and was now enthusiastically inviting her in.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here.¡±

    ¡°ss Rep! Nianzhi¡¯s here for you!¡± Strongman hurriedly turned and called for Mei Xiawen when he realized that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t going toe inside.

    Mei Xiawen had just finished his meal and was stepping in to take a shower when he heard Strongman say that Nianzhi hade. He hurriedly dried his hair with a towel and came out of the bathroom. He looked around, but did not see Gu Nianzhi. He grabbed Strongman and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi? I thought I heard you say she¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s at the door, but she wouldn¡¯te in,¡± Strongman said, smiling. He pointed towards the door.

    Mei Xiawen quickly opened the door and stepped outside. It was dark out; Gu Nianzhi stood in the covered passageway, looking slim and graceful against the backdrop of heavy, fog producing rain. tinum floral earrings shone on her pearly white earlobes,plementing her creamy skin. She was so delicate and beautiful, he was seized by the desire to fold her protectively into his arms. At the same time, he was afraid to do so; she looked so fragile that it seemed entirely possible that a sudden, sharp exhtion from him would blow her away, scattering her into the storm.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart beat harder. ¡°Nianzhi, I was just about to look for you myself. You read my mind, so we must be soulmates.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ignored the love-struck look in Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyes; instead, she put a hand around his arm and pulled him next to the door. She said, in a quiet voice, ¡°Xiawen, I want to call my family, but there¡¯s no phone signal. The inte is down, too. Can you do me a favor? Can you ask the vi staff if we can borrow their phone?¡±

    During an emergency, it was unlikely for thendlines to fail, even if the signal towers had somehow malfunctioned.

    Mei Xiawen was stunned to hear this. ¡°No signal on your phone? No inte? That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve been here a dozen times, and I¡¯ve never had this happen to me.¡±

    He rushed into his room, found his phone, and tried it. Gu Nianzhi was right: there was no signal. He tried the Wi-Fi, and got only an error message.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyebrows were knit together in exasperation.

    These days, losing one¡¯s mobile phone or inte connection was likely to drive even the calmest person mad with frustration.

    ¡°See? I wasn¡¯t lying. Let¡¯s go look for a phone, all right?¡± Gu Nianzhi was beginning to feel antsy.

    Mei Xiawen looked at her and stuffed his phone back into his trouser pocket. ¡°It¡¯s pouring out there. Let¡¯s wait for the rain to stop before we go borrow a phone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the dense, rainfall; the rain drops were falling so fast, it was as though she were staring at a curtain of water. She nodded helplessly and said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go back to my room, then.¡±

    Just as she was about to leave, disheartened, she heard a voicee from the rain: ¡°Miss Gu, did you drop this stic bag?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up, confused.

    Standing there, in the dark night and pouring rain, was an ordinary-looking man in a sweater; his features were so unremarkable that it would be impossible to find him again if he were to walk into a crowd. He was walking in the rain towards Gu Nianzhi with a ck stic bag in his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi was just about to say that the stic bag wasn¡¯t hers when she took a closer look and realized that this was actually someone she knew.

    He used to be a familiar face, back when she lived with Huo Shaoheng in the Special Ops military base. She had not seen him again after moving out from the base to study at C University.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was beating wildly. She immediately asked, ¡°Where did you find it?!¡±

    Mei Xiawen nced at the stic bag; his brow wrinkled further at the sight. ¡°Nianzhi, why on earth are you using a stic bag? They¡¯re terrible for the environment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious to talk to the man. She pushed Mei Xiawen into his room, and said, ¡°Xiawen, why don¡¯t you go back inside? I want to talk to him. I know him, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked at the ordinary-looking man, and then at Gu Nianzhi. He pressed his lips together and returned to his room in a sulky mood.

    As soon as Mei Xiawen had gone, the man immediately led Gu Nianzhi to a remote corner of Qingfeng Garden, isted from the other sleeping quarters. He said in a low voice, ¡°Miss Gu, do you remember me? I work under Mister Huo. It is my duty to protect you as your bodyguard.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I remember you. It¡¯s nice to see you again, Brother Li. Why are you here? Are Huo Shao and the others here, too?¡±

    She brightened at this thought. Her eyes sparkled.

    If Huo Shao was here, there was nothing to fear!

    ¡°This is no time for chit-chat.¡± Brother Li¡¯s face was very grim. ¡°Mister Huo isn¡¯t here. He sent me here to protect you. I¡¯ve been shadowing you since yesterday, but I wasn¡¯t expecting something like this to happen. We¡¯ve lost both the phone signal and inte connection today. Something is definitely wrong here, so I came here to warn you.¡±

    Half an hour before, he had noticed that the phone signal and the inte connection had disappeared at almost the same time. He had hurried to the signal tower located in the nearby mountain only to discover that it had been deliberately sabotaged by someone. The damage was extensive; it could not be repaired for a while.

    He had lost contact with the Special Operations Forces, and had no way of knowing whether the rest of the team knew something was wrong. It was a Saturday and there were fewer men on duty at the base than usual.

    If the person on duty was sleeping on the job due to the slow nature of the weekend, then it could take up to an entire day before someone realized that there was a situation up at the resort.

    He could not afford to wait until the next day for a response from the base. It might be toote by then.

    Brother Li had not wasted any more time trying to get in touch with the base. Spurred by anxiety, he hade directly to Gu Nianzhi instead, with the intention of taking her away from there immediately.

    As long as they were able to get to a ce with a phone signal, they would be safe and out of danger.

    Gu Nianzhi was staring at Brother Li, mouth agape. ¡°Huo Shao sent you to protect me? Why haven¡¯t I heard of this?¡±

 Chapter 64: Protector

    <h4>Chapter 64: Protector</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What do you mean? Think about what we do for a living. If even you can notice us, then we might as well quit.¡± Brother Liughed good naturedly and passed the ck stic bag to her. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here so put on this bulletproof vest. I have to scope things out and then take you with me. We¡¯ll leave here early.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Nianzhi took the bulletproof vest, her heart sinking. ¡°Why do we need this?¡±

    Brother Li exined quietly. ¡°Do you remember that ck SUV? The one that came herest night? It was following your tour bus.¡±

    ¡°I think I saw it, but what about it?¡±

    ¡°I checked the cell signal tower on the mountain earlier and found that it had been attacked by someone; crushed in and twisted. It can¡¯t be fixed quickly. When I came back, I saw someone carrying a sniper rifle case get in the SUV and head towards that path.¡± Brother Li pointed to Mingyue Court and said with frustration, ¡°You guys are being closely monitored, and I only found out just now!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered involuntarily. ¡°They¡¯re watching us? What are they nning to do? Why? Does Brother Li know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details yet, but I can guess.¡± Brother Li paused upon seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s distress and immediately dispelled her concerns with a wry smile, ¡°You¡¯re certainly not the target. You were probably caught in the crossfire. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll scope things out now, and once I find a cell signal I¡¯ll contact the base. These nobodies don¡¯t stand a chance against us.¡±

    However, the situation was actually far more serious than Brother Li let on. Although he didn¡¯t think the criminals were targeting Gu Nianzhi, he knew from their getup that they were out for blood and would allow no survivors. The mountain resort had not only lost cell signal and inte connection, but even thendline was down. It had be an ind devoid of contact with the outside world. The criminals had snipers on them and were probably staked out on the path to the vi right now, ready to take out anyone trying to escape. He couldn¡¯t rashly take Gu Nianzhi and leave, so he had to find a way to get rid of the snipers first.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go scope things out and when the path is clear, we¡¯ll find a car and drive out.¡± Brother Li pointed to the ck stic bag and lowered his voice. ¡± Remember to put on the bulletproof vest. It will likelye in handy tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clutched the bag and asked worriedly, ¡°What about Brother Li? Do you have one one too?¡±

    If there were truly snipers like Brother Li said, the bulletproof vest was a must. Brother Li nced at Gu Nianzhi and hesitated. He took out a letter from his undershirt pocket and passed it to her. ¡°If I don¡¯t make it back, please give this to Big Xiong.¡±

    ¡°What is this letter for?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Can¡¯t you put it in the mailbox and send it back?¡± People hardly even used email anymore and opted for social media in order to instantly connect. Writing and sending letters was even more outdated.

    Brother Li smiled bitterly and shook his head, worried that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation. Still, told her anyway. ¡°This is my will. If I don¡¯te back, please give it to Big Xiong and he¡¯ll pass it on to my family. If I make it back, give it back to me.¡±

    ¡°Will?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile froze, she grasped the letter so tightly her knuckles turned white.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is customary for the Special Ops Forces. Everyone prepares their will before a big operation and gives it to their superiors for safekeeping. This time I thought I would be on vacation since I was guarding you here at the resort. But now, I have to get you to help.¡± Brother Li watched Gu Nianzhi and smiled wryly again, patting her shoulder. ¡°You have to survive. Find a way to survive. You have protect yourself before our people get here.¡±

    Tears brimmed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes as she realized Brother Li must have given her his own bulletproof vest. She hurriedly stuffed the ck stic bag back to him, ¡°Brother Li, you put it on. I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°Listen to me! This is an order!¡± Brother Li¡¯s face turned to stone as he pushed the bag back. ¡°Have you forgetten what Mr. Huo has taught you?¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi only obeyed Huo Shaoheng and did not see a reason to listen to anyone else.

    ¡°Brother Li, it¡¯s because of Huo Shao that I¡¯m giving the bulletproof vest back to you. Unless you have a spare.¡± Gu Nianzhi held back her tears and cracked a smile as she shoved the bag back to Brother Li. ¡°You also have to scope out the area, so you¡¯ll be targeted by those people for sure. Your chance of sess increases if you wear this. If you¡¯re sessful, I¡¯ll be more safe.¡± Brother Li realized that he couldn¡¯t win against Gu Nianzhi; the girl made perfect sense. He pressed his lips together worriedly and then opened his mouth to try and protest once more, but Gu Nianzhi stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t talk anymore. You need to hurry. The rain is heavy and it¡¯s hard to move around.¡±

    Brother Li knew that things were dire and that he couldn¡¯t afford to waste anymore time by stalling. He stopped resisting and took the stic bag. He warned her again. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere and stay put in Qingfeng Garden. Wait for me toe back. If I don¡¯t make it back, jump into Little Mirror Lake. I know you¡¯re a good swimmer. Theke is big and it¡¯s the safest route here.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Brother Li, you be careful too. I¡¯ll be waiting to give this letter back to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi held Brother Li¡¯s will against her heart as she watched him leave. She watched him disappear into the night and turned back to her own room. As soon as she rounded the corner, she saw Mei Xiawen leaning by her room door with his hands in his trouser pockets. He was staring pointedly in her direction and appeared to have been waiting for her.

    ¡°Xiawen?¡± she called out warily, ¡°is everyone here?¡±

    ¡°There are twenty out of the twenty-four here. The remaining four people haven¡¯t returned yet from Mingyue Court.¡± Mei Xiawen answered her dryly. He jerked his chin at the ce where Brother Li had been. ¡°Who was that? You know him?¡±

    ¡°No, he was mistaken. That thing wasn¡¯t mine.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t exin further. ¡°I¡¯m tired; I¡¯m going to rest for a bit.¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked down at the smoking cigarette in his fingers. He asked dejectedly, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s going on? Are you not having fun? I chose this ce especially for you.¡±

    The graduation trip he had painstakingly nned was yet to elicit the happy and thankful reaction he¡¯d been expecting. Mei Xiawen appeared exhausted.

    Gu Nianzhi felt pained to see her boyfriend like this. However, she didn¡¯t know how tofort him in this moment; her mind was overrun by the imminent threat at the resort. She rubbed the pir before her door as she stood in silence. Then she said quietly, ¡°Xiawen, this ce is great and I really appreciate all that you¡¯ve done; I really, really do¡­but something¡¯s not right.¡±

    He let out a sarcastic snort.

    ¡°What¡¯s not right? Not having a cell signal? No inte? No phone ess?¡± Mei Xiawen took off his sses and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Nianzhi, I thought you of all people would be more epting of lesser circumstances than most girls are.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Just because she was an orphan, she should be able to endure more than a fuerdai,1 whose parents were alive? Huo Shao had never allowed her to suffer in terms of her basic necessities of life just because ¡®life is cruel¡¯; he hadn¡¯t expected her to be more amodating and epting, or to keep her pains and worries to herself, because being an orphan meant being more ¡°resilient¡±. He had allowed her to be her own person and experience her life on an equal footing, regardless of her status and background.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get angry at Mei Xiawen. Years of Huo Shao¡¯s steady guidances had emboldened her. She didn¡¯t have a ss heart that shattered at cruel words or hatefulments.

    ¡°Xiawen, that wasn¡¯t a joke.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave him a sidelong nce, then looked up to the sky. ¡°The rain is getting heavier so don¡¯t let the others go outside, Xiawen. Have them close their doors.¡±

 Chapter 65: What Theyâ€™re After

    <h4>Chapter 65: What They¡¯re After</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mei Xiawen frowned as he looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What are you trying to say, exactly?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, and decided that her close friends deserved an exnation. It was their right to know the truth.

    ¡°Come inside, I have something to say.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to enter her room. Inside, she said to her roommates, ¡°Green Tea Fang, Lady Cao, Little Temptress ¨C I have something to tell you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s three roommates and Mei Xiawen gathered around her. They looked at her curiously.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, and began by describing the strange symbols she had seen. She followed this with the ck SUV and sniper rifle, things she had learned from Brother Li. Finally, she brought up the predicament they were in: no phone signal, no inte connection, and no workingndlines¡­

    ¡°We lucked out when ss Two practically extorted Mingyue Court from us. I just hope they¡¯re smart enough to get through this.¡± Gu Nianzhi got out her phone and used a drawing app to show the others the concentric circles she had seen.

    Her three roommates and Mei Xiawen were absolutely dumbfounded. They looked at each other, and asked, dubiously, ¡°¡­How do you know what a sniper rifle case looks like?¡±

    ¡°One of my distant rtives is a soldier. He has a sniper rifle case, exactly like the one the man was carrying.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not tell them that she had gotten the information from Brother Li. Her intricate tinum floral earrings shed in a brilliant arc under the light as she calmly turned her head.

    She had been with Huo Shaoheng for six years; if there was one thing she had learned from him, it was how to remain calm andposed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all worried?¡±

    ¡°Worried? What about?¡± Little Temptress asked as she carefully arranged her hair. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the inte connection. I have to get online so I can check Weibo.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why should we be worried? Okay, so maybe someone¡¯s up to no good. What¡¯s that got to do with us?¡± Mei Xiawen did not understand; he put on his gold-rimmed sses, and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you overthinking it?¡±

    ¡°How very magnanimous of you all.¡± Gu Nianzhi was absolutely perplexed by their non-reaction; she walked around the other four as she said, ¡°You guys are either wealthy heirs or have parents in high ces. Have your families never warned you that the world is full of dangers?¡±

    Mei Xiawen suddenly realized what she was saying. The blood immediately drained from his lean, fair face. ¡°You think it¡¯s us they¡¯re after?! How dare they!¡±

    Wealthy heirs were always at risk of being kidnapped. It was their greatest fear.

    It was true that kidnappers only wanted money, but it was also true that many of them would not hesitate to kill their hostage after getting what they wanted.

    The Meis were bigwigs in C City; as a general rule, no one dared to mess with them, not inside C City. This was why Mei Xiawen had never had bodyguards with him when he was inside the city.

    But he was always surrounded by bodyguards whenever he had to step outside of C City.

    Gu Nianzhi and Brother Li had deduced the bandits¡¯ intentions using nothing more thanmon sense: if Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t the target, then it was only logical to assume that the bad guys were after her wealthy ssmates.

    Gu Nianzhi had the utmost confidence in Huo Shaoheng. He had protected her well; no one had realized that she was more than just an ¡°ordinary citizen.¡± She was therefore absolutely certain that she wasn¡¯t the target.

    Those thugs probably thought of her as nothing more than a barnacle on the whales they were hunting.

    ¡°¡­Lil Sis makes a good point¡­¡± Lady Cao looked at Little Temptress. ¡°There are a lot of wealthy, powerful people in our ss.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Mei Xiawen; there was also Wang Junya, a.k.a. Little Temptress.

    The Wang family, based in the imperial capital, was distinguished and famous.

    Green Tea Fang, too, hade from a family worth tens of millions.

    Gu Nianzhi was the only one in the room from an ordinary family. She had been dragged into this entirely by ident.

    ¡°What should we do then? Are we supposed to just give in without a fight?!¡± Little Temptress was nervous now. ¡°Should we tell everyone? Get everyone together so we can discuss how to deal with this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we should tell everyone. The more people know about this the easier it is for word to get out. Whoever¡¯s out there may start paying a little more attention to us if they think we¡¯re acting funny.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Mei Xiawen was thinking about the students in ss Two. ¡°But surely we can¡¯t leave ss Twopletely in the dark? How about we go talk to them?¡±

    ¡°Sucks to be ss Two.¡± Green Tea Fang elegantly raised her cup of tea and blew on it. ¡°But then again they practically threw a tantrum to get us to swap rooms with them. They got what they wanted, can¡¯t me us now.¡±

    ¡°This is no time to gloat,¡± said Gu Nianzhi as she tugged Green Tea Fang¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m worried something will happen to them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Strongman to go have a look.¡± Mei Xiawen nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll tell them to be careful. There are more than 20 people over there ¨C as long as they stick together and keep the gate shut, everything should be all right.¡±

    With that, Mei Xiawen left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, and returned to the room he shared with Strongman.

    A momentter, Strongman rushed out of the room, wearing a disposable raincoat.

    ¡­

    It was now precisely eight o¡¯clock. An assortment of food and drink had beenid out in the resort vi¡¯s conference room, inside the administration building. All the resort staff were present; someone who looked like a manager was up front, calling out names and ticking them off a list.

    Five minutester, the man was in front of the director¡¯s office, knocking on his door. ¡°Director Fu, everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    A voice answered from inside the office. ¡°Tell everyone they can start eating. I have something to announce after everyone¡¯s finished.¡± The voice was indistinct and hard to make out, but the message was clear: the manager was to go back and give the order for everyone to have their dinner.

    The manager returned to the conference room, and announced, with a smile, ¡°Director Fu says we can start eating. There¡¯ll be an announcement after dinner!¡±

    So they had been summoned for a staff dinner. Nothing important.

    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and began to eat and drink in high spirits.

    ¡­

    Strongman ran through the rain and arrived at Mingyue Court.

    He reached out and gave the gate a gentle push; it swung open at his touch. Inside, all was quiet, save for the sound of heavy rain.

    Strongman felt a chill run down his spine.

    He walked to the covered passageway and made his way to one of the rooms, the one the ss representative for ss Two was living in. He stood before the door.

    The lights were on inside, but there were no voices to be heard. He had juste from the noisy, boisterous rooms in Qingfeng Garden; now, he felt as though he had stepped into another world.

    ¡°¡­ss Rep Chang?¡± Strongman knocked on the door, but no one answered.

    He pushed open the door, and what he saw almost made him scream!

    There were six or seven people in the room, lying haphazardly on the ground, all of them unconscious!

    Strongman almost swallowed both his fists as he tried to stop himself from screaming.

    He was so terrified he could barely keep his wits about him. He crept slowly towards the person nearest to him, who happened to be the ss representative for ss Two.

    When he was close enough to get a better look, he saw everyone¡¯s chests rhythmically rise and fall. Everyone was still breathing.

    He breathed a sigh of relief.

    Strongman knew he would go crazy if they were all dead¡­

    He summoned his courage and began to check all the rooms, only to discover that every student from ss Two had passed out.

    Foody half-eaten in every room. Upon inspection, he realized that these were the food and drinks that had been offered to them free of charge.

    He had some of these free food in his room; fortunately for him, he hadn¡¯t touched any of it.

    Strongman rushed out of Mingyue Court, his face full of terror. On his way back to Qingfeng Garden, he came across a kitten sheltering from the rain inside the bamboo forest. Strongman¡¯s heart melted at the sight of it; he took the kitten back with him to Qingfeng Garden.

    ¡°Bad news, ss Rep.¡± Strongman set the kitten down, and described what he had seen at Mingyue Court to Mei Xiawen. ¡°It¡¯s probably the food they brought over for free. Like they say, there ain¡¯t no such thing as a free lunch!¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s face had darkened; he mmed an angry fist into the table. As he turned away, he heard a meow. He looked at Strongman. ¡°Where¡¯d you get the cat?¡±

    ¡°I found it on my way back. It was hiding in the bamboo forest, sheltering from the rain.¡±

    ¡°Feed it with these leftovers.¡± Mei Xiawen pointed at the free food the chef had sent over.

 Chapter 66: The Siren Sounds

    <h4>Chapter 66: The Siren Sounds</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The kitten had probably starved all night since it devoured the food as soon as it saw it. Mei Xiawen even opened a bottle of spring water that was delivered with the food for it to drink from. Not even five minutester, the kitten lurched forward and copsed on the floor softly. It waspletely knocked out.

    ¡°Hah! It was because there¡¯s something wrong with the free food! But why would the resort staff do this?¡± Strongman cried. ¡°ss Two was passed out in Mingyue Court like this!¡±

    Thank god they hadn¡¯t eaten the free food! Mei Xiawen had chills running down his back. Outside, the storm was getting worse; the entire Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi was at the mercy of the strong winds and rain.

    ¡­

    25 kilometers away in a small and secluded mechanical room in the C City Special Forces Operations base, a giantputer was receiving a certain electronic signal every five minutes. The transmission of this type of signal relied on cell signal towers from different locations. As long as the cellphone was not damaged, this signal could continuously transmit to the hidden mechanical room at the Special Ops base. It was a Saturday and the personnelle stationed outside the mechanical room were more rxed than usual. They sat on their office chairs with cups of tea and yed video games with each other. Theputers in the base couldn¡¯t connect to the inte, so everyone could only browse on the intr in teams. Roughly half an hour before, theputer especially setup to receive electronic signals had been unable to receive the scheduled signal. After failing to receive a signal for over half an hour, theputer was programmed to initiate an emergencymand and activate a siren.

    Beep! Beep! Beep!

    A shrill and long call sounded in the mechanical room at the same time that a red light began to sh. Zhao Liangze had been showering in the bathroom when he heard the siren; he didn¡¯t even have time to wipe the soap suds off his body before he cloaked his lower half in arge towel and stormed out. He promptly opened hisputer and checked the program he had designed for Gu Nianzhi. His heart dropped.

    It had been half an hour since they¡¯d failed to receive a signal.

    What was going on?

    Gu Nianzhi also had on her a special transmitting device that sent her location using the pervasive cell signal towers in the Empire to send an electronic signal. If the signal failed toe for over half an hour, the program would automatically determine the level of crisis.

    Zhao Liangze immediately called Yin Shixiong, ¡°Big Xiong! Big Xiong! What happened?! Did something happen to Nianzhi?! And Little Li?1 Didn¡¯t he go to Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi with her?Why have both of their signals disappeared?!¡±

    Little Li was a member of the base and he also carried the same kind of location signal transmitter when he was out on a mission. It allowed the Special Ops to easily locate them and also enabled the wearer to instantly contact the base. If they were disconnected, something was definitely wrong.

    Yin Shixiong had just finished dinner and wasying on the couch to digest. He got Zhao Liangze¡¯s call and shot up. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did something happen to Nianzhi and Little Li? Nianzhi texted me ¡®Goodnight,¡¯ justst night!¡±

    ¡°Last night? I¡¯m talking about right now! Their signal has disappeared for half an hour.¡± Zhao Liangze said in a panic. ¡°I¡¯ll check the cell signal tower.¡±

    Yin Shixiong also got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the office and call the resort.¡±

    Zhao Liangze essed his highest level of permission and entered the C City government infrastructure website. From there, he could check the status of the cell signal towers within 250 kilometers of the vi. He instantly saw that the only tower by the vi was marked with a big red ¡°x,¡± meaning that the tower had broken down and couldn¡¯t function.

    Zhao Liangze gave a slight sigh of relief and put on his headset to call Yin Shixiong again. ¡°The cell signal tower by Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi broke down. I checked the weather and it¡¯s storming there, so that¡¯s probably why they lost signal.¡±

    Yin Shixiong answered him but kept dialing the phone, his eyes growing more worried.

    ¡°Little Ze, can you check the status of the resort? It seems that theirndline is down too.¡±

    Zhao Liangze froze. A cell signal tower could break down from incelement weather, but there was something fishy about thendline being down as well. Zhao Liangze opened the instantmunication program he had written himself and sent separate messages to Gu Nianzhi and Little Li. This program differed from the typical kinds on the market because Zhao Liangze could use it to get feedback on the status of the recipient¡¯s connection, simr to a ¡°PIN¡± function. It could determine the strength of the recipient¡¯s signal.

    The results shocked him even more. The resort had also lost its inte connection. There was no cell signal,ndline connection, or inte. What kind of natural disaster was causing such extensive damage?

    Zhao Laingze furrowed his brows and said to Yin Shixziong, ¡°I think you should call the local police. There¡¯s something seriously wrong at the resort!¡±

    ¡°How serious?¡± Yin Shoixong¡¯s hands were also trembling as he looked up the phone number of the police station near Dufeng Mountain.

    ¡°It¡¯s either a catastrophic natural disaster or a case of human sabotage. No matter what it is, it¡¯s not going to be good.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s fingers flew across the keyboard as they tapped out strings ofmands in attempt to establish connection with the resort. However, it kept failing and he concluded that it was due to physical destruction and not a programming error.

    In the night of heavy rain, the office at the police station near Dufeng Mountain received a call from the parents of a C University Faculty of Law student.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi? Why is the phone not working? Is the cell signal tower down too? Our child is vacationing there; can you afford it if something were to happen?¡±

    The person hung up after speaking and the policeman on duty was perplexed. He didn¡¯t even get a chance to ask for their name. From the caller ID, it looked like a normal phone number from C City. The junior officer looked at the torrential rain outside the window and considered how Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi was nearby. He dutifully put on his raincoat and took hisrge shlight, baton, and a small pistol. All the policeman on night duty carried guns and ammunition. The twenty-something year-old junior officer was a local and familiar with Dufeng Mountain. Although the rain was heavy, he sessfully got onto the main road to the resort. Not long after, he suddenly tripped and almost fell over. He quickly steadied himself and shone the powerful shlight on the ground.

    ¡°Ah!!¡± He let out a scream and almost threw his shlight to the ground.

    The thing he had tripped over was a person! The person had a ck stic bag tied over his head and his sprawled body was huge. He also had a rifle in his hand.

 Chapter 67: Escalation

    <h4>Chapter 67: Esction</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The rain fell in torrents. The night was dark. Branches swayed in the howling wind.

    It was a winding road, enclosed between two mountains; the wind was particrly loud and full of echoes here. It made him think of a demon lurking in the abyss, revealing its grotesque body with every step.

    The junior officer stared uncertainly for a moment, before pulling out his pistol. With his gun in one hand and a shlight in the other, he inched towards the figure on the ground.

    When he had nearly reached it, he extended a leg and kicked the rifle away swiftly.

    Throughout this entire process, the junior officer kept his eyes trained on the man lying on the ground. He was very afraid that the man would suddenly jump up and wrestle him for his gun, stic bag around his head or not.

    Minutes passed. The man did not move.

    Rain continued to fall on him, running in winding rivulets down his back.

    The junior officer was a little braver now; he tiptoed over to the man, and kicked him.

    The man still didn¡¯t move.

    The junior officer was finally assured. He knelt, and tried to rip the stic bag off the man¡¯s head. But try as he might, he couldn¡¯t untie the ordinary-looking stic bag.

    ¡°The h*ll? It¡¯s just a stupid stic bag, how¡¯d they tie it so tight?¡± The junior officer grumbled as he pulled out his pocket knife. He shed the stic bag open.

    Just then, a lightning bolt shed in the sky, followed by a thunderous boom that resounded in his ears.

    A face had emerged from the ck stic bag: blood oozed from every facial orifice, and the lifeless eyes were wide and resentful. The sight was made all the more ghastly and horrific by the intermittent shes of lightning.

    The young officer cried out a second time; he hurriedly backed away, tripping over himself and falling down on his rear in his panic.

    ¡°Chief! Chief! We have a situation!¡± The officer, young and with only a few years of experience under his belt, quickly got out his phone and attempted to report to his boss.

    He tried several times, but couldn¡¯t get through.

    He looked at the error message on his phone; f*ck! There was no signal here!

    The junior officer looked at the main road leading towards the resort. The rain and wind obscured the entrance. He looked at the direction he hade from; that way, too, was covered in a dense fog.

    He hurriedly got up, stamped the mud from his feet, and grabbed the rifle he had kicked away. He ran back to the police station as fast as he could.

    ¡­

    Not long after, the superintendent of the police station near Dufeng Mountain was roused from his sleep by the urgent ringing of his phone.

    ¡°What happened?¡± the superintendent demanded as he hurried into the station. He saw the rifle the junior officer had hauled back from the muddy road. His eyes immediately narrowed. ¡°That¡¯s an American Thunderbolt sniper rifle! Where did you find this?¡±

    ¡°On the road leading towards Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi.¡± There was still fear lurking in the junior officer¡¯s eyes. He shook it off and then looked at the superintendent admiringly. ¡°Chief, you recognize this gun?!¡±

    He had known that the superintendent was an army veteran, but he had not expected him to be an expert in firearms.

    The superintendent smiled. He gazed at the sniper rifle, a far-away look in his eyes. ¡°I remember those days. I¡¯d wanted so badly to be the sniper in my squad and so I worked my ass off studying everything there was to know about these rifles. In end though, someone else surpassed me. I didn¡¯t get the position.¡±

    This was a painful memory for the superintendent. The junior officer, sensing this, immediately changed the subject. ¡°Chief, there was also a dead man there, with a stic bag wrapped around his head. I found this sniper rifle beside him.¡±

    ¡°What? A dead man¡¯s body, and a stic bag around his head?¡± The superintendent¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Which god of war has decided to grace our humble Dufeng Mountain with his presence today?!¡±

    The junior officer looked at the superintendent, terror-stricken. He had no idea what his boss was talking about.

    ¡°Chief, there was also a call from the parents of a C Universityw student earlier this evening. They said that the C Universityw students are currently staying in Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi for their graduation trip, but no one has been able to contact them, not by mobile phone, inte, or even thendlines. They¡¯re worried sick, and want us to see what¡¯s going on. I went to check, but I hadn¡¯t even made it into the vi when I saw¡­ this on the road.¡± He pointed at the sniper rifle.

    ¡°Call Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi and get me Old Duan from their security office.¡± The superintendent seated himself; he lit a cigarette and began to smoke to clear his mind.

    The junior officer stood up and shook his head. He tapped the phone receiver. ¡°Like I said, The phone lines over at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi are down. No phone signal, either. Which was why I had personally ran over to see what was up, but before I reached the resort, I found this, and the dead man I mentioned.¡± He added, ¡°The body¡¯s still lying on the road.¡±

    ¡°The lines are dead?! There¡¯s no signal?!¡± The superintendent¡¯s face had gone deadly serious. He took an unhappy drag on his cigarette. ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough. Wake everyone and have them put on bulletproof vests. We¡¯re going into the mountains!¡±

    Five minutester, a small squad of policemen armed with walkie-talkies and bulletproof vests had assembled. They put on their raincoats and began walking towards Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi. Since there were many of them, they made good time and soon arrived at the spot where the junior officer had found the sniper rifle and the body.

    The dead man was still lying on the ground, the shed stic bag drooping from the impossible knot around his neck.

    The superintendent shone a shlight over the body, then motioned for two of his men toe over. ¡°Take him back to the station and ID him, quickly. The rest of you, follow me.¡±

    He ran swiftly in the rain with eight policemen behind him.

    He was just about to reach the vi gate when suddenly¡ª

    Whoosh

    A bullet flew out of the woods near the vi; it struck the junior officer, who was leading the way, in the chest.

    The man screamed and fell backwards.

    ¡°Down! Everybody down!¡± The superintendent hurriedly waved and ordered everyone to get down on the ground.

    He crawled over to the junior officer who had been shot, and asked quietly, ¡°Big Mao, you all right?¡±

    They were all wearing bulletproof vests. A bullet to the vest may hurt, but it wasn¡¯t life-threatening.

    The junior officer groaned. ¡°That hurt like a mother f*cker!¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s alive and well. Don¡¯t curse her, you ungrateful child!¡± The superintendent said gruffly as he pped the junior officer on the back. He slowly got up from the ground and checked his surroundings before giving the order: ¡°Onwards!¡±

    The junior officer who had just been shot in the chest got up.

    Just then, another bullet flew out from behind a tree.

    This time, it struck the junior officer¡¯s helmet.

    His helmet wasn¡¯t bulletproof. Once again, he copsed backwards, only this time, he made no sound.

    Another policeman who had been standing next to the junior officer hurriedly shouted, ¡°Chief! Big Mao got hit again!¡± He reached for the body in the mud, pulling it to the side.

    The superintendent immediately fired several consecutive shots in the direction from where the second bullet hade, yelling, ¡°Over there! Shoot them! Shoot them dead!¡±

    On the battlefield, any sniper worth their salt made sure to move to a new position after every shot. They had to. Otherwise, the enemy would be able to trace the sniper¡¯s position by analyzing the ballistics of his bullets. Once they had his location, the sniper would be mercilessly bombarded, with the end result being a ten-meter radius of barrennd around whatever was left of the sniper. This was why snipers were also known as ¡°cannon fodder¡± when out on the battlefield.

    Up here, in the mountain woods of the Empire, the superintendent realized that the sniper he was dealing with was aplete amateur.

    The two shots hade from the same direction.

    The policemen did not hesitate to pull out their guns and return fire.

    Their guns were not as powerful as a sniper rifle, but even so, there was strength to be gained inrge numbers. Shots rang out one after the other, never letting up, interspersed only by only the sound of the rain. The man who had been trying to shoot them from the woods found himselfpletely suppressed by the gunfire; he could not find an opening, nor could he even look up from his hiding spot.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the officers heard a low scream. The branches in the forest swayed a few times. The policemen shot again, but there was no longer any movement.

    It was the middle of the night, and it was raining heavily. Visibility was very low.

    Assessing their predicament what it boiled down to was: an officer from the Dufeng Mountain Police Station had been killed in action. This, along with the unidentified dead man, and the sniper who had escaped, had effectively escted the situation. This was serious.

    ¡°Take Big Mao back to the station. Call the higher-ups and the local troops for backup, stat! Tell them we¡¯ve got a major situation here!¡± said the superintendent vehemently. He wiped his face; he could no longer tell whether his face was wet from the rain, his sweat, or his tears.

 Chapter 68: Ripple Effect

    <h4>Chapter 68: Ripple Effect</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In the Managing Director¡¯s office, the leader of the Big Circle Boys, Yang Dawei, was staring at his stopwatch and holding a walkie-talkie in his other hand. He grit his teeth at the screams andmotion filtering through its speaker.

    ¡°The motherf*ckers! They killed Old Eight!¡±

    A man soaked from the rain suddenly burst in. One hand gripped a sniper rifle, the leather glove of his other hand soaked red with the blood that was flowing from his shoulder.

    ¡°Boss!¡± he panted, ¡°the cops know about this ce! We need to clear out!¡± The man, Old Seven, had rushed back to their base as quickly as possible, after his run-in with the police force at the bamboo forest. Though he had managed to stall them quite a bit, it had quickly be a evident to him that a change of n was necessary.

    Yang Dawei cursed again. ¡°The cops know too?!¡± His brows were heavy. ¡°Let our men know! Hurry up and bring those three university students here; we have to get the h*ll out.¡± He had nned on handling this calmly, but the cops had arrived earlier than anticipated. If they didn¡¯t run now, they¡¯d be sitting ducks.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go now!¡± Old Third, who was keeping watch at the Managing Director¡¯s office with Yang Dawei, picked up his gun and ordered his men to move out. He took a peek inside the main conference room as he passed by. They locked the door from the outside and barricaded it with a metal rod. If the Managing Director woke up, he wouldn¡¯t give them trouble so long as he was was locked away.

    ¡­

    In Qingfeng Garden, Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for almost half an hour, but Brother Li still hadn¡¯t returned. Her heart was beating faster by the second. Mei Xiawen crossed his arms and stood before the window as he looked at the rain; his eyes behind the gold rimmed frames were somber.

    Strongman was hiding in the back of Qingfeng Garden, keeping a watch on the outside. Through a crack in the door, he saw two people carrying guns rush by on the path outside. He stiffened, scared that he would be discovered by them. After he waited for the two to move farther away, he finally let out his breath and said to Mei Xiawen in a hushed voice, ¡°ss Rep, two people went towards Mingyue Court. I saw them carrying guns!¡±

    ¡°God, are they gonna do it? What will we do? Are we just sitting ducks?!¡± Little Temptress clutched her hand to her head as she shook it desperately. ¡°No way, no way! I haven¡¯t lived long enough! I can¡¯t just die like this!¡±

    ¡°Of course not! We¡¯re not alone.¡± Gu Nianzhi also stood in front of the window. She turned around, her eyes scanning the faces of everyone in the room. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shed them a smile. Her face had no trace of anxiety or fear; she was confident in their survival. Her expression encouraged everyone else.

    ¡°What do you n on doing?¡± Mei Xiawen looked over, his eyes drawn to her. It was this expression of hers, this kind and resolute face, that always invaded his heart.

    Gu Nianzhi selected a disposable raincoat from the pile that he resort staff had arranged in their room. She looked up at the bright, pce-stylenterns above their heads with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll trip the circuit breaker.¡± With the cover of darkness, it¡¯d be much easier for them to confuse the criminals. This would reduce the criminals¡¯ advantage and also alert the people who lived near the resort. Gu Nianzhi was certain that the thugs didn¡¯t have the time or incentive to murder everyone in whole vi, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have spiked the food of the students in Mingyue Court. Her friends caught on to her train of thought and began tounch a n.

    Mei Xiawen quickly volunteered. ¡°I¡¯ll go, since I know where the circuit breaker is.¡±

    ¡°Then you cane with me. I¡¯m familiar with tripping breakers.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Mei Xiawen.

    For all her assurance, there was another feeling that surged through her. She noticed that her palms were sweaty and realized with a start that she was actually excited.

    Just knowing the location of main circuit breaker was no good in this situation; cutting off the power was necessary. Modern circuitry was a lot moreplicated than the older models that had been used. It had more security features and intricate wiring systems. Without training, it would take too much time to the cut the power in a ce asrge as Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi in just one go. However, Gu Nianzhi had lived on the Special Operations Forces base for two years, and had closely watched the soldiers train, itching to try it herself too. Tripping circuit breakers or hacking into a security system; these had been just some of the things they had teased her with and trained her in for fun.

    Mei Xiawen hesitated. ¡°Ok.¡± He put on a raincoat and rushed into the heavy rain with Gu Nianzhi. Mei Xiawen had visited the vi many times before and had traveled there once with his family as VIP guests of the Managing Director Fu. Director Fu had guided them through the vi himself and Mei Xiawen remembered how they¡¯d passed by a ce that the Director identified as the electrical room. The electrical room contained inside the main circuit breaker for the entire resort. Although it had been a year or two ago, this incident was still fresh in his memory. He followed the directions he remembered and took Gu Nianzhi to the electrical room. The heavy rain and the pitch ck night made it hard to navigate. They held hands and stumbled to the steps of the electrical room. The door was shut tightly and light from the inside leaked through the door¡¯s cracks. Mei Xiawen inched closer to them and eximed in surprise, ¡°There¡¯s no one inside!¡±

    Normally, the electrical room would be manned 24 hours a day. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed in excitement as she gently pushed past him. ¡°Let me try.¡±

    She held a normal looking keychain attached to her keys and covered the keyhole as she inserted it in. This, however, was actually a lock opener that Yin Shixiong had once gifted her for her birthday. She felt for the bolt inside the keyhole and then gently turned it a few times until the door finally opened with a soft click.

    Mei Xiawen stared from Gu Nianzhi to the open door, and then back at her. ¡°How did you do that?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at him. Her yful expression made him catch his breath.

    For some time now, Mei Xiawen had felt that something was different about Gu Nianzhi. She was usually so gentle and quiet: a studious girl who minded her own business. The biggest cause for attention to her¡ªaside from her brilliance¡ªwas also her incredible beauty, and yet she wasn¡¯t one to revel in that spotlight. The Gu Nianzhi before him though, was electrifying. There was a raw energy emanating her; she was confident and eager, and apparently skilled in espionage and military tactics from the looks of things. Mei Xiawen fell further in love with her.

    He stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face and listened to her purring voice as he kept watch by the door in a stupor. In that moment, he would have consented to anything she requested of him, no matter how extreme.

    Gu Nianzhi found it strange that Mei Xiawen was suddenly so obedient, but had no time to reflect on it as she slipped inside. The electrical room had a vast array of switches, switchboards, and various circuit breakers. The truth was, if Mei Xiawen hade alone he would¡¯ve never found the main circuit breaker; carelessly tripping breakers would only alert the criminals. Gu Nianzhi scanned the electrical room and quickly locked on a medium-sized ss case on the north wall. From the circuitry, it appeared to encase the main circuit breaker. Gu Nianzhi rapidly strode over to examine it. The ss case was secured with arge lock and, upon closer inspection, she realized that using her lock opener would be useless: the lock was connected to a wire, that she couldn¡¯t use a lock opener on. However, the ss encasing the main circuit breaker switchboard wasn¡¯t connected to any circuits. Gu Nianzhi stared at it for a moment and then searched around the electrical room. She made up her mind and picked up a hammer from the toolbox in the room and fiercely lobbed it at the center of the ss case.

    Bang!

    It shattered immediately, revealing the main circuit breaker¡¯s switchboard. Just like every other electronic or technological device: tough to build and all too easy to destroy Gu Nianzhi thought amusedly. She found a conductive pen in the toolbox to stab the switchboard with; sparks immediately flew from it as it sputtered loudly several times. The bulb in the electrical room flickered rapidly before going out. The lights rippled out in waves from the electrical room and total darkness spread throughout the entire resort.

 Chapter 69: Dispatch

    <h4>Chapter 69: Dispatch</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The power outage led to a few people wandering outside of their rooms, protesting andining to one another while they tried to make sense of what was happening.

    ¡°D*mn it!¡± one man yelled, ¡°what the h*ll?! This resort is so unprofessional! Are they deliberately trying to piss off their guests, or what? No phone signal, no inte, and now, no electricity! Thendlines don¡¯t work either! How could they run their business this way?¡±

    The resort guests in the other courtyards had only just noticed the abnormality of their situation, and were now causing a ruckus, demanding to speak with the resort management.

    However, the rain quelled the heated conversations, a natural and effective deterrent. They withdrew into their rooms. They would wait for the rain to stop before storming out to give the resort managers a piece of their minds.

    ¡­

    Over at the resort¡¯s administration building, the bright lights in the managing director¡¯s office suddenly shed twice before going out.

    Yang Dawei was sitting in the executive chair when the lights went out. He was startled by the sudden darkness; he looked up at the ceilingmp, and asked one of his men, ¡°What happened? A power outage?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look, Boss.¡± Another one of his men walked out of the room, gun in hand.

    Yang Dawei was uneasy. His right eyelid twitched uncontrobly.

    It was said that when left eyelid twitched, it signified iing wealth. A jumping right eyelid, however, signified iing disaster.

    His twitching right eye made him frantic with fear; it was an ill omen. Consumed by his superstition and panic, he pped a hand over his insolent right eye.

    ¡­

    Over at Qingfeng Garden, everyone had already learned from Mei Xiawen that there was trouble brewing in the resort. They were also told that the students in ss Two, had been knocked out. Scared and confused, the students of ss One were now obediently hiding in their rooms, debating amongst themselves on how to protect themselves.

    While they were already badly frightened, the moment the lights in their rooms died out, many students were sent into a terrified frenzy. The danger was escting.

    Strongman made rounds andforted his ssmates, room by room. ¡°It¡¯s all right, ok? The lights have gone out because the ss Rep and Gu Nianzhi have cut off the power. This is a good thing. I mean, it¡¯s not like we had been able to use our phones or ess the inte earlier, right?¡± He tried to joke. ¡°You know what? We should try living as our ancestors did back in the Stone Age. Who needs electricity, anyway?¡±

    Little Temptress, Green Tea Fang, and Lady Cao stood together, nervously staring in the direction of the gate. They were waiting for Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen toe back.

    ¡­

    The two gangsters who had just arrived at Mingyue Court had also been caught off-guard by the power outage. In fact, they were probably the ones most surprised by it. They had just finished searching the first room when the lights had abruptly went out. ¡°Sh*t! What the f*ck! Why are the lights out?!¡± One man cursed.

    They had been walking around Mingyue Court with photos in their hands, trying to identify their targets, but so far it had been a slow and cumbersome process. The students of ss Two were lying about in all kinds of positions, unconscious. The gangsters had to turn their heads to check their faces, one by one.

    The men went out to check out the situation and found that the entire resort was shrouded in darkness.

    Just moments before, the vi courtyards scattered among the mountains had glistened and glittered in the rain like wet pearls. Now, however, there wasn¡¯t a single light to be seen in the entire resort. They were greeted with darkness no matter which way they turned. It was beginning to feel like eerie somehow.

    The two Big Circle Boys members had no choice but to continue searching the rooms with their shlights.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen stumbled out of the power room and hurried back to Qingfeng Garden, hand in hand.

    It was still raining, the ground beneath them muddy and slippery. There were no street lights to guide them, and the two of them dared not use their shlights. They could only trust that their instincts would lead them back to Qingfeng Garden safely.

    Mei Xiawen had a good sense of direction. He led Gu Nianzhi around in the dark, his eyes gradually adapting to the night.

    Soon enough, Gu Nianzhi saw a familiar road sign. ¡°Over there.¡±

    The two returned to Qingfeng Garden. Strongman stealthily crept up to them, and said, ¡°I saw shlights over at Mingyue Court. What do you think they¡¯re up to?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about what Strongman had said: the two gangsters were armed with guns, and had looked like cold-blooded killers. Her heart thumped furiously in her chest. She bit her lip and looked at Mei Xiawen. ¡°How about I go check it out?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Mei Xiawen vehemently objected. ¡°They have guns. You¡¯d be like amb sent for ughter!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi inwardly mused: Ah, but who¡¯s themb, and who¡¯s the butcher? Xiawen, you would be in for a surprise.

    She did not argue with Mei Xiawen before her friends, however. Instead, she asked worriedly, ¡°What if they realize we¡¯ve swapped rooms? They mighte for us.¡±

    Everyone panicked at the thought. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?!¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over to her bed and got out her swimming apparel, which more resembled a wetsuit. ¡°I¡¯ll go over via Little Mirror Lake. Any objections?¡±

    ¡°Little Mirror Lake?¡± Mei Xiawen frowned. ¡°You want to swim over?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I swam over to Mingyue Court yesterday, so I know the way.¡± Gu Nianzhi was already inside the bathroom, changing into her swimsuit.

    Mei Xiawen did not say anything. He silently returned to his room and changed into his swimming trunks. He was going with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡­

    Elsewhere, in C City, several wealthy, distinguished families were roused from their sleep by the ringing of their phones. It waste at night.

    ¡°Is this the Mei family? Your son is in distress, over at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi. You¡¯d better find a way to save him, and fast.¡±

    ¡°Is this the Cao family? Your daughter is in trouble, over at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi. Please hurry to save her, or it may be toote!¡±

    Several families in other cities, including B City, the capital of the Empire, also received simr calls.

    It sounded like a prank, but the heads of these families would rather not take their chances; they immediately called their children.

    However, try as they might, they couldn¡¯t get through¡ªneither by mobile phone, nor the listedndline number for the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi. They texted their children using instant messaging apps, but did not get a reply. They sent FaceTime requests, but did not get a response.

    The gravity of the situation was undeniable now.

    Several families immediately made calls to the C City Police Headquarters.

    They called the police HQ, and quickly learned from their inside connections that the police station near Dufeng Mountain had just called HQ for emergency backup. Reports on the matter came one after another:

    There was an ongoing situation at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi

    Someone had been shot and killed!

    The gangsters were armed with multiple guns!

    The students¡¯ parents had been upset and restless; their distress was further amplified upon receiving this news. It was no longer possible for them to go back to sleep.

    They demanded to go up to Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi with the police. They would not be able to rest until they saw, with their very own eyes, their children walk out of the vi, safe and unharmed.

    The police were at a loss. These were distinguished families, and it was important to address their concerns; however, it would have made no difference even if they had been poor families¡ªthe perilous situation made it difficult to infiltrate the resort and rescue the students in lieu of the murder of a police officer. A reckless approach founded on the urgent feelings of the families would do nothing; rather, it could jeopardize the safety of the families¡¯ children.

    The higher-ups at the police HQ were therefore treating the matter very seriously. They put their mostpetent man, the deputymissioner, on the case. He immediately ordered for a SWAT team and one hundred riot police to be dispatched to Dufeng Mountain.

    It rained the entire way: from C City to Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi.

    The police HQ sealed off the highway, so the SWAT team would be able to get to the scene faster and save the students.

    The SWAT team was made up of the best men on the police force. They were especially skilled at dealing with high profile and high level cases.

    The deputymissioner got into a helicopter; he would be flying directly to Dufeng Mountain.

    In the dark, rainy night, a long string of police cars raced along the highway towards Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, sirens ring and lights shing the. It was a formidable sight.

    A group of helicopters rose into the night sky. It flew through the pouring rain and towards the airport near Dufeng Mountain.

    ¡­

    Over at the C City Special Operations Forces military base:

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong stood at attention before Huo Shaoheng. Their faces were pale. ¡°Sir! Little Li and Gu Nianzhi are in danger!¡± Zhao Liangze said.

    Huo Shaoheng was seated at his desk, his hands folded on the table. He slowly raised his head. His beautiful face was still as expressionless as ever, but his voice had gone icy cold. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±

 Chapter 70: Special Satellite 2

    <h4>Chapter 70: Special Satellite 2</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s re sent a chill through the men. Zhao Liangze used all his strength to prevent his knees from shaking, and was scared that he would be tongue tied as soon as he opened his mouth. He could only look at Yin Shixiong and speak slowly. ¡°B-B-Big Xiong, you tell him.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had always been articte, but facing Huo Shaoheng in that moment¡ªthe oppressive aura of his Chief¡ªhe couldn¡¯t find a single tactful thing to say. So, he opted to speak the truth as knew it.

    ¡°Reporting to Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong snapped his heels in attention and then continued. ¡°Gu Nianzhi went to Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi for her graduation trip and encountered distress! She and Special Operations Forces personnel, Little Li are m.i.a at the moment!¡± Yin Shixiong stood in rigid military stance with both palms t on his trouser seams, head high as he finished his report.

    Huo Shaoheng rose and slowly brought his hands behind his back. His eyes were like bottomless wells, but an intense light shed in them like a lone fire burning in the night sky. The power that branched out from him left one with the impression that those who came close to him would be reduced to ashes. He calmly looked ahead for a while, before extending his hand to open hisptop, his fingers tapping on the keyboard. His voice was low. ¡°Activate satellite tracking.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes lit up and the lump that had been stuck in his throat for the past half an hour finally found went down as he cried, ¡°How did I forget about that? Chief, please grant me, Lieutenant Colonel Zhao Liangze, permission to activate Special Satellite 2!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded without looking at him: he had already opened Special Satellite 2¡¯s tracking system on hisputer. Zhao Liangze ran out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office to a small inner room within the mechanical room. He sat before therge central controlputer and rubbed his hands together, then quickly entered in strings of passwords before using his fingerprint and eye recognition to generate a secure, temporary password.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Yin Shixiong was too afraid to move and remained before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s the desk. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and along his neck, dripping down his cor and merging with the sweat on his back.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head was lowered as he bent over hisputer and activated a hidden program. Five minutester, in the airspace 30,000 kilometers above Blue, a satellite named Special Satellite 2pleted an orbital adjustment and locked onto the location as programmed: the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi.

    ¡­

    ¡°We found them!¡± Zhao Liangze cried out from in the mechanical room. ¡°We have both Nianzhi¡¯s and Little Li¡¯s locations! They¡¯re still in Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi¡ªwait, Little Li¡¯s location seems to be outside the resort¡­¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s fingers entered a series ofmands in order to triangte Little Li¡¯s exact location. Huo Shaoheng was in the study. He ran theputer program running Special Satellite 2, andmanded the army personnelle to coborate and n for infiltration and retrieval. After a few moremands, Special Satellite 2 was locked onto its target. Huo Shaoheng leaned back and motioned at Yin Shixiong to exin the entire situation.

    ¡°When the students made ns to have their graduation trip at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, I checked the location first and determined that it was a secure and clean establishment; only then did I give Gu Nianzhi the ¡®ok¡¯. I sent Little Li with her too, so I never thought¡­¡± Yin Shixiong mumbled, his head dropping. ¡°Chief, I¡¯m so very sorry. My carelessness warrants disciplinary action, as is only right.¡±

    Although no one had told him the details, Yin Shixiong knew that Gu Nianzhi had gotten into trouble just two months ago and that it had been Chen Lie who saved her. At that time also, Yin Shixiong had not foreseen the danger that she had eventually gotten caught up in. Now, something simr was happening again, and Yin Shixiong fully med himself for being so sloppy and negligent.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and slowly shook his head.

    ¡°Big Xiong, don¡¯t say things like, ¡®I never thought,¡¯ as a soldier under mymand. In war, there¡¯s no time for you to say the words, ¡®I never thought.¡¯ There¡¯s no time for you to backtrack, or berate yourself over minor setbacks or regrets. You must embrace the ts of precision, uracy, and efficiency in every thing you do and in every move you make.¡±

    Because anyone who thinks like that will already be long dead in the midst battle. Huo Shaoheng thought grimly.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s head lowered further. Deep in his heart, he confronted the reason for his mistakes: the truth was, he had never regarded taking care of Gu Nianzhi as an important military duty. His overconfident and erroneous mindset, however, had put Gu Nianzhi in harm¡¯s way again. It had tainted his integrity as not only as a soldier, but as Gu Ninazhi¡¯s extended guardian as well.

    ¡°Punishment is inevitable¡­but this isn¡¯t over yet. Whether you can make amends and rectify this situation depends on you.¡± Huo Shaoheng levelled Yin Shixiong and pointed at the door. ¡°So, get out and get to it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong snapped his legs together and saluted before running out. After he left, he immediately contacted the C City Special Forces Auxiliary Branch.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi?¡±

    The officer on the other end promptly responded. ¡°Reporting to Lieutenant Colonel Yin Shixiong! The police headquarters have deployed a special unit¡ª100 riot police¡ª with Deputy Commissioner Liu leading the operation and full support of the entire police force. They have also mobilized a helicopter and have contacted the garrison¡¯s special forces team for good measure!¡±

    Yin Shixiong questioned him in detail for a long time before ending the call. Even the special forces with the garrison troops were on standby, meaning that the situation at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi was worse than he had thought.

    Yin Shixiong set aside his pride and burst into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study to plead with him. ¡°Reporting to Chief! Special Operations Forces Lieutenant Colonel Yin Shixiong is requesting to support the operation by Dufeng Mountain Police!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slowly, his gaze lightly scanning over Yin Shixiong¡¯s face. Seems like things are worse than Yin Shixiong thought. He closed hisptop and rose from his seat. ¡°Have someone prepare the car and bring Little Ze. I¡¯ll be going too.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yin Shixiong grew even more anxious. ¡°Chief, you can¡¯t go! It¡¯s too dangerous there! The number of criminals is unknown and we aren¡¯t familiar with the topography.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say a word, but stared him down. It was enough to shut Yin Shixiong up. He gave a military salute. ¡°Yes sir! I¡¯ll go prepare everything right away!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to his bedroom, opened his closet, and put on his custom military uniform. He wore knee length boots with bulletproof knee guards and custom made bullet proof clothing covering his torso and legs. Even his helmet was bulletproof. He had two Browning pistols at his hips and carried an American M16A semi-automatic assault rifle. His face was calm as he walked out. Huo Shaoheng held the rank of Major General, so he had at least eight guards with him during outings. But, because he managed the Special Operations Forces, which waspletely different from the Field Army, he required privacy and secrecy, rather than publicity. So this time, he went out with only his guard and driver, Fan Jian.

    Yin Shixiong sat in the front as usual, while Zhao Liangze carried a pile of electronic equipment and sat next to Huo Shaoheng in the back. They rode in a Humvee.

    ¡°What te should we use?¡± Fan Jian started the engine with his right hand and opened the sidepartment of the side door with his left hand to reveal an array of license tes. They could be used and changed at anytime.

    ¡°Use the garrison te.¡± Yin Shixiong nced at Huo Shaoheng and saw him close his eyes. He interpreted the Major¡¯s silence as approval.

 Chapter 71: Whereâ€™d They Go?

    <h4>Chapter 71: Where¡¯d They Go?</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As the various forces in C City scrambled to send help, over in Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen had just gotten into Little Mirror Lake. They quickly swam towards Mingyue Court.

    Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen clung to the steps leading to Mingyue Court¡¯s back door as they peered at the lights moving about in the courtyard.

    The two Big Circle Boys had searched high and low through all six rooms with their shlights. They had worked up a sweat, but still hadn¡¯t found the three students they were looking for.

    ¡°F*cking sh*t! Are they even here?!¡±

    As soon as the words were out, the two men looked towards Qingfeng Garden.

    If they weren¡¯t here, then they could only be in one other ce ¨C Qingfeng Garden!

    Two sses hade to the resort vi, after all!

    The two gangsters grinned nastily. They immediately raised their walkie-talkies to report to their leader, Yang Dawei. ¡°Boss! They¡¯re not here!¡±

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She knew things had taken a turn for the worse. She hurriedly swam back to Qingfeng Garden, pulling Mei Xiawen behind her.

    They managed to return to Qingfeng Garden ahead of the two gangsters.

    Gu Nianzhi was now anxiously pleading with her ssmates. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here any longer. They¡¯ve realized the students they want aren¡¯t in Mingyue Court. They¡¯ll be here any minute now!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s twenty of us, and only two of them. What¡¯s there to be afraid of?!¡± A male student raised his fist and mmed it down on a table, hard.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were as bright as stars in the dark. She calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of them. I¡¯m just saying that we shouldn¡¯t make unnecessary sacrifices. They have guns. That alone is good enough reason for us to keep our distance. We cannot go up against them.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is right.¡± Mei Xiawen was the first to agree. ¡°We don¡¯t have any weapons. There¡¯s no way we can fight them off.¡±

    ¡°If these were just regr thugs armed with knives, we may have a chance of overpowering them. But they have top-of-the-line rifles. What are we going to do, jump them bare-handed and hope they run out of bullets?¡± Gu Nianzhi held her phone tight in her hand. ¡°This is my n: we¡¯ll get into theke and swim to the other side.¡±

    Four or five of her ssmates cried out: ¡°What? But I can¡¯t swim!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Mei Xiawen. ¡°ss Rep, let¡¯s have the swimmers help tow those who can¡¯t swim. We need to get into the water, now!¡±

    The nightmarish situation he had just been in shed through Mei Xiawen¡¯s mind. He did not hesitate. ¡°Everyone get in theke, stat! Don¡¯t dy ¨C or you¡¯ll have to face the consequences!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled the non-swimmer nearest to her, one of her female ssmates. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    The other ssmates saw that Gu Nianzhi, the youngest among them, had not hesitated to offer her help to a non-swimmer. Their courage swelled at this sight. They quickly divided themselves into groups, spreading the non-swimmers among them, and silently walked out the back door of Qingfeng Garden and onto the terrace. There, they descended the steps leading into theke.

    Rain was still pouring relentlessly, spattering the surface of theke like beads upon a te ¨C the noise was loud enough to cover the sound of the students getting into theke.

    Thest student from ss One to get off the terrace had just disappeared into the water when a deafening ng sounded from the main gate in the front yard.

    ¡°They¡¯re here¡­¡±

    All the students were immediately struck with the exact same thought.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her non-swimmer ssmate from behind, and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Don¡¯t struggle. I won¡¯t let go of you.¡±

    Her ssmate was touched by her words. She eagerly responded, ¡°I know! I¡¯ve got this! I won¡¯t drag you down!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was an exceptionally good swimmer.

    The other non-swimmers had to be towed by two other male students. But Gu Nianzhi, treading water with her arms wrapped around her ssmate, was actually moving through the water faster than those who were swimming alone.

    Everyone automatically thought of Gu Nianzhi as their leader. They followed behind her as they made their way across Little Mirror Lake.

    Little Mirror Lake was enormous; it was almost two kilometers across. It was no easy feat swimming from one end of theke to the other.

    But they had to swim, it was the only way forward. Everyone knew that there was only a dead-end behind them; that knowledge alone was enough to propel them beyond their usual capabilities. Everyone swam smoothly and quickly.

    It was a good thing Gu Nianzhi had destroyed the main circuit breakers for the entire resort in advance. The darkness surrounding them was soplete they could not see past their noses. With the storm raging about them, it was impossible for anyone to spot them swimming in theke.

    ¡­

    Back in Qingfeng Garden, two Big Circle Boys kicked open the front door. They rushed in with rifles and shlights raised.

    They were expecting to see college students lying all over the ce, unconscious, just like in Mingyue Court. But they searched all six rooms, and there wasn¡¯t a single student to be found!

    ¡°What the f*ck? Where¡¯d they go?! What, did they sprout wings and fly off or somethin¡¯?!¡±

    One of the Big Circle Boys furiously mmed the butt of his gun into the door.

    His partner wasn¡¯t as quick to lose his temper. He looked around, and said, ¡°There¡¯s a real smart one among them. He or she gathered everyone else and escaped.¡±

    ¡°Escaped?! It¡¯s a crazy storm out there, where would they go?! And we¡¯re not talking about one or two students here ¨C there¡¯s twenty of ¡¯em! Tell me, how did they all escape?!¡±

    ¡°How would I know?! Look, their luggage¡¯s still here. Maybe they¡¯re hiding somewhere¡­¡± The level-headed gangster shone a shlight around Qingfeng Garden. ¡°Maybe we should ask the staff if there are secret rooms around here?¡±

    ¡°You call the boss¡­ I ain¡¯t got the balls to call again¡­¡± The hot-headed gangster blew his nose, and added sulkily, ¡°The boss gave me a good tongueshin¡¯ just now¡­¡±

    The level-headed gangster thought for a moment. He raised his walkie-talkie and said, in a voice that was positively oozing with sincerity, ¡°Boss, we have trouble.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Yang Dawei¡¯s exasperated voice sounded over the speaker. ¡°What is it this time? Geez!¡±

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no one in Qingfeng Garden. Do you want to get the director of the resort, ask him if there are hiding ces in the buildings? We think the students have holed up somewhere¡­¡±

    Yang Dawei was sitting in the dark, inside the director¡¯s office. He watched theshing rain and howling rain beyond the window. He was seething with rage.

    ¡°Bring me the director!¡±

    One of the Big Circle Boys hurried to drag Director Fu ¨C who was already close to his breaking point ¨C out from the storage room.

    Yang Dawei shoved his gun right under Director Fu¡¯s jaw. ¡°Are there secret hiding ces in Qingfeng Garden? Answer me!¡±

    Director Fu was scared witless; his heart constricted in fear, and his breath caught in his throat. He fainted.

    A faint stench quickly enveloped the room.

    One of the Big Circle Boys kicked Director Fu, who was out cold. ¡°He pissed himself¡­¡±

    Yang Dawei was furious. He savagely boxed Director Fu¡¯s ears, before grabbing his gun and standing up. His eyes were grim and sinister. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Get your guns, we¡¯re going to Qingfeng Garden!¡±

    The five remaining members of the Eight Mighty Warriors rushed out with their guns.

    When they arrived at Qingfeng Garden, they searched every nook and cranny, but did not find anything that looked like a trapdoor or hiding room.

    Yang Dawei walked to the back door of Qingfeng Garden, his gun at the ready. He squinted at Little Mirror Lake through the rain and mist, then spat, through gritted teeth, ¡°¡­Those little sh*ts! Shoot ¡¯em!¡± Having said that, he raised his gun and began shooting haphazardly at theke.

 Chapter 72: Untielding Strength

    <h4>Chapter 72: Untielding Strength</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The sound of heavy gunfire ricocheted off the surface of Little Mirror Lake. The bullets ripped through the storm and loudly whizzed by, their echoes ringing through the mountains for a long time. Some of the tourists staying there heard this and thought it was fireworks and firecrackers at first. Soon though, they remembered that it was raining; how could anyone have set off fireworks and firecrackers in this weather? It was only then that people realized that the sounds were gunshots. Everyone became even more scared, but no one was brave enough to check outside. Doors were secured in silence. The guests put up their defenses and began to really for their lives.

    ¡­

    The storm was heavier on Little Mirror Lake and visibility was nearly zero. Someone with a weaker sense of direction would have only swum in circles and died of exhaustion before they ever got within sight of the shore. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why the Big Circle Boys hadn¡¯t followed ss One into the water. If it hadn¡¯t been for Gu Nianzhi, the students would have suffered an unfortunate fate. Gu Nianzhi had always possessed a strong sense of direction, and although the storm made it difficult to find the way home from where they were currently, she was able to recognizendmarks despite the inclement conditions. Since the night they had arrived, she had swam across Little Mirror Lake twice. This would be the third time. She raised her head from the surface, one hand firmly gripping her ssmate¡¯s waist. She raised her other hand, holding her phone up as she wiped the rain from her face. Navigating their way on Little Mirror Lake wasn¡¯t difficult for her because it was surrounded by threerge mountains thus making it easy to re-center themselves. She only had to keep her eyes on the overall shape of the mountain peak across theke to know where she was swimming to. Fortunately, they had already been out of range of the torrent of bullets Yang Dawei and his underlings had directed at Little Mirror Lake. Just the sound of the guns firing behind them frightened the group enough to nearly submerge deep underwater. A few people almost got cramps.

    They know we¡¯re crossing theke.

    The same thought crossed everyone¡¯s minds and forced them to swim even faster. Gu Nianzhi purposely fell behind from the front to usher everyone to swim faster, faster, and faster still. Time was running out.

    ¡­

    ¡°We can¡¯t look for them anymore, let¡¯s take the Managing Director and a few university students from Mingyue Court, then make a run for it!¡± Yang Daweri stood on the back veranda of Qingfeng Garden and made the decision. ¡°The cops are almost here. If we make it out of here, I¡¯ll make sure to get to the bottom of where things went wrong! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Everyone then stormed out of Qingfeng Garden and split into two groups: one to take the Managing Director, and the other

    to return to Mingyue Court. The weather was getting worse and they were likely to lose their sense of direction in the water. Their guns were their greatest advantage, so they didn¡¯t to go after the escaped C University Faculty of Law students. Once they hit the water, their advantage would be lost. This left them no choice but to retreat and settle for taking the Managing Director and the passed out students from ss Two as hostages. A few underlings returned to Mingyue Court and picked out several unconscious students. They chose well-dressed ones and carried them to back to their ck SUV.

    The wind had receded, but the rain hadn¡¯t let up. The SUV¡¯s engine revved as it drove up to the the vi¡¯s administrative building. Two men dragged the Managing Director, who was tied up into a ball. They tossed him in and drove onto the main road and out of the vi. There was essentially no traffic and they were anxious to leave.

    Thump! Boom!

    The driver had suddenly noticed a giant bump ahead and swerved to avoid it! The ck SUV crashed and then skidded. The driver pushed his entire body against the steering wheel, trying to maintain control of the car, as it veered sharply to the left and then careened right into arge tree on the side of the road with a bang. The hood let out white smoke and the engine sputtered onest time before the SUV died.

    ¡°Motherf*cker! We¡¯ve hit a tree!¡± The man cursed as he got out and opened the hood of the SUV. The engine waspletely beyond repair.

    ¡°Boss, get out; this car is useless now.¡± He bellowed towards the car. A few other Big Circle Boys members crawled out and came beside him to take a look. They knew the car was finished as soon as soon as they saw the engine.

    ¡°Motherf*cker! What bad luck! What the h*ll is going on!¡± Another man kicked the car door open and dragged the hostages out.

    ¡°The car is gone, so are we walking?¡± The driver waited for a response from Yang Dawei.

    Yang Dawei¡¯s face was serious as he raised his hand to stop everyone from speaking. He leaned over to listen carefully.

    ¡°Godd*mnit¡­someone¡¯s here! There¡¯s a lot of them too!¡± Yang Dawei had just finished his sentence when the police siren ahead grew louder and quickly moved closer to them.

    ¡°What the h*ll are we listening for? We can clearly see the sirens.¡± A Big Circle Boys thug muttered as he hauled an unconscious female student over his shoulder, then turned around to ask Yang Dawei, ¡°Boss, how should we move?¡±

    The road ahead was no good; a horde of police cars were closing in on them quickly.

    Up the mountain pass? Yang Dawei was just considering the possibility when he heard rustling from the forest and dogs barking.

    ¡°Police dogs?! They¡¯ve brought police dogs!¡± A timid gang member immediately shrunk behind Yang Dawei. ¡°Boss, we can¡¯t go up the mountain! We can¡¯t outrun the police dogs on the mountain!¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t go up! Let¡¯s go back first!¡± Yang Dawei waved is hand. ¡°We¡¯ll go back to Mingyue Court!¡±

    Seven Big Circle Boys carried four unconscious university students and the Managing Director of the vi as they made haste and backtracked.

    After they left, a young man emerged from the forest. His face was covered in blood, half swollen, with one arm dangling at a strange angle. He sat on the side of the road and spat on the ground. ¡°I might not have a gun, but test me and I¡¯ll smother you with a stic bag!¡± The man was Brother Li. He looked desperately for aid toe. He had been hiding in the forest in silence earlier and had multiple injuries. He couldn¡¯t defeat seven people with a broken arm. Now, the criminals were forced back, so Gu Nianzhi and her friends were in even more danger. He could only hope that Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong could quickly get there.

    Suddenly, he heard the drone of a helicopter. He looked up to squint at the sky, and saw that it was a police helicopter, not a Special Ops one. The sounds of the police dogs grew closer; it looked like they were bringing unyielding strength this time. Little Li wanted to rush over, but the gunshot wound on his arm was bleeding out and his head was getting heavier. The torrential rains fell as he copsed in a ditch by the road.

 Chapter 73: Heavy Gunfire

    <h4>Chapter 73: Heavy Gunfire</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Only a moment ago, there had been the steady sound of rain; now, however, the mountain road leading from the highway intersection to Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi hade alive with a cacophony of sounds.

    Dozens of police cars were speeding towards the entrance to the resort, their lights shing and sirens ring. The noise was deafening.

    Up in the night sky, two helicopters were circling in mid-air, their powerful funnel searchlights sweeping across the dark mountain resort. The columns of light crisscrossed every now and then as the helicopters flew past each other.

    ¡­

    ¡°Boss! Boss! They¡¯ve sent helicopters!¡±

    ¡°Boss! There¡¯re cops everywhere! It looks like they¡¯ve brought in a SWAT team!¡±

    Two Big Circle Boys members were hiding in the bushes near the entrance to the resort, keeping a look-out. They were now agitatedly reporting what they were seeing to Yang Dawei via walkie-talkie.

    ¡°Get a grip!¡± Yang Dawei wasn¡¯t afraid; he was a seasoned, ruthless thug, after all. He snapped at his men: ¡°We have so many hostages with us; they don¡¯t have the balls to try anything! Besides, we¡¯ve killed cops before, haven¡¯t we? Show ¡¯em we mean business!¡±

    Two policemen were running towards them, led by police dogs. The gangsters immediately aimed their guns at them.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Three gunshots rang out. One policeman was hit in the arm. A police dog was crippled by a bullet to the leg.

    ¡°Over there!¡± The policemen had heard the gunshots. The injured policeman and police dog were immediately carted away. The other policemen raised their pistols and fired at the bushes.

    However the shooters who had been hiding in the bushes had already run off.

    ¡°Find them!¡±

    The superintendent of the Dufeng Mountain Police Station motioned angrily with his gun before rushing into the vi ahead of everyone else.

    The policemen from Dufeng Mountain Police Station were bristling with anger; Big Mao, one of their youngest officers, had been killed in action. They would not rest until he had been avenged.

    The policemen who had been deployed from C City stayed put, however. They had to wait for orders from Deputy Commissioner Liu, their leader from police HQ.

    Once the C City Deputy Commisioner arrived, his orders were promptly given out.

    ¡°You, take this team of 20 and head east. Find the resort guests and extract them.¡±

    ¡°You, take this team of 20 and head west. Find and extract the resort guests them as well.¡±

    ¡°SWAT team, locate the enemy snipers and take them out.¡±

    Deputy Commissioner Liu from C City Police Headquarters methodically divided the riot police into search teams.

    The SWAT team, d in their bulletproof vests and helmets, lifted their rifles into position and ran in the direction of the enemy gunshots.

    ¡­

    Half an hourter, the police were done sweeping the entire mountain resort, save for Qingfeng Garden and Mingyue Court.

    The police had been greeted with heavy gunfire in these two courtyards. It was obvious that the gangsters were holed up in there.

    Dozens of policemen had been shot in the legs or arms, and had been carried away by backup. The squad from Dufeng Mountain Police Station had been leading the pack, and therefore had been hit hardest.

    Fortunately, they were all wearing bulletproof vests. No one had been fatally shot.

    ¡°Chief! We¡¯ve extracted all the resort guests. The only ones left are the guests in Qingfeng Garden and Mingyue Court!¡±

    ¡°Take the guests to the police station and ID everyst one of them,¡± Deputy Commissioner Liu said, his voice severe. ¡°What about the resort staff?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re in the administration building, inside the conference room. They¡¯re out cold¡­¡±

    Deputy Commissioner Liu was currently sitting in a helicopter, up in the air, and was using his walkie-talkie to direct his men. When he heard this, he rubbed his temples and said grimly, ¡°Surround the two courtyards.¡±

    He had a firm grasp of the situation, thanks to his bird¡¯s eye view of the resort.

    The policemen obeyed their orders. They ran through the pouring rain towards Qingfeng Garden and Mingyue Court.

    Rat-a-tat-a-tat!

    Suddenly, there was a burst of gunfire from a submachine gun. It came from the bamboo forest nking the winding footpath leading towards Mingyue Court.

    The policeman at the forefront suddenly copsed in a pool of blood. Although his bulletproof vest protected his vital organs, it offered no protection for his arms and legs.

    Several other policemen were less fortunate: they had been shot in the head, and were dead by the time their bodies hit the ground.

    ¡­

    The police had met with a lot less resistance over at Qingfeng Garden. A small group of police had sessfully stormed the main building, only to find that there was no one inside. In the rooms, backpacks and suitcasesy scattered about.

    ¡°Where did everyone go?¡±

    The policemen searched for a while, but did not find traces of either the guests or the enemy. They were forced to seal the gate and withdraw from Qingfeng Garden when they received orders to assist their fellow officers in Mingyue Court.

    The gangsters there were putting up a bloody fight; they had hostages and refused to surrender. They had a few other advantages, too: they had arrived in Mingyue Court first, setting up a strong defense, and were armed with powerful guns. There were more than a hundred policemen surrounding the courtyard, but they were entirely helpless in the face of the heavy gunfire the gangsters were unleashing upon them. The number of injured men began to steadily rise, and there was even a fatality on the SWAT team.

    The policemen were unable to keep up the attack. They were forced to radio Deputy Commissioner Liu, who was directing the battle from his helicopter up in the sky, for help.

    ¡°Deputy Commissioner Liu! The enemy¡¯s guns are just too powerful! We can¡¯t find an opening to attack!¡±

    ¡°Deputy Commissioner Liu, they have assault weapons! Half of our men are injured!¡±

    Deputy Commissioner Liu was stunned. ¡°Assault weapons? What kind? How is that possible?!¡±

    ¡°Assault rifles, from the looks of it, and they don¡¯t seem to be running out of bullets.¡± The superintendent of Dufeng Mountain Police Station was an army veteran, and knew his guns. He reported to Deputy Commissioner Liu. ¡°Deputy Commissioner Liu, I urge you to make a decision quickly, in order to avoid further casualties.¡±

    Deputy Commissioner Liu contacted his aides on the ground. His heart sank when he learned of the full extent of the situation.

    He had severely underestimated who and what he was dealing with¡ªthese were no ordinary gangsters, and they had the weapons to prove it.

    ¡­

    ¡°The gangsters are gathered around Qingfeng Garden and Mingyue Court. They are armed with assault rifles. Requesting military backup! Requesting military backup! Requesting military backup!¡±

    Deputy Commissioner Liu had run out of options, and was sending out an emergency message to the army officers at the garrison over his walkie-talkie.

    The officer on stand-by was very surprised. ¡°The gangsters have assault rifles?! How did they get them?¡±

    Guns were banned in the Empire; air guns were the only guns legally avable to the average citizen.

    Pistols or sniper rifles asionally showed up on the ck market, but powerful weapons¡ªsuch as submachine guns and semi-automatic rifles¡ªwere extremely rare on the Empire¡¯s ck market.

    It was also important to note that these weapons required a lot of bullets.

    Bullets were subject to rigorous checks and regtion in the Empire. Even if someone lucked out and managed to get their hands on a semi-automatic rifle, they would quickly run out of bullets after only a few rounds of gunfire. There would need to be a supplier in order to keep the bullets in stock and avable when needed.

    ¡°It sounds incredible, I know, but it¡¯s all true. I have more than a dozen men injured here!¡± Deputy Commissioner Liu hurriedly added, ¡°There are also more than 20 soon-to-graduatew students from C University trapped inside Mingyue Court! These are top students, members of the elite, and they¡¯ve all been taken hostage! Their lives are valuable! Please send military backup as soon as you can!¡±

    ¡­

    The C City police had temporarily ceased their attack while Deputy Commissioner Liu called for military backup. Two Big Circle Boys members seized this opportunity to slip out of Mingyue Court and bury several mines in thewn and the winding path leading to the courtyard. No one noticed them as they did this, aided by the dark.

    They had originally nned on taking these mines out of the country with them, to facilitate the setting up of their new territory abroad. Unfortunately, the police had arrived on the scene a lot quicker than the group had anticipated, and they were now trapped in the courtyards.

    ¡°Boss, stay here and watch over the hostages. We¡¯ll hide outside, try to ambush them.¡± One man suggested.

    Anotherckey chimed in. ¡°Boss, you should tell the cops we want money and a ne to get us out of the country!¡± After some discussion, Yang Dawei and Warrior No. 2 decided to use the hostages as leverage against the police.

    Yang Dawei patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Good! We¡¯re getting out of this country together!¡±

    His subordinate nodded. ¡°Follow me!¡± Warrior No. 2 led the rest out the door to set up the best shooting positions.

    Five of the Big Circle Boys hid themselves around Mingyue Court.

    ¡­

    The water level in Little Mirror Lake was almost an inch higher now, after several hours of steady, pouring rain. Theke waterpped at the shores, almost overflowing.

    The 20w students from ss One had finally reached the shore.

    Gu Nianzhi held her partner around the waist, towing her along as she bobbed up and down. She felt the soft muddy bottom of theke leading to the shore under her feet, but she had used up all her strength by this point and was unable to stand.

    As soon as she pushed her ssmate ashore, Gu Nianzhi fell back into the water, and the surface of theke closed over her head.

 Chapter 74: Mr. Huoâ€™s Decision (1)

    <h4>Chapter 74: Mr. Huo¡¯s Decision (1)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi?¡± The female ssmate Gu Nianzhi had towed across the entire Little Mirror Lake was in shock. She screamed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name in horror, but didn¡¯t dare return to the water. They were thest ones to reach the shore. The ssmates who arrived first heard her screams and quickly ran over. Mei Xiawen, who had been waiting anxiously on the shore, was the fastest. He shot like an arrow to the shallow end of the shore and bent over to retrieve Gu Nianzhi from the water. He picked her up against his chest and stepped out of theke.

    ¡°Lil Sis, Lil Sis? Are you ok? Don¡¯t scare us!¡± Little Temptress was about to burst into tears and leapt over to take Gu Nianzhi from Mei Xiawen. Green Tea Fang and Lady Cao also ran over to help, and the three of them carried Gu Ninazhi to the only long stone bench in the straw hut on the shore. Lady Cao sat on one end of the bench and cradled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head on herp. She stuck her hand out to feel her breath and sighed in relief, ¡°She¡¯s still breathing, she probably passed out from exhaustion.¡±

    The ssmate Gu Nianzhi rescued muffled her mouth with joy, then starting crying with fear. They were all raised like royalty, and had never encountered such exhausting escapes for their lives. They had barely survived and couldn¡¯t speak, but sat silently in the straw hut by the shore to shelter from the rain and prayed someone would quicklye save them. They could hear the gunshots across theke and see a helicopter circling in the sky, but they dared not shout for attention. Who knew how many criminals there were? And where they hid? They had just narrowly avoided the fate of bing hostages, and did not want to attract the wolves instead of their saviours¡­

    The ssmate hugged her knees as she sat by the straw hut door, her muffled sobbing infectious. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned red but they could only use the back of their hands to wipe the tears. Mei Xiawen half knelt in front of the stone bench and buried his face in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. His tears were streaming and wet her palm. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers twitched, she quietly moaned, ¡°¡­Uncle Huo¡­¡±

    Mei Xiawen heard it and excitedly looked up at her to call her name, ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you awake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and only saw Mei Xiawen¡¯s concerned expression.

    ¡°¡­Nianzhi, you passed out before you reached the shore and almost drowned, ss Rep saved you.¡± Little Temptress exined gently, not forgetting to get bonus points for Mei Xiawen.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled powerful arms carrying out her out of the water. She stared at Mei Xiawen, her eyes softening. Nothing better than rescuing her could move her lonely heart. Gu Nianzhi looked at Mei Xiawen and her lips curved into a smile as she quietly said, ¡°I¡¯m ok, just a bit tired. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk anymore if you¡¯re tired, take a rest.¡± Lady Cao unknotted her seaweed-like long hair, so she could restfortably.

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and closed her eyes. She was exhausted and needed a good rest.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Humvee had just exited the highway. In front of them were the military vehicles of the garrison troops that had been deployed as support. Fan Jian waited until the vehicles entered the area before he turned onto the mountain road.

    Zhao Liangze had been searching for signs of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and Little Li¡¯s locations on his electronic devices the entire time and suddenly looked up to point in a direction, ¡°Little Li should be nearby! He¡¯s very close!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak for a second and turned to look out the window. The night was a cloak of darkness and the heavy rain left streaks on the ss. Outside the window, the world was a blur. Inside the Humvee, it was eerily quiet. Everyone had the same thought, how would Mr. Huo decide: to stop the car to save Little Li first, or to leave him be and rush directly to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aid¡­ In terms of of importance, Gu Nianzhi was higher up than Little Li?

    ¡°Stop the car, find Little Li.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly and quietly adjusted his uniform. Fan Jian looked at Yin Shixiong and silently hit the brakes. Zhao Liangze also nced up at Huo Shaoheng, but couldn¡¯t detect a sliver of change in his expression. Yin Shixiong dared not look at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face at all. He knew exactly how important Gu Nianzhi was to Huo Shaoheng, but he still decided to save his own soldier first¡­

    Yin Shixiong felt a conflict of emotions and his feelings of guilt increased. The car halted to a stop and he was the first to exit and brave the rain. Yin Shixiong¡¯s Bluetooth headset also had instantmunication capabilities. Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice traveled through headset and guided him to Little Li¡¯s location. The probe in Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand quickly beeped and in five seconds he was able to find Little Li passed out in a ditch besides the road.

    ¡°Little Li?¡± Yin Shixiong patted his cheek and felt the warmth on his face and the faint breathing from his nose. He sighed in great relief. He carried Little Li out of the ditch and onto his shoulders to return to the military vehicle. The Humvee was spacious inside and had three rows of seating. The trunk was also equipped with additional seats and added one more row to make seating for 12 people. Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were in the third row, and the second row was empty. Yin Shixiong took the unconscious Little Li to the Humvee, while Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze moved to the second seat to allow the third row to copse, creating a makeshift cot. Little Liid on the cot without moving and breathed weakly.

    ¡°Take the first aid kit!¡± Fan Jian turned and flung it at Yin Shixiong, before mming on the gas and continuing to drive forward.

    Yin Shixiong took out medication from the first aid kid and immediately cleaned and dressed Little Li¡¯s wounds, then injected him with anti fever and anti-inmmatory medication. He also realigned his broken arm and fixed it to a temporary stic board. Every Special Ops soldier underwent first aid training, so it was not a challenge for the exceptionally talented Yin Shixiong.

    Fan Jian stepped on the elerator and the Humvee roared into the thick curtain of rain, towards the entrance of the vi. With the aid of medication, Little Li was able to wake quickly. He opened his eyes to saw Huo Shaoheng and reflexively stood to salute him.

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand in dismissal, ¡°You¡¯re injured, that¡¯s unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Little Li flushed with emotion, half his face was swollen like a steamed bun and one eye was almost sunken in.

    Yin Shixiong tidied the first aid kit to carry it and looked at Little Li questioningly, ¡°What about Gu Nianzhi? Where is she?¡±

    Little Li quickly exined, ¡°I was about to report to Chief!¡± He panted as he exined the situation from start to end. As he finished, they had arrived to the totally secured entrance of the vi. The police set up blockades at the entrance to ensure vehicles could only enter and not leave. The iing vehicles must have permits issued by the C City Police Headquarters or garrison. Huo Shaoheng remained in the car, his gaze shifting to the window. The darkened ss reflected his despairingly beautiful face, frigid enough to cause palpitations. His inky eyes were darker than the rainy night sky as he sat silently like a mountain in the Humvee. Fan Jian dug through the glovebox on his left side for a long time before producing a permit issued by the garrison for the policeman guarding the entrance.

    The police nced at him then looked inside the vehicle, ¡°Who are you people? Out of the car!¡±

 Chapter 75: Mr. Huoâ€™s Decision (2)

    <h4>Chapter 75: Mr. Huo¡¯s Decision (2)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The policeman was practically shouting at them, but the upants of the Humvee did not react. They were all veterans of life-or-death situations, and knew better than to be offended.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms. He had been looking out the car window, but now he looked towards Yin Shixiong instead. He inclined his chin at him and calmly said, ¡°Just go.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Yin Shixiong opened the door and got out of the car. He showed his Special Operations Forces ID to the policeman. ¡°Special Operations Forces. We¡¯re here on official duty.¡±

    The policeman saw at once from Yin Shixiong¡¯s military ID that he was not only a Lieutenant Colonel, but also amander of a regiment. He immediately had the roadblock removed. He stood by the side of the road, saluting the Humvee as it drove past him.

    Inside the car, Little Li struggled to sit up; he pointed towards the direction of Little Mirror Lake. ¡°I told Nianzhi to get in Little Mirror Lake and swim to the other side if the situation got bad enough for her to fear for her safety.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded at this. He pointed at his monitor and said. ¡°I¡¯ve located Nianzhi, and yes, she¡¯s on the other side of Little Mirror Lake, away from where the criminals and the police are shooting it out. Clever girl; she probably ran at the first sign of trouble.¡±

    The suffocating aura around Huo Shaoheng instantly faded at this news. The other upants of the car were relieved¡ªthey finally felt like they could breathe again.

    The Humvee¡¯s engines roared the as it made its way to the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi.

    The atmosphere inside the Humvee was now more rxed. The same could not be said for the situation outside, however.

    Most of the roads had been blockaded and were now off-limits to all vehicles.

    Even Fan Jian, who could give Form One racers a run for their money with his driving skills, could not find a way to get past. He stopped the Humvee a small distance away from Mingyue Court; he could go no further.

    The road leading to the other side of Little Mirror Lake had been sealed off by the police.

    The heavy rains were persistent. Fortunately, the roads inside the resort vi had not only been paved with asphalt, but were also raised in the middle, sloping off to the sides. There would be no danger of the roads being flooded with rainwater.

    Dozens of policemen in bulletproof vests were crouched behind police cars. Their Model 18 police revolvers were pointed towards the quaint, traditional-style buildings at the end of the road.

    Zhao Liangze opened up the three-dimensional architectural ns for Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi on hisputer. He pointed and exined: ¡°Thisrge blue area over here is Little Mirror Lake. This little red dot is Nianzhi. As you can see, she¡¯s on the other side of the blue area.¡±

    The police and the gangsters were battling it out on their side of the blue area. There was quite a distance between them and Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Sir, do you want to go get Nianzhi?¡± Zhao Liangze got out a high-magnification military-use telescope. ¡°We still don¡¯t have the situation under control, so maybe we should¡ª¡±

    He did not finish his sentence. His headset, tuned to the radio channel used by the police and the garrison troops, had crackled to life.

    Zhao Liangze momentarily froze; he lifted a hand to adjust his headset, then looked over to Huo Shaoheng in surprise. ¡°Sir, the police have found Nianzhi and her friends. They¡¯re requesting that the garrison troops head over to Little Mirror Lake to secure them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got out a cigarette and tapped it against the back of his hand. He said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Go with them, but make sure no one sees you.¡± He handed his M16A assault rifle to Yin Shixiong as he said this.

    What he meant was: ¡°go make sure Gu Nianzhi is safe, but don¡¯t let her know that we¡¯re here.¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately leapt into action. He put on a bva, simr to what the garrison¡¯s Special Taskforce were wearing, before strapping a bulletproof helmet over it, effectively covering up half his face. He opened the door, got out of the Humvee, and quickly disappeared into the dark of the night.

    Not long after Yin Shixiong left, a string of gunshots sounded again from the direction of Mingyue Court.

    Inside the car, Huo Shaoheng lit his cigarette and slowly inhaled. He breathed out a cloud of white smoke. ¡°Do you reognize the gunshots, Zhao Liangze?¡±

    Zhao Liangze removed his headset and listened intently, his head cocked to one side. After a brief moment, he said incredulously, ¡°Is that a Czech assault rifle? How¡¯d they get their hands on it?!¡±

    ¡°Seems to me it¡¯s high time we reced the C City Customs officers.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to look out the window again, his cigarette dangling between his fingers.

    There was an edge to his words as his hawk-like gaze watched the movements in front of Mingyue Pavilion.

    ¡­

    Over on the other side of Little Mirror Lake, Gu Nianzhi and her ssmates were hiding in a straw hut, silently praying for the battle to be over.

    They were tired, hungry, and cold. They all realized how vulnerable they were in this state.

    Strongman tried his best to liven things up. Heughed as he said, ¡°Well, I definitely won¡¯t be forgetting this graduation trip.¡±

    ¡°Not just you! The students from ss Two will probably be unable to forget this trip. Being held hostage¡­ there¡¯s no way that they won¡¯t be traumatized by this whole experience.¡± Green Tea Fang sighed as she looked towards the other side of theke in the direction of Mingyue Court.

    They did not know whether the students from ss Two were alive or dead. Four of their own ssmates were also in Mingyue Court.

    Gu Nianzhi was lying on the ground, her head resting on Lady Cao¡¯s thigh. She turned to lie on her back, and silently watched the helicopter that was hovering in the night sky.

    A few momentster, a man dressed in the uniform of the garrison troops ran over and began counting them. He asked, ¡°Are youw students from C City?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m the ss Representative.¡± Mei Xiawen stepped forward. ¡°And you are¡­?¡±

    The garrison squad leader immediately replied: ¡°Thank God we finally found you! We¡¯re from the garrison, Deputy Commissioner Liu from police HQ sent us here to protect you. Don¡¯t be afraid, you can rest easy now.¡± He turned, called for his men, and began assigning them with guard duty.

    The straw hut was immediately ced under the supervision of the fully armed soldiers. The atmosphere inside the hut was much happier now that everyone was able to rx.

    Yin Shixiong had blended in with the soldiers on guard duty. He spotted Gu Nianzhi at once.

    She was lying on the only stone bench in the hut. Her face was pale, and her eyes were closed. She looked as though she were sleeping.

    Yin Shixiong was wearing night vision goggles equipped with camera andmunication features.

    He raised his hand and pressed a button on his night vision goggles. He snapped a series of photos of Gu Nianzhi, and immediately transferred them to Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was resting with her eyes closed, suddenly felt as though someone were spying on her. Her thick eyshes abruptly revealed a pair of bright eyes. She unknowingly looked straight at the camera: uneasiness and fear lurked in the depths of her beautiful ck eyes.

    This photo of her was transmitted to Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer, and Huo Shaoheng identally caught sight of it as he turned his head. He was slightly unnerved. ¡°Did Big Xiong send this?¡±

    Zhao Liangze grinned as he put his hands behind his head and tilted his seat backwards. He moved so Huo Shaoheng had the best view of the screen, and said, proudly, ¡°Just received it. Nianzhi¡¯s fine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a drag on his cigarette. He tore his eyes away from theputer screen, away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright, haunting eyes, and looked out the car window again.

    ¡­

    The gunshotsing from the entrance to Mingyue Court had increased in frequency.

    At this point, the police backed down and let the garrison troops take over. Their snipers got into position.

    These were actual soldiers from the army; they turned the tables on the enemy as soon as they arrived on the scene.

    Bang bang bang bang!

    Three of the Big Circle Boys members, armed with sniper rifles, had been hiding in the bamboo forest; they were quickly taken out by the garrison¡¯s Special Taskforce snipers with a few precise shots.

    Deputy Commissioner Liu from C City Police Headquarters was still inside his helicopter, hovering in midair, when he received the news. He waved his fist in triumph. ¡°Those thugs are no match for our soldiers!¡±

    However, there were still two men standing, and they were more skilled than the others. They were armed with assault rifles, and had taken up positions in front of Mingyue Court, one on each side.

    ¡°You have been surrounded! Just give up already! Let the hostages go! Surrender now, and you may be able to beg for leniency in court!¡± Deputy Commissioner Liu shouted to the gangsters in Mingyue Court.

    Inside the Humvee, Huo Shaoheng frowned and abruptly flicked his cigarette butt away.

    Beside him, Zhao Liangze gave a sharpugh. ¡°Leniency? After killing policemen and soldiers? Our dearly departed brothers-in-arms must be frothing at the mouth up in heaven.¡±

 Chapter 76: Mr.Huoâ€™s Decision (3)

    <h4>Chapter 76: Mr.Huo¡¯s Decision (3)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Zhao Liangze. He resumed a calm expression and his deep voice tinged with it raspy maism. ¡°Who is directing this operation?¡±

    Zhao Liangze pointed to the helicopter hovering in the night sky. ¡°The city police¡¯s Deputy Commissioner Liu is up there. He¡¯s considered a young talent; he was promoted to Deputy Commissioner at just 40 years of age.¡±

    Fan Jian snickered.¡±How is a 40-year old considered ¡®young talent?''¡± Fan Jian stopped to think for a moment. Isn¡¯t our Mr. Huo, who had been promoted to Major General at the age of 28, a ¡®young hero¡¯?!

    He bit his tongue before he could voice his thoughts. He would never dare to say that to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face; however, Zhao Liangze knew exactly what he was implying without saying it aloud.

    ¡°His title was officially recognized; the Empire had selected the top ten distinguished youth in the military, and the oldest nominee was 55.¡± Zhao Liangze pulled up the news article from that year for Fan Jian. ¡°See, how can you not say that the 40-year old Deputy Commissioner Liu is not a young talent?¡±

    Fan Jian rubbed his nose sheepishly, then snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng never gave gossip or petty remarks the honor of a response. He didn¡¯t even look at Zhao Liangze as he tapped on the window twice with his fingers, then pointed up. ¡°What I need is hisplete CV.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze ceased his joking looked up Deputy Commissioner Liu¡¯s work history and aplishments. The Special Ops was even capable of tracing a person¡¯s lineage back to at least eighteen generations, if the information was preserved. With one search, Deputy Commissioner Liu¡¯splete record spanning his entire 40 years¡ªboth public and confidential information¡ªwasid out before Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡­

    Unfortunately, Deputy Commissioner Liu¡¯s ultimatum only startled his own people and had no effect whatsoever on the remaining thugs of the Big Circle Boys.

    ¡°Hah! Idiots, you think theseme threats will scare us?!¡± Warrior No. 2 clutched his assault rifle and shot a round of bullets into the sky.

    Ratatatatat!

    The pilot in the helicopter immediately yanked the throttle; the force of the sudden turn made the helicopter shake and groan dangerously. Deputy Commissioner Liu wasn¡¯t prepared and lurched forward, almost tumbling off his seat.

    ¡°What was that?¡± His skull had mmed against the body of the helicopter and was swelling painfully.

    ¡°Deputy Commissioner Liu, the criminals fired at us.¡± The pilot was too terrified to go near Mingyue Court again. With one less helicopter circling the resort, the searchlight on Mingyue Court was also cut down by half.

    Yang Dawei cackled inside Mingyue Court andplimented Warrior No. 2. ¡°Way to show ¡¯em!!¡±

    He then switched on the microphone to the resorts PA system. ¡°Listen up! Give us a ne, 20 million yuan in cash, and a legal guarantee to grant us safe passage out of the country. Only then will we free the hostages! If not, I¡¯ll have them go down with me here.¡± Yang Dawei bellowed thest sentence. In the background, the soldiers heard shots as Yang Dawei fired his gun at the Managing Director, making him wail and shout in fear.

    The policeman and soldiers were furious. If it not for disciplinary restrictions, they would have already stormed the ce.

    Deputy Commissioner Liu heard the criminal¡¯s requests ryed by his men on the ground and punched the seat as he shouted, ¡°How obnoxious! They dare make demands? Let me talk to the garrison troops, I¡¯ll have them level the ce! No matter the price, I have to ensure that the hostages are brought back to their families, alive!¡±

    The garrison troops heard the criminals as well and were determined to teach them a lesson.

    ¡°Snipers! Take down the remaining thugs!¡±

    The Special Taskforce had sniper teamsprised of two members, a sniper and a spotter that focused the scope lens and helped the sniper lock onto target. The garrison troops were pulling out all the stops to take down these violent criminals. They deployed seven sniper teams, a total of 14 soldiers. They would spread out from both sides of the courtyard and expose the location of the assault rifles.

    The two criminals were crafty and seasoned fighters. They were taking cover in the shadows and underbrush while the military snipers were exposed in the light. No matter which direction the sniper teams closed in from, the two assault rifles rattled off an entire clip in return, assaulting the soldiers in a shower of bullets. The two criminals also continuously changed their positions in the bamboo forest and ran in a weaving motion and hid behindrge boulders or trees, making it extremely tricky for the snipers to aim at their targets and shoot.

    Deputy Commissioner Liu was growing more anxious as he watched the battle from the helicopter. He grabbed a headset and shouted at themanding officer of the garrison troops. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking them out?! It¡¯s only two criminals! What are your soldiers even good for?! They have hostages! These are allw students! Future elites! It is imperative that we save these children!¡±

    Themanding officer¡¯s face was red. He looked at the towering bamboo forest that grew on either side of the narrow, winding path before Mingyue Court. If it had not been for the heavy rain, they would have already burnt down the bamboo trees, leaving the two shooters with no ce to hide. To save the humiliation of being outsmarted by a few lowly criminals, themanding officer began to issue new orders.

    ¡°Unleash the re! Rifles at the ready! I want you to raze the ground and trap these men in the bamboo forest!¡±

    The snipers retreated and the soldiers came forward with rifles and began to shoot at the bamboo forest. The garrison troops had never imagined that the kidnappers would have an assault rifle, and so had only brought a few assault rifle themselves in case of moderatebat. The rest of the soldiers only had standard guns and rifles. It was toote to send back to the base and request heavy weaponry. Exasperated, themanding officer flung his cap to the ground and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the Humvee, his arms crossed as he quietly observed the actions of the garrison troops and police, concerned by theck of progress. He reached forward to knock on the partition window and then said to Fan Jian, ¡°Go find Yin Shixiong and have him bring the assault rifle. I want you to take out the criminals.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Fan Jian was ecstatic. Finally, here¡¯s my chance to fight in a real battle!

    Fan Jian was not only a driver who ran errands for Huo Shaoheng; he was also seen as ¡®Chief¡¯ to regr soldiers below his rank. As Huo Shaoheng¡¯s primary orderly, he alsomanded Huo Shaoheng¡¯s team of eight orderlies. Huo Shaoheng was a Major General and his orderlies also held regimental ranks. This allowed them to participate inbat and high-profile missions when it was required of them. For Fan Jian, it was a moment that he felt was long overdue.

    Fan Jian wrenched the door open and rushed out, dashing to the resort as though he were running a 100-meter sprint, making his way to the opposite bank of Little Mirror Lake. He found Yin Shixiong and briefly exined Huo Shaoheng¡¯s order.

    Yin Shixiong ced the American M16A assault rifle into his hands without another word and strapped a full belt of ammunition to his waist.

    ¡°Make us proud! Let¡¯s show the garrison troops and the police what the 6th Military Region is capable of!¡± Yin Shixiong smiled as he patted Fan Jian¡¯s shoulder; he had full confidence in his junior¡¯s abilities.

    Fan Jian nodded and turned away. As he head back to the resort, he reminded himself: what is the duty of a Major General¡¯s orderly?

    The most essential duty was to be the Major General¡¯s bodyguard. Thus, they had to be highly skilled themselves, since it wasn¡¯t enough to be a human shield. Fan Jian carried the assault rifle and rushed to the the front of Mingyue Court and saw that the criminals had already injured many of the soldiers. He pulled down the hood of his sweatshirt to conceal his face and walked to themanding officer leading the battle on ground. Fan Jian showed his identification and said in a low voice, ¡°Please allow me to join the battle!¡±

    Themanding officer immediately agreed. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time, so please, help us win. I¡¯ll remember this favour from the 6th Military Region!¡± He looked at the assault rifle in Fan Jian¡¯s hands and recognized it as thetest American model. It further proved that this person was indeed from the 6th Military Region, which had previously been the Special Operations Forces, a direct branch of the Imperial Army. The Special Operations Forces was unique in identity and nature; their areas of activity took ce abroad usually, and they were rarely called in for national or local disputes. Thus, they did not deal in domestically manufactured weapons; instead, they exclusively used foreign weapons that were purchased or imported from abroad. If anything were to go wrong, they could easily shift the me to the foreign weapon manufacturers.

 Chapter 77: Mr. Huoâ€™s Decision (4)

    <h4>Chapter 77: Mr. Huo¡¯s Decision (4)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Fan Jian had an idea. ¡°Your man and I will split up and nk the enemy. Once we¡¯re in position, send up the res.¡±

    The garrison officer agreed to his proposal. He gave Fan Jian a special headset: it was what the garrison troops were using tomunicate with one another. ¡°Let me know once you¡¯re in position.¡±

    Fan Jian put on the Special Task Force uniform. He pulled a full-face mask over his head, before strapping a bulletproof helmet over it. He crept towards Mingyue Court in the dark, armed and at the ready.

    Huo Shaoheng watched from inside the Humvee.

    Not long after, the garrison officer heard Fan Jian and the other gunsman over his headset.

    ¡°We¡¯re in position.¡±

    The garrison officer immediately gave the order to send up the res.

    More than a dozen res wereunched into the night sky. They were so bright that the heavy rain sparkled like colorful ss beads.

    The bamboo forest in front of them was instantly illuminated and the night was clear as day: the two gangsters, dressed in ck, were standing nearrge boulders deep inside the bamboo forest, their startled faces squinting at the brightness.

    Rat-a-tat-a-tat!

    Fan Jian did not hesitate to unload his clip on the gangster nearest to him, on his left. He was a much better shot than the gunsman from the local garrison.

    His bullets were right on the mark; he shot the gangster¡¯s assault rifle right out of his hands. He reloaded and shot a hail of bullets at him. The gangster copsed backwards onto the muddy ground of the bamboo forest.

    The rain water trickling out of the bamboo forest on the left turned red and deeper into the ground.

    On the right, the gunsman from the garrison had also leapt into action. He unloaded his clip on the other gangster and riddled him with bullets.

    At the same time, another figure emerged from behind the fallen thug. They crawled on the wet ground, keeping close to the thickly clustered bamboo stalks that lined the wall surrounding Mingyue Court, before slipping into the courtyard through a hidden door in the wall.

    Fan Jian dropped to the ground and rolled over to his partner. He panted heavily. ¡°There¡¯s another one? Where¡¯d he go?!¡±

    The man pointed at the gate to Mingyue Court abjectedly. ¡°He went inside.¡±

    ¡°What? Already?¡± Fan Jian got to his feet, and prepared to move forward.

    Suddenly, the sounds of gunfire rang out from inside Mingyue Court, louder and more powerful than an assault rifle!

    Inside the Humvee, Huo Shaoheng reflexively sat up at the sound of the gunfire.

    This wasn¡¯t an ordinary gunshot¡ªthis was the sound of an American M134 Minigun

    Zhao Liangze, too, had noted the difference. The color drained from his face.¡±Holy sh*t! How do they have a Minigun?!¡±

    The gunfire shed from the window of the main building in Mingyue Court; from afar, the light bursts looked like bird of paradise flowers blooming in the rainy night¡ªfiery, winged, and deadly.

    The gate opening into Mingyue Court was wide open, but no one was able to enter the courtyard.

    The Minigun was just too powerful. They would be mowed down by a round of bullet, if they could even manage to make it past the doors.

    ¡°What do we do?!¡± Deputy Commissioner Liu, up in the helicopter, was frantic. He yelled into his walkie-talkie: ¡°Call the garrison! Call the garrison! Tell them to deploy more weapons and soldiers! We don¡¯t have enough soldiers on the ground! We need more soldiers!¡±

    ¡­

    Inside Mingyue Court, Yang Dawei and Warrior No. 2 were holed up in the main building. They were the only remaining survivors of the eight members of the Big Circle Boys.

    Yang Dawei was leaning against the back wall, an assault rifle in his hands. Warrior No. 2 was crouched before the front window, manning an American M134 Minigun. He had a box full of bullets next to his feet.

    Warrior No. 2 fired continuously in the direction of the courtyard gate for a moment before stopping to turn to Yang Dawei. ¡°Boss,¡± he said ¡°we can¡¯t go on like this. If they decide to wait it out, we¡¯ll die of starvation in here!¡±

    ¡°Die of starvation? Heh,¡± Yang Dawei scoffed, ¡°what, you think that they don¡¯t want these hostages anymore?¡± Yang Dawei kicked the managing director of Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, who was unconscious on the ground. ¡°Look at him, he¡¯s bleeding to death here.¡± He looked at his watch. ¡°We¡¯ll give them an hour. If they don¡¯t give us what we want, we¡¯ll blow the ce up and jump into Little Mirror Lake!¡±

    Warrior No. 2¡¯s eyes lit up at this. He gave Yang Dawei a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re the man, Boss!¡±

    Now that he was assured there was a way out, Warrior No. 2 could afford to rx. He began to toy with the police and soldiers outside.

    ¡­

    Up in the helicopter, Deputy Commissioner Liu was desperately pressing the garrison officer on the ground to deploy more soldiers and storm the courtyard. ¡°Are you a soldier, or aren¡¯t you?! It¡¯s your duty to defend the country, isn¡¯t it?! When it¡¯s time for you to put your lives on the line, you chicken out?!¡±

    The garrison officer was offended. He raised his voice and retorted, ¡°We are soldiers of the Empire! We will dly give up our lives for the sake of our country! How dare you?¡±

    He was just about to give the order for his men to storm Mingyue Court when suddenly, the sound of gunfire rang out again.

    This time, the bullets had been aimed upwards at the helicopter that had just flown over Mingyue Court.

    It was the helicopter Deputy Commissioner Liu was riding in.

    Although the pilot immediately pulled up, it was already toote. The body of the helicopter had been hit, and the shots had left a gaping hole. The pilot was forced to make an emergencynding.

    Fortunately, Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi was massive; there were several parking lots avable for the helicopter tond in. The parking lots were mostly empty since it was currently the low season for the resort. The pilot was able tond the helicopter without much trouble.

    Fan Jian realized that things had taken a turn for the worse. He hurried back to Huo Shaoheng and said, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath, ¡°Sir, bad news! Deputy Commissioner Liu wants the garrison to ignore the Minigun and force their way through!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had the utmost contempt for leaders who did not respect the lives of their men.

    He was absolutely furious, but he could not openly intervene, not just yet. He wanted to see how the two men were going to work it out. He suppressed his anger and silently watched from the sidelines.

    ¡­

    Deputy Commissioner Liu got out of the helicopter. His legs had turned to jelly.

    With the help of his two aides, he got into a police car and sped towards Mingyue Court.

    ¡°You¡¯re an army officer, why haven¡¯t you ordered your men to storm the ce?! What are you waiting for?!¡± Deputy Commissioner Liu pointed usingly at the garrison officer as he piled on the pressure. He was frantic and agitated; he felt like he was going to be sick.

    This mess was happening in his jurisdiction. If any of the hostages were to die, it would be Game Over for his career¡­

    He was a 40-year-old deputymissioner. There was absolutely no way he was going to allow a blunder like this leave a stain on his career.

    He had the garrison troops on his side. There were only two gangsters left. He did not see how they could possibly lose, not when the gangsters were outnumbered so badly. So what if the gangsters were armed with assault weapons? He had more than enough men on the ground to serve as bullet sponges¡­

    ¡­

    The garrison officer looked at his men. Aside from the snipers in the Special Taskforce, most of the soldiers were new recruits that had only enlisted this year. Many had just turned 18 or 19; these were men in their prime, young men who still had their entire lives to look forward to. Their jaws weren¡¯t sharp with the passing of age, their eyes were eager and curious. They had only begun their training less than a year ago, and he would now be sending these men to their deaths if he ordered them to storm the building while a Minigun opened fire on them. He deeply regretted his decision not to bring older, more experienced soldiers.

    He had assumed that he would be dealing with local small-time hooligans; it had seemed like a minor situation, an opportunity to let the new recruits get their first feel of a shoot-out. It would be a learning experience, or so he had thought.

    He had not expected to go up against such a difficult group of vicious thugs, but it was toote for regrets now. He had reached the point of no return.

    Everyone was now counting on the army, counting on his men to rescue the hostages.

    The officer knew that he had to make a decision immediately ¨C even if it meant his men would be walking into certain death.

 Chapter 78: Mr. Huoâ€™s Decision (5)

    <h4>Chapter 78: Mr. Huo¡¯s Decision (5)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    At the same time, the Big Circle Boy inside Mingyue Court, Warrior No. 2 hollered again, ¡°See our firepower?! Don¡¯t even think about getting backup! I told you, you only had an hour! Only 45 minutes left now! If we don¡¯t see the ne and cash in 45 minutes, we¡¯re gonna blow this ce up! The Managing Director and 20 something university students here will be buried with us, it ain¡¯t our loss!¡± This sentence was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.

    Neither the garrison troops nor the police had time to deploy arge team over.

    ¡°Everyone! Get in formation, port arms, get ready to take them down full force!¡± The garrison troops¡¯manding officer promptly turned around and issued the order to his troops. A soldier¡¯s duty was to protect the nation and be willing to sacrifice their lives for civilians at any time. Themanding officer held back his tears, he was ready to go in battle with his troops. He waspletely opposite of Deputy Commissioner Liu¨Cthis youngmanding officer defied the meaning of ¡°you make the sacrifice, I take the glory.¡± The garrison troops began to assemble and prepared to charge.

    ¡°You all retreat, the army will take it from here. They will protect everyone¡¯s safety.¡± Deputy Commissioner Liu was secretly ted and quickly directed his men to retreat.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the Humvee and silently listened to the conversation between the Deputy Commissioner Liu and the garrison troop¡¯smanding officer over the PA. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°Who is in charge of the garrison troops?¡±

    ¡°Reporting to Chief, it¡¯s Guan Hui, Company Commander.¡± Zhao Liangze had no problem digging up Deputy Commissioner Liu, so an officer in the military was a piece of cake.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded andmanded Zhao Liangze, ¡°Seize Liu and have Guan Huie here, I have something to ask him.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Zhao Liangze promptly put on his bulletproof helmet and opened the car door to get out.

    ¡­

    Deputy Commissioner had barely walked a few steps with his men before a tall and handsome man stood behind them. His unyielding attitude almost made them forget his age, ¡°Liu Qiangyuan, you¡¯ve be stripped of yourmand, await disciplinary action by your superiors. ¨CWait on the side!¡± Zhao Liangze waved his hand to signal and Fan Jian immediately stormed up to seize Deputy Commissioner Liu.

    Deputy Commissioner Liu¡¯s face was white with fear, his eyes bulged at Zhao Liangze as he stuttered, ¡°Who¡­ Who¡­ Who are you?! You have some gall, why don¡¯t you go arrest the criminals?! Why are you giving me trouble! ¨CYou¡­ You¡­ You dare attack a police officer?! This is a serious offence!¡±

    ¡°You are not a court martial, you have no right to convict me.¡± Zhao Liangze coldly stated and tilted his head, ¡°Take him away.¡±

    Deputy Commissioner Liu¡¯s confidantes backed away, too afraid to stand up against a soldier. Any policeman with a conscience had long been resentful of Deputy Commander Liu, they also wouldn¡¯t stand up against a soldier. The two of them, Fan Jian and Zhao Liangze were enough to take care of Deputy Commissioner Liu. It could be said that every one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men were brave and intelligent warriors, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dominating aura blotted out everyone else. But as soon as he wasn¡¯t in the picture, every single one of them were brilliant beyond imagine!

    ¡°Guan Hui, youe with me.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s gaze shifted to the youngmanding officer. Guan Hui looked at Zhao Liangze cautiously and did not move until he disyed his military ID. Guan Hui was shocked. He looked at Zhao Liangze, who was younger than him, ¡°You¡¯re a Lieutenant Colonel?! And a member of the 6th Military Region?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze smiled warmly, he had a good impression of Guan Hui. He checked his CV earlier and knew this youngmanding officer was a newlywed of one year, and his wife just gave birth to their daughter¨Cbut he had made the decision to join his troops in the same fate.

    ¡°The Chief wants to see you,e with me.¡±

    ¡°Chief?! Then you¡­?¡± Guan Hui was dumbfounded, in his eyes, Zhao Liangze was already worthy of being addressed as ¡°Chief.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his subordinate.¡± Zhao Liangze said as he turned and walked away.

    Guan Hui immediately jogged after him to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Humvee and and stood at attention, ¡°Hello Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car and didn¡¯t reveal his face, His deep and rich voice traveled from the dark vehicle interior, ¡°Do you know what kind of firearms the criminals are using?¡±

    Guan Hui quickly said, ¡°Reporting to Chief! I believe it¡¯s a mini rotary machine gun!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Not bad, if that¡¯s the case, why are the soldiers charging? You should know that having them charge under these circumstances make themmbs to ughter.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but we are soldiers! Sacrificing ourselves to save the elite university students, it¡¯s worth it! Their lives are more important than ours!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed in the darkness, he nced at Guan Hui and his gaze traveled through the tinted ss to the opposite bank of Little Mirror Lake behind Mingyue Court. His voice seemed to carry the same dimness as theke water, ¡°You can sacrifice your own and the soldiers¡¯ lives to save others, but don¡¯t see yourself as a lower ss.¡±

    ¡°In my eyes, your lives are as precious as the others¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Chief!¡± Guan Hui choked, ¡°I¡­ Please don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll lead the soldiers to charge!¡±

    ¡°No need. The lives of every one of our soldiers are precious, they are not meant to feed the criminals¡¯ bullets.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head and ordered Zhao Liangze, who was standing outside the car in military stance, ¡°Have Big Xionge here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately called Yin Shixiong through his Bluetooth headset. Yin Shixiong was at the opposite side of Little Mirror Lake, guarding the straw hut Gu Nianzhi and her ssmates were in.

    After listening to Zhao Liangze ry Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, he quickly said, ¡°I¡¯lle over right now.¡± Then he added, ¡°What about Nianzhi?¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng in the car, ¡°Chief, Big Xiong is asking about the other side?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood what he meant, he sat in the darkness and his voice remained deep and rich, carrying a raspy maism that tugged at heartstrings, ¡°That side is only safe when the battle on this side ends.¡± He finished speaking and the image Big Xiong just sent over shed in his mind. In the photo, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was watery and he was the only one who could sense the terror and anxiety of a small animal in her eyes¡­ Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and it seemed like only then that he didn¡¯t have to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s silent stare.

    Zhao Liangze waited momentarily and saw that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak again, then ryed his words to Yin Shixiong.

    15 minutester, Yin Shixiong quickly ran over and asked, ¡°Chief, Yin Shixiong reporting!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained inside and sat in the dark military vehicle, andmanded Yin Shixiong through his Bluetooth headset, ¡°Go with Guan Hui, eliminate the criminals¡¯ American Minigun. Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes lit up, his expression a mirror of Fan Jian¡¯s earlier. Fan Jian¡¯s specialty was showering enemies with bullets using assault rifles, while Yin Shixiong excelled at sniping. His sniping skills were nearly perfect and he had already ced as the ace sniper of the entireImperial Army three times in a row. As long as Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t participate, Yin Shixiong was always in first ce.

    Guan Yi gaped as he scratched the back of his head and asked dubiously, ¡°¡­How would you shoot? They¡¯re hiding in the room and there are many hostages, they can easily be injured.¡± He couldn¡¯t expect to live up to the joke and holler at Mingyue Court, ¡°We¡¯ve killed all the hostages inside, we can take down the criminals now!¡± This would disgrace the military and he wouldn¡¯t be able to answer to the consequences, he might as well perish in battle¡­

    ¡°No way?! ¨CYoung man, it¡¯s your lucky day, we¡¯ll have you witness the methods of the 6th Military Region!¡± Yin Shixiong left with Guan Hui and casually picked out a sniper the garrison¡¯s Special Taskforce had brought.

 Chapter 79: Mr. Huoâ€™s Decision (6)

    <h4>Chapter 79: Mr. Huo¡¯s Decision (6)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As a general rule, snipers never acted alone. They were always apanied by a spotter.

    Guan Hui immediately said: ¡°I¡¯ll be your spotter!¡±

    Yin Shixiong patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    Even as they talked, the rain outside had gotten heavier.

    There was now only the sound of the pouring rain around the entrance to Mingyue Court. The gangsters had not kept up the gunfire; it was clear that they, too, did not want to waste their bullets.

    But as soon as there was movement beyond the courtyard gate, the Minigun at the window roared to life again with a rat-a-tat-a-tat.

    The gunfireshed out like a long, fiery tongue in the rainy night, riddling the grasswn before Mingyue Court with unsightly holes.

    Yin Shixiong and Guan Hui stealthily crept into position as a policeman out front deliberately created a distraction, luring the attentions of the gangsters away. They found a spot facing the front window of the main building in Mingyue Court and got down, sniper rifle at the ready.

    This was not the sniper rifle Yin Shixiong was used to, but it did not matter to him. He was an ace sniper: he always got results, even when he had to use someone else¡¯s sniper rifle.

    Heid himself out on the ground, and tested the weight and feel of the sniper rifle in his hands. Yin Shixiong even went so far as to take the scope off the sniper rifle, so as to not give his position away to the gangster manning the Minigun.

    He had to do this because his sniper rifle was one of themon, mid-range models, which meant that the scope was nothing more than an optical mirror. In the dark of the night, the optical mirror reflected every sliver of light, exposing the sniper¡¯s position.

    Yin Shixiong had excellent vision. He was confident he would be able to hit his target without a scope at this distance.

    Guan Hui had never seen Yin Shixiong in action, and therefore did not know how good he was with a sniper rifle. He stared at Yin Shixiong, dumbfounded, when he removed the scope from the sniper rifle.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me ¨C just concentrate on your job.¡± Yin Shixiong patted Guan Hui on the shoulder. ¡°Get down.¡±

    Guan Huiid himself out on a patch of higher ground, above Yin Shixiong. He held the telescope that came with the sniper rifle in his hand, and began to report his observations.

    ¡°Distance of 20 meters, dead ahead, 11 o¡¯clock, wind velocity: 10 meters per second, heavy rain, rain velocity: steady. Report over.¡±

    Yin Shixiong began to calibrate the reticle on his sniper rifle ording to the numbers Guan Hui had given.

    Because there was no scope, he had to calibrate the reticle by sight and feel alone.

    He only had one chance.

    He had to take out the Minigun and the gangster manning it with a single shot. Otherwise, the gangsters would most likely be provoked and go berserk. That usually ended with the gangsters killing the hostages beforemitting suicide themselves.

    If he failed, it would be but a small misstep for Yin Shixiong, personally. He could live with that. It would be disastrous and embarrassing for the 6th Military Region as a whole, however, and that was something he would not stand for.

    Hey on the ground, motionless, for a full ten minutes. He was so still that even Warrior No. 2, over in Mingyue Court, caught a whiff of the abnormal tension in the air.

    Warrior No. 2 turned to Yang Dawei. ¡°Boss, what¡¯re the cops and soldiers up to? It¡¯s so quiet¡­¡±

    Yang Dawei hugged his assault rifle close to him as he sneered, ¡°Who cares? If they don¡¯t give us what we want in the next 35 minutes, we¡¯ll blow this ce and swim away!¡±

    This was it, the moment Yin Shixiong had been waiting for: the gangster had turned his head!

    He quietly pulled the trigger. The high-explosive bullet, unique to sniper rifles, shot out from the silenced sniper rifle barrel. The bullet seemed to have eyes of its own; it cleaved through the heavy rain like a high-speed missile, and flew straight into the barrel of the Minigun!

    The high-explosive bullet struck the ammunition inside the barrel of the Minigun. The effect wasparable to shooting a small grenade ¨C the Minigun ammunition exploded with a violent bang!

    The barrel of the Minigun was not built to withstand such a powerful explosion; it immediately blew apart. The exploding gunpowder ripped through Warrior No. 2¡¯s chest.

    Warrior No. 2 did not even have time to react; his head was still turned towards Yang Dawei when he copsed onto the exploding barrel of the Minigun.

    Yang Dawei could only watch helplessly as the Minigun exploded, blowing his second-inmand into smithereens. He saw red.

    ¡°¡­Brotheeeeeer!¡± He gave a long shout, and was about to rush over when suddenly, he heard cheersing from outside!

    ¡°Motherf*ckers! I¡¯m still alive! You haven¡¯t won yet!¡± Yang Dawei could no longer control his anger. He unloaded his clip on the managing director of Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, killing him, then used the body as a shield as he made his way towards the window. He shouted at the men outside who were making ns to storm the building. ¡°Take one step inside,e on, I dare you! I¡¯ll kill all the hostages in this house, just like this!¡± As he said that, he tossed the managing director¡¯s body out the window before activating the count-down for the time bomb. He quickly returned to the back wall and hid himself behind a group of unconscious college students.

    ¡­

    Yin Shixiong had destroyed the Minigun and killed the gangster manning it with a single shot. With that, he had effectively removed the biggest obstacle for the garrison troops and the police.

    Guan Hui felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He pulled Yin Shixiong up and said, withplete sincerity, ¡°Lieutenant Colonel, thank you for your assistance! When we get back, I¡¯ll be sure to submit a report to the higher-ups detailing everything you¡¯ve done for us today!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all right.¡± Yin Shixiong immediately shook his head. ¡°Thanks, but that really won¡¯t be necessary. Just remember you owe me one. We can¡¯t take credit for this, we¡¯d be stepping over the line.¡±

    Guan Hui realized what he was saying.

    The 6th Military Region was not supposed to interfere in domestic affairs.

    But Guan Hui had not beenpetent enough to deal with this mess on his own, so his fellow soldiers had been forced to step in and clean up for him, even though they wouldn¡¯t be able to take credit for it. He was so embarrassed by this he could not stop babbling: ¡°No, no, this won¡¯t do, this won¡¯t do at all, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough chit-chat, it¡¯s time to take out thest gangster. Thest remaining thug is usually the most violent. Stay on guard.¡± Yin Shixiong reminded Guan Hui.

    Guan Hui quickly said, ¡°I know. I care about my soldiers. I will not send them on a suicide mission.¡±

    ¡°You got that right.¡± Yin Shixiong returned the sniper rifle to him. ¡°Go see what¡¯s going on over there.¡±

    While they were talking, Deputy Commissioner Liu had ordered his men to storm Mingyue Court.

    ¡°Deputy Commissioner Liu! The gangster inside just killed a hostage!¡±

    ¡°Deputy Commissioner Liu! It looks like a trap!¡±

    They had barely finished their report when a deafening st sounded from the entrance to Mingyue Court. Several of the policemen who had just reached the grasswn before the gate were blown sky-high before falling back to the ground.

    ¡°Who¡¯s f*cking things up?¡± Guan Hui was furious. He turned around, and red at Deputy Commissioner Liu. ¡°You! Why are you here?!¡±

    Fan Jian had previously shoved Deputy Commissioner Liu to the back, and ordered him to shut up.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men had restrained themselves from doing anything beyond that; he was still the deputymissioner of C City Police Headquarters, no matter what his shorings.

    But they had underestimated Deputy Commissioner Liu¡¯s ambitions. He was paranoid about the garrison taking all the credit, and had thoughtlessly disobeyed his orders by sending his policemen into the courtyard to save the hostages.

    The yard gate and half the walls surrounding Mingyue Court had been blown to pieces. There was now debris everywhere,plicating the situation.

    Yang Dawei, hiding inside the main building of Mingyue Court,ughed heartily.

    Prior to this, he and his men had already moved the bed and otherrge furniture over to the door to barricade it. Only the window facing the courtyard gate had been left open; they had set up a machine gun there to defend the building.

    The Minigun had been a powerful weapon ¨C and it had been blown apart with a single shot!

    Yang Dawei was by no means a coward; nevertheless, he had witnessed the military¡¯s formidable strength first-hand, and it sent a chill down his spine.

    But he had run out of options. It was do or die, now.

    ¡°Listen up! You only have 20 minutes left! If I don¡¯t get my ne and money in the next 20 minutes, I¡¯m going to kill everyst one of these hostages and set them all on fire!¡± Inside the room, Yang Dawei briefly lit his lighter with a click, before extinguishing it.

    Yin Shixiong stared at what was left of the front yard of Mingyue Court. His eyes were wide with disbelief as he muttered, ¡°¡­They buried mines, too? Go to hell already!¡±

 Chapter 80: Mr. Huoâ€™s Decision (7)

    <h4>Chapter 80: Mr. Huo¡¯s Decision (7)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The criminals had another surprise in store for them that night. Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t leave just yet and curiously stood on the side to listen to Guan Hui discuss the next step with his men.

    ¡°We can¡¯t force our way in, the courtyard is said to have mines, so we would have to demine before going in. But we don¡¯t have time.¡±

    ¡°Right, and even if we don¡¯t demine and forcefully trigger the explosions, we don¡¯t know how many the buried and judging from their firepower, it could blow up the entire courtyard and the hostages won¡¯t survive.¡±

    ¡°What should we do? Do we really have to give him a ne and cash, and let him escape?!¡±

    Neither the soldiers nor policemen agreed. They had so many men injured and there were even policemen and soldiers killed in action, they can¡¯t possibly let it go?!

    ¡°But we have no other choice.¡± Guan Huiid out a map, it was the blueprints for Mingyue Court. ¡°Look, Mingyue Court is bordered by Little Mirror Lake on three sides, and only the main entrance faces the narrow, winding road in front of us. Our direct passage to them is already blocked.¡±

    ¡°How about we go from the water?¡± Someone suggested and pointed to the map, ¡°We¡¯ll have soldiers or police who are strong swimmers go from the opposite bank, thennd on Mingyue Court from the rear door.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but there¡¯s only 20 minutes left, by the time we get there time is about up, we would just be in time to die with them? We could go on a speedboat, but the criminals would know what we¡¯re up to as soon as we start the engine. What if they kill the hostages immediately?¡±

    Yin Shixiong listened on the side for a while and understood the dilemma faced by the garrison troops army and police. They did have a solution to apprehending the criminal, but they were hesitant to pelt the rat with fear of smashing the vase besides it. They were concerned the 20 some hostages would be toast if they cornered the criminal. Yin Shixiong shook his head and returned to the Humvee to exin the situation to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng agreed it was a tricky situation. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to kill the criminal, but the hard part was to prevent him from killing the hostages before he died.

    ¡°Little Ze, show me the 3D blueprints again.¡±

    Zhao Liangze opened hisptop and selected the 3D blueprint file. Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows as he studied it for a while, ¡°Where is the criminal hiding inside the room?¡±

    Yin Shixiong pointed to the back wall of the main house in Mingyue Court, ¡°Here.¡±

    Yang Dawaeri was very sly. He was worried that the military¡¯s snipers would have an open headshot if he hid near the front entrance, so he moved far away and huddled by the back wall. The vast Little Mirror Lake was directly behind that wall and theke was a total of two kilometers in diameter. There was no fear of getting shot from the back. He was safe as long as no one swam up from Little Mirror Lake. Even if someone got into the water, there would be no way to swim there in merely 15 minutes. There was no chance of using a speedboat, nor possibility of breaking through from the roof. Because the criminal was vicious, decisive and had ample fire power to boot, he would struggle for life and reduce their past efforts to nil.

    Was there truly no other way?

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze shared a nce and were only thankful that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t one of the hostages in the room. Otherwise they would have to give the criminal h*ll even if they had to go to heaven and earth¡­

    ¡°Nianzhi really grew up with us, she¡¯s learned a lot.¡± Yin Shixiong said proudly, like Gu Nianzhi was his own daughter.

    Zhao Liangze smiled and asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, should we bring Nianzhi here and you¡¯ll take her away first?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng refused without looking up, ¡°How can I leave before things are resolved here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze became quiet, then said in a low voice, ¡°¡­But this is a domestic incident, we¡¯ve transgressed if we get involved.¡±

    Earlier they could still say it was for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety that they participated, and the military wouldn¡¯t penalize them. Now that she was safe, any further involvement could be used by the senators to trip them up. Huo Shaoheng would be in lots of trouble no matter how high ranking and powerful he was. Yin Shixiong had the same thought, but recalled the horrific sight of the troops and police earlier. He couldn¡¯t leave them be nor make any idle observations.

    Huo Shaoheng straightened and dryly said, ¡°This incident cannot possibly be strictly domestic , it¡¯s certainly in our jurisdiction.¡±

    ¡°Cannot possible be strictly domestic? You¡¯re saying¡­ it¡¯s those foreign heavy weapons and explosives?¡± Zhao Liangze came to a sudden realization, ¡°That¡¯s right! These were all smuggled! This is rted to foreign hostile forces!¡±

    This was sufficient reason for the 6th Military Region to officially get involved. Huo Shaoheng rarely repeated his words, he pointed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location on the opposite bank of Little Mirror Lake, ¡°Find a shooting position for an AMR, we can take him out even across ake and through the back wall.¡±

    ¡°AMR?!¡± Yin Shixiong fired up, ¡°Mr. Huo! Allow me to go!¡±

    AMRs stood for anti-material rifles, and they were capable of hitting targets through walls. The best operators had a shooting range as far as two to three kilometers. Currently, the world record is held by an Australian operator who had locked on target from 2.8 kilometers away and hit the the armed assant in the head with one shot.

    ¡°It¡¯s only two kilometers from the opposite bank of Little Mirror Lake to the back wall of Mingyue Court, as long as he stays against the back wall, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Huo Shaoheng put on headgear concealing his face, ¡°Go find the garrison troops, and ask if they brought an AMR, I¡¯ll go to the opposite bank of Little Mirror Lake and Little Ze will spot for me. Big Xiong will be at the front entrance, and have Guan Hui spot. This way it doesn¡¯t matter where the criminal leans, we¡¯ll have a headshot.¡±

    A headshot through a wall was exceptionally challenging. Yin Shixiong¡¯s side was easier, since it was a shorter distance from the front entrance to the main house. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side was the true predicament. It wasn¡¯t only far, with two kilometres ofke surface in between, but the inclement weather reduced visibility to nearly zero. The storm could also affect the bullet¡¯s trajectory and directly determined the effectiveness of the shot. However upon seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sombre face, Yin Shixiong chose to believe in him.

    ¡°Roger!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze answered in unison. The two men split up to ask Guan Hui for AMRs.

    Guan Hui listened to Yin Shixiong¡¯s exnation and was overjoyed, ¡°We just transferred the AMRs here and was only worried about missing the target and injuring the hostages in the room.¡±

    AMR ammunition was very powerful, it was meant to destroy armored vehicles and that was why it was known as anti-material rifle. If it was shot at a person, it could blow up the body and cause fatality with one shot. But if it missed target and hit a hostage, it would also be fatal¡­

    ¡°No problem, leave it us. It¡¯s not your responsibility if something goes wrong.¡± Yin Shixiong chose two incredibly leaden AMRs, one for himself and one for Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t revealed his identity and would only appear in front of everyone as a sniper from the 6th Military Region.

    Guan Hui became furious when he heard this, ¡°What are you saying? Am I one to be afraid to take responsibility?! No matter what, even if something goes wrong, I¡¯ll take the me!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was amused by him and patted his shoulder, ¡°Very well, Brother, you¡¯re my friend for sure!¡±

    ¡°¡­What, I thought we were already friends¡­¡± Guan Hui was a little sullen, did they only be friends just now?

    Yin Shixiong chuckled and didn¡¯t speak anymore. He threw the AMR into the Humvee, and watched them drive towards the opposite bank of Little Mirror Lake

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi was shaken by the fierce gunshots and explosions across theke. She sat up from the long stone bench and spaced out before walking to the entrance of the straw hut to see what was going on.

    A man in military uniform stopped her, ¡°ssmate, we¡¯re having an operation right away and need to clear this ce out. Please cooperate and stay inside.¡±

    ¡°What operation?¡± Mei Xiawen stood anxiously beside Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What¡¯s going on with the criminals? Have they been arrested?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve sent a sniper from the other side, and are going to set a sniping spot here, stay back.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, a Humvee was already hurtling towards them.

 Chapter 81: Gu Nianzhiâ€™s Intuition (1)

    <h4>Chapter 81: Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Intuition (1)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Set up a sniping position, here?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was piqued; she turned herrge, lively eyes towards Little Mirror Lake and gazed upon Mingyue Court, standing there upon the far shore. She closed her eyes and whispered, ¡°Oh my god! You¡¯re going to use an anti-materiel sniper rifle, aren¡¯t you?!¡±

    Only a bullet from an anti-materiel sniper rifle would be able to reach Mingyue Court from here, across the vast expanse of theke.

    The military officer was surprised. ¡°Huh, you know about anti-materiel sniper rifles?¡±

    Not everyone in the military knew about these sniper rifles. It was extremely unusual for the averageyman to know about them.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I read about it on the inte. I¡¯m kind of a military nut.¡±

    ¡°You should spend your time studying instead of wasting it on the inte,¡± admonished the military officer withplete seriousness. ¡°Get in. I have to shut the door now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She was about to turn away when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, two tall, strapping men step out of the Humvee, one after the other.

    She could feel a current of shock run through her body. Her mind had gone nk, and there was a steady buzz in her ears. She quickly turned her eyes towards them, and greedily drank in the sight of the tall figure walking in front.

    A column of light shone down from the heavens; there was a helicopter circling above them with its searchlight on.

    In this very moment, the sound of rain no longer reached her. She watched the dark of the night slowly recede before her very eyes. The world around her had turned into nothing more than a stage backdrop, superficial and meaningless. Her whole universe was nowprised only of a single entity: the tall, well-built man d in the military¡¯s Special Taskforce uniform.

    Although it was impossible to see the man¡¯s face, obscured as it was by a ck helmet and night vision goggles, she was familiar with the tall, strapping figure, the broad shoulders, and the imposing aura enveloping him¡ªit was her Uncle Huo, she was sure of it!

    There was no way she would mistake someone else for him: she had followed him about like an essory strapped to his leg during her first four years living with him, after all!

    But those days were a distant memory. She hadn¡¯t seen him for over two months now, and had spoken with him over the phone only twice¡­

    Gu Nianzhi clung to the frame of the straw hut¡¯s doorway. Her body had locked up. She couldn¡¯t move.

    The military officer in front of the door gave her an impatient push. ¡°Get in. We need to clear the area, authorized personnel only.¡± With that, he shut the door in her face, loudly.

    Gu Nianzhi staggered backwards, and almost fell to the ground.

    Mei Xiawen hurriedly put an arm around Gu Nianzhi to steady her. He asked, his voice full of concern, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head slowly.

    Her breath seemed to have caught in her throat; she did not know whether she was supposed to breathe in or out.

    She pressed a hand against her chest, leaned her back against the door of the straw hut, and slid to the ground.

    The straw hut had no windows. Darkness enveloped them as soon as the only door was shut.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze got out of the Humvee and walked past the closed doors of the straw hut without a second nce. They arrived at the shore of Little Mirror Lake, and began to look for a suitable spot to set up the anti-materiel sniper rifle.

    ¡°This spot will give you the shortest possible distance from this side of theke to the back wall of Mingyue Court.¡± Zhao Liangze walked about in the rain with a measuring instrument in his hand, and pointed to a patch of muddy grass next to Little Mirror Lake.

    This patch of grass was right in front of the straw hut Gu Nianzhi and her ssmates were hiding in.

    Huo Shaoheng turned on his night vision goggles, and stood in the spot Zhao Liangze had pointed out to him. He looked towards Mingyue Court.

    His special night vision goggles were equipped with an infrared detection system. The infrared imaging allowed him to see through the walls and observe what the people inside Mingyue Court were doing.

    He watched as his night vision goggles slowly showed him the situation over at Mingyue Court.

    The kidnapper, armed with a sniper rifle, was crouched against the back wall, right in the middle.

    Although he could only make out a vague silhouette, the position of the kidnapper¡¯s head was clear as day.

    Inside the house, arge number of motionless silhouettesy haphazardly upon the floor¡ªthese were most likely the hostages.

    They had learnt from the resort staff that the kidnappers had drugged their hostages in advance. This exined why the hostages were still unconscious.

    It was a good thing that they were still out cold.

    This way, there was no possibility of themplicating the situation by behaving erratically.

    ¡°This is the spot.¡± Huo Shaoheng got on one knee, opened the case for the anti-materiel sniper rifle, and began to assemble the gun.

    The anti-materiel sniper rifle in his hands was one of the heavy weapons belonging to the local garrison. The entire rifle was 1200mm long, with the gun barrel taking up 500mm. It weighed 20kg, and was equipped with a magazine that held ten 25mm bullets, capable of prating light armored vehicles. Huo Shaoheng had heard that Mingyue Court, over on the opposite side of theke, was made entirely out of wood; the courtyard walls were definitely a lot more vulnerable than armored vehicles.

    Huo Shaoheng set the spike-like bipod on the ground. Heid himself t on the grass, and began to calibrate the scope.

    The scope for the anti-materiel sniper rifle was extremely sophisticated and precise. The rifle was able to pull off high-precision shots over long distances thanks to its highly-advanced real-time data processingwork sight system. It was on an entirely different level than the optical sights used inmon sniper rifles.

    The sighting system not only collected data on the current air pressure, temperature, wind speed, rain speed and target angle, but also processed the data and ran the calctions simultaneously, in real time¡ªall for the perfect, fatal shot.

    Snipers were already rare to begin with. Snipers capable of utilizing theseplicated sniper rifles were even harder to find.

    Huo Shaoheng had had few opportunities to engage in actualbat in thest few years. Even so, he had not neglected to practice his shooting.

    No one in the entire Imperial Army was able to match his skill with a sniper rifle. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was a normal sniper rifle or an anti-materiel sniper rifle; his sniping skills were unparalleled.

    Huo Shaoheng finally finished calibrating his scope. He was t on the ground; he put both his hands around the grip of the anti-materiel sniper rifle, and settled into the aiming position.

    For snipers, aiming was a process that required the utmost patience andposure.

    It was sometimes necessary for snipers to lie in the same position the entire day just to hit their target.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng could not spend the whole day lying on the ground waiting, even if he wanted to. Not this time. He had less than ten minutes left to end the battle.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the dark straw hut, hugging her knees. Her dark eyes were as bright as the finest obsidian.

    Inside the straw hut, all was silent. Rain continued to pour incessantly outside.

    Her hand was pressed against her chest. Her heart was beating so loudly and rapidly she was afraid her ssmates would be able to hear it.

    At this very moment, what they needed was absolute silence. She didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to be distracted by any kind of noise, not even the sound of her heartbeat.

    Outside the straw hut, her hero, the idol she worshipped, was doing his best to take out the vicious gangsters. She wasn¡¯t going to distract him, no matter what.

    ¡°Argh¡ªI can¡¯t stand it! What are they up to?!¡± The female student Gu Nianzhi had helped tow across Little Mirror Lake was close to her breaking point. She began to cry and scream hysterically.

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Before anyone could react, Gu Nianzhi had pounced on the female student and grabbed her by the throat. Her voice was quiet, but full of anger: ¡°Another word out of you, and I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    The female student immediately stopped her crying and screaming. Her eyes were wide and seemed about to bulge out of their sockets.

    She stared at Gu Nianzhi in horror, and struggled to push her away.

    All the other students were stunned by this.

    Was this really Gu Nianzhi? Their little sister who had always been as gentle and harmless as amb?!

    Mei Xiawen was stunned, too, but only momentarily. He moved closer, pried Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers off the student¡¯s neck, and said quietly, ¡°Let go of her neck, she can¡¯t breathe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi loosened her grip slightly. Her voice was low as she warned her hysterical ssmate: ¡°Have you any idea what the soldiers outside are going through?! Why are you crying, when they¡¯re the ones risking their lives for you?! Let me hear another peep out of you¡ªand I¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t be able to cry again for the rest of your life!¡±

    A sniper using an anti-materiel sniper rifle could not afford the slightest distraction.

    Huo Shaoheng was no ordinary sniper, however; he was so good someone could start a drumming session next to him and he wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye.

    Still, Gu Nianzhi wanted to do something for him, and this was all she coulde up with.

    ¡­

    Huo Shaohengy in the muddy grass, watching the cold rain dance in the wind through his rifle scope.

    He was in the zone: he saw and knew nothing outside of the rifle scope.

    He could only see vague shadows through his infrared night vision goggles; even so, the crosshairs on his anti-materiel sniper rifle were aimed squarely upon Yang Dawei¡¯s head, which was leaned against the back wall of Mingyue Court.

    An anti-materiel sniper rifle bullet, capable of prating an armored vehicle, was now ready to be fired across the two-kilometer expanse of water that was Little Mirror Lake.

 Chapter 82: Gu Nianzhiâ€™s Intuition(2)

    <h4>Chapter 82: Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Intuition(2)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Distance: 2000 meters ahead, in 10 o¡¯clock position, wind velocity: 8 meters per second, medium rain, rain velocity: even. The target is leaning against on the first third of the back wall of Mingyue Court, his height is 1 meter 75 and centimeters. End of report.¡±

    Zhao Liangze half knelt next to the Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sniping spot, and reported his observations as a the spotter. Time had flown and there was only one minute remaining.

    Yang Dawei grew uneasy in Mingyue Court. The police promised a ne and cash, but there was only a minute left from the deadline. Why was there no sound of a ne? Unless they were buying time? If that¡¯s the case, he¡¯d have no mercy and kill off everyone here! Yang Dawei snarled as he held the assault rifle and aimed at the unconscious C University Faculty of Law students.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened like bottomless pits as he slightly curved his finger on the trigger of the AMR with a click. Arge calibre bullet silently slid from the 500 millimeter barrel, its olive shape slicing through the misty rain on Little Mirror Lake and increasing velocity with the wind. It instantaneously glided over the entire Little Mirror Lake, aiming and entering at the first third of the back wall of Mingyue Court!

    Boom!

    From Huo Shaoheng¡¯s infrared night vision goggles, he only saw a man¡¯s silhouette against the back wall of Mingyue Court suddenly spray a cloud of pink blood, then the entire body disintegrating within the lenses¡­

    Yin Shixiong was guarding the front entrance of Mingyue Court and was the first to hear the sputtering sounds from the room. He could also see the criminal blow up in his night vision goggles and release a pink cloud of blood. He stood up with a whoosh, and spoke in a hushed voice to Guan Hui besides him, ¡°Mission aplished, our men have eliminated the target, you can get ready to retrieve the body.¡± He paused and advised him, ¡°Have seasoned soldiers go in and take a body bag. It¡¯s probably not a whole corpse¡­¡±

    Guan Hui was floored, then ted as he jumped from the ground and signalled to the men behind him, ¡°Have the robots defuse the mines!¡±

    Several round robots swiftly entered Mingyue Court to detect for mines.

    Deputy Commissioner Liu crept over and looked at Yin Shixiong, then Guan Hui, ¡°¡­What¡¯s this? It¡¯s over? Are all the criminals dead? Did anyone escape?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem, our objective isplete.¡± Yin Shixiong said coldly as he thew the AMR to Guan Hui, not wanting to deal with Deputy Commissioner Liu. Guan Hui didn¡¯t want to talk to him either and ordered his men to supervise the robots with demining, as he led several seasoned soldiers in as the robots cleared a path for them to retrieve the body in Mingyue Court.

    ¡­

    Zhao Liangze received the message that the battle in Mingyue Court was over and sighed in relief before standing up, ¡°Mr. Huo, things are wrapped up on the other side, they¡¯re retrieving the body now.¡±

    Only then did Huo Shaoheng rise from the ground and nimbly removed the AMRponents from his body to ce back into the rifle box. He picked it up and walked towards the Humvee. Zhao Liangze carried his own devices as he followed him, and the two men quickly got into the vehicle. The officer guarding the straw hut had just opened the door and said to the students inside, ¡°The cordon has been lifted, you cane out now and get ready to go home¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was the first to bolt out, avoiding the officer and slipping out the door like a fish. The column of light from the helicopter had disappeared, so it must have left already. The power was still out in the vi and on the dark road by theke shore, only the lights from the Humvee that had just driven away were emitting a bright light in the dark night. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up, she didn¡¯t stop to think before racing towards the Humvee. She remembered the two snipers had gotten out of there. She dared not cry out and could only hope the people in the car would see her and stop. She recognized the back of that man, it was Uncle Huo for sure! And the one besides him was Brother Little Ze. Gu Nianzhi ran even faster, her lean legs like a small deer and her waist supple as she bounded with rhythm.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, that¡¯s Miss Gu behind us¡­ chasing the car.¡± Fan Jian was the orderly who acted as a driver, and he subconsciously lifted his foot from the elerator when he discovered Gu Nianzhi in the rearview mirror. The Humvee slowed down slightly.

    Zhao Liangze raised his head to also look at the rearview mirror, ¡°Oh? It¡¯s really Nianzhi! Why is she chasing our car?! Did something happen? Or did she recognize us?! Ah! I have to retake the ¡®Disguise¡¯ course! I got recognized even though I¡¯m totally covered up today, it must be because I¡¯m too handsome!¡±

    Fan Jian couldn¡¯t stand listening to him without the corners of his mouth lifting, and his foot was even lighter on the elerator now. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say a word and, his elbow was on the window and the back of his hand supported his chin. His stared pointedly at the view of Gu Nianzhi chasing them in the rearview mirror. It was when the gap between the military vehicle and Gu Nianzhi closed that he noticed Fan Jian wasn¡¯t pressing on the gas.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯s raining, should we stop and wait for it to clear?¡± Zhao Liangze racked his brains to give Huo Shaoheng an excuse.

    Huo Shaoheng still had his hand under his chin and leaned against the window, totally ignoring him.

    ¡°Little Jian, do you want to use the bathroom? Oh no, I really have to go all of a sudden!¡± Zhao Liangze saw Gu Nianzhi persistently chase after them and felt anxious. He could only continue to fib and find a way to stop the military vehicle.

    Gu Nianzhi fervently chased after the Humvee on the dark path by theke. The car lights were so piercingly bright she could barely keep her eyes open, but she didn¡¯t relent and kept sprinting forward. After running for a while, the vehicle appeared to slow to a stop and just as Gu Nianzhi was about to run faster to reach it, Mei Xiawen caught up. He draped a jacket on her, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s raining, why are you running?¡±

    All three men in the Humvee witnessed this. Fan Jian and Zhao Liangze shared a nce.

    ¡°Drive faster, back to the base,¡± Huo Shaoheng took his elbow off the side of the window and smiled faintly, ¡°There, you can stop worrying now, Little Ze?¡±

    Zhao Liangze flushed as he quietly turned around to look forward, ¡°What do you mean, Sir? What am I worried about?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak anymore, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes to rest.

    Fan Jian was perplexed and quietly asked Zhao Liangze, ¡°¡­Why didn¡¯t Mr. Huo stop to see Miss Gu? Poor thing, she¡¯s out of breath from running.¡±

    Zhao Liangze also thought Huo Shaoheng was too cruel and couldn¡¯t help turning around to plead, ¡°Mr. Huo, let¡¯s see her for a bit, you haven¡¯t seen her for over two months now. She always asks for you whenever she calls me or Big Xiong.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes remained closed as he sat in the darkness of the back of the car and slowly said, ¡°If I go out now, her identity will be exposed.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that possible?!¡± Zhao Liangze and Fan Jie cried in unison.

    ¡°You think this was just a kidnapping incident?¡± Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes, they were eagle-like and shed in the darkness, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Nianzhi was the real target this time!¡±

 Chapter 83 - Gu Nianzhis Intuition (3)

    <h4>Chapter 83: Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Intuition (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°They were after Nianzhi?! That can¡¯t be right. If she was their target, why didn¡¯t they take her hostage?¡± Zhao Liangze was dubious. However, he could not dismiss the possibility right off the bat, either. The existence of the heavy weapons ¨C weapons that could only have been smuggled in from overseas ¨Cplicated things.

    ¡°The kidnappers are just pawns in the game. The real mastermind behind the scenes wants to be sure Nianzhi isn¡¯t someone important. This whole incident was just them testing the waters,¡± said Huo Shaoheng, his voice cool and dispassionate. ¡°As for why she wasn¡¯t taken hostage ¨C my guess is, they¡¯re afraid of getting busted. Someone may trace the evidence back to them, so they decided not to risk a direct attack on Nianzhi, not this time.¡±

    Fan Jian and Zhao Liangze both shut up at this.

    If Huo Shaoheng was right, then they had to stay inside the car no matter what...

    ...

    The lights from the car sped along the road beside Little Mirror Lake, farther and farther, before disappearing into the darkness.

    It was nowpletely dark.

    The rain continued to pour relentlessly.

    Gu Nianzhi watched as the military vehicle in front of her suddenly picked up speed. It sped away, faster and faster. There was no way for her to catch up now.

    She had been running at full speed; she gradually slowed down.

    She bent over, hands on her knees, gasping wildly for breath. The insides of her nose stung, and her eyes were wet. Water dripped from her face: was it rain water? Her sweat? Her tears? She could not tell.

    ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you running after that car?¡± Mei Xiawen had alsoe to a stop beside her. He put an arm around her shoulder and gently helped her up.

    Gu Nianzhi gazed at the road in front of her. There was nothing there but darkness; the lights of the Humvee had long since disappeared. The darkness was soplete she could not even be sure she had actually seen the car.

    ¡°Nothing. Just wanted to see what that sniper looks like. His skills were out of this world.¡± Gu Nianzhi quelled the indescribable feelings that had welled up within her. She pressed her lips together, and turned to follow Mei Xiawen back the way they came.

    Upon arriving at the straw hut, she turned to look across Little Mirror Lake.

    Little Mirror Lake was a vast, misty expanse in the rainy night. Over in the distance, Mingyue Court looked tiny, like a toy house in a fairy tale.

    There was a distance of two kilometers between this side of theke and Mingyue Court ¨C and Uncle Huo had killed the enemy on the other side of theke with a single shot from an anti-materiel sniper rifle!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart swelled with vicarious pride at the thought.

    She looked up at Mei Xiawen and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know who that incredible sniper was?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were the type to have a hero fetish,¡± said Mei Xiawen, teasingly. ¡°What, do I have to practice my shooting now?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you should, if you have the time!¡± Gu Nianzhi was in high spirits; she waved her fist jovially in the air. Her long, wet hair clung to her back like seaweed. Her small, exquisite face, barely the size of an open palm, appeared to glow like a pearl in the rainy night.

    Mei Xiawen had to look away. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to campus.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Mei Xiawen took her hand in his and the two returned to the straw hut together. After a roll call to make sure everyone was present, they returned to Qingfeng Garden with their ssmates to gather their things, before getting on the bus that would take them back to their college campus.

    ...

    The girl chasing after the car had finally disappeared from view.

    Huo Shaoheng tore his eyes away from the rearview mirror. He did not speak again as they made their way back to the military base from Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi.

    Once they had arrived at the military base, he reminded both Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong: ¡°Send a report to Liu Qiangyuan¡¯s superiors informing them of his actions today. Also, get the records for C City¡¯s Customs department and check the data for all outsized shipping containers imported into the city in the past year. You know what to do. Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

    Those C City gangsters had somehow gotten their hands on heavy weapons that were only avable overseas, on the military munitions ck market. Something was definitely going on behind the scenes.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong saluted him in unison.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at them, before turning to Fan Jian to say, ¡°I¡¯m going to the capital. Make the arrangements, now ¨C I¡¯m leaving tonight.¡±

    Fan Jian saluted him, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± and hurried off to secure a private ne from the relevant department. Huo Shaoheng, for his part, returned to his residence to pack a few things.

    When Fan Jian and Huo Shaoheng had gone, Yin Shixiong asked Zhao Liangze, his voice full of curiosity: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why the sudden rush to the capital?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shook his head and rolled his eyes at Yin Shixiong. ¡°He¡¯s themander. He doesn¡¯t have to report his every move to you.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not expecting a report from him, but we¡¯re his personal secretaries ¨C we can¡¯t very well be absolutely clueless about what our boss is doing, can we?¡± Yin Shixiong retorted as he rolled his eyes back at Zhao Liangze. ¡°By the way, you said Nianzhi chased your car?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhao Liangze turned on hisputer, and began updating his files while looking up the records for shipping containers brought into C City over thest year.

    The heavy weapons used by the group of gangsters had been manufactured outside of the country, and could only have been smuggled into the Empire through shipping containers processed at Customs. There was simply no other way.

    Yin Shixiong seated himself on the sofa before him. He turned on his tablet PC, and began typing a message to Deputy Commissioner Liu¡¯s superior. He asked as he typed, ¡°...So did you all get out of the car?¡±

    ¡°Nope, Mr. Huo didn¡¯t allow it.¡± Zhao Liangze peeled his eyes away from hisputer and looked around before beckoning Yin Shixiong over with a crook of his finger.

    Yin Shixiong went over to him and asked quietly, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°A friendly reminder: you may want to think about what to tell Nianzhi if she asks about today... remember, she cannot know we were there.¡±

    ¡°¡®Course I won¡¯t tell her!¡± Yin Shixiong immediately promised. But he could not help himself; he had to vent his frustrations: ¡°Mr. Huo hasn¡¯t seen Nianzhi for more than two months now. Do you have any idea what a pain it is for me to have to keeping up with excuses for him? And Nianzhi¡¯s bing such a smooth talker these days. She¡¯s going to out-talk me, soon enough.¡±

    Zhao Liangze made a funny face. ¡°Our dear Brother Xiong can¡¯t hold his ground against Nianzhi in a debate? Oh yes, I feel soooo sorry for you, hahahaha...¡±

    Yin Shixiong could not stand Zhao Liangze teasing him like this. He ducked his head, angrily shut the cover on his tablet PC, and walked out of Zhao Liangze¡¯s office to return to his own office.

    ...

    It was Sunday,te in the night. The 20 seniorw students from C University¡¯s ss One ¨C the students who had not been held hostage by the gangsters ¨C were finally back on campus, safe and sound. They had been escorted back to their college by the police.

    Four of their ssmates, in addition to all the students from ss Two, had been knocked out by the food provided by the gangsters; these students were still at the hospital, unconscious and on intravenous therapy.

    The ss One students had just arrived at their campus when they were swamped by frenzied reporters. Every media outlet in C City had sent reporters to the university to interview the students.

    News of the kidnapping and killings in Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi had spread, but the police had been tight-lipped, providing no officialment aside from ¡°Investigations are still ongoing.¡±

    The reporters who had not been able to get first-hand information immediately turned their attentions to the students who had just returned to school after their terrifying ordeal.

    The students were hounded by reporters as soon as they got off the bus.

    Several reporters were now chasing Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen¡¯s little group, their cameras rolling.

    ¡°Excuse me, you there, did you see the kidnappers?¡±

    ¡°Hey you, we heard that the kidnappers were armed with heavy weapons. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Did any of you take videos? The power supply and the inte connection in the vi had been disrupted ¨C why is that? Someone must be trying to cover up the truth. Is it the police, or the military?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had not wanted to have anything to do with these unsolicited reporters from the media, but changed her mind when she heard what thest reporter had said. She could not stand it anymore.

    She turned to face the male reporter, who immediately thrust a recording pen in her face. Her voice was cool and dispassionate. ¡°Which media outlet sent you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from OOXX self-media, thank you for epting my interview!¡± The male reporter was beside himself with joy. ¡°So, do you have the inside scoop?¡±

 Chapter 84 - Back to the Base

    <h4>Chapter 84: Back to the Base</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, as a reporter, your line of questioning is suspect of of being misleading and ording to ¡°Imperial Press Law¡±, you¡¯ve already breached article 1 of chapter 1, the principle of fairness and justice in reporting. Do you have proof of employment as media personnel? Please disy your permit, otherwise your interviewing me is a serious breach to my right of privacy as a civilian, and breach to the right of knowledge for the public. I can take this to court and have you bear all legal responsibilities.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to take out her phone and recorded the shocked male reporter from keep a record of this video file.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, OOXX self-media, was it? Sucks to be you, you messed with no one but the top of the ss in our Faculty to Law! Trying to y legal edge ball in front of us, huh? Don¡¯t you see the ¡®MFS¡¯ stamped on your forehead?¡± Little Temptree gloated on the side.

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®MFS?¡± A reporter from C City TV Evening News carrying a camera observing from the side, asked with curiosity.

    ¡°It means ¡®motherf*cking stupid¡¯.¡± Little Temptress answered seductively before dragging Gu Nianzhi back to the dorm.

    Mei Xiawen followed them and walked Gu Nianzhi back to the dorm building. He stroked her hair and said with pity, ¡°It¡¯s been a hardst two days for you, quickly shower, grab a bite and get some rest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered exhaustedly and went back to the dorm to shower. That night in C City, all the forums and TV programs were abuzz with this incident. An increasing number of media personnel were surging towards C Univeirty to interview the students who had escaped death. C University saw things were bad and to protect the safety of the students, they issued an emergency notice to have Year 4 ss 1 go on a two week break. This would allow them to go home first and return to campus once things died down. Gu Nianzhi just finished showering when she heard Green Tea Fang share the news.

    ¡°Nianzhi, my family already sent a car to pick me up, what about you? Do you want toe stay with me for a few days?¡± Green Tea Fang knew Gu Nianzhi was an orphan and only had a distant rtive as a guardian. Under the circumstances of a sudden break, she might not have a ce to stay. However, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait to see Huo Shaoheng and quicklyughed, ¡°A sudden two week break?! Great, I can go back and rest for a few days now. ¨CThank you, Green Tea Fang, we¡¯ll have to have tea when you¡¯re free.¡±

    ¡°Will you be ok alone?¡± Lady Cao was also concerned about her and offered kindly, ¡°How about you stay with me? I¡¯m pretty bored home alone.¡±

    Little Temptress chimed in as well, ¡°I have to go to the airport tonight for an early flight tomorrow, do you want to travel to the capital with me for a few days?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused all their offers and exined that the two weeks should fly by, it should be fine. She was burning with anxiety and was tempted to immediately fly to the Special Ops base in C City. After being on edge and finally seeing her three roommates off, Gu Nianzhi immediately called Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, I want to ask you something.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had just finished showering and picked up as soon as he saw her calling, ¡°Nianzhi? Why are you up sote?¡±

    Clutching her phone, Gu Nianzhi sat back down on the bed and asked about Brother Li first, ¡°Brother Xiong, how¡¯s Brother Li? Is he ok?¡±

    Yin Shixiong had been prepared to deflect against any questions about Huo Shaoheng and rxed as soon as he heard it had nothing to with him. He held up a bath sheet to dry his hair andughed, ¡°He¡¯s ok, just minor injuries, he¡¯s already back at the base.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi exhaled in relief, her entire body rxed. Sheid on bed and squinted her eyes, ¡°Did Brother Xiong, Brother Ze and Uncle Huo go to Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi tonight?¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°...¡±

    This youngdy was too cunning! She used Little Li to lure out the truth...

    Yin Shixiong grimaced as he threw down the bath sheet and decided toe clean, ¡°Yeah, the police was requesting backup and we had to go. Little Li was also in trouble so we had to save our own.¡±

    ¡°I knew you guys were there!¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up happily and held up a ¡®V¡¯ sign with her fingers, ¡°The AMR operator was Uncle Huo, wasn¡¯t it?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled and neither denied nor admitted, ¡°You guys are back on campus? Were you scared? Do you want Chen Lie to examine you?¡±

    ¡°No thanks!¡± Gu Nianzhi was terrified as soon as she heard Chen Lie would be examining her and hastily refused, ¡°Brother Xiong, can you pick me up?¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s sote, where are you going?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand paused as he quickly found some clothes to put on.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°The school has suddenly given us a two week break, and I have no ce to go, so I want toe back to the base to see you guys.¡± She bit her lip and continued in a quiet voice, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen everyone at the base for a long time now.¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew that the person Gu Nianzhi truly wanted to see, was someone else... But that person just got a ne to the capital. To not disappoint her, Yin Shixiong delicately navigated, ¡°A break? Great! I¡¯lle pick you up now, but it¡¯s a shame Mr. Huo just left for the capital, otherwise he would be so happy to see you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shot up from the bed, ¡°...Huh? Uncle Huo went to the capital? When was this?¡±

    ¡°About an hour ago.¡± Yin Shixiong eyed his watch, ¡°He should be there by now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, ¡°Ok, thene pick me up, I¡¯ll stay at the base for a few days, it¡¯s been too long.¡±

    She had two weeks of vacation anyway, that was ample time for her to wait in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯lle now.¡± As Yin Shixiong was speaking, he already dressed and had his car keys ready to go pick up Gu Nianzhi. He also texted Huo Shaoheng at the same time, ¡°Nianzhi is on a break, she¡¯s staying at the base for a few days.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had just walked out of the capital¡¯s airport. He had no expression as he read the text and locked the phone before getting in the car the military had to pick him up. It headed towards the Ministry of National Defense.

    ...

    That night, far away in the Imperial Capital, He Zhichu nced at the recap of the Empire¡¯s daily news before bed out of habit. He happened to see the kidnapping incident in C City¡¯s Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi, and also a video of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exquisite and tiny face scowl as she sternly educated a self-media reporter inw. The corners of his lips curved and he took out his phone to text her, ¡°Well done.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held her phone as she waited downstairs of her dorm for Yin Shixiong to get her. She heard the phone ring and looked down to see a text from He Zhichu.

    She was perplexed by the praise in English, and sent back a ¡°?¡±.

    He Zhichu replied, ¡°I saw you educate the self-media.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. News traveled all too fast in the inte age.

    She sent back a reply, ¡°Thank you for the praise, Professor He. Goodnight.¡±

 Chapter 85 - Do You Have a Girlfriend?

    <h4>Chapter 85: Do You Have a Girlfriend?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu blinked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply, his slender fingers idly tapping the screen of his phone. He turned his phone off and went to sleep.

    ...

    ¡°ss Rep, the school said we can have the next two weeks off. Want me to send you home?¡± Strongman bent over Mei Xiawen¡¯s bed and shook him.

    Mei Xiawen had not been held hostage during the graduation trip, but it had been a terrifying and exhausting ordeal all the same. It had been too much for his body to take, and he had be feverish as soon as he was back on campus.

    He had escorted Gu Nianzhi back to her dormitory, pretending he was perfectly fine the entire way, only to copse the moment he was back in his own dorm room.

    Strongman hurriedly poured him a ss of warm water. He also gave him some medicine for his fever.

    Mei Xiawen was not the type to take any kind of medication without consulting a doctor first; he politely thanked Strongman, and went to sleep after drinking the ss of warm water.

    He had only slept for a brief moment when Strongman woke him to say that school was temporarily out for them.

    Mei Xiawen was burning up; he could not drive himself home in his condition. He was forced to get up, call his family, and request that they pick him up.

    He had just ended the call when he thought of Gu Nianzhi. He hastily texted her: ¡°Nianzhi, now that school¡¯s out, where do you want to go? Wait in front of your dormitory, I¡¯ll get a car to take you wherever you want to go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard her phone ring; she looked down, and saw that it was a message from Mei Xiawen.

    Her lips curved upwards. She smiled as she texted back: ¡°That¡¯s okay, thanks. My family will being over to pick me up and take me out of the city. They¡¯ll be here any minute now.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was d to see her reply. He had a fever, and wasn¡¯t looking his best; he did not want Gu Nianzhi to see him like this.

    He did not want to appear before Gu Nianzhi looking all sick and disheveled, so he merely replied with: ¡°Take care. Message me when you get home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s response to this was simply: *^_^*

    A momentter, she received another message on her phone.

    This time, it was from Yin Shixiong; he had arrived at her dormitory.

    He did not honk because it waste at night.

    Gu Nianzhi got in the car. Once inside, she turned to look at Yin Shixiong; she stared at him for a long moment, as though sizing him up. Her fixed stare made Yin Shixiong uneasy, but he did not show it. He kept a poker face as he started the car, turned the steering wheel, and reversed the car. He asked, nonchntly, ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden school holiday?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally looked away. She pursed her lips, leaned back into her seat, and said, sullenly, ¡°The reporters keep oning. The college administrators can¡¯t deal with them, so they let us go home instead.¡±

    As soon as she said the words ¡°go home,¡± a lonely look stole across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. She could not help it.

    She leaned her head against the window and stared at the pouring rain outside, deep in thought. She considered getting Chen Lie to try hypnotizing her again; maybe this time, she would be able to regain her memories from before she was 12, before the car ident...

    Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong were chatterboxes by nature, but neither of them spoke. Yin Shixiong found himself unnerved by the silence in the car.

    He gave an awkward cough as he steered the car onto the highway. He turned on the anti-tracking device in the car and looked carefully about him. When he was sure that they were not being followed, he merged into the high-speedne that would take them to the military base.

    Yin Shixiong decided to start a conversation. ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want to do after you graduate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, her head still against the car window, said softly and shyly, ¡°I want to intern at aw firm, for half a year.¡±

    She was graduating in July, but would only be starting her postgraduate program at B University Law School next spring. If she did not look for a job, she would have nothing to do for six months.

    Since she would only be avable for six months, formal employment was out of the question. She could only hope for a part-time job, or an internship. Nothing was guaranteed, however.

    He Zhichu had previously told her that he wanted her to help him out with a few cases after graduation. He had not contacted her about it since, however, so she was forced to assume that he had only offered out of courtesy.

    Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°Let me know when you find something. I¡¯ll check and make sure everything¡¯s legit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯ll be 18 in October. I¡¯ll be a proper adult then. You can stop scrutinizing everything thates my way, I can take care of myself now.¡±

    ¡°You can be turning 80 for all I care ¨C as long as I have orders from Mr. Huo to take care of you, I¡¯m going to run through everything with a fine-toothb!¡± said Yin Shixiong with augh.

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by the thought. She covered her mouth as she giggled, and said, ¡°How old will you be when I¡¯m 80, Brother Xiong?¡±

    Yin Shixiong deliberately put on an exaggerated angry face. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s low! I know I¡¯m old, you don¡¯t have to remind me!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Brother Xiong, I thought only women are allowed to get mad when someone asks about their age.¡± When Gu Nianzhi smiled, her eyes sparkled with radiant light.

    Yin Shixiong nced at her, and smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re all grown up now.¡±

    She had grown into a beautiful woman. It was hard to reconcile her appearance now with what she had looked like when she was 12 years old.

    Who would have thought that the chubby little girl with a face as round as a dinner te would look so different now that she was slim and all grown up.

    Gu Nianzhi was so beautiful she could have walked straight out of aic book. Herrge, gentle eyes were as docile and guileless as those of a small woond creature, yet irresistibly charming and haunting at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled down the sun visor above her and checked her reflection in the mirror. She shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not 18 yet.¡± Having said that, she nced over at Yin Shixiong and asked, tentatively: ¡°Brother Xiong, I have a question, but it¡¯s kind of personal. You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Ask away. I¡¯m listening.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lips curved upwards. Sheughed as she asked, ¡°Do you have a girlfriend, Brother Xiong?¡±

    Yin Shixiong gave an inward start and mentally cursed. This was one of thest things he wanted to think about.

    He wanted badly to have a girlfriend, but as the saying went: if wishes were horses, beggars would ride...

    Yin Shixiong gave a wryugh. ¡°Nianzhi, why are you asking about this, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°You and Brother Ze are always with Uncle Huo, every single day. If you have a girlfriend, won¡¯t shein that you¡¯re not spending enough time with her?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    Yin Shixiong gave a loud shout as he thumped the steering wheel. ¡°That¡¯s a great observation, Nianzhi! I¡¯m so busy working, my life practically revolves around Mr. Huo right now. How am I supposed to get a girlfriend? I don¡¯t have the time or the opportunity to get one!¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for this; she had finally turned the topic towards Huo Shaoheng. She suppressed the giddy feeling inside her as her cherry lips curved into a smile. She asked, smiling gleefully, ¡°You¡¯re right, you won¡¯t have the time if you have to apany Uncle Huo wherever he goes. What about Uncle Huo, then? Does he have a girlfriend? You¡¯re always with him, so you should know everything about him, right?¡±

    Yin Shixiong sighed as he shook his head. ¡°Mr. Huo? He¡¯s a total workaholic! We keep praying he¡¯ll get a girlfriend soon, because then we¡¯d actually get some time off to rx. Oh man, I¡¯m tearing up just thinking about how busy we are...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying Uncle Huo still doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend? He really should, he¡¯s not getting any younger.¡± Gu Nianzhi propped an elbow against the window, and cupped a rosy cheek in her delicate, milky-white hand. The smile on her face widened.

    Yin Shixiong suddenly chuckled. ¡°You should tell Mr. Huo that. No point telling me about it.¡± He nced sideways at Gu Nianzhi in a cheeky, suggestive manner.

    Gu Nianzhi had to concentrate very hard to stop herself from blushing in front of Yin Shixiong.

    She nodded, pretending not to care. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be sure to talk to Uncle Huo about it in person, when I see him. He should get a girlfriend, so his personal secretaries will finally have the time to get their own girlfriends, too.¡±

 Chapter 86 - Brimming With Memories

    <h4>Chapter 86: Brimming With Memories</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Great, great! Nianzhi, I¡¯ll wait for you to urge Mr. Huo to find a girlfriend! Did you know, he actually already...¡± Yin Shixiong was bbering and almost blurt out Mr. Huo had already ¡°popped his cherry.¡± But considering that Gu Nianzhi was still a minor, he swallowed it back down. He had a creeping intuition that if he told this to Gu Nianzhi, Mr. Huo would murder him for sure!

    Gu Nianzhi keenlytched on the slip up and leaned towards Yin Shiziong. Her giant, inky eyes were focussed intently on him and brimming with curiosity, while mischief shed across hthem. She used her most sharine voice to ask, ¡°Brother Xiong, Uncle Huo already what? You didn¡¯t finish...¡±

    Yin Shixiong mmed on the brakes then floored the elerator¨Calthough Gu Nianzhi had a seatbelt on, she was thrown against the car door.

    ¡°Are you ok, Nianzhi? That car just merged without signalling and scared me to death...¡± Yin Shixiong quickly exined, he wanted to gloss over the the topic and hoped Gu Nianzhi would forget it after a little scare.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was not so easily dismissed. Tilting her head to watch him, she pointed to the disy next to his steering wheel, ¡°Brother Xiong, you have automatic sensors, how can another car merge without you knowing?¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°...¡±

    He squinted at her from the side and reached out to ruffle her hair jokingly, ¡°Youngdy, don¡¯t be so shrewd! You should be soft, silly, naive¨Cthat¡¯s what men like!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nearly rolled her eyes 360 degrees mentally and huffed, ¡°Well does Brother Big Xiong want to find someone who is soft, silly, naive for a girlfriend in the future?¡±

    Yin Shixiong silently envisioned his future girlfriend. A soft, silly, naive girlfriend? He could throw up from just thinking about it...Yin Shixiong grinned and resumed his focus on driving.

    Gu Nianzhi cleared her throat, ¡°Brother Big Xiong, why aren¡¯t you talking?¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked left and right before exiting the highway ramp, then pointed to the surroundings, ¡°Remember this ce? You¡¯ve haven¡¯t been back for two years.¡±

    Ever since she started university two years ago, she had left the base and began living with Huo Shaoheng in the penthouse in Fengya Precinct. Now that she was reminded of the apartment, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°Right, Brother Xiong, I want to transfer the title of the apartment back to Uncle Huo, can you help me with the paperwork?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was stunned, ¡°You don¡¯t want a free house? Are you crazy?!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s Uncle Huo¡¯s, not mine. I¡¯ve graduated and can find a job to pay rent.¡± Gu Nianzhi mustered up her courage to let it out and snuck a nce at Yin Shixiong, then quickly averted her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, just take it.¡± Yin Shixiong stopped in front of the entrance of the base and took out his identification. The guard examined it and let them through. Yin Shixiong drove towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters and continued to persuade Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Also, with Mr. Huo¡¯s fortune, an apartment is no big deal, don¡¯t be shy.¡±

    ¡°However rich Uncle Huo is, that¡¯s his business, it¡¯s nothing to do with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked down to stare at the backpack resting on her knees, then wrung the ears of the little bunny she hung on it.

    Yin Shixiong knew he couldn¡¯t convince her otherwise, so he had no choice but to tell her, ¡°But for you to transfer it to Mr. Huo¡¯s name, you need his signature. You¡¯ll have to persuade him.¡±

    ¡°...What?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew, ¡°But he didn¡¯t get me to sign when he transferred the title to me!¡± Her expression grew ardent, ¡°Was the paperwork notplete? That means the apartment isn¡¯t mine yet? Haha, then I don¡¯t have to transfer it back and forth.¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked her with pity, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re different from Mr. Huo. He can transfer the title to your name without your signature, but you can¡¯t transfer it to him without his signature. ¨CGet it?¡±

    It finally clicked in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind and she was dumbfounded. Yin Shixiong parked the car in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters and came around to open the door for Gu Nianzhi, ¡°We¡¯re here, you go in yourself.¡±

    Huo Shoaheng¡¯s quarters in the C City Special Operations base had a very strict security clearance. Gu Nianzhi was permitted by security before, but she hadn¡¯t returned in two years and was unsure whether or not she could still go in. She walked up to the metal gates before the building with trepidation and pressed her palm on the round disy in the center of the metal door.

    The disy chimed as it initiated and began processing the data. After a moment, the speakers in the disy sounded with a gentle and standard female voice, ¡°Wee Home.¡± The doors opened towards both sides; everything was automatic. Gu Nianzhi beamed as she carried her backpack and luggage inside. Yin Shixiong drove away only after the doors closed behind her. Returning to the building she had lived in from the age of 12 to 16, she actually felt like she was returning home. Her memories indeed began from when she was 12, starting from the burning car. Walking into her bedroom on the third floor, Gu Nianzhi set down her suitcase and backpack, then sat down on the bed in a daze. This room was brimming with memories. When she was 12, the then 22 year old Huo Shaoheng became her guardian and took her to the Special Ops base. In the beginning, she frequently screamed awake in the darkness and couldn¡¯t fall back asleep because she was too traumatized. Huo Shaoheng moved her little bed to his room and always lit a warm yellowmp by the headboard. Chen Lieter told her, Huo Shaoheng was a light sleeper and couldn¡¯t stand sleeping with any lights on. But for her, he had totally adapted. As soon as she woke up screaming from a nightmare, he would immediately be at her bedside to stay with her. Everytime she opened her eyes, she would see his silent face and inky eyes full of concern¨Conly then did she feel safe and could fall asleep peacefully. Until a yearter, when her night terrors improved, her little bed was moved back to her own room on the opposite side of the hallway from his. He knew she was timid and scared of the dark, so as as long as she could sleep, he would keep his door open and have a light on. She could see the warm yellow glow from the room across her¡¯s and felt warm and safe enough to have a good night¡¯s sleep.

    Gu Nianzhi walked to her closet and half knelt to open the bottom drawer. Although she hadn¡¯t lived here in two years, it was still full of the pads she liked... Her period first came when she was 14. Huo Shaoheng had Yin Shixiong buy all kinds of pads to put in her room, then only bought whatever brand was used up the quickest. Later that imported brand wasn¡¯t avable in the Empire anymore, so Huo Shaoheng had someone purchase it abroad and ship a year¡¯s supply everytime. The brand she liked was still in the bottom drawer of her closet. Gu Nianzhi reached out to glide her hand across the pads, then sighed deeply and closed the drawer. Sleepiness quickly came to her because she had returned to a familiar ce. She yawned and went to sleep on her little bed. Gu Nianzhi slept peacefully until noon the next day and didn¡¯t want to get out of bed. Fumbling to the nightstand, she grabbed her phone and subconsciously dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

 Chapter 87 - Dont Hang Up

    <h4>Chapter 87: Don¡¯t Hang Up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When Gu Nianzhi dialed the number, it was already noon.

    Huo Shaoheng had just returned to his room from his meeting with the Senate, and was now eating lunch and reading the National Defense bulletin at the same time. He would be meeting with the top brass of the Ministry of Defense in the afternoon, and he was preparing for it.

    He heard his phone ring, and saw with a quick nce that it was an iing call from the internal telephone line installed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, over at the Special Operations Forces military base.

    Yesterday, Yin Shixiong had told him about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sudden holiday, and how she would be spending a few days at the military base.

    This iing call likely meant that she had already checked in.

    No one else would call him on this number.

    Huo Shaoheng thought of what had happened at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vist night. He unlocked the phone with his long, powerful fingers.

    Before he could say a single word, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice sounded over the phone, happy and surprised: ¡°Uncle Huo?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered the bulletin in his hand. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re at the base?¡±

    ¡°Yup, Brother Xiong picked me upst night.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was usually bright and yful, but it was now soft and husky because she had just woken up. Listening to her was like having a cat extend a small, fleshy paw and yfully bat at your ears. It was lovely, charming, and utterly intoxicating for the average person.

    Huo Shaoheng was unmoved, however. He merely grunted in reply, before saying in a low voice, ¡°Still in bed?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Just woke up.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain was sluggish; she wasn¡¯tpletely awake yet. She held onto her phone and blinked as she took in her surroundings: this wasn¡¯t her college dorm, or her apartment in Fengya Precinct. It suddenly dawned upon her that she was in her bedroom, inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military residence, and the realization stunned her.

    She had automatically dialed the number, without thinking. Whoops.

    Gu Nianzhi inwardly chided herself, but she was reluctant to hang up the phone.

    It wasn¡¯t every day that Uncle Huo took her call. It would be stupid of her to hang up on him now.

    Gu Nianzhi turned over on her bed, a sweet smile on her face. She had both hands cupped around her phone now ¨C she did not want to miss a single syble from the other end of the line.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the husky weariness in her voice; he lifted his wrist to check the time on his watch. ¡°Go back to sleep then. I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t hang up!¡± Gu Nianzhi was frantic. She tossed in her bed in her panic, her fingers clenched tight around her phone, and fell off the narrow bed with a ka-thunk.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Huo, I¡¯m fine! I fell off the bed, that¡¯s all...¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t hang up on me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice had gotten even deeper. ¡°Okay. Calm down. I¡¯m not hanging up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed out a long sigh of relief. She held onto the phone as she made herselffortable on the small sheepskin rug in front of her bed. She leaned against her bed and sat with her long legs stretched out.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were still echoing in her ears. They had been just a few simple words, but she found herself deeply affected by them.

    Gu Nianzhi clung to the phone; her brain was fuzzy and the inside of her nose stung. She wanted to cry, wanted to act like a spoiled child ¨C but Huo Shaoheng was not the kind of man to be persuaded by a few coy words...

    Gu Nianzhi knew this very well. She had been by his side for thest six years, after all.

    She rubbed her nose gently.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for a long time, but did not hear her say anything. He began to wonder if she had fallen asleep. He called softly, ¡°...Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Gu Nianzhi reflexively shouted in reply, as though she were one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s soldiers.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth briefly curved upwards at this, but his voice was still low and indifferent when he said, ¡°Still half-asleep? Go back to bed if you¡¯re sleepy.¡±

    ¡°Nope! Not sleepy!¡± Gu Nianzhi was quick to deny it, but her mind was groggy, and seemed to have been filled with a thick sludge. She had thought of many things to say to Huo Shaoheng, but now she found herself unable to recall a single word of it.

    She pinched herself on the thigh, hard. The sudden sting cleared her head.

    Gu Nianzhi calmed her breathing. She twisted the long telephone cord around her fingers as she said, ¡°Uncle Huo, I saw you at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi yesterday.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a moment, then decided to take his silence as an admission from Huo Shaoheng. She plucked up her courage and continued: ¡°Did you see me yesterday? Why didn¡¯t you stop the car?¡±

    ¡°...Is there anything else? If there¡¯s nothing else I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± It was apparent that Huo Shaoheng had no intention of giving her a straight answer. His voice had grown even more dispassionate.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart gave a lurch at this. She was forced to change the subject: ¡°Wait, there¡¯s something else. Uncle Huo, I wanted to tell you, Brother Li got injured, and all because he was protecting me. I want to visit him.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll get Chen Lie to arrange it for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not object.

    Gu Nianzhi was encouraged by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s easy-going reply. She immediately followed this up with: ¡°Oh, and Uncle Huo, that apartment in Fengya Precinct ¨C I¡¯d like to give it back to you.¡±

    This was the first time Gu Nianzhi had been able to speak to Huo Shaoheng over the phone, since the day he removed all his belongings from the Fengya Precinct apartment.

    She had been waiting for the chance to tell him this.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...Is the apartment too small for you? Okay. I¡¯ll get you a bigger one.¡±

    ¡°No no no! No! There¡¯s nothing wrong with the size of the apartment!¡± Gu Nianzhi could feel three thick lines hanging from her forehead, manga-style. She was going to flip out any moment now.

    ¡°If you¡¯re happy with the size of the apartment, then what¡¯s the problem?¡± Huo Shaoheng felt the urge to smoke again. He reached for the cigarette pack on the table with one hand, tapped out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. He lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply.

    ¡°...Because this is your house, Uncle Huo, not mine. I can¡¯t just take it.¡± Gu Nianzhi said withplete seriousness.

    Huo Shaoheng was only her guardian because the military had appointed him to the role. Gu Nianzhi was well aware of this. She did not want to leech on him when he had no actual obligations towards her.

    ¡°You have a point. You¡¯ll be 18 in October, and you won¡¯t be needing a guardian anymore.¡± Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes as he flicked the ash off his cigarette. ¡°Seems like you can¡¯t wait to cut off all ties with me. Okay then. Have it your way.¡±

    Whaaaat?!

    Gu Nianzhi almost had a heart attack right then and there. This wasn¡¯t what she had in mind!

    The list of reasons she hade up with promptly sprouted wings and flew right out of her brain.

    Gu Nianzhi began to cry. She couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°No... That¡¯s not... Uncle Huo, I¡¯m not trying to cut off all ties with you... No, I¡¯m really not...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard Gu Nianzhi sobbing over the phone. He did not speak.

    He waited for her to finish crying before stubbing his cigarette out on the ashtray and asking, dispassionately, ¡°So do you still want the apartment?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! I want it!¡± Gu Nianzhi frantically nodded, her voice breaking as she choked back her tears.

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up the National Defense bulletin. ¡°Now go wash your face. Wipe your tears.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not hanging up.¡± She carelessly rubbed her face with the back of her hand.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Go wash up. I¡¯ll wait.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned on the hands-free mode on his phone. He opened the National Defense bulletin, leaned back on the sofa, and began reading from the first page.

 Chapter 88 - The Foxs Tail

    <h4>Chapter 88: The Fox¡¯s Tail</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°...Will you really wait for me?¡± Gu Nianzhi suppressed her sobs and pressed her ear to the phone.

    ¡°Mhmm.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be quick! Wait a minute!¡± Gu Nianzhi put down the phone and shot into the bathroom like a firecracker to turn on hot water and scrub her face quickly. She then took another towel and rushed out while wiping her face.

    ¡°Uncle Huo! Are you still there?¡± Gu Nianzhi frantically picked up the phone.

    ¡°Here.¡± Huo Shaoheng flipped another page of the National Defense bulletin, ¡°Speak.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was frazzled when he continued the call and too shy to ask her anything overly personal. She pondered for a long time before uttering, ¡°Uncle Huo, when will youe back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t seen him for a long time and found that she really did seem to miss him. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t take his eyes from the National Defense bulletin and casually said, ¡°Once I finish business.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gaped, unable to ask any further. He already said it was business and that wasn¡¯t something he could easily disclose to anyone due to ssification. Gu Nianzhi was a little dejected. She flopped over on the ground andid on the fluffy white sheepskin rug to stare at the beige ceiling above her head. She asked scrupulously, ¡°Well, can youe back in two weeks?¡±

    Her vacation was only two weeks. It¡¯d be great if Uncle Huo coulde back by then. Huo Shaoheng casually leaned on the sofa and his strapping body was so huge that the spacious single-seater became cramped.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to see.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused, then steadily flipped another page of the bulletin.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore and drew out her ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Her disappointment was obvious.

    ¡°What? You want me toe back?¡± Huo Shaoheng kept his head down and flipped through the pages of the bulletin to quickly browse through all types of important international exchange events taking ce in the Empire recently.

    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t seen you in so long.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted and grabbed a little panda plush from the bed to hug tightly.

    ¡°Why do you want me back? You want morning training again?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked withposure.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    What? Get the out of here, morning training!

    ¡°Mhmm, since you¡¯re back on the base¨Cin the morning, do 10 kilometers of cross-country racing, 50 chin-ups, 100 abdominal curls, 100 shots of target practice, 50 reps of weight lifting. Remember to do this everyday.¡± Huo Shaoheng arranged a morning training regime for her without mercy.

    Gu Nianzhi shot up and said with total seriousness, ¡°Uncle Huo, the air quality hasn¡¯t been greattely because of the heavy pollution, so I¡¯m not going to go cross-country racing. If I get sick from running it¡¯ll only be trouble for Brother Chen.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine too, there¡¯s a treadmill in my gym on the third floor. Remember to run in the gym everyday, the treadmill will record the steps and I¡¯ll check it when Ie back.¡± Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t easily deceived.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m hungry now, it¡¯s time for lunch. Uncle Huo, we¡¯ll talk when you get back.¡± She neatly hung up.

    Huo Shaoheng head the click from the other line and smiled faintly as he shut off his phone to prepare to go to a meeting. Just as he was about to leave, his phone strangely rang once. It was the sound of a text from the encrypted line. He froze.

    ...

    In the supeputer control room, Zhao Liangze looked at the set of data he scoured and gasped in shock. He picked up the phone to immediately call Huo Shaoheng, but the line appeared to be in use the entire time... Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help but ess themunications intr to have a look. He discovered the number Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cellphone had been calling was his own extension. And the only person in Chief Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters was Gu Nianzhi, who had arrivedst night... Since it was a call with the Great Miss Gu, Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t dare interrupt it. But the information he found was too grave and must be reported at once. Zhao Liangze considered his options and chose to text on the encrypted line.

    ¡°There¡¯s been an important finding with the past year¡¯s customs shipping container records for C City.¡±

    ¡°There are more smuggled military munitions than predicted...¡±

    ¡°What the criminals possessed at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi was just the tip of the iceberg.¡±

    ¡°Investigation of the route of smuggling has revealed a link with the Secret Service. Uncertain if it was inside job or set up.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng unlocked his phone and found encrypted texts from Zhao Liangze. He read each one and his face remained passive as he called him.

    ¡°Little Ze, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo?¡± Zhao Liangze hurriedly connected the call with his headset as he continued to download data to hisputer, ¡°I¡¯ve found the information you requested, the foreign army munitions that the kidnappers possessed at the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi wasn¡¯t a coincidence at all. I found that there is a group that participated in thisrge scale smuggling of army munitions and when I dug deeper I found that the Special Forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is involved.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a surprise that the Secret Service is involved, but what¡¯s the connections with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced the National Defence bulletin in his hand and his gaze stopped at a major international conference on the third page.

    This major international conference was about to be held in C City shortly ¡ªThe International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference. It was founded by the United Nations women¡¯s and children¡¯s rights group to honor women who had achieved great sess in various fields around the world, and was equivalent to a Nobel Prize especially for women.

    At that time, renowned female politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, phnthropists, and celebrities would be invited from around the world to C City for the conference and award ceremony¨Cthis was one of the most important international exchange events of the year for the Empire.

    Zhao Liangze replied, ¡°The International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference is soon to be held soon in City, and is being organized in title by the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the United Nations. The smuggled military munitions we dug up has close ties with this international conference.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers tapped on the bulletin¨Cit was as he just thought, his intuition had always always urate. The Secret Service was responsible for the security detail on suchrge scale international events, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in charge of organizing.

    ¡°Tell me, which people from the Secret Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are involved, I want exact names and evidence.¡± Huo Shaoheng pressed the recording button. Zhao Liangze read out a list of names. The highest ranking in those involved were the Deputy Director of the Secret Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ Deputy Representative to the United Nations. The names were all familiar to Huo Shaheng and a few even had close ties with himself. But in face of enoraching on the interests of the nation, he wouldn¡¯t spare mercy on even his own parents.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Huo Shaoheng pressed on the button to stop recording andmanded Zhao Liangze, ¡°Immediately eliminate the warehouses storing the smuggled military munitions in C City and seize all smuggled military munitions. Arrest all involved, no matter what involvement, no leniency will be given and have the Special Operations Forces carry out the operation.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Zhao Liangze was in an awkward position, ¡°Arresting the gangsters concealing military munitions won¡¯t be difficult, but the ones who paved the way are internal members of the government, and if this was a set up, arresting them would mean...¡±

    ¡°Not your concern. After arresting them, the ¡®higher ups¡¯ setting this up will naturallye find me.¡± Huo Shaoheng stated coldly, ¡°To set up something like this with no conscience, I¡¯ll have to see how many lives they have to spare!¡±

 Chapter 89 - Raid

    <h4>Chapter 89: Raid</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had deliberately hung up on Huo Shaoheng. It was wonderfully cathartic.

    She stood up, stretched, and began walking back and forth in her bedroom. When she was done stretching her muscles, she ducked into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gym.

    The gym was equipped with aprehensive range of exercise machines.

    Gu Nianzhi absolutely loathed the treadmill; she thought of it as her archenemy. She had not expected to have to face this ¡°nightmare¡± again, not after having moved out of the military base two years ago.

    She stared at the innocent treadmill; her eyes were grim as she slowly walked over to it. A small Swiss army knife gleamed in her hand.

    Five minutester, Gu Nianzhi walked out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gym with a triumphant smile on her face.

    She had secretly cut up the data lines for the treadmill...¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q.

    Gu Nianzhi cheerfully walked into the bathroom to take her shower.

    She stood in the shower, and felt the muscles in her arms. Her heart was still beating fast from what she had done to the treadmill.

    Her arms had turned all bulky and sinewy thest time she trained. She found the muscles unsightly; she was never going to put herself through that hellish training program again.

    Gu Nianzhi enjoyed her unexpected two-week holiday at the military base.

    One of the first things she did was to visit Brother Li at the hospital, apanied by Chen Lie.

    Little Li had not expected her to visit him. He was very surprised and touched by her gesture.

    He had put his life on the line for many people over the years, but Gu Nianzhi was the only one thoughtful and caring enough to check on him afterwards.

    It had been his duty and responsibility to protect them, of course. Even so, it was hard not to take it personally when no one came around to see how he was doing. It was not a happy feeling to be treated like a disposable tool, to be discarded when he was no longer useful.

    Little Li was therefore very d to see Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi spent the entire day in his ward. She helped him get his food, picked some of the better movies for him to watch, and made sure the nurse changed his dressings. She even helped him post a few letters.

    Gu Nianzhi was perplexed by the letters.

    ¡°Brother Li, why don¡¯t you just email or text your family?¡±

    Little Li was sitting up on his hospital bed, watching a movie on his iPad. He said to her, his eyes still glued to the screen, ¡°We¡¯re not allowed to have ounts on any kind of social media. We can¡¯t use any of the apps, either. Same goes for email.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She stared at him, her eyes wide and dubious.

    ¡°Some of my colleagues are on social media, but only because their work requires it. Everything they do is fully monitored, of course.¡± Little Li gave a wry smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Mister Huo I told you. He¡¯ll y me alive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was always happy to hear about Huo Shaoheng from someone else. She sat beside Little Li¡¯s bed and asked eagerly, ¡°But you¡¯re okay with your job?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had grown up with the inte; she could not imagine a life without the inte and social media.

    Little Li¡¯s in-looking face was suddenly radiant. He nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I love my job. I don¡¯t care if I have to remain behind the scenes for the rest of my life, or if no one knows what I¡¯ve aplished. I have no regrets.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Little Li, fascinated, but her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking of Huo Shaoheng and how majestic he had looked in the army¡¯s Special Taskforce uniform.

    ...

    Feng Yichen was sitting on the sofa in her house, a bottle of beer in her hand. Her eyes, blurry from all the alcohol, were fixed upon the TV: she was watching an interview on the Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi kidnapping. She took a swig from the beer bottle every once in a while.

    ¡°Hahahaha... that little b*tch sure is lucky. She actually got out of it unharmed!¡± Feng Yichen flung the beer bottle onto the floor and began tough hysterically.

    The beer inside the bottle sloshed all over the living room. It made a huge mess, but she wasn¡¯t in the mood to care.

    Brother Bin opened the door and walked in. He smiled as he said to her, ¡°Why are you drinking all by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m happy...¡± Feng Yichen got up and threw herself into Brother Bin¡¯s arms,pletely drunk. ¡°So happy, hahahaha...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy, too.¡± Unlike Feng Yichen, Brother Bin was actually happy. ¡°You¡¯re so clever. You sent those Big Circle Boys to their deaths with such an easy ploy.¡±

    Feng Yichen giggled and gave a drunken burp. ¡°Eh, what¡¯s that got to do with me? You give me too much credit, Brother Bin. They were just unlucky, I had nothing to do with it.¡±

    ¡°Heh heh, thought I didn¡¯t know, did you? I know you secretly called up the students¡¯ families, had them pressure the police to act quickly. That was why the Big Circle Boys got busted so easily ¨C it was all because of you!¡± Brother Bin gave her a knowing pat on the back.

    Feng Yichen could not help the chill that was now travelling down her spine.

    She had not expected Brother Bin to be watching her every move. He had even known that she had secretly called the Mei family, the Wang family, and the Cao family...

    Feng Yichen decided it was too risky to continue ying dumb. She suppressed the feelings of disgust inside her and said gently, ¡°I did it for you, Brother Bin. I knew I had to get rid of them when you told me you didn¡¯t like them.¡±

    ¡°Your devotion and loyalty will be rewarded ¨C I won¡¯t let you down, not for as long as I live!¡± Brother Bin was beside himself with joy. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

    Deep down, Feng Yichen was crying out in frustration and resentment.

    Like hell I¡¯m going to spend my whole life with you!

    But she was powerless against him.

    The two of them stumbled into the bedroom, kissing and undressing along the way.

    Brother Bin¡¯s phone suddenly rang.

    He was annoyed. He did not want to take the call, but got out his phone anyway. He saw that the call was from one of his closest confidants; he answered the phone with a quick swipe. ¡°This better be important!¡±

    ¡°Brother Bin! The cops found our warehouse! They took everything away!¡±

    ¡°What?! Stay there, I¡¯m going over right this moment!¡± Brother Bin¡¯s blood pressure had spiked upon hearing this. He shoved Feng Yichen away and dashed out.

    ¡°Brother Bin, don¡¯te! The cops are already out to arrest you...¡±

    Unfortunately for Brother Bin, he did not hear thisst sentence.

    He had just arrived at the parking lot downstairs when several armed SWAT policemen walked over to him and produced an arrest warrant. ¡°Zhang Bin! You are suspected of smuggling and concealing military munitions. We are officially arresting you now.¡±

    Brother Bin knew that this was the end of the road for him. He yelled, hysterically, ¡°Want a piece of me? Bring it!¡±

    He reached for the gun around his waist, but was promptly shot dead by the SWAT police. He had not even had the chance to remove the safety on his gun.

    ¡°Arrest his mistress, Feng Yichen.¡± A masked SWAT officer motioned towards the upper floors by inclining his head.

    Four or five policemen immediately secured the entrance to the elevators and stairwells in the building. Two policemen made their way upstairs to arrest Feng Yichen.

    Feng Yichen looked through the peephole and saw the policemen standing outside, armed with loaded guns. She was so frightened by the sight her teeth would not stop chattering.

    She fumbled with the doortch, her hands trembling, but could not get the door open.

    The SWAT policemen outside were getting impatient. They shouted, ¡°Open the door, now!¡± and smashed through the solid mahogany door with a mighty kick.

    Feng Yichen was instantly thrown to the ground.

    The SWAT policemen kept their guns pointed at her head as they cautiously stepped into the room.

    A policewoman handcuffed her and led her away. The remaining policemen searched the premises, and made several unexpected discoveries. They hastily sent what they had found to the Special Operations Forces military base.

    This operation had been masterminded by Zhao Liangze and carried out by the SWAT team from the Special Operations Forces.

    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Zhao, the raid has been carried out sessfully. All the military munitions have been confiscated. The main suspect, Brother Bin, was shot to death, while his mistress, Feng Yichen, has been detained. The Customs officers involved in this case have also been arrested and brought to justice.¡±

    The Special Operations Forces always hit fast and hard, like a bolt out of the blue.

    Within two days, every single suspect in C City who had even the slightest connection to the case had been arrested and brought to justice. This included several of the government officials working in Customs, as well. All this had been aplished while Huo Shaoheng was still busy with his meetings, over in the capital city.

    On this day, Huo Shaoheng had just walked into the conference room for the Ministry of National Defense when the Deputy Director of the Secret Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ Deputy Representative to the United Nations called out to him, their faces solemn and grim. ¡°Major General Huo, a raid was carried out in C City under your orders. Please exin yourself.¡±

    <h4> Vicky_</h4>

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 Chapter 90 - Everything is Under Control

    <h4>Chapter 90: Everything is Under Control</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Exin? Could you two kindly exin to me the reason why I owe you an exnation.¡± Huo Shaoheng said evenly as he took great strides with his long legs towards the conference room.

    The great conference room in the Ministry of National Defense had a very high level of security. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ Deputy Representative to the United Nations did not have ess, but the Deputy Director of the Secret Service did. So when the two men followed Huo Shaoheng towards the conference room, the Deputy Director of the Secret Service was able to enter, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ Deputy Representative to the United Nations was barred by the guards.

    ¡°Deputy Director Xu!¡± The Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ Deputy Representative to the United Nations cried in panic.

    Deputy Director Xu turned and coldly told the guards, ¡°This is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ Deputy Representative to the United Nations, let him in.¡±

    ¡°Our apologies, he doesn¡¯t have the security clearance. The electronic scanner at the door has refused him entry.¡± The guards in front of the Ministry of National Defense great conference room made no exceptions and didn¡¯t grant the Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Deputy Representative Kang ess.

    ¡°Are you disobeying me?!¡± Deputy Director Xu snarled, ¡°What¡¯s your name? Which department are you from?¡±

    ¡°Deputy Director Xu, looks like not only I¡¯m on your bad side, but even my soldiers too?¡± Huo Shaoheng had one hand behind his back as he swivelled his chair near the head of the conference table. His gaze was inscrutable and the other hand patted the armrest of the chair.

    Although Deputy Director Xu believed he did no wrong and that everything he did was for the benefit of the interests of the Empire¨CHuo Shaoheng¡¯s icy re made his back sweat a little.

    The Deputy Director of the Ministry of National Defence entered and sensed the hostility in the room. He smiled as he shook his head and came over to smooth things over. He said to Deputy Director Xu, ¡°Old Xu, how did you mess with our Major General Huo? Hehe, you¡¯ve really done it, Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been so angry since being promoted to Major General. Looks like even I can¡¯t help you this time. How about this, the conference room next door has a lower security clearance, so Deputy Representative Kang can go in too. We can speak in there.¡±

    Deputy Director Xu contained his rage and nodded, but also requested that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s immediate supervisor, General Ji of the Imperial Army to be present, along with Deputy Director Wu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Senate¡¯s Spreaker Long to join them for a meeting in the conference room next door. The six men closed the door of the small conference room and began to question Huo Shaoheng regarding the raid in C City that just had been carried out by the 6th Military Region¡¯s SWAT team¨Cwhich was also known as the Special Operations Forces.

    ¡°Speaker Long, General Ji, I must question Major General Huo about two things. First, the jurisdiction of the 6th Military REgion is clearly outside the Imperial broders, so how is an affair in C City any business of the 6th Military Region? What right does the Special Ops have to make arrests in C City? And our own people nheless! Surely C City is Imperial territory!¡±

    ¡°Secondly, this smuggling of military munitions were goldfishes we were keeping¨C a covert operation between our Secret Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.This was supposed to be a lure to root out enemy forces and eliminate thempletely. But Major General Huo¡¯s intervention has destroyed half a year¡¯s efforts, and the losses are beyond calction. I demand a reasonable exnation from Major General Huo. If it¡¯s not to our satisfaction, I request the Imperial Army punish Major General Huo for overstepping authority and give the Secret Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs justification!¡± Deputy Director Xu was furious. He went to exhausting lengths to n this operation, but all the efforts were reduced to nil by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s involvement.

    Speaker Long and General Ji shared a nce, then looked at Huo Shaoheng. General Ji was the minister of the of highest military institution headquarters of the Empire, and was also Huo Shaoheng¡¯s immediate supervisor. Now that someone came to him to use Huo Shaoheng of overstepping authority, although he disapproved, he couldn¡¯tpletely disregard it.

    ¡°Shaoheng, please exin.¡± General Ji folded his hands on the conference table in front of him, his gaze scanning over each face in the small conference room.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He could disregard other people¡¯s orders, but he must obey General Ji¡¯s.

    ¡°Yes, General Ji.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned and fixed his stare on Deputy Director Xu¡¯s face, ¡°I humbly ask Deputy Director Xu, the operation you organized, the goldfishes you were keeping, what was all that about?¡±

    Deputy Director Xu hadn¡¯t wanted to exin himself, but with the Speaker of the Senate and the suprememander of military watching him, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and signalled for Deputy Director Wu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exin. People from that ministry were more articte.

    Deputy Director Wu held his chin high and sneered at people through the whites of his eyes and nostrils. He drawled haughtily, ¡°The situation was, C City is about to host the The International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference. Amongst the invited international female representatives is an descendant of the Huxia Empire from Barbados named Gu Yanran. She has an immeasurable fortune and it alone is ounts for half the GDP for Barbados.¡±

    ¡°Please be concise, we don¡¯t have the time to listen to empty talk.¡± Huo Shoaheng looked down at his watch impatiently.

    Deputy Director Wu¡¯s pasty face grew flushed, he curled his hands into fists and stared at Huo Shaoheng with rage. But his frail build was not even half the size of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping physique, thus his aura waspletely dominated. He had no choice but to swallow his pride and hastily add, ¡°This female phnthropist of Imperial descent is using her attending an international conference in the Empire as an opportunity to work with us and eliminate all of the mercenaries trying to assassinate her. We help get rid of the mercenaries that won¡¯t let her off and she will transfer half her fortune to the Huxia Empire to help us develop our economy and charity work.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up, his eyes frighteningly dark. He leaned forward and said slowly, ¡°...You¡¯re telling me, that you smuggled military munitions to help a foreign woman eliminate mercenaries trying to assassinate her?¨CWhat kind of logic is that? Forgive my slowness, but I don¡¯t understand the reasoning.¡±

    ¡°What is there not to understand?¡± Deputy Director Xu grew impatient, ¡°We kept the mercenaries under strict surveince. They smuggled these military munitions and we paved the way to make them think all was well. As soon as they crossed our border and picked up the weapons, we would make the arrests.¡±

    Bam!

    Huo Shaoheng mmed the desk, ¡°Absurd!¡±

    Speaker Long and General Ji¡¯s expressions turned dark. The two elderly men red at Deputy Director Xu and Deputy Director Wu, barely able to contain their fury.

    Deputy Director Xu was shocked and stared at Huo Shaoheng has he said, ¡°Major General Huo, what are you upset about? Didn¡¯t I tell you, these mercenaries are under control and the military munitions was only a temporary expedient to gain their trust...¡±

    ¡°Temporary expedient?¡± Huo Shaoheng rose and stalked towards Deputy Director Xu, ¡°Did you know, that a portion of the military munitions you had under control already fell in the hands of criminals in C City. Our soldiers, policemen and innocent civilians have lost their lives because of this. Now you¡¯re telling everything is under control?¡±

    ¡°...Hmph, men making great achievements don¡¯t stress the details, minor losses are inevitable.¡± Deputy Director Wu waved his hand nonchntly, ¡°As long as the mercenaries get their hands on these military munitions...¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± Huo Shaoheng turned and circled Deputy Director Wu¡¯s throat with one hand. His eyes were hauntingly dark and cold enough to cause palpitations, ¡°How did you even think of such a depraved idea? How much do you hate our nation for you to lure these bloodthirsty mercenaries into our borders? Do you know their fighting force?! As soon as they get these military munitions, they can wage war in our nation!¡±

 Chapter 91 - Terms of Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 91: Terms of Exchange</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°General Huo, don¡¯t be an rmist.¡± Deputy Minister Xu of the Secret Service was displeased. ¡°I told you, we¡¯re watching them like a hawk. As soon as they enter the country and pick up the weapons, they¡¯re as good as dead. Yes, innocent lives may be lost in the process, but this is for the good of the country. Their sacrifice will not be in vain.¡±

    ¡°For the good of the country? Wow, I did not expect to hear that from you, Deputy Minister Xu.¡± Huo Shaoheng sneered as he let go of Deputy Minister Wu¡¯s frail neck. Deputy Minister Wu immediatelypsed into a coughing fit, but Huo Shaoheng pointedly ignored him. He wiped his hands disdainfully with a paper towel. ¡°Enlighten me, Deputy Minister Xu, if you please ¨C what do you consider to be in the interest of the country¡¯?¡±

    Deputy Minister Xu opened his mouth to remind Huo Shaoheng of the Chinesedy¡¯s immense wealth, as well as the blueprints in her possession. However, he saw the bone-chilling looks on both Chairman Long and General Ji, and stopped cold. The words died in his throat.

    He had seen nothing wrong with his ns; now, all of a sudden, his actions seemed unreasonably selfish.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out a chair and seated himself. He threw Deputy Minister Xu and Deputy Minister Wu a frigid sideways look. ¡°Let me get this straight: Deputy Minister Xu and Deputy Minister Wu, the both of you are perfectly willing to allow mercenaries into the country ¨C using the lives of your own countrymen as bait ¨C in order to help rid a foreign millionaire of her enemies. You im that this is in the best interests of the country. It seems to me, however, that the two of you are coordinating with outside forces to undermine the Empire, and may even be foreign spies sent to infiltrate our government. A situation like this calls for intervention from the Sixth Military Region, no?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Lies and nder!¡±

    Deputy Minister Xu and Deputy Minister Wu jumped to their feet at the same time, elbowing each other as they jostled to dere that they were innocent: they had not wronged the country or their fellow men in any way.

    ¡°No? Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng had received a list of the military munitions that had been smuggled in from Zhao Liangze; he now tossed the list onto the conference table. ¡°Here¡¯s a list of the smuggled weapons, have a look for yourselves. If these powerful guns ended up in the hands of the mercenaries, all hell would break loose in C City. What would happen to the citizens then?¡±

    ¡°...But we promised Miss Gu we¡¯d help eradicate the mercenaries.¡± Deputy Minister Wu ignored the list of weapons. ¡°We promised a friend, so we¡¯re going to pull it off, no matter what. We have to show the world that we deserve our reputation as a global leader ¨C we must be charitable and altruistic!¡±

    ¡°Charitable my ass!¡± Huo Shaoheng could not help swearing. ¡°What sh*tty ¡®friend¡¯ are you talking about, and how is their friendship more valuable than the lives of our own people?!¡±

    ¡°General Huo, please refrain from swearing. Miss Gu may be young and unknown within the Empire, but she has something our Empire desperately needs, and she has agreed to give it to us free of charge. However, she is currently in some trouble and wants our help ¨C we cannot stand idly by.¡± Deputy Minister Xu of the Secret Service looked at General Ji. ¡°We have to help her. I will send a copy of the exact terms of exchange to the military, as soon as possible, for your perusal and review.¡±

    General Ji brows were knitted together. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely set on doing this?¡±

    ¡°You seem to have forgotten, so here¡¯s a friendly reminder: these foreign mercenaries are formidable, highly-skilled army veterans. We don¡¯t even know if the soldiers in our regr army are able to deal with them, let alone men from your Secret Service. In other words, the Secret Service messed up. No one is under any obligation to wipe your ass for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped out a cigarette, lit it with his lighter, and inhaled. He toyed with the lighter in his hand, the anger on his face gradually subsiding.

    ¡°But we have to help her ¨C we have to, if we want the blueprints for the A4 miniaturized nuclear-powered engine!¡± Deputy Minister Xu finally blurted out the truth.

    ¡°She has the blueprints for the A4 miniaturized nuclear-powered engine?!¡± General Ji was visibly shaken. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Our experts have seen half of the blueprints. They¡¯re legitimate.¡± Deputy Minister Xu rxed once he saw that General Ji was on his side. He wiped the sweat on his forehead, and red at Huo Shaoheng resentfully. ¡°...But it¡¯s toote. The mercenaries have probably heard about the raid in C City. They may not take the bait now...¡±

    ¡°So it all boils down to this: she¡¯ll only give us the blueprints once the mercenaries have been eliminated.¡± Chairman Long lowered his head and scribbled a note on his tablet notebook. He looked up, and peered at Deputy Minister Xu over his reading sses. ¡°Are you able to guarantee this?¡±

    Deputy Minister Xu of the Secret Service thumped his chest. ¡°Deputy Minister Wu and I are both confident in this deal.¡±

    ¡°Give the order, and I¡¯ll take care of the mercenaries.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew that the Empire was desperate to obtain miniaturized nuclear-powered engines.

    He was never one to refuse a deal if his country would benefit from it, but he had to have full control over how the deal was carried out.

    ¡°Take care of them, you say? How? They probably won¡¯te to us now, no thanks to you.¡± Deputy Minister Wu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rolled his eyes and sneered. ¡°Toote for regrets. You underestimated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Secret Service ¨C I hope you understand now that there is a reason and method behind how we do things.¡±

    ¡°Method? You used the lives of your fellow countrymen as bait. Is that what you mean by method? How shameless can you get?¡± Huo Shaoheng did not even look at him; instead, he toyed with the lighter in his hand in a manner that conveyed his irritation and disdain.

    ¡°So what do you want us to do? You don¡¯t like our method, fine. Why don¡¯t you show us how it¡¯s done?¡± Deputy Minister Wu was sure he had dealt a fatal blow to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s argument. He could barely keep himself from rubbing more salt into the wound.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up, a cool, unperturbed smile on his face. His finger tapped on the table as he breathed out a lungful of pale white smoke. ¡°I told you. Give the official order, and hand over everything you have on the mercenaries. We don¡¯t have to wait for them toe. We¡¯ll eliminate them outside of the country. This will ensure the safety of our people.¡±

    ¡°Outside of the country? General Huo, there are rules to follow.¡± Deputy Minister Wu of Foreign Affairs was rmed by his suggestion. ¡°We are a global leader, we cannot behave irresponsibly. You disapprove of endangering the lives and property of our imperial citizens ¨C but think it would be okay to inflict harm on the lives and property of everyone else? I object to this!¡±

    ¡°Deputy Minister Wu, do you hear what you¡¯re saying? Are you working for the Huaxia Empire, or aren¡¯t you? You seem to be more concerned about the interests of foreign parties.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his lighter away, and stubbed out his cigarette before tossing it into the ashtray. His every move suggested that he was ending the conversation.

    Deputy Minister Wu was livid. He stepped in front of Huo Shaoheng and shook his fist angrily at him. ¡°General Huo! Are you saying that we should be selfish, and look away when those beyond our borders are in need? What is our foreign policy for, then? And our soldiers ¨C are you suggesting that they should only care about the lives and safety of their fellow men, and to hell with everyone else?!¡±

    ¡°I see. Deputy Minister Wu is of the opinion that our foreign policy should exist to serve the interests of other countries, and that our soldiers should ce the safety of those beyond our borders before that of our own countrymen. That¡¯s what you¡¯re saying, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Huo Shaoheng looked scornfully down his nose at the frail, sorry-looking man that was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. ¡°You¡¯re delusional. I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t lie awake at night, wondering if you¡¯re actually a spy. If you were one of my soldiers, I would have shot you myself long ago and saved everyone from your embarrassing behavior.¡±

    Deputy Minister Wu was beside himself with rage. He no longer cared to be civil. ¡°How can you be so petty?! The Huaxia Empire is a global leader, we...¡±

    General Ji interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. His tone was cold and contemptuous. ¡°Deputy Minister Wu. There is a treasonous saying, from a few hundred years ago: ¡°give whatever the Empire has to her enemies, if it will keep them happy.¡± I never imagined I would hear the same argument resurface in my lifetime. The army has a name for diplomats like you ¨C traitor.¡±

    General Ji was the top-ranking general of the Imperial Army. His words were a devastating blow to Deputy Minister Wu; they cut deeper than anything Huo Shaoheng had said so far.

    The color immediately drained from Deputy Minister Wu¡¯s red, indignant face. His legs threatened to give out on him. His stammered, his face ghostly white: ¡°I... I... That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

 Chapter 92 - This Is What We Do

    <h4>Chapter 92: This Is What We Do</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Deputy Director Xu¡¯s expression also grew grim, he never thought Deputy Director Wu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would say such things. It raised serious doubts of his loyalty to the nation. He sighed heavily as he red at Deputy Director Wu, then took out a document from his briefcase in resignation. He pushed it to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°This is intelligence on the mercenaries, it would certainly be ideal if you can eliminate them abroad. But it will be more challenging to do so...¡±

    ¡°This is not for you to worry. This is what we do.¡± Huo Shaoheng epted the document withposure, like it was nothing at all. ¡°Give me an electronic copy.¡±

    He never fully trusted what others gave him, so he would have his own soldiers verify all the intelligence rted to the mercenaries and create a battle n.

    Deputy Director Xu saw his confidence and thought that since he was promoted to the rank of Major General at a young age, this must be nothing new for him, ¡°I¡¯ll send you an encrypted file once I go back.¡± He paused, then reminded Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You only have less than a month¡¯s time, if you can¡¯t make it...¡±

    ¡°This is not your concern. From now on, this operation will be taken over by the 6th Military Region and you have no right to question us.¡± Huo Shaoheng rose and nced at Deputy Director Wu, ¡°In consideration of Deputy Director Wu¡¯s resentment for me, to prevent him from affecting our operation, I request Deputy Director Wu be sent off for convalescence. Once the operation ispleted, he will be allowed to return to his work. ¨CSpeaker Long, General Ji, your thoughts?¡± This meant he no longer trusted Deputy Director Wu.

    General Ji considered that this would be the 6th Military Region¡¯s first operation since its establishment, so he should provide more support and have more confidence in him. General Ji was also deeply disgusted by Deputy Director Wu¡¯s behavior. He nodded slightly, ¡°Someone take Deputy Director Wu to the Military Region Sanatorium for convalescence. Once the operation has concluded, take Major General Huo¡¯s written instruction to retrieve him.¡±

    Deputy Director Wu¡¯s face grew more pallid and he was shaking like a leaf as he looked at General Ji pleadingly. However General Ji didn¡¯t even look up, so he had no choice but to look at Speaker Long.

    Speaker Long also ignored him, but looked at Huo Shaoheng and nodded with approval, ¡°Major General Huo truly thought of everything¨Cit¡¯s settled. The paperwork will bepleted by the Senate¡¯s Foreign Affairs expert group.¡±

    The hammer had fallen.

    The Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported to the Senate, so the Senate¡¯s Foreign Affairs expert group had the full power to send the Deputy Director for ¡°convalescence.¡±

    ...

    It was past 8pm by the time the meeting at the Department of National Defense was finished. Huo Shaoheng was still full of vigour and not tired at all. But the older men in the meeting with him werepletely done and almost needed to be supported by the time they exited the conference room. Too much had happened in thest few days and personnel arrangements alone had everyone engaged in arguments daily. Huo Shaoheng greeted a few acquaintances and went back to his special vehicle to call Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Little Ze, bring all your men to the capital. We have a mission.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo! What about Big Xiong? Should hee too?¡± Zhao Liangze took the call and knew that this must be rted to the smuggled military munitions. He rubbed his palms in anticipation of a great battle.

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated for a moment, ¡°...Have him stay back, we can¡¯t cken with Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡± Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t question further and began notifying his team members to travel overnight to the capital.

    The next morning, the team began to investigate the background of the mercenaries on the list the Secret Service provided to them. Thanks to the inte age, they could dig up a lot if insider information without taking a step outside. Of course, a case like Oda Masao from Japan was extremely rare. Most people today loved putting everything about themselves online. From the moment they woke to until they fell asleep, statuses were shared constantly. These statuses have be the most primitive data for intelligence gathering. From these statuses, they could deduce many useful things. Also, it was possible to unearth a person¡¯s background and life experiences from online rtions. Even normalizens without hacking skills were able to dig up people, let alone an extremely adept hacker like Zhao Liangze... After investigating for two days and nights, all the data on the mercenaries was verified.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, the Secret Service gave us information on eight mercenaries. ording to them, three are former United Kingdom Special Forces Special Taskforce soldiers, three are previously enlisted in the Russian Alpha Group and two are ex-US Navy SEAL Special Operations soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, and the truth?¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately knew from Zhao Liangze¡¯s words that the intelligence from the Secret Service was erroneous.

    ¡°The truth is, the three Russian Alpha Group Special Operations soldiers are actually served the US Delta Force, but was ssified as Russian Alpha Group for some reason.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the data to read and spun a slim lighter in his hand before tapping it on the papers, ¡°It probably was because whoever collected the data didn¡¯t know the difference. These three men are former US Delta Force soldiers, but they had fully undergone Russian Alpha Group training. This was a part of an imaginary enemy drill by the US Army Special Forces. From weaponary, uniforms, tactics andbat skills, they appear identical to Russian Alpha Group Special Operations soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Is that the case?¡± Zhao Liangze had a sudden revtion, ¡°Just like how we drilled as Red Army and Blue Army?¡±

    ¡°Right, Red is our troops and Blue was the imaginary enemy during drills. This kind of imaginary enemy could be the US Army, Russian, British, French¨Cthese are all possibilities. The Blue Army¡¯s training and equipment are all foreign tactics and weapons used to battle against the Red Army. This is what our ancestors meant by know thy self, know thy enemy. A hundred battles, a hundred victories.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Zhao Liangze could almost bow down to Huo Shaoheng in admiration. Huo Shaoheng had ced first for many years in international special forcespetitions, and was very familiar with all the different special forces. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng also understood these foreign special operations soldiers the best when they became mercenaries.

    ¡°Find out their addresses and prepare to mobilize. ¡± Huo Shaoheng only said one thing and the remaining tasks would be executed by his subordinates. As one of the top brass in the 6th Military Region, he didn¡¯t need to personally partake in battle. His duty was to recruit talent and send them to appropriate ces to best serve the nation. After everything was prepared, Huo Shaoheng covertly took the special team members abroad and embarked on a flight leaving the country.

    That was also thest day of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s two week vacation. She called Huo Shaoheng from the base for an entire afternoon but no one picked up. She had no choice but to find Yin Shixiong and said despondently, ¡°Brother Xiong, I have to go back to campus, can you take me back?¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew Zhao Liangze and the others were on a mission and missed them dearly, but he now cared about Gu Nianzhi a lot more than before and made noints about being left behind. Seeing her in low spirits, he tried to console her, ¡°Nianzhi, you know what we have to do as soldiers. We have to be at stand by at all times.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and hugged her backpack, ¡°I understand, just let me mope a bit more. I¡¯ll be ok after.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°...¡±

    This youngdy grew up to be more fickle and harder to care for! He brought her near the campus because Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t allow him on campus. She got off at the entrance of C University and entered alone. She barely walked no more than a few steps with luggage in tow before someone behind her called, ¡°Gu Nianzhi? Are you Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned and saw Ai Weinan smiling before her in a scarlet dress and carrying a Chanel bag.

    <h4>Vicky_</h4>

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 Chapter 93 - I Wonâ€™t Give You the Satisfaction

    <h4>Chapter 93: I Won¡¯t Give You the Satisfaction</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi knew who Ai Weinan was, of course, and was annoyed. Ai Weinan was just a nobody; she did not deserve the gratification of instant recognition.

    Gu Nianzhi made a show of looking Ai Weinan over. She said, with a cheery smile on her face, ¡°My name is Gu Nianzhi. Do I know you?¡±

    Ai Weinan sputtered. She stared at Gu Nianzhi, her eyes wide with surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Should I? Why?¡± Gu Nianzhi was determined not to give her any sort of emotional satisfaction.

    Ai Weinan had not expected this at all.

    She had assumed Gu Nianzhi thought of her as an eyesore, a thorn in her side...

    But here was Gu Nianzhi, saying she didn¡¯t remember her at all.

    That can¡¯t be right!

    Ai Weinan recalled what Mei Xiawen had told her about Gu Nianzhi: she was an orphan, with only a distantly rted uncle acting as her custodian. Her family was poor.

    You¡¯re only clinging to Mei Xiawen like a leech because of his wealthy, distinguished background, aren¡¯t you?

    Ai Weinan chuckled. She said to Gu Nianzhi in a bright, easygoing manner: ¡°That¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t remember. We¡¯ll just have to get to know each other again.¡± She put out a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Ai Weinan. I was Mei Xiawen¡¯s ssmate throughout middle school and high school. We even shared the same desk.¡± She carefully watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face as she said, in an overly dramatic manner, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not what it sounds like! Seriously ¨C don¡¯t get me wrong here! Xiawen and I are just bros, nothing more. We enjoy confiding in each other when we¡¯re upset, but that¡¯s pretty much it, really.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was standing in the middle of the campus avenue, her suitcase in hand. She stared at Ai Weinan as though she were an idiot. She shook her head and walked away, deliberately taking the long way round to avoid Ai Weinan.

    A female student, one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmates, saw Gu Nianzhi and immediately went up to her to say hello. ¡°Who was that? What a weirdo...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Who knows? Total nutcase. I mean, I don¡¯t even know her. She walked up to me and started prattling on about how she used to share a desk with ss Rep, et cetera et cetera. It was cringeworthy, I had second-hand embarrassment just listening to her.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? Wow, did shee all the way here to like, assert her sovereign rights over him?¡± The ssmate knew that Mei Xiawen was trying to court Gu Nianzhi. Sheughed and gave Gu Nianzhi a yful nudge.

    ¡°What sovereign rights? C¡¯mon, you¡¯re aw student, you know that makes no sense.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed. She returned to her dormitory, merrily talking and joking with her ssmate the entire way.

    Ai Weinan¡¯s face was now alternating between red and white. She was so annoyed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions she wondered if she was going to have a stroke.

    It was evening; many of the C University students were out and about. Ai Weinan stood in the avenue for a long moment, feeling awkward and out of ce, before she remembered what she hade here for. She made for Mei Xiawen¡¯s dormitory.

    She had summoned all her courage toe to C University to look for Mei Xiawen, and she hadn¡¯t done it on a whim.

    News of how the C University seniorw students had almost lost their lives while holidaying at Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi had spread from C City to the rest of the Empire like wildfire.

    The TV stations took turns covering the story. The country¡¯s biggest websites were relentless with their follow-up reports. The forums and Weibo could not stop discussing the incident.

    Everyone was forwarding and sharing different versions of ¡°the ordeal.¡±

    Anyone and everyone knew about the case; there was no escaping the onught of interest and discussion surrounding it.

    When Ai Weinan saw Mei Xiawen being interviewed by a reporter on TV, she knew she could no longer sit idly by.

    Mei Xiawen had looked thin and haggard on TV, a pale shadow of his usual self. He had apparently suffered from a long bout of fever after returning from the mountains.

    The Dufeng Mountain Resort Vi hostage-takers had been extremely ruthless. They had killed a shocking number of people.

    The students had been extremely lucky to escape the vicious thugs.

    If they had been a little less lucky, a little less vignt... it was very likely that Mei Xiawen would have been lost to her forever.

    Ai Weinan mulled over this at her college for two whole weeks, before finally deciding to give it a try.

    She was taking a risk: it was entirely possible that they could no longer be friends after this.

    But if she did not try it, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

    She did not want to spend the rest of her life in regret.

    This time, Ai Weinan returned to C City by ne.

    She headed for Mei Xiawen¡¯s house as soon as she was off the ne, her hands full of tonics and herbal supplements.

    ¡°Hi Uncle, hi Auntie ¨C how¡¯s Xiawen?¡± Ai Weinan was no stranger to Mei Xiawen¡¯s parents; the two families were very close.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s mother took Ai Weinan¡¯s hand. Her eyes were red. She said, in a quivering voice, ¡°Weinan, thank you foring to see Xiawen. Oh, we were so scared.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiawen is a good man. The gods always protect good, honorable men. I mean, he escaped unharmed, right? And hey, he even got on TV! He was totally the most handsome guy there.¡± Ai Weinan steadied Mei Xiawen¡¯s mother as she piled on the praise, eager to leave a good impression on his parents.

    But when she asked for Mei Xiawen, his mother told her that he had already returned to his college.

    Ai Weinan had immediately rushed over to C University upon hearing that.

    She had not expected to bump into Gu Nianzhi, her rival in love, at the school gate.

    Ai Weinan had prepared an entire speech for this asion, only to discover that it had all been for nothing ¨C the girl who looked four years younger than her had not remembered Ai Weinan at all.

    Ai Weinan watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s retreating back for a long moment. Once she was certain that Gu Nianzhi had returned to her dormitory, Ai Weinan turned away and made a beeline for Mei Xiawen¡¯s room, over in the male dormitory.

    C University had strict rules that made it difficult for the male students to enter the girls¡¯ dormitory. It was extremely easy for a female student to enter the boys¡¯ dormitory, however.

    Ai Weinan arrived at the lobby of Mei Xiawen¡¯s dormitory. She registered as a visitor at the counter, before making her way upstairs.

    It was evening; the upants of the dormitory went about their business d only in their shorts, as was their custom.

    When they saw a girling up the stairs, the shirtless boys immediately dived into their rooms and locked the door.

    Ai Weinan smiled as she walked down the corridor of the dormitory. She found Mei Xiawen¡¯s dorm room and knocked on the door.

    Strongman poked his head out. He gave an unholy shriek when he saw that it was Ai Weinan. ¡°Wait, don¡¯te in! I have to put on my clothes!¡±

    He, too, had been ying video games dressed only in his shorts and nothing else.

    ¡°Take your time, I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡± Ai Weinan smiled as she waited before the door.

    Strongman shouted through the door as he pulled a T-shirt over his head: ¡°Are you looking for ss Rep? He¡¯s not here.¡±

    ¡°Not here?¡± Ai Weinan was very surprised. ¡°Where did he go? I was just at his house, and his parents told me he¡¯s back on campus.¡±

    ¡°Do you even have to ask? He¡¯s standing watch over at the girls¡¯ dormitory, duh!¡± Strongmanughed as he opened the door. ¡°Did you forget? ss Rep¡¯s been trying to get Nianzhi to return his feelings...¡±

    Ai Weinan responded with an easygoingugh. ¡°Well, he¡¯s in luck. I saw Nianzhi return to her dormitory a few moments ago. The two of them must have met up by now.¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Hey, wannae in and sit down?¡± Strongman moved to make way for Ai Weinan. ¡°I see you have your luggage with you and all.¡±

    Ai Weinan shrugged. ¡°I just arrived, haven¡¯t even booked a hotel yet. I¡¯m going to hit up my old ssmates and ask them to join me in a karaoke session. We¡¯re going to party through the night. Wanna join us?¡±

    Strongman was sorely tempted, but he remembered just in time that Ai Weinan and Mei Xiawen were high school ssmates. Ai Weinan would most likely be inviting her other ssmates from high school, which meant he would be the odd one out. He smiled and shook his head. ¡°Thanks, but that¡¯s all right. Maybe next time.¡±

    Ai Weinan had brought specialty snacks from Z City with her; she extracted a pack of the snacks from her luggage and handed it to Strongman. ¡°This is for you. I noticed that you like this.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow! Thanks! You¡¯re the best, Weinan.¡± Strongman knew that it was only polite to show gratitude when someone had been nice to him. He showered Ai Weinan with praises.

    Ai Weinan decided there was no point waiting in Mei Xiawen¡¯s room if he wasn¡¯t around. She turned and left C University; once outside, she made a few calls, and managed to rustle up more than a dozen of her old high school ssmates.

    ¡°We¡¯ll all be graduating from college soon, so let¡¯s have a get-together today to celebrate. We¡¯ll drink till we drop. I booked two rooms in the hotel, one for the guys, and one for the girls; if any of you end up stered from all the alcohol, you can go up to your rooms and sleep it off.¡± Ai Weinan was a pro at throwing parties.

    One of her ssmates spoke up. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get ss Rep, too? It¡¯s no fun without him, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure. You call him, then,¡± said Ai Weinan with a smile.

 Chapter 94 - Waiting For His Message

    <h4>Chapter 94: Waiting For His Message</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ai Weinan invited all her high school ssmates to the hotel for karaoke. Mei Xiawen had been their ss rep from junior high to high school. Thus everyone was familiar with each other and knew Mei Xiawen liked liveliness and organizing group activities. The male student saw that everyone agreed and picked up his phone to call Mei Xiawen.

    Mei Xiawen was sitting with Gu Nianzhi in a dessert shop on campus and having ice cream. Gu Nianzhi had a cup of H?agen-Dazs grape ice cream in front of her and pecked at it with a small spoon. She looked at his ashen face, ¡°You got skinner. Where did you vacation? Did you not get to rest?¡±

    Mei Xiawen rubbed his chin and didn¡¯t touch his ice cream. He ordered a hot coffee to warm his hands, ¡°I didn¡¯t go anywhere during the break and was sick at home. Otherwise I would¡¯ve taken you out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sick?¡± Gu Nianzhi froze, the spoon in her hand halting, ¡°What kind of illness? Are you better now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m better now, it was just a fever, probably from exhaustion and getting wet from the rain.¡± Mei Xiawen reached out to grip Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, ¡°What about you? Are you ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi appeared soft and delicate, and her finely shaped chin seemed especially frail. But she was actually very healthy and Chen Lie, who always gave her physical examinations could best attest to it. Of course this was not something an outsider would know. Gu Nianzhi shrunk her hand back and made a fist to lean her head against. She leaned against the table and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m good, didn¡¯t get sick. I was just really sleepy and slept all the way till noon the second day after going back.¡± After waking up, she subconsciously called Huo Shaoheng, who had been all the way in the capital. And then, nothing... Huo Shaoheng left for a whole two weeks and didn¡¯t call nor return. Gu Nianzhi propped her head, distracted. One hand held the little spoon and stirred the ice cream, almost turning it into a creamy mush.

    From Mei Xiawen¡¯s perspective, he could see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lush eyshes cast shadows. They were full and thick, half covering her hauntingly huge eyes. He had no idea what she was thinking about. A true beauty was gorgeous at anytime, even when distracted. Mei Xiawen smiled as he stared at her, until his phone suddenly rang and the two of them finally came to. Gu Nianzhi immediately lowered her head to look at her phone and realized it wasn¡¯t her own ringtone. Mei Xiawen froze and saw it was his phone. It was his high school ssmate calling.

    Mei Xiawen rose and nodded at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m going to take a call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head, ¡°Please go ahead.¡±

    The dessert shop was actually quite quiet inside and although there was no explicit banning of phone calls, it wouldn¡¯t do to disrupt the quiet. Mei Xiawen took his phone and went outside.

    ¡°ss Rep? What are you doing right now?¡± The male ssmate¡¯s voice traveled from the other end of the line.

    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± Mei Xiawen smiled and put his hand into his trouser pocket, ¡°Why did you suddenly think to call me?¡±

    ¡°The thing is, Weinan came from Z City to see us and invited a couple high school ssmates for karaoke. Everyone was saying how we can¡¯t be missing ss Rep, so I decided volunteer calling you.¡± That male ssmate was very enthused, ¡°ss Rep, everyone is watching me, can you give me some decency? We¡¯re also graduating soon and everyone will be parting ways, let¡¯s meet up?¡±

    Mei Xiawen knew that Ai Weinan loved crowds and was friendly with everyone in high school. That¡¯s why she could amass so many ssmates for karaoke with one call. He turned and watched Gu Nianzhi through therge ss windows of the dessert shop. She still had her head propped on her hand, but wasn¡¯t stirring her ice cream anymore.

    ¡°...How long are you guys staying for, I¡¯ll have to see if I have time.¡± Mei Xiawen didn¡¯t really want to leave Gu Nianzhi and hesitated.

    ¡°ss Rep! Juste! What are you doing? If you¡¯re with other ssmates, just have theme too! Weinan is treating us, she said the more the merrier!¡±

    Mei Xiawen saw that Gu Nianzhi was bored and wanted to take her out, so he agreed, ¡°Ok, Where are you guys? Send me the address.¡±

    The ssmate knew that Mei Xiawen had a car and directly sent him the address. Mei Xiawen received it and saw it was a hotel not far from campus.

    He turned back to the dessert shop and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to go to karaoke with me?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi straightened in her seat, ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to sing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I can sing.¡± Mei Xiawen reached out to pull her up, ¡°A few of my high school ssmates are singing karaoke near campus and invited me, let¡¯s go together.¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi heard him mentioned high school ssmates, Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of how she ran into Ai Weinan on campus today. She was almost certainly in the group at karaoke. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to mingle with Mei Xiawen¡¯s ssmates. They were ssmates and she wasn¡¯t part of the group, so it would be awkward being a stranger amongst them. Of course, the more pressing reason Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to think about was that she was subconsciously aversive to seeing Ai Weinan. Everytime this woman used the excuse of¡±true bros¡± to desperately cover up her feelings towards Mei Xiawen, Gu Nianzhi felt pity for her.

    Just admit if you like him, what was there to be shy about? Mei Xiawen was a gentleman and wouldn¡¯t raise a ruckus...

    Gu Nianzhi was contemptuous, but merely thought about it and didn¡¯t say anything out loud. She rose and held her phone as she shook her head in refusal, ¡°If it¡¯s a high school reunion, I¡¯m not going to interrupt. You go, and remember toe back early.¡± She reached out and gently brushed at Mei Xiawen¡¯s clothes, like there was dirt on them.

    In reality, the dessert shop was actually very clean and Mei Xiawen¡¯s snow white T-shirt didn¡¯t have anything on it.

    Mei Xiawen didn¡¯t persist in convincing her and held her hand as they walked outside, ¡°I¡¯ll take you back first, then go see them. These guys always party hard and I hope they won¡¯t overdo it today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled without saying anything and slowly walked back to her dorm. She watched Mei Xiawen¡¯s car disappear and even waved at it. Once she was back at the dorm, her roommates were shocked to see her.

    ¡°Why are you back so early? It¡¯s not even nine yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took her clothes to the bathroom to shower and answered, ¡°Xiawen had a high school gathering, he had to go.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, high school gathering, out university ssmates haven¡¯t gathered yet...¡± Little Temptress snickered and continued browsing Weibo for thetest news. Gu Nianzhi showered and crawled into her own bed. She carried herptop and wore her headphones as she edited her thesis. Before she knew it, it was already almost 11pm and nearly lights out in the dorm when she remembered to check her phone. Mei Xiawen hadn¡¯t texted her.

    At the same time in the hotel garden, Ai Weinan had called out Mei Xiawen from the private karaoke room and finally mustered the courage to tell him, ¡°Xiawen, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve waited six years, and finally dare to tell you.¡±

 Chapter 95 - Promise Me

    <h4>Chapter 95: Promise Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The hotel garden was no ordinary garden: it was located on the hotel rooftop, enclosed in a ss greenhouse.

    The garden was beautiful at night; visitors had only to lift their heads to see the twinkling stars up above, beyond the ss ceiling. A wide variety of flowers bloomed throughout the garden. The rainforest nts were strong and healthy. On the ground, artificial brooks meandered through the garden, apanied by the tinkling sound of water, digitally simted.

    Mei Xiawen stood beneath the verdant leaves of a giant alocasia, his hands in his pockets. His face, adorned with gold-rimmed sses, was handsome and elegant; he was the type high school girls found irresistible.

    Ai Weinan no longer concealed her feelings for Mei Xiawen. Her eyes shone with her love for him.

    She wrung her hands nervously as she looked up at Mei Xiawen. Her voice was hoarser than usual, betraying her agitation. ¡°Xiawen, you walked into my heart in my second year of high school, and have stayed there ever since.¡±

    Mei Xiawen sighed softly, his beautiful eyebrows knitted together behind his gold-rimmed sses. He did not want Ai Weinan to continue; he opened his mouth with the intention of telling her to stop it.

    But Ai Weinan barged on. She said, in a single breath: ¡°...I know you¡¯re in love with someone else. And I know you had a girlfriend before this. I was her best friend. And because I was her best friend, I let it go. I watched over the two of you, never saying a word about how I truly felt. Every time you went out on a date with her, she would tell me all about it. Every time the two of you got into an argument, she woulde crying to me. Every time she wanted to break up with you, I was the one who persuaded her not to. Yes, it was me...¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyes widened behind his gold-rimmed sses. There was a crack in his usual calm andposed demeanor.

    He knew Ai Weinan was his first girlfriend¡¯s best friend, but he had not realized they were that close.

    His rtionship with his first girlfriend had not been smooth sailing, but he had cherished every moment of it, all the same. He had thought their rtionship troubles were private, a secret shared between him and his girlfriend ¨C but his girlfriend had evidently thought otherwise.

    She had bbed all about it to someone else. How could she?

    Anger bubbled up within Mei Xiawen. His eyes darkened, and the lines on his face drew tight.

    Ai Weinan did not miss the change in Mei Xiawen¡¯s expression. She quickly changed the subject: ¡°...Xiawen, I¡¯m only telling you all this now because the two of you are no longer together. If you were still with her today, I would never have breathed a single word of this ¨C not even if I was about to drown in my love for you.¡±

    Mei Xiawen lowered his head. He stared at the stretch of floor between him and Ai Weinan.

    He could see that Ai Weinan was wearing a pair of elegant, pointed high heels, made of ck leather.

    ¡°But look at the person you¡¯re trying to date now. Does your family know about her?¡± Ai Weinan¡¯s voice was now slightly resentful. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you chose her over me. I was willing to go on with the rest of my life without saying anything, since you refused to open your eyes and see how much I¡¯d done for you, how long I¡¯d waited for you. But then you almost died at Dufeng Mountain, and that was a wake-up call for me. If I don¡¯t get this off my chest, I will never be happy for the rest of my life.¡±

    Ai Weinan paused before stepping forward. She grabbed hold of Mei Xiawen¡¯s hand, and looked up at his lowered face expectantly. ¡°Xiawen, give me a chance. Give yourself a chance to be happy. Be with me for the rest of your life ¨C you won¡¯t regret choosing me today.¡±

    Mei Xiawen let out a long sigh as Ai Weinan clung to his hand. After a moment, he pulled his hand out of her grasp and said, in a low voice, ¡°Weinan, I¡¯ve always thought of you as a good friend. How can you do this to me?¡±

    Ai Weinan felt as though she had been pped.

    He heart reeled with sorrow, disappointment and embarrassment, but only momentarily. She clenched her fists and steeled herself. She wasn¡¯t backing down just yet.

    ¡°Of course we¡¯re good friends, but you know men and women are never just friends.¡± Ai Weinan¡¯s eyes were bright as she stared at Mei Xiawen. ¡°Unless you¡¯re gay.¡±

    Mei Xiawen hesitated for a long moment before finally deciding it was better to be honest. ¡°But I think of you as a good friend. I¡¯m not lying. I don¡¯t see you as either a man or a woman.¡±

    This went beyond a p in the face: it was a flying kick to the chest, deting all the courage Ai Weinan had gathered over the past two weeks.

    She stuck her chest out and shouted at Mei Xiawen: ¡°I am a woman! A woman! Do you see it now?!¡±

    How could he think of her as an androgynous, genderless friend?!

    Her chest wasn¡¯t that small!

    She may not be a C cup, but she was at least a B-!

    ¡°You know that isn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Mei Xiawen averted his gaze. He looked everywhere, except at Ai Weinan. ¡°You¡¯re... her best friend, and because of that I thought of you as my best friend, too. All the things you used to do for me in secret ¨C I really had no idea. I know better now, and I¡¯m very grateful, but all I can say is: thank you, and sorry.¡±

    Thank you, and sorry.

    She had been deeply in love with him for six years, and all she had gotten in return was ¡°thank you, and sorry.¡±

    Ai Weinan¡¯s fists clenched and unclenched, over and over again.

    She had thought she was prepared for this, but when the blow came she was blindsided all the same.

    There was an old saying that went: when a man pursues a woman, there is a mountain in his way. When a woman pursues a man, there is but a thinyer of gauze in her way.

    It had been the exact opposite for her.

    She had tried to win Mei Xiawen¡¯s affections for six years now, and had gotten nowhere. She had not even made it to the foot of the mountain.

    ¡°Xiawen, tell me, how are the other girls better than me? Ie from a distinguished family, better than theirs. My grades are better than theirs. My love for you is deeper than theirs. I may not be exceptionally beautiful or sexy, but my looks and figure are on par with the other girls, at least. Tell me ¨C what exactly are you looking for?¡±

    Ai Weinan knew that it was game over for her. But she could not ept her defeat, not unless she knew exactly why she had lost.

    She had thought and thought for six years, and still could not understand why Mei Xiawen did not love her.

    She conceded that she may not have been a match for his first love. But even after breaking up with his first love, Mei Xiawen still had not looked her way ¨C he had chosen instead to give his heart to Gu Nianzhi, an orphan girl with nothing to her name.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart ached when he saw the injured look on Ai Weinan¡¯s face.

    He reached out and tucked a stray lock of Ai Weinan¡¯s hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her face for a moment, before slowly moving away. He said, in a low voice, ¡°Weinan, you¡¯re a good girl. You¡¯ll find someone who loves you very much. But the two of us ¨C we¡¯re just not right for each other.¡±

    ¡°Not right for each other? How? Won¡¯t you tell me so I can change and make it right?¡± Ai Weinan had loved the feeling of Mei Xiawen¡¯s warm fingertips brushing against her earlobe. She threw herself at Mei Xiawen, eager for more. She circled her arms around his waist, andid her head upon his chest.

    Ai Weinan closed her eyes, and listened to the beating of his heart. She said, her voice breaking, ¡°Fine. You don¡¯t have to love me. It¡¯s not your fault. But can you at least... want me? I want to give my virginity to the person I love most.¡±

    Mei Xiawen: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to take responsibility. I won¡¯t give you any trouble. Just think of it as a one-night stand. Tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll go our separate ways. I¡¯ll disappear from your life, and you¡¯ll have to promise to never look for me again, too. Can we do that?¡± Ai Weinan lifted her head and looked despairingly at Mei Xiawen. ¡°I¡¯ll never turn this on you, honest. I¡¯ve loved you for so many years ¨C I just want a beautiful memory in return, is that too much to ask? Won¡¯t you let me have something to remember you by, for the rest of my life?¡±

 Chapter 96 - Shared Memories

    <h4>Chapter 96: Shared Memories</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    To have a young woman confess her love and also offer her virginity, any man would be moved. Mei Xiawen never thought Ai Weinan would be so bold and passionate. He was shocked for a second as Ai Weinan hugged his waist tightly and couldn¡¯t help hugging her back, gently patting her back. It was true he didn¡¯t love Ai Weinan. There was nothing to exin further. There was no reason or cause why a man and a woman loved or didn¡¯t each other. Sometimes there was no spark, regardless of how hard one person tried. Love must be a mutual thing between a man and a woman. Anything else would be considered a crush or one-sided love, not mutual love. There was nothing wrong with Ai Weinan, but she didn¡¯t arouse Mei Xiawen¡¯s affections. In other words, they had no chemistry and couldn¡¯t have love between them.

    However Ai Weinan understood men well. For a man, sex was always a possibility regardless of love. There was a saying called mercy fuck, which was the kind of hook up Ai Weinan was requesting from Mei Xiawen. So this was the final step in her scheme and also thest resort for the worst case scenario. She requested this because she was confident that as long as Mei Xiawen slept with her once, there would be a second and a third time... Their rtionship would progress to love as they continued to have sex. Regardless of what Mei Xiawen believed, Ai Weinan was confident about this. Seeing that Mei Xiawen wasn¡¯t pushing her away, she assumed he had acquiesced.

    She whispered, ¡°...I booked a third room here...¡±

    Originally she told everyone she booked two rooms, one for the girls stay in and the others for the guys. She actually booked a third room in secret, just for herself and Mei Xiawen. She wanted her first time to be perfect and be without regrets. She also wanted to get Mei Xiawen hooked on her and be unable to leave. Unfortunately, she overestimated her appeal.

    Not only did the his past with his ex-girlfriend that was engraved in his heart sh through Mei Xiawen¡¯s mind, but also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clear and expressiverge eyes.

    He finally pushed her away and smiled, ¡°Weinan, your first time should be reserved for the one who cherishes you the most. I don¡¯t love you, so I can¡¯t sleep with you.¡± He looked at his watch, ¡°It¡¯ste, I have to go. You guys have fun, I¡¯m gonna head back first.¡±

    Ai Weinan had painstakingly nned this and anticipated all kinds of scenarios, including the worst case of Mei Xiawen rejecting her. But she never thought that he would reject her to this extent. He pushed her away despite her presenting herself and throwing herself at him... Watching his retreating back, Ai Weinan muffled her mouth and cried.

    ...

    By the time Mei Xiawen was back on campus, it was nearly one in the morning. The dorm building was already locked and he had to rouse the Resident Advisor to let him in. However he couldn¡¯t sleep at all. Today Ai Weinan mentioned the person he had hidden in his heart for thest four years. He thought he had left it all behind, and when he faced her again he would be nonchnt and see it as merely a romantic past. But tonight¡¯s events made him realize that he actually hadn¡¯t forgotten her. Everytime Ai Weinan mentioned her, his heart beated furiously for a long time. He had never gotten this feeling from anyone else, including Gu Nianzhi. Of course, Gu Nianzhi touched his heart a lot more than other women, and that was why he decided to pursue her. When the day came that they experienced a long time together and their love had solidified, perhaps it could wipe away all traces of his first girlfriend. For now, they hadn¡¯t reached this point yet.

    Mei Xiawen took out his phone and opened the Weibo called ¡°ck Tea¡¯s Sky.¡± This was their shared Weibo ount when they were dating in high school. They both had the password and had no other followers, only writing for each other to see. They were both artsy youth¨Cthe phrases and poems expressing love and every status recording their tender past was the best catalyst for their rtionship. Mei Xiawen sat in the dark and entered the password that had been engraved in his heart, but as soon as he submitted it, he was shocked to find it was not essible! Mei Xiawen sat up straight in his bed. They were the only ones to know the password. He had logged in this ount not long ago¨Cjust a few months prior, why had the password changed?! Could it be.. That¡¯s she¡¯s back? And even changed the password?! Mei Xiawen¡¯s fingers continued to enter allbinations of passwords into the Weibo login page and he even tried to use the password retrieval function.

    But nothing. There was no text sent to his phone. This meant that the security settings on the ount had been modified. Mei Xiawen sat in a daze, He was initially shocked, but gradually calmed down and looked at the Weibo ount. He wasn¡¯t totally sure that it meant she was back. Maybe it was hacked? This was amon thing to happen. Mei Xiawen logged into his own Weibo and searched the ¡°ck Tea¡¯s Sky¡± ount he shared with his first girlfriend. He was floored to see that there was a recent update.

    ¡°Perhaps the scenery from a farnd is not guaranteed to be beautiful, and perhaps the most beautiful scenery is right by our side. I¡¯m sorry for my youthful rebellion, and how I let go of the

    most beautiful scenery is right by my side...¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s hands trembled, unable to believe his own eyes. After four years, he saw her again... After seeing thistest update, he was certain the ount was not hacked, but that she changed the password. He had intermittently updated these past four years in hopes she would read them. After the break up, he didn¡¯t know if she woulde back or if she would see it. He would just login and write his thoughts, even if he was the only one to read it. And that was why once he decided to pursue Gu Nianzhi, he rarely logged in that ount.

    It was because Ai Weinan mentioned it tonight that he thought to check. He didn¡¯t think that this would lead to him discovering a truth that would make it impossible for him to sleep. He hesitated for a long time, his finger hovering on the ¡°Message¡± button for a long time, but he stopped himself. She was the one to leave, and if she still had feelings for him, she should be the one to seek him out... Mei Xiawen couldn¡¯t sleep until dawn broke. He woke up almost at noon the next day. He casually picked up his phone and saw he missed several texts from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. They were all sent this morning and he missed them in his sleep. Mei Xiawen hastily called her back. She picked up at the first ring.

    ¡°Xiawen, you¡¯re awake?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bubbly voice rang from the other side of the line, ¡°I heard from Strongman that you slepttest night?¡±

 Chapter 97 - Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 97: Jealous</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Mei Xiawen was still groggy from sleep, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheerful voice snapped him out of his brain fog.

    He loved her voice. Every time she spoke he could not help but hang on to her every word; he did not want to miss a single syble.

    ¡°Yeah, when I came back yesterday the front door was already locked. I had to wake the resident advisor, have him open the door for me. He wasn¡¯t too pleased about that.¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice was still a little raspy. He supported himself on the bed and slowly sat up.

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved to hear that Mei Xiawen had returned to his dormitory yesterday, instead of partying the night away with his high school ssmates. She inwardly gave Mei Xiawen a thumbs-up.

    ¡°It¡¯s already noon. Are you hungry? How about I get you something to eat?¡± Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood, and when she was in a good mood she was inclined to be extra nice to Mei Xiawen.

    After all, Mei Xiawen had diligently brought her breakfast for two or three months in a row, in addition to apanying her for lunch and dinner.

    She always repaid her debts. Even if she had none, it was nice to do a good deed for someone else, once in a while...

    Mei Xiawen had not expected Gu Nianzhi to offer to bring him lunch. He was deeply touched by it. He said, pensively, ¡°Is this what they mean when they say good thingse to those who wait?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...Hahahaha, you¡¯re overreacting. What, don¡¯t you eat lunch?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. I still can¡¯t believe you¡¯re actually offering to get takeout for me. I¡¯m eating it, no matter what.¡± Mei Xiawen rolled out of bed, and discovered that he was all alone in his dormitory room.

    Hezily shuffled into his slippers and put on a T-shirt. He opened the front door to air out the rooms ¨C only to find Ai Weinan standing before him.

    Mei Xiawen was dumbfounded. He turned to look at the number on the front door.

    There had been no mistake: it was his dormitory room, all right.

    Ai Weinan was carrying a stic bag; in it were containers of food she had bought from a restaurant.

    ¡°I know you haven¡¯t had breakfast or lunch.¡± Ai Weinan casually raised the stic bag, her tone easy and unaffected. ¡°Eat up, these are all your favorites.¡±

    Mei Xiawen had not expected Ai Weinan to be so persistent. He sighed, and shook his head. ¡°Why are you doing this to yourself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. I¡¯ve epted that we¡¯re never going to be together. I just want to be friends.¡± Ai Weinan patted him on the shoulder. ¡°It hurt when you rejected mest night, but I¡¯ve thought it over, and I think I have to thank you. If you hadn¡¯t rejected me, my future husband may find out one day and resent the both of us, and I¡¯d regret it for the rest of my life.¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s face finally broke into a smile. He nodded and said, ¡°I knew you¡¯d understand.¡± He continued in a teasing manner: ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, Weinan, I¡¯m sure there are dozens of men out there waiting for you to give them a chance. You shouldn¡¯t be too picky.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll stop looking for someone like you, ss Rep.¡± Ai Weinan tilted her head to one side and gave a small smile. It was surprisingly lovely to look at.

    Mei Xiawen smiled and patted her on the shoulder. He seated himself at the table and watched as Ai Weinan removed the boxes of food from the bag. She arranged them on the table, and ced a pair of disposable chopsticks before him.

    Mei Xiawen was ravenous. These were his favorite dishes, and he could not resist them. He picked up the chopsticks and dug in.

    Gu Nianzhi had been watching them from the open doorway for a while now. She had brought Mei Xiawen food from the school cafeteria. She finally knocked on the door, and smiled as she said, ¡°Oh, you already ate?¡±

    Ai Weinan turned and saw that it was Gu Nianzhi. She quickly said, with great enthusiasm and warmth, ¡°Is that you, Nianzhi? Come in,e in. Well, speak of the devil ¨C Xiawen was just talking about you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi forced a smile. She entered the room, and set a lunch box down in front of Mei Xiawen. ¡°I got this for you, I didn¡¯t know you had food of your own. Anyway, it¡¯s yours ¨C you can either eat it, or give it to Strongman if you don¡¯t want it. He eats everything.¡±

    Mei Xiawen had turned a light shade of red.

    He should not have eaten the food Ai Weinan had brought him.

    Gu Nianzhi had told him she would get him something to eat, and he should have waited for her. His actions had been very disrespectful to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Excellent timing! I¡¯m so hungry, give it to me, quick!¡± Mei Xiawen thanked Gu Nianzhi with exaggerated enthusiasm as he opened two lunch boxes.

    Ai Weinan smiled as she looked over. ¡°That¡¯s from the cafeteria, yes?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Xiawen only eats beef, he¡¯s not a fan of pork. As for seafood, he only eats crustaceans caught from the sea. He won¡¯t touch those that have been raised in farms.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi inwardly rolled her eyes. She was so annoyed she could barely contain herself.

    What a nutcase!

    Who did she think she was? Mei Xiawen¡¯s mother?

    And Mei Xiawen wasn¡¯t exactly meless either. His family must have spoiled him silly...

    Gu Nianzhi was furious: was Ai Weinan trying to imply that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sophisticated enough to know the difference between seafood that had been caught from the open sea, and seafood that had been raised in farms? What did it matter, as long as the seafood was fresh? Mei Xiawen was way too picky...

    Gu Nianzhi responded to Ai Weinan with a deadpan ¡°Oh, really?¡±, before turning to Mei Xiawen to say: ¡°Xiawen, you should really reconsider. The ocean is contaminated with heavy metals, and the heavy metals tend to bio-umte in wild crustaceans. You should avoid those, and switch to eating farm-raised shrimp and crab instead. I know a ce in C City that produces excellent farm-raised crustaceans, you can¡¯t get them yourself because they¡¯re usually set aside for government agencies. They¡¯re so much better than ¡®wild¡¯ shrimp and crab ¨C you don¡¯t even know where those are from.¡±

    Every word in her speech was a direct jab at what Ai Weinan had said.

    Ai Weinan flushed. She did not want to get into a heated argument with Gu Nianzhi in front of Mei Xiawen, however, so she did the next best thing: she gave a snort ofughter and said, ¡°Wow, I¡¯m surprised you actually know about those fancy government suppliers, haha...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately regretted her words.

    Why was she acting like a jealous girlfriend? It was stupid. She had never officially agreed to be Mei Xiawen¡¯s girlfriend.

    She had made aplete fool of herself for nothing.

    Mei Xiawen, on the other hand, was in high spirits. He was the only one in a good mood.

    Gu Nianzhi being jealous meant that he was slowly but surely working his way into her heart.

    His efforts over the past few months had not been in vain.

    He ced the food Gu Nianzhi had brought before him, and said, with a smile on his face, ¡°I¡¯m so hungry I could eat a horse ¨C what¡¯s a few boxes of food? I¡¯ll finish everyst speck of food, watch me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a small chuckle. ¡°Well, take your time. I¡¯m leaving.¡± She turned and left the room as soon as she said this, fuming inwardly.

    She fully regretted being extra nice to Mei Xiawen. She should not have bothered getting take-out for him...

    It was obvious to her that Mei Xiawen and Ai Weinan had grown even closer. So what was Gu Nianzhi to him? Chopped liver?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened as soon as she stepped out of Mei Xiawen¡¯s dormitory building.

    Ai Weinan watched Gu Nianzhi leave. A thought urred to her; she said to Mei Xiawen, ¡°Eat up, I have to go now. I¡¯m flying back to my college today.¡±

    ¡°Want me to drive you to the airport?¡± Mei Xiawen wolfed down his food. ¡°I¡¯ll be done in a minute.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you stay here and eat. Look at you, you¡¯re so skinny now. Hongcha would be so upset if she saw you like this.¡± Without warning, Ai Weinan suddenly brought up the name of Mei Xiawen¡¯s first girlfriend, Jiang Hongcha.

    Mei Xiawen had choked on his food upon hearing the name. He erupted into a violent coughing fit.

    Ai Weinan was secretly happy to see Mei Xiawen react so badly.

    She did not mind losing him to Jiang Hongcha. She had never been a match for her, anyway.

    But Gu Nianzhi? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t deserve him.

    Ai Weinan ran down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time, and caught up to Gu Nianzhi halfway down the road.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Wait up!¡± Ai Weinan ran up to her, out of breath.

    Gu Nianzhi would rather not wait for her, but Ai Weinan¡¯s running and shouting had attracted the attention of the students around her. She briefly considered pretending not to have heard her, but Ai Weinan¡¯s voice was much too loud for that. Gu Nianzhi had no choice; she was forced to stop and turn to face her. ¡°Was there something else?¡±

 Chapter 98 - What Is Love

    <h4>Chapter 98: What Is Love</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi, you¡¯re walking so fast, you didn¡¯t even hear me. Are you mad?¡± Ai Weinan saw Gu Nianzhi finally stop and sped up her pace to stand before her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face wasposed as she shook her head cooly, ¡°ssmate, I¡¯m not close with you, so don¡¯t speak to me with such familiarity? I¡¯m a simple person and can¡¯t take your unwarranted friendliness.¡±

    Ai Weinan flushed. Thankfully she had been running after Gu Nianzhi and was red from it anyway, nobody could tell she was embarrassed. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, ok?¡± Ai Weinan pleaded, her voice oozing with sincerity, ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand, there¡¯s really someone in Xiawen¡¯s heart, but it¡¯s not me. I¡¯m the same as you, and that¡¯s why I wanted to let you know. Please don¡¯t misunderstand me, I was never your match, it¡¯s someone else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Ai Weinan and suddenly felt pity for her. She was ruining herself for a man who didn¡¯t love her. Her words alone were meant to cause a rift and put a thorn in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. When the moment was right, the misunderstandings would umte and Gu Nianzhi would have a huge fight with Mei Xiawen¨Cwhile Ai Weinan could conveniently watch the show. He was just a man, was he worth all this scheming? Gu Nianzhi realized she didn¡¯t understand anymore. What is love? Was it throwing away everything like Ai Weinan, charging through all obstacles, creating her own terms when there were no terms¨Cis only this worthy of being called love? It didn¡¯t seem like there was a strong sense of possessiveness and exclusiveness like this between her and Mei Xiawen. Gu Nianzhi looked at Ai Weinan, perplexed. She stared at Ai Weinan¡¯s gaping red lips and her thoughts were elsewhere.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m telling you the truth, I¡¯ve been ssmates with Xiawen in junior high and high school for a total of of six years and his desk mate for three years. He was our ss rep¨Chandsome face, good grades, good background and there were many girls that liked him. I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that I was smitten by him once, but when he fell madly in love with my best friend, I forfeited.¡± Ai Weinan continued, her eyes red. Her words were 70% truth and 30% made up¨Cshe even got herself worked up in process. ¡°They were each other¡¯s first loves. You know, no matter for men or women, the first love is always untouchable. Xiawen is a loyal man, a person like him would never forget his first love.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Ai Weinan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m know about their rtionship the best. I also know they have a shared Weibo called ¡°ck Tea¡¯s Sky.¡± You should have a look when you can. You¡¯ll understand how madly they loved each other without me telling you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came to her senses and only asked Ai Weinan one thing, ¡°Did they break up?¡±

    Ai Weinan was surprised, ¡°...They did, but in his heart...¡±

    ¡°How do you know what ss Rep feels in his heart? Are you a mind reader?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brows slightly, no longer letting Ai Weinan string her along, ¡°I¡¯ll ask you another thing, when did they break up?¡±

    ¡°They broke up four years ago when we graduated from high school. Then my good friend, Jiang Hongcha went abroad to study music and Xiawen stayed to studyw.¡± Ai Weinan answered feebly, ¡°You really don¡¯t mind?¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. They broke up four years ago and you¡¯re stirring the pot today and exaggerating about how much they loved each other¨Cdon¡¯t you think that¡¯s ridiculous? If they really loved each other so much, why did they break up all those years ago? It¡¯s just studying abroad, I don¡¯t see how true love couldn¡¯t conquer something as trivial as that.¡± Gu Nianzhi finished and eyed Ai Weinan, ¡°From the way I see it, you just couldn¡¯t stand ss Rep with someone else?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re taking this the wrong way, I¡¯m not...¡± Ai Weinan found herself unable to outspeak Gu Nianzhi and hastily tried to exin herself.

    Gu Nianzhi was no longer cordial, her tone brusque, ¡°Fine, fine, you¡¯ve really worried yourself sick over ss Rep¡¯s love life. Someone not knowing better would think you¡¯re his mom, not his ssmate.¡±

    Ai Weinan sensed the dripping sarcasm and pursed her lips as she smoothed her long hair. She replied dryly, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think of me. You don¡¯t understand how much I love him, as long as he¡¯s happy, I¡¯ll be happier than anyone else. Love is not about possession...¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this stuff? Are you preaching? You¡¯re also aw student, didn¡¯t you know it¡¯s illegal to preach in a non-religious setting?¡± Gu Nianzhi interrupted Ai Weinan and looked up at the tree lined path ahead. She dryly said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand your love. For me, if I love him and he loves me, then no one can break us apart. If he doesn¡¯t love me, I¡¯ll distance myself and will definitely not bother him. I¡¯ll also definitely not stay at his side as a friend and wreak havoc on his life.¡±

    Ai Weinan was beginning to understand, she looked at Gu Nianzhi with a suddenly cold gaze, ¡°You don¡¯t love Xiawen. If you love him, you wouldn¡¯t be so logical.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not me, how would you know how what I¡¯d do?¡± Gu Nianzhi was at her wits end and rolled her eyes at Ai Weinan. She said contemptuously, ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, other people¡¯s business is not for you to worry about. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a busybody?¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke as she hurried away.

    Ai Weinan stood on the tree lined path on the C University campus, and watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back disappear at the end of the path. The noon sun was beaming through the crevices between the leaves and the light was scattered in speckles on the path¨Cjust like the feelings she was trying to deny. Ai Weinan smiled and took out her phone to dial a number.

    ¡°Hongcha? It¡¯s Weinan, when id your flight? I¡¯ll pick you up at the airport.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the dorm and felt beyond disgusted when she thought about what just happened. Afterwards, Mei Xiawen called her twice but she didn¡¯t pick up. She went to the library alone to make the final edits on her thesis. She was working until nearly evening and finally finished the first draft. He Zhichu had rushed her several times already to ask to see it. She found He Zhichu¡¯s email and send the first draft over. Not long after she sent the email out, she received a text from him. She was in no rush to return to the dorm, carrying herptop bag and sat cross legged on the grass field by the library. She bathed in thest of the sunlight for the day and replied to his text.

    Professor He: ¡°You only finished the thesis now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Yes, the first edition, hot off the presses. Please advise, Professor He. O(¡É_¡É)O~¡±

    Professor He: ¡°...When is the thesis defense?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Mid-June, around the 15th or so.¡±

    Professor He: ¡°There¡¯s not many days left, I¡¯ll try to edit it and send back to you as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Thank you! I bow! Professor He is my saviour!¡±

    Professor He: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Just a joke, Professor He wouldn¡¯t mind right?¡±

    Professor He: ¡°Cut the nonsense, do you have a passport? Quickly get a US visa. I got you the opportunity to intern at United States Congress. You¡¯re free for half a year after graduating, it¡¯ll be perfect for you to intern in the States.¡±

 Chapter 99 - So Much Drama

    <h4>Chapter 99: So Much Drama</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone, hardly believing her eyes.

    Professor He was being way too nice to her...

    Gu Nianzhi did not know how to react. She had to think long and hard before texting her carefully worded reply: ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m still a minor. I will be 18 this October, but before that, thew states that I have to be apanied by my guardian when going overseas...¡±

    At this moment, He Zhichu was on the highway, heading towards the Imperial Capital Airport.

    He was sitting in the back seat of a luxurious Rolls-Royce, his tall, slender body dressed in a dark blue casual suit. His nose was tall and straight; below it, his thin lips werepressed into a straight line. His bright almond eyes were slightly red and unfocused. He looked like he had been drinking.

    He held his phone in one hand, his slender fingers deftly moving across the screen. He automatically tapped out a message, without stopping to think about it: ¡°...Get your guardian to sign over temporary custody of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned.

    An internship at the US Congress was a rare opportunity, even for students from the prestigious Ivy League Law Schools.

    For most of the students in the Empire, it was just a pipe dream.

    This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

    The students in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s college had gone wild when they heard that He Zhichu was recruiting graduate students.

    This was because He Zhichu wasn¡¯t just any old professor ¨C he was a powerful man with powerful connections.

    Anyone lucky enough to have him as their mentor would receive a massive boost to their career.

    Gu Nianzhi was young, but she had seen and experienced many things. She was as world-wise as her older ssmates, if not more.

    She was highly skeptical of anything that looked like a free lunch.

    If something seemed too good to be true, it probably was.

    After some deliberation, Gu Nianzhi decided that she could not give Professor He an answer now; she would have to discuss it with Uncle Huo first.

    She did not think Professor He had ulterior motives; nevertheless, it was a good idea to be careful.

    After her two recent ordeals, she was beginning to be a little paranoid.

    Having made up her mind, she sent a message to He Zhichu.

    [Gu Nianzhi]: ¡°...Thank you, Professor He, for your kind offer. I have to discuss this with my guardian.¡±

    He Zhichu stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s message. He gradually sobered up.

    He propped his elbow against the car window, and put a hand to his forehead. He closed his eyes and let out a long, silent breath. Suddenly, he smiled.

    His face, as cool and frigid as winter frost, was suddenly full of the warmth of spring. The brilliance of his smile illuminated the dark interior of the car like a bolt of lightning.

    Wen Shouyi, who was sitting next to He Zhichu, saw his smile, and was so astonished by it she was momentarily at a loss for words.

    She hurriedly turned away. She suppressed the wild beating of her heart, and fixed her attention upon the night view beyond the window instead.

    The streetlights on both sides of the highway flew by, blurring together into an endless streak of light.

    He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi was having doubts. He rubbed his brow. His cool, clear voice was light and amused when he said, ¡°So much drama. It¡¯s always one thing or another with this girl.¡±

    Wen Shouyi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t me her ¨C I shouldn¡¯t have texted her while drunk.¡± He Zhichu lowered his gaze and looked at the messages he had sent Gu Nianzhi. He shook his head ¨C what had he been thinking? His finger moved across the screen, tapping out his reply to her: ¡°If you can¡¯t make it, that¡¯s okay. There are two spots open for the internship. If you¡¯re interested, leave your details with my assistant and take the test. Everyonepetes for a spot, fair and square.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a brief moment. She could feel the golden opportunity slipping through her fingers. She hastily texted back: ¡°Understood. I will get back to you as soon as I can, Professor He.¡±

    There were no more messages after that.

    He Zhichu tossed his phone onto the car seat and closed his eyes, his jaw clenched tight. His temples throbbed with pain.

    Although Wen Shouyi was looking out the window, she was still watching He Zhichu out of the corner of her eye.

    She saw that he was done with his phone call, and noted the frown on his face. She quickly opened the small refrigerator inside the car and handed him a bottle of cold milk. ¡°Here, this will help your hangover, Professor He.¡±

    Milk helped reduce the absorption of alcohol by lining the stomach.

    He Zhichu waved his hand. His brow wrinkled further. ¡°Nauseating. Get me something else.¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly exchanged the milk for iced tea. ¡°This will help, too.¡±

    Wen Shouyi held the drink out for him. He Zhichu bowed his head and drank a few mouthfuls of the iced tea. He chewed mint-vored gum after that, and his splitting headache finally subsided a little.

    Wen Shouyi automatically put her hand on He Zhichu¡¯s head and massaged his scalp. She said in a hushed voice: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t want to go? But it¡¯s such a rare opportunity!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He Zhichu wasn¡¯t too bothered by it. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, lots of other people to take her ce. Once we¡¯re back in the States, I want you to put up a notice on the website for B University Law School ¡ª anyone interested in the internship will have to sign up and sit for a test. We¡¯ll select the best students. I don¡¯t want anyone to use me of favoritism.¡±

    Wen Shouyi said nothing. She lowered her eyelids as she mentally rebuked him: you were literally ying favorites just a moment ago!

    The Rolls-Royce soon arrived at the Imperial Capital Airport.

    Several men in suits were already waiting for them. They walked over to greet He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi as soon as they were out of the car, and escorted the two of them to the VIP passageway.

    Half an hourter, He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi were on board a ne headed for the United States.

    ¡°Professor He, the International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference will take ce in C City in a month¡¯s time, and you have been invited to attend. How do you want to respond?¡± Wen Shouyi was not only He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant; she was also his secretary, and it was her job to help him with his daily affairs.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and said impatiently, ¡°Are you seriously asking me that? When did I be a two-bit actor, desperate to show up at every event?¡±

    Only a two-bit actor would be shameless enough as to jump at every opportunity for exposure and publicity.

    ¡°...But many of our clients will be attending the ceremony,¡± said Wen Shouyi hesitantly. ¡°The office called and specifically asked for you, several times.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips. After a while, he said dispassionately, ¡°You go, then.¡± He nced sideways at Wen Shouyi. ¡°You¡¯re a woman. It would be more appropriate for you to go, instead of me.¡±

    Wen Shouyi did not know whether tough or cry at this. ¡°Thank you, Professor He, for giving me a chance to shine. I appreciate the favor. Yes, I will dly attend the ceremony on your behalf.¡±

    He Zhichu did not reply. Wen Shouyi decided to take his silence as his way of saying ¡°go ahead.¡±

    Shortly after, the ne roared to life and took to the skies.

    The lights in First ss dimmed.

    Wen Shouyi looked out the window beside her. She saw only the dazzling lights of the Imperial Capital, brilliant and resplendent against the surrounding mountains. It was a stunning view; she could not think of anything more beautiful.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi spent most of the dayzing about on the grasswn of C University¡¯s library, only reluctantly getting up to leave when the sun had gone.

    She hesitated for a long moment before finally calling Yin Shixiong on her phone. She asked as she walked: ¡°Brother Xiong, is this a bad time?¡±

    ¡°Nope, not at all.¡± Yin Shixiong had finished his dinner and taken his shower. He was sitting on the sofa, about to call Zhao Liangze on hisptop.

    His brothers-in-arms were away on a mission, and he missed them very much.

    Huo Shaoheng had left the country with his men; they should be settled in at their destination by now.

    The eight mercenaries on the list were high-ranking employees of the European Whitewater Security Group. Three lived in Prague, the capital city of Czech Republic. Four lived in Vienna, Austria. One lived in Luxembourg.

    The 6th Military Region had just been established, and this was their first mission. To ensure its sess, Huo Shaoheng had gone to Europe with his men, and was now running the mission himself.

 Chapter 100 - I Cant Make the Call

    <h4>Chapter 100: I Can¡¯t Make the Call</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi wore headphones and had her backpack on as she turned onto the path back to the dorm. It was dark and not many students were around, but she had walked it many times with Mei Xiawen thest two months, so she wasn¡¯t afraid at all.

    ¡°Nianzhi, did you have dinner yet?¡± Yin Shixiong stretched his legs on the coffee table and crossed them. He was also opening the special software that connected him to Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°Not yet. There¡¯s something I wanted to discuss with Brother Xiong.¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately grew anxious, ¡°What is it? Did something happen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sensed his voice bing stern and couldn¡¯t help crinkling eyes into half moon as sheughed, ¡°Brother Xiong, it¡¯s ok, it¡¯s a school thing.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m not stressed, what are you talking about?¡± Yin Shixiong teased Gu Nianzhi, but he kept eyeing his watch and anxiously waited for Zhao Liangze to connect.

    Gu Nianzhi looked ahead and saw the dorm was already in view. A few couples giggled as they passed by her and she could only lower her voice, ¡°Brother Xiong, is my passport still valid?¡±

    Yin Shiziong, ¡°...Why are you asking?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had vacationed abroad with Huo Shaoheng twice before, so she had a passport. But because she was a minor, her passport was only valid for two years. It should be expired by now.

    ¡°The thing is, Professor He of Bu University¡¯s Faculty of Law has given me the chance to intern at the United States Congress for six months. You know that I¡¯m not starting my post-grad studies until next spring, so I have half a year free time...¡± Gu Nianzhi really wanted this opportunity, but she always obeyed Huo Shaoheng. If he didn¡¯t let her go, she definitely wouldn¡¯t go. She was asking Yin Shixiong on the phone, but actually was asking Huo Shaoheng¡¯s opinion. She knew Yin Shixiong would certainly tell Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng was her true guardian and the only person she couldpletely trust. Yin Shixiong mumbled as expected and couldn¡¯t give a clear answer. After a while humming and hawing for a while, he finally said, ¡°Let me consider it. I¡¯ll see if your passport is still valid and if it¡¯s expired, I¡¯ll renew it for you this weekend. Even if you don¡¯t intern in the States, it¡¯ll be convenient for you to travel abroad for the summer break.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily agreed and hung up. After getting off the path, her eyes widened. The dormitory area was in front of her. The lights just turned on and the students milled about the dorm building¨Cthis was the most bustling ce on campus. Gu Nianzhi walked up to her own building and saw Mei Xiawen¡¯s Buick as expected.

    Mei Xiawen was in his car and finally saw here back. He hurriedly pushed open the door and walked over to her; naturally taking off her backpack, ¡°Where did you go? I¡¯ve been looking for you all afternoon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at her backpack, ¡°I was carrying myptop, where else could I have gone?¡±

    ¡°The library?¡± Mei Xiawen smiled good-temperedly, ¡°I haven¡¯t had dinner yet, did you? Eat with me.¡±

    It was true that she hadn¡¯t eaten yet. She was so excited by Professor He¡¯s text earlier that she didn¡¯t feel any hunger. Now over an hour had passed and she finally felt hungry.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll have our usual restaurant.¡± Mei Xiawen didn¡¯t give a chance for debate and pulled her by the hand to his car. He climbed into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car.

    Gu Nianzhi was also tired and didn¡¯t want to fuss.She put on her seatbelt and said tiredly, ¡°ss Rep, you acting this is going to make the other students misunderstand.¡±

    ¡°Misunderstand? Misunderstand what?¡± Mei Xiawen chuckled as he nced at her. He thought she was cute even when she pouted and couldn¡¯t help ruffling the back of her head, ¡°What¡¯s this little head thinking about all day? Didn¡¯t I tell you a long time ago, there¡¯s nothing between me and Ai Weinan. We¡¯ve been haven¡¯t been together all this time because it¡¯s impossible. Also, she¡¯s not my type.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was suddenly piqued, she tilted her head and snuck a sideways nce at him, ¡°Then what kind of girl is your type?¡±

    ¡°The kind of girl I like the most ispatible with my heart and soul. There are a lot of things she can understand without me saying anything. Just one look and we can read each other¡¯s minds.¡± Mei Xiawen said dreamily.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. She thought in her head, why don¡¯t you find an ET? Not along can she read minds, she can read every thought through your brain...

    ¡°Why are you so quiet?¡± Mei Xiawen looked at her and thought she was going to get to the point and ask if she was his type.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°ss Rep has such high standards, I¡¯m afraid to ask anymore.¡±

    This was the type of person that would jump up and say anything is fine during a gathering when asked what they liked to eat. It was actually this type that would be infuriatingly picky!

    Mei Xiawen burst outughing, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m just rambling, the person herself is the key.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi answered dryly, but didn¡¯t continue asking like Mei Xiawen had thought. Mei Xiawen could only give himself an exit strategy, ¡°If it¡¯s Nianzhi, it doesn¡¯t matter even if we can¡¯t read each other¡¯s minds. So you see, I¡¯m not the one to decide on a type to like. If I meet and like someone, then all the conditions be nothing.¡±

    Only when you don¡¯t like someone or don¡¯t like them enough would you pick at all sorts of conditions.

    ¡°ss Rep is so articte.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped in admiration, ¡°That speech would have had so many girls swooning.¡±

    ¡°Really? What about Nianzhi? Are you swooning for me?¡± Mei Xiawen asked with full confidence, one hand was on the steering wheel while the other rested on the window. He appeared very suave and self-assured.

    ¡°Haha, ss Rep is asking so directly, how should I even answer?¡± Gu Nianzhi was cunning and evasive, ¡°Girls should be a little reserved, right?¡± She said as the looked out the window, ¡°We¡¯re here, we¡¯re here, hurry and turn in.¡±

    Mei Xiawen parked in the parking lot in front of the restaurant. The pair walked inside and ordered a few of their regr dishes and also a container of richly slow cooked white fungus and lotus seed congee. Mei Xiawen told Gu Nianzhi everything about his first love, Jiang Hongcha as they had dinner.

    ¡°...I was ss Rep back then and she was in charge of the ss¡¯s recreational activities and also a family friend. Our personalities and interests were very simr and we got close very quickly. Afterwards we started dating when we began high school.¡± Mei Xiawen mused as he recalled the past. He even produced his phone and showed the Weibo, ¡°ck Tea¡¯s Sky¡± to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°See, this was the shared Weibo we had back then. We were the only ones who knew the password, but it was changed recently and I can¡¯t login anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to the love story with great interest. At the end, she even looked at the Weibo on the phone that Mei Xiawen was holding. Thest update was a status from a few days ago, saying how the most beautiful scenery was by her side. Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°The person who said this is an understanding person.¡± She looked at Mei Xiawen, ¡°If you guys were sopatible, why did you break up in the first ce?¡±

 Chapter 101 - Iâ€™m Not an Animal

    <h4>Chapter 101: I¡¯m Not an Animal</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s expression had visibly darkened.

    He held his head in his hands, his elbows propped on the table. There was a hint of sorrow in his voice. ¡°I was young and stupid, and took her for granted. She was headstrong and stubborn, and I was too proud to give in to her. After she left the country, she was all alone in a foreignnd. She needed someone to help her, but I was too far away to do that...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly realized what he was saying. She was very surprised. ¡°She got a new boyfriend?¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked at her with a wry smile on his face. ¡°Nianzhi, c¡¯mon, you don¡¯t have to be so blunt about it. I have my pride, too, you know.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to ask whether his ex-girlfriend had gotten a new boyfriend before the breakup, or after...

    If it had happened before the breakup, then Mei Xiawen¡¯s first girlfriend had cheated on him.

    She looked at Mei Xiawen, and noted how reluctant he was to talk about it. Gu Nianzhi guessed that he had been cheated on; it was written all over his face.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little more sympathetic towards Mei Xiawen now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat. You like beef, don¡¯t you?¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed the serving chopsticks and picked out a tender beef pentagon for Mei Xiawen. ¡°Eat up.¡±

    Mei Xiawen smiled. He said, ¡°Feed me,¡± and opened his mouth expectantly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand froze in mid-air. She said,ughing, ¡°I better not ¨C my wrists are made of jelly. You might end up with food all over your face.¡± As she said that, her hand shook, and the tender beef pentagon dropped into the small bowl in front of Mei Xiawen.

    ¡°You wriggled out of it again. I¡¯m not going to let you off so easy next time...¡± Mei Xiawen put his hand over hers and winked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi nonchntly pulled her hand out of his grasp, and picked up the spoon for her porridge. She began to eat, relishing every bite.

    The two of them quietly finished their dinner. When they were done, they ordered a pot of tea. They sat facing each other as they digested their dinner.

    Mei Xiawen got up and sat beside her. He whipped out his phone. ¡°Here, look. I was bored waiting for you this afternoon, so I made a Weibo ount. Let¡¯s use it together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at his phone. The name of the blog was ¡°Always On My Mind (Nian Zi Zai Zhi).¡±

    The first andst charactersbined to form her name.

    She could not help blushing at this. Sheughed, and said, ¡°We¡¯re sharing a Weibo ount? We¡¯re not that close, are we?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb.¡± Mei Xiawen was all smiles as he sent the Weibo username and password to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. ¡°Keep it. You can vent on the blog whenever you have something you need to get off your chest. Let it all out, no one will know it¡¯s you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself: I have so many anonymous, duplicate ounts for that. Why on earth would I post my private feelings on a blog that literally spells out my name?

    ¡°I¡¯ll post my feelings, too.¡± Mei Xiawen logged into the ount. He asked Gu Nianzhi: ¡°What¡¯s your Weibo username? Let¡¯s follow each other.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have Weibo. I don¡¯t even have a QQ ount.¡±

    ¡°In that case, this Weibo ount is all yours,¡± said Mei Xiawen quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll help you manage it. How many followers do you want? Give me a number, and I¡¯ll buy them for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...You just said I can write anything I want on the blog and nobody will know....¡±

    So what was all this about buying followers?

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m talking about zombie followers, bots with no one behind the ounts. The followers are just there so you won¡¯t feel lonely again.¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s smile was open and sincere. His gold-rimmed sses made him look all the more refined and handsome.

    The other youngdies in the restaurant could not stop looking over at Mei Xiawen. They were obviously smitten with him.

    Gu Nianzhi had not registered anything Mei Xiawen had said, aside from ¡°you won¡¯t feel lonely again.¡± The words had hit a little too close to home.

    ¡°Why do you say I¡¯m lonely? I have three lovely sisters living with me in the dormitory, and when I¡¯m out and about you¡¯re always there for me. So how exactly am I lonely?¡± She refused to admit it.

    Mei Xiawen smiled and said nothing. The dark eyes behind the gold-rimmed sses were gentle as they watched her.

    Something very strange happened ¨C Gu Nianzhi was suddenly ovee with a feeling of contentment. Everything seemed perfect; she was at peace with the world.

    There was arge picture window, so big it took up an entire wall. She sat beside Mei Xiawen, watching the bright lights and the frenzied hustle and bustle beyond the window. She smiled.

    Mei Xiawen saw her smile, and could not help smiling either. ¡°I¡¯ll write something for you and post it when I get back. I hope you¡¯ll take the time to read it, and post what you think about it afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯m a reader, not a writer.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not like you, ss Rep. You¡¯re a real poet.¡±

    Mei Xiawen humored her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can just read my posts then. Give me a call when you¡¯ve read them, and tell me what you think, won¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I will ¨C if the writing is good enough.¡± said Gu Nianzhi slyly.

    The two of them finished the tea and left the restaurant. They returned to their respective dormitories.

    Upon returning to her room, Gu Nianzhi took a bath and washed her hair. After that, she picked up the hair dryer and began to blow-dry her hair. She was so preupied with what she was doing shepletely forgot about Yin Shixiong.

    She had wanted to call Yin Shixiong before going to bed, and ask if he had gotten ahold of Huo Shaoheng, but this was not to be: she was so tired she nodded off to sleep as soon as her hair was dry,

    ...

    After ending his phone call with Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong quickly called Zhao Liangze.

    The two of them chatted idly for a bit. A few minutes into the conversation, Yin Shixiong brought up what Gu Nianzhi had told him over the phone.

    ¡°When you get the chance, ask Mr. Huo if he¡¯s okay with Nianzhi interning at the United States Congress for half a year, after she graduates.¡± Yin Shixiong deliberately skipped over most of the details.

    Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng were in Europe, and Yin Shixiong wasmunicating with them via satellite transmission. None of them could say for sure how secure their connection was; it was therefore necessary for them to be as vague and cryptic as possible.

    Zhao Liangze was very surprised. He could not contain his burning curiosity. ¡°That Professor He ¨C isn¡¯t he being a little too nice to Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been very nice to her, yes. But then again, our girl Nianzhi is the real deal: she¡¯s beautiful, smart, cute, and charming. Who wouldn¡¯t be taken in by her?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice was full of pride. ¡°Show me a man who can resist her charms, and I¡¯ll show you he isn¡¯t normal!¡±

    A tall figure was now standing behind Zhao Liangze, right in the camera¡¯s blind spot.

    Zhao Liangze suddenly gave a violent cough.

    Yin Shixiong had not seen Huo Shaohenge over. He was talking animatedly and enthusiastically now, as though Gu Nianzhi were his precious daughter: ¡°...Little Ze, men are all the same. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re 18 or 80; they all have the same standards when ites to women. Nianzhi is beautiful, and curvy in all the right ces. And she¡¯s barely an adult! Can you imagine what it¡¯s going to be like when she¡¯s fully grown and mature? Hooboy, men are going to drop at her feet like flies!¡±

    ¡°...What about you? So you like Nianzhi, too? Or are you not normal?¡± A deep, resonant voice suddenly sounded from Zhao Liangze¡¯s side of the connection.

    Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t really paying attention; his brain automatically assumed the question hade from Zhao Liangze. He waved his arms about, furious. ¡°I¡¯m not like those other men, okay?! I¡¯m Nianzhi¡¯s guardian! I watched her grow up! Why would I think of her that way?! I¡¯m not an animal!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stepped forward and revealed himself to the camera, his arms folded and his expression deadpan. He jabbed a finger at Yin Shixiong and said, ¡°Good answer. You¡¯re not as hopeless as I thought.¡±

    Yin Shixiong almost had a heart attack when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s devastatingly beautiful face appear on theputer screen.

    He gave a loud shout and lost his bnce. He rolled off the sofa and onto the floor,nding on his butt with a loud thump.

    ¡°So what¡¯s this about an internship at the United States Congress?¡± Huo Shaoheng seated himself beside Zhao Liangze. He took over the mouse, and seized control of theputer.

 Chapter 102 - Time to Make a Move

    <h4>Chapter 102: Time to Make a Move</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong supported himself on the coffee table to crawl up from the floorboards and sit down on the sofa. He lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare to look at the monitor, uttering gloomily, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s post-grad instructor, Professor He gave her an opportunity to intern at the United States Congress for six months. So Nianzhi asked me if her passport was still valid and if she could go...¡±

    ¡°An opportunity from Professor He?¡± Huo Shaoheng used the mouse to open B University¡¯s Faculty of Law website to check He Zhichu¡¯s homepage and CV.

    ¡°Thoroughly investigate He Zhichu¡¯s background and origin in detail, if there¡¯s nothing wrong, help her with their passport.¡± Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time, his inky eyes inscrutable, ¡°As to whether not not to intern at the United States Congress, let Nianzhi decide for herself.¡±

    Yin Shixiong agreed, then asked, ¡°But Nianzhi won¡¯t be 18 until October, so she needs a guardian to travel abroad with her before then.¡± He studied Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression to gauge his reaction.

    Huo Shaoheng rose from his seat to move away from the monitor and stood by the window. He had a cigarette between his fingers and lowered his head to light it, inhaling deeply. He watched Prague¡¯s sparkling starry sky outside the window and said dryly, ¡°If Nianzhi chooses to go, Big Xiong, you go with her. It¡¯s only six months and it¡¯s a good chance for you to see how the goldfishes in America are doing...¡±

    The Empire and the United States were the only two super nations on Blue. Other than normal exchanges and trades, there were also secret tensions and all sorts of espionage. The American CIA had spies in the Empire and the Imperial Special Operations Forces also nted men in America. Thus they were doing the same thing and neither could stand on higher moral ground and point fingers.

    ¡°Ok.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded at the monitor, ¡°Nianzhi won¡¯t graduate for another two weeks, we¡¯ll make arrangements then.¡± After they finished discussing Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong then asked about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s overseas mission.

    Zhao Liangze shook his head at the webcam,¡± Just focus on taking care of Nianzhi, don¡¯t worry about our side. Everything is normal.¡±

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t say anything more and cracked a few jokes before turning off theputer and going to bed.

    Huo Shaoheng was still concerned and specifically asked Zhao Liangze to do aplete investigation on He Zhichu. As long as there wasn¡¯t anything fishy with the professor, he could set his mind at ease and let Gu Nianzhi go with Yin Shixiong to experience America. Even if Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything, Zhao Liangze would¡¯ve dug up He Zhichu for Yin Shixiong. When Hi Zhichu was recruiting at C University, they had already fully investigated him and didn¡¯t find anything illicit. They also had a third party verify his CV and everything lined up. Because it involved the United States Congress this time, they had to revisit He Zhichu¡¯s information again and check if anything had been missed. He Zhichu¡¯s social rtions was the focus of this investigation.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, are you really not worried?¡± Zhoa Liangze expressed his concerns in a low voice as he browsed online, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s grown up under our secure protection for the past six years, and even so, there has been a few mishaps. Are you sure about her leaving our turf and going to America for six months?¡±

    The cigarette in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand glowed, but he didn¡¯t smoke from it. His gaze was heavy on the night sky out the window, ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s been with us for six years and we still haven¡¯t been able to find out her past, that¡¯s why...¡± That¡¯s why it was time to make a move to see if when it is dark in the east, it is light in the west. Perhaps they would find unexpected results.

    Zhao Liangze merely listened and didn¡¯t speak again for a long time. However the sound of his hammering on the keyboard grew much louder, tatatatatats like he was venting. The keyboard on theptop was about to fall apart.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to him and smiled dryly, ¡°...You have a concern?¡±

    ¡°How could I dare be concerned.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s smile was nearly mirthless, he looked up at Huo Shaoheng, ready to righteously debate about Gu Nianzhi. But as soon as Zhao Liangze met Huo Shaoheng¡¯s icy gaze, he became a deted ball and lost all bravado.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± Huo Shaoheng moved away from the window and sat on the single-seater sofa under under it. He rested his long legs on the round ste pstool in front of the sofa and appeared rxed,pletely unperturbed by anything.

    Zhao Liangze looked at him again. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was a portrait ofposure, as stately and dependable as a mountain. Under the lights, he was despairingly handsome and cold enough to cause palpitations. Whenever this happened, his coldness nearly overcame his beauty¨Clike a legendary sword that only exuded lethality thatpletely blotted out its beauty.

    Recalling Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unquestioning dependence and trust for Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze gritted his teeth and buried his head at theptop. He hastily muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll say it then! ¨CMr. Huo, can it be that even though Nianzhi¡¯s been with us for six years that she¡¯s nothing to you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent and only took another puff of the cigarette, thennguidly blew out a ring of smoke. The white smoke snaked before his eyes and obscured his view.

    Zhao Liangze looked up from hisptop and couldn¡¯t read Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exquisite eyes though the smoke. He went with his gut and continued, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you miss even a cat or a dog you¡¯ve raised for six years? How can you bear to throw her out like a lure? Just to figure out her past? Or is it because... there¡¯s another reason?¡±

    ¡°What other reason do you think I have?¡± Huo Shaoheng stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray. He crossed his legs, one elbow draping on the armrest and the other to supporting his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you and Yin Shixiong were so rash and soft hearted. It seems like that I misjudged you. I don¡¯t need soldiers like this.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart nearly leapt out of his throat. He quickly rose and stood at attention before Huo Shaoheng, loudly dering, ¡°Mr. Huo! You asked me to speak from the heart!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng adjusted his cor, ¡°But your answer was extremely dissatisfactory.¡±

    Zhao Liangze pursed his lips to tightly the stubble on his face stuck out and his handsome face grew uncharacteristically red, ¡°I... I... I... I¡¯m human! Not a robot!¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng was aware of this, he had always treated himself like a war machine and didn¡¯t tolerate a trace of humanity. Huo Shaoheng looked up and swiftly nced over Zhao Liangze, ¡°Fine, go finish what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Zhao Liangze saluted him, his head rise and chest out. Before his courage dissipated, he bravely said, ¡°Mr. Huo! Nianzhi¡¯s not 18 yet, it¡¯s hard for her too, you...¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to stop Zhao Liangze from continuing, ¡°I know what to do. But remember, the military had us take care of Gu Nianzhi, not babysit her. Our duty is to find out about her past. ¨CBefore we figure it out, she¡¯s only our target and subject of observation, do you understand? I know you¡¯re human, but to be an excellent soldier, an excellent Special Ops member, you have to ovee your personal weaknesses to be truly undefeatable.¡±

 Chapter 103 - Only One Outcome

    <h4>Chapter 103: Only One Oue</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s lips trembled. Try as he might, he could not think of a rebuttal.

    What Mr. Huo had said was entirely reasonable, under the circumstances.

    But Zhao Liangze had a careful and analytical mind. He was aputer hacker who had prowled the depths of the inte for years; his brain was wired to probe for bugs and loopholes.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, what if ¨C this ispletely hypothetical ¨C what if something happens to Nianzhi?¡± Zhao Liangze returned to hisputer and sat down. ¡°If that happens, we¡¯ll never find out where she came from, and thest six years will have been all for nothing...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng propped his head in his hand, his elbow resting on the sofa¡¯s armrest. He smoked in silence, and did not reply.

    Zhao Liangze knew better than to ask again. Everyone knew that Huo Shaoheng never answered hypothetical questions.

    For Huo Shaoheng, once a decision had been made, he made absolutely sure that it would be carried through. He was prepared for every potential problem and difficulty, and would not have his hands and feet bound by hypothetical oues.

    He was a soldier, and there was only one eptable oue for him: victory.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi awoke the next day, and remembered what she had asked Yin Shixiong the previous evening. She was still lying in bed with her eyes closed when she called him.

    Yin Shixiong had already been up and about for some time. He had returned from his morning exercise, and was now breakfasting merrily with his fellow soldiers in the cafeteria.

    When he saw the iing call from Gu Nianzhi, he knew it was about the internship at the US Congress.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re up early.¡± Yin Shixiong put on his Bluetooth headset. He walked out of the cafeteria and made for his office.

    Gu Nianzhi responded to this with azy ¡°Yeah.¡± She rubbed her eyes, sat up in her bed, and asked, ¡°Brother Xiong, did you ask Uncle Huo about my passport?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, about that...¡± Yin Shixiong coughed. ¡°Mr. Huo is currently busy with a mission, so he didn¡¯t really have time to talk. But he did say that he¡¯ll get a passport and visa for you if you want to go. When the timees, I¡¯ll go with you to America, as your temporary guardian.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was beside herself with joy. She could barely keep herself from jumping up and cheering. ¡°Uncle Huo agreed? It¡¯s all settled then, I¡¯ll tell Professor He about it, like right this instant.¡± She promptly hung up on Yin Shixiong and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    But no one picked up.

    Gu Nianzhi was forced to send him a message instead: ¡°Professor He, my guardian says I can go for the internship. What¡¯s my next step?¡±

    She had to wait three days before He Zhichu finally responded to her message.

    [Professor He]: ¡°Nianzhi, if you¡¯re interested in the internship, you can look up the registration procedure for it on the B University Law School website. Today is thest day for you to register.¡±

    The message was followed by an email: He Zhichu had corrected her graduation thesis for her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the message. She gave a small sigh.

    She knew she had angered Professor He by not taking up his offer as soon as it was presented to her.

    It was patently obvious that his attitude towards her had cooled considerably. The goose had been in the bag, and she had let it fly away...

    Gu Nianzhi inwardly cursed He Zhichu for being so petty, but opened up the website for B University Law School all the same. She found the registration page for the internship at the US Congress.

    Professor He had not been joking: it was thest day to sign up.

    She filled out the necessary forms as instructed and clicked the Send button.

    A minuteter, she received an email stating that her registration had been sessful. It also gave her a number: 38.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Had 37 other students also signed up for this?

    She hadn¡¯t even realized there were that many doctoral students studying under He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi was He Zhichu¡¯s first and only graduate student.

    He Zhichu¡¯s other students were all studying for their doctorate, and were ahead of her academically.

    In other words, she was the least qualified of the 38 students.

    Gu Nianzhi did not like being inst ce. She liked the view from the top.

    Once she was done with the registration, she began to study and prepare for the exam.

    Her graduation thesis had been meticulously revised by He Zhichu.

    She read it from beginning to end, but could not find any fault with it. She finalized the paper, printed it out, and submitted it to her thesis supervisor. Her thesis defense was scheduled to take ce a weekter.

    She spent the rest of the week diligently studying for He Zhichu¡¯s exam.

    Mei Xiawen apanied her, as usual. She studied from morning till night, and Mei Xiawen was always there to keep herpany whenever his schedule allowed it. He helped her studies along by putting together mock exams and pop quizzes for her.

    Gu Nianzhi weed Mei Xiawen¡¯spany. She did not like to be alone.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and his men had arrived in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, a few days ago, and were now well-acquainted with the area.

    They had made detailed notes and observations regarding the variousndmarks and ethnicmunities on their topographic map of the city.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System ¨C designed andunched into orbit by the Empire without any outside help ¨C had done most of the heavy lifting for them.

    The three Whitewater Security Group mercenaries in Prague did not live in the same vicinity.

    Rahm ¨C the oldest of the three ¨C lived in a residential house near Old Town Square in Prague. The area was densely popted, and he appeared to be living with his family. He went about his business like any ordinary person ¨C neither his appearance nor his behavior suggested that he was actually a war veteran who had retired from the Special Forces.

    Rahm was the most vignt. He was also the leader of the eight mercenaries, and had the highest kill count.

    The second mercenary, Huttu, was a man in his prime. He had no wives, no children, and no property of his own. He was staying in a home-style hotel near St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, and appeared to be content there.

    Huttu was the easiest target of the three.

    He was a heavy drinker, and was hopelessly intoxicated six days out of the week.

    The third mercenary, Mike, was an Englishman. After retiring from the British Special Forces, he epted a job offer from Whitewater Security Group, and became yet another mercenary who was willing to risk his life for money.

    The words ¡°country¡± and ¡°state¡± held no meaning for these mercenaries. They cared only about money.

    They were willing to do anything, as long as their clients were able to pay for it.

    Their job scope ranged from small tasks, such as killing their client¡¯s archenemy, to massive undertakings, such as overthrowing the government of a country.

    They had not been 100% sessful with all of their missions, but nevertheless these mercenaries were fearless men who never backed down from a request.

    Although Rahm, Huttu, and Mike were part of the same group, they acted independently, and were not in regr contact with one another most of the time.

    They only scheduled regr briefings and strategy meetings when there was an active mission.

    This time, Whitewater Security Group had epted a major job: they had to kill Gu Yanran, a young, wealthy woman in Barbados.

    Whitewater Security Group had initially assumed the task to be easy money, and had therefore not taken it very seriously.

    They had sent their best men, this group of eight mercenaries, just to humor the client; the money offered for their services had been considerable.

    But as the days passed, it became apparent that the first half of their ns had gone awry: every single one of the military weapons delivered to C City in the Huaxia Empire had been confiscated by the city¡¯s police.

    Whitewater Security Group had reacted to this by assigning more men to smuggle weapons into the Huaxia Empire, in hopes that they would be able to get back on track. The weapons had to be in ce before the International Extraordinary Women Commendation Ceremony, as they were supposed to kill their target, Gu Yanran, during the ceremony.

    Gu Yanran herself was not a threat. She was reportedly not in the best of health, and spent most of her time ill in bed. Thanks to her secluded life, she was aplete enigma in Barbados.

    Whitewater Security Group had tried several times to track her whereabouts in Barbados, to no avail. They lost many men in the process.

 Chapter 104 - All A Ruse

    <h4>Chapter 104: All A Ruse</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know much about Gu Yanran¡¯s situation and could only glean from the information the Secret Service had provided. His focus was not her, but rather the agreement she had with the Deputy Director Feng of the Secret Service¨Cto eliminate the eight mercenaries. Because the entire affair transpired through the Secret Service, the 6th Military Region was unable to exceed authority to that extent. The only one to interact with Gu Yanran was Deputy Director Feng. Huo Shaoheng and his men were directly charged by the military to eliminate the eight mercenaries targetting Gu Yanran.

    Zhao Liangze was in front of hisptop and found something curious while investigating He Zhichu¡¯s social rtions. ¡°Hmm, Mr. Huo, this is interesting.¡± He waved at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked over as he threw a cigarette butt into the trashcan, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Have a look at this. Is it a coincidence or something more?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and stood behind Zhao Liangze to nce at the monitor. He paused, thenughed, ¡°This is interesting.¡± It turned out when Zhao Liangze researched He Zhichu¡¯s rtions, he discovered that Gu Yanran was one of hisw firm¡¯s clients. However, she wasn¡¯t a direct client of his.

    ¡°Hehe, this Gu Ranyan is certainly wealthy. Look, she can afford to retain such a bigshot firm for legal representation. She¡¯s not just any typical rich person.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. You think a normal billionaire can ount for half the GDP of a small nation?¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head, unimpressed, ¡°He Zhichu belongs to thergestw firm in America, so the clients are mostly rich or famous. This is nothing strange.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not strange, but I think it¡¯s too much of a coincidence.¡± Zhao Liangze had a mouse in his hands and kept clicking between Gu Yanran and He Zhichu¡¯s names.

    Huo Shaoheng mulled over it for a while, then asked, ¡°He Zhichu went back to the States?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what is says on B University¡¯s Faculty of Law webpage.¡± Zhao Liangze looked it up, ¡°ording to the itinerary, Gu Yanran ising to the Empire. They just missed each other.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed, ¡°Remember this point and send it to Big Xiong. He can make sure to follow up on it when he goes to the States with Nianzhi.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded and encrypted the file on Gu Yanran before sending it to Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°How are things going on our end? When can we make the move?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°Did the team members send letters over yet?¡±

    Once their team left the country, they split up in groups of two to find lodgings. Huo Shaoheng was with Zhaoliangze, and the others were paired off as snipers and spotters. The n was to eliminate the three mercenaries in Prague using the US Navy SEALs¡¯ usual method.

    Zhao Liangze checked his inbox, ¡°Almost, in one more day the three teams will be able to get into position.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the bed to lie down and flip through a Czech magazine. He suddenly asked Zhao Liangze, ¡°You think Gu Yanran will be safe once the eight mercenaries are killed?¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed and rose to stretch. He walked to the window to see Prague¡¯s night view as he shook his head, ¡°Actually I thought this mission was weird to begin with. The thing with mercenaries is that the more you kill off, the more that appear. If her enemy truly wants her dead, what good is killing these eight mercenaries? She needs to find the mastermind behind this. Otherwise, the mastermind can hire even more lethal mercenaries once these eight are eliminated.¡± He nced at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, it can¡¯t be that we have to keep killing more?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes dimmed, ¡°The agreement was to kill these eight mercenaries targeting her, and she will handover the blueprints. If she doesn¡¯t hold up to the deal...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, he was more vicious than mercenaries...

    Zhao Liangze understood what he meant and gave a shrug. Miss Gu better have a prayer if she dared to default on the Special Ops. The Whitewater Security Group was nothing inparison to the power of the Imperial Army¡¯s Special Operations Forces.

    Huo Shaoheng flipped another page of the magazine and concluded, ¡°So I think killing the mercenaries is all a ruse. That¡¯s not her true goal.¡±

    ¡°But why did Mr. Huoe anyway?!¡± Zhao Liangze was shocked, ¡°Are you not worried that this was to lure you away?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him, ¡°You think the Empire¡¯s millions of soldiers are useless? The Empire is doomed without us? ¨CDon¡¯t be so arrogant.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I don¡¯t know if the Empire will be fine without us or not, but I know that our Special Ops can¡¯t do without Mr. Huo!¡± Zhao Liangze jumped on the chance to butter up Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and pretended he didn¡¯t hear anything as he continued to flip through the magazine.

    ...

    A dayter, they got into position to eliminate all three mercenaries at the same time. This was because all three targets were extremely vignt and also had special devices that enabled contact between them. If they couldn¡¯t be killed at the same time, the survivors would get wind and certainly disappear for good. If it came to that, it would be much more difficult to track them down. On the day of the operation, Huo Shaoheng simply disguised himself. He applied thick facial hair, wore sunsses, a ck T-shirt and bleached jeans. He carried a duffel backpack as he left the hotel with Zhao Liangze to the Old Town Square to feed the pigeons. A Bluetooth headset was in his ear, and he also had a tracker andmunicator connected to the Nandou Global Satellite Tracking System. This was a globalmunication and navigation system developed and produced by the Empire. The system was extremely urate and could guarantee 24 hour coverage without blind spots.

    It was early June and the weather in Prague was beautiful¨Cblue skies stretched as far as the eye could see, the colour like the most beautiful sapphire. In the blue clouds and white skies, pigeons weaved through the clouds and cried in the air. Huo Shaoheng sat on a long bench in the Old Town Square and threw the beadcumbs on the ground to attract a drove of pigeons with grey heads and white bodies. They circled around him. Huo Shaoheng sat casually and his strapping figure wasparable to that of the Eastern Europeans. Hence he blended in perfectly, and was dressed simr to the artists on the square.

    ¡°Alpha, Target A in position. Three storey building in Old Town, eating breakfast by the window. End of report.¡± This was Rahm¡¯s position.

    ¡°Alpha, Target B is in postion. Hostel near St. Vitus Cathedral, room 319 on the second floor, distance of approximately 1 meter from a closed window, AMR required. End of report. This was Huttu¡¯s position.

    ¡°Alpha, Target C is in position. Presently in the upper right corner of Old Town Square. End of report.¡± This was Mike¡¯s position and direction. That also meant that Mike and Huo Shaoheng were in the same ce. He was the youngest of the mercenaries and didn¡¯t have a set address, making him the hardest to track.

 Chapter 105 - Shifting the Blame

    <h4>Chapter 105: Shifting the me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng listened to the report, and responded with a curt ¡°Copy that.¡± They were going ahead with their original n.

    They had been in the city for two weeks now. It was time to act.

    Zhao Liangze remained in the hotel; he was the operator for the mission, and it was his job to support his other teammates.

    He heard Huo Shaoheng give the go ahead, and immediately issued instructions to the three squads via the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System.

    ¡°Everyone get in position. We strike in five minutes.¡±

    Five minutes was the bare minimum necessary for snipers to get a lock on their target.

    This was not a normal mission, and they had prepared for it ordingly: they had scouted out the area and prepped their sniping positions beforehand. Once they were in position, they would be able to lock on to their target within five minutes.

    ¡°Copy that. Not a problem.¡± The three squads answered in the affirmative.

    Zhao Liangze ryed their message to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything. He bent over, grabbed a fistful of bread crumbs, and tossed them upwards, into the sky.

    The pigeons in the square immediately took off, their wings pping loudly.

    The sky was full of the cooing and fluttering of pigeons.

    Against the white clouds and the azure sky, pigeons of all colors flew about, as beautiful and graceful as white swans.

    Mike was sitting at the other end of the square. As the pigeons continued to coo and flutter, a small red dot appeared on his forehead.

    Mike was extremely vignt, and could sense when something was wrong.

    Without warning, his heart began to race, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled.

    He looked about the square, and spotted a tall, bearded man sitting on the bench opposite him.

    The bearded man appeared to be watching him.

    When the bearded man saw Mike look his way, he tossed another fistful of pigeon feed into the air.

    The sky was immediately blotted out by pigeons. They were big, strong birds, and they swooped towards the man in a flurry of feathers.

    Mike saw the pigeons descend on the man across him, andughed.

    As heughed, the vague sense of unease in his heart disappeared.

    At that very moment, a sniper rifle, some 500-meters away, fired an olive-shaped bullet. It struck Mike in the forehead.

    Mike silently fell backwards onto the bench.

    From where Huo Shaoheng stood, Mike looked like he was watching the white pigeons, up in the sky...

    ¡°Target C eliminated. Over.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He got up and left the square.

    There were only a few other people in the square. Huo Shaoheng had a feeling it would probably be some time before they realized that the man on the bench was dead.

    Over at the home-style hotel near St. Vitus Cathedral, on the second floor, Huttu was sitting in Room 319, cleaning his gun. Suddenly, a bullet from an anti-materiel sniper rifle burst through the walls and struck him in the heart from behind.

    A pink spray of blood appeared on the wall opposite Huttu.

    The gold wallpaper was immediately mottled with red.

    Huttu fell to the floor, now no more than a shapeless blob of human flesh...

    In the Old Town district, inside a 3-story building, Rahm was eating breakfast by the window. He was the leader of the Prague mercenaries, and the oldest and the most experienced of the three.

    His years of experience had granted him almost a sixth sense: he sensed something was off, and looked out the window.

    He saw a familiar circle of light in the opposite building.

    It was the tell-tale sh of a sniper rifle scope, caught in the sunlight.

    Rahm realized what it was, but it was already toote.

    The bullet was already out of the barrel. As quick as his reflexes were, it was not humanly possible to escape a bullet that was already on its way.

    Thud!

    The bullet hit him square in the head. It punched right through his skull and buried itself in the opposite wall.

    Plop!

    Rahm was already dead when he dropped face-first into his breakfast tter.

    Three men in different corners of the city had been assassinated within the span of five minutes.

    ¡°Pack up. We¡¯re leaving the Czech Republic for Austria.¡± Huo Shaoheng instructed his men to dispose of their foreign-made guns as soon as possible.

    They no longer needed the weapons: they had a contact who would get them new guns from the ck market once they were inside Austria.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men split up and left the Czech Republic in groups of twos and threes, using different modes of transportation.

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze drove out of the country in a car as they had a lot of luggage with them, mostly electronic equipment.

    Two groups took the train from Czech Republic to Austria.

    The remaining group took a bus.

    The idea was to blend into the never-ending stream of tourists sightseeing in Europe.

    They arrived in Austria, turned on the TV, and found the news stations all abuzz with news of the deaths of their three Czech Republic targets.

    The Czech Republic invited military experts from Russia to help run forensics on the ballistics, which subsequently led to the discovery of the discarded sniper rifles.

    After careful inspection, the Russian military experts determined that the three murders had beenmitted by the same organization. The modus operandi was simr to that of the US Navy SEALs, and the experts were certain that only the United States could have slipped into the Czech Republic undetected, assassinated the three men, and then retreated without leaving a single trace.

    The Czech Republic closed its borders, and spent three daysbing the country for the killers. They came up empty-handed.

    Everyone knew that there was only one country that could have pulled off the assassinations.

    The Czech Republic authorities were absolutely livid. They issued a diplomatic note to the US embassy, and demanded an exnation on the three murders that had urred in the Czech Republic.

    Officials from the Czech Republic¡¯s Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid the US ambassador a visit, and began to interrogate him. The US ambassador sweated profusely as he listened to their angry questions.

    The Czech Republic had found plenty of incriminating evidence, and their arguments were water-tight. The Russian military experts backed up their ims by citing examples of simr incidents that had happened in the past. Collectively, their arguments were so convincing the US ambassador began to suspect the US Special Forces really had assassinated those men...

    He caught himself before he could say: that does sound like my men, all right! Aren¡¯t they something? Bravo, men, good job!

    It was true that the assassinations had been conducted in a manner that was consistent with the United States CIA¡¯s ybook.

    The CIA was not afraid of war. They hungered for it, in fact; they zealously made attempts to incite civil war and political unrest in other countries, and seemed to think it was their patriotic duty to do so...

    The arrogant US ambassador mumbled indistinctly to the Czech Republic diplomat in his southern drawl: ¡°We regret to hear about the killings that have urred in this country. Our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased; we hope that the victims are now in heaven, and will be able to rest in peace. ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?!¡± The Czech Republic diplomat was hopping mad. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to hand over the killers?!¡±

    ¡°You want me to get the killers? Why? I¡¯m not a policeman.¡± The US ambassador did not bother hiding his impatience and disdain. It was obvious that he wanted to be rid of his troublesome guest as soon as possible.

    ¡°So what are you going to do, then?¡± The Czech Republic diplomat brought his fist down upon the table, hard. ¡°You seem to be forgetting that the Czech Republic is an independent, sovereign state! We will not stand for this!¡±

    The US ambassador finally snapped.

    ¡°I came to the Czech Republic as an ambassador. I did note here to listen to your lectures.¡± The US ambassador frowned heavily. ¡°Please leave. I hope you catch the killers soon.¡±

    He showed his guest out the door.

    Following this unpleasant meeting, the Czech Republic recalled their ambassador to the United States, and expelled the US ambassador from their country.

    When the United States CIA learned of the incident, they, too, were furious.

    They had had nothing to do with the assassinations, but there was no way to prove their innocence.

    Whitewater Security Group was actually a front organization, controlled by the CIA.

    The CIA therefore could not go to the Czech Republic and conduct a thorough investigation on Whitewater Security Group, even if they wanted to.

    The fact of the matter was, the CIA had bankrolled those mercenaries.

    It was better to sweep the incident under the rug, than risk exposing the CIA¡¯s ties to Whitewater Security Group.

    The CIA thought long and hard about it, and ultimately decided to take the me and cut their losses.

    They had thousands upon thousands of mercenaries working for them. So what if three of them were now dead? There were thousands more of them at the ready.

    The case of the Czech Republic assassinations ended with both the Czech Republic and the United States of America expelling the other nation¡¯s ambassador.

    Zhao Liangze summed up everything that had happened in a report, and submitted it to Huo Shaoheng. He said, smiling, ¡°It seems that all our training paid off.¡±

    They had sessfully fooled the Russian military experts and the leader of the US Navy SEALs.

    Huo Shaoheng merely nced at the report; the results did not surprise him. ¡°We will deal with the three mercenaries in Austria next. We stick to our original n, like what we did in the Czech Republic.¡±

    The Special Operations Forces prepared to make their move in Austria.

    Over in the Huaxia Empire, the graduating students of C University were in the middle of their thesis defense.

 Chapter 106 - Leaving In A Hurry

    <h4>Chapter 106: Leaving In A Hurry</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Ninazhi¡¯s undergraduate thesis was fine tuned by He Zhichu, and she was highly skilled to boot. Thus the defense was a walk in the park and the defensemittee unanimously approved and also dered her to be the best thesis in the graduating ss. Gu Nianzhi was not surprised by the results. To her, the defense wasn¡¯t the challenge¨Crather, she had to concentrate her efforts to prepare for He Zhichu¡¯s exam. This exam would determine if she would be one of the two students interning at the United States Congress. Gu Nianzhi began to regret not epting his offer straight away, and now she had no choice but to study for a grueling exam. However once she finished all the readings on Americanw and the structure of the US Congress assigned by He Zhichu, she understood his intentions and agreed it was beneficial to sit through the exam. At least it would force her to quickly familiarize herself with the basics of the Americanw system and the constitution ofw through the US Congress.

    On June 15th, she only had time to gobble down her breakfast. She had came out of her thesis defense in the conference room of the Law Building in the morning, and attended He Zhichu¡¯s exam in the afternoon. He Zhichu¡¯s exam format was very unique. It was not a typical paper exam, but was a live question and answer session that simted the US Congress. He would integrate various types of knowledge questions to observe their grasp and coping ability.

    He Zhichu was hosting the exam from the States. All the students, with the exception of Gu Nianzhi, were located in B City. Hence this exam was conducted through a online video conference. Gu Nianzhi opened herptop and connected to the exam address. He Zhichu¡¯s handsome face appeared on the monitor. A pair of sultry eyes gazed at her through the screen, and they seemed eeriely capable of reading minds. Gu Nianzhi sighed internally, someone with such eyes should be a judge, rather than awyer. With just one nce, even the criminals with the tightest lips would immediately blurt out a confession?

    ¡°...Before we begin the exam, I¡¯ll take attendance first.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice traveled from the headset and Gu Nianzhi hastily straightened in her seat. When her name was called, she answered crisply, ¡°Here.¡±

    He Zhichu was sitting alone in hisrge office. He clicked on the cursor lightly to erge Gu Nianzhi¡¯s window, and the other 37 examinees shrunk into little ck dots on the monitor...

    ¡°Today¡¯s exam questions: Number 1, how does the US Congress introduce bills? ¨CEnter your answer in the window, no need to speak. You have one minute.¡±

    The short time limit ensured the students couldn¡¯t look up the information. Gu Nianzhi easily answered all the knowledge questions and proceeded to the debate portion. This also wasn¡¯t difficult for her, as she was articte to begin with and excelled at the ripping at deficiencies in other people¡¯s arguments. She was unperturbed, even in face of doctorate students several years her senior. She attacked from all angles and sparkled with wit. Although her arguments left no room for rebuttal and wereced with sharp remarks, she spoke at an even pace and her voice was sweet. Even her opponents couldn¡¯t resent her. Before they knew it, she was able to control the rhythm of the debate.

    He Zhichu¡¯s smile grew as the joy bloomed from his heart and melted into his shimmering eyes. Three hours quickly passed, and the arduous exam was finally over. The examinees all copsed in their seats, exhausted.

    He Zhichu cooly remarked, ¡°So exhausted by just that? Once the Congress is in session, it normally takes seven to eight days of this level of work to pass a bill.¡±

    Everyone immediately straightened, afraid to rx. After the exam, it was time to await for results.

    All the examinees already knew that one of the two positions would be given to Gu Nianzhi, the post-grade student. Her performance was brilliant and the doctorate students epted their defeat. As to who the other student would pass, that wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi¡¯s concern.

    The truth was, He Zhichu had texted Gu Nianzhi within 10 minutes after the exam, ¡°Congrattions, get ready to go to the States.¡±

    Gu Ninazhi almost jumped out of her seat in joy. She didn¡¯t even remember to disable the webcam before pumping her fists and screaming as she ran around the dorm. Because she was having a video conference exam, her roommates had all went out to give her privacy and hadn¡¯t returned yet. Gu Nianzhi was the only one there, and she totally lost allposure.

    He Zhichu watched her happiness from the other side of the world, his hands propping up his chin as he rested his elbows on the desk. He smiled faintly.

    He closed all the windows of all the students, save for Gu Nianzhi and when she finally calmed down, henguidly said, ¡°Nianzhi, your... webcam¡¯s still on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s jawdropped when she heard He Zhichu¡¯s voice from theptop speakers. She shuffled to the desk to see his handsome face in the monitor, his eyes full of amusement. She closed her eyes and reached out to close theptop with a bang.

    Soon after, her ringtone sounded. Gu Nianzhi looked over and saw it was an overseas number.

    She unlocked her phone, ¡°Hi?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, why did the connection fail just now?¡± It was He Zhichu¡¯s cool voice.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± He was doing this on purpose?!

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± He Zhichu asked, ¡°Did you get a visa? When can youe here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief, she had been so embarrassed earlier. Thankfully He Zhichu was tactful and knew when to stop teasing her.

    ¡°My passport is renewed and I can only apply for the visa once I get proof from you.¡± Gu Nnianzhi answered honestly, ¡°If it¡¯s just a travel visa, I won¡¯t be able to intern at the Congress.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ll be sending the documents for your visa right away. Apply for a F1 student visa and when youe, I¡¯ll apply for OPT for you. Then you¡¯ll be able to intern.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi answered cordially, before hanging up the phone.

    Today, aside from a minor mishap in front of He Zhichu, was very satisfying for Gu Nianzhi. The debate was over and she had passed He Zhichu¡¯s test, so theoretically she was already his student. To her, her undergrad life had finallye to a close today. The passport was ready, next was to go to the US Embassy to schedule a visa application. He Zhichu¡¯s documents quickly arrived and by the weekend, Gu Nianzhi had received her American F1 student visa. He Zhichu kept asking for updates. As soon as he knew she had the visa, he asked Wen Shouyi to book tickets for her and another doctorate student. They would fly out June 20th for the States. Because they had a F1 student visa and He Zhichu was the rmending professor, they had to earn a certain number of credits to satisfy the visa requirements.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t think it would happen so quickly. After he notified Huo Shaoheng, he packed his luggage to go to the States with Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    At the C City International Airport, Mei Xiawen held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand longingly, ¡°You¡¯lle back, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m just going for six months. I¡¯ll be going to B University next spring.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she consoled him, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. It¡¯s so easy to talk nowadays, remember to keep in touch.¡±

    Mei Xiawen nodded and walked Gu Nianzhi to security. Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t stop him and followed from an even distance to conceal his identity. Mei Xiawen only left unwillingly when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back disappear past security.

    However as soon as he left he terminal, he saw the person who had haunted his dreams walk out slowly towards him from the exit, luggage in tow. Mei Xiawen froze. He didn¡¯t recover his senses until after a long pause. The woman pushing the luggage stopped in front of him and eximed in surprise, ¡°Xiawen? Why are you here?! I¡¯m so d to see you right afternding!¡±

    It was his first love, Jiang Hongcha.

 Chapter 107 - This Must Be Fate

    <h4>Chapter 107: This Must Be Fate</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Wow, what are the odds? You know what this means? It means the two of you are still fated to be together.¡± It was Ai Weinan, standing a short distance away. She smiled and waved at Jiang Hongcha. ¡°Wee back, Hongcha. I said I¡¯d be here, and here I am.¡± She winked at Jiang Hongcha as she said this.

    Jiang Hongcha was a young, mild-mannereddy in her 20s. Her features were exquisite, and her voice was soft and sweet. She never raised her voice, because she never lost her temper.

    Like Mei Xiawen, she was a big literature enthusiast, and wrote mostly for her own amusement.

    ¡°Why are you acting all shy? You¡¯re blushing. You lived abroad for four years, you should have a hide like an elephant by now.¡± Ai Weinan made a face at Jiang Hongcha. ¡°Do your parents know you¡¯ll be back home today?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha¡¯s face, small and fair, had turned a shade of pink. She shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t told them. I want to give them a surprise.¡±

    Mei Xiawen finally recollected his wits. He helped Jiang Hongcha with one of her suitcases, and smiled as he said, ¡°It¡¯ll be a nice surprise for them, all right. I¡¯m happy to see you, too.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha cocked her head as she looked at Mei Xiawen. ¡°Really? You¡¯re happy to see me?¡±

    Ai Weinan quickly grabbed the remaining suitcase and said cheerfully: ¡°Of course he is. I can guarantee that ss Rep has been extremely well-behaved over thest four years. He hasn¡¯t been fooling around, nope, not him. He doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend¡ªhe¡¯s been waiting for you toe back, all this time!¡±

    Jiang Hongcha smiled gently at Mei Xiawen. ¡°No girlfriend? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s only because you set the bar too high. I mean, you¡¯re so talented, and from such a good family, too. I doubt any girl would refuse you.¡±

    Mei Xiawen stared at Ai Weinan. ¡°But I do have a girlfriend. In fact, I was just sending her off when I bumped into Hongcha.¡±

    The color immediately drained from Jiang Hongcha¡¯s face.

    Ai Weinan immediately smacked Mei Xiawen on the arm. ¡°Oh my god, ss Rep, why are you so stupid?! Hongcha has been single the whole time she was abroad. She never got another boyfriend, because she couldn¡¯t forget you! I was trying to help put in a good word for you, and you just had to say that! All my effort, wasted!¡±

    Mei Xiawen looked straight at Jiang Hongcha. He arched an eyebrow, his expression frigid.

    Mei Xiawen knew that Jiang Hongcha had been in another rtionship while abroad.

    But Ai Weinan did not seem to know about it. She wouldn¡¯t have said all that otherwise.

    Jiang Hongcha hastily averted her eyes and forced a smile, confirming Mei Xiawen¡¯s suspicions. ¡°Weinan, you¡¯ve gotten so bold over the years! Okay, we should go now, we really shouldn¡¯t be standing here, right in front of the door.¡±

    Mei Xiawen said, ¡°I¡¯ll drive you. You didn¡¯t tell anyone in your family you¡¯ll be back today, right? That means no one sent a car over to get you.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha¡¯s original n was to take a taxi home and surprise her family.

    She had not expected to meet Mei Xiawen here.

    She gave Ai Weinan a capital-L Look. A few days ago, Ai Weinan had called her and talked her into moving her return flight to today. It was now entirely obvious why she had done it...

    Ai Weinan gave her a wide smile, and took her arm. ¡°Hongcha, let¡¯s go. ss Rep drives an SUV¡ªall your luggage will fit, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the parking lot.¡± Mei Xiawen led the way to the airport¡¯s elevator.

    They arrived at the parking lot and got into Mei Xiawen¡¯s car. They were soon on the road, headed for the highway.

    ¡°Hongcha, are you back for a holiday, or are you staying for good?¡± Ai Weinan and Jiang Hongcha were both sitting in the second row. They sat close together, and appeared to enjoy each other¡¯spany.

    Jiang Hongcha nced sideways at Mei Xiawen. She lowered her eyes and stroked the string of white jade prayer beads around her wrist. ¡°I had an offer from the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, and I took it. I¡¯ll be starting in September.¡±

    ¡°The Imperial Symphony Orchestra? Oh, that¡¯s in the capital!¡± cried Ai Weinan. ¡°Hongcha, are you really going to run off to work in the capital, all by yourself, and leave ss Rep and me behind? Can¡¯t you stay here instead?¡±

    After graduating from college, Ai Weinan would be returning to C City to join her family in managing the family business.

    Of course, her family was not as distinguished as the Mei family and the Jiang family, not by a long shot.

    Jiang Hongcha had gone abroad to study at Julliard, the performing arts conservatory in New York. She had majored in violin, with a minor in cello. She was an exceptionally talented musician.

    While studying at Julliard, she had won a number of international awards, and had also produced several best-selling albums featuring post-modern violin music. She was already famous, both at home and abroad.

    She was more than qualified to y the violin at the Empire¡¯s best symphony orchestra.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart swelled with pride upon hearing this. He smiled and said, ¡°You never cease to amaze me, Hongcha. You¡¯ve made good use of your four years abroad.¡±

    ¡°I was lucky. I had a good mentor.¡± Jiang Hongcha smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be here for the next few months, I need to spend time with my family. The International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference will be held here in July, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the city takes it very seriously. We¡¯re almost done with the preparations,¡± said Mei Xiawen as he steered the car. ¡°I¡¯m a volunteer.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Jiang Hongcha was delighted. ¡°I¡¯m the first violinist, the concertmaster, for the conference. I suppose you could say we¡¯ll be working together as colleagues soon, Xiawen.¡±

    Mei Xiawen chuckled. He turned the steering wheel, merged into the highway, and drove towards Jiang Hongcha¡¯s house.

    Mei Xiawen and Jiang Hongcha were a lot friendlier with each other during the second half of the journey.

    They had settled back into their old rhythm after getting over the initial awkwardness. The distance between them slowly disappeared.

    Ai Weinan smiled awkwardly. She looked away, and kept her eyes on the high-rise buildings beyond the window. Her fists were clenched so tightly she could feel her fingernails digging into her palms.

    ...

    After a 12-hour flight, Gu Nianzhi arrived at Boston with herpanion, who was a doctoral student.

    This student had also been hand-picked by Professor He. His surname was Huang, and he called himself Apothecary Huang, because he enjoyed researching ancient Chinese remedies in his spare time.

    Gu Nianzhi ttered him by calling him ¡°Brother Huang¡± instead.

    The nended at Boston International Airport.

    Harvard University was in Boston, and He Zhichu was a tenured professor at Harvard Law School.

    He was teaching students in the doctoral program at Harvard, as well.

    Yin Shixiong had not sat with Gu Nianzhi during the flight; he had watched over her from several rows behind her.

    He caught up with her once they were off the ne, however.

    Gu Nianzhi introduced him to Brother Huang in an easy, confident manner. ¡°This is Brother Xiong, my guardian. He has to apany me for the next couple of months, until the day I turn 18.¡±

    Brother Huang pretended to have a fit. He clutched at his chest as he said, ¡°My dear child, I know I¡¯m old, you don¡¯t have to remind me. I may not be a woman, but I¡¯d rather keep my age a secret all the same, thank you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not stop giggling at his theatrics.

    Brother Huang was a lot older than she was. He was 28; he had worked for several years before pursuing his doctorate, and was set to graduate next year.

    Yin Shixiong looked at Brother Huang¡¯s hand, and noticed a diamond ring on his left ring finger.

    So he was a married man.

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Yin Shixiong extended a hand and shook hands with Brother Huang.

    With a single handshake, Yin Shixiong was able to determine that Brother Huang was exactly as he seemed: a regr Joe who had never trained in the martial arts.

    Brother Huang tapped Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, about your guardian¡ªwhat about his work? He¡¯ll be staying with you, here in America, for the next few months, right? That¡¯s a huge sacrifice to make.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, without missing a beat, promptly fabricated Yin Shixiong¡¯s ¡°upation¡± for him. ¡°Brother Xiong is a businessman, he was nning oning to America anyway. He wants to see for himself what the market¡¯s like over here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I bet you¡¯re one of those nouveau riche!¡± Brother Huang¡¯s eyes lit up. He grabbed Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡°Good day, sir. Might you be in need of awyer, a legal representative? I know just the person for the job¡ªme.¡±

    ¡°Get outta here!¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as she shoved Brother Huang away. ¡°Brother Xiong has me, I¡¯ll be hiswyer. You haven¡¯t got a chance!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, I forgot! Your grades are definitely going to be better than mine. Oh well.¡± Brother Huang was hamming it up; he hung his head dejectedly and gave an exaggerated sigh. ¡°And I wanted so badly to mooch off the newly rich! Oh, the pain of rejection! I can¡¯t take it¡ªquick, someone, stab me with a knife instead!¡±

    Yin Shixiong waspletely dumbfounded.

    He looked down at himself: he was dressed in thetest Brooks Brothers polo shirt and cks. On his feet were Under Armour sneakers, and there was a string of sandalwood prayer beads around his wrist.

    He could not deny it: he did look like a gaudy antiques enthusiast who had recentlye into a lot of money...

    Wen Shouyi was standing a short distance away. She watched them for a long moment, and finally walked over with a smile. ¡°Nianzhi, Little Huang¡ªProfessor He sent me to pick you up.¡±

 Chapter 108 - Arguing A Point To Death

    <h4>Chapter 108: Arguing A Point To Death</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang both nodded at Wen Shouyi, ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, this is my guardian.¡± Gu Nianzhi introduced as she pointed at Yin Shixiong, who was standing beside her. Yin Shixiong was in disguise, appearing like a tanned, bushy browed, middle-aged man¨Cjust like when he met He Zhichu at C University. Wen Shouyi had some memory of him. She recalled that Yin Shixiong hade in to excuse Gu Nianzhi when she missed her interview.

    She nodded politely, ¡°A pleasure to meet you.¡± She turned to lead them to a van and opened the door, ¡°Come in, Professor He has made living arrangements for you.¡± Wen Shouyi took the wheel and drove them to an apartment near Harvard. She rented two units here¨Ca one bedroom, one living room for Brother Huang and a two bedroom, one living room for Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong. It was very well thought out.

    ¡°Professor He asked youe over earlier, because your F1 student visa has academic credit requirements. You are actually attending the Harvard Law School as exchange students. Professor He will be teaching sses in July and August, so you¡¯ll be attending those summer sses to get six credits.¡± Wen Shouyi handed them the ss schedules.

    Brother Huang furrowed his brows in bewilderment, ¡°We still have to take sses for two months? Aren¡¯t we interning at the Congress?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a nudge and spoke in a low voice, ¡°The Congress is in recess from July and won¡¯t resume session until September...¡±

    Wen Shouyi patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder with approval, ¡°You¡¯re truly the top of the ss, you¡¯ve prepared well and even knew about the recess. This meticulousness is rare.¡± She continued as she pursed her lips into a smile, ¡°Professor He doesn¡¯t need to worry about you getting bullied because of your young age. Just looking at how clever you are, you¡¯d the be the bully, how could anyone take advantage of you?¡±

    Although it sounded like apliment, her tone was twisted with sarcasm. Gu Nianzhi already had prejudice against Wen Shouyi since the incident before her interview. Now she was extremely cautious when it came to anything Wen Shouyi said. However, she didn¡¯t have to defend herself this time. With the protective and articte Yin Shi Xiong at her side, Wen Shouyi could be taught a lesson at anytime.

    ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen was it?¡± Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes, ¡°This is how you speak, as aw teaching assistant? Though I didn¡¯t studyw, I can tell you were ndering Nianzhi. Know that I can sue you so badly you¡¯d lose your job.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was dumbfounded, unable to believe someone would speak to her like that. She believed that aside from He Zhichu, no one in the world could disrespect her like that.

    ¡°Is that right? Then go on sue me? I¡¯ll wait for the court notice.¡± Wen Shouyi never backed down.

    Gu Nianzhi interjected with a smile, ¡°Brother Xiong, you don¡¯t need the court to make her lose her job. Just directly tell her employer that she¡¯s purposely beating down on students. Professor He is a very fair person, I believe he¡¯ll find justice.¡± She hit it where it hurt.

    Wen Shouwi was fearless about everything, except for He Zhichu. Gu Nianzhi caught her expression change and despised her even more.

    ¡°...Miss Gu, I was just making a joke, I hope you weren¡¯t taking it seriously?¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s palms were mmy as she endured the humiliation of indirectly apologizing to Gu Nianzhi.

    Brother Huang was watching the drama unfold from the side. When he saw Wen Shouyi acquiesce, he gently tapped Gu Nianzhi to dispel the situation, ¡°Ok, ok, all jokes here, let¡¯s not get too serious.¡± He changed the subject, ¡°Today¡¯s our first day in the States, where should we have dinner to celebrate?¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled and nodded at him in gratitude, ¡°We¡¯ve taken care of dinner and will have a car pick you up tonight.¡± She nodded at Gu Nianzhi and returned to the car.

    Gu Nianzhi spun the key in her hand and pouted at the disappearing car.

    Brother Huang hastily discouraged her, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be so rash. She¡¯s Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant, you¡¯re the one to get the short end of the stick if you make things tense with her. We have to go with the flow...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought, so will Wen Shouyi let her off she sucked it up? ¨COf course not. So why did she have to suck it up? It didn¡¯t matter what she did, Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t stand if she didn¡¯t take a jab or two at her. It was like she couldn¡¯t speak otherwise, what a shame.

    ¡°Brother Huang, don¡¯t be scared. I never bow down in face of force, wealth or poverty. I¡¯m not afraid of any evil powers. If she gives you a hard time, tell me and I¡¯ll stand up for you!¡± She said with heroic righteousness. Brother Huang¡¯s lips twitched and could onlyment that Gu Nianzhi was a newborn calf not yet afraid of a tiger. What bravery...

    Yin Shixiong chewed gum as he nodded at Brother Huang with a smile, ¡°Brother Huang, please take care of Nianzhi from now on. She¡¯s young and doesn¡¯t know any better, if she wrongs you, tell me and I¡¯ll teach her a lesson.¡± He said as he jokingly red at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down with a smile, not afraid at the slightest. The three of them joked as they entered the apartment elevator. Wen Shouyi rented apartments for them on the fifth floor, one on each end of the hallway. Although it was only two bedrooms and one living room, there was 150 square meters of living space and was very spacious.

    After setting down their luggage, Yin Shixiong immediately took out his anti-infrared detector and walked through the entire the ce without missing an inch. Hebed through the wall closets, bathrooms, cupboards and all the corners under the bed. He didn¡¯t expect to find to at least five hidden cameras.

    ¡°We can¡¯t live here.¡± Yin Shixiong took a hammer to smash the cameras, ¡°Go find the building manager and ask them to find us a different ce.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi promptly answered and went downstairs to speak with the property manager about a different unit.

    The American property manager was unwilling at first, but then Gu Nianzhi put two of the smashed cameras on her desk, and spoke in English, ¡°We just found these in the apartments. This is enough evidence for me to sue the apartment to bankruptcy.¡±

    The property manager¡¯s face immediately changed and stood up immediately, ¡°I can guarantee that we absolutely don¡¯t install this kind of thing here. I¡¯m afraid this was nted.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this was nted or not, but if you want to fix this, fine, get me a new apartment first. I¡¯ll choose it myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to back down.

    Americans were all like that, you had to argue the point to death. They assume you are afraid of them and ignore you if you¡¯re cordial. It would be alright as long as you didn¡¯t raise a ruckus.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was even, but her demeanor and tone were firm. The property manager immediately transformed into a good Samaritan and personally took Gu Nianzhi to look for a new ce. Because the building was close to Harvard, it was always fully rented. There were vacant units during the summer break because a bunch of students graduated. The new students hadn¡¯t started school yet, so there were a few empty apartments for Gu Nianzhi to pick. Gu Nianzhi called Yin Shixiong in. They covertly brought a detector to slowly sweep through the empty apartment, and finally close a south facing two bedroom unit on the sixth floor. There were no hidden cameras inside. Aside from the unit Wen Shouyi rented for them, the other ones had nothing fishy about them.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bother to mince her words, ¡°We¡¯ll take this one, you can charge the same ount that was paying for the other unit.¡±

    ¡°No problem, the rent is the same so we can easily exchange.¡± The property manager smiled like a blooming flower and was extremely helpful.

    After fussing for the entire afternoon, Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong finally settled in the furnished apartment on the sixth floor.

 Chapter 109 - Dont Copy Me

    <h4>Chapter 109: Don¡¯t Copy Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In the evening, Wen Shouyi swung by in her car to pick them up for dinner.

    Yin Shixiong did not go; he wanted to keep all interaction with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teachers and students to a minimum. He came up with an excuse about meeting up with his friends, and told Gu Nianzhi to go to dinner with Brother Huang.

    When they were seated inside the car, Wen Shouyi noticed that Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t with them. She asked, ¡°Nianzhi, where¡¯s your guardian? He¡¯s wee to join us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, he has stuff to do, too. He has so many friends here, he¡¯s been flooded with dinner invites since arriving in America. He¡¯s so much more popr than I am.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed lightly as she ced the gift box she had brought with her next to her feet.

    Brother Huang saw the gift box, and smacked his forehead. ¡°Oh duh! I forgot my present. Can you wait here? I¡¯ll run up and get it.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had already started the car. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s have dinner, your present can wait.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang sat in the back. They stared curiously at the Boston suburbs, taking in the summer scenery.

    It was nearly evening, and the heat from the sun had dissipated. There was a gentle breeze in the air. The road was nked byrge, leafy trees. There were grasswns, climbing vines, and flowers of all colors everywhere.

    They left the car windows open as they drove along the small road.

    A breeze entered the car, carrying with it a hint of the summer sun and the subtle scent of flowers.

    There was a magnificent sunset, hanging low on the horizon. The air was full of the fragrance of beautiful flowers.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and rxed, savoring the fresh air and the scents and sounds of summer.

    Wen Shouyi brought them to Four Seasons, an Italian fast-casual restaurant.

    There was no such thing as ¡°American cuisine¡±¡ªunless you counted hot dogs and barbecue...

    The high-end, fine dining restaurants in America were all either French or Italian restaurants.

    British cuisine was considered lowbrow in America, not worthy of being served in proper restaurants.

    Four Seasons was an Italian restaurant, but it was decidedly not a high-end restaurant. It was just an ordinary chain restaurant that was famous only because it was everywhere. Still, it was a little bit ssier than a fast food joint.

    When they entered the restaurant, He Zhichu was already seated at a table.

    Their table was next to a window in therge restaurant hall. It was only a small table meant for a party of four, not a private room.

    The rectangr dining table was sandwiched on both sides by two-seater sofas.

    He Zhichu wore a snug, light blue shirt. His ck trousers were smooth, straight, and entirely devoid of wrinkles.

    One arm was casuallyid out on the table, the cuffs turned up to reveal a Patek Philippe tinum watch.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp eyes spotted the inscription on the tinum dial: ¡°Made especially for Z.C. He¡± and ¡°Geneva Observatory Bulletin No. 12¡å...

    This was the famous Patek Philippe tinum Geneva Observatory watch!

    And it had been custom-made for He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi clucked her tongue. That watch was worth at least 10 million dors.

    Was Professor He in the habit of carrying his entire family fortune on him, wherever he went?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she seated herself opposite He Zhichu. She imagined an ignorant, uncultured thug snatching the watch off He Zhichu, and finding out it would be impossible to keep or sell it, not with the inscription on it. The poor sucker...

    He Zhichu¡¯s other arm was resting on the back of the sofa. He lifted his almond eyes and looked at her. His expression was cool and indifferent, but his gaze was as dangerously alluring as a baited hook: it dug into her heart and sent it racing.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡± He Zhichu raised an eyebrow at Gu Nianzhi. He turned his head to look at Brother Huang, who was still standing by the table. ¡°You, sit next to her.¡±

    Brother Huang finally seated himself. Unlike Gu Nianzhi, he had politely waited for permission to sit down.

    Gu Nianzhi was very embarrassed.

    They were just students having dinner with their professor¡ªsurely they were allowed to sit wherever they wanted?

    Had she broken protocol by sitting too early?

    Wen Shouyi smiled and seated herself next to He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu nonchntly withdrew the arm resting on the back of the sofa. He tossed the menu over to Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang. ¡°Order whatever you like.¡±

    A waiter in a white uniform was already waiting next to their table, notepad and ballpoint pen at the ready.

    Gu Nianzhi nced through the menu. She had never tried any of the food on it. She shut the menu, and looked at He Zhichu with herrge, sparkling eyes. ¡°Professor He, why don¡¯t you order for me? I¡¯ll have whatever you think is good here, I¡¯m not picky.¡±

    Wen Shouyi snorted as she suppressed augh. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re asking too much of Professor He. Most of the time, I have to order his meals for him...¡±

    ¡°Philly cheesesteak, skip the onions. Mediterranean seafood tter. Crab soup. Two of each, for me and the youngdy opposite me.¡± He Zhichu had begun cing his order before Wen Shouyi could finish her sentence.

    Wen Shouyi flushed. Her face was as red as a tomato as she awkwardly added, ¡°...but then again, you¡¯re special, of course. Professor He has always been extra nice to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, that can¡¯t be right.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she got out the gift box she had prepared. ¡°Professor He cares about all his students, that¡¯s why everyone is so eager to be his student. Isn¡¯t that right, Professor He?¡±

    Sweat was pouring off Brother Huang¡¯s brow as he listened to Gu Nianzhi. The girl was absolutely fearless¡ªand also absolutely shameless when she was in suck-up mode, it seemed.

    He quickly backed her up: ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right! Professor He¡¯s admission exam is the most difficult exam in our university, but everyone tries for it anyway. It¡¯s a real privilege to be able to study under him.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi. He picked up the menu and ordered aplete meal for Brother Huang as well: an appetizer, a main dish, a side dish, and even a slice of cheesecake for dessert.

    He also ordered a bottle of red wine as a starter, to whet their appetites while they waited for the food to be served.

    Wen Shouyi ordered a Caesar sd for herself. ¡°I¡¯m on a diet,¡± she said, smiling and winking at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I want to be as thin as Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled back. ¡°I don¡¯t like it when others try to copy me.¡± She lifted the gift box she had stowed next to her feet, and held it out to He Zhichu with both hands. ¡°A present for you, Professor He.¡±

    The gift box was a sapphire blue, and rather bulky. There was a light blue bow tied around it.

    He Zhichu epted it, and casually ced it next to Wen Shouyi so she could put it away.

    Gu Nianzhi objected to this. She narrowed her eyes as she stopped him. ¡°Professor He, aren¡¯t you going to open it? I heard that in America, you¡¯re supposed to open your presents right away¡ªit¡¯s rude not to.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Zhichu nced at her, his brow slightly furrowed. ¡°You seem to be very knowledgeable. You¡¯ve been to the States before this?¡±

    ¡°No. But this is the age of the inte, we can travel the world without leaving thefort of our homes.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not care what anyone else at the table thought; she was adamant that He Zhichu open her present.

    He Zhichu was left with no choice. He said to Wen Shouyi: ¡°Open it.¡±

    Wen Shouyi inwardly shook her head. She gracefully undid the bow, removed the wrapping paper, and casually lifted the lid of the gift box.

    As soon as she saw what was inside, she froze.

    There were two shattered cameras inside the box...

    The jet-ck camerasy in striking contrast to the clean, white gift box.

    ¡°...What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi, perplexed. ¡°Two broken cameras¡ªis that your idea of a gift?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to Wen Shouyi with her chin. ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask your assistant, Miss Wen, about that. I found those cameras inside the apartment she booked for me...¡±

 Chapter 110 - Not Going To Take Lying Down

    <h4>Chapter 110: Not Going To Take Lying Down</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes immediate turned cold¨Cnot only were they icy, but ruthless. He looked at Wen Shouyi, ¡°...It is true? This has something to do with you?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nched and used all herposure to keep herself from shaking like a leaf. Gu Nianzhi surprised her again, she was even able to find the hidden cameras. But she knew that she couldn¡¯t appear afraid right now, otherwise she¡¯d be beyond He Zhichu¡¯s forgiveness... She wasn¡¯t a typical person. After being caught off guard by Gu Nianzhi, she quicklyposed herself and gently closed the gift box. She smiled and said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, I can exin when we get back. This is a misunderstanding.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stressed the word, ¡°misunderstanding,¡± and made it sound as if she truly had a special reason.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ept this and propped her face up with both hands as she leaned towards the table and smiled, ¡°What kind of misunderstanding? Shouldn¡¯t Teaching Assistant Wen exin to me, the party concerned? Anyways, Professor He always says today is as good as any other day, so let¡¯s talk about it now.¡± She originally wanted to test her and although she was fairly sure Wen Shouyi was responsible for the cameras, there was still a small possibility it could be someone else. But Wen Shouyi¡¯s reaction confirmed her suspicions. She typically didn¡¯t guess incorrectly when it came to things with a certain probability.

    Brother Huang was watching from the side with his jaw dropped. He looked at the stubborn Gu Nianzhi, then the humted Wen Shouyi¨Che immediately stood up and said, ¡°...I have to go to the bathroom.¡± He scuttled off.

    Gu Nianzhi knew Brother Huang didn¡¯t want to get involved and didn¡¯t me him. She was already thankful that he didn¡¯t join Wen Shouyi¡¯s ranks in making her life miserable and couldn¡¯t expect everyone to to support her unwaveringly like Brother Xiong and Brother Ze?

    Only three people remained at the dining table.

    Wen Shouyi managed to smile, ¡°Nianzhi, if I tell you I had no ill intentions, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you think I¡¯ll believe just anything you say? Why would I? Are you stupid? We studyw and know that evidence is the most important. You were caught red handed, so it¡¯s not just a matter a of you being innocent just because you¡¯re saying that. Don¡¯t try to bluff through this.¡± Gu Nianzhi was beaming as she tilted her head at Wen Shouyi and looked at He Zhichu from the corner of her eyes.

    He Zhichu was silent for a long moment before pouring Gu Nianzhi a ss of water with lemon and red wine for Brother Huang. He said nonchntly, ¡°You and Little Huang just got here and will need two days to adjust to the time difference. sses start on Monday. Let Little Huang know when he¡¯s back.

    Gu Nianzhi never thought He Zhichu would totally sweep this under the rug. She raised her brows and looked thoughtfully at him, then Wen Shouyi, who held a long stemmed red wine ss. She was refused to back down and opened her mouth to bicker with He Zhichu. Suddenly, someone kicked her gently from under the table. Although it didn¡¯t hurt at all, it scared her to death. Gu Nianzhi subconsciously yelped and bent down to rub her ankle¨Cthen happened to see He Zhichu¡¯s ck leather shoe slowly shrink back.

    He Zhichu was the one who kicked her?! Huh! This was all sorts of wrong? He Zhichu was taking sides? Covering for his teaching assistant?

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly lost all respect for him. She originally thought he would be a principled and reasonable professor¨Cwhy did hepletely change after she arrived to the States? There must be something wrong with the feng shui here...

    ¡°Nianzhi, what is it?¡± Wen Shouyi also looked underneath the table, but she didn¡¯t see He Zhichu¡¯s shoe shrink back and thought Gu Nianzhi stubbed herself in a moment of frenzy, ¡°It¡¯s a bit cramped here, be careful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained bent over and red at He Zhichu¡¯s shoe. She straightened in her seat and said vehemently, ¡°My bad, sorry.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was cool as he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, then set it back on the table. He raised the wine ss in his hand, ¡°Here, Nianzhi, I wish you a pleasant six months in the States.¡±

    ¡°Pleasant or not depends on Teaching Assistant Wen, not me.¡± He Zhichu covering for Wen Shouri earlier was uneptable to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Professor He, I don¡¯t want this thing to happen over and over again. I request a restraining order¨CTeaching Assistant Wen cannot be involved with anything to do with me.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t take this too far.¡± Wen Shouyi quickly rebutted, her tone no longer cordial, ¡°What is the meaning of this? You¡¯re just a student and I¡¯m not only Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant, but also an associate professor at Harvard. You have two sses taught by me during your two months at the Harvard Law School, do you not want your credits? If you don¡¯t get the credits you¡¯ve vited the requirements for the F1 American student visa, this is illegal and will result in you being deported.¡±

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t take the credits! Deport me.¡± Gu Nianzhi was also furious and set the ss of water down, ¡°Professor He, I want to go back. If Teaching Assistant Wen treats me like this, the next six months will be hell for me. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t suffer, but I don¡¯t want to be wronged.¡± Her eyes turned red as soon as she said the word, ¡°wronged.¡±

    She would take it if Uncle Huo gave her a hard time. But who was Wen Shouyi? Why did she have to suffer her?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s inky eyes shimmered with tears and the slightly raised corners of her eyes were pink as though she had blush on.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes in exasperation and rubbed between his brows. His icy voice was tinged with hopelessness, ¡°...I know, I¡¯ll personally teach all your sses.¡±

    ¡°Professor He?!¡± Wen Shouyi was shocked and dropped her napkin.

    ¡°I knew Professor He is the most reasonable!¡± Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed and immediately picked up the wine to pour He Zhichu a ss, ¡°I toast you, Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu epted the ss but looked at her disapprovingly, ¡°But there is something wrong with how you¡¯re treating Teaching Assistant Wen, ¨CApologize to her, ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew when to draw the line and immediately looked at Wen Shouyi kindly as she smiled and poured her a ss, ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, please graciously forgive my pettiness and spare me from now on. I¡¯m just a student, how could I dare mess with you, the local? Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Wen Shouyi red at her, no amount of self-restraint could quell the hate surging in her, ¡°I don¡¯t dare. You¡¯re a force to be reckoned with, even as a student. More so than even a professor.¡± She didn¡¯t touch the wine Gu Nianzhi poured and turned to He Zhuchu, her eyes red too, ¡°Professor He, I just remembered I have some marking left to do, I won¡¯t be joining you for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen is leaving just like that? But what about the sd you ordered earlier? It won¡¯t do to waste food, that¡¯s sinful.¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked rapidly and Wen Shouyi wanted to punch her in the face.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be wasted, I¡¯ll ask the waiter to pack it up for me. Have a good dinner and Professor He will take you guys back after.¡± Wen Shouyi nearly ran off.

    She was afraid that she couldn¡¯t help but p Gu Nianzhi if she stayed even a minute longer. How could that face be so infuriating? She never thought that Gu Nianzhi would be this kind of person. She was looking out for her, but had her intentions seen as evil. She couldn¡¯t see what was so great about Gu Nianzhi, that someone as cold as Professor He would keep acquiescing...

 Chapter 111 - Donâ€™t Reveal Your Entire Hand

    <h4>Chapter 111: Don¡¯t Reveal Your Entire Hand</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi had left in an indignant huff. There were now only two people at the table meant for four: Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu, seated opposite each other.

    He Zhichu did not speak. He leaned against the sofa, his arms folded across his chest. He looked at Nianzhi critically. ¡°Why are you always so eager to provoke Miss Wen?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s trying to provoke me, Professor He! How can you turn this on me?¡± Gu Nianzhi could no longer control herself. ¡°Unless you think there¡¯s nothing wrong with installing spy cameras in your student¡¯s apartment?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes flickered to the gift box that Wen Shouyi had forgotten to take with her. He said, in a low voice, ¡°Make no mistake, I will get to the bottom of this. But before that...¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi expressionlessly; if his tone had been cold before, it was now below freezing point. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so emotional. A goodwyer must have self-control¡ªthat¡¯s one of the basic requirements. You must be able to keep your emotions in check, no matter the circumstances. I am very disappointed in your behavior today. It seems that I have overestimated you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips as she inwardly rolled her eyes. She said, her expression deadpan, ¡°Thank you, Professor He, for the invaluable lesson. I am still a student, however. I can¡¯t be expected to act as convincingly as Miss Wen, or be as aloof and detached as you are, Professor He. Still, I will do my best to learn, and strive to surpass my teachers in the future.¡±

    He Zhichu could not help smiling at the indignant expression on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. He shook his head and said, ¡°Okay. Just remember your lesson.¡±

    ¡°In any case, it is wrong to install cameras in a private apartment. My feelings have nothing to do with it.¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to let Wen Shouyi off the hook. She was now certain that Wen Shouyi was out to get her, and no longer saw the point in keeping things civil.

    She would rather have it all out in the open, than continue to act like everything was fine and dandy between the two of them. She wasn¡¯t going to suffer in silence while Wen Shouyi walked all over her.

    Gu Nianzhi knew this was the only way to put Wen Shouyi in her ce.

    Any sane person would have learned by now not to mess with Gu Nianzhi. It simply wasn¡¯t worth the risk and effort.

    Wen Shouyi would think twice before trying to mess with her again.

    Brother Huang, who had been hovering at a safe distance, finally shuffled back to the table when he saw that Wen Shouyi had left.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi did not bring up the matter again.

    Shortly after, the waiters brought them the food they had ordered. Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang chatted amiably as they tucked into their food. The awkwardness at the table quickly dissipated, thanks to their merry conversation.

    He Zhichu barely touched his food: he seemed more interested in the wine. A faint blush crept across his fair cheeks,plementing his bright almond eyes.

    It was hard not to lose yourself in his eyes when he looked at you.

    Gu Nianzhi was full now. She smiled at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, I didn¡¯t expect you to not like onions either.¡±

    The original recipe for Philly cheesesteak included chopped onions, for maximum vor.

    He Zhichu raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t like them either?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I hate the taste of onions. They stink so bad.¡± Gu Nianzhi pinched her dainty nose and made a disgusted face as she took a sip of her lemonade.

    He Zhichu had ordered the lemonade for her. He kept the wine away from her, as she was not yet 18, and therefore still under the legal drinking age.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like them either.¡± He Zhichu smiled lightly. He turned to his food, and quickly finished everything on his te.

    Brother Huang could drink like a fish. He had been a big sake drinker back in the Empire; the red wine he was having now was nothing more than a soft drink to him.

    He was eager to talk about his own projects back in the Empire, and would not stop asking He Zhichu for advice.

    Gu Nianzhi saw He Zhichu frowning at this, the wrinkles on his brow deepening with every passing minute. She inwardly chuckled.

    He Zhichu probably subscribed to the American belief that anything work-rted should not be taken out of the workce.

    Brother Huang had most likely vited one of He Zhichu¡¯s taboos by taking up his valuable private time to talk about work.

    He Zhichu interrupted Brother Huang¡¯s long-winded exposition. ¡°Little Huang, I was just telling Nianzhi¡ªyou¡¯ll have the next two days to rest and recover from your jetg. sses will begin on Monday. I¡¯ll send the ss schedule to the both of you when I get home, check your inbox.¡± He put down his knife and fork and wiped his mouth with the white table napkin.

    Brother Huang saw that He Zhichu had finished eating; he hurriedly shoved the rest of his food into his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi had made the least progress with her food, but she did not hurry to finish it. She called for the waiter and asked for a container for her leftovers, so she could have them for supperter that night.

    He Zhichu drove them back to their apartment in his Mercedes-Benz.

    Along the way, he listened to Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huangugh and trade jokes. The atmosphere inside the car was casual and rxed.

    He Zhichu did not say much; nevertheless, he helped stave off any potential awkwardness by chipping in whenever there was a lull in the conversation. Brother Huang was encouraged by this: heunched into a lengthy, breathless speech delineating his views on the Chinese and American judicial systems.

    When they arrived at the apartment, He Zhichu did not get out of the car. He merely waved at them before driving off.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her cheek, and rolled her eyes at Brother Huang. ¡°Brother Huang, did you have to go on and on like that? That was so exhausting, having to keep up with you.¡±

    Brother Huang gave a wry smile. ¡°Nianzhi, aren¡¯t you the least bit afraid of Professor He? My legs turn to jelly whenever he frowns.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is he that scary?¡± Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. She wondered how sheltered Brother Huang must be, to be afraid of someone like Professor He...

    So what if Professor He was scary? No one could ever be as scary as her Uncle Huo.

    And she wasn¡¯t even afraid of her Uncle Huo, so why would she be afraid of Professor He?

    Gu Nianzhi was proud of being so fearless. She mentally gave herself a pat on the back.

    The two of them took the elevator and returned to their respective apartments.

    Brother Huang was shrewd enough to not ask Gu Nianzhi about the cameras.

    His gut feeling told him that the matter with the cameras was nothing short of a minefield, waiting to explode. He was just a passer-by, and it was none of his business¡ªit was best to pretend not to have seen anything.

    He was reminded of the saying: when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. He could not afford to provoke the elephants, so he had better lie low...

    Yin Shixiong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Gu Nianzhi had returned, safe and sound. He said, ¡°Back so early?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi swapped her shoes for her indoor slippers at the door. She said, dejectedly, ¡°...You win. Brother Xiong, you¡¯re psychic.¡±

    ¡°Yup. One hundred dors, please.¡± Yin Shixiong extended a hand towards her. ¡°I told you: showing them the cameras will give Miss Wen a good scare, but you won¡¯t get Professor He to punish her in front of an audience.¡±

    He had foreseen the oue, and had therefore told Gu Nianzhi to take only two of the cameras with her. They would keep the other three.

    The reason was simple enough. The Special Operations Forces had been trained to hang on to their cards; they never revealed their entire hand.

    It was much more terrifying for Wen Shouyi to see that Gu Nianzhi had brought only two of the cameras, instead of all five.

    ¡°Forget about punishing her, he didn¡¯t even want to talk about it,¡± said Gu Nianzhi indignantly. ¡°I totally wasn¡¯t expecting that... I thought he was supposed to be honest and fair...¡±

    Yin Shixiong tousled her hair. ¡°...Save your breath, kiddo. You still have a lot to learn. Did you really think you could win in a bet against me? Care to try again? You can put up your pocket money for the next six months.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it already.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly ducked out of the way. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower. Night, Brother Xiong!¡±

    There were two bedrooms in the apartment, each equipped with an ensuite bathroom. The bedrooms were on opposite ends of the apartment, separated by the living room. It was convenient andfortable for Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong to share the apartment.

    ...

    Wen Shouyi was already waiting at the door when He Zhichu returned to his house.

    The mansion He Zhichu lived in was so big it was practically a castle. Two white pirs made of marble nked the front entrance, majestic and imposing.

    ¡°There better be a very good reason for what you did. If there isn¡¯t one, pack up¡ªI¡¯m sending you back to your folks.¡± He Zhichu walked up the steps without looking at her. His expression was cold and ruthless.

 Chapter 112 - You Deserve It

    <h4>Chapter 112: You Deserve It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Today Wen Shouyi lost her temper once; the effect and consequences were better than she anticipated. She had actually calmed down once she left the restaurant. She just hated seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smug face and wanted to smack it.

    ¡°Professor He, I really have a reason for this. I was nning to tell you about it today. Even if she didn¡¯t say anything, I would have exined it anyway.¡± Wen Shouyi jogged up and followed inside.

    He Zhichu removed his jacket and threw it carelessly. Wen Shouyi smoothly caught it and hung it in the closet. When she entered the living room, she saw He Zhichu sit elegantly on the red velvet couch, the crimson hue reflecting in his shimmering eyes. Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart hammered as she slowly made her way over and stood close to him. She clutched her hands together and said respectfully, ¡°Professor He, the thing is, although Nianzhi isn¡¯t adult yet, she¡¯s already 17 and will turn 18 in the end of the year. But her guardian is a middle aged man, aren¡¯t you worried...?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes shed, his slightly drunk gazended on Wen Shouyi¡¯s face, ¡°You¡¯re saying, you¡¯re worried that he might try something with her?¡±

    If that was the reason, her meddling wasn¡¯t all that uneptable. However, he didn¡¯t appreciate someone else reading his mind. He Zhichu looked down and shook his finger, ¡°No, this reason won¡¯t hold. If you¡¯re worried about this, you could¡¯ve rented two apartments and have them live apart. Why did you have to be so unnecessary and install cameras in the apartment?¡±

    ¡°...Professor He, it was my oversight, this won¡¯t happen again.¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart wrenched, she could no longer understand what He Zhichu was thinking.

    He Zhichu rose from the sofa, his posture as straight as a pole as he folded his hands behind his back, ¡°You¡¯re made too serious a mistake, go back for two months ande back when the Congress is in session again.¡±

    He actually was still banishing her...

    Wen Shouyi could scarcely muster the bitter smile on her face. She wanted to plead her case, but couldn¡¯t utter a single word when she looked at He Zhuchi¡¯s impassive face. It boiled down to the fact she wasn¡¯t as shameless as Gu Nianzhi... That little orphan girl could change faces so quickly that a normal person would never be her opponent. She was all too good at ttery and had no morals¨Cthis must be because her life was too hard and she couldn¡¯t survive otherwise... Wen Shouyi¡¯s couldn¡¯t help the wicked thoughts, but quickly controlled herself. She couldn¡¯t be like this, He Zhichu didn¡¯t like malicious women...

    ¡°Yes, Professor He, then I¡¯ll back to see my parents.¡± Wen Shouyi carefully nced at He Zhichu¡¯s eyes. He turned to go upstairs without saying anything.

    Wen Shoyi looked at the empty staircase in a daze and couldn¡¯t help wrap herself in her arms when she thought about her home. Her parents were only gardeners for the He family. It was because she studied hard from a young age and was outstanding that she was chosen to be He Zhichu¡¯s side to care for and assist him. If she went back like this, the people at home would know she made a mistake and she would lose all face. Wen Shouyi gritted her teeth and chased after him anyway.

    He Zhichu was just about to open his bedroom door.

    ¡°Professor He!¡± Wen Shouyi hastily called, ¡°Do you have any messages for Mr. He?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t turn his head, his slender fingers resting on the door handle and his eyes shing. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Ask after his health and tell him I¡¯m well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Professor He.¡± Wen Shouyi sighed in relief. With this request from him, she had a legitimate reason to go home and see her family and friends. Everyone would know she was tasked by He Zhichu to return home to ask after Mr. He, his father on his behalf.

    ...

    Two dayster, Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang went to the Harvard Law School to attend sses and found out that Teaching Assistant Wen was on a holiday. Brother Huang stared at his ss schedule for a long time, then looked at Gu Nianzhi. He pointed at the schedule where it said Teaching Assistant Wen was on vacation and pondered, ¡°Nianzhi, this can¡¯t be a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°How should I know?¡± Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes innocently, ¡°I¡¯m not Teaching Assistant Wen. If you want to know the reason, you¡¯d better ask her. You have her phone and email.¡±

    Brother Huang gaped at Gu Nianzhi, he¡¯s learnt that this youngdy was a youngster to be reckoned with¨Cshe had the great ability of lying right to people¡¯s faces.

    Gu Nianzhi refused to back down and stared right back at him.

    Are weparing who has the bigger eyes? Who was afraid of who!

    The bell rang in the halls and students wearing backpacks began looking for their ssrooms in groups of twos and threes. Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang went in opposite directions.

    Brother Huang called after her in shock, ¡°Huh? You¡¯re not going to the same ss as me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she winked at him ¡°Of course not. Brother Huang is a second year doctorate student and will be in the third year right away. I¡¯m just a post-grad student who didn¡¯t even start school yet. How can I go to the same ss as Brother Huang? I wouldn¡¯t be able to understand your sses.¡±

    Brother Huang was extremely ttered, ¡°How can that be? You¡¯re so smart, you¡¯ll catch up quickly. Ok, talk youter, I gotta go to ss, see you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved at him and wiped the sweat off her forehead before going to He Zhichu¡¯s office. She was too embarrassed to take out her ss schedule earlier. All the sses were located at ¡°Room 409, Professor He¡¯s Office.¡± She couldn¡¯t imagine Brother Huang¡¯s face if he saw that... Arriving at the entrance of the office, Gu Nianzhi knocked lightly.

    ¡°Come in.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s crisp voice sounded from inside the room.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door and smiled as she bowed at him, ¡°Professor He.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± He Zhichu picked up hisptop, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Room 305. Today is a ssroom discussion.¡±

    So it¡¯s still in the ssroom...

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes in her head. Why wasn¡¯t the room on the schedule in the first ce, so she could go directly?

    He Zhichu seemed to know what she was thinking and said dryly, ¡°I don¡¯t typically lecture in ssrooms. This ssroom discussion wasst minute, to let you meet your fellow ssmates.¡± He paused, ¡°They are all interning at the Congress, although they aren¡¯t my students.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood, these students were mentored by other professors. They were going to her colleagues for the next six months, so it¡¯s better that she quickly got acquainted with them. She put on a cute smile and followed He Zhichu to Room 305.

    ¡°Hmm, a cute Asian girl. ¨CCutie, do you have a boyfriend? Do you wanna sit by me, and we can discuss this important topic?¡± A blonde hair, blue eyed, tall young man whistled at Gu Nianzhi as he made space besides him.

    ¡°An, flirting in ss is a deduction of 10%.¡± He Zhichu ruthlessly opened hisptop and made a note on An¡¯s name.

    ¡°Ah ah ah¨CProfessor He, I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry! I won¡¯t do it again!¡± An wailed as he nearly toppled off his seat. Gu Nianzi covered mouth and couldn¡¯t help chuckling.

    An was sprawled on the desk and looked up to be dazed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smiling face, ¡°Cutie, sit here with me. Look, I even lost 10% for you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her and answered in a authentic London ent, ¡°You deserve it.¡± Then she sat in the front row to directly face He Zhichu¡¯s podium.

    A smile shed over He Zhichu¡¯s impassive face before he began assigning the discussion topic.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong cooped up in the apartment for a few days, then started taking his backpack to stroll around the Harvard campus. There were no walls around the university, and he didn¡¯t stand out because there were many tourists just like him. He had a detectors for radio and electromaic signals in his backpack, as he was used to doing this for work.

 Chapter 113 - Fat Chance

    <h4>Chapter 113: Fat Chance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong turned right from Cambridge Street and entered the Harvard University campus. He walked north, along Massachusetts Avenue, to Harvard Law School, where Gu Nianzhi was having her sses.

    He walked around the building housing thew department. The instrument in his backpack made no noise, indicating that there was nothing out of the ordinary here.

    Unlike science students who had to rely on specific equipment and instruments, the students at Harvard Law School worked only with their brain and ready wit.

    Yin Shixiong stood in the avenue near Harvard Law School and took a few selfies with his phone, angling his shots to get a perfect 360 record of the surroundings.

    The ce was inundated with simr selfie-takers, obnoxiously waving their selfie sticks about. Yin Shixiong, with his unassuming clothes and plebeian approach to taking selfies, had not caught up with thetest selfie trends.

    He chuckled, and adjusted his sunsses. He looked at the map in his hand, and discovered that just opposite of Harvard Law School, on the east side, was Harvard University¡¯s famous School of Electronic Engineering.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s interest was piqued. He slowly walked over to the School of Electronic Engineering.

    He was still acting the part of a tourist. He had an iPhone headset on, and appeared to be listening to music. His sunsses made it impossible to tell what he was looking at.

    Yin Shixiong had been giving his full and undivided attention to his headset from the moment he entered the School of Electronic Engineering.

    His headset was actually connected to the instrument in his backpack. It wasn¡¯t really an iPhone headset, it had only been modified to look like one on the outside.

    In a few moments, his headset crackled to life. Beneath all the crackling and buzzing was a series of rhythmic ticks and beeps.

    This was the sound of electromaic and radio signals.

    The special instrument in his backpack was capable of capturing, analyzing, and recording sounds beyond the human hearing range.

    Yin Shixiong stood at the entrance to the School of Electronic Engineering for a long moment. He made sure not to get too close.

    He had to be careful; he did not know what sort of equipment was being kept here.

    This was Harvard, after all. They were probably working with thetest cutting-edge technology.

    He had heard that the top colleges and universities in the United States shared the results of their technological research with the US army.

    And besides, this was the School of Electronic Engineering¡ªthere was nothing surprising about the tangled mess of electromaic signalsing out of the building.

    Yin Shixiong hung about and took a few selfies, before leaving with a wide grin on his face.

    It was evening when he was finally back at the apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for him to return so they could have dinner together.

    ¡°I bought pizza, Brother Xiong. Come have some!¡± Gu Nianzhi did not know how to cook. She had never learned to cook her own meals, because it had never been necessary.

    Back when she lived with Huo Shaoheng at the Special Ops base, all the cooking had been done by the orderlies in the canteens.

    It was the same when she had gone to C University for her undergraduate studies; there were so many school cafeterias and restaurants nearby to choose from.

    She had never prepared anything moreplicated than instant noodles topped with an egg or two.

    Yin Shixiong looked at the greasy Philly cheesesteak pizza. It was horribly unappetizing.

    He put down his backpack and went to the bathroom to wash his face and wipe his hands. Once he was done, he said to Nianzhi, ¡°Don¡¯t eat that junk. It¡¯s nasty, and full of calories. C¡¯mere, I¡¯ll cook dinner for you. I¡¯m a man of many talents¡ªyou¡¯ll see!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pped enthusiastically. ¡°Yippee! Need an apron, Brother Xiong? I have two lovely aprons, my roommates gave them to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take ¡¯em.¡± Yin Shixiong was already acting the part of a head chef. He opened the refrigerator and took out a chunk of beef to thaw on the table.

    There was a distinctck of green vegetables in the refrigerator. He picked out a few bell peppers, cut up the beef, and saut¨¦ed them together. He made a simple cold dish by mixing thin slices of tofu, cucumber, and omelette together. He followed this with a te of stir-fried potato strips, and a soup made of seaweed, shrimp and egg.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach rumbled at the tantalizing aroma. She scurried about, helping Yin Shixiong with the smaller tasks.

    She set the table ording to his instructions, and opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate the first dinner in this apartment.

    It took only half an hour for Yin Shixiong to prepare all the dishes.

    Yin Shixiong seated himself at the dining table, and said wistfully, ¡°I¡¯m not really that great a cook, actually. Now Mr. Huo, on the other hand¡ªhe¡¯s a true magician in the kitchen, a culinary god...¡±

    ¡°Well, duh!¡± Gu Nianzhi had just stuffed her mouth full of saut¨¦ed beef and bell peppers when she heard Yin Shixiong bring up Uncle Huo¡¯s cooking. It stirred up the unspeakable longing for him in her heart, so violently and suddenly that she choked on her food. She gagged, red-faced, and began to cough and sputter.

    Yin Shixiong rushed over and thumped her on the back with all his strength. The ursed slice of beef she had been choking on flew out of her mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed her ss of water and gargled. She sputtered, ¡°Brother Xiong! Why did you have to bring up Uncle Huo and his cooking? Are you trying to kill me?!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? I said Mr. Huo knows how to cook, that¡¯s all¡ªwhat¡¯s so strange about that?¡± Yin Shixiong muttered under his breath.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men were often forced to camp in barrennd and deste mountains when taking on missions abroad. To survive, it was necessary to know how to adapt and cook with what they had on hand.

    Everyone in the Special Operations Forces knew how to cook. It wasn¡¯t worth mentioning, really.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. She grumbled, ¡°...I only got to taste Uncle Huo¡¯s cooking a handful of times.¡±

    In her first year living with Huo Shaoheng, he had cooked for her a few times to humor her.

    Yin Shixiong was amused. His eyes swept over her small, indignant face as he refilled his rice bowl. ¡°You¡¯ve never gone on a mission with us. Why would he cook for you every day? And can you think of anyone who actually cooked for themselves, back when you were living with us at the base?¡±

    They had had their meals at the canteen most of the time. They could probably count on one hand the number of times Huo Shaoheng had personally cooked for his men while at the base.

    ¡°You have a point.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I get it now¡ªyou guys are allzy and try to avoid work whenever possible.¡±

    ¡°Hey now, what do you mean by that? We¡¯re not thatzy!¡± Yin Shixiong was practically breathing fire through his nostrils. ¡°We have to conserve our energy whenever we can, all right? No point wearing ourselves out on trivial things like cooking. We¡¯re elite soldiers, not lowly cooks! I may know how to cook, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to cook for you every day. Fat chance of that!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered to the food on the table. ¡°What¡¯s all this, then?¡±

    ¡°...I only cooked all that because I can¡¯t stand American food. I have a Chinese stomach, it¡¯ll only take Chinese food,¡± said Yin Shixiong without missing a beat. ¡°Oh, and I know how to roast muskrats, by the way. Want to try it some time?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s so gross! I¡¯m still eating here, okay?¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped pressing Yin Shixiong for more details about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cooking, and hurriedly changed the subject.

    Yin Shixiong chuckled inwardly. Then he imagined having to cook for Gu Nianzhi for the next six months, and his heart sank.

    After dinner, Gu Nianzhi put her tes in the dishwasher, and returned to her room to study and do her homework.

    After some deliberation, Yin Shixiong ran the video call software on hisptop that would connect him with Zhao Liangze. He would give them an update on the current situation, and also ask Huo Shaoheng for permission to teach Gu Nianzhi how to cook...

    He couldn¡¯t very well cook all her meals for her.

    Gu Nianzhi was all grown up now. She would marry, eventually, and a good housewife had to know how to cook!

    Yin Shixiong inwardly gave himself a pat on the back for his quick-thinking.

    He waited for almost half an hour on hisptop for Zhao Liangze to take the video call, but nothing happened. There was no response from Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is something wrong with the connection?¡± Yin Shixiong narrowed his eyes at hisptop. He stared at it for a long moment, before turning to look in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    All was silent. Gu Nianzhi was still studying quietly.

    If the inte connection had gone, Gu Nianzhi would have said something by now.

    Gu Nianzhi had grown up with the inte at her fingertips, and was hopelessly addicted to it. Yin Shixiong knew this very well.

    Gu Nianzhi had not raised a fuss; that meant there was nothing wrong with the apartment¡¯s inte connection.

    So why couldn¡¯t he get ahold of Zhao Liangze?

    Yin Shixiong began to feel uneasy.

    He found Zhao Liangze¡¯s email address and sent him an encrypted email.

    A chime sounded over theptop¡¯s speakers, indicating that the email had been sent out sessfully.

    He waited for the system to notify him that the recipient had opened the email, but it never came.

 Chapter 114 - Faraway Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 114: Faraway Thoughts</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This was not the first time they lostmunication. But the consequences typically weren¡¯t good if this kind of situation arose. Yin Shixiong grew more anxious and sat in his bedroom alone until the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi got up early to shower and scarfed down a breakfast before heading to ss. Yin Shixiong waited until 10am before getting an email back from Zhao Liangze. Aside from encryption, the email was also protected by a Special Ops coded password. This was serious. Yin Shixong rubbed his chin and stared at Zhao Liangze¡¯s email for a long time.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was having ss in He Zhichu¡¯s office at the Harvard Law School. He Zhichu looked at her homework from yesterday, made detailed edits and asked her topletely redo it. It was only a draft legition regarding public school funding regtions and he actually made her rewrite it. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t pleased but didn¡¯t directly take it up with He Zhichu. She nodded silently and returned to her desk to open herptop and to check for He Zhichu¡¯s email with the edits. He Zhichu¡¯s office was very spacious and a bright window took up half the walls. His office desk was on the innermost corner of the room, besides the window. By the wall near the desk was a exquisite little study desk, where Gu Nianzhi had herptop. This was were she was going to be for the majority of the next two months.

    He Zhichu finished his emails and picked up his briefcase and iPad. He spoke to Gu Nianzhi, who was intently rewriting the legition, ¡°I¡¯m going to a meeting, be back in two hours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered and saw He Zhichu¡¯s slim fingers close the office door out of the corner of her eyes. She finally sighed in relief and bit the end of her pen as she looked at the azure skies outside in a daze. Her thoughts drifted to Huo Shaoheng¨Cshe wondered what Uncle Huo and his men were doing right now?

    ...

    The subjects of Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong¡¯s thoughts, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were running in a dark forest in rural Vienna. It was the middle of the summer¨Cthe trees and grass were so lush and green they appeared ck and endless. Great trees towered in the recesses of the forest, blocking out the outside heat and sunlight to kept the temperature cool. Because the trees were too dense, it was dark inside the forest, even in the middle of the day. Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were in camo, wore green and yellow warpaint, and also had dark sunsses that filtered light. They swiftly jumped over creeks and crossed hills to arrive under a gigantic tree deep inside the forest.

    ¡°Team A disappeared here?¡± Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had their backs to each other as they surveyed the forest.

    ¡°ording to the signal.¡± Zhao Liangze only moved his lips and was so quiet no one else would hear him. Even though Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, who had his back to him, could only hear him through the headset. Huo Shaoheng wore military fingerless leather gloves and adjusted the sunsses resting on his straight nose bridge as he looked around. His sunsses had location functions and could also detect hidden objects. However he found nothing peculiar after peering around. There were obvious human tracks on the ground, but it had been two days already and no new tracks had appeared.

    ¡°...Where did they go? Could they have really flown away?¡± Zhao Liang muttered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s catchphrase, ¡°...To hell with this!¡±

    ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t have gone to hell, they would have gone to...¡± Huo Shaoheng froze and suddenly inclined head to the top of the giant tree. The heavy foliage appeared no different from that of any other trees, but he a suspicion there was something wrong with the top. He wanted to use hismunicator but as soon as his fingers rested on it, unease began creeping from his heart. This was his instinct against danger, and it had saved him from traps numerous times.

    ¡°Keep watch here, I¡¯ll go up and have a look.¡± Huo Shaoheng decided against themunicator and went up to check instead. He embraced the hefty trunk and quickly flitted up the top of the trees. He sighed in relief when he climbed halfway up. A head peered out from the bird¡¯s nest area at the top of tree crown and called to him like a partridge. Huo Shaoheng gave hand signals in the scant sunlight escaping through the leaves. Very quickly, two silhouettes appeared from the the leaves¨Cit was the two A Team members who had been missing for two days.

    ¡°Mr. Huo!¡± The two men saw Huo Shaoheng and almost fell off the tree in excitement.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to them and pointed down. The men understood and followed Huo Shaoheng in a slow climb.

    Zhao Liangze saw his two missing teammates and sighed in great relief as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He punched the shoulder of one of the men, ¡°You scoundrel! Why were you hiding up there? You scared us to death...¡±

    Although there was always the a chance of death or injury with any mission, it didn¡¯t mean that they would get used to the grief and pain of losing a fellow soldier. The two missing teammates supported each other and smiled wryly at Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, ¡°Mr. Huo, we didn¡¯tplete the mission and was shot in the legs by the enemies.¡±

    Only then did Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze realize that they were limping as they saluted.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk when we get back.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted their shoulders, ¡°Let¡¯s quickly treat your wounds first.¡±

    Zhao Liangze opened his backpack and took out his first aid kit. He ripped the pant legs and examined carefully.

    ¡°Bullet wound, we have to take them out. It¡¯s been a little too long and may have festered, we need to operate right away.¡± Zhao Liangze only did a basic cleaning of the wounds.

    Huo Shaoheng took over the scalpel, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t dy any longer, a bullet wound couldn¡¯t be treated here because the physicians are obligated to contact the police. Although the Huaxia Imperial Conste in Austria had physicians who could perform this type of surgery, the rules and regtions of the military mandated that the Special Ops could not act as civilians of the Huaxia Empire once they left its borders. They must cut all ties with the Empire and of course couldn¡¯t go to the Conste. In this kind of situation, they would have to operate themselves. Zhao Liangze carefully administered local anesthesia to their legs. Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and his face was impassive as he put on sterile medical gloves. He wielded the scalpel and made a steady incision on the wound of the first teammate, scraping away the putrid flesh. The de glinted and swerved inside to prod at the shell of the bullet, then curved around it and gently flicked upwards. The bulletnded on the ground with a thud.

    Zhao Liangze promptly applied dressing saturated with alcohol and bandaged it tightly so not a whiff of blood would escape.

    ¡°Your turn.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved at the other man. With one sessful surgeryplete, the second one was done in even in less time. The entire process didn¡¯t take more than five minutes to remove the bullet and shrapnel from the leg. Zhao Liangze also cleaned and dressed the second team member¡¯s wound with dexterity. They often trained for outdoor first aid and it was a part of the job description. The entire process was less than 15 minutes, but Huo Shaoheng already felt that that had been there for too long. ¡°We have to leave now.¡± He stood up and took the backpacks of the two A Team members. He and Zhao Liangze supported one man each and walked out. They had already researched the the route and theyout of the entire forest before they came. Fortunately, the forest was too vast and the dense foliage blocked out the sky to make the reception weak enough to evade enemy tracking. They sessfully exited and returned to the parked SUV besides the forest. The two team members went in together¨Cthey finally rxed and began snoring soon after.

    Zhao Liangze swiftly started the engine and sped towards where their lodgings.

    Huo Shaoheng rested an elbow on his against one car window and propped his chin on the back of his hand. His eyes were sombre as he watched the streets speeding past and his mind spun in motion, Where did things go wrong?

    The operation had run smoothly in Czach, but they were now floundering in Austria. It was like someone had already known their every move andid traps for every step they took.

 Chapter 115 - Crazy Rich

    <h4>Chapter 115: Crazy Rich</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The four of them returned to Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze¡¯s hotel, but did not go up to their room.

    Zhao Liangze alone returned to the room they had booked. He hastily packed their things and paid the bill. They left the hotel after that.

    They had to look for a new ce to stay.

    After driving around Vienna, they finally decided on the most expensive luxury hotel in the city: the Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof. Naturally, they had disguised themselves. They had washed the paint off their faces, and changed out of their camouge wear.

    Huo Shaoheng was now dressed in a tailor-made navy blue casual suit. His jacket was open, revealing a light blue Egyptian cotton shirt underneath. His cks were loose; the outfit was supposed to be casual, but it looked formal and dignified on him all the same.

    He opened the car door and got out of the car. Although he was wearing sunsses, it did little to conceal his incredibly handsome features.

    He had a hand in his trouser pocket; his other hand hung loosely by his side, the cuffs turned up to reveal a Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica watch. It was an ultra-thin tourbillon minute repeater watch; theplex, yet deceptively simple design suited Huo Shaoheng¡¯s imposing and self-effacing demeanor. It seemed almost to have been designed with him in mind.

    The bellboy noticed the watch as soon as Huo Shaoheng walked through the doors of the hotel. His eyes lit up. He noted the casual nonchnce with which Huo Shaoheng wore the watch, which he knew to be worth at least 10 million euros¡ªthis man was probably as wealthy as a European crown prince.

    Huo Shaoheng casually pulled out his ck Card, as Zhao Liangze stepped forward to interpret for him. He spoke in fluent German, and asked for two of the hotel¡¯s luxury suites.

    Everyone in the hotel was watching them: they were cowed by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s aura of wealthy indifference.

    The deputy managing director of the hotel personally attended to them. He helped the men check in and led them to the hotel¡¯s best luxury suites. He showed them the highlight of their amodations: a picture perfect bird¡¯s-eye view of the beautiful city of Vienna and its surroundings, framed by a wide window that faced the room¡¯s entrance and ran along with the length of the room.

    Huo Shaoheng had not spoken a single word. He kept his hands in his pockets as he stood before the window and looked out at the deep blue sky.

    Zhao Liangze bustled about, ever the dutiful attendant; he was a Personal Secretary, after all.

    The two injured soldiers had put on sunsses, too. They stood motionless behind Huo Shaoheng, pretending to be his bodyguards. Altogether, they looked like the entourage of a crazy rich Asian billionaire who hade to Vienna for business.

    The managers of the Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof attended to the men with the utmost respect. They helped settle the guests into their rooms and were rewarded with extremely generous tips for their efforts. They epted the money happily and finally left Huo Shaoheng and his men alone.

    As soon as they had gone, Zhao Liangze and the two men from Squad A immediately got out their infrared and electronic signal detectors. Theybed the suite meticulously: top to bottom and inside out.

    The men only rxed when they were satisfied that the rooms were free of hidden cameras, microphones, and EMI devices.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to the two injured men from Squad A. ¡°Rest up. Your only mission for the next few days is to recover from your injuries.¡±

    The two men thanked him sheepishly and withdrew to their suite next door.

    Zhao Liangze had finished setting up hisputer and electronic instruments. He said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Big Xiong¡¯s worried about not being able to get in touch with us. We were in such a rush to leave this morning that I only had time to send him an encrypted, password-protected email.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted in reply. He seated himself in the armchair before the window.

    Both the armchair and Huo Shaoheng were shielded from view by the beige window curtains. Huo Shaoheng sat casually: his legs were crossed, and his hands were folded on top of his knees. His posture was rxed, but he was still imposing and alert. He did not have to speak; his presence alone was enough to assert his dominance and control over the situation.

    Everyone in the 6th Military Region thought of Huo Shaoheng as the backbone of the organization. In their hearts, Huo Shaoheng was as formidable as a mountain, lofty and insurmountable. Huo Shaoheng knew what the men thought of him, and yed his part: he made sure to never show any sign of weakness.

    He needed to be calm, steadfast, decisive, and ruthless in the darkest hours of the night, while all hope seemed lost and nothing seemed certain.

    Zhao Liangze knew that this was one of those moments where matters seemed to have taken a hopeless turn.

    Huo Shaoheng lifted his eyes and looked straight at him. ¡°Call Big Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Call him?¡± Zhao Liangze was taken aback. ¡°Just two days ago, you told us we were no longer allowed to connect to the system. Are you saying we should use the hotel¡¯s Wi-Fi connection?¡±

    Just earlier, Huo Shaoheng and his team had been using the Empire¡¯s Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System.

    The Nandou System was not only capable of locating any object on the, but it was also capable of establishing a real-timemunication link from anywhere on the.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men often coordinated with each other via the Nandou System whenever they operated outside of the Empire¡¯s borders.

    Their mission had hit a snag this time, but they had not been able to discover why. Huo Shaoheng had ordered his men not to contact anyone unrted to the mission for the time being.They had, therefore, avoided connecting to either the Austrian intr or the Nandou System.

    Zhao Liangze had gone to a cybercaf¨¦ earlier and hijacked a server from the Austrian government just to send Yin Shixiong the email. Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and thought about it. ¡°Use the hotel¡¯s Wi-Fi. We paid a fortune for these rooms¡ªthey should be able to guarantee the security of their inte connection, at least.¡±

    Zhao Liangze gave Huo Shaoheng a skeptical look, but said nothing. He picked up the hotel guidebook, found the password for the Wi-Fi, and connected to it.

    He was a hacker, first and foremost, and could not shake his old habits: he hacked into the hotel¡¯s central control system and added ayer of encryption to the connection in their room. Now, even if someone managed to intercept every single byte of data going out from the room, they would still have to crack the encryption first.

    Once he was connected, Zhao Liangze opened the software that would allow him to call Yin Shixiong.

    In a few moments, a series of beeps sounded over theptop speakers, indicating that a connection had been established.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s face appeared on theptop screen.

    ¡°Little Ze, is everyone okay? What happened?¡± asked Yin Shixiong as soon as the video call was up and running.

    Zhao Liangze smiled at him. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. Did you really think we were in trouble? C¡¯mon, who do you think we are?¡±

    The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries. Zhao Liangze asked about Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°How¡¯s Nianzhi doing? Is she settling in all right? What¡¯s this about attending sses at Harvard? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to intern at the US Congress?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure myself. You¡¯ll have to ask Nianzhi about it.¡± Yin Shixiong tried to look over Zhao Liangze¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is Mr. Huo there? Does he want to talk to Nianzhi?¡±

    Zhao Liangze turned to look inquiringly at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it. He looked at his watch. ¡°What time is it, over in the US?¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked up the time difference. ¡°One o¡¯clock in the afternoon, I think?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, then. Nianzhi must be having her afternoon nap,¡± said Huo Shaoheng indifferently. He got up with the intention of going to the bathroom.

    However, Yin Shixiong had already hurried to get Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! It¡¯s Mr. Huo! A video call, from Mr. Huo!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just crawled into bed. Her eyes flew open as soon as she heard about the video call. She pushed her nket away and ran out of her room, d only in a ck T-shirt.

    The ck, thigh-length T-shirt hung loose on her body; her long, slender legs ran swiftly as she hurried to see Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 116 - Does It Look Good?

    <h4>Chapter 116: Does It Look Good?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small and exquisite face beamed, her eyes with a natural circle lens effect curved into crescents. She bounced into Yin Shixiong¡¯s room andnded in front of theputer on his desk. Huo Shaoheng had both hands in his trouser pockets and looked straight ahead as he walked past Zhao Liangze¡¯s back to take a shower in the bathroom. He suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhao Liangze¡¯sptop monitor as it showed Gu Nianzhi stumble in front of the camera in a ck T-shirt that covered her thighs. The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched when he saw her manga character like face and glowingly pale long legs. Huo Shaoheng strode up without any hesitation and karate chopped Zhao Liangze, whose back was facing him, in the back of the neck. Zhao Liangze received the sudden blow to the back of his neck and lost his bnce, falling to his face with thud and toppling on the ground. Hended underneath the desk. Huo Shaoheng then stepped on his back with one foot and leaned towards the monitor as he grasped the mouse and minimized the window. He growled, ¡°Nianzhi, go change! Who allowed you to run around dressed like this?! ¨CBig Xiong, turn around! Face the wall for one hour!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep and indescribably maic voice sounded from the speakers on Yin Shixiong¡¯sptop. Thest word had a slight lilt and was like a hook that had Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart hanging in mid-air. She was shocked and subconsciously covered her chest, ¡°Uncle Huo! I just want to talk to you! I want to listen to your voice! I... I... I¡¯ll turn off the webcam?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you go change. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused and lightly clicked to stop the video.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily answered, ¡°You said you¡¯d wait! I, I, I, I¡¯ll go change right away!¡± She looked down at herself and her scalp went numb. Oh no! How could she forget this! This sleep shirt slipped through the... Now she was caught redhanded by its owner. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face flushed instantly. She turned to leave Yin Shixiong¡¯s room and zipped into her own room to change. Poor Yin Shixiong reflexively turned around upon Huo Shaoheng¡¯s order! He obediently face the wall in military stance, not even daring to look anywhere but straight ahead.

    Gu Nianzhi went back to her own room and didn¡¯t have time to find any nice clothing. She quickly took off the ck T-shirt and put on a fully covered tube shaped long sleeve cotton sleep gown and slippers before rushing back.

    Zhao Liangze in the meanwhile, was still immobilized by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s foot. He heard that theptop go silent and called out, ¡°Mr. Huo, please have mercy, let me face the wall! My bones are about to be crushed by you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at him and removed his foot. He sat down in the office chair that Zhao Liangze had been in. Zhao Liangze groaned as he crawled up from the floorboards and was about to speak when Huo Shaoheng shot daggers at him. He hastily motioned to scoop out his eyes, then zipped his mouth shut¨Che didn¡¯t see anything and won¡¯t say anything...

    Huo Shaoheng was very annoyed and ignored him as he clicked on the cursor again, ¡°Go check if thework is secure and see if the earlier footage... was cached. If there was anything, wipe it clean.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sighed and rubbed his back that was trampled by Huo Shaoheng earlier. He took out anotherptop and checked the video. The system had indeed cached it, and thework had a copy too. Zhao Liangze snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng before secretly pressing down against theptop. He curiously and carefully looked at what images made Huo Shaoheng react so strongly... When he saw it was merely Gu Nianzhi in a long T-shirt, he almost wanted to roll his eyes.

    ¡°...What are you rolling your eyes for?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from behind Zhao Liangze¡¯s back. Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to walk behind him again and had to force his halfplete eye roll to a stop. Ah! This high level difficulty maneuver was going to give his eyes a cramp!

    ¡°Mr. Huo, this was too unnecessary and overly conservative of you. Nianzhi is dressed normally! All young girls dress like this, I¡¯ve seen short shorts that show off half a butt, what¡¯s this inparison?!¡± Zhao Liangze rubbed his throbbing eyes, extremely vexed.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He put both hands in his trouser pockets and he thought about it with a deadpan expression¨Cthis outfit did seem pretty normal...

    ¡°Think about it, be it youngdies from our nation or Europe, Nianzhi¡¯s outfit isn¡¯t scandalous at all. She would be pretty cute dressed liked this even if she just went out for an errand...¡± Zhao Liangze pointed to the frozen image to analyze in detail, ¡°Look, only her corbones, half her thighs and calves are exposed. She even has slippers so you can¡¯t even see her toes, what¡¯s the big deal? Was it worth putting me and Big Xiong through all that?! She¡¯s a youngdy! She¡¯s not even a woman to me and Big Xiong!¡±

    ¡°Are you displeased with me?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice deepened like it wasing from his chest. If one leaned against his chest to listen carefully, they could almost hear the echo and resonance.

    Zhao Liangze had a full body shudder and was so terrified he wanted to curl up. He cradled his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare! I don¡¯t dare!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng only used this voice when he was enraged; Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t understand where he touched a nerve... Huo Shaoheng was actually angry with himself¨Che was angry that he overreacted without any reason. It was because even though Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t even tell if the simple and modest long ck T-shirt was meant for a man or a woman¨Cbut to him, just one a glimpse was enough to set his heart out of beat momentarily... Huo Shaoheng silently turned and sat back down on the chair. He crossed his legs and held his breath. No one did anything wrong, except for him. That was too much.

    He had extraordinary self-restraint and was able to recover in one breath¡¯s time. He clicked on the video and said to Yin Shixiong, who was still facing the wall, ¡°Big Xiong,e here. I have something to ask you.¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew this meant his punishment was over and sighed in great relief. He answered cheerfully and bounced over. He gave a giant smile to the webcam and guaranteed, ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of Nianzhi and won¡¯t let her go out like that!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was changed and overheard Yin Shixiong betray her to tter Huo Shaoheng. She angrily knocked his head from behind, ¡°Brother Big Xiong! What nonsense are you saying?! When did I ever go out in pyjamas?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was grateful that Gu Nianzhi was here to rescue him, he chuckled before scurrying off to cradle his head, ¡°I was just giving an example! Don¡¯t take it seriously! Here, have it, you talk to them first!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him and didn¡¯t hesitate to sit on Yin Shixiong¡¯s chair. She looked up to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s despairingly beautiful face on the monitor and his usual aloof expression that sent hearts throbbing. It was all too familiar and she felt especially warm and satisfied. She immediately gave the webcam an adorable smile and asked in a honeyed voice, ¡°Uncle Huo, I changed! Does it look good?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, looks good.¡± Huo Shaoheng said casually.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze pouted at the same time, from different corners of Blue.

    What the hell! How does that nun-like, straight cut cylindrical dress look good at all?! Both of them should go see the Imperial Army Hospital¡¯s ophthalmologist-in-charge!

 Chapter 117 - Spoiling Her Silly

    <h4>Chapter 117: Spoiling Her Silly</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong inwardly rolled his eyes: Mr. Huo was a perfectionist, aplete tyrant with exacting standards and a critical eye, but he was always spoiling Gu Nianzhi silly. Her pajamas were ugly as sin, and yet Mr. Huo had, with apletely straight face, praised them all the same.

    You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.

    Zhao Liangze was also mentally cussing Huo Shaoheng out. If he was so insanely protective of her now, what was he going to be like when Nianzhi married?

    Zhao Liangze involuntarily shuddered at the thought. He muttered a silent prayer for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s future husband.

    As for Gu Nianzhi, everyone else had disappeared from her world the moment sheid eyes on Huo Shaoheng.

    Sheunched into a long-winded and detailed ount of everything that had happened to her since arriving in America. She did not mention the cameras Wen Shouyi had concealed in the previous apartment, of course¡ªshe did not want Huo Shaoheng to worry.

    Huo Shaoheng did not speak. He merely watched Gu Nianzhi as she prattled on in a one-sided conversation.

    This went on for some time; Gu Nianzhi eventually noticed Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong yawning, and realized she had been dominating the conversation. She said, sheepishly, ¡°Oh, am I boring you? Uncle Huo, I¡¯ll be sure to keep it short and sweet next time, but you must call me more often.¡± She looked at her watch and discovered that it was almost time for her afternoon sses.

    Huo Shaoheng finally spoke. ¡°How many of those ck T-shirts do you have?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately flushed.

    Sure enough, she had been caught red-handed.

    Gu Nianzhi stammered out,¡± N-Not many...¡±

    ¡°How many?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned, ever so slightly. ¡°This is very important.¡±

    ¡°Just...four.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead was glued to the table as she bent over and hid her face. Her posture and expression clearly disyed how embarrassed she was.

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Okay. Give them to Big Xiong so he can dispose of them.¡±

    He was not in the habit of exining his instructions, but made an exception this time since Gu Nianzhi seemed about ready to die of embarrassment. ¡°Those T-shirts were custom-made for me, and have very specific markings on them. You might attract unwanted attention if the wrong people over there sees them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze suddenly understood what he was saying. If they had admired him for his intelligence before, they were ready to put him on an altar and worship him now: Huo Shaoheng had been one step ahead of them, as usual. The ck T-shirts belonging to Huo Shaoheng had been especially manufactured by the Imperial Army for him, and were all uniquely marked.

    If the United States CIA got their hands on even a tiny piece of the fabric, they might be able to restore the entire shirt, and deduce that one of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s major generals, or at least someone with close ties to him, hade to America.

    Huo Shaoheng was right: this could end up being disastrous for both Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°I¡¯ll destroy them right away, Sir.¡± Yin Shixiong thumped his chest; he ran to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and rummaged through her closet for the pajamas she had brought with her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face had turned a deeper shade of red. She was very embarrassed, but she knew she had to apologize for her mistake. She stood up, bowed towards the camera, and said sincerely, ¡°Uncle Huo, I messed up. This won¡¯t ever happen again, I promise.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was notpletely convinced the danger was over. He asked, ¡°Did you bring anything else?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head vigorously. ¡°Only those T-shirts¡ª¡± her lips trembled, and she let out a gentle sob. ¡°Those four shirts are all that I have left!¡±

    It had taken her years to sessfully ¡°smuggle¡± the shirts out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s closet and into hers without him realizing it¡ªand now she would lose them all!

    Huo Shaoheng watched her for a moment. He said nothing. He got out a cigarette and tapped it on theputer desk as he looked about for his lighter.

    Zhao Liangze, hurried over and lit Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cigarette for him.

    Huo Shaoheng took a drag on his cigarette. He said, indifferently, ¡°You can pick out a few more from my closet once you¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Really?! It¡¯s a promise! I¡¯m holding you to your word!¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately lifted her head, her face lighting up with a brilliant smile. Huo Shaoheng had to look away; he lowered his eyes and took another drag on his cigarette.

    ¡°Yes, really.¡± He exhaled a lungful of smoke, momentarily obscuring the camera.

    ¡°Awesome! Uncle Huo, I¡¯m off to ss now. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow!¡± Gu Nianzhi was more than satisfied. She waved at the camera and turned to leave.

    Once she had left Yin Shixiong¡¯s room and was out of sight, Huo Shaoheng nodded towards Zhao Liangze. ¡°Delete all traces of Nianzhi¡¯s video.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Zhao Liangze was familiar with the protocol. He returned to hisputer to clear the cache and delete whatever had been saved of the video.

    Just then, Yin Shixiong reappeared on-screen with four ck T-shirts. He asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Sir, shall I destroy the shirts now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and watched as Yin Shixiong stuffed three of the T-shirts into the stainless steel trash can in the room. He set fire to the hem of thest shirt with a lighter before throwing it into the trash can and putting on the lid.

    The apartment¡¯s smoke detector remained silent since the smoke from the burning T-shirts had been effectively contained within the stainless steel trash can.

    He waited till all four of the ck T-shirts had been reduced to ashes before flushing them down the toilet. Once he was satisfied that all evidence had been thoroughly destroyed, Yin Shixiong returned to hisputer and sat down. He said to Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, ¡°Nianzhi pretty much covered everything, I have nothing to add. There¡¯s something I would like to ask Mr. Huo, however,¡± He paused briefly, before saying, ¡°I would like to ask for his permission to teach Nianzhi how to cook.¡±

    Zhao Liangze erupted into a violent coughing fit. He gasped for air as he said, ¡°What are you, her mom?! Teach Nianzhi how to cook? That¡¯s the dumbest thing I¡¯ve heard from you yet!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious! This is not a joke!¡± Yin Shixiong had already guessed they would make fun of him. He hastily recited his reasons: ¡°Just think about it. Nianzhi will be 18 in a few months. Has she ever cooked rice? No. She probably doesn¡¯t even know how to wash the rice, let alone cook it. She has to marry, eventually. She can¡¯t very well get takeout for her husband and kids every day¡ªthat would bepletely absurd, even if she could afford it. What if her husband resents her for being a lousy cook and a terrible housewife? Do you think her marriage willst?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re getting way ahead of yourself, Big Xiong. Maybe you should be Nianzhi¡¯s godfather!¡± Zhao Liangze pped his thigh, bent over with howlingughter.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. He could not articte the reasons, but he did not like the idea of Gu Nianzhi learning how to cook. ¡°Big Xiong, that¡¯s none of your business. Just watch over her and make sure that she gets through the next six months safe and sound.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yin Shixiong had not expected Huo Shaoheng to object. ¡°You mean I¡¯m not allowed to teach her?¡±

    Yin Shixiong had a plethora of reasons for not wanting to cook: it meant he would have to cook for her every single day! Yin Shixiong would rather go on a mission and brave a hailstorm of bullets than spend all his time in the kitchen cooking. He was a soldier! Not some lowly cook!

    ¡°Meh, cooking is easy. You don¡¯t actually have to teach her; she¡¯ll pick it up on her own.¡± Zhao Liangze finally understood what Yin Shixiong was worried about, and was now helpfully offering suggestions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Go out and get a couple of recipe books. A genius like her, she¡¯ll pick it up in no time. You¡¯ll see!¡±

    Yin Shixiong realized Zhao Liangze was right. He gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°My friend, you just did me a huge favor. How can I ever repay you? You can have my body, if you like.¡± Yin Shixiong winked at him.

    Zhao Liangze made a face. ¡°Get your ugly a*s outta here! I¡¯m saving my virginity for my future wife!¡±

    After exchanging a few more jokes with Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong finally became serious: he sat up and looked at Huo Shaoheng, his face solemn. ¡°How¡¯s the mission going? I¡¯ve been feeling uneasy the past few days, as though omething isn¡¯t right.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze hesitated. They had not decided whether to tell Yin Shixiong about their situation yet.

    However, Yin Shixiong could sense that something was wrong. He persisted with his questions, until finally Huo Shaoheng relented, and authorized Zhao Liangze to tell him. ¡°We have a problem. We don¡¯t know how, but our targets are always one step ahead of us. They even hit back at us. Two of our men are injured.¡±

    Yin Shixiong sucked in a breath, and was speechless for some time. Things were escting to higher levels of danger.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had been in a good mood ever since her video call with Huo Shaoheng.

    She left the university campus and made a beeline for her apartment once her afternoon sses were over. She wolfed down her dinner, did her homework, and washed up. Once she had gotten everything out of the way, she ran over to Yin Shixiong¡¯s room, and tried to talk him into calling Huo Shaoheng again.

    Yin Shixiong objected to it, naturally. They had already taken a huge risk with their previous video call, and he deeply regretted it. He told himself that he was not going to indulge Gu Nianzhi a second time, no matter how badly she begged for it.

    But Gu Nianzhi was extremely persistent and persuasive. Yin Shixiong found himself cornered, and finally decided to tell her the truth. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not objecting to it just because. It¡¯s just too risky to call them.¡± He followed this with an exnation of the predicament Huo Shaoheng and his men were in.

 Chapter 118 - Something Important To Say

    <h4>Chapter 118: Something Important To Say</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the enemy is always able to dodge their attacks and evenunch a counterattack? And that two of Uncle Huo¡¯s men are also injured?¡± Gu Nianzhi was anxious. ¡°Is Uncle Huo ok? Did you see if he was injured?¡±

    She paced in circles in Yin Shixiong¡¯s room. She muttered to herself, ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be injured. I remember that his head, arms, and legs were all ok. I couldn¡¯t see anything else, but then again he had been sitting the whole time and didn¡¯t stand up once, so were his legs actually injured?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pace so fast, you¡¯re making me dizzy.¡± Yin Shixiong smiled wryly as he shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s not yet anyone in the world that can hurt Mr. Huo. It wasn¡¯t him who was injured, but a few members of our team.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in deep relief and pressed her palms together to pray in all four directions. She prayed to all the deities for Huo Shaoheng to be free from injury and remain safe.

    ¡°Okay, okay, go and chant if you need to. Don¡¯t pray here.¡± Yin Shixiong had no patience for deities and religion. There were no such thing as heavenly saviours; the only things able to rescue them were they themselves.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°I just want some peace of mind, so don¡¯t mock me.¡± She wasn¡¯t in a rush to go and so she sat on Yin Shixiong¡¯s couch, her brows furrowed. ¡°But, what is going on exactly. Do they have any idea?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Yin Shixiong patted the desk. ¡°I think however, that we have a traitor!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°If there really was a traitor, and they knew about Uncle Huo¡¯s mission, wouldn¡¯t they have failed in the Czech Republic already?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yin Shixiong pondered this, one arm across his chest and the other yanking at his cor as he also began to pace around. ¡°Why were things fine in the Czech Republic, then suddenly disastrous in Vienna? How did the Whitewater Security Group be so powerful that they had been able to stage a counterattack in just two weeks?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that there must be an important missing link¡ªthe cause and effect didn¡¯t match up. She sat in Yin Shixiong¡¯s room for a while before returning to her room. Since a video chat would be a huge security risk for Huo Shaoheng and his men, Gu Nianzhi certainly wouldn¡¯t ask for it again. When she also thought of the danger they took to call them this afternoon, she shuddered in fear. If that call became the reason that Huo Shaoheng was ced at a disadvantage, she would never be able to forgive herself. She went back to herptop and after scrolling absently for some time her eyes zed over and she was lost in thought; Her fingers gently held the mouse as she mumbled, ¡°If the enemy was able to know their location firsthand, it¡¯s probably because there¡¯s something wrong with the navigation system?¡± However, she was aware that the satellite navigation and location system that Huo Shaoheng and his men used had been developed by the Empire itself: the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System. Theoretically, something like this could never happen. Zhao Liangze and the team had believed this, so they had only considered the possibility of a traitor, but had never thought to test the system. On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t reliant on the Nandou system; thus she was able to look at the situation objectively and find the solution. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about this and so opened aputer programming software to put her theory to the test. She pursed her lips and began writing a formting a testing software. She had learned this from theputer genius, Zhao Liangze, when she had lived on the Special Ops base with Huo Shaoheng. It was easy to write this program and its main function was to continuously send signals to test the security and stability of the satellite navigation and location system. She knew the frequency of the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System, thus the software quickly began to run and carry out the assignedmands. This could determine if the system was working properly. Half an hour passed, and the software continued to run smoothly. The signals were transmitted, then returned and received by the program¡¯s receiver on herptop. The special receiver was Yin Shioxong¡¯s device¡ªit could magnify electromaic signals simr to how a TV antenna worked. After midnight, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s program suddenly began to give warning signals. She had been slumped over, asleep on her desk, and jolted awake. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her monitor to see bold red lines on her previously smoothly running software. In her programmingnguage, this denoted the interference by a super strong signal! What was going on?

    Gu Nianzhi thought she was dreaming so she rubbed her eyes and viciously pinched herself to make sure she was seeing right. The software indicated that the test signal sent to the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System had ovepped with an unknown signal.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. Huh? What was going on?!

    They were in America, who other than herself would be able to send signals to the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System? Could it be Yin Shixiong? Gu Nianzhi frantically ran to his room and pounded on the door. ¡°Brother Xiong! Brother Xiong! What are you doing?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong had been deep asleep when her knocks suddenly woke him up. His hair was sticking out in all directions as he clumsily put on his slippers and stumbled to open the door. ¡°What¡¯s happened? What is it, Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°You were sleeping?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong, her gaze moving from his groggy face to his wrinkly pajamas.

    ¡°Yeah, you just woke me up.¡± Yin Shixiong then said, impatiently, ¡°You better have something important to tell me! Otherwise I won¡¯t forgive you for disturbing my sleep, no matter how much I let you off the hook normally!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°You just spoil yourself!¡± If it wasn¡¯t Yin Shixiong, it must be someone else in the States who was continuously transmitting test signals to the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System. From the boldness of the lines, Gu Nianzhi was certain that the signals originated from somewhere not far from them. She excitedly reached out to drag Yin Shixiong to her room and pointed at the erratic and bold red lines on her screen. She enunciated carefully, ¡°Brother Xiong, you see this? I think the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System has been hacked.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Yin Shixong waspletely awake now. ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense! You should already know, that system is the most secure system in our nation! How could it be hacked? Even if it were, how could the enemy not have captured Mr. Huo and the team by now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand this system either.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Brother Xiong, think of a way to contact Unce Huo. I have something important to say to them.¡±

 Chapter 119 - Failure Is Not an Option

    <h4>Chapter 119: Failure Is Not an Option</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong smoothed his disheveled hair with his hands. His eyes were glued to the thick red lines zigzagging wildly on Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop.

    ¡°Can we really trust this thing?¡± He walked over, put his hand on the mouse, and opened up her source code to check it.

    Yin Shixiong was outssed by both Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi when it came toputers, but that did not mean he wasputer illiterate. He was just as educated in the subject as an individual with a master¡¯s degree inputer science.

    Yin Shixiong read the source code, line by line. He let out an impressed whistle. ¡°I should have known better than to doubt you. How do you do it? You spent less than six months learning programmingnguages from Little Ze, as I recall.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. She sped her hands behind her back, and winked at him. ¡°The programmingnguages are easy to pick up, actually. Once you know one, you know all of them¡ªthey have the same underlying structure and logic. And thenguages are constantly evolving, so someone with a lot of experience may not actually be better at coding than a total newbie!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m an old fart, I get it.¡± Yin Shixiong pretended to re at her; deep down, however, he could hardly contain his excitement. He had a feeling that Gu Nianzhi had unintentionally solved the problem that had been guing Huo Shaoheng and his men.

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Yin Shixiong sat on the chair in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the screen and said, ¡°Get in touch with Uncle Huo, but don¡¯t use instant messaging¡ªuse the local Wi-Fi to send an encrypted email instead. Tell them to cut themselves off from the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System.¡±

    Now that the Nandou System had been breached, it would actually be safer to use the localwork.

    Gu Nianzhi had thought of a simple analogy for their situation: the Nandou System was the ¡°house¡± they had painstakingly built, and it had kept them safe. But now the roof was broken, riddled with holes, and rain was pouring in; under the circumstances, it was safer to take refuge in the neighbor¡¯s house¡ªthe localwork.

    Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll send the email right away.¡±

    He sent an email to Zhao Liangze then and there, with Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop.It was seven in the morning in Vienna, Austria, when the email was delivered. Huo Shaoheng and his men were already awake; they were ustomed to getting up early so that they could not sleep in even if they¡¯d wanted to.

    Zhao Liangze had gotten out of bed and was tinkering around the kitchen while making coffee. After that, he called room service and ordered breakfast.

    Huo Shaoheng stood before the window, smoking a cigarette.

    Suddenly, a chime sounded from Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer: an urgent email had arrived.

    Huo Shaoheng flicked the ash from his cigarette into a nearby ashtray. He walked over to Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer, his cigarette still in his hand, and nced at the screen.

    It was an email from Yin Shixiong. After a brief second¡¯s deliberation, he opened the email and read it.

    As soon as he saw what was written in the email, he discarded the cigarette in his hand and said, in a grave voice, ¡°Little Ze, are you still connected to the Nandou System?¡±

    Zhao Liangze poked his head out from the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m still hooked up to it, but the connection isn¡¯t open right now.¡±

    In other words, the router was on, but theputer was off.

    Huo Shaoheng let out a small sigh of relief. His fingers deftly flew over theputer keyboard. He turned off every connection between their system and the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System.

    ¡°Call Yin Shixiong. Use the hotel Wi-Fi.¡± Huo Shaoheng motioned for Zhao Liangze toe over, and moved aside to make space for him. ¡°Ask them what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Zhao Liangze hurried over. He paled when he saw Yin Shixiong¡¯s email. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with Nandou? But that¡¯s impossible!¡±

    It was only natural for him to be skeptical; anyone who had helped design Nandou and understood how the system worked would have found the idea difficult to swallow.

    Huo Shaoheng was just as perplexed, but he had always kept a tight lid on his emotions, never allowing them to betray his thoughts and concerns. He nodded calmly. ¡°If the idea seems ridiculous to even you, then it must be true¡ªsomething¡¯s up with Nandou.¡± This was the only exnation. They had been stumped for days, but had never suspected the Nandou System, having believed it to be unassable.

    The Imperial Army hadunched a top-secret investigation to find spies who may have leaked the mission, but a week had gone by and they had made zero progress. They needed to eliminate the four remaining mercenaries within the next two weeks, or their deal with Gu Yanran would be off the table.

    If Gu Yanran retracted her offer, that would mean that the 6th Military Region had failed.

    Huo Shaoheng was not about to let a failure of this scale taint the reputation of the newly established 6th Military Region.

    Zhao Liangze re-checked all his equipment and operating systems. Once he was sure all links to the Nandou System had been cut off, he turned on theputer and connected to the hotelwork.

    A momentter, Yin Shixiong¡¯sputer began to beep: this meant Zhao Liangze was trying to contact him.

    Yin Shixiong heard it, and returned to his room with Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him.

    Yin Shixiong set Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop down. He sat at his desk, turned on hisputer, and opened the instant messaging software that was beeping for his attention.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face appeared on theputer screen.

    ¡°Big Xiong, I just got your email. Oh hey, Nianzhi¡ªyou¡¯re still up?¡± Zhao Liangze had noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small, delicate face in his video feed.

    ¡°I have something to tell you, Brother Ze.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was solemn, her face drawn tight with worry. ¡°Is Uncle Huo there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here. Go on.¡± Huo Shaoheng appeared behind Zhao Liangze, his arms folded across his chest.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself. She exined to them about her program and the experiments she had conducted, and then presented herptop to the camera. ¡°Look, these are the reflected signals my receiver picked up. They¡¯re a lot stronger than the signals I tried to bounce off the satellite myself.¡±

    Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t an expert for nothing. He had barely nced at herptop screen before realizing the truth of the situation. He brought his fist down on hisputer desk and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll be d*amned¡ªthere is a problem! Who¡¯s messing with us?! The daring of it! How did they do it?¡±

    ¡°This means that whoever¡¯s sending these signals to the Nandou System is doing it near where you live, right? Can you find out where?¡± Huo Shaoheng had seen at once what was important about these signals, and was now asking the crucial questions.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°I think it¡¯s from nearby, too, but we still don¡¯t know exactly where¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know just the ce!¡± Yin Shixiong had a sudden epiphany.

    He had visited the area in question, not too long ago, while he¡¯d pretended to be a tourist.

    ¡°Where?¡± Both Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi asked at the same time.

    ¡°Harvard University¡¯s School of Electronic Engineering,¡± said Yin Shixiong, carefully. ¡°That¡¯s the only ce in the vicinity with the equipment and the brains to send the sort of probing signals we¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°That may be it!¡± said Gu Nianzhi in a hushed voice. ¡°The School of Electronic Engineering is just opposite Harvard Law School. I can head there tomorrow morning and see what¡¯s up, if you like.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong objected to this. Zhao Liangze said, ¡°No. You¡¯re out of your depth. Let Big Xiong go instead.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored them; he took hold of the mouse and opened a few programs on Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer. He spent a brief moment looking at the screen, before saying to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Nianzhi, go check out the School of Electronic Engineering, but don¡¯t bring any equipment with you. See if there¡¯s anyone suspicious, and ask what kind of experiments they¡¯re running. Remember not to draw any attention to yourself.¡±

    This was the first time Huo Shaoheng had asked Gu Nianzhi to do something as important as this for him. She nodded, giddy with excitement. ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll go tomorrow. You can count on me!¡±

    ¡°Stay on guard, and be quick about it.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°You only have 24 hours. I expect you to find out what¡¯s going on by this time tomorrow¡ªcan you do it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not hesitate. ¡°No problem!¡±

    Once the video call was over, Zhao Liangze voiced his objections. ¡°Sir, Nianzhi isn¡¯t part of the Special Ops. This is too dangerous for her, surely.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had tapped out a new cigarette, and was now idly toying with it with his fingers. He said expressionlessly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It would be more risky for Big Xiong to do it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not only an exchange student at Harvard University, but also a young, innocent-looking girl.

    If something fishy was going on over at the School of Electronic Engineering, Gu Nianzhi would have an easier time spotting the signs.

 Chapter 120 - Looking For The Male Idol

    <h4>Chapter 120: Looking For The Male Idol</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room, still very excited. She tossed and turned in bed for a while before finally falling into a deep slumber.

    The next morning, the rm sounded and she opened her eyes, the mission for the day making her eager as she got up. After washing up quickly, she had breakfast and left her apartment,ptop in hand. She actually didn¡¯t have ss in the morning, but in order to find an excuse to go to the School of Engineering, she had decided to go to the Law School early and study alone in one of the ssrooms.

    Between eight and nine in the morning, the number of students and professors in the school increased and the campus grew lively again after a night of quiet. Gu Nianzhi had a n in ce. She used the her school¡¯s intr to ess the School of Electronic Engineering¡¯s private homepage, as well as all the information pertaining to thebs,b mentors, areas of research, and also the masters and doctoral students enrolled.

    Gu Nianzhi nced over the list of names and one group stood out in particr. The area of research was confidential and there were no traces of it on the intr. Only the names of the participating members were listed. Judging from the titles, all the participants were all post-doctorates, associate professors and even professors, but the group leader was a doctorate student who had onlye to Harvard not long ago and hadn¡¯t even taken the doctoral qualification examination before leading the group.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze paused on the photo of the group leader. It was an image of a young woman who she assumed was from the Huxia Empire. She had graduated from the renowned T University¡¯s Department of Precision Instruments and came to Harvard two years ago to study as a doctoral student. Her name was Xin Xinggao. Possessing such qualifications,ing to a prestigious and world famous school to study, leading a team of far more qualified members, and then being part of a secretive research group, all of these things added up, causing a smile to bloom on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. She wouldn¡¯t have to go to the School of Engineering to find the right direction of investigation, after all.

    She only needed to do two things: first, she checked Harvard¡¯s Huaxia Empire Students¡¯ Association¡¯s homepage to check their events calendar. Because it was the summer break, not many students were attending sses, but there would be many students¡¯ association activities in the session. That afternoon, the Students¡¯ Association had aworking event. Gu Nianzhi saw that among the organizers, one was a postdoctoral student from the School of Engineering. I must go check out this event! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile widened as she bookmarked the page. Secondly, she downloaded Xing Xinggao¡¯s CV from the School of Engineering¡¯swork and sent it to Yin Shixiong to have him ask one of the Imperial Special Ops personnel to look at her information. They would check her field of research as well as her research experience during her time at T University, in addition to her family background and social rtions. The second task wasmonce for the Special Ops to handle, so it would be easy enough.

    The Imperial Special Ops soonpleted the research on Xin Xinggao¡¯splete CV and sent the results to Yin Shixiong before theworking event in the afternoon was set to begin. When Yin Shixiong had contacted the Special Ops, he had specifically requested them not to use the Nandou system to send the files. Thus, all the information was safely received in his mailbox. As soon as he finished reading the information, he shuddered.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where did you did this person¡¯s information?¡± Yin Shixiong asked Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t be so rash and mindlessly obey Mr. Huo. He¡¯s always been strict, but you are not a professional, so there¡¯s no need for¡ª¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was displeased and interrupted him without hesitation. ¡°Brother Xiong, what do you mean by saying this? Even though I¡¯m not as powerful as you guys, I¡¯m notpletely useless. Uncle Huo believes in me and entrusted me to do this. Are you looking down on me?¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled bitterly. ¡°How could I dare to look down on you? Nianzhi, I¡¯m just worried about your safety.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed softly. ¡°Smart people use their brains, not bravado. I¡¯ll be fine, ok? Anyway, I have to go now. I¡¯m going to theworking event in the afternoon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just ended the call when she looked up to see He Zhichu leaning against the ssroom door. He wore a smoky gray Egyptian cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up; his long legs were clothed in light gray suit trousers. He had been watching her quietly, a hint of warmth in his normally sharp eyes.

    ¡°.Professor He, when did you get here?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. ¡°There¡¯s no ss today, right? Or did I read the schedule wrong?¡±

    ¡°What kind ofworking event are you going to?¡± He Zhichu asked dryly, ¡°Do you have a lot of free time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked away, slightly embarrassed.

    Why shouldn¡¯t I attend student activities? She usually didn¡¯t go because she didn¡¯t like group activities. But this time, she had to go no matter what.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Huxia Empire Students¡¯ Association¡¯sworking event. I just came to Harvard and felt that I should get to know more students.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly as she put herptop into her backpack. She rose and walked past He Zhichu. ¡± Are you here for business?¡±

    ¡°Where is it?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes followed her.

    ¡°Where is what?¡±

    ¡°Theworking event.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at her phone and entered the address into her GPS. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not far. It¡¯s just three blocks from here.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up and showed him the map.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡± He Zhichu turned to go downstairs. ¡°Three blocks is not a short walk.¡±

    Gu Nuanzhi had actually wanted to take the opportunity to walk through the School of Engineering across from thew school and find the event organizer. She had memorized his name and CV so that it would be easier for her to make his acquaintance. However, if He Zhichu gave her a ride, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get to the venue first. Gu Nianzhi blinked and ran after him, saying, ¡°Professor He, this is a student activity, what are you going to be doing there?¡±

    ¡°Is it a problem if I want to check it out?¡± He walked to his car without turning around and pressed the key in his hand to open the door remotely.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the inconspicuous, yet shy Mercedes-Benz; she cursed his stubbornness. She turned to look at the School of Engineering forlornly as she dragged herself into the car and sighed.

    He Zhichi put the seatbelt on her and asked dryly, ¡°Why do you keep looking at the School of Engineering?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a handsome guy there, he¡¯s basically a male idol.¡± Gu Nianzhi cringed inwardly as she blurted out the ridiculous excuse; she forced a starstruck expression in her eyes. ¡°I saw him once before on campus and have never forgotten him.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded in silence, but he clenched his jaw in agitation. He hadn¡¯t actually wanted to go to some random studentworking event but had instead sought to give Gu Nianzhi a ride since it was on the way. However, seeing her smitten look, he was curious to see what this unforgettable ¡°male idol¡± looked like.

 Chapter 121 - Cracking the Code

    <h4>Chapter 121: Cracking the Code</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu drove Gu Nianzhi over to the Huaxia Student Association¡¯s mixer party in his Mercedes-Benz.

    He parked the car in front of the building and, to Gu Nianzhi¡¯splete surprise and dismay, followed her inside.

    Gu Nianzhi had tried several times to get him to leave, but he had waved aside her arguments easily with sarcastic retorts.

    Gu Nianzhi gave up: she would just have to ignore him and pretend that he wasn¡¯t there. She walked into the building and began to mingle with the students inside.

    She was young and extremely beautiful. All eyes were on her as soon as she walked in. What made her stand out further was how not only was she a good conversationalist, but also was cheerful and easygoing. Her fellow students quickly warmed up to her.

    Gu Nianzhi scanned the room, but did not see the postdoc fellow she was looking for, the one from the School of Engineering. She pulled one of the party organizers aside and asked, in a low voice, ¡°Hey, have you seen Zhao Quan?¡±

    ¡°Zhao Quan? I saw him a minute ago. Maybe he¡¯s in the kitchen, helping them out with grilling chicken wings?¡± The student pointed the kitchen out to her.

    Gu Nianzhi thanked her and calmly walked towards the kitchen.

    He Zhichu casually followed her. She was tense as he stopped in the kitchen doorway, and looked in.

    A chubby man, half a head shorter than Gu Nianzhi, turned and hurried to the door. ¡°Yes? Are you looking for me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood frozen in ce.

    What the heck!

    This man did not look anything like his photo on the university website! He had been sitting down in the photo, which had made it impossible to tell how tall he was. Although, he had a pleasant face that was easy on the eyes, he probably could have passed for an ¡°Adonis¡±¡ªif only he had been a little taller.

    Gu Nianzhi stood and stared at her short, chubby ¡°Adonis¡±, chagrined. She could almost hear He Zhichuughing at her behind her back.

    Well, she thought, she was just going to have to go through with it¡ªshe was a woman on a mission, after all. He could have looked like a total pig, and she would have shamelessly worshipped the man as an a beautiful made idol even then, if it had meant getting the results she was after!

    He Zhichu was, as Gu Nianzhi suspected,ughing at her, but only inwardly.

    He coolly looked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Adonis¡± over, before turning to leave.

    Once Gu Nianzhi saw that he was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief. It would have been so much more awkward if He Zhichu had hung around.

    ¡°Brother Zhao, I heard you¡¯re a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Engineering. That¡¯s, like, so amazing!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked admiringly at Zhao Quan with herrge eyes; she bat her eyshes at him and smiled. Zhao Quan¡¯s mind instantly went nk under the full force of her adoring gaze.

    ¡°Oh no, I-I-I¡¯m just like any other researcher, r-really,¡± stammered Zhao Quan. He handed her a grilled chicken wing. ¡°Want some?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Brother Zhao.¡± Gu Nianzhi epted the chicken wing. She held it up to her nose and inhaled. ¡°Oh gosh, this smells heavenly!¡±

    She began to butter Zhao Quan up again. ¡°I¡¯m aw student myself, but only because I¡¯m no good at science. I never paid much attention in my science sses, you see, ever since I was little, so I really admire those with a head for science¡ªlike you, for example! Actually, now that I think about it, women have always been inferior to men when ites to the sciences, haven¡¯t they?¡± Gu Nianzhi gave an exaggerated sigh.

    Zhao Quan was feeling light-headed from all the praise. He quickly said, ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t underestimate yourself. There are plenty of intelligent and aplished women in the sciences, and many are better than the men in their respective fields even.¡±

    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t believe you. You¡¯re just saying that to make me feel better.¡± Gu Nianzhi fluttered her eyshes at him again as she ced a grilled chicken wing on Zhao Quan¡¯s te. ¡°Here, you should eat too, Brother Zhao.¡±

    Zhao Quan smiled. He took a bite out of his chicken wing, and pointed in the direction of the living room. ¡°I¡¯m not lying. See thatdy over there? That¡¯s Xin Xinggao, the most aplished student in my department. She¡¯s the leader of our best observation and surveince team, and she doesn¡¯t even have her doctorate degree yet!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was racing now. She had not expected Xin Xinggao to be at the party as welling to the party had been well worth it!

    Xin Xinggao was dressed casually, and appeared to be a gentle, well-mannereddy with delicate features and wavy hair that reached her shoulders. She was chatting with the president of the student association, a beer in her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi set her te down, and wiped her hands neatly with a napkin. She reached for a bottle of beer and handed it to Zhao Quan. ¡°Here, have some beer. It goes so well with the chicken wings.¡±

    Zhao Quan downed half the bottle in one go. ¡°Everything I say is true! You can look it up on the university intr if you don¡¯t believe me. It¡¯s public information.¡±

    ¡°Oh. But, I really don¡¯t see what¡¯s so impressive about that.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Maybe she got lucky.¡±

    ¡°Luck has nothing to do with it! Her team is working on some really incredible stuff. They¡¯re trying to crack the channel encryption for satellite signals, did you know that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on her best vacant stare. She shook her head. ¡°I have no idea what that means, it¡¯s all Greek to me. Why are we talking about this anyway? It¡¯s stupid and boring, let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± She giggled and began telling Zhao Quan a few jokes. She eventually noticed a female student, about the same height as Zhao Quan, ring at her, and decided it was time to leave. She rose and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to see what everyone else is up to. Want toe along, Brother Zhao?¡±

    Zhao Quan was in charge of the kitchen, and could not leave. Gu Nianzhi knew this, of course; she had asked the party organizers in advance.

    Sure enough, Zhao Quan reluctantly said, ¡°I have to stay in the kitchen. You go have fun.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi skipped gaily out of the kitchen and into the main room. She spent some more time cheerfully mingling with the other students before leaving the party.

    Once she was outside, she looked around, but did not see He Zhichu¡¯s Mercedes-Benz. She guessed that he had already left.

    But when Gu Nianzhi walked out of the gates and onto the street, He Zhichu¡¯s Mercedes-Benz rolled into view and pulled up beside her.

    He Zhichu lowered the window and looked out at her. ¡°Get in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She clutched at her backpack, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and got into the passenger seat.

    ¡°So which Adonis do you want to visit next?¡± There was an undercurrent of amusement in He Zhichu¡¯s voice. He looked over at Gu Nianzhi, his expression openly mocking.

    Gu Nianzhi buried her face into the backpack on herp. She mumbled, ¡°They don¡¯t grow on trees, you know. It¡¯s so hard to find even one ¡°Adonis¡±, these days.¡±

    He Zhichu chuckled. He did not say anything after that.

    He drove her back to the apartment, his expression neutral for the rest of the journey.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, He Zhichu said, ¡°Since you seem to have a lot of free time, you can help me out with a new case. I¡¯ll send you the documents. Draft a report, and hand it in.¡± He did not even look at her. He floored the gas pedal, and the Mercedes-Benz sped away, leaving Gu Nianzhi in a cloud of dust.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth with a hand as she coughed and sputtered. Once she had recovered, she returned to her apartment.

    As soon as she was back in her apartment, Yin Shixiong pulled her to his room. ¡°Quick, I have a video call going with Mr. Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up upon hearing this. She quickly seated herself on Yin Shixiong¡¯s desk chair.

    ¡°Uncle Huo!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Huo Shaoheng seemed to be in good spirits. ¡°Nianzhi, you did it. Good job.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Uncle Huo! What else can I do to help?¡± Gu Nianzhi swelled with pride. She was eager to prove she could do even better.

    A small smile shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. ¡°Work with Little Ze and try to intercept the signals tonight, see what they¡¯re up to.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gu Nianzhi had already thought of doing that herself and had made the necessary preparations.

    The signals had appeared at midnight the previous night. It was probably safe to assume that they would have to wait until midnight to catch the signals again.

    Gu Nianzhi was too preupied with her new mission to bother with the case He Zhichu had assigned to her. She went to bed early and slept for a few hours; at midnight, she got up, contacted Zhao Liangze, and granted him remote ess to herptop. The two of them began tracking the probing signals.

    They spent the entire night running detailed calctions and tests. By daybreak, Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi were confident that they knew what the signals were up to.

    What they had found was both expected and unexpected.

    Zhao Quan had told the truth: the signals sent from the School of Engineering were probing for Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System¡¯s channel encryption key.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men had failed in their most recent operations; this meant that the team at the Harvard School of Engineering had most likely cracked part of the pseudo-random password for the Nandou System, and were now able to track and locate anyone who was connected to the system.

 Chapter 122 - Know Thy Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 122: Know Thy Enemy</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°This Xin Xinggao is really something.¡± Gu Nianzhi was impressed. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to crack the Nandou system¡¯s channel coding.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯d be impressed too if she really cracked it from scratch.¡± Yin Shixiong shook his head is disdain. ¡°It¡¯s almost a shame that she wasn¡¯t able to.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi caught onto his implication. ¡°Brother Xiong, did you figure out something?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yin Shixiong sent Zhao Liangze the data on Xin Xinggao that the Special Ops had unearthed. ¡°Look for yourself. Before she left for abroad, Xin Xinggao participated in the development of the Nandou system under her mentor at T University. Although she wasn¡¯t involved in the crucialponents, she was able to understand the basis process and the general framework, as well as the coding rules. Additionally, the coding rules of the Nandou system and the European Copernicus are the same in regards to theirpatibility purposes.¡±

    Zhao Liangze replied from the other side, ¡°As far as I know, thisb at Harvard¡¯s School of Engineering was able to crack the channel coding of the Copernicus Global Satellite Navigation System system six months ago. With the help of a Nandou ¡®insider,¡¯ it¡¯s not a surprise that they were able to figure out the pattern in the Nandou¡¯s pseudo random passwords.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pat her heart in great relief. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. I was really afraid that we were up against a genius here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right! Some genius. She was just abourer.¡± Yin Shixiong opened the MATLAB software on hispter, ¡°See, they send test signals to the Nadou system everyday, and when the signal is received, they import the data into their MATLAB for calctions.¡±

    ¡°ording to his, they should be able topletely crack the code in no time.¡± Gu Nianzhi made an estimation with the amount of data andputing power of MATLAB, her facepletely serious. ¡°Uncle Huo, you musn¡¯t use the Nandou system again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in front of theputer and moved the mouse with one hand, while the other was draped on the back of his chair. He appeared much more rxed now. ¡°Nianzhi, we really owe you this time.¡±

    His voice traveled from the speakers, his deep tones flowed into her ears and burrowed deep inside her heart. Her ears were tingling and she couldn¡¯t help pinching her earlobes to soothe the feeling. She smiled. ¡°Uncle Huo, I¡¯m so happy to be able to help you guys,¡± she added, ¡°Will you contact the Empire to change the channel coding for Nandou? Will it be a great loss?¡±

    Zhao Liangze replied indignantly, ¡°The biggest loss was to our operation; we fell right into the enemy¡¯s trap. Other than this, it¡¯s not a big deal. The Nandou civilian password was originally meant to be freely essible to everyone anyway. But, whether the password was given or stolen, that¡¯s a different matter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped her fingers.¡±I got it! It¡¯s like the neighbor got ahold of our wifi password and leeched off our inte?¡±

    This was a fair analogy. Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong chuckled. ¡°Yes, yes! That¡¯s it! Greedy neighbors stealing our wifi! Such sh*tty neighbors!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled along with them, but she understood what Zhao Liangze had left unsaid¡ªthe true reason why he was so upset. Even though Xin Xinggao had led this American group in cracking the civilian password, it still involved certain coding rules. It would¡¯ve been disastrous if the Americans had gotten ahold of the Empire¡¯s coding rules because Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t figured it out in time. This was no small blow.

    ¡°This is a serious matter.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not join in their joking, but pointed at the data analysis on the monitor. ¡°They certainly won¡¯t be able to crack the military password, because I was the one to create it. Of course, even the mostplex password can be cracked if there¡¯s a leak like this.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong quickly nodded in agreement. ¡°Cracking the civilian password was a leak to begin with!¡±

    If Xin Xinggao¡¯s team took the credit for cracking the password, Yin Shixiong would be the first to challenge it. Had she ask her father for permission to do this? Or had she asked her mentor?

    ¡°The data indicates that Xin Xinggao¡¯s father is the director of the Imperial H Provincial Police Department. That¡¯s why she was able to have the opportunity to be involved in the Nandou¡¯s research and development when she was merely a junior undergraduate student.¡± Yin Shixiong angrily tapped his fingers while reading the results from the Special Ops.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him through the webcam. ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered the special team of the 6th Military Region to investigate the overseas rtions of all the research and development personnel for the Nandou system. It will be on the record, just in case. As for ssmate Xin¡¯s father, he¡¯s no longer suitable to hold the position of provincial police department director.¡± Huo Shaoheng had issued an order to the nationalmittee. ¡°The military will investigate him and strip him of his rank.¡±

    One problem was solved, but another emerged. Without the support of the Nandou system, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s operation was now exponentially more difficult. There were still four targets to eliminate, but they had no leads yet. Without the guidance and locating functions of the Nandou system, they might as well have been deaf and blind. Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were troubled; Huo Shaoheng discratedly lit a cigarette.

    Gu Nianzhi watched them and noted the low morale. She said quietly, ¡°Brother Ze, get Uncle Huo a coffee. It¡¯s not good to smoke so much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard Gu Nianzhi carefully remind him. He held the cigarette and knocked the desk several times before lighting it and ignoring her request. He calmly inhaled and blew out a ring of white smoke.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted when he didn¡¯t listen to her. She looked over to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Brother Ze, how is the operation going?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re worried about. If ites down to no other option, we¡¯ll just have to power through.¡± Zhao Liangze ruffled his hair in frustration. He hadn¡¯t been able to rest at all the past few days¡ªthere were bruises under his eyes and stubble growing on his chin.

    Gu Nianzhi had been thinking about this problem ever since she¡¯d considered the possibility that the Nandou was being hacked. Now that she understood the research and development process, as well as the coding rules, she had a bold thought.

    ¡°Uncle Huo, Brother Ze, how about this?¡± Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly to get their attention. ¡°We can¡¯t use the Nandou system because we don¡¯t want the Americans to track us. But, what if we used the Copernicus system instead?¡±

    The European Copernicus system was developed before the Nandou system and because of various reasons, it was limited to use in Europe even now. It did not have global coverage, unlike the Nandou system. However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mission was being carried out in Europe, so they only needed a navigation system for the continent itself.

    ¡°Use the Copernicius system?¡± Zhao Liangze jerked his head up, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! However, we need to crack its code first, then hack into it like the Americans did with our Nandou system. Then we can use it for ourselves!¡±

    ¡°Crack the Copernicius¡¯ code? Do you have time?¡± Yin Shixiong asked sarcastically. ¡°The team in Harvard took nearly six months and even had the aid of a spy. Do we have that long?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was discouraged again.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the solemn faced Yin Shixiong, then the dejected Zhao Liangze, and finally the impassive Huo Shaoheng. She raised her hand bashfully. ¡°Let me try, I should be able to crack the Copernicus code in one day and night.¡±

 Chapter 123 - Shortcut

    <h4>Chapter 123: Shortcut</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You can crack it in a day?!¡± Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong eximed at the same time. ¡°The Europeans changed the channel encryption key for the Copernicus System after the Americans announced that they had cracked it. You¡¯ll have to crack it all over again¡ªare you sure you can do it in a single day?!¡±

    The password for something as secure as a sat-nav system could only be cracked by aputer with a massive amount of processing power.

    The Harvard School of m Engineering had cracked the channel encryption for the Nandou System with the help of a supeputer running 24/7. They would have been waiting for years by the time Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dinky littleptop managed to do the same.

    Huo Shaoheng had lifted his head in surprise upon hearing what Gu Nianzhi had said, and was now watching Gu Nianzhi calmly with his dark eyes. They were separated by aputer screen, but Gu Nianzhi could feel his gaze bore through her, all the same.

    Gu Nianzhi forgot how to breathe. She lowered her eyes, not trusting herself to look at Huo Shaoheng again, and said, softly, ¡°Miss Xin¡¯s website has the original record of the signals from the Copernicus System. The amount of data seems overwhelming at first nce, but that¡¯s only because there¡¯s a lot of clutter and noise in it. If we can eliminate the noise, the amount of data we need to process will be massively reduced, which means theputing power required will also be reduced. Myptop...¡± At this point, she paused, raised her head, and looked directly at Zhao Liangze, who was sitting in one corner of the video feed on herptop. She said,ughing, ¡°Brother Ze modified it. It has nothing on an actual supeputer, but it¡¯s still a lot more powerful than the averageputer.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked sideways at Zhao Liangze, who was sitting beside him. ¡°You modified Nianzhi¡¯sptop? Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡±

    Zhao Liangze wished he could run over and mp a hand over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth.

    She had promised him she would keep it a secret from Huo Shaoheng!

    How can you just snitch on me like that?! Zhao Liangze¡¯s thought anxiously.

    He should have known better than to trust Nianzhi to be able to keep a secret from Mr. Huo. She had readily spilled the entire can of beans, without even waiting for Mr. Huo to ask her about it! The child was utterly spineless in front of Mr. Huo.

    Zhao Liangze inwardly swore at both Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng as he shook his head vaguely and said, ¡°Me dumb dumb, me know nothing...¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Yin Shixiong scoffed at Zhao Liangze¡¯s ridiculous attempt at ying dumb. Did he really think that would be enough to get Mr. Huo to let him off the hook?

    Huo Shaoheng gave Zhao Liangze a cold, withering look. He rose from his seat and said, ¡°You¡¯ll stay up with Nianzhi and help her crack the encryption. You¡¯re not allowed to sleep, not until you have the password.¡± With that, he left the room.

    Zhao Liangze immediately replied with a loud ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He made a face at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°My dear Nianzhi, you sold me out.¡± Heughed wearily.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had left, and was immediately a lot cheekier than she dared to be in his presence. She returned Zhao Liangze¡¯s funny face with one of her own. ¡°Yup, I betrayed you. What¡¯re you gonna do about it? I have no secrets from Uncle Huo. You should have known better, Brother Ze.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeky act was endearing; Zhao Liangze could not find it in him to stay angry.

    ¡°Oh forget it, I forgive you. So what do you want to do?¡± Zhao Liangze smiled, shook his head, and quickly got down to business.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She quickly exined to Zhao Liangze, with the help of a chart, what she had in mind. ¡°I¡¯ve studied their decryption methods. I think we should concentrate on how to eliminate all the noise¡ªthat¡¯s a much bigger problem than our currentck ofputing power.¡±

    Signals that had been bounced off high-orbit satellites were full of noise and interference.

    Cracking the channel encryption key was simple, in theory: they had to first eliminate all interference, capture the relevant signals, and then reverse-engineer the encoding in the predetermined order.

    There were many ways to achieve this.

    Xin Xinggao¡¯s team had found the underlying pattern to the channel encryption through the use of a supeputer and an ¡°insider¡± to steer them in the right direction. They had essentially brute-forced their way to the password, by throwing everything at their supeputer and exhausting every possibility.

    Gu Nianzhi did not have a supeputer; even if she had one, it would take too long to get results she wanted with it.

    They had toe up with some other way to quickly and easily decipher the password, and Gu Nianzhi had immediately thought of filtering the signal. They would first eliminate all the noise and interference, thereby reducing the amount of data they had to process. It was a shortcut that would save them a lot of time.

    Satellite signals were transmitted via a three-step process: source coding, encryption coding, and channel coding.

    Cracking had to be done in reverse; they would have to start by decrypting the channel coding.

    Xin Xinggao¡¯s team had only gotten as far as cracking the channel coding, which was the outermostyer of security. They had not been able to go beyond that.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s program would filter out the background noise in advance, leaving only the relevant signal codes behind.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes grew wide with excitement. He thumped the table and shouted, ¡°Bravo! A shortcut is exactly what we need! How are you going to get rid of the signal noiseing from the Copernicus System?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi navigated to the folder with theputer program she had written the day before. ¡°Brother Ze, can you take a look at this program? Would this serve our purpose?¡±

    Zhao Liangze essed Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop and opened the program. He looked it over, making a few tweaks and optimizations along the way, but left the bulk of it untouched.

    He was thoroughly impressed, and made sure she knew it. ¡°Nianzhi, you should ditchw school and be my student instead. You¡¯d be the greatest hacker in the world! I, the great Zhao Liangze, offer you my giant shoulders to stand on¡ªyou¡¯ll surpass me in no time!¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Humble, much? Okay, enough chit-chat, let¡¯s get started.¡±

    ¡°Ready when you are. Have you backed up your data?¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Okay, now feed it into theputer; go.¡± Zhao Liangze turned on his desktopputer and began transmitting to the Copernicus System to intercept thetest signals.

    The two of them worked tirelessly at theirputers for the rest of the day.

    When they were hungry, they ate bread and drank water to sustain themselves.

    They stayed at theirputers the whole time, only leaving their seats when they had to go to the bathroom.

    Needless to say, they did not sleep a wink.

    With Zhao Liangze helping her, Gu Nianzhi sessfully cracked the channel coding for the Copernicus System, and had even breached the secondyer of encryption, all within 20 hours. They had cracked the password in record time and made more progress than the American team had, to boot.

    Now that they had the password, Zhao Liangze was able to use the Copernicus System without fear. He could do whatever he wanted with it, and the gatekeepers for the Copernicus System would never know.

    Huo Shaoheng had just returned from his morning exercise when he heard from Zhao Liangze that they had sessfully cracked the password. He pat Zhao Liangze on the shoulder and said, ¡°Get some sleep. We act tonight.¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately rose from his chair, saluted him, and wobbled back to his room. He copsed onto his bed and was out like a light.

    He and Gu Nianzhi had worked under intense pressure for 20 hours. Most other people would have sumbed to the pressure and fatigue hours ago.

    Huo Shaoheng watched Gu Nianzhi valiantly fighting to keep her eyes open. His voice was warm when he said: ¡°Nianzhi, you should go to bed, too.¡± He paused, and asked gently, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not tired, not at all.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s concern had sent Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart racing. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet! I¡¯ll protect you, Uncle Huo!¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth curved upwards ever so slightly. He shook his head and said firmly, ¡°Be a good girl now.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi in silence. He did not know it himself, but his eyes were no longer cold, ruthless, and intimidating¡ªthere was instead a warmth and tenderness in them.

    His gaze was as intoxicating as wine to Gu Nianzhi¡ªhypnotic, even. Her eyelids fluttered close, and sheid her head upon theputer desk, already asleep.

    Yin Shixiong clicked his tongue when he saw this. He scooped her up, and carried her to her bedroom.

    Huo Shaoheng watched from his end of the video call, his lipspressed into a straight line. He reached for the mouse, and ended the video call with a light tap of his finger. Out of sight, out of mind...

 Chapter 124 - Too Careless

    <h4>Chapter 124: Too Careless</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhao Liangze finally woke up at five in the evening, Vienna local time. He had gone to bed at two in the morning and had remained passed out for a full 15 hours, so when he woke up he was starving. Huo Shaoheng had already ordered room service for him. He crawled out from his bed and grabbed the food with his hand, not even bothering with the utensils.

    Standing alone on the balcony, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind was empty andpletely devoid of thought. The two A Team members had leg injuries and wouldn¡¯t be able to continue with the mission. Huo Shaoheng intended to finish it himself. The B and C Teams were on standby already.

    After beingpletely sated, Zhao Liangze emerged from the room, fully dressed. He spoke to Huo Shoaheng¡¯s imposing back.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, we can start now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not turn and merely nodded. Zhao Liangze opened hisputer and began establishing the connection with the Copernicus Global Satellite Navigation System. The password was cracked and he delved inyer byyer, until he created a secure channel for their team. This would guide them through the operation. The three targets in Vienna had already been alerted before. Their whereabouts were still unknown, but this would be the moment that the omnipotent socialworking software woulde into y. Zhao Liangze only took only one minute to hack into Facebook and lock on the ounts of the three mercenaries based in Vienna. People in this day and age can¡¯t survive without socialworks. Even mercenaries love to pop up from time to time and post vain selfies, Zhao Liangze mused.

    He was able to track status updates from the three targets all within half an hour. From Facebook¡¯s internal data, he determined the IP addresses the statuses had originated from. With the IP addresses and the Copernicus system, the three targets became sitting ducks. Zhao Liangze verified the ATA and snickered. It appeared that the Whitewater Security group had been careless¡ªthey had assumed that with the Nandou systempromised, the mission would be aborted, so they hadn¡¯t even bothered changing locations.

    ...

    ¡°Team B, we¡¯ve locked on Target B! The location is east of the Vienna State Opera, in the 3 o¡¯clock position; 300 meters.¡±

    ¡°Roger; end of report.¡±

    ¡°Team C, we¡¯ve locked on to Target C! The location is west of the Vienna Parliament Building, in 9 o¡¯clock position; 100 meters.¡±

    ¡°Roger, end of report.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sent thest report to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Team A, we¡¯ve locked onto Target A! The location is north of the Vienna¡¯s Medellin Cemetery in 11 o¡¯clock position; estimated distance of 50 meters.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng would carry out the mission together, with the former as the spotter. Huo Shaoheng carried a mountless Barrett M82A2 sniper rifle with a carry sling. He stood behind a stone wall not far from the cemetery and for several moments, aimed the sniper rifle at a Caucasian maleying flowers at a tombstone. It was already evening and the street lights in the cemetery lit up one by one. To prevent the reflection from the scope from alerting the target, Huo Shaoheng had removed it. He would only use his naked eye and the crosshair to align his sight and aim at the target.

    The three teams had to replicate the mission in the Czech Republic and take out all targets at the same time. After eliminating the three targets together, they would then move on to Luxembourg to kill the final one. Everything needed to be carried out swiftly because they had toplete the mission before the enemy even realized who the targets were. If not, thest target could disappear for good.

    ¡°Wind velocity, 0.1 meters per second; wind direction northwest; humidity 40%; light fog, visibility normal; end of report.¡± Zhao Liangze briefed Huo Shaoheng about the local weather. Snipers required a high level of precision, thus wind direction and velocity, sunlight, and rain were all climate conditions that needed to be considered. Any carelessness could result in deviation from the target.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and gave the order. ¡°Begin mission in three minutes.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly ryed the message to the other team members, ¡°Begin mission in three minutes.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    Three minutester, at almost the same time, dull gunshots rang from three different locations in Vienna. The sounds were processed by a silencer and were so low and short-lived that they blended in with the city¡¯s ambient noise.

    In the cemetery, a lone man had beenying flowers on a tombstone when blood suddenly spurted from his forehead; a sniper bullet had struck his forehead, and passed through the other side of his skull. He was silent as his arms instinctively shot forward and the flowers scattered into the sky before raining back down on his wide-eyed corpse.

    East of the Vienna State Opera, a huge man had been taking a selfie on his phone. Before he even had the chance to smile, he saw a round hole on his forehead. The phone fell with a thud, its screen shattering. He copsed backward onto the ground and convulsed twice before his breathing ceased.

    Finally, before the historical Vienna Parliament Building, numerous homeless people gathered. Although it appeared to be a bustling area, no one was really aware of anyone else. A man in hunting gear was about to turn into an alley when a sniper bullet soundlessly flew from the darkness and hit his back. It went through his chest and pierced his heart. The man fell forward and his arms turned extended as he grabbed at the fallen leaves. Several homeless people in the alleyway nced at him and thought he was going through withdrawal. No one went up to him.

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Huo, all three targets have been eliminated. End of report.¡± Zhao Liangze was happy to put away his equipment. Huo Shaoheng also ced his sniper back into its carrying case before putting on his sunsses. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re headed to Luxembourg.¡±

    They didn¡¯t stop for a single moment and drove directly from Vienna. Luxembourg was a small duchy¡ªalthough it called itself a country, it was actually a city. The final target was more cautious and had already changed his location several times prior to their arrival. This time, Zhao Liangze had the support of the Copernicus system¡ªhe had found the target¡¯s cell phone number and then used the satellite to reveal his position. This was thest target and would be a surprise attack. Instead of using sniper rifles, the team found the hideaway and blocked the exit before burning him alive inside. By the time thest target was eliminated, the deaths of the three in Vienna were still undiscovered.

    ¡°Ok, inform Big Xiong immediately: our mission isplete and we¡¯re going to London now.¡± Huo Shaoheng had decided to go to London directly to attend the International Telmunications Conference. It was impertinent to figure out the enemy¡¯s n before news that the Nandou password was cracked was released. Zhao Liangze promptly informed Yin Shixiong and also texted Gu Nianzhi.

    She received the message while she was writing a report in He Zhichu¡¯s office at the Harvard Law School.

    ¡°The mission isplete? Great!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she covertly started herputer program and connected to the Harvard intr. She hacked into Xin Xinggao¡¯sputer in the School of Engineering and sent atent interferencemand that would be ryed not only to the Copernicus system but also to the American GPS system. The interferencemand would quietly lie inside the two navigation systems, and when the time was right, Gu Nianzhi would initiate a sequence that would forever change the face of the entire¡¯s global telmunications.

 Chapter 125 - A Big Gift

    <h4>Chapter 125: A Big Gift</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°¡®London International Telmunications Conference¡¯?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the message Zhao Liangze had sent her. She opened up a browser, navigated to a search engine, and looked it up. ¡°It¡¯s in two days; there isn¡¯t much time.¡±

    She propped her chin up with her hand as she looked over the program for the London International Telmunications Conference, her finger tapping lightly on the mouse as she read. She texted Zhao Liangze a momentter.

    ¡°Call me as soon as the conference begins. I have a big gift for you.¡±

    ¡°What gift?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi briefly exined her n. Zhao Liangze, with his knowledge and expertise, instantly understood what she was up to. He could hardly contain his excitement.

    ¡°You clever girl! You never cease to amaze me! Send me the program¡ªwe¡¯ll give ¡¯em a show to remember!¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and his men arrived in London. Once they were settled in and ready, they contacted the Huaxia delegation, who was also in London to attend the International Telmunications Conference.

    The delegation was led by Deputy Minister Yan, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Deputy Minister Yan met and spoke with Huo Shaoheng behind closed doors. As soon as the hour-long discussion was over, Deputy Minister Yan dispatched an urgent report to the Huaxia Empire.

    He received a reply from the Empire on the opening day for the International Telmunications Conference, at five o¡¯ clock in the morning: he was to listen to Major General Huo, and do exactly as he was told.

    Both parties had been careful to use a codename for Major General Huo in theirmunications, to avoid leaking his identity.

    Deputy Minister Yan immediately informed the delegation that there had been a change of ns: they would be under directmand of a special military task force from the Empire on this day.

    Huo Shaoheng did not reveal himself to the other members of the delegation. He stayed behind the scenes while Zhao Liangze and Little Xu from Squad B made the necessary preparations.

    ¡°Get a persuasive speaker, and make sure they¡¯re prepared to speak on themercial value of the Nandou System at the conference today.¡± Huo Shaoheng personally gave the order to Deputy Minister Yan, but did not borate. He was keeping his cards close to his chest, as a precaution: Zhao Liangze was the only other person who knew what was really going on.

    At six o¡¯clock in the morning, London time, someone knocked on the door to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hotel room.

    Zhao Liangze opened the door and saw a tall woman with fair skin standing before him. She was beautiful.

    ¡°Bai Shuang, first secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reporting for duty.¡± The beautiful woman introduced herself and nodded to Zhao Liangze with a smile on her face.

    Bai Shuang hadrge, doe-like eyes and a strong, prominent nose. Her lips were full and her smile was wide. She was tall, but her natural height had not deterred her from wearing high heels. She had on a light gray pencil skirt and a fitted white blouse that hugged her figure in all the right ces, entuating both her slender waist and ample bosom. Her buttocks were unusually full and round for an Asian woman.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes gleamed with interest as he looked her over. This woman probably had some Caucasian blood in her, he guessed.

    He opened the door and stepped aside to let Bai Shuang in. ¡°Wee Miss Bai. Come in, the chief is inside. I¡¯m his secretary.¡± After closing the door behind her, he asked, ¡°Are you perhaps from H province?

    H province had the highest percentage of people with Caucasian ancestry.

    Bai Shuang was caught off-guard by his question. Herrge eyes widened in surprise. ¡°How did you know I was from H province? How should I address you, by the way?¡±

    ¡°My surname is Zhao, you can call me Mr. Zhao.¡± Zhao Liangze led her to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room, and knocked on the door. ¡°Sir, Bai Shuang¡ªthe first secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡ªis here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door and walked out of his room. He nced at Bai Shuang. ¡°You heard from Deputy Minister Yan?¡±

    ¡°Yes. How may I serve you?¡± Bai Shuang asked respectfully. ¡°The conference will begin at nine o¡¯ clock. Deputy Minister Yan told me there¡¯s been a change of ns. What are your orders, sir?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just make sure you know the Nandou System like the back of your hand; you¡¯re going to have to think on your feetter.¡±

    ...

    The International Telmunications Conference opened its doors at exactly nine o¡¯ clock, London time.

    Manufacturers of various satellite positioning andmunications systems hade from all over the world to attend the conference. State-owned enterprises and privatepanies alike were here for one reason: to find suitable products, and to learn of thetest technology and research in the satellitemunications industry.

    This was thergest and most prestigious trade show in the industry. Few countries on the had the technological know-how and resources to provide global satellite navigation services.

    The United States of America had been the first, followed by the European Union.

    Huaxia Empire was the third country, but it had not been always been smooth sailing for them. They had initially asked to coborate with the European Union on their sat-nav system, but the EU had unceremoniously kicked them off the team after taking their money.

    It had been a bitter pill for the Huaxia Empire to swallow, and they had never forgotten the taste of it. None of the other countries could be trusted¡ªthey had learned this the hard way, and had gone on to develop their own global sat-nav system without any outside help.

    And that was how the Nandou System hade to be.

    The Nandou System had turned out to be superior than both the EU¡¯s Copernicus System and the USA¡¯s Global Positioning System in terms of technology, performance, and cost.

    But it was at a disadvantag by being ater to the scene¡ªthe internationalmunity had been slow to recognize the technological sophistication andmercial value of the Nandou System.

    Zhao Liangze followed the members of the Huaxia delegation to the conference venue.

    Huo Shaoheng walked beside Deputy Minister Yan. He had put on a simple disguise: a casual khaki suit and a pair of brown non-prescription sses. He ignored everyone around him as he walked, his expression solemn.

    The conference was being held at the Oriental Hotel in London this time.

    As soon as they stepped inside the conference hall, they were faced with a massive LED screen. It was showing a video feed of blue sky, white clouds, and a sea that stretched away into the horizon.

    Seagulls hovered above the surging waves. Fishing boats dotted the surface of the sea. Sunlight shone through gaps in the white clouds to dance on the boundless sea. The surface of the sea looked as though it had been spread with gold confetti; the sunlight yed on the waves, brilliant and coy.

    A semi-circr podium had been set up before the screen. It looked out upon rows of red velvet chairs, arranged in sloping tiers.

    The chairs had been allocated to the delegations beforehand; the guests had only to identify their seats by looking at the names on the back of the chairs.

    The delegation from the Huaxia Empire had been given two rows of seats in the middle, near the front.

    Zhao Liangze sat beside Huo Shaoheng. He took out his phone and started a video call with Gu Nianzhi.

    He was using the Copernicus System¡¯s encrypted channel. The people in charge of the Copernicus System were still blissfully unaware that their system had been breached.

    ¡°Nianzhi, check out the venue; everything¡¯s so shiny here.¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled as he raised his phone and turned to capture a full 360 view of the venue.

    Nobody paid any attention to Zhao Liangze; many of the other guests were also busy taking photos with their mobile phones.

    Gu Nianzhi could not care less about the venue decorations. Her eyes were fixed upon Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting in one corner of her video feed, calm and dignified.

    From the way Zhao Liangze angled his phone, Gu Nianzhi could only see part of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    It was no more than a quarter of his profile, but it was evidently enough for Gu Nianzhi: she stared at him, entranced.

    ¡°Did you get a good look?¡± Zhao Liangze lowered his phone once he was done showing off the venue. ¡°Are you ready? Grab your popcorn, it¡¯s going to be spectacr.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She cupped her face in her hands and said, ¡°I got up early today just to catch this. Don¡¯t let me down!¡± She pointed at her screen and winked at the camera. ¡°Check your inbox. I sent you something, so remember to put it up on the conference¡¯s official website before you do anything else.¡±

    Just then, Jenny¡ªthe blond-haired, blue-eyed host of the conference¡ªappeared on-stage to announce that the conference was now officially underway.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today as we inaugurate the 18th International Telmunications Conference.¡± Jenny was all smiles as she gave the opening speech.

    Therge LED screen behind her cut to a video montage.

    nes were taking off, painting white, criss-crossing lines across the sky.

    Fishing boats sailed in the vast, open sea¡ªalmost too small to see from the camera¡¯s viewpoint, up in the sky.

    Back onnd, pedestrians hurried about, a mobile phone in every hand. Everyone was either talking on their phone, or sliding their fingers across their phone screens.

    ¡°It is thanks to our very own Copernicus Satellite Navigation System and the United States¡¯ Global Positioning System that we are able to move freely about the world today, without fear of running into uncharted territory,¡± said Jenny as she turned to look at the LED screen behind her. ¡°Look, here¡¯s a fishing boat, navigating the Antic Ocean. They¡¯ve been at sea for 500 hours now. Hi there, can you hear me?¡±

    It was clear that Jenny was about to contact them via the Copernicus System.

    Zhao Liangze surreptitiouslyunched the interference software that Gu Nianzhi had uploaded beforehand.

    The interference software was already inside both the Copernicus System and the Global Positioning System, ready to go. It immediately cut off all local signals, quick as lightning.

    Without warning, colorful lines of varying lengths burst onto the real-time video feed on the LED screen. The fishing boat on the screen dissolved into a mess of pixted squares and symbols, impossible to identify.

    ¡°Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?¡± Jenny was extremely embarrassed. She immediately adjusted her headset, but it was no use: the conference¡¯s electronic system had lost the satellite connection.

 Chapter 126 - Whoopsies, My Bad

    <h4>Chapter 126: Whoopsies, My Bad</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Before the panel on stage, the audience was abuzz with the murmurs of confusion and asional sniggers. The conference that had been meant to showcase the quality andpetency of global satellitemunications and navigation systems had somehow lost contact with a mere fishing boat with a previously established connection.

    This was a humiliating blow.

    The host of the conference saw that things were getting out of hand and immediately changed the disy to connect with another target. This was a research vessel in the Arctic they had also set up a connection with beforehand. However, the research vessel¡¯s connectivity was even worse than the fishing boat¡¯s¡ªthe image was grainy and the connection dropped midway.

    The technical personnel for the conference were flushed in the face as they hammered variousmands at the terminal in a desperate attempt to establish a strong connection with the satellite, but it was as though a great door had blocked their path. They had no way of contacting the outside world.

    ¡°My God! What is going on?¡±

    ¡°The Copernicus system ispletely down!¡±

    ¡°Enable the American GPS system! That¡¯s the best system around!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s too expensive...¡±

    ¡°This is not the time to worry about price! Even if it costs a fortune, I still need that connection established!¡±

    The chairman of the conference was drenched in sweat and his bald head glittered with beads of perspiration. However, they had struggled to no avail¡ªas soon as they connected with the American GPS, it was immediately apparent that there was something wrong with that system as well. For some reason, the system was running incredibly slow and couldn¡¯t establish connection; they kept receiving ¡°bad connection¡± errors. Jenny, the host responsible for exining and selling the features of the system, was so embarrassed that all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to look at Deputy Director Yan. Deputy Director Yan quickly nudged Bai Shuang, who was sitting beside. him, ¡°Secretary Bai, you¡¯re up.¡±

    Bai Shuang grit her teeth, ¡°Will our Nandou system work?¡±

    Even though the Copernicus and GPS were down, she truly had no faith in the Nandou. Zhao Liangze hastily uploaded Nandou¡¯s civilian password just as Gu Nianzhi had asked, and said to Bai Shuang impatiently, ¡°Hurry up and get on stage, tell them to switch to the Nandou system so they can connect to the fishing boat and research vessel. Get on with it now! This is an order!¡±

    Bai Shuang dared not hesitate any longer and quickly took the items from Zhao Liangze before walking up to the stage. She was truly an excellent member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and immediately regained herposure as soon as she went to the podium. She spoke in her suave London ent, ¡°Ms. Jenny, is there something I could assist you with?¡±

    ¡°The satellite system is down, obviously. I¡¯m not sure what you and your Asian peers could possibly do for us. Perhaps you¡¯ll perform some Oriental magic and give our bored audience some entertainment?¡± The blonde haired and blue eyed Jenny said nastily.

    The tant scorn and contempt enraged Bai Shuang, along with all the members of the Huaxia delegation. In that moment, everyone hoped that their nation was powerful enough that these hypocritical Caucasians would be forced to kneel and lick the shoes of the Huaxia Empire, who they had trampled under their feet.

    ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t know magic, but how about you perform another round of your confused mannerisms for us while we try to establish connection to the system? Maybe it¡¯ll be even more entertaining for our bored audience here.¡± Bai Shuang winked at her and smiled brightly. She passed the object she held in her hand to the technical support personnel for the conference, ¡°This is the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System developed by the Huaxia Empire. I will demonstrate how it can quickly help us to reconnect with the fishing boat and research vessel.¡±

    The technical support personnel was already at their wits end. Although they had no faith in the Nandou system, which they¡¯d never heard of, it didn¡¯t hurt to try. However, once the connection was established, they shockingly found that the Nandou system not only had a faster connection, but also had instantmunication capabilities! This meant that not only could they send messages to the the fishing boat, but also have them send replies! Soon, the LED monitor on the stage shed twice and the previously interrupted video resumed. This time, the people on the fishing boat appeared anxious, but quickly grew excited, They shouted joyously in Spanish. With the aid of simultaneous interpretation, all the attendees understood that the fishermen were asking about what happened earlier and why all the navigation systems went down.

    Bai Shuang seized the opportunity to take the microphone from Jenny¡¯s hand and began exining the earlier situation to the fishermen in fluent Spanish. ¡°Because the Copernicus and the American GPS systems failed earlier, the conference utilized the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System developed by the Huaxia Empire. This system ispatible with the Copernicus system, so it is possible to use the Copernicus system¡¯s receivers to receive navigation and location services from the Nandou system. Remember, the password is...¡± Bai Shuang suddenly slowed down her speech and carefully read out the civilian password for the Nandou system.

    Suddenly, the conference hall grewpletely silent. All the attendees were in shock as they gaped at Bai Shuang, who was reciting the password on stage. Was this Huaxia woman insane? Did she even know what she was doing?! She was broadcasting such a valuable password to the whole world?!

    At that moment, the US Military who had been monitoring the London International Telmunications Conference was also floored. ¡°This is too cunning of them! We cannot let the Huaxia Empire get away with their evil n! We must release the news that the password has been cracked now!¡±

    The expert group from the Harvard School of Engineering that had been cooperating with the US military suddenly received an emergency call: they must immediately hold an international conference and dere that the United States had already cracked the channel coding of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System! When the Americans intended to broadcast something to the world, the world¡¯s media was at their heel.

    Bai Shuang didn¡¯t get to finish reciting the password at the International Telmunications Conference when Jenny received a notification. Jenny stormed up to her and yanked the microphone as she dered excitedly, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we just received breaking news from the United States!¡± She turned and pointed to the giant LED screen behind her. The video was switched to the conference held by the expert group from the Harvard School of Engineering!

    ¡°Distinguished guests and journalist friends, we have just made a major breakthrough. We would like to announce that we have just cracked the channel coding of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System!¡± Sounds of pping and cheering immediately traveled from the speakers, along with the pops of champagne bottles as the audience saw swirling ribbons and confetti dancing in the screen.

    Bai Shuang froze and stood helplessly besides Jenny for a moment. She regretted not finishing reciting the password faster! Jenny smugly nced at her and was ted.

    Your fault for stealing my spotlight, how¡¯s that for a p in the face?

    Gu Nianzhiughed coldly, she had been watching the whole situation through a video call on Zhao Liangze¡¯s phone. All the preparations wereplete¡ªshe had already asked Zhao Liangze to upload the password earlier. She lowered her head and quickly texted Zhao Liangze: ¡°Brother Ze, send it to the spokesperson on stage, let¡¯s have everyone decide for themselves who the shameless ones really are.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s phone rang once, she looked down and sighed in great relief. She raised her head high and smiled as she took the microphone from Jenny¡¯s hand once again. She loudly read the words from her phone without missing a beat. ¡°It truly is breaking news! Our delegation had already released all the civilian channel passwords for the Nandou system on the International Teleommunications Conference¡¯s official website 15 minutes ago. The Americans are dering that they cracked all our passwords 15 minutester. It must be my mistake, or how the Americans like to say, ¡®my bad!¡¯ Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have released the password early.¡±

 Chapter 127 - Hogging the Limelight

    Chapter 127: Hogging the Limelight

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The manufacturers, scientists, and technicians in attendance had been watching the events unfold in utter bafflement, but now they erupted into raucousughter. They could not help it.

    The Americans had messed up, big time. How ridiculous and shameless of them to have imed that they had cracked the password, when it had already been made public for a good 15 minutes!

    Even if the Americans had actually cracked it by themselves, they could no longer prove it. They should have swallowed their pride and kept quiet.

    Instead, they had offered themselves up for a very public smackdown.

    ¡°How do we know they cracked it? Maybe they just copied the password...¡±

    ¡°Copied it? giarized it, you mean!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly posted all that had happened to social media, using an anonymous ount.

    All at once, satirists from all over the globe pounced upon this piece of juicy news; they began to ridicule the US and their ¡°cracking¡± methods.

    The Americans were, understandably, fuming with rage. They had not expected the Huaxia Empire to be this cunning: the Huaxia delegation had not only refused to acknowledge the breach by the American team, they had turned around and milked it for publicity and exposure.

    The Americans were not about to let the Huaxia delegation steal their thunder. The Harvard University press conference was still being broadcast live, all over the world; they immediately seized the opportunity to turn the spotlight on Xin Xinggao.

    The massive LED screen at the International Telmunications Conference was still showing the Harvard University press conference, which was now building up to the show-stopping climax.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, it is our honor to introduce you to the leader of the team that cracked the password for the Nandou System. She is an exceptionally talented student, hailing from the Huaxia Empire¡ªwe could never have done it without her.¡±

    Xin Xinggao¡¯s pretty, dignified face appeared on the LED screen; this was also broadcast, live, to every corner of the world.

    A hush fell over the guests at the International Telmunications Conference. Everyone stared at the young woman on the screen, unsure of what to think.

    Gu Nianzhi had turned on the TV and was watching the live US coverage of the conference.

    She felt a chill run down her spine when she saw that the Americans had deliberately directed all attention to Xin Xinggao. She clenched her fists, her palms sweaty with dread.

    She looked at Xin Xinggao¡¯s proud face on the TV screen, and shook her head sympathetically.

    The Americans had stealthily removed themselves from the equation by doing this. They had pushed all responsibility onto Xin Xinggao¡¯s shoulders.

    The Americans no longer cared whether Xin Xinggao admitted to treason, giarism, or shamelessly attempting to take credit for information that had already been made avable for free; whatever she did, she had done it herself. The ¡°true¡± Americans had had nothing to do with it.

    Xin Xinggao hade to the United States on a Huaxia Empire passport. She was still a citizen of the Huaxia Empire, and was legally nothing more than an international student in the US.

    Every single face in the Huaxia delegation to the International Telmunications Conference had turned gravely serious. The scientists, especially, were trembling with rage.

    At that moment, Xin Xinggao received a phone call, and finally realized she was in big trouble.

    At the awards ceremony that followed, Xin Xinggao defended what she had done with an agitated speech: ¡°Science has no borders! I never wanted all this attention¡ªI just wanted to do my research in peace, and scale the summit of science!¡±

    After hearing this, Gu Nianzhi no longer had any sympathy for Xin Xinggao.

    Scale the summit of science? Watch out, you may have just slipped and fallen to your death.

    Gu Nianzhi silently swore at her as she skillfully hacked into Xin Xinggao¡¯sputer once again. She found the PowerPoint slides Xin Xinggao was about to present to the world, and stealthily made a few changes.

    Xin Xinggao put up her borately crafted slideshow on the screen behind her as she continued with her speech. She was about to tell the world how she had cracked the Nandou System.

    Treason? giarism?

    She was not about to let such ugly usations put a stain on her reputation!

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to show you how my team cracked the code,¡± said Xin Xinggao as she turned, aser pointer in her hand. She looked at the screen behind her, and froze.

    The entire world collectively held their breaths as they looked at the screen behind her.

    There were only four sentences on the screen: a single phrase repeated in Chinese, English, German, and Russian. The letters wererge and bold.

    ¡°Science has no borders! But, scientists should be loyal to their mothend!¡±

    ¡°Science has no borders! But, scientists should be loyal to their mothend!¡±

    ¡°Science has no borders! But, scientists should be loyal to their mothend!¡±

    ¡°Science has no borders! But scientists should be loyal to their mothend!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Holy sh*t!¡±

    The staff running the Harvard University press conference inhaled sharply.

    ¡°Cut to a different feed! Switch it out, now!¡±

    All around the globe, media employees in charge of the live broadcast scrambled to censor the words on the LED screen with a mosaic filter. It wasplete chaos.

    However, therge, bolded letters practically took up the entire screen. The mosaic filter was next to useless, under the circumstances.

    Many of those watching the live broadcast quickly uploaded screenshots to social media.

    The screenshot of the ¡°science has no borders! But, scientists should be loyal to their mothend!¡± PowerPoint slide instantly struck a chord with the younger crowd, who promptly set it as their profile picture on the inte.

    Xin Xinggao was absolutely enraged. She rushed over to herputer and tried desperately to close the PowerPoint file, but the operating system was nowpletely unresponsive.

    She was eventually forced to pull the plug on herputer. With that, the PowerPoint slide finally disappeared from the screen, ending her nightmare, for now.

    ...

    Over at the International Telmunications Conference, Zhao Liangze smiled proudly as he watched the press conference by the Harvard School of Electronic Engineering end in total humiliation, live on the LED screen. He folded his arms and said softly, ¡°Good job, Nianzhi!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him. ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡± Zhao Liangze turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, a wide grin on his face. ¡°That clever girl, she never fails to surprise me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could not resist smiling, but soon he quicklyposed himself. He stared fixedly at the LED screen, expressionless and silent; he could almost see Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, doe-like eyes curve into crescent moons as she smiled sweetly at him.

    ...

    Harvard University¡¯s press conference ended amidst shame and ridicule, aplete and unmitigated disaster. Bai Shuang seized the opportunity to get on the podium and introduce the Nandou System¡¯s superior performance and unbeatable price tag. She made sure to emphasize that the Nandou system was entirelypatible with the Copernicus System, which meant that the cost of switching over was negligible: all anyone had to do was adjust the frequency. She ended her exnation with the Nandou System¡¯s killer feature: unlike the Copernicus System, which could only be used in the European region, the Nandou System offered coverage for the entire globe.

    The Nandou System had exceeded all expectations, and had immediately be the highlight of the conference. Manufacturers from all over the world jostled to ce their orders.

    The International Telmunications Conference had turned into a massive publicity event for the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Nandou System. Thus, the Huaxia delegation had secured a great victory at the conference. They returned to the Huaxia Empire, triumphant.

    It waste at night when the delegationnded at the Imperial Capital Airport; nevertheless, the airport was full of people, young and old, waiting to give them a hero¡¯s wee.

    After stealing the show at the conference, Bai Shuang now had countless adoring fans.

    ¡°Bai Shuang! Bai Shuang! Bai Shuang!¡±

    ¡°Shuang Shuang! We love you!¡±

    She had skyrocketed in poprity among the younger crowd.

    Her witty ¡°my bad¡± at the conference quickly became the hottest, most popr catchphrase among the Huaxia millennials.

    The inte was flooded with ¡°my bad¡± memes and parodies. Nothing came close in poprity.

    Bai Shuang walked out of the airport terminal, hugging the bouquets of flowers given to her by her fans. She looked around to see where Mr. Zhao and his boss had gone.

    She was acutely aware that she had only barely managed to turn the tables and save the day because of the message Mr. Zhao had sent her.

    She looked about her, but did not see them. There was only arge group of cheering fans, waving their autograph books in the air as they mored for her signature.

    Deputy Minister Yan chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t bother looking, they¡¯ve already left.¡± He winked at her before leaving in the car specially reserved for members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 Chapter 128 - Is Professor Really That Nice?

    <h4>Chapter 128: Is Professor Really That Nice?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Bai Shuang was slightly disappointed as she stood in the airport terminal with a giant bouquet of oriental lilies. Her face, however, showed no outward sign of this, and continued to give the standard smile of a diplomat as she nced around. There was no sight of the chief¡¯s tall and muscr figure, nor Secretary Zhao¡¯s handsome face. She looked down to hide the sadness in her eyes. Under the protection of several police officers, she went inside another Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¯ vehcile and left the airport.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi waspleted exhausted by the time the International Teleommunicatons Conference. Dhe slept a full two days before she finally recovered.

    Yin Shixiong knew that she had worked hard and was both proud yet worried about her, so he called He Zhichu to request sick leave.

    ¡°Another leave? Is she really ill?¡± He Zhichu picked up Yin Shixiong¡¯s call, and he sounded displeased.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true, why would I need to lie to you?¡± Yin Shixiong was also unhappy. ¡°She¡¯s even running a fever; if it doesn¡¯t break by the afternoon, I¡¯m taking her to the hospital.¡±

    He Zhichu thought about it for a bit and gave a nomittal grunt before hanging up, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Yin Shixiong. He sat alone in his office and had countless emails to take care of, but his eyes kept wandering to the small and tidy desk in the corner of his office. Gu Nianzhi would sit there, with her littleptop and her bowed head fervently poring over her books while studying. He Zhichu looked away and began to work meticulously. He only shut off hisptop when it grew dark outside, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn¡¯t hungry at all, but still drove to a decent Chinese restaurant to pick up a couple orders of congee that he felt were suitable for the ill, and drove to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    ¡°Professor He?¡± Yin Shixiong saw He Zhichu from the window and opened the door with great surprise. ¡°You came? Pleasee in!¡±

    He Zhichu gave the giant takeout box to Yin Shixiong. ¡°There¡¯s a few orders of light dishes and congee; please see if Nianzhi wants any.¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Yin Shixiong hastily took the containers from him to ce them in the kitchen, then offered He Zhichu a seat. ¡°Professor He, would you like tea or coffee?¡±

    ¡°Water is fine.¡± He Zhichu sat elegantly on the long couch in the living room and his eyes scanned the magazines on the coffee table before him.

    Yin Shixiong brought him an unopened bottle of spring water and a ss. ¡°Please make yourself at home.¡± He continued and said, ¡°I¡¯ll see if Nianzhi is awake.¡±

    He Zhichu was about to follow him, but stopped himself when he saw Yin Shixiong¡¯s vignt expression. He looked up slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t wake her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was actually awake andzing around in bed as she stared off in a daze. Her ck long sleeved T-shirt was baggy on her body, and her long legs swung over the bedside. Her mind calm and her thoughts few. Thest couple of days of intense brain activity had taken a toll on her. Although she was usually very healthy, she couldn¡¯t hold up to such great pressure for extended periods of time.

    Yin Shixiong knocked on her door and gently opened it to see her sitting on the edge of the bed. The curtains were tightly drawn, cloaking the room in darkness. As soon as the door opened, light from the outside crept through the crack. Gu Nianzhi reflexively covered her eyes and called in a raspy voice, ¡°Brother Xiong?¡±

    Her face was colorless and the color of her lips was barely distinguishable. Her raised arm was as thin as a stick and so pale that the greenish veins were visible.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Yin Shixiong watched her with a pained expression. ¡°Do you want to get some more rest? Do you still have a fever?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°The fever broke; I just sweat it out. I feel gross and want to take a shower.¡±

    ¡°Then go.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded, ¡°But Professor He is here to see you, he¡¯s waiting in the living room. He also brought you some congee, are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°Congee?¡± Gu Nianzhi licked her lips, ¡°I do want to eat; I¡¯m starving!¡± She begged Yin Shixiong with her eyes, they were sorge and dark that she looked like a kitten asking for food.

    ¡°Hurry up and change, thene out for food.¡± Yin Shixiong waved.

    Gu Nianzhi answered ¡®yes!¡¯ and got up to change.

    Yin Shixiong returned to the living room and said to He Zhichu, ¡°Nianzhi just woke up and said she¡¯s hungry. She¡¯s going toe out for congee in a bit, so, thank you Professor He.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± He Zhichu said quietly as he saw Gu Nianzhi appear.

    She wore a cobalt tennis dress, the material was sweat absorbent and morefortable than thick cotton. But, the colour washed her skin out even more, while entuating the darkness of her brows andshes. She looked fragile, like a figure made of rare white jade porcin, with the dark blue marks of her veins imprinted on the ivory background that was her skin.

    He Zhichu frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I only saw you two or three days ago, and yet, you¡¯ve lost so much weight?¡±

    Her usually full cheeks were sallow and made her huge ck eyes appear like mirrors. Gu Nianzhi smiled at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, thank you for visiting me. I just got better; I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t do the homework for the past few days.¡±

    ¡°Nevermind that; worry about looking after your health.¡± He Zhichu watched her quietly and a hint of worry shed across his face.

    Gu Nianzhi seated herself and gulped down the congee as she mumbled, ¡°Professor He, this congee is delicious! It happens to be my favourite kind.¡±

    ¡°Drink your congee and don¡¯t speak when you have food in your mouth.¡± He Zhichu frowned as he chastised her.

    Gu Nianzhi raised a single brow and ignored him. She devoured three bowls before finally feeling satisfied. After she was sated, the colour returned to her cheeks and her pale skin had a hint of pink in it.

    He Zhichu stopped worrying and stood up. ¡°Rest for a few more days. You can go back to ss once you¡¯re better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked him to the door and smiled as she waved. ¡°Thank you, Professor He. Take care.¡±

    After He Zhichu left, Yin Shixiong emerged from his room and rubbed his chin.¡±Is Professor He that kind to all his students?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes, ¡°This is an exclusive benefit only top scoring and obedient students like me get to enjoy.¡±

    ¡°Pfft! When did you get to be as shameless as Little Ze?¡± Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t believe her and pretended to whack her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to shower? Rest for a few days. I¡¯ll see how Mr. Huo and the team are doing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and his men had already returned to the Empire with the delegates. Because they were being monitored by the CIA, they didn¡¯t contact Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi again.

    ...

    It was mid-July, and the International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference proceeded ording to schedule. Deputy Director Feng of the Secret Service had carefully nned all safety measures to ensure nothing could threaten the personal safety of the delegates. The international conference was held at thergest convention center in C City. Deputy Director Feng led the Secret Service personnel to do the final checks in the conference center.

    ¡°Mr. Feng, Ms. Gu requests your presence.¡± A tall, dark haired, and blue eyed man walked over and bowed respectfully to Deputy Director Feng as he announced this.

    He looked up and saw a young woman in a pearl-white dress suit descend from the esctor. She was elegant and her long hair fell in a perfect waterfall down her back. Her demure presence was subtle at first nce, but a second nce confirmed that she was a breathtaking beauty.

    ¡°I was just about to go look for Ms. Gu.¡± Deputy Director Feng sighed in relief.

    The woman was the female magnate from Barbados, Gu Yanran. Although she was only 24, she was already inmand of a multi-billion US dor fortune.

 Chapter 129 - A Pleasure to See You Again

    <h4>Chapter 129: A Pleasure to See You Again</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Miss Gu, we meet again.¡± Deputy Minister Feng courteously extended a hand.

    Gu Yanran lightly grasped his hand but did not shake it. She spoke fluently in thenguage of the Huaxia Empire, ¡°A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Feng.¡±

    ¡°Please, follow me.¡± Deputy Minister Feng turned and led her to a small meeting room in the convention center to talk.

    Gu Yanran followed him with a smile on her face. She, too, had something to say to Deputy Minister Feng.

    The two of them entered the meeting room and seated themselves. Deputy Minister Feng wasted no time in beating around the bush; he said, without preamble, ¡°Miss Gu, you must be aware by now that we have sessfully carried out your request. I think you¡¯ll agree that it is time for you to uphold your end of the deal.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯sugh was warm and dignified. ¡°Yes, of course. However...¡± She looked directly at Deputy Minister Feng. ¡°The item in question is extremely valuable. I can give it to you, but you have to promise me something.¡±

    ¡°Another request?¡± Deputy Minister Feng frowned. He narrowed his eyes as he put a tobo pipe in his mouth. ¡°Remember what you had promised. You cannot go back on your words just because there isn¡¯t a written contract.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Feng, I have no intention of going back on my words.¡± Gu Yanran spread her hands, a beatific smile on her face. ¡°I know how important this item is to you.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important¡ªwhy else would I agree to help you with your problems?! It wasn¡¯t easy, you know!¡± Deputy Minister Feng could barely contain his temper; his pipe seemed about ready to burst into mes from his angry puffing.

    ¡°My dear Mr. Feng, please don¡¯t be angry. That wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Gu Yanran realized Deputy Minister Feng had misunderstood. She hastily exined: ¡°I am well aware that you have spent a great deal of time and effort to help me deal with the mercenaries. For that, I am extremely grateful. I am here today to give you what I promised,¡± she paused to move the Herm¨¨s Kelly bag containing the blueprints onto herp and continued, ¡°and to personally thank the person who saved me from disaster and ruin.¡±

    Deputy Minister Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He removed the pipe from his mouth and said, smiling, ¡°You¡¯re most wee. Please, think nothing of it, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Think nothing of it? Oh no, that won¡¯t do.¡± Gu Yanran sighed as she caressed the Herm¨¨s scarf around her neck. ¡°You have helped me, yes, but don¡¯t forget: I am giving away valuable information for free. Surely you can oblige my tiny request? We may be doing business here, but let¡¯s not forget the human touch¡ªI may be rich, but I am neither selfish nor materialistic. I wish to meet the hero who saved my life and thank him personally, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Deputy Minister Feng finally understood what Gu Yanran was getting at. After considering it for a long moment, he nodded. ¡°Very well, I will submit a request.¡±

    He took out his phone and quickly conveyed Gu Yanran¡¯s new condition for the exchange to the head of the Imperial Army.

    The Imperial Army was more understanding and sympathetic than Deputy Minister Feng had expected. The soldiers held chivalry and loyalty in high regard and were deeply appreciative of Gu Yanran¡¯s desire to personally thank her savior.

    Deputy Minister Feng was d to hear that they were amenable to her request. ¡°In that case, send the Major General over, quickly. It has to be General Huo himself, all right? He deserves his moment in the spotlight; we couldn¡¯t have done it without him.¡±

    Gu Yanran found the smug, self-satisfied look on Deputy Minister Feng¡¯s face highly amusing. She quickly bowed her head and took a sip of her coffee to hide her smile.

    She was a businesswoman. It was only natural for her to try to maximize her profits. After all, once she handed over the blueprints, she would no longer have any leverage with the Huaxia Empire. She was young, but she was already a billionaire. She needed someone strong she could depend on. She was richer even than most countries, but she knew her wealth could eventually be swallowed whole by others if she did not have someone to back her up.

    This had been a risky move, but herwyer had advised her to make it and she was pleased with the results so far.

    She sat on the sofa, calmly drinking her coffee as she waited.

    Ten minutester, Huo Shaoheng arrived at the C City Convention Center in full uniform. Apanied by his personal secretary Zhao Liangze and two orderlies, he made his way to the meeting room, which was on the first floor of the convention center.

    Zhao Liangze knocked on the door of the meeting room. ¡°Deputy Minister Feng, General Huo is here to see you.¡±

    It was only a small meeting room, but the entrance was heavily guarded by Secret Service personnel. The addition of the elite soldiers from the Special Operations Forces was overkill: not even a fly nor a mosquito would have been able to get into the room.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Deputy Minister Feng walked over to the door and personally opened it himself.

    Gu Yanran set her coffee down. She blinked.

    The young man who entered was tall and well-built, his navy blue military uniform neatly buttoned up to his neck. A golden pine branch and a gold star shone on his epaulette.

    Gu Yanran could not hide her surprise.

    She recognized the epaulette; she had carefully studied the military ranks and insignia when she had first arrived at the Huaxia Empire.

    This young man was actually a Major General.

    She looked at his face. The man was much too handsome for the military¡ªit seemed such a waste. And he was so very tall...

    Although he had not said a word, his overwhelming presence dominated the room. His gaze was cool and domineering, like a warlord inspecting his territory. It was the sort of powerful ook that struck fear into the hearts of his enemies and extinguished all thought of rebellion.

    Gu Yanran slowly rose and extended a hand to him. ¡°I am Gu Yanran. And you are...?¡±

    Deputy Minister Feng proudly introduced him, ¡°Allow me to introduce you to Huo Shaoheng, Major General of the Imperial Army and deputymander of the 6th Military Region. His men eliminated the mercenaries for you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointedly ignored Gu Yanran¡¯s outstretched hand. He sped his hands behind his back, and said in a monotone, ¡°Please hand over the blueprints and whatever data you have on the miniaturized nuclear-powered motor, in ordance with your agreement with Deputy Minister Feng.¡±

    Gu Yanran was momentarily stunned by this. She quickly recovered, the corners of her lips curving upwards into a small smile.

    She nodded, retracted her hand, and pointed to the sofa beside them. ¡°Bravo, General Huo¡ªI see you don¡¯t believe in beating around the bush. Let us sit down and talk. I¡¯ve been meaning to thank you.¡±

    ¡°I came to collect the blueprints. I did note here for idle conversation,¡± said Huo Shaoheng, his expression as unrelenting as his words. His dark, fathomless eyes scrutinized her, oppressive and intimidating.

    Gu Yanran looked at him but quickly buckled under the overwhelming weight of his gaze. She had to turn away and look at Deputy Minister Feng instead. She said, teasing, ¡°Deputy Minister Feng, are all your army generals so serious?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not see the point in socializing when it came to dealing in matters of national interest and security: it was beneath him, and there wasn¡¯t a single person on the who could convince him otherwise.

    He turned to leave. ¡°Little Ze, report to me when you have the blueprints.¡±

    The door mmed shut after him.

    Zhao Liangze and Deputy Minister Feng remained in the room.

    Deputy Minister Feng began to smoke his pipe again, feeling awkward. ¡°Miss Gu, please don¡¯t take it personally. General Huo is famous for his temper and his brusque nature.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all! I think that you are lucky to have a man like him in the military.¡± Gu Yanran did not seem to think that Huo Shaoheng had been rude to her. She opened her bag and extracted a sheaf of blueprints and a small sh drive from it. She handed them to Zhao Liangze. ¡°It¡¯s all here; take it.¡±

    Zhao Liangze epted them and saluted her. ¡°Thank you, Miss Gu.¡± With that, he turned and left the room.

    Deputy Minister Fengughed and pped his hands. ¡°Excellent! Wonderful! Allow me to treat you to dinner, Miss Gu, to celebrate our sessful trade!¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Mr. Feng. There will be a cocktail party after the ceremony. Will you be able to attend?¡± She paused briefly. ¡°I have a big gift for General Huo if he decides to attend the party.¡±

 Chapter 130 - Grandeur and Splendor

    <h4>Chapter 130: Grandeur and Splendor</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Deputy Director Feng mused as he looked down, a craftiness dancing in his eyes, ¡°I can¡¯t make any guarantees. You¡¯ve just witnessed Major General Huo firsthand. He¡¯s a soldier, not a diplomat nor a Secret Service agent. He certainly has no obligation to attend the reception.¡±

    Gu Yanran was disappointed, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I just truly admire this young military officer, and wanted to establish a special charity fund for the military personnel in the Empire. It would provide support to the families of the deceased soldiers.¡±

    Deputy Director Feng¡¯s eyes lit up and he took the pipe from his mouth, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would transfer half your fortune to our nation? So then, this charity fund...?¡±

    ¡°This charity fund is one of the projects the Gu Group is discussing right now,¡± Gu Yanran said with a smile as she continued, ¡°of course, we don¡¯t have to set up the charity fund in your country, there are also many other countries that would be interested as well.¡±

    Although she was just 24-years old, her well practiced business approach was very effective.

    Once again, Deputy Director Feng found himself unable to reject Gu Yanran¡¯s offer. However, he was still abiding by his rational principles, because this wasn¡¯t his call to make.

    ¡°Ms.Gu, rest assured that I¡¯llmunicate this to my superiors and ask for their thoughts on your most generous offer.¡±

    ...

    The three day International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference came to a sessful end, and thest day was the closing ceremony and reception. In addition to the delegates and event organizers, distinguished guests from the Empire also attended. Anyone that could get a ticket was an elite. The brand new spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bai Shuang, especially came from the capital to attend the closing ceremony and reception. She was also one of the special guests of the International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference. Not long ago, the Huaxia Imperial delegate unexpectedly won a triumphant victory by easily resolving what could¡¯ve been a major international incident. They had also taken the opportunity to introduce the Nandou system to the international market and had created a trap for the smug Americans. Unfortunately, the Americans had used Xin Xinggao as a scapegoat and barely managed to save face.

    Huo Shaoheng had led the 6th Military Region on its first excursion to Europe and came out unexpectedly victorious. They were now truly recognized by the Imperial Army. At least within the upper echelons of the Huaxia Empire, all voices opposing the 6th Military Region had ceased.

    The person who had reaped the greatest benefit from the incident was the spokesperson of the delegate, Bai Shuang. After her return to the Empire, she had been immediately promoted from the secretary at the Huaxia Imperial Conste to Austria to the Deputy Director and also the new spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As the fastest promoted female official in the Huaxia Empire, Bai Shuang was also invited to the International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference. The closing ceremony was held in the afternoon and reception in the evening. Bai Shuang arrived in a simple and clean rose colored dress suit. The cut was ttering and the workmanship was reminiscent of the old tailors of the capital,parable to international styles. Female politicians attending from other countries all recognized Bai Shuang. She had been outstanding at the International Telmunications Conference and had established herself a name as the new spokesperson of the Huaxia Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was now the benchmark and role model for many feminists from all over the world. Bai Shuang held a ss of champagne and chatted with the female politicians gracefully.

    The reception was held on the second floor lobby of the convention center. Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze both stood on the balcony extending from the lobby, uninterested in what the women were talking about. Huo Shaoheng was not in military uniform, but a luxurious ck casual suit. The top buttons of his suit jacket were left undone to reveal a white Egyptian cotton shirt, and a red vest. He also had on matching ck trousers and held a cigarette as he leaned against the balcony railings, lost in his thoughts.

    Zhao Liangze was wearing a light blue casual suit jacket with white trousers and a white T-shirt. His casual handsome appearance was even more rxed than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Zhao Liangze also held a cigarette and smoked as he yed around on his phone.

    ¡°Brother Ze, what are you doing?¡± It was only seven in the morning where Gu Nianzhi was, and she had just gotten up to go for a morning run. She had unlocked her phone and seen a text from Zhao Liangze asking how she was doing. Gu Nianzhi happily texted him back.

    Zhao Liangze received her reply and looked at his watch in surprise. With the time difference, it was only Saturday morning over there. Why is she up so early on the weekend? He wondered.

    Zhao Liangze replied to her, saying, ¡°I¡¯m at the reception!¡± He looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was smoking silently against the railing, and then typed: ¡°Mr. Huo is here too.¡±

    Her interest instantly piqued, Gu Nianzhi nagged Zhao Liangze to send her a live stream of the event.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help snickering, as he wrote: ¡°What¡¯s there to see? A bunch of women quacking like hundreds of ducks.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Brother Ze, careful not to get beat up when you speak like that.¡± Gu Nianzhi cautioned him, and then continued begging him for the live stream: ¡°I don¡¯t care about seeing those women, just let me see Uncle Huo.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was about to refuse when Deputy Director Yan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs walked over to pull Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mr. Huo. There¡¯s someone looking for you there; hurry up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been forced by the highest authority of the Imperial Army to attend this reception. He was a soldier¡ªas long as it was military duty, he would even be willing to dance. For the sake of ¡®victory,¡¯he had done all kinds of cruel things and it wouldn¡¯t be the first time he had used foul y. But, it would be impossible to ask him to put on a smile and mill around. He was expressionless as he followed Deputy Director Yan to the reception hall, cutting through the circles of people conversing. He arrived at hidden corner in the hall.

    Bai Shuang turned and smiled at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Chief, we meet again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Secretary Bai.¡±

    Deputy Director Yan smiled. ¡°She¡¯s no longer Secretary Bai. Bai Shuang is now the youngest spokesperson in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her future is bright and boundless!¡±

    ¡°Congrattions.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded again.

    Bai Shuang was very excited. ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, Chief. I have to thank you and Secretary Zhao.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng threw the cigarette into the trash can in the corner and reached out for a ss of red wine on the tter a waiter was holding. He held his ss up to Bai Shuang, ¡°Nheless, cheers to you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was alone on the balcony and finally agreed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request. He turned on the video chat and pointed the camera towards the hall where Huo Shaoheng was standing. It focused first on Gu Yanran, who was standing in the other side of the hall in a cream colored Chanel summer dress. Deputy Director Yan had brought her over to Huo Shaoheng and Bai Shuang. Gu Nianzhi gripped the phone as she looked at the gorgeous women nking Huo Shaoheng. She recognized one woman as the spokesperson Bai Shuang, and the other was an exquisitely beautiful stranger. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes scanned over the two women and paused on Huo Shaoheng. Unfortunately, she could only glimpse his back from Zhao Liangze¡¯s angle. However, even his back was enough to make her eyes light up, and she wished she could embrace the screen.

    Bai Shuang recalled the most stressful moment of the conference. ¡°My blood turned cold when I heard the Americans announce that they had cracked the code. I had no idea how to react. Thankfully, you helped me out. Your subordinate, Secretary Zhao, has sent me the text that saved me.¡±

 Chapter 131 - Stepping up to the Plate

    <h4>Chapter 131: Stepping up to the te</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    A spark flickered in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. He recalled the savage witticism that had turned the tables at the crucial moment.

    He had not expected Gu Nianzhi to be so cunning and witty¡ªshe had always behaved like an obedient, harmless little kitten before him. He put his hand in his trouser pocket, raised his wine ss, and said, in a rare disy of humor, ¡°Oopsie, my bad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head. The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. His face, usually cold and intimidating, was now rxed and amused. A low, irresistibly alluringugh reverberated from his chest. His achingly beautiful face seemed to glow from within by some hidden source of warmth.

    The smile had been fleeting, but Gu Nianzhi saw it through the video feed, all the same.

    Huo Shaoheng, who had always been cold and aloof towards everyone, had smiled happily at Bai Shuang. Gu Nianzhi felt as though she had been struck in the chest with a sledgehammer. Her eyes stung.

    Her hands began to tremble uncontrobly.

    She looked up and stared at the patterns on her bedroom ceiling for a long moment, before abruptly ending the video call with Zhao Liangze with a flick of a finger.

    Bai Shuang had never seen Huo Shaoheng smile before this. The smile had disappeared almost immediately, but she was nevertheless encouraged by it. She blurted out, ¡°Yes, that phrase was absolutely perfect! I couldn¡¯t have done it without Mr. Zhao. I have to thank him, I really must...¡± She trailer off as she absentmindedly began to look around the room for him.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt as though someone were spying on him from behind.

    He turned and saw Zhao Liangze on the balcony, frowning at his phone.

    Zhao Liangze saw Huo Shaoheng turn towards him through the camera of his phone, and quickly closed the video messaging app. He looked up, and waved at Huo Shaoheng with a smile.

    Huo Shaoheng inclined his head at Zhao Liangze and motioned for him toe over.

    Zhao Liangze hastily put his phone in his shirt pocket. He jogged over to Huo Shaoheng, smiling, and epted a ss of champagne from a passing waiter. He toasted Bai Shuang with it. ¡°Congrattions on your promotion, Deputy Director Bai.¡±

    The role of spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was traditionally assumed by either the director or the deputy director of the Information Department. Bai Shuang was the new spokesperson, meaning that she had been promoted, and was now the deputy director of the Information Department.

    Bai Shuang blushed, and graciously clinked sses with Zhao Liangze. She said, smiling, ¡°I was just talking about you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have failed, disastrously.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t very well let that happen now, could I?¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Actually, though, that wasn¡¯t me¡ª¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who had been silent, suddenly gave a cough. He turned to Bai Shuang and said, ¡°Please excuse me. You can find me over there if you need me.¡± With that, he turned and left them.

    Zhao Liangze understood: Huo Shaoheng had warned him not to drag Gu Nianzhi into this.

    He felt bad about taking credit for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s work, but an order was an order. Huo Shaoheng was right, anyway: mentioning Gu Nianzhi¡¯s involvement in the matter could potentially cause problems for herter on. It was best to keep it a secret for now.

    Zhao Liangze quickly saluted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s retreating back. ¡°Take care, sir!¡±

    Gu Yanran had been standing beside Huo Shaoheng the entire time, but he had not looked at her, not even once.

    Gu Yanran had not felt left out, however. She had stood to the side, fascinated, and listened with great interest to their conversation.

    She had not really understood what they had been talking about; she could only surmise that it had been about official business. However, she could see that Miss Bai, the spokesperson, had turned bright red the moment the tall, handsome Mr. Zhao¡ªwho was presumably a secretary to General Huo¡ªhad joined them. Miss Bai had kept her eyes on the floor before her, but Gu Yanran could see that she had been watching Mr. Zhao out of the corner of her eye.

    As for Mr. Zhao, Gu Yanran could make neither heads nor tails out of his behavior: was he already taken? Was hepletely oblivious? Or was he simply not interested in Miss Bai? The man was charming but polite towards Miss Bai; it was impossible to tell what he thought of her.

    Gu Yanran saw Huo Shaoheng turn and walk towards a small lounge in one corner of the hall, partitioned from the rest of the hall by a row of leafy potted nts. She watched him sit down, and then followed after him.

    ¡°General Huo, I cannot express how happy I am to see you at this party. Deputy Minister Feng is truly a man of his word.¡± Gu Yanran smiled as she sat opposite him. She raised her wine ss, meaning to clink sses with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Cheers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced a hand on the back of the sofa, and swirled the wine in his ss with his other hand. His long legs were crossed, and his free hand rested on his knee.

    ¡°Miss Gu, please look up the definition for charity, as you seem to have forgotten what it means. It is not a tool for coercion.¡± With that, he set his wine ss down, stood up, and walked away without a second nce.

    Deputy Minister Feng pranced gleefully over to Gu Yanran just then. He said, smiling, ¡°Miss Gu, look, General Huo came, just like I said he would.¡±

    Gu Yanran could not help butugh at this. She nodded. ¡°Indeed. Don¡¯t worry, I will uphold my end of the bargain.¡±

    General Huo had not onlye to the party, but also engaged in conversation with her. He had said no more than two sentences to her, but still!

    Gu Yanran thought cynically: I can¡¯t very well ask Huo Shaoheng to be like all the other boot-lickers, can I?

    A spineless man was next to useless.

    She needed someone strong enough to protect her massive business, empire, and wealth. She wanted a wild and ferocious lion, not a silly, yapping dog that was all bark and no bite.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhiy on her bed, shell-shocked. She could not get the image of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile out of her head.

    Her eyes stung. She forced herself to look up, her eyes wide open and unblinking, to stop the tears from flowing.

    Shey like this, oblivious to the passing of time, when her phone suddenly rang.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to ignore it, but her phone would not stop ringing. It was beginning to get on her nerves.

    She grabbed her phone and was about to turn it off when she saw that Zhao Quan was calling her.

    The ¡°Adonis¡± from the School of Engineering...

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated, then decided to take the call. ¡°What¡¯s up, Dreamboat?¡±

    Zhao Quan snorted. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be silly, Nianzhi. This is serious.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi was, by now, good friends with the students from the Huaxia Student Association.

    After Xin Xinggao had been exposed, the Huaxia Student Association had not only issued a scathing statement condemning her, but had also made absolutely clear that they no longer wanted anything to do with her. Gu Nianzhi had naturally had a hand in that, as well.

    That had been the best the students could do against Xin Xinggao; she was currently under the protection of the US military, after all.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing: we¡¯re having a women¡¯s softball match with the Indian Student Association today. We kicked Xin Xinggao off the team, and she joined the Indian team instead. We¡¯re one yer short. Do you know how to y softball? Can you take her ce?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was eager to get out of her room, away from her jumbled thoughts and traitorous imagination. She was feeling miserable, and was desperate to do something, anything, to vent her frustrations.

    ¡°Softball? That¡¯s pretty much baseball, isn¡¯t it? Sure, I¡¯ll y. Wait for me, I¡¯ll be right over. What¡¯s the address?¡± Gu Nianzhi got up, her phone held against her ear, and began rummaging through her closet and drawers for her baseball uniform, cap, and bat.

    ¡°It¡¯s the baseball field over on the west side.¡± Zhao Quan was delighted. ¡°Come over as soon as you can. We have a huge turnout today.¡±

    The Special Ops soldiers had taught Gu Nianzhi how to y baseball. She had been good at it, but she had not had many opportunities to y since moving out from the base. She hoped she wasn¡¯t rusty; thest thing she wanted was to disappoint her teammates.

    Gu Nianzhi changed into her uniform. She walked out of her room and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯m going out for a bit.¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked over her baseball uniform and the baseball bat in her hand. He smiled and said, ¡°Off to y some baseball?¡±

    ¡°Yup. We¡¯re ying against the Indian women¡¯s team today. I needed to stretch my muscles anyway,¡± said Gu Nianzhi as she swung her baseball bat, her eyes zing.

 Chapter 132 - Brawl

    <h4>Chapter 132: Brawl</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°y against Team India?¡± Yin Shixiong broke into a grin. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll cheer you on!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Gu Nianzhi slung the baseball bat on her shoulder and opened the front door. Yin Shixiong quickly found his baseball cap and left for the field with her. They were staying in the States for six months and he had originally nned to buy a second hand SUV. However, they were mainly on the Harvard campus and didn¡¯t have a need to drive. Instead, they rode mountain bikes for transportation and exercise. Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong rode their bikes to the west baseball field. There was already arge crowd there.

    The Huaxia Imperial Students Union womens¡¯ baseball team wore uniforms with red tops and white bottoms. The members of Team India were wearing white and blue tops and orange bottoms with green embroidery, disying the colors of India¡¯s national g. Gu Nianxi also donned the Huaxia uniform; her long hair was tied back in a ponytail that swayed from the back of the baseball cap. She appeared as fresh as the first dew drops of a summer morning. A few malew students recognized her and whistled. One of them was An, who had asked if she had a boyfriend on her first day of ss.

    ¡°Nini! Nini! Nini!¡± He called Gu Nianzhi¡¯s English name as he waved madly and told everyone, ¡°See that cutie? She¡¯s mine!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was beaming as he found a seat and watched Gu Nianzhi nimbly run around. He was proud and joyous, as though his own daughter was ying out on the field.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re here! Did you see that we¡¯re already behind, 1-5?¡± Zhao Quan had sweat on his forehead as he ran over. ¡°Do you really know how to y?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had seen the scoreboard and confirmed that they were indeed being defeated by Team India.

    Xin Xinggao was in Team India¡¯s uniform and was chatting happily with an Indian man. Zhao Quan followed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze to them and said quietly, ¡°That¡¯s her boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted disdainfully. ¡°Let her reek of curry for the rest of her life!¡±

    Zhao Quan chuckled. ¡°Ignore her,¡± he looked around before saying, ¡°but don¡¯t underestimate her; she¡¯s very good at baseball. She scored 3 points out of the 5 for Team India.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her baseball bat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it!¡± The referee blew his whistle as they spoke and the three bases were upied by the Team Huaxia yers. It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn.

    ¡°Go Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°Go Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°Nini! You¡¯re the best!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved at the crowd before readying the bat in her hand. The opponent pitcher was a huge woman, nearly twice Gu Nianzhi¡¯s size. She observed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tall and slim figure, then suddenly lifted her leg and flung the baseball right at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest! This ball had been thrown at a tricky angle; If it had been a male pitcher, this would¡¯ve been nothing unusual. But for a female pitcher, it was almost considered foul y. Most pitchers avoided throwing so nastily under normal circumstances.

    Gu Nianzhi was in low spirits and wanted to vent anyway. As the batter in the face of such a difficult and foul throw, she didn¡¯t avoid it, but instead dashed towards it headfirst and raised her arms to viciously hit it with her bat!

    Bang! The ball was hit at a low angle and was sent back, disappearing into the sky with a whoosh. Gu Nianzhi threw down the bat and sped towards the first, second, and third bases, then made the home base before the opponent found the baseball.

    ¡°Home run!¡±

    ¡°Home run!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s got a home run!¡±

    The Huaxia Imperial Students Union cried out excitedly. As soon as Gu Nianzhi had entered the field, they¡¯d gotten a home run and had earned four points to tie with Team India at 5-5.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re incredible! I¡¯m so d I called you.¡± Zhao Quan handed her a bottle of water and a small towel to dry off with.

    Gu Nianzhi took them from him and giggled before taking a sip. ¡°It¡¯s their turn now; we can¡¯t let our guards down.¡±

    Team India would be batting and Zhao Quan¡¯s girlfriend was pitching for the the Huaxia Imperial Students Union. Team India sent Xin Xinggao up and the field went quiet. She had just earned 3 points for Team India, but Team Huaxia had caught up in a tie. Gu Nianzhi sipped more water as she silently stood on the side. The referee blew the whistle and game resumed. This time, Xin Xinggao used all her strength¡ªnot to earn points, but for revenge. She waved the bat and hit the three throws right back at the pitcher, smacking the Team Huaxia pitcher right in the face. Thest ballnded square on Zhao Quan¡¯s girlfriend¡¯s face and she immediately got a bloody nose.

    ¡°Xin Xinggao! Stop it!¡± Zhao Quan stood up furiously. The Huaxia Imperial Students Union mored in the crowd to express their rage. However, the referee sided with Team India andpleted ignored Xin Xinggao¡¯s behaviour.

    ¡°You dare toe at me?! Hit me if you have the balls!¡± Xin Xinggao raised her bat to point at her skull as she goaded Team Huaxia.

    ¡°Since you offered, I¡¯m going to take you up on it!¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately rose and ran alone towards her, bat pointing at Xin Xinggao. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you, traitor!¡±

    Bang, bang, bang!

    Gu Nianzhi viciously mmed the bat once to shatter Xin Xinggao¡¯s dominant right hand, then a second time to whack her hard on the back of her head. Xin Xinggao didn¡¯t expect someone from Team Huaxia would actually dare fight her. She cradled her broken right hand and screamed before she was hit on the head again. The pain was so great that she could only roll her eyes before she copsed limply.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s hurt!¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s bleeding!¡±

    Team India witnessed this and rushed over with their bats pointing at Gu Nianzhi. Although Gu Nianzhi had good reflexes and her own bat, she couldn¡¯t defend herself from that many people. A bat hit on her the face and immediately left it red and swollen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll show them!¡± Team Huaxia shook themselves from the shock and ran up with their bats raised at Team India. They surrounded Gu Nianzhi to protect her from getting hit again.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched the two women¡¯s teams fight and only rushed over when he glimpsed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s swollen face¨Che then covered her head and rescued her from the crowd.

    The sirens red. Someone had called the police and Harvard¡¯s campus police ran over carrying tasers and their batons at the ready. The two brawling teams were separated and the yers were taken to the cruisers. Gu Nianzhi was no exception and was taken from Yin Shixiong to the cruiser.

    Yin Shixiong was sweating nervously, then suddenly thought of He Zhichu and called him right away. ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi was taken away by the campus police!¡±

 Chapter 133 - Still as Feisty

    <h4>Chapter 133: Still as Feisty</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu had been fishing at the smallke next to his mansion when he received the phone call from Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°What did you just say? Who took Nianzhi away?¡± He Zhichu tossed the fishing rod aside and stood up, the expression on his face was dangerously calm.

    ¡°This is what happened: Nianzhi was ying softball against the Indian team, and well... her opponent provoked her by deliberately throwing the ball at her teammates. And...you know how Nianzhi is, she¡¯s young and quick to release her temper. She rushed at her opponent and... got into a fight.¡± Yin Shixiong stamped his feet in agitation as he talked. He wiped his brow and said, ¡°Please go see what¡¯s going on. To put it simply, there was a free-for-all on the baseball field, and Nianzhi threw the first punch¡ªa very heavy punch, as a matter of fact. The campus police came, arrested both teams, and took them to their office.¡±

    He Zhichu did not reply. He ended the call and strode towards his garage.

    A momentter, a Lamborghini roared out of the garage and sped towards Harvard University¡¯s main campus.

    ...

    Over at the campus police office:

    A group of girls in baseball uniforms were detained in two adjacent cells.

    It did not take long for the girls to be bailed out, one by one.

    Eventually, only Gu Nianzhi remained.

    The Huaxia Student Association had made several attempts to bail her out, but the campus police refused to let her go.

    A ck and obese policewoman jabbed a finger at the president of the Huaxia Student Association and shouted, her nostrils ring, ¡°No, no, NO! I said NO! She assaulted someone and there are serious injuries! There are legal consequences for her actions, and she has to face them!¡±

    Everyone simultaneously took a step backwards when she rose from her chair.

    ¡°The other students attacked her¡ªwhy did you let them go, then?! Don¡¯t they have to face the consequences, too?¡± The students from the Huaxia Student Association were furious; they could not help but raise their voices.

    ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me!¡± The policewoman¡¯s expression instantly darkened. ¡°I can get you arrested if you keep yelling.¡±

    The Huaxia students did not dare get into an argument with the police woman. They left the campus police office to discuss how to rescue Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Okay, so Nianzhi attacked a fellow student, and quite viciously at that, but we all know Xin Xinggao deserved it. I was cheering her on, to be honest. We absolutely cannot let her get into trouble over this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with you. Still...¡± A student chuckled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Nianzhi looks so gentle and sweet, and she¡¯s only a kid, really, but man, she fights like a tiger! It wasn¡¯t just Xin Xinggao, I saw her take down a few of the Indian girls who joined the fight!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m cool with that. A pretty girl like her has to be able to defend herself, or she¡¯s going to have a bad time,¡± said Zhao Quan with a sigh. He turned to look at the campus police office. ¡°Speaking of which¡ªthey won¡¯t try to... take advantage of her, will they?¡±

    They had all read shocking expos¨¦s about the dark side of American prisons.

    This was a private police department employed by the university, but the police manning the office had beenpletely unreasonable, all the same. The students were deeply worried for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety.

    After a brief discussion, some of the students decided to ask the Huaxia Conste General in Boston for help.

    Yin Shixiong had been listening in on their conversation the entire time. He knew this was going to be tricky.

    He Zhichu had yet to show, and even if he were here, Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t sure how much he was willing to do for Gu Nianzhi.

    If the students were right and the matter could only be settled with the help of the Conste General, then Mr. Huo had to know about it.

    Yin Shixiong hurriedly sent Zhao Liangze an encrypted email stating that there was an urgent matter to discuss.

    When he sent the email, it was already past ten o¡¯clock in the evening over in the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng had long since excused himself from the party. Zhao Liangze had wanted to leave with him, but Bai Shuang had insisted that he stay and have a few drinks with her. He was a sensitive soul, and could not find it in him to embarrass her by ignoring her and walking away. He had therefore stayed and patiently engaged in small talk with her.

    Zhao Liangze had never had a girlfriend, but that did not mean he waspletely obtuse when it came to women. He smiled and pretended not to notice Bai Shuang¡¯s excessive enthusiasm. He neither encouraged nor discouraged her advances.

    He had been trained for this¡ªno one could tell what he was thinking, not unless he wanted them to know.

    Bai Shuang had also realized by now that Zhao Liangze, although an engaging conversationalist, had not truly opened up to her. It was impossible for her to get to know him better when he kept himself at a polite distance.

    ¡°Mr. Zhao, does your work take up all your time?¡± Bai Shuang handed Zhao Liangze another ss of red wine¡ªhis fourth.

    Zhao Liangze epted the wine without hesitation. He smiled and said, ¡°It depends, really. When we¡¯re busy, we don¡¯t get to go home for the whole year. When we¡¯re not, we can sleep at home for six months.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t about to tell Bai Shuang the true nature of his job.

    ¡°Oh? Your job sounds very interesting, I had no idea.¡± Bai Shuang nodded, smiling. ¡°My sister is also a soldier, she recently epted a transfer offer to the 6th Military Region. She¡¯ll be your colleague in the very near future. I¡¯ll head over to the base and visit the both of you when I have the time.¡±

    ¡°Really? Our doors are always open to you.¡± Zhao Liangze then noticed that his phone was vibrating. He set his wine ss down, took out his phone, and looked at it¡ªit was an encrypted email from Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong only sent encrypted emails when something was up.

    ¡°Please excuse me, I need to make a call.¡± Zhao Liangze nodded to Bai Shuang and walked to the balcony, phone in hand. He leaned against the balustrade as he dialed Yin Shixiong¡¯s number. ¡°Big Xiong, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Yin Shixiong had immediately moved to a secluded ce upon taking the call. He lowered his voice and asked: ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Huo? Is he there?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo already left. I¡¯m still at the party. What¡¯s wrong? Homesick? You want toe back?¡± Zhao Liangze snickered. ¡°Why don¡¯t we swap ces then? I could really use a nice holiday in America.¡±

    ¡°Holiday my a*s!¡± Yin Shixiong scoffed over the phone. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s in trouble. Big trouble.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± Zhao Liangze immediately wiped the smile off his face. He asked, his voice serious, ¡°What happened? Is someone trying to mess with her?¡±

    Zhao Liangze knew why Huo Shaoheng had agreed to let Gu Nianzhi go to America.

    Had Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past finally caught up with her? Were they about to learn who she really was?

    ¡°No, she¡¯s the one doing the messing!¡± Yin Shixiong paced restlessly in the shade of the trees as he described all that had happened that day: Gu Nianzhi joining a softball game, getting into a free-for-all, and then injuring Xin Xinggao so badly that she had to be taken to the hospital.

    Zhao Liangze ¡®aahd¡± and ¡®oohed¡¯ as he listened, gaping like a fish the entire time.

    After a while, he murmured: ¡°Our little Nianzhi is still as feisty ever, I see.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yin Shixiong frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten what she was like at first?¡± said Zhao Liangze calmly. ¡°She punched and scratched everyone she saw. She was just a little kid back then, but boy, did her punches hurt. She only ever calmed down when Mr. Huo was around.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had some recollection of it. He scratched his head and said, doubtfully, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the same thing. Nianzhi, she was all... ugh, I don¡¯t know how to describe it. She¡¯s always been gentle and sweet, really, but she was extremely touchy today, I don¡¯t know why. The slightest provocation and boom! Like a loose cannon.¡±

    Zhao Liangze suddenly remembered the video call that had been disconnected halfway on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s end. He burst outughing. ¡°Oh man, I think I know why.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she must have been upset about dropping out of the video call halfway¡ªa connection error, I think. I bet she was mad because she didn¡¯t get to see Mr. Huo.¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll get ahold of Mr. Huo and let him know what happened.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had just ended the call when a shy Lamborghini sports car roared into view and screeched to a stop before the campus police office.

 Chapter 134 - Youre Going To Jail

    <h4>Chapter 134: You¡¯re Going To Jail</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The Lamborghini¡¯s door opened and He Zhichu stepped out with a frigid expression. He wore a slim cut pale blue striped shirt tucked into belted ck hunting trousers¡ªthebination of the rough-hewn pants and the elegantly tailored shirt was surprisingly harmonious.

    Yin Shixiong put away his phone as he was about to walk up, and turned to see several Mercedes-Benz vehicles follow suit. Tall, dark-suited white men carrying briefcases emerged¡ªthey appeared to be elitewyers. Yin Shixiong stopped in his tracks. These people must be He Zhichu¡¯s entourage, Yin Shixiong realized. He was happy that He Zhichu was bringing Gu Nianzhi so much support, but he was also worried and uneasy. They were all adults who were fully aware that nothing came for free in the world. However, it made sense for He Zhichu to defend Gu Nianzhi since he was her professor, protecting her during a critical time. Yin Shixiong squinted and decided to wait and see what would happen before he proceeded with his own countermeasures.

    ...

    He Zhichu stuffed both hands in his trouser pockets, his expression solemn as he walked up to the reception desk of the campus police office. He asked coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s Gu Nianzhi? I¡¯m her professor and am here to pick her up.¡±

    The fat, ck policewoman sat behind the reception desk and didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Sorry, but Gu Nianzhi can¡¯t be bailed out.¡±

    ¡°Bail? Who said anything about bail?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s tone became even icier as he tapped on herputer. ¡°Let her out immediately, or I¡¯ll sue you for illegal imprisonment. You¡¯ll be sweeping jails for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You say you¡¯ll get her out without ying bail? How would you have me let her out then?¡± She raised her head arrogantly and eyed He Zhichu. Harvard had countless professors, and she barely recognized any of them because there was no need¡ªthey had nothing to do with her job.

    He Zhichu¡¯s red at her. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of time to talk to people who are so blind to thew. This is not a police station, so you have no right to bring up the word ¡®bail.¡¯ I¡¯m going to say it one more time: let Gu Nianzhi go. Otherwise, you should call someone to bail you out at the actual station, ¡± He Zhichu said as he took out his phone to call the police.

    The policewoman finally understood and was so terrified she shot up from the seat. She mumbled as she pointed down the hallway, ¡°S-she¡¯s over there... in the third cell.¡±

    He Zhichu immediately turned towards the hallway. Gu Nianzhi had her hands cuffed on the metal frame high above her head in the campus police office¡¯s detention center. Thankfully, she was tall enough that she didn¡¯t have to stand on her toes. An older white policeman was smiling at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. He stood in front of Gu Nianzhi and surveyed her figure. Her raised arms forced her chest out and curved her back gracefully; the posture tightened her waist and made her straighten her legs.

    ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯re skin is so nice. I can¡¯t even see the pores up close.¡± The campus police murmured as he reached out a hairy hand to touch her swollen cheek, ¡°Poor thing, who did this to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yanked her head back to avoid his hand.

    Click!

    Suddenly, the sound of a cocked pistol came from the doorway. ¡°If your hand moves forward even another millimeter, I guarantee you: it won¡¯t be on your wrist anymore.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold face suddenly appeared from the entrance of the detention center. He was holding a shiny silver pistol, its muzzle pointed directly at the old campus officer¡¯s wrist.

    He looked back and froze before slowly raising his hands in surrender. ¡°It was a misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding!¡±

    ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± He Zhichu took out his phone with the other hand. ¡°I already took a photo of what you were doing. I can send you to prison for a couple decades with this if I wanted to.¡±

    The American criminalw system was partial to stacking sentences and could result in the criminal being sent to jail for tens of years. The old man was so terrified, sweat was beading profusely on his forehead. He cried out, ¡°I was just checking her for injuries! I had no other intentions!¡±

    ¡°No other intentions? You cuffed her like this just to check her injuries?!¡± He Zhichu raised his gun as he stalked over. ¡± Stand against the wall, kneel, and cover your head. Move in any other way, and I will blow your head off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi watched He Zhichu in shock, her lips quivering. She shut her eyes and pretended to pass out. He Zhichu saw her faking a faint and couldn¡¯t help smiling as he muttered to himself, ¡°Not so stupid now, is she.¡± He demanded the cell key from the old man and unlocked her handcuffs before carrying her out of the detention center. Thewyers apanying him left awyer¡¯s letter at the campus police office before striding out with He Zhichu. The campus sheriff rushed over when he heard what happened and was livid as he screamed at his subordinate, ¡°How could you just let that girl go?! She injured someone the military is sheltering! How could she not take responsibility?!¡±

    ¡°Sheriff... this was thewyer¡¯s letter that professor left behind; please take a look.¡± The female officer shakily handed it to him. The sheriff opened it and his face went red, then white as he read through the letter. After being speechless for a long moment, he finally said, ¡°I¡¯m forwarding this to the military. We tried our best. If they want to get that student, they¡¯ll have to do it themselves.¡±

    ...

    He Zhichu carried Gu Nianzhi into his Lamborghini, cing her on the passenger seat and fastening her seatbelt before getting into the car himself. His parade of vehicles was a sight to behold as they drove to a Harvard affiliated hospital. A doctor¡¯s note was required for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face injury. They had just arrived at the hospital when He Zhichu received a call from the US Military.

    ¡°Professor He, please hand over Gu Nianzhi. She injured one of our people and must assume legal responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Peter, since you¡¯re being so aggressive, we will have to settle this in court.¡± He Zhichu hung up, then ordered his men: ¡°Immediately sue the US Military for lynching my student. I¡¯d like to see what¡¯s more powerful, the American legal system or the US Military.¡±

    It was a quick process for thewyers to serve the papers to the court. 15 minutester, Lieutenant Colonel Peter was notified that Professor He Zhichu of the Harvard Law School had taken him and his department to the State Circuit Court.

    ¡°He can go and f*ck himself! He dares to sue me?¡± Lieutenant Colonel Peter was enraged but was quickly deted when his subordinates informed him of He Zhichu¡¯s status and role. The military was indeed powerful, but he couldn¡¯t simply order He Zhichu to be taken out. Of course not, because He Zhichu would have taken him to the court martial and sent him to jail for a few decades before he could even issue the order.

 Chapter 135 - Temperamental

    <h4>Chapter 135: Temperamental</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°This man, He Zhichu, is he really such a hotshot?¡± Lieutenant Colonel Peter¡¯s subordinate had given him a copy of He Zhichu¡¯s resume: he was now looking it over, his face twisted into a deep scowl.

    ¡°You¡¯re the chief, so you should feel free to act in whatever way you see fit, if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you say so?! Give him another call, then¡ªHey! Where are you going? I told you to call him, didn¡¯t you hear me?!¡±

    The subordinate released a sharp sigh, and then red at the chief. ¡°You call him, Chief. I¡¯m off to hand in my resignation.¡±

    ...

    Over in the emergency room of the Harvard Medical School hospital, several female doctors were moving about Gu Nianzhi. They were preparing her for a medical checkup, as per He Zhichu¡¯s urgent request.

    These doctors were the best in their department, renown for their skills and years of experience. They carefully examined the swelling on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and then checked her body to make sure there were no bruises, bone fractures, or internal injuries.

    When they were done examining her, one of the doctors filled out and signed a form for and handed it to He Zhichu. ¡°A blood test?¡± asked He Zhichu, stunned. His eyes darted towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why do you need a blood test? Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just standard procedure. Please keep an eye on her for the next 36 hours¡ªif there are no signs of fever or a sudden loss of consciousness, then she¡¯s probably fine.¡±

    He Zhichu pushed the prescription slip back to her. ¡°In that case, we don¡¯t need it. Instead, please give me a signed medical report detailing the full extent of her injuries.¡±

    It was a reasonable request, and the doctor saw no reason to refuse. She quickly printed out the medical report for him and signed it.

    Gu Nianzhi had kept her eyes closed the entire time, pretending to be asleep, but her fluttering eyshes gave her away. It had been a hectic few hours; it was already four in the afternoon when He Zhichu finally brought her to hiskeside mansion.

    Gu Nianzhi had never seen He Zhichu¡¯s house before. She looked about her curiously.

    The house was massive, standing proudly on the expansive grounds. Gu Nianzhi saw the distant outline of a mountain in the north; the beautiful beautiful panoramic view was enhanced by the crystal-clearke shimmering just before her window.

    Gu Nianzhi nursed her swollen cheek with an ice pack as she stood before the French windows, admiring the picturesque scenery beyond. She shook her head, and remarked, ¡°Professor He, your house is huge. And the location¡ªthis ce is amazing!¡±

    He Zhichu put his hands in his pockets and stood beside her. He gazed at the scenery beyond the window; after a minute of silence he said, ¡°I don¡¯t actually own the mountain, even though it¡¯s on mynd. Just half of it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was one to be deeply annoyed by people who unted their wealth in her face.

    Show-off! Braggart! Poseur! She flung the insults at him in her head.

    ¡°Theke, however, is all mine.¡± He Zhichu nced sideways at her. ¡°Would you care to go for a swim?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m injured, so it¡¯s not exactly the best time for strenuous activities.¡± Gu Nianzhi ced the ice pack on the table and sighed softly. ¡°Thank you for helping me, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I help you? You¡¯re my student.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s gaze fell upon her swollen cheek. His bright almond shaped eyes were full of pity, but beneath his chiseled nose, his lips werepressed into a straight line.

    Gu Nianzhi felt there was something odd about the way he was looking at her. She stole a nce at him, before quickly looking away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu reached out and brushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s swollen cheek with his fingers.

    His fingers felt cold on the red and warm swelling on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Without thinking, she jerked away from his fingers.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand stopped, his fingers still outstretched. His eyes hardened and his face lost the faint smile that had been ghosting about on his lips up until that point. He gave a slight cough as he put his hand back into his trouser pocket. He turned his back to her and said, ¡°You should go. Your guardian must be waiting for you at home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at He Zhichu¡¯s back. Why was this man so temperamental?

    Her mouth trembled and she tried to keep the sudden tears from falling. She hung her head and went to grab her baseball cap off the nighstand.

    Just then, a middle-aged woman entered the room, smiling. Her bright American ent seemed to disperse the heavy atmosphere in the room. She said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, I am the housekeeper. This way, please. I will see you to the door.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt as though she was being swept out of the house, as though her presence was somehow a thing to be disposed of immediately.

    Sheposed herself. Lifting her head proudly, she said, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I can show myself out.¡±

    She walked out of He Zhichu¡¯s room and descended the wide spiral staircase, which brought her to the main hall on the first floor. She crossed the hall¡ªwhich wasrge enough to be a ballroom¡ªand made a beeline for the tall cherry wood doors.

    The housekeeper did not take offense. She followed behind Gu Nianzhi with a smile on her face; once she had seen Gu Nianzhi out the front door of the He Residence, she made her way upstairs to report to He Zhichu.

    ¡°Mr. He?¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± He Zhichu was behind his desk, his fingers tapping away on the keyboard.

    ¡°Miss Gu has left.¡±

    He Zhichu put his hand on the mouse and opened the CCTV feed for his house.

    Gu Nianzhi appeared on hisputer screen. She walked alone down the near dirt path that led her through the garden. Her hair swayed in the wind and obscured her face; try as he might, He Zhichu could not make out her expression. He watched the video feed on his screen for a long time. When Gu Nianzhi finally disappeared through the iron gate in his garden wall, he murmured, ¡°Okay, you can go now.¡±

    The housekeeper curtseyed, and backed out of He Zhichu¡¯s study. She closed the door behind her as she left.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi walked along the path, feeling increasingly aggrieved and sorry for herself with every step.

    Uncle Huo had found a girlfriend, and could not wait to be rid of her.

    Professor He was maddeningly temperamental, and utterly ruthless when he was unhappy. He had thrown her out the door as soon as she had displeased him.

    Her parents had apparently made no attempt to look for her in thest six years.

    She was destined to be abandoned. No one wanted her.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped. She turned to look at He Zhichu¡¯s mansion, and stomped her foot petntly. She wanted so badly to give it the finger, or throw a clod of dirt at it, or even just scream. Anything to express how frustrated and hurt she felt.

    But, she controlled herself: she did not want someone¡ªparticrly He Zhichu¡ª and ruin whatever was left of her good reputation. She turned and concentrated on walking.

    She had never been to He Zhichu¡¯s house; though she had prior knowledge of his address from the mail that came in to his office, and therefore a general idea of where he was located, she was still unsure of her bearings. She took out her phone and was reminded of Yin Shixiong and how very absent he was: where was he, anyway?

    She unlocked the phone and called him, but the number was busy. She bit her lip, and began walking inrge, purposeful strides. Her mind was a cloud of angry thoughts.

    She walked along the avenue for close to an hour, all alone. She was exhausted. She did not think she could walk another step. Yet, there was still a long way to go. Maybe, she thought, it would be better if she took a break by the side of the road.

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her head and looked about her to find a suitable ce to rest her tired feet.

    Just then, her phone began to ring.

    Brother Xiong? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart swelled with relief. She hurriedly looked at her phone, and was surprised to see who was calling her¡ªMei Xiawen!

    Gu Nianzhi answered the call. ¡°Hello? ss Rep?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi? Still calling me ss Rep, I see. Oh well, that makes you easier to find.¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice sounded relieved.

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled: why did his voice sound like it was getting closer?

    As soon as she looked up, she saw his slender figure walking towards her. He had a phone to his ear, and a smile on his face.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped, her mouth agape¡ªit was Mei Xiawen! It was really him Why is he here, in America? Gu Nianzhi thought.

    ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Mei Xiawen was now standing right beside her. ¡°Why is your face swollen?¡± He reached out and lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin to get a better look.

    ¡°Xia... Xiawen, you... why are you here?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice trembled.

    She could not believe what she was seeing. It was twice, now, that Mei Xiawen had appeared when she was at her most vulnerable and had needed someone beside her.

    Was this God¡¯s will?

    Mei Xiawen gently tucked her bangs behind her ear. ¡°Why am I here? I missed you, so I came to see you, silly. You¡¯re so heartless¡ªI bet you forgot all about me as soon as you arrived here in America, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    He folded Gu Nianzhi into his arms in a strong embrace.

 Chapter 136 - Ill Ruin Him

    <h4>Chapter 136: I¡¯ll Ruin Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was true that Gu Nianzi had contacted Mei Xiawen less frequently since arriving to the States. Most of the time, it was him texting her to ask her check their shared Weibo, ¡°Always On My Mind.¡± Gu Nianzhi had been so preupied with the Nandou system incident that she barely had time to eat or sleep, let alone spare time to share her musings online? However she couldn¡¯t say anything when she watched Mei Xiawen¡¯s intent eyes and gaunt face.

    Mei Xiawen embraced Gu Nianzhi, nuzzling the warm top of her head as he asked in a quiet voice, ¡°What happened to your face?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squirmed out of his arms and covered her face, pouting, ¡°...I got hit.¡±

    ¡°What?! By who? Who had the gall to hit you? Did you call the police?¡± Mei Xiawen asked with total seriousness, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that anyone can get away with something like this in the States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung her head in embarrassment, ¡°...I started it.¡±

    Mei Xiawen, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Then it must¡¯ve been because they crossed the line. Nianzhi did it out of self-defense, right?¡± Mie Xiawen touched her shoulder and gentlyforted her. It was obvious that he was siding with her and trying to justify what she did¨Cand that was exactly the kind of unwavering support that she needed right now.

    Her mood lightened considerably and she smiled at Mei Xiawen, ¡°Xiawen, why did you suddenlye to the States? Are you on vacation?¡±

    Mei Xiawen turned around with her and they continued walking. Draping one arm on her shoulder, he said, ¡°I especially came to see you, don¡¯t you believe that?¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s too much of a shock, I don¡¯t dare believe it.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled, but her pace slowed and she even started to limp a little. Although there were no apparent bruises on her legs, she actually sustained a few kicks from the fight. After walking for over an hour, she could feel her calves almost lose all sensation. She walked each step gingerly.

    Mei Xiawen noticed her struggling and look at her before jogging ahead and kneeling down, ¡°Here, let me carry you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi was at loss, ¡°I, I, I¡¯m ok.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you¡¯re limping and shouldn¡¯t walk anymore.¡± Mei Xiawen chuckled, ¡°If I had knew, I would have driven my rental car here.¡±

    ¡°Where did you park?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously when Mei Xiawen nudged her toy on his back.

    Mei Xiawen secured her calves with both arms and stood up with her on his back. ¡°Nianzhi, how did you get to thin?¡± He thought she felt much too light on his back.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? Saying she got thinner is the bestpliment possiblefor a girl.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled proudly, ¡°That means I¡¯ve been watching my weight well.¡±

    Bursting intoughter, Mei Xiawen chatted idly with her while he carried her back to the apartment.

    ¡°We¡¯re here, Xiawen. Thanks for taking me home.¡± Gu Nianzhi was drenched in sweat and badly wanted to shower first, ¡°Where are you staying? Give me the phone number and address.¡±

    Mei Xiawen had wanted to pick her up for dinner, but knew she didn¡¯t want to go out with an embarrassing injury on her face. He dejectedly took out a card from the hotel and ced it on her palm, ¡°The Hilton, Room 356 on the third floor. My number¡¯s the same, you can give me a call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll invite you for dinner at my ce tomorrow. I¡¯m a wreck today and need to freshen up. I¡¯m so sorry, Xiawen.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say sorry.¡± Mei Xiawen stroked her head, ¡°Thankfully I was here. You¡¯re here alone and need to take good care of yourself, don¡¯t have me worry.¡±

    Her heart warmed at the words and she nodded, ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll be careful from now on, this was an ident.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know you too well. You¡¯re quirky, but still a young girl at the end of the day. Although you have a sharp tongue, you¡¯re the one at disadvantage when ites to a physical fight.¡± Mei Xiawen sighed as he patted her shoulder, ¡°Go back now, I¡¯ll watch you get inside.¡±

    ¡°No, you go first, I¡¯ll watch you.¡± Gu Nianzhi insisted on seeing him off.

    Mei Xiawen was no match against her and squeezed her hand before heading to a ck Buick parked in the parking lot in front of the building entrance. He turned to wave at her, then got into the car and left her apartment.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi went into her building and unlocked the door. The apartment was quiet and Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t in the living room. She limped back to her bedroom.

    The door to Yin Shixiong¡¯s door was shut as he stood by the window and spoke on the phone quietly. ¡°Mr. Huo, did Little Ze tell you? How would you like to deal with it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was deep and rich, ¡°You said He Zhichu already picked up Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they already left. The US Military didn¡¯t let Nianzhi go and He Zhichu was furious. Afterwards I heard that he¡¯s taking the US Military to court and now they are too afraid to do anything rashly.¡± Yin Shixiong gave a detailed report on the events that day.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent for a long while, his voice emotionless, ¡°Ok, we¡¯ll wait and see. I¡¯ve already had someone contact the Embassy, they¡¯ll ignore this incident.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Yin Shixiong jolted up and instinctively raised his voice, ¡°No way?! It¡¯s one thing for you not to get personally involved, but now you¡¯re blocking the Embassy from helping too?! Nianzhi only got into this mess because she was beating up that Xin girl!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s young and impulsive, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the same?¡± Huo Shaoheng was speaking to Yin Shixiong through his Bluetooth headset, his fingers hammering at the keyboard to write a report to the military. ¡°You should¡¯ve stopped her when it happened. This is dereliction of duty, and I don¡¯t want this kind of thing to reur over and over again. If it happens again, you¡¯reing back and I¡¯ll send Little Ze over.¡±

    Yin Shixiong sighed heavily and straightened his back. He answered gruffly, ¡°Roger! Chief, please grant Lieutenant Colonel Yin Shixiong redeem himself and continue to protect Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, this is the second time you¡¯re redeeming yourself. I don¡¯t want a third time.

    Huo Shaoheng had no mercy, ¡°Watch anyone trying to get close to Nianzhi carefully. Investigate all their backgrounds, with He Zhichu in particr.¡±

    ¡°Professor He?¡± Yin Shixiong was perplexed as he wrote with his finger on the window, ¡°Didn¡¯t we investigate him multiple times already? What else is suspicious?¡±

    ¡°Because everything matches up too perfectly and seems fishy. From his CV, he has no rtions to Nianzhi. So why did he be so nice to her in a few short months? Don¡¯t tell me that all professor are this kind to all their students.¡± Huo Shaohengpleted the report and rose as he switched off theputer.

    Yin Shixiong mumbled, ¡°Mr, Huo, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s possibly another reason?¡±

    ¡°What other reason?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked as he took out a cigarette to light.

    ¡°...That He Zhichu has feelings for Nianzhi? After all, Nianzhi is getting more popr as she¡¯s getting older. Didn¡¯t Mr. Huo know that quite a few people like her here...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand holding the lighter paused as he poised to light it. After a long moment, he calmly closed the lighter and said slowly, ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case. ¨CHe Zhichu is a professor, if he dares make a move on Nianzhi, I¡¯ll ruin him. ¨CContinue your observations and be prepared to report at anytime.¡±

 Chapter 137 - Can He Take Responsibility for It?

    <h4>Chapter 137: Can He Take Responsibility for It?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong saluted him over the phone out of habit.

    Yin Shixiong ended the call and looked out the window. It was already past five o¡¯clock¡ªtime for him to pick up Gu Nianzhi.

    He called He Zhichu again. ¡°Professor He? Thank you so much for your help today. Is Nianzhi better now? I¡¯ll head over to pick her up...¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± He Zhichu said coldly. Yin Shixiong could almost feel the icy coolness radiating from him on his face. ¡°She already left.¡±

    ¡°She left?¡± Yin Shixiong was taken aback. ¡°When did she leave? Why didn¡¯t you drive her home? She¡¯s a young girl who¡¯s just been injured¡ªhow can you be so heartless?!¡±

    ¡°Me, heartless? Haha, very funny,¡± said He Zhichu, and promptly hung up. He put his hands behind his head and leaned into his spacious swivel chair. He swung the chair around and rested his long legs on the window sill, ignoring the ringing of his phone as he gazed at the scenery beyond the window.

    Yin Shixiong called again, but no one answered.

    He flew into a panic. The sudden change in He Zhichu¡¯s attitude was mystifying, but he did not have the time to think about it now. He opened the door and rushed out of his room.

    He reached the front door and did a double-take.

    He stared at the small shoe cab beside the door.

    The Under Armour cherry blossom sneakers Gu Nianzhi had worn to the softball game were back in the cab. Her panda indoor slippers, on the other hand, were missing...

    Gu Nianzhi must have returned to the apartment.

    Yin Shixiong breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that He Zhichu had been telling the truth: Gu Nianzhi had, as he said, left his house and returned to the apartment.

    Then he remembered that He Zhichu¡¯s house was three miles away. It was a considerable distance¡ªso how had Gu Nianzhi made her way back to the apartment, all by herself?

    Yin Shixiong walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and knocked lightly on the door. ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you in there?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her panda pillow. She was curled up on the sill of the bay window, securely hidden behind the curtains.

    Yin Shixiong had to call her name several times before she finally replied with a sullen ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly opened the door.

    He was d she had left the door unlocked.

    Yin Shixiong scanned the room as he entered, but did not see Gu Nianzhi.

    He looked again and spotted the panda slippers lying on the floor in front of the bay window.

    She was evidently hiding on the window sill.

    Yin Shixiong slowly walked over. He said, his voice gentle, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want to see me?¡±

    He stopped before the window and opened the curtains.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Yin Shixiong. The swelling in her right cheek had worsened. Herrge, dark eyes shone like mirrors; Yin Shixiong could see himself reflected in them.

    ¡°Why is the swelling worse now?¡± Yin Shixiong kneeled so that his eyes were level with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. ¡°Didn¡¯t Professor He take you to the hospital?¡±

    The doctors had given her some medicine, but Gu Nianzhi had forgotten to take them with her when she left He Zhichu¡¯s house. She realized her mistake and became even more depressed. She muttered sulkily, ¡°Brother Xiong, where were you when they locked me up?¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Yin Shixiong was feeling guilty. His eyes darted about before he finally said, in a grave and serious tone, ¡°I called Professor He and asked him to save you. I don¡¯t know how they do things here in the United States, you know, so I thought it would be better to get Professor He to help.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°You called him? I was wondering how Professor He knew...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and I called Mr. Huo after that.¡± Yin Shixiong made sure to exin everything he had done; he did not want Gu Nianzhi to think he had been indifferent to her safety and well-being.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    She lowered her eyes and buried her swollen cheek into the panda pillow. Her voice was hushed when she asked, ¡°...Uncle Huo knows?¡±

    Yin Shixiong decided not to tell the truth. ¡°Mr. Huo is very busy, so he doesn¡¯t know yet. Little Ze said he¡¯ll let Mr. Huo know as soon as possible. But you¡¯re all right now, aren¡¯t you? Do you still want Mr. Huo to know about this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long eyshes flickered as she thought about it. She eventually said in a disheartened voice, ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t tell him. I don¡¯t want Uncle Huo to scold me.¡±

    She had not been a good student. She had neglected her studies in favor of fun and games, and ended up brawling with her fellow students...

    Gu Nianzhi could almost see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s silent, serious face before her. She imagined the profound disappointment in his eyes...

    Yin Shixiong raised an eyebrow and sat beside her. He patted herfortingly on the shoulder and said gently, ¡°Nianzhi, c¡¯mon, be honest now: when did Uncle Huo ever scold you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°He never scolds anyone. He just gives us the silent treatment,¡± continued Yin Shixiong,ughing.

    Gu Nianzhi exploded at this. She shoved Yin Shixiong, her eyes red with unshed tears. ¡°Did you have to rub salt into my wounds, Brother Xiong? Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m really, really depressed here?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, it was just a joke, I thought you might find it funny.¡± Yin Shixiong helped her off the window sill. ¡°C¡¯mere, I have an excellent ointment for your cheek. I guarantee the swelling will be gone by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong skeptically. ¡°That sounds too good to be true.¡±

    ¡°The new and improved Green Ointment, a traditional Huaxia form modified by Chen Lie. Only the best for you, my dear!¡± said Yin Shixiong cheekily as he led Gu Nianzhi to his room. He rummaged through his drawers for the ointment that had been specially formted to treat skin and soft-tissue bruises, and carefully dabbed it on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek.

    Gu Nianzhi felt the ointment sink into her skin, cool and refreshing. The heat immediately dissipated from her cheek.

    The ointment was a lot more effective than any western medicine the doctors in the emergency room could have prescribed her.

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that the ointment, being a traditional Huaxia medicinal form, was easier on her skin.

    Her spirits lifted. She took the ointment from Yin Shixiong and asked, ¡°Do you have anything for sore muscles? I walked for an hour today, I can¡¯t feel my legs.¡±

    ¡°An hour?¡± Yin Shixiong was surprised. ¡°Why did you walk for an hour? Professor He drives a Lamborghini, why did you even have to walk?¡±

    The anger returned to Gu Nianzhi as soon as she thought of He Zhichu. She gave a sullen pout, and said, ¡°...Professor He threw me out. He didn¡¯t even get a cab for me, so I walked back here, all by myself.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Yin Shixiong sprang to his feet in thunderous anger. He shouted, ¡°He made you¡ªa seriously injured girl¡ªwalk for more than an hour?!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh!¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded again and again. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that really cruel of him?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it definitely was!¡± Yin Shixiong mmed his fist against on the wall. He regretted what he had said to Huo Shaoheng.

    He took back his words.

    He no longer believed that He Zhichu was romantically interested in Gu Nianzhi.

    No man would ever allow the woman he loved to suffer!

    And Gu Nianzhi had been injured, besides!

    ¡°I¡¯m calling him¡ªI¡¯m going to give him a piece of my mind, right this instant. What if something had happened to you? Can he take responsibility for it?¡± Yin Shixiong was absolutely furious. He called He Zhichu¡¯s number, over and over again.

    He Zhichu was so annoyed he blocked Yin Shixiong¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands on Yin Shixiong¡¯s arm. ¡°Brother Xiong, forget it, no point calling him. Let¡¯s talk about something else¡ªI met someone on my way back. Can you guess who?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to guess, there are so many people on this. You got me there.¡± Yin Shixiong took a deep breath, and grudgingly put a lid on the anger that had welled up inside him.

    Gu Nianzhi grinned as she handed him a drink. ¡°...It was Mei Xiawen, my ss rep.¡±

 Chapter 138 - I Wont Abandon Her

    <h4>Chapter 138: I Won¡¯t Abandon Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Mei Xiawen?! He¡¯s here in the States? And you met him too?¡± Yin Shixiong sipped his drink, the cool liquid quelling his rage towards He Zhichu. The news of Mei Xiawen¡¯s appearance quicklymanded his attention, ¡°What a coincidence?! You saw him randomly?¡±

    This was a huge country, what were the chances of two ssmates running into each other?

    Gu Nianzhi detected Yin Shixiong¡¯s animosity and displeasure towards Mei Xiawen. She blinked her huge doe like eyes at him and said softly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t randomly. I¡¯ve kept in touch with Xiawen over text and told him our address before, so it wasn¡¯t hard for him to find here. He¡¯s actually so nice to me and even carried me home when I couldn¡¯t walk anymore.¡±

    Yin Shixiong snorted as he deliberately ignored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile. He crossed his arms and looked up, ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, he should¡¯ve came to the apartment to look for you? ¨CWhat¡¯s the meaning of this, randomly seeing you on the street? And even carrying you home. He¡¯s just looking to earn bonus points...¡±

    Could it be that Mei Xiawen had an ulterior motive too? Yin Shixiong had been infected by Huo Shaoheng and began imagining conspiracy theories too...

    Gu Nianzhi understood what Yin Shixiong was implying and burst intoughter, ¡°Brother Xiong, what are you thinking about? Xiawen¡¯s phone can track the location of mine. He just has to turn on the location function to know where I am.¡± Mei Xiawen probably used the location function as soon as he arrived to her building to see if she was home, then discovered she was away... With the location provided by his phone, he was able to find Gu Nianzhi, whose legs were numb from walking by then.

    Yin Shixiong pped his forehead, ¡°No, that¡¯s not ok. I have to find a way to delete that from his phone.¡± He went on to warn Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You have to pay attention to your safety too. Why did you let him locate your phone? Did he give birth to you, or raise you? You don¡¯t have a conscience, do you not want us now that you have a boyfriend?¡±

    It was the second time that Gu Nianzhi had been told she cked a conscience.¡± Her emotions were conflicted and hung her head, ¡°It¡¯s you guys who don¡¯t want me anymore, how do Ick conscience?¡±

    ¡°Who? Who doesn¡¯t want you?! Tell me and I¡¯ll go beat him up!¡± Yin Shixiong rolled up his sleeves jokingly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and smiled, ¡°You¡¯d really beat him up?¡±

    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s less than five people in the world that your Brother Xiong can¡¯t defeat!¡±

    ¡°...Then can you beat Uncle Huo?¡±

    ¡°...He¡¯s too difficult, let¡¯s have someone else.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed Yin Shixiong, ¡°I knew you couldn¡¯t beat Uncle Huo, you shouldn¡¯t have boasted in front of me. ¨CGo make me dinner, I¡¯m starving.¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok, I bought prawns and fresh scallops and was going to make garlic prawns and baked garlic scallops.¡± Yin Shixiong dragged Gu Nianzhi to the kitchen so he could make her smell like garlic and prevent shameless guys from bothering her all the time, ¡°Tell me, how is it that Mr. Ho doesn¡¯t want you anymore?¡±

    ¡°He has a girlfriend, so he¡¯ll get married andhave kids one day. He won¡¯t have time for me anymore.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed as freed herself from his grip and scrunched her nose, ¡°I¡¯m not staying in the kitchen, you cook and call me when it¡¯s ready.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart softened when he saw her swollen face, ¡°Ok, you go shower and get some rest. I¡¯ll call you for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and watched Yin Shixiong go before taking clothes to the bathroom. When she was done, Yin Shixiong had finished making dinner. The pair sat across from each other and had a delicious meal. Gu Nianzhi paced around the room to digest the food while she thought about calling Mei Xiawen to confirm a time for him toe over for dinner tomorrow. She got the busy tone, and thought perhaps he was calling his family. Gu Nianzhi hung up and didn¡¯t try calling again.

    Mei Xiawen was indeed on the phone, but he wasn¡¯t speaking to his family. Jiang Hongcha was calling him from the Empire.

    ¡°Xiawen, why did you go to the States without saying anything?¡± Jiang Hongcha¡¯s voice was smooth like velvet, soft and alluring, ¡°I miss you.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was silent for a long time, and finally spoke after Jiang Hongcha pressed him on, ¡°Hongcha, I have a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Really? Who is it? Is it the little girl you went to see in the States?¡± Jiang Hongcha asked gently, ¡°Xiawen, don¡¯t be so stubborn with me, ok?¡±

    Mei Xiawen was unsure what to say.

    ¡°Xiawen, I know there¡¯s something you still can¡¯t let go of in your heart. I¡¯m not going to say anything more. You haven¡¯t been on ¡®ck Tea¡¯s Sky¡¯ for a long time, right? I wrote some posts recently, have a look when you have time. I¡¯ve sent the password to your phone already.¡± Jiang Hongcha hung up.

    After hesitating for a long moment, Mei Xiawen unlocked his phone and logged into Weibo.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong ced all the dishes into the dishwasher and returned to his room to report to Huo Shaoheng. This time, he actually go through to him at the first try. ¡°Mr. Huo? You haven¡¯t slept yet? Or did you wake up early?¡±

    It was 7am in the Empire right now, and he had just been on the phone with Huo Shaoheng two hours ago at 5am local time. Huo Shaoheng actually hadn¡¯t sleep all night, but didn¡¯t feel tired at all. His work was busy and intense, so it wasmon for him to stay awake for several days and nights.

    ¡°Tell me, what is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng put on his headset and closed his eyes. He leaned back on the high backed chair to rx.

    Yin Shixiong peeked out the door and said quietly, ¡°...He Zhichu kicked Nianzhi out. She somehow angered him and made her walk home alone. It was a three mile walk and it took her an hour.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head impassively, ¡°Took one hour to walk three miles? You should make sure Nianzhi continues her morning exercises and not skip the ten kilometer cross-country runs.¡±

    Yin Shixong, ¡°...¡± Mr. Huo, you¡¯re not focussing on the right thing! However he didn¡¯t dare confront Huo Shaoheng andughed before continuing, ¡°Mei Xiawen is here and apparently came to see Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept his eyes shut as he rubbed between his brows and asked casually, ¡°Why did he go to the States? Did he see Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°He did. The kid was lucky and ran into Nianzhi after she got kicked out from He Zhichu¡¯s. He even carried her for a while.¡± Yin Shixiong reported anything to do with Gu Nianzhi in great detail to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Useless. You tell Nianzhi that if she can¡¯t even walk three miles, she should be too ashamed to tell people she was raised by Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought Huo Shaoheng was being too harsh, ¡°Mr. Huo, Nianzhi was seriously injured today, did you forget? She was hurt physically and emotionally, can¡¯t you call her tofort her?¡± This was the true reason why he called Huo Shaoheng again that day. Poor Gu Nianzhi was said Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want her anymore, and it scared Yin Shixiong witless. What a poor little girl! Her saddened look was just like an abandoned kitten on the streets...

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and put the privacy film on his monitor as he entered the password. He grunted, ¡°Was it a serious injury? Didn¡¯t you say He Zhichu was there to help?¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu left her, but you can¡¯t do that to her.¡± Yin Shixong mustered up his courage, ¡°Even if you have a girlfriend, you can¡¯t abandon her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand froze when he detected a slight change in Yin Shixiong¡¯s tone. This didn¡¯t sound like something Yin Shixiong would say at all. He squinted his inky eyes and they appeared inscrutable, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Huo Shaoheng regained hisposure and said dryly, ¡°Then you can tell Nianzhi that I don¡¯t have a girlfriend. I also won¡¯t abandon her.¡± He hung up and sighed deeply before getting up for a ten kilometer cross-country run.

 Chapter 139 - False Hopes

    <h4>Chapter 139: False Hopes</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong was momentarily puzzled¡ªthen it dawned on him.

    Mr. Huo had realized that Yin Shixiong had been speaking on behalf of Nianzhi.

    Yin Shixiong was impressed. This was why Mr. Huo was the boss, while he and Little Ze could only be his personal secretaries¡ªhe was perceptive, considerate, and always one step ahead of everyone else. There was no way he could ever measure up to someone like that.

    Yin Shixiong tossed his phone onto his bed and went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room to talk to her.

    Gu Nianzhi was already fast asleep on her bed.

    She was lying on her side, her swollen cheek turned upwards. The corners of her mouth were wrinkled, and her eyebrows were tightly knitted together. She seemed to be in pain, even in her dreams.

    It had been a long, miserable day for her.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart ached at the sight. He mentally swore at He Zhichu as he walked over to Gu Nianzhi and pulled her nket over her. He turned off the lights, and gently shut the door before returning to his room.

    ...

    Mei Xiawen was in his hotel room. He had just finished reading thetest post on ¡°ck Tea¡¯s Sky¡±, and was now full of conflicted feelings. He fought the urge to call Jiang Hongcha, but eventually gave in.

    It was morning, over in the Huaxia Empire.

    Jiang Hongcha was seated at her breakfast table. She epted the call with a swipe of her finger, and said, smiling: ¡°Had your dinner, Xiawen?¡±

    It was past seven o¡¯clock in the evening, over in America.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mei Xiawen ran a hand through his hair, agitated. ¡°Hongcha, I have a girlfriend.¡±

    He had said this so many times now¡ªit was as though he were trying to convince himself.

    This was the only weapon he could defend himself with, in the face of Jiang Hongcha¡¯s charms.

    Jiang Hongcha¡¯s smile stayed on her face. After a moment, she said, ¡°Is that the honest truth? Does she actually admit to being your girlfriend?¡±

    Mei Xiawen sat up at this. ¡°...What do you mean by that? Don¡¯t look down on me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on you.¡± Jiang Hongcha could not helpughing. ¡°It¡¯s just that Weinan told me that you haven¡¯t quite won over thedy¡¯s affections, not yet.¡±

    In actual fact, Ai Weinan had told Jiang Hongcha that the young girl Mei Xiawen had been trying to woo was simply not interested in him...

    Jiang Hongcha knew better than to say this to Mei Xiawen¡¯s face, of course. Men were such sensitive creatures.

    If she humiliated him now, there would be no possibility of their getting back together.

    Mei Xiawen breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up the remote control, turned on the TV, and switched to the HBO movie channel. ¡°Weinan doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about. Don¡¯t listen to her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from her, anyway.¡± Jiang Hongcha¡¯s tone was suddenly serious. ¡°I want to hear it from you. Do you actually have a girlfriend, or don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Why do you care? So what if it I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have a girlfriend, well, that¡¯s fine. But if you¡¯re seeing someone, then I¡¯ll have to keep my distance.¡± Jiang Hongcha¡¯s voice was silky smooth, but her tone was firm and resolute.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyes were on the TV, but his brain wasn¡¯t registering anything he was seeing. He mumbled, ¡°...Keep your distance? You want to keep your distance from me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t be like Weinan. I can¡¯t continue being friends with you, if I know you¡¯re in love with someone else.¡± Jiang Hongcha rose from her chair and, with her free hand, began to water her broad-leaved epiphyllum with her watering can. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to do something like that.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡± Mei Xiawen was very surprised.

    When Mei Xiawen and Jiang Hongcha had been together in high school, Ai Weinan had been good friends with the both of them...

    ¡°Of course I knew. I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Jiang Hongchaughed lightly as she set the watering can down and caressed the leaves of the epiphyllum. She found a Yuhua stone, and put it in the flower pot.

    ¡°But you don¡¯t mind?¡± Mei Xiawen remembered how they had been each other¡¯s first love, back in high school. They had shared so many firsts together. His heart gradually softened at the thought.

    It was obvious that Jiang Hongcha was also thinking of the memories they shared; her voice had grown gentle and sweet. ¡°Of course not. Why would I? You don¡¯t like her, that¡¯s all I need to know. So let her stay by your side and, as the saying goes, quench her thirst by thinking of plums...¡±

    The witty pun was very like her. Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart flopped over like a puppy, docile and defenseless: he had never been able to resist her charming wit.

    Jiang Hongcha was still the only one who could send his heart on a rollercoaster of emotions, the only one who shared his tastes, the only one who could read his mind...

    Mei Xiawen suddenly thought of Jiang Hongcha¡¯s foreign boyfriend, and his lips curled with distaste. He suppressed the agitation in his heart and said, carefully, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy, I still haven¡¯t gotten over my jetg. I¡¯m going to take a shower now, I¡¯ll call you tomorrow.¡± With that, he hung up on her.

    Jiang Hongcha red at her phone, unable to believe that Mei Xiawen had hung up on her.

    In all the years they had been together, Mei Xiawen had never hung up on her, not even once!

    It seemed that Gu Nianzhi had a special spot in Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart.

    For the first time, Jiang Hongcha was afraid.

    She did not believe in fairytale ¡°I¡¯ll never love another for the rest of my life¡± romances.

    If someone was unwilling to move on from a past rtionship, it was only because they had yet to find a better match.

    Once they found someone, they would quickly forget about their ex.

    Jiang Hongcha was uneasy now. She could not bear to think of Mei Xiawen actually getting together with Gu Nianzhi.

    She hastily dialed Ai Weinan¡¯s number.

    Jiang Hongcha had been overseas for the past several years, but Ai Weinan had stayed in the country with Mei Xiawen, and most likely knew everything that had happened with him.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi awoke the next day to find that the swelling on her cheek hadpletely subsided. There was now only a subtle hint of red, as though the blood vessels under her fair skin were now a little closer to the surface. Her face would probably be back to normal in a few days.

    She picked up the bottle of ointment Yin Shixiong had given her, and suppressed the urge to kiss it.

    The ointment was extremely effective. She was sure that Brother Xiong had gotten it from Uncle Huo, and was determined to get some more from Uncle Huo once she was back in the country.

    Uncle Huo had also promised her that he would let her pick a few of his ck T-shirts from his closet to use as her pajamas.

    Even if he had found himself a girlfriend by then, she would hold him to his word. A promise was a promise!

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She opened the organizer app on her phone, and made a memo for the ointment and the T-shirts. She set the app to remind her on the day of her return to the Empire six monthster, which happened to be Christmas eve.

    She collected herself, and walked out of her room after changing into a Polo shirt and denim shorts. She said to Yin Shixiong: ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯m inviting Mei Xiawen over for dinner today. What¡¯s on the menu?¡±

    Yin Shixiong realized that he had turned into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal chef. He stewed over this, depressed, for a long moment before finally saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat out? We¡¯ll look for a ssy restaurant, eat something nice and expensive.¡±

    All dining expenses when they ate out would be reimbursed...

    It was an excellent idea. Yin Shixiong mentally gave himself an upvote for that.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, and decided she liked the idea. The injury on her face was so much better now; it would be practically invisible if she put on a little concealer before going out. ¡°Okay. Why don¡¯t you help book a table for us, Brother Xiong? I¡¯ll call Xiawen.¡± With that, she walked away, humming a little tune.

    Huh, someone¡¯s in a good mood.

    Yin Shixiong blinked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s retreating back. He took out his phone and began looking for a restaurant.

    He wasn¡¯t familiar with any of the restaurants nearby, so he made a dinner reservation at the most expensive restaurant in the neighborhood. He was a firm believer in the golden rule: expensive food was not necessarily delicious, but it was definitely high ss.

    Mei Xiawen showed up at the apartment in the afternoon. He made polite conversation with Yin Shixiong for a few minutes before entering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Mei Xiawen took in the furnishings in her room. He said, ¡°Nice ce. Did your family rent this apartment for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to tell him that He Zhichu was paying for her apartment, but changed her mind. She refused to help He Zhichu earn extra brownie points with her friends, not when he had been so rude to her the day before. She merely smiled and made no attempt to correct Mei Xiawen.

    Mei Xiawen had made up his mind. He moved closer to Gu Nianzhi, took her hand, and said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, will you agree to be my girlfriend?¡±

 Chapter 140 - It Must Be Fate

    <h4>Chapter 140: It Must Be Fate</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s palms were sweaty and nearly trembling. Gu Nianzhi could sense that he was very nervous. Looking up at his gentle face and hopeful eyes behind the gold-rimmed sses, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was warmed and touched. So she wasn¡¯t unwanted... Turn out there was someone who wanted her... The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips slowly raised to form crescent, her cherry lips making an attractive smile. Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he subconsciously grabbed her waist and lowered his head to kiss her lips.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± Gu Nianzhi frantically pushed him away and backed away a few steps, her face flushed, ¡°Don¡¯t be like this...¡±

    Mei Xiawen was slightly out of breath. He had the urge to touch Gu Nianzhi when he saw her hanging head and half exposed slender neck. He stepped towards her, but Gu Nianzhi backed up again and was nearly pressed against the window sill.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be my girlfriend? I really like you.¡± Mei Xiawen felt hurt¨Che pursued her for so long time and never expected this result.

    ¡°Xiawen, do you really want me to be your girlfriend?¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at him, ¡°Then can you promise me one thing?¡±

    ¡°What is it? I¡¯ll agree for sure.¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s mood eased suddenly, and he watched Gu Nianzhi with happiness in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head, ¡°Wait for me these next six months. If you don¡¯t change your mind in six months and wait for me to return at the end of the year, I¡¯ll be your girlfriend. ¨CWhat do you think?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deliberately said this because she remembered Ai Weinan saying that Mei Xiawen¡¯s first love ended because of long distance. Gu Nianzhi was staying in the States for six months and would be on the opposite side of the world from him. She wasn¡¯t certain if they could ovee this.

    Mei Xiawen froze and it was obvious he didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to refuse being his girlfriend despite pursuing her all the way to States. However, he had to admit that he had made progress with Gu Nianzhi finally giving him a clear answer. He just had to wait until the end of the year, and as long as he was willing, she would be his girlfriend. The initiative was actually in his hands. He felt relieved and epted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s proposal, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll wait for you. In six months, on the day youe back, I¡¯ll pick you up at the airport.¡±

    Although there were still many uncertainties, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help skipping a beat when she heard him make the promise.

    ¡°You¡¯ll really pick me up?¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured and took the initiative to grab his hand, ¡°If you¡¯re still so good to me in six month, I¡¯ll be your girlfriend.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was satisfied and pulled her into a hug.

    Yin Shixiong called from outside the door, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, should we go to dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed Mei Xiawen away, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to dinner.¡±

    Mei Xiawen grinned as he took her hand and walked outside the room together.

    Yin Shixiong eyed them coldly, ¡°What were you guys doing in there? What took so long?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, just chatting with Nianzhi.¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s smile was gentle and he appeared much happier than when he first arrived.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hide anything from Yin Shixiong, so she proimed frankly, ¡°Xiawen and I made a promise. He¡¯ll wait for me for six months and when I return to the Empire, I¡¯ll be his girlfriend if he¡¯s still willing.¡±

    ¡°Really? Well then I congratte you in advance.¡± Yin Shixiong looked at Gu Nianzhi, then Mei Xiawen. He didn¡¯t take it to heart and chuckled, ¡°What a happy thing. Let¡¯s go celebrate!¡±

    They got into Yin Shixiong¡¯s car and headed to a restaurant. This was the most expensive restaurant within 50 miles and the parking lot was full with luxury cars. Yin Shixiong¡¯s second hand SUV stuck out like a sore thumb. Mei Xiawen was a little embarrassed and regretted not taking his car, which looked nicer than the SUV. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel ufortable at all and happily got out of the car. She took Yin Shixiong¡¯s arm with one hand and Mei Xiawen¡¯s with the other, the three of themughing as they entered the restaurant. However, they were surprised to find the restaurant was full with people waiting.

    Gu Nianzhi asked Yin Shixiong in shock, ¡°Brother Xiong, didn¡¯t you make a reservation?¡±

    ¡°I did make one.¡± Yin Shixiong went over to ask and smiled wryly when he returned, ¡°Looks like a reservation can¡¯t guarantee a time slot. We still have to wait for the people inside to finish before we can go in.¡± No restaurant could limit customers to dine for only one hour. If a customer ordered lots, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to turn away business. They had no choice but to sit in the lobby to wait with the others.

    Yin Shixiong had his phone and yed a game as he leaned on the bench by the wall. Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen stood beside arge nt by the door and whispered to each other. They talked about where their ssmates ended up after graduation and what was happening in university¨Cthey happily chatted and didn¡¯t feel bored at all. After nearly a hour, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legs grew sore.

    Mei Xiawen took her arm, ¡°Let¡¯s find a seat over there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and followed him. The restaurant door suddenly opened, and two managers and senior manager rushed over to bow at the door, ¡°Wee, wee.¡± The senior manager had just been ignoring all the customers waiting in line, but was breaking his back for someone else in a blink of eye. He was extremely courteous and it seemed like an important person was here. Gu Nianzhi pouted and undisguised disdain shed in her eyes as she turned her head to peek over. She ended up locking her gaze with a pair of cool yet sultry eyes,

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face immediately flushed, even her concealer couldn¡¯t mask the colour spreading on her cheeks.

    Mei Xiawen turned around too and froze. Standing at the door was a tall and lean man with a handsome face¨Cit was Professor He Zhichu, whom he ran into at C University several times before.

    Professor He linked arms with a gorgeous woman. Although she was probably unknown to Americans, Mei Xiawen and Gu Nianzhi knew her face all too well. She was the fastest rising star in the Huaxia Empire as ofst, an actress famous for her beauty!

    ¡°Z, this way please. We¡¯ve prepared a special VIP room for you.¡± The smile on the senior manager¡¯s face was full of ttery.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about how she waited for almost a hour and still had yet to be seated, while He Zhichu breezed in and had the senior managed get a VIP room for him. Hehe, this person was pretentious where ever he went.

    Gu Nianzhi turned away and broke eye contact with He Zhichu, pretending she didn¡¯t know him. He Zhichu was on a date with an actress, so he probably didn¡¯t want to to run into his students. It was best for her to ignore him.

    He Zhichu ignored her as well and didn¡¯t even look at Mei Xiawen. He took the actress¡¯ arm and strode past Gu Nianzhi to follow the senior manager in the VIP room.

    Mei Xiawen whispered to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...Is that really Professor He? I didn¡¯t think he was this powerful that he could date an actress of that caliber...¡±

    This was an actress who had won international des, not some stic faced Inte famous girl.

    ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s tires of women easily.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought He Zhichu already was in the room and gossiped behind his back. He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering, sultry eyes were indeed attractive. She didn¡¯t expect to finish her sentence and hear coughing behind them which sounded just like He Zhichu... Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back went stiff.

    ¡°Students, how long have you been waiting?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice wafted into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears like icy thread.

 Chapter 141 - Can You Forgive Me?

    <h4>Chapter 141: Can You Forgive Me?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Now that He Zhichu had specifically called out to them, Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen could no longer pretend not to have seen him.

    The two of them turned to face He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was wearing a light-colored casual suit. His hands were in his pockets, and his posture was rxed. His eyes lingered briefly on Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen¡¯s intertwined fingers.

    As the saying went, ignorance was bliss¡ªit was better not to know how badly youpared to someone else.

    Mei Xiawen had always been a dreamy Adonis in the eyes of women. Now, however, in the face of He Zhichu¡ªmature, sophisticated, and dignified¡ªhe looked like an awkward overgrown child inparison.

    Standing before He Zhichu, Mei Xiawen felt, for the first time in his life, ufortable in his own skin.

    But He Zhichu wasn¡¯t looking at him; he was looking at Gu Nianzhi, scrutinizing the cheek that had been injured. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join me? My table is big enough for all of us.¡±

    He was inviting them to dine with him in the VIP room.

    Yin Shixiong, who had been engrossed in a mobile game while sitting on a nearby bench, finally noticed He Zhichu. He gave a start, and hurriedly put his phone away before walking over to join Gu Nianzhi.

    He was just in time to hear Gu Nianzhi decline He Zhichu¡¯s offer. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. It¡¯s your private time, Professor He, we wouldn¡¯t want to be a bother.¡± She gave the female celebrity a meaningful look, before turning to smile and wink at He Zhichu. ¡°You should get going, it isn¡¯t polite to keep ady waiting.¡±

    He Zhichu stared at Gu Nianzhi. He suddenly reached out and tousled her hair. He said, in a doting, indulgent tone, ¡°My dear child, are you still angry with me? I¡¯m sorry for what I did. Can you forgive me?¡± ¡±

    His sudden change in demeanor was a bolt out of the blue for Gu Nianzhi; she felt as though her world had been turned upside down. Mei Xiawen and Yin Shixiong gaped openly, stupefied.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyes darted doubtfully between Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu. When had Nianzhi be so close to Professor He?

    And what had Professor He done anyway? Why was he apologizing to Gu Nianzhi?

    Yin Shixiong immediately walked over to stand beside Gu Nianzhi,ughing heartily to ease the awkwardness in the air. ¡°That really isn¡¯t necessary, Professor He. Nianzhi is a gentle, artless soul, she¡¯s not the type to keep a grudge. Please, you¡¯re embarrassing her.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi, his bright almond eyes brimming with indescribable emotion. He seemed unable to express what he was feeling, and finally settled on a simple: ¡°Can you forgive me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi guessed that He Zhichu was apologizing for driving her out of his house the day before.

    She had been extremely angry then, it was true. She had walked until she could hardly feel her legs, and had mentally thrown every insult she could think of at him the entire time.

    But she was no longer angry when she woke up this morning.

    She knew it was silly to be angry at him when he had done so much for her.

    She could still recall, vividly, how He Zhichu had rushed to the campus police office to save her. His being rude to her afterwards was such a trivial thing inparison¡ªhow could she stay mad at him?

    He had been unfairly rude to her the day before, but she had given him a good tongueshing in her mind over that. They were even now.

    Yin Shixiong was right: Gu Nianzhi was not the type to keep a grudge. She usually avenged herself right away, without waiting.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to forgive? I haven¡¯t properly thanked you yet, Professor He. If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯d probably still be in my cell right now.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled sincerely. Her soft, pouty lips were red, glossy, and dangerously seductive.

    He Zhichu averted his eyes from her red pouty lips. ¡°Well, so long as you¡¯re not angry with me.¡± He no longer insisted that Gu Nianzhi join him in the VIP room. Instead, he called for the senior manager of the restaurant, and spoke a few words in French into his ear.

    The senior manager nodded. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and said in English: ¡°This way, please. We have just added a table for three.¡±

    It was obvious he had only done so because He Zhichu had requested it.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded to He Zhichu. ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡± She followed the senior manager to the table.

    Mei Xiawen also nodded to He Zhichu. ¡°We¡¯ll be going then, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu replied with a brief ¡°Okay.¡± He watched Mei Xiawen and Yin Shixiong follow after Gu Nianzhi, before walking to the VIP room.

    The female celebrity was curious. ¡°Mr. He, are they your students?¡±

    The female celebrity had noticed the young female student¡¯s startling beauty. The celebrity, too, was famous for her beauty, but found herself at a disadvantage before the young girl who was not yet fully grown.

    Gu Nianzhi was not exactly more beautiful than the celebrity, per se. A fruit that was still green around the edges could never be as delectable as fruit that was fully ripe.

    But the unripe fruit had somehow looked irresistibly delicious¡ªand that meant her beauty held untold potential.

    He Zhichu gave a vague, nonmittal reply as he picked up his menu and began cing his order. He did not seem to want to talk about it.

    But hispanion was unable to drop the subject: she was dying to know what He Zhichu thought of the young girl. She nced at her menu as she asked, tentatively, ¡°The girl has the potential to be a star. Let me know if she wants to join the entertainment industry, I can help her.¡± She opened her handbag, fished out a business card, and slid it across the table to He Zhichu. She was trying to give him her phone number without being too obvious about it.

    He Zhichu looked at her business card. He snorted, and looked up at her. He did not speak, but his eyes were full of disdain. He looked as though he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

    The female celebrity¡¯s pretty face turned red under his gaze, then white, before finally settling on a shade of green.

    She wasn¡¯t a nobody: she was famous, and part of high society. She was also exceedingly arrogant, and ruthlessly picky when it came to who she was seen with. Most people never got to see her in person, much less have dinner with her.

    She awkwardly withdrew her business card and put it back into her handbag. She straightened up and said, ¡°I just remembered¡ªI can¡¯t have dinner with you today, I have to attend a shoot tomorrow morning. Mr. He, please ask your assistant, Miss Wen, to get in touch with my agent so we can discuss the contract.¡±

    The female celebrity put on her oversized sunsses. She ducked her head and hurried out of the restaurant.

    The waiter for the VIP room came in and politely asked, ¡°Mr. He, will you still be dining here?¡±

    He Zhichu leaned back and put an arm over the back of his chair. His gaze passed through the open door and fell upon Gu Nianzhi and herpanions, seated at the small makeshift table the restaurant had specially arranged for them.

    They seemed to be enjoying their dinner and each other¡¯spany.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian had said something¡ªit was impossible to tell what, from where He Zhichu sat¡ªand Gu Nianzhi had copsed onto the table in a fit of uncontrobleughter.

    When she looked up, Gu Nianzhi noticed He Zhichu sitting in the VIP room opposite them, all alone.

    The door was wide open; she could see thevish decorations in the room sparkle under the lights.

    He Zhichu sat in the middle of all the splendor, as out of ce as a subdued watercolor painting. The loneliness emanating from him was palpable.

    He Zhichu raised his wine ss and toasted Gu Nianzhi from where he sat.

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. After a split second¡¯s hesitation, she raised her ss and returned the toast.

    Yin Shixiong saw her gesture, and turned to look at He Zhichu. He said, surprised, ¡°Hey, where¡¯d his dinner partner go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Dunno. I have no idea what¡¯s going on over there.¡±

    The waiter who had been assigned to their table whispered to them: ¡°Mr. He¡¯spanion just left, she said she had something to do.¡±

    The waiter had barely gotten the words out when He Zhichu rose from his chair and walked out of the luxurious VIP room. He stopped at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s table.

    He patted Mei Xiawen on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll show you around town tomorrow. I¡¯d do it today, but it¡¯ste, and I still have other things to deal with.¡± He gave Mei Xiawen a name card, nodded at Yin Shixiong, and sailed out the door. He had not looked at Gu Nianzhi, not even once.

    Mei Xiawen could hardly contain his excitement. He held He Zhichu¡¯s name card reverently, and said to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Look, this is Professor He¡¯s private name card! Most people never get to see this!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was happy for him. Sheughed and said, ¡°You better go to bed early today, who knows where he¡¯s going to take you tomorrow.¡± She pretended to pout. ¡°I¡¯m jealous, Professor He never showed Brother Huang and me around town. He must think highly of you, Xiawen.¡±

    Mei Xiwenughed heartily. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. But I¡¯m honestly surprised he actually remembered me.¡±

 Chapter 142 - Incapacitated

    <h4>Chapter 142: Incapacitated</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Early the next morning, Mei Xiawen got a call from He Zhichu after waking up.

    ¡°Good morning, Professor He.¡± Mei Xiawen greeted him, ¡°Are we going out now?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s cool and indifferent voice traveled from the phone, ¡°Come down in half an hour, I¡¯ll send a car to pick you up.¡±

    Half a hourter, Mei Xiawen came downstairs to see an extended Cadic sedan parked in front of the Hilton hotel entrance. A handsome Caucasian man wearing white gloves exited the car and opened the car door for him when he came down. Mei Xiawen thanked him and smiled at He Zhichu, who was sitting inside.

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Professor He.¡± Mei Xiawen was ttered. It was all very grand and he even had a driver. This Professor He was really a partner of a majorw firm.

    He Zhichi opened the mini fridge inside and took out a bottle of red wine and sses, ¡°Do you want a ss?¡±

    Drinking red wine in the early morning... Although Mei Xiawen didn¡¯t have such a habit, he fluidly epted the ss so not to be looked down by He Zhichu.

    ¡°I don¡¯t usually eat breakfast and only have a ss of red wine on the rocks in the morning.¡± He Zhichu raised his ss at Mei Xiawen and emptied it.

    Mei Xiawen followed suit. Ice cubes were ced in the ss to chill the wine, and there was also faint aroma of lemon to make it almost taste a cocktail. He Zhichu refilled his ss and Mei Xiawen barely moticed any feeling of the road inside the extended luxury vehicle. After drinking four, five sses in a row, Mei Xiawen finally realized that they had traveled a fair bit of distance. Slightly dizzy, he gripped his wine ss as his eyes struggled to focus, ¡°Professor... Professor He, where are we going?¡±

    Although He Zhichu had much to drink himself, he did not seem affected at all. He looked coldly out the window and said dryly, ¡°To pick up Nianzhi, isn¡¯t she your girlfriend? Don¡¯t you want to go out with her?¡±

    Mei Xiawen nodded as he rubbed his temples and leaned back on the seat. He was already very drunk and chuckled, ¡°Girlfriend? Not quite, I even dream about her being my girlfriend, but she wants me to wait for her. She¡¯s testing me for six months before she agrees to be mine.¡±

    He Zhichu looked away in surprise and nced over Mei Xiawen as though he was determining if he was telling the truth, ¡°It¡¯s almost the same thing right? You hold hands in public...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just hand holding,.¡± Mei Xiawen was chatty when inebriated and couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°I can¡¯t even hug her without her pushing me away. She¡¯s probably the only virgin in the school, and hadn¡¯t even had her first kiss yet... Hahaha... I¡¯m so useless, I¡¯ve pursued her so long and only got to hold hands..¡±

    He Zhichu was silent and looked out the window again. He picked up his phone to call Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still sleeping in her bed and finally picked up the phone after letting it ring for ages. ¡°Professor He?¡± She woke up as soon as she heard He Zhichu¡¯s voice and sat up from the bed. Her voice was still groggy and raspy with sleep, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m showing Mei Xiawen around the Harvard campus today, and remembered that you need to get your injury looked at again, so I¡¯m picking you up too.¡± He Zhichu hung up after speaking and didn¡¯t even give Gu Nianzhi an opportunity to refuse. Thanks to Zhao Liangze¡¯s special green ointment, her face had healed. There was no need to have it checked at the hospital? However He Zhichu was taking Mei Xiawen to campus and it was only proper that Gu Nianzhi show him around like a proper hostess. Although she had actually nned to sleep in all day... She rushed into the bathroom to take a quick shower and picked out adylike white dress with a navy T-shirt and white sneakers. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and topped with a navy baseball cap. She put on a backpack and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, Professor He is showing Xiawen around campus, I¡¯m going to go with them.¡±

    Yin Shixiong poked his head out of the room, ¡°When are you back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe in the evening, I¡¯ll call you.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang she spoke and she nced at it. ¡°I have to go now, they¡¯re already here to pick me up.¡± She opened the door and ran out. Soon afterwards, Yin Shixiong assumed his disguise and went downstairs to follow them to campus.

    He Zhichu¡¯s extended car was very shy and hard for Yin Shixiong to miss. When they arrived to campus, Gu Nianzhi happily pointed out all the buildings to Mei Xiawen and told him which faculties were in in which one. She them brought him to Law School building and even took a few photos.

    Mei Xiawen smiled, ¡°Now I can show off when I go back home and say I went to Harvard too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah right.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave him a sidelongs nce and giggled. He Zhichu on the other hand, seemed out of ce. However, he didn¡¯t seem concerned and followed them at afortable pace and sometime after, held a cigarette in his hand and stood at a smoking zone on campus. Gu Nianzhi turned to see the burning light between his fingers and her eyes shed.

    He Zhichu noticed this and looked up to see Gu Nianzhi stare at his cigarette. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t smoke.¡± He smiled as he threw it out in a nearby trash can.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say a word before turning around to point out the School of Electronic Engineering Building across from Law. She said to Mei Xiawen, ¡°That¡¯s the School of Electronic Engineering Building, I know a few Chinese students there.¡±

    ¡°Right, and Nianzhi has a male idol there.¡± He Zhichu ced his hands behind his back and stood on the other side of Gu Nianzhi as he squinted at the building with them.

    ¡°Male idol?¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart thudded as he looked at Gu Nianzhi in shock, ¡°Who?¡±

    Face flushed, Gu Nianzi said gingerly, ¡°Professor He is joking, I have many male idols. Xiawen is one of them too!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Mei Xiawenughed, even though he knew she was just joking, it made him happy. His shattered confidence rose again when he knew he should indeed be her male idol.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded fiercely and saw He Zhichu look coldly at her from the corner of her eyes. She turned to him and began to enthuse, ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re one of my male idols too. I¡¯m beyond lucky today to have two male idols take me around campus, how great!¡±

    He Zhichu scanned Mei Xiawen and didn¡¯t know if he should be delighted or saddened by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t want to ept being the same tier male idol as Mei Xiawen... He pointed with his chin, ¡°Let¡¯s go over there. You need to have your injury looked at.¡±

    Mei Xiawen agreed anxiously, ¡°Nianzhi, I was so worried when I saw your face injury that day. Are you ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi caressed her cheek and answered smoothly, ¡°I think it¡¯s ok. But it doesn¡¯t hurt to check again.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything more and took them to the Harvard affiliated hospital to see a dermatologist.

    ¡°Dr. Thomas, thanks for helping us.¡± He Zhichu dragged Gu Nianzhi over, ¡°Please look at her face. She was hit a few days ago and even though the swelling is gone, I¡¯m worried it didn¡¯tpletely heal inside.¡±

    Dr. Thomas gave Gu Nianzhi a meticulous examination and even did a X-ray to ensure her bones where not damaged. After waiting nearly a hour at the hospital, they finally got the X-raypleted.

    ¡°I can guarantee that she¡¯s healing fine. Her bones are ok and the skin also healed without any scarring.¡± Dr. Thomas was an elderly man with a white beard who was kind to Gu Nianzhi. After the examination, he even handed her a lollipop.

    Gu Nianzhi happily ate it and noticed one of the patient rooms being guarded by a strapping American soldier in camo. What kind of important person was in there? The thought shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind when a woman with her head bandaged and arm in a cast slowly emerged from there. She was being helped out by another person and half her face was swollen like a steamed bun. He Zhichu stopped in his tracks and pulled Gu Nianzhi to his side, ¡°This way.¡± He led them to another hallway.

    Although they walked quickly, they didn¡¯t escape the woman¡¯s eyes. It was Xin Xinggao, whose wrist was broken and got a concussion from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beating. She stared dazedly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearing back and thought she looked familiar. She asked the nurse helping her, ¡°Who was that girl just now? Do you know her?¡±

    The nurse shook her head, ¡°I can ask for you.¡±

    They both saw the three peoplee out from the dermatology unit. The nurse called someone over and asked, ¡°The three people here just now, two men and a woman, do you know who they are?¡±

    The person happened to be the Dr. Thomas, the dermatology expert¡¯s nurse, ¡°That was Dr. Thomas¡¯ patient. Isn¡¯t that youngdy pretty? I only know that herst name is Gu and she¡¯s Professor He¡¯sw student. Her injury just healed and it was lucky she wasn¡¯t disfigured, otherwise...¡± He stopped abruptly as he nced at Xin Xinggao ufortably.

    Xin Xinggao¡¯ skull was slightly deformed from the beating. She would be disfigured without cosmetic surgery. That was why her room had been arranged to be close to the dermatology unit, so Dr. Thomas can easily examine her and determine a cosmetic surgery solution. He Zhichu¡¯s student with the name of Gul... who else could it be? Xin Xinggao¡¯s rage surged up from the bottom of heart and lodged in her throat. She turned back to her room and picked up the phone to call a mysterious number, ¡°...I want to see Lieutenant Colonel Peter.¡±

    Half a hourter, Lieutenant Colonel Peter arrived to the Harvard affiliated hospital. He was pot bellied, middle age man. He ced his hands behind his back as he stood at Xin Xinggao¡¯s bedside with a warm smile, ¡°Xin, how are you? Do you feel better?¡±

    Xin Xinggao red at him, ¡°I just want to ask you, why is Gu Nianzhi perfectly fine?! She beat me like this, and doesn¡¯t need to assume legal responsibility?!¡±

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter was shocked because he hadn¡¯t told Xin Xinggao about it yet... She had just awaken from aa and started doing rehab and preparing for the cosmetic surgery. She had no knowledge of what happened after the fight.

    ¡°The thing is..¡± Lieutenant Colonel Peter rubbed his hands nervously, ¡°No one had to take legal responsibility for your fight.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Xin Xinggao felt a sweetness in her throat and knew she was about to spit blood, ¡°What kind ofw is that?! I refuse to believe it!

    ¡°But it¡¯s the truth.¡± Lieutenant Colonel Peter rubbed his sparse blond eyebrows, ¡°There is precedence. Baseball, hockey, all sports¨Cthere¡¯s always fights during games and as long as nobody dies or get seriously injured, there is no legal responsibility to be taken.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t call this serious injury?!¡± Xin Xinggao wanted to pelt the bed with her fists. She didn¡¯t want to let Gu Nianzhi off because she was truly terrified. She knew exactly what she did and all the Huaxia Empire students shunned her for it. It was not a problem if they merely ignored or isted her, but the worst fear was that they would beat her like Gu Nianzhi did! If this wasn¡¯t taken seriously, the other students might take example and even take her life...

    ¡°From a medical perspective, your injury is not serious.¡± Lieutenant Colonel Peter said matter of factly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi was injured too and she has a doctor¡¯s certificate saying that her level of injury isparable to yours.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Xin Xinggao screamed, the sound echoing in the room, ¡°She healed a long time ago! I just saw her pass by my room, all arrogant! Unlike me? I still can¡¯t leave the bed!¡±

    ¡°...Is that so?¡± Lieutenant Colonel Peter frowned, ¡°But she has a doctor¡¯s certificate. Xin, you know that the court only looks at evidence. They will need a doctor¡¯s certificate to assess the injury.¡±

    Xin Xinggao clutched the bed sheets so hard her veins popped. ¡°Tell me, what can be done so that Gu goes to jail.¡± Xin Xinggao refused to let Gu Nianzhi go, she had to make an example of her and have the US Military solidly guarantee her personal safety, ¡°I helped so you so much, you can¡¯t treat me like this!¡±

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter shook his head and spread his palms, ¡± It¡¯s useless. She has the support of Professor He so it¡¯d be hard to take her to court. Xin, I haven¡¯t told you that we just reconciled with Professor He. He took me and my unit to court for lynching his student. All we did was lock her up.¡±

    Xin Xinggao¡¯s eyes grew wide, ¡°It¡¯s really that difficult?¡±

    ¡°Yes, more than you imagined.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Xin Xinggao said through gritted teeth. She closed her eyes and exhaled shallowly as sheid on the bed before finally responding, ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Peter, I need to figure where the line for serious injury is drawn.¡±

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter watched Xin Xinggao as huge grin blossomed on his face, ¡°Xin, you¡¯re very clever.¡± He waved at her, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your good news.¡±

    ...

    Mei Xiawen stayed in Boston for six days and flew back home on the seventh. For the six days, He Zhichu gave Gu Nianzhi time off and even had a driver and bodyguard take them around. Mei Xiawen was ufortable with people following him everywhere, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem to mind. She went out with him happily and even said she had been in school everyday sinceing to Boston. There was no opportunity to go out to anywhere, but directly from the ssroom to her apartment¨Cthis break was all thanks to him.

    Mei Xiawen pitied Gu Nianzhi when he heard this and no longer minded the driver and bodyguard. On the seventh day, Gu Nianzhi had just seen Mei Xiawen off at the airport when she received a subpoena. Apparently Xin Xinggao¡¯s condition had deteriorated¨Cher brain was seriously damaged and ording to the diagnosis, her intelligence was irreparable. In simple words, Xin Xinggao had turned into a incapacitated person after being beaten by her. Medically speaking, this was considered serious injury¨Cthus the court epted herwsuit and summoned Gu Nianzhi to appear in court.

 Chapter 143 - Ravenous Carnivore

    <h4>Chapter 143: Ravenous Carnivore</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi carefully read the summons a few times. She asked the postman who had delivered it: ¡°...She¡¯s suing me for traumatic brain injury? She¡¯s now seriously mentally impaired, to the point of not being able to take care of herself?¡±

    The postman nodded solemnly. ¡°That¡¯s what it says. ¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi signed the postman¡¯s receipt. ¡°But I see that she still has the mental capacity to sue me. Mentally impaired, indeed.¡±

    A soldier from the US military hade with the postman to make sure Gu Nianzhi signed for the summons.

    As soon as he heard what Gu Nianzhi had said, he turned red and said, annoyed, ¡°She filed thewsuit before she became mentally impaired. Her injury wasn¡¯t as serious then, so the court rejected her case, but now her brain damage has worsened, so...¡±

    ¡°Ohhhhhh.¡± Gu Nianzhi drawled in mock surprise. ¡°So Miss Xin knew she would be mentally impaired, and filed herwsuit in advance?¡±

    The man realized he was making things worse. He was left with no choice but to shut up and ignore Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had also decided to keep her mouth shut.

    It was clear that Xin Xinggao refused to let her off the hook, and Gu Nianzhi was not about to help her by pointing out the gaping holes in thewsuit now. Xin Xinggao would immediately begin plugging the holes if she knew about them, and Gu Nianzhi would have shot herself in the foot.

    Gu Nianzhi was aw student, after all, and a very good one at that.

    Although the Huaxia Empire and the United States of America had differentws, the underlying legal principles were the same.

    She had also spent more than a month helping He Zhichu with his case. She was a lot more familiar with the US judiciary system than the average American.

    She could already spot a number of ws in thewsuit, just by looking at the contents of the summons.

    Xin Xinggao and the US military could sue her, of course, but they had better make sure Xin Xinggao was truly mentally impaired if they wanted to win. Gu Nianzhi was not about to y nice¡ªshe was going to rip them apart like a ravenous carnivore...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. Her face was calm andposed¡ªnot unlike Huo Shaoheng¡¯s usual expression.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Yin Shixiong asked as he walked out from his room.

    He had heard someone knock on the door and ask for Gu Nianzhi, iming to be a postman. He had looked through the peephole, seen that it was indeed their usual postman, and called for Gu Nianzhi to get her letter.

    Gu Nianzhi had been standing at the door for a long time. Something was wrong.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Gu Nianzhi slipped the summons back into the envelope and handed it to Yin Shixiong. She said, her expression nk, ¡°It¡¯s a court summons. Xin Xinggao is suing me.¡± She went to her room and shut the door.

    She leaned against the door and remained there, motionless, for a long moment.

    She had appeared unruffled on the surface, but deep down, she was afraid.

    It was now clear that Xin Xinggao and the forces behind her weren¡¯t about to let her walk away.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged herself. She leaned against the door and slid to the floor.

    Thest rays of the setting sun shone through the window, ending in a puddle of sunlight on the floor before her.

    She quietly watched the puddle of light ripple and undte across the floor. The sun finally sank beneath the horizon, plunging her room into darkness.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong opened the envelope Gu Nianzhi had handed him, and discovered that Gu Nianzhi had not been kidding: it was a summons from the US court. He immediately went into his room to start a video call with Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Big Xiong, what¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s five in the morning¡ªthis better be a real emergency, or else!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was dead serious. ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Huo? Is Mr. Huo there? I need to talk to him, this is very important.¡±

    Zhao Liangze rubbed his eyes, and eyed him curiously. ¡°What is it? If it¡¯s really important I¡¯ll help you get ahold of Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s Nianzhi, Xin Xinggao is suing her for serious injuries, and wants her to be legally responsible.¡±

    In other words, Xin Xinggao wanted to see Gu Nianzhi behind bars.

    Zhao Liangze was immediately wide awake. ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll transfer the call to Mr. Huo.¡±

    After thirty seconds, the video call was transferred to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study.

    ¡°Big Xiong, what happened?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s devastatingly beautiful face appeared on-screen. His voice was steady, powerful, and mesmerizing.

    Yin Shixiong took a deep breath and exined the situation with the summons to Huo Shaoheng. He said, ¡°I already scanned it and sent a copy to Little Ze.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°That Xin woman again? I thought He Zhichu already put her in her ce?¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. This was entirely out of the blue, everything was going so well thest few days. I mean, Mei Xiawen even came to America to visit Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°Mei Xiawen was there?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked dispassionately. ¡°Anything else you forgot to tell me?¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought about it, and decided to give aplete ount of all that had happened since the day Mei Xiawen had showed up in America. ¡°...Professor He showed Mei Xiawen and Nianzhi around Harvard, then took Nianzhi to the hospital for a check-up. After that, Nianzhi spent a few days touring Boston with Mei Xiawen. His return flight was today, and Nianzhi went to the airport to see him off. She had just returned from the airport when the court summons was delivered, and I called Zhao Liangze right away.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened a few documents on hisputer to verify the contents. One of them was the scan of the summons Zhao Liangze had sent him.

    He looked it over in silence. He said, ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°She went into her room a minute ago.¡± Yin Shixiong looked in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. ¡°...The door¡¯s shut tight.¡±

    ¡°Leave her alone for now. Call me again tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng ended the video call, and summoned Zhao Liangze. ¡°Little Ze, we¡¯ll have a meeting to discuss this. Summon all the relevant personnel, tell them to report to the meeting room in ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Zhao Liangze was nowpletely serious and business-like. He activated the military¡¯s inte, and paged the relevant personnel one by one, informing them of the meeting.

    He packed his briefcase and hurried to the meeting room with hisptop.

    He was going down the stairs when he came face to face with a tall, voluptuous woman. She was drop-dead gorgeous.

    The woman stepped aside, and asked casually: ¡°Where are you going, Little Ze?¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded to her in greeting. ¡°Hello, Colonel Bai.¡±

    ¡°Little Ze, my sister said she would like to visit me this weekend. Are you free this weekend?¡± This woman, Bai Yueran, was the cousin of Bai Shuang, the new spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She had recently transferred from the Central Military Region to the 6th Military Region.

    She was two years older than Bai Shuang. She was only 26 years old, but she was already higher ranked than both Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong.

    Zhao Liangze lifted his arms and showed his briefcase andptop to Bai Yueran. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m free, Colonel Bai?¡±

    ¡°Little Ze, you don¡¯t have to be so formal with me. You can call me Yueran.¡± Bai Yueran smiled easily and patted Zhao Liangze on the shoulder. ¡°Well, go on then. I won¡¯t keep you, not when you¡¯re so busy¡ªlook at you, you¡¯re all covered in sweat.¡±

    She giggled. The sound of herughter burrowed into Zhao Liangze¡¯s ears and wrapped around his heart, like countless silk strands from a silkworm.

    He felt half his body go numb and tingly. The sensation was new to him, and he found it ufortable¡ªhe hurried away without another word.

    When he arrived at the small meeting room, Zhao Liangze saw that Chen Lie was already there, along with two lieutenant colonels from the Special Ops Legal Department.

    ¡°Why are youte?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°You were the messenger. How is it possible for you to arrive one minuteter than everyone else?¡±

    Zhao Liangze stood at attention, and gave the honest truth. ¡°I met Colonel Bai on my way here. I exchanged a few words with her, and was dyed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him, but did not press the matter.

    The two men from the Legal Department immediately spoke up. ¡°Mr. Huo, Colonel Bai is now the head of the Special Ops Legal Department. Should we ask her to join the meeting?¡±

 Chapter 144 - Finally

    <h4>Chapter 144: Finally</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Colonel Bai has the required security clearance?¡± Huo Shaoheng opened hisputer to check the internal system. There were a total of 18 security clearance levels within the Huaxia Imperial Military, with the highest level further branching into levels A, B and C. Level A was the highest clearance possible.

    Bai Yueran held a Level C in the highest clearance. Although it was the lowest level in the highest clearance, she was qualified as one of the people privy to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car ident six years ago.

    ¡°Let her join the meeting.¡± Huo Shaoheng dialed Bai Yueran¡¯s direct line and she arrived quickly. As soon as the doors shut when she entered the small conference room, anti-interference and anti-surveince capabilities were initiated to transform the room into a dead zone imprable to even the most sophisticated satellites. Zhao Liangze read off hisptop to concisely summarize the event from start to finish. Bai Yueran listened to the briefing carefully and grew stern. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, I already opposed sending Gu Nianzhi abroad from the very start. I believe it¡¯s imperative that we retrieve her immediately.¡±

    ¡°Retrieve her? How would we do that? She¡¯s being sued. It¡¯s not like she can abscond from bail?¡± Chen Lie was the first to object.

    ¡°That¡¯s the best option.¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s gaze was firm as she rapped her slender fingers on the conference table. She had long, ck hair with natural curls that made her seem especially charming. However, she clipped it back most the time to look more serious.

    Zhao Liangze also objected, ¡°No. If Nianzhi absconds from bail, she will never be able to live freely again. We can¡¯t have that.¡± He, Yin Shixiong, Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie were all the closest people to Gu Nianzhi. Emotionally, he would never be able to stand seeing Gu Nianzhi suffer.

    Bai Yueran turned her head to hiim, eyes were full of indifference, ¡°Secretary Zhao, I know that you all were responsible for caring for Gu Nianzhi the past few years. You¡¯re only human, so it¡¯s natural you care about her. It¡¯s understandable that you feel sorry for her, but you also have to remember that you are soldiers and that Gu Nianzhi is a task, not a family member.¡±

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t look at Bai Yueran directly, but he could see her expression from the corner of his eye. He clutched the mouse, lowering his eyes to focus on hisptop monitor and scanning it for a way to help Gu Nianzhi. He was a soldier, but Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t just a task¨Che saw her as his own younger sister, so he couldn¡¯t agree with Bai Yueran. However he couldn¡¯t give a direct rebuttal.

    Chen Lie was speechless for some time as well. He snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng and only saw his impassive expression. It was like Bai Yueran¡¯s words had no effect on him. He was truly Mr. Huo. This unwavering disposition is worthy of his title of General and not something ordinary people possessed.

    Chen Lie rolled his eyes and intentionally remarked, ¡°Colonel Bai, what do you mean? When did we treat Gu Nianzhi like family? Of course she¡¯s a task, otherwise why would Mr. Huo agree to use her as bait and send her to the States to lure out the enemy? ¨CMr. Huo, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face remained stony, but the slight twitch in his eyes didn¡¯t escape Chen Lie¡¯s keen observations. Chen Lie smiled inwardly and shifted his gaze to Bai Yueran as he spread his palms, ¡°Now there is a problem with the mission, so we must find a solution for it. Colonel Bai, is your solution to admit that our n to lure out the enemy has failed?¡±

    Bai Yueran¡¯s eyes shed as she looked at Huo Shaoheng, and failed to detect any change on his handsome yet cold face. On the other hand, Chen Lie¡¯s round face appeared amiable, but his tongue was scathing.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s eyes flitted, ¡°...Of course we can¡¯t admit failure.¡±

    ¡°So I object Colonel Bai ¡®s proposal. ¨CWhat about everyone else?¡± Chen Lie scanned everyone in attendance.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s two subordinates also shook their heads to disagree.

    Zhao Liangze spoke inly, ¡°I agree with Chen Lie. We can¡¯t just retrieve Nianzhi back like this. Our mission cannot fail, and Nianzhi is not just a task.¡±

    Bai Yueran didn¡¯t push her cause when everyone else opposed her proposal. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, what do you think?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sped his hands and ced them on the conference table. His expression was so icy it caused palpitations, ¡°We will resolve any problem that arises and respond ordingly.¡± He spoke to Bai Yueran, ¡°Director Bai, this may require the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to step in, you¡¯re in charge with contacting them and have them prepare.¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to keep this confidential. Before the final hearing concludes in the States, I don¡¯t want to hear any word escape. ¨CIf there¡¯s any leakage, the offenders will be subject to military punishment.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± The personnel in the small conference room immediately rose from their seats and called out in unison. After the meeting, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had a video call with Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, Little Ze, what is your decision?¡± Yin Shixiong asked calmly, ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Zhao Liangze passed the receiver to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng answered in a low voice, ¡°Find He Zhichu first, and tell him what happened. The US Military is backing Xin Xinggao again, go see how he reacts.¡±

    He Zhichu had taken the US Military to court for Gu Nianzhi before. Now thiswsuit was another p to his face, so what would he think of it?

    ¡°Roger, I¡¯ll call He Zhichu right now.¡± Yin Shixiong paused the video call to dial He Zhichu. On the other end of the line, Zhao Liangze sat before hisputer and was researching online as he asked Huo Shaoheng worriedly, ¡°Mr. Huo, are we going to the States?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyed the webcam steadily and responded after a long moment, ¡°You go, and have Big Xionge back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhao Liangze was instinctively happy at first, then realized that Yin Shixiong was being called back because something had gone wrong on his side. He couldn¡¯t bear it and asked, ¡°Big Xiong...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Big Xiong¡¯s fault, but he¡¯s not suitable for caring for Nianzhi in the States.¡± Huo Shaoheng opened hisputer to start the satellite tracking program ¡°We need aputer expert over there, so it¡¯s better for you to go.¡±

    Zhao Liangze understood what he was implying, Huo Shaoheng was shouldering the me of Gu Nianzhi getting in trouble. As the general, it was his misjudgement for not directing his personnel properly¨Cthat way, Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t get demoted.

    Zhao Liangze quickly rose and said with sincerity, ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of Nianzhi in the States and will not allow this kind of thing to happen again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t turn his head and answered dryly, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal if these kinds of things happened. It would¡¯ve be a waste to send her away if nothing were to happen.¡±

    ¡°You still want to lure her family out?¡± Zhao Liangze was silent for some time, then finally questioned him, ¡°What if, and I¡¯m just saying what if, she has no living rtives? What if she¡¯s thest surviving one from her family?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused. He had already considered this, but to him, this was just possibility out of a thousand different ones¨Che wouldn¡¯t be too concerned by it. He also never answered hypothetical questions.

    Zhao Liangze waited for a long time, but got no response. He smacked his head and chided himself for being stupid again. Mr. Huo never answered hypothetical questions, how could he forget?

    ...

    In an apartment in Boston on the other side of the ocean from the Empire, Yin Shixiong called He Zhichu.

    ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi just received a subpoena.¡± Yin Shixiong immediately got to the point.

    He Zhichu was admiring flowers in his greenhouse alone and sat besides a small rattan table with a bottle undated white wine and a crystal ss. A ice bucket sat at his feet as he served himself and watched the butterflies dance around. His eyes appeared misty.

    He hadn¡¯t actually wanted to pick up when Yin Shixiong called, but he was relentless so He Zhichu finally picked up the phone. After listening to Yin Shixiong, He Zhichu rubbed his forehead and slowly rose from the white rattan lounge chair, unable to believe what he was hearing, ¡°Say that again? Who is suing Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Xin Xinggao, or in other words, the US government is the prosecutor. Because Xin Xinggao¡¯s condition deteriorated, it¡¯s now ssified as serious injury.¡± Yin Shixiong read the subpoena to He Zhichu, ¡°This was sent an hour ago and Nianzhi personally signed for it.¡±

    He Zhichu strode out of the greenhouse and headed to the garage, ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi? How is she?¡± He asked with concern.

    Yin Shixiong looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s closed door, ¡°She¡¯s alone in her room and hasn¡¯te out for half a day already.¡±

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks and turned around to his mansion as he spoke to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Send an original of the subpoena to me, use my university email.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had just scanned it for Huo Shaoheng and quickly did the same for He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu received the subpoena andughed coldly when he read the names of the judge and prosecutor. Lieutenant Colonel Peter just won¡¯t give up... It appeared thest $1 million US dor settlement wasn¡¯t enough of a lesson. He Zhichu returned to his study and emailed his subordinates at thew firm to have them prepare for a remote video conference. Lieutenant Colonel Peter, you better be ready to go to jail if you dare sue my student.

    ...

    ¡°Nianzhi, time for dinner.¡± Yin Shixiong prepared a sumptuous dinner with all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favourites before knocking on the door.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged a panda pillow and sat against the door, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, I don¡¯t want dinner.¡±

    ¡°Silly child, what are you pouting about? It¡¯s not worth hurting your health.¡± Yin Shixiong tried to persuade her, ¡°Don¡¯t be worried or afraid. I already contacted Little Ze and called Professor He. They won¡¯t stand for this.¡±

    ¡°I know. Brother Xiong, I¡¯m really not hungry, I don¡¯t want food.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up, ¡°I¡¯m going to shower.¡± She went to the bathroom and filled the tub before stripping down andying in the bathtub. Her skin was as fine as a newborn baby¡¯s and her body appeared luminous and touchable under the running water. Although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was sullen and eyes were closed, her mind was imploding. She was prepared to defend herself, but was still afraid in her heart. Her enemy was hiding in the shadows, while she was exposed in the light. She had no idea how many traps they¡¯veid out for her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Lifting her fair and slim legs, she began sttering the bathwater fiercely, soaking the bathroom.

    ¡°What the h*ll? What the h*ll? This b*tch sold out national secrets for personal gain and still has the gall to target me?¡± Gu Nianzhi hated herself for not beating her even harder that day, so she¡¯d actually end up being a fool. If only she had the foresight, then all this mess would¡¯ve been avoided! She soaked for a full hour before getting up. Wrapping herself in a white towel, she walked barefoot into her bedroom. As soon as she sat at the vanity, a knock sounded on her door again.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± It was Yin Shixiong again.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to deal with him and took out her hairdryer to use. After she was done, she looked at her watched and saw it was already past 11pm. Before she knew it, time had flown. Gu Nianzhi braided her hair behind her head and put on her pajamas to sleep.

    ...

    He Zhichu was in the meeting the entire night and went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment early the next morning to see her. Yin Shixiong opened the door and was very grateful, ¡°Professor He, It¡¯s great that you¡¯re here. Please help me persuade Nianzhi, she¡¯s locked herself in her room and refused toe out since getting the subpoena yesterday.¡± He continued, ¡°She hasn¡¯t eaten anything since yesterday.¡±

    He Zhichu nced coldly at He Zhichu, his look carrying an invisible gravity.

    Yin Shixiong froze and instinctively wanted to shrink back. He wondered how this Professor He had such an overwhelming aura? His students and clients must be brave enough to have a professor andwyer like this...

    ¡°Nianzhi,e out.¡± He Zhichi went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and knocked.

    Gu Nianzhi was still asleep and hugged the pillow as sheid there. Her brows were furrowed, breathing erratic and pulse elevated. If Chen Lie was present, he would diagnose Gu Nianzhi was about to have another emotional breakdown. When she had been first rescued by Huo Shaoheng, she was sent to Chen Lie¡¯s care. Gu Nianzhi was so hysterical no drugs worked on her and it was only when Huo Shaoheng reappeared that she rushed over and clutched onto his leg for dear life. Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to hold her all night, and her emotions finally stabilized.

    ¡°It¡¯s too early, maybe she¡¯s still sleeping.¡± Yin Shixiong arranged breakfast, ¡°Have you eaten yet, Professor He?¡±

    He Zhichu turned to look at him, ¡°Do you have red wine?¡±

    Drink red wine in the early morning? Yin Shixiong¡¯s jaw dropped as he shook his head, ¡°No... But I can go buy some...¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± He Zhichu turned again and sat on the sofa next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, ¡°I¡¯ll wait here for her.¡± A full afternoon passed, and Gu Nianzhi still refused to open the door. He Zhichu grew more angry. If it wasn¡¯t for Yin Shixiong being here, he would¡¯ve kicked the door down.

    Yin Shixiong saw things were not good and returned to his room to quietly call Zhao Liangze, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s locked herself in her room for a day and night, what should I do? She won¡¯te out.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was half angry and half amused, ¡°You have **, can¡¯t you just open the door?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t, He Zhichu is here and has been trying to convince Nianzhi the whole day. How can I take out the ** in front of him now...¡± Yin Shixiong almost whispered.

    Zhao Liangze froze, then turned to Huo Shaoheng sitting across from him, ¡°Mr. Huo, He Zhichu has been trying to persuade Nianzhi the whole day but she won¡¯te out. Big Xiong doesn¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and crossed his arms before leaving without a word. After returning to his room, he looked at his phone for a while before finally calling Gu Nianzhi. He hadn¡¯t dialled this number for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi was hugging her knees as she sat on the sill of the bay window, when she heard her phone ring once again. She didn¡¯t want to pick up, but as soon as she heard the ringtone that hadn¡¯t sounded for so long, she nearly leapt down from the window will. She stumbled to her bedside and picked up her phone.

    It was Uncle Huo! She finally got his call!

 Chapter 145 - Respect Your Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 145: Respect Your Teacher</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lower lip as she stared at the number on her phone screen¡ªshe had waited for this call for so long. She epted the call with trembling fingers.

    Her eyes were red, but she fought back the tears. She put the phone to her ear and waited.

    She had been in America for more than a month, but Huo Shaoheng had not called her on the phone, not even once.

    She hadst stolen a peek at him through the video call with Zhao Liangze.

    That was when she had seen him smile at another woman. It had made her angry and miserable, and driven her to vent her pent-up frustrations in a free-for-all with Xin Xinggao and the Indian softball women¡¯s team.

    That was how she had ended up in her current mess...

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that the world had been terribly unfair to her.

    Huo Shaoheng, who had raised her and backed her up whenever she needed him, was moving farther and farther away from her.

    Was this the price of growing up?

    Huo Shaoheng heard someone pick up the phone. He waited for a long moment, but did not hear Gu Nianzhi speak. A thought suddenly urred to him, and he reflexively checked the number on his phone. His upational habits kicked in: he begin to wonder whether someone else had gotten their hands on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile phone...

    Now that Gu Nianzhi was in the United States, he had to be extra vignt; he had to be careful not to let anyone to know he was Gu Nianzh¡¯s true guardian.

    He was just about to hang up when he heard Gu Nianzhi speak, her voice full of panic. ¡°...Uncle Huo? Is that you, Uncle Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was relieved. He responded with a low ¡°Yeah,¡± and walked over to the window with his phone to his ear, his free hand in his trouser pocket.

    Outside the window, the sun had just emerged from beneath the horizon. The sky was still a faint shade of purple, and the forest was full of morning fog. It was the start of another day at the military base.

    He had not slept a wink. Even so, he was not tired.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly let out a long breath. It was a frustrated sigh, one she had kept bottled within her ever since the summons had been delivered to her yesterday. Once it was all out, she rxed, and sat on the floor before the window sill. She retreated into a corner and hugged her knees.

    She had subconsciously taken on a fetal position; it was a manifestation of her feelings of self-doubt and insecurity.

    Huo Shaoheng could hear Gu Nianzhi breathing softly over the phone.

    He did not say anything. He waited until her breathing had evened out, before gently saying, ¡°Nianzhi, what happened? Tell me everything that happened.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated, but only briefly. She did not dare lie to Huo Shaoheng; she bowed her head and traced the lines on the floor as she mentally organized everything that had happened to her in the past few days. Once she was ready, she gave Huo Shaoheng a proper report, leaving nothing out. When she was done, she whispered in a low, nasally voice: ¡°Uncle Huo, did I mess up? Am I making things difficult for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was now a lot calmer after giving her ount of the events.

    She released her knees, and steadied herself on the wall as she stood up. She walked over to her bed and sat on it.

    Huo Shaoheng had deliberately made her go over the events again, out loud, so that she would be able to unload her misery and calm her nerves. It was an important step towards having someone open up,monly employed in psychotherapy.

    Huo Shaoheng had studied psychology under Chen Lie when the military had first entrusted Gu Nianzhi to him; he had known it would be necessary if he was to be a good guardian...

    He noted the change in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice and tone, and guessed that she was feeling better. He said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. You did nothing wrong, so don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    His deep, alluring voice was neither using nor callous; it was sincerely concerned, without being patronizing, and full of unconcealed praise.

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was immediately cheered by the thought. Her eyes were now startlingly bright. ¡°Do you really mean that? I did hit her, you know...¡±

    She was actually deathly afraid that Huo Shaoheng would be angry at her for getting into a brawl. She had always been a well-behaved, sweet-natured girl in front of him, after all.

    And yet, as soon as she had left him, every single w in her personality had wormed its way to the surface and erupted all at once. She had gotten into a fight, and now had to appear in court to defend herself against awsuit.

    She did not want Huo Shaoheng to be disappointed with her. That was the one thing she feared most.

    He did not even have to voice his displeasure; a single look of disappointment from him would be enough to break Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. She would race to the top of the highest building and throw herself out the window, smashing herself into a thousand pieces on the pavement below. The wind would then sweep every piece of her far, far away¡ªshe would willingly do it, if it meant never having to embarrass herself in front of him again.

    Huo Shaoheng was a cold, stoic man, andforting people had never been his forte. He said indifferently, ¡°She betrayed her country, she should be thankful she wasn¡¯t beaten to death...¡± He changed the subject. ¡°...Why aren¡¯t you eating? Big Xiong said that you¡¯ve shut yourself up in your room for an entire day now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. Her fingers toyed with the fringe on her pillow as she said, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, I don¡¯t want to eat.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this? Being difficult again?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned and leaned against the window sill, his free hand folded across his chest. ¡°Be a good girl and eat. Professor He has been waiting for you the whole night, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pouty lips opened in surprise. She managed a faint ¡°oh¡± after a long moment of silence. ¡°...Uncle Huo, how did you know Professor He has been here the entire night?¡±

    ¡°Big Xiong told me,¡± Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly. He did not hesitate to sell Yin Shixiong out. ¡°He also said that Professor He brought a gift and wanted to apologize to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°!!!¡±

    Brother Xiong, you traitor! We¡¯re going to have a good, long talkter!

    ¡°Well? Say something.¡± Huo Shaoheng urged her, his eyebrows slightly drawn together. ¡°Or did Big Xiong lie to me?¡±

    ¡°No... no.¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered her shoulders in defeat. ¡°Brother Xiong did not lie to you.¡±

    She should have seen thising.

    Yin Shixiong was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinate. It was an unforgivable felony for a soldier to deceive and disobey their superiors.

    ¡°I thought so.¡± Huo Shaoheng extracted a cigarette from his trouser pocket but did not light it. He toyed with the cigarette as he said, ¡°So what did he do? Why did he apologize to you?¡±

    ¡°Brother Xiong didn¡¯t tell you?¡±

    ¡°He did, but I want to hear it from you.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was still unhurried, but there was now an undercurrent of anger. It was subtle¡ªonly those who knew him well were able to pick up on it.

    Gu Nianzhi was one of those people. She immediately said, ¡°Professor He threw me out of his house that day, and he didn¡¯t even get a cab for me. I walked alone for more than an hour, it was so exhausting, I thought I was going to die...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally took out his lighter and lit the cigarette in his hand. He lowered his head and took a drag. ¡°No more childish tantrums, okay? I don¡¯t remember raising you to behave like this. You have to show Professor He respect¡ªhe¡¯s your teacher, and you have to respect him like you would respect your own father. If he does something inappropriate or wrong, don¡¯t confront him. Just walk away, keep your distance, and inform Little Ze or me. If justice is on your side, we¡¯ll help you put him in his ce. Got that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. She did not feel like she had been lectured. Instead, her face brightened¡ªshe was more than happy to have Huo Shaoheng admonish her.

    ¡°Got it, Uncle Huo... Hey, did you say Brother Ze? Shouldn¡¯t it be Brother Xiong?¡± Gu Nianzhi had caught the implication in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be transferring Big Xiong back here. Little Ze will go to America to take care of you instead,¡± said Huo Shaoheng casually. ¡°Any objections?¡±

    ¡°Nope, none whatsoever.¡± Gu Nianzhi paused. ¡°Did Brother Xiong do something wrong? He¡¯s been nice to me, he¡¯s very thoughtful and considerate.¡±

    ¡°No, it has nothing to do with you. I need him for something else.¡± The oppressive weight in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice had vanished.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

    She was d it wasn¡¯t because of her.

    She was fine with Brother Ze taking Brother Xiong¡¯s ce. She would probably have more opportunities to call Uncle Huo with Brother Ze around...

    Now that Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood, her appetite returned, and she began to feel hungry. Her stomach immediately rumbled.

    The rumbling was so loud Huo Shaoheng was able to hear it over the phone.

    He smiled. ¡°You should get something to eat.¡± He paused briefly, before reminding her: ¡°Go out and apologize to Professor He, and remember to thank him for helping you with thewsuit.¡±

 Chapter 146 - Calm Down

    <h4>Chapter 146: Calm Down</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gu Nianzhi clutched the phone as she nodded vigorously, her voice sweet as honey. Huo Shaoheng could almost imagine how docile she looked through the line. His icy gaze gradually softened and his fingers gently rubbed on her phone number on the screen before he finally ended the call.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly set the phone down when she heard the line disconnect. She rose and went to the bathroom. In the mirror¡¯s reflection, her cheeks were blushing, eyes watery and even her skin was perfect. Her skin glowed to make her appear luminous from within. Who would believe she had locked herself in her room without food for a day and night? Gu Nianzhi patted her cheeks before washing her face and changing into a pea green T-shirt and white short shorts. She put on panda slippers and opened the door to walk out.

    He Zhichu heard sounds from the room and turned his head to look. A young girl stepped out from the room¨Cyouthful, feminine and delicate like the first dew drops of the morning. She was practically glowing and demanded his attention. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile was it sweet it stung He Zhichu¡¯s eyes. He gazed fixedly at her, his sultry eyes suddenly became nervous for a second and he could scarcely speak.

    Yin Shixiong stormed over and shouted, ¡°Nianzhi! You finally came out!¡± Taking her hand, he examined her and asked with concern, ¡°Are you ok? Are you hungry? I made some congee...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°I¡¯m hungry, starving. Brother Xiong, I want to eat white fungus and lotus seed congee. The white fungus and lotus seed have to be stewed till they¡¯re soft, don¡¯t add sugar.¡±

    ¡°...I only made in congee.¡± Yin Shixiong answered, ¡°You chat with Professor He, I¡¯ll go make the white fungus and lotus seed congee.¡± As soon as he saw Gu Nianzhi, it was already apparent that Huo Shaoheng called her¨Cotherwise this little princess wouldn¡¯t be so easy going... Yin Shixiong went to the kitchen to use the electric pressure cooker to make the congee.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the living room with He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, thank you for visiting me.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood in front of him and bowed respectfully in 90 degree angle.

    Though perplexed, He Zhichu appeared indifferent as he smiled and crossed his leg, ¡°Oh? Nianzhi, why are you so polite? Aren¡¯t you cursing at me in your mind?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and put on a docile smile, ¡°How could that be? Am I such a badly behaved student in Professor He¡¯s eyes? You¡¯re my professor, so I must respect you¨Chow can I curse you? I¡¯m very sorry for giving you trouble.¡±

    He Zhichu watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sparkling eyes and chortled, ¡°Your smile is so fake, who do you think you¡¯re trying to coax?¡± Although she was polite, her demeanor had be more distant than two days ago.

    ¡°I¡¯m thanking you sincerely, how can you say I¡¯m coaxing you?¡± Gu Nianzhi was miffed, ¡°I¡¯ve never coaxed anyone all my life.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then I¡¯m honored to be the first person ever coaxed by Nianzhi. I didn¡¯t make a trip for nothing, after all.¡± He Zhichu sood upzily, his gaze resting on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face for a second, ¡°I¡¯m going now, make sure to eat. Go to campus tomorrow and we¡¯ll discuss your case.¡±

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words of reassurance, Gu Nianzhi was no longer worried. She smiled and nodded, ¡°With Professor He helping me, they don¡¯t stand a chance!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re that confident in me?¡± He Zhichu had walked a few steps towards the door before abruptly turning back to face her, ¡°If we lose thewsuit, you¡¯re going to jail.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised a fist to wave in the air, ¡°If Professor He can¡¯t even win a case like this, then thergestw firm has made a huge mistake in choosing Professor He as partner.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always said that you¡¯re very keen for your age.¡± He Zhichu reached out to touch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, ¡°Think about how you would defend yourself and tell me when youe by my office tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily agreed and saw He Zhichu off at the apartment door. After he entered the elevator, Gu Nianzhi closed the door and went to the kitchen. She crossed her arms and tapped her feet as she snorted at Yin Shixiong, who was busy with cooking.

    Yin Shixiong had just put the white fungus and lotus seed porridge into the pressure cooker and set the timer for 20 minutes and nned to make a few appetizers in the meanwhile. He heard Gu Nianzhi snort and turned his head at her in confusion, ¡°What now? Weren¡¯t you happy that Mr. Huo coaxed you?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Huo doesn¡¯t know how to coax?¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject, Brother Xiong. Tell me, how much did you tell Uncle Huo?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡± Yin Shixiong shrugged, ¡°You knew that I have report everything, even the smallest detail.¡±

    ¡°You¨C!¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered chatting about how she had made a six month agreement with Mei Xiawen and closed her eyes in annoyance. She cradled her head and shook it, ¡°What about me and Mei Xiawen, you told him about that too?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yin Shixiong pouted at her and turned around to continue cutting vegetables, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you already made a six month promise with someone, so you have to be careful and not attract too much attention.¡±

    ¡°How am I attracting attention?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t have sultry eyes like Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, are you jealous of them? How about I sponsor you to go abroad for cosmetic surgery, so you can get a pair of sultry eyes too?¡±

    ¡°No thanks. My eyes are great and I don¡¯t want surgery.¡± Gu Nianzhi spun around the kitchen with her arms crossed, slightly annoyed, ¡°Uncle Huo just called me, but he didn¡¯t say anything about this.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°My six month promise with Mei Xiawen.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to say?¡± Yin Shixiong thought Gu Nianzhi was making a big deal out of nothing, ¡°This is your personal problem, and Mr. Huo is just your guardian, why would he be concerned? As long as Mei Xiawen doesn¡¯t hurt you, Mr. Huo and I are happy for you.¡±

    ¡°...Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi was stunned, neither happy nor unhappy. She nodded, no longer wanting to think about it, ¡°Tell me when the congee is ready, I¡¯m so hungry I don¡¯t even want to go online.¡±

    ¡°Oh! This is really serious, the Inte addict doesn¡¯t even want to go online. I believe that you¡¯re really starving.¡± Yin Shixiong teased as he waved the spat to kick her out of the kitchen.

    Soon after returning to her room, Yin Shixiong called to let her know that the congee was ready. He also prepared two light appetizers, potatoes with vinegar and vegetable sd. Devouring it happily, she had three bowls of porridge and wiped out all the appetizers. Early next morning, Gu Nianzhi put on her backpack and went downstairs to head over to He Zhichu¡¯s office at the Law School. Yin Shixiong would be driving her there. When the pair went down to the parking lot, Yin Shixiong suddenly took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and whispered in her ear, ¡°...Someone¡¯s following us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled inconspicuously and go into the car as usual. They didn¡¯t speak much after getting into the car, and Yin Shixiong took out an anti-eavesdropping device to scan the interior to discover it had been bugged. A normal person would have never detected it, but Yin Shixiong did this as a living. Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and remained silent as they drove to the Law School.

    Yin Shixiong blinked at her, ¡°You have ss today, remember toe home earlier. I need to get an oil change, so I¡¯ll go after I pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded intently and sighed, ¡°I still have sses, but how can I even concentrate?¡±

    They did not speak again and headed towards the road to Harvard campus. Yin Shixiong saw a silver Honda ord follow them at an even pace from the rearview mirror andughed, ¡°We¡¯re almost here, get ready to go.¡± He motioned to her to ¡°hang on.¡± Gu Nianzhi hurriedly clutched at the handle above her and they began going uphill. Yin Shixiong suddenly pressed on the elerator to speed forward. The silver car behind noticed this and also sped up. Just when the car was visible to Yin Shixiong from the rearview mirror again, he abruptly mmed on the brakes.

    Squeak! Thump! Boom!

    The ord didn¡¯t expect the car in the front to brake so suddenly. Before the driver even reacted, he heard a boom and the car had rear ended the SUV. Since there was a collision, they would have to exit the vehicles and exchange insurance information to have insurance evaluate the incident. But before the driver got out of the car, he noticed his car moving again. It was moving backwards! The driver was shocked, what was happening? Why did the SUV he just rear ended slide backwards?!

    Rather than sliding backwards, it was Yin Shixiong covertly stepping on the elerator as he reversed the SUV... Although it was secondhand, it had a much sturdier frame than the humble Honda ord. The SUV was fine after being rear ended, and even capable of reversing.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Gu Nianzhi screamed, ¡°Help! Help!¡±

    The students on the tree lined road saw this and all quickly moved out of the way¨Cbikers, drivers, pedestrians and people on skateboards. They saw the silver Honda ord rear end the SUV, then the SUV lost control and slid backwards, picking up speed and pushing the ord downhill. The driver finally realized what was happening and desperately pushed the door open to escape. Yin Shixiong watched him from the mirror and smiled ruthlessly before pressing down on the elerator harder to push the ord off the road and viciously m into arge tree. The solid frame of the SUV coupled with the elerated speed crushed the ord, sandwiching it against the tree!

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Yin Shixiong yanked the seatbelt off Gu Nianzhi and carried her out of the SUV. They jumped out of the car and tumbled down the hill before getting up again and screaming ¡°Help!¡± as they sped towards the road. A great explosion sounded behind them, mes emerging from the two vehicles and burning them to metal skeletons in a matter of seconds. The driver hadn¡¯t escaped. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was transported back to the ident six years ago and she tightly clung on the Yin Shixiong¡¯s cor. She was shaking uncontrobly, her face ashen and eyes zed. Yin Shixiong¡¯s expression was icy as he red at the car. His gaze softened when he looked down and embraced Gu Nianzhi, patting her back infort. They stood on the side of the road and heard the sound of police sirens speed towards them. There were many eyewitnesses and everyone rushed over tofort Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was in shock and breaking down, the bylookers panicked and urged Yin Shixiong to take her to a doctor right away.

    Yin Shixiongughed coldly, ¡°We have to wait for the police toe, or we won¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen after.¡± He took out his phone to dial He Zhichu and told him sinctly, ¡°Professor He, we are in trouble again...¡±

    He Zhichu was both furious and shocked when he finished listening to Yin Shixiong. He was angry that Lieutenant Colonel Peter and his men had the audacity to tail Gu Nianzhi when she was already being sued by them... He was shocked that Gu Nianzhi either had very powerful, or very lucky people at her side. They were only being followed, but were able to turn the tables and kill the enemy. There was also no evidence left for the US Military to trace.

    He Zhichu raced to the scene and saw the two vehicles were already towed. A police officer was making records¨CYin Shixiong¡¯s statement, as well as a few brave students who stayed behind to be eyewitnesses, as well as Harvard employees. All the statements matched, the second car rear ended the SUV, and because it was uphill, the SUV lost control and slid down. THe Honda ord was pushed off the road and hit a big tree. Luckily the two SUV passengers escaped quickly, otherwise they¡¯d end up like the driver, burnt to ashes... The police officer recording statements had ample experience and had seen all sorts of bizarre idents before, so it wasn¡¯t the first time he saw such a collision. He was not surprised.

    He Zhichu stood beside Gu Nianzhi, whose face was ashen and eyes zed over.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± He quietly called her name.

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded for a long time before she looked up at He Zhichu.

    ¡°Professor... He?¡± Her speech was slow, like she had just regained speech abilities.

    ¡°Are you frightened?¡± He Zhichu caressed her head and took her hand when she didn¡¯t shy away. He took her away, ¡°It¡¯s ok,e back with me to the office first. Have a hot drink to help calm down.¡±

 Chapter 147 - Youâ€™re All Trash

    <h4>Chapter 147: You¡¯re All Trash</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu¡¯s warm, slender fingers were wrapped firmly around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate hand.

    His expression was cold and ruthless, but his bright almond eyes looked at Gu Nianzhi with concern.

    Gu Nianzhi looked towards Yin Shixiong. She tried to free herself from He Zhichu¡¯s grasp, but he reflexively tightened his hold on her.

    Just then, a policeman came over and asked Yin Shixiong to follow him. ¡°Are you the owner of the car? The sergeant has a few questions for you.¡±

    Yin Shixiong put an arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, and looked at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m leaving Nianzhi in your care for now. I¡¯ll pick her up from your office once I¡¯ve taken care of this.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Okay, no problem. I was going to discuss her case with my assistants anyway. You should join the discussion when youe over.¡± He tightened his grip on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Yin Shixiong let go of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Go, I¡¯ll look for youter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him a second time, before He Zhichu turned her around and led her to his car.

    He Zhichu opened the car door and helped her in.

    Gu Nianzhi was deathly pale. Her eyes were wide and unseeing; it took some time for her to react to her surroundings.

    He Zhichu did not say anything. He started the car and drove to his office.

    When they arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s office, he made her a cappino with extra milk and sugar.

    ¡°Here, drink this.¡± He Zhichu held the blue and white coffee mug out to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi did not take the mug. She looked up at him, her expression timid, like a child in unfamiliarpany. There was a storm brewing in the depths of her eyes, but it was covered by a veil of fog. Her mind alternated between lucidity and confusion. She could feel memories stirring within her, struggling to break out; but when she made an effort to remember, she came up empty handed. There was simply nothing there.

    Is it possible I don¡¯t actually have a past?

    The thought shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, unbidden.

    He Zhichu saw that Gu Nanzhi wasn¡¯t responding to him. He took a closer look at her eyes, and realized she was barely there. He put an arm around her and sat her down on the two-seater sofa, in hisp. He called out to her in a soft voice: ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered at his voice. She looked at him doubtfully.

    ¡°Want some cappino? You told me it¡¯s your favorite.¡± He raised the coffee mug to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips.

    Gu Nianzhi could smell the pleasant, lingering aroma of milk wafting from the cappino. It wasforting.

    She slowly opened her mouth.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips. He let her lean against his chest, and supported her head as he raised the coffee mug to her lips. ¡°Drink.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. Shetched onto He Zhichu¡¯s hand and began drinking the coffee in small sips.

    He Zhichu watched her long, fan-like eyshes flutter close over her beautiful inky eyes.

    Under her exquisite nose, her pouty lipstched onto the coffee mug as she drank the warm cappino with enthusiasm.

    Coffee, sugar, and milk all had a soothing effect on the nerves; the effect was amplified when taken together.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s racing heart gradually returned to normal.

    As he watched Gu Nianzhi, a parade of emotions flickered across He Zhichu¡¯s face: anger, anxiety, and outrage at her predicament were followed by distress, pity, and the desire to pamper her like a child. There was even a hint of something else, something he did not want to think about right now.

    When she had finished the entire mug of cappino, Gu Nianzhi raised her head. Her lips released the rim of the mug, and she pushed the mug away with her hand. She was telling him that she was done.

    He Zhichu set the mug down on the small coffee table beside the sofa, but did not move away. He kept her in his arms, with a hand on the small of her back. He lowered his head and looked into her face; his lips were practically beside her ear when he said, in his cool voice, ¡°...What happened? Were you scared out of your wits?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, and finally snapped out of it.

    She saw He Zhichu¡¯s handsome, enigmatic face, so close to her, and reflexively reached out and pushed it away. She immediately stood up. ¡°Professor He, you can have the chair to yourself, I don¡¯t mind standing.¡±

    He Zhichu had toppled backwards into the sofa when Gu Nianzhi pushed him away. When he looked at her again, she had already jumped away from him, quick as lightning.

    The tall, slender girl stood before him, frowning. She was obviously unhappy.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re no longer afraid.¡± Now that Gu Nianzhi had shot out of her seat, He Zhichu decided to make himselffortable on the sofa. He crossed his legs and draped one hand over the back of the sofa. ¡°What are you standing around for? Sit down.¡± He pointed to the sofa opposite him.

    Gu Nianzhi had been shell-shocked ever since witnessing the car ident and the resulting fire.

    She had gone through the motions, like a zombie, when He Zhichu brought her to his office and gave her a cup of coffee to drink; her body had known what was happening, but none of it had registered in her mind.

    She was now fully awake, and just as unhappy. ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t treat me like a child. I¡¯m an adult.¡± She thought about it and added, ¡°I will be 18 in two months.¡±

    He Zhichu had fed her as though she were a helpless baby. All that was missing was He Zhichu burping her after she was done.

    He was her professor: as the saying went, a teacher for a day was a father figure for life. Surely it had been entirely inappropriate for him to sit so close to her?

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to get as far away from him as possible. She took a few steps backwards and sat down on the opposite sofa.

    He Zhichu did not seem to mind. He picked up the phone receiver and made a few calls over the internal line. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s here. Come to my office now for the meeting.¡±

    He had originally nned on having the meeting in the meeting room.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was obviously still rattled; He Zhichu decided to let her remain in his office, which was familiar to her, to calm her nerves.

    In a few moments, several men in suits appeared in the doorway to He Zhichu¡¯s office, armed withptops and briefcases.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have the meeting over there.¡± He Zhichu stood and walked to the small meeting area in ??his office.

    His office was enormous; besides the office area where he worked, there was also a small suiteprising a small meeting room and a reception room.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him into the meeting area, and seated herself.

    He Zhichu sat beside her. His fingers, slender and fair, tapped on the table. ¡°What do you all think about the case?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s subordinates were all elitewyers, working with the biggest, most prestigiousw firm in the United States.

    The scale and severity of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°crime¡± was currently up in the air¡ªit depended entirely on how the US military intended to spin it.

    Thewyers currently had their hands tied; they did not know how far the US military wanted to take the case.

    It was obvious from the strategies thewyers hade up with that they were all ying it safe. They had not decided on a concrete direction to steer the case in.

    Gu Nianzhi rested her chin in her hand as she listened in silence. Her eyes were drawn to the sunlight leaking through the blinds.

    She watched the dust dancing in the shafts of light, her thoughts elsewhere.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi?¡± He Zhichu had to call her name twice before she returned to her senses. ¡°Professor He? What is it?¡±

    ¡°What do you think about the case?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m the defendant. Are you asking me to represent myself, Professor He?¡± Gu Nianzhi nced sideways at him, calm and fearless.

    ¡°Of course not. Just think of this as someone else¡¯s case. How would you prepare for it?¡± He Zhichu leaned over to her. ¡°This will be good practice for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She scrutinized thewyers, one by one, as they squirmed under her gaze. She sat up straight, and ced her hands neatly on the table, one on top of the other. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest then¡ªeverything you have here is absolute trash.¡±

 Chapter 148 - Dont Her Get Too Far Ahead

    <h4>Chapter 148: Don¡¯t Her Get Too Far Ahead</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°...Trash?¡± The Caucasianwyer repeated with a stony expression, ¡°You¡¯re calling this trash?¡±

    ¡°Yes, trash. T-r-a-s-h, trash.¡± Gu Nianzhi got up from her seat and dragged all five defense proposals to herself to crumple into a ball. She threw it hard with her right hand, drawing a beautiful arc in the air before itnded in the trash can in the corner. ¡°That¡¯s where it belongs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down with poise, her face was as soft and sweet as a manga character, but her tongue was sharp and poisonous.

    ¡°Haha, do you know who we are? How many cases we¡¯ve won? Do you know how long we spent to draft these defense proposals for you? Who do you think you¡¯ve messed with? Do you know what risk we¡¯re facing to ept this case for you?¡± Thewyer quickly spat out a torrent of English, ¡°But you¡¯ve just thrown away our efforts like garbage. I refuse to defend someone like you!¡± He stood up and looked at He Zhichu, ¡°Mr. He, please forgive me for being unable to help.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave He Zhichu a sideways nce and sneered, ¡°Professor He, this is your valued employee? Hehe...¡± She didn¡¯t wait for He Zhichu to reply before looking at thewyer asking to resign from the case, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°John, John Vanderbilt.¡± He announced smugly. The Vanderbilts were famous in upper-ss American society. Most of the people from this family were certainly elites.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Mr. Vanderbilt, may I ask how much your sry is?¡±

    The man flushed, ¡°That¡¯s confidential, you have no right to ask.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking on behalf of Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head arrogantly and was even smugger than thewyer, ¡°I¡¯m thinking that your sry must be good if you are employed by Professor He? Are you paid all that money just to take fender-bender cases?¡±

    Oh... The four otherwyers had been still the whole time and finally burst outughing. Their eyes shed with sarcasm as they winked at John Vanderbilt.

    ¡°John, I guess this is goodbye. We won¡¯t have to worry about being eliminated this year, now that you¡¯re gone.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t agree more, though we won¡¯t be throwing a farewell party for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was keenly aware that thewyers had discord amongst themselves and chose to butt in, ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s survival of the fittest in the world ofwyers. It¡¯s against everyone¡¯s interests if the case is lost.¡±

    John Vanderbilt suddenly realized he had been too impulsive, but had already reached the door and couldn¡¯t bear the shame of turning back now. Just as when he was hesitating, He Zhichu looked up, ¡°John, take your annual vacation.¡±

    His face nched and lips trembled as he considered acquiescing, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disdainful expression was too much to swallow. He rashly nodded, ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll let you all continue.¡± He turned away and his quick footsteps in the hallway emphasized the silence in He Zhichu¡¯s office.

    After a long moment, He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi with a cold expression, ¡°Ok, you said that was trash, so what non-trash do you have to share with us?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at the remaining fourwyers, ¡°I¡¯ve already listened to everyone¡¯s defense proposals earlier, and really felt they are not helpful. I also don¡¯t believe you that you think such proposals will help win my case.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Gu, that¡¯s our dilemma.¡± With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlier behavior and He Zhichu¡¯s protective stance, they didn¡¯t dare disrespect her and answered seriously, ¡°Our strategy in court for this case doesn¡¯t depend on us, but the US Military. We can only know how to counter them if we know what they want to achieve.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, have you always prepared for cases like this?¡±

    He Zhichu grunted, ¡°What solution do you have?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about and replied hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I think. If anything is insufficient or incorrect, please let me know.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± He Zhichu leaned back in his chair and scanned the faces of his employees before coldly remarking, ¡°Nianzhi just graduated with her undergrad, don¡¯t let her get too far ahead of you.¡± He actually didn¡¯t say don¡¯tpare their solutions with a student¡¯s, but don¡¯t let her get ahead... Exactly how much potential did Mr. He see in this high school girl! The fourwyers sat seriously as they listened with great vignce, but all cursed in their hearts.

    ¡°...Did I hear him wrong! Why would we fall behind a little girl who doesn¡¯t even have aw license?! Did Mr. He drink too much red wine this morning?!¡±

    ¡°Even though Mr. He never misjudges, I really think he¡¯s made a mistake here.¡±

    ¡°Even the smartest students are only limited to how well they perform in exams. Being in court is a whole different thing. Mr. Huo must¡¯ve been getting too deep into his professor role and forgot what it was like to go to court...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi alsoined internally, Professor He, you¡¯re throwing me under the bus?! Her gaze moved from He Zhichu¡¯s side profile to the conference table before her. She took a nk sheet of paper and began writing as she spoke, ¡°Let¡¯s cast some light on the subject. First of all, I agree that the Military¡¯s stance is unclear, but I disagree with your conclusion that we can¡¯t prepare because of this.¡±

    ¡°...Ms. Gu, may we ask how you prepare if the Military¡¯s stance is unclear?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. I think the Military¡¯s attitude is also affected by our stance.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up to scan the faces of all fourwyers, ¡°If we match them heel to heel and use all evidence to fight back directly, they will shrink back. In simple words, the Military also doesn¡¯t know to what extent we¡¯ll take this, so they can¡¯t conclude on how to deal with me, or us as a team. So we have to express our tenacity and show them to what extent we¡¯ll go.¡±

    All Americans were like this, they never set personal lower limits because there was no fixed value. Instead, it¡¯s a bottomless abyss they keep breaking through to match the opponent¡¯s strength. The fourwyers were then certain that this young and beautiful girl knew what she was talking about, no wonder Mr. He had so much faith in her.

    ¡°Continue.¡± He Zhichu nodded, an encouraging smile shing over his face. With the direction solidified, they can now move forward. Gu Nianzhi not only found the right direction, but also a shortcut. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not yet 18, so I¡¯m still a minor. Did the Military even consider the consequences of suing and losing a case to a minor?¡±

    The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly electrified.

    ¡°Ms. Gu is still a minor?! Is that true?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve alreadypleted your undergrad? And are studying as Mr. Huo¡¯s post-grad student?! No wonder Mr. He told us not to let you get too far ahead.¡±

    Strong people only obeyed those stronger than themselves. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s short speech had revealed her debate abilities and impressed thewyers.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and snuck a nce at He Zhichu¨Cshe was smug, happy and proud. He Zhichu watched her quietly and was speechless for a long time. After a while, he finally produced the defense proposal he prepared to distribute amongst the group in the conference room, including Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You see, Nianzhi is undoubtedly talented. Don¡¯t embarrass me now.¡±

    Sweat beaded on thewyers¡¯ brows when they read He Zhichu¡¯s defense proposal¨Chis two main points were exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s! The key to the case was to rify these two points. He Zhichu also passed a copy to Gu Nianzhi, who smiled as she asked, ¡°Professor He personally drafted this?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded, ¡°I thought the same thing as you. You haven¡¯t disappointed me, Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and humbly answered, ¡°Thank you for the praise, but I really did work hard to prepare for this...¡± She looked down and quickly read through the proposal before eximing, ¡°I only gave two suggestions, but Professor He¡¯s prepared aplete proposal. You are certainly more impressive!¡±

    The fourwyers were rendered speechless. Turns out the little girl hadn¡¯t seen them, but Mr. He as an opponent all along... He Zhichu¡¯s proposal was truly wless and the first thing brought up was the fact that Gu Nianzhi was not yet 18, thus she had to be tried in Juvenile Court. This also meant that the case would be protected by juvenile justicews and not open to a public trial. This will not be kept on her social records and the media also couldn¡¯t make any reports. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity would be kept confidential under thew. If there was a leak, the opposing party loses by default and there would be no need for a trial. The other point was to target the opponent¡¯s allegations and defend ordingly¨Cthis would be left to his subordinates. Sometimes the difference between employees and employers lie in how they determine a n of action. After the meeting, thewyers took He Zhichu¡¯s proposal to prepare for their court statements.

    When Yin Shixiong arrived, thewyers had just left. He overheard a bit of He Zhichu¡¯s conversation and knew they had already formted a n, so he quickly asked, ¡°When will you appear in court?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled, ¡°We have to thank Lieutenant Colonel Peter for this. He pushed for it and used all sorts of connections to ensure the trials will begin as soon as possible. We will appear in court next week.¡±

    If not for Xin Xinggao and Lieutenant Colonel Peter¡¯s anxiousness to begin trials, the case would have been pushed to the following year ording to the normal American court procedure of indictment, eptance, and hearing of a case, and scheduling for trials. If the trial was scheduled for next year, it would be impossible for Xin Xinggao to keep her act up until then... All the factorsbined allowed the US Military to neglect the most important fact that Gu Nianzhi was yet to be 18 and still legally considered a minor.

    ...

    A week walter, the case of Xin Xinggao vs Gu Nianzhi officially began trials at the Federal District Court of Boston. Xin Xinggao appeared in a wheelchair, head bandaged and eyes zed as a nurse pushed her to the intiff¡¯s stand. Lieutenant Colonel Peter was in casual clothes and sat in the back row, unable to hide his smug smile. The court entrance was overcrowded with reporters and media. Although they couldn¡¯t enter the courtroom, they were able to interview and record outside. The case had been revealed to the media by Lieutenant Colonel Peter because Xin Xinggao wanted to use the huge publicity effect to warn all the Huaxia exchange students that messing with her wouldnd them in jail!

    Ten minutes before the court session, He Zhichu led four elitewyers into the courtroom. Gu Nianzhi was not present. The reporters went crazy when they saw that He Zhichu was personally representing Gu Nianzhi in the case. They flocked over carrying cameras and video equipment, pointing the microphone at him, ¡°Mr. He, are you the defensewyer in this case?¡±

    ¡°As far as we know, Mr. He has not appeared in court as a defensewyer since winning the case of eavesdropping in the Congress three years ago. May I ask why you are choosing to represent in this case?¡±

    He Zhichu wore a deep grey three-piece suit with a white iron-free shirt. He appeared as cold and ruthless as ice. Pausing his step, he spoke clearly to the reporters, ¡°Please remove all your recording equipment and delete all reports rted to this case. My client is a minor, and you all know what the consequences of viting thews protecting minors.¡±

    Americanw protected minors moreprehensively than any other country and did not hesitate when it came to the execution of thew. For all other incidents, the media could do as they pleased, but no outlet dared to touch the minefield of incidents with minors. As soon as He Zhichu gave his warning, the droves of reporters immediately put away all recording equipment, microphones and prepared to delete all reports rted to the case. They also immediately contacted their websites, newspapers and radio stations to pull all content to do with the case. Afterpleting all the tasks, they saw that He Zhichu had already entered the courtroom and was standing before the judge.

    ¡°Your Honor, the first request I submit to the court on behalf of my client is to counterim against the Federal District Court of Boston for neglecting to verify and epting a case outside its jurisdictions.¡± He Zhichu coldly announced as he presented Gu Nianzhi¡¯s proof of birthdate, passport and all relevant legal provisions to the court.

    The judge looked at the submission and burned with humiliation. He inwardly cursed Lieutenant Colonel Peter and the US Military for not investigating properly before forcing him to open the case and starting the trial! He knew it! Nothing good ever came out of messing with He Zhichu.

 Chapter 149 - Naive

    <h4>Chapter 149: Naive</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The judge for the Boston Federal District Court was entirely bald; he was pushing 60, after all.

    Under the court lights, his bald head shimmered with sweat and oil.

    He red at He Zhichu resentfully as his hands fumbled for the gavel. He struck the table with the gavel and announced loudly: ¡°Silence! The defendant is underage. The court has no jurisdiction over minors¡ªthis case is dismissed. The defendant is not guilty. That is all.¡±

    The judge hurried away.

    He had messed up, big time, and knew He Zhichu would not let him off the hook so easily. He would have to go to the military bigwigs and ask for their help.

    He would be retiring soon. Thest thing he wanted was to lose his pension over this.

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter had not expected the battle to be over before it had even begun. He spat out the gum he had been chewing, and stuck it on the wall.

    He got up to leave. When he reached the door, he turned to look at the nurse in charge of Xin Xinggao.

    The nurse understood. She put her hands on the handles of Xin Xinggao¡¯s wheelchair and pushed her out of the courtroom.

    The spectators in the courtroom moved aside, and watched them leave.

    He Zhichu watched their retreating backs, his expression cold. When Lieutenant Colonel Peter looked over, He Zhichu smiled at him, his hands in his pockets. His posture exuded defiance.

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter grinned at him, before turning to leave.

    He Zhichu understood what he meant: the matter was far from over.

    Sure enough, another summons arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment two dayster. This time, it was addressed to her guardian because she was still a minor.

    Her case was taken over by the Boston Federal District Juvenile Court, which specialized in violent criminal cases involving minors below the age of 18. As a general rule, the trials in the juvenile court were held behind closed doors, presided over by a single judge instead of a jury. The judge had to have conclusive and irrefutable evidence to convict the defendant.

    These juvenile cases were usually a lot trickier to judge than simr cases involving adults.

    He Zhichu had prepared his arguments for the juvenile court. He was curious to see how far the US military was willing to go for Xin Xinggao.

    Gu Nianzhi also prepared for her day in court.

    The juvenile court proceedings would be kept strictly confidential. She did not have to worry about her identity being exposed, or attracting unwee attention.

    ...

    ¡°Nianzhi, go to bed early. I¡¯ll wake you tomorrow morning,¡± said Zhao Liangze as he knocked on her door.

    Two weeks had passed; Gu Nianzhi was now under the care of Zhao Liangze.

    Yin Shixiong had been transferred back to the Huaxia Empire a week ago, and Zhao Liangze hade over to rece him.

    Gu Nianzhi reluctantly closed the tab on the inte forum she had been browsing. She shut down herptop, rubbed her eyes, andughed. ¡°...That Xin Xinggao is really something. She¡¯s supposed to be mentally impaired, but she¡¯s still going about the forums posting lies and nder about me...¡±

    Zhao Liangze was a true IT genius; he had attained the position of top dog at the international Hacker¡¯s Alliance before the age of 18. He had only joined the military and be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s assistant after he had been scouted by Huo Shaoheng.

    The first thing he did after arriving in the States was to spy on Xin Xinggao¡¯sputer and mobile phone.

    Unlike Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze took to living in America like a fish to water.

    Everything could be done online, which made it easy to monitor Xin Xinggao¡¯s activities.

    Zhao Liangze said, smiling, ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you. The more she does, the easier it¡¯ll be to expose her. I¡¯ve taken screenshots of everything she¡¯s done, don¡¯t worry. As soon as the trial begins tomorrow, we¡¯ll ask the court to confiscate and search Xin Xinggao¡¯sputer and phone.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s supposed to be mentally impaired, so she can easily wriggle out of that by iming someone else took advantage of her limited mental capacity and hacked herputer, or at least used herputer without her knowledge,¡± said Gu Nianzhi as she shut the lid of herptop, ¡°but we have to warn her anyway, so she knows we¡¯re watching her every move. Hopefully she¡¯ll get the message and stop shooting herself in the foot. Otherwise, when we finally expose her, she¡¯ll have to change her name and get stic surgery just to be able to stay in academia.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll pass all the evidence to He Zhichu tomorrow, see what he wants to do with it.¡± Zhao Liangze turned off the lights and shut the door behind him.

    ...

    It was the day of her trial.

    Gu Nianzhi put on a white round-neck silk blouse with butterfly sleeves, a navy blue knee-length A-line skirt, a pair of white sneakers, and a backpack. Her hair hung loose over her back, with only a hair band over her head to keep her hair in ce. With her fair, delicate face andrge, doe-like eyes, she looked the very picture of an angelic, well-behaved child.

    If there had been a jury, her appearance would have won them over as soon as she appeared in court.

    Unfortunately, there was no jury this time; the court proceedings would be presided over by Judge Judy, a 40-year-old virgin who absolutely abhorred pure, delicate girls like Gu Nianzhi.

    When she learned that she would be facing Judge Judy, Gu Nianzhi prepared herself.

    If Judge Judy was bent on making things difficult for her, then Gu Nianzhi would just have to provoke her.

    It was easy to slip up when you were angry.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhao Liangze came out from his room. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, and handed his phone to her. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up, as merry and bright as Christmas lights.

    The smile on her face was so dazzling Zhao Liangze had to look away. He opened the door and walked out.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him, the phone stered against her ear. ¡°Uncle Huo!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the big day today. Are you ready?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was calm and rxed; it was the voice of a man who knew he had everything within his control.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously as she strode to the elevator. ¡°I¡¯m ready. Wait for my good news, Uncle Huo!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Remember to thank Professor He. When the trial¡¯s over ask him about his fees, I won¡¯t have him work for us for free.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily stunned; she had automatically assumed He Zhichu was representing her pro bono.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng mentioned the attorney¡¯s fee, she realized how naive she had been.

    He Zhichu was nice to her, but business was business¡ªhe would still be collecting his attorney¡¯s fee.

    He had not said a single word of it to her yet; Gu Nianzhi guessed it was probably his assistant¡¯s job to tell her after thewsuit had been dealt with.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of He Zhichu¡¯s assistant, Wen Shouyi, and her lips curled in distaste. She wished she could grab a stack of bills right this instant and throw it in Wen Shouyi¡¯s round, treacherous face.

    He Zhichu was a topwyer, and was representing her himself. His fees were most likely astronomical...

    Where was she going to get all that money?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She bit her lip and murmured, ¡°...I wonder if Professor He will let me pay in installments?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng realized that Gu Nianzhi was worried about not being able to pay He Zhichu, and could not helpughing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just promise me you¡¯ll behave.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng meant to pay the attorney¡¯s fee for her, but the thought made her even more depressed and ufortable.

    Uncle Huo was wealthy, but it did not feel right to have him spend so much money on her.

    Uncle Huo¡¯s girlfriend would definitely resent her if she found out about it.

    As Gu Nianzhi stepped into the elevator, she suddenly remembered that Huo Shaoheng had given her the apartment in Fengya Precinct...

    She would have enough to pay He Zhichu if she sold the apartment.

    Her face instantly brightened. She said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯ll behave, I won¡¯t cause any more trouble, I promise. I¡¯ll discuss the fees with Professor He. You don¡¯t have to worry, Uncle Huo.¡±

    ¡°You can do it after you win the case. Let¡¯s not break his stride right now,¡± said Huo Shaoheng as he casually tapped the ash from his cigarette.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Gu Nianzhi ended the call, a sweet, serene smile on her face.

 Chapter 150 - Remaining Value

    <h4>Chapter 150: Remaining Value</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Inside the elevator, Zhao Liangze nced at her, shaking his head and keeping silent. When it stopped at the ground floor, the pair walked out of the apartment to see a yellow Hummer parked in front of the entrance. He Zhichu had especially sent a car to take them to the courthouse, and Zhao Liangze helped Gu Nianzhi get in the car.

    Zhao Liangze squinted at the vehicle and raised his brows mischievously at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°This is not just any car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched the chassis and windows,ughing quietly as she mouthed silently at Zhao Liangze, ¡°Bulletproof...¡± Looks like He Zhichu had be more vignt after thest collision. However the person tracking them hadn¡¯t interested in taking their lives and merely wanted to know their whereabouts. Zhao Liangze was the truly lethal one... Gu Nianzhi felt that He Zhichu was being paranoid. A throng of people had arrived to the entrance of the Juvenile Court, and He Zhichu was already waiting there. He wore a light grey three-piece wool suit with a silver tie and striped ivory iron-free shirt. The ensemble was so well fitted it appeared tailor made.

    Gu Nianzhi walked towards him, ¡°Professor He.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± He Zhichu nodded at her, ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± He reached out and ced one hand behind Gu Nianzhi, while sheltering her with the other as he walked her into the courthouse. The onlookers were in awe. It was rare that an establishedwyer like He Zhichu would be as caring to his client as a newly licensed one. The crowd immediately saw Gu Nianzhi in a different light. After Gu Nianzhi went inside, she sat with He Zhichu at the dock.

    On the intiff¡¯s seat, Xin Xinggao appeared dull and was apanied by a nurse,wyer and prosecutor. Judge Judy then announced the court was in session and the doors to the courtroom closed. It was prohibited to take photos or recordings, and cell phones were banned inside.

    Gu Nianzhi rose and ced her hand on the Bible to swear to speak the whole truth and only truth. After shepleted the oath, she nced at Xin Xinggao and wished that the intiff would swear as well... Of course, Xin Xinggao was a ¡°fool¡± who couldn¡¯t speak and had thewyer and prosecutor speak on her behalf.

    The bailiff removed the Bible and Judge Judy looked at Gu Nianzhi with disgust. Her face was stony as she asked, ¡°Gu, do you plead guilty?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and kept silent. Herwyer would speak for her now.

    He Zhichu stood up and inclined his head at Judge Judy, ¡°Your Honor, my client does not plead guilty. I want to defend my client¡¯s innocence.¡±

    Judge Judy shifted her gaze to He Zhichu, her expression easing considerably as she spoke in a softer voice, ¡°Mr. He, are you certain about this? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any possibility of denial in a case with irrefutable evidence like this.¡±

    ¡°Denial?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering and sultry eyes shed, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, ¡°I never deny in face of fabricated evidence, but only refute.¡±

    Ayer of frost formed on Judge Judy¡¯s face, ¡°Refute? What piece of evidence can you possibly refute? I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°This first requires the prosecutor to read out their ¡®irrefutable¡¯ evidence.¡± He Zhichu coldly gazed at the intiff before sitting down.

    Realizing that she hadmitted a procedural error, Judge Judy immediately coughed as she urged the prosecutor, ¡°What does the intiff wish to say?¡±

    The prosecutor promptly rose from the intiff¡¯s stand and read from the prepared indictment, ¡°...On July 16 at 10am, at a baseball game, the defendant Gu Nianzhi used a baseball bat to assault and seriously injure the intiff, Xin Xinggao. Her right wrist was fractured and a heavy head injury resulted in a concussion, whichter turned into irreparable damage. The intiff¡¯s IQ has dropped to that of a three year old and became mentally disabled. This constitutes as serious injury.¡±

    After reading the indictment, the prosecutor proimed to Judge Judy, ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡¯s behaviour is especially heinous. She assaulted and caused serious injury a fellow student without provocation. Although she is still a minor, this is crime cannot be pardoned.¡±

    Judge Judy nodded, ¡°It is truly heinous.¡± She looked at He Zhichu, ¡°Mr. He, are you certain you will not plead guilty?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu rose, shaking his head at the intiff stand as he sighed, ¡°You¡¯ve been paid by the government and military, yet failed to do your job properly and put together a faulty indictment. What a shame.¡±

    ¡°Personal attacks will not be tolerated!¡± The prosecutor nearly lost his temper and jumped up, ¡°Where is the fault? Isn¡¯t it true that your client assaulted mine? Isn¡¯t it true that my client has been seriously injured by assault?¡±

    ¡°The two points you¡¯ve made are certainly true.¡± He Zhichu spread his palms.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Ha! Your Honor, you see? He¡¯s confessed, what else is there left to try? They¡¯ve pleaded guilty!¡± The prosecutor was so excited that he finally knocked down the undefeatable He Zhichu he lost allposure!

    He Zhichu sneered, ¡°Prosecutor, I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet. Why are you talking to yourself?¡±

    ¡°...Not finished speaking? What else do you have left to say?¡± Judge Judy frowned, ¡°You¡¯ve admitted it¡¯s the truth...¡±

    ¡°Your Honor, I admit the fact my client in fact assaulted someone, as evidenced by the medical report. It¡¯s also a fact that the intiff can be considered mentally disabled, as evidenced by medical proof.¡± He Zhichu paused as he scanned the courtroom, ¡°However, I ask the prosecutor to prove that his client¡¯s declining IQ is a direct consequence of assault by my client.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Do you not understand legal terminology? I really am not sure how you graduated fromw school and obtained yourwyer¡¯s license.¡± He Zhichu taunted, ¡°Allow me to trante for you, please prove that the assault by Gu Nianzhi directly caused Xin Xinggao to be mentally disabled.¡±

    ¡°Direct consequence? Isn¡¯t it because she was assaulted that she became mentally disabled? She received a concussion...¡±

    ¡°Prosecutor¨Cafter thewsuit concludes, I will submit a formalint to the Law Commission about your professional qualifications. You do not possess any professional qualities of awyer.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was icy as he turned to Judge Judy, ¡°Your Honor, the altercation urred on the baseball field. I had already said it when the university was investigating the incident, as long as no serious injury is sustained, altercations during a sporting event is exempt from prosecution.¡±

    ¡°But it became a serious injury...¡± Judge Judy¡¯s eyes flickered as she looked at He Zhichu. She was confident he would finally lose the case.

    He Zhichu¡¯s couldn¡¯t bear it and coldyughed, ¡°If I kick you today and you die 20 years from now, can you say my kick caused your death?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Judge Judy instinctively retorted, ¡°A lot can happen in 20 years, the chain of logic has been broken.¡±

    ¡°This is exactly the case.¡± He Zhichu turned and pointed to the intiff stand, ¡°The altercation urred on July 16, and on August 15, nearly one monthter¨Cit was said that Xin Xinggao¡¯s condition deteriorated and her IQ declined. May I ask, isn¡¯t it possible that something else happened in the month that caused her intelligence to be damaged?¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s only on month. It doesn¡¯tpare to your earlier example.¡± Judge Judy gave her rebuttal.

    ¡°Can¡¯t it? Is there an essential difference between one month and 20 years? Well even if you im there is an essential difference, many people had been in her room since she was hospitalized. Within all those people, any one of them could have hurt her and caused a second injury that led to serious injury.¡± He Zhichu produced a list of names, ¡°I request to summon all the people named on this list to question them about what they did in Xin Xinggao¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°No need for all that trouble.¡± Judge Judy waved in dismissal, ¡°It¡¯s sufficient to view the surveince footage in her room. We will see if any one caused a second injury.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned, there was actually surveince in Xin Xinggao¡¯s room? This meant the Military truly valued her... But she was a nobody, why did they go to this extent? He Zhichu was thoroughly perplexed.

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter sat in the back row of the courtroom and smiled proudly. The surveince footage was his trump card. Initially, he installed cameras because he didn¡¯t fully trust Xin Xinggao and was worried she would contact other people and betray their agreement. The other reason was to guarantee her safety, so all the people entering her room were also subject to investigation.

    The courtroom grew silent. Judge Judy ordered the bailiff to retrieve the surveince footage from Xin Xinggao¡¯s room. For sake of propriety, He Zhichu also sent one of his employees over to prevent the intiff¡¯s side from pulling any tricks. There were a total of 28 days from the time Xin Xinggao was admitted to the hospital to until her IQ deteriorated. A full box of videos recorded all 28 days. The judge announced a temporary adjournment to await the her and the defendant¡¯swyer topletely view all the surveince footage ande to a decision. The videos were made into three copies¨Cone for court records, one for the judge and the defendant¡¯swyer to view together, and one for the intiff¡¯swyer to keep.

    He Zhichu¡¯s employee carried the box of videos out of the courthouse.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent as she walked behind He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu stopped and turned around to pat her head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find a way.¡±

    ¡°...Professor He didn¡¯t consider this?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked softly. Although He Zhichu appeared normal and didn¡¯t express any emotional change in the courtroom, Gu Nianzhi was able to detect that he had grown moody.

    He Zhichu looked at her in surprise, neither admitting or denying anything before he dryly remarked, ¡°...I can¡¯t think of what remaining value Xin Xinggao has to the Military or why is she worth all this effort to protect.¡±

    ¡°In other words, she still has some remaining value, but we have no idea what it is.¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly worried, could Xin Xinggao still possess something that could harm the national interests of the Huaxia Empire? Last time, Xin Xinggao¡¯s betrayal had caused the 6th Military Region¡¯s Europe mission to fail and almost cost Huo Shaoheng and his men their lives...

 Chapter 151 - Worried for Him

    <h4>Chapter 151: Worried for Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He Zhichu escorted Gu Nianzhi out the courtroom doors and into the parking lot.

    He Zhichu was puzzled by the worried expression on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°I told you, don¡¯t worry. Those tapes represent the final weapon in their arsenal. They have no further cards to y.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my case I¡¯m worried about,¡± Gu Nianzhi said truthfully.

    ¡°What are you worried about, then?¡± He Zhichu was even more perplexed.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about what Xin Xinggao is hiding¡ªwhat if it¡¯s something she can use against the Empire?¡± said Gu Nianzhi uneasily. In truth, she was worried for Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng considered it his duty to safeguard the interests of the Huaxia Empire. It was his number one obligation as a soldier: he was devoted to his mission, and would willinglyy down his life for it.

    He Zhichu put a hand in his pocket and stared at her in silence. After a moment, he gave a sudden snort and murmured, ¡°...You actually love that country? That¡¯s surprising...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been too absorbed in her own thoughts to catch what He Zhichu had said. ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡±

    ¡°I said, I didn¡¯t think you were the patriotic type.¡± There was a hint of ridicule in He Zhichu¡¯s voice. His eyes shed enigmatically, a reservoir of inscrutable emotion.

    Gu Nianzhi did not like He Zhichu¡¯s tone. ¡°So what if I¡¯m patriotic? I¡¯m a citizen of the Huaxia Empire. Why shouldn¡¯t I love my country?¡±

    He Zhichu saw her displeasure and was about to say something, but changed his mind at thest second. He tousled her hair and forced a smile, suppressing the cold, contemptuous expression that was threatening to show on his face. ¡°Well, whatever makes you happy.¡±

    He Zhichu gave a small, expressionless nod to Zhao Liangze before getting into his own car.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned as she watched He Zhichu leave in his car. She followed Zhao Liangze to He Zhichu¡¯s yellow Hummer; they would be traveling in it for the time being, as a safety precaution.

    Once she was back in her apartment, Gu Nianzhi entered Zhao Liangze¡¯s room and repeated to him, in a hushed voice, her conversation with He Zhichu. ¡°Brother Ze, what do you think? Does Xin Xinggao still have something she can use as leverage?¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s brow furrowed. He shook his head and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything about that while I was in the Empire. Still, we better tell Mr. Huo about this, ASAP¡ªwe¡¯ll have to act quickly if we missed something.¡±

    Xin Xinggao¡¯s father had already been dismissed from his post. On top of that, the foreign connections of all Nandou System personnel had been thoroughly investigated and vetted a second time. There had been nothing out of the ordinary when Zhao Liangze left the Empire for America.

    Had they overlooked something?

    ¡°Call him quickly, then...¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated. ¡°Can I... stay and watch?¡±

    Warning bells rang in Zhao Liangze¡¯s head; he knew it was a bad idea, and immediately refused her. ¡°No, there may be sensitive information. You can¡¯t listen in, you don¡¯t have the security clearance for this.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little disappointed, but did not insist. She returned to her room without another word.

    Zhao Liangze hurriedly contacted Huo Shaoheng.

    It was exactly 11 o¡¯clock at night, over in the Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng was in his study, writing a report on improvements that could be made to the administration of the 6th Military Region.

    He heard his headset notify him of an iing call to his private number, and looked up at hisputer screen: Zhao Liangze was calling him.

    He removed his headset, opened the video messaging system, and asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is Nianzhi¡¯s trial over?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng checked the time on his watch: Gu Nianzhi should still be in the middle of her trial.

    Zhao Liangze shook his head. ¡°New evidence was introduced to the court, so the trial has been adjourned to next week.¡± He exined how the existence of Xin Xinggao¡¯s surveince tapes came to light after He Zhichu demanded to know who had been visiting her at the hospital. ¡°Nianzhi thinks Xin Xinggao has something else the Americans want, and is using it as leverage with the US military. That would exin why they¡¯re willing to go so far for her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took hold of his mouse and opened several top-secret programs on hisputer.

    He traced his bottom lip with a finger as he checked the programs carefully. His eyes were as deep and dark as ck holes¡ªnot even light could escape the intense gravity of his gaze.

    He looked the files over one by one. Suddenly, his brow creased, and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes: he had evidently discovered something. ¡°You¡¯re right, we have a problem. Little Ze, keep an eye on Xin Xinggao. It should be easy for you, since they already have a camera on her.¡±

    Zhao Liangze tensed. ¡°Sir? You found a problem?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I have to get a squad to act on it, stat.¡± Huo Shaoheng rose from his chair. ¡°We were too focused on Xin Xinggao and her involvement with the civilian password system to conduct a proper investigation on the personnel working on the encrypted channel. That was our mistake.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡ª?! The encrypted channel password¡ª¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had turned away, but jerked his head back to the screen at this. He looked sharply at Zhao Liangze andmanded in a harsh voice: ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately shut his mouth. He stood up and bowed towards the camera, contrite.

    Huo Shaoheng did not have the time to reprimand him further. He strode out of his study, and began issuing orders into the mouthpiece of his headset: ¡°Activating Squad B of the 6th Military Region: all armed personnel, report to the helipad with your parachutes in five minutes. Our first target will be J City in G province. Second target, the Secret Service department in the Imperial Capital. Move.¡±

    A minuteter, an rm began to sound throughout the Special Ops military base, notifying all the relevant personnel to assemble for an emergency operation.

    Three minutester, 100 Special Ops soldiers from Squad B, fully armed and strapped into parachutes, assembled at the airport¡¯s helipad.

    Huo Shaoheng had changed into his military uniform. He would have been indistinguishable from the rest of his men if not for his weapons, which were considerably more powerful.

    ¡°Get on the helicopter. Our first target: Room 532, Building A, Nandou R&D Center, J City, G Province¡ªwe arrest everyone inside.¡± Huo Shaoheng was the first to board the helicopter.

    The soldiers boarded the helicopter after him, all 100 of them.

    The helicopter roared to life and flew towards J City in G Province.

    As this was a special military operation, an urgent message was sent to every air traffic control tower in the country, instructing them to keep all air routes clear for the helicopter.

    Two hourster, they arrived at the Nandou R&D Center in J City, G Province.

    Huo Shaoheng was the first to jump out of the helicopter. His men were right behind him.

    ...

    The upants of Room 532, Building A, Nandou R&D Center were in a meeting, and had evidently been at it for a long time¨Cthe air was thick with the smoke from their cigarettes.

    ¡°Put your hands up! You are all under arrest!¡± The leader of Squad B of the Special Operations Forces broke through the door and shoved an arrest warrant into the face of Zeng Quan, deputy director of the Nandou R&D Center.

    Everyone in the room immediately paled. Before they could resist, they were tackled to the floor by the Special Ops soldiers and brought to the helicopters, gagged and trussed.

    Huo Shaoheng left 50 of the Special Ops soldiers to guard the building. With his letter of authority, he now hadplete control over the R&D center¡¯s security system.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?! I¡¯m a military officer! You, you¡¯re from the 6th Military Region¡ªthis is uneptable! You can¡¯t just do whatever you like!¡± Zeng Quan returned to his senses as soon as he was bundled inside the helicopter. He was shaking in his boots, but disguised his fear by protesting loudly at the Special Ops soldiers guarding him.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the shouts. He opened the security door inside the helicopter and walked over to Zeng Quan. His voice was icy when he said: ¡°Don¡¯t call yourself a soldier, Zeng Quan. You¡¯re an embarrassment to the rest of us. Tell the truth: what¡¯s your connection with Xin Xinggao? Did shee into contact with confidential passwords while working on the Nandou project?!¡±

    Upon hearing Xin Xinggao¡¯s name, Zeng Quan¡¯s red, angry face immediately drained of all color. He avoided Huo Shaoheng¡¯s piercing gaze as he mumbled, ¡°...Xin Xinggao? Who? I don¡¯t know her.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t? Well, we¡¯ll see about that, once we return to the capital.¡± Huo Shaoheng was furious, but did not give in to his anger. He left thepartment, kicking the door shut behind him.

    At that very moment, Gu Nianzhi was calling the number Huo Shaoheng had given her, over and over again. She could not get through.

 Chapter 152 - I Miss You

    <h4>Chapter 152: I Miss You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Time passed as Gu Nianzhi had called for a whole two hours, but couldn¡¯t connect to the other line. When it was time for lunch, Zhao Liangze had prepared all the food and called Gu Nianzhi out to eat. She bit on the chopsticks as she looked at the dishes¨Cpan fried fish, garlic shrimp with vermicelli, spinach sd and corn and ribs soup. These were all her favourites, but she had no appetite.

    ¡°Brother Ze, did you call Uncle Huo just now?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked down as she moodily picked up some spinach for her bowl.

    Zhao Liangze grunted, ¡°Of course, I had to make a report to him.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi lost all appetite.

    Huo Shaoheng was obviously able to pick up the phone, yet he ignored her calls. He even said few people knew about the phone number, and that he would pick up if she called. Liars, liars, all liars...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears were about to fall, but she held them back as she put down her bowl and turned to leave. She hastily said, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, I¡¯ll skip lunch for today. I still have some homework to do, so I¡¯m going to go to the library.¡±

    She dashed to her room and mmed the door close before leaning against it and trying hard to muffle her uncontroble sobs. Suddenly, her phone rang again and joy bloomed in her heart. Although it wasn¡¯t the special ring tone she set for Huo Shaoheng, he might¡¯ve changed his number?

    Excitedly fishing out her phone, Gu Nianzhi answered it without even looking, ¡°Hello?!¡±

    ¡°...Nianzhi?¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Is that you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless and crestfallen. Even though she was a little disappointed, Mei Xiawen¡¯s gentle voice was miraculously soothing. At that moment, she didn¡¯t want to put down the phone.

    ¡°Xiawen? Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her watched, it should be nearly one in the morning for him right now.

    Mei Xiawen stood under C City¡¯s night sky and looked up at the stars above as he quietly said, ¡°I miss you, so I couldn¡¯t sleep...¡±

    The most vulnerable spot in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was touched. Her nose sniffled and eyes turned red as she quickly looked up to stop the tears from falling.

    ¡°What is it? Why are you suddenly so poetic?¡± Gu Nianzhi wiped her face, her voice unbelievably tender.

    Her voice echoed in Mei Xiawen¡¯s ear and his heart felt fuzzy, finally dispelling the strong feelings from Jiang Hongcha in the afternoon. He knew that Gu Nianzhi was the only one to prevent him from being affected by Jiang Hongcha. Gripping the phone as he stood on the cony, Mei Xiawen looked up at the moon and thoguht anout hpw she had brought a cake to his office that afternoon. They had been talking amiably about their old ssmates and friends. Some time after, Jiang Hongcha sat next to him, so close that he could look up and see her lush eyshes and delicate and fair skin. She suddenly stopped speaking and made him stay quiet as well.

    ¡°...Kiss me,¡± She closed her eyes and pouted her irresistible red lips.

    Like he was possessed by a demon, he mindlessly lowered his head to kiss her on the lips. He only wanted to briefly taste her, but her arms snaked around him, cradling his neck to deepen the kiss. If it wasn¡¯t for someone knocking on the door to deliver somme material, he had no idea how far they would¡¯ve gone...

    ¡°We can¡¯t do this.¡± Mei Xiawen pushed away Jiang Hongcha, ¡°I already have a girlfriend. Go now, and don¡¯te looking for me again.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha rose up gracefully and flicked her long hair back before suggestively saying, ¡°I won¡¯t look for you again, but you cane find me.¡± She turned to leave, and the room was scented by the jasmine of her favourite Chanel perfume. Her words made Mei Xiawem toss and turn all night, preventing sleep. He then had no choice but to call Gu Nianzhi and thankfully, his heart calmed as soon as he heard her voice. Jiang Hongcha¡¯s spell dissolved with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft and sweet voice.

    ¡°I miss you. When will you be back? I can¡¯t wait anymore, how about Ie to the States too? That way we won¡¯t have to wait six months.¡± Mei Xiawen stretched out his hand to feel the night¡¯s breeze on the balcony, the sensation soft and numbing. He recalled how it felt to hold Gu Nianzhi in the States thest time, it was like hugging an incredibly soft cloud.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled quietly, gripping the phone and saying gratefully, ¡°Can you reallye?¡±

    An emotional voice feltpletely different from a polite and indifferent voice. Mei Xiawen could sense it and he froze before continuing excitedly and turning around on the balcony, ¡°You really want me toe?!¡±

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi really wanted someone to be with her. It was the first time she felt this need, and it was different than being with people like Brother Ze or Brother Xiong.

    ¡°...If you cane, we can be together right now. We don¡¯t need to wait six months.¡± Gu Nianzhi rashly said. Like a child ying on the beach, she wanted to keep as many memories she could before the ocean washed it all away.

    Mei Xiawen immediately promised, ¡°I¡¯ll book the tickets tomorrow!¡± After speaking, he grew sleepy and yawned, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to bed now, you continue your work.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Go now, and don¡¯t stay upte anymore.¡±

    ...

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng led the B Team of 6th Military Region Special Ops on a helicopter and had already arrived at thending pad of the Imperial Secret Service. Under the dark starry sky of the Empire, a giant Mi-26 helicopter thunderously rotating its des as it steadilynded on the tarmac. With Huo Shaoheng in the lead, his forty men had already parachuted and stormed towards the individual office on the 27th floor of the Secret Service building. They kicked down the door and bellowed, ¡°Hands up! This is the Special Operations!¡±

    The people in the room immediately raised their hands and red. One person shouted, ¡°What are you doing?! This is the office of the Deputy Minister of the Secret Service! Who dares to intrude?!¡±

    Raising his M16 assault rifle, the barrel locked with a click as Huo Shaoheng evenly strode over from behind his team members, ¡°...Where¡¯s Bai Yusheng? Have hime out!¡±

    Bai Yusheng was one of the deputy ministers of the Imperial Secret Service and was in charge of the US intelligence system. He was also Bai Shuang¡¯s father and Bai Yueran¡¯s uncle.

    ¡°Deputy Minister Bai?¡± The people in the room nced at each other, ¡°He¡¯s not here.¡±

    ¡°Not here?!¡± Huo Shaoheng was unable to suppress his rage, but he didn¡¯t raise his voice and lowered it instead, ¡°Every member of the Secret Service has a tracking chip embedded in their bodies, and is monitored by the 6th Military Region. Unless they resign from the Secret Service or die, this chip cannot be removed.¡±

    ¡°...Major General Huo, what do you mean?¡± The members of the Secret Service recognized Huo Shaoheng and couldn¡¯t help asking.

    ¡°I mean that Bai Yusheng¡¯s location is indicated to be in this office, but you¡¯re telling me he¡¯s not here?!¡± Huo Shaoheng waved at this men, ¡°Conduct a search.¡±

    The Special Ops members immediately looked through all the rooms and drawers in the office to finally find a tracking chip in a nt by the window. It belonged to Bai Yusheng.

    Huo Shaoheng put on white gloves to pick up the chip and pressed his lips together, ¡°Detain everyone in this room and notify the Military Police to take over. Report to the Senate and head of government that the Secret Service in North America has been annihted, order them to immediately abort all activities in North America and to return now!¡±

    Thanks to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clue, he was able to use an insignificant person like Xin Xinggao to root out Zeng Quan, the deputy director of the Nandou system¡¯s research and development center, which lead to them finding the connection to Deputy Minister of the Secret Service, Mr. Bai Yusheng. The reason why the Americans still valued Xin Xinggao was not because of herself, but the important people behind her¨CZeng Quan and Bai Yusheng!

 Chapter 153 - Iâ€™m Begging You

    <h4>Chapter 153: I¡¯m Begging You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Once he was outside of the Secret Service building, Huo Shaoheng looked up at the night sky and let out a long sigh.

    Despite his efforts, Bai Yusheng had slipped out of his fingers.

    Yin Shixiong walked over and offered him a cigarette.

    The two men stood under arge tree, a short distance away from the Secret Service building, and began to smoke. For them, smoking was the quickest way to de-stress and calm their nerves.

    Yin Shixiong was halfway through his cigarette when he received a call from the Senate.

    ¡°Hello, this is Yin Shixiong speaking. Oh, yes, I¡¯ll let him know right away.¡± Yin Shixiong ended the call and then said, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s for you. They want you to report to the Senate Hall.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng threw his cigarette butt into the trash can under the tree. He packed his M16 assault rifle into its case and tossed it to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ...

    It was now three o¡¯clock in the morning. Huo Shaoheng stood before a podium in the Senate Hall conference room and was giving a report of his military operation to his audience: the chairman of the Senate, the Foreign Affairs and Intelligencemittees, and the heads of various government agencies.

    General Ji, themander-in-chief of the military, sat in thest row with his guards and personal secretary. The m anger on his face was in to see, but his wrath was not directed towards Huo Shaoheng; on the contrary, he was here to back him up.

    Bai Yusheng was the deputy director of the Secret Service department, and therefore upied a high-ranking position. On top of that, he was a member of the powerful and influential Bai family; the Bais were deeply rooted within both the upper levels of government and the elite society of the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng had gone after a member of the Bai family without giving any of the military higher-up prior notice. He was well aware of what would happened if he did not put forth a valid reason for doing so: the potential fallout with the Bai family would be disastrous.

    General Ji had carefully groomed Huo Shaoheng to be his sessor, and fully intended for him to take over his position asmander-in-chief of the Imperial Military one day. For that to happen, however, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s resum¨¦ had to remain clean of any possible scandals. However, General Ji had already made up his mind: he would side with Huo Shaoheng, even if it meant incurring the wrath of the entire Bai family.

    Huo Shaoheng was sure that General Ji would support him to any extent, yet he did not think he was worthy of any such protection from the general; he had failed to put a bullet in Bai Yusheng¡¯s head, and now Bai Yusheng had escaped from the Huaxia Empire. This was by far his worst failure since joining the military.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the documents in his hand: Yin Shixiong had obtained a list of everyone who had exited the country in thest month from the Huaxia Imperial Customs, and had sent it to him a moment ago. There was a grim smile on his lips as he said, ¡°Good morning, Chairman Long, and esteemed gentlemen. I stand before all of you today to inform you of a high-level defection in the Secret Service.¡±

    The room quickly erupted into a litany of angry exmations and threats.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying, General Huo!¡±

    ¡°The Bai family has served the Empire faithfully for many generations. Many of our family members have given their lives for the country over the years as well. How dare you speak such lies and nder?!¡±

    ¡°General Huo, you have been extremely impudent and reckless in your dealings with the Bai family. Did you think that you could get away with it, just because your father is the head of the Military Political Department? Or were you relying on the reputation of your grandfather¡ªthe former deputymander of the military¡ªto bail you out of trouble?!¡±

    Many of the high-ranking officials in the Empire were from the Bai family: of the seventeen officials in attendance, five bore the Bai family name.

    Huo Shaoheng had led his men on a midnight raid of Bai Yusheng¡¯s office and had arrested all the subordinates of the Secret Service deputy director. But he had not stopped there; he had gone one step further and instructed the military police to take control of the Secret Service, effectively paralyzing the Imperial Intelligence Agency¡¯s Secret Service.

    In the eyes of the officials in attendance, Huo Shaoheng had grievously overstepped his boundaries.

    Huo Shaoheng stood on the podium with his hands sped behind his back, his face calm and indifferent. He said nothing. He waited until the uproar died down, before carefully saying, ¡°Those of you from the Bai family, please leave the room. In ordance with the confidentialityws of the Empire, you are not permitted to hear what I have to say next.¡±

    ¡°What?! You¡¯re throwing us out?! On whose authority?!¡±

    ¡°This is outrageous, Chairman Long! Someone¡¯s trying to set us up! This is a conspiracy!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Huo Shaoheng mmed his fist down upon the table, the veins at his temples visibly throbbing with anger. ¡°You have no right toin! Just think of the Secret Service personnel who lost their lives in North America!¡±

    The Senate Hall was immediately silent.

    Chairman Long stood up and said to the Bai family: ¡°I assure you, I will not allow an innocent person to fall victim to defamation and nder. At the same time, I will not allow a traitor to my country to walk away unpunished.¡±

    The Bai family discussed the matter amongst themselves. Finally, one man stood up and said to Chairman Long, ¡°We believe you, Chairman Long, and so we will listen to you out of our respect for you. But as for him,¡± the man pointed to Huo Shaoheng, who was still standing on the podium, ¡°he¡¯d better have conclusive proof to back up his ims, or there will be consequences!¡±

    The Bai family rose from their seats and marched out of the room in anger.

    Once they stepped into the corridor outside, they were immediately detained by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guards, who were acting under the instructions of Yin Shixiong. The officials from the Bai family were handcuffed and quickly escorted to a private holding room; this was a necessary precaution, in order to prevent them from tipping off the rest of the family.

    Back inside the Senate Hall, Huo Shaoheng was now presenting his evidence to the remaining upants of the room, pulling up the documents on therge projector.

    ¡°This is what has happened. I¡¯m sure you are all aware of Xin Xinggao, who betrayed us by leaking the civilian code for the Nandou System. As it turns out, she had secretly approached Zeng Quan¡ª deputy director of the Nandou System¡¯s R&D department¡ªwhile she had been part of the Nandou project. Both Xin Xinggao and Zeng Quan tried to conceal this from others, and we had overlooked their connection during our initial investigation. We were only tipped off recently when we received concrete intel that the US military still has Xin Xinggao under close surveince¡ªpresumably because they have something else they want from her.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around, his face grim.

    ¡°Xin Xinggao went abroad, and helped Zeng Quan open a backdoor to gain entry into the United States. However, Zeng Quan only gave her the civilian code¡ªhe did not give her the password for the encrypted channel. Zeng Quan had tried to use Xin Xinggao as a go-between, and the password for the encrypted channel was his bargaining chip. Their deal was discovered by our Secret Service personnel stationed in North America, and the information was ryed to Bai Yusheng, the Secret Service deputy director in charge of North America.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed at the chart on the screen with theser pen in his hand as he exined the tangled web of connections.

    ¡°Bai Yusheng learned of this, but did not inform us. Instead, he got in touch with Zeng Quan and asked him to contact the US CIA through Xin Xinggao, because he wanted to defect.¡±

    Chairman Long and General Ji widened their eyes at this, their faces troubled.

    If Huo Shaoheng¡¯s allegations were true, then Bai Yusheng¡¯s defection would destroy everything the Imperial Secret Service had built in North America over thest 30 years!

    Chairman Long sprang up from his chair. ¡°Where is Bai Yusheng?! Issue a top priority arrest warrant for him this instant! Hunt him down! We cannot let him get away with this!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I moved to arrest him as soon as I had received the news, but all I found was his tracking microchip, hidden in his office. He¡¯s been gone for at least four days now.¡± As he spoke, he took out the list of people who had exited the country. ¡°This is the list from customs; you can have a look for yourself.¡±

    Chairman Long copsed into his chair, his mouth trembling. He was at aplete loss for words.

    ¡°Zeng Quan recorded every meeting with Bai Yusheng, because he was afraid Bai Yusheng might be a loyal spy for the Empire, trying to collect damning evidence on Zeng Quan¡¯s betrayal. If Bai Yusheng was simply testing Zeng Quan, however, he would not have quietly escaped the country for fear of punishment. I believe that Bai Yusheng is already in the United States¡ªthe question now is whether he has made contact with the CIA.¡±

    ¡°We have to withdraw all our Secret Service personnel from North America, immediately!¡± The head of government mmed a heavy fist on the table. ¡°We cannot let this traitorpromise the lives of our men!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve informed our North American Secret Service men that Bai Yusheng is a traitor¡ªthey are already aware that any information originating from him cannot be trusted, and will be evacuating shortly.¡±

    General Ji wiped the sweat from his brow. He had fought many battles throughout his life, but this was the first time he felt uneasy.

    The Bai family would resent him for this.

    The Bai family was arge family. Although Bai Yusheng had turned out to be a despicable traitor to his own country, the rest of the Bai family could not be punished for his crime. It would have been eptable once, a long time ago, to punish everyone with familial ties to a criminal, but that was now considered barbaric and uncivilized. Times had changed.

    Moreover, it was impossible to eradicate the Bai family¡¯s influence; they were intimately connected with many people in positions of authority, either through marriage or actual blood rtions.

    Huo Shaoheng was also aware of this fact. He suggested an alternative.

    ¡°I propose aprehensive review of all members of the Bai family with government positions at the departmental level or above. Those without suspicious connections or activity can be reinstated to their positions.¡±

    The implication behind his words was clear: anyone connected to Bai Yusheng¡¯s act of treason would be charged and sent to jail.

    Chairman Long exchanged a look with the head of government, before saying, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, an investigation is in order. Hand over the evidence. We¡¯ll take over from here. As for the Secret Service, send your men to follow up. That will be all for today¡ªthe meeting is over!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the Senate building alone. The sky was lightening he and was greeted by the faint blush of dawn.

    The golden outline of the morning sun could be seen through the clouds hanging over the horizon.

    ¡°Sir.¡± Yin Shixiong greeted him with a solemn face. ¡°Little Ze has just confirmed that Bai Yusheng has made contact with the CIA. Should we ask Nianzhi to return to Huaxia?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked towards the rising sun. He narrowed his eyes. The sunlight filtered through the verdant trees lining the avenue; it was like looking at an explosion of emerald and gold confetti.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long moment as he considered Yin Shixiong¡¯s suggestion. Finally, he shook his head and said, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. No one knows her real identity, not even the Secret Service. Bai Yueran knows¡ªand she¡¯s from the Bai family¡ªbut she¡¯s always been loyal to General Ji. We¡¯ll give her the benefit of the doubt, for now. And besides, Nianzhi still has to deal with Xin Xinggao¡¯swsuit.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you worried?¡± Yin Shixiong was ovee anxiety; in his mind, Gu Nianzhi was still no more than a child.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried,¡± Huo Shaoheng said carelessly as he walked to his car, ¡°but I can¡¯t hide her away just because I¡¯m worried. Your concern for her is clouding your judgment.¡±

    ¡°Clouding my judgment?!¡± Yin Shixiong sputtered. He wanted very much to protest, but could not say to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face: You¡¯re the over-protective one!

    Yin Shixiong sullenly got into the car after Huo Shaoheng, unable to voice his frustrations.

    Fan Jian started the car and drove Yin Shixiong and Huo Shaoheng to the airport.

    ...

    At that moment, over at the C City International Airport, Mei Xiawen heard over the airport¡¯s PA system that his flight would be dyed for two hours: all nes had to give way to a private military jet that was currently flying to the airport from the Imperial Capital.

    Mei Xiawen sent a text to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°My flight¡¯s been dyed for two hours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was already regretting her impulsive promise to Mei Xiawen.

    She saw Mei Xiawen¡¯s message and hastily texted back: ¡°Actually, I can wait for half a year, you don¡¯t have to hurry.¡±

    Mei Xiawen smiled at his phone, imagining Gu Nianzhi¡¯s impatient face through her quick reply. He bowed his head and was about to type out a reply when a slender hand reached over and plucked his phone away.

    ¡°Xiawen, are you really going away? You¡¯re leaving me? Is that really what you want?¡± Jiang Hongcha¡¯s sorrowful face appeared before Mei Xiawen, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

    Mei Xiawen was stunned. ¡°Y-You... How did you know that I¡¯m here?!¡±

    ¡°Nothing is impossible, if you set your heart on it.¡± Jiang Hongcha turned off his phone. ¡°Xiawen, don¡¯t go. I¡¯ve never asked you for anything, but this time¡ªI¡¯m begging you!¡±

    She bit her lip and looked at Mei Xiawen, the expression on her heart-shaped face tender and beseeching. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Mei Xiawen¡¯s waist and looked up at him. ¡°Xiawen, give us another chance. I¡¯m not asking for much, just the next six months. By the end of six months, if you don¡¯t think our rtionship is working, you can be with her, okay?¡±

    Mei Xiawen closed his eyes. He knew that Jiang Hongcha was a proud woman. Yet, she had swallowed her pride just to beg him to give them another chance¡ªwhat more could he ask from her?

    Mei Xiawen folded Jiang Hongcha into his arms, burying his face in her hair. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t go to America. We¡¯ll give ourselves another chance, for half a year, but you have to promise me not to tell anyone about this. Not even Ai Weinan.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha let out a sigh of relief as a gentle smile spread across her face. ¡°Okay, I promise.¡±

    It was better this way.

    They would try again for six months. If they could not get their rtionship to work, they would stealthily break up. Nobody would ever know, saving the two of them from potential embarrassment and awkwardness among friends.

    Just then, an attendant walked over and asked them to leave as the area was now off-limits¡ªthe private jet of the high-ranking military official had justnded.

    Mei Xiawen put an arm around Jiang Hongcha¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to America?¡± Jiang Hongcha pointed to Mei Xiawen¡¯s phone. ¡°You have to tell her, you can¡¯t just leave her hanging like that. She may end up waiting for you.¡±

    Mei Xiawen smiled. He raised his phone and sent a message to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Something¡¯se up, a family matter. I won¡¯t be able to go to the US for the time being. I¡¯ll wait for you to return in six months.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had been restless and fidgety the entire time as she ate her dinner. She would open her mouth a few times to say something, but would quickly stop herself every time.

    Zhao Liangze, on the other hand, was too preupied with carrying out the n entrusted to him by Huo Shaoheng¡ªthe evacuation of the North American division of the Secret Service¡ªto notice the turmoil within Gu Nianzhi.

    He hurriedly finished his dinner and reminded Gu Nianzhi to put the tes and chopsticks into the dishwasher, before excusing himself to return to his room to work.

    Just then, Gu Nianzhi received Mei Xiawen¡¯s text.

    She let out a long breath; she was relieved, but could not help feeling puzzled, all the same. She frowned as she carefully ced the bowls and tes into the dishwasher. She absentmindedly added the detergent and set the cycle before returning to her room to bathe.

    She was not in a good mood¡ªa bubble bath would be just the thing to lift her spirits.

    She filled the bathtub with water, stirred in the bubble bath liquid, and¡ªas a finishing touch¡ª added a few drops of rose essential oil. Her bubble bath, fragrant and inviting, was now ready.

    She removed her clothes, coiled her hair, and put on a shower cap. Once she was ready, she stepped into the bathtub and eased herself into the blissfully warm bubble bath.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng disembarked from his private jet at the C City International Airport. He exited the airport through the VIP passageway, got into the Special Ops¡¯ private limousine, and was soon back at the military base.

    He was a little tired: he had spent all ofst night dealing with the Bai Yusheng situation. On top of that, he had not slept for several nights before the incident.

    After a simple, make-shift meal, he decided to take a shower and go to sleep. Before that, he remembered his private phone. He had made it his habit to check it every day. He looked at his phone, and discovered a long list of missed calls from Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 154 - You Cant Lie To Me

    <h4>Chapter 154: You Can¡¯t Lie To Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    What did so call so many times? Did something happen? Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze shifted to the timestamps of the calls and saw that they were all from 9 in the morning local time, which was about nine in the evening in the States. Looking at the missed calls, it must¡¯ve been from seven or eight hours ago. Nianzhi was probably still awake? Huo Shaoheng unlocked the phone to dial her number.

    ...

    As an Inte addict, Gu Nianzhi always had her phone with her, even in the shower. She was about to take a bubble bath, so there was lots of time to soak in the tub and browse online. Her phoneid on the small table next to the tub, while she rxed in the tub and smearing all the bubbles on herself. She was tempted to blow bubbles and have them fly around the bathroom. In the quiet bathroom, the sudden ringing of the phone startled her. Her gaze moved to phone and she froze before reacting¨Cthat was the ringtone she had especially set for Uncle Huo! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up as she frantically reached her hand out from the tub to pick up the phone, the water sshing as she stood up from the tub and her body was covered in white bubbles.

    ¡°...Uncle Huo?!¡± She was so excited that voice trembled slightly.

    ¡°Mhmm, it¡¯s me.¡± Huo Shaoheng gripped the phone as he asked, ¡°I saw you called many times, did something happen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the sadness and dismay she felt from calling for two hours to no avail and whimpered, ¡°Uncle Huo, you told me I can always find you if I call this number, but you...¡± She sniffled before continuing, ¡°I understand if you¡¯re busy and couldn¡¯t pick up, but you can¡¯t lie to me. Tell me if you don¡¯t want me to call, I want bother you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head helplessly, ¡°...Nianzhi, I was on a mission when you called. I couldn¡¯t bring a personal phone.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately felt guilty as she quietly grumbled, ¡°Is that true? I know you can¡¯t pick up during missions, but I asked Brother Ze and he told me you just talked to him, but then you didn¡¯t take my call...¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Huo Shaoheng firmly denied, ¡°Little Ze must¡¯ve not exined it properly. Besides, even if I called him, it would¡¯ve been for business. ¨CWhy would I deliberately ignore your call?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she held the phone, her emotions too easily influenced by Huo Shaoheng. A few words can send her to heaven, and another few words can banish her to hell. She was in limbo between heaven and hell; suffering yet ecstatic.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng switched the phone to his other hand and began unbuttoning his uniform to take a shower, ¡°Tell me, what did you want to say? Was it urgent that you called so much?¡±

    ¡°It was urgent then, but now it¡¯s alright.¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke carefully, ¡°I wanted to ask you, did you find out anything?¡± She stood naked in the bathtub filled with white bubbles and a mirror was mounted on the opposite wall. The condensation on the mirror made the reflection a blur, and only her silhouette was visible. Gu Nianzhi reached out to wipe the mirror off and looked at her face. Her cheeks were flushed,rge eyes misty as she looked fearfully at herself and seaweed-like hair hung down her back. She wiped the disappearing bubbles off her body and bent over to douse water on herself.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the closet in the bathroom to take out a new, tan colored towel to drape on his shoulder. He said, ¡°That¡¯s good then, Everything is taken care of here, and Little Ze will let you know the details. Report anything else right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately promised when it sounded like Huo Shaoheng wanted to end the call. She couldn¡¯t bear letting him go and held her phone as she paced in the bathtub to try to think of something else to talk about. Lost in her thoughts, her foot suddenly slipped and her phone dropped into the tub with a big ssh. ¡°Oh no...¡± Gu Nianzhi cried as she nearly slipped but thankfully grabbed on the handrail hastily. She bent over to look in the tub and fished out her phone. Thankfully, the phone was alright but the call was ended. The phone had excellent waterproof capabilities indeed. Gu Nianzhi eagerly called back.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi?¡± Huo Shaoheng only heard thumps from the phone, then the call ended. He looked at the phone with an increasingly grim expression and was just about to call Zhao Liangze to ask what happened when his phone vibrated again. Gu Nianzhi was calling. He unlocked the phone. ¡°Why did the call end? What happened?¡± Huo Shaoheng sternly questioned, his voice dangerously low.

    Gu Nianzhi pressed the wet phone to her ear and blushed when she heard him speak, ¡°Everything¡¯s ok! I just dropped the phone into the bathtub...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...How did you do that? Where are you? What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I was in the bathroom when you called and taking a bubble bath.¡± Gu Nianzhi hurriedly exined, ¡°...So the bathtub wasa slippery.¡±

    ¡°Slippery? You¡¯re taking a bath?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned and remembered that it was indeed night time in the States right now and it made sense she was taking a bath. He chided her, ¡°Why did you pick up in the middle of a bath? What¡¯s wrong with you? ¨CIs the phone still ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi anxiously nodded, then shook her head, ¡°Yes it¡¯s ok! I was very careful! I picked up the phone when I was standing in the tub, so it didn¡¯t get wet. Really, it was an ident that I slipped and dropped it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and was silent before asking her in a raspy voice, ¡°...Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°No, I caught the handrail. I didn¡¯t fall down.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the phone, ¡°The phone is wet though, I¡¯m going to dry it with a hairdryer after my bath.¡±

    ¡°Continue then.¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t speak anymore and swiped the phone to end the call. He threw it onto a small basket on the bathroom counter. He walked to the shower and turned on the hot water to allow it to gush onto his body¨Cthe droplets wet his hair, sliding from his broad back down to his defined back muscles. The frosted ss enclosure of the shower quickly grew misty. He raised his arms and leaned against the wall, burying this head as the hot water rinsed his strapping, unmoving body. He was still swollen... Huo Shaoheng finally sighed and switched to cold water. Cold water on the base was supplied by groundwater, so it was much colder than normal room temperature water. The iciness washed over his body twice before he finished cleaning himself. Huo Shaoheng dried his hair with a towel and wrapped his lower body with the tan towel. Face expressionless, he grabbed the phone from the basket and left the bathroom. When he returned to his room, he felt ufortable looking at therge bed. Instead, he changed into casual clothes andid on the sofa to quickly rest his eyes. He was awaken by knocking on this door.

    ¡°Mr. Huo? Mr. Huo? Are you there? It¡¯s me, Chen Lie, Big Xiong said you were looking for me?¡± Chen Lie¡¯s voice thundered from outside the door.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and got up to open the outside door to see it was already dark. He only took a nap, why was it dark already? He looked at his phone and saw it was already 8 in the evening. It was truly a deep slumber, he slept straight from day to night. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s felt a little embarrassed as he turned to let Chen Lie inside.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, what is it?¡± Chen Lie carried his briefcase,¡±I just finished two surgeries and am starving now. Can you call the cafeteria to send some food over?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng signalled his orderly, ¡°Have food sent here.¡±

    The food was quickly delivered and Chen Lie ate as he listened to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...About Nianzhi¡¯s case in the States, I want you to make a trip there.¡±

 Chapter 155 - I Wonâ€™t Let Anything Happen to You

    <h4>Chapter 155: I Won¡¯t Let Anything Happen to You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You want me to go? What for? I¡¯d be useless.¡± Chen Lie hurriedly swallowed his mouthful of food. He looked sideways at Huo Shaoheng as he took a sip of water. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t go. They can¡¯t know I¡¯m her guardian, not yet. You understand, don¡¯t you? If the US military finds out about me, Nianzhi won¡¯t be able toe back here¡ªthey won¡¯t let her.¡±

    Chen Lie set his chopsticks down and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. He looked up at the ceiling and murmured, ¡°Six whole years, and no one tried to look for her. We haven¡¯t been able to dig up anything about her, either; maybe we¡¯ve been overthinking it? What if she¡¯s just an ordinary orphan, with both parents tragically dead from an unfortunate ident and no living rtives?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. He held his head in one hand as he toyed with a gold coin, rolling it over his knuckles.

    He did not reply. He would not jump to conclusions, not until he had definitive evidence to prove where Gu Nianzhi hade from.

    Before then, anything was possible.

    He had to keep a clear head.

    ¡°Hello? Did you hear what I said? Little Ze is in the US, isn¡¯t he? What more do you want?¡± Chen Lie shook Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm to snap him out of his reverie. ¡°Or is there a problem with Nianzhi¡¯s case?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes as he closed his fingers over the gold coin he had been toying with. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He Zhichu is an excellentwyer. Still, I want Nianzhi to keep her distance from him.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡± Chen Lie¡¯s eyebrows shot upwards; the effect wasical on his round, pudgy face. ¡°He Zhichu is Nianzhi¡¯s professor, and he¡¯s been very good to her. Come to think of it, I remember hearing from Big Xiong that Professor He is exceptionally talented and highly respected, especially for someone as young as he is. He¡¯s apparently quite the looker, too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him coldly. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Young girls can never resist men like him, you know. Heck, he¡¯s not a man, he¡¯s a god.¡± Chen Lie looked at Huo Shaoheng, his eyes twinkling with amusement. ¡°An Adonis, a real knockout, you know? Oh, my mistake though; you never go on the inte forums, so you probably don¡¯t keep up with thetest ng.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Chen Lie as though he were an idiot. He said nothing.

    Chen Lie chuckled as he wagged a finger. ¡°What are you looking at me for? I¡¯m no Adonis! I¡¯m just describing thetest social trend. Boss, c¡¯mon, just tell me the truth¡ªaren¡¯t you worried about Nianzhi being in America for half a year, with someone as attractive as He Zhichu hanging around her?¡±

    ¡°Why would I worry?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was calm andposed. Not even Chen Lie, who knew him well, could tell whether he was bluffing.

    ¡°Huh, so you¡¯re not worried? At all? Fine, if you say so.¡± Chen Lie turned away, somewhat annoyed, and reached for a can of beer. He cracked it open with a loud pssshhh, and took a long chug. ¡°Okay, tell me what you want me to do.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been waiting for Chen Lie to be serious. He rose from his seat and walked into his study.

    Chen Lie followed him inside and sat across from him on the other side of his desk.

    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Huo Shaoheng tossed him a folder. ¡°You won¡¯t be going alone. I¡¯ll get the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send a few other men with you. You¡¯ll go to the US as a medical expert hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once you¡¯re there, ask Little Ze for further instructions.¡±

    Chen Lie sobered up. He picked up the folder, scanned the documents inside, and then burst intoughter. He cupped his hands at Huo Shaoheng in the traditional Huaxia gesture of respect. ¡°How do you do it? You never cease to amaze me, Boss!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled lightly. He waved his hand and shooed Chen Lie out of his house, as though he were a fly or a mosquito.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood had improved after the phone call from Huo Shaoheng.

    As for Mei Xiawen, he called her every day, right before her bedtime, which would be around lunch time for him.

    He made sure to ask how she was feeling, what she had been up to, and whether she was eating properly.

    It had only been a week since his return flight to the Empire, but he had already sent her two packages.

    One was a bouquet of 99 roses, airlifted directly from the Nethends; Gu Nianzhi arranged them in a vase in her bedroom. The other was a Van Cleef & Arpels five-flower ne. Five tiny flowers, made of mother of pearl and encrusted with diamonds, were arranged asymmetrically on a delicate chain. The workmanship was exquisite; the ne exuded extravagance in its simplicity.

    Gu Nianzhi loved the gifts. She put on the ne and brought the roses over to her desk to show Mei Xiawen during her video call with him.

    ¡°How does it look?¡± She smiled, her eyes bright. Her fair skin was smooth and her cheeks dimpled as she smiled at him; Mei Xiawen could not resist caressing her face on hisptop screen.

    ¡°It looks amazing on you. As soon as I saw this ne, I knew it was meant for you.¡± Mei Xiawen blew a kiss to her by putting two fingers to his lips and pressing them onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face on hisptop screen.

    Gu Nianzhi saw his gesture over her video feed and flushed in embarrassment. She hastily turned off her camera, leaving only the microphone on. Sheughed and said, ¡°Xiawen, you have to wait for six months before you can do something as embarrassing as that.¡± She giggled shyly.

    Jiang Hongcha had been sitting on the sofa in the study, hidden from the camera¡¯s view. She saw that the camera had been turned off, and tiptoed over. She put her arms around Mei Xiawen¡¯s neck from behind and whispered softly in his ear: ¡°I told you, I have excellent taste. No woman can resist roses and a VCA ne.¡±

    Her voice was husky. Her lips hovered right beside his ear. He could feel her breath worm its way in, warm and sultry.

    Heat curled upwards from his lower abdomen. He abruptly ended the call and scooped Jiang Hongcha into his arms, pressing her into the sofa in his study.

    In a few short moments, the study was filled with the sound of breathless moaning. Spring was in the air.

    ...

    The next court hearing for Xin Xinggao¡¯swsuit against Gu Nianzhi had been scheduled for the Monday of the following week.

    He Zhichu and his team worked through the entire week, barely taking the time to rest or sleep. They carefully watched the videotapes, from beginning to end, in an effort to find the holes in Xin Xinggao¡¯s story. Unfortunately, they could not find anything suspicious in the recordings.

    Everything checked out, and nothing remotely illegal hade up in any of Xin Xinggao¡¯s conversations with her visitors.

    The only thing that had seemed suspicious was Lieutenant Colonel Peter¡¯s repeated visits with Xin Xinggao.

    The two of them had conversed in low voices; even with the volume turned up, it was hard to make out what they had said to one another.

    Language experts were called in to verify the muffled conversations, but all of them arrived at the same conclusion: there was nothing suspicious. Xin Xinggao had merely asked Lieutenant Colonel Peter for something to read, and he had obliged her by bringing her a few books.

    It was absurd to im that Lieutenant Colonel Peter had inflicted severe brain trauma on Xin Xinggao just by bringing her books.

    He Zhichu and his team were notpletely convinced the visits had been entirely innocent, but they had to concede that there was nothing there to refute the intiff¡¯s ims.

    ¡°Mr. He, do you have to take on this case?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s subordinate asked, concerned. He followed this with a cautious reminder. ¡°The military appears to be getting help from the CIA recently¡ªthey¡¯re going all out because they think they have this in the bag.¡±

    The US military had aplicated rtionship with the CIA. They were often hostile towards each other, but willingly cooperated when it came to issues involving national interest.

    This time, even the CIA had their fingers in the pie; it was bing increasingly evident now that Gu Nianzhi had been right. Xin Xinggao was most likely hiding something else. He Zhichu and his team did not know what that was just yet.

    As soon as he reframed the situation in this context, He Zhichu suddenly hit upon an idea.

    ¡°Get me a team medical experts¡ªI need a world-famous neurologist, especially.¡± He Zhichu rapped his knuckles on the table as he assigned his subordinates with new tasks. ¡°The John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has the best neurologist and neurosurgeon in the world. Get them to be our expert witnesses, and don¡¯t be stingy with thepensation.¡±

    ¡°Mr. He, do you mean...?¡± His subordinates looked at each other, before lifting their puzzled faces to look at He Zhichu over the stack of videotapes. ¡°You¡¯re going to challenge the prosecution¡¯s ims regarding the extent of Xin Xinggao¡¯s injuries?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu turned and packed his things into his briefcase. ¡°We¡¯rewyers. We must be bold in our assumptions, but meticulous with the evidence. We aren¡¯t scientists, so our arguments don¡¯t have to be perfect¡ªall we need to look for is the evidence to back up our ims. Everything else is superfluous, and can be removed from the equation.¡±

    By the time the trial was resumed on the following Monday, He Zhichu had had many in-depth discussions with the neurologist and a neurosurgeon from John Hopkins. The CT scans and X-rays of Xin Xinggao¡¯s brain had been sent to He Zhichu as well. He had studied them with the experts over the course of several days.

    Although the two experts felt something was off with the scans and X-rays, they were unable to dismiss the possibility of actual brain damage off-hand¡ªthe human brain was extremelyplex, after all. It was impossible to say for certain whether Xin Xinggao¡¯s mental capacity had been irreversibly reduced.

    ¡°Mr. He, this is all we can do for you.¡± The two brain experts politely extended their hands to He Zhichu, their meeting with him over after having worked tirelessly with him the entire week.

    He Zhichu smiled and shook hands with them. ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll just have to do our best.¡±

    ...

    It was her second appearance in court, and Gu Nianzhi had chosen to dress even more conservatively. She wore a white silk top with long puff sleeves, tucked neatly into straight ck trousers. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail that swayed with her every move¡ªshe looked the very picture of youthful innocence.

    Judge Judy struck the sound block with her gavel. She asked He Zhichu, ¡°Mr. He, do you have anyone else that you would like to bring forth today?¡±

    He Zhichu stood up. ¡°I have invited two brain experts. Please allow them to testify in court.¡±

    ¡°Permission granted.¡± Judge Judy nodded and motioned for the two expert witnesses to be brought into the courtroom.

    The two doctors put their hands over the bible and solemnly swore to tell the truth. After that, they took turns testifying from the witness stand.

    The neurologist presented the CT scans of Xin Xinggao¡¯s brain as he exined to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, in my 20 years as a medical practitioner, I have never seen anyone suffer irreversible brain damage from the sort of injury sustained by Miss Xin. These are the afflicted areas in her brain. In the first scan, and in all the subsequent scans leading up to the third week, her injuries are healing steadily. In the fourth week, however, her injuries suddenly deteriorated. As you can see, the CT scans from the fourth week are vastly different from the scans taken during the preceding weeks¡ªwe must find out what happened in-between.¡±

    He Zhichu stood up and began his direct examination. ¡°Dr. Carson, are you saying that Xin Xinggao may have sustained further injuries between the third and fourth week of her hospital stay?¡±

    ¡°I would say that it is highly probable, judging from the CT scans.¡± Dr. Carson was careful with his answer.

    He Zhichu nodded and sat back down, while the prosecutor cross-examined Dr.Carson.

    ¡°In other words, Dr. Carson, you cannot be wholly sure she sustained additional injuries between the third and the fourth week. Isn¡¯t that also right?¡± Xin Xinggao¡¯s legal team had appointed a newwyer to represent them in court, one that was evidently smarter and far more capable than his bumbling predecessor.

    The two experts He Zhichu had brought with him could only say for certain that the CT scans presented an iplete record of Xin Xinggao¡¯s injuries, and were therefore inconclusive: they could not pinpoint, however, exactly when her brain damage had been inflicted.

    Under normal circumstances, the defendant would be acquitted if the evidence submitted by the intiff had not been sufficient to prove¡ªbeyond all reasonable doubt¡ªthe defendant¡¯s guilt.

    There were too many uncertainties in the case; if there had been a jury, they would have dered the defendant to be innocent by now.

    The juvenile court was presided over by a judge, instead of a jury, but that did not mean Gu Nianzhi was at a disadvantage. In the juvenile court, there was an even greater emphasis on the avability of direct evidence, in addition to the logical integrity of the arguments presented.

    In other words, Gu Nianzhi would have been acquitted of her charges by now¡ªhad she not been up against Xin Xinggao and the forces lurking behind her.

    It was just her luck to be caught in a face-off with the US military and the CIA; they were evidently using her to send a message to the Huaxia Empire: ¡°This is what happens when you mess with us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. Her shoulders slumped dejectedly, her fingernails digging into her palms.

    He Zhichu was unperturbed. If his opponent was set on sending Gu Nianzhi to jail, well, he would just have to use his final piece of evidence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± He Zhichu took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and pried her tightly clenched fingers open, one by one. ¡°I won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled wryly at him as she shook her head. ¡°Professor He, I really shouldn¡¯t be taking up any more of your time. When you get back to your office, please send me the bill. I¡¯ll find a way to pay your attorney¡¯s fee, and I¡¯ll do it as soon as possible.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face immediately clouded. He shoved Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand away and said frostily, ¡°Is this the time to discuss my fees? Really? Do you think that you could even afford it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. I can pay in installments, if I don¡¯t have enough to pay you all at once.¡±

    He Zhichu was furious inside; he turned away without uttering another word. His expression had darkened, and his lips were drawn tight.

    Let her go to jail, for all I care.

    It seemed that the stubborn child had not learned her lesson.

    He Zhichu¡¯s beautiful face had turned stony. He watched Gu Nianzhi as though in a trance; he was so intensely focused on her that he no longer registered what was going on with the trial.

    Judge Judy did not have to pay attention to the trial, either; she had received secret orders from the military and the CIA that she would be convicting Gu Nianzhi no matter what.

    Once the attorneys for the intiff and the defendant had presented their closing arguments, Judge Judyughed wrily, raised the gavel, and said: ¡°The evidence presented by the intiff is conclusive and beyond any reasonable doubt. Therefore, the defendant is¡ª¡±

    She had just been about to say ¡°guilty¡± when the courtroom doors abruptly burst open, and a troop of smartly-dressed Huaxia diplomats filed in.

    ¡°Who are you? Are you aware that it is a felony to enter the courtroom without permission?¡± Judge Judy looked towards the bailiffs, the gavel in her hand still hovering in mid-air. ¡°Well?! Get them out of here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up¡ªand saw Chen Lie¡¯s round, chubby face among the men in suits!

    He looked solemn and grave in his ck suit, but when his gaze alighted on Gu Nianzhi standing in the docks, she could see the joyful smile in his eyes .

    Gu Nianzhi immediately rxed.

    Uncle Huo must have sent the diplomats.

    He had not abandoned her. He was here to save her.

    The diplomat at the forefront of the group presented his documents. ¡°Judge Judy, we are diplomats from the Huaxia Empire. We have diplomatic immunity.¡±

    This meant that she could not throw them out for contempt of court.

    ¡°What do you want? Even diplomats have to abide by ourws.¡± Judge Judy¡¯s was visibly irritated, but her gavel has been set aside. She did not dare strike it, not until she knew what was going on.

    ¡°Our country is deeply concerned about Xin Xinggao¡¯swsuit against Gu Nianzhi. Given that they are both citizens of the Huaxia Empire, we believe that they must be brought back to their homnd for a proper trial. This is the extradition order, jointly signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice of the Huaxia Empire. Please have a look, Your Honor.¡±

 Chapter 156 - Who Did You Come For?

    <h4>Chapter 156: Who Did You Come For?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Extradition?!¡± Judge Judy nearly shrieked. She hadn¡¯t expected this to happen and looked helplessly at an individual sitting in the gallery. The man who had been responsible for coordinating the case between the US Military and CIA, who had contacted her and made a secret deal... Lieutenant Colonel Peter. His jaw dropped at the unprecedented announcement and his eyes went wide with rage. He cursed himself forpletely forgetting about this possibility. When Xin Xinggao had contacted them, one of her conditions had been obtaining a green card and permanent residency in the United States. The procedure to obtain a green card wasplicated, so although they had agreed to her terms, it would have taken a good deal of time. Gu Nianzhi had assaulted Xin Xinggao before the process waspleted. Unable to swallow her pride, Xin Xinggao had used the support of the US Military and CIA to make an example of Gu Nianzhi and frighten other Huaxia Imperial exchange students from giving her trouble. She had been adamant on suing Gu Nianzhi and sending her to American prison. Xin Xinggao has regarded herself as an American citizen and had assumed that the American judicial system would help her and protect her from harm at the hands of the Huaxia exchange students. Whatever harm came to Gu Nianzhi in America¡¯s prison system as a Huaxia exchange student had been of little concern to Xin Xinggao.

    However, as soon as the diplomat of the Conste General of the Huaxia had Empire appeared, Xin Xinggao¡¯s bravado had shrunken down like Sun Wukong1 by his Golden Fillet. Though she sat at the intiff¡¯s stand with a nk expression, Xin Xinggao¡¯s legs turned to jelly and her hands began shaking violently on the wheelchair armrests. She was terrified. She wasn¡¯t even a permanent resident, so she was still a Huaxia Imperial citizen¡ªAmericanws offered limited protection for her.

    ¡°Yes, extradition.¡± The diplomat waved the documents in his hand. ¡°My nation has signed an extradition agreement with the United States. ording to the agreement, this criminal case is entirely within the scope of extradition.¡±

    The diplomat stressed the word ¡°criminal case¡± with a mocking tone and half smiled at the red faced Judge Judy. ording to the extradition agreement, parties in political cases were excluded, while parties in criminal cases were fully eligible for extradition. In the case of Xin Xinggao VS Gu Nianzhi, it was obviously political, but in order to teach Gu Nianzhi a lesson, it had been reported as a criminal case. They had unwittingly given the Huaxia Empire an upper hand.

    But to extradite Xin Xinggao?! Are you kidding me?! Lieutenant Colonel Peter would be the first to p her on the face. The courtroom grew silent and the people present kept their eyes fixed on Judge Judy and the Consul General of the Huaxia Empire of Boston.

    He Zhichu was the only exception. He sat rigidly in the dock, his face sullen and his eyes locked onto Gu Nianzhi. She could feel his cold stare as it bore into her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had never feared anyone except for Huo Shaoheng while she had been growing up. Refusing to back down, she stared back at He Zhichu and leaned over to whisper in his ear, ¡°Professor He, are you unhappy?¡± Why was he suddenly so upset? she mused sadly. Thinking back on what it could have been, she realized that his change in attitude hade about when she had mentioned the legal fees. She pursed her lips, suddenly feeling guilty. She had truly thought the case was lost and that she was going to jail, so she had tried to rush to exin it to He Zhichu before the bailiff took her away. She hadn¡¯t wanted to owe He Zhichu any favours. Connecting He Zhuchu¡¯s strong reaction to her remark, Gu Nianzhi was more certain that she had done the right thing¡ªshe had to pay him as soon as possible.

    ¡°Why do you even care if I¡¯m happy or not?¡± He Zhichu managed to say through his grit teeth. His voice was quiet and controlled, and his breath blew onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek.

    Gu Nianzhi moved away and she turned her face the slightest bit towards him as she continued to exin. ¡°I know that Professor He is not helping me because of the money, but I can¡¯t take advantage of your kindness. The only thing I can do for Professor He is to pay first, then continue to be your student and strive to graduate with excellent grades. ¡±

    He Zhichu chest ached and his confusion at the sensation annoyed him further. He smiled bitterly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡± What good fortune for me to have a student like you.¡±

    ¡°Professor He sounds like he¡¯s really saying that it¡¯s ¡®terrible luck.¡¯¡± Gu Nianzhi shifted her gaze to Chen Lie and casually remarked, ¡°If Professor He finds it hard to ept right now, then we¡¯ll talk about it after the case ends. Anyway, I refuse to have Professor He get taken advantage of by me and my mistakes.¡±

    The only person I want to take advantage of me and what I have to offer, no matter when, where, or why can only be you, Gu Nianzhi. He Zhichu sighed quietly and kept himself from speaking thatst thought aloud. He closed his eyes, wishing deeply to no longer deal with this girl who made him feel at such a loss.

    The truth was, even if the Huaxia diplomat hadn¡¯t appeared, He Zhichu had devised a way to make sure Gu Nianzhi would walk out of this case unscathed. But now that the other side had deployed a diplomat, He Zhichu had no need to use his own power. He closed his eyes and began to contemte who the diplomats really came for, Xin Xinggao, or... could it be Gu Nianzhi? He Zhichu kept the thought to himself, and brought his attention back to the new events unfolding in the courtroom.

    After Judge Judy regained herposure, she finallyunched a new counterattack. ¡°No, Xin¡¯s IQ is damaged and so she doesn¡¯t have the capabilities of a normal person. Who will guarantee her personal safety?¡±

    Chen Lie walked up to the stand. ¡°Your Honor, I am a doctor within the Huaxia Empire¡¯s official military medical team. With Xin Xinggao in my care, Your Honor will have nothing to worry about.¡±

    Chen Lie was reknown for his medical skills, andbined with his military background, even Lieutenant Colonel Peter was left speechless. He snuck a look at Xin Xinggao who looked at him with terrified eyes. He could only shake his head and spread his hands in helplessness.

    The CIA representative sat immobile. They were already in control of their person of interest, Bai Yusheng, so Xin Xinggao was not longer useful.

    Xin Xinggao quickly nced around the courtroom, suddenly realizing that she was going to be at the mercy of these people and subject to extradition if she didn¡¯t speak now. If she went back to the Empire after doing such traitorous things, it was obvious what was going to happen to her.

    ¡°Your Honor, I request for United States citizenship.¡± Xin Xinggao abruptly spoke up, and although she was speaking to the judge, she red at Lieutenant Colonel Peter and the CIA representative. ¡± I know that ording to the United States naturalizationw, those who make major contributions to America can bypass the process and immediately obtain citizenship.¡±

    There was a lengthy process to getting a green card, but this was a much faster alternative. Xin Xinggao had carefully studied these regtions and had initially thought that she just had needed to patiently wait since the green card was promised to her. Now the situation had changed and she had request for naturalization immediately. Compared to her desire to throw Gu Nianzhi in jail, it was much more important to quickly obtain citizenship and be freed from the governance of Huaxia Imperialws. Xin Xinggao couldn¡¯t put up the mentally disabled act any longer, and so she resorted to desperately shouting her request in front of everyone in court.

    The first to react, Gu Nianzhi m snorted and rose from her seat, her eyes steely and her voice sharp. ¡°What¡¯s this? Wasn¡¯t Xin¡¯s brain irreparably damaged and her IQ reduced to that of a three year old¡¯s? Why is she all of a sudden back to nornal at this crucial moment?¡± Gu Nianzhi red at Xin Xinggao. ¡°Stop your pretense and nder, Xin Xinggaoz W have all these witnesses!Mr. He, I argue that you counter charge Xin Xinggao on my behalf for fabricating evidence and the obstruction of justice. I also countercharge the US Military and the CIA for abuse of power and the persecution of an innocent minor!¡±

 Chapter 157 - Windfall

    <h4>Chapter 157: Windfall</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu turned to re at Gu Nianzhi. The girl was a real piece of work: she had been throwing money in his face a minute ago, eager to be rid of him, and now she was nonchntly ordering him about like she owned him...

    The cheek of this girl!

    He Zhichu sneered as he stood up. His handsome, dignified face was icy cold. He looked around the courtroom contemptuously, before lifting his chin arrogantly. ¡°She¡¯s right. I¡¯m filing a counterim, on behalf of my client, against Xin Xinggao, who has fabricated evidence and defamed my client with false usations. I am also suing the US military and the CIA¡ªthey falsified evidence, and are guilty of perverting the course of justice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside He Zhichu and shamelessly waved her slender arms about in a great show of unearned arrogance: she was a tiny yapping dog riding on the fearsome reputation of the lion behind her. ¡°You heard him! You all know who this man is¡ªthe super famouswyer, He Zhichu! He¡¯s never lost a case, and now he¡¯s beaten you, too! Admit it!¡±

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter was purple with rage. He screamed: ¡°We haven¡¯t lost yet!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever.¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and coolly looked him over. The arrogant expression on her face was an exact copy of He Zhichu¡¯s. ¡°Go suck an egg!¡±

    ¡°What the f*ck?!¡± Lieutenant Colonel Peter flew into a fit of uncontroble rage at the haughty expression on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Her words did not help, either. He leapt towards her, his mind set on beating the living daylights out of her.

    The courtroom immediately degenerated intoplete chaos.

    Gu Nianzhi deftly stepped away, putting He Zhichu between herself and Lieutenant Colonel Peter.

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter reached for her, but his arm was seized in mid-air by He Zhichu. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Peter attacked my client in court. That will be an additional charge of assault. I will be adding Lieutenant Colonel Peter¡¯s name to my list of defendants.¡±

    In the midst of all the chaos, Chen Lie secretly activated the camera hidden in his sses. He calmly recorded everything that was happening with apletely straight face, fully intending to show the recording to Huo Shaoheng once he was back in the Empire.

    He turned the camera upon Gu Nianzhi, and made sure to record from an angle that would show Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu standing together.

    He Zhichu was slender and handsome. His demeanor was frosty and aloof, but he was clearly protective of Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was tall and beautiful. She was bursting with energy and life as she fearlessly prodded her enemies. Her confidence hade from He Zhichu, and it was evident that she felt safe with him by her side.

    Chen Lie watched the scene in front of him, and tried to imagine Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reaction to this recording. Chen Lie¡¯s round face was solemn and grave, but deep down, he could feel his intestines ache from suppressedughter.

    ¡°Order! Order in court!¡± Judge Judy hurriedly picked up her gavel and mmed it viciously on the sound block.

    The bailiffs rushed in and separated everyone.

    Following that, a few men from the US military and the CIA quickly wheeled Xin Xinggao out of the courtroom.

    Lieutenant Colonel Peter glowered menacingly as the bailiffs forcefully dragged him away from He Zhichu. He gave the middle finger to the Huaxia diplomats and spat out: ¡°Xin will be an American soon! You have no authority over her!¡±

    ¡°Yeah? So what if she¡¯s an American, big deal! Did you think we¡¯d be too afraid to sue her, just because she¡¯s American? I¡¯ll bankrupt her, and send her to jail with a snap of my fingers!¡± Gu Nianzhi seemed intent on waging war at this point; she poked her head out from behind He Zhichu as she continued to provoke Lieutenant Colonel Peter. She was only one step away from returning his middle finger...

    He Zhichu turned to look at her, his expression cold. ¡°...Oh? You can send her to jail with a snap of your fingers? Impressive.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I can¡¯t do that, but you can, Professor He, you¡¯re so amazing!¡± Gu Nianzhi shamelessly sped her hands together and looked up at him with herrge, starry eyes. She wasying it on thick now: ¡°You¡¯ll send her to jail, bam, just like that!¡±

    He Zhichu had been furious with Gu Nianzhi when she insisted on paying his attorney¡¯s fee. Now, however, faced with her adorable, cheeky act, he found that he could not stay angry at her. He tousled her hair and said: ¡°Good answer.¡±

    ...

    By the end of the day, Xin Xinggao had received her US nationality, which meant it was no longer possible to extradite her. At the same time, she had to drop all allegations of aggravated assault against Gu Nianzhi.

    It was painfully evident that Xin Xinggao had tried to frame Gu Nianzhi over non-existent injuries, and He Zhichu was not about to let Xin Xinggao and her legal team walk away unpunished.

    It did not take long for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s counterim to be submitted to the Boston Federal District Court. This time, Gu Nianzhi was suing Xin Xinggao for false charges, and also suing the US military, the CIA, and Lieutenant Colonel Peter specifically for coborating to falsify the evidence against her.

    Gu Nianzhi was still a minor. He Zhichu made sure to report Judge Judy¡¯s brazen abuse of authority to both the US Department of Justice and the Bar Association. As a result, her qualifications as a judge andwyer were currently under review.

    The situation did not look at all promising for Judy. She would most likely be stripped of her qualifications as a judge, in addition to losing herwyer¡¯s license.

    Once news of what happened to Judy got out, most of the other judges were too afraid to take up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s counterim. The judge who finally epted the case was He Zhichu¡¯s former professor, from his days as a student inw school.

    With a neutral, unbiased judge presiding over the case, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s counterim moved along quickly.

    Xin Xinggao was now an American. Although she was no longer under the jurisdiction of the Huaxia Empire, thews in the US still applied to her, and actually made it a lot easier for Gu Nianzhi to sue her.

    A weekter, the US military and the CIA folded. They sent someone to He Zhichu to beg for mercy, and to settle out of court. They offered 10 million US dors aspensation; their only condition was that He Zhichu and his team abandon the case, once and for all. Xin Xinggao¡¯s file would be sealed¡ªforever.

    Gu Nianzhi sucked in a breath when she saw the proposed amount. She asked He Zhichu: ¡°Professor He, would this be enough to pay your attorney¡¯s fee?¡±

    ¡°Attorney¡¯s fee this, attorney¡¯s fee that¡ªis that all you ever think about?¡± He Zhichu tousled her hair. ¡°It¡¯s only 10 million dors. You can¡¯t be satisfied with that?¡±

    ¡°...What would you consider to be an appropriate amount, then?¡± Gu Nianzhi cheerfully made a cup of coffee for He Zhichu and ced it in front of him. ¡°You can have it all, aspensation for your legal services, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu snorted. ¡°Very generous of you. No, you don¡¯t have to give me the whole amount. I¡¯ll take 10% of the settlement proceeds.¡±

    ¡°Fine by me.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t mind giving you the whole amount, really¡ªthis was a total windfall, I wasn¡¯t expecting to get money out of this.¡±

    In the end, He Zhichu proposed to the US military and the CIA to settle out of court for 100 million dors. If they did not agree, he would take hiswsuit all the way to the Supreme Court.

    The US military and the CIA were worried that further trials would expose even more of their secrets. After many discussions¡ªand a few words of advice from several US government officials who sided with He Zhichu¡ªthey were finally forced to give in to He Zhichu¡¯s demands. They paid Gu Nianzhi 100 million dors to settle out of court.

    Gu Nianzhi paid He Zhichu 10% of the settlement money for his attorney¡¯s fee, or 10 million dors. The remaining 90 million dors went into her pocket; she decided she would transfer the money to a savings ount in the Huaxia Empire, as soon as she had the chance to do so.

    ...

    Chen Lie waited until Gu Nianzhi had won her counterim, before returning to the Huaxia Empire.

    Before leaving, he secretly met up with Gu Nianzhi at a banquet the conste had thrown for the Harvard University Huaxia students.

    They pretended not to know each other in front of the other guests.

    Once she was inside Chen Lie¡¯s private room in the conste, however, Gu Nianzhi immediately dropped her act and gave him a big hug. ¡°Brother Chen! I missed you so much!¡±

    Chen Lie was also deeply moved by their reunion. He patted her on the back and said, ¡°We¡¯ve missed you too, Nianzhi. How are you? You seem to be doing great. Professor He has been treating you really well, I see.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She led Chen Lie by the hand to the sofa, where they both sat down. ¡°Professor He has been very kind to me. I¡¯m really grateful to him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it? You¡¯re just ¡®grateful¡¯?¡± Chen Lie¡¯s round eyes twinkled behind his sses. ¡°Looks to me he thinks of you as something more than a student.¡±

    He Zhichu had made a valiant effort at concealing his affection for Gu Nianzhi, but it was clear as day to someone as perceptive as Chen Lie.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°...Brother Chen, when did you be such a gossip? What about Sister Zitan? Are you two together yet?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother changing the subject. And no, I still haven¡¯t gotten her to go out with me...¡± Chen Lie scowled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You cheeky girl, you¡¯re a master at evasion now! You haven¡¯t answered my question!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, lively eyes blinked a few times. She said sheepishly: ¡°Actually, I promised Mei Xiawen I¡¯ll be his girlfriend, if he¡¯s still in love with me when I return to the Empire in six months...¡±

    ¡°Oh? I see...¡± Chen Lie tilted his head in some surprise. He settledfortably into the sofa and began ticking off her suitors with his fingers: ¡°So there¡¯s Mei Xiawen¡ªyou promised to be his girlfriend after six months. And then there¡¯s Professor He, living so close to you... tsk tsk... I bet a certain someone won¡¯t be able to sit still when he finds out.¡±

    ¡°Someone? Who?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked quizzically. ¡°Brother Chen, are you keeping something from me?¡±

    ¡°No, no, of course not...¡± Chen Lie could not stopughing. He handed a yogurt drink to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Here, this was your favorite when you were a kid, I remember.¡±

    The yogurt drink from the Huaxia Conste General in Boston had been made by a chef flown over from the Empire. It was delicious, and tasted exactly like the yogurt drink Gu Nianzhi had loved as a child.

    She inserted a straw and sipped the yogurt drink loudly as she wondered how to ask Chen Lie about Huo Shaoheng.

    She thought of Huo Shaoheng smiling at the mystery woman on Zhao Liangze¡¯s video feed the other day, and felt as though her heart had been raked over by a vicious cat. She could barely keep herself from grabbing Chen Lie by the cor and shaking him until he told her who that woman was...

    Chen Lie looked Gu Nianzhi over.

    He had not seen her for two months. She was noticeably taller now, and a lot curvier.

    The little girl was slowly but surely transforming into a youngdy. She was a woman now.

    Chen Lie sipped wistfully at his Coke. Children grew so quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her yogurt drink and finally summoned the courage to ask hesitantly: ¡°Brother Chen, did Uncle Huo recently get a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°What? Who told you that?¡± Chen Lie narrowed his eyes, and surreptitiously began recording Gu Nianzhi with the camera hidden in his sses.

    Gu Nianzhi knew she had to bring out concrete evidence if she wanted Chen Lie to treat the subject seriously. Otherwise, he would probably treat her like a child and say whatever she wanted to hear, just as Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had done...

    After a fierce battle with herself, Gu Nianzhi finally gritted her teeth and said: ¡°Uncle Huo went to the after-party for the International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chen Lie was immediately reminded of how Huo Shaoheng had been forced to attend the party by General Ji, the topmander of the military. He pped his thigh and burst intoughter. ¡°Oh man¡ªbad news travels fast, they were right about that! How did you know Mr. Huo had been forced to socialize at a party? Hahahaha...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so surprised her jaw almost fell to the floor.

    In the next moment, she had pounced on Chen Lie. She clutched his arm and shook it savagely as she screamed: ¡°Socialize? What?! Brother Chen, exin what you mean, now! Or else!¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you know he went to the party, but didn¡¯t know he had been forced to go?¡± Chen Lie wasughing so hard now tears streamed from his eyes. He rubbed his chin and said earnestly: ¡°Let me exin. You remember his mission abroad? You know the one¡ªyou helped them deal with the Nandou satellite and all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yeah, I remember, but what does that have to do with Uncle Huo going to the party?¡±

    ¡°It has everything to do with it.¡± Chen Lie rose from his seat to get a bottle of Coke. ¡°That mission was for Gu Yanran, a wealthydy from Barbados. Mr. Huo went to the party to socialize only because this woman wanted to thank him personally. She also promised to donate arge sum of money to the military, to set up a pension fund for the families of soldiers who are either dead or retired.¡±

    ¡°Gu Yanran?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s that? Why haven¡¯t I heard of her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t me you, we hadn¡¯t heard of her either. She¡¯s a richdy who suddenly appeared on the scene two years ago.¡± Chen Lie smiled. ¡°You¡¯re both Gu¡¯s, but she¡¯s so much more mature and generous than you are.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh! There are so many people with the Gu family name¡ªwhat, are you going topare me to all of them?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Chen Lie dismissively. ¡°So this woman wanted Uncle Huo to attend the party? And she said she¡¯d donate her money to a military pension fund if he went?¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Chen Lie tousled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. ¡°My dear Nianzhi, you¡¯re so clever, so quick to catch on. That¡¯s exactly what the woman meant. Anyway, your Uncle Huo had his arm twisted. He was forced to go socialize with her at a cocktail party¡ªhe absolutely hates those¡ªand all because she dangled her filthy money like a carrot on a stick.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the smile she had seen on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face, and muttered: ¡°...Was he forced to go? Really? But I saw him smile...¡±

    Chen Lie: ¡°You saw that? How? Anyway, so what if he smiled? He can¡¯t put on a half-assed show¡ªhe has to look like he actually wants to be there, you know? But I know for a fact that he left almost immediately. Little Ze stayed behind to represent him. Hey, isn¡¯t Little Ze with you now? Why didn¡¯t you ask him about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had not dared to ask Zhao Liangze¡ªshe had been afraid she would not like his answer.

    But now, as she sat listening to Chen Lie, it finally urred to her that Chen Lie was right: Huo Shaoheng would never attend a party if he could help it...

    But that did not exin the way heughed at the party.

    Gu Nianzhi had to admit that she was feeling somewhat jealous. It was inappropriate for her to feel that way, but she could not help the sour, unpleasant feeling within her.

    Uncle Huo had always been hauntingly beautiful; it was the sort of beauty that stole one¡¯s breath away. When he smiled, he was utterly irresistible.

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip and said in a low voice: ¡°That Gu Yanran sounds absolutely shameless. If she wants to help the soldiers, she should just go ahead and do it. Why does she need Uncle Huo for that? What does his presence at the party have to do with her donation?¡±

    ¡°My thoughts exactly. She was only using her donation as an excuse.¡± Chen Lie followed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lead and lobbed insults at Gu Yanran. He did not have a good impression of Gu Yanran, either.

    So what if she was rich? She waspletely shameless, using her money to coerce the military into sending Huo Shaoheng to meet with her.

    Chen Lie would rather have Huo Shaoheng get together with Gu Nianzhi, than allow Gu Yanran to get her dirty paws on him.

    ¡°Gu Yanran is quite attractive, actually. She may seem in and ordinary at first nce, but look at her a second time, and you won¡¯t be able to look away.¡± Chen Lie said with a sigh, ¡°She¡¯s extremely wealthy, too. She¡¯s going to move her entire family fortune over to our country. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll see her, eventually, once you¡¯re back in the Empire.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms as she leaned backwards into the sofa. She said, fuming: ¡°Being super rich is not an excuse! I don¡¯t care who Uncle Huo chooses to be his girlfriend, that¡¯s none of my business¡ªbut I won¡¯t stand idly by and watch him be coerced!¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Chen Lie smiled as he teased Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Go up to Gu Yanran and spit on her?¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Gu Nianzhi red at him. ¡°I have my methods.¡±

    The next day, Chen Lie left Boston and returned to the Huaxia Empire.

    As soon as he was back in his country, he learned what Gu Nianzhi had meant by her ¡°methods.¡±

    By the time Chen Lie returned to the military base, Gu Nianzhi had already remitted the remaining amount from her settlement¡ªall 90 million US dors¡ªto General Ji of the Huaxia Imperial Military, and asked him to set up a charitable fund for both fallen and retired soldiers. She had requested that the fund be established in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name.

 Chapter 158 - Successor

    <h4>Chapter 158: Sessor</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°General Ji, did Miss Gu Yanran donate this incredible sum? She finally wired the money over?¡±

    Colonel Zhu was in charge of finance in the office of the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military. He grinned when he saw the figure in the bank ount. ¡°Oh my god! 90 million US dors! That¡¯s almost double the 50 million that had been previously agreed on. It looks like our Major General Shao has made another great contribution!¡± Not only was the giant donation used to set up a charity fund, Colonel Zhu thought, but it was also named after Major General Huo! How impressive! Colonel Zhu was humming a tune when he carried a pile of files to General Ji¡¯s desk.

    General Ji looked up at him, his reading sses reflecting the strong re of his deskmp, and said, ¡°Colonel Zhu, I¡¯m not confident in how you¡¯re handling our financial affairs. It looks like I¡¯ll have to rece my financial supervisor.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Colonel Zhu ced the files on General Ji¡¯s desk and hastily said, ¡°General Ji! Please tell me if I¡¯ve made any mistakes! I¡¯ve followed you for over 10 years and have worked hard all this time.¡±

    ¡°Quiet!¡± General Ji barked, ¡°Financial affairs is hard work you say? If I had you lead soldiers to battle, then would you dare to say to me that the work you do now is hard?!¡±

    ¡°General Ji, I was just being modest! Please don¡¯t take it seriously. Where have I miscalcted the financial ounts?¡± Colonel Zhu frowned as he stood before General Ji and looked through the books.

    Bai Yueran, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, giggled. ¡°Colonel Zhu, you were indeed mistaken. This money was not from Gu Yanran. I¡¯m telling you now, Uncle Ji will forgive you and won¡¯t punish you if you say the wrong thing, but you better say a prayer if you utter such inuracies in front of Major General Huo. Neither Uncle Ji nor Uncle Long will be able to save you.¡±

    Now visibly tense, Colonel Zhu quickly took out all the bank deposit information and carefully looked at it. ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s not Gu Yanran? Then who? The name...it¡¯s been scratched out.¡± Colonel Zhu peered at it for a long time and finally found a remittance note exining that the sender had selected to give an ¡°anonymous¡± donation. Colonel Zhu¡¯s rank wasn¡¯t high enough so he couldn¡¯t view the sender¡¯s real name.

    ¡°Well, you just need to know the donor wasn¡¯t Gu Yanran.¡± General Ji removed his reading sses and threw it on the desk before rubbing his eyes. ¡°Go now, and see whether Major General Huo is here.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Ji, I¡¯ll go greet him.¡± Bai Yueran smiled as she left the room.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng stood alone in General Ji¡¯s lobby. He was in formal military uniform, the buttons on his chest neatly done and a wide calfskin military belt on his waist. Under the belt, his long legs were d in knee-length military boots over slim fitted ck trousers. He had his hands tucked into his pockets and was gazing at an exquisite painting of a fierce tiger descending a mountain, thendscape shrouded in mist and shadowed by dark trees. Hearing footsteps behind him, Huo Shaoheng turned back to look.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, Uncle Ji will see you now.¡± Bai Yueran nodded at him. ¡°This way please.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to her and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Bai Yueran had previously worked in the office but hadter transferred to the 6th Military Region. She was meant to report to Huo Shaoheng if she came, as it was required.

    Bai Yueran promptly exined, ¡°What happened was that General Ji had a matter that¡¯s rted to my previous role and also involved Mr. Huo. So General Ji issued a secret order for me toe here alone first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and didn¡¯t say anything more until they arrived at General Ji¡¯s office.

    ¡°Shaoheng is here? Please sit.¡± General Ji broke into a smile when he saw Huo Shaoheng and gestured him to sit beside him. Huo Shaoheng was his favorite disciple and also the sharpest de the Empire kept in the shadows: the military¡¯s secret weapon. The most important thing for a powerful nation and army was a sessor. Huo Shaoheng sat next to General Ji in standard military position, hands on his knees and back straight.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you can rx. Today we¡¯re discussing a good thing.¡± Bai Yueran yfully winked at him and set a cup of Da Hong Pao oolong tea before him. ¡°Please enjoy.¡±

    General Ji chuckled and patted the back of the chair. ¡°Yes! Yueran is right, Shaoheng; don¡¯t be like this, I feel as though I don¡¯t know how to sit properly anymore when you act all formal.¡¯

    Huo Shaoheng gave a small smile. ¡°General Ji, you must be joking. We¡¯re at your office right now, not at your home. How can I not be serious?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± General Jiughed loudly and ced arge pile of files on the coffee table in front of Huo Shaoheng and Bai Yueran, ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯ve raised her well. I give you full points as a guardian these past six years!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze, looking at General Ji while his mind spun. Is this about Gu Nianzhi? What did that girl do now? Huo Shaoheng was worried. She had just moved abroad two months ago and had soon gotten into serious trouble. Could he really let her be?

    Bai Yueran looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s startled expression andughed so hard she cried. ¡°Look at much you¡¯ve stressed out Mr. Huo. Uncle Ji, hurry up and tell him before Nianzhi gets a scolding from him again!¡±

    ¡°What, this really has to do with Nianzhi? What did she do now?¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled, but his eyes were full of doubt.

    General Ji knocked on the coffee table. ¡°Look for yourself. She established a charity fund for our fallen soldiers and even named it after you. See, all your efforts these years were not a waste. This child is bright and kind. We made the right choice back then.¡± General Ji finished speaking and gave a great sigh. The room suddenly grew silent.

    Huo Shaoheng flipped through the bank transfer information and saw her name behind the ¡°Anonymous¡± donor tag, stroking his finger over it. Just brushing his fingers over the characters threw his emotions in turmoil. Nianzhi was truly an amazing girl. She had been a great help with the Nandou system incident, and this time she put in even more effort and had even donated money. She had given away 90 million US dors without skipping a beat. Huo Shaoheng knew from Zhao Liangze that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s counterim on the Xin Xinggao had resulted in the grossly generouspensation of 100 million USD through the concerted efforts of the US military and CIA. 10 million had been used to pay legal fees to He Zhichu¡¯sw firm and Huo Shaoheng had asked Zhao Liangze to deposit the remaining 90 million to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal bank ount. He had intended for it to be the foundation for her savings, so that when she started a family in the future, she would be financially independent. He had never thought that the sly girl would donate all the money to the military.

    Bai Yueran held the fine china teacup delicately and spoke softly. ¡°It¡¯s been six years and we still haven¡¯t found out anything about her past. General Ji, Major General Huo, she will turn 18 in two months. What do you n to do then?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi would be an adult once she turned 18 and from a legal standpoint, she no longer needed a guardian. She would have more freedom as an independent person.

    General Ji rested his chin on his hand and asked Huo Shaoheng thoughtfully, ¡°Shaoheng, what do you say?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed the file, pushing it back to General Ji and casting his eyes down. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do. She¡¯s just an ordinary girl. It¡¯s been enough to monitor her for six years already. Once she¡¯s 18, we¡¯ll let her live like a normal person.¡±

 Chapter 159 - A Match Made in Heaven

    <h4>Chapter 159: A Match Made in Heaven</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I, too, believe that Gu Nianzhi is a normal human being, and not some Frankenstein monster,¡± Bai Yueran said humorously as she ced the bone china teacup in her hand on the coffee table. ¡°What we¡¯re really interested in is her background, her origins. General Ji, General Huo, I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten what we found in the backpack she was carrying when we first found her. Those documents and charts have proved to be extremely valuable.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply.

    General Ji nodded. ¡°We only achieved our breakthrough with the engine for the Gray Shadow supersonic fighter jet because of those documents.¡±

    The Imperial fighter jets would still be running on sub-par engines, if it had not been for Gu Nianzhi and her backpack.

    ¡°Exactly. Our intel tells us that we beat the United States to the punch¡ªthey¡¯re still trying to develop their version of our engine.¡± It was clear that Bai Yueran¡¯s words were directed to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°So Mr. Huo, in light of all that, do you still want to be rid of Nianzhi? Do you still think she¡¯s a burden to you?¡±

    General Ji sat up straight on the sofa. He was old, but his majestic, domineering aura had not decreased over the years. He patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder and said solemnly, ¡°Shaoheng, this task was assigned to you by the state and the military. I know it hasn¡¯t been easy for you, having to y nanny and raise a little girl on your own, but Yueran is right. We¡¯re interested in her background, her origins, and not who she is, as a person. You cannot abandon your duty, not before we find out where she¡¯s from. This is an order. Understood?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t abandon my duty, but I still think it isn¡¯t right for us to pin all our military R&D hopes on her. We have to do it the hard way, make our own breakthroughs. Nianzhi has given us a significant leg up with her documents, but we shouldn¡¯t expect anything more from her. I¡¯ll try to find her family, of course, but not because I think it would benefit us. I want her to be reunited with her family¡ªshe may have lost her memories, but that doesn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t miss her family.¡±

    Bai Yueranughed out loud. ¡°Oh dear, has the ruthless General Huo grown soft? I¡¯ve said this before, but Gu Nianzhi is your mission, your target. She¡¯s not your friend, and definitely not your family. Mr. Huo, you¡¯re too emotionally invested in your target, and that can be dangerous. You shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Colonel Bai, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s up to you to decide what I should or shouldn¡¯t be doing,¡± Huo Shaoheng said impassively. Bai Yueran¡¯s words had not affected him in the slightest. ¡°You¡¯re out of line.¡±

    Bai Yueran felt a surge of resentment, but she quickly realized that Huo Shaoheng was right: she had been out of line, and deserved the scathing rebuke. She hastily got to her feet and saluted him. ¡°General Huo, please forgive me, I spoke out of turn. I will ept whatever punishment you think is appropriate.¡±

    General Ji waved at Bai Yueran. ¡°Sit down, sit down. We¡¯re just having a casual conversation here. Shaoheng, Yueran isn¡¯t being unreasonable. Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re a major general, working for the Empire. Every action you take has serious consequences. Of course, I have absolute faith in you. I know you¡¯re not the type to be reckless.¡±

    Bai Yueran sat down uneasily. She watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face carefully as she said in a subdued voice: ¡°...Mr. Huo, I didn¡¯t mean to be disrespectful. I only want what¡¯s best for the military, and I understand your concern for Gu Nianzhi. Once she¡¯s of age, she¡¯ll get a boyfriend, get married, and have children. As long as she stays within the Empire, I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be a problem.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her. He stood up and saluted General Ji. ¡°General Ji, is there anything else you would like to discuss?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re done. Get your men to set up the Army Dependents¡¯ charity fund, and make sure they do a good job of it¡ªit¡¯ll be established in your name, after all.¡± General Ji pushed the documents over to him. ¡°We don¡¯t actually need the money, to be frank. It¡¯s just like with Gu Yanran¡ªI didn¡¯t send you to meet with her, just because she promised to donate her money. It was much more than that, you understand?¡±

    The military had been after the blueprints in Gu Yanran¡¯s possession; those specific blueprints were extremely valuable, even more valuable than the jet engine blueprints in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s backpack. Gu Yanran¡¯s blueprints had been the reason why the military had agreed to her conditions.

    But it was in the military¡¯s best interests to keep Gu Yanran¡¯s blueprints a secret, which was why they had made a show of sending Huo Shaoheng to the party for Gu Yanran¡¯s donation money.

    Huo Shaoheng was well aware of it: he would not have agreed to meet with Gu Yanran for a lesser reason. Still, the rumors of his attending the party in exchange for a donation had been wildly distorted and exaggerated by a few of his enemies. The military had made no effort to set the record straight, which meant the scandalous gossip had dealt a blow to his reputation.

    But Gu Nianzhi¡¯s donation had effectively squashed all the rumors.

    Huo Shaoheng thought of Gu Nianzhi, and how she seemed to be getting cheekier and bolder with every passing day. The corners of his mouth quirked into a smile, and his expression softened. ¡°General Ji, this fund cannot be established in my name.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Bai Yueran and General Ji asked in unison.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t be too modest,¡± Bai Yueran said anxiously. ¡°Setting it up in your name means you¡¯ll get credit for it!¡±

    He would be able to put it on his list of achievements, and use it to his advantage when securing a promotion, or during an election.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He picked up the documents and waved them. ¡°That¡¯s Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name on the remittance slip. She¡¯s underage, she needs her legal guardian to sign for her if she wants to donate her money. Little Ze signed for her when she transferred her money from the US, but I still have to sign for her for the donation to be official. What do you think that¡¯ll look like to everyone else? My reputation is bad enough as it is, after what happened with Gu Yanran.¡±

    He was the legal guardian to a young girl, and the young girl had suddenly¡ªfor no discernable reason at all¡ªdonated all her money to a charity fund that would be set up in his name.

    Those who did not know better would automatically assume he had swindled his young charge out of her entire fortune.

    Neither Bai Yueran nor General Ji had considered this. The two of them exchanged a look, before turning to Huo Shaoheng to say, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied evasively as he slipped the documents into his briefcase. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the C City military base. I¡¯ll move into the headquarters for the 6th Military Region, here in the capital city, once they finish building it next year.¡±

    ...

    After Huo Shaoheng had left, General Ji solemnly returned to his desk. He asked Bai Yueran in a grave voice: ¡°You¡¯ve been with the 6th Military Region for a month now. What do you think?¡±

    Bai Yueran immediately said, ¡°The 6th Military Region is an unassable fortress with Huo Shaoheng at the helm. I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea to rece him with someone else.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you agree that Shaoheng should be themander of the 6th Military Region?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the only one qualified for the position.¡± Bai Yueran paused. ¡°Uncle Ji, I know that you¡¯re worried the Bai family will be angry with Mr. Huo over what happened with my second uncle. I assure you that all of us in the Bai family are extremely upset about my uncle¡¯s act of treason¡ªwe¡¯ve emunicated him from the family, and also asked our rtives and friends around the world to help track him down. Once we find him, we¡¯ll turn him over to the military, ASAP. He¡¯s no longer one of us.¡±

    The Bai family was arge and powerful family; they held sway over the upper echelons of the Huaxia Empire.

    The Bais were everywhere. There was at least one Bai in a leadership position in politics and in the military, to say nothing of private enterprise, mass media, and academia.

    The Bai family was simply too powerful, and collective punishment¡ªthe old tradition of punishing the entire family for one man¡¯s mistake¡ªwas no longer appropriate in this day and age. In the end, Bai Yusheng¡¯s defection had not affected the Bai family in any significant way.

    The only one who had been affected by his actions was his daughter, Bai Shuang.

    Her father¡¯s scandal meant that she was no longer qualified to be the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the alternative presented to her¡ªa transfer to a small, insignificant department where she would be quarantined to a meaningless, dead-end job¡ªdid not appeal to her either.

    She had resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was no longer engaged in public office.

    General Ji was relieved to hear what Bai Yueran had said.

    He intended to pave the way for Huo Shaoheng to seed him. In order to do that, he had to make sure that Huo Shaoheng remained in the Bai family¡¯s good graces.

    Fortunately, there was too much evidence pertaining to Bai Yusheng¡¯s defection for the Bai family to even think about sweeping it under the rug. The Bai family had had to emunicate him, and volunteer their efforts to help arrest him instead.

    Nevertheless, a few members of the Bai family were displeased with Huo Shaoheng. They felt that he should have talked to them in private beforehand, instead of immediately conducting a raid. He had not cared to preserve the honor and dignity of the Bai family, and they were insulted by his actions.

    General Ji could only hope that Bai Yueran would be able to persuade the Bai family to reconcile with Huo Shaoheng.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s father was the current leader of the Bai family. Her family was the main branch of the Bai family, and usually called the shots.

    ¡°Good. I hope you¡¯ll find Bai Yusheng soon.¡± General Ji was not afraid of the Bai family. If the Bai family turned out to be a threat to national security, the military would not hesitate to get rid of them.

    ...

    That very night, Huo Shaoheng returned to the C City military base on a private jet. When he arrived, he found that Chen Lie had already returned from the United States, and was now sitting in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s living room snacking on lychees.

    As soon as he saw Huo Shaohenge in, Chen Lie immediately rose to greet him, a cheeky smile on his face. ¡°Wee back, Boss. I heard Nianzhi donated arge sum of money to the military, is that true?¡±

    ¡°Where did you hear it?¡± Huo Shaoheng tossed his gloves onto the table next to the front door. ¡°Only four people in the whole Empire know about this.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I heard from Little Ze. I received a call from him, soon as I got off the ne¡ªhe said something about needing your signature because you¡¯re her legal guardian.¡± Chen Lie handed him an agate te stacked with lychees. ¡°...Want some?¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed the te away. ¡°I have things to do. If there isn¡¯t anything else to discuss, go home and rest up. Aren¡¯t you jetgged?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could not help marveling at Chen Lie¡¯s appetite. Chen Lie had just disembarked from a long-distance flight from the United States, and the first thing he had done was hop over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ce to see what was in his fridge.

    Huo Shaoheng eyed him. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten even fatter, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Hey now, that¡¯s a low blow, you can¡¯t just go around calling people fat.¡± Chen Lie pped his belly. ¡°Eh, whatever, I¡¯ve long since given up on myself. I¡¯ll eat whatever I want.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was no longer paying any attention to him. He went to his study and summoned a few of his subordinates to help him establish the charity fund.

    ¡°The fund will be named the Jin Zhi Xin¡ªToday¡¯s Heart¡ªArmy Dependents¡¯ Charity Fund. All donations will be anonymous, and it will be managed directly by the military.¡± Huo Shaoheng issued his instructions to his subordinates. ¡°You¡¯ll have to work with the Legal Department on this, because with Jin Zhi Xin we will effectively be setting the ground rules for all future military charity funds. The rules are as follows: One, contributors to the charity fund have no say regarding how the charity fund is managed. Two, there will be honorary directors, but this position will only be granted to contributors who donate 90 million US dors in a single donation. Three, contributors will receive a financial statement every year in exchange for their donation, but that¡¯s it¡ªany other requests from the donors will not be entertained. In fact, they will be illegal.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wagged a long, slender finger. ¡°Got it? That¡¯s our policy. We wee all donations, but it will be up to us how we want to use the money. Those who don¡¯t agree will have to take their money elsewhere.¡±

    His conditions were extreme, and for good reason: the military was directly involved in the charity fund. If he did not set his foot down now, the military would slowly but surely bepromised by external forces trying to buy their way in with money.

    This was how Huo Shaoheng did things.

    He was always the one to make the rules. He was not the type to blindly follow the rules that had been set by others.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinates could barely contain their excitement when they saw the astronomical figure in the bank ount. ¡°Understood! But sir, can you at least tell us who¡¯s being so generous with their money? Is it that rich Barbadosdy?¡±

    They looked at Huo Shaoheng eagerly, looking for all the world like gossip-hungry paparazzi.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at them. His face was entirely deadpan. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t her. But now that you mention it, inform Miss Gu to transfer the money she promised to the bank ount for the Jin Zhi Xin Charity Fund, once it¡¯s up and running. Tell her that someone else already donated 90 million US dors anonymously, which means that her 50 million isn¡¯t enough to make up the majority of the charity fund. Also, she does not qualify to be an honorary director.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± His subordinates had been eager for some juicy gossip, but immediately lost interest when they heard the money had note from Gu Yanran at all. They collected the documents and hurried to the Legal Department to make the necessary arrangements for the charity fund.

    ...

    Once his subordinates had left, Huo Shaoheng walked out of his study to discover Chen Lie was still there, sitting on his sofa.

    Chen Lie had evidently made himself at home: he had pulled out hisptop and ced it on the small coffee table, and was now working on it as he continued stuffing his face with lychees.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the sofa opposite him, frowning. ¡°Is there something else you want to discuss? Why are you still here?¡±

    ¡°I forgot to show you this.¡± Chen Lie waved him over cheerfully. ¡°Look, a behind-the-scenes recording, fresh from the oven. 100% raw footage¡ªI guarantee it hasn¡¯t been edited in any way!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rolled his eyes. He shook his head and got to his feet. ¡°Knock yourself out, I¡¯m not interested. I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± He turned away.

    ¡°Oh? Not interested? Huh, I thought you¡¯d want to see what happened in the courtroom...¡± Chen Lie grinned at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back. He wanted badly to take out his stopwatch and time how long it would take for Huo Shaoheng to turn back around.

    He was disappointed¡ªthis time, Huo Shaoheng did not hesitate, not even for a second. Huo Shaoheng immediately turned back around, seated himself beside Chen Lie, and pulled theptop closer towards him. ¡°This is a recording of Nianzhi¡¯s trial?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡± Chen Lie gleefully hit the y button, then moved aside to give Huo Shaoheng some space. He crossed his arms and began to hum an old song: ¡°Iughed happily... Iughed happily...¡±

    Theptop speakers crackled to life. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to the beautiful girl standing in the middle of the screen.

    He did not know if it was just the camera angle, but Gu Nianzhi was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her lively, intelligent eyes shone from her exquisite face as she fearlessly provoked her enemies¡ªwhile shamelessly leeching off the authority and influence of the tall, elegant man beside her.

    Chen Lie boldly leaned over to ask: ¡°Look at them¡ªa match made in heaven, eh?¡±

 Chapter 160 - Return It Back To Her

    <h4>Chapter 160: Return It Back To Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Attractive couple?¡± Huo Shaoeng didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m talking about them!¡± Chen Lie giggled as he pointed to He Zhichu and Gu Niangzhi on theptop monitor, boldly continuing, ¡°See, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, don¡¯t they like look like a stunning pair?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze and looked at Chen Lie disdainfully. ¡°Stunning pair? What silly things are going on inside your head?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it true though?!¡± Chen Lie was giddy and mentally mocked Huo Shaoheng. You wanted to fake it, and now you can¡¯t fake it anymore. You¡¯re really upset, aren¡¯t you?

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng promptly denied. He then pointed a finger at He Zhichu. ¡°He is Nianzhi¡¯s professor. Don¡¯t you know thews in American schools? The teacher will be fired if he gets romantically involved with a student. If the student is a minor, the teacher goes to jail. I¡¯ll dly help He Zhichu along if he wants to destroy his reputation.¡±

    Chen Lie gaped at Huo Shaoheng¡ªthe man¡¯s barefaced threats shocked him.

    ¡°You¡¯re also the most well known doctor in the Empire, and even known as the ¡®God of Medicine¡¯ within the military. How can you be so ignorant?¡± Not forgetting to insult Chen Lie, Huo Shaoheng hit him where it hurt and directly attacked his professional abilities.

    Chen Lie hated having his qualifications questioned more than anything. He was so angry he nearly cursed, but was tongue tied and speechless for a long time. After a while, he attempted to salvage his dignity.

    ¡°Why are you so mad? I was just making a joke. Moreover, Professor He is aw professional, so how would he allow anyone to give reason to ckmail him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned away to continue watching the video, and then took out a sh drive and copied the file to it. ¡°Stop with your flowery speech. Do you think you can fool me?¡±

    ¡°What I am fooling you about?¡± Chen Lie was annoyed to realize that he was the furious one. When had Mr. Huo gotten such a sharp tongue? Before, he would beat someone up for messing with him and had never resorted to bickering. Refusing to back down, Chen Lie grumbled, ¡°Yeah right! A gentleman desires a fairdy! You may not be interested, but you can¡¯t forbid others from being interested! Don¡¯t be so overbearing!¡±

    ¡°How am I forbidding anything? If that¡¯s the case, how would Mei Xiawen be milling around Nianzhi?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused while he resumed hisposure. He copied all the remaining footage and permanently deleted them off Chen Lie¡¯sptop.

    ¡°Mei Xiawen?¡± Chen Lie paused. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent and took out the sh drive to leave the room.

    ¡°Oh! I remember now! He¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s ss Rep! So, Mr.Huo knows his name!¡± Chen Lieugher. ¡°He¡¯s young and handsome; he makes a good pair with Nianzhi too! She promised to be his girlfriend in six months, once shees back.¡± Chen Lie grinned and taunted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It sounds like Gu Nianzhi has to thank ¡®Your Highness¡¯ for letting her get a boyfriend, correct?¡±

    The only reply Chen Lie got was Huo Shaoheng walking away and mming the door.

    ...

    The Huxia Imperial Military¡¯s charity foundation for fallen soldiers, ¡°Today¡¯s Heart,¡± was quickly established. All legal procedures were prepared and a professional administrative team had been formed by the elite members of the 6th Military Region. Gu Yanran was surprised when she got news of the 90 million dor donation

    ¡°Someone had already made a donation? An anonymous donor? Is this true?¡± Gu Yanran looked at the letter Deputy Director Feng of the Huaxia Imperial Secret Service had sent, her brows knit tightly together as she murmured, ¡°This can¡¯t be. The conditions were too harsh, how could anyone agree to them? Did someone really donate that money? Or was this a publicity stunt?¡± She had originally intended to take control of the charity fund, name it after Huo Shaoheng, and do things for him behind scenes. Because she would have been the one paying, she would certainly have had the power. No one was foolish enough to spend money without a motive. Had the 90 million US dors really been donated without reason, and anonymously too? This kind of tactic wasmon in the world of business¡ªjust like an antiques auction. People would bid against each other and the highest bid would win.

    Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t believe that someone would donate all that money to the military without an ulterior motive. Her own total assets were several billion US dors, and much of that was in the form of real estate, stocks, and bonds. With her liquidity, it would take one month to put together 90 million US dors. Gu Yanran contemted it and called her Americanwyer. ¡°Jennifer, can you have someone find out the information about the new charity fund established by the Huaxia Imperial Military? Did someone really make the donation?¡±

    Jennifer was an intelligent and capablewyer. As soon as she heard this, she eximed, ¡°Impossible! This can¡¯t be right! I¡¯ll contact our branch in the Huaxia Empire and see if they have any news.¡±

    Setting down the phone, Gu Yanran leaned on the beige and dark gold brocade chaise longue and watched the rain fall gently outside the window. Large droplets hit the banana leaves outside the French windows, rinsing their vibrant green hue. Summer is about to end in C City? Gu Yanran mused. It is almost September, so the weather will turn colder soon.

    Gu Yanran looked down at the letter, as though she would be able to make out any deception from the flimsy paper. Soon after, Jennifer returned her call. ¡°Yan, I can¡¯t help you with this. The 6th Military Region controls the formation of this charity fund, and our people don¡¯t have ess to them.¡±

    ¡°The 6th Military Region?¡± Gu Yanran clutched her phone and abruptly said, ¡°I understand. Thanks Jennifer.¡±

    If she recalled correctly, the man she was interested in, Major General Huo, was in charge of the 6th Military Region. A small smile formed on her lips as she curled her slender fingers around an ivory toothpick to spear a sliver of golden cantaloupe, and brought it to her red lips. If that¡¯s the game Major General Huo wanted to y, then that¡¯s exactly what she would do too.

    ¡°Prepare 10 million US dors in cash and deposit it to the ount number from Deputy Director Feng.¡± Gu Yanran ate the cantaloupe as she gave the order. There were always four or five senior secretaries at her side, since she had countless decisions to make a day. Every moment involved millions of US dors in business. ¡°Also, tell Deputy Director Feng we will transfer the remaining 40 million dors in installments.¡± Gu Yanran stopped eating the cantaloupe after two pieces and rose to give the remaining slices to her secretaries. ¡°These are quite good. They were flown in yesterday from a specialty orchard. The quality is even better than the local ones grown here.¡±

    The secretaries sat and shared the fruit as Gu Yanran continued her requests. ¡°Book some ne tickets, I¡¯m going back to Barbadoes. I¡¯ve been here for too long. It¡¯s time to return.¡±

    ...

    Several days after Gu Yanran left, Deputy Director Feng received the news that Gu Yanran had only donated 10 million US dors despite promising 50 million. The remaining funds would be deposited in installments. Deputy Director Feng was immensely displeased. He had done as she had asked, and Imperial soldiers had even been sacrificed for her. Now that things were settled, she actually had the gall to state such ridiculous conditions.

    Deputy Director Fengined to Huo Shaoheng over the phone and he dryly replied, ¡°Return the 10 million US dors back to her. The blueprints will be considered as part of her fees, so that we won¡¯t have anything to do with her again.¡± He paused before warning Deputy Director Feng, ¡°Old Feng, you are not to call the shots with anything to do with this woman again. Don¡¯t contact her, understand?¡±

 Chapter 161 - Be Smarter

    <h4>Chapter 161: Be Smarter</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Deputy Minister Feng had been thoroughly humiliated by Gu Yanran, and now hated her with a passion. He did not need the reminder; he did not want anything to do with her, ever again.

    Even if Gu Yanran tried to get in touch with him, he would ignore her¡ªwhatever she had in mind, he was certain it would only end in further humiliation on his part.

    Besides, she was incredibly stupid if she thought she would be able to twist the arms of the Huaxia government and military just by waving a fat stack of money in their faces.

    He scoffed. These Western businessmen who believed money and capital trumped everything else would never be able to understand.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze packed their things and got ready to move to Washington, the capital of the United States of America.

    The US Congress would be back in session soon.

    Gu Nianzhi had gotten into a lot of trouble over the past two months, and had even gone to court twice. Although she had been cleared of all charges, the US Congress would¡ªunder normal circumstances¡ªreject her internship after running a background check on her.

    However, He Zhichu was a powerful, well-connected man; thanks to his efforts, she was able to keep her internship with the US Congress.

    Gu Nianzhi had not expected this at all; she had been ready to return to the Empire at the beginning of Harvard University¡¯s fall semester, and was surprised when He Zhichu gave her a ne ticket to Washington instead, for early September. She would be going to the US capital with Brother Huang, after all.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little sad to leave her Boston apartment, where she had lived for thest two months.

    Although it had only been two months, she had umted a number of things.

    Zhao Liangze watched her pack. He folded his arms and leaned against the door with a smile on his face. ¡°Nianzhi, did you know that the charity fund for army dependents has been established?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s up and running? That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Gu Nianzhi stooped to stuff her panda pillow into an open box, not particrly interested in what Zhao Liangze had said.

    To her, the money had been an unexpected windfall. She was happy to donate it all to charity, to help others in need.

    Huo Shaoheng had shielded her from the outside world a little too well. She was intelligent, but rtively simple-minded when it came to money and getting ahead in the world.

    Zhao Liangze noted her indifference, and casually said, ¡°By the way, the foundation is called the Jin Zhi Xin Army Dependents¡¯ Charity Fund. Mr. Huo personally came up with the name.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped packing her things. She turned to look at Zhao Liangze, herrge, dark eyes staring at him like two shiny grapes. ¡°Jin Zhi Xin? ¡®Today¡¯s Heart¡¯? Is that really the name Uncle Huo came up with?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, I swear it.¡± Zhao Liangze winked at her. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

    Jin Zhi Xin, or ¡°Today¡¯s Heart¡±¡ªthe characters formed ¡°Nianzhi¡± when rearranged.

    She hoped that this meant Uncle Huo would still remember her, even if she moved out of the military base once she was of age.

    Gu Nianzhi had not thought of leaving her mark on Huo Shaoheng,sting mementos that would remind him of her in the future. This unexpected gesture from him surprised her: she colored, her heart beating wildly at the implication.

    Zhao Liangze tilted his head as he watched a faint blush spread across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Herrge, misty eyes shimmered as her eyshes fluttered prettily. Hershes made him think of butterflies, gently pping their wings over the Antic Ocean in a valiant attempt to send a tsunami over to the Huaxia Empire, on the other side of the.

    Although she was smiling in his direction, Zhao Liangze knew she wasn¡¯t actually looking at him.

    ¡°Hello! Earth to Nianzhi! What are you daydreaming about?¡± Zhao Liangze walked over and nonchntly tousled her hair. ¡°So Mr. Huo picked a name¡ªwhat are you so happy about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her senses and ducked away to escape Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand. She patted her cheeks; her face muscles were sore from all the smiling.

    ¡°¡®Course I¡¯m happy. It means all of you will never forget me.¡± Gu Nianzhi was back to her usual smug self. ¡°Even if we part ways, you guys will always remember me, right?¡±

    ¡°Duh! Who can forget money?¡± Zhao Liangze was deliberately trying to rain on her parade. ¡°You look like a walking dor bill now, in fact.¡±

    ¡°Get outta here!¡± Gu Nianzhi kicked Zhao Liangze with all her strength. ¡°Who are you calling a dor bill?! You¡¯re a dor bill! Your whole family looks like dor bills!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with looking like dor bills? Not everyone gets the honor of looking like one, you know.¡± Zhao Liangze smiled cheekily at Gu Nianzhi as he walked around her. ¡°Everyone loves money¡ªso what are youining about?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for thepliment, but you over-exaggerate my appeal, truly.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned away and continued packing her box. ¡°Are you finished packing?¡±

    Zhao Liangze stretchedzily. ¡°I packed all my things yesterday, I don¡¯t have as many things as you do.¡±

    Once they were done packing, they returned the key to the apartment, and drove to the airport in a rental car.

    Zhao Liangze had sold off the secondhand car Yin Shixiong had bought. He would get a new car once they were in Washington.

    They met Brother Huang at the airport and boarded the ne to Washington.

    ...

    ¡°Professor He,¡± Wen Shouyi stood in front of He Zhichu¡¯s desk and ced an envelope and a present before him, ¡°the letter is from your father, Mr. He. The gift is from Aunt Qin.¡±

    He Zhichu picked up the envelope and opened it. He slowly pulled out the letter inside and read it.

    Under the harsh, white light, his expression was as cold as ice. His thin, colorless lips were pressed together in a straight line.

    ¡°Your father misses you very much, Professor He. You should visit him if you have the time.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had only returned to her hometown because He Zhichu had instructed her to, as punishment for her previous behavior. The two of them were from the same hometown, and had been back for several years.

    Wen Shouyi had made the most out of her trip by visiting her rtives and friends; in that sense, the punishment had been entirely worthwhile.

    He Zhichu finished reading the letter. He rubbed his brow with his fingers, his eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown.

    ¡°Professor He? Is it another headache?¡± After a moment¡¯s deliberation, Wen Shouyi slowly walked over to He Zhichu and stood behind him. ¡°Here, let me give you a massage.¡±

    He Zhichu leant against his desk, his hand still upon his forehead. He did not move.

    The window of the study was open. Beyond the window, a small distance away, was the Potomac River.

    The cool evening breeze blew into the room, carrying with it the scent of the Potomac River.

    Wen Shouyi was just about to ce her fingers on He Zhichu¡¯s temples when he abruptly rose from his chair. He avoided Wen Shouyi¡¯s hands as he made his way to the window.

    They were inside He Zhichu¡¯s Washington mansion.

    His estate was well over ten acres. It had been built near the Potomac River, on a piece ofnd that was known to be staggeringly expensive.

    He Zhichu stood silently before the window, his hands sped behind his back. After a moment, he asked: ¡°...Is my family doing well?¡±

    Wen Shouyi lowered her hands dejectedly and walked over to He Zhichu. She stood behind him and said softly, ¡°Everyone seems to be doing okay. But Mr. He really wants you to go back and see him.¡±

    He Zhichu lowered his head. He ced a hand on the wall next to the window, and shook his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t time for me to go back, not yet.¡±

    Wen Shouyi opened her mouth to persuade him, but remembered his temper. She stopped herself.

    Instead, she put on a smile and said gently, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark. Don¡¯t stay up toote, Professor He. I¡¯ll be going, now.¡±

    He nodded, then turned to look at her. ¡°Take a few days off. I know how exhausting long flights can be.¡±

    ¡°I will. Thank you, Professor He.¡± Wen Shouyi smile was now genuinely affectionate and warm. ¡°I¡¯ll take a few days off before returning to my duties here.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant, and also his personal secretary.

    She handled all his affairs.

    She had been away in thest two months, sent back to her hometown. He Zhichu had not found another secretary to rece her, which meant that many of his affairs hade to a stand-still.

    He had thought he could manage without Wen Shouyi, but he had been mistaken. It had turned out to be a rtionship of mutual dependence, after all.

    He Zhichu returned to his desk and sat down. There was a little more warmth to his voice now. ¡°Your living arrangements have not changed. My two students will be starting their internship at Congress very soon, don¡¯t forget to help them with the paperwork.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Wen Shouyi nodded politely. ¡°Is it still Miss Gu and Mr. Huang?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s still those two.¡± He turned on hisputer and began typing on his keyboard as he said: ¡°I know you and Gu Nianzhi aren¡¯t exactly friendly with each other, but she¡¯s a student, and still a little girl. You¡¯re so much older than her, and a teaching assistant to boot¡ªyou should know better than to drag yourself down to her level. Just keep your distance from her. I had to send you back home, and I hope you learned your lesson: don¡¯t ever get into a fight with the students, ever again.¡±

    Wen Shouyi felt as though a bucket of cold water had been upended over her.

    He Zhichu had been so warm and friendly towards her a moment ago¡ªhad she imagined it? Or was it all just an act from him, to persuade her to be nicer to Gu Nianzhi?

    ¡°Professor He, you don¡¯t have to worry. I take my professional ethics very seriously, and will never deliberately get into a hostile rtionship with my students.¡± Wen Shouyi had turned to leave, but now she changed her mind. She walked over to stand before He Zhichu¡¯s desk. ¡°But since you mentioned it, I feel obliged to remind you not to be too nice to her. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t like what I¡¯m about to say, but I have to say it anyway. Good medicine tastes bitter¡ªthe most helpful advice are always the hardest to take, and I know very well that many well-meaning ministers have been punished for their honesty in the past. Still, I cannot stand idly by and watch you go astray. I am deeply indebted to the He family. Everything I¡¯ve aplished in my life so far, I owe it all to the He family, and that is precisely why I have to speak up now and set you back on the right path.¡± Wen Shouyi seated herself on the round stool before He Zhichu¡¯s desk. It was going to be a long talk.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression had turned icy cold. He looked up at Wen Shouyi, and she could see that his bright almond eyes were no longer gentle or affectionate. The sharp edge in his eyes, the haughty lines of his nose, and the curve of displeasure on his thin lips came together to form a single word in Wen Shouyi¡¯s mind: cold-blooded.

    A chill ran down Wen Shouyi¡¯s spine.

    Her back was already drenched in cold sweat. Her silk blouse clung to her skin, sweaty and ufortable.

    But she did not dare back out now. She knew that once she had opened her mouth, she would have to see it through¡ªstopping halfway would be even worse.

    She understood how He Zhichu ticked.

    ¡°...You¡¯re too nice to Gu Nianzhi.¡± Wen Shouyi gritted her teeth and barreled on. ¡°She¡¯s a student, you¡¯re her professor. It¡¯s easy for the girl to get the wrong idea when dealing with a man as attractive as you...¡±

    The razor-sharp edge in He Zhichu¡¯s expression disappeared, supnted by a look ofplete surprise. He looked up from hisputer, his voice light and uncertain as he asked: ¡°What are you saying...? What do you mean by the ¡®wrong idea¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never thought about it?¡± Wen Shouyi was taken aback. ¡°You said it yourself¡ªGu Nianzhi is a little girl, barely 18. A man like yourself is a huge catch, one in a million, and you¡¯re treating her like a princess. Sure, you¡¯re 10 years older than her, but did you honestly think that would stop her from falling for you?¡±

    He Zhichu realized what Wen Shouyi was getting at, and had tough.

    When heughed, there was a starry twinkle in his bright almond eyes.

    ¡°...You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± He Zhichu waved his hand. ¡°Okay, I get it. Go rest up.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stood doubtfully; she looked at He Zhichu for a long moment, trying to guess what he was thinking.

    He Zhichu had stopped talking and was now busy typing on hisputer.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going, then.¡± Wen Shouyi nodded, and turned to leave.

    As soon as she was gone, He Zhichu¡¯s fingers stilled over the keyboard.

    He mentally went over what Wen Shouyi had said, and tried to reconcile her concerns with what he knew of Gu Nianzhi. Heughed out loud.

    Oh, if only Gu Nianzhi actually got ¡°the wrong idea¡±...

    The girl still had not gotten the hint; she seemed to be entirely oblivious, and wary of him to boot. What was a man to do?

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang got off the ne. Zhao Liangze followed at a small distance behind them.

    He Zhichu had sent someone to pick them up from the airport; the man stood before the arrivals exit with a big sign saying ¡°William Huang¡± and ¡°GU, Nianzhi¡±.

    Brother Huang saw the sign and waved to the man. He asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Wait a minute, you didn¡¯t give yourself an English name?¡±

    ¡°¡®Course I did.¡± Gu Nianzhi was chewing gum. ¡°See that on the sign? ¡®Nianzhi¡¯ is my English name.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s clearly just the pinyin of your Chinese name.¡± Brother Huang scoffed. ¡°Who are you kidding?¡±

    ¡°You, of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at him, her eyes curved into crescents. Brother Huang was a married man, but her soft, sultry voice sent a jolt through his heart, all the same. He quickly looked away. Someone, please, tame this little fox and keep her away from me! I can¡¯t stand it anymore...

    The three of them had a lot of luggage between them. Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang discussed it with the man who hade to pick them up, and got him to send over two more cars for the luggage.

    The three of them arrived at the luxury hotel He Zhichu had booked for them.

    This time, they were staying in the famous Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington.

    The best thing about the apartment hotel was that it was near the Congress building.

    Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi had been provided with a two-bedroom apartment, while Brother Huang stayed in a single room.

    Brother Huang watched Zhao Liangze run about attending to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s every need, and could hardly believe that such a handsome, dignified man was willing to be a glorified errand boy. He tugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Who¡¯s that? Is he really your guardian?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi was happily eating a Haagen-Dazs cone. ¡°He¡¯s one of my guardians.¡±

    ¡°...How many guardians do you have?!¡± Brother Huang¡¯s eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. ¡°Are you even allowed to have so many?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it to you, anyway? Brother Huang, you¡¯re such a gossip,¡± Gu Nianzhi said severely as she red at Brother Huang. ¡°Why are you so interested in my guardian?¡±

    ¡°...I care about you.¡± Brother Huang lowered his head enigmatically and whispered, ¡°A man and a woman living in the same rooms¡ªyou have to be smarter than that!¡±

    ¡°Geez, get your mind out of the gutter, Brother Huang.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed at her Haagen-Dazs cone: it had turned into an unappetizing, gooey mess. ¡°And anyway, my guardian is, like, old. He may be a looker, but don¡¯t be fooled¡ªhe¡¯s super old.¡±

    ¡°Super old? How old can he be?¡± Brother Huang looked at Zhao Liangze, who was now walking towards them¡ªthe man could not possibly be older than 25!

    ¡°Uh, 28, I think? Nearly 30, isn¡¯t that old?¡± Gu Nianzhi threw her ice-cream cone into the trash can.

    Brother Huang, who had just turned 29, felt as though his heart had been pierced by 10,000 arrows. He pointedly ignored Gu Nianzhi, went into his room, and mmed the door.

    Zhao Liangze pulled Gu Nianzhi into their suite and warned her: ¡°Keep your distance from that schoolmate of yours¡ªdid you see that perverted look on his face? He was ogling you. You have to be smarter!¡±

 Chapter 162 - Teach You

    <h4>Chapter 162: Teach You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi turned back in shock, not expecting Zhao Liangze and Brother Huang to say the same thing. She was closer to Zhao Liangze because she had met him when she was 12 years, old and had practically grown up with him.

    Clutching Zhao Liangze¡¯s elbow, Gu Nianzhi refused to let him go and began pouting. ¡°You both are so wary! Did you team up like this just to bully me?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Brother Ze, tell me clearly, how do Ick a conscience? I¡¯m clever, smart, and I always get the top marks in any subject. I cracked the Copernicus code before as well, so tell me, how do Ick a conscience?¡±

    This was an insult! Gu Nianzhi thought.

    ¡°Getting top marks and cracking codes are not rted to whether one has a conscience or not. You¡¯ve proven my point if you ask me such things.¡± Zhao Liangze yanked his arm away and ruffled her hair. ¡°Like your Brother Huang, you treat him like a senior ssmate and joke around with him, but you have no idea what is on his mind and what he has to deal with. So, you have to keep your distance! Keep a distance, got it?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head and stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about my ssmates that way! They¡¯re nice to me.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhao Liangze made the same childish pout and thenughed. He took her hand and sat down with her on the couch. Then he said, ¡°I¡¯m a man too, so how could I not understand the look Brother Huang was giving you?¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze, don¡¯t tter yourself. You say that you¡¯re a man? Gu Nianzhi teased him instead. ¡°You¡¯re 25 right? Have you had a girlfriend? Have you ¡®popped your cherry¡¯? If you haven¡¯t, then don¡¯t act all high and mighty in front of me!¡± she defiantly continued, ¡°Also, Brother Huang warned me about you too. He said that since we¡¯re staying alone together, I should be careful. See, he isn¡¯t as bold as you¡¯re saying ¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Have I popped my what?! My cherry? Y-You... where did you learn to speak this way?! Also, how¡¯s that the same? My rtionship with you and your rtionship with him are on different levels. I¡¯m practically your guardian! I treat you like a little sister.¡±

    Smack!

    Gu Nianzhi pped his head with a pillow. Her face was flushed and her usually friendly eyes were ring st him in anger.

    ¡°That crossed the line! You¡¯re just older by a few years. I hate it when you act as thought you¡¯re so much more older and wiser than I am just because of our age gap. I¡¯m a young woman, but I¡¯m not naive, and I don¡¯t need to be sheltered all the time!¡±

    Zhao Liangze hadn¡¯t expected such a strong outburst and felt bad at having hurt her feelings. He immediately tried tofort her, running to the fridge and then back to her with a ss of milk in his hands, and a te of her favorite cookies. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry! That was just a figure of speech to express my affection for you. Elders will never have ulterior motives for youngsters, only unquestionable love and care. Why are you so caught up with the term? I¡¯m not taking advantage of you, it was just an example.¡± He sighed and then said, ¡°You¡¯ve been with us at the base for the past six years, so just consider how we¡¯ve we¡¯ve treated you. Even normal parents don¡¯t treat their children as preciously as we treat you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand why she was so enraged. She only felt a lodge in her heart, like she was trapped in a small, windowless room and couldn¡¯t breathe. She held the milk and gulped it down, quelling the unease in her heart. She looked away, and Zhao Liangze remembered the scrawny and reckless, wild girl she had been when she had first arrived. Watching over her all these years, he had been there by her side supporting her as she grew from a brat into the woman she was now.

    Zhao Liangze was very proud that she had grow up to be so beautiful and bright. He sat by her and spoke sincerely. ¡°Nianzhi, I understand how you feel. I¡¯m afraid I understand your situation more than anyone else, because I have felt the same.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a suspicious nce, not believing his words.

    ¡°Believe me.¡± Zhao Liangze tucked one arm under his head and leaned back against the sofa. ¡°Back then, I was probably too smart for my own good, but the rest of society saw the makings of a child prodigy. I started university when I was 10, even earlier than you. I graduated from my undergrad at 13, then studied broad in the States as a Computer Science post-grad and hadpleted my doctorate at 15. I was the same as you back then; I thought I was smart and could do anything I wanted. I did whatever I wanted online and was invincible. I was the king of the Inte!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally giggled. ¡°Sure, keep on making things up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth.¡± Zhao Liangzezily stretched his legs. ¡°Back then, I didn¡¯t know any better and only did the things I liked. I didn¡¯t want to find a job after graduation and only wanted to beat the Russian and Eastern Europeans hackers. Then eight years ago, I was taken in by Mr. Huo and came back to the Empire to join the Special Ops.¡± Zhao Liangze looked at her. ¡°After going through all sorts of training with the Special Ops, I finally realized that I had just been an idiot that had known a lot aboutputers and programming.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s it? I thought that the end of your wild ways would be due to a girl who appeared out of thin air and touched your heart. That she had taught you how to be a man. I guess I was overthinking it.¡±

    ¡°A girl?¡± Zhao Liangze thought of Bai Yueran, his expression changing for a moment, beforeughing the sudden thought of her away. ¡°What girl? I haven¡¯te across from a girl who makes me feel that way yet. But in my eight years at the Special Ops, I¡¯ve learned a great number of and skills outside of academics andputers.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was curious. ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like how to judge a person¡¯s true intentions, how to cope with flirting, how to determine if someone is telling the truth. Also, how to make someonepletely trust you during a mission.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.¡±What on earth were you guys learning?! 108 ways to seduce girls?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just a small part of what we have to study, so don¡¯t assume that¡¯s all.¡± Zhao Liangze corrected.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, honestly speaking, in contrast to 10 kilometer cross-country running, or obstacle courses, or shooting practice, I think these studies are more important for you. Unfortunately, Mr. Huo won¡¯t listen to me. You are smart enough, but can you tell if a man is interested in you? Would you know how to tell if a man is being sincere? Can you see the truth in extreme situations? These things aren¡¯t taught by textbook, but for a genius like you, you¡¯d excel at it!¡± Zhao Liangze gave a confident smile and leaned closer to Gu Nianzhi, speaking conspiratorially. ¡°Even more importantly, could you tell by a man¡¯s gaze, if it¡¯s a man¡¯s desire for a woman, or the tonic affection between friends and family? If you can differentiate this, it¡¯ll save you a lot of unnecessary trouble in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth gaped slightly, her eyes focused intently on Zhao Liangze. His words had opened up a new world to her. ¡°Brother Ze, I¡¯ll be your disciple! Please teach me!¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up and dragged Zhao Liangze to theputer. ¡°Tell me and I¡¯ll write it down. What is the procedure!¡±

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help sighing. These were skills that couldn¡¯t be put into words, so how could he write out the procedure? He also suddenly realized he had said too much. If Mr. Huo found ever out, he would probably send him to the ends of the earth.

 Chapter 163 - We Have a Deal

    <h4>Chapter 163: We Have a Deal</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Take it slow¡ªwhat you need is real-life practice.¡± Zhao Liangze nonchntly changed the subject. ¡°For example, I just told you something isn¡¯t right with the way Brother Huang looks at you. The next time you see him, make a note of the way he looks at you, andpare it with everyone else.¡±

    There were two ways to exin it: in academic terms, this was part of the field of psychology. The books published on this topic would fill an entire library.

    Inyman¡¯s terms, this was what wasmonly referred to as ¡°street smarts¡±¡ªmost people picked it up on their own. Children who were ustomed to watching the bodynguage of the people around them eventually grew up to be shrewd and clever adults, one step ahead of everyone else.

    Most of the wealthy, high IQ members of elite society were too inflexible and rigidly educated to be truly ¡°street smart.¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense!¡± Gu Nianzhi was not convinced. ¡°How am I supposed to measure something like that, if it can¡¯t be quantified?!¡±

    ¡°Which is why I said it won¡¯t be easy. Do you have what it takes to learn?¡± Zhao Liangze straightened up, a wide grin on his face. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going back to my room now. What do you want for dinner? Takeout?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Zhao Liangze for a long moment, uncertain whether to believe him.

    The two of them had their dinner. After that, Gu Nianzhi finished unpacking thest of her boxes and went to take a shower.

    When she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw a missed call from Huo Shaoheng on her phone and hurriedly called him back.

    ¡°...Uncle Huo?¡± As soon as he picked up, Gu Nianzhiunched into a hasty exnation: ¡°We¡¯ve been busy unpacking, we just moved into our new ce today. I was in the shower after that, and didn¡¯t hear the phone ring.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was talking to Gu Nianzhi on his headset. He scrolled through the satellite images of the ocean on hisputer as he said indifferently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was just calling to ask how you¡¯re settling in. How¡¯s the new ce?¡±

    ¡°Not bad, but it¡¯s warmer here than in Boston.¡± Gu Nianzhi wiped the sweat from her brow. ¡°Maybe I should turn up the AC.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± Huo Shaoheng hade across an unusual satellite image, and was now too preupied with it to keep up the conversation. He decided to end the phone call. ¡°Stay on your toes once you start working in Congress. Is there anything else? If there isn¡¯t, I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t hang up!¡±

    ¡°Is there something else?¡± Huo Shaoheng moved his mouse cursor over the ocean map, pulling up strings of data. His brow furrowed.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled what Zhao Liangze had just told her, and immediately repeated it to Huo Shaoheng¡ªevery single word of it. ¡°...Uncle Huo, I heard about the Special Ops training. The soldiers have to learn how to tell what someone is really after, and also how to react when someone tries to seduce them. They¡¯re also taught how to tell whether someone is truly interested in them, or just acting a part, and also how to gain the confidence of their target during a mission. Is that true? I want to learn all that, too...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily stunned. He gathered his scattered attention to focus on what he was hearing over his headset. ¡°What did you just say? Repeat all that to me, again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi repeated herself. She insisted, ¡°I want to learn all that. I think I¡¯m terrible at reading people.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression had darkened. He said stiffly, ¡°Who¡¯s been feeding you all this nonsense? We¡¯re soldiers, part of the regr army, not some secret spy agency¡ªwhy would we learn all that crap?¡±

    Zhao Liangze had actually been telling the truth: those werepulsory training modules for the Special Ops soldiers. Gu Nianzhi was not a member of the Special Operations Forces, however, and telling her about these training modules amounted to a security breach.

    ¡°Oh? So Brother Ze lied to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh of relief. She felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders. ¡°He was so convincing, he had me hook, line, and sinker. He made me sound like I waspletely clueless, and kept telling me to be ¡®smarter¡¯¡ªisn¡¯t that just another way of telling me I¡¯m naive? Am I really that stupid?¡±

    She did not know it herself, but she sounded like she was coyly fishing for apliment.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly. He moved his mouse cursor over to the program to contact Zhao Liangze, and initiated a connection with a light tap of his finger. In the meantime, he said casually: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Little Ze¡¯s nonsense. You¡¯re as clever and shrewd as theye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    After a moment, she asked weakly, ¡°Uncle Huo, is that supposed to be apliment?¡±

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s humble opinion, she was neither too na?ve nor too calcting¡ªshe was intelligent, charming, beautiful, with just the right amount of street smarts! (*^_^*)

    But not everyone shared her opinion, it seemed. <__<

    ¡°You were clever enough to steal my T-shirts from right under my nose.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he thought of Gu Nianzhi using his ck T-shirts for her pajamas.

    Gu Nianzhi mmed up at this, thoroughly embarrassed. After a moment, she summoned the courage to say: ¡°...You promised to give me a few of those ck T-shirts, don¡¯t forget.¡± With that, she hastily hung up and flopped backwards onto her bed, looking like she was about to die from embarrassment. She hugged her panda pillow and rolled over to the other side of the bed.

    Somehow, a phone call with Huo Shaoheng always stirred up a vortex of conflicting emotions within her: sometimes it left her depressed, sometimes it made her dizzy with joy, and sometimes she wouldugh out loud for no real reason. She wondered what was wrong with her...

    Zhao Liangze, on the other hand, was now in hot water.

    He had not expected Gu Nianzhi to immediately repeat everything he had told her to Huo Shaoheng.

    This was exactly why he had told her she wasn¡¯t ¡°smart¡± enough!

    Zhao Liangze vowed to chop his hand off if he was ever stupid enough to give Gu Nianzhi advice again. (Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand: <__< How is that my fault?)

    ¡°Sir, it was an emergency, I swear, it wasn¡¯t my intention to leak any of our secrets...¡± Zhao Liangze exined. He had already broken out in a cold sweat.

    ¡°You better have a very good reason for what you did, if you want me to let you off the hook,¡± Huo Shaoheng said cidly. He erged the satellite image of the ocean on hisputer and downloaded a copy of the data.

    Zhao Liangze had no choice but to sell Brother Huang out. ¡°Let me exin: Nianzhi¡¯s schoolmate was practically leering at her. I advised her to keep her distance from him, but she wouldn¡¯t listen, so I told her a few things about our Special Ops training. I told her what the training modules are for, but I didn¡¯t tell her anything about how the lessons are actually carried out. You can ask her, if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng believed him. He knew Zhao Liangze would never tell anyone anything about the Special Operations Forces without his permission.

    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t a good reason, but it isn¡¯t a bad one either. I give it a B-.¡± Huo Shaoheng decided to let Zhao Liangze off the hook for now. ¡°You seem to have a lot of free time, enough to engage in heart-to-heart sisterly talks with Nianzhi. What are you, her soul sister? I¡¯ll give you some work to do.¡± Huo Shaoheng sent Zhao Liangze a copy of the satellite image and the data. ¡°This is the ocean map of the Gulf of Aden. The data shows the ocean currents, weather, and changes in the maic field. I want you to analyze them, and tell me if the numbers seem familiar to you.¡±

    ¡°Soul sister?! I¡¯m her soul brother! I¡¯m a man!¡± Zhao Liangze protested furiously, but when he saw the data from Huo Shaoheng, he immediately sobered. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll run a database analysis, right away.¡±

    ...

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi and Brother Huang met up with He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi in front of the Capitol Building.

    ¡°Miss Wen, you¡¯re back!¡± Brother Huang greeted her enthusiastically. ¡°Is everyone in your family doing all right? You should have taken a few days off to rest up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered what Zhao Liangze had told herst night. Huo Shaoheng had set the record straight after that, but Zhao Liangze¡¯s words had affected her deeply, all the same.

    She carefully observed Brother Huang, and discovered that he was a natural at making friends.

    His friendly, easygoing manner was actually an important asset forwyers; it helped put clients at ease, and witnesses were more likely to open up to a charmingwyer.

    This was something she could learn from him...

    Gu Nianzhi stood smiling beside Brother Huang, her beautiful eyes glued to him as she watched him interact with Wen Shouyi.

    Brother Huang wondered why Gu Nianzhi was being so attentive today. He saw the admiration in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, and puffed out his chest in self-important pride.

    He Zhichu frowned. He did not see what was so interesting about Brother Huang...

    He turned to walk up the steps leading to the Capitol Building, his expression icy. ¡°Little Huang, you¡¯ll be interning at the Commission for Unrestricted Ocean Travel. Miss Wen will take you there. Nianzhi, you¡¯reing with me¡ªyour internship is with the Committee of Appropriations.¡±

    Brother Huang was researchingws pertaining to the sea and the atmosphere. The Commission for Unrestricted Ocean Travel was the right department for him.

    But Gu Nianzhi did not have anything inmon with the Committee of Appropriations at all.

    That particr department had more to do with finance thanw.

    Gu Nianzhi was not bothered by it, however. She had yet to determine her field of research, anyway.

    Wen Shouyi saw that He Zhichu had already walked on ahead, and urged Gu Nianzhi to catch up to him. ¡°You should get going, Little Gu. Professor He has already gone up the steps.¡± She added: ¡°Professor He had to pull a lot of strings to secure your internship. It¡¯s just a bookkeeping position with no real authority, but you¡¯ll still get to observe how the US Congress works. Don¡¯t be sloppy now, you don¡¯t want to embarrass Professor He.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was right about the Committee of Appropriations not having any real authority; it did not actually have control over the flow of funds.

    It was the department responsible for keeping a record of the funds after the appropriations bills had been passed by Congress. In short, the department was made up entirely of bookkeepers¡ªthe staff working there could not even call themselves ountants.

    Gu Nianzhi had to admit that it was an unimportant department.

    Now that all of the work had been digitized, the department seemed even more redundant. Their ¡°bookkeeping¡± consisted only of pressing a few buttons on theputer every day: Approve, Agree, and Upload.

    It was exactly the kind of harmless, boring department someone as ¡°problematic¡± as Gu Nianzhi would be exiled to. Her recent run-in with thew made her too risky to hire as an intern, but at the same time Congress could not scrap her internship entirely, not with someone as powerful as He Zhichu backing her.

    Gu Nianzhi could see it now: she would be spending the next six months working the copier machine, and running about buying coffee and lunch for her colleagues. She would be a glorified errand girl.

    Brother Huang had studied up on the various Congressmittees, and knew all about the Committee of Appropriations. He gave Gu Nianzhi a sympathetic look, before following Wen Shouyi to the Commission for Unrestricted Ocean Travel.

    Gu Nianzhi found that she was deeply prejudiced against Wen Shouyi: everything she said sounded mean and hostile to her ears.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes at Wen Shouyi¡¯s retreating back, but did not get angry. After a moment, she gave a dismissiveugh and turned towards the stairs.

    He Zhichu was standing at the top of the steps, waiting for her with his hands in his pockets.

    He was wearing a three-piece cashmere suit. His pearl white non-iron shirt looked especially crisp and fresh under his light blue tie.

    Most of the congressmen going in and out of the Capitol Building were overweight and chunky; He Zhichu¡¯s tall, slender figure was like a breath of fresh air.

    Gu Nianzhi saw how stylish he looked, and her unhappiness with Wen Shouyi immediately vanished.

    ¡°You look so dashing today, Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhiplimented him with a cheeky grin as they walked towards the office for the Committee of Appropriations.

    He Zhichu¡¯s frosty expression warmed slightly. His voice, however, was as cool as always. ¡°How do you like your apartment? It¡¯s a serviced apartment, you get room cleaning service every day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, a cheerful smile on her face. ¡°It has everything I need, and the service is fantastic. Thank you, Professor He. It¡¯s a really nice ce.¡±

    ¡°It better be. It costs almost 8,000 dors a month.¡± He Zhichu led her to the Committee of Appropriations. He reached out and adjusted the small bow on the cor of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lc suit. ¡°Off you go, then. Everyone thinks this is the least important department in the US Congress¡ªwell, the people who think that areplete idiots, in my opinion.¡±

    ¡°What? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was intrigued. She liked these puzzles best. She enjoyed looking for hints of the extraordinary in what was otherwise mundane and boring.

    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re smart enough to figure it out. If you are, you¡¯ll realize that this department holds the reins to Congress,¡± said He Zhichu enigmatically. ¡°Figure it out, and you can expect an extravagant present from me for your 18th birthday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand, her eyes shimmering like the finest ck quartz. ¡°We have a deal!¡±

    He Zhichu gazed at her. He could see himself reflected in her twinkling eyes: tall, dignified, but cool as ice.

    He smiled slightly as he hung her ID card around her neck. He reached out, tousled her hair, and left.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped towards the entrance to the Committee of Appropriations and said to the old Caucasian woman smiling at the door: ¡°I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi, an intern.¡± She pointed to her ID.

    The ID had her photo, her name, her phone number, her department, and a special barcode.

    With this ID, she now had unrestricted ess to the Capitol Building.

    The old woman was happy to see a pretty Asian girl like Gu Nianzhi. She extended her arms and gave her a big hug. ¡°Gu, you¡¯re finally here. I¡¯m Mary. Come, I¡¯ll take you to your office. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. ¡°I have my own office?!¡±

    She had expected a seat in the open lobby at most...

    ¡°Of course. We have plenty of vacant offices here¡ªno one wants to join our department, don¡¯t you know?¡± Mary winked at her.

    The two women burst intoughter.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze were both extremely busy for the next several days.

    They were so busy with their work they barely saw each other, even though they lived in the same apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi had her breakfast and lunch at the Capitol Building. In the evenings, He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi took turns to take her and Brother Huang out to dinner.

    It took Gu Nianzhi a week to finally discover what Zhao Liangze had been having for his meals.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been eating pizza every day?!¡± Gu Nianzhi stared incredulously at the towering stacks of pizza boxes in Zhao Liangze¡¯s room. She pinched her nose. ¡°Ugh, you smell like onions and cheese now!¡±

    Pizzas were almost always topped with onions. Gu Nianzhi absolutely loathed onions.

    Zhao Liangze had spent virtually every minute of the past several days working on the data Huo Shaoheng had sent him. He was almost finished now.

    He saw Gu Nianzhie in, and waved her over. ¡°Hey whiz-kid,e here and take a look at this. What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 164 - Only Wake Early For Benefits

    <h4>Chapter 164: Only Wake Early For Benefits</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Pinching her nose as she walked around the pile of pizza boxes, Gu Nianzhi went up to Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer and bent over to get a closer look at the screen. ¡°What kind of data is this?¡±

    ¡°Ocean current and maic field data from the Gulf of Aden in the past month.¡± Zhao Liangze pointed to a map of the ocean satellite on the other disy. ¡°Look, that¡¯s the primary photo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°This is physics. It¡¯s too difficult for me to understand.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s rare for you to admit that you don¡¯t understand something!¡± Zhao Liangze guffawed and his mood suddenly brightened. ¡°This set of data shows that there have been more than 60 earthquakes in the Gulf of Aden¡¯s seabed in the past ten days. The maic field has been altered greatly.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s swiftly nced over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face as he casually said, ¡°I saw the news. Two months ago, the United States government deployed arge number of warships to the Gulf of Aden to eliminate the Somali pirates in the nearby area. They just returned ten or so days ago.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi sensed what he was implying. ¡°You mean, the ocean¡¯s maic field changed as soon as the American warships were withdrawn?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. The withdrawal took a long period of time, so it¡¯s hard to say whether or not the maic field changed as soon as the warships withdrew.¡± Zhao Liangze continued to exin, ¡°See these fluctuations? The changes could have urred before the warships left. The earthquakes are the aftermath.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pored over the data on the monitor andpared it to the map from the ocean satellite. She slowly began to see the connection and asked Zhao Liangze, ¡°How can I help?¡±

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help but smile and patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s always easier to deal with a smart person.¡± He decided to give her a task. ¡°Can you try to see if you can get some information through the US Congress? Such as, why the United States suddenly sent arge number of warships to the Gulf of Aden to destroy the Somali pirates two months ago?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brows. She stood up and crossed her arms as she looked up at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Brother Ze, have you gone crazy from staying up for so long? Didn¡¯t you just say that the United States sent the warships to destroy the Somali pirates? Why would we need to find out the reason?¡±

    ¡°You really think that the United States sent the warships off to the Gulf of Aden to get rid of a band of Somali pirates?¡± The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched with a sly smile. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll tell you a secret. Everything the United States does is for its own national interests, and absolutely not for the benefit of any other countries.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°You call that a secret? That¡¯s something the entire world already knows! You really think the United States is Lei Feng1 looking out for the good of all society? Anyone who believes that is either stupid or lying to themselves.¡±

    Zhao Liangze chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve really grown up with us. It¡¯s good that you realize it.¡± Zhao Liangze smiled and reached his hand out to ruffle her head again .

    Gu Nianzhu quickly moved away and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m almost 18! Don¡¯t touch treat me like a child and touch my head so patronizingly.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. I won¡¯t treat you like a child anymore, since you¡¯re almost an adult.¡± Zhao Liangze paused, thinking about how it would be her 18th birthday in one month. He wasn¡¯t sure how to feel; he quickly brushed it aside and continued. ¡°Since you know that the Americans only make haste when there are benefits to be gained on their part, and that the Somali pirates have been rampant thest few years, then the question is why the United States suddenly eliminated felt the need to eliminate the pirates from the Gulf of Aden?¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°But, first things first, my department is the most useless one in all of the US Congress, so it probably won¡¯t be much help. But, Brother Huang¡¯s department will probably be connected to this incident.¡±

    ¡°What department is he in?¡±

    ¡°The Commission For Unrestricted Ocean Travel.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned over to open the US Congress homepage. ¡°See, this is it. It¡¯s closely rted to the US Navy.¡±

    ¡°Then go ahead and see what you can find out.¡± Zhao Liangze went to on warn her, ¡°Don¡¯t be too obvious; just pretend to be gossiping. It¡¯s ok if he doesn¡¯t know, we¡¯ve already sent a research vessel over to the Gulf of Aden anyway.¡±

    They continued to n for acquiring the information about the US warships. By the time they finished speaking, it was alreadyte into the night. Gu Nianzhizily stretched. ¡°I still have to wake up early tomorrow, so I¡¯ll head to bed first.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Zhao Liangze walked her back to her room and used the probe to check every corner of her room before letting her get in bed. He tucked her in and raised the heat on the thermostat.

    ...

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi arrived at the Capitol Hill Building. The first thing she did was buy a hearty English breakfastplete with scones, bacon, fried egg, clotted cream, peanut and avocado sd, and a hot cup of Lipton ck tea. She took it to Brother Huang.She knocked at the door and said, ¡°Brother Huang, look at what I¡¯ve brought for you! It¡¯s so early, so you must not have eaten yet I assume?¡± She heard a sound from inside and took that as a sign to enter. Gu Nianzhi carried the breakfast box and beamed as she opened the door to Brother Huang¡¯s small office. ¡°Surprise!¡± However, when the door opened, Gu Nianzhi was the one left standing in surprise.

    Three people stood in the office: Brother Huang, He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi. Brother Huang was ecstatic when he saw Gu Nianzhi bring him breakfast and quickly walked over to take it from her. ¡°You¡¯re so sweet, Nianzhi. I really didn¡¯t have breakfast yet;how did you know?¡±

    Initially, Gu Nianzhi had wanted to butter Brother Huang up, but He Zhichu¡¯s look was so icy that she was taken aback. She couldn¡¯t utter a single word of ttery; instead she gave a lightugh and acknowledged the other two.

    ¡°Oh? Professor He and Teaching Assistant Wen are here to? Do you have business with Brother Huang? Did I intrude?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was in a strangely good mood and spoke nicely to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°ssmate Huang wrote an excellent report, so Professor He came over to discuss with it with him and to also take him to listen to a debate at the Congress. Do you want toe too, if you¡¯ve nothing else to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡°What kind of debate? Is it interesting?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a debate about withdrawing from the International Oceans Convention. Do you want toe?¡± Brother Huang eagerly invited Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It¡¯s very interesting.¡±

    Though Gu Nianzhi very much wanted to go, He Zhichu¡¯s expression was turning more and more unpleasant. His gaze was cold and it was apparent that he didn¡¯t want her to go. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to make Brother Huang ufortable by going against He Zhichu¡¯s wishes. She understood the order of priority. ¡°Oh, actually, I¡¯ll have to pass. Today the fundingmittee has a lot going on, so I have to attend the meeting.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a quick and bowed as she turned to leave.

    Brother Huang hastily opened the door, ¡°Let me walk you out. You were so busy and still took the time to bring me breakfast, I feel so bad. How about I treat you to lunch?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯ll wait for you then.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eagerly took the opportunity. She would wait and try to get something from him at lunch.

    ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, take Little Huang over to the debate conference roomter, I have to discuss something with the speaker.¡± He Zhichu finally broke his silence. He passed by Gu Nianzhi andpletely ignored her.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said to Brother Huang and Wen Shouyi, ¡°I have to go too. Brother Huang, remember to eat, otherwise you¡¯ll get stomach cramps.¡± She nodded to Wen Shouyi and left the office. As soon as she walked out and turned a corner to head down another hallway, she noticed He Zhichu walking at an even pace in front of her. She frowned, remembering that the speaker¡¯s office was in the other direction. Isn¡¯t Professor He going the wrong way? Gu Nianzhi thought worriedly. She caught up to him and gently pulled at his sleeve, pointing in the other direction.

    ¡°Professor He, the speaker¡¯s office is that way. Aren¡¯t you going the wrong way?¡±

 Chapter 165 - Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 165: Coincidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks. His almond-shaped eyes shed. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you have a lunch meeting at noon. Have you forgotten about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi jerked her head up in surprise. ¡°I have a lunch meeting? Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you about it now. Got a problem with that?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice had dipped below freezing point, to match his frosty attitude. ¡°If you have so much time on your hands, you should be thinking about how to improve your professional work, instead of going around buying breakfast for other people. Who¡¯s he to you, anyway? He has a wife waiting for him, back in the Empire¡ªhave you considered what this might look like to her? You¡¯re not some errand girl.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. She was not an errand girl, and He Zhichu was right: Brother Huang was a married man. She had to tread carefully.

    She let go of He Zhichu¡¯s sleeve, feeling a little panicked. ¡°...Professor He, I didn¡¯t really mean anything by that. His wife will understand, right? It was just breakfast...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s long, darkshes lowered over his shimmering, almond-shaped eyes. ¡°You bought breakfast for Little Huang, but not for anyone else. What do you think that looks like?¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh. She was reminded of her time as a C University student: Mei Xiawen had bought her breakfast every day, and he had bought it only for her and no one else. That had been enough for all her schoolmates to figure out that Mei Xiawen was trying to woo her.

    She had to admit that her actions were extremely misleading.

    But she wanted to get closer to Brother Huang; buying breakfast for him had seemed like a good way to earn brownie points with him.

    ¡°What do I do? I don¡¯t want his wife to get the wrong idea...¡± Gu Nianzhi walked away with her head in her hands, leaving He Zhichu behind her in the hallway.

    He Zhichu put his hands in the pockets of his ck dress pants, unable to believe that Gu Nianzhi had abandoned him in the hallway, just like that.

    He turned to look in the direction of the Speaker of the Senate¡¯s office, and then turned back around to look at the girl who was now walking away with slumped, dejected shoulders. He looked up at the corridor ceiling, and finally made up his mind. He darted forwards, caught up with Gu Nianzhi, and said, a little stiffly, ¡°If you don¡¯t want Little Huang¡¯s wife to get the wrong idea, you should buy breakfast for a few other people, too. That way, his wife won¡¯t think there¡¯s anything strange about it, even if she finds out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped. Her dark, inky eyes twinkled with joy. ¡°You¡¯re right! Professor He, you always know what to do, you¡¯re so experienced. I¡¯ll do just that. I¡¯ll go buy breakfast for the others, right this minute.¡± With that, she immediately made a beeline for the breakfast corner in the restaurant.

    He Zhichu followed after her. He coughed and said nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t have first-hand experience, I¡¯m just drawing logical conclusions from my observations of human nature. Anyway, this is your lucky day¡ªI haven¡¯t had my breakfast yet, so here¡¯s your chance to buy me breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned and gave He Zhichu an odd look. ¡°But I thought you don¡¯t eat breakfast? You drink red wine in the morning, and that¡¯s it... That¡¯s what I heard from my ssmate, anyway.¡±

    He Zhichu looked icy daggers at her. He could practically feel the roots of his teeth smarting as he sneered, ¡°Is this the time to be Miss Smarty Pants? Weren¡¯t you just talking about how important breakfast is? You told Little Huang to eat breakfast to stay healthy, and somehow that doesn¡¯t apply to me? Well, that certainly says a lot about what Little Huang means to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt like getting down on her knees and dashing her head upon the floor¡ªshe was never going to clear her name, at this rate. She quickly turned and dashed into the restaurant. ¡°Five English breakfasts, to go!¡±

    A chef in a tall white hat packed five breakfast boxes for her as the cashier punched out a receipt. ¡°That will be 75 dors.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got out her wallet. To her dismay, there was only a little over $50 in it.

    She did not have an American credit card, and she had not been allowed to bring any of the Huaxia credit cards Huo Shaoheng had given her to the United States. She had to get her daily allowance from Zhao Liangze.

    $50 was usually enough to get her through the day, but it was evidently not enough to cover unexpected expenses like this one.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small, delicate face was now red with embarrassment. She stammered, ¡°C-C-Can... can I just take three?¡±

    ¡°No. These are all made to order. If you don¡¯t want them, who¡¯s going to pay for them?¡± The ckdy manning the cashier arrogantly shot down her request to ¡°return¡± the food.

    ¡°Then I...¡± Gu Nianzhi turned and looked at He Zhichu with wide, pleading eyes. ¡°Professor He, can you lend me some money?¡±

    He Zhichu was annoyed, but by this time he was already past the point of caring. He could not summon the energy to get mad at her.

    All he had wanted was for Gu Nianzhi to treat him to breakfast¡ªand now he had to pay for it himself...

    He pulled out his ck Card and slid it over the counter, his expression entirely deadpan.

    The cashier was instantly courteous and attentive. She smiled widely at He Zhichu. ¡°Thank you, Mr. He.¡±

    After swiping the card, Gu Nianzhi grabbed the five breakfast boxes and walked out of the restaurant with He Zhichu. She handed one of the breakfast boxes to him. ¡°Your breakfast, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips as he took the box from her. He said, with his usual frosty voice, ¡°This doesn¡¯t count, because now I¡¯m the one buying everyone breakfast. If you want to clear your name, you¡¯ll have to buy everyone breakfast again¡ªwith your own money.¡± With that, he turned and left.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted as she carried the remaining breakfast boxes to the Committee of Appropriations. She left them on the front desk¡ªMary¡¯s desk¡ªand batted her eyshes at her. ¡°Mary, I bought breakfast for everyone.¡±

    Mary¡¯s face broke into a wide grin. She happily shared the breakfast boxes with her other colleagues.

    Gu Nianzhi went into her office and sat quietly in her chair for a moment. Finally, she turned on herputer and logged into her ount to check whether she had any work lined up for the day.

    The Committee of Appropriations internal system showed that there were no appropriations bills awaiting approval or registration.

    After a moment¡¯s deliberation, she navigated to the archives to look up the appropriations bills that had already been approved and uploaded into the system.

    She remembered the dates Zhao Liangze had given her the day before, and decided to start with the records for thest three months.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s hints had pointed her in the right direction; Gu Nianzhi quickly discovered that the US Congress had passed an appropriations bill for the US Navy two months ago.

    It was an astronomical amount of money.

    Interesting. Very interesting.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood what He Zhichu had meant.

    He was right: this was the most important department in the US Congress.

    It was possible to put the pieces together into aplete picture, just by tracking the source and flow of the government funds.

    The US Congress approved arge number of government projects every year. There were so many projects, the members of Congress sometimes lost track of them themselves.

    But not every project was carried through.

    The Committee of Appropriations was the only ce in US Congress where you could see which of the projects that had been approved were actually legitimate, and which ones were simply smoke and mirrors, designed to mislead and deceive.

    To put it another way, it did not matter if you had entire libraries of paperwork or the most convincing of speeches and verbal promises on tape¡ªthey did not actually prove anything. The flow of money, on the other hand, never lied.

    Gu Nianzhi felt like an explorer who had identally stumbled upon a new continent. She spent the entire morning cooped up in her office, diligently looking through the historical funding records.

    She was so engrossed in her work she almost jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. It was He Zhichu.

    She took the call, her eyes still glued to herputer screen. ¡°Professor He? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Lunch meeting. Have you forgotten?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s icy voice sounded over her phone.

    Gu Nianzhi gave a quick ¡°Oh¡± in reply, and hastily logged out of the system. She shut down herputer, grabbed her backpack, and walked out of the Committee of Appropriations office.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in front of the steps,¡± said He Zhichu, and promptly hung up.

    Gu Nianzhi walked outside and saw a ck, shiny Rolls-Royce waiting in the open space before the long flight of steps leading to the Capitol Building.

    Was this his car?

    Gu Nianzhi looked around¡ªthis was the only car in the vicinity.

    This was supposed to be a no-stopping, no-parking zone.

    He Zhichu poked his head out of the rear window. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurried over to the car. She opened the rear door and sat in the back.

    ¡°Drive.¡± He Zhichumanded the chauffeur up front.

    Gu Nianzhi was reminded of a joke: anyone who owned a Rolls-Royce had to have a chauffeur; they could not drive the car themselves, because everyone automatically assumed the person behind the wheel was a chauffeur...

    She ducked her head as she tried desperately not tough.

    He Zhichu saw herugh; all the unhappiness and resentment that had been piling up within him immediately vanished, like mist before a morning sun. He smiled in response.

    The car stopped before a French restaurant. He Zhichu led her inside.

    The restaurant was famous for its sky-high prices¡ªand He Zhichu had actually reserved a private room!

    In America, it was rare for a restaurant¡ªany restaurant¡ªto have private rooms.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down, happy to be dining in such a ssy restaurant. She waited and waited, but no one else showed up. When the waiters began to serve lunch, she knew something was wrong.

    ¡°Professor He, isn¡¯t this supposed to be a lunch meeting? Where¡¯s everyone?¡± She looked doubtfully at the door to the private room.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here.¡± He Zhichu picked up his knife and fork. He cut up his medium steak and poured the gravy over it.

    Realization dawned upon Gu Nianzhi. ¡°So it¡¯s just the two of us? How is this a lunch meeting...?¡± she muttered as she cut up her crab-cake and slowly ate it.

    ¡°What, two people can¡¯t have a meeting now?¡± He Zhichu slid his wine ss over to Gu Nianzhi without looking up. ¡°Pour me some of that red wine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reached for the bottle of red wine on the table and poured him a small ss of wine.

    ¡°Today¡¯s lunch meeting is about what you¡¯ve been doing at worktely. I heard you¡¯ve been spending most of your time hanging out at the other offices?¡± He Zhichu rattled off a list of everything Gu Nianzhi had done in the past several days.

    Gu Nianzhi broke out in a cold sweat. So there were spies lurking around her, reporting her every move to He Zhichu...

    ¡°I¡¯ll stop cking off and be more professional about my work in the future,¡± said Gu Nianzhi sheepishly. She did not argue with He Zhichu. Suddenly, she remembered she had caught a glimpse of the ¡°tip of the iceberg¡± through the Committee of Appropriations¡¯ internal system, and added, smiling, ¡°I think I know what you meant.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You once told me that the Committee of Appropriations is the most important department in Congress.¡± Gu Nianzhi poured another small ss of wine for He Zhichu. ¡°You were right. I have a theory, and I¡¯m in the middle of confirming it.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Let¡¯s hear it.¡± He Zhichu had not expected Gu Nianzhi to catch on so quickly. He lifted his ss and looked over the rim at Gu Nianzhi as he took a sip of red wine.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No, not yet. I¡¯ll tell you when I¡¯m a hundred percent sure.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± He Zhichu slowly wiped his mouth with a napkin, ¡°but don¡¯t take too long, or you won¡¯t be getting your birthday party.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, right...¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. She had almost forgotten about the deal. ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you, Professor He!¡±

    ...

    While He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were having lunch, Zhao Liangze was in the middle of a video call with Huo Shaoheng.

    After concluding his report, there was a brief pause as Zhao Liangze steeled himself to say: ¡°Sir, I showed the data to Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression did not change, but Zhao Liangze suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as though a ferocious, bloodthirsty beast were staring at him.

    ¡°Sir...¡± Zhao Liangze said tentatively, his voice trembling. ¡°I... I... Did I do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Little Ze, you know very well that Nianzhi has a photographic memory. She remembers everything she sees. You showed her the data¡ªand you expect me to say you did the right thing?¡± Huo Shaoheng was irritated, but he could not put his finger on the source of his annoyance. He jerked his hand away from the mouse, pulled out a cigarette, and began to smoke in front of hisputer. He took a long drag on his cigarette; the ensuing cloud of lingering smoke obscured his face.

    Zhao Liangze ducked his head, not daring to meet Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. He stammered, ¡°I-I-I... I just wanted to find out the truth, as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse. You shouldn¡¯t have shown it to her, period.¡± Huo Shaoheng moved his cigarette to his left hand as he grabbed hold of the mouse and opened another file.

    This was another set of data, a record of abnormal fluctuations in the maic field.

    This particr document had been created six years ago.

    This set of data from six years ago more or less matched the new set of data Huo Shaoheng and his men had just discovered.

    The coordinates recorded in the old file were those for a certain street in C City of the Huaxia Empire.

    On that day, a serious car ident had urred on that street. Huo Shaoheng, who had been on bodyguard duty for the scientist examining the maic field, had rescued a 12-year-old girl from a burning car.

    The girl was Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°The fluctuations in the maic field from the downtown area six years ago align with the recent anomalies in the Gulf of Aden. Did you honestly think it was a good idea to let Nianzhi know about this?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grip on his mouse tightened. He had to restrain himself from crushing the mouse entirely.

    ¡°Unless I¡¯mpletely off base, both sets of data matching up like this is definitely not a coincidence, and my gut feeling tells me Nianzhi has something to do with all this, somehow. We¡¯ve gotten nowhere with our investigations¡ªmaybe it¡¯s time to give her a free hand and see what she turns up.¡± Zhao Liangze summoned his courage and looked Huo Shaoheng squarely in the eyes as he said, ¡°You agreed to let Nianzhie to America because you wanted to explore new possibilities, right? You wanted to see whether the people from her past will starting out of the woodworks.¡±

    To put it bluntly, Gu Nianzhi was acting as their bait.

    They would never be able to catch a fish with an empty hook.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep, dark eyes were inscrutable. He was silent for a long moment as he considered what Zhao Liangze had said. Finally, he admitted that Zhao Liangze was right and gave him an implicit go-ahead by saying: ¡°Remember to report to me as soon as you find anything.¡± With that, he ended the video call and walked to the balcony with his cigarette in hand. He gazed at the mountains in the distance, lost in his thoughts.

    It was the middle of the night. The Special Ops military base in C City was enveloped in total darkness. The only flicker of light came from the cigarette between his fingers; it pulsed uncertainly, mirroring the uneasy feeling welling within him.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi finished her ¡°lunch meeting¡± and returned to the Capitol Building in He Zhichu¡¯s car.

    He Zhichu did not get out of the car. He turned his head to look at her as he handed her a credit card. ¡°Take it. I won¡¯t be around for the next few days, I have some other things to attend to. Remember to send me your daily reports, I¡¯ll be checking my mailbox for them every day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send my reports,¡± said Gu Nianzhi dejectedly. She tried to return the credit card to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, I can¡¯t just take your credit card.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°I give all my graduate students their own cards. The university pays for them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was forced to ept He Zhichu¡¯s credit card. She hastily shoved it into her backpack.

    She returned to the Capitol Building with a heavy heart, and went to find Brother Huang.

    Brother Huang saw here into his office. He asked anxiously: ¡°Where have you been? Do you still want to have lunch?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course, I¡¯m starving.¡± He Zhichu had just left, and Gu Nianzhi was pretty sure no one else knew about her ¡°lunch meeting¡± with him.

    Brother Huang took her to the small restaurant in the Capitol Building for lunch.

    The restaurant was crowded; it was lunch time, after all.

    Gu Nianzhi ordered a vegetable juice. She found a table in a corner and sat down with Brother Huang.

    Brother Huang stared incredulously at her vegetable juice. ¡°...That¡¯s your lunch?! You can¡¯t be serious! Don¡¯t worry about the expenses, I always buy lunch with my credit card. We don¡¯t have to pay for it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°You have a credit card, Brother Huang? Why don¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    He Zhichu had just given her a credit card, but Brother Huang had evidently received his much, much earlier.

    ¡°Oh, Miss Wen said there were a few issues when she tried to apply for your card. She¡¯s still working it out with the bank,¡± Brother Huang hastily exined. ¡°You can use mine, it¡¯s all the same, anyway. So do you want to get something else to eat?¡±

 Chapter 166 - The Most Important Thing

    <h4>Chapter 166: The Most Important Thing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Problem with the application?¡± Gu Nianzhi was perplexed. ¡°What could¡¯ve gone wrong?¡±

    ¡°I heard that when the application was sent in, there was a problem with the background check. The credit cardpany investigated the two cases you were involved in, and although things ended up being ok, the cardpany requested the applicant to provide a notarization certificate, so it¡¯s still being processed.¡± Brother Huang eagerly exined on Wen Shouyi¡¯s behalf. ¡°Nianzhi,¡± Brother Huang urged, ¡°we don¡¯t want to cross our professors. No matter what, Teaching Assistant Wen is still our professor¡ªso why are you always targeting her? I don¡¯t believe this credit card incident was intentional. Listen to your Brother Huang, and go and buy some more food. You can use my card.¡± Brother Huang handed the credit card over without another word; he was happy to be generous since he didn¡¯t have to pay it off anyway.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t need it right away and quickly refused. ¡°It¡¯s really ok. I don¡¯t want to eat too much because I¡¯m on a diet.¡± She casually steered the topic of conversation away from the previous matter and instead asked after Brother Huang¡¯s work and how things were going at the Commission For Unrestricted Ocean Travel. Finally, he began to talk about the Naval warships that had recently withdrawn from the Gulf of Aden.

    Brother Huang attempted to use all sorts of topics to pique Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest and huddled closer to her, saying in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, this incident was really peculiar. I heard that therge number of warships deployed were not only tounch a big attack at the Somali pirates, but was more importantly used to protect a research vessel.¡±

    ¡°Research vessel?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned, feigning confusion. ¡°First the US Navy, now a research vessel? What the hell are they doing?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I thought it was strange too. All that effort and money, and we have no idea what observations the research vessel was making.¡± Brother Huang shook his head in confusion and focused on his lunch. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was mulling over these details and forming a n. She finished her lunch with Brother Huang and rushed back to the fundingmittee office to check the naval expenditure for the m warships deployed to the Gulf of Aden two months ago. She discovered quite an interesting history with the source and allocation of funds.

    Gu Nianzhi easily found the name of the research vessel from the list of system suppliers. It turned out that the research vessel belonged to Physical World Ltd. and that they had been involved in the naval operation as a partner. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lingered on the name, and shemitted it to memory. When she returned home that evening, she went to Zhao Liangze¡¯s room and told him what Brother Huang had said and what she found out about thepany the research vessel belonged to.

    Zhao Liangze was very satisfied and patted her shoulder proudly. ¡°Good job. I knew I could count on you.¡± He then had her continue studyingputer science. ¡°You can never have too many skills. Since I¡¯m going to be taking care of you for the next six months anyway, do you want to keep learning aboutputerworks with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not think of anything that she would want more. She was bored to death everyday and if she could learn some practical hacking skills from Zhao Liangze, then the next six months wouldn¡¯t go to waste. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi quickly agreed, Zhao Liangze gave her a hacking manual he had written himself. ¡°Only read this here, at home. Don¡¯t bring it to Capitol Hill.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m interning there and getting paid. How could I think of doing a side job right there?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned her nose up at him mockingly before smiling as she went back to her room.

    Zhao Liangze began researching about thepany Physical World. Strangely enough, he couldn¡¯t find anything about them as hard as he tried. In this online age when even a business registration could be found online, how could a fully namedpany with official ties to the US Congress and Navy be virtually nonexistent? Zhao Liangze looked at the search interface and chuckled¡ªthis was peculiar enough. The Americans probably didn¡¯t understand the notion that covering up too much would arouse suspicion. The fact that absolutely nothing could be found was a giant red g itself. He sent this information to Huo Shaoheng in an encrypted email.

    Huo Shaoheng read the email and realized that Gu Nianzhi had found the information for them once again. He was silent for a moment, then forwarded it the the archival department of the Special Ops. At the same time, the Special Ops also had their own intelligence department to investigate. Sometimes it wasn¡¯t enough to use the Inte.

    ...

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi received the news from Zhao Liangze before she went to the Capitol Hill. ¡°You really couldn¡¯t find anything online?¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°I¡¯ll go look in the system and see if there is an actual address or phone number.¡± She quickly found the list of suppliers after returning to the small office in Capitol Hill. However, this time, Physical World hadpletely disappeared from the supplier list, no matter how much she looked. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped, but she couldn¡¯t help continuing to search. After struggling for a long time, she finally found out that the security restrictions had been added to the list of suppliers to the navy. As an intern, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have the security clearance through her ount, so she couldn¡¯t ess the restricted list of mysterious suppliers like she had the day before. This research vessel had entered the Gulf of Aden with the US Navy¡¯s support, but had somehow turned into a supplier. In other words, not only had the US Navy not charged thispany, but they had also paid them. Was the American government truly that charitable? Gu Nianzhi rubbed her chin and pondered. Someone interrupted her thoughts with their knuckles rapping on her desk.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up to see Wen Shouyi¡¯s face. ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen.¡± Gu Nianzhi rose and greeted her with a smile. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    Wen Shouyi ced a credit card on her desk, ¡°This is yours, I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s a few dayster than Little Huang¡¯s. It was because I needed to find a notary to prove that your twowsuits have been settled for the background check.¡±

    ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, the first case was someone suing me, then they withdrew the case. The second time I made a counterim and the other party pleaded guilty and paid a huge sum.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her finger at Wen Shouyi, ¡°Neither cases were settled, so please don¡¯t be mistaken.¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded with a smile. ¡°I know, and it wasn¡¯t your fault. You¡¯ve suffered the past two months while I was away. If I had been here, things wouldn¡¯t have ended up in court. Professor He is a very busy man who may sometimes neglect your care, but please don¡¯t mind him. In Professor He¡¯s heart, he cares about nothing more than the well-being and sess of his students.¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t like her words, she couldn¡¯t argue and insist that Professor He treated her specially. Even if that were the case, it would sound bad if she outright admitted it. So, Gu Nianzhi merely took out the credit card He Zhichu gave her and smiled sweetly as she waved it at her, ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, Professor He is truly good to us. When he found out I didn¡¯t have a credit card to use, he simply handed his for me to use. Generous, you say? This is pure selflessness. Teaching Assistant Wen, can you understand this sentiment?¡±

 Chapter 167 - Be My Goddess

    <h4>Chapter 167: Be My Goddess</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression froze as her eyes fell upon the credit card in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. After a moment, she gave a self-deprecatingugh and said, ¡°I see you went to Professor He andined about me, again. Nianzhi, I really do care about you. I want the best for you. You don¡¯t have to appreciate what I do for you, but can¡¯t you at least stop thinking of me as some kind of evil viiness, out to get you at every turn?¡±

    ¡°I never make assumptions about a person¡¯s character.¡± Gu Nianzhi withdrew the credit card He Zhichu had given her and said, with a hint of sarcasm, ¡°I only make inferences ording to their behavior. Miss Wen, I don¡¯t care what goes on inside that mind of yours, nor do I care about whatever private reasons you supposedly have for acting the way you do towards me. That¡¯s none of my business, and I don¡¯t want to know about it. All I want is to live peacefully for the next six months, and then return to the Empire to continue my studies.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stared at Gu Nianzhi, her eyes filled with undisguised pity and sympathy. Gu Nianzhi squirmed ufortably under her gaze.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down and resumed working on herputer. She kept her face deliberately turned towards herputer screen in an explicit disy of hostility as she asked, ¡°Miss Wen, is there something else?¡±

    Wen Shouyi sighed. She looked at Gu Nianzhi calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up from herputer and stared defiantly back at Wen Shouyi.

    She took in Wen Shouyi¡¯s slightly plump figure, her round face, her thin eyebrows, and her small mouth. Her nose was delicate and straight, and the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned¡ªthey were what weremonly known as ¡°phoenix eyes,¡± simr to He Zhichu¡¯s characteristic bright, almond-shaped eyes, except longer and narrower. She looked like a ssical beauty who had just walked out from an old painting; her full figure and chubby cheeks were pleasant and attractive to look at¡ªif she kept her mouth shut.

    Gu Nianzhi seized the opportunity to carefully look Wen Shouyi over. The longer she stared at her, the more familiar she seemed to Gu Nianzhi.

    Who? Who does she remind me of?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts ran wild as the cogs turned inside her head. Her eyes zed over as she tried to remember.

    Wen Shouyi quietly watched Gu Nianzhi. When she saw that Gu Nianzhi had zoned out, she smiled pleasantly and left the small office.

    Gu Nianzhi was staring at Wen Shouyi¡¯s retreating back when it suddenly hit her.

    She knew now why Wen Shouyi seemed so familiar to her.

    Back in her Fengya apartment bedroom, in C City of the Huaxia Empire, there were several dolls she had yed with as a child.

    A dreamy princess outfit in pink gauze and purple organdy, thick bangs that covered the forehead, narrow eyes, a face as round and fair as a dinner te, and a full figure¡ªthe dolls had resembled the youngdiesmonly seen in ssical paintings.

    And now, they reminded her strongly of Wen Shouyi.

    They were not entirely alike, of course; there were many differences between the two, but the overall feeling was the same...

    Wen Shouyi resembled her dolls. Why was that?

    Gu Nianzhi chewed on her pen. She made up her mind to call Huo Shaohengter that night to ask where the dolls hade from.

    She kept herself busy with her work at the Committee of Appropriations. When it was time to call it a day, she finally discovered she no longer had ess to the archives.

    Her ess was now limited to the most basic files; everything else now said ¡°Restricted ess¡± when she tried to open them.

    What could she do?

    Oh well¡ªtime to grow mushrooms.

    ...

    Later that evening, when she had returned to her apartment and was having dinner with Zhao Liangze, Gu Nianzhi brought up the subject of her dolls at the dining table. ¡°Brother Ze, do you remember the dolls I had when I was a little girl? I carried them everywhere with me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do. Why?¡± Zhao Liangzedled out a bowl of soup and handed it to her. ¡°Drink up, it¡¯s Chinese yam with pork ribs. It¡¯ll help you grow taller.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not in a hurry to drink her soup. She got out her phone and pulled up a photo of Wen Shouyi. ¡°Don¡¯t you think she looks like my dolls? Thin eyebrows, a small mouth, phoenix eyes, kind of chubby?¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at the photo dismissively. ¡°...Thin eyebrows, a small mouth, phoenix eyes, kind of chubby¡ªyou¡¯ve just described about a third of all the women from the Huaxia northwestern provinces. If you actually thought those facial features were in any way special, well, congrattions, you¡¯ve narrowed it down from one in a billion to one in every ten million.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you don¡¯t think she looks like my dolls?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes were round with surprise. Her dark pupils glittered like the best-quality obsidian under the lights. ¡°Really? They don¡¯t look alike¡ªat all?¡±

    ¡°They look simr, but I wouldn¡¯t say they look alike. It¡¯s a generic simrity, like a racial stereotype. You know how white people look simr to one another, right? Well, the same goes for ck people, and so on and so forth¡ªget it?¡± Zhao Liangze patted her on the shoulder. ¡°The simrity is superficial. There¡¯s nothing more to it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully scrutinized Wen Shouyi¡¯s photo. Zhao Liangze was right¡ªthe simrity seemed to be superficial.

    The sudden wave of nostalgia and familiarity that hade over her in her office that morning waspletely gone now.

    She sighed and turned off her phone. ¡°Guess I was being paranoid.¡±

    ¡°I thought you hated her? A lot? Why would you rte her to your favorite dolls?¡± Zhao Liangze found the idea extremely amusing. He continued chatting with Gu Nianzhi about it as he cut up his steak.

    ¡°I hate her guts. The first time we met, she tried to sabotage me, and I¡¯ve never liked her since. But she¡¯s Professor He¡¯s assistant¡ªshe¡¯s always around, whether I like her or not.¡± Gu Nianzhi drank her entire bowl of soup in one go, and then began picking out the Chinese yam inside to eat.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t spend so much time thinking about her then. Just ignore her. The more you spend time hating her, the more important she bes to you. Why make things difficult for yourself?¡± Zhao Liangze had finished cutting his steak into little pieces. He poured the gravy over the steak pieces, and began shoving them into his mouth with a fork. His eyes twinkled with gastronomic bliss.

    Gu Nianzhi was done eating. She rested her chin in a hand and began talking about the supplier. ¡°...I was able to find the details of the supplier yesterday, but today, they were all locked behind restricted ess. I can¡¯t see them anymore.¡±

    Zhao Liangze paused. ¡°Restricted ess?¡±

    ¡°Yup. I was able to retrieve the data and reports yesterday, so I¡¯m positive the extra security measure was only added today.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded confidently.

    Zhao Liangze thought for a moment. ¡°I know what happened. They probably added some sort of trigger in the list of suppliers. If someone not on their internal white-list tries to look up this specific supplier, the file immediately goes into restricted ess. It¡¯s a very simple encryption method that can be carried out automatically with a script. Well, at least we know now that there is definitely something fishy about this particr supplier.¡±

    ¡°Have you told Uncle Huo about it?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze eagerly. ¡°If you haven¡¯t, I can tell him, on your behalf!¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at her. He suddenly grinned. ¡°I mentioned it, but I wasn¡¯t very clear. I think it would be better for you to tell him about it yourself.¡± He winked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi leapt to her feet, bursting with joy. ¡°I¡¯ll call him, right away!¡±

    She rushed to her room, mmed the door shut, and immediately dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number on her phone.

    Zhao Liangze remained seated at the dining table. He stared at the door to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room as he ate his dinner, a thoughtful expression on his face.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi flopped onto her bed. She had finally gotten through to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone.

    ¡°...Uncle Huo?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned over to lie on her back, the corners of her mouth already curved upwards.

    Huo Shaoheng was in the middle of a meeting. He heard Gu Nianzhi call his number over his headset; he answered the call, then immediately hung up. He took out his phone and texted her: I¡¯m in a meeting.

    Gu Nianzhi read Huo Shaoheng¡¯s message over and over again, wishing her intense staring would magically make it longer.

    But that was it.

    Huo Shaoheng was in the middle of discussing with his subordinates the viability of sending a research vessel to the Gulf of Aden.

    ¡°Our investigations show that Physical World was founded by a professor of physics from Harvard University. It¡¯s a small, limited liabilitypany¡ªnot a publicpany¡ªand all the registration details for it remain highly ssified.¡± Lieutenant Colonel Zhao, who oversaw North American intelligence, was standing on the podium in the conference room, presenting the results of their investigations. ¡°Bai Yusheng¡¯s defection from two months ago severely crippled our Secret Service operations and intelligencework in North America. We would have been able to find out a lot more about Physical World, if it hadn¡¯t been for that.¡±

    He shook his head regretfully as he stepped down from the podium and seated himself in one of the chairs below.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment. Finally, he said: ¡°Send a research vessel to the Gulf of Aden. Two warships will act as an escort. Those amateur pirates in the Gulf of Aden would never dare approach a military warship.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to coordinate with the Southern Military Region if we want to send warships,¡± said Bai Yueran. She was not only a colonel, but also the head of the Legal Department for the 6th Military Region. ¡°It¡¯s either them or the Eastern Military Region¡ªthese are the only two military regions with a naval fleet.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll cooperate with the Southern Military Region.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer and looked at the map of territorial waters. ¡°There are many ces of interest in the South China Sea, it¡¯ll be easier to work from there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. We have plenty of natural wonders in the South China Sea to protect, don¡¯t we?¡± Everyoneughed in implicit understanding.

    After the meeting was over, Bai Yueran waited for everyone to leave before saying to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Sir, my aunt will be going there in person this time. Don¡¯t worry¡ªif there¡¯s anything remotely suspicious about the area, she¡¯ll find it.¡±

    Bai Yueran¡¯s aunt, Bai Jinyi, was a famous physicist in the Huaxia Empire. She was in her fifties, and had never married¡ªrumor had it that she waspletely obsessed with her research, and considered marriage and having children to be a waste of time.

    Six years ago, it had been Bai Jinyi who had first discovered the abnormal maic field emanating from a particr section of C City.

    Back then, Huo Shaoheng had been tasked with the duty of protecting her.

    Now, the same maic field had appeared again. It was naturally up to Bai Jinyi to investigate it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to do our best.¡± Huo Shaoheng was not feeling optimistic about the excursion. The Huaxia Empire was only sticking their finger into the pie because the other countries were sending their warships to the area.

    Although the data collected from the maic field matched the data from six years ago, the maic field had appeared under the sea, this time around¡ªthere were too many unknown factors, and Huo Shaoheng did not think it was wise to invest too much effort into the investigation.

    Bai Yueran saw that Huo Shaoheng was no longer interested in the conversation, and excused herself.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his office and looked at his watch. It was 11 o¡¯clock in the morning; it would be 11 o¡¯clock at night over in the US east coast.

    He thought about it, and decided to call her back.

    ¡°What is it, Nianzhi?¡± As soon as his voice sounded over the phone, Gu Nianzhi immediately felt her ear grow hot and feverish.

    ¡°I just wanted to talk to you about Physical World, Uncle Huo. I wanted to look up a few more things today, but the report had already been locked behind restricted ess. I can¡¯t see it anymore.¡± Gu Nianzhi held the phone close to her right ear, and made sure to keep her voice low.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Then don¡¯t go snooping after it anymore. Don¡¯t draw any unnecessary attention to yourself.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t,¡± Gu Nianzhi said obediently.

    Zhao Liangze had said the same thing, but as usual, she had refused to listen.

    The exact same words were nowing from Huo Shaoheng, and she immediately agreed with him. She decided not to risk going through the archived files again.

    ¡°Is there anything else? It¡¯s already 11 o¡¯clock. Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡± Huo Shaoheng put on his headset and walked out of his office to get lunch at the cafeteria.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to hang up so soon. She talked about Wen Shouyi and her dolls. She asked, with great interest, ¡°Uncle Huo, where did you buy my dolls? Did you get them from one of the Western provinces?¡±

    ¡°Buy?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°It was custom-made. You can¡¯t buy it off a rack.¡±

    ¡°Custom-made?¡± Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. ¡°What made you think of getting custom-made dolls for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a moment to reply. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on your 18th birthday.¡± With that, he hung up.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lip as she rubbed her numb, feverish ears.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice had been heavenly music to her. She could hear her heart beating in her ears¡ªwas this the sound of love?

    Huo Shaoheng had hung up; there was no longer any sounding from her phone, but Gu Nianzhi was reluctant to remove it from her ear as shey on her bed.

    A breeze entered through the window, bringing with it the coolness of the night.

    Her heart was on fire. Her cheeks were warm. She felt the heat coursing through her even more keenly in the evening wind.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her face and sat up, hugging her knees.

    She sighed. She realized now how much she missed Uncle Huo. She really, really wanted to see him, and talk to him face to face.

    When he eventually married and had children, she would no longer be able to call him whenever she liked.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. She was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep when she heard her phone ring again.

    This time, it was a call from Mei Xiawen.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long, slender fingers reached out and unlocked the phone. She answered the call.

    ¡°Xiawen?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, who were you talking to? You were on the phone for so long. Isn¡¯t it almost midnight, over there?¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice was skeptical and uneasy. It waspletely unlike his usual gentle tone.

    ¡°...Something came up.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not think it was necessary to give Mei Xiawen a detailed report. ¡°Well, what about you? Why are you calling me at this hour?¡±

    ¡°What, I¡¯m not allowed to call if there isn¡¯t an emergency?¡± Mei Xiawen said quietly. ¡°I miss you. Do you miss me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart softened. ¡°Yeah, I miss you too. What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I just finished a meeting, I¡¯m off to have lunch now.¡± Mei Xiawen walked over to the window in his office and stood before it. He shoved his free hand in his trouser pocket as he gazed at the clear, sunny sky beyond the window. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ll be celebrating your 18th birthday next month. I want to go to America and celebrate with you, is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled happily.

    Her heart warmed at the thought of all the people who would be celebrating her birthday with her this year.

    She was going to be 18. An adult.

    But once she was legally an adult, she would no longer require a guardian.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart immediately sank at the thought.

    Her voice sounded nasally as she tried not to cry.

    Mei Xiawen did not appear to have noticed. On the other end of the phone, he described to her, with great enthusiasm, his ns for her birthday. He asked her what she wanted for her present.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just happy to have you here. I don¡¯t really care what you get me for my present.¡±

    ¡°I hate it when you say that.¡± Mei Xiawenughed lightly. ¡°From my experience, the people who im they aren¡¯t picky always turn out to be pickier than everyone else.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you know me all too well, Xiawen. Well, that¡¯s just who I am¡ªwhat can you do about it?¡±

    ¡°What can I do? I want to straighten you out, of course, correct all your bad habits. I¡¯ll turn you into my ideal woman, my Goddess, and love you forever.¡± It was rare for Mei Xiawen to be so open and honest about his feelings for Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 168 - A Better Person

    <h4>Chapter 168: A Better Person</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It sounded awfully twisted, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to argue. ¡°You want to correct my bad habits and turn me into your little pet? Or your trophy? No, Mei Xiawen. I don¡¯t want to be a conquest.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± Mei Xiawen looked at his reflection in the window and was startled by the desperate smile he saw on his face. He tried to speak with some more confidence. ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to say no. When we fall in love, we naturally feel inclined to be a better person for our lover. Won¡¯t you do this for me as well?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She thought about it carefully and shook her head. ¡°No, you can¡¯t make me change myself into someone you would like. You either take me as I am and try to ept and work with my ws, or you go find someone as perfect as to your liking. But, I won¡¯t change myself for you.¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s smile faded and he frowned in displeasure. Even if she disagrees can¡¯t she say it in a nicer way? He thought angrily. Jiang Hongcha was better than Gu Nianzhi in this regard. Even if Jiang Hongcha disagreed, she would never openly argue with him. Instead, she would gradually and gently work her way through his decision so that in the end they woulde to a mutual agreement without his ego being hurt. As for Gu Nianzhi however, she was still too young to understand the need forpromise and obedience.

    Mei Xiawen sighed. This youngdy still needed to be taught so much. Even though it was tiring to teach her, he could see so clearly how he couldpletely shape her as he pleased¡ªunlike with Jiang Hongcha¡¯s gentle stubbornness. Mei Xiawen was aware that it would be more tiring to be with Gu Nianzhi in the beginning because it would take a lot of effort to change her, and smooth out her rough edges, and control her insolence. But in the end, they would be perfect together. Gu Nianzhi would make him her priority in life and be an obedient woman who loved him forever, and unconditionally.

    As for Jiang Hongcha, although he liked her, he couldn¡¯t forget her betrayal. This would be something he could never get over; it was the one shoring that blotted out all he liked about her. Even though Gu Nianzhi had many shorings, she had the advantage of youth, beauty, and intelligence. She also didn¡¯t have a strong family background and therefore wouldn¡¯t give him trouble since she didn¡¯t have support from her own family. This kind of girl would be the most suitable for an heir like him. Mei Xiawen didn¡¯t need an arranged marriage to obtain certain interests.

    ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be so obstinate.¡± Mei Xiawen perked up. ¡°You don¡¯t want to change for me now, because you still don¡¯t love me deeply. Once our rtionship develops, though, you¡¯ll naturally want to change for me. Even if I don¡¯t say anything, you¡¯ll want to be your best self in front of me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grew silent when she heard his words. Shey on the bed with one arm curled on her panda pillow and the other holding the phone. She stared at the ivory reliefs on the ceiling and a voice in her heart whispered: the only person in the world I would change and improve myself for is Uncle Huo. She respected him and ced all of her trust in him because he was the one person in her life who made her feel safe, and had supported her throughout her entire life; a man of power, kindness, and strength not just in status, but in his character as well. She would do anything to be her best self for him.

    But, Gu Nianzhi realized, what does that have to do with the love ss Rep and I are talking about? Gu Nianzhi made up her mind after thinking some more and then told Mei Xiawen gently, ¡°Xiawen, I think you¡¯re wrong. We¡¯ll want to be better people because of the expectations and care from our elders, and the lull of society. But in a rtionship, we should be free to be ourselves. If you can¡¯t ept me for the person I am, then don¡¯t even think about changing me to satisfy your requirements. That¡¯s not something I can, or will, do.¡± She paused, then calmy continued, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste any more time with me.¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he raised his voice. ¡°Nianzhi?! What are you saying? Just because I¡¯m asking for this one thing, and you want to break up over it?! I don¡¯t agree! I won¡¯t allow it! Listen to me, I don¡¯t agree!¡± Mei Xiawen waved his arm while he paced in front of the window, venting his rage. Thankfully, the office was on the thirtieth floor, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about anyone witnessing him losing his temper.

    Frightened by his sudden outburst, Gu Nianzhi could only try to console him. ¡°Xiawen, Xiawen, calm down. Go, take a deep breath and drink a ss of water. Good, now set it down and sit on the couch, ok?¡±

    Her voice was soft and sweet, and like magic, itpelled him to follow her instructions. When he sat on the couch, he looked at the empty ss of water on the coffee table in front of him and wryly said, ¡°Nianzhi, I was talking about changing you, but you¡¯re actually the one changing me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°I¡¯m not capable of that. ss Rep has always had good self-restraint, to begin with; I was just reminding you of that.¡± The words ¡°ss Rep,¡± seemed to increase the distance between them again.

    Mei Xiawen was annoyed at himself for making such a stupid mistake. This youngdy obviously hadn¡¯t fallen head over heels for him yet, but he had already made such possessive requests. He had been too impatient and had now scared her off.

    ¡°Nianzhi, that was my mistake earlier. You¡¯re such a wonderful girl, so what would I even have to change? Even if something changed, that wouldn¡¯t be you anymore. I like you just the way you are.¡± Mei Xiawen gripped the phone, wiping the sweat off his forehead. ¡°See, that¡¯s why long distance rtionships are so unreliable. I can¡¯t even make it up to you in person after we fight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed quietly and corrected him. ¡°Xiawen, we¡¯re not in a rtionship yet. Don¡¯t forget, we have a six-month promise.¡± They had promised each other that if Mei Xiawen still wanted her to be his girlfriend when Gu Nianzhi returned to the Empire in six months, she would officially agree.

    ¡°Mhmm, well, see? That¡¯s how much I love you. I already see you as my girlfriend. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have made that silly request.¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s honeyed words and baritone voice were very alluring. ¡°Nianzhi, you have to forgive my foolishness. You studied psychology so you should know that people are the most demanding of the people they care about the most.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had indeed studied psychology for half a semester, but only to learn about her own psychological state of mind and to find a way to restore her memories. She hadn¡¯t paid much attention to anything else. When Mei Xiawen mentioned this, she faintly recalled that there was such a concept in psychology.

    ¡°Fine, fine, don¡¯t apologize anymore. It¡¯s normal for two people to have conflicting views, so why else would we have to learn to get along? Isn¡¯t that right? It¡¯s a long process for twopletely different people to be of one body and one mind.¡± Gu Nianzhi was able to fluently analyze the rtionship from a psychological perspective. Empty talk had always been her specialty.

    Mei Xiawen frowned in disagreement, but knew that he would just upset her; he didn¡¯t want to say anything else that would provoke her.

    Jiang Hongcha, meanwhile, had been waiting at the restaurant downstairs for a long time, but Mei Xiawen hadn¡¯t shown up for lunch. She decided to go to him directly when her call went unanswered again.

    ¡°Xiawen, do you want lunch? I brought something for you,¡± Jiang Hongcha called out as she opened his office door and walked in with a bag of food.

    Mei Xiawen looked up and made a silent signal as he spoke to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Ok my little psychologist, it¡¯ste. You should go to bed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi murmured, ¡°Easy for you to say, after causing such an emotional ruckus.¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Mei Xiawen said tenderly, chuckling at herment. ¡°Mua, a goodnight kiss for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi found herself covered with goosebumps and immediately ended the call without a word. She tossed the phone onto the sofa all the way across from the bed, as though it had suddenly burned her.

    ...

    ¡°Who were you calling? That was an awfully sweet goodbye.¡± Jiang Hongcha sat next to him, ncing at his phone screen just in time to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photo disappear. ¡± Was it your little girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°The little one got upset, so I had to coax her.¡± Mei Xiawen reached over and embraced Jiang Hongcha. He tilted his head and saw her pout. ¡°What? Are you jealous?¡±

 Chapter 169 - I Really Want To

    <h4>Chapter 169: I Really Want To</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You¡¯re here, sitting beside me now. Why should I be jealous? That girlfriend of yours should be the one getting jealous.¡± Jiang Hongcha casually opened the lunch box and ced a pair of chopsticks next to it. ¡°Eat up. I just bought this from a restaurant.¡±

    Mei Xiawen saw Jiang Hongcha¡¯s nonchnt, couldn¡¯t-care-less attitude, and felt a thrill of desire.

    Somehow, she always knew exactly how to push his buttons...

    Mei Xiawen hurriedly wolfed down his lunch, and soon had Jiang Hongcha join him in an ¡°afternoon nap.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Sir, here are the photos from the past few weeks.¡± Fan Jian, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderly, ced a stack of photos on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk¡ªshots of Mei Xiawen and Jiang Hongcha being ¡°intimate.¡± ¡°What are you going to do? Will you be sending these to Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had a cigarette in his hand. He sifted through the photos with his free hand as he said impassively, ¡°Why would I do that? She¡¯s underage. She¡¯s not old enough to see these things.¡±

    As long as Mei Xiawen did not go to America, Huo Shaoheng did not see the need to intervene.

    Besides, Gu Nianzhi had chosen Mei Xiawen herself. It did not matter if he was the scum of the earth¡ªshe would have to discover the fact for herself.

    Some lessons had to be learnt the hard way.

    Gu Nianzhi would have to learn how to navigate the uncharted territory of love on her own.

    Huo Shaoheng could not help her with that.

    He tossed the photos into a special drawer, locked it, and waved Fan Jian out of his study.

    September was drawing to a close. C City was currently in the middle of an Indian Summer; it had gotten increasingly warm over thest several days.

    Huo Shaoheng sat quietly.

    His tall, sturdy figure filled his high-back office chair. The hard, unyielding expression on his achingly beautiful face seemed to drift in and out of the lingering cigarette smoke.

    Thest rays of the setting sun filtered into the room through the gaps in the blinds; they painted a series of lines upon the floor, an intangibledder that no one would ever be able to climb.

    ¡°Sir?¡± Yin Shixiong knocked on the door of the study.

    Huo Shaoheng stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Oh geez¡ªhow many cigarettes are you smoking a day now?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s nose wrinkled at the overpowering smell of tobo in the room. He tried to wave the lingering smoke away as he asked anxiously, ¡°Is something bothering you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed to the chair before him. ¡°Sit. Did you have something to report?¡±

    ¡°Really? Nothing¡¯s bothering you? Okay then.¡± Yin Shixiong sat down. A wide grin spread across his face. ¡°I just bumped into Fan Jian. I heard that he took some... um... very interesting photos, so I came over to... broaden my horizons. You know, to help with my anti-seduction training.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened the drawer and tossed the photos of Mei Xiawen and Jiang Hongcha to him. ¡°Knock yourself out. He looks like a scraggly, plucked chicken. I don¡¯t think the photos will do anything for your anti-seduction training, but maybe they¡¯ll help increase your immunity to nausea.¡±

    Yin Shixiong eagerly slid the photos over. He kept up a runningmentary as he looked them over, one by one: ¡°Well, he is kind of pale, and not exactly rippling with muscles, so you¡¯re right, he looks like a naked chicken. The woman, on the other hand, is smokin¡¯ hot. And boy can she pull off some really difficult positions¡ªshe must be what they call an ¡®old driver¡¯.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...You¡¯re very knowledgeable.¡±

    ¡°I learned it from Nianzhi. You know how it is, I have to be up-to-date with all thetest inte ng if I want to bridge the generation gap,¡± Yin Shixiong replied readily, his eyes glued to the photos. When he was done going through the stack of photos, he clucked his tongue appreciatively. ¡°Were all these taken by Fan Jian? His eye for dramatic angles and lighting is improving by the day. Some of these photos can even pass for art.¡±

    ¡°Art?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t they make you feel sick?¡±

    ¡°...I think the photos are pretty good. The subjects are a lot more attractive than the average joe you see on the streets.¡± Yin Shixiong chuckled, and wriggled his eyebrows at Huo Shaoheng suggestively. ¡°...Are you beginning to lose ¡®it¡¯? That would be terrible. You have to stay healthy¡ªand we all know being able to get it up is a sign of health for us men.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng responded by throwing the ashtray at Yin Shixiong¡¯s face.

    Yin Shixiong ducked the iing projectile with a well-timed turn of his head. Heughed. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. But seriously¡ªaren¡¯t you going to get married? You¡¯re already 28.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary; he was well-acquainted with his lifestyle.

    Huo Shaoheng had spent practically every day of the past six years working. He had not had any time to call his own; neither of his personal secretaries had ever seen Huo Shaoheng interact with a woman¡ªany woman¡ªin private, much less get into a romantic rtionship with one.

    ¡°None of your business.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not look at him. He turned on hisputer and began working. ¡°Check my itinerary. Make sure to keep my schedule open on the dates before and after Nianzhi¡¯s birthday.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you mean you¡¯re going to America to celebrate Nianzhi¡¯s birthday?! Can I go with you?! It¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s 18th birthday! A huge milestone!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes lit up. He looked at Huo Shaoheng eagerly.

    ¡°Of course you¡¯ll be going.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You watched her grow up.¡±

    The chubby little 12-year-old girl who had suffered from crippling anxiety back then had grown into a lovely, confident young woman.

    Her 18th birthday was a huge asion for both Gu Nianzhi and the men who had practically raised her.

    Huo Shaoheng would have to travel under an assumed identity to attend Gu Nianzhi¡¯s 18th birthday party in the United States.

    This was easy enough for the Special Operations Forces to pull off, however.

    Yin Shixiong was an old hand at camouge and deception.

    ...

    Two weekster, He Zhichu finally returned to Washington.

    He disembarked from the ne, looking a little worse for wear after the long flight. But he did not stop to rest; instead, he immediately paid a visit to the Capitol Building to see what Gu Nianzhi was up to.

    Gu Nianzhi was not in the office for the Committee of Appropriations.

    ¡°Mary, where¡¯s my student?¡± He Zhichu smiled as he ced a small souvenir on Mary¡¯s desk.

    Mary gestured exaggeratedly as she said, ¡°You mean Gu? She¡¯s gone to some other department to chat. She hasn¡¯t had any work to do in the past few days, so she¡¯s been visiting the other offices. Everyone here recognizes her now¡ªshe¡¯s such an adorable, cheerful little rose.¡±

    He Zhichu was still smiling, but the blue veins on his temples had surfaced.

    That little brat¡ªshe was supposed to be working, not going around chatting up people. She had to be taught a lesson.

    He Zhichu turned and stalked out of the office.

    ...

    He stood with his hands in his pockets in the doorway to the office for the Commission for Unrestricted Ocean Travel, and watched a pretty girl mingle with the congressmen and staff around her. The pink Chanel dress she was wearing stood out like a shining beacon among the ck and white suits.

    The girl was Gu Nianzhi. She sat next to John, the chairman of the Commission for Unrestricted Ocean Travel, as she cheerfully chatted with him.

    In the past two weeks, Gu Nianzhi had been virtually barred from doing any kind of work at the Committee of Appropriations. It had begun with certain restrictions on her ount, and eventually escted into aplete lock-out.

    She was extremely reluctant to approach Wen Shouyi for help while He Zhichu was away, so she simply did the next best thing¡ªnothing. She flitted cheerfully from onemittee to another every day like a true social butterfly. She had picked up her people skills from Brother Huang, and was soon even better at making friends than he was.

    The congressmen and other Capitol Building employees were happy to have a pretty little Asian girl to chat with during their downtime.

    ¡°Mr. John, are you sure that the United States will be withdrawing from the International Maritime Convention? Didn¡¯t the US help draft it in the first ce?¡± Gu Nianzhi fluttered hershes as she put on her best impression of a silly, ignorant girl who was clearly one sandwich shy of a pic.

    ¡°That pretty little head of yours will never be able to understand.¡± John shook his head, chuckling. He turned on hisputer and opened a file. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned as she leaned over to look at theputer screen: it was a scanned image of an old document.

    The document was entirely yellow with age. It was ancient.

    She looked at the signatures on the document, and her pouty cherry lips parted in surprise. ¡°What? This document is from thest century?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. You know about the League of Nations? The United States came up with the idea for it, but Congress was opposed to it, so we never actually joined the League.¡± Johnughed heartily. ¡°Isn¡¯t that interesting? That¡¯s just the way international politics work¡ªthere are no rules, nows, no concept of fair y. If you have the power and the means, you can get away with anything. Everything is done for the sake of national interest; the convention was beneficial to us, at one point, so we joined it. But now the convention is holding us back, so why would we stay in it and let the other countries get ahead of us?¡±

    ¡°...Isn¡¯t it kind of embarrassing for a country to go back on its word?¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at John. ¡°The US is supposed to be a global leader.¡±

    John rolled his eyes haughtily. ¡°Like I even care what the other countries think. If they don¡¯t like it, they can go to hell.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Such confidence! Just like the Overlord of Western Chu!¡±

    ¡°The Overlord of Western Chu? Who¡¯s that?¡± John asked curiously.

    Gu Nianzhi was caught off-guard by his question. She was trying toe up with a roundabout way to say that the Overlord of Western Chu had eventually killed himself, when she heard someone cough from the doorway, loud and clear. She knew that voice.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise.

    He Zhichu cut a handsome figure standing in the doorway, but the look on his face was as cold as Arctic snow. His frigid eyes were fixed upon Gu Nianzhi¡ªhe looked as though he meant to freeze her in ce.

    But Gu Nianzhi was not bothered by his frosty expression; she was not afraid of him, at all. She smiled cheerfully as she jumped to her feet and hurried over to him to gush, ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re finally back! I missed you so much!¡±

    The anger welling within He Zhichu immediately deted upon Gu Nianzhi¡¯s enthusiastic greeting.

    He grabbed hold of her arm, nodded to everyone else in the room, and led her out of the office.

    Brother Huang heard from his colleagues that He Zhichu hade to the office. He quickly ran after them, but the corridor was already empty.

    He Zhichu had already left with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m so d you¡¯re back. Thest two weeks without you have beenplete torture for me.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned on the charm as she shamelessly yed up to He Zhichu.

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth curved upwards. The frosty expression on his face had melted away.

    They went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s office to get her backpack. After that, he led her to his Rolls-Royce and told the chauffeur: ¡°We¡¯re going back to the estate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was suddenly uneasy. ¡°...Did youe here from the airport, Professor He?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°I just got off the ne.¡± He turned his head and scrutinized her pretty, youthful face. ¡°You¡¯re doing well, I see. You¡¯ve put on weight.¡±

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her face with her hands in flustered embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go on a diet again. No dinner for me tonight.¡±

    He Zhichu rolled his eyes at her. ¡°A diet? You¡¯re just a kid. You won¡¯t grow any taller if you start skimping on your food¡ªdon¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to grow any taller. I¡¯m tall enough already,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied stubbornly. ¡°I¡¯ll end up growing horizontally, and I don¡¯t want that.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes flickered to her high heels. ¡°Oh? When did you start wearing heels?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuffled her feet away, somewhat embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m just wearing these to go with my dress...¡±

    He Zhichu could not resist reaching out and tousling her hair. ¡°Did you really miss me?¡±

    ¡°Of course I missed you.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°Miss Wen was so unbearably bossy when you weren¡¯t around. Who died and made her king?¡±

    With that, sheunched into a long spiel detailing all her grievances with Wen Shouyi.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened as he listened to her. When she was done, he said slowly, ¡°...When you said you missed me, you meant you wanted me toe back as quickly as possible to back you up against Miss Wen. Is that it?¡±

    ¡°Exactly! You¡¯re so smart, Professor He!¡± Gu Nianzhi praised him cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re back¡ªotherwise, I¡¯d be stuck doing nothing for the rest of my internship.¡± She quickly exined the problems she had been facing with her ount.

    He Zhichu did not say anything. He leaned into his seat, and rubbed his brow in helpless frustration.

    He should have known that this little ungrateful brat did not miss him at all. She had only been looking forward to ¡°borrowing¡± his authority to knock Miss Wen down a peg...

    ¡°Professor He? Are you tired?¡± Gu Nianzhi was feeling restless now. ¡°Why don¡¯t you send me back to my apartment? I don¡¯t want to intrude, you should rest up for the next two days.¡±

    He Zhichu lifted his hand from his brow. His lips were pressed into a straight, humorless line. The warmth in his bright, almond-shaped eyes gradually cooled to match the icy expression on his face.

    He looked at her for a moment, before asking, ¡°I was away for two weeks. What have you done in the meantime? Nothing?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t try. I figured out what you meant about the Committee of Appropriations, but I lost my ount privileges. It¡¯s more or less restricted to Visitor ess now, I can¡¯t do anything with it.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can check for yourself.¡±

    He Zhichu did not reply. He immediately got out his phone and called a few of the employees working in the Capitol Building.

    He quickly confirmed what Gu Nianzhi had told him.

    The woman who answered the phone at the Capitol Building was very polite to He Zhichu. She smiled as she assured him: ¡°We¡¯ll lift the restrictions on your student¡¯s ount, as soon as you sign a form for her.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll sign it tomorrow.¡± Now that He Zhichu knew exactly what had happened, he no longer med Gu Nianzhi. He nced sideways at her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to Miss Wen? She could have helped you with this.¡±

    ¡°...I didn¡¯t want to deal with her,¡± Gu Nianzhi said bluntly. ¡°You weren¡¯t around. What if she tried to set me up? I could have cried my eyes out over it and no one would have sided with me.¡±

    He Zhichu gave a snort ofughter. He tousled her hair again. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re crying to me now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not crying about it, I¡¯m lodging a formalint.¡± Gu Nianzhi ducked to avoid He Zhichu¡¯s hand. ¡°Stop messing with my hair, I¡¯m almost 18.¡±

    He Zhichu withdrew his hand. His expression had turned icy. ¡°I know, you don¡¯t have to remind me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was actually about to remind him about something else, but changed her mind when she saw that he was no longer in the mood to talk. She shut her mouth, frustrated, and turned to look at the scenery beyond the car window.

    The Rolls-Royce drove them to He Zhichu¡¯s mansion near the Potomac River. It was a quiet,fortable, and uneventful journey.

    The massive iron gates swung open to reveal a tarmac road that led towards a white mansion. The road was nked by lush greenwns and scattered flowerbeds.

    Several gardeners, seemingly of Hispanic origin, stood in the flowerbeds, pruning the leaves.

    When they saw the Rolls-Royce drive by, everyone stopped what they were doing to wave at the car.

    Gu Nianzhi watched all this with wide, curious eyes. She turned to He Zhichu and asked, ¡°Professor He, did you actually get this rich just by being awyer?!¡±

    It did not seem possible. Even if it were, He Zhichu would have to be a 70 or 80-year-old geezer with a lifetime of work behind him to be this rich.

    She had seen his resume: he was only 28 years old!

    No one, not even someone as talented as He Zhichu, could rake in so much money in just three years. It boggled her mind to think about it.

    He Zhichu saw the doubtful look on her face, but made no move to offer an exnation.

    He got out of the car, his expression still inscrutable and frosty, and held the door open for Gu Nianzhi as she got out.

    The chauffeur, the gardeners tending to the flowerbeds, and the housekeeper who had emerged from the house to receive He Zhichu were all bbergasted by his actions.

 Chapter 170

    <h4>Chapter 170: Meeting The Houshold</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu¡¯s drivers, gardeners, and house staff treated with him the utmost respect. He rarely opened any doors in his own home, let alone the car doors, himself. The Rolls-Royce driver who rushed out was an overweight man in his mid-forties, with a face face so sunburnt it was as bright as a tomato¡¯s. Rubbing his palms, his face nched when he called out nervously, ¡°Mr. He, allow me.¡± The driver came over to open the door for Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu turned to look at him. An outsider wouldn¡¯t notice anything, but the driver felt the icy re chill him to the bone. Will Mr.He dismiss me for just opening the door a second toote? Sweat immediately beaded on the driver¡¯s forehead. He had been unemployed for many years and had only found this job after much difficulty three years ago. The sry was double the market average, and the included benefits were simr to government positions, so his whole family received medical insurance. For the first time in his twenty years of working, he was qualified to receive pension. He could not afford to lose this job! ¡°Mr. He!¡± The driver pleaded, his red face scrunching up in anxiety.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the car and curiously looked at the driver, then He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He?¡± She frowned at the anxious man.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression rxed as he nodded to the driver, ¡°It¡¯s fine, she¡¯s my... student. I¡¯ll take her in myself. Park in the garage and take her hometer.¡±

    The driver heaved a great sigh of relief, grinning at Gu Nianzhi and bowing deeply.

    Gu Nianzhi was perplexed but smiled as she nodded to him. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu to the 19th century colonial-style white mansion. ¡°Professor He, this is your home? Do your parents live here?¡± Gu Nianzhi was growing nervous. Thest time she had been to He Zhichu¡¯s Boston home, she remembered that it had been much smaller inparison to the imposing manor before her; it must¡¯ve been a temporary residence. The manor was thoroughly vintage and it was apparent that it had been passed down in the family and that countless generations had resided there. Gu Nianzhi realized that this must be He Zhichu¡¯s ancestral home. That was probably the reason how He Zhichu had amassed such a fortune and numerous servants at a young age. He must be someone born from old money, Gu Nianzhi thought in awe.

    He Zhichu shook his head with a smile. ¡°No, my parents aren¡¯t here. This is just a temporary ce.¡±

    This huge manor was just temporary?! Gu Nianzhi was astounded. She was speechless and followed He Zhichu up the wide steps and into the living room. Two dark-haired, blue-eyed American female servants opened the French doors. They were tastefully crafted from precious oak. A great oval hall revealed itself after the entrance. Two giant spiral staircases rose to the upper floor. Gu Nianzhi looked up and estimated that the manor was three or four stories high. How many rooms were there exactly? She wondered.

    ¡°Professor He, do you have a lot of people in your family?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with a grin. ¡°There are so many rooms...¡± she trailed off as she spread her arms and twirled. ¡°How many people can live here?¡±

    ¡°I live here alone.¡± He Zhichu paused, and then said, ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen lives in a guest house on the ground.¡± Such arge manor would also have multiple smaller lodgings scattered on the property. It was nighttime and themps turned on, illuminating the small buildings like seed pearls in the grass that surrounding the main house.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at the fact that her professor wasn¡¯t exactly alone, but she also secretly wondered why Teaching Assistant Wen had to live there. Was she really a servant and caretaker as well? Suddenly, she recalled a rainy scene at the C University library some months ago. It had been pouring out and Wen Shouyi had carried an umbre as she helped He Zhichu get into the car. She hadpletely shielded him from the rain and didn¡¯t seem to mind getting soaked. At the time, Gu Nianzhi had mocked her for looking like a caretaker, instead of a teaching assistant. It was clear that the two had a deep rtionship. Gu Nianzhi understood that it would be disrespectful if she continued toin about Wen Shouyi¡¯s every questionable action. Perhaps He Zhichu had brought her to his home in order to make clear his unusual rtionship with Wen Shouyi, so that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t give her a hard time anymore. For the first time, Gu Nianzhi was uncertain about her next three years of post-grad studies. Had Wen Shouyi really been looking out for her when she had discouraged her from pursuing the post-grad position from the start? This is too scary. Gu Nianzhi shook her head and suppressed the thought.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± They had made their way to the kitchen. He Zhichu opened the fridge and passed a watermelon smoothie to her after some rummaging about. ¡°You can ask me anything that you¡¯re not clear about; don¡¯t overthink things. That¡¯s not your style.¡±

    He Zhichu studied her, tenderness softening his normally piercing eyes. He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped back slightly, ufortable with He Zhichu¡¯s touch. She set the smoothie down and wrung her hands, ¡°Professor He, was there anything else? If that¡¯s all, please take me back. My guardian is waiting at home.¡±

    ¡°You had clearly wanted to ask something, so why don¡¯t you ask me directly?¡± He Zhichu walked up to her, preventing her from backing away any further. ¡°You¡¯ve never suspected anything?¡±

    ¡°Suspect what?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked up at him. ¡°You are my professor and my mentor. You¡¯re so kind to me, so why would I ask for trouble and suspect you?¡±

    ¡°You were suspicious about why Wen Shouyi lived here, so why didn¡¯t you ask?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression tightened as he walked away and sat at the window bench in the kitchen. He looked up at her solemnly, hispressed lips expressing his confusion.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and clenched her hands tighter, ¡°Professor He, that has nothing to do with me. I don¡¯t want to ask.¡±

    Why Wen Shouyi lived in his house was not her problem. She was just his student, so why would she investigate his background?

    ¡°Nothing to do with you?¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi, stunned with disappointment. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter to you?¡±

    ¡°As long as you abide to your professional ethics and don¡¯t abuse your power.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally looked up and spread her palms with a smile. She extended her slender right hand, the thumb and forefinger pinching together, ¡°As your student, I don¡¯t ask for much. I only have this little bit of expectation for you.¡±

    ¡°Just this little bit?¡± He Zhichuughed sadly. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, ever so humble and selfless.¡±

    ¡°Yep, I¡¯ve always been an excellent student andpassionate too.¡± Gu Nianzhi blushed as she boasted.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and rested his forehead on a hand. He crossed his leg, then remained motionless as he waved the other arm. ¡°Go home. Find the driver at the garage and have him take you back.¡± He didn¡¯t even look at her as he dismissed her.

    Gu Nianzhi was hurt. Ah, he¡¯s sending me away again, likest time. As though I were something unsightly and tiring. She hated how he pulled her along at his pace, treating her gently but then humiliating her with his sudden displeasure with her. She didn¡¯t understand, and she wanted to shout at him to stop treating her so crudely; she wanted answers.

    But, who was she anyway? She wasn¡¯t shameless enough to take advantage of his kindness. Gu Nianzhi bowed at He Zhichu properly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. Goodbye, Professor He.¡± She turned away, refusing to let him get to her.

    He Zhichu looked up to see her retreating back and realized she had no intention of turning. His fists clenched as he called,¡±Nianzhi!¡±

 Chapter 171 - The 18th Birthday (1)

    <h4>Chapter 171: The 18th Birthday (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks. She turned, a radiant smile stered on her face. ¡°Yes, Professor He? Is there something else?¡±

    He Zhichu was still seated on the sofa, his head propped upon a hand. He looked at her, quiet and still.

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. She waited patiently for him to speak.

    The enormous living room was quiet. The white curtains hung like frozen waterfalls from the massive French windows.

    A grandfather¡¯s clock stood in one corner of the room. It appeared to be an antique, but the pendulum was still swinging. Every once in a while, a quiet ck sounded from it, which only served to emphasize the silent stillness of the room.

    The maid and the housekeeper had vanished.

    The two remaining upants of the room regarded each other silently. They could have been separated by an entire continent.

    He Zhichu pressed his lips together and looked away. He said nonchntly: ¡°I promised you I¡¯d give you a present for your 18th birthday. You have three choices for your birthday celebration: the ballroom at the Capitol Building, the White House Rose Garden, or a cruise in Caribbean international waters. Think about it, and tell me what you¡¯ve chosen tomorrow. There isn¡¯t much time, I have to start making the preparations.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. Her eyes flickered uncertainly. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Professor He. That promise was just a joke, don¡¯t take it seriously. It makes no sense for you to throw a birthday party for me. I¡¯ll just share a cake with family and friends, and blow out a candle. That¡¯s all I need, really.¡±

    Her 18th birthday was important to her, but what was more important was who she spent it with.

    She did not even need a cake and candles if Huo Shaoheng coulde over to America and celebrate her birthday with her. All she wanted was for him to stand before her and wish her ¡°Happy Birthday¡±¡ªthat would be the perfect 18th birthday for her, hering-of-age ceremony.

    He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts had drifted elsewhere. He clenched his fists; blue veins appeared on the backs of his hands, as striking on his fair skin as the cracked ice pattern on the finest porcin.

    ¡°You can think of it as a joke, but I, for one, never go back on my word.¡± He Zhichu stood up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to decline my offer just to be polite. Don¡¯t think too much about it¡ªI¡¯ve always thrown birthday parties for all my students. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask around.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her reverie. She thought about it carefully.

    She had once heard from a graduate student that the professors in grad school celebrated their students¡¯ birthdays, but most of the time the ¡°celebrations¡± had consisted only of dinner at a restaurant and a karaoke session. She had never heard of a birthday party as extravagant as the ones He Zhichu had just proposed.

    On the other hand, she had to keep in mind that He Zhichu was leagues above all the other professors.

    ¡°Whatever you choose, I¡¯ll need some time to make the necessary preparations. You should make a decision soon.¡± He Zhichu turned and walked over to the spiral staircase, leaving Gu Nianzhi with a view of his slender, lonely back.

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. She knew that she had angered He Zhichu.

    She thought about it again, and concluded that with his immense wealth, the three choices he had presented her were probably just as ordinary as choosing between a movie, a restaurant dinner, or a karaoke session to him.

    ¡°...The cruise ship in Caribbean international waters¡ªwould that be a lot of trouble for you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked sheepishly.

    She had a very specific reason for choosing that.

    If her birthday party was held in the Capitol Building or the White House Rose Garden, it was extremely unlikely that Huo Shaoheng would be able to attend.

    Even if it was possible for him to ovee all difficulties and attend, Gu Nianzhi could not bear to expose him to danger.

    She was aware that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position in the military meant that he was wanted by arge number of hostile forces. The US CIA may have been watching him...

    He Zhichu stopped in the middle of ascending the stairs. He stood with a hand on the railing, one of his long legs a step above the other. He said without turning around: ¡°Okay. The Caribbean cruise ship it is, then.¡±

    His mood had improved.

    He had secretly wished for Gu Nianzhi to pick the cruise ship over the other options.

    A cruise ship sailing in international waters meant that he would be able to pull out all the stops with her birthday celebration.

    Still, he did not turn to look at her. He continued up the stairs unhurriedly, leaving Gu Nianzhi standing all alone downstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and turned to leave the mansion. She went to the garage, found the chauffeur, and asked him to send her home.

    The chauffeur turned out to be a talkative fellow. He chattered nonstop, and told Gu Nianzhi many interesting stories about He Zhichu and his students.

    It turned out that He Zhichu had been telling the truth: he celebrated the birthdays of all his graduate students every year, and the parties had all beenvish, extravagant affairs.

    In the past three years, he had flown his students to Las Vegas for a day trip, booked the entire Universal Studios in Florida, and even led his students on a hunting expedition in Africa.

    The three choices he had offered Gu Nianzhi sounded tame inparison.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. She chided herself for being ignorant.

    He Zhichu lived in an entirely different world. She was just a girl from an ordinary family¡ªshe could not even begin to imagine what the wealthy elites did with their money.

    Once she was back in her apartment, Gu Nianzhi told Zhao Liangze about the party for her 18th birthday. ¡°...Professor He gave me three choices for the party venue: the Capitol Building, the White House, or a cruise in Caribbean international waters. I picked the Caribbean cruise¡ªit¡¯ll make it easier for Uncle Huo to attend, right?¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed. ¡°International waters would be a lot easier to get to,pared to the Capitol Building and the White House, yes. I¡¯ll tell them. Big Xiong will be attending too, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. Her eyes disappeared into crescents. Her thick, darkshes fluttered on her fair, rosy cheeks, like two bewitching butterflies.

    Zhao Liangze averted his gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll let them know.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Sir, Professor He will be celebrating Nianzhi¡¯s 18th birthday on a cruise ship, in Caribbean international waters.¡± Zhao Liangze skipped the video call, and sent the message via text.

    Huo Shaoheng saw the message. A small smile flickered across his lips, but it was gone in a blink of an eye.

    ¡°Big Xiong, your work just got easier.¡± Huo Shaoheng called Yin Shixiong on his phone. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s 18th birthday party will be held in international waters.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was just as delighted to hear the news. ¡°International waters? Hahahaha, fantastic, we won¡¯t have to worry about a thing once we¡¯re out there, hahaha...¡±

    ...

    Mei Xiawen heard about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday celebration one week before the party.

    ¡°...A cruise ship in Caribbean international waters? Seriously?¡± He stared at the digital invitation Gu Nianzhi had sent him, unable to believe his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money¡ªwho¡¯s being so generous to her?¡±

    Jiang Honcha was leaning against his back, her arms around his neck. She saw the digital invitation on hisputer screen, and was just as surprised. ¡°Isn¡¯t that little girlfriend of yours supposed to be an orphan girl? Is her guardian rich enough to throw her a birthday party on a Caribbean cruise ship?¡±

    ¡°Her guardian¡¯s just some white-cor worker. Why would he have that much money?¡± Mei Xiawen shook his head distractedly. An unpleasant thought urred to him, and his expression darkened.

    Jiang Hongcha paused. The same thought had urred to her. An odd smile spread across her face as she whispered in Mei Xiawen¡¯s ear: ¡°See, it doesn¡¯t matter if a womanes from a poor, unfortunate background¡ªas long as she¡¯s pretty, and smart enough, no door will ever be locked to her. This is why you should never underestimate a woman.¡±

    ¡°What are you implying?¡± Mei Xiawen pushed Jiang Hongcha away. ¡°Nianzhi isn¡¯t like that.¡±

    He refused to believe that Gu Nianzhi had betrayed him, just like Jiang Hongcha.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, did I?¡± Jiang Hongcha returned to the sofa, and sat with her slender legs crossed. She put her chin in a hand and said: ¡°Still, a penniless orphan is suddenly rich enough to have her 18th birthday bash on a Caribbean cruise ship. She must have found a sugar daddy. What else could it be?¡±

    Mei Xiawen did not reply. He walked to his room, got out his phone, and called Gu Nianzhi.

    It was 7 in the morning for Gu Nianzhi.

    She had just walked into the Committee of Appropriations office inside Capitol Building when she heard her phone ring. She saw it was from Mei Xiawen, and happily took the call. ¡°Xiawen? Did you get my invitation?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± Mei Xiawen suppressed his anger as he asked lightly: ¡°Nianzhi, what made you think of celebrating your birthday on a Caribbean cruise ship?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied cheerfully. ¡°It was Professor He. He¡¯s throwing the party for me, and invited everyone to celebrate with me on a Caribbean cruise ship.¡±

    So it had been a present from Professor He.

    Mei Xiawen let out a sigh of relief. Another thought urred to him, however, and his heart immediately twisted into a knot again. ¡°Professor He? W-Why... Why¡¯s he being so nice to you? Why would he splurge so much money on you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not like Mei Xiawen¡¯s tone. ¡°What are you implying? If you have something to say, say it. Don¡¯t beat around the bush.¡±

    She walked into her office in a cloud of anger and shut the door behind her.

    Mei Xiawen tugged at his hair in frustration. ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb. You know what I mean. Tell me, why would a professor spend so much money just to celebrate your birthday? Do you think I¡¯m too stupid to see what¡¯s going on?!¡±

    ¡°Mei Xiawen! How dare you insult me and Professor He!¡± Gu Nianzhi was absolutely furious. She had to restrain herself from throwing her phone at a wall. ¡°Apologize, right now! Or I will never speak to you again!¡±

    It was an explosive reaction from Gu Nianzhi. There was even a hint of a sob in her voice.

    ¡°...Is there really nothing else behind this?¡± Mei Xiawen was nervous. ¡°Nianzhi, you know that I love you. I¡¯ve been waiting for you. You promised to be my girlfriend after six months¡ªyou can¡¯t go back on your word!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was livid, but Mei Xiawen sounded so nervous and worried she found herself unable to continue arguing with him. Besides, his concerns were not entirely unreasonable.

    After all, Gu Nianzhi had also been careful to keep her distance from He Zhichu, and had only rxed her guard when she learned that He Zhichu had always been generous with his students.

    ¡°Xiawen, Professor He isn¡¯t like us, he¡¯s in an entire ss of his own. He always throws expensive birthday parties for his students. My party isn¡¯t even particrly impressive.¡± Gu Nianzhi suppressed the anger welling within her as she patiently exined to Mei Xiawen: ¡°He¡¯s flown his students to Las Vegas for a day trip, booked the entire Universal Studios theme park in Florida for a private party, and even led his students on a hunting trip to Africa¡ªProfessor He paid for all that.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Mei Xiawen realized he had jumped to conclusions, and was now dying of embarrassment. He had been, as the idiom went, a frog in a well¡ªa total ignoramus,ughably limited in his knowledge and perspective of what went on beyond his tiny bubble. Mei Xiawen hade from a wealthy, distinguished family, and was the heir to his family fortune, but Professor He was evidently a lot wealthier than he was.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I was wrong. I should have rified with you before jumping to conclusions,¡± Mei Xiawen apologized sincerely. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky to have Professor He as your teacher. I don¡¯t think any of the other professors in our country actually spends that kind of money on their graduate students.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi admired this side of Mei Xiawen: he always apologized as soon as he knew he was wrong, and never prolonged an argument unnecessarily out of spite. Besides, they were currently living on different continents, and were still getting to know each other: it was all the more important to exin themselves as soon as there was a misunderstanding.

    She had not agreed to be Mei Xiawen¡¯s girlfriend, not yet, but Mei Xiawen was already frantic with concern about her¡ªwas this his way of expressing his love for her?

    ¡°All right, I shouldn¡¯t have lost my temper just now.¡± Gu Nianzhi decided to let it go. ¡°So are youing or not?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going! I¡¯ll be there, count on it!¡± Mei Xiawen rubbed his palms together. It would be a good opportunity for him to ingratiate himself with Professor He¡ªif Professor He knew Gu Nianzhi was his girlfriend, perhaps he would be just as kind and generous with him?

    As soon as he hung up, Mei Xiawen opened the door and saw Jiang Hongcha rising from the chair before hisputer.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mei Xiawen did not like other people messing with hisputer.

    ¡°I was ying Minesweeper.¡± Jiang Hongcha shrugged. ¡°So how did it go? Did she tell you what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The birthday party is a present from her professor.¡± Mei Xiawen tossed his phone onto theputer desk. ¡°You were being paranoid.¡±

    ¡°Her professor?¡± Jiang Hongcha rolled her eyes. ¡°Xiawen, when I was studying at Juilliard, I heard that one of my ssmates slept with her professor, in exchange for good grades and a schrship...¡±

    ¡°Professor He isn¡¯t like that.¡± Mei Xiawen was confident in his understanding, this time. ¡°For someone as wealthy as him, throwing a birthday party on a cruise ship is as normal and mundane as you going for a manicure. Is getting a manicure too expensive for you? It¡¯s the same thing, duh.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha had known Mei Xiawen for many years, but she had never received a retort from him as savage and scathing as this one.

    She pulled a tight lid over her resentment, and let his remark go. She stayed with Mei Xiawen, as though nothing had happened.

    Mei Xiawen had nned everything carefully, but he could not have foreseen what happened next: the next morning, just as he was about to go to the airport to catch his ne, Jiang Hongcha, who had slept with him the night before, suddenlyined of stomach pain. She was in so much pain she thrashed about on the bed...

    ¡°Hongcha? Hongcha? What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Mei Xiawen frantically got out his phone and called for an ambnce.

    Half an hourter, Jiang Hongcha was wheeled into the operating room. It was an emergency.

    Mei Xiawen sat outside the operating room, all alone. He did not dare tell anyone what had happened¡ªthe doctor had informed him that Jiang Hongcha had suffered a miscarriage...

    He watched the ne he was supposed to board take off without him.

    Two hourster, Jiang Hongcha was wheeled out of the operating room.

    The gynaecologist looked at Mei Xiawen reproachfully as she berated him in her loud, carrying voice: ¡°You should have had more self-control, young man, since your girlfriend was pregnant. Well, the child¡¯s gone now¡ªwhat do you have to say for yourself?¡±

    Mei Xiawen was at a loss for words.

    He stayed quietly by Jiang Hongcha¡¯s bed, until she finally came to in the afternoon.

    ¡°Xiawen?¡± Jiang Hongcha looked at him apologetically. ¡°I made you miss your ne. You should buy a ticket for the next flight, you can still make it to the party.¡±

    Mei Xiawen shook his head. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯ll celebrate her birthday with her next year, when she¡¯s back in the country. I¡¯m staying with you for the next few days.¡±

    She was going to need rest and care: a miscarriage was just as taxing on the female body as actual child-birth.

    ...

    A short momentter, Gu Nianzhi received a text message from Mei Xiawen saying that he had something to attend to for the next few days and could not make it to her party.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone; she did not feel particrly disappointed. She thought for a moment before sending a polite and understanding reply to Mei Xiawen.

    Mei Xiawen was not the only one who could not attend the party; He Zhichu, too, had left Washington.

    Wen Shouyi had told Gu Nianzhi that Professor He had hurried back to his hometown because of an urgent matter with his family, and may not be able to attend her birthday party. However, there was nothing to worry about: he had entrusted the preparations for the party to Wen Shouyi.

    Gu Nianzhi listened to Wen Shouyi skeptically, but was forced to concede she was probably telling the truth when He Zhichu still had not returned to Washington on the night before her birthday.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in her bedroom hugging her panda pillow. She propped her head with a hand as she thought about the situation: it was bing increasingly likely that only Uncle Huo, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze would be celebrating her birthday with her, just as it had been in the previous years.

    Zhao Liangze knocked on her door. He said, smiling, ¡°Don¡¯t stay up. We¡¯ll be going to the airport first thing in the morning.¡±

 Chapter 172 - The 18th Birthday (2)

    <h4>Chapter 172: The 18th Birthday (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze were now living in the capital of the United States, Washington, DC. Most Caribbean cruises departed from the New York Harbor, so they first flew there to board the ship.

    Gu Nianzhi was fascinated. ¡°I heard that Professor He had specially ordered Imperial fireworks to be flown in, so maybe we¡¯ll see them tomorrow night?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t see enough of it back home?¡± Zhao Liangze smirked. ¡°One year on National Day, you kept whining about going to see the fireworks and Mr. Huo actually took you. But then you fell asleep halfway through the show and so he had to carry you all night; we couldn¡¯t even pull you off him. You were like a ko, that¡¯s how tightlytched onto him you were.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed when she recalled the incident and said, ¡°I was young and foolish. Uncle Huo must¡¯ve been exhausted.¡±

    ¡°Not quite.¡±Anyway, I just wanted to remind you of that time, in case you were thinking that He Zhichu is so much cooler for ordering those fireworks.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes, ¡°Plus I only got so excited because I thought I¡¯d be watching them with Uncle Huo.¡±

    Zhao Liangze patted her head. ¡°Just go to bed.¡±

    The two went back to their separate rooms and woke up early the next morning. Gu Nianzhi wore a backpack and towed along a small cherry blossom pink suitcase, while Zhao Liangze had a giant travel backpack and arge suitcase. They were going to be on the cruise for two days and two nights in international waters, so Zhao Liangze had made the usual precautions. This was out of professional habit, since they could never be too prepared; it was better to be safe than sorry. At about eight in the morning, the taxi arrived and took them to the airport.

    ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen had us wait here for you. This is the private jet Professor prepared for you. You both will be flying there directly.¡± Two beautiful blonde flight attendants walked off the ne and took the luggage from Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t want to bete.¡± Zhao Liangze said breezily as he handed his suitcase to an attendant. Gu Nianzhi giggled and lugged her small suitcase behind her as she boarded the private jet with Zhao Liangze. The aircraft was medium-sized and could seat eight passengers, excluding the pilot, co-pilot, and the two flight attendants. Of course, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze were the only passengers on this flight. Once they boarded, Zhao Liangze remembered to ask Gu Nianzhi about Brother Huang. ¡°Is your Brother Huanging too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s going with Teaching Assistant Wen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had made reservations for four guests:Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, and Mei Xiawen. Mei Xiawen hadn¡¯t been able toe, so there were only three guests; however, they were actually among the most important peopleto her.

    Zhao Liangze pursed his lips and looked down as he texted Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Mr. Zhao? Please turn off your phone. We¡¯re about to take off.¡± The blonde hostess walked over and served them drinks. She also reminded Zhao Liangze not to use his phone during take off. Zhao Liangze gave a smile as he turned the phone onto airne mode and shut it off. Gu Nianzhi asked for a cup of coffee to warm herself up with. Soon after, they heard a deafening roar and they took off. Through the cabin window, Gu Nianzhi saw thend retreat at a rapid speed and the outside world blur as they rose off the ground. The houses, cars, and pedestrians shrunk to the size of tiny chess pieces below them. After the ne settled in the sky, it quickly stabilized. The flight attendants then brought their meals to them. Gu Nianzhi savoured her meal and watched a newly released movie after eating.

    Four hourster, at around three in the afternoon, they finally entered the high seas of the Caribbean. Looking down from the cabin, the entire ocean glimmered like the finest sapphire, with small inds scattered about dotting the water. The cobalt waters reflected the white clouds, and palms trees lined the white beaches, painting a lush tropical picture. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait to change into a grass skirt, wear a strand of orchids on her neck, and dance with the locals.

    ...

    The jetnded on a small ind in the high seas of the Caribbean. Wen Shouyi wore a bold red and ck maxi dress and arge brimmed hat. ¡°Let¡¯s go, the cruise ship is over there. We¡¯re taking a speedboat.¡± Wen Shouyi waved at Gu Nianzhi and nodded at Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around and only saw Wen Shouyi, ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, where are the other guests?¡±

    ¡°They will arrive shortly.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled and pointed to a pink cruise ship close by. ¡°See that? Professor He especially prepared it for you. It¡¯s a brand new cruise ship released this year and was even named after you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed her sunsses up to her forehead and widened her eyes. Between the sea and sky was the anchored vision of the pink cruise ship, emzoned with ¡°Nianzhi¡± in a floral font and ¡°My Princess Gu¡± below it in smaller letters. Gu Nianzhi waspletely mortified. She pursed her lips and gave a nervousugh. ¡°How interesting, Teaching Assistant Wen. Professor He is too kind.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s more than just kind.¡± Wen Shouyi said suggestively before she ushered them to the speedboat waiting at the dock. The speedboat cut through the waters and quickly arrived at the cruise ship. A ropedder was lowered and the trio climbed on. Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze¡¯s luggage had been transferred onto the ship a long time ago. As soon as they boarded, the speed boat took off.

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze felt overwhelmed as they stood inside the pink Princess cruise ship. Wen Shouyi was right: this was indeed a brand new model; it still had the faint smell of paint. They entered through the second level banquet hall and were greeted by a sparkling chandelier hanging above them and illuminating the hall into a starry sky. One level below the hall was a dance floor, the floorboards freshly waxed and gleaming. Plenty of seats were scattered around the dance floor, and there was also a bar and DJ booth. Although it was still empty, Gu Nianzhi could already hear the music. Wen Shouyi guided them through all the levels of the ship. The third was where the cabins were located, which were suites with private bathrooms and sound instion. Once they entered the suites, not even the sounds of crashing waves could be heard. The fourth floor was the highest and contained an open amusement park. It was a scene out of a fairytale, including a Ferris wheel, swimming pool, springboard, carousel and windmill. It felt like a dream to be on such a huge cruise ship, floating on the water, just the three of them under the clear ck sky.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palms grew sweaty. She looked at the self-assured Wen Shouyi and asked, ¡°Where are the other guests? Why isn¡¯t anyone else here?¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled but changed the subject. ¡°There are also sailors and cooks, I didn¡¯t get to show you earlier.¡± She noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s consternation and then said, ¡°The other guests are flying in through amercial flight and transferring by speedboat from Barbados.¡± She looked at her watch ¡°Soon, they¡¯ll be here in two or three hours, before sunset.¡±

 Chapter 173 - The 18th Birthday (3)

    <h4>Chapter 173: The 18th Birthday (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The birthday party would be heldter that night.

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling a little uneasy. She got out her phone and dialed Brother Huang¡¯s number.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± Brother Huang¡¯s cheerful voice sounded over her phone. ¡°Hey there, Birthday Girl! Are you on the cruise ship?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rxed. She said with a smile: ¡°I just arrived. What about you guys? Where are all of you now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a much bigger group, so we have to fly to Barbados first, before switching to a speedboat to get to the ship.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved to hear that. Wen Shouyi had told her the same thing, and Gu Nianzhi knew now that she had been telling the truth.

    She thought of the day He Zhichu had had to leave for his hometown: he had called her to say that he would be back in time to celebrate her birthday.

    She had politely told him then that he should put his family first, especially if the family matter was seirous and urgent. But deep down, she knew that He Zhichu always kept his promises.

    He was the type to stay true to his word, no matter the circumstances. His pride and moral integrity did not allow him to behave otherwise; he and Huo Shaoheng were simr in that regard.

    Gu Nianzhi decided she should believe He Zhichu. He had never let her down, after all.

    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she ended the call.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go to our rooms to unpack and freshen up. It¡¯s going to be a grand birthday dinner, we should get ready.¡± Wen Shouyi winked at Gu Nianzhi cheerfully.

    Gu Nianzhi forced herself to smile at her.

    Gu Nianzhi had to grudgingly admit that Wen Shouyi was a lot more refined and mature than she was. Gu Nianzhi could not pretend to like Wen Shouyi, but Wen Shouyi was different: she was evidently capable of concealing her true feelings with graceful ease.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the third floor with Zhao Liangze. They chose one of the suites near the middle, and moved in.

    ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s not be strangers now. We¡¯ll stay in this cabin together, you and me. Is that okay with you?¡± Zhao Liangze opened his suitcase and began unpacking his usual array of electronic devices and equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She had been about to make the exact same suggestion herself.

    Out on the open sea, she had to stay with someone she was familiar with to feel safe.

    ¡°Brother Ze, where are Uncle Huo and Brother Xiong now? Will they know how to get here?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked uneasily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve sent them our coordinates.¡± Zhao Liangze recalled what Huo Shaoheng had chosen for his mode of transportation, and had to bite his lip to keep himself fromughing out loud.

    He looked up and saw the concern in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. He tossed his iPad over to her. ¡°Mr. Huo always creates a bigmotion whenever he travels. See for yourself.¡± He made a silly face at her.

    Gu Nianzhi took the iPad skeptically. She unlocked it and found herself staring at the front page of the famous American news website, CXX.

    The words ¡°Breaking News¡± were sshed across the top of the page in big red letters!

    Under the headline was a photo, taken from a satellite.

    A submarine¡ªlong, ck, and massive¡ªhad emerged amongst the rolling waves of the crystal blue sea. A bright red g stood from the hull, fluttering gaily in the wind.

    It was a high-resolution satellite image¡ªsharp enough for Gu Nianzhi to make out the five red stars on the g!

    The photo caption said: ¡°The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Qin-ss submarine suddenly surfaced in Guam. What are they after?! The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a diplomatic note to the Huaxia Empire condemning their actions, but the Huaxia Empire diplomats have not responded...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart gave a leap at this.

    She looked over the article again, and discovered that it was actually from six days ago!

    Guam was part of US territory. It was also the biggest and most important US military base in the western Pacific Ocean.

    In order topete with the Huaxia Empire, the United States had transformed Guam into what they called an ¡°unsinkable aircraft carrier.¡± They had spent 12.6 billion US dors to build a dock for top-of-the-line nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the most advanced missile defense system, and the biggest training ground for live-fire exercises.

    It was supposed to be a massively sophisticated military base¡ªand yet a Huaxia nuclear submarine had secretly run up to their door and pulled off a ding-dong ditch.

    ¡°Brother Ze, is this...¡± She stared at Zhao Liangze, her eyes very bright. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

    Had Uncle Huo left the country in a nuclear submarine?!

    Zhao Liangze gave a small nod, smiling. ¡°Mr. Huo had official business to deal with in Cuba, so it was convenient for him toe over. But you know how it is¡ªa submarine isn¡¯t exactly the fastest way to travel.¡±

    Nuclear submarines were not renowned for their speed; their strengthsy primarily in their ability to get up close to enemy territory tounch missiles from the coastline. Capable of sessive nuclear strikes, these submarines served as important chess pieces in the game of war.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had set out in the submarine a few days ago.

    They had earmarked two days in their itinerary to celebrate Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday in the Caribbean.

    ...

    Six days ago, Huo Shaoheng had looked out from the submarine at the Guam US military base and said, ¡°...Well, we should at least say hello, since we¡¯re already here.¡±

    Following that, the nuclear submarine had slowly emerged from the depths of the sea. It poked its nose out of the waters near Guam, a Huaxia Empire g cheerily pping from its hull.

    The officer on duty at the Guam US military base saw the enormous blip on the radar screen and hastily removed his sses to wipe them, afraid he was seeing things.

    His partner tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the window, which looked out upon the sea. He said, his expression deadpan: ¡°Stop wiping your sses, and look outside, for god¡¯s sake. They¡¯re already at our door. What, did you think you were hallucinating?¡±

    Shortly after, a loud, piercing siren began to wail over the PA system.

    Fighter jets took off from the airport, their radars spinning wildly as they kept a close watch on the nuclear submarine that had somehow slipped past their noses.

    The US military¡¯s highest resolution imaging satellites quickly snapped a number of photos and transmitted them to the Department of Defense in Washington, DC.

    The US military experts quickly learned that this was a Qin-ss nuclear submarine, which the Huaxia Empire had just finished putting together.

    The US experts had not realized that the submarine was already operational¡ªin fact, it was already patrolling the seas with loaded missiles!

    As the Americans frantically pointed and shouted at one another, the Huaxia Qin-ss nuclear submarine stealthily sank beneath the waves and cruised away from the Guam US military base.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi wore a white bikini, over which she had put on a long, navy blue Maxi skirt. Shey on a pool chair next to the open-air swimming pool on the top deck of the cruise ship, working on her tan as she read the news on her iPad.

    Judging from the news timeline, the nuclear submarine would be emerging near the Hawaiian Inds next.

    Gu Nianzhi gazed at the news about the Huaxia Imperial Qin-ss nuclear submarine, bursting with vicarious pride. The article had been at the top of the Major News section on the CXX website for thest six days.

    She kissed the iPad screen.

    Zhao Liangze had changed into colorful knee-length swimming trunks and a pair of shades. Hey on the pool chair beside Gu Nianzhi, basking in the sun.

    Wen Shouyi was still in her red and ck Maxi dress. Shey on a pool chair opposite Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze.

    They were separated by a swimming pool, its crystal-clear waters blue from the reflection of the sky.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers gently caressed the photo of the nuclear submarine on the iPad. She thought of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s achingly handsome face¡ªso beautiful it took her breath away¡ªand how he had always protected and sheltered her, like a strong, silent mountain. Her heart warmed at the recollection.

    He was on his way to her. Gu Nianzhi had found a fountain of courage, and was now drinking from it.

    As long as he was by her side, she was not afraid of anyone. In her current buoyant mood, Wen Shouyi seemed about as menacing as a fly.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her ss of red wine. She smiled as she lifted it in the direction of Wen Shouyi, lying across the pool from her, and toasted her.

    Wen Shouyi was clearly taken aback by her gesture. She stared uncertainly at her for a moment, before returning the toast.

    The waiters on the ship served them tropical dishes: deep-fried plumeria, fresh oysters, steamed prawns, cheesy crab soup, and lobster dipping sauce. There were also potato chips, arge vegetable sd, and rainbow cocktails decorated with miniature bamboo umbres.

    Gu Nianzhi never said no to good food.

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze had a merry time eating and drinking.

    The minutes ticked by. The sun gradually sank into the horizon as the cruise ship slowly moved across the sea.

    The sun, previously hot and white, was now a dark gold. It reminded Gu Nianzhi of the yellow, transparent flesh of an overripe Ivory mango¡ªshe could even imagine a warm, sweet fragrance drifting from the rapidly cooling sun.

    Gu Nianzhi removed her sunsses and watched the sun set over the horizon. Thest rays from the sun danced upon the waves like gold confetti.

    A speedboat hade into view; it was approaching the ship at high speed.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up. ¡°Is that Brother Huang and the rest of the guests?¡±

    Wen Shouyi had gotten out of her chair. She watched the speedboat for a moment, before smiling and nodding. ¡°Yes, that should be them.¡±

    ...

    The Qin-ss nuclear submarine, with Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong on board, had set out for Cuba from Huludao six days ago.

    The submarine had stealthily made its way to Guam, where it surfaced to say a cheeky hello, before moving on to Hawaii. After that, it had submerged to the bottom of the sea, rounded Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America, and sailed northward at full speed. It had cruised along the shoreline of the South American continent, before finally re-emerging in Cuban waters on the day of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday.

    One of the generals in the Huaxia Navy was visiting with the Cuban Navy, and Huo Shaoheng had merely hitched a ride.

    He was not part of whatever official business the Huaxia Navy had with Cuba.

    From Cuba, it would take less than an hour to get to the Caribbean international waters by speedboat.

    Huo Shaoheng disembarked from the submarine and walked ashore with Yin Shixiong and the rest of the submarine soldiers.

    At that moment, on an ind inside the Bermuda Triangle, a small distance away from them, Bai Shuang was sitting on the balcony of a luxury vi. She texted her cousin Bai Yueran, who was still in the Huaxia Empire.

    ¡°Sis, I found my father.¡±

    ...

    It was four o¡¯ clock in the morning. Bai Yueran could not sleep.

    Her eyelids had been jumping relentlessly ever since Huo Shaoheng had insisted on joining the top brass of the Imperial Navy in their nuclear submarine on an excursion to Cuba. Something was about to happen¡ªshe could feel it.

    She got up to check the time, and found a text message from an unknown number on her phone.

    She unlocked her phone to read the message, and her heart almost stopped. She stared vacantly at her phone, unable to believe what she was seeing.

    She sat quietly for five minutes, before making up her mind.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s father, Bai Yusheng, was the former deputy director of the Imperial Secret Service. He had defected to the United States not long ago.

    The Bais were a powerful family; they had married into many other distinguished families to secure their position at the top of the Empire. Even so, Bai Yusheng¡¯s act of treason had dealt a massive blow to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s intelligencework in North America, and had resulted in the loss of many lives. The Bai family was powerful, but it was not quite powerful enough to shrug this particr scandal off.

    In the fallout, every member of the Bai family had been subjected to a round of stringent background checks. Some of them had been dismissed from office as a result, while a few others had been transferred to lesser positions.

    Bai Yusheng¡¯s daughter, Bai Shuang, had fallen from grace. Stripped of her position as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she had been forced to resign from public office.

    After leaving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she joined the Bai family business, but quit her job soon after.

    The disdainful looks of strangers were bad enough, but the contemptuous looks from her own family were even worse. It was too much for her.

    She wanted to find her father and ask him: Why did you do it?

    He was her father, after all, and had doted on her since she was a little girl. Her search for him eventually paid off.

    Her father Bai Yusheng was overjoyed to see her. He took her by the hand and chatted happily with her. He side-stepped all her questions, however.

    He had defected from the Empire, it was true¡ªbut he had only done so because he felt he deserved more. He wanted a better life: was that really such an unforgivable crime?

    ...

    Bai Yueran looked at the text message. She dialed the number on her phone.

    Bai Shuang was sitting on a balcony, bored out of her mind, when she suddenly heard her phone ring. She unlocked it, and saw that it was a call from her cousin, Bai Yueran!

    She hastily took the call. Her voice trembled with emotion. ¡°Sis!¡±

    ¡°Shuang, listen to me: where are you now?¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s voice was steady. As she tried to soothe Bai Shuang on the line, she turned on the satellite positioning system to track Bai Shuang¡¯s precise location.

    Five minutester, the satellite positioning system had done its job: Bai Shuang was on the other side of the, on an ind within the Bermuda Triangle.

    Bai Yueran looked at the tracking symbol on herputer disy. A thought urred to her, and she asked: ¡°Shuang, have you found Second Uncle?¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s father, Bai Yusheng, was the younger brother of Bai Yueran¡¯s father.

    ¡°I did. He¡¯s still alive, thank god, and he¡¯s actually doing quite well.¡± Bai Shuang patted her chest in relief¡ªshe had been afraid her father would vanish from her life entirely, without letting her know what had happened to him.

    Bai Yueranughed pleasantly. ¡°Where is Second Uncle? Can I talk to him?¡±

    ¡°Not now, I¡¯m afraid. He¡¯s gone out to sea with a few other men. He said he¡¯ll only be back at night.¡± Bai Shuang looked at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s still early.¡±

    ¡°Well, how do you keep in touch with Second Uncle? How about you give me his phone number, and I¡¯ll get my father to call and talk some sense into him? We¡¯re family, we can still bail him out of this mess if the Bai family band together to help him.¡± Bai Yueran nonchntly kept Bai Shuang on the line as she ryed the news of Bai Yusheng¡¯s discovery to General Ji, themander-in-chief of the Huaxia Imperial Military. She also forwarded the news to three other men: the director of the Secret Service; the Chairman of the Senate, Chairman Long; and Major General Huo, themander of the 6th Military Region.

    Bai Shuang did not hesitate to give Bai Yusheng¡¯s current mobile number. She had been meaning to ask her uncle¡ªBai Yueran¡¯s father¡ªto persuade the military to let her father return to the country alive, and she was d to hear that Bai Yueran had been thinking the same thing. Thest thing she wanted was for the military to kill her father.

    Bai Yueran immediately forwarded the number to the technicians working with the 6th Military Region. They began tracking Bai Yusheng¡¯s mobile phone with the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System.

    15 minutester, they had a lock on Bai Yusheng¡¯s current location.

    ¡°General Ji, Chairman Long, this is our chance. If we let this opportunity slip away, we may never get another. Luckily for us, General Huo is currently in the vicinity¡ªwe should authorize him to strike immediately,¡± said Bai Yueran calmly. ¡°As far as we know, Bai Yusheng has not yet leaked all the information he has in hand¡ªnot because he feels guilty, but because he wants to maximize his leverage. Once he gives up everything he knows, he¡¯ll be useless. The Americans are ruthless, they won¡¯t hesitate to stab him in the back.¡±

    General Ji, Chairman Long, and the director of the Secret Service were unanimously agreed: Bai Yusheng had to be dealt with, immediately.

    He could not be allowed to live.

    Every minute he was alive was another axe-blow to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s national security.

    General Ji and Chairman Long authorized a top-secret hit on Bai Yusheng, and transmitted it. Five minutester, their message arrived at the Huaxia Qin-ss nuclear submarine, now parked in the waters near Cuba.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong were done stretching their legs onnd. They had just secured a speedboat, and was about to board it when a soldier ran over to tell them they had to return to the submarine.

    ¡°General Huo, a top-secret message just arrived for you, from the Imperial Military.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head as he read the message carefully. He was silent for a long moment.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yin Shixiong asked, concerned. ¡°Did something happen to Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. He looked up and gazed at the vast open sea.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cruise ship was sailing out there, in that direction.

    He let out a small sigh, already resigned to his duty. ¡°...We have a mission. We¡¯ll deal with it first.¡±

    If he was quick about it, he would be able to get to the Caribbean international waters and board the cruise ship before the party began.

 Chapter 174 - The 18th Birthday (4)

    <h4>Chapter 174: The 18th Birthday (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Bai Yusheng wore mustard colored diving trunks,rge goggles, flippers and an oxygen mask. He dove into the water from a white speedboat passing through the Bermuda Sea. He appeared healthy and at most 30 years old, while in reality he was actually almost 50. Although he was was too stubborn to admit it, he was depressed to have fallen from grace from a high official of the Huxia Empire to a traitor now on the run. The Huaxia Special Ops had hounded him and protection from the CIA was the only way he had been able to survive. He had fled from the most prosperous America metropolis to a tiny British ind in Central America with a poption of just 60 000. It was smaller than a mere county in the Huaxia Empire!

    After Bai Yusheng arrived there, he had kept to himself; the CIA agents protecting him did not have much to say to him either. Bored out of his mind, he became obsessed with diving and found that he especially loved deep sea diving. It was as though he could be separated from the troubles of the world once he delved deep underwater. The Bermuda Triangle was regarded as an infamous death zone because ships and nes often disappeared without reason. For that reason, the waters rarely had human contact and the naturalndscape had been exceptionally well preserved. It was a paradise for diving enthusiasts. Bai Yusheng dove deeper in the water, schools of vibrant tropical fishes swimming by. The fish weren¡¯t afraid and curiously swam around him.

    The sun was especially scorching at noon, but the seawater was a barrier that kept the ocean¡¯s temperature low. While the water¡¯s surface was warm, the temperature and amount of sunlightdecreased as the depth increased. Bai Yusheng turned on his yellow diving shlight to observe the strange and wonderful sealife as he immersed himself in the tranquility. He felt very safe here and wasn¡¯t afraid at all. He knew that the three powerful CIA agents protecting him were sitting in the speedboat above, and that there were also other hidden ones guarding him. As powerful as the Huaxia Special Ops were, they would never think that he would be enjoying life, hidden in a seabed thousands of miles away. If he had the chance, he would try to go back to university and study marine biology to be a marine biologist one day. His daughter, Bai Shuang, was already with him and the American CIA had promised to protect their identities and give them new lives. Bai Yusheng held the diving shlight and broke into a smile when he saw a bed of rare white coral appear before his eyes. He kickedhis flippers and swam forward.

    Suddenly, two people in navy diving suits appeared from behind a coral reef nearby. Bai Yusheng froze. He had never encountered anyone else while diving in this area. These were the first tourists he had seen here in two months. They swam professionally, and had also donned aqualungs, waterproof masks that concealed their faces, and even giant diving goggles. They were well built and swam like fish. The two people moved towards him. Bai Yusheng raised his shlight in greeting, but they shot towards him like arrows and left bubbles in their wake as they nked his sides. Bai Yusheng immediately understood what was going on and horror gripped him from head to toe. The next second, he couldn¡¯t breathe properly. It was the Huaxia Special Ops! They were still after him! Bai Yusheng threw away the shlight and moved his hand to press the rm on his arm to alert the CIA agent on the surface to rescue him! However he had underestimated the two divers¡¯ abilities and therger man on his right mped down on his arm lightning fast. He was extremely strong and held Bai Yusheng in a vice-like grip as he reached over to rip off his diving mask and pull out his breathing apparatus. The other diver grabbed Bai Yusheng¡¯s other arm. Bai Yusheng wasn¡¯t even able to scream as the powerful underwater pressurepressed and bursted his organs, blood streaming out from his lips. He iled madly in the two diver¡¯s grips and thrashed in the water. Unfortunately they were over a 100 meters underwater, so there was nomotion on the surface from his struggling.

    The two divers who came from behind the coral reef were Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong. With the location information from the Nandou system, they had been able to pinpoint Bai Yusheng¡¯s exact location. It wouldn¡¯t have been easy to eliminate the CIA agents protecting Bai Yusheng, but it was a stroke of luck that he had gone diving alone. This good fortune had Huo Shaoheng secretly praying, even though he never had been superstitious. He and Yin Shixiong had rented two sets of diving equipment on the shore and swam for a full two hours in order to avoid the hidden agents and ambush to Bai Yusheng. Without an aqualung in the deepsea, a person would either drown or be suffocated to death by the high water pressure. It didn¡¯t matter how Bai Yusheng died; Huo Shaoheng only cared that he was eliminated. They had mped down on Bai Yusheng, who had lost his diving goggles and aqualung, for another half an hour to ensure he was really dead. They then took a photo as evidence and put a skin sample into a special test tube. Bai Yusheng¡¯s corpse floated up to the surface when they finally let go. Huo Shaoheng waved to Yin Shixiong before the two men propelled with their flippers and quickly swam back. Once they returned to the shore, they merged with a group of diving enthusiasts and returned the rented equipment to quickly leave before the CIA agents noticed anything was wrong. The mission was incredibly sessful: they had eliminated arge threat to the Huaxia Empire. Huo Shaoheng broke into a rare smile. It was already past five in the evening by the time they finally returned to the Q-ss submarine in the Cuban waters. Huo Shaoheng immediately ordered his men to rent a speedboat for Yin Shixiong and himself to rush to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cruise ship. The abundant coral reefs in the Caribbean oceans made it impossible for submarines to operate, so they decided to use a speedboat. Just then, the previously brilliant ocean suddenly darkened. Clouds rolled in from all directions,pletely botting out the light. The sky dimmed and the wind picked up.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank as he grabbed a local, asking the question in English. The person only spoke Spanish, and when they finally found someone who spoke English, raindrops the size of pebbles began falling from the sky.

    The local anxiosuly gestured to Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong, ¡°It¡¯s going to rain heavily and a hurricane ising; you¡¯d better not go out to the sea.¡±

    ¡°Hurricane?!¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned as he rushed back to the submarine with Yin Shixiong to check the weather conditions.

    ....

    At the same time, the Caribbean waters Gu Nianzhi was sailing on were still calm. She stood on the Princess cruise ship and watched a racing speed boat slice through the ocean and approach their ship. Her full red lips curved into a bright smile as she ran to the side of the ship to wave and shout ¡°Hello!¡± Many people stood on the boat, their faces fully concealed by strawhats. When they heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, a few of them looked up. All the passengers were ck.

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes and blinked as she looked at the people on the boat again before turning to Wen Shouyi, ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, did you invite a lot of ck people?¡± She didn¡¯t remember having any ck ssmates or friends!

    Wen Shouyi shook her head in shock. ¡°No, those invited are mostly from the Huaxia, and there are a few from America. They¡¯re all people you know, such as An.¡±

    Zhao Liangze walked over to look as well. He had much more experience than Gu Nianzhi and immediately noticed something was wrong. He yanked Gu Nianzhi back. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Those are pirates!¡±

 Chapter 175 - The 18th Birthday (5)

    <h4>Chapter 175: The 18th Birthday (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As soon as she heard pirates were headed their way, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first reaction was to look to Wen Shouyi. ¡°Miss Wen! What¡¯s going on here?!¡±

    Wen Shouyi rushed to the side of the deck and looked out to the sea. The white speedboat was getting closer and closer; she could now see the savage faces aboard the boat.

    ¡°What on earth?!¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s hands tightened on the ship¡¯s railing, her expression incredulous. ¡°Where are the guests I invited? That¡¯s the speedboat I booked for them, I¡¯m sure of it!¡±

    If the people on the speedboat were not the guests she had invited, then where had all the guests gone?

    Gu Nianzhi was about to say something, but Zhao Liangze had already grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her back to their suite on the third floor, where they had left their belongings.

    Once they were inside their room, Zhao Liangze grabbed his phone and called Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong. He also sent them text messages.

    The dial tone sounded a few times, but no one answered. After that, a song began to y. The singer sang a few lines of lyrics.

    ¡°...They¡¯re in the middle of a mission,¡± Zhao Liangze muttered.

    The song was a secret code, indicating that the Special Ops soldiers were currently in the middle of a mission and could not answer the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him. ¡°Brother Ze, what did you just say?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was honest with her. ¡°Mr. Huo is currently in the middle of an urgent mission. He can¡¯t answer the phone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything.

    She knew that for Huo Shaoheng, his missions always came first. She could neverpete with his obligations as a soldier, and had never tried to.

    She had wished only to upy a small corner of his heart¡ªa small, insignificant ce, just big enough to amodate her.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and looked at the box of gun parts Zhao Liangze had brought with him. She said calmly, ¡°We¡¯ll just have to save ourselves, then.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sent an urgent message to the Special Operations Forces military base in C City of the Huaxia Empire. As soon as Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had wrapped up their mission, the base would ry his message to them.

    He turned off his phone and began assembling the guns with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s help.

    The gun parts he had brought with him could be assembled into a sniper rifle and a M1941 semi-automatic light machine gun. There was also a box of bullets in the pocketpartment of his suitcase.

    The two of them fell silent as they quickly assembled the two guns.

    ¡°Bulletproof vest. Put it on.¡± Zhao Liangze handed Gu Nianzhi a long bulletproof vest, before strapping on his own bulletproof vest.

    Gu Nianzhi took it, and went to the bathroom to change. She removed her dress, put on a T-shirt and shorts, and strapped on the bulletproof vest. She asked as she walked out of the bathroom: ¡°What if I fall into the sea?¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. This is the most advanced bulletproof vest from our country, thetest tech¡ªit works as a life jacket, too.¡± Zhao Liangze winked at her.

    It was a joke. How was he able to joke at a time like this? Gu Nianzhi did not know, but she was impressed by his mental fortitude. He was truly one of the elite soldiers of the Special Operations Forces.

    The joke worked like a charm: the unease in her heart vanished.

    Zhao Liangze extracted a box of bullets from his suitcase pocket and loaded the bullets into a bandolier. He wrapped it around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist like a belt. ¡°Use them sparingly. These are all we have.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took up a sniper rifle. This was one of the guns Huo Shaoheng had trained her with.

    Zhao Liangze was armed with a much more powerful weapon: a semi-automatic submachine gun. His waist and shoulders were wrapped in bandoliers; he looked formidable, like a hero out of an action movie.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Time to see who these pirates are, and why they¡¯re stupid enough to mess with us.¡± Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi exited the cabin.

    Wen Shouyi paced restlessly before the door to their cabin. When she saw the two of theme out of their room fully armed, her jaw dropped in disbelief. ¡°...You have guns?!¡±

    ¡°Target shooting is my hobby,¡± Gu Nianzhi said nonchntly. ¡°I brought my guns with me because I was thinking of hunting sharks while on this ship.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stared at Gu Nianzhi. She did not believe a single word she had said, but now was not the time to quarrel. Right now, it was only logical for them to band together against theirmon enemy.

    She gathered herself together and said, ¡°You have weapons, good. Let¡¯s head to the ballroom. The chefs and sailors are all there. We can get them to fight with us against the pirates.¡±

    She had just finished speaking when a stream of bullets punctured the side of the cruise ship.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhao Liangze led the way.

    The three of them entered the ballroom on the second floor. Eight chefs and ten-odd sailors were already gathered there, fear written across their faces.

    As soon as he saw theme in, a pudgy chef in a white chef hat asked Wen Shouyi nervously: ¡°Miss Wen, what¡¯s going on? Who are those people?!¡±

    Before Wen Shouyi could reply, someone shouted from outside the ballroom in heavily ented English: ¡°They¡¯re here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look. What she saw made her pupils constrict with fear.

    The men had already climbed aboard the cruise ship!

    These men were ck as coal, and equipped with arge assortment of guns: pistols, rifles, and even semi-automatic submachine guns!

    It was obvious they were here to kill¡ªthe murderous intent rolling off them was palpable.

    ¡°Pirates! Run!¡± The chefs and sailors gathered inside the ballroom shouted and ran out the other exit, quick as rabbits.

    Once they were outside, they immediately jumped off the deck and into the sea!

    Gu Nianzhi stared after them, dumbfounded. These people were amazingly quick at running for their lives!

    Zhao Liangze grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, his handsome face icy cold. He raised his semi-automatic submachine gun with his other hand and unloaded on the pirates who had just rushed into the ballroom.

    The pirates leading the pack immediately crumpled to the ground.

    The other pirates immediately found ces to hide. Some of them dropped to the floor to avoid getting hit.

    Zhao Liangze turned, grabbed hold of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, and ran to the third floor.

    Wen Shouyi clenched her jaw. Her eyes, wide with shock, flickered between Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze: these two were highly skilled shooters, and were able to remain calm in the face of a sudden attack by armed pirates. Who were these people, really?

    She did not have time to wonder, however; she turned, saw the pirates getting up to chase them, and immediately ran after Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze, up to the third floor.

    They were chased by a constant stream of bullets. The brand new ship was now riddled with bullet holes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother running! There¡¯s no escape!¡± The pirates cackled in savage glee behind them. ¡°Someone put a 10 million dor bounty on your heads¡ªdead or alive.¡±

    Zhao Liangze led Gu Nianzhi back to the suite on the third floor and pushed her head down behind the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t move. If they get in here, jump into the sea.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Gu Nianzhi rejected his suggestion. ¡°I¡¯m sticking with you. We can watch each other¡¯s backs!¡±

    Zhao Liangze hesitated.

    Unlike Yin Shixiong and Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze¡¯s talents did not lie in melee and close quartersbat.

    Even so, he had undergone intensive training with the Special Operations Forces. The average person was no match for him.

    ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go take out a few of them.¡± Zhao Liangze opened the door and found himself face-to-face with Wen Shouyi.

    ¡°Do you have night vision goggles?¡± Wen Shouyi asked nervously. ¡°If you have them, I¡¯ll turn off the main power on the ship.¡±

    With night vision goggles, they would be able to see the pirates, but the pirates would bepletely in the dark. The odds of them winning against the pirates would be a lot higher.

    Zhao Liangze did not know when the military base would be able to get ahold of Huo Shaoheng and send him to save them. He did not know how skilled these pirates were, either; he had to use every advantage avable to him.

    ¡°Get to the power switch and turn it off. I¡¯ll go see how many pirates there are.¡± Zhao Liangze nodded to Wen Shouyi, before turning to Gu Nianzhi and giving her a Look.

    Gu Nianzhi winked at him, indicating that she understood.

    Zhao Liangze found his sses and put them on.

    His sses functioned as night vision goggles. They were also capable of recording and transmitting video.

    Wen Shouyi ran in the other direction and quickly shut the main power for the cruise ship.

    The brightly lit cruise ship was immediately plunged into total darkness.

    Zhao Liangze, armed with his semi-automatic submachine gun, hid himself behind therge pirs within the ship as he crept through the ship floor by floor to investigate the number of pirates and where they were located. He reported his findings to Gu Nianzhi as he went.

    Gu Nianzhi had put on a Bluetooth headset which also functioned as a walkie-talkie. She listened to the report: ¡°Second floor, seven pirates, scattered in the direction of three o¡¯clock, seven o¡¯clock and ten o¡¯clock. Third floor, nine pirates, scattered at five o¡¯clock and nine o¡¯clock. Fourth floor... no pirates.¡±

    In other words, there had been at least 16 pirates on the speedboat.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly loaded her sniper rifle. She said in a hushed voice: ¡°I¡¯ll go to the second floor, and leave the third floor to you. We¡¯ll regroup on the fourth floor.¡± With that, she strapped her night vision goggles to her head, and crept out of the cabin in a low crouch.

    Once she had arrived at the ballroom on the second floor, she put her night vision goggles over her eyes, and saw a few pirates moving about the ballroom. They seemed to be looking for something.

    Gu Nianzhi set up her sniper rifle: she kneeled behind the railing around the dance floor, and aimed at the three pirates on her three o¡¯clock.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Three shots rang out. Gu Nianzhi efficiently took out three of the pirates, as though they were nothing more than the moving targets she used to practice with at the military base, under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guidance.

    This was the first time she had shot at actual, living people. She did not know whether she had killed them; regardless, she did not feel the slightest inkling of fear. She was not even nervous¡ªin fact, an indescribable sense of euphoria and excitement was coursing through her veins.

    Once she had fired the three shots, Gu Nianzhi clutched her sniper rifle and rolled over to the other side. She had already hidden herself behind the opposite railing by the time her enemies thought to return fire.

    The remaining four pirates raised their semi-automatic submachine guns and haphazardly unloaded their clips in the direction Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bullets hade from. The hailstorm of bullets turned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s previous hiding spot into a honeb.

    But Gu Nianzhi had already circled behind them.

    She calmly raised her gun and aimed at them from behind. The pirates showed up as red moving silhouettes on her night vision goggles¡ªto her, these silhouettes were no longer human.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled the trigger and casually floored the four pirates, one bullet at a time.

    Her shooting skills were inferior to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. She was not skilled enough to kill the pirates with a single shot, but it was easy enough for her to cripple and incapacitate them for the time being.

    ¡°Seven pirates on the second floor, eliminated. Over,¡± Gu Nianzhi said quietly.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice sounded over her earpiece: ¡°Nine pirates on the third floor, eliminated. Over.¡± There was a pause. ¡°Meet me on the fourth floor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    She ran to the stairs and was soon at the third floor. She took a quick nce, and saw several men sprawled across the corridor.

    Gu Nianzhi did not stop. She ran up the stairs, all the way to the fourth floor.

    The fourth floor was the top floor of the cruise ship; it served as an open-air yground.

    As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, Gu Nianzhi was almost swept away by a powerful gust of wind.

    She hurriedlytched onto the ship¡¯s railing as she whispered, ¡°Brother Ze, where are you?¡±

    ¡°Behind the pool diving board.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her eyes and scanned her surroundings.

    Before all this had happened, there had been a full moon in the sky. The bright, beautiful moon had gilded the surface of the sea with a sheet of silver.

    Now, however, the howling winds had chased dark, billowing clouds over the moon, obscuring it entirely. The surface of the sea was dark and menacing. The waves swelled relentlessly. Gu Nianzhi was filled with a sense of foreboding, as though the worst had yet toe.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyelids jumped uncontrobly.

    She crouched and felt her way to the swimming pool¡¯s diving board.

    Luckily, she and Zhao Liangze had been on the ship for an entire afternoon, and were familiar with theyout.

    The two of them regrouped. Zhao Liangze tousled her hair as he whispered, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d be an embarrassment to Uncle Huo if I were.¡±

    ¡°You did a great job. If you were one of us soldiers, you¡¯d definitely be getting amendation after this.¡± Zhao Liangze praised her in a low voice as he pulled her over to his side.

    Gu Nianzhi was still feeling uneasy. She found it difficult to believe that this was the end of it.

    If those pirates had been telling the truth, someone had ced a 10 million dor bounty on their heads. The money was definitely more than enough to hire highly skilled assassins instead of these bumbling amateur hour pirates.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi? Gu Nianzhi? Are you here?¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from the stairway.

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze turned on their night vision goggles and looked towards the stairway.

    A glimmer of light emerged from the stairway. It was Wen Shouyi, walking over to them with a shlight.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s brow furrowed. He said icily: ¡°Turn that off! Do you want to be a walking target?!¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly turned off the shlight and ran to them. As she ran, she said: ¡°I think you¡¯ve taken out all the pirates. I was about to ask you if I should turn the power back on.¡± When she had reached them, Wen Shouyi added: ¡°I¡¯ve called the police, but we¡¯re quite a distance away from the US. The Coast Guard won¡¯t be able to get to us for another one and a half hours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her, her expression frosty. She said dismissively, ¡°You must be a really fast runner, Miss Wen. The pirates have all been taken out, and I don¡¯t see a single scratch on you.¡±

    ¡°Why, I have to thank the two of you for that, of course.¡± Wen Shouyi looked at Gu Nianzhi with an ingratiating smile on her face. ¡°I had no idea you took your hobbies so seriously. When Professor He returns, I¡¯m sure he would be happy to hear all about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to retort when the cruise ship tilted without warning.

    She almost lost her footing, and hurriedly grabbed hold of the pirs of the diving board.

    Zhao Liangze held her steady from behind.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Wen Shouyi turned to look at them, surprised.

    Just then, a silhouette slipped out of the stairway. His skin was so dark no one saw him in the dark of the night.

    When they finally noticed his presence, the man had already crept his way to a spot a short distance away from them. He raised his pistol and fired a few shots.

    In the next moment, everything seemed to happen all at once.

    As the shes of light red outwards from the pistol, Wen Shouyi threw herself in front of Gu Nianzhi to shield her. Zhao Liangze raised his semi-automatic submachine gun and unloaded an entire clip on the pirate, turning him into a human honeb. The pirate fell into the swimming pool, his blood quickly staining the pool water red. Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi did not see this, however; the darkness of the night was tooplete for them to see what had happened.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart constricted. She saw Wen Shouyi sway and copse, right in front of her eyes, and immediately swooped to catch her. ¡°Miss Wen? Miss Wen? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Zhao Liangze turned on the small shlight, and was shocked to see a gory patch of flesh and blood between Wen Shouyi¡¯s left breast and shoulder.

    She had been shot.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered Wen Shouyi to the ground and said to Zhao Liangze: ¡°I¡¯m going to get the first aid kit!¡±

    Zhao Liangze always packed a first aid kit whenever he traveled, but the kit was in the third floor cabin. He had not taken it with him.

    He grabbed hold of her arm. ¡°Be careful. We must have missed that pirate, somehow.¡± He asked, ¡°Are you sure you killed all the pirates on the second floor?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said sullenly, ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re all dead dead¡ªI just know I knocked them all down.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sighed. ¡°Go get the first aid kit from the third floor. I¡¯ll check out the second floor.¡± With that, he left before Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Wen Shouyi. She was still knocked out; it should be fine to leave her alone for a few minutes.

    She hurried back to the third floor cabin and found the first aid kit in Zhao Liangze¡¯s suitcase. When she returned to the fourth floor, she saw that Zhao Liangze was already back.

    He nodded to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°There were supposed to be seven pirates on the second floor. When I checked, three of them were already dead, but another three were only injured, so I made sure they were dead. One was missing¡ªit¡¯s probably this guy here, he must have followed us here to the fourth floor. He really should have just pretended to be dead.¡±

    Had the pirate pretended to be dead on the second floor, he would have been able to slip away unnoticed. Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze would never have thought of going back down to shoot everyone in the head and make sure they were all dead.

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. She kneeled and helped Wen Shouyi with her wound.

    She could not get the bullet out, but she could put on a tourniquet and stop the bleeding.

    Just as she was bandaging Wen Shouyi, the wind howling across the sea grew increasingly violent. The entire ship was now bobbing up and down upon the waves, as though it were nothing more than a flimsy toy boat.

    Zhao Liangze stood up and walked over to the side of the boat to look out.

    Amongst the rolling waves, several speedboats could be seen rapidly approaching the ship from every direction.

    Just as he had suspected, the pirates they had taken out had only been the vanguard¡ªthe deadlier pirates were on their way.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s lips were drawn tight, and his palms were slippery with sweat.

    Just then, he heard his phone ring. He hurriedly took the call over his Bluetooth headset, and said in a low voice: ¡°We¡¯re in danger! We¡¯re being attacked by pirates!¡±

    The call was from Huo Shaoheng, who had justpleted his mission.

    He stood on the Cuban coast, his eyes on the stormy, frothing sea. Inside him, a dark fog had welled up from the depths of his heart, darker and more menacing than the storm before him.

 Chapter 176 - The 18th Birthday (6)

    <h4>Chapter 176: The 18th Birthday (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Pirates? How many? What weapons do they have?¡± Huo Shaoheng voice was calm and steady.

    Zhao Liangze surveyed the multiple speed boatsing from all directions. His gaze was heavy as he used his night vision goggles to take a photo of the surroundings and sent it to the base via an encoded channel on the Nandou system.

    ¡°There were the 16 pirates that boarded the ship earlier and said that someone paid 10 million US dors to kill us off. Nianzhi and I got rid of all of them, but now there are more powerful ones, a total of eight speed boats areing this way. If I¡¯m seeing this right, they have... shoulderunching rockets!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grimaced as he instantly understood the pirates¡¯ intentions. He walked along the beach and looked off to the distance at the heavy clouds circling above. The wind howled and the rolling waves crested like mountain peaks before crashing against the shore.

    ¡°Go back now! Hurry up! The hurricane ising! You have to seek shelter! No one can stay by the shore!¡± English-speaking Cuban coast guards rushed over to urge Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong to evacuate.

    ¡°You guys be careful and find a ce to hide first. Hang on for 15 minutes and I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng made up his mind and turned to the nuclear submarine docked at the military port.

    Yin Shixiong looked at the weather with unease. ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯m worried as well, but look over there; it¡¯s a hurricane! What are we supposed to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and strode to themand cabin of the nuclear submarine. He gave orders to themunications personnel. ¡°Connect me the to highest authority of the Imperial Army, General Ji. Also, I need a channel to connect to the 6th Military Region.¡± The soldier quickly gave him a position. Huo Shaoheng took a seat and connected to the personnel at the 6th Military Region base to watch the footage Zhao Liangze had sent earlier. The ck ocean surface was choppy and the eight white speed boats m stood out. They cut through the waves and the men on the boats carried shoulderunched rockets aimed right at the camera.

    ¡°F*ck!¡± Huo Shaoheng mmed his fist on on the console, his jaw rigid as he grabbed themunications personnel¡¯s headset to speak to General Ji. ¡°General Ji, I request the military to authorize me to borrow the new MiG-35 fighter from the Cuban military.¡±

    ¡°You actually know the model of the Cuban military¡¯s best fighter jet!¡± General Ji was amused. ¡°But, don¡¯t give me the crap about how ¡®a general in the field is not bound by the orders from his sovereign!¡¯ You better give me an eptable reason!¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng was anxious, he kept hisposure and spoke carefully. ¡°Our people are trapped in the Caribbean waters, and I have to go rescue them. There¡¯s a hurricane in Cuba, so there¡¯s no way to go by boat and I need the best fighter jet to cross the eye of the hurricane.¡±

    ¡°Are you insane?!¡± General Ji was outraged at his reasoning when he saw the intelligence and weather report for the Caribbean from his secretary. He put his hand on his hip as he berated Huo Shaoheng. ¡°How can you fly during a hurricane?! Don¡¯t you know that the US Air Force¡¯s Hurricane Hunters had set the record for flying a fighter jet through a hurricane?! And it was only a level 3 hurricane at the highest wind velocity! The hurricane in the Caribbean is already at level 4, and it might be a level 5! Do you want to die?!¡±

    ¡°General Ji, the American records are meant for me to break, not admire.¡± Huo Shaoheng said dryly, his fingers lightly tapping on the console. ¡°If General Ji grants me the authority this time, not only can we obtain valuable flight data through crossing the eye of the hurricane, but we can also test the feasibility of entirely using the Nandou system to navigate with zero pilot visibility.¡±

    General Ji was not particrly concerned about the rescue mission. Although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s origin was unknown, she wasn¡¯t that important. Compared to his favored sessor, Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze¡¯s lives were on apletely lower level of priority. Therefore, General Ji could never agree to allow Huo Shaoheng risk his life to fly through a hurricane to rescue them.

    However, Huo Shaoheng has purposely said that this mission could test the navigation capabilities of the Nandou system and also provide data of the fighter jet flying through a hurricane from all angles and no restriction. He found himself unable to refuse the offer.

    ¡°General Ji, time is running out. Please make a decision now.¡± Huo Shaoheng felt the seconds slip by. The pirates actually had shoulderunched rockets, and if he dyed any further...Suddenly, Huo Shaoheng was afraid to think of the oue.

    ¡°Fine.¡± General Ji finally made the decision and Huo Shaoheng curtly ended the call. He connected directly to the highestmanding officer in the Cuban military to borrow the aircraft; he didn¡¯t hear General Ji¡¯sst words to him: ¡°You are too rash. After this is over, I¡¯ll put you in istion for two months!¡±

    With the support of the highest authority in the Huaxia military and also the facilitation by the Consul General of the Huaxia Empire in Cuba, the fighter jet was sessfully obtained. Ten minutester, Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong boarded the MiG-35¡ªthe best fighter Cuba had just imported from Russia. The Cuban Air Force Generals and soldiers stood at the airport and saluted the two men departing. They watched them as though they were martyrs being sent to their deaths, their eyes full of respect as the fighter ascended and flew into the low clouds of the violent storm. No one expected them to return alive. Even the best American fighter jets and the best American pilots hadn¡¯t been able to challenge the eye of a level 4 hurricane, so what could an unknown pilot from the Huaxia Empire hope to aplish? Although they risked losing the MiG fighter, the Huaxia Empire wouldpensate them handsomely and it would not be a loss.

    Above the Cuban waters, Huo Shaoheng gripped the control stick as he raised the altitude of the aircraft. The howling wind and heavy rain pelted its body incessantly. The field of vision grew blurrier as the fighter jet ascended into the storm clouds, as though their heads were plunged into the ocean: all they could see were dark grey clouds and water pouring down the windows. Their visibility was reduced to zero and thepass on the console spun wildly as the fusge was tossed in the wind; Yin Shixiong felt his stomache dangerously close to losing his lunch.

    Huo Shaoheng connected to the Nandou system and sent all the data to the Nandoumand center in the Huaxia Empire. At this point, he could only rely on the Nandou system to navigate the jet because he couldn¡¯t see a thing.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi watched Zhao Liangze hang up the phone and asked nervously, ¡°Will theye rescue us?¡± Because Wen Shouyi was beside them, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t say Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even say ¡°Uncle Huo,¡± because they both knew who they were referring to.

    ¡°Yes, but we have to hang on for 15 minutes.¡± Zhao Liangze anxiously looked at the increasinglyrge waves and the iing speed boats. ¡°Hurry up and go hide. They have shoulderunched rockets!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a great boom sounded from the water surface and a rocket whistled through the rain and collided with the mechanical room on the lowest level of the ship. The seawater gushed in as the cruise ship began to tilt and sink.

    Gu Nianzhi clutched Zhao Liangze¡¯s arm, her voice cracking. ¡°No! They want to sink the ship!¡± It turned out that the pirates had no intention of crossing fire with them on the ship, but had instead chose to sink the ship instead.

    ¡°Go!¡± Zhao Liangze carried the unconscious Wen Shouyi on his back and left the fourth level to dash towards third level.

    Suddenly, more rockets hit the Princess cruise ship and water flooded the ship. Soon after, the second floor was flooded and the seawater slowly rose up the third floor.

 Chapter 177 - The 18th Birthday (7)

    <h4>Chapter 177: The 18th Birthday (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The hurricane in the distance sent towering waves over to the cruise ship. Luckily, the hurricane was too far away to do any real damage to the ship; even so, the choppy waves were more than terrifying.

    Therge cruise ship bobbed up and down among the wind and the waves, tilting this way and that like a helpless toy. Its fate was now in Mother Nature¡¯s hands.

    Gu Nianzhi watched the dark, menacing surface of the sea close in on them through the window. She hastily asked Zhao Liangze, ¡°I think the ship is going to sink. What do we do?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the fourth floor.¡± Zhao Liangze looked at his watch. ¡°They should be here any minute now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had told them to hold out for 15 minutes. That had been 14 minutes ago.

    They could only hold out for so long.

    The cruise ship was nowpletely surrounded by pirates in white speedboats. The pirates were heavily armed; they were even equipped with shoulder-fired rocketunchers. Gu Nianzhi wondered whether she and Zhao Liangze had made a mistake: maybe they should have jumped off the boat, after the cooks and sailors.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled wryly; it was pointless to think about it now. She followed behind Zhao Liangze as he ran towards the fourth floor.

    The third floor was submerged entirely in seawater as soon as they arrived on the fourth floor.

    The hull gradually sank into the sea. The armed pirates continued to watch them with bloodthirsty expressions.

    One of the pirates had lifted a rocketuncher to his shoulder, and was now taking aim at the fourth floor!

    Zhao Liangze carried Wen Shouyi on his back as he held Gu Nianzhi in his arms. ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi lifted the sniper rifle in her hands and said coldly, ¡°If we¡¯re going to die anyway, let¡¯s take out a few more of them.¡±

    She aimed at the pirate with the rocketuncher, and pulled the trigger.

    A sniper rifle was faster than a rocketuncher.

    The bullet struck the pirate between his eyebrows. He stiffened, and fell into the sea with his rocketuncher.

    The pirates on the speedboat saw what had happened, and leapt to their feet in anger. They pointed at Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze and began firing at them, yelling furiously the entire time.

    Zhao Liangze immediately dropped to the floor to avoid the bullets. He pulled Gu Nianzhi down beside him.

    Just then, a fighter jet emerged from the eyewall of the hurricane and shot towards the cruise ship like a sudden streak of lightning.

    It flew close to the surface of the sea, as swift and elegant as a gray pigeon.

    The jet did a barrel roll and banked 90 degrees as it circled the cruise ship.

    Rat-a-tat-a-tat¡ªa hailstorm of bullets swept across the speedboats.

    On its next pass, the fighter jet unloaded shells over the speedboats.

    Thetest MiG-35 fighter jet, versus speedboats of unknown make and origin¡ªit was aplete massacre.

    The pirates had been carrying grenadeunchers with them in the speedboats. As soon as the shells from the fighter jetnded on the speedboats, the grenades exploded all at once.

    The speedboats exploded, one by one, sending towering columns of fire, smoke, and seawater into the sky.

    The pirates who had not been killed by the bullets or the explosions jumped into the sea.

    The fighter jet was not about to let them off the hook.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled on the control stick; the jet flew upwards, offering him a wider field of view.

    Yin Shixiong manned the machine gun in the fighter jet. His face was cold and ruthless as he unloaded clip after clip of bullets on the pirates who were trying to swim away.

    As soon as a pirate poked his head out of the water, he was immediately greeted by a string of bullets.

    It all happened quickly; within 10 minutes, the eight speedboats had sunk into the sea.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up, her eyes glued to the fighter jet that had shot out of the hurricane. She watched as it performed a barrel roll, a loop, and then go after the pirates with its turrets zing. Her heart pounded in her ears.

    She knew at once that her Uncle Huo must be piloting the fighter jet.

    He was the best fighter pilot in the Huaxia Empire!

    She had seen him practice¡ªit was definitely him!

    Gu Nianzhi broke away from Zhao Liangze and got to her feet. She jumped up and down on the deck as she shouted at the sky; her soft, gentle voice had grown agitated, but her shouts were no match for the howling wind.

    Huo Shaoheng saw the slender figure jumping on the deck, and his lips curved into a small smile. He was about to tell Yin Shixiong to lower the ropedder when he suddenly saw tiny red dots appear on the radar¡ªtwo nes were approaching from the north!

    Huo Shaoheng quickly pulled on the control stick¡ªthe ne flew upwards and back, ready to engage in a dogfight.

    The nes closing in from the north did not attack the jet; they merely circled the cruise ship once, before flying away.

    The two nes had been UAVs, or drones.

    Huo Shaoheng looked towards the sea, and saw what looked like arge ship in the north. He took a closer look, and saw that it was actually a warship!

    It was apanied by a cruiser, a destroyer, and several top-of-the-line speedboats. All of them carried the American g as they rapidly closed in on the cruise ship.

    There was someone standing on the fastest speedboat. Huo Shaoheng was stunned to see that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s professor, He Zhichu!

    Yin Shixiong had seen him, too. He asked anxiously, ¡°Sir? What do we do?!¡±

    The warship, on the other hand, had discovered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fighter jet on the radar and set a missile lock on it.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly made a decision: he pulled on the control stick, turned the jet around, and flew it right into the hurricane!

    As soon as the jet entered the thick, churning fog near the eyewall of the hurricane, the US warship lost its missile lock on the jet. The heavy clouds and pouring rain were too much for its radar lock-on system.

    ¡°Sir! Those ships...¡± Yin Shixiong was so worried he had forgotten to be sick from all the turbulence.

    The jet trembled violently, like a patient suffering from uncontroble shaking chills, as it pushed through the hurricane. Several dents appeared in the fusge.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly said, ¡°He Zhichu must be here to save them.¡±

    He could not let the US military trace the jet. Thest thing he wanted was for the US military to mistakenly assume that the Cuban military was trying to provoke them.

    Yin Shixiong fell silent after that. He concentrated on navigating the fighter jet out of the eyewall of the hurricane with Huo Shaoheng.

    Everyone on the ground was stunned when the jet reappeared on the radar of the Cuban Air Force.

    Had the two men actually returned alive?!

    Wooohooo¡ª!

    The soldiers rushed out, whooping and jumping with surprise and joy. They lined up to wee the MiG-35 fighter jet as it slowly approached the ground.

    The fusge was riddled with holes, but nobody cared¡ªthe pilots had returned from the hurricane, alive and in one piece!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi watched the ne fly back into the hurricane.

    She stood alone at the bow, her gaze fixed upon the direction in which the jet had disappeared. She was so entranced by what she had seen she did not notice that the cruise ship was still sinking; in fact, the seawater had reached the fourth floor.

    The seawater had already crept up to her ankles, but she did not know it. Finally, someone walked over to her and pulled her into an embrace. ¡°...Nianzhi, are you okay?¡±

    A jolt ran through her. She wrested her gaze away from the sky, and was surprised to see He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering, almond-shaped eyes looking at her with concern.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, still in shock. She had not yet gotten over the sight of the fighter jet.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± He Zhichu called again. He wiped the rain from her face, and kissed her forehead. He pressed her head to his chest and patted herfortingly on the back as he murmured, ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here now...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nerves had been stretched to breaking point. Combined with the disappointment of not having been able to see Huo Shaoheng in person, her frayed nerves finally snapped like a bowstring that had been drawn too tight.

    Her legs gave out, and she fainted in He Zhichu¡¯s arms.

    Zhao Liangze stood up with Wen Shouyi on his back. He looked at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, let¡¯s get going. The ship is about to sink.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded in reply. He scooped Gu Nianzhi into his arms and carried her to the speedboat.

    The small speedboat bobbed next to the upper deck of the cruise ship¡ªthe seawater had already closed over the deck of the ship.

    The speedboat swiftly carried them across the water, towards a US Navy warship.

    Zhao Liangze squinted at the warship. He asked, ¡°Professor He, you called the US Navy?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was white as a sheet as he watched over Gu Nianzhi. He said, without lifting his head, ¡°It was an emergency. I had to ask them for a favor.¡±

    Zhao Liangze suspected there was more to it, but let it go at that. Whatever the truth was, he was impressed with He Zhichu; he had proved to be a reliable and trustworthy man.

    He pointed to Wen Shouyi, who was lying unconscious on the ground. ¡°She took a bullet for Nianzhi. We bandaged her, but she¡¯ll have to go into the operating room ASAP.¡±

    He Zhichu finally looked at Wen Shouyi. It was a quick, perfunctory nce; in the next second he had already turned back to Gu Nianzhi to help her wipe the rain from her hair.

    The US Navy warship was equipped with functional operating rooms. There were also highly-skilled medical officers standing by.

    The surgeons quickly removed the bullet lodged in Wen Shouyi¡¯s chest, near her left shoulder. Once the bullet was out, she was lifted into a helicopter that would take her back to Washington.

    Zhao Liangze carried Gu Nianzhi, who was still out, to the helicopter. They would be returning to Washington as well.

    He Zhichu did not approach Gu Nianzhi again. He sat beside the window in the helicopter, cool and indifferent.

    The helicopter flew them directly to He Zhichu¡¯s estate, near the Potomac River in Washington.

    Zhao Liangze had wanted to take Gu Nianzhi back to their apartment, but was dissuaded from doing so by He Zhichu. ¡°I already have a doctor on stand-by at my ce. You and Nianzhi should stay at my house for the night. You can take her back to your apartment in the morning, once you¡¯re sure she¡¯s okay.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded. He was worried for Gu Nianzhi, and he knew that he would have to take her to the hospital for a medical examination anyway.

    Wen Shouyi and Gu Nianzhi were ced in the same room, to make it more convenient for the doctor to set up the testing equipment.

    Zhao Liangzeid out a thin mattress before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and slept on it, too worried about her to leave her unattended.

    He woke up early the next morning to check Gu Nianzhi¡¯s monitors. Everything was normal: she did not have a fever, and had not been injured in any way. Zhao Liangze finally rxed.

    One of the maids working in the He residence walked over to tell him breakfast was ready.

    Zhao Liangze went to the bathroom to wash up, before following the maid out the room.

    Soon after that, He Zhichu entered the room.

    The first thing he did was to check on Gu Nianzhi. He saw that nothing was wrong with her, and breathed a sigh of relief.

    He sat beside Gu Nianzhi as he watched her sleep. His thoughts began to stray.

    He recalled what had happened the previous day. His blood ran cold.

    Seven days ago, his father had be seriously ill. He had sent a message to He Zhichu asking him to return to his family home.

    He Zhichu had not been overly concerned; he would go home, attend to his father, and then return to Washington before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday, with plenty of time to spare.

    He had returned to his family home to discover that his father¡¯s condition was worse than he had thought.

    As a result, he had stayed for two more days.

    Fortunately, Auntie Qin was around to look after his father. He left his father in her capable hands, and returned to Washington.

    The thought of Auntie Qin made him sigh. He lowered his head to look at Gu Nianzhi, and adjusted her nket for her.

    He had set out for the Caribbean Sea as soon as he was back in Washington. When he learned that all contact with the cruise ship had been lost, he knew that something was wrong.

    He did not want to think of the feelings that had surged through him when he first heard the news: the confusion, the anxiety, the pain, and the helplessness. He had tasted that bitter concoction of emotions once, six years ago; he had not expected to experience them again.

    Driven by his extreme anxiety, He Zhichu had traded on his highest-level connections, and asked to borrow a warship from the US Navy for a rescue mission.

    Fortunately, he had arrived just in time to save them.

    If he had beente for even a minute...

    He Zhichu remembered the floating bodies on the sea, and the fighter jet that had disappeared into the hurricane. His face paled once more at the recollection.

    ¡°Professor He?¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice sounded from the other end of the room.

    He Zhichu turned his head to look. He got up and walked over.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± He stood in front of Wen Shouyi¡¯s bed with his hands in his pockets. ¡°How¡¯s your wound?¡±

    His voice was gentle, and full of warmth. Wen Shouyi trembled all over, touched by his concern.

    She struggled to get up from her bed. ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better. Thank you for saving me, Professor He. How is your father?¡±

    Smack!

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand abruptly shot out and struck Wen Shouyi viciously across the face.

    The p was so powerful it sent Wen Shouyi tumbling off the bed. Shey on the floor, dazed, her head skewed to one side from the force of the p.

    ¡°Are you proud of yourself?!¡± He Zhichu spat out from between clenched teeth. Without warning, he pulled out a pistol and held it against Wen Shouyi¡¯s temple. ¡°Have you forgotten everything I said? Do you want me to kill you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were wide with shock. Professor He, who had always been the very picture of calm andposure, was suddenly violent and abusive. Her jaw dropped.

    She was already awake when He Zhichu entered the room, but had pretended to be asleep, not quite ready to open her eyes.

    Her eyes flew open when she heard the p, and what she saw shocked her: He Zhichu was actually pointing a gun at Wen Shouyi!

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Wen Shouyi had saved her life. It was an indisputable fact.

    Gu Nianzhi had been wearing a bulletproof vest, but the pirate could have been aiming at literally any spot on her body.

    What if the bullet had struck her in the head?

    She had not been wearing a bulletproof helmet.

    The fact was, Wen Shouyi had jumped in front of her and taken a bullet that had been meant for Gu Nianzhi.

    She did not know why He Zhichu was being so violent with Wen Shouyi, but she knew she could not sit idly by and watch him abuse her.

    ¡°Professor He...¡± Gu Nianzhi said weakly. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    He Zhichu looked up. His bright, almond-shaped eyes flickered to her, and the hard edge in them immediately melted away.

    ¡°Professor He, Miss Wen saved my life. I haven¡¯t thanked her for that.¡± Gu Nianzhi slowly sat up.

    He Zhichu put his pistol away. He walked over to Gu Nianzhi, sat on the bed beside her, and put an arm around her shoulder to steady her. He said gently, ¡°Happy birthday, Nianzhi. I still owe you a grand birthday party.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she shook her head. ¡°Professor He, you don¡¯t owe me anything. This is one birthday I will never forget.¡±

    He Zhichu forced a smile. ¡°How do you feel? Are you in pain? Are you hungry? Do you want me to get the doctor to give you another check-up?¡±

    His attitude had turned a 180. Gu Nianzhi shrank awkwardly into her bed, unsure of how to react. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t feel any pain. I¡¯m just a little hungry, that¡¯s all.¡± She nced at Wen Shouyi, who was still lying on the floor, and felt a surge of pity for her. She bit her lip and said, ¡°Professor He, what happened to Brother Huang, and all the other guests?¡±

    He Zhichu had already heard from Zhao Liangze, and knew that Gu Nianzhi was trying to cover for Wen Shouyi.

    He tousled her hair and sighed. ¡°They found Little Huang and the others. Everyone¡¯s fine. Go wash up, I¡¯ll get someone to bring you some food.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She pushed her nket away, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

    Wen Shouyi struggled to get up from the floor. He Zhichu casually walked past her; he did not even look at her.

 Chapter 178 - The Forces At Play

    <h4>Chapter 178: The Forces At y</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi ran into Zhao Liangze during breakfast. ¡°Come sit here.¡± Zhao Liangze dragged a high-backed chair over. ¡°The breakfast is pretty good. Have some m chowder, and there¡¯s also crab bisque.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi eyed the food and her stomach growled. Zhao Liangze pat her head with a smile. ¡°Eat. You¡¯re so hungry you can¡¯t even speak.¡± After breakfast, the pair left to say goodbye to He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was handling business in his office, so he didn¡¯t greet them, sending instead the housekeeper to have the driver take them home. After Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze left, He Zhichu had someone call Wen Shouyi over. Wen Shouyi still wore the loose, white striped gown she had changed into on the naval warship. Her face was pale and her right cheek still carried the imprint from when He Zhichu had pped her. Her round face appeared haggard, the skin on her lips was cracked and her eyelids were bruised from ack of sleep. Only her slender eyes remained calm and steady. Heavy emerald and gold curtains draped over the windows in the office, shutting out the morning light. The room was only illuminated by a blue Tiffanymp on He Zhichu¡¯s desk. His face was concealed behind themp as he glowered at her without saying a word.

    Although Wen Shouyi had prepared for this, his cold re still made her anxious. She tried topose herself and spoke after a long silence.

    ¡°Professor He, you asked for me?¡±

    ¡°What happened on the cruise ship yesterday? Where did the piratese from?¡± He Zhichu leaned back on hisrge ck leather seat, a silver revolver spinning in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know anything.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes suddenly turned red, brimming with tears, and she closed her eyes and sobbed. ¡°I really don¡¯t know anything. If Professor He doesn¡¯t believe me, please just kill me. My whole family belongs to the He family anyway, so no one will say anything even if you do.¡±

    ¡°You think that I won¡¯t?¡± He Zhichu spun the revolver once and aimed at Wen Shouyi as he coldly spat out, ¡°Who do think you are? Don¡¯t think I¡¯m scared to hurt you just because my father sent you here.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s tears streamed down her face, but her eyes remained closed and she remained silent as she awaited her sentence. He Zhichu kept the muzzle aimed at her for a long time, but didn¡¯t shoot. ¡°Remember this, if Nianzhi hadn¡¯t put in a good word for you, you¡¯d be dead by now.¡± He threw the gun back into the drawer and leaned back against the seat. ¡°Tell me then, if it wasn¡¯t you, who was it? Who dared to mess with my ship? Who wanted to kill them?¡± He Zhichu had bought the cruise ship especially for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s 18th birthday, but it had unfortunately destroyed by the pirates.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyshes quivered as she slowly opened her eyes and touched the wound on her chest. She thought about it and spoke in a hushed voice. ¡°Professor He, I really don¡¯t know who¡¯s responsible for this. But I did find something very interesting.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so interesting? Don¡¯t try to change the subject. ¡± He Zhuchu gazed fixedly at her, his voice toneless.

    Wen Shouyi looked down and the entire episode reyed in her head. ¡°It¡¯s about Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Everything happened so suddenly that I thought we were done for, but Gu Nianzhi and her guardian opened my eyes with their incredible shooting skills. You had just invited them for a birthday party on a cruise ship, but they had actually brought sniper guns and assault rifles! Just think about it! What kind of people would bring these kind of things when they travel?¡±

    He Zhichu froze. ¡°Those were their own weapons?¡± He had seen Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze carrying guns yesterday, but he had assumed they had seized them from the pirates. All the weapons were American and so he hadn¡¯t thought anything more of it. It wasn¡¯t surprising to him that Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze yed with guns; shooting was a sport after all, and many people enjoyed it. Of course, not everyone could afford this past time.

    ¡°Yes, I saw them take it out from their luggage with my own eyes.¡± Wen Shouyi finally rxed. ¡°Also, her CV said her parents passed away so she grew up with her guardian. But a different guardian came in such a short period of time. What kind of family would have two grown military men as guardians to care for a girl like Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    He Zhichu leaned forward and sped his hands together, his brow furrowed.

    ¡°Also, we investigated her ording to her CV and found that everything was seamless from the time she was born. Nothing was out of the ordinary and everything had supporting evidence and alibis to corroborate anything we inquirer about . Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s unusual? All those things couldn¡¯t be true, but were actually fabricated to look just like the truth. If we didn¡¯t take her blood sample to fully investigate her, we would¡¯ve never known all the evidence was fake. What kind of people would be able to fake an entire life to that extent?¡± Wen Shouyi finally showed a hint of contempt, but she quickly concealed it and resumed a respectful manner. ¡°I just wanted to remind Professor He to not be blinded by the past. There is an unimaginable force at y.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± He Zhichu was unperturbed. ¡°With someone like Nianzhi, can an ordinary person protect her? I actually have to thank this force for taking care of her. If not for them, I don¡¯t want to even think about what would¡¯ve happened to Nianzhi in thest six years.¡±

    Wen Shouyi hadn¡¯t expected He Zhichu to be sopassionate and understanding towards Gu Nianzhi to this extent. A great bitterness surged in her heart and seemed to make her chest wound more painful. She pressed her palm to her chest and forced a smile. ¡°Naturally. I know she¡¯s very important to you, so that¡¯s why I did everything to protect her, even if it meant getting shot myself. I have no qualms. Professor He, you don¡¯t have to worry about me framing Nianzhi; she¡¯s never liked me anyway and has always assumed that I have an ulterior motive for everything I do. I¡¯m used to it now.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes dimmed as he watched her, as though he were trying to see through her facade and determine what her heart was truly thinking. Wen Shouyi forced herself to stay calm and grimaced from the pain of the wound.

    He Zhichu gazed at her for a while more, then finally waved his hand in dismissal. ¡°Go back home and rest for two months. Don¡¯t go to campus anymore. Send me all the files you have on hand, and I¡¯ll have the school find me another teaching assistant.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was too terrified to object. She was also gravely injured and needed to recuperate; she didn¡¯t want to be disabled from this incident.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze returned to their apartment and could finally speak freely again. ¡°What a shame, all my favourite things are under the Caribbean sea now.¡± Gu Nianzhi said with pity as she opened a cup of yogurt from the fridge.

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at her. ¡°What are thosepared to mine? I was the one who lost good things.¡± He snapped his fingers suddenly. ¡°Right, that reminds me. I have to get in touch with Big Xiong and have him send me a new set over. Without my equipment, it feels like I¡¯m going online naked.¡±

    They only had their cellphones left, everything else was gone. Gu Nianzhi giggled and pointed at Zhao Liangze. ¡°You¡¯re already used to being a hacker, so of course you¡¯re afraid of someone spying on yourputer.¡± Her eyes quickly darted to hisputer.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Zhao Liangze smacked her head. ¡°Go shower and sleep; you obviously didn¡¯t sleep well.¡±

    ¡°How could I sleep well in a stranger¡¯s house?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ll go now.¡± She went back to her room and closed the door, but didn¡¯t go to the bathroom right away. Instead, she took out her phone and called Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 179 - Just a Name

    <h4>Chapter 179: Just a Name</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang and rang, but no one answered.

    Usually, Gu Nianzhi would have hung up by now, but this time she left a message: ¡°Uncle Huo, this is Nianzhi. It was my 18th birthday yesterday. Did youe to see me?¡±

    After leaving the message, Gu Nianzhi went to the bathroom to shower.

    She had not taken a proper shower at He Zhichu¡¯s house the day before; she had dried her hair¡ªwhich had been wet from the rain¡ªand washed her feet, and that had been it.

    She showered, dried her hair, and immediately copsed on her bed, already asleep.

    She was fully refreshed by the next morning. She got up, bright and early, and went to the Committee of Appropriations at US Congress for another day of work.

    At noon, she went to the Commission for Unrestricted Ocean Travel to look for Brother Huang¡ªonly to be told that he had taken the day off!

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. She had gone to work as usual, right after getting into a nerve-racking shoot-out with the pirates. Brother Huang, on the other hand, had actually called in sick...

    She called him on his phone. ¡°Brother Huang, what happened? They told me you¡¯re sick.¡±

    Brother Huang was in his apartment, cocooned in a nket and trying to get some sleep. He heard his phone ring, took the call, and whined intively: ¡°Nianzhi? I almost died, and all because I wanted to celebrate your birthday!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that the speedboat had been hijacked. She said, surprised, ¡°...What happened to you? I heard from Professor He that all of you were okay.¡±

    ¡°My body is fine, but my mind is traumatized.¡± Brother Huang was a grown man, but this was by far the scariest thing he had ever encountered in his life. He had almost wet himself when the burly ck men held a gun to his head...

    ¡°...Well, take care then. Have a good rest.¡± Gu Nianzhi tried tofort him. ¡°Or wait, why don¡¯t you tell me what happened? You might feel better once you let it all out.¡±

    Brother Huang had been dying to tell someone about it; he jumped at the opportunity. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what happened! They said they would be taking us to the cruise ship, but the van drove us to an empty house, and they tied us up. They left us there for a whole afternoon¡ªI thought I was going to die! I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about my wife and family!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything¡¯s fine now. Professor He will make it up to you, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± A thought urred to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°But didn¡¯t Miss Wen arrange for the van? And the speedboat, too...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was her, but I don¡¯t me her. It¡¯s not like she could have foreseen the pirates and hijacking.¡± Brother Huang¡¯s voice was full of sympathetic understanding. ¡°Barbados is a small country, and not exactly safe. The authorities over there haven¡¯t been able to keep the pirates in check, either. Professor He was the one who pulled some strings and got the Barbados police to rescue us.¡± He gave a intive cry. ¡°But I¡¯m still scared! I haven¡¯t been able to get a good night¡¯s sleep. When I close my eyes, I can still feel that icy-cold gun barrel against my head!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiforted him, nonchntly prying a few more details from him in the process. Finally, she said before hanging up, ¡°Have a good rest, Brother Huang. I¡¯ll bring you a delicious dinner when I get home tonight.¡±

    For the rest of the day, Gu Nianzhi pondered over the mystery of the pirates. She wanted badly to know who had masterminded the pirate attack.

    If it had been Wen Shouyi¡ªwhy did she want to kill Gu Nianzhi?

    If it had been someone else¡ªwho, and for what purpose?

    She spent the entire day thinking about it, but ultimately decided she had too few clues to go on. Wen Shouyi seemed the most suspicious, but that was mostly because she could not think of anyone else.

    She did not have any evidence to prove that Wen Shouyi had hired the pirates. Not only that, Wen Shouyi had actually taken a bullet for her; Gu Nianzhi knew she could no longer say whatever she liked, whenever she liked, to Wen Shouyi¡¯s face in the future. She would have to be polite to her now, no matter what she truly felt about her.

    She decided to let it go.

    She was not the type to be obsessed.

    It was clear she would not be able to figure it out just by sitting around thinking about it. Besides, she was still alive and well; she had thwarted the ns of whoever it was who had set a 10 million dor bounty on her head. The evil mastermind should be the one chewing up their fingernails in frustration right now, not Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. She would just ignore it for now.

    Later that evening, when they had returned to their apartment building, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze paid a visit to Brother Huang. They had brought him dinner.

    Zhao Liangze seized the opportunity to ask Brother Huang a few questions.

    Zhao Liangze was a true professional; he was meticulous with his questions, and soon uncovered a number of other details Gu Nianzhi had neglected to ask about.

    The two of them returned to their apartment. Zhao Liangze frowned as he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...Which of us has enemies in Barbados? Is it you, or me?¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her chin in her hand, her eyes wide with curiosity.

    ¡°Well, going by what Brother Huang said, whoever nned all this had to pull a lot of strings, which means they must be well-connected inside Barbados. Did you think the average Joe would have been able to pull something like that off, in the capital city of Barbados?¡± Zhao Liangze tousled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll get to the bottom of this. You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing.¡±

    ¡°...I think Professor He should be the one doing the investigating,¡± Gu Nianzhi said quietly. ¡°He¡¯s lost so much money over this.¡±

    She recalled what Wen Shouyi had told her: He Zhichu had bought the cruise ship specifically for her birthday. It had been brand new¡ªand now it sat at the bottom of the ocean.

    He Zhichu would probably have topensate all the guests he had invited to the party, too. No matter which way she sliced it, He Zhichu was the person who should be angriest over what had happened.

    ¡°He has to investigate this too, obviously.¡± Zhao Liangze returned to hisputer. ¡°I¡¯ll let Big Xiong know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained in his room, reluctant to leave. After a minute or two of awkward shuffling, she asked casually, ¡°Brother Ze, where¡¯s Brother Xiong and Uncle Huo?¡±

    Zhao Liangze paused. He turned to look at her, a smile on his face. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say they went to Cuba? It takes more than a few days for a nuclear submarine to get from Cuba to the Empire, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him eagerly. ¡°So Uncle Huo must still be...¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re asking about Mr. Huo.¡± There was a teasing gleam in Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mr. Huo and Big Xiong are already back in the Empire.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Already?¡±

    ¡°Well, something came up in the Empire, so they left on a private jet.¡± Zhao Liangze recounted what Yin Shixiong had told him.

    But that was the extent of Yin Shixiong¡¯s knowledge¡ªhe did not know where Huo Shaoheng had gone, either.

    As soon as they returned to the Huaxia Empire, Huo Shaoheng had been summoned by General Ji, themander-in-chief of the military. All Yin Shixiong had heard was that Huo Shaoheng had been assigned a top-secret mission.

    In actual fact, Huo Shaoheng had been thrown into solitary confinement by General Ji.

    In order to protect Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation, only a handful of people knew about his punishment: General Ji; Chairman Long, the Speaker of the Senate; and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, the director of the Military Political Department.

    He would be locked up for two months, and not a day less.

    Everyone in the military knew that solitary confinement was extremely hard on the nerves; it was worse than any form of corporal punishment.

    He would be cut off from the outside world, with no one to speak to. The total istion and loneliness was sometimes enough to drive a person crazy.

    But Huo Shaoheng was different.

    Solitary confinement was actually part of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ standard training program.

    General Ji throwing Huo Shaoheng into solitary confinement was therefore more of a warning than an actual punishment.

    Huo Shaoheng did not protest. He entered the confinement room alone.

    He was a major general, too highly ranked for anyone else to know he had been sent to a confinement chamber as punishment. His confinement room was therefore a small, single room in General Ji¡¯s house, one that General Ji had cleaned out just for him.

    There was a kitchen, a bathroom, a bed, a desk, aputer without inte ess, and arge cab filled with an assortment of books and documents.

    For the next two months, he would not be able to go on the inte, but he would be able to read his fill of books.

    There were enough books and documents to help him pass the time for the next two months.

    His phone, tablet, and other personal devices had all been confiscated. They were not allowed inside the confinement room.

    General Ji personally stood watch over his confinement room.

    The setup was watertight; Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had no way of finding out what had actually happened to Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi had waited in vain for Huo Shaoheng to call her. When she heard that he had been summoned to carry out a top-secret mission for the military, she rxed and let out a sigh of relief.

    But she could not help the feeling of emptiness.

    It had been her 18th birthday, and she did not even get to hear Uncle Huo say a simple ¡°Happy Birthday¡± to her...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room. She took a shower, changed into her pajamas, and got ready for bed.

    She had been about to check the news sites for thetest news when her phone began to ring.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the number disyed on the screen: it was an iing call from He Zhichu.

    She hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to take the call.

    Gu Nianzhi greeted him politely. ¡°Hello, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips. He was in his mansion, watching the Potomac River from a window. His voice was cool when he asked, ¡°Nianzhi, are you feeling better now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. There was nothing wrong with me, anyway. I went to Congress today to listen in on the debates.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡± He Zhichu did not know what else to say. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Nianzhi, I know your parents are dead, but why do you have so many guardians?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She hesitated. Her reply, when it came, was casual and indifferent: ¡°That¡¯s all in the past now. I¡¯m 18 years old, an independent adult. I don¡¯t need a guardian anymore.¡±

    As soon as she finished her sentence, Gu Nianzhi suddenly realized what she was saying.

    She was 18. In the eyes of thew, she was now an adult capable of assuming full legal responsibility for her actions. It was no longer necessary for her to have a legal guardian.

    And that meant she no longer had a valid reason to get in touch with Huo Shaoheng...

    Gu Nianzhi was suddenly ovee with panic. She did not know what to do.

    She felt as though she had been abandoned on a busy street. The people around her brushed past her, indifferent and uncaring, and she did not recognize anyone.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her panda pillow and shrunk further into her bed. She wanted desperately to hide herself behind the pillow.

    He Zhichu noted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reluctance to answer his question, and did not press the issue. She had said that she no longer required a guardian¡ªhe assumed that meant she would be able to make her own decisions from now on.

    He Zhichu quietly watched the Potomac River from his window, his almond-shaped eyes shimmering in the mid-autumn night. He took a deep breath, and decided it was time to end the conversation. ¡°All right. In that case, I¡¯ll be dealing with you directly from now on.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi buried her cheek into her pillow. She asked in a low, muffled voice: ¡°Professor He, did you find out who hired those pirates?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re all dead. How am I supposed to investigate?¡±

    ¡°But they kept all those people hostage in Barbados. Isn¡¯t that enough for you to get the investigation going?¡± Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. He Zhichu was a powerful, influential man¡ªsurely he must have turned up something, anything, by now?

    ¡°Barbados isn¡¯t the United States. My reach isn¡¯t quite that long.¡± He Zhichu smiled wryly. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m some kind of omnipotent god, do you?¡±

    ¡°¡®Course not,¡± Gu Nianzhi blurted out automatically. He Zhichu¡¯s face, on the other end of the phone, immediately darkened.

    She continued: ¡°I know it happened in international waters, and the hostages were held in Barbados, which makes it difficult to investigate. But they sunk your cruise ship, Professor He. It¡¯s a huge loss¡ªdon¡¯t you want to find out who did it, and get them topensate you? Whoever it was put out a 10 million dor bounty on our heads, which means they have a lot of money.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s mood had rapidly deteriorated upon hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s flippant ¡°¡®course not.¡± He resisted the urge to sneer, and said coolly, ¡°It¡¯s just a cruise ship. I don¡¯t really care. Besides, the ship was for you¡ªyou evidently don¡¯t care about it, so why should I?¡±

    ¡°What? For me?¡± Gu Nianzhi lifted her head from her pillow in surprise. ¡°That cruise ship was really meant for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t you see the engraving on the hull?¡± He Zhichu said irritably. ¡°Or did Wen Shouyi not follow my orders?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, I saw the name, but I thought you were just humoring me...¡± Gu Nianzhiughed awkwardly. The name had been painted on, after all, and could be changed at any time.

    If the cruise ship really did belong to her, she would have to see the proof. Was her name on the purchase papers?

    She was not some silly, ignorant girl who did not know how ownershipw worked. She was not foolish enough to believe the ship belonged to her just because her name had been painted on it. Without an actual legal document certifying her ownership, the painted letters on the hull merely spelled her name, nothing more.

    ¡°...Like I said, it¡¯s yours. There¡¯s no point arguing about it now, of course.¡± He Zhichu wanted to drop the subject. The ship had already sunk¡ªthe most he could do now was get the insurancepany to reimburse some of the damages.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her brow in frustration. She shook her head as she insisted: ¡°Professor He, if it isn¡¯t mine, it isn¡¯t mine. You can¡¯t just say that it belongs to me and dump it on my shoulders. It¡¯s a heavy burden, and I can¡¯t ept it.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m lying?¡± He Zhichu finally understood what Gu Nianzhi was getting at. ¡°When have I ever lied to you?¡±

    He was furious now. He walked back to his study, turned on hisputer, and found the folder containing all the legal documents for the cruise ship. He opened the scans of the proof of purchase and the deed.

    As soon as he saw the scans, he was immediately at a loss for words.

    The name on the deed was ¡°He Zhichu,¡± not ¡°Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    In other words, Gu Nianzhi was right: the ship did not belong to her.

    The name on the cruise ship had been nothing more than decorative paint.

    He Zhichu snapped. He hung up and kicked his desk over in a fit of rage before calling Wen Shouyi over the phone. She was in Boston, recovering from her injuries.

    ¡°Wen Shouyi! I told you to transfer ownership of the cruise ship to Nianzhi. How dare you disobey me, behind my back?!¡± Wen Shouyi was lucky to be away in Boston; had she been standing in front of He Zhichu at that very moment, he would have strangled her to death.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart almost jumped out of her mouth. She did not understand. The ship had already sunk¡ªwhat had possessed He Zhichu to dig up the deed and check the name on it?

    ¡°Professor He, let me exin. Nianzhi isn¡¯t a US citizen. Transferring ownership of the ship to her is a lengthy andplicated process, I¡¯m still waiting for them toplete her background check...¡± Wen Shouyi smiled gently. ¡°Professor He, now that the ship is gone, do you still want to transfer it to her? If that¡¯s what you want, I can give thepany handling the background checks a nudge, ask them to hurry up.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll buy her something else for her birthday.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was now even colder than Arctic permafrost. ¡°Once you¡¯ve recovered, I¡¯m letting you go. I¡¯ll inform my family about it. We¡¯re going our separate ways.¡±

    Wen Shouyi closed her eyes. Her hands were shaking, but she did not protest. She replied in a soft voice: ¡°Okay. Whatever you say, Professor He.¡± She hung up and flopped backwards onto her bed, before turning over to bury her face into her pillow. There was the muffled sound of sobbing.

 Chapter 180 - Open Relationship

    <h4>Chapter 180: Open Rtionship</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Whenever Gu Nianzhi recalled her 18th birthday, the one thing that stood out the most was the silver fighter jet roaring through the wind and rain. Although it was regretful that Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t personallye, Gu Nianzhi had insisted this was ¡°the beauty in imperfection.¡± The most beautiful things, like Venus¡¯ missing arm, or the unfinished Dream of the Red Chamber1 were often imperfect. On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi was extremely grateful that He Zhichu had rebuilt his rtionship with the US Military and had demanded that a naval warship rescue her, but she had never expected to receive such an extravagant gift from him. Afterwards, she had maintained her distance from him and devoted herself to work and study.

    He Zhichu sensed her distance, and although he was saddened by it, he knew he couldn¡¯t force her. He gave her time to slowly adapt to the transition and temporarily put things with her on hold. He was busy with traveling between Harvard University and B University in the Imperial capital to teach sses and mentor graduate students.

    ...

    Time flew when life revolved around work. It was nearly December in Washington. One evening, Gu Nianzhi came out of the Capitol Hill wearing a slim light gray cashmere coat with horn buckles to head back to her suite in the hotel. Because her apartment was close to the Capitol Hill, she had been walking for the past two months as exercise. When she arrived to the entrance, a curvy Huaxia woman wearing a long burgundy coat was waiting at the door and speaking to the doorman.

    The doorman recognized Gu Nianzhi and waved when he saw her. ¡°Miss Gu! Someone is here for you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the woman. She had fair skin, bold and elegant eyebrows, gentle almond eyes, and a tiny nose. Her delicate lips were lightly glossed and rosy. She appeared to be a sophisticated and beautiful woman in her twenties. Gu Nianzhi was certain she didn¡¯t know her.

    She nodded at the stranger. ¡°Hello...who are you?¡±

    The woman scanned over Gu Nianzhi and her eyes widened with surprise. She strode over and introduced herself. ¡°My name is Jiang Hongcha, I don¡¯t know if Mei Xiawen ever mentioned me.¡±

    The Weibo, ¡°Red Tea¡¯s Sky¡± shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind¡ªthis woman would have been Mei Xiawen¡¯s first girlfriend.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember if he mentioned it.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled; she hadn¡¯t been contact with Mei Xiawen muchtely. Mei Xiawen felt that he always had to take the initiative to seek her out everytime the past six months, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t give any favourable response. He was displeased and had decided to ignore her for a bit in hopes she woulde to him when she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore¨Cso he could give her some affection and truly conquer the young girl¡¯s heart... However Gu Nianzhi knew she was going home at the end of the year and still hadn¡¯t decided how she would face Mei Xiawen, so she didn¡¯t try to contact him at all.

    Seeing Jiang Hongcha now, Gu Nianzhi sighed internally, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha then felt slightly uneasy seeing Gu Nianzhi like this. She had seen her face and assumed she was just a pretty and smartmoner girl that she could easily manipte. However the woman in front of her had apparently just had her 18th birthday and already carried a dignified air and elegance that could only be cultivated from being raised in the upper ss. Has she transformed from being in the capital region for a mere six months? Jiang Hongcha suppressed the jealousy in her heart and smiled amiably, ¡°There are some things I want to tell you about me and Mei Xiawen, do you want to have a coffee with me?¡± Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hesitation, she immediately said, ¡°Let¡¯s not go anywhere, this is a hotel right? There should be a cafe?¡±

    ¡°Yes,e with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi actually didn¡¯t want to deal with Jiang Hongcha, but hearing that it was about her and Mei Xiawen, she didn¡¯t want to refuse. The point was that she was feeling hesitant and unsure what to do, so she needed some guidance. Jiang Hongcha was Mei Xiawen¡¯s first girlfriend, so she must know what she¡¯s saying. The pair sat down in a corner in the Capitol Hill Hotel Cafe. Therge potted green nts sequestered a small isted space for them. Gu Nianzhi ordered a cappino and used a spoon to slowly stir it, her other hand supporting her chin. She gazed steadily at Jiang Hongcha across from her.

    Jiang Hongcha didn¡¯t order coffee and had a warm milk instead, ¡°I can¡¯t have coffee right now.¡± She smiled softly at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi detected the smile was full of maternal radiance and looked down to remove the spoon and sip at her cappino.

    Jiang Hongcha held her warm milk and looked like she didn¡¯t know where to begin. After a while, she finally spoke, ¡°Nianzhi, can I call you that?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked up at Jiang Hongcha. Her voice was tender but a bit raspy from the afternoon¡¯s debate on appropriation of funds.

    ¡°My family is friends with the Mei family, we practically grew up together.¡± Jiang Hongcha immersed herself in the beautiful memories, ¡°But we only became a couple in high school.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows twitched and felt impatient. She had been so busy with work she didn¡¯t have lunch and was rushing home to dinner. How long did Jiang Hongcha n to take with her long tale from start to finish? She coughed softly and simply stated, ¡°Xiawen mentioned he had a first love who went abroad after high school. Theyter broke up, that was you?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to summarize her romantic first love with Mei Xiawen in one sentence and felt a little embarrassed. The past was so beautiful, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words had no emotions to them. It was clear that this woman had no parents and wasn¡¯t raised properly, so she rudely interrupted others when she didn¡¯t like what she was hearing... When she thought about it this way, Jiang Hongcha¡¯s smile grew brighter as shenguidly nodded, ¡°You can say that. But when I came back after finishing my undergrad, Xiawen and I... met again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brows, ¡°Miss Jiang, please be direct if you want to say something. You¡¯re mumbling so much that I¡¯m starting to regret having coffee with you.¡±

    ¡°...Ok. Miss Gu, allow me to make a long story short.¡± Jiang Hongcha straightened in her seat and leaned closer, ¡°The thing is, I want to ask if you are Mei Xiawen¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes, ¡°...Not yet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a no then?¡± Jiang Hongcha chuckled gently, ¡°Then I don¡¯t feel so guilty anymore. The thing is, Xiawen and I couldn¡¯t forget our first love, but we have hurdles in our heart that prevent us from getting back together. So we made a promise to give each other another chance, but don¡¯t want to bind ourselves to each other. Please don¡¯t worry, Miss Gi. We¡¯re in an open rtionship, which means I can date someone else and he can also pursue others, like Miss Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and listened to Jiang Hongcha quietly.

    Jiang Hongcha was very sympathetic, ¡°I know Miss Gu also made a promise with Mei Xiawen, that you would make him wait six months and that if he still like you after that, you would agree to be his girlfriend? Ah, youngdy, how can you be so naive? How can you let a man loose like that?¡±

    ¡°Miss Jiang, this is between me and Mei Xiawen. I don¡¯t think I need to exin anything to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked out the window impatiently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, I¡¯m just saying it as is.¡± Jiang Hongcha shifted in her seat and cradled her belly.

 Chapter 181 - The Unspoken Rules of the Elite Circle

    <h4>Chapter 181: The Unspoken Rules of the Elite Circle</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Unfortunately, her bodynguage and attempts at signaling were wasted on Gu Nianzhi, who merely lifted her cup to sip at her cappino.

    ¡°Anyway, I just want you to understand that I¡¯m not actually Xiawen¡¯s girlfriend. My existence has no effect on your future rtionship with him.¡± Jiang Hongcha was forced to put on a sincere and honest expression, as though she were BFFs with Gu Nianzhi and would never lie to her.

    Gu Nianzhi was still entirely unmoved. The only thing she felt was vague bemusement: Why don¡¯t I feel anything?

    Jiang Hongcha was unnerved by the calm, unperturbed expression on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face¡ªwhere was the resentment, the helpless frustration, the anger? Jiang Hongcha hesitated, before venturing to ask: ¡°Miss Gu, do you know what an open rtionship is?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not resistughing at this. ¡°Oh, right, I don¡¯t actually understand what you mean by that. Please, enlighten me.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha sighed inwardly: that exined Gu Nianzhi¡¯sck of a reaction. Sheunched into a patient and careful exnation: ¡°An open rtionship basically means a rtionship where both parties are free to find other sexual partners. You haven¡¯t agreed to be Xiawen¡¯s girlfriend, which means he¡¯s still technically single, and free to do whatever he wants.¡±

    ¡°Including having sex with you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked nonchntly as she rested her chin in a hand, a faint smile on her face.

    Jiang Hongcha blushed. The young girl before her was really vulgar¡ªhow could she speak of sex so openly, and to someone she had just met?

    She let out an amused sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be like that. There¡¯s such a thing as an open marriage too, you know. In our circle, everyone obeys the rules of open marriages. Husband and wife are free to find other sexual partners, without fear of jeopardizing their marriage. You don¡¯t have to worry¡ªI¡¯m in an open rtionship with Xiawen, but it doesn¡¯t mean that I have to marry him. We¡¯re free men and women, free to do whatever we like.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand now. This so-called open rtionship and open marriage basically boil down to this: it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re married, you people just want to be able to f*ck whoever you want. Is that it?¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered the hand that had been propping up her chin. She was no longer interested in further conversation with Jiang Hongcha. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me about these things. You can sleep with whoever you want, it¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    ¡°This is a beautiful thing¡ªwhy must you make it sound so vulgar?¡± Jiang Hongcha was furious now. She was from a wealthy and distinguished family, and had studied at Juilliard, one of the most prestigious schools in existence. She had never had a friend who was not her equal in status; Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blunt, outspoken manner confused her.

    ¡°That¡¯s because these things are vulgar, full stop. I can¡¯t dress it up with fancy words.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up and shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m very busy. I don¡¯t have the time to listen to your sexual history. Can I go now?¡±

    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Jiang Hongcha had to restrain herself from throwing her cup of milk in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m here today to tell you, so you don¡¯t end up getting the wrong idea. Xiawen and I aren¡¯t in a rtionship. He can have however many girlfriends he likes, I don¡¯t mind. We¡¯ve agreed not to interfere with each other¡¯s private lives.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat back in her chair when she heard this. She was amused. ¡°Miss Jiang, the first thing you told me when we met today was that you were sleeping with the man who is trying to date me. Now you¡¯re telling me not to ¡®get the wrong idea¡¯ about your rtionship with him¡ªare you stupid? Or maybe you think I¡¯m stupid?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you ept the facts?¡± Jiang Hongcha shook her head. She smiled as she said: ¡°You have to. This is how we do things in my circle. You have to turn a blind eye to things like this, it¡¯spletely normal. If you don¡¯t think you can get used to it, then you won¡¯t be able to fit in¡ªnot in my circle, anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made an exaggerated show of sudden realization. ¡°I get it now¡ªyou¡¯re here to persuade me to leave Mei Xiawen, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha snorted. She did not reply, but the look on her face said ¡°took you long enough.¡±

    ¡°If you want me to leave him, I¡¯m okay with that. How much are you willing to pay me?¡± Gu Nianzhi cupped her face in her hands, herrge eyes glittering like brilliant gemstones as she stared at Jiang Hongcha.

    Jiang Hongcha¡¯s eyes bulged in surprise. She said, incredulous: ¡°I¡¯ve been discussing this with you in a respectful and logical manner¡ªand you want to talk about money?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi arched a cheeky eyebrow. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to respect me. And anyway, you were being respectful? Really? I honestly couldn¡¯t tell. Let¡¯s skip all the abstract nonsense¡ªI¡¯m just a lowly pleb, I¡¯m practical. You¡¯re supposed to be part of this wealthy, elite circle you won¡¯t stop yapping about¡ªwhy do you even care about logic? Shouldn¡¯t you be writing a check for a crazy amount of money, and shoving it in my face? That¡¯s what usually happens on TV, anyway!¡±

    Jiang Hongcha¡¯s lips trembled. She did not have the chromosomes for it, but she felt as though she had been kicked in the balls, all the same.

    Why was this girl being so difficult?!

    ¡°...What, you¡¯re not going to pay me to break up with Mei Xiawen?¡± Gu Nianzhi clucked her tongue condescendingly. ¡°Your circle isn¡¯t all that, then. Those rich upstarts on TV, they usually try to get rid of undeserving girlfriends by paying them one million yuan¡ªminimum. But you, you¡¯re just looking for a free ride, eh?¡±

    A sh of anger streaked across Jiang Hongcha¡¯s eyes, but she quickly calmed down. She surreptitiously turned on the voice recording function on her phone as she said pleasantly to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Miss Gu, I was just giving you some advice, out of the goodness of my heart. How could you turn around and ask me for money?¡±

    ¡°I never asked you for money.¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely particr about semantics, and never admitted to things she had not said. ¡°You were the one who came to me and told me to leave Mei Xiawen because I wasn¡¯t right for him. All I¡¯m asking now is how much you want to pay me¡ªI¡¯m just ying by the rules of your elite circle, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°How much do you need, to consider leaving him?¡± Jiang Hongcha asked, smiling. It was a loaded question.

    ¡°That depends on how sincere you are about this.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded slightly. ¡°Your offer directly reflects how important Mei Xiawen is to you. It¡¯s vulgar to talk about money, but it isn¡¯t a universal equivalent for nothing: you can use it to appraise the value of many, many things.¡±

    ¡°I see. You¡¯re only with Xiawen because you want his money.¡± Jiang Hongcha was sure that she had enough evidence now to get rid of Gu Nianzhi, once and for all. ¡°Miss Gu, I believe we have nothing more to say to each other. I¡¯ve recorded everything you just said¡ªit¡¯s all here.¡± She waved her phone at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°If you keep your distance from Xiawen and stop contacting him, I¡¯ll pretend none of this ever happened. No one will ever know about this recording. But if you continue to string Xiawen along, well, I¡¯ll have to take extreme measures. I¡¯ll send this recording to Xiawen, and upload a copy to your university¡¯s forums. You¡¯ll have to quit the B University graduate program¡ªit would be too embarrassing for you to stick around once your schoolmates hear this!¡± Jiang Hongcha gloated triumphantly, as though she had won the debate.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the phone. She extended her hand. ¡°Give me your phone.¡±

    ¡°Give it to you? Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± Jiang Hongchaughed heartily, her long hair rippling with every loud guffaw. She had dropped her dignified act, and was full of lively sarcasm. ¡°I already saved it to my cloud storage. Take my phone if you want, you can¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Jiang Hongcha as though she were an idiot.

    She waited until Jiang Hongcha was doneughing, before saying impassively: ¡°Miss Jiang, first of all, you have vited my privacy by secretly recording our conversation without my permission. Secondly, you are trying to ckmail me with what should have been a private discussion, for your own personal gain. Depending on how much you stand to gain from this act of extortion, the severity of your crime may range from a misdemeanor, which would result in a fine, to a felony, which would result in either detention or imprisonment. Thirdly, I don¡¯t care if you make the recording public. It won¡¯t affect me in the slightest, but it¡¯ll most likely end in bankruptcy and jail time for you. Miss Jiang, I advise you to think this over carefully. I am aw student, and my professor is He Zhichu. If you want to fight me in court, you¡¯d better go home and ask your family whether they¡¯re okay with that.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha¡¯s pupils constricted.

    This girl was now casually discussing legal issues with her, as though she were nothing more than a disinterested observer!

    Jiang Hongcha stared at Gu Nianzhi for a long moment. She suddenly remembered what Ai Weinan had told her: Gu Nianzhi¡¯s did not love Mei Xiawen...

    ¡°I get it now. You don¡¯t love him, you really don¡¯t.¡± Jiang Hongcha shrugged. ¡°I yed the viin for nothing.¡± She unlocked her phone and deleted the voice recording then and there, in front of Gu Nianzhi, before logging into her cloud storage and deleting the backup file. ¡°There, you see? I deleted everything.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha stood up. She grabbed her Herm¨¨s tinum bag, nodded to Gu Nianzhi, and turned to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi called out to her. ¡°Miss Jiang, what¡¯s your phone number?¡±

 Chapter 182 - Breaking Up

    <h4>Chapter 182: Breaking Up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Jiang Hongcha turned around with a frown. ¡°Why do you need my phone number?¡±

    ¡°To make sure it¡¯s really you,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a half smile. ¡°You tell me you¡¯re Jiang Hongcha, but I don¡¯t know her. I have to verify this; you understand right?¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m an imposter?¡± Jiang Hongcha rolled her eyes and recited a string of numbers.

    Gu Nianzhi input it to her phone and almost immediately, Jiang Hongcha¡¯s phone began to ring. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile widened. ¡°This is really Miss Jiang¡¯s phone number.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha found her smile disturbing and irritating. She took out the Van Cleef and Arpels 10 motif ne out of her Hermes Birkin bag. ¡°This is your 18th birthday present from Xiawen, who had wanted to give it to you in person. However, I¡¯d gotten sick and so Xiawen stayed at the hospital with me. I hope you can forgive us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi no longer cared, but her face flushed anyway as she pushed away Jiang Hongcha¡¯s hand. ¡°No need. You don¡¯t need to provoke me any more; it¡¯s useless.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Hongcha was giddy with delight when she saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression had finally changed. She opened the box with a smile. ¡°See, isn¡¯t this the same one as the 5 motif ne from thest time? Of course, I had selected the ne and roses. Xiawen is the one who paid.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a stony face. ¡°I see. Anything else?¡± She had still been skeptical about Jiang Hongcha¡¯s words, but the ne was almost enough to convince her. However, she didn¡¯t want to give Jiang Hongcha the satisfaction of riling her up, so she remained aloof.

    Shaking her head regretfully, Jiang Hongcha continued. ¡°Of course, there is still something else,¡± She ced her hand on her belly and looked down at it before giving her a delicate smile and saying, ¡°but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to tell you. Since you don¡¯t love him, just stop leading him on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m leading him on?¡± Gu Nianzhi shot back. ¡°When have I ever done that? You¡¯ve said it already: I¡¯m not his girlfriend. Therefore, he has the right to pursue and sleep with other people; and besides, you¡¯re already together with him. Now, you using me of leading him on, isn¡¯t that too hypocritical?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha flushed from the sharp worded barrage, but repeated herself. ¡°You don¡¯t love him, but still make him wait for you. Isn¡¯t that leading him on?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. ¡°That¡¯s rich! All you people tell me I don¡¯t love him, but you¡¯re not in a position to say that about me. You don¡¯t know me, and you don¡¯t understand his and mine rtionship. How would you know that do or don¡¯t love him?¡±

    It was true that Gu Nianzhi had been moved by Mei Xiawen¡ªhis care for her during their school days, his relentless pursual of her after graduation and finally, when she¡¯d came to the United States and had been stuck in the midst of a political heist, and had been kicked out from He Zhichu¡¯s mansion, her feet covered in blisters: it had been Mei Xiawen who had appeared and carried her back to her apartment. All of those precious moments had touched her heart and had been the reason for her agreeing to the six month promise. She had tried her best to develop feelings for Mei Xiawen¡ªbut there was always someone telling her that her feelings weren¡¯t good enough; first it had been Ai Weinan and now Jiang Hongcha stood before her, telling her that she didn¡¯t love Mei Xiawen.

    What is love? Gu Nianzhi was deeply perplexed.

    ¡°You love him? Then why are you so indifferent when you know now that he has been sleeping with someone else?¡± Jiang Hongcha mocked Gu Nianzhi, her mouth twisted into a sneer. ¡°Ask yourself, have you ever worried sick over him? Did you ever lose sleep because you missed him so much? You¡¯ve barely contacted him in two months, yet say that you love him! I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so great about you!¡± Jiang Hongcha voice had risen with her mounting ridicule and disbelief. Mei Xiawen had refused to let go of his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi and had his heart set on their stupid six month promise. The time was almost up and Gu Nianzhi was about to go home, so Jiang Hongcha knew that she couldn¡¯t sit still and let everything she had worked for unravel. She hated to admit that she had overestimated her appeal and underestimated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s allure to Mei Xiawen. Mei Xiawen had only ever had sex with her, but they were not actually dating. Engagement was certainly out of question. She had considered all her options and Mei Xiawen was still the best one for her. From all aspects, he suited her the most and was her first love¡ªJia Hongcha didn¡¯t want to let go of him again.

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback by Jia¡¯s shrillints. ¡°There¡¯s nothing great about me.¡± After a long moment, she looked up and said coldly, ¡°If you want to bicker, go find Mei Xiawen and leave me alone. I don¡¯t have time to y games with you people. Goodbye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi called the waiter over to pay the bill and left first. As she stood inside the elevator, she stared nkly at the ascending numbers. Jiang Hongcha¡¯s words rang through her head. She had felt assured with how Mei Xiawen had dealt with Ai Weinan¡¯s persistance. However, Gu Nianzhi felt that Jiang Hongcha was different, because she¡¯d had a preemptive impression from the Weibo, ¡°ck Tea¡¯s Sky.¡±

    She was no longer sure about her feelings. Added to that turmoil, Jiang Hongcha¡¯s speech about whether or not she loved him made Gu Nianzhi frightened and almost guilty. Yes, she didn¡¯t have such intense feelings for Mei Xiawen. But, there was one person did make her feel that way: When she¡¯d seen him smile at another woman, it had felt like the sky was falling. She had been so furious that she wanted to retaliate at society, and had ended up taking that anger out on Xin Xinggao. When she couldn¡¯t see him, she not only worried sick about him, but was also restless, unable to eat or sleep properly. When she saw people who looked like him on the street, she would stop and stare for a long time, waiting to see if maybe, by some chance, it was him. If he had been the one to sleep with someone else...

    Oh my god, Gu Nianzhi head was reeling with the sudden realizations. She felt her denial crumbling with the truth, and so took a deep breath as she gripped on the elevator handrail. She found it hard to breathe and her heart felt like it was going to stop. No, I can¡¯t think about this anymore; it¡¯s too much. She wanted to escape from the intensity of her epiphany.

    When she returned to her apartment, Gu Nianzhi was listless and didn¡¯t chatter like her normal self at dinner time. Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t used to her silence and snuck a few nces at her before finally asking, ¡°What is it? Do you feel sick?¡±

    This little girl, Gu Nianzhi, was the best behaved in front of Mr. Huo when she was sick. The soldiers who had raised her were all well aware of this since she was young.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°Nope. I feel great.¡±

    Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°You basically have ¡®I¡¯m not ok¡± stamped right on your face.¡± Zhao Liangze pinched her ear. ¡°What are you having trouble with?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it a bit and then told him everything that had happened when she had met Jiang Hongcha earlier. Then, she shared Jia Hongcha¡¯s phone number. ¡°Brother Ze, can you help me check to see if she really erased the recording?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was enraged. ¡°What the h*ll! She recorded you? Who does she think she is, the CIA?¡± He returned to his room and used his software to quickly find Jiang Hongcha¡¯s phone and remotely ess its contents. The recording and cloud backup were indeed deleted, but Zhao Liangze found some disturbing photos in her cloud drive instead.

    ¡°What the f*ck!¡± Mei Xiawen you scumbag!¡± Zhao Liangze looked through photo by photo, shaking with fury. He had the balls to cheat on Nianzhi?! He stormed out of his room and went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. ¡°What kind of rtionship do you have with Mei Xiawen?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re ssmates.¡± Gu Nianzhi was rearranging the clothes in her closet. ¡°We¡¯re friends, nothing more.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly and shook out a dress she was holding up. Now she understood why she had been so hesitant in front of Mei Xiawen. It turned out she didn¡¯t love him because she¡¯d had someone else in her heart all this time. Without her even noticing, her feelings had grown for that person. However, she couldn¡¯t say that to Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze rubbed his chin and frowned. ¡°Is he really not your boyfriend? Nianzhi, don¡¯t be scared of standing up to him. If he¡¯s wronged you, then I¡¯ll teach him a lesson! There¡¯s also Big Xiong and Mr. Huo!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grip loosened and the dress almost dropped to to ground. She hastily hugged the dress and didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°He¡¯s really not my boyfriend. And now that I know about him and Jiang Hongcha, I don¡¯t see any other possibilities.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you like him?¡± Zhao Liangze walked up to her and turned her around by the shoulders. ¡°Tell me truthfully. If you like him, I¡¯ll break his legs and drag him back to you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi broke out intoughter. ¡°Brother Ze, you¡¯ve never been in love. How could you know what I¡¯m feeling?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that? I can eat pork without ever seeing a pig!¡± Gu Nianzhi gave him a nk look. Heughed. ¡°What I mean to say is, I don¡¯t have to have the same experiences or to have seen the same things to know how you¡¯re feeling.¡± Zhao Liangze smiled.

    Gu Nianzhi watched him and felt the warmth of protectiveness and his brotherly affection. It waspletely different from the blushing and palpitations she experienced when she thought about Huo Shaoheng. She closed her eyes and leaned against the closet door, speaking in a low voice, ¡°I really don¡¯t like him; it¡¯s time to end things.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you give him six months? If he didn¡¯t change his mind in six months, weren¡¯t you going to be together with him?¡±

    ¡°He has already changed his mind, so the promise doesn¡¯t matter now. I never really promised to be with him; only that we would date on a trial basis and see if it would work out.¡± Gu Nianzhi shooked her head. ¡°I don¡¯t even love him, so why should we have forced ourselves into a rtionship? I would have been doing that because that¡¯s what he wanted.¡± This matter was simple enough for Gu Nianzhi. Neither of them loved each other, so calling it off was the right thing to do.

    ...

    That night, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t sleep and ended up tossing and turning in bed, lost in her thoughts. She finally understood her feelings, but instead of feeling ted, she was terrified. Does Huo Shao have a girlfriend already? Can I still secretly love him? If he knows about my feelings, will he push me away? She suddenly remembered his distance the past six months. Could it be...that he already sensed her unspeakable feelings?! Gu Nianzhi buried her head in the nkets and groaned quietly. If that¡¯s true, she didn¡¯t want to live by his side anymore. She couldn¡¯t face him and risk the embarrassment and the rejection. I should just disappear. It was thest thought echoed in her heart as she drifted into a fitful sleep. Gu Nianzhi woke up with bags under her eyes the next day.

    Zhao Liangze saw her face. ¡°What happened to you? You look like a wreck.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only disaster I see right now, so it¡¯s no wonder I can¡¯t sleep.¡± Gu Nianzhi bickered. ¡°I studied all night silly. Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, our genius girl had to study all night? Poor thing.¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled as he peeled a hard-boiled egg for her. ¡°It¡¯s almost Christmas, so it¡¯s about time to pack up and head back, no?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± She looked down into her bowl of congee. ¡°Winter break starts on Christmas Eve, so we can leave the States one day early.¡± They would be leaving on December 23rd and returning to the Empire on December 24th. Her six month internship was over. He Zhichu had already returned to B University in order to prepare for for the uing semester and had bought return tickets for her and Brother Huang. Gu Nianzhi would be returning to C City, while Brother Huang was going back to the Imperial capital.

    ¡°Great, we¡¯re finally going back! The food here is messing with my appetite.¡± Zhao Liangze shook his head and hummed happily as he washed the dishes.

    Gu Nianzhi stalled for a bit and finally asked, ¡°Brother Ze, is Huo Shao back from his mission yet?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Zhao Liangze shook his head as he wiped a bowl. ¡°Neither Big Xiong nor I could get in contact with him. But I heard that it should be soon; he should be back on the 17th or 18th and staying for about two months.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief, but quickly felt another ache in her chest. She silently put on her backpack and saying goodbye to Zhao Liangze, left the apartment for Capitol Hill. On the way there, she gave Mei Xiawen a call.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Is it really you? How are you doing?¡± Mei Xiawen was ecstatic; he had known that m Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be able to help herself from contacting him again. The smug feeling he had swelled his pride.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled wryly at his tone and spoke in a gentle voice. ¡°ss Rep, I¡¯m well. How have you been?¡±

    ¡°ss Rep? Why are you calling me that again?¡± Mei Xiawen was annoyed. ¡°What have I been saying all this time? There¡¯s just 10 more days, and then you¡¯ll be my girlfriend!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. ¡°ss Rep, I think we are better suited to be friends. I don¡¯t think we would bepatible as lovers.¡±

    Mei Xiawen froze, he couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°What are you talking about? Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped and stood before the Capitol Hill steps. ¡°I told you before, to give ourselves half a year and that if you still wanted to be with me, we could give it a try.¡±

    ¡°But I do want to be with you! Are you going back on your word?¡± Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart pounded fiercely and his words were a jumbled mix. It was true that he didn¡¯t have the deep feelings for Gu Nianzhi as he had for his first love, Jiang Hongcha. However, he had always known that Gu Nianzhi was better suited to be his wife.

 Chapter 183 - The Half-year Contract

    <h4>Chapter 183: The Half-year Contract</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gone back on my word. This is about you¡ªyou don¡¯t want to be with me, which means our half-year contract is no longer valid,¡± Gu Nianzhi said impassively.

    It was an early December morning. The wintry DC wind cut to the bone; Gu Nianzhi had to pull her overcoat together.

    The fiery red Herm¨¨s cashmere and silk menco scarf around her neck stood out against her metallic gray military-style cashmere overcoat. The contrast between the bold and the subdued was particrly attractive on this chilly winter morning: it caught the eye of everyone around her.

    A constant stream of familiar men and women¡ªher colleagues at US Congress, and members of parliament¡ªgreeted her as they passed by.

    ¡°Morning!¡±

    ¡°Gu, I love your look today!¡±

    ¡°Gu, want me to bring you breakfast?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she waved to everyone, before pointing to her phone. They exchanged a knowing smile, indicating that they understood.

    She decided to take her phone call elsewhere. She moved away from the steps and walked over to a row of trees that were already bald for the winter. She shoved her free hand in her coat pocket as she seated herself on a bench.

    It was clear that Mei Xiawen did not ept what she was saying. He said with a sneer: ¡°You¡¯re the one going back on your word, admit it. When did I ever say I don¡¯t want to be with you?! I just said you were going to be my girlfriend soon. Did you immediately forget? You¡¯re a top student¡ªsurely you¡¯re not that forgetful?¡±

    ¡°Mei Xiawen, do you really want to be with me?¡± Gu Nianzhi was unperturbed. When she spoke, the warm breath from her red cherry lips condensed in the wintry air, shrouding her pretty face in misty vapors. The dreamy effect made her look even more lovely.

    ¡°How many times do I have to say it? I want to be with you, I want you to be my girlfriend¡ªI want to marry you, even! Why won¡¯t you believe me?!¡± Mei Xiawen was standing on the balcony of his house. He stared at the city lights, consumed with anger.

    Why was this girl being so stubborn?

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. She said hoarsely, ¡°Mei Xiawen, your actions and your words contradict each other. What am I supposed to believe: your empty promises, or what you¡¯ve done?¡±

    It was obvious that Mei Xiawen had not expected to hear this from Gu Nianzhi.

    He was silent for a moment. ¡°Nianzhi, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I believe I made myself clear. Neither of us aremitted to the rtionship, so it¡¯s pointless for us to be together.¡± She had been out in the open for some time now, and the cold wintry air had seeped into her hands and feet.

    Gu Nianzhi got up and walked towards the Capitol Building.

    She had not expected such a simple break-up call to go on for so long.

    Mei Xiawen paced the balcony, agitated and irritable. ¡°How am I notmitted? I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you here, back home. How can you do this to me? You¡¯ve found someone else, haven¡¯t you? It¡¯s you¡ªyou changed your mind!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t change my mind.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was calm. She was telling the truth: there had only ever been one person in her heart. Her feelings had not changed in the slightest.

    ¡°If you haven¡¯t changed your mind, then why are you saying this?! I like you, you like me, what more do you want? Nianzhi, don¡¯t be difficult. Come back, as soon as possible¡ªwhen you¡¯re back here with me, I¡¯ll treat you like a queen. I¡¯ll make you the object of every woman¡¯s envy.¡± Mei Xiawen took a deep breath and began to shower Gu Nianzhi with eloquent promises.

    Young girls could never resist such romantic promises.

    Gu Nianzhi knew it was time to put her foot down. She said in a low, subdued voice as she walked up the stairs: ¡°No, you don¡¯t like me, and I don¡¯t like you, either. I don¡¯t understand why you insist on having me be your girlfriend.¡±

    Mei Xiawen did not like what he had just heard.

    He liked Nianzhi. He did not love her, not exactly, but her blunt rejection sent him reeling all the same.

    He had been surrounded by adoring women for as long as he could remember. They had all ced him on an altar and worshipped him; even an arrogant goddess like Jiang Hongcha had eventually swallowed her pride and begged him to be with her.

    He refused to believe that he had failed to win the affections of a poor, orphan girl...

    ¡°Nianzhi, you like me,¡± Mei Xiawen said confidently, ¡°you like me, you do. You just don¡¯t know it yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She opened the door to her office, threw her backpack onto the sofa, and removed her coat, revealing the thin cashmere cardigan and silk scarf underneath. She slipped her phone into her trouser pocket, moving her call with Mei Xiawen over to her headset. She continued her conversation with him as she made coffee and bought breakfast for herself.

    ¡°Mei Xiawen, let¡¯s stop beating around the bush. We both know what¡¯s going on. Don¡¯t make me spell it out, it would be embarrassing for the both of us.¡± Gu Nianzhi was reluctant to tell him about what had happened with Jiang Hongcha. She would keep that information as her trump card, and use it only when things turned ugly.

    For now, she wanted to reject Mei Xiawen as politely and amicably as possible.

    ¡°You¡¯re set on breaking up with me, is that it?¡± Mei Xiawen saw that his gentle coaxing had not worked on Gu Nianzhi, and was now too angry to be civil with her. ¡°Just admit it: you changed your mind, you cheated on me, you found someone else. Why did you have to go on a long spiel and pin this on me? How can you say I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t want to be with you? That¡¯s totally wrong, and unfair.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her office with her coffee and a stack of pancakes. She chuckled as she listened to him. ¡°Mei Xiawen, we¡¯re bothw students. Evidence is everything. Subjective assumptions are just that: assumptions. They can never substitute for objective facts. First of all, you can¡¯t call this a break up, because we were never in a rtionship. I¡¯m warning you, if you try to distort the facts and tell everyone I¡¯m the one to me, you will regret it. You know very well how stubborn and particr I can be, so don¡¯t me me if you find yourself thoroughly humiliatedter on. Besides, I¡¯m sure you know which one of us vited our half-year contract. I don¡¯t have to spell it out, do I?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know who it was: it was you! You¡¯re going back on your word, because you don¡¯t want to be with me!¡± Mei Xiawen was feeling guilty, and tried to hide it behind an explosion of indignant anger. ¡°Well, I¡¯m telling you now¡ªyou can¡¯t do that!¡±

    ¡°Mei Xiawen, actions speak louder than words. Legally, the severity of your crime is determined ording to the end result of your actions. The legal consequences of what you said depend entirely on the resulting actions. You keep saying that you want to be with me, but in thest six months, you¡¯ve been in a de facto rtionship with another woman. Your actions prove that you don¡¯t actually want to be with me¡ªwhich means our agreement is no longer valid.¡± Gu Nianzhi set her coffee and pancakes down on her desk as she seated herself. She turned on herputer and began wrapping up her tasks as an intern; she would have to write an internship report once she was done.

    Mei Xiawen was speechless. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long speech had been dispassionate and clinical, as though she were debating him in court.

    After a long moment, he finally recovered himself and asked incredulously: ¡°Nianzhi, what do you mean? What de facto rtionship, what are you talking about? I haven¡¯t done anything like that, I swear!¡±

    ¡°No? So you¡¯re saying that you¡¯ve never gone beyond a tonic rtionship with another woman in thest six months?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. Mei Xiawen was being extremely difficult¡ªperhaps it would be easier if she mentioned Jiang Hongcha by name?

    But she found herself reluctant to bring Jiang Hongcha into the conversation¡ªthat would make her sound like a jealous woman who had just caught her boyfriend cheating with another. Thest thing she wanted was for Mei Xiawen to get the wrong idea and think she was being jealous.

    Mei Xiawen was not her boyfriend. He could sleep with anyone he liked, it was really none of her business. What infuriated her was his attitude: how could he keep insisting he wanted to be with her, when he was doing the horizontal tango with another woman?

    Jiang Hongcha was right: Gu Nianzhi did not think she could ever adapt to the unspoken rules of their circle.

    Mei Xiawen finally understood what Gu Nianzhi was getting at. Even so, he was reluctant to admit he was seeing Jiang Hongcha¡ªhe was confident no one knew about his special arrangement with her. He continued to stubbornly insist that it was Gu Nianzhi who had found someone else and changed her mind about their promise.

    Gu Nianzhi had reached the limits of her patience. She had an internship report to write, and did not have time for this nonsense. She said to Mei Xiawen: ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll spell it out for you. I haven¡¯t changed my mind, ss Rep, because I never liked you. I tried to like you, but I just can¡¯t. I can¡¯t keep up something that is never going to happen¡ªthat would be a serious mistake, and extremely unfair to the both of us.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was stunned. He sat heavily on the sofa, his face pale and his lips trembling. He wanted to yell mean, nasty things at her, but he remembered what she had said about legal consequences, and controlled himself.

 Chapter 184 - Censored Photos

    <h4>Chapter 184: Censored Photos</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a long time for Mei Xiawen to say something and was about to hang up, ¡°That¡¯s it then. ss Rep, I¡¯ll mail your ne back to you. Thank you for the care the past two years. I wish you the very best.¡±

    Mei Xiawen finally came to his senses and said quietly, ¡°Nianzhi, on ount of our rtionship the past two years and my sincere feelings for you, do you really have to say goodbye over the phone like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve been ssmates with you for the past two years. Don¡¯t you know the kind of person I am?¡± Mei Xiawen.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly thought that she didn¡¯t actually know him at all; otherwise how could he have imed to be waiting for her all along while in reality he had been going behind her back¡ªand going back on his word¡ª with Jiang Hongcha?

    She mostly believed Jiang Hongcha¡¯s words, but still had several doubts because she didn¡¯t see any substantial evidence. Mei Xiawen interrupted her thoughts with a loud sigh from the other end.

    ¡°Fine, since you don¡¯t want to be with me, I won¡¯t force you. Still, I¡¯ve never wronged you and won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± Mei Xiaweny on the sofa, his feet propped on the coffee table as he lit a cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke. ¡°But, since you¡¯re returning by Christmas Eve, I took the liberality of contacting our university ssmates and holding a big wee back party for you.¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Gu Nianzhi was quick to refuse. ¡°You guys should still have fun though. I still have other business.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, we couldn¡¯t be lovers, but we can still be friends right?¡± Mei Xiawen fixedly looked up at the small angel relief on the ceiling. He tried to quell his mounting agitation. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent out all the invitations and it¡¯s specifically for your wee back party. Won¡¯t youe?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and kept quiet, unsure of how to reject him. But Mei Xiawen wouldn¡¯t give her the opportunity to refuse. ¡°Nianzhi, to tell you the truth, I came to the Imperial capital toplete my graduate studies because of you. I already convinced my family to start a newpany here, just to be with you. Now you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t want to be with me, and I get it. But don¡¯t be so cold hearted, ok? Just pretend that it¡¯s a ss reunion; your old roommates will be there too! You can ask them if you don¡¯t believe me¡ªGreen Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao all bought their tickets to fly in from C City to the capital.¡±

    ¡°Oh? They¡¯reing too?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit tempted now, but she still remained very cautious; she didn¡¯t want Mei Xiawen to set her up. However, she decided to give in. She wouldn¡¯t let him control her.

    ¡°I cane, but you can¡¯t pull any tricks at the party.¡±

    ¡°What tricks would I possibly pull?¡± Mei Xiawen shook his head with a smile. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m so shameless? Why would I go and embarrass myself when I know that you¡¯ve already rejected me?¡± He knew her personality; she wasn¡¯t someone that would suffer just to save face. It was probably because she was still young, or maybe Mei Xiawen thought ruefully, it¡¯s because she had never suffered while growing up. Mei Xiawen was slightly ufortable by that suddenly dark though that had creeped into his mind, but decided to ignore it. At that moment, he only wanted Gu Nianzhi to attend the party. The invitations were already sent and he had contacted the party nning agency and had paid the security deposit; he didn¡¯t want to cancel. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose face in front of the ssmates. All the guests were elites from wealthy families, notmoners¡ª like Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Fine, ss Rep. I¡¯ll believe you this once. Just text me the address, and I¡¯ll be there.¡± Her ne ticket was for a direct flight from Washington to C City, therefore Gu Nianzhi realized that she would need to transfer from C City International Airport to the capital.

    Mei Xiawen snapped his fingers and finally smiled in satisfaction. ¡°What a nice ssmate you are! I¡¯ll send the address to you and we¡¯ll see you on Christmas night! You don¡¯t need to bring any gifts; just return the ne to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed immediately and said her goodbyes before hanging up. She stretched leisurely and continued working. After a day in the office, she returned to her apartment and called her old roommates, Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress and Lady Cao.

    ¡°My three sisters!¡± Gu Nianzhi waved to them through the webcam and beamed as she blew them all kisses. ¡°Have you missed me?!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± The three women were thrilled to see their dear Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re almost back, right? We¡¯ll see you in the capital? ss Rep is hosting a grand party to wee you back!¡± Gu Nianzhi was relieved that their words matched Mei Xiawen¡¯s request. As long as her three roommates were there, she wouldn¡¯t be in trouble.

    During dinner, Gu Nianzhi told Zhao Liangze about the reunion party at the capital. Hearing that Mei Xiawen was organizing it, Zhao Liangze mused aloud, saying, ¡°He¡¯s still not giving up?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve already made it clear to him. Even though he¡¯s not happy about it, he¡¯s not an unreasonable person.¡± Gu Nianzhi delicately asked for Zhao Liangze¡¯s opinion. ¡°But, Brother Ze, speaking of which, do you think I was wrong too? Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have made a rash decision and that promise. Now it¡¯s all over, but¡ª¡±

    He cut her off. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t me yourself. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Zhao Liangze took her hand. ¡°People can get divorced after getting married, and couples breakup all the time. You hadn¡¯t even started a rtionship with him, yet what¡¯s this nonsense about wronging him? Who does he think he is? Just because he has a beautiful face, does that mean you should lose yourmon sense?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst intoughter, ¡°Brother Ze, I didn¡¯t know that you had such a sharp tongue.¡±

    ¡°You think I have a sharp tongue? My words are nothingpared to Mr. Huo¡¯s words.¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled. ¡°Anyway, you can go the reunion if you want. You¡¯ve done nothing wrong, so there¡¯s nothing for you to be ashamed of.¡±

    Although Zhao Liangze had told her not to be anxious, he still made sure that Gu Nianzhi was fully prepared. On the night before they flew back, Zhao Liangze called her to his room and said, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m going to show you some photos, but you have to swear not to let Mr. Huo know that I showed them to you.¡±

    ¡°What photos?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know though, if Huo Shao asks, I¡¯m not going to lie to him.¡±

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you really have to be so obedient? I¡¯m risking my life for you here; can¡¯t you appreciate that?¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze!¡± Gu Nianzhitched tightly on Zhao Liangze¡¯s arm and clung to it as she whined, ¡°You know I listen to Huo Shao the most, but I promise that as long as he doesn¡¯t ask, I won¡¯t say a thing!¡±

    Zhao Liangze squinted at her. ¡°Swear it.¡±

    ¡°I swear that if I tell him, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Before Gu Nianzhi could finish her oath, Zhao Liangze cut her off. ¡°Fine, fine, I believe you. This has nothing to do with Mr. Huo at all, that¡¯s why I warned you.¡± He opened the folder with Mei Xiawen and Jiang Hongcha¡¯s nudes. These weren¡¯t the ones Zhao Liangze had requested that the military personnel take, but photos that Jiang Hongcha herself had taken and saved on her drive. Every single one had been digitally processed to make her look beautiful. However, the photo editing was no match for aputer genius like Zhao Liangze, who hadpletely recovered the originals. In order to not freak out Gu Nianzhi, Zhao Liangze had censored all the necessary ces.

    Gu Nianzhi gaped at the photos and covered her eyes, stamping her feet. ¡°Brother Ze! Why would you show me something like that?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already censored everything, so why are you covering your eyes?¡± Zhao Liangze quickly closed the folder. ¡°But yeah, they were really gross looking. The photos were photoshopped and edited. It made me queasy looking at them.¡±

    ¡°You actually looked at them closely?!¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to shield her eyes with one hand and reached out blindly for Zhao Liangze¡¯s arm with the other in order to give him a hard pinch. Although he looked thin, his body was lean and muscr. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand hurt from trying to pinch him and so she stopped. She settled for shoving him. ¡°You¡¯re so awful, Brother Ze.¡±

    Zhao Liangze chuckled and passed an envelope to her. ¡°Just take this. If Mei Xiawen tries anything, you can go in front of all your ssmates and throw these photos at those cheaters¡¯ faces!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi peeked through her fingers and saw that Zhao Liangze had closed the photos from his screen. She finally opened her eyes and took the envelope in her hands, her voice full of gratitude. ¡°Brother Ze, you really thought of everything!¡± With these in hand, she really didn¡¯t have to worry about anything happening at the party.

    That night, she packed everything and called He Zhichu before going to bed. For the past two months, He Zhichu had rarely contacted her¡ªthey had mainlymunicated by email and had seldom called. When Gu Nianzhi picked up the phone, He Zhichu¡¯s voice sounded distant. However, after speaking to him a bit longer, she felt soon felt better.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you all packed?¡± He Zhichu was sitting in the professor¡¯s quarters of B University. He was working while speaking to Gu Nianzhi on speaker.

    ¡°I¡¯m all packed. Thank you for taking care of me, Professor He. I¡¯ming home tomorrow.¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke politely. The more cordial the words spoken, the farther the distance between two people, she figured.

    He Zhichu was pained at her efforts to remain distant from him, but he didn¡¯t ask about it. He only said gently, ¡°Safe travels.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi said her goodbyes and hung up. She still couldn¡¯t sleep though, and remembered that Huo Shao¡¯s mission would almost be over. Zhao Liangze has told her it was December 17th or 18th, and it was already the 22nd. She hesitated for a while, ying idly with her phone before she finally gathered her courage and called Huo Shaoheng. The phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up. Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief and quickly hung up.

    It was better that no one picked up, because she would have immediately hung up even if the call had connected. She now understood her feelings, but was growing timid because of them. She no longer could use all her tricks just to get a little closer to him. Her heart astir, shey tossing and turning the whole night.

    Early the next morning, she got up and left for the airport with Zhao Liangze. The pair carried a pile of bags and checked four huge suitcases containing all of their things.

    Zhao Liangze saw that her eyes had dark circles again andughed. ¡°Were you so happy that you couldn¡¯t sleep?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m really excited. It¡¯s ok though; I can sleep on the ne.¡±

    It was a 12 to 14 hour flight from the United States to the Huaxia Empire. It would be a boring flight, so she could just sleep the whole way. He Zhichu had purchased a first ss seat for Gu Nianzhi, while Zhao Liangze paid for his own travel costs. Originally, he had been seated in business ss, but he charmed the flight attendant with his handsome face and was offered a free upgrade after a few words.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Zhao Liangze saunter to the seat across from her and asked with surprise, ¡°You covered the difference yourself?¡±

    ¡°I paid with my face.¡± Zhao Liangze touched his cheek and winked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi made a puking gesture and after talking with him a bit, fell asleep. With Zhao Liangze at her side, she slept deeply. She only woke up after sleeping for more than ten hours. Zhao Liangze was asleep too and she noticed that his face was especially handsome in the low light. Gu Nianzhi witnessed several flight attendantse over to cover him with a nket. Gu Nianzhi smiled and took a facemask out from her backpack. They wouldnd in two hours, so she wanted to freshen up before seeing her friends back home. When Zhao Liangze awoke, he opened his eyes to see a ghostly pale face staring at him in the seat across. He was momentarily bewildered, but soon realized that it was Gu Nianzhi using a facemask. ¡°You¡¯re using a facemask on the ne too?¡± Zhao Liangze teases. ¡°You¡¯ve be more high maintenance after spending just six months in the States.¡±

    ¡°I was still a young minor then. Now I¡¯m older¡ªso of course I have to take better of myself!¡± Gu Nianzhi said with such conviction that Zhao Liangze reflected on his own ¡°old¡± age of 26.

    ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t mention age in front of men; especially ¡°old¡± men like me.¡± Zhao Liangze red at her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face twitched as she tried to hold back herughter. ¡°Oh my! My facemask! Stop talking Brother Ze, or else it¡¯s going to fall off!¡±

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help messing with her, seeing how happy excited she was. He stuck out his lean leg out to give her a gentle kick. ¡°Are you ok going to the capital alone? I just got a message from Big Xiong that I have a mission.¡± He had suffered in the States after being inactive for the past few months and couldn¡¯t wait to stretch his muscles.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°No problem. I¡¯m going to stay at the capital for one night and fly back to C City the next day.¡±

    Atst, they finallynded in the Huaxia capital. Zhao Liangze contacted his people in the capital to have them take care of her, just so that he could set his mind at ease before returning to the base. After they passed through customs and immigration, Gu Nianzhi made her way to the terminal for the flight that transferred directly to the capital. Zhao Liangze took their remaining luggage back to the base. She thought back to when the pair had separated at the airport: Gu Nianzhi had given him another look, and asked, ¡°Brother Ze, do you have any news about Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Zhao Liangze had patted her head. ¡°He should be back soon. We¡¯lle pick you up when youe back tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had nodded and rolled her cherry blossom pink suitcase to the connecting flight. The flight from the States hadnded at 11 in the morning and it had taken an hour to pick up her luggage and then transfer flights. Three hourster, Gu Nianzhi walked out of the Imperial capital airport. She hailed a cab to head to the address Mei Xiawen gave her. It was for an establishment location within the capital¡¯s 3rd Ring Road.

 Chapter 185 - Itâ€™s a Trap

    <h4>Chapter 185: It¡¯s a Trap</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the taxi, and looked up at the high-rise buildings in the precinct.

    All the apartments located near the heart of the capital city were just as expensive as her apartment in C City¡¯s Fengya precinct. The simr prices meant that the property management and the surroundingyout were more or less the same.

    It was a gatedmunity; a security guard stood at the entrance.

    It was a lovely ce. The roads were immactely clean, and the precinct was quiet and peaceful, having been built some distance away from the busier thoroughfares in town. It was obvious that this was a high-ss residential area, meant for the wealthy.

    There was a separate entrance for the private cars of themunity residents and their visitors. Gu Nianzhi had arrived in a taxi, however, and had to enter through the pedestrian passageway. She would have to present her ID and obtain permission from the owner of the apartment she was visiting before she could be allowed inside.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. It was exactly half past two in the afternoon, but it was already cold out, and a little gloomy¡ªthick clouds had drifted over the sun, obscuring it. Even so, the neighborhood seemed alive with the festive spirit of Christmas.

    Two enormous Christmas trees stood at the entrance to themunity, crowned with massive 5-point stars. They had been decorated with an assortment of shiny ornaments, LED lights, and ribbons¡ªthe trees were pretty enough now, but they would be absolutely spectacr at night, once the lights were on.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she gazed appreciatively at the Christmas trees. She walked into the reception room, her suitcase trundling behind her. She said to the security guard manning the front desk: ¡°Hi, I¡¯m here to attend the party at Room 138 in Building No. 5 today.¡± She handed him the invitation in her hand.

    The security guard took her invitation and looked it over. He looked up at Gu Nianzhi in surprise, momentarily speechless.

    Gu Nianzhi felt there was something odd about the way he was looking at her.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked politely. ¡°May I go in?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, please wait here.¡± The young security guard blushed and quickly went to the back room to make a phone call. He was probably checking with the owner of Room 138.

    Gu Nianzhi was not in a hurry. She waited patiently at the front desk.

    She was dressed in a ssic Burberry duffle coat, a periwinkle Herm¨¨s cashmere and silkpass scarf, and tailored cashmere trousers that hugged her long, slender legs. She stood in the middle of the room, slim and erect, as beautiful as a painting that hade alive.

    The other security guards in the room exchanged a furtive, knowing look.

    After a moment, the young security guard returned and mumbled to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Nobody answered the phone. You¡¯ll have to wait outside, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. Her doe-like eyes, clear and mesmerizing, turned the young man¡¯s brain to mush: he could not even remember what he had just said.

    ¡°Nobody answered the phone? That can¡¯t be right.¡± Gu Nianzhi got out her phone and dialed Mei Xiawen¡¯s number.

    She reached Mei Xiawen¡¯s voicemail. ¡°Hi, this is Mei Xiawen. I¡¯m busy right now. Please leave your number and message, I¡¯ll call you back as soon as I can.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    The guard had been telling the truth: no one was answering the phone.

    What was going on?

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone in confusion. She looked up at the security guards. ¡°Could you call him again? It says here on my invitation that the party will begin at 2 o¡¯ clock.¡±

    It was already half past two¡ªwhere was everyone?

    The security guard was a sympathetic young man who could not say no; he saw that the other security guards were all pretending not to have heard her, so he obliged her by returning to the back room a second time to ce another call.

    This time, he tried calling for a good 15 minutes. He finally came out, shrugging helplessly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I still can¡¯t get anyone to answer the phone.¡±

    ¡°Could you let me in anyway?¡± Gu Nianzhi was somewhat annoyed. ¡°You can send someone with me, you¡¯ll know I¡¯m not lying once we get there. This invitation I have is legit.¡±

    The security guardughed good-naturedly. ¡°Miss, that¡¯s against the rules. We can¡¯t do that, the residents willin. Please don¡¯t take this personally, okay?¡±

    It was entirely normal for a high-ssmunity such as this one to be particrly strict about its security measures. No one who did not live here could get in, not unless they had been specifically invited by one of the residents.

    It was the same for her Fengya apartment: when she had been in a lighta for a week, Mei Xiawen had made several attempts to see her, but had been turned away at the gates by the security guards in hermunity. Chen Lie had specifically told the guards not to let anyone looking for Gu Nianzhi in.

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together. She did not want to make things difficult for them. She turned and looked for a ce to sit down.

    The pudgy, middle-aged female guard walked over and rudely shoved her. ¡°Get out! This isn¡¯t a waiting room.¡±

    The young security guard turned away guiltily and disappeared into the back room.

    The remaining security guard, a middle-aged man, crossed his legs and shielded himself from her with an open newspaper: it was obvious he did not want to deal with her.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at them, but did not say anything. She walked out of the reception room.

    There was a row of holly trees beyond themunity fence, between the road and the sidewalk.

    Gu Nianzhi dragged her suitcase to a holly tree near the entrance, and waited there.

    It was a quiet, secluded road. There was very little traffic; most of the residents here had private cars, and entered themunity through a different entrance. Gu Nianzhi watched the entrance as she waited under the tree, but only saw two people enter themunity. Unfortunately, she did not know either of them.

    She stood around for almost half an hour, bored out of her mind. She began to feel annoyed and frustrated. She got out her phone and called Green Tea Fang, but the number was unreachable. She called Little Temptress: unreachable. Finally, she called Lady Cao¡ªstill nothing.

    What the heck?!

    Gu Nianzhi cursed inwardly. She gave up and decided she might as well spend the time ying mobile games on her phone.

    It was a lot easier to pass the time once she was engrossed in a game.

    When she finally looked up from her phone, the sky had darkened, and her hands and feet were numb from the cold.

    Up here in the north, the days were a lot shorter during winter.

    She looked at her phone and discovered it was already five o¡¯clock.

    She had waited for more than two hours...

    She waited at the fence next to the entrance of themunity, unaware that Mei Xiawen was able to see her from his bedroom window.

    Mei Xiawen stood before the French windows, nursing a steaming mug of coffee. He watched the shapely, pretty figure standing at the entrance to themunity. There was a flicker of defiant glee in his eyes.

    Heh, I hope you enjoyed standing at the gate for two hours...

    He checked his watch: it was already five o¡¯clock. It was time to let her in. He could not put it off any longer¡ªLittle Temptress and her other roommates were getting restless, and would be running out to look for Gu Nianzhi any minute now.

    Mei Xiawen got out his phone and called the security guard. He asked amiably: ¡°Is this the security office? I¡¯m calling from Room 138, Building No. 5. Has my guest arrived?¡±

    The security guard on the other end of the line broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°She¡¯s here. I couldn¡¯t get ahold of you, so I didn¡¯t let her in.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, please let her in.¡± Mei Xiawen put his phone away, and turned to look for Jiang Hongcha. ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡¯s here.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha nodded as she gave him a knowing look. ¡°I¡¯ll get ready.¡±

    Mei Xiawen walked into the living room, where his ssmates were having a merry time ying a variety of party games. He said cheerfully, ¡°Lower your voices, guys. Nianzhi¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Nianzhi¡¯s finally here!¡± Little Temptress leapt to her feet. ¡°Where is she? Where is she?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be here in a minute. I¡¯ll get the door.¡± Mei Xiawen smiled as he walked to the entrance hallway. He gestured for everyone to be quiet.

    Gu Nianzhi made her way to Mei Xiawen¡¯s apartment, a gift box clutched securely in her hand.

    The gift box contained the Van Cleef & Arpels five-flower ne Mei Xiawen had previously sent to her as a gift. She had kept the original packaging; the ney inside its box, which was in turn packaged securely in the exact same gift box she had received from Mei Xiawen.

    She stepped out of the elevator, and found herself standing before Room 138.

    Gu Nianzhi adjusted her hair before ringing the doorbell.

    The front door flew open as soon as the doorbell rang.

    Mei Xiawen stood smiling in the doorway, dressed in a homely cashmere cardigan. His gold-rimmed sses glinted in the light as he nodded to her in greeting. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re finally here!¡±

    He had not seen her for six months, and was surprised to see how much she had grown. The hint of childishness in her face had vanished without a trace. There was now a calm, mature serenity to her strikingly beautiful face. When she smiled, her red cherry lips curved seductively, as though inviting a kiss.

    Mei Xiawen reflexively looked away. ¡°Come in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi handed him the gift box in her hand. She smiled and said, ¡°Hello, ss Rep.¡±

    Mei Xiawen snapped out of his reverie when he saw the present. He epted the gift box, and said in a teasing manner, ¡°Oh my, a present for me? How thoughtful of you.¡±

    His voice had been unnaturally loud; she looked at him in some surprise, but did notment. She moved her suitcase into a corner by the door.

    Mei Xiawen smiled. He waited until she had entered the hallway before closing the door.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s three roommates ran over to her, and led her by the hand into the apartment.

    ¡°Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, Lady Cao¡ªwow, it¡¯s only been six months, but I can hardly recognize you. I swear, the three of you are getting more beautiful by the day!¡± Gu Nianzhiughed and gave each of her three soul sisters a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

    One of her ssmates rushed over to Gu Nianzhi, his arms wide open. ¡°Miss Gu, I want a hug too!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, go hug yourself!¡± Little Temptress ruthlessly shoved him away as she escorted Gu Nianzhi protectively into the living room.

    The two of them had just arrived at the center of the living room when Jiang Hongcha suddenly walked over with the gift box Gu Nianzhi had brought with her. She stepped in front of Gu Nianzhi, blocking her way.

    ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi, right?¡± Jiang Hongcha smiled easily, as though she had never met Gu Nianzhi before this. ¡°We can¡¯t ept your gift. Please, take it back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised.

    The ¡°gift¡± was the ne she had just returned to Mei Xiawen.

    The Van Cleef & Arpels five-flower ne was extremely expensive. She could not keep it.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a present,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied coolly. ¡°I¡¯m just returning to ss Rep what belongs to him.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Hongcha smiled. She unwrapped the present and opened the lid of the box to show everyone what was inside.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart immediately sank.

    The contents of the gift box had been swapped out¡ªthe Van Cleef & Arpels five-flower ne had been substituted with a pair of Hugo Boss men¡¯s underwear!

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Mei Xiawen, her expression calm andposed. Her eyes, bright and clear, made Mei Xiawen feel a little guilty, but he did not back down. Instead, he smiled faintly as he said, in a slow and patronizing manner: ¡°Nianzhi, I know you¡¯ve been trying to get me to agree to be your boyfriend for thest six months, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re right for each other. I can¡¯t force myself. Sorry, but I just can¡¯t see myself getting together with you.¡± He slid an arm around Jiang Hongcha¡¯s waist. ¡°Hongcha was my first love. She returned from abroad recently, and I realized that I still love her. Nianzhi, can you forgive me?¡±

    The room was now dead silent.

    Their ssmates looked from Gu Nianzhi to Mei Xiawen, and then to Jiang Hongcha. They held their breaths, intrigued and excited by the sudden drama.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She smiled as she said, ¡°ss Rep, what are you and Miss Jiang going on about? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha lightly pushed Mei Xiawen in a gentle, chiding manner. ¡°Xiawen, Nianzhi is just a little girl, don¡¯t do this to her.¡± She smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°My dear girl, please don¡¯t take this personally. Xiawen is just too nice for his own good¡ªif he¡¯s been unintentionally leading you on this whole time, I apologize to you on his behalf...¡±

    ¡°Now wait a minute...¡± Gu Nianzhi put her hands up in a ¡°time-out¡± gesture as she looked directly at Jiang Hongcha. ¡°Miss Jiang, I think you¡¯re the one confused here, not me. This isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve met. You visited me in America on the 16th of December¡ªyou showed me photos of you and Mei Xiawen, together in bed, and begged me to leave him. I already made it clear to you, then and there, that I have never been in a romantic rtionship with Mei Xiawen. If he made you think I was the one trying to get into his pants, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve fallen for his ploy: he was only saying that to make himself seem more desirable. Surely you weren¡¯t stupid enough to take his word for it?¡± Gu Nianzhi extracted an envelope from her pocket and shook out the contents. A stack of photos scattered to the floor.

 Chapter 186 - Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 186: Reunion</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The colorful photographs fell like snowkes, scattering on the teak floor boards in the living room in stark contrast. Little Temptress stood beside Gu Nianzhi, still fuming, as she knelt down to pick up a few photos, but she suddenly burst intoughter. The ssmates who were eagerly spectacting rushed over as well and grabbed the photos. Jiang Hongcha and Mei Xiwen¡¯s jaws dropped, neither of them unable to process what was happening.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the photos their ssmates were now howling withughter over and gave Mei Xiawen a bitter smile. ¡°Mei Xiawen, because you chose your first love, she came all the way to the States to show me your nudes. Would you please tell me what kind of joke this is? I don¡¯t understand and of it¡ªyou city people and your games.¡±

    Mei Xiawen finally came to his senses, his fair face flushing and contorting with embarrassment. He screamed at the ssmates, ¡°What are you looking at?! Give them to me!¡±

    ¡°ss Rep, what are you so upset for? Can¡¯t we check out your beau¡¯s lovely body?¡± Little Temptress giggled as she passed a photo to Mei Xiawen and continued to say, ¡°ss Rep, you look slim in your neat attire, but you have actually been hiding such a body underneath! Look at that little belly, maybe it¡¯s time you hit the gym?¡±

    Mei Xiawen snatched the photos away and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How did you get ahold of these?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Ask your woman; she¡¯s the one who gave them to me.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Jiang Hongcha cried with indignation. ¡°I only spoke to you and had a coffee. When did I ever show you these photos?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you did go to the States to find Nianzhi?¡± Green Tea Fang rolled her eyes when she understood the story and turned to Mei Xiawen. ¡°ss Rep, how indecent of you. You¡¯re setting Nianzhi up just because she rejected you, right?¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s face paled, then flushed again; he refused to admit anything. However, he was speechless in front of all his ssmates. These people all knew that he had ardently pursued Gu Nianzhi during school, but that she had never epted him. He could¡¯ve lied about the six months promise they¡¯d made after graduation, but this precious window of opportunity had been destroyed by this b*tch, Jiang Hongcha. He turned, enraged, and shouted at Jiang Hongcha, ¡°When did you go there? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?!¡±

    ¡°Wow, it looks like your girl has east-west breasts. Look at how they turn away to the sides!¡± A few guys startedughing and making fun of Jiang Hongcha.

    ¡°Give those back to me! Give them back! Don¡¯t look!¡± Jiang Hongcha was mortified; she wanted to a dig a hole. She saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smug face and recalled her conversation from before. ¡°You people can¡¯t look at my photos!¡± She pointed to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯m going to sue you! You¡¯ve vited my privacy!¡±

    ¡°Sue me?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed a beautifully painted fingernail to her chest. ¡°Are you sure about that? Don¡¯t you know what I major in?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha retreated a few steps as she warned her, ¡°So what? These are my personal photos and you¡¯ve circted them. That¡¯s viting my privacy!¡±

    Mei Xiawen scowled at the people passing the photos around. Although everyone was unwilling to give them back, they still begrudgingly collected all of them to set on the coffee table. Mei Xiawen grabbed them as his eyes shot daggers and turned to once more glower at Jiang Hongcha. He suddenly raised his hand and pped her hard on the face.

    Jiang Hongcha¡¯s head violently swung back and she fell to the ground. She covered her face and sobbed. ¡°What did you hit me for?! She is the one who¡¯s vited our privacy!¡±

    ¡°I have vited your privacy?¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled and shook her head, ¡°Miss Jiang, may I ask if you were the one who took these photos?¡± Jiang Hongcha hid her face with her hands and was suddenly quiet. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you keep quiet; your phone or cloud drive would have backup copies, I¡¯m sure, so we¡¯ll know as soon as we check. Even if you delete them, a technician can always recover them,¡± Gu Nianzhi said nonchntly.

    ¡°So what if I took them? That¡¯s still between me and Xiawen!¡± Jiang Hongcha removed her hands to indignantly re at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Can you prove that I¡¯m not wrong?¡±

    ¡°Miss Jiang, did you not visit the States and specifically seek me out in order to ask me to stay away from Mei Xiawen? And did you not also say that you two had gotten back together since long before?¡± Gu Nianzhi flung the questions at her.

    Jiang Hongcha nodded dumbly, ¡°So what? That still doesn¡¯t prove¡ª¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t prove what? You were the one who took the photos and you personally came to the States to show them off to me. May I ask what reason I would have, therefore, to vite the ¡°privacy¡± that you had already boldly revealed to me?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed mirthlessly and pointed at the photos in Mei Xiawen¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s just like posted nudes on a porn forum; are you going to lock up every person who has seen them then?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha was furious, but knew that she couldn¡¯t out maneuver Gu Nianzhi, even though she was setting her up. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid to use the photos; she had certainly thought of all the consequences, including any legal liability.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll conclude today¡¯s business here. In the past and in the present , I had never exceeded, nor will I ever exceed, the realm of friendship with Mei Xiawen. As of today, however, that friendship ends.¡± Gu Nianzhi tightened her scarf around her neck and buttoned up her coat. She looked around at everyone in the room. ¡°Take care, everyone. If there¡¯s any event that Mei Xiawen will be attending, don¡¯t invite me. And at any event with me involved, please don¡¯t think to invite Mei Xiawen. Thank you and goodbye.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to leave, the sound of her heels tapping on the floorboards and reverberating in everyone¡¯s hearts.

    With her departure, she had made it clear that she was really breaking up with Mei Xiawenpletely. Her roommates, Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao immediately followed her and walked out. ¡°Mei Xiawen, we¡¯re leaving with Nianzhi. Where there¡¯s you, there¡¯s no us.¡± They picked up their bags and phones to chase after Gu Nianzhi.

    The rest of the party members looked ufortable; they weren¡¯t keen on staying. Mei Xiawen had humiliated himself, and though these people came from high status families, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to interact with them. Everyone soon left in a hurry.

    Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao had ran after her, but Gu Nianzhi was already entering the elevator. They rushed to the other elevator and pressed at the button for the first floor. Once they stepped out, they saw that the sky was already dark and the streetmps were on. Far into the distance, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lone figure was towing her cherry blossom pink suitcase. They called after her and ran to follow after she rounded the street corner, but by the time they had reached the same spot, Gu Nianzhi was nowhere to be found. They followed in the same direction to the pedestrian exit of theplex, until they reached the security booth. Green Tea Fang stepped forward and knocked on the window. A young man in uniform opened the door, his surprise at seeing the three young women huddled out in the winter¡¯s night evident. Little Temptress asked, ¡°Did you see a tall and pretty girl walk through here, rolling a pink suitcase?¡±

    The security guard had a strong impression of Gu Nianzhi and quickly said, ¡°I saw her! She went that way.¡± He pointed to down the road and then informed them, ¡°She was the woman who waited here for over two hours before going in. Has she left already? Weren¡¯t you guys having a party?¡± He knew that when the rich folks threw their parties, they often went on until morning; he often had to go considerable extents to quiet them down since the bawdy revelry sometimes disturbed the neighbors and causedmotions.

    Green Tea Fang exhaled sharply. ¡°What? You said that girl waited out here for over two hours beforeing in?¡± The girls were stunned. This meant that Gu Nianzhi had already been here for quite some time.

    ¡°Yes, she arrived at 2:30, and I¡¯d called the homeowner in Room 138 of Building 5, but no one picked up until after 5:00. He¡¯d called back then and asked if his guest was here yet.¡± The security guard was confused. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±

    Little Temptress and Lady Cao understood then, snorting at the same time.

    ¡°Mei Xiawen is so cunning! No wonder he took our phones as soon as we got there and said that it was so we wouldn¡¯t get distracted. He just hadn¡¯t wanted Nianzhi to get through to us!¡± They looked at their phones and saw that Gu Nianzhi had called around 3 in the afternoon and had even left voicemails asking after their whereabouts and stating her arrival.

    Everything matched up with the security guard¡¯s words. Even if it had seemed before that they were siding for Gu Nianzhi unconditionally, they were able to justify themselves now. ¡°That¡¯s excessive! How could Mei Xiawen do something like that? He insulted her just because she rejected him.¡± Little Temptress spat in the direction of Mei Xiawen¡¯s apartment and and continued her rant. ¡°I must¡¯ve been blind to think he was a good person and to have encouraged Nianzhi to ept him!¡±

    ¡°Forget about it, we didn¡¯t know his true nature. We were just ssmates before, but now we¡¯ll just cut all ties with him from here on. These kinds of people are deplorable.¡± Lady Cao didn¡¯t want to talk about Mei Xiawen anymore. She changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s go after Nianzhi, she¡¯s just arrived here and doesn¡¯t even know her way around the capital. Who knows where she could have gone?¡± The three girls began calling her number.

    Gu Nianzhi had heard her roommates shouting after her, but she hadn¡¯t wanted to speak to them at that moment. She was in a terrible mood and didn¡¯t want to take it out on her friends¡ªall she wanted was to hide alone somewhere far away and tend to her wounds. She walked quickly onto a small path with her suitcase rattling behind her. She switched off her phone as she wandered through the streets. The night grew darker and the temperature was dropping. The stores on the streets red merry caroling tunes and Christmas trees lined the avenue she was on. Nearby, a man dressed as Santaughed heartily, the sound mingling with the cheers of the children who were taking photos with him. Couples walked past her, many holding candied apples and sharing bites of the sweet treat. Gu Nianzhi ignored them; she had no idea where she was going. She walked past several bus stops until she saw one further ahead that could take her directly to the airport. She didn¡¯t want to hail a cab or take a bus any time soon though; she just wanted to find a ce to sit alone. Dragging her suitcase along, she walked another half an hour before arriving at the bus stop.

    It was Christmas Eve, so very few people were wandering the streets; no one would be taking the bus to the airport in the middle of the night. Gu Nianzhi found it oddlyforting. She sat alone on the bus stop bench and stared nkly up at the sky. The streetlights were dim and the road was devoid of anyone else. The sound of Christmas music drifted from a few streets away. It echoed like a long forgotten memory in the night air. Gu Nianzhi sat like a statue, her lonely shadow absolutely still on the white pavement. After some time, snow kes began to fall. Gu Nianzhi reached out her hand to catch one: it melted when it touched her palm. She looked up at the increasingly heavy snow and smiled softly. Soon afterwards, a church bell tolled the midnight hour. At the same time, her phone chimed and she looked down to see a flood of Christmas texts. She saw ones from Little Temptress, Lady Cao, Green Tea Fang, Brother Xiong, Brother Ze, her American ssmates, including An, and even He Zhichu. However she saw that there was no word from the person she missed the most. Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone and began mass texting Christmas greetings.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng had just been released by General Ji earlier that afternoon. It had only meant to take two months toplete the mission, but General Ji had encountered another issue and was dyed by over a week. Huo Shaoheng took a red-eye flight to the C City base, and so was only made known once he hadnded that Gu Nianzhi had transferred to the capital for a reunion party. Although something felt amiss, Huo Shaoheng was drowned in two months worth of work that had piled up in his absence. He worked for a full ten hours before taking his first break. Looking at his phone, he saw it was already past midnight. It¡¯s already Christmas, huh? Huo Shaoheng realized with a start. He wondered if Nianzhi was spending the holiday with her friends. Big Xiong and Little Ze were busy with their own tasks, and had left after greeting Huo Shaoheng. Suddenly, Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Christmas greeting sh on his phone. He smiled as he dialed her number called her.

    Gu Nianzhi was still starting at her phone and had been about to shut it off to preserve the battery when a special ringtone sounded in the early morning air of the Imperial capital. It¡¯s Huo Shao! Hands trembling, Gu Nianzhi had been waiting to answer this one call. She had never thought that he would call today, but he actually had! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded as she answered the call and said, ¡°Huo Shao? Is that you? Are you back?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet voice traveled through the speaker and seemed to tickle Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Mhmm, I¡¯m back.¡± Huo Shoaheng¡¯s deep voice instantly swept away the fog in her heart and filled her with an aching, blooming warmth.

    ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± Huo Shaoheng murmured.

    ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± Gu Nianzhi was just barely suppressing herself from sobbing and looked up at the dancing snow. ¡°Merry Christmas, Huo Shao,¡± she repeated happily.

    ¡°Call me Uncle.¡± Huo Shaoheng gently insisted. ¡°It¡¯ste, go to bed early.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied softly, ¡°I¡¯ll sleep now.¡± She hung up after finishing her sentence and remained sitting alone at the bus stop. Huo Shaoheng was a little surprised that her mood hadn¡¯t seemed as perky as wasmon for her. If she¡¯d truly been alright, she would¡¯ve chattered on instead of hanging up so quickly as she had.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately called Zhao Liangze. ¡°Nianzhi went to a reunion at the capital today, yes? Who is watching her over there?¡±

    Zhao Liangze reported the person¡¯s name and phone number, then asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and connected to the person in question. Apart from not knowing what had happened inside Mei Xiawen¡¯s apartment, he reported everything else. Huo Shaoheng realized that Gu Nianzhi had waited outside Mei Xiawen¡¯s apartmentplex for over two hours before she was let in, then left in less than half an hour and had walked out on the street, alone. She had been sitting in a remote bus stop for a few hours since.

    Huo Shaoheng balled his hands into fists and then unclenched them, expression strained. He hesitated at his office desk before he used started up a program. This would directly connect to the Nandou system and view the real time situation of any location in the world. He entered the location from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell signal, then mobilized the satellite¡¯s real time tracking system. The Nandou system on the screen disyed the night view from the capital on the monitor. Huo Shaoheng clicked on the cursor to continuously erge the image. He saw the brilliant lights focusing on the streets, walkways, parks, when finally the bus stop began to appear on the screen. A lone figure sat on the bench and snow was drifting from the sky, filling the screen. Snow dusted the top of the person¡¯s head, and they were looking down into their hands. At that moment, it felt like someone was squeezing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart; Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lonely silhouette was making his chest ache. Before he realized what he was doing, he had already dialed Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Get me a ne, I¡¯m flying to the capital right now.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Yin Shixiong immediately coordinated with various personnel to not only obtain a ne but also arrange flight routes. Some time past midnight, a special military aircraft ascended into the the C City skies and soared towards the capital. In under an hour, the aircraftnded at the Imperial Capital International Airport. Half an hourter, a procession of military vehicles sped down the highway towards the 3rd Ring Road in the city.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was frozen from head to toe but had no where she wanted to go. Where could someone like her possibly go anyway? She was someone without a past or future. In this vast world, where would an orphan girl like her find shelter? Suddenly, a string of shining headlights suddenly appeared from the other end of the street. She blocked her eyes with her arm, but was able to make out a grand procession headed her way. It¡¯s sote. Why would a procession pass through here? Gu Nianzhi lowered her arm and realized that the first car had a military license te! Her heart thumped faster, then nearly stopped: The car in the middle was luxurious and unbranded. It parked before her, and the car door opened as a tall figure stepped out before her. The m custom military uniform made him appear even more strapping, the golden pine branches and single gold star on his shoulder glittering in the night. Underneath the military cap was that handsome face that had given her many a sleepless, wishful night. He was staring right at her, his face not the serious mask she remembered it to be, but concerned and gentle. It¡¯s uo Shao! Huo Shao hase to pick me up! The tears she had held back all day finally fell as she stood up on her cold, shaky legs and dashed towards Huo Shaoheng. He opened his arms and embraced her tightly. In the snowy night, the tall man stood still as he held the sobbing girl in his arms.

 Chapter 187 - Going Home

    <h4>Chapter 187: Going Home</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The headlights of the procession stretched down the road, transforming it into a river of light. The quiet Christmas night was suddenly bright with life and excitement.

    Gu Nianzhi nestled her head on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s broad chest. Every shred of loneliness within her had vanished.

    She knew where her past, present, and future belonged¡ªby his side, and in his arms.

    Gu Nianzhi sobbed quietly. In the silent night, her suppressed sobs were as heartbreaking to hear as the intive cries of a new-born kitten.

    She did not want to cry openly. Someone might hear her, andugh at her for acting like a spoiled child at her age.

    Besides, she was now aware that her feelings for Huo Shaoheng had changed: they had grown beyond the innocent, guileless trust of a young child towards her caretaker.

    Once she was done crying, Gu Nianzhi buried her head in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and took a long, deep breath, as though trying to absorb the warmth of his body.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her gently on the back. He was soothing her, pacifying her, the way he used to when she was a much younger child.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and finally lifted her head from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. She took a step backwards and broke away from his embrace.

    She looked around her, and, for the first time, realized that Huo Shaoheng had practically brought an entire procession with him to pick her up.

    A long line of military vehicles were parked on the road. The first three vehicles were mine-proof and explosion-proof 4WDs. These off-road vehicles were so sturdy, they would be able to run over a mine field and through a hailstorm of rocket missiles rtively unharmed.

    Behind the 4WDs were four identical cars: ck, sleek, and bulletproof. They served to confuse the enemy; anyone attempting an attack on themander would first have to figure out which of the four bulletproof cars he was riding in.

    The bulletproof cars were followed by three military pickup trucks, the standard form of military transport inside urban areas. Dozens of fully-armed orderlies rode in the back of each truck.

    These were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderlies, led by Fan Jian, the head orderly. They were under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s directmand, and listened only to his orders.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng stepped out of his car, 100 fully-armed soldiers jumped out of the trucks behind him. They took up stations at every entry into the long street, their guns loaded and at the ready.

    Several pedestrians and cars tried to turn into the street, but all of them immediately turned around at the fearsome sight of the armed soldiers and made a detour.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men had practically taken over the entire street.

    Both Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were dressed in their full lieutenant colonel uniforms. They stood together behind Huo Shaoheng as they watched the surroundings attentively for possible threats.

    A short distance away, military snipers knelt in position, behind walls and railings. They covered all the blind spots in the vicinity, defending the motorcade against potential enemy snipers.

    Huo Shaoheng was the major general and actingmander of the 6th Military Region. It was standard procedure for someone of his rank to move about with a motorcade of this size.

    He had rarely done so, however¡ªin the past, he had almost always traveled incognito with minimal guards, all of them disguised in civilian clothing.

    So why had he brought this grand procession with him just to pick her up?

    Wasn¡¯t her identity supposed to be a secret?

    When she had moved out of the Special Ops base to go to college, she had used a fake identity. Nobody outside of the military had ever found out that Huo Shaoheng was her guardian; it had been a well-kept secret.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng doubtfully. Her evocative, soulful eyes shone like ck jade in the night, bright with unspoken fears.

    Huo Shaoheng understood the meaning of her look. He looked at the vehicles and men around him, before turning to smile at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Your rtionship with me is no longer a secret.¡±

    This meant that Gu Nianzhi no longer had to hide her connection with the military.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart leapt. She was overjoyed, but in the next moment, she was suddenly uneasy and doubtful.

    A multitude of expressions shed across her face. Her lips curved downwards¡ªit was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head. ¡°Really? But I¡¯m 18 now. I don¡¯t need a guardian anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not argue. He turned to open the car door. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m here to take you home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him, but could not see any flicker of emotion on his stoic face. She turned to look at where she had been sitting.

    Her pink suitcase was still there.

    Zhao Liangze quickly walked to the suitcase and carried it to her.

    ¡°Thank you, Brother Ze.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was a tiny, sheepish squeak, almost too small to be heard.

    Zhao Liangze smiled at her as he lifted her suitcase into the trunk.

    Gu Nianzhi stooped to get into the car. She sat in thest row. Huo Shaoheng followed her, and sat next to her.

    It was a big car, a lot more spacious than the average car. The backseat was wide enough for four people, instead of the usual three.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng sat down, however, Gu Nianzhi felt boxed in. She moved awkwardly to the far side of the car, towards the other window.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed she was being unnaturally distant and reserved. He nced at her, but did not say anything. He inclined his chin at Yin Shixiong, who was sitting up front and had turned around to watch Huo Shaoheng for his next instruction.

    Yin Shixiong nodded. He turned and rapped his knuckles on Fan Jian¡¯s seat. ¡°Go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions were ryed to his men. The soldiers who had been standing guard immediately returned to their trucks and buckled in.

    At the same time, the sniper bringing up the rear issued amand to the other snipers stationed along the route, instructing them to be ready to cover the motorcade.

    The order was passed down from sniper to sniper.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the car, sullen and unhappy. She did not know what to say.

    She had been dying to see Huo Shaoheng again in thest six months, but before she saw him, she had discovered her secret, unspeakable feelings for him. She had been thrown off-bnce by her discovery; she was flustered, and did not know how to act around with him.

    The car engine purred to life. The car began to roll forward.

    Huo Shaoheng put an elbow against the car window, while his other hand rested on his knee. He looked straight ahead, his lips lightly pressed together. He did not speak.

    The car had been sound-proofed. It was extremely quiet inside the car.

    The car began to move, but the inside of the car did not heat up: it was only a little warmer than the temperature outside.

    Gu Nianzhi had been frozen numb from the outside cold. She thought she would be warm enough once she got in the car, but she was wrong. She wondered if the heater was working: the car was already speeding down a highway, but the inside of the car seemed to be hovering at the same frosty temperature.

    She breathed into her hands, trying to warm them.

    Huo Shaoheng was facing forwards; he was not looking in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, but he had been watching her attentively from the corner of his eyes.

    He noticed Gu Nianzhi trying to warm her hands. He lowered his eyes and thought about it. He gave a cough, and said, ¡°Nianzhi, hand me one of the books in the box next to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and saw a box next to the door. She opened it, extracted a random book, and handed it to Huo Shaoheng.

    They were sitting apart. Huo Shaoheng had not moved to receive the book, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms were not long enough to reach him.

    Without thinking about it, she scooted over with the book in hand. She sat a little closer to Huo Shaoheng, and tried again to hand the book to him.

    Huo Shaoheng finally extended a hand, but he did not take the book. Instead, he grabbed hold of her wrist and, with a small, effortless tug, pulled her over to him.

    His other hand reached out, plucked the book from from her hand, and tossed it carelessly on the seat. His hand, big and warm, was now wrapped around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small, delicate hands, warming them.

    ¡°You were out in the cold for too long. I can¡¯t turn the heater in the car up yet, the sudden warmth will make you sick. We have to take it slow.¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed her hands as he patiently exined why the car was not as warm as it should be.

    His low, sexy voice opened the flood gates inside Gu Nianzhi: a warm current rushed out of her heart and into her limbs.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately felt warm all over. She felt like she had just stepped into a hot spring.

    She looked up at Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°You knew I¡¯d been sitting outside for hours?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused. ¡°I should have sent a car over to you. You wouldn¡¯t have had to wait in the open.¡±

    So he had known that she had waited at the gate like an idiot for over two hours...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face reddened in embarrassment. She did not like being teased, however. She huffed angrily: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have ESP¡ªhow was I supposed to know that Mei Xiawen would be so petty?¡± Sheunched into an ount of all that had happened, with special emphasis on what had happened inside Mei Xiawen¡¯s apartment. Once she was finished, she whipped her head to the side and stared out the car window in brooding silence.

    Huo Shaoheng preferred her childish tantrum over her previous awkward reservations. His impassive face finally broke into a smile as he said sympathetically: ¡°...Well said. Put your foot down and let the whole world know you don¡¯t want anything to do with him, ever again. You don¡¯t have to suffer in silence.¡±

    Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, and Fan Jian had heard the entire conversation from the front row. They could not resist rolling their eyes.

    If there was an award for Blind Irrational Helicopter Parent of the Century, Mr. Huo would have won it by now.

    When had Nianzhi ever ¡®suffered in silence¡¯?

    She had practically yed Mei Xiawen and Jiang Hongcha alive!

    Then again, in the eyes of someone as irrationally protective of Nianzhi as Mr. Huo, making Nianzhi stand outside a gate for two hours in the freezing cold probably counted as a horrifying act of cruelty, the likes of which the world had never seen. Oh, how his poor baby must have suffered...

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong kept their innermentary to themselves. They did not have the balls to turn around and say it to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi was very happy to hear that. She had turned her head to look out the car window, but the corners of her mouth had quirked into a secret smile. The smile did notst, however¡ªin a minute, the expression on her face had changed to one of bewilderment.

    She turned to look into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark, fathomless eyes. ¡°Huo Shao, where are we going? This isn¡¯t the way to the airport.¡±

    Didn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng say he was going to take her home?

    Weren¡¯t they going to the airport, to catch a flight to C City?

    Huo Shaoheng patted her hand. ¡°I¡¯m going home, and I¡¯m taking you with me.¡±

    ¡°Home?¡± Gu Nianzhi did not understand. ¡°Whose home?¡±

    ¡°My home,¡± replied Huo Shaoheng. He fell silent after that. Up ahead, a heavily-guarded residential area came into view¡ªthis was where the big-wigs of the Huaxia Imperial Military lived.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more uneasy now.

    In thest six years, whenever he was off-duty, Huo Shaoheng had spent every minute of his free time with her. He had never returned to his own home.

    She had not known that Huo Shaoheng had had a family home to return to, all these years, and she did not know how to react. She trembled all over.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. He said impassively, ¡°My father is the director of the military¡¯s Political Department. My grandfather retired a few years ago. There will be a few other rtives, but you don¡¯t have to pay any attention to them.¡±

    Yin Shixiong turned around just then to add helpfully: ¡°Nianzhi, Mr. Huo hasn¡¯t returned to his family home for six years now. Thanks to you, he¡¯ll be able to celebrate Christmas with his family this year.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t celebrate Christmas,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied unhurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m going home for the New Year.¡±

 Chapter 188 - Visiting Home

    <h4>Chapter 188: Visiting Home</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Spend the New Year? There was a week¡¯s time from Christmas to New Year. That meant she¡¯d be spending a whole week with Huo Shao?! The happiness came so quickly Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to react. As her thoughts ran with her excitement, she began to absentmindedly fiddle with their joined hands, holding and releasing his hand as she linked her fingers through his. Huo Shaoheng was silent as he let her y the game, and purposely moved his hand closer when her hand wasn¡¯t tightly pressed to his. He stretched his hand as much as possible so their handsy together. Gu Nianzhi continued her game, so fully absorbed that she had forgotten her resolve to not cling to Huo Shaoheng. Not aware of the passing time, when she looked up again, the procession had already stopped in front of themunity entrance. She instinctively turned her head to see Huo Shaoheng looking at her quietly with a half smile; his gaze moved to their joined palms. Even though it was Huo Shaoheng who had been the one to take her hand first to warm it, Gu Nianzhi felt embarrassed. Her heart pounded and she was terrified that Huo Shaoheng would see through to her true feelings. Her awareness had her immediately yanking her hand away and moving away to sit on the other side of the car; she took a deep breath turn before turning to look out the window. A pink blush spread on her cheeks all the way to her tender earlobes.

    Their car stopped and as expected, there was a security checkpoint at themunity entrance. After verifying the permit and military documents, the soldier on duty stepped out to give Huo Shaoheng a military salute. ¡°Good evening, Chief!¡±

    The window slowly slid down and Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly at him from inside the car. ¡°Good work.¡±

    The soldier was so touched he blushed with pride. ¡°This way, Chief!¡± He jogged back to his post and pressed on the button to raise the crossbar blocking the intersection. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s procession slowly drove in. He was returning home to visit his family, so his guards, orderlies, and personal secretaries would only return to the 6th Military Region base after escorting him home. The atmosphere in the car rxed, yet although Gu Nianzhi was sitting on the other side of the car, the flush on her cheeks had not yet subsided. She dared not look at Huo Shaoheng and focused on the snowyndscape outside as much as possible, memorizing the way they hade in. The roads in themunity were wellid out and lined with phoenix trees that had already lost all their leaves. The heavy snow was still falling, but it wasn¡¯t enough to umte on the ground. Gu Nianzhi was perplexed as she leaned her head against the window to watch the inconspicuous road. Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and kept silent, his expression unreadable.

    Zhao Liangze turned around to chat with Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, what are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking at the road, but there¡¯s something weird. Why is the snow not piling on the road?¡± Gu Nianzhi inquired curiously.

    Zhao Liangze chuckled and pointed his finger at the road outside the window. ¡°There¡¯s a self-heating device in this road, so the snow melts as soon as it hits. Isn¡¯t it great? You don¡¯t have to clear the snow or worry about it affecting traffic.¡±

    But how much energy does it take to heat up the roads in aplex like this? Gu Nianzhi immediately had a new understanding of how luxurious thismunity was. If even themon roads had self-heating devices, it went to show just how incredible the facilities in themunity were. It left no question as to how high ss the people who lived here were. Gu Nianzhi consciously straightened her back, suddenly worried that she was going to embarrass Huo Shao. She snuck a nce at him and saw that his eyes closed, their thick ckshes resting on the tops of his cheeks. She had no idea what he was thinking about. His characteristically indifferent face made her a tad anxious as always. Thankfully the car stopped and she was eager to put some distance between the both of them. Gu Nianzhi grew even more anxious and smoothed her long hair as she looked about her. The people in the car nced at her, but no one said a word. Yin Shixiong was the first to open his door, and then came over to open it for Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng exited the car, then slightly moved over to wait. Once Gu Nianzhi came out, he took her hand and had her stand beside him. Before them was an exquisite courtyard. It was surrounded by white brick walls and guarded by a towering wrought iron gate. Matching iron gratemps hung above the gates, and illuminated the ck wooden que on the white wall, which read ¡®Huo Manor.¡¯ Zhao Liangze walked to the side of the wall to enter a password. The iron gates opened with a click and the sound of several footsteps and excited calls could be heard.

    ¡°Mr. Huo is back?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo is back?!¡±

    ¡°Elder cousin is back!¡±

    ¡°Elder cousin!¡±

    Many people came into view, milling about the gardens, and looking toward the entrance. It was in the middle of the night, yet the courtyard was brightly lit, as though in preparation of a party. Perhaps that¡¯s why everyone was waiting for him. Gu Nianzhi felt her knees go weak. When the great iron gates opened and the Huo family surged out to greet him, Huo Shaoheng casually turned around to stand in front of Gu Nianzhi and reached out to adjust her Hermes scarf. His slender and warm fingers glided on the cool skin of her neck, making her shudder and her knees go even weaker. She couldn¡¯t help but grip his arm for support. Huo Shaoheng looked down at her and smiled warmly as he ced a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Come into the house with me.¡±

    The Huo family who came out to greet him hadn¡¯t expected to see this. Under the brilliant lights, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and strapping figure was tying a scarf for a girl! More than one family member rubbed their eyes in disbelief to make sure they weren¡¯t hallucinating after having stayed up all night, awaiting his arrival.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and scanned every face in the group, merely nodding as he took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked to the entrance. Zhao Liangze followed them, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small suitcase in his arms.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze quickly swept over all the people who came out to greet them, but she was unable to determine their rtionships to Huo Shaoheng. She saw a middle-aged couple and a young man and womane out to greet them. From looks of them, the older couple had to be around the same age as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s parents. The two young people were probably Huo Shaoheng¡¯s age. She remembered someone had called out, ¡°Elder Cousin,¡± so perhaps this young duo were his cousins? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind went into overdrive when she followed Huo shaoheng inside the three storey Huo Manor. The building was about twice the size of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters at the Special Ops base in C City. It was obvious that it had many more rooms and could house more people. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quarters in the city had only been for himself and Gu Nianzhi; she was was uncertain as to how many people lived here. Gu Nianzhi gave her most beatific smile as she passed through the crowd and followed him to the living room. There were more people waiting for them inside. On the main sofa was an old man with white hair. He exuded a dignified air, and a cane with an intricately carved dragon¡¯s head at the top was held by a wrinkled hand. A lthough he was elderly, his intimidating face remained authoritative.

    Huo Shaoheng gave the elderly man a military salute and brought Gu Nianzhi closer. ¡°This is great-grandfather.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng and then asked hesitantly, ¡°T-This is your great-grandfather?¡±

    ¡°No, this is my grandfather,¡± Huo Shaoheng responded sarcastically and then shifted his gaze down at her. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, this is your great-grandfather.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, unsure on how to ept Huo Shaoheng¡¯s address. She smiled sweetly at the elderly man. ¡°Merry Christmas, great-grandfather.¡± She purposely slurred the word ¡°great,¡± so it sounded as though she was saying ¡°grandfather.¡±

    The old man carefully scrutinized Gu Nianzhi and turned to ask Huo Shaoheng, ¡°She¡¯s the one?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and bowed. ¡°She¡¯s the one. I¡¯m her guardian.¡±

    A middle-aged man sat next to the elderly man. He had a handsome but weathered face that resembled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. He looked up to gaze at Gu Nianzhi. He nodded and repeated the first man¡¯s question.

    ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, but was reluctant to say anything more without knowing what was going on.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and sensed her resistance to the greeting and introduction, but didn¡¯t indulge her. He answered in a low voice, ¡°This is my father, who is your grandfather.¡± He introduced her to everyone else in the room, ¡°This is Gu Nianzhi. I¡¯m her guardian and Uncle.¡±

    She nodded politely to everyone and then asked, ¡°Uncle Huo, what should I call them?¡± She pointed to the four people who hade out to greet them.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at them and gestured at the older couple. ¡°This is Uncle and Aunt Zhang.¡± Then he turned to the young man and woman. ¡°These are their children, Zhang Wenna and Zhan Wenjie.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused as to why Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie had called Huo Shaoheng Elder Cousin, while Huo Shaosheng had her call their parents Uncle and Aunt. Shouldn¡¯t they be Granduncle and Grandaunt to her? What¡¯s more, why was their surname Zhang instead of Huo? She was clever enough to not question Huo Shaoheng about this openly however, and greeted them as told.

    ¡°Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, Merry Christmas.¡± She looked at the young siblings and said in English, ¡°Merry Christmas!¡±

    Zhang Wenjie met Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge and beautiful eyes and suddenly felt too tongue tied to speak. Zhang Wenna smiled as she came over to take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. ¡°My Elder Cousin is your guardian? How old are you? I believe you¡¯re younger than I am, so you can just call me Sister Na.¡±

 Chapter 189 - Family

    <h4>Chapter 189: Family</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was not used to strangers touching her, and almost jumped out of her skin when Zhang Wenna held her hand.

    When she first moved into the C University dormitory, it had taken her six months before she was finallyfortable with her roommates.

    Gu Nianzhi valiantly resisted the urge to pull her hand out of Zhang Wenna¡¯s grasp, even though she was aplete stranger to her. She did not want to embarrass Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, was well aware of her secret quirks. He stood beside Gu Nianzhi and extracted her hand from Zhang Wenna¡¯s grasp. He gave a small nod to Zhang Wenna, before turning to Zhang Wenna¡¯s mother, Qian Shihui, to ask: ¡°Auntie Zhang, have you prepared a room for Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    He was very polite and courteous to her.

    Qian Shihui smiled. ¡°Your rooms are ready, Young Master. Miss Jin personally prepared the rooms for the both of you.¡± She looked around. ¡°Where is Miss Jin? She was just saying she wanted to wee you home.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, Huo Xuenong, stood up with the help of his cane. He frowned at Huo Shaoheng, but said nothing. He was evidently not in a good mood.

    Zhang Wenna¡¯s eyes were glued to Gu Nianzhi. She was awestruck by her beauty, and even more amazed by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude towards her.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng, her oldest cousin, had been away from home thest six years, busy with his duties as a soldier. She had heard that he had rescued a young orphan girl from a car ident, and hadter adopted her¡ªthat must be the youngdy standing before now, Miss Gu Nianzhi.

    She guessed that Huo Shaoheng was very fond of this young orphan girl, judging from the way he had acted towards her at the door: he would not have thought to personally wrap a scarf around her otherwise.

    Zhang Wenna lowered her eyes.

    She had never forgotten¡ªand would never forget¡ªhow Huo Shaoheng had behaved towards her and her younger brother when they had first set foot in the Huo residence. Back then, he had never once looked directly at them, and had even ordered them to remain 3 feet away from him at all times. Apart from the two veteran household servants, no one had been allowed to touch his belongings: anyone who vited this rule ended up viciously booted out of the house by Huo Shoaheng, dead or alive...

    Zhang Wenna and her brother had found their Cousin Brother to be as terrifying as the devil himself.

    Huo Shaoheng had only be a little less difficult to deal with when he had been admitted to the military academy at the age of 16. He had moved out after that.

    Even then, he had remained just as touchy with his belongings every time he came home for his annual vacation. His OCD had worsened, in fact: he had barred even the two veteran servants from entering his room, and had cleaned his room and done hisundry himself to ensure no one would evere near his things.

    Zhang Wenna knew Huo Shaoheng joined the military when he was a junior in college, but his involvement with the military had been shrouded in secrecy ever since then. She did not know what he did in the military, only that he quickly rose through the ranks. Within 10 years, he had been promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to Major General¡ªhis meteoric rise had set a new record in the history of the Huaxia Imperial Military.

    As Huo Shaoheng steadily climbed the military ranks, his abrasive personality naturally mellowed out. His old quirks disappeared, and he learned to be courteous and polite to the people around him. His social conduct was now above reproach.

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie were not so easily fooled, however; they had lived with Huo Shaoheng for many years, and knew that the frosty barrier around his heart had never really gone away.

    They were therefore stunned to see his open concern and sincere respect for Gu Nianzhi, a mere orphan girl.

    They had previously assumed that Huo Shaoheng did not like them because of their inferior status. Now, however, they were forced to reconsider their assumptions: Gu Nianzhi was literally a nobody, but Huo Shaoheng treated her as an equal all the same.

    Not only did he not look down on her, he was also very protective of her.

    It seemed that his duties as a guardian in thest six years had changed him for the better.

    Zhang Wenna was profoundly moved by this thought. She was about to show Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi to their rooms when she heard hurried footsteps from the stairs.

    A shapely woman with a face as beautiful and striking as a peony in full bloom rushed down the stairs.

    ¡°Cousin Brother, is that you?¡± She was wearing a mauve cashmere cardigan over a silk blouse. A long bow-tie fluttered from her cor. Her dark gray skirt was made of thin wool, and her slippers were heeled. She walked towards Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzi, the very picture of elegance and grace, and was soon standing before them.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s face brightened at the sight of her. He hobbled over to her with his cane. ¡°Where have you been, Jin?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know who this woman was, or how to address her. She turned to look questioningly at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand in a reassuring manner as he introduced the woman to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°This is my First Uncle¡¯s daughter, Huo Jin. You can call her Auntie Lan.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had to duck her head to hide the twitch at the corner of her mouth. Auntie Lan? That made her sound at least 10 years older!

    The beautiful woman was only in her twenties. She was younger than Huo Shaoheng, but he had made her out to be a middle-aged woman.

    Huo Jin was also somewhat embarrassed by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s introduction. She wrung her hands, unsure of how to react, and decided to attend to Grandfather Huo first. ¡°Grandpa, you should go to sleep. It¡¯s nearly three in the morning. Have you taken your meds?¡±

    Grandfather Huo was evidently a lot more appreciative of Huo Jin than he was of Huo Shaoheng. He nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time for me to go to bed. I¡¯ll be returning to my room now¡ªyou help Shaoheng and his guest get settled. It¡¯ste, we¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Jin smiled in agreement. She called for two of the orderlies to help Grandfather Huo up the stairs and to his room on the second floor.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, looked at Huo Jin. ¡°Did you juste down from the third floor?¡±

    Huo Jin nodded. She looked nervous. ¡°Something came up. I had to go upstairs to deal with it, so I wasn¡¯t able to greet Cousin Brother at the door.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyebrows were knitted together. He waved his hand. ¡°Well, help them get settled. Shaoheng,e upstairs with me.¡± He nced at Huo Shaoheng, before hurrying up the stairs.

    Huo Shaoheng lifted his head and looked towards the stairs. He turned to Zhao Liangze and said: ¡°Leave the suitcase, and take the rest of the men back to the station.¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately snapped his heels together in a military salute. He nodded to Gu Nianzhi as he handed her suitcase to her, before turning to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder. ¡°Go to the guest room with Auntie Lan. I need to talk with my father.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had not had a private conversation with his father in thest six years; their interactions had been limited to official correspondence regarding military and legal matters.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t mind me, Uncle Huo. I¡¯ll stick with... Auntie Lan.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Huo Shaoheng tousled her hair before going upstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely perceptive; she picked up the underlying current of urgency in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s footsteps as he ascended the stairs. To everyone else, he appeared stoic and calm, but Gu Nianzhi knew better: she was familiar with his every gesture, and could sense even the smallest change in his demeanor.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng had not seen his father for six years; it was only natural for him to be a little more agitated and excited than usual. It made Huo Shaoheng seem more like a living, breathing human being, instead of a heartless war machine devoid of all emotion.

    The four members of the Zhang family politely excused themselves, and followed Huo Shaoheng up the stairs.

    Huo Jin had been watching Gu Nianzhi attentively, and saw the way Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lingered on Huo Shaoheng. She walked over to Gu Nianzhi and held her hand in a gesture of understanding and affection. ¡°Nianzhi¡ªthat¡¯s your name, right? It¡¯s a beautiful name. Come with me. My name¡¯s Huo Jin, by the way. My father is the older brother of Cousin Brother¡¯s father, but I¡¯m younger than Cousin Brother. He¡¯s the oldest among all my cousins, in fact.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her suitcase and nonchntly slipped her hand out of Huo Jin¡¯s grasp. She smiled and said: ¡°Merry Christmas, Auntie Lan. Thank you for having me. Can you point me to the guest room?¡±

    Huo Jin smiled. She pointed to the stairs and said: ¡°That leads to the second floor, where I live with Uncle Zhang¡¯s family. Second Uncle and Grandfather live on the third floor. Half of the first floor is taken up by guest rooms. Cousin Brother¡¯s rooms take up the other half.¡±

    Having said that, she led Gu Nianzhi across the ridiculouslyrge living room and to a corridor on the left. They turned a corner, and arrived at the door to a small suite.

    As soon as she opened the door, Gu Nianzhi was greeted by the sight of a room decorated entirely in pink. She could practically feel three thick, dark manga lines appear over her forehead.

    Why did everyone think youngdies had to live among pastel pink, like some kind of princess out of a cartoon?! Seriously!

    But she did not dare say it out loud. She smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Thank you, Auntie Lan.¡±

    Huo Jin gave a snort ofughter. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Auntie Lan¡ªSister Lan will do. Auntie Lan makes me feel 10 years older!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed as well: she had been thinking the exact same thing. She immediately felt a lot more at ease with Huo Jin.

 Chapter 190 - A Dream Not Like A Dream

    <h4>Chapter 190: A Dream Not Like A Dream</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t too fond of the colors in the room, she could see that all the furnishings had been meticulously chosen. They were all brand name pieces, and there were several antique pieces as well¡ªlike the magnolia carved from a single piece of variegated green jade. The lighter green parts had been carved into leaves, to entuate the white petals, making it appear luminous under the lights. Gu Nianzhi set her luggage down and expressed her gratitude to Huo Jin. ¡°Thank you, Sister Lan.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Huo Jin gently pat her shoulder.¡±This is a small suite. Behind the entrance is the living room and when you walk through the small door there¡¯s the bedroom.¡± She exined as she opened the door with Gu Nianzhi.

    The bedroom was to her liking, everything was white except for the pink bedspread and canopy. The room wasn¡¯t too big, but was warmly furnished with a plush loveseat in the east side and two angel shapedmps serving as nightstands for the bed. A white desk with a whiteptop was ced across from the bed, by the door. The south wall of the room had a wide window covered by a blush pink curtain; it looked sheer at first, but Gu Nianzhi noticed that it blocked out the light the view of the scenery outside .

    Huo Jian noticed Gu Nianzhi staring at the curtain and walked over, pulling a corner back with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s a small private garden with your suite; it also connects to the outside garden. You could have your breakfast or leisure time out there, if you so chose .¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thanked Huo Jin happily and saw her out. It had been an exhausting day and apart from having lunch on the flight from C City to the capital, she hadn¡¯t had anything to eat or drink for more than 12 hours. She thought about finding something to sate her appetite, but decided to forgo the trouble since it was her first time at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s home. It was going to be morning soon anyway and she was going to have a hearty breakfast then. Until then, she would focus on getting a good night¡¯s rest.

    She opened her suitcase to take out her toiletries and towel and take a shower. After showering however, she felt even hungrier and scoured the living room, finally finding spring water and juice in the mini fridge. She drank half a bottle of water to quell her hunger, then quickly felt tired and fell asleep as soon as she hit the mattress. After a tiring day and experiencing such tumultuous emotions, even Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strong countenance couldn¡¯t handle such stress all at once.

    Later in the night, the lights in the Huo manor were turned off one by one. Huo Shaoheng appeared troubled as emerged from the third floor to check on Gu Nianzhi. He saw that her door was locked and realized there was no sound from inside the room; he assumed that she had finally fallen asleep and didn¡¯t disturb her further. He returned to his room on the other side of the hall. The suite was also on the first floor, but muchrger than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. It had three bedrooms and two living rooms to total 150 square meters, which was about the size of an average apartment. As Huo Shaoheng was promoted up the ranks, he had began to fully utilize the entire room. Returning to the space he hadn¡¯t been back to in six years, Huo Shaoheng scanned through it and found that almost everything was the same as he remembered¡ªincluding the navy blue sheets on the bed. The suite was furnished simply in blue and white, appearing elegant and stately, with a certain solemn air.

    Huo Shaoheng proceeded to wash up in the bathroom. Afterwards, he opened hisputer to check his inbox and saw an email from Zhao Liangze. It appeared that much had happened since their return to the 6th Military Region¡¯s main base. He nced through the email and replied to him before turning off theputer and retiring for the evening. The only light in the entire Huo Manor glowed faintly from the top of the third floor. The heavy curtains were drawn and nothing could be seen.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was experiencing a curious dream. She had gone to sleep hungry, so even her dreams were about eating. She dreamed that she sat at a round tableden with all the food and desserts she liked, her favourite freshly squeezed mango juice, iced milk, as well as a tter of steaming roast duck. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know why she was dreaming of roast duck, since she hated eating it. Perhaps it was because the roast duck in C City was not as authentic as the ones in the Imperial capital. Yin Shixiong would always say that when they had moved to the capital, they had to take Gu Nianzhi eat the most authentic roast duck in of all of the Huaxia Empire. Gu Nianzhi could even smell the roast duck in her sleep, but a sudden icy gust turned the steaming duck frozen; even the fat solidified. Gu Nianzhiined egretfully in her dream, but couldn¡¯t help licking her lips and reaching out to tear off a leg. Unfortunately there was no onion, so she dipped it in sweet sauce and put it to her mouth. Suddenly, she felt pain on her tongue¨Cshe had bit her tongue while dreaming about eating. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears as she woke up. Opening her groggy eyes, she was shocked to see a person in white sitting at her bedside and looking at her! The room should have been pitch ck, but when Gu Nianzhi woke up, light prated from outside the curtain and she could feel a cold breeze. The person¡¯s back faced the light, their face hidden in the shadows. The cold wind blew again and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body was stiff and immobile as though she were paralyzed. She tried to open her eyes wider to adjust to the darkness in the room, and was finally able to make out a blurry face. It was a woman! An indescribably beautiful woman! Sweat beaded on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead as she desperately tried to move, but she remained frozen. For a second, she wondered if she were still dreaming. It seemed like a dream inside a dream, where she thought she was awake but really wasn¡¯t.

    The woman reach out to caress Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek. Her fingers were like ice, making Gu Nianzhi shudder as soon as she felt them. When she shook her head away, she realized that she had her voice again. She instinctively screamed, ¡°Someone! Uncle Huo! Huo Shao! Help!¡± She didn¡¯t know if she could be heard, but the only thing she could do was scream. The woman appeared frightened by her and suddenly stood up. From the faint light let in by the opened curtains, Gu Nianzhi could see that the woman was wearing a long white fluffy robe and was barefoot. She left her bedside and ran towards the French windows. The light from outside the window instantly vanished, casting the room into darkness. Gu Nianzhi found that she was able to move again and frantically crawled up, screaming and crying as she rushed out, ¡°Uncle Huo!¡± She was too afraid to look outside the French windows and only wanted to leave the room to hide beside Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao! Uncle Huo! Where are you?!¡± Gu Nianzhi wrenched her door open and stormed out from the suite, crying as she ran to the living room.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    The orderlies on night shift immediately rushed in with loaded guns, turning on the the lights and aiming their weapons at Gu Nianzhi. Standing alone in the middle of the living room, Gu Nianzhi was barefoot and only wore a pink cotton nightgown. Tears streamed down her face, her thick, silky hair tumbling down her back; her fair face under the lights appeared just as luminous as a full moon¡¯s. The orderlies rxed when they realized that she was woman brought in by Huo Shaoheng; however didn¡¯t lower their guns when they questioned her.

    ¡°Miss Gu, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Someone...someone was in my room.¡± Gu Nianzhi sniffled. She hadn¡¯t been this frightened in a long time, and was also exhausted, starving, and upset.

    Huo Jin was the first to run down the stairs to see Gu Nianzhi stand alone in the middle of the living room with orderlies pointing their guns at her. She quickly said, ¡°Hey! Put away your guns!¡±

    The orderlies remained still andpletely ignored her.

    Huo Jin was somewhat embarrassed, then turned around to see Huo Guanchen had arrived. ¡°Uncle, please have them lower their guns.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s voice was solemn. ¡°Where¡¯s Shaoheng? Why¡¯s he still sleeping at a time like this?¡±

    Huo Jian grew even more embarrassed and coughed lightly, ¡°Uncle, Elder Cousin¡¯s room is soundproofed, he probably didn¡¯t hear¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then go call him out!¡± Huo Guanchen suppressed his rage. ¡°Go now!¡±

    The orderlies lowered their weapons and one went to ring Huo Shaoheng¡¯s doorbell. Huo Shaoheng had just fallen asleep. His suite was renovated throughout the past six years to bepletely soundproof, so he could only hear the doorbell from outside. Of course, he had no idea his room had been totally renovated since he left and that the suite¡¯s doorbell was connected directly to his headboard. As soon as the doorbell sounded, Huo Shaoheng jolted awake. He opened his eyes to see the watch read three in the morning and immediately frowned. He spoke into the inte, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, pleasee out. There¡¯s something wrong with Miss Gu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly lifted the nkets and shot from his bed, leaving the suite in his pajamas. When he arrived in the living room, Gu Nianzhi was frantically dodging away and hiding behind the sofa. Huo Jin, Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie were doing anything they can to coax her out. The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips turned down as he strode over and gave his hand to Gu Nianzhi behind the sofa, ¡°Nianzhi,e out.¡±

    Looking up with her tear streaked face, Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng and began sobbing as she grabbed his hand to allow him to carry her out. Huo Shaoheng lifted Gu Nianzhi to his chest and noticed her cold body. He didn¡¯t have time to ask, so he quickly carried her to his room.

    Huo Jin, Zhang Wenna, and Zhang Wenjie all looked at each other with shocked expressions.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with Miss Gu?¡± Huo Jin frowned deeply. ¡°She was fine earlier, so what happened to her?¡±

    ¡°I think Miss Gu said that someone went into her room.¡± The leader of the orderlies offered. ¡°That¡¯s what she was screaming about, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Someone went into her room?! That¡¯s impossible!¡± Zhan Wenna looked at Huo Jin. ¡°Sister Jin, that¡¯s a suite. If it¡¯s locked from the inside, unless someone had the key, then it be opened it from the outside.¡±

    Huo Jin sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what should be done. Maybe we should take a look at her room?¡±

    An orderly stepped forward to block their path. ¡°Please return to your rooms, Mr. Huo will handle this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was the one who took over the household whenever he returned. Huo Guanchen went upstairs without another word. He didn¡¯t object because he supported Huo Shaoheng¡¯s decision. Huo Jian couldn¡¯t say anything more and retreated upstairs as well.

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie had even less to say when it came to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s matters, and could only return to their rooms.

    ¡°Sis, do you really think someone went to Miss Gu¡¯s room?¡± Zhang Wenjie asked in a very quiet voice, but Huo Jin still heard him from the front.

    She turned around to give the siblings a stern look. ¡°Miss Gu is just staying here for a few days. Do I have to teach you what you should and shouldn¡¯t say?¡±

    ¡°No, Sister Jin,¡± Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie quickly said. They did not dare gossip again.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi back to his room and saw that she was barefoot. He promptly held her feet with his hands to warm them and sat diagonally on his beside to hold andfort her, ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s ok.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tightly clutched at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cor and kept shuddering besides him. She felt very cold and moved desperately to the heat source. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body was like a furnace. In the long winter night, how could she resist the warm embrace? Gu Nianzhi snuggled even closer to Huo Shaoheng, but his body suddenly stiffened for a second. He looked up at the bedroom ceiling and took a deep breath, biting his lip. He moved back slightly to shift his protruding manhood away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft body. Hisrge hand continued to stroke her back and calm her nerves.

    Gu Nianzhi was still sobbing quietly. ¡°Huo Shao, someone...someone came into my room just now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯ll go look, ok?¡± He got up to leave, but Gu Nianzhi held him tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone here!¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirttail in panic. ¡°I¡¯m scared!¡± She was unfamiliar with this ce and although it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s home, it didn¡¯t assuage her fears. Adding to this the inexplicable encounter from earlier, Gu Nianzhi felt very ufortable in this environment.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and then took out his slippers. ¡°Put this on, ande look at your room with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sniffed as she got off the bed, still clutching his shirt. She put on Huo Shaoheng¡¯srge slippers and followed him out of the room. The slippers were far too big for her, so only the shuffling sounds could be heard as she made her way over. Huo Shaoheng stifled a smallugh m and took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as they walked to the suite on the other side of the living room. Several orderlies heard the noise and wanted tough when they looked down to see Gu Nianzhi wearing gigantic men¡¯s slippers.

    ¡°You all follow me.¡± Huo Shaoheng ordered without turning around.

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    ...

    When they arrived to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, Huo Shaoheng was the first to enter. The living room appeared fine and the bedroom was pitch ck. Huo Shaoheng turned on the light at the door. Soft light spilled into the bedroom, but there was no trace of any intrusion. The French windows were tightly closed and a corner of her nket had been folded up, probably when she rushed up from the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi followed in to see this and gasped in shock. ¡°I-I-I definitely saw someone sit at the bedside! It was a woman! She was very beautiful!¡±

 Chapter 191 - She Returned on a Snowy Night

    <h4>Chapter 191: She Returned on a Snowy Night</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Maybe she had a nightmare?¡± whispered one of the orderlies behind them; the entire situation seemed incredible to him.

    These orderlies had been working at the Huo residence for many years now, but it was the first time they had encountered something like this.

    The entire Huo residence was protected by strict security measures. No one had ever set foot inside the residence unless they had been invited; how was it possible for a strange, unknown woman to suddenly breach their perimeter?

    Gu Nianzhi walked nervously to her bed. One corner of the nket was turned back; she pulled the nket away, and was greeted by the sight of a pristine, wrinkle-free bedsheet. It was as though the bed had been freshly made...

    She knew there had been a cover-up. She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, her expression solemn. ¡°Uncle Huo, do you believe me?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood in the doorway, his hands sped behind his back. He did not approach Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed; instead, he walked over to the south wall of the bedroom, towards the curtains covering the French windows.

    Huo Shaoheng drew the curtains apart, and ced a hand on the handle of the French windows. The windows creaked open with a gentle nudge.

    A cold wind immediately rushed into the bedroom. A few snowkes drifted in the air.

    ¡°The window isn¡¯t closed.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to look at the orderlies. ¡°Who prepared this room today?¡±

    The orderlies shook their heads. ¡°Sir, it wasn¡¯t any of us. The household servants attend to this room.¡±

    They were only responsible for the safety of the two military men in the Huo family: the retired former deputymander of the military, Huo Xuenong, and his son, Huo Guanchen, the current director of the military¡¯s Political Department. The food for these two men were specially prepared by dedicated orderlies; they did not eat out of the same wok as the rest of the Huo family.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng had returned, the orderlies had to attend to him as well.

    Gu Nianzhi was not part of the military. It was only logical for the Huo family servants to attend to her.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look out the window. He remembered that there was a row of wrought-iron streetlights along the flowerbeds and garden. They shone bright as the sun at night; all the curtains in the Huo residence had to be sturdy ckout drapes, to effectively block out the light from these streetlights at night.

    But the streetlights were all dark now.

    This was highly unusual.

    ¡°Why are the streetlights out?¡± Huo Shaoheng shut the windows and locked them before drawing the curtains together. He turned towards the orderlies.

    The head orderly paled. He had not noticed the anomaly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small suite was located in a remote, neglected corner of the Huo residence. It had remained unupied for over a decade.

    The Huo family had hurriedly prepared the room because Huo Shaoheng had suddenly instructed his subordinate to call his family and tell them he would being home to celebrate the New Year.

    The streetlights outside this suite were not particrly important, in terms of security and location. It generally did not matter whether the lights were on or off.

    But it had mattered today.

    ¡°...Sir, do you mean that someone entered from the French windows?¡± The head orderly hastily knocked his boots together in a military salute. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to fix the streetlights, right away.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand, indicating that he did not want to press the issue. ¡°Get the lights repaired tomorrow. Lock this room up¡ªdon¡¯t let anyone near it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Pack your things. You¡¯re staying with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not have hoped for anything better. She dashed into the bathroom, grabbed her toiletries, and stuffed them into her suitcase. She followed Huo Shaoheng out of her bedroom, her suitcase trundling behind her.

    Huo Shaoheng had taken only a few steps when he noticed the loud racket she was making: her slippers flopped against the floor, apanied by the grating trundling of her suitcase. He whirled around, relieved her of the suitcase, and led her by the hand to his suite.

    The door to the suite mmed shut. The orderlies did not follow them inside.

    The orderlies discussed it among themselves, and decided a few of them would stand guard at the door to the bedroom Gu Nianzhi had just vacated. No one would be allowed to enter.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng into his suite. She was finally calm enough to have a good look around.

    She had been bundled directly into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s master bedroom when she had first entered the suite, and had not had the time to have a proper look around.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Go to sleep.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed to his bedroom. ¡°Sleep in there. I¡¯ll take the guest bedroom.¡±

    His suite consisted of three bedrooms and two living rooms. The master bedroom had an en-suite bathroom, while the two smaller bedrooms shared a bathroom. Aside from a spacious lounge, which served as the main living room, there was also a fully furnished study.

    Gu Nianzhi was not ready to go to bed just yet. She lingered behind Huo Shaoheng, her head lowered, and whispered, ¡°Uncle Huo... you do believe me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just go to sleep for now, we¡¯ll discuss it tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng saw that she refused to budge. He picked up her suitcase, took hold of her arm with his other hand, and walked her to the master bedroom.

    He set the suitcase down and led Gu Nianzhi over to his massive bed. ¡°Stop thinking about it. Go to sleep.¡±

    ¡°But I saw her, I did. It wasn¡¯t a dream.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head and grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wrist. ¡°...And after I ran out, someone went into my bedroom.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Because my bedsheets were too tidy.¡± Gu Nianzhi was still trembling all over; her words came out in intermittent stammers. ¡°...I jumped right out of bed. I didn¡¯t straighten my sheets. But when we went in just now, well, you saw it too¡ªmy nket was neatly stretched over my bed. A corner was folded back, but that was it. I remember I was in such a hurry, I dragged half my nket to the ground with me when I ran out of my room.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her as he listened to her in silence. His dark, inky eyes glimmered like jade pieces: they seemed to suggest both sincere understanding and careless indifference.

    When she had finished, Huo Shaoheng leaned across her and stooped to lift the nket off his bed. He noted the mess of wrinkles on his bedsheet¡ªyes, that was what the bed was supposed to look like when someone had gotten out of it in a hurry.

    Someone had made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly put her into bed and pulled the nket over her. ¡°Be a good girl now and go to sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was forced to close her eyes and try to sleep. She sensed Huo Shaoheng turn off the lights at the door before leaving the master bedroom.

    Once he had left, Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes in the darkness.

    She always left a night light on whenever she slept alone.

    She could not sleep in total darkness, not unless she had someone beside her.

    She rolled about restlessly on the bed. The minutes ticked by, but she could not sleep.

    Besides, she was still a little scared.

    Gu Nianzhi did not understand why she had encountered something like this during her first night at the Huo residence. What were the odds?

    She could not stop thinking about the woman in the white dress: she had seemed vaguely familiar.

    Gu Nianzhi had an excellent memory. She never forgot anything she had seen.

    She had only caught a startled glimpse of the woman, shrouded in the gloom of her bedroom; nevertheless, she hadmitted every distinguishing feature of the woman to memory.

    She could recall, for example, that the woman¡¯s eyes were long and nted: the sort of eyes usually referred to as ¡°phoenix eyes.¡± Her eyshes were extraordinarily thick¡ªthick enough to be mistaken for eyeliner when the woman lowered her eyes to look at her.

    Her nose was exquisite, its profile wless in every way.

    Her lips were perfectly shaped. Her skin was probably extremely fair: in the dark gloom, Gu Nianzhi had thought that the woman seemed white as snow. Her beauty had been breath-taking.

    The expression on her face had been timid, but curious.

    Gu Nianzhi did not think the woman had meant to hurt her when she extended a hand towards her.

    Gu Nianzhi turned over in her bed for the umpteenth time. She really could not sleep.

    Finally, she sat up and punched the mattress in helpless frustration. She held her head in her hands and stared listlessly into space.

    Over in the spare bedroom, Huo Shaohengy awake in his bed.

    He had not closed his door, and could therefore hear every little sound from the master bedroom next door.

    By the time he heard Gu Nianzhi punching her mattress, he had given up on sleep. He pushed his nket away and got out of bed. He walked to the master bedroom, turned on the lights, and saw Gu Nianzhi sitting on the bed with her head between her knees.

    Gu Nianzhi sensed that someone had entered the bedroom. By the time she lifted her head to check, the lights had alreadye on, and Huo Shaoheng had already walked over to the bed.

    ¡°Can¡¯t sleep? Not used to this bed?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat on the bed. The mattress immediately sank beneath his weight, and Gu Nianzhi almost tumbled over.

    She moved closer to Huo Shaoheng and muttered, ¡°The room¡¯s too dark...¡±

    Both the ceiling lights and the bedsidemp in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s master bedroom were extremely bright. The room had not been furnished with yellow night lights.

    Gu Nianzhi had only fallen asleep in her previous suite because she had been exhausted and sleepy. Even then, she had been visited by restless dreams shortly after dozing off.

    And now, she was practically awake after all themotion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to buy you a night light tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted the nket. ¡°Now go to sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to get under the nket. She stared at Huo Shaoheng with wide, anxious eyes. ¡°...Can you stay here with me?¡±

 Chapter 192 - The First Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 192: The First Meeting</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng watched Gu Nianzhi without blinking for a while; the room was eerily silent. When she finally couldn¡¯t stand his stare anymore, she shifted her gaze to the full-length curtains on the south wall, and muttered,¡±You also have French windows here? I¡¯m scared of being watched.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at it then adjusted her nkets. ¡°The window is bulletproof, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She closed her eyes in defeat and was quiet. One hand snuck out from under the nkets to grab the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pajama shirt.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the delicate and pale hand. He held it briefly and then tucked it back inside the nket.¡±I won¡¯t leave, ok? I¡¯m sleeping on the couch.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s main bedroom was muchrger than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom in her suite. There was not only a tall armoire, but a wide couch and a long table sitting situated across the room.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief and peeked through the nkets to see Huo Shaoheng carrying bedding and pillows from the spare bedroom; he arranged them on the couch and repositioned it so he could see her better from where he would sleep. He then shut off the lights andy down to sleep. With Huo Shaoheng apanying her, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fear quickly dissipated. Sleep hit her in a sh and she immediately passed out.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, before he finally drifted off to sleep.

    ...

    The next morning, Huo Shaoheng woke up at seven in the morning. He was ustomed to waking up at six, but he¡¯d had ate night and slept an extra hour. He took a shower and came out to see Gu Nianzhi still sleeping, peacefully nestled in her nkets, yet her tiny face was unnaturally flushed. His heart dropped as he reached out to touch her forehead and realized that she had a fever. Recalling the unlocked French windows in her roomst night, Huo Shaoheng surmised that she had probably caught a chill then. Her body had been unable to handle the cold and severe shock, and so it had broken into a fever. Gu Nianzhi rarely got sick and on the rare asions that she did, they were usually minor incidents. Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t normally the one to give her medication in such times. He gave Gu Nianzhi another worried nce before he gave Chen Lie a call.

    Chen Lie was shocked that Gu Nianzhi had fallen sick as soon just after a night in the Huo household. He rapper his pen on the desk and said, ¡°Other people would have to be hospitalized at 39 degrees, but Nianzhi is ok so long as she doesn¡¯t hit 40 degrees.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Huo Shaoheng retorted. ¡°Even a healthy person¡¯s brain would be fried at 40 degrees. You¡¯re a sham doctor who needs to go back to school.¡±

    Chen Lie hated it whenever Huo Shaoheng questioned his qualifications as a doctor when it came to Gu Nianzhi. Heughed incredulously. ¡°Is that so, Huo Shaoheng? And who was it that¡ª¡± but before he could get another word out, Huo Shaoheng had hung up. He then looked around and found a thermometer with which to measure Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temperature and saw that it was under 39 degrees. Setting it down, he decided to let her rest and go outside for breakfast.

    ¡°Elder Cousin, you¡¯re awake! But, where¡¯s Miss Gu?¡± Huo Jin had been in the middle of instructing the maids on how to prepare breakfast when Huo Shaoheng walked in. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what Miss Gu preferred, so I had Mrs. Chen make a C City style breakfast; would you like to take it to her and see if she likes it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng observed the C City breakfast tter that had been prettily arranged. ¡± I¡¯ll take it to her in a bit. Thank you for making all of this.¡±

    There was a tter from behind as Zhang Wenjie stumbled into the dining area, still half asleep. He quickly straightened up when he saw Huo Shaoheng standing at the table. Although he was dressedfortably in a T-shirt and loose lounge pants, Zhang Wenjie saw that it didn¡¯t do anything to hide his well-toned body; thezy air about him enhanced his rugged morning appeal as his tall frame moved gracefully about the room, helping Huo Jin set the table. Zhang Wenjie felt slightly embarrassed all of a sudden: although he was not much shorter than his cousin, the differences in appearance and manner were considerable; he felt like a scrawny teenagerpared to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng himself, noticed Zhang Wenjie standing in the entrance and gave him a rare nod. ¡°Good morning,¡± he called, with a friendly face. Huo Shaoheng took a seat and looked at the tableden with steamed pork buns, sticky rice balls, rice congee, fried donuts, tes of marinated vegetables, pitchers of milk. He then leaned forward to Huo Jin, and said, ¡°Thank you for this wonderful spread as well.¡± He turned to Zhang Wenjie and asked ¡°Do you want some breakfast?¡±

    Zhang Wenna had just entered the dining room at that moment and her eyes widened at the quaint scene she was witnessing. Her Elder Cousin was truly apletely different person than he had been six years before. In the past, he hadn¡¯t even spared them a nce, let alone a greeting, yet now he was so polite to Wenjie and Huo Jin! Of course, Zhang Wenna thought, it could be because he learned to better conceal his emotions and use etiquette to hide all his true feelings and distaste, now that his rank was higher; Zhang Wenna could understand the need to do so. She was conflicted about what to believe and how to feel about this change in her cousin, but she walked over and nodded at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Good morning, Elder Cousin.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her. ¡°Morning.¡±

    Zhang Wenna sat beside Zhang Wenjie and gave him a nce. Zhang Wenjie shrugged, expressing his own confusion, then looked to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Elder Brother, where¡¯s Miss Gu? Why isn¡¯t she here for breakfast?¡±

    Huo Jin had also been wondering the same thing. ¡°The steamed buns won¡¯t taste as good once they cool down,¡± she said fretfully.

    The orderlies brought Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special breakfast over before he could respond to their inquiries. His food was entirely prepared by the military orderlies; even the kitchen used to make the meals were located in a separate area apart from the main kitchen. Looking at the giant medium-rare steak, the cheese pancakes, and therge te of beef buns, Huo Jin¡¯s mouth twitched with distaste.

    ¡°Elder Cousin, it¡¯s not good to eat these things early in the morning.¡± The food were all high calorie, high fat, and high protein items. However, she didn¡¯t realize that Huo Shaoheng had to consume such foods in order to ensure that the level of nutrition he need to intake with his degree of activity in the military.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bother to exin and said, ¡°I¡¯ve only eaten this since joining the ranks.¡±

    Zhang Wenjie was envious as he eyed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s warm slices of bread and the thick strips of bacon¡ªhe wished that he could have a portion of the steak or even one of the beef buns.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed his longing gaze and passed the te of pan-fried buns to him. ¡°Wenjie, eat this.¡±

    Zhang Wenjie was ttered. ¡°Is this really for me? It¡¯s not for Miss Gu?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s sick, so she can¡¯t eat these.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up his cutlery to and told his orderly, ¡°Have a medical officere see Nianzhi. She¡¯ll be eating with me from now on, so be sure to remember to prepare her meals too.¡±

    The orderly confirmed the request and asked, ¡°What does Miss Gu prefer?¡±

    ¡°Something fresh; she¡¯s sick now so you can add a bit more seasoning,¡± Huo Shaoheng ordered casually as he polished off the steak and moved on to the beef buns.

    Huo Jian rubbed her hands anxiously. ¡°Elder Cousin, is Miss Gu ill? What kind of illness is it?¡±

    ¡°A fever. She caught a chillst night.¡± Huo Shaoheng finished his breakfast and drank arge cup of coffee. He rose up from the chair. ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡±

    The Zhang siblings¡¯ father, Zhang Baochen, and mother, Qian Shihui, entered the dining room as Huo Shaoheng walked out.

    ¡°Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly in greeting as he carried a te of breakfast out.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his suite and had been working on hisputer for some time when he heard the doorbell ring. He was informed over the inte that the medical officer had arrived. Huo Shaoheng got up to open the door and greeted a female medical officer.

    ¡°Zitan?¡± Huo Shaoheng was a little surprised. ¡°You¡¯re the one they sent here?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is studying in the Imperial capital, so Chen Lie posted me here a long time ago,¡± Ye Zitan said with a smile. ¡°Even so, we didn¡¯t think she would get sick as soon as she got here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng realized that it must¡¯ve been Chen Lie who had contacted e Zitan. Gu Nianzhi had always been seen by Chen Lie, with Ye Zitan asionally helping him out. Ye Zitan entered the room and took out a thermometer and stethoscope out from her medical kit. She examined her for a few minutes before and finally said, ¡°She should be fine; she¡¯s at 38.5 degrees now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°She was just under 39 degrees earlier, so it looks like the fever is going down.¡±

    Ye Zitan agreed, ¡°Yes, it is. It¡¯s best if the fever breaks itself, but if it doesn¡¯t she can take medicine. I¡¯ll leave some here just in case.¡±

    Reassured that Gu Nianzhi would be alright, Huo Shaoheng returned to his study to get to work. However, Huo Jin was soon at the inte just after he had gone inside. Huo Shaoheng opened the door to let her in and they made their way to the small living room. ¡°Elder Brother, Nianzhi stayed with youst night?¡± Huo Jin peered inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°Yes, and she¡¯ll be staying here from now one,¡± Huo Shaoheng said sinctly. ¡°It¡¯s just for over a week.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a good idea though,¡± Huo Jian objected. ¡°Elder Cousin is Miss Gu¡¯s guardian, but Miss Gu is already 18. She¡¯s an adult, and yet she¡¯s still living with you...and now is even staying with you in the same room.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Huo Shaoheng remained indifferent. ¡°Her situation is unique; we need to ensure she¡¯s not easily frightened or traumatized. This was medically proven.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not allowed to get sacred?¡± Huo Jin froze. ¡°Could it be¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t hesitate to interrupt her, his eyes growing dark. ¡°She¡¯s just a girl who has trouble with anxiety, and is easily frightened. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡±

    Huo Jian was rendered speechless by his rebuttal and stood up quickly, her hands tightly sped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you then, Elder Cousin. Please understand that I¡¯m just looking out for you. You¡¯re a Major General and cannot afford to make any mistakes. There are so many people watching you.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry over my business and cause yourself stress. Go now. We¡¯re fine.¡±

    Huo Jin tried to persuade him further, but Huo Shaoheng had already returned to his study. She was left alone in the living room. After standing around for awhile, she finally left in a sullen mood.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi slept until the sun set, After sweating profusely, her fever hadpletely gone down, but now she was ufortably sticky. Mind still hazy from the fever, she sat up and stretchedzily before taking off her sweat drenched nightgown.

    Huo Shaoheng had heard her get up and rushed to check on her, but came to an abrupt stop at the doorway. Her full and delicate breasts swelled and pressed together as she pulled her clothes off over her head. He immediately turned around and closed the bedroom door. Gu Nianzhi heard the sound and suddenly realized she wasn¡¯t in her own room, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. She hastily put on a robe that wasid out on the chair beside her and opened the door. ¡°Uncle Huo, what is it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stood with his back to her. ¡°It¡¯s already evening. Hurry up and change for dinner.¡± He finished speaking and immediately went to his study and mmed the door shut behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised ¡°It¡¯s already evening? Did I really sleep all day?¡± Looking at the closed study door, Gu Nianzhi decided not bother Huo Shaoheng and whatever mood he was in at the moment. She went to her suitcase and took out some underwear and a change of clean clothes. After her warm shower, she saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study door was ajar but he wasn¡¯t inside. He¡¯s probably gone ahead to dinner, Gu Nianzhi thought. She put on her own slippers and left the suite to join the rest of the family for dinner.

    Guided by her memory, she made her way to the living room. If she remembered correctly, the dining room was on the other side of the living room. Walking down a long hallway, she was just about to turn right when she nced down a narrow corridor on the left. A woman wearing a detailed pink sweater and a pink wool dress stood at the other end. She walked up a few steps, then seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly turned around.

    Who...? Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it, but the woman looked familiar. Suddenly she realized how she knew her: it was woman who had in her roomst night! Gu Nianzhi blinked a few times and saw that the woman still stood in front of the window at the end of the hall, smiling at her.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Gu Nianzhi called out, walking over to them. ¡°Are you someone of the Huo family?¡± Upon closer inspection, Gu Nianzhi realized that the woman was a little bit older, but certainly no more than 30 years old. Her fair skin, delicate features, and a certain air of naivety and shyness gave one the impression that she closer to 18 or 19 years old. If it hadn¡¯t been for the faint lines at the corners of her eyes, Gu Nianzhi would¡¯ve mistaken her for the same age as herself. The woman watched Gu Nianzhi approaching her and whispered, ¡°Your dress is pretty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had changed into avender Chanel silk dress that twirled about her knees. Gu Nianzhi saw her admiration and smiled back. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty, I¡¯ve never seen someone so beautiful. Are you part of the Huo family?¡±

    The woman blinked. ¡°Huo family?¡± A faint blush tinged her cheeks and her voice grew quieter. ¡°I want to be part of the Huo family... but Guanchen says that I can¡¯t marry yet at 18. I have to wait until I¡¯m 22.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze. Guanchen? Wasn¡¯t that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father¡¯s name? But, this woman certainly looked older than 18! ¡°You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re only 18? So you can¡¯t get married?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. ¡°What¡¯s your name? Were you the one who came into my roomst night?¡±

    The woman tilted her head in thought. ¡°What¡¯s my name? I¡¯m... Song Jinning! Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± She bobbed her head excitedly and then asked, ¡°I went to your room? No, that¡¯s my own room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was incredibly confused, but thought that since she was about to have dinner, this woman couldn¡¯t be left alone. ¡°Miss Song, was it? Did you eat dinner yet? Come, have dinner with me.¡± She reached out her hand.

    Song Jinning hesitated, but slowly extended her own hand to take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Her hands were like ice, Gu Nianzhi realized with a start. Nianzhi led her to the dining room. The pair walked into the dining room hand in hand, and those gathered inside stood up in shock.

    Huo Jin ran over and pulled Song Jinning¡¯s hand from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. ¡°Aunt, why are you down here?¡± She chastised the servants. ¡°How are you doing your jobs? You couldn¡¯t even look after one patient?¡±

 Chapter 193 - Forever 18

    <h4>Chapter 193: Forever 18</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Song Jinning looked uneasy and afraid. Her pretty phoenix eyes shimmered¡ªshe looked as though she was about to cry.

    She nced timidly in Huo Guanchen¡¯s direction, but he remained as he were: seated beside his father with a heavy frown on his face. It was clear he did not want to look at her. The tears threatened to spill from Song Jinning¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Auntie Xing, Auntie You, take Second Aunt upstairs, now.¡± Huo Jin frantically gave the instructions to send Song Jinning out the room.

    Gu Nianzhi jaw dropped when she heard Huo Jin address the woman as ¡°Second Aunt.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, was Huo Jin¡¯s second uncle. ¡°Second aunt¡± would therefore refer to his wife.

    The woman could not possibly be older than 30. Was she Huo Shaoheng¡¯s step-mother?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced. She snuck a look at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting with his back towards her. He did not turn around. Gu Nianzhi could not see his expression, but she could tell that his back had stiffened.

    It was rare for Huo Shaoheng to be so on edge. Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Song Jinning again.

    Song Jinning saw that Gu Nianzhi was the only one in the room who was looking attentively at her, and turned to her with a pleading look on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that look of desperation, and the feeling of helpless bewilderment thaty beneath it.

    When she had first gotten out of that car ident alive, so many years ago, she had often seen the very same expression of horror on her face in the mirror. At the time, she had felt as though she did not belong in this world.

    She subconsciously took Song Jinning¡¯s hand and squeezed it, before turning to look at Huo Jin. She asked gently: ¡°Sister Lan, what kind of illness does Mrs. Huo have? She doesn¡¯t seem to have a fever.¡±

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dictionary, ¡°illness¡± was defined as ¡°having a fever¡±...

    Huo Jin stared at Gu Nianzhi, speechless. After a moment, she finally shook her head and said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a fever, but she¡¯s sick. No question about it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more sympathetic towards Song Jinning now. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m not sick.¡± Song Jinning muttered resentfully, just then. ¡°I am not sick.¡± She looked as Gu Nianzhi as she emphasized her words, the tears in her eyes already clinging to hershes. It was clear that she sincerely believed what she was saying.

    ¡°Okay, I believe you,¡± said Gu Nianzhi as she squeezed her hand again. It urred to Gu Nianzhi that the woman was probably sick, but did not know it; it would exin why everyone else in the dining room had remained silent the entire time. Still, the woman looked healthy enough, and Gu Nianzhi could not think of any disease she could possibly be suffering from.

    Song Jinning spoke clearly and artictely. She recognized her surroundings, and was able to carry a conversation. She could not possibly be suffering from a mental disorder.

    Gu Nianzhi had been to therapy sessions herself, courtesy of Chen Lie, and had read many books on psychology. She was familiar with the diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders.

    ¡°You believe me? Really?¡± Song Jinning had be somewhat agitated. ¡°You really believe me?¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could reply, Huo Jin suddenly asked, ¡°Second Aunt, how old are you this year?¡±

    ¡°18. I¡¯m 18. Why?¡± Song Jinning looked at Huo Jin, perplexed. ¡°Why do you keep asking me that?¡±

    Huo Jin folded her arms as she looked at Gu Nianzhi. She inclined her chin towards Song Jinning as she said, ¡°See that? That¡¯s her illness.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head calmly. ¡°Can you be more explicit?¡±

    ¡°...My second aunt thinks she¡¯s 18. She¡¯s been insisting she¡¯s 18 for more than a decade now, but she¡¯s actually pushing 50.¡± Huo Jin had not expected Gu Nianzhi to be so stubbornly inquisitive. She frowned as she inwardly chided Gu Nianzhi for being so nosy, but exined Song Jinning¡¯s condition to her all the same.

    She had been careful to avoid saying the words ¡°mentally ill¡± here, in front of the other members of the Huo family, to avoid embarrassing Huo Shaoheng. Still, what she had said, coupled with Song Jinning¡¯s actions, should be enough to tip Gu Nianzhi off¡ªshe couldn¡¯t be that obtuse, could she?

    Gu Nianzhi was actually thinking of other things: so the woman was almost 50. She had to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s real mother.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled lightly as she said to Huo Jin: ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?! If that¡¯s supposed to be some kind of disease, then just about every woman alive must be mentally ill, by your definition!¡±

    ¡°...What do you mean?¡± It was Huo Jin¡¯s turn to be confused. She had practically spelled it out¡ªwhy was this girl so hopelessly slow on the uptake?

    The Huo family had kept Song Jinning carefully hidden away all these years. They had hired personal caretakers just for her, all because they did not want her to go out in public and embarrass the rest of the family...

    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled Song Jinning¡¯s hand out of Huo Jin¡¯s grasp. She said cheerfully, ¡°Most women believe they¡¯re forever 18. They may not say it out loud, but they all believe it, deep down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held Song Jinning¡¯s hand as she smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m just like you¡ªI hope I¡¯ll always be 18, and not a day older. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just as sick as you are.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s uneasy expression vanished, but it was immediately reced by a look of pained suffering. ¡°Really? You¡¯re 18, too? That¡¯s great! I¡¯ve been saying it, over and over, every single day, but nobody ever believes me. They all say I¡¯m sick!¡± Her eyes reddened.

    ¡°Of course I believe you. We live in Forever 18 Land, but they don¡¯t, so they¡¯ll never understand. But who cares, really? We don¡¯t need their approval. We are what we say we are. If you say you¡¯re 18, you¡¯re 18, period. Anyone who doesn¡¯t believe us can go to hell, for all I care!¡±

    Song Jinning listened to Gu Nianzhi, beside herself with joy. She sped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Oh, they don¡¯t have to go to hell... It doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t believe me, I don¡¯t want to send them to hell... I¡¯m happy as long as I have someone who believes me.¡±

    ¡°I believe you, 100%.¡± Gu Nianzhi led Song Jinning to the dining table. ¡°All right, let¡¯s have dinner. The next time someone says you¡¯re sick, let me know¡ªI¡¯ll teach ¡¯em a lesson they won¡¯t forget!¡± As she said that, she smiled pointedly at Huo Jin.

    Huo Jin shook her head as she smiled wryly in return. She walked over to Huo Guanchen and his father and said, frustrated: ¡°Grandfather, Second Uncle, you all saw what happened¡ªwhat should we do now? Second Aunt¡¯s condition has never showed any signs of improving, after all these years, and now we have someone actively encouraging her in her delusions and acting all crazy with her. What if her condition worsens?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy! I¡¯m not insane!¡± Song Jinning suddenly held her head in her hands and began yelling, as though triggered by the word ¡°crazy¡± from Huo Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly soothed her. ¡°Shhhh, it¡¯s okay, you¡¯re not crazy. You¡¯re not.¡±

    Song Jinning threw herself into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms, trembling.

    ¡°Sister Lan, don¡¯t say that. I honestly don¡¯t think being forever 18 counts as some kind of mental illness.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave Huo Jin a disapproving Look, before quickly changing the topic. ¡°Sister Lan, we should start serving dinner, I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s hungry. What are we having tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seated herself next to Huo Shaoheng. She gave the chair on her other side to Song Jinning.

    Zhang Wenna sat next to Song Jinning. She watched Gu Nianzhi humor Song Jinning with great interest, before throwing her own parents a significant look.

    The corners of Huo Jin¡¯s mouth twitched¡ªshe had not expected this young girl to make herself at home so quickly. But Huo Jin did not take offense; she immediately walked over to the kitchen to instruct the attendants to start serving dinner. As she passed by Huo Shaoheng, she whispered to him: ¡°Cousin Brother, shouldn¡¯t you... tighten the reins on Miss Gu?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been watching Gu Nianzhi with a thoughtful expression on his face. He heard Huo Jin, and raised his hand in objection. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gently patted Song Jinning on the back as she talked to her in a gentle, subdued voice. Song Jinning slowly rxed. She sat up straight, smiled at Gu Nianzhi, and asked: ¡°What do you like to eat? I know how to cook, I¡¯ll cook for you tomorrow, if you like?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°I¡¯d love to try your cooking tomorrow, Mrs. Huo.¡±

    A faint blush crept over Song Jinning¡¯s face. Her eyes darted over to Huo Guanchen, who was sitting opposite her, as she leaned over and whispered in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear: ¡°...I haven¡¯t married, so I¡¯m not Mrs. Huo, not yet.¡± She paused, before saying shyly, ¡°But I¡¯m very happy to hear you call me Mrs. Huo.¡±

    Her fair cheeks were flushed, and her eyes shimmered with delight. She looked exactly like a young girl who had just fallen in love for the first time.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Song Jinning¡¯s wless skin. She recalled what Huo Jin had said: Song Jinning was almost 50. She asked enviously: ¡°Mrs. Huo, your skin is perfect. What¡¯s your skin care routine? I¡¯d love to know.¡±

    Song Jinning was more than happy to talk about her skin care routine. Sheunched into a lengthy exnation on the do¡¯s and don¡¯ts of skin care. When she was done, she asked Gu Nianzhi what brands she wore, and where she shopped for her clothes.

    Gu Nianzhi chatted enthusiastically about clothes, shoes and bags with Song Jinning. She suddenly realized that the two of them had a lot inmon =_=.

    Gu Nianzhi had never been to the Huo family house before this; she did not know that this was the first time in more than a decade that Song Jinning had been so talkative. Song Jinning sounded and acted like her old, normal self.

    Both Huo Guanchen and his father were stunned to see this. They watched the two women with conflicted expressions, before turning to look at Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 194 - Gu Nianzhis Intuition

    <h4>Chapter 194: Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Intuition</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s features rxed, but he did not smile fully. Sensing Grandfather Huo¡¯s and Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes on him, he looked up to meet their gaze, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Grandfather Huo wanted to say something, but swallowed the words when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s protective expression. He picked up his chopsticks, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Huo Guanchen, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang immediately picked up their chopsticks. Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie smiled at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    It was standard practice to eat in silence at the Huo household. Gu Nianzhi had been taught this when she grew up with Huo Shaoheng, but she enjoyed talking to Song Jinning and was reluctant to pick up her chopsticks.

    Song Jinning heard the signal to eat and whispered to Gu Nianzhi with a smile, ¡°...Let¡¯s chat after dinner.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously.

    The rectangr walnut table wasden with dozens of dishes, but there was a certain order to everything. Grandfather Huo, Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng all had their own three entrees and one soup that only they can eat from. Gu Nianzhi had the same, prepared by the orderlies as Huo Shaoheng asked. The others ate the food made by the Huo family cook.

    Song Jinning was ustomed to having her meal upstairs, but her food was brought down this time since Gu Nianzhi invited her to stay. Gu Nianzhi scrutinized Song Jinning and noticed she ate elegantly, chewing with her mouth closed, taking small bites and holding her chopsticks well. Her manner of eating was a mirror of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. As for Gu Nianzhi, she learned from Huo Shaoheng. Now that she was sitting next to Song Jinning, she suddenly realized where Huo Shaoheng learned his manners from. Thinking about how his mother had be so ill, Gu Nianzhi was crestfallen and kept her head low as she eat. She didn¡¯t want to speak when it was time for tea after dinner. Song Jinning had finally found someone who was willing to speak with and listen to her after so many years, so she was very attached to Gu Nianzhi. She looked at her with wide eyes and even brought the small red y teapot to pour her tea. Shocked, Gu Nianzhi promptly took the teapot, ¡°Mrs. Huo, let me serve you.¡±

    Song Jinning beamed at her, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi.¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed her head as she poured tea for Song Jinning, then filled her own cup. Just when she was about to take a sip, Huo Shaoheng took it from her hands and remarked dryly. ¡°It¡¯s almost bedtime, you shouldn¡¯t have tea.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and recalled that she slept all day. If she had tea now, there was no way she would sleep tonight. She set the cup down.

    Song Jinning looked at Huo Shaoheng shyly and whispered in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, ¡°...Is he your boyfriend?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± Blush uncontrobly spilled over her cheeks as her misty eyes grew dreamy and seemed a little drink. However, she could feel Huo Shaoehng¡¯s eyes pricking her back like needles. Gu Nianzhi managed a pained smile and shook her head gently, ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Then he¡¯s your husband?¡± Son Jinning was brimming with curiosity as she surveyed Huo Shaoheng from head to toe, ¡°He¡¯s very good looking, you look good together.¡±

    ¡°Ah... Oh...¡± Gu Nianzhi stared nkly at Song Jinning when she realized a cruel truth. If Song Jinning didn¡¯t remember getting married, that meant she didn¡¯t remember having a child? That meant she forgot Huo Shaoheng was her biological son?! Gu Nianzhi exhaled sharply and turned to look at Huo Shaoheng with sympathy.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and immediately understood what she was thinking of and got frustrated. It was true that he had feelings of when he was younger, but he was now strong enough that he didn¡¯t need to rely on anyone or emotions for support. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, go rest.¡± Huo Shaoheng rose and pulled Gu Nianzhi up with him, ¡°You still have homework. The semester is about to start, go back to your room to work on it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi became tongue tied, since when did she have homework?! But one look from Huo Shaoheng was enough for her to simmer down and smile feebly at Song Jinning, ¡°Mrs. Huo, I have to go do homework, I¡¯ll y with you tomorrow?¡±

    Song Jinning was somewhat afraid of Huo Shaoheng and turned her head as soon as she felt his stare. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll chat with you tomorrow.¡± Song Jinning stood up as well.

    Huo Jian promptly came over to take her arm and walked her upstairs with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi politely said goodnight to Grandfather He and Huo Guanchen, then to Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie. Afterwards, she followed Huo Shaoheng back to his suite. Huo Shaoheng closed the door as soon as they entered. The suite waspletely soundproof, so even gunshots and explosoves outside couldn¡¯t be heard from the inside. When they went inside, Gu Nianzhi dropped her pretenses and looked at Huo Shaoheng resentfully, ¡°Huo Shao, when did I ever have homework? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    ¡°Call me Uncle.¡± Huo Shaoheng instinctively reminded her while choosing to not argue about her homework. It was an excuse and he saw no reason to exin. Huo Shaoheng went to his study alone and told her, ¡°Rest early, you just had a fever.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng and refused to believe that he would just walk away like this. However she didn¡¯t dare follow him to his study. When she used to live with him, his office was restricted to her. Unless he allowed her, she couldn¡¯t go inside. Gu Nianzhi stamped her feet and went to wash up in the main bedroom. She remembered something when she changed into pyjamas and ran over to knock on the office door.

    ¡°Come in, it¡¯s unlocked.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice came from inside the study..

    Gu Nianzhi gently pushed the door and it opened. Huo Shaoheng looked up from behind his desk. The sleeves on his white shirt rolled up to his elbows to show off his muscr forearms, while the crew neck on the ck T-shirt disyed his exquisite corbones. His dark jade-like eyes quietly watched her, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to his ck T-shirt, ¡°Uncle Huo, you promised to give me a few of those T-shirts as pyjamas when I came back...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it, ¡°I brought a few here, but hey aren¡¯t new.¡±

    ¡°Not new?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Old is great! Old is morefortable, I love old ones!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless and looked at her dubiously. He lowered his head as he continued typing on the keyboard, ¡°It¡¯s in the main bedroom closet, go look yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed happily and turned away. Huo Shaoheng suddenly remembered something else and hastily got up from the desk and caught up to Gu Nianzhi in a few strides, ¡°I¡¯ll get them for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed him to the main bedroom. Huo Shaoheng opened the closet doors and found three ck T-shirts for her. They were all worn, but freshlyundered and had the clean scent from the dryer. ¡°You use this side of the closet.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out the clothes from the right side of the closet and pushed them to the left. His wardrobe was very simple and consisted of military issued clothing, winter tactical uniforms, official uniforms and casual clothes. His coats were in a separate closet, so it was easy to pack up.

    Gu Nianzhi brought her suitcase over and hesitated, ¡°...But I¡¯m only staying here for a few days, Uncle Huo doesn¡¯t have to make room in closet for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused as he pursed his lips and turned out. He spoke calmly, ¡°You¡¯ll be doing three years of post-grad studies in the Imperial capital, you¡¯ll be back here plenty.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi grit her teeth and attempted to argue, ¡°I¡¯m already 18. Uncle Huo, you¡¯re not my guardian anymore.¡±

    ¡°I may not be your guardian, but I¡¯m still your uncle.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets and leaned his back against the closet, the white light illuminating his entire body and entuating his resolute expression.

    Gu Nianzhi greedily took in the sight. She was reluctant to let go and neither dared nor wanted to object. The courage she mustered earlier all but dissipated under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark stare, she lowered her head and crossed her arms, ¡°Fine... I¡¯ll put my things in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her pitiful expression and couldn¡¯t walk away. He considered it and sat on the sofa, beckoning Gu Nianzhi with his hand, ¡°Come over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around, but didn¡¯t want to walk there, ¡°Uncle Huo, just tell me. I can hear you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t insist and rubbed his temple with his hands as he finally talked about what happened today, ¡°Nianzhi, about my mother...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up and walked over to sit beside him. She pulled his arm and asked, ¡°Is Song Jinning really your mother? Biological mother?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward, sping his hands together and resting his elbows on his knees. He looked straight ahead, ¡°Thank you for talking to her today. But don¡¯t do that again.¡±

    ¡°Why not? If she¡¯s sick, wouldn¡¯t talking to her help with recovery?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. She knew an important treatment in psychology was to allow the patient freely speak as much as possible in a rxed environment. Speaking was a form of confession and could relieve stress.

    ¡°The problem is...¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her, ¡°She¡¯s going to sleep and by tomorrow she¡¯ll forget about what she said to you today. She won¡¯t even remember you, so you have to introduce yourself and have the same conversation again. You think many people have the patience to introduce themselves everyday?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her chest, ¡°Aunt Song has short term memory loss?!

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up and sighed, ¡°16 years ago, something happened in my family and my mother... suddenly fainted. When she woke up, she only remembered what happened before she turned 18 and believed she was 18. Ever since then, she would forget what happened the day before...¡± Gradually, nobody in the Huo household wanted to speak with her and grew to ignore her. They only provided food and had a physician regrly give her her medical exams¨Cbut other than that, she was like an non-existent person in the manor.

    Gu Nianzhi held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm sympathetically, ¡°So she forgot you too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her, ¡°But it¡¯s not a big deal, it doesn¡¯t affect me. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± Fine, since the powerful Uncle Huo didn¡¯t need any sympathy, Gu Nianzhi could only rub her nose, ¡°I understand. But...¡± She thought about it and finally spoke, ¡°You said Aunt Song would forget the previous day, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak or correct her, only watched with curiosity as she continued. ¡°Last night she was the one who came to my room.¡± Gu Nianzhi locked eyes with Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You already knew this yesterday, didn¡¯t you?¡± That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t allow further investigation. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was on the first floor and the south wall was entirely French windows. Somehow the windows were unlocked and could be opened from the outside. Song Jinning snuck in sometime and watched Gu Nianzhi at her bedside. But it snowed nearly the entire night, so Song Jinning must¡¯ve left footprints. So the outside lights were conveniently broken to temporarily conceal the tracks. By the time it was morning, the night of snow hadpletely erased Song Jinning¡¯s footprints and close the case without suspicion.

    ¡°...So it wasn¡¯t only Aunt Song¡¯s fault that she came to my roomst night. Someone intentionally did this.¡± Gu Nianzhi concluded, ¡°We don¡¯t know why this person did this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stayed silent and finally spoke after a long time, ¡°That¡¯s mostly correct.¡±¡®

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t finished yet, ¡°When I came out for dinner this evening, I ran into Aunt Song in the hallway again. I think she remembered me. Her look and interest in me meant that she wasn¡¯t oblivious about what happened yesterday.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guarantee it.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously before continuing, ¡°Uncle Huo, you know my intuition is very urate.¡±

    ¡°Your intuition?¡± Huo Shaoheng squinted at her, his eyes almost full of contempt.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help continuing, ¡°...Isn¡¯t that right? Hasn¡¯t my intuition been very urate?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and looked away, ¡°Go to bed, tomorrow...¡± He paused, ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll take you to my mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed and nodded quickly, ¡°Good, I nned on buying Aunt Song a Chanel outfit for New Year¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, use this card.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out a card he had prepared long ago from his trouser pocket, ¡°From now on, you can buy your things with this too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks.¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately declined, ¡°I have schrships and subsidies, it¡¯s enough to live on.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flicked the ck card and cast his eyes downwards, ¡°How much in schrships do you have?¡±

    ¡°...I have tens of thousands a year.¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered, ¡°And subsidies too, its about two thousand a month, that¡¯s enough to eat at the cafeteria. I can also get a part-time job...¡±

    He Zhichu previously offered to have her help with cases, so she would earnmissions.

    ¡°Your Chanel outfit is more than tens of thousands.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave her a look and took her hand to ce the ck card in her soft palm, ¡°Be good, take it.¡±

 Chapter 195 - Light My Fire

    <h4>Chapter 195: Light My Fire</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The ck, glossy credit cardy in the palm of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, conspicuous and eye-catching against her fair skin. She wanted so badly to return the card, but when she saw the hard, unyielding look on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome face, she knew that he would not take no for an answer. Gu Nianzhi shrank back, discouraged.

    She stood helplessly in front of Huo Shaoheng, her expression a mixture of worry and delight. Her eyshes fluttered like butterflies, stirring the cidke of the emotions within him into a surging wave.

    Huo Shaoheng turned away. His hands had be restless, and he felt like smoking. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket, and began to toy with it. He could not make up his mind whether to smoke now, in front of Gu Nianzhi, or to hold off until she left.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were now glued to his hands. She could not help it: his hands were wless, strong. She was ovee with the urge to reach out and hold them¡ªshe needed to feel their gentle touch against her skin, give into them as they eased away the regrets and concerns she had felt all these months apart. She felt hot at the the thought of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands caressing her, soothing her...

    Pleasuring her.

    Huo Shaoheng was intrigued by the naked, undisguised look of desire and infatuation in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    His leaned over slightly, and waved the cigarette pack in his hand before her eyes. ¡°What are you looking at? Hmm?¡±

    His ¡°hmm¡± was light and teasing, but their was a seductive undertone to the words, low and crisp. It seemed to brush against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, and sent a red flush over her earlobe and down her neck.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped backwards, flustered and afraid Huo Shaoheng would be able to tell what she was thinking. She took another unsteady step backwards as she stammered, ¡°Uncle Huo, do you want to smoke? I-I¡¯ll light your cigarette for you.¡±

    She looked up, her eyes sparkling at Huo Shaoheng as she tried desperately to hide the whirlpool of emotions within her.

    His fire had already been lit.

    Huo Shaoheng looked searchingly into her misty, shimmering eyes as he slowly returned the cigarette pack to his trouser pocket. ¡°You were looking at my cigarette pack?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly. It was ame excuse, but she jumped at it. ¡°It¡¯ste. I have to go to bed.¡± She looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Uncle Huo... where will you be sleeping today?¡±

    ¡°The guest room.¡± Huo Shaoheng straightened up and stared at Gu Nianzhi briefly before he left the room.

    Gu Nianzhi did not have an excuse to get him to stay in the master bedroom this time. She felt as though they had once again reached an obstacle that was keeping them apart. However, her spirits lifted as soon as she changed into her pajamas¡ªone of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s T-shirts. She slept soundly under the light goose down duvet, satisfied.

    It was a deep and dreamless sleep. She woke up at early the next morning, refreshed and ready for a new day. After washing up, she opened the bedroom door and saw that Huo Shaoheng was already awake and impably dressed. He stood before a bookshelf in the study, flipping through a set of documents.

    The door to the study was just opposite the door to the master bedroom. It was wide open and allowed Gu Nianzhi to gaze at Huo Shaoheng openly.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s his dark gray, tailor-made cashmere trousers were crisp and impably straight. They were held up by a broad, dark brown military-issue belt around his waist, attached to suspender straps of the same color. A dark blue shirt of fine wool was tucked into his trousers; the muscles on his broad, V-shaped back flexed underneath the fitted garment. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart raced as she watched him.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and saw her standing at the door to the master bedroom. He nodded to her in greeting. ¡°Up already? Go eat your breakfast. We¡¯ll go up to the third floor after that.¡±

    His mother, Song Jinning, lived on the third floor.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled her scattered thoughts, and grinned at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Let¡¯s go together?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered it. He put the documents back onto the shelf, walked out of the study, and closed the door behind him. They left the suite together.

    As soon as they stepped outside, they saw Huo Jin talking to the orderly standing guard at the door.

    Gu Nianzhi politely greeted her. ¡°Morning, Auntie Lan.¡±

    Huo Jin looked up and saw Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhiing out of the room together. A smile immediately spread across her face. ¡°Up so early, Miss Gu? You could have slept in.¡± She turned to Huo Shaoheng and greeted him. ¡°Morning, Cousin Brother.¡±

    ¡°Morning.¡± Huo Shaoheng was in a good mood. ¡°Is breakfast ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You can eat in the dining room,¡± Huo Jin replied as she turned to walk with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Cousin Brother, how long will you be staying here? Grandpa and Second Uncle were just talking about you¡ªthey wanted to know if you want to invite your friends over for the New Year¡¯s party. It¡¯s been some years since you werest back for the New Year, after all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cheerfully followed behind them, surreptitiously checking out the rooms and corridors as she walked. She passed the corridor in which she had seen Song Jinning the previous day, and could not help but stare openly at the window at the end of the corridor. There was no one there today.

    ¡°Watch your step. What are you looking around for?¡± Huo Shaoheng was walking in front, with Huo Jin next to him, but he had been watching Gu Nianzhi out of the corner of his eye.

    Gu Nianzhi heard Huo Shaoheng, and hurried to catch up to him. She smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Huo, your house is massive. I¡¯m just trying to memorize theyout so that I won¡¯t get lost.¡±

    Huo Jin smiled. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. If you¡¯re afraid of getting lost, just get one of the servants to show you the way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to trouble them.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as she shook her head. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡± Huo Jin assured her. ¡°We have many servants standing around doing nothing. We have to give them something to do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi humored Huo Jin with a chuckle, and left it at that.

    The three of them arrived at the dining room and seated themselves. The dining table was alreadyid out with breakfast.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s te was, as usual, piled with food that were high in calories and protein. Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was served toast, fried eggs, and milk.

    Gu Nianzhi was not particrly fond of Western-style breakfasts, and she did not need as many calories as Huo Shaoheng. She had to force herself to eat.

    Huo Jin noticed herck of enthusiasm over breakfast. She pointed at her te, smiling. ¡°Do you still feel unwell? Or is the food not to your liking?

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve only just recovered. My appetite hasn¡¯t returned, just yet.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at Huo Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng finished his te. Without missing a beat, he reached over and began eating the rest of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s uneaten breakfast.

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie were also at the table, eating their breakfast. They could not believe what they were seeing.

    Huo Jin was just as dumbfounded. She stared at Huo Shaoheng¡ªwho continued to nonchntly dig into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s leftovers¡ªand then at Gu Nianzhi, who seemed to think it was the most natural thing in the world for Huo Shaoheng to help her clean her te. Huo Jin frowned.

    After breakfast, Huo Shaoheng led Gu Nianzhi to the third floor to visit Song Jinning.

    Huo Jin wanted to go with them, but at that moment Huo Guanchen came down the stairs and called out to her. ¡°Jin, what did the Xue family give us for New Year¡¯sst year? Do you have a list?¡±

    Huo Jin quickly said, ¡°I do, Second Uncle. I¡¯ll go get it for you, right away.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°Be quick about it. I have other things to attend to.¡± Huo Jin nodded and hurried to the studio on the first floor to find the list detailing all the gifts they had received during the previous New Year.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi arrived at the third floor, and walked down the corridor to the innermost cloakroom. Inside the cloakroom was a cleverly hidden staircase.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the stairs inplete surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was another floor.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng exined, ¡°The third floor was actually a single floor that had been split into two. From the outside, the building looks like it has only three floors.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi mulled over this as she followed Huo Shaoheng up the stairs.

    They arrived at what seemed like a loft; the ceiling was a lot lower than in the floor below.

    Huo Shaoheng was six foot two. The top of his head almost brushed against the low ceiling.

    It was a narrow, oppressive space¡ªeven more so for someone as mentally unwell as Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi thought frustratedly.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed inwardly as she followed Huo Shaoheng to a door that stood slightly ajar.

    A woman¡¯s voice could be heard from behind the door. ¡°Mrs. Song, what are you doing in the kitchen so early in the morning? If you want something to eat, tell me. I¡¯ll get the cooks in the main kitchen downstairs to make it for you.¡±

    Song Jinning did not reply. The fragrant aroma of food wafted from the door.

    A thought urred to Gu Nianzhi. She moved past Huo Shaoheng and walked into the room, a bright, crisp smile on her face. ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Huo!¡±

    The door opened into a small living room. There was another door in the opposite wall; a middle-aged woman, dressed in the white shirt and ck trousers of a household maid, emerged from the door, and jumped at the sight of Gu Nianzhi. A secondter, she saw Huo Shaoheng standing behind Gu Nianzhi, and hastily curtsied. ¡°Good morning, Young Master, Miss Gu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind Gu Nianzhi. He did not say anything.

    Song Jinning heard their voices and came out to see what was going on. She saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smiling face, and was momentarily dumbfounded. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had mastered the skill of being gregarious and friendly with strangers. She said easily, ¡°I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi. Mrs. Huo, you told me yesterday that you wanted to cook for me. Well, I¡¯m here!¡±

    Song Jinning looked at her vaguely. She mumbled to herself: ¡°Did I say that? But I don¡¯t remember...¡±

    A pained expression came across her face as she tried to remember. She hugged her head, overwhelmed. Suddenly, she looked up, saw Huo Shaoheng, and instinctively shrank backwards.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the woman¡¯s fear and immediately ook her hand. ¡°If you don¡¯t remember, that¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t force yourself. Let¡¯s just pretend I¡¯m here to mooch off of you! I¡¯ve already had my breakfast but it wasn¡¯t enough, to be honest!¡±

    She had turned her nose up at her breakfast. Now, however, the smell of food made her hungry. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth began to water.

    Her casual, friendly demeanor was infectious. Song Jinning rxed, and leaned over excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re hungry? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m super hungry.¡± Gu Nianzhi took her hand and led her back to the small room. ¡°Is this your kitchen?¡±

    They stepped into a simple kitchte. There was only one burner on the stove, with a pot of porridge simmering upon it. The fragrant aroma of food hade from the porridge pot.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the porridge pot, and swallowed. The porridge looked delicious: clumps of the rice had broken apart in the soup, but each individual grain of rice had remained intact. It was not the goopy mess characteristic of poorly made porridge.

    Song Jinning was amused by the look of open hunger on her face. She got out adle and filled a bowl with porridge. ¡°Eat up, if you¡¯re hungry. There¡¯s more in the pot.¡± Having said that, she nced at Huo Shaoheng, who had silently followed them into the kitchte. She shyly asked, ¡°Do... do you want some, too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded.

    Song Jinning quickly handed him a bowl of porridge.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng seated themselves on opposite side of the table in the kitchte, and began to eat their porridge.

    The porridge was the real deal. It had been on the stove long enough for the rice on top to dissolve into a thick, nutritious soup. The porridge was sweet with the natural fragrance of rice; it did not require additional seasoning or other condiments. It was the best porridge Gu Nianzhi had ever had.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her bowl and immediately ate another. Song Jinning¡¯s porridge pot was now practically empty.

    ¡°Whoops¡ªI¡¯m so sorry, Mrs. Huo, I should have left some for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi apologized, thoroughly embarrassed.

    The two bowls of porridge had been the tastiest food she had eaten in thest two days; the only food that had truly sated her appetite.

    Song Jinning smiled happily. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just d you enjoyed it. I have my own food, I made this especially for you.¡±

    ¡°See, I was right! You do remember what you told me yesterday!¡± Gu Nianzhi joyfully slid a hand around Song Jinning¡¯s arm. ¡°Okay, since you cooked for me, how about I cook something for you in return?¡±

    Song Jinning nodded eagerly. ¡°Okay. What can you cook?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered however, that she could not actually cook anything¡ªonly instant noodles.

    Huo Shaoheng was not about to let her feed his mother instant noodles. He shot her a look. ¡°Why don¡¯t you... take her outside? I¡¯ll do the cooking.¡±

 Chapter 196 - With You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 196: With You (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was going to actually cook?! Gu Nianzhi grew excited when she remembered eating the food he made when she was just 12 years old. That had been when she was first ced under his care. Afterward, they had always eaten at the base canteen. Although the food there was especially prepared for the generals, it had still been mass produced and throughout the base it was the popr opinion that it could never live up to what Huo Shaoheng could make.

    ¡°Mrs. Huo, let¡¯s go out now. It¡¯s too cramped in here and Uncle Huo can¡¯t move around.¡± Gu Nianzhi happily coaxed Song Jinning outside. The two of them went out to the living room and Gu Nianzhi began a light-hearted conversation with her. As the conversation progressed, Gu Nianzhi realized that Song Jinning¡¯s memories were really stuck at the age of 18, which meant that the woman was 30 years behind the times. The ces and news that she spoke of with familiarity no longer existed, and she had no idea about any of the current events.

    What kind of illness is this? How can she clearly remember her memories before turning 18, andpletely forget everything after that? What on earth happened to this woman? Gu Nianzhi was growing increasingly concerned for Song Jinning; it was apparent that her situation was not normal, but it was strange how the cause behind her condition had not been looked into. Gu Nianzhi nned on asking Chen Lie about Song Jinning¡¯s condition when she had time to see him again. After chatting for less than half an hour, a delicious smell wafted in from the kitchen. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth began to water. How could it smell so good? Gu Nianzhi sniffed the air and drifted towards the kitchen entrance.

    Huo Shaoheng was dishing fried rice with a spat. He turned to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head poking in and raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re still hungry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded excitedly. ¡°Yep!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to get another small bowl and filled it with a bit of fried rice for her. Song Jinning had followed Gu Nianzhi and looked timidly from behind, too nervous to walk closer. Huo Shaoheng nced at her but didn¡¯t say anything as he set down a porcin te piled high with fried rice. The rice grains were full and golden,pletely soaked with the yolk of the soft-boiled egg. There were also sweet and crisp fresh green beans and shrimp that had been marinated with yellow rice wine, pan fried and spread abundantly throughout the rice dish.

    Gu Nianzhi practically inhaled her rice and finished within a few minutes.

    Song Jinning sat quietly across from Gu Nianzhi and picked up a spoon to eat her fried rice. Her frown grew deeper as she chewed and she looked questioningly between Huo Shaoheng andGu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it not good? I can finish it off for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi had already stuck her hands out for her bowl, eager for a second helping.

    Huo Shaoheng took her hand and ced it back, his eyes stern as he spoke to her, ¡°You can¡¯t eat anymore than this; you¡¯re still recovering.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and got up to pour tea.

    Song Jinning whispered to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°May I ask, how did you create this vor?¡±

    ¡°I learned it from someone.¡± Huo Shaoheng said dryly, though his gaze was distracted as he turned to call Gu Nianzhi and ask, ¡°Do you want to take a walk outside?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Gu Nianzhi hurried over to set the tea tray down in front of Song Jinning. ¡°Mrs. Huo, please enjoy your fried rice and have some Pu¡¯er tea after to help with any bloating.¡± She tilted her head at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes sparkling.¡±Are you really taking me out?¡±

    ¡°Today¡¯s Boxing Day, so the capital¡¯s brand name stores will have many good exclusive items.¡± Huo Shaoheng stepped to the side. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to go shopping?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Gu Nianzhi eximed and then turned and winked at Song Jinning. ¡°Please enjoy your meal Mrs.Huo. I¡¯m going out to do some shopping.¡±

    Song Jinning nodded dubiously as she kept her eyes on Huo Shaoheng. She mumbled, ¡°This tastes familiar. I¡¯m sure that I can make it as well...¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled at Song Jinning. He gazed at her for a few more seconds, watching her eat, and then took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked out.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng down from the third floor and asked in a low voice, Why did your mother think the taste was familiar?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s her recipe. I liked eating fried rice when I was young, so she always made it for me.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied dryly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down. Poor Huo Shao. Huo Shoaheng suddenly reached out to take her cheeks and pinched them. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, I¡¯m not that soft.¡± Gu Nianzhi yelped and pulled her face out of his strong grip. Her reddened cheeks made Huo Shaoheng burst intoughter and he patted her face gently before heading downstairs.

    As soon as they turned the corner, they bumped into Huo Jin, who was rushing upstairs. ¡°Huh? Why are youing down this way?¡± Huo Jin looked up at them curiously. ¡°Did you see Mrs. Song?¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Thanks for taking care of her, ¡± Huo Jin said.

    Gu Nianzhi was still rubbing her face and snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng, poking her head out from behind him. ¡°Aunt Lan, why do you call her Mrs. Song instead of Mrs. Huo?¡± Even though Song Jinning¡¯sst name was Song, she was married into the Huo family; her title then should have been ¡°Mrs. Huo¡± Women of the Huaxia Empire didn¡¯t officially change theirst names after marriage, but were typically referred to by their husband¡¯sst name to denote the difference between ¡®single¡¯ and ¡®married¡¯. Gu Nianzhi had already noticed the day before that she was the only one to call Song Jinning ¡°Mrs. Huo.¡± Everyone else, including the Huo family servants, called her ¡°Mrs. Song.¡±

    Huo Jin¡¯s bright almond eyes shed with interest as she looked at Huo Shaoheng with a smile. ¡°Elder Cousin, you haven¡¯t told Miss Gu yet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets and looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a smoke.¡± He didn¡¯t meet Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes and quickly walked down.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s retreating back. She turned to see Huo Jin¡¯s smiling fac. ¡°Did something happen that I didn¡¯t know about?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let Elder Cousin tell you about it.¡± Huo Jin patted her shoulder and looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s retreating figure with a smile before she walked upstairs, nodding at Gu Nianzhi as she left. Gu Nianzhi looked back at her beautifully curvy figure and heaved an envious sigh. Huo Jin was always dressed neatly at the home. Today she wore avender qipao with white fox fur trim¡ªit disyed her curves perfectly. When she climbed the steps, Gu Nianzhi noticed how her hips moved swayed. Of course, Huo Jian wasn¡¯t intentionally doing it, but she couldn¡¯t help looking alluring, with her full figure d in the tight qipao. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even blink, she wanted to observe this tasteful charm. She herself was still too young to be considered womanly or seductive... Gu Nianzhi quietly sighed and kept sneaking looks at Huo Jin as she walked downstairs. She finally turned her head when she couldn¡¯t see Huo Jin any more, then looked up to see Huo Shaoheng with one hand in his pocket and a cigarette in the other hand. He was leaning on the railing of the staircase, waiting for her.

    ¡°What are you looking at back there? Aren¡¯t you worried about falling down the stairs?¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out his hand to her.

    Gu Nianzhi took his hand and red at his cigarette. ¡°Uncle Huo, you¡¯re smoking in the house?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her remark and said, ¡°Go change first. I¡¯lle after finishing this cigarette.¡± Huo Shaoheng released her hand and walked out of the room. Gu Nianzhi went to her room and came out wearing a Burberry coat with horn buttons and a Mulberry backpack. As soon as she came out of the door, Huo Shaoheng emerged from the spare bedroom in a navy shirt and a dark brown leather coat. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure appeared even more strapping in the smooth material, and he looked like a model off a top international fashion magazine¡ªGu Nianzhi was starstruck.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. What are you spacing out for?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked past her and took out his car keys. Gu Nianzhi jogged up to keep up. They both wore casual clothes and Huo Shaoheng only arranged for a few security guards in casual clothes to protect them, unlike the fanfare when he picked her up thest time.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Gu Nianzhi followed him to the car. ¡°Uncle Huo, do you really know how to drive?¡± Fan Jian always drove them, but he would be on holiday for the next few days and Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t arranged for any other drivers.

    He didn¡¯t look at her as he started the car and said sarcastically, ¡°No I don¡¯t; what should we do now?¡±

    ¡°What should we do?!¡± Gu Nianzhi red at him before letting out a soft giggle. She said, ¡°Fine, I guess we¡¯ll have to rely on your good looks to get us from one ce to another, since that¡¯s your only asset.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Huo Shaoheng flicked her forehead at her sassyment. ¡°Sit tight and put on your seatbelt.¡± Gu Nianzhi strapped herself in and as they drove,plimented the Bentley from front to back, amazed at how luxurious the car was. She spoke in animatedly, so Huo Shaoheng was lost in his own thoughts while Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice ran on pleasantly in the background. She didn¡¯t need him to respond anyway, so the time felt rxing and passed quickly when he was with her.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at the luxury shopping area in the capital, Scion za. After parking in the underground parkade, Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and turned around in a circle with her hands out, eximing, ¡°This parkade is bigger than the American malls!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng locked the car and chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the eighth-floor. You¡¯ll be able to do the shopping you want to there.¡± All the brand name stores were on the eighth- floor of Scion za.

    Gu Nianzhi walked quickly behind him as she looked at the growing number of people entering the za. She pursed her lips and walked next to Huo Shaoheng. She said, in a low voice, ¡°H-Huo Shao, there¡¯s something I want to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Well, while we¡¯re out here today, could you not have me call you Uncle Huo?¡± Gu Nianzhi blushed. She wanted to shop normally with Huo Shaoheng today and leave a good memory. If she had to call him ¡°Uncle Huo¡± the entire time, the memory would be tarnished; she didn¡¯t want to keep ying this game of guardian and child with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent. He looked down at her and finally said, ¡°You jump around so much that people will automatically think that I¡¯m your guardian, even if you don¡¯t call me Uncle.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped short. ¡°I wasn¡¯t jumping around just now! I just wanted to talk to you; you¡¯re the one who¡¯s walking so fast!¡± So, he did think she was too young and not mature enough... Sadness filled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, but she held it back.

    Huo Shaoheng slowed his pace to match with hers and walked her to the elevator headed directly to the eighth floor. The eighth-floor elevator directly faced the Chanel gship store in the Huaxia Empire. ¡°Go in and pick out some clothes.¡± Huo Shaoheng lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here for you.¡± He stood in the hallway outside the Chanel store and smoked as he waved at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head spun as she saw the colorful clothes and hurried inside to look at thetest season¡¯s fashion, already lost in her excitement.

    Huo Shaoheng watched her as she bounced and ran about, a smile ghosting his lips as he leaned on the railing and smoked in silence. Half an hourter, Gu Nianzhi came out carrying several paper bags, a big grin on her face. Just as she was about to show off her new goods, she heard someone say, ¡°Huo Shao?! Is that you?! You¡¯re finally back! How many years has it been?¡±

 Chapter 197 - With You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 197: With You (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and was surprised to see that it was his childhood friend, Xue Jingjiang. He had not seen him since joining the military.

    Xue Jingjiang had thick eyebrows andrge eyes. He was also very tall, his height as high has Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Next to him was a tall, shapelydy.

    Xue Jingjiang rushed over and thumped Huo Shaoheng enthusiastically on the shoulder, ovee with nostalgia. ¡°All these years, and you never once came home! I knew you had joined the military, but man! You were gone for so long that I was beginning to think you¡¯d been exiled!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he looked Xue Jingjiang over. ¡°Boots, it¡¯s been years since I¡¯vest seen you, but you¡¯re just as handsome and stylish as I remember.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang¡¯s surname was Xue, which sounded like the Chinese word for ¡°shoes¡±. Therefore, his childhood ymates had always called him ¡°Boots.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had anyone call me ¡®Boots¡¯ in years.¡± Xue Jingjiang was so touched he felt like he was about to cry. ¡°Huo Shao, how long will you be back for? I hear that you¡¯re a major general now¡ªyou must be the youngest major general in history!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s not a big deal, really.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook hands with him. ¡°What a coincidence, bumping into you like this. I literally just got back.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang quickly said, ¡°Well, as the saying goes, ¡®a chance encounter is better than a nned invitation.¡¯ I¡¯ll treat you and our other brothers to dinner today at my ce. Huo Shao, you muste. I won¡¯t take no for answer.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing silently beside him.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a pleading look. She hoped he had not forgotten her request.

    Xue Jingjiang finally noticed Gu Nianzhi. As soon as heid eyes on her, he was strongly reminded of the first snowfall in early winter¡ªthe youngdy was so delicate she seemed she would either melt in the palm of his hand or drift away upon a sudden gust of wind. Her lively eyes, as dark and bright as ckcquer, shone in her exquisite face. She seemed too beautiful to be real.

    He was momentarily dumbstruck. After a minute, he recovered himself and asked Huo Shaoheng with a chuckle, ¡°Huo Shao, who is this? Aren¡¯t you going to introduce her to me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. He said nonchntly, ¡°The youngdy here is with me. Gu is her surname, so you can call her Little Gu.¡± As he said that, he reached over, took the Chanel shopping bags from her, and wrapped his free hand around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small, delicate hand.

    He had not introduced himself as her uncle, but his stance was still protective and stiff. Still, Gu Nianzhi was happy that he had honored her request. She smiled gently and waved at Xue Jingjiang. ¡°Brother Boots, it¡¯s so nice to meet you.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang¡¯s face brightened upon hearing her soft, melodic voice. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Little Gu. Come with me; Brother Xue will treat you right. Tell me what you want to eat, what you want to do¡ªyour wish is mymand!¡± He turned and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°¡®The View From The Ninth Floor¡¯ is, obviously, on the ninth floor and just one floor up. I¡¯ll call Cui Baifei, Hong Ziqi, and Bai Tianqun, and get them toe over and dine with us.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not in a hurry to go home. He nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯re practically family. It¡¯s high time we had a get-together.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang immediately understood what Huo Shaoheng was hinting at. He quickly turned to the pretty woman beside him and said, ¡°I¡¯m busy now. You should go for today. I¡¯ll take you out to tea some other time.¡±

    The woman had been looking Huo Shaoheng over with eager, hungry eyes. When she heard Xue Jingjiang practically shoo her away, her face immediately darkened. She said, in a loud, angry voice: ¡°Hold it, Mister Xue! Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? Are you pulling a wham, bam, thank you, ma¡¯am?!¡±

    Xue Jingjiang was reluctant to get into an argument with her in front of Huo Shaoheng. He shot her an icy look and she immediately shut up, afraid to cause a scene. She pouted as she slung her Louis Vuitton bucket bag over her shoulder, and marched off in anger.

    Once she was gone, Xue Jingjiang immediately called up the rest of his old childhood ymates. ¡°Guys,e over quick! Huo Shao¡¯s back in town! We¡¯re going to have a get-together at my ce, The View From The Ninth Floor. Get over here, and remember to bring your significant others¡ªthe proper ones!¡± He turned around to surreptitiously hiss thest three words into his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi was quick to pick up on the underlying implication. The corners of her mouth quirked upwards.

    Huo Shaoheng did not react. He stood nonchntly before the elevator, chest forward and head held high as he pretended not to have heard Xue Jingjiang. His eyes flickered to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pouty cherry lips and lingered upon them as she smiled.

    In a Louis Vuitton store, a short distance away Mei Xiawen and Jiang Hongcha had just exited the store with a shopping bag in hand when they heard the earliermotion. They looked up to see what was going on.

    Mei Xiawen immediately saw Gu Nianzhi.

    He saw her standing next to an impressive looking man. The effect was striking: she looked unbearably lovely, her delicate frame leaning towards the man¡¯s strong figure. He could tell that she did not have any make-up on her snowy white face, but she evidently did not need them: her facial features stood out beautifully all the same.

    Jiang Hongcha, on the other hand, noticed Huo Shaoheng first. It was difficult not to: his tall, imposing figure and achingly beautiful face made him stand out from the crowd.

    Jiang Hongcha was calmly looking Huo Shaoheng over when she caught a glimpse of Gu Nianzhi out of the corner of her eye.

    Her eyes were immediately drawn to Gu Nianzhi.

    Jiang Hongcha blinked in surprise. She said to Mei Xiawen, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say once that Gu Nianzhi is an orphan, and that she doesn¡¯t have a lot of money?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s an orphan, ¡± Mei Xiawen said absentmindedly , his eyes glued to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°But, look at what she¡¯s wearing¡ªthat¡¯s a Burberry duffle coat, a Herm¨¨s scarf, a Mulberry backpack, and Salvatore Ferragamo knee-high boots. Her entire get up costs at least a hundred thousand yuan,¡± Jiang Hongcha remarked out in a low voice. Her lip curled disdainfully. ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s a poor, ¡°penniless¡± orphan?¡±

    Mei Xiawen frowned. ¡°She never wore any of that when she was at C University...¡±

    He would have noticed if she had dressed in such expensive clothes back then. He suddenly remembered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s luxurious apartment in C City¡¯s Fengya precinct¡ªsomething seemed off.

    Jiang Hongcha believed Mei Xiawen. She nced at Gu Nianzhi contemptuously and said, ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure you¡¯re not mistaken, that means she¡¯s found a sugar daddy. That youngdy just now, the one who threw a tantrum and walked off¡ªshe¡¯s a model, an inte celebrity, and you can ¡®buy¡¯ her, if you get what I mean. A dinner with her costs at least 10,000 yuan...¡±

    Mei Xiawen was stunned. ¡°Are you saying that¡¯s what Nianzhi¡¯s doing?¡±

    ¡°You have to admit she has good taste. Look at that man beside her¡ªhe¡¯s rich and handsome. He must be a high-ss sugar daddy. I wonder if she caught him in America?¡± Jiang Hongcha gently nudged Mei Xiawen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey, do you think Professor He knows what his precious student is up to?¡±

    Jiang Hongcha got out her phone and was about to take a photo of Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi when a man came over and said sternly, ¡°You can¡¯t take photos here. Please delete the photos you¡¯ve taken.¡±

    Jiang Hongcha was taken aback. When the man had left, she looked again and saw that Gu Nianzhi and herpanions had already disappeared into the elevator.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mei Xiawen took onest look at the elevator before pulling Jiang Hongcha away.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng and Xue Jingjiang to the ninth floor of Scion Square. They soon arrived at the entrance to a ssic, antique-style hall.

    Hanging over the entrance was a traditional door que. The gold characters on it said, in an elegant calligraphic flourish against the ck background, ¡°Jiu Lou Feng Yue,¡± or ¡°The View From The 9th Floor.¡±

    So this is actually the name of the ce, Gu Nianzhi realized.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the name curiously, before following Huo Shaoheng inside.

    Xue Jingjiang walked before them, leading the way.

    He owned the ce, and it showed: as soon as he walked in, his employees scrambled to amodate him. In a few moments, he had led Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng to the most luxurious private room in the ce.

    A massive ss window took up an entire wall; it overlooked the bustling streets below.

    The private room was tastefully furnished: there was a wooden Arhat bed, a traditional Chinese square table for a party of eight, a round red sandalwood table iid with mother-of-pearl, and high-back mahogany dining chairs upholstered in red velvet. There was also a small karaoke corner, separated from the rest of the room by a folding screen.

    ¡°Take a seat. I¡¯ll get the waiters to bring over a few starters.¡± Xue Jingjiang hurried about as he personally saw to the menu and food preparations.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out one of the dining chairs for Gu Nianzhi.

    He sat on the chair next to her, his legs crossed. He poured her a cup of tea, and leisurely rested an arm on the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chair.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately sat up straight. She did not dare lean backward.

    He was so close to her it almost felt as though she were sitting in his arms. She could practically feel his warm breath on her skin. His arm was right behind her, and she wanted desperately to lean into it.

 Chapter 198 - With You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 198: With You (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded in her chest; she shook nervously but didn¡¯t dare lean back. If she really leaned then what would Huo Shao think of her?

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating? You¡¯re all red; do you have a fever?¡± Huo Shaoheng had noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face as he spoke to Xue Jingjiang¡ªit was red as a tomato¡¯s, so he touched her forehead. She was indeed warm.

    Sitting on the other side of Huo Shaoheng, Xue Jingjiang¡¯s heart dropped. He hoped the young girl wouldn¡¯t fall ill now, since it was so rare that he got hang out with Huo Shao. There was no question that Huo Shaoheng would take her home if she wasn¡¯t feeling well.

    ¡°Is the air conditioning not cold enough? I¡¯ll have someone set it to a lower temperature!¡± Xue Jingjiang rose and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Do you want some warm milk?¡± Such a cute girl would be suited to drink milk, he thought.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed and moved her head to avoid Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. She pressed her hand over her thundering heart and looked at Xue Jingjiang with wide eyes and said, ¡°Brother Xue, I¡¯m fine. But, I could go for some warm milk.¡±

    Xue Jiangjing sighed in relief and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I like this young sister! You can always look for me if you need help in the Imperial capital!¡±

    ¡°Why would she look for Xue the fool?To this day, there still hasn¡¯t been a girl who¡¯s looked for you that hasn¡¯t somehow ended up in your bed!¡± The door to the private room opened with the sound of three menughing, and three dignified and beautiful women followed them.

    Xue Jingjiang turned around and saw his three buddiese in. He quickly got up to greet them. ¡°There¡¯s a younger sister here, so don¡¯t be so crass! Be careful that Huo Shao doesn¡¯t feed you bullets!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and also rose from the seat to stand in standard military position. He looked at the three men.¡±Hey A-fei, Tianqun, and Ziqi. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow! Huo Shao is really here!¡± Cui Baifei, Bai Tianqun, and Hong Ziqi all surged forward to shake hands with him. ¡°Well, I got to shake hands with the youngest Major General in all of the Huaxia Empire! I¡¯m not going to wash my hand for a month now!¡±

    ¡°Cut it out! You just know how to joke around!¡± Xue Jingjiang walked over with a smile as he ordered the waiters to serve the food and began to introduce everyone, ¡°Huo Shao, you haven¡¯t been back in so many years, so you had no idea about our friends¡¯ new lives right?¡±

    ¡°Well, you should tell me.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around to see Gu Nianzhi standing as well and pulled her to his side.

    Xue Jingjiang pointed to the woman in a purple belted wool coat standing by Cui Baifei. ¡°This is Baifei¡¯s wife, we call her Mrs. Cui.¡± He then pointed to another woman in a red down jacket behind Bai Tianqun and said, ¡°This is Tianqun¡¯s fiancee, Xue Xinran, who¡¯s also my cousin. They just got engaged this year and are getting married next year.¡± Lastly, he pointed to a woman wearing a white cashmere coat standing beside Hong Ziqi. ¡°That¡¯s Ziqi¡¯s girlfriend, Guo Huining. She an honors student who graduated from the B University Faculty of Law and the director of the Legal Department in Hong Enterprises. She was destined to be with Hong Ziqi!¡± Xue Jingjiang nudged Hong Ziqi yfully, and then the group broke out intoughter.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to them. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure.¡±

    ¡°And who is this younger sister? She looks such a pretty little darling.¡± Hong Ziqi¡¯s girlfriend, Guo Huining, was a sociable person. She, like Gu Nianzhi currently, had also studiedw and although she came from a humble background, her intellect and hard work had enabled her to earn approval from the head of the Hong family. She was now officially the girlfriend of Hong Ziqi, one of the most eligible Fuerdai in the Imperial capital. She smiled at Gu Nianzhi and thought that the girl had very good taste¡ªshe was dressed in all designer pieces, but didn¡¯t appear ostentatious so she had to be fairly well off. This was unlike many people who drowned themselves in brand name items.

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and gave a small smile as he introduced her to his friends. ¡°This a child from our family, herst name is Gu. You can just call her Little Gu.¡± He had repeated the earlier introduction to Xue Jingjiang. All the people in the room were elites. As soon as they heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vague introduction, they could confirm at least two things. First, this youngdy had close ties with the Huo family, because herst name was different but was still referred to as ¡°from the family.¡± Second, that Huo Shaoheng valued this youngdy and was very protective. He wouldn¡¯t even tell them her full name and had only given thest name, so exactly how protective was he? Even though everyone understood the two truths, not one among them had the guts to say anything to Huo Shaoheng. Since he had given Gu Nianzhi such a subtle introduction, they all pretended not to notice and insteadughingly fawned over Gu Nianzhi before they took seats around the rosewood round table in the adjacent room. Huo Shaoheng sat at the head of the table with Gu Nianzhi his right and Xue Jingjiang on his left. Guo Huining took the seat beside Gu Nianzhi, since it was better for her to sit with a girl instead of two strange men, regardless of the fact that they were her fianc¨¦e¡¯s childhood friends. Huo Shaoheng watched everyone take their seats and didn¡¯t say anything more, merely nodding as the waiters served the tters of food.

    ¡°Today we¡¯re weing Huo Shao back, and it so happens that ¡®Jiu Lou Feng Yue¡¯ has especially prepared a ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup¡¯ for Christmas and New Year. Normally, you have to reserve it half a year in advance. But Huo Shao is back, so I made an exception and ordered it myself.¡± Xue Jingjiang pointed to the the middle of the round table, where a rustic round pot sat steaming. ¡°The kitchen stewed it for a full day and night, so please, everyone, have a taste!¡±

    ¡°¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup¡¯ requires dozens of ingredients including sea cucumber, abalone, shark¡¯s fin, dried scallop, fish lip, shark apron, deer tendon, pigeon egg, duck stomach, fish maw, scallop, pigeon, ribs, razor shells, ham, pork belly, sheep elbow, hoof tip, tendon, mushroom, winter bamboo shoots, etc., then uses different methods such as frying, pan-frying, cooking and deep frying all the ingredients separately. Lastly, everything isyered inside arge Shaoxing wine jar, where broth and cooking wine is added and sealed with lotus leaves, then simmered. Our restaurants especially uses white smoke and charcoal to slowly stew it for one day and night to create a rich and nutritious recipe, aptly called ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup.¡¯¡± Xue Jingjiang nodded as he introduced his restaurant¡¯s specialty dish.

    The waitress waited until he finished speaking, then came over to open the lotus leaf cover. The fresh and rich scent emanated throughout the room.

    ¡°Here, here. Everyone have a taste!¡± Xue Jingjiang picked up a spoon and began serving everyone one.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was still full from the morning, she couldn¡¯t help how hungry she was now. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, who didn¡¯t say anything and instead passed her small soup bowl to Xue Jingjiang.

    Xue Jingjiang immediately said, ¡°The first bowl isn¡¯t as good, so I¡¯ll serve myself first. It tastes better in the bottom with all the essence and spices settled in there¡±

    Hong Ziqi guffawed and said, ¡°Well, well, Xue the fool! You¡¯re telling the truth now that you¡¯re buttering up Little Gu! Last year when I came here to eat it, you said the first bowl was the best! You coaxed me into eating the first bowl everytime! You¡¯ve been lying to me all along!¡±

    Xue Jingjiang chuckled. ¡°Just look at you! Who else would fall for my lies?! I¡¯m telling you, you only deserve to eat the scum on the top!¡±

    Bai Tianqun couldn¡¯t helpughing and winked at Cui Baife as they took out a bottle of 30 year old Maotai and toasted Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s been so many years and we missed you a lot. We saved this Maotai just for you!¡± They had first saved this Maotai when it had aged for 20 years, and in a blink of an eye it had already became 30.

    Huo Shaoheng gave a small smile and raised his ss. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll drink first.¡± He emptied it one gulp, the mellow scent of Maotai wafting from him. Gu Nianzhi could get drunk just smelling him. She licked her lips and snuck a look at the Maotai bottle. She hadn¡¯t had real wine all her life; would she be so lucky tonight?

    Bai Tianqun and Cui Baife saw Huo Shaoheng finish the ss and also drank from their own. After a round of toasts, Xue Jingjiang served the soup to everyone¡¯s bowls. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait to try the special dish.

    Huo Shaoheng ced a spoon in the bowl for her. ¡°Eat it, and you¡¯ll feel better. You need to replenish yourself.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Little Gu was sick? What kind of illness?¡± Guo Huining had overheard and quickly asked. ¡°No wonder you look so pale; do you have weak health?¡± She knew all the daughters of rich families ate supplements as though they were regr meals.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°I got a fever after catching a chill. I¡¯ve felt better since yesterday, but my appetite still hasn¡¯t recovered. But, Brother Xue¡¯s ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup¡¯ is exactly up my alley, so I know I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft voicecked the inherent arrogance of an heiress. Her words were clear and honest and easily blocked Guo Huining¡¯s little deviation from the topic. With one sentence, Cui Baife, Bai Tianqun, and Hong Ziqun all looked at her in a new light.

    Xue Jingjiang had already been stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beauty, and her well rounded replypletely impressed him. ¡°Well if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll order another one and let Little Gu recuperate!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hastily waved her hands. ¡°No need, no need! It¡¯s enough for me to eat one bowl.¡±

    ¡°Your Brother Xue is looking out for you, be good.¡± Huo Shaoheng said coolly as he kept his hand draped on the back of her chair.

    Gu Nianzhi could no longer refuse and said to Xue Jingjiang, ¡°What a lucky night for everyone; thank you Brother Xue!¡± Soon afterwards, another order of soup arrived. Gu Nianzhi was served thest bowl again, and waspletely stuffed after she finished the two bowls.

    Cui Baife¡¯s wife, Mrs. Cui, noticed this and left her seat with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m full and want to sit over there in the lounge.¡± She then asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Little Gu, do you want to rest with me over there?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt she couldn¡¯t ask for more food considering how sated she felt, and so quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯m full too! I¡¯ll join you as well.¡±

    Bai Tianqun¡¯s fiancee, Xue Xinran, and Hong Ziqi¡¯s girlfriend, Guo Huining, followed them from the table. The four women went to the karaoke area behind the screen to chat.

    Huo Shaoheng listened to his friends recount the past few years. Gu Nianzhi ,on the other hand, slumped on the sofa behind the screen and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m so full! Brother Xue¡¯s ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup¡¯ is delicious; I couldn¡¯t stop eating at all.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all lucky to have been able to eat it at all, since it was all thanks to you.¡± Mrs. Cui giggled. ¡°For the past few years, people even had to draw lots to get reservations. Xue, that fool, is great at business and he¡¯s a pro at ¡®hunger marketing.¡¯ There are only a dozen restaurants in the Imperial capital that can make the ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup,¡¯ but his is the most popr.¡±

    The women began talking about business; Gu Nianzhi sat on the side with a smile as she listened quietly without interjecting.

    Mrs. Cui didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to be left out, since Cui Baife had brought her along to keep the girlpany. She thought about it and quietly asked her, ¡°Little Gu, how old are you?¡±

    ¡°I just turned 18 in October.¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up the teapot to serve everyone. ¡°What about you all?¡± Since the topic of age was brought up, everyone was treated the same and had to reveal it. It turned out Guo Huining was the oldest at 28, which was the same age as Hong Ziqi. Sister Cui was 25 and Xue Xinran was 23¡ªthey were all older than Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You¡¯re still so young? Where do you go to university?¡± Guo Huining sighed deeply and said, ¡°I¡¯m a whole ten years older than you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already graduated from your Master of Law?! What a genius! Don¡¯t make us feel ashamed.¡± Xue Xinran teased and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What¡¯s your major?¡±

    They had all assumed that she was in her first year of university.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I graduated with my undergrad this year and will be doing my post-grad in B University this spring. Sister Guo, please advise me in the future!¡±

    ¡°Huh? You already graduated university at 18?!¡± Mrs. Cui and Xue Xinran were both shocked and impressed¡ªshe was a young beauty with the looks, smarts, and a good family background! They all sat curiously besides her and peppered her with questions.

    Xue Xinran even asked her directly, ¡°Are you a rtive of the Huo family? Do you have a boyfriend? My brother turns 22 this year and he just graduated from the B University Faculty of Economics; do you want me introduce you one day?¡±

 Chapter 199 - With You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 199: With You (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Xue Xinran¡¯s voice was clear and sweet; it cleaved through the noise and general hubbub to reverberate loudly throughout the room.

    As soon as Xue Xinran finished her sentence, Gu Nianzhi had the distinct impression that the room was suddenly dead silent.

    But, it was probably just her imagination, since a secondter the clinking of sses had resumed, mingled with the beeping of the karaoke machine as Guo Huining fiddled with it.

    Mrs. Cui, who was sitting on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s other side, gave her a gentle, teasing push as she cheerfully said, ¡°I want to know too! Little Gu, do you have a boyfriend? If you aren¡¯t seeing anyone, I have a number of young, handsome studs to introduce to you!¡± She winked.

    Apparently all the cultureddies from distinguished families were fond of match-making, Gu Nianzhi realized. She did not know whether tough or cry at this; did she really seem so young and desperate? She stammered out, flustered, ¡°W-What? A boyfriend? Um...¡±

    She remembered when Mei Xiawen had tried to date her in college: Huo Shaoheng had calmly and sensibly told her that he did not care who she went out with.

    At that time though, she had not understood why her heart had sank like a rock at his words. She understood now, but she would never be able to tell anyone about it. And, it did not matter what he felt about it¡ªshe knew she would never be able to love another.

    ¡°Tell us! Don¡¯t be shy now.¡± Xue Xinran nudged her arm in a teasing manner. ¡°You already graduated from college, right? It¡¯s totally normal for you to have a boyfriend. But don¡¯t feel pressured, you don¡¯t have to tell us if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, and straightened up. There was a faint blush on her face as she slowly said, ¡°I...don¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± Xue Xinran snapped her fingers. ¡°Where¡¯s your phone? I¡¯ll give you my younger brother¡¯s number, he¡ª¡±

    Xue Xinran did not get to finish. Gu Nianzhi interrupted her with a smile: ¡°But, I have someone I like.¡±

    She had been careful to keep her voice low; nevertheless, unknown to her, her remark passed through the gaps in the screen and reached Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ears, who was sitting just behind it.

    His hand momentarily stilled in the middle of clinking sses with Bai Tianqun and Hong Ziqi, but he quickly recovered and downed his drink.

    ¡°Bravo! Huo Shao, you can still drink like a fish! Actually, no¡ªyou¡¯re an even better drinker now!¡± Xue Jingjiangughed heartily as he filled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cup once more.

    ¡°You have someone you like?¡± Mrs. Cui¡¯s interest had been piqued. ¡°But you said that you don¡¯t have a boyfriend. Are you saying it¡¯s a secret crush?¡±

    ¡°A secret crush? Is that still a thing?¡± Guo Huining, who was sitting on the karaoke stage, turned to smile at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If you like someone, tell him. I don¡¯t think anyone would ever say no to a girl like you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, but said nothing. She regretted having revealed so much of herself to these women¡ªshe barely knew them!

    It was none of their business who she was dating, or even who she liked. However, she just couldn¡¯t resist the desire to confide in her heart, and so had taken the opportunity to talk about her feelings for Huo Shaoheng.

    But, just as she had expected, he had not shown any reaction, at all.

    He evidently did not care about who she did or did not like.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she brusquely got up and asked Mrs. Cui, ¡°Where¡¯s the bathroom? I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡±

    Mrs. Cui and Xue Xinran exchanged a look: they knew they had upset Gu Nianzhi by being too nosy and pushy.

    ¡°Come with me, I¡¯ll show you the way. Go out, take a left¡ªit¡¯s at the end of the corridor.¡± Mrs. Cui stood up and extended a hand to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s okay, Mrs. Cui. You stay and sing a few songs with the others, I can look for it on my own. The ce isn¡¯t that big.¡± Sheughed lightly at their worried looks and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m not a child.¡± With that, she turned and left.

    Mrs. Cui looked after her. It was clear that Gu Nianzhi did not want anyone to follow her, and it seemed perfectly safe to let her wander the ce alone: it was still early, the sun was still out, and Xue Jingjiang, who owned the ce, would never let anything happen to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s family. Satisfied that Gu Nianzhi would be fine on her own, Mrs. Cui let her go without following her, and began to look through the karaoke song catalog with Xue Xinran and Guo Huining.

    Just then, Huo Shaoheng stood from his chair and said to his fourpanions: ¡°Take your time drinking. I¡¯m going out for a smoke.¡± He went out.

    Xue Jingjiang and the rest of the men were light-headed from all the drinking; Huo Shaoheng had drunk them all under the table. They saw Huo Shaoheng get up to leave, and could only wave vaguely in his general direction in reply. They were already seeing double, but they were too happily intoxicated to stop from pouring themselves another round.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the private room, alone, and found thedies¡¯ bathroom. She went in and adjusted her hair and clothes in front of the mirror. When she was done, she exited the bathroom and made her way to the terrace to get some fresh air.

    The private room had been too warm for her. She was wearing a high-neck cashmere sweater and sheer ck tights; she could practically feel the sweat waiting to break out from under her skin.

    She arrived at a terrace, and saw that it was an open-air terrace that was protected from the elements by a retractable ss ceiling in the winter. When the ss ceiling was down, the terrace was transformed into a greenhouse, warm enough for therge and verdant nts inside to flourish. There was an artificial stream somewhere; there was a soft, persistent sound of running water in the background. The winter sun shone through the transparent ceiling, warming the air to afortable temperature.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around. She spotted a stone bench beneath a banana tree, and walked over to it. She sat down, got out her phone, and unlocked it as she wondered who she should call.

    Mrs. Cui and herpanions had stoked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s desire to confide in someone, and she was now feeling restless and frustrated. She was dying to ask someone whether her feelings were appropriate.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her list of contacts on her phone, and scrolled down the long list. She found Little Temptress¡¯s profile picture, and tapped on it.

    It was noon. Gu Nianzhi was pretty sure Little Temptress was either having lunch or taking a nap.

    The phone had only begun to ring when Little Temptress answered it. She had been just about to take a nap.

    ¡°Nianzhi, is that you? Where are you now?¡± Little Temptress asked anxiously. ¡°Are you all right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s former roommates had received a Christmas greeting from her on Christmas night, but they had not heard from her since.

    Little Temptress, Lady Cao, and Green Tea Fang had all been worried about her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m eating out with a few friends right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just d you¡¯re okay.¡± Little Temptress let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Please don¡¯t run off without telling us again¡ªyou really gave the three of us a fright the other day.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do that again.¡± Gu Nianzhi was sure she would never react that way again¡ªshe was a lot stronger now, mentally. She switched her phone to her other hand as she asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Is this a good time to talk?¡±

    Little Temptress nodded. ¡°I¡¯m in my bedroom, all alone. I was going to take a nap, but if you want to chat, I¡¯m up for it. I¡¯ve been sleeping most of the holidays away, and it shows¡ªI¡¯ve gotten fat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi imagined Little Temptress letting herself go, and could not resistughing out loud. ¡°I wanted to talk to you. I¡¯m feeling really annoyed and frustrated right now¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is this about Mei Xiawen?¡± Little Temptress was immediately wide awake. She sat up and leaned against her pillow. ¡°Do you want me to avenge you? Just say the word.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°No, of course not. Why would this be about him? I¡¯ll be honest with you, Little Temptress¡ªI was never in love with him.¡±

    She knew now what it meant to be in love with someone.

    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t like him, what are you all upset about?¡± Little Temptress was perplexed. She had found her iPad and unlocked it, fully intending to watch a TV show on it as she chatted with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi stammered for a moment, before finally saying in a hushed voice: ¡°I-I have someone else that I like...¡±

    ¡°What?! Really?! Who is it? Tell me!¡± Little Temptress sat up in excitement. She tossed her iPad away onto the bed beside her. ¡°Let¡¯s see if he¡¯s worthy of you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll never know him if you don¡¯t tell me who it is.¡± Little Temptress snorted. ¡°Come on, tell me! I¡¯m warning you, youngdy¡ªyou can¡¯t just say something like that and leave me hanging! That¡¯s, like, a criminal offense!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a moment. She finally said, ¡°I¡¯m in love with someone, but he will never love me.¡±

    Everything about her¡ªher identity, status, background, and current rtionship to him¡ªpresented an insurmountable obstacle to her love.

    Little Temptress was speechless. She checked the number disyed on her phone, before returning the phone to her ear. ¡°I am talking to Gu Nianzhi, yes? Are you serious? Why would anyone turn down a girl like you?! What, is he blind or something?¡±

    ¡°Shhh, lower your voice!¡± She had not been using the loudspeaker feature on her phone, but Gu Nianzhi was almost certain everybody in her immediate vicinity must have heard Little Temptress. She quickly covered her phone with her free hand. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so loud.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll lower my voice.¡± Little Temptress paused. ¡°Why are you so sure he doesn¡¯t like you? Have you already confessed your feelings to him?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi felt her blood rush to her face¡ªshe did not have the courage for something like that!

    ¡°I see. Nianzhi, secretly crushing on somebody¡ªwho would have thought?¡± Little Temptressughed as she teased her. She sobered up however, and said, ¡°Still, I think you should let him know that you like him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Gu Nianzhi said automatically. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll ruin everything I have with him. I may not even get to stay friends with him once I tell him.¡±

    If he rejected her, she would die of embarrassment. There was no way she would be able to hang around him and pretend nothing had happened, after that.

    ¡°Well, how about this then¡ªseduce him.¡± Little Temptress waved her arm. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a few of my best seduction moves. He won¡¯t be able to resist you!¡±

 Chapter 200 - With You (5)

    <h4>Chapter 200: With You (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Seduce...? No way, I don¡¯t know how to! I don¡¯t want to be too forward.¡± Gu Nianzhi said gingerly as she nervously grabbed one of the big leaves on the banana tree. She was no stranger to the word, ¡°seduce.¡± During her two years of living in the university dorm, she had learned many things. Little Temptress had earned her moniker from being an expert seductress in the C University Faculty of Law. Any man she had been interested in had no hope of escaping from her allure.

    ¡°Nianzhi, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Seduction isn¡¯t about being forward, or desperate.¡± Little Temptress was suddenly very passionate; this was usually the case once she started talking about her expertise. ¡°The point of seduction is to pique the person¡¯s interest, tempt him, and have him pursue you. So, you have to look good, be subtle, and be patient. That way you can leave yourself an escape route or move ahead, but not lose a friend if he refuses you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I can do that too?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt as though a new world had opened for her; her heart thudded loudly in her chest as she tore off half of the banana leaves she was holding.

    ¡°Of course! How do you think I got so popr and achieved the supreme title of ¡®Little Temptress?!¡¯¡± Sheughed wickedly: if any of her ¡°devotees¡± had seen her then, they would¡¯ve been shocked by the extreme duality of her personality.

    ¡°So...how do you seduce them?¡± Gu Nianzhi was interested now and swore to herself that she would master the art of seduction.

    Little Temptress leaned on her bed and beamed. ¡°Well, half is understanding and the other half is talent. The master can show the way, but learning depends on the pupil. Nianzhi, you have always learned things quickly, so I believe in you!¡±

    ¡°Tell me!¡± Gu Nianzhi became anxious. ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡±

    ...

    On the walkway outside the greenhouse, Huo Shaoheng lit a cigarette and began to smoke. Even though Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone conversation wasn¡¯t very loud, the location happened to be very quiet. No one else was there, so Huo Shaoheng could hear most of it when he leaned against the smooth wall of the greenhouse. His face was expressionless as he blew white smoke sporadically. It clouded over his face and only revealed the dim light in his dark, jade-like eyes.

    ...

    Little Temptress continued to say over the phone, ¡°Seduction is neither simple nor difficult. The key is to control the level and also how well you know the person you like.¡±

    This was hard to say. Gu Nianzhi frowned in deep thought and asked, ¡°In which aspect?¡± She knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s favorite color, favorite food, what he liked to do, when he was angry, and when he was happy. Everything else wasn¡¯t clear.

    Sure enough, Little Temptress went for the sore spot. ¡°You don¡¯t even know that? For example, what kind of woman he likes?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt quite helpless. What kind of woman Huo Shaoheng likes? This is hard to say... She had only seen it once, during the reception at the International Extraordinary Women¡¯s Commendation Conference¡ªHuo Shaoheng had smiled at a beautiful woman once before, so did that count? Gu Nianzhi pondered for a long time only to shake her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Little Temptress was marily dumbfounded. She thought about it some more and changed the angle of questioning. ¡°What kind of female celebrity does he like? Plump or thin? Tall or short? Curvy or slim?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss. She was truly helpless now. The stoic Major General Huo Shaoheng being interested in female celebrities?! That was too impossible; she had a better chance thinking about how she could earn 100 million, that¡¯s how far fetched it was.

    ¡°Nianzhi! You don¡¯t know anything about this guy and yet you like him?!¡± Little Temptress was starting to worry. ¡°You might as well change your sights to someone else!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi reflexively refused. ¡°I love only him. I will never be able to love anyone else more than I love him.¡± Even if she didn¡¯t marry all her life, she had to stay by his side.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Little Temptress closed her eyes; she hated nothing more but lovesick little girls who refused to be reasonable! But this was Gu Nianzhi, her dearest roommate and good friend, so she couldn¡¯t watch her squander her youth in a hopeless love. Although youth would pass even if it¡¯s not wasted, it was better to make something out of it rather than sitting idly.

    Little Temptress perked up again. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll forget about what kind woman he likes, since it doesn¡¯t matter if he likes you or not; you¡¯ll like him anyway. We have to make him like you, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Little Temptress¡¯ sentence went straight to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. She nodded like a little chicken pecking at rice, a strand of loose hair swaying with her fiercely bobbing head. Why did it matter what kind of woman Huo Shaoheng liked? She liked him, so she had to make sure his type was only her! If it wasn¡¯t, then she had to seduce him until it was! Gu Nianzhi clenched her hands into fists and could almost feel her tiny universe erupt into mes. With a clear direction confirmed, then the course of action could be followed through.

    Little Temptress began saying to her over the phone, ¡°Seduction is actually very simple. It¡¯s a matter of adjusting to the conditions and seducing at all times. For example, don¡¯t look directly at him when you talk to him, but stand in front of him and peer at a 45 degree angle. When he walks besides you, nce at him from the corner of your eye. When he notices, quickly look away and go through with the mistake. Also, casually help him adjust his cor, pinch his arms, or ask if he wants to buy new clothes. It¡¯s winter right now, so you can ask him to warm your hands up after a shower at night, or something intimate like that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and meekly realized that with this kind of seduction technique, she would die of embarrassment before it had any effect on him. She also knew that if she tried this on Huo Shaoheng, he would for sure think she had gone crazy and maybe take her to Chen Lie for a CT brain scan.

    ¡°Is there any other way?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked weakly, almost wanting to raise her hand up for permission to ask. ¡°I don¡¯t think these will work on him...¡±

    ¡°Hey! How do you know it won¡¯t work if you haven¡¯t even tried it?!¡± Little Temptress lost her temper; she dared to question her professional seduction expertise?! That was uneptable!

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, the point of seduction is to be second nature and not too obvious! Your goal is to leave a good impression on the man you like, not confuse him.¡± Little Temptress was growing disappointed. Gu Nianzhi was such a clever little girl in ss, why was she dull when it came to love? Perhaps she was still too young?

    Gu Nianzhi kept silent as Little Temptress ranted on and even moved the phone away from her ear when the scolding became too loud. However, when she did this, it enabled Huo Shaoheng to hear everything. He remained impassive and calmly smoked.

    ¡°Little Temptress, what other methods do you have? That person... that person is very difficult.¡± Gu Nianzhi had waited until Little Temptress finished venting before she asked in a quiet voice. She put the phone close to ear to listen carefully.

    It was then that Huo Shaoheng threw the cigarette butt into a nearby trashcan and turned to walk inside. He silently walked up to Gu Nianzhi, and said her name.

    ¡°Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so frightened that her hand slipped and the phone ttered to the ground. Huo Shaoheng quickly bent over and grabbed it with his hands. He ended the call and passed it back to her. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so embarrassed her face was red. She could only pray that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t overheard the explicit things she had been talking about with Little Temptress and muttered, ¡°I-I was calling a ssmate.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm...go back now. You¡¯ve been out for a long time.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything more and spread out his slender fingers toward her. Gu Nianzhi carefully put her delicate hand into his palm and let him hold it as they returned to the private room.

    ...

    The doors to the private room opened, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi walked inside together.

    ¡°Hmm? You came back together?¡± Xue Jingjiang was totally drunk and stumbled over to pull Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, Tianqun drank so much he started crying earlier! You... you.. Hic... hurry and persuade him...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to cry about?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down, but did not release Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. She had no choice but to sit in her earlier seat beside Huo Shaoheng. She didn¡¯t want to entertain the three woman she had just met anyway; she would rather sit with him.

    ¡°He has lots to cry about.¡± Cui Baifei burped, his face flushed. ¡°His unclemitted such a serious crime and even lost his life. Their family seems ok, but actually... actually...¡±

    ¡°Actually, nothing. Bai Yusheng is Bai Yusheng, while the Bai family is the Bai family. He paid for his own actions alone; it¡¯s not customary to have collective punishment anymore.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke casually as he poured himself another ss of wine. With hisposure, no one would have ever suspected that he had been the one who had ended the life of the man that made Bai Tianqun cry and shout, and whom the Bai¡¯s hated yet missed¡ªBai Yusheng.

    ¡°Stop with these depressing words. Here, have some more to drink!¡± Hong Ziqi loudly offered to pour them more wine.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the bottle of Maotai in front her, inhaling it deeply, a deep longing in her eyes. Certain things she dared not do when she was sober. Certain things, she dared not say when she was sober. If she got drunk, would she still be so hesitant to do and say those things? Gu Nianzhi mustered her courage and opened her mouth to ask to drink.

    Unexpectedly, Huo Shaoheng beat her to it and said, ¡°Want to drink?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck stiffened and she nodded robotically. Huo Shaoheng considered it and dipped an unopened pair of chopsticks into his own ss, then put them to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips, ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could feel her blush travel down to her neck as she opened her cherry lips mechanically and stuck out her tongue to lick the chopsticks Huo Shaoheng held.

    Huo Shaoheng swallowed forcefully and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed, but he kept aposed face. ¡°Can you drink it?¡± He asked Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, but was cringing inside. Only four or five year old kids licked wine from chopsticks. Did that mean that Huo Shaoheng only saw her as a child? A surly bravado began rising from within Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. No, she couldn¡¯t allow Huo Shao to think she was still a kid; she was already 18 and therefore, an adult. She was old enough and certainly big enough!

    Gu Nianzhi made up her mind and reached over Huo Shaoheng to pick up the bottle and poured herself a small ss. She smiled at him, ¡°Huo Shao, I toast to you. You¡¯ve worked hard all these years, but you can rest easy now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s right hand was draped on the back of her chair. He looked at her sideways, his eyes as calm as deep pools. He slowly raised his ss with his left hand and clinked his ss with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Huo Shaoheng downed the ss with one breath and Gu Nianzhi followed suit after watching him.

    The four drunk men besides them saw this and pped. ¡°Impressive! She¡¯s certainly from the Huo family! She can drink, so she must have good character too! Little Gu, you¡¯ve made a friend in this man here!¡± Xue Jingjiang shouted the loudest and even brought his own ss over to drink with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had just drank a ss of Maotai. At first, she hadn¡¯t felt anything and had only tasted the sweet heartiness of the wine, wanting more. Her insides were warm and she felt pleasant. But soon after, her mind began spinning, her legs turned to jelly, and she felt so weightless she believed she could float off into the air with little effort. When she saw Xue Jingjiange over to have a toast with her, even in her drunkenness, Gu Nianzhi still remembered to looking at Huo Shaoheng for permission.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly filled her ss again. ¡°Have a bit more, it¡¯s rare that you¡¯re Brother Xue is so happy today.¡±

 Chapter 201 - With You (6)

    <h4>Chapter 201: With You (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This time, Huo Shaoheng only filled half the cup for Gu Nianzhi.

    Xue Jingjiang did not mind. Gu Nianzhi was a young girl¡ªhe did not expect her to be a heavy drinker.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng did not object to her drinking more alcohol, and clinked sses with Xue Jingjiang. She downed her cup.

    Cui Baifei saw what was going on, and walked over with his own cup to exim: ¡°Wow, the girl can drink! Two cups in a row, and she¡¯s still on her feet!¡±

    ¡°I know, right? She can really hold her alcohol.¡± Hong Ziqi gave a drunken burp. He was beginning to feel the effects of all the alcohol; he stood up and said, ¡°You guys go ahead and drink. I¡¯m going out for a walk.¡±

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s girlfriend, Guo Huining, was singing karaoke with Mrs. Cui and Xue Xinran on the other end of the private room, but she had been paying close attention to the dining table the entire time.

    She saw that Hong Ziqi wanted to leave the room to walk off the alcohol. She followed after him to watch over and take care of him.

    Cui Baifei grabbed the beer bottle and filled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cup to the brim. He said to Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting nearby with a faint smile on his face, ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s... it¡¯s my turn to drink with Little Gu. Don¡¯t try to stop me¡ªI¡¯m gonna down my whole cup, but you can stop whenever you like, Little Gu.¡± With that, he tilted his head back and downed his cup.

    Gu Nianzhi did not wait for Huo Shaoheng to speak: she was already up on her feet, her cup in her hand. She toasted Cui Baifei. ¡°Thank you for not looking down on me, Brother Cui. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± With that, she downed the contents of her cup.

    She had been a little hasty and careless with her drinking. She coughed, and her face slowly turned red, like spilled rouge spreading across the first snow of winter. Flushed with alcohol, she was now even more beautiful and attractive: her rosy cheeks and her shimmering, misty eyes stoked the mes of love in all whoid eyes upon her.

    Huo Shaoheng gave a start. He got to his feet and led Gu Nianzhi by the hand to a sofa behind the wine table. He gently patted her back to ease her breathing.

    Cui Baifei and Xue Jingjiang had seen many beautiful women, and considered themselves immune to them. Nevertheless, they stared openly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s flushed face, entranced, and only recollected themselves when Huo Shaoheng red at them. They grinned cheekily, returned to their seats, and began to y a drinking game.

    ¡°Five!¡±

    ¡°Six!¡±

    ¡°Four! Four! No, eight! Eight!¡±

    Bai Tianqun had bawled his eyes out, and downed another ss of alcohol. He was feeling a little nauseous, but could not get up from his chair. He squinted around the private room, and finally saw Xue Xinran sitting behind the screen, in the middle of a karaoke song. He shouted: ¡°Xinran! Xinran!¡±

    Xue Xinran turned to look at him, and knew at once that he was drunk and needed some fresh air. She said to Mrs. Cui, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Mrs. Cui was thinking of going out for a breather herself. She stood up and said, ¡°Take care of Bai Tianqun. I¡¯m going out, too.¡±

    She and Xue Xinran stepped out from behind the screen and walked over to the dining table, where Xue Jingjiang and Cui Baifei were still engrossed in their drinking game. The two women did not bother the men.

    Xue Xinran helped Bai Tianqun out the room. Mrs. Cui followed behind them, and parted ways with them at an intersection. Xue Xinran and Bai Tianqun went into the unisex family-size bathroom, while Mrs. Cui went to thedies¡¯ bathroom.

    As soon as they had left, the private room seemed empty.

    There was now only the boisterous shouting between the two men at the wine table as they continued their drinking game, underscored by the songs ying from the karaoke machine.

    Gu Nianzhi was now feeling the full force of all the alcohol she had been drinking. Her eyes grew zed and unresponsive while her mind alternated between sobriety and muddled confusion. Her courage, on the other hand, surged unchecked within her.

    Huo Shaoheng continued patting her on her back until she had caught her breath and was done coughing. He removed his hand from her back, but left his arm draped across the back of the sofa, behind Gu Nianzhi.

    His tall, muscled body was leaning every so slightly towards her. His legs were crossed, and his eyes stared straight ahead. His face was calm, and he seemedpletely at ease, but Gu Nianzhi could feel his aura envelop her from head to toe.

    Gu Nianzhi sat upright, still and motionless as she snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng from the corner of her eye. She was brimming with Dutch courage; when she saw that Huo Shaoheng was not looking at her, she slowly¡ªalmost imperceptibly¡ªbegan to lean backwards, towards the back of the sofa behind her.

    Although she was drunk, she had notpletely taken leave of her senses. She did not dare overdo it; all she wanted was to get a tiny bit closer to him, close enough for her to pretend he was holding her in his arms.

    Huo Shaoheng smelled distinctly like alcohol, with a faint hint of tobo. It was not at all repulsive¡ªin fact, it was an attractive scent, one that was brimming with masculinity.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and savored the intoxicating smell. She stealthily leaned backwards.

    At that very moment, Huo Shaoheng leaned across her to get the ashtray on the small coffee table on the other side of the sofa.

    The sofa immediately sank on one side.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had been ever so slowly leaning backwards, waspletely unprepared for this. She tumbled over, right into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Her eyes flew open in surprise. She did not know where to put her hands and feet.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and nced at her. His deep, fathomless eyes were as dark as inkwell: it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

    ¡°What are you doing? Can¡¯t you even sit properly now?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked impassively. His body was still leaning towards her, but he kept his arms at a careful distance, as though he did not want to touch her.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and boldly tilted her head backwards, leaning into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm behind her. She shamelessly blurted out her excuse: ¡°I¡¯m dizzy.¡± So lend me your arm for a minute or two, her eyes seemed to implore of him

    ¡°Dizzy? Maybe you¡¯ve had too much to drink?¡± Huo Shaoheng casually lifted the arm draped on the sofa behind Gu Nianzhi, and held her close to him. He set the ashtray in his other hand on the table, and touched her forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi knew exactly what to do in this situation. She had stayed with Huo Shaoheng for many years, after all.

    The alcohol in her system was in full effect. Her mind and body were alive with excitement; she grew increasingly bolder with every passing minute.

    She reached out andtched onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand just as it detached itself from her forehead after taking her temperature. She said, in an irresistibly adorable manner, ¡°Head hurts. Rub-rub.¡±

    The Adam¡¯s apple in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed heavily, but his face was still calm andposed.

    His hand paused in mid-air, uncertain, but Gu Nianzhi tugged his hand to her temples. He began to massage them.

    This was an effective treatment for a hangover.

    Gu Nianzhi snuggled into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. She was sofortable she could have purred like a small kitten.

    The two men who had been ying drinking games at the wine table turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi with unfocused, bleary eyes. They saw Huo Shaoheng massaging Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temples, and noted the unnatural flush on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair face.

    ¡°Little... Little Gu... What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xue Jingjiang stood up. He slurred, unable to get his tongue to work properly in his drunken state. ¡°Are you drunk?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s drunk. I¡¯m not surprised¡ªshe¡¯s never had actual alcohol before this, and her first drink turned out to be Moutai, the best-quality baijiu.¡± Huo Shaoheng said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. All she needs is a little rest.¡±

    ¡°H-Huo Shao, why don¡¯t you take her to the small resting room, further inside? She can rest there. That room is fully furnished, and all the sheets and towels are changed every day. It¡¯s clean; it¡¯s not that kind of room.¡± Xue Jingjiang gave another drunken burp. He was tipsy, but his concern was sincere: he pointed an unsteady finger at a small door in the south wall of the private room. ¡°I-I-I... I only let my closest friends and family use that room. Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you. I¡¯ll take her inside, and have her lie down and get some rest. I¡¯ll be back in a minute¡ªwe¡¯ll continue drinking, then.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic! We¡¯ll get smashed today! You¡¯re going to be drinking with us, for as long as the sun is out¡ªdon¡¯t say we didn¡¯t warn you!¡± This was the first time Xue Jingjiang and Cui Baifei had been able to get together with Huo Shaoheng in over a decade, and they did not want to waste a single minute of their reunion.

    Xue Jingjiang walked out of the room, loudly barking orders to the kitchen as he instructed the chefs to make dinner.

    Cui Baifei went to find his wife, Mrs. Cui.

    The private room was now empty.

    Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi into the small resting room, and gently shut the door.

    The light in the small resting room was soft and warm. There was a semi-transparent peony brocade screen standing in the middle of the room; Huo Shaoheng could see that there was an antique wooden bed behind it.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He led Gu Nianzhi around the screen and lowered her onto the bed.

    Just as he was about to leave, Gu Nianzhi suddenly extended her arms and hugged him around the neck. She opened her misty, dewy eyes, and looked at him without saying anything.

 Chapter 202 - With You (7)

    <h4>Chapter 202: With You (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had mesmerizing eyes and dark pupils that practically took up her entire face; those same eyes were now directing an incredibly alluring gaze at him. Huo Shaoheng was about to get up, but Gu Nianzhi suddenly hugged his neck. This position forced him to keep bnce while straddling over her upper half. He was silent and quietly watched her. Gu Nianzhi was drifting in and out of consciousness, but she still remembered what she had to do.

    ¡°Huo... Huo Shao...¡± She finally spoke, her soft voice had a trace of drunkenness that sounded especially intoxicating.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Huo Shaoheng replied as he supported himself, with his hands on either side her head. His dark jade-like eyes stared at her so intensely she could see her own reflection in them.

    ¡°Huo Shao...¡± Gu Nianzhi called again, her eyes blurred, ¡°You...you... I...I want to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tongue felt parched and couldn¡¯t help licking her lips as she muttered, ¡°Do... do you have a girlfriend?¡± She finally asked the crucial question. Compared to all the seduction methods Little Temptress was telling her, Gu Nianzhi thought that this was more important. She had to figure out whether or not Huo Shaoheng had a girlfriend before she decided what she would do.

    Huo Shaoheng froze. ¡°Girlfriend?¡± He frowned deeply. ¡°Why are you asking that?¡± Hadn¡¯t he told Big Xiong a long time ago that he didn¡¯t have a girlfriend? Had he not told her? His expression was getting increasingly serious.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what Huo Shaoheng was thinking and quickly clung onto his neck, terrified he might leave her. ¡°I...I just wanted to know.¡±

    ¡°So what if you knew?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes grew darker, as though they were hiding secrets Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t understand. She reached a hand out to gently caress around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, her face open and worried. ¡°Then you say it first: do you have one or not?¡±

    ¡°So what if I have one? And so what if I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying! Just tell me straight! This is not a multiple choice question!¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. She was speaking in a flirty way and acting much bolder than usual. Huo Shaohengughed when he realized alcohol was truly liquid courage¡ªGu Nianzhi would never touch his face when she was sober, let alone talk back at him. She was always extremely obedient in front of him.

    ¡°Mmm, no.¡± Huo Shaoheng humored her and gripped the hands that were wandering on his face, pressing them back onto the pillow.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled, her eyes sparkling as though a starlit sky was reflecting in them.¡±No? That¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°Great how?¡± Huo Shaoheng pressed down a little to gradually move close to Gu Nianzhi on the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi concentrated on staring at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s despairingly handsome face and sighed with satisfaction. ¡°Of course it¡¯s great that you don¡¯t. Now I¡¯ll ask, have you ever liked anyone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°Tell me... do you like anyone?¡± Gu Nianzhi was still cradling Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head and gave it a shake.

    It was rare that Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi be so affectionate. She hadn¡¯t acted this way since she turned 15 and couldn¡¯t bear letting go. He sank his body lower and held Gu Nianzhi to flip them both over so that he was sitting on the bed. Now Gu Nianzhi was lying on his body and his characteristically deadpan face broke into a small smile; the maism in his voice was enough to tug at her heart. ¡°Are we talking about people we like? Ok, you go first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind refused to work for a moment. ¡°I go first? Talk about what?¡±

    ¡°The person you like. Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯re going to talk about that?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi supported herself on her arms and looked up, her delicate eyebrows scrunched up. ¡°I have to talk about the person I like? That¡¯s not right. Wasn¡¯t I asking you about the person you like?¡± She poked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject, Tell me... tell me about the person you like.¡±

    ¡°You say it first.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t even care about the person I like! Why do I have to go first?¡±

    It was obvious that Gu Nianzhi had a tight lip even when she was drunk; she refused to say anything. ¡°So you¡¯ll say it if I care?¡± Huo Shaoheng teased.

    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Ok, then I do care.¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to humor her.

    ¡°What do you mean you care?¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered unhappily, then counted off with her fingers as she talked about the person she liked. ¡°He has to be handsome, has to be tall, good looking, be amazing, know everything there is to know, and be good to me and respect me, most importantly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt hopeless. That was the type of person she liked? ording to these standards, there were at least a thousand or even ten thousand candidates in all of the Empire; The youngdy could fool people even when drunk; had he, Big Xiong, and Little Ze taught her to resist leading questions too well?

    ¡°Mhmm, me too.¡± Huo Shaoheng began to repeat her words, ¡°The person I like has to be pretty, know how to be coy, be powerful, know everything about everything, and be good to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain froze again as she looked at Huo Shaoheng in a daze. ¡°What a coincidence! We like the same type?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a coincidence. You grew up with me, so what¡¯s strange about us liking the same type.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his head and sat casually on the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her head; she felt that she still had something to say. She squatted forward and climbed up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body toy on his chest. Her dewy eyes sparkled right in front of his face. ¡°Huo Shao, have you thought about getting a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°What are you so interested in my girlfriend today?¡± Huo Shaoheng squinted at her and circled his arms around her slender waist so that she wouldn¡¯t tumble off the bed.

    ¡°Your girlfriend? Didn¡¯t you just say that you didn¡¯t have one?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart wrenched. ¡°How can you lie? You¡¯re a liar! Big! Fat! Liar!¡± She was so upset she started bawling.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the top of the bed, speechless. This youngdy was even harder to deal with she was drunk. He took a few deep breaths and shifted his body to move a certain ¡°reacting¡± body part away. He grabbed a few tissues from the nightstand and handed them to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t cry so easily. I already said I didn¡¯t have one! Ok? So stop crying.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t have one?¡± Gu Nianzhi took the tissue and blew her nose.¡±You really can¡¯t lie to me; this is really important to me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long moment before asking, ¡°Why would whether not I have a girlfriend be important to you?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind that.¡± Gu Nianzhi dried her tears and seemed to feel much better sheid on his chest again and stared adoringly at him.

    Huo Shaoheng remained motionless and let her stare for a long time before picking her up to have hery beside him. He asked casually, ¡°Did you not end up with Mei Xiawen because you already liked someone else?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi let her guard down and identally spoke from her heart. ¡°Yes, I do love someone. I¡¯ll only love him for the rest of my life and I won¡¯t be with anyone else even if I can¡¯t be with him. I¡¯d rather be alone forever.¡±

    ¡°Is there someone that great?¡± Huo Shaoheng tried asking calmly, his expression still deadpan.

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s great, everything¡¯s great about him. He¡¯s basically perfect...¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed as she leaned her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. She felt very satisfied.

    ¡°There¡¯s so such thing as a perfect person.¡± Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t put too much hope into a man.¡± He paused before he asked, ¡°Who is he?¡±

 Chapter 203 - The One I Love

    <h4>Chapter 203: The One I Love</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng kept his eyes on the top of the antique wooden bed when he asked the question. He did not look at Gu Nianzhi.

    He waited for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply, but it never came.

    He turned to look at her¡ªand discovered she had actually fallen asleep.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a long moment. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

    He could almost feel a spark of electricity shoot through him when his warm lips pressed against her fair skin.

    Huo Shaoheng let his lips linger for a moment, before slowly moving away. He touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. When he stood up, there was a pained, conflicted expression on his face.

    To a young, innocent girl like Gu Nianzhi, love was a simple matter: you either liked someone, or not.

    But it took much more than that to build a rtionship.

    Huo Shaoheng adjusted his cor. He opened the door and went out of the resting room.

    Outside the door, Xue Jingjiang and the others had already returned, and were in the middle of a passionate karaoke session.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the sofa and sat down. Hong Ziqi hurried over to chat with him. ¡°Huo Shao, quick question: are you a close friend of Gu Yanran, the billionairedy from Barbados?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Huo Shaoheng answered bluntly. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s going to be moving her assets over to our country, isn¡¯t she? She¡¯ll be investing heavily in a few areas. I have this project with Big Xue and Little Cui, actually, and Gu Yanran¡¯s representatives have alreadye over to check it out. They like it, and want to invest in it. However, none of us actually know her, so we thought of asking you¡ªwe heard you got her out of a jam a while ago,¡± Hong Ziqi said in a long breath, before adding, ¡°but don¡¯t feel pressured. We¡¯re not trying to get you to pull a few strings for us, or anything like that. Business is business. We just want to know if she¡¯s legit¡ªit would be so embarrassing for all of us if she turns out to be some kind of scammer.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°She¡¯s not a scammer. The Barbados Gu family is extremely wealthy, rich enough to call the shots in their country. You have to keep in mind that Barbados is a small country, though, so their influence isn¡¯t actually as impressive as it sounds.¡±

    Cui Bowen and Xue Jingjiang overheard them talking about business matters, and walked over to join the conversation. Bai Tianqun sat nearby, but did not say a word.

    When they had finished discussing business, Bai Tianqun wiped his face and said to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Huo Shao, do you know what happened to my Second Uncle?¡±

    ¡°No. Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Huo Shaoheng replied without missing a beat. His act was so convincing it would have fooled even Yin Shixiong¡ªhad Yin Shixiong seen him now, he would have wondered whether he had hallucinated his mission with Huo Shaoheng.

    Bai Tianqun said with a pained expression: ¡°It¡¯s just that a few of my family think that his body should be allowed to return to the country. Second Uncle made a huge mistake, don¡¯t get me wrong, but he¡¯s dead now... surely he can beid to rest in the family burial plot. It pains me to think that his spirit is now drifting aimlessly in foreignnds, never to be reunited with the rest of his family.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed and gleamed imperceptibly. He lowered his eyes and shook his head as he rhythmically tapped a finger upon his thigh. ¡°No use telling me about it. You should be asking the main branch of the Bai family for mercy since they¡¯re the ones calling the shots.¡±

    He was referring to Bai Yueran¡¯s family.

    They were vehemently opposed to the idea of collecting Bai Yusheng¡¯s remains.

    Bai Tianqun knew that was the end of the matter. He shrugged helplessly. ¡°Oh well. Second Uncle went too far. He crossed the line, so I guess it serves him right. Anyway, I¡¯ve done my bit¡ªI can go back to my family with a clear conscience now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled in reply. He turned to Xue Jingjiang to ask about their project.

    The men were soon engrossed in their discussion, and lost track of time.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up and discovered that it was already past four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. She was still feeling light-headed; her nap had not actually helped with her hangover.

    She was still lying on the bed when she heard the door open. It was Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already awake? Go eat your dinner, they¡¯ve prepared it for you outside.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood before the bed and looked down at her.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked blearily. She tried to remember what she had said and done before falling asleep, but her brain was a pile of mush. Nothing seemed to make sense.

    ¡°All right, stop shaking your head, I get it. We¡¯ll go home once you¡¯ve had your dinner.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out and pulled her by the hand.

    She tumbled forward, right into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng did not know how to react¡ªsomething seemed off with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She slid her arms around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist and hugged him. In the next second, she had already released him, and was making her way towards the door with a hand against the wall.

    She was unsteady on her feet, but it did not look like she was in danger of tripping and falling on her face.

    She exited the resting room, and saw there were now two tables outside.

    The men would be dining at one table, the women at another; this separation was necessary because they would be eating traditional herbal dishes tailored to the needs of their respective sex.

    Gu Nianzhi sat at the table and began eating her dinner with Mrs. Cui, Xue Xinran and Guo Huining. The three older women were drinking red wine.

    ¡°Nianzhi, this is a Lafite from ¡¯82. It¡¯s pretty good.¡± Guo Huining poured a small ss of wine for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It¡¯s sweet, I like it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been drinking Moutai, a baijiu, earlier in the afternoon. They were now offering her red wine; she wanted to refuse the drink, but Mrs. Cui and Xue Xinran were watching her eagerly. The men, on the other hand, were deep in conversation among themselves; she did not have Huo Shaoheng to help her this time. Gu Nianzhi steeled herself, and downed the ss.

    Shortly after, it became evident that the baijiu was still in her system¡ªnow mixed disastrously with the red wine.

    Huo Shaoheng eventually realized what was happening and came over to stop her from drinking any more wine, but she was already hopelessly drunk by then.

    Mrs. Cui and Xue Xinran were extremely embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s our fault, we didn¡¯t know Little Gu wasn¡¯t used to drinking.¡±

    Guo Huining, who had been enthusiastically plying Gu Nianzhi with wine, shrank in her seat, too mortified to say anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s not how much she drank, but what she¡¯s been drinking. She¡¯s had baijiu and red wine, and the high-quality stuff at that¡ªnot even the best drinker would be able to stay on his feet after drinking those.¡± Xue Jingjiang sighed, and called for a waiter to order a traditional hangover soup for Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng checked the time: it was almost six o¡¯clock. He held Gu Nianzhi in his arms and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll take her home. It¡¯s been a long day, anyway.¡±

    It had been supposed to be a simple shopping trip to buy gifts for his mother, Song Jinning. Before they knew it, it was already dark out.

    Huo Shaoheng had been drinking, and could not get behind the wheel in his condition. He was forced to call Fan Jian and have him pick them up from the Scion Square parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely out of it.

    She did not remember getting in the car, or how she got home.

    The only thing she remembered was how there had been a cozy warmth for her to nestle into whenever there was a cool evening wind making its way into the car.

    Her thoughts, previously interrupted and scattered by her impromptu afternoon nap, suddenly fell into ce again.

    In her drunken stupor, Gu Nianzhi remembered her unfinished conversation with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng put an arm around her shoulder and guided her into their suite on the first floor.

    Gu Nianzhi clung to his arm and said drunkenly, ¡°Huo Shao, you want to know who I like, don¡¯t you? You were asking about it, I remember...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply. He hurriedly led her into his room.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s restless fingers reached for his cheek, before sliding towards his lips.

    She traced his lips with her fingers as she whispered dreamily, ¡°It¡¯s you, you¡¯re the one I love. Uncle Huo... Huo Shao... Shaoheng...¡±

    As soon as she finished saying his name, Huo Shaoheng kicked the door shut and pinned her arms above her with one hand. His other hand slid into her hair. He pushed her into the wall and kissed her passionately on her pouty lips, over and over again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attempt at seduction had beenughably juvenile; for him, however, it had been the most difficult test in his life.

    The moment she called him by his first name, she had be the most powerful weapon in the world. She had shattered all of his defenses.

    Huo Shaoheng had lost control and was now hungrily devouring Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. He pressed his mouth forcefully against hers, licking and kissing her lips.

    The tip of his tongue pried open her fragrant mouth and slipped boldy inside it, stealing her breath away.

    His lips and tongue attacked her. He kissed her thoroughly, inside and out, but it was still not enough for him. He began to suck and nibble on her lips, the tip of her tongue¡ªhetched onto them and did not let go.

    Gu Nianzhi had beenpletely awake and alert the moment Huo Shaoheng leaned in to kiss her.

    She had been pushed up against the wall, her hands above her in a strained position, and was now passively receiving his kisses.

    She trembled from head to toe. She was no longer in control of her body or mind.

    She could not believe this was really happening. Was she dreaming? Everything was possible in a dream¡ªit would exin why Huo Shaoheng was now kissing her so furiously, the way she had secretly fantasized every night.

    But this was even better. It exceeded her wildest dreams. Everything was perfect.

    He¡¯s kissing me!

    He¡¯s kissing me!

    He¡¯s actually kissing me!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire body shivered violently, from head to toe.

    She tried to respond. She wanted to feel him; she wanted to know whether this was real, or just a dream.

    But Huo Shaoheng held her captive. She could not move.

    He hadplete control over her. Her breath, her lips, and her tongue belonged to him now. The tip of his tongue slipped in and out of her mouth, stirring waves of aching numbness.

    But she did not feel smothered, nor that she was she in pain. She wanted only to submit to his unbreakable shackles, to be imprisoned by his love. She was willing to be his prisoner, now and forever.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips tasted like sweet wine. There was also the scent of cigarettes from his fingers, as they held her face up to his.

    Oddly enough, these scents were not at all unpleasant when mixed together. They came together to form a cocktail of indescribable masculinity, one that Gu Nianzhi found to be extremely appealing. It made her think of smoke over a vast desert, of river sunsets; she imagined him to be a general on horseback, dressed in ceremonial attire: a bow in his hand, a wine pouch hanging from his waist, and his quarry slung across his horse.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legs were turning to jelly; she could no longer support herself on them. She wrapped her legs around him, like vines clinging to a sturdy tree.

    She would have copsed onto the floor by now, had Huo Shaoheng not pinned her wrists up high on the wall with his powerful hand.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms began to ache.

    She mewled intively and began to struggle.

    Huo Shaoheng finally ceased his violent flurry of kisses. He released her lips and arms. He lowered his head, buried it into her neck, and gradually recovered from hisbored breathing.

 Chapter 204 - Youre So Hard

    <h4>Chapter 204: You¡¯re So Hard</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help getting excited when she felt Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hot breath lingering around her neck. Shakily reaching out with her arm, she gently reached under his arms to encircle his broad back. This position enabled her to nestle her entire body into his his warm embrace.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t make a sound as his heavy panting gradually ceased. He remained motionless as he leaned forward to rest his head on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. One centimeter closer and he would be able to touch her soft and slender neck, but he stopped himself.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged Huo Shaoheng with satisfaction. He was so tall and muscr that he could cover her entire body with his, but she still couldn¡¯t help stretching out her arms to feel and touch the only man in her heart, to the fullest extent. Huo Shaoheng braced his hands against the wall in attempt to keep his distance from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body.

    However, Gu Nianzhi waspletely immersed in the ecstasy of lust for her loved one and didn¡¯t even notice Huo Shaoheng silently moving away from her. She acted on instinct and gently brushed her soft lips against his earlobes. Her petal like lips felt luscious against one of the most sensitive ces on the human body. Huo Shaoheng was caught off guard as an overwhelming numbness began spreading from his earlobes, nearly destroying his newly erected defences.

    ¡°Nianzhi...¡± Huo Shaoheng called her, his voice raspy and strained. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart throbbed and she didn¡¯t hesitate to part her red lips to suck on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s earlobe. A low growl sounded deep inside his throat and his member felt so swollen it could explode in an instant. The hands braced against the wall curled into fists as he used all his self-control and restraint that had been cultivated from years of military training to prevent himself from taking a step he wouldn¡¯t be able to take back.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem to understand the devastating effect of her action on Huo Shaoheng¡ªor perhaps she knew and didn¡¯t care. At a time like this, she only wanted to do what she wanted to do, with the person she loved. She wanted him to be happy and make herself happy too. She wanted to experience this joy and light the fire he had set on her body¡ªshe wanted to ignite the same passion in him too.

    She had to let him know that she was all grown up.

    Gu Nianzhi began sucking on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s earlobe with more intensity and Huo Shaoheng had to take several deep breaths before he could take her jaw and force her to let go of his ear. Gu Nianzhi impatiently turned her head away to avoid his fingers. Huo Shaoheng took the chance to stand up straight and rescue his ears from her. However, he hadn¡¯t expected her totch on again. She stood on the tips of her toes and inclined her head, eyes shut and red lips puckered as she leaned towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. But Huo Shaoheng was too tall and she could only reach his chin on her tiptoes.

    ¡°Lower you head, Shaoheng,¡± Gu Nianzhi begged tenderly, so Huo Shaoheng sighed and bent over to deliver his lips to her.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and caressed her fingers on his lips for a long time before gently pressing her lips to his and speaking right to them. Her voice was muffled. ¡°You¡¯re such a hard person, but your lips are pretty soft.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to acknowledge her mindless whispering and stealthily moved his, indeed, hard body part away by taking another step back. Gu Nianzhi carefully kissed him twice before gently pressing her lips tightly against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Taking cue from him, she extended her pink, soft tongue to circle around his lips. Huo Shaoheng kept his eyes closed, arms weak as he hugged Gu Nianzhi. Helpless against her yful kisses, he took control and gently pecked her lips, then up to her delicate nose and finally feathered his lips against her forehead. It was a restrained action and seemed like a goodnight kiss.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hammering heart slowed down with his soft kisses. She looked up to watch Huo Shaoheng¡¯s impassive face, her eyes full of hope.

    Huo Shaoheng released her from his arms and managed in a raspy voice, ¡°Go shower; don¡¯t sleep toote.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t expected him to make her go to bed early after such a passionate makeout session.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her and turned and left the main bedroom to go shower in the other bathroom. In the Imperial capital, the cold water was icy during the winter even with central air conditioning. However, Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to take a cold shower to calm his scorching body. After he finished, he wore his ck T-shirt and pajama pants to sit on the window sill of the bay window in the bedroom. Opening the window a crack, he lit a cigarette and silently smoked. Just now, he had actually lost control to his urges and now felt more vignt than ever. Perhaps he had underestimated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s influence on him. His thick eyshes were like fans over his eyes, as he looked down, a cigarette between his fingers as he gently blew out a white ring of smoke. Casting his eyes up at the dark night sky and falling snow, his heart had already hardened once again.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had showered and changed into the ck T-shirt from Huo Shaoheng. The long sleep shirt covered half her thigh and her exposed skin appeared even more fair against the dark fabric. She sat in front of the dressing table with a head of wet hair for a while, before taking out the hairdryer to dry it halfway and then going to bed. She nced at the clock to see it was only eight in the evening¡ªshe wasn¡¯t sleepy at all and couldn¡¯t even think of sleeping. Stroking her almost swollen lips, Gu Nianzhi reminisced about the earlier kiss. Her heart was nervous and couldn¡¯t calm down. Sometimes she felt unbelievably lucky and unbelievably happy, while other times she thought the happiness came too suddenly. It made her dizzy and afraid to believe it to be true. But no matter whether or not she believed it, Huo Shaoheng had truly kissed her. It hadn¡¯t been a dream. Thinking about the passionate kiss, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart grew hot. She moved aside the nkets to get off the beside and walked around the room in circles before deciding to look for Huo Shaoheng. When Gu Nianzhi arrived at the his bedroom door, she knocked gently. No light was shining from the crack under the door, so she wasn¡¯t sure if he was even inside. No one answered from inside the room. She knocked for a long time, but got no response. She made up her mind and pushed it gently¡ªsurprisingly it wasn¡¯t locked.

    The room was very dark, but not enough that she was blinded. She pushed opened the door to find Huo Shaoheng sitting on the window sill of the bay window across from where she stood. He held a cigarette, his long legs resting on the window sill. One leg was bent and the othery straight as hezily leaned against arge pillow.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and wanted to call him ¡°Shaoheng,¡± but suddenly felt abashed when the words were at the tip of her tongue. It was a normal name, but Gu Nianzhi saw it as a little secret between lovers because of their earlier actions. She didn¡¯t want to share this with anyone else, nor did she want to say this name in front of others. She collected her wits and slowly walked over. ¡°Huo Shao, you couldn¡¯t sleep either?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was like a statue as he held his cigarette and watched Gu Nianzhi approach slowly. Turning his head, he stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray and closed the window. He dryly remarked, ¡°You¡¯re finished showering?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked to the window sill of the bay window and sat diagonally on the other side to face him. Too afraid to look up, she dragged arge pillow to her chest and mustered the courage to ask, ¡°Huo Shao, I...I had spoken the words from my heart earlier. Do you have anything you want to say to me?¡±

 Chapter 205 - Seduce Me

    <h4>Chapter 205: Seduce Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng rested an arm on his bent knee as he nced at Gu Nianzhi, who had lowered her eyes in embarrassment. He averted his gaze and looked out the window as he said, with a faint smile: ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±

    Her heart immediately sank.

    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this!

    She had poured her heart out to him¡ªhe owed her a reply!

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her head angrily and said boldly, ¡°I said, I love you. What about you?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. He added nonchntly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was reeling. She got up and threw the pillow in her arms at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng raised an arm to block the pillow; it bounced off his arm and flew to the other side of the room.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that her pillow attack had beenughably ineffective. Sheunched herself at Huo Shaoheng instead, pinning him down and ring at him.

    Huo Shaoheng extended an arm to catch her, and made her sit beside him. He patted her on the back as he calmly said, ¡°What are you going all crazy for? Can¡¯t you let me think about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more furious now. He had hugged her and kissed her¡ªand he still needed time to think about it?!

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about?! Are you going to tell me you were drunk and that you didn¡¯t mean any of it?¡± Gu Nianzhi was annoyed and frustrated: she no longer cared to think about what she was saying. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll run away from home, and I¡¯ll leave you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi glowered at Huo Shaoheng. Deep down, however, she was stricken with fear and panic: what if he told her he wanted nothing to do with her?

    Huo Shaoheng had always been strict with her, after all. It did not matter how much of a fuss she made about it¡ªhe never gave in to any of her demands, if he found them to be unreasonable.

    She still remembered what had happened when she was 13 years old: she had been addicted to videogames, back then.

    Huo Shaoheng had discovered her addiction upon returning from a mission one day, and had dealt with it by imposing aplete ban on video games. She had thrown a tantrum, gone on a hunger strike, and run away from home, but he had gotten her to obey him in the end. There had been no room for discussion.

    She had gotten over her video game addiction, but had also learned to fear Huo Shaoheng after that. The fear had stayed within her ever since.

    She leaned over to Huo Shaoheng and grabbed his arm. She looked at him nervously.

    Huo Shaoheng turned his hauntingly beautiful face to her and regarded her silently. He smiled.

    Snow was steadily falling outside, beyond the window, but Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt as though spring hade. His smile dazzled her, and sent her into a swoon.

    A momentter she heard his voice from somewhere up above her. ¡°Want to know my answer? Seduce me.¡±

    ¡°Seduce... you?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breath caught in her throat. Her mind reeled from the shock.

    H-h-how... How had he known that I¡¯d wanted to seduce him?!

    ¡°Yes. If you can do it, I¡¯m yours.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and patted Gu Nianzhi on the cheek. He grinned at the dazed look on her face.

    She had never seen him as rxed as he was now. He leaned back on the oversized pillow behind him. His eyes lingered on her briefly, before moving to look outside the window.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked at his careless request.

    She gaped for a full minute, before she regained control of her tongue. She stuttered, ¡°Y-y-you... Are you serious? If this is a joke, it isn¡¯t funny!¡± She was so nervous she looked like she was about to cry.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a joke.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around. He reached out and lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin. ¡°I always mean whatever I say to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and moved her chin away in indignation. The petty side to her was shouting angrily inside her mind: Bring it on, then! Who¡¯s afraid of you? I¡¯m going to seduce you, just see if I don¡¯t!

    The small voice cursing away within her was interrupted by Huo Shaoheng, who casually added: ¡°But if you run away from home, you¡¯ll never be able to seduce me.¡±

    The petty shadow inside Gu Nianzhi screamed in frustration. Somehow, she was not surprised by this turn of events: of course she would have to get Huo Shaoheng¡¯s permission to even begin seducing him. This was Huo Shaoheng, after all.

    ¡°But, you kissed me...¡± Gu Nianzhi was reluctant to let Huo Shaoheng call all the shots. She protested weakly, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you like me?¡±

    ¡°Like you said, I¡¯ve been drinking,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied indifferently as he smoothed his pajama pants. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you won¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had run out of ammunition. She bowed her head and said, defeated, ¡°Oh. Well, I hope you¡¯ll bear with me if my seduction skills aren¡¯t up to par.¡±

    ¡°Well, just try to improve, going forward.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an optimistic outlook.¡± He looked as though he were sincerely looking forward to being seduced.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned as she quietly scrutinized Huo Shaoheng. She could not tell what he was really thinking.

    The passionate kiss had been a sh in the dark, a momentary loss of control for Huo Shaoheng.

    She wished it had gone on for longer.

    Gu Nianzhi left Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room in a daze, and returned to her bedroom.

    Once she was back in her room, she remembered that she had thrown a tantrum. She suddenly felt impossibly tired, and was asleep as soon as she copsed on her bed.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi left, Huo Shaoheng did not go to sleep. He turned to look out the window, the smile on his face gradually fading into the darkness.

    He got out his phone and toyed with it. Eventually, he opened the list of contacts on his phone and found General Ji¡¯s number.

    It was only nine o¡¯ clock. General Ji was in his study, reading a book. He saw the iing call from Huo Shaoheng on his phone, and happily took the call. ¡°Shaoheng? Still up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes. Did I catch you in the middle of a book, General Ji?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have a few trantions of books written by foreign military. They¡¯re a fascinating read, very thought-provoking.¡± General Ji had removed his reading sses; he put them back on now. ¡°So why are you calling me at this hour? Did something happen?¡±

    It was rare for Huo Shaoheng to call him outside of the usual working hours; he only did it when he had something important to say.

    This time, however, Huo Shaoheng chatted amiably with him for a minute before asking a few personal questions. ¡°General Ji, if I want to get married, how long would it take for the government to approve it?¡±

    ¡°Marry?!¡± General Ji almost fainted. In the next second, he had leapt out of his chair. ¡°When did you get a girlfriend?! You never told me about it, and now you¡¯re getting married?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng burst intoughter. ¡°I¡¯m just asking about the process, to get an idea of how long it takes. You know that I don¡¯t have a lot of time to spend on my private life. If I have to marry, I have to get everything in order, as soon as possible.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not an ordinary man. He was a high-ranking officer in the military, and also the core member of the military¡¯s elite forces. If he were to marry, his partner had to be a woman whose social rtions and family background had been vetted thoroughly, going back eight generations. Depending on the circumstances, it may take several years for the government to review and approve his marriage application.

    ¡°Oh, I see. You almost gave me a heart attack.¡± General Ji slowly returned to his chair. ¡°It¡¯s good for you to n ahead, but I¡¯ve been there and done that, and I think you should hear this: don¡¯t marry just for the sake of getting married. Find someone you love, and who loves you back, and see how you get along with her before you think about settling down. Don¡¯t worry about the marriage review¡ªas long as yourdy is worthy of you, the review will be over before you know it. If they drag their feet, well, tell me and I¡¯ll prod them along!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled, and did not argue with General Ji. Heunched into a few other questions about the correct procedure for the marriage review.

    He had always thought these were unnecessarily troublesome, and had never paid any attention to them. He had never imagined that he would have to deal with the military agency in charge of the marriage review one day.

    After they were done discussing the marriage review, a thought urred to General Ji. He asked about Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Shaoheng, how is Nianzhi? She¡¯s already 18, she doesn¡¯t need a guardian anymore. I heard you brought her to your home?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng put on a Bluetooth headset and continued talking with General Ji as he turned on hisputer. He found the documents for the governmental review from the intr, and began to read them carefully.

    ¡°She¡¯s a good girl. It¡¯s unfortunate we don¡¯t know where she came from. If it weren¡¯t for that, I¡¯d have given her special permission to enlist in the army as your attendant by now.¡± General Jiughed heartily. ¡°Pity. Such a pity.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers tightened around his mouse as he gave a nonmittal grunt in reply. He added: ¡°We¡¯re still investigating her origins, so she¡¯ll be sticking with me for now. Do you have any objections, General Ji?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all,¡± General Ji replied hastily. ¡°If she¡¯s okay with that, all the better. Don¡¯t push her away. Stay vignt¡ªI have a feeling she¡¯ll turn out to be a very important person.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± A faint smile appeared on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. ¡°You have nothing to worry about, General Ji.¡±

 Chapter 206 - Defeated By You

    <h4>Chapter 206: Defeated By You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Perhaps because Gu Nianzhi was exhausted from the tumultuous emotions the night before, she slept peacefully and didn¡¯t even dream. Huo Shaoheng on the other hand, had woken up at six in the morning to wash up, then trained in the gym for half an hour. After sprinting on the treadmill for half a hour, he also lifted weights, stretched and boxed for strength exercises. With his physical strength, this level of training was only considered warming up. However, because he was at home, he had no need to do high level training like he did in the military, things like daily 10 kilometer obstacle running. Gu Nianzhi always said that he was not human.

    Thinking about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unwilling and silently furious expression, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help breaking into happy smile. A white towel draped across his neck as he walked out of the gym and rain into Huo Jin. She wore an elegant houndstooth print Chanel dress suit, the slim cut entuating her hourss shaped body.

    ¡°Elder Cousin, did you go the gym?¡± Huo Jian was surprised, ¡°Didn¡¯t you get drunkst night? Does your head hurt?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wore a ck military sleeveless shirt that disyed his muscr arms and shoulders, and camo sports pants that hung loosely on his waist. Sweat beaded on his forehead and towel hung on his neck so he could easily wipe it off. Seeing Huo Jin, he paused and wiped his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m ok, ran into a few friendsst night.¡±

    ¡°Elder Cousin, Uncle and Grandfather both wanted to hold a New Year party; do you have any friends you want to invite? You can give the list to me and I¡¯ll send out the invitations.¡± Huo Jin spoke as she walked up and raised her hand to brush Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng instinctively backed away to avoid her touch, ¡°Great, I¡¯ll have Nianzhi give you the list.¡± He gave her a nod before heading back to his own suite.

    Huo Jin watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s retreating back and shook her head with a smile. Elder Cousin is still the same, he is overly defensive with woman. What will he do? Stay single forever?

    Her servant witnessed this and asked in a quiet voice, ¡°Miss, what¡¯s wrong with the Young Master? Miss was kind enough to help him...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s like that, and that is as nice as he treats his family.¡± Huo Jian strode off with a smile.

    ...

    Once Huo Shaoheng returned to his suite, he went to shower again. When he came out, he noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom door was still shut. His watch already read eight in the morning. ¡°Nianzhi, time to get up.¡± He knocked on the door. Only silence greeted him for a long time. He thought she was sleeping in, but recalling yesterday... perhaps she should have a good rest. He had just been about to turn away when he suddenly heard the door click open. Huo Shaoheng looked back to see Gu Nianzhi in his giant ck T-shirt. She was barefoot and her luminous legs appeared shockingly pale under the dark fabric. Averting his eyes, he asked dryly, ¡± Are you awake now? It¡¯s time to get up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered a yawn with her hand and saw that Huo Shaoheng was about to leave. She reflexively grabbed his wrist. ¡°Huo Shao? You¡¯re already dressed?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Do you want to do some morning training?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bother turning his head to look at her, and spoke with all seriousness, ¡°There¡¯s a gym here too and a treadmill. Do you want to train?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hated treadmills the most and immediately released his hand. She looked m around and spoke in a soft voice, ¡°I have to shower. Huo Shao, I don¡¯t know where my clothes are, so can you help me find a change of clothes?¡± She turned to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng looked back to see through the half closed door. Gu Ninazhi¡¯s alluring long legs were heading towards the bathroom. His throat bobbed as he gulped and suddenly changed his mind, pushing open the door to enter. He then closed the door and went to the closet to pick out an Alice and Olivia butter yellow loose fit cashmere hoodie, tailored straight cut white wool trousers, and a pair of nude ankle booties to ce on the sofa. As Gu Nianzhi emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back facing her as he stood in front of the French windows. He was watching the gorgeous plum blossoms against snow outside the windows with his hands in his pockets. ¡°The clothes are on the sofa.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bother turning around when he heard the bathroom door open because he knew she had finished showering.

    Gu Nianzhi eyed the yellow hoodie, white trousers and nude booties. Her eyes crinkled: she couldn¡¯t help thinking that although Huo Shao had ceased to handle her daily needs the past few years, he was still very capable. When she had firste under his care, he had single handedly taken care of her clothing, inside and outside. He had merely been a 22-year old young man back then, so it mustn¡¯t have been easy for him to care for a little girl. Gu Nianzhi was both moved and happy that he had once again shown his care for her now, but was still embittered by his mean wordsst night. So he wants to be seduced, huh? Then I¡¯ll give it try.

    She coughed quietly and said, ¡°Huo Shao, those are the clothes, but what about the underwear? I can¡¯t just wear that and nothing underneath.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. After a long moment, he finally had a faint smile on his lips, but it disappeared as soon as he turned around.

    ¡°You want underwear? Ok.¡± He spoke calmly, walking up to the closet and opening the lower drawers to find where her bras and panties were.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face immediately flushed; she was so humiliated she could dig a hole in the ground. However, Huo Shaoheng was preupied with digging through the colorful drawer and didn¡¯t even turn around to face her as he asked, ¡°What cup size do you wear now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was stony as she clenched her fist in frustration and gritted her teeth, ¡°No need. I can get it myself!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t you not know where to find it?¡± Huo Shaoheng finally turned his head slowly, his eyebrows raising slightly, his dark eyes bottomless.

    Gu Nianzhi rushed to the closet and pushed him away, forcing a smile. ¡°Well, Huo Shao just found them for me right? I can look myself now.¡± She buried her head in the drawer and grabbed acy navy demi-bra with matching panties before mming the drawer shut.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi¡ªher freshly washed skin was luminous and rosy, droplets of water still clinging to her skin. One slid from her neck down to her chest, slipping into the ample cleavage covered by the bath towel.

    He smiled suggestively. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go now.¡± He seemed to be unperturbed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tricks of seduction.

    Exasperated that her little game was exposed, Gu Nianzhi watched his retreating back leaving the bedroom and suddenly blurted, ¡°Why is Huo Shao leaving? Aren¡¯t you going to wait for me to try the outfit on and let me know if it looks good or not?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng exhaled sharply. After a moment of silence, he turned and returned to his seat on the sofa, one hand draped over the back of it and the other rested on hisp. He said quickly, ¡°Fine, change. I¡¯ll watch you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grit her teeth and motioned to undo the towel several times, but her hands only fussed and weren¡¯t able to take it off under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intense gaze. After a while, Gu Nianzhi stamped her feet, ¡°Fine, fine. You¡¯ve won! I¡¯m defeated by you!¡± She bent over to pick up the clothes from the sofa and bolted to the bathroom. Huo Shaoheng remained in the room and surveyed her after she changed. He was satisfied with his taste and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s get breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi collected her wits and regained her courage. She walked forward to take Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and looked up at him, ¡°Huo Shao, I think some sand got in my eyes, can you blow it out for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng studied her for a while and remarked casually, ¡°If sand went into your eyes, why are you puckering your lips with your eyes closed?¡±

 Chapter 207 - Lucky Enough

    <h4>Chapter 207: Lucky Enough</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi quickly opened her eyes. She stared at Huo Shaoheng.

    Herrge, misty eyes shimmered with unshed tears. There was a hint of uncertainty and embarrassment in them. She was a green fruit that was now on the verge of ripening, so to say.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a thrill run through his body. He could not help himself¡ªhe cupped her cheeks and kissed her.

    Thest time he had kissed her, he had been like a wild, unstoppable hurricane. This time, however, he was exceedingly gentle; he gingerly pressed his lips to the extraordinary softness of her mouth.

    He carefully pressed his lips against hers a few times, before parting his lips to suck on hers.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were a little swollen. Her heart fluttered. She extended her arms and wrapped them around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist, nestling herself in his arms as she leaned into his tender kisses.

    Her lips were still lightly pressed together, however. She was nervous.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gentle, insistent kisses eventually persuaded her to rx and open up her mouth.

    His tongue slipped inside, invading her private domain for the second time.

    His tongue explored the inside of her mouth confidently and meticulously. Finally, it caressed the delicate tip of her tongue yfully. Gu Nianzhi shivered violently all over.

    Was the tip of her tongue her weakness? He had barely touched it, but she was already ready to copse to the floor.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed that she was getting increasingly weak-kneed. He moved one of his hands from her cheek to her slender waist, and held her up as he continued kissing her.

    Gu Nianzhi had always been an intelligent student, eager and quick to learn. In a few moments, she had mastered the basic elements of kissing and was now shyly returning his kisses.

    She pressed her lips together and gently sucked on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips, just as he had done to her.

    Huo Shaoheng stilled. He hugged her tightly in her arms as he parted his lips for her.

    Gu Nianzhi could not ignore his invitation. She tentatively slipped the tip of her tongue into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hot mouth.

    She had barely tasted the inside of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth when his tongue impatiently surged out to greet hers. It wrapped around her tongue, caressing it, rubbing it, provoking it.

    Every time Gu Nianzhi thought she had mastered the art of kissing, Huo Shaoheng surprised her with something new.

    There was so much to learn. There was a vast sea of knowledge waiting for her.

    Gu Nianzhi swooned, her brain heady from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kisses. She had not known that Huo Shaoheng¡ªthe staunch, stoic, no-nonsense major general¡ªcould be so gentle.

    She lost all sense of time. Finally, the doorbell to their suite rang, and an orderly spoke over the inte. ¡°General Huo, your breakfast is ready.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng released Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips, and helped her smooth her messy hair.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a satisfied sigh. She lowered her eyes and leaned against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest, her lips curved into a secret smile¡ªshe looked lustful and satisfied.

    Huo Shaoheng found it irresistible.

    He lowered his eyes to look at her. ¡°Nianzhi, are you trying to seduce me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been caught red-handed.

    She smiled and took a step backwards. She smoothed her hair, and adjusted her top, which had gotten a little wrinkled. She tilted her head as she asked coyly: ¡°Yes, I was. Were you seduced, Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°It was okay. Try harder next time,¡± Huo Shaoheng said indifferently as he tousled her hair. He promptly turned and left the room.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted behind his back as she followed him to the dining room for breakfast.

    They entered the dining room, and saw that Huo Jin, Zhang Wenna, and Zhang Wenjie were already there.

    The three of them rose from their chairs to greet Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Good morning, Cousin Brother.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to them and greeted them in return, one by one. He gestured for them to sit down.

    Zhang Wenna¡¯s eyes had lit up at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s youthful, attractive get-up this morning. She walked over to her with a smile on her face, and tugged at her hand as she asked: ¡°Nianzhi, I love your clothes! Where did you buy them? Which brand?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat beside her. ¡°My top is from Alice + Olivia, the trousers are tailor-made. I like them too!¡±

    ¡°Alice + Olivia is a brand for young girls. Their clothes are cute, and a little sexy. Nianzhi, this yellow cashmere pullover looks great on you¡ªonly someone with skin as fair and clear as yours would be able to pull off such a bright color.¡± Zhang Wenna spoke eloquently; she was clearly familiar with these global clothing brands.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled inwardly. An orphan girl like herself would never have had the chance to wear all these world-ss clothing brands, were it not for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s seemingly endless generosity.

    She had a small frame and a thin waist, but her hips were full and her legs were long. There were few trousers she could buy off the rack, and those that she did buy had to be altered by a tailor.

    Huo Shaoheng had eventually stopped buying her ready-to-wear brands, and switched entirely to tailor-made items. He ordered them from famous tailors within the Empire, as well as foreign big-names. He chose the fabrics, decided on the designs, and apanied her abroad three times a year for the tailors to take her measurements¡ªall for the sake of clothes that would fit her.

    She had taken it all for granted at the time, and had not felt that there had been anything out of the ordinary about it.

    It was onlyter, when she had gone to college and been exposed to the school¡¯s diverse student poption, that she had realized how well Huo Shaoheng had been treating her. None of her ssmates¡¯ biological parents were quite as caring or as generous.

    She did not have parents, but she had been lucky enough to meet Huo Shaoheng when she had been at her most helpless.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at Huo Shaoheng, before turning to nod at Zhang Wenna. ¡°I know right? I love this brand, too, but I¡¯m a little old for it now, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Zhang Wenna¡¯s eyes were wide with surprise. ¡°You¡¯re only 18! What do you mean, you¡¯re old? What does that make the rest of us, who are already over 20? Fossils?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not resistughing. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. How old are you?¡±

    ¡°22,¡± Zhang Wenna continued wistfully, ¡°I want to be 18, too!¡±

    Huo Jin, who was sitting opposite Huo Shaoheng, shifted in her seat ufortably. She rapped her knuckles on the table lightly. ¡°Eat your breakfast.¡±

    The Huo family was extremely particr about the ¡°don¡¯t talk while eating¡± rule. Although none of the older, stricter members of the family ate breakfast at the table, Huo Jin tried to enforce this rule whenever possible.

    Zhang Wenna pressed her lips together and sucked her cheeks in sullenly. She ducked her head and quickly finished her oatmeal and milk. She set her bowl down and said to Huo Jin, ¡°Sister Lan, I have a few friends I¡¯d like to invite to our New Year party.¡±

    Huo Jin hummed half-heartedly in reply, before adding, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a form. Fill it out with their particrs and their family background, and give it back to me before tonight. I¡¯ll get someone to vet them.¡±

    ¡°Vet them?!¡± Zhang Wenna raised her voice. ¡°Why are you vetting my friends?!¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know them.¡± Huo Jin did not even look up at her. ¡°You know very well what the Huo residence stands for¡ªit¡¯s not some trashy joint for nobodies.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Zhang Wenna rose from her chair, furious. She jabbed a finger at Huo Jin as she cried: ¡°Whatever, forget it! So they don¡¯t get toe¡ªbig deal!¡±

    ¡°Is it a big deal?¡± Huo Jin dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. ¡°You¡¯re a better judge of that than I am. You and your family have given up so much just to be able to live under this roof, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Zhang Wenna immediately shrank back, feeling guilty. Her eyes darted towards Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi; she was afraid they wouldugh and jeer at her.

    But her fears were unfounded: Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi did not even look up. They concentrated on eating their breakfast, entirely oblivious to what was happening at the dining table.

    Zhang Wenna breathed a sigh of relief. She glowered at Huo Jin, before turning to Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi to say: ¡°Cousin Brother, Nianzhi, please excuse me. Enjoy your breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her head to reply, but Zhang Wenna had already left in a huff.

    Zhang Wenjie wriggled ufortably in his seat, but he was reluctant to leave Gu Nianzhi just yet. He saw that she was still in the middle of her breakfast, and deliberately took his time stirring milk into his oatmeal as he racked his brains for something to talk about. ¡°M-Miss Gu, have you been to the capital before this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi swallowed herst mouthful of food, and washed it down with her tea. She said cheerfully, ¡°This is my first time in the capital city. I¡¯ll be studying here¡ªmy sses start next spring.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shot a look at Zhang Wenjie. He put down his knife and leaned over to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Where are the things you bought? I want to take them upstairs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. The things are still in my room, anyway.¡±

    They were referring to the gifts they had bought for Song Jinning, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, from the Chanel gship store in Scion za the day before.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. When he got up, he said to Huo Jin and Zhang Wenjie, ¡°We have to leave now; please excuse us.¡±

    Zhang Wenjie blushed. He rose from his chair and said to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Miss Gu, if you want to tour the city, let me know. I can show you around in my free time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to him, smiling. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be sure to take you up on your offer when I have the time.¡±

    She followed Huo Shaoheng back to their suite, and found the Chanel gift bags. She said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Should we go up now? What if Mrs. Huo is still asleep?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng relieved her of the gift bags. He paused, before saying impassively, ¡°Don¡¯t call her Mrs. Huo. My parents divorced more than a decade ago.¡±

 Chapter 208 - A Past Like Smoke

    <h4>Chapter 208: A Past Like Smoke</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Divorced over a decade ago? Gu Nianzhi was stunned by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. She stared nkly at Huo Shaoheng, slowly reaching out to hold his wrist. Swallowing hard, she had no idea how to console him. If they had divorced over a decade ago, that meant that Huo Shaoheng had only been a teenager then.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You don¡¯t need tofort me, I already told you that this was something that happened a long time ago. It doesn¡¯t affect me anymore. I¡¯m telling you now because I don¡¯t want you to hear it from anyone else and overthink it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kept quiet but actually wanted to hit him; he was so annoying with his disy of indifference and machismo. She let go of his hand.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in front of her, carrying the Chanel shopping bags as he replied dryly, ¡°Of course there¡¯s a reason why I¡¯m saying this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hastily caught up with him and tugged at his shirt. She looked up at him and wanted him to make things clear before leaving.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped walking and turned to look at her. ¡°I told you before, my mother suddenly fainted 16 years go and woke up like this.¡±

    ¡°I remember.¡± Gu Nianzhi promptly replied, ¡°Aunt Song passed out because of the divorce?¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth tugged upward as he ruffled her head with his free hand. ¡°What do you mean? Your little brain is overthinking it. The truth is not far from that, but it involves confidentiality agreements and I can¡¯t disclose that to outsiders.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised. ¡°What incident involves confidentiality agreements? Aunt Song passing out? Or getting divorced?¡±

    ¡°Of course it was the passing out.¡± Huo Shaoheng felt helpless in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s extensive questioning, but this was about his mother and was also very important to Gu Nianzhi. He had to tell her, but of course wouldn¡¯t say anything he shouldn¡¯t say.

    Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°Then can you tell me? I really want to know.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll tell you what I can.¡± Huo Shaoheng stated simply, ¡°My grandfather was a renowned high energy physicist named Song Haichuan, but he passed away 16 years ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately noticed the year. ¡°Again,16 years ago? That was the same year Aunt Song...fell ill?¡±

    Perhaps her father¡¯s death had triggered her illness?

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reason waspletely unexpected, ¡°It was the same year. My mother is a scientist. She was a very intelligent woman¡ªshe started university when she was 15 and earned a doctorate in theoretical physics when she was just 20. After she graduated, she joined by my grandfather¡¯sb, where they conducted a top secret experiment for the military. One day, 16 years ago, there was an ident during my grandfather¡¯s experiment and the wholeb was destroyed. My grandfather passed away, and my mother was pushed outside at the veryst moment. Her brain received a huge shock and concussion, and then she passed out. When she woke up, she became like this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent and then said, ¡°So it was because of the ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes. In the beginning, I thought she was just confused and would get better with time. However, four, five, and then many years passed and she was still the same. My father was an ordinary man, and she was a patient, so they couldn¡¯t...¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a rare sigh. ¡°Afterwards they divorced.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt conflicted and speechless after digesting all the information. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault that Song Jinning had been in an ident during an experiment and had be the way she was. At that time, both she and Huo Guanchen had been young, so it was unreasonable to ask a man at his prime to abstain for a mentally ill wife. However, Gu Nianzhi was also a woman and couldn¡¯t get over a certain fact. After pondering for a long while, she spoke in a low voice, ¡°If the situation was reversed and this happened to Uncle Huo, I think Aunt Song would¡¯ve stayed by his side forever. She wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, this is the elders¡¯ business, we have no right to say anything.¡± Huo Shaoheng interrupted, and walked out of the suite. ¡°Moreover, they only divorced in the legal aspect. My father and grandfather forbade the Song¡¯s from taking my mother away and kept her at home. All these years, my mother¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t worsened because she¡¯s familiar with the environment here.¡±

    ¡°But she also didn¡¯t get any better.¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled, but she instinctively knew it wasn¡¯t the appropriate time to discuss that. This was between Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother and father: it was impossible for him to speak badly of either one of them¡ªespecially in this case where neither did anything wrong. He was in no position to me anyone.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him out the door and suddenly remembered something else, so she yanked at his shirt while attempting not to appear like she was gossiping. She asked in all seriousness, ¡°Umm, Huo Shao, your father... Uncle Huo, he didn¡¯t remarry right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then... then... umm. How does he deal with his personal needs now?¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered her head shamefully under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sharp gaze, her hands clenched together. She was asking too much... But she wanted to know!

    Huo Guanchen had divorced Huo Jinning because of intimacy issues with her. From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perception, it was certain that he did that also because he had another women help him deal with his needs. Otherwise, he would bemitting adultery, which was a serious ethical misconduct.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at Gu Nianzhi for some time. Although he appeared indifferent, he was actually feeling a little surprised. Gu Nianzhi was unexpectedly sensitive enough to know right away that his father had another woman. ¡°Yes,ter on he had a... girlfriend.¡± Huo Shaoheng no longer wanted to continue the discussion, ¡°Let¡¯s go, my mother should be making breakfast. Do you still want to have some congee?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was quickly diverted, her taste buds could still remember the deliciousness of Song Jinning¡¯s congee from the other day. They carried several Chanel shopping bags to Song Jinning¡¯s quarters on the third floor.

    Song Jinning was indeed making breakfast in the kitchen¡ªshe had made congee and even seafood fried rice. When she saw Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng enter, she appeared confused, ¡°May I ask who you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extra friendly and linked elbows with her with a smile. ¡°Mrs. Song, I¡¯m here to have breakfast! Your congee is the best.¡± Although Gu Nianzhi had already had a full meal earlier, she didn¡¯t want to give up the more delicious food Song Jinning made. Song Jinning appeared bashful. Anyone was happy to get apliment, and this was especially the case for a mental patient like her.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the small living room and didn¡¯t bother going into the kitchen when he saw how unexpectedly natural Gu Nianzhi was with his mother.

    ¡°Great, you like my congee? Did you have it before?¡± Song Jinning smiled as she served Gu Nianzhi a small bowl, then dished out golden fried rice into a ceramic bowl. Gu Nianzhi noticed that this was the same bowl Huo Shaoheng had put the fried rice in for Song Jinningst time. She nced at Song Jinning and secretly thought that perhaps Song Jinning hadn¡¯t forgotten everything from the previous day? She clearly had some recollection, but it was too blurry that she seemed to act out of a maternal instinct.

    ¡°Huo Shao, breakfast is ready. Do you want toe havee?¡± Gu Nianzhi called.

    Huo Shaoheng rose and walked over, nodding to Song Jinning in thanks. Song Jinning grew nervous when she saw him and couldn¡¯t even meet his eyes. She fidgeted with her apron and said quietly, ¡°You two eat, I¡¯m going to take a look outside.¡± She scurried away.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down and looked at the fried rice before steadily picking up the spoon to have a bite.

    Gu Nianzhi gulped down two spoonfuls of in congee and asked quietly, ¡°Huo Shao, where are the servants who take care of Aunt Song? Howe we didn¡¯t see them today?¡±

 Chapter 209 - Do You Call the Shots

    <h4>Chapter 209: Do You Call the Shots</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Song Jinning¡¯s two personal caretakers were called Auntie Xing and Auntie You. Gu Nianzhi remembered their names clearly; she had met them once.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why don¡¯t you ask her?¡± Huo Shaoheng did not look up from his fried rice. He was offering Gu Nianzhi a chance to talk to Song Jinning privately.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly finished her porridge and left the kitchen to look for Song Jinning.

    She walked about the rooms, and finally found Song Jinning in a small bedroom.

    Song Jinning was wrapped in arge triangr shawl embroidered with the flowers of a Chinese crabapple tree. She stood before the window, staring vacantly at the sky outside.

    The bedroom was tiny. The ceiling was low, and the furnishings took up most of the space. Everything looked expensive, but it was simply too much for the senses: the room felt stuffy and oppressive.

    It was the same for the human heart: if there were too many things inside, there would be very little space breathe, to turn around, and see things from a different perspective. It would be suffocating.

    A tiny, cluttered room was a terrible ce for someone suffering from psychological issues to live in.

    Gu Nianzhi had suffered from psychological issues when she was younger, caused by the trauma of her car ident.

    Back then, she had suffered from frequent night terrors, and had had a mental breakdown whenever she was left alone in a confined space. Open fires had been a trigger for her, too. She had eventually gotten over her trauma, thanks to thebined efforts of Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng.

    She was certain that her psychological issues would have worsened if she had been forced to live in a room as small and oppressive as the one she was now in back then. She would never have recovered.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sympathy for Song Jinning had been borne out of a feeling of kinship¡ªSong Jinning was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, after all¡ªbut it now went beyond that: Gu Nianzhi remembered her own struggle with mental trauma, and her heart ached for the woman before her.

    ...

    Song Jinning was standing by the window. She had been ill for many years, but she was still startlingly attractive. Her deste frailness added to her beauty; she was like a precious flower, singrly beautiful, that had bloomed for many years but was now about to wither. She was the sky during a sunset: a breathtaking sight that eluded description.

    Huo Shaoheng was just as hauntingly beautiful. It was apparent now that he shared the same quality with his mother.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed wistfully. She walked over to Song Jinning and said, in a gentle voice, ¡°Mrs. Song?¡±

    Song Jinning turned to smile at her. ¡°All done? Did you enjoy the food?¡±

    ¡°It was delicious.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Song Jinning let out a small sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t have the appetite for it.¡±

    A thought urred to Gu Nianzhi. She reached out and gently wrapped a hand around Song Jinning¡¯s wrist¡ªshe was all skin and bones.

    Song Jinning was alreadyboring under the weight of serious mental and psychological issues. If her physical health were to decline as well, she would turn into a bed-ridden vegetable. It would be a death sentence for her.

    Unease bubbled within Gu Nianzhi. Her intuition had never let her down, and it was now telling her Song Jinning could not be left as she was. Gu Nianzhi was extremely sympathetic towards Song Jinning, especially since they were both women; it pained Gu Nianzhi to imagine what it must be like for her.

    ¡°Mrs. Song, how about we go out for a walk?¡± Gu Nianzhi put a hand on Song Jinning¡¯s arm and rocked it coaxingly. ¡°How about the garden? It¡¯s my first time at the Huo residence¡ªyou¡¯re part of the Huo family, can you show me around?¡±

    Song Jinning flushed. ¡°I... I¡¯m not married yet. You can¡¯t call me Mrs.Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had forgotten about this.

    Song Jinning had not protested when the other members of the Huo family called her ¡°Mrs. Song¡± before this.

    Why was she objecting to it now? Was her condition worsening? Or was she actually getting better?

    Gu Nianzhi did not know which it was, but she knew something had to change.

    If Song Jinning¡¯s condition was deteriorating, then it would be necessary to put her on a different treatment immediately. If her condition was improving, then it would be necessary to figure out what they were doing right and double down on it to speed up her recovery.

    ¡°Miss Song, let¡¯s go to the garden. What do you say?¡± Gu Nianzhi was set on inviting Song Jinning outside to have some fun. ¡°Huo Shao and I, we brought you some gifts for the New Year. Let¡¯s go try them out!¡±

    ¡°Gifts? For me?¡± Song Jinning was pleasantly surprised. ¡°You have presents for me?¡±

    ¡°Yup! You cooked so many delicious dishes for us, we have to return the favor. Wait here¡ªI¡¯ll get the presents, and you can change into them immediately. We¡¯ll go down to the garden after that, okay?¡± Gu Nianzhi said in her brightest, most persuasive manner. She turned and ran out to the living room to get the Chanel gift bags.

    As soon as she stepped out of the room, she saw Auntie Xing and Auntie You rummaging through the Chanel gift bags.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened. She shouted angrily at the two women: ¡°Put those down! They belong to your employer, not you¡ªhow dare you touch them without permission?!¡±

    Auntie Xing and Auntie You had not expected Gu Nianzhi to be in Song Jinning¡¯s bedroom, and were embarrassed to have been caught red-handed. They reluctantly put down the bags. Auntie Xing said defiantly: ¡°Miss Jin said that we have to carefully check everything that goes to Mrs. Song. We were just following orders. If you disagree with how we do things, Miss Gu, you should talk to Miss Jin about it. Why are you shouting at us? We¡¯re just the servants.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better would have thought Miss Gu here runs the family... Who¡¯s she even supposed to be? She thinks she can just show up and start ordering us around?¡± Auntie You muttered disdainfully, her lips curled in distaste. It was obvious that the woman had no respect for Gu Nianzhi.

    Any other girl would have silently cursed the two caretakers and left it at that, afraid to make a scene.

    Not Gu Nianzhi, however¡ªshe had never been one to take things lying down.

    She had been wracking her brains trying to think of a way to break Song Jinning out of her monotonous routine, and she saw now that this was the opening she had been looking for. She leapt to seize hold of it.

    She began to wail loudly, like a small, petnt child. She rushed into the small kitchen, her footsteps pounding angrily across the floor, and threw herself into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. She stamped her feet as she cried: ¡°Huo Shao! They want to throw me out! How can I stay here, under this roof, when no one respects me?! I want to go home! I want to go home!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had heard every word exchanged between Gu Nianzhi and the caretakers, but had stayed inside the tiny kitchen because he had been toozy to deal with it.

    Disobedient maids were fired, end of story¡ªthe matter seemed simple enough to him.

    But he saw the way Gu Nianzhi was wailing and raising hell, and knew something was wrong.

    ¡°Nianzhi...¡± He pushed her away, frowning. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao! You heard them, didn¡¯t you? How can I stay here for another minute, if they don¡¯t respect me? I¡¯m spelling it out for you: either they go, or I go!¡± Gu Nianzhi threw herself into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms a second time, crying and wailing as though the world had ended. As she sobbed violently, she pinched Huo Shaoheng in the waist.

    Song Jinning heard themotion outside, and quickly ran out to see what was happening. She saw two middle-aged women standing in the living room, their expressions sullen and unhappy, and asked softly: ¡°Who are you? What happened?¡±

    Auntie Xing and Auntie You had been Song Jinning¡¯s caretakers for thest six years. They knew she had anterograde amnesia, and hastily introduced themselves to her: ¡°Madame, I¡¯m Auntie Xing, and this is Auntie You.¡±

    Song Jinning frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not married yet, don¡¯t call me Madame. What business do you have here? How dare you quarrel with my guests?¡±

    Auntie Xing and Auntie You were dumbfounded. They exchanged a look, before saying, ¡°Madame, Miss Jin hired us to take care of you. Have you had your breakfast?¡±

    They had always introduced themselves in this manner, every morning, like clockwork. It had be a force of habit with them.

    And Song Jinning usually did not ask again.

    Every day was the same for Song Jinning: she either stayed quietly in her bedroom, lost in her thoughts, or sat quietly in the living room, staring nkly at nothing. The caretakers were used to it. They did not talk to her. She was no longer a human being in their eyes, but a delicate porcin vase.

    But today had been different: Song Jinning had actually admonished them for quarreling with her guests.

    Auntie Xing and Auntie You stood awkwardly, thoroughly embarrassed. Their lips curled as they muttered spitefully, ¡°Who do these women think they are, ordering us about like they run the ce... Are they even qualified?¡±

    They knew that Huo Guanchen and Song Jinning were divorced.

    Huo Guanchen had allowed Song Jinning to continue living in the house because he was too kind and noble to throw a sick woman out.

    But Auntie Xing and Auntie You knew Song Jinning would be forced to leave once Huo Guanchen remarried and his new wife moved in.

    Because of that, they had never truly thought of Song Jinning as the mistress of the family.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shot him a pointed look. ¡°Do you call the shots in this household?¡±

 Chapter 210 - Once Deep Love

    <h4>Chapter 210: Once Deep Love</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You want to fire them?¡± Huo Shaoheng impassively picked up a napkin from the dining table to wipe her tears.¡±You don¡¯t need to cry this hard.¡±

    ¡°Not only fire them.¡± Gu Nianzhi wrote the words ¡°Huo Jin¡± on his palm. ¡°We also have to take back the right to take care of Mrs. Song.¡±

    Although Song Jinning was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother and he should have more say in her affairs, it was Huo Jin who had taken care of her in the manor all these years. There was merit in her work, and she also had a special status in the Huo household. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t aware of this. Huo Shaoheng mulled over it and finally said in a quiet voice, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this when we get back. You go out with me now and take my mother out to the garden. I¡¯ll have Jin fire those two servants.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her doe-like eyes, keenly aware that there was more that Huo Shaoheng had yet to tell her. ¡°Fine, then that¡¯ll be all for today. We¡¯ll talk about it tonight.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and gave Huo Shaoheng a small smile before suddenly reaching out and adjusting his cor. She was embarrassed. ¡°I got your shirt dirty, I¡¯ll go wash it for you when we get back, alright?¡± Her fingertips were soft and slightly cool as they lightly glided over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck, causing a soft and pleasing sensation like a feather that caressed the heart. After adjusting his cor, Gu Nianzhi turned to leave. Huo Shaoheng squinted as he put both hands in his trouser pockets and watched her back. He gave into a faint smile.

    ...

    ¡°Mrs. Song, let¡¯s get changed. The weather is beautiful today and all the plum blossoms in the garden are blooming; let¡¯s go enjoy them!¡± Gu Nianzhi chattered as though she hadn¡¯t been sobbing earlier.

    Song Jinning watched Gu Nianzhi take out a rose colored tweed dress suit with white rabbit fur trim on the cor and cuffs out of a Chanel shopping bag. She sighed and said, ¡°So beautiful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll look even better with you wearing it.¡± Gu Nianzhi enthusiastically closed the bedroom door. ¡°Here, hurry and try it on!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Right now? These are for me?¡± Song Jinning was slightly confused, but it was apparent that she was reluctant to let go as she stroked the dress suit. ¡°It¡¯s really pretty.¡±

    ¡°Then put it on.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes turned into bright crescent shapes as she smiled.

    Song Jinning considered it for a while a blush tinging her cheeks as she mumbled quietly, ¡°Guanchen likes rose colored.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile dimmed a bit. What a coincidence.

    She had only thought that Song Jinning¡¯s skin was so creamy that rose would be especially alluring on her and chose this color. ¡°Great! Maybe we¡¯ll have an encounter in the garden when we go down there! Maybe we can meet Huo... Guanchen.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped herself from saying the word, ¡°Uncle¡± because she didn¡¯t want to give Song Jinning anymore psychological stress. She studied Song Jinning¡¯s situation as though she were role ying. In Song Jinning¡¯s conscience right now, she was an 18 year old girl, so Gu Nianzhi spoke to her true identity and consciousness as an 18 year old girl when she spoke to her.

    Song Jinning was moved by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and wanted to change. However, she became shy when Gu Nianzhi stood by the mirror watching her with her arms crossed. She mumbled, ¡°Aren¡¯t ...Aren¡¯t you going to wait outside?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Song, don¡¯t be like this! We¡¯re both women here! Don¡¯t be shy.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked. ¡°Here, let me check if I picked out the right size for you.¡±

    Song Jinning finally acquiesced, removing her old-fashioned jacket with knotted buttons to reveal a pull-on bra.

    Gu Nianzhi looked it over. Although it was a modest bra and Song Jinning was very thin, she still had an ample bosom. Of course, it was a bit smaller than when she had been in normal health. She was too thin and her shoulder des were so sharp they could almost double as weapons. Her jutting vicles looked especially pitiful. Gu Nianzhi sighed and walked over to help Song Jinning put on the suit, asking in a low voice, ¡°Why are you so thin?¡± She had already bought the smallest size and hadn¡¯t expected it to be still too big on Song Jinning. The color however, suited her perfectly. Her milky skin glowed against the rose fabric.

    ....

    Gu Nianzhi led Song Jinning out from her small bedroom to find that Auntie Xing and Auntie You were already gone. ¡°Huo Shao?¡± she called.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the small kitchen and froze when he saw Song Jinning in the new clothes. He hadn¡¯t seen his mother like this in many years. In all his memories of her, she was pale and sluggish, watching people fearfully and cautiously. She was terrified of offending others and could only sneak nces even at his father. She so scared she hid far away when she had to talk to him. But when she thought no one was watching, she would intently and bashfully peer at Huo Guanchen. Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t approach Song Jinning, not even one step closer. He could only look at her from a safe distance. Of course, it would be impossible for him to ask her to be intimate with him. Huo Guanchen had once loved Song Jinning deeply, but even Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t guarantee how much of it had survived the weathering of time.

    Gu Nianzhi smuglyy raised her brows at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, what do you think? We can go downstairs now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the youthful Gu Nianzhi dressed in a yellow cashmere hoodie and tailored white straight cut wool trousers, then at his mother Song Jinning who was wearing a rose colored Chanel dress suit and appearing as elegant and beautiful as she had been in her youth. He gave a small smile and appeared to be in a better mood. ¡°Good, let¡¯s go together.¡± He led the way downstairs as Gu Nianzhi linked arms with Song Jinning.

    ...

    In the living room of Huo Jin¡¯s suite on the second floor, Auntie Xing and Auntie You were embarrassed as they recounted what happened upstairs. When they finished, they proceeded to add in a few woes. ¡°Miss, you¡¯ve always been the head of the household and have done so much for this family. Now you¡¯re being pped in the face by a little demon that came out of nowhere, so please make it right for us. You can¡¯t let her get away with this!¡±

    Huo Jin frowned. She thought the two servants were being too vulgar and would¡¯ve immediately fired them if it weren¡¯t for the fact that they had been employed with the Huo household for so many years. ¡°Mhmm, I understand. I¡¯ll assign other tasks to you. Just forget about taking care of Mrs. Song for now.¡± Huo Jin nodded to herself and continued, ¡°You two should take a vacation first. Come back to us when they leave.¡±

    Huo Jin was fully aware that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be staying for long, so she didn¡¯t want to have any direct conflict with Gu Nianzhi. She still couldn¡¯t determine what kind of position Gu Nianzhi had in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s life and to what extent he would protect her.

    Auntie Xing and Auntie You went outside and left Huo Jin standing alone in her living room. She looked out the window at the garden in the Huo manor backyard. The plum trees were in the peak of the blooming season. A girl in a yellow hoodie and a woman in a dress suit were walking towards the plum trees. The dignified figure of Huo Shaoheng followed them, both hands in his trouser pockets and expression hidden as usual. Just then, a luxury vehicle stopped at the manor entrance. Huo Guanchen emerged from the car to pass by the grove of plum trees, and glimpsed Song Jinning in the garden. Her head was tilted as she smiled at a branch of plum blossoms on the tree. Huo Guanchen hadn¡¯t seen her like that for 16 years; he couldn¡¯t help stopping and desperately taking in the sight of her.

    Huo Jin witnessed this from the second floor window and smiled as she picked up the phone to make a call. ¡°Aunt Bai, are you back from your excursion? Great, we¡¯re to hold a New Year¡¯s reception here. Can you make it?¡±

 Chapter 211 - Iâ€™ll Be Right Over

    <h4>Chapter 211: I¡¯ll Be Right Over</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°A New Year¡¯s party?¡± The woman on the other end of the line sounded hesitant. ¡°I just came back, I still have a lot of data to process, numbers to crunch. I may not have the time...¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Huo Jin smiled. She angled the phone towards the garden below and pressed the Record button.

    Five minutester, Huo Jin sent the short video she had just recorded to the person on the other end of the line.

    In the video, a woman was standing beneath a plum tree, her head tilted backwards to admire the plum blossoms, which were in full bloom. A handsome middle-aged man in a military uniform walked over to her, stately and dignified. He smiled at the woman.

    The woman was wearing a rose red suit; the elegant, tasteful cut of the dressplemented the woman¡¯s milky white skin beautifully.

    The man said something to the woman. She blushed prettily, and gave a slight nod.

    The man extended a hand, snapped the most beautiful plum blossom off the tree, and handed it to the woman.

    The woman epted it and smiled at the man. She quickly turned and walked towards the garden archway. When she reached it, she suddenly stopped to lean against the archway. She bowed her head, sniffed the plum blossom, and looked towards the man, a beautiful smile on her face.

    The man in the video was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, director of the Military Political Department. The woman was Song Jinning, who had lived the life of a secluded hermit for many, many years.

    The woman on the other end of the line was silent for a long moment, unable to process what she was seeing. Finally, she asked in an incredulous tone, ¡°Jinning recovered from her illness?! When did this happen? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°No, Aunt Bai, you¡¯re mistaken. Mrs. Song hasn¡¯t recovered; she¡¯s still sick.¡± Huo Jin gave a smallugh, but it rang out, cold and mirthless. ¡°So are youing to our New Year¡¯s party?¡±

    ¡°Forget the New Year¡¯s party, I¡¯lle over right now. Jinning looks so much better now. We should act on it, quickly, and hopefully find a cure for her.¡± With that, the woman on the other end of the line promptly hung up; ¡°Aunt Bai¡± was clearly a no-nonsense person who had never wasted a minute of her time.

    Huo Jin looked at her phone, her lip curled in distaste. She put away her phone and folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes lingered briefly on Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng in the garden below, before moving on to Gu Nianzhi, who was straining on tiptoe behind Huo Shaoheng, trying vainly to pluck a plum blossom off the tree.

    Huo Jin watched Gu Nianzhi for a while. She waited until she was sure Aunt Bai was about to arrive, before heading downstairs to the rear garden. She interrupted the conversation between Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng, smiling as she said, ¡°Second Uncle, Cousin Brother, sorry to intrude, but there¡¯s something I need to tell you¡ªto Second Uncle, specifically.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Guanchen was in his military uniform, having just returned from a meeting. His temples were speckled with white, but his graying hair did not detract from his looks. He cut a handsome and majestic figure, standing under the plum tree.

    Huo Jin shot a nce at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing behind Huo Shaoheng. She smiled and said, ¡°Miss Gu, can you please leave us, just for a minute?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng gestured at her. Gu Nianzhi nodded in reply, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go see what Auntie Song is up to then.¡± With that, she walked towards the archway in the garden.

    Huo Jin watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s retreating back for a moment, before turning back to Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng to say, ¡°Aunt Bai just returned from her research expedition. She is very happy to hear that Mrs. Song is getting better, and insisted oning over to see how she¡¯s doing, right away.¡±

    Everyone in the Huo family knew very well who this ¡°Aunt Bai¡± was.

    But in thest 12 years, no one in the family had dared bring her up whenever Huo Shaoheng was at home.

    Huo Shaoheng would only ever interact with ¡°Aunt Bai¡± on official business, when it was strictly necessary; he never met or spoke with her in private.

    Huo Guanchen, too, had never received her at home, out of consideration for his son¡¯s feelings and pride.

    Huo Jin was well aware of the strained rtionship between Huo Shaoheng and ¡°Aunt Bai.¡± She said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Cousin Brother, I know you¡¯ve never liked Aunt Bai, but she¡¯sing over to check on Mrs. Song, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that Aunt Bai has been treating Mrs. Song all these years. She was absolutely ecstatic when I told her that Mrs. Song¡¯s condition has improved, and she wants toe over, right away, to hopefully get Mrs. Song on the road to recovery as soon as possible.¡±

    Huo Guanchen could barely keep hisposure when he heard what Huo Jin had said.

    He had longed for Song Jinning to recover from her illness, but his hopes had been dashed again and again. They had tried practically everything in thest 16 years, to no avail.

    He was hardly able to believe his ears when Huo Jin said that Song Jinning¡¯s condition had improved. He quickly asked, ¡°Jin, is it true? Is she really getting better?¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s much better now.¡± Huo Jinughed lightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just give Mrs. Song a plum blossom? Mrs. Song used to run at the sight of you, but not this time. That¡¯s quite the improvement, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was beside himself with emotion. He nodded vigorously as he said, ¡°You¡¯re right, she¡¯s not the same, she¡¯s changed! Thank you, Jin! If it weren¡¯t for you, looking after her all these years¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I had nothing to do with it.¡± Huo Jin cut him off gently and shook her head. ¡°I only started taking care of Mrs. Song eight years ago. In my opinion, it¡¯s Aunt Bai you have to thank.¡± She watched Huo Shaoheng for his reaction.

    There was none: Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was unsettlingly stoic and impassive, as always. ¡°If Director Bai wants toe over, so be it.¡± He turned and walked towards the archway in the garden.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng walk over to her, alone. His face was calm, but there was a touch of urgency in his footsteps.

    ¡°Huo Shao, what¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together and motioned to the direction Huo Shaoheng hade from with her mouth. ¡°What¡¯s so hush-hush and important that I don¡¯t get to listen in?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Huo Shaoheng said indifferently. ¡°Bai Jinyi ising over to give Mrs. Song a check-up, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Bai Jinyi?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately knew who that was. ¡°The famous female scientist?! I didn¡¯t know that she¡¯s a doctor as well!¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t a medical doctor, but she has a PhD. in psychology. She¡¯s been taking care of my mother all these years.¡± Huo Shaoheng was clearly reluctant to talk about it. ¡°Let¡¯s head back inside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walked Song Jinning into the house together.

    As they were about to go upstairs, Gu Nianzhi stopped Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, that small suite I stayed in on my first night is still empty, isn¡¯t it? Why don¡¯t we let Auntie Song live in it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her inquiringly. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The attic on the third floor has a low ceiling, and Auntie Song¡¯s bedroom is way too cramped. Normal people would go crazy in there¡ªwhat do you think a ce like that does to Auntie Song?¡± Gu Nianzhi said bluntly, before adding: ¡°I used to hate ustrophobic ces too, you know, and the moment I entered her bedroom, I felt ready to explode. I was dying to get into an argument, or even a brawl, just to let off steam.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened further. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look. You stay with her; I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strong, graceful figure take the stairs two steps at a time, before disappearing around the corner.

    Huo Shaoheng entered the suite in the attic, where Song Jinning lived, and immediately checked her bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi was right: the bedroom felt small and cramped because of all the clutter in it. Normal, healthy people would not be able to stand being in it for long¡ªto say nothing of someone who was suffering from psychological issues.

    He had been in this bedroom once before, six years ago. He did not remember the room being this cluttered back then.

    Had all these superfluous knick-knacks slowly invaded Song Jinning¡¯s living space¡ªinch by sinister inch¡ªover thest six years? Was all the clutter and istion preventing her from getting better?

    Huo Shaoheng returned from the third floor and immediately gave instructions to one of his orderlies: ¡°Make up the rooms in the suite on the first floor for my mother. You know the one, Nianzhi stayed in it during her first night here. Those rooms used to belong to my mother, so make sure you restore them to what they used to look like.¡± He checked his watch. ¡°You have half an hour, so get started.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Let¡¯s go sit in the living room.¡± Huo Shaoheng led Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning to the living room, where they made themselvesfortable. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Bai Jinyi will be here soon. She knows who you are, but has never seen you in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi responded with a ¡°hmm¡± as she rested her chin in her hand, her expression thoughtful. She mused, ¡°I didn¡¯t know Bai Jinyi wore so many hats¡ªso she¡¯s not only a famous physicist, but also a psychologist, and a psychiatrist? That¡¯s hard to believe!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason for that,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied matter-of-factly. ¡°When my mother first woke up after the ident, the only memories she had were those from before she was 18, and the only people she recognized were Bai Jinyi and my father. Back then, Bai Jinyi was the only one who could get near my mother, because she was the only one my mother trusted.¡±

    It was simr to what Gu Nianzhi herself had gone through: initially, she had been so traumatized from her car ident she hadshed out at anyone who tried to approach her. Huo Shaoheng had been the only exception back then.

 Chapter 212 - Teaching the Legally Incompetent

    <h4>Chapter 212: Teaching the Legally Ipetent</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi grew silent. She knew exactly what it felt like, so she decided not to make anyments about the situation for now.

    Song Jinning peered curiously at the Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exchange, but she recognized the familiar name, ¡°Bai Jinyi,¡± through the fog of confusion and blurted out, ¡°Jinyi is my ssmate; she¡¯s bright and capable. She also can work very hard!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng and raised her brow while mouthing, ¡°Really?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was quiet as he sat on the sofa and gave an nomittal look. Gu Nianzhi knew he always made this expression when he didn¡¯t want to admit to something he also couldn¡¯t deny.

    ¡°Got it.¡± The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red lips raised as she smirked and sent a knowing look at him.

    Huo Shaoheng could only avert his gaze and look in the direction of the front door. Suddenly, three people walked in from the entrance¡ªHuo Guanchen, Huo Jin, and a tall, slim woman with honey-colored skin. The woman appeared to be quite older, with deep crow¡¯s feet at the corner of her eyes, but her features were elegant and slightly resembled the morous and charming Bai Yueran. Of course, this woman was much older than her.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately knew that this person was none other than the renowned physicist, Bai Jinyi. Born into the Bai family, she had used her own education and ability to create her career, instead of leeching off the family fortune. From this perspective, Gu Nianzhi admired her. However Gu Nianzhi thought it was peculiar how Huo Shaoheng said she was in charge of treating Song Jinning¡¯s illness. To begin with, Song Jinning¡¯s condition required the constant care of a professional psychologist. And as a female scientist and a known workaholic, how had Bai Jinyi found the time to take care of Song Jinning? Gu Nianzhi remembered when she was first rescued from the car ident, Chen Lie had basically surveilled her 24 hours a day under the supervision of Huo Shaoheng. This situationsted for three months, until Gu Nianzhi eventually recovered from an uncontroble state of fear. Afterwards, Chen Lie began watching her 12 hours a day for a year and she gradually made a full recovery.

    Gu Nianzhi was curious to know how Bai Jinyi allocated her time. Huo Shaoheng slowly rose when the three people walked inside. Gu Nianzhi followed suit and Song Jinning stood timidly beside her. Bai Jinyi rested her gaze on Song Jinning as soon as she came in.

    ¡°Jinning, do you still remember me? I¡¯m Jinyi.¡± She quickly stepped forward to stand beside Song Jinning, smiling as she gave an introduction.

    Song Jinning remembered the name and face of ¡°Jinning.¡± However, she was doubtful when she saw the woman in front of her. ¡°Are you Jinyi? Why did you get so much older? Look at the crows feet on your face, and eye bags, spots, oh my! You even have wrinkles around your mouth? This can¡¯t be right?! Are you really Jinyi?!¡±

    Bai Jinyi looked like she had been pped in the face. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold in a snort of amusement and quickly turned around as she faced the sofa, shaking with silentughter. Bai Jinyi finally shifted her gaze onto Gu Nianzhi and asked ¡°This is...?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°This is Gu Nianzhi?!¡± Bai Jinyi¡¯s expression was animated despite her age; she had a youthful energy. ¡°Why does she look like that? Are you sure?¡± When Gu Nianzhi was rescued from the car ident at the age of 12, Bai Jinyi had been one of the witnesses at the scene. She had seen the little girl Huo Shaoheng had carried out of the burning car. Bai Jinyi eximed, ¡°That fat little girl had had narrow eyes and round lips¡ªI would have never thought that there would be such a dramatic change. It¡¯s as though she¡¯s an entirely different person!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always been with me, from the ages of 12 to 18.¡± Huo Shaoheng shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. ¡°What is Director Bai implying?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was angered by her words and couldn¡¯t help making ament, ¡°Huo Shao, I think Physicist Bai is having doubts about the abilities of the Special Operations Forces. She thinks that someone can be swapped right under the watch of Huo Shao.¡±

    Bai Jinyi gave her a bbergasted look and shook her head disapprovingly as she spoke to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, haven¡¯t you educated her properly? What is the meaning of her back talking to her elders in public?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was quiet and only tilted his head at Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi epted his encouraging look and stood up a little straighter. Her talent was making something out of nothing in any situation and soid no attention to how others perceived of or judged her; she only feared Huo Shaoheng and how he might chastise her. Now that she had his support, she would certainly show no mercy to Bai Jinyi. She walked up closer and scrutinized Bai Jinyi from head to toe, ¡°May I ask what your name is?¡±

    ¡°Last name Bai, what¡¯s it to you? Didn¡¯t you just call me Physicist Bai? How did you forget all of a sudden?¡± Bai Jinyi was getting impatient; she¡¯d hurried to the Huo manor to treat Song Jingling. She wasn¡¯t here to bicker with a snotty little girl.

    Gu Nianzhi had no intention of letting her off so easy and pped her hands with a smile. ¡°So you know you¡¯re a Bai too? Then, how are you my elder?¡±

    ¡°How am I not your elder?¡± Bai Jinyi despised delicate, beautiful girls that looked like they had walked right out of a fairy tale. She believed that those in possession of extreme beauty were corrupted by it, and were therefore disrespectful and immature; thus she had no patience for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not a Gu or Huo, then may I ask how you¡¯d be considered my elder? Don¡¯t use your age against me. Who gave you the right?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to relentlessly counter Bai Jinyi.

    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Bai Jinyi backed up a step, deeply hurt by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She looked at Huo Guanchen and grew quiet.

    Huo Jin had been crossing her arms and watching with great interest. She finally gave a quietugh and made an escape route for Bai Jinyi, ¡°Aunt Bai, don¡¯t be angry. Little Gu has been here for a few days and didn¡¯t know your status in our family. Ignorance can be forgiven.¡± She gave Huo Shaoheng a sidelong nce.

    Huo Shaoheng cast his eyes down and didn¡¯t bother exining himself or telling Gu Nianzhi to stop.

    Emboldened, Gu Nianzhi spared no politeness for Huo Jin. ¡°Aunt Jin, may I ask if Physicist Bai is a rtive of the Huo family?

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s not yet...¡± Huo Jin nced at Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen frowned. ¡°That¡¯s enough, no more nonsense. Jinyi, didn¡¯t you say you have to check on Jinning¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this Gu Nianzhi was stirring the pot and I got so angry I almost forgot.¡± Bai Jinyiughed heartily as she reached out to Song Jinning. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jinning. Come upstairs with me and I¡¯ll give you an assessment.¡±

    Song Jinning looked at her with hesitation and didn¡¯t give her hand. She mumbled, ¡°Why did Jinyi end up looking like this? Are you really Jinyi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled as she took Song Jinning¡¯s arm, ¡°Mrs. Song, I¡¯lle with you. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± She wanted to find out how Bai Jinyi was treating Song Jinning.

    However, Bai Jinyi frowned and stopped her. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, Mrs. Song isn¡¯t used to close contact with others, so please let go of her. When she gets into an episode you¡¯ll be in trouble. Also, I¡¯ve never needed outsiders present when I¡¯m diagnosing her.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi intoned. ¡°Physicist Bai, I know you¡¯re a renowned woman of science, but I didn¡¯t know you moonlighted as a psychologist too? May I ask if you have the professional credentials?¡±

    ¡°Little Gu, Aunt Bai received a doctoral degree in psychology at an esteemed school! She¡¯s more than qualified to act as a psychologist.¡± Huo Jin interjected in Bai Jinyi¡¯s defense as she urged her, ¡°Aunt Bai, don¡¯t waste anymore time. Go now.¡±

    ¡°Not so fast.¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to let them leave and rudely told Huo Jin, ¡°Aunt Jin, it¡¯s obvious you don¡¯t know thew. What did you major in while at university? Did you take fundamentalw courses? That¡¯s a requirement for many schools.¡±

    The corners of Huo Jin¡¯s mouth twitched as she attempted to maintain herposure, ¡°I studied at Yale. I¡¯ve never heard of any fundamentalw courses.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no wonder you don¡¯t know thew.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem to think much of the name, ¡°Yale,¡± much to Huo Jin¡¯s embarrassment.

    She smiled. ¡°I graduated from Yale, but you¡¯re saying I don¡¯t know thew?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to roll on the floorughing. So Huo Jin wanted to pick a fight with her?

    She was going to get destroyed.

    ¡°You graduating from Yale has nothing to do with whether or not you know thew.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her delicate finger. ¡°That¡¯s what someone who doesn¡¯t understand thew would point out. But, you¡¯re saying that you understand it just by graduating from Yale? May I ask if you graduated from the Yale Law School?¡±

    Huo Jin certainly hadn¡¯t graduated from Law School. In reality, she had majored in art appreciation through adult education online courses. She had given up the chance to study abroad in order to take care of Song Jinning and had only been able to take online courses from Ivy League schools.

    Gu Nianzhi saw her reluctance to speak and knew she hadn¡¯t graduated from Law School. Otherwise, she¡¯d already be up in arms to refute her. ¡°Fine, stop arguing with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted Huo Jin¡¯s shoulder graciously and turned to Bai Jinyi. ¡°Physicist Bai, I request to be present if you are giving Mrs. Song a psychological assessment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good! Jinning isn¡¯t used to strangers being there; she¡¯ll get scared and panic.¡± Bai Jinyi frowned, making her wrinkles even more apparent. ¡°All this time, I¡¯ve been treating her alone.¡±

    ¡°Really? May I ask at what frequency you¡¯ve treated Mrs. Song? Do you have medical records?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very familiar with psychologists because she had studied the sses and had also carefully checked the legition in this area since she was in the Faculty of Law.

    Bai Jinyi suppressed her annoyance and exined to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Of course there are medical records. As for the treatment frequency, you know that I¡¯m very busy with national key interest research projects, as well as working closely with the military. So, I can only give Jinning limited time. But as long as I¡¯m free, I care about her more and will treat her even before I eat and drink myself.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, Aunt Bai is very responsible. Otherwise Mrs. Song¡¯s condition wouldn¡¯t be improving day by day.¡± Huo Jinposed herself and decided to avoid any more unnecessary conflict with Gu Nianzhi by only helping with Bai Jinyi¡¯s case.

    Bai Jinyi nodded. ¡°Jin is too kind, I¡¯m just doing what I¡¯m supposed to. Jinning¡¯s father was my mentor and she¡¯s also my ssmate. It¡¯s only right that I help her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi contemted the two women¡¯s little charade and spoke, ¡°Physicist Bai, it looks like you¡¯re legally ipetent too. I¡¯ll have to humbly exin here: ording tow, Mrs. Song is considered a person without capacity to act on her own. So there must always be a family member or an independent third party present during any psychological treatment.¡± She paused and shook her head, a pained expression her face. ¡°But you¡¯ve treated her alone and behind closed doors all these years; didn¡¯t you know that this is illegal?!¡±

    Bai Jinyi suddenly had a headache and replied dryly, ¡°The matter was urgent and Jinning¡¯s condition also involves confidentiality agreements, so it was possible to proceed without the presence of a third party.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wagged her finger at her. ¡°I¡¯m not certain if that¡¯s possible; I¡¯ll have to go back and check the legal provisions.¡± She then asked, ¡°Physicist Bai, may I ask if you have the qualifications as a professional psychologist?¡±

    ¡°Aunt Bai is a doctor of psychology, it¡¯s not like she can¡¯t be a mere psychologist?¡± Huo Jin refused to stand by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usation.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look towards Huo Jin¡¯s direction as she replied dryly, ¡°Aunt Jin, you will be taught a harsh lesson if you go around being so legally ipetent. If you don¡¯t want to experience being sued, I would suggest that you stop exaggerating things.¡±

    Even Huo Jian¡¯s normally patient demeanor was beginning to waver under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tirade¡ªher face turned red as she breathed out of her nose, her mouth twisted into a vicious scowl.

    ¡°So, Physicist Bai, you don¡¯t have the qualifications as a professional psychologist, do you?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head in pity and looked at Huo Guanchen. ¡°What a shame; Aunt Song¡¯s treatment has been dyed for 16 years. If you had found a real psychologist to look at her, with a guaranteed treatment time and schedule, maybe she would¡¯ve recovered long ago.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was moved for a second, but then saw the humiliation on Bai Jinyi¡¯s face. She had always been resilient and optimistic, but looked so deste now. He couldn¡¯t stand it and exined to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°We had no choice. Back then, Jinning only recognized Jinyi and didn¡¯t allow anyone else to approach her. Even now, she only trusts Jinyi.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Gu Ninazhi smiled, ¡°Uncle Huo, didn¡¯t you notice that Aunt Song¡¯s condition has improved a lot?¡±

    ¡°Improved?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Look, Aunt Song only used to allow Physicist Bai alone to approach her, so there was no way around it. We could only ask that Physicist Bai find time in her busy schedule to act as a psychologist and treat her haphazardly. Aunt Song¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t worsened, so that proves Physicist Bai indeed has some ability. Because of that, I¡¯m not goingy me.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked to Song Jinning¡¯s side and linked arms with her. Song Jinning turned to her with a smile. Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Guanchen. ¡°But, Uncle Huo, you see, the situation has changed. Actually for a long time now, Aunt Song has allowed others to approach her. Didn¡¯t you notice? All those servants personally attending to her and interacting with her is a clear sign of this. Of course, I and Huo Shaoheng can also approach Song Jinning now. In fact, didn¡¯t Huo Guanchen walk up to her just today to give her a branch of plum blossoms? Although these changes are very small, it is huge progress for Song Jinning, who has stayed the same for 16 years.¡±

    Bai Jinyi finally spoke, ¡°Yes, I came as soon as I heard Jinning had changes to her condition.¡± She apologized sincerely to Huo Guanchen in an intimate tone, ¡°Guanchen, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ve been too busy these years and didn¡¯t take more time to treat Jinning. This time that I¡¯m back, I n to stay a few months to live with Jinning and finish the treatment.¡±

    In the beginning, Gu Nianzhi had had no personal prejudice against Bai Jinyi and only spoke from an objective and practical perspective. She had a sudden realization when she heard Bai Jinyi apologize to Huo Guanchen and affectionately call him, ¡°Guanchen.¡±

    Oh my god! This famous physicist was the woman who took care of Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal needs?!

    This meant that she was the girlfriend of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Bai Jinyi, then Huo Shaoheng. She tugged at the corner of his shirt and looked in Bai Jinyi¡¯s direction.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and locked eyes with Gu Nianzhi. He blinked twice to indicate that it was exactly as she thought.

 Chapter 213 - Top Priority

    <h4>Chapter 213: Top Priority</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had thought she had learned how to keep herposure from observing Huo Shaoheng in thest six years. She had been sure that nothing could surprise her any more.

    However, as soon as she heard of Bai Jinyi¡¯s other role, the corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth began to twist in frustration.

    Idiots!

    How could they let Mrs. Song¡¯s rival-in-love be her primary doctor? The whole family must be nuts!

    The situation was now so incredible to Gu Nianzhi, her rising temper actually deted like a popped balloon from the sheer ridiculousness of it all. She looked to Huo Shaoheng, saw that he was entirely unruffled, and collected herself.

    The Huo family was no ordinary family: both Grandfather Huo, Huo Xuenong, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, held high-ranking positions in the military.

    These were powerful, highly educated men; Gu Nianzhi found it difficult to believe that they had made such an elementary mistake.

    And Huo Shaoheng¡ªhe was Song Jinning¡¯s own flesh and blood. It was strange for him to not care about what was going on.

    Gu Nianzhi did not think, for even a second, that Huo Shaoheng had made a mistake.

    In her mind, Huo Shaoheng was always right. If anyone thought otherwise, Gu Nianzhi would know to doubt their own intellect and sanity. A man as aplished and esteemed as Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t get to the position he had as Major-General by making careless mistakes.

    Was there something else going on here? Something she wasn¡¯t aware of?

    Gu Nianzhi recalled that Huo Shaoheng had said he would tell her all the detailster that night; unfortunately, Bai Jinyi had arrived before that could happen.

    What should I do?

    The wheels in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head spun rapidly. She decided that her top priority now was to get Song Jinning away from Bai Jinyi and Huo Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi knew there were almost certainly other things going on in the background, things she wasn¡¯t yet aware of. Even so, Gu Nianzhi felt it was probably better to remove Song Jinyi from the clutches of the other two women.

    Gu Nianzhi had made up her mind. She gave a cough and called out, ¡°Physicist Bai?¡±

    Bai Jinyi was looking at Huo Guanchen with a resigned expression on her face. Her lips were pressed in a straight line, and her face seemed pale and lifeless. She was a lot less lovely to look at,pared to Song Jinning.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Bai Jinyi¡¯s gaze flickered from Huo Guanchen to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I have things to do.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know you must be very busy. You¡¯re the chief scientist, your time is precious, and all that fun stuff. On the other hand, Mrs. Song here requires urgent treatment¡ªwhich is why I think we shouldn¡¯t take up your time with it.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head as she said, smiling, ¡°We should get someone else to be Mrs. Song¡¯s psychiatrist. I think that would be best for all of us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as busy as I used to be. Like I just said, I can take a few months off to live with Jinning and concentrate on treating her condition.¡± Bai Jinyi looked away, clearly reluctant to continue the conversation with Gu Nianzhi. She looked at Huo Guanchen instead. ¡°Guanchen, what do you say? When do I move in?¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°You can move in whenever you like.¡±

    Huo Jin smiled and sped her hands together gleefully. ¡°Aunt Bai, did you bring your things with you? That¡¯s okay if you didn¡¯t, we have everything here. If we don¡¯t have them, well, write down whatever you need in a list, and I¡¯ll get someone to buy them, right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. She looked at Huo Guanchen, and then at Huo Shaoheng, who had remained silent all this while. She could feel anxiety and unease begin to gnaw at her insides.

    What was wrong with these two men?

    Did they really think it was totally ok to have Bai Jinyi treat Song Jinning?

    She walked over to Song Jinning, slid her hand around the older woman¡¯s arm, and said sullenly to Huo Guanchen, ¡°Uncle Huo, you have a... special rtionship with Physicist Bai. I don¡¯t think she should be Auntie Song¡¯s psychiatrist, or even her primary doctor. Think of the gossip!¡±

    ¡°Gossip? What gossip?¡± Huo Jin rolled her eyes as she tightened her violet Peruvian wool shawl around her. ¡°What are you trying to say? Don¡¯t beat around the bush. We¡¯re all family here, except for you. Spit it out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temper red at the tant hostility in Huo Jin¡¯s tone.

    What did she mean by ¡°we¡¯re all family here, except for you¡±?

    ¡°Miss Huo, I think I made myself clear. Uncle Huo is in a rtionship with Physicist Bai. How can he let his current girlfriend treat his ex-wife? That¡¯s just ridiculous! You know everyone wouldugh at how absurd that sounds if they hear about it.¡± Gu Nianzhi watched Song Jinning¡¯s expression carefully as she said this, but saw only a look of slight confusion, mixed with boredom and disinterest.

    Was it possible Mrs. Song did not actually understand what everyone was talking about?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to proceed.

    Huo Jin had been waiting for Gu Nianzhi to say this. She dropped her smile, and said, with a sneer on her lips, ¡°Aunt Bai is a decent, moral person. How can you think of her that way? And anyway, Aunt Bai only got together with my second uncle after he divorced. There¡¯s a dove in the magpie¡¯s nest, all right, but it isn¡¯t her.¡±

    ¡°If that is your concern, Miss Gu, all I can say is that your imagination has gotten the better of you. I¡¯m not so depraved as to deliberately sabotage someone who is mentally ill. Yes, I¡¯ve been busy with work for thest few years, and I¡¯ve been neglecting my duty as her doctor, I don¡¯t deny it. I want to make up for it now.¡± Bai Jinyi had also caught on to what Gu Nianzhi was hinting at, and was now refuting the implication with an expression of increasing bemusement.

    Huo Jin immediately backed Bai Jinyi up. ¡°Miss Gu, I don¡¯t me you for not knowing about it, but it wasn¡¯t at all easy for Aunt Bai to get Mrs. Song out of her initial state of hysteria. You¡¯d probably faint from shock if you had seen how her condition had been, back then. Aunt Bai is the only one who has the skills, the patience, and the qualifications to get close to Mrs. Song and treat her, which is why our family and the military decided to leave Mrs. Song in her capable hands.¡±

    Huo Jin and Bai Jinyi¡¯s increasing confidence unnerved Gu Nianzhi, but she did not give in. She would keep up her assault, so long as Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t tell her to stop. ¡°Yes, Physicist Bai is extremely talented, I know. But it¡¯s been 16 years, and Mrs. Song still hasn¡¯t recovered. Why shouldn¡¯t we find someone else to give it a try? We shop around when we buy important necessities right? And we look into the long term value as well. Shouldn¡¯t we do the same for doctors?¡±

    ¡°But Mrs. Song¡¯s condition is special; her illness is connected to the military¡¯s top-secret experimental n. In order to prevent confidential information from leaking, the average Joe on the street isn¡¯t allowed to be anywhere near Mrs. Song. If you want to get another doctor for Mrs. Song, you¡¯ll have to submit a request to the military, and wait for them to vet your candidate. Who knows how long that will take¡ªyears, probably.¡± Huo Jin¡¯s counter-argument was water-tight, and there was a self-satisfied gleam in her eyes. She looked at Gu Nianzhi indulgently, like an adult watching a child throw a pointless tantrum.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll add that hypnosis is a majorponent of psychotherapy, which is why we need someone we can trust. What if Jinning ends up revealing confidential information during a hypnosis session? We can¡¯t be too careful with this. I was part of theboratory back then, too. I wasn¡¯t an active participant in that specific experiment, but I know everything about it, which is why the military decided to let me handle her treatment.¡± Bai Jinyi had regained herposure, and was now patiently and amiably exining the details to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as though she had fallen into a spider¡¯s web; she saw Huo Jin and Bai Jinyi standing before her, their expressions frosty as they watched her struggle.

    However, she was not the type to go down easily. Gu Nianzhi immediately bounced back with a new argument: ¡°Well, what about a medical officer, then? Like Chen Lie, for example¡ªhe¡¯s the top medical officer in the country, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of him. Why not let him give it a try? He¡¯s a soldier, and his security clearance level should be high enough. You won¡¯t have to worry about confidential information potentially getting into the wrong hands if he takes over as Mrs. Song¡¯s doctor, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands in a nonchnt shrug as she yed her trump card.

    Huo Jin refused to budge. ¡°Chen Lie is a top doctor, one of the very best. I don¡¯t refute that. But I¡¯ve never heard anything about Chen Lie knowing the first thing about psychology, and he has zero experience as a psychiatrist. Aunt Bai, on the other hand, has 16 years of experience.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi arched an eyebrow. She did not back down, either. ¡°What do you mean, Chen Lie has zero experience?¡± She was about to bring up Chen Lie¡¯s psychotherapy sessions with her, but Huo Shaoheng suddenly spoke up and interrupted her. ¡°As long as the military agrees to it, you can let Chen Lie try, of course, but as far as I know Chen Lie is a busy man these days. He may not have the time.¡±

    Huo Jin, Bai Jinyi, and Huo Guanchen were surprised to see Huo Shaoheng side with Gu Nianzhi.

    Bai Jinyi and Huo Guanchen exchanged a look, but did not say anything.

    Huo Jin was not persuaded. She gritted her teeth and spat out, annoyed, ¡°Cousin Brother, you should stop humoring Miss Gu and her silly fantasies.¡± She red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Cousin Brother, I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten that my father was also in theb that day. When the experiment went wrong, the military came to my mother and me and told us that my father had gone missing.¡± Huo Jin pointed a finger at Song Jinning, who was standing beside Gu Nianzhi. ¡°She¡¯s the only one who knows what really happened in theb that day! You want to take her away? Over my dead body! She knows what happened to my father!¡±

 Chapter 214 - Love Letters

    <h4>Chapter 214: Love Letters</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was silent as he nced at Huo Jin. He couldn¡¯t bear seeing Gu Nianzhi looking so confused and was about to call her over when she suddenlyunched another verbal attack.

    In face of an unexpected change to the situation, Gu Nianzhi now understood why she had a lingering feeling of unease¡ªit was Huo Jin¡¯s parents! Logically speaking, Huo Jin¡¯s father was the eldest son of the Huo family and her mother was the eldest daughter-inw, so they should both be important members of the household. However, Gu Nianzhi had already been here for two days and had yet to hear anyone mention them, and even Huo Jin herself didn¡¯t say anything about her parents. Today was the first time she heard Huo Jin talk about her father. Gu Nianzhi pped her hands and spoke solemnly, ¡°That¡¯s even better. Miss Huo, we share the same goal of healing Mrs. Song, so we can find out your father¡¯s whereabouts as soon as possible. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Her argument was irrefutable and even Grandfather Huo, who had been watching the debate from upstairs, began to nod. However, he immediately shook his head again, to himself. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t one of the Huo¡¯s and it was clear she knew nothing about the family. But this is also proved that Huo Shaoheng was someone who kept his private affairs out of his professional life¡ªhe had treated Gu Nianzhi like his mission and part of the job, so although he had raised her for six years, he hadn¡¯t mentioned a word about his family to her. Of course, Grandfather Huo would have never imagined that rather than Huo Shaoheng not mentioning anything, he merely hadn¡¯t had the time to do so.

    Huo Shaoheng had originally intended on tellig Gu Nianzhi everything about the Huo family that evening, but his n had been derailed what with everything happening so quickly. However, this kind of situation was nothing to Huo Shaoheng. He had faced situations thousands of times that had been moreplex and dire than this, and the ability to adapt was one of the most important benchmark qualities examined in a member of the Special Operations Forces. In order for Gu Nianzhi to be by his side, she had to be ustomed to such unexpected situations. Huo Shaoheng remained resolute he folded his hands behind his back and observed.

    Although Huo Jin was older than Gu Nianzhi, she obviouslycked her ability to debate, and wasn¡¯t blessed with the same intelligence. Her jaw dropped as she listened to Gu Nianzhi twist the incident into a positive light, taking Song Jinning away right under her nose! How could this be?! Huo Jin couldn¡¯t ept this oue and her eyes circled the living room¡ªGrandfather Huo Xuenong on the third-floor staircase, Uncle and Aunt Zhang¡¯s family standing at the second-floor staircase, as well as their children, Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie, looking on, their faces perturbed, at the heated exchange in the living room. She looked at her Uncle, Huo Guanchen, and was shocked to see that he actually seemed convinced. As for Aunt Bai, her eyes were dim as she looked back at her with pity. Bai Jinyi¡¯s gaze was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back¡ªHuo Jin trembled and couldn¡¯t hide it anymore. Recalling her mother¡¯s pale face as she hadin on the bed, Huo Jian¡¯s face transformed rapidly. She flushed, then nched before she finally broke down. Bawling, she pointed at Song Jinning beside Gu Nianzhi and screamed at the young girl, ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to take her away! I won¡¯t allow you to take that b*tch away! Did you know that my mother took sleeping pills andmitted suicide because of her?! What right does she have to pretend to be crazy when did all those shameless things?! She¡¯s crazy, right? She has amnesia, right? I¡¯ll have her stay crazy for the rest of her life! Let her be d*mned by her amnesia for the rest of her life! She has to pay for what she did to my mother!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt like her heart was suspended in the air, swaying but stuck, unable to go up or down. She even felt a moment of dizziness. This was all very different than she had expected; could she be wrong? She cast Huo Shaoheng a helpless look, but he only looked nkly back at her.

    Huo Jin copsed in Bai Jinyi¡¯s arms and trembled as she cried, ¡°I knew it! I knew it ten years ago! Father didn¡¯t disappear! You were all lying to me and mother! He wasn¡¯t even left with a whole corpse because he died protecting that b*tch!¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand listening anymore and decided to stand up for Song Jinning since no one else would. She was an outsider anyway and could be speak impartially. Her voice was strong and clear. ¡°Huo Jin, please speak respectfully. Swearing doesn¡¯t make you any more justified or rtable; right now, it only makes you detestable.¡±

    Huo Jian was so angry she choked and coughed violently. Bai Jinyi hastily patted her back and shook her head at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, I didn¡¯t expect you to have such a sharp tongue. Do you know that Jian¡¯s mother¡¯s suicide caused her pain for the rest for her life? How can you pour salt on her wound?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi inhaled deeply in an attempt topose herself and said steadily, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Huo Jin¡¯s mothermitted suicide. I only know that she shouldn¡¯t call Mrs. Song names. Mrs. Song¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still calling her Mrs. Song?!¡± Huo Jin looked up from Bai Jinyi¡¯s arms and at Gu Nianzhi with a tear streaked face. ¡°Just you wait, I¡¯ll show you something!¡± She shoved away Bai Jinyi and ran upstairs to her room.

    The Zhang family on the second floor gaped at her and didn¡¯t even blink. Huo Jian stormed into her room and reappeared soon after, carrying a stack of old yellowed envelopes. The one on top appeared newer and well preserved.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, are you ready? Do you want to see what this is really all about?¡± Huo Jian held the stack of envelopes and looked at Huo Shaoheng standing behind Gu Ninazhi, who was still expressionless.

    Huo Jin felt a little smug. No wonder they said sons grew up to be heartless¡ªsomeone like her Elder Cousin who had been in the army for over a decade, he¡¯d long trained to be emotionless. Or perhaps he didn¡¯t care or even had feelings anymore? His mother¡¯s scandal was about to go public, but he remained calm...

    Huo Jian almost pitied him. If he didn¡¯t even care about his own mother¡¯s reputation, then why did she have to cover up for him? Let everyone see that b*tch¡¯s true colors, she thought vehemently.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the envelopes in Huo Jin¡¯s hands and then looked up at Huo Shaoheng. He was quiet and neither made a move to stop nor encourage her. His face was stoic as he stood on the sidelines, as though it had nothing to do with him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tugged; maybe Huo Shaoheng had had a rift with his mother? She took the envelopes from Huo Jin without another word and tilted her head, ¡°Let me see what the ¡°earth-shattering¡± secret is.¡± Picking the most well-preserved envelope on the top, she opened it to find a pressed flower bookmark with two lines written on it, ¡°Locking our tear-filled eyes, regretting not meeting you before bing betrothed.¡± It was signed in a beautiful small script, ¡°Jinning.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fell as she grabbed the rest of the envelopes like they were a ball of mes.

    ¡°What? Are you scared?¡± Huo Jin smirked, she stretched out her arms and spun clumsily. ¡°Look, paper can¡¯t hide fire. What¡¯s meant to be revealed will be revealed one day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng again, but he averted his gaze¡ªhis expression remained calm and even his breathing was still normal. It was obvious that Huo Shaoheng had impressive cultivation andposure. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart also stopped racing and she nced at a few of the remaining letters. They were love letters written to ¡°Huo Guanyuan.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father¡¯s name was Huo Guanchen, then Huo Guanyuan must be...?

    Huo Jin saw Gu Nianzhi stare nkly at the name andughed mirthlessly, crying out, ¡°I just wished that he could¡¯ve burnt these unsightly letters before he died! Then my mother wouldn¡¯t have found them afterward...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Jin and frowned, ¡°Your mother had found these?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Jin¡¯s mother was a very strong woman. She didn¡¯t say anything when she found the letters and suffered in silence. When she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, she took sleeping pills tomit suicide.¡± Bai Jinyi sighed with regret, ¡°That was... over ten years ago?¡±

    It was the year that Huo Jin hade home from school to find her mother lying motionless on the bed with a suicide note. Although her mother had asked her to burn all the letters, Huo Jin had refused. Her family had been ruined, her parents dead because of that woman¡ªshe couldn¡¯t suffer in silence like a martyr and get depressed like her mother had. She had decided to show them to Grandfather Huo, Huo Guanchen, and Huo Shaoheng, who had just started his second year of university. ¡°Do you know what she was like before she got sick? A sl*t who used her beauty to attract all sorts of attention! Otherwise, why would my father lose his life for her? You see her as normal right now, but do you know what she was like before? Only you don¡¯t know, you outsider! If it weren¡¯t for Aunt Bai, she would¡¯ve been long locked up in a mental asylum, maybe even receiving electric shock therapy...that¡¯s how unstable she had been.¡±

    Huo Jin looked at Song Jinning with disgust and then said, ¡°She¡¯s much better the way she is now than how she had been before she got sick. I¡¯ll just let her continue to have amnesia, she¡¯s well cared for here and nobody has to worry. So, what are you dissatisfied with? How is this any of your business?¡± Huo Jin now thought that she had the upper hand and used every word to jab at Gu Nianzhi.

    Not expecting to get herself into so much trouble, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palms turned cold. She looked helplessly at Huo Shaoheng, who looked grim. He calmly stared at her. Was it because of all these secrets that Huo Shaoheng had been hesitant to say anything? No wonder he had appeared conflicted every time he had seen Song Jinning.

    Although he hadn¡¯t stop himself from approaching her, he would always look at her from afar. They couldn¡¯t have been oblivious to what happened in the past. Thinking of Huo Guanchen¡¯s divorce and decision to leave the mentally ill Song Jinning at his side¡ªhow many more secrets were still yet to be unveiled? No wonder Huo Shaoheng decided to enlist and leave his family, staying away from home for so many years and not getting involved with the affairs of his elders.

    Bai Jinyi looked at the grim-faced Huo Guancheng and sighed. Huo Jin stabbed her finger at Song Jinning, sadistic glee in her heart as she spoke to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Do you know when your Mrs. Song, went from Mrs. Huo to Mrs. Song? It was the year that Uncle saw these letters that he decided to divorce her.¡±

    At the time, the written reason for divorce was that Song Jinning had mental illness and couldn¡¯t act as a wife. Of course, Huo Guanchen could never say that the true reason was that she¡¯d had an affair with his older brother.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled all the times Huo Shaoheng had been about to mention his mother, but then had stopped himself. It made sense that he had to set aside time to tell her, these private matters couldn¡¯t be discussed inly. If Bai Jinyi hadn¡¯t rushed over today, would Huo Shaoheng have told her the whole story? She wouldn¡¯t be as shocked as she were now, at leastz Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi managed to react fairly normally. She snuck another nce at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes lingering on his face. This had to be one of the main reasons why he decided to enlist over ten years ago. Suffocated by his family, he had no longer wanted to return. Afterward, he would be the first to ept any mission and didn¡¯t go home unless he had to. He couldn¡¯t face the people at home. Huo Shaoheng spent ten years cultivating peace and strength in his heart. He had been able to stay out of the situation and observe objectively. Gu Nianzhi hypothesized all of this and felt diforted. She had a feeling that perhaps thing weren¡¯t as dire as they¡¯d thought. Song Jinning was still crazy and Huo Guanyuan was still missing¡ªwho knew what could¡¯ve happened between all this?

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and took the letters from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. He spoke evenly to Huo Jin, ¡°I¡¯m going to put away these things for now. My mother will be temporarily relocated¡ªdon¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll have an answer for you.¡± He turned and called out, ¡°Orderly?¡±

    The head of the orderlies on duty for the day ran over, ¡°Chief!¡±

    ¡°Call my personal secretary and have them bring Chen Lie and Dr.Ye over. I¡¯ll be taking my mother to the 6th Military Region headquarters.¡± Huo Shaohengmanded them in a concise manner.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suspended heart immediately found sce in his calm demeanor and stopped wavering as though she were walking on a wire.

    ¡°You¡¯re still going to take her away?¡± Huo Jin was so pained she couldn¡¯t stand it and was about to fall over. ¡°Elder Cousin, how can you be so cruel? Are my parents¡¯ lives worth less than your own mother¡¯s?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been holding in her frustration for too long and finally burst. ¡°Huo Jin, control yourself! How can you ask Huo Shao to agree to your unreasonable request? No matter what, Mrs. Song is still ill and it¡¯s too early to say what truly happened.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean too early?¡± Huo Jin snarled as she stormed over to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°So you don¡¯t believe these letters? I¡¯ll tell you that Grandfather and Uncle took them to the best handwriting analysis experts in the military, and he confirmed that these were written by my father and his mother!¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Gu Nianzhi was not the least bit afraid. He Zhichu had onceplimented her for having the most important trait of resilience as awyer. She never gave up on finding a weakness even in the face of hard evidence against her case. She certainly didn¡¯t disappoint He Zhichu and confronted Huo Jin once again. ¡°Huo Jin, looks like you and your mother were easily fooled. How can you sentence your absent family member just from looking at a few yellowed letters? You should at least wait until your father is found, or when Mrs. Song has recovered to confront them face to face. Aren¡¯t you taking advantage of the family¡¯s pain by dying Mrs. Song¡¯s treatment?¡±

 Chapter 215 - You Should Worry About Yourself

    <h4>Chapter 215: You Should Worry About Yourself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Jin staggered backwards, white as a sheet. Gu Nianzhi had cut her like a sharp razor.

    Bai Jinyi shook her head in disapproval. She said to Huo Guanchen, ¡°Guanchen, we¡¯ve waited for so long for Jinning to get better. Are you going to stand idly by and let this opportunity slip away? We have to double down on our efforts to cure her now that her condition is improving¡ªwho knows when our next opportunity wille, if we end up missing the boat on this one...¡±

    Huo Guanchen pursed his lips. He glowered at Huo Shaoheng as hemanded, ¡°What are you doing? Take your mother upstairs, now! Don¡¯t listen to the nonsensical babblings of outsiders.¡±

    He had used ¡°outsiders,¡± in the plural, but it was obvious that he was referring to Gu Nianzhi specifically.

    The cogs inside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head were turning at full speed. She was still trying to think of a way to convince Huo Guanchen when Huo Shaoheng calmly spoke up. ¡°Nianzhi is speaking on my behalf. I want to take my mother to another doctor.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I won¡¯t allow it!¡± Huo Guanchen stepped in front of Huo Shaoheng, blocking his way.

    Seen from a distance, both father and son appeared to have been cut from the same cloth, but the simrities were superficial: Huo Shaoheng was taller, more heavily built, and a lot younger.

    ¡°You won¡¯t allow it? On what grounds?¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets. His posture was rxed and leisurely, but the aura around him was just as fierce and indomitable as Huo Guanchen¡¯s. ¡°You already divorced her. You have no right to decide whether she stays or goes. I, on the other hand, am her son, and also a major general,mander of the 6th Military Region. I haveplete authority to take her away, and I advise you not to mess with me.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s hands trembled. ¡°How... how... how dare you?!¡±

    ¡°I had to listen to you, all these years. You made my decisions for me, and I had to ept them¡ªbut that ends today. From now on, I do what I want. I don¡¯t have to ask for permission from anyone, not anymore,¡± Huo Shaoheng continued calmly.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face had gone purple with rage.

    He was happy to have a strong-minded, capable son, but his son was now proving too much for him to handle: Huo Shaoheng had vaulted over him in terms of rank and authority, and was now keeping him pinned to the ground, underfoot. Huo Guanchen did not like being stepped on by his son.

    Bai Jinyi hurriedly cut in. ¡°Cool it, the both of you!¡± She turned to Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Shaoheng, don¡¯t provoke your father, he has high blood pressure. As for your mother, she¡¯s extremely important to the military, because of her role in their experiment. You know how sick she is, so don¡¯t be rash¡ªif you take her away, and something happens to her, well, you can kiss goodbye to your future prospects!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was quick to pick up on the underlying implication.

    Bai Jinyi was actually threatening to sabotage Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°future prospects.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not about to let Bai Jinyi get away with it, of course.

    Gu Nianzhi was thinking rapidly. This old hag clearly has too much time on her hands. She¡¯s a husband-stealer, and now she¡¯s trying to tell Huo Shaoheng and his father what to do. Well, I¡¯ll just have to find something to keep her busy...

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes, and said icily to Bai Jinyi: ¡°Physicist Bai, you should worry about yourself.¡± She paused, and waited for everyone in the living room to focus their attention on her before announcing slowly, in a clear voice, ¡°I¡¯ve decided to sue Bai Jinyi for practicing medicine without a license, her malpractice has clearly led to the aggravation of her patient¡¯s condition. I am also suing her for intentional assault, attempted murder, and for wrecking the marriage of a member of the armed forces, which as you all know is a crime in this country. You¡¯ll be receiving a summons from the court very soon, just you wait!¡±

    She had deliberately chosen to exaggerate the crimes to give Bai Jinyi a good scare. Gu Nianzhi knew the heavy-handed approach was necessary; the physicist probably thought of herself as the next Einstein, someone so invaluable to the scientificmunity she could get away with anything.

    Bai Jinyi did not take Gu Nianzhi seriously. She forced a smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s a lot of hot airing from you, youngdy. You¡¯re just setting yourself up for humiliation, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. If you want to sue me, I suggest that you go online and do some research on the Bai family first.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have to do that, I already looked your family up before this.¡± Gu Nianzhi tightened her hold on Song Jinning as she threw Bai Jinyi a disdainful look. ¡°I know the Bai family is well-connected. I even drew up your family tree once, and what a tangled web that turned out to be¡ªyour family sure enjoys sticking their fingers in every pie. But let me assure you, when I take you to court, I will personally go to the online forums and tell everyone that you threatened to use your family connections against me, to stop me from suing you. Watch out, you¡¯ll have to face the wrath of the public then!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that families as powerful as the Bai family had numerous skeletons in their closets.

    A public scandal would result in the family losing all their precious ¡°inside¡± connections.

    Gu Nianzhi arched an eyebrow. ¡°The Bai family would sacrifice a pawn if it meant saving their king. And make no mistake, you¡¯re just a pawn.¡± She smiled pleasantly as she made a gun with her right hand, and pretended to shoot Bai Jinyi with a ¡°bang.¡±

    Anger, surprise, frustration, and fear flickered across Bai Jinyi¡¯s face in quick session.

    Gu Nianzhi was an unparalleled genius when it came to unnerving other people.

    In two sinct sentences, she had effectively warned Bai Jinyi to stop interfering with Song Jinning¡¯s mental illness, and also to abandon the idea of using the Bai family¡¯s influence to sabotage Huo Shaoheng¡¯s future.

    The Bai family had to y it safe for the moment; they were still recovering from the damage dealt to their reputation by Bai Yusheng¡¯s scandal. Gu Nianzhi was certain that the heads of the Bai family weren¡¯t stupid enough to allow Bai Jinyi to rock the boat just then, not when the previous scandal was still fresh on everyone¡¯s minds.

    If Huo Shaoheng was willing to go along with it, Gu Nianzhi fully intended to take Bai Jinyi to court. It would be an excellent case to take on for her post-grad work; she would be able to test her skills and prove herself in the legal field.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s threat proved to be extremely effective. The living room was suddenly as silent as a tomb. There was a conflicted expression on every face¡ªexcept Song Jinning¡¯s.

    Her eyes had grown dim and listless. She could no longer focus on what was going on.

    She hadn¡¯t had anything to eat for the entire day. She swayed unsteadily on her feet; she would have copsed by now if Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been supporting her.

    In the silence, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone began to ring.

    He got out his phone and looked at it. When he saw the call was from Chen Lie, he took the call with a swipe of his finger. ¡°...You got my message?¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s voice was solemn. ¡°Why the sudden rush? Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯d do it after the New Year?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter. You¡¯ve shipped all your things over?¡±

    ¡°Dr. Ye brought most of the equipment with her to the city. I have a few highly sophisticated instruments and samples that I¡¯ll have to carry myself, because of how valuable and important they are. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be getting on the ne in a minute. I¡¯ll be there before you know it.¡± With that, Chen Lie promptly hung up and boarded the private military ne that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary, Yin Shixiong, had secured for him. It would be a direct flight from C City to the Imperial Capital.

    Huo Shaoheng put his phone away, his expression inscrutable. He looked entirely nonchnt, as though he had merely ended a casual, unimportant conversation with a good friend. In actual fact, he had been nning for this exact moment for thest six years.

    It was impossible for anyone to know that from his stoic, impassive expression; not even Gu Nianzhi had been able to pick up on it.

    At that moment, the key yer in the unfolding drama, Bai Jinyi, was still reeling from the blow dealt by Gu Nianzhi. Her brow was heavily furrowed as she tried toe up with a counter-attack.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Nianzhi put an arm around Song Jinning to steady her. ¡°Mrs. Song, we¡¯ll go sit in a car, if that¡¯s okay with you?¡±

    Song Jinning nodded. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Do you have something to eat in the car?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we do.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, what about our luggage?¡±

    ¡°This is our home. We cane back whenever we like,¡± replied Huo Shaoheng without breaking his stride. ¡°We need to get Mrs. Song away, first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took Song Jinning by the hand and said to her soothingly, ¡°We have delicious food in the car. Once we¡¯re done eating, we¡¯ll go tour the city. I¡¯ve never been to the capital. What about you, Mrs. Song? Have you been to many ces in the city?¡±

    Song Jinning had been born and bred in the Imperial Capital. Her brow crinkled at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. ¡°Oh, there are so many interesting ces in the city. Where would you like to visit?¡±

    As they spoke, they walked out the main entrance of the Huo family house, and were greeted by the sight of four cars waiting outside. It was a small motorcade.

    They boarded the second car: a ck military-use bulletproof limousine that looked sleek and stylish.

    Huo Shaoheng entered first. He moved to the left end of the back seat, followed by Gu Nianzhi, who sat in the middle, and then Song Jinning, who sat on the right end.

    Song Jinning look about curiously as soon as she entered the car. Every so often, she threw a thoughtful, wondering look at Huo Shaoheng, who sat unsmiling on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s other side.

    Huo Shaoheng did not look at her. He looked straight ahead as he said to Fan Jian, his orderly, ¡°Drive.¡±

    The car began to move. Gu Nianzhi found a small carton of fresh milk in the small refrigerator inside the car. Huo Shaoheng extracted a packet of macarons from the smallpartment on his side of the car, and handed it to her.

    This was one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite pastries. Huo Shaoheng always instructed his men to prepare macarons for her in sealed packets, and keep them in the doorpartment.

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly opened the packet and took out a macaron. She ced it on a paper napkin and handed it to Song Jinning. ¡°Here, have some. Here¡¯s a box of milk, too¡ªthese should be enough for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Song Jinning epted the food. She sipped the milk demurely as she ate a macaron.

    She ate in a dignified and elegant manner. Macarons were fluffy pastries, and notoriously difficult to eat without leaving tiny crumbs all over the ce.

    Gu Nianzhi had heard that some of the Western countries used macarons to test whether a woman ate like a properdy.

    Song Jinning passed the test with flying colors. She was evidently ady amongdies.

    Song Jinning had retained her demure manners, despite suffering from a serious mental condition and not remembering anything from before the age of 18. This was proof that herdylike manners were deeply ingrained within her subconscious; they were already part of who she was.

    Song Jinning ate silently. No one who wasn¡¯t already watching her could tell she was eating: an incredible feat considering the limousine¡¯s excellent sound instion, which generally meant the tiniest sounds inside the car sounded louder than usual.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed wistfully at Song Jinning¡¯s perfect eating manners. ¡°Huo Shao, remember when you taught me proper eating etiquette? Well, now I know who taught you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car, his arms folded across his chest, his expression as calm and cid as a windlesske. He ignored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s musing.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind. She was just rambling, and she already knew by now he wasn¡¯t the type to join in on meaningless conversation. She was just talking out loud because she enjoyed it, and wanted everyone to rx.

    Ever since getting into the car, she had felt a palpable, indescribable tension in the air. She could tell something else was going on behind the scenes.

    Huo Shaoheng hadpsed into a brooding silence. Fan Jian, up front, was too focused on driving to talk to her.

    Gu Nianzhi decided to strike up a conversation with Zhao Liangze, who was sitting beside Fan Jian. ¡°Brother Ze, what have you been up to these days? Did you miss me?¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°...¡±

    The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt as though a cheetah was behind him, ready to pounce and rip his jugr vein out.

    He hunched his shoulders, withdrew his neck like a turtle, and slid his body lower into the seat, not daring to say a single word.

    Gu Nianzhi waited in vain for a reply. Not only did Zhao Liangze refuse to answer, the back of his head had, for some inexplicable reason, disappeared entirely from view. She gave up on any kind of conversation after that.

    Luckily for her, she did not have to endure the silence for long. Half an hourter, they arrived at the new headquarters for the 6th Military Region, located within the Imperial Capital.

    Half a year had passed. The ce was now markedly different from what it had looked like six months ago.

    The ce was now protected by a top-of-the-line security system. The high walls were dotted with numerous infrared cameras andser weapons; anyone who tried to climb the wall would quickly drop like flies.

    500 meters away from the gate was a sign that said ¡°Restricted Area: Military Site.¡± This meant that any unauthorized entry to the base was a criminal offense; trespassers could be fired upon and killed on the spot if necessary.

    The drivers in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mini-procession stopped at the gate to scan a code that was invisible to the naked eye. A guard came out to verify their passes. He raised his hand in a salute and let them enter.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around. Theyout of the headquarters wasrgely simr to the Special Ops¡¯ base in C City, but the simrity ended there. Most of the finer details were different.

    She wanted to talk to Huo Shaoheng, but he continued to ignore her. They got out of the car and entered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence in the headquarters.

    Ye Zitan was already waiting for them inside.

    She saw theme in and saluted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Good day, sir!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Chen Lie will be arriving any minute now. Get ready. We¡¯ll begin the operation as soon as he arrives.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ye Zitan was too busy to stop and say hello to Gu Nianzhi; she immediately turned away and strode into the temporary operating room that had been set up in the residence to prepare for the operation.

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. Her eyes shone with curiosity as she asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Chen Lie ising? Who¡¯s he going to operate on?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her. He reached out and tousled her hair. His voice was uncharacteristically gentle when he said, ¡°C¡¯mere, Nianzhi. I have something to tell you.¡±

 Chapter 216 - Im Your Antidote

    <h4>Chapter 216: I¡¯m Your Antidote</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was maic and Gu Nianzhi was spellbound without even actually seeing his face. Giving a small smile, her delicate face blushed as she followed him to a room on the second floor. The suite was veryrge, with a living room and she guessed there must be a bedroom and study as well. Gu Nianzhi nced at the furnishings and blushed harder when she saw that standing in the center was arge bed bed with soft and striped beige sheets. Weren¡¯t these the same ones she had bought for Huo Shaoheng at the 6th Military Region base in C City? Gu Nianzhi realized. Is this his room? Gu Nianzhi felt too awkward to ask.

    ¡°Sit.¡± Huo Shaoheng seated her on the L-shaped corner sofa across from the bed. He took a carton of milk from the fridge and heated it in the microwave before giving it to her.

    Gu Nianzhi held the milk and took small sips, raising her brows at Huo Shaoheng as she asked softly, ¡°What is it? Huo Shao, why are you so serious?¡± Huo Shaoheng closed the bedroom door and sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa, so he was facing Gu Nianzhi. She grew even more nervous and didn¡¯t want to drink anymore. She asked fearfully, ¡°Huo Shao, what¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t scare me, you know how I get whenever you¡¯re like this.¡± Her previously flushed cheeks now paler, and her tiny hands holding the milk trembled slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and took the cup from her and ced it on the coffee table. He held her hands to warm them up and finally said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, I want to ask for your help. Will you do this for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I will do it! I¡¯ll do whatever it is!¡± Gu Nianzhi exhaled in relief as soon as she heard that it was just for a favour.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her, his dark, roaming over her face. With such an intense gaze focused on her, Gu Nianzhi would so anything for Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard me say what it is yet, and yet you¡¯re already agreeing?¡± Huo Shaoheng reached up to wipe milk from the corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth. ¡°Are you this enthusiastic with everyone else?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. If it¡¯s anyone else, I¡¯d ask what the favour is and also see if it¡¯s within my abilities. But Huo Shao is making the request, so how can I refuse?¡± Gu Nianzhi yfully winked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I also still have to seduce you. How am I supposed seduce you without showing my sincerity?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng have her a scornful look.

    ¡°Fine, tell me what it is? I can do it for sure.¡± Gu Nianzhi gripped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s warm hand with confidence.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his neat and elegant brows and looked inquisitively at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How do you know you can do it for sure?¡±

    ¡°Well, Huo Shao is the one asking! You wouldn¡¯t ask me if you knew I couldn¡¯t do it.¡± Gu Nianzhi had more confidence in Huo Shaoheng than she did in herself.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless for a moment, then gripped her hand hard and lowered his voice. ¡°Fine. Well, my mother¡¯s illness is caused by the physical and brain defects caused by the ident during the experiment all those years ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. What was Huo Shao talking about? She didn¡¯t seem to understand.

    ¡°So, my mother¡¯s illness is not merely mental disturbance, but also a biological gene reversion. A part of her brain was stimted by the external maic field and began a reversion loop. This limits her memories and overall cognitive abilities. That¡¯s why she remembers what happened before she turned 18, but every day after that is a new one for her. It¡¯s because that top secret experiment caused a change in the maic field and caused her to have organic pathological changes. So normal psychological treatment will never work for her¡ªinstead, she needs specialized drug therapy.¡± Huo Shaoheng exined everything in one breath, then stared at Gu Nianzhi, trying to gauge her reaction.

    Gu Nianzhi still looked at him nkly, but nodded her head. ¡°Is that so? No wonder Bai Jinyi¡¯s treatment for the past 16 years had no effect.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Eight years ago, I brought Chen Lie home in secret, in order to diagnose my mother. He confirmed the etiology of the disease and suggested that we find a drug to repair the damaged cells in her brain and suppress the reverse growth. He looked for a long time, but even with his abilities, but still never found a drug to treat this type of gic defect.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed and cast his eyes down at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft and pliable hands, gently tracing them with his fingers.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and asked, ¡°This disease sounds very rare andplex.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°But you brought Mrs. Song here today and also had Chen Lie and Ye Zitan prepare for surgery, so does that mean you¡¯ve found the drug to treat her with?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up painfully into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. He had words that tossed and turned in his heart for a long time, but couldn¡¯t say aloud.

    ...

    Chen Lie had been unable to find a suitable drug to treat Song Jinning. That is, until six years ago, when the special maic field had appeared in a certain part of C City; Huo Shaoheng had been assigned to protect Bai Jinyi as she went inside an isted section of the field to retrieve data. It was then that the car Gu Nianzhi had been in suddenly broke into the maic field and was attacked by Bai Jinyi¡¯s personnel, erupting into mes. Gu Nianzhi had had no chance of surviving when she¡¯d trespassed into the restricted military grounds. She had cried and struggled in the fire, her terrified face visible to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes through the raging mes. He¡¯s been unable to bear it anymore¡ªhe had refused to retreat and had risked his life to rush into the fire and rescue her from the burning car. The car had immediately exploded without leaving a trace, as though it had evaporated. Of course, they discovered that the young girl had unknown origins, but had a powerful background after rescuing her. The blueprints in her little backpack attested to the fact. Coupled with how Gu Nianzhi had only recognized Huo Shaoheng, the military decided to have Huo Shaoheng be her guardian and raise her in hopes to uncover her background and achieve direct contact with the owner of the blueprints. Afterwards, during Chen Lie¡¯s treatment of Gu Nianzhi, he secretly told Huo Shaoheng that the maic field she¡¯d trespassed into was the same as the one from ten years ago. The renowned physicist and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, Song Haichuan, had led a top secret military experiment that had failed and created a destructive maic field. Additionally, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s symptoms were very simr to Song Jinning¡¯s. In other words, the environment and mechanism that had caused Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disease was almost a mirror to that of Song Jinning¡¯s. The only difference was that Gu Nianzhi had a special body constitution and so her cells were capable of perfect self-healing functions. She had been able to self-repair the genes damaged by the powerful maic field. Although all people had a certain extent of DNA repair function, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ability was several times the average person¡¯s. So, Chen Lie had made the proposition to inject Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hematopoietic stem cells from her bone marrow into Song Jinning.

    Perhaps Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special healing abilities could help Song Jinning induce gic repair, is what Chen Lie had suggested. Of course, this was only a hypothesis and required more data as evidence. Although Gu Nianzhi had extraordinary self-healing abilities, she had forgotten all her memories before the age of 12 after she hadpletely healed. Perhaps it was a side effect caused by the maic field, but either way Chen Lie still needed to make more observations to determine this. Although Gu Nianzhi had no memories of before she was 12 years old, she could live like a normal person. To Huo Shaoheng, it was good enough if Song Jinning could obtain an average life. Even if she had lost her past memories, it would be ok. In a sense, Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯sst hope. Her sessful recovery proved that her blood cells had a superior ability, but she had still been young at the time and her physical condition had been unstable. She¡¯d also had mood disorders and had lost arge part of her memories¡ªthis was yet to determined as a good or bad thing. Hence, why they were hesitant to take the hematopoietic stem cells from her bone marrow to treat Song Jinning.

    After six years of observation, Chen Lie thought it was time to give it try now that she was an adult. Huo Shaoheng had originally wanted to hit two birds with one stone by bringing her home¡ªhe could allow his family to ept her and also let her get familiar with his mother. After the New Year, he would have had to convince Gu Nianzhi to help with her mother¡¯s treatment. However, the events that ured after they had arrived at his home had sped up his ns by quite a few days.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, unsure of how to feel. Gu Nianzhi knew something was wrong, but she didn¡¯t want rush him and so waited patiently.

    Huo Shaoheng was quiet for a long time before looking up at Gu Nianzhi steadily and finally saying, ¡°Yes, we found the drug to treat my mother. It¡¯s you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked for a moment, then quickly broke into a genuine smile, ¡°Really? I can help treat Mrs. Song¡¯s illness? Tell me now! How can I help her?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze, then asked, ¡°Are you really willing to do it? Will you really help treat my mother?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Gu Nianzhi removed her hand from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, leaning forward to pat his shoulder. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll do it. What do you need? My leg or my arm?¡± She joked.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Chen Lie said it should be enough to use the hematopoietic stem cells from your bone marrow. When he gets here in a bit, we¡¯ll perform the surgery right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief and smiled. ¡°Then what¡¯s all the fuss for? I thought it was for the surgery for your mother?¡±

    ¡°Both will be done at the same time.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch, ¡°Chen Lie said it¡¯s the most effective to do both at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Then...will I be anaesthetized?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it and asked quietly, ¡°Will it hurt a lot?¡±

    ¡°Of course you¡¯ll be anaesthetized.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°You¡¯ll just sleep and you¡¯ll be fine when you wake up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very confident in Chen Lie¡¯s medical skills andpletely trusted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s integrity. She also really like Song Jinning and sincerely hoped that she could make a full recovery with this, otherwise she would forget about her own son, forever.

    Thinking about Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi sighed again.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng rose, ¡°You¡¯re sighing? If you don¡¯t want to do it...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not willing. I just thought about your mother.¡± Gu Nianzhi propped her chin with her chain and mused, ¡°If she gets better and remembers all that¡¯s happened all these years, I don¡¯t know if she can ept it or not.¡±

    ¡°My mother is a strong person, she¡¯ll be able to ept it.¡± Huo Shaoheng helped Gu Nianzhi stand up. ¡°Chen Lie is almost here, let¡¯s go wait for him outside.¡±

 Chapter 217 - Discovered

    <h4>Chapter 217: Discovered</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng out of his official residence. She took the opportunity to have a good look at her surroundings.

    It was always freezing cold during winter in the Imperial Capital; thanks to the low temperature, the heavy snowfall from Christmas Eve had not fully melted.

    Gu Nianzhi looked appreciatively about her. The contrast between the ck topsoil and the scattered inds of white snow was pretty to look at.

    The road leading to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence was entirely devoid of snow, however. There was probably a snowmelt system buried beneath the road.

    They had not been outside for long when they saw a motorcade enter the grounds.

    ¡°Sir, Senior Colonel Chen Lie has arrived!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He stood beside Gu Nianzhi, his hands sped behind his back, as he watched the motorcadee to a halt before his residence.

    The rear door of the front-most car opened. Chen Lie stepped out with arge box.

    His face, nose, and eyes were still as round as Gu Nianzhi remembered them to be. Everything about him was round, in fact: his ck-rimmed sses were round, and his figure seemed even rounder and balloon-like than before. He had put on quite a few pounds in thest few months.

    Gu Nianzhi could not help herself. She walked over with open arms and hugged him. ¡°Brother Chen, I¡¯m so d to see you!¡±

    Chen Lie smiled as he patted her on the back. ¡°I missed you too. How have you been, Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the ce to chat. We should go inside.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled Gu Nianzhi over to him, and steered her towards the main entrance of his residence.

    Chen Lie grinned. He ran after them with his box, and said loudly, ¡°Hey now, what¡¯s with the attitude? I¡¯m here because you asked me to help, you know. It¡¯s been months since Ist saw Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong with a little hug?! Look at you, storming off in a huff the moment something upsets you¡ªwhat are you, some kind of diva?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng red at him. ¡°Hurry up and get ready to operate. We don¡¯t have much time.¡±

    Chen Lie frowned. He said petntly, ¡°What do you mean, we don¡¯t have much time? Are you saying my surgical skills aren¡¯t good enough for you? Bring it then, let¡¯s have a showdown in the operating room: we¡¯ll see which one of us is better with a scalpel!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and made a funny face at Chen Lie. ¡°That¡¯s silly, Brother Chen. It makes no sense for Huo Shao topare surgical skills with you. I mean, would you dare get into a shootingpetition with Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Bah, you always side with your Uncle Huo...¡± Chen Lie wriggled his eyebrows at Huo Shaoheng, before he realized what Gu Nianzhi had said. He did a double-take. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you supposed to call him Uncle? Watch out, he¡¯ll box your ears if you don¡¯t behave.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao would never do that.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was smug. ¡°Heh, there¡¯s no point exining it to you, Brother Chen. You won¡¯t understand...¡±

    ¡°Oh suuure, I don¡¯t get it, but you two obviously do. Well, as a poet once said, ¡®we may not have wings on our backs, but our hearts are connected¡¯¡ªkeep it up, I¡¯m sure the two of you will be reading each other¡¯s minds soon enough.¡± Chen Lie sensed the subtle shift in the rtionship between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, and leapt at the chance to tease them.

    Chen Lie knew his suspicions were correct when Huo Shaoheng ignored him entirely: he nonchntly continued walking, without turning to look at Chen Lie. The old Huo Shaoheng would have glowered at Chen Lie and told him off by now.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was not the type to keep silent when she was being teased. ¡°You should spend your time reading medical journals, Brother Chen, instead of reading wishy-washy poetry. What¡¯s the point in being a poet, if Dr. Ye doesn¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Shush!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s face drained of color as he shushed Gu Nianzhi, mortified. He had caught sight of Ye Zitan, who hade out of the residence and was now standing on top of the steps.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded gleefully. ¡°Serves you right, Brother Chen. Try to make fun of Huo Shao again, and I¡¯ll bully Dr. Ye!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally shot Gu Nianzhi a pointed Look. She immediately shut up, and obediently walked beside him.

    Ye Zitan was close enough to hear them now. Chen Lie did not dare tease Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi again, but he wasn¡¯t about to let Gu Nianzhi have thestugh, either. He mumbled under his breath, ¡°What is love? Love is what happens when two people realize they¡¯re each other¡¯s weakness...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°!!!¡±

    The three of them walked up the steps to the main entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s residence. Ye Zitan saluted Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie. ¡°Sir, the operating rooms are ready.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s faces immediately grew solemn.

    Chen Lie asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Where¡¯s your mother?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Ye Zitan. ¡°Dr. Ye took my mother inside, just a moment ago.¡±

    Ye Zitan quickly added, ¡°The patient has been anesthetized. She¡¯s in Operating Room B.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded. He looked Gu Nianzhi over, before turning to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You told Nianzhi all about it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood what he was hinting at, and gave a low grunt in reply. ¡°Nianzhi, are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Anytime!¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately replied. She took off her coat and rolled up the sleeves of her cashmere sweater to reveal her fair, delicate arms. ¡°See, I¡¯m totally ready!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Chen Lie smiled as he tugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeves back into ce. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Come with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed Chen Lie into Operating Room A.

    Ye Zitan was wearing a sterile surgical gown and long medical gloves that reached her elbows. Her face was obscured by arge blue surgical mask. She waited beside a highly sophisticated operating chair, ready for the operation.

    The operating chair had been specially designed by Chen Lie. It had been put together at the most technologically advanced factory, by the most talented craftsmen in the military.

    It had a lot more features than the standard operating table, and was therefore much more convenient to use.

    Outside Operating Room A was a small lounge that also served as a pantry.

    Chen Lie put his box down. Two orderlies in sterile surgical gowns took the box to the operating room as Chen Lie seized the opportunity to have a brief chat with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you ready? You volunteered for this, right?¡± Chen Lie asked gravely. ¡°You can tell your Brother Chen, I won¡¯t judge you¡ªyou¡¯re doing this because you want to, yes? Or did Huo Shao pressure you into this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the smile off her face. Her expression grew solemn. ¡°Brother Chen, I¡¯m doing this because I want to. I want to help Mrs. Song, I want her to get better. If my bone marrow can help her, well, take as much as you need. Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m young and tough as nails. I can take it.¡±

    Chen Lie looked at her with heartfelt emotion. He closed his eyes and muttered, ¡°Nianzhi, do you... do you me us?¡±

    ¡°Why would I me you?¡± Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°You guys saved my life. I thought I¡¯d never get the chance to repay you¡ªany of you¡ªbut here¡¯s my chance, and I couldn¡¯t be happier. What on earth are you talking about, Brother Chen?¡±

    Chen Lie grinned. ¡°You¡¯re right. What was I thinking? You¡¯re such a good girl, Nianzhi. Okay, enter the sterilization room and wait there for five minutes. When youe out, put on a surgical gown, and go to the room in the back. Look for Dr. Ye, she¡¯ll put you under.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened attentively. She repeated the steps to Chen Lie to make sure she had understood them correctly, before entering the sterilization room.

    Chen Lie went to the sterilization room for men, and put on a full set of scrubs. He entered Room A to assemble his highly sophisticated instruments.

    Ye Zitan assisted him. With her help, Chen Lie quickly set up the necessary surgical instruments.

    When they were done, Ye Zitan reported to Chen Lie: ¡°Mrs. Song is in Room B. She¡¯s already under.¡±

    Chen Lie went to Room B to check on Song Jinning, who was already unconscious, and collected a few more blood samples. He ran the blood tests while waiting for Gu Nianzhi to get ready.

    The results, as he expected, were unbelievable. They went against everything he had learned in medical school.

    Chen Lie shook his round head. He said wistfully, ¡°So many of us would kill to be young again¡ªbut I don¡¯t think any of us realized that growing younger means your brain will end up regressing, too!¡±

    The face of a 30-year-old, and the intellect of an 18-year-old, versus the face of an 18-year-old, and the intellect of an 8-year-old¡ªwhichbination would you prefer?

    What a conundrum...

    Ye Zitan had been nervous, but Chen Lie¡¯s little joke caught her off-guard, and she burst intoughter.

    Both of them were wearing surgical masks and scrub caps, which obscured most of their faces. They could only see each other¡¯s eyes.

    But Chen Lie was happy enough to see Ye Zitan¡¯s eyes curve into delighted crescents. He could not ask for anything more.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about: smile,ugh! Don¡¯t be nervous,¡± Chen Lie told Ye Zitan encouragingly.

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished changing into a surgical gown in the sterilization room. She entered Operating Room A, and called out: ¡°Dr. Ye?¡±

    Ye Zitan quickly answered her. ¡°Coming!¡±

    She hurried to Operating Room A and helped Gu Nianzhi onto the operating chair, before pulling an anesthesia mask over her face.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately passed out.

    Ye Zitan produced a monstrously thick needle and plunged it into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spine.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the middle of the living room and checked the time on his watch. ording to the schedule Chen Lie had given him, the operation had just begun.

    He made a quick note of the remaining time, and waved Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze over. ¡°Big Xiong, take one of the defense squads with you, and make sure everyone is fully armed. Set up a defense line 500 meters outside the base. Don¡¯t let anyone enter the base for the next three hours.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was surprised by the instructions, but he did not question them. He immediately snapped his heels together in a military salute. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    After Yin Shixiong left, Huo Shaoheng turned to Zhao Liangze. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of the cyber squad. Keep a close eye on the Imperial Capital¡¯s garrison troops. The moment you see something out of the ordinary, report to me immediately. Also, here¡¯s a list of names¡ªmonitor their mobile phones,ndlines, and all their activity on the inte. Watch the surveince cameras near them, too.¡±

    Zhao Liangze took the list, and saluted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze did not understand what Huo Shaoheng was preparing for, at first, but they soon found out.

    15 minutester, Zhao Liangze noticed a sudden spike of activity among the mobile phones he was monitoring.

    There was a confused frenzy of calls among the Imperial Capital¡¯s garrison troops, which was eventually quelled. Zhao Liangze guessed one of the bigwigs in the military must have intervened, because the troops stayed put. Not a single soldier from the garrison was deployed.

    The police SWAT team, on the other hand, was dispatched from police HQ. They were now on their way to the 6th Military Region¡¯s headquarters.

    Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer as soon as he heard from Zhao Liangze. He watched the surveince cameras near Yin Shixiong¡¯s defense line.

    Bai Changhui, the deputy secretary general of the Imperial Central Government Secretariat, and his sister, Bai Jinyi, were speeding towards the base with one hundred SWAT officers in tow.

    ...

    At that very moment, over in one of the B University faculty buildings, He Zhichu was sitting at his desk, looking at the photos spread before him. The expression on his face was terrifying.

    The photos were of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    The photo in the middle had been taken on Christmas Eve. It showed Huo Shaoheng, dressed in full military attire, embracing Gu Nianzhi under a streetlight as the snow fluttered about them.

    Another photo showed Gu Nianzhi snuggled against his chest, a contented look upon her face.

    The most recent photo was of the two of them in Scion Square. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was positively radiant with joy. The photo had caught Huo Shaoheng in the act of turning to look at her, his eyes brimming with deep affection...

 Chapter 218 - Collapsed

    <h4>Chapter 218: Copsed</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You see, Professor He, Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯te from a simple background.¡± Wen Shouyi stood before He Zhichu¡¯s desk and pointed at the photos. ¡°ording to results of our investigation, this man is called Huo Shaoheng. He¡¯s the youngest Major General in the Huaxia Imperial Army and the acting agent of the newly established 6th Military Region; he is also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian.¡± She finished the sentence andughed sardonically. ¡°This youngdy is pretty lucky. She always knows people in high ces no matter where she is.¡±

    He Zhichu picked up the photo taken on Christmas Eve and gave it a flick, coldly analyzing it. He felt conflicted; he should be happy knowing that Gu Nianzhi had lived a good life for thest six years. But it was so good that it had exceeded his expectations and made it hard to stand. Of course, the worst part was seeing the unconcealed love and reliance in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes directed at...

    Huo Shaoheng, He Zhichu thought bitterly.

    Wen Shouyi snuck a nce at He Zhichu. His back was to the light and his features appeared even more pronounced. His entire body exuded a chilling aura that would have prevented anyone else from approaching. ¡°Why are you only showing these to me today?¡± He Zhichu was silent for a long time, then slowly looked up. His cold stare made Wen Shouyi¡¯s sweat.

    Resisting her difort, Wen Shouyi said with a smile, ¡°I just received the information about Huo Shaoheng. This man rarely appears in public and I paid lots of money to get this internal information from the Huaxia Imperial Army. I only found out his name, rank and responsibilities, but nothing more.¡± She wouldn¡¯t present information to He Zhichu without fully preparing all the materials. Huo Shaoheng had such a powerful background that it wasn¡¯t possible for Wen Shouyi to be able to hire someone to even take photos.

    He Zhichu waved his hand. ¡°Leave, I need to think about this.¡±

    Wen Shouyi slightly inclined her head at him and retreated from the room, closing the door gently. She stood with her back against the door for a while, her mood better than ever. This time she had grown more in her garden than she had sowed. Originally, they had sent someone to follow Gu Nianzhi, but had never thought that such an important character would appear. Many of the photos had been taken with a telephoto lens as well as a professional camera lens for tracking. Several of the photos were as beautiful as postcards and very impressive.

    ...

    He Zhichu sat alone in his study and stared nkly at the photos for a long time. His finger glided over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pretty little face; the pain of his overwhelming love for her shaded his eyes. After a long time, he picked up his phone to call Gu Nianzhi. However, it rang for a long time and no one picked up. After listening to a few rings, the line connected to her voicemail. He Zhichu thought about it and decided to leave her a message, ¡°Nianzhi? It¡¯s Professor He...the semester is about to start, so when will you have time toe by campus? Let¡¯s get you acquainted with everyone.¡±

    ....

    Huo Shaoheng was in the official residence of the 6th Military Region¡¯s headquarters, while Gu Nianzhiid unconscious on the surgical chair in operating room A. After extracting the blood marrow from Gu Nianzhi, Ye Zitan had immediately sent it over to Chen lie to inject intravenously into Song Jinning. Because Song Jinning had been ill for a long period of time, the gic defects in her brain cells were very serious and required arger volume of high concentration blood marrow. However, this type of extraction and injection couldn¡¯t bepleted in one procedure, but had to be carried out multiple times in small batches. Outside the operating room, Huo Shaoheng was worried about both women. He made the preparations and awaited Yin Shixiong¡¯s notification.

    ...

    Bai Changhui, Deputy Secretary-General of the Imperial Administration Secretariat, sat in a car that was speeding down the road. He was chastising his younger sister, Bai Jinyi.

    ¡°Jinyi, what on earth have you been doing? How could you have just let Huo Shaoheng take her away? You¡¯ve been together with Huo Guanchen for so many years already, but you still don¡¯t even have a proper title. Don¡¯t put all your eggs into one basket.¡±

    Bai Jinyi was very anxious and didn¡¯t bother to curb her temper for her brother. ¡°This is not the time to be talking about this; the key is Song Jinning. Lately there¡¯s been issues with her condition, and I¡¯m worried...¡±

    ¡°What are you worried about? Haven¡¯t you been treating her all these years? Why hasn¡¯t she recovered yet?¡± Bai Changhui frowned. ¡°If she really can¡¯t recover, then just give up. How is your researching along?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still a problem. I can¡¯t replicate the original experimental data.¡± Bai Jjinyi grew even more annoyed. She couldn¡¯t ept the fact that she had been conducting a fruitless experiment for 16 years.

    ¡°Can Song Jinning be the only solution?¡± Bai Chanhui shut his eyes briefly, leaning against the seat of the car and muttered, ¡°If only Second Brother had participated as the military representative back then; it¡¯s a pity that Huo Guanyuan¡ª¡±

    ¡°If it was really Second Brother...He wouldn¡¯t have ended up on that path. He¡¯s already dead, so what¡¯s the point of talking about it now?¡± Bai Jinyi interrupted him with her outburst.

    The brother they were talking about was Bai Yusheng. He hadmitted treason and been secretly executed abroad by Huo Shaoheng, who had been sent by the military.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to say it? It was supposed to have been Second Brother, but you made me go convince them and let the eldest son of the Huo family, Huo Guanyuan, go. I had thought you had feelings for him and spent all that effort to help him get inside theb as the military representative!¡± Bai Changhui reminisced about that year and got very emotional.

    ¡°Huo Guanyuan had already been a Colonel Commandant 16 years ago, while Huo Guanchen had only been a mere Captain. It was light and day.¡± Bai Jinyi smiled sadly. ¡°And I had been just a post-doctorate student. How could I have been worthy of Huo Guanyuan?¡±

    The truth was, she had loved Huo Guanyuan at first sight, but unfortunately he¡¯d had someone else in his heart and hadpletely ignored her.

    Bai Jinyi remembered that sharp taste of unrequited love and was suddenly irritated. She took out a pack of cigarettes from her purse.

    Bai Changhui grabbed it from her to throw out the window and shouted, ¡°How old are you anyway?! You¡¯re still smoking?! Do you want to die by smoking yourself to death?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t want to die. I won¡¯t rest until I finish this experiment.¡± Bai Jinyi grither teeth. Song Jining must not fall into other people¡¯s hands. As the siblings spoke, the police car in front of them had opened a path and they were now 500 meters from the entrance of the 6th Military Region headquarters.

    Bai Changhui had been suddenly dragged here by Bai Jinyi. He also couldn¡¯t find his military contacts to mobilize troops, and had finally asked his old subordinate at the police headquarters to lend him 100 tactical police officers. In their minds, the newly established 6th Military Region was nothing important. Because its predecessor was the Special Operations Forces of the Imperial Central Military, it was, in other words, only an agency specialized against foreign special forces spies. To the political strategists in the upper echelon of the Empire, the 6th Military Region¡¯sbat powers were inherently deficient and held noparison to the other Five Major Military Regions. Thus, Bai Chanhui had been confident only bringing 100 tactical police officers to trespass into the 6th Military Region. To soldiers, strength could only be attained throughbat, and could not be built from resources. Because Huo Shaheng also firmly believed in this principle, he was able to quickly adapt to any situation and in this case, would hit three birds with one stone. He would be able to treat his mother, weaken the Bai family, and also establish the 6th Military¡¯s reputation in the capital.

    ...

    ¡°Secretary Bai, look at this sign ahead!¡± Bai Changhui¡¯s driver stopped in front of the ¡°Restricted Military Area¡± sign. They didn¡¯t have a permit and had no idea how to enter. Bai Changhu surveyed the surroundings and waved his hand and said, ¡°Drive in; I¡¯ll cover for us if there are any issues.¡± His driver had no choice but to forcibly enter the ¡°Restricted Military Area.¡±

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    As soon as the vehicle crossed the line, the sounds of gunshots were heard. The four wheels of the vehicle ttened at the same time, and the car immediately copsed!

 Chapter 219 - What Do You Want?

    <h4>Chapter 219: What Do You Want?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The car came to a halt with an ear-piercing screech.

    Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi, who had not fastened their seat belts, were tossed out of their seats from the inertia. Their foreheads collided with the back of the front seats.

    ¡°Do you even know how to drive?! You¡¯re fired!¡± Bai Changhui yelled at the driver as he rubbed the bruise on his forehead.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing?! You¡¯re the deputy secretary-general of the Imperial Government Secretariat¡ªcouldn¡¯t you have afforded better tires? What a joke!¡± Bai Jinyi spat from between clenched teeth as she got up from the floor of the car. She ran her fingers over her own swollen forehead.

    The driver clutched the steering wheel, his face white as a sheet. He trembled all over in the driver¡¯s seat, and stammered, ¡°Secretary Bai, the tires didn¡¯t burst on their own. Someone shot them out!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Bai Changhui looked out the window, but could not see what had happened to the tires.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s men had attached silencers to their sniper rifles. The bullets had been quick and precise; the two snipers, positioned on either side of the road, had fired at the same time, each taking out two tires.

    Bai Changhui¡¯s car was soundproof, which made it practically impossible for the people sitting inside to hear the silenced bullets. It had not urred to Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi that someone had shot out their tires, but their driver knew better.

    This driver had previously served in the military as an army driver. After leaving the army, he had joined the Imperial Government Secretariat as a driver-cum-bodyguard for government officials. He was not as skilled as a professional bodyguard, but he was the best bodyguard among all the drivers on the government payroll. The inverse was also true: of all the bodyguards, he was the one with the best driving skills.

    As soon as the car sank to the ground, the driver had rapidly analyzed the tremors he had felt, and concluded that the tires had been shot out.

    Bai Changhui pounded the seat beside him in irritation. ¡°Open the door. I¡¯m going out to check the tires.¡±

    The driver was reluctant to leave the car. He nervously said, ¡°Secretary Bai, we¡¯re in a restricted military area. This is serious. They have the right to shoot you dead if you don¡¯tply with their orders!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! They wouldn¡¯t dare touch a hair on my brother¡¯s head!¡± Bai Jinyi said confidently.

    When Bai Jinyi first met Huo Shaoheng more than a decade ago, he had seemed to her to be an exceedingly polite, disciplined, and taciturn young man who never overstepped his boundaries.

    He had joined the military several years after their first meeting, which only strengthened her belief that he would never do anything reckless or out of the ordinary: soldiers were highly disciplined, rule-abiding men, weren¡¯t they?

    Bai Changhui did not share his sister¡¯s confidence, however. He supported himself on the seat before him and asked the driver uneasily: ¡°...They¡¯ll shoot us? You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    He was woefully ignorant of militaryw: he did not usually deal with the military, and the few men he knew in the military always went out of their way to amodate him.

    ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± The driver gave a wryugh. ¡°Stay here, sir. I¡¯ll get down and ask them to let us off the hook. We¡¯ll retreat.¡± With that, he opened the door and got out of the car with his hands up. He said loudly, ¡°I am the driver of Deputy Secretary-General Bai, from the Imperial Government Secretariat. I would like to talk to yourmander!¡±

    Yin Shixiong remained hidden with his men on both sides of the road. He did not answer the driver; instead, he called Huo Shaoheng on his phone and whispered: ¡°...Sir, what do you want me to do next?¡±

    ¡°Force them to retreat behind the warning line, and try your best to dy them.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was low and subdued as he gave his order.

    An hour had passed, but it wasn¡¯t enough; Chen Lie was still in the middle of his operation. Huo Shaoheng had to put off going out to meet the two siblings from the Bai family for as long as possible.

    Yin Shixiong grinned as soon as he heard the order. He knew it was time for him to get out there and dy their uninvited guests.

    ¡°Put your hands up and step out of the car. I¡¯m warning you, I have to see your hands in the air at all times; anyone who puts their hands down will be shot in the arms!¡± Yin Shixiong, fully masked, walked out from his ambush point with his gun pointed at the car. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. Come out, turn around, and run back across the line!¡±

    Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi saw the fully armed soldier emerge from the woods beside the road, gun at the ready. The color immediately drained from their faces.

    ¡°Which squad are you from? What¡¯s your number? Who¡¯s yourmander? Tell him toe out, I want to talk to him.¡± Bai Changhui was a secretary-general; he was too proud to exin himself to a lowly foot soldier. He would only speak with Huo Shaoheng.

    Bai Jinyi added, ¡°I¡¯m warning you, you¡¯re making a serious mistake. Hand over Song Jinning, immediately, or else...¡±

    ¡°Noting out, eh?¡± Yin Shixiong ignored their rambling. He raised his gun, aimed at the car window, and pulled the trigger.

    Bai Changhui¡¯s car did not have bulletproof windows. His rank wasn¡¯t high enough to qualify for the extra protection.

    Bang! Bang! Two bullets burst through the car window next to Bai Jinyi. They whizzed past her cheek before embedding themselves on the car seat.

    She froze in ce, scared witless. She could not remember how to speak.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again:e out with your hands up! Get behind the warning line! You have exactly one minute. If you don¡¯te out, we¡¯ll blow your car up.¡± Yin Shixiong returned his finger to the trigger on his sniper rifle.

    Bai Changhui looked out the car window. He saw that his driver had run away and was now already behind the warning line. The hundred-odd SWAT officers he had brought with him were fully armed, but every single one of them was standing behind the warning line.

    Bai Changhui gritted his teeth. He knew that he had been thoroughly humiliated. He red at his sister, before turning to look at Yin Shixiong again. He raised his hands, got out of the car, and then quickly turned and ran for the warning line.

    Bai Jinyi knew she was at a disadvantage. She opened the car door on her side, raised her hands, and ran after her brother. In a sh, both siblings had retreated behind the warning line.

    Yin Shixiong lowered his gun and pointed to the surrounding bushes and walls. ¡°Only those with a permit can step beyond the warning line. Which one of you has a permit?¡±

    Bai Changhui had been too impatient to get to the Special Ops base to apply for a permit from the military bigwigs. He shot Bai Jinyi another re, before changing his approach to the situation. He took out a piece of cloth from his trouser pocket, wiped his sses, and said genially to Yin Shixiong, ¡°This is all just a misunderstanding. I am the deputy secretary-general of the Central Government Secretariat. Major General Huo took Song Jinning with him, but she is extremely important to both the military and the central government. Please return her to us.¡±

    Yin Shixiong snorted as he rested his sniper rifle against his shoulder. He shook his head and said loudly, ¡°Mrs. Song is the major general¡¯s mother. The major general is one of the senior generals in the military. What is your rtionship with Mrs. Song, pray tell? Why should we hand Mrs. Song over to you? What an absurd request. I bet all of the Lushan Waterfalls can fit in your skull, it¡¯s so empty in there.¡±

    Bai Changhui was the deputy secretary-general, but he was no match for Yin Shixiong¡¯s sarcastic wit.

    Bai Jinyi saw that her brother had be tongue-tied, and knew it was up to her to fight the battle now. She put on her best ¡°I have an urgent matter to discuss¡± look, and said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand even if we told you. Why don¡¯t you go get Shaoheng and tell him his Aunt Bai wants to talk to him?¡±

    ¡°The mother of our major general is an only child. She has no sisters. Which aunt are you supposed to be?¡± Yin Shixiong was the best, most eloquent debater among Huo Shaoheng¡¯s four personal secretaries [1]. In three concise sentences, he had deftly turned Bai Jinyi¡¯s words against her.

    Bai Changhui realized that the soldier they were up against wasn¡¯t going to let them pass anytime soon. He racked his brains, and suddenly remembered a confidential document regarding Song Jinning that had been written years ago. He immediately called his office and instructed his men to find the document and bring it to him.

    This particr document clearly stipted that both the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Imperial Military would be jointly responsible for treating Song Jinning, finding out the cause of theboratory ident, and getting the experiment back on track again.

    Bai Jinyi was the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics. She represented the Ministry of Science and Technology, and had been authorized to take up the role of Song Jinning¡¯s psychiatrist.

    The military was represented by Huo Guanchen, Song Jinning¡¯s ex-husband and the director of the Military Political Department.

    Song Jinning was seriously ill. In the eyes of thew, she was no longer self-sufficient, which meant that the document now dictated her life and freedom. It was within Bai Jinyi¡¯s legal rights to take Song Jinning away.

    This confidential document had been collecting dust in Bai Changhui¡¯s office for over ten years. He had virtually forgotten about it.

    The current deadlock with the Special Operations Forces had unearthed the existence of the long-forgotten document from the murky depths of his memories.

    Yin Shixiong had overheard Bai Changhui talking on the phone. His face paled when he heard about the ¡°confidential document.¡± He quickly sent a message to Zhao Liangze asking him what that was about.

    Zhao Liangze ran a search on Song Jinning and found the confidential document. He immediately reported it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t at all surprised by the new development. He smoothed his uniform and put on a bulletproof vest. ¡°I was wondering how long it would take for them to think of that document. What idiots.¡±

    The document was legally binding. It was the main reason Huo Shaoheng had rushed Chen Lie into operating on Song Jinning.

    He was caught in a race against time.

    Huo Shaoheng checked the time on his watch. ¡°Assemble the Squad Two defense guards. They¡¯ll being with me in half an hour.¡±

    Before leaving, he left further instructions for Zhao Liangze and his cyber squad. After half an hour, Huo Shaoheng left his residence in his personal bulletproof car, and led the squad of defense guards¡ªwho followed behind on motorcycles¡ªto the warning line outside the Special Ops HQ.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men arrived at the warning line at the exact same moment Bai Changhui¡¯s subordinate, escorted by a police car, arrived with the confidential document.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped out of the bulletproof car. He had put on white gloves, a bulletproof steel helmet, and oversized shades. The scent of gunpowder wafted from the gun holster around his waist. He sped his hands behind his back and stood before his audience, as majestic and imposing as a mountain.

    Bai Changhui looked him over. He sneered. ¡°Fully armed and protected, eh? How very cautious of you, General Huo. Are you afraid we¡¯ll try to attack you?¡±

    ¡°You can attack me if you want. I¡¯m just protecting myself against snipers.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly, and nodded politely to Bai Changhui in greeting. ¡°Deputy Secretary-General Bai, you entered the headquarters of my Special Operations Forces without permission. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb.¡± Bai Jinyi pointed a finger at Huo Shaoheng and said bitterly, ¡°You weren¡¯t like this, before. Think of your mother¡ªshe would be heartbroken if she knew how conceited and arrogant you¡¯ve be!¡±

    [1] The author previously established that Huo Shaoheng has two personal secretaries (Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong), not four. This is most likely a retcon by the author, to make Yin Shixiong sound more impressive.

 Chapter 220 - Obliterated

    <h4>Chapter 220: Obliterated</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at Bai Jinyi and only spoke to Bai Changhui. He walked up two steps to pass the cordon, adjusting his white gloves, and gave Bai Changhui a smile. ¡°Deputy Secretary-General Bai, did you obtain the Senate¡¯s approval toe to our Special Operations Forces base?¡± The Imperial Government and the Military were forbidden to have private interactions. Approval from the Senate had to be granted and official records had to be made before the visit could be paid. Bai Changhui had rushed there and most certainly hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to obtain Senate approval. However, he had a ssified document in hand and wasn¡¯t afraid of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s interrogation.

    ¡°Major General Huo, don¡¯t change the topic. I have here the legal documents signed by the Imperial Administration and the Military, which dere that Song Jinning is to be jointly supervised and treated by the Science and Technology Department and the Military. Hand her over.¡± Bai Changhui took out the papers to wave at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaohengzily reached his hand out. ¡°Is that the case? Why wasn¡¯t I made aware of this document?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Oh goodness! No wonder you were bold enough to grab her! Turns out you didn¡¯t know!¡± Bai Changhuiughed so hard tears came out as he passed the document to him, ¡°Fine, fine. It was all a misunderstanding. So, Major General Huo, you can hand her over now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng casually flipped through the document. There were over 20 pages, so he said to Bai Changhui. ¡°But, this is serious! I have to carefully read through this and see if what you¡¯re saying is right.¡±

    Bai Chanhui waved his hand, ¡°Go ahead and read it, I¡¯ll wait here for you.¡±

    Bai Jinyi also sighed in relief. As long they could keep Huo Shaoheng preupied here, there was no need to worry about Song Jinning being transferred away. Bai Jinyi believed that no one other than Huo Shaoheng would have the gall to do anything to Song Jinning.

    Huo Shaoheng took the document, strolled through the caution line, and back to his bulletproof vehicle. He stretched out his legs and ced the papers on his knee, flipping through them page by page. Time passed by as Huo Shaoheng continued to nce at his watch. He had already seen a copy of this document from his Grandfather a long time ago and had read through it countless times before. He was familiar even with every single punctuation mark in it. Of course, he would never tell Bai Changhui that he had already seen this¡ªhe would not ¡°purposelymit an offence.¡± If they sued him over it, he could absolutely use ignorance as a defence. Additionally, he held the rank of Major General and although his rank wasn¡¯t as high as his father¡¯s, General Huo Guanchen, he actually had a higher security clearance. Besides, as the head of the Special Operations Forces, it was reasonable for them to take over the matters rted to that particr top secret military experiment.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the document as he contemted how he would begin with removing the Science and Technology Department in order to forbid Bai Jianyi from interfering with his mother¡¯s affairs again. He never waged uncertain wars, and always made sure his opponents would never recover once he started fighting.

    ...

    Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi had been standing in the cold for over half an hour, but had yet to see Hup Shaoheng return. They sensed that something wasn¡¯t right.

    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s going on with Huo Shaoheng? Why¡¯s he taking so long to read just one document?¡± Bai Jinyi frowned. ¡°It¡¯s only twenty something pages, so it shouldn¡¯t take more than ten minutes¡±

    ¡°You think everyone is a prodigy like you and can read so quickly?¡± Bai Changhui rxed and began poking fun of Bai Jinyi. They belonged to the direct bloodline of the Bai family, with three brothers and a younger sister from the same mother. The siblings had been tight knit when they were young. Later, the siblings had drifted apart once they¡¯d grown up and had their own families and careers. Bai Jinyi was the closest to her third brother, Bai Changhui. The oldest, Bai Jiancheng was the most reserved and introverted, the eldest of his generation. The second brother was Bai Yusheng, who had been the defector who had recently betrayed the nation and then suddenly died in a diving ident in South America. The third brother was Deputy Secretary-General of the Imperial Administration Secretariat, Bai Changhui. Because Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi were the closest in age, they had yed together when they were younger. After Bai Changhui got married, he had remained kind and paid attention to Bai Jinyi, unlike Bai Jiancheng and Bai Yusheng, who put their focus on their own families.

    Bai Jinyi had been rather rebellious in her youth and had never settled down with a boyfriend. She¡¯d ignored her family¡¯s objections and had always maintained that she would rather be alone if she couldn¡¯t be with the one she loved the most. Consequently, she finally had a real boyfriend 30 yearster. To everyone¡¯s shock, he had been none one other than the second son of the Huo¡¯s, Huo Guanchen.

    At the time, Huo Guangchen had only been divorced for half a year when he had started seeing Bai Jinyi. Bai Jinyi had had a tumultuous personal life but was the smartest and most academic of all the Bai children. She¡¯d studied in top schools and had evenpleted a postdoctoral degree. At first, Bai Jianchen had been very supportive of Bai Jinyi¡¯s academic pursuits and had said that the Bai family dabbled in everything except for academics. He had even helped her be the student of Song Haichuan, the renowned high energy physicist.

    Twenty years passed and Bai Jinyi had already be the director of the High Energy Physics Sector of Imperial Science and Technology Department and was regarded as the nation¡¯s top authority on high energy physics. Although Song Haichuan¡¯s top secret military experiment had failed, the Imperial Military, Imperial Administration, and the highest level of the Imperial Senate had never intended to abandon it. They needed the experiment to continue and seed, because various signs indicated that the United States was conducting simr experiments across the ocean. The Huaxia Empire once was more than 10 years ahead of the United States with this experiment, but had suffered a great loss when it failed. Song Haichuan, who had presided over the experiment, died on the spot. His daughter, Song Jinning, had developed serious mental illness, and the military representative, Huo Guanyuan, had died without a trace in the massiveb explosion. At the time, there had also been four Special Ops soldiers who were lost in action. Their bodies had been immediately reduced to ashes by the fire and little to no traces or remains were found.

    ording to military practice, the soldiers would be considered missing if bodies or remains couldn¡¯t be recovered. As a result, Song Guanyuan¡¯s family was told that he had gone missing. Bai Jinyi recalled all this and sighed softly. How desperately she wished that Huo Guanyuan had survived, but unfortunately the extent of the fire damage in theb had been more than enough to tell her that her wish would nevere true.

    Bai Jinyi looked at Bai Changhui, ¡°Brother, let¡¯s go sit inside the car. It¡¯s too cold out here.¡±

    However, their car was parked inside the caution line, so they dared not run into the restricted area.

    Bai Changhui ordered his subordinate to drive a small van over. ¡°Let¡¯s go sit there then.¡±

    Bai Jinyi couldn¡¯t afford to pick at anything now and only wanted to warm herself inside.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng sat inside his bulletproof car and spent a whole hour ¡°reading¡± the entire ssified document. By then, Chen Lie had been performing the surgery for two and a half hours. He just had to dy for half an hour more and the surgery would beplete. He slowly opened the car door and walked out steadily to stand outside and look across the caution line.

    Yin Shixiong came over and whispered, ¡°They went inside that van.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and took a cigarette from his trouser pocket. Cupping his hand around the lighter, he lit the cigarette and smoked in the cold, the cigarette smoke trailing in the night air .

    Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi saw Huo Shaohenge outside and were just about to go out when he started smoking. They shared a look and reluctantly sat back inside to wait for him to finish his cigarette.

    ¡°Brother, what do you think Huo Shaoheng is doing? He thinks that he can drag this on and that we won¡¯t take away Song Jinning? How naive.¡± Bai Jinyi shook her head disdainfully, ¡°He¡¯s just like his old man. They don¡¯t know how to think outside the box.¡±

    ¡°If his old man didn¡¯t think outside the box, wouldn¡¯t he have married you now?¡± Bai Changhui snorted. ¡°I suggest you marry quickly, then adopt a boy from the extended Bai family as your son.¡±

    Bai Jinyi glowered as she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to marry him.¡± At her age, marriage wasn¡¯t the top priority anymore. She only cared about the experiment. She had made up her mind¡ªonce she took Song Jinning away from here, she wouldn¡¯t care about her wellbeing anymore and would use the most extreme methods to stimte Song Jinning¡¯s brain cells. She would force her memories to be recovered and make her reveal the most critical data from the experiment. She was more confident in Song Jinning that even herself. After all, she had only truly learned what a genius girl was after meeting Song Jinning. Bai Jinyi had been called a prodigy for so many years of her life, but was nothingpared to Song Jinning.

 Chapter 221 - Sore Loser

    <h4>Chapter 221: Sore Loser</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ever since she was a little girl, Bai Jinyi had always been extraordinary talented academically. She had skipped grades several times, entered college at the age of 16, and graduated in only three years. She had gotten her master¡¯s degree in two years, and her Ph.D. in high energy physics from Princeton University in four.

    Her ssmates who started college with her had had to spend four years to get their bachelor¡¯s, three years to get their master¡¯s, and another five to seven years to get their doctorate abroad. That was a total of 12 to 14 years, but Bai Jinyi had achieved all that in nine years.

    She had been exceedingly proud of her aplishments¡ªuntil another girl from the Huaxia Empire showed up while Bai Jinyi was studying for her Ph.D. at Princeton University, and upstaged her entirely.

    Bai Jinyi had not been the only one who had been shocked by the other girl¡ªall the professors in the Princeton University Physics Department had been bbergasted, too.

    The other girl was Song Jinning. She had entered the B University Physics Department at the age of 15, and graduated from college at 17. She had subsequently been admitted to the high energy physics Ph.D. program in Princeton University.

    It had taken Song Jinning only three years to get both her master¡¯s and doctorate in high energy physics.

    Song Jinning had spent only a total of five years to achieve what Bai Jinyi had needed nine years to do.

    Bai Jinyi fidgeted uneasily in her seat as she recalled what had happened next.

    Bai Jinyi had been a sore loser. She had thrown a huge tantrum during her final year in the Ph.D. program, and forced her eldest brother help her ¡°amend¡± her age on both her birth certificate and the census register, so that she would be ¡°officially¡± four years younger...

    Bai Jinyi was actually over 50 years old. It had happened so long ago, most of the people who had known about her deception had already passed away. Now, only her brothers knew her real age.

    Bai Changhui looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s been more than an hour. He should be done reading the document by now. Is he trying to waste our time?¡±

    The two of them looked out the window to see what Huo Shaoheng was doing.

    Huo Shaoheng leisurely smoked his cigarette for another 15 minutes. He checked his watch, saw that Chen Lie would probably be able to wrap up the operation in another 15 minutes, and decided it was time to make his move. He tossed the end of his cigarette away, and walked over to the warning line.

    Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi got out of the minivan.

    ¡°You¡¯re a shockingly slow reader, General Huo.¡± Bai Changhui clucked his tongue disapprovingly and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s only 20 pages. Did you need an hour to read them? I don¡¯t even know what to say... Don¡¯t you military men prize speed and efficacy above all else? I honestly wouldn¡¯t know it, with the way you¡¯ve been taking your own sweet time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly as he waved the document. ¡°This document is too long, and too important to skim through. I¡¯ll have to take this back to my office with me and study it carefully. Any objections, Secretary Bai?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just a copy, the original document is locked in a safe. You can take all the time you need, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Bai Changhui smiled beatifically as he put on his ¡°I¡¯m just an easygoing uncle¡± act. It was aplete 180 from the snooty ¡°get out of my way or else¡± attitude he had first arrived at the base with.

    Bai Jinyi, on the other hand, was close to losing her temper. She crossed her arms and said coldly, ¡°General Huo, please hand Song Jinning over to us now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng casually handed the document to Yin Shixiong, who was standing beside him, before sping his hands behind his back in a stately, dignified manner.

    Under the winter sun, Huo Shaoheng appeared to shine with indomitable confidence.

    Bai Jinyi turned her head slightly, unable to look Huo Shaoheng in the eyes.

    ¡°Why should I hand my mother over to you?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze was level and cool. ¡°She¡¯s not a criminal, or a prisoner. Why can¡¯t she spend some time with her own son?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t make the rules. That document was jointly written by the government and the military, and it clearly states that your father and I have been tasked with the responsibility of taking care of Song Jinning, as well as finding a cure for her condition.¡± Bai Jinyi had been waiting for Huo Shaoheng to ask so she could shove the contents of the document in his face and shut him up.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Is that so? Does the document also say that you have to look after my mother 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡± Bai Jinyi had barely gotten the word out when she realized that she had fallen into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s trap. She nched.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately cut in. ¡°I see. But did you actually do it? Director Bai, did you stay with my mother 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in thest 16 years?¡±

    Of course she hadn¡¯t. The very idea was absurd.

    Bai Jinyi was speechless.

    She had been busy with her own scientific research, and had not had the time to find a cure for Song Jinning.

    In the years following theboratory mishap, she had been confident that she would be able to replicate the experiment on her own. She had been too proud to even think about prying the experimental data from Song Jinning.

    But 16 years had gone by, and she had made zero progress. She had had to swallow her pride and go back to the drawing board, and that was when she realized that Song Jinning was the key to the experiment.

    Even Song Jinning¡¯s own husband, Huo Guanchen, had been busy. He had climbed the ranks within the military, and had gone from captain to general in thest 16 years. It was obvious that he had not spent a lot of time with Song Jinning after she had fallen ill, either.

    This had actually been a blessing in disguise for Song Jinning. It was entirely possible her condition would have deteriorated further had Bai Jinyi and Huo Guanchen spent more time meddling with her illness.

    Huo Shaoheng was not about to tell Bai Jinyi that, however. His expression grew solemn as he said icily, ¡°You haven¡¯t been able to fulfill your obligations, so what makes you think you have the right to stop me from seeing my own mother? I¡¯m a busy man, it¡¯s not every day I get to take time off to be with my mother. Why are you trying to take her away from me? How heartless can you be, Director Bai?¡±

    Bai Jinyi narrowed her eyes. She realized that Huo Shaoheng was going to keep Song Jinning with him, no matter what, and grew anxious. She was deathly afraid that Song Jinning would suddenly be cured, negating everything Bai Jinyi had worked for in thest 16 years.

    She wasn¡¯t about to let all her efforts go to waste!

    ¡°I was wrong. But from now on, I will stay by Song Jinning¡¯s side 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, until she recovers from her condition.¡± Bai Jinyi decided it was all-or-nothing now. She would get what she was after, no matter the cost.

    ¡°You were ¡®wrong¡¯? That¡¯s it? You think that half-hearted apology is enough to make up for over 10 years of neglect?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. He pointed to the document in Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand. ¡°This document is legally binding. You have not fulfilled your obligations as stated within the document, which means you have vited thew. Bai Jinyi, did you honestly think you can get away with a criminal offense just by apologizing? Why do you think we have courts?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?!¡± Bai Jinyi was shocked and angry. ¡°I told you, I wasn¡¯t deliberately neglecting her, I was just too busy with my work. I¡¯m a physicist, I have my own career and professional obligations as a researcher. I work in close cooperation with the military!¡±

    ¡°Close cooperation? I think it¡¯s time to audit your expenses for thest 16 years, Director Bai. The military was funding your experiments, and somehow your department managed to use up all the money without producing any useful results.¡± Huo Shaoheng usually worked with external intel, but he was no stranger to internal investigations, either.

    Bai Changhui balked at the word ¡°audit.¡± He frowned heavily as he wondered why his sister was being so stubborn. Huo Shaoheng had a point, after all; surely Bai Jinyi could wait a few more days before taking Song Jinning away? What was the rush?

    Bai Jinyi glowered at Huo Shaoheng. She said with a defiant sneer, ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject, General Huo. The court will decide whether I¡¯ve vited thew, but until then I am innocent. For now, I ask that you immediatelyply with the document and return Song Jinning to your family home.¡± She shot Bai Changhui a pointed look.

    Bai Changhui understood what the look meant. He turned and waved at the men behind him.

    The 100-odd SWAT officers he had brought with him immediately pointed their guns at Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong, who were standing beside the warning line.

    At that moment, it looked like Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi had the upper hand because of the number of police they had with them. The defense guards Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had brought with them were still hiding in the bushes, out of sight.

    Huo Shaoheng saw Bai Changhuimand the SWAT team to attack. He said to the microphone pinned to his cor: ¡°Did you get all that?¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice sounded over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s earpiece. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. I¡¯ve recorded their every move.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s video showed the 100-odd fully-armed SWAT officers outside the warning line, pointing their guns at Huo Shaoheng and the masked soldier beside him.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He pulled the pistol from his waist holster and fired a shot upwards, into the sky.

    Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi almost jumped out of their skins. They shouted in unison: ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    All at once, the defense guards popped out of their hiding spots with their guns aimed at the SWAT team opposite them.

    ¡°This will be the first head-on sh between the police and the Special Operations Forces, since the founding of our country.¡± Huo Shaoheng put the pistol back into his waist holster, and adjusted his white gloves. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±

    Bai Jinyi and Bai Changhui had brought the fully-armed SWAT team with them to give Huo Shaoheng a good scare, nothing more. They had not expected Huo Shaoheng to take their ruse seriously.

    It was now obvious to them that Huo Shaoheng had been one step ahead of them. He had made all the necessary preparations, and was now seemingly entirely at ease with the idea of an actual skirmish with the SWAT team.

    Yin Shixiong picked up a megaphone. ¡°Listen up, all you SWAT officers. Lower your guns, immediately, and return to your HQ. The Special Operations Forces will issue a letter to police HQ demanding to know why you barged in here and pointed your guns at the major general. We have a recording, and will present the video to the Senate, the military, and the supreme administrative office as evidence. You¡¯ve been out of line, and you will be punished for it.¡±

    As soon as they heard about the video recording, the SWAT officers immediately lowered their guns.

    Themander of the SWAT team walked over to Bai Changhui and whispered uneasily into his ear: ¡°Secretary Bai, the deputymissioner at police HQ dispatched the SWAT team as a favor to you, but he said nothing about fighting the soldiers stationed here. We can¡¯t get tangled up in this. Sorry, but we have to go.¡±

    With that, he turned to his men and said, ¡°Pack up! Get into your vehicles! We¡¯re returning to police HQ!¡±

    The 100-odd SWAT officers deftly slid into their police cars and sped away from the Special Operations Forces HQ.

    There were now only a handful of people left behind the warning line: Bai Changhui, Bai Jinyi, and their two drivers.

    Of the two vehicles remaining, only the minivan was still functional. The limousine was already grounded, the tires blown out by bullets.

    A cold wind blew, stirring up the dust on the ground. Naked tree branches rattled in the wind.

    The sun was now obscured by clouds. The sky was gloomy, and the temperature had dropped a few degrees.

    As the two parties continued to stare each other down, Huo Shaoheng received a phone call from Chen Lie. ¡°Boss, the operation was a sess! Mrs. Song should wake up a week from now!¡±

 Chapter 222 - Make Me Feel Better

    <h4>Chapter 222: Make Me Feel Better</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Chen Lie¡¯s surgery was finallyplete, with ten minutes to spare. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest rxed and he now was more than confident with dealing with Bai Changui and Bai Jinyi. He raised his white gloved right hand in a wave, and the armed guards immediately retreated into their ambush positions.

    Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi immediately felt less cornered. ¡°Now what? Did you decide? What goodes from going against the Imperial Administration and Military? You¡¯ve climbed to the rank of Major General at a young age, so you should cherish it¡ª¡± Bai Changhui immediately unleashed his usual tant threats and lures as soon as he rxed.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly waited for him to finish and replied dryly, ¡°What you¡¯ve just said, I can return it right back to you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± Bai Jinyi was at her wit¡¯s end. She had devoted herself to scientific research and although she had yielded no results from that most critical experiment, she had attained many sess in other aspects. Otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be the Director of the Insitute of High Energy Physics. She had stayed within the world of academics all these years and had the protection of the Bai family name, so she was less versed in social aspectspared to her older brothers. She also had trouble containing her temper. After waiting for half a day for no results, she was in a terrible mood.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to ignore her and only spoke to Bai Changhui, saying, ¡°Deputy Secretary-General Bai, I¡¯ll say it again. I went home to visit family on my holiday and am spending some time with my mother. You can go and check, but tell me whichw prevents this?¡±

    ¡°But... that document!¡± Bai Jinyi rubbed her hands anxiously as she stepped towards the cordon.¡±That document states that I should be in charge!¡±

    ¡°You should go home and wait for a subpoena.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally shifted his gaze to Bai Jinyi, his eyes cold and his expression stony. ¡°Director Bai, we have to sort out all that you owe for the past 16 years.¡± He suddenly turned and loudlymanded, ¡°Anyone who crosses the cordon without a permit is to be arrested on the spot!¡±

    Bai Jinyi didn¡¯t get a chance to stop herself and still propelled forward. As soon as she approached the cordon, Yin Shixiong casually shot twice. The pistol emitted a stuttering noise and scattered the mud by Bai Jinyi¡¯s feet. She shrieked as she fell to the ground and was so terrified she couldn¡¯t stand back up.

    ¡°Director Bai, a military order is absolute. Don¡¯t give us trouble.¡± Yin Shixiong smirked as he warned the Bai siblings. Bai Changhui knew they wouldn¡¯t be able to take away Song Jinning this time and hurriedly helped Bai Jinyi up. ¡°Forget about it. Jinyi, let¡¯s go back first.¡±

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to! I have to take Song Jinning! What right does he have?!¡± Bai Jinyi wailed hysterically. p!

    Bai Changhui couldn¡¯t sand it anymore and struck her face. ¡°Jinyi, wake up!

    We¡¯ll talk about it when we get back! Don¡¯t be an embarrassment!¡±

    Bai Jinyi stared nkly at Bai Changhui after being hit. She covered her cheek and red at him, unable to speak.

    ¡°Take her away.¡± Bai Changhui ordered his subordinate as he pointed to Bai Jinyi, ¡°We are returning home immediately!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suppressed the excitement over this victory in his heart and walked calmly to his bulletproof car. Fan Jian started the engine and headed to the official residence. The guards they had brought with them stood up from their ambush positions and rode on motorcycles that had been parked in a hidden parking lot. They followed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bulletproof vehicle.

    ...

    ¡°Hello, Chief!¡± The guard standing at the entrance of the official residence saluted Huo Shaoheng. He waved back and strode inside. Looking straight ahead, he crossed the living room and walk to the suite that had been especially fitted as an operating room. Gu Nianzhi was in Operating Room A, while Song Jinning was in Operating Room B. He saw Gu Nianzhi when he passed by Operating Room A¡ªshe was still lying in the operating chair and looked pale. Her lips only had the faintest tinge of pink. Carrying a surgical tray, Ye Zitan exited Operating Room A and saw Huo Shaoheng. She immediately stopped. ¡°Huo Shao, the surgery isplete.¡± She nced at the unconscious Gu Nianzhi and praised her, saying, ¡°Nianzhi was amazing! She was so brave and donated a lot of bone marrow to Mrs. Song.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted before asking, ¡°Why isn¡¯t she awake yet? Did it hurt?¡± Looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯splexion, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help thinking she was unnaturally pale.

    Ye Zitanughed awkwardly. ¡°Of course it did, Huo Shao...it was bone marrow extraction.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze immediately sharpened, ¡°Didn¡¯t Chen Lie say she would be anaesthetized, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt?¡±

    ¡°We used a small amount of anesthetic gas, so it wasn¡¯tplete anesthesia. She woke up during the second extraction...¡± Ye Zitan dared not lie to front of Huo Shaoheng and told him everything, including what Chen Lie asked her not to say to him. She hadpletely forgotten.

    Huo Shaoheng was shocked. He nced at Gu Nianzhi again, then strode to Operating Room B. Chen Lie was standing in front of theputer alone and inputting various observation data. The results would bepared in a week to assess Song Jinning¡¯s recovery. Looking up to see Huo Shaoheng standing silently before him, Chen Lie hurriedly rearranged his face into a smile. ¡°Mr. Huo, is everything good on your end?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng cut to the chase, his face stormy.¡±Didn¡¯t you say the bone marrow extraction wouldn¡¯t hurt due to the anesthesia?¡±

    Chen Lie immediately realized that Ye Zitan had revealed the truth to Huo Shaoheng. That silly girl. Chen Lie grimaced. He stopped his lips from curving into aplete frown and pushed up the round sses that were about to slide off his nose as he attempted to change the topic. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s a miracle! Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow type is almost a perfect match with Mrs. Song, so there¡¯s no rejection at all! I¡¯m now 99% confident in this surgery!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snorted, leaning forward with his arms on either side of Chen Lie¡¯s desk. His voice was frigid, as he spat out, ¡°Chen Lie, you can¡¯t establish the sess of your surgery on the deception of others.¡±

    Chen Lie was silenced. He was entirely guilty, since he had been well aware that the extraction of bone marrow was excruciatingly painful. To ensure the effectiveness of the surgery, he hadn¡¯t usedplete anesthesia. Not only had the extraction been done once or twice, but multiple times¡ªit had been truly unkind of him. But, he hadn¡¯t told Huo Shaoheng for his own good. Would they forfeit the surgery just because it hurt andplete anesthesia couldn¡¯t be used?! Of course not! He had prepared for this surgery with Huo Shaoheng for six years, so there was no way they could give up! Now Huo Shaoheng was choosing to give him a hard time over whether it hurt or not. What a joke, Chen Lie thought.

    ¡°Boss, pay attention. Where is your decisiveness? Your ruthlessness?¡± Chen Lie rolled his eyes at Huo Shaoheng and looked down as he gathered his things and replied coolly, ¡°I didn¡¯t deceive anyone. Nianzhi isn¡¯t a kid and is much smarter than you think; she understood the gravity of the situation.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s very afraid of pain.¡± Huo Shaoheng revealed. Straightening up, he appeared even more upset. ¡°I had promised her that it wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°It certainly didn¡¯t hurt in the beginning, but the anesthesia failed afterwards. So you didn¡¯t lie, technically.¡± Chen Lie hummed as he humored Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Ok, hurry up and go see Mrs. Song. Dr. Ye and I will be staying here today to observe her condition, so we can rx once the night is over and there are noplications.¡± As long as there was no rejection, Song Jinning¡¯s body would begin repairing its own genes after absorbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s super self-repairing hematopoietic stem cells. This process would of course take more than one or two days. It would be least one week for Song Jinning to fully regain consciousness. Huo Shaoheng nced at him before going to the operating chair Song Jinning was lying in. Herplexion was much better than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s¡ªthe rosy and delicate skin was astonishingly beautiful. Time seemed to have frozen for 16 years and hadn¡¯t left a trace on her body. Huo Shaoheng looked at Song Jinning with worry and reached out to adjust the nket for her.

    ¡°You can take Nianzhi away. She doesn¡¯t have to stay here. She¡¯s going to wake up soon; if she¡¯s hurting, she¡¯ll feel better if you¡¯re by her side.¡± Chen Lie grinned from behind Huo Shaoheng in attempts to make amends with the idea.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him. He silently looked at Song Jinning before leaving Operating Room B to go to Operating Room A. He picked up Gu Nianzhi in his arms, then headed to his bedroom. As soon as heid her on his bed, she woke up and clutched his sleeve. ¡°Huo Shao, it hurts. Make me feel better.¡± Her irises were shockingly bright as her doe like eyes shimmered with mushed tears. She watched Huo Shaoheng quietly.

    Huo Shaoheng, unable to refuse her request, sighed and got into the bed. Embracing her in his arms, he gently patted her back, and lulled her to sleep with gentle words.

    ¡°Good girl, it¡¯ll stop hurting. It¡¯ll stop hurting...¡±

 Chapter 223 - Anything for You

    <h4>Chapter 223: Anything for You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi leaned contentedly against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. She savored the feel of his warm, sturdy palm as it caressed her back. She sighed, closed her eyes, and felt the pain that had been coursing through her veins slowly leave her.

    She could not even begin to describe the pain from having her bone marrow harvested. There was a saying in Chinese describing a ¡°pain that could be felt in the bone marrow.¡± She now knew that whoever coined the phrase hadn¡¯t been exaggerating in the slightest.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and watched Gu Nianzhi snuggle against him in her loose surgical gown. Her slender, delicate neck was as white and smooth as porcin.

    ¡°...Where does it hurt? Do you want me to get Chen Lie to give you a painkiller?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was low and seductive. Gu Nianzhi could feel it resonate within her.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and rxed into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. After a moment, she smiled and said, ¡°Comfort me, and I¡¯ll feel a lot better.¡± She lifted her face to look into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, before adding: ¡°Kiss me, and all the pain will be gone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw the familiar twinkle return to her eyes as a rosy blush crept across her cheeks. The color had returned to her face; she no longer looked as pitiful as she had been a moment ago, but his heart continued to ache for her. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered, ¡°Are you sure it doesn¡¯t hurt?¡±

    He was feeling a mixture of guilt and anxiety. At the same time, he was also deeply moved by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s courage and sacrifice, and he wished he could have spared her the pain.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s apologetic look, and understood what was going through his mind.

    She did not want Huo Shaoheng to feel indebted to her. She had donated her bone marrow to cure Song Jinning because she wanted to, nothing more.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. She said with a mischievous grin, ¡°I fooled you, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I was seducing you! You fell for my trick¡ªI was just pretending to be in pain to get you to agree to my demands,¡± said Gu Nianzhi slyly. Her body was stiff with pain, but she tried her best to act natural.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt? Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked doubtfully. He circled his arms around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender waist.

    ¡°Nope, not at all.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Well, other people may find it painful, but not me. You should know by now that Gu Nianzhi is no ordinary person. I¡¯m so awesome I frighten myself sometimes.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth curved upwards. He slowly moved his hand upwards, from her waist to her exposed neck.

    He gave a slight jolt in surprise.

    His hand came away wet. Her back and neck were drenched in sweat...

    Why was there so much sweat?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm rubbed against the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck, before dipping inside her surgical gown.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flew open, but it was toote. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm was already pressed against her bare back.

    Her back was drenched in sweat because she was in pain. It wasn¡¯t just her back; her entire body was wet. If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t known better, he would have thought she had just climbed out of a bathtub.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile disappeared. His brow furrowed, and his eyes shed with anger. He looked at Gu Nianzhi as he swept a broad arc across her wet bare back with his hand. He sneered, ¡°...It doesn¡¯t hurt, you say? Why are you sweating all over if you¡¯re not in pain?¡±

    She was in so much pain her surgical gown was already soaked through with sweat. How dare she lie to him and tell him it didn¡¯t hurt?

    Gu Nianzhi could not stand it anymore. She gave a low whine, and clutched the front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clothes as she bit her lower lip.

    The pain was overwhelming. Her vision threatened to fade, and she shuddered with every breath.

    ¡°If you¡¯re in pain, tell me. Don¡¯t hold it in.¡± There was a hint of barely restrained anger in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s low voice.

    He was furious because Gu Nianzhi had tried to pretend she waspletely fine.

    He pressed his lips together, and undid the knot behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surgical gown. He lifted her arms and pulled the gown off of her.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing anything underneath...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face colored.

    He hastily grabbed the nket and pulled it over Gu Nianzhi, before getting up from the bed. He said in a stern voice, ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll get you some water so you can wipe the sweat off your body.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew it would be impossible for Gu Nianzhi to sleep when her entire body was slick and ufortable with sweat.

    She would fall sick if she continued to lie in her own sweat under the nket.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart hammered against her chest.

    She was now too mortified to think about her aching body.

    She had not been able to summon the strength to stop Huo Shaoheng before he removed her surgical gown.

    Huo Shaoheng had immediately wrapped her in the nket, but Gu Nianzhi could not help wondering whether he had seen her naked body. Did he like what he saw? Or was hepletely unaffected by her figure?

    She was now too distracted to dwell on her pain. The color returned to her delicate cheeks as she continued to wonder about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reaction, orck of it.

    Huo Shaoheng was not as calm as Gu Nianzhi assumed him to be. He had thought she would have at least her underwear on¡ªhow was he supposed to know she waspletely naked underneath the surgical gown?

    He walked into the bathroom with an unhappy expression on his face. He looked around for a pail or tub he could fill with water, but couldn¡¯t find any. He grabbed a face towel, soaked it in hot water, and wrung it out before returning to the bedroom with it. He patted the nket over Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Here¡¯s a wet towel. Can you wipe your body on your own?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°...Yeah.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her silently as he waited for her to reach out from under the nket and take the towel.

    Gu Nianzhi tried and tried, but could not lift her arms.

    Pain and exhaustion went hand-in-hand.

    She was exhausted from having her bone marrow harvested several times that day. She could not lift a single finger.

    Her body was special, but even her extraordinary constitution could only get her so far. Most other people would have fainted from the pain by now.

    ¡°Okay, you obviously can¡¯t. Stop pretending.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down on the edge of the bed and tugged at the nket. ¡°Turn over.¡±

    But Gu Nianzhi could not move, at all. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes shimmering with frustration.

    Herrge, misty eyes looked at him, helpless and pleading.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank further.

    She must be in a lot of pain if she can¡¯t even turn over...

    Huo Shaoheng wished he had been the one to donate his bone marrow instead...

    He got up, returned to the bathroom, and swapped the face towel for arge bath towel.

    He sat on the bed, lifted the nket, and scooped Gu Nianzhi out. He shut his eyes and quickly wrapped her in the bath towel, rubbing her all over with it to dry her sweat.

    The bath towel was 100% cotton. It was extremely absorbent.

    Gu Nianzhi was soon clean and dry. She sat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, wrapped in the bath towel, her head bowed in abject embarrassment.

    Huo Shaoheng saw the dejected look on her face, and knew he had been too hard on her. He cleared his throat, smiled, and said teasingly, ¡°...Didn¡¯t you say you were going to seduce me? Why are you being so shy now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Was he asking her to seduce him now?

    Gu Nianzhi panicked, and suddenly found the strength to move.

    Although she was still aching all over, the pain was a lot more bearable now. Her muscles were no longer stiff.

    She put her hands on the ends of her bath towel, and looked up at Huo Shaoheng slyly. ¡°Well, since you asked, Huo Shao, allow me to continue seducing you...¡± With that, she slowly released her grip, and the two ends of the towel began to slide apart.

    Huo Shaoheng saw what she was doing, and nonchntly stopped her. He pulled the towel back in ce. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. You won¡¯t be able to seduce me in your current condition. Let¡¯s wait till you¡¯re better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flushed. Her face was now redder than the sky during a sunset. Even her neck had turned beet red.

    This is so embarrassing...

    Gu Nianzhi was frustrated with herself. Why was she so bad at seduction?

    Gu Nianzhi felt the pain migrate from her body to her head. Thinking about this was giving her a splitting headache...

    She said feebly, ¡°...I¡¯m tired. I want to sleep.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled the nket over and wrapped her in it, before pulling her towel out from under the nket. ¡°Sleep. I¡¯ll go ask Chen Lie about your meds.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi murmured a soft ¡°okay¡± in reply. She closed her eyes, and was immediately asleep.

    She was exhausted. All she wanted was a good sleep.

    The human body was programmed to fall asleep when it needed to heal from injuries.

    That night, Huo Shaoheng stayed with Gu Nianzhi in her bedroom.

    Chen Lie and Ye Zitan, on the other hand, spent the night inside Operating Room B, anxiously analyzing Song Jinning¡¯s test results.

    They had learned from the results that Song Jinning¡¯s body had begun to change dramatically, six hours after the bone marrow transnt.

    Chen Lie watched as the red shing numbers on the monitor continued to climb. His eyes zed with excitement.

    The self-healing mechanism was out of this world!

    He had half-expected it, but the actual speed and potency exceeded his expectations by leaps and bounds.

    That was when Chen Lie finally understood why Gu Nianzhi had not been affected by the biological weapon H3aB7, and had instead sessfully created antibodies in response to it.

 Chapter 224 - Unexpected Results

    <h4>Chapter 224: Unexpected Results</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ye Zitan stayed beside Song Jinning¡¯s operating chair in order to take care of her, while Chen Lie was responsible to for recording the data with the instruments. Such incredible data made Chen Lie both happy and cautious as he carefully made backups of the data outside Song Jinning¡¯s personal file. Just like thest thest incident with the H3AB7 viral antibody, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name had not been included in the records submitted to the military. Only Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng knew about it; not even Gu Nianzhi was aware that she had a special bodyposition. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s significance to the military was the mystery surrounding her background, and neither Huo Shaoheng nor Chen Lie wanted others to discover her special ability. If the military found out, Gu Nianzhi would only end up as a rat locked in ab and subject to secret experiments. In this regard, Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie had a mutual understanding that they would agree to keep this secret for her. Since discovering her special physique six years ago, they had begun protecting her further. Huo Shaoheng had even resorted to not going home so that Bai Jinyi and the others could focus on Song Jinning and not notice there was something peculiar about Gu Nianzhi. They had hoped that Gu Nianzhi could help treat Song Jinning, but it wasn¡¯t as simple as that. In order to have Gu Nianzhi help treat Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi herself would firstly have to agree. It wasn¡¯t right for Chen Lie to assume that Huo Shaoheng would have Gu Nianzhi rescue his mother, regardless of what Gu Nianzhi wanted to do. If Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t agree, Huo Shaoheng would never force her. He had never thought about forcing her to save his mother, nor had he wanted her to contribute to the entire Huaxia Empire. He was a soldier himself and would be willing to give up everything, including his life to for the nation. But Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a soldier and he wasn¡¯t even certain if she was a citizen of the Huaxia Empire¡ªthere was no way he could decide for her and make her sacrifice everything. This would be contrary to his principles as a man and his beliefs as a soldier.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng was sleepless the entire night and sat alone on the single seater sofa next to the bed. He worked on hisptop while checking on Gu Nianzhi from time to time. At around midnight, she developed a fever. It was only a low fever and wasn¡¯t anything serious. Chen Lie came over to look and didn¡¯t even need to provide any medication, only saying that she could bear through it. Huo Shaoheng checked the temperature of her forehead every 15 minutes to make sure the fever didn¡¯t climb. Gu Nianzhi slept restlessly. The surgery in the afternoon had been so painful that she had nearly passed out, but in order to prevent Huo Shaoheng from feeling more stress and guilt, she had decided not to say anything. She liked him...no, she loved him and she hoped he loved her too¡ªbut she didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to be with her out of guilt. However, the pain still left a mark on her and caused her brain to be in a constantly stressful state. When she broke into a fever at midnight, she fell into a long lost nightmare.

    Pain was coursing through her body everywhere. Someone was chasing her and she screamed and cried for her mother, hiding in the rubble. In the dream, a woman¡¯s blurred face appeared at her side. She seemed to be the figure she¡¯d desired to be with the most in her childhood¡ªbut when Gu Nianzhi ran towards her, she was coldly pushed away. She opened her mouth and wanted to call after that woman, but found that she couldn¡¯t make a sound. In the end, she softly cried out, ¡°Dad!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Gu Nianzhi lying on the bed. In the dim night light, her small pale face was beaded with sweat: her fever seemed to have broken. Huo Shaoheng brought a towel to wipe her face.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to murmur, ¡°Dad, Uncle...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused as he gazed at Gu Nianzhi before picking up the towel again to dab at her forehead. He suddenly asked quietly, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s your dad¡¯s name?¡±

    The Special Ops had been trained to induce an interrogation during a person¡¯s sleep. This method was highly effective and extremely confidential. When the person woke from the dream, they would not recall having been interrogated in the dream at all. Gu Nianzhi was having a nightmare because the lingering pain from the surgery in the day had stimted her brain. Since her mind wasn¡¯t at ease, it was easy for her to reply to Huo Shaoheng in the dream, ¡°Dad... Dad is Dad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a few beats before thumping furiously, his voice trembling slightly, and he asked again, ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t reply and seemed to fall asleep again. It looked like it was the same as before and yielded no results.

    Huo Shaoheng removed the towel and was about to get up when Gu Nianzhi softly said, ¡°Xiangwen.¡±

    Xiangwen? Gu Xiangwen?¡± Huo Shaoheng inhaled deeply, amazed at the breakthrough. He had finally found an important clue to Gu Ninzhi¡¯s background. ¡°Which two characters?¡±

    ¡°Xiang for luck, Wen for culture.¡± Gu Nianzhi obediently answered. She was as obedient in her dream as she was in the day.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows rxed. It would be much easier to investigate with a name. They could go to the household registration agency of the Huaxia Imperial Administration to conduct a nationwide search for, ¡°Gu Xiangwen,¡± and then cross check the DNA. Huo Shaoheng suppressed his thundering heart; he still couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. After six years, they had finally gotten to the tip of the iceberg. ¡°What about your uncle? What¡¯s your uncle¡¯s name?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked softly again.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her mouth and didn¡¯t speak again. Huo Shaoheng inquired a few more times, but she didn¡¯t respond. She was actually very vignt in her sleep as well, Huo Shaoheng realized. If it hadn¡¯t been for the extreme pain during the day, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have slipped up so easily.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the middle in the room, lost in his thoughts. From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father¡¯s name, he should be someone from the Huaxia Empire. However, they had searched for six years and investigated all of Huaxia Empire for people involved in it, yet didn¡¯t find anyone with DNA simr to Gu Nianzhi. There weren¡¯t even distant rtives. How could it be possible then, that her parents were still alive in the Huaxia Empire? They had once entertained the thought that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t from the Huaxia Empire. However, Gu Nianzhi had been questioned by him in her dream, so what she said must be true and was impossible to fabricate. These were things that, while forgotten by the person when they were awake, were actually kept in the deepest recesses of their subconscious.

    Gu Nianzhi losing all her memories before the age of 12 was the best example of this, so questioning her during a dream could make her recall things hidden deeply in her memories. Even if her answers were ridiculous and shocking, its truth couldn¡¯t be questioned. If Gu Nianzhi¡¯s answer was true, then there must have been something wrong with their previous investigation. However, he¡¯d never imagined that Gu Nianzhi was an actual citizen of the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng gathered his wits and ced the towel back in the bathroom, returning to his massage chair to continue working. At around two in the morning, Zhao Liangze sent him a message, saying, ¡°Mr. Huo, General Huo is here. Do you want to see him?¡±

    ¡°My father is here?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up from hisptop. ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he¡¯s already at the entrance of your official residence and getting out of the car right now.¡± Zhao Liangze watched the surveince footage on his monitor as he reported to Huo Shaoheng, then shared the video with him. On Huo Shaoheng¡¯sptop screen, a ck bulletproof car was shown to have stopped in front of the official residence. The car door opened and Huo Guanchen emerged wearing in clothes. He crossed his arms as his sharp gaze scanned Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Huo Shaoehng pressed his lips tightly together as he watched the video for a while before speaking to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Open the door and let him in.¡± He closed theptop and got up to check on Gu Nianzhi, turning away to leave when he saw that her fever had passed. Stepping calmly from the second floor bedroom to the living room, Huo Shaoheng saw that Huo Guanchen was already waiting there.

 Chapter 225 - Ultimatum

    <h4>Chapter 225: Ultimatum</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng walked over nonchntly. It was impossible to tell what was going through his mind.

    Huo Guanchen narrowed his eyes as he silently appraised his son. He grudgingly conceded that Huo Shaoheng had mastered the perfect poker face at the young age of 28; even his own father could not tell what he was thinking.

    ¡°General Huo.¡± Huo Shaoheng was still in his military uniform. He walked over to Huo Guanchen, snapped his heels together, and raised his hand in a proper military salute.

    Huo Guanchen nodded. He sat on a sofa, before pointing to the sofa opposite him. ¡°Have a seat.¡± He behaved as though he owned the ce.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down without saying anything. His sat like a true soldier, upright and alert, but his face was as cid as a calmke.

    ¡°What brings you here at this hour, General Huo?¡± Huo Shaoheng gestured to his men. ¡°Bring us some tea.¡±

    One of the orderlies appeared with cups of tea for both Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng. He ced them on the coffee table between them.

    Huo Guanchen wasn¡¯t in the mood for tea, but he lifted his teacup and drank out of courtesy anyway.

    He gave Huo Shaoheng a sharp look as he gestured for the orderlies to leave them alone.

    Father and son sat in therge living room, sipping their tea.

    ¡°I heard that you refused your Aunt Bai¡¯s request to take your mother home.¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression and voice were solemn. ¡°Are you done with your childish tantrum? Your mother is sick. Why are you doing this to her? You¡¯re a grown man, you should know better.¡±

    ¡°My mother can handle the stress. She lived for 16 years under your care, after all,¡± Huo Shaoheng said sardonically. He had inherited his handsome features from Song Jinning, while his strong cheekbones and jawline hade from Huo Guanchen.

    ¡°Watch your tongue!¡± Huo Guanchen mmed his teacup onto the coffee table. ¡°Are you aware that you¡¯ve vited both the civil and militaryw?! Do you really want to go up against the Bai family?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave a nonmittal grunt in reply. His face remained impassive as he said leisurely, ¡°The Bai family? What about them? They¡¯re way beneath me. You may be afraid of them, Father, but I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Huo Guanchen jumped to his feet, trembling all over with rage. He jabbed a finger at Huo Shaoheng and shouted, ¡°Of course you¡¯re not afraid¡ªyou don¡¯t know the extent of the Bai family¡¯s influence! There¡¯s a Bai in every department! If they decide to get rid of you, you¡¯ll be celebrating the next New Year in prison!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly set his teacup down. He did not stand up. He ced his hands on his knees, his back ramrod straight, and looked up into Huo Guanchen¡¯s face. ¡°Father, you¡¯ve been groveling on your knees for too long. Do you even remember what it¡¯s like to stand on your feet and be a man? Why are you afraid of the Bai family? They should be the ones trembling in their boots right now, not us.¡±

    This was why the Bai family were falling over themselves in their bid to keep Song Jinning within their clutches¡ªshe was their final hope.

    Huo Guanchen was usually a gentleman who knew how to keep hisposure, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s provocation was too much for him. He snarled, ¡°How dare you talk to me that way?! I¡¯ll have you court-martialed!¡±

    ¡°...If you¡¯re court-martialing me just because I was talking to you as your son, then so be it. From now on, I won¡¯t call you ¡®Father¡¯ anymore, only ¡®General Huo.¡¯¡± Huo Shaoheng had deftly lured Huo Guanchen into his trap.

    Huo Guanchen stared. It took him a moment to realize that Huo Shaoheng had called him ¡°Father,¡± and not ¡°General Huo¡± when he had been talking about groveling on his knees.

    When Huo Shaoheng addressed him as ¡°Father,¡± he was talking to him as his son.

    When Huo Shaoheng addressed him as ¡°General Huo,¡± he was talking to him as his subordinate.

    There was a fundamental difference between the two.

    Huo Guanchen flushed slightly. Luckily for him, his skin was a dark beige; no one could tell the blood had rushed to his cheeks.

    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re father and son, I won¡¯t hold it against you, of course.¡± Huo Guanchen waved his hand magnanimously. ¡°But you should hand over your mother. I¡¯ll take her home, myself. That should be good enough for you. Your Aunt Bai means well. Your mother is getting better¡ªwhy dy her treatment just to spite your Aunt Bai?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it to spite anyone,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. He took a sip of his tea. ¡°I haven¡¯t been home in six years. I had to get special permission from General Ji just to go home for the New Year holidays and spend time with my mother. Father, are you telling me I¡¯m not allowed to spend time with my own mother? Is my mother not my family, but a prisoner?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was left speechless by his son¡¯s questions.

    He stared at Huo Shaoheng, confounded. His son had grown from a taciturn young man to a stoic, no-nonsense major general in thest six years.

    He had achieved the rank of major general at 28, breaking his uncle¡¯s¡ªHuo Guanyuan¡¯s¡ªrecord.

    Huo Guanchen was proud of his son. At the same time, he did not like his son telling him what to do. He was silent for a moment, before saying in a conciliatory tone, ¡°How about this, then: both you and your mother will return to the family home and stay there. That way, your Aunt Bai will have nothing toin about.¡±

    ¡°My mother has no sisters,¡± Huo Shaoheng said with a smile, ¡°and Director Bai hasn¡¯t tied the knot with you yet, Father. Stop calling her ¡®Aunt Bai,¡¯ it¡¯s ridiculous. Everyone must beughing behind our backs.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡± Huo Guanchen did not want to talk about it. ¡°So are you saying you won¡¯t hand over your mother, no matter what? Are you aware of the consequences?¡±

    ¡°What consequences?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, the military and the Ministry of Science and Technology will probably send someone to take her from you.¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s finger tapped on the coffee table. ¡°What are you going to say to them? You can¡¯t just turn them away.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, my mother isn¡¯t a prisoner. She¡¯s my mother, which makes her the mother of a military man. They have no right to take her from me. When my break is over, I¡¯ll take her home myself. Father, did youe here at this hour just to tear my mother away from me?¡± Huo Shaoheng was a lot less confrontational now. He knew he had won the argument.

    He needed a week. The following week was crucial for Song Jinning¡¯s recovery; he wasn¡¯t about to let anyone take her away, not even his own father.

    ¡°Really? Once your break is over you¡¯ll return your mother to the family home?¡± Huo Guanchen was skeptical. ¡°This isn¡¯t another trick, is it? Shaoheng, I¡¯m warning you, your future is at stake here. Don¡¯t ruin it.¡±

    ¡°Why would I trick you?¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and leaned backwards into the sofa. He stretched his long legs, no longer as tense and uptight as he had been a moment ago. ¡°I always mean what I say.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Huo Guanchen looked at him thoughtfully. Suddenly, he said, ¡°They said you¡¯d do this. If that¡¯s how you want to y, well, you leave me no choice.¡±

    The sudden change in his tone of voice was disconcerting.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately tensed. ¡°What do you mean, Father?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing. It¡¯s entirely understandable for you to want to spend time with your mother. Even if the Bais throw a tantrum with the military bigwigs, I doubt anyone would take them seriously.¡± Huo Guanchen let out a sigh. He eyed Huo Shaoheng. ¡°But...¡± He abruptly changed the subject, and shot a nce towards the stairs. ¡°What about the youngdy you brought home with you?¡±

    ¡°Youngdy?¡± rm bells went off in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head. A vague feeling of uneasiness crept into his heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Gu Nianzhi, of course.¡± Huo Guanchen smiled at Huo Shaoheng, but was surprised to see that his son appeared to be entirely unaffected. Huo Guanchen wondered whether Huo Jin had jumped to conclusions: was Gu Nianzhi perhaps not all that important to Huo Shaoheng?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Nianzhi? She¡¯s asleep.¡± Huo Shaoheng rose and adjusted his uniform. ¡°If you have nothing else to discuss, please go home. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, don¡¯t try to give me the runaround, it won¡¯t work.¡± Huo Guanchen took two steps towards the door. ¡°Gu Nianzhi hasn¡¯t gone through the necessary background checks. She needs the highest level of security clearance to stay here, in the Special Ops HQ, and she doesn¡¯t have that. She is a security risk, she may identally leak confidential information. Deputy Director Liao from the police HQ is waiting outside, beyond the warning line, to take Gu Nianzhi away and put her in solitary confinement.

    Huo Shaoheng felt his blood run cold. He suddenly realized what was going on.

    They knew they could not take Song Jinning from him, and had thereforee up with an ultimatum to force his hand.

    Hand over Song Jinning, or give up Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng wondered who had put this idea into Huo Guanchen¡¯s and Bai Jinyi¡¯s heads; whoever it was evidently understood him. It was a simple tactic, yet frighteningly effective: in one swift stroke, it had exposed the chinks in his armor.

    This was now a game of chicken between father and son, a test ofposure.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression did not change, but the aura around him had turned icy. ¡°...The police HQ? They don¡¯t have the authority to take Nianzhi away.¡± Huo Shaoheng nonchntly brushed his sleeves. ¡°If they want her, they¡¯ll have to get a letter of authorization from the Supreme Council of Military Affairs, through General Ji, and also from the Senate, through Chairman Long. I believe our discussion is over. Please leave.¡±

 Chapter 226 - Can You Give Her To Me?

    <h4>Chapter 226: Can You Give Her To Me?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Oh, so a mere orphan girl requires General Ji and Speaker Long to provide the joint authorization of the Supreme Council of the Military and the Senate? Shaoheng, have you just revealed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s importance?¡± Huo Guanchen shook his head as he gave a meaningful look at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s slightly stiffposure.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind spun, but he didn¡¯t fall into Huo Guanchen¡¯s trap. He turned around and said casually, ¡°Is that so strange? Everyone knows that the military is looking for her rtive, and she¡¯s the only clue we have. Her importance is obvious.¡±

    Huo Guanchen froze, his gaze stern as he spoke to Huo Shaoheng in a low voice. ¡°Are you certain that I need General Ji and Speaker Long¡¯s joint approval to take her away, just because of her origins? You can try to fool me with this excuse, but in order to fool anyone else, or the Bai family for that matter, you¡¯d bettere up with a better reason.¡± He also stood up and hesitated for a moment before asking Huo Shaoheng gently, ¡°You mother, is she... really ok?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Father. Mother is doing well here with me. She¡¯s already asleep and you will naturally be able to see her when my holiday is over.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded, his demeanor slightly more rxed.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. I¡¯ll be going now.¡± Huo Guanchen picked up his hat and walked out of the room. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t see him off, but only folded his hands behind his back as he watched him leave. Huo Guanchen¡¯s guards and personal secretaries were all in the car outside, he walked out alone.

    After he left, Huo Shaoheng sat on the sofa and contemted Huo Guanchen¡¯s words. Huo Guanchen had actually revealed two future actions of the Bai family. First, that they were targeting Gu Nianzhi in order to force him to choose between her and Song Jinning: they wanted to see who Huo Shaoheng would choose. If Huo Shaoheng gave up Gu Nianzhi in order to protect Song Jining, then that meant Huo Shaoheng had ns for Song Jinning. This was most likely rted to her recovery, since the Bai¡¯s knew how Huo Shaoheng operated¡ªhe was not someone to make rash moves.

    However, if Huo Shaoheng chose to give up Song Jining to protect Gu Nianzhi, then they would reevaluate Gu Nianzhi¡¯s importance. Regardless of her importance to the Huaxia Imperial Military or to Huo Shaoheng, it would be a devastating blow to Huo Shaoheng if outsiders were to learn of this. For so many years, Huo Shaoheng had been regarded as a war machine with no weaknesses. He had not asked after his sickly mother and hadn¡¯t returned home for six years. To an outsider, he was apletely emotionless person. He personally led teams on multiple overseas mission and had crossed fire with foreign special forces multiple times and had yet to fail. This proved that he was a decisive and ruthless person. If he chose Gu Nianzhi over Song Jinning this time, that meant that Huo Shaoheng indeed had a weakness. If outsiders realized this, it would be lethal to Huo Shaoheng and those around him.

    Secondly, they had already mobilized the police headquarters. The police couldn¡¯t go against the military, but could deal with civilians¡ªfor example, a little girl like Gu Nianzhi. Hadn¡¯t Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi brought one hundred tactical police officers just that afternoon? It was clear that the Bai¡¯s had a strong influence on the police headquarters.

    ...

    Soon after Huo Guanchen had left, Huo Shaoheng heard Zhao Liangze speaking to him through his headset. ¡°Mr. Huo, Director Liao of the police headquarters has brought men over and also has a permit. They are at the entrance of the official residence and are asking to see you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, ¡°Have him wait, I have things to do.¡± He sat alone on the sofa and silently pondered for a long time until the sky was light again. Finally standing up from his seat, he returned to his own bedroom. Gu Nianzhi was still in a deep sleep. Huo Shaoheng bent over to touch her forehead and discovered that her fever was gone. A trace of sweat was still on her forehead, and he didn¡¯t know how sweaty her body was. He thought about it and called Ye Zitan over. ¡°Dr. Ye, help wipe Nianzhi down and change. Her fever is gone, but she still can¡¯t move yet.¡±

    Ye Zitan nodded sympathetically and said, ¡°I know. It¡¯s incredibly painful to have bone marrow extracted; she must¡¯ve suffered a lot.¡± She stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair and continued, ¡°But Nianzhi¡¯s health is great. Any other person wouldn¡¯t havested this long. She actually didn¡¯t even make a sound throughout the entire ordeal.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked away, biting his lip after hearing that, before turning to leave. He went to the bathroom to shower, then had breakfast with Chen Lie after he finished.

    Chen Lie¡¯s eyes were wide as he grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°Boss, this is incredible, this is truly incredible!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at him. ¡°We¡¯ll talk inside.¡± They went into the secured Operating Room B, where Song Jinningy quietly. Her skin was luminous and rosy and herplexion was refreshing.

    ¡°How is my mother¡¯s condition?¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets and stood in front of Song Jinning¡¯s operating chair, watching her.

    Chen Lie took out a stack of printed data and pointed in Song Jinning¡¯s direction. ¡°Boss, look at this. I¡¯m too scared to put this in her medical record.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the papers and nced at the data; he didn¡¯t quite understand what he was seeing. Chen Lie immediately grabbed it back, his facepletely flushed, ¡°Be careful with that! This is my baby! I¡¯m telling you, if you dare burn them again, I... I... I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave him a scornful look. ¡°Speak normally, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Speaking normally, can you give Gu Nianzhi to me?!¡±

    ¡°You have a death wish.¡± Huo Shaoheng yanked Chen Lie¡¯s cor. ¡°Did you forget your military order?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine! I was just exaggerating! Don¡¯t you understand metaphors! All soldiers are illiterate!¡± Chen Lie couldn¡¯t help squealing.

    ¡°I already reminded you not to use your dramatic ¡°shock¡± factor, but youve never listened.¡± Huo Shaoheng threw Chen Lie down to the side like he was a rag. ¡°Hurry up and exin.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that Gu Nianzh¡¯s gene repair abilities were very effective,¡± Chen Lie lowered his voice for thest sentence as he enunciated thest part carefully, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such perfect gene repair data.¡± His expression was extremely serious.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze was grim as he folded his hands behind his back and looked at him.

    Chen Lie pursed his lips, his round eyes looking up at Huo Shaoheng through his round sses. He patted his shoulder. ¡°If you don¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to be locked up in ab and dissected for study, then you¡¯d better carefully guard this secret.¡±

    ¡°But a few people know about this already.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms, pacing around the room. ¡°There¡¯s not a wall in the world that will block out everything. Do you think we can keep this a secret?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible topletely cover it up, so we should use a simpler exnation to hide the truth.¡± This was Chen Lie¡¯s n: ¡°I¡¯ll say that Song Jinning¡¯s recovery was rted to her bone marrow transnt. Shecked blood and was weak to begin with. As for her mental recovery, let¡¯s not mention this reason.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°And what else?¡±

    ¡°As to why Gu Nianzhi had to donate her bone marrow, this is easy to exin. We¡¯ll just say their bone marrow happened to match, so that¡¯s why we used it. You know so many people donate blood marrow, but it¡¯s very difficult to find a match that won¡¯t be rejected. If we exin it that way, at least nobody in the medical profession will be doubtful.¡±

    Chen Lie went on profusely and continued to outline all the aspects needed to protect Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shaoheng listened intently for a long time and then patted his shoulder. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll go with what you said.¡± He then asked Chen Lie, ¡°Is my mother ok now?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, she just had a low fever at midnight. But that¡¯s normal, since external genes had been fused into her and had activated her immune system, causing a fever. She was better afterwards.¡± Chen Lie looked at Song Jinning lying on the operating chair, his eyes full of awe. He marveled at the milestone she signified in medical history. Chen Lie was beside himself with glee.

    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t she woken up yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said that she¡¯ll be awake in a week. Her body is repairing the damaged genes right now, so it¡¯s best to keep her in a deep sleep.¡± Chen Lie inhaled deeply and continued, ¡°And this week, I¡¯ll personally stay to watch her.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d only stay a day or two?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to him.

    ¡°The data is too exciting, I don¡¯t want to go!¡± Chen Lie spread his palms and wiggled his brows in amusement.

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze and he walked towards the door as he spoke to Zhao Liangze through the headset. ¡°Let Director Liao in.¡±

    When he returned to the living room, he saw the new Deputy Director of the Police Headquarters, Liao, sitting in exhaustion. Huo Shaoheng had left him to wait outside for half the night, and the little power y had indeed impacted Deputy Director Liao¡¯s arrogance.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng enter, Deputy Director Liao no longer hesitated and immediately stood up to salute him. ¡°Major General Huo, please hand over Gu Nianzhi. I was tasked by my superiors.¡±

    ¡°Hand over? Why do I have to hand her over?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat on the sofa once again, taking out his pistol and gun cloth from his belt to wipe it down. ¡°Tell me, what crime did shemit? Do you have an arrest warrant?¡±

    Deputy Director Liao couldn¡¯te up with anything to say at first. He is truly hard to deal with, he thought. ¡°Mr. Huo, this is the Special Operations Forces headquarters asking; only people with a security clearance level of five or higher are allowed to enter. Gu Nianzhi, she doesn¡¯t even have a level 1, so how can she stay here? She¡¯s already vited the National Security Law. If you want an arrest warrant, I can have it issued right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh? She requires a security clearance level of 5? Then you should arrest Bai Changhui and Bai Jinyi first. They came to my Special Operations Forces headquarters yesterday and crossed the cordon without a permit. ording to you, they¡¯ve broken thew the too. Why haven¡¯t you gone to arrest them?¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and leaned forward, his piercing gaze making Deputy Director Liao¡¯s back sweat.

    He picked up a white handkerchief to wipe his forehead. ¡°Mr. Huo, so you¡¯d rather break thew and give up your mother to protect Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    This line of questioning was to finally reveal Gu Nianzhi¡¯s importance to Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 227 - Practically Strangers

    <h4>Chapter 227: Practically Strangers</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward slightly. He lifted his eyes to look at Deputy Director Liao, his freshly polished pistol gleaming in his hand. He got out his phone, turned on the Record function, and pointed it towards the deputy director. He said nonchntly, ¡°What did you just say? I didn¡¯t catch that. Say it again.¡±

    Deputy Director Liao stared at the phone in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. The sweat was now pouring off his forehead like a waterfall.

    He didn¡¯t have the balls to say it while he was being recorded!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You were so talkative just a minute ago. What, are you scared of a phone?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he shook his head. He ced the phone on the coffee table between the two sofas, and crossed his legs. He gestured towards the walls behind him with an imperious wave of his hand. ¡°Deputy Director Liao, it¡¯s toote for you, actually. You¡¯re on my turf, now. I¡¯ve been recording your every word and action, ever since you stepped into this room.¡±

    ¡°What?! How dare you film me without me without my permission? That¡¯s illegal! That¡¯s a vition of my privacy! Any recordings of me made without my consent constitute a vition of my privacy, and infringe upon my civil rights!¡± Deputy Director Liao waved his arms about in a disy of indignation, but the look on his face was one of terror.

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing. He remained seated on the sofa as he quietly watched Deputy Director Liao gesture wildly in a mixture of fear and anger. After a moment, he nonchntly twirled his pistol and said unhurriedly, ¡°Deputy Director Liao, this has nothing do with you. Why are you sticking your nose into this?¡±

    Deputy Director Liao decided it was all or nothing. He was already being recorded, so there was no way he could y it safe and try to please both sides now. He clenched his jaw and said, ¡°General Huo, are you saying that you would rather break thew and give up your mother, if it meant protecting Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a strange question. Who told you to ask me that?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned heavily..

    ¡°What... what do you mean, who told me to ask that? I¡¯m asking you because I want to know, of course,¡± Deputy Director Liao replied nervously. ¡°You have two choices: either you hand over Mrs. Song, or you hand over Gu Nianzhi. I don¡¯t see another option. Do you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up straight. ¡°Mrs. Song is my mother. Why should I hand her over to a stranger? As for Gu Nianzhi, she¡¯s my mission. Ask around: when have I, Huo Shaoheng, ever abandoned my missions?¡± He suddenly stood up; in the next second, his pistol was already out of its holster and pressed against the deputy director¡¯s temple. ¡°...You represent an obstacle to my mission if you try to take Gu Nianzhi away from me. I¡¯ll shoot you dead, right here, right now. I¡¯m not kidding.¡±

    Deputy Director Liao was scared witless. He closed his eyes and gasped out, ¡°General Huo, please, forgive me! Don¡¯t be angry! Someone... someone asked me to do this! Please don¡¯t be hasty, General Huo!¡±

    ¡°Someone asked you to do this? Who? Tell me, and I¡¯ll let you go.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned against the coffee table, his gun still pressed against the deputy director¡¯s temple. He patted the deputy director¡¯s cheek with his free hand. ¡°Tell me who put you up to this, and I promise to delete all the audio and video recordings of you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Deputy Director Liao had not expected this. A moment ago, he had fallen into a metaphorical ravine; now, he spied someone above him, lowering a rope to save him. He said gratefully, ¡°Do you mean it, General Huo?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He gave the deputy director a look that said ¡°what do you think?¡±.

    Deputy Director Liao felt that he could trust Huo Shaoheng with his life. He immediately said, ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t actually have anything to do with this. I was forced. You know, the Bai family...¡±

    ¡°The Bai family?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Oh, I know they¡¯re involved with this. I¡¯m more interested in finding out who told you to arrest Gu Nianzhi. I don¡¯t think the Bai family came up with that idea on their own.¡±

    ¡°...Very perceptive of you, General Huo.¡± Deputy Director Liao hesitated, then decided there was no harm in spilling the beans: the major general had evidently guessed most of what he was about to say, anyway. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice: ¡°It was your family, of course. They¡¯re the ones who truly understand you.¡±

    ¡°Family?¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his pistol and put it back into its holster. ¡°I have a big family. Can you be more specific?¡±

    ¡°Well, I heard this from someone else...¡± Deputy Director Liao said in embarrassment. ¡°They said it was your cousin sister...¡±

    There was only one person in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s family who could im to be his cousin sister: Huo Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and sat on the sofa. He said impassively, ¡°I see. Well, it turns out that my family doesn¡¯t actually understand me. I¡¯d say we¡¯re practically strangers.¡±

    Deputy Director Liao: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°My missions have kept me busy, and I haven¡¯t returned to my family home to take care of my mother for many, many years. I¡¯ve been a bad son, which is why I want to make up for it by spending time with my mother over the New Year holiday. As for Gu Nianzhi, protecting her is the mission assigned to me by the military. It is my duty to my country to keep her safe. I¡¯m trying to be filial and patriotic at the same time¡ªwhat more can you ask for? It seems that my family doesn¡¯t understand what it means to be responsible, which is why their words cannot be trusted,¡± Huo Shaoheng said eloquently, emphasizing his duty as a filial son and as a patriotic soldier. Deputy Director Liao could note up with a counter-argument.

    Deputy Director Liao stood up. ¡°Well, General Huo, I¡¯ve already told you what you wanted to know. Now, about those recordings...¡± He looked around the living room, as though trying to spot the hidden cameras and microphones.

    ¡°I¡¯ll delete them, of course. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Huo Shaoheng got to his feet as well. His voice was still low, but the deputy director could feel each and every syble etch into his brain. ¡°When you get back to police HQ, tell your superiors that whoever tries to mess with my mother will be swiftly punished by me, her son. As for my mission, well, I¡¯m sorry to say that I won¡¯t be as lenient. No second chances. In my entire career as a soldier so far, I have never failed a mission, ever. Anyone who tries to get in the way of my mission¡ªGu Nianzhi¡ªwill have to ask themselves whether they¡¯re willing to face the full, unmitigated wrath of Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    His words were powerful and persuasive. He had been careful to keep his little speech impersonal and business-like, to give the impression of a soldier zealously protecting his mission.

    Deputy Director Liao was ashamed: he suspected he had unwittingly sided with the wrong people and needlessly victimized an upstanding soldier like Huo Shaoheng. He hastily nodded. ¡°Yes, of course! Don¡¯t worry, I was mixed up for a moment there, but police HQ will never interfere in this matter again, I guarantee it!¡±

    ¡°I am reassured by your words.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly. He shook hands with Deputy Director Liao. ¡°You are the deputy director of police HQ, and also the person responsible for dispatching the squads. Unlike most other people, I believe you have a proper understanding of what the word ¡®mission¡¯ means to people like us.¡±

    It was the ol¡¯ carrot-and-stick routine. He had used the stick; it was now time to offer the carrot.

    Deputy Director Liao waspletely taken in by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s charisma. ¡°Well, I see now how you became a major general at your young age. You¡¯ve never failed a mission. What a record!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he escorted Deputy Director Liao to the door.

    He stood at the door and watched with narrowed eyes as Deputy Director Liao and his men left in their police cars.

    Zhao Liangze asked him over his earpiece, ¡°Sir, do you want me to delete the video and audio recordings?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Huo Shaoheng said impassively. ¡°...I keep my promises, but not when the other party is my enemy.¡±

    His opponent had made it clear that they were out to get him. He would be aplete moron to treat them with gentlemanly honor and respect...

    Huo Shaoheng and his men had been working with foreign intelligence for many years now. Keeping a card up their sleeves at all times was now second nature to them.

    Zhao Liangze burst intoughter. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll add the highest-level encryption to the recordings before archiving them.¡±

    The recordings of Deputy Director Liao would be sealed forever. Huo Shaoheng would only use them if it was absolutely necessary.

    As long as Deputy Director Liao behaved and did not stir things up again, these audio and video recordings would never see the light of day. In a way, Huo Shaoheng had kept his promise to him.

    ...

    As soon as Deputy Director Liao returned to the police HQ, he went directly to Bai Changhui, who was waiting for him, and ryed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s message.

    Bai Changhui was speechless.

    Bai Jinyi refused to let it go. If Deputy Director Liao was no longer on board, she would just have to get someone else to help them.

    The two siblings made such a big fuss, the head of the Bai family, Bai Jiancheng, eventually caught wind of what they were doing.

    ¡°Changhui, Jinyi, that¡¯s enough.¡± Bai Jiancheng mmed a fist upon the table, furious. ¡°Our family is going through a difficult time, and now you¡¯ve practically gone to Huo Shaoheng and asked him to kick us in the ribs while we¡¯re down. What an embarrassment to the family! Are you trying to piss me off?!¡±

    ¡°How can you say that, Big Brother?! I worked for more than a decade to find a cure for Song Jinning...¡± Bai Jinyi was afraid of her eldest brother, but she refused to back down.

    She had been on edge for the past few days. She had the feeling that something very bad was about to happen.

    Her ominous hunch made her fidgety and restless. She would not rest easy, not until Song Jinning was back within her clutches.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Bai Jiancheng gave a low snarl. ¡°Huo Shaoheng isn¡¯t stupid. He¡¯s leagues above you, why did you pick a fight with him?! Your academic achievements are entirely worthless! While you were still daydreaming in yourb, he was already toppling governments and earning a reputation for himself overseas. The Special Forces from other countries consider him to be their worst enemy. Did you honestly think Huo Guanchen would be able to get Huo Shaoheng to give up Song Jinning?! You spent so many years studying, but you¡¯re aplete idiot!¡±

    ¡°...But Big Brother, I¡¯m doing this for the sake of our family!¡± Bai Jinyi was upset; she felt that Bai Jiancheng was being unfair to her. ¡°If we can get Song Jinning to tell us the data I need, my experiment will be sessful. When that happens, our family will be propelled to even greater heights!¡±

    ¡°Forget about it. You had 16 years to work on your experiment, and what have you got to show for it? Nothing. You should cut your losses early.¡± Bai Jiancheng warned Bai Jinyi: ¡°Don¡¯t let me hear about you trying to pick a fight with the Huo family again. If I do, you won¡¯t have to worry about Huo Shaoheng¡ªI¡¯ll be the first to deal with you!¡±

    ¡°Big Brother!¡± Bai Jinyi was stricken with panic. She suddenly remembered what Gu Nianzhi had said the other day: Bai Jinyi was just a pawn in the Bai family¡¯s game of chess; the Bai family would not hesitate to sacrifice her if it meant saving their king...

    She immediately dismissed the thought from her head, for fear of iting true.

    Had Gu Nianzhi jinxed her?!

    Bai Jinyi spat out from between clenched teeth: ¡°...Fine. So we can¡¯t get Song Jinning back. What about Gu Nianzhi? Can¡¯t we get her?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi is Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mission, assigned to him by the military. A good soldier never abandons his missions, so don¡¯t even think about messing with Gu Nianzhi.¡± Bai Yueran emerged from behind the folding screen. She nodded in greeting to the people in the study. ¡°Hello Father, Third Uncle, Auntie.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng was Bai Yueran¡¯s father. Bai Changhui was her third uncle, and Bai Jinyi was her only aunt.

 Chapter 228 - Sleeping Beauty Waiting For Her Prince

    <h4>Chapter 228: Sleeping Beauty Waiting For Her Prince</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This branch of the Bai family had originally had a second son, Bai Yusheng, who¡¯d died in a ¡°diving ident,¡± somewhere in the South American seas. Bai Yueran was considered the highest achieving and of the highest rank in her generation of the the Bai family. Although she wasn¡¯t a son, she was much more impressive than many of the sons from other esteemed families.

    Bai Jianchen had no prejudice against the gender of his children. As long as they were his children, he would help them to his best ability and effort. ¡°Yueran is right. Our family has already been very passive because of what happened to Second Brother.¡± Bai Jiancheng shook his head helplessly. ¡°Third Brother and Jinyi, you have to watch yourselves. Jinyi, hurry and find a way to marry Huo Guanchen. This can¡¯t be dyed any longer.¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s mood suddenly took a turn for the worse. However, she couldn¡¯t lose her temper in front of the younger members of the household, so she just sat on the sofa and sipped at her coffee.

    Bai Yueran sat next to her and said disapprovingly, ¡°Aunt, stop listening to Huo Jin. She¡¯s not that smart and only thinks about rtionships between men and women. Mr. Huo is not that kind of person, and Gu Nianzhi is his assignment. He¡¯s her guardian after all, so how could Huo Jin think of using her to threaten Mr. Huo?¡±

    ¡°You really think that they don¡¯t have that kind of rtionship? I¡¯ve heard Jin say that they live together in the same suite in the Huo manor, and act intimately with each other. Some expressions can¡¯t be faked.¡± Bai Jinyi said nkly as she held her coffee. She¡¯d thought she was using Huo Shaoheng¡¯s weakness, and had never imagined it wasn¡¯t even a real one. Huo Shaoheng was a tough character: it would be difficult to deal with him without finding a weak point.

    ¡°Mr. Huo has raised Gu Nianzhi for six years, of course there must be feelings between them. But these feelings are nothing inparison to his mission and national interests. I understand Mr. Huo very well¡ª he¡¯s not someone who doesn¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation.¡± Bai Yueran knew in her bones that she was the same type of person as Huo Shaoheng. It was because they were too alike that they had never clicked romantically, otherwise her father, Bai Jiancheng, could have set them up together a long time ago.

    ¡°Then what about Song Jinning?¡± Bai Jinyi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. ¡°Mr. Huo hasn¡¯t been back for so many years already, but then he took her away as soon as he¡¯d returned. I¡¯m worried that he¡¯s plotting something.¡±

    ¡°Aunt, why are you so worried about Mr. Huo reuniting with his mother?¡± Bai Yueran looked pointedly at Bai Jinyi. ¡°Do you have something you¡¯re hiding from me, Father, and Third Uncle?¡±

    Bai Jinyi looked away in difort and took another sip from her coffee before mumbling, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯d just heard Jin say that Song Jinning¡¯s condition had improved a lot. She might recover her consciousness.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bai Yueran intoned. ¡°And that¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Think about it. I was good friends with her, but now she¡¯s divorced and I¡¯m with her ex-husband...¡± Bai Jinyi trailed off with irritation. She looked up at Bai Jiancheng. ¡°Elder Brother, I want to breakup with Huo Guanchen.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Bai Jiancheng immediately opposed. ¡°You¡¯ve been together with him for nearly ten years already, and the Huo family is rising up in the ranks now. You can¡¯t be so capricious.¡±

    Bai Jinyi slumped against the sofa and looked at the ceiling of the study nkly. If it had beenHuo Guanyuan, she would probably have even been willing to be his mistress. As long as he¡¯d wanted her...

    But Huo Guanchen... she couldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t good. So many years had passed and he had undoubtedly treated her better than Huo Guanyuan had, but it was still hard to settle for him. But now, Huo Guanyuan didn¡¯t exist in the world anymore, so it wasn¡¯t all that uneptable to be with Huo Guanchen. Bai Jinyi contemted for a long time before closing her eyes and saying, ¡°I can get engaged to Huo Guanchen. We¡¯re not in a rush to get married. Besides, he already has a son already anyway.¡± At her age, she couldn¡¯t have a child anymore. It didn¡¯t really matter whether or not she got married.

    Bai Jiancheng looked at her seriously before considering the idea and nodding. ¡°Then let¡¯s get you engaged first. Remember to go to the Huo¡¯s in the next few days to mention it to Huo Guanchen.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Bai Jinyi downed her coffee and got up to follow Bai Changhui out from Bai Jiancheng¡¯s study. After they¡¯d left, Bai Yueran, while looking at Bai Jinyi¡¯s retreating back, whispered to Bai Jiancheng, ¡°Father, I think Aunt is still hiding something from us.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng knew the gist of what happened all those years ago and grunted quietly, ¡°Leave it be; you still have to work on General Ji a bit more. Also, your cousin Bai Shuang ising back in a few days, so remember to prepare a room for her to live here. Your aunt died a long time ago and now your Uncle is gone too. I¡¯m worried about a young girl like her living outside alone.¡±

    ¡°Shuang ising back?¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s face lit up with joy, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! I¡¯ll go pick her up. Please let me know her flight and the date when the timees.¡±

    ...

    Since Gu Nianzhi had fallen asleep, she had been in a deep slumber like Song Jinning¡¯s. Thankfully, Chen Lie and Ye Zitan were present with various medical instruments and readily avable medication, so Gu Nianzhi could remain under strict surveince and wouldn¡¯t have any healthplications. She slept all the way until the afternoon of December 30th, and had no idea about what had happened in between. Gu Nianzhi sat up from the bed and felt sluggish. The pain had long since disappeared, but she was still lethargic¡ªperhaps because the bone marrow hadn¡¯t regenerated that quickly and had made her weak, she supposed.

    Huo Shaoheng was reading documents on the single seater massage chair across from the bed. He heard movement from the bed and looked up to Gu Nianzhi sitting up in his ck T-shirt. Her milky skin appeared luminous against the ck fabric, and because the shirt was his, the cor was slightly too big for her small frame. She stretchedzily and the ck T-shirt dropped when her arms fell to reveal her delicate cor bone and the expanse of creamy skin underneath. Huo Shaoheng trier tl watch her indifferently, his emotions and thoughts locked behind his dark eyes. ¡°You¡¯re up?¡± He set down the documents and sat on the bedside to check her forehead. The temperature was normal, and her fever was gone.

    Gu Nianzhi reached out to take his hand, giving it a friendly pinch. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m ok now.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked again. ¡°Chen Lie said that you can take painkillers after 48 hours.¡±

    ¡°Nope, it doesn¡¯t hurt at all.¡± Gu Nianzhi released his hand and waved her arms. ¡°See? I can move now. I¡¯m just weak and my joints are a little sore.¡±

    ¡°Chen Lie said that¡¯s normal.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally rxed. ¡°Get up and go wash yourself. It¡¯s time for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s widened her huge eyes as she looked out the window. ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping since afternoon, three days ago. You almost missed New Year.¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head. ¡°Get up; let¡¯s make you eat a lot and replenish yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi exhaled sharply. ¡°I slept for three days and three nights?!¡± It was then that she finally saw all the tubes connected to the veins on her arms, and looked up to see a temporary infusion setup beside the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call Ye Zitan over to help you get those off.¡± Huo Shaoheng pressed on the receiver by the bed and said, ¡°Dr. Ye, Nianzhi is up.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s finally awake? That¡¯s great, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Ye Zitan¡¯s voice sounded from the speaker. Soon after, Ye Zitan entered and removed the needles and bottles for infusion from her. After she left, Gu Nianzhi moved aside the nkets to get out of bed.

    Huo Shaoheng got up quietly, his eyes following Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slim and creamy thighs. ¡°Don¡¯t walk around wearing these kinds of clothes again. There are guards and cameras everywhere.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi instantly shrunk back into her nkets faster than a scared bunny. ¡°There are cameras here?!¡±

    ¡°Not in here.¡± Huo Shaoheng bent over to pick up the documents he was reading, ¡°There are none in the bedroom and bathroom.¡±

    ¡°Phew! That scared me.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her chest. ¡°Huo Shao, why do you have so many cameras in your official residence? It feels weird.¡±

    ¡°This is the official residence of the highest authority of Special Operations Forces, on the main base. There can be never too many cameras.¡± Huo Shaoheng took the documents and walked outside. ¡°Hurry and get up now, Chen Lie ising to give you another physical.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately agreed and went to the bathroom to shower. Seeing an oily sheen on her face in the mirror, she also put on a cleansing mask. She was happy to find her favourite brand of cleansing masks in the small cab in the bathroom. Although she was now an adult, Huo Shao hadn¡¯t forgotten his duties as a guardian.

    ...

    Chen Lie came in happily with his equipment and almost jumped back when he saw Gu Nianzhi emerge with a ck mask on her face.

    ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s about time. I¡¯ll go wash it off.¡± Gu Nianzhi hastily went to the bathroom to rinse off the mask and found that her skin was much better after using it.

    Chen Lie attached various equipment to her, connecting them to her brain, heart, and pulse points to measure any changes in her vital signs. As expected, Gu Nianzhi was recovering very well. Aside from being slightly anemic and weak, there were no otherplications. Her own cell repairing abilities were especially strong, so her blood count would automatically rise in time and her body would regain its strength even if she didn¡¯t get special food nourishment.

    ¡°This is too incredible.¡± Chen Lie looked at the lines of data printing on the graph paper, staring at them for a long time topletely memorize the important data before he would be forced to burn it all.

    ¡°I¡¯m ok right?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked anxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t feel unwell.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine, you¡¯re fine. Everything is good.¡± Chen Lie chuckled before adding, ¡°Thanks to your help, Mrs. Song¡¯s condition is also very stable. There are no sign of rejection and all is well. Now we just have to wait for her to wake up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. After all the equipment was removed from her, she rushed over to Operating Room B to visit Song Jinning.

    Sure enough, herplexion was looking much better than it had before. Her breathing was also calm and her sleeping face was indescribably beautiful.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help gently stroking her forehead, ¡°She¡¯s really like Sleeping Beauty. Is she waiting for her prince¡¯s kiss to wake her up?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense is that? The more fairy tales a person reads, the sillier they be.¡± Chen Lie gave her a disdainful look. ¡°Little genius,e help me with this set of data here.¡± Chen Lie waved her over.

    Gu Nianzhi turned towards Chen Lie and didn¡¯t notice that on the operating chair, Song Jinning¡¯s hand trembled several times. Her eyelids fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.

 Chapter 229 - Awake

    <h4>Chapter 229: Awake</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What data? I¡¯m surprised you need my help, Brother Chen,¡± said Gu Nianzhi eagerly as she seated herself before Chen Lie¡¯sputer. She opened his folder and checked the contents.

    ¡°It¡¯s all inside that folder. There¡¯s just too much data for my usual software to process. Help me write a simple program that will be able to quickly retrieve and analyze the data. My main beef is with the ACCESSmand, it¡¯s just too slow for my needs.¡± Chen Lie sighed and shook his head as he pointed out what he needed on theputer screen.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly skimmed through the data, and came up with an estimate for the size of the file, the amount ofputing required, as well as the actual processing power avable, amongst other things. She had to estimate all that to determine the best approach to the problem.

    ¡°Brother Ze is the expert. Why don¡¯t you ask him for help? I¡¯m just an amateur.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender fingers deftly flew over the keyboard as she typed out line after line of code.

    Chen Lie poured himself a cup of tea, and sipped it with a satisfied smile as he rxed on the sofa. ¡°He¡¯s always busy with work as soon as he¡¯s back from a mission. I don¡¯t want to bother him.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t being entirely honest. In actual fact, he had turned to Gu Nianzhi for help because the data he was analyzing hade from her in the first ce: the numbers were from her vital signs and DNA. The data was top-secret; no one else could see the numbers, not even Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was different. It was her data, after all. Besides, she was, as she had admitted herself, an amateur when it came to data analysis and programming. She did notpletely understand what she was doing, which in turn meant she did not have the necessary knowledge to process what she was seeing.

    Chen Lie wasn¡¯t about to risk letting Zhao Liangze anywhere near the data.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer was a beast, a state-of-the-art machine. He could easily make a copy of all the data without Chen Lie knowing about it. If that happened, Chen Lie would be in deep trouble, and he wouldn¡¯t even know what had hit him...

    For the next minute, Operating Room B was quiet, save for the brisk tap-tapping of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers on the keyboard.

    Chen Lie was just about to shut his eyes for a short nap when a siren began to wail.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up from herputer screen in confusion. She froze.

    She had a clear view of Song Jinning¡¯s operating chair.

    The sleeping beauty who had been soundly asleep a moment ago had sat up, and was now watching Gu Nianzhi, unblinking, with her hauntingly beautiful eyes.

    ¡°B-Brother Chen...¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at Song Jinning with a trembling finger. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she won¡¯t be awake for a week?¡±

    Chen Lie had been caught off-guard by the rm. He turned, and saw Song Jinning sit up in her operating chair, looking lost and confused. He shouted, ¡°Holy moly! Why is she awake? It¡¯s only been three days!¡±

    He shot across the room like an arrow loosed from a bow. Gu Nianzhi openly gaped at how swiftly he ran¡ªwho knew a round, portly body like his could move so quickly?

    Chen Lie rushed to the operating chair and turned off the rm, barely able to contain his excitement. He checked the data print-outs from the testing equipment,ughing like a madman the entire time.

    Song Jinning stopped looking at Gu Nianzhi, her attention now arrested by Chen Lie¡¯s maniacal dancing. She smiled and shook her head at his disy of uncontrolled excitement.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily typed out the rest of her program before walking over. ¡°Mrs. Song, are you feeling better?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at Gu Nianzhi and said politely, ¡°Hello. My husband¡¯s surname is Huo, actually, but you can call me Jinning. Who are you?¡±

    She silently appraised Gu Nianzhi: the youngdy¡¯srge, doe-like eyes were lively and enchanting, but also misty and enigmatic. Her evocative eyes seemed full of unspoken secrets and heartache; Song Jinning could not resist feeling protective towards her. She guessed that she was very young, probably not yet 20.

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback by Song Jinning¡¯s reply. Herrge eyes widened further in surprised, but she quickly recollected herself. She said, smiling, ¡°My name is Gu Nianzhi. Madame, are you feeling better? Do you feel ufortable?¡±

    Song Jinning smiled. ¡°Are you a nurse?¡±

    She looked at Chen Lie in his white coat, dancing like a madman in front of the medical equipment. She turned to Gu Nianzhi and asked: ¡°...He¡¯s a doctor? I... I...¡±

    She was suddenly hit by a splitting headache, and could not finish her sentence.

    She felt as though someone was stabbing relentlessly into her brain with a sharp knife, chipping away at the vault that had kept her memories sealed for 16 years.

    Her memories burst through the cracks, washing over her. Her body, just recovered from the operation, could not withstand the sudden stress; she held her head and fell backwards into the operating chair, her skin mmy with cold sweat. The pain almost made her bite her tongue, but she controlled herself.

    Gu Nianzhi saw her shiver all over. The older woman¡¯s face was suddenly white as a sheet; even her lips had turned pale and colorless. Her eyes grew dim, and her toes curled from the pain. But Song Jinning did not say a single word.

    ¡°If it hurts, say it.¡± Gu Nianzhi wrapped her arms around Song Jinning, and gently rubbed her back. She turned to call for Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen, do you have painkillers? We should give her some!¡±

    Chen Lie poked his head out from behind his equipment. His eyes were zed over¡ªit was obvious his attention was elsewhere. ¡°...Give her what?¡±

    ¡°Painkillers, duh!¡± Gu Nianzhi gave a small snort. ¡°Focus! She just woke up, she probably isn¡¯t feeling well. Look...¡±

    She pointed to Song Jinning with her mouth.

    Song Jinning was still watching Gu Nianzhi, however.

    The older woman felt a certain kinship with Gu Nianzhi. She could not resist lecturing her like a friendly aunt.

    ¡°...Don¡¯t point with your mouth, that isn¡¯t verydylike.¡± Song Jinning¡¯s voice was very soft. Gu Nianzhi only heard what she had said because the two of them were practically huddled together.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She lowered her eyes and looked at Song Jinning, who was leaning against her shoulder. The older woman had not forgotten herdylike manners, not even when she was in terrible pain. Gu Nianzhi felt ashamed of herself, and mumbled sheepishly, ¡°...Sorry about that. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Song Jinning let out a soft sigh. The throbbing pain in her head gradually receded.

    She felt better already, just by resting her head against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder.

    There was something about the youngdy that lifted Song Jinning¡¯s spirits.

    Chen Lie reluctantly left his medical instruments and handed two painkillers and a ss of water to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Here, these are for her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put the painkillers on her open palm and held them out to Song Jinning. ¡°Madame, you should take these.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the brand name for these painkillers?¡± Song Jinning carefully inspected the pills. ¡°Which factory are they from? What are the active ingredients? How long do theyst? Are there any side effects?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She suddenly felt as though she were a student who had been caught daydreaming in ss, and was now being ruthlessly grilled by her professor.

    Chen Lie was even more nervous than Gu Nianzhi. He automatically responded to the grilling with a textbook reply: ¡°This is a high-dose aspirin, 100 times more powerful than the consumer brands on the market. The main ingredient is ultra-refined salicylic acid. There is no risk of addiction. The effects from a single pillst for two hours. Two pills, taken together, will extend the effects to three hours. Side effects include an upset stomach, and perhaps nausea.¡±

    Song Jinning frowned at the white pills. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of this aspirin...¡±

    She pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand away, and politely refused the medicine. ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll just grin and bear it. Can I have a ss of warm water, instead?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s forehead had broken out in beads of sweat. He nervously pulled a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and mopped his forehead. He said, stammering, ¡°Madame, this... this... this aspirin has been out for four, maybe five years. You need a prescription for it, you can¡¯t buy it over the counter. It¡¯s aspirin, I swear!¡±

    Song Jinning looked up and quietly watched him for a moment. Finally, she asked, ¡°Who are you? Where am I?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Chen Lie, your doctor.¡± Chen Lie breathed a sigh of relief. He pointed in the direction of the door. ¡°This is the official residence of themander of the Special Operations Forces, located with the Special Ops HQ.¡±

    Song Jinning looked a little lost, but she quickly concealed her confusion. She watched Chen Lie attentively as she politely waited for him to finish his exnation.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly realized there was something strange about the situation. She tugged at Chen Lie¡¯s sleeve to interrupt him.

    Chen Lie turned to look at her. ¡°What is it, Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded to him, then turned to Song Jinning. ¡°Madame, do you remember what happened before you fainted?¡±

    She wanted to know whether Song Jinning had recovered.

    Song Jinning frowned as she thought about it. Her head began to hurt again. She said, lightly gasping, ¡°...An explosion. I remember that right before I fainted, there was a massive explosion in myboratory...¡±

 Chapter 230 - Comparing People (1)

    <h4>Chapter 230: Comparing People (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was drifting in and out of consciousness. What is going on? Hadn¡¯t I been on the road to the official residence before passing out? What was Song Jinning recalling?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shimmered as she nced at Song Jinning¡¯s face in confusion. ¡°An explosion? What¡¯s happening?¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s head lurched up, his round eyes casting an incredulous look from behind the round sses as he stared at Song Jinning. ¡°Mrs. Song, are you talking about the experiment 16 years ago?!¡± He was aware that Song Jinning had be like this after the infamous failed experiment.

    ¡°16 years ago?¡± Song Jining was still disoriented, but had keenly picked up on something Chen Lie said that didn¡¯t make sense to her. ¡°What do you mean, 16 years ago?¡± Her face fell, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood now. Song Jinning¡¯s conscious was clear, but her memories seemed to have stopped at what happened after that massive explosion 16 years ago. Had she forgotten everything else that happened after? That made sense. Since she¡¯d be ill, she only remembered her memories from before she turned 18 and had forgotten everything since she¡¯d turned 18. Every day, certain cells in her body had experienced reverse growth, turning back the clock so that she would forget everything that happened the day before¡ªmaking her forever 18.

    ¡°That¡¯s to say, Mrs. Song has gained some memories after waking up.¡± Chen Lie looked down to begin recording onto her medical chart, ¡°Mrs. Song is 48 years old this year, so her memories have been recovered from before she turned 18 to before she turned 32. That means it¡¯s been recovered to 16 years before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi huddled closer to Chen Lie and whispered , ¡°Then what about the past 16 years of memories? Are they really all gone?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say.¡± Chen Lie shook his head with a sigh. ¡°The injury caused by the explosion had organic influences on her for the past 16 years. Her memory cells were unable to keep the previous day¡¯s memories. For example, goldfish have a seven second memory. For the past 16 years, Mrs. Song has only had a 24 hour memory, which is just a bit better than that of a goldfish.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was pained. She stared at Song Jinning in shock and thought about all that had happened inst 16 years. This was all too cruel to Song Jinning. However, she didn¡¯t remember anything, and they weren¡¯t yet sure if that¡¯s a good or bad thing.

    Song Jinning listened to Chen Lie and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exchange and felt perplexed. ¡°What are you guys talking about? I¡¯m 48? That¡¯s not right? Aren¡¯t I 32?¡± She looked dubiously at the rotund Chen Lie, then at the slender and beautiful Gu Nianzhi. She felt that Gu Nianzhi seemed more trustworthy and stared at her as she asked, ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi? Can I call you Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Song.¡± Gu Nianzhi hastily said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, tell me slowly.¡±

    Song Jinning closed her eyes, her mind a mess. The longer she was conscious, the more her mind began looping the memories of that incident.

    ...

    The earth shattering boom, the fire that blotted out the sky, and theb leveled to the ground by the explosion. Many people were screaming and running from the fire¡ªshe thought she was done for, but someone suddenly rushed over to violently push her and her father out of theb. She rolled more than a dozen times on the ground andy behind a big boulder in front of theb building. She realized that her father had run back... And then, nothing. She opened her eyes to see everything reduced to ashes. The aftermath of the explosion was iparably powerful, causing a huge shift in the maic field at the site. She could still recall the shock wave that had seemed to prate her brain, but it didn¡¯t seem like a shock wave that could being from theb.

    ...

    Song Jinning opened her eyes in a daze to look at Gu Nianzhi, then Chen Lie. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Song, how about I call Boss over? It¡¯s better if he talks to you.¡± Chen Lie thought about how the experiment Song Jinning had participated in had been a top level ssified military experiment. For the past 16 years, the experiment was still ssified at the highest level and no other experiment had surpassed its significance. No one else had been able to replicate the experiment either. Bai Jinyi had spent 16 years trying to replicate the experiment but had made little progress. Now that Song Jinning was awake and seemed to have her memories from 16 years ago, this was the best news the military had received in thest decade and a half. However, this news had to be handled by Huo Shaoheng and couldn¡¯t be altered by anyone else. Chen Lie tugged on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeve as he gave her a look. ¡°Go get the Boss.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed, then smiled at Song Jinning. ¡°Mrs. Song, please wait for a bit. I¡¯ll go get Huo Shao and all your questions will be answered.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao?¡± Song Jinning frowned. ¡°Do you mean Guanchen? Where is he?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bewildered by her questions. No way? She still can¡¯t remember that she had a son?! Gu Nianzhi grit her teeth and said, ¡°Mrs. Song, Huo Shao is your son. Your blood and flesh son, Huo Shaoheng. Did you forget?¡±

    Chen Lie couldn¡¯t stop her in time and was so furious he dragged Gu Nianzhi to the side and whispered angrily to her, ¡°Why are you telling her now?! Mrs. Song just woke up. You can¡¯t shock her like that!¡±

    ¡°But she does have a son!¡± Gu Nianzhi felt wronged. ¡°It¡¯s fine that she forgot the past, but she remembers her husband now. Why is it that she can¡¯t remember having a son?¡± She felt the injustice this meant for Huo Shaoheng; it would be terrible if Song Jinning¡¯s illness had made her forget him, and then that she still couldn¡¯t remember him after recovering.

    Chen Lie couldn¡¯t even shoot her another re before Song Jinning softly spoke from behind them, ¡°Shaoheng? He¡¯s just 12. Why would we need to call him?¡±

    The pair exchange a nce before turning around to say to Song Jinning, ¡°Mrs. Song, you¡¯ve misremembered. Huo Shao is 28 now.¡±

    Chen Lie spoke as he pushed Gu Nianzhi out and said, ¡°Hurry up and get the Boss here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t dy it any longer and quickly ran out of Operating Room B. She arrived at the living room and saw Huo Shaohenge downstairs from the second floor. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the buttons neatly done up. The first button was undone to reveal a peek of his corbone. His sleeves were rolled up to show off his muscr forearms and his hands were in his finely pressed military trouser pockets. He walked down slowly, scrolling through the military issued iPad for thetest reports and updates.

    Gu Nianzhi bolted up the stairs to grab his arm and cried, ¡°Huo Shao! Great news! Hurry up ande with me!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Huo Shoheng answered dryly and pried his arm out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grip. ¡°Walk properly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She didn¡¯t care about his remark and so she happily walked alongside Huo Shaoheng. She whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, hurry to Operating Room B. There¡¯s an important surprise!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze mid step and nced at Gu Nianzhi ¡°What is it?¡± He knew that Song Jinning needed at least seven days to regain consciousness, but it was only the third day. Could it be that something was wrong with her?

    Gu Nianzhi acted coy, ¡°You¡¯ll find out once you go and see for yourself.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng followed her to Operating Room B to see Chen Lie opening the door and walking out.

    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re finally here. Hurry up and go in! Oh my God! I can¡¯t take it anymore! Your mother is too amazing, she was truly a genius! I think she¡¯s still a super genius now who surpasses most geniuses by a long shot! How did I not know that the human body has meridians that can reveal actual pathways?! Boss, isn¡¯t your mother a High Energy Physicist?! How does she have medical knowledge too?¡± Chen Lie the medical genius seemed to havee across his first opponent in over a decade. He had apparently been interrogated so extensively that he¡¯d ended up sweating like a dog and had been made to run away.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped before the door to Operating Room B, his heart thumping hard but his face carefullyposed. ¡°What are you talking about? My mother is awake? It¡¯s only been three days, yet didn¡¯t you say it¡¯d take at least seven?¡±

 Chapter 231 - Comparing People (2)

    <h4>Chapter 231: Comparing People (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Oh well, I was wrong, but eh, it¡¯s my first time performing this operation, so it¡¯s totally understandable if I¡¯m a little off with my estimates,¡± Chen Lie said shamelessly. He stepped aside to let Huo Shaoheng enter the operating room. ¡°Well, get in there. Mrs. Song is waiting for you inside.¡± Chen Lie was eager to be out of Huo Sheoheng¡¯s crosshairs, as soon as possible.

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets. He stood quietly before the door to Operating Room B, as though trying to make up his mind.

    Chen Lie shot Gu Nianzhi a pointed look. They exchanged a nod, before sneaking out of the operating suite. Gu Nianzhi shut the door firmly behind her.

    ¡°...This should be good enough, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked around anxiously. ¡°No one can see what¡¯s going on inside, right?¡±

    ¡°There are hidden cameras and microphones in all the public spaces inside this residence.¡± Chen Lie looked straight ahead when he said this, a pleasant smile on his face. His voice was barely above a whisper, but Gu Nianzhi was standing close enough to hear him. She realized he was showing her how to fool the cameras and microphones.

    ¡°Seriously? I thought he was pulling my leg...¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled to herself, before trailing off into silence.

    ¡°You said that you¡¯d help me analyze the data. Well, let¡¯s go. No point standing around here.¡± Chen Lie ushered Gu Nianzhi into the small office opposite the operating suite.

    ...

    At the door to Operating Room B, Huo Shaoheng quelled his urge to smoke, and reached for the door instead. He pushed it open.

    The room was lit by a shadowlessmp fixed to the the ceiling. The room had no windows, but it was bright as day.

    A hauntingly beautiful woman, dressed in a white patient gown, was lying on the operating chair. Her face was turned towards the direction of the door; the look in her eyes was one of excited curiosity, coupled with a trace of uneasiness.

    This was his mother, the woman he remembered.

    Huo Shaoheng calmed down.

    He stepped across the threshold and shut the door gently behind him.

    Song Jinning looked up and saw a tall, majestic man enter the room.

    When he looked at her, she was momentarily taken aback.

    Was this devastatingly beautiful man truly her son, Huo Shaoheng?

    The Shaoheng she knew was an introverted, good-looking boy of 12. He had been a quiet boy, but she knew how much he loved her: he always brought a birthday cake to herboratory on his birthday, when she was too busy with work to celebrate his birthday with him. He had to take the bus and transfer at a few stops just to get to herboratory, but he did it anyway¡ªall because he wanted to be with her on his birthday.

    Her son had never asked for anything more.

    She remembered that the day of theboratory explosion, 16 years ago, had been the day before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s birthday.

    She had wanted to finish the experiment as soon as possible, so that she would be able to spend the next day with her son to celebrate his birthday.

    The next thing she knew, 16 years had passed by.

    The young boy had grown into a mature, dignified young man. She had a difficult time reconciling the two.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly made his way to his mother. He sat on a chair beside the operating chair, his stoic, impassive expression in ce.

    He nodded to Song Jinning. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Song.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s eyes widened at ¡°Mrs. Song.¡± She stared at Huo Shaoheng for a long moment, before smiling bitterly. ¡°...Is that you, Shaoheng? You¡¯re an adult now. I wanted to celebrate your birthday with you. It was supposed to be tomorrow...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze, but only for a split-second. He said calmly, ¡°...You remember?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Song Jinning extended a hand and tried to touch Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head, but he made no attempt to move closer.

    She withdrew her hand, embarrassed. She continued to look at him, taking in the sight of him. ¡°You¡¯re all grown up now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. ¡°It¡¯s been 16 years. Of course I¡¯m all grown up.¡± He added, ¡°You¡¯ve suffered for so many years, Mother.¡±

    ¡°Suffered?¡± Song Jinning cocked her head. She asked quizzically, ¡°Are you saying that I was injured, and have been sick for thest 16 years?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Was this what Chen Lie had meant when he said there was a ¡°surprise¡± waiting for him?

    Song Jinning had recovered from her condition, but she did not remember anything that had happened in thest 16 years¡ªwas this supposed to be a good thing?

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily thrown off-bnce, but he quickly pulled himself together. Another realization dawned upon him.

    If Song Jinning had recovered from her illness and was now able to recall the events that had led to that fatefulboratory ident 16 years ago, the military would finally be able to learn the cause of the ident.

    He now understood why Chen Lie had led Gu Nianzhi out of the operating room, leaving him alone with his mother.

    That had been Chen Lie¡¯s subtle way of saying that he didn¡¯t want to know anything about the experiment, and also a reminder to Huo Shaoheng that he was under no obligation to tell anyone else about it.

    The experiment was strictly confidential; it was a joint secret between the military and Song Jinning¡¯sboratory.

    Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning had the right to discuss it, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Chen Lie and Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng was thankful for Chen Lie¡¯s good judgment, but Huo Shaoheng was actually one step ahead of him.

    He knew that news of Song Jinning¡¯s recovery would quickly spread; everyone would know about it after the New Year, if not before.

    Once the news was out, Song Jinning would be like meat thrown into a pack of wolves.

    There were people out there who would do just about anything to learn what Song Jinning knew about the ident in her father¡¯sboratory.

    If her memory of the ident was intact, she would be able to solve many of the long-standing mysteries surrounding the experiment. If she could recall the exact parameters used for the experiment, she could probably reboot the top-secret experiment and get it back on track.

    Everyone would be watching with bated breath to see if she could pull off the experiment sessfully.

    Experiments were bound to fail before a breakthrough sess.

    The military understood that very well, and were sympathetic to Song Jinning.

    The military bigwigs were more than happy to overlook past failures, no matter how egregious, as long as the experiment could be replicated sessfully¡ªwith positive results, this time.

    Huo Shaoheng was willing to do whatever it takes to divert the pressure and attention away from Song Jinning.

    He had made up his mind.

    ¡°Your injuries in the ident gave you a strange form of anterograde amnesia. You retained your memories from before the age of 18, but your memories reset every day, which meant you were stuck at the age of 18 for 16 years.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave Song Jinning a concise exnation of her illness.

    Song Jinning frowned. She mumbled to herself, ¡°How did that happen? It has to be that maic field.¡±

    She was the only participant in the experiment who had survived the sudden explosion, and therefore the only person who had experienced the abnormally strong maic field first-hand.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what actually caused your amnesia. The doctor said it was just a form of mental illness, triggered by PTSD.¡± Huo Shaoheng noticed that his mother¡¯s lips were chapped. He got up, poured her a cup of water, and ced the cup in her hands. ¡°Bai Jinyi volunteered to act as your psychiatrist in her spare time, and help find a cure for you.¡±

    ¡°Bai Jinyi?¡± Song Jinning gave a jolt. She tightened her hold on her cup. ¡°My old ssmate at Princeton? The woman who was a frequent guest at our home? That Bai Jinyi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, her.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. He continued impassively, ¡°She¡¯s Father¡¯s girlfriend, now. They¡¯re officially together, everyone knows about it.¡±

    Song Jinning sat upright on the operating chair as she listened to what her son was saying. For a few seconds, she felt as though her brain had suddenly turned into an empty box. She could not remember how to think. Soon after, her ears began to ring. There was now a loud buzzing in her head, as though tens of thousands of bees had tunneled into her skull. The noise was unbearable; her expression alternated between confusion and pain.

    If Chen Lie had been around, he would have stopped Huo Shaoheng from ¡°destabilizing his patient with an information overload,¡± as he would have called it.

    But Huo Shaoheng knew his mother was a strong, resilient woman. He knew she would be more upset if he wasn¡¯t entirely honest with her.

    ¡°What was that? I didn¡¯t catch it. Can you repeat that?¡± Song Jinning recollected herself. She elegantly ced the cup on the small table next to the operating chair. Her face was still pale, but her expression was calm. ¡°Is your father still in the military?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. He¡¯s a general now.¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes. ¡°And he divorced you 10 years ago.¡±

 Chapter 232 - Comparing People (3)

    <h4>Chapter 232: Comparing People (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng finished speaking. He quietly sat beside Song Jinning and crossed his arms, his eyes looking straight ahead. His mind was going through the measures he he would need to take in order to protect Song Jinning and prevent Bai Jinyi from sinking her teeth into her. He needed to remove Bai Jinyi¡¯s name from the authorization in the ssified military document.

    Song Jinning had just awoken. Time seemed to have cast a spell on her¡ªshe was the unfortunate Sleeping Beauty who had woken up to find neither a beloved prince nor the world she had known; she was part of a twisted nightmare. Song Jinning¡¯s eyes were dim as she sluggishly raised her hand to rub at her temples, then slowly closed her eyes again. She didn¡¯t say anything either. The room was so quiet that one could have heard a pin drop: the air seemed to grow heavy.

    Chen Lie and Gu Nianzhi were collecting the data in the small study on the other side of the suite. Suddenly, a small program on Chen Lie¡¯sputer began sounding its rms. Gu Nianzhi, who had been sorting the data on hisputer, was shocked.

    ¡°Brother Chen, hurry over here! What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Chen Lie looked up from a pile of books as thick as bricks. His blurred eyes remain on Gu Nianzhi before he finally registered the rms from theputer. He frantically pushed the books aside and rushed over to theputer Gu Nianzhi was at and peered at it. ¡°Oh no! There¡¯s been a change in Mrs. Song¡¯s condition in the other room!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s heart plummeted as he turned to run towards the operating room.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily nced at the ringputer program: it had been set up so that when the data change on the other side exceeded a certain warning threshold, it would sound the rm to alert Chen Lie. She threw down the data she had been sorting out and ran out after him.

    ...

    ¡°Boss! Boss! Open the door! Has something happened?¡± Chen Lie pounded on the door as he tried to get in.

    Gu Nianzhi stood anxiously beside him and couldn¡¯t help shouting as well, ¡°Huo Shao? Huo Shao? Is Mrs. Song ok?¡±

    The door quietly opened to reveal Huo Shaoheng standing impassively behind it. He asked, ¡°What are you all doing?¡±

    ¡°I just heard my rm program sound! There must be something wrong with Mrs. Song¡¯s condition! Otherwise the rm wouldn¡¯t go off!¡± Chen Lie desperately tried to squeeze inside to take a look.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and she nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an rm program connected to the instruments in here. The certain data from Mrs. Song must have exceeded the body¡¯s capacity to handle, so that¡¯s why the rm went off to alert the doctor about the patient¡¯s condition.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± Chen Lie nodded furiously in agreement, then seemed to think of something else and turned to look at Gu Nianzhiz ¡°How did you know that? You peeked at my program?¡±

    ¡°When did I ever peek? Your program jumped up and I saw it clearly, that¡¯s all.¡± Gu Nianzhi stabbed her finger at Chen Lie¡¯s shoulder with dissatisfaction. ¡°Brother Chen, all that data was very clear. It was allmon sense, alright?¡±

    Chen Lie pouted. After his blow from Song Jinning today, he was now shocked by Gu Nianzhi. This family, how could they all be geniuses? Give me a break, he thought forlornly. Chen Lie just wanted to stoop in a corner and wallow in his humiliation.

    Huo Shaoheng shot him a nce and opened the door. ¡°Go in and look.¡±

    Chen Lie rushed inside and ran straight to the medical instruments besides Song Jinning¡¯s operating chair.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to follow him in too, but was blocked by Huo Shaoheng. She walked left and he went the same way. She then walked right and he followed as well. He kept blocking her. Gu Nianzhi grew annoyed. ¡°Huo Shao, what are you doing? Let me go in and see Mrs. Song! I did donate all that blood marrow, so I have a right to see the results of my medical contribution.¡±

    ¡°Your medical contribution? Did Chen Lie allow you to put it that way?¡± Huo Shaoheng scoffed before making his towards the long sofa by the door and taking a seat. He crossed one leg and looked up at her. ¡°Come sit here, ¡± he ordered.

    Gu Nianzhi turned instead to look inside the operating room, and then back at Huo Shaoheng. Although his face remained the same as usual, she somehow sensed that something was not right. It was so well hidden that the average person would never notice. However, Gu Nianzhi knew better from spending all her time with him over thest six years. She walked over to sit beside him and asked in a quiet voice, ¡°Huo Shao, what was that earlier?¡±

    ¡°I told my mother all the major events that happened in the past 16 years, and I think she maybe she didn¡¯t take it that well.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed. Was he being too unreasonable? Or was his mother weaker than before? Huo Shaoheng wondered.

    Gu Nianzhi intuited what he was really thinking and said, ¡°It¡¯s not because you were being too unreasonable, nor is Mrs. Song weaker than before. I think you need to be more patient. Mrs. Song¡¯s body hasn¡¯t stabilized yet, so your words were likely too much of an emotional shock to her. That¡¯s why there is a change in her condition.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms. His face was stern as he stayed silent for a while. He then shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s not much time left. It¡¯s better to know earlier thanter, so as long as she survives this, she can finally think about the future. Otherwise, there is no hope for her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rarely saw Huo Shaoheng so grim. He was always serious, but still had considerable energy and optimism. But now, he seemed to have lost his confidence in the face of the situation at hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi racked her brain to think of a way to console him. She raised her arms and clenched her fists in a cheering stance and then asked him, ¡°You can doubt others, but you can believe in me right? And in Brother Chen! With my great bone marrow and Brother Chen¡¯s amazing medical skills, Mrs. Song will be ok for sure!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Huo Shaoheng revealed a trace of a smile. ¡°But, what if something were to happen?¡±

    ¡°So what if something happens? Then we¡¯ll extract more bone marrow! I¡¯m not afraid! I have plenty of it.¡± Gu Nianzhi boldly patted her chest and joked in front of Huo Shaoheng in the hope he would feel less worried.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head, ¡°Good girl. Does it still hurt?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m all better.¡± Gu Nianzhi could feel her scalp tingle from where Huo Shaoheng had touched her. She couldn¡¯t help ncing at him from the side to sneak a look, then stealthily reached out to grab his hand.

    However, Huo Shaoheng quietly raised his hand to take out a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pockets. He stood up and spoke before getting up to leave, ¡°I¡¯m going to have a smoke.¡± He quickly walked away.

    Gu Nianzhi face fell. She looked at her hands and clenched them together. She sat on the sofa alone and waited for Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie worked in the operating room for 15 minutes before confirming that all of Song Jinning¡¯s vitals were ok. Although it had exceeded normal values by quite a margin, there had actually been no major effect on Song Jinning¡¯s basic health. In other words, her body had been able to handle the emotional turmoil. If it had been any other person who had been subjected to such a huge shock just after regaining consciousness, they probably would have gone crazy. However, Song Jinning waspletely fine. Chen Lie finished checking her and stared at the data silently for a long time. In the end, he could only conclude that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow had integrated extremely well into Song Jinning¡¯s body. The integration had not only repaired her damaged genes, but had also strengthened her original genes and improved her overall health. This result was incredible. Chen Lie decided once again that all data rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body had to bepletely destroyed. It wasn¡¯t enough to seal them¡ªas long as the data existed, there was the possibility that someone would discover it. Destruction was the only option. No wonder Huo Shaoheng always did this before and forbade Chen Lie from retaining any data rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s health, the doctor realized. When Song Jinning finally left Operating Room B, she was at her limit and slept in exhaustion. Huo Shaoheng went out for a smoke and didn¡¯te back.

    Chen Lie shut off the lights in Operating Room B and walked out only to see Gu Nianzhi sitting alone by the door. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll go run the program with the data myself. You¡¯ve already written the program, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s done. You just have to feed in the data.¡± Gu Nianzhi propped her chin in both hands and sat on the couch, staring nkly at the coffee table in front of her.

    Chen Lie waved behind him before returning to his small study.

    Soon after Chen Lie left, Song Jinning opened her eyes in Operating Room B. Shey alone in the pitch ck room, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words echoed in her head.

    ¡°Mother, He...Father...had divorced you over ten years ago.¡±

 Chapter 233 - Comparing People (4)

    <h4>Chapter 233: Comparing People (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng stood alone in his backyard, under a big tree. He took a drag on his cigarette, his expression inscrutable. His tall, strapping silhouette, usually majestic and imposing, now appeared to be shrouded in loneliness.

    The tree behind him had already shed all its leaves. Its sturdy branches seemed to w desperately at the sky.

    He had never been one to engage in what he considered to be ¡°pointless gossip.¡± He had made an exception this time and told his mother what his father had been up to, but only because he wanted to get her up to speed and have her back in control of her life as soon as possible.

    Song Jinning was missing 16 years¡¯ worth of memories. He did not have time to sit around and hope that Song Jinning would be able to regain her memories overnight through some kind of miracle.

    He had to inform her of the important issues. The smaller details would have to wait.

    He had finished his cigarette and was about to go back in when he heard Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice over his earpiece. ¡°Sir, Huo Jin has been calling repeatedly. Do you want to take her call?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was about to tell Zhao Liangze to ignore Huo Jin¡¯s calls, but changed his mind at thest second. Now that Song Jinning had recovered from her illness, it was time for Huo Shaoheng to sniff out what Huo Jin and Bai Jinyi were up to. He said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°I¡¯ll take the call.¡±

    A few secondster, Huo Jin¡¯s call was routed to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s headset.

    ¡°Is that you, Cousin Brother? It¡¯s me, Jin.¡± Huo Jin sounded nervous. ¡°...How is Mrs. Song? You haven¡¯t been taking my calls. Are you still angry with me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her questions. He asked coolly, ¡°What do you want? If you called just for idle chit-chat, I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°No, wait, I have something to ask you!¡± Huo Jin said hastily. She sounded meek and respectful now. ¡°Grandfather asked me to ask you whether you¡¯ll be home for the New Year party. We¡¯ve sent out the invitations, and everyone knows you¡¯re back for the holidays. If you don¡¯t show... well, there will be a lot of gossip.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave a nonmittal grunt in reply, before adding: ¡°...I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s acerbic tone annoyed Huo Jin; it was aplete 180 from the gentle tone he used with Gu Nianzhi. She resented his attitude towards her, but was too afraid of Huo Shaoheng to yell at him over the phone. On the other hand, she was still angry with Song Jinning, and wanted to get back at her. She thought about it for a moment, and decided it was time to drop the bomb. She said frostily, ¡°Okay. By the way, Aunt Bai and her brother came to our house today to talk to Grandfather and Second Uncle. They¡¯ve decided to officially announce Aunt Bai and Second Uncle¡¯s engagement at the New Year party.¡±

    He thought he had mentally prepared himself for it, but Huo Shaoheng was still blindsided by the news. He was silent for a moment, before saying impassively, ¡°Understood.¡± He hung up after that.

    He turned, walked up the steps leading to the back door, and went inside.

    He made his way to Operating Room B, and saw Gu Nianzhi sitting idly on the sofa beside the door. Huo Shaoheng paused before the door, but did not turn to look at her. He said in a low voice: ¡°Go check on Chen Lie, see what he¡¯s doing. You don¡¯t have to stay here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly looked up. Her eyes were fixed upon Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back as she said softly: ¡°Mrs. Song is sleeping. Do you still want to go in?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply. He opened the door to Operating Room B, walked in, and closed the door behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed softly. She got up and went to look for Chen Lie.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng entered Operating Room B, he flicked the light switch next to the door. The shadowlessmp flickered to life.

    Song Jinning reflexively lifted an arm and draped it over her eyes, unustomed to the sudden light.

    ¡°...You¡¯re awake?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat beside her, smelling faintly of cigarette smoke. His expression had grown even more solemn.

    Song Jinning closed her eyes. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the light, before slowly opening them again. She sat up on the operating chair. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asleep.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep. But I didn¡¯t feel like talking, either.¡±

    ¡°What about now? Do you feel like talking?¡± Huo Shaoheng considered her for a moment. He said in a gentle voice, ¡°We can talkter, if you¡¯re not feeling well.¡±

    He did not want to push her too hard.

    Song Jinning was moved by his thoughtful gesture. Huo Shaoheng had always taken a no-nonsense approach to most things in life, ever since he was old enough to form his own opinions. It was rare for him topromise.

    ¡°...I¡¯m fine.¡± Song Jinning smiled. ¡°I was just a little surprised.¡±

    She had been deeply hurt by the news, but she wasn¡¯t about to let her son know that.

    ¡°Why are you surprised?¡± Huo Shaoheng did not understand. ¡°Marriages almost always break apart under the weight of hardship and stress. Father actually waited for six years before divorcing you, I think that¡¯s fair enough.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Song Jinning was a little disappointed. ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re 28 years old, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Are you married? Is Gu Nianzhi your wife?¡± Song Jinning asked hesitantly. Huo Shaoheng was, in her opinion, old enough to be married with children. But Gu Nianzhi was so very young, and did not look like she had children.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt warm under the cor. He suppressed the urge to take off his jacket.

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Huo Shaoheng shot a nce at Song Jinning. ¡°No, I¡¯m not married. Gu Nianzhi is my mission, assigned to me by the military. I used to be her legal guardian.¡±

    Song Jinning was now more than just a little disappointed. ¡°Oh. Well, that exins it. You don¡¯t understand what it means when two people who love each other decide to tie the knot.¡±

    ¡°Divorce ismon, nowadays. Two people may be in love today, and then fall out of love tomorrow. It happens.¡± Huo Shaoheng was trying his best to weigh in on the issue in an objective and disinterested manner.

    ¡°Why did your father divorce me? I want to know.¡± Song Jinning watched Huo Shaoheng attentively. She took in his every expression and carefully listened to his every word as she tried to gauge his true feelings.

    They were mother and son, but a gulf that spanned 16 yearsy between them. They had to get to know each other again.

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated. He did not know which reason to give: Huo Guanchen¡¯s ¡°official¡± reason for divorce, which was the fact that Song Jinning could no longer carry out her duties as his wife, because of her illness?

    Or should he tell her that it was actually because of the love letters Huo Jin had found and exposed, after her mothermitted suicide?

    Huo Shaoheng did not know whether his mother, Song Jinning, and his first uncle, Huo Guanyuan, had been in an affair. He preferred not to know. All he wanted was a proper exnation.

    Huo Shaoheng fidgeted awkwardly. He should have asked Gu Nianzhi to help him with these embarrassing questions...

    Huo Shaoheng thought of Gu Nianzhi, and how she always had a way with words: the girl could put a positive spin on just about anything. The corners of his mouth curved upwards.

    Song Jinning knew at once, from the subtle change in his expression, that her son was in love. She was his mother, after all.

    But she decided this wasn¡¯t the time to interrogate her son. She asked about Huo Guanchen instead: ¡°...Why did Bai Jinyi get together with your father? She¡¯s always been in love with your first uncle. Even when your first uncle married and started a family, she refused to give up. Why is she with your father now? What happened to your first uncle?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was surprised. Then it suddenly dawned on him: Song Jinning probably didn¡¯t know what had happened to his first uncle.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t you remember? When the ident happened, First Uncle... lost his life.¡± Huo Shaoheng had been about to say ¡°went missing,¡± but changed his mind and used ¡°lost his life¡± instead. He did not want to confuse his mother further.

    Song Jinning was shocked. ¡°Is that true? He died during the ident?!¡±

    ¡°We think so. We weren¡¯t able to find his remains, but I¡¯ve seen the military report, and the entireboratory was blown to smithereens. There¡¯s no way he could have survived that.¡± Huo Shaoheng suddenly realized what Song Jinning had said. ¡°...Wait, you mean Bai Jinyi was in love with First Uncle?!¡±

 Chapter 234 - Comparing People (5)

    <h4>Chapter 234: Comparing People (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    Song Jinning was still a little ufortable talking about it. She reminded Huo Shaoheng gently, ¡°It¡¯s enough for me that you know about this, so don¡¯t tell anyone else. Although your Uncle is now gone, your Aunt and Cousin are still here. They¡¯ll be sad if they find out. Also, I shouldn¡¯t be talking about others behind their back. Even though Bai Jinyi kept bothering your Uncle, she never crossed the line. She¡¯d always liked to save face and would have never humiliated herself in public. So it¡¯s better that you pretend to not know anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng waspletely overwhelmed. He began to rub his temples and considered her request before finally saying, ¡°Aunt is no longer here.¡±

    Song Jinning blinked, staring nkly at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°No longer here? What do you mean? Has she remarried?¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uncle, Huo Guanyuan, had passed away 16 years ago, then it wouldn¡¯t have been unlikely for his wife to have remarried. After all, he had already died and the living had to continue on with their own lives. In this day and age, women no longer had to remain widows forever.

    ¡°No... shemitted suicide ten years ago.¡± Huo Shaoheng awkwardly shifted in his seat. And the direct cause of death, is rted to Song Jinning, Huo Shaoheng thought. Or that was all that they supposed anyway; those love letters... He had initially thought that the matter was very simple and could be exined concisely, but when he got to this particr part, he felt the story snowball so much that he couldn¡¯t exin anything properly right now.

    However, if he didn¡¯t tell her now, Song Jinning would continue to remain in a passive position. As for Huo Shaoheng, he wouldn¡¯t allow his mother to continue being deceived.

    ¡°Suicide?!¡± Song Jinning covered her mouth, her misty eyes brimming with tears. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! Tell me, why did your Auntmit suicide? Had someone in the Huo family gossiped about her?¡±

    ¡°Gossip?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned, his lips pressed tightly together as he gazed stoically at the instruments on Song Jinning¡¯s operating chair. He avoided her gaze and said, his voice a faint whisper, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Song Jinning leaned back against the operating chair and exhaled sharply. She spoke with great regret, ¡°What happened in thest 16 years?¡± She had been saddened enough by Huo Guanchen divorcing her while she¡¯d been ill. However, she had never imagined that there was more sad news toe. ¡°Elder Brother and Elder Sister are gone just like that?¡± Song Jinning sighed, closing her eyes as a few tears seeped out. ¡°Compared to them, my situation with your father is not all that bad. At least we are still alive, but they have already left this world.¡±

    Hearing Song Jinning say this, Huo Shaoheng finally sighed in relief. He truly hadn¡¯t misjudged his mother. This was a woman who had been determined to be a scientist ever since she was young; love had never been the predominant aspect in her life. So it should be fine if he continued on, Huo Shaoheng believed. Although, If it had not been for this matter being rted to his parents, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to drag Gu Nianzhi over to speak on his behalf.

    ¡°Auntmitted suicide because she found love letters Uncle wrote to another woman.¡± Huo Shaoheng blurted out before he became too embarrassed to say it. ¡°16 years ago, the year that Uncle passed away, the military had returned Uncle¡¯s things to Aunt. It was then that Aunt found the love letters.to They hadn¡¯t been addressed for her, but for... another woman. Six yearster, she chose to end her own life.¡±

    ¡°Love letters?¡± Song Jinning opened her eyes in confusion, ¡°When were they written?¡±

    ¡°Intermittently over a few years.¡± Huo Shaoheng said crisply. ¡°If Mother is interested, I can show them all to you.¡± He only had in his possession the letter that read, ¡°Locking our tear filled eyes, I regret not meeting you before bing betrothed.¡± He had originally nned to have Song Jinning look at the handwriting when she woke.

    Song Jinning still hadn¡¯t realized it was rted to her and waved her hand dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± She paused before continuing to ask, ¡°You mean to say then, that your Aunt couldn¡¯t ept that your Uncle had loved someone else and so she¡¯d chosen tomit suicide?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the gist of it.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned away, his face numb but sighing with relief internally. It had been difficult recounting this embarrassing situation.

    ¡°I had never thought that Luo Xinxue would go to that extent for your Uncle.¡± Song Jinning sighed deeply as she recalled Elder Sister¡¯s face. She had been a ssic Jiangnan beauty, with milky skin and a small figure. She had very virtuous and obedient to Huo Guanyuan, never even raising her voice at him. She had been Grandmother Huo¡¯s favourite daughter-inw and had received praise for having all the traditional virtues of a Huaxia woman.

    However, Song Jinning began to feel dubious, ¡°Your Uncle wasn¡¯t that kind of person. He would never betray your Aunt. As for the love letters, who hadn¡¯t loved someone in their youth? Who doesn¡¯t have a few unsent love letters? How many people are actually lucky enough to stay together with their first love? These were just relics of youth and frivolity, so I really can¡¯t believe that your Aunt wouldn¡¯t understand this. As a matter of fact¡ª¡± Song Jinning suddenly closed her mouth; she sensed that she was revealing too much.

    Huo Shaoheng had been listening to this with a frown. His mother was implying something, so it looked like he would have to tell her the rest. ¡± These love letters are very important. Aunt¡¯s suicide, and Father¡¯s divorce with Mother, was all because of Uncle¡¯s love letters. As for Mother, you also apparently wrote him back as well. The letter had read, ¡®Locking our tear filled eyes, I regret not meeting you before bing betrothed.¡¯¡± Huo Shaoheng finished speaking and took out the letter signed by Song Jinning to ce before her.

    ¡°What on earth?!¡± Song Jinning¡¯s face turned red with anger and embarrassment. ¡°Nonsense! I can¡¯t even make sense of this. Who has said such a ridiculous lie?¡±

    Her hands trembled as she took the letter from Huo Shaoheng. As soon as she saw the handwriting, her head was filled with a sudden buzzing and her mind began to swim. On the piece of paper was truly her own writing. But she couldn¡¯t remember ever writing these words. ¡°How can this be? This letter isn¡¯t even addressed to anyone, yet how was it proven that I wrote it to your Uncle?¡± Song Jinning coughed, then patted her chest to soothe her breathing and quell her anger. ¡°I¡¯ve steered clear of literature and poetry ever since I was young. I had only ever been interested in math and science. Who had the ability to make me write such flowery words?¡±

    ¡°Mother...You really never wrote this?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his brows at Song Jinning, keenly aware of a key aspect¡ªSong Jining hadn¡¯t denied the authenticity of the letter, but had said that she hadn¡¯t recognize the sentence. Meaning that someone else had made her write it.

    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that even if I had written this, it still doesn¡¯t definitively prove anything. It¡¯s preposterous to assume so.¡± Song Jinning gave a low groan of frustration. ¡°Your father divorced me from just seeing this letter?! Is that the case? Just one sentence, and he assumed I¡¯d been cheating?!¡±

    ¡°That... I¡¯m not too sure about.¡± He was having a tough time sorting through the years of secrecy and drama that wasing to light. He rose from his seat. ¡°Mother, I have to go out for a bit. Do you want to rest alone, or should I bring Nianzhi toe and stay with you?¡±

 Chapter 235 - Comparing People (6)

    <h4>Chapter 235: Comparing People (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the youngdy and I would have anything inmon to talk about.¡± Song Jinning smiled. ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just lie here by myself...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± Huo Shaoheng made no attempt to hide the smile on his face. ¡°You want to find out who forged the letters and sue them for defamation, right? Nianzhi¡¯s aw student, she¡¯s very intelligent. She may be able to help you.¡± He paused, then said in a voice that sounded a little too casual to be natural, ¡°She¡¯s only 18, but she¡¯s already graduated from college. She¡¯ll be attending B University¡¯s Law School as a graduate student soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s impressive. What an extraordinary youngdy.¡± Song Jinning nodded. There was a knowing flicker in her eyes: she could tell that Huo Shaoheng was very fond and protective of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Well, tell her toe in, then.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded in reply. He left the operating room, made his way to Chen Lie¡¯s study, and beckoned to Gu Nianzhi from the doorway. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    He did not take Gu Nianzhi directly to his mother; instead, he led her to the small garden behind his residence to exin what was going on.

    The two of them stood next to a row of shrubs in the small garden. Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets as he stared into the distance. He made several attempts to say something, but changed his mind every time.

    He did not know to how to broach the subject. He was having second thoughts now: was it even a good idea to let Gu Nianzhi get involved?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall, strapping figure cut a handsome figure as he stood in the garden, lost in thought. Above him, the sky was blue and clear; the sun was out, but its rays were muted by the winter cold.

    A fragrant scent wafted through the garden.

    Gu Nianzhi stood quietly beside Huo Shaoheng. She wasn¡¯t in a hurry to ask him what was going on.

    She enjoyed being alone with Huo Shaoheng. Standing here, next to him, made her feel at peace, as though all was right with the world.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, was going over old memories in a state of frustrated annoyance. His gaze drifted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and he saw her watch him with her dark, evocative eyes. Her eyes spoke eloquently of her love and faith in him.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately calmed down. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket, tapped out a cigarette, and lit it. He took a long drag on it, before breathing out the smoke in the direction of the wind. He was careful to keep Gu Nianzhi away from his cigarette smoke.

    Gu Nianzhi did not actually mind the cigarette smoke. She loved the scents on Huo Shaoheng: the faint scent of tobo on his fingers, mixed with the hint of gunpowder and leather on his palm, made her feel safe and secure.

    ¡°Bai Jinyi and my father will be getting engaged during the Huo family¡¯s New Year party tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sudden revtion dropped on Gu Nianzhi like a bombshell, shattering her reverie.

    ¡°What?! They¡¯re getting engaged?! What about Mrs. Song?!¡± The news of the engagement caught Gu Nianzhi by surprise. Huo Guanchen had remained single for so many years after his divorce¡ªwhy the sudden rush to get engaged?

    As for Song Jinning, she had recognized her ex-husband even when she was mentally impaired. Gu Nianzhi was 100% sure Song Jinning was still in love with Huo Guanchen. She was willing to stake her life on it!

    ¡°...What about her?¡± Huo Shaoheng took another drag on his cigarette, his expression impassive. ¡°I don¡¯t think my mother will want to reconcile with my father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡± Fine, I¡¯ll go with whatever you say, you handsome stud, you.

    ¡°I just told my mother some of the things that have happened in thest 16 years. She¡¯s a little emotionally unstable right now. I want you to go talk to her.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced sideways at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate, exquisite face. ¡°There¡¯s one thing you should keep in mind: the things we¡¯ve heard represent only one side of the story. Now that my mother has recovered and can speak for herself, you¡¯ll find that the situation isn¡¯t as straightforward as it seems.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best tofort her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flicked the ash from his cigarette. He said casually, ¡°My mother says that she doesn¡¯t remember writing that letter, so she must have written it when she was mentallypromised and didn¡¯t know what she was doing.¡± He looked directly at Gu Nianzhi with his dark, fathomless eyes. ¡°It¡¯s possible my mother will want to find out who tried to tarnish her name, and bring them to justice.¡±

    Realization dawned upon Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You mean, you want to sue them?¡± Her face broke into a radiant smile. ¡°No problem! You can count on me!¡± As soon as she said that, however, she suddenly became a little shy and awkward. ¡°But Huo Shao, are you sure you want me to help your mother? You can get someone else, you know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to do it?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to, and I know I can do it.¡± Gu Nianzhi was confident in her skills. ¡°But this is a private matter between your parents. If I be Mrs. Song¡¯s legal representative, well...¡±

    Song Jinning would have to share her most intimate secrets with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of herself as Song Jinning¡¯s future daughter-inw.

    It didn¡¯t seem appropriate for her to know all about her mother-inw¡¯s love life.

    She wanted to remain on good terms with her future mother-inw...

    Huo Shaoheng pressed his lips together. He considered her for a brief moment before saying impassively, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re family.¡±

    The words ¡°we¡¯re family¡±unched Gu Nianzhi straight into the stratosphere.

    Before she knew it, she was alone with Song Jinning in Operating Room B, a dreamy smile on her face. She did not remember following Huo Shaoheng back to the operating room; she must have sleepwalked the entire way, while her mind and spirit cavorted in the clouds.

    Song Jinning watched her for a long moment, before breaking into a smile. ¡°...What are you thinking about, Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart almost leapt into her throat. She snapped out of her reverie, and blushed when she saw Song Jinning peering at her curiously. She tried to hide her embarrassment by saying: ¡°I was thinking of ways to help you deal with those vile bastards.¡±

    Song Jinning cocked her head as she appraised Gu Nianzhi: she liked the youngdy. Her looks and personality grew on her with every passing second. Song Jinning pointed to the armchair beside the operating chair. ¡°Sit down and talk to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down. She took the lychees from the fruit basket on the small table beside her, and began shelling them for Song Jinning.

    ¡°...You know everything?¡± After waking up, Song Jinning had been bombarded with one earth-shattering news after another. She was tough, resilient, and had never been the type to cry over spilt milk, but this was a little too much for her. She needed to vent. She needed to tell someone about the weight on her chest, the thoughts that threatened to squeeze the air out of her lungs.

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her eyes. The rosy blush on her fair cheeks rivaled the bright, lovely red of the lychees she was shelling. Her voice, too, was as soft and sweet as the fruit she was handling. ¡°Are you referring to the love letters?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a pretty good grasp on Song Jinning¡¯s situation. She had learned most of the details from Huo Jin during their heated argument.

    She was furious with Huo Guanchen: how could the man divorce his gravely ill wife, just because of a few fabricated letters?

    Song Jinning sighed softly. She lowered her eyes and tugged at her blue-striped nket. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to hear all that. I¡¯m just as puzzled as you are, you know. I honestly don¡¯t know why things turned out like this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Song Jinning was finding it difficult to broach the subject. She decided it was better for her to take the direct, no-nonsense approach. ¡°Huo Shao mentioned that you may have written that letter, the one with your name on it, without knowing what you were doing.¡± She was careful to keep her tone professional, the way awyer would talk to her client.

    Song Jinning nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I think. I don¡¯t remember writing a letter like that before the explosion.¡± She paused, before asking: ¡°You¡¯ve met Bai Jinyi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, without missing a beat, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen her. She¡¯s an ugly old hag. They say that your appearance reflects who you are inside. She¡¯s aged badly, probably because of all the stress and guilt from stealing her best friend¡¯s husband.¡±

    Song Jinning smiled as she chided Gu Nianzhi gently: ¡°My dear child, that¡¯s not a very nice thing to say.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine, I won¡¯t ever say anything as mean as that again. But just for today, I want to insult her to my heart¡¯s content.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Song Jinning, before handing her a small bowl of the lychees she had peeled and a fork. ¡°Have some, they¡¯re delicious.¡±

    For themon folk, fresh lychees were impossible to get in winter. Only those as distinguished as the Huo family were able to enjoy such privileges from the government.

    Song Jinning ate two before pushing the bowl away. ¡°You can have the rest, these lychees are too sweet for me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. This was the first time she had heard of anyonein about lychees being too sweet.

    Then again, she should have expected as much¡ªHuo Shaoheng had high, exacting standards, and he had obviously inherited them from his mother. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s admiration for Song Jinning grew with every passing minute.

    ¡°Shaoheng said you¡¯re aw student. Well, I have a question for you: do you think it would be possible for me to find the mastermind behind all this, and take them to court?¡± Song Jinning was thoroughly disgusted by the knowledge that someone had used underhanded means to set her up and paint her as an unfaithful wife.

    She wasn¡¯t about to let things go just to keep the ¡°scandal¡± under wraps, especially when it wasn¡¯t even true. Anyone who thought they could walk all over her and get away with it had another thinking. She had been framed, and she wasn¡¯t fool enough to smile and thank her enemies for it..

    She was a scientist, through and through. In the field of science, everything had to be investigated thoroughly. The facts had to be made clear. There was no room for lies, or even half-truths.

 Chapter 236 - Comparing People (7)

    <h4>Chapter 236: Comparing People (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As they were speaking of how to find the mastermind behind this situation and bring proper justice, Gu Nianzhi suddenly became very interested by something. She discarded her worries and asked Song Jinning with great curiosity, ¡°Mrs. Song, you said you wrote this letter in an incapacitated state, and I fully believe you. I think it¡¯ll be simple to find out who tricked you into writing it and used it to frame you.¡±

    Song Jinning was dumbfounded. She had been called a genius all her life. Why hadn¡¯t she thought of something as simple as that?

    Song Jinning was relieved and smiled happily. ¡°Is it really that easy?¡± She asked. ¡°Then tell me, how would we find that person?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and then said, ¡°Can you please hand the letter over to me?¡±

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t hesitate to ce the folded letter into her open palms. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t open it but only said to Song Jinning, ¡°The first thing we need to do it to have a professional determine when this letter was written, and not who wrote it.¡±

    ¡°I know that handwriting can be checked for authenticity, but can the date be determined too?¡± Song Jinning asked curiously. ¡°What kind of technology is that?¡±

    ¡°With paper and ink, it¡¯s all written in ck and white. We¡¯ll take it to the judicial appraisal office to have the experts examine it and determine the date it was written.¡± Gu Nianzhi said casually. This wasmonly used in the legal professional to identify when a will was drawn. Even if modern wills were now printed from aputer, it was still required to have a signature in order for the document to be effective. Determining when a will was drawn would be the same as determining when the person signed the will.

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Song Jinning smiled, taking all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention. Gu Nianzhi waspletely dazzled by her smile. Mrs. Song was a truly beautiful and gentle woman. Gu Nianzhi sighed in her heart; the injustice that had been done to Song Jinning was truly heinous, and the scale of misfortune that had disabled her and had torn apart her family was a living nightmare for the poor woman. Gu Nianzhi wondered at how isted Song Jinning had been all this time, with hardly anyone to support her. The Song¡¯s didn¡¯t sound like arge family and Gu Nianzhi had never heard Huo Shaoheng ever mention any friends or rtives of his mother¡¯s. If the Song¡¯s did indeed have extended rtives, they probably wouldn¡¯t have allowed Song Jinning to be treated like this for the past 16 years.

    ¡°Mrs. Song, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll immediately call the judicial appraisal office and personally take this letter to them so that they can examine it and determine when it was written. Even if it can¡¯t be precise to the exact day, it will give us at least a general idea.¡± Gu Nianzhi had once studied a case concerning the dispute of a will: the Imperial judicial appraisal office itself hadpleted such an appraisal of the date of signing. If Song Jinning had told them correctly, then this letter hadn¡¯t been written before theb ident, but sometime in the 16 years after the ident. This would prove that Song Jinning¡¯s innocence. She¡¯d had a serious mental illness for thest 16 years and had possessed no clear consciousness to write a series of romantic love letters. This meant that someone had manipted her into writing it; who could it have been?

    It was easy to narrow it down to either Bai Jinyi or Huo Jin. Considering that the letter was addressed to Huo Guanyuan, it was safe to eliminate Huo Jin as a possible suspect. That only left Bai Jinyi. Song Jinning had also only remembered Bai Jinyi out of everyone else and had allowed the woman to approach her while she had been ill. The remaining suspect could only be one person, Bai Jinyi.

    Song Jinning was silent for a long while as she also contemted the situation. However, she had no memory of the past 16 years and knew even less than Gu Nianzhi did about it, so it was hard to make any usible conclusions. She muttered, ¡°This person, who can they be? What is their goal?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got up to pour Song Jinning a cup of tea and passed it to her. She waited until Song Jinning had taken a few sips before saying, ¡°Mrs. Song, I have a suspect in mind: your best friend, Bai Jinyi.¡±

    Song Jinning cupped her ss of and shook her head with a wry smile. ¡°Bai Jinyi isn¡¯t my best friend, yet we are indeed good ssmates and friends.¡±

    ¡°Umm, you¡¯re still close enough for her to be a primary suspect.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bother arguing with Song Jinning about the verbiage. ¡°From the modus operandi to the timing and motive, she matches up perfectly. If we can prove that this letter was written after you lost consciousness, then you can go take her to court.¡±

    ¡°The modus operandi and timing makes sense, but I can¡¯t understand her motive.¡± Song Jinning¡¯s dark eyebrows raised slightly. ¡°Shaoheng told me that she¡¯s now Guanchen¡¯s... my ex-husband¡¯s girlfriend. But the person in her heart is clearly not Huo Guanchen, but his older brother, Huo Guanyuan. So tell me, why would she make me write such a love letter to Huo Guanyuan?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened as she gasped and realized something. Although she hadn¡¯t said anything yet, Song Jinning understood what she was implying. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Nianzhi, isn¡¯t this information shocking to you too?¡±

    ¡°Not only is it shocking, but it¡¯s horrifying,¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help muttering to herself. No wonder Huo Shaoheng had told her at the beginning that they only knew the tip of the iceberg. Now that Song Jinning was providing more information, they could see the other side of the story. She had originally thought that Bai Jinyi had always lusted for her best friend, Song Jinning¡¯s, husband, Huo Guanchen, so she had taken advantage of of her friend losing consciousness after theb experiment to covertly seduce her husband. Then, she had created a ¡°love letter¡± to soil Song Jinning¡¯s reputation, so that Huo Guanchen would think he was being cheated on and so divorce her in anger. Finally, Bai Jinyi would take advantage of the situation and get together with Huo Guanchen.

    But from what Song Jinning was saying, Bai Jinyi had actually liked someone else, who had been none other than Huo Guanhen¡¯s older brother, Huo Guanyuan; he was also Huo Jin¡¯s father! Recalling Huo Jin¡¯s contorted face as she¡¯d hatefully screamed at Song Jinning, ¡°the b*tch,¡± for seducing her father, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She looked down and shook withughter.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Song Jinning was shocked, ¡°Did I say something I wasn¡¯t supposed to?¡±

    ¡°No, no... Mrs. Song, don¡¯t misunderstand, I thought of something else and couldn¡¯t help it just now.¡± Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath to calm theughter in her chest.

    ¡°You naughty girl¡± Song Jinning chastised her, ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mrs.Song, that¡¯s too formal. You can call me Auntie.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Great! Auntie Song!¡± Gu Nianzhi called intimately as she reached out to take Song Jinning¡¯s hand. ¡°Auntie Song, let¡¯s set aside thewsuit for now. The appraisal will take some time and the judicial appraisal office is about to close for the holidays. The results won¡¯t be avable until after the new year.¡±

    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already waited 16 years; a few more days won¡¯t really matter,¡± Song Jinning¡¯s said gently. ¡°However, I hope that this mess gets sorted out, no matter how long it takes.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi was an honest person and had grown a bit closer to Song Jinning throughout this ordeal. ¡°Auntie Song, I¡¯ll tell you something else and you can think about what you want to do.¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng had said that his mother shouldn¡¯t go back to his father, Gu Nianzhi still thought they should respect Song Jinning¡¯s wishes. This was between Song Jinning and Huo Guanchen, and Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng. Her perspective was that of a female¡¯s.

    ¡°What is it? Tell me what you know; things are already this bad. Nothing else can shock me now.¡± Song Jinning shrugged as if to say that it didn¡¯t matter anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll say it.¡± She paused in attempt to soften the blow. ¡°I¡¯d heard that the Huo¡¯s are holding a grand New Year reception tomorrow, and that during this will be when Bai Jinyi and Huo... General Huo, I mean, will announce their engagement.¡± She looked at Song Jinning unblinkingly, afraid to miss any emotion on her face.

    ¡°General... Huo? Are you talking about Huo Guanchen?¡± Song Jinning¡¯s expression darkened, but that was all. As expected, she wasn¡¯t happy about it. Anybody would be affected, having lost their memories for 16 years and then waking up to discover that not only had they been divorced, but that their ex-husband was about to get engaged to another woman. Especially in this case where she had once deeply loved her ex-husband. The sparkle dimmed from Song Jinning¡¯s eyes. She had woken up with her memories paused to 16 years ago, and at that time, Huo Guanchen and she had been inseparable. She had loved him and he had loved her. Then, it was as though she had turned around to find that the person who had once deeply loved her had abandoned her without any prior indication . The shock had been too sudden and she hadn¡¯t been emotionally prepared for it. Love was like running water, but people had no switches on them by which to instantly turn love on and off. One couldn¡¯t wish for love toe or leave. Song Jinning gripped the thin blue striped nket covering her so hard that the delicate veins on her hands stood out starkly under her white skin.

    Gu Nianzhi gently caressed Song Jinning¡¯s hand and said firmly, ¡°Auntie, please, tell me if you want to save your rtionship. If you still want to save your marriage with Huo Guanchen, we have some ways to do it.¡± She just wanted to hear Song Jinning say it, yes or no.

    Song Jinning thought over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words¡ªit was a heavy burden and bittersweet.

    ¡°Shaoheng told me that Huo Guanchen divorced me 10 years ago, then got together with Bai Jinyi. Is that true?¡± Song Jinning attempted to sound normal, but Gu Nianzhi could still detect the slight tremor.

    She looked down and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Bai Jinyi and Huo Jin both admitted it, and General Ji, he¡¯s very affectionate with Bai Jinyi.¡±

    Song Jinning closed her eyes as her tears finally fell. She choked out, ¡°Very well... then it¡¯s fine. Let them get engaged.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gu Nianzhi cried. She took Song Jinning¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Are you sure about this? Once the Huo¡¯s get engaged with a family like the Bai¡¯s, it¡¯s certain that they¡¯ll get married. You and General Huo would no longer have a chance of getting back together.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Song Jinning closed her eyes and managed to say, ¡± There¡¯s no need. Since something like this happened between us, it¡¯s a wound that¡¯ll never heal. If my man can¡¯t devote all his love, body, and soul to me, then I¡¯d rather have nothing at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi embraced Song Jinning. ¡°Auntie, Auntie, you¡¯re absolutely right! I totally agree!¡±

    Song Jinning took a deep breath and the corners of her mouth twitched up into a small smile as she opened her teary eyes. She raised a hand to gently touch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft cheek and smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay here with you tomorrow. I won¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Gu Nianzhi adjusted the thin nket for Song Jinning. ¡°Do you want to stay in a different room? This operating chair is very ufortable.¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head. ¡°I have to go the New Year reception at the Huo manor tomorrow. Nianzhi, will you help me?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You want to go? Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re letting go?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will let go. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll go tomorrow, after their engagement ceremony isplete.¡± Song Jinning had a mysterious smile on her face, ¡°Although it¡¯s over between Huo Guanchen and I, there¡¯re things to clear up. I won¡¯t stand for beingbeled a cheater without good reason. They are shameless, but I still have my own honor and refuse to take on their shame.¡±

 Chapter 237 - Comparing People (8)

    <h4>Chapter 237: Comparing People (8)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi nodded enthusiastically: it was exactly what she would have done, herself. ¡°If you¡¯re going, Auntie, I¡¯m right behind you! How are you feeling? I¡¯ll ask Brother Chen if you can move to another room. You need a good rest, get your strength back for your trip tomorrow!¡±

    Song Jinning took a moment to check herself. She pinched her arms, kicked her heels, and mumbled: ¡°...I should be fine, I think? I¡¯m a little weak, but that¡¯s only because I¡¯m hungry...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Pffft!

    Gu Nianzhi could barely keep herself fromughing out loud.

    Auntie Song was soooo adorable...

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at Song Jinning. She had been sad for the older woman at first, but she now knew that Song Jinning did not need her sympathy.

    Thest 16 years hadn¡¯t been particrly pleasant for Song Jinning, anyway. It was probably for the best that she didn¡¯t remember them.

    The smile was still on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face as she left the room to look for Chen Lie. She wanted to ask him how Song Jinning was doing, physically.

    Chen Lie was staring vacantly at hisputer screen. He had just finished analyzing Song Jinning¡¯s data.

    He noticed Gu Nianzhi, and slowly lifted his eyes from the screen to stare at her instead. He seemed dazed. ¡°Nianzhi,e and look at this. The data... the data... the data...¡±

    He tripped over his words as his chubby face grew increasingly flushed with excitement.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was piqued. She walked over, stationed herself behind him, and looked over his shoulder at theputer screen.

    The program that Gu Nianzhi had written for Chen Lie analyzed the data byparing Song Jinning¡¯s physical health indicators with the country average.

    The health data they had were categorized ording to the subjects¡¯ ages.

    Song Jinning¡¯s data fell within the range of the average 30-year-old woman¡¯s; some of her test results were actually better than the average, in fact!

    She did not just ¡°feel like 30¡å¡ªshe was literally 30.

    This was entirely scientific. For example, the degree of aging in the skin and hair, and the health of the bones and internal organs could be measured objectively with the current medical technology..

    Song Jinning¡¯s data served as a reminder that ignorance was bliss: countless people would die of jealousy if they knew of her unbelievable return to youth.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what the data was saying. Her hands flew to her mouth as she sucked in a breath. ¡°Auntie Song should be 48 years old, right?!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lie said bluntly as he stared at the data, his eyes burning with maniacal obsession. This was the miracle of life... the fountain of youth had sprung forth from his hands...

    Song Jinning had spent thest 16 years immune to the passing of time.

    It wasn¡¯t just her memories; her body, too, had been suspended in time.

    Hehe... hehehe... hehehehe...

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled by Chen Lie¡¯s creepyughing. She rolled her eyes at him, before bending over to put her hand on the mouse. She said cheerfully, ¡°Brother Chen, this data goes against everything we know about medical science. I think we¡¯d better delete it...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll delete it, of course. But let me look at it for a while longer, I need to stuff it all in here.¡± Chen Lie pointed to his head.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head in resignation. She straightened up. ¡°Can I ask you something? Does Auntie Song have to be confined to the operating chair? Lying on that chair all day can¡¯t be good for her. Can we move her to a proper bedroom instead?¡±

    Chen Lie mumbled distractedly, as though talking in his sleep: ¡°Go ahead. She can get off the chair anytime. Heck, she can go to the gym right now and start lifting weights if she feels like it... It¡¯s incredible. She¡¯s 48 years old, but her body is only 30, and she doesn¡¯t remember anything past the age of 32... It¡¯s the perfectbination...¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s wless skin, her beautiful face, her exquisite figure¡ªshe could stand next to Huo Shaoheng and pass for his older sister. No one would ever believe she was his mother!

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Chen Lie. ¡°Don¡¯t joke around, I¡¯m being serious here. Are you absolutely sure there won¡¯t be a problem?!¡±

    Chen Lie snapped out of it. ¡°Nope, no problem at all! Okay, where do you want to move her? She can get out of that operating chair now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed a finger at the ceiling, indicating the floor above them. ¡°There are plenty of unused rooms upstairs. I¡¯ll get someone to prepare a room for Auntie Song.¡±

    Chen Lie finally noticed that Gu Nianzhi had changed the way she addressed Song Jinning. He chuckled, and said, ¡°Oh? You¡¯re calling her ¡®Auntie Song¡¯ now? When did the two of you be such good friends?! Did the Boss tell you to call her that?¡±

    ¡°Nope, it was Auntie who told me to call her that,¡± Gu Nianzhi said smugly. She cupped her face in her hands, and said. in a disy ofplete narcissism: ¡°Everyone likes me, you know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, who can escape your charms?¡± Chen Lie looked Gu Nianzhi up and down, almost drooling at the thought of her physical health data.

    ...If only he was allowed to experiment on Gu Nianzhi...

    The thought had barely formed itself before Chen Lie mercilessly extinguished it.

    He wasn¡¯t afraid of Gu Nianzhi. He was afraid of that terrifying war machine looming behind her at all times...

    Whoever dared turn Gu Nianzhi into ab rat for research would have to face the full force of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s destructive anger.

    And it wasn¡¯t just Huo Shaoheng¡ªChen Lie cared about Gu Nianzhi, too. He was obsessed with medical science, but he had a moralpass. He wasn¡¯t Dr. Frankenstein.

    ¡°Hello? Ugh, are you ogling me or something?¡± Gu Nianzhi rapped Chen Lie sharply on the forehead. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go look for Huo Shao. You go check on Auntie Song. We¡¯ll move her as soon as we¡¯re able to.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded in reply. He collected his medical equipment and went to Song Jinning for one final check-up.

    Gu Nianzhi found Huo Shaoheng in his study, on the second floor. She hesitated, afraid to barge in without permission. She knocked on the door instead. ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s me, Nianzhi. Can Ie in?¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep, alluring voice sounded from inside the study.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door and said to Huo Shaoheng as she walked in: ¡°Huo Shao, I want to move Auntie Song out of Operating Room B and into one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng was sitting before hisputer, typing on the keyboard. He did not look up.

    ¡°Also, Auntie Song says she wants to go to the Huo family¡¯s New Year party tomorrow...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers stilled over the keyboard. He frowned. ¡°You told her about the engagement ceremony tomorrow?¡±

    What was the point in going?

    Was his mother trying to get his father back?

    Huo Shaoheng pressed his lips together, which only served to entuate his perfect jawline. He was beautiful even when he was unhappy.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s love-struck eyestched hungrily upon his features. She said softly, ¡°...I told her. Auntie Song said it doesn¡¯t matter, she has no intention of getting back together with General Huo. She says she wants to attend the party after the engagement ceremony is over and done with.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief. His fingers resumed typing as he asked, ¡°So why does she want to go? What¡¯s the point?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not like messy breakups. There was nothing better than a clean break, in his opinion..

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Auntie has her reasons, of course. She says she won¡¯t stand having her name dragged through the mud by that letter. She wants justice for what¡¯s been done to her, and she wants it tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for several minutes. Finally, he said impassively, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let you make the call.¡±

    This meant he trusted Gu Nianzhi to make the right decisions for Song Jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi wrung her hands as she asked awkwardly, ¡°...You¡¯re not going to scold me for taking things too far, are you?¡±

    She had thought of 18 different ways to get back at Bai Jinyi and Huo Jin for the way they¡¯d treated Song Jinning.

    ¡°No. Knock yourself out.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally looked up from hisputer. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back.¡±

    ¡°Excellent! Don¡¯t forget what you said!¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands joyfully. She looked around. ¡°There¡¯s a camera here, right? Hello camera, did you record everything Huo Shao said just now? Huo Shao, don¡¯t forget what you promised! You can¡¯t go back on your word now!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back on his desk chair. He saidzily, ¡°When have I ever gone back on my promises with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head as she thought about it. ¡°Never¡ªbut I know you don¡¯t always keep the promises you make with other people...¡±

    She knew very well that he could be a master troll when he wanted to...

    ¡°So? Are you ¡®other people¡¯?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her impassively. Deep down, he was actually struggling to keep from breaking into a smile.

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°¡®Course not. I¡¯m not ¡®other people¡¯...¡± She shyly poked her two index fingers together, almost swooning from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll go make the arrangements.¡±

    ¡°You go do that.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°The three of us will attend the party tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    An hourter, Song Jinning had moved into a south-facing bedroom on the second floor.

    Gu Nianzhi began to make the necessary preparations.

    The first thing she did was to personally design aprehensive spa program for Song Jinning.

    She began by coating Song Jinning¡¯s entire body with a mud mask, made from seaweed and Dead Sea mud. It helped to exfoliate the skin and remove all impurities.

    The full-body exfoliating mask was left on for 30 minutes. After washing it off, Gu Nianzhi led Song Jinning into the sauna room.

    Once the sweat was out of her pores, it was time for an essential oil bubble bath.

    Rinse and repeat.

    Song Jinning repeated the mask, sauna, and bubble bath routine three times; Gu Nianzhi dubbed the procedure ¡°first-aid for the skin.¡±

    Song Jinning was a natural beauty. She had not been able to take proper care of her skin in thest 16 years, but she was blessed gically with good skin; once the ¡°first-aid¡± was over and done with her skin was as good as new..

    Her entire body appeared to glow like a lustrous white jade in the dimly lit room.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Now I understand what they mean when they call something ¡®Mother Nature¡¯s masterpiece.¡¯ No mortal could have sculpted anything as beautiful as this...¡±

    Song Jinning flushed prettily at herpliment. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Stop exaggerating. How about a face mask? Come here, I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Like Gu Nianzhi, Song Jinning was always keen to learn new things.

    She was woefully out of the loop when it came to skin care routines, and she had a lot of catching up to do.

    The two women had a merry time pampering their skin and grooming themselves. They enjoyed themselves so much the hours seemed to fly by.

    When it was time for dinner, Song Jinning had two bowls of porridge, a bowl of beef soup, a te of grilled shrimps, and a te of saut¨¦ed beef tenderloin. Fully sated, she went straight to bed and immediately fell asleep.

    ...

    The next day was the 31st of December. Gu Nianzhi got up early, and made a beeline for the forensic science department in the imperial capital to request a detailed analysis of Song Jinning¡¯s letter.

    The thought of entrusting the letter to a third party had made her hesitate, but only briefly; she knew the secret would be safe. There was no mention on the letter of whom it was addressed to, after all, and the signature at the end merely said ¡°Jinning,¡± without her surname.

    Gu Nianzhi gave a brief exnation of the situation to the receptionist, who promised they would call her after the New Year and let her know when she would be able to get the test results.

    Since she was already in town, Gu Nianzhi went to Scion Square and bought evening gowns for herself and Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning¡¯s evening gown was a one-shoulder fishtail affair that entuated her voluptuous curves. The dress was cut from carmine red satin, and she looked irresistibly sexy in it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s was a white silk dress with pea green stripes that ended in a puffy,yered skirt. Sheplemented her dress with knee-high boots and a wide ribbon around her waist.

    When they were done dressing, Song Jinning turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. Her eyebrows flew upwards in surprise. She smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, how old are you?¡±

    ¡°18. I just turned 18, I¡¯ll be 19 next year.¡± Gu Nianzhi moved to stand behind Song Jinning, and looked over her shoulder at their reflections in the mirror. ¡°Auntie Song, you look amazing in that dress.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re the one who looks amazing¡ªso young and lovely!¡± Song Jinning shot a surreptitious nce at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest. She clucked her tongue inwardly: only 18, and already so busty! She¡¯s going to be a real looker...

    Gu Nianzhi slid a hand around Song Jinning¡¯s arm. ¡°All right, we should go. They must have started the engagement ceremony by now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the backseat of his bulletproof limousine, talking to Huo Jin on his phone. ¡°...I can¡¯t attend.¡±

    ¡°Cousin Brother, it¡¯s your father¡¯s engagement ceremony. Why aren¡¯t you here? Are you against his getting engaged?¡± Huo Jin sounded agitated. ¡°Grandfather and Second Uncle want to see you here at the party!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s his engagement, not mine. What have I got to do with it?¡± Huo Shaoheng shut the folder in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me. They¡¯ll have to get on with the ceremony without me.¡±

    Huo Jin put down the phone receiver in resignation. She shook her head at Huo Guanchen and Bai Jinyi, who were watching her eagerly. ¡°Cousin Brother says he can¡¯te, he¡¯s too busy. He says not to wait for him.¡±

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go downstairs and begin the ceremony. The guests are starting to get restless.¡± Bai Jinyi gracefully took Huo Guanchen¡¯s arm. ¡°My eldest brother and my third brother are both here, along with their wives. There¡¯s also General Ji, and Chairman Long...¡±

    Huo Jin¡¯s heart gave a leap. After Bai Jinyi and Huo Guanchen had left, she immediately called Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°Cousin Brother, pleasee, quickly! I forgot to tell you, General Ji and Chairman Long are here, too. If you don¡¯te, you¡¯re missing out, big time.¡±

    ¡°...I. am. not. going,¡± said Huo Shaoheng, enunciating each syble clearly. He promptly hung up.

    Right after that, Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning slid into the backseat, and made themselvesfortable next to Huo Shaoheng.

    As always, Fan Jian, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderly, was driving him. Huo Shaoheng said to him: ¡°We¡¯re going to the Huo residence.¡± He added, ¡°Drive slowly.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice sounded over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s earpiece, informing his boss that he had taken over the Huo residence¡¯s security system and jacked the surveince cameras for the engagement ceremony being held in the living room. He was now able to start a live stream of the ceremony for Huo Shaoheng at any time.

    Huo Shaoheng turned on hisptop and epted the video link Zhao Liangze had sent him. Gu Nianzhi was sitting in the middle; Huo Shaoheng ced theptop on herp, and the three of them watched the live stream of the engagement ceremony. The engagement between Huo Guanchen and Bai Jinyi had be the talk of town among the elite social circles within the Huaxia Empire.

 Chapter 238 - Stealing The Thunder

    <h4>Chapter 238: Stealing The Thunder</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    On theptop disy, the Huo manor living room was beautifully decorated with bouquets of white roses everywhere. On the wall facing the main entrance was a full wall of roses. Gu Nianzhi whispered, ¡°This is an engagement? Why does it look more like a wedding?¡± A stage with two steps leading up to it from the floor was set up under the rose wall. The tform was of an oak material, but shone with the luster of rosewood under the adornment of the white roses. The Huo manor living room was veryrge, and the sofa and coffee table in the middle had been moved to clear up the space and make arge dance floor. The guests were evidently rich and important people dressed in the mostvish fashions. They held cocktail sses and chattered in groups of twos and threes. The men all wore ck tuxedos, while the women were in all sorts of evening gowns¡ªbackless, shoulder baring, low cut, high slits that revealed thighs, orpletely unlinedce gowns with the skin barely hidden under a shawl. Necks and wrists were adorned with understated but luxurious jewelry, some of them, Gu Ninazhi noted, being first ss pieces that had been won from Sotheby¡¯s or Christie¡¯s auctions. Standing under the rose wall, on the oak stage, was a couple who was undoubtedly the center of attention.

    It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Director of the Political Department of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and Bai Jinyi, Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics. Huo Guanchen was already 50 years old, but had maintained himself very well and looked no older than 40. His hair was short and dark, and the handsome features on his masculine face were somewhat simr to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chiseled visage. He neither had a trace of a smile nor sadness on his face, but appeared solemn as he stood on the stage holding the waist of the femalepanion besides him. Bai Jinyi was all dressed up, but age had taken its toll her. She had often gone around the world to conduct experiments at sea or in the depths of wilderness, so she was less well maintained than Huo Guanchen. Her skin was therefore tanned and had just returned to a light olive tone, and the deep wrinkles at the corner of her eyes couldn¡¯t be covered by any amount of foundation or concealer. She was of a rather slim build and so the tailored white qipao still appeared loose on her frame. Her feet were d in white satin Manolo-hnik high heels that added to her charm.

    Bai Yueran wore an deep purple strapless evening gown and held a crystal ss. Standing beside her father, Bai Jiancheng, she looked at her Aunt, Bai Jinyi, under the rose wall and gave her a toast.

    ¡°Everyone, quiet please.¡± An MC stood on the stage and tapped his wine ss. ¡°General Huo and Director Bai¡¯s engagement ceremony is about to begin.¡± The hustle and bustle in the living room immediately quieted down and all eyes were on the couple.

    ¡°Thank you foring to witness our engagement ceremony.¡± Huo Guanchen nodded to the guests. ¡°I hope that everyone can enjoy themselves and give us their blessings during the New Year.¡±

    The MC walked over to them with a smile and said, ¡°General Huo, are you willing to ask for Bai Jinyi¡¯s hand in marriage? Will you wait for her at the end of the aisle?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was silent for a long moment, his eyes darting over the quiet Bai Jinyi. He smiled and said, ¡°I will.¡± Producing a ring box, he knelt down on one knee to present it to Bai Jinyi and asked, ¡°Jinyi, will you marry me?¡±

    In that moment, Bai Jinyi was truly moved and couldn¡¯t help shedding tears. She gazed at Huo Guanchen¡¯s face and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Thunderous apuse immediately broke out from under the stage. Huo Guanchen stood up to kiss Bai Jinyi¡¯s cheek, then put a six-carat teardrop diamond on her finger; the lovely champagne color of the stone sparkled in the stage lighting. Bai Jinyi smiled and waved at all the guests as she thanked the crowd. The Huo manor living room was filled with joy,ughter, and apuse. The popping of champagne bottles didn¡¯t stop as countless petals fell from the ceiling and sprinkled on the rose table. The main part of the engagement ceremony had finallypleted after Huo Guanchen and Bai Jinyi exchanged rings.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng issued amand to Zhao Liangze to stop the video and the inside of his car suddenly became eerily quiet.

    Song Jinning¡¯s chest heaved as she used all her strength to not cry out in sorrow. She recalled the two people she saw on theptop screen¡ªthey should have been the two people she was most familiar with, yet they now seemed likeplete strangers. She didn¡¯t recognize them at all. Song Jinning covered her face and leaned against the window on the other side of the car. Gu Nianzhi turned to look at her and wanted to sit with her to offer constion, but was stopped by Huo Shaoheng. She looked at him quizzically, then pointed to the heartbroken Song Jining.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over to her and whispered into her ear, ¡°Let her be for a bit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her huge eyes and her pink lips frowned in disagreement.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bother with further exnation and took theptop from Gu Nianzhi¡¯sp. He nced at the long down coat she was wearing, and saw the tall boots and hem of therge petticoat that ended just above her knees.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily adjusted the hem of her skirt and said nervously, ¡°It¡¯s longer when I stand up, it¡¯s just a bit short when I sit.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze and opened hisptop to continue working. Gu Nianzhi realized that neither of them wanted to talk, so she reyed all the information Zhao Liangze had gathered about Bai Jinyi. These were the fruits of the afternoon¡¯sbour. Although the time had been tight, Zhao Liangze had put in his greatest effort and unearthed many things about Bai Jinyi. ¡°Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.¡± Or so the saying went. Gu Nianzhi was in the midst of preparing for awsuit, so it was necessary to have everything in order. Bai Jinyi was truly an intelligent and hardworking person. She had a strong family background, but had been unlucky and too headstrong. She¡¯d gone ahead with her mistakes and had now ended up like this. Since the mistakes had been made, she naturally couldn¡¯t pretend that they didn¡¯t happen. The group was silent the whole way and quickly arrived to the Huo manor. When Huo Shaoheng, Song Jinning, and Gu Nianzhi exited the vehicle, the Huo family servants gaped at them. ¡°Young... Young Master! Didn¡¯t Miss say that you¡¯re noting back?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah but, I changed my mind,¡± Huo Shaoheng said bluntly as he turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Go inside with my mother first,¡± he said.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded her head and linked arms with Song Jinning¡¯s elbow to head inside the Huo manor. Huo Shaoheng was in no rush to follow them, so he immediately ordered his orderlies to take control of the Huo manor guard duty and rounded up all the servants who had witnessed their arrival; He didn¡¯t allow them to notify the people inside. Afterward, he returned to the car and ordered Zhao Liangze to share the video stream again. He needed to know everything that was happening inside the house.

    ...

    ¡°General Huo, today is the day that you are getting engaged to Director Bai. Your 10-year rtionship hase to fruition; may I ask what thoughts you have to share with everyone?¡± The engagement ceremony in the Huo manor living room wasing to a close, and it was time for the soon to be wed couple to share their feelings. The MC moved aside with a smile to allow Huo Guanchen toe forward.

    Huo Guanchen and Bai Jinyi both wore headsets with microphones, so they could speak to everyone without additional mics. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank Jinyi for her 10 years of love. I¡¯ll get engaged with her as long as she wishes it to be so. I¡¯ll marry her as long as she wishes it to be so as well.¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s deep voice emitted through the speakers in theptop. He sounded hoarse and aged, and he was so emotional that he had to speak slowly.

    Tears immediately fell from Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes as she walked up to take Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand. ¡°Guanchen, we have known each other for six years, and then loved each other for ten years. I never knew how much you cherished me, I would have married you ten years ago if I had known.¡±

    Suddenly, a loud p emitted from the entrance of the house, breaking the silence in the living room. Everyone turned around to see two beautiful women appear. The more mature woman wore a carmine single shoulder mermaid gown, her face indescribably beautiful and her figure astonishing. The girl beside her was very young and looked like she had stepped out of a fairy tale. She wore a pea green and white silk princess gown with a fitted waist, tall heels, and her long hair flowed down her back. She was beautiful beyond words. The one pping was the younger girl.

    Someone in the living room recognized her and immediately widened her eyes in shock. ¡°Gu Nianzhi?! What are you doing here?¡± Huo Jin was the first to break from the group to approach them.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look at her and said to the couple, her voice raised, ¡°So this is what Physicist Bai has been doing for the past 16 years. You used all that time, yet you had still failed to replicate the experiment. You used 16 years and your best friend, ex-wife of General Huo, who had been unconscious. To me, these were all distractions for your ulterior motives¡ªPhysicist Bai, you weren¡¯t interested in your best friend¡¯s illness, but in her husband.¡± Gu Nianzhiugher bitterly. ¡°You ignored the national interests and instead had used treating Mrs. Song¡¯s illness as an excuse to seduce her husband. Your tant abuse of power isn¡¯t just a question of character, but also of intelligence. No wonder you¡¯ve repeated an experiment for 16 years and still hadn¡¯t gotten anywhere.¡±

    Someone in the living room couldn¡¯t help snorting. Bai Jinyi clenched her fists¡ªshe wanted to pounce on Gu Nianzhi and stuff her mouth: she dared question her intelligence?! This was her sore spot and her Achilles heel: it angered her more than having her personal character being questioned!

    Gu Nianzhi smiled smugly at her. From the information she received on Bai Jinyi, Gi Nianzhi was keenly able to predict what was Bai Jinyi¡¯s sore spot, so she stamped on it without mercy. This was the mettle of a goodwyer.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi!¡± Huo Jin was also furious by her goading and screamed, ¡°Where are the servants? Someone! Kick them out! How did they get in without invitations?!¡±

    ¡°Miss Huo, please move aside. This isn¡¯t your engagement ceremony, what are you stealing all the attention for? ¨CWait over there.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp tongue was enough to make people choke.

    Huo Jian indeed turned purple from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and was about to shove her when several female soldiers appeared besides Gu Nianzhi to surround her and Song Jinning. Huo Jin was pushed aside.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s face fell as she looked at the silent and beautiful woman besides Gu Nianzhi. Huo Guanchen hadn¡¯t moved his eyes from that woman as soon as he hadid eyes on her. Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning only looked forward and walked towards the rose wall on the other side of the living room. The guests all parted to form a path for them and watched in silence.

    Bai Yueran squinted and then huddling over to her father to whisper, ¡°Father, take Mother and go first. I¡¯ll stay here,¡± She paused, the continued, ¡°Also take Third Uncle and Third Aunt too.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng remained motionless and spoke quietly, ¡°It¡¯s no use, we can¡¯t leave now. Huo Shaoheng prepared for this.¡±

    Bai Yueran¡¯s eyes scanned the living room and didn¡¯t say anything more. On the other side, Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning had already reached the rose wall and were looking up at the couple on stage.

    ¡°Physicist Bai, there¡¯s no question that you¡¯vemitted the crime of destroying a military marriage. I want to ask about how you forged evidence ten years ago to nder the seriously ill Mrs. Song¡¯s reputation. You led General Ji to think he had been cheated on, causing their divorce. Is that how you treat the General Huo who cherishes you so much?¡±

 Chapter 239 - Fishing for the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 239: Fishing for the Truth</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Oh. My. God!

    Scandalous!

    The room erupted into noisy chatter.

    Everyone had previously heard that Huo Guanchen had divorced Song Jinning because she had been too mentally impaired for the two of them to continue living as husband and wife. Huo Guanchen had dissolved their marriage, but had been kind enough to allow her to continue living in the Huo residence. Not only that, he had even hired personal caretakers for her.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s honorable behavior had earned him widespread praise; he had shown himself to be a responsible man who did his best to provide afortable life for his ex-wife, even when his heart had eventually found someone else to love...

    But what Gu Nianzhi had just said changed everything..

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Evidence of General Huo being cheated on?! That means his ex-wife... had an affair?!¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s the only exnation, right? I mean, she did say something about it tarnishing Madam Song¡¯s reputation.¡±

    Although the guests consisted of top-ranking officials in the Huaxia military and political circles, they were just as fond of gossip as everyone else. They began exchanging their spections with one another, unable to restrain their curiosity.

    Bai Jinyi heard what the guests were saying, and grew increasingly livid with every passing minute. She clenched her jaw; she was so annoyed her teeth were in danger of shattering.

    She red balefully at Song Jinning, who had not said anything and was merely standing there smiling at her. She was supposed to be mentally impaired¡ªwhere was all thising from?

    Bai Jinyi inwardly spat on Song Jinning: I thought of you as my best friend, but you betrayed me. You began seducing Huo Guanyuan, right after I told you my feelings for him... If you hadn¡¯t seduced him, Guanyuan would never have treated me like I was invisible...

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s anger had reached boiling point. She gave a mirthlessugh, and said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you ignorant child, don¡¯t stick your nose in matters you know nothing about. Guanchen came up with apletely irrelevant reason to divorce Song Jinning because he wanted to protect her reputation. Why are you airing her dirtyundry now? You think you¡¯re doing her a favor? You¡¯re just making things worse for her!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m making things worse for her?¡± Gu Nianzhi arched an eyebrow. ¡°Prove it. You can¡¯t just say that in front of everyone without any evidence to back up your ims. Have I been mistreating her on a daily basis for thest 16 years? Have I terrorized her, oppressed her? No. So how exactly am I making things worse for her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked directly at Huo Jin as she said that.

    Huo Jin¡¯s face was full of anger; she stared defiantly back, unrepentant.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her. She made a gesture that said: ¡°Just you wait¡ªyou¡¯re next.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. I¡¯m talking about what you¡¯re doing right now, at this very moment. Thest 16 years have nothing to do with it.¡± Bai Jinyi clenched her fists as she looked daggers at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Song Jinning was an immoral woman. She was having an affair with her brother-inw. Guanchen wasn¡¯t going to put up with that, naturally!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was stern. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said? You need evidence to back up your usations. If you try to tarnish Madam Song¡¯s reputation in public, we will take you to court and sue you for defamation. Everyone here is a witness. If the court calls on any one of you to testify in court, I hope that all of you will be brave enough to do your duty.¡±

    ...

    General Ji and Chairman Long were seated in a private area within the hall, away from all the other guests. They gaped at the scene unfolding before them, wondering if they had identally stumbled onto a rehearsal for a farce. They exchanged a look, and smiled wryly as they shook their heads.

    ¡°General Ji, where have you been hiding this youngdy? Gu Nianzhi, eh? Such daring eloquence...¡± Chairman Longughed heartily. ¡°She should go into politics and run in the elections. What a waste of talent!¡±

    ¡°Careful there, Old Long¡ªShaoheng will tear the Senate hall apart if you get any funny ideas!¡± General Ji chuckled as he gave Chairman Long a good-natured shove. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens next!¡±

    ...

    Bai Jinyi wasn¡¯t afraid of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s threats. She said with a sneer, ¡°Evidence? Of course I have evidence. Why would I stoop to baseless nder?¡±

    ¡°Oh? So what¡¯s the evidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi was deliberately piling the pressure on Bai Jinyi, like a vicious dog ruthlessly snapping at her heels. She wasn¡¯t going to let Bai Jinyi wriggle out of this. ¡°Did you catch them red-handed? Do you have photos and videos of them together in bed? Or do you have some other evidence?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to catch them in bed together. Luo Xinxue, Huo Jin¡¯s mother, found the love letters they sent each other. Isn¡¯t that enough? Why would I have to catch them in the act?!¡± The veins on Bai Jinyi¡¯s forehead were visible now. She glowered at Gu Nianzhi, her face contorted with anger. She looked like a dragon about to breathe fire.

    ¡°Love letters? Hah!¡± Gu Nianzhi gave a slow p. ¡°Those are the forged evidence I was referring to, duh!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. She was still waiting for the test results from the forensic science department, but that wasn¡¯t going to stop her from giving Bai Jinyi a good scare.

    A goodwyer had to be bold in their assumptions, but meticulous with the evidence.

    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Bai Jinyi was furious. ¡°Can you prove that the love letters were forged?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the other letters, but I know the one letter from Madam Song is definitely a fake.¡± Gu Nianzhi was talking very fast now, leaving no room for Bai Jinyi to cut in and refute her ims. ¡°Think about it: Madam Song was gravely injured in theb ident 16 years ago. Her brain was affected, and the hospital diagnosed her to be suffering from a serious mental disorder. She could not even take care of herself, so how was it possible for her to write a love letter to Huo Guanyuan 10 years ago? Huo Guanyuan had already been dead for six years by then. Like I said, you should havee up with a less clumsy way to frame Madam Song and destroy her marriage. Your shameless ploy speaks volumes for your character, but the shoddy, ipetent work of forgery says even more about your intelligence, orck thereof. I¡¯m worried about your IQ...¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Bai Jinyi did not like anyone questioning her intelligence. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fixation on Song Jinning¡¯s letter puzzled her, however. She was beginning to get a little flustered, but she kept her wits about her. ¡°That letter was written 16 years ago! Why do you say it was written 10 years ago?!¡±

    ¡°How do you know the letter was written 16 years ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi was now ruthlessly tearing into Bai Jinyi¡¯s every word. ¡°Can you prove it? It was only discovered 10 years ago, but you keep saying it was written 16 years ago. You¡¯re a physicist¡ªwhere¡¯s the logic in that? Are you stupid?¡±

    ¡°You clearly haven¡¯t done your research,¡± Bai Jinyi said dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t let your assumptions get the better of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi casually crossed her arms. ¡°Enlighten me, then.¡± She began tapping her foot.

    Her true motive was to bait Bai Jinyi into spilling the beans. Gu Nianzhi knew the likelihood of Bai Jinyi identally revealing something she shouldn¡¯t have increased with every word, as long as she kept her mouth running.

    If Bai Jinyi chose to remain silent, Gu Nianzhi would have a much harder time getting her to mess up.

    There was little to no chance of that, however; Gu Nianzhi had tailored her n ording to her understanding of Bai Jinyi¡¯s personality, which had proved to be right on target. Bai Jinyiunched into a furious tirade, unaware that she was being led around by the nose.

    ¡°16 years ago, there was an ident in my mentor¡¯sboratory. Song Jinning was the only survivor. Huo Guanyuan lost his life in the ident¡ªhe had been the military representative for the experiment. After his death, the military sent Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings back to his wife, Luo Xinxue, and that was when Luo Xinxue discovered the love letters between Huo Guanyuan and Song Jinning. She kept the letters a secret for six years, butmitted suicide ten years ago, when the shame and bitterness finally overwhelmed her. This is why the rest of us only learned of the love letters ten years ago. Guanchen was furious when he saw the letters, and decided he could no longer stand to be married to Song Jinning, who had cheated on him. So he... filed for divorce.¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s ount of all that had happened was brief butprehensive. She had even provided a few additional details Gu Nianzhi had not known about.

    Gu Nianzhi smirked inwardly; Bai Jinyi had jumped headlong into her trap. She spread her hands in an exaggerated disy of resignation. ¡°So it all boils down to one thing: General Huo divorced Madam Song because of that fake love letter. I don¡¯t see how you¡¯ve proven me wrong¡ªyou set up the whole thing by first volunteering to be Madam Song¡¯s psychotherapist, so that you would be able to spend more time with her husband, and then faked the love letter to make Madam Song out to be an unfaithful wife, tarnishing Huo Guanyuan¡¯s good name in the process. You wanted to marry your best friend¡¯s husband, so you neglected to find a cure for her condition, and forced her to live in a nightmare for 16 years. Physicist Bai, you killed two birds with one stone! Impressive! Still, as the saying goes, god¡¯s mill grinds slow but sure¡ªyou¡¯ve made your bed, and now you¡¯ll have to lie in it! Justice will prevail!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little speech triggered another uproar.

    All the guests present were shocked: had Bai Jinyi truly gone to such shameless lengths to steal Huo Guanchen?

    The methods she had used could be summed up in two words: ¡°dirty¡± and ¡°underhanded.¡±

    There was no other way to describe what Bai Jinyi had done. When her best friend had been gravely ill, Bai Jinyi had seized the opportunity to aggravate her condition and steal her husband.

    And this wasn¡¯t just a simple case of husband-stealing¡ªnot when it involved medical malpractice, abuse of power, attempted murder, and fabrication of evidence!

    Bai Yueran¡¯s expression darkened as soon as she heard what Gu Nianzhi had said. She looked disapprovingly at Bai Jinyi.

    She leaned over to Bai Jiancheng and whispered in his ear: ¡°Father, did you know about this?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not...¡± Bai Jiancheng was clearly annoyed. ¡°I told her to be honest with us the other day, but she said she had everything under control. And now her secrets are out in the open, exposed by aplete stranger...¡±

    As far as the Bai family knew, Bai Jinyi had taken an interest in Huo Guanchen after his divorce, not before, and the two of them had only officially gotten together six monthster.

    But if the real reason for Huo Guanchen¡¯s divorce was because Bai Jinyi had deliberately wrecked his marriage, well, that was utterly scandalous. Her reputation would never recover.

    Most of what Gu Nianzhi had said was little more than guesswork. She had publicly used Bai Jinyi of seducing her best friend¡¯s husband when she was supposed to be working in a professional capacity as her primary doctor, but she had done so only because she wanted to force Bai Jinyi into a corner. A cornered rat was more likely to spill the beans...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ploy worked: Bai Jinyi was now shaking with anger. She spat out: ¡°Lies! What do you mean, I was secretly in love with Huo Guanchen the whole time?! Stop making things up, this counts as character assassination!¡±

    ¡°You were secretly in love with General Huo, don¡¯t deny it. You¡¯ve been head over heels in love with him from the moment Madam Song introduced him to you, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Gu Nianzhi added, with deliberate emphasis, ¡°Everyone says there are three things you have to be wary of in life: fire, theft, and the person who ims to be your best friend, your soul sister. They were right! Everything you¡¯ve done, you did it solely to snatch General Huo away from his wife!¡±

    ¡°What are you bbering about now?¡± Bai Jinyi looked down at Gu Nianzhi from the stage, her expression frosty. ¡°Listen closely, youngdy: I was never secretly in love with Huo Guanchen. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, you were never secretly in love with him¡ªyou were openly in love with him!¡± Gu Nianzhi clucked her tongue disapprovingly. ¡°You were so open about it you¡¯re now getting engaged to him. Pah! I feel so sorry for Madam Song. What did she ever do, to end up with a backstabbing traitor like you for her best friend?¡±

    None of that was true: Song Jinning had told Gu Nianzhi that Bai Jinyi wasn¡¯t actually her best friend, and that the person Bai Jinyi was in love with wasn¡¯t Huo Guanchen, but Gu Nianzhi barged ahead with the usations anyway. It was part of her n.

    Gu Nianzhi had done some research on Bai Jinyi, and she knew that Bai Jinyi was exceedingly conceited: she was obsessed with her reputation, and was fixated with getting thestugh, even over the most insignificant detail.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s n was to drive her into a corner with baseless usations.

    Bai Jinyi fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. She was so riled up now she could no longer think straight. The looks of contempt on the faces of the guests fueled her anger, while the expression on her brothers¡¯ faces terrified her. She knew the reputation she had painstakingly built for herself over the years was about to be destroyed overnight, and the thought sent her over the edge. In a fit of panic, she blurted out: ¡°I was never in love with Huo Guanchen, either secretly or openly! The person I love has always been Huo Guanyuan! Don¡¯t you dare use me of things I didn¡¯t do!¡±

 Chapter 240 - Awkward

    <h4>Chapter 240: Awkward</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Bai Jinyi finished her sentence, and the noisy room suddenly became quiet, Everyone was stunned and froze in mid-action. Some were raising their sses in the middle of a toast, whispering in each others ears¨C but all turned around to gape at Bai Jinyin. She stood under the stage and was an emotional wreck, almost everyone thought they were hearing things.

    Bai Jinji instictively muffled her mouth and stepped back towards the rose wall. She stood behind Huo Guanchen and a lone voice chanted in her head, It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over... How could she have said that outloud?! This was the deepest secret in her heart and the darkest one too. She had kept it for the longest time. In this world, only she, Huo Guanyuan and Song Jinning knew of this secret. But he was already gone, and Song Jinning was mentally ill, forgetting all her memories of what happened after she turned 18. So Bai Jinyi was the only one to know this. She kept it deep inside her heart where it settled in and never disappeared for a whole 16 years. Perhaps she actually wanted this deep and intense feeling hidden inside her heart to be found out after all? That¡¯s why under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ceaseless duress and twisting of words, Bai Jinyi finally blurted out the secret. It was not only to clear up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usation, but also revenge against her brothers Bai Jiancheng and Bai Changhui for forcing her to get engaged with Huo Guanchen... Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t realize that the Bai family forced the engagement on Bai Jinyin, but she knew from a psychological aspect, humans were social animals that had an innate psychological need to interact with the same kind. If someone kept a secret for many years, their subconscious would develop a desire to confide in others. Just like how even a serial killer can¡¯t help but calling in anonymously to the police to give tips on the murders. Only someone who had undergone specialized training was capable of resisting inductive interrogation, for example the Special Ops training. For a normal person in face of well prepared inductive interrogation, almost no one was capable to holding back from blurting out the secret. Bai Jinyi¡¯s rebelliousness towards her brotherspounded to her desire to confide, so Gu Nianzhi¡¯s n went along better than expected. Gu Nianzhi had just unleashed a huge secret and toned down her aggressiveness. Her eyes were zed as she appeared as incredulous as everyone else. Truthfully speaking, no one would have even imagined Bai Jinyin¡¯s secret if Song Jinning hadn¡¯t miraculously awakened. No one would be smart enough to force this secret out from nothing. It¡¯s only when one knows the answer that they cany the perfect trap.

    Outside the Huo manor, Huo Shaoheng sat in in his bulletproof vehicle and watching the live footage through theptop screen. His lips curved as he whispered, ¡°Good girl.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Yes, the one I loved was Huo Guanyuan. I¡¯d loved him since the first day I¡¯d met him, for 20 years. I never stopped.¡± Bai Jinyi raised her chin and looked at her brother, Bai Jiancheng, with contempt andpletely disregarded Huo Guanchen beside her.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s heart sunk. She had been paying close attention to the events unfold and swore internally. She asked, ¡°Aunt, if the one you love is Huo Guanyuan, why are you getting engaged with Huo Guanchen. This isn¡¯t right.¡± It was a warning to Bai Jinyi to take responsibility for her own actions. There was no way the Bai¡¯s were letting her shift the me to them.

    Gu Nianzhi loathed to see the Bai family emerge scathless once again, so she immediately asked in her honeyed voice, ¡°Really now? And why¡¯s that? If Physicist Bai has loved General Huo¡¯s older brother all this time, then why did you stay together with General Huo for ten years? Hehehehe, you just said that you¡¯ve always loved Huo Guanyuan, but you turned your sights to his younger brother as soon as he died. If Huo Guanyuan was to know if this in heaven, how awkward would that be! So, I don¡¯t believe a word that you¡¯re saying, I suggest you stop lying and stop trying to change the subject.¡±

    ¡°Oh, as if I care whether or not I believe you!¡± Bai Jinyi sneered as she nced at the red faced Huo Guanchen besides her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t with him willingly.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Not willingly? Could you have been forced?¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly turned the attention to the entire Bai family.

    As expected, Bai Jinyi looked at Bai Jiancheng and Bai Changhui under the stage. ¡°Brothers, you forced me to marry into the Huo family. I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t do that.¡± Her heart went cold when caught a clear glimpse of Bai Jiancheng¡¯s face. No, she could allow her brother to discard her now¡ªso she decided to take a gamble and drag the entire Bai family down with her. She knew what her brother was like: he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to abandon her for the greater good of the family.

    Bai Jiancheng¡¯s face remained impassive as he looked at Bai Jinyi under the rose wall. He folded his hands behind his back and exhaled sharply and deeply before turning around to bow at Grandfather Huo, ¡°Grandfather Huo, this is the misfortune of the Bai family. I apologize for causing you all this trouble. Our family will answer to this for you.¡± Bai Changhui¡¯s appeared solemn as he stood besides Bai Jiancheng and gave Bai Jinyi a disappointed look. ¡°Jinyi, we¡¯ve humiliated ourselves enough for today. Stop now and let¡¯s go home. As for your Elder Brother and I forcing your marriage... Well, I didn¡¯t really want to say anything unkind. You have to understand that you¡¯re no longer young and can¡¯t have children anymore. What good for the Bai family woulde out of us forcing a marriage? We don¡¯t even interfere in the personal affairs of our children and grandchildren, let alone your¡¯s. Ask Yueran and Shuang, ask if we¡¯ve ever asked them to get married for family interests?!¡±

    Bai Jinyi red at Bai Changhui, so furious she was couldn¡¯t say a word. She was only trying to protect herself, but now the brother she was closest with was already quickly abandoning her! She could argue with Gu Nianzhi, but betrayal from her own family made the deepest cut.

    ¡°General Huo, we apologize for today. I didn¡¯t know that my younger sister gave your family so much trouble, and we are very sorry. This is our family¡¯s fault and we owe you for it. Once we take her home, we¡¯ll teach her a lesson and have here apologize to you.¡± Bai Changhui apologized sincerely to Huo Guanchen, who was still standing next to Bai Jinyi.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face was stony as he kept staring intently at Song Jinning, who was next to Gu Nianzhi. Hepletely ignored Bai Changhui, but Bai Changhui didn¡¯t mind. Their family had embarrassed Huo Guanchen, so it was natural that he was angry with them. Bai Changhui didn¡¯t me him at all.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to make things easier for Huo Shaoheng by taking the opportunity to drag the entire Bai family into the mud. She never thought the Bai¡¯s would be so powerful and could escape once again. Just like how the Bai family wasn¡¯t seriously affected when the second son, Bai Yusheng, had betrayed the nation, Bai Jinyi¡¯s romantic affairs would be even less of a threat to the family. Gu Nianzhi mused for a moment before looking at Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning nodded at her. Gu Nianzhi understood and called out, ¡°Wait a second.¡± She looked at Bai Changhui. ¡°Mr. Bai, are you going to take Physicist Bai away now?

    ¡°Yes. We are very sorry for what happened today...¡± Bai Changhui gave a pained look. ¡°It¡¯s because we didn¡¯t raise her properly.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Bai, so you are going to sentence yourselves and sweep this under the rug?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked as she instantly revealed Bai Changhui¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°Well, we can double the punishment if it¡¯s not satisfactory. Besides, this matter is entirely the private affairs between Jinyi and Guanchen. It¡¯s not necessary for nosy outsiders to call for justice.¡± Bai Changhui covertly jabbed at Gu Nianzhi, implying that she was meddling.

    Gu Nianzhi raised a delicate finger and tapped her right cheek, ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m certainly an outsider. Well then, I¡¯ll have an insider in this situation talk to you then. Huo Jin, get over here. Ask your dear Aunt Bai why she had loved your father all this time, but had told you that your mother was forced tomit suicide by Mrs. Song. I don¡¯t understand the logic. Mr. Bai said I shouldn¡¯t be nosy, but you are the daughter of one of the parties, so you have the right to call for justice, right?¡±

    Everyone looked to Huo Jin, who stood not far from Gu Nianzhi. She waspletely speechless, her eyes unfocused as she clenched her hands at her chest, trembling so hard she was about to fall over. Huo Jin was barely able to stand up, let alone speak. Two of the Huo family servants rushed over to support her.

    Gu Nianzhi waved at her face, ¡°Hello? Can you hear me?¡± Could it be the shock was too much and she went crazy? Just from this? Gu Nianzhi looked at her again and sent a regretful look at Song Jinning.

    Huo Jian was normally so haughty and arrogant at home, but waspletely useless and now pretended she couldn¡¯t speak at such a critical moment. This was all too strange. A thought crossed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind. Song Jinning coughed and walked up a few steps to stop right in front of Bai Jinyi, who was about to get off the stage, Raising her listless eyes, Bai Jinyi scanned over Song Jinning¡¯s indescribably beautiful face and froze.

    ¡°You, you, you...¡± She pointed at Song Jinning and stuttered, ¡°You, you, you... a-a-are...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Song Jinning. The ex-wife of your fiance.¡± Song Jinning replied dryly. Although she was grieving in her heart, she would never disy an ounce of pain in front of these people, ¡°Bai Jinyi, don¡¯t be so quick to leave. You have to answer for all the things you¡¯ve done for the past 16 years.¡±

    ¡°Who is she?¡±

    ¡°Who is she?¡±

    ¡°Song Jinning? This name sounds familiar.¡±

    ¡°Song Jinning?! That¡¯s General Ji¡¯s ex-wife! Didn¡¯t they say she was mentally ill and had lost all her memories?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s actually her!¡±

    ¡°She woke up?!¡±

    General Ji and Speaker Long had been sitting in a quiet corner and observing the situation. They both stood up and walked toward the living room solemnly.

 Chapter 241 - Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 241: Confrontation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes almost shot out of their sockets.

    This was not the mentallypromised Song Jinning she had observed in thest 16 years. She... she looked and sounded entirely normal!

    How was that possible?!

    Bai Jinyi stared at Song Jinning, unable to hide the suspicion in her eyes. She asked tentatively, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jinning? Is your mental condition acting up again?¡±

    ¡°You failed to cure me in thest 16 years, but someone else was able to do it.¡± Song Jinning smiled gracefully. Now that the women were standing face-to-face, the difference in their looks could not be more obvious: Song Jinning could have passed for Bai Jinyi¡¯s daughter.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s face darkened. She immediately said, ¡°Who was it? Who tried to cure you without the consent of the military and the Ministry of Science and Technology?! That¡¯s illegal!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Physicist Bai. How manyws have you broken so far?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over to Song JInning and slid a hand around her arm. Together, arm-in-arm, the two women stared Bai Jinyi down. ¡°The court summons will be sent to your home address after the new year holidays. Please make sure you¡¯ll be around to sign for it¡ªif you¡¯re not, we may have to put out an arrest warrant and start a nationwide manhunt for you, and that would be really embarrassing for the Bai family, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply was perfect: not only did it serve to remind Bai Jinyi that she was the one on trial here, not the mysterious doctor who had cured Song Jinning, it also sent a message to the other members of the Bai family in the audience, warning them not to try to cover for Bai Jinyi...

    Bai Yueran blinked. She looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise, as though seeing her for the first time.

    Bai Jiancheng and Bai Changhui, who were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, saw that General Ji and Chairman Long had joined the crowd. Their faces darkened.

    ¡°Whatw did I break?¡± Bai Jinyi returned to her senses. She red balefully at Gu Nianzhi: the youngdy had embarrassed her in front of so many guests, and Bai Jinyi hated her guts for it. ¡°Don¡¯t use me of things I haven¡¯t done.¡±

    ¡°I only make usations when I have evidence at hand.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged nonchntly, before resuming her assault on Bai Jinyi¡¯s self-confidence: ¡°Physicist Bai, you should have resigned from your position as Madam Song¡¯s psychiatrist when you officially began dating General Huo 10 years ago. It was a conflict of interest, and you should have stepped down, if only just to avoid potential gossip. But you didn¡¯t, and you abused your position. You neglected your patient for 16 years, even though there was an easy cure for her condition. From that point onwards, you¡¯ve broken at least two differentws¡ªyou¡¯ve vited the code of professional conduct for psychiatrists, and also the military¡¯s rule against the abuse of power when performing official duties. You should have known better, but you did it anyway. Why? If you didn¡¯t do it for General Huo, then what was your purpose?¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She clenched her fists, feeling the sweat on her palms, and bit on her lower lip, almost drawing blood.

    Song Jinning looked at Bai Jinyi with perfect indifference. When she spoke, her voice, too, was entirely impassive, showing no signs of emotion. ¡°Bai Jinyi, since you already admit that you love Huo Guanyuan, let¡¯s talk about what happened back then. I¡¯m sure you still remember how you used to beg me to y Cupid between you and Huo Guanyuan. He got married, but that wasn¡¯t enough to deter you¡ªinstead, you continued to ask me to help set him up with you. I refused to do it. Did you begin to hate me because of that? I can¡¯t think of any other reason for you to treat me this way.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I remember that, all right. I also remember how you used me as an excuse to get close to Huo Guanyuan and seduce him. You made him fall head over heels for you...¡± Bai Jinyi¡¯s face contorted into a vicious smile. ¡°My dear Madam Song, did you know? Your brother-inw, your husband¡¯s older brother, was so in love with you he called your name in his sleep!¡±

    Song Jinning was thoroughly disgusted. She said sharply, ¡°You have no shame! How dare you lie through your teeth and drag Huo Guanyuan¡¯s name through the mud, just because he¡¯s dead and can no longer speak for himself!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed inwardly: Bai Jinyi was already baring her fangs and ws, but Song Jinning was just too much of ady to get into a proper catfight. She gave Song Jinning¡¯s arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze, before turning to say calmly to Bai Jinyi: ¡°Physicist Bai, please refrain from presenting your opinions as fact. You have zero factual evidence to back up your ims, which means they are, legally, nothing more than mere spection. To put it in psychological terms, you are confusing your deepest fantasies with reality. Your obsession with Huo Guanyuan has severely impaired your ability to think rationally¡ªyou take your fanciful imagination to be objective reality, and are now trying to impose your assumptions on everyone else...¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could finish her speech, Bai Changhui suddenly walked over and said, ¡°I see, so my poor sister is actually suffering from a mental disorder. Oh, how terrible! I didn¡¯t know... Jinyi, I shouldn¡¯t have med you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi arched an eyebrow. She knew what Bai Changhui was up to: he was trying to use the ¡°mentally ill¡± card to absolve Bai Jinyi of her crimes!

    Gu Nianzhi would sooner eat her hat than let Bai Changhui use such a flimsy excuse to take Bai Jinyi away. She was training to be a futurewyer¡ªif she couldn¡¯t stop him now, when all he had was ame ¡°she didn¡¯t know what she was doing¡± excuse, she was obviously unsuited for a career inw.

    She shook her head. ¡°Mr. Bai, I don¡¯t believe she¡¯s mentally ill. Please don¡¯t try to change the subject and bail Physicist Bai out of this.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who said my sister is mentally ill? How I am trying to change the subject?¡± Bai Changhui turned to look at Gu Nianzhi with cool, impassive eyes.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say she was mentally ill. I find it shocking that you, Mr. Bai, the deputy secretary-general of the Secretariat, could have misinterpreted my words in such an egregious manner. Your concern for your sister must have addled your brain¡ªit¡¯s entirely understandable.¡± Gu Nianzhi had actually wanted to say that Bai Changhui was an ipetent, unqualified fool who had only gotten his job because of his family¡¯s connections, but changed her mind just in time.

    Bai Changhui was not the type to take offense at petty insults. He simply nodded, and said: ¡°Well, you seem to be very knowledgeable about mental disorders, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°We should leave the definition and diagnostic criteria for mental disorders to the professionals,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied without missing a beat. ¡°But I don¡¯t believe Physicist Bai is mentally ill. Her symptoms point to another disease.¡±

    ¡°What disease?¡±

    ¡°Incurable stupidity. Or maybe she¡¯s just a thirsty flirt.¡±

    Pfffft¡ª!

    The room burst into raucousughter. Even General Ji and Chairman Long, who had walked over to join the crowd, could not help quirking their lips into a smile.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Bai Changhui fumed, purple with rage. ¡°I¡¯ll sue you for defamation, see if I don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°You want to sue me for defamation? Take a number, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to wait your turn. Madam Song and Huo Guanyuan¡¯s family should be suing Physicist Bai for defamation a hundred times over, after what she said just now!¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands in an exaggerated disy of resignation, before adding: ¡°You say that Physicist Bai is mentally ill, but she was able to destroy Madam Song¡¯s marriage and steal her husband, General Huo, culminating in the engagement ceremony today. If this is supposed to be a mental disorder, I¡¯ve never heard of anything like it.¡± She turned to look at the guests. ¡°Have any of you ever seen such a high-functioning mentally ill patient?¡±

    No one answered her, but the looks on everyone¡¯s faces spoke volumes.

    It was entirely usible that Bai Jinyi had been so hopelessly in love she had lost her head and resorted to dirty tricks to get her man.

    But to im that she had been mentally ill the whole time? That was a huge stretch. The very suggestion offended the guests¡ªdid the Bai family take everyone present for a fool? Surely the Huo family would take this as an insult to their intelligence?

    Song Jinning looked at Bai Jinyi coldly. Her tone was contemptuous when she said: ¡°You keep making baseless usations about me and Huo Guanyuan. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised: you¡¯ve always been the type to lie and make things up to suit your purposes. How many times did you falsify your experimental data when you tried to submit your research paper? The US scientific journal, Physical Review Letters, rejected your paper, and I had to work through many sleepless nights just to help you redo the experiment. I was the one who made sure you got the correct results; you would never have been able to publish your paper without me. Have you forgotten all that?¡±

    ¡°This is why we should always think twice before helping someone who take us for granted¡ªthe moment we stop helping them, they forget we have no obligation to help them and begin to resent us instead.¡± Gu Nianzhi could not resist giving the moral of the story. ¡°Physicist Bai is evidently a petty, small-minded woman. She knew she could neverpare with Madam Song, so when Madam Song fell ill, Physicist Bai immediately seized the opportunity to gain control over her and kick her when she was already down.¡±

    The reputation Bai Jinyi had painstakingly built over the years in academia¡ªwhat she considered to be her proudest achievement in life¡ªwas thus ruthlessly ripped into inconsequential pieces by Song Jinning.

    Bai Jinyi clutched at her chest; her heart seemed to be wing its way up her throat. ¡°Lies! You¡¯re making it all up! I¡¯m going to sue you! Just you wait!¡±

    ¡°The original rejection letter and the peer review letter pointing out the problems in your paper are gone now¡ªthey were inside theboratory building when the explosion happened. But don¡¯t forget: PRL still has the original copies, and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be d to corroborate what I¡¯ve just said. I still remember the journal number and the date of publication,¡± said Song Jinning, with a delicate arch of her eyebrow. Bai Jinyi felt as though she had been punched in the gut.

    ¡°Bai Jinyi, you can¡¯t go around sullying Huo Guanyuan¡¯s reputation just because he wasn¡¯t in love with you. He¡¯s a hero who lost his life while carrying out his duty to his country. If you keep this up, don¡¯t expect either the Huo family or the military to let you off easy.¡± Song Jinning¡¯s soft-spoken warning was effective: Bai Jinyi found herself cornered, at a loss as to how to react.

    It did not really matter who Huo Guanyuan had been in love with; there was no way to prove it now that he was dead, and more importantly, it had nothing to do with Bai Jinyi¡¯s crimes.

    Song Jinning found the entire situation distasteful. It wasn¡¯t right for Huo Guanyuan to be tried in absentia; every time someone spoke of his alleged ¡°affair¡± with Song Jinning, it was another act of vandalism on the brave soldier¡¯s reputation.

    ¡°She¡¯s right, the Empire believes in the presumption of innocence, at least until proven guilty. Physicist Bai, if you believe that Huo Guanyuan had an affair with Madam Song, you¡¯ll have to back it up with direct, objective evidence. Your imagination doesn¡¯t count, and you shouldn¡¯t drag everyone here to your level, just because you have a filthy mind,¡± Gu Nianzhi argued eloquently. ¡°As for those so-called ¡®love letters,¡¯ well, let me be blunt with you: I don¡¯t see how you can tell who they were meant for. Mr. Huo never addressed them to anyone. Why do you keep insisting that they were intended for Madam Song?¡±

    Truth be told, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t care less who Huo Guanyuan had actually been in love with. She knew, however, that it was a dirty, underhanded tactic to use two people who could not defend themselves of having an affair, on the basis of old letters that could have been addressed to anyone.

    She wasn¡¯t about to let them get away with it.

    Bai Jinyi was momentarily speechless. She turned to Huo Guanchen for help, but he was staring at Song Jinning, seemingly lost in thought. Her heart constricted with jealousy and resentment; she pulled him over and jabbed a finger at Song Jinning as she said: ¡°Tell them, Guanchen. Tell them why those letters angered you, and why you immediately filed for divorce. They keep saying it¡¯s my fault, but what did I have to do with it? Jin was the one who exposed the letters, and you were the one who filed for divorce. I only got together with you after your divorce, I¡¯m innocent...¡±

    ¡°Physicist Bai, how can you be so shameless?¡± Gu Nianzhi put on an exaggerated expression of disbelief. ¡°You just said that the love of your life is Huo Guanyuan. You said that you¡¯ve never loved anyone else, and will never fall in love with another¡ªso why are you trying to use his younger brother to prove your innocence now? Answer me this: do you honestly im to be entirely innocent? Are you telling me you¡¯ve done nothing wrong, at all?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was still looking at Song Jinning, his lips pressed together into a straight line. His expression was stern, but he said nothing.

    Song Jinning did not look at Huo Guanchen. Instead, she immediately pounced on what Bai Jinyi had said. ¡°Hah! You had nothing to do with it? You¡¯repletely innocent? Fine, let¡¯s break it down: so Jin exposed those letters, but you took advantage of my condition and forced me to write one of those letters against my will. And besides, how did Jin get ahold of those letters, anyway? Huo Guanchen was the one who filed for divorce, yes, but if it weren¡¯t for those letters the thought of divorcing me would never have crossed his mind. Do you take me for a fool? This is no longer a question of your moral character, but of your intelligence, which appears to be sorelycking.¡±

 Chapter 242 - Ex-Husband, Not Husband

    <h4>Chapter 242: Ex-Husband, Not Husband</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Song Jinning was aware that the letter she wrote herself, ¡°Locking our tear filled eyes, regretting not meeting you before bing betrothed,¡± was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s face burned with humiliation, but luckily it wasn¡¯t too visible because her skin was darker and had been thered with thick foundation, concealer and blush. Against Song Jinning¡¯s unexpected strikes, Bai Jinyi instinctively stepped back. Right now, she had no idea how much Song Jinning knew or to what extent the Bai family would help her... She could only insist one thing, ¡°What letter? What are you talking about? Don¡¯t shift the me! ¨CIf you¡¯re talking about the letter you wrote to Huo Guanyuan, then I can tell you that the Ministry of Justice and the military had handwriting experts identify the writing is yours. How do you exin that? Are you saying that the Ministry of Justice and the military are faking it too?¡±

    ¡°Physicist Bai, we are talking about you. Why are you dragging other people into it?¡± Gu Nianzhi interrupted Song Jinning and Bai Jinyi¡¯s confrontation. She was afraid that Song Jinning would say too much in her anger and let the Bai¡¯s know about their trump card. It wouldn¡¯t be good if they are prepare with a counterattack.

    ¡°Of course we believe the handwriting experts from the Ministry of Justice and the military. There is no doubt to the authenticity of that letter. ¨CYou think they¡¯re like you, a big faker?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the faker!¡± Bai Jinyi wanted nothing more put to rip her throat out. She hadbored for so many years and certainly had her own achievements. Gu Nianzhi was making it sound like all her sesses in life were fabricated and was so aggrieved she wanted to cry.

    ¡°I already said that the Huo family¡¯s affairs have nothing to do with me!¡± She turned to look at Huo Guanchen and wanted nothing before but to take her ring off and lob it at Song Jinning¡¯s dazed face. However as soon as she looked up, she saw Bai Yueran standing behind Huo Guanchen. Bai Yueran had been quiet all this time and appeared calm. However she subtly shook her head when she saw Bai Jinyin motion to take the ring off. Bai Jinyi¡¯s hand paused and her brain spun for a long time before she finally gave up taking it off. Instead, she rubbed it between her fingers. She looked at Huo Guanchen and spoke gently, ¡°Guanchen, everything that happened today was my fault, I embarrassed you. I said all those things because I was angry. You¡¯re the one who understands me the most and know why I started a rtionship with you. I never hid my feelings about your older brother from you. All these years you¡¯ve treated me well, and I know that. But people change¨CI changed and you changed. If I tell you that I¡¯ve already forgotten your older brother a long time ago, and that you¡¯re the only one in my heart, would you forgive me? The past ten years time had proven that we¡¯re the perfect match for each other.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched as she listened and she could already feel Song Jinning¡¯s elbow tremble slightly. She sighed internally, Song Jinning must be feeling horrible right now? ¡°Physicist Bai, can you say these faker than fake mushy words to General Huo behind closed doors? You have to consider the fragile souls of all of us here... Looking at your old and wrinkly y out an idol drama makes us all want to puke!¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her eyes like she couldn¡¯t stand watching anymore.

    Bai Jinyi originally wanted to use these honeyed words to touch Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart, because she knew exactly what his sore spot and weakness was... As long as she had him firmly by her side, even ten Song Jinning¡¯s would be no match for her. But with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interjection, she couldn¡¯t swallow her pride and continue to ¡°confess her love.¡± She red at Gu Nianzhi and sneered, ¡°Today was Guanchen¡¯s and my engagement ceremony and you two showed up to make a mess of things. Now you¡¯re saying it¡¯s my fault? That¡¯s the world¡¯s greatest joke.¡±

    ¡°Bai Jinyi, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m certainly not here to mess things up.¡± Song Jinning was slightly pale, but her voice held steady, ¡°I¡¯ve been divorced with Huo Guanchen for ten years and although I have no memory or feelings about it, it¡¯s a fact that it happened. All legal processes werepleted and I recognize that.¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes shes with smugness, and her visage visibly rxed, ¡°Good that you know it. How can the newe without the old leaving? Don¡¯t get hung up, with your looks, it won¡¯t be hard for you to remarry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my personal business, no need for you to worry about it.¡± Of course, Song Jinning wasn¡¯t here to catch up with Bai Jinyi, ¡°The divorce is one matter, but you ndering my reputation to make me get divorced is a injustice that I demand be corrected.¡± Song Jinning spoke as she finally looked at Huo Guanchen for the first time.

    The corners of Huo Guanchen¡¯s mouth twitched fiercely, but he remained silent and only stared nkly at Song Jinning. Time seemed to have froze for this woman for the past 16 years, her face was even more beautiful than 16 years ago. She was so beautiful it made people speechless.

    ¡°Huo Guanchen, I¡¯ll make it clear now. Whether it was in the past, present or future, I never have and never will betray my husband. Not only did I not physically cheat, but I¡¯ve never even had any man aside from my husband in my heart.¡± Song Jinning spoke inly and her misty eyes shimmered with tears, making her extraordinarily beautiful. Huo Guanchen was cast under her spell and couldn¡¯t help walking towards her.

    Bai Jinyi gathered her wits and knew there was no way she would let Huo Guanchen go. She hastily grabbed him and spat at Song Jinning, ¡°And you just said you aren¡¯t here to mess things up?! You¡¯re confessing to my fiance at our engagement ceremony, am I a dead person to you?!¡±

    ¡°Well didn¡¯t you treat Mrs. Song as a dead person back then? You sauntered into their home with treating Mrs. Song as an excuse, then secretly seduced her husband. Why can¡¯t she even speak now? Looks like it¡¯s typical Bai family behaviour¨Ctotal hypocrisy...¡± Gu Nianzhi jabbed at Bai Jinyi with displeasure.

    Song Jinning also raised her slim, curved brows, ¡°Which part of that was confessing to your fiance? Tell me, we have all these people here present after all.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re still denying it?¡± Bai Jinyi repeated Song Jinning¡¯s words with a sneer, ¡°¡®Whether it was in the past, present or future, I never have and never will betray my husband. Not only did I not physically cheat, but I¡¯ve never even had any man aside from my husband in my heart,¡¯ Is this not a confession to my fiance?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled on the side, her sweet voice melodious to the ear. She cocked her head to smooth her hair and said to Bai Jinyi, ¡°Physicist Bai, can¡¯t you understand words? Mrs. Song made it clear, whether it be the past, present or future, her loyalty is only reserved for the man that is her husband. ¨CMay I ask, is your fiance her husband?¡±

    ¡°Well isn¡¯t he?!¡± The words slipped out before Bai Jinyi realized she fell into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap again.

    ¡°Hehe, if you know that your fiance is still Mrs. Song¡¯s husband and you still went on to get engaged with him, then aren¡¯t you tantly a mistress that broke up a military marriage?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp tongue interrupted her words, ¡°Look carefully, your fiance is Mrs. Song¡¯s ex-husband, ex-husband! ¨CDo you know how to write the words, ex-husband? And Mrs. Song¡¯s virtue is only reserved for her husband. As for ex-husband...¡± She didn¡¯t look at Huo Guanchen and smiled, ¡°...There¡¯s no need for Physicist Bai to make things any easier for Mrs. Song.¡±

    ¡°Silence! What right do you have to interrupt when your elders are speaking? You insolent child.¡± Bai Changhui couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and defended Bai Jinyi. Out of everyone in the Bai family, Bai Changhui was the closest with Bai Jinyi.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and shrunk back behind Song Jinning. Song Jinning gave her hand a pat and icily turned to Bai Changhui, ¡°Mr. Bai here, Miss Gu is my legal representative, her words are my words.¡±

    Both Bai Jinyin and Bai Changhui exchanged a look, they could sense that this was going to be tricky. ¡°Song Jinning, these are private matters between you and I. We can find time to deal with it privately, you¡¯re making everyone ufortable here. Even if you don¡¯t intend on getting back together with Guanchen, everyone will think otherwise.¡± Bai Jinyi rolled her eyes as she shoved the words back into Song Jinning¡¯s mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi certainly wouldn¡¯t stand to see Song Jinning suffer in silence, so she immediately shot back, ¡°Physicist Bai, you¡¯re mistaken. It¡¯s obvious to everyone that Mrs. Song has no intention of getting back together, you¡¯re the only one paranoid about it. That¡¯s understandable, given that you know that she¡¯s miles ahead of you. I¡¯m d that you know a bit about your own limitations, you¡¯re not so hopeless after all.¡±

    ¡°You¨C!¡± Bai Jinyi had been repeated provoked by Gu Nianzhi and her blood vessels were about to pop.

    ¡°Today we¡¯re not here for your fiance, nor are we asking to get back together. Don¡¯t overthink it. ¨CWe¡¯re here because there is a matter of life or death.¡±

    Song Jinning cooly nced at her, then shifted her gaze to Huo Jin, who was being propped up by the Huo family servants. Her voice was icy, ¡°Come here, Jin. I have something to ask you.¡±

    Huo Jin shuddered and appeared unwilling as she turned her head in refusal. She didn¡¯t even want to look at Song Jinning.

    ¡°Huo Jin, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you loathe the woman who force your mother tomit suicide? Now that truth is out and you hated the wrong person, why aren¡¯t you apologizing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to rip through Huo Jin¡¯s meek pretense, ¡°You hated Mrs. Song for ten years and abused her for ten years. I really respect you as a filial daughter and won¡¯t say anything if you did it all out of revenge for your mother. After all, you were fooled by Physicist Bai and thought your mother died because of Mrs. Song. But now Physicist Bai has confessed that she lusted after your father, and was the one who caused your mother¡¯s death. Howe you¡¯re not even a little disgusted by her? That¡¯s strange, are you really a filial daughter? You tortured Mrs. Song for so many years, was it really to avenge your mother?¡±

    ¡°Of course it was for my mother!¡± Huo Jin was getting flustered by Gu Nianzhi, ¡°How did I abuse her? She ate well and lived well...¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Gu Nianzhi cut her off coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t make me reveal all the things you¡¯ve done the past years. All the Huo family servants are still alive and the small suite on the third floor that Mrs. Song lived in is still untouched. Think again if you want to muddle the truth right in my face.¡±

 Chapter 243 - Pulling the Net in

    <h4>Chapter 243: Pulling the Net in</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Truth be told, although Huo Jin had been negligent in her duty and had intentionally dyed Song Jinning¡¯s treatment, it was a massive exaggeration to call it ¡°abuse.¡±

    But Gu Nianzhi was gunning for maximum dramatic effect, and had therefore deliberately phrased it to make it sound like Huo Jin had been abusing Song Jinning.

    Huo Jin¡¯s gaze swept across the living room, taking in the shocked expressions on some of the guests. She grew nervous, and dropped her soft-spoken, demure ¡°I¡¯m a victim¡± act in her panic. She said loudly, ¡°How did I abuse her? Spit it out, right now! I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. You¡¯re not the one on trial today, we¡¯ll deal with your messter.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved Huo Jin away disdainfully, as though she were an annoying fly.

    Huo Jin was so angry she saw white. The color immediately drained from her face. Even her lips, usually a pretty cherry red, had turned gray; she looked increasingly pitiful with each passing minute.

    Song Jinning smiled as she gently patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, before turning to look Huo Jin in the eye. ¡°I¡¯ll let bygones be bygones; I can overlook the way you treated me. Those letters, however, are a different matter. Jin, where did those letterse from? Did you really get them from your mother? Don¡¯t you want to get to the bottom of your mother¡¯s death?¡±

    Huo Jin calmed down. She gave Song Jinning an odd look as she said in a low voice: ¡°Madam Song, my mother killed herself because of you, and that¡¯s a fact. Don¡¯t bother trying to prove otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Song Jinning looked at her calmly. ¡°Jin, I will ask you one more time: those letters, where did you get them?¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Huo Jin rolled her eyes. ¡°They were from my mother, of course.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately asked: ¡°When did you discover them? Do you remember the exact moment?¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember. It¡¯s been 10 years, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.¡± Huo Jin grew agitated in her anger. ¡°I had just returned home from school. I went to my mother¡¯s room to talk to her. But when I opened the door, there she was, lying on the bed, stiff as a cardboard. Her body was already cold, and beside her hand were those disgusting love letters! Tell me, why would my mother choose to kill herself, if it wasn¡¯t because this harlot here seduced my father?!¡±

    Huo Jin extended a hand and pointed an using finger in Song Jinning¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed her arm away. She calmly said: ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you found the letters right after your mother died.¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°And you exposed them, right away?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Why should I cover for Song Jinning? She made her bed, so she has to lie in it. So what if she was mentally impaired? She still has to face the consequences. It¡¯s a good thing my uncle is an intelligent man. He saw the truth, and immediately filed for divorce.¡± Huo Jin spoke eloquently; she had recollected herself, and was back to her usual haughty self.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She had been waiting for Huo Jin to let her guard down and start talking. It would have been a lot more difficult for Gu Nianzhi to find the holes in her story had Huo Jin decided to remain silent as part of her ¡°I¡¯m too delicate for this¡± act.

    She calmly asked: ¡°Did you mother ever tell you about the letters when she was alive?¡±

    Huo Jin hesitated for a moment. Her eyshes flickered uncertainly, and her gaze began to drift.

    ¡°Please answer the question: when your mother was alive, did she mention the letters to you? You just have to answer yes or no.¡± Gu Nianzhi repeated her question patiently; she was determined to get some answers, and she would repeat her question a thousand times if necessary.

    Huo Jin was silent for a long moment. She decided it was better to be honest. ¡°...No.¡±

    She did not dare say ¡°yes¡±¡ªshe had a feeling Gu Nianzhi would follow up with all sorts of bizarre questions to corner her.

    ¡°Did your mother leave a suicide note, then? You just have to answer yes or no.¡± Gu Nianzhi was now acting like awyer questioning the used in court.

    Huo Jin did not realize she was being led around by the nose. She hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange. So your mother never mentioned the love letters to you when she was alive, and she didn¡¯t leave a suicide note exining the letters, either. How, then, did youe to the conclusion that your mother left the letters for you to find? Or that they were the cause of her suicide in the first ce?¡± Gu Nianzhi neatly cleaved apart the connection between the scandalous love letters and Luo Xinxue¡¯s suicide.

    Huo Jin stared at Gu Nianzhi. She was feeling a little light-headed from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clever twists and turns.

    The letters were obviously the cause of her mother¡¯s death¡ªthey had been right next to her mother¡¯s lifeless hand!

    But Gu Nianzhi made it sound like the letters werepletely irrelevant. How was that possible?!

    What was going on?!

    Bai Jinyi had been watching from the sidelines. She stepped forward to back Huo Jin up. ¡°I don¡¯t me you all for not knowing this, but Jin¡¯s mother Xinxue was a very kind woman. For the sake of Song Jinning¡¯s reputation, she decided not to expose the affair, even though Huo Guanyuan was no longer around. She suffered silently under the weight of her secret for six years. In the end, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore andmitted suicide. She was an honorable woman¡ªshe never so much as breathed a word about the love letters when she was alive.

    ¡°...Jin decided to expose the letters because she lost too much. You would have to be very selfish and vicious to me her for that. You keep talking about how you were wronged, but what about her parents?! They lost their lives!¡±

    Bai Jinyi had a point.

    Several people in the audience had begun to nod in agreement. Bai Jinyi¡¯s exnation made sense: it exined why Luo Xinxue had concealed the love letters for six years, andmitted suicide without telling anyone about them.

    Gu Nianzhi waited patiently. When the murmurs in the living room died away and the guests fell silent again, she said, in a loud voice, ¡°That¡¯s one way to interpret it. Your exnation is far-fetched, however, and riddled with holes.¡±

    ¡°How is it far-fetched? Or riddled with holes?¡± Huo Jin had moved to stand next to Bai Jinyi without realizing it herself. ¡°This is obviously the only exnation. I know you want to get in my Cousin Brother¡¯s good books, but you shouldn¡¯t y yes-man and agree with everything his mother says just because of that.¡±

    ¡°Projecting, much? You didn¡¯t even try to get to the bottom of your mother¡¯s death. Instead, you immediately began sucking up to an outsider, while abusing your own family,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied coldly. Huo Jin immediately wished she hadn¡¯t mentioned Huo Shaoheng; Gu Nianzhi was all the more ruthless when she saw his reputation was at stake.

    ¡°I¡¯m aw student, Huo Jin. I stand firmly on the side of thew.¡±

    Bai Jinyi put an arm around Huo Jin¡¯s shoulders in a disy of concern and solidarity. She rebuked Gu Nianzhi by saying: ¡°Well, here¡¯s what I have to say, and I¡¯d say it even if we were standing in court right now: Jin¡¯s mother killed herself because of those love letters. Shemitted suicide because the letters were too much for her to take!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wagged a finger. ¡°That makes no sense, Physicist Bai. Huo Guanyuan¡¯s wife, Luo Xinxue, did notmit suicide when she heard that her husband had been killed in theboratory ident. She did not kill herself after reading the love letters her husband sent to another woman. Instead, she waited for six years before finallymitting suicide... Why? What was she waiting for?¡±

    Bai Jinyi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Besides, as Huo Jin said, Luo Xinxue kept those letters a secret. Up until the day she took her own life, no one had known about the letters¡ªnot even her one and only daughter. How do you know Luo Xinxue first saw the letters 16 years ago? Did she tell you about the letters?¡±

    Bai Jinyi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Physicist Bai, how do you know Luo Xinxue got those letters 16 years ago?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a logical deduction. Since the letters belonged to Huo Guanyuan, they should have been handed over to his wife when he died 16 years ago, so...¡± Bai Jinyi trailed off uncertainly.

    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s all conjecture. You have no evidence to support your im.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned and looked at the guests in the living room, one by one. ¡°Well, two can y that game. Here¡¯s my theory: Luo Xinxue did not receive the letters 16 years ago, when her husband died. Instead, someone intentionally showed her the letters 10 years ago, which led to her suicide. It¡¯s also possible the letters were nted on her bed after her death. So who gave her the letters? Why does this mystery person have Huo Guanyuan and Song Jinning¡¯s private, handwritten letters in their possession? Who could have discovered those letters, and which one of us would have benefitted from having them exposed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked directly at Bai Jinyi. The meaning behind her steady gaze was clear to everyone in the room¡ªit was as though she had pointed a finger in Bai Jinyi¡¯s face and yelled: ¡°It was you, it was you, it was you!¡±

    Bai Changhui¡¯s face darkened. He said, furious, ¡°Watch what you say, Miss Gu. You can¡¯t just say whatever you like and expect to get away with it. You said it yourself: all we have is conjecture. You¡¯re being an rmist, you can¡¯t just cry murder and foul y and pin them on my sister without evidence.¡±

    ¡°...But your sister did exactly that: she tarnished Madam Song¡¯s reputation on the basis of mere conjecture, causing her to lose the trust of her husband and ultimately her marriage. If that wasn¡¯t enough, Madam Song was abused for 10 years after that. Where were you then, oh righteous one?¡± Gu Nianzhi stared fearlessly at Bai Changhui.

    Bai Changhui was so annoyed he could feel his scalp grow warm all over with anger. In his rage he said, without thinking, ¡°...What do I care about that? I only care about my sister!¡±

    ¡°I see. Mr. Bai, you are clearly guilty of nepotism. Since you have no intention of ying fair, don¡¯t me me for being what you call an ¡®rmist.¡¯¡± Gu Nianzhi waved him away contemptuously. Her attitude said: ¡°Scram, you¡¯re not worth my time.¡±

    Bai Changhui¡¯s face turned a shade of green. He could note up with a counter-argument.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s ears were ringing. She could not think; her brain crackled like static on an old TV. Her forehead was drenched in sweat. She bit her lip, too afraid to say another word.

    The living room had gone deathly silent. All eyes were on Bai Jinyi and Song Jinning.

    Huo Jin felt as though she had been struck by lightning; she heard the resulting thunder reverberate in her skull. She looked from Bai Changyi to Gu Nianzhi, thunderstruck, not knowing who to believe.

    Song Jinning sighed as she looked at Huo Jin with a conflicted expression. ¡°Jin, you were the person your mother loved most. Her greatest wish was to see you grow up, marry, have children, and be happy with your family.¡±

    Song Jinning found it difficult to believe that Luo Xinxue had chosen tomit suicide when Huo Jin was still a child.

    ¡°Shut up, it¡¯s all your fault! If it wasn¡¯t for you, my mother would never have chosen death!¡± Huo Jin cried out hysterically as confusion and anger ballooned within her. Her face had turned an ashen gray; she looked like she was about to faint any minute now.

    Bai Changhui quickly nodded to Huo Guanchen. ¡°Well, who could have foreseen all this? There¡¯s a lot to digest. You should straighten things out with your own family, first. In the meantime, I¡¯ll take my sister home with me...¡±

    Huo Guanchen did not speak. Grandfather Huo¡¯s face was full of anger, but he was too afraid to voice his displeasure in the presence of General Ji and Chairman Long.

    Gu Nianzhi was beginning to panic¡ªthey were letting Bai Jinyi get away!

    If they got away now, the Bai family would immediately arrange for Bai Jinyi to be sent straight to the airport to take refuge outside of the country. Gu Nianzhi was about to say something to stop them, when she heard amotion from the direction of the living room entrance.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head to see what was going on. Her eyes immediately lit up.

    Huo Shaoheng, dressed in his military uniform, walked in, followed by his orderlies and several policemen.

    One of the policemen walked over to Bai Jinyi, an arrest warrant in hand. ¡°Are you Bai Jinyi? We suspect Luo Xinxue¡¯s death 10 years ago wasn¡¯t a suicide, but a murder. Pleasee with us to the police station to assist in the investigation.¡±

    Bai Changhui was shocked. He looked up. ¡°...Do you have evidence?! You can¡¯t just go around making arrests without evidence!¡±

    ¡°We are currently gathering the evidence, Deputy Secretary-General Bai.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s steady voice was powerful and irresistibly alluring.

    ¡°¡®Gathering evidence¡¯ my ass! Luo Xinxue was cremated 10 years ago, her ashes are buried in the cemetery. Where are you going to find your evidence, Major General Huo? Are you trying to pull one over us?¡±

    Bai Jinyi could not believe her ears: what grounds did they have for arresting her?!

    What insolence! Where was their respect for thew and due process?!

    ¡°Luo Xinxue¡¯s body wasn¡¯t cremated.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood behind Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning, his hands sped behind his back. His tall, strapping figure was as majestic and imposing as a mountain. ¡°10 years ago, I asked someone to help freeze Luo Xinxue¡¯s body, because I knew we¡¯d reopen the case someday.¡±

 Chapter 244 - Purge

    <h4>Chapter 244: Purge</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The that had been prepared for ten years had finally been cast today. The ruckus in the living room ceased and even the people¡¯s breathing could be clearly heard. Someone exhaled sharply, while other panted or breathed through their noses heavily. There were people who forgot to even breathe in their shock and finally remembered they had been holding their breath, taking in huge gasps. Everyone remained motionless like wax figures and all eyes were on Huo Shaoheng, who had just entered. His back was straight and firm and his side profile was strong and powerful. His sculpted features were entuated under the lights of the crystal chandelier, his stoic face had a splendour that even outshone the lights above him.

    Gu Nianzhi used all her control to not appear smitten by him in public, but her pride for him overflowed in her heart. Unlike the shocked others in the room, Gu Nianzhi was not surprised by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s appearance. Although she didn¡¯t know his n beforehand, it still made her feel very proud. With Huo Shao¡¯s meticulousness and ability, she knew that having her cause a ruckus wasn¡¯t the only trick up his sleeve. There must be another trump card!

    ¡°...You used cryogenics to preserve Luo Xuexin¡¯s body ten years ago?! ¨CThat¡¯s impossible!¡± Bai Jinyi couldn¡¯t believe it, her eyes were as big as a saucers or a cow¡¯s, ¡°Then who was cremated?!¡±

    Huo Shaohengpletely ignored Bai Jinyi and pretended she didn¡¯t exist. He didn¡¯t answer her question.

    Huo Jin finally gathered her wits and was both shocked and joyed. She ran over to Huo Shaoheng and looked up at him, ¡°Elder Cousin, did you really use cryogenics to preserve my mother¡¯s body?! Where is she? Where is she? I want to see her!¡±

    Not just anyone can swap out a body at the Huo family funeral and use cryogenic preservation. Back then, Huo Shaiheng was just 18 and hadn¡¯t enlisted yet. He was just a normal student n the military academy, so how did he do it?! ¡°Aunt¡¯s body has been transferred to the police, she¡¯ll be sent back to burial naturally after the case ends.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was very calm and emotionless.

    Huo Jian clenched his fists and didn¡¯t dare ask anymore before silently slinking away.

    Huo Guanchen was also very surprised. He had kept silent since Song Jinning arrived and finally asked sternly, ¡°Shaoheng, what do you mean by this?¡±

    ¡°I mean what I said.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied confidently, then turned to the police officers, ¡°Take her away for questioning at the station.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderlies and the police he had brought all answered in unison. One officer ignored Bai Jinyi¡¯s surprise and resistance and cuffed her hands. He then put a paper bag that only revealed her eyes over her head and pushed her out.

    Bai Changhui saw his younger sister get arrested before his eyes and panicked. He was about to run over to Huo Shaoheng and argue when Bai Yuran grabbed his arm, ¡°Third Uncle, don¡¯t be so rash.¡±

    ¡°But...!¡± Bai Changhui frantically pointed in the direction of the door, ¡°You Aunt isn¡¯t young, how can she survive in there?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just being taken to the station to assist in the investigation. Third Uncle can¡¯t possibly be worried that the police station will extort confession by torture?¡± Bai Yueran smiled, ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going with Aunt, so we should have awyer advise us. Also, her fiance General Huo is here too, don¡¯t worry over nothing.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes dimmed as he quickly nced at Song Jinning. More bitterness seeped through his heart as he saw her speaking casually to Huo Shaoheng.

    Bai Jiancheng appeared very apologetic as he spoke to Grandfather Huo, ¡°Today was just one thing after another and has been very confusing. Please excuse us for now, and we will personallye apologize to Grandfather Huo after the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Director Bai is too humble. The Bai family is arge one and involved in so many things, it¡¯s normal to have a few bad eggs in the mix.¡± Grandfather Huo sighed with a stony face, ¡°I believe that the police will give our family justice.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng was the Minister of the Imperial Administration, so he was considered the most powerful member in the cab of the Prime Minister. Today the Prime Minister wasn¡¯t at the Huo manor and Bai Jiancheng was practically representing the entire cab, as well as the Prime Minister. Joined by the military representative, General Ji and Speaker Long, who represented the Senate, these were the three most powerful men within the guests present.

    ¡°That¡¯s certain. Grandfather Huo has no need to worry, with a grandson like Mr. Huo, there¡¯s no reason for the Huo family to worry about anything.¡± Bai Jiancheng praised Huo Shaoheng like his earlier plot to arrest Bai Jinyi had nothing to do with him.

    Bai Chanhui felt he wasn¡¯t as smooth as his older brother and couldn¡¯t put up a smiling face and apologize in this situation. He angrily turned away and took his wife and children home first. Bai Jiancheng then went on to apologize for his behaviour of his younger brother¡¯s family and finally left with his wife. His only child, Bai Yueran trailed behind and spoke to Huo Shaoheng before going, ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m very sorry about what happened to your family. However I believe in your integrity and ability, I¡¯m sure you will solve the case and not misjudge an innocent person, nor let a bad person go. ¨CWe are both soldiers, it¡¯s our duty to protect the nation and its civilians legal rights.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Director Bai can rest assure, maintaining judicial justice is the responsibility of the legal department and police. The military certainly won¡¯t get involved.¡±

    Bai Yueran finally felt ok leaving after receiving his promise. Once she departed, most the guests also followed. The Huo family hosting a New Year reception was originally supposed to be an engagement ceremony, but it turned into old and new loves bickering, then the groom-to-be¡¯s son stepped in to get the bride-to-be arrested. It had certainly been an eye opener. Everyone left in groups of twos and threes, whispering and giggling in each other¡¯s ears. However, they met with Huo shaoheng¡¯s armed orderlies and personal secretaries when they arrived at the door. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze both stood at the entrance in full gear, smiling at the leaving guests, ¡°Please delete all photos and videos rted to the Huo family from your phone.¡± In this day and age it was much too convenient to use cameras on smartphones. A few of these rich and important people also liked to take private photos of others and share on social media for attention. It was necessary to notify them that they were forbidden from retaining any photos or videos.

    ¡°Oh, of course not. How could we?¡±¡± The guests chuckled as they covertly deleted the photos and videos on their phones. Since the Huo¡¯s had made it clear, they would be in big trouble if they didn¡¯t obey. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strong appearance today, the upper echelons of the Huaxia society had to reevaluate the strength of the Huo family, as well as Huo Shaoheng as a person. Due to his line of work, Huo Shaoheng had always stayed inconspicuous while in the Empire and never made appearances. He had more fame overseas than domestically. This time, he didn¡¯t remain a silent shadow and stood out to disy his existence and ability to the world. This had been requested by General Ji. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t remain the head of the Special Ops forever, he had farther ces to go.

    Zhao Liangze watched the guests file out past him with a smile and stopped a guest or two asionally. He appeared amicable as he asked, ¡°...Your phone please?¡± THhe guest stopped by him still had photos and videos on his phone. With aputer genius like Zhao Liangze, the guests were unable to hide anything from him. Besides, the Specials Ops had already been monitoring the cellphone numbers of the guests, so if they chose not to delete it themselves, Zhao Liangze could go through their phones at anytime to teach them a lesson.

    ...

    Soon after, only members of the Huo family, as well as a few close friends remained. General Ji and Speaker Long both stayed and nked Grandfather Huo as they observed Song Jinning. Song Jinning wasn¡¯t familiar with either of them and could only vaguely recall. 16 years had passed, so General Ji and Speaker Long had aged considerably, so they didn¡¯t match up with the capable middle-aged men in her mind.

    Huo Shaoheng introduced them to her, ¡°This is General Ji of the Supreme Military Council, and this is Speaker Long of the Senate.¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°Grandfather¡¯sb was established under their great support. The failed experiment had been directly authorized by the Supreme Military Council.¡±

    ¡°Our group in the Senate had all voted in support.¡± Speaker Long smiled as he looked at Song Jinning, ¡°Do you still remember me?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head helplessly, ¡°I just woke up...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart jolted before cutting in, ¡°Mrs. Song just woke and is still very weak. Today was a mess and I was scared the whole time that she wouldn¡¯t be able to take it.¡±

    Song Jinning immediately understood that Gu Nianzhi was reminding her not to mention anything about losing her memories because it may affect the investigation. In order to not give the Bai family an excuse, Song Jinning had decided to keep silent about her own condition. She didn¡¯t bring it up and rubbed her temples, ¡°Today was indeed tiring, I want to go rest.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng moved aside, ¡°Then let¡¯s go back now.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s father darkened as he angrily asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°This is your home and tonight is New Year¡¯s Eve. Where are you going?¡± Perhaps he was too furious and choked up, he began coughing badly.

    Huo Jin immediately rushed over to pat his pat and said, ¡°Elder Cousin, don¡¯t leave tonight. It¡¯s almost New Year, how can you leave Grandfather all alone like this?¡±

    The Zhang family, who had been huddled in the corner of the living room finally walked up. ¡°Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, please take Grandfather upstairs.¡± Huo Jin resumed her gracefulness and began skillfully taking care of the household. She said to Grandfather Huo, ¡°Grandfather, please don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let Elder Cousin leave.¡±

    ¡°Stay right here.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked up in a steady pace, interrupting her and waving his hand backwards, ¡°Someone, lock Huo Jin up.¡±

 Chapter 245 - Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 245: Goodbye</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng gave his order, the orderlies he had brought with him immediately rushed over. Their deadpan expressions said: ¡°Don¡¯t take this personally.¡±

    One of them twisted Huo Jin¡¯s arms behind her back and cuffed her wrists. Another deftly cut a strip of masking tape and stuck it over her mouth.

    In a split second, Huo Jin found she had been silenced. She could no longer defend herself. She burst into tears, and her knees buckled beneath her.

    Luckily for her, the two orderlies on either side of her had a firm grip on her arms. If it weren¡¯t for them, she would have crumpled to the floor by now.

    Grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen were stunned. They exchanged a nce, before turning to look at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Shaoheng, what are you doing? What crime did Jinmit? Why are you arresting her?¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s expression was terrible to look at.

    Bai Jinyi had turned out to be an evil schemer, but Huo Jin... What did she have to do with it?

    She was a victim, too!

    Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang stood on either side of Grandfather Huo, supporting him between them. They did not dare look up; the formidable aura emanating from Huo Shaoheng paralyzed them.

    The young master had not returned home in six years¡ªand now, as soon as he was back, he had immediately turned the entire household upside down.

    If the two older Zhangs were paralyzed with fear, Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie were positively shaking in their boots. The two siblings stood behind their parents, gaping at Huo Jin with undisguised sympathy. They knew Huo Jin had gone to great lengths to convince Huo Shaoheng toe back for the New Year¡ªif she knew then that he would be back to get his revenge, would she still have weed him with open arms?

    There was no cure for regret, however.

    Huo Jin had made her bed, and now she had to lie in it.

    Zhang Wenna chewed on her fingernails: she had a bad habit of doing it when she was nervous. She looked at Huo Jin¡¯s tear-stained face, and then at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s solemn, no-nonsense expression. Fear welled up inside her.

    She wondered whether the young master of the family hade home after his long absence just to ¡°repay¡± Huo Jin for the way she had treated Song Jinning in thest 10 years.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Grandfather Huo. ¡°Grandfather, Huo Jin may know something about the death of her mother. To be safe, she has to be kept under supervision while we investigate. Would you rather the police take her away and throw her into a cell, like they did with Bai Jinyi, or would you rather I detain her instead?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying she had something to do with the death of her mother?!¡± Grandfather Huo was utterly shocked. ¡°That can¡¯t be right! Jin... Jin... Let her say something! She isn¡¯t that heartless¡ªI don¡¯t believe it!¡±

    Grandfather Huo had watched Huo Jin grow up. She was the only daughter of his eldest son, Huo Guanyuan, and he refused to let anything bad happen to her.

    Everyone in the Huo family was dumbstruck by the news.

    Huo Jin had heard the entire exchange. She shook her head frantically. She tried to say that she had had nothing to do with her mother¡¯s death, but Huo Shaoheng had ordered his men to cover her mouth with tape. Her protests, no matter how articte, were reduced to iprehensible mumbling.

    Everything Gu Nianzhi had learned as aw student told her that Huo Jin deserved a chance to defend herself, but the order to gag her with tape hade from Huo Shaoheng himself. Gu Nianzhi had already decided long ago¡ªin an entirely unprofessional manner¡ªthat Huo Shao was always right. She therefore assumed that he had a good reason to gag her; perhaps Huo Jin knew something else, something that could not be revealed in public?

    The wheels in her head spun rapidly. She said, ¡°Huo Shao has been on the case for thest 10 years. Grandfather Huo, I think you should put a little more faith in him. I¡¯m sure he has his reasons.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze swept over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, before returning to rest on Huo Jin, who was still being restrained by the orderlies. ¡°Take her to the Special Ops detention center.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do here?! Answer me!¡± Huo Guanchen was livid. He had kept a tight lid on his boiling temper for the entire night, but this was thest straw.

    Huo Shaoheng sped his hands behind his back. He looked his father in the eye. ¡°...We¡¯ll give her a polygraph test. We need to check whether she¡¯s lying.¡±

    Huo Jin was shocked. She fainted, unable to withstand the enormous psychological stress she was under.

    The two orderlies walked out the door, supporting the unconscious Huo Jin between them.

    Grandfather Huo opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, he erupted into a series of earth-shattering coughs. He coughed so hard he doubled over, looking for all the world like a sad, withered prawn.

    Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang rushed over to him, patting him on the back to ease his coughing. Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie took out their phones, and said to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Young Master, do we have your permission to call a doctor for Grandfather?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pressed his lips together. After a moment, he said: ¡°Where¡¯s Head Nurse Zhang?¡±

    Head Nurse Zhang had taken care of Grandfather Huo for several decades now. She knew everything about his physical health and medical history, and was the person best suited to look after him.

    She lived in the Huo residence, but had temporarily returned to her family home when Huo Shaoheng had suddenly called on Christmas Eve to say that he would be back for the New Year.

    Uncle Zhang and his wife stealthily exchanged a nce, before turning their heads to stare at the floor before them. They did not dare say a single word.

    Song Jinning finally realized that there were several new additions to the family.

    The Zhangs had only moved into the Huo residence after Song Jinning¡¯s ident. She did not know who they were, and had no recollection of ever meeting them.

    She shot a questioning look at Gu Nianzhi.

    The Zhangs were just as much of a mystery to Gu Nianzhi. She returned Song Jinning¡¯s look with a light shrug, indicating that she knew nothing.

    Huo Shaoheng watched the two women exchange puzzled looks. It amused him to see the two of them caught off-guard for once, and the frown on his face faded. He turned to Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie, and said to them: ¡°Call Head Nurse Zhang, and tell her toe back. I¡¯ll take my mother and Gu Nianzhi to my official residence.¡±

    After a slight pause, he walked over to Grandfather Huo and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Happy New Year, Grandfather.¡±

    Grandfather Huo looked up at him. His grandson was all grown up now...

    ¡°All right, you can go. But...¡± Grandfather Huo clenched his teeth, ¡°...you have toe home for the Chinese New Year.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied readily. He kept his promises to his grandfather.

    Huo Jin had already been taken away. Huo Shaoheng turned and led Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning out of the Huo residence.

    Huo Guanchen watched them leave in helpless despair. Suddenly, he snapped out of it and ran to catch up with them.

    He ran out the iron gates, and saw that Huo Shaoheng had gotten into his car. Gu Nianzhi had followed behind him, and was now sitting in the middle of the backseat. The empty spot next to Gu Nianzhi was for Song Jinning.

    Before Song Jinning could get in the car, however, Huo Guanchen reached out and grabbed hold of Song Jinning¡¯s coat-sleeve.

    Before exiting the house, both Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning had put on their coats.

    Gu Nianzhi wore a knee-length down jacket. Song Jinning wore avender cashmere coat that was light, but cosy.

    The cashmere coat was in a straight, baggy cut, but it did nothing to hide Song Jinning¡¯s voluptuous curves underneath.

    Huo Guanchen looked at Song Jinning with an expression that wavered between sorrow and joy. He held onto her sleeve, unwilling to let her leave.

    Song Jinning, however, had given up on Huo Guanchen after everything she had seen and heard that evening. The love she had for him had died out after witnessing his intimate gestures with Bai Jinyi.

    She took hold of Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand and pushed it away. She brushed her coat, and said: ¡°General Huo, please mind your manners.¡±

    ¡°Jinning, do you hate me?¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes were a little wet, but he fought off the tears. After so many years of sorrow, the revtions that evening were just as shocking to him as it had been to Song Jinning.

    ¡°General Huo, what reason do I have to hate you?¡± Song Jinning arched an eyebrow as she pulled her coat together. Her heart was aching, but she did not think it was necessary to show it.

    Huo Guanchen closed his eyes. ¡°That means you hate me. I know you very well, Jinning¡ªyou always try to appear calm andposed when you¡¯re trying to hide what you actually feel, deep inside.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you actually know that?¡± Song Jinning let out a long sigh. ¡°You know me so well, and yet you chose to believe the lies of others when I was unable to speak for myself. You chose to divorce me.¡±

    ¡°...Jinning, do you honestly believe that I was stupid enough to believe that you and my brother had an affair, just because of a few letters?¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s voice was solemn. He was about to reveal a secret, and he wished he did not have to do it. He had been determined to protect his dead brother¡¯s reputation, but if revealing the truth was the only way to resolve the misunderstanding between him and Song Jinning, then so be it.

    Song Jinning was the one true love in Huo Guanchen¡¯s life. But he had loved her too deeply, and the depth of his feelings had backfired on him: the moment he saw those letters, it had seemed to him that his deepest, most secret fear hade true. He had been afraid that she would leave him, so he had decided to take the initiative and leave her instead¡ªhe would mercilessly extinguish his feelings for her, before she could break his heart.

    Song Jinning looked straight ahead. She said nothing.

    The winter nights in the imperial capital were exceptionally cold. It was a moonless, starless night.

    The entrance to the Huo residence was lit by a single streetmp. Song Jinning¡¯s face appeared pale and entirely devoid of expression in the harsh light.

    Huo Guanchen looked at her hesitantly. He said bitterly: ¡°...Jinning, did you know? The night before our wedding, my brother told me, in a fit of drunken honesty, that he was in love with you. He said you were the only one for him... But you chose me instead. Do you know how happy that made me? How touched I was that you chose me over him?¡±

    ¡°My brother was a genius. I looked up to him ever since I was a young boy. My parents only ever cared about him, they didn¡¯t care about me. But that was okay, because I admired and worshipped him, too. I didn¡¯t mind being his sidekick, hisckey for the rest of my life.¡± This was the first time Huo Guanchen had spoken about hisplicated feelings for his brother. He had never mentioned it to anyone, not even to Song Jinning when they had been happy newlyweds.

    Song Jinning knew that Huo Guanyuan was superior to Huo Guanchen in many ways, but she had never had eyes for anyone besides her husband.

    It had been love at first sight.

    She did not know that Huo Guanchen had lived in his older brother¡¯s shadow his entire life. She had given Huo Guanchen a powerful boost to his self-esteem when she chose him over his brother.

    Song Jinning turned around. Under the light of the streetmp, her eyes were inscrutable, like mist over a winter¡¯ske.

    ¡°But I never gave more than a second¡¯s thought to your brother. To me, he was just your older brother, nothing more.¡± Song Jinning frowned. ¡°You keep telling me I¡¯m the love of your life, but you¡¯ve never trusted me.¡±

    ¡°...Heh, I¡¯ll admit it: I¡¯m useless. I¡¯m dumb. But my brother was better than me in every way, and he was secretly in love with you. How was I supposed to feel safe with him hanging around all the time? How was I supposed to trust you?¡±

    He had found his brother¡¯s behavior to be suspicious: his brother was older than him, but had remained single for many years. Shaoheng was already two years old when Huo Guanyuan finally married¡ªout of the blue¡ªand had a daughter of his own...

    This was why Huo Guanchen had snapped when he saw his wife admit in her letter that she wished she had met Huo Guanyuan before she married.

    He had been consumed by a single thought: she regretted it... she regretted marrying him...

    His older brother had passed on, but she was still in love with him...

    Hate and jealousy had distorted his heart and mind. He had lost control of his emotions.

    He had to divorce her. He had to leave her, as soon as possible. It was the only way for him to free himself from her, and find another reason to live.

    Huo Guanchen clenched his fists. He was a man. He could not bring himself to tell the woman he loved of his insecurities. He did not want her to think he was weak and cowardly.

    ¡°I see.¡± Song Jinning was in so much pain she could hardly breathe. Her hands, hidden within her coat, were trembling uncontrobly. But she did not show her pain. She put on a nonchnt face, and said resolutely: ¡°So you never trusted me. In that case, our divorce was a blessing: it set the both of us free. Goodbye, Huo Guanchen. I never want to see you again.¡±

 Chapter 246 - All A Ruse

    <h4>Chapter 246: All A Ruse</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Pushing away Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand, Song Jinning decisively turned away to the car and mmed the door close.

    ¡°Drive.¡± Huo Shaoheng immediatelymanded. His bulletproof car hummed to a start and quickly departed from the Huo manor. By the time General Ji and Speaker Long rushed out, they only saw the taillights speeding off, drawing a long line in the dark night. Outside the great iron gates, the street lights glowed a fluorescent white and it was almost as bright as day.

    Huo Guanchen was listless as he stood under the light, the muscles on face twitching as tears shimmered in his eyes but never fell.

    General Ji looked at him to ask about Song Jinning, ¡°Guanchen, wasn¡¯t Song Jinning sick all this time? Why does she look all better now? Do you know when she recovered or woke up?¡±

    Huo Guanchen froze for a second, then gathered his wits and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She was still ill when Shaoheng took her away a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°That means Shaoheng found someone to treat her? I¡¯d better follow him and see what¡¯s going on.¡± General Ji patted his shoulder sympathetically, ¡°It is what it is, don¡¯t think too much. Take care.¡± General Ji and Speaker Long went to their respective vehicles and drove off in pursuit of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car without dy. When they arrived at the Special Ops headquarters, General Ji and Speaker Long were quickly allowed through as they both had permits.

    Huo Shaoheng had just gotten out of the car with Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning when his Bluetooth headset rang, ¡°Mr. Huo, General Ji and Senator Long are here.¡±

    ¡°Let them in.¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he took Gu Nianzhi and song Jining into the building.

    Chen Lie came out to greet them with a smile and pushed the sses up the bridge of his nose as he winked at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Boss,. How was it? Did they get scared?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears perked and she looked thoughtful between Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie. Huo Shaoheng remained impassive as he said calmly,¡±Hurry and clean up, General Ji and Speaker Long are about to arrive.¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s face fell, ¡°Then I¡¯d better ¡®go to bed!¡¯¡± He hastily turned back to his own quarters to sort out all the records rted to Song Jinning. Chen Lie and Huo haoheng has long prepared for this.

    Song Jinning had suffered from serious mental illness the past 16 years and suddenly regained consciousness after being treated by Chen Lie for a few days. He certainly had a lot of exining to do.

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going to bed. I¡¯m exhausted, so don¡¯te to me for anything else.¡± Song Jinning had no more energy to deal with anybody, the events of the night had nearly depleted all her strength and energy she had regained since waking up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother.¡± Huo Shaoheng personally took him to the guest bedroom on the third floor, then came downstairs to se Gu Nianzhi sitting alone in the living room. She had already taken off her down coat, but still wore the pea green and white silk princess dress. Knee length boots covered her calves, while the puffy hem revealed the expanse of her creamy thighs.

    Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze, ¡°...Go change.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up to see Huo Shaoheng had returned and smiled at him, ¡°Huo Shao...¡± She stood up and walked towards him to whisper, ¡°...Did Brother Chen help you?¡±

    ¡°Help me with what?¡± Huo Shaoheng shot her a look, ¡°...Won¡¯t you go upstairs already?¡±

    ¡°Was Brother Chen the one to help swap your Aunt¡¯s body ten years ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered her voice even more and giggled with her mouth muffled. Chen Lie was a medical student and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s good friend. Gu Nianzhi had been wondering who helped Huo Shaoheng do such a thing all those years ago and immediately suspected Chen Lie. She was certain it was him when he smiled so wickedly when they returned!

    Huo Shaoheng curved his right forefinger to flick at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead, ¡°Yes you¡¯re smart... Go now... General Ji and Speaker Long are about to get here, I have no time for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re making it sound as if you have time for me when you¡¯re not busy...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks flushed as she took the opportunity to grab Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and shook it, ¡°Is that right? Did Brother Chen help you? You didn¡¯t answer me yet.¡±

    ¡°I said you¡¯re smart...¡± A quiet smile appeared on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face and he patted her head, ¡°Be good, go to bed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shyly turned away to climb the stairs to the second floor. When she was halfway up, she realized she didn¡¯t know which room to sleep in? Should it be the master¡¯s or the guest? She was in the master¡¯s before because she had been ill, but now that she¡¯s all better, can she still stay there? That was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room... She bit her lip as she ran back downstairs, just enough so she could see Huo Shaoheng and leaned against the railing to ask, ¡°Huo Shao! Huo Shao! Which room am I staying in?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Where? Tell me!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she she looked at him hopefully.

    ¡°Stay where you want.¡± Huo Shaoheng seemed to understand what she was implying and didn¡¯t fall into the trap. He casually passed the ball back to her.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little ploy didn¡¯t work and she red at him unhappily as she looked down and dragged her feet back up the stairs,

    Huo Shaoheng had no time for her little tantrum, because General Ji and Speaker Long were already at the entrance of the official residence. He arrived there in three strides to greet them. These two men were his superiors and he must be respectful.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you were so quick. Us two old men almost couldn¡¯t keep up with you.¡± Speaker Long spoke humorously as he entered the official residence with General Ji.

    ¡°This is the Special Ops headquarters? This is our first time here, it¡¯s so heavily guarded...¡± Speaker Long looked around before sitting down on the living room sofa with General Ji.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not heavily guarded here, how are we supposed to work?¡± Huo Shaoheng signalled for the orderly to serve tea and ce on the coffee table in front of them.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. The team led by Shaoheng is our secret weapon and the ace of all aces. How can it not be heavily guarded!¡± General Ji exined to Speaker Long in half truths. The military had its secrets and not everything could be revealed.

    Speaker Long nodded, ¡°Understood, understood.¡±

    The three menughed for a bit, then General Ji and Speaker Long began asking about Song Jinning¡¯s situation, ¡°Shaoheng, what was going on with your mother? Didn¡¯t we hear that she was seriously ill and couldn¡¯t recover?¡±

    ¡°Who told you that Mother couldn¡¯t recover?¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up his teacup to blow it cool before taking a sip, ¡°As her son, I never believed that she couldn¡¯t get better, and who would care more about her than me?¡±

    ¡°Haha... haha... that¡¯s true.¡± General Ji and Speaker Longughed awkwardly and shared a nce when they detected a trace of uncharacteristic dissatisfaction and anger in his voice. However they weren¡¯t upset, but thought this was a normal reaction for him. If Huo Shaoheng was really like a robot and had no feelings for even his family, then they would have to assess if Huo Shaoheng was truly capable of being a leader.

    ¡°Everyone said it. After all, there have been no improvements for thest 16 years, so it was natural to think that way.¡± Speaker Long took his cup and drank deeply from it, sighing, ¡°Tonight was a big shock. Shaoheng, can you tell us what is going on?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know either, so that¡¯s why I had the police take Bai Jiniyi in for investigation. Honestly speaking, it was probably due to Bai Jinyi¡¯s influence that you both thought my mother couldn¡¯t recover? She had either been ipetent as a doctor and couldn¡¯t treat her, or she had deliberately dyed the treatment so my mother suffered unnecessarily for 16 years.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then how much of our time has Bai Jinyi wasted?! ¨CHow wicked!¡± Speaker Long sighed heavily as he ced the teacup back on the table, ¡°But since she¡¯s better now, we won¡¯t waste out time asking how you treated her. I just wanted to tell you, you have to mentally prepare your mother. She¡¯s the sole survivor of that military experiment, so the Senate and military will most definitely reopen the investigation and summon her for questioning.¡±

 Chapter 247 - Sincerely Proud

    <h4>Chapter 247: Sincerely Proud</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng leisurely leaned backwards into the sofa. His face was indifferent, but there was a sharp, stubborn glint in his eyes. ¡°Chairman Long, my mother survived theboratory mishap, but she was also a victim. Please do not use loaded terms to make it sound like my mother deliberately caused the ident.¡±

    Chairman Long was stunned to hear this, but quickly recollected himself. Heughed. ¡°You cheeky boy¡ªarguing semantics with me, eh?¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s parliament was responsible for enactingws and regtions; arguing semantics was their forte.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t used to getting into verbal arguments, but he always made sure to protect the people important to him.

    ¡°I meant no disrespect, Chairman Long.¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted his chin slightly. ¡°What I mean is, I went to great lengths to save and cure my mother. Surely you understand that I don¡¯t want her to be subjected to unfair treatment after all that? I hope that Chairman Long and General Ji will be able to ry my message to everyone interested in reopening the case¡ªtell them that I don¡¯t mind them asking my mother for assistance in the investigation, but if they try anything fishy, or if they try to control my mother¡¯s freedom... well, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I have only three words for them: in your dreams.¡±

    Chairman Long stared at Huo Shaoheng, dumbstruck. It was a full minute before he turned to General Ji and said, amidst loud, boomingughter, ¡°Old Ji, you sly devil! So you got the jump on me and found a worthy sessor without telling anyone about it. If only my sessor were at least half as capable as yours...¡±

    He shook his head, too disheartened to drink even his favorite green tea. He began pping one knee with an irritable hand as heined: ¡°I¡¯m not getting any younger here, but the two houses in parliament are still at loggerheads with each other. How I wish someone would be able to smack some sense into those unruly goblins and imps!¡±

    Pfffffft!

    General Ji could not help it. He sprayed his mouthful of tea out, onto the coffee table before him.

    ¡°Old Long, did I hear you right?! Did you just call your fellow assemblymen a group of unruly goblins and imps?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile. He said calmly, ¡°Well said, Chairman Long. Most of the people in parliament right now are despicable and frustrating to work with. ¡®Unruly goblins and imps¡¯ would be putting it mildly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk! The other countries all hate our Special Operations Forces. What right have you to call other people ¡®despicable,¡¯ when you¡¯re the American CIA and the British MI5¡¯s top-hated enemy?¡± General Ji pointed a finger at Huo Shaoheng as he pretended to admonish him. In fact, he was sincerely proud of the Special Ops.

    ¡°Hah, would you rather the CIA and the MI5 sing our praises? I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be crying by now if they actually like the Special Ops, instead of hating us,¡± said Huo Shaoheng in a rare disy of candid humor. He was in a good mood.

    ¡°Hahaha... true! You¡¯ve got me there!¡± General Jiughed heartily.

    Chairman Long had not been kidding about being envious; he was truly jealous that General Ji had been able to find such a reliable sessor. In a fit of moody restlessness, he suddenly asked Huo Shaoheng: ¡°By the way, have you discovered where Gu Nianzhi came from, yet?¡±

    Earlier that evening, Gu Nianzhi had utterly destroyed Bai Jinyi with a few sinct phrases. Everyone who knew a thing or two about debating had been impressed by her eloquence and intelligence. Even Chairman Long, who had high, exacting standards, had been thoroughly awed and excited to see such promising talent; he could hardly wait to get her to join him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s blood briefly ran cold, but he did not show it. He shook his head and said impassively, ¡°Not yet, but we¡¯ve found a few promising leads. We just haven¡¯t had the time to follow up on them.¡±

    ¡°Really?! That¡¯s wonderful news!¡± Chairman Long was ted to hear there was a new lead. He jumped to his feet in his excitement and pped his hands,ughing heartily. ¡°Excellent! Shaoheng, once you find out who she really is and where she came from, I¡¯ll have her join the parliament! She¡¯s quick-witted, and an exceptionally eloquent speaker. I¡¯ll personally groom her to be my sessor¡ªby the time I retire, she¡¯ll be the supporting pir in parliament!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    General Ji: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t approve?¡± Chairman Long was perplexed by the odd looks on Huo Shaoheng and General Ji¡¯s faces. He walked over to General Ji and bent over to ask him: ¡°But I don¡¯t need your approval, right? You¡¯re no rtive of hers.¡±

    General Ji could barely keep himself from bursting intoughter. He shook his head and said: ¡°Gu Nianzhi just turned 18¡ªand you expect her to smack some sense into your gang of unruly, stubborn senators within the next few years?! You may be setting the bar a little too high there, Old Long!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s only 18?!¡± Chairman Long let out a long sigh. ¡°The youngsters these days just can¡¯t wait to surpass us, eh?¡±

    Chairman Longpsed into a few minutes of silence as he restlessly paced the living room. Finally, he said to Huo Shaoheng stubbornly: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care how old she is. Once you find out where she¡¯s from and her background gets the all-clear, I¡¯m going to convince her to join the Senate.¡±

    ¡°...Chairman Long, Nianzhi is still a young girl. She still has to go to graduate school,¡± said Huo Shaoheng calmly. He looked every bit the patient, understanding parent. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until she graduates.¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s a graduate student, she needs to do more than just sit around sticking her nose in her books all day¡ªshe should intern at the Senate!¡± Chairman Long circled the living room as he thought this over. He stopped and looked sideways at Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Where¡¯s Gu Nianzhi now?¡±

    ¡°Asleep,¡± lied Huo Shaoheng with a straight face. He knew that Gu Nianzhi was still awake.

    It wasn¡¯t like Chairman Long would go upstairs to the bedrooms to check, anyway.

    Chairman Long looked at his watch and discovered that it was almost midnight.

    He sat down and said to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Well, looks like I¡¯ll be ushering in the New Year here tonight.¡± He turned to look at General Ji. ¡°How about a round of Go, Old Ji?¡±

    Both Chairman Long and General Ji were fond of ying Go. They were more or less evenly matched in skill, and therefore enjoyed ying against each other.

    Huo Shaoheng instructed an orderly to bring a Go board. When the board was set up and they were ready to y, he got up and said: ¡°Take your time. I¡¯ll head over to the kitchen to order supper, and then check in with Chen Lie in the study.¡±

    ¡°Go on, don¡¯t mind us!¡± General Ji and Chairman Long did not even look up as they waved him away; they were already fully engrossed in their game.

    Huo Shaoheng ordered his orderly to stay and attend to the two older men, before exiting the room to look for Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie was in his small study, nervously preparing Song Jinning¡¯s official medical record of her condition and treatment history. He went over it repeatedly, deleting bits and pieces to create the ¡°perfect¡± record¡ªit had to hold up to the closest scrutiny.

    When Huo Shaoheng opened the door, Chen Lie jumped and almost fell out of his chair.

    When he saw that it was Huo Shaoheng, Chen Lie wiped the sweat from his brow and said, his heart still beating wildly, ¡°Knock before you enter, dammit! You almost gave me a heart attack!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not bother with a reply. He immediately walked over to check the medical record Chen Lie had prepared. As he looked it over, he asked in a low voice: ¡°You made sure to leave out the things no one else can know, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Chen Lie pushed his round sses back into ce; it had slid off the bridge of his nose, which was now glistening with sweat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got this. You know you can trust me¡ª10 years ago, when I was still just a medical student, I became your aplice and helped you pull off one of the most daring swaps ever. No one ever found out about it. You really should have more faith in me, you know.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flicked the medical file with a slender finger. ¡°Well said.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name had not appeared in the file, not even once. There was no mention of her donating her bone marrow; all the report said was that they had performed a bone marrow transnt on Song Jinning with apatible match from the hospital¡¯s secret bone marrow storage, and that had allowed her weak,promised body to rapidly recover.

    The medicalmunity still did not fully understand the how¡¯s and why¡¯s of mental disorders: it was difficult to say for a certainty what caused them, and just as difficult to say whether they could be cured.

    Chen Lie was an expert when it came to fudging the truth. His report made it sound like Song Jinning¡¯s recovery had been a miracle brought about by medical expertise and pure luck. There was no mention of Gu Nianzhi at all in his report.

    Gu Nianzhi had appeared in public with Song Jinning earlier in the evening, looking fit as a fiddle. No one could have guessed that she had just donated her bone marrow.

    If it had been anyone else, they would have been bed-ridden for half a month. It was impossible for them to be up and about in just two days.

    Huo Shaoheng rxed once he was sure Chen Lie knew what he was doing. He thought about it for a moment, and decided to go up to the third floor to check on Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning was, as far as Huo Shaoheng could tell, already asleep: her bedroom door was shut tight. He did not open the door; instead, he checked with Zhao Liangze over his Bluetooth headset. Once Zhao Liangze confirmed that Song Jinning had not left her bedroom after entering it, Huo Shaoheng walked away, reassured.

    There were surveince cameras watching the corridors, but none inside the bedrooms, after all.

    He descended the stairs from the third floor, but paused briefly at the second floor; after a moment¡¯s deliberation, he walked towards the bedrooms.

    The master bedroom on the second floor took up almost the floor. The remaining space was taken up by three guest rooms, a living room, a study, a meeting room, a gym, and a small kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng went to the master bedroom first.

    He opened the door and looked inside, fully expecting Gu Nianzhi to be in the bedroom¡ªbut she wasn¡¯t there.

    He was so surprised by this he automatically called Zhao Liangze to ask if he had seen Gu Nianzhi on the surveince cameras, but he caught himself in time and hung up as soon as the call went through.

    He walked out of the master bedroom and checked the guest rooms along the opposite corridor.

    Gu Nianzhi had moved into the middle of the three guest rooms, the one exactly opposite his bedroom door.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door, walked around the folding screen, and saw Gu Nianzhi.

    She was still awake. She had let down her long, silky hair, changed into one of his ck T-shirts, and was now sitting on the floor in front of the bed, hugging her panda pillow.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you gone to bed?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep, alluring voice resonated like a cello in the dimly lit bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up. She saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall, strapping body slowly fill her vision with every step he took towards her. He was still in his military uniform; her eyes drifted to the buttons on his jacket and followed them upwards to his neck.

    She watched him approach with unblinking eyes. Her head continued to tip backwards, until it was almost at right angles with her back.

    Huo Shaoheng squatted down in front of her. He reached out and slipped a hand behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, supporting it. ¡°Keep leaning backwards and your head will fall right off your shoulders.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s beautiful face, entranced. He was so very close... She couldn¡¯t resist wetting her lips with her tongue. She swallowed heavily.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a smile as he approached her. ¡°...What, are you thirsty?¡±

    ¡°...Huh? I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Why were you licking your lips, then?¡± With a short, forceful tug, Huo Shaoheng pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face towards him. There was now less than a single finger¡¯s length between their faces; their skin tingled with the warmth of each other¡¯s breaths.

    A small smile spread across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. She said coyly, ¡°My lips are dry.¡± She paused, before boldly continuing her attempt at seduction: ¡°...Huo Shao, would you like to help moisten my lips?¡±

 Chapter 248 - Happy New Year

    <h4>Chapter 248: Happy New Year</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng maintained his original position and knelt on one knee in front of Gu Nianzhi. Hisrge hand cradled the back of her neck to move her closer to him. They were so close to each other, just the span of one finger apart. He could look down to see her soft and pretty lips. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s throat bobbed, but he remained still and didn¡¯t kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi watched him with herrge eyes, letting go of the small panda pillow she was holding and kneeling forward. She straightened up in his embrace and encircled his neck, then boldly licked her lips, ¡°...You won¡¯t wet my lips? Then I guess I¡¯ll just do it myself...¡± Her small, pink tongue darted out from her lips to lick upwards, and was just about to lick down when Huo Shaoheng removed his hand from the back of her neck to grip her chin. His thumb so happened to graze past her lips before Gu Nianzhi could take back her tongue. The sensation was incredibly soft. Like a current was traveling down to where her tongue touched, the feeling quickly flowed through his body to make him tingle and go numb. Huo Shaoheng moved his hand away like he had been shocked and reced his hand behind her neck to hug her. He lowered his head to only kiss her forehead, ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    Letting go of her neck, he was just about to get up when Gu Nianzhi refused. He had already kissed her forehead, why not go a bit lower? She hugged his neck and pulled down as she leaned in to press her lips against his. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart seemed to skip a beat, then thudded hard like a thousand fireworks were bursting in her mind. Her heart was thumping more than before. She held his neck and kissed with focus and tenderness, her lips moved against his soft and solid lips, tongue trembling to feel his skin.

    Huo Shaoheng had incredible patience and restraint, he remained still even in this situation. Although he didn¡¯t push her away, he also didn¡¯t kiss her back. He wore long boots and knelt on one leg, his strapping body was like a mountain and very alluring. His arms reached out as he embraced her soft and delicate body to kiss his girl desperately, while hisrge hands rubbed her neck and stroked her back. Her heart beat so hard that his hand seemed to feel the her pulse through her back. A lone dim yellow night light glowed on the wall, casting a warmth into the room.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down to see the light on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek, her skin appeared like half translucent petals, so close he could touch...

    Gu Nianzhi was deeply absorbed into the kiss, opening her eyes in her intoxication to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark eyes quietly watching her. He wasn¡¯t lost in the passion like her. She grew unhappy and her pearly teeth were unwilling to be left out. She nibbled at his lips, first to test out, then sinking down gently and finallybiting down hard when he didn¡¯t notice. Her teeth sank into his lips, the hardness wrapped in softness¨Cthen quickly pulling away. Gu Nianzhi peered closely to see two tiny bite marks on his lips.

    Huo Shaoheng gripped her chin again to move her away, ¡°...No biting.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shy and embarrassed about being pushed away by her beloved during a passionate kiss. She also was capricious and arrogant, unwilling to lose the pleasure on her lips. She pounced over like a kitten.

    Huo Shaoheng used one hand to hold both her arms behind her back and went he used a bit of force, Gu Nianzhi instinctively leaned back and pushed out her chest. With one movement, her chest jiggled under the ck T-shirt. Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and picked up the duck downforter on the bed to wrap her from head to toe. He carried her and threw her down to the bed, ¡°...Go sleep.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡± Gu Nianzhi struggled in attempt to crawl out from theforter.

    ¡°Be good, I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed down on theforter bundling up her body.

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him, ¡°You¡¯ll sleep with me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡± Why did that sound so weird? ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you, I¡¯ll go once you fall asleep.¡± Huo Shaoheng stealthily avoided Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap and reminded her, ¡°General Ji and Speaker Long are still downstairs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard the two important men¡¯s names and lost some of her bravado. ¡°Fine...¡± She stopped struggling, ¡°Then you have to stay with me.. Until the New Year¡¯s bell rings...¡±

    Since she was rescued by Huo Shaoheng when she was 12 years old until now at the age of 18, they always spent New Year¡¯s Eve together.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, looking at his watch and a trace of smile in his eyes, ¡°There¡¯s still... one minute, and the New Year¡¯s bell will ring.¡±

    ¡°Huh?! ¨CNo way! How can time past so quickly?!¡± Gu Nianzhi wailed as she covered her face. Shameful! How shameful! She had pulled out all the stops and only managed to make Huo Shaoheng to only stay a minute more! If Little Temptress found out about her limited abilities, she wouldugh her head off!

    Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s embarrassed look and gave a small smile. He took her phone out from under the pillow and opened a streaming site to find a live broadcast of the New Year¡¯s bell. ¡°Get up, let¡¯s listen to it together.¡± He turned around to sit against the bed and picked up Gu Nianzhi with theforter to hug her. Gu Nianzhi watched the phone with him to see the New Year¡¯s bell ring. On the screen, a skyscraper had been decorated with colorful lights and a giant balloon hung from the very top of it. At thest minute, music began ying from the video and the crowd cheered as the balloon began dropping with the chanted countdown.

    ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year!¡±

    ¡°New Year is here!¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year everyone!¡±

    On the video, the crowd watching the live countdown shouted and cheered loudly. People hugged their families and friends, and lovers began kissing when the countdown began, only stopping when it ended. This meant that their kiss wouldst the whole year...

    Gu Nianzhi looked enviously at the joyful crowd and couldn¡¯t help sighing, ¡°...Huo Shao, look at them...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly looked down to block her mouth with his lips and locked the phone, throwing it to the ground. He hugged her with the nkets and all, kissing deeply, sucking and breathing hin her¨Cmaking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlier tantrum seem like nothing. Gu Nianzhi was no match for him and was so excited she almost forgot to breathe.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her fiercely a few more times, bruising her lips before finally releasing her. His voice was restraint and raspy, ¡°...Happy New Year.¡±

    ¡°Happy... Happy New Year...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were nk and dizzy from the kiss. Her braincked oxygen and she finally delved into the softforter and passed outpletely...

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside her bed and quietly left after making sure she was sound asleep. Before he went, he picked up her phone from the ground and took it with him. When he got to the hallway outside and closed the door, the phone rang again. Just past midnight, Huo Shaoheng had nced at the phone to see Gu Nianzhi had received a text from ¡°Professor He,¡± when she happened to turn to speak to him, he had locked the phone so she didn¡¯t see. Now that it was ringing again, he looked down to see it was He Zhichu calling again. Huo Shaoheng thought about it and finally took the call.

    ¡°Nianzhi, Happy New Year.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cool voice sounded from the speakers, but there was faint tedness that couldn¡¯t be ignored. It had too difficult to finally get ahold of Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Professor He, Happy New Year. Nianzhi is asleep, was there something urgent?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep voice traveled to He Zhichu¡¯s ears.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face fell as he threw the phone on the ground without another word. The poor thing cracked into pieces and waspletely destroyed.

 Chapter 249 - Angered

    <h4>Chapter 249: Angered</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng heard a loud bang from the other end of the line, and automatically moved the phone away from his ear. His lips curved into a slight smile; when he checked the phone again, the call from ¡°Professor He¡± had already been disconnected.

    He put away Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and spoke into the mouthpiece of his Bluetooth headset, addressing the officer on duty on the other end: ¡°Have you finished vetting all of Nianzhi¡¯s phone messages? If you are, you can let them through now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile phone was closely monitored by the Special Operations Forces. The only time no one listened in was when she called Huo Shaoheng on his private line.

    All her other calls, both iing and outgoing, were recorded and archived.

    The messages He Zhichu had left her were still ¡°under review.¡± Huo Shaoheng had made sure they were ¡°under review¡± for a few extra days.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know that her mobile phone, all her social media ounts, bank cards, and all other digital information were under constant surveince by the Special Operations Forces. These precautions had been put in ce when she was a minor, to protect her.

    Now that she was an adult, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t sure whether she would rebel against the bubble of close surveince she was living in.

    But Huo Shaoheng did not deal in hypothetical problems: so long as Gu Nianzhi did not actually protest or rebel against it, it remained a non-issue for him.

    ...

    ¡°Professor He? Professor He? Are you alright?¡± Wen Shouyi had been outside the study when she heard the loud bang from inside. She frantically knocked on the door, too afraid of He Zhichu to enter without permission.

    To her surprise, the door to He Zhichu¡¯s study was actually slightly ajar; it had not been shut tight.

    Wen Shouyi cautiously peeked through the crack. The floor of the study was a mess.

    She spotted his phone, cracked into several pieces, and a porcin tea cup, smashed into smithereens. There were also the mangled remains of a dark jade paperweight, a green jade brush holder, and a broken iMac.

    The desk before him was now entirely empty.

    Aside from the mobile phone and theputer, everything else was antique.

    He had swept the Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcin Kylin tea cup, the Tang Dynasty dark jade paperweight, and the Song Dynasty green jade brush holder from his desk and onto the oak floor.

    Each of the three antiques had been worth hundreds of millions of yuan, enough to buy several luxury mansions in the most expensive parts of the imperial capital¡ªand He Zhichu had destroyed them without a second thought.

    The corner of Wen Shouyi¡¯s mouth twitched in disapproval. The house was practically overflowing with these priceless antiques, true, but it was still an extravagant waste to trash them like they were worthless junk...

    He Zhichu took a few deep breaths, and finally brought his emotions under control.

    He leaned back into the high-back massage chair behind his desk, eyes closed. His face was deathly pale.

    ¡°...Nianzhi¡¯s asleep... Nianzhi¡¯s asleep...¡±

    In the middle of the night, a man had taken the call on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and told him, ¡°...Nianzhi¡¯s asleep...¡±

    Although he knew that it was probably not what he was imagining, He Zhichu could not stop his temper from ring at the thought.

    He felt as though he had lost something he thought had belonged to him. Not only did it belong to someone else now, he wasn¡¯t even allowed to take another look at it.

    How did this happen?!

    He Zhichu felt his headache worsen. He raised a hand and rubbed his temples, but the pain did not subside¡ªon the contrary, he now felt as though a sharp needle were jabbing him in the brain, repeatedly.

    ¡°Professor He? Professor He?¡± Wen Shouyi paled when she saw the look on He Zhichu¡¯s face. ¡°Professor He? Is it another migraine? I can give you a massage...¡±

    He Zhichu responded weakly, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart almost sang out in joy. She opened the door and walked in.

    It had been months since He Zhichust allowed her to approach him.

    She washed her hands, warmed them under the dryer, and then dabbed her fingers with a special massage oil. She stood behind He Zhichu and gently pressed the pressure points on his scalp.

    Wen Shouyi had learned how to do a head massage from the He family¡¯s primary doctor, and she had learned it specifically for He Zhichu.

    All was quiet in the study. He Zhichu did not speak, but his breathing gradually became easier. His face, too, regained its usual color.

    Wen Shouyi smiled slightly. She knew that her massage was working.

    He Zhichu¡¯s headache quickly went away. Wen Shouyi had not picked up her massage skills in vain.

    His expression was a lot more rxed now. He tapped his fingers on the armrests of his chair as he asked: ¡°You¡¯ve tied up all the loose ends in America?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was not only He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant at Harvard Law School, she was also his personal assistant in the Huaxia Empire.

    ¡°All done. I¡¯ve suspended your sses, and your doctoral students will be doing their thesis defense during the summer vacation. Once the summer vacation begins over here, all you have to do is fly back to America and grill them.¡± Wen Shouyi was an excellent secretary; she was diligent, intelligent, and had gotten her position as an associate professor at Harvard University on her own, without any help from anyone else.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Not bad...¡±

    There was a brief pause. He asked, ¡°How¡¯s your wound?¡±

    ¡°A lot better...¡± Wen Shouyi smiled as she added: ¡°I¡¯ve been using the ointment for gunshots wounds you got for me from your family. It¡¯s very effective. It¡¯ll take a few more days, but I believe there won¡¯t even be a scar left.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had gotten her gunshot wound on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday; she had taken a bullet for Gu Nianzhi when she had shielded her from the Caribbean pirates.

    The bullet had almost killed her.

    He Zhichu had previously threatened to dismiss her and send her packing, but the threats had stopped after she had taken the bullet.

    However, he had kept his distance from her, and had simrly forbidden her from approaching Gu Nianzhi.

    When Gu Nianzhi was interning with the US Congress, He Zhichu had sent Wen Shouyi back to Boston, to get her away from Washington.

    After that, He Zhichu had made the decision to focus on his career at B University in the Huaxia Empire. He had transferred Wen Shouyi back into her role as his personal assistant to help him deal with all the paperwork.

    Wen Shouyi was immensely grateful to He Zhichu for this opportunity. She knew he was giving her onest chance to redeem herself, and she wasn¡¯t going to blow it.

    He Zhichu could not get the phone call out of his head. His fingers slowly curled into clenched fists.

    He heard himself ask: ¡°...That man, Huo Shaoheng¡ªwhat have you learned about him?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng? Nianzhi¡¯s guardian?¡± Wen Shouyi cocked her head as she thought for a moment. ¡°He¡¯s the rising star of the Huaxia Imperial Military. He¡¯s young, but he¡¯s already a major general, and themander of the Special Operations Forces. He¡¯s always worked behind the scenes prior to this, but recently, he seems to be gradually moving into the spotlight.¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s it?¡± He Zhichu was annoyed. ¡°You had several days to dig up information on him, and that¡¯s all you have for me?¡±

    Wen Shouyi: ¡°...¡±

    She was mildly hurt: she had had a difficult time gathering all that information!

    ¡°Professor He, we¡¯re neers to the Huaxia Empire. We don¡¯t have a solid footing here yet. We can¡¯t just start asking about the leader of the Empire¡¯s Special Operations Forces, especially since it¡¯s the most secretive department in the military. They¡¯ll start to suspect us,¡± Wen Shouyi deflected effortlessly.

    He Zhichu was no fool. He did not need Wen Shouyi to tell him that.

    But he was no longer in the mood to wait.

    It was painful to think about the phone call. It felt as though his heart had been cut into pieces with a kitchen knife, scattered to the ground, and then ruthlessly trampled underfoot.

    ¡°Hurry up and find out everything there is to know about Huo Shaoheng.¡± He Zhichu narrowed his seductive, almond-shaped eyes, his expression frosty.

    He refused to think about the possible rtionship between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. He knew that Huo Shaoheng was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian; if the man dared to ¡°steal¡± what he was supposed to be ¡°guarding,¡± He Zhichu would make sure his reputation would be ruined for life!

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he put Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone into his pocket. He walked down the stairs unhurriedly.

    Chairman Long and General Ji were still engrossed in their game of Go.

    ¡°Happy New Year to the both of you.¡± Huo Shaoheng seated himself on the sofa opposite them, in the correct, dignified sitting posture for military men: back straight, shoulders thrown back.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s already the New Year?¡± Chairman Long looked at his watch. ¡°How time flies! We haven¡¯t even finished a game yet.¡±

    ¡°Take your time, make yourself at home. I¡¯m going upstairs to sleep,¡± Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly. If his guests had no intention of asking him how Song Jinning had been cured, he wasn¡¯t about to bring it up himself.

    But General Ji knew exactly how Huo Shaoheng ticked, and was not so easily fooled. He looked at him over his reading sses, and asked, while collecting his Go pieces: ¡°Your mother has recovered from her condition, but who cured her? You owe both the military and the Ministry of Science and Technology an exnation, you know.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you who cured her: it was Chen Lie, our very own Asclepius working with the military. My mother only got better because of him. She¡¯s not entirely recovered, however, and Chen Lie did say that he can¡¯t guarantee there won¡¯t be a rpse.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly Song Jinning a foreshadowing.

    Chairman Long and General Ji were relieved to hear that it was Chen Lie. ¡°So it was him. Well, we should have expected that... That¡¯s all, then. Tomorrow¡¯s a holiday. Report to the military the day after tomorrow, and discuss what you want to do about theboratory ident 16 years ago.¡±

 Chapter 250 - Where Did Mr. Huo Go?

    <h4>Chapter 250: Where Did Mr. Huo Go?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    General Ji and Speaker Long had used a game of chess as an excuse, but was actually discussing how they would reopen the investigation on the ident. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s firm stance and considering the resources, abilities, connections, and skills he had acquired over the years, they both agreed to allow him to lead the investigation team as the military representative. He would jointly lead with the people from the Ministry of Science and Technology, so that he would be assured and they would also feel secure. Huo Shaoheng was fully aware that it was because of his unyielding attitude and unignorable strengththat they agreed on a decision that benefited Song Jinning. He didn¡¯t show any emotions and only slightly inclined his head to answer respectfully, ¡°Since you¡¯ve said it, I willply.¡±

    General Ji and Speaker Long gave him a look andined internally, it was said that old people were cunning, but Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t even 30 yet. How could he be so reliable, was he just out of this world?! The two men didn¡¯t get to even answer, because Huo Shaoheng had changed the subject and pressed forward.

    ¡°However, I hope that you¡¯ll exin this clearly to them so we won¡¯t run into any issues of evasion. If they use me being Song Jinning¡¯s son as a reason to exit the investigation, how would you exin it to them?¡±

    ¡°Would you exit?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved, his expression rxed.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s all fine.¡± General Ji red at him again, ¡°You can solve this problem yourself. If a bit of gossip makes you exit the investigation to evade suspicion, then that¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡±

    Speaker Long shifted his gaze with a smile, ¡°The Senate will maintain a neutral position on this issue.¡± He saw Huo Shaoheng look at him and shamelessly said, ¡°You just have to give us a final report on the results of the investigation.¡± That was to say, they couldn¡¯t care less about whose fault it was, only the results mattered. Why did the ident ur? Why did the experiment fail?

    Huo Shaoheng was also curious and he knew more about the international progress on the experiment due to his line of work. ¡°In thest three years, the United States had made great strides with this experiment...¡± Huo Shaoheng quietly nced at General Ji and Speaker Long, ¡°And 16 years ago, our Huaxia Empire was the international leader in this experiment and was at least 100 hundreds ahead of all the other countries. But because Bai Jinyi dyed us for 16 years, we were actually caught up by other countries.¡± To put it bluntly, he wouldn¡¯t let go of Bai Jinyi.

    General Ji and Speaker Long grew stern. ¡°Shaoheng, we¡¯ve already let the police handle Bai Jinyi¡¯s involvement, don¡¯t go making trouble.¡± Speaker Long warned her solemnly, ¡°The Bai¡¯s are tricky to deal with, one thing can get the whole family involved. They are a big family and have many of connections through the marriages, so we don¡¯t want to you to go over your head. Do you understand?¡±

    General Ji sat silently on the side and didn¡¯t give any input. He didn¡¯t always agree with Speaker Long, so his silence usually signalled his disagreement.

    Huon Shaoheng nodded and said calmly, ¡°Speaker Long, rest assured. What day and age are we in anyway? Even if I wished it, punishment is only for the criminal, not the whole family. It¡¯s no longer customary to behead the whole n.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m d that you know.¡± Speaker Longughed, ¡°You did very well with thest incident with Bai Yusheng.¡±

    ¡°It was nothing.¡± Huo Shaoheng declined the credit, ¡°Thest time we got Bai Yusheng was because the Bai¡¯s put justice over their own family, I can¡¯t take their credit.¡±

    ¡°Oh... Haha.. You knew?¡± General Ji and Speaker Bai nced awkwardly at each other, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡±

    ¡°I know. Did you forget what I do for a living?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up to put away the chess set for them, ¡°It¡¯s already New Year¡¯s, I took today off and will go the military headquarters for a meeting tomorrow to confirm the members of the investigation team.¡± Before they even noticed, Huo Shaoheng had taken themand¨Che will not allow anyone to lead him with this investigation because his concerned his mother. After finalizing the details, General Ji and Speaker Long finally said their goodbyes. Huo Shaoheng saw them to the door and passed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room when he came back. He opened the door toe in and ce Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone on the nightstand.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes groggily and saw a shadow stand at her bedside. She shook with fear and was about to scream when arge and warm hand muffled her. It was familiar masculine scent.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fear instantly subsided and she obediently rxed her body. Exhaling, she opened her groggy eyes to see Huo Shaoheng. There was always a nightlight on in her room. Huo Shaoheng saw that she wasn¡¯t going to scream and removed his hand to tuck her in and was about to leave when she grabbed his sleeve. He turned to look quizzically at her, then at the the fingers gripping his sleeve. They glowed like jade under the dim yellow light and almost appeared half translucent and boneless.

    Huo Shaoheng half struggled without much earnest, and Gu Nianzhi pulled him closer so he couldn¡¯t escape. ¡°What?¡± He asked her in a low voice as he caressed her forehead to find she didn¡¯t have a fever.

    Gu Nianzhi just woke up, so her brain was still sluggish and her body instinctively leaned towards the person she loved the most. She stuck an arm out from the nkets to hold his neck and mumbled sleepily, ¡°...Stay with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body instantly grew taut, surging forward. He looked down and could only see her sleepy doe like eyes staring back at him and her arms tightly holding him. A smile tugged at his lips before disappearing. He sat on her bedside, then took her wrists, ¡°Nianzhi, are you seducing me?¡±

    ¡°...Can¡¯t I?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked, her long eyshes fluttering like butterfly wings and nearly grazed his face.

    ¡°This is seduction? ¨CI think you¡¯re forcing yourself on me...¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his brows, grabbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrists to remove her arms from his neck. His husky voice was irresistibly charming.

    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t want me to force myself on you?¡± Gu Nianzhi was almost at the point of reckless abandon, she released her hands andid on the downforter with a smile in her eyes, ¡°Then you can force yourself on me... I promise I won¡¯t resist...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡± His calm heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat. However he quickly shed a smile, patting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek and sitting on the edge of her bed, ¡°Sleep now, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t go?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°Until the morning?¡±

    ¡°Until the morning.¡±

    Fully satisfied, Gu Nianzhi snuggled down to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s leg andtched on his thigh as a pillow. Although his thigh was as hard as a rock and Gu Nianzhi suspected that she would mess up her neck in the night, she still hugged it tightly and fell asleep. This kind of thigh, she had to hug forever... Gu Nianzhi quickly fell asleep again.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down to survey the girltching onto his leg like a little octopus,ughing helplessly. He pulled the downforter over to bundle her up and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he fell asleep. Unlike sleeping in the wilderness and deep mountains during the mission in the past, this wasn¡¯t too ufortable. With her by his side, he didn¡¯t have to worry..

    ...

    At six in the morning sharp, Huo Shaoheng woke up as usual. Gu Nianzhi was still in deep slumber, her skin rosy and the nket kicked off the bed long ago. She still clutched onto his thigh.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s contorted neck from forcing her body in a posture toy on his thigh. He was a little worried she would wake up with a crick in her neck, and just when he was hesitating, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang again.

    Huo Shaoheng picked it up to see it was Zhao Liangze calling. Unlocking it with a frown, he didn¡¯t have a chance to speak before Zhao Liangze anxiously asked, ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you up? When was thest time you saw Mr. Huo?Did you see him in the morning? I¡¯ve been looking for him for a long time, but he¡¯s not in his room!¡±

 Chapter 251 - A Piece of My Mind

    <h4>Chapter 251: A Piece of My Mind</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng raised the phone to his ear. He stood with his free hand in his trouser pocket as he nonchntly said: ¡°...You better have a very good reason for calling me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was silent for a full second on the other end of the line. He asked, in a trembling voice, ¡°...S-Sir, is that you?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Y-Y-You... Why are you...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi wasn¡¯t feeling wellst night, so I checked on her.¡± Huo Shaoheng left it at that. ¡°Is that all? If you have nothing urgent to discuss, I¡¯m hanging up. And stop calling Nianzhi¡¯s phone.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was sitting in front of several monitors, watching the second floor of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence through the surveince cameras.

    He saw Huo Shaohenge out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom after ending the phone call and return to his master bedroom.

    So Gu Nianzhi was sick, and quite seriously, too. She had to be¡ªwhy would Mr. Huo go to the trouble of staying the entire night in her room and looking after her, if she wasn¡¯t?

    Zhao Liangze could not help his brotherly concern. He had shared the same apartment with Gu Nianzhi in the United States, and had once stayed up the entire night to tend to her when she had been feeling unwell, too. He knew that Gu Nianzhi had just donated her bone marrow, which made him all the more worried about her health.

    After thinking about it, Zhao Liangze called Chen Lie on his phone. ¡°Dr. Chen, Mr. Huo said that Nianzhi wasn¡¯t feeling wellst night. Can you go check on her?¡±

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t feeling wellst night? I didn¡¯t hear anything about that from the Boss. It probably isn¡¯t serious...¡± Chen Lie was still half asleep. He clutched at his nket, unwilling to get out of bed.

    Zhao Liangze was worried. ¡°But Mr. Huo spent the whole night looking after her¡ªit¡¯s gotta be serious! You better go check on her... I mean, she just donated her bone marrow, and was out like a light for a few days. You haven¡¯t forgotten all that, have you?¡±

    Chen Lie was immediately wide awake. He sat up on the bed, wrapping his nket tight around him, and asked agitatedly: ¡°What was that? He looked after Nianzhi the whole night? Where did that happen?¡±

    ¡°In Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, duh!¡±

    ¡°Ohhhhhh. Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, eh? Hehe...¡± Chen Lieughed in a suggestive manner. ¡°Okay, got it. I¡¯ll go check on her in a minute.¡±

    He ended the call and stared vacantly at his phone for a full minute. Suddenly, he burst into uncontrobleughter, before diving back under his nkets to resume his beauty sleep.

    He had been so busy he had barely slept a wink in thest five days. Nothing was going to pull him out of bed now.

    As for Gu Nianzhi...

    He knew her very well.

    He did not for a second believed that she was sick¡ªhell would sooner freeze over before that happened!

    So the Boss had spent the night in her room. Chen Lie smirked inwardly; he would tease him about itter, but for now Chen Lie needed his beauty sleep...

    ...

    After Huo Shaoheng hung up on Zhao Liangze, he left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone on the bedside table before leaving her bedroom.

    When entered his own bedroom, he checked his phone and discovered that Zhao Liangze had been telling the truth: he had made several attempts to call him, with the first attempt at five in the morning.

    He unlocked his phone and called Zhao Liangze. ¡°What is it? Make it quick, I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had just gotten off the phone with Chen Lie. Now that Huo Shaoheng was calling him, he suddenly remembered what he had been trying to tell him. ¡°The police HQ have been calling us repeatedly. They said that the Bai family hired a famouswyer for Bai Jinyi, and thewyer wants to post bail for Bai Jinyi. The police want to know if they should release her...¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers paused briefly in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt. ¡°The investigation hasn¡¯t even begun. Release her on bail? Out of the question.¡±

    ¡°But thewyer is apparently extremely arrogant and difficult to deal with. I hear she¡¯s the daughter of one of the partners in JD Law Firm, the biggestw firm in the capital city. Her name is Jin Wanyi, and she¡¯s supposedly very shrewd and capable. She went to police HQ at three in the morning¡ªon the first day of the New Year, if you can believe it¡ªand more or less set up camp there. She refuses to go away, not unless she can take Bai Jinyi with her.¡± Zhao Liangze did not know much about legal procedures. All he knew was that the police HQ had sounded harassed and perplexed during their repeated calls, and that had been enough to make Zhao Liangze worry.

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything. He unfastened thest button on his uniform, removed his clothes, and threw them onto the sofa. As he walked into the bathroom, he said nonchntly to Zhao Liangze, ¡°What¡¯s the hang-up? I¡¯m sure police HQ has their own legal team. Well, if they want a response from me, here it is: the Special Ops handed Bai Jinyi over to the police. If they release Bai Jinyi for any reason whatsoever, we¡¯ll open a case against the police andunch an official probe for professional misconduct, corruption, and other simr vitions.¡±

    Everyone knew what the Special Operations Forces were capable of; only those itching for an early ¡°retirement¡± would be brave enough to pick a quarrel with the Special Ops.

    Huo Shaoheng guessed that someone in police HQ was conspiring with the Bai family to help Lawyer Jin throw a wrench in the Special Ops¡¯ ns for Bai Jinyi. It did not make sense otherwise; the police HQ had legal advisors of their own, after all, and could have turned Lawyer Jin away at any time.

    Huo Shaoheng was amused by the thought of someone in police HQ trying to get in his way. Did they honestly think they would be able to pull one over the Special Operations Forces, who were experts when it came to throwing wrenches into the bestid ns?

    Zhao Liangze quickly ryed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s message to the police HQ, word for word.

    The receptionist at police HQ who had taken the call knew they would be in deep trouble if they continued to drag their feet. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s message was immediately ryed to the bigwigs in police HQ.

    The bigwigs carefully considered their options, and decided that it was better to side with Huo Shaoheng for now, even if it meant offending the Bai family.

    Huo Shaoheng was still an enigma to them, after all; he had emerged from behind the scenes only recently to take center stage, and no one knew at police HQ knew what his temper was like, or how he ticked. They did not dare risk stepping on his toes.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, I¡¯m so sorry, but police HQ is on holiday today. ording to protocol, we cannot process your request for bail on a non-working day, as we don¡¯t have anyone around to review your documents. Pleasee back tomorrow.¡± The officer behind the reception desk had begun to fob Jin Wanyi off with a round of ¡°pass the buck¡± Tai Chi.

    Huo Shaoheng had guessed right: there was someone in police HQ who was working with the Bai family to help Lawyer Jin get Bai Jinyi out on bail.

    But now that Huo Shaoheng had bared his fangs, they had no choice but to back off for the moment.

    Jin Wanyi saw the change in the police officers¡¯ attitudes towards her, and knew at once that someone had threatened them. She sneered contemptuously. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting since three in the morning, and that¡¯s all you can give me? If you¡¯re just following protocol, you should have told me earlier! Were you deliberately toying with me? I¡¯ll write a formalint, see if I don¡¯t!¡±

    The police officersughed awkwardly. They did not want to step on her toes, but they did not want to let Bai Jinyi go, either. They merely said: ¡°She was handed over to us by the Special Operations Forces. We have to abide by the rules, or we¡¯ll be in big trouble with the Special Ops.¡±

    Neither side refused to back down; the deadlock continued for some time, and only ended when one of Jin Wanyi¡¯spanions hinted to her that she had gone far enough. Jin Wanyi reluctantly got up, and said: ¡°Fine, I¡¯lle back tomorrow. Hmph, I¡¯m dying to find out what exactly is so ¡®special¡¯ about this Special Operations Forces you keep talking about.¡±

    She walked out of police HQ, got into her car, and called the extension line for her office. ¡°Chief Wang, what¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t the Special Ops part of the military? Why do they have the authority to interfere with police matters?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a special case¡ªthe Bai family wouldn¡¯t have requested for your services, otherwise.¡± Division Chief Wang lowered his voice and continued, ¡°Ask your client to help you out.¡±

    Jin Wanyi ended the call. After a moment¡¯s deliberation, she called the Bai family.

    The third eldest son of the Bai family, Bai Changhui, acted as the family¡¯s point of contact with her. Out of the entire family, he was the one who cared most about Bai Jinyi.

    Bai Changhui had been asleep when his phone began to ring. When he saw that it was from Lawyer Jin, he quickly answered the call. He asked joyfully: ¡°What is it, Lawyer Jin? Did you get my sister out?¡±

    Jin Wanyi cleared her throat awkwardly. ¡°No, not yet. I heard that the Special Ops have been trying to get in my way. I negotiated with the police, but they came up with some kind of ¡®process issue¡¯ to dy me for another day.¡±

    ¡°The Special Ops are getting in your way?!¡± Bai Changhui immediately thought of Huo Shaoheng, and fear crept into his heart. He knew now that he had to get Bai Jinyi out of the police station, as soon as possible; he was afraid that Huo Shaoheng would try to send Bai Jinyi to her death as payback for what had been done to Song Jinning.

    ¡°Well, the Special Ops are involved with this, so I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Bai Changhui said bluntly. He added, by way of exnation, ¡°My sister¡¯s case has to do with Song Jinning, and Madam Song¡¯s son, Huo Shaoheng¡ªalso known as Major General Huo¡ªis the leader of the Special Operations Forces. I believe he¡¯s the one putting up obstacles in your way.¡±

    ¡°What? Really? Why didn¡¯t you say so?! I wouldn¡¯t have wasted three hours waiting at police HQ if I¡¯d known. Still, this is the first time I¡¯ve met someone with the audacity to abuse their power and authority right in front of me, without even bothering to hide it.¡± Jin Wanyi gave a wryugh as she started the car. ¡°Give me his address and phone number¡ªI¡¯m going to give him a piece of my mind!¡±

 Chapter 252 - Let Them Fight Against Themselves

    <h4>Chapter 252: Let Them Fight Against Themselves</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Sweat bead on Bai Changhui¡¯s forehead when he heard Jin Wanyi¡¯s harsh words. Teach Huo Shao a lesson? ¨CShe had a death wish... Wiping his forehead with a tissue, he quietly thought no wonder the cunningwyers at JD Law Office refused to take his case, while Jin Wanyi was the only one who epted it. Turns out the newborn calf didn¡¯t fear the tiger, she didn¡¯t know what this case actually involved. Of course, perhaps she was aware but didn¡¯t care because she needed this kind of case to establish a reputation? Going to the mountains while knowing a tiger lurked there, danger can¡¯t be ovee without taking risks... Bai Changhui pondered this and knew he should remind Jin Wanyi so she wouldn¡¯t be instantly taken out by Mr. Huo. Who else could he find to act as Bai Jinyi¡¯s defensewyer? He spoke with caution, ¡°Major General Huo is the head of the Special Operations Forces, so his address and phone number aren¡¯t easily divulged. Also, this case is very tricky, so I especially found a renownedwyer like Lawyer Jin to help. How about this, you can go to the military¡¯s official website to find the public contact information for the Special Operations Forces, that¡¯s the only way to get through to them.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was driving in the early morning of New Year Day, so the streets of the Imperial capital were empty. The people who partied all night were still asleep as she traveled through the streets. Fire burned in her heart as she mmed on the gas to push the car to its speed limit, quickly arriving back to the JD Law Office underground parking lot. Jin Wanyi remained in her vehicle, taking our her phone to search for the military¡¯s official website. She quickly found the Special Ops¡¯ public phone number and didn¡¯t hesitate to call. No one picked up¨Cit was lie a death loop that asked her to dial 1, then 2, andstly 3... then a new round of 1, 2, 3... Jin Wanyi stubbornness was at full force, she dialed as instructed and called for a full 15 minutes before she finally connected to the Special Op¡¯s... voicemail. Normal people who have given up during the calling process, or someone who stayed on the line the whole time would have cooled down their anger by the time they got to the voicemail. However, Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t. To a certain extent, she was just like all goodwyers and refused to easily give up.

    She left an angry message to the Special Ops¡¯ public voicemail. ¡°Hello, I am Lawyer Jin Wanyi from the JD Law Office. May I ask if this is theint voicemail for the Special Ops? I want toin about Major General Huo for abusing his power by detaining my client without reason and refusing her bail. You can go check thew provisions to see which chapter, which section says that an unindicted party can be refused bail? If there are special circumstances, please provide written notice. If I do not receive a reply in three days, I will disclose full names in a report to the public.¡± Jin Wany¡¯s voicemail was quickly analyzed by the Special Ops¡¯ operator, where it moved up the ranks to finally arrive to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary, Zhao Liangze. He listened to the fiery message and couldn¡¯t help chuckling and shaking his head, thiswyer has guts, but... she seems totally inexperienced. Zhao Liangze forwarded the message to Yin Shixiong, so he could investigate Jin Wanyi.

    ...

    It was already eleven in the morning by the time Gu Nianzhi woke up. She huddled in the nkets and rolled around, but still didn¡¯t want to get up from bed. Huo Shaoheng emerged from the study and saw it was almost lunchtime. Gu Nianzhi was still sleeping, so he knew she waszing around in bed again. He pursed his lips as he walked up to her bedroom door and rapped on it. Gu Nianzhi finally put on slippers and got out of bed when she heard the knocking, then picked up a coral fleece robe to drape on her body and hastily tied it up. She opened the door to see Huo Shaoheng standing there. He wore summer casual clothes inside the official residence¨Cck T-shirt tucked in camo pants and short military boots to give his casual look a sense of ruggedness.

    ¡°...Huo Shao, aren¡¯t you cold wearing just that?¡± Gu Nianzhi tightened the robe.

    ¡°What cold? This building is always set at 25 degrees Celsius all year round. Aren¡¯t you hot wearing all that?¡± Huo Shaoheng touched her head and thankfully she didn¡¯t have a fever, ¡°Hurry up, it¡¯s time for lunch.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi answered obediently and shyly smoothed her head, ¡°I feel a little cold, I¡¯m going to wash up first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng remembered her surgery, it looked as if losing all that blood marrow had damaged her body to a certain extent and must recuperate slowly. He turned to go downstairs, going to the kitchen first to check and asked the orderly in charge of cooking to simmer spare rib and lotus root soup with gogi berry to replenish her blood, and also blood swallow¡¯s nest for bGu Nianzhi and Song Jinning to both eat in the evening. Blood swallow¡¯s nest was a supplement food for women, and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t believe it had much nutritional value. However all the women in the Huo family ate it, so he also prepared servings for Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning since it didn¡¯t hurt.

    When Gu Nianzhi washed up and came downstairs for lunch, she found Chen Lie, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were all there, and even Song Jinning was already sitting at the head of the table. She wore avender cashmere sweetheart neckline dress. On her left sat Huo Shaoheng, and on her left was an empty spot. Chen Lie, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong sat across from each other and were giggling about something, making Song Jinningugh with them too.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over happily and greeted Song Jinning first, ¡°Auntie Song, sorry I¡¯mte.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, today is New Year¡¯s Day, it doesn¡¯t hurt to sleep a bit more.¡± Song Jinning took her hand with a smile, motioning for her to sit in the empty spot on her right. Chen Lie sat on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right. He propped up his head on a head and scrutinized her for a while with a smile, ¡°Hmm? You have dark circles? Didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brows skeptically, ¡°Nope? I slept great...¡± Her voice trailed off and her eyes drifted to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. She had slept too well that she didn¡¯t even know when he left. He said he would stay until the sun rose... Liar..

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her look and nced at Chen Lie instead, ¡°Time to eat, talk after you finish.¡± Just like at the Huo household, the rule was to not speak during eating. After lunch, Gu Nianzhi noticed that Song Jinning¡¯s gloominess had mostly disappeared. Looks like Huo Shaoheng was right, Song Jinning was indeed a strong woman and not a weakling obsessed with love... Gu Nianzhi mulled over it as she waited for the orderly to bring over coffee. She stirred cream in her cup and asked Song Jinning, ¡°Aunt Song, today is New Year Day, do you want to go out?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll pass, you guys go if you want. I have to sort out the data from all those years ago. It¡¯s been so many years, I don¡¯t know if I remember.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed with admiration. She was truly a scientist¨Cshe just woke up and only thought about her experiment...

    Huo Shaoheng knew this all too well and had prepared long before, ¡°I¡¯ve already stored everything in theputer in your room. Little Ze, can you go teach her how to use itter?¡±

    Zhao Liangze answered with a loud, ¡°Yes.¡± He quickly followed Song Jinning to her room to teach her how to use modernputers. Song Jinning lived on the third floor in a suite with full sized living room, study, bedroom and bathroom. Song Jinning followed Zhao Liangze to the third floor, leaving only Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong and Chen Lie in the dining room.

    Yin Shixiong mentioned the voicemail from Jin Wanyi in the morning, ¡°Mr. Huo, what do you n on doing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the phone from Yin Shixiong and connected the voicemail to listen to the message. She sighed, ¡°Who is this? She¡¯s haughty... But she is pretty diligent about her client.¡±

    ¡°Jin Wanyi,wyer from the Imperial capital¡¯srgestw firm, JD Law Office. She just joinedst year and is said to be a distant rtive of one of the partners, her performance has been mediocre.¡± Yin Shixiong reported to Huo Shaoheng on his findings.

    Huo Shaoheng knew instantly that it was the same one Zhao Liangze mentioned in the morning, defensewyer the Bai¡¯s had hired to represent Bai Jinyi. He was quiet for a long time, then rapped his fingers on the table and answered dryly, ¡°...If it¡¯s awyer targeting the Special Ops, we should have our legal department deal with her. ¨CBig Xiong, forward this to Director Bai, she¡¯s the head of the Special Ops¡¯ legal department. This is within her jurisdiction.¡± It was more appropriate for a member of the Bai family to deal with their own people. Yin Shixiong promptly answered, then got up to call Director Bai Yueran of the Special Ops¡¯ legal department. Gu Nianzhi had wanted to express her own opinion on how to counterattack Jin Wanyi, but she now she just to bow down to Huo Shaoheng as soon as she heard his idea. Taste of their own medicine, letting them fight against themselves, using leverage?! Huo Shao, please ept my humble bow!

    ...

    ¡°Director Bai, this is the legalint the Special Ops received, please handle it.¡± Yin Shixong called Bai Yueran and forwarded the voicemail to her.

    Bai Yueran happened to be talking to her cousin, Bai Shuang in her room. The corners of her mouth twitched when she got the call.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Bai Shuang quickly asked, ¡°Is it business? Should I give you privacy?¡±

    ¡°No need...¡± Bai Yueran grimaced, ¡°It¡¯s not totally business, half and half I guess... It¡¯s about Aunt.¡±

 Chapter 253 - You Must Believe Me (1)

    <h4>Chapter 253: You Must Believe Me (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s going on with Auntie? She¡¯s always been devoted to scientific research¡ªhow did she get into such a mess?¡± Bai Shuang asked, perplexed. ¡°My father reaped what he sowed, but Auntie... why would she...?¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s voice trailed off. She knew that her father had deserved his fate because of his treachery, but he had been a doting, loving father to her nheless. It had been difficult for her to look upon his lifeless body with her very own eyes.

    Bai Jinyi had always acted as a role model for the younger generation in the Bai family. As children, they had all heard the adults around them praise their aunt excessively¡ª¡±Look at your Auntie, see how aplished she is!¡±¡ªat every opportunity, and it had stuck with them.

    Bai Yueran let out a sigh. She squeezed Bai Shuang¡¯s hand. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. The Bai family is arge family. Everyone clings to the main trunk for shelter, but we all have our own private ambitions, and we can¡¯t keep an eye on everyone. I¡¯m sorry about Second Uncle, but what¡¯s done is done, and there¡¯s no use crying over spilt milk. But Auntie... My father and I have asked her, repeatedly, whether she was keeping secrets from us, but she denied it. She refused to tell us the truth, and look what happened: the Huo family pulled the rug out from under us. To make matters worse, Huo Shaoheng is my colleague, I can¡¯t avoid bumping into him at my job. Can you imagine how embarrassing this is for me?¡±

    Bai Shuang nodded. She mused, ¡°Auntie really should have known better, then.¡±

    It was stupid to act selfishly and then expect the family to bail you out whenever you messed up.

    No family, no matter how powerful, would be able to weather one scandal after another.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you understand.¡± Bai Yueran patted Bai Shuang on the shoulder. ¡°Remember to let me know if you ever get into trouble. If I¡¯m not around, you can tell my parents. Don¡¯t be a stranger now. My parents love you just as much as they love me, we¡¯re all family here. We will never abandon you.¡±

    Bai Shuang was deeply touched. She nodded, and said, her voice breaking: ¡°Cousin Sister...¡±

    ¡°Get a good rest. I¡¯ll call Third Uncle.¡± Bai Yueran got up and returned to her study.

    She dialed Bai Changhui¡¯s number and asked calmly, ¡°Uncle, is Jin Wanyi thewyer you hired for Auntie?¡±

    Bai Changhui gave an awkwardugh. ¡°You know about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Why wouldn¡¯t I? She lodged a formalint against themander of the Special Operations Forces, which means the Legal Department has to deal with it. Uncle, are you aware that I¡¯m the head of the Special Ops Legal Department?¡± Bai Yueran would have preferred not to have to talk to her uncle this way, but she knew she had to do it. ¡°Uncle, please don¡¯t make a scene, for my sake, okay? This is embarrassing for the both of us.¡±

    Bai Changhui¡¯s face purpled with rage, but he knew that Bai Yueran was right.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll keep my nose out of it for now. But you should talk to your father¡ªdo any of you even care about your aunt and her case?!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll help her, of course. She¡¯s family. But she has to tell us the truth, no exceptions.¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s voice had turned icy. ¡°If she continues to hide things from us, we won¡¯t be able to save her¡ªnot even if my father bes the Prime Minister.¡±

    Bai Changhui felt his blood run cold. He suddenly realized he had been toocent.

    Bai Yueran was right: the Bai family¡¯s hopes and ambitions currently rested on the shoulders of Bai Jiancheng, Bai Changhui¡¯s eldest brother.

    Bai Jiancheng was currently the head of the government¡¯s administrative office. Although he was top dog in the cab, he still had to report to the Prime Minister.

    This Prime Minister was the true leader of the Empire. Themander-in-chief of the military, General Ji, and the chairman of the Senate, Chairman Long, had considerable power, but they were working for the Prime Minister, too.

    ¡°I understand, Yueran. I was too rash and impulsive. I should learn how to keep myposure, like you.¡± Bai Changhui sighed wistfully as heplimented Bai Yueran for her level-headedposure.

    ¡°Thank you for thepliment, Uncle. Anyway, please tell Jin Wanyi not to be too aggressive. General Huo isn¡¯t someone she can intimidate. All she has to do is to do her best as awyer¡ªwe don¡¯t need any unnecessary drama.¡± Bai Yueran was unhappy with Jin Wanyi¡¯s methods, but she knew her aunt needed awyer, and Jin Wanyi was the best they could get for her. Besides, Jin Wanyi had already appeared in public as Bai Jinyi¡¯swyer; they would just have to let her continue with her job, for the time being.

    Bai Changhui heard the message Jin Wanyi had left for the Special Operations Forces, and was momentarily speechless. He gave an awkwardugh. ¡°I had no idea she was that ignorant and fearless. Oh well. Since you have to deal with it, I won¡¯t embarrass you, don¡¯t worry. There won¡¯t be any more trouble from her.¡±

    Bai Yueran had settled the issue with Jin Wanyi with a single phone call. She immediately called Huo Shaoheng to report to him.

    Huo Shaoheng was knocking on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom door when he heard his phone ring. He got out his phone, saw that it was Bai Yueran, and put on his Bluetooth headset. He said to Zhao Liangze over his headset, ¡°I¡¯ll take the call.¡±

    As soon as Bai Yueran was connected, she said to Huo Shaoheng, in a tone that conveyed her sincerity, ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve dealt with Lawyer Jin¡¯sint. She¡¯s thewyer my third uncle hired for my aunt, and I understand that she may have been a little too eager. She¡¯s not a bad person, really, and she¡¯s apparently good at her job, too. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s a little stubborn, and not the type to beat around the bush. I hope you won¡¯t hold it against her, sir. She¡¯s just starting out as awyer, she wasn¡¯t deliberately trying to step on your toes.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly responded. ¡°If it¡¯s settled I don¡¯t see the point in pursuing this. This is your job anyway, as head of the Special Ops legal department. Is there anything else to discuss?¡±

    ¡°No. Happy New Year, Mr. Huo.¡± Bai Yueran smiled as she ended the call.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to knock on the door, but Gu Nianzhi ignored him. He got out his key and calmly unlocked the door to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting on the window sill, hugging her knees. She looked up in surprise. ¡°How did you get in?! I locked the door!¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡± Huo Shaoheng closed the door behind him. He remained by the door, and made no attempt to approach Gu Nianzhi. He merely looked at her, his expression stern.

    Gu Nianzhi had to summon all her courage to defy him. ¡°...I don¡¯t want to!¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was lower now. ¡°Don¡¯t be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Toote, I¡¯m already being difficult!¡± Gu Nianzhi said indignantly. She drew the pale green brocade curtains together, hiding herself behind them.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a wry smile. He remained standing by the door, his hands in his pockets. ¡°You better have a good reason for your tantrum. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m punishing you with a 10-kilometer cross-country obstacle course, and you¡¯ll have to run an extra kilometer for every minute you continue to be difficult.¡±

    ¡°On what authority?!¡± Gu Nianzhi practically rolled off the window sill in her anger; she lunged towards Huo Shaoheng and stood before him with clenched fists. ¡°You liar! Huo Shao is a liar!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a liar?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her impassively. ¡°When did I lie to you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still trying to deny it?! Don¡¯t you remember what you promised mest night?¡± Gu Nianzhi was upset, but she could not articte the reasons why. They had been so intimatest night, he had even kissed her to sleep¡ªso why was he acting like nothing had happened between them? Was he toying with her?

    ¡°What did I promise you?¡±

    ¡°You said you¡¯d stay with me until the sun came up!¡± Gu Nianzhi jabbed a finger into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest, right above his heart. ¡°But where were you when I woke up? Huh?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed inwardly. So the little empress was angry about that, of all things...

    He reached out a hand and patted Gu Nianzhi soothingly on the head, before helping her tuck a few unruly strands of hair back into ce.

    The ¡°head-pat counterattack¡± was effective; Gu Nianzhi had been absolutely livid, but her temper deted like a balloon at his touch. The anger on her face was reced by the contented expression of a kitten who had just had her fill of milk. Herrge eyes disappeared into blissful slits; she was practically purring.

    ¡°I stayed with you until the sun came up.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was entirely sincere. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, check your phone. I helped take a call for you around six in the morning.¡±

    ¡°...Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly realized she hadn¡¯t checked her phone yet. She had immediately washed up after getting out of bed, and had been too busy being angry with Huo Shao after that to think about her phone...

    She ran back to her bed, picked up her phone, and saw that Huo Shaoheng had been telling the truth: there had been an iing call at six in the morning, from Brother Ze. And before that, not long after the clock had struck midnight, there had been a phone call from Professor He!

    Both iing calls had connected; someone had taken the calls for her.

    She noticed there were several new voice messages waiting for her in her inbox.

    ¡°See? I stayed with you until six in the morning. That¡¯s pretty much when the sun rises, isn¡¯t it?¡± Huo Shaoheng could not help staring at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair, delicate neck as she bent her neck to look at her phone. It was as slender and beautiful like a swan¡¯s; his eyes drifted to tiny red mole at the base of her neck, near her shoulder.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly, too distracted to give it any more thought. She opened her inbox and began listening to the voice messages.

    They were mostly messages from her old college roommates, wishing her a Happy New Year. There was also a New Year greeting from Brother Ze and Brother Xiong. There was even one from Mei Xiawen!

    Finally, she heard He Zhichu¡¯s voice message: something hade up, and she was to report to school early...

    Gu Nianzhi jumped to her feet. ¡°Th-th-this voice message is from several days ago! Why am I only receiving it now?!¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Must be some kind of glitch in the system.¡± Huo Shaoheng nonchntly shifted the me to the telmunicationspany.

    ¡°This ispletely uneptable! The message was dyed for several days! I¡¯m going to lodge aint!¡± Gu Nianzhi was trembling all over with anger. She made to call He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand and stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Day. Professor He must be spending time with his family right now. You should call him tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly persuaded; she knew that He Zhichu had been raised abroad, and was therefore very particr about his personal time.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll call back tomorrow. I¡¯ve kept him waiting for so long¡ªwhat¡¯s another day, anyway?¡± Gu Nianzhi gave a self-deprecatingugh as she put her phone away.

    Huo Shaoheng crooked a leg as he leisurely leaned against the door. He said tonelessly, ¡°So you lost your temper with me for no reason whatsoever, and now you want me to just forget it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt her heart constrict; she averted her gaze, too embarrassed to look Huo Shaoheng in the eye. She gave a fakeugh and tried to change the subject: ¡°...Huo Shao, how about we go out and have some fun? It¡¯s the first day of the new year, after all...¡±

    ¡°Go out? I suppose you¡¯re feeling all better now, after venting your anger on me. Well, I¡¯m still angry.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his head. Gu Nianzhi watched him lift his perfect chin, entranced.

    He had to be hard on Gu Nianzhi; he did not want her to get into the habit of throwing childish tantrums.

    To his chagrin, Gu Nianzhi waspletely unrepentant. Instead, she gaped at him in surprise. ¡°Huh¡ªthis is the first time I¡¯ve seen you lost your temper, Huo Shao!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He turned towards the door.

    Was he angry?

    Gu Nianzhi panicked. She ran over to Huo Shaoheng, quick as lightning, and hugged him from behind.

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened, but only for a split second. He extracted himself from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms, and turned to face her. ¡°...Don¡¯t ever be so difficult, ever again.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, I promise.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head vigorously.

    ¡°I told you: I always fulfill my promises to you.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her cheek. ¡°You have to believe me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded again and again. Sheid her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest; she realized now that she had been trying to get Huo Shaoheng to coddle and pamper her by throwing a tantrum, and it had been aplete and utter failure...

    They quietly snuggled for a while, and only pulled apart when Huo Shaoheng heard Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice over his Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Sir, the Prime Minister¡¯s eldest son, Dou Haoyan, is inviting you and Nianzhi to the party at his house tonight.¡± Zhao Liangze was puzzled by the invitation; the Special Ops had always maintained a respectful distance from the Prime Minister and his social circles. As far as he knew, they had never crossed paths with the Prime Minister.

    He had also been perplexed by the sudden nature of the invitation. It was extremely rude to spring ast-minute invitation on someone of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status.

    But Zhao Liangze had subsequently learned that Dou Haoyan had meant no offense; the party itself was ast-minute affair. Everyone on the guest list had only just received an invitation.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not refuse the invitation. ¡°Who else is going? Do you have the full guest list?¡±

    ¡°I just got it. I¡¯ll send it to you, right this minute.¡± Zhao Liangze pulled up the list of all the guests that had been invited to the dinner party, and sent a copy to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng hung up. He said to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Get dressed. The Prime Minister¡¯s son is throwing a dinner party tonight, and you¡¯reing with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not object; she was not about to let any opportunity to spend time with Huo Shaoheng pass her by. She immediately rushed over to her wardrobe and began rummaging for a proper dress, shoes, and handbag.

    ...

    At that very moment, Bai Changhui was on the phone with Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, I got you an invitation to the New Year¡¯s Day banquet at the Prime Minister¡¯s residence. Do you want to go?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was about to politely decline the invitation when she heard Bai Changhui say: ¡°Huo Shaoheng will be going, too.¡±

    Jin Wanyi could hardly believe her luck. She immediately pounced on the offer. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±

    Bai Changhui had warned her not to go up against the Special Operations Forces, but she wasn¡¯t convinced. She had to see Huo Shaoheng with her own eyes before deciding her next step.

 Chapter 254 - You Must Believe Me (2)

    <h4>Chapter 254: You Must Believe Me (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although the Prime Minister¡¯s eldest son, Dou Haoyan, had suddenly decided to host a New Year¡¯s banquet, all the preparations had already beenpleted by around five in the evening. The area near Willow Hutong, where the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence was located, began to be cordoned off. Starting from the entrance of Willow Hutong all the way to Prime Minister¡¯s official residence at No. 32 Willow Hutong, the entire area was heavily sentried by armed police officers and Secret Service in in clothes. The entire street was monitored by countless security cameras inside and outside, leaving no blind spots. Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng arrived at the entrance of Willow Hutong in his bulletproof car. There were many cars ahead in line for the security check. Yin Shixiong got out of the car to take a look and reported to Huo Shaoheng over the headset, ¡°Chief, there are too many people here. I rmend that we go through the second door to the parking lot of the official residence.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng peered through the darkly tinted windows to see an endless line of cars ahead. He raised his brow slightly and spoke to the orderly acting as his driver, Fan Jian, ¡°Turn around and go through the second door.¡± The second door to the Prime Minister¡¯s official entrance was even more strictly guarded that the VIP passageway of the airport. In the entire Huxia Empire, one could count the number of people able to ess the door with two hands. In other words, there are fewer than 10 people who had such ess. Huo Shaoheng happened to be one of them because he held a special permit as the head of the Special Ops.

    Fan Jian nodded. ¡°Then should we wait for Big Xiong toe back?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and told Yin Shixiong through the Bluetooth headset, ¡°Go in from the front door and see what guests are here. We will go through the second door, then meet you inside Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± Yin Shixiong also had an invitation, so he quickly agreed and watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car make a U-turn in the twilight, then turn into the small hutong on the side. It appeared to be a dead end, but it actually housed a secret passage where holders of the special permit could ask for the great steel gates at the dead end to be opened. Through the gates was the second entrance leading to the internal parking lot of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    ...

    Jin Wanyi had been stuck in the car line for a long time. By the time she passed the arduous security check and entered the open-air parking lot of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, two hours had already passed. She had arrived at three in the afternoon and had waited a whole two hours before finally arriving to the entrance of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Unexpectedly, there were many people in line¡ªthe earlier security check was for vehicles, and the next check for the guests themselves. Jin Wanyi sighed heavily and had no choice but to continue lining up. As she waited for the line to move along, she took a small mirror out from her bag to check her makeup and found that her nose had gotten oily. She quickly took out some blotting paper to press on her nose, then patted on some loose powder. Suddenly, a group people pressed forward and caused amotion in the line. Jin Wanyi was wearing stiletto heels, so she fell backwards when the crowd moved. She was about to fall on her back, but then a pair of strong arms appeared from behind to stabilize and help her stand up. Jin Wanyi quickly turned back to thank them gratefully. She looked up to see a square and masculine face smile at her. ¡°Be careful not to twist your ankle.¡± He even winked at her.

    The man wore a neat ck suit and a simple bow tie. His white, fine-striped shirt was well fitted and expensive looking. With his perfect posture and bulging muscles visible underneath the suit, it was obvious he worked out. He also had a handsome face.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face immediately flushed as she frantically put thepact and mirror back into her purse and stuttered, ¡°T- thank you, Mister.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± The young manughed heartily and was especially friendly to her. ¡°I¡¯m very honored to be able to help a beautiful woman like yourself. May I ask if you¡¯re here for this banquet too?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes...¡± Jin Wanyi appeared refined and graceful, yet it was difficult to determine her bold and daring personality from her looks. She gathered her wits and quickly surveyed the man. ¡°Are you here for this banquet as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes! This must be fate. May I ask what your name is?¡± The young man was very sociable and gentlemanly as he stood by her side to block out the surging crowd.

    Jin Wanyi was very grateful and saw that he also had an invitation. It wasn¡¯t to say that everyone invited to attend was rich and important, but at the very least, they had to be of a serious and respected profession. She was very honest with him. ¡°My surname is Jin, and I¡¯m awyer. It¡¯s a great honor for me to be able to attend Mr. Huo¡¯s New Year¡¯s banquet tonight.¡±

    The young man gave a bright smile. ¡°Miss Jin is so beautiful, so I didn¡¯t think you were actually a big shotwyer too! What an honor to meet you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind. I¡¯m not some big shotwyer, I just arrived to the Imperial capital not long ago and hadn¡¯t handled that many cases yet.¡± Jin Wanyi blushed, waving hastily, ¡°Please don¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Ji is too humble, if you are an unknownwyer, there¡¯s no way you can attend this banquet.¡± He appeared to be very knowledgeable and smiled at her meaningfully.

    Jin Wanyi flushed even darker and muttered, ¡°...It was a coincidence that I was able to attend.¡± She didn¡¯t want to say anything more and looked around like she was trying to find someone.

    The young man smiled even more happily, ¡°Lawyer Jin, are you looking for someone? Why don¡¯t you tell me? I know many people and might be able to help you?¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡± Jin Wanyi answered absent mindedly, ¡°I want to see... if that Major General Huo is here...¡±

    ¡°Major... General Huo?¡± His smile grew, ¡°You wish to look for Major General Huo? The one from the Special Operations Forces?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡± Jin Wanyi turned around to look closely at the young man again, ¡°How do you know of him? Do you recognize him?¡±

    ¡°Well, who doesn¡¯t know him? He¡¯s the youngest General in the military. Anyone attending this banquet today either knows him or at least recognizes his name.¡± He put his hands in his trouser pockets and moved along the line towards the security check with her, then changed the subject, ¡°The eldest son of the Prime Minister suddenly had the idea to throw a banquet and so many people actually came?!¡±

    There were at least 100 people in queue for the security check alone. Not far away, an endless line of cars continued to stream in. Jin Wanyi had carefully inquired about the details from Bai Changhui beforeing, ¡°I hear the eldest son of the Prime Minister was worried that not many people woulde, so he sent 100 invitations and didn¡¯t actually expect almost everyone to show up.¡± Each invitation allowed two or three guests, so there were at least one hundred people. She estimated at least over two hundred people were actually here.

    ¡°Really?¡± The young man touched his ear to position in the hidden Bluetooth headset. He was one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries, Yin Shixiong. He had never expected to run into Jin Wanyi when he lined up. He had been assigned to investigate her background, so he recognized her right away. He knew she didn¡¯t have the kind of background to get an invitation on her own, so he engaged her to get some insider¡¯s information. Jin Wanyi was no match for Yin Shixiong, who had undergone special training. Although she was very careful, Yin Shixiong managed to extract quite a bit of information from her. Under his intentional approach, Jin Wanyi had subconsciously took a liking to him and chatted happily. They quickly arrived at the entrance of the security check. The pair was directed to a checkpoint at the right door of the official residence. Just then, anothermotion arose from the crowd behind them and Yin Shixiong reached out to protect Jin Wanyi from the crowd. They both looked back to see a long ck luxury vehicle glowing in the sunset of the distant twilight. It drove past the entrance of the vehicle checkpoint, finally stopping when it reached the front door of the official residence. The guests had to wait at the security checkpoint at the side door, so everyone was shocked. Who on earth was in that luxury car to drive directly to the main entrance of the official residence?! Jin Wanyi suddenly grew nervous and clutched Yin Shixiong¡¯s arm, whispering, ¡°Can you help me see if Huo Shaoheng is in that car?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was certain that it wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng in there, but he was also very interested as to who could make such a ruckus? He stood up on his toes with Jin Wanyi, craning to see. Before the car doors opened, the main entrance of the official residence suddenly opened and a line of people came out. In the front was the Prime Minister and his wife, behind them was their eldest son, the host of tonight¡¯s banquet, Dou Haoyan. A young and delicate girl followed behind him. The family of four stood on the lowest step in front of the entrance and watched the ck luxury car in excitement, waiting for the passengers toe out. It suddenly grew quiet in front of the official residence as thest rays of the day¡¯s sun shone on the hood of the car to entuate the small winged angel logo. A driver in a ck uniform and ck gloves exited the car to open the doors. The first toe out was a distinguished youngdy with a tall and full figure.

    ¡°Qingyan! You¡¯re finally back!¡± The Prime Minister¡¯s wife instantly rushed forward, holding her hand in excitement.

    The woman¡¯s face was half obscured by a purplece veil beret, she gripped the Prime Minister¡¯s wife¡¯s hand, ¡°Mummy, I¡¯m back. ¨CLet me introduce you, this is Lawyer He Zhichu.¡±

    The next to exit the vehicle was He Zhichu in a ck tuxedo. He stood handsomely in front of the car, a pair of shimmering sultry eyes looking cooly ahead. His thin nose and tightly pressed lips making him appear aloof and elegant.

 Chapter 255 - You Must Believe Me (3)

    <h4>Chapter 255: You Must Believe Me (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong kept the smile on his face as he looked in the direction of the ck limousine. Inwardly, however, he was reeling from shock.

    Why was He Zhichu at the party?!

    If this was happening in the United States, Yin Shixiong would not have batted an eysh; He Zhichu was an extremely influential man in the US political and military circles, after all. But here, in the Huaxia Empire?!

    Had He Zhichu always been such close friends with the Prime Minister¡¯s family?

    Yin Shixiong felt he had failed in his duty as a Special Ops soldier. Why hadn¡¯t he discovered anything about this during the background checks on He Zhichu?

    Yin Shixiong pretended to rub his ear with a hand as he tapped his earpiece, sending a sequence of loud and soft clicks over to Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng. It was a message in Morse code.

    Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng received the news at the same time.

    Zhao Liangze did not know who Dou Qingyan was. Like Yin Shixiong, he was surprised to hear that He Zhichu had been invited to such an exclusive party.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feelings, however, were slightly moreplicated.

    Why was Dou Qingyan going around with He Zhichu?

    His face clouded, but in a moment he had turned to fix his gaze upon Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lovely face. He reached out and squeezed her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him, her pouty, cherry red lips curved into a faint smile. Herrge, doe-like eyes shimmered like an autumnke; even the iciest hearts had to melt at the stirring sight of her.

    Zhao Liangze got out of the bulletproof car and opened the door for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng emerged from the car. He turned and helped Gu Nianzhi out of the car.

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a cherry pink A-line one-shoulder evening gown made of tulle, with a small mink cashmere shawl draped across her shoulders. Her long hair hung over her back, unadorned save for the headband braid above the smooth expanse of her pretty forehead. It was a look reserved only for the young and confident; it was beautiful, and full of youthful daring.

    Her exquisite eyebrows were entirely natural¡ªshe had not had to trim or artificially shape them. She did not need mascara, either: her eyshes were long, curly, and naturally thick. Unlike the heavily made-up women about her, she did not have to worry about her mascara streaking and spoiling her good looks.

    It was the same for her face; there was only a thinyer of matte foundation on her face. She had only put it on to dampen the effect of her snowy whiteplexion, which would have attracted too many stares otherwise.

    She had chosen a pale cherry pink for her lipstick, which made her pouty lips seem even more enticing.

    She had tried not to attract too much attention, but her natural beauty and youthful radiance set her apart from the rest of the crowd. She was truly one of a kind.

    Huo Shaoheng admired her beauty, but he did not show it. Instead, he took her hand and escorted her towards the steps leading to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    ...

    Outside the main entrance of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, He Zhichu presented himself to the Prime Minister and his wife. He bowed slightly, and said, his expression cool and impassive, ¡°My name is He Zhichu. Pleased to meet you.¡±

    The Prime Minister quickly shook hands with him. He said, with heartfelt emotion, ¡°Thank you, Lawyer He. Qingyan would never have been able to return to us, if it hadn¡¯t been for you!¡±

    ¡°Big Sis! Big Sis! You¡¯re finally back!¡± The young, delicate girl beside Dou Haoyan came forward and took Dou Qingyan¡¯s hand. ¡°Big Sis, do you remember me? It¡¯s me, Aiyan!¡±

    ¡°Little Aiyan, you¡¯re all grown up now!¡± Dou Qingyan smiled as she tousled the younger girl¡¯s hair. She turned and said to He Zhichu, who was standing beside her: ¡°This is my younger sister, Aiyan. She¡¯s a lot younger than my older brother and me, she just turned 18st year.¡±

    Dou Aiyan looked at He Zhichu curiously; she blushed as she said, smiling, ¡°Nice to meet you, Lawyer He.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded to her in greeting. His gaze lingered on her face for a little longer than necessary¡ªthe fact that she had just turned 18 seemed to have piqued his interest.

    The First Lady grabbed Dou Qingyan¡¯s hand, her eyes bright with unshed tears. ¡°Qingyan,e, let¡¯s go in. What a cruel child you are! You were gone for six years, and you never once contacted either your father or me. You were gone for so long your big brother and your little sister have forgotten how you look like.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying, Mother? I¡¯d recognize Qingyan anywhere.¡± Dou Haoyan chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t say the same for Little Aiyan here, however.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Dou Aiyan pouted. ¡°I was already 12 when Big Sis left! Why wouldn¡¯t I remember her?! What do you think I am, a little baby?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not a little baby anymore? I honestly couldn¡¯t tell!¡± Dou Haoyanughed heartily. He extended a hand towards He Zhichu and said, with heartfelt gratitude, ¡°Lawyer He, thank you so much for your help.¡±

    He Zhichu said impassively, ¡°It was no trouble at all. Say nothing of it.¡±

    ¡°It may have been no trouble at all for you, but it¡¯s a big deal for my family,¡± said Dou Haoyan sincerely. He stepped aside. ¡°Please, follow me.¡±

    He Zhichu gave a slight nod, and followed Dou Haoyan to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    Dou Qingyan followed behind her mother, but suddenly stopped to ask: ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Wen?¡±

    As if in reply, He Zhichu stopped, and Wen Shouyi caught up to them from behind.

    She had stepped out of the ck limousine after the rest of them, and had kept a respectful distance with a pleasant smile on her face. She had practically disappeared into the background.

    She heard Dou Qingyan ask for her, and quickly walked over. ¡°Miss Dou...¡±

    ¡°Shouyi, you can call me Qingyan. Don¡¯t be a stranger, now,¡± Dou Qingyan said with sincere warmth. She took Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand and introduced her to her mother, the First Lady. ¡°Mommy, this is Miss Wen, Lawyer He¡¯s assistant. She¡¯s also an associate professor at Harvard Law School. Don¡¯t be fooled by her gentle, demure appearance¡ªshe cuts her opponents to pieces with her sharp tongue in court. She gives most men a run for their money!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed. It¡¯s very nice to meet you, you must be a rare breed indeed.¡± The First Lady politelyplimented Wen Shouyi, before leading the two youngerdies to the official residence¡¯s main entrance.

    The Prime Minister had already gone in, with He Zhichu and his eldest son, Dou Haoyan, beside him.

    Dou Aiyan was thest one to enter, but she did not mind. She nced curiously at the guests waiting to go through security screening at the side entrances, and took the time to wave to the m before running to catch up to her brother, Dou Haoyan. She took his hand, but her eyes were glued to He Zhichu.

    The guests who were still waiting outside of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence for the security check noticed He Zhichu, and wondered who he was.

    They discreetly began asking one another for information about him, but his identity was aplete mystery to them.

    But they all agreed that he knew how to make an entrance; instead of diligently scaling the socialdder from below like everyone else, He Zhichu had practically parachuted into the upper echelons of the Huaxia Empire on New Year¡¯s Day, catching everyone by surprise. Within minutes, he had be the hottest topic at the party.

    Yin Shixiong was the only one among all the guests who actually knew who He Zhichu was.

    Jin Wanyi stared at He Zhichu curiously. She said, with genuine surprise, ¡°That man over there isn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng? But look at the way he carries himself¡ªhe has to be someone important!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yin Shixiong smiled. ¡°Surely he pales inparison to General Huo?¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that? You¡¯ve met Huo Shaoheng?¡± Jin Wanyi was even more curious now. ¡°Where do you work at, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±

    Yin Shixiong rubbed his chin and said, smiling, ¡°I¡¯m just making a logical deduction. Think about it: General Huo is a high-ranking military officer, but Lawyer He is just awyer. Which would have the more intimidating aura? A general, or awyer?¡±

    ¡°You have a point.¡± Jin Wanyi nodded. ¡°But that man doesn¡¯t look like awyer to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How so?¡±

    ¡°...I can¡¯t exin it. It¡¯s just a feeling.¡± Jin Wanyi shook her head. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t listen to my nonsense. I honestly don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about, don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked thoughtfully in He Zhichu¡¯s direction, but he had already disappeared. He sent several messages to Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm as they entered therge hall on the first floor of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, where the buffet-style dinner party was taking ce.

    The Prime Minister had hired chefs and kitchen crew from a five-star hotel to feed the guests at the party.

    Long, rectangr tables with white, pristine tablecloths had been set up in the hall. The chefs and waiters, dressed in neat uniforms and white chef¡¯s hats, weaved through the hall like busy bees as theyid out tables with sumptuous food and delicacies from all over the country.

    There was even a barbecue pit in the small garden behind the hall; someone was tending to it, grilling the choicest, most expensive cuts of beef and mutton from the western provinces.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi sauntered into the hall from the back entrance, just as the Prime Minister and his group entered from the main entrance.

    Lively music began to y, and the atmosphere in the hall was at once cheerful and buoyant. The guests clustered around the Prime Minister¡¯s little group, like stars paying their respects to the moon.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi stood at the other end of the hall, with Zhao Liangze, dressed in a smart suit, acting as their bodyguard and attendant. The aura of dignified importance from the three of them rivaled the Prime Minister¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Shaoheng and said something to him, her face radiant. Huo Shaoheng lowered his face and smiled at her in reply.

    He Zhichu stood in the middle of the crowd, watching the scene from afar. His bright, almond eyes were cold as ice.

 Chapter 256 - You Must Believe Me (4)

    <h4>Chapter 256: You Must Believe Me (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Amidst the grandeur and splendor of the wealthy elites, Gu Nianzhi had eyes for Huo Shaoheng alone. He reached out to smooth the long hair flowing down to her waist. Gu Nianzhi blushed, but then suddenly sensed something and looked up across the hall to see He Zhichu¡¯s tall figure among the crowd. In that moment, He Zhichu¡¯s dark eyes suddenly filled with warmth. He smiled at her, then whispered into the Prime Minister¡¯s ear before heading over to her. Dou Haoyan, the eldest son of the Prime Minister, began greeting all the guests present. A melodious serenade echoed in the living room and the guests clustered in small groups, carrying wine sses and tes of food. They enjoyed the food and drink, as well as thepany that made for a lively atmosphere.

    Dou Qingyan saw Huo Shaoheng as soon as she entered the room. Even though six years had passed since she had decided to let go of him, her eyes welled up with tears at the sight of his face.

    Wen Shouyi was concerned that Dou Qingyan would get too emotional and so quickly asked, ¡°Qingyan, can you take me to bathroom? There¡¯s something wrong with the fastening on my dress.¡± She smiled gently at Dou Qingyan.

    Dou Qingyan nodded and took two deep breaths to calm the turmoil in her heart. She said to the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, ¡°Mummy, I¡¯lle back after getting changed upstairs with Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°Go, go. I¡¯lle with you.¡± The Prime Minister¡¯s wife hadn¡¯t seen Dou Qingyan in six years and loathed to be apart from her daughter for even a moment. They had been so close to never seeing her again.

    ¡°Mummy, aren¡¯t you going to entertain the guests?¡± Although Dou Qingyan was feeling anxious, she still held up the ts of proper etiquette. How could the banquet be maintained without her mother, thedy of the house, absent?

    Her mother quickly dispelled her concerns. ¡°Qingyan, this banquet is being hosted by your older brother, so these are all young people here. Your father and I aren¡¯t the hosts: we especially came to see you and Lawyer He. With the two of us around, everyone will be too courteous and won¡¯t enjoy themselves.¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked around and found that the Prime Minister had indeed already left the living room to return to his office in the back after having greeted a few close acquaintances.

    Dou Qingyan nced at her brother, Dou Haoyan, and saw that he was enjoying thepany of the guests with their younger sister. She finally nodded and went upstairs with the other two women.

    ...

    He Zhichu¡¯s entourage parted the crowd before him, so he had a clear path to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi gawked at him as He Zhichu walked up to them and said, ¡°Nianzhi, Happy New Year.¡± He then looked up at the silent Huo Shaoheng beside her and asked kindly, ¡°Nianzhi, is this your guardian?¡± He reached out his hand to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I¡¯ve heard lots about you. My surname is He, and I¡¯m Nianzhi¡¯s post-grad instructor at B University. Last year, while Nianzhi studied abroad and apanied me, she had often mentioned her guardian. Seeing you in person today is a honor; it¡¯s no wonder that she admires you so much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pressed his lips together and slowly raised his hand, as though reaching for He Zhichu¡¯s outstretched one. However, he withdrew it and put his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back instead, then nodded to him. ¡°He Zhichu, you are highly respected as a great teacher andwyer. With an instructor like you, Nianzhi will certainly excel and be sessful in the field ofw in the future.¡±

    Highly respected? Great teacher? Is he drawing a line that I shouldn¡¯t cross? He Zhichu stiffened at the subtle offense initiated by Huo Shaoheng, butughed softly and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, why don¡¯t you introduce your guardian to me?¡± As he spoke, he looked up at Zhao Liangze standing behind Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I remember that someone was your guardian while you were in the States, no? I think I saw him before...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked by He Zhichu¡¯s inquiries. After a long pause, she finally replied, ¡°Happy New Year, Professor He.¡± She then looked at Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, and introduced them together. ¡°Professor He, yes, that¡¯s Brother Ze. He used to be one of my guardians and he took care of me in the States. This is Mr. Huo, he was my guardian too. But I¡¯m already 18 now and don¡¯t need a guardian anymore.¡±

    He Zhichuughed as he patted her head with adoration. ¡°You¡¯re such a stubborn child. Legally speaking you don¡¯t need a guardian anymore, but how old are you now? You only just turned 18 and grew up under Mr. Huo¡¯s care. Although he was your guardian, he was basically your adoptive father and you will still need to rely on him for many things. Don¡¯t be impudent. How sad would he be to listen to you say that you don¡¯t need a guardian anymore? You don¡¯t want people to say that you¡¯re ungrateful, right?¡±

    Adoptive father? That¡¯s rich. Huo Shaoheng thought. He said quietly, ¡°Professor He, you must¡¯vee from the United States and therefore, you don¡¯t eally understand Huaxia culture. Guardians and ¡°adoptive fathers¡± arepletely unrted. If you can¡¯t speak Chinese, you can choose to speak English, French, or even Latin. I¡¯ll be happy to aodate.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Although He Zhichu was speaking to Huo Shaoheng, he only looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I didn¡¯t think your guardian is such a talented person: he even knows French and Latin too!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was getting ufortable¡ªshe sensed that the two men were trying to one up each other. She had been very displeased to hear He Zhichu say that Huo Shaoheng was basically her adoptive father, but her expression remained unchanged. She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm with a smile. ¡°Professor He indeed grew up abroad, so his Chinese is not the best. Mr. Huo was asked to be my temporary guardian, so I naturally didn¡¯t need one anymore when I turned 18. Professor He is speaking too seriously. You are a Professor of Law and a greatwyer in the United States after all. How can you speak with such unsuitable verbiage? Please don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Gu Nianzhi teased.

    He Zhichu¡¯s breath caught in his mouth. He hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be so aversive to hisbelling of Huo Shaoheng as her adoptive parent. Although he had mentally prepared himself, bitterness still seeped into his heart as his gaze rested on her face for a moment. He nodded to himself. ¡°Is that so. I truly didn¡¯t understand the difference between the two. Thank you both for exining.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at him and took two cocktails from the waiter passing through, handing one to each of the men. ¡°A toast to you both. Happy New Year!¡±

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng took the sses and slowly raised them to each other before downing them at the same time.

    ¡°Shaoheng? I¡¯m very happy that you were able toe to my family¡¯s New Year banquet.¡± A charming female voice sounded from behind He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t have to turn around to know that it was Dou Qingyan walking over. He put his empty ss on the waiter¡¯s tray and took a new one to give to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This is just fruit wine with low alcohol content. You can have some too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention had been taken by Dou Qingyan as soon as she came over. She had changed into a dark magenta velvet qipao. It was tight fitting and showed off her slender curves; she was astonishingly beautiful. Her beauty was the kind where a woman had matured to her prime, but not yet withered.

    ¡°Take it and drink slowly.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was as rich as aged wine, infusing directly to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. She picked up the ss absentmindedly and didn¡¯t even look as she took a sip. Her gaze stopped on Dou Qingyan¡¯s face for a moment, before shifting to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Although Huo Shaoheng appeared unaffected, Gu Nianzhi knew him better than anyone else¡ªshe could detect a hint of some deep emotion in his eyes. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped.

    Dou Qingyan stood before Huo Shaoheng and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been six years and you look more mature than before.¡± She paused, thenughed quietly and said, ¡°You¡¯re even more handsome too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Qingyaan, you¡¯re still too funny.¡± He had one hand in his trouser pocket while the other gently swirled his wine ss.

    Dou Qingyan then greeted He Zhichu before turning back to say to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I had a bit of trouble when I was abroad, but it was Lawyer He and Lawyer Wen who helped me resolve it.¡± She paused for a long time and gently caressed her left wrist which was adorned with a gold bracelet. ¡°I hadn¡¯t nned oning back, but after going through all that in a foreign country, I thought it was all so pointless. My nation is still my home and I missed my family and friends too¡ªso I came back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you figured it out.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his ss and said, ¡°Happy New Year.¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year.¡± Dou Qingyan took a cocktail and toasted Huo Shaoheng, then they both took sips at the same time.

    Seeing Dou Qingyan and Huo Shaoheng chatting so amiably, He Zhichu whispered to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, I texted you about some things rted to the school and asked you toe early. Did you get it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, about that...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was still on Huo Shaoheng and Dou Qingyan, so she barely heard He Zhichu. He Zhichu didn¡¯t want her mind to stray, so he reached out to take her arm and dragged her to the screen in the corner. ¡°They¡¯re oldrades getting reunited, so don¡¯t get in the way now.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯rerades?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously and was just about to ask Zhao Liangze when she discovered that he already walked away without her noticing.

    ¡°Of course they¡¯rerades. Didn¡¯t your great guardian tell you?¡± He Zhichu put one hand in his trouser pocket and held a cocktail with the other hand, his sultry eyes twinkling with a smile. ¡°Dou Qingyan and your guardian, Huo Shaoheng, had enlisted at nearly the same time, but she suddenly withdrew from the military and went abroad six years ago. She has only juste back to the Empire this year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Dou Qingyan¡¯s brightly smiling face directed at Huo Shaoheng. He didn¡¯t seem to keep her at an arm¡¯s length like he did with other women. They had an indescribable connection between them.

    He Zhichu¡¯s smile grew as he lowered his head to whisper in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, ¡°Don¡¯t they look good together? In terms of their appearance and family?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was unperturbed, casting an icy look at He Zhichu as she said coldly, ¡°Professor He, how do you know so much?¡±

 Chapter 257 - You Must Believe Me (5)

    <h4>Chapter 257: You Must Believe Me (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi with undisguised admiration in his shimmering, sultry eyes. ¡°Very astute. You never fail to live up to my expectations.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...Professor He, you haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±

    He raised a cocktail ss and took a sip. He was in a good mood, and it showed on his face. ¡°Dou Qingyan got into trouble in the US, and one of my subordinates defended her in court. This is why I know so much about her¡ªwe have to conduct thorough background checks on our clients, after all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly. She shot He Zhichu a skeptical look. ¡°Is that so? That must have been quite the coincidence.¡±

    He Zhichu ¡°just so happened¡± to bail Dou Qingyan out when she was in trouble? And Dou Qingyan ¡°just so happened¡± to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s formerrade-in-arms?

    Gu Nianzhi was openly interrogating him, questioning his honesty, and He Zhichu did not like it. His attitude cooled as quickly as smoldering coal in ice water. He fixed his icy gaze upon the crowd before him, and gave a snort. ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t a coincidence. I only bailed her out because I knew she was Mr. Huo¡¯s formerrade-in-arms. There, are you satisfied with my answer now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused. Her instincts told her that the matter was not so simple, but the more she thought about it, the less credible her intuition seemed, even to her.

    Why would Professor He do that? What did he stand to gain from messing with Huo Shao?

    Gu Nianzhi could note up with a usible answer.

    She could tell, deep down, that He Zhichu was especially nice to her, but she wasn¡¯t so shameless as to think he was attracted to her. He Zhichu¡¯s actions confused her.

    He Zhichu saw the hesitant, dubious look on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and felt better.

    He waved a waiter over and handed him his empty cocktail ss. He turned to Gu Nianzhi to ask: ¡°Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get you some food.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was the type to start feeling hungry when she was nervous. She nodded, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the food, Professor He. What do you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it. How can I let a youngdy serve me? That would be much too ungentlemanly of me. I grew up abroad, so you¡¯ll have to forgive me if I seem unfamiliar with the way you do things here in the Huaxia Empire.¡± He Zhichu added thest line sarcastically; it was a direct jab at Gu Nianzhi, who had used him of not understanding the Huaxianguage earlier.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face colored. She followed him to the buffet table, thoroughly embarrassed. She mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor He. That wasn¡¯t what I meant...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to apologize. I can never be truly angry with you, you know,¡± He Zhichu said simply as he tousled her hair.

    Gu Nianzhi, however, was too busy sneaking restless nces in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction to catch He Zhichu¡¯s doting tone.

    ...

    ¡°Shaoheng, how have you been?¡± Dou Qingyan smiled pleasantly at Huo Shaoheng as she handed him a teful of food.

    The te was stacked: Dou Qingyan had filled it with grilled beef tenderloin, crispy chicken fillet, fried cuminmb, prawn-and-bacon rolls, crab meat sd, cabbages leaves, a few cherry tomatoes, and a generous portion of crab cheese dip on one corner of the te.

    ¡°How¡¯s that? I have a good memory, right? I got you all your favorite food.¡± Dou Qingyan smiled, her eyes curving into happy crescents. There was an unexpected hint of tenderness in her stately, dignified features. ¡°...I used to prepare these for you every night.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng epted the food, but removed the fried cuminmb from his te with his fork. He smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, but I don¡¯t like mutton.¡±

    Dou Qingyan was surprised. ¡°What? You don¡¯t like mutton? Why didn¡¯t you say so, back then?¡±

    ¡°...I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to tell you.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly ate the food on his te.

    Dou Qingyan was about to continue reminiscing about ¡°the good old days¡± when Huo Shaoheng spoke up and interrupted her: ¡°That¡¯s enough. You left the army, but I¡¯m sure you still remember our rules and protocol, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°...Oh.¡± Dou Qingyan pressed her lips together, and changed the subject with a carefreeugh. ¡°Right, how careless of me. Let¡¯s talk about you then: what have you been up to, in thest six years? I heard that you¡¯re already a major general? Is the Special Operations Forces now under yourmand?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng cut up a beef fillet with a knife as he added: ¡°I founded the Special Operations Forces, you remember.¡±

    ¡°I remember, I was one of your first subordinates.¡± Dou Qingyan winked at him. ¡°I remember my first day at the Special Ops¡ªyou were so hard on me I spent half the night weeping into my pillow. And then, you woke me up before the crack of dawn to start my physical training. Oh, it was truly hell...¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed, and rxed. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t left the army, you¡¯d be a high-ranking officer yourself by now, too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t tough enough to handle it, so I became a deserter.¡± Dou Qingyanughed openly.

    She was easily amused: a single, casual remark from Huo Shaoheng had been enough to send her into peals ofughter.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi stood in a corner, watching Huo Shaoheng and Dou Qingyan smile andugh as they chatted amiably. She did not know how to feel.

    She was upset. Thest time she had seen¡ªthrough a video feed¡ªHuo Shaoheng smile at a woman, it had left her in a bad mood for days.

    But she was also surprised; she had never seen Huo Shaoheng interact with another woman in such a rxed and leisurely manner.

    As far as Gu Nianzhi knew, Huo Shaoheng ssified the people around him into two different categories¡ª¡±one of my own¡± and ¡°enemy¡±¡ªand treated them ordingly.

    He did not differentiate between men and women; Gu Nianzhi was his only exception.

    Aside from her bitterness and surprise, Gu Nianzhi was actually relieved to see Huo Shaoheng and Dou Qingyan chatting like old ssmates. It proved that Huo Shao was a living, breathing person, and not a cold-blooded war machine, incapable of feelings.

    He Zhichu walked over to Gu Nianzhi with a ss of Canadian ice wine. He stood beside her, leisurely tracing her line of sight to Huo Shaoheng and Dou Qingyan.

    He Zhichu was surprised by Dou Qingyang¡¯s dignified performance. He had half expected her to get all weepy and hysterical upon meeting Huo Shaoheng.

    He Zhichu was a man. He knew very well how stone-hearted men could be towards the people they had cut off all ties with¡ªthey did not like having the ghosts from their pasts appear before them to weep and beg for sympathy.

    For men like Huo Shaoheng, it was better to start afresh as ordinary friends, instead of dragging up the past.

    Although Dou Qingyan and Huo Shaoheng had broken up, they had braved many battlefields together as fellow soldiers. The ¡°brotherhood¡± of sorts between them was a lot harder to break than a romantic rtionship.

    ¡°Mr. Huo is a grown man, and he¡¯s very aplished for his age. It¡¯s normal for him to have one or two ex-girlfriends, you know. You don¡¯t have to look so surprised, your eyes are practically falling out of their sockets.¡± He Zhichu handed Gu Nianzhi a bottle of warm milk.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a bad mood; warm milk was precisely what she needed to soothe her injured sensibilities. She epted the milk, and began to sip it with a straw. She muttered sullenly: ¡°I¡¯m not surprised, my eyes are just naturallyrge. You should get your eyes checked.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you weren¡¯t staring? How big are your eyes, really? Show me...¡± He Zhichu smiled as he turned to look at Gu Nianzhi.

    He was greeted by the sight ofrge, perfectly-shaped eyes; they were misty and enigmatic, like a forest veiled in fog. He felt himself being drawn into uncharted territory.

    He Zhichu forced himself to look away. He swallowed a mouthful of the thick, sweet Canadian ice wine in his hand.

    The wine was much too sweet; it was so sweet it was actually nauseating to the senses.

    Ice wine was made from grapes frozen on the vine, and it was chilled before serving. The ss in He Zhichu¡¯s hand was still icy cold; drinking the wine was like having a bucket of ice water upended over his head, and it was exactly what he needed right now.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes. She wondered why He Zhichu was behaving so strangely, but she did not press the issue. He Zhichu was just her mentor, anyway; she did not want to get too personally involved with him.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng had finished the food on his te, and was about to politely take his leave from Dou Qingyan when Dou Haoyan walked over with a smile on his face. ¡°General Huo, thank you for taking the time to grace us with your presence today! We apologize for not weing you at the door.¡±

    ¡°You tter me, Mr. Dou.¡± Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Thank you for inviting me. Happy New Year, and I wish you every sess in your endeavors.¡±

    ¡°Come now, let¡¯s not stand on ceremony.¡± Dou Haoyan nced at Dou Qingyan. ¡°I have matters to discuss with Mr. Huo. Why don¡¯t you help me attend to the other guests?¡±

    Dou Qingyan nodded, smiling. She politely took her leave from Huo Shaoheng, and made her way to the other end of the hall.

    Dou Haoyan led Huo Shaoheng to a slightly less crowded corner, before saying respectfully in a low and subdued voice: ¡°General Huo, it¡¯s actually my father. He wants to meet you¡ªwould you minding with me to see him? He¡¯s in the office building, behind the hall.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. His gaze swept over Gu Nianzhi¡ªshe was in the middle of a conversation with He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze: they were both in the hall, mingling with the other guests. Huo Shaoheng gave the both of them a pointed Look; one he was satisfied that they had caught his meaning, he followed Dou Haoyan to the Prime Minister¡¯s office.

    Not long after Huo Shaoheng left, He Zhichu was also called away. Gu Nianzhi was left standing alone beside the folding screen in the corner.

    She was beginning to feel bored. She looked for Brother Xiong and Brother Ze, but the former was engaged in an animated conversation with ady she did not recognize, while the former was happily chatting with Bai Yueran and Bai Shuang.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the happy expressions on their faces, and decided not to bother them. She slipped behind the folding screen, and found, to her surprise, afortable and beautiful L-shaped sofa.

    She leaned casually into the sofa, and began ying mobile games on her phone.

    Not long after, someone walked over to sit beside her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up. It was Dou Qingyan.

    ¡°Are you Gu Nianzhi?¡± Dou Qingyan looked her over. She said, smiling, ¡°I heard that Shaoheng is your guardian?¡±

 Chapter 258 - You Must Believe Me (6)

    <h4>Chapter 258: You Must Believe Me (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi. And you are?¡± Gu Nianzhi also carefully surveyed Dou Qingyan. Although Gu Nianzhi already knew the woman¡¯s name, she hadn¡¯t introduce herself when she came over to call away Huo Shaoheng earlier. As a matter of fact, Dou Qingyan hadn¡¯t looked at Gu Nianzhi the entire time. Anyone would be unhappy to be so tantly ignored, and Gu Nianzhi was no exception.

    Dou Qingyan smiled, revealing her perfect pearly teeth. ¡°I¡¯m Dou Qingyan and this is my home.¡± She reached out to ce both arms on the arm rests, her position assuming the stance of a queen. Suddenly Gu Nianzhi felt as though she were a little pce servant.

    Gu Nianzhizhi frowned as she got up from the soda and sat down on side of the L-shaped sofa beside to them in order to get away from the regal aura that Dou Qingyan was imposing. ¡°Hello, Miss Dou.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded respectfully, ¡°The buffet service for your family banquet is quite nice. I like the food and drink.¡±

    Dou Qingyan wasn¡¯t quite satisfied with the title, ¡°Miss Dou.¡± She narrowed her eyes but brightly responded, ¡°Actually it was my brother and sister who nned this;!it has nothing to do with me. I just came back today and still have jetg!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and didn¡¯t say anything more. She took out her phone and proceeded to look through her email.

    Dou Qingyan stared coldly at her for a while, then suddenly asked, ¡°Shaoheng is your guardian? He¡¯s been taking care of you for six years?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed internally when she realized Dou Qingyan wouldn¡¯t leave her in peace. She put away her phone and looked up calmly. ¡°Huo Shao used to be my guardian, but I¡¯m an adult now and have no need of one.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Dou Qingyan looked skeptical. ¡°You¡¯ve just turned 18, so you were only 12 when he started caring for you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Huo Shao saved me and afterwards I grew up with him.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bother hiding anything: if this woman wanted to pry then Gu Nianzhi would be happy to indulge her.

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s heart dropped and grew embittered when she looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exquisite face¡ª thebination of youthful invincibility and beauty frustrated her. ¡°You¡¯ve been with Shaoheng for so long. Do you know how many girlfriends he¡¯s had?¡± Dou Qingyan leaned forward to whisper to Gu Nianzhi like they were close friends sharing secrets.

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbstruck for a second; she hadn¡¯t expected Dou Qingyan to suddenly ask such a personal question. She kept silent for a bit and finally smiled. ¡°That is Huo Shao¡¯s personal business, I¡¯m not sure. You should go and ask him if you want to know so badly.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Even you don¡¯t know?¡± Dou Qingyan¡¯s tion was grossly apparent and her voice trembled as she asked, ¡°Has he been single thest six years?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was upset by the woman¡¯s exaggerated passion. Lady, I really don¡¯t know what to tell you! She thought exasperatedly.

    Dou Qingyan confirmed her suspicions when she saw that Gu Nianzhi was quiet. She excitedly leaned against the sofa and rubbed between her brows with her fingers while muttering, ¡°Had he felt the same way as I had? Did he regret it?¡±

    After Dou Qingyan¡¯s round of excitement, she began to see Gu Nianzhi is a more caring way. She nudged closer to her. ¡°Nianzhi, can I call you that?¡± Dou Qingyan asked kindly as she smoothed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. Gu Nianzhi instantly felt chilled to the bone. She didn¡¯t understand where Dou Qingyan¡¯s ¡°caring¡± attitude suddenly came from.

    ¡°Nianzhi, even you don¡¯t know if Shaoheng had any new girlfriends, even though you¡¯ve always been with him¡ªso that means he doesn¡¯t have one, right?¡± Dou Qingyan held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand¡ª she was determined to get the information out of the girl.

    Gu Nianzhi could feel her smile grow stiff as she used all her strength to pull her hand away from Dou Qingyan. She managed a terse smile as she stressed her words. ¡°I really don¡¯t know if Huo Shao has a girlfriend or not, so I don¡¯t dare misinform you. If you want to know, I think it¡¯s better you ask him yourself.¡±

    ¡°But, I¡¯m too scared to ask.¡± Dou Qingyan found Gu Nianzhi to be extremely adorable and mature and couldn¡¯t help sharing her feelings with her. ¡°He was so good to me in the beginning and everyone envied me. I always thought we would be together forever, but who would have known...¡± Dou Qingyan trailed off.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. Although she didn¡¯t want to believe He Zhichu¡¯s words, what Dou Qingyan was saying made her anxious. ¡°Huo Shao was very good to you in the beginning? When was this? How was he good to you?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked her shiny and innocent eyes at Dou Qingyan: she made it seem as though she wanted to have a heart to heart.

    Dou Qingyan smiled shyly and said, ¡°This was already six or seven years ago; he was really good to me back then. When we went out, he would always hold my hand like he was scared I¡¯d get lost. When we went out for dates, he made all the ns and I just had to show up, or...¡± Dou Qingyan continued to be immersed in her reminiscing while Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression grew dark. She couldn¡¯t help interrupting Dou Qingyan and asked, ¡°You said that you... had lived together before?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Dou Qingyan said as she took out her phone. ¡°See, I still have pictures from back then.¡± She opened the photo gallery and swiped through it excitedly with Gu Nianzhi.

    Initially, Gu Nianzhi had still been dubious and hadn¡¯t been inclined to believe the woman at all. However, she gawked as soon as she saw the photos on Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone. There were indeed many photos of them together. Huo Shaoheng looked very young, even younger than when Gu Nianzhi first met him six years ago. He was fresh-faced and handsome, his hair worn casually with a bit of a natural curl, unlike the short and clean style he sported now. The photos of them taken at home were very beautiful. There was Huo Shaohengughing in the kitchen as he held a bunch of grapes with one hand and plucking a single fruit off with the other to feed Dou Qingyan. She, in turn, looked up at Huo Shaoheng with a smile, adoration glittering in her eyes. There was another one of Huo Shaoheng reading in a wicker chair under the sun, a cup of tea on the small wooden table beside him. Dou Qingyan wore a white loose fit sweater, sitting on the ground against his leg, holding a Persian cat. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s other hand was resting on Dou Qingyan¡¯s head, and her eyes crinkled into a cheeky smile. Lastly, there was a more revealing photo of them in bed. The selfie showed Huo Shaoheng was in a white T-shirt, nestled in the white pillow and sheets, eyes closed in a deep sleep. Dou Qingyan wore a pale green silk slip withce trim andy beside him with one hand propped under her chin as she watched the sleeping Huo Shaoheng. The love in her eyes was unmistakable.

    Seeing these pictures, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing stopped for a moment. All the voices in the room grew mute in her ears, and she couldn¡¯t hear anything from the outside world anymore. Only the sound of her heartbeat remained as it beat in steady aches. She waspletely rigid but attempted to keep herposure. She finally returned to normal after a few moments. The other sounds in the room became audible to her once again, and Dou Qingyan was still telling her about the wonderful past between her and Huo Shaoheng. As if watching from afar, Gu Nianzhi heard her own voice coldly ask, ¡°Since you and Huo Shao were so good together, then why did you break up?¡±

    Dou Qingyan froze. ¡°Why did we break up?¡± She repeated the question and frowned for a long time before finally saying slowly, ¡°Oh, we separated because of a misunderstanding. You wouldn¡¯t understand...¡±

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t understand if you didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was crisp and icy, ¡°But you don¡¯t have to bother telling me, you just have to make sure to exin to Huo Shao clearly.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to exin.¡± Dou Qingyan shook her head helplessly, ¡°You really don¡¯t understand, what we had... Oh, there¡¯s no easy to exin a misunderstanding... So what if I even exined? I love him so much, why does he need me to exin?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any misunderstandings that can¡¯t be exined.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s jealousy had reached its tipping point and she couldn¡¯t help sneering at Dou Qingyan, ¡°If you think it¡¯s not possible to exin, then it¡¯s either not a misunderstanding, or there¡¯s a problem with your ability to express yourself. That¡¯s a congenital intelligence deficiency, there¡¯s no drug that can treat you for that, and there¡¯s no way around it.¡±

 Chapter 259 - You Must Believe Me (7)

    <h4>Chapter 259: You Must Believe Me (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Dou Qingyan had never had anyone talk to her like that. After a long moment of surprised silence, she frowned and said, ¡°What are you talking about? What¡¯s all this about congenital intellectual disability?¡±

    ¡°Congenital intellectual disability is the medical term for what ismonly known as mental retardation.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes zed with anger. There was a fire burning inside her, and she had to clench her fists to keep from punching Dou Qingyan in the face. Her voice was as icy as a frozenke when she added: ¡°Mentally retarded¡ªdo you get it now?¡±

    ¡°Never heard of it.¡± Dou Qingyan¡¯s frown deepened. She shook her head. ¡°Forget it, you¡¯re too young to understand what I¡¯m talking about, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I understand?¡± Gu Nianzhi extended her hand to Dou Qingyan. ¡°Give me your phone. I want to ask you something.¡±

    Dou Qingyan saw the change in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude, and guessed that she was jealous. She handed over her phone with an easy smile. ¡°My dear girl, what would you like to know?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi broke out in goosebumps at Dou Qingyan¡¯s cloying, sickly sweet tone. She forced a smile as she swiped through the photo on Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone. ¡°These were taken six, maybe seven years ago, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can see the date on the photos.¡± Dou Qingyan scooted over andid a hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm as she looked at the photos. She sighed. ¡°We were so wonderful together back then. How did we end up being practically strangers?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. She took a closer look at the photos; there was no location information saved for the photos, so she forced herself to run an analytical eye over every single detail. She asked: ¡°Where did the two of you live, back then? The scenery looks beautiful...¡±

    Dou Qingyan fidgeted beside her, before saying with a smile: ¡°In C City. Have you been there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m from C City actually, I just arrived in the imperial capital.¡± Gu Nianzhi stared fixedly at the photos. ¡°Are you sure the two of you were living in C City back then?¡±

    Dou Qingyan gave a start; she appeared to have been hit with a sudden realization. She hesitated, before saying, ¡°Oh, no, I misremembered. It wasn¡¯t C City. But don¡¯t bother asking me for the specific details, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve been there, anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Is that so? Let me ask you again: were you and Huo Shao really living together? Were the two of you really a couple?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to you? We were even engaged,¡± Dou Qingyan said impatiently. She extended a hand towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Now give me back my phone.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi got up from the sofa, Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone raised above her head and out of her reach. She retreated to the tall potted nt beside the sofa. ¡°Miss Dou, you¡¯re a liar. That in itself is not a crime, but you were stupid enough to lie about Huo Shao to my face. Tell me, are you mentally retarded, or merely suicidal?¡±

    Dou Qingyan was momentarily speechless. She finally picked up on the jealousy and resentment radiating from the youngdy before her, and her lips quirked into a smile. She slowly got to her feet and said, in a tone loaded with meaning, ¡°...So it¡¯s true, then. I thought it was just a baseless rumor.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯ve heard. You shouldn¡¯t listen to idle gossip, they¡¯re almost always spread by two-faced backstabbers. If you choose to believe them, well, you¡¯re more gullible than I thought.¡± Gu Nianzhi could not stand Dou Qingyan. She tried her best to deny it, but deep down, she knew Dou Qingyan was right: the photos had cut her deeply.

    Gu Nianzhi was convinced that Dou Qingyan had misrepresented the photos, but even so, she could not help the stinging pain in her heart. It hurt so much she found it difficult to breathe.

    But this was not the time to throw a childish tantrum. Her top priority right now was to return the blows Dou Qingyan had rained upon her!

    Dou Qingyan had hurt her, and Gu Nianzhi was going to return the favor ten, no, a hundred times over!

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi had transformed from a harmless, adorable little kitten to a ferocious leopard.

    ¡°Watch your mouth, youngdy!¡± Dou Qingyan¡¯s face had turned purple with rage. She said, in a low, threatening voice, ¡°Give me back my phone, now!¡±

    ¡°Give it back to you? I¡¯ll give it back when you give me a proper exnation of these photos.¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to give in. ¡°Miss Dou, I¡¯ll give you onest chance to be honest with me: what¡¯s up with these photos?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯s up¡¯ with them? They¡¯re exactly as they seem.¡± Dou Qingyan huffed indignantly. ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong? Are you finding it hard to believe that your guardian once abandoned me like an old shoe? Or do you have inappropriate feelings for your guardian...?¡±

    She looked Gu Nianzhi up and down. The friendly smile on her face had disappeared.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Dou Qingyan wasn¡¯t feeling the least bit guilty, and decided it was time to give her a taste of her own medicine.

    She knew guests were not supposed to criticize or stand up to their hosts, but Gu Nianzhi felt that she would be enabling Dou Qingyan if she let her get away with it now. She did not like enabling liars.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened. She swiped to the photo of Huo Shaoheng and Dou Qingyan in the kitchen.

    ¡°Miss Dou, as you seem to be unwilling to tell the truth, I¡¯ll just have to analyze your photos myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the photo of Huo Shaoheng feeding Dou Qingyan a grape as they stood in what appeared to be a kitchen. She said impassively: ¡°This kitchen has a minimalistic design, made entirely of unvarnished white birch. The kitchen isn¡¯t equipped with a range hood, and the range itself appears to be by Verona, an Italian brand. You can see Italy¡¯s most famouske, Lake Garda, from the kitchen window. This photo was therefore taken in Italy.¡±

    Dou Qingyan was bbergasted. Her eyes flickered to the photo.

    She did not actually remember where the photo had been taken; whenever she looked at the photo, her attention had always been drawn to the man in the photo. Why would she care about the kitchen decoration, or the view from the kitchen window?

    ¡°This second photo shows Huo Shao sitting in a wicker chair, reading a book in the sun.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at the colorful butterfly orchids in the tiny flower bed near the wicker chair. ¡°This specific variety of orchid is unique to Northern Irnd. Although they are also cultivated elsewhere, the bright, vibrant colors of these flowers can only be the product of Northern Irnd soil. Although the background has been deliberately blurred out in this photo, I can still tell that¡¯s the famous Glenarm vige, in Northern Irnd. In other words, this photo was taken in Northern Irnd.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, Miss Dou, where exactly did the two of you live together? C City? Italy? Or Northern Irnd?¡± Gu Nianzhi did not bother disguising the disdain in her voice.

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s face turned in quick session from red to white to green, before finally settling into an angry shade of purple.

    It took a minute for Dou Qingyan to collect herself. She snorted and said with azy, indifferent air, ¡°So the photos were taken in different locations¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong with that? The point is, Shaoheng and I used to be in a rtionship. We were happy to call any ce ¡®home,¡¯ as long as we were together.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as she swiped to the third photo in Dou Qingyan¡¯s photo album, the ¡°bed photo¡± that had made her feel like throwing up on the spot. ¡°What about this photo, then?¡±

    ¡°Hah, there¡¯s only a bed, Shaoheng, and myself in that photo. I don¡¯t believe you can tell where it was taken.¡± Dou Qingyan casually put up a hand and flicked her long, wavy hair behind her. She folded her arms across her chest, deliberately pushing up her ample bosom.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I can¡¯t tell where it was taken.¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°I have to wonder why you had to get a photographer to take such an intimate photo, however. Aren¡¯t these sort of photos usually selfies?¡±

    Dou Qingyan immediately lowered her arms. Her eyebrows turned into an angry V as she spat out: ¡°What are you talking about?! What photographer?! I took the photo myself, with a timer and a tripod!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was openly skeptical. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you managed to get this exact framing, angle, andposition with a tripod? Miss Dou, I know you don¡¯t have a brain, and I don¡¯t me you for it, but you shouldn¡¯t assume everyone else to be as brainless as you are.¡±

    ¡°So basically it all boils down to this: you refuse to acknowledge that Huo Shaoheng and I were lovers. Why, what¡¯s wrong? Does it pain you to admit it?¡± Dou Qingyan clenched her fists. She was trembling inside.

    The photos had served as her pir of support for thest several years. She wasn¡¯t about to let some girl she had just met destroy their significance to her.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with me. Miss Dou, please keep your fantasies in your head.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was torn to ribbons, but she did not show it; she was the type to disguise her pain with outward indifference. Like Huo Shaoheng, she preferred not to let the people around her guess what she was really feeling inside.

    This did not apply to Huo Shaoheng himself, however; Gu Nianzhi was as transparent as a crystal in front of him. She did not mind him seeing her for who she was.

    Dou Qingyan closed her eyes. ¡°Oh, forget it. What¡¯s the use in telling you about this, anyway? I¡¯m going to look for Shaoheng...¡± She took a step towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Now give me back my phone. Don¡¯t me me if I lose my temper.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me? And besides, you¡¯ve been behaving like a diva having a hissy fit ever since you started talking to me¡ªif that¡¯s you keeping your temper, I¡¯d hate to see what you¡¯re like when you lose it.¡± Gu Nianzhi was annoyed, and decided it was time to stop beating around the bush. ¡°More importantly, Miss Dou, you and Huo Shao were already enlisted in the military six years ago. The both of you were Special Ops soldiers, which means neither of you would have been allowed to leave the country without good reason. Since you im that the both of you spent time living in different countries, and even have the intimate photos to prove it, it seems to me that it would only be logical to conclude that the two of you were actually on a military assignment abroad, and not on a private vacation. Am I right?¡±

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s heart sank like a stone. She staggered backwards as she stared at Gu Nianzhi in disbelief. She could hardly believe her ears. The youngdy before her was shockingly astute¡ªshe had practically guessed the truth after looking at just a few photos!

    ¡°...W-W-What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Dou Qingyan suddenly realized she was potentially in trouble; the photos were supposed to be highly confidential. She panicked when she remembered this, and lunged towards Gu Nianzhi, too flustered to remember to conduct herself like a properdy. ¡°Give me back my phone!¡±

    ¡°Make me!¡± Gu Nianzhi deftly side-stepped her and quickly ran out from behind the folding screen¡ªwhich had kept the twodies out of view of the other guests¡ªand ran into the hall.

    ¡°Stop her!¡± Dou Qingyan shouted as she ran after Gu Nianzhi.

    A few of the guards and attendants working in the Prime Minister¡¯s residence immediately rushed towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong finally noticed what was going on with Gu Nianzhi. Their faces paled in horror: what had the little mischief-maker gotten into now? They cleaved through the crowd and stopped the guards and attendants before they could get to her.

    Gu Nianzhi weaved through the crowd like a slippery fish. With a few neatly executed turns, she ran out of the hall and towards the back door.

    As soon as she was out the back door, she ran headlong into a tall figure, who was walking up the stairs.

    It was Huo Shaoheng, on his way back to the hall after meeting with the Prime Minister.

 Chapter 260 - The Correct Way to Feed Grapes

    <h4>Chapter 260: The Correct Way to Feed Grapes</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Huo Shao,e back here! They¡¯re bullying me and I¡¯m scared!¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt, burying her head in his chest as she sobbed. However, there were no actual tears at all. A fire raged in her heart, so hot that it dried up any tears she had.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and embraced her protectively as he looked calmly ahead.

    A few guards who were rushing over abruptly skid to a stop and saluted at Huo Shaoheng before pointing at Gu Nianzhi, who was crying against his chest. One of the officers stuttered ¡°T-this... Miss Gu took our Miss Dou¡¯s phone. Mr. Huo, please have Miss Gu return the phone.¡±

    Dou Qingyan finally caught up to them, panting heavily. The group of guards blocking her way parted, and she saw Huo Shaoheng standing still at the rear entrance, his strapping figure outlined in the hazy golden light streaming through from the window. Dou Qingyan sniffled and choked on her tears as she rushed over in an attempt to drag Gu Nianzhi out of his embrace. She whimpered, ¡°Shaoheng, I beg you! Please ask Miss Gu to give my phone back to me! Please! Give my phone back!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still held Gu Nianzhi and shifted his weight so that Dou Qingyan couldn¡¯t touch her. She fell forward from the momentum and nearly tumbled down the steps, but two guards managed to hold her back in time. ¡°Shaoheng! How can you be so unfair?!¡± Dou Qingyan trembled with anger as she pointed to Gu Nianzhi, who was still pretending to cry in his arms, ¡°She¡¯s taken my phone! I demand that she return it to me, now!¡±

    The increasingmotion at the rear entrance was now audible from the living room, so everyone peered curiously in its direction. Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong ran over and nked the door to block the line of sight of the curious guests in the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi and asked calmly, ¡°You took Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned while nodding and quickly said, ¡°Yes, she showed it to me first. When I looked at it, I found that there were things in there¡ªvideos, pictures, snapshots¡ªthat shouldn¡¯t be there. It could mean the leaking of confidential and high profile information and extremely ssified material, so I thought I should show it to you. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve refused to give it back to her.¡± She fumbled for Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone out and cried, ¡°Look for yourself!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for this moment. Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone was locked with a fingerprint, so Gu Nianzhi had spent quite a bit of her efforts swiping at the screen to keep it unlocked the whole time. The phone screen now visible to him, Huo Shaoheng saw the intimate photo of him and Dou Qingyan in bed..

    ¡°Dou Qingyan! How did you get these photos?!¡± Huo Shaoheng questioned her angrily; although his voice was still low, the deep growl in his voice made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart quiver in her chest. His voice echoed in her ears and she could feel his body stiffening in his mounting displeasure.

    Huo Shaoheng thought Gu Ninazhi might be frightened, so he hastily pat her back infort and bent down to gently whisper in her ear, ¡°Those were prop photos we took during a mission. I¡¯ll exin when we get back.¡±

    He is actually going to personally exin it to me?! Gu Nianzhi mind reeled: she had never received such treatment from Huo Shaoheng, so her heart skipped a few beats equal parts flustered and excited.

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind Gu Nianzhi, his hands resting gently on her shoulders. He gave Dou Qingyan a severe look. ¡°Under these circumstances, we certainly can¡¯t return your phone to you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He Zhichu strolled over, easily dispelling the barricade of the guards and servants from the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. He walked around Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze to stand beside Dou Qingyan. Behind him was the Prime Minister¡¯s youngest daughter, Dou Aiyan, so the servants and guards didn¡¯t even bother stopping her; even Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were conscious of her presence and didn¡¯t touch He Zhichu. However, even if Dou Aiwayn hadn¡¯t been there, these people would have been unable to stop He Zhichu in the he first ce: he was far superior in status than he appeared.

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s heart leapt to her throat when she saw He Zhichu arrive; surprisingly, the embarrassed woman didn¡¯t even tell on Gu Nianzhi. Instead she mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just joking around with Miss Gu.¡± She gave a knowing look to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ll leave my phone with you for now. We¡¯ll talk about it once the banquet is over.¡±

    Shooting her a cool nce, Huo Shaoheng threw her phone to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Unlock this and make a backup copy. We will determine if there is any illegal material once the investigation concludes.¡±

    Zhao Liangze saluted Huo Shaoheng and immediately took it to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mobile base. The interior was fully equipped with Zhao Liangze¡¯s tools and so, with a few slight modifications, it could also double as a temporary tacticalmand center. All the necessary equipment was arranged within, although it appeared like an ordinary car from the outside.

    He Zhichu smiled. He knew exactly what was going on but he kept quiet and keenly focused on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. Huo Shaoheng said to Dou Qingyan, ¡°I still have something to do today, and can¡¯t dy any longer. We will be going now.¡±

    Dou Haoyan overheard this and quickly came over to speak with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, the banquet is only halfway done! Why must you leave now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng noticed that Gu Nianzhi seemed to be feeling rather disheartened and knew that the reason had to be those photos; his decision to leave reflected his unspoken concern. They couldn¡¯t stay any longer. ¡°There¡¯s no way around it. I still have some business to tend to and I took time off to be here. I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯ll be leaving now. Thank you for hosting us Mr. Dou; we¡¯ll get together again in the future.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and took Gu Nianzhi to exit.

    ¡°Shaoheng! My phone!¡± Dou Qingyan was about to stamp her feet in protest. Huo Shaoheng pretended he didn¡¯t hear her as he walked Gu Nianzhi to his car.

    Dou Aiyan curiously nudged her sister and asked, ¡°Elder sister, why did you give your phone to Major General Huo?¡±

    ¡°Oh, something happened is all.¡± Dou Qingyan felt anxious and absentmindedly stood at the rear entrance for a while. After some time, she was called back from her thoughts Wen Shouyi came over to her. ¡°Hurry up and eat something! Your brother is going to introduce you to the guestster.¡± Dou Qingyan had been away from the Huaxia Empire for six years, so the upper circle of society had already forgotten her. Now that she was finally willing toe back, the Dou¡¯s wanted to take the chance to reintroduce her to the Huaxia elites to signal her return and also find a husband for her. Since Dou Qingyan has been permitted toe back, she thought she had already let go of what happened all those years ago. However, she had realized once more that Huo Shaoheng was the only one in her heart as soon as she had seen him. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go inside then.¡± Dou Qingyan followed Wen Shouyi to the living room. She stood in the corner and scanned around the brightly lit room. Among all the people milling about, she couldn¡¯t find the one she wanted to see the most. Dou Qingyan was deeply depressed and sat at the bar, drinking away in misery. Wen Shouyi stayed by her and tried to quietly console her with a smile.

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had both left, leaving Yin Shixiong behind on purpose. Yin Shixiong also knew he couldn¡¯t leave right away, so he returned to the living room to pick out some tes of food. Just as he was about to sit down to eat, Jin Wanyi walked over, her face clearly disying her shock. ¡°Who on earth are you to Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not anyone. I know of him, but he doesn¡¯t know me.¡± Yin Shizong smiled as he feigned ignorance.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car sped through the streets of the Imperial capital. Zhao Liangze sat in the front and was unlocking and backing up Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone in silence. When he saw the photos, he couldn¡¯t help exhaling sharply.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped trying to force a smile as soon as she got inside the car. Her face was stony and she sat far away from Huo Shaoheng, leaning against the window in the back seat. She propped her head against the ss and stared nkly at the night sky.

    Huo Shaoheng was also quiet and mused about what had just happened until they exited the car and returned to their rooms back at his official residence at the Special Ops base. He directly went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and knocked on the door.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a bad mood and had no intention of speaking with Huo Shaoheng, yet she knew the door wasn¡¯t enough to stop him froming in. Getting up unwillingly, she went to open the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re pouting so much.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached a finger out to tap at her lips.

    Gu Nianzhi brushed his hand away and said angrily, ¡°Speak properly, Huo Shao. Why are you touching me? I¡¯m not yourrade and I¡¯m not interested in y acting as your seductress.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really angry?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his brows.¡±Did you have dinner? Maybe you¡¯re feeling a little peckish.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi twisted her head away from his hand. ¡°I lost my appetite from being so mad¡ªwhy would I eat their food?¡± Biting her lip as she recalled the photos and how intimate Huo Shaoheng and Dou Qingyan were in them, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s jealousy came back, rearing its ugly head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you had been capable of such intimacy, so much so that you would feed another woman grapes. You¡¯ve never once indulged me in such ways!¡±

    ¡°¡®Feed another woman grapes?¡¯¡± Huo Shaoehng was amazed. ¡± What are you talking about grapes for?¡± He hadn¡¯t seen such photos before, but had only seen the photo of them in bed together. From what Gu Nianzhi was saying, there must be more, he conjectured.

    Gu Nianzhi called Zhao Liangze angrily and asked, ¡°Brother Ze, can you please send a few photos to me?¡±

    Zhao Liangze declined. ¡°Nope, not without Mr. Huo¡¯s orders.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao gave the order, he¡¯s right here with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi passed the phone to Huo Shaoheng, her doe like eyes shimmering with her envious tears and full lips trembling.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and took the phone. ¡°I heard there¡¯s one of me feeding grapes? Send it over.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was in the middle of making copies of the photos, so he was able to quickly find the one Huo Shaoheng requested and sent it over with a chuckle.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at it and couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°What¡¯s there to be so angry about?¡±

    ¡°How can I not be angry? You¡¯ve never fed me like that!¡± Gu Nianzhi stamped her feet, then ran back into the bedroom to pull out a bunch of grapes from the mini fridge. She said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Now I want you to feed me too!¡± I have to bleach that image from out of my brain!

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he took the grapes and plucked off arge and red one. Gu Nianzhi hastily opened her mouth, but he suddenly put it into his own mouth instead of feeding her. Gu Nianzhi was furious and was about to smack Huo Shaoheng in frustration, when his other hand circled around the back of her neck to cradle her head. Gu Nianzhi could only widen her eyes at Huo Shaoheng and watch his face move closer and closer. He finally lowered his head to kiss her lips, and the slightly icy grape moved from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. The tip of his tongue passed the grape through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips, then he pressed against them¡ªhis hot breath lingering on her as he said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s the way I feed grapes to my girlfriend.¡±

 Chapter 261 - Live Video Feed

    <h4>Chapter 261: Live Video Feed</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The icy grape rolled between Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teeth. It was cold to the touch, but she could feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lingering warmth on it.

    Her white, perfect teeth bit into it, instantly filling her mouth with sweet grape juice.

    It was aromatic and sweet, with an underlying hint of acerbic bitterness. She carefully tasted it again, and the bitter taste had turned into an intoxicating wine. It was what love tasted like...

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling light-headed. It was just a single grape, but she felt as though she had just downed a bottle of wine. Her cheeks were flushed; her eyelids lowered seductively over her luminous, starry eyes. It was the look of undisguised adoration and unconditional love.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. His sturdy hand held her head in ce as he kissed her again and again. His tongue, feeling lonely and restless, pried open her lips and slipped inside her mouth to taste the fresh grape juice.

    Gu Nianzhi was being kissed so thoroughly she hardly knew where she was. Her dark jade eyes were dim, as though a thin veil had been drawn across them. She could not get her bearings; she felt as though she were soakingzily in a hot spring, toofortable to get out. But a single phrase continued to echo inside her head: ¡°...This is how I feed my girlfriend.¡±

    Was he saying that she was now officially his girlfriend?

    Gu Nianzhi slowly came to her senses. She asked shyly: ¡°...So you admit I¡¯m your girlfriend now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated, before saying with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. You haven¡¯t seeded in seducing me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, I haven¡¯t seeded?¡± Gu Nianzhi was annoyed. She put her hands on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and tried to push him away. She lowered her gaze, her longshes fluttering furiously. ¡°But you just said that¡¯s how you feed your girlfriend grapes...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let go of her neck. He moved his hand to her slender waist and calmly said, ¡°That was just a demonstration of the sort of privileges my girlfriend will get to enjoy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain immediately went into forced shutdown mode. ¡°...What? You¡¯re kidding me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her tight against him. He pressed his lips to hers and whispered seductively, in between kisses, ¡°Want to be my girlfriend?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain had turned into mush.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± There was a hint of self-pity and indignation in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice. She was like a child staring forlornly at a sweet that was forever beyond her reach.

    ¡°Do your best to seduce me, then. Once you seed, all these privileges will be yours, and yours alone...¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was low and seductive. Gu Nianzhi found it irresistibly sexy.

    She took a few deep breaths. It was now or never.

    She stood on tiptoe as she slid her arms around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck. He was still kissing her, but she had decided it was time to fight back. ¡°You want me to do my best? Well, you have to show me a little sincerity, too...¡±

    ¡°Sincerity...?¡±

    ¡°Yes. For example, what other privileges are you offering? Feeding me grapes isn¡¯t enough.¡± Gu Nianzhi was feeling devilishly mischievous; she wondered if this was what it felt like to tempt Adam into taking a bite out of the apple. ¡°You should demonstrate the correct method of stroking your girlfriend¡¯s hair. And what about the correct method of taking an intimate, post-coitus photo with your girlfriend? You should demonstrate that, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was tender, sweet, and barely a step above a moan. She did not know it, but her misty eyes and the soft, hazy look of love on her face was irresistibly seductive. She was a young, innocent girl, and also a mature, sexy woman¡ªthe lethalbination was enough to send Huo Shaoheng over the edge.

    His lower abdomen seemed to be burning up. His arms shook as his body tensed; he was hard as iron, and every fiber in his being was screaming ¡°let¡¯s give her a proper demonstration.¡± Just as he was about to snap and lose control, Zhao Liangze¡¯s nervous voice sounded over his Bluetooth headset: ¡°Sir, pleasee over, quickly. We have a situation...¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice was a warning bell; Huo Shaoheng snapped out of it, right before he gave in to his desires. It had been a close call.

    He slowly let go of her lips. He traced her swollen lips with his thumb and said in a low, husky voice: ¡°Once you seed in seducing me, I¡¯ll teach you the correct way to feed me grapes...¡±

    ¡°...Is it different?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s misty eyes widened with curiosity. She gave a wry smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just show me?¡±

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s a difference.¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t helpughing. He whispered into her ear: ¡°...I¡¯m talking about a different ¡®grape¡¯ here...¡±

    ¡°What...?¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure what he was talking about, but her face had grown as red as tomato. The deep blush on her cheeks reached all the way up to the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°Be a good girl now and go eat your dinner. I have other business to attend to.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s superhuman self-control was back in ce. He quickly collected himself. He let go of Gu Nianzhi, tousled her hair affectionately, and hurried out of her bedroom.

    In a few moments, he had arrived at the secret sever room situated behind his residence. He stood behind Zhao Liangze and asked impassively: ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Sir, this is the live video feed from the Prime Minister¡¯s residence. Have a look for yourself...¡± Zhao Liangze stood up to make way for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in Zhao Liangze¡¯s chair. His face darkened when he saw what was happening in the video feed, and there was a murderous glint in his eyes. But in the next second his face was back to its usual calm, unperturbed expression. He was a mighty mountain, capable of weathering every storm.

    ...

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng left, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone began to ring.

    She entered her bedroom before checking her phone: it was the phone number for the C City Special Operations Forces.

    Was this rted to the ¡°other business¡± Huo Shaoheng mentioned?

    Gu Nianzhi immediately took the call, but no one spoke. A momentter, she received a link to a live video feed.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger hovered over the ¡°ept¡± button. After a split second¡¯s hesitation, she pressed it.

    A live video feed began to y on her phone screen. It showed the hall of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence.

    Gu Nianzhi recognized the venue at once: she had just left the ce, after all, and the New Year¡¯s Day decorations that had been specially set up for the dinner party were easily recognizable.

    She did not spend much time checking out the other details, however; her attention was immediately drawn to the massive screen.

    The screen almost took up an entire wall.

    She guessed that the screen was on the eastern wall of the hall. There was a row of flower baskets before the wall, bursting withrge, gorgeous Bulgarian roses. Gu Nianzhi could make out the drops of dew on their delicate petals.

    Standing before the screen was Dou Qingyan, looking irresistibly lovely in a cheongsam.

    The screen was showing a slideshow of her personal photos. Her older brother, Dou Haoyan, stood beside her on the stage.

    Suddenly, the audience burst into loud cheers and unrestrained pping. The screen was now showing intimate photos of Dou Qingyan and Huo Shaoheng together¡ªthe very same photos Dou Qingyan had shown to Gu Nianzhi to trick her into thinking they had been lovers!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She almost dropped her phone.

    She had confiscated these photos! She was sure of it!

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone was now in their possession. Where had the photose from?!

    Had Dou Qingyan kept a backup of her photos elsewhere?

    Just as Gu Nianzhi was mentally going over the possibilities, she saw Dou Qingyan¡¯s expression change into one ofplete mortification. Dou Qingyan immediately turned, saw the photos on the screen behind her, and quickly covered her mouth before she could scream. She was even more surprised to see the photos than Gu Nianzhi.

    Dou Haoyan turned around; his face paled when he saw what was going on. He quickly spoke into the mouthpiece of his headset.

    A momentter, the video was abruptly cut off. The screen was now ck as ink.

    Dou Qingyan was trembling all over; she could hardly stay on her feet. She had been careful to lock the photos behind a password¡ªhow did they end up in her travelogue slideshow?

    Up on the stage, Dou Qingyan and Dou Haoyan had turned white as a sheet; down below, the Prime Minister and his wife were just as pale and panic-stricken. Dou Aiyan was the only one who had not caught on to the severity of the situation; she giggled and said to He Zhichu, who was standing beside her, ¡°Aww, look at that, Lawyer He! I had no idea my sister and General Huo are a couple... And they were pretending to be strangers just now! That¡¯s so funny¡ªI wonder if they¡¯re trying to keep their rtionship a secret?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled slightly. He plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth. His voice was cool and clear as he said: ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask your sister and General Huo. I haven¡¯t heard a thing about this.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Prime Minister!¡±

    ¡°What a surprise! I was wondering why General Huo was single for so long¡ªnow I see he was waiting for Miss Dou!¡±

    ¡°Miss Dou just returned from her studies abroad. I assume that means wedding bells are in the air?¡±

    ¡°Congrattions, Mrs. Yan! Looks like you¡¯ll have a son-inw soon. Don¡¯t forget to invite us to the wedding dinner!¡±

    The photos had the effect of a massive asteroid from space, causing an unexpected tsunami as it crashed into the ocean.

 Chapter 262 - Not Even One Will Be Missed

    <h4>Chapter 262: Not Even One Will Be Missed</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The photos were so intimate that nobody had any doubts about directly congratting the union of the Dou and Huo family. One was the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister, and the other was the a rising elite in the military world. Regardless of how people saw it, this was a good marriage between two esteemed and appropriate family backgrounds. Even more fortunate was that the pair clearly loved each other, something that was truly rare in high society marriages. The Prime Minister and his wife were practically drowning in the felicitations. From the stage, Dou Qingyan heard everyone¡¯s well wishes, but was quickly overwhelmed by the entire event and suddenly passed out in Dou Haoyan¡¯s arms.

    Dou Haoyan¡¯s expression was dark, but he couldn¡¯t give a real reaction in front of all the guests. He had no choice but to call a few people toe bring Dou Qingyan back upstairs.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng calmly finished watching the video and didn¡¯t even turn around before issuing themand. ¡°First, break allwork interfaces to foreign countries and initiate the ¡°Great Wall¡± blockage to intercept all IPs that attempt to circumvent it.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly took out a digital pen to record Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    ¡°Second, lockdown all the airports, highways and passages out of the city. At the same time, apply for a military court arrest warrant to arrest Specials Operations Forces veteran, Dou Qingyan. Third, deploy Special Operations Forces Military Police to apany me to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Effective immediately.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze snapped his heels together and saluted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°May I ask: what crime did Dou Qingyanmitt, that we are submitting for the application of the arrest warrant to the Special Military Court?¡±

    Members of the Special Operations Forces had a special existence in the Huaxia Imperial Military. They belonged under the jurisdiction of the military and the military court, and their duties ovepped with the Secret Services of the Cab of the Prime Minister. However, the executive capacity and armed forces of the Special Ops was not merely slightly stronger than the Secret Service¡ªthe Special Ops were in a category of their own. And that was why members of the Special Ops were far more powerful than the Secret Service; as the chief of the Special Forces, Huo Shaoheng acted as the chief of military and his terms of of residence were shockingly broad.

    ¡°Publically announce the crime as illegal forging of evidence and nder against her superior. Each crime is enough to put her in jail for the rest of her life,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied dryly. There was no change in his neutral face. It was like he was talking about something trivial.

    ¡°Also, issue the order to all the Special Ops members in Italy and North Irnd and have them immediately stop all their missions ande back at once, without dy.¡±

    Zhao Liangze suddenly understood what was happening: Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t admitting the authenticity of these photos currently. Even if they were real, he had to insist that they were fake at this time, otherwise it wasn¡¯t just an issue of forging evidence. Thispromised the identities of the Special Ops members currently in other countries, and if they were exposed, their safety would be jeopardized.

    Zhao Liangze calmed down and responded solemnly, ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± He quickly issued Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders. Breaking thework interfaces was his responsibility and he was equipped with all the programs necessary to quickly initiate lockdown sequences and also set up an interception system that would record any IPs attempting to circumvent.

    Yin Shixiong had originally been the one responsible for requesting an arrest warrant from the military court, but because he was still at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, Huo Shaoheng sent his confidential personal secretary to instead. Based on the military ranks, Huo Shaoheng was allotted four personal secretaries. Two were publicly recognized as Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong, while the other two had confidential identities and never made public appearances. Even in the case of requesting an arrest warrant from the military court, these secretaries would have to use a disguised identity. Although it was around eight or nine in the evening on New Year¡¯s Day, Huo Shoaheng was able to quickly obtain the arrest warrant for Dou Qingyan from the special military court. By the time the warrant was delivered to Huo Shaoheng, he had already changed into his military uniform and was driving in his military vehicle. The Special Ops dispatched 100 Military Police, 100 of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderlies, and 4rge Humvees in a procession to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    At midnight of New Year¡¯s Day, at the Imperial capital, the weather was so particrly cold that one¡¯s breath could nearly turn into ice. Huo Shaoheng donned his coat and gloves as he quietly watched the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence grow closer and closer ahead. When they approached Willow Hutong, the police and in clothes Secret Service at the security check blocked the military vehicles. Before the representatives of the police force and Secret Service could even say a word, the fully armed Military Police and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderlies had already seized control of the guard duties at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. They surrounded the building. The police and Secret Service were immediately taken into the military vehicles and sent to the Specials Ops¡¯ secret detention base to be taken held in temporary custody for a few days.

    ¡°Huo Shao, they are resisting and asking for how many days they¡¯ll be locked up.¡± Zhao Liangze was slightly anxious as he reported to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Ignore them. They can go home when our people from Italy and North Irnd retreat,¡± Huo Shaoheng said dismissively in a low voice with a wave of his hand. ¡°We¡¯re now going to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence to not only arrest Dou Qingyan, but everyone inside as well: they have to be taken away. The Prime Minister and his wife can be ced under house arrest in their official residence. The others will all be taken to the Special Ops base.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, are you really going to cross everyone this time?¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, can you guarantee that nobody in the group will try to worm out information and escape prosecution?¡± Huo Shaoheng stepped out of the car. ¡°Just say that I suspect there¡¯s a foreign spy in there, so we need them to go back to the Special Ops base with us for further investigation.¡± The chief of the Special Ops had a special permit and search warrant that could be acted on with only unteral suspicion to back the use of it. This power was given to the Special Ops by the Senate. Of course, if the Special Ops deliberately made false charges to frame someone, the Senate could also initiate discharge procedures to abolish the special privileges of the chief of the Special Ops. However, in order to convict the chief of the Special Ops, it needed to go through the military and the military court¡ªthis was resulted in the bnce of powers between the two.

    ¡°Roger!¡± Zhao Liangze immediately led the way, guiding a number of Military Police and orderlies to the the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    The hall of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence was boisterous with music, dance andughter. The banquet was at its peak: the long buffet tables had been removed in order to transform the hall into a great dance floor. The lights dimmed and the guests were about to dance. Suddenly, the doors of the mansion were forced opened with a great m¡ª so powerful was the force that the two redwood doors fell to the ground, clean off their hinges.

    ¡°Who the h*ll was that?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    The music screeched to a stop and the lights were brightened once again. Everyone looked towards the door and was shocked to see many armed soldiers rushing in.

    Dou Haoyan parted through the crowd to confront the soldiers and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°What unit are you all from? Why are you intruding into the Prime Minister¡¯s residence?¡±

    A solemn faced Zhao Liangze walked over as he presented the arrest warrant at Dou Haoyan. ¡°May I ask where Dou Qingyan is?¡±

    Dou Haoyan nched: he had never thought that the Special Ops would have arrived so quickly! They had just managed to assure Dou Qingyan and were about to send her abroadter that night! ¡°Why are you looking... for my sister?¡± He stuttered in attempt to dy the soldiers.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me now, I will arrest you for obstruction of military orders,¡± Zhao Liangze said, his handsome face serious and his eyes holding not even an ounce of hesitation.

    Bai Yueran saw this from the crowd and nodded with approval. She also made her way through the guests and said to Dou Haoyan, ¡°Mr. Dou, please cooperate with us and hand Dou Qingyan over.¡±

    Zhao Liangze gratefully nced at Bai Yueran, but still shook his head. ¡°Director Bai, please go wait over there. All the people here today will be taken to the Special Ops base for investigation.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Bai Yueran was unperturbed as she gave him a smile and walked back to where Bai Shuang was standing.

    Bai Shuang was staring at Zhao Liangze. He appeared different from his normally gentle demeanor when he wore his perfectly ironed uniform: he now had a sense of military ruggedness.

    Bai Yuran looked at Bai Shuang with a quiet sigh. She took his hand. ¡°Stop looking, we have to go back to the Special Ops with them for investigationter.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Bai Shuang nodded unhappily and finally looked away.

    He Zhichu quietly witnessed this from the door, a hint of a smile appearing in his pursed lips. He muttered to himself, ¡°They came just in time, and even a bit earlier than I¡¯d expected.¡±

    ¡°Guard all the exits! Not even one person will be missed!¡±

    The Military Police and orderlies Huo Shaoheng had deployed quickly took control of the entire hall.

 Chapter 263 - Mentally Prepared

    <h4>Chapter 263: Mentally Prepared</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Where is Dou Qingyan?¡± Zhao Liangze was now in full interrogation mode. ¡°Mr. Dou, are you sure you want to pick a fight with the Special Operations Forces?¡±

    Dou Haoyan was the Prime Minister¡¯s son, but he was not his father, not by a long shot. He ¡°worked¡± in a consultingpany, but his position was entirely superfluous and he spent most of his time idling at his desk. He was powerless in front of Zhao Liangze; in fact, Dou Haoyan was even less qualified than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head orderly, Fan Jian.

    Dou Haoyan wanted to say something, but he saw Zhao Liangze¡¯s face darken and immediately forgot how to speak.

    He could only stare helplessly at Zhao Liangze, and at the soldiers that had set up a perimeter around the Prime Minister¡¯s residence. He finally realized what was happening: the Dou family was at a disadvantage. They had to hand over Dou Qingyan, or risk losing it all!

    His father, especially!

    ¡°She... she¡¯s in the backyard... in the parking lot,¡± said Dou Haoyan between clenched teeth. He pointed to the back door.

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Dou.¡± Zhao Liangze ryed what Dou Haoyan had said into the mouthpiece of his headset: ¡°The target is in the rear parking lot of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. I will be there shortly.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Fan Jian and his team were already lying in wait outside the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, near the back entrance.

    ...

    Dou Qingyan, wrapped in a fur coat, hurried after her mother to the rear parking lot. Her eyes were red and puffy.

    ¡°Go, Qingyan, and don¡¯te back.¡± Mrs. Yan¡¯s eyes were also red from crying. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have gotten those photos for you. I didn¡¯t think they would cause you so much trouble...¡±

    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s all my fault, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Dou Qingyan was afraid, and the fear coursing through her had finally snapped her out of her obsession with Huo Shaoheng. But it was toote¡ªshe had messed up, big time. Even if she were able to get out of the country, she would never be able to return, and she knew that she would never again fantasize about getting together with Huo Shaoheng.

    She had pretended to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e while on a mission in Europe. The mission had spanned six months, and she had fallen hopelessly in love with Huo Shaoheng then. She had assumed Huo Shaoheng felt the same way about her.

    Many of their predecessors had eventually gotten married after pretending to be a couple.

    But Huo Shaoheng was different. As soon as they finished their mission and returned to the Empire, Huo Shaoheng immediately dropped the act and refused to have anything to do with her.

    She had wept, thrown a tantrum, and even tried tomit suicide¡ªthere was still a deep scar on her wrist from her failed attempt to take her own life. She had virtually lost her mind over Huo Shaoheng.

    Her father was the Prime Minister, but not even the Prime Minister could force Huo Shaoheng to love her.

    Huo Shaoheng was a military man, after all, and reported directly to General Ji. Prime Minister Dou was powerful, but he wasn¡¯t powerful enough to influence General Ji.

    In the end, Dou Qingyan¡¯s parents had been left with no choice but to secretly engage someone to help them get a copy of the confidential prop photos taken during her mission with Huo Shaoheng, so she would have something to remember him by.

    She hadid low abroad, under an assumed identity, and the photos had been her sole pir of support over thest several years.

    Dou Qingyan was consumed with regret. Her years of wishful thinking had gone up in smoke overnight, and she had probably dragged her family into the mess.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mommy. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Dou Qingyan held onto her mother¡¯s hands as she dissolved into another round of weeping.

    ¡°My poor little girl! Hurry and go, or it¡¯ll be toote.¡± Mrs. Yan hurried to bundle her into the car, but it was toote.

    The sound of boots marching in perfect time reverberated throughout the parking lot.

    A squad of fully-armed soldiers marched into view; their uniforms indicated that they were the Special Ops military police, in charge of internal affairs. They surrounded the two women.

    ¡°Dou Qingyan, you are suspected of fabricating evidence and of character assassination. You are now under arrest, this is the arrest warrant.¡± Zhao Liangze walked over to her and showed both mother and daughter the arrest warrant.

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s frayed nerves had been stretched to the limit. They finally snapped, and she copsed in a dead faint to the ground.

    Zhao Liangze was utterly unfazed; he was not the type to treat a suspect or criminal kindly just because she was a woman. He gestured to the soldiers. ¡°Take them away.¡±

    Both Dou Qingyan and her mother, Mrs. Yan, were taken away by the Special Ops¡¯ inspectors.

    ¡°Mission aplished. The target has been arrested. Over.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ...

    The guests gathered in the hall of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence stared at one another. No one was brave enough to be the first to speak up and attract attention.

    He Zhichu leisurely made his way to the front of the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m not a citizen of the Huaxia Empire. What grounds do you have for arresting me?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, we aren¡¯t arresting you. We¡¯re just asking you toe with us to assist in our investigation.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over to him with his hands sped behind his back. He looked impassively at He Zhichu. ¡°Your assistant will have toe with us, too.¡±

    To Huo Shaoheng¡¯s surprise, He Zhichu did not put up a fight. ¡°Fine with me. I¡¯ve been wanting to see for myself the kind of environment Nianzhi was brought up in.¡± He followed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderly to the van waiting outside.

    The other guests saw how cooperative He Zhichu was being, and knew they had to follow his example. They obediently got into the van as well.

    The impromptu New Year¡¯s dinner at the Prime Minister¡¯s residence ended with all the guests being led away by the Special Operations Forces to ¡°assist in ongoing investigations.¡± It immediately became the first trending gossip of the year.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the ck screen on her phone. The video feed had just ended, and she suddenly realized that her legs had turned to jelly.

    She steadied herself on the bed frame and lowered herself to the soft, fluffy wool carpet on the floor. Her eyes were zed and unfocused, and she could not remember how to speak.

    It was a long moment before she finally called Huo Shaoheng on his phone.

    Huo Shaoheng had just returned to his residence and was still sitting in his car when he received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call. He quickly took the call, and asked in a calm and soothing voice: ¡°What is it, Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. She had fallen into an abyss of despair, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was like an electrifying jolt to her heart. ¡°Huo Shao... I just watched a live video feed of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence...¡±

    ¡°...You saw it? Who showed it to you?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned as he stepped out of his car. He had been utterly calm andposed when arresting the suspects, but the thought of Gu Nianzhi having somehow witnessed everything that had happened worried him.

    Gu Nianzhi checked her phone. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Someone called me, and I took the call because it was the C City Special Ops base number. Then it turned out to be a live video feed...¡±

    ¡°A phone call from the Special Ops in C City?¡± Huo Shaoheng could not resistughing. ¡°Looks like we missed someone, and they just had to rub it in our faces.¡± So he had let one of the fish slip out of his...

    There was a moment¡¯s silence as he considered his next step. ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll go get you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She hung up, put away her phone, and sat on the carpet before her bed. She hugged her knees and stared into the distance.

    She was still sitting in the exact same pose, looking dazed and stupefied, when Huo Shaoheng entered the room.

    He knelt before her and gently lifted her chin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked nkly at him. ¡°Huo Shao, now everyone knows...¡±

    The photos had cut her deeply; she had grabbed Dou Qingyan¡¯s phone at the first opportunity and run off with it because she did not want anyone else to see the photos.

    But it had all been in vain¡ªDou Qingyan had backed up her photos, and now they had been exposed for all the world to see!

    She knew the photos were fake, but so many people had seen Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°intimate¡± moments with Dou Qingyan now, and the thought alone was enough to send Gu Nianzhi over the edge...

    ¡°So what?¡± Huo Shaoheng helped her smooth her disheveled hair. ¡°Did you honestly think I¡¯d have to marry her just because of that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hastily shook her head. She knew Huo Shaoheng was not the type to be ckmailed or coerced into doing things he didn¡¯t want to; nevertheless, the photos had received widespread attention. She wasn¡¯t dumb enough to think this wasn¡¯t going to negatively affect Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°When are you going to tell everyone the truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm as she anxiously asked: ¡°You¡¯re going to tell the truth, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had told her that the photos were props for a mission. Each and every one of the photos had been staged.

    Gu Nianzhi was certain that all he had to do was publicly disclose the truth behind the photos, and the Dou family would no longer be able to pressure him into marrying Dou Qingyan by manipting public opinion.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment. He looked into her eyes, and pulled her up from the carpet. He led her over to the two-seater sofa next to the bed, where they both sat.

    ¡°Nianzhi, Dou Qingyanmitted a serious crime. I¡¯ve already obtained an arrest warrant from the military court.¡± Huo Shaoheng held her hand as he looked into her eyes. ¡°But you have to be mentally prepared for what¡¯sing next.¡±

    ¡°Mentally prepared? What for?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more confused. Her eyes widened. ¡°Shemitted a crime, but I haven¡¯t done anything wrong. Why do I have to be mentally prepared?¡±

 Chapter 264 - The Price of Being With Him

    <h4>Chapter 264: The Price of Being With Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°That¡¯s because when she goes before the secret military court, her real crimes should be the illegal acquiring of ssified military intelligence, the illegal importation of ssified military intelligence abroad, and therge scale leakage of this private information, which can negatively impact our soldiers at anytime. It also condemns her for putting the Huaxia Empire at risk as well.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed, ¡°Nianzhi, I also made a mistake with this incident.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Although Gu Nianzhi was very intelligent, she didn¡¯t know much about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work and couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°How can you have made a mistake?! That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    His lips curved into a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m human too. Of course I can make mistakes.¡± He took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face in his hands, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have told you that these were prop photos for a military mission. My revealing that can also be considered a leak to a certain extent.¡±

    ¡°But, I won¡¯t tell anyone!¡± Gu Nianzhi was agitated.¡±I swear! I¡ª¡±

    Huo Shaoheng covered her mouth with his hand and said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t swear, I believe you.¡±

    The tears Gu Nianzhi had been holding back suddenly flowed as she fell into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace, her arms clinging onto his neck like she had done when she was a child. She was sobbing so hard that she couldn¡¯t speak coherently, her tears falling in a torrent that quickly soaked the front of his shirt. Huo Shaoheng patted her back helplessly, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I already said I believed you.¡±

    ¡°But, you asked me to mentally prepare myself, I¡¯m scared!¡± Gu Nianzhi gasped out finally as she burrowed into his chest.

    Huo Shaoheng got some tissues from the nightstand for Gu Nianzhi to wipe her tears and blow her nose with. ¡°Ok, just pretend that you don¡¯t know anything about the photos. Just stay by my side for this little while and it¡¯ll blow over. Now, I¡¯m going to tell you how we typically handle this sort of thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and obediently allowed Huo Shaoheng to wipe her face. Her teary and dark eyes looked at him withplete trust.

    ¡°Nianzhi, these photos were never supposed to have been published, but if it did happen, just like what¡¯s going on right now, ording to our nation¡¯s conventional way of dealing with this type of matter, I can¡¯t even deny that I had a romantic rtionship with her,¡± Huo Shaoheng said slowly, his eyes locked on Gu Nianzhi in order to not miss a single expression on her face.

    So, he means to say that he must admit to the romantic rtionship in the photos? Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand the thought and her previously nched face now flushed with anger as she quickly asked, ¡°Why can¡¯t you deny it?! What if it¡¯s not true! Why do you have to admit it? Are you really going to let them threaten you in such an underhanded way?¡±

    ¡°If I deny my rtionship with her, there¡¯s no question that people will start to think of another, perhaps more incriminating, possibility.¡± Huo Shaoheng stroked her long hair and said, ¡°Think about it: even you were able to see the clues in the photos, so how can the foreign intelligence agencies not? These are all experts. The American CIA, the British MI5, these are all huge organizations especially dedicated to act against our nation.¡±

    ¡°When that timees, if people catch wind that I ¡°wasn¡¯t¡± in a rtionship with her like in the photos, what do think they will assume?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart wrenched, ¡°A-assume...?¡± She found herself speechless.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed quietly and answered for her. ¡°They will immediately assume that this wasn¡¯t a personal act, but one of business. Then, the attention will be drawn on our mission from those years ago, tracing back to the source and putting our soldiers in danger.¡± Huo Shaoheng was much more patient to Gu Nianzhi than other people. He never exined his behaviour and intentions to others, but this time he exined inplete and thorough detail.

    Gu Nianzhi was smart to begin with, and coupled with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clear exnation of the whole situation, she was able to quickly understand. The light in her eyes dimmed. She was unable to veil her fear and anxiety. ¡°So, the conventional solution is that you still refrain from disclosing the truth about the photos, even if you can arrest and convict Dou Qingyan? You can only admit that you had a romantic rtionship with her, is that right?¡± She looked down, unable to meet Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. ¡°So, it¡¯s better to have everyone think that you broke her heart, rather than reveal the truth?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hit three birds with one stone and had alreadye to the conclusion. Huo Shaoheng nced at her before gently pulling her away and getting up, walking out onto the terrace in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. He took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one to smoke as he watched the night sky in a daze. He was also repenting. His first reaction upon seeing the photos wasn¡¯t concern about a possible leak, but concern about Gu Nianzhi getting upset. At that moment, he hadn¡¯t hesitated to tell her the truth and so had already vited Huaxia¡¯s Special Ops¡¯ secrecyws. He realized that her influence on him and her position in his heart was far more important than he¡¯d initially understood. Hanging his head, Huo Shaoheng held a cigarette with his arms crossed on the rail. The cigarette was nearly burnt out, but he didn¡¯t smoke from it again. He stayed still for a long time.

    Draped in a down coat, Gu Nianzhi also followed him outside and said softly to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, you said you believed that I¡¯d never tell anyone. Don¡¯t worry.¡± No matter how sad she was or how Dou Qingyan would gloat in front her, Gu Nianzhi would not say a word.

    Huo Shaoheng sensed that Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t understand the severity of the situation, so he threw the cigarette butt into the trash and put his arm around her to walk them back inside the bedroom. The French windows were closed, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t let go, his hands still on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. He hesitated for a long moment before deciding to say, ¡°Nianzhi, have you thought about it? If you want to be with me, this kind of thing may happen in the future too. It can make you feel even more embarrassed or even pained than you are now, and even if you knew the truth, you can¡¯t exin or argue. You can¡¯t even show it in your eyes. Can you ept this?¡±

    These misunderstandings, dilemmas and embarrassments, and not to forget, the danger that followed a man of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation and status, were the price of being with someone like him. Huo Shaoheng appeared extremely restrained as he quietly looked at her, his dark eyes solemn as he awaited her response.

    Gu Nianzhi merely nodded and said softly, ¡°I see.¡± Her reaction was too quick, her attitude too nonchnt, that Huo Shaoheng had no idea whether or not she understood how serious this was. He gave it some more thought, and then continued. ¡°Actually, this kind of thing is nothing for people in our line of work. Our predecessors in the Special Ops have suffered worse false usations. Do you know many of ourrades have disappeared without a trace in foreign prisons? Even their deaths are not recognized by the nation. That¡¯s because this is the way we do things in our industry.¡± They were ustomed to it¡ªthis was the true dedication of the body and mind, and not only their lives but also their reputation.

    Gu Nianzhi was really shocked now. She froze before disagreeing strongly, crying, ¡°No! No! No! How can it be this way?! Your selfless sacrifices allow people to enjoy such peaceful and happy lives, so they should know about your contributions! The names of those predecessors shouldn¡¯t only be left in the ssified files of the Special Ops! I hope that one day, the names of every single member of the Special Ops who made a contribution to the nation can appear in a public memorial! They shouldn¡¯t be forgotten or have suffer nder or criminalization!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was suddenly very moved. Leaning forward to hug her, he had no idea what to say anymore. All the years of training had taught him not to defend himself or reveal a single secret no matter what adversity he faced.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned her back against him and said softly with a smile, ¡°Fine, Huo Shao. I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯m not such a great person. I say this only because of you.¡± She turned to look at him, enunciating each word carefully. ¡°If you encounter this situation one day, I will not rest nor agree to this conventional solution. I won¡¯t allow anyone the opportunity to tarnish your reputation. I swear on my life that if you¡¯re gone, I¡¯ll use the rest of my life to defend your name and protect all that you protected.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Never had he thought that Gu Nianzhi understood him so deeply. He had also never realized that it would be this kind of confession that would be able to strike the deepest recesses of heart, leaving him to choice but to surrender himself.

 Chapter 265 - Making Exceptions

    <h4>Chapter 265: Making Exceptions</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He was ovee with indescribable emotion. Sentimental tenderness, love, lust, affection¡ªthey rolled over him in tangled waves.

    Huo Shaoheng could not stand it anymore. With a sudden forceful tug, he whirled Gu Nianzhi about to face him.

    He slid a hand into the thick, luxurious hair behind her head, and the other around her slender waist. He pushed her up against the wall behind her, and pinned her against it.

    Gu Nianzhi could not move. She looked up and saw his thick, perfectly shaped eyebrows and his dark, inky eyes close in on her.

    She could feel his breath upon her. Her arms automatically reached out and hugged Huo Shaoheng around his sturdy waist. She lifted her chin to look at him, and before she knew it Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips were already pressing against hers.

    Gu Nianzhi felt an electrifying current course through her veins. Her fingers trembled; she was numb all over.

    Soft, indistinct moans escaped from her throat.

    The wall behind her was hard, but it was nothingpared to the unyielding strength of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body.

    He was not holding himself back. He wished he could keep her captive in the palm of his hand, and never let her go.

    Gu Nianzhi enjoyed being subjugated in this manner. She had always felt like a dandelion seed floating in the air, weightless and rootless. Huo Shaoheng was her only emotional harbor; she needed him to control her, subjugate her, in order to feel secure.

    Her heart hammered wildly against her chest.

    The temperature in the bedroom seemed to have shot up by several degrees. The both of them were beginning to feel a little too warm for their clothes.

    Gu Nianzhi was still wearing the down jacket she had put on before stepping out onto the balcony. She had barely finished whispering ¡°it¡¯s warm in here¡± before Huo Shaoheng tore the jacket off of her and tossed it to the floor.

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her lithe, supple body against Huo Shaoheng. He was tempered steel, but she would melt him into a molten puddle.

    Their kisses were so intense they could feel themselves burning up.

    Huo Shaoheng wanted more. He held her up and kissed her hungrily over and over again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled at the power rippling through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body. She wriggled against him, savoring the feel of his muscles against her.

    Huo Shaoheng was a disciplined man with superhuman self-control. Even so, he felt himself going over the edge.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wriggling and squirming was too much for him. Huo Shaoheng felt like a balloon about to burst; he quickly held her in ce as he panted into her ear: ¡°Don¡¯t move... I need you to be still for a moment...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not dare move. She kept herself as stiff and rigid as a board. After what felt like an eternity, Huo Shaoheng finally let out a long sigh and put her down.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Shaoheng, her face bright red. She quietly asked him a question.

    Huo Shaoheng replied with a simple ¡°Yeah,¡± before folding her back into his arms. ¡°Sorry, I must have scared you just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was so annoyed she felt like dashing her head against the wall. She had wasted an excellent opportunity to seduce him!

    If she had been just a little braver, if she had not freaked out like a silly girl, she would probably be having her way with Huo Shao by now...

    But it had been her first time. How was she supposed to react?

    She wished she hadn¡¯t freaked out...

    Gu Nianzhi mentally kicked herself.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, felt that Gu Nianzhi was too young for them to take the next step. She had fallen victim to an aphrodisiac once, but she had been entirely out of it then. She had no memory of their night together, and her body, too, seemed to have forgotten all about it.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi without saying anything. A slow smile crept across his lips as he reached out to gently stroke her hair. He said in a low voice: ¡°...Thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hastily shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me! That¡¯s honestly what I feel. You have to believe me!¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m d to hear it.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°But I was just informing you of the usual protocol¡ªI never said I would be following it this time. You can wipe that sad, pitiful look off your face now...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi glowered at him. So he had been teasing her!

    She had poured her heart out to him¡ªall for nothing!

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together, annoyed, and jabbed a finger into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. ¡°What are you going to do, then? If you don¡¯t intend to stand idly by and let everyone think you were in a romantic rtionship with her, how are you going to deal with all the problems you mentioned?¡±

    ¡°The situation right now is tooplicated. I don¡¯t intend to y by the book,¡± Huo Shaoheng answered calmly.

    He had taken apletely different approach to the situation, one so audacious no one else would have dared try it. He wasn¡¯t going to pretend to be Dou Qingyan¡¯s lover, or reveal the truth behind the photos: he was going to publicly refute the authenticity of the photos.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to publicly refute the authenticity of the photos? You mean, you¡¯re going to tell everyone the photos were Photoshopped?¡± Gu Nianzhi considered this. ¡°Will anyone actually believe that?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll probably believe me at first, but not for long. They¡¯ll start to wonder, after some time.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned back into the sofa. His posture was casual and rxed; he did not seem at all concerned about what was happening. ¡°But that¡¯s okay. It¡¯s a risk I¡¯m willing to take.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°First of all, it¡¯s been seven years since my mission with Dou Qingyan. Many things have changed since¡ªthe other personnel involved in the mission have already moved on to other roles, among other things. It¡¯s highly unlikely that anyone would be able to discover anything from the photos. Just to be safe, however, I¡¯ve ordered the Special Ops personnel in the two affected countries to return to the Empire at once. If all goes well, they should be reporting for duty at the headquarters by this time tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not the type to be reckless. On the contrary, he was extremely careful and prudent; he did not go into battle unless he was certain of winning.

    ¡°Really? If you¡¯ve done that, I think it¡¯s safe for me to assume that you¡¯ve put up a firewall blocking all ess to the external inte? The inte will be onplete lockdown, until your men return to the country tomorrow. Is that right?¡± It had taken Gu Nianzhi less than a second to think of this.

    She had grown up with the inte at her fingertips. She knew how effective the inte was when it came to disseminating information.

    The fastest way for the photos to spread was through the inte.

    Huo Shaoheng had put a lockdown on the country¡¯s inte in the nick of time; this meant that the photos would remain inside the country for now.

    ¡°Clever girl.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped her yfully on the forehead. ¡°You guessed it. I¡¯ve instructed Little Ze to initiate the Great Wall lockdown program. He¡¯ll also be looking out for any IPs trying to get around the firewall with a VPN.¡±

    He needed 24 hours¡ª24 hours, and the matter would be settled.

    Time was on their side; he knew the foreign intelligence agencies would need at least 48 hours to get their hands on the photos and analyze them.

    This was the main reason why he had decided not to take the easy way out and pretend Dou Qingyan had been his lover, not when there was another option. Besides, he was a principled man, and he would not bow to pressure.

    General Ji had done something simr seven years ago. Dou Qingyan¡¯s father had just be the Prime Minister then, and had tried to get Huo Shaoheng out of the military and into his clutches, for the sake of his daughter. General Ji had boldly shot down the Prime Minister¡¯s attempts back then, and Huo Shaoheng would do the same now.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. She was feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. She said softly, ¡°...Are you doing this for me?¡±

    He had been making exceptions for her. He had bent the rules just for her on several asions now. That meant she was special to him, right?

    She did not wait for his reply; her face was already glowing with pride and joy.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes to look at her, before casually looking away. He said impassively, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. I¡¯m just trying to find the mastermind behind all this.¡± He stood up. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should go to bed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. She said to his back: ¡°I¡¯m going to my university tomorrow. Will you arrange for someone to drive me there?¡±

    She had to be driven there in a car; there were no bus routes between the Special Operations Forces HQ and B University, and walking there waspletely out of the question.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to your university?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her, a frown on his face. ¡°Your sses haven¡¯t started yet. Why on earth are you going to your university?¡±

    ¡°Professor He told me to report to my university ahead of schedule,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered honestly. ¡°I should have done it by now, really.¡±

    ¡°Professor He?¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand dismissively. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go. I¡¯ve taken Professor He to the military base to assist in our investigation of the leaked photos.¡±

 Chapter 266 - Yours and Mine

    <h4>Chapter 266: Yours and Mine</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned into silence by the news for a few seconds, then jumped up from the couch to ask Huo Shaoheng, ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened? Huo Shao, what else did you do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at her. ¡°I went to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence to bring all the guests to the base to assist with the investigation. I had just been leaving when you¡¯d called me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi exhaled sharply, patting her chest and speaking in a raspy voice. ¡°You ...you took all the guests?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they all saw the photos, so any one of them have the possibility of leaking them. ording to thew of confidentiality, I must monitor them until our soldiers are out of danger,¡± Huo Shaoheng said her nonchntly.

    Gu Nianzhi knew Huo Shaoheng was under immense pressure. First of all, although the guests at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence that day weren¡¯t truly powerful people, they were still the direct or distant rtives of powerful people¡ªthe sons and daughters of certain ministers, the nieces and nephews of certain senators, or young people who worked in the Imperial Administration themselves who may not have high authority, but still wielded power. There were a total of 200 people, yet Huo Shaoheng said that he had locked them all up?

    ¡°Then Professor He, you took him too?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned as she clenched her fists. She was well aware of how much power He Zhichu had in the United States. ¡°Professor He is awyer himself. You have to be careful, Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°We have our own legal department as well.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned against the bedroom door. ¡°But, you can still see your Professor He if you want. You can ask him what he wants so you don¡¯t have to go all the way to campus.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helped rolling her eyes at him. ¡°Huo Shao, what do you mean by ¡®my¡¯ Professor He? When did he be mine?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he your instructor?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his brows at her.

    ¡°He is my instructor, but it sounded weird when you said that he¡¯s mine.¡± Gu Nianzhi now regretted picking at the word choice and quickly changed the topic. ¡°That¡¯s fine then. When can I see Professor He?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow. I¡¯ll pick you up then.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned and left.

    Gu Nianzhi stood in a daze in the middle of her room for a while, thenid on the bed. New Year¡¯s Day had been tumultuous indeed.

    ...

    After Huo Shaoheng left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, he didn¡¯t return to his own room but went to the third floor to check on Song Jinning. She had slept for nearly the whole day and typically wasn¡¯t tired at night. The light peeking through the bottom of her door verified this.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and knocked. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Song Jinning sat alone on the sofa in the living room and was using theputer. It truly amazed her that the inte had developed to this degree. When she had studied abroad in the United States, she had seen this type of intr at theb where the US Military was working with her university. Never had she imagined that 16 yearster, the intr would be a world wide inte that countless people would depend their on for their everyday lives. Hearing the knocking and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, Song Jinning rubbed her eyes before putting theptop on the small coffee table in front of the couch and getting up to open the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood at the door and asked politely. The mother and son had interacted this way 16 years ago, and from an outsider¡¯s view they acted like strangers to each other. But they both knew they had a unspoken connection.

    Song Jinning rubbed her temples with a tired smile. ¡°I slept all day and can¡¯t sleep now. Do you want toe in and sit for a bit?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still had business and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s ok. I just came to see whether you¡¯re getting used to living here,¡± He paused before he continued and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to a meeting at the military headquarters tomorrow. They will certainly reopen the case about theb ident 16 years ago and ask you to assist with the investigation.¡±

    Song Jinning nodded quickly. ¡°I also want to find out where things went wrong. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡± Aside from the investigation, Song Jinning also had to get involved with Bai Jinyi¡¯swsuit.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly thought about Gu Nianzhi and how he¡¯d briefly entertained the idea of her being Song Jinning¡¯s defensewyer. However, she had just graduated from university and he wasn¡¯t sure if she was even qualified to go to court.

    ¡°Ok then, you try to get some rest soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to disturb her anymore and turned to leave. As he walked down the stairs, he called Gu Nianzhi who was was still awake, as he¡¯d expected.

    She picked up quickly. ¡°Huo Shao? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked her as he walked outside, ¡°Nianzhi, are you qualified to go to court as a defensewyer yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up instantly. ¡°Defensewyer? Huo Shao, are you going to court?¡±

    ¡°Why are you getting so excited about going to court?¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Not me, but my mother... it¡¯s herwsuit against Bai Jinyi.¡± The most important part of the case was a matter of life or death¡ªit concerned his Aunt, Luo Xuexin. But, with Luo Xuoxin¡¯s case, the intiff was the prosecution and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t possibly act as the prosecutor. She would also never be the defensewyer of the used, Bai Jinyi. Song Jinning suing Bai Jinyi was an additional case, and Gu Nianzhi would be able to represent her if she was qualified.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what he was implying and promptly said, ¡°I can defend in court as long as awyer in good standing can endorse me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You still need someone to endorse you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I passed the bar exam already but don¡¯t have enough experience yet, so I can¡¯t get aw license for now.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I have six months experience of interning at the US Congress, but I need to intern at a domesticw firm for another six months before I can apply for a license.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help thinking about He Zhichu when she mentioned interning at the US Congress. He Zhichu was the one who had given Gu Nianzhi that opportunity, so she¡¯d gone there for six months. However, if she just needed endorsement, Huo Shaoheng could provide her with many qualifiedwyers. Since this wasn¡¯t a problem, Huo Shaoheng felt relieved. ¡°Then, you can prepare the case and represent my mother as her defensewyer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed happily and so, nned to study the legal provisions tomorrow in order to prepare for thewsuit between Song Jinning and Bai Jinyi.

    Huo Shaoheng told her to go to bed and hung up the phone. He left his official residence and went to where the Special Ops detained suspects and criminals, as well as witnesses. Huo Shaoheng had ordered the guests to be locked up in the area prepared for suspects, since all the people, theoretically, had the possibility of leaking the photos. They were all considered suspects. Among the group was also Bai Yuran and Bai Shuang, two people the Special Ops was very familiar with. However, it was business as usual and Bai Yueran was not released because even given her affiliation.

    Huo Shaoheng arrived to where the suspects were detained and went to He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi¡¯s cells first. They were locked up in two narrow rooms right next to each other. Huo Shaoheng stood at the door with his hands folded behind his back as he nced at Wen Shouyi and He Zhichu. He then pointed at He Zhichu¡¯s room and said to the soldier standing by, ¡°Bring Lawyer He out to assist with the investigation.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, our Professor He isn¡¯t feeling well. Can you please let me stay in the same room as him?¡± Wen Shouyi grabbed the metal bars of cell door of her own room anxiously as she pleaded with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly shifted his gaze over to her and stared at her hard. ¡°You recognize me? Who are you? What kind of rtionship do you have with Lawyer He?¡±

 Chapter 267 - DÃ©jÃ  Vu (1)

    <h4>Chapter 267: D¨¦j¨¤ Vu (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Due to the nature of his work, Huo Shaoheng rarely appeared in public.

    General Ji had encouraged him to step out of the shadows and take center stage, but for the moment Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name was known only to the military and the upper echelons of the Empire. Themon folk on the street did not know who Huo Shaoheng was.

    But Wen Shouyi had called him ¡°General Huo.¡± She obviously knew both his name and his real identity.

    Huo Shaoheng knew who Wen Shouyi was. He had ordered his men to run thorough background checks on He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi when Gu Nianzhi had applied for B University Law School.

    It was strange for Wen Shouyi to know who he was, however. Or, to put it another way, nothing in Wen Shouyi¡¯s background indicated any connection to Huo Shaoheng, or any possible interest in him.

    Something stirred within Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind. He kept the indifferent expression on his face as he turned to look at Wen Shouyi and wait for her reply.

    There was a flicker of panic in Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes. She quickly nced towards He Zhichu, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks, before lowering her head. She gripped the iron bars on the window of her room, and said in a stammer: ¡°...I saw you at the dinner party in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. I asked Qingyan who you were, and she told me.¡±

    The exnation was water-tight.

    But Huo Shaoheng did not let his guard down. He asked: ¡°Oh? Are you good friends with Dou Qingyan?¡±

    ¡°I was Qingyan¡¯s defensewyer when I was abroad. I helped her with awsuit.¡± Wen Shouyi gradually calmed down. She looked up at Huo Shaoheng, silently appraising him.

    This was the first time she had seen him up close, and she was not quite prepared for it.

    Huo Shaoheng was so devastatingly handsome, the sight of his face was enough to send most people into an existential crisis.

    She stared at him for a long moment, before averting her gaze. The major general had been handsome enough in his photos, but she had not expected him to be even more beautiful in person...

    Huo Shaoheng nced sideways at Wen Shouyi. He gestured for his men to open the door to He Zhichu¡¯s room.

    He Zhichu emerged from the room, his expression stony. He said to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°General Huo, you seem very interested in my assistant. Why?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, but did not reply. ¡°Professor He, this way, please.¡±

    He Zhichu snorted. The expression on his face had grown even icier. He pressed his lips together and walked towards the room opposite them.

    Just as Huo Shaoheng turned to leave, he caught sight of Wen Shouyi¡¯s face out of the corner of his eye. There was a faint smile on her face.

    She was watching He Zhichu¡¯s retreating back with herplete and undivided attention. Beneath her thick bangs, her narrow eyes seemed alive with emotion; her snowy white skin, her round face, her slender eyebrows and her small mouth seemed oddly familiar. Huo Shaoheng was momentarily ovee with a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    ...

    Upon entering the interrogation room, He Zhichu stopped to sweep his gaze over the room, before seating himself at the rectangr table inside. He chose to sit facing the door.

    Huo Shaoheng did not enter the interrogation room after him. Instead, he entered the room next to the interrogation room, and seated himself. He crossed his legs and lightly tapped the table before him with a slender finger as he said to Zhao Liangze, who was standing behind him, ¡°Begin the interrogation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Zhao Liangze exited the room and entered the interrogation room next door.

    Huo Shaoheng took up a leisurely stance as he fixed his gaze upon the window before him; it was actually a sophisticated one-way mirror, disguised as a normal wall on the other side.

    He could see everything that was going on in the interrogation room next door, but the upants in the interrogation room could not see him.

    Zhao Liangze walked into the interrogation room, and was instantly met with a frosty look from He Zhichu as the professor looked him over. Zhao Liangze suddenly felt as though their roles had been reversed¡ªwho was the suspect being questioned here, exactly?

    ¡°I see you¡¯re taking this in stride, Professor He.¡± Zhao Liangze calmly sat in the chair opposite He Zhichu. He opened theptop he had brought with him, and began the interrogation. ¡°What is your full name, Professor He? Where are you from? What are you doing in the Huaxia Empire?¡±

    He Zhichu leaned forwards. He said frostily: ¡°Why are you the one interrogating me? Where¡¯s General Huo?¡±

    ¡°General Huo is themander of this outfit. He has better things to do, obviously.¡± Zhao Liangze put on his best ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re too dumb to realize that¡± look to go with the undisguised condescension in his eyes.

    This was not the first time Zhao Liangze had met He Zhichu.

    They had met in the United States when Zhao Liangze had reced Yin Shixiong as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian.

    Back then, Zhao Liangze had been extremely polite and courteous to He Zhichu¡ªa total 180 from his skeptical, condescending attitude now.

    He Zhichu sat up straight and gave a contemptuous snort. ¡°I forgot that you lot are experts when ites to disguising yourselves. You pull the wool over everyone else with your deceptions, but you probably start to believe your own lies, too.¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°...¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked up at He Zhichu and repeated his question. He added: ¡°Professor He, please answer my questions. I¡¯m sure you are aware of the consequences if you don¡¯t cooperate.¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu.¡± He Zhichu ced his hands on the long table before him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job. What I do or do not know in private has no bearing on the current situation. Please cooperate, Professor He.¡± Zhao Liangze began typing out a record of the conversation.

    In actual fact, the interrogation room was equipped with surveince cameras and microphones. Every word He Zhichu had said had already been recorded, but Zhao Liangze went through the motions of typing out a record anyway.

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes. He was struggling with conflicted emotions, but no one could see them. ¡°I have a US passport. I came to the Huaxia Empire because I was hired by B University¡¯s Law School as a professor. Aren¡¯t you Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian? She¡¯s my post-grad student¡ªyou know that, right?¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded. ¡°What is your rtionship with Dou Qingyan? When did you first meet her? Why did she suddenly return to the Empire?¡±

    The corner of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth lifted into a sardonic smile. There was a hint of a smirk in his shimmering, sultry eyes. ¡°I have nothing to do with Dou Qingyan. She is my assistant¡¯s client. If you have any questions about Dou Qingyan, please direct them to my assistant.¡±

    ¡°Your assistant? You mean Wen Shouyi?¡± Zhao Liangze checked his records. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be interrogating her next. But I don¡¯t believe for a moment that you don¡¯t know anything about Dou Qingyan. Are you insulting our intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Zhao, a goodwyer has to be able to insult his or her opponent¡¯s intelligence at the drop of a hat. How do you think court battles are won?¡± He Zhichu replied with a straight face. His eyes swept across the interrogation room, taking in his surroundings, before resting on one of the walls.

    He Zhichu was certain that this ¡°wall¡± next to him was actually a sophisticated one-way mirror.

    Huo Shaoheng was probably behind that wall, watching him...

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched. He Zhichu¡¯s haughty attitude annoyed him, and he wanted badly to punch him in the face. At the same time, however, the way He Zhichu¡¯s mouth curved into a slight smile before turning into a mocking, lopsided smirk seemed oddly familiar to him...

    ¡°Professor He, Wen Shouyi is your assistant, which means you¡¯re her employer. Please forgive me for being blunt, but I don¡¯t believe for a minute that you wouldn¡¯t know what she¡¯s up to, or that you¡¯d leave her to fend for herself if she gets into trouble.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re mistaken.¡± He Zhichu leaned backwards and spread his hands in a gesture of indifference. ¡°Wen Shouyi may be my assistant, but I¡¯m not her employer¡ªthat would be Harvard Law School, B University Law School, and myw firm in America. She reports to me during working hours at Harvard and B University because she¡¯s my teaching assistant, but she¡¯s also a fully qualifiedwyer, and handles her own cases. I have absolutely nothing to do with the cases she takes on.¡±

    He Zhichu had adroitly shrugged off all responsibility for Wen Shouyi¡¯s actions.

    Zhao Liangze frowned. He knew he should have gotten either Yin Shixiong or Gu Nianzhi to interrogate He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was a famous, highly aplishedwyer. There was no way Zhao Liangze¡ªor most other people¡ªwould be able to out-talk him.

    As Zhao Liangze inwardly kicked himself, He Zhichu nonchntly looked away from the wall he had been scrutinizing, and fixed Zhao Liangze with a frosty re. His tone was just as icy when he said: ¡°Here¡¯s a question for you, Mr. Zhao: Nianzhi lived with the Special Ops from between the age of 12 and 18. Was she treated fairly? Or did you interrogate her every day, the way you¡¯re interrogating me now? Did you brainwash her? Did you put her through psychological torture?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was momentarily stunned. He retorted, without thinking, ¡°This has nothing to do with Nianzhi. Please don¡¯t try to change the subject.¡±

    ¡°Well, I have nothing to say to you.¡± He Zhichu knew it was within his rights to stay silent. ¡°I will only speak with General Huo or Nianzhi. It¡¯s either that, or I stay silent until you release me, at which point you¡¯ll be getting awyer¡¯s letter from me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was not afraid of his threats, but he did not want to involve Gu Nianzhi in this mess, either. He slowly typed out a message on hisptop to Huo Shaoheng, asking him what to do.

    Huo Shaoheng sent him new instructions from the opposite room. ¡°Interrogate Wen Shouyi. We¡¯ll leave He Zhichu alone for the moment.¡±

    Zhao Liangze replied with a simple ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He ordered his men to take He Zhichu back to his room, and bring Wen Shouyi over instead.

    Wen Shouyi seated herself across Zhao Liangze, her expression uneasy. She cocked her head as she looked him over; finally, she said: ¡°Mr. Zhao, I wasn¡¯t expecting us to meet again like this.¡±

 Chapter 268 - Deja Vu (2)

    <h4>Chapter 268: Deja Vu (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhao Liangze has also met Wen Shouyi when he had gone to the United States with Gu Nianzhi. Of course, he had only treated her like a teaching assistant; he¡¯d had no other interactions. It could be said that apart from asional encounters because of Gu Nianzhi, the two wereplete strangers to each other. But today, Wen Shouyi greeted Zhao Liangze as though she were finally reuniting with an old friend. Fortunately, Zhao Liangze was well trained and nodded with a smile as he said, ¡°Hello, Teaching Assistant Wen. It¡¯s been so long, although I never thought you would give us a big surprise as soon as we met again.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what Mr. Zhao is saying.¡± Wen Shouyi frowned in confusion. ¡°I have beenw abiding no matter if I¡¯ve been in the United States or in your Huaxia Empire. I have never vited anyws. But, I can say that your actions today are at the underside of thew. I suggest you release Professor He immediately, or else you¡¯ll all be in trouble if you cross him¡ªeven if your master is a Major General.¡±

    Zhao Liangze raised his brows and said in surprise, ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen, that¡¯s very interesting. We are soldiers of the Huaxia Empire, and although there are high and low ranks, we are all equal in terms of ethics andw. Mr. Huo is our chief, not our master. We are not Mr. Huo¡¯s ves. Now, why would Teaching Assistant Wen think that way? Do you have a master, or are you a ve? What¡¯s more, you¡¯re an associate professor at the Harvard Law School, yet is there still very in the United States?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was stunned by Zhao Liangze¡¯s retort, and her face clouded over. The corners of her lips twitched and in a voice that was slightly shrill, she said, ¡°You know what I mean, so don¡¯t twist my words!¡±

    ¡°There are video and audio recordings here, so there¡¯ll be no twisting of meanings.¡± Zhao Liangze pointed to the camera. ¡°Don¡¯t go thinking how corrupted it is here.¡±

    Wen Shouyi sneered as she gave him a look of scorn and contempt. After a long moment, she raised her head arrogantly and nodded. ¡°Very well then; but, ording to thews of your esteemed nation, you cannot detain us for over 24 hours if you require our assistance with the investigation. Anything over 24 hours is illegal detention.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s fingers paused but he maintained a smile on his face as he ignored her and continued to question her ording to established procedures. ¡°Lawyer Wen, Professor He said that you represented Dou Qingyan as her defensewyer in the United States. May I ask: what was the crime that shemitted there?¡±

    Upon hearing such an unprofessional question, Wen Shouyi nearly fell overughing. She looked at Zhao Liangze like he was an idiot. ¡°Mr. Zhao, Qingyan is my client and I¡¯m herwyer. ording to thew, I can¡¯t disclose anything about the case to anyone else. If I say anything, it¡¯s a vition of privacyws and a major breach of conduct as awyer. I will have myw license revoked and may even go to jail. Mr. Zhao, I won¡¯t say a thing even if you lock me up here for life.¡±

    This time Zhao Liangze was left speechless. Arguing wasn¡¯t his specialty. These were all such sharped tongued people he almost wanted to turn tail and have someone else handle the matter. However, this was his task right now, and not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s or Yin Shixiong¡¯s responsibility. Zhao Liangze kept his faceposed and looked down at the questions on theptop to continue the interrogation. ¡°Did you make the video of Dou Qingyan¡¯s study trip?¡±

    Wen Shouyi kept shaking her head in denial. ¡°Of course not. I said it already, Dou Qingyan is only a client of mine in the United States, I mainly interacted with her due to her case there. How would I know anything else about her? Mr. Zhao can¡¯t possibly think that she reports everything to me?¡±

    Zhao Liangze ignored her and recorded her response in its entirety, then asked, ¡°If you only interacted with her because of a case, why did Dou Qingyan arrive at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence with you when she suddenly returned to the Empire?¡±

    This question couldn¡¯t be avoided by Wen Shouyi, nor was it out of ce. She thought about it and said tersely, ¡°Qingyan stayed abroad, alone, for six years, and had actually wanted toe home a long time ago but could never make up her mind. This time, it was because of thewsuit that she learned about the harshness of the world and missed home dearly, so she let go of her worries and rushed back. When she wanted toe home on New Year¡¯s Day to surprise her family, she couldn¡¯t get ne tickets and came to me for help. It so happened that Professor He had a seat open on his private jet, so we gave her a ride.¡±

    Zhao Liangze almost exhaled sharply, but forced himself not to because he didn¡¯t want to be looked down by Wen Shouyi. An ordinary private jet wasn¡¯t able to fly from the United States to the Huaxia Empire. Most of the ones on the market were only suitable for short-haul flights, no matter how luxuriously finished they were. There were very few private jets that could fly intercontinental flights, and only a handful of the richest people in the word had the money and personnel to maintain such an aircraft. And among these rich people, Zhao Liangze had never heard of an American with the surname He. ¡°Is that so.¡± Zhao Liangze made a note on theptop and said, ¡°So, she got off the ne and you drove her directly to Prime Minister¡¯s official residence?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she called her family on the ne, so they decided to host an impromptu grand banquet for her. It was to wee back Miss Dou, who hadn¡¯t been home for six years.¡± Wen Shouyi sighed in admiration. ¡°The Dou family really pampers this daughter. Excuse my boldness, but it was only a few photos. Even if they were fake, it¡¯s just a girl¡¯s unspeakable feelings, so why did you have to make such a big deal out of it? You had to arrest her too? Your Major General Huo is such a petty person. How can he lead soldiers?¡±

    Zhao Liangze pursed his lips before breaking into another smile and proceeding to ask, ¡°So when she returned home to y the video, she made that herself?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe her family made it for her?¡± Wen Shouyi replied with a smile, her answer water tight.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible? She¡¯d clearly just gotten off the flight and returned home, and then the banquet started. How did her family have the time to make the video in advance?¡± Zhao Liangze shot back.

    Wen Shouyi considered it. ¡°This I really don¡¯t know. You¡¯re better off asking Dou Qingyan herself.¡±

    ¡°We naturally will.¡± Zhao Liangze nodded. ¡°Also, your phone and all electronics will be kept by us and will be returned when you are released.¡±

    ¡°Remember, you can¡¯t detain us for more than 24 hours; otherwise, I¡¯ll take you to court, and the military will lose all its face.¡± The smile disappeared from Wen Shouyi¡¯s face as her expression turned icy.

    Zhao Liangze was originally the most easy going and well tempered person amongst Huo Shaoheng¡¯s four personal secretaries, but he was at his wit¡¯s end now. Looking down, the veins on his neck were faintly bulging as he hammered at the keyboard.

    Huo Shaoheng squinted in the opposite room and sent Zhao Liangze a message: ¡°Have Nianzhi question her.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was ted to see this and quickly replied: ¡°Great! Have Nianzhie in! When will she get here?¡±

    ¡°You cane out first.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied to him as he called Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was still tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep at all. Quickly picking up her phone as soon as it rang, she was excited to see that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call. She immediately swiped at her phone to answer. ¡°Huo Shao, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Smiling faintly at her breathless voice, Huo Shaoheng asked calmly, ¡°Haven¡¯t slept yet?¡±

    ¡°.Not yet...¡± Gu Nianzhiughed guitily and changed the subject. ¡°Did something happen that made you call me at this hour?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there is something.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused as he stared at Wen Shouyi in the interrogation room. Suddenly, the image of the dolls Gu Nianzhi loved to y with as a child appeared in his mind¡ªWen Shouyi resembled them, somehow. Clenching his fist, his eyes darkened but he didn¡¯t speak this aloud. Instead he said, ¡°Come over for a bit and help us question Wen Shouyi and He Zhichu.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Can I?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly sat up on the bed and held her phone against her ear as she pulled on some clothes. ¡°I can help you guys?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll issue a letter of appointment stating that you are a negotiating expert we especially hired.¡± As Huo Shaoheng said, he ordered Zhao Liangze to prepare a the negotiating expert¡¯s letter of appointment for Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 269 - DÃ©jÃ  Vu (3)

    <h4>Chapter 269: D¨¦j¨¤ Vu (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately wide awake. She jumped out of bed, humming cheerfully to herself, and gave Huo Shaoheng a quick ¡°I¡¯ll see youter¡± before hanging up. She rushed to her wardrobe and rummaged through it, before settling on a women¡¯s suit made of light gray merino wool. She had chosen a trouser suit instead of a skirt suit as it was already evening and chilly outside. At the door, she put on a cashmere coat before going out.

    She did not know where Huo Shaoheng was, but that did not prove to be a problem: as soon as she walked out of his residence, she saw that Huo Shaoheng had already sent one of his subordinates to wait by the door and escort her to him.

    Zhao Liangze was also waiting for her. As soon as he saw her, he immediately yed the video recording of the interrogation. He shook his head and said, ¡°Look at this! She evaded all the important questions. And she kept blocking me with one legal provision after another. Goddammit! I wish I¡¯d studiedw in college instead!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a snort. She fast-forwarded through the video. ¡°Interesting, very interesting. I¡¯ll make her sorry for messing with you, Brother Ze, just you wait and see!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s inside, knock yourself out,¡± said Zhao Liangze, pointing towards the window. ¡°Man, she was so snooty I felt like punching her in the face!¡±

    ¡°You mean she desperately needs a b*tch p.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she shut Zhao Liangze¡¯sptop. ¡°Can I take yourptop with me?¡±

    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Any other instructions, sir?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood before the window, his hands sped behind his back. He kept his gaze upon Wen Shouyi as he said to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Nianzhi, once you¡¯re done with Little Ze¡¯s questions, you¡¯re free to ask whatever you want. Ask her about her rtionship with He Zhichu, for example.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned as she hugged theptop to her chest. ¡°Why do I have to ask about them? I¡¯m not interested in any of that, like, at all...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile. His eyes were as dark and as maic as a ck hole; Gu Nianzhi felt herself being drawn towards them. ¡°...Be a good girl and listen to me.¡±

    His words were like a magic spell. Gu Nianzhi immediately nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it...¡±

    Fine, I¡¯ll go with whatever you say, Huo Shao, you handsome stud ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q.

    ...

    Wen Shouyi had just lowered her head to take a sip of water when the door to the interrogation room opened before her.

    She smiled and looked up. She was by no means a tall woman, but her expression seemed to convey a certain lofty haughtiness.

    However, she had not expected to see Gu Nianzhi enter the room, cheerful and smiling. The smile on Wen Shouyi¡¯s face immediately froze in ce; her sense of superiority had disappeared, reced by profound distrust and dread.

    The change of expressionsted only a few seconds, however. Wen Shouyi quickly recovered herself, and said to Gu Nianzhi in a gentle, affable manner, ¡°Nianzhi, why are you here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ced Zhao Liangze¡¯sptop on the long table, and seated herself in the chair Zhao Liangze had vacated. Her tone and attitude were entirely professional when she said, ¡°Please state your name, nationality, and a brief ount of what you¡¯ve been doing in thest 30 years.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s this? Are you pretending not to know who I am?¡±

    ¡°Quiet. You¡¯re sitting in the interrogation room of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Special Operations Forces HQ. This ce is equivalent to the Supreme Court in the United States, I advise you to show proper respect.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not even lift her head from theptop. ¡°Your name, nationality, and a brief ount of what you¡¯ve been doing in thest 30 years, please.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was acting like awyer questioning the defendant in court.

    Wen Shouyi was momentarily tongue-tied. She stewed inwardly over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude, before finally clenching her jaw and saying, in an unhappy monotone, ¡°My name is Wen Shouyi and I have a US passport. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you what I¡¯ve been doing in thest 30 years.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head from behind theptop. She asked, with a face entirely devoid of expression, ¡°Are you hiding something? Shady things you can never tell anyone?¡±

    ¡°Watch what you say, youngdy.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words had seeded in stoking the coals of anger within Wen Shouyi. She ced her clenched fists, trembling with rage, on the table before her. ¡°I¡¯ll sue you for defamation!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ll counter sue you for obstruction of justice!¡± There was a resounding smack as Gu Nianzhi brought a hand down upon the table. ¡°What, do you think you should be getting preferential treatment here in the Huaxia Empire just because you have a US passport? Why can¡¯t you cooperate?! I asked a simple question, why are you being so difficult? I can send you to prison for life, you know, and I don¡¯t think the US government would even give a fig about you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had always kept her calm andposure before Gu Nianzhi, but now her temper threatened to get the better of her. With great effort, she pulled a lid over the anger boiling within her, and grated out, between clenched teeth: ¡°...I¡¯m only 24. How am I supposed to tell you what I¡¯ve been doing in thest 30 years?!¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re only 24? Sorry, it¡¯s just that you look like you¡¯re 34. Honest mistake on my part. If you¡¯re offended, well, I apologize. You should go for beauty spas more often, and treat your skin better. Also, you should try losing weight¡ªif you do all that, I¡¯m sure you can at least pass for 28.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly. She was only 18, and her sweet smile was full of enviable youthful radiance. She was deliberately trying to push Wen Shouyi to the edge by unting her youth at her.

    Wen Shouyi wasn¡¯t tall, but she was curvy. She was in no way fat, not in the way Gu Nianzhi was suggesting¡ªperhaps a little ¡°chubby,¡± but even that was a stretch.

    Gu Nianzhi knew there were two things you should never call a woman, not unless you wanted to offend her, and she had deliberatelybined the two for maximum effect by suggesting Wen Shouyi was both old and fat. She had to destroy Wen Shouyi¡¯s oddly inted sense of self-importance to break down the barriers around her heart and get more information out of her.

    Wen Shouyi was trembling all over with rage. She had to gather all her strength just to keep her anger in check. The gunshot wound in her chest, which was supposed to have healed over, began to ache.

    She put a hand to her chest. She had to take a few minutes to get her ragged breathing under control. When she finally spoke again, her voice was hoarse: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my gunshot wound still hurts. Please let me catch my breath.¡±

    She was subtly reminding Gu Nianzhi that she had saved her life.

    Gu Nianzhi understood, and felt guilty. She waited for Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression to ease before saying calmly: ¡°Tell me about your personal history, from the time you started going to school.¡±

    Wen Shouyi gave Gu Nianzhi a long look that seemed full of hidden meanings. She gave Gu Nianzhi a brief ount of her educational background, beginning with her grade school and ending with her post-grad Law School.

    Gu Nianzhi discovered that Wen Shouyi had skipped many grades: she had graduated from college at 18,pleted Law School at 21, and attained a tenured teaching position as a professor at Harvard Law School at the age of 24. She was a genius, through and through.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised by Wen Shouyi¡¯s aplishments. She had not bothered to look into her background before this because of her dislike for Wen Shouyi.

    Gu Nianzhi realized she had underestimated her, and decided to give credit where credit was due.

    Gu Nianzhi went over Zhao Liangze¡¯s questions, and Wen Shouyi¡¯s answers to them. Gu Nianzhi smiled and asked: ¡°Miss Wen, whatwsuit did you help Dou Qingyan with in the United States?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s mood suddenly improved. Arge smile spread across her face as she said triumphantly, ¡°I already told Mr. Zhao, but that is strictly between me and Qingyan. She¡¯s my client, and I¡¯m herwyer. The attorney-client privilege between us means I cannot tell anyone else about our private discussions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patiently waited for Wen Shouyi to finish exining how the attorney-client privilege worked in the US, an amused expression on her face. When Wen Shouyi was done, Gu Nianzhi nodded and said: ¡°Oh, I know all that, which is why I wasn¡¯t asking whether the two of you are involved in shady dealings. I merely asked about thewsuit you helped her with. Don¡¯t underestimate me; I may not be an expert in Americanw, but I know that you can look up everywsuit brought to the US courts on their website. It¡¯s public information, avable online. Surely you¡¯re not saying that disclosing information about thewsuit counts as a vition of the attorney-client privilege? If that¡¯s what you mean, wow, lucky you, you should start suing all the US courts, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to rake in a fortune.¡±

 Chapter 270 - Deja Vu (4)

    <h4>Chapter 270: Deja Vu (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi was frozen speechless after listening to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She clenched her fists so hard, her nails tore through the skin.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say it?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up from theptop to stare at Wen Shouyi, herrge eyes suddenly squinted. The expressionless and silent Wen Shouyi somehow gave her a sense of deja vu: how could this be? Gu Nianzhi knew she had never looked at Wen Shouyi directly. Since the first time they had met and had that unpleasant conversation in front of the C University Law Department¡¯s female dormitory, Gu Nianzhi had consciously blocked out Wen Shouyi face entirely. Even Wen Shouyi¡¯s image in her mind had always been blurry, and it wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t remember, but because she didn¡¯t want to remember her face. Gu Nianzhi had never developed such resentment for anyone before.

    While Wen Shouyi was still silent, she reflected on her strange feelings and impression of the woman. Coughing lightly, Gu Nianzhi decided to treat Wen Shouyi normally. Too much neglection or emphasis on Wen Shouyi was to disy ack of confidence. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t see any reason why she should feel inferior to Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Gu Nianzhi cough and coughed herself. ¡°Since you know that you can find it online, then why do you have to ask me? Can¡¯t you look it up yourself?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brows. The corners of her eyes lifted as she looked at Wen Shouyi yfully. ¡°There are so many things on the inte, so how could I look up anything without even a clue? Do you want to me search your name with Dou Qingyan¡¯s on the Gou?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°On the Gou?¡±

    Resting her head on one hand, Gu Nianzhi looked at her with annoyance. ¡°Yeah, the American Google. You¡¯ve used it before, so don¡¯t pretend. Hurry up and tell me, what kind of case was it and which court was it held at? Who was the defendant and who was the intiff? What was the final verdict and what was the case number? I will look it up for sure and contact the American courts to verify if you insist on being uncooperative.¡±

    Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t y dumb anymore. She was expressionless as she looked down and away from Gu Nianzhi, saying dryly, ¡°It was the Doug Supermarket from the city of Buffalo, suing Dou Qingyan for shoplifting. In addition to this, there were other cases of possession of illegal drugs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze. ¡°Dou Qingyan? Shoplifting?¡± Shoplifting was a petty crime. ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of the Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire. Why would she need to steal from a supermarket?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± She could believe that Dou Qingyan was charged with the possession of illegal drugs, since there were always a few ck sheep in rich and powerful families. But, she couldn¡¯t see how Dou Qingyan would steal household goods worth that totaled to less than ten US dors.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s confidence finally returned as she sneered at Gu Nianzhi and replied, ¡°What¡¯s so weird about that? Dou Qingyan shoplifted because of her mental illness; it wasn¡¯t real theft. How do you think she got out of it? We showed her bank deposits and psychological records to the judge and thus, she wasn¡¯t charged.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood: so this was a ¡®rich person¡¯s disease¡¯. She smiled ruefully and shook her head. ¡°Is that so? Poor people go to jail when they shoplift, while spoilt children of the wealthy can afford to shoplift as a hobby and then me it on mental illness. You city folk really know how to y.¡±

    Wen Shouyi kept silent. After a while, she smiled at Gu Nianzhi and gave her a knowing look. ¡°Mental illness is indeed a disease, yet it just has to be treated. Many people have mental illness but pretend to be normal people, but then suddenly, one day, this illusion breaks down with a boom! When that timees, the true difficulty begins.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was implying something, but Gu Nianzhi ignored herpletely. To Gu Nianzhi, the current conversation only served to beat each other down and see which woman could get more information out of the other. So, it wasn¡¯t necessary to believe what the other person was saying, as long as everything was recorded urately. the truth would surface when they looked at the evidence after the interrogation. ¡°Miss Wen, you sure know an awful lot about mentally ill people pretending to be normal. Is this because you have personal experience? Why don¡¯t you tell me how that feels like? How does the person look like when they have an episode? Tell me, so that I can advise Dou Qingyan to go see a psychologist when I see simr symptoms,¡± Gu Nianzhi quipped to Wen Shouyi¡¯s nonsense.

    Wen Shouyi realized that nothing was getting past Gu Nianzhi, and couldn¡¯t help being impressed by her. She had to admit that He Zhichu had too keen of an eye. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know much either, but I have heard that if someone receives a great shock, they will sometimes block their true memories and fabricate a new set of false memories. They pretend to be someone else in order to live peacefully. However, once the truth is revealed, they certainly can¡¯t ept the immense psychological stress and therefore, can¡¯t survive.¡± Wen Shouyi spoke slowly, her cold gaze resting on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face like she was a bamboo viper spitting venom. Her aim was to provoke her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt very ufortable by this feeling and tried to control herself from throwing herself at Wen Shouyi and pping her pale, round face.

    Huo Shaoheng sensed something was amiss with Gu Nianzhi as he watched from the other room and sent her a text: ¡°What is it? Is the interrogation going smoothly?¡±

    Upon seeing a text from Huo Shao on theptop, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s inner turmoil finally settled down. She replied: ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m still interrogating her.¡± She looked up again to grin at Wen Shouyi. ¡°Miss Wen is truly knowledgeable. So, does the patient look like you when she experiences an episode?¡± She had only wanted to snub her and say it purely as an unrted insult, but Wen Shouyi¡¯s face fell and actually contorted all of a sudden. She red at Gu Nianzhi as though she hated her with all her heart and wanted to eat her alive, making Gu Nianzhi shiver.

    ¡°Miss Wen, you¡¯re scaring me when you look at me like that.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged, but didn¡¯t appear frightened at all. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that I hit a sore spot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Wen Shouyi quicklyposed herself but was a little pale. She clutched her chest and frowned. ¡°My wound is hurting me, please let me rest for a second.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and didn¡¯t continue the interrogation. Instead, she began to sort the results of the earlier questioning and made two notes about Wen Shouyi. One, Wen Shouyi had aplex, and it probably has to do with her identity issues. Two, Dou Qingyan¡¯s case was trivial and there should be nothing deeper about it. But, the fact that Dou Qingyan was able to hire Wen Shouyi as awyer and befriend her was worth looking into. This point could be delved into through the interrogation with Dou Qingyan. After making the two notes, Gu Nianzhi looked up to see Wen Shouyi looking much better and drinking water. Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Shall we continue?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice had normalized. ¡°I apologize for earlier, that was rude of me. I hope Miss Gu will be understanding.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I understand.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dig any deeper; she knew that Wen Shouyi had certainly taken new precautions, so it wasn¡¯t worth prodding her from that angle anymore. She began questioning Wen Shouyi and He Zhichu¡¯s rtionship. Folding her hands together on the long table before her, Gu Nianzhi asked with a smile, ¡°How long has Miss Wen been working under Professor He for? You are an Associate Professor at the Harvard Law School, yet why do you have to stoop down to acting as Professor He¡¯s nanny? ¡±

 Chapter 271 - DÃ©jÃ  Vu (5)

    <h4>Chapter 271: D¨¦j¨¤ Vu (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi had not expected Gu Nianzhi to shift the focus of their discussion from Dou Qingyan to the rtionship between He Zhichu and herself.

    ¡°...Is your question rted to the current investigation?¡± Wen Shouyi asked impassively. She pursed her lips right after that, indicating that she did not want to talk about it.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s rted.¡± Gu Nianzhi cupped her cheeks in both hands as she smiled serenely at Wen Shouyi. ¡°You have to answer my question.¡±

    ¡°How exactly is it rted?¡± Wen Shouyi asked without missing a beat. What did her rtionship with He Zhichu have anything to do with Dou Qingyan and her crimes?

    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head. ¡°Who¡¯s supposed to be the professor here? Do I have to spell everything out for you? Are you even worthy of your position as an associate professor at Harvard Law School?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being a bully!¡± The corner of Wen Shouyi¡¯s mouth began to twitch. ¡°You¡¯re just making things up, because you know very well there isn¡¯t a connection between the two!¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I am under no obligation to answer your questions. You, on the other hand, have to answer mine because you¡¯ve been asked to assist in the investigation.¡± Gu Nianzhi rapped her knuckles on the table. ¡°Your connection with Dou Qingyan means Professor He is involved by default. This is why we have to investigate your rtionship with him. Miss Wen, is that so difficult to understand?¡±

    Wen Shouyi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°How did you manage to be awyer at thergestw firm in America, or be an associate professor at Harvard Law School? They must have been desperate.¡± Gu Nianzhi typed out her notes on theptop. ¡°So? Spit it out, and don¡¯t try anything funny.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Wen Shouyi decided to send the ball back into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s court. ¡°I¡¯m just Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant¡ªwhy do you say I¡¯m his nanny? Are you thinking of someone else?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand what I mean?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked directly at Wen Shouyi. ¡°You¡¯ve never acted like his nanny? But I¡¯ve seen you hold an umbre over Professor He when I was in C University, and you looked just like a doting nanny. And don¡¯t get me started on the way you fawned over him in America. Then again, I guess you¡¯re not actually a nanny, but some kind of butler. Yes, I think that describes you better: you¡¯re his butler.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Wen Shouyi had finally lost her temper. ¡°Professor He and I were both from the same town. My family is indebted to his. He doesn¡¯t have any rtives around him¡ªis it a crime if I help take care of him instead? Can¡¯t colleagues also be friends who care for one another? Why do you make it sound so vulgar?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s entirely normal to be friends with your colleagues, and to care for another, I agree. But I¡¯ve never, ever, seen a female colleague hold an umbre over a male colleague, or open car doors for him¡ªyou¡¯re the first. It¡¯s usually the man who takes care of the woman.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve been to Professor He¡¯s house when I was in America. I know exactly what role you perform in his house, and what kind of job you have to do. You may try to hide it, but you can¡¯t fool me!¡±

    ¡°What exactly did Professor He tell you?¡± Wen Shouyi paled. There was a hysterical note in her voice, which was now high-pitched and shaky.

    Gu Nianzi arched an eyebrow; the wheels in her head turned, and she decided to try a bluff. She smirked and said: ¡°Everything.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s perfectly trimmed eyebrows shot up. She stared at Gu Nianzhi incredulously. ¡°Everything? He told you everything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, everything,¡± Gu Nianzhi said calmly. She lowered her head to peer at theptop screen as she continued typing out her notes.

    ¡°So he told you everything¡ªand this is how you decide to treat him? And me?¡± Wen Shouyi stared fixedly at Gu Nianzhi, before snorting derisively. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. You can drop the act. You can¡¯t fool me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the way I¡¯m treating the both of you? I¡¯m just following protocol,¡± Gu Nianzhi said warily.

    Wen Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she burst intoughter and shook her head. ¡°So it was just a bluff! I knew it, it didn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was now certain that He Zhichu had not told Gu Nianzhi ¡°everything.¡±

    Her heart grew tender at the thought. She could not suppress the warm, fuzzy feeling inside her; it spread over her, coloring her cheeks.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised to see Wen Shouyi blush. She could not understand what was going on, but she arched an eyebrow and asked, with a straight face, ¡°It isn¡¯t a bluff. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Professor He yourself.¡±

    ¡°I have to admit, I almost fell for it.¡± Wen Shouyi leaned back into her chair. ¡°You said he told you ¡®everything.¡¯ Well, I know that can¡¯t be true. But whatever, let¡¯s move on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. The situation seemed to be spiraling out of her control.

    Wen Shouyi noticed that Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words. She leaned forward to say in a low,ughing whisper, ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to figure it out, Nianzhi. I¡¯ll admit that you¡¯re smart¡ªa lot smarter than me, actually¡ªbut this isn¡¯t something you can figure out with intelligence alone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shot a doubtful nce at Wen Shouyi.

    She was bursting with questions, but her professional instincts told her this was not the time to ask them. As soon as she demanded answers, she would be at Wen Shouyi¡¯s mercy. She was dying with curiosity, but she resisted the temptation to ask.

    ¡°Miss Wen, you seem to be extremely reluctant to talk about your rtionship with Professor He. I get it. It must be embarrassing to talk about.¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and leaned backwards into her chair. ¡°Here¡¯s a different question, then: you would deny knowing anything about Dou Qingyan¡¯s secret crush on General Huo even if you knew about it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Wen Shouyi blurted out without thinking. She quickly realized that she had fallen into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap. She shouted: ¡°No!¡±

    As soon as she said it, she knew that both ¡°yes¡± and ¡°no¡± were the wrong answer. Her anger reached boiling point.

    She was so angry now she was practically wheezing. She had told herself, over and over again, not to be angry with Gu Nianzhi, but she couldn¡¯t help it. It was difficult for her to remain calm when the object of her frustrations was sitting right across her.

    Gu Nianzhi enjoyed watching Wen Shouyi fume with rage. The more exasperated she got, the more rxed andfortable Gu Nianzhi felt. She gave a smallugh. ¡°So you knew Dou Qingyan was secretly in love with General Huo, but deliberately chose not to say anything. You watched as she pined over those doctored photos, and waited for her to make a fool of herself so she would end up behind bars, is that right?¡±

    ¡°I would never stoop that low.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled as sheunched her counterattack. ¡°She¡¯s my client, after all. And we don¡¯t know whether the photos were photoshopped¡ªwe¡¯ll leave that to the experts. As for you, Miss Gu...¡±

    Wen Shouyi suddenly leaned forward. She looked into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°...Are you trying to distort the facts, because the truth is too much for you to handle?¡±

    She had finally walked into her trap...

    Gu Nianzhi calmly folded her arms. ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re discussing Dou Qingyan¡¯s crimes here¡ªwhy would the truth be too much for me to handle?¡±

    ¡°Drop the act.¡± Wen Shouyi rapped her knuckles on the table. ¡°Anyone can see that you¡¯re in love with your guardian, General Huo. You im that Dou Qingyan was secretly in love with him, but that goes for you too, doesn¡¯t it? Oh wait, that¡¯s not quite right¡ªyou weren¡¯t just crushing on him, you were trying to seduce him. Unfortunately for you, Dou Qingyan returned from America just as you were trying to put the moves on your guardian, and you¡¯ve been trying to avert your eyes from the truth ever since.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered the surveince cameras in the room, and also the fact that Zhao Liangze was sitting in the next room. Her heart lurched sideways; she did not want her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng to be exposed in this manner.

    She had to deny it, no matter what.

    The best defense is a good offense, as the saying went. She had to change the subject.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched in annoyance, but she managed to keep from blushing, and put on a cool and indifferent expression instead. She snorted in derision as she shook her head. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m secretly in love with General Huo? Where¡¯s your evidence? You use me of distorting the facts, but what about you? I resent your veiled insults.¡±

    ¡°What veiled insults?¡±

    ¡°You insult me byparing me to Dou Qingyan. I¡¯m not crazy, or stupid!¡± Gu Nianzhi extended a milky white finger and wagged it dismissively. ¡°Still, I have to thank you, Miss Wen. You¡¯ve inadvertently let slip two important piece of information: one, you¡¯ve seen those photos prior to the party, and knew Dou Qingyan was hopelessly in love with General Huo. That means you lied to Lieutenant Colonel Zhao just now. Two, you have a secret crush on Professor He. You¡¯re madly in love with him.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had been entirely unfazed by the first part of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little speech, but as soon as she heard Gu Nianzhi use her of being secretly in love with He Zhichu, she sprang out of her chair like a jack-in-the-box. ¡°I¡¯m not! Stop making things up! I don¡¯t have a crush on him!¡±

    ¡°Say what you like. Everyone can see the truth with their own eyes.¡± Gu Nianzhi shut theptop. ¡°You can go now.¡±

    ...

    In the next room, Zhao Liangze turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, whose face was, as always, entirely devoid of expression. He mumbled to himself: ¡°...Wait, Nianzhi is secretly in love with Mr. Huo?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 272 - Deja Vu (6)

    <h4>Chapter 272: Deja Vu (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Huo Shao...¡± Zhao Liangze scratched his head in confusion, so shocked by these words that he felt dizzy. ¡°Does Nianzhi really...?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face remained impassive as he replied dryly, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. Don¡¯t listen to Wen Shouyi¡¯s nonsense. How can you actually believe her?¡±

    ...

    In the interrogation room, Wen Shouyi was scared witless by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s one statement and almost wanted to lunge at her to block her mouth. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, I¡¯ve borne all the other things you¡¯ve said, but how can you use me of liking Professor He?!¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes glittered as she began bawling. ¡°I¡¯ve never had stray thoughts about Professor He! I only respect and admire him. How can you use me of something so shameful?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead wrinkles from frowning. She thought that Wen Shouyi was overreacting way too much. The woman was simply making a poor act to conceal the truth. Gu Nianzhi watched her quietly for awhile, then said, ¡°You just swore I liked Huo Shao and I didn¡¯t argue with you. Now, I¡¯m just giving you a taste of your own medicine, but you can¡¯t take it? That¡¯s pretty hypocritical of you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart wrenched when she realized she¡¯d overreacted, but she couldn¡¯t take it back now. She wiped away her tears and sneered, ¡°I can¡¯t allow you to nder my reputation. I¡¯m innocent and single, and I haven¡¯t even had my first love yet. How dare you say I have a crush!¡±

    ¡°Not having a ¡®first love¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean that you can¡¯t have a crush!¡± Gu Nianzhi finally rolled her eyes. ¡°Besides, not yet having a first love at the age of 24 is nothing to boast about, if you want to be superficial. Isn¡¯t it better to admit your crush for Professor He rather than admit that no men are interested in you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if men aren¡¯t interested in me.¡± Wen SHouyi finally collected herself and spread her arms in surrender. ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that you can only detain us for 24 hours. Anything over 24 hours is illegal detention and I can serve papers to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and slowly leaned forward on both her arms. She stared at Wen Shouyi. ¡°24 hours is to assist in the investigation, but if the severity of the case is beyond control, then we can detain you for 48 hours or even issue an arrest warrant and press charges.¡±

    ¡°Press charges? For what?!¡± Wen Shouyi crossed her arms and looked at Gu Nianzhi, her expression smug. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to abuse your power?¡±

    ¡°Miss Wen, there will be no abuse of power. You are directly involved with Dou Qingyan. You are also herwyer, so we still need your assistance with the investigation until we have a breakthrough in her case. So, we can detain you for 48 hours.¡± Gu Nianzhi knew thews of the Huaxia Empire far better than Wen Shouyi did.

    Stunned into silence, Wen Shouyi raised her brows at Gu Nianzhi but couldn¡¯t see any weakness in the girl¡¯s sweet and delicate face. However, Wen Shouyi¡¯s frown grew deeper as she examined closely. Two faces with no simrities. How did she end up looking like this? Wen Shouyi shook her head and gave a heavy sigh.¡±If that¡¯s the case, I have nothing to say. I¡¯m at your mercy and will just have to see when you¡¯ll release us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also surveyed Wen Shouyi¡¯s face carefully. The lingering familiarity she¡¯d been feeling since earlier had only grown stronger. The interrogation room suddenly grew so silent that only the faint sound of theptop fan could be heard.

    Huo Shaoheng watched this from the room next door. He quickly ordered the personnel in the interrogation room, ¡°That¡¯s good. We can send Wen Shouyi back and bring Nianzhi out. Next to be interrogated is He Zhichu. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    Zhao Liangze still appeared lost and finally asked Huo Shaoheng after a while, ¡°Mr. Huo, aren¡¯t we going to let Nianzhi question him first?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll interrogate him first, then Nianzhi can try if she wants to.¡± No matter what, He Zhichu was still Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mentor. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want their rtionship to be affected by this.

    After Wen Shouyi was sent away, Gu Nianzhi took theptop and returned to the room next door. Seeing Zhao Liangze¡¯s strange expression, Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed but still forced herself to maintainposure. She passed theptop to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Brother Ze, all the records are in there.¡± She then turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, when will Professor He be interrogated?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put both hands in his trouser pockets as he walked to the next room. ¡°I¡¯ll go question him. You and Little Ze stay in here.¡±

    After watching Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back disappear out the door, Gu Nianzhi wiped the sweat off her brow and sat down on the sofa in the room. She looked up to see Zhao Liangze stare fixedly at her with a peculiar expression. Gu Nianzhi looked down at herself with curiosity. ¡°What? Is there something wrong with me?¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at the interrogation room to check that He Zhichu hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Huo Shaoheng had just sat down. Zhao Liangze quickly shut the doors and opened theptop to debug all the cameras and audio recording equipment programs in the room to momentarily shut them down, then sat next Gu Nianzhi and asked quietly, ¡°Nianzhi, tell me truthfully, do you... do you... have a crush on Mr. Huo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips as she shook her head resolutely¨Cshe would never admit to a crush! We are in love! In love! ¡°Brother Ze, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. Wen Shouyi was clearly talking nonsense earlier. How can you believe her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Zhao Liangze sighed in relief. He leaned back against the sofa,pletely rxed. He said quietly, ¡°This is good. You have to know that, now that Mr. Huo is in this big mess, all eyes are on him. If he has a...scandal.. with you, his future is in jeopardy.¡±

    Not liking the sound of this, Gu Nianzhi squinted at him with a frown. ¡°Brother Ze, what do you mean by that? Why would being with me be a scandal? You make it sound so bad. I¡¯m unmarried and have no boyfriend. Huo Shao is unmarried and doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend either. Even if we have something, it couldn¡¯t possible threaten his future.¡±

    ¡°Silly girl, what you do know about anything?¡± Zhao Liangze flicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°What status does Mr. Huo have now? Don¡¯t you know that the biggest taboo in the military is romantic scandals? Yes, you are both unmarried and single, but you¡¯re different, you...¡± Zhao Liangze looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s naive eyes and suddenly couldn¡¯t say anything more. She did not know that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s marriage partner would have to go through countless rounds of strict administrative reviews. With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unknown origin, she would never pass even with 100 reviews. Unless they could uncover her origin as soon as possible. However, they had investigated for six years and hadn¡¯t gotten a clue¡ª even Zhao Liangze, theputer expert, had finally given up. So, it was best that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get romantically involved with Mr. Huo. Zhao Liangze thought about it, then sat straight up to put on the most attractive pose as he asked her with a cheeky smile, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you think of Brother Ze?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re great.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and propped her chin up with both hands and batted her eyes. ¡°Brother Ze is handsome and smart, and aputer expert to boot. You are truly my mentor!¡±

    ¡°Mentor?! That¡¯s it?¡± Zhao Liangze pouted. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you can like a man like Brother Ze?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped, thenughed so hard she almost fell over on the couch. ¡°Don¡¯t joke around, Brother Ze! I treat you and Brother Xiong like older brothers; like my own brothers. How could I have other thoughts about you guys?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhao Liangze scratched his head again and thought he was being ridiculous too¡ªthe type of girl he liked was theplete opposite of Gu Nianzhi. Bai Yueran¡¯s face appeared in his mind suddenly, and left him troubled.

    Shooting a nce at him, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t interrupt his musings. She stood up from the couch to stand in front of the window and saw that He Zhichu had already walked inside the interrogation room. He took a seat, a stony expression on his handsome face, as he crossed his legs and looked at Huo Shaoheng coldy. His eyes were dark and inscrutable. ¡°Mr. Huo has finally deigned to speak with me?¡± He Zhichu drawled. ¡°You arranged such a terrible room for me, so I¡¯ve been very ufortable. Shouldn¡¯t you give me a better one for Nianzhi¡¯s sake?¡±

 Chapter 273 - I Care

    <h4>Chapter 273: I Care</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Why do we owe it to Nianzhi to give you a better room? Please give me a reasonable exnation.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat across from He Zhichu, his posture rxed and casual. They looked like two men engaged in an innocuous business meeting; the rectangr table between them added to the illusion.

    The Special Ops base was equipped with a special interrogation room for criminal suspects, but Huo Shaoheng had decided it wasn¡¯t necessary to use it for the current phase of the investigation. None of the guests at the Prime Minister¡¯s party were criminal suspects, after all.

    The interrogation room the two men were sitting in right now was mainly used to question witnesses who had been asked to assist in an investigation.

    He Zhichu crossed his legs and ced his hands on top of his knee. His expression was cool and dignified as he said casually: ¡°I should get a better room because I¡¯m Nianzhi¡¯s mentor. I hear that it is part of the Huaxia culture to show the utmost respect to your teachers. If this is the way you ¡®respect¡¯ your teachers, I shudder to think what your ¡®disrespect¡¯ looks like.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll show you our utmost respect, if you truly think of yourself as Nianzhi¡¯s mentor.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked towards the camera in the interrogation room and smiled. ¡°The camera in this room is recording your every word, Professor He. I hope you won¡¯t ever forget what you said today¡ªyou are, first and foremost, Nianzhi¡¯s mentor.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t forget it.¡± He Zhichu leaned forward and ced a hand on the table. He drummed out a tuneless song with his fingers. ¡°But General Huo, I should remind you that the old saying ¡®a teacher for a day is a father figure for life¡¯ no longer applies in this day and age.¡±

    His expression remained stony, but a hint of a smile flickered in his bright, almond-shaped eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi was watching the two men from the adjacent room. She could hear every word He Zhichu had just said through her earpiece; she sighed as she covered her face with a hand. What was Professor He trying to do here?

    Huo Shaoheng cocked his head as he considered He Zhichu from across the table. He knew He Zhichu had seen through the trap Huo Shaoheng hadid for him, and had cunningly pre-empted him before he could spring the trap.

    Huo Shaoheng mirrored He Zhichu¡¯s posture; he, too,id a hand on the table and began drumming his fingers on the wooden surface. ¡°Professor He, the saying ¡®a teacher for a day is a father figure for life¡¯ is just as relevant today. Nevertheless, you are free to behave as you see fit. After all, we can¡¯t very well arrest you if you wish to engage in immoral acts, so long as it isn¡¯t actually a crime. But I have absolute faith in Nianzhi. She¡¯s a good girl who knows right from wrong, and I know she despises the morally corrupt. I don¡¯t think your bad influence will rub off on her.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face instantly darkened. He stared daggers at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Are you suggesting that I am an immoral man?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not. I¡¯m just analyzing what you just said.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. His slender fingers curled into a fist, and he withdrew his hand from the table with deliberate slowness. It was a show of dominance.

    He Zhichu gave a small nod. ¡°I had no idea General Huo was a man capable of logical analysis. How unexpected.¡±

    ¡°Why does it surprise you? Have you been investigating me?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up straight. ¡°You must be a very powerful man indeed, Professor He, if you have agents within the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to bait me. Don¡¯t bother.¡± He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°Yes, I did some research on you, but only because I wanted to understand Nianzhi better. I wanted to see what kind of environment she was raised in.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think your concern for Nianzhi exceeds the boundaries of what a professor should feel for his students?¡±

    ¡°It depends on how you define a professor¡¯s concern for his students,¡± He Zhichu said evenly, ignoring the obvious trap. He uncrossed and recrossed his legs in a princely, dignified manner. ¡°A good professor spares no effort to help their students get ahead in life. You may not have met a professor like me before this, General Huo, but that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I can see why you would want to go to great lengths for Nianzhi. Smart, obedient students like her are hard toe by, after all. Still...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng abruptly changed the subject. ¡°...Where did you hear that Nianzhi lived with the Special Ops from the age of 12 to 18?¡±

    Only the Special Ops soldiers were privy to that information.

    He Zhichu shot Huo Shaoheng a funny look. His bright, almond-shaped eyes flickered to the one-way mirror disguised as a wall; he stared fixedly at it, as though it were just as transparent to him as it was to the upants in the room beyond.

    ¡°...Where do I hear about it? From you, of course. General Huo, you slipped up and exposed Nianzhi¡¯s secrets yourself. So why are you asking me about it?¡± The smile that had been lurking in the depths of He Zhichu¡¯s eyes disappeared. He stared fixedly at Huo Shaoheng, his face stern. The forbidding aura rolling off of him wasparable with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. He quickly collected himself, and shook his head impassively. ¡°Please enlighten me, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Enlighten you? I think it¡¯s fairly self-exnatory, isn¡¯t it? Nianzhi applied to be my postgrad student, and the CV you faked for her was good enough to pass for the real thing. But the second you showed up and announced that you were her guardian, you basically admitted that her CV was entirely made-up.¡± There was a hint of a sneer on He Zhichu¡¯s lips. ¡°Any fool can see that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered this for a moment. He raised his hands and apuded He Zhichu. ¡°You live up to your reputation, Professor He. Your observation skills are truly impressive.¡±

    ¡°You tter me.¡±

    ¡°I have no regrets, however, because it exposed you, too, Professor He.¡± Huo Shaoheng folded his arms across his chest. He said calmly: ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s CV was ¡®real,¡¯ in the sense that we made sure it was possible to corroborate every detail in it with witnesses and evidence. But you¡¯ve just admitted that you had been able to tell, at a nce, that it was a fake that was ¡®good enough to pass for the real thing.¡¯ That goes well beyond mere observation.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been well aware of the consequences of revealing his true identity. He knew it would negatively affect Gu Nianzhi.

    His announcing himself as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian was enough to prove that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s CV had been falsified.

    It meant that everything listed on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s CV from before the age of 12 was most probably fake.

    But this was not immediately obvious to everyone. Only those who knew Gu Nianzhi well would have been able to deduce this. In fact, it would not be too much of a stretch to say that only someone who knew Gu Nianzhi¡¯s real past, someone who had known her before the age of 12, would have been able to pick up on this.

    Was He Zhichu someone from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past?

    Huo Shaoheng watched He Zhichu¡¯s face intently, making sure not to miss the slightest change in thewyer¡¯s expression.

    But He Zhichu¡¯s face betrayed nothing.

    He said frostily: ¡°A goodwyer needs to be able to doubt everything. I think you underestimate my skills as awyer.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed his head slightly. ¡°I admit that I know very little of your professional skills, but I can tell you must be an exceptionalwyer, going by your achievements so far.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded as he nonchntly epted Huo Shaoheng¡¯spliments at face value. ¡°I take both my career as awyer and my students seriously¡ªand that is why I go to great lengths to show my students I care about them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not believe it was as simple as that, but he knew it was impossible for him to get He Zhichu to spill all his secrets in one go. If he pushed too hard, it could potentially backfire on him, so he decided to let it go for now; he would patiently wait for the right moment.

    Huo Shaoheng shifted the focus of the conversation back to Dou Qingyan. ¡°You¡¯re right, Professor He. I was too narrow-minded. Your concern for Nianzhi is entirely normal, especially whenpared to the concern you show for your assistant, Wen Shouyi. I shouldn¡¯t have been so paranoid.¡±

    ¡°...What do you mean?¡± He Zhichu immediately knew Huo Shaoheng was up to something. ¡°What¡¯s this about the concern I show for my assistant?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was as calm as a cidke now. He folded his arms and asked casually: ¡°Are you a close friend of Dou Qingyan?¡±

    ¡°I told you, I barely know her.¡± He Zhichu frowned. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question. What do you mean, my concern for my assistant outweighs my concern for my students? Why did you change the subject to Dou Qingyan?¡±

    ¡°Because the two are rted.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked out two choctes from the crystal sugar cup on the table. He ced one in front of him, and pushed the other towards He Zhichu. ¡°Your concern for your assistant, Wen Shouyi, must go beyond that of a colleague if you are willing to extend your generosity to her clients. You said that you don¡¯t know Dou Qingyan, that you¡¯ve had nothing to do with her, but you were willing to fly her back to her country in your luxurious private jet¡ªone of only five in the world¡ªas a personal favor to Wen Shouyi. Miss Wen must be aware of your deep feelings for her; it would exin why she cares about you so much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were like a sword against He Zhichu¡¯s throat: he was forcing thewyer to admit that he had feelings for Wen Shouyi that went far beyond that of a colleague. Why else would He Zhichu willingly lend his private jet¡ªarge, state-of-the-art aircraft capable of long-distance flight¡ªto Wen Shouyi¡¯s client, Dou Qingyan? Especially since thewyer imed not to have crossed paths with Dou Qingyan before that?

    It was either that, or He Zhichu would have to admit that he had been lying. He would have to admit that he was actually a close friend of Dou Qingyan, which meant they would have to investigate him as a possible aplice.

 Chapter 274 - How Naive

    <h4>Chapter 274: How Naive</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu clenched his fists, his cool thin lips pressed together in a tight line as his eyes hardened. He was silent for a moment. Either possibility Huo Shaoheng was implying could spell big trouble for He Zhichu. He certainly had no feelings for Wen Shouyi and barely knew Dou Qingyan. However, He Zhichu was aware that someone had set up such a trap, so he had been happy to see the pieces to fall into ce¡ªhe had done nothing to prevent the situation and had even borrowed a jet ne to help things along. Never had he expected that Huo Shaoheng would link the two seemingly unrted things and question him about it. However, He Zhichu had gone through just as much adversity as Huo Shaoheng, and had perhaps survived even more dangerous situations than Huo Shaoheng had, he supposed. This sort of problem he could still deal with. The corners of his mouth lifted into an empty smile as he said in a voice as cold as winter¡¯s first frost, ¡°So, it looks like Mr. Huo thinks lending a big jet is a sign of affection?¡± He snorted. ¡°Isn¡¯t that sort of affection too cheap?¡±

    ¡°Cheap?¡± Huo Shaoheng shot back. ¡°Professor He, are you unting your wealth now?¡±

    ¡°Well, you can interpret it as such.¡± He Zhichu leaned back against his chair, hands on the armrests like he was a cold blooded ruler. ¡°To me, this jet is the same as the cars in Mr. Huo¡¯s garage. It¡¯s just a transportation tool; there¡¯s no distinction of wealth. Since my assistant needed it, it didn¡¯t hurt to lend it to her.¡± He was using his ease of wealth topletely crush this suspicion.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and made a note to be far more vignt against He Zhichu now. Not only was this person intelligent, but he also had immense wealth and had been able to dig into Nianzhi¡¯s past based on his influences. He Zhichu had his eyes on Nianzhi, so Huo Shaoheng needed to pay closer attention to him. ¡°Although your excuse is a little flimsy, it¡¯s not altogether uneptable.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his legs and raised his chin slightly. ¡°But with the He family being unheard of, despite Professor He¡¯s kind of wealth, it¡¯s no wonder that people have had such conjectures.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way around it then. What others think is their own business. I can¡¯t go and stuff their mouths and keep them silent now, can I?¡± He Zhichu shrugged his shoulders nonchntly. ¡°Now do you believe that I have nothing to do with Dou Qingyan?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, you drove here in the same car as Dou Qingyan. It¡¯s a little ridiculous topletely refute that you have anything to do with her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, then Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in his headset. ¡°Huo Shao, Professor He definitely knew Dou Qingyan, and they were close too. Before she¡¯d shown me the photos that day, he had personally told me at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence that you and she looked like a good couple, a perfect match, even. He clearly knew about the existence of those photos!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened carefully for a while, then looked up at He Zhichu with a calm expression. Ending the call on the headset, he said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, someone just told me that they had heard you speaking with Nianzhi at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, and that, apparently, you knew about the photos since long before. You also seemed to have known about what happened between me and Dou Qingyan...?¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips as he immediately thought of Gu Nianzhi¡ªshe had been the only one who had heard him say those things. There had been no other people there when it had been said; only her. Enraged, He Zhichu¡¯s face fell as heughed mirthlessly, ¡°Who ¡°overheard¡± this? Have here out and confront me!¡± He sat straight in his seat, his rigid back resembling a soldier¡¯s posture.

    ¡°We naturally can¡¯t allow that right now.¡± Huo Shaoheng had to deflect this demand.

    ¡°Then I have nothing to say.¡± He Zhichu was no longer interested in speaking and his expression was clearly displeased.

    Seeing that nothing was getting past He Zhichu at this point, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t continue asking and nodded slightly. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this againter.¡±

    He Zhichu rose from his seat with a stony expression. ¡°Will you allow me to see Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to see her?¡± Huo Shaoheng also stood up. ¡°She¡¯s just finished interrogating Wen Shouyi. Are you sure you want to see her?¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly looked up at Huo Shaoheng, his eyes full of daggers, ¡°What? You¡¯re making her do these sort of things for you?!¡±

    Folding his hands behind his back, Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t really count as doing things for me. She is the negotiating expert that we have specially hired.¡±

    He Zhichu grew even more furious, his face white and his eyes full of rage. His cheeks flushed pink: he was at his most angry state. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t step on the backs of women to pave your road to sess!¡± He Zhichu mmed his fist hard on the table, ¡°I want to see Nianzhi! Right now! Immediately!¡±

    Next door, Gu Nianzhi was so shocked that she covered her mouth. Zhao Liangze walked up to her side to watch the interrogation room with her. Upon hearing He Zhichu¡¯s words, Zhao Liangze gave her a conflicted look, then nced at the interrogation room and asked quietly, ¡°Do you want to go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said tearfully, ¡°I¡¯ll go, I don¡¯t want to see Professor He and Huo Shao fight.¡± Although she would definitely take Huo Shao¡¯s side, she could also never go against Professor He...as long as he didn¡¯t deliberately cause trouble. As a professor, He Zhichu had always taken great care of Gu Nianzhi, so she couldn¡¯t speak without a conscience. ¡°Huo Shao, let me speak with Professor He for a bit.¡± Gu Nianzhi called Huo Shaoheng over the headset.

    Huo Shaoheng agreed and looked down to tidy the things on the table as he said to He Zhichu, ¡°Nianzhi will be here right away.¡±

    Soon after he left, Gu Nianzhi opened the door of the interrogation room to enter. ¡°Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed respectfully.

    He Zhichu froze for a second, and said ¡°Nianzhi, why are you being so polite?¡±

    ¡°Professor He is my mentor, so of course I need to respect you.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she pulled out the chair for him to sit. ¡°Please.¡±

    He Zhichu sat down reluctantly, then stared at Gu Nianzhi silently.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at him, ¡°Professor He, I heard everything you said to Huo Shao just now. I¡¯m so happy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so happy?¡± He Zhichu raised his brows. ¡°What are you happy for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy that Professor He has nothing to do with this incident,¡± Gu Nianzhi said inly.

    He Zhichu snorted and rubbed his nose in disbelief. ¡°Nianzhi, I didn¡¯t say anything. Aren¡¯t you being premature with your happiness?¡±

    ¡°I know that Professor He may not be entirely unaware of this incident, but as long as you didn¡¯t really get involved, I still have to be thankful for Professor He and thank you.¡± As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she rose to give him another respectful bow.

    He Zhichu was shocked. He looked at Gu Nianzhi with a conflicted expression and didn¡¯t speak nor stop her.

    ¡°I know with certainty from studying under Professor He in the United States for six months, that with Professor He¡¯s influence in the States, the photos would have leaked long ago if you truly were involved.¡± Gu Nianzhi said with earnest. She¡¯d figured this out when she was next door and had heard He Zhichu say that lending the ne was no big deal to him.

    He Zhichu could onlyugh. ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as being that great. I have my own motives.¡± Huo Shaoheng hadid traps for him, and He Zhichu returned the favour. He looked pointedly at Gu Nianzhi, many words tossing in his heart but refusing toe out.

    ¡°Regardless, if it was intentional or not, this situation is still under control and I¡¯m thankful to Professor He for that.¡± Gu Nianzhi decided to butter He Zhichu up. ¡°It¡¯s my great privilege to be able to be your post-grad student.¡± No one could resistpliments, and even someone as elegant and notcking anything in life as He Zhichu couldn¡¯t resist Gu Nianzhi¡¯s honeyed words.

    ¡°Fine, fine, I understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± He Zhichu gazed down at her arrogantly, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly as he peered at her. ¡°Whether Huo Shaoheng lives or dies has nothing to do with me. But I will not stand for him using you to do things for him.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, Huo Shao didn¡¯t use me. I was willing!¡± Gu Nianzhi tried to dispel He Zhichu¡¯s strange thought. ¡°Besides, I studyw, and by helping as a negotiating expert, I¡¯m learningmunication and debate skills. This counts as useful learning¡ªdon¡¯t you agree, Professor He?¡±

    ¡°How naive.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s face was cold and his voice became icier. ¡°What department does he work for that he needs a university graduate who didn¡¯t even get herw license yet to be a negotiating expert? Nianzhi, you¡¯ve been fooled by him. He¡¯s the kind of person you¡¯d cheer for even if he sold you off!¡±

 Chapter 275 - For His Sake

    <h4>Chapter 275: For His Sake</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Huo Shao isn¡¯t like that!¡± Gu Nianzhi had been able to keep herposure in front of Wen Shouyi, but she lost it now in front of He Zhichu.

    She clenched her fists and stood up, eyes zing. Her fair, delicate face was now bright red with anger. He Zhichu felt as though he had just witnessed a prettyic book character suddenlye alive, right in front of his eyes. She was perfectly harmless, but her lively, radiant beauty was like a bullet to his heart...

    He Zhichu abruptly turned away. He made for the door; he did not want to spend another minute talking to Gu Nianzhi.

    He had justid his hand on the door handle when Gu Nianzhi caught up with him and grabbed his sleeve. ¡°Professor He, you can¡¯t talk about Huo Shao like that.¡±

    ¡°I just did. What are you going to do about it?¡± He Zhichu turned around and looked at Gu Nianzhi frostily. His bright, almond-shaped eyes were full of anger. He pressed his thin lips together as his fists, clenched tight, shook uncontrobly.

    Gu Nianzhi was scared. She immediately released He Zhichu¡¯s sleeve and stepped backwards.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm, maic voice sounded over her earpiece. ¡°Steady now, Nianzhi. Anger won¡¯t solve anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice reassured her.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, and quickly calmed down. She closed her eyes and said sincerely, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m 18 years old. I know what I¡¯m doing. Nobody forced me to be a negotiator, I¡¯m helping Huo Shao because I want to. In fact, it¡¯s been a lifelong dream of mine to be of assistance to him. I hope you¡¯ll be able to understand.¡±

    ¡°And what if I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Then shut up. Keep yourments to yourself, I didn¡¯t ask for them,¡± Gu Nianzhi said savagely. ¡°Not even my mom and dad can tell me what to do!¡±

    He Zhichu was taken aback. ¡°Your mom and dad? But ording to your CV, they¡¯re both dead, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡± Gu Nianzhi stared at He Zhichu, tongue-tied. After a long moment, she finally said: ¡°It was just an example, okay? A hypothetical situation!¡±

    A thought urred to He Zhichu. He let out an inaudible sigh, and shoved his hands into his pockets. He said coolly: ¡°You think you¡¯re the Special Ops¡¯ negotiator now, just because they said so? Did you honestly think it¡¯s as easy as that? You¡¯re na?ve, and that¡¯s a fact.¡±

    ¡°But Huo Shao said so...¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered indignantly. ¡°Huo Shao would never lie to me.¡±

    ¡°Heh, is that so?¡± His mouth twitched as he looked around the interrogation room. He turned towards the camera in the corner and addressed it in a mocking tone as he pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re watching, aren¡¯t you? Tell her, in your own words, the steps and paperwork required to hire someone as a negotiator for the Special Ops. Is Gu Nianzhi qualified? Do you dare swear on the country you love so dearly, that you haven¡¯t lied to her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. She had not expected He Zhichu to be so angry about her role as the Special Ops¡¯ negotiator.

    She did not think she owed him an exnation, but she did not want to continue arguing with him, either.

    Gu Nianzhi racked her brains, and came up with an idea. She smiled pleasantly. ¡°Since you seem to hate it so much, I don¡¯t mind stepping down from my role as negotiator. In exchange, can you help me sign a letter proving that I interned at the US Congress for six months? I need that letter because I want to defend someone in court, as an actual practicingwyer.¡±

    He Zhichu raised an eyebrow. His dark eyebrows were perfectly shaped, as though God himself had lovingly sculpted them with a knife. Theyplemented his shimmering, sultry eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi had yielded unexpectedly, and He Zhichu was momentarily at a loss as to how to react.

    His anger died away.

    ¡°...You want to defend someone in court?¡± He Zhichu lowered his head as he mulled this over. Gu Nianzhi could still feel the icy, forbidding aura rolling off him.

    ¡°Yes. Can I have your signature? Actually, it would be even better if you could write an endorsement letter for me...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes twinkled. She wished she could get He Zhichu on Song Jinning¡¯s legal team.

    Surely they would be able to win thewsuit with someone as talented as He Zhichu on their side?

    He did not even have to appear in court as theirwyer. All he had to do was look over their strategy, give a few words of advice, and Gu Nianzhi knew she would be able to win.

    He Zhichu looked at her coolly. ¡°Ask me for my signature when you¡¯re no longer working as a negotiator here.¡± He rapped his knuckles on the door. ¡°Let me out.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who was watching from the adjacent room, raised his hand.

    The person in charge of monitoring the interrogation room pressed a button, and the door to the interrogation room opened automatically.

    He Zhichu returned to his room. He did not ask for a better room. In fact, he did not say anything at all. Hey quietly on his bed, his hands folded behind his head. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the control room. She smiled at Huo Shaoheng, whose face was as stony and inscrutable as always. ¡°Huo Shao, don¡¯t take it to heart. Professor He is currently a neutral party, he isn¡¯t siding with anyone, but we definitely don¡¯t want to go up against him.¡±

    Everything she had done, she had done with Huo Shaoheng in mind. She was going to be Song Jinning¡¯swyer for his sake.

    Zhao Liangze spoke up. ¡°Huo Shao, Nianzhi was really impressive today. She immediately thought of getting He Zhichu on our side, since he¡¯s a neutral party. A topwyer like He Zhichu would help us win Mrs. Song¡¯swsuit.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had gone to America with Gu Nianzhi as her temporary guardian. He had first-hand knowledge of He Zhichu¡¯s status and influence in the United States.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi. He nodded. ¡°Okay, then. Get ready to defend in court. As for your role as our negotiator, it was a temporary measure to deal with He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi. Now that they¡¯ve both given their testimonies, you¡¯re released from your duty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not question Huo Shaoheng. She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Huo Shao. I¡¯m doing this because I want to.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tousled her hair. ¡°Go back to bed. It¡¯s almost two o¡¯clock.¡±

    Most people were at their sleepiest between two and three o¡¯clock in the morning. This was the best time to interrogate suspects¡ªa sleepy suspect was a vulnerable suspect.

    He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi had managed to keep theirposure. Even so, they had identally let slip a few things after Gu Nianzhi provoked them.

    As for Dou Qingyan¡ªwell, she hadn¡¯t evensted ten minutes.

    An hourter, Yin Shixiong had gotten all the information he needed.

    Aside from Dou Qingyan, he had also interrogated Dou Haoyan, the Prime Minister¡¯s eldest son, and Dou Aiyan, the Prime Minister¡¯s youngest daughter. Hepiled their testimonies, and waited outside the door for Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door, fatigue written all over her face. She saw Yin Shixiong standing at the door, and nodded to him in greeting. She covered her mouth as she yawned.

    ¡°Feeling sleepy? Go to bed, then.¡± Yin Shixiong patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thanks for your help today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made for the door, but she suddenly stopped to ask: ¡°Brother Xiong, do you always work through the night like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m used to it. Sometimes I have to stay up several nights in a row. Can¡¯t have the criminals ousting us now, can we?¡± Yin Shixiong smiled slyly as he winked suggestively at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi could not resistughing at that. She walked out of the room, shaking withughter, and returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong entered the room and ced the confession in front of Huo Shaoheng with a sigh. ¡°Sir, how are you going to deal with this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the confession and skimmed it. His eyes swept over the names in it. He said impassively: ¡°These names¡ªthey¡¯re the ones who helped Dou Qingyan steal the prop photos from the archives?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You can see that they are all from the Prime Minister¡¯s social circle. Some of them only entered the Special Ops because of the Prime Minister¡¯s connections.¡± Yin Shixiong circled a few names. ¡°This guy, this guy, and this guy¡ªthey were in charge of filing and archiving prop photos back then. Mrs. Dou was worried about her daughter, so... she used her connections to ask for a copy of the photos.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Dou? So you¡¯re saying Prime Minister Dou had no idea what was going on?¡± Zhao Liangze frowned. ¡°But the First Lady is famous for her charity work. It may be difficult to punish her.¡±

    ¡°Heh, do you really believe Prime Minister Dou knew nothing about it? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯ll never admit to it now.¡± Yin Shixiong tossed the pen in his hand into the air, before catching it and twirling it between his fingers. ¡°In any case, the men who smuggled confidential documents out of the Special Ops will definitely have to be removed from their positions and punished.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng scanned the names. He nodded. ¡°Luckily for us, these men are all in the civil service, working desk jobs. They¡¯ve never been involved in an actual mission.¡± He handed the list to Yin Shixiong. ¡°We¡¯ll act at once. Arrest them and bring them to justice.¡±

 Chapter 276 - Keep Your Mouth Shut

    <h4>Chapter 276: Keep Your Mouth Shut</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    These individuals were all internal members of the Special Operations Forces and had vited the Special Opsmand¨Cso Huo Shaoheng had the authority to arrest them directly.

    ¡°Roger Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong epted the order and quickly made arrangements to carry out the arrests.

    ...

    It was early morning of January 2nd. A thin man in a ck coat arrived to a residential building and led several other people to knock on the door of the property management. They presented documents and quickly got on an elevator to the 12th floor. The doorbell rang to rouse someone up from their dreams, who then opened the door groggily.

    ¡°Gao Hongshi? This is your arrest warrant, you¡¯reing with us.¡± The man in inclothes stood outside the door and waved the documents, waking Gao Hongshi immediately. He stepped back with vignce, ¡°What are you doing? I belong to the Special Operations Forces!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re suspected of stealing confidential intelligence from the Special Operations Forces database and have been arrested.¡±

    Gao Hongshi nched immediately, he truly never thought the incident woulde to light six or seventer...

    At the same time, numerous people were taken from the residential homes in C City and the Imperial capital the early morning hours to enter the interrogation process. At first, the people had no idea what was happening and thought they were being framed. But when the personnel who arrested them mentioned something about Dou Qingyan¡¯s photos, they collectively froze. Each face grew ashy and legs trembled as nearly every single of them had to be carried away on a gurney. Thanks to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s timely handling of the potential catastrophe at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, there was basically no leakage of news. The arrests of the moles in the Special Opssted all night and came out of the blue, so many people who nned to use connections to weasel out were left stranded. They finally understood that their time had passed.

    In the foggy dawn of the day, Huo Shaoheng received four reports as he sat in the office of the Special Ops headquarters. He was informed that all the people directly involved in the case had been sessfully arrested.

    Huo Shaoheng was now half relieved, he looked at the map on hisputer and asked Zhao Liangze who was standing in front of his desk, ¡°...Are our people in Italy and North Irnd on their way back now?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve all boarded their flights now.¡± Zhao Liangze confirmed each one individually, ¡°We issued a Code Orange yesterday, that¡¯s the most serious public rm so they understand the severity.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned back against the chair. He was still worried because in their line of work, one could board a flight and still be asked to get off. He asked Zhao Liangze quietly, ¡°Have someone wait for them at the airport, then take them through the special passageway as soon as theynd and return to the base.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡±

    Zhao Liangze went out to dispatch personnel, while Yin Shixiong was still dealing with matters rted to Dou Qingyan¡¯s case.

    ...

    At six in the morning, Yin Shixiong called Huo Shaoheng with great distress, ¡°Mr. Huo, Dou Qingyan... is going through withdrawal...¡±

    ¡°Let her bear through it.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly opened the curtains, ¡°Send a doctor to observe and don¡¯t give her any drugs.¡±

    ¡°...The doctor is already here.¡± Yin Shixiong was quiet for a moment, then looked at Dou Qingyan tied up in a contorted position on the bed, ¡°I¡¯ll have the doctor speak with you.¡±

    The medical officer from the Special Ops quickly took the phone from Yin Shixiong and said hastily, ¡°Mr. Huo, Dou Qingyan¡¯s drug addiction as exceeded what a human body can handle, she probably can¡¯t bear through it if we don¡¯t give her the drugs...¡±

    The key was that the military court had not yet tried her. If she died like this with the manuy bruises and wounds on her body caused by the drug addiction, the Dou family could easily retaliate and press charges against Huo Shaoheng for torturing a confession out of her and causing her death... If it came to that, the Dou¡¯s wouldn¡¯t ept it and may even say the military are ndering Dou Qingyan even if Huo Shaoheng came up with evidence that shedied of withdrawal.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, further entuating his rigid jawline, ¡°...Call Chen Lie over, he knows what to do.¡±

    Chen Lie just woke up and was called to duty by Yin Shixiong. When he arrived to Dou Qingyan¡¯s room, he saw Dou Qingyan tied up on the bed and her eyes had already lost all focus. He shook his head helplessly. ¡°A single slip can cause asting sorrow, why did she have to do this? Administer the sedative first, I still have to report something to Mr. Huo.¡± Chen Lie walked outside and called Huo Shaoheng from a small, empty room.

    The personnel in Dou Qingyan¡¯s room were very obedient towards Chen Lie and she finally fell asleep after being injected with the sedative.

    Chen Lie took out a vial from his medical box and peered at the the drug inside as he called Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...Boss, there¡¯s a way that we might be able to turn around Dou Qingyan¡¯s condition.¡±

    ¡°What way?¡±

    ¡°This depends on you.¡± Chen Lie recognized Dou Qingyan, she was a friend from all those years ago, ¡°Have Nianzhi donate a bit of blood marrow...¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Huo Shaoeheng immediately rejected the idea, ¡°What do you think Nianzhi is? Your universal pharmacy? Chen Lie, don¡¯t disappoint me!¡±

    Chen Lie, ¡°...Calm down Boss, I was just asking. It¡¯s fine if you refuse, but remember to reject the idea like this no matter who asks you this request in the future.¡±

    ¡°As if I need you to tell me? Keep your mouth shut.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up and threw the phone on the ground, burying himself in hisptop to write the report.

    Although Chen Lie didn¡¯t use Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood marrow, he still had a tiny amount of blood sample left that he diluted into several vials. He originally nned on using them for experiments. Now that Chen Lie faced Dou Qingyan¡¯s body destroyed by drugs, he nned to take a gamble and see if it¡¯d work. He carried the medical box back to Dou Qingyan¡¯s room and first took several vials of her blood for analysis, then administered his special cocktail of drugs into her system and connected her to various instruments to observe her physical condition. By the time it was noon, Dou Qingyan¡¯s condition had stabilized to the point that the illicit drug level in her blood had lowered to a controble amount. If she is forced to go through rehabilitation after this, there was a chance she could recover. Chen Lie looked at the data in the afternoon and was in a good mood as he called Huo Shaoheng with a smile, ¡°If Dou Qingyan stops using drugs, she shouldn¡¯t go through withdrawal again. But Boss, I have to be honest with you¨CI still used a bit of Nianzhi¡¯s help.¡± He admitted to using a bit of Nianzhi¡¯s blood sample to dilute into a drug.

    Speechless, Huo Shaoheng gently rapped his forehead with his fist. His voice was slightly raspy, ¡°I already told you that this is the only exception. If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯d better destroy those vials on your own. Otherwise you can continue your experiments in jail.¡± It was the first time that Huo Shaoheng felt that it was a burden to have a nutcase morbidly obsessed with medicine as a friend...

    Chen Lie pursed his lips, then looked at the vials in his medical box. Although he loathed to do it, he still turned on the video camera on his phone to show Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Watch, I¡¯ll destroy them myself.¡±

    Chen Lie ced the vials into a lead can, then added various chemicals to destroy the active ingredients inside and put it aside for 15 days. After this, the drug would bepletely useless.

    Huo Shaoheng silently watched Chen Lie destroy all the drugs and finally raised his head, ¡°You¡¯ve already used an exception this time and owe me a favour. Remember to pay me back.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Since when did I owe you a favour?!¡± Chen Lie shrieked, ¡°I was helping save your ex-girlfriend! You¡¯re not appreciative and want to turn around to me me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have an ex-girlfriend.¡± Huo Shaoheng refuted sharply, ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡±

    ¡°...Be truthful, Boss. For the mission, you lived together with Dou Qingyan for six months and pretended to be an unmarried couple, did you guys really not... develop feelings over that time?¡± Chen Lie was the one who loved gossip the most and couldn¡¯t help asking now.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t expect Chen Lie to ask him too, this was basically questioning his professionalism¨Cso he stabbed at Chen Lie¡¯s sore spot without mercy, ¡°...You¡¯ve been colleagues with Dr. Ye for so long, did she develop feelings over that time?¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s face turned purple and his neck stiffened as he screamed, ¡°Boss! Beat one¡¯s body but not their pride! Don¡¯t be so smug now, I¡¯ll woo Dr. Ye for sure! Just you wait!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait and see.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood in front the window to watch the view, ¡°So you should focus your attention on wooing Dr. Ye, instead of meddling with other people¡¯s business.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hung up, leaving Chen Lie to stare at his phone and feeling all his organs aching. He wouldn¡¯t dare cross Huo Shaoheng again¨Cjust one sentence and it was enough to hit his sore spot, making him unable to eat, sleep or focus on his work, study and research.

 Chapter 277 - Letâ€™s See Whoâ€™s Better

    <h4>Chapter 277: Let¡¯s See Who¡¯s Better</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng had just hung up on Chen Lie when he heard the operator through his earpiece. ¡°Sir, Deputy Minister Xue called. He wants to speak with you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to be disturbed. He told the operator: ¡°Ask him to leave a message. I¡¯m busy right now, and won¡¯t be taking any external calls.¡±

    An official statement was released at 6 o¡¯clock in the evening. After that, all the phones in the Special Ops base continued to ring off the hook, up until the day of Dou Qingyan¡¯s trial, three dayster. Most of the calls were from friends and rtives of the guests, calling to ask for Huo Shaoheng and plead their case.

    Once 48 hours had psed, the guests detained in the Special Operations Forces base were released, one by one. Not all the guests were allowed to walk free, however; some were detained for further observation because their phones showed suspicious activity.

    Jin Wanyi was one of the guests who had been allowed to leave. She was entirely innocent, after all¡ªshe had merely been caught in the crossfire.

    Yin Shixiong walked her to the door. He had nothing better to do, anyway. ¡°Take care, Lawyer Jin.¡±

    Jin Wanyi knew Yin Shixiong¡¯s real identity by now. She rolled her eyes at him unhappily. ¡°Mr, Yin, how could you? That was mean of you to deceive me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was just doing my job.¡± Yin Shixiong offered no further exnation. He bade goodbye to Jin Wanyi, and returned to the base.

    Jin Wanyi chewed on her lip as she walked out of the Special Ops base. She saw that Mr. Jin, a distantly rted uncle of hers and one of the partners at JD Law Firm, hade to pick her up.

    ¡°Hello, Uncle! You personally came to pick me up?¡± Jin Wanyi was pleasantly surprised. She hurried over to the car.

    ¡°I was worried about you. Get in, quick.¡± One of the limousine¡¯s doors opened, and Jin Wanyi stepped inside.

    The car made a U-turn and sped away.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze had just walked Bai Shuang to the door.

    He saw Jin Wanyi get into a limousine, and nonchntly raised a hand to part his bangs. It was just a cover: his watch was equipped with a camera, and he snapped a photo of the car¡¯s license te with it.

    Bai Shuang had been uncharacteristically silent, but it was obvious that she was in a good mood. She blushed at the sight of Zhao Liangze; she had been the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once, but try as she might, she could not form a coherent sentence in front of Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze was very polite to her. He apologized profusely. ¡°Miss Bai, please don¡¯t take this personally. We¡¯re just following protocol here, you¡¯re not being charged with anything.¡±

    Bai Shuang finally smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± As soon as she said that, shepsed into silence.

    Zhao Liangze looked around. ¡°Miss Bai, I don¡¯t see anyone waiting for you. Did your family send someone to pick you up?¡±

    ¡°...I guess they haven¡¯t arrived yet?¡± Bai Shuang looked around, but did not see any car from the Bai family. ¡°What about my cousin, isn¡¯t sheing with me?¡±

    She was referring to Bai Yueran.

    ¡°Your cousin is a total workaholic. As soon as she got out of the interrogation room, she ran off with her other colleagues in the Legal Department for a meeting.¡± Zhao Liangzeughed. ¡°Do you want to see her?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to bother her when she¡¯s busy.¡± Bai Shuang saw Zhao Liangzeugh, and turned a deeper shade of red.

    Zhao Liangze chatted amiably with her, and only excused himself when a car finally arrived to pick her up.

    Bai Shuang sat in the car. Her eyes were glued upon Zhao Liangze¡¯s slender back.

    Her heart had been shrouded in a dark fog ever since her father¡¯s act of treason; now, finally, a ray of sunshine was slowly parting the fog.

    ...

    He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi were released as soon as the maximum time allowed for their detention was up.

    Gu Nianzhi personally escorted He Zhichu out of the base.

    They stopped at the boundary line outside of the Special Ops HQ. He Zhichu¡¯s handsome face was frosty, even as he helped Gu Nianzhi adjust the fuzzy beret on her head. ¡°You should be spending time in the university, instead of wasting your time pretending to be a soldier here. You¡¯re awyer. Don¡¯t be deluded into thinking you¡¯re one of them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi readily agreed with him. She did not dare cross him again, not after what happened in the interrogation room. Deep down, however, she stuck her tongue out at him. She would give up being awyer and join the army in a heartbeat if it were possible for her to do so...

    Unfortunately, the Special Operations Forces did not ept her...

    The thought upset her, and Gu Nianzhi decided not to dwell on it. She smiled at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯ll visit you at the university in a day or two to get your signature. Don¡¯t forget!¡±

    ¡°All right. Call me beforehand. I¡¯ll send a car to pick you up.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s fingers were icy cold. They asionally came in contact with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear as they tugged on her beret, and Gu Nianzhi had to shrink away ufortably. She bade He Zhichu farewell with a simple ¡°Goodbye, Professor He,¡± and watched him get into his car before returning to the base.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s residence, only to discover that there was now a constant stream of guests entering and leaving the house.

    She pulled Yin Shixiong to a corner of the living room as she stared inquisitively at the crowd. ¡°Brother Xiong, what¡¯s going on? Why are all these people here?¡±

    ¡°...What, are you going to defend them?¡± Yin Shixiong gave a wryugh. ¡°Do you even know what they¡¯ve done?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it serious?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s serious. We¡¯ve had to clean out the Special Operations Forces,¡± said Yin Shixiong animatedly, as though he were an overly eager professor conducting a lecture on his favorite subject. ¡°Heh, everyone says Prime Minister Dou is one of the people, amoner who worked his way up thedder. They say he¡¯s not the kind to use underhanded tactics, or stir up political infighting. Well, it turns out he¡¯s just as bad as the rest of them¡ªmaybe worse, seeing as he had the audacity to nt his men in the Special Ops!¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re sure his agents are among us?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure. How else would he be able to get those photos?¡± Yin Shixiong threw the dart in his hand. It struck the bull¡¯s eyes on the dart board hanging on the opposite wall. ¡°Want to y a game of darts with me?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, no! You know I hate ying darts!¡± Gu Nianzhi hated ying darts because she had terrible aim with darts. She was a much better shot with a gun in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re conducting a purge, just because of those photos?¡±

    ¡°The photos are just the tip of the iceberg. Dou Qingyan had four other men help hermit her crime. They stole confidential information from the Special Ops and smuggled them out. And it isn¡¯t just the photos, there¡¯s also...

    ¡°Big Xiong, Mr. Huo is looking for you.¡± Zhao Liangze walked over, just in time to stop Yin Shixiong from finishing his sentence.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed. You guys should get some rest, too.¡±

    She turned and walked dejectedly up the stairs.

    Yin Shixiong watched ufortably as Gu Nianzhi climbed the stairs and eventually disappeared from view, but he made no attempt to stop her. He red at Zhao Liangze and said in a low voice: ¡°You moron, couldn¡¯t you havee up with a better way to change the subject? Nianzhi knows what you were trying to do, you were so obvious about it!¡±

    ¡°I did it for the both of you, you know. Everyone¡¯s on edge now, after the incident with the leaked photos. You better watch what you say,¡± Zhao Liangze said indignantly. ¡°General Ji and Chairman Long are here. Director Bai is entertaining them in the living room right now, but they¡¯re waiting for Mr. Huo. You should go look for him, quickly...¡±

    ...

    At that very moment, over in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, Yan Qiuying, the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, was sobbing her heart out. She tugged on her husband¡¯s sleeve and cried: ¡°You have to think of a way to save Qingyan! Do you want to see her behind bars?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right, Mr. Prime Minister. You can¡¯t just stand idly by. Qingyan has suffered so much in thest six years. Besides, what¡¯s the big deal about those photos? Why is General Huo being so difficult about it? Why is he calling the shots, anyway? He¡¯s not the Prime Minister!¡±

    Mrs. Yan was currently surrounded by the wives of a few of the cab ministers. They were close to Mrs, Yan, because their husbands reported to Prime Minister Dou.

    The women had done their best to plead on Dou Qingyan¡¯s behalf, and were now rallying about Mrs. Yan tofort her.

    ¡°Yes, that makes sense. I don¡¯t care how powerful General Huo is, he¡¯s just an officer in the military. You¡¯re the head of the country, the Prime Minister! You¡¯re responsible for everything in this country. No one has more authority than you!¡±

    Thedies had a glib tongue, and were experts at ttery. They could suck up to someone all day and never have to repeat a phrase.

    Prime Minister Dou had remained calm¡ªup until he heard the wife of the Minister of Finance sigh and say: ¡°To be honest, I think they¡¯re just trying to be difficult. At worst, Dou Qingyan shouldn¡¯t have said General Huo was her ex-boyfriend. At best, it¡¯s just an innocent crush. They¡¯re blowing things out of proportion. They want to try her in military court, but Qingyan isn¡¯t even a soldier anymore! What grounds do they have to court-martial her?¡±

    Prime Minister Dou could hardly sit still after that.

    This incident was, on the surface, purely about Dou Qingyan, but he was sure the Special Ops¡¯ actual target was him.

    ¡°Sir, you have a phone call.¡± Prime Minister Dou¡¯s first secretary walked in with a phone.

    Prime Minister Dou solemnly excused himself, and walked to a side hall with the phone. ¡°Hello, yes? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Sir, I have bad news. The four men we nted in the Special Ops as our agents have been arrested by the Special Ops early this morning!¡±

    Prime Minister Dou was hopping mad. ¡°What did you say?! They were arrested early this morning¡ªand you just found out about it?! Do you know how difficult it was for us to get those four men into the Special Ops?!¡±

 Chapter 278 - No Fish Can Survive If the Water Is Too Clean

    <h4>Chapter 278: No Fish Can Survive If the Water Is Too Clean</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Prime Minister¡¯s four contacts in the Special Ops did clerical work and didn¡¯t daremit any serious mistakes. However they had did some things behind the scenes for the Prime Minister¡¯s interests. These were innocuous enough for the Specials Ops, but critical for the Prime Minister sess. The most recent incident was when the Prime Minister was re-elected two years ago, it was thanks to these contacts that he was able to know about the scandalous past of his opposition. The Prime Minister remained steadfast during the campaign, and waited until the very day before the election to covertly publicize the opposition¡¯s dark history in form of rumors. With the pressure of public opinion, the situation quickly changed and Prime Minister Dou easily won the re-election. The Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire served four year terms and can be re-elected three times. He was currently serving his second term and still wanted to be re-elected once more. Without the help of the four men in the Special Ops, his position would be very passive. Thinking about this, Prime Minister Dou couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, immediately hanging up the phone and telling his First Secretary, ¡°Prepare the car, I want to go to the Special Ops base.¡± It was the first time the Prime Minister had visited the Special Ops base since it was established in the Imperial capital. Because it wasn¡¯t for official business, Prime Minister Dou didn¡¯t bring his usual entourage. He took an inconspicuous car and visited Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence with only his several secretaries and bodyguards.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong came to the living room of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence and spoke to General Ji and Speaker Long waiting there, ¡°Please wait, I¡¯ll ask Mr. Huo toe out now.¡± He then continued, ¡°Lately a lot of people have been calling to plead for their cases, and Mr. Huo has been so busy with Special Ops business that he didn¡¯t pick up any of those calls. He¡¯s been in his office the whole time and didn¡¯t see any visitors.¡±

    ¡°Haha, he¡¯s so busy? Then are we impeding on Shaoheng¡¯s time?¡± Speaker Longughed, ¡°Should wee back to see him in a few days?¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately replied, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, who would be able to ask General Ji and Senator Long to plead their case anyway? Besides, Mr. Huo specifically told me that if you were to visit, he is to informed at once. ¨CPlease wait momentarily.¡± He turned to leave.

    When he exited the living room, Zhao Liangze who had been waiting at the door gave him thumbs up, ¡°Big Xong, you¡¯re amazing. That was a watertight response, not only did you defend Mr. Huo but also buttered up those two! That was too amazing!¡±

    Yin Shixiong adjusted his cor smugly, while his face remained humble, ¡°No, no, Lieutenant Colonel Zhao is being too kind.¡±

    ¡°Oh won¡¯t you shut up! You puffed right up with onepliment!¡± Zhao Liangzeughed as he yfully kicked Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong ran forward a few steps to quickly leave the official residence building, then headed towards where Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office was located.

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Huo, General Ji and Speaker Long are here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed hisputer and rose, ¡°Only them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, all the others were blocked off by me and Little Ze.¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng refused to meet with most people, he couldn¡¯t ignore General Ji and Speaker Long, ¡°Have Little Ze bring them to my reception room on the second floor, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±

    Yin Shixiong returned to the official residence alone, ¡°General Ji, Speaker Long, Mr. Huo has asked if you could please wait in the reception room on the second floor. Director Bai shoulde too.¡± That area had tighter security so it would be easier to have a conversation. When they arrived to the second floor hallway, Zhao Liangze opened the door to let General Ji and Speaker Long inside.

    Bai Yueran looked around at the door to the suite and pointed to the row of rooms across the hallway, asking curiously, ¡°People live in those rooms too?¡± One of the rooms in the middle was actually Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Zhao Liangze only smiled and didn¡¯t answer as he moved aside to let the guests in, ¡°We¡¯re here, Director Bai shoulde in too.¡±

    Seeing that Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t going to say anything about it, Bai Yueran didn¡¯t ask any further and followed them inside. Zhao Liangze closed the door for them and guarded outside alone. Huo Shaoheng arrived soon after and opened the door to go in.

    As soon as he entered, General Ji asked with concern, ¡°Shaoheng, were you being too rash this time?¡±

    Speaker Long also sighed, ¡°Shaoheng, you nearly offended everybody this time...¡±

    Before Huo Shaoheng could say anything, Bai Yueran beat him to it, ¡°General Ji, Speaker Long, no need to worry. Offending everybody really means no one was offended. People are worried about inequality more than anything, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± General Ji froze for a second, thenughed, ¡°Yueran is so thoughtful.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spoke in a low voice as in sat on the single seater sofa in the reception room ¡°This isn¡¯t really a problem about inequality, I do things with only the goal in mind. As long as it¡¯s not illegal, I don¡¯t really think about anything else. This was the best way to handle the situation and even if it offended people, I¡¯d still go ahead.¡±

    Bai Yueran waspletely convinced, ¡°Huo Shao is truly amazing, your breadth of mind is unparalleled.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good Yueran, no need for you to keep ttering him.¡± General Ji chuckled, ¡°You have to help Shaoheng with the legal matters once the situation concludes. He did this for the overall benefit of the Special Ops.¡±

    Bai Yueran nodded, ¡°Please be assured that I will help Mr. Huo as best I can. I can even guarantee that even the entire Bai family will do the same.¡±

    The three peopleughed together. General Ji and Speaker Long nced at each other, then continued to question Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Aside from putting the guests in istion at the Special Ops base, did you do anything else?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly, ¡°Of course there were other preparations. I had ordered breaking ofwork interfaces before going to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, as well as locking down on all sea,nd and air passages so people can only enter, but not be able to leave. Also, I had issued a Code Orange to notify any of Special Ops members rted to incident toe home immediately.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± General Ji pped his hands loudly, ¡°I knew Shaoheng was capable and thought on his feet. He was able to find a suitable solution immediately.¡±

    ¡°All our people have boarded their flights?¡± Bai Yueran was happy to hear it and quickly asked. She was also a member of the Special Ops and was concerned about the safety of her fellow soldiers.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at her, ¡°Little Ze has confirmed that they¡¯ve all boarded. Many should already be at the Imperial capital airport by now.¡±

    Speaker Long broke into a smile as well, ¡°We can be assured now that the situation at least is under control.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he shared a look with General Ji. Just as Speaker Long was able to continue speaking, Huo Shaoheng made a gesture, ¡°Please wait, I have a calling in.¡± He connected the call and asked, ¡°Little Ze, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Zhao Liangze spoke, ¡°Mr. Huo, the Prime Minister is here to visit.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rose from his seat, ncing at General Ji and Speaker Long. The two men looked at each other and said in surprise, ¡°He actually came in person?¡± Huo Shaoheng remained silent. Speaker Long said hastily, ¡°Well, we actually wanted to plead Dou Qingyan¡¯s case.¡±

    General Ji coughed before continuing with embarrassment, ¡°You see, although this incident appears serious, at least no major losses were caused by it. We can even say that we came out unscathed. Qingyan was just being foolish, she had not intention of betraying national interests. Prime Minister Dou had asked us repeatedly to plead her case, he says Qingyan was mentally unstable to begin with. Mental patients don¡¯t have to bear legal responsibility, can you see if you can... pardon her?¡±

    Bai Yueran frowned and shook her head, ¡°General Ji, Speaker Long, that¡¯s not right. Just because there have been no major losses due to this, doesn¡¯t mean that Dou Qingyan can be let off? ¨CMr. Huo, this is your business, our legal department will fully support you regardless of what decision you make.¡±

    Speaker Long sighed, ¡°Pity all the parents in the world. Even someone as lofty as Prime Minister Dou, who never even got involved in the military has personallye here today to plead you for his daughter.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, let me urge you. No fish can survive if the water is too clean, someone who is too austere has no friends. Standing out too much is not conductive to work.¡± General Ji patted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Of course, I also agree with Yueran. I¡¯ll support you no matter what you decide to do!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down, the corners of his mouth twitching as he spoke to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Please let Prime Minister Dou inside.¡±

    Soon after, Prime Minister Dou arrived at the door to the suite on the second floor of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. Zhao Liangze opened the door to let him in. ¡°Oh, Old Ji and Old Long, you¡¯re all here!¡± Prime Minister Dou appeared ashamed, ¡°This was all my daughter¡¯s fault that I had to ask you both to plead on her behalf. I bow to you, thank you for helping us.¡± He bowed in the direction of General Ji and Speaker Long.

    Huo Shaoheng remained expressionless and had his hands folded behind his back. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice sounded in the headset again, ¡°Mr. Huo, I have bad news! Something happened! Our two soldiers returning from North Irnd were secretly executed on the airne!¡±

 Chapter 279 - Loveâ€™s Sacrifice

    <h4>Chapter 279: Love¡¯s Sacrifice</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The atmosphere in the reception room immediately turned icy cold.

    General Ji and Chairman Long did not look happy.

    They had just extended an olive branch to the Prime Minister on ount of the fact that Dou Qingyan¡¯s slip-up had had ¡°no serious consequences¡±¡ªand now they were forced to eat their words!

    The two of them red at Prime Minister Dou.

    They had been thoroughly humiliated, and it was all because of the Prime Minister!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face grew solemn. He bowed politely to General Ji, Chairman Long, and Prime Minister Dou, before saying gravely: ¡°Please excuse me, I have to deal with the loss of two of my soldiers. I will report to both the military and the parliament once I finish my investigations.¡±

    The Special Operations Forces was part of the military. Huo Shaoheng had to report to the military Supreme Council and the Senate, but he did not actually have to report to the Prime Minister.

    He had only addressed the Prime Minister to be polite.

    Prime Minister Dou could not keep his embarrassment from showing on his face.

    He had prepared a little speech, but had been interrupted by the news of the death of two of the Special Ops soldiers.

    Prime Minister Dou¡¯s face darkened. He mmed a fist into the coffee table. ¡°Yes, you have to run a thorough investigation! We can¡¯t have our own men killing and backstabbing each other. You know very well that¡ª¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned as he interrupted the Prime Minister. ¡°Prime Minister Dou, my Special Ops men only act upon external threats. We would never try to kill our own. Please, have a seat. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me...¡±

    He turned and left without another word.

    General Ji and Chairman Long got to their feet. ¡°Now that we have a situation on our hands, we have to go back to our office and make the necessary preparations. Please excuse us, Prime Minister Dou.¡±

    The two men nodded slightly to the Prime Minister, before walking out of the room together.

    Prime Minister Dou narrowed his eyes at their retreating backs. He was feeling uneasy.

    The day before, he had called the two men and begged them to help him put in a good word with Huo Shaoheng. They had been reluctant at first, but had eventually agreed to help him. Now that there were casualties, they had immediately turned their backs on their promise to him. He seethed inwardly, but consoled himself with the thought that neither of them would be able to win against him in an election. He was the Prime Minister, while General Ji was just themander of the military, and Chairman Long was just the chairman of the Senate...

    ...

    The Special Operations Forces had a dedicated department to deal with the deaths of their soldiers.

    Before Huo Shaoheng arrived at the Imperial Capital Airport, the men from that department had already ced the entire airport on lockdown and brought all the passengers who had been on the same flight as the deceased to the airport¡¯s special reception room for questioning.

    Half an hourter, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car arrived at the Imperial Capital Airport.

    He was wearing his ck officer¡¯s uniform and a military cap pulled over his eyebrows. He had put on a pair of sunsses, obscuring the upper half of his face. All anyone could see of his face was his nose, which looked like it belonged on a handsome Greek sculpture, and his perfect lips, which were now tightly pressed together.

    He strode through the airport¡¯s VIP passageway, unhindered by the usual crowds. However, the ground crew at the Imperial Capital Airport instantly became his fans the moment theyid eyes on him. They had seen famous celebrities from all over the world, but they were nothingpared to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breathtaking beauty. The ground crew ran after Huo Shaoheng, moring for his signature and a selfie with him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s retinueprised of Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, and five orderlies, all dressed in in clothes. They were all taken aback by the behavior of the ground crew, and had to yell at them to keep them away. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Where¡¯s your manager? Look at yourselves¡ªyou¡¯re an embarrassment to our country!¡±

    They had to yell at the stubborn ¡°groupies¡± several times before they finally went away.

    ...

    ¡°Sir!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked into the airport¡¯s special reception room, and gestured for the Special Ops members saluting him to be at ease. ¡°Where are they?¡±

    ¡°Still on the ne,¡± replied the Special Ops officer overseeing the operation. ¡°Do you want to see them?¡±

    ¡°What about the other passengers?¡±

    ¡°They already disembarked from the ne and were already waiting to go through customs when the flight attendants discovered what had happened. Our men had been sitting apart, one near the front of the cabin and one near the back, and the flight attendants thought they were asleep. They shook them to wake them up, and found their bodies were already stiff...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. He turned to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Interrogate the passengers, especially the ones sitting near the two soldiers. Little Ze and I will investigate the ne.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong responded with a ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Yin Shixiong hurried off to interrogate the passengers. Zhao Liangze followed Huo Shaoheng as they made their way to the ne.

    ¡°This is the Airbus A380, the world¡¯srgest passenger airliner. It has a seating capacity of up to 853 people, and can flying at speeds from 559 mph to 634 mph, with a maximum range of 8,500 nautical miles, or 15,700 kilometers.¡± Zhao Liangze rattled off the specifications for the ne as he walked behind Huo Shaoheng. ¡°The ne costs 400 million US dors.¡± He paused, before adding: ¡°It¡¯s more or lessparable to Professor He¡¯s private jet in terms of function, performance, and size.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply. He stepped through the aircraft door and into the First ss cabin.

    The flight attendants had discovered the bodies before they had had time to clean up. That meant that the scene of the crime was virtually untouched.

    The seats in First ss were strewn with nkets and magazines. There was also the asional headset hanging from the back of the chairs. There was a solitary slipper lying in the middle of the aisle, itspanion nowhere to be seen.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly made his way through the First ss cabin and into the Business ss cabin.

    It was, strictly speaking, cleaner than the First ss cabin, but the smaller space made it look more cluttered.

    The Economy ss cabin was behind the Business ss cabin.

    The two Special Ops soldiers had been sitting in Economy ss on their return flight to the Empire.

    They had bought seats in the Economy ss cabin in order not to attract attention. They had also made sure not to sit together, but their precautions had been in vain¡ªsomeone had figured out their true identities.

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the entrance to the Economy ss cabin, his eyes fixed upon the two men still in their seats. They both had their headset on, and were leaning into their seats with their eyes closed. They looked like they were asleep. Theirplexion remained rosy, instead of a lifeless white¡ªno one would have guessed they were dead.

    Zhao Liangze looked upon the scene from behind Huo Shaoheng. He felt a sob rising in his throat.

    He hastily lifted his head and desperately blinked back the tears in his red eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve taken photos?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked impassively. ¡°Investigated the crime scene?¡±

    The questions were directed to the man standing behind Zhao Liangze, the Special Ops personnel in charge of the investigation. He hurriedly replied, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve checked everything, and taken the necessary photos. We were going to take the two men away, but we heard you wereing, sir, and decided to wait.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took off his cap and bowed his head as he said a silent prayer for his fallenrades.

    His fingers tightened around his cap. He closed his eyes, and put the cap back on his head. ¡°We¡¯ll take them back with us in the military vehicles. Remember to drape a g over their coffins.¡±

    This was the only way they could show respect to their brothers-in-arms who had given their lives to the country. The Special Ops men, as a general rule, could not receive a proper military funeral due to the covert nature of their work.

    As soon as he disembarked from the ne, Huo Shaoheng received a phone call from Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Sir, we found the culprits...¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice was subdued. He did not sound happy.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are they dead?¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yin Shixiong was so frustrated he felt like crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have taken the necessary precautions. As soon as I interrogated them, they killed themselves with some kind of poison. It looks like the same poison they used against our men.¡±

    The poison killed instantly, but preserved the bodies for 10 hours.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a good thing they¡¯re dead, now we won¡¯t have to kill them ourselves.¡± Huo Shaoheng shoved his free hand into his trouser pocket as he walked towards the airport exit. ¡°Bring their bodies back to the base. As for the other passengers, detain them for 48 hours. Continue your investigations, and make sure to pay special attention if someone tries to put a good word in for any of them. I want aplete record of their names, and what they said.¡±

    The men in the Special Operations Forces did not point their guns at each other, but that did not mean Huo Shaoheng would stand idly by if it turned out one of his men was trying to sabotage the Special Ops.

    By the time they walked out of the airport, the weather had turned gloomy. Gray clouds had gathered in the sky, blocking out the sun.

    Zhao Liangze stood behind Huo Shaoheng. He kept a close watch on their surroundings, but did not say anything.

    Huo Shaoheng sped his hands behind him. His gaze swept across the open space before him, before resting upon the bare trees in the far distance. The naked branches of the trees, wing desperately at the sky, seemed to blink in and out of existence in the foggy, gloomy weather. Everything seemed unreal.

    ¡°...Mr. Huo? Are you feeling all right?¡± Bai Yueran had immediately spotted Huo Shaoheng as soon as she got out of her car. ¡°Is everything settled? Where are our colleagues?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been carried off.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly added, ¡°Go look for Big Xiong, he may need the assistance of the Legal Department.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Bai Yueran saluted him. She sighed. ¡°When the photos were leaked I thought nothing of them. I thought it was just a silly romantic dispute... haha... who would have thought our colleagues would end up sacrificing their lives on the altar of Miss Dou¡¯s unrequited love for you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes. ¡°Director Bai, you should save that for when you testify in court.¡±

 Chapter 280 - Unforgivable

    <h4>Chapter 280: Unforgivable</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car arrived and he bent slightly to get inside. Zhao Liangze jogged ahead to open the door for him. Sitting straight inside car, Huo Shaoheng ced both hands on his knees and he appeared as lethal as an unsheathed sword. Zhao Liangze followed him in and knocked on the back of the driver¡¯s seat to signal for Fan Jian to start the car. After the car started moving, Zhao Liangze began to report to Huo Shaoheng the details he learned from Yin Shixiong. ¡°...Two white menmitted suicide, they had British passports but those could be fake.¡± Zhao Liangze showed Huo Shaoheng the photos Yin Shixiong sent, ¡°The authenticity still needs to be verified. For both the murders and suicides, they used a lethal agent typical of the Israeli Mossad. It¡¯s not yet possible to determine if the killers are from Mossad.¡± Mossad was the Israeli intelligence agency, although they were not as internationally known as the American CIA and British MI5, they were like silent dogs with a lethal bite. No one could ignore how fearsome the Mossad could be.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the photos and shook his head, ¡°That can¡¯t possibly be the Mossad, there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t question any further, if Huo Shaoheng said the Mossad wasn¡¯t responsible, then it was certainly true. They had absolute faith and trust in Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng dared to make such a conclusion because he knew the Mossad far better than the CIA or MI5. The instructor who brought him into this line of work was originally a Mossad veteran...¡±Besides, the drugs the Mossad uses isn¡¯t exclusive to them. Anyone willing to pay can get it from them.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Zhao Liangze, ¡°This point was clearly taught in the training course.¡±

    Zhao Liangze then also recalled this and hastily said, ¡°Right, we can¡¯t conclude the Mossad is responsible just from looking at the drugs.¡±

    ¡°These two people are mostly like MI5 spies. Have Big Xiong start the investigation with looking at the MI5 and not waste time.¡± Huo Shaoheng made themand and Zhao Liangze forwarded it to Yin Shixiong.

    Just then, Yin Shixiong was arguing with Bai Yueran. Yin Shixiong agreed with Huo Shaoheng that the Mossad wasn¡¯t responsible, but Bai Yueran thought that they couldn¡¯t reject the possibility. Upon receiving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders, Yin Shixiong smiled victoriously at Bai Yueran and spread his palms, ¡°Sorry, Director Bai. It¡¯s Mr. Huo¡¯s orders that I start by investigating the British MI5, so we will not look into the Mossad for now.¡±

    Although Bai Yueran didn¡¯t agree, she also didn¡¯t oppose the idea and merely nodded, ¡°Since Mr. Huo gave the order, we have to obey.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°You go ahead, I¡¯ll go collect more evidence from the ne.¡±

    This case involved the death of foreigners, so it was no longer domestic. Even though the Special Ops¡¯ legal department wouldn¡¯t go head to head with the families of foreigners in court, they still had to collect all kinds of evidence and prepare testimony so that their colleagues in the civilw department could prepare a defense. With the correct direction of investigation, the task of finding clues became very simple. By the next morning, they had collected enough evidence to directly send to the British MI5. The British MI5 had intended to use Reuters to start a scandal about ¡°Evil Huaxia People Murdering Foreigners,¡± but immediately shut down the idea as soon as they received the fax from the Huxia Imperial Special Ops. They didn¡¯t even dare collect the bodies of the spies and brushed off the whole incident.

    ...

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s case proceeded without dy. On January 3rd, the special military court began hearings. Prime Minister Dou and his wife worried at home, and only allowed their eldest son, Dou Haoyan to get news from outside the military court. Their youngest daughter, Dou Aiyan didn¡¯t realize how much trouble her sister was in, but for the first time saw that there was something her dad couldn¡¯t handle. She slumped on the bed and hugged a huge teddy bear in a daze. Holding her phone, she kept rubbing it and finally couldn¡¯t help calling He Zhichu. This was his work number so he never picked up. Dou Aiyan¡¯s call was transferred to his work voicemail. She thought about it and left the message, ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s me, Aiyan. I wanted to ask how to prepare for the application to be your graduate student? I just entered the B University Law Department as an undergraduate and am starting my first year courses this year. I hope to get guidance from Professor He in the future.¡±

    Wen Shouyi, who was responsible for handling He Zhichu¡¯s work, heard the voicemail and asked He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, do you want to consider epting Dou Aiyan? She¡¯s the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister, she can help us expand in the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was stony as he shot her an icy look, ¡°Do you think that I have to prostitute my body or skills to expand?¡±

    ¡°...Eh, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Wen Shouyi stuck her tongue out yfully, ¡°Of course Professor He doesn¡¯t have to do such things, but it¡¯s always good to have less trouble and better to have a friend than an enemy.¡±

    He Zhichu remained silent and took a sip of coffee.

    ¡°How about I take her under my wing.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled, ¡°I was hired by B University as an Associate Professor anyway, it would also be suitable if she wrote papers with me.¡±

    ¡°Do whatever you want, don¡¯t ask me.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice was a little raspy, like he hadn¡¯t slept for several days.

    ¡°Professor He, does your head hurt again? Do you want me to give you a massage?¡±

    ¡°No need. I want some quiet, you can go now.¡± He Zhichu rested his head on one hand and waved her off with the other.

    Wen Shouyi could only put down her documents and leave his office.

    ...

    A trial was uring in the special military court of the Huaxia Empire. The defendant was Dou Qingyan and four Special Ops members, and the intiff was the prosecutor from the Special Ops legal department. He represented the two murdered colleagues and had filed awsuit to the special military court. Dou Qingyan¡¯s face was withered¨Cshe had huge dark circles, unkempt skin, sallowplexion and no eyebrows. She usually drew them on, but she was locked up in the detention center, how can she get makeup? She appeared more than 10 years older than before. Standing alone in the dock, the four other aplices hung their heads behind her. Bai Yueran and Huo Shaoheng sat together in the gallery, and a personnel from the legal department stood at the intiff¡¯s stand. The judge of the special military court announced the start of the hearing, then allowed the intiff to read the indictment. After listening to it, the judge asked Dou Qingyan, ¡°Do you plead guilty?¡±

    Dou Qingyan turned tearfully at the stoic faced Huo Shaoheng in the gallery. She sobbed, ¡°Even... even though I got my hands on the photos, I never intended to show them to anyone, and never thought of betraying national interests! I was abroad for six years, you can check to see that no one knew who I was! No one was knew what I did before moving overseas!¡±

    ¡°You never intended on showing anyone the photos, then how did they end up in your study trip video? And you also let so many guests see?¡±

    ¡°I was framed!¡± Dou Qingyan pulled her hair and screamed in terror, ¡°Someone framed me! I¡¯m innocent! I never hurt anyone! If you think loving someone is a crime, then you can go ahead and sentence me!¡±

    ¡°You still won¡¯t see reason?¡± The prosecutor at the intiff¡¯s saidughed mirthlessly as he threw photos of the two members of the Special Ops murdered in North Irnd, ¡°Because of you ¡®undying love,¡¯ these two colleagues lost their lives! And you still have the gall to say you never hurt anyone?!¡±

    ¡°What happened? How did they die? How can I be med for their deaths!¡± Dou Qingyan denied, ¡°Anyone in this line of work faced death at any moment. They died because their identities were exposed, how is that my fault? I retired six years ago!¡±

    ¡°Their deaths are certainly tied to you.¡± The prosecutor turned to the judge, ¡°These two soldiers were targeted because the photos Dou Qingyan stole got leaked. The MI5 took notice and killed them on the flight.¡±

    The four aplices behind Dou Qingyan looked up suddenly, ¡°Are they really dead? Just because of these photos?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was exactly because of these photos.¡± The prosecutor closed his eyes, ¡°You have to remember that our enemies are carefully selected. They are the best and brightest of their countries, so they can see what you can see. They can also see what you can¡¯t see. Mr. Huo attempted to dy as much as possible so that our soldiers had a chance to return home, and even crossed the upper circle of Imperial society by detaining their direct rtives for 48 hours. That was to prevent this type of mindless leakage.¡±

    ¡°You also have to remember that mindless leakage is still leakage. Someone must take responsibility of the losses caused!¡±

 Chapter 281 - Everyoneâ€™s a Drama Queen

    <h4>Chapter 281: Everyone¡¯s a Drama Queen</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Dou Qingyan paled. All the strength went out of her, and she had to steady herself on the horizontal bar before her. She trembled all over, her teeth chattering loudly.

    Thewyer representing Dou Qingyan walked to the front of the courtroom with an unhappy expression on his face. He showed the judge Dou Qingyan¡¯s medical records from six years ago, and pointed out her history of mental illness. ¡°Your Honor, Dou Qingyan did not mean to do it. She had a mental breakdown six years ago, and had to leave the military because of it.¡±

    Thewyer turned around. His gaze swept nonchntly across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. ¡°As the saying goes, it takes two to tango, and matters of the heart are never simple. But it would be pointless to argue about it here; it¡¯s all in the past now, and no one can say who was wrong and who was right in a failed rtionship. I would like to remind everyone present, however, that thew states that the mentally ill cannot be held legally ountable for their actions. You cannot convict them, not even if they personally killed someone. And we know the two Special Ops men died by ident, so...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and interrupted thewyer. He calmly said, ¡°As this is a secret trial that will never be made public, allow me to remind you that the two Special Ops soldiers who died did not lose their lives by ident. It was an act of revenge, rted to the mission I undertook with Dou Qingyan in Europe seven years ago. That is all, Your Honor. I hope you will take what I have said into consideration.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng stood up to speak, Dou Qingyan¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. Her face brightened.

    After listening to what he had said, she seemed to lose herself in the memories of their mission together. A parade of emotions flickered across her race: joy, heartache, fear, and profound sorrow.

    She suddenly began to sing.

    ¡°When the pear trees are a-bloom, and the river is veiled with a gentle mist, Katyusha stands on the steep banks, singing a song of spring...¡±

    ¡°The young warrior stationed at the border longs for his sweetheart, so far away, but he bravely fights to defend the mothend, because he knows Katyusha¡¯s love will always belong to him...¡±

    Dou Qingyan had a beautiful singing voice, and the song ¡°Kaytusha¡± had a haunting melody. But Huo Shaoheng thought the lyrics to the song were exceedingly ironic,ing from her.

    He interrupted her singing. ¡°...You don¡¯t deserve to sing this. Your Honor, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have other things to attend to.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned and walked out. Dou Qingyan abruptly stopped singing.

    She stared at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s retreating back, unable to believe her eyes, and gave a loud, sorrowful cry: ¡°...Huo Shaoheng! Is your heart made of steel?! Are you even made of flesh and blood?! You¡¯re nothing but a killing machine! I curse you, Huo Shaoheng: you will spend your entire life alone, and every girl who falls in love with you will end up paying for it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped walking. He raised his head to the ceiling, but did not say anything for a few seconds. He turned to look at Dou Qingyan, and said: ¡°You appear to be lucid enough to curse me. Your mental illness has been miraculously cured, congrattions. Your Honor, please add ¡®faking a mental disorder¡¯ to her list of crimes. I hope you will conduct a fair trial, and show our fallen soldiers that there is still justice in the world.¡±

    As the saying went: ¡°Justice may be dyed, but it will never be denied.¡±

    There were no longer any doubts as to Dou Qingyan¡¯s innocence.

    Dou Qingyan¡¯swyer was shaking in his boots. He knew they had lost, and it took him every ounce of his self-discipline to remain in the courtroom and see the trial through instead of bolting for the door.

    Bai Yueran testified against Dou Qingyan and her four aplices.

    She had evidence proving that the four men had not only stolen the secret prop photos, but other confidential information from the Special Opsputers, culminating in Prime Minister Dou¡¯s miraculous ¡°counterattack¡± in the previous general election.

    The judge presiding over the special military court made no attempt to hide his disdain. At 4 o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the judge announced his verdict. ¡°Dou Qingyan stole confidential military intelligence and leaked them, resulting in a massive setback for our Special Operations Forces men working in Europe. She falsified her medical records and pretended to be mentally ill in an attempt to avoid punishment for her crimes. She is also guilty of character assassination. I now sentence her to life imprisonment, and she is to be stripped of her political rights.¡±

    When Dou Qingyan heard this, she swayed on her feet, before her knees finally gave out on her. She copsed in a dead faint onto the bench in the dock.

    Her four aplices standing behind her did not faint, but each and every one of them had turned as white as a sheet.

    Each of the four men were found guilty of being an aplice to Dou Qingyan¡¯s crimes, and of betraying their organization and selling confidential information. Like Dou Qingyan, the four men were sentenced to life imprisonment.

    ...

    Once the trial was over, Bai Yueran dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number and left him a message: ¡°It¡¯s a life sentence for her, sir, with no possibility of parole.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not answer the phone. The matter had been dealt with, and he had moved on; he had to focus on Bai Jinyi¡¯s case, and get a new investigation team to re-examine theboratory ident from 16 years ago.

    The sentence handed to Dou Qingyan was ryed to the Prime Minister¡¯s office. Yan Qiuying, the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, fainted as soon as she heard it.

    The family doctor rushed to her aid. One oxygen mask, massage, and injectionter, she finally opened her eyes.

    As soon as she woke up, she grabbed Prime Minister Dou¡¯s cor and wailed sorrowfully: ¡°What are we going to do? What¡¯s going to happen to Qingyan? You have to think of something! She¡¯s only 27 years old! She¡¯s too young to spend the rest of her life in prison!¡±

    Dou Haoyan stood beside his mother,forting her. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Mommy. This is a bad time for us, so we can¡¯t do anything for the time being. Once the storm has passed, we¡¯ll plead on Qingyan¡¯s behalf, and get her out on bail.¡±

    ¡°We can do that? Really?¡± Yan Qiuying looked eagerly at her husband. She was like a drowning woman, desperately grasping at every straw.

    Prime Minister Dou averted his gaze. He gave a nonmittal grunt in reply, before adding: ¡°Let¡¯s wait. Two of their men have died, we should give them some time to quell their anger...¡±

    ¡°The deaths of those men have nothing to do with Qingyan! They died because of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ipetence! He messed up, and now he wants to shift the me to Qingyan! What a heartless viin¡ªQingyan must have been blind to fall in love with him!¡± Yan Qiuying was angry with Huo Shaoheng, and she made no effort to hide it in front of her husband and son. She wanted badly to march up to Huo Shaoheng and yell curses to his face.

    ¡°Mommy! What are you saying?!¡± Dou Haoyan had to keep himself from rushing over to his mother and mping his hands over her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re still a suspect! This isn¡¯t the time to step on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s toes!¡±

    ¡°What can he do to me? Huo Shaoheng ruined my daughter¡¯s life. Does he dare harm me, too?¡± Yan Qiuying thought of her beloved daughter having to spend the rest of her life behind bars, and the tears began to flow, unchecked.

    ¡°All right, stop crying.¡± Prime Minister Dou waved his hand, annoyed. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for my consent when you asked my men to help you get the photos. Now all four of them have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Do you honestly think you can shrug this off and pretend you had nothing to do with it?¡±

    ¡°Wait, are you ming me?¡± Yan Qiuying was so angry her tears stopped flowing. ¡°You were the one who nted them in the Special Ops, they would never have been able to get in without your connections. All I did was drop a few hints asking for their help. They have no physical evidence or witness to prove what I¡¯ve done. Do they think they can use me of a crime, just because they said so?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely sure you didn¡¯t leave any traces behind?¡± Prime Minister Dou breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± Yan Qiuying was not a careless person. She had not gone directly to her aplices for help; instead, all she had done was drop a few hints to their wives, and everyone had understood what needed to be done. How could they ever trace it back to her?

    Dou Haoyan let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Okay, we don¡¯t have to worry about that then. Mommy, you need to go out and get more media exposure, make sure to publicize all the charity organizations you¡¯re involved in. Get public opinion on your side, so the Special Ops won¡¯t be able to touch you without incurring the wrath of the public.¡±

    Yan Qiuying recollected herself. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time for another visit to the orphanage. Haoyan, help me send word to the media. I¡¯ll go tomorrow.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou nodded. ¡°I have to attend a meeting now. Remember not to overdo it, it has to look natural.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ...

    Early the next morning, the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, Yan Qiuying, put on a simple, unassuming dress and took the bus to the orphanage.

    The media ¡°bumped¡± into her on the bus, and followed her all the way to the orphanage, where they photographed her talking to the orphans and ying games with them.

    Just as Yan Qiuying decided she had done enough for the day and was about to wrap up her visit, a middle-aged woman with wild, unkempt hair and red, puffy eyes slipped through the main entrance and threw herself at Yan Qiuying¡¯s feet.

 Chapter 282 - The Banned Video

    <h4>Chapter 282: The Banned Video</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The woman who rushed out knelt down in front of Yan Qiuqing and bawled, ¡°Mrs. Yan! Mrs. Yan! Please save my husband! He only stole the photos for Miss Dou because you told him to! Please save him! I beg you!¡± She began to kowtow on the ground, her forehead turning red and swollen immediately. Soon after, the media rushed in from outside the door and pointed their cameras to furiously take photos and record Yan Qiuying and the woman begging her. Yan Qiuying was frozen for a second, then finally recognized the middle aged woman as the wife of one of the aplices! ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m very sorry about the incident, it was my daughter¡¯s rashness that implicated your husband.¡± Yan Qiuying started crying immediately and Dou Haoyan squeezed himself in when he saw things taking a turn for the worse. He shielded his mother and walked away together.

    ...

    ¡°What happened? How could someone have gone to the orphanage to look for you?!¡± Prime Minister Dou was both shocked and furious. He had been elected and knew better than anyone about how important public image was. His wife had been engaged with charity work for many years and earned him lots of bonus points. This time however, it may be drag him down and even the charity activities that gave him bonus points in the past may be taken into question.

    ¡°This was an ident, nobody expected this to get exposed.¡± Dou Haoyan cradled head in his head with distress and sat on the couch. He nced at his weeping mother, then at his red faced father and urged him, ¡°Dad, we should think about how to clean up the situation right now. We must control the media and stop them from broadcasting these uncensored videos.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou left his home with a fearsome expression. He went to his office to discuss the matter with his staff. After emergency public rtion measures, a few of the major TV stations and press agreed to not broadcast the video nor report on it. Aspensation, the Prime Minister would give them other opportunities. Just when Prime Minister Dou¡¯s family assumed the incident had blown over, a cellphone captured video exploded on social media. Although the image was blurry, anyone could recognize who the the familiar, gentle and demure women in the video was. The Prime Minister¡¯s wife had high exposure and was well known by the people because she had apanied the Prime Minister on both campaigns. She was born in a wealthy merchant family and married the civilian born Prime Minister Dou. She assisted her husband and ran the household, helping him reach the position of Prime Minister¨Cthis was the story repeatedly embellished by the media and known by all people in the Huaxia Empire.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this squashed down? Why is it being broadcasted again?¡± Yan Qiuying saw her image in the video and grew angry. The Prime Minister ordered his staff to question the media outlets, but they told them that this was social media and not TV and press. The Prime Minister had only requested them not to broadcast on TV and press, but never said anything about social media. The Dou¡¯s finally realized someone was ying them, but they had too many political enemies to determine who was behind it. They had no way of stamping the incident out at the source. For example, the nominee running against him during thest campaign would never let them off if he found out the truth. Also, the several potentialpetitors that Prime Minister Dou had targeted were also suspects. Just when they hadn¡¯t decided how to counterattack the social media ounts posting the video of the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, the video had spread throughout the nation. It became thetest social hot topic with an incredible number of shares. The TV stations and press couldn¡¯t help it anymore and didn¡¯t want to let go of this new hot topic. Within a few days, the news of the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter and wife collusion and abuse of power was broadcasted by all major media outlets. The news was published in a peculiar way¨Cno specifics of the incident were revealed, but only implied that the Prime Minister¡¯s wife ordered subordinates to abuse power and caused serious consequences. Now the subordinate had been arrested and put in jail, and the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter had been sentenced to life imprisonment¨Cbut Prime Minister¡¯s wife remains scot free despite being behind all this. Coupled with the video of the subordinate¡¯s wife begging Yan Qiuying, it had a huge impact on the public.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be that kind of a Prime Minister!¡±

    ¡°All men are equal in the eyes ofw, and the Prime Minister is elected by the people. Does he really think he¡¯s above thew?¡±

    ¡°Want to be an emperor huh, as if he¡¯s worthy enough?!¡±

    The ability of an angry public to unearth secrets is astonishing. Soon after, Prime Minister Dou and his wife¡¯s family had beenpletely exposed. All the clues the public had missed during the election campaign were connected together to paint an image of Prime Minister Dou as a total hypocrite.

    ¡°He¡¯s Yue Buqun! He should be called Yue Buqun!¡± The hypocritical literary character, Yue Buqun became Prime Minister Dou¡¯s new nickname. He was overwhelmed continuously for a few days and was almost forced by the Senate to resign. That night, he returned home with an ashen face. He looked at the the luxurious Prime Minister¡¯s official residence and thought about how his life¡¯s efforts and dreams were about to be dashed by this incident. Miserable, he went to drink alone in the kitchen.

    His youngest daughter, Dou Aiyan quietly in walked and sat across from him to whisper, ¡°Daddy, what are the consequences if things get worse?¡±

    ¡°Get worse? Can things get any worse?! Your daddy is about to be forced to resign by the Senate!¡± Prime Minister Dou poured himself a ss of whiskey. Strong alcohol always had the ability to numb a person¡¯s nerves and allowed temporary sce from undesired consequences.

    Dou Aiyan was shocked. If her Daddy resigns, what would be of her? She would no longer be the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, so no one would support her anymore. At that moment, she was displeased with her older sister¨Cit was because of her selfishness and so called love that the entire family was about to fall apart. Deeply depressed, Dou Aiyan couldn¡¯t sleep all night and finally called Wen Shouyi to vent. She spoke with sadness, ¡°Professor Wen knows about my family¡¯s situation right? Oh, my Mummy is really innocent, this was all my sister¡¯s fault... If it wasn¡¯t for her, our family wouldn¡¯t have ended up in all this trouble.¡±

    Wen Shouyi quietly listened to Dou Aiyanints and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m responsible for this too, if I didn¡¯t convince your sister toe home and brought her back, your family wouldn¡¯t be in this mess. At the end of the day, it¡¯s men¡¯s fault. Aiyan, see how cruel a man bes when he has a change of heart, it¡¯s like he¡¯s cold blooded...¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about Major General Huo?¡± Dou Aiyan frowned, ¡°But Major General Huo never liked my sister thought? My sister sent herself to his door but he still rejected her.¡± She pounded the bed furiously, ¡°She has no shame!¡±

    ¡°Haha, Aiyan. You¡¯re still too young, do you really think that Major General Huo really had no feelings for your sister and your sister still loved him to death? Love is a two way street.¡± Wen Shouyi reminded her earnestly.

    Dou Aiyan was silent for awhile, but continued to shake her head, ¡°No, Professor Wen doesn¡¯t know my sister. She is such a wishful person, and it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t know Major General Huo didn¡¯t like her. Otherwise how would she have slit her wrists, then stolen the photos and went abroad?¡±

    ¡°Oh? You sister attempted suicide?¡± Wen Shouyi was unfamiliar with the details between Dou Qingyan and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s past, so her heart lurched when she heard of this.

    ¡°Of course, I was only 12 back then but remember it clearly. She had my Daddy ask for Major General Huo from the military so he can be transferred to a position in Daddy¡¯s cab, but the military refused. She then went to look for Major General Huo and asked him to request for the transfer himself, but he thought she was being crazy and kicked her out. A lot of people saw this and she couldn¡¯t stand losing face, so she came home and slit her wrists. She still has a scar on her wrist up until this day, did Professor Wen see it?¡±

    Wen Shouyi recalled Dou Qingyan always wore a wide and t gold bracelet, so it must be to cover the scar. ¡°She¡¯s so pitiful.¡± Wen Shoiyi sighed, then gently said to Dou Aiyan, ¡°Aiyan, she¡¯s still your sister. You can¡¯t turn against her and say these kinds of things to people, even if you are displeased. Understand?¡±

    ¡°I understand. I was just venting to Professor Wen, and won¡¯t say this to any outsiders. I really don¡¯t know what to do anymore, so I wanted to ask for your advice. Professor Wen, you¡¯re a greatwyer in the United States, can you issue awyer¡¯s letter on my Mummy¡¯s behalf?¡± Dou Aiyan took the chance to request a favour. She actually wanted Wen Shouyi to act as her Mummy¡¯s defensewyer and send a letter to the unscrupulous media outlets ndering their family.

 Chapter 283 - To Kiss or not to Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 283: To Kiss or not to Kiss</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    She knew Dou Aiyan was sucking up to her, but Wen Shouyi enjoyed the attention regardless. She stood before the window as she gazed into the gloom of the night. ¡°Awyer¡¯s letter isn¡¯t the best idea considering the situation your family is in right now. If you send one, it¡¯ll backfire on you¡ªthey¡¯ll say that you¡¯re being a bully.¡±

    ¡°Really? What should I do, then?¡± Dou Aiyan sounded like she was about to die of frustration.

    ¡°If you¡¯re set on helping your mother, well, I have an idea. Your mother will have to suffer a little.¡± Wen Shouyi gave a lowugh. ¡°For example, a failed suicide attempt by your mother would cause the public to pity her...¡±

    Dou Aiyan was speechless. She turned the idea over in her head, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Professor Wen, I get it now!¡±

    ...

    Early the next morning, Dou Aiyan went to her parents and told them Wen Shouyi¡¯s idea. She did not tell them it was from ??Wen Shouyi, however.

    Prime Minister Dou could not hide his excitement. ¡°What an excellent idea! How did youe up with it, Aiyan?! Bravo! It¡¯s leagues better than the garbage my political aidese up with¡ªwhy am I even paying them?! Good work, Aiyan!¡±

    ¡°You mean it?¡± Dou Aiyan was very surprised. She had half expected her father to shoot the idea down; he was the Prime Minister and had nock of political tactics, after all.

    ¡°Of course I mean it. I¡¯ve seen many things. In terms of crisis PR, your idea is up there with the best of them. Clever girl, I shouldn¡¯t have underestimated you!¡± Prime Minister Dou gave her a thumbs-up.

    Dou Aiyan smiled. She decided, then and there, that she would never tell them it was Wen Shouyi¡¯s idea.

    Her brother was her father¡¯s favorite child, while her sister was her mother¡¯s favorite. Dou Aiyan was forever second ce in her parents¡¯ hearts.

    If she showed that she was smart, she knew her parents would love her best...

    The Prime Minister¡¯s wife, Yan Qiuying, did not really like the idea, but she did not object. ¡°If that¡¯ll keep them off my back, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± She added worriedly: ¡°You have to be prepared, all right? Don¡¯t mess up, I don¡¯t want to die yet.¡±

    ¡°No... no... we won¡¯t mess up, don¡¯t worry...¡± Prime Minister Dou and Dou Aiyanforted her.

    The three of them quickly worked out their n. Dou Aiyan asked her parents not to tell her brother, Dou Haoyan; she knew it would be more realistic that way.

    Just as the wrath of the people reached boiling point, and the military was considering opening an investigation into the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, she suddenly ¡°decided¡± that she couldn¡¯t ¡°take it anymore.¡± She sent a suicide note proiming her innocence to the TV stations, before swallowing an entire bottle of sleeping pills in a suicide attempt.

    Fortunately, her daughter Dou Aiyan was also at home, and noticed something was wrong in the nick of time. She called for an ambnce, and Dou Qingyan was sent to the hospital, where the doctors performed an emergency gastric suction on her to remove the sleeping pills from her stomach.

    Dou Qingyan¡¯s attempted suicide sent her son, Dou Haoyan, into a rage. He went on TV and used theizens of being no better than a violent,wless mob. If anything happened to his mother, he would track down all the rumor-mongers, and drag them to court!

    This was enough to kill public interest in the matter. It seemed that Yan Qiuying would not have to appear in court, after all.

    All the major TV stations and newspapers were too afraid to continue covering the issue.

    Just as Yan Qiuying was about to be yesterday¡¯s news, there was a sudden wave of stringent moderation on the inte forums and social media. All posts rted to Yan Qiuying and Dou Qingyan were immediately deleted. Anyone who tried to repost them soon received an email stating that their ount had been banned.

    If anyone brought up the Prime Minister¡¯s family in an unrted topic, a moderator would quickly show up and give everyone in the topic a warning. No one was allowed to talk about the Prime Minister¡¯s family, period. It was an order from ¡°above.¡±

    It backfired. The inte exploded with renewed interest in the topic.

    It was reverse psychology: people were more likely to do something they were not allowed to do. The sudden mpdown on public discourse sparked the imaginations of the people¡ªeveryone suddenly had a conspiracy theory of their own.

    In order to avoid theirments from being auto-gged and deleted, theizens came up with nicknames for the Prime Minister¡¯s family: Yan Qiuying was referred to as ¡°Buqun¡¯s wife,¡± while the Prime Minister¡¯s eldest daughter, Dou Qingyan, was nicknamed ¡°Buqun¡¯s daughter.¡± Theizens wereparing the Prime Minister to Yue Buqun, the power-hungry hypocrite from the ssic Jin Yong wuxia novel ¡°The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.¡±

    Aside from the nicknames, theizens used numbers and special characters to bypass the censor filters, flooding the forums with posts that looked like they had been written in code. Strangely enough, everyone seemed to know exactly what everyone else was referring to.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study, lounging on the sofa as she browsed the inte forums and social media on her iPad. She read the deluge of angryments using the Prime Minister of abusing his power to arbitrarily restrict the public¡¯s freedom of speech, and could not keep fromughing out loud.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and saw her smile. He casually asked: ¡°Why are you so happy? What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Here, see for yourself...¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over to Huo Shaoheng and showed him her iPad. ¡°Whoever¡¯s behind this is really, really smart. They¡¯re pretending to shill for the Prime Minister and his family, but they¡¯re actually doing them more harm than good. By deleting posts and putting a mpdown on all discussion, they¡¯ve basically redirected the wrath of the public from the First Lady and her daughter to the Prime Minister himself. The Prime Minister is such an idiot¡ªhow can he not see what¡¯s really going on here?¡±

    ¡°...The ban could havee from the Prime Minister himself. How do you know it wasn¡¯t him?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°Sometimes, when you reach a certain rank, it bes easy to forget who you really are. You confuse your position with your actual worth, and start to believe that you are better than everyone else, and that thew doesn¡¯t apply to you.¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Dou can¡¯t be that stupid.¡± Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her delicate nose. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s his second term in office...¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t suffering from stupidity, but arrogance. He thinks he can abuse his power and get away with it.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned off hisputer. He led Gu Nianzhi back to the sofa, where they both sat. ¡°A lot of smart people end up being a little too clever for their own good. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little disappointed. She nonchntly picked out the best angle to lean her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right, they¡¯re not stupid. The First Lady¡¯s suicide attempt was a stroke of genius. We definitely shouldn¡¯t underestimate Prime Minister Dou, he seems capable of anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything for a few seconds. He plucked the iPad out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands and tossed it onto the coffee table before him. ¡°What a load of nonsense, don¡¯t waste your time reading them. Are you ready to appear in court as my mother¡¯s defensewyer?¡±

    ¡°You bet I am!¡± Gu Nianzhi grew excited at the topic. ¡°I¡¯ve started my own file on the case, and I¡¯ve been watching recordings of court proceedings to study howwyers debate in court.¡±

    ¡°...So you have a barrister¡¯s license now?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket. He squeezed it in his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed what he was doing. She reached out and plucked the pack of cigarettes out of his hand. ¡°Huh, there¡¯s no brand. Are these custom-made cigarettes? One of those government privileges?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave a nomittal grunt, before saying, ¡°Give it back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. She tapped a cigarette out of the pack, and put it into her mouth. She looked coyly at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, give me a light!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her. His gaze was sharp enough to cut. ¡°When did you take up smoking?¡±

    ¡°...I didn¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. She removed the cigarette from her mouth and rolled it between her fingers. ¡°I just wanted to try it because you make smoking look so cool...¡±

    ¡°Good girls don¡¯t smoke.¡± Huo Shaoheng took the cigarette from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and tossed it into the trash can. He recovered his pack of cigarettes from her.

    ¡°Nonsense! There¡¯s no rtion between being good and smoking. You¡¯re just pulling things out of your ass!¡± Gu Nianzhi indignantly watched Huo Shaoheng stuff the pack of cigarettes back into his trouser pocket.

    Huo Shaoheng casually draped an arm over the back of the sofa, right behind where Gu Nianzhi was sitting. He turned partly towards her and said in a low voice: ¡°...I don¡¯t kiss girls who smoke.¡±

    In the next second, he had already leaned over to Gu Nianzhi. His tongue darted out and lightly traced her lips. Before she realized what was happening, he had pulled away, and was now looking at her nonchntly. ¡°...Remember that.¡±

    His voice was like the melodic notes of a cello in the dark of the night. It was low and seductive.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whole body had gone numb and tingly. She leaned against the sofa like a boneless rag doll. She did not even have the strength to raise her arms.

    Her eyes grew misty, but she said stubbornly. ¡°You¡¯re a heavy smoker, Huo Shao, but I never onceined or turned my nose up at you...¡±

    ¡°You canin, you know.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her. There was a hint of a smile on his face as he leaned closer to her. ¡°You can swear never to kiss me again.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Gu Nianzhi knew Huo Shaoheng was using his good looks to trap her, but she could not resist him. She chided herself inwardly for being obsessed with superficial beauty, and rolled her eyes at Huo Shaoheng for using his seductive good looks to ¡°tempt¡± her.

    Her body was a lot more honest than her brain. Before she knew what she was doing, she had closed the distance and pressed her pouty lips against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi had always felt that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips were perfect. They were neither too hard nor too soft; they were just right for kissing.

 Chapter 284 - Can We Go Public?

    <h4>Chapter 284: Can We Go Public?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was so immersed in the kiss that she didn¡¯t know that her own plump lips were also irresistible to Huo Shaoheng. Seeing that she was about to slide onto the floor, Huo Shaoheng quickly supported her head with one hand and lifted her up to prop against the sofa. He pressed against her, tongue delving between her lips. This time, the pair didn¡¯t seem to require skillful kissing to make the each other pant. Their bodies grew more sensitive and electricity seemed to flow between their lips, bringing on waves of numbness and sparks.

    Gu Nianzhi encircled her arms with satisfaction, embracing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and muttering against his lips, ¡°...When can we kiss in public?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...Never.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled mischievously as she stuck out a finger to separate her lips from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, ¡°So many people kiss in front of others too. Sometimes the moment is right and you can¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°Well, then you have to keep trying and when you finally seduce me, I¡¯ll... kiss you in front of other people.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was calm and even, but it made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thud uncontrobly.

    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t lie to me?¡±

    ¡°When did I ever lie to you?¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll keep trying!¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her firts and was about to make a vow.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head and gave a conflicted took before kissing her forehead.

    ¡°Nianzhi, give me some time to think about this.¡±

    His voice was so gentle that Gu Nianzhi was drunk on it and didn¡¯t react to the words until a while after. She immediately climbed on him to grab his cor, asking anxiously, ¡°What you mean think about this?! Didn¡¯t you agree already! You promised that you¡¯re mine if I can seduce you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled his hand away with a smile, ¡°I just said that to test you, and you really believed it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t test me like that!¡± Of course I believed it!¡± Gu Nianzhi panicked, ¡°I knew you have a special status, and I¡¯ll amodate you, just don¡¯t... just don¡¯t back out now, ok?¡± Her eyes were full of fear and helplessness, like a child who was about to have her favourite toy taken away. She looked at him with innocence and grief, and the feeling ofplete trust and reliance was like a gentle arrow that struck Huo Shaoheng in the heart.

    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t back out. But you have to be good, ok?¡± Huo Shaoheng gave her a hug, ¡°Ok, it¡¯s gettingte, go back to your room to sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took her time and refused to go, whispering to him, ¡°Then Huo Shao, can you at least keep your door open so I can see the light from my room?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng silently looked at her for a while. When Gu Nianzhi first became under his care, she had just received a great shock and was timid, so she used to slept on a little bed in his room. As she grew up, she moved to her own room but he still kept his light on before she fell asleep, so she wouldn¡¯t get scared. They did this up until she left for college. Now that Gu Nianzhi was requesting this again, it must mean he gave her too much pressure and frightened her? Huo Shaoheng grazed her lips with his thumb to feel the soft tenderness and a gentle expression appeared on his face, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll keep my door open until you asleep.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao treats me the best!¡± Gu Nianzhi broke into a huge grin and hugged his neck, tilting her head to proceed with another unreasonable request, ¡°Then you can carry me back to my room tonight!¡± Carrying her out would mean that they would pass the hallway with 24 hour surveince cameras, and that meant they would be exposed...

    Huo Shaoheng saw through her little trick, ¡°...No, you go back yourself.¡± As he spoke, he rose up and returned to his desk to continue working. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ploy failed, so she could only rub her nose and return to her room alone. But when she shut off the lights in her room, she found that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door was probably open. Light seeped through from across the hallway, and the dim yellow light stretched into long and narrow pools by her door. She instantly felt warmth. When a person truly loved another, even simply basking in the same light was enough to fill their heart with happiness. Gu Nianzhi smiled as she closed her eyes and prepared to fall asleep. Before she totally passed out, she could sense Huo Shaoheng walk in and stand at her bedside for a while. Sheid on the bed, covered with a light down duvet. She opened her groggy eyes to stare at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure and handsome jawline, muttering, ¡°Huo Shao...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here. Sleep now.¡± Huo Shaoheng bent over to adjust he nkets and kissed her forehead, ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°You sleep early too, don¡¯t stay up again...¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured, but her conscious as getting blurry and she quickly fell asleep. A faint smile shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s impassive face.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi slept deeply that night and didn¡¯t toss and turn at all. She woke up early next morning in a great mood and voluntarily ran tenps in the track of the headquarters base. January was very cold in the Imperial capital, a light frost was in the air and fog swirled in the distance. The sun shone with a pale yellow glow through the thick fog, appearing like pieces of egg yolk in a fried egg. It felt incredibly intimate. Donning ck sportswear, camo pants, camo print sneakers and a ponytail, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead beaded with sweat. Her fair skin was rosy and carried the glow of perkiness and youth after a workout when she returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    ¡°Oh, Nianzhi went for a run so early? Let me see, did the sun hadn¡¯t rise from the west? ¨CIt¡¯s still from the east!¡± Yin Shixiong saw Gu Nianzhi at the entrance to the dining room and joked with her.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her fists at him, ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯m now a great athlete. Don¡¯t mess with me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so scared! I¡¯m totally scared! Forgive me Captain Gu!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly began to bow for mercy and made Gu Nianzhi giggle.

    Zhao Liangze carried his breakfast and was walking towards the dining room when he passed by Gu Nianzhi. He sniffed the air purposely, ¡°Oh my! How many days ago did you shower, Nianzhi? You reek of sweat!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean! I just showered yesterday!¡± Gu Nianzhi was so mad she immediately forgot about Yin Shixiong and blocked Zhao Liangze¡¯s way, ¡°Smell again! You must¡¯ve smelled wrong! I can¡¯t smell anything!¡±

    ¡°Let me smell...¡± Zhao Liangze was used to joking around with Gu Nianzhi, so he immediately leaned forward so far that his head nearly touched her cheek, ¡°I¡¯ll have a sniff! Hmm¨CVery... sweet!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck back and just giggled, ¡°Hey! You didn¡¯t have to be so close!¡± Suddenly, she heard Zhao Liangze scream as he was picked up and thrown to the side. He stumbled a few steps back and hurriedly protected his te of food, turning around to shout, ¡°Big Xiong, you want to die!¡±

    However the one standing in front of Gu Nianzhi was an expressionless Huo Shaoheng. Yin Shixiong was winking beside him as he tried to notugh.

    Zhao Liangze deted immediately and chuckled, ¡°...Mr. Huo, don¡¯t get angry. I was just ying around with little Nianzhi, just ying...¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly, ¡°But she¡¯s grown up now and can¡¯t act like a kid anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong immediately answered in unison, snapping their heels together in salute.

    Feeling awkward, Gu Nianzhi muttered from behind Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, Brother Ze didn¡¯t do anything. They won¡¯t dare to y with me again if you talk like that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and didn¡¯t bother replying before walking to the dining room.

    Gu Nianzhi shuffled around the door with her head down and didn¡¯t want to go in, so she went back to her room to shower. Huo Shaoheng sat down in the dining room and noticed that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t actually follow him in. He nced at the door.

    Zhao Liangze hastily tried to butter Huo Shaoheng up, ¡°Mr. Huo, Nianzhi is throwing a tantrum. She got upset from being scolded by you, so she went back to her room without having breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! The youngdy¡¯s temper is getting worse! We¡¯ve got to educate her! It won¡¯t do to not educate her!¡± Yin Shixiong decided to join in the fun, but secretly supported Gu Nianzhi. Little Nianzhi was the first person in the Special Ops to defy Mr. Huo!

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze to nce at Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong, ¡°Since you two are so nosy, did you be the apprentices of Chen Lie?¡±

 Chapter 285 - Proud Fathers

    <h4>Chapter 285: Proud Fathers</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Chen Lie walked in with a breakfast tray stacked with his favorite food. He heard what Huo Shaoheng had just said, and frowned heavily. ¡°Boss, you can lecture Little Ze and Big Xiong all you want, but why are you dragging me into it? When have I ever been a gossip? Tch, what an insult! Don¡¯t you know what everyone calls me in the military general hospital? I¡¯m Dr. Icy Cool Dreamboat over there!¡±

    Pffffft!

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong burst intoughter.

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe me? Well, I¡¯m not going to treat you the next time you fall sick, then!¡± Chen Lie yed his trump card.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong immediately began to suck up to Chen Lie. They pulled out a seat for him, and poured him a ss of milk. ¡°Have a seat, Brother Chen. Are you tired? Do you want us to feed you?¡±

    ¡°Bah, go away!¡± Chen Lie shot Huo Shaoheng a nce, before turning to survey the dining hall. He asked, surprised, ¡°Huh, where¡¯s Nianzhi? And Mrs. Song?¡±

    The orderly in charge of the dining hall quickly spoke up. ¡°Mrs. Song informed me that she wants to have her breakfast in her room. Do you want to ask Mrs. Song toe to the table instead, General Huo?¡±

    ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. He looked at the breakfast on the table, and added: ¡°Take Nianzhi¡¯s breakfast tray to her room, and bring it back once she¡¯s done eating.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The orderly lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breakfast tray and walked to her bedroom. He knocked on the door, but no one answered.

    He pressed the inte beside the door and spoke into it. ¡°Miss Gu, I brought you your breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in the middle of a shower. She heard the orderly over the inte in the bathroom, and hastily turned off the water. She said loudly, ¡°You can leave it in the living room, thanks! I¡¯m still in the shower, you can open the door ande in. It isn¡¯t locked.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave your breakfast on the coffee table in the living room.¡± The orderly opened the door, set the breakfast tray on the table, and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He returned to the dining hall.

    Zhao Liangze saw the orderly, and asked anxiously: ¡°...Did Nianzhi eat her breakfast?¡±

    The orderly shook his head. ¡°Miss Gu was in the middle of a shower, sir. I left the tray on the coffee table.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong breathed a sigh of relief. The two exchanged a look as they tried to hide the smile on their faces. They knew what was up: Nianzhi was taking a shower because Zhao Liangze had said she smelled of sweat.

    ¡°Oh, our little girl is beginning to care about her appearances. She¡¯s all grown up now, hahahaha!¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong felt like proud fathers. Theyughed heartily.

    Huo Shaoheng did not react. He continued eating his breakfast, his face entirely devoid of expression.

    Chen Lie was still annoyed at Huo Shaoheng for calling him a gossip. A sly smile crept over his face; he turned to the orderly and asked: ¡°Miss Gu was in the middle of a shower? How did you enter her room, then?¡±

    The orderly was a young man of 17, younger than Gu Nianzhi, and was extremely honest. He answered seriously: ¡°Miss Gu told me to enter the room myself, because she didn¡¯t lock the door.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t lock the door...?¡± Chen Lie said with cunning emphasis. He kept sneaking looks at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°So she doesn¡¯t lock the door when she¡¯s taking a shower? Tsk tsk, the littledy shouldn¡¯t make a habit out of it. She¡¯s safe enough here, but if she gets used to it and forgets to lock the door when she¡¯s taking a shower elsewhere... oh my, I can¡¯t bear to think what might happen...¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s sharp eyes saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers tighten on his knife and fork, but only for a split second. After that momentary, almost imperceptiblepse of control, he continued eating his breakfast with all the calmness of a cidke.

    The major general ate unhurriedly, showing no signs of anxiety. After he had finished his food, he leisurely drank a small cup of coffee, before turning to Zhao Liangze to say: ¡°You told me yesterday you had some documents to send over to me. I have some time now, send them over.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was still in the middle of his breakfast. He almost choked on his food, and had to quickly down an entire ss of juice to keep from choking. ¡°I¡¯m still in the middle of preparing those documents. Do you want them now, Mr. Huo?¡±

    ¡°Yes, right now. I have to attend the meeting with the military¡¯s Supreme Council in the afternoon, but I have some free time before that.¡± Huo Shaoheng got up and strode out of the dining hall without another word.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Zhao Liangze immediately abandoned his breakfast and hurried off to prepare the documents for Huo Shaoheng.

    Chen Lie rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s retreating back. He was impressed: the son of a gun had gotten even better at hiding his feelings.

    He had not been able to catch the slightest change in the major general¡¯s expression, and he was his closest friend!

    What amazingposure!

    Chen Lie gave Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back a thumbs-up.

    Yin Shixiong stared at him, baffled. He stuffed his mouth with mashed potatoes and cheese, and mumbled with his mouth full: ¡°Doctor Chen, what do you mean by that?¡±

    Chen Lie smiled cheekily. ¡°I was justplimenting General Huo. Look at him, he¡¯s as steady and as inscrutable as a mountain. I don¡¯t think anything can faze him now.¡±

    ¡°Well, duh! That¡¯s what sets him apart from the rest of us. Why else do you think he¡¯s a major general, while I¡¯m just a lieutenant colonel, even though we¡¯re the same age?¡± Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes. ¡°Dr. Chen, you should learn a thing or two from Mr. Huo. You¡¯ve been stuck at the rank of senior colonel for ages now.¡±

    This was a sensitive topic for Chen Lie, and it angered him to hear Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary tease him about it. He shouted: ¡°Get out!¡±

    He wished he could shoot daggers out of his eyes at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong chuckled. He leisurely popped two dumplings into his mouth, one after the other, before sauntering out of the room.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the second floor, and hesitated before the door to his suite. He looked at the opposite door, the door to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, and decided to pay her a visit. He walked over and opened the door.

    The orderly had been telling the truth: the door wasn¡¯t locked. He noted the untouched breakfast tray on the coffee table¡ªwas Gu Nianzhi still in the shower?

    Huo Shaoheng locked the door behind him. He made his way across the living room to the bedroom further inside.

    The bathroom was inside the bedroom.

    He walked into the bedroom, but did not hear the sound of running water from the bathroom.

    The silence puzzled Huo Shaoheng. He called out: ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in the bathroom, rubbing body lotion into her skin as she stared at the bottles of perfume on the dressing table. She could not decide which to use.

    She was momentarily taken aback to hear Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice. She hurriedly wrapped a bath towel around her and walked out of the bathroom. ¡°Huo Shao? Is there a problem?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi standing before him.

    Drops of water rolled off her dark hair. Her bath towel, wrapped around her chest, was only long enough to reach her thighs.

    She was fresh out of the shower, and her skin shone like a lustrous pearl. She seemed to glow all over.

    Huo Shaoheng swallowed heavily. He said in a low voice: ¡°...Who taught you to bathe without locking the door?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked around, perplexed. ¡°We¡¯re in your official residence, Huo Shao. It¡¯s 100% safe in here. In fact, I feel safe enough to run around naked.¡±

    ¡°Are you insane?¡± Huo Shaoheng knew Gu Nianzhi was right about his residence being secure, but he could not stop the anger welling within him. He took a few steps towards her, his expression solemn. ¡°Care to repeat that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took two steps backwards, rmed. She tightened her hold on the bath towel around her and summoned the courage to say: ¡°Am I wrong? Everyone here is nice and respectable, they would never do anything to me. And even if there¡¯s a bad egg among them, your residence is so heavily monitored they¡¯d be arrested before they can try anything! Why should I be afraid? Why do I have to lock the door?¡±

    ¡°And you think that makes it okay for you to take a shower without locking the door? To run around naked?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned heavily at Gu Nianzhi. She was too rxed around men. Was she merely careless, or had he failed to educate her properly?

    Gu Nianzhi did not understand why Huo Shaoheng was angry. She blinked herrge, misty eyes at him as she said in a small voice: ¡°...It was just an example, it¡¯s not like I n on running around naked... I know the men here wouldn¡¯t darey a finger on me, but I¡¯m not that shameless to walk around in my birthday suit, you know...¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you havee up with a better example?¡± Huo Shaoheng sped his hands behind his back. He made no move to close the remaining distance between himself and Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Remember to lock the door when you take a shower next time. No exceptions.¡±

    ¡°Well, at least I locked... the bathroom door... yes, of course...¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered that she had not locked the bathroom door either...

    She tried not to think about it. She nodded and said, a little guiltily, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll remember to lock the outer door next time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could tell something was wrong from her tone. ¡°...You locked the bathroom door just now, right?¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t asked, Gu Nianzhi could have kept quiet about it, and it wouldn¡¯t have counted as a lie.

    But Huo Shaoheng had asked, and she had to answer him.

    She recalled how furious Huo Shaoheng had been a moment ago, and was worried he would be even angrier with her if she told him the truth.

    Tears swirled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

 Chapter 286 - Ill Watch It With You

    <h4>Chapter 286: I¡¯ll Watch It With You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pitiful look reflected in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. This was an expression of guilt and basically her admitting not locking the bathroom door. ¡°You really didn¡¯t lock the bathroom door?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was getting dangerously low.

    Gu Nianzhi originally wanted to argue the front door was closed, then remembered aside from leaving the bathroom door unlocked, she did so with the front door too. She had proceeded to shower without a second thought, perhaps she was too careless... Watching Huo Shaoheng¡¯s increasingly serious face, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun as she blinked her doe eyes and suddenly reached out both arms to dive into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace. She said softly, ¡°Huo Shao, it was my fault. I won¡¯t dare to do it again, please punish me...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his hands, but didn¡¯t hug her back. He replied dryly instead, ¡°Are you admitting fault?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up from his arms to watch his dark eyes in fascination, ¡°It was my fault, it¡¯s really my fault, I won¡¯t dare do it again, please believe me! Please punish me?¡±

    ¡°You want me to punish you? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Go on, are you going to force a kiss or even force yourself on me? I¡¯ll be good and stand here without resisting...!¡± She even closed her eyes and pouted her plump lips.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly stuck out a long and slim finger to ce on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. He used a bit of force to push her away, ¡°This is punishment? ¨CMore like wishful thinking.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was appeared disappointed as she buried her head in his chest again, but her lips curved upwards. Although her trick failed, at least Huo Shaoheng was no longer angry.

    ¡°...Don¡¯t smile too early.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down to see the smile Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t quite hide in time, ¡°There will be a punishment for sure, but I¡¯ll choose how and where to punish you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up happily, ¡°Oh? Is that so? How does Huo shao want to punish me? Give me a hint so that I can prepare... Whips, candles, or...¡±

    Face falling, Huo Shaoheng interrupted her, ¡°Nianzhi, where did you learn this nonsense from?¡±

    Quickly pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi realized she got carried away and said something she shouldn¡¯t have...

    ¡°Well? Are you mute?¡±

    In her desperation, Gu Nianzhi blurted out, ¡°Sounds like Huo Shao knows about these things too! And where di Huo Shao learn them from?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question, not the other way around.¡± Huo Shaoheng ignored her question and pushed her away as he spoke.

    Upon leaving his warm embrace, Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt crestfallen. Her eyes darkened and the previous stars sparkling in them seemed to disappear. Huo Shaoheng almost stopped himself, but if he didn¡¯t educate her now it may cause bigger trouble in the future. He was the most adept at nning ahead and knew developing good habits was the best way to prevent sudden emergencies. ¡°Tell me.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his watch up to look at it, ¡°I only have 5 minutes here, if you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll have to...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi became flustered and clenched the towel wrapped around her chest, stuttering, ¡°I... I saw it online...¡±

    ¡°Online?¡±

    ¡°Yes, on Wikipedia. I heard someone talk about it once and got curious, so I looked it up and found... Detailed exnations...¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke as she looked down bashfully, her facepletely flushed.

    Huo Shaoheng asked calmly, ¡°Did you watch any videos?¡±

    ¡°No, no! I really didn¡¯t!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head, ¡°Even though I was really interested in the steamy movies my ssmates talked about, I couldn¡¯t find any of them.¡± In fact, theputer, phone and iPad she used had security software installed by Zhao Liangze. All those indecent websites were set to be blocked. The only one to slip through was Wikipedia, which was merely a description and not raunchy material.

    Huo Shaoheng was fully aware, but was still worried that Gu Nianzhi would see those things on someone else¡¯sputer or phone. He nodded, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll believe you this one time.¡±

    ¡°Please believe me, Huo Shao. I really didn¡¯t...¡± Gu Nianzhi finally couldn¡¯t help it and the tears fell, gliding down from her freshly showered skin and making Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart tremble. She stood sobbing before Huo Shaoheng, barefoot and her perfectly sculpted legs were so fair that they glowed in a distracting way. He turned around and replied dryly, ¡°Don¡¯t cry and go get changed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and went to the closet to find some clothes, then took them to the bathroom to change. ¡°Huo Shao...¡± She fearfully called out his name from behind him, not daring to be coy anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to see her wearing a green cropped high neck hooded sweater with figure ttering tailor made wool pants. She appeared slightly flustered standing in front of him. There were still unwiped tears on her face and her wet hair was wrapped in a towel. She appeared like a graceful and slim new lotus still carrying fresh dew drops. He beckoned her, ¡°Come over here.¡±

    Hesitating for a moment, Gu Nianzhi slowly walked to him, ¡°Huo Shao... it was my fault, I won¡¯t do it again. I¡¯ll remember to lock my door no matter where I am.¡±

    ¡°Ok, it¡¯s good if you¡¯ll remember.¡± Huo Shaoheng held her shoulders, ¡°This is for your own good, we can¡¯t always be at your side. You have to be able to protect yourself.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was still shaky.

    Huo Shaoheng knew he scared her, but it was necessary to punish her severely, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t remember the lesson.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s have breakfast.¡± Huo Shaoheng put one arm on her shoulders and walked her to the living room, ¡°Don¡¯t you usually shower after having breakfast? Why did you shower before eating today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of how today¡¯s bad luck started with Zhao Liangze¡¯s teasing, and used him angrily, ¡°It was Brother Ze¡¯s fault. He said I reeked of sweat after running, so I...¡± She looked up at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to smell it...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long while, he wanted tough and dragged her to the sofa on the living room to ask, ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯m someone who is prissy about the smell of sweat? How do you think I survived all these years ofpleting missions all over the world?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. It wasn¡¯t even the same subject, but Huo Shao intentionally changed it? But she was just scolded and didn¡¯t dare talk back at him, so she just looked down in silence and acted cautiously. Seeing her like this, Huo Shaoheng thought she must be embarrassed from being scolded by him... He considered it, then leaned to her ear and whispered, ¡°If you are good, you won¡¯t go looking at these indecent things with other people.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t look at them for sure!¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head furiously.

    ¡°...If you really want to see it, then you can ask me...¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice grew deeper as he lowered his head to that his perfect lips moved from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear to her plump lips. He tasted her gently, then backed away¨Cstopping within easy reach, but yet still untouchable.

    Gu Nianzhi could almost feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hot breath from between his lips, and she was like a candle that was about to bepletely melted by him. ¡°Real... Really...¡± Gu Nianzhi stuttered, ¡°You would... show me?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re good, I will consider it.¡± Huo Shaoheng stuck one hand in her hair to support the back of head, his gentle movement but securing her to himself. With this kiss, he took the lead. She could only take what he gave, and what he didn¡¯t give she could only lust for. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips grew numb from kissing but it was too sweet to give up. Huo Shaoheng also got really into it, until Zhao Liangze started calling him on his headset. He finally released Gu Nianzhi to look down at her and said in hoarse voice, ¡°Listen to me, I¡¯ll get worried if you keep acting this way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shivered from being so moved. All the kisses and embraces earlier did not make her feel as good as these words. ¡°I won¡¯t.. I won¡¯t ever again... I will never do anything Huo Shao has asked me not to...¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help bursting into tears again, but this time she was extremely touched and not crying out of fear.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her in silence for a while, then got up, ¡°You have breakfast, I¡¯m going to work.¡±

    Gu Nianzi walked him to the door, where he would only be a hallway away from her. Huo Shaoheng merely shook his head at her and didn¡¯t say anything more before going to his suite to review documents. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood brightened as she happily ate breakfast, then called He Zhichu to ask when he would be free to meet at school to get his signature.

 Chapter 287 - Are You Talking to Me?

    <h4>Chapter 287: Are You Talking to Me?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The number Gu Nianzhi was calling was He Zhichu¡¯s private number. Less than five people in the entire world knew the number.

    He Zhichu had just finished his breakfast and was now at his desk, sorting through his work-rted emails.

    He heard the ringtone for his private phone. When he saw who was calling, he immediately took the call.

    ¡°Good morning, Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet, gentle voice sounded from the other end of the line. He Zhichu let go of his mouse, and leaned backwards into his chair. He said coolly: ¡°Hello, Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. She knew He Zhichu was mad at her, but he had epted her call. That was a good sign, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Professor He, do you remember what I asked you thest time we met? That thing about your signature? When are you free?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked respectfully, a smile in her voice.

    He Zhichu had been toying with a pen in his hand. He mmed it onto the table as he asked her icily: ¡°What, don¡¯t you want to be the Special Ops¡¯ negotiator anymore?¡±

    ¡°That was just a temporary measure. Surely you aren¡¯t suggesting Mr. Huo gave me a job just because he¡¯s my guardian? Are you using him of nepotism?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed lightly as she sent the ball back to He Zhichu¡¯s court.

    He Zhichu ignored her attack. He asked stubbornly, ¡°Are you their negotiator, or aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. She said in a subdued voice: ¡°...No, not anymore.¡±

    ¡°Good, then. Are you free right now? Come over, right this instant.¡± He Zhichu promptly hung up.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone in disbelief. He had not told her where he was¡ªhow the heck was she supposed to look for him?

    After a moment¡¯s deliberation, she sent a message to He Zhichu: Professor He, where are you?

    He Zhichu sent her the address for the B Universityw department¡¯s faculty building. After that, he went to his bathroom and took a quick shower.

    He put on a bathrobe, tying it loosely around him. He hung a towel around his neck as he walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with the towel as he went.

    He had just entered his bedroom when he saw Wen Shouyie in with a stack of freshly pressed clothes. She put them into his closet.

    He Zhichu frowned. He said, in a tone of open displeasure, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you knock?¡±

    Wen Shouyi whipped around. She saw He Zhichu, fresh out of the shower, and was surprised. ¡°Professor He, why are you still here? Shouldn¡¯t you be at the firm by now?¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly remembered he was supposed to attend a meeting at the Sovereign Law Office¡ªthew firm he had opened in the Huaxia Empire¡ªto meet his employees. He had forgotten all about it.

    ¡°...I don¡¯t feel like going. Take my ce.¡± He Zhichu picked out a clean set of clothes, and returned to the bathroom to dress.

    Wen Shouyi bit her lip. She walked over to the bathroom door and asked worriedly, ¡°Professor He, is anything wrong? Are you sick? Is it another headache?¡±

    He Zhichu finished changing, and walked out of the bathroom. He said dispassionately, ¡°I make my own decisions. Do I owe you an exnation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about your health. Your father worries about you, you know...¡± Wen Shouyi hastily exined. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you¡¯re not sick. I¡¯ll go to the office and attend the meeting now.¡±

    Wen Shouyi walked out of He Zhichu¡¯s room. She checked the time, and realized she would have to hurry. She quickly called thew firm and informed the receptionist that she would be attending the meeting in Mr. He¡¯s ce.

    The staff at thew firm were sorely disappointed. They had been waiting eagerly to finally meet their famous boss in person, and now it looked like they would have to keep on waiting.

    After Wen Shouyi left, He Zhichu walked over to the sofa and sat down. He picked up the newspaper, but was too restless to read it for long. He kept checking his watch and his private phone.

    After setting up the appointment with He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi went to look for Yin Shixiong to ask for a chauffeured car. She told him she was going to B University, which was situated in the northern section of the capital city. The Special Ops HQ was located in the south; there was quite a bit of distance to cover.

    Yin Shixiong did not bother informing Huo Shaoheng about it; Huo Shaoheng was in the middle of reviewing documents, and had instructed Yin Shixiong not to bother him. Gu Nianzhi was just going to her university, after all¡ªwhere was the harm in that? Yin Shixiong immediately arranged a chauffeured car for her.

    The car was exceedingly ordinary in every way. But it had a chauffeur behind the wheel. It was a strangebination.

    Gu Nianzhi sat awkwardly in the car. She was sure the car would be able to pass for the average taxi on the road. All she had to do was put up a TAXI sign...

    The car drove out of the Special Ops base¡ªand was immediately caught in heavy traffic.

    There was nothing she could do. She got out her phone and started ying games on it. It was a full hour before the traffic began to move.

    Her phone rang. It was He Zhichu, and he sounded displeased. ¡°Late again, Gu Nianzhi? What¡¯s your excuse this time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily at a loss for words. She stared at the heavy traffic before her, and said resentfully, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m stuck in traffic! Besides, we didn¡¯t even agree on a time¡ªhow can you use me of beingte?¡±

    He Zhichu said icily: ¡°Still trying to make excuses? You live 45 minutes away from campus. It¡¯s been 90 minutes, and you¡¯re still not here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew she was partly to me¡ªshe had wasted some time dragging her feet before asking Yin Shixiong to get a car for her. Still, she had no control over the current traffic.

    ¡°Professor He, I don¡¯t have a private helicopter. I¡¯m still bound to traffic conditions.¡± Gu Nianzhi forced an awkwardugh. ¡°I know you¡¯re a forgiving man, so please forgive me.¡± She added: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there in...¡±

    She turned to ask the chauffeur: ¡°How long more?¡±

    The chauffeur checked the traffic conditions, and the distance they had to cover. He mentally calcted how long it would take. ¡°...About half an hour, I think.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said to He Zhichu: ¡°I¡¯ll be there in half an hour.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s brow furrowed. He hung up without another word, and walked over to the window with his hands shoved into his pockets. He was on the 28th floor; he looked out the window and surveyed the surrounding roads.

    The roads around B University were clear. There was no sign of heavy traffic.

    He checked the map on his phone, and saw that Gu Nianzhi had been telling the truth: the highway leading from the Special Ops base to B University was heavily congested. He stared in annoyance at the long red line, indicating bumper-to-bumper traffic.

    ...

    Half an hourter, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car finally arrived at B University¡¯s south gate.

    They did not have an entry permit for the car. Gu Nianzhi would have to enter the campus on foot.

    Gu Nianzhi did not mind. She stepped out of the car, and stooped at the door to tell the chauffeur to find a parking spot and wait for her.

    The chauffeur was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal driver; it was his job to drive her around. He obediently listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s instructions, and exchanged phone numbers with her before driving away.

    Gu Nianzhi straightened up and was about to walk towards the school gate when she heard a snort ofughter behind her.

    She knew the voice. She had heard it only once, more than ten days ago, but she remembered it clearly.

    She remembered everything, after all.

    Gu Nianzhiplimented herself on her excellent memory before walking towards the school gate. She did not bother turning to look at the source of the voice.

    It was the voice of Prime Minister Dou¡¯s second daughter, Dou Aiyan.

    ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t expect you to have a car of your own. Who¡¯s the chauffeur?¡± Dou Aiyan walked over to Gu Nianzhi, a smile on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw Dou Aiyan, dressed in a scarlet belted cashmere overcoat. Her long, wavy hair hung loose over her back. She was tall, and beautiful¡ªshe was a lot prettier than her older sister, Dou Qingyan.

    There were two girls standing next to Dou Aiyan, dressed in pastel blue and pink cashmere overcoats. Gu Nianzhi guessed they were either Dou Aiyan¡¯s ssmates, or herckeys.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at them, but made no attempt to acknowledge their existence. She continued walking towards the south gate.

    Dou Aiyan had never been ignored before this. She was stunned. After a moment, she collected herself and ran to catch up with Gu Nianzhi. She said, annoyed, ¡°Hey! I¡¯m talking to you! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in resignation. She stopped walking and turned to look at Dou Aiyan. ¡°Who are you? Are you talking to me? If you are, please mind your manners.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?!¡± Dou Aiyan had not expected Gu Nianzhi to pretend not to know her. ¡°You were a guest at my house a few days ago. How can you have forgotten me already?¡±

    The two girls beside Dou Aiyan began tough. ¡°What a fake!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers tightened on the shoulder straps of her backpack. She smiled pleasantly. ¡°I¡¯ve been invited to many parties. I honestly can¡¯t remember the host of every party I¡¯ve been to, not unless they personally introduce themselves to me. Is that all? You¡¯re in my way. Please step aside so I can pass.¡±

    Dou Aiyan watched Gu Nianzhi walk to the school gate and speak a few words to the security guard before entering the campus.

    Dou Aiyan stamped her foot, annoyed. She inwardly cursed Gu Nianzhi: You¡¯re just a nobody, how dare you take that attitude with me! You think you¡¯re a bigshot, but I bet you had to lick General Huo¡¯s boots just to enjoy your current privileges...

    You¡¯re just a lowly orphan!

    Wait till General Huo gets married¡ªI can¡¯t wait to watch you fall from grace!

 Chapter 288 - Goddess Tier Character

    <h4>Chapter 288: Goddess Tier Character</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Dou Aiyan was furious as she followed Gu Nianzhi. The two young girls at her side were her friends, who also attended B University but weren¡¯t in the Faculty of Law. Their fathers were subordinates of Prime Minister Dou¨Ctheir families were close friends and the girls had a good rtionship with Dou Aiyan at school. Dou Aiyan typically got along well with all the other students and never put up airs because she was the daughter of the Prime Minister. However she was angered by the shameless Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Aiyan, who is she? Don¡¯t get mad, that kind of person it¡¯s not worth getting angry over.¡± The girl in the light blue cashmere coat whispered, ¡°Are you familiar with her?¡±

    ¡°Who would be familiar with someone like that?¡± Dou Aiyan rolled her eyes, ¡°She¡¯s an orphan girl and grew up under Major General Huo¡¯s care. Does she really think she¡¯s the daughter of the general? He didn¡¯t even adopt her alright?!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Never heard of heard of her...¡± The two girls looked at each other with slight surprise. They also went to the Dou¡¯s banquet that night, but we too busy socializing with friends to notice anything else. Afterwards Dou Aiyan¡¯s sister got into trouble and their attention was on the photos. Speaking of Major General Huo, the two girls¡¯ interest was piqued, ¡°Is that the man in your sister¡¯s photos? Oh my God? He¡¯s great!¡±

    ¡°Not only he is handsome, but beautiful too! Do you know how hard it is to find good looking men nowadays, seeing a handsome one is enough to make me pray in gratitude. And someone so beautiful I could lose my breath... hehe, I¡¯d give up ten years of my life if I can be with him...¡±

    Listening to her two friends gush, Dou Aiyan frowned, ¡°You both think Major General Huo is good looking?¡±

    ¡°Not only good looking! He¡¯s handsome and beautiful and cool it¡¯s amazing!¡± The girl in the pink cashmere coat was even more infatuated, she sped her hands and stars practically glittered in her eyes, ¡°Last time I saw him in the photos and I almost wanted to scream! Too bad I didn¡¯t see him in person when he came to your banquet, what a shame!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! Me too.. I regretted it so much, if I had known earlier I wouldn¡¯t have wasted my time with those other losers and lost the chance to see Major General Huo in person!¡±

    Dou Aiyan recalled meeting Huo Shaoheng for the first time that evening and shook her head with a smile, ¡°I still think Professor He is better looking...¡± Blush tinged her face as she spoke. Her two friends were still gushing over Huo Shaoheng and didn¡¯t notice it as they walked mindlessly behind Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi already noticed long before that the Prime Minister¡¯s youngest daughter was still following her, but she didn¡¯t care. Firstly, it broad daylight on the campus of B University, so it was unlikely anything would happen. Secondly, there were always bodyguards sent by Huo Shaoheng protecting her from the shadows whenever she was out. She didn¡¯t quite notice before, but she had learned there are many people secretly protecting her since the incident with the kidnappers at the Dufeng Mountain Resort during the C University graduation trip. Of course, she had be more cautious since then because her rashness could result in someone else sacrificing their lives. Thirdly, Dou Aiyan also certainly had her own secret bodyguards as the Prime Minister¡¯s beloved daughter. So Gu Nianzhi strolled along leisurely and took in the sights of the campus. It was arge ce and the students usually had to ride their bikes to travel between ssrooms, libraries and the cafeteria. Without a bike, a person could run until they lost their breath and still not make it to ss on time from another ss. Because the academic buildings were so spread out on campus and the students didn¡¯t all the same sses, everyone went to the assigned ssrooms on the schedules for the sses they chose. Some students even drove to campus. Gu Nianzhi opened the school map on her phone and found a path that was rtively close to building He Zhichu resided in, then made her way to it.

    Dou Aiyan and her friends were still daydreaming instead of talking about their usual chitchat, so they didn¡¯t notice that Gu Nianzhi slipped away. By the time they realized it, there were several roads in front of them but she was nowhere to be seen. ¡°How¡¯d she disappear in a blink of an eye?¡± Dou Aiyan stamped her feet, ¡°How¡¯d she run so fast?!¡±

    ¡°Forget about it.¡± Her two friends soothed her, ¡°Ignore her, she¡¯s not our kind of people. Aiyan, didn¡¯t you say you were going to speak with Professor Wen? How about we walk you there?¡±

    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go together.¡± Dou Aiyan had made ns with Wen Shouyi to ask her about some textbook questions since she had no ss today. Her friends also wanted to get acquainted with the famous Lawyer He¨Cit¡¯s didn¡¯t hurt for people like them to have good rtionships withwyers. But by sheer bad luck, they rediscovered Gu Nianzhi standing in front of the Wen Shouyi¡¯s building by the time they got there. Gu Nianzhi wore a ck half-length leather jacket, it was slim cut and her thin waist was entuated by a belt. She also had on a pale yellow high neck hooded sweater that covered her neck, and her long hair was tied back in a single ponytail. She appeared professional and fresh faced, and the knee length mid heel leather boots were form fitting to entuate her beautifully shaped calves. Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the building, appearing in a daze with the phone to her ear. She hung up without speaking a while after.

    ¡°Hey? Why is she here?¡± Dou Aiyan muttered to herself as she nced suspiciously in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. She knew Gu Nianzhi had the support of Major General Huo, so she didn¡¯t want to make her pay right away. A gentleman would bid his time for revenge... Once Major General Huo got married, it would be much easier to deal with Gu Nianzhi...

    Her friends also peered curiously beside her, ¡°...Who is she looking for?¡± Just as the three girls were wondering what was going on, a gentle voice sounded from behind, ¡°Aiyan? You¡¯re early.¡± It was Wen Shouyi.

    She had just driven a Mercedes Benz over and parked in the spot right in front of the professors¡¯ building. This location was especially valuable because aside from the handicapped, only privileged vehicles could use it. People like Dou Aiyan and her friends didn¡¯t judge people¡¯s statuses from superficial things like clothes and jewelry, but other disys of soft power. For example, where can you park? Do you eat specially imported food or what¡¯s from the grocery store? When the national opera house holds a performance that the head of state would attend, can you get a few tickets and are those box seats or normal seats? With Wen Shouyi parking in that spot, it meant that she had a special ce at B University. Dou Aiyan immediately arranged her face into a sweet smile as she walked to Wen Shouyi, who just got out of her car, ¡°Professor Wen, is it not good that I¡¯m early?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not good.¡± Wen Shouyi patted her cheek with a smile, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to see me if you¡¯re early. I just went out for a meeting and you would¡¯ve been waiting a long time if it didn¡¯t end earlier than expected.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Dou Aiyan rubbed her nose in embarrassment, ¡°That¡¯s¡¯ my fault, I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled at her warmly, ¡°That¡¯s ok, I didn¡¯t make it clear to you either.¡±

    Dou Aiyan¡¯s friends saw how amicable Wen Shouyi was and couldn¡¯t help gushing, ¡°Aiyan, this is the Professor Wen you always talk about? She¡¯s young, pretty and sessful, what a goddess tier character!¡± Not only young and pretty, but she also drove a fancy car and parked in a special spot!

    Unexpectedly, Wen Shouyi shooked her head modestly, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, this is all thanks to Professor He. I¡¯m his teaching assistant so I get these perks because of him.¡±

    Dou Aiyan became shy as soon as she heard He Zhichu¡¯s name. She fluffed her hair and pretended to ask calmly, ¡°Oh, Professor He is here too?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nced at her with a smile, taking her Hermes Kelly bag out of the car and pouting her lips, ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll see.¡±

    The four women walked up and Wen Shouyi then saw Gu Nianzhi standing in front of the building entrance. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t on the phone anymore, she put one hand in the pocket of her leather jacket and the other held the strap of her backpack. She looked at the professors¡¯ building in a daze.

 Chapter 289 - Busybody

    <h4>Chapter 289: Busybody</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi saw Gu Nianzhi, and instantly knew why He Zhichu had suddenly decided he ¡°did not feel like attending¡± the meeting.

    She suppressed the uneasiness within her, and shook her head to clear it. She gestured to Dou Aiyan. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡±

    Dou Aiyan and her two friends stopped in their tracks. Unable to hide their curiosity, they watched Wen Shouyi walk over to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Are you looking for Professor He?¡± Wen Shouyi stopped before Gu Nianzhi, a friendly smile on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Wen Shouyi, entirely unfazed. She returned the smile. ¡°Hello, Miss Wen. Yes, I¡¯m here for Professor He.¡±

    Dou Aiyan and her friends were standing close enough to hear what Gu Nianzhi had just said.

    Dou Aiyan suddenly felt as though a swarm of bees had gotten into her head. She could not get the loud buzzing out of her ears. Gu Nianzhi was here for Professor He? That couldn¡¯t be right. All at once, her resentment for Gu Nianzhi and her guardian, Huo Shaoheng, surged to the forefront of her mind.

    She recalled how General Huo, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian, had ignored her sister and caused her to get into so much trouble. She recalled how Gu Nianzhi had pointedly ignored her at the school gate. Her anger at the two of them threatened to overwhelm her.

    Dou Aiyan pressed her lips together. She casually walked over to Wen Shouyi; by the time she reached her, she had already stered a fake smile on her face. She cheerfully slid a hand around Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm as she looked Gu Nianzhi over. ¡°I bet you remember who I am now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi arched an eyebrow. She wondered what connection Dou Aiyan had with Wen Shouyi.

    Gu Nianzhi was still keenly aware of the fact that Wen Shouyi had saved her life; she had vowed to try her best to be courteous and polite before Wen Shouyi ever since. Instead ofshing back at Dou Aiyan, Gu Nianzhi merely looked away and said indifferently: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I still don¡¯t remember you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember me? Really?¡± Dou Aiyan gave a wryugh. She snuck a nce at Wen Shouyi out of the corner of her eye.

    She had expected to see a frown of disapproval on Professor Wen¡¯s face, but was surprised to see a small smile instead...

    Dou Aiyan was an expert at deciphering the bodynguage of the people around her. She grew even bolder now that she knew Professor Wen was on her side. She crossed her arms, and snorted derisively at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Drop the act. Everyone knows about my sister and General Huo. How can you not know who I am?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily caught off-guard. She had not expected Dou Aiyan to bring up her sister¡¯s scandal just to force her to admit she knew who she was.

    If it had been Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sister who had been involved in a simr scandal, Gu Nianzhi would never willingly bring it up in front of a stranger. In fact, if anyone had so much as breathed a word of it in conversation, she would immediately change the topic. How desperate was Dou Aiyan, to resort to such shameless tactics?

    Besides, Gu Nianzhi had interrogated Wen Shouyi and He Zhichu for the Special Ops during the investigation into Dou Qingyan¡¯s crimes.

    It did seem a bit of a stretch for Gu Nianzhi to pretend not to know Dou Aiyan.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated.

    If she were entirely honest, Gu Nianzhi had only pretended not to recognize her because she did not like Dou Qingyan¡¯s arrogant way of speaking to her.

    Dou Aiyan saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hesitation, and assumed that she had grown timid in front of Wen Shouyi. ¡°Stop pretending! Admit it!¡±

    That was enough to stoke Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rebellious spirit. She smiled pleasantly as she said, ¡°Who¡¯s your sister? I don¡¯t keep tabs on the women around Huo Shao, so I don¡¯t know your sister.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s meaning was clear: I don¡¯t know your supposedly ¡°famous¡± sister, so why on earth would I know a nobody like you?

    ¡°You don¡¯t know my sister? Okay, now I know you¡¯re definitely lying.¡± Dou Aiyan sneered as she flipped her hair. ¡°Whatever, you can keep on insisting you don¡¯t recognize me, it¡¯s not like I care, anyway. Professor Wen, how about we go up to your room?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded cheerfully. She turned to Gu Nianzhi to ask: ¡°Do you want toe with us?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to shake her head when Dou Aiyan, who was feeling resentful, spoke up: ¡°What business do you have with Professor He? If you¡¯re looking to transfer to this university, you should be talking to the people in the administration building. And you should get General Huo to speak on your behalf, no one¡¯s going to listen to you...¡±

    She was convinced that Gu Nianzhi was looking for Professor He for the exact same reason she was looking for Wen Shouyi: to try to ingratiate herself with the two professors.

    But Dou Aiyan had not been able to get close to Professor He, only his assistant, Wen Shouyi. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t even a student at the university, and her father was definitely not the Prime Minister; all she had was General Huo, and he was her guardian in name only. There was no way Gu Nianzhi would be able to get close to He Zhichu.

    Dou Aiyan did not believe it, not even for a second.

    Gu Nianzhi was tired of listening to Dou Aiyan brag about being a student at B University. Her gaze swept coolly over Dou Aiyan¡¯s face as she said indifferently: ¡°I don¡¯t have to transfer. I¡¯m already a student here at B University.¡±

    ¡°...You¡¯re a student here? Which department?¡±

    ¡°Law.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled pleasantly, but deep down she was already sick of the conversation. She did not want to spend another minute in a pointless argument with Dou Aiyan.

    ¡°You¡¯re aw student? Oh dear, I think you chose the wrong person to lie to.¡± Dou Aiyan burst intoughter. Her earlier frustration with Gu Nianzhi melted away, now that she was convinced she had the upper hand. ¡°I¡¯m aw student too, a freshman. I know all of my fellow freshmen, and quite a few of the sophomores, juniors, and seniors, but I¡¯ve never seen you around.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m not a college freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. There, are you satisfied?¡±

    Dou Aiyan blinked at Gu Nianzhi. She could not wrap her head around it. ¡°You¡¯re not a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior? So which year are you in, then? You¡¯ve just turned 18, right? Or did you just graduate from high school, and have just gotten your eptance letter?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the season for college entrance examinations.¡± Gu Nianzhi could not take it anymore; she rolled her eyes. Prime Minister Dou¡¯s eldest daughter had turned out to be an idiot, and her sister seemed to be just as stupid. How was it possible for two people with so few brain cells between them to be so conceited? ¡°I graduated from collegest year, and I¡¯m now a postgrad student at B University Law School. Professor He is my mentor. Is that enough information for you, Miss Busybody?¡±

    Dou Aiyan¡¯s face colored. In the next instant, her reddish blush had turned into a shade of angry purple. She seemed ready to blow up. She glowered at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Y-Y-You... You¡¯re only 18?! Did you change your age on your records?! How is it possible for you to be a postgrad student at your age? Do you take me for a fool? I don¡¯t believe it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought of Bai Jinyi, the ¡°prodigy¡± who had gone so far as to change her ¡°official¡± age just to retain her title instead of giving it up to Song Jinning. She could not resistughing as she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just an orphan, I don¡¯t have the necessary connections, influence, or money to change my age on my official records. You overestimate me.¡±

    Wen Shouyi watched them attentively, but did not say anything. Her only contribution to the conversation so far was to give Dou Aiyan an encouraging smile whenever she was flustered.

    Dou Aiyan recalled the car Gu Nianzhi had arrived in. She said with a sneer, ¡°That isn¡¯t necessarily true. I don¡¯t have a chauffeured car to drive me around town, but Miss Gu here apparently has one, even though she¡¯s an orphan.¡±

    ¡°A chauffeured car?¡± Wen Shouyi was suddenly curious. ¡°Nianzhi, did General Huo arrange the car for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately on guard. She shook her head. ¡°Of course not. That was just a car I hired through Uber, I had to pay the driver. Why, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you watching me like I¡¯m an ant under a magnifying ss?¡±

    She turned to look at Dou Aiyan, her eyes shing. ¡°As for you, I don¡¯t even know your name, so why are you being so nosy? Do you want me to give you my birth date and horoscope, too? I¡¯m warning you, this is an invasion of my privacy. I can send you awyer¡¯s letter too, you know.¡±

    Pfffffft!

    The two girls beside Dou Aiyan burst intoughter. They jabbed a finger at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re going to send her awyer¡¯s letter? Oh my god, that is hrious! I guess you weren¡¯t lying¡ªyou truly have no idea who you¡¯re talking to...¡±

    They looked at Dou Aiyan. ¡°Aiyan, you shouldn¡¯t talk to people who are beneath you. They¡¯ll just drag you down to their level and make you look cheap.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more¡ªwhich is why I¡¯ve decided to excuse myself from yourpany. Please, knock yourselves out.¡± With that, she stepped aside to let them pass.

    Wen Shouyi smiled beatifically. She was about to say something else when she suddenly noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a slender, elegant figure standing before the entrance to the faculty building. She did not know how long he had been standing there, but she could tell from his cool, aloof expression that he was upset. It was He Zhichu.

    Wen Shouyi felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly collected herself, and smiled pleasantly at Gu Nianzhi.

    She was about to put on a motherly act and say a few gentle words to Gu Nianzhi, but He Zhichu had already strode over to them. He put his hands in his pockets as he shot Gu Nianzhi a look of open displeasure. ¡°Come upstairs with me. How long do you n on keeping me waiting?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Hello, Professor He. I called you just now, but your line was busy.¡±

 Chapter 290 - A Little Trick

    <h4>Chapter 290: A Little Trick</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu just happened to be busy working on hisputer, so he was using the headset and missed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call. By the time he noticed, she already hung up and sent a text saying she was downstairs. He Zhichu simply ended his other call and went downstairs directly to go pick her up. He didn¡¯t expect to witness such drama. Dou Aiyan¡¯s usually wittiness and cleverness disappeared as soon as she saw He Zhichu. Aside from blushing and heart thumping like crazy, she couldn¡¯t recall any flirting methods and could only watch him walk Gu Nianzhi to the entrance of the professors¡¯ building then enter the elevator in front of them. The elevator shut before her eyes, the light turning red and moving up. She could no longer see the people inside. Dou Aiyan collected herself and asked Wen Shouyi, ¡°Professor Wen, was she telling the truth?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded with a smile, ¡°Of course it was true. You have to be careful not to cross Gu Nianzhi from now on, Aiyan. She¡¯s the only master student personally mentored by Professor He, she has a strong background. ¨CYou understand she has...¡±

    ¡°Oh? She really finished her undergrad at the age of 18?! Then got epted as Professor He¡¯s grad student?!¡± Dou Aiyan¡¯s heart felt as if she free fell from a thirty floor high building¨Call she could hear was the whistling of wind in her ears. It blocked out all other sounds and made her ears ring loudly.

    Wen Shouyi nced at her with chuckle, ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I also finished my undergrad when I was 18...¡±

    ¡°Professor Wen, you¡¯re different. Ipletely believe you finished your undergrad when you were 18, but as for her...¡± Dou Aiyan couldn¡¯t help pouting disdainfully, ¡°I¡¯m still suspicious.¡±

    Wen Shouyi gave a small smile as she took the three girls to the entrance of the professors¡¯ building. They entered the elevator and got off on the 28th floor, then Wen Shouyi pointed at Suite A on the other side, ¡°Professor He lives here, and I live in Suite B.¡± This building was reserved the top experts and there were two elevators inside that required a special card to allow ess to each person¡¯s own floor. It was very private. Dou Aiyan and her two friends looked at Suite A for a while, then followed Wen Shouyi into her suite.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had already went up to the 28th floor with He Zhichu and went inside Suite A. This was a huge suite with three bedrooms, three living rooms and three bathrooms. There was also a kitchen, sun room, gym and a small conference to meet all the teaching needs for a professor. Even if He Zhichu didn¡¯t go a teaching building, he could still give lectures to graduate students here. Gu Nianzhi sat in He Zhichu¡¯s sun room and held a cup of thick and frothy cappino. The sun shone through the French windows and the nts in the room appeared lush. Pots of orchids of unknown varieties hung, where they appeared ready to bloom and left a hint of fragrance in the sun room. Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and smiled politely at He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, what a tasteful sun room this is. It¡¯s sofy and the air seems fresher than anywhere else.¡±

    He Zhichu coldly nced at the internship report Gu Nianzhi had brought for him to sign and confirmed with her, ¡°Are you really not a negotiating expert for the Special Operations Forces anymore?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not, I can swear it.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her right hand.

    ¡°No need.¡± He Zhichu nodded indifferently as he signed his name with a flourish on her internship report and passed it back to her, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Also I wanted to ask if you could please endorse me, so I can represent Auntie Song in court as her defensewyer.¡± Gu Nianzhi said carefully, ¡°I want to do this and it¡¯s rted to my studies. ¨CProfessor He, you¡¯ll agree right?¡±

    ¡°Who is Auntie Song?¡± He Zhichu asked tly and took a sip of coffee.

    Gu Nianzhi inhaled sharply before considering it and finally speaking the truth, ¡°...She¡¯s Huo Shao¡¯s mother, she¡¯s also a victim in this case.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s to say it¡¯s the Huo¡¯s family business?¡± He Zhichu set down his cup of coffee and tapped his fingers lightly on the ss coffee table as he mused, ¡°You¡¯re really going to meddle with someone else¡¯s family business?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t really say it¡¯s meddling...¡± Gu Nianzhi patiently exined to He Zhichu, ¡°Auntie Song was mentally unsound for 16 years because Bai Jinyi dyed her treatment. Anyone would be indignant seeing this kind of thing. I¡¯m only...¡±

    ¡°Stop right there.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened as he raised a hand to pause her from continuing, ¡°I won¡¯t help you for this, if you are only helping your Auntie Song because you are ¡®indignant.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Gu Nianzhi was perplexed, her watery doe like eyes widened and the pitch ck irises were like a night sky reflecting endless stars.

    It was so moving that He Zhichu¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help skipping a beat when he looked at those eyes. He closed his eyes and said, ¡°Did you forget your professionalism as awyer? Recing rational judgement with emotions will lead to faulty judgement. Not only will you lose the case, but you can also be led astray.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time. She thought about it for while, then refuted He Zhichu, ¡°It¡¯s certainly wrong to rece rational judgement with emotions, and not only is thatcking awyer¡¯s professionalism, but also unfair to the client. But I don¡¯t thinkwyers should be forbidden to have their own feelings and perspectives. If I¡¯m only defending for the sake of defending, and only use legal provisions and procedures to win cases, that¡¯s not sustainable over a long period of time.¡±

    ¡°You believe that?¡± He Zhichu raised his brows in surprise, ¡°Then you¡¯ll only epting the client¡¯s case if you agree with them emotionally.¡±

    ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled helplessly, ¡°If Professor He thinks I¡¯m not professional in this aspect, then I¡¯m truly am not professional at this point. Perhaps I¡¯ll be moreposed in the future, and not bring any personal emotions into my world. But for now this isn¡¯t possible for me.¡±

    He Zhichu sat on the sofa, one hand propped under his head and his eyes half closed as he considered it for a long moment. He then finally said, ¡°Fine, you just graduated so it¡¯s still forgivable you have such enthusiasm. I¡¯ll believe you this one time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she was ted, ¡°So Professor He is agreeing to endorse me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He Zhichu stood up, ¡°Come to the office with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled as she followed him to the study. When they arrived, Gu Nianzhi quickly nced around the room and couldn¡¯t help feeling impressed. He Zhichu¡¯s study was entirely furnished in ck and white, making it appear simple and bright. The huge desk was a long ck table top supported by four stainless steel legs, and there wasn¡¯t even a single drawer on it. A row of stainless steel, safe-like filing cabs lined the side of the desk. On the desk was a iMac, and a floormp that looked like a tree branch was ced behind hisputer chair. Themp reached over from the back of the chair to illuminate the top of his head. It used LED bulbs that were bright and soft, while still protecting eyesight. The south wall was entirely French windows with automatic voice activated blinds, which were nked by unopened ck and white soundproof curtains. The west and east walls were covered with full bookshelves. In the center of the office was a simple circr shaped sofa which was used for chatting with guests. A round coffee table sat in the middle of the sofa, which held a tter of fruit and several unopened bottles of water. The floorboards were a shiny ebony, while the the ceiling was lined with recessed lights that were currently off. The only light on in the room was the tree branch floormp behind his chair.

    Gu Nianzhi sat on a soft square chair across from He Zhichu¡¯s desk and ced two elbows on it as she looked excitedly at He Zhichu hammering at the keyboard. A special document had to been signed because she had passed her bar exam but still needed a licensedwyer to endorse her due tock of work experience.

    He Zhichu downloaded the document from the Ministry of Justice¡¯s official website, filled it out and printed three copies to sign. He passed the three copies of the signed endorsement letter to Gu Nianzhi and pointed, ¡°You can sign there too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully read all three copies before neatly signing her name on all of them. With He Zhichu¡¯s endorsement, it meant Gu Nianzhi had the support of He Zhichu to represent as a defensewyer. In terms of legal procedure, He Zhichu would also be unable to act as Bai Jinyi¡¯s defensewyer due to conflict of interest.

 Chapter 291 - Only One Chance

    <h4>Chapter 291: Only One Chance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was the first time Gu Nianzhi would be defending someone in court, and she did not want to go up against a heavyweight like He Zhichu.

    She had been worried that the Bai family would ask He Zhichu to be theirwyer...

    If He Zhichu had been hired by the Bai family to defend Bai Jinyi in court, Gu Nianzhi would have had to rack her brains to look for another way. She knew she could not win against He Zhichu in court¡ªnot yet, at least.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled happily; she was d He Zhichu wasn¡¯t standing in her way.

    After signing the document, He Zhichu faxed a copy to the Ministry of Justice, for filing purposes.

    With that, the procedure wasplete.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her endorsement letter and kissed it. She said joyfully, ¡°Now I¡¯m a practicingwyer!¡±

    ¡°...Only temporarily. You¡¯re just a stand-in, for the moment.¡± He Zhichu arched an eyebrow as he ruthlessly shot her down.

    Gu Nianzhi was unfazed. She slipped the endorsement letter into her backpack and said, with augh, ¡°Even if it¡¯s temporary, awyer is still awyer. Professor He, I¡¯m so d we¡¯re on the same side!¡±

    He Zhichu rolled his eyes, and forced a smile. He knew what she was happy about, and decided to remind her: ¡°I know you¡¯re afraid of going up against me in court, but there are other talentedwyers in the Huaxia Empire, you know. If the Bai family asks any one of them to represent them, and you¡¯d still have a hard time winning your case. You¡¯re just a rookie, after all¡ªnot even General Huo can help you in court.¡±

    The Bai family had actually asked for his help through hisw firm in the United States, but He Zhichu had refused. He did not want to get involved with the Huaxia Empire¡¯s political infighting.

    And now he had gotten himself involved anyway, all because of Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu decided not to think about his own hypocrisy, or what to say to his American partners if they asked about it.

    He was not the type to change his mind once he had made a decision, but this was Gu Nianzhi. He would break his promises for her.

    Gu Nianzhi was blissfully unaware of the impact her request had on He Zhichu. She eagerly fished her stack of printed notes out from her backpack. ¡°Professor He, this is what I have on my case so far. Will you help me look it over?¡±

    He Zhichu paid no attention to her notes. Instead, his bright, almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly as he gave her a long, meaningful look. ¡°Nianzhi, this will be good training for you. I won¡¯t get involved, because I want you to step up to the te and take on the challenge on your own. I¡¯ll observe from the sidelines and give you feedback, but before that, you¡¯ll have to find your own way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned to hear this. She awkwardly slipped her notes back into her backpack.

    He Zhichu saw the look of disappointment on her face, and averted his eyes. He said in his cool, indifferent voice: ¡°This isn¡¯t a mock trial or a ssroom debate. You¡¯re going up against the defendant¡¯swyer in a real court. Are you going to ask me to look over your notes before every court battle?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not...¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t have to ask you to do this for me, either. It¡¯s just that there are hardly any witnesses or evidence in my case, and it happened over ten years ago. I... I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m taking the right approach to the case...¡±

    If her approach was entirely off the mark, she would never be able to win her case, no matter how hard she tried.

    He Zhichu pressed his lips together. He extended a hand towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Hand it over.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your notes, what else? I¡¯ll take a look,¡± He Zhichu said impatiently. ¡°Hurry up, I don¡¯t have all day.¡±

    But Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pride had been injured. She stubbornly shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s okay, Professor He. You¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t take your kindness for granted, I should start working things out on my own.¡± She stood up and bowed. ¡°Thank you for your time, Professor He. If you¡¯ll excuse me...¡±

    He Zhichu did not say anything. He watched Gu Nianzhi from his desk chair, his eyes shing with an inscrutable mix of emotions. He seemed upset, but he made no move to stop her.

    Just as Gu Nianzhi was about to reach the door, He Zhichu pressed a secret button under his desk.

    The door locked itself with an audible click.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhiid her hand on the lock, she knew something was wrong.

    She tried to turn the lock, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. She let out a soft sigh, and looked up at the ceiling as she fought to get the anxiety welling up within her under control.

    When she had collected herself, Gu Nianzhi turned to look at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, please open the door.¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯ll take a look at your notes. If you don¡¯t hand them over, you won¡¯t be leaving this room today.¡± He Zhichu leaned backwards on his chair. His sped his fingers loosely on top of his chest; his gaze was firm and resolute.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her backpack to herself. She refused to give in. ¡°You already refused me once. You only get one chance. Once it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s gone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had not meant anything else by that, but He Zhichu felt as though a nuclear bomb had exploded inside his head and sent a mushroom cloud up into the top of his skull...

    His face darkened instantly. He sprang out from behind his desk, his eyes red, and before Gu Nianzhi knew what was happening he had already closed the distance between them. His hand shot out and grabbed Gu Nianzhi by the throat. ¡°What did you just say?! Say it again!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately fought back. She threw her backpack away and grabbed He Zhichu¡¯s hand in a Tai chi move she had learned from the Special Ops, but she could not get him to let go.

    He Zhichu was angry, and when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attempt to break out of his hold, his anger increased tenfold. There was a buzzing in his ears, and his eyes clouded over.

    He could not think straight. He heard himself say, through clenched teeth, ¡°...¡¯Only one chance¡¯? ¡®Once it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s gone¡¯? Why are you so cruel to me?! I wasn¡¯t able to find you... it wasn¡¯t my fault... I spent so many years looking for you!¡±

    His voice was as clear and as hard as an icicle. Inside, however, he was burning with rage.

    Gu Nianzhi struggled desperately. He Zhichu responded to this by coolly pinning her hands behind her back with a hand. He slid his other hand behind her neck and grabbed the back of her head, holding it firmly in ce. He stared at her, his breathing uneven; his bright, almond-shaped eyes were filled with despair.

    Gu Nianzhi was scared out of her wits. She tried her best to wriggle free, but He Zhichu had pinned her firmly against the door.

    She had not expected such explosive strength from He Zhichu¡¯s slender, elegant body.

    His powerful arms pressed her shoulders against the door to the study.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were red with anger. Exasperation seemed to leak out of every pore on his body. His fingers tightened around the back of her neck as he stared down at her from his towering height. His expression was cold, but his gaze burned her; at that very moment, he was both fire and ice.

    Gu Nianzhi finally broke down. She sobbed, ¡°...Let go of me... Professor He... Please... Let me go...¡±

    She shook her head desperately as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

    He Zhichu looked steadily at her. He took in the tears on her face, her terrified expression, and her hoarse screams¡ªthey wound about him like a rope, restraining him from making another move...

    He could not move. He held her at arm¡¯s length, his fingers still mped around the back of her neck. He could not get any closer.

    Gu Nianzhi wept openly. She trembled all over.

    It was not an act. She was truly afraid.

    She had not expected the dignified, sophisticated He Zhichu to behave this way when he was angry...

    After what seemed like an eternity, He Zhichu finally took a deep breath, and released the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck. His hand slid to her back, and rubbed it apologetically. He said in a hoarse voice: ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry... I... mistook you for someone else...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still trembling. She choked out, in between sobs, ¡°You mistook me for someone else?! How is that an eptable excuse? That¡¯s the worst lie I¡¯ve ever heard! Get away from me! Go away! I... I¡¯m going to sue you for harassment!¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly let go of her hands and turned away. His back seemed forlorn and mncholic, like a deste figure wandering a barrenndscape.

    He returned to the sofa in the middle of his study, and seated himself. He kept his eyes on the fruit bowl on the coffee table as he said tonelessly, ¡°If you want to sue me, go ahead. I won¡¯t deny what I did. I¡¯ll take whatever punishment they give out. Don¡¯t worry. I promise you, if I try to argue my way out of it, I¡¯ll kill myself, right then and there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not the type to be coerced. Had He Zhichu tried to weasel his way out of the situation with cunning sophistry, Gu Nianzhi would have thrown everything in her arsenal at him until she pinned him down.

    But she wasn¡¯t entirely cold-blooded, either. She was easily moved by signs of sincerity, and she stood staring at He Zhichu, unsure of what to do. She had never seen him so depressed.

    She retrieved her backpack from the floor and hugged it to her chest. She said, sobbing, ¡°Professor He, please open the door. I want to leave.¡±

    But He Zhichu had no intention of opening the door. He pointed to the sofa opposite him. His voice, usually clear and sharp, was hoarse when he said: ¡°Nianzhi, sit with me for a bit, okay?¡±

 Chapter 292 - Inseparable

    <h4>Chapter 292: Inseparable</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi looked suspiciously at him and refused to walk over.

    He Zhichu waited for a while and saw that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t going toe closer. He cocked his head at her, then pulled out a revolver from his pocket to ce on the coffee table.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was nched with fear as she stuttered, ¡°Professor... Professor He, what on earth are you doing?!¡±¡±

    He Zhichu looked at the revolver and said coldly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid, I already said that won¡¯t happen again, so it won¡¯t. If you don¡¯t believe me, this gun is loaded. You can hold on to it and point it me: I know you can shoot very well. As strong as I am, I¡¯m still weaker than a gun. So, you may be reassured now.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She now had a new understanding of He Zhichu¡¯s difficult nature. Looking up at the recessed ceiling lights, she regretted having insisted on applying as his graduate student. At the time, she could have never known that He Zhichu was such a person! Of course, He Zhichu¡¯s reputation had always beenmended, so she had never heard of him harassing female students, and while there were many rumors of female students trying to seduce him, they were shot down. Why would He Zhichu treat her differently? Gu Nianzhi reflected on herself: had she somehow given him the wrong signal to make him think she was interested? But still, she had made her feelings clear.

    ¡°Professor He, what happened today made me very scared and I really don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore. I want to go home.¡± Gu Nianzhi was determined and still didn¡¯t move closer.

    He Zhichu stopped when he caught onto this and sat on the sofa as he eyed the revolver on the coffee table, stating dryly, ¡°I came to Huaxia Empire to find someone. You... look a lot like her.¡±

    ¡°I look like her?¡± Gu Nianzhi touched her face. ¡°Is that true? Do you have a photo?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head, then said, ¡°The photo is at my family home. I didn¡¯t bring it here.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring it here?¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t convinced. He was talking about looking for someone, yet hadn¡¯t any photos on him¡ªwho would believe that? She grumbled to herself.

    He Zhichu seemed to know what she was thinking andughed mirthlessly, murmuring, ¡°Actually it doesn¡¯t matter if I bring it or not, I can¡¯t find her anymore...¡± He cradled his head, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His body was as rigid as a bow. Without his usual cold dignity and indifference, he appeared helpless and lost. It was the first time Gu Nianzhi was seeing the powerful Professor He appear so weak. Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi silently lowered her head . She felt peculiar, looking at this resigned man. ¡°Who is she to you? A rtive?¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood now; it turned out that her special treatment from He Zhichu the past six months was because he had been mistaking her for someone else. No wonder he¡¯d been so nice to her. She hugged her backpack, rummaging through it as she whispered, ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t be discouraged. Maybe things will turn around?¡±

    He Zhichu turned to look to her. ¡°You think so?¡±

    ¡°How would you know if you don¡¯t try?¡± Gu Nianzhi took out a wet wipe to clean her face, removing all traces of her tears. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t wear makeup, otherwise her face would have looked even worse, she mused.

    He Zhichu sighed gently. ¡°Nianzhi, you really don¡¯t have to defend yourself against me. I was just so sad earlier. I¡¯ve been lying to myself all this time, and I¡¯ve finally understood today. I won¡¯t force it anymore. Really, it won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to believe that,¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered, not convinced by He Zhichu¡¯s words.

    ¡°What are you saying?

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s hard to say what might happen in the future.¡± Gu Nianzhi mustered her courage. ¡°I won¡¯t feel relieved until the day you find the person you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± He Zhichu looked up, the bitterness in his eyes forming into tears. ¡°Actually, seeing you cry so hard today forced me to ept the truth. Even though it¡¯s cruel, I still have to admit that I won¡¯t be able to find her.¡±

    He Zhichu cocked his head at Gu Nianzhi, tears brimming in his eyes. Gu Nianzhi froze when she saw the aloof He Zhichu actually cry. When she looked closer, He Zhichu had already shifted his gaze. She tried to probe him. ¡°Professor He, how about I help you out? Huo Shao and his people have many contacts and have ways of finding people, maybe they can help you.¡±

    He Zhichu turned to look in the direction of the French windows and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Nianzhi, thank you. Please don¡¯t tell Mr. Huo about it. This is between me and her and I don¡¯t want anyone else to know.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because she¡¯s someone inseparable from me, for the rest of my life.¡± He Zhichu looked down, his voice seeming toe from the bottom of his heart and overflowing with regret and self-me. ¡°She¡¯d followed me since she¡¯d started learning how to walk. I never thought she would leave me. But, I went out one day and came out to find that she had... disappeared. I started looking for her and went everywhere. I searched for so many years and thought this time that I had found a clue. But when I arrived here, I realized everything had changed.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? Then did you... find her?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt even more uneasy seeing his pained expression. She had always been curious, but didn¡¯t want to ask anymore now.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. She¡¯s... probably not alive anymore.¡± He Zhichu smiled bitterly and apologized to Gu Nianzhi again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nianzhi. I shouldn¡¯t have seen your photo and pretended you were her. I just miss her so much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s good that Professor He thought it through. I finally know now that my good luck was all thanks to that girl¡¯s blessings. Don¡¯t give up; please thank her for me when you find her one day.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a good person.¡± He Zhichu sighed heavily. ¡°Even though I have no hopes of finding her, I¡¯ll let you know if I meet her again one day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Ok, thank you Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu stood up. ¡°I scared you today, I¡¯m sorry for that.¡± He paused, and said, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to show me the notes you prepared and discuss the case with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No thanks, Professor He. I want to go home.¡± She paused, then whispered, ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone ...about what happened today.¡± This meant that she wouldn¡¯t notify the school. In the United States, professors harassing students was a very serious allegation, over which professors lost their jobs or even ended up in jail. Even though it was not as serious a crime in the Huaxia Empire, it would be a fatal blow to the professor¡¯s reputation. He Zhichu knew these policies very well, so his heart still trembled when he heard her say she wouldn¡¯t tell anyone. He walked in front of Gu Nianzhi and stopped a meter away from her.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly became very vignt.

    He Zhichu smiled bitterly and folded his hands behind his back. ¡°You see, you¡¯re still cautious around me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be ok after a while, but I can¡¯t act like before right this moment,¡± Gu Nianzhi stated inly. ¡°Professor He, you really scared me earlier.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± He Zhichu put his hands in his pockets and stared fixedly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pale face. It was as though he were trying to imprint her image into his memories.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say that I¡¯m ok right now.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled wearily, avoiding He Zhichu¡¯s heated gaze. ¡°May I go now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you downstairs.¡± He Zhichu reached out to enter the password into the lock and opened the door.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately strode out and turned to wave back at him. ¡°Professor He should continue with work, you don¡¯t have to walk me out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, let¡¯s go.¡± He Zhichu walked quietly beside her and they left the suite together.

    At the same time, the door to Wen Shouyi¡¯s suite also opened. She wore a cream colored velour sweater and was seeing Dou Aiyan and two friends off. When Wen Shouyi witnessed He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi alsoing out of the room, she stopped for a second then smiled at them. ¡°Professor He, are you going out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m walking Nianzhi downstairs.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look at Wen Shouyi and took Gu Nianzhi into the elevator.

    Dou Aiyan was ecstatic, bolting into the elevator and standing next to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m Aiyan. Do you remember me?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded slightly, ¡°Miss Dou.¡± On the night of the Prime Minister¡¯s banquet, she had been by his side the entire night. How could he forget?

 Chapter 293 - The Central Office

    <h4>Chapter 293: The Central Office</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Are you headed downstairs, Professor He? Why don¡¯t we go together?¡± Dou Aiyan stepped forward, squeezing Gu Nianzhi to the side.

    Gu Nianzhi was thankful for that. She shrunk to one corner of the elevator, making sure to keep her distance from He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi was afraid of him, and responded to this by allowing Dou Aiyan to stick to him and separate him from Gu Nianzhi in the elevator.

    Dou Aiyan¡¯s two friends saw what had happened, and were happy for Dou Aiyan.

    They entered the elevator and immediately sandwiched Gu Nianzhi between them, nking her. It was obvious that they were keeping her from scooting over to He Zhichu and ruining Dou Aiyan¡¯s ns...

    Gu Nianzhi knew what they were thinking, and found the entire situation ironic. If only they knew how happy and thankful she was to have Dou Aiyan there...

    She kept her eyes on the tips of her shoes and was silent the entire way down. She did not look up, not even once.

    A short momentter, she heard a ding from the elevator. They had arrived at the lobby.

    He Zhichu and Dou Aiyan stepped out of the elevator. They were quickly followed by Dou Aiyan¡¯s friends, who squeezed ahead of Gu Nianzhi to prevent her from getting close to He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi could not have asked for anything more. She was thest to leave the elevator, and as soon as she was out she immediately called her chauffeur to tell him to pick her up at the south gate.

    She walked out of the lobby. Upon reaching the square in front of the building, Gu Nianzhi bowed to He Zhichu, who had stopped and turned around to watch her. ¡°Thank you for your help today, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Call me if there are any problems.¡± He Zhichu nodded to her. ¡°Are you taking a taxi, or did you drive here on your own?¡±

    ¡°I came by uber. I already sent a message to my uber driver asking him to pick me up at the south gate.¡±

    With that, Gu Nianzhi turned and hurried away, leaving He Zhichu to stare after her swiftly retreating back.

    He Zhichu watched her for a brief moment, his expression impassive. He nodded to Dou Aiyan, before returning to the lobby.

    Up above them, in the B suite on the 28th floor, Wen Shouyi was in her bedroom, surreptitiously watching Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu from behind the curtains of the French windows. She noted the way Gu Nianzhi kept her distance from He Zhichu, and how she had practically fled from him at the end. She sighed, shook her head, and returned to her study to write two letters, both addressed to her hometown: one was for He Zhichu¡¯s father, while the other was for Aunt Qin.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the military base in her car. She was silent the entire journey.

    As soon as she entered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, the young orderly on guard duty at the entrance saw her and turned as red as a tomato. He stammered out: ¡°Miss... Miss Gu, wee back. Mr. Huo said he wants you to go to his office once you¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay, thanks.¡± Gu Nianzhi was exhausted. She did not want to see Huo Shaoheng right away¡ªshe was afraid that he would be able to tell something was wrong.

    She strode quickly to her room, removed her backpack, and immediately went to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

    She wasn¡¯t surprised at what she saw: she had been crying, after all. Her eyelids were puffy, her eyes were red, and her face was rmingly pale. Tufts of hair had escaped from her ponytail.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily washed her face. She found the eye drops meant for bloodshot eyes and squeezed a few drops into her eyes. After that, she ced a cold eye mask over her eyelids andy quietly on the sofa for five minutes.

    When she removed the eye mask and took another look in the mirror, her eyes were no longer puffy or bloodshot.

    She rubbed pink cream blush onto her cheeks, before putting on a thinyer of lip gloss. Once she was satisfied that the color had returned to her face, she picked up herptop and made her way to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office building.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office building was not too far away from his official residence, but Gu Nianzhi deliberately took her time and walked at a leisurely pace. It took her 20 minutes to finally arrive at the building.

    From up above, the building was shaped like an oval egg. The building had higher floors on the outside and lower floors towards the middle, which meant that it curved inwards like a satellite dish.

    The roof and walls were covered with anti-satellite detection and anti-eavesdropping material.

    Gu Nianzhi arrived at the entrance to the office building, and showed the orderly on guard duty her temporary ess pass. He scanned her fingerprints and iris, and allowed her inside once he verified that they matched the records in the database.

    The security check took longer than Gu Nianzhi expected. 10 minutester, she finally stepped foot inside the building of the Special Operations Forces headquarters.

    As soon as she walked in, she was asked to remove her leather coat due to the security measures in ce.

    Gu Nianzhi folded her coat over her arm and followed the signs to the central office area in ??the office building.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office was right in the middle of the central office area.

    When Gu Nianzhi arrived at the entrance, she was subjected to another round of security checks. They not only re-examined her iris pattern, her fingerprints, but also tested her handwriting as well...

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. When she finished writing a few lopsided words in her inelegant handwriting she frowned and asked: ¡°...Are you keeping a record of this as well?¡±

    ¡°That is correct, Miss Gu.¡± The female security guard in charge of the security check was very friendly. She personally led Gu Nianzhi to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office and said to the camera at the door: ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Zhao, Miss Gu is here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries, and had their desks in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office. It was rare for the three men to be in the office due to the nature of their work, however.

    Zhao Liangze pressed a button from inside the office. The door opened, and Gu Nianzhi entered with her leather coat draped over one arm and herptop in her other hand.

    ¡°This way please, Miss Gu.¡± One of Zhao Liangze¡¯s orderlies stepped forward to receive her.

    The security measures so far had left Gu Nianzhi feeling a little rattled. She smoothed her hair and adjusted her turtleneck cashmere sweater, before nervously following the orderly further inside.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office was, like the other rooms, very spacious and bright. Instead of a concrete ceiling, there was a transparent bulletproof and soundproof ss dome above them.

    Sunlight filtered in through the dome, warming the office. It was warm enough not to have to turn on the heater during winter.

    The massive office had an open, airy design. There were work areas¡ªconsisting of a few sofas nking work desks¡ªon both the eastern and western sections of the room.

    Facing the main entrance was arge disy cab containing an assortment of assault rifles. Their ck muzzles were turned towards the door.

    Gu Nianzhi had not been expecting the guns, but she kept herposure. She nced at them, before quickly looking away.

    ¡°...Come with me.¡± Huo Shaoheng emerged from a small meeting room, and relieved Gu Nianzhi of the coat hanging on her arm. He took her hand and led her into the meeting room.

    His palms were warm and dry. There was the smell of warm sunshine on his body.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face instantly turned a bright cherry red. A thousand thoughts and desires shed through her mind, but before she could act on any of them she found herself already seated at the oval table in the small meeting room.

    Huo Shaoheng hung her leather coat on the coat hook behind the door. He asked: ¡°How was your trip to your school? Were there any problems?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her senses. She smiled over her cup of cappino and replied, ¡°It was all smooth sailing. I did get stuck in traffic for a while, however.¡±

    Everyone in the room: ¡°...¡±

    Zhao Liangze was the first to break the silence byughing out loud. ¡°You were stuck in traffic, so how is that smooth sailing?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? It¡¯s just traffic. It would be nothing short of a miracle to not get stuck in traffic here in the imperial capital.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed. She raised her coffee mug and took a sip, before asking: ¡°Did I walk in on a meeting?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to her. He pulled out a chair next to her and sat down. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re discussing Bai Jinyi¡¯s case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly sat up. She turned on herptop, pulled up her notes, and started a new page. ¡°What have you discussed? Do you have a record of it?¡±

    Instead of answering her question, Huo Shaoheng asked her: ¡°You¡¯ve gotten your special permit to be a defensewyer?¡±

    ¡°Of course I got it. I have Professor He endorsing me.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out the document He Zhichu signed and showed it to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°The Legal Department already has a copy of this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at it, before handing it to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Scan this and file it in our archives. Also, check with the Legal Department and make sure everything is in order on their end.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Zhao Liangze immediately scanned the document and uploaded it.

    Huo Shaoheng began introducing Gu Nianzhi to the other participants of the meeting. ¡°Dr. Zhu here is the best medical examiner in the military general hospital. He¡¯s a senior colonel.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled radiantly at him. ¡°You must be truly remarkable at your work, Medical Examiner Zhu, to be a senior colonel at such a young age.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi assumed that Medical Examiner Zhu was younger than Chen Lie; he looked to be in his early 20¡¯s.

    She was surprised to hear Medical Examiner Zhuugh out loud and say, with a shake of his head, ¡°Me? Young? Not at all. I¡¯m about to turn 40. Your General Huo, on the other hand, is already a major general, and he hasn¡¯t even turned 30! He¡¯s truly one of a kind, I¡¯m sure there isn¡¯t anyone else in the entire country who will be able to match his record.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, right? You look like you¡¯re 30¡ªat most¡ªbut you¡¯re actually almost 40?! How do you do it? Mind sharing your skin care routine with me?¡±

    Medical Examiner Zhu was a man and not quite as concerned about appearances as the fairer sex, but nevertheless he was extremely happy and ttered to hear such a sincerepliment from a young beauty like Gu Nianzhi. He waved his hand in a cheerfully dismissive manner as he said,ughing: ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t have a skin care routine. I just make sure to keep a positive mindset at all times, and avoid being unhappy or resentful.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you make it sound so easy.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as well. ¡°To be cheerful all the time and not get upset? You must be a saint!¡±

 Chapter 294 - Confident In You

    <h4>Chapter 294: Confident In You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Medical Examiner Zhu smiled cheerfully, ¡°No, no. I¡¯m actually a medical examiner and many of my colleagues have grown depressed after working in this field for a long time, but not me. That¡¯s because I¡¯m so grateful to alive everytime I see the bodies that to be dissected, and I also enjoy life and stay cheerful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to cry inside and bow down to Medical Examiner Zhu. ¨CShe waspletely uninterested in listening about the details of dissecting bodies... She could only secretly decide to absolutely not to sit Medical Examiner Zhu at lunchter. This guy looks like the type to suddenly ask her unappetizing questions as she was happily enjoying her braised pork ribs, ¡°What caused the wound on the third rib on the left side of the chest?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave a stern look to Medical Examiner Zhu, and he immediately mmed up and stopped his grand speech to Gu Nianzhi about, ¡°secrets of youth.¡± Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng grow stern, so she didn¡¯t get side tracked anymore and looked to the middle aged man next to Medical Examiner Zhu. He appeared slightly plump, and had the kind of pallid skin from not seeing the sun all year round. Huo Shaoheng introduced this man to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°This is Director Wang, he¡¯s been in the Special Ops¡¯ Forensics Department for a long time, and also holds the rank of Senior Colonel.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded politely to him, ¡°Please advise me, Director Wang.¡± The man smiled at her but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Sitting beside Director Wang was another elegant looking man of indiscernible age. Contrary to Director Wang and Dr. Zhu in military uniform, this man wore a slim fit navy three-piece suit. Gu Nianzhi had never seen an Asian person wear a suit so well and couldn¡¯t help sneaking a few more nces. He looked up in her direction and introduced himself, ¡°My surname is Dan, Dan Bohan. I am a licensed psychiatrist and a former colleague of Mr. Huo, but have since retired from the military.¡±

    ¡°Boyan¡¯s psychotherapy was once our unit¡¯s secret weapon.¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled, ¡°But he¡¯s now renowned in the world¨Che went to study in Europe after retiring and has since opened a psychotherapy clinic in the United States. He charges his patients $5000 USD a minute.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intentions. Hiring the most reputed medical examiner was to perform an autopsy on Luo Xinxue¡¯s body that had been frozen for over ten years. Director Wang was skilled with forensics, so there must be important evidence for him to handle. Lastly, a world respected psychiatrist was crucial to thewsuit between Bai Jinyi and Song Jinning. These were the best preparations Huo Shaoheng could make within his abilities. Gu Nianzhi nodded respectfully to Dan Boyan as well, ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Mr. Dan.¡±

    After introducing everyone in the room, Huo Shaoheng introduced Gu Nianzhi, ¡°This is Gu Nianzhi, she¡¯s one of the defensewyers in this case. She will represent my mother.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, Miss Gu is not 20 yet?¡± Dan Bohan¡¯s professional habit kicked into gear, so he was able to assess Gu Nianzhi¡¯s psychological state and professionalism, ¡°Someone under the age of 20 can only be in university at most, and cannot be licensed even if she¡¯s passed her bar exam. She still requires the endorsement of a licensedwyer in good professional standing. ¨CMay I ask if Miss Gu is in such a situation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°You can say that.¡±

    ¡°But you haven¡¯t graduated university yet, can you guarantee that you¡¯ll win the case even if you have professional endorsement? Excuse me boldness, but isn¡¯t this too rash of Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept silent as he gently touched his chin and looked to Gu Nianzhi. She stopped herself from rolling her eyes, ¡°Well I¡¯ll make sure to wear ck rimmed sses and dress like an old person so no one will question my age.¡±

    ¡°This is not about questioning your age, but the experience and knowledge consummate with age. Miss Gu, I hope that you¡¯lle up the ability in line with Mr. Huo¡¯s expectations and helps us win the case.¡± Dan Boyan tapped the desk, ¡°As far as I know, the Bai¡¯s spent good money hiring the a team of the best 15wyers from thergestw firm in the Empire, JD Law Office to represent Bai Jinyi.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi got excited, this was her first case and she was actually going up against the 15 most famouswyers in the Empire. Was this good luck or what?!

    ¡°That¡¯s what we heard so far.¡± Huo Shaoheng also nodded, then sent a copy of thewyers¡¯ information to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°These 15wyers will mainly be dealing with the military prosecutor. My mother¡¯s case is an additional one, so they won¡¯t pay much attention to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tapped on the cursor to open the attachments he had sent. She went through each file and said, ¡°That¡¯s perfect, it¡¯ll be a chance of me to see what the bestwyers in the Empire are like.¡±

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s a 15wyer team, there¡¯s actually only going to be one person defending in court. So you don¡¯t need to stress out too much.¡± Medical Examiner Zhu had a good impression of Gu Nianzhi and hastilyforted her because he was worried she was scared.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t feel stressed. Although I just finished my undergrad, I¡¯m especially bold¨Cthe more powerful the opponent, the more interesting things will be.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already finished your undergrad?!¡± Dan Bohan was shocked, ¡°You¡¯re 22? You don¡¯t look it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m 18. Mr. Dan, seems like you¡¯re always making incorrect judgements.¡±

    ¡°18? Then it means you started university when you were 14? ¨CThat¡¯s impressive! No wonder Mr. Huo gave you such a big responsibility!¡± Dan Bohan also began praising Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You are both too kind. I camete today, can someone tell me what you were discussing earlier?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly got into work mode and wanted to know what evidence they had to help win the case.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°We don¡¯t have the time, today¡¯s meeting minutes have been prepared already, and I called you over because of this. You can familiarize yourself with the three experts and save their contact information so you can ask them directly if you don¡¯t understand anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly, ¡°Even better, then it won¡¯t take up the valuable time of our experts.¡±

    Medical Examiner Zhu, Director Wang and Dan Boyan all sighed in relief, they were certainly busy people, so staying back another half an hour would interrupt their work flow. The three men left their emails and phone numbers with Gu Nianzhi before saying goodbye to Huo Shaoheng. After they departed, Gu Nianzhi looked at therge amount of information in her email and pouted at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...Huo Shao, I¡¯m only in charge of Mrs. Song¡¯s case. You don¡¯t have to give me all this stuff too?¡± She casually flipped through and found that information on even Luo Xuexin¡¯s murder case had been sent to her. Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be taken over by the military¡¯s legal department?

    Unexpectedly, Huo Shaoheng gave a slight cough and said, ¡°There¡¯s been a change in the situation. We discussed this for a long time and feel that it¡¯s more appropriate that you take over the entire case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze, ¡°I¡¯m defending the whole entire thing?! ¨CBut this is my first time in court? You have this much confidence in me?!¡±

    ¡°Of course Little Ze and I have confidence in you.¡± Yin Shixiong put his arm on Zhao Liangze¡¯s shoulder, winking at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Huo Shao also approved of you after our persuasion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both happy and nervous. She looked at Huo Shaoheng excitedly and widened her eyes at him, ¡°Really? Huo Shao? You really think that... I can handle this important task?!¡± Earlier Huo Shaoheng said that the Bai¡¯s had hired the top 15wyers in the Empire, but she felt reassured because they wouldn¡¯t be going up against her. But then his words changed as soon as the three experts left. There was no trust here, so Gu Nianzhi felt very tired indeed...

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°Deceit is crucial in battles. Nianzhi, you¡¯re our secret weapon, and not only are Big Xiong and Little Ze confident in you, I am too. I believe that having you represent in court will yield unexpected results.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never heard Huo Shaohengpliment her like this in front of other people. She felt herself getting lightheaded, but tried to maintainposure, ¡°Since Huo Shao is saying this, I will give it my best.¡± As soon as she said this, she raced to the bathroom andughed in front of the mirror, ¡°....Hahahaha... he¡¯s really confident in me.. I¡¯m so happy!¡±

 Chapter 295 - The Two Most Important Things

    <h4>Chapter 295: The Two Most Important Things</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was standing before the door to the bathroom, and therefore overheard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s uncontrobleughing. He shook his head in resignation; deep down, however, he was happy to know how much this meant to Gu Nianzhi. His lips curved into a slight smile as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He waited patiently for her toe out.

    Gu Nianzhiughed so hard she doubled over and had to gasp for air. She supported herself on the sink for a long moment as she waited for the euphoria to pass. Once her nerves had steadied, she exited the bathroom.

    She saw Huo Shaoheng waiting for her outside, and almost died of embarrassment. She wondered whether he had overheard herughing like a maniac inside...

    She made a few halting attempts to ask whether he had heard, but Huo Shaoheng neither admitted nor denied it. Instead, he exined to her in a low voice, ¡°...Bai Yueran is close with the people in the military¡¯s Legal Department. After careful consideration, we decided that the best way to avoid suspicion was to have someone entirely unrted to the military¡¯s Legal Department represent the intiff in court. And that¡¯s why we want you to take on both cases, because they¡¯re essentially one and the same. It¡¯ll makemunication a lot easier if we have you on both cases.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally realized he had been one step ahead of her the whole time. She quickly reassured him by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you down, not when you have so much faith in me!¡±

    ¡°Just do your best. It doesn¡¯t matter if you win or lose¡ªyou will always be number one,¡± said Huo Shaoheng as he patted her on the shoulder. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legs immediately turned to jelly.

    ...

    Now that she had Huo Shaoheng¡¯s encouragement and trust, Gu Nianzhi was eager to get started.

    She returned to her room with herptop¡ªwhich now had an entire hard drive¡¯s worth of confidential documents¡ªand began studying all the evidence at hand.

    She was particrly interested in Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s postmortem report for Luo Xinxue¡¯s body, Director Wang¡¯s appraisal of all the physical evidence, and Dan Bohan¡¯s assessment of Song Jinning¡¯s mental health. She typed up 2MB¡¯s worth of notes just for those documents alone.

    In addition to familiarizing herself with the evidence, she also wrote several drafts for her opening statement and arguments to be presented in court, and made sure she knew all the correct terms.

    The trial was scheduled to begin in three days. She did not have a lot of time to prepare.

    Gu Nianzhi wished she did not have to spend time eating or drinking. If it were up to her, she would rather crawl inside herputer and stay there, to better absorb all the information.

    Song Jinning saw Gu Nianzhi sitting before herputer in her pajamas, too absorbed in her work to even brush her unkempt hair. The older woman was impressed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯smitment and diligence, and decided to help out by personally cooking nutritious meals for her. She brought the soup and food to Gu Nianzhi every day and sat with her while she ate.

    Even then, Gu Nianzhi did not waste a second of the time spent eating. She talked to Song Jinning about the case in-between mouthfuls of food.

    ¡°Auntie Song, I want to hear your opinion on this¡ªif it turns out that Bai Jinyi killed Luo Xinxue, why did she wait six years after Huo Guanyuan¡¯s death to do it? I can understand killing Luo Xinxue while Huo Guanyuan was still alive, because Bai Jinyi was in love with him, but he had already been dead six years when she killed his wife. Something doesn¡¯t add up here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hated Bai Jinyi¡¯s guts, but she had to admit that the evidence at hand wasn¡¯t enough to convince her that Bai Jinyi had killed Luo Xinxue.

    How was she supposed to convince the judge, if she wasn¡¯t even convinced herself?

    Song Jinning did not seem at all confused by this. She knew how Bai Jinyi ticked, and calmly said, ¡°If you can¡¯t fit the pieces together, perhaps you should first think about what kind of person Bai Jinyi is.¡±

    ¡°Well, what kind of person is she?¡±

    ¡°The two most important things for her are her career and the man she secretly loves. There¡¯s literally nothing she wouldn¡¯t do for either of them.¡± Song Jinning summed up Bai Jinyi¡¯s life in a single sentence.

    Gu Nianzhi swallowed a mouthful of okra and pork ribs soup. She mused, ¡°The man she¡¯s secretly in love with was already dead by then. So shemitted the murder for the sake of her career? But that can¡¯t be right. Luo Xinxue was just a housewife, and had absolutely nothing to do with Bai Jinyi¡¯s work. Why would Bai Jinyi kill her to advance her career? Could we be looking at this from the wrong angle? Maybe Luo Xinxue¡¯s death wasn¡¯t a murder in the first ce¡ªor maybe her murderer isn¡¯t actually Bai Jinyi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced sideways at Song Jinning. If Bai Jinyi was ruthless enough to murder others just to further her career, surely Song Jinning would be first on her list of targets?

    Then again, Song Jinning was already suffering from her mental disorder at that point. It was possible Bai Jinyi no longer saw Song Jinning as an obstacle because of that.

    But why would she kill Luo Xinxue?

    Had she killed Luo Xinxue by mistake?

    Gu Nianzhi quickly rejected the idea.

    Luo Xinxue and Song Jinning weren¡¯t even living in the same ce back then. There was zero possibility of Bai Jinyi trying to kill Song Jinning and somehow killing Luo Xinxue by mistake.

    And besides, Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s postmortem report suggested that Luo Xinxue had most likely been the victim of a premeditated murder.

    Gu Nianzhi mulled over this puzzle for a long time, but could note up with a usible answer. As she was looking over the physical evidence checklist submitted by Director Wang, she discovered something amiss, and was struck with sudden inspiration. She decided to take a gamble on her assumptions and build her strategy around them.

    By the time the day of the hearing for the secret trial rolled around, three dayster, Gu Nianzhi was confident she was on the right track.

    She changed into a simple light gray skirt suit, and coiled her hair into a bun. She put on some light makeup and a pair of nonprescription gold-rimmed sses, in an effort to look more mature and experienced.

    Huo Shaoheng saw her get-up, and frowned.

    The suit was a little too form-fitting. It pinched her around the waist and entuated her every curve, drawing attention to her ample bosom, her wide hips, and her long, shapely legs.

    Fortunately, the nonprescription sses she had put on partially obscured Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, lively eyes, dampening her natural charms.

    If it weren¡¯t for those sses, Huo Shaoheng was sure most of the men in the courtroom would be held spellbound by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s looks. No one would listen to what she was saying.

    ¡°Huo Shao, this will be my first day in court as awyer. Shouldn¡¯t you encourage me?¡± Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the full-length mirror as she checked her attire onest time.

    Huo Shaoheng embraced her from behind. He watched her quietly through the mirror, before extending a hand to cup her chin. He turned her face towards him, and kissed her lightly upon the lips. ¡°Consider this to be interest paid. Once we wrap up the case, I¡¯ll return the principal...¡±

    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s principal?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart soared at the thought.

    She was going to win thiswsuit no matter what, if only just to get Huo Shao to return his ¡°debt¡± to her!

    ...

    On January 28th, at 7 o¡¯clock in the morning, the trial for the murder case of Luo Xinxue officially opened in the secret court of the Imperial Capital.

    This was the first time Gu Nianzhi had set foot in the Intermediate Court of the Imperial Capital.

    As this was a secret trial, the doors to the courtroom were immediately shut tight as soon as everyone involved in the trial was present. No one else would be allowed inside.

    Gu Nianzhi casually took in her surroundings. She noted that Huo Shaoheng was leading their team; aside from Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, Medical Examiner Zhu, and Director Wang were also present. There were also a few orderlies and attendants seated all around Huo Shaoheng¡ªthey were there as his human shields.

    Medical Examiner Zhu and Director Wang were attending the trial as expert witnesses. They sat in the chairs nearest the intiff¡¯s table, to make it easier for them to be called upon to testify at any time.

    Bai Jinyi, on the other hand, was leading a startlinglyrge entourage that included 15wyers, all of them in ck suits. They sat in the chairs behind the defendant¡¯s table, looking very much like a mass of ck crows, and appeared to be there to provide additional support to the primarywyer who would be leading the team that day.

    There was hardly anyone from the Bai family in attendance, however; the only one there was Bai Changhui, the third son of the Bai family. Aside from him, some of the employees working under Bai Jinyi at her Institute of High Energy Physics had also turned up in a show of support for their boss.

    The judge was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was an exceedingly serious man who never smiled orughed.

    He checked the time on his watch and asked: ¡°Is everyone present?¡±

    Both the intiff and the defendant replied in the affirmative.

    ¡°In that case, I hereby dere the court to now be in session.¡± The judge rapped the sounding board with his gavel.

    As the intiff¡¯swyer, Gu Nianzhi was required to introduce herself first. She stood up and bowed respectfully to everyone in the courtroom, before swearing that she would present only the truth in court.

    The Bai familywyers had expected to be facing the Imperial Military¡¯s famouswyers, as the rumors had suggested. They gaped openly at the youngdy before them¡ªshe looked like she was fresh out of college!

    Had the military just handed the Bai family their victory on a silver tter?!

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s haggard face finally split into a smile.

    She whispered into Lawyer Jin¡¯s ear. ¡°Thewyer we¡¯re up against is Gu Nianzhi. As far as I know, she graduated from college less than a year ago.¡±

    ¡°Less than a year ago? That means she doesn¡¯t have herwyer license!¡± Lawyer Jin¡¯s hand immediately shot upwards. ¡°Your Honor, can Miss Gu over there show us herwyer license?¡±

    The judge paid no attention to Lawyer Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled no punches with her reply. ¡°I¡¯m standing here in court, which means I¡¯ve submitted the necessary documents proving my qualification. Why do I have to show them to you?¡±

    Lawyer Jinughed. ¡°Well, you showed them to the judge, so why can¡¯t you show them to us? My dear child, do you really know what you¡¯re doing? Don¡¯t sabotage your own future.¡±

    ¡°Same to you too.¡± Gu Nianzhi lobbed the thinly veiled threat right back at Lawyer Jin.

    The judge hammered the gavel upon the block. ¡°Silence! The intiff and the defendant may now present their opening statements.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was representing the intiff, which meant she went first. ¡°Hello everyone. My name is Gu Nianzhi, and I have been asked by the military¡¯s Legal Department to represent the intiff. Although Luo Xinxue was not a soldier herself, she was married to Huo Guanyuan, a senior colonel in the military. ording to our country¡¯sws, she is afforded special status as a family member of a military man. Her murder, therefore, is of special interest to the military.¡±

 Chapter 296 - Dont Lose Momentum

    <h4>Chapter 296: Don¡¯t Lose Momentum</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she took out herptop to connect to the court projector and exined, ¡°As we all know, Luo Xuexin died over ten years ago. Her death was previously determined as suicide, but the recent autopsy performed by the renowned Military Medical Examiner, Dr. Zhu revealed Mrs. Luo didn¡¯tmit suicide, but was in fact murdered.¡±

    ¡°Objection. Luo Xuexin¡¯s case ured over ten years ago has passed its statute of limitations. This case shouldn¡¯t be reopened in the first ce.¡± Lawyer Jin threw out his first objection of the day.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brows, it was obvious this Lawyer Jin looked down on a newbie like herself¨Che was using such a wed objection to stifle her. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to retaliate and coldly stated, ¡°You¡¯re not living up to your name, Lawyer Jin. ording to Huaxiaws, there is no statute of limitations on murder cases, so it will always be effective. If someone like you can end up the topwyer of JD Law Offices, I think my future is bright.¡±

    Lawyer Jin was furious and protested to the judge, ¡°Objection! The opposing counsel is talking about things unrted to the case!¡±

    ¡°You are the chief representativewyer of the defendant, how is my doubts about your professional ability unrted to the case?¡± Gu Nianzhi spat back, not losing momentum.

    The judge was shocked by her words, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he nodded to her, ¡°Minimize talking about anything not directly rted.¡±

    ¡°Yes, You Honor.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped her nonsense and picked up aser pointer to aim at therge screen hanging on the side of the courtroom. The projector hummed to life and an image of a morgue appeared on the screen. The camera panned to a distant view of a body on the operating table. Gu Nianzhi used theser pointer to mark on the image, ¡°This is the body of Luo Xuexin, which was secretly preserved in the Military General Hospital¡¯s underground cold storage for over ten years. She was the wife of former Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan and the mother of Miss Huo Jin.¡±

    ¡°...Our purpose is to prove that Luo Xuexin¡¯s cause of death was not suicide, but murder. Our only piece of direct evidence is perhaps this body.¡± The small red dot from Gu Nianzhi¡¯sser pointer circled the image of Luo Xuexin¡¯s body, ¡°This piece of evidence may appear trivial, but is actually the most powerful proof. There is nothing this body can¡¯t tell us.¡±

    The judge nodded as he watched therge screen intently, ¡°...What were your findings?¡±

    ¡°...The most crucial evidence is right here.¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she tapped on theptop twice to open a photo. This time, it was a clearer image of Luo Xue Xin¡¯s body. Sheid on the cadaver dissection table with her eyes closed, a white shroud covering her from the corbone down and exposing her shoulders. Face so pale it appears bluish, there were no signs of decay and a ring incision on her neck. Gu Nianzhi pointed to the incision and said, ¡°This is where Medical Examiner Zhu made the incision to allow him to see all the way from her throat to inside the stomach.¡±

    Everyone in the courtroom watched the screen without blinking, they were nervous because there had to have been a major discovery if Gu Nianzhi chose to disy this photo. Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi showed them another photo, ¡°As we can see, this is a cross section of the deceased¡¯sryngeal muscles. It has convulsed to the point where the throat was so contorted it almost couldn¡¯t swallow pills. ...I remember Luo Xuexin¡¯s autopsy report stated shemitted suicide by taking sleeping pills. If herryngeal muscles had convulsed to this extent, how did she swallow the sleeping pills?¡± Gu Nianzhi seized the key point and revealed the first questionable point.

    ¡°This is the most questionable point. Under such a convulsed state, the deceased wouldn¡¯t have been able to swallow the pills on her own without spitting it all back out, unless there was an external force pushing them into her throat. ¡± As the expert witness, Medical Examiner Zhu stated inly as he announced that the possibility of the case being a murder, far exceeded the likelihood of it being a suicide.

    It was because of this important evidence that the Imperial Intermediate Court announced the hearing. Once the Bai¡¯s were informed, they immediately requested the court to ssify the proceedings on grounds of potential leakage. Huo Shaoheng had agreed to this as well. So when the trials began, only the prosecution, defense and both families would be present at the hearings. No media or public was allowed to attend. Huo Shaoheng only requested the final conclusion of the trial be publicized, and the court had agreed.

    Gu Nianzhi was at home to about everything that had transpired, so she was even more impressed by Huo Shaoheng. It had been less than a month¡¯s time from New Year¡¯s Day to now, and he had not onlypleted all his own work, dealt with all the trouble caused by Dou Qingyan, and also fit Bai Jinyi¡¯s case into his agenda. From choosing the expert witnesses to preparing evidence, not a thing had been missed. Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s impassive face and appeared victorious as she sat down. Voices in discussion immediately sounded inside the courtroom.

    Suddenly, Bai Jinyi¡¯s defensewyer, Lawyer Jin asked again, ¡°Miss Gu, I have one question.¡±

    ¡°Please say it.¡±

    ¡°May I ask how you can prove that theryngeal muscle convulsion in the deceased was caused before death, and not after death?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi faltered, this was truly a w in their logic. When a person dies, their muscles can indeed convulse due to various reasons. However Medical examiner Zhu immediately concluded that it was caused after death when hepleted the autopsy, therefore it wasn¡¯t possible that the deceasedmitted suicide by swallowing sleeping pills. The defendant¡¯swyer keenly bringing up this point and revealing their faulty logic meant that he did have some skills after all. If Gu Nianzhi and her team couldn¡¯t provide a reasonable exnation, then the court would refute Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s autopsy results on grounds of presumption of innocence. That meant it couldn¡¯t have been murder.

    The courtroom suddenly plunged into silence, the normally quiet central air conditioner seemed to be amplified. Gu Nianzhi could just hear an incessant buzzing in her ears, like tens of thousand of little honeybees were flying at the same time. She frowned at herptop monitor. She used a dynamic screensaver, where a rare Cymbidium bloomed. A tiny seven-spotdybug slowly crawled up the leaves and stopped at the downward sloping petals, where it seemed to lose bnce and suddenly fall along the curve of the petal and deep inside the flower. Gu Nianzhi watched the image and a hazy idea formed in her mind. Thedybug fell inside the orchid, but who can prove how it went inside? Did it fall, or was it forced inside? ...Without a witness, perhaps only thedybug itself could testify. Gu Nianzhi pondered it, then her eyes lit up as she turned around to ask, ¡°Medical Examiner Zhu, may I ask if you can prove if the sleeping pills entered the deceased¡¯s stomach before theryngeal muscles convulsed, or after?¡± If the pills had entered the deceased¡¯s stomach before theryngeal muscles convulsed, then it was entirely possible that she had swallowed the sleeping pills tomit suicide and Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s previous conclusion would be overturned by the defending party. Only by proving that the pills had entered the stomach after theryngeal muscles convulsed, can the death be attributed to murder and not suicide.

    Medical Examiner Zhu thought about it for a moment, then took theser pointer from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand to point at the photo. He took his time exining, ¡°If we carefully look at the cross section of theryngeal muscles, we can see that there are fairly serious abrasions. These were caused when the sleeping pills being forced down the throat. If theryngeal muscles had been in a normal state, swallowing this amount of sleeping pills would not cause such abrasions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi secretly sighed in relief, she took theser pointer back from Medical Examiner Zhu and nodded, ¡°Thank you Medical Examiner Zhu for your professional exnation.¡± She then turned to look the at chief representing defensewyer, Lawyer Jin, ¡°Does this answer satisfy you?¡±

    Lawyer Jin smiled, ¡°We will verify the photos once again. Also, we request a third party and neutral medical examiner to perform another autopsy on Luo Xuexin¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°Are you doubting Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s professionalism?¡± Gu Nianzhi reacted immediately, and caused Medical Examiner Zhu to shoot Lawyer Jin a furious re.

    ¡°We are not doubting Medical Examiner Zhu. But he belongs to the military, so it¡¯s reasonable that we request a impartial and independent party to perform an autopsy.¡±

 Chapter 297 - An Open Book

    <h4>Chapter 297: An Open Book</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Before Gu Nianzhi couldunch her counterattack, the judge rapped his gavel against the sound block. ¡°Request granted. Court will be adjourned while we wait for both parties to agree on a neutral third party for a second autopsy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded in agreement. ¡°I have no objections to that. I just hope that it won¡¯t take too long.¡±

    Once the court had been adjourned, Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng and his men out the courtroom, where they got into a military-use minivan and returned to the Special Ops base.

    In the car, Director Wang, who had remained silent throughout the hearing, suddenly spoke up. He praised Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I had my doubts about you at first, Miss Gu, but I was wrong. You truly are as intelligent and as quick-witted as they say you are. You have what it takes to be a goodwyer, and I believe that you will help us win thiswsuit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply was modest. ¡°Oh, I was just winging it, throwing out whatever came to mind. I¡¯m an inexperienced chick learning how to fly¡ªI still have a long ways to go.¡±

    She sounded humble, but the haughty look in her eyes betrayed her.

    Huo Shaoheng shot her a disapproving look, before turning to Director Wang to say: ¡°She¡¯s just a young girl. Don¡¯t praise her too much, Director Wang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately snuffed out the arrogance showing on her face. She lowered her face in embarrassment, revealing her slender, snowy-white neck. The elegant curve of her delicate neck was enough to cause Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breath to catch in his throat. Hepsed into silence after that, not trusting himself to be able to speak in his usual impassive tone.

    ...

    As soon as they were back at the military base, Gu Nianzhi rushed into her room for a quick shower. When she stepped out of the shower and into her bedroom, she saw Huo Shaoheng sitting on the sofa in her living room, his eyes fixed upon herptop. He seemed to be lost in thought.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I... I locked the door.¡± Gu Nianzhi scratched her head, feeling utterly confused and helpless. Had she somehow forgotten to lock the door again?

    Huo Shaoheng did not look up from hisputer. ¡°You did. I opened the door with my key.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. How was she supposed to react to that?

    She awkwardly seated herself beside Huo Shaoheng. She shook her head slightly when she saw that he had opened up her folder on Director Wang and was now going through the photos of the evidence inside it.

    ¡°This case happened too long ago. Most of the evidence have already been destroyed. What we¡¯re looking at now are the second-hand¡ªor even third-hand¡ªevidence.¡±

    ¡°It really is a pity.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up straight and stretched his legs; they were long enough to reach under the coffee table. ¡°The scene of the crime, Luo Xinxue¡¯s bedroom, has since been subjected to aplete makeover. Everything has been refurbished¡ªwe can¡¯t use anything in it as evidence now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s soundproof suite in the Huo Residence. ¡°Huo Shao, was your suite refurbished around the same time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was right about then.¡± Huo Shaoheng began toying with a gold coin. ¡°After I left home, the Huo Residence underwent a series of renovations.¡±

    ¡°In that case, we may not have direct evidence, but circumstantial evidence would serve our purpose just as well,¡± Gu Nianzhi said thoughtfully as she rubbed her chin with a hand. She grasped her mouse with her other hand and quickly looked up a few legal documents. ¡°I remember someone once won awsuit even though they had no direct evidence or witnesses.¡±

    ¡°What kind of circumstantial evidence are you referring to?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi found the record of the case she was thinking of, and opened it. She quickly looked it over, and muttered half to herself: ¡°For example, who asked for the deceased¡¯s room to be refurbished? And who took the job? Any kind of renovation done in the Huo Residence would have to be carried out by military staff¡ªit¡¯s against military protocol to have a civilian construction team take on something like that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood what she was getting at. ¡°I¡¯ll get Little Ze to look up the construction team and send the information over to Director Wang. He¡¯s the expert when ites to appraising evidence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She looked at the evidence disyed on herputer monitor, and said cheerfully, ¡°These evidence may not be first-hand evidence, but they help exin many things. You¡¯re right about Director Wang being the expert¡ªthe first thing he did was look up Luo Xinxue¡¯s psychiatrist.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that right?¡±

    ¡°The medical records from her psychiatrist show that Luo Xinxue relied on sleeping pills to sleep after the death of her husband. She was a habitual user of sleeping pills.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened up Luo Xinxue¡¯s medical record. ¡°But the prescription records also tell us that only a small amount of sleeping pills were prescribed to Luo Xinxue. Of course, it¡¯s possible she saved her sleeping pills with the intention of eating them all at once tomit suicide.¡±

    ¡°And that means that thiswsuit is a lot more difficult to win than most.¡± Huo Shaoheng straightened himself, the frown on his face deepening with every passing minute.

    They already had their hands full trying to prove that Luo Xinxue hadn¡¯t voluntarily swallowed the sleeping pills. The autopsy report had proved that was the case, but Bai Jinyi¡¯s legal team had dyed the proceedings by asking for another autopsy.

    And now they had to prove that Luo Xinxue, who had a long history of using sleeping pills, was A) not suicidal, and B) had not saved her sleeping pills with the intention of killing herself. That was virtually impossible to prove.

    And even if they were able to pull off the two aforementioned ¡°mission impossible¡±s, they still had another obstacle to clear: they would have to prove that Bai Jinyi had something to do with the sleeping pills. It was one hurdle after another, each one more difficult than thest.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng with sympathy in her eyes.

    It was a lot easier to prove that Bai Jinyi was guilty of dying Song Jinning¡¯s medical treatment, aggravating her condition almost to the point of incurability, and thereby causing massive damage to the interests of the nation, than it was to prove that Bai Jinyi had murdered Luo Xinxue.

    But the former crime wasn¡¯t serious enough to give Bai Jinyi the punishment she deserved.

    ¡°...Huo Shao, who were you counting on to be the chief defensewyer when you first thought of charging Bai Jinyi with the crime of murdering Luo Xinxue?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked quietly.

    ¡°One of thewyers in the military,¡± replied Huo Shaoheng as he casually rolled the gold coin across his knuckles. ¡°Luo Xinxue was my uncle¡¯s widow. Her death is rted to my uncle¡¯s death, which makes sense for the militarywyers to take up the case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of someone. ¡°What about Director Bai? She¡¯s the director of the Special Ops Legal Department, but she¡¯s also Bai Jinyi¡¯s niece. That makes things very awkward for her, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. So I decided not to rely on anyone in the Legal Department, and have you take on both cases instead.¡±

    So Gu Nianzhi had been their second choice, after all.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slowly, feeling a little insulted. ¡°...I see.¡±

    Shepsed into a sullen silence after that. Huo Shaoheng looked at her, and smiled. He tousled her hair, and said teasingly, ¡°What kind of internal drama are you starring in now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi maintained her poker face, but did not know what to say to that. She should have guessed that Huo Shao would be able to read her like an open book...

    ¡°Huo Shao, I need to borrow a witness from you for the next hearing.¡± Gu Nianzhi, feeling a little embarrassed, decided to change the topic.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Huo Jin.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the evidence disyed on the monitor. ¡°She¡¯s the keeper of her parents¡¯ belongings. Her testimony is of paramount importance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was absolutely sure they would be discussing the evidence in the next hearing.

    She had the utmost confidence in Medical Examiner Zhu. She knew that everypetent forensic doctor out there would agree with Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s findings.

    If the forensic doctor actually disagreed and tried to cast doubt on Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s conclusions, Gu Nianzhi knew what her next step would be: she would suggest that the doctor wasn¡¯t a neutral, disinterested party, and question his qualifications as a doctor.

    Huo Jin had not appeared in public for nearly a month now¡ªnot since she had been taken away by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men on New Year¡¯s Eve, to be kept under supervision and subjected to polygraph tests.

    ¡°Did you use the lie detector on her, Huo Shao?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with genuine concern. ¡°What did the polygraph test say? Is she telling the truth?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed. ¡°We tested her, but the lie detector turned up no anomalies.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Had Huo Jin found a way to cheat in the test?

    Or was she simply telling the truth?

    ¡°...We can¡¯t draw any conclusions just yet,¡± Huo Shaoheng said slowly. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ve been asking her the wrong questions. Besides, she is neither a criminal nor an enemy of the country. The Special Ops have many ways to get someone to talk, but we can¡¯t use them on her.¡±

    There were many ways to check whether someone was lying, but the tests were all inherently subjective. The results could not be submitted to court as direct evidence, only as a point of discussion and perhaps circumstantial evidence at best.

    Still, Gu Nianzhi had to admit she was impressed. It was quite the feat to be able to stay calm andposed before the Special Ops¡¯ lie detectors, even if the questions posed had not been the right ones. That meant that Huo Jin was tough as nails inside¡ªeven if she was no match for someone like Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°I understand. In that case, I won¡¯t see her beforehand¡ªwe¡¯ll leave her in the dark for now. The less mentally prepared she is to face us, the better.¡±

    ...

    The Bai family wasted no time in finding an independent forensic doctor. Huo Shaoheng checked the doctor¡¯s background, and agreed that the doctor was a neutral party with no vested interests. This time, the autopsy report would face no objections from the intiff, the defendant, or the court.

    As the matter was urgent, the forensic doctor rescheduled all his other work and concentrated on performing the autopsy on Luo Xinxue instead. He quickly submitted his autopsy report.

    One weekter, the Imperial Intermediate Court was back in session again.

    The report submitted by the independent forensic doctor was essentially the same as the one submitted by Medical Examiner Zhu: the victim had suffered from muscle spasms in the esophagus, and there were obvious scratches and abrasions on the esophageal walls.

    This proved that Medical Examiner Zhu¡¯s report was entirely correct: it was more likely for Luo Xinxue to have been murdered, than for her to have taken her own life.

    Lawyer Jin had only seeded in dying the trial for a week.

    At the second hearing, both parties knew that it was pointless to argue over the autopsy report, now that a 3rd party had independently verified it. They quickly moved on to the next topic.

    Gu Nianzhi asked the court for permission to summon a key witness to the stand: Huo Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi knew she needed every advantage she could get, and had therefore chosen to keep her distance from Huo Jin before the trial, even if it meant forgoing the opportunity to ask her questions rted to the case. She knew that the inexplicable silence and seemingck of interest on her part would keep Huo Jin uneasy and on edge.

 Chapter 298 - The Truth Surfaces

    <h4>Chapter 298: The Truth Surfaces</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Jin appeared aloof as she was brought into the court by the bailiff, and couldn¡¯t help freezing when she saw a navy suited Gu Nianzhi at the intiff¡¯s defense bar table. Her eyes quickly scanned through the courtroom, then she silently followed the bailiff to the witness stand. Bai Jinyi¡¯s side showed a disdainful look at Gu Nianzhi summoning Huo Jin as a witness. Huo Jian had tortured Song Jinning all along because she thought Song Jinning was the one to cause her mother¡¯s suicide. If she suspected Bai Jinyi at all, she wouldn¡¯t have treated Song Jinning so poorly. The Bai¡¯s were certain that Huo Jin possessed no evidence and calmly waited for Gu Nianzhi to make a fool of herself.

    Gu Nianzhi allowed Huo Jin to dere her identity in ordance to court procedures, then delved into the case. ¡°Miss Huo Jin, may I ask if you epted all the inheritance from your father, Huo Guanyuan and your mother, Luo Xinxue?¡±

    Huo Jin was especially stunning today, her luscious lips were in a coral lip color to match with her coral colored suit perfectly. Pouting, she tapped her bright red nail at the corner of her lips for a second and shot back at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Is my parent¡¯s inheritance rted to this case?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly stared at her, ¡°You just have to answer yes or no.¡±

    ¡°The deceased¡¯s inheritance is rted to the case, the witness is to answer,¡± The judge also supported Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled gratefully at the judge, then continued looking at Huo Jin.

    Huo Jin pursed her lips and seemed reluctant to say, ¡°...Yes, and so what? They¡¯re my parents, and I¡¯m their only daughter. Who else would they leave their inheritance to?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not questioning your right to inherit, what are you refuting exactly?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brows in surprise at Huo Jin¡¯s unexpected attitude.

    The corners of Huo Jin¡¯s eyes twitched. She panicked but was able to calmly calm down and smile, ¡°Your way of questioning who have had anyone asking the same?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her again and continued, ¡°Since you¡¯ve epted all of Huo Guanyuan and Luo Xinxue¡¯s inheritance, I want to summon two types of evidence from you. ¨CThe request had already be approved by the court, here is the document.¡± Gu Nianzhi lifted her hand a bailiff passed the approved document to Huo Jin.

    ¡°What kind of evidence?¡± Huo Jin frowned. The two attachments on the document were an inventory of belongings and an inventory of a will.

    ¡°One is the inventory of Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings that the military had handed over to your mother after he suddenly perished in theb experiment 16 years ago. Your mother also had this list, and the military kept a copy as well and stored it with Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan¡¯s file.¡± Gu Nianzhi started with introducing the first list.

    Huo Jin read it in silence then looked up at Gu Nianzhi for her to continue. ¡°The second list details your mother, Luo Xinxue¡¯s will.¡± Gu Niaznhi pointed to the image of the document on therge screen,, ¡°Luo Xinxue had listed all her personal and real properties, as well as important household items. Pleaseply with the court¡¯s request and present the items on Huo Guanyuan¡¯s inventory of belongings and Luo Xinxue¡¯s inventory of will to the court in order to assist the investigation.¡±

    Huo Jin¡¯s hand trembled slightly. She forced herself to maintainposure and spoke in an even voice, ¡°I had inherited my parent¡¯s inheritance, but it¡¯s that was over 10 years ago. With so many items, I need time to go home and look for them.¡±

    ¡°Really? May I ask how long you need to find them?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the two lists, ¡°These are small items and there are not that many of them. There are fewer than 50 itemsbined and most are pieces of jewelry on your mother Luo Xinxue inventory.¡±In addition to the real estate, savings deposits Huo Guanyuan and Luo Xinxue had left behind, there were only a few small items.

    Huo Jin was quiet for awhile, ¡°I need two or three days to look...¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll give you two hours. If you can¡¯t find them, I¡¯ll request a search warrant from the court and have your home searched directly.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not hesitate to reject Huo Jin¡¯s request.

    The judge also felt that two or three days was too long toplete the search for a simple list of items. He agreed with Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Allow the witness two hours toplete the list immediately. She can exin to the court the reason if she can¡¯t find them, or need more time. ¨CThe court is adjourned.¡±

    The court was adjourned for two hours.

    Bai Jinyi was getting grumpy as she spoke to Lawyer Jin, ¡°Why are you letting a littlew student take you by the cor? What on earth are you all doing?¡±

    Lawyer Jin scowled and said in a hushed voice, ¡°Of course we¡¯re doing something. The court had been adjourned for a week and we had a neutral medical examiner perform an autopsy. Did Director Bai forget?¡±

    Bai Jinyi was rendered speechless.

    Lawyer Jin then continued with a mirthlessugh, ¡°If Director Bai can give us more direct information and mention some names, we wouldn¡¯t have to stay on the defensive.¡± ording to Huaxiaws, the one to press charges was responsible for providing evidence. So even though Gu Nianzhi was representing the intiff, she had to speak up more because her job was to convince the judge and prove that Luo Xinxue had been in fact murdered by Bai Jinyi.

    Lawyer Jin was Bai Jinyi¡¯s defensewyer, and they needed to findws in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s argument and dispute it. So far, they had not yet found any ws. ¡°...However, out team ofwyers have already discussed this.¡± Lawyer looked around, ¡°We can work on the new witness that the intiff has summoned.¡±

    Bai Jinyi was perplexed, ¡°Hiuo Jin? What a joke, what could you possibly n to do?¡±

    ¡°Director Bai, please allow us to handle the legal matters. What you have to do is to tell us the entire truth. You have to understand that any concealment is aiding the other party send you to jail.¡±

    Bai Jinyi pursed her lips and reflexively shot back, ¡°I¡¯ve told you all I can, I didn¡¯t conceal anything.¡±

    ...

    Two hourster, the court resumed session. A stony faced Huo Jin returned to hand over what she had inherited from her parents for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s team to put into inventory.

    Director Wang of the Special Operations Forces Forensics Department personally verified the items against the inventories of belongings and will. He found that two items were missing. ¡°One, Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal cell phone. Cell phone number 1XXXXXXXXX. Two, a birth certificate Luo Xinxue had stored in a bank safe. Your Honor, Miss Huo did not hand over the above items.¡±

    The judge looked at Huo Jin, ¡°Huo Jin, may I ask why the personal cell phone listed on Huo Guanyuan¡¯s inventory of belongings list and the birth certificate Luo Xinxue had stored in a bank safe was not among the items handed over?¡±

    She shook her head at him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Honor. My father¡¯s inventory of belongings was handed over by the military to my mother and she was the one who signed for it. By the time I inherited it, I had never seen such a list. I took the list the court had provided topare against my father¡¯s items and saw that everything was there except for this personal cell phone.¡±

    What a coincidence. The court room was suddenly abuzz with discussion, but Gu Nianzhi remained calm and silent. Truthfully, it was inevitable that some of the items had been lost or disposed of after all these years, so Gu Nianzhi understood. However from Director Wang¡¯s years of experience in forensics, he felt that something was unusual. ¡°Lawyer Gu, Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal cell phone is certainly not a normal piece of evidence, you should request the court to grant permission to have the mobilepany release the call and text records.¡± Without a court subpoena, the mobilepany would not allow anyone other than the owner of the phone to obtain records. Of course, it didn¡¯t matter to Gu Nianzhi if the phone was gone, since Brother Ze would be able to ess the contents of any phone with just the phone number. However Zhao Liangze¡¯s means of obtaining intelligence was exclusive to the Special Ops and could not be presented to the court as evidence. The only legal evidence epted was the records provided by the mobilepany for the supplied phone number.

    ¡°Your Honor, we believe that the content saved on this phone is crucial to this case and request that the court can approve of a subpoena to the mobilepany to release the call records for this cell phone.¡± Gu Nianzhi requested boldly.

    The judge pondered for a long time, and felt that it was strange that all Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings was presented with the exception of the phone. He agreed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request and issued a subpoena to the mobilepany.

 Chapter 299 - Remembered It for 16 Years

    <h4>Chapter 299: Remembered It for 16 Years</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    At the same time, in order to preempt Huo Jin froming up with even more excuses, Gu Nianzhi summoned the military¡¯s logistic personnel to court to give their testimony: were they absolutely sure they had delivered the mobile phone to Luo Xinxue?

    The logistic officer who appeared in court to testify was the exact same officer who had personally handed Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings to his wife, Luo Xinxue, after his death.

    ¡°We can prove that the mobile phone was inside the box when we handed Colonel Huo¡¯s belongings to his wife 16 years ago.¡± The officer had been a lowly-ranked soldier when he had been tasked with returning the items 16 years ago; he was now a senior colonel in the Logistics Department.

    Lawyer Jin chuckled dismissively. ¡°I beg your pardon, Colonel, but I would like to ask how you are able to remember such a trivial detail from 16 years ago.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a trivial detail at all.¡± The senior colonel from the Logistics Department paused. ¡°Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan¡¯s mobile phone was his private phone, for personal use. Apparently, the battery for the phone had been custom-made for him by a genius scientist working in the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    ¡°A genius scientist working in the Institute of High Energy Physics? What was his or her name?¡± Lawyer Kim immediately asked.

    The senior colonel from the Logistics Department shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know. Colonel Huo never mentioned the name to us. He only said it was the scientist he respected most.¡±

    Bai Jinyi abruptly looked up upon hearing that. There was the unmistakable me of anger in her eyes. Her mouth opened and shut repeatedly; she looked as though she wanted badly to say something, but had to control herself.

    Gu Nianzhi had been casually watching everyone in the courtroom, and she saw the state of fury Bai Jinyi was in. Her eyebrows shot up, and she knew the question she had to ask the witness: ¡°Was that ¡®genius scientist¡¯ a man or a woman? Do you know?¡±

    She was disappointed when the senior colonel shook his head a second time. ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. Back then, Colonel Huo was close to the scientists working at the Institute of High Energy Physics because of the nature of his mission, but it was rare for him to talk to us about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that the joint experiment between the military and the Institute of High Energy Physics was most likely the main reason Huo Guanyuan had been close to the scientists.

    She had a hunch that that specific experiment was the key to the case.

    She looked thoughtfully at Bai Jinyi. She watched as the older woman slowly recollected herself; when the color finally returned to Bai Jinyi¡¯s cheeks, Gu Nianzhi turned her attention to Lawyer Jin, who was still in the middle of cross-examining the senior colonel at the witness stand.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to take your word for that, then. Still, I find it incredible that you remembered an off-hand remark like that for 16 years,¡± Lawyer Jin said dubiously. He was implying that the senior colonel was conspiring with the intiff¡¯swyer to give false testimony.

    The senior colonel knew at once what Lawyer Jin was insinuating. He said angrily, ¡°There¡¯s a reason I remembered what he said. I¡¯m still in the middle of my exnation, but you keep interrupting me, and now you¡¯re using me of being dishonest. How am I supposed to give myplete testimony if you won¡¯t let me?!¡±

    ¡°Perhaps Lawyer Jin iste for an appointment with God himself. That would exin why he¡¯s being so impatient...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curved into a small smile as she mocked thewyer. She turned to cate the senior colonel. ¡°Please continue. What was special about the mobile phone, for you to remember it for 16 years?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu is an intelligent and consideratewyer, I see¡ªunlike a certain someone.¡± The senior colonel shot an angry re at Lawyer Jin, before quickly turning to the judge to continue his exnation. ¡°That phone was special because of the custom-made battery I mentioned earlier. It¡¯s supposedly a really powerful battery¡ªso powerful, in fact, that you can charge it once and not have to recharge it again for 10 years. I was Colonel Huo¡¯s orderly back then, and often saw him fiddling with the phone. A few of us discussed the incredible battery in private, and we joked that Colonel Huo was either exaggerating its capacity, or that battery was some kind of alien technology that had suddenly appeared in our country. We even said we¡¯d keep an eye on Colonel Huo and make sure he never gets to recharge his phone, because we wanted to see exactly how long the battery wouldst.¡±

    ¡°How long did the batteryst?¡±

    ¡°I know that he did not recharge it for at least three years,¡± the senior colonel said with absolute confidence. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it, because I had a bet with the other orderlies regarding how long the battery wouldst. But three years after we started the bet, Colonel Huo lost his life in the ident. We were never able to see the bet through.¡±

    ¡°We were unable to recover his remains after the ident. How is it that his mobile phone is still around?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly logical. That mobile phone was his private phone, and it¡¯s against military protocol to bring your private phone with you during a mission. Colonel Huo left his personal belongings in his dormitory room. We took turns cleaning his room back then, and I remember it like it was just yesterday.¡±

    Lawyer Jin frowned. He did not like where this was going. ¡°And you are absolutely sure that the phone was inside the box when you handed Colonel Huo¡¯s belongings to his wife? Who¡¯s going to prove that? You? This is meaningless¡ªwe only have your word for this, we need a third party to corroborate what you¡¯ve just said!¡±

    But 16 years had passed. How were they going to find yet another witness to prove that the senior colonel was telling the truth?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened. She was about tounch a counterargument when the senior colonel said, with an expression that spoke of hisplete disdain for Lawyer Jin, ¡°We have an established procedure when handing over the belongings of our brave men who lost their lives serving the country. A special team hands the belongings over to the fallen soldier¡¯s family, and personally go over the items checklist with the family members to make sure nothing is missing. The belongings are only released to the family after they sign on the list, confirming that everything is in order. I don¡¯t know what kind of work environment you¡¯re used to, Mr. Lawyer, but you seem to have a serious misunderstanding of how we do things in the military.¡±

    Lawyer Jin was so angry he couldn¡¯t speak.

    This was the first time he had heard someone talk to him in that disdainful tone in court.

    He seethed inwardly. He knew he should have declined to take the case once he saw the military was involved.

    He had, in the course of his career, wondered where all the sharp-tongued, quick-witted men and women had gone, and now he knew¡ªthey were in the military!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spirits lifted after hearing what the senior colonel had said. She smiled sweetly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a misunderstanding. How can it be a misunderstanding, when Lawyer Jin is entirely ignorant of how our military works?¡± She pulled out a copy of the list of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings¡ªsigned by members of the Huo family¡ªand passed it around the court, allowing everyone in attendance to look at it.

    ¡°As you can see, Luo Xinxue was not the only one who signed on the list. Huo Guanyuan¡¯s father, Huo Xuenong, and his younger brother, Huo Guanchen, both signed on the list too. Back then, Huo Xuenong was the deputy chairman of the military¡¯s Supreme Council. Huo Guanchen was only a captain at the time, but he is now a general, and also the director of the military¡¯s Political Department.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, I believe all these signatures should be enough to dispel your doubts. Surely you concede now that every single item on the list had been handed over to Luo Xinxue?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly said before Lawyer Jin could raise any objections. She turned to the judge to put in a formal request: ¡°Your Honor, we would like to ask the court to send a subpoena to the telmunicationspany, and have them hand over themunications record for this mobile phone to aid in our investigation.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± The judge brought his gavel down upon the sound block.

    The court clerk began typing up a subpoena to send to the telmunications operator.

    It would take some time for the telco toply with the court order and hand over the records.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Jin. ¡°Huo Jin, you said that you were unable to find the mobile phone. Let¡¯s assume that you lost it¡ªdo you at least remember the exact moment you realized it was missing?¡±

    Huo Jin frowned as she thought about it. She shook her head. ¡°To bepletely honest, I¡¯ve never seen the phone, not even once. After my mother died, I inherited all of her belongings, which included what my father left behind. All of his belongings were in a box, and I¡¯ve sorted through the items, but I¡¯ve never seen the mobile phone described on the list.¡±

    ¡°Did you check to see whether everything on the list had been handed over to you?¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly asked, catching Huo Jin by surprise.

    Gu Nianzhi did not really know Huo Jin. But she had seen how Huo Jin had been excessively particr about who owned her parents¡¯ belongings, and her instincts told her that Huo Jin must be a miserly person.

    How would a miser behave when receiving her inheritance?

    Gu Nianzhi guessed that someone like Huo Jin would be extremely careful with her parents¡¯ belongings. She seemed like the type to go through the list herself and put a check next to every item to make sure it was there.

    Then again, it was just a mobile phone. It was hard to believe that Huo Jin would be upset or concerned if it was missing.

    The phone wasn¡¯t exactly a priceless artifact. If it was gone, it was gone. No sense worrying about it.

    Gu Nianzhi had tossed out the question carelessly, not expecting it to be important. To her surprise, she saw Huo Jin hesitate for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°...No, I did not.¡±

    She¡¯s lying.

    The thought shed across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind.

    Gu Nianzhi was sure that Huo Jin had checked the list of items and knew that the phone had gone missing for some time now.

    But why was she hiding it? For what reason?

    Gu Nianzhi calmly made a note of this mystery on herptop, before moving on to the next question.

    ¡°Director Wang said that there¡¯s also a birth certificate in the bank safe that you did not hand over to the court. Care to exin?¡±

    Huo Jin shook her head again. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find it. How am I supposed to hand it over?¡±

    ¡°This again?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Why is it called a ¡®bank safe¡¯ if it isn¡¯t even safe? We should ask the bank for a copy of the surveince camera tapes, and see who removed the birth certificate from the safe.¡±

    Panic flickered across Huo Jin¡¯s face, but she quickly collected herself. She said calmly, ¡°After my mother¡¯s death, I inherited all her belongings, and took out everything that had been in the bank safe.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the document is with you?¡± Gu Nianzhi had to stress the importance of the document¡¯s current whereabouts, and who it belonged to. ¡°So why didn¡¯t you hand it over? Are you deliberately choosing to go against the court order? That counts as an obstruction of justice.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Huo Jin lifted her chin slightly. ¡°I¡¯m saying that when I went to the bank to remove the contents in the safe, I didn¡¯t see anything resembling a certificate. There were only jewelry and deposit receipts inside.¡±

    Huo Jin insisted that the birth certificate had not been in the safe because she knew that Gu Nianzhi had no way of proving otherwise.

 Chapter 300 - Pry Open Her Mouth

    <h4>Chapter 300: Pry Open Her Mouth</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Luo Xinxue rented a safety deposit box at the bank. The bank was not privy to what was stored and allowed clients to put it anything they wanted so long it didn¡¯t vite bank regtions. Only presentation of identification was required in order to withdraw any items. As for the footage of the bank safe Gu Nianzhi mentioned, it was only to scare Huo Jin. It would only prove the identity of who made the withdrawal, but couldn¡¯t pinpoint what was taken out.

    Director Wang had once spread his palms regretfully at her and sighed, ¡°...The most important evidence is often the one that is missing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused to ept it, so her job was to use other ways to recover the two pieces of missing evidence. ¡°Ok, for now I will believe that Huo Jin didn¡¯t see this birth certificate when she went to withdraw Luo Xinxue¡¯s items from her safety deposit box.¡± Gu Nianzhi began to analyze as she disyed the inventory of items in Luo Xinxue¡¯s will so that everyone in the courtroom could see. ¡°But this list had been notarized, so every item on it should have been ounted for, verified and signed for by the notary office.¡± Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°This proves that the birth certificate does exist. We can think about it, why would Luo Xinxue put a birth certificate in a bank safe deposit box? And officially list in on her will?¡± When Gu Nianzhi raised this question, she gazed steadily at Huo Jin¨Cshe was basically saying the birth certificate had something to do with Huo Jin.

    Huo Jin remained silent but sneered internally. She was not timid and had been summoned as witness, not the suspect after all...¡±Lawyer Gu, I don¡¯t know how your question rtes to the case?¡± Huo Jin pouted disdainfully, ¡°What are you trying to prove exactly?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t get it? I am currently searching for a lost item of your mother¡¯s. Because she was murdered in the heavily guarded Huo manor, it is sufficient to say that she couldn¡¯t have possibly been randomly killed by a stranger. This also proves that the murderer must have had a specific reason to kill her. In order to find this reason and convict the murderer, I must find the missing links in the chain of evidence.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry. Lawyer Gu should change professions and be a detective instead.¡± Huo Jin snubbed Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You are clearly still looking for evidence, but had already taken someone to court. I truly don¡¯t understand this logic.¡±

    ¡°Well, you wouldn¡¯t be uttering such things to chill your mother¡¯s heart in heaven if you understood.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, we can prove that this missing birth certificate likely has a crucial connection to Luo Xinxue¡¯s death.¡±

    The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi for a while, then shook his head with reluctance, ¡°Please prove the so called crucial connection.¡±

    The Bai¡¯s sighed in relief once again, they hadn¡¯t expected this change of course¨CHuo Jin was a witness but was now suspicious as well.

    Lawyer Jin was very satisfied by this turn of events and smiled at his jury, ¡°...Get it? A rookie is daydreaming if she thinks she can win this case. She¡¯s basically handing over the victory to us.¡±

    Bai Jinyi was silent at the other side, her expression even more contorted than before. Gu Nianzhi expressed understanding of the judge¡¯s question and bowed slightly at all present in the courtroom as she began to exin the reasoning, ¡°First of all, has everyone considered this before? Why would Luo Xinxue put a birth certificate in a safety deposit box? Why would this disappeared after her death?¡±

    The courtroom grew silent. ¡°Lawyer Gu, you don¡¯t even know who the birth certificate belongs to. How are you going to convince Your Honor and everyone else that this is rted to the case?¡± Lawyer Jin didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to lead the discussion and took initiative to take her down a notch.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was very keen and worked differently from others because she excelled at reverse thinking. Upon listening to Lawyer Jin¡¯s words, she immediately dismissed him, ¡°Of course I¡¯m doing this in order to unearth Luo Xinxue¡¯s intention. She especially stored a birth certificate in the bank safety deposit box, so ording to logic it must belong to either the person dearest to her, or herself. But because it¡¯s now missing, I can rule out it belongs to Luo Xinxue. She has passed away so regardless of how convoluted her birth was, it no longer matters and is not worth anyone¡¯s time to tamper with. Therefore, the only possibility is that the birth certificate is the proof of birth of someone who is still alive. And this person made it ¡®disappear¡¯ because they didn¡¯t want anyone to see it.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked directly at Huo Jin as she said this and made it amply clear that the birth certificate must have to do with her.

    Huo Jin nched as she clenched her fists and gritted, ¡°...What are you looking at me for? I never saw this birth certificate!¡±

    ¡°I never said it was rted to you, I was just inferring ording tomon sense.¡± Gu Nianzhi tapped at theputer and the image on therge screen changed to the three identification photos of Huo Guanyuan, Huo Jin and Luo Xinxue. Everyone was in uproar when the three images appeared because Huo Jin¡¯s photo looked nothing like either of her parents.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, what is the meaning of this?! Are you saying I¡¯m not a Huo just by using these photos?¡± Huo Jin was furious but secretly very nervous.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brows, a hint of smile appearing on her face, ¡°Also, what day and age are we in now anyway? How can we just use photos to determine biological rtionships? If we need to verify that, then we can simply use DNA testing. This is not ancient times where the people had to rely on the erroneous method of using blood to test for kinship?¡±

    The judge looked impassively at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Are you saying that... you want to verify the DNA of your witness, Huo Jin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at herptop, then changed the photos again, ¡°I ask Your Honor to please allow use to verify Huo Jin¡¯s DNA.¡±

    Sitting in the dock, Bai Jinyi looked up in shock. She stared at Huo Jin like she had never seen her before.

    The judge considered it for a while, his expression still stoic. He remained quiet for a long time, and perhaps the silence in the courtroom became too heavy for Huo Jin to bear. Even Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lie detector couldn¡¯t pry her mouth open, but they finally had a breakthrough with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trick with the birth certificate that ¡°disappeared.¡± Huo Jin¡¯s pupils shrunk abruptly, her lips quivering as she finallyplied to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...Lawyer Gu, you repeatedly brought up my parent¡¯s missing belongings as evidence, and I thought of something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with great interest, ¡°Is it rted to the death of your mother, Luo Xinxue?¡± Gu Nianzhi remembered hearing Huo Jin say that she was first to find Luo Xinxue dead in the bed... If Huo Jin wasn¡¯t the murderer, she must be the one who had the most information about the murderer. But for some reason, she was covering for them. Gu Nianzhi had the intuition that Huo Jin seemed to not really care about how her mother died, but only wanted to have someone to channel her hate into and shoulder the responsibility of her death. It was like... only by doing this could she face her mother¡¯s spirit in heaven. This feeling was strange and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but think that Huo Jin knew more about her mother¡¯s death than she revealed. So Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strategy of debate in court was to pry open Huo Jin¡¯s mouth. All the previous actions, searching for evidence and verification of inventories was to achieve this one goal. Gu Nianzhi was very fortunate that she seeded. Although she was extremely excited, she was able to conceal it very well and no one could see her true emotions.

    Huo Shaoheng was the only one to notice it. He had raised her for six years and she had been by his side form the age of 12 to 18, so he knew her every behaviour and expression all too well. For example right now, he was able to discern that Gu Nianzhi was very excited, because the pale tips of her ears would flush faintly when she was truly excited... Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze rested on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears for a second, then casually moved away.

 Chapter 301 - Someone Saw Her

    <h4>Chapter 301: Someone Saw Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Jin¡¯s face was now deathly pale. She nodded slowly and said, her voice growing weaker with every syble, ¡°...On the night of my mother¡¯s death, my... my mother suddenly called my room¡¯s extension line. She asked me to go downstairs to see her.¡±

    ¡°What happened after that?¡±

    ¡°It was the middle of the night, and I was asleep. Her phone call woke me up. She sounded very weak, so I rushed downstairs to see what was going on.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute¡ªyou said it was the middle of the night?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked. ¡°But you previously said that you found your mother¡¯s lifeless body on her bed in the early hours of the morning. Are you saying that you went to your mother¡¯s room before that?¡±

    Huo Jin pressed her lips together in an expression of pain and closed her eyes. There was a sob in her voice when she said, ¡°Yes, I went to her room the night before.¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s heart raced as a chill ran down her spine. She could hear her heart hammering in her ears.

    She had not expected Luo Xinxue to have had the strength to call her daughter that night!

    So she had been ying dead before that!

    Gu Nianzhi watched Bai Jinyi from the corner of her eye as she questioned Huo Jin.

    Every change in Bai Jinyi¡¯s expression, no matter how slight, did not escape Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hawk-like eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded to herself. She knew that she was on the right track.

    10 years had passed, and there was virtually no direct evidence left. The best they could do now was to try and find first-hand witnesses.

    Huo Jin had been the first to discover Luo Xinxue¡¯s lifeless body, which meant she was either the murderer, or the person most familiar with the scene of the crime.

    Gu Nianzhi was fully aware of that, and had summoned Huo Jin to the witness stand to¡ªas the saying went¡ªkill two birds with one stone.

    She calmly said, ¡°Tell us what you saw the night before.¡±

    Huo Jin pressed her lips together. She looked at Bai Jinyi, over in the dock, as she said slowly, ¡°That night, my mother called me over the extension and asked me to go to her room. As soon as I entered her room, I saw her lying on the floor...¡±

    The tears finally overflowed from her eyes.

    10 years had passed, but her heart had never ceased aching. She had lived in mental anguish the entire time.

    ¡°Lying on the floor? Why was she on the floor? Did you see anyone else in the room?¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed her for more answers.

    ¡°...There was no one else in the room. I don¡¯t know why she was lying on the floor. When I entered the room, she was already unconscious. The phone receiver had fallen off the bedside table, and the room had been turned inside out. There were letters scattered on the floor.¡± Huo Jin wiped her tears away. ¡°I carried my mother to her bed. She looked like she was asleep. I shook her and she opened her eyes to look at me, but immediately went back to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Your mother called you on the extension, asked you to go to her room, but didn¡¯t say anything to you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked skeptically. Luo Xinxue¡¯s behavior did not make sense to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Maybe she was already too weak to speak by then. If I had known that my mother would be dead the next morning, I would have done everything in my power to wake her up that night and ask her what she wanted to tell me...¡± Huo Jin covered her face as she wept. ¡°I really had no idea that would be thest time I would ever see my mother alive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quietly waited for Huo Jin to stop crying before asking her next question. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that your mother¡¯s room had been ransacked by burrs the night before her death?¡±

    Huo Jin nodded. ¡°Yes, I believe someone broke into my mother¡¯s room. I¡¯d always assumed that my mother had flown into a rage and trashed her own room after reading the love letters, but now that you¡¯ve brought up the possibility of my mother¡¯s death being a murder, I see things more clearly now. I no longer believe it was my mother who trashed her own room.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands quizzically. ¡°How is it possible for a thief to sneak into the Huo Residence, considering the Huo family¡¯s status, and the security measures in ce? Think again, Huo Jin¡ªwhat was the situation back then, really?¡±

    Huo Jin¡¯s eyes flickered uncertainly. After a while, she said slowly: ¡°...You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no way a thief would be able to sneak into the house, not with my family¡¯s status and security measures. But what if it wasn¡¯t an outsider? What if it was someone within the Huo family, or someone we know?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for Huo Jin to say this.

    She had carefully considered this possibility when researching the case.

    In order to collect incriminating information on Bai Jinyi, they had to first get Huo Jin to use her of the crime.

    Huo Jin was, to put it simply, the key to solving the case.

    But she was a tough nut to crack. Huo Shaoheng had used a lie detector on her, with little to no sess.

    Gu Nianzhi, with the help of the forensic expert Director Wang, had noticed that there was a birth certificate listed as part of Luo Xinxue¡¯s belongings.

    She decided to use the birth certificate to force Huo Jin into a corner. Huo Jin would then have to charge Bai Jinyi with the crime of murdering Luo Xinxue to clear her own name.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately pounced on what Huo Jin had just said. ¡°You sound like you know who might have done it. Who do you have in mind?¡±

    Huo Jin hesitated.

    Lawyer Jin immediately shouted: ¡°Objection! That is a loaded question!¡±

    ¡°Objection sustained.¡± The judge brought his gavel down. ¡°The intiff¡¯swyer shall refrain from asking loaded questions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately changed her strategy. ¡°Huo Jin, there wasn¡¯t a burr that night. You made up the whole thing! In fact, you were the one who killed your mother!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me!¡± Huo Jin shrieked out in panic. She pointed towards Bai Jinyi, standing in the dock. ¡°It was her! When I went downstairs to look for my mother, I saw here out of my mother¡¯s room!¡±

    This unexpected outburst was met with dead silence in the courtroom. Then suddenly, like a drop of water that had fallen into a pot of hot oil, the courtroom erupted into chaotic shouting and chatter.

    ¡°Someone saw her?!¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?!¡±

    The 15wyers working for the Bai family exchanged incredulous nces as they questioned each other. They wondered whether they had misheard.

    Bai Jinyi trembled all over, her face an ashen gray. She quickly straightened herself and closed her eyes as she said with a sneer: ¡°Lies and nder! Huo Jin, I know you¡¯re desperate to wriggle out of the crime of murdering your own mother, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can go around making up wild stories. I hope you realize it¡¯s a felony to give false testimony in court!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over to the dock. She sped her hands behind her back as she scrutinized Bai Jinyi. ¡°But what Huo Jin said just now is logically consistent with what happened that night. Bai Jinyi, would you care to exin what you were doing in Luo Xinxue¡¯s room that night, 10 years ago? It was the middle of the night, and ording to Huo Jin, her mother was already more or less out of it when she saw her. Were you the one who fed her with sleeping pills? You¡¯re a psychiatrist, after all, which means you can prescribe sleeping pills.¡±

    Bai Jinyi refused to look at Gu Nianzhi. She kept her eyes closed as she said scathingly: ¡°What proof do you have that I was in Luo Xinxue¡¯s room? All you have is Huo Jin¡¯s im that she saw me. Well, how about this: I¡¯m using her of killing her own mother. There, why don¡¯t you take me at my word? And yes, I can prescribe sleeping pills because I¡¯m a psychiatrist. So what? Are you saying every psychiatrist on this who have sleeping pills at their disposal should be suspected of murder?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying every psychiatrist is a murder suspect.¡± Gu Nianzhi wagged a finger at Bai Jinyi. ¡°I¡¯m saying you¡¯re the only psychiatrist we know who has a connection to Luo Xinxue and can enter the Huo Residence without triggering suspicion, Physicist Bai¡ªor should I call you Psychiatrist Bai?¡±

    Bai Jinyi wanted to continue arguing the point with Gu Nianzhi, but Lawyer Jin put a warning hand on her arm and shook his head. He stood up and said to the judge: ¡°Your Honor, the intiff¡¯s witness has given us new information in her testimony. We would like to ask for some time to investigate the credibility of the witness.¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°Agreed. Court is adjourned. The next hearing will be in three days.¡±

    The gavel fell upon the sound block, indicating that the second hearing was now over.

    Bai Jinyi was escorted back to the detention center by the bailiff. She could not be released on bail for the moment due to the possibility of the Bai family smuggling her out of the country.

    Huo Jin was still a suspect, but she was currently too emotionally unstable to be kept in the detention center. She was escorted back to the Huo Residence by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men, where she remained under close surveince. The security measures around her were now even stricter than the ones she had been subjected to at the detention center.

 Chapter 302 - Speak Normally

    <h4>Chapter 302: Speak Normally</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Since leaving the courthouse, Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t returned to the Huo manor. Instead, she followed Huo Shaoheng back to his official residence at the Special Operations Forces base to continue preparations for the next round of trials. She sat in the small conference room in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office suite to review information. A few minutester Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze walked in. Everyone began discussing the results of the day¡¯s trial and the normally chatty Yin Shixiong pretended to be oblivious to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s confusion. Since there were no outsiders in the small conference room, Gu Nianzhi kicked the leg of Yin Shixiong¡¯s chair. ¡°Brother Xiong, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Yin Shixiong had been drawing on his tablet. He rolled his eyes at her when she kicked him and then connected hisptop to the projector. Everyone looked the chart Yin Shixiong pulled up, which showed a sketch of a phone and a birth certificate drawn by him. ¡°Have you thought about whether Huo Guanyuan¡¯s missing phone and the birth certificate may be connected?¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head. ¡°Why were only these two things missing?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think of the connection between the two.¡± Gu Nianzhi held a pen and clicked the cap underneath her chin. ¡°I just know that these two items are directly rted to Luo Xinxue¡¯s death.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s finger tapped on the conference table as he asked Gu Nianzhi stoically, ¡°You still think this birth certificate is rted to Huo Jin?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s directly rted to Huo Jin. I was just making a logical inference. I said that in court in order to probe her.¡± Gu Nianzhi twirled the pen in her hand. ¡°If she¡¯s innocent, we can investigate the other people rted to Luo Xinxue.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea too.¡± Huo Shaoheng considered it, then said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Go to the Huo manor to collect Huo Jin¡¯s blood or hair right now and then give it to Chen Lie for a DNA test.¡±

    Zhao Liangze agreed and departed quickly. He returned to the office at the base less than a hourter. He said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent it to Dr. Chen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi teased him quietly, ¡°That quickly? Brother Ze, did you threaten her with force?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s an actual terror.!¡± Zhao Liangze rolled up his sleeves and put his hands at his waist, scolding Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Do I have to resort to doing those things to collect evidence?!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so upset? It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t do those things, but you do seem awfully guilty.¡± Gu Nianzhi mocked him. ¡°Also, regarding that phone number, can you find out anything about it?¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m a spinning top? Kick me from the back and I¡¯ll only spin for you?¡± Zhao Liangze red at Gu Nianzhi before running off to his own office to run the program.

    Gu Nianzhi studied Zhao Liangze¡¯s retreating back; he was acting strange. When she started to follow him to ask what was going on, Yin Shixiong pulled her back. ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± He shook his head at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Let him be alone for a bit.¡±

    ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± Gu Nianzhi was anxious. ¡°What could have made Brother Ze unhappy? I didn¡¯t think that there was anything in the world that could be difficult for him!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. To an inte addicted child like you, your Brother Ze is the king of the inte and can do just anything. But we live in the real world, Nianzhi, not the inte.¡± Yin Shixiong exined patiently to Gu Nianzhi, Oddly, he was speaking in English.

    Gu Nianzhi shot him a nce. ¡°Speak normally.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled and thumped his chest. ¡°Well,tely your Brother Ze had a little crush but then he got rejected.¡± Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disdainful look, Yin Shixiong knew he had wasted effort talking to her. He reached out to viciously yank Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ponytail.

    Gu Nianzhi freed her hair and jumped away, asking in shock, ¡°So Brother Ze likes someone?! Oh no, did my suggestion get him in trouble?!¡± Gu Nianzhi automatically connected Zhao Liangze¡¯s unrequited love with the collection of Huo Jin¡¯s DNA. She sped her hands together and squeaked, ¡°Brother Ze likes Huo Jin?!¡±

    Oof¨C!

    Zhao Liang was drinking tea at his desk and spat a mouthful out when he overheard her outburst. ¡°Nianzhi! Get over here!¡± Zhao Liangze rolled up his sleeves to teach her a lesson.

    ¡°For what?¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at him, then picked up herptop and ran off giggling. ¡°I have to go talk to Mrs. Song; you guys have fun with each other!¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi left the office building in the Special Ops headquarters and returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to take a shower and change before talking with Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning lived on the third floor. Gu Nianzhi knocked on the door. Song Jinning was able to see that it was her from the camera. She opened the door and asked, ¡°You all went to trial today? What happened? What was the result of the trial?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°We just got back from the courthouse. There are some things I¡¯m not sure about, so I wanted to ask for your advice.¡± She entered Song Jinning¡¯s room.

    Song Jinning closed the door behind Gu Nianzhi, offered her a seat, then poured a ss of water for her and ced it on the coffee table. She sat on the sofa across from Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Go ahead, tell me about what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Song Jinning she spoke concisely and didn¡¯t waste time so Gu Nianzhi was secretly impressed. She opened herptop to show Huo Gunyuan¡¯s inventory of belongings and mentioned his missing phone. ¡°The witness from the military was Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan¡¯s orderly. He said that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone battery was specially made by a genius scientist from the Institute of High Energy Physics. The battery life was incredible: it was said that one charge couldst ten years. Is that true? If so, it¡¯s amazing technology!¡±

    Song Jinning had been a scientist at the Institute of High Energy Physics and her father Song Haichuan had been the director at the time. Gu Nianzhi realized that Song Jinning should definitely know about the high technology from the Institute had developed 16 years ago.

    Song Jinning became alert as soon as she heard this. ¡°A phone battery thatsts ten years with one charge?¡± She sighed quietly. ¡°It was a small thing I made for Senior Colonel Huo back then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was floored. As expected, she was a real genius! A small thing she had cobbled together led technology by several decades. As far as Gu Nianzhi knew, there was no battery as powerful as that in the world right now. Batteries thatsted ten days were already amazing, so ten years was something that could only appear in fiction. Gu Nianzhi moved to the sofa Song Jinning was sitting on and grasped her hand. ¡°Can you make a small thing like that for me too? I can pay you!¡± What a money-making invention!

    Song Jinning shook her head with a wry smile. ¡°You silly child; you think it¡¯s so simple? If it could be made so easily, our Institute of High Energy Physics would have gotten a patent long ago and made a fortune offmercialization.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand what she meant. Physics for her was aplicated subject.

    Song Jinning took her to theputer and pulled up some information. ¡°That kind of battery is mainlyposed of graphene. Graphene is a two-dimensional material with the thickness of one carbon atom. It¡¯s mainly in the state of a nar film in which carbon atoms in sp2 hybrid orbitals form a hexagonal honebttice. Graphene is derived from graphite crystal. Is is very difficult to separate. I had polished the material it by hand and spent four or five years making enough to produce a phone battery, but the total material yield was very small. At the time, Senior Colonel Huo had done a big favor for my father, so I gifted the battery to him as thanks.¡± Song Jinning had gone into great depth, exining theplexities of the process and left Gu Nianzhipletely baffled.

 Chapter 303 - Finding the Flaws

    <h4>Chapter 303: Finding the ws</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Song Jinning was a scientist, and behaved like one. She pointed to a web page on theputer screen. ¡°I just checked. There still hasn¡¯t been a breakthrough in graphene extraction technology, after all these years, which means it isn¡¯t possible to mass produce this battery.¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi heard that it required years of polishing and refining by hand to obtain a tiny sliver of graphene material, she immediately put the brakes on her enthusiasm. ¡°Oh well, forget I asked. I didn¡¯t know it was so troublesome.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of trouble, yes.¡± Song Jinning nodded. ¡°And it was pure luck that Huo Guanyuan found a graphite ore with a special molecr structure during one of his missions. It was a lot easier to separate singleyer graphene from that ore¡¯s surface. He gave that ore to my father as a gift, and my father gave it to me. I sanded the ore by hand during my free time, and that was how I obtained high quality singleyer graphene crystals from it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to the exnation, but understood very little of it. Her eyes turned into tiny spirals yet again.

    She kept the smile on her face as she struggled to pay attention to what Song Jinning was saying. By the end of Song Jinning¡¯s exnation, Gu Nianzhi had arrived at two conclusions.

    One: Huo Guanyuan found a graphite ore with a special molecr structure.

    Two: Song Jinning used the materials refined from the ore to make a mobile phone battery. She then gave the battery to Huo Guanyuan as a present.

    Song Jinning had therefore returned the ore to its original owner, in a way.

    It seemed much more likely for someone to be interested in the battery, rather than the phone itself.

    Gu Nianzhi sat next to Song Jinning, pretending to be interested in the graphene molecr form Song Jinning was now showing her. In actual fact, her brain had already took off for outer space.

    There had not been a major breakthrough in graphene extraction technology in thest 10 years¡ªthat meant that whoever stole the phone had not been able to replicate Song Jinning¡¯s sess with the battery.

    It also showed that the thief was most likely unaware that the graphite ore with the special molecr structure had been the key to Song Jinning¡¯s sess.

    ¡°Auntie Song, do you think it¡¯s possible someonemitted murder just to get their hands on this mobile phone battery?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head as she stared at the mathematical form and molecr form Song Jinning had pulled up on theputer screen.

    Song Jinning considered it. ¡°This battery would be extremely valuable when coupled with a breakthrough in graphene stripping technology, and many men have done dastardly things just for money. But you have to remember that there hasn¡¯t been a breakthrough in the technology, so I don¡¯t believe anyone would resort to murder, just yet.¡±

    ¡°...But it¡¯s possible she simply didn¡¯t have all the information...¡± mused Gu Nianzhi as she tried her best to get inside the killer¡¯s head. ¡°Maybe she thought you¡¯d had a major breakthrough, and that was what drove her to take the risk and steal the phone. It was all for nothing, of course.¡±

    Song Jinning smiled as she shook her head. ¡°If you¡¯re implying it was Bai Jinyi, well, I don¡¯t think she would have done something like that. She¡¯s a scientist, too, and she knew I made the battery. If she wanted to steal the technology behind the battery, she would have done it a long time ago.¡±

    It made no sense for her to wait until six years after theboratory ident to murder someone for it.

    ¡°Oh? So she knew you made the battery? That means she must have known you used special graphite ore for it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rested her head on Song Jinning¡¯s shoulder, too confused to speak.

    She had to admit that she was probably on the wrong track.

    Was Bai Jinyi not the murderer, after all?

    Or was Bai Jinyi the murderer¡ªonly she had taken Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone for some other purpose?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers tapped out a slow, erratic rhythm on Song Jinning¡¯sputer desk as she mulled it over. What possible reason was there for Bai Jinyi to be driven to murder and theft after six years?

    ...

    After leaving Song Jinning¡¯s room, Gu Nianzhi went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office with herptop instead of returning to her room.

    It was already night, but the lights in the office building were on.

    The staff in the office building worked in 8 hour shifts. That meant there was always someone in the building, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men often went several days without sleeping.

    ¡°Back again, Nianzhi? Are you looking for a good thrashing?¡± Zhao Liangze rolled up his sleeves and walked over with his best impression of an ¡°evil smirk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yed along by putting on her ¡°oh no I¡¯m so scared¡± expression. She slipped into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, quick as lightning, and locked the door. She shook a triumphant fist at the door and Zhao Liangze, who was now standing before it.

    Zhao Liangze made a few half-hearted gestures at the door, before giving up.

    He was just teasing Gu Nianzhi, anyway.

    Gu Nianzhi turned and saw Huo Shaoheng seated behind his desk. The bright ceiling light shone upon him from up above, bringing out the shadows on his handsome face. He was as perfect and beautiful as a Greek statue.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were glued to hisputer screen; his fingers flew over his keyboard as he typed confidently and quickly. There was a pair of closed headphones over his ears, and he appeared to be talking to someone through his mouthpiece.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Huo Shaoheng greeted her without looking up from hisputer screen. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the sofa area in the middle of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office.

    She ced herptop on the coffee table. As she did so, she made funny faces in the direction of the transparent wall in the office.

    But the people outside could not see her, or anything else inside the office. It was a one-way mirror, just like the wall in the interrogation room.

    Gu Nianzhi had realized this when she was outside the office, which was why she was now boldly pulling funny faces at the one-way mirror.

    Huo Shaoheng finally ended his call and closed theputer program. When he looked up, he saw Gu Nianzhi making shadow animal puppets on the opposite wall with her porcin-white hands and the light shining from the other end of the room.

    Little ducklings that ran excitedly about, proud giraffes, barking puppies¡ªshe was obviously enjoying herself.

    Huo Shaoheng got up from behind his desk and sat beside her. He asked, ¡°Have you spoken to my mother?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She stopped making the shadow puppets and rubbed her hands before opening up the web page on graphene. She showed it to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I asked about that amazing battery, and I get how it works now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly read the contents of the web page. He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think Luo Xinxue was killed because of the battery.¡±

    ¡°But what does the murderer want with the phone, then?¡± Gu Nianzhi could not figure it out. ¡°If the phone went missing when Luo Xinxue died, that would have been six years after theboratory ident involving Huo Guanyuan and Auntie Song.¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s another possibility. Maybe the phone was already missing before Luo Xinxue¡¯s death, but no one realized it,¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed out. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. We don¡¯t need to know why the murderer took the phone. We only have to prove that Luo Xinxue¡¯s killer stole it from her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood. ¡°I get it now. I shouldn¡¯t get ahead of myself.¡±

    It was much easier to find the right strategy if they focused on one simple question: where was the phone now?

    ...

    The next day, the telmunicationspany sent them themunications record for Huo Guanyuan¡¯s private mobile number.

    Under normal circumstances, most telcos would turn down requests to see records from so many years ago. It was just too much work to dig up old records.

    But there was a court order, and pressure from the military on top of that. Thepany was left with no choice; they had to hand over the records.

    The telco printed out the fullmunications record for Huo Guanyuan¡¯s private phone. It spanned over two decades.

    Unfortunately, the records showed that the phone had rarely been in use.

    Gu Nianzhi saw from the records that the mobile number had been registered under Huo Guanyuan¡¯s name for about five years, but the call records did not go beyond 10 pages. The number had also been used to send a few text messages, but all the messages proved to be irrelevant.

    The records came to an abrupt end 16 years ago¡ªthe day of theboratory ident.

    From that day on, the phone waited in vain for its owner.

    The records also showed that Luo Xinxue had not used the phone¡ªnot even once¡ªafter the phone was handed over to her as part of her deceased husband¡¯s belongings.

    The phone had remained silent for 6 years when Luo Xinxue met her untimely death. What was so special about it, for someone to resort to murder and theft just to get their hands on it?

    Gu Nianzhi spent virtually every minute of every day thinking about it. She lost all her appetite, and spent her nights restlessly tossing and turning in bed¡ªbut she could note up with a usible answer.

    Zhao Liangze saw the agony Gu Nianzhi was going through. Finally, he could stand it no longer. He pulled her out from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, and seated her before his ownputer. ¡°I want you to run a program for me. We only have one more day before the next hearing. If we can¡¯t get our act together by then, Bai Jinyi¡¯swyer may actually seed in getting Bai Jinyi off the hook, especially if they¡¯ve found ws in Huo Jin¡¯s story.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a cold, mirthless chuckle. ¡°Bai Jinyi, proven innocent in Luo Xinxue¡¯s case? Over my dead body! And besides, there¡¯s still Auntie Song¡¯s case!¡±

 Chapter 304 - Text Message

    <h4>Chapter 304: Text Message</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    However, Gu Nianzhi still obediently sat at Zhao Liangze¡¯s chair and opened hisrge scale server equipped desktop to run the program.

    ¡°Brother Ze, what is this program for?¡± Gu Nianzhi saw Zhao Liangze enter the phone and felt nervous. This was Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone number...

    ¡°Did you forget? Your Brother Ze can find out everything about a person with just their phone number!¡± Zhao Liangze flicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead, ¡°Get on with it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t act like ady in front of Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. Rolling her eyes, she peered at the progress bar of the program on the screen. After an hour, it had onlypleted less than 10%¨Cat this rate, she was getting cross eyed. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help it and pulled up Zhao Liangze¡¯s source program, then increased the search speech by making a few adjustments to optimize the program. When it began running again, 50% waspleted in half an hour. Calling Zhao Liangze over smugly, Gy Nianzhi pulled by the ears and made him look at the disy, ¡°...I improved it, call me Big Sister!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god! You really improved it?!¡± Zhao Liangze hastily pulled out the source program to read through it and was speechless for a long time before finally calling Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Big Sister!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so shocked she almost fell off the chair.

    ¡°What? You can¡¯t take it?¡± Zhao Liangze continued grinning smugly as he patted her shoulder, ¡°Nianzhi, be Brother Ze¡¯s student and I promise to teach you everything that I know! You are my eldest and closest disciple! ¨CI Zhao Liangze, will only ept one disciple and that is Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled hard, ¡°Fine, fine Brother Ze, stop joking around. You were just calling me ¡®Big Sister¡¯ earlier, then turned around to ept me as a disciple. You can¡¯t take advantage of the situation like that!¡±

    The pair joked for a bit more and suddenly heard theputer emit a ¡°ding¡± when the program finishing rynning. Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze turned around together, their hearst thundering. An image of a phone appeared on the screen, indicating they had found the target phone.

    ¡°This... this phone actually still has power!¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice shook and his fingers flew as he entered a newmand. He really didn¡¯t think that his sudden idea to give Gu Nianzhi a task would have this result and actually work out! As long it there was power in the phone, it would connect with the satellite system regardless if the phone was actually on or had a number linked to it. This was the nature of the technology. Zhao Liangze¡¯s program quickly connected to the phone number requested and hacked into the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi was scared to even speak in too loud a voice and carefully asking Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, are you sure that phone number hasn¡¯t been used by anyone else?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Zhao Liangze frowned at the screen, ¡°It¡¯s always belonged to that phone.¡±

    ¡°But no services have been paid for so many years and the bloodthirsty mobilepany didn¡¯t resell the number?¡± Gu Nianzhi mused.

    ¡°Huo Guanyuan had a special status, so his personal phone should have been confidential.¡± Zhao Liangze exined to her, ¡°Normally under these circumstances, the phone number will never change. Even if there¡¯s no more service, this phone number cannot be used by anyone else again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then understood, ¡°That¡¯s even better, it makes it simple for us.¡± Shortly after, the model of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone as well as information stored on it appeared on the screen. There were many call records and text messages, which werergely identical to the records from the mobilepany.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Gu Nianzhi was anxious. Their efforts would have been wasted if they put in all that work but looked in the wrong direction.

    ¡°Hurry up and download all the content.¡± Zhao Liangze quickly hammered in anothermand, ¡°This phone still actually has a charge, that¡¯s a miracle.¡± Even with a rare graphene battery, the power can onlyst ten years! By now 16 years had already passed.

    ¡°...Maybe the person who stole the phone charged it.¡± Gu Niaznhi didn¡¯t agree, but then it seemed more strange the more she thought about it, ¡°Let¡¯s think, one charge is enoughsts ten years, so another charge would be another ten years! If it was really stolen and charged the year Luo Xuexin passed away, that was ten years ago too. That means the battery will die again very soon? ...Oh my god! That¡¯s so scary!¡±

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes, fingers still flying across the keyboard to enter strings ofmands. All the local content store on Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone was quickly saved. They now had two records¨Cthe original from the mobilepany and the second copy which was local content stored on the phone. There would always been a difference between the two, and the contents provided by the mobilepany were generally moreplete because local content stored on a phone could be deleted or lost, so it had less content that the original.

    ¡°Here, run this search program.¡± Zhao Liangze opened another program for Gu Nianzhi, ¡°This one canpare the two records to find the differences between them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as she looked at the program on theputer, while reading the printed pages of the local content topare with what she remembered was included in the mobilepany records. Soon after, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and thought she was seeing things wrong. She looked at the time on the local content record, thenpared to the mobilepany record and confirmed she was reading it correctly. Picking up the local content record where she had circled several spots, Gu Nianzhi made a strange face as she asked Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, have you ever seen a phone receive texts, but the mobilepany has no record of it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Look at the time of these texts in the local content record, it was received six years after the ident, which also was a few days before Luo Xuexin died.¡± Gu Nianzhi then took out the mobilepany records, ¡°And the mobilepany records indicate that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone hadn¡¯t received any call or texts since the ident.¡± In other words, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone randomly received a series of texts six years after his ident. The mobilepany had no record of these texts being sent or received. If it had only been one text, it could be said there was a bug in the mobilepany¡¯s programming. But it had been over the course of several days that the same texts were sent, and yet there was record of it with the mobilepany. This phenomenon could not be attributed to a bug in the program.

    Zhao Liangze became solemn. The search program on theputer alsopleted and gave the same findings as Gu Nianzhi. Which was to say, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone received a series of texts six years after his ident¨Cbut the mobilepany has no record of it. From the perspective of the mobilepany, this kind of situation was impossible. Huo Guanyuan¡¯s line had been out of service long before and no bills were paid, so they would not supply service to this number again. So how did the series of text messages disyed on the local content of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone bypass receipt by the mobilepany¡¯s base stationwork?

 Chapter 305 - Tipped Off

    <h4>Chapter 305: Tipped Off</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhao Liangze entered the numbers in the SMS into hisputer program, hoping the program would tell him what they meant.

    Unfortunately, he came up empty-handed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get Huo Shao and Brother Xiong to join us in a meeting.¡± Gu Nianzhi could hardly contain her excitement. ¡°This is a major discovery, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    Zhao Liangze agreed. Together with Gu Nianzhi, he brought the printed records to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, and asked Yin Shixiong to join them.

    Yin Shixiong was thest to enter the room. He closed the door behind him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Huo Shaoheng had been sitting in his desk chair, talking to someone over his headset with his back towards the door. He swiveled around when he heard the door open. His expression was calm; he exuded the leisurely aura of a king who knew he was inplete control of the situation.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that many of her difficulties seemed absurdly trivial before him.

    ¡°Huo Shao, we found Huo Guanyuan¡¯s private phone, and also this...¡± Zhao Liangze handed the printed record for the phone¡¯s local storage to Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi had highlighted the set of numbers from the SMS.

    The numbers had been repeatedly sent to Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone over several consecutive days, six years after his death.

    ¡°228.45892311956, 52.339066749.

    378.89020942583, 27.358020866.

    657.35966837696, 66.335066969.

    980.34969677770, 49.230556660. ¡±

    A flicker of surprise shot across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face when he saw the numbers.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong did not notice it, but Gu Nianzhi saw it, and was just as stunned by it.

    Huo Shaoheng read the numbers carefully, several times. ¡°Where did you get this set of numbers?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze exchanged a nce. ¡°These are text messages we downloaded directly from the local storage on Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone. The messages were received six years after his death. Strangely enough, the telco has no record of these messages.¡±

    Zhao Liangze handed the records from the telmunicationspany to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression grew increasingly grave as hepared the two records.

    After a long moment, he finally gave a small nod. ¡°I see. It seems that Bai Jinyi had something to do with my aunt¡¯s death, after all.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, sir?¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong did not understand what Huo Shaoheng was saying.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was not entirely clueless, thanks to the tireless research she had done over the years to learn everything there was to know about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s character. She knew him like the back of her hand...

    ¡°Huo Shao, you know what those numbers mean, don¡¯t you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked without beating around the bush.

    Huo Shaoheng put down the printed records. His gaze lingered on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face for a few seconds, before moving on to Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. ¡°...This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen these numbers.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen them before?!¡± Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong shouted in unison, unable to contain their excitement. ¡°When? Where?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer and opened a program. He entered the numbers into it as he said calmly, ¡°This set of data are maic field coordinates. They represent a specific location.¡±

    The program crunched the numbers and converted them into another set of data, one that was a lot more familiar to everyone in the room. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were able to tell what it was with a single nce.

    ¡°This is... thetitude and longitude of some ce in C City?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slowly. He nced sideways at Gu Nianzhi.

    He did not know if he should say it. Huo Shaoheng, who never hesitated when it came to action or words, wavered now as he tried to make up his mind. He quickly threw his concerns away and said calmly: ¡°That¡¯s where the abnormal maic field appeared in C City six years ago.¡±

    His gaze fell upon Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°And that was where I rescued Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had not expected the case she had taken on to be connected to her in such an obscure and indirect manner.

    She was silent for a moment. After a while, she finally asked: ¡°...But that was six years ago, four years after Luo Xinxue¡¯s death. How do you exin the gap of four years?¡±

    Luo Xinxue had been murdered 10 years ago.

    Six years ago¡ªfour years after her death¡ªan abnormal maic field appeared in C City.

    ¡°The order of events should go like this...¡± Huo Shaoheng entered a few dates into a file on hisputer. ¡°16 years ago, something went wrong with the joint experiment between the Institute of High Energy Physics and the military. Almost everyone involved in the experiment died, including Song Haichuan, the experiment¡¯s chief engineer, and also my grandfather. My uncle Huo Guanyuan, a senior colonel in the military, was also killed. My mother survived the ident because she was pushed out of the building, but suffered from psychological issues and a memory disorder after that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi added: ¡°That¡¯s right. And then, 10 years ago, Luo Xinxue supposedly found out that herte husband had been in love with someone else, and killed herself because she couldn¡¯t take it. A few days before shemitted suicide, a set of numbers were repeatedly sent to Huo Guanyuan¡¯s private phone through SMS. The telco has no record of these messages.¡±

    ¡°Six years ago, Bai Jinyi submitted a report to the military, stating that she had detected unusual changes in the maic field in a certain ce in C City. She said she would go there to collect data, and to replicate the experiment, but the experiment failed before it had even begun. The car Nianzhi was in crashed into the area and exploded, destroying the maic field.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow furrowed even as he methodically exined what had happened and typed out the timeline on hisputer.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong both stared at the timeline Huo Shaoheng had typed out. They, too, had connected the dots.

    ¡°...How did Bai Jinyi know about the abnormal maic field in that specific location in C City?¡±

    Zhao Liangze once tried to write a program that would monitor the maic fields on the in real time. But there was just too much data to crunch; the program worked in theory, but there was noputer with a CPU powerful enough to process the massive amounts of data the program generated. He gave up after that.

    ¡°I used to think that Bai Jinyi actually knew her stuff.¡± Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Well, now I know better. She was tipped off.¡±

    ¡°Tipped off? You mean Huo Guanyuan¡¯s private phone?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up, but dimmed just as quickly as she thought it over. ¡°But how was Bai Jinyi able to figure out what the numbers meant?¡±

    ¡°These numbers should look familiar to her,¡± Huo Shaoheng exined. ¡°I used to see simr numbers on my mother¡¯sputer. They use these as coordinate data.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°That should be enough to prove that the phone is most probably in Bai Jinyi¡¯s possession right now.¡±

    ¡°This evidence we found was obtained illegally, through unofficial channels. We can¡¯t submit it to the court as evidence,¡± Gu Nianzhi said awkwardly. ¡°Is there any way to get the phone from Bai Jinyi¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need a search warrant.¡± Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I can still locate the phone if we act now.¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t waste any time, then. Locate the phone, now, while I submit a request for a search warrant.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng, and was relieved when she saw that he did not object.

    Zhao Liangze ran his program again. This time, he quickly found Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone, and immediately began locating it through the tracking system.

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone was an old model from 20 years ago. It was not as sensitive to satellite positioning as the newer models; nevertheless, Zhao Liangze managed to pin down its location after three grueling hours refining his search method with his optimized tracking program and the help of the Nandou satellite system.

    ¡°...These coordinates point to Bai Jinyi¡¯s director¡¯s office in the Institute of High Energy Physics,¡± said Gu Nianzhi as she double-checked with a map. ¡°I¡¯ll submit a request for a search warrant, right away.¡±

    The application for the search warrant was submitted to the court that very night, and approved at noon the next day.

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze sat in the same car as they followed the police to the director¡¯s office in the Institute of High Energy Physics. They intended to watch the police search the office with their own eyes, to make sure they missed nothing.

 Chapter 306 - Witness

    <h4>Chapter 306: Witness</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The police emerged from the office of the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, carrying cardboard boxes.

    ¡°What are they doing?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Director Bai¡¯s office?¡±

    ¡°...Didn¡¯t you know? They came with a search warrant... Looks like Director Bai¡¯swsuit isn¡¯t going too well...¡±

    The scientists and administrative staff at the Institute of High Energy Physics watched the stern faced policemen diligently scour Bai Jinyi¡¯s office and deposit boxes of her items in front of therge van outside.

    Gu Nianzhi wore arge pair of sunsses and leaned her back against the car door. She crossed her arms and quietly watched the police bring Bai Jinyi¡¯s belongings out from the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    Zhao Liangze remained in the car and called the police through s headset. ¡°Did you find the phone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, found it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just one phone, why are you bringing out so many boxes?¡±

    ¡°...There were also many algorithm drafts locked in the safe with phone, so we took those too.¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also had the same question but didn¡¯t say anything else when she overheard their conversation. She opened the car door and was about to get in when she suddenly saw an unique navy Maserati parked at the end of the street from the corner of her eye. It was a sporty car, but appeared much more covert in the subdued hue. If it wasn¡¯t for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s keen eye, a normal person wouldn¡¯t have immediately recognized it as a Maserati. Gu Nianzhi froze when she sw the car, and the person in it also seemed to also sense something amiss. The car door swung open and a tall man in a short navy wool coat emerged. He also worerge sunsses that concealed all but half his face. Raising his head in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, he had a cold aura and nodded slightly to her with his hands folded behind his back. Gu Nianzhi froze¨C although the man wore sunsses, she could tell it was He Zhichu. What was he doing here? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun and just when she was hesitating whether or not to ignore him, the other side of the Maserati opened and Wen Shouyi walked out.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily went inside her car without another thought.

    When Wen Shouyi came out, Gu Nianzhi was already in the car and unseen by her. He Zhichu had shifted his gaze to the entrance of the Institute of High Energy Physics, while Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t even notice Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car.

    Zhao Liangze also saw He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi. He immediately asked the driver to drive them away when Gu Nianzhi appeared unwilling to talk about it.

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze¡¯s car drove past He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi, but He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look at it. His head was cocked slightly as Wen Shouyi said to him, ¡°...This is where the signal disappeared.¡±

    He Zhichu looked around, then went back into the car. Wen Shouyi followed him and drove off.

    ...

    When they returned to the Special Ops headquarters, Gu Nianzhi was surprised to see Chen Lie there. ¡°Brother Chen is free today?¡± Gu Nianzhi happily offered him a drink, ¡°Do you want tea or coffee?¡±

    ¡°Tea is fine.¡± Chen Lie giggled on the sofa, ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver the results of the DNA test to Boss.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly turned around and set a cup of ck tea on the coffee table in front of Chen Lie, ¡°The results are out?¡±

    ¡°Of course. DNA tests nowadays take no time at all?¡± Chen Lie chuckled again and snapped his fingers.

    ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± Gu Nianzhi was desperately curious.

    ¡°What else could be going on?¡± Chen Lie continued tough, ¡°¡±Huo Jin is not Huo Guanyuan¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s conjecture was confirmed, so she got so excited her cheeks turned red and the flush crept down her neck, ¡°Then is she Luo Xinxue¡¯s daughter?¡±

    ¡°Yep, she¡¯s Luo Xinxue¡¯s daughter, but not Huo Guanyuan¡¯s.¡± Chen Lie copsed on the soda, ¡°...I¡¯m so exhausted.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you used my Uncle and Aunt¡¯s blood samples?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over and sat beside Gu Nianzhi as he shot him a nce.

    ¡°Of course. How can there be a mistake? Huo Guanyuan was a soldier, so his blood sample is at the Military General Hospital. As for Luo Xuexin... Hehe... I saved a vial of her blood ten years ago.¡± Chen Lie rubbed his hands together, the knuckles crackling.

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed, ¡°The name of Huo Jin¡¯s father must be on the birth certificate Luo Xinxue left behind, and that¡¯s why Huo Jin didn¡¯t want anybody to see it. She probably destroyed it long ago or hid it in a different ce.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean she also has a motive to murder Luo Xinxue?¡± Zhao Liangze also joined the group and his imagination flew when he overheard the conversation...

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°...I don¡¯t think she would resort to that. So what even if she knew? Does killing Luo Xinxue mean that nobody would know that she¡¯s not Huo Guanyuna¡¯s daughter? She¡¯s not that stupid. Also her mother locked the birth certificate in a safe and didn¡¯t say a word for the six years after Huo Guanyuan¡¯s death, so that means she would¡¯ve never said anything.¡±

    ¡°So this was just an ident?¡± Chen Lie asked, ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°It certainll can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a fist and rested her chin on it, ¡°I have to think about this to see how we can solve for the truth.¡±

    Seeing her look of concentration, Huo Shaoheng quietly nced at her and gently smoothed her hair, ¡°...It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t figure it out, don¡¯t stress yourself.¡± He stood up slowly from the sofa, ¡°Little Zee with me, there¡¯s a tape that maybe you can find a way to recover. Chen Lie, youe with us too. There¡¯s something wrong with your DNA report.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was left sitting in a daze alone on the sofa in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office. She stared at Huo Guanyuan¡¯s mysterious texts on herputer and something clicked into ce. They were going in a circle. Why only investigate Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone, but not Luo Xinxue¡¯s? She instantly perked up and opened the Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office door to shout, ¡°Huo Shao! We should request the court to allow us to obtain Luo Xinxue¡¯s phone records from the mobilepany for that year!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, Chen Lie and Zhao Liangze all looked up at the same time. After a moment, Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Little Ze, you can help Nianzhi with this.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± With Zhao Liangze¡¯s help, the matter was quickly resolved. By the same afternoon, Luo Xinxue¡¯s phone records from the year of her death was delivered to Gu Nianzhi. She looked at the phone number repeatedly appearing on the call log a few days before Luo Xinxue¡¯s death andughed quietly. ¡°Bai Jinyi, you¡¯re dead.¡±

    ...

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone was found in Bai Jinyi¡¯s office. It was presented to the judge in charge of the case at the Imperial Capital Intermediate Court, alongs with the stack of algorithm drafts also found in her safe.

    On the day of the trial, Gu Nianzhi held the phone and asked Bai Jinyi, ¡°Physicist Bai, may I ask why you have this phone, which was Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal belonging?¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s face flushed, then nched. Averting her eyes, she mumbled sheepishly, ¡°...Luo Xinxue gifted it to me.¡±

    ¡°You liar! My mother would never give my father¡¯s belongings to anyone!¡± Huo Jin vehemently denied, ¡°You clearly stole it from my mother! I saw you run out of her room the night before she died! The room was all messed up, you were the one to take my father¡¯s phone!¡±

 Chapter 307 - Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 307: Evidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Huo Jin, why should Bai Jinyi take your father¡¯s phone away only six years after he passed on? Are you sure it wasn¡¯t given to Bai Jinyi by your mother?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked after observing the heated usations and fighting between Huo Jin and Bai Jinyi.

    ¡°Precisely! Your father would have given it to me anytime if I had wanted it!¡± Bai Jinyi retorted. She had not expected Gu Nianzhi to speak up for her.

    ¡°Oh please.¡± Huo Jin rolled her eyes. ¡°Stop putting feathers in your own cap. You have been carrying a torch for my father your entire life, but he never looked you in the eye. Not even once,¡± Huo Jin spat out, her voice filled with hate. ¡°My father would not have given the phone to you even if you had knelt down and begged for it. Moreover, the person he truly loved had gifted the battery in his phone to him. He would have never...¡±

    Huo Jin gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. She fell silent and lowered her head in guilt. She knew that she was truly done for this time.

    ¡°The person your father truly loved? Wasn¡¯t it your mother?¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered her voice and asked.

    The corners of her mouth sagging, Huo Jin closed her eyes, refusing to speak anymore.

    A flicker of light shed in Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes. Her gaze fell upon ady who was sitting amongst the audience on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.

    She was dressed in a light purple Chanel checkered dress and, draped around her neck, was an intricately patterned apricot scarf. Her skin was smooth like porcin, and her beauty was enhanced by her elegant posture.

    Even though she was sitting beside the ever-imposing Huo Shaoheng, one still wasn¡¯t able to take their eyes off her, this refined and lovely woman: Song Jinning, the real and conscious woman of that name. She was no longer the pitiful and sad figure who had existed in the reality of her split mind. She was as youthful as ever, though she was already 50 years old.

    This was the exact woman whom Huo Guanyuan had given his heart and soul to.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s hands began to tremble uncontrobly. She heard herself snort as she said, ¡°When did Huo Guanyuan ever loveLuo Xinxue? Stop trying to im credit for your mother, Huo Jin!¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been a slut like you even if my father didn¡¯t my mother!¡± Huo Jin shouted. ¡°You seduced my second uncle just because you couldn¡¯t get my father. Do you even have a sense of shame? Wait, that¡¯s right. A shameless and pathetic woman like you who had nothing else to offer would have wanted all other women out of the way. You murdered my mother, and you didn¡¯t want to let my second aunt off. Did you think that people wouldn¡¯t be able to tell what disgusting thoughts you have in your head?!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Bai Jinyi screamed. She felt her deepest scars sting painfullyas they were exposed openly by Huo Jin. She was seeing red. She¡¯d had everything she wanted her entire life, until she met Song Jinning and Huo Guanyuan.

    The former had made her doubt her capabilities, while thetter had made her doubt her own position as a woman. Bai Jinyi had realized long ago that if Huo Guanyuan hadn¡¯t died, if the ident had nevere to pass, then the inferiority of her existence inpetition with Song Jinning would have driven her mad with jealousy.

    ¡°Why should I shut up?! The fact was that you hated my mother. That was why you stole my father¡¯s phone and murdered my mother!¡± Huo Jin did not want to beat about the bush anymore; she tantly used Bai Jinyi as the culprit of her mother¡¯s murder.

    All these usations, on top of the fact that Bai Jinyi had Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone in her possession, were not in her favor.

    However, Jin Dazhuang remained calm andposed. He didn¡¯t seem to mind, since what Huo Jin was saying was all just words. There was no solid evidence to prove that Bai Jinyi was the culprit.

    Right at that moment, Gu Nianzhi resumed her interrogation of Bai Jinyi. ¡°Physicist Bai, may I know the reason why you went to look for Luo Xinxue on the night she passed?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, I think you¡¯re mistaken. I did not go to Luo Xinxue¡¯s room that night,¡± Bai Jinyi insisted.

    ¡°Huo Jin had said she saw youing out of Luo Xinxue¡¯s room and that in your possession was Guanyuan¡¯s phone, which had belonged to him while he was still alive.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows at Bai Jinyi.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯swyer, Jin Dazhuang, stood up suddenly. ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer is using ims without supporting evidence just to attack my client.¡± Facing the judge, he continued, ¡°Even though we don¡¯t have the required evidence, we do have enough reason to believe that Huo Jin had the intention to murder her mother as well. It works simrly with the usation by Lawyer Gu: it¡¯s because they do not have any evidence as well.¡±

    With a smile on her lips, Gu Nianzhi asked Bai Jinyi again, ¡°Let me ask you again: what were you doing in Luo Xinxue¡¯s room on the day she passed away?¡±

    Bai Jinyi could feel tears welling up in her eyes. These people would never understand why she had taken the phone. What was the need though, for all this fanfare? She felt humiliated and sorry for herself. Bai Jinyi shook her head again. ¡°Luo Xinxue gave me the phone a long time ago.¡± She gritted her teeth as she said, ¡°I did not go to Luo Xinxue¡¯s room that night.¡±

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s awkward.¡± Gu Nianzhi smirked. She turned to face the people in court ¨C making eye contact with each and every one of them¡ªbefore facing the judge. ¡°Sir, I have a copy of call records belonging to Luo Xinxue¡¯s number. This document came from the telmunicationspany. There¡¯s a number amongst the records. This number had been constantly contacting Luo Xinxue even a few days leading up to her death. Thest time they spoke to each other was exactly six hours before the death of Luo Xinxue, which urred the next morning.¡±

    Bai Jinyi closed her eyes and ignored Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What number is that?¡± Jin Dazhuang felt uneasy. He looked at Bai Jinyi and then back at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Can you show it to me please?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi passed the document to Jin Dazhuang. ¡°Does this number look familiar to you, Lawyer Jin?¡±

    Jin Dazhuang went pale after looking at the document.

    This number was none other than Bai Jinyi¡¯s personal contact number. Of course Jin Dazhuang would be familiar with it.

    He turned to face Bai Jinyi. After realizing that she wasn¡¯t going to even open her eyes, his jaw tightened and he asked, ¡°May I know what exactly this proves? My client had been on great terms with the Huo family. What was there to be suspicious of just because they called each other a couple of times?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that the calls themselves weren¡¯t suspicious. What about this though? Would this be suspicious?¡± The lights in the courtroom dimmed when Gu Nianzhi pped her hands twice.

    Immediately, a screen appeared and a clip began ying.

    The clip looked like it was from some time ago; it¡¯s video quality wasn¡¯t the sharpest. It seemed like it had been retrieved using some old techniques.

    However, the camera was great: it shower the clear image of a woman walking to the door of a bedroom and knocking a few of times. Another woman opened the door from inside, nodded at her, made space for her to enter, and closed the door. Gu Nianzhi smiled and stared at Bai Jinyi and Jin Dazhuang. ¡°You all saw it, didn¡¯t you? This clip came from the security camera at the Huo¡¯s family home 10 years ago. This clip was intentionally damaged and thought to be destroyed, but the perpetrator greatly underestimated the importance our army gives to security footage. We found the damaged master tape, used digital technology to repair the damage, and retrieved the clip which was recorded then.¡±

    In actuality, Huo Shaoheng had found this footage after almost exhausting all his attempts. Upon its discovery, he had instructed Zhao Liangze to repair it.

    The woman who had entered the house in the video was indeed Bai Jinyi. The woman who opened the door had been none other than Luo Xinxue.

    Gu Nianzhi continued. ¡°The time of the recording for this footage was on the night of the crime, i.e the day that Luo Xinxue passed away.¡±

    Fixing her gaze on Bai Jinyi, Gu Nianzhi steadily asked, ¡°Physicist Bai, why would you lie? You went to Luo Xinxue¡¯s room that night. Why did you deny this? Was it because you were guilty of murder? You snatched Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone six years after he had passed away. His phone had received a string of numbers via text message. Were those messages the reason why you murdered Luo Xinxue?¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes shot open and red at Gu Nianzhi. She almost couldn¡¯t bring herself to believe that this little girl, who had just graduated from University six months ago, had noticed the numbers from the text messages.

 Chapter 308 - Memory Of A Goldfish

    <h4>Chapter 308: Memory Of A Goldfish</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What are you looking at me for? Did I reveal the truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked up to Bai Jinyi¡¯s side, ¡°Your eyes aren¡¯t closed anymore? Looks like I hit the nail in the head. Does it feel awful to be have your lies in court exposed to so many people?¡±

    If Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes could spurt fire, Gu Nianzhi standing in front her would already be reduced to ashes.

    ¡°Tell us, what did you do in Luo Xinxue¡¯s room that night? Gu Nianzhi continued her barrage.

    Huo Jin shouted, ¡°She¡¯s the murderer! I went to my mother¡¯s room after she left and my mother had fallen on the ground! If I knew she forced my mother to take sleeping pills, I would¡¯ve called the police right away!¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s mouth trembled, but she couldn¡¯t get a single word out.

    Lawyer Jin shot her a look to prevent her from saying anything else, then turned to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Lawyer Gu, we haven¡¯t seen the new evidence you presented before, please give us some time to verify the authenticity of this footage.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed immediately, it was the truth and it didn¡¯t faze her to have it examined.

    Huo Jin refused to let it go and asked hastily, ¡°Why isn¡¯t she saying anything? Why won¡¯t she say what did in my mother¡¯s room that night? Why did my mom fall on the ground as soon as she left? The room was turned upside down?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then turned to Huo Jin as she quietly said, ¡°Huo Jin, this video isn¡¯t over yet. Would you like to continue watching?¡±

    ¡°Not over yet?¡± Huo Jin repeated dumbly, but the video on therge screen already resumed before she could even react. After fast-forwarding through a portion, therge screen showed Bai Jinyi rushing out of Luo Xinxue¡¯s room and shutting the door. She turned the corner and went inside another room. Bai Jinyi once had a room at the Huo manor to stay in because she was treating Song Jinning. Shortly after Bai Jinyi left, Huo Jin walked over from the opposite end of the hallway. She knocked on the door and waited for a while before opening it herself when no one answered. Huo Jin bit her lip and remained quiet. She did testify she also went to her mother¡¯s room that night, so it was normal that she was filmed too. It was all she could do tofort herself. The video was fast-forwarded again and Huo Jin was seen running out her room with her head down and wiping tears away. She stormed out of Luo Xinxue¡¯s room without looking back.

    The video stopped and the image on the disy faded gradually until the lights came on again in the courtroom. Everyone¡¯s vision was still adjusted to the darkness prior and some were ufortable in the sudden bright light.

    Gu Nianzhi paused before walking up to Huo Jin and asking gently, ¡°Huo Jin, why did you lie?¡±

    Huo Jin jerked her head up, ¡°Lie? Since when did I ever lie?!¡±

    ¡°Still denying it?¡±

    ¡°I already said that my mother called me that night, so I went downstairs to see her. Are you a goldfish? Your memory is only for seven seconds? Aren¡¯t you the ¡®genius girl¡¯ who graduated from university at the age of 18? Did you forget what you heard just a few days ago?!¡± Huo Jin¡¯s words wereced with venom and she seemed hostile towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t upset at all and smiled, ¡°Goldfishes have more than a seven second memory, where did you see such an urban myth? That¡¯s not scientific at all. Fine, let¡¯s not talk about goldfish and get back to talking about your selective memory.¡±

    Huo Jin, ¡°Don¡¯t nder me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brow then signaled at the personnel to rey the video. This time, she only yed selective footage and kept the lights in the courtroom on. She wielded a smallser pointer and marked the frozen image on the disy as she looked at Huo Jin, ¡°See it? That¡¯s where you¡¯re lying.¡±

    Huo Jin looked at the disy with bewilderment and nced at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction before saying to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand. Gu Nianzhi, are you really a qualifiedwyer? Are you just mucking through my mother¡¯s case?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a sigh, ¡°Huo Jin, you¡¯re intelligence is really worrying. ¨CFine, I¡¯ll cut to the case. Look at the video and I¡¯ll tell you why you were lying.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to frame me. You¡¯re representing my mother, not the murderer Bai Jinyi!¡± Huo Jin clenched her hands into fists and admonished Gu Nianzhu for betraying her cause.

    The Bai¡¯s legal team could barely contain theirughter.

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at them, her huge dark eyes had a touch of coldness and disdain in them. The smiles froze on the elitewyers¡¯ faces and they looked away ufortably. ¡°You previously stated that you witnessed Bai Jinyi leave your mother¡¯s room, is that right?¡± Gu Nianzhi began interrogating Huo Jin.

    Huo Jin grew even more impatient, ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I said it a thousand times already! Do you really not have the memory of a goldfish?!¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s look at this video. By the time you arrived, Bai Jinyi already went back to her room a long time ago. All you could see was an empty hallway. From where did you see Bai Jinyie out of your mother¡¯s room?¡± Gu Nianzhi finally dealt the lethal blow against Huo Jin.

    Huo Jin¡¯s face turned ashen, ¡°Nonsense?! I clearly...¡±

    ¡°Please y the footage once again.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to interrupt Huo Jin and gestured behind her. The lights in the courtroom dimmed and the earlier video began reying on the screen. With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reminder, everyone was especially focussed on the interval between Bai Jinyi leaving Luo Xinxue¡¯s room and Huo Jin appearing in the hallway. Luo Xinxue¡¯s room was at the end of the hallway. Huo Jin hade down from the second floor, so she must turn a corner before arriving to that hallway. Before she turned, there was no way of seeing what was happening in Luo Xinxue¡¯s hallway. The video made the sequence clear¨CBai Jinyi left first and went into another room, then it was at least another 5 minutes until Huo Jin appeared in the hallway. With such a long period of time in between, Huo Jin couldn¡¯t have possibly seen who actually came out of Luo Xinxue¡¯s room. After the video finished, the lights in the courtroom were turned on again. All eyes were on Huo Jin¡¯s nched face, and even the coral lipstick she wore seemed to be faded.

    ¡°Tell me, Huo Jin. Why did you say that you saw it when you clearly didn¡¯t see Bai Jinyi leave your mother¡¯s room? Why were you crying when you left?¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke slowly to stab each word into Huo Jin for the maximum impact. ¡°...Was your mother in fact not passed out on the ground? Did she personally tell you that Bai Jinyi just left?¡±

 Chapter 309 - The person behind

    <h4>Chapter 309: The person behind</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Jin¡¯s testimony revolved around her seeing Bai Jinyi leaving hastily just when she arrived at Luo Xinxue¡¯s room.

    What greeted her upon entering the house was a room that was thoroughly messed up, and Luo Xinxueying on the floor, unconscious.

    She thought that Luo Xinxue was merely asleep, so Huo Jin carried her to the bed and tidied up the room before leaving.

    However, the footage showed that Huo Jin did not have an opportunity to witness Bai Jinyi leaving the ce.

    It¡¯s fine if Bai Jinyi lied about going to Luo Xinxue¡¯s room, but what was strange was that she did go to her room, and it was before Huo Jin arrived. She left immediately before Huo Jin arrived. The time in between was less than 5 minutes.

    Now, this is interesting.

    ¡°Huo Jin, what exactly are you hiding? What exactly did your mother tell you before she passed on?!¡± Gu Nianzhi questioned over and over, until Huo Jin was reaching her breaking point.

    Her gaze travelled across the courtroom, andnded on the stern and silent Huo Shaoheng.

    She looked at him, and made a decision. Closing her eyes, she relented: ¡°Yes, I lied. But I did not kill anyone! I did not kill my mother!¡±

    ¡°You can tell us the truth; I will appeal for a lighter sentence for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi held onto the poles of the witness stand and leaned forward.

    Her clear eyes and firm gaze did not give people a sense of stress. On the contrary, she exudes a sense of security, allowing people to feel that she was someone dependable.

    ¡°It¡¯s just her who murdered her own mother!¡± Jin Dazhuang grasped the opportunity and shifted the attention of everyone.

    The best tactic to fight a murder case for a client, who happened to be a suspect, was to look for a new suspect for the case.

    Thewyer of the defendant usually had to do this mission. However, Jin Dazhuang did not expect Gu Nianzhi, the intiffwyer, to havepleted this arduous mission for him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fixed her clear gaze at Jin Dazhuang. He shrugged his shoulders smugly, clearly thinking that he had the upper hand in the case.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She knew they were celebrating sess to soon.

    ¡°Look, Huo Jin, look at what you¡¯ll get yourself into if you refuse to tell the truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi was tall for ady, almostparable to the big sized Huo Jin, but she was way thinner. Standing in front of Huo Jin, Gu Nianzhi looked extremely fragile.

    However, when she leaned forward to whisper into Huo Jin¡¯s ears, Huo Jin began trembling feverishly. Now it seems like the fragile one was Huo Jin, and not the Gu Nianzhi who was at least 2 sizes smaller than her.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong looked at how effortlessly Gu Nianzhi was performing in court. Albeit being her first time, and she hadn¡¯t even attained herwyer¡¯s license, she was making the elitewyers from the Bai¡¯s run around in circles.

    This, should be exactly how you will define a genius...

    They thought in awe.

    The only person who did not show any form of surprise was Huo Shaoheng. He was poised as he sat amongst the audience.

    Huo Jin, upon the reminder from Gu Nianzhi, finally began narrating the truth from that night.

    ¡°...Yes. I arrived at my mother¡¯s room, but did not see anyone leave. My mother was also not unconscious. She leaned against the bed and told me weakly: ¡®Jin, Bai Jinyi snatched your father¡¯s phone. You have to get it back! Your father had treated us so well; we are indebted to him. We have to repay him! You have to tell your second uncle! Take back the phone... Your father... Your father...¡¯¡±

    Huo Jin recalled the day¡¯s events with a straight face, ¡°I was shocked when I heard all these, and asked, ¡®What exactly happened? Mum, what are you talking about?¡¯¡±

    ¡°The effects of the sleeping pills my mother took should have kicked in by then; she had been taking those pills to help her sleep better all these years, so she had a certain level of immunity to them. She forced herself to continue talking to me in bits and pieces, and told me... Told me that I wasn¡¯t my father¡¯s biological daughter... I couldn¡¯t ept it when I heard it, so I screamed and shouted at her, and ran back to my room after giving her a shove.¡±

    ¡°I felt so horrible the entire night for doing that, so I decided to apologize to her the following morning. However, when I entered her room, I realized that she had already stopped breathing...¡±

    Huo Jin choked and began crying.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    This exnation sounded reasonable and eptable.

    Now, worste to worst, Huo Jin would only be to not save her mother; she would never be the culprit of her mother¡¯s death.

    She even came clean on her life experience; Gu Nianzhi did not push her anymore.

    ¡°Bai Jinyi, Luo Xinxue had been talking to you a lot a few days leading to her death. What were the conversations regarding? Did she realized that you have been carrying a torch for her husband, but went to be her brother inw¡¯s girlfriend, so she felt that you were disgraceful, and called you endlessly to scold you?¡± Gu Nianzhi phrased her sentences carefully so that Bai Jinyi would be angered.

    Bai Jinyi just couldn¡¯t control herself every time she hears anything about Huo Guanyuan.

    She ignored the order of which she should not speak given by Jin Dazhuang,ughed coldly and said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, is your vision that narrow? You are only able to see jealousy in your eyes? People ought to murder just because of a man?¡±

    ¡°Oh? So, in the eyes of physicist Bai, there are more important things you need to pursue before it¡¯s worthy to kill someone?¡±

    ¡°Of course ¡ª Who would be as shallow as you?¡± Bai Jinyi snorted. She only cared about the bicker between Gu Nianzhi and herself, but totally did not realize what she had just said.

    Jin Dazhuang broke out in cold sweat. He red at Bai Jinyi before standing up, ¡°Objection! The intiffwyer was using words as bait to make my client say things which are untrue!¡±

    ¡°Jin Dazhuang, you cannot insist time and again that my words are baits to your client whenever she reveals her thoughts. I am not a psychologist, and therefore am unable to control her mind and thoughts.¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled, ¡°why can¡¯t you face the truth? Your client wanted the data that was in the phone. Shemitted murder because she wanted those data!¡±

    ¡°What data are you talking about? Lawyer Gu, I can report your unprofessionalism to the board if you continue to use my client without any evidence!¡± Being in the industry for so many years, Jin Dazhuang had countless contacts andwork in the industry; these are things that a fresh graduate, Gu Nianzhi, was unable to match. One word from him, and it would even be possible for Gu Nianzhi to not be able to get herwyer¡¯s license.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, I can also report you for bribery if you continue to ckmail and threaten me with my professional career!¡± Gu Nianzhi straightened her back, and threw her chest out. With her clear eyes, she suddenly looked imposing.

    ¡°Lawyers of both parties, please calm down. Let¡¯s return to the case.¡± The judge could not take this anymore. He knocked his hammer a couple of times in an attempt to warn Jin Dazhuang and Gu Nianzhi. It was obvious that he was unhappier with Jin Dazhuang. ¡°Lawyer Jin, please watch out for your words. Use logic andw to speak and defend your client.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around, controlling her anger. She raised her hand, and showed the court. ¡°Look, everyone. This is none other than the phone belonging to Huo Guanyuan. The phone model is old. If we were to think of its manufacturing year, it should be no less than 20 years. It has been so many years. This phone make Bai Jinyi, the director of the Insitute of High Energy Physics, be so coveted to the extent that she had to murder someone to get her hands on the phone. Did anyone think of the reason? Will it be due to the high performing battery this phone has?¡±

    With trembling hands, Bai Jinyi¡¯s held her breath...

    What did Gu Nianzhi mean by this? Does she know something? How did she know? Or... The army already gotten wind about this?

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s gaze travelled to Huo Shaoheng and contemted. Albeit smart, Gu Nianzhi had absolutely no foundation.

    The person behind her was Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi herself was just his puppet.

    Bai Jinyi felt that she had the clearest picture on that.

 Chapter 310 - To Believe Or Not To Believe

    <h4>Chapter 310: To Believe Or Not To Believe</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Holding the phone in her hand, Gu Nianzhi looked at Song Jinning in the public gallery, ¡°There is a battery that holds a charge for ten years in this phone. It was made by the renowned genius physicist of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Song Jinning.¡± Song Jinning stood up and was led by the balff to take a seat in the witness stand.

    The Bai¡¯s were agitated and Lawyer Jin instantly gave objection, ¡°Your Honour, Song Jinning had serious mental illness, as well as amnesia. Her testimony cannot be used as evidence in court.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her to hand summon another expert witness, ¡°This is Dan Bohan, world famous psychologist and psychiatrist. He can prove whether Song Jinning¡¯s mental state is normal or not.¡±

    The tall and handsome Dan Bohan walked inside the courtroom wearing a tailored white three-piece suit and a blue pinstripe tie. The judge nodded, ¡°I had already received the medical report on Song Jinning¡¯s mental state, Dr. Dan is the intiff¡¯s expert witness.¡± Dan Bohan sat beside Song Jinning at the witness stand.

    Lawyer Jin nched as he turned around to look at the third Bai sibling, Bai Changhui. He was only able to quell his rage when Bai Changhui subtly shook his head, then whispered to Bai Jinyi, ¡°You can¡¯t say anything more no matter what they say to you¨Cgo it? Even the gods can¡¯t save you if you keep bbing.¡±

    Bai Jinyi was still horrified by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and lost all her previous anger and disdain. She nodded dumbly and quietly begged, ¡°Lawyer Jin, you have to save me! I didn¡¯t...¡±

    Lawyer Jin hated clients like Bai Jinyi the most. People who spent good money hiring him should cooperate ordingly¨Cbut she was hiding things from herwyers and recklessly arguing with the opposing party¡¯swyer, falling into her traps again and again. What a lost cause...¡±Well that¡¯s good then. Don¡¯t say a word more. If you speak again, you can represent yourself¨Cwe are done with this case.¡± Lawyer Jin warned her coldly. Bai Jinyi took a deep breath, not daring to butt in again.

    Dan Bohan already began speaking about Song Jinning¡¯s mental state, ¡°Song Jinning has a perfectly normal mental state. Her mental illness was quite unique because it wasn¡¯t caused by psychological problems, but organic changes stemming from physical exposure to external maic fields. Therefore psychological counseling did not have any notable effects because what she needed was her organs to be treated with as an example, surgery.¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s ears turned red as soon as she heard this and looked down at her feet.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her with no intention of letting her off the hook, ¡°Dr. Dan is a professional with a psychiatric license. He¡¯s practiced for many years and seen many cases, so his views are more thorough and urate than others. In fact, Song Jinning¡¯s full recovery was due to a blood marrow transnt performed by Dr. Chen Lie at the Military General Hospital. In other words, Bai Jinyi has pretended to be a psychiatrist for the past 16 years and administered psychological treatment to Song Jinning. She was either deliberately misdiagnosing, or a unqualified person pretending to be a doctor. Regardless, she had seeded in dying Song Jinning¡¯s treatment and almost caused her to die of depression.¡± Her words summarized the additionalwsuit to the murder case of Luo Xuexin, which was the military pressing charges against Bai Jinyi for intentional dying treatment and causing major losses to national interests.

    Lawyer Jin could only grit his teeth and defend Bai Jinyi, ¡°My client helped out of the goodness of her heart, she wasn¡¯t aware Song Jinning¡¯s condition was not the same as most mental illness.¡±

    ¡°If she didn¡¯t understand the condition, why did she treat Song Jinning? Didn¡¯t she know that she was alsomitting murder in this regard?¡± Gu Nianzhi expression was cold, disying a seriousness and keenness unlike her usual smile.

    ¡°There¡¯s also a reason for that too. Song Jinning didn¡¯t recognize anyone else at the time, so nobody was able to approach her other than my client, Bai Jinyi. It was under those circumstances that my client requested the military to allow her to treat Song Jinning.¡± Lawyer Jin was also very familiar with the case between the military and Bai Jinyi, so he came prepared/ However his opponent was Gu Nianzhi, so things wouldn¡¯t be so easy.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, Song Jinning was a patient at the time and wasn¡¯t in a normal state of mind when she didn¡¯t allow people to approach. Why would you use her abnormal state of mind at the time as a valid reason? In other words the only reasonable and legal exnation for allowing Bai Jinyi to act as her psychiatrist, was solely based on Song Jinning¡¯s request?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very logical and tended to trap people with it.

    Lawyer Jin froze, ¡°...What did you say? Repeat that please.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get it? Then I¡¯ll say it again.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around to point at Song Jinning with a smile, ¡°Earlier you said that Song Jinning¡¯s testimony cannot be used as evidence in court because she has serious mental illness. But 16 years ago when Song Jinning was at her most ill, she only allowed Bai Jinyi to approach her. At that time, why did Bai Jinyi think that everyone should abide to Song Jinning¡¯s wishes? And using this reason, Bai Jinyi nominated herself as Song Jinning¡¯s psychiatrist? Do you think that it¡¯s reasonable for a mental patient to choose their own doctor?¡± Her logic was very tricky. If Lawyer Jin insisted Song Jinning was a mental patient, then the request she made 16 years ago, when she was most ill should not have been abided to. However Bai Jinyi not only abided to it, but urged the military to believe her and allow her to be Song Jinning¡¯s psychiatrist. This was clearly because Bai Jinyi was intentionally confusing everyone and dying treatment. That meant Bai Jinyi would be convicted in Song Jinning¡¯s case. If Lawyer Jin didn¡¯t insist Song Jinning was a mental patient, then her testimony would be valid and epted by the court. It was apparent that Song Jinning had nothing good to say about Bai Jinyi at this point. Bai Jinyi had no way of getting out of being convicted now. No matter how he was to defend her, she will not be able to escape the consequences of what she did to Song Jinning. Lawyer Jin was rendered speechless for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately concluded for him, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left to debate about the military pressing charges against Bai Jinyi for deliberately dying Song Jinning¡¯s treatment which resulted in major losses to national interests. Firstly, Bai Jinyi is not a qualified psychiatrist but deliberately dyed and held up her treatment in order to control her. Secondly, the military and Ministry of Science and Technology had requested Bai Jinyi to take care of Song Jinning all this time, but Bai Jinyi had neglected duty since six years ago and did not live together with Song Jinning as stipted by the documents. Thirdly, Bai Jinyi did not take any measures when Song Jinning disyed a propensity for depression, but instead allowed Huo Jin to freely abuse her mentally.¡±

    In the witness stand, Huo Jin immediately retorted, ¡°I didn¡¯t abuse her mentally! Don¡¯t nder me!¡±

    ¡°We can ask Dr. Dan whether not there was any mental abuse. He¡¯s the professional.¡± Gu Nianzhi cut Huo Jin off and looked at Dan Bohan.

 Chapter 311 - Judgment

    <h4>Chapter 311: Judgment</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Dan Bohan spoke seamlessly in court, full of logic and conviction.

    ¡°...Even though Song Jinning¡¯s mental disorder was caused by structural disorders, it is, in fact, a mental illness. It requires caretakers to be extremely patient, and having afortable environment for recuperation. However, Song Jinning had been living in the attic in Huo¡¯s family home for decades. A low ceiling, plus having more things piled up over the years; these will make even a normal person ufortable emotionally, wouldn¡¯t it be worse for someone who had a severe mental disorder?¡±

    ¡°Therefore, Song Jinning¡¯s illness got worse over the years. She even began to have symptoms of Depression towards the end. If Doctor Chen hadn¡¯t been decisive and discovered the root of her illnesses, Song Jinning would¡¯ve been tortured to death. She wouldn¡¯t even live past next year.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been sitting calmly amongst the audience until this moment. He frowned.

    Thank goodness...

    As he was thinking, his gaze fell upon the Gu Nianzhi who was standing straight in the front of the courtroom.

    To be honest, he had been too familiar with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s looks from 12 to 18. From the time she arrived when she was 12, the average looking girl who was a little plump, to the gorgeous girl who looked like she walked right out of anime when she turned 18, he had already been ustomed to her. He wasn¡¯t as impressed as how everyone felt whenever he or sheid eyes on her.

    Whether she was gorgeous or ugly, he did not really mind.

    This was due to the fact that she had already be a part of him; a part of his life.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms. It was obvious to him that the defendant had already lost, even though the argument was still ongoing intensely.

    Gu Nianzhi still had one final piece of evidence. This evidence was enough to let Bai Jinyi go straight to hell.

    ¡°My lord, even though the intiff has all these evidence and witnesses, I would like to remind the court that these are secondary evidences. They do not have any primary evidences to prove that my client is in any way rted to Luo Xinxue¡¯s murder.¡± Jin Dazhuang told the judge agitatedly.

    ¡°Yes, it was true that my client took the phone belonging to the victim¡¯s husband. However, there were nows indicating that someonemitted murder just because they snatched a phone!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened quietly to Jin Dazhuang¡¯s closing speech. Once he was done, she stood up and retorted: ¡°I hope to remind My Lord, that although we only have secondary evidences and witnesses, we can also convict a culprit. There were cases like this before. Also, we do have primary evidences for this case.¡±

    ¡°What primary evidence do you have? Stop trying to lie and nder!¡± Jin Dazhuang couldn¡¯t contain his anger anymore. Throughout his time as awyer, the worst closure was that both parties decided to settle amicably. He had never lost awsuit before!

    If he lost to Gu Nianzhi this freshly graduatedwyer, he would never be able to continue as awyer in the future.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand subtly, looked at the people in court, and told the judge: ¡°This is the autopsy report from Forensic Scientist Zhu. He has found Bai Jinyi¡¯s DNA in Luo Xinxue¡¯s nails. This shows that a fight happened between the two of them earlier. Why was there a fight? If we think along the lines of Luo Xinxue being forcefully fed a strong dose of sleeping pills by Bai Jinyi, wouldn¡¯t everything match then?¡±

    ¡°Objection! The intiffwyer is using assumptions on the case again!¡± Jin Dazhuang was panicking. He objected everything from Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed, and opened her arms, ¡°Jin Dazhuang, I remember the first lesson when I was still a student in the Law faculty, a professor said this: if there was a bird, walking like a duck, quacking like a duck, looks like a duck, and eating like a duck; that thing will undoubtedly, be a duck.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang fell silent.

    ¡°...Just like your client Bai Jinyi, she was with the victim, Luo Xinxue, a couple of hours before her death. She snatched Luo¡¯s belongings and forcefully fed sleeping pills to her. Luo Xinxue died after she left. Towards people like this, we call them the murderer. The logic from this inference isn¡¯t based on nothing, butmon sense.¡± Gu Nianzhi began her closing speech.

    ¡°What is a primary evidence? Must we have the exact footage of Bai Jinyi¡¯s actual murder to consider it as a primary evidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and looked at Bai Jinyi, ¡°Bai Jinyi admitted on her own ord that she would kill if there was a motive important enough. Does this count as primary evidence, then?¡±

    Jin Dazhuang was stuck. He could not reply to any of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions.

    Judging from situation, Bai Jinyi just remained quiet. She closed her eyes and chuckled coldly, ignoring Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi walked to her, bent down and faced her. She asked, ¡°Bai Jinyi, why were the data from Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone of such importance? You have a final chance to tell us the truth. If you do, yourwyer might have a chance to fight for a lighter sentence.¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes remained closed. She smiled coldly, ¡°You have already made the judgment, what else can I say?¡±

    ¡°Good, then I will hand the phone to Song Jinning. She has recovered fully. A true physicist, and not someone of such reputation like you should lead the Institute of High Energy Physics. It¡¯s the honor of our country to be rid of a physicist like you!¡± Gu Nianzhi knew that Bai Jinyi could only be angered by the mention of Song Jinning.

    Expectedly, Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes flew open upon hearing her words. ¡°What did you just say? Who were you going to give it to?¡± Bai Jinyi gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Why should you care who I¡¯m giving it to, it isn¡¯t your phone to begin with. She toyed the phone in her hands, ¡°The research that you¡¯ve been doing for the past decade didn¡¯t even have an oue. If it was Mdm Song, who knows? Maybe she coulde up with an oue within a year. Let¡¯s hope you¡¯re still awaiting your death sentence when she manages toe out with a conclusion for the research.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit! Impossible! I¡¯ve been thinking about it for 10 years! If I am unable to solve it, she wouldn¡¯t, too!¡± Bai Jinyi was losing her mind. She jumped from the stand and tried to strangle Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was quick. She moved a step backwards, with the phone in one hand; she used the other to push Bai Jinyi down onto the stand.

    A couple of police officers ran forward and handcuffed Bai Jinyi.

    The judge warned her as well: ¡°Please control your emotions. It¡¯s against thew to attack the intiffwyer as well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked back to the witness stand and handed Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone to Song Jinning. ¡°Mdm Song, we believe that the contents of this phone will be of tremendous help to your research. The army will fill you in on the details once the case is over.¡±

    Song Jinning held on to the phone tightly and nodded her head, ¡°I¡¯ve rested for 16 years; it¡¯s time to get back to work.¡±

    The final judgment for Bai Jinyi¡¯s case was announced by the Coroner¡¯s court 3 dayster.

    Bai Jinyi was found guilty of murdering Luo Xinxue. On top of that, dying the treatment for Song Jinning and causing great loss of human resources to the country, guilty as charged. Bai Jinyi was sentenced to death, but the sentence will be carried out in 2 years.

    Even though Huo Jin did not need to bear any form of criminal responsibility in the murder of Luo Xinxue, it was clear to everyone that she did not rescue her mother in time.

    After the verdict, she returned to the Huo¡¯s family home alone. She wanted to pack and leave, but Grandpa Huo and Huo Guanchen stopped her.

    During the verdict, Gu Nianzhi stood alongside Huo Shaoheng. She felt extremely excited.

    This was the very firstwsuit in her professional career!

    When faced with the 15 elitewyers from the biggestw firm in the country, she did not falter, responded with logic, force and wit. She practically became famous overnight!

    She raised her head, looked at Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°Young Master Huo, you¡¯ve finally found justice for your mother and Mdm Luo.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng bent down, and hugged Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was still feeling excited. She wanted to return Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hug, and secretly hoped that he was admitting her position in public...

    But Yin Shixiong turned around as well, and gave her a hug too.

    Subsequently, Zhao Liangze hugged her as well. He even caressed her head while praising her: ¡°Well done, Nianzhi, congrattions!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She was furious. It took her all of her willpower to not kick the two guys.

    There she was, thinking that Huo Shaoheng wanted to announce the their rtionship to everyone; now they¡¯ve ruined it!

    Truth be told, everyone was in shock when Huo Shaoheng hugged Gu Nianzhi, but after seeing Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze giving her hugs as well, they understood what happened, andughed.

    This is a hug of sess, a congrattory hug, and a hug from a friend.

    No one thought otherwise henceforth.

    Dejected, Gu Nianzhi pouted. All the excitement and happiness she felt just now disappeared like a puff of smoke.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng serenely.

    All of a sudden, a group of people came up to them. Not to congratte Gu Nianzhi, but Huo Shaoheng.

    This was a secret trial. The only thing that could be announced was the verdict.

    Those who were able to attend the verdict announcement were already the insiders.

    They all knew that the person behind Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng. This victory actually belonged to him, and not her.

    Therefore, after acknowledging her presence, all of them went to shake hands with Huo Shaoheng.

    Look at how calm andposed he was entertaining everyone; he kept a polite distance between everyone, no matter his or her status. He had perfect manners, and did not show any form of happiness nor displeasure.

    All of these emotions could notpare to the hug he gave Gu Nianzhi just now. It was just so honest.

    Perhaps, it was the best he could do for someone like Huo Shaoheng?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was in a mess. She just could not calm herself down.

    She could not control herself ¨C her gaze would just return to Huo Shaoheng unknowingly; looking at his every move, every word, noticing his different smiles and how he moves his head.

    She lowered her head, and tried to stop herself from ogling at Huo Shaoheng too much. She cannot allow others to see through her feelings; she did not want to be a burden to Huo Shaoheng.

    If he was unwilling to publicize their rtionship, then Gu Nianzhi would never reveal it on her own ord.

    Looking at how freely he was behaving in front of others, she knew clearly that she was the one who fell deeper for him. She¡¯d even be the one who was more proactive in this rtionship.

    Therefore, she wanted to let Huo Shaoheng have the final decision. It¡¯d be nice if he wanted to publicize their rtionship; but if he doesn¡¯t want to, she wouldn¡¯t request for it as well, because she trusts him.

    The rays from the sun seemed blinding when they walked out of the court.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the clouds in the clear blue sky. There were doves flying past asionally; their chirps echoing... She looked at the magnificent back view of Huo Shaoheng again. He who was so popr with everyone; whom everyone wanted to get close to... He was so near, but so far away.

    She forgot that she wasn¡¯t supposed to look at him so much in public. She was looking at him, lost in thoughts.

    All of a sudden, Huo Shaoheng turned around. Their eyes met.

    He smiled at her, held out his hand and called out to her: ¡°Come here, Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face lit up. It was more beautiful than the glowing rays in spring.

    She walked towards everyone, and ced her hand into the warm and calloused hand of Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°It was all thanks to Nianzhi for our victory today. If not for her, our army wouldn¡¯t have won so smoothly.¡± Huo Shaoheng praised Gu Nianzhi openly in front of everyone. She was so touched she almost cried.

    She lowered her head. It looked like she was shy at the attention, but in fact; she was hiding the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes.

    She only looked at Huo Shaoheng again when she managed to control her emotions a little. She looked at him, full of admiration.

    General Ji observed the scene in front of him in silence while sitting in the car in on the side of the road in front of the courtroom. He looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was full of smiles. His gaze travelled to the Gu Nianzhi whose hand was held by Huo Shaoheng, and frowned.

    He initially intended to get off the car and meet Huo Shaoheng, but decided against it. ¡°Go back¡±, he told his driver.

    The driver started the engine, and returned to the military supreme council.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang the moment he settled into the car with Gu Nianzhi.

    The number to reach Huo Shaoheng directly on this phone was known by only a handful of people. It did not require the army to transfer any calls at all.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his phone. Realizing that it was General Ji, he answered the call immediately: ¡°General Ji?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± General Ji was in his car, and congratted him with a smile: ¡°The case was well done; it added glory to the army. It was the widow of a treasured military person; we can¡¯t let her die without justice. You¡¯ve worked hard for this case. The army will record it down in a while.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°This is what I should do. Luo Xinxue was my Aunt inw; I wouldn¡¯t ept the honor from the army even if you want to give it to me. Lets just forget about it.¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng rejecting the honor, General Ji did not push further. He just replied: ¡°Sure, it does make some sense now that you put it this way. Then we¡¯ll just keep it as a record in your profile. Shaoheng, you¡¯re the General the army put in the most effort to groom. You know you are not allowed to make mistakes yes?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was puzzled. He adhered to every single rule for the Special Forces at work, and does not fool around in his private life as well. He definitely hadn¡¯t been cklisted before. Thus, he replied promptly: ¡°Rest assured General Ji, I¡¯ve beenpliant to orders all along.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡± General Jiughed heartily. He felt relieved. ¡°I passed by the entrance of the court just now and saw all of you, but it was too crowded so I decided against congratting you in person.¡±

    ¡°General Ji came out in civilian outfit?¡± Huo Shaoheng recalled with utmost attention and understood almost immediately.

    They would have closed the entire road if he were toe out officially; there will be no way he did not notice him.

    ¡°Yes, I was worried about you, so I came over to have a look.¡± General Ji replied kindly, ¡°It was a relief knowing that you won. I¡¯m about to arrive at the base already so we shall talk again when we are both avable.¡±

    ¡°Yes, General.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied, only putting away the phone when the line on the other side was cut off.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting down on the Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side quietly.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hands, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Please rest well, it¡¯s almost New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the clear sky outside, and smiled, ¡°will it be warm this New Year?¡±

    ¡°How would it be?¡± Zhao Liangze joined the conversation from the front, ¡°There¡¯s going to be a change in weather in a few days. I saw the weather forecast; there¡¯s going to be a period of transition for the cold wind some time around New Year¡¯s Eve, it¡¯s going to be way colder than the past years.¡±

    She will be going back to school after New Year.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts drifted to He Zhichu all of a sudden. She remembered the argument in his study, and frowned in difort.

    Her phone rang with He Zhichu¡¯s call just when she was thinking of him.

    She didn¡¯t want to answer it initially, but Huo Shaoheng saw it as well, and asked, ¡°It¡¯s your lecturer, why aren¡¯t you picking up the call?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng was attentive and clever. He knew her inside out too. So, in order to not let him be suspicious, she picked up the call. ¡°Professor He?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± He Zhichu was standing in front of the French windows in his apartment, a hand in his pocket. ¡°Congrattions on winning your first case.¡±

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t much I could do to be honest,¡± Gu Nianzhi did not want the credit. ¡°Young Master Huo and his men were very well prepared; I was merely the middleman helping them to showcase their preparations.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too humble.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was clear, and naturally cold. He paused for a bit, and continued: ¡°I saw court records.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t find her voice.

    Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be a secret trial, and nothing should be publicized other than the verdict? How did He Zhichu get the court records?

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe it?¡± He Zhichu chuckled, ¡°JD¡¯s Jin Dazhuang is now the chiefwyer in myw firm. The court record for this case was the answer he gave me for the interview.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt suffocated: ¡°Isn¡¯t Jin Dazhuang the chiefwyer from JD? How did he end up at yours?¡±

    ¡°How is it strange? He lost this case and offended the Bai¡¯s. Of course JD would not engage him anymore. No other people would¡¯ve dared to employ him other than me now.¡± He Zhichu said casually, but Gu Nianzhi knew that things were not that simple.

    She sighed, ¡°The Bai¡¯s really did that?¡±

    Bai Yueran didn¡¯t look this unreasonable.

    ¡°Of course they didn¡¯t have to do it themselves; but the verdict is in the public. JD still has to survive. The only way to let the Bai¡¯s know that they¡¯re on their side is to fire Jin Dazhuang.¡± He Zhichu sounded like he knew these things really well.

    ¡°Then... Professor He isn¡¯t afraid to offend the Bai¡¯s?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked after pausing for a while.

    ¡°Now, Nianzhi, are you worried about me?¡± He Zhichu askedzily. He had been feeling down for the past few days, all of a sudden, he felt cheerful.

    ¡°...Goodbye Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi hung up.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Jin Dazhuang has been fired by JDw firm. He went over to Professor He¡¯sw firm instead.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°It was just a case, must they be like that?¡±

 Chapter 312 - Dont Be Insolent

    <h4>Chapter 312: Don¡¯t Be Insolent</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a while. This involved interests between the government and businesses, so it couldn¡¯t be exined in just a few words. For now he didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to know about suchplex things. Taking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, he changed the subject, ¡°...Where do you want to go celebrate now that you¡¯ve won thewsuit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and gave Huo Shaoheng a sidelong nce, ¡°...Huo Shao, what about the principal you owe me? When do you n on returning it?¡± On the first day of the trials, Huo Shaoheng had promised her to first pay back ¡°interest, ¡± and then ¡°the principal¡±....

    Before Huo Shaoheng could reply, Yin Shixiong sitting on the other side of Gu Nianzhi killed the mood unknowingly, ¡°Nianzhi, you lent Mr. Huo money? How much? I¡¯ll give it back to you.¡± As Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary, Yin Shixiong managed his sry and expenses.

    Zhao Liangze also turned around with a frown, ¡°Nianzhi, how can you charge Mr. Huo interest even if you lent him money? Is that really a good thing to do?¡± He didn¡¯t need to mention Huo Shaoheng raising Gu Nianzhi for the past six years, footing all her bills and even gifting her an apartment... When Gu Nianzhi mentioned ¡°principal,¡± the two secretaries naturally thought about ¡°interest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± She wanted to beat them to a pulp!

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t offer an exnation and only propped an arm up against the window to support his head. Smiling at Gu Nianzhi, he remarked dryly, ¡°Yes, I worked so hard raising her and she¡¯s actually charging me interest just because I borrowed a bit of money from her. What an ungrateful wolf we¡¯ve raised...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help pinching his hand. Deliberately teasing her now, was he? Well she could kiss him on the spot now to get back her ¡°interest¡± he owed from thest time!

    Huo Shaoheng saw she already had two bite marks on her lower lip and decided to stop teasing her. He nced at Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze to send a silent warning.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze rubbed their noses sheepishly and didn¡¯t interject again.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down to ask Gu Nianzhi in a gentle voice, ¡°...How should we celebrate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately perked up and stopped pinching Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand since she wasn¡¯t too angry to begin with and he was coaxing her so nicely. Hugging his right arm, she looked around and said, ¡°Brother Xiong and Brother Ze are right, you¡¯ve treated me so well so I shouldn¡¯t charge interest when I lend you a bit of money. How about this, Huo Shao doesn¡¯t need to pay me back the principal either¨CI just want you to choose a free day before Lunar New Year and go shopping with me. Is that ok?¡± She actually only wanted to spend time alone with Huo Shaoheng, just doing nothing and walking around with him would make her extremely satisfied. They would just be like a couple strolling on the streets... Gu Nianzhi silently painted the image in her mind. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t do anything inappropriate, although holding hands should be ok? Gu Nianzhi looked Huo Shaoheng with hope in her eyes¨Cshe hadplete affection, devotion and trust in him. Even though his heart was stone, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s look made him soften slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng silently looked at Gu Nianzhi and raised a hand to smooth her long hair, ¡°Ok, what day do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I can go any day! Let¡¯s see when Huo Shao is free!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes glittered, her face glowed with happiness.

    Yin Shixiong asked from the other side of Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want Brother Xiong to go shopping with you too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was the most displeased with Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze today. If only she had amp cord to tie these two up so they wouldn¡¯t get in way of her and Huo Shaoheng! She shook her head unhappily and inched closer to Huo Shaoheng to mutter, ¡°It¡¯s Huo Shao who owes me money, not you guys?¡±

    Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes at her and secretly thought about how it wasn¡¯t as if he and Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t have to apany the little princess when she goes shopping with Mr. Huo anyway? He knocked on Zhao Liangze¡¯s seat in the front row, ¡°When is Mr. Huo free in the next while?¡±

    Zhao Liangze opened the electronic calendar to check, ¡°Tomorrow is New Year¡¯s Eve, he¡¯s free then. Today Mr. Hup still has to go the Supreme Military Council to participate in thest annual meeting with the highest chief of staff.¡± Although Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t a chief of staff, he was responsible for the Special Operations Division and was required to conclude on the year¡¯s work at thest annual meeting with the highest chief of staff.

    ¡°That¡¯s just tomorrow then?¡± Gu Nianzhi was delighted, sping her hands together and stars glittering in her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao you¡¯re the best!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold herself back from lunging at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck to give him a kiss.

    Huo Shaoheng blocked her with one hand and secured the back of her neck with the other. He put the seat belt on her, ¡°Sit still and put on your seat belt.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled from the side and nudged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re already 18 now, so you can¡¯t be hugging and touching Mr. Huo like a little kid like before. It¡¯s ok if we see it, but Mr. Huo can get in trouble if others see it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sent a murderous nce at Yin Shixiong. He froze and only saw disdain in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes when he looked at her again. She pouted and said cooly, ¡°Don¡¯t I only act like this when there are no outsiders around? I¡¯m not stupid, why would I let other people see...¡± If it wasn¡¯t for her not wanting Huo Shaoheng to see her unattractive eye rolling, she would still be doing it.

    ¡°I know, I¡¯m just reminding you.¡± Yin Shixiong snorted. He thought Gu Nianzhi was way too insolent and always bickering with him over nothing¨Cshe was getting better and better at arguing too, so even a well recognized smooth talker like himself wasn¡¯t able to outtalk her now. He was exhausted...

    Gu Nianzhi also knew Yin Shixiong was right, but couldn¡¯t express her sadness in front ofHhuo Shaoehng. She could only huff and looked down sullenly.

    Zhao Liangze saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression from the rearview mirror and felt bad for her, so he tried to defend her, ¡°Big Xiong, you¡¯re nagging too much. Is Nianzhi someone who doesn¡¯t understand how to be serious? She only just turned 18 and is still young. She can only stick to Mr. Huo before he has a girlfriend or gets engaged. When Mr. Huo has someone, Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be able to stick to him then.¡± These words made Gu Nianzhi want to cry. Brother Ze, will you die if you sat quiet?!

    Yin Shixiong thought Zhao Liangze made sense and nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s right! Little Ze you¡¯re getting better at speaking, you¡¯re sounding a bit like me!¡±

    Zhao Liangze turned back to give him the middle finger and a look of disdain.

    Gu Nianzhi nched. Her left hand originally holding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wrist suddenly let go, but he instantly grabbed it again. Gu Nianzhi was unhappy and secretly tried to wrench her hand out from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grip. However he firmly grasped her hand and was tightening the grip, though not to the point it hurt her. She was unable to pull away.

    Huo Shaoheng wore a navy shirt with a steel grey military style alpaca coat. It wasn¡¯t a uniform so he was dressed casually. His posture ramrod straight, nothing appeared amiss apart from holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand inside hisrge sleeve. No matter how much Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate hand struggled or wed at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm, his expression remained the same and no one else in the car knew about the fight that was happening inside his coat sleeve. Gu Nianzhi squirmed for a bit more and felt exhausted, but Huo Shaoheng still appeared stoic. He looked down at her, the words, ¡°don¡¯t be insolent¡± etched in his dark eyes. It was like she was being unreasonable.

    Feeling ashamed, Gu Nianzhi stopped struggling and let him hold her hand for awhile. She still felt unhappy and seeing that there were no outsiders, she slowly rested her head gently on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t move away or adjust his body to make her moreofrtable. He remained in his original posture, still as a statue.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were beginning preparations for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s meeting today and outing tomorrow, they were so busy that they didn¡¯t notice Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tantrum.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder and calmed down gradually. It was only normal that she was still feeling a little jealous. If she waspletely unaffected by the earlier conversation, that meant it was doubtful she even really liked Huo Shaoheng...

    When they returned to the Special Ops base, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car parked at the entrance of his official residence. The car doors opened and the driver Fan Jian, Zhao Liangze in the front row and Yin Shixiong in the back row got out first, and went to prepare for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s meeting at the military headquarters.

    Only Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng remained in the car. He finally let go of her hand and they were both not used to the loss of sensation after holding hands the whole drive. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her left hand and looked at Huo Shaoheng to ask quietly, ¡°Huo Shao is going to a meeting now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°You¡¯ve been tiredtely, rest early.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to ask him what time he¡¯d be back for dinner, but she knew from the way he spoke that he wouldn¡¯t be back in time. ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t appear unhappy at all and pouted her lips slightly. Recalling Zhao Liangze¡¯s earlier words, she felt a thorn at her side. She had to get rid of it now so it didn¡¯t fester. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to have this horn with her in the new year. Hugging Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm, she looked around to make sure no one was there before moving to his ear and whispering, ¡°...Will Huo Shao ignore me once you have a girlfriend or fiancee in the future?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her before peeling her off his arm so she sat properly, ¡°Of course. Why would I care about you if you¡¯re not my fiancee?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears welled up and she thumped her fists at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°No, no! You have to care about me even when you have a wife!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t imagine Huo Shaoheng not caring about her. She used to think that she could distance herself from him and leave on her own when he falls in love with someone else. But now she understood it would be impossible. At least for right now, it was downright impossible. ¡°Huo Shao, don¡¯t get another girlfriend ok?¡± Gu Nianzhi begged him softly, somehow leaning against his chest, ¡°You said that you¡¯re mine if I can seduce you, how can you go back on your word?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t go back on my word.¡± Huo Shaoheng was flirting with danger, one arm draping over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist, ¡°I said that I¡¯m yours if you can seduce me. You can continue seducing me.¡±

    ¡°But what if someone steals you away?¡± People in love often acted irrationally, and even the confident Gu Nianzhi sometimes asked questionscking in confidence.

    Huo Shaoheng stroked her cheek, ¡°Then you have to try even harder and be better than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Bit I¡¯ve never seduced anyone else... I don¡¯t have experience...¡± Gu Nianzhi stuttered, ¡°How about I try to seduce someone else...¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t you dare seduce anyone else.¡± Huo Shaoheng interrupted her, slightly displeased with what she was saying.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng for a bit then asked nervously, ¡°Huo Shao, are you also nervous about me seducing someone else?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with lidded eyes, then said nonchntly, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m worried you won¡¯t seduce them properly and embarrass me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped, hitting Huo Shaoheng again, ¡°Since when did I even embarrass you? I¡¯m great at it, you just wait and see!¡± She appeared extraordinarily beautiful when she looked at him with a pout.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to give her too much pressure because it could be counterproductive, like a rubber band snapping from being stretched too hard. ¡°Be good.¡± Huo Shaoheng tightened his arm around her and pulled her close, ¡°Don¡¯t go seduce anyone else. I¡¯ll break your legs if I find out.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, are you jealous?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him suspiciously

    However Huo Shaoheng appeared so calm it was impossible to see any changes to his mood. ¡°I never get jealous.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her cheek, ¡°Stop overthinking it. Be good, I have to go to a meeting.¡±

    ¡°...Ok, you rest early too. Tomorrow you have to spend the whole day with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi reminded him again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll be all yours.¡±

    Delighted, Gu Nianzhi stuck out her palm at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Promise!¡±

    Smack! Huo Shaoheng also took out his palm and gave her a high-five. Gu Nianzhi came out of the car happily but didn¡¯t go inside the house right away. Instead, she waved at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car and watched him leave. When she went inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, she immediately went back to her room to refresh. First she went to shower and shampoo her hair, then used all sorts of body products over her body. She continuously applied face masks¨Chydrating, exfoliating, brightening and serum masks to give her skin the greatest protection with the most intensive procedures. Although she was very pale to begin with, she couldn¡¯t help stocking up on a box of brightening masks. Afterpleting the procedures, several hours had passed. She finished showering and wrapped her hair in a towel then went to the closet to pick out an outfit for tomorrow¡¯s trip. After mulling over it for a long time, she settled on a green wool high neck hooded sweater and slim fitting pants to wear with tall boots and a leather jacket. Combined with a violet Hermes rudder print silk scarf and Prada baroque sunsses, Gu Nianzhi looked fashionable and cool. Girls were born to y dress up. Before she knew it, she had already spent the whole afternoon in her room. By the time she was finished and went outside to have dinner, she was practically radiant.

    ...

    Song Jinning was the only one in the dining room. When she saw a refreshed Gu Nianzhi enter the room, she put down her iPad and nodded to her with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood, did you win the case?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty. She was so preupied with taking care of herself after getting back that she actually forget to tell Song Jinning about thewsuit. Gu Nianzhi hastily sat in front of Song Jinning and started by telling her the verdict for Bai Jinyi, ¡°...Death penalty, but with suspension of execution for two years.¡±

    Bai Jinyi stirred the bowl of sea cucumber stew and mused, ¡°The Bai¡¯s are formidable, it¡¯s likely she¡¯ll get away with it if she¡¯s not executed immediately.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed both hands on the dining table and gritted, ¡°I know, so I¡¯ll keep an eye on them. As soon as they try anything, I¡¯ll be on them.¡±

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t encourage Gu Nianzhi to let it go, but nodded solemnly instead, ¡°I don¡¯t understand thew, but I know that a person has to pay for their crimes. Bai Jinyi must pay with own life since she killed Luo Xinxue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help pping her hands, ¡°Auntie Song you¡¯re so right! Although I studyw, I also believe you must pay for your own crimes! That¡¯s why I never agreed with abolishing the death penalty.¡± As the ancestors said, justice means giving people what they deserve. Why should murderers get more attention than their victims? Did murderers think about the consequences of their crime? This was just like howws protecting minors did nothing to protect minors and only promoted criminal behaviour in minors. Song Jinning smiled and watched Gu Nianzhi speak eloquently about her views on thew, nodding from time to time and interjecting asionally to continue the conversation. The two women chatted happily and even brought out a bottle of red wine to enjoy with their conversation. The dinner stretched out to two hours but had yet to end.

    It was nine in the evening when Huo Shaoheng returned, he passed his coat to the orderly and asked, ¡°Are Mrs. Song and Nianzhi asleep?¡±

    The orderly smiled, ¡°Good evening, Chief! ¨CMrs. Song and Miss Nianzhi are still having dinner.¡±

    ¡°Still having dinner?¡± Huo Shaoheng was shocked, ¡°How long have they been eating for?¡±

    ¡°Over two hours. They were just having dinner, then Miss Gu wanted to have a drink and ordered a bottle of red wine to share with Mrs. Song.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the dining room and saw not one but two empty bottles on the dining table... Gu Nianzhi was shaking the empty bottle drunkenly, staring at it with her huge misty eyes, ¡°...Huh? Why isn¡¯t it pouring? There¡¯s still wine left?¡±

 Chapter 313 - The button that cannot be undone

    <h4>Chapter 313: The button that cannot be undone</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng took the wine bottle away from her hand with a straight face, ¡°You¡¯ve finished drinking it. There¡¯s no more.¡±

    Song Jinning could hold her liquor really well. Sheughed while looking at the Gu Nianzhi who was almost drunk, and told Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Nianzhi cannot hold her liquor well. Don¡¯t allow her to drink outside in the future.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood. He responded casually to Song Jinning, helping Gu Nianzhi up by holding her waist: ¡°You should watch your alcohol intake as well, although this is red wine, the effects must be strong after having this much.¡±

    Smiling, Song Jinning stood up and pushed her chair aside. Shaking her head, she replied: ¡°This is really nothing, wines like these, I can drink at least 2 bottles in a go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    After thinking through, Huo Shaoheng filled Song Jinning about the meeting, which involved her today. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to return to work at the Institute of High Energy Physics after the New Year. Bai Jinyi has been sentenced; the board intends to have you take over the position of Director for the Institute.¡±

    Song Jinning nodded. She did not seemed surprised at all, ¡°I don¡¯t mind not being the director if there was anyone better than me, but if there isn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t be happy doing research under an incapable leader.¡±

    It¡¯s in the nature of scientists to have this pride in them.

    Huo Shaoheng understood this characteristic about his mother. That was the reason why he arbitrated for her.

    Even though she was ill for 16 years and has almost lost touch with the outside world, her achievements were still legendary till date.

    Based on experience and capabilities, no one was her match in the Institute. Not even now.

    ¡°You can use the time during the New Year to look through the achievements from the Institute for these past years. This might help you to get better in line with the research direction in the future.¡± Huo Shaoheng was still holding Gu Nianzhi by her waist, and left the restaurant with Song Jinning. ¡°The army hopes to continue with the research.¡±

    If not, there was no reason to risk offending the technical department and cab just to push her back to the position of being the Director.

    Even though Song Jinning had the talent and capabilities, she was ill for a good 16 years. Herwork and contacts in the industry have been gone long ago.

    The Bai¡¯s were definitely not going to support her. The army epted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suggestion of letting her be director based on being the sole survivor of the previous research.

    Song Jinning nodded, ¡°I hope to restart the research as well, I needn¡¯t return to the institute if not for this.¡±

    On top of that, there were the data received from the telmunicationspany in Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone. Song Jinning had been thinking about them over and over again; she already had a rough idea what was going on. She couldn¡¯t wait to support her hypotheses with research.

    Each time her the research sparked her interest, she wouldn¡¯t be able to think of other things anymore; just like that, she left for the level three.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he looked at the disappearing back of Song Jinning; he understood her curiosity too well. Carrying Gu Nianzhi, he entered her room.

    Darkness engulfed him as the door closed behind him; the lights in the house were turned off.

    After cing Gu Nianzhi onto the sofa, he intended to turn the lights on.

    Darkness encourages boldness in people, they say.

    Albeit drunk, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t unconscious. She knew that Huo Shaoheng was the one who brought her into the room. She didn¡¯t want him to leave. Pulling him onto the sofa, she pulled him by the cor, wanting to be close to him.

    Even though he was rugged, his lips were soft. Gu Nianzhi loved kissing him.

    Her heart was beating furiously. Using her newfound courage due to the alcohol, she held on tightly to his cor, refusing to let go. She kissed him over and over again, like she was devouring a delicious cake.

    Huo Shaoheng did not move. He remained seated on the sofa casually, while Gu Nianzhi looked like an essory on him. She seemed drunk, but he wasn¡¯t sure if she was conscious.

    After a while, she realized that he wasn¡¯t responding. He was merely holding her by the waist in an attempt to not let her fall.

    Shame filled Gu Nianzhi all of a sudden. She stood up abruptly, and ran out of the room.

    ¡°...Where are you going? This is your room. Are you that drunk?¡± Huo Shaoheng held out his arm and pulled her back into his arms. He took some wet wipes from the coffee table and cleaned her face gently, ¡°You¡¯ve had too much to drink, please rest early.¡± Carrying her in a swift motion, he brought her into her bedroom.

    He carried her into the bedroom just like that, her head buried in his arms.

    The main light wasn¡¯t turned on in the house; but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room had a light which was turned on all the time ¨C it lights up automatically when it¡¯s dark. A warm yellow light that calms people well.

    What Gu Nianzhi did not know, was that Huo Shaoheng already got people to bring in the night light that Gu Nianzhi was used to using when he was building this mansion.

    The door to her bedroom opened, the warm yellow light poured upon them.

    Huo Shaoheng carried her in, and closed the door with a light kick.

    He wanted to put her down onto the bed, but Gu Nianzhi struggled, wanting to get off him, mumbling: ¡°Bathroom...¡±

    She still knew that she had to wash up before turning in.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t argue with her. He carried her into the bathroom, made sure she was standing properly before leaving.

    Gu Nianzhi looked into the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, and lips, red. She looked like a newly blossomed rose in summer.

    Patting her face lightly, she held her toothbrush and brushed her teeth thoroughly.

    She was still groggy, so quite a bit of water sshed onto her chest as she was washing up.

    Her silk white top was wet. No matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t dry it. It made her really ufortable.

    She tried cleaning with a dry towel; nope, it was still wet. She decided to unbutton the row of pearl buttons in front of her chest.

    But she was drunk; and her actions were not steady. It was going to be a chore having to unbutton so many pearl buttons.

    She opened them one by one, but the buttons kept slipping out of her fingers. She couldn¡¯t even unbutton a single one.

    ¡°Stop moving! I¡¯m going to hit you if you move!¡± Gu Nianzhi scolded the buttons.

    Huo Shaoheng had been standing in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room for while now. He was contemting if he should leave now, or wait until Gu Nianzhi was done washing up.

    Just then, he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice from the bathroom. It was loud.

    Stunned, he walked over and opened the door to the bathroom.

    He was greeted with a Gu Nianzhi whose head was lowered, facing the mirror.

    She was halfway through trying to unbutton her top.

    Huo Shaoheng gulped. He couldn¡¯t move.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely frustrated at herself for being unable to unbutton her top. She frowned, tightened her jaws, and tore her top open.

    Huo Shaoheng finally found his voice. Hoarsely, he said: ¡°Stop tearing...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard the voice from behind. She was still a little slow in response.

    She turned around. Almost crying, she told Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...Can¡¯t open the buttons.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip on the door.

    He mist in the bathroom stopped him from seeing Gu Nianzhi clearly, even though she was just standing there. Everything looked like a dream.

    Her skin was milky white, but her face, flushed.

    Her eyes were huge, but her brows, thin. It softened her curious eyes that often dart around.

    When she looked at you with those eyes that were filled with unjust, it just feels like you are going to melt.

    Utilizing all the control he had, Huo Shaoheng walked over and knelt down: ¡°...I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    His long fingers were calloused but warm. They brushed across the skin on her chest, again and again, and gave her butterflies in her stomach.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head, and saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head was directly in front of her chest, fingers moving in quick motions, unbuttoning the buttons for her.

    Huo Shaoheng tried his best to not have any skin to skin contact with her, but the buttons were way to small; it wasn¡¯t an easy task.

    She felt herself going weak, so she quickly supported herself on the graphite counter to prevent herself from falling.

    It was so quiet in the bathroom, you can hear the both of them breathing.

    It felt awkward, but at the same time, it felt like something was emerging.

    Huo Shaoheng broke the awkward silence. He gulped and asked, as he was unbuttoning the buttons: ¡°...have you showered?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded frantically: ¡°Yes, I spent the entire afternoon showering.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Why would you still want to remove your clothes when you¡¯ve already showered?¡±

    ¡°...It became wet when I was washing up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s throat tightened. You could see the veins popping up from his forehead, ¡°...When did you get this? The amount of buttons is endless.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t exactly about the number of buttons; the point was that they were tiny and made of pearls, so they were extremely fragile.

    Huo Shaoheng had immense strength. He felt that he could¡¯ve crushed the buttons if he wasn¡¯t careful.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied. She turned around and looked at the mirror behind her, and grumbled, ¡°Bought itst year, it isn¡¯t pretty?¡±

    The small and tiny pearl buttons trailed directly up to her neck. ording to her roommate in university, it looked seductive...

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He finally managed to undo thest button.

    Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes met Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. She very much wanted to look into his thoughts, to know what was on his mind.

    She couldn¡¯t, though, the moment she looked at him, she felt warm and fuzzy all over.

    Huo Shaoheng remained on one knee, and looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly. He began to feel something burning within him.

    Gu Nianzhi could only hear a couple of pops. The next thing she knew, the hooks of her brassiere gave way...

    How could her brassiere give way just because he looked at them? Such lecherous brassiere...

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t think anymore.

    ¡ª¡ª

    He hugged her tightly; this skin to skin contact was the only way she felt close to him, like they¡¯re a couple.

    Her hands went round Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck, feeling his muscles, and softly trailed down to his shoulders.

    She gripped onto his shoulders; they were so firm to the touch. She loosened her grip; she was worried she¡¯d hurt him. Who knew, when she gripped tightly, the strength in his hands increased as well.

    She let out a moan; ready to let whatever happens, happen...

    How addicted Huo Shaoheng was.

    He tried so hard to put that memory behind, but his bodily reactions were honest; the moment their bodies were in contact, his body remembered everything.

    That alluring night, that sense of closeness... He had to stop himself before he lost control again.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t contain her nervousness. She whispered into his ear: ¡°Hu Shao, this is my first time...¡±

    First time...

    These three words worked like a pail of ice-cold water, it totally cleared his mind.

    His hands stopped moving. He stopped in his tracks, and sighed heavily.

    He was so out of control just now...

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips tightly, pulled the baby pink bathrobe from the door, wrapped Gu Nianzhi up snugly and carried her out of the bathroom.

    He covered her with her quilt, picked up a ck t-shirt, threw it to her and told her: ¡°Change into your nightgown. Have an early rest. We have a shopping trip tomorrow.¡±

    Narrowing her eyes, looking at Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi panted lightly under her quilt. She was overwhelmed with emotions. She couldn¡¯t tell if she was happy or regretful.

    Just a little more; just a little more and she would be his person...

    She really wanted to save herself for Huo Shaoheng, because she loves him. She wanted to be together with him. She could only be happy if he was happy.

    ¡°Huo Shao...¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lips. Throwing her bathrobe from under her quilt, she put the t-shirt over her head. Pouting, she asked, ¡°...Don¡¯t you like me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng caressed her head, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much,.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to know the reason of him stopping all of a sudden just now. He was already somewhere there, but he still had too much rationality in him.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that he was a man who was extremely rational; lot of self-control.

    But when she thought about how his rationality won his feelings towards her, she was really upset about it.

    It was almost like; he didn¡¯t love her if he didn¡¯t ¡®devour¡¯ her just now...

    She knew that it was wrong to think like that, it was extreme and superficial, but she just could not control herself.

    Huo Shaoheng did not wish to continue with the discussion. He sat on her bed and tucked her in, ¡°Where would you like to go tomorrow? Have you thought about it?¡±

 Chapter 314 - Tantrum

    <h4>Chapter 314: Tantrum</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi froze. She thought over the itinerary for the next day and then couldn¡¯t help fromughing as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it and there are so many ces I want to go. Huo Shao has to take me to all of them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be with you the whole day tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaohang had promised herst time. Tomorrow was Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve, so they would go out to buy festive goods. Song Jinning was divorced from Huo Guanchen so she had no intention of spending Lunar New Year at the Huo manor. Huo Shaoheng had decided to stay at his official residence with Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning to celebrate. Although he had orderlies who could easily prepare the festive goods for him, it was more meaningful for him to enjoy the celebration himself.

    Gu Nianzhi pped her hands excitedly. ¡°Right! Tomorrow is New Year¡¯s Eve! Then does that mean the malls will close early?¡±

    ¡°No. They should be open until 10 in the evening.¡± Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t sure, but he could also easily have someone reopen the mall if it closed. He had one or two close friends that owned malls.

    ¡°Huo Shao, you haven¡¯t gone home for New Year¡¯s for the past six years. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back this year either?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ns and couldn¡¯t help asking. After all, this was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s family. For the past six years, he had spent all his holidays with Gu Nianzhi as long as he wasn¡¯t away on a mission.They had returned to the Imperial Capital this year so it was just an hour¡¯s drive to the Huo Manor. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what he wanted to do.

    Huo Shaoheng told her directly, ¡°We¡¯ll spend the New Year here. You, me, my mother, and Big Xiong.¡± His two personal secretaries took rotating shifts during New Year¡¯s. Last year Big Xiong had gone home for the holidays so this year it would be Little Ze¡¯s turn.

    ¡°Oh? Really?!¡± Her earlier gloominess gone, Gu Nianzhi rolled around in her bed happily. ¡°Well then, I¡¯d better buy lots of things tomorrow so that we will have a great New Year!¡±

    ¡°You want to do the preparations?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°In that case, you¡¯d better sleep even earlier.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to sleep soon. Goodnight, Huo Shao,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile.

    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked out and closed the bedroom door, then the suite door. He stood in the hallway for a few minutes before returning to his own suite on the other side. He wanted to smoke so he made his way to the balcony. His excited mind and body gradually calmed down, and the glowing cigarette on the dark balcony was the only light visible. Not too far away, the ambush soldiers quickly set up their telescopes when they saw a figure suddenly appear on the balcony. They sighed with relief when they saw that it was just Huo Shaoheng. Although they were very curious, they couldn¡¯t speak up due to their strict discipline and training. As Huo Shaoheng continued smoking, they sent the images captured on the telescope to the cloud drive.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze sat alone in the central control room, watching various duty systems and writing programs absentmindedly. Yin Shixiong knocked on the door. ¡°Are you going home for the holidays?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shook his head with a gloomy look. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home this year. I¡¯ll stay here and spend New Year¡¯s with Mr. Huo and Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with you?¡± Yin Shixiong walked into the room and dragged a chair over to him. ¡°You threw a tantrum at Nianzhi a few days ago, and now you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t want to go home for New Year¡¯s. You haven¡¯t been home for two years! Don¡¯t your parents miss you?¡±

    Zhao Liangze chuckled but didn¡¯t turn back to look at him. ¡°They¡¯ll just pressure me to set up a marriage interview and nag at me to get hitched anyway, so it¡¯s better I don¡¯t go back. I don¡¯t want to squabble with them over the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wait, do you like someone?¡± Yin Shixiong was perplexed and dragged the chair even closer.

    ¡°I thought you knew that better than I do? You were talking about it with Nianzhi.¡± Zhao Liangze shot Yin Shxiong a dirty look. ¡°So you don¡¯t know anything at all?!¡±

    ¡°What do I know? I was just guessing!¡± Yin Shixiong pped the table and guffawed. ¡°You were giggling like an idiot these days and chatting happily on theputer. What¡¯s with the sullen face after just two days? Did that girl cheat on you?¡± For men, there was nothing worse than being cheated on. Zhao Liangze swung his fist at Yin Shixiong¡¯s face.

    Yin Shixiong blocked him with the back of his hand and leaned away from the fist, his right hand almost reflexively reaching for his gun as he shouted, ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you? We were just talking nicely!¡±

    ¡°Well, were you just talking nicely to me?!¡± Zhao Liangze spat back. ¡°Why would you even say such things? Any man would be angry to hear he was being cheated on.¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately apologized. ¡°Jeez, I¡¯m sorry, ok? Are you really mad now? I was just joking with you. You weren¡¯t like this before and we speak like this all the time! Why are you freaking out today?¡±

    Zhao Liangze rested his head against his palm and muttered, ¡°I have something going on so leave me alone!¡±

    ¡°Are you really that upset?¡± Yin Shixiong huddled closer. ¡°What¡¯s going on exactly? Maybe I can help if you tell me.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Zhao Liangze looked at Yin Shixiong from head to toe¡ªhis beaming face was just like a fresh faced university graduate¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t help being annoyed at him even more. ¡°Have you ever had a girlfriend? Have you ever liked someone? Stop boosting your own ego if you haven¡¯t and just leave me alone!¡±

    ¡°Fine! So I can¡¯t have eaten pork if I haven¡¯t butchered a pig? Do you look down on me that much?¡± Yin Shixiong patted Zhao Liangze¡¯s back. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve met many people and know more about women than you do. Come here, Little Ze. Tell me everything!¡±

    Zhao Liangze red at Yin Shixiong again and thought about how amicable and sociable he was. Maybe he really would understand? After much thinking, he decided to tell him. They both worked as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries, and wererades who saved each other¡¯s lives. There was nothing they could keep from the other. ¡°It¡¯s actually no big deal.¡± Zhao Liangze scratched his head and then switched off hisputer. He spun in his chair to face Yin Shixiong, his arms crossed. ¡°We¡¯re not official yet. It was a couple days ago that I wanted to... try things out with her, but she disappears on me almost all the time. She¡¯s either in a meeting, on a work trip, or her phone is off. Tell me, does she look down on me and want to push me away?¡± He would be happy for days when he received the asional reply, no matter how brief or curt it was. But, he couldn¡¯t find her most of the time and it was impossible for him to stay cheerful and work without it looming in his mind.

    Yin Shixiong red at him. ¡°Look at your silly face! Don¡¯t tell people you¡¯re Big Xiong¡¯srade or Mr. Huo¡¯s personal secretary. You are an embarrassment!¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s anger red up again. Why couldn¡¯t he speak nicely?!

    Seeing Zhao Liangze¡¯s hurt expression, Yin Shixiong continued, ¡°What are you to her anyway? It¡¯s not official yet, but it¡¯s already affecting your mood? I say,rade Little Ze, this is exactly your problem. How much do you like her anyway? And really, who is she? You¡¯ve been ranting about her for so long and I don¡¯t even know her name!¡± Yin Shixong wasn¡¯t one to mince his words and was enjoying this too much. Zhao Liangze instantly mmed up and refused to tell him anything else. He turned the chair around to continue writing programs and wouldn¡¯t talk to Yin Shixiong no matter how hard he tried to coerce him.

    Yin Shixiong could only rub his nose awkwardly and remind him, ¡°Mr. Huo is taking Nianzhi out tomorrow, so he¡¯ll be in disguise for sure. Have someone tail them; it¡¯s even more difficult to protect them in secret. We can¡¯t let the Chief notice, otherwise our New Year will be ruined.¡± Speaking of the New Year, Yin Shixiong continued to say, ¡°Mr. Huo returned to the Imperial Capital this year, so do you think he¡¯ll be going back to the Huo manor to celebrate? Should we ask.¡±

    ¡°He probably won¡¯t be going back to the Huo manor. Mr. Huo asked the orderlies in the kitchen to prepare for New Year¡¯s dinner before he arrived, so I think he¡¯ll be having a housewarming party and celebrate New Year¡¯s with everyone here.¡±

    ¡°Oh right, we haven¡¯t had a housewarming yet!¡± Yin Shixiong pped his thigh. ¡°Yep, I¡¯d better stay this time too. I¡¯ll go prepare some things and you can make the arrangements for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Zhao Liangze finally had work to distract himself with. He opened the personnel list to make the schedule, casting the thoughts of heartache away.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi slept peacefully that night and woke up at seven the next morning. She couldn¡¯t stop smiling as she thought about spending the whole day shopping with Huo Shao today. This was the scene that resembled a couple dating in their mind, but unfortunately it was just a personal fantasy. Humming a tune as she ran to the bathroom to shower, she looked in therge mirror in the bathroom and couldn¡¯t help recalling their intimacy in therest night. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks flushed instantly, the colour blooming from underneath her skin. By the time she finished getting ready to go out, she seemed to glow and looked especially beautiful.

    ¡°Good Morning, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°This way please, Miss Gu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderlies turned red faced when they saw her and they acted even more attentive than before. Gu Nianzhi greeted them all with a smile and sat across from Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong at the dining table. She nodded at them. ¡°Brother Ze, Brother Xing, Good Morning.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this? You look awfully energetic today.¡± Yin Shixiong nced at her with a chuckle. ¡°What lucky thing happened? I see you have a rosy flush, so you must have love on the mind!¡±

    Love? Gu Nianzhi touched her face and secretly agreed with Big Xion¡¯s observation¡ªshe was full of love indeed.

    Zhao Liangze carefully looked at her and then rapped the table. ¡°Nianzhi is truly getting prettier and prettier. When she bes a grad student at B University, there¡¯ll be lots of boys pursuing her!¡±

    ¡°Who wants that many people pursuing them anyway?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I¡¯ll reject them as soon as theye. I¡¯ll make them know that Gu Nianzhi is not such an easy person. I have high taste and don¡¯t care for most people¡¯s advances.¡± As she spoke, she nced at the dining room door. ¡°Where¡¯s Huo Shao? Is he up yet? Did he have breakfast already?¡± The love and concern in her eyes was instantly noticed by the now sensitive Zhao Liangze. He recalled that Gu Nianzhi seemed to act differently with Huo Shaoheng. He looked closely at her again. Just when he was about to speak, Huo Shaoheng came in after finishing his morning workout.

    It was a chilly early morning on New Year¡¯s Eve, but Gu Nianzhi warmed up when she saw him. Slightly giddy in his presence, Gu Nianzhi looked down with a giggle and hid her smile. ¡°Good Morning, Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°Good Morning, Chief.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi dragged out the chair next to her seat. ¡°Huo Shao can sit here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her but didn¡¯t move to her. Instead, he sat across from her and next to Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed and didn¡¯t know whether to stand or sit. Zhao Linagze felt bad for her and made way to sit next to her. ¡°Sit down, Nianzhi. Brother Ze will sit with you if Mr. Huo won¡¯t. Orderlies, where is the breakfast?¡± The orderlies quickly served up the food.

    Gu Nianzhi had bird¡¯s nest and lotus seed rice porridge with two tes of xiaolongbao. The porridge was rich and sweet, and the xiaolongbao were fresh; the amount would normally be too much for her. However, because Huo Shaoheng had upset her, she gobbled everything up.

    Huo Shaoheng had far more food than her. He was ustomed to eating quickly outside and slowly at home, so he still had a little less than half his food left by the time everyone else was already. Gu Nianzhi snuck nces at him and got even angrier when she saw that he was eating slowly, so she started nging the tableware. Even the usually oblivious Yin Shixiong noticed that something was amiss and shared a look with Zhao Liangze.

    Huo Shaoheng finally looked at her and asked, ¡°Are you ready to go out?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Nianzhi said sullenly. She had to buy a lot that day; only shopping could relieve her bad mood. Huo Shaoheng had to foot the bill in order to appease her anger, and Gu Nianzhi directly told him, ¡°I have to buy quite a few things today, but I don¡¯t have any more money in my card.¡± She widened her eyes at Huo Shaoheng boldly. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll ignore me now! She thought.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°Use my card. I¡¯ll drive us there today.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally smiled. ¡°I also want to have dinner out tonight, will Huo Shao still be able to drive?¡± Thest time he had driven her was when he had a get together with some childhood friends. His driving seemed to be nothing special and they had called Fan Jian to pick them up afterwards.

    ¡°Are you questioning my driving?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned back in his chair. ¡°You know, I did some Form One racing in Europe. I¡¯m technically a professional racer.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Is that true? Didn¡¯t Huo Shao enlist at the age of 18?!¡±

    ¡°He was really a fake professional racer.¡± Yin Shixiong chuckled. ¡°Mr. Huo only practiced for a month and was able topete with the professional racers and almost got first ce.¡±

    So it was for a mission, Gu Nianzhi realized.

    Huo Shaoheng swallowed thest bit of his breakfast and said, ¡°It was the time I was in disguise as an unmarried couple with Dou Qingyan and spent six months in Europe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood soured again when she recalled those photos.

    Huo Shaoheng silently observed Gu Nianzhi; he knew all of her expressions like the back of his hand. Her sullenness was too apparent, so he exined, ¡°This kind of thing is normal because it¡¯s part of our day to day job.¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng; the Chief normally never exined himself but was making an exception for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi understood that it was always for his work, but she still felt unhappy about it. She had promised herself to get over it, so she could only encourage herself to keep trying.

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi went back to her room to brush her teeth and change. She chose a high necked cashmere sweater, slim wool trousers, and knee high boots. She also wore her favourite belted mid-length leather jacket. Her sleek outfit was a perfect match with her Chanel Boy bag. cing her keys, wallet, and phone into the bag, she then put on Prada Baroque sunsses and walker out the door.

    Huo Shaoheng had been ready for a while and was waiting downstairs. The pair seemed to have read each other¡¯s mind as he also wore a mid-length leather jacket. They looked like a couple. Huo Shaoheng also wore sunsses, but it was a modest style, unlike Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trendy ones. However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s features were too beautiful and any sunsses he wore appeared to be expensive even if they weren¡¯t. His sunsses were actually specially made by the military and had camera functions that could upload to a cloud drive.

    Gu Nianzhi waved at Huo Shaoheng but still appeared a little unhappy. However, her petite face, which appeared even smaller behind the Prada sunsses, hid her expression. Huo Shaoheng could tell right away that she was still mad¡ªhe felt quite confused and didn¡¯t want to encourage her unreasonable behaviour. Extending an arm out for her to hold, they walked out together and got inside the Mercedes SUV parked in front of the door. The car seemed in enough; Huo Shaoheng thought the only redeeming quality was it¡¯s sturdy frame which had been modified with bulletproof ss and wheels.

    Gu Nianzhi sat beside him and watched him skillfully start the car, then quickly drive out the main entrance of the Special Operations Forces headquarters. They would be shopping downtown. When they left the base, the same Mercedes SUVs also drove out in different directions. Gu Nianzhi saw this from the window and was curious enough to want to ask Huo Shaoheng. But when she thought about how she would be letting him off too easy if she forgave him so quickly, she decided to keep quiet. The anger lodged in her throat was practically choking her.

 Chapter 315 - Come sit here by yourself

    <h4>Chapter 315: Come sit here by yourself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to know what was on her mind. When the car entered the expressway and the surroundings looked normal, he enlightened her calmly: ¡°Even though I am in civilian clothing, our car exited from the Special Forces. There¡¯re too many eyes on this ce, we had to be careful.¡±

    So he was trying to confuse the enemy, Gu Nianzhi finally understood.

    She let out a soft sigh, and looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side profile.

    He just wasn¡¯t a normal man, so why should she use the standard of a normal man on him?

    Finally, she calmed down. cing her hand on his arm, she asked softly: ¡°Am I disturbing your driving, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her from the corner of his eyes: ¡°Nope, I can drive with one hand.¡±

    ¡°Then what about the other hand?¡±

    ¡°To hug you.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his perfect brows at her, looking so alluring.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect the Huo Shaoheng who was always so stern to have a suggestion like this.

    She really, really wanted to be in his arms right there and then.

    Once again, Huo Shaoheng managed to see through her. Holding the steering wheel with his left hand, he held his right arm to her: ¡°Want toe here?¡±

    On hisp?

    While he¡¯s driving?

    She was about to be overwhelmed with bliss...

    It¡¯d be a lie if she said she wasn¡¯t tempted, but she was a model student in thew faculty. She gulped and stammered: ¡°T...t...this... wouldn¡¯t it be against traffic rules?¡±

    It was fine if they got caught, but the point was whether it would be safe.

    It was once in a blue moon that Huo Shaoheng had the mood, but since Gu Nianzhi was hesitant, he retracted his arm and smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t want to? Then forget it...¡±

    Since when did I say I that don¡¯t want?!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng dreamily. He did not look at her ¡ª not even with the corner of his eyes. He was driving calmly and serenely, with what looked like a smile on his lips. It almost seemed like the suggestion from him just now was merely Gu Nianzhi¡¯s imagination.

    ¡°...It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want...¡± Gu Nianzhi stammered, ¡°But if I were to do that, it would be disrupting your drive... How dangerous...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re doubting my ability in driving?¡± Huo Shaoheng finally nced at her, paused to look at her inviting red lips before returning his attention to the road.

    On the 30th day of the first month of the year, the roads were practically empty on Di Capital¡¯s expressway.

    Their car felt like the only vehicle on the road, even after driving for ages.

    Looking at the empty Huan Cheng road, it did not look real; it looked like it came out from a painting.

    All of the roads were wide; they looked endless.

    Gu Nianzhi looked out of the window, thinking, why not?

    The roads were rather empty anyway; they wouldn¡¯t be a hazard even if they were to drive across the road.

    The foreigners from Di Capital have all returned to their hometown for the New Year, the Huan Cheng road that was always congested looked like an empty pasture. Did it mean that she could let loose a little, and be wild for just once?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng again. Those perfect feature and intimidating aura... This was nothing but a monster that reads minds. Especially hers. She was willing to do anything for him, as long as he wanted it.

    He looked alluring to her all the time...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart began beating furiously again.

    He was flirting with her as well, no?

    So should be flirt back?

    But she couldn¡¯t bring herself to it... They were in the car!

    Gu Nianzhi thought coyly. She still could not resist the temptation eventually. Holding on to the lock on her seat belt, she asked softly: ¡°...it really wouldn¡¯t disrupt your driving?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced his foot onto the breaks. The car slowed down in no time.

    Resting his arm on the ck steering wheel, he turned and gave Gu Nianzhi a smile. It was like a spell ¡ª she felt herself getting lost in his eyes.

    Her useless fingers unfastened her seat belt.

    Huo Shaoheng shifted his seat a little behind.

    Thankfully, the seats were spacious for this SUV. Even though Huo Shaoheng was tall, there was enough space for the both of them to be in one seat.

    It wasn¡¯t too narrow, but not exactly spacious.

    The two persons who sat together on one seat could only remain as still as possible. There was no more space for them to shift about.

    Gu Nianzhi held on to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, crawled over carefully and sat on hisp.

    All of a sudden, she could not figure where to ce her hands.

    Leaning on her shoulder, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep voice whispered into her ears: ¡°...Do you want to drive?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had her license. She got it from the people from the Special Forces. However, she did not exactly drive before.

    This was because she had been underage then; she didn¡¯t even have a chance to go shopping on her own. She could only call for a ride, or she¡¯d have a driver send her to everywhere. There just wasn¡¯t any chance for her to drive on her own.

    Then she turned 18. It was actually on her mind to pester Huo Shaoheng to get her a car when she was to return to school in 2 to 3 months.

    Now it was her chance to have a feel of the steering wheel. She held on to it even though she wanted to be more polite about it: ¡°Will it be ok? You really don¡¯t have to do that...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had long legs. So he was controlling the break and elerator. All Gu Nianzhi had to do was to control the steering wheel.

    But this was Di Capital¡¯s expressway on the 30th day of the first lunar month. There were little turns she had to make (the roads were almost empty, remember?). It was basically an easy task.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to get bored of it. She shifted ufortably on Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh muscles were too firm; Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but felt that her seat was way morefy...

    Just when she was contemting if she should return to her seat, it urred to her the area she was shifting herself on.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    The moment she realized what it was, her wandering mind went nk.

    She froze, and didn¡¯t dare to move, not even one bit, on hisp.

    Of course Huo Shaoheng noticed his physical reactions.

    He was exasperated as well.

    He graduated from his erotic resistance training with a perfect score. Due to this, the training officers as well had been using him as an example for many batches of trainees after him. Who knew that all his efforts would have gone down the drain the moment he met Gu Nianzhi...

    If his training officer heard about this, he¡¯s bound to poke fun at him...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She was trembling, as she was stiff since just now. Huo Shaoheng asked softly: ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±

    How could she not be tired?

    She was dead beat!

    Beads of perspiration dripped off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. All along, she thought about how to flirt with Huo Shaoheng, wanting to take advantage of him. She even stole kisses a couple of times. Goodness, she even wanted to ¡®gift¡¯ herself to himst night! Now... When his ¡®little brother¡¯ was all ready, she realized all she wanted to do was to run away...

    When faced with the real situation, she realized that she truly wasn¡¯t his match. He was too experienced.

    ¡°You... You... Can¡¯t you... Shrink it...?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt so awkward. She stammered, giving suggestions, as her legs couldn¡¯t support her anymore. ¡°There¡¯s no way... How can I sit like that...? It¡¯s raised... Too high.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t shrink it. How can you sit? Come here and sit by yourself.¡± Huo Shaoheng teased. She looked so awkward and shy; he couldn¡¯t help but to tease her. He would¡¯ve lost control if not for the fact that he still had some self-control left, and that her face was so flushed.

    Gu Nianzhi was trembling even more now. She was almost unable to hold the steering wheel anymore.

    Chuckling, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms went round Gu Nianzhi and held the steering wheel. His manly scent engulfed Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi felt warm and fuzzy again. She moved her hands off the steering wheel and gripped onto his arm. ¡°Let me down!¡±

    ¡°Thought you were asking if I liked youst night? Look at me now, do you think I like you?¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice and whispered to Gu Nianzhi. His deep voice affected her immensely.

    Her legs finally gave way. She sat down... On him.

    Huo Shaoheng shifted himself quickly, in order to prevent her from ¡®breaking¡¯ the ¡®raise¡¯.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed his movement, and it all became clear to her. With newfound courage, she smiled and looked at him. Kissing his forehead, she asked: ¡°Thought you were so good? Why, are you the one who¡¯s scared now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes, looking at the Gu Nianzhi who was so mischievous. He moved one arm from the steering wheel, and hugged her around her chest.

    With his arm around her chest, Gu Nianzhi froze again. She never moved anymore.

    Her heart was beating so quickly; it felt as if it almost jumped out from her throat.

    She was melting... That fuzzy feeling returned yet again. She held on to the arm around her chest lightly, and begged for forgiveness: ¡°Huo Shao... It¡¯s broad daylight. Let¡¯s not let others see us like that? It¡¯s not good for your image...¡±

    Oh my dear senior official... Is this really okay?

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice: ¡°No worries, we¡¯re in the car. No one would see.¡±

    Even with a pair of binocrs, no one could see through the dark brown windows of the car.

    Moreover, it¡¯s his off day today. They cannot expect him to be always on standby, can they?

    Gu Nianzhi did not know how to respond. All of a sudden, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips met hers.

    She was practically leaning against the steering wheel. Huo Shaoheng began showering kisses on her earlobes, nape of her neck and cheeks from the back.

    He hugged her even more tightly from the back, pressing himself against her, and panted into her ears.

    Gu Nianzhi only felt that her temperature was rising steadily, but she did not understand what was going on. He was the only one in her eyes at this moment, and he was right behind her. The only distance between them was their clothing. Oh, how she wished that the clothes could disappear.

    She wasn¡¯t stiff anymore. Returning his hug, she was about to return his kiss. All of a sudden, though, Huo Shaoheng stopped everything he was doing. ¡°Get back to your seat, quickly.¡±

    The emergency rm in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind went off. Even though she was still dazed from her recent experience, she managed to slip away from Huo Shaoheng onto her seat. Just when she was done putting on her seat belt, she heard the siren of a police car from behind.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the mirror on the passenger¡¯s seat, checking her makeup.

    Thankfully, only her hair was a slightly messy. All she had to do was to redo her ponytail.

    Huo Shaoheng already managed to stop his car by the road by the time she was done with her hair.

    Yin Shixiong, who was trailing their car from a distance, saw what went on and got a shock.

    The hell?!

    Someone actually had the guts to stop the car of their Senior Official?

    He had to find out where this hero came from.

    The number te clearly showed that the car was from the army even though it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal ride...

    Usually, vehicles with number tes from the army could do whatever they wanted on the roads in the country, much less Di Capital. Moreover, they did not break any traffic rules...

    He nced at the vehicle number and sent it to Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze was on standby in the Special Forces unit.

    The moment he received the car number te from Yin Shixiong, he did a search on it.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng happily, and med him: ¡°...See! It¡¯s all your fault. Now the police are reallying to get us.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her. He was paying attention to the information Zhao Liangze was providing him with on the police officer from his wireless earpiece.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, the policewoman in the police car is a trainee police. Her name is Xu Piaohong. Her father is the Deputy Chief of the military tactical operations department, Xu Guiqi, ranked as Colonel.¡±

    Almost immediately, there was a knock on the window. It was none other than the heroic Xu Piaohong. ¡°License please.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wound down the window.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°... Oh, it¡¯s Auntie Police.¡±

    Xu Piaohong looked at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Your idenfication card please.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt guilty about doing ¡°badt things¡± in the car just now. Feeling embarrassed, she handed over her Identification card without protest. If not, she wouldn¡¯t have been so corporative.

    The only person she would listen to, without questions, is Huo Shaoheng. If any other people spoke to her, she selectively decides if she would listen to them.

    Xu Piaohong took a look, ¡°Just turned 18?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not understand what her age has got to do with this. She did not drive, and did not break any traffic rules. This policewoman spoke to her like she was interrogating a criminal. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t happy about that. At all.

    Huo Shaoheng did not speak. He just sat on his driver¡¯s seat in silence.

    Xu Piaohong waited for what seems like eternity. She got upset when she realized Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t going to give her a response. ¡°I am asking you a question! What was going on with your car just now?¡±

    Now, Gu Nianzhi was pissed. However, she managed to control her emotions. Straightening her face, she red at xu Piaohong: ¡°Please return my identification card to me.¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± Xu Piaohong felt important the moment she donned the police uniform. It felt way better tomand others in this uniform aspared to using her dad¡¯s title.

    Gu Nianzhi was really pissed now. ¡°What is your name? What about your police identification number? I¡¯m going to lodge aint¡±

    ¡°Comint? Why? What¡¯s the basis you¡¯re going to lodge theint?¡± Xu Piaohong panicked. She thought about her actions, and realized that it was a little harsh. She bit her lip, red at Gu Nianzhi and returned her identification card unwillingly. She turned her attention to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Sir, your license please.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not look at her as well. He took his wallet from his pocket, retrieved his driver¡¯s license, and waved it in front of Xu Piaohong.

    Xu Piaohong wanted to take it from him, but he wouldn¡¯t let her. Calmly, he asked: ¡°May I ask which traffic rule I vited please?¡±

    Xu Piaohong was speechless.

    Strictly speaking, he did not vite any traffic regtions.

    However, Xu Piaohong noticed that their speed was inconsistent. Even though they did not vite any traffic regtions now, they would be a hazard if there were other cars around.

    Even if there were barely any traffic, she felt that she had the responsibility to educate such drivers.

    This was because usually drivers who drive at inconsistent speeds, were drivers who were drink driving.

    However, after stopping their car, Xu Piaohong felt that only thedy looked like she just drank. She looked so flushed and in a daze. The man looked alert though, it was obvious that he had not been drinking.

    That was the reason why Gu Nianzhi was the first to be checked, followed by Huo Shaoheng. She did not expect that the both of them would be this uncoorperative. She was beginning to get upset.

    ¡°I said you¡¯ve vited traffic regtions. It means you have. As to which one you vited, go think about it on your own. Tell me when you¡¯ve understood.¡± Xu Piaohong did not have a high position, but she had a lot of pride.

    She knew she was working hard and not bullying others, and thus felt more proud of herself.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi did not know the identity of the policewoman, she knew they had met an inexperienced police, and one who did not have much brains. All she had were passion, and nothing else.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was unhappy with her attitude, she understood that the policewoman was merely doing her job. She did not want to make things difficult for the policewoman. So she asked, ¡°Are you new on the job, Auntie Police?¡±

    ¡°So what if I really am? Xu Piaohong was wary. ¡°You guys want to make things difficult just because I am new?¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve called your superior directly if I were to make things difficult for you please!¡± Gu Nianzhi thought.

    ¡°Learn your regtions by heart if you¡¯re new, and note out here and make people stop their cars out of nowhere. If aw enforcer does not even know her things, how can she expect the citizens to listen to her? Do you agree, Auntie Police?¡± Gu Nianzhi told Xu Piaohong pleasantly. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re rushing for time. We¡¯ll be making our move if there¡¯s nothing else, Auntie Police.¡±

    It was true that it was the responsibility of thew enforcer if she was unable to let her citizens know the reason she stopped their vehicle.

    Xu Piaohong was totally ufortable with being called ¡°Auntie Police¡± by Gu Nianzhi, she snapped: ¡°I am only 4 years older than you. Not old enough to be your Aunt yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s patience ran out. ncing at Xu Piaohong, he went, ¡°we¡¯ll be going if there¡¯s nothing else. We¡¯re rushing for time.¡±

    Xu Piaohong just graduated from the Institute of Police. She hadn¡¯t been promoted to be an official police officer yet. Even though it was just a matter of time due to her family background, she was, in fact, still a trainee officer as of now.

    She wasn¡¯t allowed to, by right, stop anyone or to do any police duties due to her position. Only an official police officer was allowed to do that.

    However, it¡¯s the 30th day of the first lunar month today, and almost everyone from the station had gone home for the New Year.

    She just felt like taking the car out for a spin initially, but when she saw a vehicle going at an inconsistent speed on the expressway, she couldn¡¯t control her sense of justice and turned on the siren.

    The two people in the car don¡¯t seem to give a hoot about her though.

    ¡°You can drive like that just because you¡¯re rushing for time?¡± Xu Piaohong was extremely angry. ¡°When you were speeding just now, I suspect that you were induced with alcohol. Now I¡¯ll have to do a breath test on the both of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°You should¡¯ve told us earlier. Test if you want then, make it quick. Please don¡¯t further dy our time.¡±

    Xu Piaohong looked at the calm andposed Huo Shaoheng, then the flushed Gu Nianzhi, tightened her jaw and took her breathalyzer.

    Knocking on the window, she handed it to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You, blow into this.¡±

 Chapter 316 - Forced To Stop

    <h4>Chapter 316: Forced To Stop</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi lowered the car window and looked at Xu Piaohong with disbelief. ¡°What are you doing? You want to have me take a breathalyzer test?¡±

    ¡°Yes, is that a problem?¡± Xu Piahong red at her. ¡°Hurry up! Don¡¯t waste my time!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was done ying nice. She took out her phone from her bag and asked her nkly, ¡°Your name and badge number, please.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xu Piahong¡¯s eye began to twitch; she suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to file aint against you,¡± Gu Nianzhi enunciated clearly to her. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask your police station in which chapter and which section it states that passengers are subject to a breathalyzer tests!¡± ording to what Xu Piaohong was saying, not only were people who consumed alcohol barred from driving, but somehow they should not be riding in cars either. That meant everyone who drank would have to walk home: even taking public transportation was against thew.

    Xu Piahong¡¯s mouth twitched, unsure of how to respond. She had been raised lovingly by her family and all her ssmates and teachers at the police academy knew about her family background, so they had made sure to take good care of her. She had never encountered anyone who didn¡¯t take her seriously. Xu Piaohong could have very well taken advantage of her family connections to get a better job, but she had been determined to find a job using her own abilities. She had chosen, in the end, the Imperial Capital Nancheng District Police Station and had started as a trainee. How could someone give her trouble when she was just trying to work so earnestly.

    ¡°Either release us, or tell me your name and badge number. I will report you.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled: she was no longer interested in teaching this rookie policewoman a lesson.

    Xu Piahong had been working for more than six months now and her colleagues protected her so well that she¡¯d never encountered such a difficult situation. Logically, she knew she was wrong and should let the two people off immediately; It would be useless to have the driver take a breathalyzer test, since it was obvious he wasn¡¯t drunk. It was early morning, so who would even be drinking at this hour? Most people in the Huaxia Empire didn¡¯t have such a drinking problem. But if she backed down now, it would go against her principles. The upromising and straightforward personality that she had developed from being spoiled by her family the past 20 years suddenly came to a head. Xu Piaohong¡¯s face was stony as she suddenly reached out to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin and used the other hand to force the tube into her mouth. ¡°Do the test. I¡¯ll let you go if it¡¯s fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was furious, when Huo Shaoheng leaned over and gripped Xu Piaohong¡¯s wrist hard enough to bend her hand, before pushing it away. He shielded Gu Nianzhi against his chest. He said dryly, ¡°Trainee Xu, you¡¯ve broken thew.¡±

    ¡°You dare to attack a police officer?¡± Xu Piaohong only felt the scorching heat around her wrist and had goosebumps all over her arm. She stumbled backwards, flustered. ¡°That was inexcusable!¡± Xu Piaohong¡¯s face was red; she was so angry that she immediately paged a colleague.

    Yin Shixiong finally caught up and parked behind the police car. He looked at Xu Piaohong and said, ¡°Officer Xu! We are all colleagues, so let¡¯s talk nicely!¡± As he spoke, he took out his own identification to show Xu Piaohong and turned to say to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Hello, Chief. It¡¯s alright now, you can go now. I¡¯ll take care if it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and didn¡¯t say a word before arranging Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cor and scarf, then closing the car window and settling back into his own seat. He mmed on the gas and the sleek SUV sped away before Xu Piaohong¡¯s eyes.

    She had beenpletely ignored and her heart felt like it had been hit by arge boulder. She stamped her feet angrily and screamed at Yin Shixiong, ¡°Chief! Who the h*ll was that?! I¡¯m telling you right now, I won¡¯t let this slide!¡± What was so great about a military license te anyway, she fumed. Her father was the deputy chief of staff of the military tactical operations department¡ªwho could possibly have a higher ranking than he did? Xu Piahong believed that anyone else in the military with a more important position or higher rank were old men who definitely didn¡¯t drive themselves. She had never thought that the man in the SUV would actually be a Chief.

    Due to the nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work, he had stayed in the background for many years and, besides high-level personnel from the Special Operations Forces and the Military, there were few personnel in other departments who had actually seen him. So, Xu Piaohong would have never met him before, and even her father, deputy chief of staff of the military tactical operations department, Colonel Xu Guiqi, was not high enough in rank to be involved in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work. Her father has never met Huo Shaoheng in person, but had of course heard of his name. Xu Piaohong had always preferred to draw a line with all the different ranks at work to show off her own loftiness. She had nevere across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name before.

    ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t tolerate anyone insulting Huo Shaoheng, ¡°What you¡¯ve just said is more than enough for me to report you. You¡¯ll lose your job.¡±

    Xu Piaohong flushed even darker. ¡°Report, report! All you people know to do to is threaten to report me. I was on official business! I was just doing my job!¡± These people were forcing her to use her father¡¯s power! However, she didn¡¯t wish to do that.

    ¡°Are you sure you were doing your job, and not abusing your power?¡± Yin Shixiong said. Zhao Liangze had already made it clear on the phone¡ªthis trainee officer was working alone and so that in and of itself was illegal. ¡°Have your partnere talk to me: you¡¯re just a trainee officer and have no right to interrogate me.¡±

    Xu Piaohong froze. Yes... she shouldn¡¯t have been working alone, since she had just been taking a drive. She began to feel very uneasy.

    ¡°Scared now?¡± Yin Shixiong sped his hands behind his back, his expression cold and serious. ¡°Did you realize that you were harassing them? If it weren¡¯t for your father, we would¡¯ve already locked you up in a cell somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Lock me up? For what?¡± Xu Piaohong lost her temper: this man actually knew who her father was? But, was still so arrogant with her! She hated bullies more than anything.

    ¡°For what? For the obstruction of military affairs!¡± Yin Shixiong said. ¡°Also, you were already breaking thew to begin with. The Chief¡¯s vehicle hadn¡¯t vited any trafficws, but you had dared to stop him.¡±

    ¡°He was driving at an inconsistent speed!!¡± Xu Piaohong was upset and her heart jolted again when she recalled the viselike touch of thatrge hand on her wrist earlier. Forcing herself to beposed, she objected, ¡°That¡¯s dangerous driving. it¡¯s just like drunk driving. It was necessary to stop and examine them.¡±

    ¡°Is inconsistent speed any of your business? He hadn¡¯t been impeding traffic, so why did you stop him?¡± Yin Shixiong thought she was an idiot. ¡°You used your connections to get the job right? Who even let you in when you don¡¯t even know basic trafficws?¡±

    This was the straw on the camel¡¯s back. Xu Piahong finally cried from all the pent up frustration. She pointed at Yin Shixiong and sobbed, ¡°I didn¡¯t use connections! I got the job on my own!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t even know trafficws and dared to drive alone as a trainee. How did you get into the academy with your level of ability?¡± Yin Shixiong had no ns New Year¡¯s Eve; looking at her state now, he decided to help this girl out of the kindness of his heart. He was bored anyway.

    ¡°Of course I did!¡± Xu Piaohong took out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her tears. ¡°How would I be a mere trainee officer if I used my connections?¡±

    Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes. ¡°Officer Xu, did you not know that the police are also disciplined troops? Did you not know that it all goes through background assessment?¡±

    ¡°Background assessment? No way!¡± Xu Piahong was dubious. ¡°A mere police officer has to go through that too?¡±

    ¡°As long as there was an assessment, your family background would be out in the open. Your father...is the deputy chief of staff, a Colonel right? How wouldn¡¯t the people at your station know?¡± Yin Shixiong shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re very lucky that the Chief was in a good mood today, otherwise...¡± He trailed off ominously.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking about this Chief all day now, but who is he?¡± Xu Piaohong tried to change the subject because she didn¡¯t want to think about what Yin Shixiong said. The more she thought about it, the more she didn¡¯t want to know whether she got the job because of her family connections.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m a Lieutenant Colonel, but I¡¯m just his personal secretary.¡± Yin Shixiong dropped the hint. ¡°Get it now?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Xu Piaohong¡¯s heart trembled. The man must be at least a Major General if he had a Lieutenant Colonel as a personal secretary. Although he appeared mature and powerful, he was certainly a young man unlike her father, who was already almost fifty.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yin Shixiong, personal secretary to the Chief, Huo Shaoheng. Since your father is a soldier, you can go home and ask him who that is.¡± Yin Shixiong turned around to leave. He still had to continue following Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car, but it was alright that he was leaving now because he couldn¡¯t get too close anyway.

    Xu Piaohhong listened to Yin Shixiong¡¯s words and stood nkly on the empty road for awhile. The sky was still blue, and the clouds were still white, but something felt different. After spacing out for a bit, she finally called home. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s Piaohong.¡±

    ¡°Piaohong? When are youing home? Today is New Year¡¯s Eve, and you¡¯re still at work? Do you want me to send a car to pick you up?¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu asked hastily.

    Xu Piaohong¡¯s heart glowed with warmth. She chatted with her dad for a bit and then asked, ¡°Dad, do you know who Huo Shaoheng is?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng? Yes, why are you asking about him?¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu froze. He had never expected his lofty daughter to actually ask about the military.

    ¡°Is he famous?¡± Xu Piaohong asked again. ¡°Is he more powerful than Dad?¡±

    ¡°Silly child, how can Ipare with him?¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was still very proud even though he worded it humbly, ¡°He¡¯s a young talent, a 28 year old Major General¡ªthe youngest one since the founding of the nation.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So it¡¯s true.¡± Xu Piaohong exhaled sharply and said, ¡°I-I might have made a mistake today.¡± She nearly burst into tears.

    ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t be scared, Piaohong. Tell me slowly.¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu instantly felt distressed for his daughter. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal anyway? I¡¯ll sort it out for you!¡± It was just a measly police station right? Just one phone call and he¡¯d have the director of the statione give the ¡°season¡¯s greetings,¡± while bearing gifts.

    Xu Piaohong¡¯s eyes widened when she heard her dad say this. She looked down to adjust her uniform and mumbled, ¡°The thing is, I was on duty today and stopped a car on the Third Ring Road. Huo... Shaoheng was in it.¡± The name rolled on her tongue and it took forever for her to spit out. Just saying it once left a sweetness in her mouth.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu jumped off the couch and strode back to his study, mming the door shut. He whispered, ¡°Did you really stop Major General Huo¡¯s military vehicle?!¡±

    Obstruction of military affairs was a serious offense! Sweat beaded on Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t a military vehicle. He had a military te though.¡± Xu Piaohong bit her lower lip, her eyes zed over as she tried to use the police database to find the license te on the Mercedes SUV. ¡°It¡¯s... It¡¯s his personal car.¡±

    Xu sighed deeply and wiped the sweat off his forehead. ¡°Thank goodness he wasn¡¯t on duty. Thank goodness.¡±

    ¡°Will I be in trouble?¡± Xu Piaohong asked nervously. ¡°He was in the car with a young girl.¡±

    ¡°Well, that depends on whatw he broke.¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu eased his breathing. ¡°Even the Major General has to be punished when he vites thews!¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu grew cheerful when he thought he could do Mr. Huo a favour. It was too difficult to to form a rtionship with him, so perhaps his daughter¡¯s chance encounter was an opportunity.

    However, Xu Piaohong muttered, to his surprise, ¡°Dad, He... He didn¡¯t break anyws.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu felt his blood pressure rise again and had trouble standing still. He leaned against the wall of the study and then sat on the couch, panting. He asked her through gritted teeth, ¡°Why did you stop him if he hadn¡¯t broken anyws?!¡± His head spun. ¡°Who was on duty with you today?¡± If it became necessary, they could just me it on the full fledged officer on duty with his daughter today. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu sighed: his daughter was great at everything, but she was too cocky. She didn¡¯t even have a basic understanding of social rtionships, so he believed that she needed to get married to a powerful person who could protect her from getting into serious trouble.

    Xu Piaohong felt even more uneasy and stuttered, ¡°No, No one was working with me. I was on duty alone.¡±

    ¡°Alone?!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was dumbfounded. ¡°That¡¯s not right! You¡¯re just a trainee. You can¡¯t be on duty alone!¡±

    ¡°I-I just wanted to help everyone out!¡± Xu Piaohong noticed something was wrong and her eyes turned red with unshed tears. ¡°My colleague were rushing home for Lunar New Year, so I wanted to help.¡± She had never expected such a thing to happen. She was felt anxious but also lucky that she¡¯d had the chance to meet someone as important as Major General Huo. Xu Piaohong had always been respectable and thought highly of herself. Although she knew her dad was powerful, she had never wanted to take advantage of her family¡¯s influence for her own benefit¡ªunlike the other power hungry children of elites in society. That was why she had chosen an entry-level police job.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu could tell his daughter was about to cry. He frowned for a long time before finally saying, ¡°Then, your colleague derelicted duty?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Xu Piaohong¡¯s voice had grown even quieter. ¡°There was no duty today. I just wanted to get to know the work environment and take a drive.¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu finally understood that the incident was due entirely to his daughter¡¯s arrogance. He struggled to turn over on the sofa and undid the heavy wool military uniform. He asked carefully, ¡°Did Mr. Huo say anything when you stopped him?¡±

    ¡°No, he just said he had some important business to attend to and drove away. Then his personal secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Yin Shixiong, came over to exin.¡±

    ¡°Yin Shixiong? I think I know him.¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was relieved to finally hear a familiar name. ¡°Fine, hurry up ande home. I¡¯ll find a way to make up for it.¡± They were all in the military, and although they weren¡¯t in the same department, they should still be able to have a conversation. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu immediately tried to find Yin Shixiong¡¯s number and finally connected to him after several transfers.

    Yin Shixiong saw that Xu Piaohong¡¯s father was calling personally and didn¡¯t want to give him a hard time. His daughter was just a child who didn¡¯t understand proper protocol yet, and it was nothing serious, so he had given her a little scare as a lesson. Yin Shixiong was polite to Deputy Chief of Staff Xu. ¡°That¡¯s too kind of Deputy Chief of Staff Xu. It¡¯s wonderful that your daughter was willing to work in an entry-level job. It¡¯s ok if she makes some small mistakes, as long as it¡¯s not serious. Our Chief went out today to buy some holiday goods and was in a rush. He didn¡¯t intend on giving your daughter trouble.¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was finally relieved, but was also surprised that Huo Shaoheng had been buying holiday goods. ¡°The Huo manor didn¡¯t make preparations? Isn¡¯t that the orderlies¡¯ jobs? Why does the Chief have to personally do it?¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu knew that the Huo family lived in the Imperial Capital, and although he wasn¡¯t¡¯ familiar with Huo Shaoheng, he had crossed paths with Grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen.

    Yin Shixiong parked in the lot of the Chengnan Shopping Center as he spoke to Deputy Chief of Staff Xu over the headset. ¡°Our Chief¡¯s new official residence justpleted construction and he ns to spending New Year¡¯s there. He won¡¯t be going home for now. I¡¯ll let you go now, since I still have some business. I wish Deputy Chief of Staff Xu an early Happy New Year!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t keep you any longer. I also wish you, and the Chief, a Happy New Year!¡± Before Deputy Chief of Staff Xu could finish the sentence, the line had been cut. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu thought about it and called Xu Piaohong again, saying, ¡°Piaohong,e home now! I have something to ask you.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were already walking around Chengnan Shopping Center. It was a massive ce and was basically a whole street lined with shops on both sides. There were barricades on either end so cars could not drive through, allowing only pedestrians to walk inside it. It was already Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve, but there were still many people out. Everyone was smiling as they dashed through the stores to buy holiday goods.

    Gu Nianzhi had never been there before, so she looked around and tried to search for stores on her phone. Huo Shaoheng was not in a hurry. He waited quietly at her side: he would take her wherever she wanted to go.

 Chapter 317 - Feed me

    <h4>Chapter 317: Feed me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi scanned the za and decided to go to the nearest supermarket, which was known for selling the best New Year goodies and the famous pumpkin seeds snack.

    Gu Nianzhi was excited and started introducing the snack stall to Huo Shaoheng. Laughing with glee, she pulled him over and asked, ¡°Huo Shao, do you like seeds ?

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and said nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted her lips and nced sideways to Huo Shaoheng. The ck shades further affirmed his emotionless face. Fine, she resigned in her head, I knew the seeds would too hard for an old guy like you.

    These snacks will ruin your image huh, old guy?

    However she continued to purchase another few bags of seeds, so that she would have something to wee the guests with when they visit during the New Year.

    She pointed to the seeds like an excited kid ¡°I would like these sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and melon seeds please, 5 katis each.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand down and told the shopkeeper, ¡± Just give us 2 katis each.¡±

    Feeling annoyed, Gu Nianzhi grumbled, ¡± Would 2 katis be enough ? What do we do if we have too many guests?¡±

    ¡°The guests are not here for these seeds,¡± Shao Heng replied while taking over the bags of seeds from the shopkeeper. ¡°You mentioned that you need to get some rice cakes as well right? The Chen Ji Rice Cakes there is renowned for their rice cakes. I had some of their rice cakes when I was young, it was really good.¡± He continued to distract her.

    ¡°Oh you like the rice cakes from Chen Ji? Then I have to try some.¡± Gu Nianzhi answered while squeezing her way through the crowd.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the three bags of seeds in his hands. They were traditionally packaged in red paper and looked beautiful. Then, shaking his head, he followed Gu Nianzhi in silence.

    Gu Nianzhi arrived at the door of Chen Ji and was captivated by the tantalizing strings of glutinous rice. She immediately asked for 3 katis of rice cakes.

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to stop her again, ¡± 1 kati is enough,¡± he told the vendor. ¡°These are just side dishes,¡± He continued.

    About to lose her cool, Gu Nianzhi protested, ¡± Well you said they were good, so what¡¯s wrong with getting more? It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t afford them...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her and took the bag of rice cakes from the shopkeeper. He held the bag of items on one hand, and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands on the other. He turned to her and exined patiently, ¡°The rice cakes at Chen Ji are made with lots of glutinous rice. Your stomach is weak, too much of these rice cakes will give you indigestion.¡±

    So he was looking out for me...

    Her displeasure evaporated all of a sudden, tugged Huo Shaoheng closer to her and continued walking.

    After walking for a while, a thought dawned upon Gu Nianzhi: ¡°These must be heavy Huo Shao; shall we get a shopping cart over there ?¡±

    There were shopping carts avable for rent on the street and they can be used for the all shops along the arcade.

    Although Huo Shaoheng was able to manage the bags, he could foresee that Gu Nianzhi would be getting more items. ¡°That is a good suggestion. Why don¡¯t you get one then?¡±

    NianZhi happily went over to one of the shopping carts. She took the bags from ShaoHeng and put them in the cart, and they continued shopping.

    ¡°Huo Shao, have we prepared the ingredients for the New Year Dinner ?¡± NianZhi said her eyes were fixed on the fresh lotus roots in the grocery section. They looked so good, she was tempted to make braised lotus and pork ribs with them.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed that Gu Nianzhi had her eyes on the lotus roots and thought it was harmless for her to have some. ¡± You can get some if you like, we can put the leftovers aside.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had a fridge and a cold storage room in his kitchen, so he was not worried about running out of space.

    With the ease of the shooping cart, Gu Nianzhi went on a shopping spree.

    Huo Shaoheng did not need Gu Nianzhi to help him with his groceries, as he had all he needed in the kitchen; from seafood, meat to fruits and vegtables. The shopping was just a way to fulfil her needs for novelty.

    Huo Shaoheng thought that most of the items in the cart were not suitable for her, so he brought her to the dessert section in the supermarket instead.

    There were many traditional sweets and snacks there, like caramel candies, sugar pine candies, osmathus candies, rose cakes and green bean cakes. These were only exclusive to Di Du during the New Year and not found elsewhere.

    Huo Shaoheng decided to get some of these sweets for Gu Nianzhi, since his chefs did not know how to make these pastries.

    Gu Nianzhi was really delighted and let out a beaming smile. Her big eyes turned into crescents and hershes fluttered like butterflies. She looked up at Huo Shaoheng with a loving gaze, and leaned closely to him.

    As they walked through the crowd in the arcade, Huo Shaoheng had one of his hand on the cart, while he held Gu Nianzhi closely on the other.

    His tall and charismatic stature stood out from the rest and implied his extraordinary status. He had never failed to catch the attention ofdies.

    As they continued, Gu Nianzhi started to feel warm and decided to get some ice-cream.

    Even though the climate was cold during the season, the arcade and everywhere Gu Nianzhi went had enough warmers. She would never catch a cold.

    Huo Shaoheng agreed and waited patiently in front of a caf¨¦. He ordered an Americano, lit up his cigarette, and waited patiently for her.

    Out of nowhere, a charmingdy wearing a fur coat approached Huo Shaoheng. Her white slender hands held up an unlit cigarette. Giving him a bewitching gaze, she asked: ¡°May I borrow a lighter, Sir?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng puffed up a smoke ring and replied coldly, ¡°.....No.¡±

    Caught offguard by his rejection, thedy¡¯s expression changed and sat across Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Do you have to be so rude? All I asked for was a lighter!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at thedy nonchntly for a while, and shifted his attention elsewhere. He didn¡¯t seem to have any intention to continue the conversation.

    Undefeated by the cold response, thedy sat there for a while. Eventually she felt helpless from his unfeeling attitude and sighed. As she stood up from her seat, she grumbled ¡°What a jerk!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued to ignore her words.

    Another teenage girl approached him not long after. She gave him a cheerful smile and said, ¡± Hey there, I made a bet with my friends that you would look hotter if you remove your shades! Why don¡¯t we cooperate and split the money when we win the bet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained unresponsive, as if no one was standing in front of him.

    ¡°Oh please, handsome...¡± , she remained relentless despite the indifference and tried to went up to remove his shades.

    Many would find it hard to resist such a move from a young girl.

    However Huo Shaoheng remained aloof. He lifted his head and gave her the evil eye and the girl froze in fear from his unfriendly vibes.

    He continued with a cold voice, ¡°...Scram.¡±

    His words left the young girl flustered and diposed. Her eyes went watery and she wailed while running away from the hostile treatment, totally forgetting about the bet she had with her friends.

    It was only ten minutes after Gu Nianzhi left, but severaldies have attempted to approached the unfeeling man.

    Seemed like there was a major shortage of hot guys around recently;dies are much more open when it came to approaching men nowadays. They didn¡¯t even mind being the first to strike up conversations!

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless by what he experienced and shook his head, feeling lucky that he was the one who brought Gu Nianzhi up. She would never dare to flirt with other guys like that.

    Gu Nianzhi returned with the ice-cream and heard how he dished out his cold rejections to anotherdy who made her attempt at him..

    ¡°Hey, that was uncalled for,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she sat across Huo Shaoheng, with the ice-cream cone in her hand. ¡± Would you like to try some?¡± She said as she licked her cone.

    Huo Shaoheng threw the cigarette butt into the bin by the tree, had a sip of his Americano and smiled warmly, ¡°Yes please.¡±

    ¡°You really want to have some?¡± Gu Nianzhi replied reluctantly as she did not expect that Huo Shaoheng would want to have the ice-cream. It never came across to Gu Nianzhi that Huo Shaoheng would be interested in ice-cream. ¡°Why don¡¯t I get you another cone?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Huo Shaoheng responded and pointed at her cone, ¡°I will just take this.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But I have already...¡± Beads of perspiration threatened to fall off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. She didn¡¯t just ate it halfway; she had already licked the entire cone prior...

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± He continued with a slight smile on the corner of his lips. Stretching his legs while stirring his coffee, he continued, ¡°So you are not sharing that with me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Gu NianZhi quickly extended the ice-cream cone to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Here, try it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained still. His eyes locked on to Gu Nianzhi with warmth and opened his mouth slightly, ¡°Feed me.¡±

    At this moment, not only Gu Nianzhi was caught offguard; Even Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong who were secretly on surveince couldn¡¯t believe what they just heard...

    What the...

    Is Mr. Huo under some kind of spell?

    Gu Nianzhi blushed furiously, even her ears and neck turned red.

    ¡°Huo... Huo Shao...You...¡± She struggled topose herself, but Huo Shaoheng held her hand firmly and pulled the cone steadily to himself and bit the tip of the cone.

    She was surprised to see a huge part of her ice-cream bitten off, but she was too stunned react.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand again and pushed the cone to her lips.

    She bit the cone without realising that she was eating the part that Huo Shaoheng just ate.

    This was... The legendary indirect kiss!

    Even though the sun was shining brightly, it was chilling outide at the Di Du¡¯s south shopping arcade.

    Gu Nianzhi felt warm and toasty. Even the ice-cream failed to cool her down.

    ...

    On the other side, Zhao Liangze cut off the connections from Huo Shaoheng¡¯shades and wiped out all the images that were captured.

    His heart was pounding with nervousness. He had finally found the the answers he had been looking for.

    When on earth did these two get together?

    Or was it one sided?

    ...

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s headphone went silent, but his attention was elsewhere. He was focused only on the gorgeous couple in front of the caf¨¦, sharing an ice cream cone.

    When did all these start...

    Yin Shixiong was uneasy.

    Damn it!

    The boss whom he had held with high regards, the girl whom he had doted on like his own daughter... Got together?!

    How should he face them now ?!

    How should he... Address them henceforth?

    Fine if they got together. What¡¯s this showing public disys of affection about? Showing off to singles like himself?!

    He asked himself while struggling to remainposed. Deciding not to look anymore, he raised the newspaper in his hands.

    However, after a while, he quietly lowered the papers again and continued to keep a close eye on the couple.

    ...

    ¡°Huo Shao, I thought you hated sweet stuff,¡± Gu Nianzhi stuggled to strike a converstation while looking at her ice-cream cone. She was still blushing from just now.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her wrist to him and said, ¡°Come here.¡±

    His force pulled her over and shended on hisp.

    The sun was up clear in the sky and the rays kissed the pavement of the arcade. The blue sky remained clear, as if it reflects the feelings of Gu Nianzhi.

    Initially frozen, her body began to rx after a while.

    Why should she be afraid?

    Isn¡¯t this what she had been hoping for?

    Having somebody to hug and kiss her under the clear blue sky?

    She gave her lips a quick lick and aimed for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips.Their lips met. She nned to escape before he could react.

    But she had clearly underestimated his reflexes.

    His arms were already around her waist. She couldn¡¯t escape even if she wanted to.

    ¡°So you want to just run off like this? How dare you,¡± He replied with a sly smile.

    Gu Nianzhi could feel his breath on her ears as he leaned closer. It felt like the best thing that had happened to her and she was almost fainting from this sudden happiness she was feeling.

    ¡°Huo Shao, you said we will be officially together if I can manage to sweep you off your feet? So I guess that counts?¡± Gu Nianzhi began poking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hard and chiselled chest.

    ¡°Oh, did I say that?¡± Huo Shaoheng tilted his head and looked around, feigning ignorance. Not many people saw the couple as the trees blocked their vision.

    With his arms still around her waist, Huo Shaoheng stood up, ¡°So are we going to continue shopping?¡±

    ¡°Of course we are not done. Let¡¯s go to Scion za,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied. Her heart was ted and held tightly to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. She didn¡¯t want to let go again.

    The couple left the Di Du south arcade with their hands held tight, like a pair of loving doves.

    At the carpark, Huo Shaoheng ced the items in the boot of the car and the pair drove off to Scion za to look out for gifts.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s earphones remained unsually silent. He guessed that Zhao Liangze and Yin Shxiong were greatly ¡°traumatized¡± by their disy of affection.

    But he had no ns to exin his actions.

    As Yin ShiXiong entered his car, he began arguing furiously with Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Big Xiong, what else did you see?!¡± Zhao Liangze pursued him with questions. ¡°I had cut off the connections with Mr. Huo, in order not to leave any traces. Do you think that was easy for me?!¡±

    ¡°What else can I see?!¡± Yin Shixiong replied, sounding traumatized by the whole event. ¡°They were publicly disying their affection for each other and Nianzhi even kissed him! Pfft, this girl is really getting bold!¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°!!!¡±

    What?!

    Damn, he totally missed the show!

    Should have cut off the connectionter if he had known!

    ¡°Are you serious ? Did NianZhi kiss Mr. Huo, or the other way round ?¡± Zhao Liangze could not surpress his curiousity

    ¡°Of course Nianzhi kissed Mr. Huo.¡± Yin Shixiong remembered it too well. That did not even count as a kiss in his opinion; it was more like a brush across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips.

    Sadly, at his angle, he could not be sure if Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips have really touched Huo Shaogeng¡¯s.

    Yin ShiXiong still had a lot of confidence in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reflexes. He was sure that if Huo Shaoheng was unwilling , Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to kiss him even if they were very close to each other.

    Yin Shixiong was quick reflexes, butHuo Shaoheng was way faster.

    ¡°Oh, so Nianzhi really did kiss Mr. Huo,¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart sank a little after rcalling the gaze she gave to ShaoHeng at the Interrogation Room. That was a loving gaze after all...

    But given the type of person Mr. Huo is; his age and experience; would an 18 year old young girl like Gu Nianzhi be able to handle him ?

    And she has always idolized him all these while.

    Even if NianZhi really has feelings for him,, would that really be love?

    Zhao Liangze thought even more than Yin Shixiong.

    So given the situation now, even if it was really love, Gu Nianzhi already couldn¡¯t pass the Political Investigation.

    It is just impossible for them to be together ! So why are they wasting time?

    More importantly, the entire army knows that Huo Shaoheng is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian, so if they are together... There would be a bad record on his profile...

    The more Zhao Liangze pondered, the more disturbed he felt. After not smoking for a long time, Zhao LiangZe walked to the open grounds outside, lit up a cigarette and took a long puff.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice came from Zhao Liangze¡¯s earphones, ¡°Little Ze, when do you think these two started being romantically involved? We really failed as his secretaries, man, we knew nothing about his love life.¡±

    Zhao Liangze exhaled with a ring of smoke. ¡°Yes, yes we are too dumb, that¡¯s why Mr. Huo confessed to us in this way, if not we would still be in the dark,¡± he sighed.

    ¡°What! So you are saying Mr. Huo showed us these on purpose?!¡± Yin Shixiong eximed, ¡°So, so, so he knew that we were spying on him and still allowed NianZhi to kiss him?!¡±

    ¡°Are you dumb or what ?!¡± Zhao Liangze replied in frustration. Putting a hand in his pocket, he took a long puff of cigarrette. ¡°Mr. Huo did nothing! It was Nianzhi who made the first move! Remember this; she made the first move!¡±

 Chapter 318 - Stuck Like Glue

    <h4>Chapter 318: Stuck Like Glue</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong was confused as he drove out of the parking lot and questioned Zhao Liangze. ¡°What do you mean? Why does it matter who took initiative?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important!¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s mood soured but he had to worry for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sake. ¡°It has to be Nianzhi taking the initiative, you idiot!¡± If Huo Shaoheng took initiative, he could kiss any future advancement in the military goodbye.

    Yin Shixiong suddenly understood, his expression turning grim. After staying silent for a bit, he asked withplete seriousness, ¡°Where is Mr. Huo right now?¡±

    Zhao Liangze threw away his cigarette butt and went back to the central control room to re-establish connection with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sunsses. Huo Shaoheng could feel the subtle current in his headset resume, however, he didn¡¯t say anything and continued driving.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against his shoulder and refused to let go. Huo Shaoheng let her do whatever she wanted, takingfort in her adorable clinginess.

    Zhao Liangze found their location and notified Yin Shixiong. ¡°Mr. Huo¡¯s car is heading towards Scion za.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Yin Shixiong opened the GPS and stayed on the phone with Zhao Liangze. ¡°Little Ze,¡± he said, ¡± I think with this thing, it¡¯s best that we find a way to change Nianzhi¡¯s silly mind.¡±

    Zhao Liangze asked sullenly, ¡°You also don¡¯t think that Nianzhi is suitable for Mr. Huo?¡±

    ¡°They lookpatible and are both good looking people, but there¡¯s too much of an age gap. They are from two different generations.¡± Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t logically or emotionally ept the couple. ¡°But, I can understand why Nianzhi likes Mr. Huo. I don¡¯t me her at all. Mr. Huo is a good catch, so lots of women are interested in him. Plus, he¡¯s only nice to Nianzhi, so how can a young girl like Nianzhi resist a man like him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I was thinking that too.¡± Zhao Liangze finally agreed with Yin Shixiong on one thing. ¡°Do you remember Mr. Huo saying he lost his virginity back when we went to Japanst year?¡±

    ¡± Last year? Oh! I remember!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s mind clicked and he pped the steering wheel. ¡°So, Mr. Huo really had no choice since he has a girlfriend already¡ªhe won¡¯t be flirting with Nianzhi anymore?¡±

    Zhao Liangze sighed, then enunciated carefully, ¡°You have to remember that Mr. Huo didn¡¯t flirt with Nianzhi. Nianzhi was sticking to him like glue and he didn¡¯t know what to do, so he purposely did it in front of us to make us aware so we can help him find a solution.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Yin Shixiong rubbed his head. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t he just tell us directly?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being an idiot again!¡± Unable to hold back his temper anymore, Zhao Liangze pounded at the desk and shouted at him, ¡°How can he possibly tell us directly?! How would Nianzhi feel? I¡¯m warning you, stay away from this situation. You¡¯re too dumb, so I¡¯ll find a way to solve it.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re the real idiot!¡± Yin Shixiong refused to back down. ¡°You haven¡¯t even sorted out your own mess yet, and you want to get involved with Mr. Huo and Nianzhi¡¯s business?! I think you should rx and try not to freak yourself out!¡±

    Both men were in a bad mood but the quarrelling actually helped to alleviate their stress and tension. They stopped fighting when Yin Shixiong arrived at the underground parkade at the Scion za. After taking it out on each other, they both finally calmed down. ¡°Big Xiong, we have to hide this and not let anyone from the military find out. If this gets out, we will have to insist that Nianzhi was the one to take initiative and that Mr. Huo is trying to find a way to reject her. Got it? Nianzhi isn¡¯t a soldier, so it doesn¡¯t matter if we say she took initiative. If Mr. Huo was the one to take initiative, he¡¯s done for!¡± Zhao Liangze frowned as he beganbing through the central control system to make sure all traces of the earlier video had been deleted. ¡°Also, hurry up and find Mr. Huo and Nianzhi. Say that you¡¯re helping them carry stuff so that Nianzhi won¡¯t have a chance to do something even more risqu¨¦.¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded and said, ¡°I got it, I¡¯ll go now.¡± He looked at his phone and found Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location. They were already on the 8th floor of Scion za, where all the top international brands were.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi walked out of the Chanel gship store in Scion za. Gu Nianzhi had chosen two new outfits for Song Jinning¡ªa ck and white dress suit and a caramel pant suit, as well as two matching bags for her to wear at important asions.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you buy an outfit for yourself?¡± Huo Shaoheng eyed the bags Gu Nianzhi carried¡ªthey were all presents for other people.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said, ¡°Auntie wears Chanel now, so I won¡¯t anymore. I don¡¯t want to sh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not even the same style.¡± Huo Shaoheng took her hand, bringing her to a stop. ¡°How would it sh? You used to buy the younger looking collection from Chanel, so it¡¯s not even the same ones that my mother wears.¡±

    ¡°Wearing the same brand is also shing.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled. She actually didn¡¯t want people to say she was wearing matching outfits with her ¡°mother.¡± She wanted to be Song Jinning¡¯s daughter-inw, not her ¡°daughter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her again and then checked his phone. ¡°There¡¯s a Herm¨¨s store up ahead. Go pick out a couple things from there.¡± He knew Gu Nianzhi liked Herm¨¨s silk scarves, but wasn¡¯t too interested in their other things. Gu Nianzhi so happened to like a bucket bag that Herm¨¨s had just released and wanted to see the actual thing. ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the Herm¨¨s store.¡±

    The pair headed in that direction, but suddenly ran into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s childhood friend, Xue Jingjiang. Xue Jingjiang owned a restaurant on the ninth floor and often wandered around the mall, so it was inevitable to run into him. However, he felt gloomy today and was now ecstatic to see Huo Shaoheng, immediately trying to drag him to the 9th floor to have a chat.

    Gu Nianzhi was very understanding. ¡°I¡¯ll walk around in Herm¨¨s alone for a bit, and thene find you on the 9th floor?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, that¡¯s your name right? I remember you! Go to the Herm¨¨s store and buy what you like and tell them to put it under my name. It¡¯s my Lunar New Year gift to Little Sister Nianzhi.¡± Xue Jingjiang was very kind to Gu Nianzhi and saw her as a younger sibling.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°How can mypanion use your money?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Xue Jingjiang was just being polite to Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t argue about paying for the gift because he knew how Huo Shaoheng was very wealthy himself. It was almost New Year anyway, he could just give Gu Nianzhi a generous red pocket and problem solved. He pulled at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm. ¡°Where should we go chat?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered that he had promised to apany Gu Nianzhi for the whole day, so how could he leave her all alone? He politely refused Xue Jingjiang¡¯s offer. ¡°What is it? I¡¯m on holiday right now; where are you spending Lunar New Year?¡±

    Xue Jingjiang said, ¡°Huo Shao, my dearest, dearest Huo Shao, I beg you¡ªif I can¡¯t talk to you today, my New Year will be ruined.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled but still insisted, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you unless it¡¯s an urgent matter. If it¡¯s not urgent, how about we talk about it after the New Year?¡±

    Xue Jingjiang¡¯s problem was neither urgent nor trivial, but it should be fine as long as someone like Huo Shaoheng could help. Xue Jingjiang sighed deeply and could only nod, saying, ¡°Fine, I get it. I¡¯lle to your house to give holiday greetings after the new year, and we¡¯ll talk then?¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t going back to the Huo manor on Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve, he could still find a day to visit between the first and fifteenth of the first month of the lunar calendar. It would be best to meet him then. ¡°Yeah, just let me know ahead of time which day you¡¯reing, and I will wait at home for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a good friend!¡± Xue Jingjiang was ted and thumped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder good naturedly. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll let you get back now, so you go ahead!¡± Grinning broadly, Xue Jingjiang strode happily back to the 9th floor. He had been stressed out the past month, but had finally found someone with the ability and willingness to help him. He called his two partners when he went back to the 9th floor and said, ¡°It¡¯s all good now! I found Huo Shao so you can stop worrying. Gu Yanran won¡¯t give us a hard time if Huo Shao steps in.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng sent Xue Jingjiang off and looked up to see that Gu Nianzhi was already at the entrance of the Herm¨¨s store. Just when he was taking his time to catch up with her, Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice sounded from behind,¡± Mr. Huo! I finally found you guys! Hey, where¡¯s Nianzhi?¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked around but didn¡¯t see a trace of Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back, his face stoic. ¡°Why are you here? And you are showing yourself too?¡± ording to the rules of the Special Operations Forces, Huo Shaoheng would always be protected by a myriad of hidden and obvious guards, even if he was in civilian clothes. Yin Shixiong was his personal secretary and couldn¡¯t typically intervene with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private time, so if necessary, he had to take care of him from afar and could not be discovered. But Yin Shixiong had not only allowed Huo Shaoheng to discover him, but also loudly greeted him as though he didn¡¯t care about flouting the rules.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him quietly, and although he appeared calm, his piercing gaze was enough to make Yin Shixiong fear for his life. But he had no choice: he had the important task of protecting Mr. Huo¡¯s career and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s happiness. Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t retreat even if he was terrified of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, where¡¯s Nianzhi?¡± Yin Shixiong purposely acted cheerful. ¡°I just saw her now, but where did she disappear off to?¡±

    ¡°Just now? When was that?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his chin to examine Yin Shixiong. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was now more afraid of Huo Shaoheng¡ªthis was his superior and Chief. No matter what, Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t defy Huo Shaoheng in any way because he must be absolutely loyal. This was his duty and responsibility as a soldier. However, Gu Nianzhi had just turned 18 and had practically been raised under Yin Shixiong¡¯s care. His moral duty and paternal instinct battled against each other in his mind, but loyalty eventually won. He spoke calmly to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, I saw what happened between you and Nianzhi at the Nancheng shopping mall earlier.¡±

    ¡°Yes?.¡± Huo Shaoheng was unperturbed and continued his way to the Herm¨¨s store. ¡°That was all?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t be hard on yourself. We can help you sort it out.¡± Yin Shixiong forcibly disyed his loyalty. ¡°Nianzhi is still young and you are a remarkable man, so it¡¯s no surprise she has these silly thoughts. Don¡¯t spoil her too much, it just makes things worse. Ignore her for a bit and she¡¯ll see reason.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at him.

    This isn¡¯t how I expected Yin Shixiong to react, Huo Shaoheng thought.

    ¡°I know that you purposely let us see that interaction today so that we could help you with the problem. It¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s fault for having such feelings, but you have to understand and forgive her; don¡¯t make her feel too embarrassed,¡± Yin Shixiong urged with such passion that he himself was touched.

    Huo Shaoheng was still silent.

    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t take Nianzhi out anymore. Don¡¯t give the little girl too much hope, just so it¡¯ll be easier when you two separate in the future,¡± Yin Shixiong babbled on and discovered that he unfortunately had the potential of being a great mother.

    Huo Shaoheng squinted at him, confused. ¡°What are you saying? Who is separating? Nianzhi and I?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Yin Shixiong pped his knee. ¡°Let¡¯s forget how much older you are than Nianzhi and talk about her background¡ªwe still don¡¯t have a clue. How can anything goode out of you being with her? Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    How much older...what an ugly phrase. Huo Shaoheng silently endured it but he didn¡¯t want to entertain Yin Shixiong¡¯s foolish thoughts. He red and said sharply, ¡°How is this any of your business?¡±

    ¡°How is this not my business?!¡± Yin Shixiong nearly shouted, ¡°You are my superior! I watched Nianzhi grow up too, so of course I want you both to be happy!¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s thoughts were splitting with tension. Give me a break, Chief! Nianzhi may be naive, but you aren¡¯t! You have no future with her!

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that... she won¡¯t pass the background check?¡± Huo Shaoheng attempted to make sense of what Yin Shixiong was saying.

    Yin Shixiong froze: why were they now talking about the background check?

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him. He didn¡¯t want to reveal it, but he knew that Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze treated Gu Nianzhi like family and that they were important to Gu Nianzhi as well. He spoke up, saying, ¡°We already know the name of Nianzhi¡¯s father. We are investigating it right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Yin Shixiong eximed to the surprise of the passerby, then muffled his mouth and whispered, ¡°Did you really find out the name of Nianzhi¡¯s father?!¡± If they had the name, then they would be able to find the person any day now! However, even if they found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family and unearthed her background, she had still been raised by Huo Shaoheng; if they became romantically involved after she became an adult, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s political enemies would use the fact that he had been her guardian against him. This would negatively impact Huo Shaoheng¡¯s career. Yin Shixiong truly believed their age gap was too great¡ª if a three year difference was a one generation gap, then that meant Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had about a three generation gap between them.

    ¡°Yes, I discovered it a few days ago, but wasn¡¯t able to take time to investigate it with all the other things going on. We will start looking into it after the new year,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he walked through the entrance of the Herm¨¨s store.

    Herm¨¨s was not only known for its expensive items, but also ¡°hunger marketing.¡± Money alone wasn¡¯t enough to allow people to purchase from them. Herm¨¨s sales people were notoriously wily and crafty. If a customer wasn¡¯t on their VIP list, it would be basically impossible for them to buy one of their ssic handbags. The staff would first inform the customer that there was none stock, then convince them to purchase all sorts of random items to build the rtionship. After six months, the sales people would finally deign to offer the customer the opportunity to buy a bag that was between tens to hundreds of thousands US dors. It must be paid in full and no installments were epted. Just like that, the customer would feel that they were given a huge favour. Despite this rigor, countless women on Blue obsessed over Herm¨¨s bags and most people would never be able to afford one, because not even money would allow a customer to obtain it.

    Gu Nianzhi was in such a dilemma. Huo Shaoheng was the one who had bought all her Herm¨¨s items, so she had thought it like Chanel, where she could simply pay to get what she wanted. When she eyed the ssic pearly blue bucket bag, the beautiful salesperson didn¡¯t hesitate to lie to her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss,¡± the woman simpered, ¡°This bag is not avable.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to the bag disbelievingly. ¡°Isn¡¯t there one right here?¡±

    ¡°That one?¡±

    The woman didn¡¯t bat an eye, ¡°It¡¯s already been reserved and that¡¯s thest one in our store.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, disappointed. Fine, she wouldn¡¯t bother if that were the case. Gu Nianzhi gazed longingly at the bag again and whispered shyly, ¡°Will you be restocking this again?¡±

    The woman stood elegantly behind the counter and smiled, but made no indication of answering. Her gaze was already focused on the entrance.

    Gu Nianzhi really liked the bag, so she tried again even though the saleswoman ignored her. ¡°Can you please let me know if you are restocking it? I can pre-order and put down a deposit.¡±

    The salesperson nced at her with a smirk: she didn¡¯t seem to care.

    Gu Nianzhi had never thought that selling Herm¨¨s could make an employee feel so superior. Hmph! It¡¯s just a bag! She fumed. The woman was making it seem like it was the end of the world and that the bag was thest sack of grain. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t die without the bag: it wasn¡¯t a necessity. Silently cursing in her heart, Gu Nianzhi walked out of the store.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡± Yin Shixiong came over to greet her when he saw here out. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? Who pissed you off?¡±

    ¡°Brother Xiong? Why are you here?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked Yin Shixiong and shot Huo Shaoheng a curious nce.

    ¡°There are no shopping carts here, so Big Xiong came to help us carry things.¡±

    Carry things?! Yin Shixiong wanted to cry. He was a Lieutenant Colonel for goodness¡¯ sake, how could he be demoted to a mere servant¡¯s role?However, he couldn¡¯t possible correct Huo Shaoheng and tell Gu Nianzhi, ¡± Oh by the way Nianzhi, I¡¯m here to keep an eye on you and stop you from sticking to Mr. Huo.¡±

 Chapter 319 - Your doing

    <h4>Chapter 319: Your doing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Since Yin Shixiong asked, Gu Nianzhi smiled and shrugged, ¡°I¡¯d have to disappoint Big Brother Xiong then; there wouldn¡¯t be anything for you to carry. Some people wouldn¡¯t sell it to me even if I wanted it.¡± She nced at her favorite Hermes gship store and shook her head disappointedly.

    ¡°What do you want to buy?¡± Huo Shaoheng noticed that Gu Nianzhi was still carrying a Chanel paper bag, and none from Hermes. ¡°They don¡¯t have what you want anymore? Should we go to the main store in Europe?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said sarcastically: ¡°They wouldn¡¯t sell it to you even if they have it, even if you were to go to the main store.¡±

    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Yin Shixiong knew that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a petty person. Something must have caused her to behave like this.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded towards the Hermes gship store, and began to exin herself: ¡°There, it was just that I really like the newly released Pearl blue bucket bag. They have onest one in the disy cab, but they said that it was reserved. That¡¯s fine. I asked if I could pre order or be put on the waiting list, and even offered to ce a deposit, and she could inform me when new stocks arrived or something, but she totally ignored me.¡±

    It was really something though, to have such attitude towards their customers.

    Huo Shaoheng understood. He gently massaged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders with one hand, and assured: ¡°Pearl blue bucket bag? Let me take a look.¡±

    He entered the Hermes gship store.

    The eyes of the beautiful saleswoman who didn¡¯t give two hoots about Gu Nianzhi lighted up immediately. She walked to the entrance quickly, and greeted the tall and charismatic man in shades who just entered the store. ¡°Good day, Sir, may I help you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the middle of the store, and looked casually around. He pointed at the Pearl blue bucket bag and asked, ¡°this bag. With this exact color. Any avable stocks?¡±

    ¡°...We do not have ready stocks for that, but we do have...¡± the saleswoman intended to promote some other trinkets from Hermes, like belts, scarves or things like that to gloss him over. Just then, Huo Shaoheng took out a card that was normal looking, and waved it in front of the saleswoman. ¡°Any avable stocks?¡±

    Hermes International Celebrity VIP card!

    This is not any ordinary VIP card... This was issued by the Hermes main store in Europe... There¡¯re less than 100 of these cards internationally...

    She didn¡¯t expect someone from the Huaxia Empire to own one!

    The saleswoman felt blood rushing to her face. Her attitude became extremely full of respect immediately, ¡°Yes, we do have ready stocks. May I know if you¡¯d like to have it please?¡±

    ¡°How many do you have?¡±

    ¡°Er...¡± The saleswoman went to check her stock list quickly, and jogged back to inform Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Including the one in the disy cab, we have 4 of them.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this reserved?¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands in the pockets of his zer, observing the bag with narrowed eyes.

    The design of the bag was clean and simple, with fine craftsmanship. It had intricate details, which was really ssy. It was a new design, unlike the ssic Birkins series bag they were known for, which already had imitations all over the streets.

    ¡°No no, it isn¡¯t reserved,¡± the saleswoman emphasized. ¡°Would you like to have it please?¡±

    ¡°I want all 4 of them,¡± replied Huo Shaoheng casually, ¡°including the one in the disy cab.¡±

    ¡°Ah? All of the same color?¡± the saleswoman wanted to reconfirm.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Huo Shaoheng did not even look at her.

    The saleswoman was defeated. ¡°Please hold on, sir, I will proceed to pack the bags for you.¡± She proceeded to take the bag from the disy, walked to the store at the back, and gave all 4 of the bucket bags a detailed check. After ensuring that there were no defects, she proceeded to pack them into the anti-dust bag before putting them into the Hermes paper bag.

    ¡°May I know how to address you, sir?¡± The sales woman walked out from the store with 4 nicely packed bags, ¡°These are the Pearl blue bucket bags you wanted. There¡¯re 4 of them in total, and it¡¯s all that were released in the country.¡± She continued to persuade Huo Shaoheng, ¡°But why do you want to get 4 identical bags, though? We have the bucket bags in other colors. For example, Coral and Peach; they¡¯re all really pretty colors as well...¡±

    It¡¯d be easier to match bigger bags that are in duller colors, but fordies, small bags look nicer in brighter colors. It¡¯smon knowledge.

    Huo Shaoheng, however, didn¡¯t care about things like that. She handed the card to the saleswoman before saying: ¡°I¡¯ll be putting it on credit.¡±

    The saleswoman¡¯s eyes widened. She was trembling as she took the card from Huo Shaoheng.

    Like she wasn¡¯t already shocked by the international celebrity VIP card; she was about to faint upon hearing that Huo Shaoheng was putting the bill on credit.

    You can never put bills on credit in Hermes. However, there¡¯s an exclusive list of members who are able to do that. There¡¯re less than 10 names on the list, and these people on the list are not named; they are represented by numbers.

    And Huo Shaoheng was number 6 on the list.

    Which means, this man in front of her, wasn¡¯t just rich ¨C He was the cream of the crop; one of the most powerful persons around.

    By now, the managers and store supervisors all assembled in the storefront and greeted Huo Shaoheng respectfully.

    The saleswoman tried to get Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention, but to no avail.

    He took the bill, signed it, and waved to Gu Nianzhi who was standing outside.

    Gu Nianzhi entered the shop happily, her eyes fixed on the 4 bags in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand.

    ¡°For you,¡± Huo Shaoheng handed her the 4 Hermes paper bags, ¡°Got you 4 pearl blue bucket bags. Would that be enough for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Whatever would I need 4 for?

    1 would be enough, wouldn¡¯t it?

    Gu Nianzhi kept quiet. She nced suspiciously at Huo Shaoheng, and took the paper bags.

    The saleswoman immediately recognized Gu Nianzhi as thedy whom she chased away just now. All she wanted to do right then was to make herself disappear. She was so embarrassed.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak further. He took the bags from Gu Nianzhi with one hand, and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in another. Without looking at anyone, he led her out of the shop.

    Sometimes, showing someone how much you despise them by ignoring them with silent treatment, works way stronger than humiliating them with words. Huo Shaoheng did just that.

    The saleswoman swayed a little, and almost copsed onto the ground.

    The managers in the gship store began educating their sales people the moment Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi left. ¡°Remember that card the man had. In the future, report immediately to us if anyonees in with this card. Also, if a customer enquires about a product, make sure to find out who the person is before you decide to ignore them. We¡¯d be doomed if there¡¯s a next time.¡±

    The managers could only hope that the man would let them off this time round. If not, the only thing they could do to express their apologies would be to fire the saleswoman.

    The saleswoman who was all smiles just now, was so devastated at this point of time...

    ...

    Upon exiting the gship store of Hermes, Huo Shaoheng handed all the bags to Yin Shixiong.

    Since Yin Shixiong was nominally there to be their porter, he smiled as he took all the bags. They weren¡¯t heavy anyway. Yin Shixiong used the opportunity to talk to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Nianzhi, so what did you buy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the Chanel paper bag: ¡°This is for Auntie Song, those 2 are mine, from Huo Shao.¡±

    She asked Huo Shaoheng with a smile on her face: ¡°Huo Shao, why did you get 4 identical bags?¡±

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like to have the same bags as others?¡± Huo Shaoheng exined casually, ¡°I have bought all the bucket bags they have in this color. This way, you wouldn¡¯t meet anyone with the same bag as you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°!!!¡±

    Oh, my, god. That. Was. Toooooo. Generous!

    There was only passion left in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. Even though they were out in broad daylight, she really wanted to give Huo Shaoheng a hug and a kiss.

    The only thing was, Yin Shixiong was ring covetously at them. Even if she were to be bold, she wouldn¡¯t dare to show public disy of affection in front of people she knew.

    Huo Shaoheng checked the time, ¡°Where else do we need to go?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯re still gifts we haven¡¯t bought,¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly replied. ¡°Brother Xiong, where will you be spending your new year? I want to get Brother Xiong, Brother Ze, 3 of my University roommates, and Senior Huang from the Law faculty presents as well.¡±

    Actually, she also intended to get gifts for Huo shaoheng¡¯s family and rtives. She just kept mum about it.

    Yin Shixiong quickly replied: ¡°I will not be going home this year. I will spend my new year with you guys.¡± He pondered for a while and continued: ¡°Little Ze will not be going home as well; it will be so much fun this year!¡±

    Yin Shixiong walked on the other side of Gu Nianzhi; Gu Nianzhi walked in the middle, holding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand.

    She already nned what to get for everyone a long time ago, so she quickly went to the shops and grabbed the things she wanted to buy: neckties, belts, woolen scarves, gloves, and the newly released iPad-mini and iPad-air.

    Eventually, the amount of bags was too much, even Huo Shaoheng had his hands full.

    Huo Shaoheng checked the time again: ¡°Do you want lunch?¡±

    It was actually already 3 in the afternoon; they could have reunion dinner immediately after getting home.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head: ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± She asked the guys: ¡°Are you guys hungry?¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head as well, ¡°I already had a pizza when you guys were shopping just now.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied tly.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back; let¡¯s go back for our sumptuous dinner,¡± Gu Nianzhi remembered the lotus root she bought: ¡°I want to have braised lotus root with ribs!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back then.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked towards the lift.

    Yin Shixiong looked at the things he was carrying and snorted: ¡°Nianzhi, you really know how to spend money huh, all these cost the initial downpayment of a 2 room apartment in Si Huan district.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got embarrassed upon hearing that. ¡°Huo Shao, let¡¯s take it as a loan? I¡¯ll return the money to you once I take on part time jobs when I return to school,¡± she grumbled.

    Huo Shaoheng red at Yin Shixiong. Holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, he told her gently: ¡°These are your sry. There¡¯s no need to return them to me.¡±

    ¡°I earned them?¡± Gu Nianzhi was ted, ¡°all I did was to win awsuit, winning awsuit earns this much? Then wouldn¡¯t I be able to afford a house really soon?¡±

    ¡°Why on earth would you need a house for?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked coldly.

    The lift doors opened. The three of them entered the lift, and went down to the basement immediately.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng yfully while Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t paying attention, ¡°Get a house to marry a handsome guy, of course... Handsome, would you go home with me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stifled augh, and pulled on her ears lightly. ¡°How dare you tease me? You¡¯ve grown up and be bold, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all your doing! I like it.¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged his arm and swayed left and right. Yin Shixiong saw what was going on, and felt his eyelids twitching. Coughing, he told Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Nianzhi, we¡¯re outside now. Image.¡±

    ¡°What image?¡± Gu Nianzhi was slightly annoyed, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong or shameful, did I? Right, Huo Shao?¡±

    Even though Huo Shaoheng agreed with Gu Nianzhi, he still removed his arm from her embrace and stood at attention, never entertaining her again.

    Yin Shixiong sighed. He stood in between Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi on purpose to separate them, and tried to strike a conversation with Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Nianzhi wants to get a house? Most likely you¡¯ll be getting it in Di Capital, wouldn¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t Mr. Huo give you a house in C City?¡±

    Yin Shixiong reminded Gu Nianzhi of that penthouse. All the memories when Huo Shaoheng lived with her. Even though it wasn¡¯t for long, but the memories were enough tost her for a long time. She nodded: ¡°Yes he gave it to me, but since you guys will be staying in Di Capital permanently, how can I stay at C City alone? Right, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt that those were merely rubbish, so he did not even respond to them. Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong were both chatterboxes; others wouldn¡¯t have a chance to speak the moment the two of them meet. Huo Shaoheng had since been used to it.

    However, when Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply, Yin Shixiong remembered Zhao Liangze¡¯s analysis: it was a one sided love on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side...

    For someone like Huo Shaoheng, judging by his age and social status, how could he have fallen for someone as young as Gu Nianzhi?

    Yin Shixiong felt that he had been right about his boss; his mood immediately became much better.

    However, Gu Nianzhi felt even happier as she knew that Huo Shaoheng was merely being quiet out of habit. He would have protested if he didn¡¯t agree with anything.

    Now Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi were in even higher spirits than before; they continued chatting non stop...

    But due to the fact that they had conflicting perspectives, their conversations usually ended with one party frowning. This time, Gu Nianzhi had already frown a good number of times.

    What was wrong with Brother Xiong today? He kept attacking her...

    Huo Shaoheng just listened on quietly, not taking anything seriously.

    He was thinking about the work that had to be kickstarted after the New Year. One of which will be the investigation for the research in the army. Even though he was one of the in-charge of the investigation team, he couldn¡¯t make decisions on his own. Another thing would be to look for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts...

    From time to time, he couldn¡¯t help but to let his gaze fall on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s radiant face, with a smile creeping onto his lips.

    The lift reached the basement really soon. ¡°Ding!¡±

    The three exited the lift and found Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car. Yin Shixiong ced the paper bags into the boot of the car, and asked, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to take Brother Xiong¡¯s car?¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ll take Huo Shao¡¯s.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced sideways at Yin Shixiong, ¡°Just go get your car, stop being so wishy washy.¡±

    Yin Shixiong almost wanted to cry heroic tears.

    Now who was the one who was offended huh?

    Wishy washy?!

    Gu Nianzhi boarded Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car smilingly. She was silent, as she felt shy initially.

    Huo Shaoheng did not have the habit to initiate conversations. Thus, it was just silence in the car. Gu Nianzhi only began to grumble when they hit the expressway: ¡°Huo Shao, don¡¯t you think Brother Xiong was weird today?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued driving, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s his ¡®time of the month¡¯, and thus is throwing a tantrum.¡±

    Wha¨C!

    Gu Nianzhi almost choked on her ownughter; her mood lifted a lot aspared to just now. Turning to look at the perfect side profile of Huo Shaoheng, shemented: ¡°Didn¡¯t expect Huo Shao to have such a great sense of humor!¡±

    ¡°How great?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her with smiling eyes. Even though it wasn¡¯t like the flirty eyes He Zhichu has, they were clear and deep. They could totally mesmerize anyone if he wanted.

    ¡°I almost diedughing!¡± Gu Nianzhi continuedughing, using her hands to cover her mouth. ¡°How isn¡¯t that great?¡±

    A slight smile crept up the corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. He changednes expertly on the expressway while changing the topic: ¡°We will most likely be having our reunion dinner once we get back. You go have a shower first; I got to go to the office block for a bit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed, and returned to her cheerful self in no time. She continued bbering in the car on the way home.

    All Huo Shaoheng did was to have little responses, like ¡°Mm; Yes; Oh¡±, and Gu Nianzhi would be contented.

    Even though she loves being stuck together with Huo Shaoheng, she really didn¡¯t need him to take care of her. All she wanted was to remain by his side; that¡¯d be more than enough for her.

    She doesn¡¯t need him to pacify her; she¡¯s able to do that on her own.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help himself but to caress her hair, ¡°Not tired yet?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Gu Nianzhi flexed her ¡®muscles¡¯. Huo Shaoheng remained silent, and tightened his arms. His muscles showed beautifully and almost destroyed his leather jacket. They were so firm and big!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at his muscles, and back to hers. Keeping her arms to herself abruptly, she sat up, straighter than before, pushing her chest out.

    Are weparing sizes now?

    Fine!

    Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi pushing her chest out with the corner of his eyes. This time round, he smiled. It was a sincere smile.

    That smile spread across his face, looking like the beautiful spring, which took over a horrible winter.

    Gu Nianzhi was transfixed. Thinking secretly, if not for the fact that they were in the car now, she really wouldn¡¯t be able to control herself. She¡¯d definitely ¡®eat¡¯ Huo Shao up.

    With such a perfect man in front of her, it was already a feat to not take advantage of him physically. It¡¯s okay to have feelings for him though, so let¡¯s just let it be...

    Gu Nianzhi continued to ogle at Huo Shaoheng all the way, feeling happier each time Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her.

    ...

    The two cars arrived together at the Special Operations Forces Headquarters together. It was already 5 in the evening.

    In Di Capital, it would be all dark by 5pm during the first lunar month.

    It was really cold, but looking at the clear skies, snow was unlikely.

    All the dried leaves were swept off the streets by the continual gusts of cold and dry wind, but the wind felt somewhat cosy.

    Most probably it was due to the fact that billions of people felt happy about spending the New Year with their loved ones; their happiness already spread across everywhere.

    The brightly lit mansion slowly appeared in front of Gu Nianzhi. She breathed out a small sigh, feeling like she had been staying here her entire life, when she had only been here for a couple of days.

    Clenching her fists, she decided that she had to strive to work harder, so that she could be the one staying here with Huo Shaoheng forever...

 Chapter 320 - Spoiled Rotten

    <h4>Chapter 320: Spoiled Rotten</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng parked in front of the iron gates of the official residence and the sentinels at the door gave their salutes. Gu Nianzhi got out of the car but immediately shrunk back from the icy wind. It was far too cold, whereas the car had been toasty like the warm March weather tended to be. Outside, however, it felt like the middle of winter. Huo Shaoheng came out from the other side of the car carrying his cashmere scarf. Walking up to Gu Nianzhi, he tied it around her neck. She had only worn a Herm¨¨s silk scarf to match her outfit, but it did nothing to keep her warm. The cashmere scarf carried Huo Shaoheng¡¯s warmth and, she fancied, his embrace. Gu Nianzhi caressed the scarf, then looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold, Huo Shao? Let¡¯s go inside now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head.¡±You think this is cold? I¡¯d be ok even just in a shirt,¡± he retorted, half-joking. Although, when he had been sent on a mission years ago, he had remained hidden in the roof of a church in Moscow for an entire night, with only a leather jacket to keep him warm.

    Yin Shixiong parked behind Huo Shaoheng. He jumped out of the car saying loudly, ¡°I finally caught up to you guys! Hey, why aren¡¯t you going inside?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng unlocked the trunk and nced at Yin Shixiong. ¡°You take care of this.¡± He then nodded to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Go inside first, I have to handle something at the office.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved at him. ¡°Come home soon!¡±

    Yin Shixiong red at Gu Nianzhi as soon as Huo Shaoheng left, disapproval apparent in his eyes. ¡°Nianzhi,e over here. Help me carry a few bags.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s previous joy was entirely wiped out by Yin Shixiong¡¯s frosty look. She pursed her lips as she went over to help carry the Chanel bags. ¡°Brother Xiong, I heard you¡¯re on your period? Is that why you¡¯re making such moody faces at me?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Yin Shixiong was so upset that he rolled up his sleeves, fully prepared to hash it out with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Who did you hear that from? Have theme fight me!¡± What the h*ll! Who has dared to insult me? I¡¯m going to teach them a lesson, Yin Shixiong plotted.

    Gu Nianzhi turned away to hide her smile and made a gesture in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. ¡°Well, I heard it from him.¡±

    ¡°Who is ¡°he¡±?! He¡ª¡± Yin Shixiong looked at where Gu Nianzhi pointed and was ready tounch himself, but deted as soon as he saw that she had meant Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi got the upper hand and made a cheeky face at him before walking through the iron gates with the bags in tow. She hummed an unknown melody.

    Yin Shixiong watched her bounce around cutely and couldn¡¯t help breaking into a smile. He quickly realized that this wasn¡¯t right, he couldn¡¯t spoil her like this. There were certain things that had to be said and taught. Although he doted on her, it still had to be within reason. He couldn¡¯t spoil her into bing a reckless and stupid child. Mr. Huo as well, doted on her too much: he gave her whatever she wanted and now couldn¡¯t even bear to reject her when she asked for him as a man. Yin Shixiong sensed that Mr. Huo¡¯s unconditional amodation of Gu Nianzhi was unlike his character. However, he didn¡¯t think too deeply about why that was, or perhaps he didn¡¯t dare to.

    From the way he and his team members saw it, Mr. Huo must always be right. If something went wrong, then someone else must take the me¡ªeven if that person had to be Gu Nianzhi. Yin Shixiong sighed again. Why couldn¡¯t this silly child like someone else? Yin Shixiong was young and dashing, while Little Ze was handsome and cool. There were many women interested in them. How could she treat them like family, but have stray thoughts about Mr. Huo? Jeez, what an ungrateful child, she has poor taste!

    Yin Shixiong knew that even though Gu Nianzhi had an unknown background, they would never object if she liked someone and would even help her win his heart. Anyone except Huo Shaoheng that is. He was their hope and glory¡ªthey couldn¡¯t allow their idol to be tarnished in any way. Even if the personnel at the Special Ops approved of Nianzhi because they had watched her grow up and were fond of her, the military would never ept this rtionship. Huo Shaoheng carried the hopes of all the old leaders of the Supreme Military Council, and Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze knew this better than anyone else. If the leaders somehow learned of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s silly thoughts...Yin Shixiong gave an involuntary shudder. Earlier he had been feeling so hot that he had been getting grumpy, but this full body chill was as though he had fallen into an ice cave. The bitter winds of mid-winter in the Imperial Capital was truly worthy of its name.

    ...

    Huo Shaohang arrived at his office building. It was New Year¡¯s Eve and the only people in the building were the soldiers on duty. Most of the soldiers on the base went home for Lunar New Year. The sound of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s leather boots echoing in the empty hallway sounded especially loud. Exiting the elevator, he went to his office and saw Zhao Liangze guarding therge space alone. He saluted him solemnly.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to him. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for New Year¡¯s dinner, so you can go first.¡± He opened the door to go in. Just as he was about to close the door, Zhao Liangze stuck a foot to block it. ¡°Mr. Huo, there¡¯s something I want to say.¡±

    ¡°Thene in.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at him and let go of the door, then went to sit down at his desk.

    Zhao Liangze reached out to the wall by the door to turn on the lights. He left the main lights off and only turned on the floormp behind Huo Shaoheng. It emitted a warm yellow glow, much like the color of the nightlight in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. Zhao Liangze walked up to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk and his mind whirred as he considered how to put it all into words.

    Huo Shaoheng watched him calmly. He stretched his long legs out and rested his arms on the armrests as he waited for Zhao Liangze to speak.

    Silence exerted unparalleled pressurepared to any other stress, because a person¡¯s thoughts and senses amplified infinitely when they couldn¡¯t hear anything¡ªwhether it be joy or fear. The most powerful way to extort a confession was not physical torture, but to lock the suspect up in a silent dark room. The suspect would be driven crazy. At the moment, Zhao Liangze felt like he was in such a silent dark room. Taking a deep breath, he was heavy with guilt towards Gu Nianzhi as he blurted, ¡°Mr. Huo, I have deleted from the Central Control all the footage of...you and Nianzhi today. It¡¯spletely gone and no one else will ever see it.¡±

    This again. Huo Shaoheng looked up at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Why did you delete it? You better give me a good reason.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, Nianzhi is young and not sensible. You have to worry about her.¡± Zhao Liangze grit his teeth, his knees were unsteady from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fearsome gaze. Zhao Liangze was even timider that Yin Shixiong, and couldn¡¯t take a verbal beating as well either: Huo Shaoheng looked like he wanted to tear into him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been amodating.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was still very calm, ¡°So, what is it that you are trying to say?¡±

    ¡± Don¡¯t be so amodating!¡± Zhao Liangze mustered his courage and closed his eyes as he shouted, ¡°You¡¯re so kind to Nianzhi, so how can the poor girl not fall for you? It¡¯s only natural that she likes you. But, you don¡¯t like her and also can¡¯t be with her, so stop giving her hope!¡± The greatest pain in the world was not failing to obtain what is desired, but to obtain it only to lose it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face hardened, but his posture remained unchanged. He moved his hands away from Zhao Liangze¡¯s line of sight and curled them into fists. Zhao Liangze actually had the same thought as Yin Shixiong¡ªthey both believe that I don¡¯t have a future with Nianzhi? Huo Shaoheng was not ustomed to exining personal things and had only ever asked that his actions and words be trusted and epted. It was quite alright if it wasn¡¯t understood, as long as his orders were executed to his will. He was a Major General, amander¡ªnot a kindergarten teacher. He had no duty of preaching or exining to his subordinates. Perhaps he had spent all his patience on Gu Nianzhi. He looked down and replied dryly, ¡°I understand, leave now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze almost fell over when he heard this answer. His knees shook and almost copsed into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk, ¡°Mr. Huo... do you really understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer and opened a program. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to leave yet, then go help me look for someone using the Household Registration and Identification System on the National Intr.¡±

    ¡°No problem! Who are you looking for?¡± Zhao Liangze noticed that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t seem angry. He was finally able to rx his breathing and tried his best to express his loyalty.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone named Gu Xiangwen.¡± Huo Shaoheng wrote the name on a piece of paper¡ªhis handwriting was neat and bold, printed clearly. He was truly a reliable man that could take good care of a spouse. Zhao Liangze had felt bad for Gu Nianzhi for a long time. Huo Shaoheng was a great person but unfortunately could never be with Nianzhi.

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen?¡± Zhao Liangze nced at the note and asked as he headed out, ¡°No problem, but who¡¯s looking for him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at him. ¡°He¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s father.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s fa¡ª what?! Nianzhi¡¯s father?! Mr. Huo, you found out about Nianzhi¡¯s background?!¡± Zhao Liangze instantly turned back and bolted to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk. ¡°Is this true?!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll know if it¡¯s true once we find this person and do a DNA test,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly. ¡°Hurry up, we have New Year¡¯s dinner tonight.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± After a day of brooding, Zhao Liangze was finally able to let go of his stress. He strode out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office and closed the door for him. Humming a tune, he went to hisputer to look up the person.

    Once Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door closed, he finally looked up from hisputer and nced at the door as he picked up his phone to call the kitchen in the official residence. ¡°Yes, Nianzhi wants to eat stewed ribs and lotus root, so please remember to make it for her.¡±

    ...

    Inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, Gu Nianzhi brought all her purchases for the day back to her room and wrapped them carefully. She wrote greeting cards to tuck inside the gifts before sending them out.

    Downstairs in the kitchen, several chefs busied themselves with preparing for the New Year¡¯s dinner. It was important that they did a good job since this was their Chief¡¯s first New Year¡¯s dinner at his new and official residence. The Chief had specially called to ask them to make stewed ribs and lotus root, so preparations had begun immediately. Stewed ribs and lotus root was not a difficult dish to make, but they did require the best ingredients. Only the freshest lotus root and most tender ribs could give the authentic taste. The chefs had ess to the best specially supplied pork ribs in the refrigeration room, but had no fresh lotus root. Frozen lotus root bes dry when it thaws and wasn¡¯t very good. The Chief had bought some fresh lotus root that day, but it wasn¡¯t specially supplied so it couldn¡¯t be served to him. After some discussion, they made an urgent call to the special supply military base and requested them to send fresh lotus root over. The base had a pond where lotus root was grown, so of course, they had it avable. The personnel immediately dug up fresh lotus root from the pond and expedited it by car. Half an hourter, it was delivered to the Special Operations headquarters. If it had been farther away, they would have delivered by helicopter.

    Meanwhile, Gu Nianzhi had no idea about all the work that went in to fulfill her casual request of stewed ribs and lotus root, but Yin Shixiong was fully aware. Arms crossed, he arrived at the kitchen of the official residence and watched the fresh and tender lotus root get cut up in chunks, nched in broth, and stewed together with the fragrant rib soup. Before making the phone call, the orderly chefs had already cleaned the ribs, nched and rinsed them, and then stewed them at a low heat. By the time the fresh lotus root arrived half an hourter, the ribs were almost done. Fresh lotus root cooked quickly and the base had the top quality kind which was soft and tender, so the dish was ready in no time. As soon as the y pot was opened, the aroma instantly permeated the air and everyone in the kitchen smiled. Yin Shixiong chuckled: if Mr. Huo kept spoiling Nianzhi like this, how would she ever stand to be with someone else after she broke up with Huo Shaoheng? It was difficult to go from luxury to frugality. He got out of the kitchen and looked at the two sets of staircases on either side of the living room. After some consideration, he finally decided to go up. ¡°Nianzhi?¡± Yin Shixiong knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door, and said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Brother Xiong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished showering. She opened the door wearing a pink fluffy robe.

    Yin Shixiong balked at her appearance, ¡°You¡¯re showering? Hurry up and get changed! How can you answer the door like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at her modest bathrobe and giggled. ¡°Brother Xiong is not an outsider. Please sit. I¡¯ll go change.¡±

    Yin Shixiong went to sit down in her living room and looked around. This was his first time in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite. The first thing he saw was therge living room with an exquisite set of couches ced in the middle. They were very wide and two people could sleep on it side by side withfort. The cushions were very firm and didn¡¯t copse like most soft couches. It was obviously very high quality and expensive¡ªthere wasn¡¯t even a logo, so must be custom made. Facing the south wall was a small cherrywood table with a pot of bluegrass. On the east wall were rows of bookcases arranged in a traditional shelf of many treasures style. In addition to various sizes of books, there were also other ornaments. The majority were shiny porcin pieces in fresh colors like coral, aqua, sapphire, and created in simple, elegant shapes. The various tableware in pastel colors entuated every corner of the bookcase and was of unknown antiquity. Although Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t familiar with these things, he knew Huo Shaoheng would have never put fake items in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he began to feel uneasy.

    Gu Nianzhi changed her clothes. Because it was Lunar New Year, she chose a bright red off the shoulder cashmere sweater in a checkered print. It had mid sleeves and slightly exposed her corbone. Her slim wrists were pretty, but she wore no jewelry. She paired the top with ck ankle length pants in a cashmere and wool blend, which showed off her delicate ankles. Wearing fluffy white slippers, she sat across from Yin Shixiong. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair was still slightly damp but she didn¡¯t use a dryer since Yin Shixiong was waiting for her. Instead, she used a towel to dry it.

    Yin Shixiong walked behind the couch when he saw this and said to her, ¡°Let me dry it for you.¡± He had dried Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair more than once when he had apanied her in the United States, so he was very skillful.

    Gu Nianzhi took a longan from the coffee table, peeling it and offering to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong, do you want to have one?¡±

    Yin Shixiong took it with his mouth deftly and didn¡¯t even touch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger. He mumbled, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Brother Xiong doesn¡¯t need to be polite with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi beamed, her mood was better than ever. ¡°I didn¡¯t even take the weird things you said to me at Scion za today to heart.¡±

    Yin Shixiong grimaced. ¡°Nianzhi, I wouldn¡¯t me you if you got upset.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Brother Xiong. Who are we to each other anyway? We fight because we¡¯re close, right? Politeness is just a nice way of saying how distant people really are.¡± Gu Nianzhi peeled another longan and put it in her mouth, she nearly mewled in pleasure when she tasted the vor of the sweet fruit on her tongue.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know it,¡± Yin Shixiong sighed as he continued to dry Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. He had no idea where to begin with his troubled thoughts. The room grew quiet and Gu Nianzhi knew something was amiss. It was never silent when she was around Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°I wonder what kind of delicious food will be served for New Year¡¯s dinner tonight.¡± Gu Nianzhi forced herself to break the ice, ¡°Also, shouldn¡¯t Brother Ze be going home this year? Why isn¡¯t he leaving? I remembered that Brother Xiong went homest year and Brother Ze stayed back.¡±

    Speaking of Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong could finally delve into the topic. He didn¡¯t hesitate to betray Zhao Liangze¡¯s little secret. ¡°Little Ze? He didn¡¯t want to go home because his family is pressuring him to get married and forcing him to go matchmaking. He¡¯s miserable and so purposely stayed back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°Oh? Why would Brother Ze need matchmaking? All the girls wouldunch themselves at a great catch like him!¡±

 Chapter 321 - Couple Wear

    <h4>Chapter 321: Couple Wear</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Seeing the amount of confidence Gu Nianzhi had in Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong stifled hisughter.

    ¡°Really? Then why I don¡¯t see you kissing your brother Ze? You¡¯re not a girl?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at herself, ¡°How can I kiss Brother Ze? He¡¯s my blood brother! How can I ever do that?¡±

    ¡°Blood my ass!¡± Yin Shixiong could not contain himself anymore. ¡°Since when was he your blood brother?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you getting jealous now, Brother Xiong?¡± Gu Nianzhi askedically. ¡°I treat you as my blood brother as well, you know. Pot calling the kettle ck; both of you are as important to me!¡±

    ¡°Like real! This little girl is getting more and more insatiable huh!¡± Yin Shixiong tightened his grip on his towel. This led Gu Nianzhi to put both her hands on her head in order to protect herself. ¡°Brother Xiong! Just let me know if you¡¯re not going to help me towel my hair; I can do it myself you know... Trying to attack people behind their back is so scheming and sly!¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, just teasing you. Your hair is almost dry now, just blow dry it a little and it¡¯ll be good.¡± Yin Shixiong stopped upon seeing her almost losing her cool. He toweled her long hair gently, while asking: ¡°Nianzhi, Mr. Huo, Little Ze and I watched you grow up. Little Ze and I treat you like our very own little sister. Mr. Huo even looks upon you as his niece. He had always asked you to call him Uncle, hadn¡¯t he? I noticed you stopped doing that recently... Any reasons?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know how to reply Yin Shixiong.

    The rtionship between Huo Shaoheng and herself wasn¡¯t at a stage where it could go public yet. Even if they were to go public, Gu Nianzhi would leave the decision to him. He had an exceptional status, so Gu Nianzhi did not want to be a burden to him. Anyway, she trusts himpletely.

    That was the reason she could not give Yin Shixiong an answer. She just nodded, ¡°Yes I know, all of you want the best for me, especially Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s better,¡± Yin Shixiong pped his thighs, ¡°Mr. Huo dotes on you as an elder. When you have a boyfriend in the future and gets married, he will definitely give you a huge red packet!¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. She was unhappy at this remark, but couldn¡¯t show it. So she turned around and smiled at Yin Shixiong, asking: ¡°Why are you so concerned about my marriage all of a sudden, Brother Xiong? I¡¯m only 18, and you want me married off already? Even though the legal age to get married is 18, you want me married off so soon, Brother Xiong?¡±

    How can you even find an 18 year old getting married in the current society?

    Yin Shixiong knew he was outtalked by Gu Nianzhi, and immediately tried to salvage the situation: ¡°Did I say that you¡¯d get married now? You need to get yourself a boyfriend first, of course! Then you guys would have to spend some time together in a rtionship, and get married in 2 years¡¯ time. Doesn¡¯t that sound good?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d only be 20 in 2 years! Who says I want to get married at such a young age?¡± Rolling her eyes at Yin Shixiong, Gu Nianzhi thought: Unless I¡¯m marrying Huo Shaoheng...

    To be honest, Huo Shaoheng still did not admit that she was his girlfriend. So it¡¯s still too early to talk about marriage.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to talk about this anymore, so she turned the odds to Yin Shixiong: ¡°I¡¯m still really young, so I¡¯m in no rush at all. But you! Brother Xiong, aren¡¯t you turning 27 after the New Year? You don¡¯t even have a girlfriend. You¡¯re not even worried, so why worry about an 18 year old, hmm?¡±

    No wonder she was awyer. She really knew how to talk.

    Yin Shixiong felt like a knife just stabbed him. Jumping from the ground he was sitting on, he sat on the sofa and crossed his arms. Rolling his eyes, he snapped: ¡°Look what you¡¯re talking about. Why would you care if I have a girlfriend? Why would you care if I¡¯m getting married? What has it got to do with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stifled augh, ¡°Aww, why are you getting so defensive, then?¡± Taking the towel, Gu Nianzhi walked to the bedroom. ¡°Then don¡¯t bother about me as well! If not, you can¡¯t me me for reminding you on your state too.¡±

    Yin Shixiong admitted defeat. He couldn¡¯t figure how to outtalk Gu Nianzhi no matter how he tried, so he decided to head downstairs. ¡°I¡¯ll be going down, youe down for dinner when you¡¯re done.¡±

    All Gu Nianzhi could hear at that point of time, was the sound of her hairdryer.

    Her rtionship with Yin Shixiong needn¡¯t be so formal anyway; he coulde and leave as he wanted, he didn¡¯t have to greet her.

    She came out of the bathroom when she was done drying her hair. Noticing that he had left the room, she returned and put on a facial mask. It didn¡¯t bother her that he wasn¡¯t in the room anymore, as she knew that he must have gone out. Logging into her ount on herptop, she saw that a couple of her roommates were online. They began a happy session of videoconference.

    ...

    The reunion dinner was almost ready at about 7 in the evening.

    The chef called Huo Shaoheng and informed him that dinner would be ready in 30 minutes.

    Huo Shaoheng hung up, rubbed his eyes, looked through the mission projection and manpower of the year once more, and called Zhao Liangze using thendline: ¡°How¡¯s the investigation going on your end?¡±

    Zhao Liangze spent over an hour in the nation¡¯s household register and identification system beforepleting his search.

    The list of names in front of him made him scared.

    He was doing some advanced search when Huo Shaoheng called.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯vepleted the initial search. There¡¯re a total of 1823 Gu Xiangwen¡¯s who are alive in the country now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    That¡¯s a lot.

    ¡°...Then what about the name list of those who passed away within this decade? Did you check up on that too?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked again. Only by doing so would they not leave any details out.

    Zhao Liangze shook his head, ¡°Haven¡¯t done the list on those who passed away, does Mr. Huo want to begin the search on that first?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s check it out.¡± He leaned against his seat, ¡°We will check those over the age of 35. Those under that age seemed too young.¡±

    ¡°Yes, official.¡± Zhao Liangze epted the suggestion and logged in to another database.

    ¡°Doubt we¡¯ll be able to get much since the number of people is so great. Let¡¯s just go back for dinner first, then.¡±

    That¡¯s true, Zhao Liangze thought. Putting hisputer on auto search, he left the office block with Huo Shaoheng.

    Even though Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong have their own houses within thepound of the Special Forces Headquarters, they each have their own ce in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion as well, so they¡¯d stay in their own ces when they need to work overtime together.

    They stay with Huo Shaoheng in his mansion most of the time, though.

    They had to stay up the entire night to Shousui (a Chinese custom whereby the younger generations stay up the entire night so that their elders will live another year longer) after the dinner, so he definitely wouldn¡¯t be going back. So he just went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion with him.

    It was already dark when they came out from the office block. The lights from the mansion looked even brighter in the clear, dark sky.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, looks like Yin Shixiong really did his best for this housewarming...

    ...

    ¡°Sir!¡± Standing at attention, the soldier guarding the entrance greeted Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly in acknowledgement, ¡°Happy new year, had your dinner?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± the soldier sounded full of vigor. ¡°We will be having supper after we change shiftter on!¡±

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t control himself. Laughing out loud at the soldier, he patted him on the shoulders and entered the living room with Huo Shaoheng.

    Yin Shixiong was cleaning his gun with a long terry cloth in the living room, alone.

    He kept his gun upon seeing them, smiled and stood up: ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re all done?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the surroundings: ¡°The reunion dinner is done?¡±

    ¡°Almost.¡± Yin Shixiong walked over, pointing at the dining hall: ¡°Dinner will be served in 30 minutes.¡±

    ¡°Have you informed them?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked upstairs.

    Yin Shixiong knew that Huo Shaoheng was referring to Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi, and replied: ¡°Yes I¡¯ve dialed theirndlines. Mdm Song said that she would be down soon. Nianzhi... I couldn¡¯t get through.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, as he proceeded upstairs. ¡°I¡¯ll go change.¡±

    His room was directly opposite Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    He knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door. No one answered. He took the keys to her room and opened the door.

    Gu Nianzhi was chatting with her roommates on a headphone. That was why she couldn¡¯t hear thendline ringing.

    She just finished chatting when Huo Shaoheng entered the room.

    ¡°Why are you here, Huo Shao?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, removing her headphones. ¡°Is dinner ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her, stopping to look at her wrist. ¡°Big Xiong said he tried calling you on thendline but you didn¡¯t pick up.¡±

    ¡°I was conferencing with my roommates just now. It¡¯s the New Year and we were wishing each other,¡± Gu Nianzhi exined.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t seem to mind. He continued, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go have a shower and a change of clothes.¡±

    The moment she heard that Huo Shaoheng was going for a shower, Gu Nianzhi had to try really hard not to follow him into the bathroom.

    She stood closer to Huo Shaoheng, and asked smilingly: ¡°Huo Shao, which of your clothes will you be wearing today?¡±

    ¡°Any one would do; there¡¯re so many anyway.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her before walking away.

    ¡°How can you do that? Let me help you select?¡± Gu Nianzhi held on to his arm, and asked with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Come if you want.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not reject her. He allowed her to hold on to his arm, and entered his room.

    He went for his shower immediately. He couldn¡¯t spend too long in the shower as they were about to have dinner.

    He washed his hair quickly, gave his body a rinse, and was done within 20 minutes.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room after selecting his outfit.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the outfit that Gu Nianzhi had selected. It wasn¡¯t an army uniform, but a set of civilian clothing instead.

    She selected a thin maroon woolen turtleneck and a ck woolen pair of trousers for him. It totally matched with her ? sleeved checkered woolen top and ck pants. What she wanted to portray was obvious.

    He contemted if he should wear what she selected, but wore it anyway. After that, he took a tiny box from his wardrobe, walked to themon area and tapped on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng wore the clothes she selected, she smiled widely. They totally matched like a couple! ¡°Eh? Where did this handsomee from? Did you go to the wrong ce?¡± she asked happily.

    Huo Shaoheng felt extremely awkward upon hearing that, and told Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Call me that again and I shall not give you your present.¡±

    ¡°I have a present?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Let me see it; let me see it please?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, letting her beg and whine. After a while, he took the box out: ¡°... Let me put it on for you.¡±

    It was a watch ¨C Ady¡¯s watch from Bvlgari. It had a clean and elegant analog watch face and a rose gold strap. Most importantly, it was a matching pair of watch with the one he was wearing!

    Gu Nianzhi was in shock. She watched Huo Shaoheng as he put it on for her. Her smooth, creamy skin was in stark contrast with the hard watch face, exuding an unexinable seductive beauty.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the watch over and over again, and observed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, and decided she couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity anymore: ¡°Huo Shao, where did you get this from? I don¡¯t remember seeing this model before...¡±

    She blushed furiously when she said that.

    That was because she revealed what she really wanted to portray all along.

    A year ago, Gu Nianzhi wanted to get a watch which was a match with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. However, she couldn¡¯t find it no matter how hard she tried. She even called Bvlgari¡¯s customer service, only to find out that not all of their watches are made in pairs, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s watch happened to not have a matchingdy¡¯s version.

    Then how did he get it?

    ¡°Yeah, there isn¡¯t.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied nonchntly.

    ¡°Then where did you get it?¡± Gu Nianzhi pestered on, while caressing her watch lovingly.

    ¡°... I got them to customize it for me.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up like nothing just happened. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner.¡±

 Chapter 322 - Glad You Like It

    <h4>Chapter 322: d You Like It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Custom made! Gu Nianzhi was giddy. Looking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure, she felt even more touched and quickly walked over to hug his back. She circled her arms around his waist and leaned her face against his broad back to close her eyes and take a deep breath. All she could smell was his scent and it was intoxicating. ¡°Huo Shao, how did you know...?¡± How had he known that she wanted a watch that matched with his?

    Huo Shaoheng stopped and took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands from around his waist. He stroked the watch on her wrist gently and said, ¡°You called Bvlgari¡¯s customer service.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt even more embarrassed, but luckily she was behind Huo Shaoheng and didn¡¯t have to face the dark eyes that seemed to be able to read into her mind. She stuttered and made things worse, ¡°I-I-I actually really liked your watch, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her hand and interrupted her flimsy exnation. ¡°You like this watch?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I like it a lot!¡± Taking her arms back, Gu Nianzhi surveyed the watch on her wrist¡ªit was the style of her dreams, and even the details on the strap were exactly what she had wanted!

    ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around to look at her. ¡°Just tell me what you want; you don¡¯t need to exin anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if something had struck her heart, but it wasn¡¯t painful at all. She was so excited that she felt she could run around in circles, that¡¯s how much the happiness overflowed inside her. However, she couldn¡¯t find a way to express it with words. She looked away from him awkwardly.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time for New Year¡¯s dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded eagerly and followed him downstairs. As soon as they left the bedroom, Huo Shaoheng distanced himself from her and walked at a leisurely ced in front of her. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind and kept ncing at her watch as they walked. Although she tried to hide her smile, the happiness in her eyes revealed her actual mood. The pair arrived at the dining room, Gu Nianzhi happily following after him.

    As soon as they came in, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze in the dining room froze. Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were actually wearing matching outfits! Huo Shaoheng was in a dark red cashmere sweater with ck slim fit pants, while Gu Nianzhi wore a bright red checkered boat-neck cashmere sweater and ck ankle-length pants. Her pale wrist was adorned with a rose gold watch, and that was the one essory she had on.

    Yin Shixiong looked at Huo Shaoheng, then Gu Nianzhi. He forcibly swallowed the words, ¡°couple¡¯s outfit¡± down his throat and wished to be blind as he hastily pulled out the chairs for them. ¡°We got here a little early, soe sit down.¡±

    The dining table was rectangr and Huo Shaoheng normally sat at the head, but tonight he chose to sit at the first seat, left of the head of the table. Gu Nianzhi sat besides him at the second seat left of the head of the table. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze happened to be on the right side of the head of the table, which was right across from Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Hey, where will Mrs. Song be sitting?¡± Yin Shixiong grumbled. He had thought Huo Shaoheng would sit at the head.

    ¡°Auntie Song will sit at the head of the table of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. She was very happy with the night¡¯s arrangements.

    Yin Shixiong wanted to chime in again, but Zhao Liangze kicked him from under the table. The orderlies began serving the appetizers, starting with potatoes baked with cheese, vegetable and tofu wraps, cmari, beef with broli, pork elbow slices, golden fried rice cakes, chopped cucumber sd, and two bowls of purple yam and snow fungus stew. Thest two bowls were for Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning. However, Song Jinning had not yet arrived.

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and got up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± With Huo Shaoheng going to check on Song Jinning, the three people left in the dining room began to chat and enjoy the appetizers. The official residence had zoned air conditioning, so all the bedrooms were set to be warmer and the living rooms outside were cooler because they were typically empty. This was to save energy. With it being New Year¡¯s Eve, everyone was downstairs, so the temperature was set to 23 degrees Celsius and it felt like spring.

    Gu Nianzhi felt hot after she had a ss of wine. She tugged at her cor and fanned herself with her hand. As soon as she lifted her wrist, her watch glowed with a warm golden sheen under the chandelier lights in the dining room and caught the attention of the two men.

    ¡°Hey? Did you just get this watch?¡± Yin Shixiong had never seen Gu Nianzhi wear such a watch before. It appeared exquisite, with the rose gold color softening the bold design. It somehow matched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aura very well.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile then continued to stir her bowl of stew and sipped at it asionally. The purple yam and snow fungus were delicatelybined; it tasted fresh and sweet without being too heavy. She felt warm from just the first spoonful. ¡°This is so delicious,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she kept sighing with delight.

    ¡°There¡¯s more in the kitchen, so you can get a second serving after.¡± Yin Shixiong saw that Gu Nianzhi was brushing it off so he didn¡¯t bother asking again. He began joking around with Zhao Liangze, and Gu Nianzhi chimed in from time to time. The dining room was lively withughter and chatter.

    ...

    At the Huo manor in the central region of the Imperial Capital, the atmosphere was eerily quiet and did not feel like Lunar New Year at all. Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie were hiding in their rooms; they could only text each other tomunicate. Uncle and Aunt Zhang were waiting in Grandfather Huo¡¯s study, with one person serving him tea and the other standing behind a charming older woman.

    She was past the age of sixty and wore a traditional Huaxia style slim cut jacket with peacock knotted buttons and tailored slim wool pants. Even when she was inside the house, she wore ck pointed mid-heel shoes. She had a creamyplexion. Although she appeared a little older, with many crow¡¯s feet that couldn¡¯t be covered with any amount of foundation or concealer, her eyebrows had been plucked and delicately drawn on and her eyes were tattooed with eyeliner so as to entuate them. She had full inked brows, bright eyes, a straight nose, and softly drawn lips. Even though she was old now, it was apparent that she had been a beautiful ¡®girl next door¡¯ when she was younger. The woman sat next to Grandfather Huo and gently urged him, ¡°Elder Huo, Shaoheng is spending his first Lunar New Year at his new official residence. It¡¯s understandable that you are angry, however, New Year¡¯s dinner is ready, so let¡¯s go eat now.¡±

    ¡°Little Zhang, stop standing up for him.¡± Grandfather Huo angrily pounded the table with his fist. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been home for Lunar New Year six years now! I didn¡¯t me him when he was out on missions in the past. But this year! This year he¡¯s at the Imperial Capital and won¡¯t even show up! Does he want this family or not?!¡±

    Huo Guanchen stood in front of Grandfater Huo and frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Father. How about I call him again?¡±

    The woman trying to assuage Grandfather Huo was his head nurse, Zhang Feng. She was eight years younger than Grandfather Huo and was in her sixties. However, she maintained her health and her appearance meticulously, so she appeared like she was just a little older than 50 years old. Uncle Zhang was her son, Zhang Baochen. He poured Grandfather Huo a cup of tea and looked up at Huo Guanchen. ¡°Second Brother, Shaoheng has his difficulties too. Second Sister¡ªI mean, Mrs. Song is staying there now as well. He can¡¯t very well leave her there alone ande home.¡±

    Upon the mention of Song Jinning, Grandfather Huo¡¯s mood darkened. He stood up and bellowed at Huo Guanchen, ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done! I told you not to get a divorce, and you just had to do it anyway! Do you regret it now?!¡± Not only had Huo Guanchen lost Song Jinning, but his son had also gotten engaged to the murderer, Bai Jinyi. What nonsense! Grandfather Huo had been upset ever since Bai Jinyi was convicted. If it weren¡¯t for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quick rescue of the situation, the Huo family would have be the running joke within the upper ss of the Imperial Capital. Now that Huo Shaoheng had appeared, no one dared to speak ill of the Huo¡¯s.

    ¡°Elder Huo, you promised me to speak nicely. Getting so angry will raise your blood pressure again. Did you take your anti-hypertensive drugs today?¡± Zhang Feng pulled Grandfather Huo back into his seat and rubbed his chest infort.

    Huo Guanchen kept his eyes downcast and replied frostily, ¡°I¡¯ll go call Shaoheng.¡± As soon as he opened the door to leave, he saw Huo Jin standing there with a suitcase. She wore a coat and a mink fur hat.

    ¡°Second Uncle.¡± Huo Jin nodded to him, her voice trembling. ¡°Elder Cousin isn¡¯ting home because of me, so I¡¯ll leave now. Please call Elder Cousin and tell him that since I already left, he cane home for Lunar New Year now.¡±

 Chapter 323 - Reunion Dinner (1)

    <h4>Chapter 323: Reunion Dinner (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Everyone felt awkward when Huo Jin said that.

    Looking at how she treated Song Jinning, it¡¯s no wonder that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want her around.

    Using the excuse that she was on a mission, she had note home for years. However, the Huo¡¯s were a military family. Would they not know the real reason she did note home?

    Using the same reasons too many times really just allowed it to be an excuse over time.

    But Grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen did not say these words out loud.

    He only understood the real reason when Bai Jinyi¡¯s case surfaced. She was actually feeling unjust with regards to her mother¡­

    Huo Jin looked at everyone in the study, tightened her grip on the suitcase, lowered her head and said apologetically: ¡°I trusted the wrong person and mistreated Mdm Song. It¡¯s my fault. I wanted to look for an opportunity to apologize personally to Mdm Song, but I did not expect that eldest cousin decided not toe back just because I¡¯m here. Now, that made me feel worse¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t all your fault.¡± Grandfather Huo shook his head after being silent for a while, ¡°Who knew what was going on exactly? Bai Jinyi was too good an actress; no one expected her to be so cunning.¡±

    Actually, someone saw through her ¨C Huo Shaoheng. But it was true that no one else saw through her evil plot other than him.

    Even Grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen did not see through her, how could anyone expect Huo Jin, a little girl who lost both her parents do it?

    Upon hearing that, Huo Jin broke down. Facing the door of the study, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed continuously: ¡°Grandpa and second uncle had brought me up; there¡¯s nothing I can do to repay your kindness, except to kowtow to you. I will repay your kindness in my next life no matter what!¡±

    She continued, ¡°Since eldest cousin isn¡¯ting back, these few kowtows are for Mdm Song. I did her wrong, I hope that she be gracious enough to not bear grudges with me. I will kowtow to her, and pray for her to hope that she lives to a ripe old age!¡±

    Huo Guanchen was shaken. Rushing forward to help her up, he eximed: ¡°Jin! What¡¯s this for? Get up quickly! Get up quickly!¡±

    Grandfather Huo walked over quickly as well. Standing beside Huo Guanchen, he consoled the Huo Jin who was crying a river: ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Jin. Even though you¡¯re not one of our sons, but you¡¯re a daughter of the Huo¡¯s. You¡¯re the daughter of my eldest son, and thus is my, Huo Xuenong¡¯s granddaughter. Whoever dares treat you otherwise, get them to speak to me!¡±

    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Huo Jin was touched but sad. She let go of Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand, fell to her knees again, and hugged Huo Xuenong¡¯s legs, crying until she almost cked out.

    ¡°There, there, get up quickly and settle down in your room.¡± Grandfather Huo made up his mind right there and then upon seeing Huo Jin¡¯s never ending tears. ¡°Since Shaoheng isn¡¯ting back, it¡¯s okay. We shall spend the New Year at his ce instead. Anyway, his just moved into his mansion, it¡¯s time for some housewarming. Let¡¯s all go and spend a happy New Year together, trash out everything we have to, and not bear any hidden grudges within the family!¡±

    ¡°Huh? We¡¯re going to Shaoheng¡¯s for the New Year?¡± Huo Guanchen frowned. ¡°It¡¯s already past 7, will we be able to make it?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Grandfather Huo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Go make the call and get the car ready. Just say that us, the Huo¡¯s, will be spending our New Year at Shaoheng¡¯s this year. Bring all our food for reunion dinner and eat there. It¡¯ll be even more homely!¡±

    Huo Guanchen began to feel that Grandfather Huo was out of his mind ¨C it was already 7pm on New Year¡¯s Eve, but he still wanted to get out of the house.

    However, he thought deeper: he would be able to see Song Jinning if they were to go to Shaoheng¡¯s.

    It¡¯s been a misunderstanding for so many years; he hoped to be able to speak to her properly.

    No matter what, they loved each other before. If not for the fact that he mistook her for loving her older brother, how could he have divorced her?!

    Huo Guanchen changed his mind and stopped protesting. Full of hope, he said: ¡°I¡¯ll make the call. Shaoheng stays within thepound of the Special Forces; we wouldn¡¯t be able to get in without special passes. Thankfully dad and I have it. Let¡¯s just go there immediately.¡±

    He still understood his child to a certain extent ¨C they wouldn¡¯t be able to enter his ce if he had informed Shaoheng beforehand¡­

    Grandfather Huo understood where his son wasing from as well. He understood Huo Shaoheng way better than Huo Guanchen did, and nodded: ¡°Yes, we are behind time. Quick! Get the car ready and let¡¯s go now!¡± He turned to look at Qian Shihui, Zhang Baochen¡¯s wife, and informed her: ¡°Inform the kitchen to pack the food for reunion dinner properly, and send them over to the Special Forces Headquarters.¡±

    Qian Shihui looked at this pair of father and son chiming in with each other. She did not know how to react, and looked at the senior nurse Zhang Feng who was diagonally behind Grandfather Huo: ¡°Mum¡­ What do you think¡­?¡±

    ¡°Listen to Grandfather Huo.¡± Zhang Feng nodded at her with a smile. Turning to Grandfather Huo, she continued: ¡°Grandfather Huo, bring Wenna and Wenjie as well, they¡¯re all young people, and it¡¯ll be easier for them to mingle. Baochen, Shihui and I won¡¯t be going. We¡¯ll look after the house.¡±

    ¡°How can it be like that?¡± Grandfather Huo frowned. ¡°It¡¯s the New Year; isn¡¯t it nice to gather as an entire family? Why should we have a gathering in the east and one in the west? It¡¯s not auspicious at all.¡±

    Grandfather Huo was getting on in age. He was old fashioned as well, and thus was especially particr about being together during Lunar New Year.

    To him, it¡¯s the most important asion of the year. The Huo¡¯s haven¡¯t been together for the past 6 years. How could he allow the family to spend the New Year in 2 different ces again?

    Finally everyone was in Di Du; can¡¯t they just be together on the Eve of New Year?

    Grandfather Huo looked at Zhang Feng sadly. This woman who followed him around for almost forty years, looked at him smilingly withoutints, walked over to help him and told the people in the house: ¡°Go get ready, you are going out soon. I want to speak to Grandfather Huo for a little while.¡±

    Huo Guanchen left the study without looking back. He wanted to get the car ready as soon as possible.

    Huo Jin left the study to wash up and have a change of clothes after giving it some thought.

    Zhang Baochen quickly left with Qian Shihui to look for their children, Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna.

    To be honest, just like what senior nurse Zhang Feng said, it was true that there wouldn¡¯t be any difference even if the few of them didn¡¯t go. What was important was that Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna were able to go and build a healthy rtionship with Huo Shaoheng.

    They were blood rted cousins; it¡¯d be a waste if they did not have a close rtionship.

    All of a sudden, everyone left the study. Only the two of them was left in the study that used to be crowded.

    The only person who remained by his side all these years, was none other than Zhang Feng.

    Grandfather Huo walked to the firece in the study, and looked intently at the 4 pictures that were ced along the ledge, lost in thoughts.

    These pictures were old, but were well preserved. They were framed in wooden picture frames, with no signs of fading.

    The first picture was a graceful and elegantdy. She was wearing a set of ck habit and hat, riding on a handsome brown horse, with a smile that brightened even the darkest of ces.

    The second picture was the wedding picture of thisdy with a handsome young soldier. This young soldier, was none other than Huo Xuenong, Grandfather Huo.

    It had been half a century ¨C the soldier then, was already awarded the highest rank in the army within the empire, and thedy beside him, had already passed away for many years.

    The third picture was the samedy carrying a baby.

    The final one was a family picture of 4. However, in the corner of the picture, was the side profile of a young nurse. She was standing diagonally behind Huo Xuenong.

    That very year, Huo Xuenong got promoted to be a Major General. Because of that, he was entitled personal secretary and a personal nurse.

    Huo Xuenong heaved a long sigh while looking at these pictures. ¡°¡­Shaoheng¡¯s grandma passed away when he was only in High School. It had been hard on you all these years. I really owe you so much¡­¡±

    Huo Xuenong turned to look at Zhang Feng, full of hurt in his eyes.

    This woman had been by his side all along, did not mind that he did not give her an official title, and even gave birth to his son without his knowledge. She brought him up singlehandedly in her parents¡¯ ce.

    After his eldest son, Huo Guanyuan was met with a mishap, Huo Xuenong almost copsed. It was Zhang Feng who remained by his side all these while, took care of him with her superb medical knowledge, and told him that even though he lost a son, he still had another one. He even already had grandchildren already¡­

 Chapter 324 - Reunion Dinnerï¼ˆ2ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 324: Reunion Dinner£¨2£©</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    16 years ago, Huo Xuenong has been shocked to learn the truth. Never had he imagine that after getting drunk on a business trip in his younger years and mistaking Zhang Feng as his wife for one evening would get her pregnant! Zhang Feng had been his nurse for so many years and had eventually been promoted to head nurse. She hadn¡¯t said a word about it for 20 years!

    ¡°That year you took off to go home and give birth, then quietly had the child raised by your parents, you must have been under a lot of pressure.¡± Grandfather Huo looked at Zhang Feng with pity and smoothed her hair. Her previously ck and glossy hair now had streaks of silver.

    Zhang Feng took Grandfather Huo¡¯s arm and helped him to the chair. She took out the blood pressure monitor and stethoscope to examine Grandfather Huo and said, ¡°I had no choice back then. You and Mrs. Huo were deeply in love, how could I wreck your happy family? It was my fault and you had no idea that I secretly had the child. I¡¯ll bear the responsibility for the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Would you have never said anything if Guanyuan hadn¡¯t been through the ident?¡± Grandfather Huo pitied Zhang Feng even more.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Zhang Feng skillfully attached the blood pressure meter to Grandfather Huo¡¯s arm and checked it as she whispered, ¡°You were so sad back then, and I was worried about your health. I know that even a bad mood could affect your health. As your head nurse, my job has been to improve your health for so many years. I can only be sessful if you are well.¡±

    Aside from this reason, Grandfather Huo also knew that if Zhang Feng had exposed this incident back then, not only would his family have been destroyed, but also all his work in the military. He would have never been promoted to general, by rather immediately terminated from the military. He also knew that his wife would have never forgiven him, and that her family would have never let it go. Thinking of all this, Grandfather Huo felt very conflicted. He recalled his wife¡¯s personality and sighed without saying anything more.

    Zhang Feng nced at Grandfather Huo and asked, ¡°Elder Huo, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Back then you were just a young woman who had gone back home to give birth; luckily, they were good to you.¡± Grandfather Huo sighed, ¡°Your family¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. It¡¯s been so many years and you¡¯ve helped them enough.¡± Zhang Feng put away the blood pressure monitor in is box. ¡°Your blood pressure is still fine. I¡¯m always terrified whenever you get angry.¡±

    Grandfather Huo patted her hand. ¡°I know everything, so don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t treat you or Baochen¡¯s family poorly.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Zhang Feng looked at Grandfather¡¯s Huo elderly yet handsome face, her eyes full of admiration. For the first time, she took his hands into hers and whispered, ¡°Elder Huo... Xuenong...I¡¯ll only say these things once: I¡¯ve never med you. I willingly gave birth to your child.¡±

    Grandfather Huo trembled and he reflexively grabbed her hand. His lips shook for a while before he finally said, ¡°Feng, just a bit longer. I¡¯ll find a way to have the two children change theirst names.¡±

    Zhang Feng shook her head, ¡°No need, Elder Huo. It¡¯s better that this stays within the family. If we go through the fanfare of changingst names, people will watch us like it is a joke.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Grandfather Huo wanted all his grandchildren to be Huo¡¯s¡ªhe had even epted Huo Jin, who wasn¡¯t even his actual grandchild. How could he have his own grandchildren use another family name?

    ¡°Think about Shaoheng? You¡¯ve retired, but Guanchen and Shaoheng are still in the military. Wouldn¡¯t they be embarrassed?¡± Zhang Feng urged him passionately, ¡°This won¡¯t do. It was also a big mess when the family first came here.¡±

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s expression darkened. Huo Shaoheng had had the most intense reaction when Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui brought Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie to the Huo manor. But at the time, everyone had ignored him and he hadn¡¯t the power to convince others. He had grown even more reticent and even treated Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie very poorly.

    ¡°Shaoheng was very close to his grandmother. His mother was busy with experiments and his father focused on the military. You were also very busy and Shaoheng was practically raised by his grandmother, so of course it¡¯s reasonable he had such a reaction. You shouldn¡¯t be upset with him.¡± Zhang Feng could tell what Grandfather Huo was thinking when she saw his expression. She took her time gently exining the situation.

    Grandfather Huo replied icily, ¡°That won¡¯t do either! You are his elder, he must respect you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just rx today; it¡¯s Lunar New Year after all. We can talk about this tomorrow.¡± Zhang Feng sighed, ¡°If you really want to argue, I¡¯ll just have to take Baochen¡¯s family out of the manor.¡±

    ¡°I forbid you!¡± Grandfather Huo hastily grabbed Zhang Feng¡¯s arm. ¡°This is an order!¡±

    Zhang Feng froze, then nodded slowly, ¡°Roger, Chief.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can go freshen up ande with me to Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to celebrate the New Year. Just go as... my nurse. Say that I¡¯m not feeling well and that you need to be by my side.¡± Grandfather Huo had thought about it: he could only use such a tactic with someone as stubborn as Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhang Wen understood what he was implying and was very touched. She took his hand and sat with him for a while before leaving to get changed. After she put on a new outfit, she called Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui from the internal phone line and asked them toe to her room.

    ¡°Mother, what is this? Do we really have to go too?¡± Zhang Baochen was uneasy. ¡°Shaoheng has never liked us, and that¡¯s why he neveres home for New Year.¡±

    Zhang Feng looked up and sighed when she saw her son¡¯s timidness. It was her fault for insisting on giving birth to him but not raising him where he should have been raised. Although her family was good to Zhang Baochen, it hadn¡¯t been the ideal environment. The Zhang¡¯s house could neverpare to the Huo manor. With a different family background, the way children had been raised were like night and day. ¡°It¡¯s not that Shaoheng¡¯s noting home because of us,¡± Zhang Feng replied dryly. ¡°It¡¯s because his parents divorced¡ªwhat would happen to his mother if he came back? Are you stupid for not realizing that?¡±

    Zhang Baochen flushed when he was scolded by his mother in front of his wife. Qian Shihui pitied him and quickly said, ¡°Mother, Baochen is right. Although the main reason is because of his parents, we are also... disliked by him.¡±

    ¡± Can¡¯t you find a way to change his mind if he dislikes you?¡± Zhang Feng set down her hairbrush and turned to look at her son and daughter-inw. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that the situation depends on how you handle it? Wenna and Wenjie are smarter than the two of you.¡±

    Zhang Baochen pursed his lips without speaking, the stubborn look akin to Grandfather Huo. Zhang Feng softened when she saw her son¡¯s expression and exined gently, ¡°Actually, Shaoheng isn¡¯t such a cold hearted person. I used to think the same way as you do and thought that our rtionship was irreparable. But I heard that he was very caring towards that orphan girl when he returned this time, so I know he¡¯s not really that emotionless.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about Gu Nianzhi?¡± Qian Shihui couldn¡¯t helping pouting. ¡°That little girl has a silver tongue; she could even convince the angels toe down from heaven. How can wepare to her?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t, but Wenna and Wenjie can!¡± Zhang Feng stood up. ¡°No matter what mistakes I made, that¡¯s as a grandmother. Shaoheng can hate me and hate the two of you, but he can¡¯t hate Wenna and Wenjie. You¡¯d better not sway the children. All of my life I¡¯ve wanted my grandchildren to not have to worry about anything and live like the true upper ss.¡±

    Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui shared a nce, not understanding Zhang Feng¡¯s words. Their family didn¡¯tck in money. Qian Shihui¡¯s family were business people and she was the only child. Herself and her children would inherit everything from the Qian¡¯s. ¡°Mother, Wenna and Wenjie never had to worry about anything to begin with. They will be able to live happily.¡± Qian Shihui helped Zhang Feng put on a jacket. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Isn¡¯t it great that our family can live well? Why should we...¡± Why should we go get our faces pped? She finished the rest of her sentence in her head, careful not to betray her feelings.

    Zhang Feng looked at Qian Shihui¡¯s content face and shook her head. ¡°Shihui, I don¡¯t want to scold you, but how can you not know about Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother¡¯s family? You¡¯ve lived in the Huo manor for so many years already.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother? What¡¯s her name?¡± Qian Shihui¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Can her family be even more powerful than the Huo¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Herst name is Xie, Xie Ziyan. I don¡¯t know if the Xie¡¯s are more powerful than the Huo¡¯s, but they were the ones to establish the first stock exchange in the nation.¡± Zhang Feng looked at Qian Shihui like she was an idiot. ¡°Get it? She was the daughter of that Xie family. She was the only child in her generation.¡±

 Chapter 325 - Reunion Dinner (3)

    <h4>Chapter 325: Reunion Dinner (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Which Xie¡¯s?¡± Zhang Baochen looked between his wife and mother. He felt like he knew what they were talking about, but didn¡¯t understand a single thing. ¡°Do we know them?¡±

    Qian Shihui came from a family of businessmen, who owned small businesses.

    After that, when she married Zhang Baochen, the Qian¡¯s got indirectly rted to the Huo¡¯s. Zhang Feng used her title as the personal nurse of the senior army official and helped them a lot in the dark.

    This led to the Qian¡¯s being able to expand quickly for the past 2 decades, and was one of the most powerful families in D city, where her mother¡¯s family came from as well.

    So she knew a little about ¡®the Xie¡¯s¡¯.

    ¡°Gosh, it¡¯s them?!¡± Qian Shihui was in a state of shock, almost forgetting to breathe.

    Zhang Feng patted her back lightly, and smiled as she nodded, ¡°Shihui still knows more; yes, it is that Xie family. It was rumored that Xie Ziyan brought half the shares of the Swiss bank as dowry when she married the senior official.¡±

    Half the shares of Swiss bank...

    Zhang Baochen was loss for words.

    Qian Shihui was in an even bigger shock.

    Her family had an ount with Swiss bank. Her mother had saved up a couple of million Euros for the kids there. She thought it was already something to be proud of, but just one of Old missus Huo¡¯s dowries already made her weak in the knees.

    ¡°Understand now? Amongst their circle, having a few billions in savings really doesn¡¯t mean a thing.¡± Zhang Feng said casually, and wrapped a cashmere woolen scarf around her shoulders. ¡°Both of you should stop being so ignorant and shallow as well, thinking that you are great just because you have some money and not putting them in high regard.¡±

    Qian Shihui was defeated. ¡°Yes mother, I could never think as carefully as you.¡±

    Zhang Feng lowered her head, pulled up a pair of UGG leather high-heeled boots, and continued: ¡°After Xie Ziyan passed away, her assets were all set up to be trust funds, to be managed by the Xie¡¯s. All proceeds of the funds were directly wired to Shaoheng and Jin¡¯s bank ounts based on percentage on a monthly basis.¡±

    Trust funds?

    Zhang Baochen was more familiar with this. He majored in Finance in University. Upon graduation, he worked in a finance institute for a good number of years.

    ¡°Which means, Xie Ziyan¡¯s assets have all been put into trust funds? Then... Does dad get a share?¡± Zhang Baochen felt blood rush to his face as he asked. He could not contain his curiosity.

    If that was the case, then he really needs to n well.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about these.¡± Zhang Feng nced at her son. ¡°I was there with Senior Official when Xie Ziyan¡¯s will was announced, so I heard a little. All in know was that her assets were all ced in trust funds. Your dad, eldest brother, second brother, Shaoheng, and Jin all had a share. However, Shaoheng had the greatest share. The rest were shared equally among your dad, eldest brother and second brother. The share which Huo Jin is taking now actually belonged to your eldest brother.¡±

    ¡°Huo Jin isn¡¯t even eldest brother¡¯s blood daughter, why would she have the rights to get the money from the trust funds?¡± Zhang Baochen began to protest. ¡°I am well versed in the rules of trust funds, all their rules involve terms and conditions, and if situations allow, the rules can be amended. Mum, you can leave this to me.¡±

    Zhang Feng nodded: ¡°You didn¡¯t want to study Financest time; I was the one who made you do it. Now, do you understand where I¡¯ming from?¡±

    ¡°Mum, had you told me early enough, I¡¯d study even harder and be better in this!¡±

    Zhang Feng smiled wryly. ¡°Actually, I did not think this much then. Your dad didn¡¯t even know he had you even when you were in University...¡± heaving a sigh, she shook her head. ¡°I only hope that you¡¯reparable to your eldest and second brother. They¡¯re like your dad; who wanted to attend military school since young. Your elder mum wanted them to learn Finance but none of them were interested.¡±

    ¡°Even though mum¡¯s intention wasn¡¯t for me to go against elder mum, but the fact is this. This seems like fate, mum.¡± Qian Shihui was ted, and her respect towards her mother-inw increased. ¡°Mum, so we will be going to Shaoheng¡¯s for the New Year?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your dad says we all will have to be there. Quickly go and pack for Wenjie and Wenna. We will be following because your dad...¡± she stopped, and decided against telling them the truth as she was worried that they might let the cat out of the bag. Huo Shaoheng might see through them. So she merely said: ¡°You dad is very angry today. His isn¡¯t in the pink of health and isn¡¯t listening to me. I have no choice but to bring the entire medical kit and follow him there.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Dad is sick?¡± Zhang Baochen became nervous. ¡°Then should we not go?¡±

    This boy really isn¡¯t very bright...

    Zhang Feng did not know to get angry or tough, but feltforted. At least, he is a filial son.

    Being a filial child brings a mother much more joy than being a capable one. Moreover, looking at their family, her son needn¡¯t be too capable. So she was happy that he was just filial.

    Zhang Feng pped her hands happily, ¡°Then please take good care of your dadter on.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Zhang Baochen said as he looked at Zhang Feng walking to Grandfather Huo¡¯s ce.

    Qian Shihui quickly reminded him: ¡°Quickly get Wenjie and Wenna to change! I¡¯ll go and wash up, have a change and be down in a minute.¡±

    Zhang Baochen agreed, and informed Wenna and Wenjie respectively in their rooms. ¡°We will be going to your eldest cousin¡¯s new mansion for the New Year. Pack your bags; we will leave in 30 minutes. It¡¯s already veryte.¡±

    Everyone in the Huo Mansion began rushing again.

    30 minutester, 8 people from the Huo¡¯s were already in Huo Xuenong¡¯s SUV, which was able to take 9 people. They set out towards the direction of the Special Forces Headquarters.

    Behind the SUV was a delivery van. It contained all the reunion dinner from the Huo¡¯s. It was following closely behind.

    Huo Guanchen was sitting on the passenger seat. The chauffeur of the day was Grandfather Huo¡¯s military driver.

    Zhang Feng and Zhang Baochen sat on both sides on Grandfather Huo in the second row of the SUV. Qian Shihui sat on her own by the window on the right of the second row.

    Huo Jin, Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie sat on the third row.

    Huo Jin had been taking charge of the Huo¡¯s for about 4 to 5 years. She had been nothing but arrogant towards Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie. Now, however, after the case was out in the open, everyone knew she wasn¡¯t even the blood daughter of eldest uncle; Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie began to despise her immediately, and did not even want to speak to her anymore.

    Huo Jin didn¡¯t want to speak to the Zhang¡¯s as well, anyway.

    She was gorgeous; and looked even prettier with makeup. She was bare faced now, but looked clean and young. She wore a khaki green coat, with a high cored woolen top in white. She was pale, and even looked slightly haggard.

    She sat alone by the window on the right, looked on at the sights along the way and remained silent.

    On the Eve of Lunar New Year, the roads on Di Du were practically empty.

    Even if a military vehicle were speeding, no traffic police would have dared to stop it.

    If a traffic police really saw, he would onlye over and clear the roads for them.

    That was the reason why they managed to reach their destination in less than half the usual time.

    When they arrived at the checkpoint of the Headquarters, it was only half past 7.

    ¡°Entry pass please, thank you.¡± The soldier on duty requested with a salute.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s chauffeur lowered the window, and showed Grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen¡¯s entry permit to the soldier. He continued: ¡°This is Mr. Huo¡¯s family ¨C His Grandfather and father, and rtives. They¡¯re here to spend the New Year with him.¡±

    The soldier brought the entry passes to his guardhouse to get it verified. Another soldier stood motionlessly at the door carrying a rifle. He was looking at them cautiously.

    Huo Guanchen had been here once. He folded his arms and remained seated.

    It was Grandfather Huo¡¯s first time though, he kept quiet for a while before standing up from his seat, ¡°I will be going for a walk.¡±

    ¡°Old Huo, it¡¯s cold outside. Can your body take it?¡± Zhang Feng stood up with him quickly, and held on to his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s just sit down and wait, hmm?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I managed to hang in through the weather no matter how cold it was in the past, what¡¯s this to me?¡± Grandfather Huo said impatiently. He kicked Zhao Baochen, who was sitting beside him lightly: ¡°Move aside, I want to get down.¡±

 Chapter 326 - Reunion Dinner (4)

    <h4>Chapter 326: Reunion Dinner (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although it wasn¡¯t noticeable in the car, a cold gust hit Grandfather Huo as soon as he exited the car. He wore a thick leather coat, but could still feel the chill creep inside and immediately shrank back.

    ¡°Grandfather Huo! Here, put a scarf on.¡± Zhang Feng ran out of the car holding a light grey cashmere scarf. She stood her tiptoes to put it on Grandfather Huo.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s entire body warmed up. He smiled at Zhang Feng and said gently, ¡°Go back to the car, it¡¯s very cold out here.¡±

    Zhang Feng shook her head as she took Grandfather Huo¡¯s elbow and looked around. ¡°That¡¯s ok, I¡¯m wearing manyyers so I don¡¯t feel cold.¡±

    The Special Operations Forces headquarters was located south of the Fourth Ring Road in the Imperial Capital. This was where a factory used to be, and thend had been taken back by the government when the factory shut down, andter eventually handed to the Special Ops. Due to long term neglect, the ce was overrun with trees and weeds. Part of the reason thend was used by the government for the Special Ops base was because the type ofndscape was ideal for camouge and disguise. The entire implementation of the headquarters base was molded to local conditions and there was not much change to thend when the various buildings were constructed. From the outside, it appeared to be a deserted woond. However, there was actually a new world hidden inside which couldn¡¯t be detected by even high-altitude reconnaissance satellites. It didn¡¯t appear as luxurious as themunity where the Huo¡¯s and other high ranking military officials resided, but the security and privacy was unparalleled.

    Zhang Feng was only Grandfather Huo¡¯s head nurse and although she had certain knowledge of the upper ranks of the military, this was limited to the ongoings in the homes of the high ranking military officials. As for other aspects, she didn¡¯t know much at all. Zhang Feng knew nothing about the newly established Special Ops headquarters, so she was very disappointed when she saw the rundown wilderness. ¡°Elder Huo, let¡¯s go back now. There are so many bare trees here that the wind feels even chillier.¡± Zhang Feng was done with looking around and tried to help Grandfather Huo back inside the car.

    ¡°You go. I¡¯ll keep looking.¡± Grandfather Huo was an expert, so he had discerned that there was more to theyout and was deeply interested. Tired of Zhang Feng¡¯s fussing, he brushed her off and kept walking around without giving her a second nce.

    Zhang Feng could only tighten her coat and follow Grandfather Huo. The sentinel checked the permit and verified it to be valid. Grandfather Huo¡¯s permit was of the highest security clearance, so he could take five people with him. Huo Guanchen¡¯s permit had the second highest clearance which allowed him to take two people, so the two permitsbined were just enough for everyone in the car to go in.

    The sentinel came up to the car and asked Huo Guanchen, ¡°Reporting to Chief, may I ask if everyone ising inside?¡±

    ¡°Yes. everyone. Our two permits should be enough to grant ess,¡± Huo Guanchen said calmly. The quota of guests allowed with the permits was originally reserved for their personal secretaries and orderlies. However, today was Lunar New Year, so they were taking their family in¡ªotherwise Huo Guanchen wouldn¡¯t have agreed to his father¡¯s sudden request.

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± The sentinel saluted again and said, ¡°Would the people without permits, but wishing to enter, please give their fingerprints, blood samples, andplete a retina scan.¡±

    Huo Guanchen balked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The guests without permits but still entering must give their fingerprints, blood samples, andplete a retina scan if they are visiting for the first time,¡± the sentinel repeated.

    Zhang Wenjie heard this from inside the car and asked with shock, ¡°Take my blood?! No way! Why is it so strict here?!¡±

    Zhang Wenna bit her lip and whispered, ¡°Mr. Huo is our Elder Cousin, so how about you call him and ask if we need to give blood samples?¡±

    The sentinel scratched his head. ¡°This is the regtion; it can¡¯t be changed, even if I call the Chief.¡±

    ¡°Call him first, I¡¯ll give the blood sample if Elder Cousin says so.¡± Zhang Wenna was very insistent.

    Huo Guanchen looked up with a stony face. ¡°Don¡¯t go inside if you don¡¯t want to give your fingerprints, blood samples, andplete a retina scan.¡± He nced at the five people inside the car. ¡°Whoever doesn¡¯t want to do it can say so now; there¡¯s still time to go back.¡± This was the first time Huo Guanchen scolded the Zhang¡¯s and refuted Zhang Wenna. Zhang Wenna flushed. She was so embarrassed she couldn¡¯t even look up. Zhang Wenjie sniffed but didn¡¯t dare argue with his Second Uncle. He could only look at his feet and sat silently next to Zhang Wenna.

    Huo Jin stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± She put on the hood of her coat and got out of the car, then followed the sentinel to the post to quickly give her fingerprints. The sentinel took a small test tube that looked like a stamp and pricked Huo Jin¡¯s finger once to obtain a few droplets of blood and drip onto a strip of paper. He put the paper inside a portable blood test device for a simple analysis, thenbelled it with her name and sealed it inside a fridge. Lastly, a retina scan and sample was taken. It was saved with the fingerprint and sent off to the central control system in the cloud drive.

    ¡°We¡¯re done. Please go back and wait. We will let you in once the lieutenant colonel on duty verifies the information.¡± The sentinel politely walked Huo Jin out. Huo Jin came out of the post and saw that Zhang Wenna, Zhang Wenjie, Qian Shihui and Zhang Baochen were all there. She smiled and went back to the car alone.

    Grandfather Huo returned to the car after walking around and happened to see the Zhang family return. ¡°Where did you all go?¡±

    ¡°We just went to give our fingerprints.¡± Zhang Baochen hastily exined. ¡°Apparently people who don¡¯t have a permit and are going in using another person¡¯s permit all need to give fingerprints, blood samples, andplete a retina scan.¡±

    Zhang Feng was unperturbed and helped Grandfather Huo up. ¡°Let¡¯s all go in now that the tests are done, alright? It¡¯s freezing out.¡±

    Grandfather Huo nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go back inside the car.¡± Everyone went back to the car to await the sentinel to allow them in. However, the sentinel didn¡¯t raise the crossbar blocking the entrance but pointed to Zhang Feng inside. ¡°She wasn¡¯t tested. Does she have a permit?¡±

    Zhang Feng pointed to herself in shock, ¡°I need to get tested too?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be tested if you have a permit.¡± The sentinel was very polite and patiently exined it to her. When the permits had been issued, the permit holders had already given their fingerprints, blood samples, andpleted a retina scan. As for the visitors going with the permit holders, they also needed to go through the same procedure which was a quick process of retrieval. When the sentinels had taken Huo Jin and everyone else¡¯s fingerprints, blood samples, andpleted a retina scan, the data had been immediately uploaded to the central control system in the cloud drive to allow the personnel on duty to verify their identities.

    ¡°Elder Huo...¡± Zhang Feng looked at Grandfather Huo with hesitation. She wasn¡¯t concerned about an identity verification, but she had never thought that she had to go through such security procedures as the head nurse of the highest military chief of staff. Although Huo Xuenong was retired, he still held the rank of General.

    Grandfather Huo nodded. ¡°Go get tested.¡± Since he had asked her as well, Zhang Feng had no choice but to follow the sentinel to the post anxiously. Because Zhang Feng was thest person to be tested, another sentinel called Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to ask if the group could be allowed inside. The personnel answering the phone didn¡¯t dare make the decision, so he rushed over to the dining room to find Huo Shaoheng. However, he only saw Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Gu Nianzhi chatting. ¡°Where is Mr. Huo?¡± The personnel asked frantically. ¡°The sentinel at the entrance just called and he said that Grandfather Huo brought the family here to celebrate Lunar New Year.¡±

    ¡°What? Say that again! Who brought who here?!¡± Yin Shixiong jumped out of his seat. ¡°What the h*ll! Why can¡¯t they let us have a nice New Year!¡±

    Zhao Liangze narrowed his eyes and then slowly stood up and turned on his Bluetooth speaker to call the operator. ¡°Connect me to the sentinel.¡± The operator quickly connected the line to the sentinel at the entrance. Zhao Liangze listened for a while and then nodded. ¡°Got it, just wait. I have to ask Mr. Huo.¡± The sentinel at the entrance received the order and proceeded to not let the group in by saying the verification was notpleted yet.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. Really, can¡¯t they let us have a nice New Year! She thought sadly.

    Zhao Liangze said, ¡°I can¡¯t get through to Mr. Huo, I don¡¯t know if he didn¡¯t turn on his phone or if he doesn¡¯t have it on him.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go find him and ask what he wants to do.¡± Gu Nianzhi went to find Huo Shaoheng.

    Outside, Grandfather Huo¡¯s expression darkened. He knew for certain that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to let them in after making them wait for so long and not granting ess.

    ¡°When can we go inside? I¡¯m starving.¡± Zhang Wenjie grumbled. He had been fasting since the afternoon because he had known there was going to be a delicious New Year dinner, but it was already eight in the evening and he still hadn¡¯t broken his fast. He was at his limit.

    Zhang Feng nced at him. ¡°I have some biscuits here. Eat these some for now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want that.¡± Zhang Wenjie saw that the biscuits were for old people like Grandfather Huo, so he immediately refused to touch them.

    ¡°Elder Huo, it¡¯s already past eight. How about we go home?¡± Zhang Feng couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten anything all night.¡±

    Grandfather Huo was chilled from walking outside in the cold wind for a long time and now the car was too warm. The change in temperature was a shock to his body and he almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He rubbed his forehead and remained silent.

    Zhang Feng quickly checked the temperature of Grandfather Huo with the back of her hand, ¡°Elder Huo has a fever! We have to treat him right now!¡± She turned to the sentinel and spoke sternly, ¡°The Chief has suddenly be ill. Are you going to take the responsibility of whatever happens and not let us inside?!¡±

    All headquarters of the Military Regions had fully equipped hospitals and medical officers on duty. Zhang Feng knew very well that the Special Ops headquarters certainly had their own as well because this was her expertise.

 Chapter 327 - Reunion dinner (5)

    <h4>Chapter 327: Reunion dinner (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Grandfather Huo wasn¡¯t just any senior official. Even though he had already retired, he was still the second inmand of the Supreme council of the army.

    A mere soldier on duty could not bear the consequences of his health.

    This soldier got a shock. The one beside him began talking: ¡°Since senior official isn¡¯t feeling well, we can let you pass immediately.¡±

    This was considered a special situation, and was eptable even without the approval of the Lieutenant Colonel on duty.

    Also, they had already gone through with the steps of procedure. Technically, they were the ones at fault if they didn¡¯t let them through.

    The two soldiers made their decisions.

    They went back to the guardhouse. One of them called the mansion to inform them of the visitors, while the other went to raise the barrier.

    The barrier rose immediately.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s driver stepped on the elerator and sped in.

    ...

    When Zhao Liangze received the call and informed them that the Huo¡¯s were already reaching the mansion, Gu Nianzhi just reached Song Jinning¡¯s room on level 3.

    She did not know what Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning were talking about in the room as she could not just barge inside, so she just knocked on the door and spoke into themunication system: ¡°Auntie Song, is Huo Shao inside please? The main gate of the headquarters has something to inform him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was listening to Song Jinning talk about the secret data on his uncle, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s personal phone.

    Song Jinning even turned on theputer and showed him diagrams when she was excited at some points.

    Huo Shaoheng was immersed with the findings as well, so he continued the discussion with Song Jinning and forgot about the time.

    That was until he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voiceing from themunication system. He realized he did not have his phone or earpiece with him.

    His intention was to prepare for reunion dinner. He just changed as well. Moreover, Zhao Liangze was with him. Therefore, he did not prepare those things with him.

    Song Jinning raised her head to look at Huo Shaoheng from theputer: ¡°It¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s voice? Is there anything?¡±

    ¡°There should be something.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked to the door and opened it to let Gu Nianzhi in. ¡°Yes? What¡¯s wrong with the gate at the Headquarters?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Song Jinning was also looking at her and panicked. However, what had to be said, had to be said. If she did not say it now and Song Jinning did not have enough time to get ready, everyone would be awkward.

    ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s just... that Grandfather Huo brought the entire family here to have reunion dinner.¡± Gu Nianzhi said everything in one breath; ¡°they¡¯re already at the gate. The soldiers on duty are asking if they should let them in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed. Taking his hand from his pants pocket, he crossed his arms and said: ¡°Not just anyone cane to my ce like that.¡±

    Song Jinning was unhappy upon knowing that Huo Guanchen was about to arrive, but Grandfather Huo was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, and Huo Guanchen, his father. If they wanted toe and spend the New Year together, technically, they could. Huo Shaoheng did not have any reasons to reject them.

    Therefore, she stood up and tapped Huo Shaoheng on the shoulders to remind him: ¡°Shaoheng, it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve; don¡¯t argue with anyone. It¡¯s just a reunion dinner; I¡¯m not that weak to not be able to face them for just this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Song Jinning carefully. Upon not seeing any grimace or sarcasm, he nodded: ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    He left the suite with Gu Nianzhi, and proceeded downstairs.

    Just when they wereing down from the spiral staircase, they saw a group of people entering the house.

    The one in the lead was none other than Huo Guanchen. He was carrying Grandfather Huo on his back. He strode into the hall, and ced Grandfather Huo onto the sofa.

    Zhang Feng followed closely by the side. She quickly took out a thermometer from her medical kit, and measured Grandfather Huo¡¯s temperature.

    Huo Jin followed beside Huo Guanchen. She saw Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi standing on the stairs.

    They were wearing matching colored woolen tops and pants; they actually looked like a couple wearing matching outfits.

    The corners of Huo Jin¡¯s lips twitched. She quickly looked down, and stood quietly by the side.

    Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui stood on Zhang Feng¡¯s sides, helping out in taking care of Grandfather Huo.

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie stood at the entrance of the living hall. They daren¡¯t even go closer.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes swept across the uninvited guests in his living hall, and fixed them on Yin Shixiong. Lowering his voice, he asked: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Yin Shixiong hastily replied: ¡°Grandfather Huo fell ill all of a sudden, so the soldiers on duty let them in.¡± He continued, ¡°we¡¯ve already given Doctor Chen a call, he¡¯s rushing over right now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, and descended the stairs slowly. Hands in his pockets, he announced steadily: ¡°Grandfather stays. The rest of you, leave.¡±

    Huo Guanchen did not say anything, but Grandfather Huo could not control himself. He sat up straight on the sofa and yelled: ¡°Shaoheng! It¡¯s the New Year, what on earth do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±

    ¡°Grandfather has recovered?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry, but please, don¡¯t make things difficult for me as well.¡± Looking at the Zhang¡¯s and Huo Jin who were walking over, he continued: ¡°Please leave. This is not a ce for you toe.¡±

    Zhang Feng did not expect Huo Shaoheng to be so cold blooded ¨C they were already in the house, but he insisted for them to get out.

    She did not speak, only holding on to Grandfather Huo¡¯s arm and standing by his side. She looked at her son and daughter-inw, and hinted for them to stand beside her.

    To be honest, Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui were already scared stiff by Huo shaoheng¡¯s re.

    They were not close with Huo Shaoheng, and were afraid of him. Now that he treated them like that, it felt like he was cutting ties with them.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t theye?!¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s was seeing red. He felt that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t respecting him by doing this. He had been in the army his entire life, finally achieving the second inmand of the Supreme council of the army. No one from the army dared to treat him like that. ¡°This is your house; it belongs to the Huo¡¯s as well. How can you chase them away?!¡±

    ¡°This is the mansion of the vice captain of the Headquarters in the Special Forces, not the house of the Huo¡¯s.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly to Grandfather Huo, ¡°it¡¯s a special situation; I apologize.¡±

    Turning to face the main door, hemanded: ¡°Security.¡±

    A couple of armed soldiers ran in and saluted: ¡°Sir!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He held out his arm and pointed... From Zhang Feng, to Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie who were standing by the door. ¡°These people; Arrest them.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± These soldiers were extremely well trained. Upon receiving themand, they took ropes from their backs, and tied Zhang Feng, Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui up.

    When it was almost Huo Jin¡¯s turn, she turned pale and quickly shouted: ¡°Eldest cousin! I¡¯m here to apologize to Second Aunt! Please let me see her; I just want to kowtow to her! I¡¯ll leave after I¡¯m done!¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted, full of despise. She stood beside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s and raised her brows: ¡°You tortured Mdm Song for ten years, and you think it¡¯ll all be ok with just a kowtow? Aren¡¯t you clever...?¡±

    ¡°I did not mean it...¡± Huo Jin began crying and fell to her knees. ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean it! I was made use of by Bai Jinyi...¡±

    She was crying a river, and her tears were falling endlessly from her eyes. Her facial expression looked depressed as well, but she still looked pretty ¨C there weren¡¯t any mucus and tears all over the ce.

    Gu Nianzhi red at her, ¡°Well, nothing¡¯s going to be solved just by crying and kowtowing. Huo Jin, don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be running away scot-free just because the court let you off from criminal charges. After the New Year, I¡¯ll definitely be in court with you again ¨C for a civil charge.¡±

    Huo Jin did not expect them to still want to bring her to court. She shivered, and looked at Huo Guanchen with pleading eyes: ¡°Second uncle, I really didn¡¯t know... I was the victim... Second uncle... My dad isn¡¯t around anymore...¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped her. ¡°What do you want to achieve by bringing your father up? Are you trying to say that you¡¯re able to torture Mdm Song just because Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan isn¡¯t around anymore? I don¡¯t understand this logic as well, but like I¡¯ve mentioned, don¡¯te crying and kicking a fuss on New Year¡¯s Eve and bring us bad luck. Get home and stay there. Enjoy your life now, and wait there to receive your summon in court.¡±

    For all the emotional torture Huo Jin inflicted upon Song Jinning, she would not have a criminal case, but civil case wise, there definitely was something to fight for.

    There wouldn¡¯t be jail term for civil cases, but there were possibilities that the person will be made a bankrupt just based on thepensations.

    Huo Jin went pale. She fell to the ground. Huo Shaoheng spoke: ¡°Since you¡¯re not Eldest uncle¡¯s blood daughter, ording to the rules of the trust fund, you will not be able to continue taking Eldest uncle¡¯s share. I¡¯ve already made a call to the person in charge of the trust funds.¡±

 Chapter 328 - Reunion Dinner (6)

    <h4>Chapter 328: Reunion Dinner (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Jin was just heartbroken, but was now dumbfounded. She stumbled back and nearly knelt on the floor as she looked up at Huo Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯t make sense of what he had said.

    Huo Shaoheng did not waste time repeating himself and stood next to Grandfather Huo and nced at his guards. They didn¡¯t need to hear Huo Shaoheng¡¯s order before also tying Huo Jin¡¯s hands behind her back.

    At the door, Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie already raised their hands in fear and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t tie us up! We¡¯re leaving right away! Right away!¡± The siblings ran out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stifle herughter¡ªthis was the Special Operations Forces headquarters, not somemunity where high ranking military officers lived. Who allowed them to run around? Sure enough, the guards at the entrance dragged in two unconscious people shortly after and reported to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Chief, these two people refused to listen to the warnings and ran around outside.¡±

    Qian Shihui had her hands tied behind her back and immediately screamed when she saw her children unconscious on the ground, ¡°Nana, Jiejie! Are you ok?! Don¡¯t scare me!¡± She was full of regret: she hadn¡¯t wanted toe here to begin with. Because of Zhang Feng¡¯s convincing, she had followed her here and brought the humiliation upon herself!

    Grandfather Huo red at Huo Shaoheng when he saw his grandchildren unconscious, but didn¡¯t scold him because of what the sentinel said earlier. This was certainly not like themunity they had lived in. Although it was also heavily guarded, that was only towards external forces: the people residing there could move around freely. At the very least, running around wouldn¡¯t result in the guards catching them and knocking them out with one swift blow. To put it bluntly, Grandfather Huo had underestimated Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cold bloodedness. He frowned at his grandson and felt very conflicted. Huo Shaoheng had indeed lived up to expectations by being decisive and righteous, but Grandfather Huo was furious about how hepletely disregarded his family. Grandfather Huo originally had two sons, but the eldest Huo Guanyuan had died to only leave Huo Guanchen. Luckily, Zhang Feng had given him another son, Baochen. He hadn¡¯t lifted a finger to raise this son since he hadn¡¯t even known of his existence. By the time Zhang Feng had brought Baochen home, he was already married and had two kids. Grandfather Huo hadn¡¯t put in any effort and had gotten a son and two grandchildren. At the time, Zhang Wenna had been six and Zhang Wenjie four, so they¡¯d been at their most adorable ages. Grandfather Huo had always thought he hade short to fulfilling his duties as a father, especially since he couldn¡¯t officially make his son a part of the family, even now. As a result, he felt very guilty towards Zhang Baochen and the spoilt Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie. He had truly hoped that Huo Shaoheng would respect Zhang Baochen as his uncle and take care of Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie as his real siblings. It appeared that his purpose was not yet achieved.

    Zhang Feng¡¯s hands were tied up and she looked at Grandfather Huo with great sadness. ¡°Elder Huo, just let us go home. Wenna and Wenjie need to be examined right away so that they can be treated in case there¡¯s anything wrong with them.¡±

    The words wereced with poison but Huo Shaoheng paid her no attention. Gu Nianzhi, however was irritated. She crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling as she said haughtily, ¡°Our guards are well trained. Your grandchildren were just knocked out to prevent them from running around and screaming. Do you really need to make such a fuss?¡±

    Zhang Feng frowned and turned to look at the unconscious Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie. ¡°Wenna and Wenjie were raised carefully all their lives. They¡¯ve never been in such strange situations before. I¡¯m very concerned that they will be ill from the shock.¡±

    ¡°They should¡¯ve stayed home, safe from this cold winter weather, since they are so delicate that they¡¯d get sick if the wind is too strong. Who can they me for barging into someone else¡¯s home on New Year¡¯s Eve, looking for trouble?¡± Gu Nianzhi huffed.

    Zhang Feng was displeased to see Huo Shaoheng stay quiet and let Gu Nianzhi bicker with her. She had always been good natured and had never fought with anyone, but she was no weakling and couldn¡¯t stand being insulted. She held her anger in check and finally retorted, ¡°This is the Huo family¡¯s business, so may I ask what Miss Gu¡¯s family name is?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered: this was her dreame true. Raising her brows at Zhang Feng, she shot back, ¡°Oh, so you know that this is the Huo¡¯s family business? May I ask... who are you exactly? What¡¯s your family name?¡± This was the first time Gu Nianzhi had seen Zhang Feng, so she didn¡¯t know her name or status within the Huo manor. Huo Shaoheng had introduced her to everyone in the Huo family, but had never mentioned her, so this woman certainly wasn¡¯t a part of the family. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mince her words and her little jab indeed hit Zhang Feng¡¯s sore spot.

    Zhang Feng¡¯s only regret in life was not being able to be with Grandfather Huo officially and take his family name. ¡°Why do you care what my family name is? At any rate, my presence is more justifiable than yours.¡± Zhang Feng couldn¡¯t help shooting an icy reply.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know who this charming looking woman was. Gu Nianzhi had noticed that she was rather intimate with Grandfather Huo and carried a medical box, so Gu Nianzhi guessed she was probably a doctor and wisely stopped speaking.

    Huo Shaoheng looked over and remained seated in the sofa.¡±Yourst name is Zhang, first name Feng. You are a nurse for my family, so may I ask what you mean by being justifiable?¡±

    ¡°Mom... stop it now. What¡¯s the point of even winning an argument with a little girl like that?¡± Zhang Baochen shuffled over to Zhang Feng¡¯s side and gently nudged her shoe with his foot.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhang Baochen, then Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie at the entrance, and finally Zhang Feng. She exhaled sharply when she realized what as going on. Previously, she heard Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie call Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Elder Cousin.¡± Zhang Baochen also called Grandfather Huo, ¡°Dad¡± from time to time. Although Huo Shaoheng only asked Gu Nianzhi to call Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui Uncle and Auntie Zhang, she still had a clear idea of the rtionship between the Zhang¡¯s and Grandfather Huo. Now that Zhang Feng had appeared as Zhang Baochen¡¯s mother, everything fell into ce! So Zhang Feng the old nurse was Grandfather Huo¡¯s mistress... and she dared call herself justifiable?! It wasughable.

    ¡°Yes, may I ask what you mean by saying that you are more ¡®justifiable¡¯ than I am?¡± Gu Nianzhi stood behind the sofa Huo Shaoheng was sitting in and baited her, ¡°May I ask how old you are? How would youpare to me? I¡¯m a respectable girl. I don¡¯t darepare with you about being justifiable.¡±

    Clearly, she was insulting Zhang Feng as being not respectable. Zhang Feng¡¯s facial muscles trembled from anger and her lips twitched. She used all herposure to stop herself from arguing any further with Gu Nianzhi. Zhang Baochen was right, what was the point of fighting with a little orphan girl like Gu Nianzhi?

    ¡°Head Nurse Zhang is over 60 years old now. Gu Nianzhi, how old are you? How can you speak to her in this tone?¡± Grandfather Huo was unhappy to see Zhang Feng so aggrieved and couldn¡¯t help defending her.

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback and reluctantly said to Zhang Feng, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have been speaking to you like that. But, you¡¯re fairly old now, so how can you still be a nurse? The retirement age for women in our nation is 60 years old.¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi even finished her sentence, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed and there was a trace of a smile in his voice, ¡°Yes, Nianzhi is right. Nurse Zhang is already 64 years old; she should be retiring at this age.¡± As he spoke, he turned to look at Zhao Liangze spectating nearby, ¡°Remember to go to the military after the new year and have them assign a new head nurse to Grandfather. As for Head Nurse Zhang, it¡¯s time you retired and went home to enjoy the rest of your days.¡±

 Chapter 329 - Reunion Dinner (7)

    <h4>Chapter 329: Reunion Dinner (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    ¡°Re.. Retire?!¡±

    Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui gasped unanimously.

    Zhang Feng felt wronged and had been keeping quiet until then. She showed nothing but fear and disbelief.

    She held on to Grandfather Huo¡¯s arm tightly, hoping that he would at least look at her. Her worried eyes filled with tears right at that moment.

    Zhang Feng shook her head furiously, and choked, but still did not say a word,

    However, the agitation in her eyes and actions we clear indications of her thoughts.

    She did not want to retire. Or rather, she did not want to leave Grandfather Huo.

    Grandfather Huo was shocked for a good while by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    He heard what Huo Shaoheng said, but there was this moment, he found himself unable to understand a single thing he said.

    Seeing Grandfather Huo turning pale and flushed continuously, Yin Shixiong was worried that Grandfather Huo was deeply provoked by Huo Shaoheng.

    He was over 70 in age no matter what; who knew what the Zhang¡¯s would tell others if something really happened to Grandfather Huo after hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words?

    He stepped up immediately, pointed at Huo Jin, Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie, and issued amand to the soldiers. ¡°Bring them into the car outside and stay guard there. Send some people to stand guard at the entrance as well. Do not let anyone in.¡± After thinking for a while, he continued, ¡°Except for Doctor Chen.¡±

    The soldiers looked at Huo Shaoheng. They knew he did not disagree with themand when he remained silent. ¡°Yes Sir!¡± They answered, before bringing the 3 of them out.

    Grandfather Huo finally caught up with his breath. He raged at Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Retire?! Trust you to think of that! I know you haven¡¯t liked them and had been nning to get rid of them long ago! I¡¯ll settle this with you today. She ¨C¡± he pointed to Zhang Feng as he spoke: ¡°She wouldn¡¯t leave even if she was made to retire!¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, Senior Nurse Zhang is already over 60 years old. She had been following you since she was in her twenties, and had been working hard since. How can you still not give her her freedom after so long?¡± Huo Shaoheng took a cigarette, ced it in between his index and middle finger, looking rxed. He sounded as though he didn¡¯t know the rtionship between grandfather Huo and the Zhang¡¯s.

    Grandfather Huo sneered. Standing straight, he lowered his voice and asked: ¡°Shaoheng, you really want to be so extreme?¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, I¡¯m mere abiding by the rules. How is this extreme?¡± Huo Shaoheng shrugged, and stood up from the sofa.

    He had a tall and chunky built that lets people feel protected. However, Gu Nianzhi saw loneliness in that back view.

    He must have felt alone in that house...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked fixedly at his back. Her gaze couldn¡¯t hide her feelings for him; it felt like she was hugging him with her eyes.

    Zhao Liangze stood diagonally behind Huo Shaoheng and her. He intended to look on at how the story in front of him would unfold initially, but became alert when he noticed how Gu Nianzhi was looking at Huo Shaoheng. He uncrossed his arms and walked towards her, and coughed lightly.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back into reality, walked out from behind the sofa and stood beside Huo Shaoheng, looking on at what was happening.

    The soldiers have already left the spacious living hall. The only people who were inside were the Huo¡¯s, Zhang¡¯s, and Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze who weren¡¯t family members.

    However, Gu Nianzhi, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were Huo Shaoheng¡¯srades, so they weren¡¯t exactly outsiders.

    A deathly silence engulfed the living hall; only asional sobs from Zhang Feng could be heard.

    Zhao Liangze finally attempted to persuade Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Mr. Huo, should we go to the meeting room to continue the conversation?¡±

    There was a meeting room on the first level. It was meant for special situations for Huo Shaoheng to use. There were no cameras nor sound recorders inside; there were, instead, anti recording devices installed in the room.

    Even if someone were to being a phone or recording device secretly, they wouldn¡¯t be able to put it to use.

    After giving it a thought, Huo Shaoheng turned around and said: ¡°Come in then.¡±

    The group of people left the living hall and headed to the meeting room.

    The moment the door was closed, Grandfather Huo could not control himself anymore.

    He had already gotten out of rage. He thought of how he was treated, Zhang Feng¡¯s forbearance andpany without asking for anything in return, and his guilt towards his youngest son and his family, and directed all of them to displeasure towards Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°I know now, Shaoheng, you¡¯ve grown up, and your rank is high. So you think you can stop respecting me altogether. Is that correct?¡± Grandfather Huo said through gritted teeth.

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets, and remained standing straight. ¡°Grandfather, please do not say things out of anger. I never had any intention of disrespecting you.¡±

    ¡°Never had any intention to disrespect me?¡± Grandfather pulled Zhang Feng up by the arm in one sweeping movement. ¡°You¡¯re disrespecting me if you¡¯re disrespecting her! How dare you still say that you never had any intention to disrespect me?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry while watching all these unfold. She balled her fists, and wanted to debate with Grandfather Huo.

    Huo Shaoheng held her shoulders and pressed her down to stop her.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to keep her mouth shut. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, her face full of unjust and anger.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the face that had unjust written all over it, and thest bit of unjust just disappeared into thin air.

    Many years had passed; He had long gotten over being the adolescent who couldn¡¯t find words to express himself due to anger.

    He learnt topromise and bnce. He also learnt to n ahead and not talk when he was angry. All these were built upon all the emotional resilience he had learnt over the years.

    Because those who did not have the potential to attack back, did not deserve to talk about forbearance.

    It was now his chance to attack back.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi reassuringly, and turned to look at Grandfather Huo who was seeing red. He said casually: ¡°Grandfather, in the army, senior nurse Zhang is ranked as a Lieutenant. I am a Major General. So she should be the one to respect me, and not the other way around. In the family, she is in no way rted to me. Please may I know the reason as to why I have to respect her? Be in in work or private life, I see no reasons to do so. I am not academically inclined, so I don¡¯t understand the logic. Please enlighten me, Grandfather.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened on with glee. If these were posts on social media, she¡¯d have ¡®liked¡¯ all of them.

    Grandfather Huo smiled wryly, and looked to the direction of the door. He announced loudly: ¡°I know you were close to your Grandmother, but I did not do anything to betray her while she was alive! She had passed on for more than 10 years, and I haven¡¯t remarried. If I were to be a widower for her sake, I think this would be more than enough. I¡¯ll tell you right now, I want to marry her! Henceforth, she will be your step-grandmother!¡±

    Darkening his gaze, he looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°...Would this reason suffice? Should you be respecting her now?¡±

    ¡°Old Huo!¡± Zhang Feng was pleasantly surprised, and almost hugged Grandfather Huo¡¯s arms.

    She really did not expect that being humiliated by Huo Shaoheng today would have such an impact.

    She thought that she would never live to see the day!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    Damn!

    Is Grandfather Huo so upset that he¡¯s saying things out of anger now?

    Is he really going to marry Zhang Feng?

    This wouldn¡¯t be good...

    Huo Shaoheng adjusted his cors, squinted his eyes and asked: ¡°Grandfather, you¡¯re really going to marry senior nurse Zhang?¡±

    Grandfather Huo regretted his words the moment he blurted them out, but seeing that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t nning on giving in, Zhang Feng looking at him smilingly with tears in her eyes, and Zhang Baochen¡¯s almost ted expression, he couldn¡¯t take back his words.

    He went on, ¡°Yes, so? Cant I? Is there aw saying that one is unable to remarry after his spouse passed on? Your grandmother had already passed on for more than 10 years!¡±

    Huo Guanchen hadn¡¯t been speaking the moment he entered the meeting room.

    Seeing his father and son arguing, heughed bitterly.

    They had the same stubborn temper.

    Huo Guanchen tried to appease everyone, and told Huo Shaoheng firmly: ¡°Shaoheng, don¡¯t cross the line. Your grandfather is getting on in age, please know your limits.¡± He then turned to Grandfather Huo and continued: ¡°Father, you too, please stop saying things in anger. It¡¯s the New Year, why make everyone unhappy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood the meaning behind his words. Obviously, he did not want Zhang Feng to be his stepmother...

    Grandfather Huo saw that both his son and grandson were not agreeable to this, but he did not want to admit defeat. So he continued, stubbornly: ¡°I am not saying anything out of anger! I want to marry her! I¡¯ve wronged her for her entire life. Now we¡¯re old, why can¡¯t I give her a status?¡±

 Chapter 330 - Reunion Dinner (8)

    <h4>Chapter 330: Reunion Dinner (8)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Only give her a status?¡± Huo Shaoheng retorted as he pointed at Zhang Baochen. ¡°What about him? Everyone thinks he¡¯s the illegitimate son of Head Nurse Zhang, so what will happen to him when you marry Head Nurse Zhang?¡±

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s true identity was only known to the Huo¡¯s while everyone else was told that he was the son Zhang Feng had with another man. He was brought into the Huo manor to help with cooking and housekeeping duties. Grandfather Huo had never publicly acknowledged Zhang Baochen as his son. This was also the reason why he was particrly guilty. Zhang Baochen was his biological son, but had instead lived like a servant in the Huo manor and was bullied by Huo Shaoheng and Huo Jin.

    ¡°Baochen will of course change hisst name.¡± Grandfather Huo had nothing to lose anymore. ¡°Just like Jin¡ªshe is not rted to the Huo family but still keeps the Huo family name. It¡¯s the same thing as Baochen changing his name. Who would have anything to say about that?¡±

    ¡°Huo Jin got to keep her name because Uncle acknowledged her as his daughter.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to ask everyone to sit down, and his tone was nonchnt. ¡°Although it¡¯s now been proven she isn¡¯t his daughter, and she is still Uncle¡¯s legal heir ording to the marriagesws.¡±

    ¡°Right. so Baochen and Jin are the same.¡± Grandfather Huo sat down with Zhang Feng¡¯s help. ¡°I will marry her and her son will naturally be my son as well.¡± This situation was not umon¡ªpeople with children who remarried sometimes changed thest names. However, Zhang Baochen¡¯s situation was different.

    ¡°So you¡¯re going to treat everyone like fools?¡± Huo Shaoheng drawled, yet his tone was very calm so as to not agitate Grandfather Huo. ¡°Marrying Head Nurse Zhang and then saying that your legitimate son is someone else¡¯s son? Then, go ahead and change hisst name so that he is your legal heir?¡± This was indeed a hurdle that couldn¡¯t be crossed.

    Grandfather Huo was stunned and his fingers twitched uncontrobly. He nced at Zhang Feng, only to see that her head was down as she stood quietly beside him, the white in her hair visible. He sighed and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Yes, no one will think much of this as long as you and I don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say.¡± Huo Shaoheng extended his finger to tap on the conference table. ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t be naive. You are able to do many things and not talk about them, but certain things you can talk about but aren¡¯t able to do. For example your ¡®illegitimate¡¯ son¡ªeveryone can ignore this if you don¡¯t get married and don¡¯t acknowledge him. But as soon as you marry and change his name...¡±

    ¡°Then what? Isn¡¯t it enough for me to im that he¡¯s not my biological son?!¡± Grandfather Huo was so furious he was nearly shouting as he red at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Huo Shaoheng objected crisply. ¡°If he really isn¡¯t your biological son, there is no problem with you getting married with Head Nurse Zhang at all.¡±

    Zhang Feng¡¯s heart dropped to her stomach when she heard this and reflexively grabbed Grandfather Huo¡¯s arm. How can their biological son be the obstacle to their marriage? Zhang Feng was so upset, she almost drew blood from biting her lip so hard. Grandfather patted her hand in reassurance.

    Huo Shaoheng continued,¡±Coincidentally, however, he happens to be your biological son. We¡¯ve already done the DNA test a long time ago and just took a fresh blood sample earlier so we can always retest at anytime. You can¡¯t hide this even if you wanted to.¡±

    Grandfather Huo nched.

    ¡°If you insist on getting married under these circumstances, you are basically announcing to the world that you betrayed Grandmother 40 some years ago. Also, both you and Zhang Feng were active duty soldiers at the time. Her breaking up a military marriage and having a child out of wedlock is a political issue. Youmitted adultery and raised an illegitimate child, so that¡¯s an even more serious an offense. Zhang Baochen, Zhang Wenna, and Zhang Wenjie are the irond evidence of how you and she broke up a military marriage.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed a leg and sped his hands in hisp as he silently regarded them.

    Zhang Feng, Zhang Baochen, and Qian Shihui were all speechless. It was as though they had been pushed to the cliff¡¯s edge and could only choose between falling to their death or being torn apart by the ravenous beasts pursuing them. They would perish either way and had no way out.

    Zhang Feng couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and burst into tears against Grandfather Huo¡¯s shoulder, weeping, ¡°Elder Huo, this was all my fault! It¡¯s my fault! I secretly gave birth and you had no idea! I never intended to break up your marriage with Mrs. Xie!¡±

    At that time, Huo Xuenong truly hadn¡¯t known that their one night together had resulted in Zhang Feng¡¯s pregnancy. Afterwards, she had taken a year off and appeared to be the same when she returned. Although, she had been even more passionate about caring for Huo Xuenong, but his wife Xie Ziyan had been alive and they¡¯d been deeply in love. He had paid no attention to Zhang Feng back then and his feelings towards her only deepened in the decades of time together after Xie Ziyan passed away. ¡°Even though you didn¡¯t tell me, I¡¯m still thankful you had Baochen.¡± Grandfather Huo grasped Zhang Feng¡¯s hand emotionally. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. What¡¯s done is done. I owe you and our son so much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face became stony. He sat rigidly and looked at the crying Zhang Feng solemnly. ¡°Head Nurse Zhang, can you swear that you¡¯ve never intended to break up my grandparents¡¯ marriage?¡±

    Zhang Feng wiped the tears from her eyes and answered with all seriousness. ¡°I certainly did not. I swear on my military rank.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, not unkindly, ¡°I¡¯d believe you a bit more if you swore on the health of your son and grandchildren.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Zhang Feng¡¯s face fell instantly. ¡°Shaoheng, I know that you were close to Mrs. Xie and I don¡¯t me you for not acknowledging me as you step-grandmother. Just don¡¯t drag my son and grandchildren into this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything.¡± Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze to the window. The night was as dark as thest one his grandmother had been alive. He had done his homework at her bedside every night, and read to her and chatted with her. But his grandmother¡¯s wish of seeing his grandfather was never fulfilled. ¡°Back then, I remember Head Nurse Zhang would always prevent Auntie Chang from seeing Grandfather and asking him to visit Grandmother.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Head Nurse Zhang? You remember Auntie Chang?¡±

    Auntie Chang was an elderly servant that had apanied Xie Ziyan from her own family¡¯s home. Auntie Chang had stayed by Xie Ziyan all her life, but ended up surviving her.

    ¡°Your grandmother was seriously ill at the time and I was worried about the Chief¡¯s health. Of course I couldn¡¯t let him visit her frequently.¡± Zhang Feng brushed it off, ¡°That¡¯s my area of responsibility, what mistake did I make?¡±

    ¡°What? Ziyan asked Auntie Zhang to look for me?¡± Grandfather Huo was shocked. ¡°When was this? Why don¡¯t I know anything about it?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spread his palms. ¡°Chief, you were so busy at the time and probably didn¡¯t care to remember such trivial things. But I remember. I can still recall the look on Grandmother¡¯s face.¡±

    Grandfather Huo was so anxious that Zhang Feng suddenly panicked. No way! She thought frantically. It¡¯s been over ten years and he still cared for Xie Ziyan?! Zhang Feng¡¯s gaze fluttered to the corner of the wall and her heart thumped wildly.

    Grandfather Hu stared at Zhang Feng for a while, then averted his eyes andposed himself. He replied frostily, ¡°I often asked to see your grandmother thest year she was alive, but she refused. Zhang Feng can¡¯t be med for this.¡±

    Zhang Feng exhaled, setting her mind at ease.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and interjected, ¡°General Huo, that¡¯s not the case. You have to consider the cause and effect of the situation. Did this start from Head Nurse Zhang concealing the news and preventing you from seeing Mrs. Xie, or did it start with Mrs. Xie refusing to see you?¡± As soon as she said this, everyone understood. Xie Ziyan had clearly asked Auntie Chang to send for Huo Xuenong, but he didn¡¯t visit her due to Zhang Feng¡¯s interference. Xie Ziyan had been furious and had refused to see Huo Xuenong again. This was the logical sequence. However, Grandfather Huo imed that Xie Ziyan had never wanted to see him to begin with, so Zhang Feng hadn¡¯t done anything wrong by interfering¡ªthis was twisting the truth. Gu Nianzhi abhorred this.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes grew cold and his tone became serious as he said, ¡°Very well then. If you insist you on doing this, your name will be removed from the trust fund. The terms of Grandmother¡¯s trust fund clearly stiptes that you will lose the right to inherit if you remarry. Also, the truth of what happened all those years ago will eventually be exposed as soon as you get remarried, and the military will investigate your misdeeds. I can guarantee that your punishment will include demotion of rank.¡±

    There were a fixed number of general positions, so a new general couldn¡¯t be named until Huo Xuenong lost the rank. He hadmitted a serious error and had even publicized it, so it would be no wonder if someone took advantage and imed his spot.

    ¡°So, did you consider the consequences?¡±

    ¡°Consequences?¡± Grandfather Huo muttered ruefully as he changed his sitting position.

    ¡°Yes. Firstly, you will be demoted from the rank of general. I don¡¯t know to what rank you¡¯ll end up having. You probably won¡¯t be allowed to live in the house in the military housingmunity. Secondly, you will lose the right to the trust fund and ording to Grandmother¡¯s will, your portion will be transferred to me.¡±

    Grandfather Huo didn¡¯t care about the trust fund and immediately replied, ¡°You can remove my name from the trust fund. That¡¯s your grandmother¡¯s dowry. I never wanted it anyway.¡± However, he had to carefully consider the problem of his rank and its apanying benefits. He had been a soldier all his live and had fought in many wars as the perennially victorious general, but now faced the possibility of losing his honour in thest years of his life. If he was no longer a general, he wouldn¡¯t be able to live in the military housingmunity and lose a number of orderlies and personal secretaries. Fewer people would visit during the holidays and he would no longer have the right to participate in conferences of the Imperial elite. His treatment by others would plummet. Was he ready to lose all of this? Grandfather Huo couldn¡¯t help ncing at Zhang Feng.

    Eyes downcast, Zhang Feng was considering many more things than Grandfather Huo. First, there was the issue of Xie Ziyan¡¯s inheritance. Although it was a dowry, Zhang Feng had always assumed that because there had been no pre-nuptials, Elder Huo would receive half of her inheritance automatically. The other half would then be divided evenly amongst Elder Huo, Huo Guanyuan, and Huo Guanchen, so Huo Shaoheng should only receive what Huo Guanchen would inherit. However, Huo Shaoheng was now liable, somehow, to receive most of Xie Ziyan¡¯s inheritance and left a meager amount to the others. By the time it passed to Zhang Feng¡¯s son and grandchildren, there would only be scraps left. They were all biological sons of Huo Xuenong, so what the h*ll was going on?! Listening to Huo Shaoheng, Zhang Feng found herself in a dilemma. If she didn¡¯t marry Grandfather Huo, she wouldn¡¯t be able to receive a part of Xie Ziyan¡¯s inheritance ording to marriagews. But if she married Huo Xuenong, he would lose his right to inherit and she would get nothing too. Who on earth had written such a tricky will?!

 Chapter 331 - Reunion Dinner (9)

    <h4>Chapter 331: Reunion Dinner (9)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhang Feng made her very own deduction immediately: Xie Ziyan was already extremely ill by the time she wrote her will. She wasn¡¯t in a clear state of mind to even write it. Therefore, someone dictated her will. Therefore, the will wouldn¡¯t be legally valid.

    Settling the will was an easy task; but if her rtionship with Grandfather Huo were spilled, would the army really not let the matter rest?

    Grandfather Huo had already retired from the army, but he still maintained good rtionships with the army, parliament and cab.

    Huo Guanchen, grandfather Huo¡¯s second son, was also a General in the army. He was also the director of the political department. He would allow the army to run an investigation on his own father?

    But one really cannot be sure...

    Then there¡¯s Huo Shaoheng ¨C he¡¯s the major general; would he allow his career progression to be affected by his grandfather¡¯s gossips?

    Definitely impossible...

    So... no matter what, they were merely threatening them, hoping that they¡¯d back down, so that the Huo¡¯s would be able to get all the bargains.

    How can she let them, then?

    She only had grandfather Huo in her entire lifetime. She does love him, and she loved him her entire life. Even so, she still couldn¡¯t have the rights to share everything he has?

    Let them try then!

    Zhang Feng held on to grandfather Huo¡¯s arms, and wiped her tears with the back of her arm. ¡°Old Huo, as long as we¡¯re able to be together officially, I don¡¯t really care about statuses. Even if I have to leave the army, I would dly do so.¡±

    Grandfather Huo, however, hesitated.

    He didn¡¯t care about Xie Ziyan¡¯s assets, but it¡¯s impossible to get him to not care about his status and ranking.

    The price he have to pay to be together with Zhang Feng really seemed a little too much to pay.

    Huo Guanchen saw the hesitance in grandfather Huo, and seized the opportunity: ¡°Alright, Shaoheng. Alright, father. Why don¡¯t the both of youpromise a little? Father shall not remarry, and Shaoheng don¡¯t blow the matter up.¡±

    ¡°Whether or not grandfather wants to remarry, as a grandson, I have no rights to interfere.¡± Smiling, he continued: ¡°But senior nurse Zhang retiring will be fixed. There won¡¯t be changes to that.¡±

    If Zhang Feng retired, and did not marry grandfather Huo, then she wouldn¡¯t have any more excuses left to remain in the Huo¡¯s.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you should think in your grandfather¡¯s shoes. He¡¯s getting on in age, both you and I are not home most of the time; he couldn¡¯t even find someone to talk to. Luckily, he had the Zhang¡¯s to apany him.¡± Huo Guanchen sighed, hoping to convince Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was persistent on not allowing the Zhang¡¯s to remain with the Huo¡¯s. He refused to budge. ¡°Father, if grandfather wishes to look forpany, or even remarry, I will have no issues totally. I¡¯ve already said: we can look for someone else. It just cannot be her.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re obviously going against my mother by saying that!¡± Zhang Baochen couldn¡¯t control himself any longer and spoke up.

    ¡°Yes that¡¯s right, I¡¯m going against your mother.¡± Huo Shaoheng answered simply. ¡°A thief gets punished when he steals; not to mention harboring intentions for someone else¡¯s husband? She has to pay the price for what she did.¡±

    ¡°What did she do now?! She¡¯s merely ady! What...¡± Zhang Baochen shouted incoherently.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Shut up! Are you trying to say that she was forced? Is that what you¡¯re trying to say?¡±

    If she wasn¡¯t going to admit that she seduced grandfather Huo, did grandfather Huo force himself on her 40 years ago?

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s face changed. This wasn¡¯t any simple usation. He turned to look at Zhang Feng and asked her coldly: ¡°You told your son that I was the one who forced myself on you then?¡±

    ¡°My son¡± had turned into ¡°Your son¡± all of a sudden. Grandfather Huo¡¯s mood had obviously been affected.

    ¡°No... No... Didn¡¯t... I didn¡¯t...¡± Zhang Feng felt extremely awkward, and stuttered miserably. In a moment of fury, she pped her son and shouted: ¡°What the hell were you talking about?! Your father and I were in love, that was why we had you back then!¡±

    ¡°Stop iming credit.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out a gold coin absentmindedly and began toying it around his fingers. He turned to ask grandfather Huo: ¡°Grandfather, you were in love so early back then with senior nurse Zhang? I thought you said it only began after Grandma passed away.¡±

    Grandfather Huo looked at Huo Shaoheng angrily. All he felt was embarrassment.

    ¡°Fine! Shaoheng, you¡¯ve grown up now! You even dare humiliate your grandfather! Fine then! I shall not continue to be a General anymore! Go! Let¡¯s go back! We¡¯re not going to spend the New Year here anymore!¡± grandfather Huo was unable to face the embarrassment. The only thing he could do right now was to leave this ce immediately.

    Huo Shaoheng decided to fall outpletely as well: ¡°Sure, you can leave; but they cannot return to the Huo¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Cannot return...? It¡¯s the New Year, where would you expect them to go? Shaoheng, don¡¯t be so extreme as a person! Are you trying to push them to their limits?!¡± Grandfather Huo felt his blood pressure rising.

    ¡°Pushing them to their limits? How?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked, not batting an eyelid. His gaze travelled to Zhang Feng and Zhang Baochen, and continued: ¡°Sanhuan Chaoyang¡¯s Chunhui building, block B, units 214, 216 and 218; all of them Duplex suites. 200 square metres each. All of them bought under Mdm Zhang Feng¡¯s name. Sihuan Zhichun Precinct, Baolong Court, Block C, units 1043, 1054, 1089 and 2067; all 4 of them are 4 bedrooms with 2 living rooms units, each 150 square metres, all bought under Zhang Baochen¡¯s name. Others, Grandfather, I shall not name. I shall only name these 7 properties in Di Capital.¡±

    Fear were writtened all over the faces of the Zhang¡¯s.

    They did not expect Huo Shaoheng to list their properties clearly one by one!

    ¡°Not bad, this way, we wouldn¡¯t have to worry that they¡¯ll end up on the streets,¡± Gu Nianzhiughed lightly, and continued: ¡°but ording to the property prices in Di Capital now, you¡¯re all billionaires now. I really take my hats off you; the returns of being a nurse is amazing; I don¡¯t think I can ever afford a house like that even after being awyer my entire life.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded in agreement, and carassed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. ¡°You still have got a long way to go. How can youpare your money growing ns with them?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, since being a nurse has such high returns, can you go and be one too?¡± Gu nianzhi smiled at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What¡¯s the monthly sry?¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed. ¡°A normal nurse would be earning a couple of thousand a month? But a senior nurse might be earning a 5-digit ie. Even so, the 7 properties are worth at least a 7-digit each; think about it: How many lifetimes of senior nurse must she be to be able own all these properties...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare use others!¡± Zhang Baochen panicked. ¡°Property prices werent that high in the past! How couldn¡¯t we afford it then?¡±

    Qian Shihui said quickly as well: ¡°My family has the money; they were the ones who bought the properties!¡±

    ¡°Your family paid the money for the houses to be bought under your Husband and Mother-In-Law¡¯s names? Oh my, by any chance, is your familyundering money?¡± Gu Nianzhi mocked Qian Shihui, and not even look her in the eye on purpose.

    ¡°Who are you callingundering money? Don¡¯t use others of what your entire family is doing!¡± Qian Shihui almost wanted to have a catfight with Gu Nianzhi.

    She had despised Gu Nianzhi all along, and now she got ridiculed by her?!

    She could put up with Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, but why should she put up with Gu Nianzhi?!

    ¡°That was just a casual remark, why are you so agitated? Did I just manage to hit a sensitive spot by ident? Oh dear~ Did I uncover the truth unknowingly again?¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth and beganughing; her Bvlgari watch reflected the lights beautifully, blinding Qian Shihui.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said. Those were bought in the past! Zhang Baochen red at Qian Shihui, as a request to get her to keep her mouth shut. ¡°The property prices then were about a thousand or 2 per square metre; who asked you guys not to get a property earlier on?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his head and looked at Zhang Baochen, ¡°Boughtst time? For a thousand or 2 per square metre, how many years ago must that be?¡±

    ¡°...About 20 years ago.¡± Zhao Liangze gave it some thoughts. ¡°Or maybe earlier?¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s strange; Chunhui building in Chaoyang finished its construction 3 years ago, and Zhichun Precinct¡¯s Baolong Courtst year. Please tell me, the properties you bought in the past; where were they? They weren¡¯t demolished.¡±

    Zhang Baochen admitted defeat. His face turned purple, and he couldn¡¯t make a sound.

    Being caught lying in front of everyone ¨C no wonder he felt so awkward.

    Zhang Feng saw red when she heard that.

    As long as Grandfather Huo followed them, would they still worry that they wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the Huo¡¯s?

    ¡°Fine then, Old Huo shalle and stay with me.¡± Zhang Feng tried to hold grandfather Huo. ¡°Let¡¯s bring our reunion dinner to Chaoyang.¡±

    Grandfather Huo left the mansion with Zhang Feng without saying a word.

    Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui immediately followed suit.

    ...

    ¡°Huo Shao, are we supposed to let them off like that?¡± Gu Nianzhi still felt unjust after the Zhang¡¯s left. ¡°That¡¯s so easy on them!¡±

    ¡°Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be so simple.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°my eventual goal would be to let Zhang Feng spend the rest of her life in prison.¡±

 Chapter 332 - Reunion Dinner (10)

    <h4>Chapter 332: Reunion Dinner (10)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cocking her head, Gu Nianzhi studied Huo Shaoehng. ¡°Huo Shao, will there be anotherwsuit?¡± She was very excited.

    Huo Shaohengughed and smoothed her hair. ¡°No, that¡¯s too much trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brows questioningly, but he answered firmly, ¡°Leave it, ok? This is an internal military affair.¡±

    Since this was rted to Grandfather Huo, and because Zhang Feng hadn¡¯tmit murder like Bai Jinyi had, it was better to leave Gu Nianzhi out of it. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want her to be at odds with his family. Gu Nianzhi realized that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to discuss it any further and stopped asking. She stood quietly beside Huo Shaoheng and obediently gave himpany. The pair stood before the French windows in his suite and watched the distant car lights in silence.

    Soon after, Zhao Liangze knocked on the door and spoke through the inte. ¡°Mr. Huo? Nianzhi? Time for dinner!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her belly with a giggle, ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m really starving. Huo Shao, let¡¯s have our New Year¡¯s dinner!¡±

    The food was ready around half past seven, and they still hadn¡¯t eaten anything, an hourter due to all the family drama. Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi left the room separately to head downstairs to the dining room. Huo Guanchen had left too¡ªthe Zhang¡¯s had refused to take Huo Jin with them so Huo Guanchen had to bring her back to the Huo manor for the New Year. The only people in the dining room were the ones from before.

    Song Jinning and Yin Shixiong sat at the dining room and waved when they saw Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi,e here and sit with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over happily and sat besides Song Jinning. Huo Shaoheng eschewed politeness and took a seat at the head of table with Song Jinning and Yin Shixiong at his sides. Zhao Liangze sat across from Gu Nianzhi, and she was next to Yin Shixiong and Song Jinning respectively. The five people were about to eat when a loud noise sounded from the living room door, and a man in a fur lined hooded down jacket, his figure as plump as a ball, barreled inside shouting, ¡°Boss! Where¡¯s the patient? I heard you Grandfather was sick?¡±

    Chen Lie had arrived.

    Huo Shaoheng wordlessly set his wine ss down and waved in the direction of the living room. The guards at the dining room quickly ushered Chen Lie inside. Chen Lie walked briskly, his two arms swinging as he removed his down jacket and threw it on the couch. He strode over to the dining room and scratched his head when he counted the number of people in the room and then asked with shock, ¡°Where¡¯s your grandfather? Where did he go? Is he resting upstairs?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had him take a seat, saying, ¡°Come join us for dinner, since you¡¯re already here. My Grandfather was throwing a tantrum earlier, but he¡¯s ok now and has gone home already.¡±

    Chen Lie sighed in relief. ¡°I should¡¯ve came earlier, but there was something wrong with my car on the way here and it almost didn¡¯t start. I called and Little Ze said it wasn¡¯t urgent.¡±

    Zhao Liangze kept mum and stared studiously into his te.

    Huo Shaoheng looked over at him and Zhao Liangze immediately stood up and stared at his feet while saying, ¡°Grandfather Huo had just woken up when Dr. Chen called, so I told him not to rush.¡± This was when Grandfather Huo had dered that he¡¯d marry Zhang Feng. Zhao Liangze had seen Grandfaher Huo so energetic and assumed his condition was surely fine, so he hadn¡¯t rushed Chen Lie toe over right away.

    ¡°Sit down. He was fine.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his wine ss and toasted everyone at the table, ¡°It¡¯s been a long night for everyone, let¡¯s enjoy the food and drink.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a sip of red wine and looked at the stewed ribs with lotus roots she had asked for during the day, now ced right in front of her. ¡°This tastes so vorful.¡± Gu Nianzhi had a bite of the perfectly soft and fragrant stewed fresh lotus root, then tried some of the rib, with meat that fell off the bone. Her taste buds had been stimted by the red wine and was more sensitive to the delicious taste¡ªshe almost felt drunk and her watery eyes couldn¡¯t help gravitating in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    Huo Shaoheng remainedposed and elegant as usual and chatted with Song Jinning from time to time, then he toasted Yin Shixiong. He didn¡¯t give Gu Nianzhi any eye contact.

    Gu Nianzhi snuck many nces at Huo Shaoheng, only to be ignored. She was unhappy and began downing the wine recklessly, ending up quite drunk soon after. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze noticed this and were terrified that she might do something crazy in her drunken state, thereby exposing her forbidden feelings for Huo Shaoheng. Yin Shixiong sat next to her and grabbed her wine ss with a smile and said , ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t drink too much now. We still have to go see the fireworkster! You can¡¯t go if you¡¯re drunk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head while she slurred out, ¡°I don¡¯t want to watch the fireworks! Who wants to go see that? It onlysts a second no matter how pretty it is, and I don¡¯t want that.¡± She wanted something thatsted forever, not something that bloomed for a moment.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s mouth twitched and he secretly chided her for being a silly girl. He picked up arge piece of lotus root and put it in her bowl and said, ¡°Eat it! This stewed ribs with lotus root dish, we had the fresh lotus root delivered especially for you!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Gu Nianzhi stares at him, her doe like eyes clouded over with drunkenness. Yin Shixiong was bewitched by them.

    ¡°I bought it. D-did you know? I bought it with Huo Shao!¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction but didn¡¯t look at him.

    Chen Lie held his wine ss as he looked at Gu Nianzhi, then Huo Shaoheng. He winked at him and almost pped his knee with amusement.

    Zhao Liangze noticed that the situation was getting out of hand and immediately refilled Chen Lie¡¯s ss to get his attention. ¡°Dr. Chen, please have a drink. I¡¯m sure you would want to guess what year this is?¡±

    Chen Lie was a red wine expert, so his interest was immediately piqued. The two men began chatting about the good and bad of red wine, taking no notice of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t miss any of the constant nces from Gu Nianzhi. He was alwaysposed and didn¡¯t have a habit of giving her flirtatious looks in public, so he continued to ignore her. He watched her from the corner of his eye instead. Gu Nianzhi was growing more and more sad and drinking a lot, so Huo Shaoheng rapped the dining table and lowered his gaze as he poured himself a ss of wine. He began with standing up to toast Song Jinning, ¡°Happy New Year.¡±

    Song Jinning raised her ss to him and said with a smile, ¡°Happy New Year.¡± She then took the initiative to nudge his shoulder so he would look at Gu Nianzhi andughed quietly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go console her? The young girl is about to cry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned.

    ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s stop drinking now. Your eyes are all red.¡± Yin Shixiong fussed over Gu Nianzhi and nearly shouted at her in desperation, ¡°Brother Xiong is going to teach you a lesson if you don¡¯t stop acting out!¡±

    ¡°How are you going to teach me a lesson? Are you going to hit me?!¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Yin Shixiong. Being drunk was nice, she thought. It made her feel especially fearless.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over with a wine ss and tapped Yin Shixiong¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Big Xiong, you¡¯ve worked hard this year. Happy New Year.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo is too kind! This is my job.¡± Yin Shixiong quickly stood up and raised his ss to Huo Shaoheng.

    Half sprawled on the dining table, Gu Nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng as he toasted Yin Shixiong with such poise and had a drink. He then walked over to her. He¡¯sing, he¡¯sing over now! He¡¯s finally looking over here! Gu Nianzhi suddenly go so excited that her slight anger towards Huo Shaoheng seemed to immediately dissipate. When a young girl was in love, just one look from her lover could send her to paradise. Gu Nianzhi stood up shakily and supported herself on the dining table, taking her ss and gazing drunkenly at Huo Shaoheng. Her smile was both sweet and bashful.

    Huo Shaoheng was entranced by her loving eyes and his heart trembled. He couldn¡¯t help reaching out to touch her cheek, but he remembered that he was still in the dining room by the time his hand was halfway on her face. Everyone was looking, so he suddenly changed directions and sped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and spoke gently, ¡°Sit down, you¡¯ve had a lot to drink already.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down obediently and kept nodding her head as she protested, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that much. I can still drink some more.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be shaking your head if you¡¯re saying no?¡± Yin Shixiong chuckled from the side. ¡°And you¡¯re still insisting you didn¡¯t drink a lot! Your brain is out of sync with your body!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s alcohol tolerance and bent down to toast her. His voice was deep and endearing as he murmured, ¡°Stop drinking. I¡¯ll drink for you, ok?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Drink for me?¡± She raised her ss to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips.

    Huo Shaoheng finished his own ss first, then took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and emptied her ss as well. As he swallowed the wine, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were firmly nted on him, taking in his entire form.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze could only pretend they hadn¡¯t seen anything and chattered away with the others as they busied themselves with the food and drink. Song Jinning smiled but didn¡¯t attempt to intervene.

    Chen Lie was the only oneughing loudly and raising his ss, ¡°Boss, what are you doing? You have to at least be drinking wedlock wine [1] when you¡¯re doing it with Nianzhi! Isn¡¯t that right?!¡±

 Chapter 333 - Being a frog at the bottom of a well

    <h4>Chapter 333: Being a frog at the bottom of a well</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Poof!

    Poof!

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze spat out the drinks almost at the same time, and looked at Chen Lie in shock.

    Chen Lie blinked his eyes: ¡°Don¡¯t you all feel so?¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t think so!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze retorted unanimously.

    Yin Shixiong continued: ¡°Chen Lie, you cannot say things like that on a whim. Our Nianzhi is still young; jokes like these shouldn¡¯t be made.¡±

    Almost drunk, Gu Nianzhi only had her attention on Huo Shaoheng. However, Chen Lie wasughing too loudly, and his voice was bright. Thus, it caught her attention.

    For a moment, her mind was nk.

    She turned to Chen Lie mindlessly, and saw his sparkling eyes. She repeated after him: ¡°... exchange of wine between bride and groom? How do we do that?¡±

    Pooooooof¡ª!

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze both spat their drinks again.

    Huo Shaoheng straightened himself and walked to Chen Lie. Putting down his wine ss, he picked up the Mao Tai and filled a third of a ss. Next, he picked up the red wine and filled another third. Finally, he filled the ss with tequ.

    The alcohol were separated into 3 colors ¨C White, red and green, just like a cocktail.

    Huo Shaoheng held the ss, and gave it a little swirl. The three colors blended together and turned into a rainbow.

    ¡°Come, Chen Lie; It has been hard on you this year. Let me toast to you.¡± Huo Shaoheng handed the rainbow ¡®cocktail¡¯ to Chen Lie, and lifted his white wine. ¡°Bottoms up!¡±

    Chen Lie gulped: ¡°Mr. Huo...¡±

    ¡°Down it! If not it¡¯ll mean you look down on me, and don¡¯t treat me as a buddy.¡± Huo Shaoheng showed his wine ss ¨C he had already finished his.

    Since he put it this way, Chen Lie had no choice but to drink it.

    ¡°You¡¯re good...¡± Chen Lie mouthed a vulgarity towards Huo Shaoheng, and drank the ¡®cocktail¡¯ in one gulp.

    Almost immediately after, Chen Lie¡¯s fair chubby face started flushing. His focus began to blur. His reactions towards people slowed as well.

    Huo Shaoheng went back to his seat, and continued with his reunion dinner, asionally speaking to Song Jinning and Yin Shixiong.

    Using the corners of his eyes, he kept a good eye on Gu Nianzhi, and continued to observe Chen Lie.

    After a while, they passed out due to having too much alcohol.

    ¡°Just one drink and he got drunk.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head in disapproval. ¡°Soldier, send Doctor Chen to the guestroom please.¡±

    The soldier standing guard at the entrance of the dining hall came over, and helped Chen Lie to the guestroom.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze knew that it was Chen Lie¡¯s ¡°incoherent¡± words that led to this...

    He still felt that it was a taboo to talk about him and Gu Nianzhi in front of him...

    Song Jinning finished her dinner, stood up and nodded to everyone at the table: ¡°I¡¯m heading back to rest. You guys enjoy your dinner.¡±

    ¡°Mdm Song, aren¡¯t you going to Shousui?¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze both stood up.

    Song Jinning shook her head, and touched her warm face: ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m used to turning in and waking up early.¡±

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi who was sprawled on the table, and told Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Nianzhi is still young. She shouldn¡¯t drink so much alcohol. Remember to give her some soup to sober her up.¡±

    She left after talking.

    Even before Huo Shaoheng asked him to, Zhao Liangze had already informed the military chefs in the kitchen to send two bowls of soups for sobering people ¨C one for Gu Nianzhi, and one for Chen Lie.

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling horrible due to dizziness; Yin Shixiong spent some time trying to get her up and feeding her the soup.

    She felt better after finish the entire bowl of pickled asparagus and chicken skin soup, but still didn¡¯t have the energy to move.

    ¡°How many times have I said before; don¡¯t drink if you can¡¯t hold your liquor.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over to her and picked her up. ¡°Go and sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was practically hanging on his arm. Her hair fell on her back, like a waterfall.

    Yin Shixiong quickly volunteered: ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re busy. Should I send her to the room instead?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply, only shooting a re towards Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong froze at the re, and looked on at Huo Shaoheng carrying Gu Nianzhi out of the dining hall.

    ¡°Stop looking...¡± Zhao Liangze knocked on the dining table. ¡°Let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat. There is still so much food left. They¡¯re gone, but we shouldn¡¯t waste all these food.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng helped Gu Nianzhi out of the dining hall, but it was tough helping her as she was practically knocked out. So Huo Shaoheng just carried her, princess style, up the stairs and to her suite on the second level.

    Pushing the door open, he entered and kicked the door close with a thud.

    The lights weren¡¯t turned on in the suite. The curtains on the French windows were opened. The lights from the streetmps along with the lights from the house poured into her suite from the windows and made it look dull, but not dark; just like the evening hours.

    Huo Shaoheng put Gu Nianzhi on the sofa, and sat down beside her. ¡°Awake?¡±

    ¡°Hm,¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up slowly, and ced her head onto his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s not 12 yet; I cannot sleep.¡±

    ¡°Why were you angry just now?¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice, putting a hand gently on her cheeks and caressing it.

    ¡°Just now?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°You didn¡¯t even look at me just now... People looked at you so many times though...¡±

    ¡°Angry merely because of that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi avoided Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, ¡°I was indeed a little upset just now, but was all okay after you came over.¡±

    She knew she might not have, but she just couldn¡¯t control herself at that moment.

    When you truly like someone, you¡¯ll realize that your emotions rise and fall ording to that one person, and not yourself anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her fixedly, with a gaze that spoke so much, but so hard to understand: ¡°But if you were to be by my side, there¡¯ll be many more situations like this in the future. There might even be a possibility where someone else and you fell into the river, but I have to save that someone else instead of you. ¨C You¡¯re alright with these too?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have to save me... I can swim, remember?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him with her big round eyes and replied cheekily.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled weakly and looked at her. He was still caressing her face, but the temperature from his fingers was falling. Very soon, it felt almost cold. ¡°You don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±

    Falling into the river together was just a metaphor.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him fondly for a while, and sigh softly, nodding her head. ¡°I understand. I know it all. Your identity is different, status is different, work is also different ¨C different aspared to normal people. It was just ¨C at that moment, I couldn¡¯t control myself, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Control yourself even if you can¡¯t.¡± Huo Shaoheng held on to her cheeks tightly, and left a red mark due to using too much strength.

    Gu Nianzhi ced her hand over his, and said with a low voice: ¡°I wanted to control, but I was just too full of emotions for you, you get it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got a little shocked. He kept quiet.

    ¡°I like you so much, if I¡¯m able to control myself in all situations, then I wouldn¡¯t be the 18 year old Gu Nianzhi. I would¡¯ve been the Huo Shaoheng who, at the age of 28, already was ranked a major general and made countless contributions in the army.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered earnestly, and had an utterly serious expression on her face. However, it only made her look like a child in adult¡¯s clothing.

    A smile crept up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face, and bent down to kiss her. His tongue spread her lips open and barged into her mouth, their tongues twirling.

    She was so young. Growing up alongside him, she wasn¡¯t like the others who were always wary against him.

    She was like a perfect piece of crystal, clear and beautiful, and easily seen through.

    A young girl¡¯s love was passionate and straightforward; it was pure. How can Huo Shaoheng not understand this?

    She only had him in her heart, but his heart had too many other things.

    She only took up a small area in his heart; even though that was already all he could afford in the area of a romantic rtionship.

    Huo Shaoheng thought: he was actually a heartless person. Even if he was to give her all he could afford in the area of a romantic rtionship, she might not feel that it was enough.

    Breaking the kiss, their foreheads met. His hands caressed her back, like he was coaxing a little girl, but Gu Nianzhi was more than contented.

    What she wanted wasn¡¯t his all.

    Some people had a lot of emotions. Like the ocean, it was never ending.

    However, some people just didn¡¯t have much. Perhaps, all they have just added up to be the amount of water at the bottom of a well.

    Huo Shaoheng was thetter.

    Even if it was just a tiny well, she wouldn¡¯t mind being the frog at the bottom of that well, and could only see a small area of the sky from it, as long as that was his all.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned on his chest, and listened to his steady heartbeat. She smiled blissfully.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her, and leaned his chin on her head. ¡°But you have to control yourself. If you cannot do it, then... It¡¯ll be hard for us to continue being together.¡±

    ¡°I will do it.¡± Gu Nianzhi straightened up, and seemed much more matured all of a sudden. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry; I will never lost myposure again.¡±

    She looked really determined, but there was still fear deep within her.

    ¡°I look forward to it. Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows. ¡°Rest early; we¡¯re going visiting tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 334 - Meeting an Acquaintance

    <h4>Chapter 334: Meeting an Acquaintance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. ¡°I¡¯ll go shower and sleep.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her forehead and watched her go inside her bedroom. He sat in her living room for a while, then left. When he returned to the dining room downstairs, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were already both drunk. Although they weren¡¯t knocked out like Chen Lie, their eyes were zed and reacted very sluggishly when Huo Shaoheng came in. Huo Shaoheng nced at them before pouring himself a ss of wine and sipping it slowly as he said to Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong, ¡°Try to go to bed earlier tonight. I¡¯m going back for a meeting on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar to get a head start on the new year.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhaoliangze answered in unison. After having a few more drinks with Huo Shaoheng, the pair finally stumbled out of the dining room.

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the dining room alone. He took out a cigarette to light and inhaled deeply. Watching the white smoke waft up before him, he already had a rough n of the tasks he had toplete during the holiday. Certain things had dragged on for too long already and he didn¡¯t want them to continue past the fifteenth of the first month of the lunar calendar.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi emerged from the shower. She was exhausted and didn¡¯t want to move once she copsed onto the bed. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words echoed in her head; every word was clear to her. Although it would be difficult to achieve, she was going to try her best! Recalling the kiss earlier, Gu Nianzhi bit her fingers as she relished in the memory. She only returned to reality when her phone started ringing. He Zhichu was calling. She debated answering it and then picked up the call, her voice drowsy with sleep. ¡°Professor He, Happy New Year.¡±

    He Zhichu froze when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice on the other end of the line. ¡°Nianzhi, are you sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice grew as soft as a feather caressing He Zhichu¡¯s ear. He clutched the phone tightly and his voice became gentle. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping so early? Go to bed then. Happy New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t reply because she had already fallen asleep. After a good night¡¯s rest, she woke up at eight in the morning the next day. She washed up first, then went to give Song Jinning her new year¡¯s greetings. ¡°Mrs. Song, Happy Lunar New Year!¡±

    ¡°Good girl!¡± Song Jinning was fond of her and had already prepared a generous red envelope. ¡°Here, this is for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled happily. ¡°Thank you Mrs. Song!¡±

    Song Jinning waved at her, ¡°You¡¯re wee. Now, you go y now. I¡¯m going to start working.¡± She turned back to herputer to begin nning experiments.

    ¡°Mrs. Song is so dedicated.¡± Gu Nianzhi left Song Jinning¡¯s room with a smile and went to find Huo Shaoheng, but he wasn¡¯t at his room. She went downstairs and found Huo Shaoheng, Chen Lie, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze in the dining room having breakfast.

    ¡°Huo Shao, Brother Chen, Brother Xiong and Brother Ze, Happy Lunar New Year!¡± Gu Nianzhi sped her hands together in greetings to all four men the room. They were all ustomed to this as it had been done for the past few years.

    Chen Lie was the first to take out a red envelope. ¡°Come here, Nianzhi. Although you are now an adult, you are still in school so I have to give this to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t expected Chen Lie to continue giving her red envelopes and so walked over to him with a smile. ¡°Brother Chen is the best!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zho Liangze were also prepared and each took out a red envelope to put in her hands. Gu Nianzhi stowed away the three envelopes and sat down for breakfast.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and took out a red envelope to ce on the table. ¡°Nianzhi, there¡¯s one more right here.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Huo Shao is giving red envelopes too?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very happy. She had thought that the custom made watch was her gift and hadn¡¯t expect to get a red envelope from Huo Shaoheng. She walked over to Huo Shaoheng to pick up the red envelope and gave it a squeeze¡ªit was definitely a bank book. For the past six years, Huo Shaoheng had always gave a bank book with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name inside the red envelope. She had never seen how much money was saved in there, but perhaps it was time she did, since she wanted to buy a car. ¡°Thank you, Huo Shao!¡± Gu Nianzhi almost bowed with gratitude.

    After breakfast, Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi out to give new year greetings. The first stop was the Huo manor in the military housingmunity.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Uncle Huo.¡± Gu Nianzhi greeted Huo Guanchen respectfully.

    Huo Guanchen was fairly kind to her and passed a thin red envelope with five 100 RMB bills to her.

    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Huo.¡± Gu Nianzhi nced around the living room and saw that Grandfather Huo really wasn¡¯t home. Of course, the Zhang¡¯s were also not there.

    Huo Jin came downstairs and gave Huo Shaoheng a conflicted look before whispering, ¡°Elder Cousin, Happy New Year.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded dispassionately and said to Huo Guanchen, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going now. There are a few more families I must greet.¡±

    Huo Guanchen understood the importance. ¡°Go ahead,¡± He paused and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll be going to your official residence tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You cane alone.¡± Huo Shaoheng drew the line¡ªHuo Guanchen wouldn¡¯t be allowed to see Song Jinning if he crossed it.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Huo Guanchen shook hands brusquely with him. ¡°Where else are you going today?¡±

    ¡°General Ji¡¯s and Speaker Long¡¯s. I¡¯m not going anywhere else except for those two.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied as he motioned for his orderly toe over help him put his coat on.

    ¡°Very well then. I won¡¯t be going to their homes this year, we¡¯ll alternate.¡± Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng discussed which homes they¡¯d be visiting because they also needed to move around.

    ...

    General Ji¡¯s home was located at the prime location in the military housing area. It was also the most heavily guarded ce in themunity. When Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi to General Ji¡¯s home, just the security inspection itself took nearly half an hour; this was mainly because of Gu Nianzhi. She wasn¡¯t a soldier and her history was unknown, so she had to be more thoroughly investigated than others. However, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t in a rush and waited by Gu Nianzhu¡¯s side since she couldn¡¯t enter yet. Lieutenant Colonel Wang¡ª who was in charge of the security inspection¡ª was embarrassed that it was taking so long, so he tried to speed up the process and all the procedures were finallyplete.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng to the General Ji¡¯s building and whispered, ¡°Did I take up too much of your time?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just visiting two homes anyway.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked at a steady pace and brought Gu Nianzhi to the entrance of the Ji home. They could see the living room from where they stood. Although it was nine in the morning on Lunar New Year Day, the Ji home was already crowded with visitors giving new year greetings. General Ji was the leader of the Supreme Military Council and an amicable person, so many people wanted toe greet him. However, not everyone was allowed inside. Gu Nianzhi scanned her eyes throughout the living room and her attention was instantlymanded by a beautiful girl in a cream coloured alpaca coat. She appeared somewhat familiar.

    ¡°Well, Shaoheng is here!¡± General Ji cocked his head and waved Huo Shaoheng over.

    The familiar looking girl was sitting on the couch across from General Ji. There was a middle aged man doting on her beside her. Gu Nianzhi finally recalled that this was the trainee police officer who had forced them to stop the day before!

    Huo Shaoheng also observed the people inside the living room but remainedposed. He walked up to General Ji, ¡°General Ji, Happy Lunar New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t need Huo Shaoheng to introduce her before she greeted General Ji obediently. ¡°General Ji, Happy Lunar New Year.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Nianzhi! Happy New Year to you as well.¡± General Ji said as he took out a red envelope for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It¡¯s been a few years since Ist saw you. You¡¯re all grown up now.¡±

    General Ji had formally met Gu Nianzhi when she was rescued by Huo Shaoheng at the age of 12. Her sudden appearance and the blueprints in her backpack had piqued the military¡¯s interest. General Ji had personally gone to meet her and had appointed Huo Shaoheng as her guardian¡ªsix years had passed since this all happened.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I remember you General Ji. You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± heughed, ¡°Nianzhi is such a smooth talker!¡± General Ji beamed happily and nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Go sit over there for a while. I have to introduce Shaoheng to a few people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed but kept Huo Shaoheng within sight.

    General Ji led Huo Shaoheng to Xu Guiji on the couch and made introductions. ¡°This is Xu Guiqi. He is the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Tactical Operations Department, and this is his daughter, Xu Piaohong.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded casually. ¡°Happy New Year.¡±

    Xu Piaohong¡¯s face waspletely flushed as she mustered the courage to say, ¡°Mr. Huo, I had wronged you yesterday. Would you please forgive me?¡± She bowed to Huo Shaoheng in front of all the guests.

 Chapter 335 - Limelight was stolen

    <h4>Chapter 335: Limelight was stolen</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The people in the house became quiet for a moment, butughed shortly after. It was just like dripping a drop of water into a hot but seemingly peaceful wok, the water droplet bounced quickly around the wok due to the heat.

    ¡°Official, I¡¯ve already reprimanded her. She wouldn¡¯t be so reckless anymore. Please do not hold it against her.¡± Xu Piaohong¡¯s father, Xu Guiqi told Huo Shaoheng apologetically.

    ¡°Oh? What happened? Piaohong, you offended our Mr. Huo? Wow, you do have guts, don¡¯t you?¡± General Ji¡¯s wife, Mrs. Ji joked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be made to drink 3 sses of liquor?¡± She waved her hand and asked someone to bring the alcohol over.

    Xu Piaohong stood up timidly. ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯ll drink this then?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her, and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about, Miss Xu. I don¡¯t remember you offending me. Apologies, drinks forfeit; I really can¡¯t afford it.¡± He turned to look at General Ji and his wife. ¡°Mrs. Ji, General Ji, today, other than paying a visit to you for Lunar New Year, I have some things to discuss with you. General Ji, may I know if you have a moment please?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the New Year today, must you talk about work?¡± Mrs. Ji smiled but rolled her eyes at General Ji. It¡¯s the first day of the Lunar New Year, isn¡¯t this a little too much...?

    Even though Gu Nianzhi did not follow, her gazed was fixed on Huo Shaoheng.

    Mrs. Ji was upset with Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi immediately came up with an idea. The wine in her hand slipped, and dropped onto the ground with a nk. Everyone looked over.

    The red wine was sttered all over her powder pink dress. It stood out.

    Huo Shaoheng turned and walked over quickly, and checked her hands. ¡°Are you okay? Hurt anywhere?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said apologetically. ¡°No, I was careless.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng brought her to General Ji and Mrs. Ji, and bowed apologetically. ¡°General Ji, Nianzhi¡¯s carelessness had brought inconvenience to you. I apologize.¡± He turned to Mrs. Ji and continued. ¡°Mrs. Ji, could I trouble you to bring her for a change of clothes please?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said: ¡°I have a set of clothes in the car. Just get someone to bring it here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng called one of his soldiers, and the set of clothes were there in a minute.

    Mrs. Ji volunteered and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, saying: ¡°Quicke with me. What a waste for the dress; it¡¯s the new Spring/Summer release from Yves Saint Laurent, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just a new release. It was a limited edition worldwide. There were only 3, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s was even altered based on her preference. They even stitched her name in the dress.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°Auntie Ji really knows your things. It is indeed a new release from YSL. I feel upset too, but I was the one who was careless; whom can I me? Huo Shao will definitely get me to run a minimum of 10 kilometers as a punishment when we get back...¡±

    ¡°Oh? He¡¯s so harsh on you?¡± Mrs. Ji found it amusing. ¡°You¡¯ll really run?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It was like that all along; the punishments.¡± Gu Nianzhi was really easy to talk to. Moreover, she was a good talker. She managed to distract Mrs. Ji in no time, her subtle praises making Mrs. Ji a really happy woman.

    It was only a change of clothes, and Mrs. Ji already liked Gu Nianzhi so much, she refused to let go of her hand.

    She brought Gu Nianzhi around the entire house, and introduced her to all the guests who were present. She treated Gu Nianzhi better than her own daughter.

    General Ji looked at how enthusiastic Mrs. Ji was towards Gu Nianzhi in shock. After sighing a couple of times, he smiled and turned to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...This Gu Nianzhi is really something, isn¡¯t she? No wonder she¡¯s awyer. Look at how she managed to coax Auntie Ji, she looks as though she¡¯s on cloud nine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng revealed a faint smile in his eyes, but dismissed it almost immediately. He looked over at Mrs. Ji and Gu Nianzhi and continued: ¡°We are extremely strict with her. Her manners are just slightly better than other girls her age, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Xu Piaohong heard that, and felt ufortable all over...

    She bit her lips and stood beside her father, Xu Guiqi. From being the limelight just now, to the person who was being ignored and almost forgotten, the contrast was real.

    She looked at the Gu Nianzhi who was brought all over the ce by Mrs. Ji, and looked at the General Ji who was about to leave the living hall with Huo Shaoheng talking about work, she was a little anxious. Wanting to hint to her father, she nudged him lightly.

    How would Xu Guiqi dare to disturb the conversation between General Ji and Huo Shaoheng?

    His position in the army is too lowpared to the both of them.

    It was due to Mrs. Ji being impressed by Xu Piaohong, that they were able to even speak to General Ji and Huo Shaoheng today.

    Who knew, Huo Shaoheng denied all unhappiness previously, leading to them looking like they were there on purpose towork.

    This was really awkward...

    Xu Piaohong could only look on at Huo Shaoheng and General Ji leaving the hall and into the study.

    ...

    Once in the study, General Ji sat down behind the table. He wiped the smile off his face, ced his arms onto the armrests and asked: ¡°What¡¯s so important that we have to talk about it now?¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t do it today, it might be toote tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng took a step in front, and ced a disc on General Ji¡¯s study table. ¡°It¡¯s like that. Our department¡¯s overseas year-end report showed a rather reputablepany setting up a branch office in Italy. However, there were no business dealings. They were doing moneyundering.¡±

    It¡¯s the New Year now, and most banks are closed. However, from the second day onwards, there will be banks beginning to operate again. This matter was indeed urgent.

    General Ji¡¯s gaze darkened. He did not hold the disc, but said firmly to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°... This, isn¡¯t within your area of control.¡±

    ¡°I thought so initially as well.¡± Huo Shaoheng adjusted his cor casually, and continued steadily. ¡°We went through their Headquarters in our country conventionally, and found out that thispany had multiple dealings with the army, and was even the supplier for us on many projects.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± General Ji was in shock. ¡°You mean thispany has connections with the army?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still fine.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed. ¡°The problem was that the contracts they provided the army with were filled with false numbers and multiple times of recing good stocks with low graded ones. To put it urately, they used illegal methods to raise profit margins when dealing with the army. Now that they have to be audited, they are worried of the matter seeing daylight. So they¡¯re attempting to transfer all these profits to an overseas bank.¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous!¡± General Ji raged. He hated heartless businessmen like these. ¡°They dare to harbor intentions for even the army¡¯s money?! I really want to see who was the person behind all these plots!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent, and lowered his voice: ¡°This is the second issue I wanted to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What? You already know who did it?¡± General Ji stood up, and sounded really fierce. ¡°Is it anyone internally?!¡±

    Strictly speaking, suppliers who want to supply their things into army projects have to undergo a bidding session before they could get their contracts. However, amongst these, there had to be many who pulled strings.

    With the same offers, those with connections would have a higher chance. This was an unspoken rule.

    Simrly, when the supplier had issues, those connections who brought them in would be duly punished as well.

    This was looked upon as the connection between power and obligations. One couldn¡¯t merely reap the harvest and not undertake any responsibilities.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, and smiled wryly. ¡°Thispany did pull strings, and it was rted to my family.¡±

    ¡°Your family?!¡± General Ji¡¯s face darkened further. ¡°Shaoheng, don¡¯t tell me it was you!¡±

    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t me. To put it more urately, it wasn¡¯t my family, but rted closely to us ¡ª- Because this person used my grandfather¡¯s name and helped thepany clinch the contract from the army¡¯s logistics department.¡± Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°She is none other than my grandfather¡¯s senior nurse Zhang Feng. You know her as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her?!¡± General Ji¡¯s face showed a weird expression. ¡°It¡¯s really her?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already got evidence of her dealing with thepany.¡± Huo Shaoheng narrated calmly, without any traces of emotions. ¡°The director¡¯s son married Zhang Feng¡¯s niece. They¡¯re inws. They want to be the sole supplier for army¡¯s construction, but they were not qualified enough. So Zhang Feng stepped in, used my grandfather¡¯s name and struck a deal with Assistant caption Liao from Logistics department.¡±

    ¡°Old Liao?¡± General Ji was taken aback further. Touching the back of his head, he sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t me him; Old Liao was your grandfather¡¯s then-subordinate. Your grandfather groomed him all the way.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That was why she could use my grandfather¡¯s name to settle this.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°But this has absolutely nothing to do with my family. My grandfather didn¡¯t know anything about this. I cannot allow the Huo¡¯s to be embarrassed because of something that we didn¡¯t do. So I hope that General Ji can pass an order to freeze all the ounts from thatpany based on damages in our army¡¯s project, and begin auditing investigations on Zhang Feng and her family.¡±

 Chapter 336 - Matchmaking

    <h4>Chapter 336: Matchmaking</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°But to really investigate Zhang Feng, your grandfather... wouldn¡¯t he lose face?¡± General Ji asked politely. The situation was tooplicated. Grandfather Huo had been the second-inmand of the Supreme Military Council prior to his retirement and now held the rank of General. He had numerous contacts within the upper ss of the Empire, so there were too many people and interest groups tied to this. Huo Shaoheng frowned as he contemted the benefits and risks.

    General Ji secretly approved of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s decision and knew he was truly a good candidate. He had chosen the right sessor after all. He knew when to take action and understood his priorities. ¡°Also, the Xie¡¯s, have you considered their feelings?¡± General Ji reminded him again in case Huo Shaoheng was too young and reckless. He may be casting his too wide and make too many enemies, General Ji worried.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already considered it.¡± Huo Shaoheng appeared to have made up his mind and looked up to reply calmly, ¡°Only the Zhang¡¯s will be affected, as well allpanies affiliated with them. No one else will be implicated.¡± He wasn¡¯t a rookie and had considered all aspects long before. Afterall, he couldn¡¯t have risen to the rank of Major General from 2nd Lieutenant in merely 10 years without a good head on his shoulders.

    ¡°Very well.¡± General Ji nodded with satisfaction and reminded him, ¡°Cast the narrowly in the beginning, but if other truths surface during the investigation, you may always look into them at ater time.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Huo Shaoheng fully understood and immediately have a military salute to indicate his obedience.

    General Ji was very pleased with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s response and understood Huo Shaoheng was asking for his favour. He smiled and leaned back against his chair. ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re 28 this year?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded in silence.

    General Ji continued on, ¡°You¡¯ve been single all this time. This isn¡¯t good for your career.¡± It was important that someone climbing the ranks had a stable family, because it was crucial to have a positive and normal public image.

    ¡°I¡¯m currently considering my personal situation.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew he couldn¡¯t get out of this. Perhaps he would¡¯ve agonized over this before, but he was now able to ask promptly since he had a satisfactory candidate.

    ¡°Oh? Is that right?¡± General Ji leaned forward with interest, his piercing eyes relishing with the possibility of getting in on some gossip. ¡°Who do you like?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused.

    ¡°What? Why aren¡¯t you speaking? Are you being shy with me?¡± General Ji was amused. ¡°Just say it, or at least let me give you my opinion?¡±

    It seemed like General Ji would let him off he gave him a bit of information. Huo Shaoheng answered vaguely, ¡°I said I¡¯m considering it, but I have no specific target yet.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± General Ji nodded with a knowing look. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ve already spoken with you about this before. Your marriage is very important to the military: you have to do it right and not make a single mistake.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze, but his expression remained unfazed. ¡°I understand. Thank you for your advice.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve always followed the military¡¯s arrangements, but it¡¯s not as if we¡¯ll force you to marry someone. What day and age is it now anyway? We don¡¯t get involved with nning weddings.¡± General Ji chuckled dryly. ¡°However, this doesn¡¯t mean that you can choose just anyone, got it?¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Huo Shaoheng instantly replied. He knew General Ji would overanalyze it if he showed even an ounce of hesitation. This was not the time to publicly announce his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand.¡± General Ji said with satisfaction. ¡°Today there are several young women here who are close to your age: there¡¯s the daughter of the Deputy Chief of Staff Xu of the Tactical Operations Department, Xu Piaohong¨Cshe¡¯s the one who just apologized to you. Just look at you, she clearly stopped your car but you insisted it didn¡¯t happen. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re looking out for her, but don¡¯t make it so obvious!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng found himself unable to think of a rebuttal and could only stay silent.

    General Ji saw his silence and grew even more interested. ¡°There¡¯s also the daughter of the 1st Military Region¡¯s 8th Regimental Commander Mao. She¡¯s quite pretty and has enlisted for three years now. She¡¯s a Lieutenant. Also, there¡¯s the granddaughter of the 5th Military Region¡¯s deputymander. She¡¯s four years younger than you are and so, the same age as Xu Piaohong. She saw you before when she interned at the Senate and is very interested in you. What do you think? Do you want to get to know them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chose not to say anything.

    ¡°You can get to know them one by one.¡± General Ji wanted him to find a match immediately. ¡°My wife and I like Xu Piaohong the best; she¡¯s a headstrong girl and didn¡¯t want to use family influence to pursue her goals. She was epted into the Police Academy on her own merit and took initiative to be a entry-level police officer. Think about it: you will be popr with the public with a wife like Xu Piaohong as you move up in your career .¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng was to be a public facing figure, much like the politicians such as General Ji, Speaker Long, or Prime Minister Dou, his family would be scrutinized under a magnifying ss with the constant public exposure. A marriage to Xu Piaohong would be undoubtedly well received by the public. She had been born into a high ss family but was willing to work like amon person.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Chief, I think I¡¯m going to try solving this on my own. I have to report my marriage anyway and it will go through background checks. Why don¡¯t you take a look then?¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± General Ji thought about it and agreed, but still reminded Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You have to also report when you are dating, and can only make it publically known once the Supreme Military Council approves it. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Huo Shaoheng went on to agree. He had no choice either way. As someone working behind the scenes in their line of work, they were not allowed to have secrets from the Supreme Military Council. Huo Shaoheng even suspected that General Ji seemed to be testing him¡ªa warning against being together with Gu Nianzhi. Of course, Huo Shaoheng only thought this to himself and would never expose his secret to General Ji. Although Huo Shaohengpletely understood General Ji¡¯s concerns, he disagreed. He had his own thoughts and methods, but the time was not right. Telling the truth now would just ruin everything, so he remained silent.

    General Ji stood up to see Huo Shaoheng off when he finished speaking and ced a hand on his shoulder as he continued to praise Xu Piaohong. ¡°Consider this young woman carefully; she¡¯s a good person, has strong abilities, and is very pretty too. I¡¯ve heard her father say that she¡¯s never dated before, so she¡¯s as pure as snow!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t¡¯ keep quiet anymore and implied his opposition by saying, ¡°I¡¯ve considered it. Thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Very well!¡± General Ji patted his shoulder forcefully. ¡°It¡¯s perfect that everyone is free during the new year, so you can ask her out to a dinner and movie in the next few days and get to know her better.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the next few days won¡¯t work.¡± Huo Shaoheng refused him resolutely. ¡°I¡¯m busy with dealing with the case against the Zhang¡¯s, and probably won¡¯t have that much time. I still have to exin the situation to Speaker Longter, otherwise it¡¯ll be trouble when the Senate starts asking questions.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not a problem. You still have to ¡°eat¡± no matter how busy you are, right?¡± General Ji folded his hands behind his back and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine that you don¡¯t have time for a movie, but you have to at least treat the youngdy to dinner. You embarrassed her today so this can bepensation.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. ¡°General Ji likes Miss Xu that much? Is she really not rted to you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! You think I would be matchmaking if I had a daughter?! I would¡¯ve married her to you a long time ago!¡± General Ji was very fond of Huo Shaoheng and regretted that he only had two sons but no daughters. His rtives¡¯ daughters weren¡¯t good enough for Huo Shaoheng, so he had never thought about matchmaking. It was only recently that he realized it was about time that Huo Shaoheng should get married.

 Chapter 337 - Biased

    <h4>Chapter 337: Biased</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Upon returning to the living hall, Huo Shaoheng and General Ji entertained the guests a little. Shortly after, Huo Shaoheng left with Gu Nianzhi, heading to Speaker Long¡¯s ce for Lunar New Year visiting.

    Mrs. Ji reluctantly sent Gu Nianzhi to the door, and said: ¡°Nianzhie over again in a couple of days? We will be having people over, but they¡¯re just some close friends. Come over for dinner with Shaoheng!¡±

    General Ji went with the flow and continued: ¡°Yes, on the 5th day of Lunar New Year, we will be hosting a dinner with some close friends. Shaoheng, bring little Nianzhi along.¡±

    Perhaps I can invite Xu Piaohong and Xu Guiqi along, so that they can get to know each other better.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng, smiled, and replied: ¡°Huo Shao is usually very busy, so I¡¯ll just listen to his ns.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we will definitely be here.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded in agreement, and entered the car with Gu Nianzhi.

    The car was long gone, but Mrs. Ji was still waving at the door. She turned to General Ji and sighed emotionally: ¡°What a good girl Nianzhi is! If she was my daughter, I¡¯d really dote on her so much...¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I thought you said the same thing about Xu¡¯s daughter as well? You wanted her to be your daughter too...¡± General Ji winked at his wife cheekily.

    ¡°Go away! You¡¯re the best at making me look like a fool!¡± Mrs. Ji hit General Ji yfully. They were a loving couple. ¡°How can this be the same? I said that about Xu¡¯s daughter because of you. Moreover, this Xu¡¯s daughter¡¯s character is too strong. She isn¡¯t versatile enough. How nice could it be if we were to spend our lives together? Nianzhi is different; even though she¡¯s young, her mannerisms were amazing. She was really considerate as well. It really makes people want to dote on her. Let me tell you, a person¡¯s character cannot be judged by his or her age.¡±

    ¡°Look at you, now! You only spent about 20 odd minutes with her, and now your heart¡¯s there. What did Nianzhi do that you just went straight to her side within such a short time huh...¡± General Ji was purposely arguing with her. The couple chatted happily and returned to their home. They stopped upon seeing Xu Piaohong heading towards them.

    ...

    Meanwhile, in Di Capital...

    Sanhuan Chaoyang, Chunhui Building, Block B, unit 218.

    It was full of visitors as well.

    However, the people who came were family and friends of the Zhang¡¯s and the Qian¡¯s, and none from the Huo¡¯s.

    The Zhang¡¯s looked to Zhang Feng, as they were already the strongest family back in their hometown. Many of the Zhang¡¯s who came to Di Capital for jobs or entrepreneurships mostly received help from Zhang Feng and Zhang Baochen.

    Qian¡¯s is the maternal family of Qian Shihui. They did not have many people in Di capital, but were all close to Qian Shihui.

    Grandfather Huo was not close to anyone of them, so he sat in the room in the suite on level 2 alone. He read books, had tea, and rxed. He did not want to meet any of these people.

    Zhang Feng knew his temperaments, and understood that they were not married, so Grandfather Huo¡¯s position would be slightly awkward. So she did not let him meet anyone as well.

    When the guests were about to have dinner, Zhang Feng brought Zhang Baochen to see grandfather Huo. They brought his dinner up into the living area of his suite, and apanied him for a while.

    ¡°Dad, please try this. It¡¯s some traditional snacks from Shihui¡¯s maternal hometown.¡± Zhang Baochen ced a box of dragon¡¯s beard cookies in front of grandfather Huo.

    He knew that grandfather Huo loved these snacks. They don¡¯t need to be expensive, but have to be interesting and new.

    Indeed, grandfather Huo looked at the box, and took a piece for himself. The dragon¡¯s beard melted in his mouth immediately, and fill his mouth with a milky fragrance. It was indeed delicious, and suitable for elderlies.

    ¡°Not bad, not bad at all.¡± Grandfather Huo nodded with approval, and turned to Zhang Feng: ¡°You have some too, taste like it was made from milk. It¡¯s nutritious.¡±

    Zhang Feng took a piece for herself too. She felt that it was rather rough, but since grandfather Huo liked it, she agreed with him.

    Zhang Baochen spent some time with grandfather Huo before going back downstairs to entertain the guests.

    ¡°Go ahead; I¡¯ll have dinner with your father.¡± Zhang Feng waved her hand at him, and let him go down on his own.

    Zhang Feng arranged the table after Zhang Baochen left, and had dinner with grandfather Huo.

    The two of them had dinner like any other couple. Grandfather Huo felt emotional and happy at the same time.

    He thought that he should try his best to let his son and grandson ept his decision to marry Zhang Feng.

    He¡¯s getting on age. That was all he wanted. He wanted someone to apany him in his old age.

    Zhang Feng handed a piece of braised sea cucumber to grandfather Huo. ¡°Old Huo, eat more sea cucumber. It¡¯s good for health.¡±

    ¡°You have some too.¡± Grandfather Huo took a piece of braised deer tendon for Zhang Feng. ¡°I remember you liking dishes with a crunch.¡±

    ¡°... You still remember...¡± Zhang Feng was really touched, and took a bowl of soup for grandfather Huo. Eating, she said casually: ¡°I remember as well, when Mdm Xie was gravely ill, she couldn¡¯t recognize anyone. The Xie¡¯s sent people to visit her, didn¡¯t they? She chased all of them out...¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Grandfather Huo replied, and tried to recall. ¡°You mean Ziyan¡¯s brothers?¡±

    ¡°Should be. I was just a junior nurse then, I only wanted to take good care of the Official¡¯s health. I didn¡¯t dare to say anything on Mdm¡¯s end. I couldn¡¯t, anyway.¡± Zhang Feng brought grandfather Huo¡¯s memories to decades ago, when Xie Ziyan was gravely ill.

    The Huo¡¯s were indeed in quite a mess at that time.

    Grandfather Huo only remembered that Xie Ziyan, the woman he loved dearly, her temper went from bad to worse after falling sick. The gentledy from a reputable family became a totally different person. She could only speak to Huo Shaoheng more gently, and was annoyed with almost everyone else.

    The Xie¡¯s sent Xie Ziyan¡¯s older and younger brother to bring foreign doctors to treat her.

    In the end, no one knew what happened, they started quarrelling and she chased her older brother out...

    ¡°... Ziyan is ill, of course her temper wouldn¡¯t be as good as before. It¡¯s been hard on you.¡± Grandfather Huo sighed. ¡°She was born with a silver spoon, and must be unable to ept what¡¯s happening to her. I can understand.¡±

    However, he did not put much thought into it. He was still stubborn then. If she didn¡¯t want to speak to him, he wouldn¡¯t speak to her as well. He lost the chance to see her for onest time because of that.

    ¡°Old Huo, don¡¯t me yourself anymore. In my opinion, I think she didn¡¯t want to be like that as well. I¡¯m guessing that she couldn¡¯t control herself anymore.¡± Zhang Feng said tactfully. ¡°When I was studying medicine, my professor once told me. Patients who were gravely ill, will lose some form of consciousness and do things that they wouldn¡¯t normally do when they¡¯re in too much pain from the illness.¡±

    Grandfather Huo kept quiet and continued eating.

    ¡°Also, Mdm was so in love with you. She went against her family¡¯s wishes and just married you. After putting in so much for you, think about it ¨C would she have written that absurdity of a will?¡± Zhang Feng began to guide grandfather Huo in his thoughts again.

    Grandfather Huo thought about it, put down his chopsticks and said: ¡± This was nothing much to be honest. Those were her dowries. I didn¡¯t want them anyway. However, she had already passed on, and I couldn¡¯t tell herm so I didn¡¯t think about it. All the proceeds from the funds these years, I had been transferring them to Shaoheng. I didn¡¯t keep a single cent. ¡ª- Who am I? I am Huo Xuenong for heaven¡¯s sake! How could I harbor intentions on my wife¡¯s dowries?! What a joke!¡±

    Zhang Feng¡¯s smile was almost wiped from her face when she heard that. Mustering all her energy, she stered her smile and continued. ¡°Old Huo, don¡¯t think of it this way. You should be thinking of it as how sad Mdm would be? She had always given her heart to you, and that was why she put your name in the will, hadn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡± Grandfather Huo heaved a long sigh. ¡°I had been married to her for more than 30 years. We always had a good rtionship. We only started to quarrel during the final year of her illness. It was partly my fault too. She was already ill, why did I still get upset with her?¡±

    At that time, Zhang Feng was like a beautiful, understanding flower. Due to the fact that they had a one-night stand, their rtionship was more than just an Official and a senior nurse. Inparison to the agitated and always angry wife, she would of course make grandfather Huo happier.

    His heart slowly went off the tracks like that because of her.

    ¡°That¡¯s why, if you were to give up on the trust funds, wouldn¡¯t you be hurting her again? By having Mdm¡¯s trust fund, it¡¯ll feel as though Mdm will always be by your side...¡± Zhang Feng used all her brain cells to think of means and ways to direct the conversation topic to Xie Ziyan¡¯s trust funds.

    Grandfather Huo looked at her, and lowered his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m done. Go entertain the guests. I want to rest.¡±

    Zhang Feng stood up awkwardly and said: ¡°Let he help you to bed before going.¡±

    Grandfather Huo thought about it for a while, and nodded in agreement.

    Zhang Feng helped grandfather Huo into the bedroom happily.

    Just when she walked out of grandfather Huo¡¯s room, Zhang Baochen walked to her hastily and said worriedly: ¡°Mum, Uncle has something urgent to speak to you about.¡±

    ¡°What can be so serious that you can behave like that?¡± Zhang Feng touched Zhang Baochen¡¯s forehead lightly. ¡°Your dad had just fallen asleep, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She took the phone.

    Once she was done listening to the person on the other end of the line, her voice be shrill. ¡°What?! What did you say?! This is only the first day of the New Year! How can the bank ounts be frozen?!¡±

 Chapter 338 - Joy Breeds Misery

    <h4>Chapter 338: Joy Breeds Misery</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°That¡¯s right! So I called you right away!¡± The man calling was Zhang Feng¡¯s younger brother, Zhang Cheng. His daughter had married the heir to argepany and they had coborated on an armaments business due to the Zhang¡¯s direct connections. ¡°Your niece¡¯s husband is waiting for news at my house right now, and we¡¯ve booked the most expensive tickets to fly out to you tonight.¡±

    ¡°Tell me from the beginning, what¡¯s going on?¡± Zhang Feng inhaled deeply and gripped the phone as she leaned back on the wall of Grandfather Huo¡¯s bedroom on the second floor. She gradually calmed down. ¡°Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, how did you know the banks froze their ounts?¡±

    ¡°How could we not know? They have a hugepany so there¡¯s naturally a few contacts within the bank. The contacts said they just received news and called my inws right away. You know, we are preparing to send money abroad¡ªwith this happening right now, we can¡¯t send sh*t!¡±

    Zhang Feng¡¯s brother, Zhang Cheng was nearly 60 and didn¡¯t take care of himself. He was in poor health and would wheeze like a dog whenever he was agitated. Zhang Feng was concerned for his health and quickly replied, ¡°Calm down! How serious is this anyway? It¡¯s not worth fussing over. So what if they freeze the ounts? Just you wait, I¡¯ll see how they¡¯ll be able to freeze them and then have them kneel while they reactivate them!¡±

    Zhang Cheng balked at his older sister¡¯s words: she wasn¡¯t afraid at all. ¡°Sister, are you that confident?¡± He probed further, ¡°The Chief will stand up for us?¡±

    ¡°Why are you still calling him Chief now, it¡¯ll be Brother-inw very soon!¡± Zhang Feng muffled augh and immediately warned her brother, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone for now. Once we obtain the marriage certificate and I take him back home to see the family, the bank will have to reactivate th ounts even if the main branch was the one to freeze them.¡±

    ¡°Oh? The Chief is going to marry you?! Is that true?!¡± Originally frustrated by today¡¯s news from the bank, Zhang Cheng was ecstatic to hear his sister¡¯s update. ¡°Don¡¯t be joking around now; this is serious. Once you get the marriage certificate, Mom and Dad can finally be proud.¡±

    ¡°To h*ll with it! You¡¯re making it sound as if they¡¯re not proud right now!¡± Zhang Fengughed. The truth was, the Zhang¡¯s had been proud since Zhang Feng took the opportunity to tell Grandfather Huo the truth about Zhang Baochen when Huo Guanyuan had perished 16 years ago. The Zhang¡¯s had thought they were just helping Zhang Feng raise a bastard child, but hadter discovered he had a important background. They had used the smallest investment to grow thergest return.

    ¡°Sister, that¡¯s not the same at all. You¡¯ll be the legitimate wife now, the legitimate wife of the Chief, so I¡¯ll be the Chief¡¯s Brother-inw! If we think about history, that¡¯s basically the Royal Uncle!¡± Zhang Cheng was nowpletely relieved.

    Zhang Feng could even hear him speak to his son-inw. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, this is all normal. It¡¯s just the local bank stirring trouble, so just ignore them. We¡¯ll show them who¡¯s boss after the new year!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t bber!¡± Zhang Feng quickly shut down her brother¡¯s rant. This was really not the time to reveal the news. Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t approve of her marriage to Grandfather Huo, so the marriage would have to be discreet in order to prevent them from meddling. The most important thing right now was to go back to Huo manor to retrieve Grandfather Huo¡¯s personal identification, military identification, and household registration so they could go the Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage certificate. Zhang Feng ended the call and leaned back against the wall to ponder some more before peering into Grandfather Huo¡¯s room to see he was really sleeping. She knew he had an ill temper and waking him up for this would enrage him. Zhang Feng curbed herself and decided it wouldn¡¯t hurt to wait a little while more. The banks weren¡¯t open today anyway and only part of its businesses would resume hours tomorrow anyway. They wouldn¡¯t be able to send money regardless if the ounts were frozen or not, and Zhang Feng was not even inclined to do so anymore. As long as she could marry Grandfather Huo, she would enjoy a luxurious life in the Empire¡ªwhy should she go abroad? She had no interest in living like a rat, hiding in the shadows of a foreign country. Zhang Feng adjusted the nkets for Grandfather Huo and went downstairs to have dinner with her family and the Qian¡¯s guests.

    Everyone instantly made room for her at the table once she entered the dining hall.

    ¡°Sister Zhang, please have a seat!¡±

    ¡°Aunt Zhang, I toast you! I wish for you to only look younger and more beautiful year after year!¡±

    ¡°Aunt? You¡¯re making our Sister Zhang sound old! Just look at her¡ª people would believe that she¡¯s my younger sister!¡±

    ¡°To h*ll with you! You¡¯re exaggerating!¡± A distant rtive of the Zhang¡¯s chuckled and pointed at the handsome 30 something year old man calling Zhang Feng, ¡°younger sister.¡±¡±Just look at your ugly mug, how dare you call our Sister Zhang your younger sister?¡±

    Zhang Feng looked at the handsome young man with a smile before sitting elegantly, ¡°Eat as much as you please. This ce is a bit shabby. I¡¯ll invite you all over to the Huo manor next time.¡±

    These rtives had only heard of the Huo manor but had never actually visited before. However, they all knew that it wasn¡¯t a ce that anyone could merely wander into. The security check alone took more than an hour.

    ¡°Huh? What is Sister Zhang talking about? When would be able to visit the Huo manor?! That¡¯s where all the high ranking military officers live.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± Zhang Feng smiled coyly. ¡°Ok stop asking about me now! How have you all been doing?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s business?¡±

    ¡°What about you? Is your boss giving you a hard time?¡±

    ¡°Is your son about to start high school? Where is he going? No. 4 High School? Or the R University affiliate high school?¡±

    Zhang Feng held a bowl of bird¡¯s nest soup and stirred slowly without taking a bite. She asked after everyone at the table and appeared as the head of the household. Everyone obeyed her because they knew she had the ability and support of a powerful person, so they served up endless ttery. The mealsted from the afternoon untilte in the evening, and the guests reluctantly said goodbye. However, before they could step out of the apartment, loud knocks sounded from front door.

    ¡°Who is this? What a disturbance!¡± Zhang Feng raised her fine brows, and then said, ¡°Mrs. Chang! Go see what¡¯s the matter!¡±

    Mrs. Chang was the housekeeper Zhang Feng had hired for her own house. Mrs. Chang had always lived there, cleaning and cooking even before the Zhang¡¯s had moved back in. She was a plump woman in her fifties and wore a purple traditional jacket with knotted buttons. Rushing over to the door, she shouted as soon as she opened it, ¡°Are you blind or something! What the h*ll are you knocking like this for? Don¡¯t you know whose house this is?!¡±

    She was greeted with a heavy silence. Four men stood there, dressed in navy blue winter military uniforms, white gloves, with the red armbands and the insignia of two bars and one star on their shoulders denoting the rank of Major. They all scanned Mrs. Chang with piercing eyes.

    ¡°W-W-Who are you people? What are you doing here?¡± Mrs. Chang realized that these four were military officers and her knees turned to jelly. She muffled her mouth as soon as she realized how she had insulted them and quickly moved out of their way. The people at the door froze at the sight of the officers; they had no idea what was going on.

    ¡°Is this Suite 218, Tower B of the Chunhui Building, Chaoyang District, Third Ring Road?¡± The officer in the lead asked in a gravelly voice. His tone was as heavy as a whip, and itshed painfully on the chests of all the guests.

    ¡°Yes...¡± Mrs. Chang stabilized herself on the door frame and nearly kneeled.

    The officer keenly looked over the room, and then asked, ¡°Who is Zhang Feng?¡±

    ¡°I am. May I ask what¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhang Feng gracefully walked over. ¡°Are you here to pick up Elder Huo?¡± She looked at the color of the officers¡¯ uniforms and recognized that they were military police holding the rank of Major. She assumed they were here to retrieve Grandfather Huo. After all, Grandfather Huo was an important person who couldn¡¯t simply live with them outside of the military housing area. She was almost surprised that it had taken them this long to pick him up.

    ¡°You¡¯re Zhang Feng? Special home care Head Nurse of the Inpatient Department of the 314 Military Hospital? Rank of Lieutenant? Serving General Huo Xuenong?¡± The officer took out a document and read off of it.

    Perplexed, Zhang Feng decided to nod anyway. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Zhang Feng. Are you here to pick up Grandfather Huo? He¡¯s resting on the second floor.¡± Her apartment was a multi-level high rise unit that was very spacious andfortable. The guests immediately smiled with relief when they overheard that Grandfather Huo was in the apartment too; the previous tension dissipating. Everyone looked at each other knowingly and almost burst intoughter.

    Suddenly, the officer at the door waved his hand and said loudly, ¡°Zhang Feng, you are suspected of abusing power for personal gain, embezzlement, falsifying of records, disrupting armament supplies, as well as failing to dererge sums of money. The Second Brigade of the Military Police is arresting you; this is the arrest warrant.¡± He turned back to his soldiers and said, ¡°Take her away!¡±

    Several soldiers stormed in from behind the officer and fluidly pped handcuffs on Zhang Feng¡¯s wrists before leading her out of the apartment.

    ¡°What are you doing? How dare you?! I¡¯m going to take you to military court! The Chief won¡¯t let this go!¡± Zhang Feng screeched as she struggled against the soldiers. When she looked up, she could see that, past the four Military Police Officers, was a tall man with his back to her. He wore an army green uniform and the one star and one leaf insignia glittering on his shoulder. Upon hearing Zhang Feng¡¯s screams, the man turned around, and her heart fell at his steely gaze. It was Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 339 - Trashing out

    <h4>Chapter 339: Trashing out</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Mr.... Mr. Huo, why are you here?¡± Zhang Feng. Her heart started beating furiously all of a sudden. She had a bad feeling about this.

    Then, remembering that grandfather Huo was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, she felt that he would never allow others to torture him. So she stuttered: ¡°Mr. Huo, what¡¯s going on? Official is resting upstairs. If they do this, they¡¯re not respecting the official and the Huo¡¯s at all!¡±

    Zhang Feng was trying very hard to think of ways to ignite Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sympathy for his family.

    She knew that for someone like him, he wealth and women wouldn¡¯t affect him. The only thing that would would be reputation and honor.

    Reputation and honor was the most important thing to for the Huo¡¯s to him, isn¡¯t it?

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her and walked into the house. ¡°I¡¯m here to bring my grandfather home. Please make way.¡±

    Zhang Feng¡¯s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She shouted: ¡°Mr. Huo! Didn¡¯t you see how they¡¯re treating me?! What would the official think if he sees this? The Huo¡¯s have such high reputations in the army; how can you allow them to humiliate me like this?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around in one swift motion and faced Zhang Feng coldly, full of disgust in his eyes: ¡°Senior nurse Zhang, I think you¡¯re unclear of one thing: you¡¯re a Zhang; not a Huo. What has it got to do with us with whatever that happens to you?¡±

    ¡°But I...!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cold demeanor stunned Zhang Feng.

    She took a step back, and looked at Huo Shaoheng with fear written all over her face. She didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and continued his way to look for his grandfather.

    The couple of soldiers whom he brought along followed him closely.

    ¡°Mr. Huo! Are you really not worried? You really want me to spill the beans?¡± Zhang Feng shouted.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped. He looked up at the ceiling and ced his hands in his pockets. Then, turning around, he said: ¡°Just say what you want. It¡¯s none of my business.¡± After that, he shrugged and told the soldiers standing beside Zhang Feng: ¡°You can bring her away.¡±

    Zhang Feng opened her mouth, and wanted to spill her rtionship with grandfather Huo. However, she stopped. She realized the reason she was unable to reveal it!

    Huo Shaoheng had already stated clearly that he wouldn¡¯t help her. If she spilled the beans on grandfather Huo and herself, the least would be the embarrassment to the Huo¡¯s. The one who would be affected the most, would be none other than grandfather Huo!

    The chances of him losing his rank in the army was very high...

    Without grandfather Huo¡¯s army rank, what good would it be even if she were to marry him?

    Then how would this affair between grandfather Huo and herself affect Huo Shaoheng?

    Most likely it wouldn¡¯t affect a bit, and people would even sympathize with him...

    Zhang Feng expression cringed, like someone was strangling her. However, she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    This feeling made her feel horrible.

    Zhang Feng bit her lips, and told Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui, who rushed out to see what had happened: ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Go and look for grandfather Huo right now. He will bail me out. I will be fine.¡±

    ¡°So talkative¡± a soldier frowned, and took out a roll of duct tape. ¡°SMACK!¡± He stuck it onto Zhang Feng¡¯s lips, and finally was able to shut her up. Immediately after, he took out a paper bag and covered her face. Then, she was brought out like that.

    All the friends and rtives who were present looked on in shock. The house was inplete silence.

    Huo Shaoheng strode in with a couple of soldiers behind him, looking at his surroundings cautiously.

    The guests had no choice but to make way for him, and looked at him with fear and respect as he walked towards the stairs.

    Panting, Zhang Baochen ran in and shouted: ¡°Mr. Huo! Mr. Huo!¡±

    The family and friends in the house snapped back to reality, and left the unit immediately.

    Huo Shaoheng, however, did not stop. He continued to level two, before turning to look at Zhang Baochen, who was held back by the soldiers. ¡°Where¡¯s my grandfather?¡±

    ¡°He... He¡¯s... There...¡± Zhang Baochen had many questions, but when faced with Huo Shaoheng, he was just filled with fear and shrank immediately. Pointing at the door towards the end of level 2, he said shakily: ¡°There.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng brought his soldiers along with him and proceeded to the door.

    He knocked, but no one responded.

    ¡°Official, please let us in.¡± One of the soldiers stepped forward and attempted to turn the door handle.

    The door opened immediately.

    Huo Shaoheng entered the room first, and told the soldier: ¡°Wait here. Make sure no onees in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The soldiers stood at attention with their guns outside the room.

    Zhang Baochen was scared stiff. He didn¡¯t dare to even breathe properly. Trembling with fear, he went back downstairs.

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie stood beside Qian Shihui, each of them as white as sheet. Upon seeing Zhang Baochen, they asked eagerly: ¡°What happened? Did you ask Mr. Huo?¡±

    Zhang Baochen was on the brink of tears. Shaking his head, he continued: ¡°Mr. Huo went to see father.¡±

    In the bedroom on level 2, Huo Shaoheng put his a hand in his pocket, and toyed a cold coin with another. He stood in front of grandfather Huo¡¯s bed.

    Grandfather Huo had his eyes closed. Breathing steadily, he was fast asleep.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for a while. Seeing that grandfather Huo was still sound asleep, he did not wake him up, but walked around the room.

    The heater was turned on nicely. Huo Shaoheng was inside for only a while, and he could already feel beads of perspiration forming on his back.

    He looked at grandfather Huo who was tucked in bed with a down feather quilt, and felt the pre-set temperature in the room and shook his head exasperatedly. Finally, he pulled the curtains open and went to the balcony.

    On the first day of the New Year in Di Capital, it was freezing to the bone. Each breath of air felt like it would be turned to ice immediately.

    Huo Shaoheng took a cigarette from his pocket, and lighted it up.

    Taking a deep puff, he thought:

    It had been a busy day today.

    First, he brought Gu Nianzhi to General Ji¡¯s and Speaker Long¡¯s for Lunar New Year visiting and settled the arrest and ount freezing warrants. Next, he sent Gu Nianzhi back home. Finally, he gathered grandfather Huo¡¯s soldiers and investigation officers for the arrest in the Zhang¡¯s.

    Everything had been going smoothly, and went almost ording to n.

    Huo Shaoheng smoked for about 30 minutes on the balcony, and heard movements in the room.

    He put out the remaining cigarette, and entered the room again from the balcony.

    Grandfather Huo propped himself up on the bed, and squinted: ¡°Shaoheng? Why are you here?¡±

    He was feeling happy in his heart, even though what he showed was anger and shock.

    After leaving home once, Shaoheng had finally given in...

    Looks like he¡¯s still a filial grandchild after all.

    Putting on a coat, he smiled as he sat up. ¡°Sit. Have you eaten?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng only had breakfast. After which, he was packed with events till now and did not have anything to eat.

    However, he did not tell grandfather Huo the truth. Here merely nodded, and replied: ¡°Yes I have.¡±

    Looking at grandfather Huo, he continued: ¡°Grandfather, let¡¯s go home. This ce can¡¯t be stayed in for long.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t it be stayed in?¡± grandfather Huo looked at him intimidatingly. ¡°This is Little Zhang¡¯s home. I can stay however long I wish to.¡±

    ¡°Is it, now?¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed his fingers, and sat down on the sofa by grandfather Huo¡¯s bed. ¡°This ce will be seized by the court very soon, how will you continue to stay? Are you going to tell the investigation team that you were the one who bought this house for senior nurse Zhang?¡±

    ¡°Absurd!¡± grandfather Huo¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine, why would the court seize the property? Did she not pay the loan?¡± He looked at Huo Shaoheng, and struggled internally with himself, before speaking again, this time with a softer voice: ¡°...Shaoheng, grandpa knows that you were very close to your grandmother, but grandpa loves you too! You really bear to see grandpa being alone throughout my old age? Even though grandpa is old, I wish for someone to apany me too...¡±

    ¡°I did not say that I didn¡¯t allow grandpa to remarry,¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his legs, and spread his arms on the sofa. He looked casual and suave. ¡°But not Zhang Feng.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s too greedy.¡± He looked around the room. ¡°Grandpa, you knew about it all along, don¡¯t you? Zhang Feng couldn¡¯t have bought so many properties in Di Capital based on her own financial capabilities? Don¡¯t even talk about loans ¨C I know she didn¡¯t even take up one. She paid for all of them up front in cash.¡±

    Grandfather Huo remained silent for a long while, before mumbling: ¡°... All these, we both know. Everyone came here like that, didn¡¯t they? I couldn¡¯t give her an official title, it¡¯s okay to make up to her in other aspects, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced his foot down and sat up straight. All of a sudden, he looked stern. ¡°Grandpa, do you know what Zhang Feng had been doing exactly? If you said that you allowed it to happen, are you prepared to bear the consequences with her?¡±

 Chapter 340 - Hearts and Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 340: Hearts and Feelings</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she just refer someone to do business with the logistics department? What possible consequences could there be anyway?¡± Grandfather Huo waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t fret over nothing. No fish can survive if the water is too clean: someone who is too austere has no friends. Shaoheng, you¡¯re still too young¡ª¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, the person she referred is implicated in illegal profit of 5.3 billion RMB. The Military Audit Office is currently verifying their transactions, but thepany is preparing to wire the money to Italy,¡± Huo Shaoheng interrupted Grandfather Huo as he dered the hard truth.

    ¡°What did you say? 5.3 billion?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, and not only she did she direct the referrer, but also one of the shareholders of thatpany. That alone is vition of military intermediary regtions.¡± Huo Shaoheng paid close attention to Grandfather Huo¡¯s reaction since he was an elderly person who could easily fall ill. This wasn¡¯t worth his suffering.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s breathing grewborious and he used all his will topose his emotions, but his hands shook uncontrobly. Looking at his grandfather¡¯s ashen face, Huo Shaoheng recalled his grandmother lying on her sick bed over a decade ago. Her face had also nched when she had heard that grandfather wouldn¡¯t be visiting her... Time could fly and hearts could be changed, but all the while, feelings would remain the same. ¡°You know better than I do, what kind of background the Zhang¡¯s have. I¡¯m sure you also know that she has the ability to swallow such arge sum of money.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward slightly. ¡°The supplying of shoddy products, embezzlement, and attempting to wire money overseas during an audit¡ªdo you know about any of this?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s hand gripped his nket and he gasped out, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it... I don¡¯t believe it! She wouldn¡¯t dare to; She¡¯s someone who¡¯s even afraid of walking in the dark.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was done with trying to persuade him. He stood up and calmly reminded Grandfather Huo, ¡°Grandfather, I¡¯ve said all that I can. You can decide what you want to do. Someone wille seize this property tomorrow. They will have to spit out those funds and all Zhang Feng and her son¡¯s properties will be confiscated. These are all illicit funds that must be reimbursed.¡±

    Grandfather Huo couldn¡¯t fully act out his rage, so he instead threw down his pillows and nkets. He supported himself on the bed frame in order to get up and red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°If the apartment is seized, where will your Third Uncle¡¯s family live?! I have to take them back to the manor!¡±

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t have a Third Uncle, you can bring whoever you please back home.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly. ¡°It will be quite interesting when the policee to make arrests at the military housing area.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Arrests? Arrest who?¡± Grandfather Huo sensed that something was being unsaid. ¡°What did you do to Zhang Feng exactly?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Huo Shaoheng denied. ¡°I only reminded the Military Auditing Office that someone is acting out of desperation and attempting to secretly send the money away.¡±

    ¡°She would never do that! I don¡¯t believe that she wouldn¡¯t do such a thing!¡± Grandfather Huo was very agitated and shuffled forward in his slippers to wave his arms and shout, ¡°Have here see me! You can confront her in person!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± Huo Shaoheng followed behind Grandfather Huo and shook his head. ¡°The Military Police have already arrested Head Nurse Zhang.¡±

    ¡°Arrested her? What right do they have to arrest my people?¡± Grandfather Huo jerked his head back to stare down Huo Shaoheng. ¡°And you¡¯re still saying that you have nothing to do with his?! If it wasn¡¯t for you, why would the Military Police be required to arrest a Medical Officer?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shrugged. ¡°I have nothing to say, if that¡¯s what you want to believe. However, she¡¯s not a Military Officer; she¡¯s just a nurse. You can¡¯t confuse the two.¡±

    ¡°How are doctors and nurses any different from each other?!¡± Grandfather Huo was furious, he turned around to grab his coat, ¡°I¡¯d better go see Old Ji. She can¡¯t be arrested just like that.¡±

    Seeing that Grandfather Huo was still stubbornly defending Zhang Feng, Huo Shaoheng knew he had no other options left. Even if he had a solution, he didn¡¯t want to use it. Stony faced, he stood in the middle of Grandfather Huo¡¯s room and listened to him mutter as he buttoned up his coat and walked outside.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    ¡°Grandfather!¡±

    Zhao Baochen, Zhang Wenna, and Zhang Wenjie hurried over when they saw Grandfather Huo slowly climb down the stairs. ¡°Father! Several soldiers came to arrest Mother just now!¡± Zhang Baochen was very anxious. ¡°Can you go take a look what¡¯s going on right now?¡±

    ¡°Grandfather! That was so scary! Where¡¯s Elder Cousin? Didn¡¯t he go upstairs right now?¡± Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna crowded around Grandfather Huo and started chattering.Their voices were much too loud and sounded like a horde of bees at Grandfather Huo¡¯s ear.

    Grandfather Huo waved his hand weakly and sat on the living room couch. He looked down at his feet as he considered it, then stared at the plush Middle Eastern woven floral carpet before speaking slowly, ¡°About your Mom, I have to gather some information first. As for all of you...¡± He looked up at the four stricken faces and then said, ¡°Do you have anywhere else to live? I suppose you won¡¯t be able to stay in any of the houses under your Mother¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°What? Why not?¡± Zhang Baochen asked. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t be able to stay there? These are our homes! We don¡¯t have mortgages on them! We don¡¯t owe the bank any money!¡±

    ¡°Stop asking me the other stuff for now, and just tell me if you have anywhere else to live.¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s expression darkened as he scolded Zhang Baochen. ¡°You are the sole backbone of your family and a grown man, so how can you be crying like a baby when something is happening to your Mother! What nonsense!¡±

    Zhang Baochen had never experienced such hardship all his life. Although he was an illegitimate child, he had a powerful father and had been the most spoilt child at his grandmother¡¯s home. When he grew up, he¡¯d developed a habit of not taking responsibility due to Zhang Feng¡¯s coddling. He had a mother who knew how to make lots of money, a wife who could give him children, a nanny who cared for the children, and servants who took care of household chores. All Zhang Baochen had to do was to go to work and chat with Grandfather Huo when he came home. He had never thought he¡¯d see the day the Military Police would take his own Mother away!

    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have an apartment under your own name? There¡¯s one in Zhichun Precinct, right? Let¡¯s go there.¡± Zhang Wenna saw that her dad was floundering and took it upon herself tofort him.

    Qian Shihui nodded right away. ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s go stay at Zhichun Precinct for now.¡±

    Grandfather Hup was finally relieved when he saw that the Zhang¡¯s had a ce to stay. ¡°We can¡¯t afford any dys; hurry up and pack your things up from here. You¡¯ll have to move out right away.¡±

    The Zhang¡¯s and their servants packed up together. Huo Shaoheng walked through the busy room and stood beside Grandfather Huo. ¡°Grandfather, this way please.¡±

    Grandfather Huo was stony faced as he followed Huo Shaoheng out of Chaoyang District to return to the Huo manor in the military housing area. Neither men spoke during the entire car ride back. After the silent trip, Huo Shaoheng merely watched the iron gates rise as they drove through, making no effort to move. Huo Guanchen and Huo Jin came out to help walk Grandfather Huo inside, and Huo Shaoheng finally ordered the driver to start the car.

    ...

    The next day, Dacheng Industries Ltd, thergest tradingpany in Z City, found its ounts frozen as they had been previously notified. On the second day of the first month of the lunar new year, the chairman of thepany, Zhao Da personally went to inquire at the bank but was given the cold shoulder.

    ¡°Chairman Zhao, you almost got us in a lot of trouble! Yourpany is currently being audited by the military, and you didn¡¯t feel the need to tell us! Anypanies being audited by the military cannot remit overseas before the audit isplete. Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t know about this regtion?¡±

 Chapter 341 - Pack up

    <h4>Chapter 341: Pack up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhao Da¡¯s face fellpletely. With his mouth falling open, he finally managed to stutter: ¡°... How can it be?! We have people above us!¡±

    ¡°People your ass!¡± The manager in charge of finance in Dacheng Industrial LLC, who was also in charge of VIP clients with the bank, rolled his eyes at him. ¡°If we have people above us would we get audited by the army? Are you dim witted or what?!¡±

    Zhao Da opened his eyes wide and looked at the proud manager. His face turned red from anger.

    In the past, he would call him Boss Zhao every single time he saw him. It sounded way better than he was greeting his own father. Now there¡¯s something wrong, he immediately changed in attitude.

    ¡°You wait! Wait for me to rify everything, and I¡¯ll let you take back the words you said today one! By! One! The people above me ¨C you¡¯d be scared stiff if I mentioned their names! Pfft!¡±

    Zhao Da left the bank angrily, and called his son immediately upon entering the car.

    The main reason why his son, Zhao Liangshan married Zhang¡¯s daughter Zhang Xiaocui, was because of their connections with the army.

    If not, based on their financial status, why would they have a daughter inw from a family with a lower financial status than them?

    Thedy didn¡¯t even look amazing...

    The Zhang¡¯s would only be fit to be their cleaners if not for that fact that her Aunt managed to associate herself with someone of a much higher status.

    ¡°Liangshan, have you arrived at your aunt¡¯s?¡± Zhao Da asked the moment the line went through. ¡°Get her to get Official to step in, quick! Our bank ount has already been frozen!¡±

    Zhao Liangshan on the other line was stuttering as he sat on the sofa in Zhang Baochen¡¯s living hall. He really didn¡¯t know how to answer his father.

    His father inw Zhang Cheng, wife Zhang Xiaocui and himself took an overnight flight in to Di Capital. They had just arrived at the Zhang¡¯s, and were already hit by the worst news they could hear: Zhang Feng had been captured by the investigation officers!

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± Zhao Da panicked. ¡°Get your father inw on the phone if you aren¡¯t going to speak!¡±

    Zhao Liangshan handed the phone to Zhang Cheng and said bitterly: ¡°It¡¯s my father...¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Our bank ount has been frozen. My father is raging right now...¡±

    Zhang Cheng answered the phone immediately, his face full of smiles: ¡°Inw! You¡¯re calling really early. We just arrived at Di Capital, and haven¡¯t seen my sister and brother inw yet!¡±

    ¡°Brother inw? When did you have a brother inw?¡± Zhao Da was in shock. ¡°Your sister...¡±

    Hasn¡¯t she been the mistress her entire life?

    Zhao Da kept thest sentence to himself.

    Zhang Cheng forced a smile: ¡°Why can¡¯t I have a brother inw now? My sister had been with the official her entire life; No way she¡¯s going to do that without a proper status? My sister has already said, that she will be registering the marriage with the Official after the New Year. Wouldn¡¯t he be my brother inw then?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, are you serious?! That¡¯s a really great news!¡± Zhao Da felt a huge load being lifted off his shoulders all of a sudden. Even the greyish skies full of clouds looked extremely blue to him at that moment. ¡°Hahaha... When will the wedding be held? Will they be holding the wedding in our city? Let me tell you... As long as the Official ising, I¡¯ll book the biggest restaurant in the city, and hold a banquet for 3 days straight! I would be able to afford this banquet for everyone in the city!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha... Let¡¯s talk about it when the timees. My sister is practical; she doesn¡¯t like to be in the limelight too much. Anyway, it wouldn¡¯t reflect well on the official.¡± Zhang Baochen red at him when he was saying those words, and even made hand gestures to get him to stop. How could he not say?

    This inw would fall out any minute if he didn¡¯t say that!

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, that¡¯s fine. You go get busy. Oh yeah, regarding our bank ount, could you please find an opportunity to speak to your brother inw? Get him to give our bank a call or something; just unfreeze it. It wouldn¡¯t take them much time and effort.¡± Zhao Da wasn¡¯t a wee bit worried anymore.

    Their rtionship wasn¡¯t something to be proud of in the past. Even though they had Shihui, it wasn¡¯t exactly stable.

    Now, she was going to be officially the wife of the Official. Their status will never be the same again.

    Most likely, even *** will have to go to his home for Lunar New Year visiting...

    Turning his head to look at the bank building behind him, he snorted.

    The VIP customer rtions manager who was rude to him just now; he¡¯ll know when he¡¯ll even have to kneel and call him ¡®daddy¡¯ when the timees!

    ...

    Zhang Cheng hung up. The smile on his face disappeared immediately.

    He paced worriedly around the living hall, and asked Zhang Baochen: ¡°Where¡¯s the Official? He doesn¡¯t care even when your mother got arrested by the investigation officers? She had been by his side for so many years for God¡¯s sake, even if it was a dog, there will be feelings, won¡¯t there?¡±

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie pursed their lips upon hearing such uncouth wordsing from their granduncle, and turned to Zhang Baochen: ¡°Father, we would like to go to the Huo¡¯s to move our things.¡±

    They were chased out during New Year¡¯s Eve. They had no time or chance to pack anything.

    Qian Shihui did not like how Zhang Cheng making such a fuss as well, so she nudged Zhang Baochen: ¡°Our things are there too, why not let¡¯s go there to pack our things since we have nothing on today? We can look for the old man as well...¡±

    Zhang Cheng overheard their conversation, and asked: ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where are you going to move things from?¡± He looked around the house: ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys live within thepound of the army? Why are you staying here now?¡±

    Both Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui did not want to talk about this, so they smiled and replied: ¡°The kids are getting big; they would like to move out and live on our own, so we moved.¡±

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie remained silent, just wanting to leave.

    Zhang Cheng and Zhao Liangshan looked at each other,municated for a bit and told Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui: ¡°Let us go with you? We can help with the moving as well.¡±

    They would be able to see the legendary old Major Huo as well.

    Zhang Baochen rejected politely: ¡°I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t. You¡¯ll need an entry permit to enter, but you don¡¯t have one.¡±

    ¡°But you have?¡± Zhang Cheng asked curiously. ¡°Let me see how it looks like! How long would it take if I were to apply for one as well?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait till next year to get approved even if you¡¯re eligible and meet all the criteria.¡± Qian Shihui¡¯s words had a hidden meaning, as she did not want to entertain their probing anymore.

    Zhang Xiaocui rolled her eyes and stood up: ¡°Cousin, cousin inw. Your cousin here really wishes to have an eye-opening experience. Can¡¯t I? I¡¯ve heard that the ranking of the Official is really high, is that true? So he wouldn¡¯t allow even if distant rtives visit? I don¡¯t believe it!¡±

    Qian Shihui and Zhang Baochen exchanged awkward nces.

    Zhang Xiaocui was right.

    Distant rtives could be granted immediate ess if they came, but the prerequisite was that there had to be someone from the headquarters to act as their guarantor.

    Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui were not considered to be people from thepound anymore. In fact, they weren¡¯t even sure if their entry passes could still be used. They had intended to get the soldier on duty to pass a message to Grandfather Huo if their entry passes got rejected. Grandfather Huo would definitely send some soldiers to bring them in to pack.

    However, bringing Zhang Cheng and Zhao Liangshan would be out of the question. Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t allow them to enter.

    They were discussing halfway and haven¡¯t even left, when a few people appeared at the door again. They were wearing Police uniforms. Knocking on the door, they asked: ¡°Is Zhang Baochen in?¡±

    Zhang Baochen braced himself and opened the door: ¡°I am him. Is anything the matter?¡±

    A policeman handed him a form. ¡°Is this your property? Please sign here if it is.¡±

    ¡°Sign? For what?¡± Zhang Baochen was confused. He read the form, as he turned as white as sheet. ¡°Did you make a mistake? How can you me me for the false ounts from Dacheng Industries LLC? I¡¯ve got no connections with them at all!¡±

    Even though the CEO of Dacheng Industries LLC is their inw, they had no business rtionship with Dacheng. These are two different matters.

    The policeman looked at him, and took out a copy of verified list of shareholders. Putting it in his face, they said: ¡°Look at this. Your name is here on the list of shareholders of Dacheng Industries LLC. Even though you¡¯re just a minor shareholder, you¡¯re still one. Dacheng industries LLC¡¯s liabilities has superseded its assets. Under thew, all shareholders have to help to pay off the debts ording to the percentage of shares owned. If you are unable to do so, your assets will be forcefully auctioned, and this will include your property.¡±

    ¡°I... I... I... Since when have I be a shareholder?!¡± Zhang Baochen¡¯s eyes almost popped out of his sockets. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not making a mistake? I never knew anything like that!¡±

    He looked at his wife, Qian Shihui for help. She blushed immediately.

    This position of being a small shareholder was done up in secret after Qian Shihui discussed with Zhang Feng. The reason to this was that Zhang Baochen would have more assets.

    Zhang Feng herself had 20% with thepany. Zhao Da gave all these to her; she did not spend a single cent on them.

    In order to assure Zhang Feng, Zhao Da agreed to her request of giving 5% of the shares to Zhang Baochen.

    Zhao Da has 65% of thepany, and the other 10% belonged to Zhao Da¡¯s family.

    Qian Shihui handled the receiving of dividends and attending board meetings all along. Zhang Baochen really did not know what anything.

    ¡°Why would it matter even if you know anything? You are a shareholder under thew. So we have to take your property to pay off the debt.¡± The policeman did not want to listen to his exnation. He just pointed to the form, and said firmly: ¡°Sign!¡±

 Chapter 342 - Attack

    <h4>Chapter 342: Attack</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The pen was forced into Zhang Baochen¡¯s hand, but he trembled for a long time time without signing with it. He finally mustered his courage to say, ¡°I...I won¡¯t sign this!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t sign it? If you¡¯re indeed Zhang Baochen, you must sign it!¡± The police officer was resolute. ¡°It¡¯s written on there in ck and white that you will be detained if you refuse to sign it!¡±

    ¡°I-I-I-It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t sign it, but I need awyer! I need to hire awyer to represent me, and will sign it after consulting with them!¡± Zhang Baochen¡¯s thoughts finally fell into order. He set the pen down and refused to sign the document.

    ¡°Hire awyer?¡± The officer paused and then asked, ¡°Do you have one?¡± The rich folks need awyer just to sign a document. How fussy. The officer mocked him in his thoughts.

    ¡°I do, and I¡¯ll call them right now!¡± Zhang Baocheng frantically searched for the bestwyer to deal with the police. The crimesmitted by Dacheng Industries Ltd. were still within the scope of the internal audit by the military, and the military had no intention of pressing charges in court due to the rtionship between Zhang Feng and Grandfather Huo. The police had gotten involved because they were assisting the military with verifying basic information, and so had not been sent by the court. Thus, Zhang Baochen¡¯s request to have awyer represent him was perfectly legal. The police couldn¡¯t stop him if he wanted to hire awyer.

    ¡°Then you can call them right now.¡± The officer took back the document. ¡°We¡¯ll wait here.¡±

    Zhang Baochen grimaced as he turned back to the apartment. He went the study on and quickly searched fo the best domesticw firms. However, he was only connected to their voicemails when he called. It was nearly noon, so he figured that even the scant number of employees were probably on lunch break. Sweet and melodious robotic voices sounded from the phone, saying ¡°Hello, if this is an emergency, please call 110. If this is a criminal case, please press 1. Economic case, please press 2. Legal representative, please press 3...¡± He entered in a series of numbers and still only got the voicemail in the end. Zhang Baocheng didn¡¯t have the luxury of doing this right now. The police were waiting outside and wouldn¡¯t leave until he called awyer right away. He desperately searched online for a reliable and avable localw firm in the Imperial Capital to to be his legal representative. His cursor came across a ¡°Sovereign Law Office.¡± Thisw firm had been established not too long ago and was on the smaller scale, with a team of less than 15 people. However, the owner was very powerful and ording to the website introduction, he was partnered to thergestw firm in the United States, a tenured professor at the Harvard Law School, and had a long string ofwsuits in his CV¡ªone of which being a case against the US Military. Thiswyer had dared to attack even the US Military, which meant the Imperial Military should be no problem. Zhang Baocheng rubbed his chin and swiftly called the number listed.

    ¡°Hello, this is Sovereign Law Office, how may we assist you today?¡±

    Zhang Baochen yanked at his tie before asking hastily, ¡°Hello, I urgently need awyer to be my legal representative. Can you please send awyer over right now?¡±

    The voice on the other end of the line seemed to pause, then said politely, ¡°Can you please tell me the specifics of the situation? Today is the second day of the lunar new year, so it will not easy to find someone avable. However, we will try our best to match you with the rightwyer. Please tell me the entire situation.¡±

    Zhang Baochen hurriedly gave an exnation, and concluded by saying, ¡°They¡¯re still at the door right now and are trying to make me sign a document, but I don¡¯t know if I should or not.¡±

    The woman on the line paused again; she seemed to be making notes. She then quickly resumed questioning. ¡°What proof does the police have that Dacheng Industries Ltd. is insolvent? It stands to reason that it cannot be determined in this short amount of time.¡±

    ¡°This... I don¡¯t know about, actually.¡± Zhang Baocheng didn¡¯t want to talk about the military portion of the situation. He had finally found a real person to talk to instead of a robot, so he was worried it might scare her off.

    ¡°Mr. Zhang, please tell me the truth. You are not harming our interests, but your own if you don¡¯t disclose everything to us.¡± The women¡¯s voice was very gentle. ¡°No matter what happens, we will still charge our fees and all losses will be borne by you. Please think about it again: is there anything else you need to tell us?¡±

    Zhang Baochen was defeated by this woman and had no choice but to tell the woman everything he knew. She was silent for a long while afterwards. Zhang Baochen thought she had already ended the call already. However, her voice sounded once again. ¡°Ok, we will ept this case. Where are you located right now? I can contact our firm¡¯swyers to act as your legal representative.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Really?!¡± Zhang Baochen exhaled sharply and finally felt hopeful again. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued speaking, ¡°I am in Suite 1043, Tower C of Baolongyuan in Zhichun Precinct in the Fourth Ring Road. Can you have hime right now?¡±

    The womanughed lightly. ¡°I¡¯ll call him straight away.¡±

    ¡°May I ask what your name is?¡±

    ¡°My name is Wen. Wen Shouyi.¡±

    Wen Shouyi set the phone down and chuckled quietly. She didn¡¯t celebrate Lunar New Year, so the first and second days of the lunar new year meant nothing to her. She had came to the office alone to prepare materials and get ready for sses to begin; she had never expected to pick up such a case. She sent the payment information to Zhang Baochen¡ªhe would first pay 10 thousand RMB as a deposit and then legal fees would be deducted from that deposit. Zhang Baochen quickly sent 10 thousand RMB over. Wen Shouyi confirmed the deposit and called Lawyer Jin. ¡°Lawyer Jin, I have someone urgently looking for a legal representative. Are you avable?¡±

    Lawyer Jin had been fired from the JD Law Offices after losing the Bai Jinyi case. All the otherw offices in the Imperial Capital were worried about offending the Bai family, so no one had dared to hire him. The Sovereign Law Office was the only ce that had given him a chance. He was determined to rebuild his reputation and earn back his honor as the leading counsel. Although he was having lunch with his family and friends when Wen Shouyi called, he quickly agreed. ¡°No problem. Where is he? I¡¯ll go right now.¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded with satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ve sent you the specifics by email; you should be able to see it right away. The client¡¯s name is Zhang Baochen; his address is Suite 1043, Tower C of Baolongyuan in Zhichun Precinct, Fourth Ring Road. Phone number 136XXXXXXXXXX. ¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Lawyer Jin unlocked his phone and saw an email from Shouyi in his work inbox. He took a cursory look and but was immediately excited. Wen Shouyi had prepared an excellent memo for him, which not only outlined the entire incident, but also introduced all the parties involved. For example, Zhang Baochen was only a manger of a financialpany, but his mother Zhang Feng was the Head Nurse of the second-inmand of the Supreme Military Council. Although Huo Xuenong was now retired, he still held the rank of General. His son, Huo Guanchen, was the Director of the Political Department of the military, while his grandson was the famous Major General Huo Shaoheng. The names rattled off the screen and Lawyer Jin couldn¡¯t be more familiar with them. It had been the Huo¡¯s who had pressed charges against Bai Jinyi for murdering Luo Xinxue, the widow of the elder Huo son, Huo Guanyuan. Lawyer Jin had met Huo Shaoheng in court. When he thought of Huo Shaoheng, he also couldn¡¯t help remembering Gu Nianzhi, who hadpletely defeated him.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, as Huo Xuenong¡¯s Head Nurse, does Zhang Feng have a close rtionship to him?¡± Wen Shouyi had only recently arrived at the Huaxia Empire and wasn¡¯t familiar with these rtionships.

    Lawyer Jin wore his Bluetooth headset and took out an iPad to mark on the important points as he walked outside. He said to Wen Shouyi over the phone, ¡°Lawyer Wen, the Chief¡¯s Head Nurse has quite a bit of authority. They can control the Chief¡¯s schedules at times and determine who they can see and cannot see. In some cases, they may have a stronger rtionship to the Chief than even their own wives do.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really now?¡± Wen Shouyi was intrigued. ¡°Who can qualify as the service nurse?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s within the army, they must be at least the rank of a Commander or General. That¡¯s the same minimum rank to qualify for Personal Secretaries.¡± Lawyer Jin exined politely. ¡°I still have to look up the specifics. If Lawyer Wen is interested, I will send you my findings.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no need. I was just wondering.¡± Wen Shouyi turned to herputer and looked online. ¡°Hurry to him now; he¡¯s quite anxious.¡±

    Lawyer Jin set down the phone and got inside his car to quickly drive to the Zhichun Precinct in the Fourth Ring Road. The roads were very quiet on the second day of the lunar new year. He found Zhang Baochen¡¯s address and called him. ¡°May I ask if this is Mr. Zhang? I¡¯m Lawyer Jin from the Sovereign Law Office.¡±

 Chapter 343 - Let me

    <h4>Chapter 343: Let me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Lawyer Jin you¡¯re finally here!¡± Zhang Baochen almost flung himself on to Jin Dazhuang. He hugged Jin Dazhuang¡¯s arm and eximed: ¡°Help me! Help me quick!¡±

    Jin Dazhuang smiled and consoled him. ¡°Rest assured Mr. Zhang, I would definitely do my best to help you.¡± Turning to the policemen at the door, he began: ¡°I am awyer from the Sovereign Law Office. I will represent my client henceforth. May I know why you¡¯re looking for him please?¡±

    The policemen exchanged nces with each other, and took out the form again. ¡°This is a document form on Mr.Zhang¡¯s property. He will have to sign on it and allow us to seize the property.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang took the form and looked through it. Adjusting his gold-rimmed sses, he asked: ¡°May I know why my client is made to sign such a document please?¡±

    ¡°Because he is one of the shareholders of Dacheng Industries LLC. Their liabilities have superseded their assets, and the debtors are asking for their money back. Therefore, they have requested for us to verify his property in order to help pay for the debt.¡± The policemen were still polite to Jin Dazhuang ¨C Even the words used were all professional terms.

    Jin Dazhuang smiled, and adjusted his sses again. He sighed meaningfully and replied: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my client will not sign the document. Also, Dacheng industries LLC umting more liabilities than assets are none of my client¡¯s business. Please refrain from harassing my client regarding this again.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? None of his business?¡± The policemen were shocked. They exchanged nces with each other and asked again: ¡°Are you sure? He¡¯s one of the shareholders.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m absolutely sure.¡± Jin Dazhuang took a few steps forward, crossed his arms, and continued: ¡°Dacheng Industries LLC is a private limitedpany. Which means, their responsibilities are limited. The shareholders will be required to use the amounts, which they have invested into thepany to pay off the limited liabilities. Then, the legal representative of thepany will also use all the assets of thepany in an attempt to pay off what they can afford. My client does not need to sell his property or assets to help thepany settle all of their liabilities. Therefore, may I know the reason for you to make him sign the document?¡±

    ¡°Bravo! Bravo, Lawyer Jin! I knew there was something wrong!¡± Zhang Baochen was ted, he was extremely happy with engaging thiswyer.

    Even though the policemen knew a little about the Law, it was obvious that they were no match for this experienced person in front of them.

    With hushed voices, they discussed for an alternative n. ¡°Alright, let us speak to our superior and decide what we would do.¡± Then, they looked at Zhang Baochen: ¡°Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Zhang.¡±

    After the policemen left, Zhang Baochen was in awe and admiration for Jin Dazhuang. Very soon, he was bootlicking him so much, and insisted on him to stay for dinner.

    The way Jin Dazhuang made the policemen go away with just s couple of sentences also left a deep impression in Zhang Cheng and Zhao Liangshan. They invited him to drink during the dinner, and entertained him. The dinner was full ofughter.

    ...

    That afternoon, Huo Shaoheng received a phone call from the police station in his study. His brows furrowed upon receiving the news.

    He did not wish for too many people to know about this matter in the army, and therefore did not alert the Legal department.

    The army auditing team was auditing Dacheng Industries LLC as apany. They only knew that thispany had connections with Zhang Feng, and Zhang Feng did use Grandfather Huo¡¯s name to clinch business dealings outside.

    However, using her position as the senior nurse of grandfather Huo, or the position as a mistress ¨C would have 2 different oues altogether.

    If Huo Shaoheng was able to control the area of damage, he definitely would do so to keep it to the lowest.

    Zhang Feng was a clever woman. She already understood the logic, so she would never spill her rtionship with grandfather Huo.

    However, you can never be so sure about others.

    Now there¡¯s even awyer involved. The risk of letting this affair seeing daylight had just increased.

    Therefore, the best solution would still be to finish this case as soon as possible.

    Huo Shaoheng only contemted for a minute before calling Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, pleasee to the study.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi just woke up from her afternoon nap. She was in a daze when she received the call.

    The moment she received it, though, she became extremely alert. ¡°I¡¯ll be there immediately.¡±

    ...

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Huo Shao?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat opposite him, looking at him with smiling eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng repeated what he heard over the phone to Gu Nianzhi, and continued: ¡°I can handle this issue actually, but I don¡¯t want too many people to know about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood where he wasing from, and said confidently: ¡°I understand! I can help you! Huo Shao, let me handle that Jin Dazhuang!¡±

    ¡°You can handle him?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn¡¯t even mentioned his reasons, and Gu Nianzhi already had a solution?

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she adjusted her cor. She looked proud but delicate as she announced: ¡°I will defeat Jin Dazhuang once again, so that he will avoid me at all costs in the future!¡±

    Laughing at her, Huo Shaoheng stood up and caressed her head. ¡°Good. Look at this document. Represent the army tomorrow and debate it out with Zhang Baochen¡¯swyer.¡±

    Others wouldn¡¯t even pose as a problem anymore once Zhang Baochen is settled.

    ¡°No problem.¡± Gu Nianzhi held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, ¡°I¡¯ll work on it. Don¡¯t worry Huo Shao, I have ample experience debating with Jin Dazhuang!¡±

    A smile crept up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. He couldn¡¯t help but to caress her head again, and looked at her leave.

    After she left, Huo Shaoheng arranged for the Police to schedule another appointment with Zhang Baochen and Jin Dazhuang on one end, and asked Zhao Liangze to prepare a vehicle for tomorrow on the other end.

    ...

    On the third day of the New Year, Gu Nianzhi woke up extremely early. She set out for the Sovereign Law Office with Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze.

    Due to Jin Dazhuang being the representativewyer of Zhang Baochen, the only way to be able to speak to him, was to be on good terms with Jin Dazhuang now.

    Huo Shaoheng did not go up. He waited in the car for her.

    Gu Nianzhi brought Zhao Liangze into the lift.

    The Sovereign Law Office was situated on the 36th floor in the building.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the carvings on the wall just before she entered the office. It was ck but sparkly, and it reads ¡°The Sovereign Law Office¡±.

    Beside the ck words, was the carving of the Goddess of Justice. She was the mascot of the office.

    The goddess had her face covered in a ck mask. She also had her eyes covered. In one of her hands was a scale, and in the other hand, a sword.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered her professor talking about the Goddess on the very first Law lesson.

    The scale represented a fair and objective trial. The sword represented the punishment for the culprits. Being covered in a ck mask represented equality, objectivity, not taking sides and being fair when ites to justice.

    Gu Nianzhi looked fondly at this mascot before entering the office.

    Wen Shouyi came out from his office. When he realized that it was Gu Nianzhi, he asked, surprised: ¡°Miss Gu, it was you who wanted to meet Lawyer Jin?¡±

    She did not expect the army to allow a freshly graduatedwyer like Gu Nianzhi to represent them.

    ¡°Yes, we arranged for the appointment yesterday. It¡¯s regarding the case of Dacheng Industries LLC.¡± Gu Nianzhi wore a business suit in dark grey, with matching pants and a pair of leather shoes, looking like a capable young woman.

    Wen Shouyi controlled her doubts and nodded. ¡± Pleasee with me.¡±

    Upon entering the meeting room, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze were greeted with Jin Dazhuang and Zhang Baochen. Zhao Da was present too ¨C He has rushed here overnight, and brought hiswyer along as well.

    The four of them looked at the door nervously. When they saw that the person who entered was a young and adorable youngdy who looked frail, three of them heaved a sigh of relief.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was in a business suit, her young face and clear eyes gave her age away.

    Zhao Da almost wanted to shake hands with Zhao Liangze, thinking he was the representative instead.

    However, Zhao Liangze only followed closely behind Gu Nianzhi, acting like a bodyguard.

    Jin Dazhuang walked up to Gu Nianzhi respectfully and held out his hand: ¡°Miss Gu, we meet again.¡±

 Chapter 344 - Hate What Ifs

    <h4>Chapter 344: Hate ¡°What If¡¯s¡±</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It appears the legal representative the sent was this young girl who hasn¡¯t even look like she¡¯s graduated university yet. Zhao Da sighed in relief and looked at his own professional and mature Lawyer Jin, then back at the young girl. She looks even younger than my own granddaughter, he thought. what good can she do anyway? She must¡¯ve used some kind of connection to get a post inside the military. He sat back down on the long couch by the window and crossed his legs, then took out a cigarette to smoke.

    Wen Shouyi immediately stopped him. ¡°Mr. Zhao, this is a non-smoking zone. Please go outside the building if you wish to smoke.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? I won¡¯t smoke then.¡± Zhao Da smirked as he crumpled up the cigarette and threw it into the garbage. He nced at Lawyer Jin and froze: the man seemed wary. Lawyer Jin was very vignt as he sat across from Gu Nianzhi at the conference table.

    Zhang Baochen was next to Lawyer Jin and surveyed Gu Nianzhi. He assumed Huo Shaoheng must also be present if the girl was here. He recognized the man apanying Gu Nianzhi as Zhao Liangze, one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries. What is he doing here? Could Huo Shaoheng have something to do with what is going on with Dacheng Industries? Zhang Baochen¡¯s imagination went wild while he overheard Lawyer Jin profuse eloquently: ¡°Miss Gu, are you here to ask my client to sign this Investigation of Properties Request as the military¡¯s legal representative, correct?¡± Lawyer Jin waved the photocopy of the document that had been faxed over.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Of course. He refused to sign it yesterday, so I had to personallye in today.¡± She shifted her gaze to Zhang Baochen. ¡°Mr. Zhang, I¡¯ll ask you again, are you going to sign this Investigation of Assets Request or not?¡± Gu Nianzhi possessed a peculiar air of dominance when she was grim faced; anyone m would be frightened enough to do anything she asked.

    Zhang Baochen knew she was just an orphan girl and was putting up a bluff with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s protection, however, his heart hammered when her pitch ck eyes stared at him. His back was slick with nervous sweat. Zhang Baochen stammered to Lawyer Jin, forcing out the words, ¡°L-Lawyer Jin said¡ª¡±

    ¡°What did Lawyer Jin say?¡± Gu Nianzhi briskly cut Zhang Baochen off to exert more psychological stress. She had been professionally trained and was employing a few of those tactics now. However, Zhang Baochen was more pathetic than Gu Nianzhi had originally anticipated. He had no clue about anything: intimidating him didn¡¯t allow her to glean any useful information. He was even so anxious that he kept running to the bathroom. In her heart, Gu Nianzhi cursed Zhang Baochen for being the most pathetic person out of all pathetic people, but maintained a smile for the sake of appearance. She slid the document over to him. ¡°Please sign this if you can¡¯t think of a reason not to.¡± She changed her tone to be melodious and sweet, sounding just like a midnight chat show hostpelling people to expose their innermost secrets when their hearts were the most vulnerable.

    Zhang Baochen nearly took the pen in his confusion.

    Lawyer Jin mped down on his hand and nudged the document back to Gu Nianzhi while asking with surprise, ¡°Miss Gu, you can¡¯t possibly think that my client¡¯s personal assets have anything to do with what is going on with Dacheng Industries?¡±

    ¡°Why else did you you think I made a trip for?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile and secretly gloated over the breakthrough. When she appeared the most nonchnt was the time she was actually gearing up for battle. Frightening Zhang Boachen was only the beginning.

    ¡°Then allow me to repeat myself: ording to our nation¡¯s businessws, Dacheng Industries Ltd. is only a limited liabilitypany. If there are any problems with its operations and it bes insolvent thus requiring liquidation, then thepany itself will be liquidated. This does not include my client¡¯s personal assets.¡± Lawyer Jin pointed to the Investigation of Assets Request. ¡°You cannot freeze my client¡¯s personal bank ounts or confiscate his properties. These are all my client¡¯s personal assets, which have nothing to do with Dacheng Industries.¡± In other words, Zhang Baochen would only lose his 5% shares in Dacheng Industries even if it were to go bankrupt. He hadn¡¯t even invested a penny into thepany, so the shares were gifted to him. If Dacheng Industries made a profit, he would receive dividends. If thepany had a loss, he would not receive the dividends, but he also didn¡¯t have to take any responsibility.

    ¡°Indeed, Lawyer Jin is correct.¡± Zhao Da¡¯swyer chimed in as well as he scoffed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This is the most basicpanyw. Do you, Miss Gu, not understand it? Have you even graduated from university yet? Perhaps you should go back to school and studypanyw again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are both correct. I agree with what you are saying aboutpanyw.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands in approval.

    Zhao Da¡¯swyer had never crossed paths with Gu Nianzhi and felt even more smug when he saw that his choice words had the young femalewyer representing the military by the nose. She appeared weak and defenseless so he respected her even less now. However, Lawyer Jin had suffered in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands before, so he was more cautious. He could sense the reservation in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and mulled over it before responding, ¡°Am I wrong? Or is the military abusing its power and seizing personal property illegally?¡±

    ¡°Oh? I haven¡¯t seen Lawyer Jin for just a few days and you¡¯ve learned how to make false usations now!¡± Gu Nianzhi supported herself on her hands and straightened her back. ¡°This won¡¯t do. We arewyers and must use legal jargon and logic when speaking. We can¡¯t bber nonsense as though we are people who don¡¯t understand thew. There must be evidence backing every word awyer says.¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Lawyer Jin repeated. He was still bitter about losing to Gu Nianzhi thest time and pped the table as he rose from his seat to throw the materials he had prepared at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Look for yourself! My client only holds a 5% share and has nothing to do with the executive level of Dacheng Industries! He¡¯s only a shareholder! And a minor one at that! He has no liability for anything outside of his shares in Dacheng Industries! Am I making myself clear?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shifted in her seat to avoid Lawyer Jin¡¯s shouting before standing up as well. ¡°Are you done now?¡±

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m done. Do tell me what legal grounds you have for my client to bear any debt liability aside from his minority shares. Remember, the reasons have to be legal and legitimate! Don¡¯t think you can do whatever you want just because you have the support of the military. You better believe that I¡¯m going to report you to the media!¡± Lawyer Jin thoroughly finished professing his reasons and finally sat down. He hastily took a sip of water; his mouth was getting too dry.

    ¡°Good, now it¡¯s my turn to speak.¡± Gu Nianzhi also took out her prepared materials and threw it on the table.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin was certainly correct. For a limited liabilitypany, the shareholders do not have to bear any liabilities outside of their own shares. If thepany shuts downs and liquidates, shareholders will only lose all their own shares at maximum and not suffer any other losses.¡±

    ¡°What else do we have to discuss then? You can all leave now.¡± Lawyer Jinughed. ¡°You¡¯re just repeating my words, but still have the audacity to ask my client to sign that request?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied frostily, ¡°Lawyer Jin, why are you so anxious? Can¡¯t you wait for me to finish speaking?¡±

    ¡°You still have something else to say? If you¡¯re just repeating what I said, don¡¯t waste anymore of my time.¡± Lawyer Jin was getting impatient. ¡°This is the month of the Lunar New Year and we are all very busy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brows, her voice even colder. ¡°If you keep talking nonsense, I can report you to the Bar Association forcking in professional ethics.¡±

    Lawyer Jin finally quieted down, but his face was smug. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t defeat him this time.

    Gu Nianzhi scanned all the faces in the conference room and looked at the silent Zhao Liangze. She smiled reassuringly at him and took out an earmarked report from her materials, then proceeded with showering Lawyer Jin and Zhao Da¡¯swyer with the evidence. ¡°Dacheng Industries LLC.¡¯s full name is Dacheng Industries Limited Liability Company. ording topanyws, it is a limited liabilitypany, LLC. ording to the definition of LLC underpanyws, it is stipted that the number of shareholders in suchpanies shall not exceed 50 people nor fund externally. The shareholders shall bear limited liability within the limits of capital contribution. So if thepany has problems under normal circumstances, the shareholders¡¯ risk is only limited to the capital invested.¡±

    Lawyer Jin crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi swiftly changed the topic as she nced at Lawyer Jin.

    He froze; he hated that phrase, ¡°but¡± more than anything! Sh*t! This is so annoying! Why doesn¡¯t she go to h*ll!

    Gu Nianzhi paused then watched the faces of the two otherwyers fall before smiling, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, thepanyw also has a legal personality denial system, which ismonly known as ¡®unmasking thepany.¡¯ In short, the shareholders cannot hide under the name of thepany and do as they please. If the shareholders rule that the limited liabilitypany has engaged in illegal activities and have the evidence surface from investigation, the shareholders are not exempt from liability. In order words, when shareholders use an LLC to engage in illegal acts, the shareholders not only have to assume responsibility for their own shares, but must also repay using their personal assets!¡± This regtion was known as ¡°piercing the corporate veil.¡±

    Lawyer Jin¡¯s head started buzzing and his face grew ruddy as he howled in his mind, sh*t! How could he have forgotten this regtion! How could he possibly win the case now?!

 Chapter 345 - A Huge Blow

    <h4>Chapter 345: A Huge Blow</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This legal personality Denial System Regtion was not exactly simple to execute.

    They would have to go through manyplicated legal proceedings before being able to confirm that the shareholder was the one who had used the LLC tomit illegal activities, and that the LLC itself was not under the direction of ipetent management.

    This regtion was hardly used in real life situations, as it usually wasn¡¯t worth the time invested. Therefore, it was normal that manywyers neglected this. In Jin Dazhuang¡¯s 20 years of practice, he had barely won once. However, both parties had utilized too many resources and energy that they decided to let it go eventually.

    Jin Dazhuang was now shocked though. His face was stormy and he replied, ¡°Sure. Just prove that my client had the intention to use Industries LLC tomit illegal activities before bringing it to court! I¡¯d like to see just exactly how the judge will receive this!¡±

    Zhang Baochen quickly spoke up. ¡°I did nothing of the sort. I can swear to that! I didn¡¯t even know which industry Dacheng Industries would go to. How could I have been guiding them in their operations?¡±

    ¡°You hear that?¡± Jin Dazhuangughed wryly. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can pretend to be a know-it-all just because you memorized some regtions by heart. Take it to court if you have the guts to!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she took out a pile of approved materials and documents, and ced them in front of Jin Dazhuang.

    ¡°Please have a look, Lawyer Jin; these are the materials provided by Dacheng Industries LLC for their ns regarding their project with the army.¡± She brought out some more documents. ¡°And these are the agreements they¡¯ve signed which state the materials they¡¯ve used and how it made the army incur great losses during training.¡±

    ¡°These are the investigative documents provided by the third party independent professionals, showing that Dacheng Industries LLC intentionally provided the army with low-grade materials instead of the previously approved ones in the contracts, and that they profited illegally from the business dealings with the army. These backhanded deals were the reason for the injuries to the soldiers during the recent training sessions and the cause of potential threats to the entire country.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang¡¯s face turned as white as a sheet. He took the documents from Gu Nianzhi and read through them quickly, trying to make sense of the entire problem.

    ¡°Well, these alone are not enough to use my client of engaging in illegal acts.¡± Jin Dazhuang knew he was ying the fool, but he was desperate. ¡°Recing high-grade materials with low-grade ones is too vague an usation. If we were to bring this to court, they would certainly not sentence my client as guilty of the charge.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and took out the materials provided by Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°What about these?¡± Gu Nianzhi handed them to Jin Dazhuang.¡±The shareholders of Dacheng Industries LLC, Zhao Da, Zhang Feng, and Zhang Baochen had been using different methods to transfer the profits to their personal ounts for the past two years. They have also set up shell corporations in Italy, in preparation ofundering the money they have transferred through those businesses.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang copsed in his chair and heaved a long sigh. His head spun as he thought:

    Based on the previous evidence, I still had about 70% confidence that I could fight for Zhang Baochen in court and win. However, these final pieces of evidence are too strong. It might impossible to fight after all.

    He realized that if they were to bring the matter to court, the moment the judge saw the evidence of them preparing tounder money, they would definitely convict the shareholders of using the Dacheng Industrials LLC ount for their corrupt practices.

    Once they were dered guilty, they would definitely be announced bankrupt in order to pay thepany. They would have jail terms to serve as well.

    Jin Dazhuang gulped a few times. Then, looking at Gu Nianzhi helplessly, he croaked out, ¡°What if we choose to settle this amicably?¡±

    ¡°Simple, just sign this.¡± Gu Nianzhi handed the Assets Investigation form to Jin Dazhuang again, grinning from ear to ear. ¡°Put all the real estate properties on auction and return all the savings in his bank ounts to the army. Only after that, I will plead with the army on your client¡¯s behalf to not bring charges against him.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang nodded gravely. ¡°Okay. I agree.¡±

    Zhang Baochen jumped up from his seat, pointed at Jin Dazhuang, and began raging at him. ¡°Are you mad?! You¡¯re mywyer for god¡¯s sake! Why did you agree to everything she said? All these assets are mine! MINE! Why should I pay for that d*mnpany?! I didn¡¯t even know what they got into in the first ce!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and dug around her documents. She found a duplicate document with Zhang Baochen¡¯s signature and pushed it over to him.

    ¡°Mr. Zhang, please look at the document. Your signature is on it. There¡¯s your thumbprint too.¡±

    ¡°What d*mn document?¡± Zhang Baochen took the document and opened it. He jumped up from his seat once again and yelled: ¡°Th-Thi-This...I don¡¯t remember signing something like this!¡±

    The document that he had signed was a letter of authorization. It stated the authorization of Dacheng Industries LLC to open a branch office in Italy. The only motive for opening a nameless branch office in Italy would have been to avoid all investigations and audits in the country and to approve the transferring of most of the assets from the two families overseas tounder.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t remember. The only thing you must confirm is whether or not the signature and thumbprint on the document is yours, ¡± Gu Nianzhi said casually. ¡°Thew only recognizes evidence. However, you seem to think that it isn¡¯t very relevant to the case.¡±

    Zhang Baochen began to tremble. The corners of his mouth twitched continuously. He actually remembered now¡ªhis wife was the one who had brought him the document. At the time, she¡¯d said it was regarding Dacheng Industries, so he signed...but!

    He hadn¡¯t expected it to be a trap!

    Throwing the document onto the ground with a furious smack, Zhang Baochen said angrily, ¡°My wife asked me to sign this! I really don¡¯t know what went on at all! How can you push the me on me just like that?!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Zhang, you are a grown adult. You have to be responsible for your actions. Do you think you don¡¯t have to bear any responsibilities just because you said you don¡¯t know what was going on? Must the army take responsibility for your stupidity then?¡± It took Gu Nianzhi so much effort to not roll her eyes at him.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, do you understand now?¡± Gu Nianzhi chose tomunicate with Jin Dazhuang instead. ¡°By saying that Dacheng Industries ¡®umted more liabilities than the assets they have,¡± to allow them to use their own assets to pay it off, is the army¡¯s way of giving respect to the Official. Your client is just a minor shareholder; all he has to do is pay back the losses to the army. The major shareholders for Dacheng¡ªMr. Zhao and Mrs. Dacheng¡ªhad intentionally cheated the army. Not only will they have to return the illegal profits they¡¯d taken, but the army will be bringing them to court as well. Even if they were to announce theirpany as bankrupt, nothing will help.¡±

    This was a criminal act. Therefore, they would have to face the legal consequences. They would not get away with it just because they had only been the shareholders.

    Zhang Baochen finally understood. Grabbing hold of Jin Dazhuang, he said nervously, ¡°Lawyer Jin, I don¡¯t want to go to jail! I don¡¯t want to go to jail! Help me with the case! I will do anything!¡±

    He didn¡¯t mind being bankrupt so long as he didn¡¯t have to go to jail.

    Gu Nianzhi stifled augh and pushed the Assets Investigation Form towards him. ¡°Me. Zhang, just sign this. ording to your shares, you only have to bear 265 million out of the losses of 5.3 billion in total. Selling all the assets under your name, plus the savings you have in your bank ounts, should be almost enough.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang sighed and continued to speak some sense into Zhang Baochen. ¡°You don¡¯t really have any other options. Just do as Miss Gu says; you won¡¯t have to go to jail if you do that.¡±

    Due to the fact that Zhang Baochen only had a small portion of the shares and had not participated in managing thepany, all he had to do was to surrender all the dividends he¡¯d taken in the past. The army would not be too hard on a minor shareholder.

    However, their main targets were Zhao Da and Zhang Feng.

    Zhao Da went pale as he listened on from the side and called out to Zhang Baochen eventually when he couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. ¡°Baochen, can¡¯t you go and beg Official Huo? I thought he had been set to marry your mother?¡±

    Zhang Baochen turned around and stopped him furiously. ¡°Shut up! Stop spouting nonsense!¡±

    Zhao Da knew the marriage must have fallen through and began to panic even more. His hands gripped the sofa he was sitting on until his knuckles turned white.

    ¡°I really won¡¯t have to go to jail as long as I pay up?!¡± Zhang Baochen ignored Zhao Da. He looked at Jin Dazhuang earnestly, eyes as big as saucers. ¡°Lawyer Jin, can you guarantee it?¡±

    Jin Dazhuang looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, if my clientpensates the money, can the army provide my client with a Letter of Waiver, please?¡±

    This way, he wouldn¡¯t be sued.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with confidence. ¡°That¡¯s definite. As long as hepensates his share, I will personally get the Letter of Waiver for him.¡±

    Zhang Baochen heaved a huge sigh of relief and told Jin Dazhuang, ¡°Lawyer Jin, please calcte all my assets for me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, thinking: This Zhang Feng had been truly clever at fishing for money. She was already a wealthy woman, but she still wanted her son to have such vast amounts of wealth.

    However, when one ate more than they could handle, it would be impossible to escape the consequences.

    Zhang Baochen took the pen and signed the form. He also signed the agreement to auction his real estate properties.

    Gu Nianzhi ced the documents and forms carefully into her briefcase and bid her goodbyes.

    Coming out from the office, Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the lift and was having a conversation with Zhao Liangze as she waited.

    Just then, the lift doors opened and, wearing a Camel brown woolen shirt and cream-colored cks, He Zhichu stood right in front of them.

    Instinctively, Gu Nianzhi took a step backwards.

    It was the first time they were meeting since she¡¯d had a falling out with him at his ce.

    How awkward.

 Chapter 346 - Sent Away

    <h4>Chapter 346: Sent Away</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The elevator doors opened. He Zhichu hadn¡¯t expected to see Gu Nianzhi standing at the door. He looked at her in surprise and blurted out, ¡°Nianzhi why are you here? Are...¡± Are you here to see me? Thest sentence lodged in his throat. They had had an altercation the other day and Gu Nianzhi avoided him like the gue since. Things had only eased when he had taken the initiative to call her, but she still was wary of him. She would never havee to his office to see him willingly. He Zhichu had one hand in his coat pocket and carried a briefcase with the other. Swallowing his conflicting emotions, he stepped out of the elevator and nodded to Zhao Liangze standing beside Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Happy New Year, Mr. Zhao.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was shocked that He Zhichu would be so polite to him. After all, He Zhichu¡¯s haughtiness had been something he¡¯d reckoned with when they¡¯d spent time together in the United States. ¡°Happy New Year, Professor He.¡± Regardless of how surprised Zhao Liangze felt, he was able to quicklypose himself and give a professional smile as he responded with holiday greetings.

    Gu Nianzhi repeated their words. ¡°Happy New Year, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you still haven¡¯t answered my question. What you doing here?¡± He Zhichu looked up at the entrance of his own Sovereign Law Office, ¡°Which way did youe out from?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help smiling when she recalled Wen Houyi and Lawyer Jin¡¯s expressions. ¡°I just left yourw office.¡±

    He Zhichu regarded her silently. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± It couldn¡¯t be a good thing if she hade from thew office¡ªshe was either legally representing someone or needed legal representation.

    ¡°You¡¯re the boss. How can you not know?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed lightly. ¡°Yourwyer is representing Zhang Baochen, and I came to negotiate as the military¡¯s legal representative.¡±

    ¡°The military¡¯s legal representative?¡± He Zhichu frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re working for Huo Shaoheng again? Did you forget what you promised me?¡±

    After the incident with Dou Qingyan, He Zhichu had made Gu Nianzhi promise not to act as the military¡¯s negotiation expert. Gu Nianzhi had agreed.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had thought that the current situation was not the same. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m now representing the military as itswyer, and not as an employee of the military. I didn¡¯t go back on my word. ¡± Gu Nianzhi had always been eloquent in front of He Zhichu and could argue her way out of anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you remember.¡± He Zhichu peered down at her carefully. ¡°Is this resolved now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her small backpack. ¡°Goodbye, Professor He. I have to go now.¡±

    He Zhichi nodded and watched her step inside the elevator with Zhao Liangze. The elevator doors closed before him and the down arrow on the disy appeared as the floor levels decreased until reaching ¡°1.¡± He Zhichu walked away. He then entered hisw office and looked around.

    Wen Shouyi was just walking out of her office and her heart dropped as soon as she saw He Zhichu. She hastily asked, ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s only the second day of the lunar new year. What are you doing here?¡±

    He Zhichu studied her eyes and replied slowly, ¡°What case did you ept? It¡¯s rted to the military, yes?¡±

    Wen Shouyi forcibly collected herself. ¡°It¡¯s not a case, but just a minor negotiation. Both parties have reached an agreement and the incident has since been resolved.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He Zhichu strode inside. He passed the reception desk and walked around the stone waterfall disy before turning into a hallway. On the left was the conference room where Gu Nianzhi and Lawyer Jin had just crossed paths once again. Zhang Baochen, Zhao Da, and hiswyer were still inside, questioning Lawyer Jin anxiously. He Zhichu observed them silently for a few minutes before knocking on the door.

    Lawyer Jin turned around and quickly stood up as soon as he saw He Zhichu. He walked up to him and bowed politely. ¡°Happy New Year, Mr. He.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded as he coolly nced at the people in the room before replying to Lawyer Jin, ¡°Have them leave. You maye to my office in five minutes to report on what happened.¡±

    Lawyer Ji nodded immediately and watched He Zhichu go inside his office before speaking to the three people remaining in the conference room, ¡°You can all go back for now. As for Mr. Zhang, we shall act ording to the negotiation. If Mr. Zhao wishes to use us as his legal representative, please contact our offices. We¡¯ll chat after signing the legal representative agreement. My apologies, I still have business to attend to.¡±

    Zhang Baochen, Zhao Da, and hiswyer had no choice but to get up and leave. Lawyer Jin went to see He Zhichu right after.

    ¡°Sit.¡± He Zhichu sat behind his desk and pointed to the chair across from him. ¡°Tell me what happened exactly.¡±

    Lawyer Jin told him the entire incident.

    He Zhichu listened in silence and searched online before replying, ¡°Very well, you reacted fairly quickly. The Zhang Baochen situation is concluded, and as for Zhao Da, we will not be epting his case.¡±

    Lawyer Jin was not inclined to taking Zhao Da¡¯s case after going through the whole incident. Zhang Baochen had minor liability and the military was willing to let things go as long as he repaid the funds. As for Zhang Feng and Zhao Da, the military was clearly going to make an example out of them. There was no question that they would end up sentenced with jail time.

    ¡°Mr. He is wise.¡± Lawyer Jin offered up ttery as he scratched his head sheepishly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi would be so formidable¡ªthis is the second time I¡¯ve lost to her.¡±

    He Zhichu peered at him from over hisputer. His tense expression rxed and his tone warmed up as he smiled faintly, ¡°It¡¯s inevitable that you¡¯d lose to her.¡±

    Lawyer Ji knew that Gu Nianzhi was soon to be He Zhichu¡¯s student and intended to tter He Zhichu byplimenting Gu Nianzhi. He had never thought He Zhichu would outright ept thepliment without hesitation. How highly does he regard her exactly? Lawyer Jin grumbled internally.

    He Zhichu nced at him and threw the pen in his hand on the desk before standing up. He walked to the window and looked down. ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? She¡¯s always been much more capable than any of you. If she hadn¡¯t been dyed for all this time, she would have already been chief counsel a few years ago.¡± He stopped his flood of appreciation for her. ¡°You can go now, but tell Wen Shouyi toe see me.¡±

    Lawyer Jin was speechless. He left He Zhichu¡¯s office with a sullen face and began to doubt himself.

    ...

    ¡°Professor He, you asked to see me?¡± Wen Shouyi smiled politely as she arrived to He Zhichu¡¯s office.

    ¡°Close the door.¡± He Zhichu turned away from the window and put both hands in his trouser pockets as he casually leaned against the ss. The sun shone from behind to illuminate him in a golden halo.

    Wen Shouyi was stunned by his splendor and dared not look directly at him. She turned away to close the office door.

    ¡°You better have a good exnation for why you epted Zhang Baochen¡¯s case.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was frigid, his eyes cool with indifference.

    Wen Shouyi stayed silent and curled up her fists involuntarily. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t we ept it? He needed awyer and we were able to provide one. He can also afford to pay the legal fees.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He Zhichu pursed his thin lips. ¡°Would you have epted this case if you had known that it had to do with the Huo¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Am I that kind of person in Professor He¡¯s mind? What are you trying to say?¡± Wen Shouyi was angry and forced into a corner by He Zhichu¡¯s icy re. She blurted out, ¡°Is this because of Gu Nianzhi?!¡±

    ¡°You know exactly what the real reason is.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Just because I didn¡¯t pursue the matter, doesn¡¯t mean that I forgot what happened.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s whole body shivered and her eyes fearfully widened instantly. ¡°Professor He, I... I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± She was sweating nervously and wanted to to exin herself, but didn¡¯t know where to start.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze and tone were too hurtful. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you meant. I¡¯ve already give you enough chances.¡± He Zhichu sat back down at his desk. ¡°I just notified the people back home. I¡¯ll give you three days to pack up. Your position here has been terminated.

    ¡°You¡¯re sending me away?!¡± Wen Shouyi muffled her mouth and the tears pooled in her eyes as she sobbed. ¡°Why? What did I do wrong? Elder Mr. He will not agree to you being alone here!¡±

    ¡°Whether he agrees or not is none of your business. Don¡¯t use my father to intimidate me.¡± He Zhichu leaned back against his chair, his eyes cold. ¡°I would¡¯ve fired you already if it weren¡¯t for Nianzhi treating you as her savior. You should be thankful that you¡¯re still well received because of her, instead of giving her trouble.¡±

 Chapter 347 - Not gonna bear with it anymore

    <h4>Chapter 347: Not gonna bear with it anymore</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi looked at the cold and emotionless He Zhichu and felt a cold shiver running down her spine.

    Endless words were pouring within her, but she dare not say a single word.

    If she dared to even take one more step forward, He Zhichu will take the gun and shoot her. He really dare to...

    Wen Shouyi mustered all the strength she had to calm herself down, and said steadily: ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go back. But Professor He, you¡¯ll be all alone if I were to leave. The people at home, especially old mister He, will be extremely worried about you. He only has one son.¡±

    ¡°Are you doubting my abilities now?¡± He Zhichu stopped looking at her, and began sending emails on hisputer. ¡°I will hire a new secretary and caretaker. You can leave now.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was unable to lie to herself anymore, now that he already put things this way.

    She turned around slowly, and ced her hand on the handle. She paused, hesitated, and turned around to look at He Zhichu¡¯s side profile. Her gaze was full of yearning and love.

    ¡°Mis... Mister He, If... I¡¯m not the daughter of He¡¯s gardener, would your attitude be better towards me?¡±

    She had held this question within her for so long. She still couldn¡¯t help but to ask.

    She didn¡¯t dare to ask in the past, worrying that it would affect whatever rtionship they had. However, since there was no turning back this time, she decided to just find out on the answer.

    He Zhichu did not even look at her. He continued typing on the keyboard, and said coldly: ¡°My attitude towards you hadn¡¯t changed all along. Doesn¡¯t matter whose daughter you are.¡±

    ¡°But your attitude wasn¡¯t like that when I was with you for the first 3 years!¡± Wen Shouyi turned around, leaned against the door, and touched her face. ¡°You allowed me to be by your side then, never needing to leave. Whenever you saw that I wasn¡¯t around, you¡¯d look for me frantically...¡±

    The hands that were typing on the keyboard paused, and He Zhichu said emotionlessly: ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Aunt Qin was the one who asked you to be by my side. It wasn¡¯t me.¡±

    ¡°... It was Aunt Qin?¡± Wen Shouyi asked, stunned. ¡°It was really Aunt Qin?¡±

    ¡°Go ask her if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± He Zhichu had lost his patience. He shoved his keyboard, and red at her coldly: ¡°Are you done?¡±

    Wen Shouyi wiped her tears: ¡°I¡¯m going now. Please take care, Mr. He.¡±

    She finally opened the door, and walked out slowly. Turning around, she closed the door.

    Wen Shouyi stood at the door of He Zhichu¡¯s office, and looked around at the office, full of emotions.

    She personally decorated this ce ¨C from selecting the location, to the renovation, purchasing of furniture and their cement ¨C she did them all.

    Now she¡¯s about to leave this ce.

    Wen Shouyi walked towards her office.

    Jin Dazhuang¡¯s office was beside hers, so he came out to have a look when he heard some noise.

    ¡°Lawyer Wen, does Mr. He still have anything for us?¡± Jin Dazhuang asked bitterly. He was severely defeated today, and had not much confidence left.

    Wen Shouyi smiled, and asked with a low voice: ¡°... You lost to Gu Nianzhi again?¡±

    ¡°... Can¡¯t exactly call it losing.¡± Jin Dazhuang adjusted his cor. ¡°She came prepared. I took her too lightly. I didn¡¯t know such an easy case would have much insider¡¯s information hidden.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Your experiences of 20 years are legit. Don¡¯t give up, I believe in you.¡± Wen Shouyi draped her arm across Jin Dazhuang¡¯s shoulders, and tapped gently. ¡°I¡¯m going home, Lawyer Jin. Lawyer He will have to promote someone to be the Executive Director. I will rmend you, and do a handover to you. Do you happen to be free tomorrow and the day after? I only have 2 days to handover.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang was in shock. A golden opportunity just fell off the sky andnded on him. He couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking? You¡¯re not willing to take on the job?¡± Wen Shouyi smiled, and whispered: ¡°...There¡¯s a very high opportunity that Gu Nianzhi will being here for internship. Don¡¯t you want to... Try letting her be your subordinate?¡±

    Commanding someone who defeated you in the past... Really sounds tempting.

    Jin Dazhuang only allowed himself to be in a daze for a minute. He snapped back to reality and said: ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s such a good idea. After all, Gu Nianzhi and I have no personal feuds. It was only because of work... Why would I want to prank her like that?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was speechless.

    ¡°Now, did I ask you to prank her? What were you thinking?¡± Wen Shouyi looked at him weirdly: ¡°I thought you wanted to get your confidence back.¡±

    Evenwyer Wen could tell that he totally doubted everything about himself right now.

    Jin Dazhuang crossed his arms and thought deeply: ¡°This doesn¡¯t sound bad, I think I can give it a try.¡±

    ¡°Great! That¡¯s settled then; I will go back to draft the rmendation email for you to be the Executive Director.¡± Wen Shouyi returned to her office and began the process of handing over.

    She had been an extremely systematic person all along, so she had to-do lists for her daily tasks. She sent them all to He Zhichu, along with a letter of rmendation for Jin Dazhuang to fill the position of Executive Director.

    He Zhichu looked at Jin Dazhuang¡¯s resume, and agreed that he had the most experience among all his employees. He also had experience as awyer in JD Law Firm for many years, and thus has ample experience with the Law industry within the country. If he filled the position of Executive Director, it¡¯ll definitely benefit thepany, and allow the Sovereign Law Office to be one of the more prestigiousw firms in the Law industry in Di Capital.

    He replied a ¡°yes¡±.

    Wen Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief as she saw his almost immediate reply.

    She sent Jin Dazhuang a copy of her daily to-do lists as well, and arranged for the next day and the day after to meet and prepare for handover.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze came out from the lift, and saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car was still along the road.

    There were no traffic during the Lunar New Year, so he wouldn¡¯t be fined even if he parked along the roadside.

    ¡°Yep, he signed. He also agreed to the auction. All he wants now is to not get jailed. He doesn¡¯t mind sacrificing everything else.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied lightly, and massaged her temples.

    The engine started. Zhao Liangze turned around from the passenger seat and asked Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Mr. Huo, Professor He was here as well. We met him at the lift.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then most likely he went up straight from the basement car park.¡± Huo Shaoheng supported his head on his palm, and looked deep in thought. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone walk past just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief. She had no idea why but she did not want Huo Shaoheng to bump into He Zhichu.

    The argument the other time at the Headquarters of Special Forces was so traumatizing that she still shudders when she thought about it now.

    She did not wish for anything like that to happen again.

    ...

    Wen Shouyi and Jin Dazhuang were busy until midnight.

    Jin Dazhuang massaged his neck and asked Wen Shouyi nicely: ¡°What time would your flight be tomorrow, Lawyer Wen? Should I send you off?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, thank you Lawyer Jin.¡± Wen Shouyi rejected politely. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t being back anymore, so I have quite a number of friends who will be sending me off.¡±

    ¡°Oh, its okay then. Bon voyage, Lawyer Wen.¡± Wen Dazhuang bid her an early farewell.

    Wen Shouyi smiled gently at Jin Dazhuang, printed out thests of her job scope and handed them over to him.

    On the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, Wen Shouyi took a small suitcase and left the capital quietly. She will be returning to her hometown from America.

    With Wen Shouyi¡¯s departure, and the Sovereign Law Office being unwilling to ept the cases of the Zhang¡¯s and Zhao¡¯, the two families fell quickly.

    Zhang Baochen sold all the real estate properties under his name, and surrendered every single cent of his savings for the debt. They did not even have a ce to stay. Upon knowing, grandfather Huo headed over to the rented apartment that Zhang Baochen and his children are currently staying at.

    It was a 3-bedroom apartment. The total area was less than 100 square metres. It was far worse than the ce Zhang Baochen¡¯s family was staying at previously.

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie were not ustomed to this at all.

    They could only fit a bed into their rooms. There was barely any space left.

    All the luxury bags and clothes Zhang Wenna had did not have space to be stored properly as well, so she dumped them all below the bed. It was better not seeing them anyway.

    Zhang Baochen and his family almost cried when they saw grandfather Huo at their doorstep.

    However, they didn¡¯t dare misbehave in front of an outsider. They respectfully called grandfather Huo ¡°Official¡±.

    Grandfather Huo was heartbroken to see them in this state, but he could not ask them to return to the Huo¡¯s family home. The only thing he could do was to secretly hand Zhang Baochen a key. ¡°...Take it. I¡¯ll transfer the ownership of the house to you after the New Year. Renting a house isn¡¯t going to help.¡±

    Zhang Baochen was extremely touched. Wiping away tears, he asked: ¡°Official, what about my mother? Please, you have to save her!¡±

    ¡°She has implicated too many people and things. There¡¯s really nothing much I can do for her anymore.¡± Grandfather Huo sighed.

    He really did not expect the gentle looking and soft-spoken woman had such a huge appetite for wealth and power.

    Zhang Baochen knew they were in deep trouble, so he begged eagerly: ¡°Official, please! My mother had been loyal to you for so many years, taking care of your health. Please speak up a little for her. Others wouldn¡¯t say a word even if you do... If you don¡¯t even say anything, your subordinate will be in so much pain...¡±

    Even if they ignore the rtionship between grandfather Huo and Zhang Feng, she was still his senior nurse. She had taken care of him for 40 over years. Even if she didn¡¯t deserve any credit, she¡¯d have deserved some appreciation for her hard work. Grandfather Huo definitely wouldn¡¯t see her be sentenced just like that based on that nurse and patient rtionship.

    ¡°I will go and visit her. However, you have to understand that I¡¯ve already retired. I wouldn¡¯t be able to help much.¡± Grandfather Huo had been trying to get Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen to bail Zhang Feng out for the past few days, but all of them pretended to not know anything and refused to help.

    Grandfather Huo was physically and mentally worn out. For the very first time, he showed signed of being helpless due to old age.

    Zhang Baochen nodded frantically. ¡°Can I go with you please?¡±

    Grandfather Huo thought about it before nodding: ¡°Sure, you cane along.¡±

    Grandfather Huo brought Zhang Baochen to the detaining station in the investigation department to visit Zhang Feng.

    Grandfather Huo let Zhang Baochen visit Zhang Feng first.

    It had only been about 4 to 5 days, but Zhang Feng became another person altogether.

    Her ck hair had turned white. Her fair skin had lost the daily maintenance of top quality facial products and now looked dull and yellow, her eyebrows fell onto her eyes messily, the wrinkles at the end of her eyes look deep, and her eye bags ¨C Oh, her eye bags. They were way more obvious than ever.

    ¡°Mother, how did you be like that?¡± Zhang Baochen¡¯s heart wrenched. ¡°Why did your hair be so white? Did they torture you?¡±

    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t.¡± Zhang Feng shook her head with a heavy heart. ¡°I look like that because I did not dye my hair.¡±

 Chapter 348 - Fire and Water

    <h4>Chapter 348: Fire and Water</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhang Feng was in her sixties. Before her incarceration, she was a woman of high standards and promoted her own self-care routine diligently. She would go to the extremely private HS Beauty Clinic for biweekly treatments, for example. She was always refined, from head to toe, and did not appear a day over 50 years old. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Grandfather Huo disliked stic faces, she would have certainly done some work to cling on to her final vestiges of youth. Zhang Feng now appeared much older, like she was in her 70s. However, she wasn¡¯t in the mood to look into the mirror and saw Zhang Baochen as herst lifeline when he came in to visit. She frantically asked him, ¡°What¡¯s going on? I hear that Dacheng Industries is in hot water and that we¡¯ve lost all our shares?¡±

    The lost shares were just the beginning: they had been forced to spit out all that they¡¯d gleaned all these years. Zhang Baochen couldn¡¯t help whining, ¡°Mom, what on earth did you and Shihui do? Dacheng Industries went under and had me lose my entire fortune! If it hadn¡¯t been for the Chief giving me an apartment, we¡¯d be renting right now.¡±

    ¡°What?! How could Dacheng Industries cause you to lose your fortune?¡± Zhang Feng was shocked. ¡°Zhao Da had told me that there was no risk in taking shares!¡± Zhang Feng had no idea what had been happening outside since she¡¯d been locked up. Her hearing hadn¡¯t yet begun either.

    Zhang Baochen grimaced and said, ¡°Mom, did you know? Dacheng Industries had been involved in several illegal armament deals. The military agreed to let me off easy and not press charges if I repaid all the illicit funds. I sold all my properties and,bined with all my saving deposits, managed to scrape together 2 billion RMB to avoid jail time.¡±

    ¡°What?! You sold all the properties?!¡± Zhang Feng screeched, her face pale as her gnarly hands reached out. The veins looked like worms bursting under her skin.

    ¡°Prisoner 38! Watch yourself! You will be forbidden from seeing visitors if you keep up this unruly behavior!¡± The female guard barked at Zhang Feng.

    ¡°Mom! What are you shouting for?¡± Zhang Baochen immediately hushed his voice. ¡°People are looking our way!¡±

    Gasping in deep breaths, Zhang Feng¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as she stared nkly at Zhang Baochen. ¡°You ...You idiot! You paid all the money back just because they asked?! You didn¡¯t even go to court! Just how scared of jail are you exactly!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to jail!¡± Zhang Baochen objected. ¡°I won¡¯t go to jail, even if it means I have to lose all my money!¡±

    ¡°You idiot! I¡¯d rather go to jail than than lose all my money!¡± Zhang Feng was extremely furious. ¡°It seems I coddled you too much; you don¡¯t even know what it¡¯s like to be penniless!¡±

    ¡°Mom, stop thinking about it now; everything¡¯s been sold already anyway. Also... the Chief gave me an apartment and the four of us are livingfortably.¡± Of course, Zhang Baochen meant to say that the apartment was morefortable than a rental. It was noparison to the apartments they had previously owned or the Huo manor.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have epted the house. Instead, you should have pleaded with the Chief to allow you all to live back at the Huo manor.¡± Zhang Feng rested her head on her hand, leaning against the long table as she muttered; her heart was broken. She couldn¡¯t ept this oue. She had stood on the highest point and had looked out, finally, out at the most beautiful scenery¡ªto now go back to the low and miserable ce she had started from, it made her wretched. Although it was where she really belonged, she had never epted it.

    Zhang Baochen gripped Zhang Feng¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Mom, the Chief is here to see you too. Why don¡¯t you ask him for help and see whether he can get you out of here?¡± All this time, Zhang Baochen and Zhang Feng had refused to believe that Grandfather Huo would sit by idly and allow Zhang Feng to rot in jail.

    Grandfather Huo certainly wasn¡¯t sitting idle. After Zhang Baochen had left, he went in to visit Zhang Feng. As she waited, Zhang Fengbed her hair, washed up, and changed into a white sweater with white straight-leg trousers. Her waxyplexion appeared even more haggard in the light colored fabric, and she seemed especially pitiful and vulnerable. This was how she had initially caught the interest of Grandfather Huo in the first ce. As soon as he saw Zhang Feng in the visiting room, he immediately felt distressed for her. ¡°What...What¡¯s the point of this? You ended up in here after all that trouble.¡± Grandfather Huo sat across from Zhang Feng and asked her with great concern, ¡°Are youfortable in here? Did anyone do anything to you?¡± Grandfather Huo surveyed Zhang Feng¡¯s white hair and was just as shocked as Zhang Baochen had been. He had never seen Zhang Feng so unkempt.

    He recalled the moment he had first met her: he had just been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, but had stayed in the military hospital for six months because he felt ill. When he was discharged, Zhang Feng had been assigned to be his personal nurse and aid him with his recovery. The young nurse had worn a pure white uniform and stood humbly by his side, obedient as a shadow. At the time, Grandfather Huo had only had eyes for his wife. Xie Ziyan had been a renowned beauty, bold and electrifying; like hard liquor that intoxicated people with a single sip. They had been a happy couple and had two sons in session as he climbed the military ranks. Within a few years, he broke the ss ceiling and became General. ordingly, Zhang Feng stayed by his side and was promoted to Head Nurse. Xie Ziyan had been born into the Xie family and so she had been perfect in terms of background, ethics, and aura. However gorgeous and aplished a woman she had been, she¡¯d also had a terrifying temper and a very stubborn streak. Grandfather Huo hadn¡¯t seen anything wrong with Xie Ziyan until he had been able topare her with another. It was when Zhang Feng became his nurse that Grandfather Huo realized not all women burned like a passionate fire, but could flowed gently like a still water pond. Water is soft and silent, a humble backdrop; fire burned, consuming fodder for its mes in order to stay alive. Between the two women, it was water that had flowed on with time to extinguish the mes. That was when Grandfather Huo had known that he couldn¡¯t leave water anymore. His expression was conflicted as he watched the terrified Zhang Feng and patted her hands ¡°Don¡¯t fret. I¡¯ll pull some favors. No matter what, you¡¯ve been my nurse for over 40 years and I won¡¯t sit idle.¡± This was more than a matter of pride¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to disrespect her. Of course, it would be impossible for him to directly plead Zhang Feng¡¯s case because Huo Shaoheng would have to be the one to do it, but not even Huo Guanchen would be capable ofpleting this task.

    Zhang Feng sighed in relief. She was reassured as long as Grandfather Huo promised to help. She had nevere across a situation that Grandfather Huo couldn¡¯t handle. ¡°Chief... Thank you. My entire family is so grateful to you.¡± Zhang Feng¡¯s eyes welled up, her waxenplexion flushing red. ¡°Do you remember the year you came to my family home, and to see Baochen¡¯s family?¡±

    Of course Grandfather Huo remembered. He had only gone to Zhang Feng¡¯s maternal home once in his life, and afterwards, had upgraded them to arger house. Zhang Feng¡¯s father had been so thankful that he and his wife as even knelt before him. He had been shocked and had hastily helped them up while asking them to not act so polite.

    Zhang Feng¡¯s father had been insistent, however, and had said, ¡°The Chief is the savior to our family! Please ept our gratitude.¡±

    Normally speaking, Zhang Feng¡¯s parents were elders to Grandfather Huo because he¡¯d had rtions with their daughter and had sired a son with her. However, they treated him like an esteemed guest and did not put up airs as the inws. Grandfather Huo had only met them that one time and yet, it was still seared into his memory. 16 years had passed and the Zhang Feng who had been by his side all that time was about to face jail time. How could he ever face her parents again? ¡°Sort out your assets and sell off what you can to pay off as much as possible. See if it¡¯s enough to cover everything owed.¡± Grandfather Huo knew it would be a tricky situation, and said in frustratedly, ¡± Really though! Over 1 billion RMB? How could you have been so brazen!¡±

    ¡°I still have to repay? But we earned everything through doing business¡ªhow can we give up all our money just because the military said so?¡± Zhang Feng was emboldened by Grandfather Huo¡¯s willingness to help her and his concern for her. ¡°Elder Huo, I really don¡¯t have much money left. All I have is a bit I saved for Baochen, since he can¡¯t officially be a part of the Huo family. How can I leave him with no security for the future? He still has a son and daughter to care for!¡±

    Grandfather Huo frowned. ¡°Well, what do you want to do? Are you really going to refuse paying it back? Do you want to spend the rest of your life in jail?¡± Capital punishment was also a possibility, but Grandfather Huo didn¡¯t want to mention it for fear of frightening her.

    Zhang Feng pursed her lips as she shifted in her seat anxiously and muttered, ¡°What if you were help me... repay the debt?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Grandfather Huo was stunned. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money.¡±

    ¡°You might not have it, but Sister Xie¡¯s trust fund has enough...¡± Tears glimmered in Zhang Feng¡¯s eyes and she nearly sobbed. ¡°Just her trust fund¡¯s annual ie alone is more than that amount anyway! A wealthy person like her is noparison to amoner like me. As long as you withdraw the fund¡¯s ie for the year, you can help me out. I won¡¯t ask you to marry me or even ask that Baochen officially be a Huo. I just want to leave him with a bit of money because that¡¯s the only thing I can do for him as a mother.¡±

 Chapter 349 - Letter of Authorization

    <h4>Chapter 349: Letter of Authorization</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me about Ziyan¡¯s trust fund?!¡± Grandfather Huo was even more shocked. ¡°I have told you before, that I have transferred all the proceeds of the funds to Shaoheng, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°...But ording to the will, the proceeds should have been belonged to you. Shaoheng had been such a filial grandson, he wouldn¡¯t reject you if only you requested.¡± Zhang Feng said gently, looking at him with gentle and adoring eyes. ¡°Moreover, Sister Xie and you were so loving while she was alive; she wouldn¡¯t mind a small amount like this.¡±

    ¡°A small amount?! More than 1 billion is just a small amount to you?! What¡¯re you thinking about?! A billion in Zimbabwe dors?¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Zhang Feng, did you be mad because of the lock up?¡±

    Zhang Feng smiled bitterly as she shook her head. She softened her tone further and continued: ¡°Old Huo, I know a billion is not a small amount to you and I. I might only have this amount in this lifetime. However, Sister Xie is different. Her assets are countless. This amount is just the proceeds for a year from the trust funds, isn¡¯t it? Think about it. It has been so many years. How much must that amount have been? Can¡¯t you just take your share and help me pay the army? Please?¡±

    ¡°...You¡¯ll only have that amount in this lifetime...¡± Grandfather Huo was shocked. He closed his eyes and sighed disappointedly. ¡°16 years ago, your maternal family of 5 to 6 pax stayed in a 2-bedroom apartment of a maximum of 50 square metres. Today, you¡¯re telling me a billion is a small amount, and you¡¯ll only have that amount in your life time...¡±

    Zhang Feng felt uneasy. The corners of her eyes twitched, and mumbled softly: ¡°I said all those from Sister Xie¡¯s point of view, and not mine. If I were to be as rich as her, I would¡¯ve taken them out without considerations. You¡¯re her husband. Whatever she has belongs to you. Why are you still so polite and not use a single cent? If Sister Xie got to know about this, how sad will she be....¡±

    Even though grandfather Huo¡¯s heart faltered for the past 16 years, he did not lose his sanity.

    He red at Zhang Feng, smacked the table and stood up. ¡°That¡¯s enough! How many times do you want me to say it! The trust funds are set up using Ziyan¡¯s dowries, I¡¯m already embarrassed enough that she gave me a portion of the proceeds, how could you... how could you... how could you even have the face to harbor intentions towards it!?!¡±

    Not expecting grandfather Huo to still not give in, tears rolled down Zhang Feng¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Old Huo, don¡¯t I have any other options left now? I know I shouldn¡¯t have asked for it, but I don¡¯t have the money. You don¡¯t want be to be jailed, do you?!¡±

    ¡°Use your own money to pay off if you don¡¯t want jail terms. It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t afford it anyway. You¡¯re more well to do than I am, and you have the audacity to get me to take Ziyan¡¯s dowries?¡± grandfather Huo said coldly. ¡°Whether or not you want to figure a way out of the jail term, or you want to dig your own grave, decide. On your own!¡±

    Grandfather Huo left the Investigation department in a huff. Getting into his car, he left for home.

    Zhan Baochen didn¡¯t dare to leave with him. He returned to speak to Zhang Feng after grandfather Huo left.

    ¡°Mother, how was it? Did he agree?¡± Zhang Baochen asked carefully, as Zhang Feng didn¡¯t look very happy. It seemed like the talk didn¡¯t go as expected.

    Zhang Feng lowered her head, and contemted for a while. Finally, she made a decision. She asked him to go closer to her, and whispered: ¡°...Contact the Official more frequently. If he agrees to loan me the amount to repay the debt, then forget it, continue keeping mum. If not, threaten him to divulge your family line.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Zhang Baochen was stunned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bad idea?¡±

    Judging by his age, anyone would¡¯ve known that grandfather Huo was already having an affair with his mother even when his wife was still around. How else would it be that his illegitimate son was already over 40 years old when his wife only passed on for less than 20 years...?

    ¡°Did I ask you to really divulge? Why are you so stupid.¡± Zhang Feng finally couldn¡¯t hold back and scolded her son. ¡°Threaten. What I meant was to threaten. Old Huo treasures his reputation way more than anything else; including romantic rtionships.¡±

    ¡°Oh... Okay...¡± Zhang Baochen was deep in thought. ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t agree?¡±

    ¡°He will agree.¡± Zhang Feng nodded confidently. ¡°Trust me. As long as you threaten to divulge your family line, he¡¯ll give you however much you want.¡±

    ¡°However much?¡± Zhang Baochen didn¡¯t exactly agree. ¡°Even though Official has a high rank, his sry wasn¡¯t exactly high. He wouldn¡¯t have much spare on hand.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have, but his wife¡¯s trust funds do.¡± Zhang Feng lowered her voice to guide her son again.

    Zhang Baochen was slightly embarrassed upon hearing this. He whispered: ¡°That¡¯s isn¡¯t the Official¡¯s money. Can we want it?¡±

    ¡°Of course we can! That money belongs to old Huo¡¯s wife. Which also belongs to him. That was the rule during marriage.¡±

    ¡°So don¡¯t be scared. Just stay where you are, and observe what¡¯s going on. If the Official is going around asking for help, then don¡¯t mention this at all. If he still is unable to get me out eventually, then look for him and threaten to divulge your family line to the media.¡± Zhang Feng had already nned everything for her son. ¡°Remember?¡±

    ¡°...Why the hassle? Why don¡¯t you just sell all the properties under your name, and surrender all your savings? Those amounts would be almost enough, wouldn¡¯t they? Why would you want to cheat people¡¯s money?¡± Zhang Baochen frowned. ¡°As for Official... As long as you¡¯re out, do you think he will leave you in the lurch? Why would you want so much money anyway?¡±

    ¡°Me cheating others¡¯ money?! Who am I doing this for?!¡± Zhang Feng blew her top. She felt herself on the verge of going mad because of her son. ¡°I¡¯m already an old woman, why would I want so much money if not for you? You heartless brat!¡±

    Zhang Feng was so guilty he couldn¡¯t bring himself to raise his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m wrong, mother. Sorry.¡± He apologized sincerely, and promised to do as she says.

    Zhang Feng nodded with relief. ¡°You¡¯re finally enlightened. Let me tell you, money isn¡¯t everything in this world, but it¡¯s essential. Remember this. What mother is doing is all for you and your children¡¯s sakes. Don¡¯t give money away just like that.¡±

    Zhang Baochen thought darkly: ¡°I don¡¯t even have money anymore, what would I take to give away?¡±

    After apanying Zhang Feng for a while more, he left the Investigation department for home.

    Upon reaching home, he was shocked to find Grandfather Huo sitting in his home, and talking to his grandchildren Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna.

    The two of them grew up alongside Grandfather Huo. They were closer to him than Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Official, have you eaten?¡± Zhang Baochen tried to strike a conversation.

    Grandfather Huo looked at him and said: ¡°Not yet. Waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Waiting for... Me?¡± Zhang Baochen was shocked. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Go to the Huo¡¯s with me. We have to get Shaoheng to help your mother.¡± Even though grandfather Huo was in rage when he left the investigation department, he gave it a thought and still decided to ask Shaoheng for his opinion on this matter.

    ¡°Shaoheng?¡± Zhang Baochen trembled. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t want to see us.¡±

    ¡°Stop being a coward.¡± Grandfather Huo really detests a man behaving like that. ¡°He¡¯s your nephew. Just let him know if you have a problem. How would he know that you require his help if you don¡¯t even ask?¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Zhang Baochen scratched his head. ¡°I just have a feeling that Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±

    ¡°How would you know if you don¡¯t even ask?¡± grandfather Huo was getting upset again. He stood up and told Zhan Baochen firmly: ¡°Go. Go with me.¡±

    Zhang Baochen quickly went up hold grandfather hold by the arm, and left the house with him.

    On the way back to the Huo¡¯s, grandfather Huo managed to get Huo Shaoheng over with just a phone call.

    Upon entering the house, Huo Shaoheng was already waiting for them.

    ¡°Grandfather, you were looking for me?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked gently. He was still in his uniform.

    Grandfather Huo looked at him and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s the New Year. Why are you wearing this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already working.¡± Huo Shaoheng massaged his temples. ¡°Please let me know the reason you were looking for me; I still have a meeting with Americater in the evening.¡±

    Grandfather Huo nced at Zhang Baochen: ¡°Talk. Weren¡¯t you doing fine in the car just now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked over at him with his deeply set eyes. He was silent, but exudes an immensely intimidating aura, which scared Zhang Baochen to death. He didn¡¯t even dare to look at Huo Shaoheng in the yes anymore.

    ¡°Quick! Talk!¡± Grandfather Huo got angry. ¡°What¡¯s the stuttering about? Are you a woman?¡±

    Zhang Baochen was forced to a corner before mumbling: ¡°Shaoheng, can you think of a way to let my mother out?¡±

    ¡°The investigation department was the one who took her. I do not have that much power.¡± Of course, Huo Shaoheng rejected the request tly. He merely sugarcoated it a little.

    ¡°...There¡¯re really no other ways?¡± Zhang Baochen covered his face, holding back tears.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at this ¡®third uncle¡¯ of his, and could not understand why a clever, scheming and cunning Zhang Feng will have such a useless son like Zhang Baochen.

    ¡°Yes Shaoheng, can¡¯t you think of something?¡± Grandfather Huo soothed Zhang Baochen¡¯s back, looking just like a loving father.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the father-son duo coldly, crossed his arms, and began casually: ¡°Well, technically, there is a way.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Say it!¡± grandfather Huo and Zhang Baochen asked in unison.

    ¡°The total amount of Zhang Feng¡¯s real estate properties and savings in her bank ounts added up to a total of slightly over a billion. Get her to surrender everything and her sentence will be halved.¡± Huo Shaoheng did notplete the sentence.

    That would be, she would be able to escape a death sentence, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape s living one.

    However, if she doesn¡¯t want to surrender... Well, to put it bluntly, she¡¯d have been better off dead.

    Grandfather Huo and Zhang Baochen exchanged looks.

    That was the exact problem. Zhang Feng would never agree to surrender all her wealth.

    ¡°This... That¡¯s a lot of money. I¡¯m afraid my mother would not be able to get such an amount within a short period of time. Official, can you... Loan me some?¡± Zhang Baochen thought about it but still couldn¡¯t bring himself to demand for money from others, so he used the word ¡®loan¡¯.

    Grandfather Huo shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money. Why not try asking Shaoheng?¡±

    ¡°Not possible that she can¡¯t get the amount.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, pretending he did not hear the conversation between the father-and-son duo. He smiled and suggested: ¡°Why not this ¨C convince your mother to do up an authorization form. The form will indicate that you are the legal authorized person to handle all her assets. I will get someone to auction the properties for you. We shall see how much we can get from the sales of the properties. We¡¯ll figure something out if the amount is not enough. How about that?¡±

    Zhang Baochen felt that the idea was decent. He looked at Grandfather Huo: ¡°Official, why not we just do this...?¡±

    Grandfather Huo looked at Huo Shaoheng solemnly, and waved his hand at Zhang Baochen. ¡°Go get the letter of authorization. I have more things to discuss with Shaoheng.¡±

 Chapter 350 - To Disown All Family

    <h4>Chapter 350: To Disown All Family</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhang Baochen had received a guarantee from Grandfather Huo, but was still anxious about Huo Shaoheng. Although Huo Shaoheng was much younger than he was, Zhang Baochen waspletely terrified of him. For the past few years, Huo Shaoheng had climbed the ranks in the military and his temper had grown to be concealed, but just as great. He was no longer the twelve year-old boy who disyed all his rage and grief on his face. ¡°Shao... Shaoheng, I¡¯ll go get the power of attorney authorization then.¡± He said humbly as he rubbed his hands nervously together.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly before saying to Zhang Baochen, ¡°You can give it a try. But, I don¡¯t think your mom will simply agree to giving you the power of attorney of all her assets.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, you are totally right!¡± Zhang Baochen pped his thigh and nodded furiously. ¡°I can only give it a try, but can¡¯t guarantee anything.¡±

    ¡°Try your best. I¡¯ll have awyer help you draft the power of attorney authorization.¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he dialed Gu Nianzhi on the phone. ¡°Nianzhi, I need your help with something. Check your inbox: I¡¯ve already sent something over.¡±

    Zhang Baochen was surprised. ¡°Gu Nianzhi? She knows how to make drafts for power of attorney?¡±

    ¡°The power of attorney authorization needs to be drafted by awyer and Nianzhi has a temte there. We¡¯ll bring it to you tomorrow. You just have to meet her in front of the military police building.¡± Huo Shaoheng quickly typed on the keyboard and sent Zhang Feng¡¯s asset survey form to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished showering and had been slumped on the bed ying games on her iPad. When her phone rang, she¡¯d kept her eyes on the game and unlocked the phone with one hand. Gu Nianzhi shut down the game as soon as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice sounded and she flopped happily on the bed, ¡°Huo Shao, what can I help with?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t said much before hanging up.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. He¡¯d sounded quite busy. Biting her lip, Gu Nianzhi sat upzily and opened the inbox on her phone to see the materials Huo Shaoheng had sent over, along with a brief email. It turned out that it to do with the power of attorney on Zhang Feng¡¯s assets. Gu Nianzhi also received an inventory of all her assets. Climbing out of bed, Gu Nianzhi took herptop and sat in front of her desk. She found the temte for the power of attorney authorization and wrote a new and detailed one based on Zhang Feng¡¯s inventory of assets. She sat in awe as she typed¡ªZhang Feng had really known how to make a good fortune; the wealth she had umted over thest decade or so greatly exceeded the total profits of most publicly listedpanies.

    ...

    After Zhang Baochen had left, Grandfather Huo frowned at Huo Shaoheng. The older man¡¯s gaze was piercing, able to prate anything¡ªGrandfather Huo wanted nothing more but to be able to break through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm exterior and read what was really on his grandson¡¯s mind. Unfortunately, he had no clue.

    Grandfather Huo knew better than anyone else did, what type of work Huo Shaoheng was responsible for in the military. If his mind could be read so easily, he would have been unfit for the role and would have perished long ago. Grandfather Huo averted his gaze and paused for a long time before saying, ¡°I won¡¯t marry Zhang Feng anymore. You can stop all this now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was as impassive as ever. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket and lit one up. He asked vaguely, ¡°What do you mean, Grandfather? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I said I won¡¯t marry her. Are you satisfied?!¡± Grandfather Huo stood up suddenly. ¡°I never thought you would be so cold-blooded¡ªto not only your enemies and outsiders, but your own family too! How can you disown your entire family?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held a cigarette with one hand and rested the other on the sofa. He was as still as a statue. Flicking ash from the cigarette, he looked up to meet Grandfather Huo¡¯s eyes. ¡°Grandfather, please don¡¯t use me of that. I¡¯m as warm as the spring weather to my friends and family. You can go ask them yourself and see if anyone had issues with me.¡±

    ¡°You? Warm?!¡± Grandfather Huo was enraged by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s nonchnt attitude. ¡°As if you need me to spell it out. You never gave Zhang Feng the time of day; nor did you ever treat Baochen like an elder. You treat Wenna and Wenjie horribly! What¡¯s wrong with them anyway? Why do you have to treat them like that? If I hadn¡¯t said I would marry Zhang Feng, would their family have had this misfortune befall them?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s finger trembled and a smoldering bit of ashnded on the back of his hand. The pain seared, but he took no notice as he snuffed the cigarette in the ashtray. Rising up from the sofa, he stared at Grandfather Huo, eye to eye. ¡°Grandfather, you just made two fatal mistakes with what you¡¯ve just said. First of all, the Zhang¡¯s are not my family. You can¡¯t use me using this point. Secondly, what happened to Zhang Feng has nothing to do with whether you¡¯re marrying her or not.¡±

    ¡°Is there really nothing to do with it? I don¡¯t believe it¡± Grandfather Huo clenched his fists and spat out at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You think I can¡¯t see through your tricks just because I¡¯m old?¡±

    ¡°Of course that has nothing to do with it.¡± Huo Shaoheng spread his palms and enunciated carefully. ¡°Regardless of whether you marry her or not, Zhang Feng would¡¯ve gotten in trouble. She will definitely go to jail.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª?!¡± Grandfather Huo waspletely enraged and raised his hand to give Huo Shaoheng a p to the face. Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and straightened his back before Grandfather Huo without disying an ounce of hesitation. However, Grandfather Huo couldn¡¯t bring himself to hit Huo Shaoheng when he stared back at the eyes that were nearly identical to Xie Ziyan¡¯s. ¡°Shaoheng, why do you hate Zhang Feng so much?¡± Lowering his hand slowly, Grandfather Huo rubbed the back of his hand and sat back down. ¡°She¡¯s never done anything bad to you in all these years and had always praised you in front of me. She never said anything negative.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly raised his hands to prevent Grandfather Huo from saying anymore. ¡°Hold on, Grandfather. I have no interest about anything between you and Head Nurse Zhang. I don¡¯t want to listen about your day to day interactions.¡±

    ¡°But you must give me a reason, at least! You¡¯ve been too cruel this time, and Zhang Feng will probably never recover for the rest of her life!¡± Grandfather Huo recalled Zhang Feng¡¯s distressed and helpless face and felt pity for her. She had been by his side all these years and had taken care of him. He had also protected her as well.

    ¡°She¡¯s been arrogant for most of her life, so that¡¯s enough now.¡± Huo Shaoheng was unmoved. ¡°Now she¡¯ll rehabilitate herself in prison and work hard. I¡¯ll let Zhang Baochen pick up her corpse the day she dies. I can only help her to this extent.¡±

    ¡°You want her to spend the rest of her life in jail?!¡± Grandfather Huo was both stunned and angry. ¡°Is it necessary for you to be so cruel?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want her to spend the rest of her life in prison. She did this to herself.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked closer to Grandfather Huo. ¡°Did I tell her to collude with Zhao Da and embezzle money from an armament transactions? Did I make her set up a fakepany in Italy for moneyundering? You know better than I do, what her situation at home is like. But, in a mere ten years, she was able to amass a billion RMB. If such a parasite isn¡¯t eradicated, she¡¯ll just continue to smear your good name.¡±

    Grandfather Huo softened when he heard that Huo Shaoheng had been looking out for his reputation. Afterall, this was his favorite and most aplished grandchild. Although Grandfather Huo was unhappy with him, he would not go to the extent of damaging their rtionship over Zhang Feng. ¡°She overdid it this time. I already went to see her and told her she must repay the debt.¡± Grandfather Huo paused to nce at Huo Shaoheng before probing him, ¡°If the money from auctioning all her assets won¡¯t be enough to cover the debt, can you help her with repaying it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. At that moment, Huo Shaoheng could only be grateful that his grandmother had already passed away so she didn¡¯t have to witness such a humiliating and heartbreaking situation. Grandmother had probably harbored the same amount of hate as she had love when she passed away. As for Huo Shaoheng, he had experienced numerous life and death struggles in his years ofpleting military missions. His ability to take on stress and pressure had been elevated, so he was still able to remain calm in face of his grandfather¡¯s unreasonable request. Huo Shaoheng could hear himself humor Grandfather Huo. ¡°We can talk after all the assets have been auctioned off. I¡¯m just responsible for recovering the lost funds for the military. Anything else is outside of my power and I also have no interest in it.¡± He strode out of the Huo manor. He had the strong urge to see Gu Nianzhi.

    Taking a shortcut to her suite, he opened the door with his own key. The living room was dark and the bedroom door was ajar, letting out a few slivers of light from the crack. Huo Shaoheng walked over to push it open gently.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back was to the door as she sat at her desk and typed away on herptop. Huo Shaoheng drank in the sight of her familiar and tiny frame. Her neck was lowered and hair arranged in a bun at the back of her head to reveal the creamy length of her neck. Huo Shaoheng felt blood surge up his body as he walked briskly to her. Before Gu Nianzhi could turn around, Huo Shaoheng had already embraced her from behind and enveloped her neck with passionate kisses. ¡°Nianzhi,¡± he said gruffly, ¡°don¡¯t leave me, don¡¯t ever leave me...¡±

 Chapter 351 - Let Me See

    <h4>Chapter 351: Let Me See</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The hot breath came from behind and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s low and maic voice whispered in her ear. Gu Nianzhi had never heard Huo Shaoheng say such touching things and froze as soon as he said it. Her entire body trembled uncontrobly. The long pent up desire was finally fulfilled and she didn¡¯t dare believe her ears. Was this how it felt to be loved and love the person in return? Gu Nianzhi tried to turn around but Huo Shaoheng hugged her so tightly her whole body was about to be buried in his broad chest. She wanted to embrace him in return, but he lifted her up from the chair. With a flip of his wrist, Gu Nianzhi turned around to face him. Huo Shaoheng sat on the soft chair and put Gu Nianzhi on hisp as he lowered his head to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi was trapped in his arms and unable to move. This was the first time she experienced the difference in strength between a man and a woman; Huo Shaoheng was also much stronger than most men. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t have any resistance towards him, and when he stopped her from moving, she could only be obediently manipted by him. She thought her lips must be swollen from his kisses, but she didn¡¯t want to shrink back at all and began returning her own passionate kisses. She could feel that Huo Shaoheng was different from usual but unable to point out exactly how. Because Huo Shaoheng still continued to dominate her heart and body, she lost herself to his strong desires and was unable to remove herself. Huo Shaoheng supported her neck with both hands and his kisses grew more intense. Gu Nianzhi was nearly dizzy from it and after a while, she finally noticed something was wrong.

    Perhaps because she struggled so fiercely, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kisses gradually slowed down and put his chin on the top of her head as he uttered raspily, ¡°Don¡¯t move.. It¡¯ll be fine soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi actually couldn¡¯t move even if she wanted to, but she was still trying her best. Once she stopped, she obediently leaned against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. The bedroom was so quiet only the sounds of their erratic breathing could be heard. Gu Nianzhi reached out to straighten Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cor and pouted slightly, ¡°Huo Shao, what¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± Coming home sote was one thing, but he had actually came straight to her room to kiss her breathlessly and said such things to her.

    ¡°Nothing, I just missed you.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was still raspy and sounded even more maic¨CGu Nianzhi¡¯s ears nearly melted. She slumped gently against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and looked down to pretend she didn¡¯t care as she asked, ¡°Really? Then why don¡¯t you want me to ever leave you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Are you really afriad that I¡¯ll leave you?¡± Gu Nianzhi waited a while then continued to ask when he didn¡¯t respond.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted and replied dryly, ¡°I spent so much energy and time, as well as money on you. I can¡¯t let you run away just like that.¡±

    ¡°I know you can¡¯t leave me, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny handle moved up his neck and began stroking the side of it. It¡¯s your fault for not telling the truth...

    Her fingers were so soft and delicate they felt incredibly gentle on his skin. Huo Shaoheng used all the self-control he had cultivated all these years to resist Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seduction.

    ¡°Do we need to discuss who can¡¯t leave who?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was even more raspy and he stopped her tiny hand from fondling his neck, then pressed it against his chest.

    Unsatisfied with this answer, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t continue teasing him with her hand locked. She bit her lip sadly.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her calmly then tightened his grip on her waist to stop any movement. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist was very thin, yet not bony like a very skinny person. Instead, it was light to the touch yet a nice hand feel. She actually wasn¡¯t considered thin, but because she had small bone structure she didn¡¯t appear fat even though she had flesh on her bones. Her body was incredibly soft to the touch, either from her smooth skin or tempting curves. Gu Nianzhi shifted her body because she didn¡¯t like to be tickled. She giggled softly as she looked up to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bob. Lickign her lips, she half inclined her head and elongated her neck slightly to kiss his throat.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth was dry, ¡°Where did you learn this trick?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t need to learn it, it came to me naturally.¡± Gu Nianzhi released Huo Shaoheng¡¯s throat and smiled brightly.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and wanted to chide her for learning inappropriate things, yet he thought that he may not have fulfilled his responsibility and tried to use other thoughts to divert his attention. He couldn¡¯t let her take control, especially when it came to things like this. Huo Shaoheng was very obviously masculine in the matters of romance.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down in a daze.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Huo Shaoheng followed her gaze and meant to tease her.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at it again before shifting her eyes, yet couldn¡¯t help looking back again soon after. It was like there was a magical power there that attracted her gaze. No matter where she looked, her eyes would always drift back. How embarrassing... Gu Nianzhi was very mortified, but couldn¡¯t control herself from looking. She had no choice but to lunge forward and embrace Huo Shaoheng. She whispered something in his ear¨Ca very ridiculous request athat she didn¡¯t expect him to agree.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think Gu Nianzhi would make such a request and smiled faintly as he began to tease her, ¡°...I didn¡¯t hear that, can you ask me again?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned in his ear and whispered quietly one more time, then even made a gesture.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly grabbed her hand to prevent her from doing anything else. He lowered his voice in a warning tone, ¡°...That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll do anything to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was gentle and soft like feather tickling his ear. The numbing sensation spread from his ear to his whole body.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to refuse, ¡°...No.¡±

    ¡°Why not? I¡¯ve actually been curious for a long time...¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lip and tried her best to control her gaze and not appear too desperate.

    ¡°We can talk about it in the future.¡± Huo Shaoheng glossed it over when he felt he topic deviate to a strange direction that must be stopped. Fortunately, the gloominess from when he first arrived already dissipated because Gu Nianzhi was always able to cheer him up.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t relent and made a threat, ¡°...Then I¡¯ll go find out myself!¡± This was the age of the inte, what did she have to fear?! As an excellent tech savvy child of her generation, Gu Nianzhi had a hundred ways to find the answer online.

    Huo Shaoheng gripped her waist with some pressure to force her to lean back. His tone carried a veiled threat, ¡°Find the answer online? You can try.¡±

    Would he really ignore her?

 Chapter 352 - Iâ€™ll Take Responsibility

    <h4>Chapter 352: I¡¯ll Take Responsibility</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi sensed the veiled threat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words but was unperturbed this time. Perhaps she was satisfied by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rare disy emotions that she no longer felt insecure. The feelings flowed naturally for her. Gu Nianzhi looked up at him with a smile. ¡°Are we threatening each other now?¡±

    ¡°We can also hurt each other with pleasure. Do you want to?¡± Huo Shaoheng removed his hand from her waist and gave her bottom a gentle p. Although he hadn¡¯t hit her hard, her bottom bounced and felt incredibly soft to him. The sensation was so wonderful that his hand lingered there and hesitated to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi reacted especially quickly and she brought her arms down and to cover Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand with the back of her own hands. His escape route was blocked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to hurt each other? Keep going...¡± The ce where Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand pressed against her skin felt like it was scorching. Red faced, Gu Nianzhi continued to hold Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand down and refused to let go. Her doe like eyes were half closed and shimmered with flirtation under the light, like ripples on moonlit water.

    Huo Shaoheng averted his gaze away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. He hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to react so quickly. He had only dished out a small punishment and she had actually turned around to take advantage of it. Lowering his gaze, Huo Shaoheng looked hisrge, scarred hand covered by a her tiny and pale one. His palm was trapped against the the perky bottom he just pped. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat and his body screamed for more, but he sat rigidly in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chair without moving an inch and didn¡¯t give in to his desires. He was panting, his breathing quiet but shallow, and it sounded especially sexy to Gu Nianzhi.

    She waited for a while more and was slightly deted when she saw that Huo Shaoheng was frozen in ce. She let go of her hand from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s and turned around to stabilize herself against his shoulders ande off hisp.

    Huo Shaoheng gripped her waist tightly. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of sitting here if you won¡¯t show it to me?¡± Gu Nianzhi purposely appeared displeased and looked away, but kept the corner of her eye on that unspeakably wonderful manhood of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Her soft and delicate voice was like a little finger tugging at his heartstrings.

    He fully knew that he shouldn¡¯t cater to her whims. With one unreasonable request woulde others in the future, and things would eventually get out of control. He usually rejected her, making sure she had no chance to objecti; or he would attempt to divert her attention. However, tonight... he found himself unable to refuse any of her requests. ¡°Are you sure you want to see it?¡± Huo Shaoheng inched closer to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear and asked quietly. His voice was raspy from holding in his desires for so long.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed when she heard him and her ears grew red. She rubbed them and pretended to answer nonchntly, ¡°You have to show it to me sooner orter anyway, so it might as well be now. I¡¯ll take responsibility after.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave a shaky sighs After a long silence, Huo Shaoheng reached down to his waist and began to undo the belt.

    Gu Nianzhi eyes widened and her mind felt like it was going to explode. She was so nervous, her breathing seemed to stop, and her thudding heartbeats were loud in her ears as her mind screamed, ¡°I¡¯m about to see it! I¡¯m about to see it! I¡¯m really about to see it!¡± But the moment Huo Shaoheng undid his pants, Gu Nianzhi suddenly closed her eyes and covered her face while saying, ¡°Fine, fine, hurry up and put your pants back on! Put them back on!¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you look at it now?¡± Huo Shaoheng calmed down when Gu Nianzhi showed her embarrassment and took his time zipping up his pants. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see it so badly? Weren¡¯t you going to take responsibility? Are you not looking at it because you don¡¯t want to take responsibility?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt her cheeks get so hot she figured she could fry eggs on them. ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility, just hurry up and put it away!¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her face anxiously. ¡°Is it back in?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t helpughing as he continued to tease her, ¡°Put it where? Put it where, hm? Tell me where and I¡¯ll see if I can put it in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only cover her face with one hand and pointed at the direction of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lower body with the other. ¡°You have to put it back in your pants! Why won¡¯t you put it back in?¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s too bad...¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to buckle his belt and chucked as he shook his head. ¡°I thought you would ask me to put it in you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused for a second and snorted, ¡°Are you ying dumb? How can you put it in me, where would you even put it in me...¡± The moment Gu Nianzhi said it, she realized what her words sounded like. She was both humiliated and angry as she gritted her teeth and let go of her hand. Her watery eyes red at Huo Shaoheng but did not appear intimidating at all, only alluring and tempting.

    Huo Shaoheng swallowed before hugging her tightly again and kissing her lips. His lips were passionate on hers and one hand stroked her waist. Gu Nianzhi feltpletely numb from his kisses, huddling against his chest and grabbing his cor tightly as she lost control of her voice. She was about to pass out from the pleasure and Huo Shaoheng finally released her. Pushing her away, he got up quickly to go back inside his own suite.

    Gu Nianzhi supported herself against the desk and took deep breaths as she watched Huo Shaoheng disappear in a haze. She lingered there for a long time before she finally walked out of her room to stand in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite. It had already been dead bolted shut, so she began to knock. ¡°Huo Shao?¡± She waited for a while but no one answered. Gu Nianzhi could only use the inte at the door and so called out again, ¡°.Huo Shao?¡± She was only greeted by silence. With no intention of going back, she leaned back against the wall by the door to reminisce about the steamy scene just now. She couldn¡¯t help covering her face.

    She had actually seen a little bit of it.

    The shameful thoughts swirled in her mind for some time, and she finally heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice from the inte: ¡°Nianzhi? Why are you standing at my door?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and felt her legs go numb. ncing at her watch, she realized she had actually stood in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door for half an hour. She smoothed her hair before answering the inte with a red face, ¡°I still have something to ask you.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s about the power of attorney authorization for Zhang Feng.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Huo Shao, what are you doing in there? I¡¯ve waited here for half an hour.¡± Gu Nianzhi knocked again. ¡°Are you busy?¡±

    ¡°I have to shower, you cane in first.¡± He used a remote to unlock the door.

    Gu Nianzhi snuck inside and immediately dead bolted it again. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite was veryrge and while her own suite wasn¡¯t small to begin with, his was three times as big. There was a living room, study, gym, small conference room, kitchte, sun room, and a guest bathroom. Arge bathroom was located inside the main bedroom. Gu Nianzhi spent a whole minute preparing herself to walk to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom from the entrance. Opening the door, she saw that the lights were dim and heard the shower turn on. She had no idea what he had been doing for so long to only start showering right now. She grumbled to herself and looked to see a military magazine on his bed, so she sat on it and began to read. By the time Huo Shaoheng came out of the shower, Gu Nianzhi sat cross legged on the bed and was reading the magazine with one hand propping her chin. She looked up when she heard the bathroom door open and saw Huo Shaoheng walk out. His upper bodywas naked and a white towel was tied around his waist. His back was to her as he faced the closet to pick out clothes. Gu Nianzhi could only see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s broad back and the tanned and toned muscles on the sides of his waist. Back in university, her roommate, Little Temptress, had educated her that muscle was the real power behind the sex muscle. The tighter and stronger the physique, the better the man was in bed. Gu Nianzhi flushed even harder; her mind was reeling from all the dirty thoughts. She quickly got up from the bed to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng reached out to grab her ¡°Where are you going? Didn¡¯t you want to talk about the the power of attorney authorization?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy now, let¡¯s talk tomorrow. I want to go to bed now.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were zed and she tried to look up so she didn¡¯t have to see anything below Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist. Although he had a towel around his lower half and waspletely covered up, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s imagination flew from the glimpse she¡¯d caught earlier.

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Are you really sleepy? Then, why are you hugging my pillow?¡±

 Chapter 353 - Wayward Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 353: Wayward Thoughts</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    His pillow? Gu Nianzhi was astonished until she looked down to see she was really holding a pillow... She quickly turned around to throw it onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bed and nearly ran away. Huo Shaoheng smiled at her back but didn¡¯t call after her. Instead, he went to the closet to take a ck T-shirt and pants to change into, then opened the door to the suite and turned on the light in the living room. He went back to his study to start working.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t sleep her bedroom no matter what¨Cshe tossed and turned in her nkets and flipped over from time to time to see the light spilling through the door. It wasing from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room. Gu Nianzhi reach out and imagined the light falling into her hands. She gave it a squeeze and it was like holding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer to reply to several emails then looked at the progress with Zhang Feng¡¯s case. Although it was Lunar New Year and most people weren¡¯t working, the progress was already quite good. However he still thought it was tooslow because he wanted to conclude the case as soon as possible. When hepleted all his work, an hour had already passed. Huo Shaoheng drank a cup of water and got up to see Gu Nianzhi. As soon as he entered her room, he saw her quickly flip over and turn her back to him. Huo Shaoheng knew she wasn¡¯t asleep yet and sat at her bedside to fix her nkets. He asked in his deep voice, ¡°...Why haven¡¯t you slept yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was burning red. She was just having wayward thoughts and didn¡¯t think the male idol she just had her way with her imagination would sit by her bed. The shock was too great and assumed her normal way of professing love yet actually fearing Huo Shaoheng by shrinking back into her nkets.

    ¡°Why¡¯s your face so red? Are you sick?¡± Huo Shaoheng used his hand to check her forehead¡¯s temperature and was so gentle it felt like a dragonfly dipping into water before swiftly flying away.

    In that moment, Gu Nianzhi hated herself for not getting used to sleeping with the light off so Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t see her flushing cheeks in the darkness.

    She turned around and watched Huo Shaoheng with her huge doe eyes shimmering. She huffed gently, ¡°...I¡¯m not sick, I¡¯m about to sleep right away.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her intently and touched her face like he wanted to speak yet couldn¡¯t find the words. He finally turned the lights off for her, ¡°Sleep, I¡¯ll keep the light on until you fall asleep.¡±

    After Huo Shaoheng left, Gu Nianzhi hid in the nkets and thought to herself how she was such a pervert, it was hopeless... Huo Shao just wanted to kiss your lips but you lust after his body. However his back was really sexy.. She wanted to wrap her legs around it... No, she couldn¡¯t think anymore, she must sleep... Gu Nianzhi pull the nkets over her head and finally forced herself to fall asleep.

    ...

    She slept fitfully that night and woke up 6am the next morning, unable to sleep again. She could only get up and wash her face, then went for a morning run. The air was frigid enough to cut into the bone on the winter morning, but had a hint of refreshingness to it. Taking a deep breath, the icy air cleared her mind. She finally woke up form the naughty dreamsst night. Gu Nianzhi ran quickly, looping around the tracks in the vase five or six times before slowing down.

    Huo Shaoheng just finished his morning workout and passed by the tracks when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tall figure. She had her hair up in a high ponytail that revealed her luminous forehead. Because she had just been running, she was still panting and her exquisite little nose was trembling slightly and appeared especially alluring. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t disturb her and only watched her quietly from the tree on the side of the road before turning back to his official residence. When it was time for breakfast, he didn¡¯t wait for Gu Nianzhi and ate quickly alone before going back to work in the office. After Gu Nianzhi finished her run, Song Jinning was the only one in there havingbreakfast.

    ¡°Good morning, Auntie Song.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat across from Song Jinning and looked around, ¡°Where¡¯s Huo Shao, Brother Xiong and Brother Ze? They ate already?¡±

    ¡°They ate long ago and said today is the first official day back to work.¡± Song Jinning spread butter on her toast, ¡°I need to work too, I¡¯m reporting to the Institute today.¡± Song Jinning was now the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics but she hadn¡¯t been working for 16 years now and didn¡¯t know if she would get ustomed.

    Gu Nianzhi had her milk and oatmeal as she gave it some thought and said to Song Jinning, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re not ustomed to, don¡¯t suffer in silence. You can talk to me or tell Huo Shao directy. I¡¯d tell him anyway.¡±

    Song Jinning nodded with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you for sure. Nianzhi, I¡¯ll definitely ask for you help if I need it.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly, ¡°It¡¯s be my pleasure to help you if you need it.¡±

    The two women chatted happily and went to their respective rooms to shower and change after breakfast. They both had to go out that morning.

    ...

    Zhang Baochen also went out early in the day and arrived to the Military Police building and waited outside for a while. He was there even earlier than Gu Nianzhi because he had to tell Zhang Feng a few things in advance.

    Zhang Feng saw him and quickly asked, ¡°Is there good news? Are you here to take me home?¡±

    Zhang Baochen pursed his lips and coughed quietly as he leaned forward to whisper, ¡°Mom, what are you nning to do with your assets? How about you sign an authorization and give me power of attorney?¡±

    Zhang Feng instantly grew alert, ¡°My assets? Why are you asking that? What authorization?¡±

    Zhang Baochen numbled for a bit because he knew he couldn¡¯t say it was for auctioning the assets off to repay her debt. If he told Zhang Feng, there¡¯s no way she¡¯d agree. In a panic, he blurted out, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s all for me? Why can¡¯t you give it to me early?¡±

    Zhang Feng was a little sad when she heard this and stared at Zhang Baochen with a shake of her head, ¡°You keep going in circles, but it¡¯s just all for my money? Why are you in such a rush, I¡¯m not even dead yet? Right, I did this for you but that doesn¡¯t mean I need to give it to you rigjt away.¡±

    Zhang Baochen was stunned speechless by her and stammered for a long time before replying, ¡°But I don¡¯t have money right now...¡±

    ¡°No money... Ask the Chief then.¡± Zhang Feng red at him, ¡°Why are you so dumb? You should take this chance to move back in with the Chief instead of thinking about my money all day. Can¡¯t you grow up a little?¡±

    Zhang Baochen also got upset, ¡°So is taking advantage of the Chief mean I¡¯m grown up? Mom, what are you actually thinking? I¡¯m trying to help you!¡±

    ¡°If you want to help me, then go beg the Chief! I¡¯m telling you, that¡¯s the only option!¡± Zhang Feng stood up when she finished speaking, ¡°I¡¯m going back, leave now.¡± She was feeling upset that the son she had spoiled would only care about her money. She was still stuck in jail and he was already thinking about taking all of her fortune.

    ...

    Zhang Baochen left in disappointment and hung his head. He stood listlessly in the za in front of the building and watched the empty street in a daze. He didn¡¯t know if he should continue waiting anymore. With his mother¡¯s current condition, what was the use of bringing the authorization from Gu Nianzhi? He didn¡¯t¡¯ think Zhang Feng would sign it. After hesitating for awhile, he decided to leave and was about to hail a taxi when he saw Gu Nianzhi get out of a BMW and walk towards him. Zhang Baochen stopped in his tracks and nodded at her, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi studied Zhang Baochen, he was a man in his forties, tall and slim. He didn¡¯t really resemble Grandfather Huo but his face shape was identical to Zhang Feng¡¯s. His eyes however, were simr to Grandfather Huo¡¯s. Grandfather Huo had three sons and Gu Nianzhi had only met Huo Guanchen and Zhang Baochen. Their eyes resembled Grandfather Huo¡¯s while Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were unlike his father or grandfather. However they didn¡¯t look like his mother¡¯s either, so he must resemble his grandmother¡¯s...

    Gu Nianzhi took out the authorization to pass to Zhang Baochen, ¡°Did you wait a long time? This is the authorization, give it to your mom to sign and I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    Zhang Baochen didn¡¯t take it and shook his head with a wry smile, ¡°I just went in, my mom won¡¯t sign it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± She looked at the form she had spent several hours creatingst night and refused to ept it. After some thought, Gu Nianzhi asked him how he worded it to Zhang Feng.

    Zhang Baochen repeated everything he said to her. Gu Nianzhi frowned and thought about it some more before giving him an idea. She smiled slyly and said to Zhang Baochen, ¡°Go inside again and say that she has too many assets under her name. The court can circumvent her permission and forcibly auction off the assets under her name. If she wants to preserve all her assets, it¡¯s best she transfers everything to your name. You¡¯re her primary beneficiary anyway, so if she doesn¡¯t give it to you now, she won¡¯t be able to give you a penny in the future.¡±

 Chapter 354 - For the Reputation

    <h4>Chapter 354: For the Reputation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Transfer? Isn¡¯t it power of attorney?¡± Zhang Baochen was totally confused. ¡°She would never agree to that.¡±

    ¡°You have to the ask the more demanding request first and have her refuse it, and then offer the less demanding request.¡± Gu Nianzhi had to exin everything step by step to Zhang Baochen. ¡°She will agree to thetter.¡±

    Zhang Baochen seemed to understand but was still confused. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯ll work?¡±

    ¡°Just wait. I¡¯ll write up a transfer of assets authorization and all I have to do is alter a few lines in this authorization.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out herptop to open the original file and quickly saved a separate transfer of assets authorization by first deleting the stiptions about power of attorney. All the terms were reorganized using the temte for the transfer of assets authorization. Taking the sh drive on which the file was saved, Gu Nianzhi and Zhang Baochen went to the military police building¡¯s photocopying room to ask someone to help her print out the transfer of assets authorization. ¡°Here, you can take these two documents to see your mom.¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed the papers into Zhang Baochen¡¯s hands. ¡°Show her the transfer of assets authorization first and she¡¯ll reject it for sure. Then, you can take out the power of attorney authorization and say that it¡¯s just in case of emergencies. It¡¯ll be difficult for her to handles her assets from prison, so you will help her instead. Not all situations will require money, but if somethinges up, you can deal with it right away instead of having to wait to see your mom to make a decision.¡±

    If they were to wait for Zhang Feng to make all the decisions, nothing would ever get done. Zhang Baochen finally understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s n and nced at the two documents before cramming them into his briefcase. ¡°I¡¯ll go give it another try.¡±

    ...

    Zhang Feng was seeing Zhang Baochen for the second time that day. At first, she¡¯d been unwilling to talk to him, but Zhang Baochen had asked the guard to tell her that there was something important they needed to discuss, so she had reluctantly agreed. ¡°What now?¡± Zhang Feng was irritated. ¡°If it has to do with the assets, you can save your breath.¡±

    Zhang Baochen nervously ced the transfer of assets authorization on the desk first and stammered, ¡°Mother, the thing is, I went outside and thought about it. Maybe I didn¡¯t exin myself properly in a way that you would understand.¡±

    ¡°Understand? What is there to understand?¡± Zhang Feng wanted to roll her eyes. She was almost at her limit after being imprisoned for only a few days. ¡°It¡¯s always about the money, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Zhang Baochen was also angry now. Why was he running around and getting insulted for? This was all because he hadn¡¯t wanted his mother to end up in prison! But from her eyes, she truly didn¡¯t care about prison if it meant being able to keep her money. The issue, though, was: how woud she keep her fortune under these circumstances? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words reminded him that once Zhang Feng was sentenced, all her assets would be automatically confiscated. Not only would she lose everything, but she would also get charged additionally for not returning the illegal ie. Did she really want to spend the rest of her life in prison? She didn¡¯t seem to care, but Zhang Baochen and his children did. Their reputation would be ruined if their grandmother was sentenced to jail. Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui were eager to have their children marry into affluent families, but now that Zhang Feng had gotten into this mess, their family could never be elevated to the upper ss circles.

    Zhang Baochen frowned. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t only think about the money. Did you think about how your assets will be dered as illegal ie once you are convicted? All the money will be confiscated. Rather than having it be confiscated in the future, why don¡¯t you... give me power of attorney right now?¡± Zhang Baochen pushed the document to Zhang Feng. ¡°Please sign it. I don¡¯t want to lose both you and the money. We won¡¯t be able to keep the money or keep you out of jail.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zhang Feng panicked and her heart wrenched as her expression contorted. ¡°That¡¯ll never happen.I won¡¯t get convicted!¡±

    Zhang Baochen remained silent and watched Zhang Feng until she calmed down. He said with anguish, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not up to you and whether or not you get convicted. If you refuse to listen to me, then there¡¯s nothing else I can do for you but to try and visit you in jail more often.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zhang Feng screamed at him again. ¡°How can you say these horrible things instead of finding someone to help me. Are you really my son? Did you talk to the Chief yet? Will he allow you to move back in?¡±

    Zhang Baochen shook his head. ¡°The Chief¡¯s already given me a house; why would he still ask me to move back?¡±

    Zhang Feng stared at him nkly. She wondered how things had gotten to this point? Just before Christmas, Grandfather Huo had finally promised to marry her and yet now, only past the Lunar New Year day, and everything was already in shambles?

    ¡°Mother? Are you listening to me?¡± Zhang Baochen rapped the table and took out the power of attorney authorization as Gu Nianzhi had instructed. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to sign the transfer of assets authorization right now; this is the power of attorney authorization that you can sign instead. It only authorizes me to help you handle your assets, but everything still belongs to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhang Feng¡¯s mood was at the lowest now and she no longer had the energy to argue with her son. She couldn¡¯t transfer all her assets to Zhang Baochen at this point, even though he was her only son. However, she was willing to grant power of attorney of a partial amount of her assets in order to keep some security for herself. In the depths of her heart, she still refused to believe that she would be convicted. But just in case anything were to happen, she would allow Zhang Baochen to handle half of her assets and also give his family some peace of mind. Zhang Feng looked at the inventory in the power of attorney authorization and crossed out half as she told Zhang Baochen. ¡°Remove this half and I¡¯ll give you full power of attorney on the other half.¡±

    Zhang Baochen considered it and knew it was better than her not signing anything at all. The power of attorney authorization was messy from the scribbling, so he had to get a clean copy. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll have someone print a new power of attorney authorization then bring it here for you to sign.¡± Zhang Baochen stood up and left with the document.

    He met Gu Nianzhi outside the building and said to her, ¡°My mom only agrees to give me power of attorney over half her assets.¡± He then showed the power of attorney authorization that Zhang Feng wrote on.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it and nodded. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s do what she says and auction off what we can.¡±

    Zhang Baochen knew that his mother was very stubborn; this was the greatest possiblepromise. When the power of attorney authorization was revised, he took it back in to see Zhang Feng.

    Zhang Feng immediately signed it and reminded Zhang Baochen, ¡°You have to be careful to not let people cheat you. These are all real estate properties and you can make rent off of them. You won¡¯t have to do anything else and Wenna and Wenjie will have nothing to worry about.¡±

    Zhang Baochen nodded, but felt very conflicted. Zhang Feng was really looking out for his family, but her methods were too extreme and he couldn¡¯t ept it. He took the signed power of attorney authorization to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Shaoheng asked me to give it to you and take it back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out another power of attorney authorization for Zhang Baochen to sign. ¡°This is the power of attorney authorization that allows a professional auction house to sell the real estate. The auction process will start as soon as you sign this.¡±

    Zhang Baochen quickly signed it and asked her, ¡°The proceeds will be going to the military?¡±

    ¡°Of course. The military will send you the invoices.¡± Gu Nianzhi put the two signed documents into her briefcase before waving goodbye to Zhang Baochen and getting inside the car. She returned to the Special Ops base and brought the two documents to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office. ¡°Huo Shao, here are the power of attorney authorizations you requested.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flipped through them and noticed something was amiss, ¡°Why are so many assets missing?¡±

    ¡°Zhang Feng only agreed to give power attorney over half her assets to Zhang Baochen. We had no choice.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Earlier, she had even refused to sign, but she finally agreed after some persuasion.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head silently and filed the documents as he waved to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Thank you. You can go back first. I still have a meeting to go to.¡±

    She left the office in high spirits and went back home to prepare for school.

    Huo Shaoheng took the two documents and contacted the auction house he was familiar with so that they could list the properties and begin the auction process. The auction house was to resume business officially on the 16th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, but reopened earlier on the 6th to especially handle Zhang Feng¡¯s property at Huo Shaoheng¡¯smission.

    Zhang Feng¡¯s properties were all in prime locations around the city. They were luxuriously finished withrge living spaces, so these were all considered luxury mansions. Finding buyers were not difficult since the homes were good quality and located in good school districts. In order to sell them all as soon as possible, the auction house did not pad the price and used the purchase price as the starting price. Many keen eyed purchasers came forward and so it took only half a day for the internal private auction to sell off half of Zhang Feng¡¯s assets, with a amount of approximately 600 million RMB. The funds would be transferred to the auction house¡¯s bank ount within three days.

    Three dayster, Huo Shaoheng took the bank statement to Grandfather Huo. ¡°Grandfather, Head Nurse Zhang gave her son power of attorney on half her assets and these are the proceeds from the auction. It only amounts to half the debt she owes.¡± Huo Shaoheng set the bank notice in front of Grandfather Huo. ¡°What do you think we should do?¡±

 Chapter 355 - He Doesnâ€™t Deserve It

    <h4>Chapter 355: He Doesn¡¯t Deserve It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Only half?¡± Grandfather Huo took the bank statements with a frown and read them over several times, ¡°Are you sure you auctioned them off at the best prices?¡±

    ¡°...This was a professional auction house and I personally entrusted them. If they dared to pull any tricks they will never be able to do business domestically again.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat back on the sofa and draped one arm leisurely on the back of it.

    Grandfather Huo stayed quiet as he nced at him.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask someone else to check the market value of those houses and determine if they were sold at a good price. Also the auction was only for a day so the reach was extremely limited, what else do you want?¡± Huo Shaoheng exined in detail but didn¡¯t mince his words. What was even a good price? It was all rtive.

    ¡°Limited reach? That can¡¯t be good.¡± Grandfather Huo answered slowly, ¡°If there weren¡¯t many peopleing through, how can the auction house sell them at the best price?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll refund all the money and ask the auction house to advertise nationally, or perhaps internationally. We can auction online and allow anyone in the world to bid, is that good enough? That should be the best price, right? But are you sure you want everyone to know about the existence of these houses? And find out that your lovely partner amassed a personal fortune of over 10 billion RMB in less than two decades?¡±

    Grandfather Huo was about to agree but froze when he looked up at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stoic expression. He quickly understood what he was implying and immediately refused, ¡°Of course not. How can we allow a public auction?!¡±

    ¡°Right. So if you oppose a public auction, then this were the best prices.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up, ¡°If you don¡¯t have any objections, I¡¯ll be wiring these funds into the military¡¯s ount tomorrow.¡±

    Grandfather Huo could only return the bank statements to Huo Shaoheng and asked unhappily, ¡°Then what about the other half?¡±

    ¡°There are two options. One is to ask Zhang Feng to transfer the remaining half of her assets to Zhang Baochen for us to also auction off.¡±

    ¡°Then what about the other option?¡± Grandfather Huo knew this obviously wouldn¡¯t work. If Zhang Feng was willing to sell it off, she would¡¯ve transferred everything to Zhang Baochen a long time ago, not just half?

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back, ¡°The other option is to have her owe the money and add several years to her sentence.¡±

    The creases in the corners of Grandfather Huo¡¯s eyes grew deeper as he pursed his lips and lines on the sides of his nose were also very obvious. ¡°Add several years? She¡¯s not young anymore, she won¡¯t survive if her sentence is increased? ¨CNo!¡± Grandfather Huo finally voiced his objection.

    ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡± Huo Shaoheng bent over to grab his coat from the soda and draped it on, ¡°How about you talk to Head Nurse Zhang and try to persuade her?¡±

    IT¡¯s not like he could visit her empty handed... Grandfather Huo considered it and sighed, ¡°How about this, Shaoheng¨Chelp her pay off the remaining debt and when this whole thing ends, I¡¯ll have her pay you back.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly, ¡°This isn¡¯t a small sum. What if I lend it out but don¡¯t get it back?¡±

    ¡°No that won¡¯t happen. I¡¯ll order her to you and she¡¯ll always obey.¡± Grandfather Huo put up the airs of a General, ¡°That¡¯s decided then, you can help her repay it first.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng rejected calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll only help Head Nurse Zhang repay it only if she puts up the other half of her assets as coteral.¡±

    ¡°If she puts up the other half as coteral, then how would that be different from her repaying the debt herself?!¡± Grandfather Huo finally lost his temper, ¡°All these years I¡¯ve transferred the entire proceeds of your grandmother¡¯s trust fund to you, but now you won¡¯t even help with one thing...¡±

    ¡°Grandfather!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression also darkened, ¡°You¡¯ve finally said it. I was waiting all this time to see when you¡¯d ask.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Grandfather Huo moved his lips to say something but realized words now would be futile.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought about to what extent will the mess between you and Head Nurse Zhang grow until you¡¯ll give up.¡± Huo Shaoheng adjusted his coat and lifted an arm to put it on as he continued, ¡°Do you really have to be a joke to everybody¨Cthe grandfather finds a mistress asks the grandson foots the bill?¡±

    Grandfather Huo was livid as he punched the back of the sofa, ¡°Nonsense! How can you say it in such an awful way! What do you mean find a mistress! Is Zhang Feng disgraceful like those shameful women?!¡±

    ¡°To me, she¡¯s even lesser than those shameful women.¡± Huo Shaoheng half inclined his head, ¡°At least those women know their ce. But Zhang Feng doesn¡¯t even know what the word shame means.¡±

    ¡°How can you speak about her like that? If your grandmother was to hear all the awful things the grandson she raised was saying, she¡¯d turn in her grave.¡± Grandfather Huo nearly stabbed his finger at Hu Shaoheng¡¯s nose in anger.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always only spoken the truth. You can¡¯t call the truth awful just because you don¡¯t like it.¡± When Huo Shaoheng decided to argue, his tongue was as sharp as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Also, the words had lodged in his heart for a long time and it was finally the opportunity to get relief, ¡°Zhang Feng became the unofficialdy of the house ever since grandmother got sick. When she passed away a dozen years ago, the Huo¡¯s should¡¯ve changed the family name to the Zhang¡¯s. Grandmother died because of her anger towards Zhang Feng. This woman used our family¡¯s influence to rake in money and intervene with military armaments,under money andmit multiple crimes. There¡¯s no way she can deny a single ones of these.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and his eyes grew icy.

    ¡°I already said I wronged her first, how can she be the one fat fault?¡± Grandfather Huo had always regretted it¨Cif he hadn¡¯t gotten drunk that night then he would¡¯ve never spent the night with her? Everything else that happened after was because of the mistake he made that night...

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°What do you mean? So because you wronged her first, so that means¡¯ she¡¯s always been an innocent girl who had no responsibility? ¨CGrandfather, you really do treat her differently. You did do something wrong, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that she also made a mistake. Not only was she wrong, but she alsomitted a crime.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯ what you¡¯re saying, are you berating your own grandfather too?¡± Grandfather Huo still tried to defend Zhang Feng and pointed to himself with a sneer, ¡°If your grandfather is useless, than what are you?!¡±

    ¡°I also feel regretful, but I have no way of choosing my upbringing, just like how I can¡¯t change the regretful truth that I¡¯m rted you and father.¡± When Huo Shaoheng said such things, he had already severed ties with Grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen had been standing at the door the whole time without interjecting. Seeing that the grandson and grandfather argue, he finally opened the door and entered the room to chide Huo Shaoheng sternly, ¡°Shaoheng! How can you speak to your Grandfather like that?!¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong? If Grandmother hadn¡¯t suppressed Zhang Feng while she was still alive, Zhang Feng would¡¯ve revealed her scandal with Grandfather a long time ago. Father knew about this too.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Huo Guanchen, then turned to see the stunned Grandfather Huo, ¡°Grandfather, you think that you could¡¯ve concealed this scandal for so long with only your own abilities? And to have covered it up so perfectly?! You think that if this scandal came to light all those years ago, would you really have climbed the ranks to the second-inmand of the Supreme Military Council?¡±

    ¡°What... What did you say?!¡± Grandfather Huo was rendered speechless and his body turned rigid, ¡°You said your grandmother... Your grandmother... knew about.. Knew about her and I... When she was still alive...¡±

    ¡°Of course. You can ask Zhang Feng yourself if you don¡¯t believe me, she knows better than anyone else.¡± Huo Shaoheng tried to control himself and spoke in a slow pace, ¡°Since grandmotherid in her sickbed, Zhang Feng started to continuously leave little clues for her. Do you what a shock it is, for a deathly ill woman to suddenly find out the husband she¡¯d loved for her entire life had betrayed her long ago and also fathered a bastard child?¡±

    Grandfather Huo couldn¡¯t say a word. The impact was so great that tears fell uncontrobly from his eyes. Knees shaking, he couldn¡¯t even stand up and had to grip the back of the sofa to lean against it. He always believed he didn¡¯t betray his wife because even though he slept with Zhang Feng once on a drunken night, he didn¡¯t like her at all at the time. It was only a mistake. Later on, his love for Zhang Feng grew but that was after his wife passed away. He never imagined that his wife knew everything a long time ago and it now made sense why she made the final note in her will. His wife¡¯s image kept appearing in his head and he thought about her every nce and every smile¨Ceven when she became temperamental from her illness. Of course he had once loved his wife, they were each other¡¯s first loves and had been together for 30 years. They had a good rtionship up until the year she became ill and Zhang Feng intervened...

    ¡°Zhang Feng didn¡¯t kill Grandmother with her own hands, but her methods were a hundred times more despicable than if she had. She destroyed grandmother¡¯sst will to live.¡± Huo Shaoheng enunciated carefully to ry all the sadness, regret, pain and humiliation his grandmother felt when she passed away. Grandfather Huo should realize that he didn¡¯t deserve to have a woman love him so deeply. He should take the remainder of his life repent, instead of marrying the woman who killed his wife¡¯s will to live.

 Chapter 356 - Even I Canâ€™t Understand Him

    <h4>Chapter 356: Even I Can¡¯t Understand Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Grandfather Huo nearly lost his bnce. He muttered incoherently as he supported himself on the sofa to sit down.

    Huo Guanchen quickly walked over to ask. ¡°Father, are you still ok?¡±

    ¡°Still ok? You might as well kill me!¡± Grandfather Huo red at Huo Guanchen and raised his hand to p him hard in the face. He jabbed a finger at his son¡¯s nose and shouted, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner if you knew already?¡± All the rage was being taken out on Huo Guanchen. He epted it all.

    ¡°You two can cry to each other now. I won¡¯t be joining in.¡± Huo Shaoheng buttoned his coat and said, ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Stay right there!¡± Huo Guanchen barked at Huo Shaoheng sternly. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Have you not embarrassed our family enough?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and put his hands in the coat pockets before turning around, the corners of his mouth turned up as he snickered and shook his head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gotten into such messes if you¡¯re worried about being embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one thing to teach your own father a lesson, but you dared to humiliate your grandfather.¡± Huo Guanchen was livid. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go ask Song Jinning how she raised such an insolent son!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly and responded with politeness. ¡°I was raised by Grandmother. Father, are you going to heaven to ask Grandmother how she raised me?¡±

    Huo Guanchen deted and lost all his anger at the mention of his wife. He copsed on the sofa next to Grandfather Huo and cradled his head in his hands as he said helplessly, ¡°If Mother was still alive, none of this would¡¯ve happened. Mother loved Guanyuan the most, and if he was still alive...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch and answered calmly, ¡°My mother will be restarting the experiment very soon. We will find out what happened to Uncle.¡± Huo Shaoheng had grown up under his grandmother¡¯s care and was thus familiar with his uncle, Huo Guanyuan. Huo Guanyuan had been the closest to Xie Ziyan, while Huo Guanchen had been closer to Huo Xuenong.

    Huo Guanchen stood up instantly. ¡°Your mother is restarting the experiment? When? Is she still living with you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and shook his head before turning to leave. This time he didn¡¯t look back no matter what Huo Guanchen said.

    Huo Guanchen saw that he wasn¡¯t able to convince his son, so he could only try persuading Grandfather Huo. ¡°Father, Shaoheng¡¯s temper is always like this. He¡¯s earned the respect within the ranks by hiding his feelings more and more. Even I can¡¯t understand him.¡±

    ¡°I know. Shaoheng was promoted to Major General at a young age and is the most sessful person in our family. He¡¯s more intelligent than Guanyuan was, and can endure even more than you do. It¡¯s only natural that he¡¯d surpass you both.¡± Grandfather Huo sighed as he huddled in the sofa and refused to get up.

    ¡°About Head Nurse Zhang...¡± Huo Guanchen said, ncing at Grandfather Huo, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see her tomorrow. It¡¯ll be thest time. I still need to ask her a few things.¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s eyes were very bright for his age, but now, devoid of energy, he could barely keep them open.

    Huo Guanchen was unsure of what to say and so went to the coffee table nearby to serve him a cup of tea. ¡°Drink a little tea and don¡¯t get too anxious. Is your blood pressure going up again?¡±

    Grandfather Huo took his time drinking the tea and ced the gold rimmed china cup on the coffee table. He looked down. ¡°This was your mother¡¯s favorite tea set all those years ago; haven¡¯t I said over and over to store it safely? Why is it being used?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was uneasy. The tea set had been in use for a long time, but his father only realized it now. ¡°Jin asks the servants to set out everything being used in the house.¡± Huo Guanchen coughed, awkward. ¡°But, this tea set was only taken out for use by Jin because Head Nurse Zhang said she¡¯d liked it.¡±

    Grandfather Huo was dumbfounded. Sitting on the soda, he appeared like a y sculpture: weak and unsteady. After a long time, by which the sky outside had already grown dark, he finally asked Huo Guanchen in a low voice, ¡°Shaoheng said you knew too... What did your mother do at that time?¡±

    ¡°She actually didn¡¯t do much.¡± Huo Guanchen poured himself a cup of tea uneasily and gently blew at it to hide his embarrassment. ¡°She just gave her a little warning when Head Nurse Zhang had her professional title evaluated.¡±

    ¡°A little warning?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Head Nurse Zhang seemed to want to make a move back then. It was at the critical time when Father was being promoted to Lieutenant General. Mother had wanted her to know that if word came out that she had an illegitimate son, she would not only lose the chance of ever getting married, but would also risk losing her own military rank. She would be forcibly discharged and have to go back home to make a meagre living,¡± Huo Guanchen finished the anecdote and went on to continue, ¡°But Mother didn¡¯t do anything but let Auntie Chang start a bit of gossip with a few people. Head Nurse was a smart person and had gotten the hint; she never showed up in front of Mother again.¡±

    ¡°Is that so...¡± Grandmother Huo closed his eyes. ¡°Your mother was truly smart; even though she hade from a high ss family and was spoiled as a child, she wasn¡¯t unreasonable.¡± He had meant to say that Xie Ziyan had been stubborn and had neverpromised; when they had fought during the times they¡¯d dated, he would always be the first one to apologize. A woman like that had actually endured the incident with Zhang Feng silently. Grandfather Huo felt horrible now as he thought about it.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. Mother was very stubborn and Shaoheng has her exact temper.¡± Huo Guanchen tried to console him. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years since it happened, and you have a son who has grandchildren of his own too. Don¡¯t worry about it anymore.¡± Time would never turn back¡ªthe things done and said would always leave a mark. What evidence was more damning than a live person?

    Grandfather Huo knew he would never feel at ease again. He stood up and said wearily, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a rest. You should try to sleep earlier too.¡± However, Grandfather Huo was unable to sleep when he returned to his room. Tossing and turning all night, he got up before dawn the next day. After a rushed breakfast, he called for the driver and went to see Zhang Feng.

    Huo Shaoheng got wind of this and personally followed him. He arrived at the visitation room in the detention center where the military police temporarily held prisoners. While Grandfather Huo went to visit Zhang Feng, Huo Shaoheng had already ordered Zhao Liangze to take control over all the video recording equipment in the room. If the two argued and revealed any sensitive topics, he would be able to cut off the camera in time. Grandfather Huo and Zhang Feng knew they were under strict surveince, but didn¡¯t realize that Huo Shaoheng was the one in control.

    ¡°Half your assets have been auctioned off already and it was only enough to pay off half your debt.¡± Grandfather Huo sat down and surveyed Zhang Feng. ¡°What do you n to do about the other half?¡±

    ¡°Auctioned off? How could that be?! Who allowed this?¡± Zhang Feng shrieked. ¡°That¡¯s the money I¡¯m leaving for Baochen and his children! How could you be so cruel?!¡±

    Grandfather Huo frowned as he asked tersely, ¡°You think I¡¯m being cruel?¡±

    ¡°Elder Huo, that money was for Baochen and his children,¡± Zhang Feng begged weakly. ¡°They don¡¯t have the Xie¡¯s backing them like Shaoheng does. My family relies on me to support them, but I can¡¯t depend on them for help.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you still have the other half left?¡± Grandfather Huo warned icily, ¡°Can¡¯t you just leave the other half to them?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t give them the other half right now.¡± Zhang Feng felt pain all throughout all body when she thought about half her fortune being auctioned off. She begged Grandfather Huo desperately, ¡°Grandfather Huo, please. I¡¯ve never asked you for anything all my life.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve asked me for many things all your life. You always say the same thing everytime you ask me for something, but now you¡¯re going to say you¡¯ve never said that?¡± Grandfather Huo raised his brows, ¡°Zhang Feng, is your memory that bad?¡±

    Zhang Feng¡¯s face flushed under Grandfather Huo questioning. Her mouth sagged as she wept pitifully and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything. I only have you. I can only beg you.¡±

    ¡°You only give me trouble, right?¡± Grandfather Huo scoffed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you make some great ns back then? You even told Ziyan some things purposely at her sick bed...¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s voice grew severe, and he raised his voice and said, ¡°Zhang Feng, you have no shame!¡±

    Zhang Feng was floored. Jerking her head up, she muffled her face and looked at Grandfather Huo with surprise as she objected reflexively, ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? It¡¯s one thing to treat me like an idiot, but you made a mistake when you took Ziyan for an idiot as well.¡± Grandfather Huo¡¯s heart wrenched at the thought of Xie Ziyan knowing the truth about Zhang Feng and him as she wasted away on her sick bed.

    ¡°Elder Huo, Elder Huo! You have to save me!¡± Zhang Feng saw that things were not in her favor and began crying instantly. ¡°I only have you. I don¡¯t want to go to jail! I¡¯ve been by your side for so many years now, and we have a son together. If you won¡¯t help me and I can¡¯t think of another way, I¡¯ll just have to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Have to what?¡± Grandfather Huo mmed the table angrily. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell everyone the unspeakable thing that happened between us?!¡±

    Zhang Feng shrunk away from him and stammered, ¡°I-If you help me get out of here, I¡¯ll never tell anyone.¡± In other words, Zhang Feng wasn¡¯t going to let Grandfather Huo live down what happened and reveal everything if he didn¡¯t help her.

    Now that things had ended up like this, Zhang Feng had be a leech, Grandfather Huo realized. Whereas, Xie Ziyan had tolerated the situation and protected everyone. Grandfather Huo looked at Zhang Feng¡¯s averting eyes and found it strange that he had actually intended to marry this woman. He stood up and managed to say, in a raspy voice, ¡°You should have known what¡¯s good for you. If you dare say anything to anyone, I¡¯ll be the first one to make sure you stay quiet.¡±

    ¡°Elder Huo!¡± Zhang Feng couldn¡¯t believe her ears. She had served Grandfather Huo, had taken care of Huo Xuenong for decades, and yet he was actually saying such heartless things to her. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who told you these rumors? They¡¯re all lies! I just want what¡¯s good for you!¡± Zhang Feng rose up to lunge forward and grab Grandfather Huo¡¯s sleeve from across the narrow table. ¡°Did you forget all the things you said to me?¡±

    Grandfather Huo pushed her away without saying a word. As he turned to leave, he saw the door to the visitation room open. Huo Shaoheng stood there, arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame. Holding a sh drive, he shook his head at Zhang Feng. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for my supervision, you would¡¯ve revealed everything today.¡±

 Chapter 357 - Mutual Destruction

    <h4>Chapter 357: Mutual Destruction</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Grandfather Huo froze for a moment, then understood right away. He quickly nced at the camera in the corner of the room then turned around to look at Zhang Feng before walking away.

    ¡°Elder Huo! Elder Huo! You can¡¯t leave me like this!¡± Zhang Feng was finally terrified and chased after him tearfully.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to close the door, shutting out Zhang Feng¡¯s crying.

    Grandfather Huo stood by the door and looked back his grandson to reply calmly, ¡°She¡¯s timid, she would never dare to tell anyone else.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s go then. This ends here. I won¡¯t get involved anymore and you shouldn¡¯t either, let the military sentence her.¡±

    Zhang Feng had leveraged Grandfather Huo¡¯s power because although he was already elderly, he still hadn¡¯t retired and was thus considered an active serviceman. At the time, she assumed she just had to stay by Grandfather Huo¡¯s side, but then realized she could no longer dy when the military gave official notice that he must formally retire. That was why she rushed to marry Grandfather Huo¨Cso she could stay with him forever. Never did she expect that her years of nning woulde to bite her back. She was going to suffer a more severe punishment from the military.

    Huo Shaoheng followed behind Grandfather Huo and asked quietly again, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to give her another warning? If she gets desperate enough, you will be in a very passive position.¡±

    Grandfather Huo replied coldly, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare, and I know her. She¡¯s timid even though she¡¯s greedy. She¡¯s still loyal to me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t say anything more because he had warned his grandfather with what he could. All he could do was not make things even more difficult for Zhang Feng¡¯s son and grandchildren. Huo Shaoheng apanied Grandfather Huo back to the manor, where Huo Jin was waiting to greet them. ¡°...Elder Cousin.¡± She tightened the mink shrug around her shoulders, ¡°There¡¯s something I want to talk to you about.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks to nce at her.

    ¡°Grandfather¡¯s health hasn¡¯t been great leately, and he¡¯s been stressed day and night over the Zhang¡¯s.¡± Huo Jin exined carefully and kept her eyes on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression, ¡°I was thinking that maybe I can take grandfather somewhere else to rest, and avoid the Zhang¡¯s too.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to leave, ¡°You¡¯d better ount for all your own assets, the summons for your civilwsuit is about to get delivered.¡±

    Huo Jin watched Huo Shaoheng stride out of the entrance but didn¡¯t dare chase after him. She paced around the living room in frustration.

    Huo Guanchen came back home for lunch and saw Huo Jin still standing at the entrance so he asked, ¡°Jin, what are you doing here?¡±

    Huo Jin¡¯s eyes turned red at the sight of Huo Gunchen and she sobbed, ¡°Second Uncle, Elder Cousin just told me that he¡¯s suing me.¡±

    ¡°Sue you? For what?¡± Huo Guanchen frowned, ¡°You didn¡¯t have anything to do with your mother¡¯s death, didn¡¯t the court already conclude the trial?¡± His expression darkened at the thought of Bai Jinyi. She had been sentenced to life without parole and Huo Guanchen was upset to see her end up like this because they had been together for many years and he truly loved her. But when he was reminded of how Song Jinning was tortured for 16 years because of Bai Jinyi, Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t find any pity for her and med himself for being so blind.

    Huo Jin¡¯s heart trembled at the sight of her uncle¡¯s expression and whispered, ¡°I want to bury my mother with my father, can Second Uncle help me?¡± Huo Guanyuan had perished in theboratory experiment all those years ago and was left without a corpse. He didn¡¯t have a true grave and only a small ash container with his clothes inside to serve as a cenotaph. Huo Jin¡¯s mother, Luo Xinxue¡¯s body had just been returned from the court and remained in the morgue in the basement of the hospital to await the family to make preparations for her burial.

    ¡°That should be right.¡± Huo Guanchen nodded, ¡°Contact the memorial home and arrange for a proper funeral so we can bury your parents together.¡±

    Huo Jin nodded, ¡°I was hoping for that.¡± As they spoke, they went into the dining room to prepare for lunch.

    Grandfather Huo was already inside and he sat down solenmly. He looked up out of habit and said, ¡°Little Zhang, get me a bowl of soup.¡±

    Huo Jin and Huo Guachen froze. They sat across from Grandfather Huo, while Zhang Feng had always been the one to sit next to the elderly man to serve him during the meal. Though she was a nurse, she acted more like a caretaker... Huo Jin reacted quickly and stood up to serve a bowl of soup to Grandfather Huo, ¡°Please enjoy, Grandfather.¡±

    Finally realizing what he said, Grandfather Huo felt miserable and mmed his chopsticks on the table, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat. You go ahead.¡± He left the dining room alone and went back to his room to rest. Looking at the empty room and the photo of Xie Ziyan on the firece, his eyes got teary. He walked over slowly to stroke the face in the photoframe and mutter, ¡°...Ziyan, I¡¯m sorry...¡± His tears fell onto the photo, while the woman in it smiled happily.

    ...

    The next day, Zhang Feng was tried by the military court to question her about her supplying of shoddy product, embezzlement, inability to exinrge sums of money and moneyundering overseas. She had no way of denying the charges.

    ¡°Zhang Feng, you only repaid half the debt. ordingly to thew, we can confiscate your remaining assets topensate the losses suffered by the military.¡± The person interrogating her ordered the bank to freeze all Zhang Feng¡¯s bank ount and forcibly auction off all the properties under her name.

    Zhang Feng stared at the results of the trial and couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Her teeth chattered and whole body trembled, starbursts shing in her eyes. She almost couldn¡¯t even see what the verdict said. After a long time, she stared at the words, ¡°confiscate all illegal proceeds¡± and screamed, ¡°...My assets aren¡¯t illegal proceeds! You can¡¯t confiscate it all! I want awyer! I want awyer!¡±

    ¡°Zhang Feng, you have not exined the origin of your money and logically speaking, this appears to be illegal proceeds from your armament business transactions. Therefore is it to be confiscated. If you disagree, you can provide evidence and we will investigate ordingly. If your proceeds had been obtained legally, then the military shall not confiscate it.¡± The judge of the military court exined sinctly and didn¡¯t allow Zhang Feng the possibility of weaseling her way out.

    Zhang Feng hesitated to reply, ¡°I still need to think about it some more, I¡¯ll exin after some consideration.¡±

    ¡°Ok, the court is temporarily adjourned and will resume session in three days. I hope you are able to clearly exin the origin of your assets by then.¡±

    Zhang Feng was sent back to the detention centre and after a full day and night of thinking, she finally asked to see Chief Huo Xuenong for thest time. Everyone knew she was Huo Xuenong¡¯s head nurse and that he came to visit her after she got arrested and even pleaded her case. So her request was quickly sent over to the Huo manor. ¡°Chief, Zhang Feng asked to see you and said she has something to tell you.¡±

    Huo Xuenong held gardening shears and was trimming Xie Ziyan¡¯s favourite nts in the garden. He didn¡¯t even bother turning back and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have time, just do what you have to do and respect thew.¡±

    Zhang Feng waited another two days to send a final message to Huo Xuenong before the trial resumed, ¡°...If you don¡¯te now, don¡¯t me me for being heartless.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had always been keeping tabs on Zhang Feng so he knew exactly what she was up to. He ordered someone to record Zhang Feng uttering the threat and sent it to Grandfather Huo for him to see for himself.

    Grandfather Huo looked at the hysterical Zhang Feng on the phone screen and responded coldly, ¡°Tell her that she can¡¯t me me for being heartless if she keeps acting out.¡±

    The personnel delivered Grandfather Huo¡¯s message to Zhang Feng before the trial. She finally lost all hope for him and knew her time had passed. Grandfather Huo had truly abandoned her and she was actually going to jail... No, going to jail for her crimes was the lesser punishment¨Cit was likely she was would receive capital punishment... Zhang Feng was terrified, she didn¡¯t want to die yet. She hadn¡¯t even enjoyed her wealth after painstakingly umting it... Since Grandfather Huo was leaving her to the suffer, then he can¡¯t me her for being heartless. When the trial resumed, she calmly told the military court, ¡°Myrge amount of assets was gifted by Huo Xuenong.¡±

    The court was silent. After a long moment, the judge asked, ¡°From General Huo Xuenong? Why did he give you all that money? Where did he get all that money to begin with?¡±

    ¡°Because I gave him a son, do a DNA test if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Zhang Feng threw down the gauntlet, ¡°He was worried I¡¯d expose the truth and impact his career, so he kept paying me off. He had a lot of money because he inherited it all from his wife, Xie Ziyan. You can summon him to court to confront me if you don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    Soon after Zhang Baochen was subject to a DNA test, the military court summoned Huo Xuenong. At the same time, the Supreme Military Council had also stripped Huo Xuenong of his rank of General and forced him to retire ording to applicablews. Grandfather Huo sighed when he stared at the subpoena and the neat uniform he had just taken off.

    Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen looked at him from the door. Huo Guanchen asked with concern, ¡°Father, are you really appearing in court?¡±

    Grandfather Huo snapped, ¡°Can I ignore a subpoena? I¡¯ve never been so humiliated!¡±

    But who can he me? Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and replied calmly, ¡°You can request awyer represent you in court. I suggest you do that.¡±

    Grandfather Huo snorted, ¡°A family¡¯s shame has to stay within the family, do you want even more people to know about this?¡± Because the case implicated Grandfather Huo, the military court did not publicize thetter part of the trial out of respect for Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng. Only the parties involved and theirwyers were present. Grandfather Huo didn¡¯t wish to be represented by someone else.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Huo Guanchen volunteered.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°I¡¯d better go and also check to see if the trial is confidential.¡± Grandfather Huo finally agreed to allow Huo Shaoheng apany him to court. Gu Nianzhi also wanted to go, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t ask her this time and went alone with his grandfather. When they arrived, Grandfather Huo did not deny his rtionship with Zhang Feng and also testified his mistake all those years ago. However he had no idea Zhang Feng gave birth to the child in secret.

    Huo Shaoheng had made much preparations ahead of time andid out each piece of evidence to prove that Grandfather Huo didn¡¯t intentionally conceal the bastard child from the military. Because he had already been stripped of his rank and forced to retire, the military court theoretically no longer could do anything to him. However he vehemently denied giving Zhang Feng the assets as she imed. Huo Shaoheng also submitted the details of Zhang Feng¡¯s bank ount, as well as evidence of Dacheng Industries Ltd. depositing money into it. It perfectly exined that the origin of her money was from severalrge armament deals. She had lied about Grandfather Huo paying her off to keep her quiet and thus proved his innocence. With all the evidence present, even Zhang Feng¡¯s glib tongue waspletely useless. The military court quickly ruled that Zhang Feng had participated and bidded in armament business transactions as military personnel to supply shoddy product, embezzle, obtainrge sums of illegal proceeds and attempt tounder money. She also refused to cooperate and had no remorse. Because the amount of funds was so great, the court not only confiscated all Zhang feng¡¯s assets but also sentenced her to life without parole. After listening to the verdict, Grandfather Huo stood up solemnly and left the courthouse without looking back. Zhang Feng was left to cry hysterically before passing out.

 Chapter 358 - Go See Her

    <h4>Chapter 358: Go See Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Grandfather Huo returned home and locked himself in the bedroom. Thankfully, with Huo Guanchen¡¯s presence, Grandfather Huo hadn¡¯t been forced to move out but he

    still couldn¡¯t bear to see his old friends again. Huo Jin had paid special attention to the care for Grandfather Huo in thest few days¡ªstaying with him the for hours at a time and sitting in silence with him while she read or did work on her phone. After all, Grandfather Huo was a senior who feared being alone the most. He could sense how much Huo Jin cared for him.

    Huo Jin urged, ¡°Grandfather, do you want to go see Grandmother this year?¡±

    Before Xie Ziyan had passed away, she had wanted to visit her own family. She¡¯d left a will stating she would be buried in Europe. The Xie¡¯s had been buried there for several generations; it was also where had Xie Ziyan grown up. She had met Huo Xyuenong while studying abroad in the Huaxia Empire. Due to Huo Xuenon¡¯s status in the military, and the fact that the Xie¡¯s hadn¡¯t approved of Xie Ziyan¡¯s marriage to him, she had rarely visited home. But, just before she passed away, she had suddenly requested to be buried with her family. Grandfather Huo had been unhappy about it at the time, but Xie Ziyan has remained persistent and had even called the family she¡¯d rarely had contact with. Afterwards, Xie Ziyan¡¯s youngest brother had flown in to the Huaxia Empire to bring her body to Europe for burial. Grandfather Huo had been upset by this for a long time afterwards, but had eventually understood why Xie Ziyan had made such a peculiar request prior to her death. He also remembered Zhang Feng saying that Xie Ziyan had never seen herself as a Huo, staying true to her blood even after their marriage. Facing what had happened all these yearster, Grandfather Huo felt that his heart was now being shred apart most viciously. He couldn¡¯t sit still when Huo Jin mentioned her Grandmother.

    Sending for Huo Guanchen, he said to the younger man, ¡°I want to go to Europe to see your mother; help me arrange the trip for going abroad.¡± He hadn¡¯t visited in thest few years; it was about time he made amends.

    Huo Guanchen also wanted his father to have some time away. Although this type of incident wasn¡¯t rare in their social circle, Grandfather Huo had been the only one to get into such a huge mess, even losing his rank. He couldn¡¯t bear losing face. Huo Guanchen agreed immediately and Grandfather Huo asked him to prepare a visa for Huo Jin as well so that she could apany him. Huo Guanchen thought it was a good idea, since his father was elderly and needed someone to care for him. They used to have Zhang Feng but now it was Huo Jin. Even though she wasn¡¯t his real granddaughter, he could trust her because he had raised her.

    By the time Huo Shaoheng got wind of the trip, Grandfather Huo and Huo Jin had already boarded their flight. Since Huo Jin was away, the civil litigation could only be dyed. Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t in a rush¡ªshe couldn¡¯t escape forever. The rightful punishment would be served no matter if she hid herself away in another corner of the world.

    ...

    It was already the eighth day of the lunar calendar, and the first day of university in the Imperial Capital. Gu Nianzhi had finished packing two days before¡ª her bedding, mattresses and daily necessities were all set to go. She wore the Herm¨¨s bucket bag Huo Shaoheng had gifted her for Lunar New Year and wheeled out the cherry blossom pink suitcase she had used during her days in C University as she walked out of the official residence. Fan Jian was waiting with a seven seater ck SUV. Several orderlies made multiple trips to move all Gu of Nianzhi¡¯s things into the car.

    Fan Jian turned around and chuckled then said, ¡°You sure have a lot of stuff; are you moving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m living in the dorm, so technically that counts as moving.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her palms as she scanned her eyes around.

    Fan Jian smiled and pat the steering wheel as he whispered, ¡°The Chief seems to have a few meetings today so he won¡¯t being.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flushed before she opened the rear passenger door and slid into the seat. She gave a small cough and tried ying it cool.¡±I know, I wasn¡¯t hoping that he¡¯de,¡± she said.

    As soon as she finished her sentence, the car door opened again and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall figure appeared. He cocked his head at Gu NianzhI. ¡°You weren¡¯t hoping who woulde?¡±

    Fan Jian watched the exchange with interest.

    ¡°Huo Shao! Didn¡¯t you have a meeting?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was blinking her eyes hard to make sure she was seeing clearly.

    ¡°Yes, but it had been dyed.¡± Huo Shaoheng stepper inside and stretched his legs. ¡°This car is too small; try to change to a bigger model next time.¡±

    The front passenger door opened and Yin Shixiong moved in to the seat. He said to Fan Jian, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Fan Jian stepped on the elerator and drove onto the street. Gu Nianzhi was attending B University, located west of the Fourth Ring Road. This was in the opposite direction of the Special Operations Forces headquarters. The car eased onto the highway ramp and merged with the traffic. After the holiday celebration, the roads of the Imperial Capital were busy once again.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned back against her seat and smiled happily. The car was very warm and she hid her giggles while she watched Huo Shaoheng, who wore a casual wool outfit that was apparently too warm, as he kept yanking at his cor to cool down. From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position, she could glimpse Huo Shaoheng¡¯s beautiful corbone. She had never realized that a man¡¯s corbone could be so alluring. Swallowing hard, she nced again and herpulsiveness got the best of her. Spurred by her irritation, she leaned over and reached out her arms and straighten his cor.

    He reflexively took her hands and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze, ¡°Helping you fix your cor...is that not ok?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gently let go of her hands. He arched his neck over to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Then, please straighten it.¡±

    Fan Jian and Yin Shixiong were stunned as they watched from the front of the car.

    Gu Nianzhi was ecstatic; she reached over to tten Huo Shaoheng¡¯s crooked shirt cor and flipped it out against his jacket. He looked so seductive in uniform that she just wanted tounch herself at him. Gu Nianzhi pat his shoulder with satisfaction and said, ¡°There, it¡¯s all set now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, however, felt even hotter than he had before and said to Fan Jian, ¡°Turn down the heat.¡±

    Fan Jian obeyed and adjusted the car¡¯s temperature. Gu Nianzhi shivered now because it was too cold. She had removed her long down jacket when she¡¯d gotten into the car; she wore a loose fit sweetheart neckline cashmere sweater, a knee-length A-line wool skirt, and over-the- knee boots. Although it was afortable outfit, she wasn¡¯t warm at all. She could see sweat beading on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead so she didn¡¯tin about the cold. Instead, she huddled closer to Huo Shaoheng because he was like a big furnace. She would be warmed by just sitting next to him.

    Huo Shaoheng checked the emails on his phone to try and solve some issues that had arisen from the dyed meeting. A small smile appeared on his lips when Gu Nianzhi moved closer to him. However, she sneezed quietly soon after, which caused him to worry.

 Chapter 359 - Unified Statement

    <h4>Chapter 359: Unified Statement</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sneeze, Huo Shaoheng instinctively touched her hand. Her tiny hand was soft and boneless, yet very chilly. ¡°Are you cold?¡± Huo Shaoheng reacted immediately and said to Fan Jian in the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Turn the heat to the maximum.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and said with concern, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine if I wear my down coat. But if the heat is turned up you¡¯ll get hot and it¡¯s cold and gusty outside. You¡¯ll catch a cold.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a new feeling in his heart. The Gu Nianzhi he had nurtured and raised now knew how to care for others, and that person happened to be himself. He had to say that the experience was a first for him, so he wasn¡¯t too ustomed. However he didn¡¯t reject it at all.

    Fan Jian in the front of the car also agreed with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s logic, so he didn¡¯t turn the heat up right away and only nced in the rearview mirror to ask, ¡°Chief, do you still want to turn the heat up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was first to respond, ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll put on a down coat.¡± She grabbed the jacket and draped it on her body. She didn¡¯t wear it earlier because she thought she could bear through it and also didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to know she was cold. Huo Shaoheng would know right away if she put it on, but since he already found out without her wearing it, she didn¡¯t have to worry anymore. Gu Nianzhi quickly draped the jacket on and warmed up right away.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her intently for awhile then put her hand in hisrger one to hold tightly. He reached his other arm out to pull her into his embrace and kept holding her hand with the other, ¡°Are you still cold?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think that Huo Shaoheng would hug her with Fan Jian and Yin Shixiong in the front of the car. She was nervous and wanted to squirm away, but couldn¡¯t bear to do it. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms were warm and toasty so she reveled in his heat.

    In the front of the car, neither Fan Jian nor Yin Shixiong spoke. Fan Jian didn¡¯t think anything was amiss since Gu Nianzhi grew up under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s care anyway, and they had also watched her since she was a child. There was nothing wrong with him warming her hands. On the other hand, Yin Shixiong was aware that Gu Nianzhi liked Huo Shaoheng so much she couldn¡¯t stop herself. Not only did she love him, but also worship him blindly so Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t doubt her feelings for Huo Shaoheng. But he had no confidence in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feelings towards Gu Nianzhi. He still recalled that Huo Shaoheng had already had intimate rtions with a women and he was also not the type to sleep with just anybody. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s abilities to fully conceal that woman up to even now, it must mean that he loved her deeply. Also, with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position he would never be able to marry Gu Nianzhi or even publicize their rtionship. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unknown past was like the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads¨Cit can fall down anytime and kill their hopes.

    Yin Shixiong pulled out his phone to text Zhao Liangze, Little Ze, how is the investigation on Gu Xiangwening along?

    Zhao Liangze, I¡¯m still working on it, what is it? You have news? Zhao Liangze replied instantly so must be working online.

    Yin Sixiong sighed quietly as he quickly typed on his phone to reply. No, I¡¯m sending Nianzhi to school so I¡¯m in the car right now. The Chief is here too.

    Zhao Liangze saw the text and understood what Yin Shixiong was implying right away. He scratched his head with frustration as he sat in front of theputer and muttered, ¡°The target list has been reduced to a few hundred people. But I don¡¯t think a single one of these people meet the requirements..¡± Do they seriously have to get all these hundreds of people in for DNA tests?! That was impossible. The more people were involved the more likely there would be a leak thatpromised the confidentiality. The Huaxia Empire divided the confidentiality of information into five levels of of top secret, confidential, secret, sensitive and public knowledge. Each level was further divided into five sub-levels indicated by stars. Five stars was the highest level and one was the lowest. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past was ssified as a secret of two stars, so it wasn¡¯t particrly confidential. But to normal people, this meant it wasn¡¯t information the general public could ess. As difficult as the task was, Zhao Liangze had no way of backing out. In order to help Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, he must think of a way to filter out relevant information from these hundreds of people and further reduce the number of people that needed to be tested. After considering it for a long time, he replied to Yin Shixiong.

    Zhao Liangze, I¡¯ll try to reduce the range as soon as possible and provide a list of people.

    Yin Shixiong saw the text and was a little relieved when he out away his phone.

    In the back seat, Gu Nianzhi had warmed up quite a bit and poked her head out from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace to watch the scenery and streams of traffic outside the car window. She suddenly remembered something and whispered to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, are you going to be working in the Imperial Capital from now on?¡± She previously went to university in C City, so Huo Shaoheng moved the majority of his work to there. In order to make it easy for Gu Nianzhi to interact with her ssmates, Huo Shaoheng bought an apartment for her that she could return to on the weekends. During the summer and winter break, she went back to the Special Operations Forces base.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be stationed here now unless there is a mission.¡± His rank was already very high but the nature of the Special Ops¡¯ work was unique. As the highestmander of the Special Ops, Huo Shaoheng had to personally attend certain asion and couldn¡¯t be in his office all the time. Of course, he had fewer opportunities to go missionspared to his subordinates because he was only required to be personally dispatched on top secret rted tasks.

    Gu Nianzhi broke into a smile and asked, ¡°Then what will I do on the weekends from now on? Directly go back to your official residence?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ok with anything, and of course I want to go to your ce.¡± Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and stammered, ¡°Then at school... At school.. What should I tell my ssmates and professors?¡± He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi already knew about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true identity so Gu Nianzhi probably wouldn¡¯t be able to continue pretending she was ¡°an ordinary orphan girl adopted by distant rtives.¡± She smiled slyly, ¡°How about you change my identity?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tightened the down coat around her and glossed it over, ¡°No need to change it. Your parents work far away and you are being fostered in our home. That¡¯s the truth too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°!!!¡±

    Fan Jian, ¡°...¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°???¡±

    The three other people in the car were speechless. After a long moment, Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°Then what kind of work does my parents do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You said my parents work far away, so what if my ssmates ask what they do? How do I answer? Or in other words, we need a unified statement so the lie doesn¡¯t get exposed?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head, her carmine and curvy lips moving as she spoke to reveal the neat and pearly teeth to truly demonstrate what a pretty mouth looked like.

    Yin Shixiong snickered from the front passenger seat and turned around, ¡°Nianzhi, are you going to write a script and make us memorize it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll write it if you want, who¡¯s afraid of who?¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Yin Shixiong, ¡°How about I write that my parents are... professionals, and as to what profession I¡¯ll do some research on campus toplete the character design.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored their silly bantering, his eyespelled by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teeth. He reached out to lift up her delicate chin and brushed his thumb across her lips as he replied calmly, ¡°From the looks of your teeth, you must¡¯ve had braces when you were younger. Your family must¡¯ve been at least middle-ssed if they could afford braces for you before you turned 12. How about we say your parents are doctors?¡±

    ¡°Doctors?¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good. Doctors are professionals too. So where do they work?¡± Gu Nianzhi propped her chin on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body, herrge doe eyes blinking and made her long and lushshes appear very touchable.

    ¡°You can say they work in Europe.¡± Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly. ¡°Don¡¯t need to go into too much detail.¡±

    ¡°What if someone asks me where in Europe?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to let her imagination wander.

    Huo Shaoheng lost interest and turned to look out the window. He didn¡¯t want to indulge in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s imaginative thoughts. Yin Shixiong snickered from the front, ¡°Nianzhi, why would you have such nosy ssmates, are you just talking about yourself?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re the one talking about yourself!¡± Gu Nianzhi was distracted by Yin Shixiong and no longer wanted to think about this question.

    Fan Jian stepped on the brakes and called out, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up to see the south entrance of B University before her eyes. ¡°Nianzhi has lots of stuff, we should drive inside.¡± Yin Shixiong looked back to ask Huo Shaoheng¡¯s opinion.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Go directly to her dorm building.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t signed in yet and don¡¯t even know my dorm number. How would we know where I¡¯m living?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yin Shixiong turned around to make a silly face at her, ¡°Mr. Huo asked me toplete your enrollment procedures yesterday and I also got your room key.¡± He dangled it in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped with gratefulness and shook Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, ¡°Huo Shao thought of everything.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, clearly I was the one who did all the work. Nianzhi, you can¡¯t be that obvious with how unfair you are?¡± Yin Shixiong purposely made a jealous expression and rolled his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder with a giggle and replied to Yin Shixiong, ¡°I¡¯m unfair like this, so what are you going to do about it?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! What are you going to do about it!¡± Yin Shixiong gestured a knife with his hand then took out a permit for the security at the south entrance of B University to verify. The security looked at it and allowed their car in.

    A few personal vehicles weren¡¯t allowed through the entrance so everyone was trying to find out whose vehicle dared toe in when the SUV drove in. The south entrance of B University was notorious for only recognizing certain tes and had no regard for whoever was inside. Te SUV didn¡¯t have a university license te. Everyone asked around and a knowledgeable person remarked in amazement, ¡°That looks like a military license te.¡±

    ¡°Oh¨C!¡± The crowd finally sighed in relief with the sudden realization.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what was happening from inside the car. She peered at the campus scenery with curiosity and didn¡¯t look away until the car stopped in front of a dorm building. There were several different types of dorms for post-grad students in B University. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s building was especially arranged by He Zhichu, it was on the sixth floor of the newly finished post-grad dorm. Her until faced south and had two bedrooms and one living room that housed two people. She also had her own bathroom. Gu Nianzhi got out of the car to watch Fan Jian and Yin Shixiong help her move her things inside.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯te out and said to her from inside the car, ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up on the weekends and you can stay there for a bit. Once the new apartment is furnished, you can live there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, but her stomach turned as she asked shyly, ¡°...Am I living alone in the new apartment?¡±

 Chapter 360 - Attracting Attention

    <h4>Chapter 360: Attracting Attention</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her for awhile and smiled faintly. ¡°Just like before.¡±

    ¡°Before? Like when I lived in Fengya Precinct?¡± Gu Nianzhi suppressed her excitement and tried to respond calmly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng was monosybic as always. ¡°Go on up now.¡± He nced at his watch. ¡°I still have a meeting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°You go to work then.¡±

    Yin Shixiong walked out of the building and passed the key to the dorm to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°All your things are in your room, but I haven¡¯t unpacked yet.¡±

    ¡°I can unpack it myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved the key at him. ¡°Thank you, Brother Xiong!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, be good in school and be the top of the ss again!¡± Yin Shixiong nodded with satisfaction and reached out to pat Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the top of the ss for sure!¡± Gu Nianzhi boasted. Studying was the one thing she was most confident in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be cocky now. What if you can¡¯t be the top?¡± Because Fan Jian was still upstairs, Yin Shixong leaned against the door and joked around with Gu Nianzhi. His tall and handsome figure and the finely formed face were drawing a lot of attention as he teased Gu Nianzhi.The female graduate dorm was teeming with girls who all looked at him.

    Gu Nianzhi shoved him away. ¡°Brother Xiong, you should leave now and stop attracting attention.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m attracting attention?¡± Yin Shixiong pointed at himself, confused. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°A few girls were checking you out just now; how can you ask that?¡± Gu Nianzhi adjusted her bucket bag and zipped up her down jacket. She was cold from standing outside, even though it hadn¡¯t been so long.

    Huo Shaoheng saw her shiver from and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Big Xiong, get in the car.¡± He raised his chin at Gu Nianzhi, indicating for her to leave. ¡°Go up now and stay out of the cold.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled warmly at him. ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡±

    Fan Jian finally came out of the dorm and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ve checked your entire dorm room: the lights, thermostat, and bathroom appliances are all in working order. The bed was a bit squeaky but that¡¯s normal for a wooden one. I¡¯ve already fixed it for you though.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very grateful. ¡°Brother Fan, thank you so much. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner next time.¡±

    ¡°Haha, why are you being so polite? You should go now; there¡¯s a lot of stuff for you to do, so you¡¯d better start unpacking.¡± Fan Jian waved goodbye at her and got inside the driver¡¯s side.

    Yin Shixiong opened the door to get in but turned back to remind her, ¡°I already sent your schedule today to your phone, so be sure to check it, ok? I attached the campus map too; this is a huge ce and the buildings are far apart. Don¡¯t get lost.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°I have a great memory; you¡¯re the one who tends to get lost.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knocked on the window and gave Yin Shixiong a look. He quickly got into the car and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Go now! We¡¯ll have to leave as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, bye everyone!¡± Gu Nianzhi stood at the entrance to the dorm and waved until the SUV disappeared from sight then reluctantly walked back inside. Her room was on the 6th floor; she had thought at first that it would be a bit too difficult to get to everyday, but there was actually an elevator inside. She happily pressed the button and got in. Just as the doors were about to shut, several girls shouted, ¡°Wait for us!¡± and rushed in. Gu Nianzhi held the doors open.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The girl in the very front looked mature. She wore avender belted camel coat and a matching hat: a sophisticated colorbination. She wore her long hair down and her exquisite eyes made her face very bing.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately took a liking to the girl¡¯s overall manner and smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re wee! It was nothing.¡±

    The second girl was very quiet and stood in the corner of the elevator with her head down. She only gave Gu Nianzhi a cursory nce when she pressed the button for her and said, ¡°6th floor, please.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Great, I¡¯m going to the 6th floor too.¡±

    The first girl replied, ¡°What a coincidence, I¡¯m going there too.¡± She surveyed Gu Nianzhi with a small smile. ¡°Are you here to visit a friend? Who is it? I know everyone who lives on the 6th floor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not here to visit.¡±

    ¡°Not here to visit?¡± The girl looked at Gu Nianzhi from head to toe again and this time noticed that she was exceptionally beautiful but dressed quite inly. She wore a white knee length down jacket and her cheeks were flushed from the cold outdoors. ¡°Then, are you here to sell something, or to preach?¡± The girl grew more serious.¡±We have a rule that states sales people aren¡¯t allowed in the dorms. Missionaries are also denied entry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her own outfit¡ªwould a salesperson or preacher wear a 2000 USD Canada Goose down jacket? Or a 20000 USD Hermes bucket bag? She could only shake her head.

    ¡°Neither?¡± The girl grew even more perplexed. ¡°Then what are you here for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t reply; the elevator had arrived to the 6th floor. She walked out and then said, ¡°I live here. I¡¯m not here to visit, sell things, or preach.¡±

    ¡°You live here? Which room? Why haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡± The girl regarded Gu Nianzhi dubiously. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty. There¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve forgotten meeting you.¡± The girl knew that with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s looks, she was not only the most beautiful person on the 6th floor, within the B University graduate students, or the entire B University¡ªshe might even be in the top three for all of the Huaxia Empire.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Thank you for yourpliment. I live in Room 608; let¡¯s have dinner when we have the chance.¡± Nodding at the girl, Gu Nianzhi walked down the hallway.

    ¡°Room 608? Hey, Little Miao, isn¡¯t that your room? That¡¯s lovely! Your roommate is finally here.¡± The silent girl, was called Miao Yunxiao and the chatty one was Ma Qiqi. They were friends. Ma Qiqi tapped Miao Yunxiao, ¡°She looks ok. You can be reassured now.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao finally whispered, ¡°Qiqi, did you see that car just now? It¡¯s a military te. My uncle¡¯s family uses that kind of te.¡±

    ¡°Your uncle¡¯s family? They¡¯re in the military?¡± Ma Qiqi asked with interest.

    ¡°Yes, my uncle is in the upper ranks. He¡¯s the deputy chief of staff in a certain brigade.¡± Miao Yunxiao spoke a bit more. ¡°I also know the codes for the units, but those are ssified and I can¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Does he have a high rank? I don¡¯t get it.¡± Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t seem interested at all suddenly and only shook her head as she walked up to her own room. Opening the door, she said to Miao Yunxiao, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going now. See you tomorrow!¡±

    Miao Yunxiao nodded before heading to Room 608. It was a new andforting thing, to see the door to her room ajar, after having been alone for so long.

 Chapter 361 - Iâ€™ll Come Up To See You

    <h4>Chapter 361: I¡¯ll Come Up To See You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Miao Yunxiao pushed the half open door to go inside. The other bedroom that had been locked for half a year was finally opened today and she could see several boxes inside. Miao Yunxiao thought about it, then walked over to knock on the door.

    Gu Nianxhi was organizing her room and poked her head out from the boxes when she heard the knocking. She greeted Miao Yunxiao with a smile, ¡°Hello...¡±

    The person standing at the door quietly watching her was no other than the quiet girl from the elevator. Gu Nianzhi cheerfully moved aside the boxes in front of her to offer her hand, ¡°What a coincidence, I¡¯m actually in your dorm. Today was my first day in school and I¡¯s already ran into my roommate in the elevator, it must be fate.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao smiled but didn¡¯t ept Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. She casually nced around the room and said slowly, ¡°I saw the door totally open when I came back and thought I got broken into.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± What a novel statement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did I scare you?¡± Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips but didn¡¯t stop smiling as she cocked her head, ¡°But I already went to the faculty toplete the paperwork yesterday and also got my key, didn¡¯t anyone tell you?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao was speechless¨Can instructor from the faculty did call her yesterday to tell her a roommate wasing and to be prepared. But the instructor also said that the ssmate didn¡¯te personally because her family helped her sign in instead. ¡°Yeah, they did.¡± Miao Yunxiao looked at Gu Nianzhi again, ¡°But I didn¡¯t know when you¡¯d arrive.¡±

    ¡°So it was a misunderstanding.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave her thumbs up, ¡°Ok, it¡¯s fine that we talked it through.¡± She went on to ask Miao Yunxiao, ¡°What¡¯s your name? Are you also a post-gradw student?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao replied dryly, ¡°Myst name is Miao, and first name is Yunxiao. I¡¯m a first year post-gradw student. What about you? Which university did you transfer from? Where did you do your undergrad?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi modded, ¡°Pleasure to meet you, ssmate Miao. My name is Gu Nianzhi, and I¡¯m also a first year post-gradw student so we¡¯ll be ssmates from now on. I didn¡¯t transfer from another school, but got in with spring admission.¡±

    ¡°Spring admission?¡± Miao Yunxiao frowned, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of our school having such a kind of admission?¡±

    ¡°Really? I think that¡¯s pretty normal.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°Schools abroad divide into three semesters, so there are spring, summer and winter admissions.¡±

    ¡°But this is not abroad, this is the Huaxia Empire.¡± Miao Yunxiao stated seriously, ¡°So you can¡¯t be lumping us into the same category.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip because she didn¡¯t want to discuss the different university entrance requirements between the Empire and other foreign countries on her first day of school. She turned back to her boxes and kept the smile on her face, ¡°That I don¡¯t know, maybe B University needs to learn from schools abroad.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao assumed Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t being honest and happened to dislike people like that. She stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and enunciated carefully, ¡°I think we should formallyy down clear rules for the dorm if we¡¯re going to be living together. That way we can get along for a long time and avoid problems.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and disregarded Miao Yunxiao. She opened the boxes and began moving things out of it, but when she took her bedding out and turned around, Miao Yunxiao was still standing right in the middle of her room with her eyes glimmering. ¡°ssmate Miao, today is my first day here and I need to put a lot of things away. Can we talk about the rules on ater day?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to fight on her first day of school so she suppressed her temper and asked kindly.

    Miao Yunxiao was fairly reasonable. She watched Gu Nianzhi for a while then nodded, ¡°Ok, you can clean for now. We can talk about the rulester.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her as she moved to door and put her hand on the doorknob, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t host you any longer, I¡¯ll make sure to invite ssmate Miao over for a proper visit after I finish cleaning up.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao saw that Gu Nianzhi was fairly polite and this improved her opinion. She smiled, ¡°Hurry up and clean then, if you are in the same ss as me we have a meeting tonight. Don¡¯t forget to go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally sighed in relief and nodded with a smile as she watched Miao Yunxiao leave. She closed the door right away and sighed deeply with her back against it as she thought about what a nuisance her new roommate was. Although Miao Yunxiao didn¡¯t seem to be an unkind person, her socializing style waspletely different from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Because of this, Gu Nianzhi decided to keep her at an arm¡¯s length to avoid trouble. Looking at the cardboard boxes around the room, she couldn¡¯t help sighing softly and continuing to battle against all her belongings. After spending a whole afternoon, she finally moved everything out of the boxes. The bedding wasid out on the bed, clothes were in the closet, and reference books and literature was on the bookshelves. Lastly, she set her cups, bowls and cutlery in the cupboard by the wall, then ced slippers by the bed and quickly changed into them. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her feet and thumped her head. Earlier Mia Yunxiao had really confused her and she had actually cleaned up wearing high-heeled boots. Now her feet were too painful to stand on and her big toes lost all sensation. Gu Nianzhi sat on the bed for a while before limping to the bathroom to fill a basin of hot water and salt to soak her feet.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng was driven off from B University to the Supreme Military Council for a meeting that he was unable to refuse and must attend. But when he arrived there, he realized that it was only a regr meeting for the military elite after Lunar New Year. He used to work from the C City base and often embarked on missions, so he had never participated in high level military meetings. This time the Special Operations Forces was officially established and as the actingmander, he must attend such meetings in the future as well. If he cannot attend, he must get approval from General Ji. Sitting down in the conference room, Huo Shaoheng realized that his father, Huo Guanchen was also attending. Huo Shaoheng quietly sat in seat with his name que and nodded to the other people in room as a greeting. Huo Guanchen was directly across from him and both father and son were not chatty people, so they merely nced at each other.

    Soon afterwards, General Ji finally came and sat at the head of the long table. He smiled brightly and sped his hands together at everyone, ¡°Hello everyone, Happy New Year.¡± Today was the first regr meeting after Lunar New Year, so everyone was in a rxed mood. The conference table was alsoden with all sorts of cakes and candies as well as tea and coffee, much like a tea party. General Ji took a bite out of small sweet pea cake and said to everyone, ¡°Please enjoy these desserts and don¡¯t be polite. Today is still considered the holiday and we should eat and drink merrily.¡±

    The conference room was abuzz with excitement. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t like sweets so he only ordered a ck coffee to sip from. But he remembered that Gu Nianzhi enjoyed the Imperial Capital¡¯s famed desserts, such as fried rice cakes, sweet pea cakes and sticky cakes. He thought how he would go to the bakery in the building to buy some specialty desserts and send them over to Gu Nianzhi after the meeting.

    General Ji ate the desserts as he hosted the meeting. ¡°This time we will first focus on the main annual mission, which is also the most important one. The interrupted experiment from 16 years ago will restart this year.¡± The conference room grew quiet and everyone couldn¡¯t help ncing at Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen.

    General Jia also looked at Huo Shaoheng and dered solenly, ¡°Shaoheng, this experiment will be led by Director Song of the Institute of High Energy Physics and you will assist on behalf of the military. AS the Chief of the Special Ops and Director Song¡¯s son, you know better than anyone the importance and confidentiality of this mission.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly and his expression was serious, ¡°We are nning for this matter and the experiment will not restart until the security measures are fully in ce.¡±

    General Ji nodded and looked at the people in the conference room, ¡°Everyone in here are core figures in military, but this experiment is of such importance that not even everyone in here has the security clearance to know the details of it. So we must remember to keep this confidential. If we discover any leaks, the culprit will be subject to the most severe punishment by militaryw!¡± As he spoke, he looked at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, is there anything else you¡¯d like to say?¡±

    ¡°General Ji summed it up very well, but I have something else to add. The privacy policy of our Special Operations Forces has already been activated so anyone aware of the restarting of the experiment is already under our strict surveince.¡±

    ¡°What? No way? But we don¡¯t even know anything about it?¡± A man sitting at the end of the long conference table interjected. He was the Minister of the General Armament Department of the military, surname Ji. He asked with a slightly angry expression, ¡°The Special Operations Forces can¡¯t do this? How you can start monitoring us without even giving notice! Your authority is over the top?¡±

    ¡°This action was approved by the Standing Committee of the Supreme Military Council and the National Affairs Group of the Senate. So if Minister Ji has any differing opinions, pleasein to the Standing Committee of the Supreme Military Council and the National Affairs Group of the Senate.¡± Huo Shaoheng exined slowly and sped his hands together as he kept his elbows on the desk. His piercing stare made Minister Ji slightly ufortable.

    But since Huo Shaoheng had already exined things to that extent, Minister Ji was unable to say much more. He muttered, ¡°Then can¡¯t you at least let us know beforehand? What is the meaning of a surprise attack like this?¡±

    ¡°Minister Ji, the Special Operations Forces have special concessions granted by the military and Senate, it would be illegal if he notified you beforehand.¡± General Ji chastised Minister Ji slightly, and thetter immediately shut up without another word.

    After the meeting, no one really spoke to Huo Shaoheng and he also didn¡¯t want to talk to them. He left first and saw it was still not yet noon, so he first went to the bakery to buy two boxes of specially provisioned cakes.

    Yin Shixiong was at his side and chuckled, ¡°Are these for Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Go back to the base first and tell Little Ze to focus on monitoring the General Armament Department. I¡¯m concerned there¡¯s already a leak.¡±

    Yin Shixiong instantly became grim, ¡°I¡¯ll go right now.¡± He and Fan Jian left the Supreme Military Council first so they sent another car for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng has many orderlies and any one of them could drive. He got in the car and said, ¡°Go to the furniture store in Scion za.¡±

    Half an hourter, they arrived at Scion za and Huo Shaoheng directly went to a famous furniture store to buy a twin sized mattress and had it sent to B University. His car followed the delivery truck until it arrived to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building.

    Gu Nianzhi just finished soaking her feet and was slumped tiredly on the bed for some rest. Her phone rang with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone and she immediately perked up as she lunged over to grab it from her bag, ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mood brightened at the sound of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice. He leaned against the car door and smoked a cigarette as he spoke into the phone, ¡°Nianzhi, I ordered a mattress to be delivered to you, make sure to open the door.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned, ¡°Mattress? What mattress?¡± She held the phone and peered down from the window. Because her window was directly above the entrance to the building, she could see a big Cherokee parked and a tall man leaning against the car as he smoked and called on his phone. She recognized the silhouette right away. ¡°Huo Shao? You came back to our school?!¡± Gu Nianzhi tried to contain the excitement in her voice as to not sound too ecstatic.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and grunted. He threw the cigarette butt into the garbage, ¡°Don¡¯te down, I¡¯lle up to see you.¡±

 Chapter 362 - The Bed You Sleep In

    <h4>Chapter 362: The Bed You Sleep In</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Can you even get into the girl¡¯s dorm?¡± Gu Nianzhi clutched the phone and whispered coyly. She felt hot and fanned herself as she leaned against the wall. Her heart was thudding. Quickly scanning the room, she sighed quietly. Thankfully, she hadn¡¯t beenzy today and had tidied up the room without pause¡ªHuo Shao wouldn¡¯t be disappointed if he somehow dide to visit today. But epilepsy he be able to get in?

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that during her undergraduate days at C University, the dorm advisor had always been stationed at the entrance to prevent any men from getting in. She worried that there would be a simr set-up here, and so walked around the room a few times before ending the call and turning around to to open the door. She was about to look for Miao Yunxiao when she found her reading in the living room. ¡°ssmate Miao, do you know if our dorm has a dorm advisor?¡±

    ¡°Dorm advisor? We¡¯re not undergraduates, so why would there be one?¡± Miao Xiaoyun didn¡¯t even bother looking up as she answered. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m reading right now. I don¡¯t like people disturbing me when I¡¯m studying.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fell silent. She suddenly felt a longing for her undergrad dorm room where she, Little Temptress, Green Tea Fang, and Lady Cao had gotten along so well.

    Miao Yunxiao read for a bit more but could see Gu Nianzhi still standing in a daze in the middle of the living room. She mmed down her book and raised her chin arrogantly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Is there anything else you want?¡± She snapped at her.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the girl, upset by her behavior. What is with her bossy attitude?! Does she feel superior just because she¡¯s lived here alone? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to bother with her anymore. Some people could act even more rudely no matter how polite the treatment.

    ¡°Go back to your room if there¡¯s nothing else,; don¡¯t just stand in the middle of the room like that.¡± Miao Yunxiao frowned. She thought Gu Nianzhi was being unreasonable.

    It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first day of school and Huo Shao was about to arrive right away, so she didn¡¯t want him to see her bickering with her roommate. However, this Miao Yunxiao was too rude; Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t about to let her get away with it. The rtionship between two people isrgely determined by their first meeting. If she started off by acquiescing to Miao Yunxiao¡¯s demand, Gu Nianzhi though, she would either always be giving into the other person or fighting so the point they could never be friends. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened as she walked to the door.

    Miao Yunxiao had a headache and rubbed her temples. She stood up and said sternly, ¡°ssmate Gu, I don¡¯t want to fight on your first day, but you¡¯re really crossing the line.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed her anger, her voice thin as she said, ¡°I just want to go out, or is that not allowed either?¡±

    ¡°ssmate Gu, you have to know that the living room is a shared space between us. We both have to agree on how to use this space. It¡¯s studying time right now but you insist on walking in circles and disturbing my studies.¡± Miao Yunxiao had lived in therge room alone for six months so she was unustomed to the habits of a roommate who had arrived so suddenly.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to Miao Yunxiao¡¯s room. ¡°ssmate Miao, I think you¡¯re confused. The living room is a public space which means we can both use it, but it¡¯s not necessary to obtain permission from anyone. What requires permission is the ess to our own bedrooms. See, yours is just over there. If you don¡¯t want your studies to be disturbed, that¡¯s fine¡ªgo back to your room. Don¡¯t force your personal preferences on others in a public space.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao was stunned. She had never met such a sharp tongued ssmate. She said, softening her tone, ¡°ssmate Gu, I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m discussing with you, not arguing. Arguing won¡¯t solve anything and will only deteriorate our rtionship.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°We barely know each other; there is no rtionship to deteriorate. I still have business and am not disturbing you. I will go to the faculty to request for a different room if you continue to restrict my freedom.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao sighed. ¡°You¡¯d better get going then. This is what you¡¯re asking for and has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kept quiet and grabbed her phone. Just as she was about to open the door, the doorbell rang. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood improved right away and she opened the door with a smile but came face to face with a huge mattress.

    ¡°Are you Miss Gu Nianzhi?¡± The young delivery man smiled from behind the mattress.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°How May I help you?¡±

    ¡°Someone bought a mattress for you and we¡¯re delivering it. Please sign here.¡± The delivery man took out an electronic pad and handed it to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled as she quickly took the digital pen to sign the pad. She watched the delivery men move the mattress to her room. She had just made her bed, but now, to rece the old mattress she would have to take all the things off her bed again. Gu Nianzhi waved her hand at the deliverymen. ¡°Thank you; you can go now.¡±

    The deliverymen smiled and thanked Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Thank you for your purchase! You can call us directly if there¡¯s anything wrong with this mattress in the future.¡± He handed a business card and a 10% discount card to Gu Nianzhi.

    She read the terms on the card and asked with surprise, ¡°This discount is only avable for purchases over 10000 RMB?¡±

    ¡°This mattress qualifies!¡± One of the delivery men pat the mattress. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you with it now. Goodbye!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly got her wallet and took out 100 RMB to ce in their hands. ¡°Thanks for your hard work; please go get something to eat.¡±

    The delivery men were delighted but refused. ¡°No, no! Ourpany doesn¡¯t allow tipping! We appreciate your kindness, but if you insist on thanking us, may we have some water?¡±

    ¡°Just wait.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out a few bottles of water from the mini fridge, ¡°These are cold. Is that ok?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± The delivery men took the water from her and left cheerfully.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled absently while looking at the mattress and then tried to call Huo Shaoheng when she remembered that he was supposed to being over soon. She turned around and saw Miao Yunxiao standing at the door, disapproval in her eyes. Gu Nianzhi asked her, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Miao Yunxiao look at her suspiciously. ¡°Why did you buy a bed all of a sudden?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also wanted to know why, but had no intention of discussing it with Miao Yunxiao. Gu Nianzhi replied calmly, ¡°Why should I tell you? Please get out of my way. I¡¯m going out.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s eyes widened when she was brushed aside by Gu Nianzhi and watched her head towards the door. ¡°ssmate Gu, you¡¯re being too petty. There¡¯s always an order to things¡ªwho would be able to live with an unreasonable person like you?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped mid-step and thought about how she¡¯d assumed earlier that this ssmate Miao was a very quiet person. It had turned out that it was just an illusion: this girl was a total hairsplitter. Gu Nianzhi was about to shoot back a reply when her phone rang again. She answered immediately. ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice sounded from her phone. ¡°Open the door.¡±

    Breaking into a smile, Gu Nianzhi rushes to the door to open it and saw Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re here!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him and beamed. She¡¯d felt that she shouldn¡¯t be so obviously happy and instead act more graceful, but she couldn¡¯t seem to control her expressions. Full of joy, she was so happy to see him it wiped away all the previous annoyances.

    Huo Shaoheng also rxed when he saw Gu Nianzhi. Reaching out to pat her head, he asked her, ¡°Did you have lunch yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Today¡¯s been so tiring and I¡¯m so worn out that I¡¯ve ost my appetite.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened the door wider to let Huo Shaoheng in. ¡°The mattress just arrived, by the way. Thank you, Huo Shao.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and looked around the suite. His eyesnded on Miao Yunxiao who was still standing in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door.

    Gu Nianzhi followed his gaze and her expression turned sour. ¡°ssmate Miao, may I ask if you need anything else? You¡¯re blocking my door.¡± Miao Yunxiao hastily moved aside and looked at Huo Shaoheng with a flushed face before darting back inside her own room. Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief and dragged Huo Shaoheng by the arm to her room. ¡°Huo Shao, this way.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng followed her inside the room and looked around. He saw the mattress propped up against the wall and asked, ¡°Why isn¡¯t this on the bed?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t cleaned up yet. It¡¯s also too heavy. I¡¯ll need to ask a few ssmates to help move it onto the bed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her before he bent over to wrap everything on her bed up in theforter and ce it on the two seater sofa by the wall, then moved the mattress. It had needed to be lifted by several deliverymen earlier, but Huo Shaoheng easily picked it up and ced on her bed. Huo Shaoheng carefully inspected the four corners of the mattress and pressed down firmly to ensure it was secure and finally said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Come try it and see how the firmness feels? This is the brand you¡¯re used to.¡±

    Earlier in the day, Fan Jian had said Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed in her dorm was squeaky, so Huo Shaoheng thought it would be better to get her a new bed in case she couldn¡¯t sleep properly.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. ¡°Thank you Huo Shao for the exnation. I just know how to sleep on beds.¡± She joked. ¡°I had no idea all those mattresses were the same brand.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t hold back a smile and reached out to pull her into a hug.

 Chapter 363 - What is C, D, E

    <h4>Chapter 363: What is C, D, E</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng cradled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face and gently caressed his thumb from her soft cheek to her lips. She had been busy all morning and didn¡¯t get a chance to rest much before Huo Shaoheng showed up. Her cheeks were still flushed from moving around but her lips remained a pale pink. ¡°No matter how many supplements you take, your lips are still pale.¡± Huo Shaoheng studied her carefully, ¡°How about we have Chen Lie give you a proper check up when you have time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pried away Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and shook her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm, ¡°No that¡¯s ok, I¡¯m not sick. Everyone has a different lip color, so some have dark ones and others light. Honestly speaking, I like to be naturally lighter.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Huo Shaoheng was confused.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s easier to wear lipstick.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled, ¡°Lipsticks show up like the tube on pale lips. For darker lips, the lipstick¡¯s original color might not show as easily.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Really.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded with a giggle as she nudged her cheek against Huo Shaoheng¡¯srge hand to feel the subtle calluses on his palm and forefinger, which were developed from using guns for many years.

    ¡°...Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thumb slid across her lips, ¡°Did you really put on lipstick?¡±

    ¡°Yeh.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction of the bathroom where she ced all her makeup and skincare products by the sink, ¡°Today I¡¯m using YSL Addict in It Pink. It starts off reddish and fades with time to be a nicer, subtle pink which is naturally moist.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng absentmindedly watched her inviting lips move as she spoke. He sudden leaned down and kissed them. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thundered so quickly and at a higher frequency that a tingling sensation coursed through her body and sucked all her energypletely. She knew this was a different kind of intimacy from before, it wasn¡¯t merely hugs and kisses. Her hand gradually shifted up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck so that her palm touched the hair on the back of his head. It was a medium length and a little course to that it poked her soft fingertips. She spread her fingers apart to dig into his scalp and gently massage it.

    Huo Shaoheng felt his heart move and despite his excellent self-control, he realized the previous training was totally child¡¯s ypared to this. It wasn¡¯t because of the level of seduction because he already was able to control a lot of his instinctive impulses. Rather, the only difference for him was that he was never tempted previously. If he wasn¡¯t interested in the woman, it didn¡¯t matter if she waspletely naked and dancing in the most suggestive manner¨Che would remain unperturbed. But with the woman he loved before him, merely touching her hair when she was fully dressed was enough for him to lose self control.

    His strength was too great that his arms were hard as rocks and hands like mps¨CGu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were locked from moving. She cried out softly and tried to pull her hands out, but Huo Shaoheng was too strong so she couldn¡¯t get away. She stopped struggling altogether and held his hand back. Like a curious child, she began studying his palm. ¡°Your hands are so nice...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked down at their intertwined fingers, his were long and lean with subtle calluses on the fingertips. Although this hands appeared harmless, one grip was enough to split mountains and seas.

    ¡°What¡¯s so nice about my hands?¡± Huo Shaoeheng lifted his hand to ce beside his lips to kiss the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, ¡°You should look at your own hands.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers were also slim and so straight there were not visible joints. They were fleshy, almost soft and boneless when held. Although they looked weak, Huo Shaoheng knew that she appeared soft yet was tough on the inside. Anyone who crossed her who have their weakness trampled on. Huo Shaoheng kissed the back of her hand again, her scent surprisingly nice and hard for him to let go.

    Gu Nianzhi started pushing away his head, ¡°Let go... Let go...¡± She almost sounded like she was crying. The sensation was indescribable but not ufortable, yet she didn¡¯t really like it. It felt strange because a heat began spreading in her body along with his kisses¨Cit quickened her pulse, stimted her heart and even her scalp started to tingle. An unspeakable desire arose in her chest, like something had been buried for many years to await the perfect opportunity to erupt.

    In one moment, Huo Shaohengpletely lost his ability to perceive the outside world because only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s existence was real to him. His mind instantly became alert when he regained his senses. If this happened during a mission, he¡¯d be dead already. He couldn¡¯t fail to control his emotions because this was not the time he can lose himself. As a soldier, he must always be vignt. Huo Shaoheng licked his lips and tried to restrain himself. He watched Gu Nianzi start to fix her clothes but the closures on the back wouldn¡¯t close. Her bra straps were about to cut into her back and Huo Shaoheng frowned, ¡°How long has it been since you shopped for bras?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was nk as sheid panting on the bed, unable to hear what he was saying clearly. It was only when hisrge hand snaked around her back to help her hook her bra close that she slowlyposed herself. Huo Shaoheng tried to help for a while but still failed to close it, so he asked, ¡°...Your bra is too small, why don¡¯t you get a bigger size?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± She just changed into a new bra this morning, how can it not close? She fumbled for her back and tried to bring the two ends of the bra together and close it, but just as Huo Shaoheng said it wouldn¡¯t close. There was a gap between the two ends and she was stunned¨Chow can she go up a size in half a day? Gu Nianzhi wanted to cry when she let go and whined to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...It¡¯s all your fault! It was fine this morning... Now it doesn¡¯t fit...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down before calmly shifting his gaze, ¡°You¡¯re maturing anyway, so you shouldn¡¯t buy bras that are too small.¡±

    ¡°Too small? It¡¯s already a C!¡± Gu Nianzhi cried, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a D!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and pulled her up to stand. He teased deliberately, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s C? I think it looks more like E.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± She red at Huo Shaoheng before finally reacting and asking with surprise, ¡°Huo Shao, you know what is C, D, E?!¡±

    ¡°Am I dumb?¡± Huo Shaoheng stroked her hair, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you underwear shopping first, then we¡¯ll have lunch.¡±

 Chapter 364 - Smell Like A Baby

    <h4>Chapter 364: Smell Like A Baby</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡± I¡¯m not able to wear it,¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself as she tried to close her bra. After struggling with it for a few more minutes, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and finally gave up. Looking up, she saw Huo Shaoheng sitting on the two-seater sofa by the wall. He had one arm draped on the sofa and he looked on with interest while wrestled with her bra. Gu Nianzhi tried to appear nonchnt and turned around to take a sports bra from her closet before walking to the bathroom to change. Her legs had actually turned to jelly and she mmed the door shut as soon as she entered the bathroom. Leaning her back against it, she panted heavily and rubbed her head as she walked to the sink. She looked at her reflection in therge mirror and saw the color of plum blossoms bloom on her cheeks. Eyes so watery they seemed to shimmer, her lips were also red and swollen from kissing. Her heart thudded and she hurriedly bent down to turn on the tap and ssh cold water on her face. Afterwards, she applied some skin creams and a lightyer of foundation to conceal the rosy flush from within her skin. When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw that the bed was already made. Because the mattress had been reced earlier, Huo Shaoheng had taken everything off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed but she hadn¡¯t had a chance to remake the bed before the pair had started rolling around on it. Gu Nianzhi stifled augh and looked at the bed Huo Shaoheng made for her¡ªthe sheets were neatly tucked but the key point was theforter folded into a standard tofu block shape. ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re amazing. Not many people can fold a ¡®tofu block¡¯ like you can.¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up her bucket bag. ¡°Don¡¯t you have business today?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up to straighten his clothes and answered stoically, ¡°The meeting was in the morning so it¡¯s done now. I don¡¯t have anything else to take care of today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took his arm and grinned up at him. ¡°Then, we should go for food! I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Earlier you¡¯d said you had starved too much. I thought you didn¡¯t want to eat anymore.¡± Huo Shaoheng pinched her cheek. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you somece nice then we¡¯ll get you new underwear.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she followed Huo Shaoheng out of the room. As soon as they walked out, the door to the other room also opened and Miao Yun Xiao stood there looking at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng with suspicion. Her gaze shifted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist draped on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm¡ªthe watch she wore looked somewhat familiar. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile faded as she nodded politely to Miao Yunxiao before nudging Huo Shaoheng out the door.

    Huo Shaoheng also looked at Miao Yunxiao but remained quiet as he took Gu Nianzhi out. Miao Yunxiao stared at their backs for a while and then slowly went back to her room.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi to Scion za for lunch and the lingerie shopping. Lunch was at Jiuloufengyue Restaurant, where they gone to on the day after Christmas. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s childhood friend, Xue Jingjiang owned this ce. Huo Shaoheng called him as they were on the way.

    Xue Jingjiang was at home hosting some important guests from Barbados, but immediately told his guests to make themselves at home and said he¡¯d be back soon when he received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call. Driving quickly to the restaurant, he asked the head chef, ¡°Do we still have ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup¡¯? Like the one we prepared for Lunar New Year? I know that you keep some until the fifteenth of the first month of the lunar calendar, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes we do. We typically prepare 15 servings of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup daily from the Lunar New Year until the fifteenth and are finished when they are sold out.¡± The restaurant manager was eager to please Xue Jingjiang. ¡°However, we always reserve two or three servings a day in case of sudden situations.¡±

    ¡°Yes, great work. Remember to send the best one to that private room today. I¡¯ll be personally checking inter; the guest is my good friend, so you have to serve him attentively.¡± Xue Jingjiang also reminded the staff to prepare the private room in advance.

    By the time Huo Shaoheng arrived, the table wasden with dishes of food and in the middle of it all was a small antique ypot with ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup¡¯ simmering inside. ¡°Huo Shao is here, and Little Sister Nianzhi as well, right? You¡¯ve gotten prettier since Ist saw you only a few days ago!¡± Xue Jingjiang greeted them warmly and pulled out chairs for Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°Thank you Bother Xue; you¡¯re too polite.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just here for lunch! We¡¯re embarrassed by all this fanfare.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a half smile and sat beside Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You¡¯re the ones being too polite here.¡± Xue Jingjiang picked up a bottle of red wine and served a bit to Huo Shaoheng before asking Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Little Sister Nianzhi still wants milk right?¡± He remembered that Huo Shaoheng had ordered warm milk for herst time.

    Gu Nianzhi did indeed want some warm milk. She had gone without food for too long that day and needed something to drink first. ¡°Yes, some warmed milk would be nice.¡± She smiled gratefully at Xue Jingjiang.

    Xue Jingjiang ordered a waiter to send warm milk to her and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I had guests at home today, but even the king would have to wait since Huo Shao said he¡¯sing over for lunch. I left them at home so I could host you first.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being too kind; are we friends or not?¡± Huo Shaoheng pat Xue Jingjiang and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine, you can go home first. We won¡¯t be eating too long because we have some shopping to do after lunch.¡±

    ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll be going now. There¡¯s been some progress with that thing I talked to you aboutst time. Let¡¯s discuss it again when you¡¯re free.¡± Xue Jingjiang replied with great enthusiasm.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Xue Jingjiang was doing business with the Gu Group from Barbados and had run into some trouble. He was relieved to hear that it had been resolved. ¡°Ok, you can call Little Ze when you have time and he¡¯ll arrange a meeting.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good!¡± Xue Jingjiang gave him an unauthentic military salute andughed. As soon as he left, the private room grew quiet.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled softly. ¡°What a noisy person; he¡¯s loud enough to make up for a crowd.¡±

    ¡°Xuezi has always been like that. He likes liveliness.¡± Huo Shaohengdled some Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup for her. The warm milk arrived soon after and Gu Nianzhi downed half the ss in one breath. She drank hastily, leaving white foam above her top lip.

    Huo Shaoheng was serving rice to her and turned around to see her like this. His chest tightened at her cute face and he set down the bowl and hugged her. Lowering his face to kiss her, he licked the milk foam clean off her lips. ¡°You smell so clean, like a baby...¡± Huo Shaoheng murmured before kissing her on the cheek again.

    Gu Nianzhi flushed. ¡°You¡¯re saying I smell like a baby? Fine, I won¡¯t let you kiss me anymore.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t let me kiss you? What should I do then?¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a contemtive look and smoothed her hair.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly grew nervous. If Huo Shaoheng said she wouldn¡¯t allow him to kiss her, would he go find someone else to kiss? She didn¡¯t want to restrain herself or allow him to kiss others either.

    However, Huo Shaoheng inched closer anyway and gave her his cheek, ¡°I don¡¯t mind that you smell like a baby. I¡¯ll still let you kiss me.¡±

 Chapter 365 - The Correct Way To Block Her Mouth

    <h4>Chapter 365: The Correct Way To Block Her Mouth</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s incredibly handsome side profile appeared so close before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes that she couldn¡¯t help inching up to kiss it. She giggled in his ear, ¡°That¡¯s right. If I ignore you, then you cane to me instead.¡±

    ¡°You wish.¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled and smoothed her hair, ¡°I don¡¯t the spare time to coddle you. So it¡¯s best that you can figure it out yourself.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know.¡±¡± Gu Nianzhi served Huo Shaoheng some food with a giggle, ¡°I was just saying that. If you really ignored me then I¡¯d cry for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I already know all about it.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly took a bite, ¡°In the beginning you followed me no matter where I went. When I had you go back to your room at bedtime, you would get up quietly and lean against my door to sleep the whole night.¡± At the time Gu Nianzhi was still a terrified little girl, and not only was she anxious, but she also only trusted Huo Shaoheng. She saw him as her only life line. Truthfully speaking, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t an especially patient person with children, but he made Gu Nianzhi an exception.

    ¡°I was young back then and too naive. Huo Shao was so understanding.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied as she poured Huo Shaoheng a ss of red wine, ¡°Here, Huo Shao. I toast you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng epted the ss and took a sip as he nced at her casually. His handsome eyes were incredibly seductively so Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart almost stopped.

    ¡°Hurry up and eat, stop staring. We still have to shop after lunch.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed to her bowl, ¡°It¡¯s going to get cold soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and picked up her chopsticks to start eating. The pair didn¡¯t speak much during the meal so the private room was very quiet, as though no one was there. Huo Shaoheng personally taught Gu Nianzhi her eating manners, so they even held chopsticks the same way. They asionally served food withmunal chopsticks or poured soup for each other, painting a portrait of peacefulness. After the meal, the waiter took away the dishes and served a fruit basket. Seeing a bunch ofrge and purple grapes inside, Gu Nianzhi plucked one to pop into her mouth and squinted happily, ¡°So sweet, it¡¯s too sweet.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng watched her eat fruit with his head propped and a cup of tea set in front of him. Gu Nianzhi ate two grapes when she thought of Huo Shaoheng and plucked a big one for him, ¡°You want one?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crinkled his eyes into a smile and shook his head, ¡°That one¡¯s no good, I don¡¯t like it. Find another one.¡±

    ¡°No good?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the grape¨Cits skin was not broken, it was round, big, and cleanly washed. What was not good about it? She popped it into her mouth and tasted the same sweetness as before, it was too sugary but she still liked it. After eating that one, she began rummaging through the basket to find another one for Huo Shaoheng, but no matter how hard she looked Huo Shaoheng rejected every one. ¡°What do you even want?¡± Gu Nianzhi grew frustrated, ¡°I kept giving you the biggest and most purple ones, those taste the best.¡±

    ¡°Who said?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned over and looked through the basket for a while before selecting the tiniest grape. It wasn¡¯t as dark coloured, so it must be not ripe enough and a light pink. Rubbing the small grape between his fingers and examining it for a long time, he replied dryly, ¡°This one looks about right, but it¡¯ still not nice enough and the color is not good enough.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ws confused, ¡°What¡¯s so great about that one? It¡¯s small and pink, so it can¡¯t be ripe yet. It can¡¯t be sweet.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really not that good.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke as he put it into his mouth and looked at Gu Nianzhi without swallowing it. He mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve had even better ones.¡± His gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voluptuous chest then swallowed slowly.

    Finally understanding what Huo Shaoheng was implying, Gu Nianzhi flushed red. She didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of it, so she pretended to continue eating fruits nonchntly, but didn¡¯t touch the grapes again.

    Huo Shaoheng smirked at her and draped his arm over the back of her chair. He asked her deliberately, ¡°Are the grapes not good? You ate a lot just now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s too sweet and cloying.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied dryly, yet her cheeks burned. She had a habit of chattering non-stop whenever she got nervous and she didn¡¯t even know what she was saying anymore. This was something she did since first being cared for for Huo Shaoheng from six years ago until now.

    Huo Shaoheng was getting a headache from listening so he leaned back on the chair to stretch his legs, ¡°You¡¯re awfully chatty today.¡±

    ¡°Because I want you to shut me up. ¨CUsing this.¡± Gu Nianzhi extended her forefinger to tap on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. So he wanted to seduce her? Who¡¯s afraid of who... Gu Nianzhi thought smugly because she assumed Huo Shaoheng was under her control. Everytime she teased him, he would return the favor¨Cit always made her body week andpletely helpless.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his brow, ¡°You wish...¡± He looked at the fruit basket and found arge, long and thick banana. Peeling the skin slowly, he offered it to her lips, ¡°I¡¯ll shut you up with this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quite liked bananas so she cheerfully took a bite. Huo Shaoheng looked down at the bitten banana and seemed to think of something. He instantly took it away to throw into the garbage can, then got up, ¡°Are you done eating? Let¡¯s go now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sadly looked at the barely eaten banana in the garbage with a shake of her head, ¡°What a waste, what a terrible waste. Huo Shao, why did you throw the banana away?¡±

    ¡°You think it was a waste?¡± Huo Shaoheng saw this little girl didn¡¯t even know what she was getting into and even wanted to start discussing banana eating with him. Bending down, he whispered in her ear, ¡°You like eating bananas?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I love them.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly, ¡°Just look at that banana¨Cit¡¯s big, yellow, thick and long. It¡¯s very sweet too, but you threw it away. What a waste of good food.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaohengughed but saw that she had no clue what he meant and didn¡¯t want to corrupt her just yet. He dropped the subject and pushed the door open to leave.

    The waiter quickly bowed to him, ¡°Have a good day, sir.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave him a bill as tip and thanked him politely. Gu Nianzhi followed behind and also thanked the waiter at the door for his hard work.

    They left Jiuloufengyue in Scion za then headed to the brand name stores on the eighth floor. Gu Nianzhi was ustomed to wearing imported, discernable brands of lingerie. The size no longer fit so she needed one bigger. Standing in front of the racks, Gu Nianzhi frowned in concentration and finally picked two styles. She took two sizes for each one and wanted to go try in the fitting room.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped her, ¡°Buy it all, don¡¯t try them here.¡±

    ¡°But these are two different sizes and only one might fit.¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated in front of the disys, ¡°Why can¡¯t I buy after trying them on?¡±

    ¡°I said don¡¯t try them on here.¡± Huo Shaoheng was a little unhappy, ¡°Are you disobeying?¡±

    ¡°...Fine. You¡¯re handsome so I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered and took eight bras to pay.

    Huo Shaoheng passed her a card, ¡°Use this.¡±

    ¡°How can I use your card to buy lingerie?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt somewhat guilty saying that because Huo Shaoheng was still the one who paid off her card anyway... What¡¯s the point of refusing to ept it?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly, ¡°It¡¯s a man¡¯s honor to buy lingerie for his girlfriend.¡± THe words were so sweet that not only did Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears melt, but her heart did too. She no longer objected and took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s card in a daze to pay. It was already 3pm after they finished shopping. Just when they go in the car, Huo Shaoheng received a call from the base. He listened grimly for a while and nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, you can continue for now.¡±

    Gu Nianzi knew Huo Shaoheng had business again and said thoughtfully, ¡°How about I hail a cab since you¡¯re busy? You can leave first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her into the car, ¡°We still have time to drive you back, let¡¯s go first.¡± They didn¡¯t speak to each other in the car and one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderlies who was driving didn¡¯t even dare to breathe too loud. Normally Fan Jian was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exclusive driver, but he didn¡¯te today since Huo Shaoheng made the sudden decision to see Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shaoheng finally spoke when they got out of the car at the arrival to her dorm building, ¡°I ordered a car for you and I also emailed you the model and style. See what color you like.¡±

    Another surprise. Gu Nianzhi grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and looked up with a smile, ¡°Is this a gift for the new semester? I¡¯m so happy today!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°The car is custom made and once you choose the color it¡¯ll ship from abroad in two days.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re too good to me. I have no way of repaying you other than using myself.Would you ept it?¡± Gu Nianzhi squeezed his hand and cocked her head with a smile.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to speak when the room to the dorm behind Gu Nianzhi opened loudly. Her roommate, Miao Yunxiao saw them standing at the entrance and hesitated before asking, ¡°Are you guysing in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. He patted her shoulder, ¡°Go inside now, I¡¯ll call you tonight.¡±

 Chapter 366 - Pleasure to Meet You

    <h4>Chapter 366: Pleasure to Meet You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yep, you don¡¯t have to call me if you¡¯re busy. I think we have a ss meeting tonight anyway.¡± Gu Nianzhi remembered Miao Yunxiao telling her during the day that they were in the same ss and there would be a meeting in the evening.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded his head slowly. ¡°Is this going to be an overnight meeting? Call me before going to bed so I¡¯m not worrying about you.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed, reluctant to see him go. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you outside.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped her. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave after I go downstairs.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I¡¯ll see you off anyway.¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to let go of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you downstairs. This is my home now and you¡¯re my guest; of course I have to see you off.¡± Seeing how persistent that Gu Nianzhi was, Huo Shaoheng stopped refusing and walked to the elevator with her.

    Miao Yunxiao shook her head wordlessly and mmed the door shut. Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng took the elevator down to the first floor.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Call Big Xiong of you¡¯re ufortable in any way; he¡¯s always been in charge of contacting anyone on the outside. He can solve any problems right away and if he can¡¯t handle it he¡¯ll let me know.¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be trouble.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very confident in her postgrad career. ¡°I never had to bother Brother Xiong about anything during my undergrad, so I don¡¯t see why it would be different for the postgrad.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything more and merely nodded at Gu Nianzhi before hurrying down the steps and getting into the car. The driver quickly drove away in a rush.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car disappear, worried about any possible problems he might have at work. Taking out her phone, she meant to call Zhao Liangze to ask him about it, but thought about how Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work involved state secrets and was highly ssified. It wouldn¡¯t do for her to go poking around. After considering for a long time, she finally put her phone away and went back to the dormitory, worry heavy on her mind. When she arrived to her dorm, she pushed the door but it refused to open. Gu Nianzhi took out the key but the door still wouldn¡¯t budge: she soon realized that it had been dead bolted. Gu Nianzi had just seen Miao Yunxiao open her door and walk out earlier, so she couldn¡¯t make this deliberation any more more obvious. Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and knocked on the door so hard the whole hallway could hear her. Several students popped their heads out to see what was going on.

    Miao Yunxiao also heard it from inside the room and was so angry her whole body shook. She wrenched the door open and whispered furiously at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What are you trying to do?! Must you embarrass yourself even more?!¡±

    ¡°I can say the same back to you,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied coldly. ¡°You knew I was out and purposely bolted the door. What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°You just brought a man here; I had to protect myself.¡± Miao Yunxiao couldn¡¯t find a rebuttal nor raise her voice. She looked particrly guilty.

    ¡°What do you mean I brought ¡°a man¡± home? I clearly walked him out!¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her jaw. This girl was getting on her nerves. ¡°ssmate Miao, what do you think about all day? If you shake your head, do you hear the sound of the ocean?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao didn¡¯t have a sharp tongue and was confused by Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean? Why would I hear the ocean if I shook my head? We don¡¯t live by the ocean?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°That is my point: stop bringing up ridiculous things that have nothing to do with each other.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao didn¡¯t like being made the fool. ¡°I had told you the first time I saw you: a person like you won¡¯t get along with other students. You can go to the faculty and request to move to a different dorm if you don¡¯t want to live with me.¡± She turned around, a smug look shing across her face as she mumbled quietly, ¡°The dorm building 4 seems to have a spot, maybe that¡¯s a good option.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze. She now knew why Miao Yunxiao had been giving her dirty looks since they¡¯d met¡ªturns out she was forcing her to move out. Gu Nianzhi followed Miao Yunxiao back to the dorm and asked casually, ¡°What happened to your old roommate?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have one before¡ª!¡± Miao Yunxiao blurted out and shut her mouth with annoyance before changing the topic. ¡°Who I lived with before is not your business.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°You can go the faculty and request for a different dorm if you don¡¯t like living with me. I never said I wanted to leave.¡± She went inside her room and mmed the door shut.

    Miao Yunxiao had enjoyed living in the two bedroom and one living room unit for six months, so no wonder she didn¡¯t want a roommate. Gu Nianzhi decided to ignore any of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s further provocations and went to her bathroom to wash her face and apply a face mask. She sat in before her desk and turned on herputer to start preparing for ss the next day. Yin Shixiong had sent the ss schedule to her. She read through it carefully and figured out she was in ss 1 of the Faculty of Law postgrad students. Her instructor was He Zhichu and she was the only masters student being mentored by him. All professional sses would be taught by him one-on-one at his office. Three public academic credits were required in the Master of Law degree at B University, but He Zhichu had used her six month internship at the US Congress as an equivalent for the three public credits. In other words, Gu Nianzhi only needed toplete 40 credits of professional courses to obtain her degree. Each course was three credits so she needed 10 sses to earn 30 credits. If He Zhichu could reasonably arrange her schedule, she couldplete all ten courses within a year and graduate early. She looked at theputer and made the ns happily. She decided to email He Zhichu directly to inquire about graduating earlier.

    Soon after the email was sent, Gu Nianzhi received a call from He Zhichu. ¡°Nianzhi? Are you on campus now?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice sounded in the phone, t as always.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit nervous but calmed down when she heard He Zhichu¡¯s indifferent tone. ¡°Yeah, I came in this morning and just unpacked in the dorm room.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it and decided to thank He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, thank you for arranging this dorm room for me. It¡¯s very spacious and I really like it.¡± Although the roommate wasn¡¯t great, but that wasn¡¯t He Zhichu¡¯s fault. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t take this out on him.

    He Zhichu smiled faintly. ¡°This is the only grad student dorm building with two-person suites, so it¡¯s ighly sought after. All other buildings are four-person suites so I thought you¡¯d like something a little more private.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi actually wouldn¡¯t have minded a four-person dorm at all since that¡¯s what she had upied during her undergraduate years at C University. She had gotten along so well with her three roommates and still kept in touch with them; But, in the grad student dorm, with Miao Yunxiao as her only inkling as to what others could be like, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t inclined to try a four-person dorm. It could only be said that she had been too lucky during her undergrad to meet great friends like Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao. Gu Nianzhi thought about her previous ssmates and said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, thank you for helping me. I did want to live in a two-person dorm.¡± She half joked, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even mind living alone.¡± She was no longer scared of living alone; she wouldn¡¯t have dared to six months ago.

    He Zhichuughed. ¡°Tomorrow is the first day of ss; do you know where the ssroom is?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi went straight to business. ¡°I just saw the ss schedule, and I had sent Professor He an email to ask if it¡¯s possible for me to graduate early?¡±

    ¡°This is just your first day of school. It¡¯s too early to be thinking of graduating early. We can talk about thister.¡± He Zhichu became curt and ended the call.

    Gu Nianzhi tried speaking into the phone several times before confirming that He Zhichu had already hung up. While she was debating whether or not to call him back, she heard a knock on the main door of the suite.

    Miao Yunxiao went to open the door and saw that it was their ss rep, Yan Kehua. ¡°Yunxiao, is the new ssmate living with you here?¡± Yan Kehua asked with a smile and peered inside the room.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Miao Yunxiao answered rigidly as she turned to point. ¡°She lives in that room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was just opening the door to see Miao Yunxiao and a petite girl standing in the living room. The ss reps eyes were kind and yful. ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi? I¡¯ve heard lots about you! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± She enthusiastically shook hands with Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 367 - Appearing Different

    <h4>Chapter 367: Appearing Different</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had a face mask on and appeared like a paper figure, but these were all girls who knew what she was doing so nobody freaked out. She shook Yan Kehua¡¯s hand with a smile then pointed to her face, ¡°Please wait, I¡¯ll go take it off.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi went back to her room to wash the mask off, Yan Kehua whispered to Miao Yunxiao in the living room, ¡°Do you know about your new ssmate¡¯s background? I heard that she¡¯s the only masters student epted by the professor from America, He Zhichu. She¡¯s not even from our school, but another university.¡± Miao Yunxiao and Yan Kehua bothpleted their undergraduate studies at B University then go admitted as post-grad students. Such students typically looked down on external transfers, but someone recruited personally by He Zhichu was another story.

    Miao Yunxiao widened her eyes and asked nervously, ¡°Really? She¡¯s Professor He¡¯s masters student?!¡± She heard that Professor He Zhichu from the Harvard Law School was going to be teaching at the B University of Law, but only recruited doctorate students. All the masters students who were about to graduate fought tooth and nail to be admitted as his doctoral students. Then he suddenly recruited for a single masters studentst year and it was the undergrads¡¯ turn to pit against each other. In the end, He Zhichu only admitted one student amidst all the applications, who wasn¡¯t even a undergraduate student from Bu University, ¨CGu Nianzhi, the undergraduate student from C University¡¯s Faculty of Law. B University¡¯s Faculty of Law ranked first within the Huaxia Empire while C University was second ce at best, so there were many angry students. Miao Yunxiao and Yan Kehua both applied as He Zhichu¡¯s masters student at the time but didn¡¯t get admitted, so they ended up masters students mentored by professors from the school.

    Yan Kehua nodded seriously and whispered, ¡°How can there be a mistake? I heard it from a professor in the faculty. Gu Nianzhi won¡¯t even be taking the same sses as us because Professor He will arrange everything.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t even be in the same sses as us? Who does she think she is?¡± Miao Yunxiao¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°Why is she making special arrangements? B University is not some run of the mill school, even the elites from the Imperial Capital would never dare act arrogantly to our dean? How can she flout school regtions?¡±

    Yan Kehua was stunned and gave Miao Yunxiao a strange look, ¡°What are you talking about? How is she flouting school regtions? We¡¯re post-grad students! Not undergraduates, so our instructors can take full charge of our studies and the faculty has nothing to do with it. Everyone¡¯s like that, why did you think we all fought so hard to be He Zhichu¡¯s post-grad student?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao pouted in anger for a while before replying, ¡°Then what about the ss meeting tonight? Is she not going?¡±

    Yan Kehua giggled, ¡°I came here to talk about that. One of Professor He¡¯s students, Brother Huang asked me to pass the message that Gu Nianzhi would be attending their ss¡¯ meeting tonight. She¡¯s not going with us.¡± Miao Yunxiao wed at the sofa so hard she nearly tore holes in the fabric.

    When Gu Nianzhi returned after washing her face, she still didn¡¯t know that her admittance by He Zhichu was already the topic of gossip in the living room. Yan Kehua was about to continue when she heard the door open and looked up to see that Gu Nianzhi already came out. She bit her tongue and stood up sheepishly, ¡°ssmate Gu, I¡¯m Yan Kehua. I¡¯m the ss rep for ss 1 of the post-gradw students.

    ss cement depended on time of enrollment, so Gu Nianzhi should also be part of ss 1. She nodded at Yan Kehua, ¡°Hello, ssmate Yan. What can I help you with?

    Yan Kehua replied immediately, ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to tell you. Do you know Brother Huang, one of Professor He¡¯s students?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze for a second then remembered the Brother Huang she interned at the US Congress withst year. ¡°Oh? Brother Huang? But isn¡¯t he a doctoral student?¡± Gu Naiznhi was confused, ¡°But I¡¯m only a masters student...¡± Wouldn¡¯t the others think she was dumb if she showed up to the doctoral students¡¯ ss meeting as a masters student?

    ¡°The thing is, because you are the only masters student admitted by Professor He, he is the one in charge of all your studies. That includes your course schedule, monthly graduate grants, social application, and theses and reports.¡± Yan Kehua exined enthusiastically, ¡°You¡¯ll go there tonight and brother Huang should be able to tell you more.¡±

    In addition to school registration, there were other things required for B University students, like applying for grants cards were the funds were to be directly deposited, as well as student IDs, library cards and other identification. Yin Shixiong had only helped Gu Nianzhi withpleting her school registration so she still had to apply for cards herself. But the application required documentation from the faculty and now that Yan Kehua mentioned He Zhichu funding all the grants, she must talk to Brother Huang about applying. Gu Nianzhiughed, ¡°Thank you ssmate Yan, you told me just in time. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t even know how to pay for food tomorrow.¡± The school cafeteria only epted school issued cards, so anyone without one couldn¡¯t dine there. Instead, they would have to go to restaurants on campus that were exorbitantly more expensive. The same food at the cafeteria would only cost 20% of the full price of the same thing at the restaurants. Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯tck money, she didn¡¯t want to stand out from other students. She also should be eating in the cafeteria in the first ce, so why pay the restaurants more money for nothing? It was all the same food and even the owner was the same person.

    ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t get your card yet?¡± Yan Kehua was besides herself in envy, ¡°I heard that Professor He gives the best grants. The faculty only gives us 500 RMB monthly and any extra amount depends on the instructor since helping them with work earns us extra subsidies. Professor He gives the highest grants.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Miao Yunxiaao listened intently, ¡°Who did you hear this from?¡±

    ¡°Brother Huang and his friends.¡± Yan Kehua sounded very knowledgeable, ¡°I go the Graduate Students Association meetings with Brother Huang so they always talk about it. Every time we go for food as an Association and have no funding, Professor He¡¯s doctoral students end up paying the bill. They are so well off. I heard that Professor He pays up to 10 000 when you help with cases.¡±

    ¡°That much?!¡± Even Gu Nianzhi was shocked, ¡°And that¡¯s not by working, but only as part-time?¡± She was a bit excited to try it out. Even though Huo Shaoheng was very kind and generous to her, Gu Nianzhi still wanted to use her own abilities to work and earn money for her peace of mind. Also she was only dating Huo Shaoheng and they weren¡¯t a family yet, it wouldn¡¯t¡¯ do for him to spend too much on her. Gu Nianzhi was passionate about finding a good job so she can can climb the ranks and earn more. Her goal was to be partner in five years, then marry Huo Shaoheng and arrive at the highest point of her life! Then nobody would say that she wasn¡¯t worthy of Huo Shaoheng... In the deepest recesses of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, she still worried about others not approving her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng. So she didn¡¯t want to drag him back¨Che was her pride and she wanted to be his pride too.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not really considered part-time?¡± Yan Kehua looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s glittering eyes and grew very interested as she asked, ¡°Hmm? You want to work part-time? Do you need money or something?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile, ¡°Yeah, I really need money so I want to start working early. Right, ssmate Yan. Do you know anything about graduating early? Does our school have rules on that?¡±

    ¡°I think so, you can just check on our faculty¡¯s website. I saw it before.¡± Yan Kehua replied casually then nced at Gu Nianzhi to study her appearance. She wore an unbranded cashmere sweater in an unassuming style, but the quality and cut was obviously good, so it certainly wasn¡¯t from the bargain bin. Her pants were well-fitted charcoal grey wool trousers that elongated her legs. Also her skin and hair didn¡¯t look as if she was particrly strapped for cash...

    Miao Yunxiao asked suddenly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, can I see your watch?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her, ¡°You want to know the time?¡± She raised her wrist to look, ¡°It¡¯s almost 4:30pm.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao studied her again and replied, ¡°What brand is your watch? The style looks very familiar.¡±

    ¡°...It should be Bvlgari, I think.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng has custom ordered a women¡¯s watch from Bvlgari for her, a couple¡¯s style that matched with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. It was the only one of its kind in the world.

    ¡°I think my uncle has a watch like that oo, but... it looks a little different from yours.¡± Miao Yunxiao remarked snidely, ¡°So I wanted to a take a look, but it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to show me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi removed her hand with a smile, ¡°I can show my things to whoever I please. What is the meaning of ssmate Miao¡¯s tone here?¡±

 Chapter 368 - Either Take It or Get Out

    <h4>Chapter 368: Either Take It or Get Out</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Miao Yunxiao snickered before looking at their ss rep, Yan Kehua, ¡°Kehua, see that? The student specially recruited by Professor He is in a ss of her own, she doesn¡¯t care about people like us!¡±

    Yan Kehua nced at Gu Nianzhi, then Miao Yunxiao. Although she didn¡¯t agree, she still smiled. ¡°ssmate Gu is just joking with you. Yunxiao is a such a friendly person, you shouldn¡¯t take your little ssmates too seriously.¡± She winked at Gu Nianzhi knowingly.

    ¡°What do you by little ssmates?¡± Miao Yunxiao mimicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone and blinked.

    Yan Kehua pat her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Gu Nianzhi is only 18! But, she¡¯s already a masters student! Everyone in the faculty already saw her information earlier!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly. She didn¡¯t understand how her personal information could¡¯ve been released to ¡°everyone.¡± It was supposed to be private; only the instructors managing student files should have ess to it. Gu Nianzhi draped an arm on the sofa¡¯s armrest and asked with interest, ¡°Oh? You saw my information at the faculty room? Who else saw it?¡±

    ¡°We had a student meeting at the small faculty conference room today. Our ss tutor, Gui Suyao, saw your file when she was checking personal information in the archives room. She wouldn¡¯t stop gushing about you.¡± Yan Kehua pped her hands with a smile and said enviously, ¡°Brother Huang was also there today and said he knew you from before. You went to intern at the US Congress with him for six monthsst year, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, so it was the tutor who saw it.¡± This then was fine because ss tutors should be able to check the student files.

    ¡°Yeah, Miss Gui saw it and was so shocked. We didn¡¯t believe her when she tried to tell us, so she took out your file for everyone to see.¡± Yan Kehua giggled and made an ¡°OK¡± gesture. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve delivered the message. Yunxiao, our ss meeting is going to be in Room 324 in Building 4. Nianzhi, you have to go the meeting at Professor He¡¯s office¡ª all his doctoral students will be there.¡±

    ¡°Where is Professor He¡¯s office?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked carefully. She knew where He Zhichu¡¯s professor¡¯s building was on campus, but had no idea where his office was. Yan Kehua gave an address and Gu Nianzhi raised her brow. It was the address of He Zhichu¡¯s residence.

    ¡°Professor He doesn¡¯t have an official office?¡± Gu Nianzhi was doubtful. ¡°He doesn¡¯t teach in the faculty building?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a professor and also awyer with tenure at a top ranking foreign school. How can he teach with all the other normal professors?¡± Miao Yunxiao said, irritated. ¡°Did you forget who he is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Our Yunxiao knows everything! You¡¯re the smartest.¡± Yan Kehua draped her arm over Miao Yunxia¡¯s shoulder and kept ttering her. Gu Nianzhi watched them quietly.

    Miao Yunxiao epted herpliments without hesitation; she didn¡¯t seem ufortable. She said to Yan Kehua, ¡°Professor He teaches at his residence?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard Brother Huang say so. She said Professor He¡¯s suite is massive; it¡¯s just the four students anyway, so it¡¯s more than enough space to teach in.¡± Yan Kehua nodded with a smile and said to gu Nianzhi, ¡°You¡¯re lucky, Nianzhi. The rest of us aren¡¯t.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao nced at Gu Nianzhi and then dragged Yan Kehua towards her room. ¡°We can talk in here. ssmate Gu isn¡¯t in our ss anyway; she probably doesn¡¯t want to listen about things that don¡¯t concern her. Isn¡¯t that right, ssmate Gu?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave her a serious look, her eyes dark. She seemed to be assessing her.

    Miao Yunxiao had always been good at reading people and knew what to do in order to rile up people¡¯s different emotions. But with Gu Nianzhi, she wasn¡¯t sure at all. To Miao Yunxiao, Gu Nianzhi seemed very angry but somehow didn¡¯t react as strongly as she¡¯d expected. Miao Yunxiao had alreadybelled Gu Nianzhi as a cunning, supercilious person. Now that she knew Gu Nianzhi was only 18 but somehow had such a resilient attitude, she must be more cunning than average. Miao Yunxiao didn¡¯t like girls who were so young but already knew how to conceal their emotions. Her character was questionable and had a bad attitude. Miao Yunxiao pouted as she pulled Yan Kehua into her room. As soon as the door closed, Yan Kehua huddled to Miao Yunxiao¡¯s ear and whispered excitedly, ¡°Also, I saw from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s file that both her parents are dead. She¡¯s an orphan!¡±

    Miao Yunxioa¡¯s heart dropped and she couldn¡¯t help pping her hands together. ¡°That sounds right, I was just thinking why she made me feel so weird and how she kept arguing with me. I kept giving in but it looks like I knew too much.¡± She gestured a cutting motion over her own neck.

    ¡°What do you mean you know too much?¡± Yan Kehua was shocked. ¡°What do you know?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not that simple,¡± Miao Yunxiao whispered, ¡°You said both her parents are dead and she¡¯s an orphan, but she somehow ended up bing a grad student! She¡¯s also vain and cares about how she dresses. I went into her room earlier and saw that all her skin care and makeup products are high end brands! Even my cousin can¡¯t afford some of those! How can an orphan girl like her afford these things?¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Yan Kehua exhaled sharply. ¡°Your cousin, whose father is the deputy chief of staff of the military? But she¡¯s the daughter of a high-ranking military official!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Miao Yunxiao affirmed, ¡°But my cousin is a great person. She¡¯s not snotty like the other children of high-ranking officials. She loves being aroundmon people like us. She didn¡¯t even use my uncle¡¯s connections after she graduated to find a better job, but is a entry-level police officer.¡±

    ¡°Your uncle¡¯s family sounds impressive!¡± Yan Kehua sighed in admiration. ¡°Especially your cousinz You should invite her over when she¡¯s not busy!¡±

    ¡°My cousin came over to B University once and I spent half the day walking around with her. She invited me home for dinner after and you wouldn¡¯t believe how heavily guarded the ce was.¡± Miao Yunxiao began describing the time she went to her uncle¡¯s home for dinner.

    Although she had told the story many times already and Yan Kehua also knew it very well, the two girls didn¡¯t tire of it. There was always new information everytime she told the story.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Gu Nianzhi shook her head wordlessly when the two girls shut the door in her face. She returned to her room and was cleaning up in the bathroom when she saw that several bottles of skin care had been moved. Due to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s influence, she always ced her things in a certain order and remembered exactly where things were. Several things on the sink had been taken out of order. Gu Nianzhi had been in a hurry when she¡¯d came in earlier to take off her mask and wash her face, so she hadn¡¯t notice these changes. Now that she was putting things away, she noticed something was different. She stared at the counter with a stony face, then finally went to knock on Miao Yunxiao¡¯s door. ¡°ssmate Miao, are you in there?¡±

    Miao Yunxiaoa and Yan Kehua were sharing their opinions on Gu Nianzhi; they ouldn¡¯t act like they weren¡¯t inside when she knocked. They had no choice but to open the door. Miao Yunxiao looked at Gu Nianzhi sternly. ¡°ssmate Gu, what do you want? Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s very rude to knock like this? We were talking in my room and you scared us by knocking out of nowhere.¡±

    ¡°If knocking on a door is rude, then is going to my bathroom and touching my things considered polite?¡± Gu Nianzhi had carried with her all the skincare and makeup from her bathroom. ¡°You touched all these things, so I won¡¯t use them again.¡± She opened her arms and all the bottles and containers fell into the trash can by Miao Yunxiao¡¯s room.

    Yan Kehua looked at the items and gasped. ¡°La Mer? You¡¯re just going to throw that away?!¡± Yan Kehua knelt at the trash can and read all the high-end brand names on thebels.

    Miao Yunxiao flushed but managed to sneer, ¡°What do you mean? I just took a look, what the h*ll are you acting out for?¡±

    ¡°Who knows if you only looked at them, or added things in my makeup and skincare?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to say. ¡± You¡¯ve been quite nasty to me since I¡¯ve arrived here, and I don¡¯t think your intentions were the best when you snuck into my bathroom. I can¡¯t trust you, and so I don¡¯t want to risk disfigurement.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Miao Yunxiao was so angry, that she actually turned pale. ¡°Why would I add anything to your stuff? What kind of person do you take me for?!¡±

    ¡°Who knows what kind of person you are? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve given me even the smallestfort to find out, and now I don¡¯t care at all. I don¡¯t want to find out, ¡± Gu Nianzhi replied coldly, ¡°However, you snuck into my room and moved my stuff around, so you¡¯re a thief. Strictly speaking, I can even call the police.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± I didn¡¯t steal your things; you can¡¯t use me like this!¡± Miao Yunxiao was a little scared¡ªshe had gone to take a look and picked up the bottles when she saw the brands that her cousin used. She had thought that they were fake but they were all real.

    ¡°I do want to know something, though. I remember locking my room before I left, so how did you get in?¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms; she had no intention of letting Miao Yunxiao off. This girl was full of evil tricks and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel a need to let her off easy.

    Huo Shaoheng had taught her that when she faced difficult people, she had to either bear it or get out. Miao Yunxiao was already acting like this on her first day of school and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to spend the next two and a half years in hell.

    Yan Kehua was also shocked. ¡°You locked the door? That can¡¯t be! How could Yunxiao have gotten in if you¡¯d locked it? Yunxiao has a wealthy family, why would she do that? But you on the other hand...¡± Yan Kehua defended Miao Yunxiao and looked at Gu Nianzhi up and down, ¡°You have a simple background and both your parents are dead; everyone knows this. How do you have money to buy these world famous high-end brands?¡±

 Chapter 369 - You Have Two Choices

    <h4>Chapter 369: You Have Two Choices</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and blocked the door with an icy look. She spoke to Yan Kehua first, ¡°ssmate Yan, please take back what you said. Otherwise I¡¯ll be suing you too.¡± She shifted her gaze from Yan Kehua to Miao Yunxiao, then in the other direction. Gu Nianzhi then said to Miao Yunxiao, ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me, how did you get in my room?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s eyes glimmered, too afraid to look at Gu Nianzhi. She lived in this unit alone for the past six months so it was normal for her to have keys to both bedrooms. Gu Nianzhi just moved in today so Miao Yunxiao didn¡¯t have time to return the extra key to the faculty yet.

    ¡°You¡¯re too afraid to admit it? Do you have keys to my room?¡±Gu Nianzhi could already guess what happened and pointed to the two girls, ¡°Great, then I can sue the both of you.¡±

    ¡°Sue me?! Are you serious?!¡± Yan Kehua also panicked, ¡°What did I say wrong? How can you sue me?! Didn¡¯t you hear me try to ease the tension for your benefit?!¡± Yan Kehua hastily blinked at Gu Nianzhi to stop her from crossing Miao Yunxiao. Yan Kehua grew up in a normal family but was a genius since she was young so she was admitted to the bestw school in the Empire, B University. She then continued from undergraduate studies to post-grad, and if she really go sued then her clean resume would have an ugly blemish¨Ceven if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t win thewsuit it would negatively impact her future career prospects. Also Miao Yunxiao¡¯s background was not one normal students like them could challenge, so she helped Miao Yunxiao because she was also afraid that Gu Nianzhi would unknowingly cross her. An orphan girl who painstakingly got admitted as Professor He Zhichu¡¯s post-grad student at the B University Faculty of Law shouldn¡¯t ruin her career over one impulsive decision.

    ¡°Kehua, stop being so nice. She doesn¡¯t ept your kindness anyway¡± Miao Yunxiao balled her hands into fists, ¡°You¡¯re right, she¡¯s an orphan girl who lost both parents, ywt uses such expensive skincare and makeup. Who knows how she got the money!¡±

    ¡°How i got my money? How about you tell me.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied as she put her hand in her pocket to secretly turn on the audio recorder on her phone. It had been modified by Zhao Liangze so it was easy to record.

    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t know? Stop pretending.¡± Miao Yunxiao smirked, ¡°Don¡¯t make me paint the picture.¡±

    ¡°Say it! I just met you today, but you already somehow know where my money came from. Can you tell the future too?¡± Gu Nianzhi stuck her hands in her pockets casually to wait for Miao Yunxiao to fall into the trap.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell the future, it¡¯s merely a simple logical inference.¡± Miao Yunxiao walked around Gu Nianzhi once, ¡°You have a normal background and no parents. You¡¯ve always been in school but live luxuriously and also have decent looks. Anyone with a brain can tell that your money can¡¯t be exined, or maybe it¡¯s dirty to begin with!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi puller her phone out from her pocket and pressed pause as she said to the two girls, ¡°Ok. From a legal perspective, what you two said just now is already considered nder to my reputation. I reserve the rights to pursue legal action, contingent upon your future behavior.¡±

    ¡°You dare to sue me?¡± Miao Yunxiao couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore and steadied herself with Yan Kehua¡¯s shoulder as sheughed hard, ¡°Go find out who the presiding judge at the Imperial Capital Intermediate People¡¯s Court is. ¨CAre you sure the courts will ept your case if you sue me?¡± If the courts didn¡¯t take the case, then what good would suing do for her!

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi paused thoughtfully, ¡°So the judge at the Imperial Capital Intermediate People¡¯s Court is your family?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Miao Yunxiao looked at her smugly, ¡°Still want to sue me?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°Your rtive should distance himself from my case due to conflict of interest. I don¡¯t believe that your rtive will betray legal procedure and abuse his power for personal gains.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s face grew ashen, ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    ¡°What? Are you scared now? If your rtive dares to abuse his power for personal gains, I¡¯ll be happy to take this all the way to the Supreme Court. ¨CWhat? Haven¡¯t you heard of judges being sued?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao deted in an instant. The presiding judge at the Imperial Capital Intermediate People¡¯s Court was her uncle. Her mother had two sisters but was the only one to marry a businessman. One sister married a soldier and the other a judge, so their families were more powerful than her¡¯s. But Miao Yunxiao¡¯s family was wealthy, so the three families managed to get along well. But if this troublemaker Gu Nianzhi really caused a scandal and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court, then even Miao Yunxia¡¯s own uncle wouldn¡¯t dare speak up for her... Also it had always been her family asking her two uncles for favors, how can she dare to give them trouble? She just wanted to frighten Gu Nianzhi earlier. All the other students knew about her background so they were very polite to Miao Yunxiao, so she never had to make threats using her uncles¡¯ names before. She didn¡¯t expect to use both their names and still not deter Gu Nianzhi. Could the man supporting Gu Nianzhi really be that rich and powerful? Miao Yunxiao couldn¡¯t help recalling the man from that afternoon. She had never seen such a handsome person before, one nce nearly made her suffocate. And Gu Nianzhi came to campus in a military vehicle... Piecing all the clues together, Miao Yunxiao didn¡¯t dare make a rash move. She finally suppressed the anger in her heart and said to Gu Nianzhi reluctantly, ¡°Fine, ssmate Gu wins. It was my fault, so can you be generous enough to forgive me this one time?¡±

    Yan Kehua was stunned, she¡¯d never seen Miao Yunxiao acquiesce before... Why did she shrink back as soon as Gu Nianzhi threatened to sue her? Yan Kehua nced at the other two girls suspiciously.

    However Gu Nianzhi already detested Miao Yunxiao to the extreme. Above all, Miao Yunxiao¡¯s spections on her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng crossed the line, so she didn¡¯t want to live with someone like that. ¡°ssmate Miao, if apologies could solve everything then why do we have thew?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head, ¡°I¡¯ll give you two options. One, move out of of this dorm. Two, I¡¯ll take you to court for nder and attempted theft.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s face flushed instantly as she warned quietly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Don¡¯t take this too far! I already apologized but you still won¡¯t let it go, don¡¯t think that I¡¯m afraid of you! When this gets out, we¡¯ll see who is the ashamed one!¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you still want to nder my reputation?¡± Gu Nianzhi would never forgive her now, ¡°If you keep spouting nonsense, I¡¯ll send you to jail!¡±

    Because they were bothw students, they both disregarded and valued thew. The disregard was because they all knew what was happening so they weren¡¯t ordinary citizens who knew nothing aboutw and got terrified when sued. The value was because they all knew the serious consequences tow¨Can innocent person who got involved with awsuit and ended up sentenced would have their life ruined. Yan Kehua and Miao Yunxiao watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unrelenting and aggressive attitude with increasing trepidation. They didn¡¯t dare argue with her directly again.

    Yan Kehua pulled at Miao Yunxiao¡¯s shirt hem and whispered, ¡°Yunxiao, let it go. It¡¯s wrong of us to specte about our ssmate.¡± She apologized sincerely to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°ssmate Gu, I really made a mistake today, I shouldn¡¯t have said those things. We are allw students and we know the principle of innocent until proven guilty. What I said earlier had no evidence supporting and was nder to your reputation. I¡¯m sorry, please forgive me and allow my another chance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not an obstinate person, and Yan Kehua was fundamentally different from her roommate. She considered it quickly before nodding and rxing her tone, ¡°The fact that ssmate Yan can see her mistake and learn from it is the important thing. This incident ends here and I won¡¯t pursue it any further. You are also the ss rep so I¡¯ll give you a chance to improve your behavior.¡± Her words were soft yet had an edge to them, so even though she stated that there would be no ountability, Yan Kehua was still o the hook. ¡°Improve your behavior¡± prevented Yan Kehua from going back on her word in the future.

    Yan Kehua understood what Gu Nianzhiw as implying¨Cshe was truly scared and didn¡¯t have a strong background like Miao Yunxiao. She didn¡¯t dare to go against Gu Nianzhi who had no fear for any power or authority. ¡°Thank you, ssmate Gu. My message has been delivered, please make sure to go to Professor He¡¯s for the meeting tonight. Yunxiao, I¡¯ll be leaving now. Remember to go to our ss meeting tonight too.¡± Yan Kehua didn¡¯t even finish her sentence as she hurried out of Miao Yunxiao and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm to return to her own ce. Yan Kehua didn¡¯t live in the building with two person units, but four person units. After she left, only Gu Nianzhi and Miao Yunxiao remained in the dorm room.

    Miao Yunxiao rolled her eyes and put her hand on the doorknob, ¡°Leave now, I¡¯m going to close the door.¡±

    ¡°Just one second.¡± Gu Nianzhi blocked the door with her foot, ¡°We¡¯re not done here yet.¡±

    ¡°What else is there? Didn¡¯t I apologize already?¡± Miao Yunixao said impatiently, ¡°Also I won¡¯t say anything about your situation to others, you can rx.¡±

    ¡°Rx? What about my situation can¡¯t be mentioned to others?¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered, ¡°Why would I worry about it? So you not ndering me is some kind of graciousness? I¡¯ve never heard of such twisted logic.¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡± Miao Yunxiao was enraged by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stubbornness. She pulled the door hard to shut her out.

    Gu Nianzhi reacted quickly and kicked a stool from by the wall to block the door. ¡°ssmate Miao, this is not a joke.¡± Gu Nianzhi peered at the garbage can.

    This is the evidence of you attempting to steal from my room, how about we call the police to check for fingerprints?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao was both angry and scared¨Cshe still feared Gu Nianzhi enough to not lose her temper. She was merely aw student who had never been in court like Gu Nianzhi. In terms of both verbiage and attitude, Gu Nianzhi wouldpletely destroy her. ¡°What do you want anyway? I already apologized!¡± Miao Yunxiao sniffled and nearly started crying, ¡°I¡¯ve never bowed down to a person like you in all my life, what more do you want?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what I want, but what you want.¡± Gu Nianzhi watched her calmly, ¡°I already told you, you have two options. One, move out of this dorm and I won¡¯t pursue the issue for now. Two, if you refuse to leave, I¡¯ll sue you. You¡¯ll end up in jail so you¡¯re moving anyway.¡±

 Chapter 370 - Takings Sides

    <h4>Chapter 370: Takings Sides</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Miao Yunxiao looked nervously at Gu Nianzhi, her whole body shaking, ¡°Are you serious? You want to go to court for a tiny thing like this? You¡¯re bringing shame to the school, the faculty won¡¯t support you!¡±

    ¡°Why would I joke about something like that?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°Right, I have to talk to the tutor about this, but why does it matter whether the faculty supports me or not? This is between you and me¨CI¡¯m pressing charges against you, is the faculty also managing litigation between students?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao gripped the door handle hard so she didn¡¯t stumble as she sat down. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s serious expression made it clear she was capable of taking this to the next level, but it wasn¡¯t as if she did anything wrong? It was Miao Yunxiao¡¯s fault for having so many faults in her logic...¡±ssmate... ssmate Gu, I¡¯m begging you, this was my fault and I won¡¯t even do it again. Let¡¯s be good ssmates and good roommates from now?¡± Miao Yunxiao was in a weaker position now and could only acquiesce.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with augh, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable here!¡± Miao Yunxiao saw that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t about to back down no matter how much she begged her and was losing her patience. The angrier the person, the braver they became. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you have to be reasonable, today we met for the first time and we are in the same faculty and ss. Do you really have to force me to a corner like this?¡± Miao Yunxiao¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°If you insist on me moving out, fine. We¡¯ll call the tutor here to make a judgement.¡±

    ¡°Call the tutor? Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi casually sat down on the soda and dragged the garbage can over to herself as she propped her hand up, ¡°Do you have her number? Call her right now.¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s alreadyte now, how about tomorrow?¡± Miao Yunxiao tried to dy things. Her logic and intuition told her not to mess with Gu Nianzhi again until she figured out who that man supporting her was. Gu Nianzhi was so determined either because she had a powerful person backing her or she¡¯s a fool with no fear for anyone. Neither person who be easy to deal with and it would only spell trouble for Miao Yunxiao. She frowned and thought she had the worst luck. Things had been so great with her living alone in arge unit with two beds and a living room, but then a roommate randomly showed up. She was hard to get along with and one little mistake created all this trouble.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Miao Yunxiao carefully to not miss a single expression on her face. ¡°Is itte?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch, ¡°It¡¯s not even five yet.¡±

    ¡°...But the tutor has her own business, we can¡¯t always be bothering her.¡± Miao Yunxiao glossed it over.

    ¡°I thought the tutor¡¯s job was to manage students, so this is her responsibility. How can you say her own job is bothering her?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and picked up her phone, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll look up her number myself.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll call her.¡± Miao Yunxiao knew she had no choice and could only give in. she went back to her room to get her phone and called their tutor, Gui Suyao. ¡°Miss Gui, this is Yunxiao. We have a little problem in our dorm, can youe here for a bit?¡± Miao Yunxiao asked gingerly.

    Gui Suyao, the tutor of First Year Post-Grad ss 1 of the Faculty of Law was preparing for the meeting in the faculty office tonight. She was the tutor of ss 1, so she must attend the student meeting that night. She was also a Law doctoral student who was admittedst year. After a lot of effort and using her family connections, she finally became an official doctoral student of Professor He Zhichu from the Harvard Law School. He Zhichu was also holding a meeting with his students tonight, so she didn¡¯t want to miss it. Originally, He Zhichu only had four doctoral students at B University¨Cthree men and one woman, Gui Suyao. But now he had recruited another female masters student and there were now three men and two women.

    Gui Suyao was rather curious so she went to the faculty to look up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal file. She read through it carefully several times and couldn¡¯t figure out what was so great about her. Within the thousand students who had applied to be He Zhichu¡¯s masters student, only one was chosen¨Cthemoner background Gu Nianzhi whose parents were dead. Also, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t evenplete her undergrad at B University. The world ofw professionals in the Huaxia Empire valued school ranking and peer connections more than anything else. The B University Faculty of Law was where all the elite legal professionals started out from. All otherw schools were considered inferior to B University, including C University. Postgrad students whopleted their undergrad at B University looked down on students who came from other schools. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s selection by He Zhichu was a shock for many people.

    Gui Suyao printed all the information she had for ss 1¡¯s meeting and nned to send it by email to them. That way she wouldn¡¯t bete to He Zhichu¡¯s meeting even if she had to leaveter. She was busy working when Miao Yunxiao called and didn¡¯t want to take the call, but Miao Yunxiao was relentless. Gui Suyao saw all the calls from her and finally picked up. ¡°Yunxiao, what happened?¡± Gui Suyao frowned, ¡°Did you fight with your roommate?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gui, you just read my mind. I really did have an argument with my roommate.¡± Miao Yunxiao paused and looked at Gu Nianzhi sitting on the sofa, ¡°The new student who moved in today, Gu Nianzhi had a misunderstanding with me. Can Miss Gui pleasee over to sort it out for us?¡±

    Gui Suyao¡¯s interest piqued as soon as she heard that name. She wanted to meet Gu Nianzhi and see what kind of girl had impressed He Zhichu. She saw the one inch headshot on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s profile, and although she was a very picky person who had seen many beautiful women before, she had to admit this was a rare beauty. But that was it. Postgradw students couldn¡¯t use their looks to graduate¨Cit required brains, effort and ability. Gui Suyao hurriedly sent out an email about the night¡¯s meeting to ss 1 and said to Miao Yunxiao over the phone, ¡°Ok, I¡¯lle over right now. I¡¯ll be there in 10 minutes.¡±

    10 minutester, Gui Suyao knocked on the door of Miao Yunxiao and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm room.

    Miao Yunxiao opened the door and sighed with apparent relief, ¡°Miss Gui, you¡¯re so punctual.¡±

    Gui Suyao smiled, ¡°Punctuality is a virtue of God, I¡¯ve always made full use of my time and always race against the clock.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao led Gui Suyao inside. Gu Nianzhi stood up from the sofa and Miao Yunxiao made the introductions, ¡°Miss Gui, this is Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi, this is our tutor, Miss Gui.¡±

    Gui Suyao assessed Gu Nianzhi and saw that she wore a very simple cashmere sweater with pants. Her face was bare but her fair skin was so luminous it seemed to glow from within. A pair of doe like eyes with slightly sunken sockets made her eye creases appear big and deep¨Cthey seemed to be like bottomless pits that were at once quiet yet unpredictable. This girl was not a simple person... Just like Miao Yunxiao, Gui Suyao had alreadybelled Gu Nianzhi in her mind.

    ¡°Hello Miss Gui, I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her hand graciously.

    Gui Suyao shook her hand with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, ssmate Gu is even prettier in person than on the photo in the profile.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt awkward. So it was this young female tutor, who took her file from the archives room and allowed everyone else to see it. She felt her privacy was seriously vited and it was like someone had ripped off her clothes in public. ¡°Miss Gui, we called you over today to discuss ssmate Gui moving dorm rooms.¡± Gu Nianzhi suppressed her distaste and tried to politely exined what happened earlier. Miao Yunxiao listened in silence, her face flushed bright red.

    Gui Suyao finished listening to Gu Nianzi¡¯s narrative and looked at Miao Yunxiao with amazement, ¡°Yunxiao, is that true? You can¡¯t just keep quiet.¡±

    ¡°She said it all, what else can I say?¡± Miao Yunxiao turned her head away, eyes red.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t exin something correctly you can add to it or make corrections.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought Miao Yunxiao was like an actress, she was just boasting about her family earlier and now she was pretending to be a victim...

    Gui Suyao patted Miao Yunxiao¡¯s back, ¡°It¡¯s ok, you¡¯re all ssmates in the same ss, isn¡¯t it fate that you ended up roommates? I say that it¡¯s not that big of deal, how about you bothpromise and we can forget about this? OK?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao looked down and nodded slightly, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to whatever Miss Gui says.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gui Suyao was very satisfied with Miao Yunxiao¡¯s attitude and turned to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, can you take a step back too? Yunxiao already apologized to you and you didn¡¯t suffer any losses anyway. Can you let this go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brow and pointed to the garbage can next to the sofa, ¡°No losses? Miss Gui, it¡¯s only my first day of school and I lost all that skincare and makeup. How can you say it was not a loss?¡±

    Gui Suyao looked at her with a smile, ¡°You just said that you threw all that into the trash yourself, how can you me it on Yunxiao?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that this tutor was obviously taking side and didn¡¯t want to be polite anymore, ¡°Miss Gui, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re mixing up the causal rtionship.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m mixing up the causal rtionship? Are you saying I have no logic?¡± Gui Suyao smirked, ¡°ssmate Gu, you¡¯re really young and fearless¨Cyou¡¯re not afraid of saying or doing anything at all.¡±

    ¡°No, I always look for the reason in everything.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up, ¡°Since Miss Gui sees it that way, I¡¯ll just have to call the police and have them check for fingerprints.¡±

    ¡°Check for fingerprints?¡± Gui Suyao grew stern, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, it was not right of Yunxiao to go into your room when you were away, but it¡¯s not enough to warrant calling the police? You said so yourself that you were the one who threw all the stuff out.¡±

 Chapter 371 - Cannot Be Wronged

    <h4>Chapter 371: Cannot Be Wronged</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I threw them away myself, but why did I have to do it in the first ce? That¡¯s because she touched them. She sneaked into my room while I was out, who knows what she did to my stuff? I¡¯m too scared to use them again.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms and continued, ¡°There was a criminal case with a severe sentencing three years ago, it happened at a certain university. Did you hear about it?¡±

    ¡°What criminal case? There are plenty of crimes urring on campus, who knows which one you¡¯re talking about?¡± Miao Yunxiao looked at Gui Suyao with dissatisfaction, ¡°Miss Gui, don¡¯t you think she¡¯s being too much? Not only is she forcing me to move, but she said she¡¯d sue me too!¡±

    Gui Suyao¡¯s blood chilled, but her expression became severe. She recalled a case that started with dispute between roommates, then turned into one angry roommate putting things into the other¡¯s skincare to cause severe burns and disfigurement.

    ¡°Miss Gui must¡¯ve remembered it?¡± Gu Nianzhi rxed, ¡°That case started with roommates arguing and ended with one sentenced to over ten years in jail, and the other disfigured and handicapped.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s heart sank when she witnessed the change in Gui Suyao¡¯s expression. Her blushing face turned pale as her eyes darted between Gu Nianzhi and Gui Suyao, ¡°...Miss Gui, what case are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember? I almost forgot myself.¡± Gui Suyao grew even more grim, ¡°ssmate Gu does have a point.¡± She looked at Miao Yunxiao, ¡°Why would you have ssmate Gu¡¯s key? Are you prepared to take all the responsibility if something happens to her?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao was humiliated. Originally, she thought that she¡¯d be living in this unit alone so she asked an instructor from the faculty to give her the key to the spare room. Since Gu Nianzhi moved in, Miao Yunxiao should¡¯ve returned the key¨Cbut she still nned to live there alone and certainly wouldn¡¯t return it easily.

    ¡°It¡¯s great the Miss Gui remembers the case, then I don¡¯t have to waste my breath.¡± Gu Nianzhi was indeed thirsty from all the talking, ¡°Please wait, Miss Gui. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Gu Nianzhi returned to her room to get two bottles of water from the mini fridge and passed one to Gui Suyao, ¡°Miss Gui, please have some water.¡±

    Gui Suyao epted the bottle but didn¡¯t open it right away. After pondering for a while, she said to Miao Yunxiao, ¡°Yunxiao, you really are in the wrong today.¡±

    ¡°But I already apologized!¡± Miao Yunxiao was nearly in tears and pointed at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Will I really have to move out for her to let it go?!¡±

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s resolute expression, Gui Suyao knew that she couldn¡¯t convince her otherwise. She finally said to Miao Yunxiao, ¡°I think ssmate Gu is making a reasonable request. You¡¯ll avoid awsuit just by moving out. Think about it, does that make sense logically?¡±

    If she considered about it from that angle, moving out was not that uneptable. However B University only had one dorm building for post-grad students with two person units and private baths. The other dorm building were four person units with shared baths. Although it was much more expensive to live here, everyone still fought to get in. If someone moved out, it would be very difficult to move back in. Gui Suyao shifted ufortably and finally suggested, ¡°How about you go ask other ssmates if they¡¯d be willing to switch rooms with you?¡± She then asked Gu Nianzhi for her opinion, ¡°What about you, ssmate Gu? Would you be willing if someone elsees to live with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi considered it then nodded, ¡°Ok, I¡¯m fine as long as ssmate Miao moves out so she doesn¡¯t live with me anymore. I don¡¯t care about who she lives with.¡±

    Gui Suyao sighed in relief and also improved her opinion of Gu Nianzhi. Although this girl was stubborn, she wasn¡¯t unreasonable and inflexible. She could understand why He Zhichu chose her as his single masters post-grad student out of over a thousand applicants. ¡°Good, go ask who would be willing to switch rooms with you now.¡± Gui Suyai said to Miao Yunxiao, ¡°Hurry up and ask around so you can move tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°No, she must move out tonight.¡± Gu Nianzhi was unwilling to live even one night with Miao Yunxiao. Since this girl couldn¡¯t bite her tongue or keep her hands to herself, then Gu Nianzhi would help teach her to not be so nosy and touchy with other people¡¯s things.

    This was a harsh lesson for Miao Yunxiao. Gui Suyao sighed to her, ¡°You¡¯ll move today, we can¡¯t dy it. You have to move anyway, so the earlier the better.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any time, who would I ask to switch roomswith me?¡± Miao Yunxiao sniffled and really started to cry. The three women remained silent, with only the sound of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s asional sobbing.

    Gui Suyao waited for a bit before testing Gu Nianzhi, ¡°ssmate Gu...¡±

    ¡°No, she must move today.¡± Gu Nianzhi insisted firmly, ¡°What she did today is enough for me to take her to court. All that I¡¯m asking is for her to move out now, but if she¡¯s going to refuse, what¡¯s the point of me trying topromise?¡±

    The reply was so wless that Gui Suyao couldn¡¯t find a rebuttal.

    Miao Yunxiao wiped her tears and was about to speak when someone knocked on the door. She looked back but Gu Nianzhi already answered, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opened and the other girl Gu Nianzhi saw in the elevator earlier poked her head in to ask, ¡°Do you guys want to go for dinner?¡± She then noticed Gui Suyao was also there and stuck out her tongue yfully, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t see that Miss Gui is here too.¡±

    ¡°Qiqi,e in quickly.¡± Gui Suyao had an idea and called her inside, ¡°Yunxiao is switching dorm rooms, would you be willing to switch with her?¡±

    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s been fine all along, why do we need to switch all of a sudden?¡± Ma Qiqi looked at Miao Yunxiao, then Gu Nianzhi¨Cshe understood when she saw one crying and the other looking grim. Well, I don¡¯t mind if you guys don¡¯t mind.¡± Ma Qiqi grabbed Miao Yunxiao¡¯s hand with a smile, then grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. ¡°Ok, ok, I can switch if you guys don¡¯t want to live together. My room is just diagonal from here.¡± Ma Qiqi agreed to switching rooms right away, much to Miao Yunxiao and Gui Suyao¡¯s delight.

    Gu Nianzhi had a good impression of Ma Qiqi since her straightforward personality was exactly her cup of tea. She had no objections and merely gave one reminder, ¡°You have to finish moving out by bedtime tonight.¡± She then asked Miao Yunxiao for the key to her room.

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s expression hardened, ¡°I have to return the key to the faculty.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t remember the key if I hadn¡¯t reminded you. I don¡¯t want to worry everyday about someone sneaking into my dorm.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Gui Suyao, ¡°Miss Gui, I request for the locks to be changed. The faculty¡¯s management is toox and I¡¯m very worried about my safety.¡±

    This waspletely Miao Yunxiao¡¯s fault so no one could defend her. No longer able to protect her pride and humiliated in front of Ma Qiqi now too, Miao Yunxiao burst into tears and ran back to her room.

    Gu Nianzhi called after her, ¡°Remember to move out even if you¡¯re crying.¡±

    Ma Qiqi snickered at her words and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so interesting, I look forward to living with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed her hand, ¡°New Roommate, let¡¯s get along well!¡±

    Gui Suyao didn¡¯t know if she should be shocked or relieved that the two girls were already happy with each other, ¡°A formal procedure is required to switch dorms. Qiqi, you and Yunxiao cane to my office tomorrow to get the form and then go to the faculty toplete the process.¡±

    ¡°Ok, Miss Gui, I¡¯ll go tomorrow.¡± Ma Qiqi said as she headed back to pack.

    Gui Suyao replied, ¡°Ok then, I¡¯ll be going too.¡± She left the dorm room with Ma Qiqi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Miao Yunxiao¡¯s closed door before bendng over to pick up the garbage can and taking it back to her room.

    Miao Yunxiao started packing when she returned to her room, and since the two rooms were so close, she and Ma Qiqi helped each other to move everything over by 6pm. Ma Qiqi lived in Miao Yunxiao¡¯s previous room, and Miao Yunxiao in Ma Qiqi¡¯s. When Gu Nianzhi came back after dinner, she saw that her previously grim roommate, Miao Yunxiao was now reced by the cheerful Ma Qiqi. Ma Qiqi was about the same height of Gu Nianzhi at about 1.7 meters. She had strong brows, handsome eyes and wore a ponytail, to give off a strong aura.

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re done moving already?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at her and asked, ¡°I have snacks, do you want some?¡±

    ¡°I still have to get dinner, so I won¡¯t be eating snacks right now. You can leave some for me and we can have them together tonight.¡± Ma Qiqi plucked a small piece of sweet pea cake from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and savored it in her mouth. It nearly melted in her mouth and was incredibly tasty. She squinted happily to enjoy the vor, just a tiny piece of sweet pea cake was enough to make her head over heels.

    Gu Nianzhi was amused, ¡°You also like sweet pea cakes?¡±

    ¡°I like everything that¡¯s chewy and sweet.¡± Ma Qiqi informed her that not only did she like sweet pea cakes, but also fried rice cakes and a Northeastern Imperial speciality bean cake and sticky bean buns.

    Gu Nianzhi was enthralled, ¡°Sticky bean buns? The name sounds delicious.¡±

    ¡°You also like chewy things?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°I like them but can¡¯t eat too much, I get stomach cramps after.¡±

    ¡°Pfft! Who cares if it causes stomach cramps, as long as it¡¯s yummy! You¡¯d only know after you try it!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes lit up as she sat across from Gu Nianzhi and had another piece of fried rice cake before standing up, ¡°Where did you get these little desserts from? I¡¯ve never had such good sweet pea cakes and fried rice cakes before, I¡¯ve been missing out for over 20 years!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled from her words, ¡°These were from... my friend. I¡¯ll ask him where they¡¯re from when I have the chance.¡±

    ¡°Ok, you have to remember to tell me.¡± Ma Qiqi said seriously, ¡°In my lifetime, delicious food and beautiful people are the only things I¡¯ll never wrong. Beauty, you must remember where the delicious food was bought!¡±

 Chapter 372 - Too Tempting

    <h4>Chapter 372: Too Tempting</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes turned into crescents when she smiled. She muffled her mouth with a hand as pale as jade. Her normally innocent eyes grew narrow with the smile to appear charming and alluring.

    Although Ma Qiqi was a girl andpletely straight, her heart skipped a beat. Shaking her head, she covered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes with her own hand andughed, ¡°Tempting! Too tempting! Nianzhi, don¡¯t look at me with such seductive eyes again. I¡¯m afraid I might fall for you!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold back herughter and her belly ached from the giggles. The two girls chattered happily in the living room, theughter carrying out to the hallway.

    A ssmate from next door poked her head in to look andughed, ¡°Hey? It¡¯s totally different now that you guys are living here, this ce used to be so dead. Everyone had to be on her tiptoes when they passed this room because it might disturb the neurotic princess!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± Who was she talking about?

    Ma Qiqi went over to mudge that girl¡¯s head, ¡°You¡¯re awfully chatty, it wasn¡¯t even as bad as you¡¯re saying. Right, I think you have to speak during the meeting tonight, did you prepare yet?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I totally forgot! Thank you for reminding me!¡± The girl whizzed back inside her own dorm room. Gu Nianzhi looked at Ma Qiqi again and thought she was not only straight forward, but didn¡¯t speak badly behind people¡¯s backs. She had good character indeed.

    Ma Qiqi turned around and Gu Nianzhi already looked away, ¡°The cafeteria is about to close, aren¡¯t you going to have dinner?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I forgot! I was enjoying the sweet pea cake too much!¡± Ma Qiqi almost jumped up fro her seat and ran into her room to grab her wallet before rushing out the door.

    Gu Nianzhiughed so hard she she couldn¡¯t sit straight. She slumped on the sofa and her face finally felt numb after a long time because she had been smiling all along. The sky grew dark and Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch to see it was already 7pm. He Zhichu¡¯s meeting was said to be aodating the time of his doctoral students, so it didn¡¯t start until 8:30pm. ss 1¡¯s meeting started at 7:30pm, soMa Qiqi had dinner then directly went over to the ssroom for the meeting and that meant Gu Nianzhi had an hour alone. She stood up from the sofa and went to her room to continue organizing the books and clothes. Not long after, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone sounded. She frantically got up from behind the desk and ran towards the bed to get her phone but tripped over the stool in the middle of the floor. She rolled on the ground and almost hit the bed. Grabbing the phone from the bedside, she quickly answered the phone while panting, ¡°Is this Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held a cigarette and sat in a daze on the balcony of the suite on the second floor of his official residence. A pot of ck tea and an oval shaped azure te with two small cakes sat on the small coffee table. The cakes were Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite vors. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t like sweet and rich food, but eating the things Gu Nianzhi liked when she wasn¡¯t there made him feel a bit better. Taking a bite of the cake was like she was there with him, sweet and intoxicating. ¡°Nianzhi...¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice sounded from the phone, low and maic like a cello being yed at a creekside in the night. The sound carried through the water vapour and made enveloped her.

    Gu Nianzhi answered with a gasp, ¡°Huo Shao? Did you have dinner yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes, did you.?¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed his fingers on the small azure colored te and heard the gasping in her voice with careful listening, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you just exercise?¡±

    ¡°No, I was in a rush and tripped on the ground. I¡¯m sitting on the floor and talking on the phone with you right now.¡±

    ¡°In a rush? What¡¯s so urgent?¡± Huo Shaoheng flicked the cigarette at the ashtray, ¡°If you have something urgent going on, I¡¯ll let you go now.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi panicked, ¡°I was in a rush to take your call and tripped. If you hang up now, that means I tripped for nothing?¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re ming me now?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s richughter carried from the phone like a hand tickling with her earlobe.

    Gu Nianzhi put her hand over her thumping heart and thought to herself how cruelly Huo Shao was teasing her? Tease her again and again, be careful that she¡¯ll eat him up...¡±Of course I me you!¡± Gu Nianzhi huffed, ¡°If you called me more often I wouldn¡¯t panic when I hear your ringtone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a subtle smile as he deliberately teased her, ¡°The rare things in life are most appreciated, I¡¯d better call you even less often from now on.¡±

    ¡°...No way!¡± Gu Nianzhi grew anxious and stood up suddenly. She knocked her bruised leg against the corner of the bed and couldn¡¯t help yelping.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile quickly faded and he quickly stood up as well, ¡°Nianzhi? What is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in so much pain she couldn¡¯t speak for a long moment. Gripping the phone hard, she rubbed her leg as she slumped on the bed. After a while, she finally muttered sullenly, ¡°...I just knocked my bruised leg against the bed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless for a long time, then lectured her quietly, ¡°Looks like you have to resume training again. How long have you stopped training that you¡¯re falling all over your own room? How long ago did youst run?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was crying to herself and wanted to hang up, but couldn¡¯t bear to do it. She appeared very conflicted and decided to clutch her bruised leg and whine, ¡°It¡¯s hurts so much... My leg hurts so much... Oww.... It¡¯s bruised and swollen...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little trick¨Cshe was intentionally changing the topic so he would feel sorry for her. ¡°Does it really hurt?¡±

    ¡°It really hurts! It¡¯s hurts so bad! Look, it¡¯s all swollen!¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled up her pant leg to reveal her pale calf where arge dark bruise had formed. Gu Nianzhi used the camera on her phone and sent a photo to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the photo but his face was as calm as always, ¡°That¡¯s just a small bruise, there¡¯s no need to make a big fuss out of it. Stop pretending now, if you keep this up I¡¯ll bring you back to the base and make you do 10 kilometer cross-country runs and physical training just like the special forces.¡±

    It went without saying that Huo Shaoheng understood Gu Nianzhi all too well¨Cas soon as she heard his words, she pulled her pant leg back down and walked around the room while kicking her leg, ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m really fine. I just walked around the room a few things and didn¡¯t feel a thing, so you can stop worrying about me and focus on work, go protect the country. There¡¯s nothing you have to worry about with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile grew, ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s just a small bruise, I¡¯ll put some ointment on and it¡¯ll be better by tomorrow.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her leg proudly.

    ¡°Very well then.¡± Huo Shaohengid back on the wicker chain and looked ahead quietly. The night was dark and chilly, with stars glittering in the sky and the treeline ahead was barely visible. He looked up at the night sky and finally spoke again, ¡°Nianzhi, do you have memory of the name Gu Xiangwen? ¡®Gu¡¯ as in take care, ¡®Ji¡¯ as in luck and ¡®Wen¡¯ as in article.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen? Who¡¯s that?¡± Gu Nianzhi had no idea what Huo Shaoheng was talking about, ¡°Does this have something to do with me?¡± Because this person also had thest name ¡°Gu¡± and Huo Shaoheng was specifically asking, Gu Nianzhi inadvertently thought in in that trajectory. ¡°...Is that my rtive?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked again, thinking hard but unable to recall the name ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± in her memories.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Gu Nianzhi blurted out this name while she was in aa after the bone marrow transnt surgery for Song Jinning. She forgot everything she had said after she woke up, and Huo Shaoheng had been the only one present to hear her say this name. Because of the gravity of the situation, he had only told Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. This was not something to be discussed with others, so he had no one to weigh options with. Huo Shaoheng leaned against the wicker chair with one arm draped across his forehead and covering his eyes. His other hand still held a cigarette that he hadn¡¯t smoked from for a long time. It glowed in the darkness and sparked with light. ¡°Nianzhi, do you really not remember knowing someone called Gu Xiangwen?¡± Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a while and asked with excitement, ¡°This is very important.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes in deep concentration, but her mind drew a nk when she tried to search within her lost memories. After a long time, she finally opened her eyes again and looked at the phone to see she was still in the call. She answered the phone, ¡°Huo Shao, are you still there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was slightly tired, ¡°Did you remember something?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was now sure that this must have to do with her lost memories, but she really didn¡¯t remember such a name. She asked carefully, ¡°Huo Shao, can you give me more clues so I can try to recall it?¡± How was she supposed to remember anything with just a name?

    ¡°More clues?¡± Huo Shaoheng repeated calmly.

    ¡°Yes, more clues. For example, his age, where he¡¯s from, appearance, job, etc.¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her leg as she got up. Looking at the watch, she saw it was already past 8pm¨Cshe had to get ready for the meeting at He Zhichu¡¯s office.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent. If he knew Gu Xiangwen¡¯s age, where he¡¯s from, appearance and job, why would he need to ask Gu Nianzhi?

    She looked in the mirror and realized her pants were wrinkly from the earlier fall, it would be sloppy to go out like that. One hand holding the phone, she took off her cashmere sweater and pants with the other and changed into a thick cashmere sweater dress with warm stockings and tall boots. She also put her wallet, keys andptop into a backpack. Huo Shaoheng was still quiet by the time she finished packing and she asked, ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snapped out of his daze, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I have to go to a meeting.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch, ¡°It¡¯s in 10 minutes so I have to run.¡±

 Chapter 373 - Little Sister

    <h4>Chapter 373: Little Sister</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yeah, you get on with it.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused, ¡°I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate to end the call.

    Gu Nianzhi spoke into the phone anxiously only to find that he had already hung up. She felt speechless and sighed. So the matter of romance was not Huo Shao¡¯s forte... Gu Nianzhi put the phone back into her bag with a smile before putting it to head downstairs.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng set the phone on the small coffee table nearby and closed his eyes to meditate on the wicker chair. It wasn¡¯t yet the15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, so the nights were very chilly in the Imperial Capital. However Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t feel cold at all. He meditated on the wicker, the icy air calming his mind and allowing him to think without outside disturbance. Many thoughts swirled in his mind, it seemed endless and unrted, yet he detected an invisible thread connecting all the apparently unrted people and events together. As to what this connection will lead to, he had no idea. He was running out of time and he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle everything about Gu Nianzhi if there were no more clues. He may have no choice but to pass her over to someone else. Fingers subconsciously tapping on the wicker chair, the sounds reverbated rhythmically into the night sky.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi rushed through the roads in B University while carrying her backpack. She remembered the location of He Zhichu¡¯s professors¡¯ building and dashed to there in less than 10 minutes. She told the security guard her name and he had her sign in, ¡°Professor He is waiting for you to start the meeting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned and asked, ¡°He¡¯s just waiting for me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he called just now to ask if you arrived yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurried into the elevator and secretly thought didn¡¯t the meeting get dyed because of a doctoral student in the first ce? Why was everyone there before it was even 8:30pm? What a set up.. Gu Nianzhi grumbled internally as the elevator made its way up to the 28th floor. He Zhichu¡¯s suite was left of the elevator. Gu Nianzhi exited the elevator to see He Zhichu speaking on the phone in the hallway. He stood besides the elevator doors in a casual outfit of a light blue cashmere hooded sweater with white shirt cors peeking out. He also wore dark brown pants so finely pressed it appeared like it had been freshly tailored. With one hand in his pocket, he held the phone with the other hand and appeared very aloof. His thin lips pressed tightly together to give off an eerie aura.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled nervously and greeted him in a tiny voice, ¡°...Professor He.¡± He saw Gu Nianzhi as soon as she came out of the elevator. Ending the call, he turned to nce at her with his calm, shimmering sultry eyes. There was no antagonism from theirst encounter alone, so Gu Nianzhi rxed a little and continued, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m notte right?¡± She looked at the watch on her wrist, ¡°It¡¯s only a little past 8:30pm.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at her watch and was stunned for awhile minute before replying, ¡°...Your watch looks quite exquisite,¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stroked her wrist and pulled her dress sleeve down to cover the watch, ¡°It¡¯s ok, it was a gift from someone. I only epted it because it looks very elegant.¡±

    A sharp look shed across his eyes, but resumed their normal indifference by time Gu Nianzhi looked up again. He turned back to his room, ¡°Come in, we were just waiting for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi jogged behind him and didn¡¯t fall too far behind. She smiled brightly and didn¡¯t think about anything else. He Zhichu turned away and opened the door to go inside. As soon as it opened, they could hear the voices from the suite.

    ¡°Professor He is here? I rushed over here from the other ss meeting, so I thought I¡¯d be thest one!¡± The first voice was female and somewhat familiar to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Where the Little Sister? Isn¡¯t she supposed toe today?¡± The second voice was a bold male one. It sounded a little rough, but baritone and pleasant.

    ¡°Stop with the Little Sister this, Little Sister that! Do you think that you¡¯re Ling Huchong?!¡± She recognized Brother Huang¡¯s voice right away and muffled herughter.

    He Zhichu happened to turn his solemn face around but couldn¡¯t help smiling when he saw Gu Nianzhi. However he quickly realized it wasn¡¯t right and walked quickly into the room to sit on the main single seater sofa with his legs crossed. A round soda was in the middle of the living room, with He Zhichu¡¯s sofa in the chief position and two corner sofas on its sides. A rectangr coffee table was in the middle. On the sofas on either side of the coffee table were two people who should be He Zhichu¡¯s doctoral students. For the two men on the left, one was the Brother Huang she knew. On the right was a man and a woman, with the woman being the tutor Gu Nianzhi met in the afternoon, Gui Suyao! Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even greet Brother Huang because she kept staring at Gui Suyao with shock.

    He Zhichu shifted his body on therge single seater sofa and crossed his other leg as he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What are you daydreaming about? Come sit down.¡± But where would she sit? Gu Nianzhi stood awkwardly at the door, unable to enter or leave. She waved her hand with embarrassment, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Brother Huang rose and made introductions to the other three people, ¡°This is the Little Sister I mentioned, Gu Nianzhi. She just turned 18st November and is a smart as a whip. She¡¯s a real genius girl and most importantly she¡¯s pretty too, how rare!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! She can make a living with her looks but uses her brain instead! ¨CLittle Sister, I don¡¯t think I deserve to live this world since seeing an angelic little sister like you!¡± The man sitting besides Brother Huang eximed boldy, and she knew he was the rough and pleasant voice she heard when she came in.

    Before Gu Nianzhi could even respond, Brother Huang already punched the man, ¡°You should wipe off the drool now, not every man with the surname Duan has the ability to be Duan Zhengchun.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be Duan Zhengchun. I can be Duan Yu, right?¡± He stood up from the sofa and extended a hand to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Hello, Little Sister. I¡¯m Duan Chun, but not that charming yet not lecherous Duan Zhengchun. My first name means mellow and I¡¯m a humble and reliable person. I have strong professional abilities, am doctoral student in the B University Faculty of Law, practicingwyer at the JD Law Firm and in works to being promoted to senior. I¡¯m 28 this year. ¨C-Little Sister, do you have a boyfriend?¡±

    Duan Chun rattled off like a machine gun that didn¡¯t wait for a response before going on and on. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing with all the previous embarrassment and formalities swept away. She shook his hand, ¡°Hello, Brother Duan. Please take care of me in the future.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course! I¡¯ll certainly take care of you. But Little Sister, I have to say you are very good at avoiding the topic! I clearly was asking if you had a boyfriend, so you have to tell me!¡± Brother Duan pressed on, ¡°Did I scare you?¡±

    ¡°Go away!¡± Brother Huang kicked Brother Duan away and brought Gu Nianzhi to the seat facing He Zhichu, ¡°Sit here and ignore that silly man called Duan. He¡¯s used to talking nonsense.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s ok, I know that Brother Duan was just joking. I won¡¯t take it seriously.¡±

    They joked around and the man next to Gui Suyao also introduced himself with the surname ¡°Wei.¡± Gu Nianzhi called him Brother Wei then nodded to Gui Suyao whom she had been surveying, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Miss Gui would also be Professor He¡¯s student.¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Brother Huang was surprised, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Little Gui is Nianzhi¡¯s teacher?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really an official teacher.¡± Gui Suyao exined with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m the tutor for ss 1 of thew post-grad students, and Nianzhi happens to be one of the students.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Brother Huang nodded quickly, ¡°That¡¯s good then, otherwise how would you refer to each other? Hahahaha...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that means Nianzhi is both our Professor He¡¯s disciple, as well as his disciple¡¯s disciple! Hahaha...¡± Brother Duan chuckled heartily.

    Gu Nianzhi thought this person was quite interesting¨Che didn¡¯t have the typical restraint and self-discipline ofwyers, but was wild and arrogant. Of course, perhaps this was only an illusion to hide his true nature. As the others studied Gu Nianzhi, she did the same to them.

    When they finished chatting, He Zhichu said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You¡¯re all ssmates from now on. Don¡¯t be too polite and go ask them if you don¡¯t understand something when I¡¯m not here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Yes, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu then said to his doctoral students, ¡°As for the four of you, two are graduating this year and the topic for the graduation thesis was selectedst year. Be sure to hand in the first draft before submitting in February.¡± He was referring to Brother Huang and Brother Duan.

    They stopped giggling and nodded seriously, ¡°Professor He, we¡¯re already writing them right now. We will have the first draft ready before the end of February for sure.¡±

    He Zhichu then turned to Brother Wei, ¡°You¡¯re in your second year so you¡¯ll need to start selecting the topic for your graduation thesis. Don¡¯t put it off until next year.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± The man nodded.

    He Zhichu finally looked at Gui Suyao, ¡°You¡¯re in your first year, so I¡¯ll have Little Huang and Little Duan give you a few cases for you to make a n first.¡±

    Gui Suyao asked enthusiastically, ¡°Professor He, are there any good reference books for me to read?¡±

    ¡°I gave Little Huang a book list, they all select the ones from there.¡± He Zhichu pursed his lips and propped his forehead on his hand. His dashing figure and beautiful appearance was indescribably alluring under the light. Gui Suyao averted her gaze and didn¡¯t dare to look at He Zhichu again.

 Chapter 374 - Winner of Life

    <h4>Chapter 374: Winner of Life</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gui Suyao turned around to see Gu Nianzhi watching her. She nodded with a bashful smile and got up to say to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What do you want to drink? I¡¯ll go pour it for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Sister Gui, I¡¯ll have coffee please.¡± Gu Nianzhi also stood up, ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned, ¡°Nianzhi, why are you drinking coffee in the middle of the night? Ther¡¯es milk in the fridge, heat it up in the microwave.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched as she grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not a kid, it¡¯s like I don¡¯t even have a right to drink coffee.¡±

    Gui Suyao shot her a look and whispered, ¡°You dare talk back to Professor He?!¡±

    ¡°How am I talking back to him?¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to sew her own mouth shut so she¡¯d be a silent as a statue in front He Zhichu from now on. The more she spoke the more trouble got into.

    Gui Suyao took her by the arm to He Zhichu¡¯s kitchen and opened the fridge with familiarity. First she took out a bottle of milk, creamer and tea. Gu Nianzhi took the milk and heated it in the microwave for two minutes then poured it into a ss to sip from and warm her hands. She watched at Gui Suyao dexterously take a beautiful violet zed ceramic jar from the pantry and pour out a small amount of coffee grounds to put into the coffee machine. Soon after, the fragrance of coffee wafted from the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi inhaled the coffee scent as she drank milk and asked Gui Suyao, ¡°Does Sister Gui make the coffee every time?¡±

    ¡°This is the second time.¡± Gui Suyao busied herself at the kitchen counter, ¡°Brother Huang taught me how to make it thest time I was here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed, ¡°Brother Huang knows how to make this kind of coffee? I remembered that he only loved instant coffee.¡±

    Gui Suyao chuckled and set five cups of coffee on the tray, ¡°Last time he made instant coffee and Professor He didn¡¯t even touch it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted as she chasitised He Zhichi for being so picky, but she certainly dared not to voice it out loud. She followed Gui Suyao out of the kitchen and returned to the living room.

    ¡°Sister Gui¡¯s coffee is really something.¡± Brother Duan praised generously, ¡°What an amazing woman!¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are plenty of women who know how to cook, but far too few know how to make coffee properly.¡± Even the reticent Brother Wei chimed in humbly. Gu Nianzhi cradled her ss of milk and appeared slightly unimpressed.

    Brother Huang disagreed and picked up his cup with a frown, ¡°These beans were ground at a coffee shop? I don¡¯t taste a difference from instant coffee! It¡¯s so annoying to make too..¡± He took a sip and licked his lips before growing silent. Fresh ground coffee is iparable to instant coffee, anyone who has tried both can attest to it. Brother Huang quickly downed his cup and looked at Gui Suyao slyly, ¡°Sister Gui, can you make me another cup? I¡¯ll get you two book lists.¡±

    Gui Suyao agreed with a smile, but from the corner of her eye she saw He Zhichu take a sip and put it aside. It was impossible to tell if she was happy or disappointed before she returned to the kitchen to make more coffee.

    Gu Nianzhi finally sat down and propped her head against her hand as she watched her ss of milk, ¡°Will Sister Gui always be the one making coffee?¡±

    ¡°...Not every time. It¡¯s only been twice...¡± Brother Huang grumbled.

    He Zhichu nodded, ¡°Nianzhi is right, we can¡¯t have Little Gui make it all the time. You guys can make a schedule and have everyone do it once. We don¡¯t have many meetings and with just monthly meetings, four people can rotate over the four months.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at herself, ¡°What about me? Professor He doesn¡¯t want me to make coffee?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not drinking it, why would you need to make it?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression grew cold, ¡°You¡¯re still young, you can watch the older students make coffee.¡± It was like he was scolding a child.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. The downside of skipping grades was that being a younger age meant less respect from others. Even if she was smarter and more capable than other people, her age alone would categorize her as a child.

    Gui Suyao came over with another cup of coffee ro Brother Huang and set it on the table.

    He Zhichu had already discussed the outline for their theses. ¡°You can go now.¡± He Zhichu nodded to the two male students, ¡°Just send the finished copies to my email.¡±

    ¡°Ok, Professor He.¡± They got up to say goodbye.

    Brother Duan walked a few steps then turned around to smile at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Little Sister, I¡¯m totally serious here. Tell me the truth, do you have a boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°What if I do and what if I don¡¯t?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly, ¡°I¡¯ve just met Brother Duan for the first time today, isn¡¯t it too soon to be talking about this kind of thing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how I see it.¡± Brother Duan was growing more charmed by Gu Nianzhi, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t have a boyfriend, I have a right to pursue you publically, isn¡¯t that right? Whether you ept me is another matter, I won¡¯t force you. Oh yeah, what¡¯s your phone number?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and didn¡¯t get a chance to refuse before Gui Suyao interjected, ¡°Her number is 136XXXXXXXXXX.¡± She winked at Brother Duan, ¡°Brother Duan, don¡¯t be like Ling Huchong who lost out a little sister to someone else...¡±

    Brother Duan guffawed and took out his phone to call the number Gui Suyao gave.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang and she showed it to Brother Duan after looking at the call disy, ¡°Is this your number?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Brother Duan was reassured and turned to Gui Suyao, ¡°Sister Gui, I am indeed a Duan, not Linghu! ¨CYou¡¯ve read Jing Yong¡¯s Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, right? What kind of person is Duan Zhengchun? A total winner of life! All the famous women in that novel were either his women or his daughters!¡±

    Pfft¨C! Brother Wei nearly spat his coffee out. Brother Huang grabbed Brother Duan, ¡°Go now and stop embarrassing yourself!¡±

    After the two men left, Brother Duan grew serious and spoke to Brother Huang, ¡°I really want to pursue Gu Nianzhi, do you think I have a chance?¡±

    ¡°You just met her for the first time, did you fall for her already?¡± Brother Huang red at him wordlessly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so impulsive?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not being impulsive. Gu Nianzhi fits what I require in a wife.¡± Brother Duan nearly counted it out on his fingers, ¡°You see, she¡¯s smart enough to be a Masters student at the age of 18 at one of the top schools in the Empire. Also, she pretty with a good figure, narrow waist and long legs. Not only is she pretty and mart, but her parents are dead so they¡¯ll be no annoying inws to deal with. You know my situation at home, I don¡¯t need a political marriage.¡±

 Chapter 375 - Personal Ambitions

    <h4>Chapter 375: Personal Ambitions</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re really bing downright outrageous!¡± Brother Huang couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He pointed sternly at Brother Duan. ¡°The fact that she lost both her parents and can¡¯t even talk about them is a pain she¡¯ll suffer for a lifetime. How can you make it sound like a good thing? ¡®No annoying inws?¡¯ What are you thinking? Are you even human?!¡±

    Brother Duan shrunk back at realization that he may have been too cruel. He quickly bowed to Brother Huang for forgiveness. ¡°Brother Huang, Brother Huang, I was just saying that. I didn¡¯t even think about what the joke meant. I only said it to you because I know how close we are so just forgive me this time for being an idiot. I didn¡¯t mean to make fun of her!¡±

    ¡°Lucky for you I was the only one to hear it. Do you know how sad Nianzhi would have been if she¡¯d heard this? Even if you really like her, she would have ignored you for the rest of your life if you¡¯d said such things to her. And you want to marry her too? No way!¡± Brother Huang was close with Gu Nianzhi so he couldn¡¯t stand someone insulting her.

    Brother Duan chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Ok, ok, I was just joking. I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to pursue her if you put it that way.¡± He sighed deeply. ¡°It¡¯s all my own fault. Why did I call her Little Sister of all things! This was an omen! The Little Sister never belongs to the Brother.¡±

    Brother Huang didn¡¯t know whether tough or snap at Brother Duan¡¯s antics¡ªif it weren¡¯t for their years of friendship, he would¡¯ve really taught him a lesson today. ¡°Well, I know you like running your mouth.¡± Brother Guang pat his back. ¡°How many times have I told you: you can¡¯t run your mouth like that if you want to be awyer? Control yourself.¡±

    Duan Cheun had always admired Brother Huang¡¯s character and waspleted taken by his lecture this time. ¡°Brother Huang, I understand. I won¡¯t ever do it again.¡± He sped his hands together. Today was my bad; how about I treat everyone to Jiuloufengyue someday as an apology?¡±

    Brother Huang rubbed his chin and chuckled. ¡°Jiuloufengyue? The restaurant in Scion za? I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s the most expensive ce in the city.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the most expensive, but it has the best ambience.¡± Brother Duan chattered on good naturedly and recovered from their previous argument. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect ce to take Professor He, Little Brother, and the Little Sisters.¡±

    ¡°Best ambience?¡± Brother Huang shot him a suspicious look. ¡°Is that the same Jiuloufengyue I know of?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only one in Scion za. It¡¯s got to be it.¡± Brother Duan heard the elevator arrive and went in with Brother Huang. He chuckled as he said, ¡°In fact, it¡¯s the perfect ce to pretend to be rich.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you. It¡¯s fine as long as the food¡¯s good; what are you plotting in your head all the time?¡± Brother Huang chided him yfully and they didn¡¯t mention the incident again.

    ...

    Soon after Brother Huang and Brother Duan left, the door to He Zhichu¡¯s suite opened once again. Brother Wei and Gui Suyao walked out as well. ¡°Little Gui, what¡¯s your email address? I¡¯ll send the book list to you when I get back.¡± Brother Wei reached out to press the elevator button.

    Gui Suyao¡¯s mind was still on He Zhichu. She stood in a daze before finally asking, ¡°Brother Wei, does Professor He give lectures frequently?¡±

    ¡°Not really. He arranges all the assignments and we hand them in afterpleting.¡± As they chatted, the elevator arrived and Brother Wei got in first. He reached out to hold the door and waited for Gui Duyao to follow him in. ¡°You just got here this year, right? Ask me anything that you¡¯re not sure about.¡±

    Gui Suyao was slightly disappointed but managed to answer Brother Wei and asked in a roundabout way.

    ¡°Then, did Professor He ever mention if he would agree if one of us want to enroll in Harvard Law School?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. You¡¯d have to ask Professor He yourself.¡± Brother Wei was a little surprised. ¡°Little Gui, do you want to go to Harvard?¡±

    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± Gui Suyao nervously tucked her hair back and smiled politely. ¡°Of course, now that I¡¯ve met Professor He, what¡¯s the point of going to Harvard?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, you¡¯d still be Professor He¡¯s student at Harvard.¡± Brother Wei nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯d also have to leave home though; I know that wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, if I were required to move halfway across the world like that.¡±

    Gui Suyao only smiled. The pair were silent in the elevator for a while until it dinged at the first floor. After they got out of the elevator, Gui Suyao asked casually, ¡°Brother Wei, do you know why Profesor He suddenly recruited a Master¡¯s student? I heard from the faculty that Professor He only started to mentor doctoral students after the school begged him over and over again. He also agreed to mentor five doctoral students, but ended up only recruiting three. I just got transferred here this year and Gu Nianzhi is known as the first student Professor He has personally recruited.¡±

    Brother Huang, Brother Duan, and Brother Wei all had different instructors and had been only transferred to the mentorship of He Zhichu after he¡¯d promised to teach at the B University Faculty of Law. Of course, the transfer had been arduous and only by passing extremely difficult selection exams had they been finally admitted.

    Brother Wei shook his head. ¡°That I¡¯m not sure about. But,¡± he looked at Gui Suyao, ¡°You are pretty impressive yourself for not even directly taking the exam before sessfully transferring from a different professor to Professor He.¡±

    Gui Suyao had no intention of lying to Brother Wei, so she answered honestly, ¡°That was with the help of my rtive. My uncle¡¯s family isrge and well connected, so Professor He was doing him a favor.¡±

    ¡°Your uncle?¡± Brother Wei looked at her in amazement. ¡°That¡¯s not too shabby.¡± Someone who has direct connections to Professor He must be an important figure, Brother Wei thought.

    Gui Suyao replied with a smile, ¡°My uncle¡¯s surname is Dou.¡±

    ¡°Dou?¡± Brother Wei thought about it for a while and the name that jumped to his mind was Prime Minister Dou. If Gui Suyao¡¯s uncle was Prime Minister Dou, then she wasn¡¯t a normal student after all, was she? Why was she settling as a paltry university tutor? He couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    It can¡¯t be the Dou I¡¯m thinking of, right?¡± Brother Wei asked her carefully. ¡°Aren¡¯t you truly an esteemed student then?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exaggerating! My uncle started as an ordinary person, but he did well in school and was finally elected as Prime Minister,¡± Gui Suyao answered nonchntly. ¡°We¡¯ve rarely interacted since he was elected, but it was my first time asking for his help; that¡¯s how I became Professor He¡¯s student. It felt weird to unt that, so I never told anyone.¡±

    ¡°So it is Prime Minister Dou!¡± Brother Wei exhaled sharply. ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re such an approachable person, even though you have these connections.¡±

    ¡°Brother Wei is too polite,¡± Gui suyao said as she looked back at the 28th floor. He Zhichu¡¯s suite lights were still on. Seeing this, she mused on how He Zhichu had always been a beacon of sess and excellence. It wasforting to her, that she could be by his side.

    ...

    At the same time, in He Zhichu¡¯s suite, Gu Nianzhi stood up and put on her backpack. She was about to say goodbye but He Zhichu waved her over. ¡°Nianzhi, sit here for a bit. Tell me your ns.¡±

    ¡°My ns?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°I already told Professor He already though. However, you said at that time that didn¡¯t want to talk about it so that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t mentioned it since.¡±

    He Zhichu propped his head on his hand and leaned back in the sofa without looking at Gu Nianzhi. His eyes were focused elsewhere and after a while, he finally said, ¡°That was about you wanting to graduate early, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I did want to know more about it but Professor He didn¡¯t want to discuss so...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to discuss it.¡± He Zhichu looked at her. ¡°Sit down and tell me.¡±

    Seeing that He Zhichu was changing his tone, Gu Nianzhi sat down and said earnestly, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m really considering this seriously. Can you tell me if there¡¯s even a small chance?¡±

    Professor He stared at her intently, his gaze calm. Yet, his expression was extremely aloof. ¡°Can you tell me why you want to graduate early?¡± He Zhichu finally asked what he hadn¡¯t been able to stop thinking about since she¡¯d mentioned it on the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned by his question. ¡°Why? What do you mean? Anyone would graduate early if they could!¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re only 18. Even if you take three years toplete your master¡¯s degree, you¡¯ll only be 21 by then. What do you want to do that you have to graduate early for?¡± He Zhichu regarded her cooly and then got up, walking to the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi also stood up. ¡°Professor He?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m making coffee.¡± He didn¡¯t look back.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and followed him inside. She began pleading her case to him. ¡°Professor He, I really, really want to graduate early. Can you please help me, please? Can you tell me what I have to do to graduate early?¡±

    He Zhichu took out a jar of coffee beans and measured them out into the grinder. ¡°Well, you can start by telling me why you want to do it. Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s what everyone wants; I don¡¯t care about that. I only want to know what you want.¡±

    Wringing her hands, Gu Nianzhi stammered for a bit before whispering, ¡°I want to graduate early so that I can begin working.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s hands nearly trembled as he steadied himself. He continued making the coffee. Supporting himself against the countertop, he didn¡¯t turn to face her as he said dryly, ¡°You really want to work? That¡¯s easy; you can work at myw firm while you¡¯re in school. I won¡¯t pay you less than anyone else who works there professionally.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi rxed and broke into a smile. ¡°However, working as a student and officially working are two different things. I want to work for real, full-time.¡±

    He Zhichi pursed his lips and nced at her, his eyes shing for a moment. He smiled faintly. ¡°Then, why do you want to work early?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had forgotten how almost needlessly keen He Zhichu could be. He was striking the innermost parts of her heart with each question. These were thoughts she hadn¡¯t even told Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Because I want to start earning money earlier, of course.¡±

    ¡°You want to earn money?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°All you think about it money! Do you need it badly?¡±

    ¡°I do need it badly,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t have parents or a family, so I have to rely on myself. I don¡¯t want to rely on others for the rest of my life.¡±

    So that was the reason. He Zhichu¡¯s heart wrenched hard and he used all his restraint to control his unruly emotions. Turning around slowly, he looked at her quietly and sighed. ¡°Then, what about you parents and family?¡±

 Chapter 376 - Where Are They?

    <h4>Chapter 376: Where Are They?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°My parents and family?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head helplessly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see my information? I¡¯m an orphan. Both my parents died when I was a little girl.¡±

    ¡°Are your parents really gone?¡± He Zhichu walked a step closer to Gu Nianzhi. ¡± Where are they buried? Have you ever visited their graves?¡±

    The resentment Gu Nianzhi had felt towards He Zhichu dissipated as she looked at him with shock. Aside from Huo Shaoheng, He Zhichu was the first person to ask after her parents and even mention visiting them. This was a form of respect and as her parents¡¯ daughter it was difficult for her to resent someone respecting her parents.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu, taking a long time to decide between lying or keeping quiet. She finally shook her head and said honestly, ¡°No, I don¡¯t know where they are buried.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your parents passed away? How could you not know where they are buried?¡± He Zhichu scoffed, but Gu Nianzhi was no longer disgusted by him. Instead, she stayed quiet for a moment again before she said reluctantly, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m only guessing that they aren¡¯t alive anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why are you guessing?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t remember my past.¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed her backpack straps tighter and felt uneasy. ¡°I don¡¯t know if my parents are dead or if they¡¯re living somewhere else. If they are still alive why aren¡¯t they looking for me?¡± She appeared very stubborn but had finally uttered the words that had been trapped in her heart for so long. In the deepest recesses of her mind, she still believed that her parents had already passed away. They hadn¡¯t found a trace of her parents despite Huo Shaoheng¡¯s abilities and extensive searches. Even if her parents had abandoned her, it was impossible to hide so well with someone like Huo Shaoheng actively looking for them. Because of this, Gu Nianzhi fully believed that they were no longer alive. Sometimes she wondered what would hurt her more¡ªthat her parents were both dead, or that they didn¡¯t want to find her and recognize her as their daughter? However, Huo Shaoheng had always insisted that her parents were still alive and did his best to find them. He had never given up.

    ¡°Do you really not remember your past?¡± He Zhichu walked closer yet again, his voice trembling uncontrobly. ¡°Then, at what age is your earliest memory?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her temples and murmured, ¡°12...I really don¡¯t remember anything before I was 12.¡±

    ¡°Then what about after you turned 12?¡± He Zhichu was now standing before her and looked down.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dark hair was so thick and glossy that she always felt impatient with it and so normally wore it in a ponytail. He Zhichu wanted to reach out to stroke her hair but his hand froze midway. He attempted to maintainposure. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you remember what happened before you were 12? Human brain cells should be fully developed after the age of six and have the ability to store long term memory. Why did you forget what happened before you turned 12?¡±

    ¡°About that...¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°Professor He, can you promise me not to tell anyone?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s barren heart finally warmed at these words. He agreed. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone. I will never share anything you say to me to anyone else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed bitterly. ¡°Thank you Professor He, but actually, my student profile has already been circted throughout the department, so the fact that my parents are dead isn¡¯t some secret. I thought Professor He saw my information and wouldn¡¯t be asking me such things.¡±

    ¡°What student profile?¡± He Zhichu froze. ¡°Is it your postgrad student application?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu came from the United States so he probably didn¡¯t know about student profiles in the Huaxia Empire. She patiently exined it to He Zhichu who frowned when he finally understood, ¡°That¡¯s personal information! How can just anyone look at it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. But it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like it was anything important. There¡¯s nothing in my profile for me to be ashamed about.¡± Gu Nianzhi no longer wanted to discuss this because everyone had read it already; getting angry wouldn¡¯t amount to anything. It wasn¡¯t as if she could get the teacher who circted her profile fired. She couldn¡¯t sentence her either. Gu Nianzhi knew that she could only swallow this incident because it was a totally different case than what happened with Miao Yunxiao.

    He Zhichu saw that Gu Nianzhi no longer wanted to pursue the matter and so he stopped bringing it up. He continued asking her about the memory loss. Gu Nianzhi quickly changed the topic. ¡°The thing is, I was in a serious car ident when I was 12. I was rescued, but lost all my memories when I woke up.¡±

    He Zhichu studied her carefully and tried to prevent his expression from changing as he asked again, ¡°You forgot everything? What kind of ident would make you forget six years of memories?¡±

    ¡°It was a huge ident.¡± Gu Nianzhi gestured with her hands.

    Even the serious He Zhichu was amused by her. ¡°Can you even describe a car ident like that?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Gu Nianzhi rxed. ¡°There was also a huge explosion and I can remember all the smoke that blocked out the sky even now. Sometimes I dream of that day and wake up with fear. However, I wake up in my bed instead of that car, so I feel luckier than anything.¡±

    A hint of indescribable pity and sorrow shed through He Zhichu¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t reveal it. Instead, he folded his hands behind his back and walked away to a safe distance from Gu Nianzhi. The safe distance between humans was 1.2 meters, and people be uneasy when a stranger steps any closer than this. He Zhichu wasn¡¯t a stranger to Gu Nianzhi, but they had had a previous altercation so Gu Nianzhi was wary of him. Thus, He Zhichu could only keep a stranger¡¯s distance from her. He watched her silently, not sure if they could return to the way they were. Perhaps they never could because she was now all grown up. Gu Nianzhi was now a young and beautiful girl, and not the tiny toddler who had followed him all day. ¡± Did you go see a psychiatrist to recover your memories?¡± Although they couldn¡¯t return to the past, He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to give up. He was a part of her previous life and he didn¡¯t want her to forget himpletely.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and smiled dryly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen several so many times. I¡¯d seen a psychiatrist once I¡¯d woken up after the car ident. A few years after even the psychiatrist didn¡¯t want to see me anymore.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled back at her. ¡°Which psychiatrist was this? Was he a shoddy doctor? I know a renowned doctor in the States. How about I invite him here when we have the chance and you can chat with him? Would you be willing to?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled Chen Lie¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter. ¡°I¡¯m fine but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve already seen the best psychiatrist.¡± Gu Nianzhi straightened up and made her way to the door. ¡°Ok Professor He, I¡¯ll be going now if there wasn¡¯t anything else.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk about graduating early anymore?¡± He Zhichu raised a brow. ¡°I had just made some coffee.¡±

    Just as Gu Nianzhi was hesitating, her phone rang with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ringtone. Gu Nianzhi quickly took it out and wanted to take the call, but looked at He Zhichu with uncertainty.

    He Zhichu turned around unhappily. He poured coffee from the machine and said, ¡°One of the the rules for my meetings is that everyone has to set their phones on vibrate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stuck her tongue out quickly behind his back and gripped her phone as she replied, ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll be going now so as to not further disturb your rest. As for graduating early, we can talk about itter. We have plenty of time.¡±

    Liking the sound of that, He Zhichu agreed and saw that Gu Nianzhi had already left when he turned around. ¡°She runs like a rabbit...¡± He Zhichu smiled as he took the coffee from the kitchen and looked out the window. Several minutester, Gu Nianzhi emerged from his building while talking on the phone. He couldn¡¯t see her expression from the angle but she appeared to be singrly focused on whomever she was speaking with because she almost crashed into a few people several times. There was no doubt she was on the phone with that person again. Unwilling to see anymore, He Zhichu walked away from the window and returned to his room.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the elevator and started jogging as she spoke to Huo Shaoheng on the phone. Huo Shaoheng had know that she had a meeting at night so he had waited for over two hours before calling. He hadn¡¯t expected her to pick up right away because this had never happened before. He waited for a while and the call finally connected when Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet voice sounded. ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing? Why did you take so long to pick up?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Huo Shao. I was in a meeting with Professor He so I couldn¡¯t take the call.¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu?¡± Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and threw his cigarette butt at the bullseye of the dartboard.

 Chapter 377 - Matchmaking (1)

    <h4>Chapter 377: Matchmaking (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes, I already said it was Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi nearly bounced along the campus path. It was 9:30pm and the streets were quiet. Because it was the first day of school and sses hadn¡¯t begun yet, the chilly weather had deterred most people from leaving their dorms. Walking quickly, Gu Nianzhi said to Huo Shaoheng on the phone, ¡°I didn¡¯t have a ss meeting with ss 1, but with Professor He¡¯s other students.¡±

    ¡°You had a meeting with Professor He¡¯s doctoral students?¡± Huo Shaoheng threw another dart. It almostnded on the same spot as the previous one. The bull¡¯s eye region waspletely perforated.

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m the only Master¡¯s post-grad student mentored by Professor He,¡± Gu Nianzhi exined to him. ¡°He¡¯s even in charge of my sses, grants, and internships. The faculty only keeps my academic records and personal file while Professor He is the one to provide my transcripts.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent as he kept listening to Gu Nianzhi. She chatted the whole way until arriving at her dorm. ¡°Huo Shao, I have to hang up first. I¡¯m about to get in the elevator and the signal is bad in there.¡±

    ¡°Ok. I think we¡¯re done for today anyway.¡± Huo Shaoheng had merely wanted to ensure that Gu Nianzhi returned to the dorm safely; he wanted to spend what little time he had at least doing that. ¡°Go back and rest. Are you prepared for sses to start tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Well...just about. I¡¯ll read the course schedule when I get back.¡±

    ¡°Ok then. Goodnight, and good luck tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng quickly ended the call. Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone with shock¡ªHuo Shaoheng had hung up on her again.

    ....

    While Huo Shaoheng had been speaking with Gu Nianzhi, he actually hadn¡¯t returned home, but had been in the office. For several days and nights, Zhao Liangze has been running the program he had written in order to narrow down the scope for DNA testing. He hadn¡¯t slept for a few days and finally couldn¡¯t take the exhaustion anymore, so he¡¯d covered himself in an army nket and was passed out on therge sofa in the corner. Huo Shaoheng was helping him watch over the program.

    Few people actually knew that Huo Shaoheng was aputer genius himself. All those years ago, the fact that Zhao Liangze has been convinced by Huo Shaoheng to join the Special Operations Forces proved that he had impressed the younger man. Sitting at theputer desk, he watched the results disy one by one on the screen, red x¡¯s appearing next to them. He studied them in silence.

    After a while, the office door opened and Bai Yueran walked in. ¡°Hmm? Mr. Huo is still here?¡± She looked at him with surprise. ¡°Mr. Huo is probably the only General who often works overtime, even though you have such a high rank.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clicked the cursor and immediately hid the program running on theputer. Yin Shixiong stood up from behind a nearby desk and said to Bai Yueran, ¡°Wee, Director Bai. What can we do for you?¡± He walked over. ¡°Would you care for something to drink? Coffee or tea?¡±

    Bai Yueran waved her hand as she turned down his offers. ¡°I just need to tell Mr. Huo a few things and then I¡¯ll be going. I don¡¯t want to work overtime like you guys!¡±

    Yin Shixiong chucked. ¡°What happened to ¡®through thick and thin?¡¯ Director Bai shouldn¡¯t be so flimsy with your words!¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯re so funny.¡± Bai Yueran giggled beforeing over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk. ¡°Is this Little Ze¡¯s desk? Where did he go?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spun around on the chair to indicated at the sofa in the corner with his chin. ¡°He¡¯s sleeping over there. He¡¯s been working without sleep for a few days now and he finally crashed.¡±

    ¡°Working overtime so much isn¡¯t good for any of you; you¡¯re practically eating and living in the office. No one will say anything even if you work overtime everyday since m you don¡¯t have your own families yet. But, once you get married you¡¯ll know what it means to be helpless.¡± Bai Yueran sat in the chair by the desk and frowned worriedly.

    Huo Shaohen sped his hands in front of him. ¡°Thank you for your concern Director Bai. Now then, what can we do for you?¡±

    ¡°Well, two things.¡± Bai Yueran ced a file in front of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°First, Zhang Feng filed an appeal from prison. I prepared a document to send to the military court, but can you see if it¡¯s ok?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng read it over and gave a nomittal grunt.

    ¡°Second is the question of the Institute of High Energy Physics and the restarting of their experiment.¡± Bai Yueran took out another report. ¡°All the departments that are requesting to participate are all included. Will you please see what you want to do?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately rejected the second proposal. ¡°The Institute of High Energy Physics¡¯ experiment is strictly confidential¡ªno one else can participate. We can¡¯t fulfill the requests of these departments.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, politics is not about merely saying no and expecting them to back down.¡± Bai Yueran pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Our nation¡¯s society is based on social connections. You can¡¯t just burn all the bridges.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked away from behind his desk and rubbed his forehead. ¡°Let me think about this.¡± He picked up the darts and threw them one by one.

    Bai Yueran sat for a while and watched Zhao Liangze sleeping peacefully on the sofa. His army nket had slipped off, so she quickly went over to pick it up and gently rece it on him.

    Zhao Liangze opened his blurry eyes at the movement and saw Bai Yueran¡¯s beautiful face. He immediately woke up. ¡°Director... Bai?! Why are you here?¡± He struggled to sit up but felt a little dizzy.

    Bai Yueran eased him back down. ¡°Just sleep a bit more, ok? I was going to leave after speaking with Mr. Huo for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice held a hint of disappointment. He removed the army nket ¡°I should get up about now anyway. I slept all night.¡±

    ¡°It was only two hours! What do you mean all night?¡± Yin Shixiong gave him a look. ¡°Go home and sleep tonight. Mr. Huo and I will watch over here for now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze picked up the jacket on the other end of the sofa to put on and looked at Bai Yueran inquisitively.

    Bai Yueran considered it for a second. ¡°Let¡¯s go together then.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s mood instantly rxed and he draped on his coat before leaving the office with Bai Yueran. The night was especially beautiful; the moon was bright and stars dotted the sky. The pair chat as they walked. Zhao Liangze tested the waters as he asked, ¡°It¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day soon. What does Director Bai have nned?¡±

    Bai Yueranughed. ¡°I don¡¯t have a Valentine; what¡¯s the point of Valentine¡¯s Day?¡±

    ¡°No way! How could Director Bai not have a boyfriend?¡± Zhao Liangze failed to conceal the excitement in his voice. ¡°That¡¯s hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth. It¡¯s because men don¡¯t bother with me.¡± Bai Yueran stated seriously, but her eyes glimmered yfully.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart thumped violently. He forced himself to appear calm on the outside as he said with a smile, ¡°Director Bai is too humble and being too humble means that you¡¯re actually being proud. I think Director Bai¡¯s standards are too high to consider the simple folk?¡±

    ¡°Little Ze, you are such a jokester! I don¡¯t have high standards. The truth is that I¡¯m too busy. I had a boyfriend before but I barely saw him except for a few times a year. Later on, he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and we broke up.¡± Bai Yueran sighed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at her. ¡°Director Bai is such a great person. I¡¯m sure that you will find a good partner.¡±

    ¡°With your blessing, maybe.¡±She stopped when they reached the parking lot. Patting his shoulder gently, she said, ¡°Well, I have to go back now. Goodnight, Little Ze.¡±

    Zhao Liangze watched her retreating back. He decided that he would try asking her to dinner for Valentine¡¯s Day.

    A few dayster, Zhao Liangze¡¯s program was almost finished running and the target list was narrowed down from several hundred to a few dozen people. It was ready to be officially reported to the Supreme Military Council. Huo Shaoheng immediately took the list of names to the Supreme Military Council to request for both the Supreme Military Council and the Senate to authorize the Special Operations Forces for domestic operation.

    General Ji looked at the list he brought and smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Shaoheng, you haven¡¯t disappointed me. It¡¯s been six years and we can finally solve this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve never given up all this time.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed in relief. The incident wasing to an end and the next step was to await authorization to bring these people to the Imperial Capital.

    He was about to ask about vacation times when General Ji said, ¡°Right! The Xu¡¯s daughter happened toe over for dinner tonight too. You can take her home after the meal tonight.¡±

 Chapter 378 - Matchmaking (2)

    <h4>Chapter 378: Matchmaking (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You have guests?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°I¡¯d better get going then.¡±

    ¡°Go back for what?¡± General Ji wouldn¡¯t ept his refusal. ¡°Since you¡¯re here why don¡¯t you stay for dinner! When was thest time you left here without eating?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he bent down to take his briefcase from the sofa. ¡°You didn¡¯t have guests the other times, so it didn¡¯t hurt if I stuck around for a meal. Since you do have a guest now, it wouldn¡¯t do for me to stay.¡±

    ¡°Why would it not do? She¡¯s not really a guest since you¡¯ve met her before.¡± General Ji red at him. ¡°You don¡¯t remember Xu Piaohong, the daughter of Deputy Chief of Staff Xu from the Third Regiment of Military Tactical Operations Department?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pretended to think hard and shook his head. ¡°I really don¡¯t recall. I¡¯ve met her?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me!¡± General Ji was slightly disappointed with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reaction. ¡°She forced you to stop your car not too long ago; did you really forget?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that rookie policewoman who doesn¡¯t know the trafficws.¡± Huo Shaoheng put a fist by his lips and coughed lightly. ¡°I remember the person but not her name.¡±

    General Ji was shocked. ¡°How did you forget her name? Is she that unremarkable?¡±

    ¡°Why would I need to remember her name?¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly. ¡°I have several dozen¡ªif not a hundred¡ªthings to take care of everyday and there¡¯s really not much free time. How about, General Ji, you tell me what great things Policewoman Xu has aplished that I should remember her name by?¡±

    General Ji stared, bbergasted, at Huo Shaoheng. He was unable to formte a sentence. He walked towards the dining room and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s just remembering a name. Why would she need to have done something incredible?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly followed General Ji to the dining room. The truth was, General Ji hadn¡¯t needed to give a reason to make him stay for dinner. Huo Shaoheng was a flexible person so he understood that he¡¯d merely had to make his position clear. General Ji also knew this. When the two men entered the dining room, Xu Piaohong was already seated besides Mrs Ji at the table. ¡°Shaoheng is here? Come, have a seat!¡± Mrs.Ji waved cheerfully to Huo Shaoheng and had him sit next to Xu Piaohong.

    Xu Piaohong was somewhat stiff but was able to greet him politely. ¡°Hello Major General Huo. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be seeing you again.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all friends here. Why are you being so polite?¡± General Ji chuckled heartily and sat next to his wife. ¡°Piaohong, it¡¯ste already. Have Huo Shao take you home after dinner.¡±

    Xu Piaohong flushed immediately and snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng. She happened to see a beautiful hint of a smile on his lips as he ate with a calm expression.

    Noticing that Xu Piaohong was studying him out of the corner of his eye, Huo Shaoheng shot her a sidelong nce and nodded politely. ¡°Miss Xu, did you drive here?¡±

    Xu Piaohong was so entranced by his looks that she nodded nkly. ¡°Yes, I drove here.¡±

    General Ji wanted to bury his face in his hands: the girl was too honest! She was no match for natural Huo Shaoheng charms.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and replied smoothly, ¡°Since Miss Xu drove here, I¡¯ll have an orderly follow your car and make sure you return home safely. Is that alright?¡±

    Xu Piaohong finally realized what she had said but by now it was toote to regret it. She shouldn¡¯t have said she drove and left her own car at General Ji¡¯s house. Her dad could have sent someone to pick up the car the next day.

    General Ji could only make an excuse for himself and smiled, ¡°Oh, so Piaohong drove here? That¡¯s fine then, you don¡¯t need Shaoheng to take you home. I thought you had driven your dad¡¯s car.¡±

    ¡°My dad uses a special military vehicle so my mom and I never take it,¡± Xu Piaohong said politely as she exined that she would not abuse her dad¡¯s military privileges.

    ¡°Haha, how rare!¡± General Jiughed happily and served Xu Piaohong some food. ¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s character and family should be an example within the military!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded with a smile and seemed to agree. However, he kept quiet and picked up his bowl to eat.

    Xu Piaohong studied Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mannerisms and noticed that he ate with good posture and at a steady pace. His manners were impable. Her dad was a loud and messy eater at home who always told her that everyone in the military ate like that, so it was the ¡°masculine way to do it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was truly different from her dad¡¯s soldiers. It turned out, she realized, that not only messy eaters could be called ¡°masculine.¡± Xu Piaohong served Huo Shaoheng a bowl of soup and ced it by his right hand with a smile. ¡°Major General Huo, this is dangshen [1], gogi berry, andmb soup. It¡¯s very nutritious. My mom says it¡¯s important to have more supplements in the winter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused when he saw General Ji and his wife smile at him, so he could only ept the soup. ¡°Thank you Miss Xu.¡± The bowl was small and Huo Shaoheng had finished it in a few gulps without even noticing. He set it aside.

    Unexpectedly, Xu Piaohong saw that he finished it quickly and refilled it because she assumed he liked it. Huo Shaoheng hastily refused. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Miss Xu. I¡¯ve had enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thest bowl. Major General Huo should have it.¡± Xu Piaohong nudged the bowl over to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°General Ji only has good things in his home. I even told Mrs.Ji a while ago that I¡¯de over to learn how to cook from her.¡± Xu Piaohong blushed as she asked, ¡°What kind of food does Major Genral Huo like?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, vaguely, ¡°I¡¯m not picky.¡±

    Xu Piaohong was stunned when she understood what Huo Shaoheng meant. She stopped anything further and lost her appetite. She ate a few more seemingly tasteless bites and stopped eating when she saw Huo Shaoheng finish eating and start drinking his tea.

    Huo Shaoheng blew at his cup of tea and asked her quietly, ¡°Miss Xu is finished?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m full now.¡± Xu Piaohong dramatically patted herself. ¡°Auntie Ji makes such delicious food!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and kept quiet when he saw the bit of food left in Xu Piaohong¡¯s bowl. He got up to say goodbye after finishing his tea.

    General Ji could no longer urge him to drive Xu Piaohong, so he gave her a look. Xu Piaohong mustered her courage to follow him out and said, ¡°Major General Huo, are you going to the parking lot?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m parked at the front.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Xu Piaohong was a little disappointed, ¡°My car is in the parking lot.¡±

    ¡°This is the residence of the highest authority in the military so it¡¯s very safe.¡± Huo Shaoheng exined politely. ¡°But, if Miss Xu is ufortable going alone, I can have orderlies escort you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ok...that¡¯s not what I meant either. I know it¡¯s very safe here.¡± Xu Piaohong hastily put up her hands. ¡°Major General better leave first; I¡¯ve just remembered that I left something behind in General Ji¡¯s home.¡±

    ¡°Very well then. I¡¯ll be going.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded at her before getting in his own car. Fan Jian started the car and they quickly left the residential area. Huo Shaoheng sat in the car as he rubbed his temples and closed his eyes in meditation. After a while, he felt he may have had too muchmb soup since he felt a little hot. Looking at the road outside the window, he saw that they were about to pass B University. He said to Fan Jian, ¡°Go to B University. I¡¯ll go check on Nianzhi.¡±

 Chapter 379 - Matchmaking (3)

    <h4>Chapter 379: Matchmaking (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Fan Jian drove onto the quickest route. His driving was quick and steady, so they arrived at B University shortly. After disying their permit at the entry gate, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vehicle drove onto campus. The sky was m dark but there were an increasing number of people on the grounds. The vehicle slowed down after entering campus and head towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building. Huo Shaoheng called her from inside the car.

    Gu Nianzhi hade home in the evening after studying in the library and was just about to shower and apply a face mask. Her heart thumped at the sound of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone. ¡°Huo Shao!¡± She unlocked the phone and asked excitedly, ¡°Why are you calling sote?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained in the car and looked outside the window. ¡°I¡¯m already on campus. I¡¯ll be at your dorm right away.¡±

    ¡°Really?! I¡¯lle down right away! Or do you want toe up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng propped his head on his hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to park at your building, so you shoulde downstairs.¡± It was already past 9pm so it wouldn¡¯t do for Huo Shaoheng to go into the girls¡¯ dorm at that hour.

    Gu Nianzhi also considered this factor and answered instantly, ¡°Ok, l¡¯lle downstairs right away!¡± She checked herself in the mirror; luckily she had just washed her face. She was still wearing her simple cashmere cardigan and knee length skirt. Because she was going out, she put on the over-the-knee boots she¡¯d worn earlier and a double-breasted navy military-style wool coat. Tucking her phone and keys into the coat pocket, she dashed outside.

    Ma Qiqi had just returned and saw Gu Nianzhi run outside from the living room. She called out, ¡°Where are you going sote?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to...buy something!¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t turn her head as she opening the door and ran to the elevator.

    Ma Qiqi quickly called after her, ¡°Get me an evening snack please! It¡¯s best if you can get the crepes from the shop in the corner of the campus! Remember to add two eggs!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Gu Niaznhi turned to wave goodbye at her. She said cheekily, ¡°All you care about is food! Careful that you don¡¯t gain 3 kilograms from eating at night!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one gaining 3 kilograms!¡± Ma Qiqi stood at the dorm with her hands on her hips and shouted. ¡°I can eat whatever I like without gaining weight! You¡¯re just jealous!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered as she walked into the elevator and made a face at Ma Qiqi, who was ring at her from their room. As the elevators doors shut, Gu Nianzhi felt that her heart had already flown downstairs.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car was parked in a dark corner by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building. Fan Jian looked at him and said with a chuckle, ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯m going to have a smoke.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shot him a nce. ¡°Go on then.¡± He wasn¡¯t able to concentrate despite looking down at the tablet he was making records on. The heated feeling in his heart found no escape, so he opened the window to allow the night air to surge in, trying to get some relief for himself. Gu Nianzhi came downstairs and couldn¡¯t find the car after looking around. She finally saw Fan Jiang smoking under arge barren tree in front of the building. She walked over with a smile and tapped his shoulder.

    ¡°Brother Fan, where¡¯s Huo Shao?¡±

    Fan Jian looked at her and pointed in the direction of the shaded corner on the other side of the building. ¡°He¡¯s over there.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Brother Fan!¡± Gu Nianzhi followed Fan Jian¡¯s directions. The car was hidden in the darkness like a beast lumbering in the shadows. Growing more excited, Gu Nianzhi jogged towards it. The night air was chilly, yet her cheeks were flushed and heart warm because she was thrilled that Huo Shao hade to see her¡ªhe had actually taken the initiative to see her. She was the only one who knew how difficult it was for Huo Shaoheng to be able to do such a thing.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car and saw the young girl wearing a military-style double breasted coat running over from the lighted area. Her long ponytail swayed behind her head while her tall and slim body, cloaked in the mature coat, gave off abined aura of youthful gentleness and strength. Watching her, transfixed, his eyes were dark as he watched her from within the shadows of the car. He didn¡¯t move and, just like a leopard biding its time in the darkness, he awaited his prey.

    Gu Nianzhi arrived at the car and called out, ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    It was much too quiet in the car so it didn¡¯t seem like anyone was inside. Gu Nianzhi thought, has Huo Shaoheng gone outside or went out for a smoke like Fan Jian? Just as she was hesitating whether or not to open the door, it swung open and Huo Shaoheng reached out to her. His voice was husky. ¡°Come inside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart bloomed with happiness and she epted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand; he pulled her inside with a gentle tug. The door mmed shut and Huo Shaoheng used his other hand to pull Gu Nianzhi into hisp. Supporting the back of her head with the hand that had just closed the door, he held in a tight embrace before leaning down for a kiss. He was incredibly forceful as he sucked on her slightly chilled lips.

    Gu Nianzhi loved this restrained position. Although Huo Shaoheng was very strong and held her so tightly to the point that she could hardly breathe, it felt as sweet as honey to her. His rough love made her feel very safe, and her own love towards Huo Shaoheng grew in his security. His lips were very hot, as was his embrace. When his hand drifted into her coat, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t notice it at all; she waspletely cloaked in warmth. He held her tightly, and she didn¡¯t make a sound even though it hurt a little. She could feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s excitement and was both happy and scared.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s passionate kisses finally alleviated the burning in his chest somewhat as he slipped his tongue between Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips to find the magical cure to his difort.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathy giggles trembled through his lips and sent tremors through him. ¡°What are youughing about?¡± Huo Shaoheng nuzzled her cheeks, gradually calming down.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace and reached out to hug his neck. Leaning her head on his shoulder, sheughed. ¡°What¡¯s with you today?¡±

    ¡°Nothing really.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°Are you busy with homework?¡±

    ¡°My homework has never been a challenge.¡± Gu Nianzhi traced her finger on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck down to his corbone and she began fumbling with the sp done up to his to the top of his neck. ¡°You haven¡¯t called in thest few days so I¡¯d been thinking about what we would be doing this weekend.¡±

    This weekend was the first one since Gu Nianzhi started the semester. There was nothing going on at campus, so she¡¯d been worried about where she¡¯d stay. Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t called at all so she wasn¡¯t sure if she should return to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence or to the apartment he said he prepared for her.

    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Huo Shaoheng took her hand to stop it from tickling him. ¡°Are youing back to the base with me or to the apartment?¡±

    ¡°Well, will you being too if I go to the apartment?¡± This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s main concern.

    Huo Shaoheng considered it. ¡°You cane back to the base this weekend; the apartment is not finished with the renovations yet so it¡¯s best to wait a few days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Ok, then I¡¯lle back to the base with you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Big Xiong pick you up.¡± Huo Shaoheng kissed her cheek. ¡°Ok, go back now.¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re going to leave just like this?¡± Gu Nianzhi was reluctant to go back and grumbled, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng only kissed her again before letting go. Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and straightened the coat that Huo Shaoheng had opened up. She waved at him before running off towards the dorm building. ¡°Brother Jian, you can go back now.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a silly face at him before going inside the building. As Gu Nianzhi walked into the lobby, Miao Yunxiao quickly walked up from behind her and shoved her as she passed. She got into the elevator and didn¡¯t wait for Gu Nianzhi before closing the doors.

    A stunned Gu Nianzhi saw the sh of contempt and disdain on Miao Yunxiao¡¯s face as the elevators shut before her eyes. ¡°How immature, ¡± Gu Nianzhi grumbled. She was about to find another elevator when she recalled that Ma Qiqi had asked for crepes. She dashed out of the building again to head towards the small snack shop around the corner.

    ¡°Little Sister? You¡¯re getting crepes too?¡± Brother Duan was walking out of the shop, carrying two boxed crepes in small stic bags.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a hurried greeting. ¡°Hello Brother Duan. You¡¯re here to buy crepes too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s for Brother Huang. I lost a bet with him.¡± Brother Duanughed heartily. As he looked at her, he noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pretty little face glowed under the soft light. Brother Duan was mesmerized and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Nianzhi, next weekend happens to be Valentine¡¯s Day. What do you have nned?¡±

 Chapter 380 - Matchmaking (4)

    <h4>Chapter 380: Matchmaking (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He had changed from calling her ¡°Little Sister¡± to ¡°Nianzhi.¡± What a quick change. Gu Nianzhi smiled but felt that Brother Duan was asking her an inappropriate question. Valentine¡¯s Day was such a personal thing, so why would she talk to a stranger about it? ¡°Valentine¡¯s Day? I haven¡¯t thought about it.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile and looked inside the shop. ¡°Oh my, there are so many people! I¡¯d better go buy pancakes. Talk to youter!¡±

    Duan Chun watched Gu Nianzhi dart away like a gust of wind into the store. There were indeed a lot of people inside the store so it wasn¡¯t like he could force her to talk about Valentine¡¯s Day with him. He could only shake his head with a sigh and mutter, ¡°The Little Sister doesn¡¯t belong to either the Elder Brother nor the Second Brother.¡± He went back to the dorm with a heavy heart.

    Gu Nianzhi went inside the pancake shop and stood in line for a while. When it was her turn, she smiled at the shopkeeper. ¡°I¡¯d like two pancakes with two extra eggs each and hot sauce on the crispy bits.¡±

    The shopkeeper expertly made the order and ced them into two paper boxes with a smile. ¡°Thates to 16 RMB.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fished out the money for him and took the two boxes back in a small bag.

    ...

    As soon as Gu Nianzhu returned to the dorm room, Ma Qiqi smelled the delicious scent and ran out of her room. ¡°You¡¯re¡¯ finally back! What took so long?! I was about to pass out!¡±

    Gu Ninanzhi passed the bag to her and pat her head. ¡°Eat it now. There were lots of people there. I was worried you¡¯d be very hungry so I got two.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s great! I was regretting not telling you to get some more! One isn¡¯t enough for me, I need two at least!¡± Ma Qiqi took the two boxes out of the bag and took a deep whiff. ¡°It smells so good!¡± She set it down and went to her room to get money for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Thanks for helping me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly refused it. ¡°That¡¯s fine. It was only a few dors for the pancakes.¡±

    Ma Qiqi insisted. ¡°If you won¡¯t take my money then I¡¯ll give the pancakes back to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shockedz ¡°Qiqi, what¡¯s wrong with you? It¡¯s just two pancakes; why do you have to be serious about it?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, I know it¡¯s not much money, but I had asked for you to help buy them for me! These are separate situations, of course I have to pay you back. It¡¯s a different case if you were treating me.¡± Ma Qiqi pushed the money into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°I can¡¯t have you go get them for me and pay too? Do you think I would take advantage of you like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled as she took the money. ¡°I get it, I get it, it¡¯s such a small thing though. Look at how you talk so seriously about it!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about taking things too seriously.¡± Ma Qiqi bit into her pancake happily and mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s just like borrowing money: there can only be a second request if the first request was repaid, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, you know everything.¡± Gu Nianzhi pinched Ma Qiqi¡¯s button nose and went back to her room. ¡°I¡¯m so tired today. I haven¡¯t even showered yet.¡±

    Ma Qiqi sat at the dining table in the living room and put the remaining pancakes onto a te then poured herself a ss of soy milk. She took her time eating as she nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and remembered she said she was shopping. However, she had somehow went out for hours and only brought back two pancakes. ¡°This little girl... she¡¯s hiding something from me.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s mind spun as she thought about the possible reasons.

    The most likely one was that Gu Nianzhi went to see the man she liked. She wouldn¡¯t say that he was her boyfriend because they weren¡¯t official yet. From the way Ma Qiqi saw it, couples who didn¡¯t make it official yet weren¡¯t considered official. This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s privacy after all, so Ma Qiqi wouldn¡¯t ask if she didn¡¯t mention anything.

    Gu Nianzhi went back to her room and took off her coat and threw it onto the double seater sofa in the corner of the room. She went to the bathroom to shower and stood under the water, where the hot liquid gushed over her body. Recalling what happened earlier, she couldn¡¯t help giggling and blushing. She hummed a song as she showered and the water seemed to rinse away the day¡¯s exhaustion and stress. Gu Nianzhi felt happy and went straight to sleep after the shower.

    ...

    The next day was Friday yet by the time it was 5pm Gu Nianzhi still hadn¡¯t gotten anything to eat the entire day. She finally finished the paper He Zhichu had assigned and sent it to him by email. While she was putting things away in her backpack, her stomach rumbled loudly. Rushing out of the library, Gu Nianzhi intended to go back to the dorm to take a shower before calling Huo Shaoheng and ask him about the car. Her phone rang suddenly but it wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi took her phone out and saw it was Fan Jian calling. ¡°Brother Fan, where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already at your dorm building. Where are you now?¡± Fan Jian¡¯s voice sounded a bit urgent.

    Gu Nianzhi hastily replied, ¡°I¡¯m at the library. I just came outside and was going to go to the dorm.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already at your dorm.¡± Fan Jian exhaled with relief. ¡°Princess,e back quickly!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°I¡¯ll be back right away, so just wait.¡± She left the library and found her bike then rode quickly back to the dorm.

    ¡°Nianzhi, over here. Get in the car.¡± Fan Jian stood in front of the car, his posture straight and alert. He too was very handsome, so his entire demeanour seemed to exude righteousness.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back to the dorm?¡± Gu Nianzhi locked her bike at the racks in front of the dorm and walked over. ¡°But I haven¡¯t packed my things yet.¡±

    ¡°You have things over there too; what would you need to bring?¡± Fan Jian quickly opened the door. ¡°Please, get in now. Mr. Huo has been extremely busy the past few days and had barely even had time to eat. We¡¯re hoping that he¡¯d eat one proper meal with you there.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why isn¡¯t he eating?¡± Gu Nianzhi grew anxious. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll leave with you now.¡± She took out her phone to leave Ma Qiqi a voicemail: ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m going home so I won¡¯t be at the dorm. Have a good weekend!¡±

    Sitting inside the car, Gu Nianzhi had just fastened her seatbelt and looked through the tinted windows to see Miao Yunxiao stare at her from not too far away. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if she was staring at her or Fan Jian¡¯s car. She paid her no attention and said to Fan Jian, ¡°I¡¯m ready, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Fan Jian started the car and quickly drove out of the south exit of B University towards the official residence in the Special Ops headquarters.

    ¡°Huo Shao has been very busytely? Why hasn¡¯t he been eating?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°With his current position, is that even necessary?¡± Huo Shaoheng was already a Major General, which meant he managed people rather than going into matters directly himself, unless it were urgent. Only by gathering a group of capable people could he maximize his capacity within his role. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to do everything himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story and we are only his subordinates; it¡¯s hard for us to tell him what to do. If Nianzhi really cares about him, then please help us talk some sense into him.¡± Fan Jian smiled as he looked at her from the rearview mirror. ¡°Mr. Huo will listen to what you say.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart glowed with warmth at Fan Jian¡¯s words but she was also feeling shy. Leaning forward, she ced her arms against the back of the front seat. ¡°It should be me obeying Huo Shao. Why would he listen to me?¡±

    ¡°If your words have reason, Mr. Huo was naturally listen.¡± Fan Jian nced at her again, ¡°Nianzhi, you and Mr. Huo...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flushed red immediately and she shrunk back in her seat as she replied weakly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing between us, Brother Fan. Please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best there¡¯s nothing.¡± Fan Jian sighed with relief and he cheered up. ¡°Mr. Huo is kind to you and we all know it. He¡¯s been like this to you since you were young, so it didn¡¯t start just now right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s obvious.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve known Huo Shao since I was young¡ªI remember it all.¡± The two joked in the car and arrived at the Special Ops base shortly after. Huo Shaoheng had just been called away by Speaker Long, so his car almost crossed paths with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea what was happening from inside the car, but Fan Jian knew about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s whereabouts from the central control system. He gazed at Gu Nianzhi from the rearview mirror and said quietly, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ll have to eat and rest alone when we get back. There¡¯s been a change in ns.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi froze, ¡°What is it? Did Huo Shao have something urgente up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I just got notice that Speaker Long called Mr. Huo over. Mr. Huo just left the base.¡± Fan Jian couldn¡¯t bear to tell her that their cars had crossed paths just now because she would be even more upset. Just as he expected though, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was affected.

    She held onto her backpack and mindlessly pulled at a keychain on it. The excitement in her heart had all but vanished and she was embarrassed that her mood swings were too dramatic; it was even more so when she had lived with Huo Shaoheng before. At that time, Huo Shaoheng had also often left for missions or attended meetings, but she had never panicked like this. She tried to console herself but her heart wouldn¡¯t calm down. Her previous expectations for Huo Shaoheng and her current feelings weren¡¯tpletely different now. The car stopped in front of the door to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence and Gu Nianzhi opened the door to get out. The night had grown dark and when she looked back at the road they came from, it was already enshrouded in the thick night.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng sat in his car and massaged his temples. He said to Yin Shixiong at the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Fan Jian has already gone to pick up Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he left after 4pm. He should be on the way back now.¡± Yin Shixiong called Fan Jian. ¡°Little Fan, are you back now?¡±

    ¡°Big Xiong, we¡¯re back. Nianzhi just got out of the car.¡± Fan Jian replied as he handed the phone to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°It¡¯s Big Xiong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly epted the phone. ¡°Brother Xiong, is Huo Shao there?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo is here.¡± Yin Shixiong passed the phone to Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the phone and his m voice sounded from the speakers. She teared up at how it soothed her uneasiness. ¡°Nianzhi, just wait a bit. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

 Chapter 381 - Pleasure To Meet You

    <h4>Chapter 381: Pleasure To Meet You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nervous feelings finally found ease. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone was almost devoid of emotion, as if he were simply telling her a fact. But even the most simple words carried a different meaning when spoken by a lover. She agreed quietly. ¡°Ok. Then, I¡¯ll wait for you toe back.¡±

    ¡°Ok, be good.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up the phone before passing it to Yin Shixiong in the front passenger seat. Huo Shaoheng sat alone in the back with an elbow propped against the arm rest, lost in contemtion. They had been searching for information about people named ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± without rest for thest few days, but the investigation had hit a dead end. After receiving the joint authorization from the Supreme Military Council and Senate a few days before, the Special Operations Forces had sent personnel to find the several dozen people with the name ¡°Gu Xiangwen.¡± They then used various excuses to obtain their blood samples to bring back to the Imperial Capital for DNA testing. The results were disappointing¡ªthere was not a single sample DNA that matched with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s within the group of men named ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± around the target age. There wasn¡¯t even a single person that was slightly rted to her. Could we have missed an important clue along the line? Huo Shaoheng thought. He had repeatedly thought about the name Gu Nianzhi had called out while she was unconscious; there was no way this had nothing to do with her. But, if there was some connection, then what was it? Could it not be a blood rtionship? However, Gu Nianzhi had clearly said that it was her father¡¯s name... A father without blood rtions, perhaps? His thoughts a mess, Huo Shaoheng massaged his forehead and sighed quietly. He could vaguely sense that the truth was hidden nearby, but it was cloaked by ayer of fog. If the fog didn¡¯t lift, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see the truth. Thinking about it over and over, he was certain they had missed an important element. He had to grasp that, no matter the cost.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong yed around on his phone for a while before turning back to say to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, what does Speaker Long want to talk with you about it? Should we make preparations?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at the scenery sh by outside the window. He replied calmly, ¡°What else? We¡¯re the military and they¡¯re the Senate. We all have our own regtions.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve always had a good rtionship with the Senate and our annual military funding is approved through them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him. ¡°We request for funding ording to regtions and they approve the funding as governed by thew. There¡¯s no such thing as ¡®asking anyone.¡¯¡±

    Of course, he would never purposely strain their rtionship with the Senate. The truth was, there was always a solution to every problem in the world¡ªit just depended on whether one chose to see it or not, and address it.

    Half an hourter, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car finally parked in front of Speaker Long¡¯s home. Because it was a weekend evening, everyone was rxing. Speaker Long¡¯s home was teeming with people and expensive cars filled the parking lot nearby. Music andughter filled the air, as if it was a party. As soon as they stepped out of the car, Huo Shaoheng immediately caught whiff of the delicious aroma of barbecue. He had been eating irregrly the past few days and the the temptation of food now was the hard to bear. His hand covering his face, he coughed and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Go ask what¡¯s going on.¡± He had thought it would be a matter of business, but it looked more like a personal gathering. Slightly irritated, Huo Shaoheng leaned against the car door and lit a cigarette.

    Before he could even take two puffs, someone walked up to him and said gently, ¡°Sir, this is a non-smoking zone. You can¡¯t smoke here. Please put it out.¡±

    The voice was strangely simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s¡ªit had an alluring tone that Huo Shaoheng fully expected her to grow into. Huo Shaoheng looked up. The light filtered through from the main entrance and the woman stood with her back to it. Her face was shrouded in the shadows but it wasn¡¯tpletely indiscernible. Like a soft filter, the light from inside the house illuminated the woman¡¯s skin into white jade and her features somehow resembled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s in a certain way. Or perhaps this was how Gu Nianzhi would look like after fully maturing? Huo Shaoheng looked at her more closely.

    Speaker Long¡¯s voice rose up from behind them, ¡°Shaoheng? Shaoheng!You¡¯re here! Why aren¡¯t youing in?¡± Speaker Long stood next to the woman and greeted Huo Shaoheng as he smiled at the both of them. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re already chatting? I was just saying how I¡¯d introduce you to each other!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly. ¡°Speaker Long.¡±

    Speaker Long pat his shoulder and introduced the woman to him ¡°This is my niece, Xie Qingying. Her father¡¯s surname is Xie. Speaking of which, he shares the same ancestor as your grandmother! It¡¯s the same Xie family.¡± He then continued to say to Xie Qingying, ¡°This is Huo Shaoheng. He¡¯s the youngest Major General.¡±

    Xie Qingying could finally see Huo Shaoheng clearly. She had only thought he was tall and mysterious when he was smoking earlier; though he was especially handsome when he smoked, even the most handsome man could not be permitted to smoke in a non-smoking zone, she had thought; it was a matter of principle. However, when he looked up now, Xie Qingying could only think about how a man with such an extremely handsome face could be forgiven no matter what he did. Xie Qingying chided herself for being so childish and managed to shake his hand graciously. ¡°You are Major General Huo? It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you as well.¡±

    Hisrge hand was warm and the palm seemed to contain a scorching heat that she felt instantly. After a short moment, she finally said, ¡°Major General Huo, have you been feeling feverishtely? You¡¯re quite warm. You should maybe have some cooling soups to bnce it out.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯m ok; work¡¯s just been busytely.¡± He looked at the chuckling Speaker Long. ¡°Speaker Long, should we speak in the study?¡± He wasn¡¯t here to attend the party and expected Speaker Long to have business to discuss with him.

    Speaker Long scratched his head, at a loss for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s prompt manner. ¡°Yes, yes. Let¡¯s go talk in the study.¡± He winked at Xie Qingying. ¡°Qingying, please bring some barbecue meat for us. I¡¯ll have it in the study with Shaoheng as we chat.¡±

    ¡°Ok, Uncle.¡± Two dimples appeared when Xie Qingying smiled, quite simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent and followed Speaker Long to the study. People kept following him on the way or greeted Speaker Long. He merely nodded and smiled without speaking, then finally arrived at Speaker Long¡¯s study on the third floor. This was where Speaker Long conducted business as well as entertainment and it took up the entire floor. The entrance was guarded by personnel from the Secret Service, as the security protocols were very strict. Of course, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t require further security checks as one of the people with the highest clearance within the Huaxia Imperial Security System. There were only four others who held the same clearance as him in the entire Empire. He sat down in Speaker Long¡¯s study and the older man personally steeped a cup of tea for himself ¡°Here, have a cup. This is authentic Dahongpao tea made from leaves of the Dahongpao tree in the southern part of the Empire. I waited five years and only received a hundred grams of the leaves. I didn¡¯t even give it to my wife when she asked to try it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the cup but set it down with a wry smile as Speaker Long spoke. ¡°Speaker Long, don¡¯t set me up here. If you let me drink what even your wife can¡¯t have even when she¡¯d asked for it, how much would she resent from now on?¡±

    ¡°How could that be? I didn¡¯t allow her to drink it and only gave it to you¡ªwhy would she get mad at you?¡± Speaker Long joked heartily as he sat across from him and took a sip happily. He closed his eyes to enjoy the sweet richness of authentic Dahongpao tea.

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°You¡¯d better not mention it. If you do then your wife will not get angry at you, but at me. She¡¯ll hate me for drinking what she wanted but cannot have.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t win against you.¡± Speaker Longughed freely. ¡°Fine, I was only joking with you. It was an exaggeration! Did you really believe me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally raised the cup again to sip from and smiled. ¡°Good thing that¡¯s a joke. It¡¯s an honour earned from three past lives that I can drink Speaker Long¡¯s Dahongpao.¡±

    ¡°Look at you, making jokes now too!¡± Speaker Long guffawed loudly, the full sound echoing throughout the room.

    Huo Shaoheng raised the cup to him, ¡°Speaker Long, then I¡¯ll toast with tea in lieu of wine. A full cup.¡±

    ¡°A toast is just a sip, what do you mean a full cup?¡± Speaker Long ribbed him yfully. After chatting some more, the older man finally delved into the main topic.

    ¡°Shaoheng, I called you in all of a sudden because it¡¯s the weekend and you should rx. Eat and drink with everyone instead of only focusing on work!¡± Speaker Long urged passionately. ¡°You know that the Senate is assessing next year¡¯s budget, as well as personnel promotions and demotions. Among the numerous high ranking military officials, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s still single. That¡¯s not good! It will negatively impact your future career prospects.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng carefully set the cup back on the coffee table. He replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m currently considering my personal situation. I ask that Speaker Long not worry.¡±

    Speaker Long didn¡¯t get to reply as someone spoke through the inte. ¡°Is Speaker Long inside? General Ji is here.¡±

    ¡°Let him in!¡± Speaker Long rose from his seat.

    The study door opened and General Ji strode in. ¡°Old Long, you secretly called Shaoheng in? Why didn¡¯t you wait for me!¡±

    General Ji¡¯s voice was especially loud; the whole room seemed to shake as he spoke.

    Huo Shaoheng also rose and gave him a military salute. ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok, sit down. Don¡¯t be too courteous.¡± As he spoke, he sat down with Speaker Long to face Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng remained impassive as always.

    Speaker Long nced at him and then said to General Ji, ¡± I was just saying¡ªShaoheng¡¯s not even 30 yet but has a maturity rare for his age. You must have mentored him well!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t need you to tell me.¡± General Ji was extremely pleased with his judgement and took an envelope from his pocket; he ced it on the coffee table. ¡°Look, this is also a result of my judgement: Shaoheng, I had chosen you, out of all the other officials, to execute special assignments all those years ago and youpleted them sessfully. You rose within the ranks in no time. How could my judgement be wrong?¡±

    How could Huo Shaoheng even answer that? However, he could only force himself to try. ¡°You certainly didn¡¯t judge me mistakenly.¡±

    Speaker Long chuckled again. ¡°Ok, you two can stop putting on a show now. Old Ji, let¡¯s get to business.¡±

    ¡°Business has to do with the photos here.¡± General Ji tipped the envelope to spill out numerous photos of women. They were all very beautiful and elegant.

    Huo Shaoheng took a cursory nce. ¡°Are these missing persons?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± General Ji couldn¡¯t stand Huo Shaoheng¡¯s obliviousness. ¡°You only know how to be contrary with me! I¡¯ll be direct with you today: the military wishes for you to get married; these are just a portion of the suitable candidates for you. Choose well and then we will hold a matchmaking event with the remaining ones to get the single men in the military to participate. What do you think?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrow twitched as he picked up the teacup to sip from. ¡°I¡¯m already considering my personal situation so no matchmaking is necessary. However, there are indeed many single men in the Special Ops who need to sort out their own personal situations. I¡¯ll make sure they attend the matchmaking event.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, that¡¯s riching from you! You¡¯re trying to get out of this at the expense of your fellow soldiers?¡± Speaker Long snickered. ¡°Sly! You¡¯re too sly!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng merely smiled. He set down the teacup when he heard the door open again. Xie Qingying came in carrying arge tter of barbecued meat and bowls of side dishes. ¡± I¡¯m sure three must be hungry?¡±

    ¡°Qingying,e here! Greet Uncle Ji.¡± Speaker Long introduced her warmly to General Ji.

    Xie Qingying greeted him respectfully and divided the meat into three tes for the men. She set down the cutlery and sauces, arranging everything neatly on the table. ¡°Please enjoy your dinner. I¡¯ll be going now. Uncle, you can call for me if you need more. I¡¯ll ring it up.¡± Xie Qingying bowed before she left the study. She didn¡¯t look at Huo Shaoheng, yet he stared at her retreating back thoughtfully.

    General Ji and Speaker Long detected that the younger man seemed to react differently to Xie Qingying, so they shared a nce that said there might be something more. General Ji deliberately brought her up with Speaker Long. ¡°Old Long, I don¡¯t remember you telling me that you had a niece with the surname Xie? And she¡¯s all grown up too!¡±

    Speaker Long picked up his cutlery to spear a piece of meat and ate a whole skewer before answering, ¡°She¡¯s not actually my cousin¡¯s biological daughter.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that?¡±

    ¡°Her father is from a distant family branch of the Xie¡¯s. When all the Xie¡¯s emigrated many years ago, his branch went too. Xie Qingying was born abroad and her biological mother died early. Her father only remarried my cousin recently, so Xie Qingying is my cousin¡¯s stepdaughter. See, this is their family photo.¡± Speaker Long finished detailing theplicated rtionship and finally took out Xie Qingying¡¯s family photo. He had clearly prepared for this.

    Huo Shaoheng took it. There were two photos, one with Xie Qingying¡¯s biological parents holding a little girl and the second one of Xie Qingying¡¯s father and her step-mother¡ªXie Qingying was an adult in this one and sat with a polite smile next to her father. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were drawn to Xie Qingying¡¯s biological mother; it was apparent that she resembled her mother almost exactly.

    Gernal Ji frowned as he tried to understand. ¡°Oh, so the cousin who remarried was the one whose husband died a few years ago?¡±

    ¡°Right. Her husband died before they had children. Later, she went traveling abroad and met Qingying¡¯s father. They fell in love and got married.¡± Speaker Long looked over at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, Qingying grew up abroad and only came back to the Empire with her father and stepmother not long ago. Do you have some time to take her around?¡±

    General Ji quickly chimed in, ¡°Why not! How about you also take Piaohong and Miss Xie around the Imperial Capital?¡±

    General Ji and Speaker Long¡¯s agebined was over a hundred years old; Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to entertain the tasteless matchmaking of these old men. He said to Speaker Long, ¡°Miss Xie grew up abroad and holds foreign citizenship. ording to regtions, I can¡¯t interact with foreigners privately.¡± The Huaxia Empire truly had such regtions. Someone with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rank required the presence of a third party and had to make a post-interaction report to the rted departments if he wanted to interact with foreigners holding non-Huaxia citizenship.

    Speaker Long coughed. ¡°Their family already gave up their foreign citizenship to return to the Empire. You don¡¯t have to worry about that part.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried. I merely don¡¯t wish to vite national regtions,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly as he returned the two photos to Speaker Long. ¡°What¡¯s the name of Miss Xie¡¯s biological mother?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Speaker Long shrugged. ¡°Qingying will be back soon with more food though. Why don¡¯t you ask her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ok. I still have business. Thank you for the tea and food today, Speaker Long. I¡¯ll make sure to treat you next time.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and saluted General Ji once again.

    ¡°Fine, fine, you can go.¡± General Ji waved with a little smile. ¡°You have to put more effort into your personal situation, understand? Otherwise us old men will have to step in.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded to both of them and turned to exit. As he left the study, he ran into Xie Qingying again. She was carrying another tter of meat.

    ¡°Major General Huo, aren¡¯t you going to eat some more?¡±

    ¡°No thanks. I still have some business to attend.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded to her but suddenly brushed her shoulder gently. ¡°Sorry, there was a bug there.¡±

    Xie Qingying jolted in fear, nearly dropping the tray of meat. She stood therepletely rigid. ¡°A bug? Major General Huo? Did you get rid of it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s gone.¡± Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand and tightly gripped a strand of her hair in his palm. He bowed his head at her but just as he started to walk away, he remembered something and stopped in his tracks. Huo Shaoheng turned back to ask Xie Qingying, ¡°Miss Xie, what¡¯s the name of your birth mother?¡±

    ¡°Gu Tian.¡± Xie Qingying replied, blinking at the sudden question.

 Chapter 382 - The Only Clue

    <h4>Chapter 382: The Only Clue</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng appeared thoughtful. ¡°So your mother¡¯s name is ¡®Gu?¡¯¡±

    Xie Qingying thought Huo Shaoheng was referring to her calling Speaker Long, ¡°Uncle.¡± Sheposed herself and replied politely, ¡°My birth mother¡¯s name was ¡®Gu,¡¯ but my stepmother is a ¡®Long¡¯ so it¡¯s alright for me to call Speaker Long ¡®Uncle.¡¯¡± There was no consideration of kinship with marriages.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t know if Speaker Long had mentioned it before but my Grandmother was a ¡®Xie.¡¯ If that¡¯s the case, we may be rted.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Xie Qingying was surprised. ¡°I had no idea! Uncle has never mentioned this and I just arrived to the Empire from Europe with my father and stepmother a few days ago. I¡¯m still jetgged.¡±

    ¡°Then Miss Xie should really take some time to rest. I won¡¯t keep you any longer.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and strode away.

    However, Xie Qingying was still confused as she carried the tter of grilled meat to Speaker Long¡¯s study. ¡°Uncle, I just ran into Major General Huo in the hallway and he¡¯d asked what my birth mother¡¯s name was. Did you talk about me to him?¡±

    Speaker Long was overjoyed. ¡°He really asked you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xie Qingying couldn¡¯t help giggling at Speaker Long¡¯s pleasantly surprised expression. ¡°Why are you so happy. Did something good happen?¡±

    ¡°Something good? Oh, perhaps something good will indeed happen soon!¡± Speaker Long looked at the cup of Dahongpao tea and waved with dismissal, ¡°No more tea. Old Ji, we¡¯d better toast! Qingying, go find your aunt and tell her I want some Maotai wine. Where did she put it?¡±

    Xie Qingying stood up with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Aunt.¡±

    After she left, General Ji asked Speaker Long quietly, ¡°You think those two have something?¡±

    Speaker Long set down his tea. ¡°Actually, I¡¯d be both happy and worried if something happens between them.¡±

    General Ji thought about it for a moment and finally mused, ¡°Actually it¡¯s not thatplicated. Everything starts from an initial attraction. I think if they end up together, Nianzhi would end up being the matchmaker. What are you worried about?¡±

    ¡°Old Ji, you don¡¯t understand how people think at all. If they be a couple, that means Shaoheng has special feelings towards Gu Nianzhi. Otherwise how did you think he took a liking to Qingying so quickly?¡± Speaker Long shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m going to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn¡¯t make any mistakes!¡±

    General Ji¡¯s feelings towards Huo Shaoheng was different from Speaker Long¡¯s. Speaker Long was only considering national interests when it came to his treatment of Huo Shaoheng, while General Ji had watched Huo Shaoheng grow up and cared for him like a nephew. ¡°Old Long, honestly speaking I don¡¯t think Shaoheng and Nianzhi have anything going on. Even if they do, I won¡¯t oppose as long as we can prove Gu Nianzhi has a clean background.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t oppose?! So what if Gu Nianzhi has a clean background? She¡¯s been under the care of Shaoheng since she was 12. If others get wind of this what would they say about him? Don¡¯t you know that the pen is mightier than the sword?!¡± Speaker Long mmed the coffee table hard. ¡°You¡¯d know what I¡¯m talking about if you¡¯ve survived the perils of elections. Anything and everything will be magnified and used against him: the truth will be twisted beyond control.¡±

    ¡°Old Long, this is where we see things differently. A noble man has nothing to fear; let the naysayers screech all they want! We can¡¯t keep them silent anyway. When you have a conflict of interest with someone, they can fabricate your weaknesses even if you don¡¯t have any. Why worry about what people think?¡± General Ji waved his hand in dismissal. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Old Long. No matter what, we shouldn¡¯t argue anymore. We are both looking out for Shaoheng and he¡¯s an intelligent man. He won¡¯t disappoint us.¡±

    His expression darkening, Speaker Long considered it some more and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Fine then. Old Ji, you¡¯ve convinced me this time, but we have to make things clear now. Shaoheng¡¯s position in the military is crucial and his wife must be approved by the government and military. Also, she also has to go through the most stringent background checks. Do you agree?¡±

    ¡°I agree! Of course! Shaoheng knows the gravity of this matter. He will not marry someone he¡¯s not sure about. You can rest assured.¡± General Ji and Speaker Long put out their palms at the same time and struck each other in a promise. It had been decided.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng went back to his car gripping the strand of hair. His hand had been warm to begin with and was now damp with sweat. Worried that that he would contaminate the DNA, he said to Yin Shixiong in the car, ¡°Big Xiong, are there stic bags to hold evidence in the car?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we have some in the glovepartment.¡± Yin Shixiong reached over and opened thepartment to take out a small box. He opened it and took out a brand new stic bag.

    ¡°Give the whole box to me.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached his hand out and Yin Shixiong did as told. Huo Shaoheng opened the box and took out transparent stic gloves to put on, then used small tweezers to carefully move the stand of hair onto a piece of white tissue to absorb his sweat before finally cing into the stic bag.

    Yin Shixiong nced behind him but didn¡¯t ask anything. He looked straight ahead in silence. Everyone was quiet during the ride home and they quickly arrived at the Special Ops headquarters base. Instead of going back to his official residence, Huo Shaoheng called Chen Lie.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    Chen Lie had been busy doing DNA tests on the blood samples of all the ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s.¡± He had only just returned home to catch a few hours of sleep when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone call woke him up. Eyes closed as he covered himself in the nket, he yawned and said, ¡°Boss, you¡¯d better have something important to say to me. Otherwise there¡¯ll be serious consequences to waking me up!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him. ¡°I have something important to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Chen Lie barked.

    ¡°I got a hold of something and want you to do a DNA test on it.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused as his index finger mindlessly rapped on the side of the car window. The sound was especially jarring in the silent car.

    Chen Lie ripped his nkets off and sat up, one hand running through his messy hair. After a long silence he finally said, ¡°Where did you get it from? I¡¯m telling you, those people are all wrong! They have no rtion to Nianzhi! I¡¯ve tested many DNA fragments¡ªbasically everything by now. Where did you even hear that the name Gu Xiangwen has something to do with Nianzhi?¡±

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t divulge where he learned this from. ¡°ording to national securityws, I cannot divulge my sources of intelligence to you.¡±

    Chen Lie fumed. Fine, you can do whatever you want because of your high rank. He dragged himself out of bed and was in a downright foul mood but still agreed to the man¡¯s request. ¡°I¡¯ll go to theb right away. Where¡¯s your item? Can I at least know what it is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a strand of hair.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the small stic bag in front of him. ¡°Is that enough?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t have to worry about my skills.¡± Chen Liezily picked up his clothes from off the ground. He didn¡¯t bother brushing his hair before he ran out of his house to head to the military baseb. He saw Ye Zitan on the way. She was holding a thermos as she chatted happily with a tall and handsome man. Jealousy surged in Chen Lie¡¯s heart but he pretended not to see them and jogged right past.

    The man nced at Chen Lie¡¯s back then looked at Ye Zitan, unsure of what to say.

    Ye Zitan was in the middle of talking about something interesting that had happened at the hospital. ¡°I was making rounds and had just sat down for a break when someone opened the door to my office. He rushed in to bow at me and I was so surprised that I helped him up right away. I asked him what he was doing.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And then he told me about his illness and I felt so awkward!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Because he went into the wrong office and bowed to the wrong person!¡± Ye Zitan sputtered. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen his face. It was like he wanted to beat me up!¡±

    ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± The man nodded. ¡°As the saying goes, desperate patients will go to all the doctors. There have been cases of patients going into the wrong offices.¡±

    Ye Zitan sighed deeply. ¡°Dr. Hou is so understanding and has a good temper too. Patients love doctors like you.¡±

    The man was Hou Qingren. He had been sent from another hospital to the Imperial Capital Hospital to study and was especially friendly to Ye Zitan. ¡°Dr. Ye is being too kind. Why does it matter if a doctor is good tempered or not? As long as they can cure the patient then even the most ill tempered doctor is a life saver.¡± Hou Qingren was good with words and ttered Yi Zitan.

    ¡°Yes, yes, some people have bad tempers but their medical skills are unrivaled and subscribe to good ethics. What more can be asked for?¡± Ye Zitan said as she looked at the dormitory building up ahead.

    Hou Qingren smiled. ¡°I still haven¡¯t asked you: who is the thermos for?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s for Dr. Chen. He¡¯s been busy with military business for thest couple of days and I heard he hasn¡¯t een sleeping or eating properly. I happened to make some soup and wanted to give it to him.¡± Ye Zitan walked to Chen Lie¡¯s building and said to Hou Qingren, ¡°I don¡¯t even know if he likes soup.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Dr. Chen likes soup or not either but I do know he¡¯s not in the building.¡± Hou Qingren pointed with a smile.

    ¡°How can that be?¡± Ye Zitan was surprised. ¡°I recall that he¡¯s always slept in the dorm?¡±

    ¡°He just passed us by earlier¡ª he went that way.¡± Hou Qingren pointed to the other direction.

    ¡°Oh! Why didn¡¯t you tell me? I didn¡¯t even see him,¡± Ye Zitan said anxiously as she cradled the thermos with her right hand. She stood in thought for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯d better go take a look over there then. Dr. Chen is probably at theb.¡± Ye Zitan said goodbye to Hou Qingren and headed to theb.

    Hou Qingren sighed and shook his head before turning to leave.

    ...

    Chen Lie arrived at theb to see Huo Shaoheng already waiting at the door. He passed the stic bag over to Chen Lie as soon as he came. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. When can we expect the results by?¡±

    Chen Lie took the bag and said listlessly, ¡°Depends on what kind of result you want.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It depends on what kind of kinship we are testing for.¡± Chen Lie opened theb door to walk inside and put on the whiteb coat hanging on the wall. ¡°What kind of rtive is this? The mother?¡± Last time, they had tested to see if any of those people were Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father. This time, he assumed the hair would naturally be to test for her mother.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. ¡°No. This time I don¡¯t know what of rtionship it is. You can do any test you need.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± Chen Lie was upset. ¡°Are you setting me up? How could I test for that?¡± Immediate family was the easiest to test for but if the rtionship was unknown it was beyond difficult to test for.

    Huo Shaohen patted Chen Lie on the shoulder so hard he was nearly smacked to the ground. ¡°Chen Lie, I believe in you. You¡¯re so smart and capable! You¡¯ll definitely be able to find any simrities between this strand of hair and Nianzhi¡¯s to figure out their kinship. Right?¡±

    Chen Lie shot him a sidelong nce and then smirked. ¡°I never thought that the Boss wouldpliment me one day or that I would actually live to see the day! Fine. With your blessing I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Setting the instruments on theb bench, Chen Lie put the strand of hair inside to first extract the DNA sequence. He then went on to testprehensively andpare it with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA. This was the most urate method of testing because they weren¡¯t certain on the kinship status. It had been much simpler before when he previously knew the kinship and was just using DNA testing to confirm it. Immediate family would have 99.5% or above in simrity in DNA sequences. If the simrity was below this it meant it was not immediate family.

    Huo Shaoheng reminded him, ¡°This time it¡¯s not immediate family, but cousins¡ªif they have any connection that is.¡±

    Chen Lie shook his head wearily. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that. We¡¯ll let the DNA speak for itself!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he folded his hands behind his back and walked over. He cocked his head and watched Chen Lie skillfully use the instruments.

    Soon after, Ye Zitan¡¯s voice sounded from behind them. ¡°Oh? Mr. Huo is here too?¡± Ye Zitan came over holding the same thermos.

    Chen Lie wanted to turn around but felt pained when he recalled the earlier scene. He diligently continued his experiment with a stiff neck. Huo Shaoheng looked at Ye Zitan, then at Chen Lie¡¯s awkward posture. He grinned as he said to Ye Zitan, ¡°Dr. Ye is here, are you giving food to Dr. Chen?¡±

    Ye Zitan was feeling awkward because Chen Lie was ignoring her. She¡¯d meant to leave right after but couldn¡¯t bear herself to. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words gave her an excuse. She brought the thermos over and nodded. ¡°Yes, I saw that Dr. Chen hadn¡¯t been able to eat or sleep properly thest few days, so I¡¯ve made some soup for him.

    Chen Lie¡¯s ears perked but he refused to turn around. Huo Shaoheng cast him an amused look and said, ¡°Oh, maybe Dr. Chen doesn¡¯t want any soup. Well, I on the otherhand happen to be hungry. Give it to me and I promise to finish it.¡±

    ¡°Get out of here!¡± Chen Lie suddenly turned around to grab the thermos from Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Go home if you¡¯re hungry. Why are you stealing my food?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to eat it so, I epted it for you. Fine, since you want it so bad, why don¡¯t you ask for it straight?¡± He winked at Chen Lie then pat Ye Zitan¡¯s shoulder before leaving theb.

    Chen Lie shouted after him, ¡°Just get out won¡¯t you! Why do you have to be so obnoxious?¡± He was irritated that Huo Shaoheng touched Ye Zitan.

    Ye Zitan hastily interjected. ¡°Dr. Chen, Mr. Huo doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions, so don¡¯t speak to him like that. Here, do you want some soup?¡± Chen Lie¡¯s annoyance waspletely forgotten by Ye Zitan¡¯s soothing words. He smiled foolishly at the table as he watched Ye Zitan set out utensils for him to eat and appeared especially happy.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around before leaving theb and smiled at the scene as he walked out.

    Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for Huo Shaoheng toe home but hadn¡¯t heard anything even by midnight. He had not shown up the whole weekend and hadn¡¯te home once either. Gu Nianzhi went back to campus Sunday night in a bad mood. Why had he sent someone to pick her up if he hadn¡¯t even nned on seeing her? What was he trying to say?

    Huo Shaoheng had spent thest two days eating and sleeping at theb in order to oversee Chen Lie¡¯s experiment. By Sunday night, the DNA test was finallyplete. Chen Lie looked at the results and carried a thick stack of paper over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office. He knocked on the door. ¡°Boss, we have results.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and although his expression remained stoic, his hands trembled slightly with excitement.

    Chen Liepletely missed this because he was also excited. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s been six years and we have finally found someone rted to Nianzhi!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Did you determine what kind of rtionship they have?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s from her father¡¯s side, this should be her cousin, ¡± Chen Lie said shakily. ¡°If it¡¯s from her mother¡¯s side, it will be moreplicated. Boss, tell me: is this is on the paternal side?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flipped through the report and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m guessing so.¡± If there really was a kinship, then Xie Qingying¡¯s birth mother, Gu Tian, was probably Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father¡¯s sister.¡± Since they had results, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t need to conceal anything from Chen Lie and so told him about Xie Qingying¡¯s situation.

    Chen Lie was floored. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then this is as good as gold! DNA testing can determine immediate family, plus we know they have simr appearances¡ªthis has got to be it.¡± He asked, ¡°What about Gu Tian? If we can find her we can find Gu Xiangwen too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the tricky part.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed deeply. ¡°Gu Tian died a long time ago.¡±

    Chen Lie stared at him in disbelief.

    ¡°How did she die? Did we confirm this?¡±

    ¡°Over the past two days I had Little Ze help me figure it out; I had also called my cousin in Europe to ask about Xie Qingying¡¯s mother¡± The cousin Huo Shaoheng was referring to was his grandmother, Xie Ziyan¡¯s, nephew.

    ¡°What did he say? If Gu Tian had lmarried into the Xie family, the Xie¡¯s must know everything about her, yes?¡± Chen Lie asked eagerly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head with a frown. ¡°Xie Qingying¡¯s father and my cousin¡¯s family are many generations apart and are not close knit at all. But the Xie¡¯s are very traditional with their ways and keep everyone on the same family registry, so I guess they are still considered rtives.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So your cousin doesn¡¯t know about Gu Tian?¡±

    ¡°My cousin¡¯s family attended their wedding twenty something years ago and has some memory of her. He remembers she was sickly and died a month after giving birth.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out his own investigation results. ¡°So our only clue right now is Xie Qingying¡¯s father, Xie Dezhao.¡±

 Chapter 383 - Chasing the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 383: Chasing the Truth</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Xie Dezhao must know all about the Gu¡¯s if he married Gu Tian.¡± Chen Lie sighed deeply. ¡°We finally found them.¡± He paused for a moment then said, ¡°Do the Gu¡¯s not live in the Empire?¡±

    ¡°No, my cousin said Xie Dezhao and his first wife met and married abroad. They were also born and raised there.¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly.

    Chen Lie sensed something was amiss and turned to ask him, ¡°What is it? Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking that if Nianzhi really was the Gu¡¯s daughter, then she... might not be a Huaxia citizen.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the stack of information thoughtfully. ¡°She probably appeared in our nation when her family took her her to travel or visit friends and family¡ª and then something happened. But why hasn¡¯t anyone looked for her in all these years?¡±

    ¡°I agree. We checked the missing person¡¯s records back then and there¡¯s was not a single case that matched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation.¡± Where was her family? They clearly knew she was missing, but why had they not looked for her? With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s authority and familiarity of the Huaxia Imperial customs system, he would have known if someone had crossed into the border.

    ¡°I forgot to check one thing.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression changed. ¡°If Nianzhi is a foreigner, then customs must have the border entries! Back then, we only looked for police reports across the nation, but we hadn¡¯t looked for her name in the border records.¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought she was a foreigner?¡± Chen Lie smiled wryly. ¡°I still remember: at the time, she was like an alert little animal who refused to speak. But as soon as she spoke, it was fluent Chinese. She had no hint of any foreign ents.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up immediately. ¡°Repeat the experiment again; let¡¯s hope for the same results. I¡¯ll go look for Little Ze.¡± Rushing out of Chen Lie¡¯sb, Huo Shaoheng returned to his office and said to Zhao Liangze, who was waiting there, ¡°Immediately check all the customs border entries from six years ago, before Nianzhi appeared. See if there¡¯s someone with her name.¡±

    Zhao Lingze exhaled sharply and stood up. ¡°Mr. Huo! Have you found Nianzhi¡¯s family?!¡±

    ¡°Not yet. But I hope it¡¯ll be soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked past him. ¡°Investigate carefully and don¡¯t let anything slip past you. I want to know who brought her through the borders at the time.¡± Six years ago, Gu Nianzhi had only been 12 years old so she couldn¡¯t havee by herself. Even if she hade alone, there should have been a traceable authorization from her family to allow the air attendants to care for her.

    Zhao Liangze grew excited. ¡°I¡¯ll go check right now!¡± Using a special database, he was able to quickly search for names in the endless sea of information. Nothing would slip past and it was much more efficient than searching manually. Zhao Liangze and Chen Lie worked in tandem while Huo Shaoheng dispatched any support necessary. From the Customs Border Agency to temporary foreigner registrations at local agencies, they were able to obtain any information requested. If they came across any resistance, Huo Shaoheng personally called their management. With green lights all the way, everyone was able to work extremely quickly.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng took it upon himself to find time to meet Xie Qingying¡¯s father, Xie Dezhao. When Speaker Long received Huo Shaoheng call asking to meet Xie Dezhao, he grinned widely. ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re truly efficient! It¡¯s only been a few days and you already want to meet her father? Have you even asked Qingying out yet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Speaker Long misunderstood what was going on but he didn¡¯t bother exining too much. He merelyughed. ¡°Speaker Long, this is for business. We need to cooperate with Mr. Xie for official matters and I was hoping that Speaker Long could help pass the message?¡± He held the phone tighter. ¡°It¡¯s not formal. We can even meet at the cafe by your house.¡±

    ¡°Meet at the cafe? Are you asking the wrong person? Shouldn¡¯t you be asking Qingying out? Why ask for her father instead?¡± Speaker Long was delighted and couldn¡¯t help pping the desk with his free hand as he chuckled heartily.

    Huo Shaoheng merely waited on the other line before saying, ¡°Do you have his contact information? I¡¯ll ask my personal secretary to arrange a time with him.¡±

    ¡°Is this really for business?¡± Speaker Long grew serious. ¡°Can you tell me what this is about?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated for a second. He knew it wasn¡¯t the right time to divulge any information to Speaker Long. Also, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past needed to remain strictly confidential so he didn¡¯t want to say anything until he possessed indisputable evidence. ¡°It¡¯s just a routine investigation.¡± Huo Shaoheng added: ¡°The Special Operations Forces has the right to contact any foreigners entering the nation at any time.¡±

    Speaker Long sensed that there was more to situation but didn¡¯t urge Huo Shaoheng since he knew it wasn¡¯t the right opportunity. He merely said, ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll pass the message and you guys can sort out the time and location.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Speaker Long.¡± Huo Shaoheng set down the phone and called Yin Shixiong over to help him set up a time to speak with Xie Dezhao. Yin Shixiong began looking for his contact as soon as he received themand.

    ...

    Xie Dezhao was a man nearing his 50¡¯s with a slim build and elegant face. His skin and figure were in great shape. When he received a call from the Special Operations Forces, he was running on the treadmill. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± Xie Dezhao frowned and stopped the machine, taking the towel hanging around his neck to wipe sweat off. Stepping off, he sat on the sofa in the corner and drank a cup of lightly salted water to replenish himself.

    Yin Shixiong answered politely over the phone, ¡°May I ask if this is Mr. Xie Dezhao?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is. Who is this?¡± Xiw Dezhao repeated his question with some annoyance. He figured that it was a telemarketer. Just when Xie Dezhao was about to hang up, Yin Shixiong spoke again, ¡°I am Yin Shixiong, Personal Secretary for Major General Huo of the Special Operations Forces. Major General Huo would like to have a discussion with you. May I ask what day you would be avable for us to book a time for?¡±

    ¡°Special Operations Forces?¡± Xie Dezhao instantly recalled what Speaker Long had mentioned. He hadn¡¯t expected to get a call so soon. After a moment of unease, he quicklyposed himself. Anyone would be nervous to receive an invitation to chat with such an organization, but after carefully thinking about it, he knew he hadn¡¯t done anything immoral; there was no need to worry about the meeting.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m free on all days. I can go with whatever Major General Huo arranges.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Yin Shixiong rxed. ¡°We hope to book a time as soon as possible. How about this¡ªdo you have time this evening? Around 7 or 8pm?¡±

    ¡°That early?¡± Xie Dezhao paused. He was curious as to what Huo Shaoheng would say to him.

    ¡°Right, our Chief is normally very busy with work. He happens to be free this evening.¡± Yin Shixiongughed but didn¡¯t allow room for Xie Dezhao to refuse. ¡°Let¡¯s meet at the European-style cafe near Speaker Long¡¯s house. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Ok, no problem.¡± Xie Dezhao let his posture rx. He hadn¡¯t been to that cafe before, but since it was close to Speaker Long¡¯s home he was sure that it would be a highly secure ce. He was reassured of its safety. Aftering ending the call, he went to shower then nned for an early dinner.

    When Xie Qingying returned home, she saw that dinner was already served and asked with surprise, ¡°Dad, why are we eating so early tonight?¡±

    ¡°I have to go outter tonight,¡± Xie Dezhao said with a smile. ¡°Major General Huo of the Special Operations Forces invited me for a chat at a cafe and I don¡¯t want to bete. So, we¡¯re going to have an early dinner and I¡¯ll wait there ahead of time for him.¡±

    Xie Qingying froze. ¡°Major General Huo? You mean, Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    ¡°Yes, do you know him too?¡± Xie Dezhao was even more reassured, ¡°So he¡¯s someone we know. In that case, I have nothing to be nervous about.¡±

    Xie Qingying nibbled on the end of her chopstick thoughtfully for a while as she contemted why Huo Shaoheng would invite her father for a chat. She also recalled how he had suddenly called after her the other day to ask about her biological mother¡¯s name¡ªsomething felt strange. ¡°Dad, can you take me too? I won¡¯t show my face and I¡¯ll wait for you from the sidelines.¡±

 Chapter 384 - The First Glimpse

    <h4>Chapter 384: The First Glimpse</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Xie Dezhao agreed with a smile but made sure to remind her, ¡°Your uncle made it clear that the Special Operations Forces is not a regr branch of the military. We just came back from abroad, so we must be careful to not get in trouble. It can make things difficult for your uncle.¡± The truth was, Xie Dezhao¡¯s marriage was not strong enough to bring their two families close together. This was the second marriage for both of them and they also didn¡¯t have a child together, so it wasn¡¯t a particrly powerful union. Fortunately, Xie Dezhao didn¡¯t need to rely on Speaker Long for any benefits: the two families got along well for now and grew closer together gradually. Xie Qingying agreed immediately and went back to her room to dress after a quick dinner. Because she didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to know she was going to be there too, she went to the cafe early. However, she didn¡¯t realize that with the nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work, the entire cafe would be monitored if he was going to be meeting Xie Dezhao. It would be impossible for Xie Qingying to ambush him.

    Huo Shaoheng was still on his way to the cafe when the personnel monitoring it notified Zhao Liangze that Xie Dezhao¡¯s daughter, Xie Qingying, has gotten there early and was dining at the table behind a screen. Zhao Liangze forwarded it Huo Shaoheng and then called him as well. ¡°Mr. Huo, Miss Xie also went to the cafe. Do we need to escort her out?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered it and finally said, calmly, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, just keep an eye on her. We won¡¯t be asking him anything ssified today, it¡¯ll be general and likely not even more than five minutes.¡±

    Zhao Liangze received themand and passed it onto the personnel at the cafe so they could watch Xie Qingyin and prevent her from interfering.

    ...

    Xie Dezhao entered the European-style cafe near Speaker Long¡¯s home. ¡°Sir, do you have a reservation?¡± An elegantly dressed hostess walked over and bowed at him. Xie Dezhao nced around to see the cafe appeared very European to even someone who had lived there like him. There were many foreigners present as well as Huaxia people who had returned from abroad. It seemed that the cafe owner probably came from Europe themself.

    Xie Dezhao smiled at the waitress and said, ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m waiting for someone...¡± he trailed off as he looked around.

    ¡°Are you waiting for Mr. Huo?¡± The waitress bowed slightly. ¡°Mr. Huo made a reservation. Please follow me.¡±

    Xie Dezhao was a little surprised. He had thought they would be talking in the lobby. He hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to book a private room.

    Xie Qingyin watched her father follow the waitress into the private room and grew nervous. Why had she even bothering along then? She¡¯d nned on listening from the corner. Xie Qingying listlessly ordered a seafood pae and ate alone behind the screen. The European style cafe also offered simply fare for the evening menu and the pae was very authentic. As she was digging into the food, Huo Shaoheng arrived at the cafe. He wore a navy wool casual uniform, his shoulders broad and his build especially strapping in the getup.

    Xie Qingying peeked over from behind the screen to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stride by, her gaze heavy. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. After Huo Shaoheng walked past, she finally realized she was feeling suffocated and massaged her neck. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the te of pae before her which, for some reason, seemedckluster now.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door to the VIP room and saw an elegant man sitting at the table. He appeared well taken care of for his age. Huo Shaoheng could discern the features typical to the Xie family, such as a slim and austere nose that looked finely sculpted, deep set eyes, and strong eyebrows. The man was rxed yet sharp, although his features were not as handsome as those of direct Xie lineage.

    Huo Shaoheng approached him slowly and stood before Xie Dezhao, chin slightly raised as he asked, ¡°Are you Mr. Xie Dezhao?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. Are you Major General Huo?¡± Xie Dezhao was suddenly taken aback when he saw Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was very amicable; there was not a trace of aggressiveness in his gentle eyes, yet Xie Dezhao had a strange feeling of breathlessness.

    ¡°Yes, please have a seat.¡± Huo Shaoheng motioned for Xie Dezhao to sit down and sat opposite to him. The waitress serving their room came in to ask for their orders. Huo Shaoheng ordered a Jamaican Blue Mountain ck coffee and a ck forest cake. Xie Dezhao ordered a cappino with cream and sugar, as well as a tiramisu. The waitress quickly served the orders and the two men began chatting idly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to find such authentic cappino here, and yet look at how fine the milk foam is!¡± Xie Dezhao couldn¡¯t stop raving about the coffee, and then went on toment about the delicious tiramisu.

    Huo Shaoheng only drank coffee; he hadn¡¯t touched his ck forest cake at all. He nodded. ¡°This coffee is well roasted.¡± The two men talked for a while and took a long time before delving into the main topic. It was as though they had beenpeting to be the most patient.

    Xie Dezhao finally coulnd¡¯t hold it back anymore and pushed aside his cup with a frown. ¡°Major General Huo, I¡¯m assuming you didn¡¯t invite me to just chat about coffee?¡±

    Huo Shapheng smiled faintly without giving a clear answer. ¡°If we are here for a chat, that means anything can be a topic. That includes coffee.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m done talking. Coffee, cake, and yes, although this tiramisu is pretty good, it¡¯s not as good as what my daughter makes. She makes exceptional tiramisu. I¡¯ll have to invite Major General Huo to try it in the future!¡± Xie Dezhao lit up at the mention of his daughter.

    He was finally talking about his daughter. Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly, his eyes serious. ¡°Your daughter? Is that Miss Xie Qingying? She gets along well with Mrs. Long; how nice.¡±

    ¡°My wife is also a great woman. She treats Qingying like her own. Speaker Long and his wife care for us like family as well.¡± Xie Dezhao praised his wife without reservations. His second wife was younger than him by seven or eight years, but they were both over 40 and weren¡¯t considered arge age gap couple.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Speaker Long¡¯s cousin? I¡¯ve met her once! She seems like a good person.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we met in Europe; she¡¯d been sketching alone in the rural area. There was a big rainstorm and she couldn¡¯t leave in time, so she stayed at my ce for the night.¡± Xie Dezhao reminisced about meeting his second wife and his expression visibly rxed. He wasn¡¯t as nervous anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng finally delved into the main topguidly. ¡°Are you nning to have more children? As far as I know, you only have one daughter, Miss Xie Qingying, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Children...¡± Xie Dezhao¡¯s beautiful memories were disrupted by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mention of children. He frowned and looked away at the abstract painting on the wall. ¡°I¡¯m already at this age now. It¡¯s time for me to enjoy time with grandchildren. Why would I want more children?¡±

    ¡°What if your wife wants one?¡± Huo Shaoheng templed his hands on the coffee table and broke down Xie Dezhao¡¯s emotional defenses one at a time.

    ¡°My wife? I don¡¯t think so.¡± Xie Dezhao¡¯s frown grew deeper as he said, ¡°We¡¯ve never talked about this and maybe we don¡¯t need to talk about it. Neither of us are young. I¡¯m almost 50 and she¡¯s over 40. Could we even have children?¡±

    ¡°If both of you are healthy. It¡¯s not umon for women in their forties to get pregnant.¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled as he sipped the coffee. The magic of coffee was that the bitter drink somehow had a sweet aftertaste. The first taste was bitter, the second was unique, the third was sweet and the fourth was addictive.

    Xie Dezhao curled his hands into fists, agitated. ¡°No...No! We don¡¯t want children! Giving birth destroys a woman¡¯s health! I never want to make a woman have birth again for the rest of my life!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had learned from his cousin in the Xie family that Xie Dezhao¡¯s first wife, Gu Tian, had copsed after having a child. Her immune system had shut down and she died from a minor cold the first month after her baby was born. This was Xie Dezhao¡¯splex and the reason why he¡¯d waited over 20 years to remarry. Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t a psychiatrist and his goal wasn¡¯t to help Xie Dezhao resolve his trauma. All he wanted to know was where Gu Tian hade from and what her family was like. ¡°Mr. Xie, I can¡¯t say I agree. Most women give birth normally.¡± Huo Shaoheng began tapping his finger on the coffee table.

    Xie Dezhaopsed into his memories and was almost hypnotized by the rhythmic tapping he mumbled, ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand. Qingying¡¯s mother, it was because she¡¯d wanted a child. She had poor health and I knew about it so I told her we didn¡¯t need to have children. The Xie¡¯s are such arge family, so it didn¡¯t matter if we had children or not. But she didn¡¯t listen and insisted on giving birth.¡±

    ¡°Really? Miss Xie¡¯s mother was in poor health? Did you know this even when you married her?¡± Huo Shaoheng forced the topic on.

    Xie Dezhao nodded in despair. ¡°I knew it, but I loved her anyway so we got married. She was so happy and didn¡¯t tell me she¡¯d gotten pregnant, just to surprise me. She¡¯d told me not to worry because her older brother had prepared something for her so that she could give birth without any problems.¡±

    ¡°Her older brother? Your first wife¡¯s brother? Who is she? What¡¯s his name?¡± Huo Shaoheng also grew anxious. Although he appeared calm, he could feel his heart shaking rapidly.

    ¡°Her brother was Gu Xiangwen! You don¡¯t know such a famous person?¡± Xie Dezhao looked up and his tone carried some disdain. ¡°What a wonderful brother who loved his sister so much... that he couldn¡¯t even help her as she was dying!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his fist tightly, quietly watching Xie Dezhao in silence.

    Xie Dezhao was chilled by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze and didn¡¯t dare meet his eyes anymore. He turned away and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m too angry and I know I shouldn¡¯t talk about him like that.¡±

    Huo Shaohengposed himself and interjected. ¡°You said Gu Xiangwen is famous? In what way? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of this name.¡±

    Xie Dezhao weighed his words and reaction to make sure he wasn¡¯t lying. He frowned in thought before finally saying, ¡°Well, that was me overthinking. Gu Xiangwen is famous abroad. However, in the Empire, people who¡¯ve heard of him don¡¯t know him by that name.¡±

    ¡°Then by what name?¡± Huo Shaoheng grew excited. It was no wonder that hadn¡¯t found anything after all those investigations.

    Xie Dezhao picked up a pen from the coffee table and wrote ¡°Kevin Ku¡± on the napkin. ¡°This is his English name and what he uses to publish papers. You can find it all online.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the napkin from him and nced at it casually before setting it aside like it was nothing. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s an academic? In what field?¡±

    ¡°That I¡¯m not too sure about. I just know that he has many patents that are widely used abroad. Even though he¡¯s very low key, his wealth is extraordinary, so he¡¯s considered an inconspicuously wealthy person.¡± Xie Dezhao said this nonchntly. The Xie¡¯s certainly didn¡¯t look up to other people¡¯s money. The truth was, if it wasn¡¯t for Gu Tian¡¯s rich brother supporting her, she would¡¯ve never had the chance to meet Xie Dezhao and marry him.

    ¡°Is that so? Then, are you still in contact with him now?¡± Huo Shaoheng said airily, ¡°Our nation may consider working with such an esteemed person.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Xie Dezhao¡¯s expression darkened as he sneered with contempt. ¡°So what if he¡¯s esteemed? He went back on his word and left his own sister to die. I wouldn¡¯t want anything to do with him no matter how great he is! The truth was, I haven¡¯t contacted him since my wife died.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked confused.

    ¡°I beat him up 26 years ago at my wife¡¯s funeral and kicked him out. I never allowed him into our house again!¡± Xie Dezhao pped the coffee table, causing the tes to tter.

    ¡°So, you haven¡¯t contacted him for 26 years?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hopes fell. ¡°He never came to visit his own niece?¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t matter if he tried toe, since I never allowed him in. He tried to visit the first few years my wife passed away, but was always kicked out by me and eventually stoppeding. He then started sending Qingying gifts every birthday.¡± Xie Dezhao paused, a trace of concern in his voice. ¡°But ever since six years ago, he¡¯s never sent gifts to Qingying again.¡±

    Six years ago yet again. Just what had happened exactly? Huo Shaoheng was essentially certain that Gu Xiangwen was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, but he had never thought that Gu Xiangwen and Xie Dezhao would have had such a dispute between them that they hadn¡¯t spoken in over 20 years. As a result, Xie Dezhao had no idea what Gu Xiangwen had been doing for the past 20 something years. He also didn¡¯t know about his niece, Gu Nianzh, because she hadn¡¯t been born when they¡¯d had the fight.

 Chapter 385 - Is He Meeting the Parent?

    <h4>Chapter 385: Is He Meeting the Parent?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Holding cup of coffee, Huo Shaoheng quietly contemted for a while before asking about more details to see if Xie Dezhoa¡¯s words matched up. ¡°So...these past six years Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t send birthday gifts to your daughter, yet you weren¡¯t curious enough to check up on him?¡± Huo Shaoheng gazed at the ck coffee; he already nned to have Zhao Liangze search for ¡°Kevin Ku¡± online. ¡°Right, what type of research does he do? I¡¯m curious how, by simply receiving royalties from patents, he turned into an inconspicuously wealthy person. Are you exaggerating?¡±

    Xie Dezhao felt much better after cursing Gu Xiangwen. He drank his cappino and then said, ¡°Major General Huo, then this where you can learn a bit more. Intellectual property is a very lucrative business abroad; you can earn money while doing almost nothing!¡± Xie Dezhao eximed. ¡°Gu Xiangwen really was an incredibly capable person so I used to admire him alot. His parents died early in his life, so he led the family from a young age. He was so smart that he received schrships all throughout his academic career. He started his MD-PhD program when he was 16 andpleted it in three years, while it normally takes eight. He worked as a resident doctor for two years then became interested in physics and applied to the number one ranked PhD in Physics program at MIT. He graduated in only three years.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers trembled slightly. He knew only one other person who was so academically gifted¡ªGu Nianzhi. So this was something that could be gic, he thought. ¡°From medical doctor to PhD in Physics? That¡¯s quite the jump.¡± Huo Shaohengughed in disbelief.

    ¡°Well, you have to believe it. Although I abhor his character and hate him as a person, I can¡¯t say anything negative about his talents. He¡¯s truly a genius. For example, have you heard of Pratt-Whitney?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. He was all too familiar with thatpany. ¡°The US aircraft engine manufacturingpany?¡±

    ¡°Right! Major General Huo is truly impressive!¡± Xie Dezhaoplimented him with a smile. ¡°Thispany mainly produces turbofan engines for the military. Believe it or not however, an important patented technology used in it was created by Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gripped the coffee cup so tight his knuckles turned white. He recalled howplex the incredibly advanced aircraft engine blueprint found in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s backpack had been! It could be said that it was several generations more advanced than the best Pratt and Whitney engine. Could the blueprints have something to do with Gu Xiangwen? Huo Shaoheng wondered.

    He hadn¡¯t even recovered from the shocking news when Xie Dezhao said, ¡°Gu Xiangwen studied physics for three years, then after graduation he continued toplete his PhD in Biology. When I met his sister, Gu Tian, their family had already be unimaginably rich due to some countries financial support from the patents he had registered during his school years.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re really that wealthy? I¡¯ve never heard of this family.¡± Huo Shaoheng discreetly tapped into his phone to connect to Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°People who don¡¯t know of them can¡¯t even begin to imagine their level of wealth.¡± Xie Dezhao wasn¡¯t particrly impressed. Being a Xie, he came from an affluent family himself. ¡°They¡¯re very lowkey and never unt their wealth. Also, the Gu¡¯s are a small family with few rtives. It was only Gu Xiangwen and his two sisters¡ªthey weren¡¯t people who liked to show off.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen has another sister?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice raised slightly. ¡°So there¡¯s another one other than Gu Tian?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think her name was Gu Jing.¡± Xie Dezhao thought about it carefully. ¡°She was especially close to Gu Tian, but she also didn¡¯t live for very long. I heard that she also passed away a few years after Gu Tian died.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you haven¡¯t contacted Gu Xiangwen in over 20 years? How did you know that his other sister died?¡± Huo Shaoheng found this point illogical.

    Xie Dezhao gave him a strange look. ¡°I¡¯ve already exined this: he¡¯s very famous so he often published academic articles in elite international journals. He was a brilliant, charming, and refined man who cared for his family. His only w is that he ended up being untrustworthy and his bad character was a nuisance. Even though I didn¡¯t contact him and their family moved away from Europe, I could still see him publish articles in the journals from time to time¡ªbut that was it. I learned about the death of his other sister after Gu Tian passed. He wrote her a letter and mailed it to me so I could burn it at her grave.¡±

    ¡°You read the letter?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Xie Dezhao shrugged, ¡°He wrote on the letter that I could read it.¡±

    ¡°And what of the letter?¡±

    ¡°It was burnt in front of Gu Tian¡¯s grave of course.¡± Xie Dezhao answered gravely. ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word, unlike Gu Xiangwen. I burned it because I had promised to. There¡¯s no way I would have kept it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him with shock and then sipped from the cup again before standing up. ¡°Mr. Xie, thank you for speaking with me. I¡¯ll go back to investigate on Gu Xiangwen, but I may still need your help if I can¡¯t find anything.¡±

    Realization dawned on Xie Dezhao. ¡°You asked me out to talk about Gu Xiangwen?!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took his coat from the rack and while putting it on, said, ¡°This is very important to us. We hope for your continued cooperation.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Xie Dezhao looked at Huo Shaoheng in confusion. ¡°What did this untrustworthy guy do? Was he arrested for breaking thew? You see, he stopped sending Qingying birthday presents six years so so he might have been arrested back then.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly but his serious gaze was unfazed. ¡°With his intelligence, I don¡¯t think he would stoop down to breaking thew.¡± He looked at the clock. ¡°Well, our time is up.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed and opened the door to the private room.

    Xie Qingying appeared and spoke to him as soon as they entered the main lobby of the cafe. ¡°Major General Huo, have you seen my father?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked behind him, ¡°Your father is here.¡±

    Xie Dezhao followed behind Huo Shaoheng and appeared slightly embarrassed when Xie Qingying came over. ¡°Major General Huo, Qingying was only worried about me...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not as strict this time because it was only a private conversation and wasn¡¯t recorded. We will still have to invite Mr. Xie to our premises if we require anything further.¡±

    Xie Qingying walked up to her father¡¯s side and grabbed his arm anxiously. ¡°Major General Huo, my father has always abided by thew and has never done anything wrong.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smiled gently but then it disappeared from his handsome face in an instant. ¡°Miss Xie, your father is fine. I was only asking him about some information.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that so. I¡¯d been worried all night!¡± Xie Qingying wanted to thank the heavens. ¡°That¡¯s great that everything is fine!¡± She and her father smiled sincerely at Huo Shaoheng.

    Miao Yunxiao and Xu Piaohong had just entered the same cafe. They saw Huo Shaoheng, Xie Qingying, and Xie Dezhao standing in the hallway. The perfect scene was impossible to miss. Miao Yunxiao looked at Huo Shaoheng and was shocked when she recognized him as the man who came to visit Gu Nianzhi on campus. Who was the beautiful girl he was standing with? They appeared to get along well and smiled at each other, she observed.

    Xu Piaohong also witnessed it and her expression darkened. She thought against it but then walked up to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d meet you here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned and looked at her briefly before turning away. ¡°Miss Xu.¡± He then said to Xie Qingying and Xie Dezhao, ¡°I¡¯ve taken up both of your time today, I¡¯ll have to treat you to dinner the next time.¡± Although he desperately wanted to return to the headquarters base to investigate the go through the information from Xie Dezhao, he needed to appear rxed in front of others so as to not give them reason to suspect his motives.

    Miao Yunxiao widened her eyes at his formal attitude and was agitated. She pulled the corner of Xu Piaohong¡¯s shirt and asked Xie Qingying, ¡°Who is that?¡±

    Xu Piaohong knew of Xie Qingying from Speaker Long and had also seen her photo before. Now that she was seeing her in person, she realized that the woman was even prettier in person...and also resembled Gu Nianzhi somewhat. Now that¡¯s interesting, she thought. Xu Piaohong whispered, ¡°That¡¯s Speaker Long¡¯s rtive. Let¡¯s say hello.¡±

    ¡°Oh?! Speaker Long from the Senate?!¡± Miao Yunxiao yelped, ¡°Cousin, you actually know them so intimately!¡± This was far beyond the league for a family of Xu Piaohong¡¯s social ss. She was so nervous that she didn¡¯t know where to ce her hands or how to stand.

    ¡°So what? General Ji¡¯s wife treats me like a daughter. She always takes me out. Speaker Long also invited me to his home before.¡± Xu Piaohong said nonchntly as she approached Xie Qingying with a smile. ¡°Miss Xie, what a coincidence!¡±

    Xie Qingying nced at Xu Piaohong and vaguely recalled her face but didn¡¯t remember her name. She answered politely, ¡°Yes. You¡¯re here to have coffee too? Please do enjoy your time.¡±

    ¡°You were just... having coffee with Mr. Huo?¡± Xu Piaohong tried to stop herself from asking but failed in the end.

    Xie Qingying smiled at her without answering then took Xie Dezhao¡¯s arm. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s gettingte so we should go home.¡±

    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go.¡± Xie Dezhao nodded to both girls and walked out with his daughter.

    Miao Yunxiao and Xu Piaohong sat down in the cafe and ordered coffee and muffins to enjoy as they chat. Miao Yunxiao¡¯s eyes flickered to her cousin¡¯s face. ¡°Who was the man that Miss Xie and her father were talking with? Is he also from the military?¡±

    Xu Piaohong answered impatiently, ¡°That¡¯s the youngest Major General in our nation! How could you not know?¡±

    ¡°Major General?!¡± Miao Yunxiao exhaled sharply. ¡°Then that means his rank is even higher than Uncle¡¯s?! But he doesn¡¯t look even 30?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why he¡¯s remarkable: he¡¯s the youngest Major General!¡± Xu Piaohong rested her cheek in her hand as she ced her elbows on the coffee table, her expression dreamy.

    ¡°Cousin, you sound so smitten when you talk about him!¡± Miao Yunxiao smiled brightly and teased her. ¡°Pursue him if you like him! I think Uncle would agree for sure.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t only agree.¡± Xu Piaohong blushed, ¡°General Ji and his wife said that the military are supporting the match between me and Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°Oh?! Really?! That¡¯s great!¡± Miao Yunxiao was so happy that she almost fell out of her seat¡ªthis was more exciting than her finding a boyfriend for herself.

    ¡°Shush! Stop fretting over nothing; it¡¯s just begun.¡± Xu Piaohong quickly muffled Miao Yunxiao¡¯s mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t be a loudmouth about it. I won¡¯t forgive you if he finds out!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I promise I won¡¯t say anything right now.¡± Miao Yunxiao giggled. ¡°But, you¡¯ll let me talk about it once you¡¯re officially together right?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t win an argument against you, my darling!¡± Xu Piaohong stuffed a muffin happily into her cousin¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Still,¡± Miao said to herself as she brushed the crumbs off her mouth, ¡°why did that Miss Xie and her father meet Major General Huo earlier? It looked weird, like he was meeting the parent...¡± Miao Yunxiao decided to ignore that for now. At the moment, she felt very happy.

 Chapter 386 - Birth of the Male Idol

    <h4>Chapter 386: Birth of the Male Idol</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°They just met by chance right? How¡¯s that officially meeting each other¡¯s parents?¡± Xu Piaohong was unaffected. ¡°If their parents were really meeting, then it should happen at home. What¡¯s the deal with meeting in a cafe? Was there something wrong with their home?¡±

    ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re more argumentative than a realwyer. I can¡¯t win against you!¡± Miao Yunxiao muffled her giggles. ¡°You¡¯re right, the way things look now, it¡¯s not very sincere even if it¡¯s a real meeting between parents.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! My dad always says not to judge people or things from the surface: everything depends on the true essence.¡± Xu Piaohongughed as she sat down at a table by the window with Miao Yunxiao. Through the window, they caught a clear view of the outside.

    Huo Shaoheng, Xie Dezhao, and Xie Qingying hadn¡¯t left yet. They stood at the small tree-lined path by the cafe entrance. The golden street lights filtering through from the tree branches illuminated their faces. The beautiful coupleplemented each other like a stunning oil painting. Xu Piaohong remained quiet and looked down at the menu, while Miao Yunxiao discreetly took out her phone and took a photo of the warm and harmonious scene. Huo Shaoheng cast his eyes down to gaze at Xie Qingying quietly while Xie Dezhao smiled gently on the side. Although the streetlights were dim at night, Xie Qingying¡¯s blushing face was apparent. Her eyes were unnaturally bright.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng said goodbye to the Xie¡¯s as his own car arrived. He nodded at them before getting inside and saying to Fan Jian, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They quickly left the European-style cafe and headed towards the Special Operations Forces headquarters. Huo Shaoheng texted Zhao Liangze as soon as he got in the car to ask him to look up ¡°Kevin Ku¡± online.

    Zhao Liangze saw the message and called right away. ¡°Mr. Huo, is that the genius scientist Xie Dezhao told you about?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him. His Chinese name is Gu Xiangwen and his English name is Kevin Ku.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly sent the details over. ¡°Look him up right now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately used his own search engine to look for the man. When Huo Shaoheng returned to the Special Operations Forces headquarters, Zhao Liangze had already ced the results on his desk. ¡°Mr. Huo, is Gu Xiangwen really Kevin Ku? Is this real?!¡± Zhao Liangze followed Huo Shaoheng excitedly to his office. ¡°Oh my God! This is crazy!¡±

    ¡°Is he really that famous?¡± Huo Shaoheng removed his coat and hung it on the coat rack on his office wall before turning around to see a red-faced Zhao Liangze. He shook his head. ¡°So what if he is? What are you getting so excited for?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, how can I not be excited?¡± Zhao Liangze walked closer and whispered frantically, ¡°Mr. Huo, did you forget the previously abandoned Project B?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. A conflicted look shed across his face but he quicklyposed himself and went to sit down at his desk to read the information Zhao Liangze had gathered. He didn¡¯t look at the details but quickly browsed through the main points and nodded. ¡°So it¡¯s him. This person is indeed famous. Although, he doesn¡¯t publish papers as Kevin Ku but with the initials K.X.W.¡±

    ¡°Right, this seems more like a code than a name.¡± Zhao Liangze pointed to the information gathered as he exined to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°This K.X.W. is the most famous and mysterious figure in foreign military history. His patents not only include the core technology used in the most advanced military aircraft, but also various patents on semiconductors and superconductors. In material science, he also owns several widely used patents.¡± Even someone as well experienced as Huo Shaoheng was shocked to see the list of patents owned by ¡°K.X.W.¡± Beside all the military patents, there were many others that involved technology widely used by civilians, such as the core processors used in the chips of Apple phones. In other words, Apple had to pay the owner of the patent everytime it sold a phone in the world. Even if Apple only paid him 1 RMB per phone, it would be an understatement to say that Gu Xiangwen was a man of humble wealth just from the astronomical sales numbers by Apple.

    ¡°Our department had previously thought that this name represented a team and that their research results were collective efforts. If Xie Dezhao¡¯s words are true, that means we have topletely rehaul our intelligence work.¡± That was the reason for Zhao Liangze¡¯s excitement.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I knew about the code name K.X.W. He was the key to our n B.¡± It turned out that he had been so close yet so far away.

    ¡°But Mr. Huo...¡± Zhao Liangze scratched his head anxiously and then said, ¡°I checked online for all published and unpublished news on Gu Xiangwen and found that other than published academic papers and patent applications, there is basically no information about him.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Huo Shaoheng set down the papers. ¡°In what aspect?¡±

    ¡°For example, I wanted to search his resume, photos, or even biography, but there is very little information,¡± Zhao Liangze said as he broke into a grin. ¡°But then, I thought of something.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen disappeared from the public after he became famous and all his information was wiped out, but what about before he became famous? When he was still in school?¡± Zhao Liangze pointed to the bottom sheets in the stack, ¡°In order to find his school records, I had no choice but to use certain means to get inside the MIT intr.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. I had just wanted you to get the information for me.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze was secretly ted because he understood Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t going to pursue the matter. The Special Ops had an unwritten rule of ¡°Don¡¯t ask, don¡¯t tell.¡± In other words, not everything had to be spelled out.

    ¡°From here you can see a clear timeline of when Gu Xiangwen was in school.¡± Zhao Liangze ced a chart in front of Huo Shaoheng and pointed. ¡°Look at the timeline. It goes on until the year Gu Tian died and that¡¯s when all the evidence ends. I can¡¯t find out where he went after that, and there¡¯s nothing apart from an earth shattering paper he published as ¡®K.X.W.¡¯ several yearster.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Zhao Liangze¡¯s timeline and nodded. ¡°Interesting. Little Ze, you¡¯ve done a good job.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze was so pleased he flushed beet red, ¡°What other information do you need? Please tell me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at him, thinking it over.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you don¡¯t have to tell me. Looking at Gu Xiangwen¡¯s CV and thinking about our Nianzhi, he¡¯s the only man fit to be her father without a doubt!¡± Zhao Liangze knew Gu Xiangwen could only be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father. Now that it was apparent he was such an important figure in the academic world, he was so excited that he nearly rubbed his palms together and got ready to escort Gu Xiangwen to the Imperial Capital. He would be able to reunite with Gu Nianzhi and work with the military.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. ¡°That¡¯s wishful thinking.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Although we can¡¯t directly find out his address right now, we already have so many clues. It will take no time at all!¡± Zhao Liangze licked his lips. ¡°Do you want me to go try again?¡±

    ¡°You can try, but I don¡¯t think anything will turn up.¡± Huo Shaoheng set the information aside with a stony face.¡±Gu Wenxiang chose to live in istion 26 years ago. How can you find him so easily? Also, he¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s biological father, but why has there been no word from him for six years? Doesn¡¯t he know his daughter is missing?¡±

    This realization dawned on Zhao Liangze like a bucket of cold water to the head and he deted instantly. ¡°You mean that something could have happened to him? Zhao Liangze considered it for awhile and his expression changed when the worst possibility went through his head.

    Huo Shaoheng closed the file and closed his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everything remains to be seen and it¡¯s too early to make a conclusion.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not entirely unknown.¡± Zhao Liangze waved his arms. ¡°At least we have a direction and goal now. We won¡¯t be fumbling in the dark like the past six years!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up a ss of water and licked his dry lips. ¡°Alright, we have some progress with this so you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Let¡¯s just keep working away. If we can¡¯t find out anything I¡¯ll go to Xie Dezhao again. I don¡¯t believe that he has no way of contacting Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze answered loudly as he saluted more politely than usual.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him. ¡°Tell me, what do you want? The more polite the person, the more likely there is some request.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, how can you say that? You¡¯re my superior so why can¡¯t I be polite to you?¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled. ¡°But you are right. I do have something to ask.¡±

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow is Saturday and also Valentine¡¯s Day.¡± Zhao Liangze blushed as he continued, ¡°I want to take tomorrow off and shut off my phone for 24 hours. Will you allow that?¡± ording to the nature of their work, they must be on standby 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. Zhao Liangze in particr was responsible for maintaining the Special Op¡¯s central control system. Even when he had gone home for Lunar New Year, his work phone had remained connected in order to deal with unexpected events immediately. His request implied that his work phone was to be shut off.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and didn¡¯t ask anymore before nodding. ¡°Fine, you can shut your work phone off for 24 hours tomorrow. I¡¯ll take over the central control system.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze was so happy he nearly jumped. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be counting on you tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. ¡°Close the door when you leave.¡±

    Zhao Liangze saluted loudly before running out and shutting Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office door. Huo Shaoheng finally was able to carefully read over Zhao Liangze¡¯s search results and found some suspicious points he went on to investigate on the dark web.

    ...

    Friday night, the B University Faculty of Law female dormitory was engulfed in an atmosphere of rxation and cheerfulness; pink bubbles were practically floating in the air. The girls gathered in small groups to prepare for Valentine¡¯s Day the next day. This was the time to covertlypare against each other. Comparisons of whose boyfriend was the tallest, most handsome, wealthiest, most powerful¡ªthe girls wanted nothing more but to put their boyfriends¡¯ credentials in a rank and post on the hallway entrance for all to see. A male idol was born from being the tallest, most handsome, wealthiest, and most powerful.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi each held a box of popcorn and sat cross legged together on the sofa to watch an old movie in the living room. The two girls could practically recite the lines by heart now and the film score echoed throughout the room. Neither of them were actually listening because they were lost in their own thoughts. It didn¡¯t take long for Gu Nianzhi to finish her popcorn. She looked at their pantry and stood up to say to Ma Qiqi, ¡°We¡¯re out of food. Should we go buy more?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go right now!¡± Absent minded all night, Ma Qiqi immediately perked up. ¡°Where should we go?¡±

    ¡°The campus shops, where else?¡± Gu Nianzhi put on a down coat and left the dorm room with Ma Qiqi. The door to the room diagonal from them was ajar; waves ofughter sounded form within.

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s voice was especially crisp and melodic. ¡°Don¡¯t grab it! This is my cousin¡¯s future husband! Don¡¯t break my phone!¡±

    ¡°Will he really be her husband? But why is he with another woman?!¡±

    ¡°I already told you he¡¯s my cousin¡¯s future husband, but not right now. He¡¯s the youngest Major General in our nation and my uncle is the Deputy Chief of Staff. My cousin¡¯s background is befitting for him and the military has already promised to step in and set them up.¡± Miao Yunxiao said smugly, her voice dripping with pride.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed instantly when she stopped in front of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s dorm room. Miao Yunxiao felt an inexplicable satisfaction as soon as she caught a glimpse of Gu Nianzhi at her door. She waved her phone at her roommates. ¡°See for yourselves, isn¡¯t he so handsome? I say, what¡¯s the point of ranking male idols? Those guys put together are nothingpared to even Major General Huo¡¯s one finger!¡±

    At first Gu Nianzhi was merely dubious, but at this point there was no doubt that Miao Yunxiao was talking about Huo Shaoheng. She had spent thest week in torment. Huo Shaoheng had brushed her offst weekend and she hade back to campus instead of calling him to ask what happened. The whole week Huo Shaoheng only called her once and had hurriedly said a few words before she could even feel sorry for herself. Now it was Friday night and he still hadn¡¯t called her or told her about where she was staying for the weekend. Her mood was like a volcano that had been dormant for years, now at the final bursting point.

 Chapter 387 - Ill Go Ask Him

    <h4>Chapter 387: I¡¯ll Go Ask Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°How handsome!¡±

    ¡°Why is he looking so lovingly at that girl under the streetlights?!¡±

    ¡°Yunxiao, didn¡¯t you say this was the future husband of your cousin? Then who is that woman? She looks fairly old...¡±

    ¡°Yeah right! How is she old? She¡¯s mature! Understand? She¡¯s a goddess!¡± Miao Yunxiao¡¯s dorm room was crowded with other girls from the building. Everyone wasughing happily amongst each other and excitedly fought to look at her phone. Miao Yunxiao raised her arm high to clearly disy a picture on her iPhone¡ªunder the warm yellow streetmps, a couple looked at each other lovingly with a smile. The man was tall and mature, his breathlessly handsome side profile the only thing visible about him. The woman was slim and morous as she inclined her head to him, her face glowing with a smile. There was a middle-aged man by her side who had his hands in his trouser pockets as he watched the scene joyously. It truly resembled a happy family portrait.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her eyes sting and lips dry as she quietly stood by the door, staring at the phone screen Miao Yunxiao held.

    Miao Yunxiao turned to her with a snide smile, ¡°Hmm? ssmate Gu, what are you staring so intensely for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into fists and kept warning herself not to fight with Miao Yunxiao. She had to leave soon, but her legs seemed to have a mind of their own and refused to budge.

    Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t know what was happening so she poked her head curiously from behind Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What is it? What are you guys looking at?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re looking at the photo of my cousin¡¯s future husband!¡± Miao Yunxiao nodded at Ma Qiqi with a smile before snickering at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The military would never consider you, so what are you still daydreaming about!¡± Gu Nianzhi shot Miao Yunxiao a look icy enough to make her shiver. She shrunk back and mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong! My cousin told me herself that the military is introducing her to Major General Huo. General Ji is the matchmaker. Did you really think you had a chance?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in a daze. She didn¡¯t seem to understand what her former roommate was saying.

    It didn¡¯t ur to Gu Nianzhi until Miao Yunxiao continued to say, ¡°Actually, people should be grateful and understand their lot in life. It¡¯s not good to covet things that don¡¯t belong to you. Even if you can have him for a short time, he¡¯s just ying around with you. These men aren¡¯t stupid. They¡¯ll find women with backgrounds worthy of theirs to marry. You should study hard and find a good job after graduating, then find a good husband from the workce. That¡¯s the best path for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally realized what she meant and felt her blood surge hotly and mind start to buzz as she lunged towards Miao Yunxiao.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Miao Yunxiao shrieked as she backed away.

    Ma Qiqi was also shocked and quickly hugged Gu Nianzhi from behind to calm her down. ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Ignore her! She has a dirty mouth and dirty hands too!¡±

    Miao Yunxiao was furious from the insult and screamed back at Ma Qiqi as she kept dodging, ¡°Qiqi! Don¡¯t be fooled by her! Why do you think she kicked me out! That¡¯s because I found out about her affair!¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened and with a flip of her right hand she performed the maneuver Huo Shaoheng taught to escape from Ma Qiqi¡¯s arms. She slid out her feet to grasp onto Miao Yunxiao and used her left hand to secure the acupoint on the other girl¡¯s right shoulder. Miao Yunxiao wailed and her right hand holding opened, the phone falling straight for the ground. Gu Nianzhi quickly kicked with her right food to reach the falling phone then swiped her left hand to secure it in her hands. The students around her were shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s movements and stared at her.

    ¡°G-Gu Nianzhi, you know kung fu?¡± Miao Yunxiao¡¯s roommate stammered. ¡°What a perfect kick!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at her before looking down at the photo on the screen. It was really Huo Shaoheng, and a woman she didn¡¯t immediately recognize. However, she looked very familiar. She frowned as she carefully tried to recall if she had ever met this woman before; otherwise, why would she look so familiar?

    As she was trying to remember, Ma Qiqi came over and asked cautiously, ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t reply. She was still staring nkly at the photo on the phone.

    Ma Qiqi followed her gaze and saw it too. She peered at it curiously for a while and then said, ¡°Why does this woman look so familiar?¡± She looked around before resting her gaze on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Her angle of perspective was the same angle that the photo of the woman was taken at. ¡°Ha! Nianzhi! Don¡¯t you think that the woman in the photo looks a bit like you?!¡± Ma Qiqi cried out.

    The other students in the room surged over, their voices moring.

    ¡°Let me see!

    ¡°No, give it to me!¡±

    ¡°They do look alike!¡±

    ¡°Not really though? Nianzhi is more youthful and fresh faced! This woman looks very mature...¡± The students started analyzing it excitedly. Miao Yunxiao then also realized that the woman in the photo did indeed resemble Gu Nianzhi. Suppressing the jealousy in her heart, she rubbed her shoulder and said, ¡°So what if they look alike. She is just a recement, otherwise why would the esteemed Major General Huo stoop so low?¡± She stuck her hand out at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Give me back my phone!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly reached out to set Miao Yunxiao¡¯s phone back into her hand. The phone felt leaden, as though it could break her arm.

    ¡°Do you finally understand now? It¡¯s not toote to fix your mistakes.¡± Miao Yunxiao took her phone back and smirked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything harsh since you¡¯re so sad. We¡¯re all adults studyingw here, so of course we understand what is right and what is wrong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to keep her eyes open so that the bitter tears wouldn¡¯t fall.

    ¡°Miao Yunxiao, why can¡¯t you say things properly? Why do you need to imply nasty things all the time?¡± Gu Nianzhi replied in a hardened tone. ¡°You¡¯ve already said that we¡¯re all adults studyingw here, but how can you forgo the logic and reasoning we all must maintain as student at this academic level, and be such a sensationalist? This is just some stupid drama that you¡¯ve cooked up after seeing one photo. It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯re not studying to be a TV screenwriter. You have all this wasted talent.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao red up at Gu Nianzhi. To have the energy to bicker with her after seeing her lover with someone else! ¡°Stop putting up a front. We can all see that you¡¯re in the verge of tears. Cry if you want, we¡¯re all ssmates here so who¡¯llugh at you?¡± Miao Yunxiao said airily before turning back to her room. ¡°Ok now, I¡¯m not going to argue with you people anymore. I have ns tomorrow so I need to sleep early.¡± She shut her door with a bang.

    Everyone looked at each other. Miao Yunxiao¡¯s roommate said sheepishly, ¡°Ok, ok, there¡¯s nothing going on in here. Everyone go back and rest well, get some beauty sleep¡ªwe all have dates tomorrow!¡±

    Ma Qiqi held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as they left Miao Yunxiao¡¯s room. She felt that her palm was slick with cold sweat. ¡°Nianzhi, are you ok?¡± Ma Qiqi asked worriedly. ¡°How about we go back? I¡¯ll get you a cup of hot milk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was filled with the photo from earlier. Why had Huo Shaoheng looked at that woman that way? Why did she look like her? They appeared so harmonious and loving when they stood together. A giant rock seemed to lodge in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest; it prevented her from catching her breath. ¡°No...Qiqi...I can¡¯t stay with you tonight.¡± Gu Nianzhi squeezed her hand before murmuring, ¡°I-I have to go home. I won¡¯t go back to the room tonight.¡± She quickly walked back to her room to pack. She would return to the Special Operations Forces headquarters base and ask Huo Shaoheng what was going on. She wanted to question him about the photo, as well as how Miao Yunxiao had said that the military was introducing Huo Shaoheng to her cousin. She¡¯d already had suspicions in her mind before. Their time together had been very sweet ever since she confessed to him, but the growing shadow loomed over her head¡ªwhy wouldn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng publically announce their rtionship? Was there some insurmountable obstacle for them? If that was the case, she¡¯d rather he had let her go earlier, instead of dragging out their rtionship this way. Gu Nianzhi grit her teeth and tried not weep or fuss as she packed her bag. She only wanted to reason with him. Wiping the stray tears with the back of her hand, she hurriedly put herptop and personal items into a backpack before putting on a knee-length down coat and leaving the room.

    Ma Qiqi followed her into the elevator going downstairs. ¡°Nianzhi, are you ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held her friend¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I need to get clear answers about a few things. I¡¯d rather know I have to give up if it¡¯s really impossible.¡± She hugged Ma Qiqi and then walked into the darkness outside.

    Ma Qiqi hadn¡¯t thought that Gu Nianzhi had truly any romantic involvement with that ¡°Major General Huo¡± in the photo. She crossed her arms in front of the building, face etched with worry.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi briskly walked through the woods that loomed over the walkway. The early spring nights in the Imperial Capital were still very chilly, with snaking winds that blew at her face. Gu Nianzhi wrapped her entire face up with a scarf, revealing only her eyes to the cold. Her entire body was warm and her eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky. When she arrived at the campus entrance, she called a taxipany to ask them to take her to the Special Operations Forces headquarters base. However, when thepany heard the requested destination, they refused to send a vehicle out. Gu Nianzhi nearly threatened to sue if they denied to drive her. After arguing for a while, Gu Nianzhi got another call. She looked and saw that it was Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Have you gone to bed yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was especially soothing, tonight. Gu Nianzhi could feel her heart break.

    The tears she had been holding in all evening finally spilled out as she huddled in her coat against the bitter wind. She sobbed into the phone, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°ssmate, please don¡¯t talk on your phone at the campus entrance.¡± A security guard had been watching her for awhile and decided to ask her to leave. ¡°Either go in or leave. Why are you blocking the door?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily surprised when heard the guard¡¯s loud and abrasive voice. ¡°Nianzhi? Where are you right now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was forced away from the campus entrance and stood by the wall. She grit her teeth without answering and instead said, ¡°Huo Shao, I...I have something to ask you.¡±

 Chapter 388 - Are You Negotiating With Me?

    <h4>Chapter 388: Are You Negotiating With Me?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whimpers echoed in the cold night air, crisp as the finest porcin and chilling to the heart. The cold seeped through the phone to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ears. His hands shook as he moved the cursor to open the GPS to find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current location. Her lone figure appeared on therge screen. She stood at a wall beside the south entrance of B University and wore a knee-length down coat, backpack, and half her face tucked into her scarf. One hand pressed the phone to her ear and it was apparent that her skin was red from the cold. Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time. Couldn¡¯t she at least use a headset when making a call outside? Why did she have to get her hands cold? Silly child; she has loses all reason as soon as she gets angry, he thought sadly. Huo Shaoheng gazed at Gu Nianzhi on the screen and listened to her sobbing for a bit before asking, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where I am! I have something to ask you.¡± Gu Nianzhi sniffed. Though her voice trembled, she sounded steely.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back against the chair and said, ¡°Fine, but you have to go calm down in the dorm room first. I won¡¯t be speaking to you when you¡¯re like this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. She looked around frantically, but didn¡¯t notice any of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personnel nearby. She then looked up at the sky and pulled the hood of her coat down to cover her entire face. It was like she thought that by concealing her face, Huo Shaoheng won¡¯t be able to find her on the GPS.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help smiling when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s subconscious behavior. ¡°Go back to the dorm first.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t we talk now?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re angry right now and there¡¯s no reasoning with you,¡± Huo Shaoheng said before pressuring her. ¡°Hurry back and be good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbstruck when she understood Huo Shaoheng already knew where she was, ¡°So you¡¯ll ignore me if I don¡¯t go back to the dorm?¡± This was an attempt to ¡°reason¡± with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°You can give it a try.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone was quiet, but Gu Nianzhi could detect the veiled threat.

    Muffling the phone against her ear and leaning against the wall to the south entrance of B University, Gu Nianzhi felt very conflicted. She felt she couldn¡¯t appear weak because Huo Shaoheng always forced his ways and she always lost when it came to him. But then she thought: why should two lovers have to win against each other all the time? They were anything but enemies. She thought about it some more and wondered why she had to acquiesce all the time while Huo Shaoheng never seemed to be wrong about anything. Gu Nianzhi considered it quietly and knew she wasn¡¯t making a fuss over nothing this time¡ªthere was something that was truly troubling her. The photo was one thing, but the main cause of her anxiety was Miao Yunxiao saying that the military was setting Huo Shaoheng up. This was the true reason for her fear and unease. Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng viewed the military and national interests with the same importance. Gu Nianzhi was also well aware that she would never surpass the military and national interests in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind, but she had never been interested in vying for attention. She would be fine as long as everything could exist in harmony, but now, one thing was interfering with her. She could no longer determine which way Huo Shaoheng would lean. Perhaps Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t change his feelings towards her, but what if a greater level of interest forced hispliance? Gu Nianzhi gripped the phone and stayed quiet for awhile before mustering the courage to say, ¡°No, I¡¯m not going back. I have to see you, right now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his work at hand. The program the entire department had spent a month to create was running and as soon as it was paused or hackers learned of it, the consequences would be catastrophic. He had just assumed leadership of the IT team of the Special Operations Forces to defend against several attacks from across the ocean. In the invisible battlefield where the war always raged on, Huo Shaoheng had no way of leaving nor did he want to call a car to pick her up. He couldn¡¯t bear seeing her distressed face, but also knew he couldn¡¯t cater to all her silly whims. What would be of her if she became ustomed to running away after every argument? He needed to correct her poor behavior. Perhaps it was due to his nature as a senior rank or his feeling of responsibility for Gu Nianzhi regardless of his romantic feelings towards her, since he had practically raised her. Pursing his lips, he leaned forward slightly and looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s downcast eyes as she stood alone by the corner of the wall. He spoke without room for argument. ¡°Go back to the dorm room first. We can talk when you get back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes, voice more indignant that ever. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go back but you have to answer my question.¡±

    ¡°Go back first. You know that I never negotiate with people.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice grew even more stern.

    Gu Nianzhi became even more uncertain about her importance to him. She bit her lip so hard several marks appeared on the skin as she whispered weakly, ¡°What if I won¡¯t go back?¡±

    She isn¡¯t going to let this go. Huo Shaoheng rubbed his temples. Before he could make a decision, the central control system¡¯s rms rang once again when a wave of IP attacks appeared. Huo Shaoheng put on his headset and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Go back to the dorm room now, I¡¯ll call your room when I¡¯m finished with work. Bye.¡±

    After the call ended, Gu Nianzhi pulled down the scarf covering her face and stared off at the night sky nkly. She just heard rms go off in the line. What could she even say at this point? It looked like she had found the most inappropriate time to pick a fight.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately took the lead in forming new defenses with the IT team of the Special Operations Forces to not only intercept foreign hackers from systematicallypromising the Huaxiawork but alsounch counterattacks. Tracing the enemy¡¯s attacks and getting behind their defenses, they were able to attack the foreign hostputers and secretly nt Trojan horses in their systems. However, he knew this type of Trojan horse had short longevity within the enemy system¡ªthey would be quickly detected and flushed out. The Special Ops only required one loophole to obtain a wealth of data, so it didn¡¯t matter if their virus was destroyed. Their mission was aplished.

    ¡°No.1! No.1! The parcel has arrived! The parcel has arrived!¡±

    ¡°No. 3! No. 3! Close the IP port and begin defenses!¡±

    ¡°A has changed positions, guarding the five open ports!¡±

    ¡°B has gathered the and wiped the enemy¡¯s hard drive as a warning.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng systematicallymanded his team to raise their defenses in the intangible inte. They focused on intercepting, eradicating, and counter-attacking the enemy¡¯s malicious programs.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi carried her backpack and stood dumbly outside the south entrance of B University. As much as she wanted to return to the dorm, her pride didn¡¯t allow it. Head down as she kicked at the dirt with her boots, she mulled over what to do. The evening wind grew colder and calmed her rash head. However, she received no relief and couldn¡¯t even think clearly about the incident without getting upset again. The street by the south entrance of B University was very quiet at night and the asional set of car headlights dashed through the dark.

    Gu Nianzhi hung her head as she shuffled back to the dorm. When she arrived just outside the building, she saw a couple under arge tree inch closer together before finally kissing. Gu Nianzhi had no patience for them and turned to leave. Suddenly, a person dashed past her and yanked the man aside to p him hard on the face. ¡°Mo Renfang! So you¡¯re really cheating! I must¡¯ve been blind to be with a loser like you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gaped at the scene: her roommate Ma Qiqi was ring furiously at the man and screaming, ¡°Listen carefully! I¡¯m the one dumping you!¡± She then turned to the woman, ¡°You knew he had a girlfriend and still got together with him! How shameless are you?!¡±

    However the woman sneered at Ma Qiqi. ¡°It was he who dumped you, so don¡¯t even try to save your pride now. What¡¯s this about you dumping him? He was the one to kick you to the curb!¡±

    Ma Qiqi was so angry she raised a hand to strike that woman. Her ex blocked her hand and bellowed, ¡°Are you done now? I don¡¯t care if you hit me, but you can¡¯t touch her!¡±

    Hmm? So he¡¯s defending her too. Gu Nianzhi also saw red and strode over to grab Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand tofort her, ¡°Qiqi, ignore idiots like these.¡± She turned to the man and said icily, ¡°A loser like you will have bad luck with everything. I just know that you will fail all your exams and lose your degree. You won¡¯t get a job and will have to rely on handouts from women forever! You¡¯ll be miserable forever!¡±

    The man flushed from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and shot back, ¡°Who the h*ll are you?! What are you cursing me for?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m cursing you alright! You¡¯re a cheating liar who¡¯ll be cursed by everyone,¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered as she dragged Ma Qiqi. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Ignore them.¡±

    Ma Qiqi sobbed and covered her face as Gu Nianzhi pulled her into the elevator. ¡°Nianzhi, am I a failure?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what happened ao she only held her hand in silence. ¡°My boyfriend cheated on me and I was thest to know. I was just preparing my Valentine¡¯s Day surprise for him in my room and someone texted me to go downstairs.¡± The tears seeped through her fingers and wet the back of her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Stop thinking about it, ok? Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡± She thought about it and continued, ¡°I¡¯m hungry, are you? Should we order some food?¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded and choked out, ¡°I want to eat duck tongue, crab cakes, fries, fried chicken, and beer. I want whatever makes me fat!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled, her sullen mood for the evening finally lifting slightly. She picked up her phone and found a takeout restaurant with good reviews to order from. ¡°Ok, you can deliver to our building and I¡¯lle downstairs for it.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave out her name and address before going back to the room with Ma Qiqi. The two girls cleaned up their rooms and had just finished showering when the delivery arrived. Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi tore through the food at the dining table. Although it was junk food, the fat and calories were natural remedies to their misery.

    Ma Qiqi shoved whole crab cakes in her mouth and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I have to turn my misery into hunger. I won¡¯t stop eating until I can¡¯t eat anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t stop her and nodded her head vigorously. ¡°Let¡¯s eat together and get fat! Who cares?¡± They had several beers between them and both got drunk quickly just from the small amount of alcohol. Just as Gu Nianzhi became totally drunk, Huo Shaoheng finally called back.

 Chapter 389 - Iâ€™ll Make An Exception For You

    <h4>Chapter 389: I¡¯ll Make An Exception For You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When thendline in the dorm room rang, neither Gu Nianzhi nor Ma Qiqi heard it at first. Everyone had a cellphone nowadays and some even had multiple ones; who would still call andline? It rang without notice until Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone also rang. Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ringtone, Gu Nianzhi froze before reaching over to unlock it and cing her face against the cold screen to mumble a drunken, ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re drinking? Where are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled then stumbled up to her feet with the phone and said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a call, you eat first.¡±

    Ma Qiqi waved her hand and stuck out her tongue, ¡°Go, go, it¡¯s even better when I ¡®it¡¯ by myself. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ll ¡®it¡¯ all the food if youe back toote!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! ¡®It¡¯ everything if you can!¡± Gu Nianzhi mimicked Ma Qiqi¡¯s drunken slur before drifting back to her own room. Once she got inside, she shut the door and leaned her back against the door. ¡°Huo Shao, you finally have time to call me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was worried and thought, she is already quite drunk.

    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked again, leaning back into the chair; his back was slightly sore and Gu Nianzhi was adding to his stress. He reached his arm behind his back to massage his shoulder and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you ¡®all seeing?¡¯ Don¡¯t you have a global positioning system? How do you not know where I am?¡± Gu Nianzhi cupped the phone to her ear, the alcohol emboldening her to bicker with Huo Shaoheng. This saucy side of her would have been dialed down if she were sober.

    Huo Shaoheng spun his chair around and stood up to leave the basement mechanical room of the Central Control System. He walked up the stairs to the first floor then opened the tworge bulletproof ss doors and stepped out onto the empty field in front of the Special Operations Forces administrative building. This was an empty square with nothing else around it. Not even a tree was to be seen; there were onlyrge fields of grass and clumps of flower bushes. Of course, it was still early in spring so the grass hadn¡¯t emerged and the flowers were yet to bloom. On the side of the square were metal benches with tted backs. Huo Shaoheng walked to a bench and sit down, lighting a cigarette and deeply inhaling from it. Gu Nianzhi waited for a long time but Huo Shaoheng still wasn¡¯t saying anything, so she was getting nervous. A sheen of sweat formed on her forehead. She was sobering up. Using her free hand to support herself up, she stumbled towards the sofa by the wall. When she reached it, her legs gave out and she slumped right onto it. Reaching out to grab her little panda pillow, she bit her tongue so that she wouldn¡¯t speak first because she was afraid that she¡¯d blurt out an apology and give in.

    Huo Shaoheng took a few more deep draws from the cigarette to refresh his mind from the world of numbers and sequences earlier. ¡°Nianzhi,¡± he said her name slowly. ¡°Where are you right now?¡±

    It was still the same question¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t give up until Gu Nianzhi answered. She wanted to kneel down in surrender because she didn¡¯t have the steely tenacity like Huo Shaoheng, who had endured years of training and experience. She was just a normal girl, so how could she begin topete in a battle of wills against a former special forces trainer?

    ¡°I¡¯m in my dorm room.¡± Hu Nianzhi mumbled as she stared nkly at the geometric pattern rug on the floor.

    Huo Shaoheng blew a puff of smoke and eased his tone. ¡°Ok, that¡¯s good then.¡± He paused then smiled. ¡°Why did you lose your temper?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve spoiled me.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied dryly. ¡°You¡¯re the one who spoiled me but now you¡¯re saying I have a bad temper? How does that make sense?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was confused. What? How was this my fault too? He flicked the ash from the cigarette as he held it in his finger but stopped smoking. ¡°Then, I won¡¯t spoil you anymore.¡±

    ¡°No, you have to keep spoiling me!¡± Gu Nianzhi straightened her back and hugged the small panda pillow even tighter as she stressed to him, ¡°You can¡¯t stop spoiling me. I¡¯m used to it now.¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll keep spoiling you if you¡¯ll be good.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re only spoiling me when I¡¯m good, that means you¡¯re not really spoiling me, ¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted. ¡°Also, you were so mean to me today!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and started tough quietly. After a while he threw the cigarette butt into a garbage can. Lazily stretching his long legs onto the bench, he said, ¡°You¡¯re not mad anymore?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her chest and found that her earlier displeasure had disappeared without a trace. She really wasn¡¯t angry anymore, but the problem was still there. She clearly recognized the problem this time too, so Huo Shaoheng had no way of charming his way out of it.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m not angry anymore but can I ask you something?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone had calmed down and the hint of tears had left her voice. Huo Shaoheng sighed in relief and guilt rose in his chest. He became more gentle. ¡°Yeah, ask me.¡±

    ¡°The thing is...¡± Gu Nianzhi cupped the phone with one head and wrung the little fringe on the side of the panda pillow as she contemted where to start.

    ¡°Just ask. Why are you hesitating with me?¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands at the back of his neck to rest his head as he looked up at the stars. They were shining especially bright, sparkling like diamonds sewn into the finest ck velvet. Although the temperature was cold, it was helping to clear his head right now.

    Gu Nianzhi blurted out, ¡°Who did you go out with today?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward. ¡°Why are you asking?¡±

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s a reason.¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lip reluctantly. ¡°I saw a photo.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng instantly recalled Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying. He had deliberately gone out to meet Xie Dezhao at a European-style cafe today, but Xie Qingying had alsoe over to speak with him when they walked out. However, none of them had taken a picture.

    ¡°What photo?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t n on telling Gu Nianzhi about the Xie¡¯s because they hadn¡¯t finished investigating Gu Xiangwen. He didn¡¯t want to the Xie¡¯s to know about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship to them. ¡°If I was the one photographed, you should let the photographer know that it is illegal and that they face serious consequences.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smirked at the thought of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s anxious face when face with that news but then replied bitterly, ¡°No, it¡¯s actually not only that. I also heard that the military is matchmaking you right? My ssmate said you¡¯re her cousin¡¯s future husband. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. He used to think that in moments like this, Gu Nianzhi was like a child losing her temper because she couldn¡¯t have candy. However, she had grown and changed and her words now made him take her seriously.

    ¡°Who did you hear that from?¡± Huo Shaoheng was frustrated. ¡°That¡¯s something even I don¡¯t know about and you¡¯re taking it seriously?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking it seriously, but I¡¯m worried that if we keep on going like this that the military will really try to introduce a girlfriend to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi sniffled again and let go of the pillow to grab a few tissues from the side table by the sofa to blow her nose with. She grumbled, ¡°What will you do now? Are you going to ept this?¡±

    So that was what had upset her. Huo Shaoheng was embarrassed to acknowledge how nervous her anger had made him. If Gu Nianzhi had asked him this a few days ago, he really wouldn¡¯t have known how to answer. But he had a clear idea now.

    ¡°I already have a girlfriend. Why would they need to introduce me to another?¡± Huo Shaoheng shot back at her.

    ¡°You overhead false news. You should be careful not to blindly trust what people gossip about in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was livid at his words. ¡°Huo Shao, so now I can¡¯t even listen to others gossip? Weirdly enough, that¡¯s the only thing I have to go on when it concerns you, since you don¡¯t tell me anything anyway!¡± Gu Nianzhi said angrily, yet her heart had already warmed at the sound of Huo Shaoheng calling her his ¡°girlfriend¡± for the first time. Was she finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel?

    Huo Shaoehng stayed quiet for a while, then tapped his fingers on his leg gently and said quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t fuss, Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Toote! I¡¯m already fussing. I¡¯m on a roll!¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled around on the sofa with the small panda pillow in her arms. ¡°How are you going to console me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was realizing that Gu Nianzhi was growing bolder with him, so much that she was daring to say such suggestive things to him. She had no qualms about asking him to console her. Huo Shaoheng sped his hands together to support his chin and rested his elbows on his legs as he leaned forward on the metal bench. After quietly waiting for her to stop her grumbling he finally said, ¡°What happened with the photo?¡± He had figure out what was going on with these two issues before they could talk.

    Gu Nianzhi had been about to bring it up, so she reiterated Miao Yunxiao deliberately showing her the photo. ¡°She thought I was your mistress, so she¡¯s been jealous all this time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Then are you willing to be my mistress?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. Oh my god! Is Huo Shao flirting with me?

    She was speechless. Heart pounding wildly, Gu Nianzhi felt a stream of warmth spread through her limbs and organs. Like a dried out field finally receiving rain, she could feel life coursing through her again. ¡°.No!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shimmered, her happiness overwhelming her.

    ¡°Being a mistress is considered an improper romantic rtionship. I want to have a proper rtionship with you¡ªin other words, I¡¯m your girlfriend.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little stunned by her words. The older she grew the harder she was bing to tame¡ªbeing a guardian was no easy task, yet why did he savour it so much?

    ¡°I¡¯m...considering it.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally gave in. He wanted Gu Nianzhi to finally see a hopeful future.

    Luckily she was still understanding, otherwise any other woman who heard his promise of ¡°considering it¡± after all this would have lost their temper. Gu Nianzhi also knew that when Huo Shaoheng was willing to say he was considering something, it meant that he was basically very certain. He was not someone to say that unless he was very confident.

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed as she bounded up from the sofa. ¡°Are you really...considering it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Hip Shaoheng got up and walked towards the administrative building. The myriad of stars in the sky made his mood brighten.

    Gu Nianzhi was also feeling better, so she tried to take advantage of it. She asked indirectly, ¡°Huo Shao, are you still working overtime tomorrow?¡± The next day was Saturday so most people were typically off.

    Huo Shaoheng tucked his hands into his trouser pockets and walked back slowly. ¡°There¡¯s still a bit of work to finish up. What is it? Is something happening?¡±

    ¡°.No, well actually...¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped and then tried again. She mumbled, ¡°Tomorrow is Valentine¡¯s Day. Do you have any ns?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused before saying, ¡°I never celebrate Western holidays. Have you forgotten this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really had forgotten it. She had beenpletely caught up by all the excitement from her ssmates. Looking down in shame, she quickly tried to salvage her pride. ¡°It¡¯s just something I remembered. Anyway, I need to prepare for a thesis tomorrow so I was worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, study hard.¡± Huo Shaoheng entered the administrative building and was approached by several subordinates reporting about work. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Ok, I have work to take care of of. Bye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone but Huo Shaoheng has already ended the call. Shey in the bed for awhile and waited for her mood to recover before opening the door. Ma Qiqi was lying drunkenly underneath the table. Gu Nianzhi was amused and she helped Ma Qiqi back to her own room for bed. Gu Nianzhi went to go shower to rid her body of the smell of beer and fried chicken before going to bed herself. Although it was a shame that she had no Valentine¡¯s Day ns tomorrow, she still understood that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work was more important. As long as she could officially be a couple of him, she wouldn¡¯t mind not celebrating Valentine¡¯s Day for the rest of her life.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng went back to his office to read through his subordinates¡¯ reports and listen to their analyses and details. He gave several pointers before allowing them to continue their investigations.

    Yin Shixiong came in carrying a stack of files and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, Little Ze isn¡¯t here tomorrow. Should I give all of this to you?¡±

    Huo Shaohen immediately turned his chair around and asked him, ¡°Little Ze is already on vacation?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯ll start after midnight.¡± Yin Shixiong grinned. ¡°What is it? Does Mr. Huo regret giving him time off?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shot him a look. ¡°Have hime here and help me check a phone number.¡±

    In order to prove that she wasn¡¯t making a fuss over nothing and that there was really a photo, Gu Nianzhi had given him Miao Yunxiao¡¯s phone number earlier. If he remembered correctly, she¡¯d said that there was a photo of him on a date with a girl at a cafe, stored in this ssmate¡¯s phone. Huo Shaoheng knew this had to be about Xie Qingying, but he couldn¡¯tpletely dismiss this as unfounded gossip. He could understand Speaker Long¡¯s intentions, but couldn¡¯t ept it. However, considering Xie Qingying¡¯s physical appearance, Huo Shaoheng was still worried that Gu Nianzhi would overthink it if she saw the photo again. Yin Shixiong called Zhao Liangze over and Huo Shaoheng gave him the phone number to check. In less than 10 minutes, Zhao Liangze had essed Miao Yunxiao¡¯s phone and located her photo album. Because the ones of Huo Shaoheng, Xie Qingying, and Xie Dezhao was the most recent, he was able to pull them up right away.

    Selecting the two photos, he sent them to his inbox thenpletely deleted it from Miao Yunxiao¡¯s phone as well as her Cloud storage ount. However, Zhao Liangze also found photos of Miao Yunxiao and Xu Piaohong together as he went into the Cloud storage ount to delete the photos. He selected a photo album and showed it to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Huo Shao, this policewoman Xu looks pretty decent. I think she¡¯s better looking than Xie Qingying.¡± Zhao Liangze said as he winked at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong instantly jumped in, ¡°Miss Xu is pretty indeed. Miss Xie would never pass the background check.¡± Xie Qingying has grown up abroad and held foreign citizenship, so her background would never allow her toe the wife of a high ranking military official. Speaker Long had gotten so overly excited that he had made all that fuss about the family giving up their foreign citizenship, but it had actually been a ruse to prevent Huo Shaoheng from getting involved with Gu Nianzhi. Although, it was toote; Huo Shaoheng vowed to himself that their rtionship would never fray at this point.

    Huo Shaoheng ordered Zhao Liangze, ¡°Go investigate Deputy Chief of Staff Xu. It looks like something is wrong with him, since he¡¯s so keen on making powerful connections.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly replied, ¡°Can I check on him after my vacation tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is not urgent. You can leave for vacation first.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved at Zhao Liangze in dismissal.

    Yin Shixiong looked at Zhao Liangze run off and chuckled. ¡°Mr. Huo, Little Ze has finallye to his senses. He nned a Valentine¡¯s Day surprise and even invited his crush to a dinner.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng massaged his temples with his right hand for a while before asking, ¡°Valentines¡¯ Day? Why is everyone celebrating Western holidays now?¡±

    First it was Christmas and Valentine¡¯s Day, now there was Halloween too. Did that mean they would have to celebrate Thanksgiving as well?! Huo Shaoheng thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re mistaken, Mr. Huo. All the young girls love this and on that day they allpare amongst each other to see whose boyfriend is the most handsome, richest, has the nicest car, gave the nicest gift. In other words, as soon as it¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day, the Wechat moments are flooded with pictures of all sorts of roses, choctes, and even diamond rings. For a single person, however, Valentine¡¯s Day is the most depressing!¡± Yin Shixiong described it all very excitedly. ¡°Now I want to find someone to spend Valentine¡¯s Day with too!¡±

    After a moment, Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°Do students in university celebrate this too?¡±

    ¡°Of course! This holiday first became popr on campuses and that¡¯s the ce it hits the hardest.¡± Yin Shixiong took out his phone and pulled up a random university website to show him.

    ¡°Look, they are hanging tworge red hearts at the campus entrance. It¡¯s enough to make any single person want to cry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw that it happened to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s B University. He looked down, ¡°Thank you for telling me all this. You may leave now.¡±

    After Yin Shixiong left, Huo Shaoheng held a pen and tapped it mindlessly on the desk until he gripped it firmly and made a difficult decision.

    ...

    On Saturday morning, Gu Nianzhi woke up early and brought two sets of breakfast back to the dorm room¡ªone on the table for Ma Qiqi and one for herself. After finishing the food, she knocked on Ma Qiqi¡¯s door.

    ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m going to study at the library. I¡¯ve left breakfast on the table. Make sure to eat it.¡± Inside the room, Ma Qiqi,y in bed with a raging headache and held her head as she gave out a weak wail to indicate she understood. Gu Nianzhi walked out with a smile. She had gotten up especially early in order to avoid annoying people who liked to invade on others¡¯ privacy¡ªin other words, Miao Yunxiao. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking about her with bitterness.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi was in the library she could truly ignore anything that happened outside the building walls because she was solely focused on reading. She didn¡¯t leave once except to buy a burger for lunch. In the evening, she received a call from Yin Shixiong saying someone had sent her something so she finally shoved everything into her bag and left the library. Riding her bike back to the dorm building, she saw many girls pointing at a shy car. She looked at it closely; it seemed to a sports car with a Ferrari logo. A tall man in a sleek sports suit suit that was filled out by his broad shoulders and fell about his narrow waist leaned against the car door with both hands in his pockets. He looked stared straight ahead andpletely ignored the passing throngs of girls pointing at him.

    The man was Huo Shaoheng! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. She froze as Huo Shaoheng walked up to her and offered his han. ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up for Valentine¡¯s Day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked dumbly, ¡°But don¡¯t you never celebrate Western holidays?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ll make an exception for you.¡± He took her hand firmly.

 Chapter 390 - Youâ€™re My Girl

    <h4>Chapter 390: You¡¯re My Girl</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi felt countless stares from everywhere. It was like being in the spotlight like a female lead in a movie. Under the scrutiny of everyone¡¯s gaze, the man she loved took her hand to get into the car and she felt more happy than ever. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t control her imagination and Huo Shaoheng held her hand as they walked towards the shy red Ferrari.

    Huo Shaoheng remained expressionless at first but then smiled when he looked down to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dreamy expression. Standing beside the car, he ced the keys in her hand. ¡°This is your car. It¡¯s just arrived from abroad a few days ago. Try it out and see if you like it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. This car... was hers?! She looked at Huo Shaoheng dubiously. The girls spectating from nearby screamed in unison as they looked at the flowers from their boyfriends and pouted. How could they possiblypare?

    Huo Shaoheng took his hand back to bend down and open the driver¡¯s door. ¡°I custom ordered this car for you, since you said you wanted bright red the other day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. She had meant a red wedding carriage when she¡¯d said ¡°bright red,¡± that day. She must¡¯ve lost her mind. This red car was too bright, too shiny, and too shy! Did he really think she would be driving such a shy car around campus, or on the streets of the Imperial Capital?! She really didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Huo Shaoheng introduced the car to her. ¡°This is Ferrari¡¯s newest engine; the body design is a custom one from the top Ferrari designers. You are the only one in the world to have this model.¡± He pointed. ¡°See? Your name is here.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped on the elegant que at the door handle. Gu Nianzhi saw that there was indeed her English name in a flowery text and underneath was her Chinese name. Gu Nianzhi knew this was beyond a female lead¡¯s treatment¡ªshe was being treated like a real princess.

    ( B oxnovel.c om ) ¡°This is a sports car and you haven¡¯t driven one before.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked her over to the passenger side to open the door for her. ¡°Sit here for now. I¡¯ll drive today.¡±

    Nodding her head dumbly, Gu Nianzhi sat in the car obediently. At this point, she didn¡¯t care what people thought of her. Huo Shaoheng also sat inside the car and leaned over to help fasten her seatbelt before starting the car. The engine boomed to a start and was as loud as firecrackers being lit. The sound shook the ground beneath it and many girls screamed in surprise.

    Ma Qiqi looked down from her window and was happy to see that her roommate was the ¡°female lead¡± in the situation. She waved at Gu Nianzhi regardless of whether she could see her and shouted, ¡°Enjoy! Be happy!¡± At least one of them would enjoy Valentine¡¯s Day. Ma Qiqi was truly excited for Gu Nianzhi.

    The red Ferrari disappeared from the B University campus in a gust of wind, but many live photos had already been posted on the school forum before they¡¯d even driven out. Valentine¡¯s Day, a beautiful couple, and a shy car¡ªthis was earth shattering news that didn¡¯t ur every Valentine¡¯s Day.

    Miao Yunxiao had witnessed Major General Huo picking up Gu Nianzhi in the luxurious sports car and quickly saw all the praise towards Gu Nianzhi for being born lucky. She grit her teeth and used an anonymous ount to make a new post. ¡°Female Lead with the Red Ferrari: Is She Really Beautiful and Rich? Maybe Everyone is Just Too Naive and Gullible.¡± In the post, she posed as a close acquaintance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and revealed all of her personal information, including her status as an orphan girl and how she had seduced a high ranking military official by unscrupulously exchanging her body for wealth and power. Another wave of interest erupted as soon as the post published.

    Ma Qiqi was sitting around, bored, in her room as she browsed through the forum and came across the ndering post that was trending. She was furious and immediately replied to the poster, ¡°Poster, jealousy is an illness that must be cured. If you don¡¯t remove this post today, I guarantee that you¡¯ll be sued. We are allw students here, so why y dirty?¡± As soon as she said this, the entire student body realized that the poster was also aw student. The geniuses in the Computer Science department quickly checked the IP address to locate the poster¡¯sputer. Miao Yunxiao, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s previous roommate, was unearthed in less than 10 minutes. Posting nder on the school forum was considered the most detestable behaviour, and even more so when it involved the poster¡¯s own ssmates and friends. Everyone was usually cautious of doing things like this. Ma Qiqi had guessed that Miao Yunxiao was the poster as soon as she¡¯d read it and finally sighed in relief when the culprit was revealed and had to shamefully ask the forum admin to remove her post. Taking a screenshot for evidence, Ma Qiqi sent it to Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi had no time to be looking through the school forums. She sat in the sports car, feeling dizzy and unbnced, as though she were walking on clouds. Huo Shaoheng was an excellent driver but unfortunately even the ¡°king of sports cars¡± had to drive at a turtle speed on the roads of the Imperial Capital. Gu Nianzhi mulled over the recent events in silence for a long time before asking, ¡°Huo Shao, is this car really for me?¡±

    ¡°How could this be a joke?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°The papers are in the glovebox in front of you; you can see who the car owner is when you open it.¡±

    ( B oxnovel.c om ) Gu Nianzhi opened the glovebox and saw the documents inside. Skimming quickly through it, she realized that she was truly the owner of this car. Holding the papers, she feltpletely conflicted.

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t like it?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned a corner to drive past amunity of tall residential buildings. This was apletely private, high endmunity that had just opened in the Third Ring Road of the Imperial Capital. The location itself was astronomically expensive, and with the cutting edge design and the high level of privacy and security, there were countless peopleing in to purchase units; many paid cash upfront. Gu Nianzhi could tell that this was the apartment Huo Shaoheng said he¡¯d bought for her when they drove into themunity. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, immense gratitude welling up inside her. The truth was, she would¡¯ve been happy with just a bouquet of flowers. Instead, he¡¯d given her a mountain of gardens and far exceeded her expectations.

    Huo Shaoheng parked the car in the underground parking lot of a building in the middle of theplex; the twenty floors of shining windows and curving balconies towered above them. Unbuckling his seat belt, he turned to see Gu Nianzhi still sitting like a statue next to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Huo Shaoheng undid her seatbelt and then asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him. ¡°Huo Shao, are you really giving this car to me? And I¡¯ll have tomute with it?¡±

    ¡°Yes...is something wrong with that?¡± Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair and tucked a strand behind her ear to reveal her exquisite and tiny face before tilting her face up to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi obediently epted his kiss and stammered, ¡°B-But this car is too shy and stands out too much. Is it really ok to be like this? Didn¡¯t you say we have to be discreet?¡± She cast a quizzical look at Huo Shaoheng. All of this was far beyond what she had anticipated.

    Smiling, Huo Shaoheng pulled her out of the car. The pair stood before the bright red Ferrari and Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets as he replied casually, ¡°You just have to get used to it! What¡¯s wrong with being shy?¡±

    ¡°But, I didn¡¯t want to stand out too much and be shy. It¡¯ll bring you trouble,¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t want to drag you down.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and draped his arm across her shoulders as they walked to the elevator. ¡°There will be many people talking about you whether or not you are discreet. If that¡¯ll be the case anyway, why be discreet then?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fumbled for a response. His words were roundabout but still sensible.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time, and instead of having you be targeted because you are discreet, why not stand out more so that people know better than to mess with you?¡± They stepped into the elevator and he pressed the button for the 18th floor. If people said she had no background, he would give her one. If people said she had no support, he would support her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart swelled with happiness. ¡°Is that really ok?¡±

    ¡°Why not? I think everyone who should know about today already knows. They may even take another road whenever they see this car again.¡± Huo Shaoheng glossed over it, but his tone was confident. Is he really making things official? She wondered.

    Gu Nianzhi was conflicted but shook her head after a brief silence. ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve decided that I also don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t care?¡± Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Then why¡¯d you throw such a big fit yesterday?¡±

    Blushing, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even know where to look as she muttered, ¡°Actually you just have to exin and I¡¯ll listen.¡± However, the point was that Huo Shaoheng never exined things to people. He was used tomanding people and not allowing them room to argue. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was red as the elevator dinged onto the 18th floor.

    Huo Shaoheng took her hand and walked out of the elevator. The building was extremely private and each unit had its own elevator that could only be essed by a key card. Gu Nianzhi knew Huo Shaoheng was nning for her future and grasped his hand firmly as she whispered, ¡°Thank you, Huo Shao.¡± Thank you for protecting me, keeping me safe, valuing me, preventing me from being scared and not letting me wander the streets. You gave me a home when I had no shelter. Her thoughts of love and admiration ran on endlessly in her mind.

    Huo Shaoheng took out the keys and key cards to ce in her palm. ¡°This is your home from now on. You can stay on the weekends and stay at my ce when you have longer holidays.¡±

    ¡°A car and an apartment Huo Shao? You¡¯re really spoiling me,¡± Gu Nianzhi whispered with a blushing face.

    He bent down to kiss her cheek and said quietly, ¡°You¡¯re my girl. What¡¯s wrong with giving you the best treatment?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi face broke into a smile when she looked up at Huo Shaoheng momentarily before quickly averting her gaze. She said, ¡°Well, not yet.¡±

    ¡°Not yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not your girl yet.¡± Gu Nianzhi said boldly and looked up at him, her eyes glistening with mock impudence.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart trembled. He took her hand to kiss it and looked at her carefully. ¡°You will be right away.¡±

 Chapter 391 - Youâ€™re My Girl (2)

    <h4>Chapter 391: You¡¯re My Girl (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was so incredibly maic that it echoed in her ears. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled violently. Her cheeks flushed red and they added a charming color to the exquisite corners of her eyes. In that instant, her natural charm was unconsciously expressed to weave a that trapped Huo Shaoheng.

    His eyes grew dark as he lowered his lips slowly and reached out his right hand to gently lift Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin. Standing on her toes, she leaned her entire body against Huo Shaoheng and allowed him to kiss as he pleased.

    Her lips were very tender, like the silky and delicate bud of a pear flower. In the hallway, they embraced each other in a passionate kiss as Huo Shaoheng nudged her back step by step. His hand was tangled in her thick straight hair and he secured her tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi grew breathless from his kisses so she grabbed both his shoulders and asked as she gasped out between the kisses, ¡°There¡¯s no one here, right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Huo Shaoheng said before lowering his face to kiss her again. He had been extremely busy thest few days so he¡¯d had no time to see her¡ªshe¡¯s hadn¡¯t been the only who missed their time together.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped asking questions and offered her lips to him once again. However, her words had tempered Huo Shaoheng desire a bit, so he held her waist with one hand to continue kissing her while he freed the other to take out a card key and swipe the electronic lock on the wall. The door clicked open. Huo Shaoheng pushed Gu Nianzhi backwards into the apartment and mmed the door shut with one hand. Then he lifted her up and turned her around so he could press her against the door, wrapping her legs around his waist. It was another deep kiss, their tongues entwining and their strangled pants making his head spin. He was about to lose control and didn¡¯t want to hold back this time. Securing her tightly in his arms, he rasped, ¡°Are you willing?¡± His mind was full of how this was his woman¡ªthe only woman for him.

    Eyes half open, Gu Nianzhi sighed softly in consent and hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck tightly. How could she not be willing at a time like this? She had wanted to give herself to him a long time ago.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind broke out of the daze as soon as he heard her soft voice. He tried to pry himself away from her body and gave her a soft peck before asking, ¡°Do you want to go have dinner first? Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi was desperate. She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s muscr waist and refused to let go. She had been holding herself back from epting this type of invitation for far too long; she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    Taking off her backpack and throwing it on the ground, Huo Shaoheng also unzipped her down coat before carrying her in his arms to the bedroom. This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first time in the apartment so she didn¡¯t know where the room was, but Huo Shaoheng had been there several times before. He strode into the master bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him as he carried her in.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely nervous, but she didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to notice. She soon gave in to her desire though. wing at the sleeves of his suit jacket, her hands eagerly sought to take off his clothes.

    Huo Shaoheng set her down in the bedroom. ¡°Do you want to bathe together?¡± He was taking the initiative to invite her.

    ¡°Bathe ...together?!¡± It was so much of a shock that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face became fully flushed; she looked even more alluring. She no longer had the na?vet¨¦ of a young girl, but the charm of a woman.

    Huo Shaoheng caressed her cheek and kissed it. ¡°Yeah, together.¡± Because, His eyes darkened as he thought, it would be better in the water this time.

    ¡°B-But, why do we have to wash up together?¡± Gu Nianzhi stuttered a bit¡ªshe could give herself to him, but she wasn¡¯t prepared to take a bath with him. To her, they were onpletely different levels of intimacy, but to Huo Shaoheng it was one and the same.

    ¡°Well, because we need to conserve water?¡± Huo Shaoheng stated in mock seriousness as he reached over to pull her cashmere turtleneck up and off.

    Gu Nianzhi covered herself up reflexively and murmured, ¡°Do we have a water shortage?¡±

    ¡°Of course. The Imperial Capital has always had a water shortage. Didn¡¯t you know?¡± Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly as he began removing his suit. Turning around, he undid his belt, stepping out of the trousers and revealing his long, toned legs and broad back.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help roaming all over him. She nced at him again and again until she couldn¡¯t look away when he suddenly turned around. Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes right away¡ªshe was mortified for having looked at his manhood so intently.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled when he saw her helpless expression and went into the bathroom to fill the bath. The heat in the room was on a high setting so Gu Nianzhi felt hot and restless. Her sweater was already off while she hesitated in front of the bathroom door. She had ced her hand several times on the door handle, yet couldn¡¯t find the courage to open it. However, there was no way she would give up. Half a foot was already through the door; Huo Shaoheng would probably mock her for the rest of her life if she chickened out now. She loved him so much that she had already decided to give her first time to him a long time ago. Though, having sex was one thing and taking a bath together was another. Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a long time but she just couldn¡¯t do it. Gritting her teeth, she was about to turn away when the bathroom door suddenly opened from the inside. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wet arm reached out and dragged her in.

    He closed the door and asked, ¡°Do you want me to scrub your back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly went to grab a towel to wrap herself in it, but Huo Shaoheng was already undoing her bra. He pulled her into the shower and turned on the water to allow the fine spray to fall over her. The water temperature was perfect so Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skin was quickly raised to an even higher temperature. Under the running water, the barely faded blush on her cheeks made her appear luminous, with a rosy glow from under her skin. He was excited at how even more exquisite she looked.

    Huo Shaoheng passed the body wash to her. ¡°This is the brand you like. I had them prepare full sets for here and my ce.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still a little shy. She turned around so that her back faced Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t seem to react to the deep curves of her body and delicate skin of her back as he took the loofah and said, ¡°I¡¯ll scrub your back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to refuse but he wasn¡¯t taking no for an answer as he began washing her. He was using quite a bit of strength so her back started to sting, but she had always acted tough in front of him so she stayed quiet. Only when he scrubbed her very hard did she gasp and he lessen the pressure. After scrubbing her back, Huo Shaoheng held her shoulders to force her around, ¡°I¡¯m done cleaning the back, now I need to clean the front.¡±

    Face flushing already, Gu Nianzhi made to grab the loofah from him but he raised it high with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯ll wash you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was mortified. After cleaning her, Huo Shaoheng threw the loofah aside. Gu Nianzhi hastily said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept quiet and retracted his hand slowly. He picked up the showerhead and rinsed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body. After washing all the bodywash off her and rinsing twice again, Huo Shaoheng reced the showerhead on the holder and grabbed her elbow, pulling her closer. He hugged her tightly and began to kiss her deeply.

    Gu Nianzhi struggled against him for a moment but immediately rxed. She hugged him back and returned his kisses. Soon after, the moment felt right. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body grew hot and he shut off the water¡ªhe was pleased by how quickly she had adjusted.

    ¡°Hold me tightly,¡± Huo Shaoheng whispered into her ear. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head rolled back as she felt his heavy and stiff length enter her slowly. He was breathing hard and she moaned sharply as he thrust himself all the way in suddenly. He pushed down on her waist and tilted her back, sucking and biting on her breast as he moved his hips and she cried out his name. As she swayed with the back and forth of his hot manhood, she could feel herself falling through clouds of pleasure.

    ...

    A long time after, Huo Shaoheng leaned into her neck without moving. Gu Nianzhi, in this position, could feel them both trembling from the pleasure and raw lust that had consumed them. She struggled to catch her breath. She whined petntly, ¡°I thought my first time would be on a bed, you demon¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it being here?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong, really.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted; she¡¯d expected to see some bleeding after her first time, but what could she see now since she¡¯d lost her virginity in the shower? Gu Nianzhi had wanted to act coy but looked down with embarrassment. ¡°I need to shower. You were so rough and my legs feel like they¡¯re going to snap.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng steadied his arms against the shower walls as he turned to watch Gu Nianzhi go to the bathtub and lean over to fill it. His eyes darkened as he followed her over.

 Chapter 392 - Youâ€™re My Girl (3)

    <h4>Chapter 392: You¡¯re My Girl (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The bathtub in the apartment was a freestanding retro-style with double instion and self-cleaning functions. It was a little boat built on a solid wood base. If necessary, the base could rock the tub like a cradle and the user would be submerged in the bath and rocked like a baby. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her back as she put out a hand to test the water temperatures. Suddenly, a solid warmth enveloped her from the back¡ªHuo Shaoheng was hugging her from behind. He bent down and began kissing her fiercely on the back of her neck. Although they just had been intimate, Gu Nianzhi was still not used to being so close to him. Prying hisrge hand off of her waist, she stammered, ¡°I-I want to take a bath; can you let go for now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng relentlessly peppered kisses on her back, from her delicate neck to her shoulder bones, trailing down further and further¡ªhe was patiently and slowly showing his affection. Huo Shaoheng found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back to be very attractive: she had a small frame and her full figure was pleasantly plump. The skin on her back was soft and a gentle groove where her spine was gave it the appearance of a leaf stem. A small dimple was at the bottom of her spine. Huo Shaoheng left bright red love bites down her back until he stopped at the dimple.

    Gu Nianzhi grasped the edge of the bathtub with both hands, gasping, the rough and tender kisses from his yful lips causing her to arch her back. ¡°No...stop it. I...I want to take a bath...please.¡± Her body was slick with the sweat from their love making and she wanted to wash it off immediately.

    ¡°Take a bath? You can do thatter; why bother with it now?¡± Huo Shaoheng murmured as he pulled her to him. He was done resisting her.

    ... ( .c om )

    Gu Nianzhipletely rxed with Huo Shaoheng. Her body stretched and twisted, the happiness of connecting their bodies so passionately mutual to Huo Shaoheng as well. Fireworks seemed to bloom in her head as he pinned her down and they moved faster; Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body shuddered at her heightened sensitivity to his insistent touch, his unyielding grasp locking her within his hot embrace. She cradled his head as her hips pressed into him. She could see the light, the stars even, and finally saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face as she stood on the precipice of happiness. Tremulous pleasure rippled up and down her body and she gave out a long, broken moan as he groaned into her ear. Reaching out to touch him more, she lost her bnce and found herself leaning against the bathtub, wilted. Huo Shaoheng blinked away the lust from just before as he realized that Gu Nianzhi had let go. Quickly supporting her waist, he held her in his arms and then stuck his hand into the bathtub to check that it was full. He ced Gu Nianzhi into the water and when they both sat in the tub, the water overflowed everywhere. Fully exhausted, Gu Nianzhi had no energy to be concerned about the cleanliness of the bathroom.

    Leaning against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chestzily, she whimpered, ¡°I can¡¯t anymore.¡± Huo Shaoheng ignored her and took out a bath sponge to clean her. Anxious by his touch, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°What are you doing now?¡±

    ¡°Stop moving. I¡¯m just cleaning you.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was especially low; if they hadn¡¯t been so close together, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed his own erratic breathing. So there were times when he was riled up too... Tenderness surged in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. She rxed her body and gripped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand before saying gently yet firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused. ¡°Ok.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi struggled out of his grip frantically and said shyly, ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a shower after, ok?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally let go when he turned around to see that even her ears were red. He leaned back on the bathtub headrest, unable to take his eyes off of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back. Wrapping an arm around Gu Nianzhi to stop her from moving about on his leg, heughed quietly. ¡°What? Are you ufortable?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Gu Nianzhi adjusted herself on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s leg to find afortable spot. She grumbled, ¡°Can you leave?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and leaned forward to nip at her ear. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to stay? Hmm?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and her heart hammered madly from the flirtatious words. If her waist hadn¡¯t been captured by his annoying strength, she would have already turned around and jump on him instead. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have the stamina. She turned around to sit face to face with Huo Shaoheng and leaned into his chest, their foreheads touching. Caressing his face from his forehead down to his sculpted nose and full lips, she whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve always thought about how you¡¯d have me but... I had never expected it to be like this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pecked her fingers with his lips. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Gu Nianzhi drew out. ¡°But what I would like even more would be to take take a shower... in private.¡±

    ¡°Then we can do it again after you wash up.¡± Huo Shaoheng ¡°agreed¡± to her request fluidly.

    ¡°As if!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brow, ¡°I can¡¯t anymore today, Huo Shao!¡± Gu Nianzhi turned away, incredibly embarrassed. ¡°My waist hurts..¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could only quell the desire in his heart as he carefully said, ¡°Another day then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew misty at the thought of having sex with him again.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her nose. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, otherwise I might lose control.¡±

    Quickly averting her gaze, Gu Nianzhi smiled secretly. She leaned against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and wrote with her finger on his skin, pouting sadly. ¡°My first time was in the shower.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so hung up your first time?¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.¡±

    ( .c om ) ¡°You don¡¯t care?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up. ¡°Even if my first time was with someone else?¡±

    ¡°How could that be? Your first time was with me.¡± Huo Shaoheng tried to ignore his annoyance and calmly interjected, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as I know it was your first time.¡±

    ¡°But, I heard that girls bleed after their first time.¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even see if I bled just now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was careful not to disclose the fact that he had, in fact, been her first time. She wouldn¡¯t be ready for that knowledge just yet. Instead, he silently shook his head as he stroked her hair.

    ¡± You really don¡¯t care?¡± Gu Nianzhi shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°It really was my first time!¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Huo Shaohengposed himself and hugged her. ¡°Actually, you can go ask Chen Lie. Not all women bleed when the lose their virginity.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grew anxious, ¡°What? Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Scientific research shows that only 75% of women bleed after their first time, while 35% don¡¯t. But that doesn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t virgins.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°So you don¡¯t really have to use whether you ¡°bled¡± or not to prove if you are a virgin. Besides, don¡¯t you already know that for yourself?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I just wanted you to truly know.¡±

    ¡°I know as well.¡± Huo Shaoheng thought about it and leaned over to whisper in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear. ¡°I know everything, really.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help lowering her head to look at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private area.

    ¡°No point in looking. I already washed it off earlier,¡± Huo Shaoheng said brazenly. ¡°Can you rx now?¡±

    ¡°As long as you know.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly before falling in his arms again to enjoy their intimacy. ¡°Do you like being with me?¡± She asked quietly, trying to gauge his reaction.

    ¡°Why would I be with you if I don¡¯t like you? Am I stupid?¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed noses with her. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t have that much time to date. Are you willing to be with me and not mind how boring I am?¡±

    ¡°How could that be?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediatelyunched into a speech: ¡°Huo Shao is handsome and capable, funny and flirty, and you¡¯re also so good at sex¡ª¡±

    ¡°Little brown-noser.¡± Huo Shaohengughed and kissed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. ¡°Remember that we¡¯re together now, so don¡¯t mind what people say. If the words get ugly, argue with them. If there¡¯s trouble, have them find me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed by his words and hugged him tightly, her body entwined around him. She whispered honeyed words in his ear and finally announced that she wouldn¡¯t embarrass him.

    Huo Shaoheng pat her face gently and closed his eyes in rxation. After the bath, he lifted her out of the bathtub. Snuggling into the nkets, Gu Nianzhi took out her ck long sleeved T-shirt to wear and turned around to see Huo Shaoheng put his belt on. She froze. ¡°Huo Shao, are you leaving?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her curiously. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry? Let¡¯s go have dinner.¡±

    Not even the slightest bit hungry, Gu Nianzhi was still feeling excited and her hunger waspletely quashed by her raging hormones. But if Huo Shaoheng said they were going to dinner, they¡¯d have to go. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare talk back to him about these things, otherwise he¡¯d strictly control her snacks in the future and make things miserable. After rolling around in bed for a bit, she said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Can you leave first, I have to change.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked outside and checked his phone. Fortunately, there were no new issues with the central control system¡ªthe people across the ocean were probably still celebrating Valentine¡¯s Day.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi changed into a light pink cashmere shift dress, over-the-knee shearling lined boots, and cashmere leggings. She put her hair into a bun using a pearl hair and wore a pair of diamond earrings. The dress was high-necked and her neck was left bare, the only essory being the couple¡¯s watch from Huo Shaoheng on her wrist.

    ¡°Huo Shao, can we go now?¡± Gu Nianzhi put on her down coat and saw Huo Shaoheng ying on his phone while sitting on the sofa, his legs stretched out. He turned around to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s radiant face, her skin glowing. She wore no makeup at all, not even a swipe of lipstick. She exuded a natural beauty and vitality that made people happy when they saw her. He reached out for her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to a nice ce for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch and saw that it was already 9:30. ¡°Could we even get a spot right now?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Is it Jiuloufengyue?¡±

    ¡°No, somece else.¡± Huo Shaoheng thought about it. ¡°Little Ze and Big Xiong said there¡¯s a three Michelin star restaurant that¡¯s perfect for Valentine¡¯s Day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go take a look.¡± The restaurant was located in a 48-storey high building in the Third Ring Road of the Imperial Capital. It rotated so diners could see the full view of the city at the night, as well as the most famous imperial pce. The pair walked into the restaurant and the hostess took them to their reserved table. She set down the menus for them to look through slowly. Gu Nianzhi peeked around and saw it was a rtively secluded corner where two screens blocked off their table from the sights of other diners. But this didn¡¯t stop her from looking outside. Looking around the whole ce, she found someone she knew. Zhao Liangze wore a suit and tie to appear proper and handsome. He sat alone at a table for two and scrolled through his phone in boredom. It looked like he was waiting for someone. Gu Nianzhi looked right to see the owner of Jiuloufengyue who she¡¯d met twice, Xue Jingjiang. He sat with an elegant and demure woman who appeared in at first nce, but absolutely breathtaking at the second look. The pair appeared to have eaten for some time already and the dishes were picked through. They chatted happily and seemed to have lots inmon. Gu Nianzhi watched that woman for awhile and thought she was familiar, but couldn¡¯t pinpoint how so. She finally looked away.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone buzzed and he picked it up to check, ¡°I have to go take a call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and sat at the table, ready to order. Huo Shaoheng exited the restaurant with his phone in a rush and stood in a quiet area. He spoke to a member of the staff before rxing anding back to the restaurant.

    Due to themotion he made, Xue Jingjiang spotted him. He watched Huo Shaoheng walk to a private table and said to his femalepanion, ¡°Miss Gu, I just spotted a friend. Can I go say hi?¡±

    The woman was Gu Yanran, who was doing business with him. She also saw Huo Shaoheng and recognized him. Nodding her head, she said, ¡°Can Ie along with Mr. Xue? Major General Huo helped me alot in the past and I want to personally thank him.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Ok! Ok!¡± Xue Jingjiang agreed happily and walked over to Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s table with Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Huo Shao, what a coincidence!¡± Xue Jingjiang thumped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Are you having Valentine¡¯s dinner with Little Sister Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng merely smiled and stood up to nod at Xue Jingjiang before speaking to Gu Yanran, ¡°When did Miss Gue to our country?¡±

    Gu Yanran extended her hand with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t think Major General Huo would remember me, what an honor.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook hands with her briefly and replied politely, ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡±

    Xue Jingjian didn¡¯t intend on intruding on their dinner but spoke when he saw Gu Nianzhi standing with a smile, ¡°This is Miss Gu Nianzhi, a child from the Huo family.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s pupils constricted briefly when she heard this name, but quicklyposed herself and surveyed Gu Nianzhi. So she actually had this name as well...

 Chapter 393 - Always In My Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 393: Always In My Thoughts</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Your name is Gu Nianzhi? We have the samest name.¡± Gu Yanran was very friendly and nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, may I ask what characters are in your name?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered her obediently. ¡°¡®Nian¡¯ meaning thoughts, and ¡®Zhi¡¯ as in literary jargon.¡±

    Gu Yanran was delighted by the wordy. ¡°Nianzhi? Always in my thoughts? What a nice name!¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu is too kind.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled, unsure of how else to answer.

    Xue Jingjiang chuckled. ¡°Yanran, how can you talk about her name like that?Our Nianzhi doesn¡¯t even know how to answer you!¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled, ¡°I think her name is quite special.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered boldly, ¡°Well, it¡¯s just words and my name happens to be these two.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng coughed from the side and said to Xue Jingjiang, ¡°Xuezi, you shouldn¡¯t be rude when you¡¯re treating Miss Gu to dinner.¡± In other words, he wanted Xue Jingjiang to take Gu Yanran away instead of chatting and wasting time.

    Xue Jingjiang got the hint; he also knew Huo Shaoheng had special feelings for Gu Nianzhi. He nodded at her with a smile and became more polite. ¡°Nianzhi, we¡¯re going to have dinner over there now. Come on over to Jiuloufengyue when you¡¯re free and I¡¯ll prepare all the food you like. It¡¯ll be ready at anytime.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Brother Xue,¡± Gu Nianzhi said graciously as she watched Xue Jingjiang and Gu Yanran leave.

    Huo Shaoheng had her sit down. ¡°Did you order yet?¡±

    ¡°No, I was waiting for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat on the window side of the two person table and Huo Shaoheng sat across from her. Hisrge figure happened to block outside stares so Gu Nianzhi waspleted enclosed in the space.

    Huo Shaoheng gestured for the waitress toe and take the order. ¡°What do you rmend today?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked the waitress directly.

    The waitress enthusiastically replied, ¡°Our restaurant¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day set menu has been very popr today. Would you like to order it?¡±

    ¡°What dishes are included?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at the menu the waitress passed to him and immediately chose the most expensive two person set for 6666 RMB for good luck. He made sure to tell her, ¡°Don¡¯t put onions in the ck pepper steak.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t here for the food, but for the ambience. The whole point of Valentine¡¯s Day was so enjoy the romance of eating a special meal with one¡¯s lover. Their food was served shortly with appetizers first¡ªsmall tes of sd and fruit sd, as well as a freshly baked baguette. Paired with the bread was a small dish of fresh caviar to be spread onto the bread with a butter knife for the best vor. Gu Nianzhi picked up the cutlery and fluidly cut several slices of bread to spread the caviar on before cing them onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s te. Next was a corn and seafood chowder¡ªthe sweet and crisp corn perfectly bncing the fresh and warm vor of the seafood. The main course was ck pepper steak and cod roasted with red wine and herbs, paired with a dish of cold appetizers. The copious amount of tes filled the table. Gu Nianzhi knew that dessert awaited them after all the food. She propped her head on her hand and sighed. ¡°Do we have to finish all this food? I¡¯m going to get fat eating so much.

    Huo Shaoheng cut a piece of steak and swallowed it before replying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can go home and exercise after dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused. Why would I exercise in the middle of the night? She wondered. However, she quickly realized what ¡°exercise¡± actually meant. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down and picked up the cutlery and began to cut the steak into small, bite-sized pieces.

    The steak was actually mediocre but was ted beautifully. It was slightly overcooked so the outside was burnt and inside tough, making it tiring to chew on. Gu Nianzhi stopped eating after a few bites and dove into the roasted cod instead. The fish was so tender and delicate that she finished the entire fillet in one breath and gushed, ¡°This is really good! The red wine and herbs took away any fishiness, but you can still taste the sweetness of the fish. How exceptional.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi had only eaten a bit of the ck pepper steak so he reached out to exchange it with his te of roasted cod.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly objected. ¡°That steak is too tough and not very good. Huo Shao doesn¡¯t need to eat so much of it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Huo Shaoheng forked another small piece of steak. ¡°It¡¯s not good to waste food.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at this as she took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s te of roasted cod, cut it up and ate it all.

    On the other side of the restaurant, Gu Yanran and Xue Jingjiang¡¯s dinner was alreadying to a close, even though it had been slightly dyed when they¡¯d spotted Huo Shaoheng. After returning to their table, they ate a bit more of the food before asking the waitress to take away the dishes and serve dessert. Gu Yanran ordered tiramisu, while Xue Jingjiang asked for a piece of New York cheesecake.

    ¡°Jingjiang, you should really try the tiramisu here.¡± Gu Yanran daintily took a small piece to eat with her fork and shut her eyes with pleasure as she sighed. ¡°The tiramisu here is delicious and pretty authentic; it¡¯s simr to original ones I¡¯ve had in Italy.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang smiled. ¡°The chef here was especially recruited from Italy, so of course it¡¯s authentic.¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of chefs in the Empire, but not many can make such delicious tiramisu. Here, have a bite!¡± Gu Yanran took an unused fork to pick up a small piece for Xue Jingjiang and motioned to him to open his mouth.

    Xue Jingjiang took a few bites and forced himself to swallow it, frowning. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too sweet? Do you really think it¡¯s any good when it¡¯s this sweet?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about whether not it¡¯s good, I like it because it¡¯s the hardest dessert to make. It¡¯s known as the king of desserts,¡± Gu Yanran said. ¡°Although, I can certainly make a better tiramisu than this.¡±

    ¡°Well, when I have the chance, I must personally try out Miss Gu¡¯s homemade tiramisu.¡± Xue Jingjing quickly offered up ttery.

    ¡°When we have the chance in the future.¡± Gu Yanran cocked her head with a bright smile, her delicate features so alluring that it was impossible from him to look away.

    Although Xue Jingjiang had much experience with women, he had no resistance against a naturally charming woman like Gu Yanran. He actually blushed from Gu Yanran¡¯s nce and his heart thundered so loudly that his mind turned nk and his ears were hot. He could only see Gu Yanran¡¯s carmine lips move, her beautiful voice in his ears, but he had no idea what she was saying. He only had one wish on his mind¡ªthat this voice would continue speaking forever without stopping.

    ¡°Jingjiang? Jingjiang?¡± Gu Yanran reached out to knock the tabletop in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I was talking to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was listening. What did you say?¡± Xue Jingjiang recovered his senses and was secretly embarrassed how even an experienced man like him could think something so pure and naive.

    Gu Yanran was both amused and annoyed. She gently kicked him under the table and the pointy Manolo hnik toe scraped Xue Jingjiang. It was only slightly painful, but he found that it would be especially memorable.

    ¡°I was asking if you are really childhood friends with Mr. Huo. I never heard you mention it before,¡± Gu Yanran said casually, sipping her coffee.

    Xue Jingjiang has only mentioned knowing Huo Shaoheng, but among the many people who knew Huo Shaoheng, Huo Shaoheng certainly didn¡¯t care about every single person. But a childhood friend waspletely different.

    ¡°Of course we are, I had no need to tell you before.¡± Xue Jingjiang resumed his normal demeanor and began joking around. ¡°Also how does our business dealing have anything to do with Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve had my subordinates quickly sign the agreements with you without requiring so many credit checks if I had known that you¡¯re close with him.¡± Gu Yanran stated seriously. ¡°Although the banks have concluded that there are some issues with your finances, what do I have to worry about if you have Mr. Huo as support?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not how it goes. Business is business, friendship is friendship. Just because he¡¯s my childhood friend doesn¡¯t mean that he has to be responsible for everything I do.¡± Xue Jingjiang quickly made their rtionship clear. ¡°If the bank believes there are issues, then we cane to a mutual agreement but I would never dare use Huo Shao as a cosigner.¡±

    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be so strict about a conflict of interest.¡± Gu Yanran shot him a strange look. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve done business with Huaxia people, but this is the first time I¡¯ve met someone who didn¡¯t leverage their connections or take advantage of it.¡± She sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be your friend purely based on your character!¡±

    Xue Jingjiang grinned, raising his ss in a toast. ¡°That¡¯s promise!¡±

    Gu Yanran toasted him and asked him after a sip, ¡°If Mr. Huo is your childhood friend, then who is the girl he brought today? You said she¡¯s a child from his family, but who would bring a child from their family to have a Valentine¡¯s dinner? Also, herst name is Gu while his is Huo...¡±

    Xue Jingjiang hadn¡¯t been very clear about Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship; Huo Shaoheng had said only that he cared deeply for her and a had romantic interest in her. He answered vaguely, ¡°Nianzhi is someone he protects. That¡¯s why we say she¡¯s a child from his family.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Gu Yanran didn¡¯t really understand but answered politely without asking anything further. They finished their dessert shortly after and left after paying the bill. Before going, Xue Jingjiang waved at Huo Shaoheng but didn¡¯t go to him again. Gu Yanran also looked in that direction and sighed. ¡°This Miss Gu Nianzhi is indeed beautiful. I wonder how attractive her parents must be to have had a pretty little girl like her.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi? She¡¯s lovely now, but she¡¯s still young.¡± Xue Jingjiang chuckled. ¡°Now, Huo Shao¡¯s mom is a true beauty. You haven¡¯t seen her before right?¡±

 Chapter 394 - Ordinary Friends and Valentines Day

    <h4>Chapter 394: Ordinary Friends and Valentine¡¯s Day</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Major General Huo¡¯s mother? Of course, I haven¡¯t had the luck of meeting her.¡± Gu Yanran nodded with a smile. ¡°Is she very beautiful?¡±

    ¡°Extraordinarily so.¡± Xue Jingjiang nced at Gu Yanran. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt that you, Miss Gu, are a true beauty, but objectively speaking his mother far exceeds you.¡±

    Appearing to be unsurprised, Gu Yanran replied, ¡°I believe you; you just have to see Major General Huo to know that his mother must be breathtaking. Otherwise, how could she have had such a good looking son?¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s true! Huo Shao has always been the best looking one in our group of friends.¡± Xue Jingjiang¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You¡¯d better not repeat that to anyone else.¡±

    His childish behavior amused Gu Yanran and made her giggle. ¡°Jingjiang, I didn¡¯t think you were such a funny person. It¡¯s so nice talking to you.¡± The pair chatted as they left the restaurant and headed to the elevator. When the doors opened with a chime, a woman in a light blue, houndstooth wool suit darted past them and headed into the restaurant. Gu Yanran nced at her and quietly entered the elevator with Xue Jingjiang withoutmenting on what they had just seen. They continued talking happily about their business partnership.

    The woman rushed into the restaurant and spoke to the waiter before following him to Zhao Liangze¡¯s table. ¡°This is Mr. Zhao.¡± The waiter bowed and said to Zhao Liangze before leaving, ¡°This is the Miss Bai you were waiting for.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was shocked to see Bai Shuang standing there and couldn¡¯t help staring behind her. ¡°Bai Shuang, it¡¯s you? Where¡¯s your cousin?¡± He had a date with Bai Shuang¡¯s cousin and his colleague from the Special Operations Forces, Bai Yueran. How could it change to Bai Shuang?

    Bai Shuang was very apologetic, ¡°My cousin had something urgente up and went abroad. She couldn¡¯t make it here and called me before leaving to have mee apologize to you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face fell. It was obvious Bai Yueran was rejecting him indirectly, but what day and age was it anyway? She could¡¯ve called, texted, or just instant messaged to tell him she couldn¡¯t make it. Yet, she¡¯d chosen to have Bai Shuang personally deliver the message.

    Bai Shuang noticed Zhao Liangze¡¯s reaction and felt bad for him. ¡°My cousin really had something happen and I wanted to call, but I thought it¡¯d be hard to exin properly over the phone so I came in person. Looks like I should¡¯ve called after all.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quicklyposed himself. He smiled. ¡°That¡¯s ok! Please, have a seat. We still have to eat even if your cousin isn¡¯t here. Did you have dinner yet?¡±

    Bai Shuang froze. ¡°You¡¯re treating me to dinner?¡±

    ¡°Yes, is that a problem?¡± Under the glittering chandeliers, Zhao Liangze¡¯s fairplexion glowed.

    Bai Shaung felt like she was rooted to the spot, unable to leave the restaurant. She sat down across from Zhao Liangze in a daze and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s inconveniencing you,¡± She paused. ¡°This is your Valentine¡¯s Day dinner though...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ok, it¡¯s just dinner. Who said people can¡¯t eat with friends on Valentine¡¯s Day, right?¡± Zhao Liangze called the waiter over. ¡°The food may be served.¡± He had ordered the meal a while ago and had waited for half an hour for Bai Yueran to arrive.

    Bai Shaung was embarrassed. Originally, she had nned on watching an old movie at home alone, but had received a call from her cousin ten minutes before. She¡¯d told her that she was boarding a ne to Europe for an emergency mission, so she couldn¡¯t have dinner with Zhao Liangze, asking Bai Shuang to help apologize for her. Bai Shuang had said to her cousin to call him herself, but, she figured, Bai Yueran must¡¯ve boarded the ne or shut off her phone for another reason. Bai Shuang hadn¡¯t been able to get through to her again and had no choice but to drive over and apologize in person.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s mood had already recovered. He smiled at Bai Shuang. ¡°Miss Bai looks so pretty today; did you not have ns?¡± She¡¯d sat down as soon as he asked¡ªit was obvious she had no ce else to be.

    Bai Shuang blushed but answered politely, ¡°Yes, no one made ns with me so I was going to watch an old movie at home.¡±

    ¡°What old movie?¡± Zhao Liangze asked with great interest. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we have the same hobbies.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a very old movie, almost 100 years old.¡± Bai Shuang set her bag aside. ¡°Casanca. Have you seen it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I have. I really like the old song with the same name.¡± Zhao Liangze raised his brows in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Really? I love that song too!¡± Bai Shuang was delighted and couldn¡¯t help humming the tune. Her speaking voice was normal, but her singing voice was uniquely husky. When she reached the part of, ¡®A kiss is not a kiss without your sigh...I love you more and more each day as time goes by,¡¯ Zhao Liangze also joined in. The pair smiled at each other, not expecting to have something inmon. With a shared interest, they began chatting happily. Zhao Liangze was not as well spoken as Yin Shixiong, but he wasn¡¯t too shabby himself. He had always had a good impression of Bai Shuang and, although she wasn¡¯t the one he liked, they could still be friends.

    In that moment, Bai Shuang would ignore her love for him and be friends with him.

    ...

    At the other side of the restaurant, Huo Shaoheng stepped away again for another call. Gu Nianzhi took the chance to look around and saw Zhao Liangze eating with a very prettt woman. Hmm? Isn¡¯t that the former First Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bai Shuang? Gu Nianzhi frowned: many things flooded her memory when she finally recalled this woman. It had been months before, when Gu Nianzhi had secretly intervened with the Nandou System incident and enabled Bai Shuang¡¯s fame. Later, when Gu Nianzhi had gone to the United States, she had seen Bai Shuang again at a reception with Huo Shaoheng through a video call with Zhao Liangze. Bai Shuang had only smiled at Huo Shaoheng and yet it had made Gu Nianzhi crazy with jealousy. So, this was Brother Ze¡¯s girlfriend? She had med Huo Shao mistakenly. Gu Nianzhi thought about the fiery misunderstanding that had taken ahold of here then and couldn¡¯t help giggling.

    ¡°What are youughing about? Huo Shaoheng just returned to the seat and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s yful look. He leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth. Gu Nianzhi was so shocked she almost pushed him away, but he had already seated himself, ¡°We still haven¡¯t had dessert. What do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want dessert. ¡°Huo Shao, can we take a dessert home?¡± She pulled his arm and pouted at the other side of the restaurant. ¡°Look, that¡¯s Brother Ze and his girlfriend.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to the direction Gu Nianzhi was pointing at and saw a woman sitting with Zhao Liangze. It was Bai Shuang. Looking at them calmly, he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°That¡¯s probably not his girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So Brother Ze is still pursuing her?¡± Gu Nianzhi grew more curious. ¡°Bai Shuang is the First Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs right?She¡¯s young and talented; Brother Ze has to keep working harder!¡±

    Recalling Bai Shuang¡¯s father, Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Bai Shuang isn¡¯t suitable for Little Ze. I¡¯ll talk to himter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused. She asked carefully, ¡°Huo Shao, you have to manage Brother Ze¡¯s personal matters too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m managing it. I¡¯m just reminding him,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied as he beckoned for dessert to be served. ¡°His rank is not minor and Bai Shuang could never pass the background checks when he reports his marriage.¡±

    It was the first time Gu Nianzhi had heard the words ¡°background check¡± and she grew anxious. She stopped talking and quietly finished a whole serving of cheesecake herself.

    Huo Shaoheng watched her digging into the cheesecake happily so he kept quiet too. After finishing the meal and leaving, the cold gust hit Gu Nianzhi. She looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure and asked quietly, ¡°Huo Shao, will there also be a background check when you report your marriage?¡±

 Chapter 395 - Someone Wants to Meet You

    <h4>Chapter 395: Someone Wants to Meet You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Springs evenings in the Imperial Capital were cold to begin with and the weather this year was also experiencingte a lingering chill, so it was piercingly cold at night. Gu Nianzhi could still feel the brisk wind strike down from her cor despite being cloaked in a down coat. Huo Shaoheng nced at her m as he walked unhurriedly ahead. Seeing that he hadn¡¯t replied for a long time, Gu Nianzhi got worried and pulled the sleeve of hisrge coat to whisper, ¡°Isn¡¯t it so?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and stopped to look at her. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    His position and military rank was much higher than Zhao Liangze¡¯s, and if the younger man¡¯s marriage must undergo political background review, then his own wouldn¡¯t be any less thorough. Gu Nianzhi knew that logically this was the case, but people often wanted to be the lucky exception in their lives. She had secretly hoped that Huo Shaoheng could dictate his own marriage. However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current response meant that her secret wish was merely a daydream. Biting her lip, Gu Nianzhi squinted as a gust of wind three back her hood. Her eyes stung but she looked up to prevent the tears from falling. This time Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t console or persuade her, but merely took her hand as they slowly walked to the parking lot. He exined, ¡°This is a procedural issue and is very important. Do you understand?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed quietly. ¡°I understand, but what sort of questions are asked for the background check?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°We can talk about itter; it¡¯s still too early to be discussing it now.¡± The issue of background check would only be resolved once Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background was revealed. Otherwise, the situation wouldn¡¯t change; it was useless to try to think of any other solutions.

    Gu Nianzi nodded shyly. ¡°Huo Shao, I was only asking, I-I¡¯m...not trying to rush you.¡± They had just be a couple so it was much too early to talk about marriage.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to rush into that kind of thing.¡± Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand. ¡°Since, I¡¯m already considering it.¡±

    In other words, he is also considering our marriage? Gu Nianzhi suddenly got very excited. Her emotions had gone through a rollercoaster of ups and downs today¡ªone moment she had been at the very top and the next she had fallen into a deep abyss. Such mood swings were hard on her both physically and mentally, so she was quite sleepy by the time they got into the car. She dozed off in the passenger seat.

    When they returned to the apartment¡¯s underground parkade, Huo Shaoheng parked the car and leaned over to help Gu Nianzhi undo her seatbelt. She woke up slowly and happened to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side profile a mere inch away from her. Without thinking, she moved forward to kiss him once on the cheek. Huo Shaoheng froze and looked up at her groggy eyes, squinting at the light from her little nap. His gaze then fell down to her plump lips. She instinctively puckered her lips to invite him for a kiss. Smiling to himself, he leaned over to kiss her lips again and again, then he moved his whole body over to press her against the seat. Holding her head, he began kissing her heatedly. Gu Nianzhi reached out to wrap Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck with her arms and drowned herself in the surprise kiss. The two couldn¡¯t separate themselves and the temperature in the car rose sharply. Gu Nianzhi was starting to lose her breath as she snaked her fingers into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hair at the back of his head. Her hips were stroking against him gently, causing waves of numbness to rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Even Huo Shaoheng was starting to lose control despite hisudable self-restraint, so he finally moved back and pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand away from the back of his neck; heughed quietly against her lips. ¡°If you move again I¡¯ll do you right here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked him boldly with a small giggle, ¡°Really? You¡¯re not afraid to?¡±

    Huo Shaohengposed himself and straightened his body up from on top of her. ¡°When we have a chance in the future.¡± Taking the key out of the ignition, he got out first.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the carzily for a few seconds before opening the door stepping out. Huo Shaoheng was leaning against the hood of the car and already had a lit cigarette in his hands. He didn¡¯t smoke it but only looked thoughtfully ahead. Gu Nianzhi climbed out of the car and Huo Shaoheng threw the cigarette away beforeing over to help her close the door. He locked the car and walked her to the parkade elevator. They rode the elevator back to the apartment and Gu Nianzhi was surrounded by warmth as soon as she walked in. She instantly took off the down coat and hung it in the small closet by the door.

    Huo Shaoheng handed the car keys to her. ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll have Big Xiong take you for a test drive and the day after you can drive it to school.¡±

    ¡°No, I think that¡¯s ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Where would I park on campus? I would also need to get a parking permit; it¡¯s too much work. Campus is not far from here anyway so it¡¯s easy for me to take the subway or call a cab.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Then during longer breaks you can drive to my ce.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied as he also took off his coat to hang besides Gu Nianzhi¡¯s in the closet.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for him to go inside then took the opportunity to arrange the closet so the two coats hung close together.

    Huo Shaoheng walked directly through the bedroom to the bathroom to wash up, then took a shower. He came out to see that Gu Nianzhi had changed into loungewear and put her hair into a messy ponytail as she curled up on the sofa, watching a video on her iPad Air.

    ¡°I¡¯m done, so you can go wash now.¡± Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair and took a new ck T-shirt and lounge pants from the closet to change into.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly looking up what the military ¡°background check¡± entailed, so she hadn¡¯t noticed that Huo Shaoheng hade out. She quickly locked the iPad before throwing it on the bed and going for her a shower.

    Huo Shaoheng had just finished changing when he received a call from Yin Shixiong. ¡°Mr. Huo, things aren¡¯t good. The are starting attacks once again.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not celebrating Valentine¡¯s Day?¡± Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t stressed out and even made a casual joke.

    Yin Shixiongughed. ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯s Valentine¡¯s evening in America right now. They are probably earning overtime.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the remote control for the Central Control System on his phone and saw that the enemy had indeed increased their attack frequency from every five minutes to every five seconds, then grew so fast that even the instrument couldn¡¯t calcte the speed. They were more relentless than before he had left the office. ¡°Have Fan Jiane pick me up.¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately decided. ¡°There¡¯s something going on. Also, contact Little Ze and if there¡¯s no special reason, he must show up on time tomorrow.¡± He could control the situation until about 9am tomorrow, he figured, but if the attacks grew any stronger he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold things off alone. He needed Little Ze toe back and counterattack together.

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong grew serious. ¡°I¡¯ll go have Fan Jian pick you up right away.¡± He paused, thenughed, ¡°But Chief, what¡¯s the address you¡¯re at?¡±

    Huo Shaheng changed into his standard General¡¯s uniform and told him the address for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s high-rise apartment.

    ¡°Have Fan Jian wait for me at the underground parkade and call me when he¡¯s here.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly sent the address to Fan Jian.

    ¡°Mr. Huo asked you to take him back to the base.¡±

    With noint, Fan Jian immediately drove to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    The water stopped running in the bathroom and Gu Nianzhi poked her head out while cloaked in a bath towel.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving right now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, something happened and I have to go back to take care of it.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s glossy eyes and delicate face, as well as the milky shoulders exposed above the bath towel. She was like a newly bloomed lotus flower dotted with fresh dew. Swallowing hard, he reluctantly looked away.

    ¡°I¡¯m going now. Can you stay here alone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was sad to see him go, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s role meant he was always on call for emergency situations. After all, the enemy wouldn¡¯t be kind enough to wait until the holiday ended before attacking.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be ok staying a night alone.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. I¡¯ll go back to campus tomorrow, ok?¡±

    ¡°Whatever is the easiest for you.¡± Huo Shaohng stroked her damp hair. ¡°Send me a text if you¡¯re going back to school.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed but didn¡¯t have a chance to kiss him goodbye before he received Fan Jian¡¯s called and rushed out the door. Soon after she heard the door lock, she knew Huo Shaoheng had left. She dried her hair and walked out of the bathroom, wearing a white bathrobe as she surveyed the spacious bedroom with a sigh. Recalling what happened in the bathroom earlier, she couldn¡¯t help smiling blissfully. When she sat at her vanity to brush her hair and apply a face mask, her iPad starting ringing with a FaceTime request. Gu Nianzhi picked it up; it was He Zhichu. She debated answering. After she¡¯d gone to change into loungewear and saw that He Zhichu was still calling she epted the request. He Zhichu¡¯s handsome and indifferent expression filled the screen. ¡°Professor He! Good evening. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    He Zhichu nced at his watch; it was 11pm. He observed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surroundings. It didn¡¯t look like there was a man there. He secretly sighed in relief and rxed.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in my room.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied vaguely. ¡°Professor He, today is the weekend and I¡¯ve already sent my thesis to your inbox.¡±

    He Zhichu face broke into a small smile. ¡°I just finished reading them. It was quite well written. However, I¡¯m not calling you to talk about that.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, I don¡¯t think we have anything to discuss apart from my studies.¡± Gu Nianzhi was worried that she needed to make her stance and the boundaries of their rtionship clear in order to prevent He Zhichu from breaking the tension between them.

    He grimaced. ¡°Can you not act so defensive everytime you see me? I¡¯m calling you because of something else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°Then you can tell me, I¡¯m listening.¡±

    He Zhichu tapped his fingers on the desk; the rhythm was somehow familiar to Gu Nianzhi. After a moment, he finally said, ¡°Someone was asking me about you and I don¡¯t understand her rtionship to you. Do you still want to hear what she said?¡±

    ¡°Who was this?¡± Gu Nianzhi rxed; she could handle anything as long as it didn¡¯t involve her and He Zhichu personally.

    ¡°Someone named Gu Yanran.¡± He Zhichu looked down at the phone number Gu Yanran had left him. ¡°She wants to see you if you have some time.¡±

    ¡°Gu Yanran?¡± Gu Nianzhi instantly recalled the woman she had met earlier at the restaurant. Of course, she also remembered the negative memory of her previous interaction with Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Why is she looking for me? I don¡¯t know her.¡±

    ¡°I think, maybe, you should go meet her.¡± He Zhichu sighed quietly. ¡°She said she once had a sister also named Gu Nianzhi, and that she would be the same age as you. She felt a connection with you as soon as you two met, so she wants to get to know you.¡±

 Chapter 396 - We Donâ€™t Know Each Other, No Thanks

    <h4>Chapter 396: We Don¡¯t Know Each Other, No Thanks</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had never expected He Zhichu to say this; she was unable to conceal her amazement. Her expression was clearly transmitted to He Zhichu¡¯s iPad and his own indifferent face revealed a hint of a smile. It was like delicate ice cracking on a warm spring day, dangerous yet beautiful. However, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in the mood to appreciate his beauty. Quicklyposing herself, her refusal was immediate. ¡°Professor He, I really don¡¯t ept that the reason she wants to meet me is just because she has a sister also called Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    He Zhichu ced a hand into his trouser pocket and the other on the desk as he spoke to the iPad. ¡°That¡¯s your choice; I was just delivering the message.¡±

    ¡°This Miss Gu Yanran must be an important person if she can ask Professor He to deliver a message.¡± Gu Nianzhi teased as she tightened her jacket around and huddled in therge round chair in front of the vanity, wanting, but toozy, to cover herself in a nket.

    He Zhichi carefully observed her surroundings but didn¡¯t notice anything peculiar. It was very tidy with only a few things strewn about, almost appearing like a show set. He could detect Gu Nianzhi¡¯s irritation with him but didn¡¯t take it to heart and replied coolly, ¡°She¡¯s an important client with my Americanw firm, so we have some history. Tonight, she saw you at the restaurant and learned your name. She also found out you¡¯re my student at B University, so she called me.¡± ( B oxnovel.c om )

    Gu Nianzhi nodded coyly. ¡°Is that so? Thank you for the exnation, Professor He. Please tell her, ¡®Aunt, we don¡¯t know each other, so no thanks.¡±

    He Zhichi nearly burst intoughter at Gu Nianzgi¡¯s words but he kept himself in check. His face was unreadable as he said, ¡°She¡¯s just a mere two or three years younger than I am, but you¡¯re calling her ¡®Aunt?¡¯¡±

    ¡°To me, she¡¯s the age of an aunt.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head. ¡°Professor He is a professor, you can¡¯t bepared to her,¡± Gu Nianzhi said firmly.

    Relieved by her words, He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Ok, well that¡¯s that.¡± He hesitated for a moment before turning off the FaceTime. ¡°I heard that someone gifted you a Ferrari today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed. She finally gave a slow, shy smile after a small pause. ¡°Professor He is really well informed; could you have nted spies around me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I need to nt spies?¡± He Zhichu said, miffed. ¡°¡®Gu Nianzhi¡¯ is already a famous name on the B University forums. The school app was pushing through specials news on Valentine¡¯s Day, so it was hard to miss what happened.¡±

    Straightening in her seat immediately, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°What did you say? What forum?¡± And what the h*ll is pushing news? Gu Nianzhi quickly got up to check her phone and realized that she hadn¡¯t downloaded the B University app yet. Once she did, she discovered that it was just as He Zhichu said: the hottest post was about the car Huo Shaoheng gave her! For some reason, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t appear in the news¡ª it was only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side profile and the shy red Ferrari. Gu Nianzhi frowned and closed her eyes, feeling very helpless. Although she had mentally prepared herself because she knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dramatic act of gifting her a car in public was going to attract all sorts of rumors and gossip, having it published as news was another story. It was safe to assume that she would be a target when sses resumed and that made her anxious.

    He Zhichu watched Gu Nianzhi massage her temples and he looked down at her to ask, already hating the answer, ¡°Did Huo Shaoheng give it to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only said, ¡°Thank you Professor He, I have to sleep now. Goodnight.¡± She shut off the FaceTime on her iPad.

    He Zhichu watched the image of Gu Nianzhi fade to ck on his own screen and remained seated on his chair. He didn¡¯t sleep the whole night.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had no patience to browse through all the posts on the forum and only read Ma Qiqi¡¯s screenshot of a trending post. When Gu Nianzhi went to search for the original post, it had already been deleted. The post was pure nder towards her, while most posts half supported her with the other halfmbasting her.

    Ma Qiqi had messaged her that Miao Yunxiao was the poster, but another student from the Computer Science department had tracked her IP and revealed her identity. Miao Yunxiao has been forced to remove the post, but because of this the evidence was also deleted, so it made it easy for her to deny. Miao Yunxiao could simply deny the screenshots. Gu Nianzhi shook her head with disgust at Miao Yunxiao¡¯s dirty trick. Luckily, she had quickly made the move to force Miao Yunxiao out of the dorm room¡ªher life would be hell if they had to be roommates. Gu Nianzhi thought back to what had happened but quickly cheered up. Spying the unused face mask on her vanity, she was so tired her eyes couldn¡¯t stay open. After tidying up and rxing with the fade mask treatment, she fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed and slept deeply without dreaming. She didn¡¯t wake until the next morning, when Huo Shaoheng called.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone and nearly scrambled with her eyes closed for her phone on the nightstand. She unlocked the phone without looking and answered groggily, ¡°Huo Shao?¡± ( B oxnovel.c om )

    Huo Shaoheng knew from her voice that she was still half asleep. He spun idly in his office chair to look at the sky outside the window. ¡°Are you still sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m so tired from sleepingte yesterday.¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured, her eyes still closed as she flopped back on the bed while holding her phone.

    ¡°You¡¯re tired from just that? What will we do in the future?¡±

    ¡°The future? Making love to you can¡¯t possibly be even more tiring.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought she was actually more tired than usual from the mood swings yesterday.

    Huo Shaoheng bit his lips, remembering how he¡¯d held her in the shower. ¡°Yesterday was just the appetizer. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m satisfied yet.¡±

    ¡°Not satisfied? Didn¡¯t you eat lots of food yesterday? You finished everything at the restaurant,¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled until she understood what Huo Shaoheng¡¯s snickers really meant. Her face flushed instantly and all sleepiness disappeared. Opening her eyes, she looked up at the canopy of the bed and secretly thought it was quite a unique wake up call. It was much more effective than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s previous threats of ¡°10 kilometer cross-country runs.¡± Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she sat up and replied coyly to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°How can Huo Shao say such things? I haven¡¯t even had breakfast this early yet and you already want me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily flustered by her boldness. Well, he had underestimated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s learning ability¡ªshe could always win in every situation and even exceed the mentor. Huo Shaoheng coughed lightly before spinning the chair back to face hisputer. Twirling a pen, he asked quietly, ¡°Did you sleep wellst night? Was the bedfortable?¡±

    ¡°No, I slept very well. I didn¡¯t even dream.¡± Gu Nianzhi waspletely awake now and giggled. ¡°What about Huo Shao? Did you dream?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t sleep.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Ok, get up early now. Are you going back to school today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and at the mention of school, she remembered He Zhichu telling her about the B University app pushing news. She suddenly whined, ¡°Our school used you gifting me a car as Valentine¡¯s Days news.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you can look it up if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help also recalling what He Zhichu said when she spoke of this. She felt she should tell Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng stayed on the line as he opened the B University website to look up the news Gu Nianzhi mentioned.

    Gu Nianzhi added, ¡°Huo Shao, yesterday Professor He called me to say Gu Yanran wants to meet me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. ¡°Gu Yanran? Why does she want to meet you? Why did she tell you through He Zhichu?¡±

    ¡°Well, what happened was that Professor He said Gu Yanran was an important client at his Americanw firm. She asked about me after we metst night and found out that I am a post-grad student at B University under Professor He, so she directly contacted him. I actually don¡¯t understand it at all; she could have easily asked Xue Jingjiang to contact me though, right? But, Professor He said she wants to meet me because her younger sister has the same name as me so she look a liking to me. I just think that¡¯s just an excuse.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted, refusing to believe Gu Yanran¡¯s excuse.

    There were countless people with the same name in the world, so it wasn¡¯t as if that was a good enough reason for people to take a liking to just anyone merely because of the same name; was she ying her for a fool? Maybe she was using her as a way to approach Huo Shaoheng. Thoughts jumbled, the only thought that stood out was that Gu Nianzhi secretly disapproved of Gu Yanran. She assumed Gu Yanran¡¯s only motive was to get closer to Huo Shaoheng. Afterall, Gu Nianzhi held a grudge from the incident with the charity fund.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart jolted violently when he heard Gu Yanran¡¯s reason and his tone changed slightly as well, ¡°What did you say? Gu Yanran has a younger sister with the same name as you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a flimsy excuse? How annoying?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up, her voice tinged with disapproval, and bent over to find her slippers.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression remained calm and he ended the call shortly after. As soon as he set down the phone, he snapped the pen he¡¯d been holding in his other hand. Rising slowly from the chair, he folded his hands behind his back and stood for a while. Countless thoughts appeared in his head and they finally converged into one. ¡°Big Xiong,e in for a second,¡± Huo Shaoheng said to the inte.

    Yin Shixiong opened Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office door and entered. ¡°Mr. Huo, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Close the door.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his chin, his expression severe. ¡°Immediately find a way to get Gu Yanran¡¯s hair or blood sample.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Although Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t understand why, his job was to simply obey orders without asking for the reason. But because the matter was so serious, Huo Shaoheng still exined briefly, ¡°You have to be careful not to rm Gu Yanran or her people. She may have something to do with Nianzhi¡¯s past.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes bulged slightly; he was so excited that he stuttered, ¡°R-Really?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng made a nonmittal sound before he said, ¡°This is only a guess but I have no grasp on it.¡± He would not allow even a sliver of a clue to slip by.

 Chapter 397 - The Destiny of the Same Name

    <h4>Chapter 397: The Destiny of the Same Name</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was Sunday after Valentine¡¯s Day. Because many had partied hard the night before, most were still sleeping even by noon the next day. The Imperial Capital Hilton Hotel was located east of the North Third Ring Road and also known as the oldest international hotel in the city. In modern times it was no longer the most expensive or luxurious, but it¡¯s acimed history far exceeds the pricier and more fancy hotels. Discreet and particr business people, as well as foreigners traveling to conduct business all chose to stay at the Hilton Hotel.

    At noon, in a luxury business suite at the end of the hallway on the 28th floor of the Hilton Hotel, Gu Yanran was cloaked in a white silk robe. She lounged on a burgundy velvet chaise with her body against arge pillow. Holding two photos in her hand, she nkly watched the street view outside the French windows. A long momentter, an intelligent looking man in his fifties spoke from behind her, ¡°Miss Gu, did you really meet a young girl with the same name as the young Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Qu, I did meet her and she really had the same name as my younger sister. Her age was also simr but her face waspletely different from my sister¡¯s six years ago.¡± Gu Yanran replied as she passed the photos to Qu Shouli who was standing behind her, ¡°Look, this was my sister six years ago, and also the Miss Gu I met yesterday.¡±

    Qu Shouli reached out both hands to ept the photos. After studying them carefully, he shook his head, ¡°I think it¡¯s just a coincidence. Some people are alike but these two arepletely different.¡±

    Gu Yanran arched her legs on the chaise to put her head between her knees sullenly, ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I neglected my sister six years ago because of what happened with my parents...¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, that¡¯s not your fault. It was an urgent situation, you parents needed you badly and no one can me you.¡± Qu Shouli consoled her politely, ¡°However...¡± He paused then continued, ¡°Six years ago young Miss Gu went out to sea on a boat and never returned, are you going to investigate this girl too?¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Gu Yanran nodded, ¡°I asked someone to pass the message that I wanted to meet her as soon as I saw her, even though she doesn¡¯t look at my sister. But who would¡¯ve guessed that this girl has a bad temper¨Cshe rejected me right away.¡±

    ¡°She refused to meet you?¡± Qu Shouli shook his head with a frown, ¡°Then what should we do? Do you want me to go try?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked up, ¡°It¡¯d be the best if you could help.¡± She smiled wryly, ¡°I¡¯ve treated her well enough on ount of her sharing my sister¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu has done more than enough these past years.¡± Qu Shouli sighed with great sincerity, ¡°You¡¯ve worked with the Interpol for six years to investigate the Caribbean pirates and have funded numerous missions and spent a copious amount of money. We¡¯ve already urged you to give up, she was probably killed if the pirates got her but never demanded ransom...¡±

    Gu Yanran shut her eyes, ¡°I can¡¯t be at peace with myself. I see my sister calling out to me as soon as I close my eyes, she¡¯s always hiding in the corner and crying. I let my parents down, I didn¡¯t watch her well...¡±

    Qu Shouli also sighed then bowed to Gu Yanran when she stopped bringing it up, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going now. Please call me if you need anything.¡±

    Raising her chin slightly, Gu Yanran kept her eyes closed and flipped over toy on her side on the chaise. With an arm draped across her forehead to cover her eyes, her face was the portrait of immense anguish.

    Soon after Qu Shouli left, someone knocked on Gu Yanran¡¯s door and the housekeeper spoke over the inte in the room, ¡°Miss Gu, housekeeping.¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t reply andid there motionlessly. A cleaner dressed in the Hilton Hotel¡¯s housekeeper¡¯s uniform stood at the door. She was in her forties and appeared to be a slightly overweight middle aged woman. With a humble smile on her face, she opened the door with her card key. As soon as she stepped in, she saw Gu Yanran on lounging on the chaise in front of the French window. The younger woman had a perfect figure and her lying position only entuated her sensual curves alluringly. The housekeeper greeted her, ¡°Miss Gu, housekeeping.¡±

    Gu Yanran agreed and got up from the chaise to return to the bedroom. The housekeeper put on stic gloves and began to clean the suite carefully. Taking special care, she picked up every single hair left on the chaise and put it into the a small stic bag. When she moved on to clean the bathroom and bedroom, she also took the cups Gu Yanran had used and put them in other stic bags...

    ...

    At noon the next day, Gu Nianzhi left the apartment and went back to campus. She looked at the GPS to see it was quicklest by subway that would directly take her from the neighborhood to the east entrance of B University. She bought a subway ticket and got off at the east entrance of B University half an hourter. When she returned to the dorm, Ma Qiqi lunged over witha giggle, ¡°Where¡¯s your Ferrari? I was hoping to get a ride in your fancy car!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi set down her backpack with a smile and replied, ¡°The fancy car is at home, how can I drive it at school? There¡¯s nowhere to park.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± Ma Qiqi scratched her head, ¡°Fine then, but you have to take me in it one time in the future. That way I can show off about getting a ride in a Ferrari!¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok, that¡¯s no problem. I¡¯ll take you for a spin next week if we have time.¡± Gu Nianzhi promised generously.

    ¡°That¡¯s a promise!¡± Ma Qiqi instantly stuck out her hand to high-five Gu Nianzhi to seal the promise. The girls chatted and giggled as they cleaned the dorm room before sitting down for food. Gu Nianzhi brought back some snacks after going out. Ma Qiqi also ordered lots of snacks online, so she took them out to share.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the table covered with food and the chewing Ma Qiqi with a shake of her head, ¡°Qiq are you eating your feelings?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong with that? ¨CHere, try this spicy duck¡¯s neck, it¡¯s my favourite!¡± Ma Qiqi used serving chopsticks to pick up a piece to put in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small bowl, ¡°Food brings happiness, so what else do you want me to do? Cry for you?¡±

    ¡°Why would you cry for someone who¡¯s not worth the tears?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her vrow and used her stic gloved hand to eat the duck neck, ¡°Here, I¡¯ll eat with you. Let¡¯s eat our feelings and show off our new fat figures!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Who would want to show off their fat figures!¡± Ma Qiqi was amused by Gu Nianzhi but understood what she implied. Eating lots of food could alleviate misery, but the consequences were too severe. Just looking at the scale would be devastating. Why would she get fat because her loser ex? That was the dumbest decision in the world. Ma Qiqi finished thest bite of spicy duck neck with a p of her hands, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll stop eating now. This ends today. Nianzhi,e tell me about your Valentine¡¯s Day.¡±

    Ma Qiqi washed her hands and sat cross-legged on the sofa with the small pillow in her arms. She winked at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Tell me, I¡¯m all ears!¡±

    ¡°Valentine¡¯s Day? It was alright, there¡¯s nothing much to talk about...¡± Gu Nianzhi tried to gloss it over with a giggle before changing the topic calmly, ¡°Right, what¡¯s up with you sending me that screenshot of a post? I didn¡¯t see the post itself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about that post?¡± Ma Qiqi got so excited she momentarily stopped forcing Gu Nianzhi to tell her about Valentine¡¯s Day. Setting down the small pillow, she ran back to her room to take out herptop and set it on the dining table to open the post she saved for her to see, ¡°It was this one, Mia Yunxiao posted anonymously but got rooted out afterwards. Then she had no choice but to ask the moderator to delete the post, it was so embarrassing. Itt must¡¯ve been removed by the time you looked for it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the mouse to scroll down and quickly peruse the popr post that had quickly garnered several hundred replies. At first most replies were indignant usations of Gu Nianzhi having no self-respect and bringing shame to the female students of B University. But after several pages, posters started defending Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°No Boiling Water Today¡±: ¡°The OP has envy in her eyes, she¡¯d better go see a doctor soon or else it might turn into eye cancer. To all the friends reading this post, jealousy is contagious!¡±

    ¡°Big Eyed Beauty¡±: The OP¡¯s backhanded insults are really annoying, why can¡¯t she say it straight? And also posting nder online too? That girl was gifted a Ferrari, but the OP wished she could pour sulfuric acid on her eh?¡±

    ¡°Too Much Homework To Finish¡±: ¡°To thest poster, the OP already had her brain burnt by sulfuric acid, that¡¯s why she would post such a jealous thing!¡±

    Afterwards Ma Qiqi posted as ¡°I Love Meng Qiqi¡±, ¡°OP, jealousy is an illness that needs to be cured. If you don¡¯t remove this post today I guarantee you will be sued. We¡¯re allw students here, why backstab each other?¡± As soon as Ma Qiqi posted this, all the posters supporting the OP and using Gu Nianzhi immediately disappeared. Then the older students from Computing Science looked into tracking the IP... It was an exciting drama!

    Gu Nianzhi only read the portion Ma Qiqi took a screenshot of, so she didn¡¯t think all that fighting actually happened. She read it all with a smile, ¡°I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with Miao Yunxiao¡¯s head that she always wants to do something to me. When did I ever wrong her? She¡¯s been spying on me like a creep ever since I moved in.¡± Sneaking into her room, going through her things and even forcing her to move out¨Call the incidents only proved that people shouldn¡¯t act little princesses.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± Ma Qiqi shook her head, ¡°I never waste time thinking about what others think, I only care about what they do. Miao Yunxiao has done so many things to you, so would you forgive her just because she has a good reason for it? Does that mean if I stab you once and tell you I had no choice, you¡¯d let me keep stabbing you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled at her analogy, ¡°Qiqi you¡¯re too straightforward, even if you gave Miao Yunxiao all the courage in the world she¡¯d never dare to stab me in the front. She can only backstab.¡±

    ¡°She totally embarrassed herself in front of everyone this time and is even ashamed herself. She went home this weekend and still didn¡¯te back yet.¡± Ma Qiqi waved her hand, ¡°Ok, let¡¯s stop talking about her. Tell me about your Valentine¡¯s Day?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect Ma Qiqi to ignore her distraction and return to the same topic. She sighed deeply, ¡°I¡¯m going to shower...¡± She dashed to her room and locked to the door. Ignoring Ma Qiqi pping at the door, she went to shower with a giggle.

    ...

    That evening,boratory building in the Special Operations Forces headquarters base was fully lit. Huo Shaoheng stood in the hallway of the 5th floor with both hands in his trouser pockets as he nkly gazed at the night sky outside the window. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze nked either side behind him with nervous expressions. Soon after, theb door behind them opened and Chen Lie walked out in a whiteb coat. His forehead was covered in sweat as he said to Huo Shaoheng with great relief, ¡°Boss, I just finished DNA analysis on the hair samples you ordered to be obtained.¡±

    ¡°What was the result?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around to ask calmly, the fierce turmoilpletely hidden in his dark eyes and cloaked under his nonchnt expression.

    Chen Lie removed his round sses for a wipe and shook his head, ¡°Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi are not biologically rted. ¨CI¡¯m afraid it¡¯s only a coincidence.¡±

 Chapter 398 - Direct Confrontation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 398: Direct Confrontation (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng walked in circles in front of theb with his arms crossed. He frowned slightly and finally looked up at Chen Lie after a while. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°100%.¡± Chen Lie answered gravely, ¡°Boss, you can go take it for cross-validation at otherbs to confirm I¡¯m correct.¡±

    ¡°Cross-validation is going to happen for certain.¡± Huo Shaoheng closes his eyes but couldn¡¯t tell what it was that he was feeling¡ªthe matter at hand was both a relief and yet, a heavier burden.

    ¡°Ok, there are still some samples I don¡¯t need. Do you want to take them?¡± Chen Lie spoke as he went into theb to bring out both the report and the remaining samples.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Big Xiong, take these back and have the militarybs test it again. Also, go find a civilianb to test these anonymously.¡±

    Yin Shixiong took the report and samples. ¡°Roger, Chief.¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be going now.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded to Chen Lie and left theb building, his mind reeling as he head back to his own office.

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Huo, what a coincidence!¡± Inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Zhao Liangze sat across from his desk with a thinptop. Fingers flying across the keyboard, he was running his own program on theputer to search online for information on Gu Yanran. Just like with Gu Xiangwen, there was strangely very little news about the extremely wealthy woman from Barbados.

    ¡°Little Ze, contact the personnel in South America to have them investigate Gu Yanran¡¯s family situation; focus on her parents, family and friends. We have to check their CVs and inquire in detail,¡± Huo Shaohengmanded as he considered the situation.

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze left Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office carrying hisptop.

    Huo Shaoheng took out a pack of cigarettes from his desk drawer and lit one. Opening the office door, he began smoking on the balcony. He had been too busytely but the work was not too stressful. He was a casual smoker, but was also inclined to smoke when he felt too much pressure; today¡¯s situation rekindled his desire for it. The white smoke drifted up before his eyes and his mood settled gradually. The matter hovered in his mind but he was unable to grasp the key point. Gu Yanyan had a younger sister also named Gu Nianzhi who was also close in age. If this was a coincidence, it was too uncanny. Also, how could Gu Yanran and Xie Qingying not be rted? Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gut told him things were not as simple as they seemed. But the DNA test results was evidence he couldn¡¯t refute, so what was going on?

    ...

    On the Monday morning after Valentine¡¯s Day, rode her bike to ss at He Zhichu¡¯s suite at the professor¡¯s building. Countless students stared at her on the way and a few male students purposely sped up past her on their bikes and turned around to whistle. A bolder boy with colorful hair even asked her, ¡°Hey! Pretty girl! Where¡¯s your Ferrari? Why didn¡¯t you drive it to ss? You should let us have a look at it!¡± His tone was not malicious so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get upset. She instead said with a grin, ¡°There are no parking spots on campus. I have no choice but to park at home.¡±

    ¡°Ok, then I hope to get the chance to see your Ferrari one day!¡± The boy whistled at her with a smile then sped up on his bike, leaving Gu Nianzhi to head to ss at the Math building.

    Gu Nianzhi rode her bike leisurely and arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s professor¡¯s building on the time. It was exactly 9am, the time the group discussion was scheduled to start at. She stepped out of the elevator and rang the doorbell. Since Gu Nianzhi was the only masters student¡ª the other four were doctoral students¡ªHe Zhichu had allowed Gu Nianzhi join his ss of doctoral students. This was a discussion ss anyway so He Zhichu could answer any questions in ss.

    The door opened and Duan Chun peeked out to see Gu Nianzhi. He shouted immediately, ¡°Our Ferrari girl is here!¡± He waved and bowed. ¡°Please enter, my Queen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Brother Duan is too much! Aren¡¯t you making fun of me?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. How could I make fun of you? That would be me just asking for trouble!¡± Duan Chun half joked as he let Gu Nianzhi inside.

    Gu Nianzhi entered the room and observed the round couch that was already filled with people. He Zhichu sat at the single seater sofa in the head position, his expression indifferent. He merely nodded when she arrived and pointed to the seat beside him. ¡°Sit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already surveyed theyout in the room as soon as she¡¯de in. Gui Suyao sat at the first seat to the right of He Zhichu and Brother Sun sat next to her. Across from them were Brother Huang and Brother Duan, who had let her in. She didn¡¯t want to sit with Duan Chun nor Gui Suyao, so she was only left with the seat at the right of Brother Huang. This was also where He Zhichu had asked her to sit, which was left of him. Gu Nianzhi sat down and greeted everyone politely. ¡°Good morning everyone. Why are you all so early? Doesn¡¯t the ss start at 9am?¡± ncing at her watch, she saw it was just five minutes past because Brother Duan held her up at the door.

    Brother Huang exined to her, ¡°Nianzhi, we have a habit ofing at 8:30am for 9am sses. That way everyone can chat and connect, or even talk about the legal cases in the textbooks.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gaped with surprise and looked at He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, I didn¡¯t know about this rule. I will make sure toe half an hour early next time.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Brother Huang with dissatisfaction. ¡°Little Huang, didn¡¯t you tell ssmate Gu these things beforehand?¡±

    Brother Huang shot Gui Suyao an ufortable look. He had originally nned on telling Gu Nianzhi the details about sses, but he had happened to have somethinge up that day. Gui Suyao had volunteered to tell Gu Nianzhi so he hadn¡¯t expect her to still be clueless about it. Had Gui Suyao not delivered the message?

    Gui Suyao noticed Brother Huang¡¯s usatory look and quickly answered, ¡°I went to her dorm room that night, but she was being driven away in a luxurious Ferrari. I heard it was a Valentine¡¯s date so I didn¡¯t want to call her that night and interrupt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi coughed ufortably. ¡°Valentine¡¯s Day was the day before yesterday. I came back to campusst night. Sister Gui should¡¯ve really sent me a text instead of waiting to see me personally.¡±

    Gui Suyaoughed heartily. ¡°That won¡¯t do! How could I exin all the rules over text? Brother Huang asked me for help so of course I had to exin in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Sister Gui, what era do we live in that a text can¡¯t exin something like this? If one isn¡¯t enough, you can send two. Or you can just call me. Why is it such a big deal that you would have to tell me in person?¡± She paused. ¡°Sister Gui had already memorized my phone number. Why didn¡¯t you think of calling me as a reminder?¡±

    Gui Suyao detected the doubt in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice and smiled kindly. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll admit it was my fault. I¡¯ll make sure to call you from now on. Don¡¯t get angry, Nianzhi¡ªyou¡¯ll get wrinkly and turn ugly.¡±

    She was basically treating her like an ignorant girl. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed and she wanted to giver her, a sharp retort, but she saw the three men amusedly watching the women bicker. She could only swallow her anger and say to Gui Suyao, ¡°Actually, Sister Gui is a doctorate student herself and also has to be the tutor for us first year masters students. It¡¯s not easy.¡± She turned to Brother Huang, ¡°Brother Huang, if something happens again and you can¡¯t find me, just text or call me. You don¡¯t have to bother others.¡±

    Brother Huang grew even more embarrassed and tried to appease her. ¡°Ok, Ok. It¡¯s all good now! This is just a minor thing. Isn¡¯t that right, Professor He?¡± He turned to look at He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu replied icily, ¡°Being tardy for half an hour is ¡®minor?¡¯ I¡¯ll mark this down and treat it as beingte. 5% will be deducted this time, so beingte three times in a semester is a 15% deduction.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi panicked. B University used a 100% system, with coursework ounting for 30%, midterms 30%, and finals as 40%. He Zhichu had just deducted 5% out of her 30% total coursework and if this continued, her perfect academic track record would be broken. ¡°Professor He, this was not my fault. How can you deduct a percentage from my grade?¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to back down and suffer in silence.

    Gui Suyao said nervously, ¡°Professor He is just joking, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    He Zhichu remarked coldly, ¡°I never joke during ss.¡±

 Chapter 399 - Direct Confrontation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 399: Direct Confrontation (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi made a unintentional mistake. Can you please give her chance and forgive her...¡± Gui Suyao tried to salvage her dignity with trepidation, He Zhichu merely nced at her quietly, his icy eyes like the moon on a winter¡¯s night¨Cbrilliant yet chilly. Gui Suyao couldn¡¯t help shivering and looked away quickly because she didn¡¯t dare meet his eyes.

    Brother Huang saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face scrunched up like she was about to cry but was trying her best to hold it in. He couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and began to defend her, ¡°Professor He, Little Gui has a certain point. Nianzhi didn¡¯t do it on purpose, this is her first time. Can you forgive her?¡± Brother Duan and Brother Wei also chimed in for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Have you all decided to defend her now?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were as cold as moonlight as he nced at his four doctoral students, ¡°Then are you going to take her penalty on your own grades?¡± They all looked down, no longer daring to say anything for Gu Nianzhi again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest was tense as rage appeared on her face. Making fists, she tried to control her emotions and keep her tone calm as she countered He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, this is not a joking matter. Thew is based on the bnce between rights and responsibilities. Your rule of arriving half an hour early is not officially stated in the rules and regtions of B University, but considered an additional use. Both parties must mutually agree to it before the use may take effect. In my case, your message was not delivered in time so I wasn¡¯t aware of this additional use. Under these circumstances, the additional use does not apply so you cannot unterally use this to punish me.¡±

    The living room was suddenly silent as the four doctoral students stared at the youngest girl. Someone admired her ability to boldly debate against He Zhichu at a time like this, without missing a beat. Another admired her clever brain and quick reaction¨Cshe truly possessed the potential of being a good futurewyer. Yet another dismissed her and thought she only had a stubborn mind unable to adapt to situation¨Cshe didn¡¯t know her ce and dared to rebuke an instructor, her future was over...

    He Zhichi studied Gu Nianzhi quietly and a subtle smile appeared on his lips after a long moment. The look of admiration shed across his face so quickly no one else noticed it. ¡°You¡¯re saying that my message wasn¡¯t delivered so the additional use was not established, therefore you shouldn¡¯t receive punishment for it?¡± He Zhichu replied slowly, his cold expression unreadable.

    A student secretly thought this was it, the consequences of rebuking an instructor meant that she would have a hard time from now on.... They secretly gloated with explicit contempt at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi considered it carefully and felt she made no mistake. If someone must take responsibility for the error, it shouldn¡¯t be her. ¡°Professor He, I already made it clear and I think you also agree with my reasoning. If you really want to pursue responsibility, then it shouldn¡¯t be from me.¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she looked at Gui Suyao pointedly, ¡°So shouldn¡¯t Sister Gui exin herself and assume the responsibility for failing to deliver the message?¡±

    In the corner, Gui Suyao was smirking at the drama but didn¡¯t imagine she would get caught in the crossfire as well. She pointed her herself, ¡°Are you talking about me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, is there another Sister Gui in the living room?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for you, but Professor He would not relent so I have no choice but to figure out the root of the issue.¡± The roof of the issue was that Gui Suyao promised Brother Huang, but did the opposite instead of delivering the message to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gui Suyao¡¯s expression darkened instantly as she gripped herputer mouse tightly with a forced smile, ¡°ssmate Gu, it¡¯s good to have a sharp tongue but being unreasonable is not such a good thing. It¡¯s your own fault you¡¯rete, how did I make youte? Also on Valentine¡¯s Day your Ferrari became the talk of the campus, who would would dare disturb you and interrupt your fun? I didn¡¯t do anything against my morals and you can try to shift the me, but everyone can see the truth clearly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brow at this Sister Gui¡¯s willpower¨Cit was enough to win against an experienced debater. Unfortunately, her opponent was Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Sister Gui, you shouldn¡¯t confuse logic and twist the truth when you speak since you¡¯re a doctoral student at B University¡¯s Faculty of Law.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fighting spirit ignited whenever she came across obstacles¨Cshe seemed to illuminate and herrge eyes sparkled, ¡°I was indeedte because of you. How could I¡¯ve beente if you told me to arrive half an hour early? So the person being unreasonable is you, and the person setting others up is also you.¡± Gui Suyao snarled and was about to object when Gu Nianzhi interrupted her with a frown, ¡°Sister Gui, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve wanted to ask you for a long time now.¡±

    Gui Suyao looked angry but managed to spit, ¡°Ask.¡±

    ¡°By all reason, you are a doctoral student at B University¡¯s Faculty of Law, and although you are still in school you are already in the doctoral program. So how can you disregard thew and your responsibilities to this extent?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, that¡¯s enough from you!¡± Gui Suyao didn¡¯t think Gu Nianzhi would keep taking things further and couldn¡¯t help getting irate, ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject and exaggerate a tiny thing into some great issue.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t exaggerate.¡± Gu Nianzhi decidedly toy everything out in the open with Gui Suyao, ¡°On my first day of school, you took out my personal information to share with other students and instructors. You did this as the tutor for Year 1 ss 1 of the post-grad masters students of the Faculty of Law and I was already very displeased. But considering you are a tutor I decided to suffer it in silence. ¨CDid you know that what you did was vition of my privacy? It¡¯s also considered disregard of the faculty and school regtions! You made three mistakes. One, went back on your promise to Brother Huang and failed to carry out your duty. Two, you attempted to shift the me to me when there was a mistake so youck reliability. Three, you attempted to twist the truth and discredit Professor He. If Professor He really deducts my grades for this, I will have suffered measurable loss and can go take you to court to reim the tangible equivalent to the damage to my grades.¡±

    Gui Suyao countered instinctively, ¡°I didn¡¯t! How dare you use me!¡±

    ¡°Sister Gui, we are allw students so we should use legal jargon. If you don¡¯t agree with my statements then you should say, ¡®objection.¡¯ Using an emotional and frankly useless phrase like, ¡®how dare you use me,¡¯ only serves to lower your professional capabilities.¡±

    Brother Duan understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s snide remarks so he couldn¡¯t help but snicker as well. Gui Suyao immediately red at him and he could only rub his nose awkwardly, turning his face away withoutughing again.

    He Zhichu froze, ¡°When was this? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    ¡°I already said it was on the first day of school. I didn¡¯t want to make a big deal at the time so I chose to let it go and keep quiet. But it¡¯s obvious someone didn¡¯t learn their lesson or my epted my goodwill, so they decided to take up another notch and set traps from time to time for me to fall in.¡± Gu Nianzhi stared fixedly at Gui Suyao, ¡°Sister Gui, you¡¯re also my tutor. Are you going to give me a hard time from now on because of what happened today?¡±

    Gui Suyao¡¯s lips trembled, unable to find any words. She almost wanted to punch herself. She was truly an idiot for volunteering to help Brother Huang pass the message that day. She knew now that Gu Nianzhi was not someone she could cross... This girl wouldtch onto a tiny mistake and exaggerate it continuously, what a joke! Gui Suyao answered gravely, ¡°Of course not.¡± Yeah right... Gu Nianzhi shamed her front of all these people, how could she let it go? What a joke!

    But before Guy Suyao could even n how to make Gu Nianzhi pay the price of her humiliation, He Zhichu interrupted, ¡°Gui Suyao, is this true? You just have to answer yes or no.¡±

    Face nched, Gui Suyao¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Professor He, I... Which incident are you referring to?¡±

    ¡°The one of you sharing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal information for everyone to see.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes grew stern, his gaze so heavy it almost stifled her breathing.

    Gripping herptop¡¯s mouse tightly, her hand almost spasmed as she fearfully looked back at He Zhichu. However He Zhichu¡¯s icy re scared her so much she looked away. Hanging her head, she shook uncontrobly and whispered, ¡°...Actually I went to check student information at the Faculty and happened to see ssmate Gu¡¯s too, I didn¡¯t mean to...¡±

    ¡°So you did do it?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression became fierce, ¡°This is a serious vition of privacy. Nevermind the fact that you¡¯re a doctoral student at B University¡¯s Faculty of Law, but your actions have already crossed the line as merely a tutor.¡±

 Chapter 400 - Direct Confrontation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 400: Direct Confrontation (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu was truly an esteemedwyer. His tone and way of speech were so lethal that Gui Suyao¡¯e eyes immediately welled up. Brother Huang and Brother Duan exchanged a nce but remained quiet.

    ¡°Professor He, Little Gui didn¡¯t mean to do it. She¡¯s also a tutor so it¡¯s understandable that she saw Nianzhi¡¯s personal information. Of course, it was very wrong of her to show others.¡± Brother Wei always had a very good impression of Gui Suyao. When he saw that she was about to cry from He Zhichu¡¯s harsh words and that Brother Huang and Brother Huang were not going to speak up for her, he felt he had no choice but to defend her.

    Gui Suyao nodded gratefully. ¡°Brother Wei, I really didn¡¯t mean to do it. Thank you.¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. He propped his head on one hand and draped his other arm on the armrest of the sofa, replying dryly, ¡°Little Chen, go back and read the ¡®General Principles of Civil Law¡¯ twice and write an essay for me. The topic is the privacy rights of citizens.¡±

    Brother Wei flushed instantly and didn¡¯t dare defend Gui Suyao anymore. He looked at his feet and grunted without raising his head again. Brother Huang had a deeper understanding of He Zhichu than the others, and also knew that Gui Suyao had ill intentions. He was closer to Gu Nianzhi anway, so had no intention of helping Gui Suyao. Brother Duan didn¡¯t want to offend either of them and decided to keep silent.

    Gui Suyao also flushed when He Zhichu berated Brother Wei, and her tears finally fell shamefully. Gu Nianzhi felt very conflicted when she looked at Gui Suyao. Although today¡¯s incident was minor because she was onlyte by half an hour, if He Zhichu insisted on deducting from her grade she could only ept it. However, Gui Suyao had been snide all this time. Gu Nianzhi detested how this woman loved using her tears and supposedly fragile femininity as a weapon, but when a real fight broke out, all she did was instigate from the sidelines. The two incidents were independent of each other and this time Gui Suyao was only guilty of beingzy. How did things get this bad? Gu Nianzhi also wisely kept quiet.

    He Zhichu stared down Gu Nianzhi without batting an eysh. He then said to Gui Suyao, ¡°ssmate Gui, your doctoral student application is notplete yet. Go home first to await notice.¡±

    Gui Suyao was terrified now. After all her trouble and time taken of begging her estranged Uncle, Prime Minister Dou, He Zhichu had finally agreed to ept her as his doctoral student. sses had just begun a few days ago but she was already being expelled. How could she bear going to B University anymore? She¡¯d offended her original mentor when she applied to be He Zhichu¡¯s student. If He Zhichu rejected her, not only would her previous mentor refuse to take her back, the other instructors would also avoid her like the gue because of the possible drama. She would have to leave B University andplete her studies at a lower ranking university. It was like falling from heaven straight into hell! Gui Suyao¡¯s crying grew louder.

    Brother Huang and Brother Duan could only stand up when they saw this and pulled Gu Nianzhi to the small conference room in He Zhichu¡¯s suite. ¡°Come on, Nianzhi. There are a few things we have to exin to you so you won¡¯t offend Professor He again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood that they wanted to save Gui Suyao from losing all face in front of them. Standing up as well, Gu Nianzhi quickly followed Brother Huang and Brother Duan to the conference room. Brother Wei nced at the sobbing Gui Suyao and opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t find the words tofort her. He ran out behind the others.

    The only ones left in the living room were He Zhichu and Gui Suyao. Without the presence of outsiders, Gui Suyao was finally able to discard the grace she was struggling to cling onto. Weeping pitifully, she begged He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, it was my fault and my mistake! I admit I was wrong, so you can punish me in any way and deduct however much from my grades, but please don¡¯t kick me out! I already offended my previous mentor when I became your doctoral student. If you kick me out, I¡¯ll have nowhere to go.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t my problem,¡± He Zhichu said coolly. ¡°People who break thew are in no position to bargain. They must face legal consequences.¡±

    Nearly tumbling to the ground, Gui Suyao slid down from the sofa and almost knelt at He Zhichu¡¯s feet. ¡°Professor He! I beg you! I¡¯ll ept any punishment. Just please don¡¯t kick me out.¡±

    He Zhichi watched for a while and kept his head propped on his hand. Without changing his posture, he assessed her. ¡°It¡¯s true your application was notplete. I haven¡¯t signed thest document yet.¡±

    Gui Suyao jerked her head up violently, tears streaking all over her face. Her foundation had been washed off by the tears and her eyeliner was already streaming, leaving long ck streaks on her face. She appeared especially pitiful, yet she had never shown sympathy when she wielded her petty power and abused others.

    He Zhichu was all too familiar with this type of character; he had very little regard for it, and questioned the abilities to change for the better. ¡°Go home first. I¡¯ll contact the faculty to assess your situation. I only said I would grant you a trial period when your uncle spoke on your behalf, you know.¡±

    So it was only a trial. Chilled to the core, Gui Suyao shivered and looked up pitifully at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, I really want to be you student. Please give me another chance.¡±

    ¡°I already gave you a chance out of respect to your uncle.¡± He Zhichu grit out. ¡°However, this kind of favor can only be used once and chances are reserved for those who are prepared. Your actions have deeply disappointed me, so for the moment I haven¡¯t decided if I will ept you as my doctoral student. Also, I have an exam you have to pass first. We can discuss things further after you pass it.¡±

    Gui Suyao had no choice but to agree. ¡°When is the exam? Professor He, please schedule a time.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Go home first.¡± He Zhichu stood up. ¡°That¡¯s all for today.¡±

    Gui Suyao was basically driven out by He Zhichu. She stumbled out of the professor¡¯s building and headed straight to her dorm to wash up, then took a cab to find her uncle for help.

    He Zhichu arrived at the conference room to find Brother Duan and Brother Huang standing beside Gu Nianzhi and exining important ss rules. Gu Nianzhi listened intently and even took notes.

    He Zhichu stood in the doorway quietly with his arms crossed for a while and only spoke when the male students were finished. ¡°Go home for now. ss is cancelled for the day.¡±

    Brother Huang and Brother Duan quickly packed up their things and said goodbye to Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu. Brother Wei looked at Gu Nianzhi like he wanted to say something but only said to He Zhichu at the door, ¡°Goodbye, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded to him and watched the three students leave.

    Gu Nianzhi collected her belongings and slowly walked to the door. ¡°Goodbye, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi,¡± He Zhichu called after her. ¡°Why are you only telling me about what happened with Gui Suyao now?¡±

    ¡°Which incident?¡±

    ¡°When she circted your personal information.¡± He Zhichu watched her with concealed pity in his eyes, ¡°This is a serious matter. Next time something like this happens, you have to tell me right away. Don¡¯t bear it alone.¡±

 Chapter 401 - A Familiar Stranger

    <h4>Chapter 401: A Familiar Stranger</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi silently nced at He Zhichu with faint tremors in her heart. She was not an ungrateful person, and although he had a bad temper he had treated her fairly well. He also helped protect her in many different ways. Gu Nianzhi blinked, ¡°Professor He, I didn¡¯t suffer it alone. Didn¡¯t I recover all my losses today?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering sultry eyes curved into a smile, his cool and indifferent expression suddenly bing indescribably handsome. ¡°Gui Suyao is Prime Minister Dou¡¯s rtive, so I can¡¯t kick her out for now...¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t finish his sentence before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes dimmed and she interrupted, ¡°Professor He, I understand so I won¡¯t make things hard for you. It was enough you scolded Sister Gui today. There¡¯s no need to be too severe and make Sister Gui lose face, because that¡¯s also disrespecting Prime Minister Dou.¡± She thought Profesor He was urging her to let it go since Gui Suyao¡¯s support was much too powerful... Prime Minister Dou was one of the three most powerful politicians in the Imperial Empire. Even Huo Shaoheng had to salute him whenever they met.

    He Zhichu appeared slightly stunned as he replied unhappily, ¡°You think I¡¯m asking you to back off?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her huge eyes, the longshes fluttering like butterfly wings, ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that kind of person?¡± He Zhichu tucked his hands into his suit trouser pockets, his posture as straight as a tree trunk. He had an unyielding aura about him.

    ¡°Professor He, you¡¯ve always been a good instructor in my eyes and you¡¯ve just started your ownw firm in the Imperial Empire so damaging your rtionship with Prime Minister Dou will also impact your business.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and was about to walk out of the conference room.

    He Zhichu reached out to grab her arm, then let go immediately. His hand was so hot that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skin felt branded where he touched her. Rubbing her arm, Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and looked up at him, ¡°Professor He, was there anything else?¡± Her tone was polite and distant like they were only strangers.

    He Zhichu took a deep breath like he would never be able to tell her if he didn¡¯t do it now. He blurted, ¡°Nianzhi, I don¡¯t know if anyone¡¯s ever taught you to that you can¡¯t be too absolyte when dealing with people and situations; if you forced someone into a corner they¡¯lle back to bite you on a day you don¡¯t except. With Gui Suyao, she will certainly channel all her anger on you if I really kick her out this time,¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu fixedly, the eerie feeling growing in her mind. He was actually thinking of her and considering everything...¡±Gui Suyaoes from a normal family but her uncle is the Prime Minister, so that makes her not a normal person. Of course, I have no need to fear him, but what what about you? You have Huo Shaoheng, but is he always protecting you with how busy he is? With Prime Minister Dou¡¯s power and previous conflict with Huo Shaoheng, you arepletely helpless if he decides to take the opportunity to seek revenge on you. ¨CAre you willing to hide behind Huo Shaoheng and never be independent for the rest of your life?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him thoughtfully and considered it carefully. She certainly didn¡¯t want to hide behind Huo Shaoheng and never be independent for the rest of her life. Huo Shaoheng probably also didn¡¯t need a woman who can¡¯t even dare to go out in public as a wife. When she thought about it carefully, He Zhichu had his point. If Gui Suyao was forced into a corner, then no one could predict what she would fo. Gu Nianzhi agreed with He Zhichu, if he truly kicked her out she would hate Gu Nianzhi to the bone, not He Zhichu. Because most people were all the same, they would instinctively bow down and acquiesce to those more powerful than themselves, then channel their anger on those weaker than themselves. Gu Nianzhi was considered a weaker person in Gui Suyao and Miao Yunxiao¡¯s eyes, so she was someone they could bully without fear of consequence. Of course, they overestimated themselves and underestimated Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi also didn¡¯t want to be constantly paranoid about people setting traps for her, just one Miao Yunxiao alone was already a big headache. However she could only ignore Miao Yunixao like she was invisible, it¡¯s not like she could totally cut her off? The Huaxia Empire was a society governed byw and as a student ofw, she couldn¡¯t ignore thew. She nodded with regret, ¡°I understand Professor He¡¯s good intentions and I should be grateful. But I can¡¯t get over how I was wronged. Tell me, why do I have to stress over whether or not to attack back after they¡¯ve treated me lkie this? Is it easier to be the viin? Do only good people consider consequences?¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t hold back a subtle smile, it shed across his face for an instant before disappearing, ¡°I understand how you feel and I already made ns for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? ns for me?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked suspiciously, ¡°Then you¡¯re going to let me suffer the the indignation of seeing Gui Suyao everyday?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t wanted to say it, but Gu Nianzhi was too sensitive around him and because they had so many misunderstandings between them, he didn¡¯t bother to exin. The more he tried to exin the worse it sounded. In a moment, he made the decision, coughing lightly with both hands still in his trouser pockets, ¡°Have you ever seen a blindfolded donkey with a carrot dangling in front of his head?¡±

    ¡°Not in real life, but inics.¡± Gu Nianzhi stated honestly.

    He Zhichu¡¯s smile grew as he stared at Gu Nianzhi like he could see within her perfect and tiny face was the little girl that had run in front of him ever since she was 6 years old. ¡°The donkey will only pull the cart forward dutifully as long as it smells the carrot. For the same reason, you must allow people like Gui Suyao and Prime Minister Dou to see hope in the near future. There is no need to let them know that the hope is actually a mirage to them, they will never attain it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood, so He Zhichu was using the position of his doctoral student to keep Gui Suyao on a leash so she refused to give up and couldn¡¯t give up. And as long as Gui Suyao didn¡¯t give up her goal, she would remain kind to Gu Nianzhi because that was the condition He Zhichu set in order for her to stay. ¡°...The more she desires, the more she has to worry about. It¡¯s less likely she¡¯ll abandon it all recklessly.¡± He Zhichu reached out in attempt to tuck a strand of silky hair behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, but she stepped back reflexively. He could only retract his hand and continued exining, ¡°At the same what I¡¯m doing with Prime Minister is pelting the rat for fear of smashing the vase beside it. I hope that we won¡¯t destroy our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Professor He has no need to exin to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re the professor and I¡¯m the student so I¡¯ll support any decision you make.¡±

    He Zhichu dropped his smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t allow her to give you trouble again. How about this, you will have ss separately from them from now on. It¡¯s not right for you to go to the same ss as a master¡¯s student when they are all doctorates.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up once more suspiciously at He Zhichu, ¡°You want to give lectures separately? But I¡¯m the only one...¡± He was being too nice to her? An esteemedw professor like He Zhichu would give her private lectures?! He was basically a private instructor, this was crazy...

    ¡°Not so fast.¡± He Zhichu resumed his typically cold tone, ¡°My teaching assistant went back home and won¡¯t being back, so I need a new one. In a few days I¡¯ll be recruiting for a new teaching assistant from the Faculty. You can also apply if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened even more, ¡°I can be a teaching assistant?! Students are eligible too?!¡±

    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you remember the olderw students you met at Harvard? All the American post-grad masters students are teaching assistants for their professors and many of them also teach undergraduates.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice suddenly grew warm and kind like he was luring her, ¡°Also, my teaching assistant will receive a monthly wage from the university as well as a stipend from my teaching expenses. All in all, it¡¯s about 20000 RMB a month.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi swallowed, should shepete for such a good opportunity? She felt conflicted...

    ¡°However, there will certainly be many people applying by then. You can apply if you¡¯re interested and ignore it if you¡¯re not.¡± He Zhichu walked off and reminded her, ¡°Close the door for me when you leave, and as for thements for your thesis, I¡¯ve already sent them to your inbox. Edit it again ording to myments.¡± He turned away without looking back.

    He Zhichu¡¯s impartial attitude gave Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nervous mind a tiny bit of reassurance. She put on her backpack and left He Zhichu¡¯s professor¡¯s building to head back to her dorm room with her head confused. He Zhichu did as he promised. Early next morning, a piece of news lit up the entire B University Faculty of Law. The most esteemed Professor He Zhichu was publically recruiting for a teaching assistant!

 Chapter 402 - One Must Have A Dream

    <h4>Chapter 402: One Must Have A Dream</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi! Get up right now!¡± Ma Qiqi pounded on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door fiercely. ¡°Big news! It¡¯s so amazing! Probably the news of the century!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no ss that day. After leaving He Zhichu¡¯s building yesterday, she¡¯d gone straight to the library to edit her thesis and didn¡¯t return home until 7pm. Her brain had been exhausted from the day¡¯s events and she tiredly took a shower before passing out on the bed. When she was roused by Ma Qiqi the next day, she saw that it was already 9am. She¡¯d slept a full 12 hours. Gu Nianzhi sat up from the bed in a daze before removing the nkets and putting on a silk and cotton robe and opening the door.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand was raised in md-kock and froze when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleepy state. She giggled. ¡°Nianzhi! You overslept!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smoothed her hair and sheepishly. ¡°I had no ss today so I wanted to get some more sleep. What¡¯s going on? You almost broke down my door.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating.¡± Ma Qiqi peered at the door though, just in case. ¡°Where did I break it?¡± She smiled at Gu Nianzhi happily. ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic! I just saw breaking news: that haughty Professor He Zhichu is recruiting a Teaching Assistant within the Faculty of Law!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped; she secretly thought that He Zhichu was indeed a man of action. He¡¯d just told her yesterday that he was going to make the posting and did it the next day. ¡°Is he really recruiting within the faculty?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked dubiously. ¡°Where did you see this?¡±

    ¡°Here, see for yourself.¡± Ma Qiqi passed her iPad over. ¡°This is our faculty app. You can see it pushing the hottest news!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down to take Ma Qiqi¡¯s iPad and carefully read from it. He Zhichu¡¯s recruitment posting was concise¡ªhe required a teaching assistant and nned to recruit from the Faculty of Law; everyone, from undergraduates to doctoral students, was wee to apply. The conditions were also simple but high: the candidate must have outstanding academic ability, good conduct, and have at least three rmendation letters. The applicants needed to also pass an exam He Zhichu would administer. If selected, the applicant would be employed as a Teaching Assistant for three years and receive a generous sry.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the iPad with a conflicted expression before returning it to Ma Qiqi. ¡°Are you applying?¡±

    ¡°Of course! You must understand that it¡¯s always good to have a dream, and maybe one day it¡¯lle true!¡± Ma Qiqi giggled as she tapped on the application page on the faculty site to enter her email application. Every B University student had their own unique email address to receive official emails and contact their instructors. It basically acted as a student ID and internal applications only required logging into their email ounts. ¡°Nianzhi, you should apply too.¡± Ma Qiqi pulled her arm to the iPad. ¡°Enter it now!¡±¡®

    Gu Nianzhi was still hesitating. He Zhichu had an odd temper and severe mood swings. She was already his masters student as well. If she became his teaching assistant on top of that, she would be with him all the time.

    Ma Qiqi raised her brows as Gu Nianzhi hesitated to apply. ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s stopping you? Why are you making things difficult for yourself?¡± She urged good naturedly, ¡°Are you going to give up such a precious opportunity?¡±

    Yes, it was truly a precious opportunity. Not only did the position provide a generous sry, but it would make for an impressive record on her resume in the future. He Zhichu was a well respected name in both the Imperial Empire and American legal domains. With his reference on her resume, finding a job would be much easier. Additionally, bing his teaching assistant would also be a chance to learn many new things. Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully and finally came to a decision. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll apply.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the way to do it!¡± Ma Qiqi pped her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll make the pact now: whoever gets epted will have to pay for dinner!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Gu Nianzhi high-fived Ma Qiqi three times as a promise. In the time it took for Gu Nianzhi to apply, she found that she was already applicant #402. The B University Faculty of Lawprised of about 600 students in total, from undergraduate to postgraduate. In other words, two thirds of the faculty were vying for the position.

    ¡°Look, this is a highly desirable position! A true testament of power!¡± Ma Qiqi giggled. ¡°At this rate, this is even more dramatic than electing the new dean!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi became anxious when she saw the number of applicants. Could she evenpare with them?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see here, looks like everyone applied¡ªeven the ones who don¡¯t qualify.¡± Ma Qiqi looked at the email addresses of the applicants. ¡°Look, I know this person too. She¡¯s in her fourth year so she¡¯ll graduate in the summer but applied anyway, Professor He already made it clear he¡¯s looking for a teaching assistant to work for the next three years, this girl is about to graduate and didn¡¯t even apply for post-grad studies. Who is she kidding?! Huaxia people ought to kick the bad habit of joining in for fun.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed, ¡°You¡¯re so whiny. Anyway, go prepare now. I still need to wash up and take a shower.¡± She pushed Ma Qiqi out and closed the door to prepare a bath.

    He Zhichu sat in his office, watching the applicant names appear on hisputer. After waiting for a long time, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name finally appeared. He made two marks by her name and shut down the application interface. The application deadline was over. He then began preparing the exam.

    After Gui Suyao scrambled home in a daze, she cried to her mother about what happened at school but didn¡¯t dare tell her the truth. She merely said she had identally offended Professor He and so, she may no longer be able to continue as his doctoral student. She added to her son story that since she had also double- crossed her previous mentor, there was no where she could go. Gui Suyao felt that her world was ending¡ªher promising future had been totally destroyed by Gu Nianzhi. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. The initial terror slowly transformed into me and finally hatred for Gu Nianzhi. Just as she was wishing for nothing more but to bring Gu Nianzhi down with her, her mother connected to her uncle, Prime Minister Dou. Of course, they weren¡¯t able to talk to him right away and had to leave a message for the operator.

    Prime Minister Dou called back as soon as he finished work for the day. When he heard about Gui Suyao¡¯s experience, Prime Minister Dou agreed that He Zhichu was being too dramatic. Forgetting to ry a message was no ground for expulsion.

    ...

    At noon, He Zhichu received a call from Prime Minister Dou himself. ¡°Lawyer He, I heard that my niece has caused some trouble recently and angered you?¡± Prime Minister Dou chuckled. ¡°It was wrong of her and I¡¯ve already scolded her. I¡¯ve asked her to apologize to you and she¡¯s willing to ept academic penalty. Please forgive her childish behaviour.¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned but replied cooly, ¡°Your mischievous niece is already 26. I¡¯ve never heard of a someone that age being regarded as a child.¡±

    Prime Minister Douughed heartily. ¡°Professor He is so humorous. Fine, I can¡¯t argue as well as you can. I¡¯ll have Little Gui go apologize and you can punish her as you see fit; she will never dare say anything contrary.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and after Prime Minister pleaded for a long time and even offered to pull favors for He Zhichu¡¯s Sovereign Law Office by promising them severalrge government contracts, He Zhichu finally agreed reluctantly. ¡°Since Prime Minister Dou is so sincere, I can only ept your kindness. In this case, Gui Suyao may return for now and her behaviour will be observed.¡±

    In other words, Gui Suyao had no other chance after this if she made another mistake. Prime Minister Dou was satisfied as long as He Zhichu epted Gui Suyao; he epted all the terms. As soon as he set the phone down, his study door was opened and his youngest daughter, Dou Aiyan, burst in excitedly. ¡°Dad! Professor He is recruiting for a teaching assistant! Can you write a rmendation letter for me?¡±

 Chapter 403 - Envy and Hate (1)

    <h4>Chapter 403: Envy and Hate (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Prime Minister Dou was still holding hisndline as He Zhichu¡¯s voice seemed to still be echoing in his ears. However he froze when his youngest daughter mentioned, ¡°Professor He¡± and asked, ¡°What did you say? What Professor He? What reference letters?¡±

    ¡°The famouswyer from America! He has his own private jet that can fly across the oceans, the Lawyer He Zhichu who brought my sister back here! He¡¯s also aw professor at B University!¡± Dou Aiyan recited He Zhichu¡¯s identity in one breath¨Cit was a long and impressive resume.

    Realization dawned on Prime Minister Dou, ¡°He¡¯s hiring a teaching assistant? Doesn¡¯t the school assign one to him?¡±

    ¡°Most professors have theirs assigned, but Professor He ispletely different? Would the university dare refuse if he wants to choose his own?¡± Dou Aiyan pouted and twirled around to sit cross legged on the sofa in the corner of Prime Minister Dou¡¯s study. She propped her chin up with one hand, a pure naivety on her fair and youthful face. Prime Minister Dou was already sessful by the time she wasa born, so she was truly raised in wealth and doting care. Thus she was more bold, carefree and capricious than her older sister. There has never been anything she desired but couldn¡¯t get.

    Prime Minister Dou considered it and didn¡¯t think it was a big deal¨Che had a personal connection with He Zhichu anyway so it was ideal if they could even link their families one day...¡±I see, but have you ever worked as a teaching assistant? You¡¯re just in your first year of university, can you be a teaching assistant for post-grad masters students?¡± Prime Minister Dou looked at his daughter, ¡°Do you meet all the qualifications?¡±

    ¡°How would I not qualify?¡± Dou Aiyan took her phone out with a re to open the Faculty of Law app and the popr recruitment post pushed to her notifications, ¡°Dad, look. It¡¯s very simple, I just need to submit three reference letters after applying, go through the first round of selections, pass the qualifying exam, challenge the top three performing students in an interview and be the only one admitted.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thatplicated?¡± Prime Minister Dou frowned, ¡°This is even moreplex than hiring for my Prime Minister¡¯s office.¡±

    ¡°Dad, how can you say that? How can the staff at your office begin topare with bing Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant?¡± Dou Aiyan shook her head with dissatisfaction, her hair flying around like waves, ¡°Do you know all your staff? No, right? There¡¯s only a few who know their leader, but with Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant it¡¯s totally different. There¡¯s only one position and I can see him everyday...¡± She couldn¡¯t help expressing a dreamy look on her face as she stroked her cheek to murmur, ¡°I¡¯d be willing to shorten my life by ten years if I can be with Professor He everyday...¡±

    Prime Minister Dou watched his daughter¡¯s lovestruck look with a smile as he shook his head, ¡°Aiyan, do you think you¡¯re chasing your idol here? Professor He is not an idol, he¡¯s the most sessful businessman andwyer¨Cthis isn¡¯t someone a girl barely 20 like you can handle. If you¡¯re just wanting to be his teaching assistant so you can see him, I think you¡¯d better give up.¡±

    ¡°Dad¨C!¡± Dou Aiyan jumped up from the sofa to stamp her feet and drawled coyly, ¡°I don¡¯t care, I don¡¯t care, I don¡¯t care! I want it, I want it!¡±

    Prime Minister was helpless when it came to his daughter and loved her the most. Without careful consideration he knew this wasn¡¯t a big problem, he might just have to talk to He Zhichu about it at the very most. He couldn¡¯t very well help his niece but refuse his own daughter? Prime Minister Dou finally nodded, ¡°Ok, then if Professor He really hires you as a teaching assistant, you must work hard for him,. You can¡¯t bezy, y tricks or act coy, do you hear me?¡±

    Dou Aiyan jumped up happily right away and lunged over to hg her father. She kissed his cheek with a loud smack, ¡°Dad¡¯s the best! I like Dad the most!¡±

    Watching Dou Aiyan dash out cheerfully, Prime Minister Dou smiled kindly and picked up his phone to ask his staff to help his daughter write a reference letter, then also asked the Ministry of Education and the dean of B University for the other two. Soon after, He Zhichu received an email along with the scanned reference letters.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had been contemting where to get her reference letters ever since she applied. Apart from Huo Shaoheng, the only people she knew were her her ssmates from undergraduate studies. The easiest solution was to have Huo Shaoheng provide three reference letters, but his position meant he couldn¡¯t do such things so he could only ask others to write them for her. That meant she would have it easy, but it gave Huo Shaoheng more work. So she crossed a line through the first requirement and thought of a second n. That only left her university roommates, which happened to be three people. Gu Nianzhi unlocked her phone to call Little Temptress first.

    ¡°Hmm? Nianzhi, what do I owe the honor of your call today?¡± Little Temptress¡¯ voice sounded especially alluring over the phone, and there also seemed to be the faint sound of music in the background.

    Gu Nianzhiughed, ¡°Little Temptress, you¡¯re really enjoying life over there. What little tune are you listening to?¡±

    ¡°What little tune? Hmph! Those are ssic guzheng songs, ¡®Tall Mountains, Flowing Water¡¯ and ¡®Sunny Spring and White Snow,¡¯ got it? Guzheng!¡± Little Temptress jumped to her feet on the other end of the line, making Gu Nianzhi fall onto the bed and hold her stomachughing. After joking around with each other for a while, Gu Nianzhi finally spoke about the reference letters.

    Little Temptress agreed right away but asked curiously, ¡°Why do you want your ssmates to write reference letters for you? Don¡¯t people typically asked elders or esteemed people in society? What about your guardian?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied earnestly, ¡°I only know you guys so of course I¡¯d ask you to write the reference letters for me. As for my guardian, he probably won¡¯t help me with such a thing.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care about her, but because he didn¡¯t leave traces in the outside world due to the nature of his job. If his handwriting fell into the hands of others, the consequences would be dire. Gu Nianzhi understood, and even if Huo Shaoheng agreed to help he was only asking someone else to do it. If that¡¯s the case, she might as well find help herself.

    Little Temptress¡¯ eyes were wet with tears when Gu Nianzi finished exining. She forced herself to stay calm and nodded gravely, ¡°No problem, Nianzhi. Do you want me to ask Green Tea Fang and Lady Cao fo you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ok, it¡¯s only sincere if I ask them myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi chatted with Little Temptress some more before hanging up and calling the other two roommates. The two other girls also agreed right away and also asked if she wanted them to have elites from society to help write the letters. Green Tea Fang said she had a distant rtive who was a partner in a majorw form in C City. Although he wasn¡¯t as famous as He Zhichu, he was also considered part of the legal elite within the Huaxia Empire. Gu Nianzhi thought about it but still decided not to ept, ¡°Green Tea Fang, you don¡¯t need to trouble yourself with that. I think reference letters are only meaningful when they¡¯re written by people who know you. Although society elites are impressive, the letter would be awkward to read if they don¡¯t actually know me.¡±

    Green Tea Fang was amused by her and started to giggle, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re still sharp tongued as ever. Fine, we¡¯ll wait for your good news and see what kind of teaching assistant Professor He recruits. You have to try your best!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed earnestly before ending the call. The three reference letters were settled so at she didn¡¯t need to worry for now. As for the exam that followed the first round of elimination, Gu Nianzhi was never concerned about its difficulty. From a certain perspective, exams were fair to everyone as long as nobody cheated.. Carrying a ss of milk out of her room, Gu Nianzhi nned to watch a bit of TV on the couch when Ma Qiqi threw the door open and said gloomily, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re out of luck this time.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled , she just took care of her reference letters and didn¡¯t even send them out yet. How could they be out of luck?

    ¡°I heard there¡¯s a young female undergraduate student in our Faculty who got reference letters from the Prime Minister, Minister of Education and also our dean.¡± Ma Qiqi waved her arms fiercely, ¡°Tell me, who couldpete against a background like that?¡±

    ¡°Is that so...¡± Gu Nianzhiughed. She slumped her head against the sofa to consider it it, then consoled Ma Qiqi, ¡°Qiqi, I don¡¯t think Professor He is that kind of a person. You don¡¯t need to feel so pessimistic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m pessimistic, it just means that girl has the determination to win no matter what!¡± Ma Qiqi exined to Gu Nianzhi with exasperation, ¡°This is what what happened when thepetition that has a better background, is smarter, prettier and works harder than you! ¨CA person like this was born to be envied and hated by others, right?¡±

 Chapter 404 - Envy and Hate (2)

    <h4>Chapter 404: Envy and Hate (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Who is this anyway? How are they so well connected?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously as she let her legs dangle down from the sofa and straightened her back. She clutched the panda pillow tightly.

    ¡°No idea. I just heard it was an undergraduate girl.¡± Ma Qiqi rolled her eyes and got up, trying to dash outside. ¡°I¡¯ll go find out!¡±

    ¡°Come back!¡± Gu Nianzhi frantically got up from the sofa and grabbed Ma Qiqi¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I was only asking. Don¡¯t go find out who it is; who cares anyway? It¡¯s not as if her family can make the decision for Professor He?¡±

    ¡°But she has rmendation letters from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, and our dean!¡± Ma Qiqi wanted to knock some sense into Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Her family might as well make the decision for him. Do you think Professor He will read these kind of letters and not consider the feelings of the Prime Minister at least?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated. She wasn¡¯t sure either. After all, He Zhichu had only told her yesterday that the powerful person backing Gui Suyao was Prime Minister Dou. Could this applicant be her? But, Ma Qiqi said the person was an undergraduate student, not a doctoral student. As soon as she considered this, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts clicked into ce and she recalled meeting a person who was an undergraduatew student at B University who was also close to Prime Minister Dou. After pondering for a while, she whispered, ¡°This undergraduate student might be the youngest daughter of Prime Minister Dou, Dou Aiyan, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi was more familiar with Dou Aiyan¡¯s sister, Dou Qingyan. She barely knew the younger girl at all. They had met once at the New Year¡¯s banquet at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. The girl had made a significant impression on her, only because of how insufferable she¡¯d been. Gu Nianzhi could still recall Dou Aiyan¡¯s outfit that night, along with her smug face and the rude things she¡¯d said to her. Afterwards, they had met again at B University¡ªDou Aiyan brought two underlings along to give Gu Nianzhi a hard time. They had even walked to He Zhichu¡¯s building together. At the time, Wen Shouyi was still He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant and she¡¯d been very kind to Dou Aiyan. She remembered the smitten look on Dou Aiyan¡¯s face when she looked at He Zhichu. If the applicant was indeed her, everything made sense.

    Ma Qiqi was shocked. ¡°Huh? The Prime Minister¡¯s daughter is also aw student here? Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡±

    It seemed that Dou Aiyan was fairly low key within the B University Faculty of Law, so not many people were aware her true identity. The confidentiality work for Dou Aiyan had been ample and at the thought of this, Gu Nianzhi felt disappointed. Dou Aiyan was an important person so all the instructors and staff who knew about her had probably made a pact to protect her identity. She would have never suffered someone casually circting her personal information for all to see. Gu Nianzhi knew that she because she was an insignificant person and had neither a solid nor and esteemed family background, she was treated like nothing and had no privacy. If not for He Zhichu¡¯s intervention, her time at B University would have been very difficult.

    At this moment, Gu Nianzhi sorely missed her years at C University. The instructors and ssmates had been so kind, except for her lousy ex-boyfriend, Mei Xiawen, who had pursued then cheated on her. However, Mei Xiawen wasn¡¯t an entirely bad person; at least he hadn¡¯t revealed her personal information.

    ¡°Is it really her? If that¡¯s true, we should give up now.¡± Ma Qiqi sighed and slumped on the sofa while using Gu Nianzhi¡¯s panda pillow to cover her face. She pounded her fists on the sofa and wailed. ¡°Why are we so unlucky? How can wepete against the Prime Minister¡¯s beloved daughter?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi collected her thoughts and stopped wallowing in self-pity. The situation had already gotten to this point and while she was an orphan girl, she had no shameful secrets to hide. The important thing, then, was to emerge stronger and surprise those people who only valued family backgrounds! ¡°Qiqi, don¡¯t feel too sad.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over to give Ma Qiqi a gentle nudge. ¡°So what if she¡¯s Prime Minister Dou¡¯s daughter? She still had to apply and submit the rmendation letters. What¡¯s there to get upset about?¡±

    Ma Qiqi considered it and soon agreed to her logic. She immediately sat up on the soda and waved her fists, her passion renewed. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re right! So what if she has three impressive rmendation letters? She still has to go through the application process like everyone else! If her influence alone could have determined the oue, she would¡¯ve already been internally selected as a teaching assistant. Why would Professor He have gone through the trouble of recruiting from the entire faculty? Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously. ¡± With Professor He¡¯s status, he doesn¡¯t need to worry about the Prime Minister, Minister of Education, or our dean. As far as I know, the Prime Minister and our dean are indebted to Professor He, and while I¡¯m not sure about the Minister of Education, in terms of his position he¡¯s a member of the cab and answers to the Prime Minister. So Prime Minister Dou is his superior, and if even the Prime Minister himself is indebted to Professor He, the Minister of Education would never dare disrespect Professor He.¡±

    Ma Qiqi agreed with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s analysis. She stood up to hug Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re so good with your words! I¡¯mpletely convinced by you now!¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been convinced by me, but by logic and reason.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at her. ¡°Ok, did you get your rmendation letters yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I totally thought my chance was zero when I heard this from someone. I didn¡¯t even want to ask for rmendation letters; but, now that you¡¯ve exined it, I want to ask again.¡± Ma Qiqi stood on her tiptoes

    danced into her room, twirling and gliding until she closed the door elegantly with a lift her foot. Gu Nianzhi chuckled before organizing her homework, reading the reference books He Zhichu assigned and finishing several case study analyses. She lost track of time when she studied and by the time her phone rang, her watch already read 10pm. She had been reading for nearly four hours so her stomach was grumbling. Gu Nianzhi grabbed her phone, dialing her favorite number. Once the call connected, she asked, ¡°Huo Shao? You haven¡¯t slept yet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep voice sounded from the other line. ¡°You haven¡¯t slept yet either? What are you doing? He paused, ¡°Turn on the video call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned on the camera giddily and quickly connected with Huo Shaoheng. He wore a ck T-shirt loose pants, looking casual even though he was in his office. The fabric was tight against his muscr arms and Gu Nianzhi quickly averted her eyes when she felt a blush creep across her face. She stared into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark eyes and said, ¡°Huo Shao, there¡¯s something I want to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Professor He is recruiting for a teaching assistant within the students in the faculty and I applied,¡± Gu Nianzhi told him nervously. Was it wrong of me to apply without discussing it with him?

    Huo Shaoheng froze and he stared at her. ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant? Isn¡¯t that Wen Shouyi?¡±

    ¡°Teaching Assistant Wen left and won¡¯t being back.¡± Gu Nianzhi was repeating He Zhichu¡¯s words. ¡°He needs another one now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Ok, so how is he recruiting?¡± Gu Nianzhi opened the application site and read all the conditions to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng asked after she finished exining, ¡°He needs three rmendation letters? Do you want me to write one for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I already asked people to write them for me.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Huo Shaoheng was a little curious¡ªhe knew all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s acquaintances after all; he wasn¡¯t aware of anyone else who could write rmendation letters for her.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s confusion and blushed slightly as she whispered, ¡°I asked my roommates from the undergraduate dorm.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He thought she wasn¡¯t taking this seriously enough. Would a person like He Zhichu even look at those letters? Huo Shaoheng happened to know that many students in the faculty had strong family backgrounds, so they would submit rmendation letters from high-ranking government officials or respected members of society. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s three newly graduated roommates could neverpare. He thought about it for a while and asked Gu Nianzhi again, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need me to get you rmendation letters?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to shake her head. ¡°It¡¯s really ok. I don¡¯t think Professor He specified a format for the rmendation letters, so it¡¯s fine to get them from people who know me well right?¡±

    ¡°Well, alright then.¡± Huo Shoaheng stopped asking since he wasn¡¯t worried even if she was not hired. He began asking about how Gu Nianzhi was doing recently and finally said, ¡°I¡¯m free this weekend, are you going back to the apartment?¡±

 Chapter 405 - Envy and Hate (3)

    <h4>Chapter 405: Envy and Hate (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes, of course I¡¯m going back...¡± Gu Nianzhi broke into a happy grin, her voice naturally turning into honey, ¡°Huo Shao, do you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly replied but a hint of a smile shed through his eyes as he shared a nce with Gu Nianzhi through the video call.

    After a long moment, she reached out to stroke his face on the screen and said quietly, ¡°I miss you too, everyday...¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯lle pick you up?¡± Huo Shaoheng typically had no time to pick Gu Nianzhi up on Friday and ording to schedule he typically finished all his work Saturday at 6am. But with the spell cast by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s longing gaze, he decided to not sleep tonight and continue working so he could pick her up 7 or 8pm on Friday.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded happily and said with generosity, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± She then added with some regret, ¡°I didn¡¯t drive my car here, otherwise I¡¯d take you for a ride.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°Wait for my call on Friday.¡± He then ended the video call.

    Gu Nianzhi threw the phone, then herself on the bed. She rolled around gleefully on the mattress, the excitement seeping out of her heart. Compared to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s typically aloof attitude, he now treated her better and better everyday. Yeah! Gu Nianzhi made a victory sign in her heart and giggled as she hugged her small panda pillow. So this was what it was like to love someone and have them love back¨Ca bittersweet happiness was about to spill from her heart. She put her hand against her thundering heartbeat, happily imagining the approaching weekend. Her face got red and she finally stared at her innocent little panda pillow for a whole 10 minutes before the dirty thoughts left her mind. Although she had no indecent thoughts now, she couldn¡¯t help herself from having a dream of Huo Shaoheng that night... The warm embraces, passionate kisses, feelings of being within each other and having no distance between their skin made her cheeks flush and heart thud even in her dreams. When she woke up the next morning, she couldn¡¯t believe she had such a wild dream and forced herself to repent for a few minutes. After sitting on the bed in a stupor for a while, she finally removed the nkets and got up.

    Ma Qiqi got up early in the morning and was humming in the living room as she practiced ballet and made breakfast. After the food was done, she knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door, ¡°Nianzhi, get up for breakfast. I made rice porridge today myself today! It¡¯s perfectly cooked and creamy, so delicious.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s family came from the northern part of the Empire, so she was very good at making flour based dishes.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door and was instantly intoxicated with the aroma of the rice porridge. Taking several deep breaths, she felt refreshed and the light sheen of sweat on her back also woke her body up. ¡°Qiqi, I love you so much!¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over with a grin and sat at the dining table to look at breakfast. Aside from the golden colored rice porridge, there was also peeled hard boiled eggs, halved duck eggs with oozing yolks, as well as big meat buns and fried donuts fresh from the cafeteria. ¡°These are all my favourites!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Ma Qiqi with excitement, ¡°How did you know I love this food?¡±

    Ma Qiqi was shocked, ¡°Really? These are my favourite too!¡± With a simr pte, the roommates bonded closer together.

    Gu Nianzhi brought a ss of warm milk to Ma Qiqi and said, ¡°I¡¯m going home this weekend, I¡¯ll see if we have any more sweetpea cakes and fried rice cakes so I can bring you a few more boxes?¡±

    ¡°Ok! Thanks Nianzhi!¡± Ma Qiqi nodded, ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about them after that one time. Too bad the onesfor sale aren¡¯t as good as yours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had asked Huo Shaoheng where the sweetpea cakes and fried rice cakes were from but he had said they were specially provided for the military so she didn¡¯t ask again. She would nag him to bring her some more when she went home this time. ¡°I asked the person who got the snacksst time and he said they are not for sale, so I¡¯ll just get some for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi said awkwardly as she picked up a piece of halved salted duck egg with oozing yolks for Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi nodded with a smile, ¡°I was guessing they are not for sale, otherwise how could a foodie like me miss out on them?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, you¡¯re the best.¡± Gu Nianzhi set down her chopsticks with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m full now, you go wash up. I¡¯ll do the dishes.¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t cook so she was always proactive about washing dishes. She had quite the preparation for it¨Caside from a pair of elbow length rubber gloves, she also wore an apron and specially formted dish soap that didn¡¯t damage her hands.

    After Ma Qiqi washed up and came out in a change of clothes, she almostughed so hard she couldn¡¯t stand straight at the sight of Gu Nianzhi in full protective gear.

    Gu Nianzhi heard theughter and knew Ma Qiqi was making fun of her dishwashing ¡°armor¡±. She pouted, ¡°Qiqi, you might think I¡¯m being dramatic but this is the greatest protection for the skin on your hands. Even the best dish soap can damage your skin, so it¡¯s best not to touch it.¡±

    Ma Qiqi shook her head, ¡°I hate washing dishes, since you¡¯re willing to do it how about we get a dishwasher one day?¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ve wanted one for a long time but doesn¡¯t the dorm control the amount of electricity we use? Can we buy household appliances on our own?¡± Gu Nianzhi recalled the dorm guide she read and thought it said that students were forbidden from using their own household appliances. Even all the TVs in the dorms were installed by the university. As for a dishwasher, they probably wouldn¡¯t allow it.

    Ma Qiqi sighed and crossed her arms against the kitchen door, ¡°That¡¯s true, the kitchen is so tiny it was never meant for us to actually cook in.¡± There were so many cafeterias on campus anyway so there was something for everyone. They were just letting their imaginations roam.

    Gu nianzhi scrubbed the dishes while she asked Ma Qiqi, ¡°Did you sort out your reference letters?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ma Qiqi snapped her fingers, ¡°I called my parents yesterday and told them about the reference letters so my dad said he¡¯ll ask his colleagues to write them for me.¡± After some thought, Ma Qiqi attempted to ask nonchntly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you need help with getting yours? My parents know a lot of people...¡± She worded it carefully because she was worried Gu Nianzhi would get sensitive and think she was showing off how her parents were still alive...

    Gu Nianzhi was not overly sensitive and the fact she was an orphan girl was nothing to be ashamed of. If she was really worried about it then her life would be very difficult. Although she was an orphan girl, Huo Shao had always been taken care of her. He treated her so well, so what was there for her to be dissatisfied with? Gu Nianzhi calmly put a cleaned dish back into the cupboard and smiled, ¡°That¡¯s ok, thank Qiqi, I already asked someone to help with my reference letters yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You already asked someone? That¡¯s great!¡± Ma Qiqi was reassured that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t upset. She was a straightforward person so she always avoided overly sensitive ssmates because they were hard to deal with. But Gu Nianzhi was different¨Cshe was smart and knew everything, yet wasn¡¯t too sensitive so it was nice being her friend.

    ¡°Yes, my three roommates from my undergraduate years. They are very nice to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around with a smile as she undid the apron to hang up on a hook, then took off the long rubber gloves and washed them with soap before hanging over the sink.

    Ma Qiqi was truly shocked, ¡°You just asked your undergraduate roommates? Is that ok?!¡± Reference letters had the function akin to their name so they are only useful when written by capable and respected people? This wasmon knowledge. But Gu Nianzhi always thought that with He Zhichu¡¯s position and capabilities, he must have a different outlook. Perhaps he valued things different from those of normal people. Of course, she might not be right or misjudged He Zhichu, those were certainly possibilities as well. So she couldn¡¯t just assume that bing his teaching assistant was something she had in the bag. It would be luck if she got it, and fate if she didn¡¯t¨Cthere was no need to me anything or anyone else.

    The next few days, Gu Nianzhi stayed in the library to read reference books and analyze case studies. She went out early, came backte and even attended several renowned B Universityputing science courses. Her time was well spent and happy. By the time it was 4 or 5pm on Friday, Gu Nianzhi received a text from Huo Shaoheng saying he would pick her up at 7pm. So she didn¡¯t have dinner and quickly finished all her homework at the library then send it to He Zhichu¡¯s email. As soon as she sent it out, she received a text from He Zhichu asking, ¡°Nianzhi, are you free this weekend? I have some work that I need help with.¡±

 Chapter 406 - Envy and Hate (4)

    <h4>Chapter 406: Envy and Hate (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi read He Zhichu¡¯s email and hesitated for several minutes. She wanted nothing more than to spend the weekend with Huo Shaoheng, but He Zhichu was her instructor¡ªwhat if he had something important to tell her? After struggling to make a decision, she finally texted back: ¡°Professor He, was it something urgent? If I canplete this at home, then you can send it to my email and I¡¯ll finish a portion of it on the weekend.¡±

    He Zhichu read Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply and took a few minutes to write back: ¡°No need, have a good weekend.¡± After sending it off, He Zhichu checked the recruitment inbox with a stony face. Midnight the night before had been the deadline for submitting rmendation letters. He deleted all emails that were sent after the deadline; half the applicants were disqualified. He then looked at the remaining applicants¡¯ year of study and academic records. Fourth year undergraduates were not epted, and second and third year post-grad students were also not suitable. Another half of the applicants were deleted. That finally left about 50 of the most suitable students with sufficient grades who submitted rmendation letters in time.

    He Zhichu quickly clicked through the applicants and selected Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rmendation letters to peruse carefully. Curious about what Huo Shaoheng had written, He Zhichu was surprised to see that it was only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommates from her undergraduate years that had rmended her. There was no trace of Huo Shaoheng. He Zhichu read the letters with a frown and although he shocked, he felt oddly satisfied. He also read the remaining rmendation letters and selected a dozen decent ones from hardworking students. After making a shortlist, he posted it on the official B University website. As soon as the list was up, all students regardless if they applied or not were able to see it.

    Gu Nianzhi had just returned to her dorm building when He Zhichu¡¯s preliminary list of candidates had already circted throughout the faculty. Since she was still buzzing with excitement at meeting Huo Shaoheng right away, she was not yet aware that He Zhichu¡¯s list was out. When she stepped out of the elevator, she could see several girls from the dorms huddled together in front of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s door. They were babbling and squealing asionally. Within the group of girls, Gu Niaznhi easily picked out Ma Qiqi¡¯s tall figure. She walked over and tapped Ma Qiqi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Qiqi, what are you doing?¡±

    Ma Qiqi turned her head and smiled when she saw that it was Gu Nianzhi. ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s preliminary list of candidates just got released. Nianzhi, your name is on there too! That¡¯s amazing! You got selected even with just your old roommates¡¯ rmendation letters! It goes to say that Professor He is very eclectic and unbiased!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°What? Already?¡± She grumbled internally that He Zhichu hadn¡¯t said a word to her about this on the phone earlier. ¡°Yeah, the news was published to the entire faculty. How can it be wrong?¡± Ma Qiqi winked at her. ¡°I¡¯m on it too!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi congratted her sincerely. ¡°That¡¯s great! We can study together?¡±

    ¡°Right! I didn¡¯t n on going home this weekend anyway so I¡¯ll stay and study. I have to do well on the exam for a better chance of being epted!¡± Ma Qiqi waved her arms fiercely; she was full of charming confidence.

    Leaning against her room door, Miao Yunxiao crossed her arms and red at them. She snidely remarked, ¡°How can that be? Two friendly roommates can work together, but only one will be epted by Professor He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Miao Yunxiao with the intention of arguing her, but Ma Qiqi pulled her arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we should head back instead of wasting our time with her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shut her mouth and followed Ma Qiqi back to their dorm room. The crowds of girls dispersed as well. Among all the first year masters students, only two were shortlisted; Miao Yunxiao wasn¡¯t one of them.

    Ma Qiqi said, ¡°She¡¯s just crazy with jealousy. Ignore her; it¡¯s just a case of sour grapes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t have anything to say since you don¡¯t mind.¡± She paused and took Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand, ¡°But Qiqi, I think Miao Yunxiao is still right. I want to tell you now that no matter which one of us Professor He chooses, let there be no hard feelings between the two of us.¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Ma Qiqi replied quickly. ¡°If you get selected by some luck, you have to treat me to hotpot at Jiuloufengyue. I heard they just put out a new nourishing hotpot with a very good broth. Also, I want sweet pea cakes and fried rice cakes, three boxes each!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bent over inughter. ¡°Qiqi, you¡¯re such a darling!¡±

    ¡°Well, my family¡¯s always called me a happy kid!¡± Ma Qiqi said smugly.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Ma Qiqi had grown up in a middle-ss family and got along with her parents. She was an only child and was very loved. Children raised with care never grew up to be too sensitive, paranoid, or calcting. Just like her physical appearance, Ma Qiqi had a gracious and bright attitude. Gu Nianzhi was happy to have a roommate like Ma Qiqi. ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m going home this weekend, so you¡¯ll have to study hard by yourself! Opportunities are only for people who are well prepared, so good luck!¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged Ma Qiqi and returned to her room. After taking a shower at a record speed, changing her clothes, and putting the dirty ones in the washing machine, Huo Shaoheng texted her just as the clothes were drying: ¡°I¡¯m here,e downstairs.¡±

    The simple words from him were enough to make Gu Nianzhi squeal with delight. She put away her phone and poked her head out her bedroom window to see a ck Mercedes SUV parked downstairs. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s usual car. It was inconspicuously luxurious and considered a fine car, though it was much more low key than the shy Ferrari fromst time. Gu Nianzhi put on her backpack and tried to remain calm as she left her room. She knocked on Ma Qiqi¡¯s door. ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m leaving now. Have a good weekend!¡±

    ¡°You too!¡± Ma Qiqi called out from inside the room. Gu Nianzhi locked their front door and then went inside the elevator; it travelled down from the sixth floor and Gu Nianzhi felt slightly nauseous from the mounting excitement. She arrived at the first floor but when the elevator doors opened, Gu Nianzhi felt a bit unbnced. Supporting herself on the elevator door, she managed to stumble outside and before she could steady herself, a beautiful girl in a sapphire blue, belted down coat rushed over to her. The girl carefully regarded Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You are...Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up into the pretty face of the girl with a bright and dewy face: it was Prime Minister Dou¡¯s youngest daughter, Dou Aiyan. The girl had barely spared Gu Nianzhi a nce the first time they had met and had even insulted her the second time. However, she seemed especially polite today. ¡°Sister Gu, I¡¯m Dou Aiyan.¡± Dou Aiyan paused and said with great sincerity, ¡°I want to ask you for a favor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her temples in attempt to dispel the dizziness and secretly thought that the world must be ending, to have the haughty Dou Aiyan to be so polite to her. ¡°ssmate Dou, there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled but her face was slightly pale. Was she sick from the elevator ride?

    Suppressing the dark disdain in her heart, Dou Aiyan continued sweetly, ¡°Sister Gu, the thing is, I really want to be Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked hard. Why is Dou Aiyan talking to me if she wants to be Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant? I am not Professor He; what¡¯s she trying to pull? Gu Nianzhi looked at Dou Aiyan quizzically.

    Dou Aiyan continued, ¡°I submitted three persuasive rmendation letters: one from my Daddy, one from the Minister of Education, and one from the dean of B University. However, I still didn¡¯t make the shortlist.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was beginning to feel impatient. She stared at her wordlessly.

    ¡°Sister Gu, I asked many people to understand your situation.¡± Dou Aiyan licked her lips and her pretty face suddenly grew serious. ¡°I want to make a deal with you. Are you willing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her forehead and replied sternly to Dou Aiyan, ¡°ssmate Dou, everyone ispeting with their own abilities to get the position of Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant. I¡¯m just another one of the applicants; aren¡¯t you talking to the wrong person by asking for my help?¡±

    ¡°Sister Gu, if you can give your ce to me, I can ask my Daddy to allow you to intern at the cab¡¯s Ministry of Justice.¡± Dou Aiyan had resolved to follow a certain person¡¯s advice and strike this deal with Gu Nianzhi, propriety be damned.

 Chapter 407 - Envy and Hate (5)

    <h4>Chapter 407: Envy and Hate (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Dou Aiyan nervously eyed Gu Nianzhi, unsure what reaction she¡¯d get. She really had made a reckless choice in her desperation. She almost passed out half an hour ago when she saw the shortlist. Never did she expect that her three esteemed reference letters would fail to get her on the preliminary shortlist! She begged her dad to call He Zhichu to plead her case, but to no avail. The professor said that there were only 10 positions on the list and they were all fully upied¨Che had no way of giving Dou Aiyan a chance unless someone forfeited. All 10 students on the list had their own strong background and support, and Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t the weakest one within the group. But someone in her dad¡¯s office happened to overhear their call and asked for the names of the students shortlisted. When that person heard ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± was within the group, theyughed and gave Dou Aiyan the idea to go find Gu Nianzhi and make a deal so that she would forfeit and allow Dou Aiyan to get on the shortlist. The idea didn¡¯t sit right with Prime Minister Dou and Dou Aiyan because although Gu Nianzhi was a so called orphan girl, she still was raised by Major General Huo. Everyone knew that the Huo Shaoheng was very protective and with him backing Gu Nianzhi, who would dare to mess with her?¡±

    Dou Aiyan had even chosen another first year male student to coerce into giving up his position. But the person advising them said that Huo Shaoheng may not necessarily help Gu Nianzhi this time, so Dou Aiyan should try asking Gu Nianzhi first since the exam was next week. If Huo Shaoheng decided to help Gu Nianzhi, then Dou Aiyan would still have time to ask someone else. Dou Aiyan had no regard for Gu Nianzhi, but she couldn¡¯t ignore Huo Shaoheng¡¯s importance. Even though her sister Dou Qingyan¡¯s legal troubles had embarrassed their family, so she must swallow her pride and let Gu Nianzhi off the hook. This time she had received advice from someone else so she wanted to test for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s limits.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi was not giving up her position. She looked like Dou Aiyan like she was an idiot and stated seriously, ¡°ssmate Dou, which do you think is better¨Cinterning at the Department of Justice or interning at the US Congress?¡±

    Dou Aiyan balked, ¡°Intern at the US Congress? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about... I was talking about interning at our Huaxia Empire¡¯s Department of Justice, aren¡¯t you aw student? But you didn¡¯t even do your undergrad here so no one treats you like a B Universityw undergraduate student. When you graduate it¡¯ll help you to find a better job if you get intern experience at the Department of Justice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to argue anymore, this girl was in over her head and all too happy to talk to herself. ¡°ssmate Dou, I already interned at the US Congress for six months so I think I already have enough interning experience. I don¡¯t need anymore for my resume.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her off, ¡°I also want to be Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant, so I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t give this position to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi rushed out the building when she finished speaking because Huo Shaoheng was still waiting for her in the car.

    Dou Aiyan didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzi to reject her generous offer, so she got anxious and chased after her to shout, ¡°Sister Gu, please help me! I really want to write the preliminary exam and be Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant, please give this chance to me!¡± She began bowing at Gu Nianzhi desperately.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to step aside with a sigh, ¡°ssmate Dou, anything else would be different, but I can¡¯t help you with this.¡± She paused then continued, ¡°With Professor He¡¯s conduct, he would never allow us to personally make trades with the shortlist positions.¡±

    ¡°Professor He personally told my Daddy that! He said all the positions are filled and as long as someone gives up then he can allow me to take their position!¡± Dou Aiyan grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shirtsleeve to beg quietly, ¡°Sister Gu, have you ever wanted something so much that you couldn¡¯t even sleep because of it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around, yanking her sleeve from Dou Aiyan¡¯s hands and shaking her head, ¡°You should ask someone else. I don¡¯te across my chances either, so this time I will try my very best.¡±

    Dou Aiyan didn¡¯t think Gu Nianzhi would refuse to help even though she was stooping beneath herself! ¡°Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t push it!¡± Dou Aiyan¡¯s eyes narrowed fiercely, ¡°I¡¯ve been begging you all day and you¡¯re still refusing! How can you be so mean!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡± Howe someone with skewed logic be so full of themselves? Gu Nianzhi thought she can really take a lesson in being shameless from ssmate Dou Aiyan. ¡°ssmate Dou, how am I being mean just because I¡¯m not giving you something of mine that you want? I don¡¯t understand this logic, how did you get admitted to the B University Faculty of Law with your kind of grades?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brows to easily counter Dou Aiyan. Her sharp tongue was almost a natural talent, she could rile people up whenever she wanted.

    Dou Aiyan¡¯s heart pounded from her words but quickly calmed down, ¡°I was admitted through proper exam procedures, so what? You have a problem with it?¡±

    ¡°How would I dare have a problem with it?¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed in a curtsy, ¡°Princess, may this civilian retreat now?¡±

    Dou Aiyan froze then quickly shot back, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, are you really not going to consider this? I really don¡¯t think you need topete to be Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant. This position won¡¯t help you at all. If you¡¯re a smart person you should know how to make the decision.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her palms, ¡°Then why is ssmate Dou wanting this position if it isn¡¯t helpful at all?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m different from you.¡± Dou Aiyan blinked before blurting, ¡°I don¡¯t need the things you need. And for the things I need, you¡¯re not at the level that you can even use them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes and walked away without another word. Dou Aiyan shouted desperately behind her, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! You¡¯ll give up the position and allow me to take it. I¡¯ll go ask my Daddy to help you get an intern position at the Department of Justice!¡±

    She still wanted to make this work for herself... Gu Nianzhi was finally angry. She turned around and told her seriously, ¡°ssmate Dou, do you know that you¡¯re already breaking thew?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to scare me! How am I breaking thew? I¡¯m only asking to make a transaction wthi you!¡± Do Aiyan quickly replied to prevent Gu Nianzhi from continuing, ¡°One is willing to sell and the other is willing to buy, that¡¯s perfectly legal.¡±

    ¡°Perfectly legal? You aremitting robbery.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked around Dou Aiyan to head to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car and stated coldly, ¡°To take something that doesn¡¯t belong to you is robbery. You can check thews if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Her serious demeanor gave Dou Aiyan a fright.

    In a short moment, Huo Shaoheng had already got out of his car. Wearing a General¡¯s spring uniform of a navy light wool military-style jacket revealing his white shirt cor and navy thin wool trousers with razors sharp seams, he crossed his long legs and leaned against the car door. Looking down to pull out a cigarette and lighting it for a puff, he looked up at Gu Nianzhi walk over with a frown, ¡°Why did it take you so long toe down?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back, ¡°Someone was blocking the way and trying to rob me.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Dou Aiyan made a split decision when she saw Huo Shaohenge out of the car. She ran over to them and stressed a point as the person from dad¡¯s office suggested, ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Don¡¯t make false usations! I was only asking you to give the position to me, how is that robbery?¡±

    ¡°Miss Dou, there¡¯s the action of forcing someone to sell and forcing someone to buy, which is actual robbery. How did you get admitted to university, do you even know thew?¡±

    Dou Aiyan¡¯s eyes shimmered as she avoided Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question, ¡°Sister Gu, I¡¯ll have an even more generous offer if you are willing to hand me the preliminary shortlist position.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flicked the ash and asked nonchntly, ¡°...What preliminary shortlist position?¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could even speak, Dou Aiyan interjected, ¡°The preliminary shortlist position for bing Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant! Over 400 people applied and only 10 people made it to the shortlist. Look at at how difficult it was, Major General Huo!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to Dou Aiyan as a greeting then asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Did you make it to the shortlist?¡±

    Otherwise why would Dou Aiyan be chasing her for it? Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile, ¡°My luck was good, I made it.¡±

    The words were like needle pricks to Dou Aiyan¡¯s heart as she mumbled, ¡°I sent in three reference letters from my Daddy, Minister of Education and even the dean of B University, but I still didn¡¯t make the preliminary shortlist. ¨CMajor General Huo, who did you get to write Sister Gu¡¯s reference letters? Was it General Ji and Speaker Long?¡±

 Chapter 408 - Show Your Sincerity

    <h4>Chapter 408: Show Your Sincerity</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    To Dou Aiyan, only General Ji and Speaker Long¡¯s rmendation letters could trump the ones she submitted. Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t bother replying to Dou Aiyan at all. He only said to Gu Nianzhi before walking away, ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly followed him and left Dou Aiyan standing awkwardly in front of the mastersw students female dormitory. ¡°Who does she think she is!¡± Dou Aiyan stamped her feet as she watched the Mercedes SUV speed away. She was more irritated than ever and picked up the phone to call her father. ¡°Daddy, it didn¡¯t work! Gu Nianzhi refused to give her ce to me and Major General Huo ignored me!¡±

    Prime Minister Dou looked at the person still sitting in his office and grimaced. ¡°How embarrassing. I¡¯ve spoiled you too much, my daughter.¡± He sighed. ¡°I spoiled both my daughters too much. I don¡¯t even know what to do anymore.¡± His term in office was almost up and he needed to prepare for his second election, but the upper echelons of the Huaxia Empire were unhappy with him because of the incident with his daughter, Dou Qingyan. Although he hadn¡¯t been forced to step down right away, nor had he been barred from joining in the election, he truly didn¡¯t think he had a chance of re-election under the present circumstances. Elections were not only time consuming but extremelybor intensive. Prime Minister Dou has started from scratch and used his own skills to climb step by step to the top position in the government. Without the appointment and support of the elites in society, he would never have be the Prime Minister.

    ¡°Miss Yamaguchi Aiko, can you really help me get re-elected?¡± Although her previous idea hadn¡¯t worked on Gu Nianzhi, Prime Minister Dou had noints and still treated her like a distinguished guest.

    Yamaguchi Aiko sat on the sofa across from Prime Minister Dou¡¯s desk. She wore a janitor¡¯s uniform and her hair was dark, short, and sleek with a fringe that was parted on her forehead. Her narrow eyes were tinged faintly with blue eyeliner, and her pale and full face, with lightly stained lips and thin brows, was reminiscent ofdies from ancient Huaxia. However, she still had the obvious and alluring characteristics of a Japanese woman. She replied easily, ¡°Prime Minister Dou, we Japanese people will do everything for our friends. Please do not doubt us.¡± She spoke with a strong Japanese ent but had an authenticmand of Huaxia grammar and tones.

    Prime Minister Dou was very ufortable. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and he kept using a handkerchief to wipe it off as he rambled, ¡°Well that¡¯s not the case here, I¡¯ve sacrificed so much, but you can leave unscathed if this fails. On the other hand, our entire family will be done for!¡± Not only would he lose the title as Prime Minister, but he would also risk being killed.

    Yamaguchi Aiko giggled shrilly. Her chin seemed to grow even more pointed as sheughed and the sharp jawline and her shing teeth gave her the frightful appearance of a ravenous devil .

    Prime Minister Dou got the chills from looking at her. ¡°Miss Yamaguchi, please say something. This is very serious and we can¡¯t work together if you¡¯re so...carefree.¡± He looked around, dogged by the paranoia that the impervious Secret Service would appear any second. He shuddered to think what would happen if they found out he was working with the Japanese. However, he¡¯d had no choice¡ªthe Huaxia elites no longer supported him so he needed to rely on foreign powers to get re-elected. Prime Minister Doi didn¡¯t have any intention of betraying his nation; he only wanted to use the Japanese conglomerates without harming national interests. Moreover, foreign interference in elections wasmon in many countries. He certainly wasn¡¯t the first, nor would be thest person, to dip his fingers in. At the thought of this, Prime Minister Dou began to calm down slightly.

    Yamaguchi Aiko was still giggling but then her expression darkened suddenly. She stood up from the sofa. ¡°Prime Minister Dou, I¡¯ll repeat what I said. The basis of our cooperation is mutual trust, as well asmon goals and interests. If that can¡¯t be guaranteed, than we have nothing more to discuss. Goodbye!¡±

    ¡°Miss Yamaguchi!¡± Prime Minister Dou grew anxious and scrambled up from behind his desk to stop her. ¡°Please wait! Can¡¯t we discuss some more?¡±

    Yamaguchi Aiko stopped walking and turned around to look at Prime Minister Dou. She stated seriously, ¡°I came here because I was asked by the Yamaguchi-gumi, in conjunction with ten Japanese conglomerates, to find a suitable candidate to support as the next Huaxia Prime Minister. Please look,¡± she revealed a document that had been carefully folded, from ok of her pocket, ¡°we¡¯ve already raised this amount just in campaign funds. As long as you agree, then half of this money will be immediately deposited into your campaign bank ount and I will personally represent the Japanese conglomerates to help your campaign team gain international support.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou¡¯s heart thundered as he looked at the incredible amount Yamaguchi Aiko showed him. His eardrums echoed with the sound of his pulse and for a moment, he couldn¡¯t see or hear anything¡ªonly the long string of numbers that danced around in his head.

    ept it... ept it! What are you waiting for? As long as you¡¯re re-elected, you can enjoy the benefits when you retire and get the highest level of protection and treatment domestically for the rest of your life, what are you hesitating for?

    ¡°No... don¡¯t do it! Japan and the Huaxia Empire have a negative history and the Yamaguchi-gumi is an internationally known mafia group. Even though they have stopped their illegal activities now, they still have a dark history and could go renegade at any moment. Cooperating with them is dancing with the devil. Don¡¯t do it...¡±

    The two voices argued and struggled with each other in Prime Minister Dou¡¯s mind.

    Yamaguchi Aiko looked on gleefully and quietly observed Prime Minister¡¯s internal struggle. Finally, the voice that longed for fame and fortune won the upper hand. Prime Miniser Dou grit his teeth and looked up at Yamaguchi Aiko. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll work with your people. But, you have to show your sincerity first. Other than half the campaign funds, what else do you have?¡±

    A satisfied smile shed as she took out a photo. ¡°What else do we have? What about sharing revenge for a murdered sister?¡±

    Prime Minister Dou took the photo with suspicion. It showed a young woman with thick, medium length dark hair. She had a full fringe andrge ck framed sses covered half her face, but he could still see a lovely face that was very simr to Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s.

    ¡°This is my sister, Yamaguchi Youko.¡± Yamaguchi Youko spat out, ¡°She died by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands because of Gu Nianzhi. I have a personal reason for working with you, I want both Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng dead! You are the Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire. If you don¡¯t agree to these terms we cannot work together. I¡¯ll have to find another suitable partner.¡±

    The corners of Prime Minister Dou¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°Is that true? Your sister really died?¡±

    ¡°You can go ask your Special Operations Forces if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko put the photo back into her pocket. She wasn¡¯t worried that he would investigate, since Yamaguchi Youko¡¯s ¡°fatal car ident¡± had been published on the newspaper before. ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say for today. I¡¯ll give you one more day, but we can¡¯t dy any longer than that. If you still don¡¯t agree then I¡¯ll disappear for good and you¡¯ll never see me again.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou watched Yamaguchi Aiko leave his study and felt it was as if he was seeing his promising future go down the drain, ¡°Miss Yamaguchi!¡± He finally called after her. ¡°I¡¯ll cooperate with you!¡±

    Yamaguchi Aiko smiled. ¡°Are you sure? You can only seed; you are not allowed to fail once you join with us!¡±

    ¡°I want to be sessful!¡± Prime Minister Dou made up his mind to use his own wit and intellect to first familiarize himself with the group, then figure out their weaknesses and regain control. That way, he could use them to achieve re-election while not being threatened by them.

    Yamaguchi Aiko seemed to read his mind andughed. ¡°Right, your daughter Dou Qingyan is in jail right? This is our second disy of sincerity for you. Your oldest daughter was switched out from her jail cell a few days ago and secretly sent to Japan.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko took out a few photos of Dou Qingyan in an expensive kimono. She was smiling happily and eating pastries under a cherry blossom tree with a group of girls also in kimono. In another, Dou Qingyan held a tambourine and was in the midst of dancing.

    Prime Minister Dou hadn¡¯t seen his oldest daughter so joyful in a long time, but he was not aplete fool. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll believe you when you send my daughter to my people in the United States. Otherwise, you¡¯re basically using my daughter as leverage.¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Dou is truly gauging a gentleman¡¯s heart with his own pettiness.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko shook her head. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll promise you: your daughter will arrive in the United States and meet with your own people in three days.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou finally sighed in relief as he watched Yamaguchi Aiko push her janitor¡¯s cart away. This was a dangerous move, but this was the only way he could turn things around in such a messy situation.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi sat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s SUV as they drove to her apartment. Huo Shaoheng drove calmly as usual and looked ahead. He did not appear different from usual at all, but Gu Nianzhi keenly sensed that he was displeased. ¡°Huo Shao, what is it? What¡¯s bothering you? You can just tell me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her before replying dryly, ¡°I¡¯m not bothered.¡± In fact though, he was a bit perturbed. With his training and ability, he had long been able to conceal all his emotions. Neither normal people nor the likes of General Ji and Speaker Long could detect his true emotions or change in mood. He hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to notice all his mood changes. He looked at her again but didn¡¯t say a word. They drove in silence to the underground parking lot of the apartment. Huo Shaoheng shut off the engine and took out the car key before turning to Gu Nianzhi and saying, ¡°Tell me what happened? Did you really use your roommates¡¯ rmendation letters?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I was shocked too!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly took out her phone to open her inbox. ¡°See, this was the application and rmendation letters I sent. Look at the attachment. It has the letters from Little Temptress, Green Tea Fang, and Lady Cao!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the phone and read it, then looked at the shortlist He Zhichu posted. It all made sense to him. He looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ecstatic face with a gloomy expression and pressed her into the seat to kiss her passionately.

 Chapter 409 - The Place She Most Wants To Go

    <h4>Chapter 409: The ce She Most Wants To Go</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely pressed against the seat. Huo Shaoheng had arge build and was also a former special forces soldier, so he was much stronger than the typical person. He secured Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands tightly behind her back with one hand, while the other stabilized her neck. Nearly all his body weight seemed to be pressed onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. Such a deep kiss and the friction between their lips almost ignited a fire in their bodies that burned brightly. The temperature in the car rose sharply and they both felt hot yet were unable to let go of each other. Gu Nianzhi licked her lips instinctively with a moan, her small tongue so happening to touch Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. He seized the opportunity without hesitation. Gu Nianzhi was still intoxicated with his kisses and her body slowly became softer, hotter and more sensitive to touch. She could feel every single movement of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kisses, he was much more forceful and uninhibited than before... With his astounding strength, he secured her tightly in his arms so hard it was like he wanted their bodies to meld flesh and blood.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded madly and the intimate movements of their lips enough to make her lose her breath, yet she refused to push Huo Shaoheng away because she wanted to give what he asked for. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what he was feeling, or maybe his long years of specialized training has forced him to lock away his emotions in the deepest recesses of his heart and had never been released. He didn¡¯t think about it or want to think about the reason he was experiencing this kind uncontroble urge. He just wanted to follow his physical instincts to hold Gu Nianzhi tightly, keep her from leaving him and prevent her from leaving his arms... They hugged each other tightly, arms in arms and body against body. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft figure was like a vine that draped against Huo Shaoheng. His strength made her unable to breathe and her snaking body made him nearly lose control. Holding her head up, he kissed her over and over again from her lips to cheeks. The fiery kisses seemed to brand the words, Huo Shaoheng in s scorched trail wherever he touched her.

    ¨C You¡¯re reading on . /Tks

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body and soul waspletely intoxicated in the long and passionate kiss, she didn¡¯t even think about where she was... Huo Shaoheng was professionally trained so after letting his inhibitions loose for a while, he quicklyposed himself and forced himself to calm down. Rxing his arms, he stopped hugging Gu Nianzhi tightly. One hand stroked her back gently and the other cupped her cheek as his kisses slowed down. Gone was the storm of desire, leaving only soft clouds and gentle winds that glided over water. As the friction between their lips decreased in strength and slowed down like recessing waters, all the blood seemed to flow away from their lips back to the original parts of their bodies.

    Gu Nianzhi panted softly and bit Huo Shaoheng from her dissatisfaction as she mumbled, ¡°...More kisses...¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed quietly and hugged her as he kissed her forehead, ¡°Be good, we¡¯ll kiss more once we get back.¡±

    ¡°But I want to kiss right now...¡± Gu Nianzhiid in Huo Shaiheng¡¯s broad embrace with her eyes closed, his strong arms was her safest shelter. The world was vast but the ce she wanted to go the most was his heart and to stay by his side.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already kissed for a long time already.¡± Huo Shaoheng slowly straightened his back and peered through the tinted car windows to look at the parkade outside. There were countess high wattage incandescent lights in the underground parkade so it was as bright as day, in addition to countless cameras everywhere. Huo Shaoheng always avoided parking spots in line with cameras and made sure to find a corner that was a blind spot. So the subtle movement in their car just now wasn¡¯t captured by any of the cameras.

    Gu Nianzhi also straightened up and opened her eyeszily as she slumped motionlessly in the seat. Huo Shaoheng removed the car key and his previously calmed heart skipped a beat at when he turned around to see Gu Nianzhi. She was much too alluring slumped in the seat with her clothes undone. Toozy to fix her clothes, Gu Nianzhi sat lopsided in the seat with no expression and appeared tired. Her eye catching carmine lips was the only indicator of what happened earlier. Huo Shaoheng looked away as he took a deep breath and peered outside the car window for a few minutes to calm his aroused body. He then finally leaned over to help Gu Nianzhi fix her clothes. He used the opportunity to measure her waist with his hand and found it was only as wide as his palm. Such a delicate waist... Huo Shaoheng looked up at Gu Nianzhi, his dark and quiet eyes sharing a nce with her. After a while, he leaned over to peck at her lips gently, ¡°...Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally smiled and got out of the car holding his hand. They directly went up the esctor from the parkade and got off at the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. Privacy forf residents was one of the major selling points for themunity. Each suite was directly essed via elevator so no one else other than upants had key cards, so even if someone got into the elevator they couldn¡¯t stop a floor that wasn¡¯t theirs.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door and looked around before asking Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Do you want to hiring a cleaner to have them clean your ce monthly?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also looked around then shrugged, ¡°I think that¡¯s ok? This ce is big but we don¡¯t really stay here so it¡¯s not that dirty. tT¡¯s been about a week right? There¡¯s no dust here...¡± Touching the coffee table, Gu Nianzhi showed her hands to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°See, it¡¯s very clean...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms with a smile, ¡°I had Big Xiong find someone to clean here already.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only drop the subject and asked with some guilt, ¡°I want to shower...¡± Huo Shaoehng raised his brow, but before he could reply Gu Nianzhi already interjected, ¡°We don¡¯t need to conserve water this time, I want to shower alone!¡± She ran off.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her, ¡°Sit down, we still haven¡¯t finished talking about something today.¡± Gu Nianzhi fidgeted on the sofa, unwilling to sit properly. Huo Shaoheng looked at her with mild annoyance, ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk to me about He Zhichu recruiting for a new teaching assistant?¡±

    ¡°Of course not...¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted, ¡°I¡¯m just in a bad mood because of young Miss Dou, so I don¡¯t want to talk about this for now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡± Fine, this reason was barely eptable. Although he still had concerns, he didn¡¯t force Gu Nianzhi to tell him everything right then. He nned to wait a while before ¡°having a good chat¡± with her. And how would they be ¡°having a good chat?¡± All Special Operations Forces personnel were aware that it was best to speak with someone when their will power was at the weakest so that they would confess everything and anything. As to when Gu Nianzhi had the weakest will power, Huo Shaoheng knew best. Only after she was lost to ecstasy in bed was the best time for them to ¡°have a good chat.¡± But Huo Shaoheng wisely didn¡¯t want to consider how when Gu Nianzhi was lost to ecstasy that he would also be drunk along with her. He wasn¡¯t even sure if they would be able to ¡°chat¡± at that point...

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go shower! Alone!¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she almost ran off to the bathroom.

    Huo Shaohengughed and went to the wine cab in the pantry to get a bottle of red wine. Opening the cork, he poured himself little less than half a ss and slowly finished it on the sofa alone. He then poured another ss to take to the bathroom. Gu Nianzhi already finished showering and was taking a bath. She added a few drops of rose essential oil into the water so Huo Shaoheng could smell the subtle fragrance as soon as he opened the door. The desire he had smothered back in the parkade was rekindled immediately.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up to see Huo Shaoheng walk in and said shyly, ¡°I thought I locked the door, how did Huo Shao get in? Did the lock break?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked up to the bathtub and sat on the wicker stool to deliver the ss of red wine to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. He replied in his baritone voice, ¡°There are no doors that can stop me if I want to get in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth obediently to sip the red wine. The taste was subtly rich, leaving her mouth fragrant and slightly drunk as soon as she swallowed. In the steamy bathroom, Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge doe-like eyes were shimmering madly like two deep pools that one could drown in. Huo Shaoheng fed Gu Nianzhi the half ss of red wine sip by sip, then set it down on the marble countertop before removing his own clothes. Although Gu Nianzhi was drunk, she still remembered that she was washing alone. Widening her eyes she gripped the edge of the tub with both hands and stretched her neck out to look at Huo Shaoheng with dissatisfaction, ¡°I said I want to wash alone, how can you go back on your promise?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t go back on it. I¡¯ll carry you out once you finish washing.¡± Huo Shaoheng stripped down to his boxer briefs and bent over to scoop Gu Nianzhi out of the tub. Wrapping her in a towel, he carried her to the bedroom.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked drunkenly at the bathroom, then turned to look in the direction of the bedroom. She asked nkly, ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±

    ¡°Are you silly?¡± Huo Shaoheng kicked open the bedroom door and walked in with a towel wrapped Gu Nianzhi in his arms.

 Chapter 410 - Pay Attention

    <h4>Chapter 410: Pay Attention</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi obediently snuggled against Huo Shaoheng as he carried her to the bed. It was the same brand of mattress she was ustomed to, while the mahogany bed frame was simply designed and sturdy. Huo Shaoheng set Gu Nianzhi on the mattress and reached over to pull her towel off. Gu Nianzhi quickly rolled away to a corner of the bed and frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to shower?¡± Huo Shaoheng is already undressed, so he must be going to shower, she thought.

    Unexpectedly, he also climbed onto the bed and smoothly drew the covers up before closing his eyes. ¡°I showered before I came to pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her misty eyes, more confused than ever but not yet totally drunk. She seemed to understand what was going on, but her logic waspletely out the window. All the things she normally never dared to say or do now consumed her mind. She grew bolder. After staring at Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi slowly inched over and sprawled on the pillow beside him. She propped her head up on an arm and stared steadily at him.

    Her gaze was so intense that Huo Shaoheng felt it even though his eyes were closed. Reaching over without opening his eyes, he drew Gu Nianzhi closer from on top of the pillow. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet?¡± He moved the nket away and pulled Gu Nianzhi inside. Her towel had somehow been left on top of the nkets. Feeling a chill, Gu Nianzhi instinctively moved away, but the nket was so warm that her body moved to the source of heat before she could even decide what to do. Huo Shaoheng trailed his fingers up and down her back with his calloused hand.

    In the haze, Gu Nianzhi somehow ended up inside the nkets. After struggling for a bit, she still couldn¡¯t ovee the cold of an early spring night and helplessly shrunk back into the warmth. Shey next to Huo Shaoheng for a while, but saw that he wasn¡¯t moving so she quietly turned over andid on her stomach, fumbling for something under the pillow. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what she was taking so long to look for, but could feel the nket being kicked and rustled. She was like a little marmot intently and meticulously burrowing into the bed. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a smile and he reached an arm out to drag Gu Nianzhi back against him. ¡°Just sleep. What are you searching around for anyway?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook the sheets helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for my pajamas. I definitely put it under the pillow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. He had forgotten to rece Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pajamas under the pillow. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favourite set of pajamas was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ck short sleeved T-shirt. Even though it was as baggy as a potato sack on her slender frame, it was veryfortable and nice to wear to bed. ¡°Stop looking, it¡¯s not there.¡± Huo Shaoheng used an arm to secure Gu Nianzhi from fumbling around. ¡°Sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted andined drunkenly, ¡°But I put it under the pillow this morning when I got up!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally opened his eyes and looked down at the childish Gu Nianzhi in his arms. ¡°Where did you sleep this morning?¡± Was she mixing up ces?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s frown grew deeper, ¡°It was right here. I definitely remember doing it. Look, it¡¯s the same pillows, sheets and nkets:¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless; she was really drunk now. In order to help Gu Nianzhi sleepfortably, Huo Shaoheng had especially selected all the bedding she was used to. Everything was the same style and brand as her bed in the dorm room, but he had never thought that she would get this confused with a few sses of liquor in her. She would never make this mistake sober. Huo Shaoheng decoded not to exin and rubbed her delicate shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need pajamas when you¡¯re sleeping with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed easily before lying still next to him. Huo Shaoheng was a man of few words and was busy with work, so he avoided speaking unless necessary in order to conserve energy. On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi was a chatterbox and she would often be the only one talking, or she would typically chat with Yin Shixiong back when she had lived with Huo Shaoheng. The quiet atmosphere didn¡¯tst long however, before Gu Nianzhi began rolling on the bed again. She turned her back against Huo Shaoheng for a while, but kept feeling something strange. Flipping over again, she faced Huo Shaoheng and looked up at him with her huge and misty eyes. In the dim yellow light, his exquisite features were illuminated and ignited a heat in her heart. After staring at him for a while, she nudged closer to blow at his ear. ¡°Are you really asleep?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent and didn¡¯t open his eyes. He appeared for all intents and purposes, asleep.

    ¡°Are you really asleep? I guess I¡¯ll sleep too,¡± Gu Nianzhi said threateningly as she pinched his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t regret it.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched and he reached out to stop Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t fuss.¡±

    ¡°Did you really pick me up just so that could drink and sleep?¡± Gu Nianzhi emphasized thest word.

    ¡°What did you think then?¡± Finally opening his eyes, Huo Shaoheng gave her a suggestive look. His eyes were roving over her body¡ªthe scorching gaze made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks warm.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine then.¡± Gu Nianzhiy t on the bed with trepidation and was just about to close her eyes when she saw Huo Shaoheng loom over her. Gu Nianzhi pushed his shoulder. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sleep. I¡¯m going to sleep with you.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s husky voice rang in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a liar.¡± Gu Nianzhi used him as her body trembled, expectant.

    ¡°If you think we¡¯re going to sleep, you are sorely mistaken.¡± Seeing her bite her fingernails, Huo Shaoheng was slightly annoyed and pulled her fingers away, sucking on them. ¡°Pay attention: If you still have energy to bicker with me, then that means I didn¡¯t work hard enough.¡± He used one hand to grasp her thick hair and pull her head back, exposing her neck. As Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shimmered up at him with anticipation, his fingers dug into her waist as he lowered his hips to hers, making her gasp in surprise and pleasure. He nuzzled her neck and listened to their mingled breathing get faster from the teasing, atst saying into her ear, ¡°I¡¯m going to make it so you can¡¯t sleep without longing for me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had originally nned on building up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s desire so that he could control the rhythm. In the end, he had ended up more crazy than her.

    ...

    After they made love, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind went nk and she was reacting far slower than normal. Sheposed herself and found that she was totally exhausted and covered in sweat. Her body was aching but not unpleasantly, yet she had no energy to get up right away. Huo Shaoheng removed the wet towel and tossed it onto the single seater sofa by the bed. He sat up from the bed and draped on a sleeping robe that wasying beside the bed. Gu Nianzhi was slightly relieved but still couldn¡¯t get up. Shey on her side next to Huo Shaoheng to rest.

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to smoke badly but it was unwise to do so in a bedroom. Controlling his urge, he reached out to stroke Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. Her long hair was still slightly damp so he removed the nkets to get off the bed and grab a hairdryer for her. As soon as he moved, Gu Nianzhi put her hand on him. ¡°Don¡¯t cling onto me.¡± Huo Shaoheng gently scolded Gu Nianzhi.

    She looked up at him and removed her hand. Shrinking back inside the nkets, she grumbled, ¡°How annoying. I still have to showerter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t have showered alone; how wasteful. If you asked to shower with me earlier, you wouldn¡¯t have to do it twice,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly and got off the bed to get the hair dryer and also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ck T-shirt for her.

    Gu Nianzhi was exhausted beyond words. She continued to lie down for a bit before she was finally able to get up and put on therge ck T-shirt. She sat down at the vanity to dry her hair. Stretching out his long legs, Huo Shaoheng sat on the bedzily and propped the back of his head against his hands as he watched Gu Nianzhi. After she finished drying her hair, he finally asked, ¡°Where did He Zhichu¡¯s previous teaching assistant go?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about Wen Shouyi?¡± Gu Nianzhi paused and set the hair dryer on the table. ¡°I heard that Professor He sent her home and she won¡¯t being back again.¡±

    ¡°Back home? Where?¡± Huo Shaoheng appeared slightly more alert. ¡°Did He Zhichu tell you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiy tried to recall. ¡°I think it was her hometown, but I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s not like I can ask Professor He about this sort of thing in detail anyway. It has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew this made sense and stopped asking Gu Nianzhi. Leaving the room, he called Zhao Liangze and asked him to check Wen Shouyi¡¯s border records. He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi hase to the Huaxia Empire from the United States; if his hunch was right, then that should be where Wen Shouyi returned to.

 Chapter 411 - Canâ€™t take it anymore

    <h4>Chapter 411: Can¡¯t take it anymore</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi still felt rather sticky after blowing dry her hair, so she went back to the bathroom again.

    Huo Shaoheng followed closely behind, turned on the shower and began showering.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around after she was done. What she saw made her blush like mad¡ªHuo Shaoheng¡¯s muscr and naked body, just like a Greek god¡¯s, slick with water. Embarrassed, she turned around, quickly opened the bathroom door, and escaped to the bedroom.

    Pulling off the quilt, shey on the bed again and then brought up the covers. ¡°Ahhh.¡±

    It was a sigh offort. She had not expected their progress to be so quick. Could they already be considered as a cohabiting couple?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, moved over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side of the bed, and rubbed her head on his pillow. She shifted to afortable position, intending to rest only a little bit while waiting for Huo Shaoheng to finish with his shower.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was already sound asleep by the time Huo Shaoheng returned. She slept right in the middle of the bed, arms spread out and her hair fanning out above her head, looking like an angel. She was smiling in her sleep as well.

    Huo Shaoheng watched her quietly by the bed for a while before lifting the quilt and lying down.

    He was wide-awake. He wasn¡¯t physically satisfied yet, but his beau was already asleep. He caressed her pretty sleeping face, at first meaning only to give her a goodnight kiss. However, the moment his lips touched her cheeks, he couldn¡¯t control himself anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a familiar sense of heat and pressure. She thought she was having one of her lewd sex dreams again.

    She gave in to the irresistible desire for his body.

    Huo Shaoheng had not expected that the Gu Nianzhi, who was fast asleep, would be way more daring now than when she was awake. She moved around in the dark,pliant and obedient, and most of all, pleasantly demanding as she held onto him and guided his length to meet her wet warmth. She followed his pace, allowing him to go deeper and further, pressing her body firmly against his as she begged for more.

    Huo Shaoheng was breathing hard; this passion was insane. He had never known how spending the night together with his loved one would really be a thousand times better than spending the night alone.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi felt odd when she woke up the next day.

    She closed her eyes and thought, the dreamst night was atrocious, but thank goodness it was just a dream. I don¡¯t know how I would have faced Huo Shao if I actually showed him that version of myself.

    She tried to move her body and sit up, but her body felt very heavy?

    Why did it ache in the same ces it did in the dream fromst night?

    Was she still imagining it?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opened her eyes with a start. Right in front of her, was the perfect face of Huo Shaoheng. There were beads of perspiration on his forehead. His brow was furrowed slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze travelled down slowly, and then she closed her eyes tightly. ¡°It was definitely a dream,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°A dream?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep voice came from above her. ¡°I don¡¯t think what we did is something you could just dream up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly came to her senses. She now understood that what had happened in the morning wasn¡¯t a dream, and same applied tost night as well.

    Oh my goodness. How can I face him now?!

    All Gu Nianzhi wanted to do was to cover her face with the quilt, but Huo Shaoheng held on to her hands, preventing her from doing so.

    ¡°Look at me.¡± He made her open her eyes. Lowering his head, he kissed her continuously between her eyes and then her mouth. His warm breath was all over her face as he kissed her, and she stopped struggling after a while. Opening her arms, she hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck, but bit her lips so she wouldn¡¯t make any noise anymore. He bnced himself over her as he slowly spread her legs with one hand. She gasped and shuddered as he teased his fingers inside her and then widened her entrance to allow him to enter.

    Huo Shaoheng actually wanted the passionate Gu Nianzhi fromst night. He wanted to hear more of her pleading moans, but no matter what he did, Gu Nianzhi bit down on his shoulders, determined not to make any form of noise again. He was more excited now. He would make her scream for him.

    As she continued to try and hold in her sounds, her hand covering her mouth as she turned her face away, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart softened and he stopped bullying her. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her deeply, feeling her body shake and her nails dig into his back as he thrust into her again and again.

    ...

    The few rounds of sex in the morning had really tired Gu Nianzhi out. She copsed onto the bed. She didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift her fingers.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was fresh and energetic. After showering, he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What do you want for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. I just want to sleep,¡± Gu Nianzhi said sourly.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng out the corner of her eyes.

    This man isn¡¯t human! What will I do in the future? If it¡¯s going to be like this every night...I won¡¯t be able to take it! Gu Nianzhi blushed as she thought this.

    She bit her lip, and then blurted out, ¡°Huo Shao, aren¡¯t you tired?¡±

    ¡°This is nothing.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down by the bed. ¡°You¡¯re tired? Your stamina isn¡¯t good. Time to train harder.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gulped, and waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. Not even a bit.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng pretended to undo his belt. ¡°Let¡¯s do it one more time then¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi shouted before she could stop herself. She burrowed into the bed and hid herself in the nkets and whimpered, ¡°How many times did we do itst night, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and feigned ignorance. ¡°How many times did I do what? I thought you were asleep? How could I do anything if you were asleep?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°You really didn¡¯t do anything to mest night?¡±

    ¡°What happenedst night? Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a dream?¡± Huo Shaoheng teased her, ¡°Let¡¯s just do it after you¡¯ve fallen asleep, from now on.You¡¯re quite the temptress.¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her head with the quilt. She did not want to remember any of those images anymore.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi so vexed, Huo Shaoheng decided to stop teasing her. He pat the quilt. ¡°Get up quickly. I¡¯ll have to return to the headquarters after breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally got out from under the covers, and asked with a pout, ¡°You¡¯re going now? It¡¯s only Saturday.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng just looked at her quietly.

    Both of them looked at each other in silence, until Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll go back to the dorm as well,¡± she said grumpily.

    ¡°As you wish,¡± said Huo Shaoheng as he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

    Since this wasn¡¯t the ce they usually stayed at, there wasn¡¯t any food in the fridge. Nor was there even juice or milk. There were only a few bottles of water.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and then head back to the bedroom. ¡°Do you want to eat out?¡± He paused, and then then said, ¡°You wanted to drive the Ferrari right? You can drive us today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi jumped from the bed. ¡°Sure! No problem! I¡¯ll take Huo Shao out for breakfast!¡±

    She washed up and got dressed at lightning speed, then grabbed her jacket. Carrying her bag, she walked into the lift with Huo Shaoheng.

    They went directly to the basement garage. Her Ferrari was parked in a unit with a lock. Gu Nianzhi took her seat, adjusted the functions of the car to her, and then turned to Huo Shaoheng, smiling widely.

    ¡°Huo Shao, have you put on your seatbelt? Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Nodding, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.

    Gu Nianzhi was ted to be able to drive her Ferrari down the streets. Thankfully, it was a Saturday morning. Thus, it wasn¡¯t extremely crowded on the streets.

    They arrived at a western restaurant for breakfast in the blink of an eye. They sat at a window seat for couples, and were served the menu soon after taking their seats.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng both wanted the breakfast sets, but Gu Nianzhi went with milk for her drinks, and Huo Shaoheng, coffee. Once the food was brought over, both of them began eating quietly. Only the sounds of the cutlery on the tes could be heard.

    After a while, they noticed people were starting to stream into the restaurant.

    They finished their breakfasts and began sipping on their drinks. A tall and graceful lookingdy walked towards their table at that moment, and stood beside Huo Shaoheng. She smiled at him and said, ¡°Here for breakfast, Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at thedy who just spoke. It was Bai Yueran. He nodded slightly in acknowledgement and said, ¡°Yes. Colonel Bai, you went overseas for a period of time. Have youpleted your mission?¡±

    ¡°Yes I have.¡± Bai Yueran nodded. She turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re here for breakfast too, I see.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied perfunctorily.

    Bai Yueran didn¡¯t seem to mind, though. She continued to joke with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I just returned, and I heard that the administration received a special request: an officer named Xu Piaohong from the Police department requested to be transferred to the Special Operations department.¡±

 Chapter 412 - Express Yourself

    <h4>Chapter 412: Express Yourself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi sipped her cup of milk, seeming not to hear what Bai Yueran was saying. Even if she did overhear anything, she had pretend to not know anything. This was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official business and Gu Nianzhi shouldn¡¯t be involved at all. She looked down at the egg tarts on the clover shaped dish and forked a bit into her mouth.

    Huo Shaoheng set down his cup of coffee and said, ¡°The Special Operations Forces has a specific hiring process. Director Bai, you should know this even if you have been newly transferred in.¡±

    Bai Yueran smiled. ¡°Of course I know! I just thought to give Major General Huo advance notice. This was General Ji¡¯s special request.¡± She paused and grew serious. ¡°Xu Piaohong is not a typical candidate; General Ji suggests that you seriously consider her. It¡¯s better if you can get to know her more. The Special Ops has always encouraged inter-departmental marriages. It¡¯s the same policy as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Secret Service.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had not considered that General Ji would continue to insist on this matter, but he would never criticize his superior in front of Bai Yueran. Gu Nianzhi kept her head down, tears threatening to well up. She was upset with herself for being close enough to her such painful news. Her palms grew sweaty and her heart pounded so hard she figured it shaking her whole body. How could this be? She suddenly recalled Miao Yunxiao ranting about how the military was setting up her cousin with a future husband. Could Miao Yunxiao¡¯s cousin be this Xu Piaohong?

    ¡°Director Bai, we don¡¯t discuss business on the weekend.¡± Huo Shaoheng shot Gu Nianzhi a nce and saw that her head was down. Her glossy dark hair was the only thing visible to him. He raised his coffee cup as he said to Bai Yuran, ¡°The coffee is fairly good here. It¡¯s not instant but actually ground by hand. Would Director Bai like to try one?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t drink coffee, only tea.¡± Bai Yueran knew Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to discuss the matter anymore, but this was important. She smiled. ¡°Mr. Huo, I know it¡¯s the weekend but this is about your future happiness. It¡¯s not business, so it¡¯s not against regtion.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded politely. ¡°I appreciate Director Bai¡¯s concern and I understand your good intentions.¡±

    ¡°I was just giving you a heads up. Our legal department has already run a check on Xu Piaohong¡¯s family background. Of course, she will still have to go through the standard procedures if she¡¯s really getting transferred in, and as the head of the Special Ops, whether she can proceed is entirely your decision. But you still have to consider the people supporting her. Mr. Huo is a keen person; I¡¯m not giving you ideas but merely delivering a message.¡± Bai Yueran gathered up her things and with onest nod to Huo Shaoheng left promptly.

    Gu Nianzhi finally looked up slowly, her gaze fixed on Bai Yuran¡¯s back before shifting to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. He was sipping his coffee as though nothing were amiss checking for emails in case any new situations had arisen. After watching him for a long time without speaking, Gu Nianzhi knew Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t going to exin what happened. He gged a waitress over and handed her a credit card. ¡°Check please.¡±

    The waitress expertly took the card on her tter to process the bill at the till. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t going to volunteer an exnation, Gu Nianzhi had no choice but bring it upon herself. She crossed her arms and leaned back on the chair as she stared at Huo Shaoheng and tried to ask in a calm tone, ¡°Huo Shao, can you exin to me what Bai Yueran was talking about earlier?¡± Although she wanted to appear nonchnt, her face was stiff and her voice trembled. It was obvious that she was hurting.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and folded his hands together on the table before replying quietly, ¡°This is rted to my work.¡± In other words, he had no reason to exin anything to her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trembling heart felt as if someone had wrenched it viciously, sttering the blood everywhere. She figured she could even taste blood in her throat. She was so disappointed in him and his answer, no matter how much she loved him. Taking a deep breath, she balled her hands into fists and maintained a rigid posture. She refused to give up. ¡°It¡¯s not just rted to your work, Huo Shao. Bai Yuran said that it wasn¡¯t business, but a matter of your future happiness. Don¡¯t you think you should talk to me about that?¡± She paused, then stressed again, ¡°Aren¡¯t I your girlfriend? Shouldn¡¯t I be concerned about this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Why do you have to care so much about what other people say? Don¡¯t you believe in me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to just believe in you when you¡¯re clearly hiding things! Tell me. I¡¯ll listen as long as you talk to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi was close to tears, her delicate nose turning red. ¡± You speak of me cing my trust in you, blindly, but I know you don¡¯t even intend to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°I told you a long time ago that there are many things you can¡¯t know if we are together. There¡¯s also no need for you to know.¡± Huo Shaoheng said tersely. ¡°Just stop fussing now. I¡¯ll take you back to school.¡± He stood up and waited for Gu Nianzhi to follow.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him, biting down on her lips hard before standing up as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to leave, his gait confident and leisurely. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how she left the restaurant or got into the car. By the time the car stopped, she found herself in the underground parkade of her apartment. Huo Shaoheng cut the engine and took out the key then turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Still upset?¡±

    Biting her lip, Gu Nianzhi looked away. Her heart was a tangled, throbbing of mess that just couldn¡¯t be sorted out. It was only when she came across situations rted to Huo Shaoheng that she lost all reason and logic¡ªshe acted like an idiot who didn¡¯t understand serious situations and she hated that the most. She detested her own behaviour, yet wasn¡¯t able to control herself.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and reached out to stroke her hair. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already know who Xu Piaohong was a long time ago? You should already understand how I see her. Why are you throwing such a fit?¡±

    These were the gentle words from Huo Shaoheng that Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for. The bottled up tears fell suddenly and she wiped them with the back of her hand as she pushed away Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and kept her head turned to the window. ¡°It¡¯s still not ok. She¡¯s being transferred to your side now and the ¡®early bird gets the worm.¡¯ Who knows if you¡¯ll fall for her with time?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head wordlessly and turned her shoulders so she faced him. He looked at her tiny tear streaked face, his heart clenching at her sorrowful expression, before leaning over to embrace her. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. Our Special Ops is not a ce that just anyone can be transferred into.¡±

    ¡°You mean she might not get in?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark eyes. ¡°You promise?¡±

    ¡°Whether or not she gets in is a business matter.¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin with one hand and found a tissue for her to wipe her tears. ¡°Stop crying.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed his hand with despair. ¡°I¡¯m not fussing! You never want to talk about anything!¡±

    ¡°Is it that important that we have to talk about it?¡± Huo Shaoheng was perplexed. ¡°I never told you things before either, and you never made such amotion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was rendered speechless for a while, then said coldly, ¡°The past was the past¡ªwe weren¡¯t in a rtionship back then. What right did I have to make a ruckus?¡± All she had been able to do was to hide her displeasure; she¡¯d never dared to let Huo Shaoheng know.

    Huo Shaoheng understood and smiled. ¡°So you have a right to make a ruckus now? What should we do then? I¡¯ll have lots of things in the future that I also can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down quietly and wrung her hands in thought. She finally calmed down and her reason returned. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely not ask about confidential work matters unless I¡¯m allowed to know, but I definitely have a right to know about things that affect our rtionship.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered it for a moment and nodded. ¡°Ok, as long as it doesn¡¯t involve my work, I¡¯ll exin it clearly to you. But,¡± He looked down at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°No matter what, you can only believe what I tell you. You can¡¯t take the things others say too personally.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi cheered up, ¡°You¡¯ll really tell me? Of course I won¡¯t ask about your work, I just want to know things if it affects us.¡± She stared at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and ced her palm on his heart to feel his vigorous heartbeat and warmth. She had a sudden urge to move closer, but she had just pushed him away in anger so it would be embarrassing to lean in now.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hesitatio¡ª-she was basically a nk canvas with all her emotions painted on it. He lifted his hand slowly to caress her cheek, then pulled her into his arms. Gu Nianzhi took the chance to lean into him and grabbed his cor tightly with both hands. She sighed with satisfaction and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like that Xu Piaohong. Huo Shao, have you thought about how you¡¯re going to tell General Ji yet?¡±

 Chapter 413 - Iâ€™ll accompany you

    <h4>Chapter 413: I¡¯ll apany you</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m already preparing for it.¡± Huo Shaoheng assures Gu Nianzhi.

    He would talk it out with General Ji the moment he managed to rify her family background. Regardless, the both of them understood the other party¡¯s feelings towards them, but they did not make it official.

    However, he did not want Gu Nianzhi to know how far apart they used to be.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just listen to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded, and rubbed her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. ¡°I have no one to depend on anyway, Huo Shao. Only you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt a tinge of sadness even before she finished speaking and kissed her on her lips. He wanted to make up for whatever he couldn¡¯t say in that kiss. Gu Nianzhi felt the heat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kiss. The heat ignited her passion. Her heart began throbbing again, aching for him.

    She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and kissed him back sweetly.

    ¡°You understand, right? I only have you. It¡¯s only ever been you for me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng caressed her back, and coaxed her to calm down. His deep and steady voice lulled her.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi moved closer to him, like a small animal looking for protection.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her for a while before getting her out the car. They headed towards the lift while he sent a text to Yin Shixiong informing him of his absence today. Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong would have to be on standby for the weekend.

    Upon entering the lift, Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°Where would you like to go today? I have the entire day for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go back to the headquarters anymore?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯ll go back tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, who had just wiped her tears from her face.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±

    This seemed to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s way of apologizing to her.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy!¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask for much. She just wanted Huo Shaoheng to apany her.

    The unhappiness had by now disappeared into thin air as Gu Nianzhi became cheery again.

    ¡°Huo Shao, why don¡¯t we stay home for today? Do we have anything in the refrigerator?¡±

    ¡°No, we have no groceries in the refrigerator. No worries, we can just go and get them.¡± Huo Shaoheng thought of the empty refrigerator and realized that the only reason this ce felt habitable was because of how much time was spent in the bedroom.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now then since we¡¯ve already changed.¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed the button to return to the garage. At the same time, she began searching up supermarkets to on her phone so that they could get the ingredients for their dinner.

    Since Huo Shaoheng had already promised to apany her for the day, he allowed her to n their itinerary. cing his hands in his pockets, he followed Gu Nianzhi back into the garage.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the shopping cart down the aisle. She was concerned about whether the greens sold at the supermarket were fresh, whether the cuts of beef at the butcher¡¯s was fat enough, and whether the mutton was sliced thinly enough. There were also the fish pastes, prawn pastes, different kinds of fish balls, meat balls, and tripe. Gu Nianzhi adamantly believe that one had to have tripe when eating steamboat. There was the beer to buy as well.

    Looking at how Gu Nianzhi was stuffing the cart, a smile crept over Huo shaoheng¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Have you learnt how to cook?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and replied shyly, ¡°I¡¯ve got you, haven¡¯t I, Huo Shao? I can just be in charge of eating and washing the dishes.¡±

    ¡°In that case, let me go and pick some things then.¡± Huo Shaoheng left the aisle and walked to the other side of the supermarket.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him curiously and saw that Huo Shaoheng had gone to the live seafood station. He selected some shellfish, and some salmon. Then, he went to select some coriander and celery.

    ¡°Huo Shao, do we need these for steamboat?¡± Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of people using salmon for steamboat.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at her, but billed the things he had just grabbed.

    ¡°Steamboat is for dinner. Let¡¯s cook something fresh for lunch. You¡¯ve always liked fish, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to cook?¡± Gu Nianzhi was on cloud nine. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have eaten so much for breakfast. I should¡¯ve saved more space for lunch!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ruffled her hair and took over the shopping cart.

    There was nothing in the apartment¡¯s kitchen. Pots, pans, cutlery, and seasoning had to be bought as well. Thankfully, the supermarket carried all the brands of the things they were used to using at home. So, it wasn¡¯t an issue for them.

    Gu Nianzhi never knew that appliances in the kitchen had so many varieties. Looking at the shopping cart that was filled to the brim, she eximed: ¡°We bought so many things for the kitchen! It looks like we¡¯re about to open up a restaurant now!¡±

    ¡°Yeah right, open up a restaurant.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her, a smile in his eyes. ¡°With only one customer?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt so much love for this man. She hugged Huo shaoheng¡¯s arm and said adoringly, ¡°You¡¯re the best, Huo Shao. I¡¯ll be the number one loyal customer in your restaurant!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pinched her nose and put her hand in his pocket. ¡°Hold onto me. Don¡¯t get lost.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi followed obediently beside Huo Shaoheng. They looked at the queues and walked towards the counter with a shorter line.

    Both of them looked extraordinarily perfect. It was difficult not to notice them amongst a sea of middle-aged men and women who were shopping for groceries as well. Two people walked into the supermarket. It was Xu Piaohong and her mother. Xu Piaohong saw Huo Shaoheng from afar.

    ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Mother Xu looked at her daughter meaningfully and looked back at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°This is the man you¡¯ve set your eyes on?¡±

    She had always known that her daughter had high expectations of a man for marriage. Her husband and herself had tried to introduce her to some candidates in the past but she had always insisted that they were merely rich yboys who didn¡¯t have good character. She preferred a man with good values and strong character with a proper family background.

    She hadn¡¯t expected her daughter to set her eyes on someone whose family background was better than theirs. Mrs. Xu smiled and shook her head, feeling happy inside. This is my daughter, she thought proudly. She¡¯d been so worried that her daughter would fall for a man with ¡°good values and character¡±, but wouldn¡¯t have a family backgroundparable to theirs. She would have sent her off to beto suffer at the hands of her inws for the rest of her life.

    This Huo Shaoheng was already a Major General at such a young age. His father and grandfather were both Generals, and his grandmother was from the well known Xie family. His mother¡¯s family background was only average, but his maternal grandfather had been the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, so she was also considereding from an educated family.

    Only a man like this waspatible with their clever daughter, who was different from the daughters from other government officials.

    ¡°Should we say hi?¡± Mrs. Xu cocked her to where Huo Shaoheng was. ¡°Looks like he lives nearby too.¡±

    People who came there for groceries mostly stayed around the area. The Xu¡¯s had just bought a nice condominium apartment for Xu Piaohong in the neighbourhood recently. It was meant to be her dowry. What they liked about this area was its location, privacy, and security.

    Xu Piaohong blushed furiously. No matter where I go, I meet Huo Shaoheng. We¡¯re even living in the same neighbourhood now! This must be ¡®fate,¡¯ she thought.

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s say hi.¡± Xu Piaohong tried her best to be confident, pushing their cart and following her mother to Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

    ¡°Major General Huo.¡± Xu Piaohong walked up to him from behind and greeted him.

    People turned around and started looking.

    A Major Generaling out to get groceries? The greeting was causing a stir among the shoppers nearby. Some even took out their phones, trying to record videos of the Major general who was personally shopping for his groceries.

    Huo Shaoheng heard Xu Piaohong¡¯s greeting and was very unhappy. Frowning, he thought of an idea. Turning to Gu Nianzhi, he whispered: ¡°I need to handle her for a bit. Can you go to the cashier on your own?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had heard someone calling Huo Shaoheng. She was upset at blow the woman had called out to him. She could¡¯ve just called him Mr. Huo. Calling him ¡®Major General Huo¡¯ in public like that was a serious matter. This person must be stupid, Gu Nianzhi fumed. The voice sounded strangely familiar too. Peering out from behind him, she saw that it was the reckless trainee policewoman Xu Piaohong, who had been rmended as the ideal marriage partner for Huo Shaoheng by the army.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng. She could see that Huo Shaoheng was unimpressed by her. Moreover, even though he was looked at her calmly, his eyes were glinting.

    She understood: Huo Shaoheng had something up his sleeve.

    Gu B said immediately, ¡°I shall go to the cashier first then.¡± She left with the shopping cart.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks, put his hands into his pocket, and turned around. Seeing Xu Piaohong and her mother, he nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

    ¡°Major General Huo, it¡¯s really you! I saw you from afar, but I thought I had called out to the wrong person!¡± Xu Piaohong was excited. ¡°Are you here by yourself? Where¡¯re your personal secretaries? What about your guards?¡±

    A shopper who was looking on was fascinated at this news and thought, Wow! A true blue major general of the capital standing right in front of him! And he even has personal secretaries and guards!

    Pictures!

    I have to take pictures!

    I¡¯ll post them on to my Weibo ount. My fanbases will definitely increase overnight!

    The person took out his phone happily, and began recording.

    Out of the corner of his eyes, Huo Shaoheng saw the surreptitious movement of the person who was recording him secretly. He did not stop the person, but used his bluetooth to send Zhao Liangze a text:

    ¡°Someone is secretly recording me. Sanhuan wholesale supermarket. Keep a lookout on all social media ounts.¡±

    Zhao Liangze received the text and connected himself to all the security cameras in the Wholesale supermarket. Searching carefully, he finally saw Huo Shaoheng and what was going on behind him. He focused on the person standing diagonally behind Huo Shaoheng, holding on to their phone.

    Why would he do it so openly if he wanted it to be secret? What a weirdo, Zhao Liangze thought in irritation. He took a snapshot of the person¡¯s face.

    On the other end, Xu Piaohong was still expressing her excitement and happiness.

    ¡°Major General Huo! I have already raised a request! I¡¯ll be transferring to your department very soon!¡±

    Her voice was getting loud. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t allow this to continue. Raising his brow, he said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± He turned and walked away immediately, leaving Xu Piaohong and her mother standing there in shock.

    ¡°The wrong person? I didn¡¯t, did I? He is Major General Huo, isn¡¯t he?¡± Xu Piaohong couldn¡¯t understand anything at all. ¡°I¡¯d have recognized him even if it were only his ashes!¡±

    Xu Piaohong stood on tiptoe and looked in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. She saw him bending down slightly talking to a tall and beautiful woman him. There was a gentleness in his eyes, so unlike the cold and bored way he had looked at and treated her and her mother just now.

    Xu Piaohong felt a thick heat rising in her. She balled her fists, raised her head, and cried out angrily, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Gu Nianzhi? He¡¯s with her! How dare he say he isn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng?!¡± With that, she dashed over to the both of them.

    Huo Shaoheng was giving Gu Nianzhi a heads up at that point. ¡°When that maniaces over, no matter what she does or says, you keep your cool, and don¡¯t say a thing. Lower your head and don¡¯t let anyone manage to get any pictures of you. Got it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ynderstand why she was being asked to do all these things, but seeing Xu Piaohong walking towards them angrily, she realized what was going on. Quickly, she hid behind Huo Shaoheng.

    The moment Xu Piaohong makes a scene, she can forget about entering the Special Forces for life, Huo Shaoheng thought as he watched her approach them.

 Chapter 414 - Collision

    <h4>Chapter 414: Collision</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng! I respected you as a Major General and you¡¯re actually lying right to my face? How dare you say you¡¯re not Huo Shaoheng?!¡± Xu Piaohong stormed up to Huo Shaoheng, her pretty face red with rage. She rained a flurry of light blows with her fists as she screamed at Huo Shaoheng like a little leopard.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. Putting both hands into his trouser pockets and stepping back from her onught, he said coolly, ¡°I merely said that you¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else and that¡¯s that.¡± As he spoke, he shot a warning look to Xu Piaohong¡¯s mother. The young girl may be ignorant, but the almost 50 year old woman should know better, right?

    Mrs.Xu noticed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s look and her heart dropped with dread. What kind of look was that? It was a thinly veiled warning! Mrs. Xu had been living luxuriously with her husband for many years, and she had always been the one to be respected. There had never been an instance where she had groveled before others. Even high ranking people like General Ji and Prime Minister Dou were polite to them. Huo Shaoheng, however, had a higher rank and position than her husband did, so she knew she was at a disadvantage and should back down. Although, she thought, her daughter was getting married to him¡ªif she softened her stance now, how would her daughter ever be respected in the Huo household? She might as well be bullied by Huo Shaoheng for the rest of her life! Both Mrs. Xu and Deputy Chief of Staff Xu were form C City, where the custom was for daughters to have a hundred suitors so that they appeared rare and desirable. Women never deigned to chase after men themselves. Moreover, the military was fully supporting the marriage between Xu Piaohong and Huo Shaoheng. General Ji was the matchmaker, so if Huo Shaoheng dared disrespect Mrs. Xu and her daughter, they wouldn¡¯t mind it but General Ji would certainly be offended, Mrs.Xu assumed. Was Huo Shaoheng not concerned about this negatively impacting his future prospects? Even the least ethical and lecherous men feared nothing but jeopardizing their career. In a split second, Mrs. Xu was able to clearly map out the cause and effect. She was sure Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t dare to really harm their reputation in any way, so she straightened her back and raised her chin to mirror Xu Piahong¡¯s superior posture. Looking at Huo Shaoheng, Mrs. Xu said arrogantly, ¡°Major General Huo, why are you giving me such a look? Are you somehow afraid to admit your name? What did my daughter do wrong? Maybe you should give a clear exnation.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed to slits. The mother-daughter duo had long since exceed their limits and he was thoroughly fed up with their pompous behavior. Atst he understood how an idiot like Xu Piaohong had been raised. Like mother like daughter; Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was an impressive person alright. Huo Shaoheng was embarrassed for him, but his expression remained neutral as he replied calmly, ¡°I have absolutely nothing to say to either of you.¡±

    Xu Piaohong couldn¡¯t stand Huo Shaoheng¡¯s indifference. It was like she had been imagining things when he had shown that gentle expression before¡ªthere was not even a trace of it left on his solemn and beautiful face. Embarrassed and enraged, Xu Piaohong brought her hand to her mouth to conceal her sobbing voice. She said with great grievance, ¡°Major General Huo, what did I do wrong? Just tell me and I¡¯ll fix it. You acting this way is really disappointing me. I never thought you were this kind of person.¡±

    Overhearing this from behind Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She couldn¡¯t help scoffing at Xu Piaohong internally. What kind of person did you think he was? Do you even know him?

    Huo Shaoheng took no notice. Their Special Operations Forces training had prepared them for all sorts of sudden situations and they were equipped to face people even more annoying that Xu Piaohong, or situations even more embarrassing. It had all been simted, so Huo Shaoheng felt no pressure dealing with this at all. He was merely perplexed about what exactly General Ji saw in Xu Piaohong. Why did he insist on matching her with him?

    After ranting for a long time, Xu Piaohong saw that Huo Shaoheng was still silent. His expression was calm and there wasn¡¯t a trace of warmth in his eyes¡ªhe wasn¡¯t even looking at her. His eyes were looking at the shelves nearby, focused on the snacks. The humiliation of being totally ignored angered her even more than if he had shouted back or avoided her. She had never been subject to being treated like this all her life! And this was also the man she liked. The shame mixed with the humiliation of losing self-esteem caused Xu Piaohong to grow even more angry. Her hands clenched and her entire body shaking, she yelled, ¡°Major General Huo, don¡¯t you have anything to say?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought by now that it was about enough and looked coldly at her. ¡°You should take medication if you¡¯re ill so that a minor condition doesn¡¯t turn into something major. It might end up incurable.¡± He turned to leave.

    Xu Piaohong lost all her reasoning after being insulted by Huo Shaoheng, she rushed up to grab Gu Nianzhi from behind him. ¡°This is Gu Nianzhi, and you dare say you¡¯re not Huo Shaoheng?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised at how bold this girl was. She quickly backed up and remembered Huo Shaoheng had told her to keep her head down to avoid anyone being able to take a photo of her face. She kept her eyes on her toes and backed up too quickly, losing her bnce. At the same time, a person was pushing a cart loaded full of food wasing up behind her. The cart had so much in it that it blocked the shopper¡¯s vision and prevented him from seeing Gu Nianzhi backing up. He pushed the cart at full speed and they crashed into each other with a loud bang!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back rammed against the cart and the pain was enough to make her cry out. She tried to move out of the way but her left foot couldn¡¯t shift in time, so it twisted underneath the shopping cart wheel. Pain shot up her left ankle and she lost her bnce. She fell to the ground and instinctively reached for the cart for support, but it was imbnced from all the food to begin with. As soon as she grabbed it, everything crashed down onto her.

    ¡°Careful! There¡¯s someone there!¡±

    ¡°Stop pushing! You hit a girl!¡±

    The onlookers grew anxious and began shouting.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to see what had happened and rushed over to push off the heavy steel cart. He quickly picked up Gu Nianzhi then said in a panicked voice, ¡°Please move out of the way! She needs to go the emergency room!¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo! You can¡¯t leave! We still have to talk!¡± Xu Piaohong wouldn¡¯t allow Huo Shaoheng to escape like this. She walked up and grabbed Huo Shaoheng by the arm.

    He looked back at her, the icy re enough to make Xu Piaohong shiver. She shrunk back fearfully. The people in the supermarket parted a path for them and the tall and desperate man carry Gu Nianzhi out quickly. Her left foot hung at a strange angle and the injuries appeared serious.

    Astonished, Xu Piaohong and Mrs. Xu watched Huo Shaoheng run out carrying Gu Nianzhi. Their faces burned as though they had been pped. ¡°I didn¡¯t think Gu Nianzhi would know how to fake injury at such a young age!¡± She shrieked. ¡°Mom! We should follow them and see if she¡¯s really hurt or just pretending!¡±

    ¡°Heydy, they already said they didn¡¯t know you. Why are you still following them, don¡¯t you have any shame?¡± A customer asked with tant disgust.

    ¡°Yeah! You injured that girl¡¯s foot and now you¡¯re saying she¡¯s faking? How about I break your ankle and you show me how well you act?¡± The onlookers called Xu Piaohong out for her nasty behavior.

    Unable to defend herself, Xu Piaohong felt that everyone had turned against her¡ªthere seemed to be no more justice left in the world. She burst into tears and grabbed Mrs. Xu¡¯s arm. ¡°Mom, I want to see what happened to Gu Nianzhi! I don¡¯t want to be med for this; I won¡¯t ept it!¡± Obviously, Gu Nianzhi lost her bnce and hit the cart herself; how could it have been Xu Piaohong¡¯s fault?! Huo Shaoheng had looked like he wanted to kill her when he left! What was wrong with them? What did she do wrong?

    Mrs. Xu saw all the onlookers point at them and whisper amongst themselves. She was very unhappy but was more resilient than Xu Piaohong, so she quickly dragged her out of the bulk supermarket and berated her.

    ¡°What are you crying for?! You know how to cry now but you should¡¯ve really cried in front of Major General Huo earlier! ¡®The crying baby gets fed,¡¯ don¡¯t you understand that?¡±

    ¡°Mom...I want to see Gu Nianzhi. I need to see how long she can pretend for!¡± Xu Piaohong still refused to believe that Gu Nianzhi had eally injured her foot.

    Mrs. Xu was weighing the options too. If Gu Nianzhi was really hurt, they should go visit her in person and exin what happened. But if she was faking the injury in order to let Huo Shaoheng escape, then they should have a good chat with General Ji. Her daughter had never been wronged all her life, and Mrs. Xu didn¡¯t want to see her suffer after getting married. How would she ever survive?!

 Chapter 415 - The Best Reality Show

    <h4>Chapter 415: The Best Reality Show</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Walking out of the Supermarket, they saw a red Ferrari speeding out from the car park, heading directly towards the viaduct.

    Xu Piaohong was shocked by the sound of the supercar, and felt her policewoman instincts kick in again. She wanted to give chase, but yelled instead, ¡°You¡¯re speeding! These people think they can abuse the traffic regtions just because they¡¯re well to do. They¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m not on duty right no. I would have definitely shown them what I can do!¡±

    Mrs. Xu looked at her daughter and said gratifyingly, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s what General Ji saw in you: your sense of righteousness. You¡¯ve got to remember this¡ªMajor General Huo is too rigid and headstrong as a person. You¡¯re not meant to be so soft spoken. You¡¯ll be at his mercy forever the moment you behave timidly in front of him. Would you like to live like that?¡±

    Xu Piaohong blushed at her mother¡¯s words but when she thought of how coldly Huo Shaoheng treated her just before, she pouted and said proudly, ¡°Who said I was going to marry him? Even if he wanted to, I wouldn¡¯t be willing. Mom, please ask Auntie Ji if things in the organization can be changed once fixed?¡±

    ¡°What on earth are you doing, saying childish things like that!¡± Mrs. Xu almost snorted in contempt. ¡°Since the organization is going to match make Major General Huo and you, it¡¯s already confirmed. Your father and my match had been made by the organization as well. They said they wanted to let us get to know each other initially, but what they really wanted was for us to get married. How would we dare to oppose their wishes, then or now?¡±

    Mrs. Xu¡¯s family was from the county army in the arts and literature department. At that point in time, Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was only apanymander. However, luck seemed to always be on his side, and he had managed to perform exceptionally well during a major parade and variouspetitions. That had gotten him noticed by an old General. He had then been selected to enter the military school for further pursual of his studies had received his masters¡¯ degree in the end. Having a legitimate Master¡¯s degree at that time was a rare feat. That was one of the main reasons why Deputy Chief of Staff Xu had risen meteorically in the army.

    ¡°Is that so? But he doesn¡¯t care about me. How can I marry someone like that? I have to think about it carefully.¡± Even though Xu Piaohong sounded unhappy, a smile was making its way across her face. She could almost imagine the stern Huo Shaoheng lowering himself, looking at her gently, and treating her with love. After all, he had seen the look in his eyes earlier. She knew he was capable of it; he was just being difficult.

    ...

    Inside the Ferrari, Huo Shaoheng tied Gu Nianzhi firmly into the passenger seat with the seat belt.

    She held onto the handle on the roof of the car and looked at Huo Shaoheng as he was driving. She was scared stiff. She was thankful that Ferrari cars had amazing specs. Had it been another car, they would have been a pile of metal right now, with the way Huo Shaoheng was driving.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, who was fully focused on driving. Looking at his deeply furrowed brow, she said in a trembling voice: ¡°Huo Shao, please drive slower. I¡¯m okay...¡±

    Even though her back and ankle both ached, her pain seemed to lessen looking at how Huo Shaoheng was driving so urgently. However, Huo Shaoheng ignored her. He held the steering tightly with both hands while talking to Zhao Liangze on his earpiece.

    ¡°Little Ze, get all the police cars within the vicinity to clear the roads for me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had already seen what had transpired at the Supermarket. Thankfully, Huo Shaoheng had been with her. So, he knew that Gu Nianzhi would be fine.

    It¡¯s just... her ankle is still sprained, Zhao Liangze fret.

    ¡°Which road would you like to take? I¡¯ll get the police cars from the nearest stations,¡± Zhao Liangze asked immediately.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the GPS system in his car, and his brows furrowed further. ¡°The nearest hospital is in town. That¡¯s not ideal.¡±

    Not only was it not ideal. The doctors were mediocre.

    Huo Shaoheng made a decision in that very moment. He turned the steering wheel quickly and the red Ferrari screeched on the road. The drift made deep rubber marks on the road.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to look outside the windows anymore. The speed was scaring her too much. She chose to close her eyes. ¡°Huo Shao, slow down please!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t an emergency, though she was injured. Was there a need to drive this quickly?

    Huo Shaoheng made an emergency U-turn, entered the viaduct, and sped towards the Special Forces headquarters. ¡°Tell Chen Lie to get ready. It would be best if he could get some elite orthopedists as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze answered loudly.

    There were doctors at the the army¡¯s medical headquarters and their equipment was the best. The doctors were highly qualified and experienced even though there weren¡¯t many of them.

    Upon receiving news from Zhao Liangze that Gu Nianzhi had sprained her ankle, and that her back was likely injured as well, Chen Lie immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll get two orthopedists to go for the diagnosis and treatment along with me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Doctor Chen. Mr. Huo will be here soon.¡± Zhao Liangze hung up and went to check on the social media websites he was tasked to keep a lookout for.

    Zhao Liangze was floored. Even though it had only been five minutes, the news had already spread like wildfire!

    The person who had taken the video secretly really had posted it onto his social media ount.

    Coincidentally, as he had been standing behind Huo Shaoheng, only Xu Piaohong and her mother¡¯s faces could be seen. People could only see the backs of Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    This video was titled ¡°Time for Medicine: Ms. Desperate getting rejected by the Major General of the Capital at the Supermarket¡±.

    Xu Piaohong¡¯s voice was bright and clear. She had inherited her mother¡¯s vocal chords. Her Di Capital ent could be heard clearly in the video.

    Shortly after the person had posted the video onto his ount, it had been reposted by one of the most popr and verified reality show ounts of the capital, with an additionalment of ¡°Best reality show ever!¡±

    This person was one of the most popr influencers in Di Capital. The moment he had reposted it, everyone who followed him from Di Capital saw the video. It didn¡¯t take long for people to point out who Xu Piaohong and her mother were. It also wasn¡¯t hard for people recognize that Xu Piaohong herself, since many people had seen her when she was on duty as trainee police.

    This video, which had attracted so much attention, was definitely recorded as a case under the relevant department.

    It was initially a routine check. However, upon looking at the contents, they realized that it had to do with the Special Forces and that the person involved looked like Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t a normal person by any standard. Even though General Ji had worked hard to let Huo Shaoheng be on the frontline atst instead of remaining in the shadows, the convenience of building his foundation of taking over bigger roles, could only work if his identity remained a secret. His face, up until then, was still only known by a few from the army.

    No members of the public had ever seen him before in his real role. It had never been meant to be called out upon in public like that.

    Perhaps most people would upon this as a joke, but to the people who knew, it was now a matter that disturbed the government¡¯s security. This also meant that Xu Piaohong had unintentionally revealed confidential information, and top-secret ones at that!

    The CIA from America and the British army had spent five to six years of their futile efforts to figure out who the head of Special Forces from Di Capital was. The Huaxia Empire had kept this a secret with great ease. However, due to the video, there was a dangerous glimmer of hope.

    Indeed, In no time at all, spies from different countries had headed to the vicinity of Sanhuan¡¯s wholesale supermarket. They intended to use the supermarket as a middle point, and conduct a thorough search within a five mile radius. They were set on finding this person this time.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze monitored the activities online and cooperated with the Secret Services department. They had managed to get ahold of some leads of the people that were eager to act on the search.

    As for Huo Shaoheng, who was now very much in danger, he had just arrived at the hospital block of the army in the Ferrari. Chen Lie was already waiting for them with two orthopedic doctors and a male nurse with a bed at the main entrance.

    Chen Lie ran over the moment he saw the car.

    Huo Shaoheng stepper out of the car and went to the other side to open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door.

    Chen Lie saw that Gu Nianzhi was tied firmly to the seat with seatbelt. Her legs were also tied up with bandages. They were held well together, but she most likely felt horrible.

    She looked at Chen Lie exasperatedly with teary eyes.

    Chen Lie was struck with a hrious realization: She wasn¡¯t in pain; she just felt awkward!

    However, Huo Shaoheng was only concerned about her injuries. He bent down to loosen her seat belt while asking Chen Lie, ¡°Should we put her in a full body cast before sending her up?¡±

    Chen Lie looked at Gu Nianzhi and knew that it wasn¡¯t a serious injury, but seeing Huo Shaoheng like this, even he would think that Gu Nianzhi had just gotten shot by a gun and was about to die.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, how could you drive so quickly? Did you think you were driving a fighting jet instead?¡± Chen Lie nagged at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°They said that the police cars that were supposed to clear the roads for you couldn¡¯t even catch up! To be honest, these beds here are meant for the casualties of the traffic ident!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored Chen Lie¡¯s sarcasm. He helped Gu Nianzhi up and then asked, ¡°Are you all set? Should she go for an X-ray or a CT scan?¡±

    ¡°X-ray or CT?! Why don¡¯t I do an autopsy then!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s mouth twitched, and waved to the male nurses. ¡°Come and bring her up.¡±

    ...

    The video from the Supermarket was shared for about an hour, before it was banned. It was deleted from the entire web; even the person who posted it couldn¡¯t find a copy of it.

    However, the people who needed to see it, saw it.

    He Zhichu was actually not active on social media. But Dou Aiyan had sent him a link all of a sudden and had asked him to see if there were any familiar faces.

    Since he had nothing to do during the weekends, he clicked on the link. He saw Gu Nianzhi lowering her head behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Even though her face couldn¡¯t be seen, and her clothes were not ones he was used to seeing her in, He Zhichu was able to recognize her even if it was just a view of her back.

 Chapter 416 - Didnâ€™t Cherish You For Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 416: Didn¡¯t Cherish You For Nothing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu watched the video without speaking a word. Rather than focusing on the loud and abrasive women, his eyes were on a trembling, blurry figure in the back. The entire video was less than five minutes and ended when the shopping cart tipped over and hit Gu Nianzhi. She covered her head with one hand, but then the video failed to capture Huo Shaohenging from behind to pull the cart off with one hand and hoist Gu Nianzhi up with the other. Staring nkly at the final shot, he slowly reached out to caress Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head on the screen. In that moment, he could feel Gu Nianzhi¡¯s horror. She had been traumatized years ago and now she was suffering again six yearster? What did Huo Shaoheng do for a living anyway? How could he have let her get injured in broad daylight? Pacing around the room irritably, he knew he needed to confirm for himself that Gu Nianzhi was ok before he did anything else. After struggling with his thoughts for a while, he finally picked up the phone to call her. The phone rang for a long time but was never answered. He Zhichu¡¯s heart went up and down along with the ringing tone; he grew more anxious but refused to give up dialing. Finally, Zhao Liangze picked up.

    Zhao Liangze saw that He Zhichu had called many times but didn¡¯t leave any voicemails, so he decided to take the call in case there was an emergency. He answered politely, ¡°Professor He? This is Little Ze. Nianzhi is in surgery. Please call back tomorrow.¡±

    He Zhichu gripped the phone and closed his eyes. So she was really injured and it was serious enough to warrant surgery?

    ¡°At which hospital?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s usually aloof voice somehow sounded raspy. He would not feel assured until he personally visited Gu Nianzhi.

    Zhao Liangze paused and then said, ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi is alright. She just twisted her ankle, but Mr. Huo was worried and called the best orthopedic surgeon to examine her. Maybe saying surgery was an overstatement¡ªthey are actually realigning her bones.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s nervous heart finally found some reassurance, but he was still very worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition. He hesitated for a moment before he insisted and said, ¡°Tell me the name of the hospital and I¡¯ll go see her right away.¡±

    Zhao Liangze raised his eyebrows in amazement. ¡°Professor He, you don¡¯t have to go through all that trouble. Nianzhi is doing well. I¡¯ll have her call you when shees out of surgery.¡±

    ¡°No! I want to see her right now!¡± He Zhichu was irate and couldn¡¯t face the same situation happening again. He had no choice but to threaten Zhao Liangze. ¡°Mr. Zhao, if you don¡¯t tell me which hospital Nianzhi is at, I¡¯ll call the police! I¡¯ll tell them you¡¯re illegally imprisoning her!¡± It was a ridiculous statement, but he was willing to say anything just to get ess to Gu Nianzhi.

    So he is threatening me now? Zhao Liangze frowned and switched the phone to his other hand. He paused the call and turned on a video chat with Huo Shaoheng, who was standing guard at the door to the operating room. ¡°Mr. Huo, Professor He saw the video and he¡¯s calling to see Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Tell him she¡¯s in surgery; she¡¯ll call him after.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat on the bench outside the operating theater with his hands folded together. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Though his expression appeared calm and his tone was fairly normal, he resolutely guarded the door and refused to go anywhere else.

    Zhao Liangze smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯ve already told him, but he won¡¯t listen. He even threatened me and said he would call the police if we don¡¯t allow him to see Nianzhi right away. He will sue us for illegal imprisonment, or some nonsense.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng barely looked up and said into his headset calmly, ¡°Then let him sue.¡± He hung up and refused to listen to the rest of Little Ze¡¯s chatter. He had only been waiting for half an hour and Zhao Liangze had called ten times with various reasons to convince him to leave the door. Huo Shaoheng understood Zhao Liangze¡¯s good intentions, but he had his own ideas and would not be led by his subordinates. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t me Zhao Liangze for merely fulfilling his duty as a personal secretary. Neither of them were wrong to maintaining their own work styles.

    Zhao Liangze was out of options and could only resume the call with He Zhichu. He still hadn¡¯t hung up and was waiting on the line. ¡°What is it? Did you notify your ¡®master?¡¯¡± He Zhichu jeered. ¡°Tell me the address of your hospital and I¡¯lle right away.¡± He had already put on his coat. He held his car keys and was awaiting the name and address of the hospital so that he could rush over immediately.

    Zhao Liangze began to dy intentionally. He replied leisurely, ¡°Professor He, are you still waiting on the line?¡±

    ¡°Stop the nonsense and tell me it now.¡± He Zhichu was growing impatient. Although he had tried to calm down, the veins on his forehead were now beginning to show.

    ¡°Professor He, are you this kind to all your students?¡± Zhao Liangze asked slowly; he had originally wanted to dy by making something up. But as soon as Zhao Liangze said it, he felt his heart thump and the thoughts swirled in his head. It was strange¡ªwhen he thought carefully about it, He Zhichu was uncharacteristically sweet to Gu Nianzhi. In the past, he had given Gu Nianzhi the chance to intern at the US Congress and recently, he had arranged her dorm room and even held one on one lectures for her. And finally, He Zhichu was unusually anxious today. Zhao Liangze finally realized that He Zhichu¡¯s concern for Gu Nianzhi far surpassed that of a normal professor towards their

    student.

    Rubbing his chin, Zhao Liangze waited for He Zhichu¡¯s reply. Wisely avoiding the question, He Zhichu jingled his car keys in his hand, already regainingposure. He shot back icily, ¡°If you keep wasting my time, I¡¯ll sue you individually too.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, you can¡¯t always be threatening to sue people for everything. It¡¯s pointless if you say it so much.¡±

    ¡°Good that you know it¡¯s pointless.¡± He Zhichu strode to the door. ¡°So you¡¯d better stop dying me. I must see Gu Nianzhi right now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze also smartened up and said, ¡°Professor He, I understand your anxiety, but I can only tell you one answer¡ªno can do.¡±

    ...

    In the operating room, Gu Nianzhiy on an operating table. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her nose was wet with perspiration. The two top orthopedic surgeons in the Empire were present¡ªone pressed onto her kneecap and the other gripped her ankle to find the humeral head. He tested it, then suddenly applied pressure to pull outward and pressed down exactly on the ankle joint. Gu Nianzhi screamed and then slumped back on the table. The pain was awful. Overhearing this from the side, Chen Lie¡¯s heart pounded as he wiped sweat from his forehead. Thankfully, the room had first ss soundproofing; otherwise, Huo Shaoheng would have burst in, consumed by blind rage.

    ¡°Ok, the ankle is slightly dislocated but it¡¯s been repositioned now.¡± A surgeon lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left foot to show Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie went over to feel the position of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ankle joint. ¡°You are truly superb! The repositioning was perfect. If it had been anyone else doing it, Nianzhi would probably have seriousplications.¡±

    Dislocating the ankle joint was a serious injury; if it wasn¡¯t corrected properly, the patient would have a slight limp. It wasn¡¯t apparent when walking slowly, but a quick stride or run would make the limp very obvious. Gu Nianzhi was only 18 and Chen Lie didn¡¯t want her to have any problems this early on in her youth. The two orthopedic surgeonsughed at his praise. ¡°This is a standard surgery for us. Don¡¯t worry, none of our patients have ever had side effects.¡±

    ¡°Thank you both. When Nianzhi ispletely healed in a few days, I¡¯ll make sure to bring her out to treat you to dinner.¡± Chen Lie yed the older brother and sped his hands in thanks to his two colleagues.

    ¡°Dr. Chen is too kind; you¡¯ve helped us many times before. We just were able to help you once today, so we still have to thank you for the opportunity!¡± They allughed heartily before removing their surgical masks and opening the doors to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up from the long bench outside and looked at them worriedly.

    ¡°Mr. Huo is still here?¡± The two orthopedic surgeons smiled. ¡°It was only a minor surgery. There was nothing for Mr. Huo to worry about.¡±

    ¡°Ok, thank you both. I¡¯ll treat you to lunch one day.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded before briskly heading towards the operating room.

    Chen Lie was wiping sweat off Gu Nianzhi when he turned around to see Huo Shaoheng hade in. He had meant to lie and waved impatiently to shoo him out.¡±We¡¯re not done here yet; her back still needs an X-ray. Get out first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked past Chen Lie to the sleeping Gu Nianzhi who was lying on the table. Her face was white as snow and her lips werepletely devoid of color¡ªit was obvious that she had gone through terrible pain. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Didn¡¯t you give her anesthesia for the surgery?¡±

    Chen Lie hemmed and hawed. ¡°It was only realigning and reconnecting the bone. It¡¯s not ideal to use anesthesia.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°If she had no sensation, we wouldn¡¯t know if the realignment was wrong. Do you want her to have side effects and limp for the rest of her life?¡± Chen Lie forced himself to debate with Huo Shaoheng, but his true reason for not numbing Gu Nianzhi was to test her unique body constitution for pain tolerance. Although, the two orthopedic surgeons had also said that it was best not to use anesthesia for reconnective surgery in order to achieve perfect results.

    Huo Shaoheng was cold with anger and was about to shout at Chen Lie some more when Gu Nianzhi whispered weakly, ¡°Huo Shao... I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t me Brother Chen, it¡¯s thanks to him that my foot is ok...¡±

    Her voice is so fragile, Huo Shaoheng thought.

    ring at Chen Lie, Huo Shaoheng walked up to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s table and bent down to examine her closely. He grabbed a tissue from the table side to wipe her sweat and looked at her intently as he asked quietly, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore,¡± Gu Nianzhi said honestly. ¡°It just hurt a lot for a few minutes when the bone was reconnected.¡±

    ¡°Ok, it¡¯s fine now. I¡¯ll make you sparerib soup when we get back,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he looked at Chen Lie unkindly. Face full of terror, Chen Lie wanted to curl his round body into a ball.

    Gu Nianzhi licked her chapped lips. ¡°I¡¯m hungry right now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally let Chen Lie off the hook. ¡°I¡¯ll go make you something to eat.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I want Huo Shao¡¯s homemade fried rice,¡± Gu Nianzhi said sleepily.

    Huo Shaoheng left in a hurry and Chen Lie ambled over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside with a giggle. ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi, I¡¯ve saved you so many times and you finally repaid the debt! I didn¡¯t cherish you for nothing!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smirked and was about to speak when Huo Shaoheng returned with a grim face. Their smiles froze as they shared a look and thought in unison¡ªoh no, we¡¯ve been caught in the lie.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at Chen Lie but passed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone to her grimly. ¡°Here, hurry up and video chat with your Professor He.¡±

 Chapter 417 - Having Backup

    <h4>Chapter 417: Having Backup</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What? Professor He? Why would he want to video call?¡± Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t expected that the words ¡°Your Professor He¡± would havee from Huo Shaoheng. She was stunned for a moment, and then slowly, a smile lit up her pretty face. Itplimented her bright ck eyes perfectly, exuding an inexplicably adorable aura.

    Huo Shaoheng looked away. ¡°He got wind of the fact that you were injured. He wanted to visit, but I declined. So he requested for a video call.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng exined the situation quickly, before adding, ¡°Enjoy your conversation,¡± and leaving the room.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone and then looked towards the direction in which Huo Shaoheng had disappeared. She was full of questions but could not ask him just yet. She dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    Wearing a robe, He Zhichu stood at the French windows of his condominium apartment. He alternated between looking at the view in front of the windows and his watch, holding on to the phone on the other hand.

    Just when he was about to go straight to the hospital, the phone rang. It was the customized ringtone for Gu Nianzhi.

    He answered the call immediately. ¡°Hello?¡±

    Hearing He Zhichu¡¯s voice, Gu Nianzhi shot Chen Lie a look, that told him to leave the room.

    Chen Lie red at her before leaving the ward.

    Only then did Gu Nianzhi begin talking to He Zhichu. ¡°How did you know that I was injured, Professor He?¡±

    Upon hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice still strong and sweet, he knew that her injury wasn¡¯t as serious as he¡¯d thought. A sense of relief washed over him.

    ¡°The video was spread like wildfire. Your Huo Shao is now a famous man,¡± He Zhichu said coldly as he ced a hand in his pocket and watched his reflection in the window.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    ¡°Video? There was a video?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°It has already been taken down. Someone recorded it secretly from the supermarket and uploaded it onto his Weibo ount.¡± He paused, and then continued reluctantly, ¡°There weren¡¯t any of your front profile though. Your Huo Shao only had his back recorded as well. The mother and daughter pair were the ones who became popr overnight.¡±

    All of a sudden Gu Nianzhi remembered how aggressive Xu Piaohong had been. She grimaced and said unhappily, ¡°That Xu Piaohong was really ridiculous! I have no idea who on earth gave her the confidence to even do those kind of things in public.¡±

    He Zhichu was ufortable with what Gu Nianzhi said, but he could only agree with her just in case she got mad again.

    ¡°She has some backup, doesn¡¯t she? If not, I really can¡¯t think of any reasons why she could be so daring,¡± He Zhichu said indifferently, and then turned on Facetime on his phone to video call Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu immediately saw her extremely fair but pale face, a pair of beautiful doe eyes showing a hint of lethargy. At the tender age of 18, she had no signs of earthly haggardness.

    He Zhichu felt a pang in his heart upon seeing Gu Nianzhi pretending to be alright even after being injured.

    This act of always being careful is the result of being under the wings of others for a long time, he thought. When she was under apprenticeship with me, did she undergo distresses like this?

    Perhaps it was also because she was young, and didn¡¯t know how to behave ording to how others thought of her. It wasn¡¯t due to her not knowing how to; it was because there wasn¡¯t a need to.

    He Zhichu looked silently at her. He caressed her face on the screen, and asked hoarsely, ¡°Where are all your injuries? I didn¡¯t see anything on the video. Little Ze said that you¡¯ve sprained your ankle.Was that it?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s question reminded Gu Nianzhi of her injuries. She touched the side of her waist down to her back, and frowned slightly.

    ¡°There was a dislocation in my ankle, but it has been fixed already. But there¡¯s still a sharp pain in my back, near the side of my waist. I¡¯ll be going for an X-Rayter.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Go now then. Don¡¯t dy things like that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go after our call,¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Thanks for your concern, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi again. ¡°You better get your ankle checked a second time. See if your ligament is torn. Get it treated immediately if it is, or else it won¡¯t fully recover, ¡± he said after choosing his words carefully.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel the need to really take his advice to heart, but she was still thankful for his concern. ¡°Yes Professor He. Thank you.¡±

    These ¡®thank you¡¯s¡¯ after every sentence were really making him throw up. The formality was too much, and it emphasized the distance between them, not just physically, he felt, but emotionally as well. He wanted to be someone closer to her heart.

    The corners of his mouth twitching down, he finally said, ¡°Call me after you¡¯re done with the X-Ray and let me know that you¡¯re fine.¡±

    ¡°Yep, definitely. Professor He is really such an amazing lecturer!¡± Gu Nianzhi said cheerfully.

    It doesn¡¯t feel sincere, though, he thought.

    He Zhichu knew that she was maybe entertaining him superficially, but he didn¡¯t ask her. He merely continued, ¡°I¡¯ll keep calling if I don¡¯t receive your call or text in 30 minutes.¡±

    He ended the Facetime abruptly after that.

    Gu Nianzhi started at the dark screen of her phone, and shook her head, smiling. Turning off her phone, she spoke to Chen Lie through the inte.

    ¡°Brother Chen, I¡¯m done. Can we do the X-Ray now?¡±

    She needed an X-Ray for her back and another for her ankle, to make sure that it was connected properly.

    Huo Shaoheng had insisted on it even though both the orthopedists had confidently assured them that there wouldn¡¯t be any residual effects.

    Chen Lie has agreed with this as well, so Gu Nianzhi just went along with them and went for the X-Rays.

    Chen Lie pushed a wheelchair in upon hearing that she was done and helped her into it before wheeling her to the radiography room for her X-Rays.

    The best doctors in the Special Forces hospital gave Gu Nianzhi the best treatment. The radiographer who was to take her X-Ray was the best in the hospital as well. This was because Huo Shaoheng had made it known to them that Gu Nianzhi was affiliated with him.

    20 minutester, the X-Rays were fully developed. They sent a copy each to Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

    Upon returning from the radiography room, Gu Nianzhi began eating snacks and milk on the sofa in Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    She was extremely hungry but the fried rice Huo Shaoheng had promised wasn¡¯t ready, so she¡¯d requested for a slice of cake and a ss of milk first.

    She sighed when she remembered that all this had happened just because she had wanted to have steamboat together with Huo Shaoheng at home.

    Meanwhile, Looking closely at the X-Ray, Chen Lie was bing more and more serious. He looked at the Gu Nianzhi who was eating happily and asked, ¡°Have you injured your ankle before, Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly swallowed her cake upon hearing the question and answered, ¡°No...? I haven¡¯t injured my ankle before. This was my first time spraining my ankle.¡±

    She had never been seriously injured even with all the ¡®military trainings¡¯ Huo Shaoheng had made her go through all these years. She¡¯d always had a clean bill of health. The number of times she had a could be counted on one hand.

    ¡°The X-Ray here shows that your ligament was injured before, but that it was recovered well. So, naturally there weren¡¯t any residual effects.¡± Chen Lie showed the images from the X-Ray to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Look here. If this area had never been injured before, it would be smooth. However, you have a small bump here. This means that you¡¯ve had a past injury there, but it healed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the X-Ray of her ankle in surprise for a while, and thenughed.

    ¡°Brother Chen, you¡¯re really something. Pictures like these only look like a few bones here and there to me. I could never tell the difference.¡±

    ¡°Why would you need doctors like us if normal people like you could understand these?¡± Chen Lie joked. He continued to say, ¡°Maybe...it was an injury from your childhood.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fell silent. She couldn¡¯t remember what had happened when she was a child, so she couldn¡¯t be sure.

    Suddenly, a sh of memory entered her mind. She asked Chen Lie instinctively, ¡°Brother Chen, you said that my old injury on my ankle ligament happened when I was a child?¡±

    ¡°You hadn¡¯t injured your ligament for the past six years you were with Mr. Huo, until now, of course,¡± Chen Lie said confidently. ¡°So, that injury to your ligament must have been made before you turned 12.¡±

    ¡°Before I was 12?¡± Gu Nianzhi tried very hard to grasp the memory from before, but her usually quick mind hurt again as it did when she tried to look into the six year gap in her memories.

    She hugged her head and sat on the sofa, looking extremely pale. Only managing to find strength after a while, she asked, dejectedly, ¡°Will I never be able to regain my memorones?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for certain. The human brains is a marvelous thing. Perhaps one day, your brain will get stimted by an incident simr to what you went through, and you¡¯ll remember everything. Or, it could alle flooding back when you least expect it. The circumstances to the recovery of your memories needn¡¯t be extraordinary.¡± Chen Lie pat herfortingly on the shoulder.

    ¡°Oww!¡± Gu Nianzhi cried. ¡°Brother Chen, why did you use so much strength? You¡¯re breaking my back.¡±

    There was a sudden cramp in her back, and it made it difficult for her to sit properly. She had no choice but to lie down on the sofa.

    Chen Lie quickly looked at the X-Ray of her back, and gasped. ¡°Oh God, your spine is really injured! We wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if not for the X-Ray. Don¡¯t sit or il about anymore. You¡¯ll have to use a back brace for now; I¡¯ll apply some ointment, and have a jab to stabilize your injury. It¡¯ll be best of you just lie in bed for the next 10 days. If not, there will be serious stress to your injury and it¡¯ll affect the rest of your life.¡±

 Chapter 418 - The Person Iâ€™m Protecting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 418: The Person I¡¯m Protecting (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    From the X-ray, there was obvious discement of the posterior spine. This meant the damage was very serious. After carefully going over several X-ray films, Chen Lie wiped sweat from his forehead nervously and stammered to Gu Ninzhi, ¡°T-Thankfully Huo Shaoheng had secured you tightly with the seatbelt, otherwise you¡¯d be paralyzed today.¡± The best way to treat spinal injury was to avoid movement. Huo Shaoheng tying her uppletely to prevent any rough movement on her body had deflected any pressure to her spine and further deterioration of her condition. Chen Lie would have made the same decision if he had been present at the site of ident.

    ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°I¡¯d only hit my back against the shopping cart and I don¡¯t feel anything wrong at all. It just hurt like stabbing needles when you patted me just now.¡±

    ¡°Spinal injuries are always like that; it would have deteriorated to a certain extent by the time you felt anything.¡± Chen Lie shrugged and looked down, picking up a medical record. ¡°I¡¯m still worried. I¡¯d better do an MRI on you to see how serious it is.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes and helplessly copsed on the round sofa in the corner, muttering, ¡°Can we keep this from Huo Shao?¡±

    Chen Lie grinned.¡±Of course...not.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi no longer wanted to speak andid on the sofa motionlessly. Thoughts tossed around in her mind as she thought about ways to quell Huo Shaoheng¡¯s anger.

    ...

    Most people couldn¡¯t tell if Huo Shaoheng was angry, not even his personal secretaries and orderlies. It had always been difficult for them to detect any changes in his expression and gaze. Gu Nianzhi was an exception, and that was in part, perhaps, due to how she was more keen than others; it wasrgely because she was more familiar with Huo Shaoheng than anyone, since she grown up in his care. Maybe it was also because she spent more time than anyone else to study Huo Shaoheng. Evidently, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t have the same opportunity as Gu Nianzhi. They stood before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk and looked at him, puzzled, asking uncertainly, ¡°Mr. Huo, Nianzhi¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t serious. Are you sure you want to do this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at them, his entire body cloaked in the shadow cast by the deskmp. His expression was chilling in the darkness. Voice rich and firm, he spoke slowly and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk.

    ¡°This has nothing to do with Nianzhi¡¯s injury. Xu Piaohong broke thew as a member ofw enforcement and we are just fulfilling our duties as citizens and filing aint against her ording to procedure.¡±

    Yin Shixiong nced at Zhao Liangze, who only rubbed his nose and muttered, ¡°You have all the right as the Chief. This Xu Piaohong girl was really asking for it. Just thest time¡ª¡± He retold how she had forcibly stopped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car without reason.

    ¡°We willin about both this time and thest incident,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°We¡¯d warned herst time that if she broke thew again, she would have to assume responsibility for both incidents.¡±

    Yin Shixiong understood and instantly replied, ¡°Chief, I¡¯ll go take care of it.¡±

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng or even the Special Operations Forces couldn¡¯t officially get involved in such matters. He had no choice but to get help from the personnel in local departments. After finishing up with the matter, he received a call from Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie sounded very ashamed. ¡°Huo Shao, I shouldn¡¯t have med you. I¡¯m afraid Nianzhi¡¯s injury isn¡¯t that simple.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grit his teeth as he asked, ¡°What. Is. It.?¡± His voice was dangerously low.

    Chen Lie gripped the phone tightly andposed himself before saying, ¡°You¡¯d bettere quick¡ªwe have to talk in person.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart grew cold as he readied the pen in his hand to make a record. ¡°What is it?¡± He repeated.

    ¡°I just gave Nianzhi an MRI.¡± Chen Lie looked at the results. ¡°Nearly every joint in her back spinal column...looks like it¡¯s had a slight shift.¡±

    A snap was heard on Chen Lie¡¯s end when Huo Shaoheng suddenly applied force and snapped the pen in half. He stood up from behind his desk. ¡°It just knocked into her once! Is it really that serious?¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s voice lowered. ¡°You¡¯d bettere over so we can speak in person.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly hung up the phone and left his office. After about 15 minutes, he arrived at Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    Gu Nianzhi had already returned to the bed in her room so she wasn¡¯t in Chen Lie¡¯s office. Huo Shaoheng walked up to Chen Lie; he tapped the desk with one hand. He urged him quietly, ¡°Hurry up and tell me. Stop going around in circles.¡±

    Chen Lie stood up and led Huo Shaoheng to theb to have a talk. It was a more private area with upgraded equipment. cing the MRI results in front of Huo Shaoheng, he whispered, ¡°These are not new injuries, the shifts on her spinal joints.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his brows. ¡°It¡¯s not from this ident? Nianzhi hasn¡¯t been injured like this before.¡±

    ¡°I know, so I infer that it happened in the years she¡¯s lost her memories of.¡± He looked around to make sure Gu Nianzhi was out of earshot. ¡°Have you ever seen someone abuse kittens?¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about instances where a kitten has its legs and tail tied up, then thrown down from a high building. It¡¯s spine was shattered into pieces. Nianzhi¡¯s condition is very simr to that kitten, but of course it¡¯s not as serious. It can also be said that this was the result of being repeatedly thrown down with controlled force. All the bones in her body appear to have beenpressed and misaligned, and of course, her healing ability is phenomenal. If these were old injuries, then they have all healed and if we hadn¡¯t done this MRI, we would¡¯ve never known. That¡¯s why we never noticed anything before. Tell me, who would be so cruel to do such things to Nianzhi before she turned 12?¡± Chen Lie whispered angrily.

    Huo Shaoheng also never wanted the military to find this out about Gu Nianzhi. He tried to clear his head through the cold anger surging through him at the thought of Gu Nianzhi enduring such disgusting abuse. ¡°Does it have something to do with her family?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked. He was actively seeking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family, but it there was even the slightest chance that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family were not the loving people he¡¯d thought they were, then looking for them meant sending Gu Nianzhi directly into danger. But if they didn¡¯t find them, the military would never approve of her. For the first time in a long time, Huo Shaoheng was lost. He took out a cigarette and asked Chen Lie before lighting it, ¡°Can I smoke?¡±

    Chen Lie waved nonchntly¡ªhe actually wanted one for himself as well. He understood more than anyone else, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s determination to find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family. But if the results were worse than never finding them, then how should they face such an oue? After finishing a cigarette, Huo Shaoheng came to a decision. He threw the butt into the garbage and said to Chen Lie, ¡°Treat her first and I¡¯ll deal with the people that need to be dealt with. After that, we still have to find her family but we can¡¯t let anyone know it has anything to do with Nianzhi.¡±

    They would find her family first then decide what to do. If they had abused her in the past and Gu Nianzhi had actually escaped, then Huo Shaoheng would never let off the people who hurt her. Not even her own family.

 Chapter 419 - The person Iâ€™m protecting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 419: The person I¡¯m protecting (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The moment Huo Shaoheng had decided on something, he didn¡¯t have second thoughts on it. He was a man who believed in action and looked down on idle theorizing.

    ¡°Why would there be a need for an MRI?¡± Huo Shaoheng snapped back to reality and began questioning Chen Lie¡¯s actions. He squinted. It hid some of his prating re, but it was still as stressful.

    Chen Lie hated being red at like this by Huo Shaoheng. It felt like an eagle looking at its prey, and it always stressed him out tremendously.

    Taking a handkerchief, Chen Lie wiped the beads of perspiration off his forehead and stammered, ¡°T-There... There are s-some injuries to Nianzhi¡¯s posterior spine. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as bad as her old injuries; it¡¯s just a slight shift. I¡¯ve already fixed it for her. She will be fully healed after lying in bed for about half a month, or two weeks.¡±

    ¡°A shift in the posterior spine but you tell me it¡¯s not a serious injury?!¡± Huo Shaoheng cracked his neck, strode up toChen Lie, pulled him up by the cor m, and said menacingly, ¡°Write a report stating its severity. I need it.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded repeatedly.

    ¡°Yes, yes! I¡¯ll do it right now, if you¡¯ll just put me down! How can I do it if you¡¯re still holding me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let go of his grip. Chen Lie slipped down and fell due to his weak legs. He held on to the wall behind him for support, and then stumbled to his table.

    Huo Shaoheng stared coldly at Chen Lie from behind until he was done with the report.

    ¡°Where is Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°At the ward. I¡¯ve just done a corrective operation on her, so she has to be in bed for the next 10 days.¡± Chen Lie pointed at the written instructions before continuing, ¡°Her injuries are special, so she cannot be moved around. Mr. Huo, you must let her stay here.¡±

    He knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s character. He would want Gu Nianzhi to stay at home even if she needed bed rest. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t like for her to spend the night outside.

    However, the situation was indeed serious this time around. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s taboo for her injury was any, and every, form of movement.

    Huo Shaoheng fell silent. Holding on to the report, he walked towards the ward to take a look at Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes as shey on the white hospital bed. Herplexion was fair as ever, but he saw something odd under the covers out of the corner of his eye. He removed one of the of the nkets.

    Gu Nianzhi was secured tightly onto the hospital bed with bandages. She could only lie down while facing the ceiling. She couldn¡¯t even move a finger.

    She has to maintain in this position for...10 days? Anger rose in Huo Shaoheng as he realized this.

    Someone must pay the price for this incident, the vengeful thought swirling in his mind.

    Huo Shaoheng turned and left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ward.

    Hearing the door open, Chen Lie rushed out. However, he only managed to see the retreating back of Huo Shaoheng as he left the building.

    Chen Lie decides to call Zhao Liangze and inform him of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s injuries, alerting them also of Mr. Huo¡¯s anger; he asked them to keep a lookout.

    Zhao Liangze was just as shocked when he heard about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s injuries.

    ¡°Docter Chen, is it really that severe?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as real as it can get.¡± Chen Lie was slightly unhappy about the unintentional doubt to his prognosis. It was hard enough not to be able to behave like the professional he really was in front of Huo Shaoheng, but in front of people like Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, he was still undoubtedly one of the best doctors around.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way, Doctor Chen. I¡¯m just so shocked!¡± Zhao Liangze apologized frantically.

    Zhao Liangze banged his fists on the table. ¡°To think that I had spoken up for that Xu Piaohong and asked Mr.Huo not to pursue the matter anymore! Now we know how cunning she actually is! Causing so much pain to Nianzhi¡ªwe definitely have to pursue this! I won¡¯t allow it to be left as it is!¡±

    ...

    Xu Piaohong¡¯s home was in total chaos on Saturday afternoon as well.

    They had gone to General Ji¡¯s residence immediately after leaving the supermarket, wanting to find out about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    General Ji, however, did not want to talk about this. All he told them was that Huo Shaoheng was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legal guardian and that she had grown up with Huo Shaoheng. Therefore, she wa extremely important to him.

    Xu Piaohong and her mother breathed sighs of relief and had been about leave when the video surfaced on the inte.

    The person in charge of handling social media tforms in the army had notified the marketing department almost immediately as it involved Huo Shaoheng. However, the news had still spread and within a short while General Ji had gotten wind of it.

    Huo Shaoheng was his favorite and this matter was now a concern in a breach of security to the Special Forces. There was no way General Ji would be left out of this.

    General Ji¡¯s personal secretary quickly rushed over to report this to him, but saw that the main leads of the video were at General Ji¡¯s house. He looked at Xu Piaohong sternly and whispered something to General Ji. Then he took out his phone and showed Genera Ji the video.

    He handed a pair of earphones for General Ji to watch the video with so that he could hear the conversation, in order to avoid any awkwardness with Xu Piaohong and her mother present.

    However, General Ji had a fiery temper.

    His expression changed from shock to fury, and he couldn¡¯t even say anything anymore after he was done watching the video.

    Looking at the mother and daughter who were just about to leave his house, he called out to them. ¡°Wait a minute!¡±

    Mrs. Xu turned and assumed that General Ji intended to make them stay for lunch. She rejected politely and said, ¡°Thanks for the thought, General Ji, but we will be having lunch at home. We don¡¯t wish to trouble you at all.¡±

    ¡°Have lunch?¡± General Jiughed bitterly. ¡°Who do you think would want to make you stay for lunch?¡±

    He looked at Xu Piaohong and asked coldly, ¡°Piaohong, you saw Huo Shaoheng this morning?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. I did!¡± Xu Piaohong quickly nodded. ¡°Some things happened in the supermarket, and my mum and I came over here to see if there was really anything to it.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    He had thought that Xu Piaohong was a straightforward and graciousdy, but it seemed that she knew how to y innocent when she was in trouble as well.

    Seems like she wasn¡¯t what I thought she would be,¡± he thought.

    General Ji sighed. He knew he was partly at fault for this, since he should have never been so blinded by how positive Xu Piaohong¡¯s impression on him had been. The mother and daughter had obviously taken advantage of this.

    ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± General Ji asked as he sat down on the sofa in his living hall.

    ¡°Erm, well, we met Major General Huo, but then he declined that he was him. So...¡± Xu Piaohong trailed off, embarrassed. ¡°You know that I¡¯ve always been a straightforward person, and can never take anyone lying to my face. So...my tone and attitude hadn¡¯t exactly been the most polite.¡±

    She ended her confession by yfully sticking out her tongue, just like a child would do while pretending to be cute when asking for forgiveness after getting herself into a mess.

    General Ji only felt disgusted.

    ¡°You revealed his position in the army just because he refused to ept your greeting?!¡± General Ji¡¯s voice rose in anger all of a sudden. He stood up suddenly, pointed at Xu Piaohong, and yelled, ¡°Who on earth do you think you are to him? You should have known the extreme importance and necessity for secrecy for his rank! And now you¡¯vepromised it!!¡± General Ji panted heavily before shouting with as much force as he could muster, ¡°Leave NOW! Never evere to my home again!¡±

    Xu Piaohong and her mother were humiliated and frightened. They stood at the entrance in shock, paralyzed by General Ji¡¯s anger.

    Mrs.Ji heard General Ji¡¯s yell and came out of her room quickly. ¡°Ji, can¡¯t you speak properly? How can she take it if you speak to her like that?¡± She put a hand on his chest, in order to calm him down.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you had a good impression of Piaohong all along? Teach her properly if she¡¯s done something wrong¡ª!¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t just made a mistake. She vited thew.¡± General Ji cut off his wife¡¯s words. He red fiercely at the cowering women. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of pleading. Nothing will help you, even if Speaker Long or Prime Minister Dou try to plead on your behalf. Xu Piaohong, go back and await corporal punishment. Get lost and don¡¯t evere again.¡±

 Chapter 420 - The Person Iâ€™m Protecting (3)

    <h4>Chapter 420: The Person I¡¯m Protecting (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As soon as he mentioned business, General Ji¡¯s wife grew quiet. She shifted her gaze and sighed. ¡± I don¡¯t understand at all. Old Ji, I¡¯m going inside first.¡± She shook her head at Xu Piaohong and her mother before shuffling back to the sitting room.

    Xu Piaohong was both shocked and angry. She had never imagined that General Ji and his wife, who had always been kind and held her to higher regard than others, would turn their backs on her! Her tears streamed down as she choked out, ¡°Uncle Ji, what did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this? Whatw did I break? I don¡¯t understand! I always stand proud and confidently say that I always dothe right thing. When did I ever break thew? Please tell me clearly!¡±

    Mrs. Xu panicked¡ªher child was being unruly again! It was one thing to argue with others, but she was just asking for trouble by messing with General Ji!

    ¡°Piaohong! Shut your mouth! We¡¯ll go home and discuss this; maybe there was a misunderstanding. We¡¯ll figure it out with your dad first.¡± Mrs. Xu kept shooting looks at Xu Piaohong and then tried to drag her out forcibly, bowing all the while to General Ji.

    Xu Piaohong¡¯s stubbornness reared its head and she refused to leave. She hugged the pir at the entrance of the Ji manor and shouted, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! I know I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! Why do I have to leave? They are framing me¡ª!¡±

    p!

    Xu Piaohong couldn¡¯t finish screaming thest sentence before her mother furiously hit her across the face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you done yet? I already told you that we will talk about it at home. Why are you angering General Ji here?¡±

    The guards at the door watched the mother and daughter. If they refused to leave, the guards would force them to go. After all, General Ji gave the orders and they must obey. The sound of a row of guns disengaging from the safety rang throughout the courtyard. Xu Piaohong and Mrs. Xu looked up at the row of ck muzzles with shock; they were so frightened that they stumbled out, screaming, from General Ji¡¯s courtyard.

    When they returned home, it was to Deputy Chief of Staff Xu reading a magazine on the couch. He saw his daughter¡¯s swollen eyes and an obvious handprint on her cheek. Throwing aside the magazine, he stood up angrily and strode up to his wife and daughter to ask loudly, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Piaohong, who hit you? Who would dared to touch my daughter? Do they want to die?!¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡± Xu Piaohong finally heard a normal voice of concern and was so touched she copsed into his chest to cry. ¡°Dad! You have to make this right for me! I¡¯m being bullied!¡±

    Mrs. Xu looked at Xu Piaohong with disappointment and yanked her out of her father¡¯s arms. She pointed angrily at her. ¡°Go back to your room to reflect now! Don¡¯te out and throw tantrums!¡±

    Xu Piaohong had been hit by her mother for the first time and was very indignant. She only felt aggrieved but seeing her mother unusually angry was frightening. She stamped her feet and shouted, ¡°Lock me up forever if you can! I¡¯ll nevere out! Or get married!¡±

    ¡°Get married? All you know is that! You¡¯re a young girl who chants about getting married all day long. Don¡¯t you have shame?¡± Upon seeing her daughter¡¯s impudent attitude, Mrs. Xu raised her hand to p her again.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu quickly blocked her and tried to intervene, ¡°Fine, fine, let¡¯s talk about this calmly. Our child was bullied outside and instead of consoling her you¡¯re hitting her? Don¡¯t you feel bad about it? Isn¡¯t she your very own daughter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s my daughter that she must be strictly disciplined!¡±Mrs. Xu grew anxious and irritated when recalling General Ji¡¯s expression today. After forcing Xu Piaohong upstairs with a few more words, she nervously grabbed Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°Piaohong seemed to have gotten into some kind of trouble. Today, General Ji was very upset and practically kicked us out of his house. Can you go out and ask about what happened?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was so shocked his voice cracked. ¡°What on earth did you two do? How did General Ji get so upset?! He kicked you out too, oh my God. Was it you or Piaohong?!¡±

    ¡°Of course it was your precious daughter.¡± Mr.s Xu red from the top of the stairs. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t hit and dragged her out of General Ji¡¯s house earlier, she would have argued with him. Don¡¯t you think our daughtercksmon sense?¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu had no outstanding family background and had used his own ability to rise from a soldier to the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Tactical Operations Department of a military area. He had more brains than his wife and daughter so he knew it must be very serious if General Ji had lost his temper. However, he thought, Xu Piaohong had been with her mother all day; what trouble did she get into? Deputy Chief of Staff Xu nced at his wife. They had been married for many years and he knew her very well. Aside from some minor ws with her ego, she was a good person. So when did Xu Piaohong get into this mess? He quietly pondering what happened in their family room, the ticking of the clock his onlypanion. Just when Deputy Chief of Staff Xu got ready to get information from others, his phone rang at the same time a piercing scream sounded from Xu Piaohong¡¯s room. Then he heard something fall, like it had tumbled down the stairs from the second floor. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu and his wife stood up at the same time and looked towards the stairs.

    ¡°Dad! Mom! You have to help me! Someone recorded me and put it online!¡± It turned out Xu Piaohong rushed down from the second floor and lost her bnce, so she had almost rolled down the stairs. Luckily the Xu home was a small high-rise unit so there weren¡¯t many steps between the first and second floors. It was also thickly carpeted so Xu Paiohong wasn¡¯t injured. She crawled up and held up the phone. Tears streaked down her face as she shouted at her parents. ¡°Someone¡¯s recorded me! I want them to go to jail! I want them to go to hell! How dare they mess with me! They must want to die!¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu ignored her. He walked up to the French window in the corner of the living room and answered the call. ¡°Little Meng, what is it?¡±

    Little Meng was Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s confidante in the Tactical Operations Department. He was practically his personal secretary, but of course Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s rank was not high enough to warrant his own personal secretary. Little Meng was also not officially his subordinate. His voice sounded from the phone anxiously: ¡°Deputy Chief of Staff Xu, your daughter Piaohong got into a big mess! Hurry up and go online to watch the trending video on the social media sites!¡±

    Another video?! Deputy Chief of Staff Xu looked back at his wife and daughter in the middle of the living room. They were huddled together and watching something, the video, he figured, on Xu Piaohong¡¯s phone. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu hesitated for a second and then followed Little Meng¡¯s instructions. He unlocked another phone to find a social media app. As soon as he got in, the trending video with top hits and a number ofments was one entitled, ¡°Mentally Unstable Lovestruck Girl Extorts Target In The Supermarket: Imperial Major General Turns a Blind Eye.¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s heart dropped, his hands shaking. He struggled to start the video and only watched for a bit when it was suddenly removed from the site. However, he had seen enough to know what happened. The loud and abrasive girl in the video was his daughter, Xu Piaohong; the snooty looking older woman was none other than his wife. They were supposed to have gone to to the supermarket this morning and instead caused such a huge mess! Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s expression was heavy with dismay, sweat trickling down his face.

    Little Meng continued over the phone, ¡°Deputy Chief of Staff Xu, you have to prepare right now. The video has made its way to General Ji. Do you want to send someone to beg for forgiveness? Or ask Mrs.Ji for help? This is not a minor mistake, it¡¯s a serious leak of military intelligence!¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s flushed face lost all its color. His mouth twitched and he almost passed out. Steadying himself against the wall, he coughed and tried to calm down so he could ask, ¡°Who else knows about this?¡± If he had to beg for forgiveness, he must make sure to assuage all the parties involved or not only would Xu Piahong lose her future career, but she could also end up in jail.

    Little Meng exhaled sharply, ¡°Who else knows?! Deputy Chief of Staff Xu, you still don¡¯t realize how serious this is! The entire military area knows, the whole nations knows! Hell, the whole world might even know!¡±

    Crack!

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s phone fell to the marble ground, the battery popping out and the screen totally shattered. The web-like cracks cut through the weary man¡¯s reflection.

    ¡°Dad! These people are just too much! I want to sue them! They recorded me!¡± Xu Piaohong stormed over to him and snarled, ¡°Also, this is Major General Huo, just look! Isn¡¯t this his back?!¡± Xu Piaohong had just taken a screenshot of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back as evidence so she could go argue with him.

 Chapter 421 - The person Iâ€™m protecting (4)

    <h4>Chapter 421: The person I¡¯m protecting (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    No one knew why the video couldn¡¯t be viewed anymore on any of the social media tforms. Luckily, she had already done a screenshot. If not, it would be really hard to exin this to anyone.

    The only evidence she had now, was the screenshot of the back view of Huo Shaoheng in her phone.

    ¡°The person who secretly took the video was too mean! How could he say that I was Miss Desperate? I am going to sue him for defamation of my reputation.¡± Xu Piaohong¡¯s eyes welled up with tears again. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu looked at her and raised his arm, but seeing her this way, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to hit her.

    He stomped his foot and said harshly, ¡°Stay home and don¡¯t go anywhere! I¡¯ll go and find out what exactly went on!¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu practically broke through his front door as he left for some of his colleagues¡¯ ces.

    ...

    ¡°Xu, this is ratherplicated and it involved the Special Forces. We really cannot help much.¡±

    ¡°Xu, look after your daughter well. We¡¯ve always heard that your daughter was pure and didn¡¯t even want to look at, or even hang out with, our children, the second generations of government officials. Looking at the way things are now, it¡¯s evident that she really didn¡¯t associate with people like us before. She totally doesn¡¯t know anything within the army.¡±

    ¡°Little Xu, go plead with General Ji. You both have been in the army for many years and he should still want to look after you for a bit. Don¡¯t focus on your daughter for now. Thew she vited was too serious; the highestmittee board of the army has already been called to discuss what they can do about this incident. I heard that General Ji will have to do a review in the meeting.¡±

    The final piece of advice was spoken by an old superior of Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s. He really didn¡¯t wish to see the future of a capable man ruined by his wife and child.

    When Deputy Xu heard that General Ji had to do a review in thest minute emergency meeting with the highestmittee board of the army, he knew that there was no longer a way to salvage the situation anymore.

    He was only d that his daughter hadn¡¯t joined the army officially; she was only a trainee police. In the worst case scenario, she just couldn¡¯t be a policewoman in the future. She could still get another job, or she could go overseas and further her education.

    However, she couldn¡¯t think about entering the Special Forces anymore.

    In order for his daughter to enter the Speical Forces, General Ji would have had to help everything go along. However, he definitely wouldn¡¯t agree to help after this, so Deputy Chief of Staff Xu didn¡¯t dare harbor any hopes anymore as well.

    Upon reaching home, he saw his wife sitting on the sofa, and his daughter crying onto his wife¡¯sps.

    His anger dispersed into a long sigh.

    ¡°Piaohong, your father is home. Go and ask him what happened?¡± Mrs. Xu got Xu Piaohong up and pushed her towards Deputy Chief of Staff Xu.

    Xu Piaohong dried her tears and stood in front of Deputy Chief of Staff Xu. Choking on her tears again, she asked, ¡°Dad, how was it?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu caressed her head. ¡°Go and do your job well, and don¡¯t be so reckless again in the future.¡±After pausing for a few seconds, he continued, ¡°We should also stop thinking of getting you transferred to the Special Forces. You won¡¯t be able to get in anymore.¡±

    ¡°What?! How can it be? Why?!¡± Xu Piaohong looked up at her father in shock, her big round eyes full of confusion. ¡°Dad, was I unable to meet any of the criteria? Are the entry requirements for the Special Forces really high? But I remember Uncle Ji mentioning¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu stopped Xu Piaohong sternly. He had intended to reprimand her a little, but looking at her eyes, red and puffy from crying, he stopped himself again. Changing his tone, he said helplessly, ¡°Just be an excellent policewoman. If you don¡¯t wish to be a policewoman anymore, Mum and Dad can send you overseas to further your studies too. After that, you can permanently reside there.¡±

    Mrs.Xu was unhappy upon hearing that. ¡°Xu, what on earth are you talking about? Why would she need to go overseas even if she is unable to enter the Special Forces?¡± She walked over and nudged him in the arm. ¡°What would you do if she goes overseas? You won¡¯t be able to get promoted anymore!¡±

    She still wanted to be the wife of a General. The rank of Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was still a good distance away from that position. However, if Xu Piaohong really went overseas, Xu would lose that promotion.

    This was an unspoken rule in the army.

    It wasn¡¯t like the past anymore. Having foreign connections were plus points, but now, they were considered to be hindrances.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu wanted tough miserably.

    How could be still hope for a promotion after something like this happened? He would consider it lucky if they didn¡¯t demote him.

    He didn¡¯t want his family to worry about him though, so he kept mum about it, and only said, ¡°It¡¯s a crucial period now. We have to stay low. As for the video, forget it. It¡¯s better to have one less problem to think about.¡±

    ¡°How can we do that?¡± Xu Piaohong cried out. ¡°This stupid video has cost me my marriage! I won¡¯t let the person who took this video off!¡±

    ¡°Piaohong! Do you not understand what I¡¯ve just said?!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu raised his voice at Xu Piaohong after seeing that she did not want to let the matter rest.

    ¡°Who knows what trouble you¡¯ll be inviting if you continue to pursue this?¡±

    Xu Piaohong finally agreed not to do anything silly after they spoke to her a long while.

    After Xu Piaohong had gone to her room, Mrs. Xu remembered the Gu Nianzhi who had pretended to sprain her ankle after being hit by the shopping cart. She lowered her voice and whispered to Deputy Chief of Staff Xu, ¡°I just remembered. There was a Miss Gu present with Huo Shaoheng. She sprained her ankle. That helped Major General Huo escape the situation.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by escape the situation?¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was as confused as could be. ¡°Be clear.¡±

    Mrs. Xu narrated the entire story to him.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu crossed his arms and paced up and down the room. He m finally made a decision.

    ¡°I will make a call to Major General Huo, and ask him about Miss Gu¡¯s injuries. We will go and pay her a visit personally if it was serious, and get her to understand our plight. If her injuries are not serious, we will send our regards. Let¡¯s hope that it wasn¡¯t serious. We¡¯d have some hope left.¡±

    Mrs. Xu nodded. ¡°I think so too. But look at Piaohong. Should we bring her along?¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu looked upstairs and shook his head. ¡°Just the two of us. This child has been spoilt by us. To a certain extent, she doesn¡¯t know her limits. This is a good time for her to learn that she cannot always be so willful.¡±

    After discussing it for a few hours, it was decided that Deputy Chief of Staff Xu would be making the phone call personally to the Special Forces to try getting Major General Huo on the phone.

    It was already Saturday evening. The clouds in the sky looked like colorful ribbons.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu dialed the number and was put on hold before he finally managed to get through. Then he spent another several minutes, before he managed to get his call transferred to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office.

    However, the person who picked up the call wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng, but his personal secretary Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Good evening Mr. Zhao, I am Xu Guiqi, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Operations Department. Apparently there was some misunderstanding between Major General Huo and my family. I¡¯d like to personally apologize to him,¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu said this full of sincerity to Zhao Liangze, hoping to convey how urgently he wished to meet Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi in person. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that Miss Gu had sprained her ankle today. Is it serious?¡±

    With both his hands behind his head and legs stretched out under the office table, Zhao Liangze spoke through his bluetooth earpiece, with a tone as cold as ice. ¡°If you¡¯re calling in an attempt to absolve your daughter, Xu Guiqi, I¡¯m terribly sorry but we are unable to further discuss this. Mr. Huo included.¡±

    ¡°Why? We are sincerely apologizing!¡± All of a sudden, Deputy Chief of Staff Xu felt that this group of people were being overly aggressive. It wasn¡¯t like they did not want to apologize, why should they speak with such harshness?

    ¡°Apologizing doesn¡¯t work for getting out of every situation, Xu Guiqi. When one breaks thew, one has to receive the punishment. Must I teach you that?¡± Zhao Liangze reminded himself of Gu Nianzhi, who was tied down on the hospital bed. Remembering her pain and suffering made him extremely upset. The little girl whom they watched over as she grew up had was pointlessly suffering. It felt worse seeing her the way she was nowpared to when they got injured themselves.

    ¡°Secretary Zhao, how can you talk like that? How did our Piaohong vite thew?¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu would not admit that Xu Piaohong¡¯s actions had led to the reveal of confidential information. He intended to go all out for the sake of his daughter.

    ¡°Oh, she didn¡¯t vite thew, you say? She had the intention to attack our Nianzhi, causing her to be severely injured and now bedridden. She has to be like that for atleast half a month! How can we just let such a matter rest so easily? Of course, it¡¯s not up to us if she had vited thew. The Military court will decide on that.¡± Zhao Liangze hung up upon after finishing his sentence, refusing to talk to him further.

    The moment Deputy Chief of Staff Xu heard the words ¡®Military Court¡¯, his blood ran cold. ¡°How did she get so seriously injured? I thought the shopping cart hit her lightly?¡± He stammered to himself.

    Was Gu Nianzhi made of porcin or something, breaking just on the slightest touch?

    He thought about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s injuries with disbelief and felt extremely frustrated. With that, he sat in his study until day break.

    ...

    Xu Piaohong was all prepared first thing the next morning. She took a pint-sized carton of fresh milk and two small pieces of bread and dashed down the stairs. ¡°Mum, Dad! I¡¯m going to work!¡± She shouted.

    Traffic police had rotational off days; it didn¡¯t always fall on a weekend. Xu Piaohong was supposed to begin her workweek on the Sunday of that week.

    She drove her car to the police station. Upon reaching her desk on level eight, her colleague stuck her head over and told her, ¡°Xu Piaohong, the boss is expecting you in his office.¡±

    Xu Piaohong ced her bag at her desk and went to the Chief office. ¡°Chief Liang, you were looking for me? Is anything the matter?¡±

    Chief Liang looked at her from his desk and said sternly: ¡°Piaohong, someone lodged aint against you. You¡¯re to be suspended for a while during the investigation. Surrender your badge, your gun, and the bullets now, and go to the Human Resource department to handover your entrance pass. Stay at home for a few days.¡±

    ¡°What? Who lodged aint against me?¡±Xu Piaohong cried. She felt as though the people surrounding Huo Shaoheng had teamed up to make her life difficult; they were all taking turns to torture her.

    ¡°Let them in and I¡¯ll find out what exactly went wrong!¡±

    ¡°Xu Piaohong, don¡¯t you know the consequences of the things you did?¡± A female colleague walked out of the pantry with a cup of coffee, looking grim. ¡°Great, isn¡¯t it? The identity of our founder and the head of Special Forces got sold to the world just like that. At a loss too! Xu Piaohong, are you really a human under that skin? Or are you just a dumb pig?¡±

    ¡°How dare you scold me like that?!¡± Xu Piaohong was angry, but seeing that the other party was an experienced Third ss Police officer, she stopped herself from saying anything else. She wouldn¡¯t have cared about things like these in the past though; to her, she abided by the principle of ¡®I¡¯ll mind my own business if you mind yours¡¯. But now, things were different.

    ¡°Who has scolded you? Wow, so it¡¯s considered to be a scolding if I decide to say something that¡¯s true? Tsk tsk, how fragile must your heart be, little police officer.¡± Snorting, the female colleague turned and returned to her office.

    Xu Piaohong was trembling with anger. She wanted to storm to her office and argue with the woman, but her other colleague held her back: ¡°Don¡¯t be angry at her. She just hates people who leaked secret information. Her brother was also from the Special Forces in the past. A few years ago, he passed away while on a mission because of leaked information as well.¡±

    A cold shiver ran down Xu Piaohong¡¯s spine and she felt the gravity of what her blunder must have cost Huo Shaoheng¡ªthe right to a peaceful life.

    She took out her gun and bullets, ced them in a clear zip lock bag, and brought them to the armoury. Then, she went to look for Chief Liang. She wanted to know who was the one who had lodged aint against her. Did she get theint because she was too serious at work and offended someone?

    If it was, she wasn¡¯t afraid.

    ...

    Lying on the bed, Gu Nianzhi slipped in and out of consciousness. At midnight on Saturday, she had started running a fever.

    The monitors in her room had gone off and woke Huo Shaoheng, who was resting on the sofa near the hospital bed. He rushed over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and took a look; he realized that her temperature had risen. On top of that, her lips were extremely dry and peeling. Her limbs were too hot to the touch.

    Chen Lie rushed over shortly after and pulled Huo Shaoheng aside. ¡°Excuse me please. I need to conduct a check up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng moved over and looked fixedly at Gu Nianzhi while Chen Lie checked the monitors.

    Looking more and more worried, Chen Lie finally said, ¡°Nianzhi is running a fever. It¡¯s not looking good.¡±

 Chapter 422 - The Person Im Protecting (5)

    <h4>Chapter 422: The Person I¡¯m Protecting (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°A high fever?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Does she have an infection? Or did the bone not reconnect properly? Is there a lesion in the spine?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was able to list several possibilities in one breath. Chen Lie couldn¡¯t help ncing at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You sure know a lot.¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap. Hurry up and diagnose her.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned down and checked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temperature. It was too hot and her cheeks were unnaturally red¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she was running a high fever, she looked exceptionally beautiful; even as shey on her sick bed, she had the fragile beauty of a night blooming rose about her. Huo Shaoheng looked away and walked to the IV stand in the corner.

    Chen Lie took out his instruments and connected it to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead then attached her to the IV for an infusion. However, he considered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body constitution and changed his mind. He pushed up the round sses that were about to fall off his nose and smiled nervously before asking, ¡°Boss, should we observe her for a bit longer? Nianzhi¡¯s fever is still within a controble range.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and pointed to the number on the instrument. ¡°Her fever is almost at 40 degrees Celsius and you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s still within a controble range? Even though I didn¡¯t study medicine, I know that a fever over 39 degrees is considered high. If it goes for too long, it can fry her brain. Are you trying to kill her?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no! Of course not! Am I that sort of person?¡± Chen Lie quickly refuted the usation. ¡°I watched Nianzhi grow up; how can I not be responsible for her?! But, you know about her condition: you remember thest time when she was inflicted by H3aB7? She wasatose for two weeks and had several high fevers, but I didn¡¯t give her any transfusions. I let her bear through it!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Huo Shaoheng appeared uncharacteristically shocked. ¡°How could you have dared to?! Did you forget the military order I gave you then?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember!¡± Chen Lie had always been very curious about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body constitution. As a medical genius, the fact that he had been able to hold back from dissecting a special case like Gu Nianzhi meant he cared for her like family. ¡°Don¡¯t forget though, we also reached apromise for your mother¡¯s illness¡¯ sake.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grew quiet and looked at Gu Nianzhi then at Chen Lie. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and stood ramrod straight before Gu Niznzhi¡¯s bedside silently for a long time before saying, ¡°Keep it within 40 degrees. You will lower her body temperature if it gets any higher.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Chen Lie saw that Huo Shaoheng was acquiescing and nodded right away. ¡°I¡¯ll watch her personally. No one else will do it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat with his leg crossed and ced one hand on the armrest of the sofa, ¡°We don¡¯t need to bother the great Dr. Chen¡ªI¡¯ll watch her personally too.¡±

    Chen Lie felt anxious because he knew Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t trust him. However, it was still a good thing because he didn¡¯t even trust himself. With a medical miracle like Gu Nianzhi before him, could he really hold himself back from using her as ab rat? At least with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s supervision, he would never dare do anything to her. Chen Lie gave no objections and smiled. ¡°Ok! Would you like some tea?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me and go see how Nianzhi is doing.¡± Huo Shaoheng nudged his chin in her direction. Chen Lie sat behind of the instruments and began diligently recording the findings.

    ...

    Chen Lie¡¯s estimate was very precise. When the first rays of sunshine shone through the treetops and flickered through the blinds in the ward on Sunday morning, Gu Nianzhi woke up. Her body was entirely drenched, as though she had juste out of water. There was no strength left in her body and even speaking was difficult. She could only whimper because her throat was dry and her lips totally chapped.

    Huo Shaoheng was sleeping with his head propped up with one hand, slouched in a single seater sofa. As soon as Gu Nianzhi made a sound, Huo Shaoheng woke up. Chen Lie, was still staring at the instruments. Huo Shaoheng went rigid for a moment, then opened his eyes and his gaze happened to fall on Gu Nianzhi. Shey on the bed in front of him and her long eyshes trembled slightly. ¡°Nianzhi?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and quickly went over to the bed to bend over and feel her forehead. He saw that her fever had broken but her forehead was covered in sweat, and her hair was tangled into knots, thready and damp. ¡°Chen Lie? I think Nianzhi¡¯s fever broke.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to Chen Lie.

    The doctor sat in front of the instrument with his eyes focused intently on it. His conscious was already blurred and he was half asleep. Huo Shaoheng called for Chen Lie some more before the doctor suddenly jumped up. ¡°What is it? What happened? Do I need to give Nianzhi a transfusion?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng eyed him disdainfully: ¡°Go wash your face with some cold water thene back to check on Nianzhi.¡± He gestured to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Her fever seems to be gone.¡±

    Chen Lie shivered; he was now totally awake. He rushed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside and began arranging his instruments to read the records fromst night. They clearly indicated that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s internal temperature had reached a record breaking 42 degrees Celsius! But it had fallen quickly soon after, eventually decreasing to a normal temperature. The whole process had taken about six hours. What made this so remarkable was that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition had stabilized even though her fever had gotten high enough to almost induce encephalitis. Chen Lie¡¯s heart hammered as he bent down to use the stethoscope on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest. Thankfully, her heart rate was strong and steady¡ªnot only was she alive, but also very healthy. Checking her pulse again, he found that it was the same frequency as her heartbeat and disyed normal rates. He straightened up and his gaze inadvertently fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s twisted left ankle. He was shocked to see that the previous swelling seemed to have recovered already. Healing from a fever that quickly was no reason for rm, but having an ankle, swollen from dislocation and ligament strain, return to normal overnight was difficult to exin. Chen Lie scratched his head nervously then nced at the exceptionally valuable records. He grit his teeth and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Boss, look at the records and then destroy them.¡±

    ¡°Why do they need to be destroyed?¡± Huo Shaoheng cautiously received the papers and nced at them, then quickly crumpled it into a ball. ¡°We need to burn it all.¡± He looked at the instruments. ¡°Are there records inside these?¡±

    ¡°There should be, but I can¡¯t extract them.¡± Chen Lie took off his sses and wiped them anxiously.

    ¡°Can the manufacturer extract them?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked again as he walked up to the instruments and began ying with the buttons.

    ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± Sweat beaded on Chen Lie¡¯s forehead once again. He was truly certain that these records could never be published. Not even the Supreme Military Council could ever learn of them. As soon as word got out, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s freedom would definitely be lost forever.

    ¡°I see.¡± Huo Shaoheng said as his fingers dexterously fiddled with the power cord of the instruments and finally pulled out a red and a green wire. He put them together and they began to fizzle, then all the recording equipment in the room were burnt out from the short circuit. Plumes of ck smoke rose and the burning smell from the power cord quickly permeated the room. The smoke detectors quickly sounded their shrill rms and Huo Shaoheng turned to look at Chen Lie. ¡°Can Nianzhi leave the bed now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a spine injury; normally, these type of patients couldn¡¯t be moved, required to stay in bed for a few weeks. But seeing the rate of healing fromst night, Chen Lie made a gesture and opened his mouth to reply weakly, ¡°You can give it a try.¡±

    The smoke detectors were still screaming and sounds of thundering footsteps from outside the hallway arrived at the door. It was the guards and hospital staffing to put out the fire.

    Huo Shaoheng made the executive decision to undo all the leather straps securing Gu Nianzhi, then carried her in his arms. ¡°Nianzhi, bear with me a bit more, I¡¯ll take you home.¡± He carried her and quickly strode out of the room towards the elevator. Chen Lie chased after him. A group of firefighters in protective gear passed by carrying fire extinguishers and mobile hoses. They began fiercely spraying at the burning instruments. When Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi into the elevator, he looked up at the room across from the elevator to see the white foam from the fire extinguisher everywhere. The medical records were smothered in a cloudy white mix.

    Chen Lie yelled, ¡°What are you looking at? Do you know how expensive all those instruments were? They¡¯re all toast now!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for them,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied sinctly. ¡°A full set of Swiss medical equipment, brand new. I¡¯ll personally fund it and not let the nation suffer losses.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I was waiting for you to say that!¡± Chen Lie yfully punched Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to upgrade them for a long time now. Thanks to Nianzhi, I have a new set of big guns!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and was just about to say something when he felt a tiny tug at his cor. He looked down to see that Gu Nianzhi was awake. Staring at him with her huge doe-like eyes, she said weakly, ¡°Put me down, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent while Chen Lie interjected, ¡°Nianzhi, does your back hurt? What do you feel? Can you move just a bit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and adjusted herself in his arms to a morefortable position. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. I¡¯m just really tired and my bones are sore.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯re fine! This is normal after running a high fever.¡± Chen Lie wanted to dance in a circle and he grinned ear to ear. He cast Huo Shaoheng a look. ¡°It¡¯s all fine now. Boss, put her down and see if she can walk.¡± Seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s unfriendly re, Chen Lie immediately changed his tone. ¡°Just let her stand by herself for a second. Just a second and then you can carry her back.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked to Gu Nianzhi for her opinion. ¡°Can you do it? Don¡¯t force yourself; it¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t move. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t feel any difort anymore, besides the fact that she was sore all over. Chen Lie told her that she¡¯d had a high feverst night, so this was how she normally felt when that happened. Coughing lightly, she looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I can try.¡±

 Chapter 423 - The person Iâ€™m protecting (6)

    <h4>Chapter 423: The person I¡¯m protecting (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng ced her onto the ground carefully. First, he let her legs just touch the ground without using much strength. Then, after making sure that her legs were fine, he supported her by the waist and tried to have her stand up on her own.

    Gu Nianzhi held on to his arm and rotated her ankles slightly on the ground. Only when she felt that her ankles were fine did she ced her full weight onto them and stand up. She gradually and slowly straightened her back.

    Stretching herself out, she realized that although she still felt weak all over, the difort she felt yesterday wasn¡¯t there anymore. Her back did not have the prickly sensation she¡¯d felt each time she tried to move yesterday as well. Then, looking down at her ankle, she saw that it wasn¡¯t swollen anymore.

    ¡°Brother Chen, your skills are really amazing!¡± Gu Nianzhi kicked her legs around; she could even do squats. She then tiptoed and spun herself around.

    Huo Shaoheng watched at her move, all the while checking her ankle repeatedly.

    It looks like she really recovered, he confirmed.

    Chen Lie looked looked at her like she was his child; his most prized project.

    ¡°Okay. Stop jumping.¡± Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and grabbed Gu Nianzhi by the waist again. The lift doors slid open, so he carried her into the lift as well.

    Gu Nianzhi felt uneasy. ¡°I can walk by myself,¡± She whispered.

    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re still unable to walk now.¡± Huo Shaoheng said back, loud enough for Chen Lie to hear as well. ¡°Remember: you are not fully recovered yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Chen Lie were stunned for a moment, but Chen Lie reacted faster. He winked at Gu Nianzhi, saying, ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re not fully recovered yet. It¡¯s really, really serious. That¡¯s why you have to return home to rest!¡±

    Even though Gu Nianzhi had no idea what was going on, she knew that Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie would not take matters like her health as a joke. Therefore, she decided to listen to them. Hugging Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck, she pretended to be in pain and looked at Chen Lie out of the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Is this good enough?¡±

    ¡°Yes, good girl!¡± Chen Lie followed Huo Shaoheng out of the hospital, towards his mansion.

    Since it had been ast minute decision to bring Gu Nianzhi back home, Huo Shaoheng did not have time to get the people to prepare a bed to push her in. Instead, he carried her all the way back to their ce.

    Even though the hospital and his mansion were within the samepound, the area was enormous. It normally took about 30 minutes for a person to walk from the hospital to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was walking faster than usual. He was way faster than Chen Lie had been when carrying Gu Nianzhi in his arms.

    After Gu Nianzhi entered the mansion, Chen Lie was still jogging breathlessly behind them. After a while, he finally caught up. Panting heavily, he asked, ¡°Mr. Huo, I think your body is rather unique as well. When can I do a thorough check for you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and carried Gu Nianzhi upstairs to her room, which was the 3-room suite directly opposite his master suite.

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t follow. He was perspiring like crazy, so he went to the kitchen in search of some water to quench his thirst.

    After setting her on the bed, Huo Shaoheng went to the bathroom and turned on the water in the bath. Coming out from the bathroom, he asked, ¡°Can you bathe on your own?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned a bright crimson all of a sudden. Biting her lower lip, she actually wanted to say teasingly: ¡°Would you bathe for me if I can¡¯t?¡± But looking into his deep eyes, she decided against it. She merely nodded and replied, ¡°Yes I can.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let go of her hands slowly, a. He refrained from acting on the intense love and worry nestled within him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him, but couldn¡¯t see any emotions on his calm face.

    ¡°Huo Shao, is something wrong? You¡¯re watching me so closely.¡± Gu Nianzhi paced around the room to make sure that she was really okay.

    Stopping in front of Huo Shaoheng, she waved in his eyes. ¡°Hey! Are you listening to me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gripped her hand. ¡°Go and have a bath. And, Yes, there are some things going on. A matter that requires some people to bear the responsibilities.¡±

    What responsibilities? Gu Nianzhi thought. She asked out loud, ¡°Is it because of Miss Xu?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°She has made far too many mistakes. When she forced us to stop our car the other time, I had already let her off too easy. I had no idea she would have pushed her limits to this extent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung her head and sighed.

    ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt upset the moment she was reminded that Xu Piaohong had been the army¡¯s ideal marriage partner for Huo Shaoheng. She did not pretend to be gracious and ask Huo Shaoheng to let Xu Piaohong off, nor did she attempt to badmouth Xu Piaohong to worsen her punishments.

    Most likely, Xu Piaohong¡¯s mistake involved work, and was not a personal offense.

    Gu Nianzhi would never have a say in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private work matters. She quickly changed the topic. ¡°Okay then, but Huo Shao, you owe me a te of fried rice with egg.¡±

    She rubbed her stomach, and grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m so hungry! It feels like I haven¡¯t eaten in days!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not days. It¡¯s one day and one night.¡± If Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t remember, Huo Shaoheng did, in painstaking detail. ¡°Go and have a bath. I¡¯ll go and make you your fried rice with egg.¡±

    Feeling happy, Gu Nianzhi walked to Huo Shaoheng and ced her arms around his neck.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head, and their lips touched. It was just a fleeting kiss, nothing more, but it closed off the loneliness that had followed the both of them thest couple of days.

    Gu Nianzhi was the one who let go first. Huo Shaoheng hugged her by the waist touched his forehead to hers.

    ¡°Why did you not deepen the kiss?¡±

    ¡°Because I need to go for my bath.¡± Gu Nianzhi tried to pry his arms away. ¡°And, I haven¡¯t brushed my teeth yet.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rolled his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly and entered the bathroom.

    Very soon, the sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet humming rang out.

    Smiling to himself Huo Shaoheng walked out the door. He was so happy to have her back beside him.

    ...

    After she was done with her bath, she came out from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her.

    Towel drying her hair, she opened the bathroom door and went to her bedroom to change.

    As she got dressed, she heard Huo Shaoheng calling from her bedroom. ¡°Nianzhi? The fried rice is done. It¡¯s in themon area.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ran out after putting down her hair dryer. ¡°Huo Shao, where are you going?¡±

    He heard Gu Nianzhi running over. He turned around and looked at her. ¡°I need to settle some things at work. Go to bed after you¡¯re done eating.¡± He reminded her again and said, ¡°You¡¯re to rest, understand?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and then realized that it was already Monday the next day. What would she do about school? She worried.

    ¡°Huo Shao, how long will it take for my injuries to recover fully?¡±

    ¡°At least a week.¡±

    Both of them thought of He Zhichu at the same time.

    He would definitelye straight to their ce to check on Gu Nianzhi if she was to apply for sick leave for a week.

    Not wanting to mention He Zhichu in front of Gu Nianzhi, he merely said, ¡°I will get Big Xiong to apply for sick leave for you. You handle your schoolwork with your friends.¡± He hugged her quickly and then left.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed, but upon seeing the delicious fried rice on the table, she forgot everything and began eating happily.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng walked to level one. He was going to settle some work in his office, when Zhao Liangze¡¯s call came through.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his Bluetooth earpiece.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    After asking about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s injuries, Zhao Liangze said, ¡°Mr. Huo, Deputy Chief of Staff Xu and his wife insist on visiting Nianzhi. They say that they want to apologize to her.¡±

    ¡°Reject them.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not even have to think twice. ¡°You have to tell me this?¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed weakly. ¡°Well, they¡¯vee with General Ji.¡±

    He had no problem rejecting the Deputy chief of staff, but General Ji was a different story altogether. He needed Huo Shaoheng to make the decision.

 Chapter 424 - The Person Im Protecting (7)

    <h4>Chapter 424: The Person I¡¯m Protecting (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Why has General Jie?¡± Huo Shaoheng mused. ¡°Ask him the reason for his visit and then invite him to the highest security conference room in the base headquarters.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes lit up, instantly understanding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intention. Regardless of whether or not the Xu¡¯s really came with General Ji or had just happened to meet at the entrance and were brought inside by General Ji¡ªthey would be separated as long as General Ji was invited to the highest security conference room at the base headquarters. That way, the Xu¡¯s couldn¡¯t point fingers at General Ji and be used of disrespecting him.

    Zhao Liangze personally went to the entrance of the base and respectfully greeted General Ji. ¡°Hello, Chief. Mr. Huo said that just a call would have sufficed. Why did you go through the trouble ofing all the way here? He¡¯s busy right now and can¡¯t answer the phone this moment, but he has asked me to invite you to Conference Room No. 1. This way, please.¡± He gestured politely with his hand.

    General Ji knew that Conference Room No. 1 was the highest security meeting room¡ªless than five people in the entire Empire had ess to it. Inside was the most extensive security clearance protocols; many people had to stop at 500 meters away from the building where the conference room was located. Even personnel from the Special Operations Division were not exempt. General Ji was very shocked. ¡°I just came to see Nianzhi. I heard that she was seriously injured. Is it not necessary?¡± Of course, the fact that Huo Shaoheng gave him such a respectable wee made him feel very good, regardless of the reason.

    Zhao Liangze was prepared and answered sternly, ¡°Chief, our Mr. Huo has always done things by the book, and you must know that? Since you are visiting our base, then it must be at the highest security level. No one can argue or say otherwise.¡± His eyes drifted to Deputy Chief of Staff Xu and his wife standing behind General Ji. The pair stood smiling behind the General and followed his heels so closely that even his own personal secretaries and guards had been pushed behind. Frowning, Zhao Liangze kept quiet and moved aside to usher General Ji back into the car to drive into the base. General Ji nodded and walked back to where his car was parked. The personal secretary standing by the car immediately opened the door for him to get in. General Ji¡¯s three vehicles quickly drove into the base to head towards the conference room building.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu quickly exined to his wife, ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car too and follow them in right away.¡± He had also taken his own car but because he was a lower rank than General Ji and Huo Shaoheng, he only had one driver. The driver was also not specifically his subordinate but had been temporarily assigned from a different department.

    Zhao Liangze raised his brows and folded his hands behind his back as he stood at the entrance to the base. He said to the Xu¡¯s, ¡°Please show your permit, otherwise you may not enter.¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu flushed red and had no choice but to get out of the car. ¡°We¡¯re just here to see Miss Gu and apologize to her. May I ask if you are Major General Huo¡¯s personal secretary, Zhao Liangze?¡±

    Zhao Liangze smiled tightly at him. ¡°I am Zhao Liangze. Please show your permit and stop wasting everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just here to visit the patient.¡± Mrs. Xu appeared very shocked. ¡°Does this require a permit too?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Please, I¡¯m very busy and have no more time to spare.¡± Zhao Liangze nced at his watch, ¡°Deputy Chief of Staff Xu. your wife seems to not quite understand the regtions of the Special Operations Forces, please exin them to her. Goodbye.¡± He turned away and got onto the small military trolley to drive towards the conference room building.

    ¡°Hey! Where are you going?! I¡¯ve never seen such a thing! Why can¡¯t we go in! Who do you think you are? We¡¯re just here to visit the patient! I don¡¯t believe that they can¡¯t let us in! There¡¯s no justice here!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s wife waspletely angered by Zhao Liangze¡¯s dismissiveness.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu pulled his wife¡¯s hand and muffled her mouth, ¡°This is the Special Operations Forces Base! Is this somewhere you can barge into?!¡±

    ¡°So what if I barge in?! I¡¯m just here to visit her! I don¡¯t believe that someone would die from this! The dramatic tramp!¡± Mrs. Xu was beyond enraged. She had always associated with the wives of military officers with ranks lower than her husband¡¯s. Lately, thanks to her daughter, Xu Piaohong, even General Ji¡¯s wife had grown close to her recently and was exceptionally polite to her. She couldn¡¯t stand rudeness and disrespect from others. Pushing Deputy Chief of Staff Xu away, she puffed out her chest and walked towards the entrance. Shots sounded and two bullets were fired not too far from Mrs. Xu¡¯s feet. A bodiless voice stated calmly, ¡°Walk any closer and you will be escorted off the premises.¡±

    Mrs. Xu was silent for a whole minute, then covered her head and screamed shrilly. She was originally a soprano and had never been so scared her whole life. Her voice was grating on the ears.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was so humiliated; his face was beet red. Quickly dragging her into their car, he ordered the driver, ¡°Drive away now!¡± The driver was a soldier and his contemptuous look couldn¡¯t be disguised. He looked into the rearview mirror then made a U-turn to leave.

    On the ride back, Mrs. Xu clutched her husband¡¯s cor and trembled as she asked shakily, ¡°Were those real bullets?! How dare they?! I¡¯m your wife! You are the Deputy Chief of Staff! How dare they?!¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu could hear the driver¡¯s snickers and had no choice but to exin to his wife, ¡°They were the Special Ops. They have a high security clearance and normal people really can¡¯t enter. I was nning on following General Ji so we could go in together so they wouldn¡¯t dare stop us...but I didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to be so smart and separate us right away.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Major General Huo did it deliberately?!¡± Mrs. Xuined. ¡°Well they still can¡¯t open fire like that! That doesn¡¯t make sense at all. If he is such a barbarian, I don¡¯t want our daughter to marry him. Old Xu, you need to have a good talk with General Ji. With Huo Shaoheng like this, our daughter¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s face was almost purple as he scolded his wife. ¡°You think you¡¯re daughter is so desirable? That everyone fights over her? Don¡¯t mention this again! You still think she has even a chance to marry someone like Major Huo at this point?!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t wee to apologize already? Also this was the military¡¯s decision, how can it change?¡± Mrs. Xu was very confused. ¡°Whether he epts is his problem, not ours.¡±

    ¡°Enough! When has the military ever said anything officially?! Stop gloating over nothing now!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°This ends here! We won¡¯t get involved anymore. We¡¯re going home.¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu crossed his arms and shut his eyes without speaking again. Although he was usually very doting towards his wife and daughter, he still made the major decisions. As soon as he put up a stern look, his wife didn¡¯t dare speak again. She only mumbled, ¡°How can they not let us go visit her? There must be some trickery to this.¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu didn¡¯t want to deal with her and quietly thought that he would wait for General Ji to return then get information from him. They didn¡¯t speak to each other again on the way back.

    When they returned home, Xu Piaohong heard them and rushed downstairs. She asked anxiously, ¡°Did you see Gu Nianzhi? Was she faking injury?!¡±

    ¡°Who knows if she¡¯s faking or not? We didn¡¯t even get to see her.¡± Mrs. Xu snorted. ¡°I think you¡¯d better ignore her from now on and wait a few days to see what happens.¡±

    Xu Piaohong sighed with relief and pat her chest. ¡°Good, good. I knew she was faking!¡±

    ...

    At the same time, General Ji had just sat down for a sip of tea in the most secure conference room at the Special Ops headquarters base when Huo Shaoheng entered. He saluted General Ji, ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    ¡°Here, have a seat.¡± General Ji pointed to the chair across from him. ¡°I wanted to talk you about some things, just so that you are prepared.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat down quietly and looked fixedly at the older man. ¡°Does this have to do with Xu Piaohong leaking military secrets?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± General Ji sighed, ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯m sorry. Today the Supreme Military Council will be holding a meeting to discuss this incident and I will be going through a review.¡±

    ¡°General Ji, this wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly as he took out a report. ¡°This is aption of all the reactions to the incident from intelligence agencies around the world. From all the results, my identity has been exposed. I can no longer continue as the Chief of the Special Operations Forces.¡±

 Chapter 425 - Unexpected

    <h4>Chapter 425: Unexpected</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°So soon?¡± Even though he had expected it, when the real situation presented itself, General Ji still couldn¡¯t ept it.

    He took the Internal Control Report and began reading.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent and poured himself a cup of tea. He sipped on it slowly, waiting for General Ji¡¯s reaction.

    After a good while, General Ji massaged the wrinkles between his brows.

    ¡°This is indeed severe. We have already discussed the possibilities of this during the meeting today. However, you can¡¯t just quit like that, can you? You were the founder of this Special Forces. Could you really bring yourself to leave the ce?¡± General Ji sighed wearily.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re already a Major General. You know that you cannot throw in the towel like this.¡±

    ¡°General Ji, I¡¯m merely stating a fact, and I never intended to pick a fight.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m used to expecting the worst situation before nning all our possible attacks, and observing our opponents¡¯ reactions, beforeing up with a strategy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really not giving up?¡± General Ji looked over at Huo Shaoheng above his reading sses. ¡°Regarding Xu Piaohong, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll bear the consequences, and have already done a reflection report at the meeting. I will also apologize personally to you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, ¡± Standing up, Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°We¡¯re talking about work matters, General Ji, so even though Xu Piaohong¡¯s has incident indeed caused me a lot of trouble, it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    General Ji looked at Huo Shaoheng gratefully. ¡°I¡¯m truly thankful that you¡¯re not angry with me because of this, but the fact remains that I was in the wrong for this incident regarding the Xu¡¯s. I shouldn¡¯t have let her know such information before checking on her family background and character thoroughly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng made noment. He looked straight ahead, expressionless.

    ¡°The organization is extremely concerned about your marriage. They¡¯ll be much stricter henceforth. You have to be prepared.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally broke the silence:

    ¡°I hope that, due to the nature of my work, the organization is able to let me have the option to select my life partner.¡±

    What Huo Shaoheng actually meant was that he did not trust them to make a decision for him.

    Before, General Ji would have demanded that Huo Shaoheng listen to their arrangement. He used to insist that the organization would make the best choice for him.

    However, after something like this, he had no choice but to consider Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°Do you have someone in mind already?¡± General Ji took off his sses and continued to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Let me tell you. We have to think twice, or even thrice, when it¡¯s regarding some people. This will affect how you advance in the military.¡±

    ¡°General Ji, I don¡¯t see how my personal life will affect my career progression.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew that he did not have solid proof to convince General Ji as of now, so he did not continue. Instead, he switched the topic easily to work.

    Taking a step back, he dimmed the lights in the meeting room with a remote, and down came a screen from the wall across from them. It disyed information on intelligence agencies of different countries.

    Sitting beside General Ji, Huo Shaoheng began to exin. ¡°Our Special Forces is a special department within a special department. The members of the Force were kept as top secret.¡±

    ¡°Compared to the CIA in America, the Military Intelligence in Britain, Israel¡¯s Mossad, and Russia¡¯s Federal Security Service, our Special Forces are much more advanced. Our country has never admitted to its existence in public.¡±

    Nodding, General Ji agreed. ¡°But your achievements were all remembered by the country and its people. For the benefit of our country, the members of our Special Forces are scattered all over the world, and they¡¯ve all performed exceptionally well. However, their achievements were only recorded by the Army¡¯s Supreme council, and showcased in the hall of honor for the Special Forces.¡±

    ¡°Yes, precisely. However, due to Xu Piaohong¡¯s recklessness, our cover almost got fully blown.¡± There was a hint of aggressiveness in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice.

    General Ji breathed a sigh of relief. This was the Huo Shaoheng he knew. He had been ufortable with the calm and collected Huo Shaoheng. This hint of anger in his voice fit the current situation.

    He understood how Huo Shaoheng felt. The head of Special Forces, which was supposed to have been the most confidential position, had been publicly exposed just like that. General Ji¡¯s efforts all these years had gone down the drain in a moment.

    ¡°Shaoheng, I understand, but you cannot quit just like that, and more importantly, you cannot leave the Special Forces.¡± General Ji pat him on the arm. ¡°You¡¯re the only one I trust. After the meeting with the Army¡¯s Supreme Council today, everyone agreed that you¡¯re the only one they trust as well.¡±

    The Special Forces, as an organization, was far too important. The person leading it had to have extensive knowledge and confidence in technology,bat and battle tactics, andmanding people.

    As of now, the only person who could qualify for all these criteria for the Special Forces, with a character that was trustworthy enough for all the seniors in the Supreme council, was only Huo Shaoheng.

    Moreover, due to the fact that at the age of 30 years old, he was considered the youngest Major General, the seniors had no intention recing him at all. They all believed that Huo Shaoheng would be the one to train the person who would be taking over this position when it was time.

    No one had expected Xu Piaohong to be so reckless. Not only had she put Huo Shaoheng in a dilemma, she had also messed up the pace of the Army¡¯s Supreme Council. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t be furious about this.

    And General Ji, who was at the forefront of the entire episode, was under the limelight; there was no peace for him as well.

    Thankfully, Huo Shaoheng was the man who General Ji had groomed personally from the beginning. He felt more emotionally close to him than with most others; he would never allow him to quit.

    ¡°General Ji, I think you understand the severity of this incident. Maybe they¡¯re still unable to confirm my identity, but after receiving such an important lead, they¡¯re bound to confirm it...in person. Therefore, I can do a mockup of what might happen subsequently for General Ji, ¡± Huo Shaoheng said, pointing at the information on the screen.

    Picking up the remote again, he changed the screen for General Ji.

    ¡°If I were in their shoes, trying to find out who was the head of the Special Forces using this as my lead, I would do this.¡± Huo Shaoheng pressed a couple of buttons, and several options appeared on the screen.

    ¡°First, I¡¯ll get people to get near Xu Piaohong. Get first hand information out of her through our conversations. Anyone who watched the video could easily do that.¡±

    What he actually meant though was that Xu Piaohong had a big mouth and no brains, so it would be easy to get information out of her.

    General Ji looked at Huo Shaoheng out of the corner of his eyes and realized that he was really getting old; his heart actually wrenched upon knowing the sentence Huo Shaoheng had in mind for Xu Piaohong.

    Nodding towards General Ji, Huo Shaoheng continued: ¡°Second, I would try to get people to enter the Special Forces. I cannot confirm that there are no spies within us, but I can assure you that for the departments that are really important, no spies from other countries will be able to enter.¡±

    General Ji clenched his fists and frowned. ¡°Really? That¡¯s not good.¡± He raised his hand and got Huo Shaoheng to pause his presentation. ¡°Stop for a bit. I¡¯ll get people to settle the issue.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pressed on the pause button and the lights in the meeting room brightened.

    General Ji wanted to make a phone call, but realized that there was no reception when he took his phone out. He looked at Huo Shaoheng in bewilderment.

    ¡°You forgot that the army had a new rule the year before? No phones are to be allowed in meetings.¡±

    ¡°I remember, but are we having a meeting really?¡± General Ji chuckled. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m just fighting a losing battle trying to debate with you. You have an inte here, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Landlines could still be used even though mobile phones couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Yes, over here.¡± Huo Shaoheng handed thendline to General Ji.

    With Huo Shaoheng around, General Ji called his personal secretary and said, ¡°Get someone to apply for an immediate order of arrest for Xu Piaohong, and lock her up alone. No one is allowed to visit her until this case is over. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu and his wife must be quarantined as well. They can remain at home, but they¡¯re not able to leave from there. Anyone who wishes to get in contact with the Xu family must be brought to the Special Forces and dealt with ordingly.¡±

    Hanging up the phone, General Ji turned to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°The Xu family has been taken care of. Xu Piaohong will be arrested ording to thew, and her parents will be quarantined. Once you¡¯re done with your end of things, you¡¯ll be able to apply for the case of Xu Piaohong leaking confidential information. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu will also have to have a change in his job position.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not respond. These human resource issues in the organization were not up to him to decide on. He had no authority to and did not feel likementing on things like these.

    ¡°And...¡± General Ji turned to him and said, ¡°The Army¡¯s Supreme Council also decided to promote you to the Vice Secretary of the Army¡¯s Supreme Council, which is my formal right hand man.¡±

    This position had been to prepare the candidate to be the Chairman of the Army¡¯s Supreme Council. General Ji himself had been promoted to his current position from this very one.

    Huo Shaoheng was in shock. He had not expected General Ji to have promoted him this quickly.

    ¡°We will be announcing your abdication of the position as the head of the Special Forces very soon,¡± General Ji continued. ¡°But that¡¯s just a fa?ade: it is only a show for the public. In actual fact, you¡¯re still the head of the Special Forces, but your establishment is now here.¡±

 Chapter 426 - Naysayers Can Go To Hell

    <h4>Chapter 426: Naysayers Can Go To Hell</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    So they were going to do one thing under the guise of another? Or perhaps make the real fake, and the fake real? They were once again keeping him in the shadows. Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What mandate is the military going by?¡±

    ¡°The thing is, the military has been in talks for a long time already. The Special Operations Forces has such arge involvement and although other countries may know your identity, we don¡¯t think they could ever imagine that we¡¯d go with the flow.¡± General Ji smiled as he gently tapped the oval conference table with his fingers. ¡°You have been publically dismissed so that those people won¡¯t be concentrating on you anymore. At the same time, we¡¯ll release a few suitable candidates and of course, this will be done through ssified discussion. But you also know that secrets are very tempting to people¡ªthey¡¯ll use any means necessary to root it out. As for you, you can stay out of the situation.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Huo Shaoheng cocked his head. ¡°But there needs to be extensive nning, otherwise we will never fool the old foxes at the CIA and the Mossad.¡± Such methods were nothing new for the Mossad, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mentor from there was an expert at concealing one thing under the guise of another.

    ¡°Naturally. It¡¯s not like we can decide such an important thing with one decision. But you said that other countries use this method too, yes? What should we do then?¡± General Ji was at a loss. He wasn¡¯t used to espionage work and had always conducted himself honorably. Though he understood the people who stood in the shadows to protect others, he didn¡¯t really know what it was like.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at General Ji and bowed slightly. ¡°If General Ji doesn¡¯t mind, I would like to express an idea that I have.¡±

    ¡°What idea?¡± General Ji asked hastily. ¡°Tell me right now.¡±

    ¡°I can do both jobs, but I need full autonomy. No matter if it¡¯s for the soldiers on duty or the desk personnel, anyone who wants to join the Special Ops must be nominated by our division and reported to the Supreme Military Council for approval. If we don¡¯t nominate someone, others from outside the division may not arbitrarily mention transfers.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice grew stern. This request was clearly directed at the incident with Xu Piaohong, but she wasn¡¯t the only one. Human resources in the Special Ops was veryplicated and Huo Shaoheng could only control the on-duty soldiers. As for desk personnel, many other divisions in the military were able to get involved. For example, in the Legal Department, most of the staff there were spies nted into the Special Ops from other military divisions. Even the Director of the Legal Department, Bai Yueran, was actually an informant for General Ji. But this type of thing could never be mentioned outright. It was fine so long as everyone understood what was happening. In the past, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t cared about those kinds of people in the Special Ops because the most confidential information could not be essed by the desk personnel. However, he¡¯d since learned that although they couldn¡¯t get the confidential information, even the most minor leak could result in unimaginably catastrophic consequences. Because the Special Ops headquarters had been moved to the Imperial Capital, there were an increasing number of people trying to infiltrate.

    Who the hell was Xu Piaohong? She was merely the daughter of a Deputy Chief of Staff in a certain military military area, who himself was only part of a regiment. How could he have the ability to transfer his idiot daughter from the police department to the Special Ops, which was the highest security national institution? There must be someone behind the scenes, and their rank couldn¡¯t possibly be low at all. Of course, Huo Shaoheng knew this person couldn¡¯t be General Ji because otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be so obvious in repeatedly putting in a good words for Xu Piaohong. There was no question that General Ji was the set up as a target to divert attention.

    Seeing General Ji¡¯s increasingly stern expression, Huo Shaoheng sipped the tea and continued, ¡°For example, the military is directly involved with personnel transfer in the Special Op¡¯s Legal Department. General Ji, think carefully about what kind of people are in there. Otherwise why would you allow Bai Yueran to be the Director? Now that there¡¯s another incident with Xu Piaohong, with the kind of person her father is, do you think he has the ability to make the transfer just because he says so? Or transfer her directly from the police department to the Special Ops?¡±

    General Ji was no fool if he had been able to climb the ranks to this position. His brain made the connection and he instantly realized that he had been used. The anger lodged in his chest and, if it weren¡¯t for his years of cultivation toning down the explosive personality from his his youth, he may have grabbed a gun to go blow that person¡¯s head off. ¡°How dare they! Here I was, an old fool, who had thought I was shooting the geese only to be pecked in the eye by it!¡± General Ji pped the table angrily. ¡°If I find out who was working behind the scenes, I¡¯ll shoot them in the head!¡±

    ¡°Elder Ji, please calm down.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly as he poured General Ji another cup of tea. ¡°Have some more rxation tea. It¡¯ll help you calm down.¡±

    General Ji suppressed his anger and drank the tea. The faint sandalwood fragrance from the wood cup gradually eased his nervous anger. Huo Shaoheng remained quiet and waited for General Ji topose himself. After a long time, General Ji closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He raised his eyes to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. ¡°Shaoheng, since you¡¯re being so frank now, I¡¯ll speak my mind too. Do you know why I was in such a hurry to find a wife for you?¡± He stared fixedly at Huo Shaoheng without blinking.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted with a nod. ¡°I¡¯d guessed a little.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because of that girl, Gu Nianzhi.¡± General Ji touched the few hairs remaining on his head. ¡°I can tell that you have special feelings for her, but her background is unknown and she will never pass the background check. The military will not approve you marrying her. Also,¡± General Ji nced at Huo Shaoheng again, then shifted his gaze with embarrassment, ¡°She grew up under your care. If something happens between you two, what will others say about you? You¡¯ll sully your reputation .¡± In order to climb the ranks, a good name was an important criteria. Otherwise, his career woulde to a halt.

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t think my ethics have anything to do with this. I have no wife or girlfriend. She has no husband or boyfriend. If we do end up together in the future, then that¡¯s only natural. It doesn¡¯t vite any ethics, and if people want to gossip, then I will respond honestly.¡± He looked at General Ji and enunciated carefully, ¡°It¡¯s no one¡¯s business. The naysayers can go to hell.¡±

    General Ji spit out a mouthful of tea and sprayed the table. He quickly took tissue from the table to wipe it off, breathless fromughter. He pointed to Huo Shaoheng, wracked with his boots and chuckles, before saying, ¡°Oh you, you were your normal self earlier, and now you¡¯re giving me this. I thought you were different from those hard headed soldiers, but it looks like you¡¯re no different!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled; there was a hint ofughter in his eyes. His voice was still steady and deep as he said sincerely, ¡± Elder Ji, please don¡¯t worry. I never do anything that the military won¡¯t approve. As for Gu Nianzhi, she¡¯s already an adult so please let her make the choice. We¡¯ve been investigating her background all this time and I¡¯ll give Elder Ji some news too. Recently, there¡¯s been a great breakthrough.¡±

    ¡°Oh?! Are you serious?!¡± General Ji was shocked by this news and grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand as he asked anxiously, ¡°Is that true?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t say things unless I¡¯m sure about them. Right now Elder Ji is pushing me, so I had to give you something to work with.¡±

    ¡°Then will her background pass the review?¡± If General Ji still didn¡¯t understand Huo Shaoheng by now, then he had been General all these years with nothing to show. Right now he didn¡¯t ask for anything but that Gu Nianzhi had a clean family background that could be verified.

    ¡°If our direction of investigation is correct, her family background is clean and her father may be able to make a great contribution to our nation. So you don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally broke his own rules by speaking about something that couldn¡¯t be yet supported by evidence. When he thought about it carefully, he realized all three exceptions he¡¯d made in life had to do with Gu Nianzhi. Cocking his head slightly, the thought shed through his mind before he concentrated on watching General Ji for his answer.

    ¡°That¡¯s great! General Ji pat Huo Shaoheng fiercely on the shoulder. ¡°We already benefited greatly when she brought out the engine blueprintsst time. Looks like her family is truly schrly and it might be just like your grandfather¡¯s. So your backgrounds match after all!¡± General Ji¡¯s thoughts spun quickly and he instantly changed from opposing to supporting them.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He knew that General Ji was exaggerating his support because he felt guilty for the trouble and loss that Xu Piaohong had caused. He didn¡¯t take it to heart and stressed to General Ji once again, ¡°I want the Special Ops to bepletely autonomous. This power belongs to the Chief of the Special Ops only. Even when I leave and someone else takes over, the autonomy stays.¡± Such an organization was not a garden where just anybody could wander in and out.

 Chapter 427 - I really donâ€™t deserve it

    <h4>Chapter 427: I really don¡¯t deserve it</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    General Ji remained silent for a long while after hearing that.

    Autonomy was the most valued and important right in this organization. With a position like his, he needed to decide how to ce that right, and whether or not he would be able to take it back in the future.

    However, judging by how Huo Shaoheng put it, he wanted this right to be with the Special Forces permanently, especially with the Head of the Force.

    This wasn¡¯t an easy request.

    Slowly, General Ji exined, ¡°I am unable to make the decision for this. You know that we need a bnce for all the rights given. If this autonomy was given to the Special Forces permanently, it will easily erode the precarious harmony we have now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had known that General Ji would put it like this. Smiling, he provided a solution.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not hard to maintain the current bnce. The Army¡¯s Supreme Council appointed my position as the Head of Special Forces, and only the Army¡¯s Supreme Council has the power to appoint a candidate for this position. Doesn¡¯t this solve the problem already? You have absolute autonomy over me, as I do for the people under me. We now have a clear person to report to; doesn¡¯t this fit all the criteria of a confidential department?¡±

    General Ji was surprised by how obvious it was. ¡°You¡¯re right! The Supreme Council does have the right to appoint a candidate to fill your position. This is a great idea! Let me discuss this with them; they should be able to ept this.¡±

    They definitely would. Huo Shaoheng knew exactly what the seniors in the Council had on their minds. They were a group of maniptive people who wanted to control every single person and situation in the military. Of course, they only wanted it for the benefit of the country; but Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t willing to be a puppet in their game of monopoly.

    Huo Shaoheng would therefore present them with a chance to haveplete control over him, and to officially put this into the rulebook. He knew that the seniors would feel relieved after hearing this new provision; they wouldn¡¯t have to worry that Huo Shaoheng would be taking advantage of anything if they were to give him the freedom to do things as he saw fit.

    After they were done with work, General Ji finally asked about Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°I heard that she sprained her ankle and injured her spine? Was it serious?¡± Standing up, General Ji left the meeting room with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I would like to visit her. Is it okay?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. As General Ji was led down the stairs towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion, he briefed him on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition. ¡°It was the most dangerousst night; she¡¯d been running a high fever the entire night. But Chen Lie was around to watch over her and to correct the position of her spine. Her fever only subsided this morning, but she still couldn¡¯t get out of bed. She¡¯ll have to be on bed rest for a while more.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really serious! It¡¯s a terrible thing, injuring one¡¯s spine at such a young age,¡± General Ji said.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t afraid of the check ups anyway; there were the other two orthopedists to confirm and witness the diagnosis, X-rays, and MRI results as proof. None of them were forged.

    Of course, the only thing that was abnormal were the results.

    This was only known to Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie. Others wouldn¡¯t be able to tell, or even guess anything close to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unique condition.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was lying in bed when she got the heads up about Genera Ji¡¯s visit.

    In reality, her back was already fine, but due to the abnormal fever, she felt weak all over.

    ...

    ¡°Good day, General!¡±

    ¡°Good day, General!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze greeted General Ji formally at the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up in bed in a more proper manner upon hearing the greetings. She felt slightly nervous. Her face was flushed, with tiny beads of perspiration on the tip of her nose. They made her look even more like someone who had just had a fever.

    General Ji entered the suite, led in by Huo Shaoheng. Both his secretaries, who were also his bodyguards, were following closely behind. Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong remained at the door.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the two unfamiliar faces when they were at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room door, and said calmly, ¡°Would the two of you please wait at the door? This is the room of a young woman; it wouldn¡¯t be nice for so many grown men to enter together.¡±

    General Ji nodded in agreement and turned to the both of them. ¡°Just wait at the door. I¡¯ll just go in and speak briefly to Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The two of them acknowledged.

    Huo Shaoheng knocked on the door and called out gently, ¡°Nianzhi? General Ji is here to visit you. We¡¯reing in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not respond. She just looked fixedly at the door.

    The door creaked open, and Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s profile outline from the hallway light..

    Seeing him deepened the flush on her face; it even spread to the corners of her eyes, making her appear breathlessly beautiful.

    Huo Shaoheng felt the heat rising to his own face the moment he set his eyes on her. He looked away and spoke to General Ji instead.

    ¡°This way please, General Ji.¡±

    General Ji entered, and Huo Shaoheng closed the door behind him, not allowing the secretaries any view of her room or her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremely awkward in the presence of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s superior. Not knowing what else to do, she bowed her head, keeping her eyes fixed on the coverlet.

    General Ji sensed her difort and approached her kindly. He walked over and bent down to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s level.

    ¡°Nianzhi, do you remember me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, indicating ¡®yes¡¯, and then whispered, ¡°You are General Ji¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, just call me Uncle Ji.¡± General Ji said. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve sprained your ankle and hurt your spine. I represent the Army¡¯s Supreme Council, who send you their most heartfelt regards. We¡¯re all wishing you a speedy recovery.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was flushing furiously. She felt her eyes be misty; the ident still held a great emotional toll on her, General Ji saw. ¡°Th-Thank you General Ji, but I really don¡¯t deserve it.¡±

    General Ji felt that Gu Nianzhi was exceptionally adorable when she felt touched, and decided to tease her. ¡°How could you not deserve it? You could even bring down our Major General Huo, so you definitely deserve it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    What is he talking about now? She wondered nervously.

    She looked at General Ji in confusion. Looking from General Ji to Huo Shaoheng, she finally asked, ¡°Uncle Ji, what are you talking about? Huo Shao is such a capable man; I can never outfight him. How could I have brought him down?¡±

    ¡°Ah? Haha, what an interesting little girl!¡± General Jiughed loudly. ¡°Surely, you would not be able to take down Shaoheng in a match. If you¡¯d been able to, you wouldn¡¯t be human. You¡¯d be Superman!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Superman is a male. I¡¯m a female; so, not a superman.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Our Nianzhi is the best.¡± General Ji was full of praises for her. ¡°Clever, witty, and lovely. You grew up with Shaoheng, so you¡¯d know many things even without saying.¡± General Ji pat Huo Shaoheng on the shoulders upon saying that

    Standing beside General Ji, Huo Shaoheng remained silent. His lips curved upwards slightly, as he listened to the conversation between General Ji and Gu Nianzhi.

    Shortly after, Gu Nianzhi showed signs of fatigue and gave a long sigh.

    General Ji noticed and said immediately, ¡°Tired already, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m merely here to pay you a visit. You¡¯re still young, Gu Nianzhi. Please don¡¯t let anything happen else to your spine.¡± Turning to Huo Shaoheng, he reminded him and said, ¡°Get the best doctor to treat Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied confidently, ¡°I trust Chen Lie to take care of her.¡±

    After saying his goodbyes, General Ji exited the room. Huo Shaoheng turned off the lights in the room. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll be leaving now. Sleep well. Press the bell if you need anything. There¡¯re people outside standing guard,¡± he said to Gu Nianzhi gently.

    The room seemed pitch ck even in the day the moment the lights went off.

    Looking at Huo Shaoheng, she yearned for him to stay and apany her. She hoped that Huo Shaoheng would turn and look at her again before leaving.

    But he didn¡¯t. He followed General Ji out of the room, just like that.

    The sound of door closing was heard from outside. Gu Nianzhi knew that they had left.

    Shortly after, Yin Shixiong came in and asked cheerfully, ¡°Do you want to eat anything, Nianzhi? I¡¯ll get them to prepare whatever it is you¡¯re in the mood for.¡±

    Feeling moody, Gu Nianzhi rejected the idea.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I want to rest.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you rest well. It¡¯s okay to wait for Mr. Huo before eating dinner together too.¡± Yin Shixiong could tell that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in the best of moods, but he thought it was because of her injuries.

    Seeing that she had already closed her eyes, Yin Shixiong closed the door carefully and left the room.

    He heard Zhao Liangze calling Huo Shaoheng the moment he arrived at the corridor.

    ¡°Mr. Huo! Professor He keeps calling Nianzhi¡¯s phone but couldn¡¯t get through and he¡¯s getting uptight now! What should we do?¡±

    On the other end of the line was an expressionless Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Get Nianzhi to call Professor He. Tell him that she¡¯s injured; she can apply for her medical leave at the same time.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had just closed her eyes, when she was woken up by Zhao Liangze barging into her room. ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi! Can you call Professor He?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered what she had promised He Zhichu previously and felt her head hurting immediately. She had to call; there was no way to escape from this. She was the one who had gone back on her words in the first ce. Even if she could keep a distance, she did not want to burn all bridges with him.

    She felt that the person who would be affected the most if they were not on speaking terms, would be Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Brother Ze, please give me the phone. I¡¯ll videocall Professor He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her ck night tie and changed into a coral colored cotton top. After lying in her bed properly, she held the phone and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

 Chapter 428 - Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 428: Exchange</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu quickly picked up the phone. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know where he was that she could even hear the whistling wind from the line. His cold voice seemed toe from far away and was like an icy star that could pierce skin. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, did youpletely forget what you promised me?!¡±

    ¡°Professor...Professor He...?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked from his instant barrage, ¡°I...I had a reason.¡±

    ¡°What reason! You¡¯d better tell me right now! I¡¯m almost at your Special Operations Forces headquarters base! I¡¯ll wait at the door and wait here until you finallye out!¡± Carrying restrained anger, He Zhichu¡¯s words came out through through his grit teeth. Gu Nianzhi could almost see his outraged expression with the veins bulging on his forehead.

    ¡°What?! You¡¯re on the way?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up straight in surprise. ¡°You¡¯reing to the Special Operations Forces headquarters base?¡±

    ¡°Is that a problem? Since you didn¡¯t call me or send me any messages, I have no choice but toe see you myself.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to mention how he had survived the past two days. There was now only one thought in his mind¡ªto personally see Gu Nianzhi or he¡¯d never feel reassured.

    ¡°Professor He, where are you?¡± Gu Nianzhi paused before trying to change the topic. ¡°Is this not a good time to talk since you¡¯re out?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good time. With you, it¡¯s always a good time to talk!¡± He Zhichu shut his eyes and gripped the steering wheel tightly as he sped towards the Special Operations Forces headquarters base. Expression sombre, his eyes were full of anger, as though he were a barrel of gunpowder ready to explode.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped breathing for a second andughed nervously. ¡°Please don¡¯t be like this, Professor He. You¡¯re really scaring me.¡±

    Hearing her voice, He Zhichu¡¯s anxiety from the past two days gradually dissipated. When he had shouted before, most of the anger had already been released. His only concern was for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s health. ¡°You¡¯re scared by just that? You don¡¯t seem that timid.¡± He Zhichu scoffed and mmed on the brakes to reduce his speed on the highway.

    ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m ok. I¡¯m really ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi anxiously turned on FaceTime. ¡°Professor He, you can see that there¡¯s nothing wrong with me. It was my fault yesterday, I promised to call but ended up forgetting.¡± Gu Nianzhi felt a little guity and tried to smile into the camera.

    He Zhichi left one hand on the wheel and answered the video call with the other hand to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face appear on the phone screen. He scanned her surroundings. ¡°You¡¯re in bed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the bed and held the phone up to face herself with a smile. ¡°As you can see, I really had a reason. I hurt my spine and just had surgery yesterday, then got a corticosteroid injection and had been asleep since. I just woke up today but can¡¯t move yet.¡±

    He Zhichu regarded her silently for awhile and drawled, ¡°Is that so? You really can¡¯t get up? Why did I remember you saying you hurt your foot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and was about to answer, ¡°Of course it was my foot, but I hurt my back too,¡± when her brain whirred and she recalled what He Zhichu said to her that day before she did the X-rays. ¡°You¡¯d better get the ligaments on your foot checked, it must be treated right away if there are any problems. Otherwise you¡¯ll never recover.¡± And also what Chen Lie told her calmly, ¡°Nianzhi, did you ever injure the ligaments on your foot? This clearly indicates that there was a previous injury.¡± There was finally a direction and answer to the strange feeling she¡¯s been having the past two days and Gu Nianzhi blurted, ¡°Professor He, how did you know the ligaments in my foot had been previously injured?¡±

    Not answering directly, He Zhichu nced at her and ended the video call himself. He put on a Bluetooth headset and questioned her calmly as he drove, ¡°Is your back really injured?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked when she realized that He Zhichu had avoided her question. Looking at the now dim screen on her phone, she pouted. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. How can this be faked? It hurt so much that I couldn¡¯t get off the bed. If it hadn¡¯t been discovered earlier, I might have ended up paralyzed on the bed for the rest of my life.¡±

    He Zhichu snorted before replying dryly, ¡°You? Paralyzed on the bed? That¡¯s the greatest joke in the world.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt even more peculiar. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be paralyzed on the bed? Death and illness is normal for all humans, and I was identally hit on the back and suffered injury to my spine. If it weren¡¯t for the skilled doctor, I might not ever be able to get up again, honest.¡± She paused and used a ttering tone to say, ¡°But I¡¯m fine now. Please go back, Professor He. I¡¯m really ok, but...¡± Recalling suddenly that Huo Shaoheng had asked her to request for two more weeks of vacation, she couldn¡¯t help sighing. What should she do? She was stuck in a rut. If she insisted that she was fine, there would be no reason to request for two more weeks of sick leave. But if she said was severely injured and needed to recover for two weeks, He Zhichu would not relent and insist oning to the base to see her. She knew that He Zhichu would never be let inside. Would she leave him in the cold? That didn¡¯t seem right; he was her instructor after all, and she couldn¡¯t very well avoid him for the next two and a half years. What should she do?

    ¡°But what?¡± He Zhichu peppered her with questions. ¡°What else are you hesitating for? I¡¯m just visiting you. I don¡¯t have any other business there.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, this is not a ce you can enter.¡± Gu Nianzhi grit her teeth. ¡°I¡¯d better get up and go see you. Can you please stop a hundred yards from the entrance and tell me your license te? I¡¯lle see you myself. Is that ok?¡±

    Growing silent, He Zhichu considered it for a while and turned the steering wheel with a squeal. He stopped on the shoulder of the highway to video call herfortably. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, be honest with me. Did you really hurt your back?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes bored into the screen; he wanted nothing more but to have X-ray vision to see right through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s organs and bones and verify her good health for himself .

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded sincerely. ¡°I have X-rays, and if you¡¯d like to see them, I can send photos to your phone when you get back. Is that ok?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re already ok now, right?¡± He Zhichu confirmed once again. From the screen, Gu Nianzhi appeared pink and rosy¡ªher skin was luminously milky. She looked like the special kind of kiln fired pink pottery from his hometown, pieces that captured a pink hue that was even more transparent that white jade. Normally, only the most well cared for babies exhibited such milky and perfect skin. She didn¡¯t look like a seriously ill patient unable to leave the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m really ok now.¡± Gu Nianzhi said and she held the phone as she got off the bed to walk around the bedroom a few times. ¡°See, aren¡¯t I normal? Also my foot,¡± As she spoke, she lined her feet up to show He Zhichu and said smugly, ¡°Can you tell which ankle was dislocated? It was still swollen yesterday but it¡¯s already healed.¡±

    A pair of rosy feet appeared on He Zhichu¡¯s screen, her toes round and soft; it gave one the urge to bite them gently.

    He Zhichu averted his eyes and sighed ufortably. ¡°You left foot is healing well, but remember to watch where you¡¯re going instead of walking backwards like you did a few days ago. Your back doesn¡¯t have eyes and you end up like this when you get hit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°I know, Professor He. You¡¯re so good to me; it¡¯s really my good fortune to have a mentor like you. Thank you.¡± She became more polite to He Zhichu and kept thanking him to increase their distance.

    He Zhichu said indifferently, ¡°No need to thank me. You can go rest for two weeks ande back to school after.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She hadn¡¯t expected He Zhichu to give in so easily. Feeling that she had manipted him, she quickly said, ¡°Thank you so much, Professor He! You have no idea how important these two weeks will be for me!¡±

    He Zhichu tapped on the steering wheel gently and his eyes were icy as he replied, ¡°But you must agree to one condition.¡±

    ¡°What condition?¡± Her happiness was premature. She¡¯d been naive to think He Zhichu was someone so easily driven away.

    ¡°I have a document I¡¯ll be sending to you. You can sign it and fax it back to me.¡± He Zhichu said as he sent an authorization to her inbox.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her email and quickly scanned the document. She froze: it was a legal power of attorney¡ªHe Zhichu wanted to be her total legal representative. He had the right to help her sue others, and of course, defend her when she was sued.

 Chapter 429 - Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 429: Coincidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Looking at the Legal Power of Attorney, Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long while.

    Holding her phone, she paced up and down her room. Finally, she leaned against her pillow and said tactfully, ¡°Professor He, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary for me to have a legal representative now. You know that I studyw as well, even though you¡¯re a reputablewyer who is a consultant, and there are many out there who want you to be their legal representative but wouldn¡¯t have the chance to¡ª¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not willing to let me?¡± He Zhichu interrupted Gu Nianzhi. He was bing more and more pale. He looked at the cars driving past him and the clear blue sky. He could hear birds chirping, and a flock of pigeons flew as people walked through them. Everything was perfect, but she wasn¡¯t with him.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated, thinking of ways to convince He Zhichu. She did not wish to sign an agreement like that, but she didn¡¯t want to rudely reject him like she had in the past.

    Perhaps this was the exact meaning of growing up¡ª hiding one¡¯s own true feelings. Gu Nianzhi felt that as a grown adult, she should not be behaving so petntly, venting her emotions all the time.

    After waiting a few moments, as Gu Nianzhi was remained silent, He Zhichu finally guessed what her answer would be.

    He hung up and switched his phone off.

    He sat alone in his car, expressionless, like a sculpture¡ªbeautiful, but lifeless.

    He sat there for a long time, with cars on the expressway zooming past him. He just couldn¡¯t bring himself to move. There was so much life passing around him, but none of it belonged to him. The one that did, had left him. No matter what he did, she always left him alone.

    He leaned on his steering wheel, buried his face into his elbow, and stayed there. After a while, a police car stopped behind him. An officer came over to check on him, tapping on the window.

    ¡°Mister, are you okay?¡±

    He Zhichu was his Maserati. The officer knew that the person driving the car could either be someone incredibly rich or an esteemed politician so he tread carefully in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.

    He Zhichu straightened up slowly and looked at the cop. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°I¡¯m just resting because I¡¯m a little tired. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± He started his engine.

    The police officer quickly said, ¡°Book a hotel room to rest if you¡¯re tired. Don¡¯t drive in this state. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were dark and bloodshot On top of that, he was as pale as a sheet. One look and anyone could tell that the man wasn¡¯t getting any sleep.

    Concerned about his safety, the police officer trailed slowly behind him in his cruiser while He Zhichu drove. He only left when He Zhichu¡¯s car entered the South gate of B University.

    When He Zhichu returned to his office, the first thing he did was put up an announcement that the exams for the teaching assistant position would be dyed because he was flying back to America for a few weeks. He would be back after two weeks after which the exams for the 10 candidates would be conducted.

    He Zhichu left almost immediately after this, only taking with him his passport and wallet¡ªnothing else. He took the earliest flight to New York. He needed to be as far away from Gu Nianzhi as possible, otherwise he would go mad, He Zhichu felt.

    The news of him leaving the country soon spread to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng sat thinking about it after receiving this piece of information from Zhao Liangze.

    Leaning against the sofa¡¯s backrest, Yin Shixiong crossed his legs and said slovenly, ¡°This Professor He is quite smart isn¡¯t he? Not only did he approve of Nianzhi¡¯s medical leave, but he also found a reason to return to America. Now no one will realize Gu Nianzhi¡¯s leave or absence!¡±

    Chuckling, Zhao Liangze kicked Yin Shixiong yfully. ¡°Not only was he smart, but also he put in so much effort too.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, looking at how Professor He treats Nianzhi, it¡¯s actually quiteparable to Mr. Huo. It¡¯s very obvious that he¡¯s treating Nianzhi way better than he does his other students!¡± Yin Shixiong said happily.

    ¡°That makes sense actually. One of them is a professor, and the other is her guardian. Both are her elders, so of course they both care for her.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was now hiding behind Yin Shixiong as he said. He didn¡¯t want to face Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze.

    Huo Shaoheng did not respond to his two secretaries, though he waved his hand, signaling for them to leave the room. He looked at theputer, busy with work. No one else knew, however, that he wasn¡¯t paying attention to the screen.

    His thoughts were fully consumed by the weird feelings He Zhichu disyed towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Why did He Zhichu show so much concern for Gu Nianzhi?

    Was he already showing concern to her more than a professor?

    When had it begun?

    Was it during the six months they were on exchange in America, or maybe earlier than that?

    Huo Shaoheng thought over of this silently with all the focus he had; a clue shed in his mind, he couldn¡¯t grasp what it was before it disappeared.

    Standing up, he crossed his arms and paced around the study. He couldn¡¯t figure it out at all.

    Using the inte, he called for Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Is anything the matter, Mr. Huo?¡±

    ¡°Little Ze, I had asked you to run a check on He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi a while back. Did you do it?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood by the window, distracted by his thoughts.

    Nodding, Zhao Liangze went to his desk and then returned, handed Huo Shaoheng a set of documents. ¡°I¡¯ve checked again, but it was simr to what I had foundst time. But if you were to look at the timeline of this document from the start, you¡¯d realize that it¡¯s quite interesting.¡±

    Opening the document, Huo Shaoheng flipped through it while listening to Zhao Liangze¡¯s exnation.

    ¡°These documents indicate that the He¡¯s are one of the wealthy families in North America. Their assets span across a good portion of the region. He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi have citizenships in Argentina, Brazil, Ennd, and America. He Zhichu himself has great influence in the political and military areas in America as well.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flicked his fingers at the document: ¡°This final point wasn¡¯t here thest time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. I recently added the influence He Zhichu had in the political and military worlds.¡± Zhao Liangze coughed and then said, ¡°If it had not been for Nianzhi, we would not have seen this side of He Zhichu.¡±

    He was referring to the dispute Gu Nianzhi had with Xin Xinggao in America and the incident she¡¯d met with at the Caribbean Sea.

    He Zhichu had been in themanding position for both of these incidents and it showed the vast amount of power and influence he possessed to have been able to help Gu Nianzhi get through those tough times.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the documents, and said, ¡°The He¡¯s have been keeping low profile all these years. However, 7 years ago, He Zhichu became thergest shareholder of the biggestw firm in America. That brought the financial power of the He¡¯s into the limelight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and then, 3 years ago, He Zhichu entered the Law faculty in Harvard University as a lecturer. He started off as an assistant Professor. In merely two years, he became their long term professor and received the rights to conduct consultations for PhD students. Last year, he epted the invitation of B University as an adjunct professor in theirw faculty.¡±

    Walking to the front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work desk, Zhao Liangze leaned forward on it, lowering his voice.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, look at the time line: the year that He Zhichu entered Harvard as a professor is the same year that Nianzhi began studying in C University.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slowly with a gaze so deep and dark that no one could have guessed his thoughts.

    ¡°If I¡¯m understanding this part here correctly,¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed, ¡°when Nianzhi graduatedst year, He Zhichu decided to ept master¡¯s student for understudy all of a sudden. Thew faculty at B University was way stronger than C University¡¯s, but instead of epting the students there, he decided toe to C University and interview Nianzhi specially.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhao Liangze clenched his fists and hit them on the table with a loud thud. He continued agitatedly with bright eyes, ¡°Nianzhi was sick that time I think, and had missed the interview. I remember Big Xiong going to the school to apply for medical leave for her, and he came back full of criticisms about He Zhichu¡¯s attitude! He grumbled for a long time after, wondering what was so good about a professor like that, and that it¡¯d be better if Nianzhi wasn¡¯t selected.¡±

    Speaking of Gu Nianzhi falling ¡®ill¡¯ that time, Huo Shaoheng lowered his head uneasily and avoided Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes. Covering his mouth with one hand, he coughed lightly and then said, ¡°Basically, we can conclude that the things He Zhichu did...he was doing them specifically for Nianzhi.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded enthusiastically.

    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it!¡± He leaned in again and asked, ¡°Mr. Huo, do you think that He Zhichu knows Nianzhi from before?!¡±

    The mystery of Nianzhi¡¯s family background would finally be solved if it was really the case.

    The truth, which they had been investigating for six to seven years, would being to light; Zhao Liangze was beyond excited.

    Huo Shaoheng fell silent for a long while. Zhao Liangze worried that he disagreed with him. Then he heard Huo Shaoheng say, ¡°It¡¯s possible, but there¡¯s also another thing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°He was intentionally getting close to Nianzhi, but in fact, he had a background reminiscent of an individuals from the CIA, the British Military Intelligence, or Israel¡¯s Mossad, for example.¡±

    ¡°You mean, there might be a chance that He Zhichu is a Special agent from these countries?!¡± Zhao Liangze was stunned.

    However, he had tracked this for a long time. ¡°No, he could never be a special agent for one of those countries. They could never afford him. He¡¯s like the underground pastor of North America. Even the Presidential election candidates must be approved by the He¡¯s before they can apply for it. So, the intelligence from the countries would have been controlled by He Zhichu. Not the other way around.¡±

 Chapter 430 - Together

    <h4>Chapter 430: Together</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°The underground godfather in South America? When did this happen?¡± Huo Shaoheng squinted. His eyes were fierce and as dark as obsidian. He was familiar with all the conglomerate families around the world, and if the He¡¯s were truly that powerful in South America, there was no way he didn¡¯t know. This was one of the important parts of his job.

    Zhao Liangze flipped through the file and said, ¡°It should¡¯ve been in thest few years. It¡¯s said that the He¡¯s have always been discreet, but when He Zhichu joined thergestw firm in the United States as partner seven years go, the He¡¯s finally surfaced in South America.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tapped the file and shook his head. ¡°This doesn¡¯t convince me of anything; continue investigating. If the He¡¯s are really that powerful, there is no way there is no information about them at all. That much wealth and their sphere of influence isn¡¯t established in a day. It doesn¡¯t add up.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was sure he had already investigated thoroughly and finally saw all the missing bits when Huo Shaoheng pointed them out. He took the file back with shame and looked up to whisper, ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at him to remind him when he saw his despondent look. ¡°Also, if the time matches up, the year the He¡¯s surfaced was the same year we rescued Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Right! Could this be a connection?!¡± Zhao Linagze instantly got excited. ¡°Can the He¡¯s really have something to do with Nianzhi?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept quiet and stared fixedly at theputer. He opened a secret program and entered a password to open the page for South America. Although it was only a map, it had been specially processed by national software¡ªas soon as he entered the relevant data, it became aption map of all the powerful conglomerate families on Blue. This was a precious secret weapon of the Special Ops. In the past, all the namesbelled in South America were of Latin origins from the descendants of elite Spanish and Portuguese colonists. As for the He¡¯s, they had only risen in South America in recent years but had already upied half of the continent. Moving the cursor north to Central America, and continuing up, Huo Shaoheng arrived to the small countries along the Caribbean coast. Barbados was included and Gu Yanran¡¯s family was one of the conglomerates there. Of course, they were not as impressive as the He¡¯s. ¡°I just want to know how a so called discreet n evaded the Special Ops¡¯ detection seven years ago and suddenly became the underground godfather of South America.¡± Huo Shaoheng thoughtfully made a note on map with the cursor; he pointed to Barbadoes and said, ¡°Investigate Gu Yanran¡¯s family like how you¡¯re checking the He¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze epted themand loudly and hurried out carrying the file. When he emerged from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, he saw Yin Shixiong sittingzily with one foot on his desk. Yin Shixiong looked like a cker. Zhao Liangze said contemptuously, ¡°Big Xiong, what¡¯s up with you? Are you in heat but unable to find a mating partner?¡±

    ¡°Yeah right! You¡¯re the one looking for a mating partner!¡± Yin Shixiong shot back at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Speaking of getting busy, I overheard what you said to Mr. Huo in the office.¡± He pointed in the direction of the room.

    Zhao Liangze hugged his file and sat down behind the desk, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°So what if you overheard? Are there secrets between us?¡± After all, what Zhao Liangze knew, Yin Shixiong also had to know and vice versa. This was work protocol and a necessity. They worked for the Specials Ops and there was no information that was only known to one person due to precaution and bnce of powers. This was a double insurance: if someone perished in action, the others could continue with work.

    ¡°Of course there are secrets.¡± Yin Shixiong snorted and huddled over to Zhao Liangze to whisper, ¡°For example, you never told me that you like the older sister, but got entangled with the younger sister instead.¡±

    ¡°Y-y-you...Stop speaking nonsense!¡± Zhao Liangze nearly jumped out of his chair and stuttered a warning to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Don¡¯t speak so casually about this sort of thing! Otherwise you be careful that I don¡¯t tell your future wife of all your shameful habits!¡±

    ¡°What shameful habits? What should I be afraid of? How can men not have a few bad habits.¡± Yin Shixiong stood up without worry and looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, wanting to go in.

    Zhao Liangze caught up and grabbed his cor. ¡°Are you sure? Then I¡¯ll tell your future wife which yboy model you like to masturbate to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Yin Shixiong flushed instantly and warned him fiercely. ¡°How did you know?! This is my privacy! Not my work! You can¡¯t speak nonsense!¡±

    Zhao Liangze bent over inughter, ¡°So you really have one?! I was just teasing you!¡±

    Yin Shixiong realized he had been yed by Zhao Liangze and kicked him hard in the shin before storming to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office without looking back. He mmed the door shut behind him.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly looked up from behind the desk. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, I have an idea but I¡¯m not sure if I should say it or not.¡± Yin Shixiong saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was normal so he shouldn¡¯t have overheard all the nonsense Zhao Liangze was spewing outside. His flush faded.

    ¡°Then you can cane back when you¡¯ve thought it through.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the door to signal Yin Shixiong the way out.

    Chuckling, Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t turn to leave but walked up to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk and said quietly, ¡°Mr. Huo, we¡¯ve been investigating many things but there hasn¡¯t been much result. Have you actually thought about going through Nianzhi directly?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had indeed considered this before, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory was a major obstacle. They wouldn¡¯t need to work so hard tracking things down if she could remember what had happened before she turned 12, but her brain would experience great pain every time she tried to recall the past. The most serious incident had happened when she was going through full body convulsions during hypnosis and had almost passed out. Since then, Huo Shaoheng never mentioned hypnosis as a method to recall her memory and Chen Lie, who had suggested it in the first ce, never dared to say anything again. Whenever Gu Nianzhi went to see the psychiatrist, it was only for routine exams.

    ¡°As for Nianzhi¡¯s memories, you can just pretend that they¡¯ll never be recovered. So stop thinking about going through her.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly exined, ¡°I know we can¡¯t use hypnosis to recall her memories, but we can try other methods!¡±

    ¡°What other methods?¡±

    ¡°For example, we can methodically tell her the facts we know and observe her reaction. We aren¡¯t trying to recall her lost memories, but help trigger things she should be familiar with in the first ce. In time, maybe it can have a positive effect on her!¡± Yin Shixiong was an expert on the heart, not the mind. For humans, certain things were carved into the heart even if the memory was lost. It would always inadvertently express itself.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That makes sense; go on.¡±

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s encouragement, Yin Shixiong became more excited. ¡°So, with what happened recently, didn¡¯t we figure out that He Zhichu might have known Nianzhi from before? We can reveal this possibility to Nianzhi then ask her if He Zhichu had any strange reactions when she was together with him. If there¡¯s anything, it¡¯ll help us investigate clearly and help Nianzhi find her family!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong. ¡°When was Nianzhi ever together with He Zhichu? Be careful with what you say.¡±

    Yin Shixiong backtracked. Jesus Christ! He was just using an expression, how did Mr. Huo see it that way? Opening his mouth to defend himself, Yin Shixiong looked up to see a growing frown on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips and decided to ept the criticism, ¡°Roger, Chief. I wasn¡¯t clear with my words. What I meant was, if there was any difference when she interacted with He Zhichu privately.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reluctantly conceded that, this guy may not have purposely said that. Huo Shaoheng no longertched onto Yin Shixiong¡¯s use of expression and contemted for a few minutes before nodding slowly. ¡°We can give it a try.¡±

    ¡°Great¡± Yin Shixiong rubbed his palm together. ¡°How about I go be the first to give it a go?¡±

    ¡°Give what a go?¡± Huo Shaoheng red. ¡°Nianzhi is in bedrest for these two weeks. I¡¯ll be the one to go ask her.¡±

 Chapter 431 - Canâ€™t escape

    <h4>Chapter 431: Can¡¯t escape</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Since Huo Shaoheng said that he would be going to ask personally, Yin Shixiong left it at that.

    Touching his nose, he said yfully, ¡°Mr. Huo, put in more effort into this! It¡¯s for Nianzhi anyway. She¡¯ll understand.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Yin Shixiong briefly before turning his attention to hisputer screen. This action indicated that the conversation was over, and that Yin Shixiong could leave.

    Walking out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Yin Shixiong closed the door behind him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention returned to his work desk the moment he heard the door close. After looking at his mug for a while, he opened the drawer and took out a book.

    The cover of the book had a red rabbit on it. It was titled The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tne.

    Opening the book, there was a picture amongst the pages.Huo Shaoheng took the picture and observed it carefully.

    A 12-year-old girl wearing a princess dress was in the picture. She had long ck hair cascading down her back, bangs, and a round, chubby face. Her eyes were not big, but they were long. The corners of her eyes turned up, making them look like crescent moons when she smiled.

    He would never have believed that those small eyes iwould develop to be such huge and gorgeous eyes if he hadn¡¯t seen them change with his own eyes.

    A chubby and average looking girl had became such a beauty after hitting puberty. Her features sharpened, making her into a rose in full bloom¡ªfrom an unattractive bud, to a strikingly gorgeous flower, disying her beauty to everyone.

    It all just boiled down to one thing¡ªif someone was to look at the picture, they would never have guessed that the girl in the picture was Gu Nianzhi.

    Could this be the reason why Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family did not look for her? Because they couldn¡¯t recognize her?

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the picture over and over again, admiring the magic of Mother Nature.

    The girl in the picture was how Gu Nianzhi had looked when he first met her. A sentence ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡¯s 11th Birthday¡± was written on the back of the picture. Below the sentence, was the date of the picture.

    This was the lead they had used to determine Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name and birthday.

    Looking at it again for a while longer, Huo Shaoheng finally put the picture back into the book, ced it in the drawer, locked it in, and began working.

    Huo Shaoheng had news from all over the world sent to him on a daily basis. Of course, the news that reached him was already filtered; those that were deemed not important had already been taken care of by his subordinates. Those that were of five star importance were then sent through to Huo Shaoheng for him to handle personally.

    Yin Shixiong went into his office a couple of times when it was nearing dinner time, but seeing that Huo Shaoheng was so focused on handling the confidential documents, he left him alone.

    ¡°Little Ze, I¡¯m heading back to the mansion. Are you on standby today?¡± Putting on his coat, Yin Shixiong continued and said, ¡°It has been such a long day today; I¡¯m heading back to have some soup.¡±

    ¡°The chefs in Mr. Huo¡¯s kitchen are all qualified to work in three-star Michelin restaurants, yet you¡¯re still unsatisfied?¡±

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at Yin Shixiong. ¡°All you do is eat. Look¡ªyou¡¯ve put on so much weight.¡±

    ¡°Since when?¡± Yin Shixiong panicked. Being told that he had put on weight was always an extremely sensitive topic for him. He wasn¡¯t fat; it was just that he was tall and big boned, thus looking bigger than a normal sized man.

    Although Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t very skinny as well, he had a small frame and a lithe body, leading to him lookingnkier than Yin Shixiong. Standing side by side, Yin Shixiong always looked like a bouncer, and was always made fun of for it by Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not eating today,¡± Yin Shixiong growled. He continued grumbling as he picked up his suitcase and left the office building.

    Upon returning to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion, Yin Shixiong went into his suite for a bath and a change of clothes, before heading to the dining room. He remembered that Gu Nianzhi might be alone in her room and informed the guards, ¡°Bring my food, along with Miss Gu¡¯s, to her suite. I¡¯ll have dinner with her.¡±

    The guards nodded and picked up the dishes and soup and ced them onto the tray before sending them to themon area in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded to the guards politely, indicating their permission to leave.

    One guard smiled. ¡°Please don¡¯t mention it, Lieutenant Colonel Yin. It¡¯s what I¡¯m happy to do.¡±

    He considerately closed the door upon exiting.

    Looking at the dishes on the little coffee table, Yin Shixiong called out to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, dinner¡¯s ready. Can you eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already heard Yin Shixiong and the guard¡¯s voices. She did not dare utter a sound when the guard was there. Only after he had left did she get off her bed and peek out from her room.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, can you bring the dishes in to me please?¡±

    Her mouth began drooling the moment she smell food. She was famished.

    Smiling, Yin Shixiong nodded, ced the dishes onto the tray again, and brought them into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom.

    There was a small rectangr table against her wall in her bedroom, intended to disy a jade screen and a cross-stitch of a kitten ying with a butterfly. She shifted those onto her antique disy shelf.

    Yin Shixiong ced the food onto the table; they took their seats on each side of the table and began to eat.

    Gu Nianzhi first drank a bowl of soup. Then, she had two small buns, some stir fried beef with green peppers, and selections from the seafood tter before putting down her chopsticks in satisfaction,ughing.

    ¡°Ah, I could eat an entire cow! Thankfully there were the stir fried beef; if not, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to satisfy my cravings.¡±

    ¡°What, that little portion? After only taking a few bites, you¡¯re boasting in front of me?¡± Yin Shixiong shook his head, and ate generously.

    Gu Nianzhi was always awed by the amount of food Yin Shixiong ate; one meal of his could easily feed Gu Nianzhi for two whole days.

    Gu Nianzhi was, of course, used to the amount and the way the guys ate. She just held onto a warm cup of tea, sipped from it slowly, and let the warmth travel down her back.

    Lying down in bed for too long can be tiring as well, she thought.

    After he was done, Yin Shixiong made himself a cup of tea and started chatting with Gu Nianzhi.

    After chatting for a while, Yin Shixiong naturally brought up the topic on He Zhichu to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, your Professor He treats you really well, doesn¡¯t he? Don¡¯t you think that he feels a certain sense of closeness with you?¡± Yin Shixiong took a sip from his tea, avoiding looking at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really interesting...¡± Yin Shixiong told Gu Nianzhi the entire situation about He Zhichu.

    ¡°Look, the year you started your University, he went to be the assistant professor at Harvard. Only two yearster, he got promoted to be their permanent faculty position.¡±

    ¡°Is that true? Professor He...graduated as a schr of Yale Law School, but he was already the shareholder of thergestw firm in America?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to one side. She seemed to be telling Yin Shixiong that his reasoning was not convincing enough.

    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong. He does have the capability. But, if he really was so capable, why didn¡¯t he remain as a professor in Harvard? Look here, he epted B University¡¯s invitationst year to be the consulting Professor for the PHD students. Right when you graduated, he suddenly decided to have a master¡¯s apprentice.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi fixedly.

    ¡°You think all of these are coincidences?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d initially felt that they were, but now that you put it this way, I definitely feel that they aren¡¯t coincidences.¡±

    If this had been just a year ago, Gu Nianzhi would definitely have retorted strongly; she would have been insulted at how someone had managed to set all of this up for her.

    Now, she just wished that she gotten her current opportunities based on her own merits. It was awful, doubting her ability and her aptitude.

    However, after what had happened recently, and how much He Zhichu knew about her ankle injury, she couldn¡¯t lie to herself with the notion of ¡®coincidences¡¯ anymore.

    All these thoughts had to be kept to herself; discussing them with Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t do much, since it was just spection.

    ¡°Good. It¡¯s good that you know that they are not coincidences.¡± Yin Shixiong stood up and winked at her. ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you now: Mr. Huo will ask you the same when he has the chance.¡±

    He left her room and took the empty dishes with him, leaving Gu Nianzhi alone in the room in a daze.

    ...

    It was already 11 at night by the time Huo Shaoheng finished his work and left the office building.

    Upon reaching his mansion, he went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, habitually, to take a look at her.

    Her suite was dark, so when Huo Shaoheng entered, he walked to the bedroom directly from themon area. There was no one on the bed when he arrived at the bedroom.

    Wondering where she was, he suddenly heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voiceing from the other side of the bedroom.

    ¡°Huo Shao, is that you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned. His eyes were already ustomed to the darkness. He saw Gu Nianzhi stand up from beside the table.

    She was not sleeping on the bed, but was sitting in the dark room, alone.

 Chapter 432 - No Concealing

    <h4>Chapter 432: No Concealing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng remembered it was already past 11:30 pm when he¡¯de in. ¡°You still need to recover,¡± he said. ¡°Even if Chen Lie says you¡¯re fine, who knows?¡± Huo Shaoheng approached Gu Nianzhi, took her hand, and walked her back to the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Hup Shaoheng, her eyes intent yet calm. They shimmered in the dark like the finest obsidian and, unlike the innocence they showed during the daytime, were dark and bottomless. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help holding her waist and bending to kiss her eyelids. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s supple body yielded to his powerful arms and bowed backward slightly. His kisses traveled down from her eyes past her delicate nose and finally to her full red lips. He savored her lips like they were his favorite candy. Gu Nianzhi gently nestled into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace. She only ever felt safe against his warm chest. The future seemed vague yet reachable, it was finally revealing its full expanse to her. Still, she didn¡¯t know everything it held nor what she faced ahead. She was certain about one thing¡ª whether the future was good or bad, her life would never be the same again. She could no longer hide under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wings and ignore the storm outside. Perhaps Huo Shaoheng had given her too much security, and she¡¯d never had to wonder what it would be like to have parents. But now she knew she had to force herself to recover everything she¡¯d lost: her memories, her family, and herplete personal history. If she couldn¡¯t recover them, she would never be able to stay with Huo Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to lose him.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to kiss her as he ced her onto the bed and drew the nkets over her. Leaning against the bed, he adjusted the nightlight, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face appeared like creamy ivory under its warm yellow glow. Huo Shaoheng caressed her face and asked, ¡°Nianzhi, how does He Zhichu treat you normally? Big Xiong and Little Ze said he treats you differently than the others. What do you think?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled. It knew what wasing. She was lucky Brother Xiong had given her a heads up otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have known how to answer. In the few hours since Yin Shixiong had left, Gu Nianzhi had already mentally prepared herself. Her instincts told her some things were too difficult to exin and shouldn¡¯t be said. Plus, she was worried Huo Shaoheng would get upset.

    ¡°Professor He is quite nice to me. Brother Xiong and Brother Ze should¡¯ve already told you what happened back in the States,¡± Gu Nianzhi said. She blinked, and her eyes glittered like stars in the dim light. Huo Shaoheng looked at her and was about to touch her when he stopped halfway and drew his hand back. He straightened her covers.

    ¡°Yeah, Professor He does treat me differently,¡± Gu Nianzhi said. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s like he really cares about me and other times he¡¯s weird to me. One time in the States, I identally angered him, and he kicked me out without saying another word. I had a foot injury back then, but he didn¡¯t care.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled again. Yes, she had also injured her foot thest time she¡¯d been in the States and, even though it wasn¡¯t as serious as this time, He Zhichu hadn¡¯t seemed to care. He kicked her out right away and didn¡¯t even call a car to drive her back. She was angry and in pain and she cursed He Zhichu countless times in her head. On the way back, she ran into Mei Xiawen who had flown all the way to see her. That was the time she¡¯d been slightly moved by his attempt to woo her. Another time, she¡¯d told He Zhichu there was a possibility she¡¯d be paralyzed. His response was condescending like she was making a joke. Why was he so sure she would be fine? Even Chen Lie couldn¡¯t guarantee that. Huo Shaoheng had been so anxious he¡¯d nearly tied her down to the seat so she couldn¡¯t move at all.

    But it would be a lie to say that He Zhichu didn¡¯t care about her at all. He was furious whenever someone tried to hurt her. She remembered that disgusting American campus policeman who had almost ced his hand on her face and how He Zhichu hade in with a gun. Gu Nianzhi had no doubt from his expression that he was capable of murder. If that policeman dared to touch her, He Zhichu would certainly have killed him. At the time, she didn¡¯t think about it too much. She was just grateful he¡¯d saved her. If it wasn¡¯t for the dramatic mood swings that followed and the way she discovered his peculiar feelings towards her, she wouldn¡¯t have distanced herself from him. But when she thought about all these interactions together, she had to wonder if He Zhichu was merely romantically interested in her. Would normal love, or even love at first sight, cause him to go to such extremes for her? Could he care for her this much? Sometimes she thought his concern even rivaled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t really carest time, so why is his reaction so different now?¡± Huo Shaoheng pondered. ¡°Can you think of any possible reasons?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a long moment, but decided not to tell him about the warning He Zhichu¡¯s had given her regarding ¡°her previous ligament injury.¡± She wanted to confirm with He Zhichu first before she said anything to Huo Shaoheng. Even the smallest things became catastrophic once they reached Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi turned over andid on her side so she could lean against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s leg. She rested her head on his strong calf and muttered, ¡°How would I know? He¡¯s always been moody. Once we were in his office, and I said one little thing wrong. His eyes turned lethal...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time then he patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how about you stop being his postgrad student and find a different professor?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi instinctively objected. She looked up to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s silent gaze, and her heart dropped. She had fallen into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s trap.

    Huo Shaoheng gracefully took back his hand, and his expression grew stern. He replied calmly, ¡°Is there something you haven¡¯t told me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. She knew she could no longer hide the truth. After struggling for a moment, she stuttered, ¡°One time, he got so angry, he nearly choked me. He said it wasn¡¯t his fault, that he couldn¡¯t find me. He said he¡¯d been searching for me for so many years.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nearly straightened his back and dragged Gu Nianzhi out from the nkets. He went pale. ¡°What did you say? He really said that to you? When was this!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze scared Gu Nianzhi, and she quickly answered, ¡°It wasn¡¯t too long ago. It was just when the semester started.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice grew lower, and his eyes darkened. His expression was so severe it looked like the sky before a great storm, suffocating and unrelenting.

    Gu Nianzhi licked her lips and nced at Huo Shaoheng before looking down to twiddle her fingers. ¡°I didn¡¯t think too much of it. I thought he must¡¯ve been on something and was going crazy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He Zhichu had revealed so many clues, but this sweet princess in front of him had ignored them all. She hadn¡¯t even thought to tell him. If it hadn¡¯t been for Yin Shixiong suggesting he go through Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng would¡¯ve had no idea how much important information Gu Nianzhi was hiding.

    ¡°From now on, you have to record absolutely everything He Zhichu says or does to you. You have to report to me every day, understand?¡± Huo Shaohengmanded her without room for objections, just like with his soldiers.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked reluctantly. ¡°But I¡¯m his student. Do I have to record all his lectures too?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the topic. You know what I mean.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up from the bed, his eyes stern. ¡°Don¡¯t ever let me find out you¡¯re hiding things from me again.¡± He looked at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Try to get some sleep. I¡¯ll go now.¡± Huo Shaoheng strode out of the room. He didn¡¯t go to his own suite but headed directly to his office building.

    Zhao Linagze was on duty and was shocked to see him. ¡°Mr. Huo, why are you back? Did something happen?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to his desk without looking back. ¡°Come to my office.¡±

    Zhao Liangze hurried after him. He closed the door and walked in front of Huo Shaoheng to ask, ¡°Mr. Huo, what do you need?¡±

    ¡°Put He Zhichu on surveince. Starting right now. Not a second can be missed.¡± Huo Shaoheng returned to his desk andposed himself.

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t notice anything amiss and epted themand. ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Returning to his workspace, Zhao Liangze opened a surveince program and began searching for information on He Zhichu¡¯s phone,ndline, and IP address. He nted a Trojan virus topletely track He Zhichu¡¯smunication. He knew his program was extremely discreet. It could have easily bugged the American CIA without leaving a trace.

    ...

    Late in the night, He Zhichu sat awake and alone on a single seater sofa in his room. He was about to take a sip from the ss of wine in his hand. No lights were on, and his face waspletely enshrouded in the darkness, his expression unreadable. In the quiet night, his phone suddenly chimed. He Zhichu checked his itzily and found a Trojan virus notification. He snickered softly, ¡°So they¡¯re bugging me. What a joke.¡±

 Chapter 433 - Own up myself

    <h4>Chapter 433: Own up myself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The doors and windows to the bedroom were closed tight. The ckced curtains from the French windows were not let down. Only the thince curtains meant to block out sunlight was drawn, keeping part of the brightness out of the room.

    He Zhichu looked at his phone and downed his red wine.

    Setting his wine ss down, he keyed inmands in his phone.

    He will not delete the program that invaded his phone. He will only tweak it slightly, letting it send what the person wanted to receive in the first ce ¨C only it was fake.

    Who said that he had to let the person eavesdropping hear the real things?

    They had the guts to eavesdrop, but don¡¯t have the brains to differentiate if the information were true or false?

    A mocking smile crept up He Zhichu¡¯s lips as he edited the program in no time.

    He spent some time fighting within himself to not check on the source of the program.

    He did not have suitable equipment, so he wasn¡¯t sure if the other party would know that he knew that his phone was invaded.

    He decided to feign ignorance.

    After He Zhichu was done editing, he came up with a set of data and saved them, sending them to the other party in a timely manner, so that they could hear his ¡®daily happenings¡¯. Of course, those were all fake.

    He was already in a bad mood, but it became better after finding this new entertainment.

    Checking through the edited program and making sure that it was all good, he kept his phone and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

    He looked himself in the mirror as he was brushing his teeth, and saw an utterly emotionless face.

    Was it due to her not being by his side, or was it because her heart and body will never belong to him anymore?

    He couldn¡¯t even tell which option hurt more.

    But from the program they sent to his phone, it seemed like they¡¯ve detected something.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips, and cleaned his hands on a white towel. It should be time now, he thought.

    What would he do if Gu Nianzhi never remembered what happened that time?

    He had to own up himself...

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Huo, professor He¡¯s daily activities were normal.¡± Zhao Liangze had been reporting He Zhichu¡¯s daily activities to Huo Shaoheng for the past few days. ¡°He¡¯s currently in Boston, Harvard University. Seems like the Law faculty had something that needed him to settle, but surprisingly, his assistant Wen Shouyi isn¡¯t in Harvard anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tapped his fingers on the desk and asked in a low voice: ¡°Where did she go to, then? Did you manage to find her?¡±

    ¡°Our men are currently searching for her in South America.¡± He hesitated before continuing: ¡°But it¡¯splicated there, the government behaved like puppets, not caring about anything. The people who were governing were the gangsters; they controlled the cities and even the viges.¡±

    In those countries in South America, the power and credibility government officials have were not even close to the millionaires or area gangsters. Actually, it was slightly rude to have called them gangsters, as it was not even clear as to who were the good and who were the bad.

    If there were no good people in the first ce, how could you say that they were gangsters?

    ¡°Yes, continue to follow up, never in any situation should you give up.¡± Huo Shaoheng said firmly. ¡°Even if you have to look under South America, find her.¡±

    ...

    After General Ji passed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words to the Army¡¯s Supreme Council, they held a special meeting to discuss the suggestion. After an intense discussion, they felt that his suggestion was doable.

    Therefore, they came to a consensus quickly and allowed total autonomy to the head of the Special Forces when ites to decisions within the department. Since Huo Shaoheng is the head of the Special Forces now, he will have total autonomy.

    The autonomy will be revoked once he isn¡¯t the head of the Special Forces anymore.

    And the Army¡¯s Supreme Council had the power to appoint the position of the Head of Special Forces.

    They wouldn¡¯t have to be worried that that the Special Forces would be an independent department that couldn¡¯t be controlled by anyone then.

    Regarding promoting Huo Shaoheng to the position the Vice Secretary of the Army¡¯s Supreme Council had taken effect almost immediately. He was also the head of the Special Forces at the same time, but the Army¡¯s Supreme Council decided to remain silent on this.

    They did not disagree, nor did they agree.

    Let people think what they want. This organization shouldn¡¯t be made known to the public anyway, it was just that they added another official position to Huo Shaoheng, and this position allowed him to be able to face the public.

    However, he still chose to remain low profile. He rejected appearing on televesion shows, magazines, newspapers and online.

    Regarding his appointment, it just took up a tiny space the size of a tofu in the Army¡¯s Internal Reference.

    ...

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu had been feeling moody ever since he was put under house arrest. He liked reading through his newspapers word by word when he had nothing to do, and there were times he even reads his newspapers twice.

    This day, he saw that Huo Shaoheng had been promoted. However, no matter how he looked through the papers, there were no news about him rted to the Special Forces in any way.

    Deputy chief of staff Xu went pale.

    This Huo Shaoheng is indeed capable...

    The only person Mrs. Xu was worried about while under house arrest was Xu Piaohong.

    ¡°Xu, do you think we¡¯re able to visit out daughter? We have no idea how she is being locked up in the station. We¡¯ve treated her like a princess since she was born; now she has to go through with such treatment, I¡¯m worried that she might not be able to take it...¡± Mrs. Xu began crying, wanting Deputy Chief of staff Xu to think of a way to allow them to pay Xu Piaohong a visit.

    Deputy Chief of staff Xu was also worried about his daughter.

    A group of soldiers from the Guards department came to their ce that day, holding a warrant of arrest signed by the General. With that, they brought Xu Piaohong away with no other exnation.

    His wife and himself wanted to give chase, but they were stopped. They were told that they would not be able to go anywhere until the case was resolved.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was furious at that time. He raised his voice at the guards, reminding them of his position and workload, and asked if they¡¯ll be responsible if he was to miss his datelines.

    However, shortly after, they received news that he was to be immobilized.

    Both Deputy Chief of Staff Xu and his wife admitted defeat, and did not dare to be rude to the guards again.

    Since they¡¯ve already decided to immobilize him, Deputy Chief of Staff Xu didn¡¯t care about how he¡¯d be affected anymore. He raised an appeal to the people who put him under home arrest to allow him a visit to his daughter. He also said that he would bring this matter to the military court if they do not grant him the visit.

    There was a time limit for house arrests. Once the limit was over, they¡¯d have to hand the matter over to the military court.

    Upon receiving his appeal, they had a discussion and agreed to his request.

    It had already been a week since Xu Piaohong was arrested when she saw her parents again.

    ¡°Mum! Dad! Save me! I don¡¯t want to be jailed!¡± Xu Piaohong was crying a river, and looked extremely haggard.

    There were no expensive beauty and skincare products in the station. Her skin was dry and oily, and looked less beautiful than before.

    Mrs. Xu looked at her daughter with empathy, and said chokingly: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Piaohong, Mommy will get you the bestwyer. They wouldn¡¯t be able to charge you as guilty.¡±

    Even though Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s heart also went to his daughter, he knew that she was indeed guilty, and already left a bad mark in her career. It¡¯s consequences was still ongoing, and no one knew if there would be any serious repercussions.

    It¡¯d be better to go to trial earlier for matters like this.

    ¡°Piaohong, wait for abit longer. Your case should be going for trial very soon.¡± Deputy Chief of Staff consoled her. ¡°When the timees, perhaps after a couple of years in jail, you¡¯d be...¡±

    ¡°What?! I really have to go to jail?! I don¡¯t want to! How could I face people if I were to go to jail?!¡± Xu Piaohong bawled her head off, and insisted that she wouldn¡¯t want to continue living if her parents didn¡¯t manage to save her from being sentenced to jail.

    She was making a scene in the visiting room in the station.

    Mrs. Xu cried along with her. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu could not control the both of them. He could only stand helplessly by the side, and allowed both mother and daughter to vent their frustrations.

    The officer who was standing guard however, was not having any of this.

    Walking in, she warned Xu Piaohong. ¡°Number 26! Be quiet! You¡¯d be viting the rule if you continue to be like that, and have to be subjected to punishments!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Punishments your ass! I¡¯m going to be sentenced to jail; why would I care about punishments?!¡± After holding it in for a week, Xu Piaohong honestly could not hold it in any longer. iling her arms, she charged at the female officer.

    The officer quickly took a taser out from her belt and shouted: ¡°Attacking the police! That¡¯s a serious offence! Number 26, think before you act!¡±

    It was toote when Xu Piaohong finally came to her senses. One of her iling arms went into contact with the taser, and her arm felt numb all over.

    The numbness travelled to her body, and within seconds, Xu Piaohong lost her bnce and fell to the floor, unable to get up for a long while.

    Mrs. Xu wanted to charge over when she saw Xu Piaohong being like that, and was warned by the officer. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer! You¡¯ll have to be punished if you do as well!¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu quickly held on to his wife, and brought her out of the visiting room.

    They began looking forwyers for Xu Piaohong the moment they got home.

    Upon knowing the causes of the case, most of thew firms did not wish to take it on. The one who agreed to take the case on finally, was still JDw firm, by a newly graduatedwyer, Jin Wanyi.

    They had to wait for a month for the case to be opened in court. Therefore, during this time, Jin Wanyi began visiting the Special Forces department, hoping to have a meet up with Yin Shixiong.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi did not know that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Forces had already locked He Zhichu as one of the key persons to be kept under surveince. She also did not know that Huo Shaoheng had already begun to listen in on He Zhichu¡¯s daily activities through his phone. She only knows that her phone is always open to Huo Shaoheng if he wants to look it through.

    Phonecalls that could get through to her were filtered. Not everyone could call her whenever they wanted.

    She focused on ¡®recuperating¡¯ in her room for an entire fortnight, and felt like she was turning mouldy.

    Thankfully, the moment the second week passed, Chen Lie sent a ¡®doctor¡¯s note¡¯ over, indicating that she had already ¡®fully recovered¡¯ and could return to school.

    Gu Nianzhi thanked Chen Lie gratefully: ¡°Thank you so much Brother Chen, I was so worried that I would have to be locked up for another fortnight!¡±

    ¡°Remember, never let the cat out of the bag.¡± Chen Lie reminded her softly. ¡°It¡¯s another fortnight to Xu Piaohong¡¯s hearing. Her representativewyer is currently trying to look for leads all over the ce. She seems rather enthusiastic about this. Don¡¯t fall for her tricks.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded: ¡°Got it. I studyw as well. If thewyer ever tries to get something out of me, she¡¯d need to put in a hell lot of effort.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi packed her things to return to school on Sunday evening.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t visited her for the past fortnight. He went somewhere on a work trip for a week, before returning to the Army¡¯s Supreme Council to do the handover of position of the Vice Secretary. His schedule was beyond packed.

    Gu Nianzhi only sent him a text before turning in every day. Huo Shaoheng would only reply when he had the time to.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone the entire day. She¡¯d be happy for the whole day whenever Huo Shaoheng sends her a reply.

    However, if there were nothing from him that day, she¡¯d be all moody and sad.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that she was going mad soon to ce all her source of emotions onto one single person.

    She wanted to leave this ce as soon as possible and return to school. She hoped that she wouldn¡¯t be so dependent that way.

    It was obvious that he did not like his girlfriend to be overly dependent.

    Carrying her bag and a small suitcase, she walked out from the mansion. She was waiting for Yin Shixiong to drive her to school.

    But Yin Shixiong was nowhere to be seen.

    After waiting for a long while, she Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to give him a call.

    Yin Shixiong only picked up after a while of ringing. Yin Shixiong said hastely: ¡°Nianzhi? I¡¯m at tha main gate. Can youe out on your own?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought she heard quarelling in the background. Hesitating, she asked: ¡°Brother Xiong, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Someone insisted on entering, so I was trying to stop her.¡± Yin Shixiong turned to the person, Jin Wanyi, who kept pestering him to grant her ess to the ce and said: ¡°Lawyer Jin, I¡¯m busy. I have to send someone out. I¡¯m going now. Others wouldn¡¯t have tempers as good as mine. Don¡¯t me me for not giving you a warning when you get arrested.¡±

 Chapter 434 - New and Old Rivalries

    <h4>Chapter 434: New and Old Rivalries</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Jin Wanyi poked her head out to peer at the end of the tree-lined path and asked dubiously, ¡°Is it really guarded? Are you trying to fool me?¡±

    ¡°When did I ever try to fool you?!¡± Yin Shixiong appeared insulted and puffed out his chest to exim, ¡°I am a righteous person who never lies to people. How can you question my morals?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Jin Wanyi was so flustered her cheeks turned red. ¡°Of course I believe you, but...¡± Before she could even finish the sentence, gentleughter sounded from not far away. The voice was like the tiny silver bells on the thettice work of silk potpourri pouches; it was indescribably sweet. Jin Wanyi couldn¡¯t help looking in the direction of theughter. Adjacent to them was a beautiful young girl wearing a soft yellow silk blouse, a white wool A-line skirt, and ck tall boots. She wore a backpack and also towed a small LV suitcase as she cutely stood underneath the evergreen tree and smiled at them. Her huge eyes were curved and bright .

    ¡°Hey? Are you Gu Nianzhi?¡± Ji Wanyi recognized her right away. ¡°Has your injury healed?¡± She surveyed Gu Nianzhi from head to toe and found her appearance to be energetic, with skin so milky it glowed with rosiness. Her eyes were bright and hair so dark and glossy that she didn¡¯t appear like she had ever suffered serious injury.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Hello, Lawyer Jin. Are you here to see Brother Xiong? I¡¯m sorry, he has to take me back to school first. Or do you want toe with us?¡±

    Jin Yanyi had onlye there to personally see Gu Nianzhi. She had epted Xu Piaohong¡¯s case and one of the main charges had to do with causing serious injury to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spine. Ever since Gu Nianzhi had the conflict with Xu Piaohong and her mother at the warehouse supermarket, the Xu¡¯s hadn¡¯t seen Gu Nianzhi. So Xu Piaohong was still insisting that Gu Nianzhi faked injury and would not be convinced even if Jin Wanyi obtained Gu Nianzhi¡¯s X-rays as well as the orthopaedic surgeons¡¯ medical note on her ankle dislocation. When it came to getting such clients, Jin Wanyi was troubled too. But since Xu Piaohong was her client, she must have her best interests in mind and take her personal views out of it. This was her professional creed. Now that Jin Wanyi was meeting Gu Nianzhi in person, she was also starting to have some doubts. Circling around the young girl twice, Jin Wanyi looked like she wanted to speak, but wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what she was thinking and graciously stuck out her previously dislocated ankle, ¡°It was this ankle that was dislocated. Thankfully the surgeon was skilled and reconnected it very well. Also, here,¡± She turned around so her back faced Jin Wanyi, ¡°My spine was hurting so much those few days that I couldn¡¯t even sit straight and had to lie down. We did X-rays and an MRI. What else does Lawyer Jin want to ask about?¡±

    Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi would have read her mind so thoroughly and answered nervously, ¡°I just wanted to see for myself. Are you really ok now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Yin Shixiong with a smile and saw his nomittal look. She turned back to Jin Wanyi and spread her palms. ¡°This I don¡¯t know. Injury to the bone isn¡¯t visible anyway. It doesn¡¯t hurt now, but I don¡¯t know it it¡¯llpse in the future.¡±

    This made sense. Gu Nianzhi had all the medical documentation and had recovered now. But it couldn¡¯t be said that any future problems were not be Xu Piaohong¡¯s fault. That wasn¡¯t howwsuits worked.

    Jin Wanyi nodded. ¡°Ok then, I¡¯ll go with you. My client is still in custody and the hearings won¡¯t begin for another two weeks. I wanted to discuss with Mss Gu if we could settle this outside of court?¡±

    Settlements outside of court meant circumventing legal procedures, but civil litigation and public apology was unavoidable. In most cases, a settlement outside of court was possible as long as it didn¡¯t involve a fatality or bodily harm. However, Gu Nianzhi had indeed suffered bodily harm and if it weren¡¯t for her luck and resources, she might have been paralyzed for the rest of her life. So of course she wouldn¡¯t agree under these circumstances. But considering Yin Shixiong¡¯s feelings, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to burn all the bridges with Jin Wanyi. She only answered vaguely, ¡°This incident is tooplicated so I can¡¯t answer you at this point. I¡¯m sorry, Lawyer Jin but I really do have to rush to school now.¡±

    It was getting dark out and Gu Nianzhi wanted to return to her dorm before the sun setpletely. Yin Shixiong made a call to ask someone to drive a Hummer SUV over to drive Gu Nianzhi to campus. Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t hesitate to follow inside and sat with Gu Nianzhi in the back row.

    Yin Shixiong sat in the front passenger seat and said to the driver, ¡°We¡¯re going to B University. Go through the south entrance to the post-grad dorms.¡± The Hummer SUV boomed to a start and left the Special Operations Base headquarters base to head towards B University.

    On the way there, Jin Wanyi kept staring at Gu Nianzhi and thought of ways to talk to her. After a while, she finally spoke. ¡°Miss Gu, your hands are so beautiful. What brand of hand cream do you use?¡± She even reached out to try to hold Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her and gave her hand graciously to Jin Wanyi to observe. ¡°Lawyer Jin, what kind of material are you looking for? You can ask me directly, instead of approaching me with pleasantries.¡±

    Jin Wanyi bit her lip for a some time but couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. She wanted nothing more but for Gu Nianzhi to take off her clothes so she could see her back. It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t agree, and there was also a formidable man sitting in the front. Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t dare y her tricks again and changed the topic instead to plead for Xu Piaohong¡¯s case.

    ¡°Miss Gu, was there a misunderstanding at the warehouse supermarket that day? My client is very sorry and deeply regrets what happened. Do you think you can overlook her immature rashness and give her a chance? Of course, there will be a reimbursement for your injuries and a formal apology as well. Must we take this to court?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quietly listened to Jin Wanyi and nced at her coolly. ¡°Lawyer Jin, we¡¯ve already given her a chance. Did she not tell you that this is the second time she¡¯s caused me trouble?¡±

    ¡°The second time?¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What other conflict happened between you two?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi told her about how Xu Piaohong had forcibly stopped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car on the Lunar New Year. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything at the time and just let it go. We thought she would stop being so rash in the future but our kindness turned into misfortune. If we had taught her a lesson back then, she wouldn¡¯t have taken it so far as to get even ustomed to doing things to me.¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s mouth twitched from listening. She secretly thought that she would¡¯ve never assumed that Xu Piaohong to be such a troublemaker. Actually, she did know whether this incident could be easily settled outside court. No matter how she looked at it, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look like she had been seriously injured, and that was why Jin Wanyi thought she should convince her to withdraw the charges and smoothly resolve the case.

    Jin Wanyi refused to let Gu Nianzhi go until they arrived at her dorm building. Gu Nianzhi was in a rush to go up and humored her. ¡°Actually it¡¯s not up to me whether or not the charges are withdrawn. It¡¯s the police that normally presse charges in these cases of bodily harm. I suggest that you go discuss with the prosecutor first.¡±

    ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll go talk to the prosecutor.¡± Jin Wanyi agreed to her suggestion and got out of the car with her. Standing in front of the car door, Jin Wanyi squinted at the newly renovated postgrad students¡¯ dorm building and said with envy, ¡°It¡¯s pretty nice here! What floor are you on?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled but didn¡¯t answer her before turning to wave at Yin Shixiong. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, Brother Xiong.¡±She towed her small suitcase through the building entrance and went straight towards the elevators.

    Jin Wanyi watched Gu Nianzhi get inside the elevator and turned to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Please, can you take me back? My car is still parked near you guys.¡±

    ¡°How annoying.¡± Yin Shixiong huffed. ¡°Lawyer Jin, that¡¯s not somewhere you can park as you please. You don¡¯t need to go back either. Your car has probably been towed away by now.¡± He wrote a phone number for her. ¡°This is the number for the tow truckpany. Call them to get your car back.¡± Yin Shiixong returned to the car and ordered the driver to go.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes dimmed at Yin Shixiong¡¯s attitude and she nced at the phone number before leaving B University.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi went back to her dorm room and Ma Qiqi stormed out of her room as soon as she opened the door. ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you back now?!¡± She lunged to her with a giggle and Gu Nianzhi hastily stepped back with a smile. ¡°I just recovered, so you need to stop. Stop right now!¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯sughter was especially loud and the entire hallway could hear her. ¡°Great! Great! You¡¯re ok right? People kept saying you might be paralyzed!¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Gu Nianzhi was curious. ¡°Who cares about me that much?¡±

    ¡°Care about you?¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s giggles turned into snickers. ¡°That person wished for you to be paralyzed forever!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi set down her suitcase cheerfully and was just about to remove her boots when someone called her name loudly from behind, ¡°Gu Nianzhi! You¡¯re too cunning! Not only did you set me up, but my cousin too! What did I ever do to you?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to see an enraged Miao Yunxiao with her hands balled into fists and tears streaking down her face.

 Chapter 435 - Out of the Trap

    <h4>Chapter 435: Out of the Trap</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and looked at Miao Yunxiao who was about to choke up with tears. She turned to Ma Qiqi and said, ¡°go inside, Qiqi. I have something to say to Miao Yunxiao.¡±

    Ma Qiqi looked between Miao Yunxiao and Gu Nianzhi with a worried expression and spoke to Miao Yunxiao. ¡°Remember, Miao Yunxiao. We are ssmates. We¡¯ll be spending a lot of time together over the next two and a half years. Don¡¯t overdo anything.¡± Nodding to Gu Nianzhi, she turned and went back to her room.

    Miao Yunxiao chuckled after Ma Qiqi as she left. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Afraid to let your roommate know what you¡¯ve done? So you¡¯re just the same, huh?¡±

    All of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s amicable intentions disappeared in thin air as she heard the wordse out of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s mouth. She didn¡¯t want to waste any more time, so Gu Nianzhi just pointed to the door and calmly said, ¡°get out.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao did not expect Gu Nianzhi to chase her out of her room. What bad manners!

    ¡°Why should I leave? I¡¯m not the one with a guilty conscious,¡± Miao Yunxiao said. She clenched her fists, and her messy hair fell over her shoulders making her look like an angry Chow Chow puppy.

    ¡°You will leave because I asked you to. This is my dorm. I have the right to ask you to go.¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to point towards the door, her tone nothing but firm. ¡°Get lost.¡±

    ¡°Oooh, you¡¯re just going to chase me out? No wonder people say you have no manners. No parents to give you a proper upbringing, huh?¡±

    p!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pped Miao Yunxiao¡¯s face before she had even finished her sentence.

    ¡°Badmouth my parents like that again, and I¡¯ll p you every time Iy my eyes on you!¡±

    One side of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s face was numb, but she smiled wryly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Using violence just because you can¡¯t outsmart me. That just won¡¯t do.¡± She took out her phone and called the school¡¯s security. ¡°Help! Someone hit me! I¡¯ve been attacked! I¡¯m in the new masters female dormitory!¡±

    The security rushed to the sixth floor immediately. Gu Nianzhi realized she¡¯d fallen into Miao Yunxiao¡¯s trap the moment she called the security.

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s anger and humiliating words about her parents had made her so angry she¡¯dshed out and hit Miao Yunxiao. She¡¯d made a mistake the moment she¡¯d initiated violence. Now, Miao Yunxiao had a reason to file awsuit against Gu Nianzhi. Unless Gu Nianzhi agreed to remove her charges against Xu Piaohong, Miao Yunxiao would bring her to court as well. It was a continuous trap, and the main goal was to force Gu Nianzhi to remove her charges against Xu Piaohong. When Gu Nianzhi realized what she¡¯d done her gaze darkened.

    Still, she had no regrets. Even if she¡¯d known Miao Yunxiao¡¯s n beforehand, she still would have hit her.

    She couldn¡¯t just let Miao Yunxiao get her way just like that. Miao Yunxiao wanted her to fall into a trap. Well, it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and suddenly charged at Miao Yunxiao. She took her hair and banged her head against the wall.

    Miao Yunxiao was shocked. Why would Gu Nianzhi attack her after she¡¯d already called security! Did she want to go to jail?

    Even if Gu Nianzhi had gone crazy, Miao Yunxiao couldn¡¯t just let her bang her head against the wall like that. If she got a concussion or suffered any permanent damage she¡¯d suffer even more than her cousin.

    In a moment of panic, Miao Yunxiao grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly. She was nervous so she was even stronger than normal, and she bruised Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist. Using her other hand, she tried to push Gu Nianzhi away.

    Ma Qiqi had only exited the room for a few minutes before she started hearing noises outside. She rushed out immediately and was greeted with a fight between Gu Nianzhi and Miao Yunxiao. Gu Nianzhi was grabbing Miao Yunxiao¡¯s hair, and Miao Yunxiao was twisting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist.

    Ma Qiqi ran over and held Miao Yunxiao¡¯s wrist with one hand and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm with another. ¡°Use your words! Don¡¯t fight! Stop this now!¡±

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s scalp was hurting from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s firm grip. She didn¡¯t want to be mmed against the wall again, so she used all her strength in an attempt to push Ma Qiqi aside, and kick Gu Nianzhi at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi had learned martial arts from Huo Shaoheng, and even though she only knew the basics, she was very flexiblepared to other girls. Even though she looked messy fighting Miao Yunxiao, she knew exactly what she was doing. She only exposed strong areas of her body like her shoulders and back.

    Ma Qiqi had learned ballet for many years. Though it was difficult, she was also flexible enough to handle stopping both Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi. Miao Yunxiao thought Gu Nianzhi wanted to seriously injure her, and her strength to protect herself was extremely strong.

    Miao Yunxiao was kicking Gu Nianzhi when the security officers arrived. Gu Nianzhi had to take care of Ma Qiqi and keep a lookout for peopleing at the same time. In a moment of distraction, Miao Yunxiao¡¯s kicknded on her shin. Even though she managed to move away in time, her shin was still hit by the heel of Miao Yunxiao¡¯s stiletto. It hurt quite a bit.

    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡±

    ¡°Stop fighting!¡±

    The security officers came in together and twisted Miao Yunxiao¡¯s arms.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Hand over your identity card!¡±

    ring at Gu Nianzhi, Miao Yunxiao groaned in pain and anger. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! You¡¯re a cunning snake!¡±

    Ma Qiqi quickly helped Gu Nianzhi up. ¡°How¡¯s your leg? Oh no, another injury! Will you have to recuperate for another two weeks again!¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. She got up slowly with Ma Qiqi¡¯s help and pointed at Miao Yunxiao. ¡°Thank goodness you guys came. It¡¯s her! She came to our dormitory and started this whole fight. She even insulted us! I tried to reason with her, but it was no use, and she started fighting me.¡±

    ¡°She hit me first! I was defending myself!¡± Miao Yunxiao¡¯s tears fell freely from her face, as the two huge security officers pinned her. ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person! I was the one who made the phone call!¡±

    ¡°It was you?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Check the number on your phone!¡± Miao Yunxiao was furious. ring at Gu Nianzhi, she vowed to not let her get away with this. She was still hoping to make Gu Nianzhi revoke her charges against her cousin. Now she was suddenly involved in a fight, and it had even been witnessed by the school¡¯s security officers.

    Hitting someone on your own ord and being involved in a fight were two totally different issues and had very different legal responsibilities. The officers looked at each other and were just about to check the phone when Gu Nianzhiughed wryly. ¡°Ha, so well nned. Just call the police beforehand, and you¡¯re off the hook, huh?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao was furious. She turned to look at Ma Qiqi and shouted, ¡°Qiqi! Say something! Who started the fight?¡±

    Feeling wronged, Ma Qiqi narrated what she¡¯d seen. ¡°I was in the room so I didn¡¯t see who started the fight. I only know they¡¯d already started fighting by the time I was here, and Miao Yunxiao was insulting Nianzhi nonstop.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her bruised wrist and showed it to the security officers. ¡°Here, and my leg too. It¡¯s all bruised. I can go to the school¡¯s clinic to get them verified.¡±

    ¡°I have bruises too!¡± Miao Yunxiao said quickly, not wanting to look like the guilty party. ¡°I can even go to the Forensic Lab to get them verified!¡±

    ¡°You want to get your bruises verified by a Forensic Scientist? Are you crazy?¡± Gu Nianzhi made sure to lookpletely shocked. ¡°Sounds like you had this all nned out. You nned to start a fight with me just so you could prove I injured you. You wanted to look like the victim, didn¡¯t you? You really are something Miao Yunxiao. This is a case of false usation, officers! I will not give in. If you want to y it this way, I¡¯ll be seeing you in court!¡±

    The n, which Miao Yunxiao had thought was perfect, was now seamlessly pushed back on her, and there was nothing she could do. It wasn¡¯t like she could say yes, that was indeed my n all along, how else could I get you to revoke your charges against my cousin!

    Now it was all down the drain. She¡¯d been beat, but it was no help at all.

    The method the person had told her to try hadn¡¯t worked.

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s expression changed. There was redness from a p, which didn¡¯t look as obvious under her messy hair. Moreover, there was also redness on one side of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. The corner of one of her eyes was also bruised. It was a ssic case of a student catfight. If incidents like catfights could be brought to court, judges would be tired to death. The school¡¯s security officers had no intention of bringing a catfight case to court.

    The facts remained the same: Hitting someone on your own ord and being involved in a fight were two totally different issues, and had very different legal responsibilities. Hitting someone on your own ord was a serious crime and would have serious consequences. However, a fight between two people that didn¡¯t involve serious injuries only required an investigation report by a school counselor.

    The security officers were extremely familiar with the procedures and got them done in no time. It wasn¡¯t long before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s home teacher, He Zhichu, and Miao Yunxiao¡¯s home teacher both got wind of what had happened. Their counselor, Gui Suyao was also called to the dormitory.

    He Zhichu had justnded when he received the call. He rushed back to school immediately. Huo Shaoheng was also quickly notified of the incident. Zhao Liangze stared at his phone in disbelief after receiving the information. Then he ran to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Huo, Nianzhi just fought with someone in school. She¡¯s now required to cooperate with investigations.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent.

 Chapter 436 - All Here

    <h4>Chapter 436: All Here</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°A fight? Why? How did she end up fighting? Did she get hurt?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked Zhao Linagze a string of questions. He finally paused then asked as an afterthought, ¡°Did she win?¡±

    Zhao Liangze sighed. How was he supposed to answer that?

    ¡°I was just asking.¡± Upon seeing Zhao Liangze¡¯s face, Huo Shaoheng stopped asking and stood up from his seat. He put on his coat. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what happened.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no rush.¡± Zhao Linagze struggled topose himself; he had never been a smooth talker like Yin Shixiong. After experiencing a series of unexpected shocks, he stuttered, ¡°Well... it¡¯s not... it¡¯s not anything major and she¡¯s not seriously injured either. Just a bit of bruising.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued walking to the door without stopping and replied calmly, ¡°Who did she fight with? You haven¡¯t told me yet.¡±

    Zhao Liangze caught up with him. ¡°Big Xiong already went to campus to deal with it. We received news that she had an argument with Miao Yunxiao, who was her original roommate. They haven¡¯t gotten along since the first day and she, the roommate, was kicked out eventually.¡± Zhao Liangze read over Miao Yunxiao¡¯s information, ¡°Her aunt is Xu Piaohong¡¯s mother, so she¡¯s cousins with Xu Piaohong.¡±

    ¡°Is she standing up for her cousin? Does she not that know picking a fight won¡¯t resolve the problems her cousing is having?¡±

    ¡°That our personnel isn¡¯t sure of. They only know that the two girls fought in the dorm room and alerted campus police. Afterwards, their respective instructors and tutors were also notified.¡± Zhao Liangze looked down at the notice sent from B University, along with live photos. Of course, the images weren¡¯t clear. After Gu Nianzhi turned 18, their personnel no longer watched over her 24 hours a day but only had colleagues nearby check on her when they heard something happened. They would then message Huo Shaoheng.

    ncing at the photos in Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand, Huo Shaoheng could see that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem seriously hurt. Her face was a little red and there seemed to be a bruise at the corner of her eyes, but it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. Gu Nianzhi had learned several military punches and holds from him and had good form, but because she was physically weak, the effects were average. Military martial arts required knocking out an enemy with one blow, but Gu Nianzhi could only make a moderately effective impact . However, she had no problem defending herself. Huo Shaoheng had been relieved when he heard that she had only fought with her fellow female post-grad student, Miao Yunxiao. His anxiety was gone but he was a little curious about what caused the altercation. He asked, ¡°Why do you think Miao Yunxiao hit Nianzhi? And Nianzhi actually fought with her too?¡±

    Zhao Liangze thought resignedly, Boss, you can¡¯t side with her so obviously! Although both Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were protective of Gu Nianzhi as well, they were much more discreet and knew how to fake a proper reaction to appear fair and impartial. But when it came to Huo Shaoheng, he seemed to naturally push all the me onto the other person involved.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked back at him, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s always had a good temper and her personality is soft. Unless she¡¯s truly angry, she would never fight back.¡±

    Zhao Liangze could only nod furiously, ¡°Yes, yes, our Nianzhi is kind and generous, and she never picks fights. Last time she fought was when she beat a traitor. This time...maybe it¡¯s another traitor?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Miao Yunxiao is not a traitor I think, but...¡± Recalling Miao Yunxiao and Xu Piaohong¡¯s rtionship, something clicked in his mind.

    ¡°Could this have something to do with Xu Piaohong¡¯s case?¡±

    Zhao Liangze remembered how just before, when Yin Shixiong rushed to B University, he had told him that Xu Piaohong¡¯s defensewyer, Jin Wanyi, wished to settle with Gu Nianzhi outside of court.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, there¡¯s something that Big Xiong mentioned before he left. He said that Xu Piaohong¡¯s defensewyer, Jin Wanyi, had personally mentioned to Nianzhi that she hoped that she would withdraw the charges and settle outside court,¡± Zhao Liangze informed him.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and looked sharply at him ¡°When was this? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°It happened not long ago. Big Xiong already wrote it on the daily report. You probably didn¡¯t get a chance to see it yet,¡± Zhao Liang said hastily; he was truly terrified by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s look.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him a few moments longer and then closed his eyes before saying quietly, ¡°We will refuse to settle outside of court.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Zhao Liangze instantly noted it down and sent it to Yin Shixiong. The two men had just gotten out of the elevator of the office building when Huo Shaoheng received a call from General Ji¡¯s personal secretary.

    ¡°Mr. Huo? Our soldiers in South America ran into some issues. Can youe over to discuss this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°South America? Is this rted to our Special Operations Forces?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rted to everyone, including your personnel and ones from other departments.¡± The personal secretary¡¯s voice was anxious but he still forced himself to stay calm. It was obvious that the situation was very serious; they weren¡¯t people who were flustered easily. It was usually impossible to tell that anything was amiss from their exterior. Only those familiar with them could detect something hidden in their tone and demeanor.

    Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng anxiously and mouthed to him, ¡°Does this have to do with Nianzhi¡¯s past?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered it carefully and shook his head as he whispered back, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be, the personnel going to investigate this in South America are on ssified missions. No one from the military knows.¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s soldiers from other departments from the military, and most of them are from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.¡± Zhao Liangze concluded. ¡°Mr. Huo, what are you going to do? Are you going to the military headquarters or B University?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watched before asking, ¡°What time is the meeting?¡±

    The personal secretary on the other end was uncertain. ¡°I think It¡¯ll start when everyone is here, pleasee right away.¡±

    ¡°When everyone is there? How many people? How are they alling there? If you don¡¯t exin properly, can you really say that you¡¯ve delivered a message for General Ji?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t hesitate to berate General Ji¡¯s personal secretary. ¡°I¡¯m also very busy.¡±

    The other man stayed quiet for a moment and chuckled nervously. ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯s a night on the weekend...¡± he trailed off, the underlying implication that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t busy, apparent.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t exin why he was busy on a weekend or say that the Special Ops had no concept of weekends or holidays. He countered, ¡°Think about my question before calling me back.¡± He ended the call and said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°We¡¯re going to B University first.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded and got into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car with him. They quickly drove to B University.

    ...

    He Zhichu¡¯s car sped through the streets from the airport and continued making shortcuts until he arrived to B University in the half the usual time. He went in through the south entrance. Instead of going to his residence in the professors¡¯ building, he went straight to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm. His khaki trench coat ring out from behind and a slim briefcase in one hand, he walked out of the car. As he did, he caught the attention of students passing through the female dorm building. They all recognized He Zhichu but didn¡¯t dare greet him because he was notoriously stoic and usually ignored any greetings. Under the streetmps, his almond shaped eyes and unusually handsome face contrasted with his serious demeanor. Many adoring pairs of eyes were instantly shot down in silence. With a grim expression, He Zhichu strode into the building.

    The older female resident advisor stopped him boldly but asked with trepidation, ¡°May I ask who you¡¯re looking for? All men entering the female dorm need to register first.¡± Of course, the post-grad dorm was not regted as heavily as the undergraduate dorm, where no men could enter at all. They had to ask the resident advisor to call the girls and meet downstairs.

    He Zhichu nced at her and spat out, ¡°I¡¯m a professor here to see my student, who has been injured.¡±

    An enthusiastic student piped up, ¡°Resident Advisor, this is Professor He from our Faculty of Law. His student also lives in our building.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see. This way please Professor He.¡± The female resident advisor stared at He Zhichu as he walked inside the elevator before remembering that he hadn¡¯t registered yet.

    He Zhichu walked into the elevator and took out his phone to call Gu Nianzhi. Inside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm room, the campus police were still controlling the situation. Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi sat on the couch in the room, while a tangled haired Miao Yunhao was at the other side of the living room. Two female campus police officers stood beside her because she kept ring viciously at Gu Nianzhi. The officers were worried she would try to attack Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 437 - Meeting On the Narrow Path

    <h4>Chapter 437: Meeting On the Narrow Path</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The silence in the dormitory was broken by the sound of a ringing phone.

    Nianzhi heard her phone from the sofa and went over to take it out of her bag.

    It was He Zhichu, her home teacher. She knew she¡¯d have to write him a report about the incident. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but feel worried.

    She thought He Zhichu had gone to America two weeks ago. Was he back already? What great timing...

    Gu Nianzhi slid open her phone reluctantly and answered. ¡°Hello?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Are you okay, Nianzhi?¡±

    Instead of scolding her, He Zhichu¡¯s first reaction was one of concern. Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m okay, Professor He,¡± she whispered. ¡°Where are you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked after hesitating.

    He Zhichu remained silent. After a while, he knocked on the door and replied, ¡°outside your door.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in shock. She looked between the door and the security officers and said awkwardly, ¡°erm, my home teacher, Profesor He, is here.¡±

    The security officers quickly opened the door. Standing in the doorway was a tall handsome man with extremely sharp features. He wore a long tan coat and exuded an unexinable sense of authority.

    He looked across the room coldly and saw Gu Nianzhi standing next to the sofa. Her face was slightly swollen, and the corner of one of her eye was bruised. He Zhichu strode into the room and went directly to Gu Nianzhi as if no one else was there. He raised her chin gently, looked closely at her bruised eye and pressed it lightly. Gu Nianzhi drew a sharp breath and cowered away from his touch.

    She frowned and grumbled, ¡°don¡¯t touch that. It hurts like crazy.¡±

    ¡°Who did this?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was clear and cold and didn¡¯t contain any emotions. However, people who heard it felt an immense sense of stress.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted but did not speak. She only looked towards the direction of Miao Yunxiao.

    Ma Qiqi pointed at Miao Yunxiao who was on the other end of the living room. ¡°It was her. I saw it.¡±

    A chill went down Miao Yunxiao¡¯s spine when she saw He Zhichu look at her. ¡°She started it! She hit me first! Look at my face. She did this!¡±

    She exposed the side of her face. A faint handprint could be seen. He Zhichu rolled his eyes and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why did she hit you?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao¡¯s eyes widened. She could not believe what she¡¯d just heard with her very own ears. He Zhichu was so obviously biased! He was too much! What about his ethics? What about his reputation? Didn¡¯t he care about that anymore?

    ¡°Professor He, how can you talk like that? It was she who hit me first. You¡¯re making me seem like I¡¯m in the wrong!¡± Miao Yunxiao was panicking. She couldn¡¯t allow them to make her the scapegoat.

    He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t have noticed Miao Yunxiao, but she was making a lot of noise which was giving him a headache.

    Looking at Miao Yunxiao again, he asked coldly, ¡°you said she hit you first. Okay, where is your evidence? Witnesses and evidence. Take them out, and we¡¯ll have a look.¡±

    Miao Yunxiao was speechless. She and Gu Nianzhi had been the only people in the living room at that time. Ma Qiqi hadn¡¯t been there, so there was no one else could have witnessed what had happened.

    Clenching her fists, Miao Yunxiao turned to re at Gu Nianzhi. So cunning and scheming! She would have recorded the entire incident on a small camera had she known they were people like this...

    ¡°So you said she hit you first without any evidence to back you up? You¡¯re from the Law faculty, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯d suggest your home teacher reconsider your qualifications to be a Masters student. How did you even pass the entrance exam with so little understanding of how thew works. ¡± He Zhichu mocked Miao Yunxiao mercilessly.

    Tears filled Miao Yunxiao¡¯s eyes. She was furious! How could he mock her like that? But she didn¡¯t dare retort He Zhichu. Everything that came from him was reasonable. From the eyes of thew, she truly did not have any evidence that Gu Nianzhi had started the fight.

    Gu Nianzhi could easily use her of starting the fight. Like Miao Yunxiao, her words would not be taken into consideration due to the fact that she was also one of the people involved.

    ¡°But...¡± Miao Yunxiao stopped herself. She looked from the expressionless He Zhichu to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calm face then to the security officers in the room.

    She felt like they were all mocking her. In a moment of anger and panic, she said, ¡°Professor He, how can you only speak up for her? You can¡¯t do that!¡±

    A female voice came from the door. ¡°Professor He is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s home teacher. Why would he help you? He doesn¡¯t know you.¡±

    Everyone turned and saw thew faculty counselor, Gui Suyao. She spoke on He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side the moment she entered the room. Miao Yunxiao felt hopeless. Even the counselor was helping Gu Nianzhi!

    Covering her face, she turned around and began sobbing.

    He Zhichu frowned. With on hand in his pocket and the other holding on to his suitcase, he turned to Gui Suyao. ¡°Counselor Gui, I was merely stating the facts and had no intention of taking sides. They¡¯re both students from the Law faculty, and I¡¯m a professor from the Law faculty. There¡¯s no way I would take sides.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Wow! A truewyer indeed. Saying such nonsense with a straight face. What a role model!

    In order to be an excellentwyer, one had to be careful not to let people use words against you. One should not admit to anything that wasn¡¯t politically correct, even if the person was merely trying to be nice.

    Gui Suyao had not expected He Zhichu to be so polite. She felt awkward, and her face turned red in front of the students and security officers.

    Miao Yunxiao pursed her lips and thought. The words from this Professor He sounded pompous, and there were no mistakes in his speech at all. It was obvious that he was helping Gu Nianzhi, but no one could put any sort of me on his words. She had had enough...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even dare to raise her head. She was worried someone would see the smile creeping up the corners of her lips.

    The security officers from the living room quickly came over to break the ice. The head officer of the school was a middle-aged man who was almost 40. He smiled and spoke to He Zhichu.

    ¡°You¡¯re Professor He? We just spoke on the phone. She¡¯s your student?¡± He pointed at Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°I am her home teacher. May I know if you still have anything for her? I need to take her to the doctor to treat her wounds.¡±

    ¡°Please go ahead.¡± The officer nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have them each write a reflection essay and hand them to their respective home teachers. Then we can call this off.¡±

    He Zhichu rolled his eyes at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head even more.

    ¡°I need to find out exactly what happened today. Sorry for the trouble.¡± He Zhichu thanked all the officers politely and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Follow me. I have things to rify with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. Picking up her bag from the sofa, she followed He Zhichu out of the room quietly.

    Miao Yunxiao fumed. ¡°She can leave just like that?¡±

    ¡°What else do you want? You want her to appear in court with you?¡± The officer mocked her. ¡°In the future, don¡¯t call security unless there¡¯s an actual problem, okay?¡±

    ¡°An actual problem?¡± Miao Yunxiao was so mad she couldn¡¯t even speak properly. ¡°How can you say that! She ¨C she ¨C she hit me! That¡¯s why I called security!¡±

    ¡°She hit you, and you hit her back even harder, right?¡± The officer shook his head. ¡°Listen to me. Forget it. It wasn¡¯t serious anyway. Why harp on it?¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu out of the elevator. A handsome figure in a Major General¡¯s uniform walked towards her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew even bigger than Ma Qiqi¡¯s.

    What is going on? Why was Huo Shao here!

 Chapter 438 - Chain Reaction

    <h4>Chapter 438: Chain Reaction</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi returned to school but Huo Shao didn¡¯t show up and only asked Yin Shixiong to drop her off. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be very busy? Gu Nianzhi was both surprised and dissatisfied. She looked up and sadly watched Huo Shaoheng walk toward hers.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at her; he hadn¡¯t expected He Zhichu to arrive already. This man had arrived from abroad too quickly and just in time. Though Huo Shaoheng was irritated, he appeared unaffected and reached out to shake He Zhichu¡¯s hand with a smile.

    ¡°Professor He? How nice to meet you.¡± He sounded as if they were meeting for the first time even though they had crossed paths several times before. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled but she remained quiet. Eyes drifting between Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu¡¯s faces, Gu Nianzhi was unsure of what they were doing.

    He Zhichu also scoffed to himself, but didn¡¯t reveal anything in his nk expression. He did not shake Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and only looked at him, asking coolly, ¡°May I ask who you are?¡± You¡¯re pretending we¡¯re meeting for the first time? Then let¡¯s see it to the end. Afterall, he couldn¡¯t call him, ¡°Major General Huo¡± in a public ce like that idiot Xu Piaohong had. That would be walking right into a trap.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that He Zhichi was aware of his identity, so his caution and wariness decreased somewhat. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and berated her sternly. ¡°Nianzhi, I just heard that you fought with a ssmate at school. What have I been teaching you all this time?¡± He then looked at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He is Nianzhi¡¯s instructor, so are you also here to deal with this?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s nodded reluctantly and snorted. ¡°This situation is ratherplicated. You shouldn¡¯t be so quick to scold her. Also, who are you exactly? Stop wasting time. I¡¯m going to take Nianzhi to a doctor to check for injury.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t be bothering Professor He with that.¡± Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t allow He Zhichu to go see just any doctor. He gave his hand to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come here Nianzhi,e back with me. You¡¯ve always been treated by Brother Chen. It¡¯s better to see a familiar doctor.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart dropped but he now also understood that in the past six years they must have realized Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution. This wasn¡¯t good. He Zhichu frowned slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi finally looked up made the introductions. ¡°Professor He, this is Huo Shao.¡± She then said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, Professor He is my instructor. The campus police were the ones who alerted him.¡± She then pouted. ¡°What a pain. I still have to write a reflection report.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still unwilling to do it?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone grew more stern. ¡°How old are you now? Can¡¯t you control your own emotions? Last time you caused a big mess in the United States and had to bother Professor He to clean it up. Now you¡¯re troubling him again. Aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears surged at the scolding but she forced herself to not let the tears fall. They welled in her eyes and made her eyes look even more doe-like. Making fists, she wanted to defend herself but could only keep quiet when she saw the growing number of ssmates onlooking. She turned her head away and, scoffing loudly to indicate her dissatisfaction.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes dimmed. No matter how he saw it, this was a good opportunity to educate Gu Nianzhi. A little impatience spoils great ns, and in order to be with him, she couldn¡¯t be foolish and not assess situations like Xu Piaohong.

    He Zhichu saw that saw that there were indeed more and more students around so it wasn¡¯t a good ce to talk. He made a suggestion. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s go to my office first and sort out what happened today. If Mr. Huo has a regr doctor who¡¯s easy to talk to, send him to my office to give Nianzhi a checkup.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng made a motion with his hand. From behind him, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong hurried over. ¡°Yes, Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Big Xiong, go take a look and investigate what happened. Also call Dr. Chen; have hime to Professor He¡¯s office. You have the address, right?¡± After giving Yin Shixiong the instructions, Huo Shaoheng said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Little Ze,e with me and Nianzhi to Professor He¡¯s office for a chat.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed to He Zhichu. ¡± I¡¯ll take up your offer.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded and said to Gu Nianzhi without looking at her, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze followed them at an unhurried pace and arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s residence on the 28th floor of the professors¡¯ building. As soon as Zhao Liangze entered, he discreetly used the Special Ops¡¯ detection device to scan the living room to ensure there were no eavesdropping or IR recording devices. He gave Huo Shaoheng a nod to indicate that everything was normal. Huo Shaoheng walked inside with peace of mind.

    Gu Nianzhi hung her head and sat alone on the oval corner sofa in the middle of the living room of He Zhichu¡¯s suite. He Zhichu went into his room. Huo Shaoheng chose to sit next to her. He asked in a serious tone, ¡°Can you tell me now why you fought back? It doesn¡¯t matter who did it first. It¡¯s still not right.¡±

    With no one else present, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears fell freely. She wiped them with the back of her hand and turned her head away from Huo Shaoheng. ¡°She...she cursed me for being a bastard orphan child with no father!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. What a vicious and cruel thing to say, he thought angrily. The scolding he had nned to give Gu Nianzhi died away. Heposed himself and wondered if he had been too strict with her. Afterall, she was still young and because she had grown up under his protection, she had only had been in contact with society in thest two years; up until then, she had only the soldiers as her role models, so she¡¯d reciprocated their blunt and rough manner, quick fire temper, and unyielding stance on pride and loyalty. Should he have given her a gradual transition? Before Huo Shaoheng could decide how to answer her properly, He Zhichu had appeared in the living room.

    Expression stony, he walked up to Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°What did she say? Miao Yunxiao really said that to you?!¡± Though he hadn¡¯t raised his voice, his tone was enough to chill one to the core.

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk back and looked up at He Zhichu, then Huo Shaoheng. She assumed they didn¡¯t believe her and when she wiped her face with the back of her hand again, she found her face streaked with tears. No longer concerned about her appearance, she began to shout, ¡°She did say that! If she hadn¡¯t been so vicious, why would I have hit her?!¡±

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were silent, their serious eyes focused onto Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head up arrogantly, unwilling to back down. ¡°Yes! I hit her first! If she curses my parents again, I¡¯ll hit her again!¡±

    Do you even remember who your parents are? The words echoed in both men¡¯s minds at the same time, but neither said it out loud because that would be throwing salt on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wound. In her state right now, she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s leave it be.¡± Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment. He couldn¡¯t encourage Gu Nianzhi to beat Miao Yunxiao every time she saw her again, nor tell her to bear the humiliation in silence. With He Zhichu present, there were many things Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t say in detail.

    On the other hand, He Zhichu refused to let it go. ¡°What do you mean leave it be? She cursed Nianzhi so viciously and beat her too¡ªeven if Nianzhi wants to let it go, I can¡¯t ept that.¡±

    After being severely scolded by Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi was touched by He Zhichu¡¯s sudden outburst. She wiped her tears again. ¡°I actually didn¡¯t want to do anything to her, but if she says those things to me, what¡¯s the point of living if I have to hang my head and ept it? People harass me and belittle me all the time for this, and it makes it so hard. I know there must be a reason she said those things to me all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°What reason?¡± Huo Shaoheng thought of Xu Piaohong¡¯s case. ¡°This has something to do with her cousin¡¯s case?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked at Huo Shaoheng indignantly as she said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot! She did this on purpose to provoke me to hit her, so then she could sue me legally.¡±

    ¡°So you decided to go with it and make the situation blow up by really starting a fight with her?¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke slowly. What a mess, he thought.

    Gu Nianzhi licked her lips, but she didn¡¯t need to exin any further before He Zhichu sat on her other side and remarked dryly, ¡°Nianzhi was right and reacted fairly quickly. If Nianzhi was the only one to hit her, then this case would be ssified as ¡°school violence.¡± As far as I know, your Huaxia Imperial Ministry of Justice is currently searching for a model case of ¡°school violence¡± to support the cause for new anti-bullyingws.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken back. She¡¯d had no idea this was happening. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes grew cold as he asked, ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?¡±

    Then this was really a chain reaction and the real target was not only Gu Nianzhi, but also the person supporting her, Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi was really the chip in the game that would force Huo Shaoheng to acquiesce in Xu Piaohong¡¯s case. If Gu Nianzhi became involved in a bullying case that was to be a model for the Ministry of Justice, it was bound to set off nationwide uproar. She also had a military background and that was precisely the abuse of power that the citizens detested. If the mastermind behind all this really wanted to, they could take this online and twist the truth so badly and create a huge scandal. And, if their n seeded, the one to suffer thergest blow wouldn¡¯t just be Gu Nianzhi, but Huo Shaoheng as well. This could impact him more than even Xu Piaohong¡¯s leakage of ssified intelligence.

    ¡± Mr. Huo, you shouldn¡¯t mindlessly berate Nianzhi. She¡¯s not someone who doesn¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s words warmed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, but she was notfortable with agreeing with He Zhichu in front of Huo Shaoheng. She merely looked down and muttered, ¡°I know Huo Shao is only looking out for me. Sometimes I do have a bad temper. I should just bear with this for now. Maybe there¡¯s a better solution¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why should you bear it? You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± He Zhichu stood up. He pointed to a small study beside the living room. ¡°However, you still have to write a reflection report. Do you want to go do it in that room?¡±

 Chapter 439 - Probing the Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 439: Probing the Past (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stood and glumly said, ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ll go and write my reflection essay in there.¡±

    Not knowing what to say, Huo Shaoheng waved his hand to indicate his approval. Gu Nianzhi hugged her bag and started walking but turned around quickly.

    ¡°Professor He, I left myptop in the dormitory. How will I write my reflection essay?¡±

    ¡°Did you forget how to write without aputer? Use a pen and paper. There¡¯s some in the study,¡± He Zhichu said coldly, but still walked to the study with her to prepare the writing material. ¡°Sit down. Write properly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice. Rubbing her hands, she said meekly, ¡°my handwriting isn¡¯t very good. Professor He, please understand.¡±

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks and turned around. Gu Nianzhi continued quickly. ¡°Can I just do a draft today and type it out and send it to you after I get back please?¡±

    He Zhichu did not turn back. He merely said, ¡°there¡¯s no need. Just give it to me after you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°But... but... this reflection will be included in my personal record in the future. It will follow me for the rest of my life, and I want it to be neat. I¡¯m not asking too much, am I?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice became even softer. It was obvious she was asking to be spared.

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t think so much. Justplete it first.¡±

    He closed the door and left the study.

    Zhao Liangze walked towards He Zhichu and asked politely, ¡°Professor He, can I please go in and apany Nianzhi? She hasn¡¯t written a single reflection essay in her life, and I might not know how to go about doing it-¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Surprisingly, He Zhichu did not stop him. He opened the door for him. ¡°Go on in.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly went in and heard the door close with a click behind.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around. When she realized it was Zhao Liangze, she waved at him happily. ¡°Brother Ze,e here! Do you know how to write a reflection essay?¡±

    ¡°I guessed you wouldn¡¯t know how to write it.¡± Zhao Liangze smiled as he sat down on the chair beside her. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll write it for you, but you¡¯ll have to tell me exactly what happened.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi moved aside and watched Zhao Liangze write her reflections for her while she began narrating what happened.

    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not veryplicated. Miao Yunxiao insulted me and intentionally pissed me off. Then I pped her on the face once.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged and continued. ¡°If she ever says those things about my parents again, I¡¯d p her a second time.¡±

    ¡°What did she say?¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s pen flew across the paper while he listened to her story.

    ¡°She said that I had no parents to give me a proper upbringing.¡± Tears welled up in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes when she thought about Miao Yunxiao¡¯s words. She just couldn¡¯t control herself.

    ¡°What! Why is she like that? How could she say that!¡± Zhao Liangze was angry as well. He iled his fists and continued. ¡°She ought to be pped! If I was there, I would¡¯ve pped her along with you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst intoughter and took some tissue paper from the table to wipe her tears away. ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, Brother Ze. I felt better after giving her that p, but I just don¡¯t understand why she had to bring my parents into it. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s in the dark about me being an orphan.¡±

    ¡°She intentionally wanted to piss you off and she knew what to say in order to upset you. She knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to think straight.¡± Zhao Liangze said after thinking for a moment. ¡°Nianzhi, stop ming yourself. This incident might look simple, but there are manyplicated factors behind it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the study¡¯s pure white ceiling and began thinking. ¡°Brother Ze, are you saying there is some kind of mastermind behind Miao Yunxiao? You think the entire episode was meant to help Xu Piaohong get free and pull Huo Shao down?¡±

    ¡°More or less. However, we never expected the Xu¡¯s to do anything like this. We underestimated them.¡± Zhao Liangze snorted and wrote even faster.

    Gu Nianzhi looked over at him and couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Brother Ze, your reflection essay is so well done! Only your handwriting is even worse than mine!¡±

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m writing this for you, and you¡¯re still dissing me?¡± Zhao Liangze pretended to be offended and red at her. ¡°Rewrite it on your own. You can copy my content after I¡¯m done.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily agreed. A thought came to her mind, and she asked softly, ¡°Brother Ze, why is your reflection essay so well done? Did you write many reflections in the past?¡±

    ¡°Of course. When I first entered the army, I was always getting in trouble. Mr. Huo scolded me countless times, so I wrote countless reflection essays for him. That¡¯s why I know exactly what to say.¡± Zhao Liangze had not realized he was proud of his ¡®achievement¡¯ until that moment.

    Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°Huo Shao asked you toe here and help me?¡±

    Zhao Liangze pursed his lips and stopped talking. Gu Nianzhi swiveled in her chair, rested her chin on her arms, and smiled.

    ...

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng sat alone in the living room beside the study.

    He Zhichu made a cup of coffee for Huo Shaoheng and ced it on the coffee table between the sofa.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said thoughtfully, ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi has always been an obedient girl. This was an ident. You already know the reason. Surely, you understand.¡±

    He Zhichu sat on the single sofa. cing his elbow on the sofa¡¯s arm and crossing his leg, he said calmly, ¡°Nianzhi didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so there¡¯s no need for me to understand. You don¡¯t have to plead for her, and there won¡¯t be any need to scold her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. ¡°If Nianzhi did something wrong, she should be punished.¡±

    ¡°What has she done wrong?¡± He Zhichu was getting annoyed. ¡°I¡¯ve already said it¡¯s fine. Why must you still punish her?¡±

    ¡°She knew she was being provoked, but she still allowed her emotions to ovee her. That was her mistake.¡± Huo Shaoheng also ced his elbow on the sofa¡¯s arm and sat downfortably. ¡°She is a grown adult. She shouldn¡¯t lose control of her emotions like a child.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, I think you¡¯re mistaken. Age isn¡¯t an issue when ites to controlling one¡¯s emotions.¡± He Zhichu said coldly. ¡°Some people can still be easily agitated and lose control of their emotions at the age of 80, while some people are born cold-blooded. They might already know how to conceal their true emotions even before they¡¯re of legal age.¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with being agitated easily.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head in disagreement. ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi doesn¡¯t have a family. She¡¯s an orphan. She grew up with us: a group of men. It is true we neglected this aspect. I will guide her better in the future. Hopefully, Professor He, you¡¯ll be patient with us.¡±

    He Zhichu wanted to retort, but upon hearing Huo Shaoheng mention Gu Nianzhi¡¯s childhood, he got lost in his thoughts. How adorable Gu Nianzhi must have been as a child. Perhaps, she hadn¡¯t been as beautiful in the eyes of others, but in his eyes, she was the most treasured gem...And she looked so beautiful grown up.

    Aftering back to his senses, He Zhichu tapped his fingers on the sofa lightly, but he still couldn¡¯t hold himself back. He pretended to be calm and asked, ¡°Oh? Nianzhi grew up in the Force with you and your men?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I was usually busy. Nianzhi didn¡¯t need me to worry much about her. She mostly took care of herself.¡± Huo Shaoheng observed He Zhichu¡¯s reactions closely as he replied.

    He¡¯d brought up the topic of Gu Nianzhi childhood intentionally, mainly to observe He Zhichu¡¯s reaction. He wanted to know why and how much he cared for her.

    Was it a familial love or a romantic one?

    The members of the Special Forces were all experts at observing the reactions of others. They even took psychology courses on bodynguage and facial expressions so they could gauge how much the other party cared about a certain issue. So they¡¯d never be fooled by appearances.

    Even though He Zhichu looked the same as he had just a moment ago, Huo Shaoheng noticed he clenched his fist when he¡¯d mentioned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past. It was only for a small gesture, but it showed He Zhichu cared about this topic a lot.

    So he was really from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past?

    Huo Shaoheng took a small sip of the coffee but didn¡¯t swallow, as was his habit. He seldom epts food or drinks from others.

    ¡°She took care of herself? I thought, as her guardian, you would be the one taking care of her.¡± He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng coldly. ¡°Seems like your role as a guardian, Mr. Huo, wasn¡¯t done very well.¡±

 Chapter 440 - Probing the Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 440: Probing the Past (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng made a fist and covered his smile with it before answering nomittally. ¡°It seems that we have different understandings of the phrase ¡®taking care of.¡±¡±

    ¡°Please borate,¡± He Zhichi replied dryly. He wanted to know what tricks Huo Shaoheng had up his sleeve.

    ¡°While Nianzhi is under my care, I want to teach her how to live independently. I don¡¯t want her to end up a giant baby incapable of adulthood.¡± Although Huo Shaoheng was casual, his sarcasm was obvious.

    He Zhichu licked his lips in an attempt to quell the anger in his heart. Leaning forward to take his coffee from the table, he held the cup and slowly took two sips before snickering.

    He answered cooly, ¡°Nianzhi is not a stupid person. She wouldn¡¯t turn into a giant baby no matter how she¡¯s taken care of. The point is whether the person caring for her is concerned for her.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, whether someone is concerned makes a big difference in the standards and methods they use.¡± Huo Shaoheng casually brought up how he rescued Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The first time I saw Nianzhi, she was only 12 years old. She¡¯d gone through some kind of trauma. She had nightmares all the time and couldn¡¯t be alone. Sometimes she woke up and would start screaming and crying if there wasn¡¯t anyone there. Honestly speaking, I was still in my early twenties and didn¡¯t know anything. If the military hadn¡¯t requested me to do it, and if I hadn¡¯t been the only one Nianzhi recognized, there¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve taken care of her.¡±

    Veins gradually popped on the back of He Zhichu¡¯s hand and he gripped the coffee cup so tightly his joints protruded. However, his expression remained unchanged as he half squinted. He was so still even his long eyshes didn¡¯t move. It was impossible to guess anything was wrong from his facial features alone.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed deeply as he casually continued. ¡°She was just a little girl. I really don¡¯t know why she had all those nightmares.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well did you ask her what she dreamt of?¡± He Zhichu set his cup down and looked up with a face of curiosity.

    ¡°Maybe it had to do with her past experience, or it was rted to her car ident. Who knows?¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°So you¡¯re concerned about Nianzhi¡¯s past?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a gossip,¡± He Zhichi denied instantly. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve studied a bit of psychology, and I know nightmares are a natural psychological and physiological reaction. If one can determine the trigger, one can help prevent the nightmares from recurring. Have you tried this before? If a little girl is constantly having nightmares and can¡¯t sleep, it can seriously impact her physical and mental health.¡±

    ¡°Then you believe Nianzhi is physically and mentally unhealthy?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as his eyes drifted over to the small study Gu Nianzhi was in. The adult Gu Nianzhi was lively and lovely, tall and pretty, humorous and cheerful. She wasn¡¯t stubborn. No matter how one saw it, she was not physically and mentally unhealthy.

    Regardless of how dissatisfied He Zhichu was with Huo Shaoheng, he had to admit Gu Nianzhi had grown up well. Much better than he could¡¯ve imagined...

    ¡°How did you do it?¡± He Zhichu also looked in the direction of the study. Through the closed door, they could almost hear Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet and melodic voice.

    Straightening his back, Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°It¡¯s very simple. I had her train with my soldiers. She was exhausted, so she always slept deeply. She ran ten kilometers every day and did a variety of physical training. This went on from when she was 12 to 16 years old. How else would she have grown so tall?¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless for a moment. Before the age of 12, Gu Nianzhi had been below the average height and above the average weight for children the same age. She was not as healthy as she currently was. No matter, she¡¯d still been He Zhichu¡¯s Gu Nianzhi. This new, perfect Gu Nianzhi no longer belonged to him.

    He Zhichu looked up and replied coolly, ¡°so your ¡®care¡¯ was brutality. A delicate princess was trained like a brawny soldier. The only reason she turned out well was because she was healthy, to begin with.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediatelytched onto the clue in He Zhichu¡¯s speech and questioned him. ¡°Oh? How would you know Nianzhi used to be a delicate princess? I can¡¯t see that at all.¡±

    He Zhichu recognized his slip and realized Huo Shaoheng had been probing him about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past. He was instantly alert, but he knew he couldn¡¯t make too firm an excuse. He had to ovee Hao Shaoheng in order to reunite with Nianzhi. Otherwise, there would be too many obstacles. He Zhichu, of course, knew what to say and what not to say. He also knew he couldn¡¯t rush. Nianzhi still had animosity towards him. The wrong move could wipe out all his past efforts.

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°Mr. Huo, how would I know whether or not Nianzhi was a delicate princess? I was just making a logical inference. All girls nowadays are little princesses as long as they have parents, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°So you were guessing?¡± Huo Shaoheng said suggestively, ¡°It sounded like you knew about Nianzhi¡¯s past circumstances. I¡¯m very sad her roommates made fun of her background. We¡¯ve been working hard to find Nianzhi¡¯s parents for a long time, but for some reason, we haven¡¯t found anything.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s had a good life with you. I don¡¯t think she even wants to find her parents.¡± He Zhichu also began ying mind games with Huo Shaoheng. One man made a request while the other gave the condition. They were both weighing whether or not the other could maximize their benefits, and of course, it was all for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s benefit.

    ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s an obedient child. She didn¡¯t want to be a burden.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed before looking down to reply, ¡°but I know deep in her heart, she must really want to find her parents and family.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± As cold as He Zhichu¡¯s voice was, it now had a hint of sadness.

    ¡°One time, when she had a high fever she called out to her parents¡¯ names.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a purosefully vague description. Gu Nianzhi had only mentioned her father, not her mother.

    ¡°Oh? She only mentioned her parents¡¯ names? She didn¡¯t mention any other names?¡± He Zhichu controlled himself but finally couldn¡¯t help revealing obvious disappointment.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°No, she only mentioned it once. When we investigated that name we couldn¡¯t find anything.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was as frigid as an ice sculpture. He eyes fell on the door to the study. He was silent for a long time. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t pressure him. He looked at his already cold coffee then got up to walk around He Zhichu¡¯s living room a few times. When He Zhichu looked away again, Huo Shaoheng bent over to ask, ¡°may I ask if you have any more coffee? This cup is already cold.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s in the kitchen over there.¡± He Zhichu pointed in the direction. ¡°You can make some more yourself.¡± He could tell Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t had any of the coffee. This was a habit he also practiced.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and went into He Zhichu¡¯s kitchen. He saw the coffee machine right away. He got the coffee, put it into the machine, and watched it brew.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze finished writing the reflection essay, and Gu Nianzhi copied it word for word. She read the entire thing and didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it.

    ¡°Is this okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s okay. Who do you think wrote it?¡± Zhao Liangze smirked smugly.

    Gu Nianzhi grinned and took the report before gently opened the study door to poke her head out. She saw He Zhichu sitting in the living room alone. Huo Shaoheng was nowhere to be seen.

    She called quietly. ¡°Professor He? I finished the reflection essay.¡±

    Snapping out of his thoughts, He Zhichu nodded at her. ¡°Let me have a look.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came out with the reflection essay and passed it to him with embarrassment. She muttered, ¡°my handwriting isn¡¯t great. Please don¡¯tugh at me.¡±

    He Zhichu held his coffee cup with one hand as he took the paper with the other. Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s messy scrawl, heughed quietly and whispered, ¡°it¡¯s been so many years and your writing still hasn¡¯t improved.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± He Zhichu spoke quietly, and Gu Nianzhi was so busy looking for Huo Shaoheng she didn¡¯t hear him properly.

    ¡°I said you¡¯d better practice your handwriting if you want to improve this essay.¡± He Zhichu set his cup down and folded Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reflection essay. ¡°I¡¯ll keep this for now. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t put this into your academic file.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed deeply and grinned ¡°Really? You really won¡¯t put it in my file?¡±

    ¡°No. What happened between you and Miao Yunxiao was anything but simple. This time, it wasn¡¯t your fault. I asked you to write the reflection report so you could learn a lesson.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression was a bit cold. ¡°They had a lot of nerve messing with my girl. We¡¯ll see how many spare lives they have!¡±

 Chapter 441 - Probing the Past (3)

    <h4>Chapter 441: Probing the Past (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi gulped. When did I be his girl?

    She considered this point. He Zhichu was her home teacher and someone who took care of people. Gu Nianzhi had already experienced this first hand when she was in America for her internship. It wasn¡¯t a big deal that he¡¯d called her his girl, right?

    Just when she was hesitating, Huo Shaoheng came out of the kitchen holding a tray with three cups of hot coffee and a small cup of warm milk.

    ¡°Done with your reflection essay?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked casually as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything He Zhichu had said.

    Breathing a sigh of relief, Gu Nianzhi stood up quickly and helped Huo Shaoheng with the tray. She looked at the cups of coffee and quickly said. ¡°One of the cups belongs to Brother Ze, right? I¡¯ll give it to him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°The milk is for you. Have you had anything for dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied quickly. ¡°Yes. At home before I came back to school.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s all. Bring this to Little Ze.¡± Huo Shaoheng was extremely pleased Gu Nianzhi had referred to his mansion as ¡®home¡¯. For a moment, he forgot how upset he was with He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi ced two cups of coffee on the table, picked up the tray quickly, and went into the study. Zhao Liangze was surfing the web with his phone when Gu Nianzhi entered.

    He smiled when he saw her closing the door and asked cheekily, ¡°what¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking so sneaky?¡±

    Putting the tray onto the table in front of him, Gu Nianzhi smiled widely. ¡°Huo Shao made the coffee. Drink up. This isn¡¯t going to happen again any time soon.¡±

    ¡°Wow. How precious. I¡¯ll have to make sure to savor it!¡± Zhao Liangze came over excitedly and took a tiny sip.

    Gu Nianzhi began drinking her warm milk and turned to look at the night sky outside the window. It was a clear night. Stars were scattered all over the sky, and there weren¡¯t any clouds. Such a beautiful night, but Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but yawn.

    ¡°Tired?¡± Zhao Liangze asked.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch in embarrassment. ¡°I am after that incident today. It¡¯s almost nine.¡±

    She finished her milk reluctantly and asked Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, do you think I can return to the dormitory first? Do Huo Shao and Professor He have anything more to discuss?¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at her from the corner of his eyes. ¡°I have no idea, to be honest. Mr. Huo is my general. He only tells me what he wants to tell me. I¡¯m in no position to rush him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Then let¡¯s continue waiting.¡±

    In all honesty, she was worried. She wanted to know what Huo Shao and He Zhichu were talking about.

    ...

    He Zhichu took a small sip of the coffee Huo Shaoheng had made and looked at him with surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to make such amazing coffee! This is an authentic South Americain brew.¡±

    ¡°I felt I should make it since you are a South American.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Anyway, you had a lot of varieties of South American coffee in the kitchen. I was merely returning a favor.¡±

    ¡°You tter me.¡± He Zhichu bowed slightly. ¡°You are indeed knowledgeable and attentive to detail. No wonder Nianzhi was so safe under your care.¡±

    ¡°You tter me, Professor He,¡± Huo Shaoheng began to return the praise. ¡°I was merely doing what I had to do. She was a mission the superiors entrusted me with. I had to do it well.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Completing a mission? Isn¡¯t he satisfying his emotional needs by using her as a guide for a mission? He Zhichu almost mocked out loud but held back.

    Huo Shaoheng remained wellposed and did not lose his ground.

    ¡°To be honest, I did not do my job well. You He¡¯s are well known in South America, but I only learned about you recently. Such carelessness.¡± Huo Shaoheng guided the topic to He Zhichu¡¯s family, trying to probe on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family background. A strange smile shed across He Zhichu¡¯s face but disappeared quickly. It was so quick even Huo Shaoheng missed it. When he looked at him again, He Zhichu was back to his almost expressionless face again.

    ¡°You¡¯re too humble, Mr. Huo. Your attitude and capabilities at work might possibly be the best in the world. No one else canpare.¡±

    ¡°You think too highly of me, Professor He.¡± Leaning back on the sofa, Huo Shaoheng took a sip of the coffee before putting it back onto the table. ¡°But Professor He, your family owns a massive empire. You could have stayed and inherited the business, but you wanted to be a professor at Harvard instead? From what I know, their annual sry couldn¡¯t even support your monthly expenses. Am I correct?¡±

    The smile on He Zhichu¡¯s face widened. He shook his finger and answered. ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯d be old fashioned to discuss money. Being a professor at Harvard is my passion. I like imparting knowledge and teaching students. The sense of satisfaction I get from teaching is much greater than what I¡¯d get from doing business.¡±

    Old fashioned? Ha! That was one way of putting it, Huo Shaoheng secretlyughed.

    ¡°I was merely stating an example. A business empire like yours feels like it popped out of nowhere. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t believe my ears when I first learned about the news.¡±

    He Zhichu was slightly taken aback. This Huo Shaoheng did have a keen instinct... His business had indeed popped out of nowhere. But all this was not relevant to Huo Shaoheng or Gu Nianzhi, so he needn¡¯t say much.

    He Zhichu held onto the handle of his cup lightly and said calmly, ¡°even if you are extremely skilled, Mr. Huo, there will be ces where your ears and eyes cannot reach. Moreover, my family isn¡¯t all that powerful. The people in the business were merely supportive, that¡¯s all. You would¡¯ve been fooled if you fully believe them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°I haven¡¯t verified the information yet, so perhaps it was just hearsay? Oh, by the way, where¡¯s assistant Wen? Did she return to South America already?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He Zhichu stopped talking after the acknowledgment.

    They fell silent for a while, neither having topics they wished to bring up. They wanted the opposite party to begin the conversation so they could think of a reply.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi paced around the study a few times. She very much wanted to ask He Zhichu if she could return to her dormitory, but she didn¡¯t dare do so. She tried to listen in on what they were talking about by putting her ear to the door.

    All she heard was a discussion about South America. Gu Nianzhi felt puzzled. Turning around, she asked Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, does Professor Hee from South America?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You didn¡¯t know?¡± Zhao Liangze whipped out his phone and showed Gu Nianzhi the information of He Zhichu¡¯s family in South America. This had something to do with Gu Nianzhi, therefore, Zhao Liangze could let her in on it. Huo Shaoheng had even been the one to suggest it.

    Gu Nianzhi took Zhao Liangze¡¯s phone and began reading. She gasped the moment she was done reading. ¡°Oh my goodness! Professor He¡¯s family is so powerful! No wonder...¡±

    No wonder he had the financial and human resources to do anything he wished in America¡¯s politics.

    ¡°Precisely! Impressive, huh?¡± Zhao Liangze almostughed. He looked at her cheekily and asked, ¡°do you want to go to South America for a holiday, Nianzhi? You can tell Professor He you¡¯d like to visit his farm there...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Wen Shouyi was in South America as well. All of a sudden, she didn¡¯t feel like going there at all. Shaking her hand, she said, ¡°Brother Ze, we can go to South America on our own if we really want to. Why should we take advantage of Professor He?¡±

    ¡°How is this taking advantage of him? How can you talk like that? You¡¯re such a child.¡± Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at Gu Nianzhi, pretending to be upset. He took his phone from her and was about to turn it off when he received a text.

    Standing up quickly, he opened the door of the study and went to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, everyone is present. The meeting is about to begin.¡±

    He was referring to the emergency meeting held by the Army¡¯s Supreme Council. General Ji¡¯s secretary had not given him a specific time, which was why he had not gone over immediately. Now that the information had been sent, it meant everyone was present. Everyone except Huo Shaoheng.

    Nodding, Huo Shaoheng bid his farewell. ¡°Professor He, my work day is not done. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came out from the study and said quickly, ¡°I¡¯ll head back too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything, but He Zhichu stopped her immediately. ¡°Nianzhi, you stay. I have some more things to say to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. It was obvious she wanted to return to the dormitory. Huo Shaoheng however, felt this was a great opportunity. He could tell He Zhichu was already on the verge of divulging his secret. If Gu Nianzhi missed the opportunity today, she might not get it again.

    Time was passing quickly. She had to grab the chance.

    Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder andforted her. ¡°Nianzhi, Professor He has some things to say to you. Give me a call when you get back. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    Hisst farewell was for He Zhichu. He warned him not to keep his girl too long. He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened and returned to its cold, expressionless state.

    ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Huo. I won¡¯t walk you to the door.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at Gu Nianzhi, turned, and left. His tall, masculine back quickly disappeared through the door, and they heard the click of the door. Zhao Liangze had closed the door after them.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the door, then He Zhichu. She crossed her arms in front of her and asked timidly, ¡°Professor He, what is it that you wish to tell me?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her for a while and pointed at the sofa. ¡°Sit down first, Nianzhi. Let me show you something.¡±

 Chapter 442 - Probing For the Past (4)

    <h4>Chapter 442: Probing For the Past (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi sat ufortably on the corner sofa. She stared at the small round coffee table; it looked like frosted ss. These were details she hadn¡¯t noticed before, but because she was anxious now even the tiny things were obvious.

    After waiting for an unknown period of time, it could have been just a second or an hour, she finally heard He Zhichu¡¯s voice from behind her. Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw him holding a very familiar object. It was a doll wearing avender gown, with full bangs resting on its forehead, gentle eyes, a full face, and pretty figure. It looked like a young girl from an ancient painting, unlike themon Western-style dolls. An expert would have known right away that these dolls weren¡¯t avable to buy and had be custom made. The exact same doll had apanied Gu Nianzhi since she was 12 years old. Where she lived, there were several of these dolls cluttered by her bed, on the sofa, or positioned in her open bookcase. In the past, she had really loved these dolls and when she was first ced in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s care she could only sleep when hugging them. Although she would still have nightmares, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to sleep at all without the dolls. Later on, Huo Shaoheng put her through military training which had continued on for several years. She¡¯d gradually stopped needing the dolls to sleep with, but they still represented some of her happiest memories from her childhood. Or maybe they were a symbol of the childhood memories that she had lost.

    However, ever since Gu Nianzhi had met Wen Shouyi, Gu Nianzhi thought her memories had beenpletely ruined; all these dolls looked simr to Wen Shouyi. Gu Nianzhi had put away the dolls in her room as soon as she realized that, so she wouldn¡¯t have to see and be bothered by them. Now here was He Zhichu holdingone. Gu Nianzhi waspletely speechless.

    He Zhichu gently sighed with relief when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s astonishment. Holding the doll, he walked over and held it out to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, do you remember this doll?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the doll He Zhichu was holding, then at He Zhichu. She thought about it for a long time then asked hesitantly, ¡°Professor He, where did you get this type of doll from?¡± As far as she knew, the doll that she held in her childhood photo was not sold in the Huaxia Empire or any other countries. Her dolls had been custom ordered by Huo Shaoheng to replicate the ones in the photo. Could He Zhichu have ordered one too? But where did he know this style from? Or was this a leak from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personnel? In the blink of an eye, countless possibilities surged through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, but none of them were what He Zhichu expected.

    When Gu Nianzhi blurted out all her suspicions, He Zhichu almost flung the doll at the wall.. ¡°You think I stole the doll from you, and then replicated it?! Do you even hear yourself?¡± He Zhichu snorted and threw the doll onto the sofa.

    ¡°Looks like you really forgot everything. You can¡¯t even tell what¡¯s right and wrong!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked at his outburst. ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t be upset. Can¡¯t we talk about this calmly?¡± Her heart thumped wildly; she was bing more certain that He Zhichu may have something to do with her lost memories. She was anxious without Huo Shaoheng by her side¡ªshecked the support in her heart and didn¡¯t dare make a decision or make judgements for fear of putting Huo Shaoheng at risk somehow. This was especially so in the case of something as important as her past. Huo Shaoheng had just been here; he certainly knew that He Zhichu might know something about her lost memories and he also how much she relied on him. Yet, he had left her here to face this situation alone.

    In the depths of her heart, Gu Nianzhi was terrified that she felt a trace of resentment towards Huo Shaoheng. No, she thought firmly as she shook her head, I need to get rid of this sort of thinking right now. Gu Nianzhi reminded herself that Huo Shao had done more than enough for her and that she couldn¡¯t overstep her bounds or push all the responsibility and burden on him. Still, she wished more than anything to have Huo Shaoheng by her side right now. He was the only person she trusted in the world. Why did he have to leave? Why had he left her alone?

    Gu Nianzhi struggled between wallowing in self pity or encouraging herself, but then saw He Zhichu¡¯s expression turn grim. Suddenly, it dissipated and he resumed his normal and aloof look.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you don¡¯t notice anything familiar about this doll?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s blocked off all the emotions in the recesses of his heart and kept even Gu Nianzhi at an arm¡¯s length distance. In that moment, although he normally pushed the world away, he could now be kinder than ever to Gu Nianzhi.

    No longer sensing fluctuations in He Zhichu¡¯s mood, Gu Nianzhi also calmed down. She attempted to not reveal her own feelings and replied objectively, ¡°It¡¯s familiar. Of course it is. I have many of these dolls at home, with the same dress and face. If this one didn¡¯t look so old, I would have thought that Professor He had asked for one of my dolls from Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°If you can see that this doll is quite old, that means your observation skills are sharp.¡± He Zhichi passed it to Gu Nianzhi once again. ¡°Here, look at it once more and this time, carefully.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reached out for slowly and then finally epted the doll from He Zhichu. She turned it over in her hands and found that the doll was indeed very old¡ªthe princess gown was faded and the fabric pilling, which meant that it had been held many times; its face was also worn. Turning the doll around, Gu Nianzhi saw the name ¡°Gu Nianzhi,¡± written in crooked handwriting on the back of its neck. It looked like some type of tattooing ink had seeped deep into the fabric. Even over all these years, the words hadn¡¯t faded at all. Gu Nianzhi stared at them, her breathing shallow. She suddenly threw it on the sofa as though it were burning and moved far away. Averting her eyes quickly, she didn¡¯t even dare to look at the doll again.

    That was her own handwriting! That messy scrawl could only be hers! Of course, that didn¡¯t eliminate the possibility of someone else forging her writing, she reasoned. However, why would someone have forged her writing then write her name on a doll?

    ¡°What is it? Do the words look familiar?¡± He Zhichu took his time taking out the reflection report she had written earlier and ced it next to the face down doll on the coffee table.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look like it was written by the same person?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned away stubbornly. ¡°Or maybe someone forged my writing intentionally. My writing isn¡¯t a fancy script, it¡¯s not hard to copy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not hard to forge your handwriting, but to obtain your handwriting from that many years ago and forge it¨Cthat¡¯s pretty impossible.¡± He Zhichu tapped on the coffee table gently. ¡°Moreover, why should someone even forge your handwriting? You were only 12 years old at the time of the ident six years ago and had been unable to take any criminal responsibility. Even if your family was incredibly wealthy, your signature has no legal effectiveness.¡±

    He Zhichu had reflected on this before. If someone had needed a motive to fake Gu Nianzhi¡¯s handwriting, it would have been for wealth or power. If neither was fulfilled, then what other reason was there? Gu Nianzhi herself was confused. Yes, she was an orphan girl without money or power. Even if someone forged her handwriting now, they would have to wait until she became an adult and then painstakingly forge a minor¡¯s handwriting. How was that smart? It didn¡¯t make sense. Gu Nianzi felt that there was only one possibility left¡ªthe handwriting on this doll wasn¡¯t fake. But, Gu Nianzhi wondered, how was it genuine? Perhaps many years ago, a young Gu Nianzhi had seriously written her name stroke by stroke onto her most beloved doll to indicate ownership. This certainly sounded like a stupid thing she would have done. Gu Nianzhi looked down and stayed quiet for a long time.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression, He Zhichu¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help softening. He knew the doll must be a great shock, so he remained silent while waiting for Gu Nianzhi to digest the truth.

 Chapter 443 - Probing the Past (5)

    <h4>Chapter 443: Probing the Past (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was overwhelmed with all her emotions. They were all mixed up in her mind, churning, squirming, and ovepping with one another. It seemed like she might find something in them, but it was nothing but fog in the distance.

    She couldn¡¯t remember. She still couldn¡¯t remember... No matter what she did, she could not remember what her life had been before she was 12. The ident was like a hurdle. When she tried to think back to it, she got a terrible headache. But He Zhichu was here. She could not make a sound. No matter what.

    It was extremely painful. It felt like someone was taking a chainsaw and sawing her brain apart. She could even hear a continuous ring of click ck click ck. Apanying the sound was a pain that only grew more and more intense. Gu Nianzhi had a high tolerance for pain, but she could not bear this particr pain anymore. Holding her head, she shrank into a ball and groaned miserably.

    He Zhichu was taken aback but recovered quickly.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Do you have a headache? Stop thinking. Don¡¯t think anymore. Don¡¯t think about anything anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was as pale as a sheet. Her hands clutched her head tightly. Her body curled inward like a prawn. He Zhichu felt the corner of his eyes begin to water seeing her in this position. He rushed over and hugged Gu Nianzhi tightly. He caressed her back the same way he had done when she was a little girl. Up and down and down and up. He remembered how she would lean against him, while they went to look at Epiphyllum flowers in bloom.

    But there were no Epiphyllum now. There was only Gu Nianzhi, who had a splitting headache whenever she tried to think of the past. He Zhichu¡¯s hug was as passionate as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Gu Nianzhi was in so much pain she couldn¡¯t think, or feel anything from the outside world. All she wanted to do was to close her eyes and die. The pain was far worse than any she had experienced before. She felt she couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    What would happen if she really did die? Just like that? There was so much she wanted to tell Huo Shaoheng. She had so many dreams yet to be fulfilled. She wanted to marry Huo Shaoheng, have two kids with him: a boy to look like him and a girl to look like her. She wanted them to spend the rest of their lives together...

    Was this asking too much as well?

    Gu Nianzhi began sobbing loudly. She was on the verge of losing control of herself. He Zhichu hugged her tightly. With trembling lips, he kissed the top of her head. Then he let go of her and rushed into his room. When he came out, he was holding a bottle of pills. He took two out, opened Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth, and stuffed them in.

    Gu Nianzhi swallowed the pills as she gulped on her own saliva. The effects of the pills took over shortly after, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pain was finally subsided. She curled up on the sofa and fell into a deep sleep. He Zhichu ced a nket over her and gave her a pillow to make her morefortable. Then, he went back to his single seat and turned off the lights in the living room so only the light from one of themps beside the sofa was one. Supporting his chin with one hand, he looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeping face. He couldn¡¯t get enough of her. Time slowly passed. All of a sudden, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang. He Zhichu snapped back to reality and walked over to her phone.

    It was Huo Shaoheng. The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled up. It was a mocking smile. He answered the call without unlocking the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s meeting had just ended. It hadsted two hours, and it was now slightly past 11 pm. Gu Nianzhi should have been back at her dormitory. He just didn¡¯t know if she was already asleep.

    He¡¯d asked her to give him a call when she got back, but he hadn¡¯t received any messages from her. He wanted to know what had happened. So he called, and He Zhichu was the one who picked up.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, but his voice didn¡¯t show any displeasure.

    ¡°Professor He? Why do you have Nianzhi¡¯s phone? Where is she?¡±

    Looking at Gu Nianzhi who was sleeping on the sofa, He Zhichu put one of his hands in his pockets and smiled knowingly. ¡°Nianzhi is asleep.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. He stood in front of the lift and asked, voice deeper than ever, ¡°what did you say, Professor He? I couldn¡¯t hear you clearly.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t hear clearly? Then I shall repeat myself. Nianzhi. Is. Asleep. Do you want to video call?¡± He Zhichu pretended to suggest. In all honesty, he couldn¡¯t unlock Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. Therefore, there was no way he could have used her phone to make a video call. Unless he used his own...

    ¡°Professor He, where did Nianzhi fall asleep? Please wake her up. I need to talk to her.¡± Huo Shaoheng began to sound dangerous, and he straightened his masculine back.

    ¡°You dare to wake her? She¡¯s sleeping so peacefully.¡± He Zhichu narrowed his flirtatious eyes and looked at Gu Nianzhi who was sleeping soundly.

    ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t wake her. I¡¯lle over.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up and spoke to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Get the car. We¡¯re going to B University.¡±

    Zhao Liangze knew something was amiss. He agreed and called for the car to be ready immediately. Three minutester, they were in the car and headed towards B University. The driver Fan Jian used all his driving skills to make sure they got there in as little time as possible. He took shortcuts and cutnes. His skills were top notch. The most impressive part was he followed all the traffic regtions and did not speed past any red lights.

    They arrived at the South gate of B University in less than 15 minutes, less than half the time it usually took. The car drove through the South gate and headed towards He Zhichu¡¯s apartment immediately. After the car was parked, Huo Shaoheng got out of it swiftly and walked into the building¡¯s lift. The elevator quickly took him to the 28th floor where He Zhichu lived. Huo Shaoheng did not call. He rang the doorbell.

    He Zhichu looked at the inte. He realized it was Huo Shaoheng and smiled as he slowly walked towards the door. ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re such a busy man, but you¡¯ve managed toe to my ce twice today. What an honor!¡±

    ¡°Open the door.¡± Huo Shaoheng said firmly.

    He opened the door and turned on the lights in the living room. The lights brightened the entire room. Sensing the light, Gu Nianzhi, whined a little, turned, and covered her head with the nket. Huo Shaoheng rushed into the room, but all he saw was Gu Nianzhi sleeping on the sofa. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he turned to re fiercely at He Zhichu.

    ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t you feel embarrassed ying a trick like this?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked towards the sofa, bent over, and tapped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°Wake up, Nianzhi. Time to go back.¡±

 Chapter 444 - Probing For the Past (6)

    <h4>Chapter 444: Probing For the Past (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu stood in front of the French windows. The moonlight spilled inside and outlined his silhouette in its mysterious silver glow. With both hands in his pockets, he quietly watched Huo Shaoheng wake Gu Nianzhi up. Gu Nianzhi was deep asleep; merely calling her name would never rouse her, He Zhichu thought mockingly. After trying a few more times, he found that she wasn¡¯t responding so he had no choice but to remove the nket covering her and carry her up from the sofa. The sudden movement finally woke her. She blinked groggily but then immediately fell asleep again. Huo Shaoheng looked up He Zhichu, annoyed.

    ¡°Professor He, what exactly did you say to Nianzhi? Or did you use hypnosis?¡±

    ¡°Hypnosis? Mr. Huo, you think too highly of me. I¡¯m not that capable.¡± Upon seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suppressed irritation, He Zhichu cheered up. He had managed to break off a small chip of the famed Major General¡¯s exterior. ¡°Mr. Huo, I think you can understand what I¡¯m feeling.¡± Standing up straight in front of the window, his gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi then quickly looked away to an antique plum vase in the corner. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯ste. Mr. Huo, please take Nianzhi back to the dorm. Remember to close the door behind you when you leave.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t look back as he returned to his room and mmed the door shut.

    Zhao Liangze was fearful of even breathing too loud as he followed Huo Shaoheng out of the suite and carefully closed the door. The two men helped bring Gu Nianzhi into the elevator; Zhao Liangze hesitated for a moment before reminding Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, it won¡¯t do to bring Nianzhi back like this.¡± It wasn¡¯t as if they could carry her back while she was passed out.

    Huo Shaoheng also seemed to realize this and he considered it for a second before finally setting Gu Nianzhi down. ¡°What the h*ll, honestly. How is she this sleepy?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked in frustration. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist with one hand so that she could lean against him.

    Zhao Liangze watched the sleeping Gu Nianzhi for a moment and then replied, ¡°She¡¯d said she was sleepy around 9pm, so maybe she really is tired. Kids always tend to get sleepy early,¡± he joked.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at Zhao Liangze quizzically. His subordinate¡¯s words had a strange ring to them but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint why. Putting it in the back of his mind, he half carried Gu Nianzhi out of the elevator.

    After getting inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, Zhao Liangze turned around and scratched his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s already thiste, so isn¡¯t Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building locked up now?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. This is a post-grad student dorm. It¡¯s different from the undergraduate ones.¡± Yin Shixiong checked the dorm regtions for B University. ¡°However, the Resident Advisor might have something to say about it. Also, we can¡¯t carry her inside like this. It would look too strange.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was still passed out in his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s wake her up.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze shared a nce then got out of the car together. ¡°Mr. Huo, you can wake her up. We¡¯ll wait outside.¡± Even the driver Fan Jian got out as well.The three men stood ramrod straight in three positions around the car and watched the surroundings intently.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, embarrassed. What kind of dirty things were these three people thinking? He gripped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist and moved his fingers up until he reached the sensitive inside of her elbow and then pinched hard. The sharp pain finally reached Gu Nianzhi and she shifted in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. Huo Shaoheng increased the pressure and finally roused her from her slumber. She shrunk her arm away and mumbled, ¡°Professor He, it hurts!¡±

    ¡°Are you awake now?¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted her arm and massaged it. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t wake up until you finally had to be pinched. Did you take something? You were sleeping so soundly at He Zhichu¡¯s.¡±

    Blinking her eyes, Gu Nianzhi had just realized that the person in front of her was not He Zhichu but Huo Shaoheng. She sat up in shock and looked around to also see that she was no longer in He Zhichu¡¯s living room.

    ¡°Huo Shao, why are you here? Didn¡¯t you leave me there and go for a meeting?¡± She said weakly and nuzzled Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t push her away or hug her back. He only asked, ¡°What did He Zhichu say to you? Why did you fall asleep at his ce?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and tried to recall. It all came flooding back to her and she stammered, ¡°P-Profesor He showed me a doll, a-and I tried to remember what happened before I was 12 but I couldn¡¯t remember anything. My head was killing me and I thought I was going to die from the pain. Then, I fainted.¡± She sat up and look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°When I opened my eyes again, I saw you, Huo Shao...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pinched her little nose, andughed. ¡°You fell asleep from looking at a doll? Did he use hypnosis on you or what ?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Gu Nianzhi denied instantly. ¡°I remember it clearly, my head had really hurt so much that it felt like it was going to split. I¡¯ve never had such a headache. All the other ones before were nothing inparison.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°Then, what kind of doll was it? Why did it make you react so strongly?¡±

    ¡°It was like the doll Huo Shao custom ordered for me, the same one from my childhood photo,¡± Gu Nianzhi said nervously. ¡°It also looks a bit like Wen Shouyi.¡± She was still puzzled as to why she would have a doll that looked like Wen Shouyi. The fact that Gu Nianzhi had been so attached to that doll made her even more concerned.

    ¡°He Zhichu showed you the same doll from your photo?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. ¡°Did you ask him where he got it from?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I asked him but he told me to think about it myself. That when I got the headache.¡± She pointed to her head. ¡°I really think that I will never be able to recover my memories, if this is how it¡¯ll be.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her intently. ¡°For now, go back to your dorm first. Wait for the weekend and I¡¯ll take you to Chen Lie for an examination to see what¡¯s going on.¡±¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her head on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder and said quietly, ¡°Huo Shao, I really wished you could¡¯ve stayed with me earlier.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shifted his body so Gu Nianzhi could leanfortably against him, but said dryly, ¡°Today was a special military meeting. I really couldn¡¯t stay.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little miffed, but she also knew that it wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fault so she was even more upset; her loneliness and fear in from that moment could find no one to me. He pat her head sweetly and then dropped her off at the dorm.

    Opening her door, Gu Nianzhi saw that Ma Qiqi was already asleep, her door slightly ajar. The living room was still the same state she had left it in¡ªslightly messy, with the cushions on the sofa askew and several small stools upturned in the corner of the room. Gu Nianzhi sighed and walked straight through the mess to her own room.

    From downstairs, Huo Shaoheng watched the light in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room turn on, he sent her a text goodnight, before ordering Fan Jian to drive back. Fan Jian started the car and drove out of B University. Yin Shiixong and Zhao Liangze were silent in the car. When they reached the headquarters base, Huo Shaoheng finally said to them, ¡°Ask the personnel in South America to hurry up and report what they¡¯ve found so far. The He¡¯s are very powerful, so don¡¯t tell me they didn¡¯t find anything yet.¡± The two men noticed Huo Shaoheng was openly frustrated; this was rare. They shared a nced and said a strong ¡°Yes Chief!¡± in unison.

    ...

    The next day was Monday and Gu Nianzhi had ss in the morning. She got up early, bought breakfast, and ate it at the table before going out. The ss would still be held at He Zhichu¡¯s suite in the professor¡¯s¡¯ building. As soon as she entered the elevator, she saw her older ssmate and tutor, Gui Suyao, run over.

    ¡°Please wait! Please hold the elevator!¡±

 Chapter 445 - Probing the Past (7)

    <h4>Chapter 445: Probing the Past (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and used her hand to block the doors of the lift so they wouldn¡¯t close. Gui Suyao only saw Gu Nianzhi when she entered the lift, and she gave her an exaggerated smile.

    ¡°Nianzhi! It¡¯s you! That¡¯s great! If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have managed to get on the elevator and-¡±

    Before Gui Suyao could finish her words, Gu Nianzhi smiled and interrupted her. ¡°You can only enter Professor He¡¯s apartment by elevator. No one would dare snatch the elevator away from you.¡±

    ¡°Haha! You¡¯re so funny, Nianzhi.¡± Gui Suyao smiled guiltily. She turned around to look at the lift rise. No one spoke. The silence was awkward.

    Gui Suyao tried to strike a conversation with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, were you okay yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Miao Yunxiao totally overreacted. I¡¯ve already submitted a report to the school¡¯s management proposing she receives harsher punishment. She hasn¡¯t even entered the society, but trust her to bring all that nonsense to our campus. All it does is pollute the school¡¯s environment. She¡¯s such a ck sheep...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand listening to her anymore. She truly disliked Miao Yunxiao, but did Gui Suyao really have a right to criticize her like that? The things Senior Gui had done in the past were just asparable to what Miao Yunxiao had done, weren¡¯t they? The only difference was Miao Yunxiao lost her ground, so everyone was judging her. Gu Nianzhi had already argued with her face to face, so there wasn¡¯t anything else for her to say.

    ¡°Senior Gui, Miao Yunxiao did something wrong, but her punishment will be set by the school¡¯s rules. I¡¯m okay with any arrangements that the school and faculty make.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not want to dwell on the topic. She fixed her gaze onto the panel indicating the floors the lift was on and couldn¡¯t wait to reach her destination.

    Thankfully, the lift arrived at level 28 in no time. Upon entering He Zhichu¡¯s apartment, they saw three seniors were already sitting on the sofa. There were coffee, juices, milk, and other beverages on the coffee table. There were also some scones and corn muffins. Even though Gu Nianzhi had already had her breakfast, she couldn¡¯t help but drool at the smell of the scones.

    He Zhichu walked out from his room and acknowledged Gu Nianzhi and Gui Suyao¡¯s presence. ¡°You¡¯re here? Have a seat. We¡¯ve been waiting for both of you.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, we aren¡¯tte!¡± Gui Suyao tried to exin. ¡°The seniors came early.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about you beingte.¡± He sat down on his single seat sofa and looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, how are you feeling? Better?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯splexion had a pinkish hue, and her eyes were clear and bright. It was almost unimaginable to think she had fainted yesterday.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Great! I¡¯m feeling all better now. Thanks for your concern, Professor He.¡±

    Senior Huang and Senior Duan both knew what had happened in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitoryst night, but they didn¡¯t know what had gone on in Professor He¡¯s apartment after that. They assumed her injuries were from the fight, which wasn¡¯t surprising.

    ¡°Nianzhi, we heard you were amazing yesterday! You fought two people all on your own! Did you win?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. What on earth was this! Gui Suyao knew the truth of what had happened as well as the countless rumors on the school¡¯s portal. She¡¯d asked He Zhichu what she should do about the rumors, but all he¡¯d said was, as long as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation wasn¡¯t affected, they should be left alone.

    It was true the rumors did not affect Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation negatively. The incident had been described in epic terms. It had turned a simple school fight into something closer to a national emergency. Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t had time to look at the discussion forum yet, so she didn¡¯t know what they were talking about.

    Senior Huang saw how lost Gu Nianzhi was andughed. ¡°Nianzhi! Only care about the ughter, not the cleanup, huh?¡±

    He took out his phone, opened the campus¡¯s app, showed Gu Nianzhi the Headlines. Gu Nianzhi quickly read through the forum, and a sense of helplessness washed over her. ¡°Who posted this? They must have a hole in their head!¡±

    ¡°A huge hole, huh? That¡¯s what makes it so great!¡± Senior Duanughed wretchedly, pretending to ogle Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breasts.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Enough. It¡¯s time for the lesson. Marks will be deducted if I hear anymore. Duan Chun, five marks deducted.¡±

    Duan Chun did not even have time to turn around. He looked at He Zhichu and asked in shock, ¡°why did you deduct my marks, Professor He? Those posts weren¡¯t even made by me!¡±

    ¡°Both the believing in and spreading of rumors will result in a deduction of marks.¡± He Zhichu opened hisptop to indicate the topic was closed. Everyone focused on the lecture.

    He Zhichu¡¯s lectures were very practical. He seldom touched on the definitions and philosophy ofw but used examples and case studies to guide his students so they would understand the concepts themselves. After listening to He Zhichu¡¯s lecture, Gu Nianzhi was usually able to memorize every single word He Zhichu had said. Her memory wasparable to a recorder.

    When he was done with the case studies, he took the analyses from the students and exined their work one by one, pointing out each of their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone, including Gui Suyao who thought thatw was nothing more than dusty rules, was extremely attentive. Through He Zhichu¡¯s lectures, they came to understand thatw wasn¡¯t just about rules but was something that could easilybine into their everyday lives.

    The lessonsted 45 minutes, and He Zhichu spoke throughout it. By the time the lesson ended, his voice was already hoarse. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for today. I¡¯ve already emailed you all thetest essay question.¡± He Zhichu stood up and looked extremely lethargic.

    Gu Nianzhi packed her bag slowly so she could be thest to leave. Turning to look at He Zhichu who was walking slowly into the apartment, Gu Nianzhi asked concernedly, ¡°Professor He, is your throat okay?¡±

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks. A warm feeling spread through his body as he listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. He turned around and looked at Gu Nianzhi who stood at the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Thank you, Nianzhi.¡± He replied hoarsely.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed. It was merely a passing question, but He Zhichu replied so formally. She suddenly felt it wasn¡¯t right to just leave it at that.

    ¡°I think you sound quite hoarse. Did you talk too much? Someone once told me lecturers usually have throat problems. Would you like to get a Peng Taihai drink with me? Or visit the doctor to get some medicine for your throat?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, and I¡¯ve caught a cold. No worries, I¡¯ll be fine after a good sleep.¡± He Zhichu said calmly. He was so different from the agitated He Zhichust night.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about what happened the previous night, and after a moment of contemtion, she asked, ¡°Professor He, why did I fall asleep herest night?¡±

 Chapter 446 - Canâ€™t Hold Back

    <h4>Chapter 446: Can¡¯t Hold Back</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    She was finally asking about what had happenedst night.

    ¡°You had a serious headachest night and it hurt so much that your body protected itself by passing out.¡± He Zhichu waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine to go rest for a week; don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still wanted to find out about the doll. She rested her hand on the door handle, hesitant to leave, then made the decision to ask, ¡°Professor He, can you tell me why you would have that kind of doll and also, why that doll... looks so much like Teaching Assistant Wen?¡± Objectively speaking, it resembled Wen Shouyi when she was a child, Gu Nianzhi had realized then. Although she was now an adult, her features were still very simr. Gu Nianzhi had recognized the resemnce right away.

    ¡°You really want to know?¡± He Zhichu was silent for a long time and finally said, ¡°Actually you already have an idea, right? You just want me to confirm it for you.¡±

    ¡°If I could recall my past, I would certainly not be repeatedly asking Professor He about it. But, Professor He clearly knows and yet refused to tell me¡ªwhat is the reason for this?¡±

    A smile tugged at the corners of Professor He¡¯s mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you? Is that totally my fault? Who is the one who bolts like a rabbit whenever they see me? I couldn¡¯t even find a chance to tell you, but now you¡¯re saying I¡¯m not telling you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flushed crimson but her desire to know the truth overwhelmed anything else. She pushed her embarrassment aside and insisted, ¡°I didn¡¯t think too much about it before!¡±

    ¡°Why are you thinking about it now?¡± He Zhichu was not easily fooled; each of his statement¡¯s dug at the deepest parts of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. Sometimes, Gu Nianzhi felt that there some things she couldn¡¯t say to even Huo Shaoheng, but looking into He Zhichu¡¯s intense eyes, she blurted out, ¡°I need to know right now.¡±

    ¡°For what purpose?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice grew colder.

    Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face grew redder and she stammered, ¡°B-because, I want to be together with Huo Shao! if my background can¡¯t be investigated, I¡¯m afraid...¡± she trailed off helplessly.

    So this was the reason. He Zhichu felt his heart being torn to pieces. He looked at Gu Nianzhi steadily and finally said, ¡°Why? Why does your background have to be investigated before you can be together with him?¡±

    ¡°This is a rule with his work,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered honestly. ¡°Since I want to be with him, I must ept everything about him.¡±

    ¡°So, you would force yourself to do things that you¡¯re reluctant to follow?¡± He Zhichu keenly pointed out. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re the one sacrificing too much here? Have you thought about how long this kind of rtionship willst?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart stung at his words. It wasn¡¯t as though she too hadn¡¯t worried about this over and over. She also felt that the screening of a marriage candidate was outdated and suppressive. She raised her head though, and said levelly, ¡°To me, love is love. I don¡¯t think about who is sacrificing more. We both contribute to our respective happiness first while pursuing the happiness of our rtionship together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words was a sharp de that carved into He Zhichu¡¯s chest. It left his heart a bloody mess, with wounds he was sure would never heal.

    He Zhichu rolled back his shoulders and answered stiffly, ¡°I see. You may go now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grew even more flustered.

    ¡°Professor He! You still haven¡¯t told me anything yet.¡±

    ¡°I have to think about it and also get someone else¡¯s permission before I can answer you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze. She¡¯d originally thought that He Zhichu knew the entire truth and that, as long as he was willing, her lost memories would quickly be recovered. She had never expected him to not be personally involved. So had hee to find her at the request of someone else? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head started to hurt but she stubbornly stared at He Zhichu.

    ¡°Professor He, do you or do you not know about my past?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her and walked two steps towards her before resuming his typical sharp tone. ¡°You didn¡¯t know the truth before and were fine all these years. Now, because of a man, you can¡¯t even wait one day? Did you ever think about how your family felt? Did you ever search for them for your own self?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung her head. She was deeply ashamed by He Zhichu¡¯s words. In the past six years, she truly hadn¡¯t thought about her parents. She wasn¡¯t a cold-hearted person and she had always made it a point to care for others, a child who¡¯d been bullied for being an orphan. At school, for example, she would remember all the ssmates who showed were even the slightest kindness to her; it didn¡¯t make sense for her to shun her family to this extent. She mumbled, ¡°Professor He, I really made mistakes with this situation, but if it¡¯s possible, I want to make things right.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s pity for her grew at these words. Why am I giving her a hard time? It¡¯ll only make things harder for me, he thought.

    ¡°Ok, I know. Go back first and prepare for the teaching assistant exam tomorrow. I won¡¯t make you wait very long on this other matter.¡±

    With He Zhichu¡¯s promise, Gu Nianzhi left in relief. When she returned to her dorm, she kept thinking about how no matter what happened, she would still be one step closer to her goal...right?

    One could only hope, and Gu Nianzhi was hoping with all her heart.

    ...

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi performed as excellently as usual on the exam. She was familiar with He Zhichu and also the workload of a teaching assistant, sobined with her exemry grades, all these factors padded her score. As expected, Gu Nianzhi scored the top marks and became He Zhichu¡¯s temporary teaching assistant. When He Zhichu posted the notice of employment on the B University Faculty of Law website, the entire faculty was turned upside down once again. He Zhichu had made two exceptions for Gu Nianzhi and she was suddenly famous within the faculty. Her ster grades during her undergraduate years at C University were well-known to everyone. For the B University students, what they respected the most wasn¡¯t background or appearance, but intelligence and grades. As soon as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s glowing academic history was revealed, all the opposition faded. Not only that, but as soon as a jealous student imed that Gu Nianzhi had abused her connections, another person defended her, saying, ¡°She could have used her connections or her looks, but she chose to crush everyone with her grades and hard work.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t thought that the revealing of her past grades would have such a positive effect. Once she started as He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant, she had to go to He Zhichu¡¯s once every day to help him organize his emails, sort out materials, make schedules, and even create case studies for his undergraduate students.

    He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi almost everyday now and, although his indifferent attitude didn¡¯t change, he had fewer mood swings than before.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t surprised that Gu Nianzhi had be He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant. He only wanted to find out about the He¡¯s history in South America as soon as possible, however he was half a away from the continent of South America. In order for the personnel to investigate as Huo Shaoheng requested, some time was needed.

    During this waiting period, everyone at the Special Operations Forces headquarters base was particrly cautious to avoid angering their boss. The South America investigation was still ongoing and there were no conclusions for the time being. Several of the major countries on the continent had been able to confirm the existence of the Huaxia Imperial Special Operations Forces from Xu Piaohong¡¯s leakage case. The Empire neither denied or admitted this, which was unlike its past stance. The election for Prime Minister was ongoing and the Special Ops had no special mandate, therefore, they couldn¡¯t intervene in domestic affairs. While the other domestic government organizations were very busy, the Specials Ops personnel were as rxed as though they were on vacation. At 5pm, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong, sitting at either of the office, kicked back and ced their feet on top of their desks as they snacked and bickered.

    ¡°Little Ze, you¡¯ve been surrounded by those sisters for so long now. How many times did you get lucky?¡± Yin Shixiong winked.

    Zhao Liangze threw a book over at Yin Shixiong¡¯s desk and shouted, ¡°Big Xiong you filthy animal! We¡¯re ust friends¡ªwhat do mean how many times did I get lucky?! A pure person like me doesn¡¯t understand what you mean at all!¡±

    ¡°Just look at how pissed off you are. Could you¡¯ve not gotten lucky yet? How about this big brother give you a few lessons?¡± Yin Shixiong pped the table and cackled.

    ¡°You¡¯d better deal with your Lawyer Jin first! She¡¯s calling for you day and night, and even though she says it¡¯s about Xu Piaohong¡¯s case, everyone can see that¡¯s not her true intention!¡± Zhao Liangze attacked Yin Shixiong with the insults.

    ¡°I¡¯m confused now. What¡¯s so great about you anyway? Why would that girl be chasing you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s good about me is none of your business! At least someone is chasing after me, whereas you can only save your pride with twisted words and chase after her heels!¡±

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes and was just about to fire a retort back when he saw Bai Yueran¡¯s text. He opened it immediately and saw that she was politely refusing his invitation to dinner once again. Zhao Liangze deted right away; he looked at Bai Yueran¡¯s reply and thought bitterly, I¡¯ve invited her three times and she only agreed once. Is she interested in me or not?

    Zhao Liangze mulled over it. As he did so, he tapped on Bai Shuang¡¯s photo and sent her a text. ¡°Shuang, are you busy tonight? If you¡¯re free, I¡¯ll take you out to dinner.¡±

    Bai Shuang was overjoyed by his message and replied right away, ¡°Ok! Where should we go?¡±

    Upon seeing the response, Zhao Liangze¡¯ wounded pride recovered a bit. He smiled and sent Bai Shuang the address to the restaurant he made a reservation at.

    On the other side of the office, Yin Shixiong¡¯s phone also rang. Jin Wanyi was calling again in an attempt to convince Gu Nianzhi to settle with Xu Piaohong outside of court. Huo Shaoheng had already refused to settle a long time ago and Gu Nianzhi also had no intention of doing it, so Yin Shixiong could only repeatedly refuse Jin Wanyi and tell her there was no way they¡¯d settle outside of court.

    Refusing to give up, Jin Wanyi was continuing to urge him to change his mind over the phone. ¡°Big Xiong, this matter is serious but not catastrophic. The key point is that it hasn¡¯t caused serious consequences¡ª¡±

    Before Yin Shixiong could even reply, Zhao Liangze suddenly interrupted.

    ¡°Big Xiong, hurry! There¡¯s an important alert from Japan! It¡¯s an orange alert!¡±

    An orange alert was the most serious level of emergency for the Special Ops. ¡°What?! An orange alert?!¡± Yin Shixiong immediately hung up the phone and began to work. Soon after, they cracked the code to the encrypted orange alert from the Special Ops unit in Japan. Reading the message from the head of the Japanese unit, their¡¯ eyes widened.

    ¡°Holy sh*t! I¡¯ll kill the bastard who leaked this!¡± Yin Shixiong yelled as they cursed and ran to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office. He knocked and announced, ¡°Mr. Huo! We have an orange alert in Japan!¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    The two men opened the door and walked into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office; they grimly ce the orange alert on his desk. It read: ¡°There has been an internal leak. We have lost our entire unit in Japan. The Yamaguchi-gumi ns to intervene with the Imperial Prime Minister¡¯s election¡ª!¡± The message evidently hadn¡¯t beenpleted; as to why that was, everyone understood implicitly.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up rapidly and made severalmands: ¡°One, assemble the B Team in Japan to confirm the safety of the A Team members. Two, order all the members of the Special Operations Forces to be on a Level One alert; members abroad are to suspend all activity temporarily. All ongoing, local activity is to be terminated immediately. Third, I will personally report the Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s n to intervene with the Imperial Prime Minister elections and await instructions from the superiors.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Linagze immediately answered, ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± As the two younger men turned to leave, Zhao Liangze thought of something and asked, ¡°Mr. Huo, then what about the personnel in South America...?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stayed silent for a whole minute before replying, ¡°Temporarily suspend their activities as well.¡±

    ...

    Ten minutester, the B Team of the Special Ops unit in Japan reported that nearly all the members of the A Team had been exposed. Half had been killed and a few others had been secretly arrested¡ªwhat awaited them was torture more horrible than death.

    Huo Shaoheng mmed the desk furiously and grit his teeth. ¡°An eye for an eye! Pass along my order to arrest all high ranking Japanese personnel lurking within the Huaxia Empire and execute the same number of men that we have lost! For every soldier we¡¯ve lost, we¡¯ll make them pay with interest!¡±

    Yin Shixiong mumbled, ¡°Doesn¡¯t the same number mean that we are to execute the same number of men as they did with our soldiers?¡±

    ¡°One Huaxia soldier is equal to two of theirs. Do you have a problem with that?¡± Huo Shaoheng replied without looking up as he put red check marks next to the names of the high ranking Japanese personnel. All countries nted spies within other countries, but to suddenly execute all the spies like Japan did was a rare case. It could only be said that certain countries were especially bloodthirsty and should never be underestimated. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car sped away to the Supreme Military Council. Anger raged in his heart¡ªthe worst fear in their field of work was betrayal from within the organization. And now, the person who had betrayed them certainly wasn¡¯t of a low rank¡ªthere was no way they could have obtain such ssified information under the guise of a temporary position.

    When his car neared the Supreme Military Council, Huo Shaoheng received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call. ¡°Huo Shao, when are youing to pick me up?¡±

 Chapter 447 - Where to Spend the Night

    <h4>Chapter 447: Where to Spend the Night</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng pointed the night vision sses at the picture frames and snapped a couple of HD pictures. Now the Special Forces would have faces to match with the names they¡¯d been discussing.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the picture for a long time trying to see the resemnce between Gu Nianzhi and her parents. Sadly, she did not look very much like them. Gu Nianzhi looked a little like her mother when she was young. She had the same round face, curved brows, and narrow and long eyes. But Gu Nianzhi¡¯s features had changed. Her eyes were now round and sparkly, just like the girls in manga. The shape of her face changed from round to heart-shaped.

    Many people said the eyes are the windows to one¡¯s soul. The moment the eyes look different, the entire person felt different as well.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father looked elegant. After studying the picture closely, Huo Shaoheng noticed that both Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi had the same gaze. Their eyes look like they were smiling even when they weren¡¯t talking, making people feel a sense of closeness to them.

    Huo Shaoheng took the picture frame and removed the photograph inside. He looked at it closely for a long time. The photograph looked old, and it didn¡¯t appear to be edited. And even if it was fake, how would the person have known what Gu Nianzhi looked like when she was 12?

    They wouldn¡¯t even know what she looked like now...

    After ensuring the authenticity of the photograph, Huo Shaoheng put it back into the picture frame and ced it in its original position. He turned and looked around the room but could not find anything else that was out of the ordinary.

    Using the camera from his night vision sses, he snapped many pictures before leaving this huge bedroom and moving to the smaller ones. It was clear that the room opposite of Mr. and Mrs. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s room was Gu Yanran¡¯s. The things inside were ssy and expensive, but not in poor taste. They were clearly bought by ady who grew up with a silver spoon.

    Huo Shaoheng only nced across the room before closing the door and moving towards the smaller room next to it. The next room clearly belonged to a young Gu Nianzhi. The things inside were all meant for a child, including a small single sized bed, wardrobe, bookshelf, and a kid-sized two-seater sofa with a light purple nketid across it.

    Huo Shaoheng entered the room and examined it thoroughly. He did not leave a single stone unturned. It was definitely cleaned on a regr basis. The things in the room were not covered in dust, and even the fluffy carpet showed no signs of mold even though the house was built on an ind. The house had a dehumidifier, but since Huo Shaoheng had cut off all the electricity in the house, the dehumidifier could not be turned on. He walked to the window and opened them. He had an unobstructed view of the skyline outside the window.

    The rain had stopped. The wind parted the clouds. It was a clear night with countless stars in the night sky. The waves hit the shore lightly and the insects on the ind buzzed in the night. It felt so calm and tranquil.

    The view was amazing.

    After looking at the ocean for a while, Huo Shaoheng made a mental note to bring Gu Nianzhi here after everything was finally settled. He wanted to stand at the window with her and admire the magnificent view. He hoped it would be able to waken her lost memories. Huo Shaoheng left the room feeling much happier.

    He walked around the entire vi,bing through every inch of it. Huo Shaoheng looked through the house the entire night but could not find anything else to prove this used to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s home. He also could not find any traces of Gu Xiangwen.

    If Gu Xiangwen isn¡¯t here and isn¡¯t at the Gu family mansion, then where could he be? Huo Shaoheng wondered. Why is Gu Yanran hiding him?

    A series of questions appeared in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind and began bothering him. Wanting to sort his thoughts out, he left the vi and walked to the beach. He sat on a huge rock, hugged his knees, and began thinking things through. It was finally daybreak. The sun was rising on the horizon. Its rays reflected on the ocean and made it look like crystal. Squinting his eyes, Huo Shaoheng admired the beautiful scenery. Little Ze should be here anytime now, shouldn¡¯t he?

    Right at that moment, the sound of a helicopter came from afar. Huo Shaoheng stood up and looked far ahead. Putting on his Bluetooth earpiece, he managed to get into contact with Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Little Ze. Is that you?¡±

    ¡°How are you Mr. Huo? We¡¯ll be there soon! We¡¯re taking Barbados¡¯ AH-IZ Cobra Helicopter, and we¡¯ll bending on the beach. Please be careful!¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice came from the other end of the earpiece. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze felt utterly relieved to finally hear Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice again. Even though they were soldiers and it was the nature of their jobs to asionally risk their lives, they were still nervous every time these asions urred.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. In the horizon, a helicopter was indeed making its way over. He had already sent the coordinates of this ind over to them the previous day. With the coordinates set, all they needed was to figure its exact location and a safe route to get there.

    ¡°There¡¯s anding station here. It was probably used tond private jets. Check if you guys are able tond there instead.¡± Huo Shaoheng informed Zhao Liangze of thending station¡¯s approximate location.

    Zhao Liangze was ted. He informed Yin Shixiong, who was flying the helicopter. ¡°There¡¯s anding station on this ind. You lucky chap!¡±

    The Barbados Army had been reluctant to send their men to save someone from an unknown ind initially, saying their pilots were not trained to handle such situations and would not be able to ensure a safe takeoff andnding. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had negotiated with them for a long time before getting a letter of authorization and guarantee from General Ji to certify their capability. Only then were they able to loan thetest helicopter they¡¯d just bought from America.

    Yin Shixiong, who was licensed to fly a helicopter, could not hide his excitement. He insisted on flying the helicopter on his own and imed total responsibility if anything went wrong. After getting the guarantee and some benefits from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Supreme Army Committee, the Barbados Army finally agreed to loan their helicopter to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. Yin Shixiong had initially wanted to show off his expert flying skills but was disappointed things turned out to be so easy.

    ¡°There¡¯s even anding station. How secluded can this ind get?¡± Yin Shixiong grumbled. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the map of Barbados include this ind?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just the Map of Barbados.¡± Zhao Liangze snorted. ¡°This ind isn¡¯t included on the world map. The Gu¡¯s are quite a family. They can wipe an entire ind off the world map...¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng had notnded there personally, Zhao Liangze would never have believed an ind undetectable by satellite could even exist.

    Huo Shaoheng hung up with Zhao Liangze, left the rock, and found a hiding spot approximately 500 meters from the beach. After a while, the AH-IZ cobra helicopternded safely on thending station a stone¡¯s throw away from the beach.

    ¡°Mr. Huo! Mr. Huo!¡± Zhao Liangze jumped from the helicopter, and Yin Shixiong waved at Huo Shaoheng from the cockpit. Huo Shaoheng came out from his hiding spot and saw Zhao Liangze almost tumbling towards him.

    ¡°Mr. Huo! I¡¯ve finally found you!¡± Zhao Liangze grabbed on to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and almost broke into tears. ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t put yourself in danger anymore! We know this time was our fault, and we¡¯ve already requested corporal punishment from the army. General Ji was furious. You¡¯ll have to think of what to tell him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. ¡°How did General Ji know about this?¡±

    ¡°We needed to borrow their helicopter but the Barbados Army did not want to lend it to us. We had no choice but to get General Ji to provide them with a letter of guarantee before they agreed.¡± Zhao Liangze scratched his head and felt ashamed of himself.

    Without Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze could not handle the Barbados Army. They¡¯d had to make an emergency call to the Huaxia Empire in the middle of the night in order to get General Ji to help them speak to the Barbados Army via video conference.

    ¡°Useless.¡± Huo Shaoheng mocked him. ¡°Making an emergency call just for this. You¡¯re really good at embarrassing me, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yes Mr. Huo, scold me all you want. It was indeed my fault.¡± Zhao Liangze epted all punishments instead of trying to get out of things like he used to do.

    Huo Shaohengughed. He patted Zhao Liangze on the shoulders. ¡°Alright, I was kidding. Don¡¯t feel ashamed. Everything has its pros and cons. Even though it was rather embarrassing to call our country for help in the middle of the night, it gave us a perfect excuse to request overseas military stations from themittee. Now we might not have to borrow helicopters from other countries in the future.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was surprised. He felt warmth in his heart. ¡°You mean it, Mr. Huo?¡±

    Only Huo Shaoheng was able to see the good in all the bad that they did and use them for their future benefit.

    ¡°Of course. No matter where the representatives of the Huaxia Empire go, they should be protected by the army.¡± Huo Shaoheng was thinking far into the future. He was a soldier from Huaxia Empire and only thought of the nation¡¯s interests. As for the interests of other countries, they¡¯d have to forgive him for having limited power over that.

    After a short while, Yin Shixiong grew impatient and shouted into his microphone. ¡°Get on the helicopter. You can catch up on the way back. Our rental is calcted by the seconds for heaven¡¯s sake!¡±

    His loud voice bombarded into Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze¡¯s earpieces. It was so loud that their ears hurt.

    ¡°You¡¯re asking for it, Big Xiong. Just wait till when we get back!¡± Zhao Liangze scolded.

    Huo Shaoheng turned his Bluetooth earpiece off and spoke to Zhao Liangze. ¡°I¡¯ll get Gu Yanran so we can all leave together.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. Where¡¯s Miss Gu?¡± Zhao Liangze looked around. ¡°She isn¡¯t here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to talk about what had happened. He pointed to the helicopter. ¡°Go get ready. I¡¯ll bring Gu Yanran here in three minutes.¡±

    Turning around, he went towards the vi. Just when he entered the vi, Gu Yanran came down the stairs, rubbing her neck.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng and felt confused. ¡°Mr. Huo,st night...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and replied calmly. ¡°I waited for the rescue team on the beach the entire night. Did you have a good sleep, Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yanran was bewildered. ¡°Really? I only remember that you went to my dad¡¯s study. Then I realized I slept on the floor of my dad¡¯s study. Last night, what...?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pretending to be shocked. ¡°Miss Gu, why did you sleep on the floor? You brought me to your dad¡¯s study to have a talk for a while before I left. You said that you wanted to stay back to clean up so I left on my own. I wasn¡¯t sure what happened to you after that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng dared tell her these lies because he knew the powerful effects ofbining Coral snake meat with Erigeron. It had the power to distort people¡¯s memories.

    Gu Yanran tried her best to recall what had happened. It really did seem like Huo Shaoheng was telling the truth. She apologized immediately. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Huo. I was so tired I didn¡¯t even show you to your room. You had to wait outside the entire night. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I¡¯m used to it.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°The rescue team is already here. We have to leave now.¡±

    Looking at his watch, he said: ¡°We only have three minutes. One and a half minutes have already passed.¡±

    Gu Yanran quickly said, ¡°let¡¯s go then. Is it a helicopter? I heard noises from the room just now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my subordinates loaned the helicopter from Barbados Army,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied. ¡°Do any servantse to this house?¡±

    Gu Yanran wouldn¡¯t be the one cleaning this ce on her own. She did not look like someone who liked doing domestic chores.

    ¡°They stay in the main house over on the maind bute to the ind regrly to clean and maintain the house.¡± Gu Yanran walked towards Huo Shaoheng while rubbing her neck. ¡°I think I sprained my neck after sleeping on the floor. Are you good at giving massages, Mr. Huo? Could you help me please?¡±

 Chapter 448 - Deliberately

    <h4>Chapter 448: Deliberately</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Who did you say you met?!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was under house arrest when the military police arrived to arrest him and his wife. He pped her fiercely. ¡°Are you stupid?! How could you have trusted the Japanese?!¡±

    His wife was frozen with terror. She had stumbled back from the blow and fallen onto the sofa. She choked out, ¡°I... I just wanted to save our daughter! I didn¡¯t do anything else!¡±

    ¡°You can save it for the judge at the military court.¡± The leader of the military police waved his hand in dismissal and ordered his men to handcuff Deputy Chief of Staff Xu and his wife. Deputy Chief of Staff Xu was detained in the detention centre of the Special Military Court. He looked around the tiny square shaped room and tried to think about how he would l get discharged and find another job¡ªhow had he ended up locked away in here? And also facing prosecution by the special military court? What had he done wrong? He sat alone with his thoughts, defeated and worn out.

    The confused Deputy Chief of Staff Xu learned of what his wife did the very next day. ¡°She...She leaked military secrets to the Yamaguchi-gumi?!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s eye bulged in shock inside the interrogation room, ¡°But... But... how did she know any secrets?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what we need to ask you, Deputy Chief of Staff Xu.¡± The military official holding the trial was expressionless before him, but he hated Deputy Chief of Staff Xu. If he had really betrayed his nations¡¯ soldiers, the man thought, then death was too lenient a punishment!

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xuposed himself and carefully looked over the evidence. He refused to admit his wife would do such a thing, saying, ¡°Neither my wife nor I have anything to do with this incident. I need to see her and ask what¡¯s going on.¡± Because Deputy Chief of Staff Xu wouldn¡¯t admit to his crime during the interrogation, the military official reported this and Huo Shaoheng finally agreed to let Deputy Chief of Staff Xu see his wife. They had been held in separate rooms since their arrests.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s wife saw him and immediately started crying. She kept sobbing and was unable to say anything.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu finally calmed her down and asked, ¡°You have to tell me: where on earth did you meet that Japanese woman?¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s wife had by now realized that Yamaguchi Aiko was not just any person, but an important member of the Yamaguchi-gumi. ¡°It was Yunxiao who told me. She said that there was a very capable person who could help Piaohong, so I believed her and met with her a few times. But we didn¡¯t talk about anything else. We only talked about Piaohong¡¯s case almost all the time.¡±

    ¡°Miao Yunxiao? Where does she know her from?¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu frowned ¡°There are some things even I don¡¯t know, but how could she?¡±

    Because Miao Yunxiao had had direct contact with Yamaguchi Aiko more than once and since Yamaguchi Aiko had been confirmed as an important member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the young girl was arrested. Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi stood at the door to their dorm room and watched an ashen faced Miao Yunxiao was handcuffed and had a cover ced over her head.

    Two police women took her away. ¡°What did she do now?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very puzzled. ¡°Other than pissing people off, what other horrible things is she capable of? It doesn¡¯t match up with her IQ.¡±

    Ma Qiqi wanted tough but knew it wasn¡¯t appropriate in this situation. Holding herself back, she pinched Gu Nianzhi hard. ¡°Don¡¯t kick her when she¡¯s down! She must¡¯ve gotten into trouble. It won¡¯t be easy to clean up this time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a small smile. ¡°Qiqi is right, Miao Yunxiao¡¯s been poking at sleeping giants for too long and finally woke one up.¡± The two girls watched from their door for awhile then went back inside and didn¡¯t pay any more attention to what was happening outside.

    ...

    Scared witless, Miao Yunxiao was taken to the detention center of the Special Military Court. She only wanted to help her cousin, yet how had she ended up in here herself?! Seeing her uncle and aunt locked up as well she pleaded tearfully to them.

    ¡°Aunt, I was only trying to help Cousin! You have to save me!¡±

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu asked her anxiously, ¡°Yunxiao, how did you meet with someone like Yamaguchi Aiko?¡±

    Miao Yunxiao sobbed. ¡°Dou Aiyan introduced her to me; she said Yamaguchi Aiko had many contacts and solutions and she could help Cousin for sure. I believed her because she¡¯s the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°Dou Aiyan?!¡± Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°I know now! This incident has nothing to do with us¡ªthey should be investigating the Dou¡¯s!¡± He reported the information but received a negative response. Dou Aiyan denied knowing Yamaguchi Aiko and even used Miao Yunxiao of framing her and dragging her into their mess.

    At the same time, the military police discovered a list of the members of the Special Operations Forces unit in Japan when they searched Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s home. With this, all the evidence connected together.

    ¡°Xu Guiqi, you abused your authority to steal the list of the members of the Special Operations Forces unit in Japan. The Japanese contacted your wife through Yamaguchi Aiko to obtain the information, causing nearly all the members to be eliminated. Not only that, but you also attempted to frame Dou Aiyan and drag the Prime Minister into the case; that is an additional crime!¡± The interrogator dered their crimes to Deputy Chief of Staff Xu.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Xu looked at the interrogator in shock. This time, he was very certain that he had been set up. Even If the list hadn¡¯t been found in his home, he would still have suspected his wife of inadvertently leaking information. However, with the nted evidence, he was sure the whole thing wasn¡¯t that simple. Someone needed him to take the fall, that¡¯s why all the evidence pointed to him. However, the key point was that he had no way of clearing his name because his wife and niece had indeed interacted with Yamaguchi Aiko several times. They had been so desperate to save Xu Piaohong because Yamaguchi Aiko had promised to get her out of jail and send her to Japan start a new life under a new identity. Would their entire family go to jail like this?

    Xu Guiqi refused to ept this; Huo Shaoheng and his men also disapproved when they saw the final evidence. ¡°Mr. Huo, no matter what, there¡¯s no way Deputy Chief of Staff Xu could have obtained a member list from the Special Ops.¡± Zhao Liangze was the first to object because he was the one who managed the Special Ops¡¯ system. If Deputy Chief of Staff Xu infiltrated the Special Ops¡¯ system and steal the member list with his rank, that meant Zhao Liangze¡¯s system had a huge security w. This was one of the reasons he disagreed¡ªhe didn¡¯t believe that anyone had the ability to crack his system¡¯s encryption unless the culprit had a high security clearance to begin with. That way they could easily ess the system and directly obtain the list.

    Huo Shaoheng sped his hands tightly behind his back and walked to his desk to study the chain of evidence on hisputer. He also nodded and said, ¡°That really is impossible. The who thing is likely a set up.¡±

    ¡°Then why would this person want to frame Deputy Chief of Staff Xu? What¡¯s their motive?¡± Yin Shixiong followed up with more questions. ¡°At this point, Deputy Chief of Staff Xu is the most suspicious. He has a motive, purpose, and the means to do it.¡±

    ¡°He has no means because our system is very secure. It would never allow people with insufficient clearance of Deputy Xu¡¯s rank and lower to ess it.¡± Zhao Liangze kicked Yin Shixiong. ¡°Don¡¯t be so easily fooled!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being fooled. I just think you need to present your own evidence.¡±

    ¡°Even if he was framed, this piece of evidence is real.¡± Huo Shaoheng stared at the list. ¡°This list was indeed leaked from our intr and required a high security clearance to ess it.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was suddenly nervous, and he blurted out, ¡°Mr. Huo, if this list is real then it really wasn¡¯t stolen from my system. It must have been directly copied.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the chain of evidence and his gaze finally fell on Dou Aiyan¡¯s name. This person must be the key to the case. However, Miao Yunxiao didn¡¯t have any evidence to support her ims and Dou Aiyan insisted she had never met Miao Yunxiao or introduced her to Yamaguchi Aiko. So, with this situation, it was she says versus she says. The judge couldn¡¯t trust either person and in fairness he would only forfeit this suspicious aspect and disregard Miao Yunxiao¡¯s words. As the three men discussed the trial for the case, they knew it would be unpredictable.

    ¡°Do you guys want coffee?¡± Gu Nianzhi knocked on the door and poked her head in. She hade over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to spend the weekend; Huo Shaoheng had brought all his work to his suite so that they could spend more time together.

    Yin Shixiong got excited when he saw Gu Nianzhi and waved her over.

    ¡°Nianzhi,e in! See if you have any suspicions about this case.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood Yin Shixiong¡¯s intention but stayed quiet. He didn¡¯t object to Gu Nianzhi helping them crack the case.

 Chapter 449 - Having No fear

    <h4>Chapter 449: Having No fear</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Actually, Gu Nianzhi very much wanted to help Huo Shaoheng and the rest of them, but she knew the nature of their jobs was highly confidential, and there were many things they¡¯d never be able to tell her.

    Unless they specifically asked for help, she usually didn¡¯t ask any questions. She didn¡¯t want to burden them. It was the same this time, so she knew she wasn¡¯t breaking any rules.

    Carrying a tray with three cups of coffee, Gu Nianzhi smiled and asked, ¡°What are you guys talking about? Can I listen in?¡±

    ¡°Sure. You¡¯re one of the parties involved anyway, so it¡¯s fine if you know about it¡± Yin Shixiong allowed her to sit between Zhao Liangze and himself and told her about Xu Piaohong¡¯s information leaks, how Yamaguchi Aiko had be involved, and the contradicting statements from Miao Yunxiao and Dou Aiyan.

    ¡°That¡¯s about it basically. We want to believe Miao Yunxiao, as everyone seems to guess there is something up Dou Aiyan¡¯s sleeve, but-¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued Zhao Liangze¡¯s unfinished sentence, ¡°But Miao Yunxiao did not have any evidence, so the court couldn¡¯t do anything to Dou Aiyan based on her statement alone, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. That¡¯s the great thing about talking to understanding people¡ª it¡¯s easy,¡± Zhao Liangze patted her shoulder happily. ¡°It isn¡¯t a good idea to strike now, even for people like us. We just don¡¯t have a valid reason to do so.¡±

    They all knew thew looked at evidence: testimonies from people and material proof. In order for their words to be valid, the person giving testimony could not be rted to anyone in the case.

    Miao Yunxiao was considered one of the parties involved, so she was unable to provide her testimony as evidence. Even people directly rted to her were unable to do so, as, from the eyes of thew, they were still biased.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Who reported the incident, and who offered evidence? It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to do something to Dou Aiyan if Miao Yunxiao¡¯s only evidence is her words.¡± Moreover, Miao Yunxiao had a history of lying. Her reliability would be way lower in courtpared to Dou Aiyan.

    ¡°Hell, even you don¡¯t have an answer?¡± Yin Shixiong shrugged and shook his head bitterly. ¡°I thought our young genius would have the perfect solution for us!¡±

    ¡°Get lost, Yin Shixiong! Don¡¯t stress Nianzhi out.¡± Zhao Liangze kicked Yin Shixiong, but it was difficult as Gu Nianzhi was sitting between them.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting opposite of them, said, ¡°Nianzhi,e here. You¡¯re blocking Big Xiong and Little Ze.¡±

    Yin Shixiong flushed and Zhao Liangze looked extremely awkward, but Gu Nianzhi smiled, walked to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side and sat down. One of them was tall, handsome, and had amazing morals; the other was petite and gorgeous. Even though they had an age gap, they lookedpatible together. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze felt blinded by their beauty and closed their eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and pretended she hadn¡¯t noticed their reaction. ¡°There¡¯s a solution, but we¡¯ll have to look at the possibility that Miao Yunxiao did not lie.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying Miao Yunxiao has a tendency to lie?¡± Yin Shixiong was stunned. He did not think of this possibility at all.

    ¡°I was only stating a possibility. Without an independent third party witness, anything could be possible.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. He did not look at her but sat quietly beside her. His face was calm as usual, and his expression was unreadable.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and looked away. She turned to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze and continued, ¡°If we remove the possibility that Miao Yunxiao lied, our next step would be to find independent third party evidence supporting her.¡±

    ¡°How can we do that? She couldn¡¯t provide us with any form of evidence herself. She only remembered speaking to Dou Aiyan once.¡± Zhao Liangze frowned. ¡°She couldn¡¯t even remember when they spoke.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi straightened her back in surprise. ¡°Oh, really? Then most likely Miao Yunxiao isn¡¯t lying, and actually spoke to Dou Aiyan before.¡± If she really wanted to sabotage Dou Aiyan, her lies would have been well nned. There would be no need to put effort into details if she was telling the truth.

    ¡°It¡¯s not much help if we are the only ones who believe her. It¡¯s more important thew believes her,¡± Huo Shaoheng finally spoke. His looked at Gu Nianzhi briefly and returned his gaze to the coffee table in front of him.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng look at her from the corner of her eyes, Gu Nianzhi cheered up and quickly looked through Miao Yunxiao¡¯s statement which Yin Shixiong provided her with. She said eagerly, ¡°I always feel that, as long as the event took ce, there will be traces of evidence left behind. We just need to know how to look for it.¡±

    ¡°How? Do you actually want us to interrogate every single student from B University and check if someone remembers their meet up?¡± Yin Shixiong snickered. ¡°We already considered that but realized it was pointless and gave up.¡±

    ¡°Besides, Miao Yunxiao has to prove not only that she met up with Dou Aiyan, but also that Dou Aiyan was the one who introduced her to Yamaguchi Aiko. Even if you¡¯re able to prove the first point, what about the second? Even if we are able to arrest Yamaguchi Aiko, we wouldn¡¯t be able to prove anything as long as she denies knowing Dou Aiyan, would we?¡± Zhao Liangze pointed at the document. ¡°So it¡¯splicated. Meanwhile, the other party intentionally wanted this setup to happen, so she would definitely put in the effort to ensure there wasn¡¯t be any helpful evidence around.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was intentionally done to make our lives difficult. We knew what was going on, but thew only epts usations based on evidence, so we can¡¯t prove it.¡± Yin Shixiong hit the table angrily. The three cups of coffee shook and spilled slightly.

    Zhao Liangze kicked Yin Shixiong again. ¡°Get some napkins and clean this up.¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled bashfully and brought some napkins over. Gu Nianzhi helped him clean the table and thought quickly. ¡°I think there are two solutions to solving both problems.¡±

    ¡°Two solutions!¡± Yin Shixiong stopped cleaning the table to gawk at her. ¡°You came up with two solutions that quickly? You really are a genius! Nianzhi, I take it back. You¡¯re still my idol!¡±

    ¡°Get lost, Big Xiong. You¡¯re getting even more disgusting.¡± Zhao Liangze pushed him away in revulsion and helped Gu Nianzhi clean the table. He gave her a flirtatious smile and asked, ¡°My dear Nianzhi, quick, tell me your solutions. Ignore that ass of a man.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled happily as Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze bickered. She threw the soiled napkin into the bin and began to speak, ¡°The first solution is this: We¡¯ll look for an immediate third-party witness. I heard Miao Yunxiao say she met Dou Aiyan beside the pond after her Thursday afternoon advanced English lessons.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the famous pond in B University, but so what? It¡¯s famous so that only means there were loads of visitors and students there. How would you even begin to look for evidence?¡± Yin Shixiong began to panic again. ¡°Jin Wanyi has already told me multiple times that Xu Piaohong was burdened by Miao Yunxiao.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, you seem to be on rather good terms with thewyer Jin, are you...¡±

    ¡°Enough. Stop making wild guesses. Let¡¯s get back to the point.¡± Yin Shixiong waved his hand to break her inquisitive gaze and urged her to continue. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long and slender finger pointed at the document containing the statements.

    ¡°If I remember correctly,¡± she said, ¡°there are cameras installed around the pond. If you can get your hands on the footage of Miao Yunxiao and Dou Aiyan¡¯s meet up, it¡¯ll be easy to prove Miao Yunxiao was telling the truth and Dou Aiyan was lying.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure the cameras cover the span of the entire pond?¡± Zhao Liangze began to get agitated. ¡°We can indeed give it a try.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his head slightly and nodded, ¡°Yes we can, but-¡± Huo Shaoheng was already one step ahead of them. ¡°If there really were all these cameras around the B University pond, then why has no one mentioned it to us before?¡±

    Because Miao Yunxiao¡¯s statement could directly impact Prime Minister Dou¡¯s daughter, Gu Nianzhi thought. The army must have sent people down to investigate the situation beforehand, but they didn¡¯t tell us. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°You¡¯ve already sent people to ask?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. It¡¯s procedure. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Huo Shaoheng noticed that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t looking right, and thought of another possibility. ¡°You think there¡¯s a chance the footage has already been deleted?¡±

    ¡°The other party didn¡¯t seem scared so maybe we¡¯re toote.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave a long sigh. ¡°No matter, we can still work things out with the second solution regardless of how the first one goes on.¡±

    ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±

 Chapter 450 - She Was His Poison

    <h4>Chapter 450: She Was His Poison</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi raised her finger. ¡°One, we still have to go to B University to request the video footage, even it¡¯s been deleted. But if it hasn¡¯t been deleted then we will naturally find clues. Now if it¡¯s already been deleted...¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slowly and raised her second finger with a suggestive look. ¡°Secondly, we will prove that there¡¯s something wrong with Dou Aiyan and that her father Mr. Dou is also involved.¡±

    ¡°I get it! That way we don¡¯t have to check the video footage, we just have to investigate who forced B University to delete the footage! They can delete the records but won¡¯t expect us to work backward!¡± Yin Shixiong shot up happily. ¡°I¡¯ll go right now!¡± He nearly ran out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite and headed to B University.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°So this is your n B?¡±

    ¡°Yes, n A is to directly find independent, third-party evidence. If we can¡¯t find anything, we need to prove Dou Aiyan is lying, and as long as her credibility is doubted you guys have plenty to work with.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally looked into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes but quickly averted her gaze away. One quick nce was enough to make her heart hammer so madly her cheeks turned pink.

    Huo Shaoheng caught a glimpse of Gu Nianzhis¡¯ reddening earlobes in the corner his eye. He coughed lightly to hide his sudden excitement and looked away to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Little Ze, infiltrate the B University¡¯s inte, and see if you can connect with their video monitoring system.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Mr. Huo!¡± Zhao Liangze quickly got up. He had no intention of staying around the pair. They had poison in their eyes! Just one shared nce was already overflowing with love. They were practically poisoning a lonely single man like him to death! Zhao Liangze rushed out and left Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhiin alone in the suite¡¯s living room.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up hastily. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ll leave you to your work. I¡¯ll be going now.¡± She was about to leave, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand reacted faster than his brain, and he quickly grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Huo Shao?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked back in shock, and her eyes moved from Huo Shaoheng holding her wrist to his expression. Huo Shaoheng also didn¡¯t really understand why he¡¯d instinctively grabbed her arm. Did he not want her to leave or did he have something else to ask her? He held her for less than ten seconds then let go unceremoniously. ¡°Thank you for today.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, why are you being so polite?¡± Gu Nianzhi also didn¡¯t want to leave, but Huo Shaoheng had been so busytely, and she didn¡¯t want to bother him. But for Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s presence alone was enough to erase all her bitterness. She felt even better now because he¡¯d actually grabbed her arm and looked like he didn¡¯t want her to leave right away. Fine, maybe he hadn¡¯t grabbed her because he didn¡¯t want her to leave, but Gu Nianzhi wished to add that detail to her fantasy. She took the opportunity to sit down and lean against Huo Shaoheng. Resting her head on his shoulder, she said quietly, ¡°Huo Shao, did you miss me a lot too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little embarrassed and quickly scanned all the hidden cameras in the living room. He stood up impassively and pulled Gu Nianzhi up too. Gu Nianzhi was confused and followed him into the bedroom. As soon as the bedroom door closed, Huo Shaoheng pressed her against it to kiss her. His lips were always hot, and when they pressed against hers, it was enough to ignite her whole body. She instinctively reached out both arms to hug his neck tightly.

    Huo Shaoheng used one hand to hold her waist and the other to support the back of her neck, tightly securing her to him. Kissing her luscious, rose petal lips, Huo Shaoheng finally realized how much he desired her. One touch was enough for him to lose control. His years of training had been reduced to nothing. Huo Shaoheng warned himself yet wasn¡¯t able to stop. So this was what it was like to love someone deeply and be loved in return...

    Gu Nianzhi embraced Huo Shaoheng tightly. So much happiness exploding was in her heart that she couldn¡¯t contain it all in her chest. If she was dissected at right that very moment, her entire body would have ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± written in it. She belonged to him, and she also wanted him to belong to her.

    ¡°Huo Shao, do you love me?¡± Gu Nianzhi whispered the words between their tongues and delved directly into his heart.

    How could he not love her?

    ¡°Yes...¡± he groaned quietly. He swallowed every one of her words into his stomach for safekeeping.

    ¡°What does yes mean? I don¡¯t want to hear that, I want you to say...¡± Gu Nianzhi felt empowered and began hitting his shoulder. Although he was holding her so tightly she couldn¡¯t breathe, certain things still had to be asked.

    Huo Shaohengughed quietly and released her lips to look down at her. Her luscious rose petal lips were slightly swollen and pouty from his kisses. They always looked like an invitation to kiss. She was truly kissable. Leaning down, Huo Shaoheng kissed her swollen lips once again then pressed his forehead against hers to reply quietly, ¡°...love.¡±

    Although he was still missing two words, Gu Nianzhi was already very satisfied. She hugged Huo Shaoheng tightly and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. This time she took initiative and delivered her soft and full lips to Huo Shaoheng. She was gentle but managed to tickle his desires. As soon as the feeling struck, his body couldn¡¯t control itself. Gu Nianzhi shivered with anticipation then frozepletely, unable to push Huo Shaoheng away. Sensing her stiffness, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reason gradually returned. He let go of her and moved away to pant in her ear and cocked his head to kiss her lobe.

    His baritone voice was thick with desire as he whispered, ¡°Darling, don¡¯t be scared. It won¡¯t hurt.¡± He continued kissing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobe and felt her stiff body gradually rx.

    ...

    ¡°Darling, what should I do?¡± Huo Shaohengughed quietly and his chest seemed to almost echo.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Shaoheng with wide eyes and suddenly couldn¡¯t resist. She just wanted to kiss him because she missed him so much, but how did she get so full of desire and out of control? Gu Nianzhi wanted to get up and turn away but remembered that they hadn¡¯t been intimate for several months. She hesitated. She was his girlfriend and this was her responsibility, wasn¡¯t it? Or was that the duty of a wife? But Huo Shaoheng was something special and Gu Nianzhi bit her lip, unwilling to admit it. Just as she was hesitating, the lights in the room dimmed.

    ...

    Hugging her tightly, he had the vague thought that she was his poison. How could he quit her? He could love her, but he couldn¡¯t get obsessed.

 Chapter 451 - Itâ€™s Tough to Take Care of Girls

    <h4>Chapter 451: It¡¯s Tough to Take Care of Girls</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng got up and walked into the bathroom. Gu Nianzhi heard the sound of the water turn on. She was still trembling from post-orgasmic bliss and was thoroughly exhausted.

    Huo Shaoheng was like a man who hadn¡¯t seen a woman in 800 years, Gu Nianzhi thought. He¡¯d positioned her every which way and made love to her many times. She couldn¡¯t even lift her fingers, but Huo Shaoheng could go and take a shower as if nothing happened. Gu Nianzhi wanted to shower also, but she doubted Huo Shaoheng would be so considerate.

    Moreover, she didn¡¯t want to be in the bathroom now. What if Huo Shaoheng saw her and pulled her in to ¡°save water¡± again?

    Gu Nianzhi could only sprawl herself out on the bed wantonly. After a while, her eyelids began to feel extremely heavy, and she had to fight to keep them open.

    Just then, she heard Zhao Liangze¡¯s voiceing from the inte. ¡°Mr. Huo, Big Xiong managed to get some leads. Would you like to take his call?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. Slowly, she hid amongst the sheets and, like an ostrich, covered her head.

    Huo Shaoheng had installed intes like these all over his room. They could be found in the living room, study, bedroom, and even the bathroom. All that effort, Gu Nianzhi thought, just to ensure he did not miss emergency messages from the force. Even though he was in the shower, she could still hear his conversation over the sound of the water.

    He turned off the tap and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll get to the office building immediately.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist, changed into his military uniform, and spoke to Gu Nianzhi without turning to look at her.

    ¡°Go back to your room. I have to get to work,¡± he said. Then he left, seemingly in a rush, as if something critical had happened. What Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what that if Huo Shaoheng turned around he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear leaving.

    Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out of the sheets. She watched Huo Shaoheng disappear and began to feel self-conscious.

    They were so intimate just now, but Huo Shaoheng still left just like that. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to coax her a little or give her a hug before leaving. She had heard what Zhao Liangze had said over the inte. It wasn¡¯t an emergency.

    Why couldn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng juste over and give her onest hug before leaving?

    Gu Nianzhi came out from under the covers pouting and feeling deted. She picked up the clothes Huo Shaoheng had scattered across the room and left without turning back.

    Upon returning to her room, Gu Nianzhi packed her things, took her bag and suitcase, and left the mansion. She walked to the main road, gged a cab, and left for her dorm. She did not even contact Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong.

    It was only Saturday, but she did not want to stay at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ce any longer. She returned to an empty room. Ma Qiqi had left for the weekend as well.

    Gu Nianzhi took a shower then sat in front of her table with her hair wrapped up in her towel. She began her skincare routine and put on a face mask. Then she brought her iPad to her bed and settled down.

    But she couldn¡¯t bring herself to read through the textbooks on her iPad.

    She was confused by her emotions. She felt like she shouldn¡¯t have left but, somewhere deep in her heart, she knew she had the right to do so.

    She knew it wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fault, but she didn¡¯t want to admit it was her fault. For the first time, Gu Nianzhi felt like her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng was at a crossroads. She used to think she¡¯d be content as long as Huo Shaoheng wanted to be with her, but now that he was finally hers, she realized she had an increasing amount of suitors, and she was not the same easily contented Gu Nianzhi anymore.

    Was it merely human nature to want so much?

    She knew a one-sided love had no future, but how did one measure reciprocated love?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand her own logic. She shook her head and decided not to think about it anymore. She forced herself to begin reading her textbooks and think about Miao Yunxiao¡¯s case instead.

    She¡¯d heard Zhao Liangze say Yin Shixiong had already gotten some leads from B University before she left. She wondered if they already knew who had pressured the people from B University into deleting all the footage.

    ...

    At the Special Forces Headquarters, Huo Shaoheng stood in the control room with Zhao Liangze, video conferencing Yin Shixiong and looking at the inte records of closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) within B University.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, by using the identity of a police officer I was able to check with the relevant personnel in B University¡¯s IT department. Guess what? They told me that, due to theck of maintenance, some of the CCTVs around the pond was damaged, and they didn¡¯t have the footage we needed! They only just realized the problem and changed the cameras.¡± Yin Shixiong gave them a sly smile. ¡°I asked if I could take a look at the damaged cameras, and they told me that they were all destroyed.¡±

    ¡°Haha. They¡¯re practically admitting they¡¯re guilty!¡± Zhao Liangzeughed heartily. ¡°They¡¯re even destroying solid evidence. Pity they¡¯re unaware the camera footage was uploaded to the Cloud immediately. It takes a long time to clear anything out of the Cloud, and it would leave traces everywhere.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was also smiling happily on the other side of the room. ¡°We didn¡¯t expect this much evidence. It was a dead end looking for evidence so directly before.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what makes Nianzhi so smart. She¡¯s great at finding loopholes in thew,¡± Zhao Liangze smiled as he spoke, but he couldn¡¯t tell if this was a good or bad trait.

    Huo Shaoheng red at him. ¡°Nianzhi doesn¡¯t need to find loopholes in thew to winwsuits.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong fell silent.

    ¡°Thew on its own has too many loopholes. Nianzhi was only trying to help fill them,¡± Huo Shaoheng continued, the corners of his lips curled upwards slightly. He looked immensely proud of her.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong closed their eyes in unison and remained silent. The look of immense pride on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was too much to bear. They wanted to look away, if not, they wouldn¡¯t know how to face Gu Nianzhi the next time they saw her.

    Even though they did not approve of Huo Shaoheng being with Gu Nianzhi, they knew it was impossible to tear apart a couple that was in love and wanted to be together.

    They were no match for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brains.

    They were no match for Huo Shaoheng¡¯sbat skills.

    So, what else could they do?

    They could only overlook what they did not want to see.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored both of them and began issuingmands through the video conference. ¡°Get the telephone records of the Prime Minister¡¯s home and B University¡¯s Principal, and track whoever called the relevant personnel at B University first. I believe the person who pressured the personnel was on the Prime Minister¡¯s side.¡±

    If Dou Aiyan really did not speak to Miao Yunxiao, then why would Prime Minister Dou pressure B University to delete all the footage and destroy the cameras? Huo Shaoheng knew the Cloud¡¯s deleted information was retrievable within a certain timeframe.

    By Sunday morning, Yin Shixiong¡¯s investigation had a massive breakthrough. Yin Shixiong spent the entire night in the video conferencing room in B University and found a good amount of information. He uploaded and locked the data away so no one could interfere with it.

    It was still early when he left the office building, so he decided to have some breakfast at the B University cafeteria before heading back.

    What he did not expect to find upon entering the cafeteria was Gu Nianzhi, holding a tray of food, walking beside He Zhichu.

    They appeared to be having a conversation. Gu Nianzhi was looking at He Zhichu and smilingfortably. Even though He Zhichu looked as cold as ever, his gaze on Gu Nianzhi was nothing but gentle.

 Chapter 452 - Be Reminded

    <h4>Chapter 452: Be Reminded</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart dropped. He shook his head and thought he must be hallucinating from not sleeping enough. Was today Sunday or Monday? Why was he seeing Gu Nianzhi in the school cafeteria? Was it Monday already? Did he work a full day and night instead of just one night? Perhaps Gu Nianzhi could feel Yin Shixiong¡¯s intense gaze because she turned around and looked Yin Shixiong in the eye.

    ¡°Brother Xiong? What are you doing here?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over with a smile and looked at Yin Shixiong¡¯s exhausted face. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep all night, did you? Are you here for breakfast? Here¡¯s an insider tip, the big beef buns are the best, and you can also get a nice bowl of cornmeal porridge, fried donuts, and hard-boiled eggs if you want a healthy breakfast.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, as always, was impressed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s observational skills. He Zhichu stood beside Gu Nianzhi, and Yin Shixiong greeted his silent stony face with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded coolly then turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯ll wait for you at the door.¡± He walked out alone.

    Yin Shixiong looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°Is today Sunday or Monday? Why are you at school?¡± He knew Gu Nianzhi always spent the weekends at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence and typically went home Sunday night.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed. She knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to tell Yin Shixiong about her small dissatisfaction with Huo Shaoheng. She mumbled, ¡°I remembered I had homework to do, so I came back early. Plus, you and Huo Shao are so busy. I¡¯d just be lounging around anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. Then I won¡¯t keep you any longer. I¡¯ll get some breakfast and report back.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded to Gu Nianzhi and headed to the cafeteria.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly walked to He Zhichu who was waiting at the door. She didn¡¯t know that, soon after she left, Yin Shixiong turned around and used a secret pinhole camera to take a photo of her. In the photo, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side profile faced the camera, and she looked up at He Zhichu with a smile. He Zhichu was tall and well built, and he stood under the cafeteria sign with both hands in his trouser pockets. He watched Gu Nianzhi intently. The image was surprisingly peaceful and romantic. When Yin Shixiong returned to the Special Operations Forces headquarters base, he got the photos from the pinhole camera. Only then did he realize what he had captured. He had merely taken a candid shot of Gu Nianzhi out of habit. He hadn¡¯t expected to get a photo of her interacting with He Zhichu.

    ¡°Big Xiong, what are you staring at?¡± Zhao Liangze poked his head in front of Yin Shixiong¡¯sputer monitor and gasped, ¡°Ha! That¡¯s Nianzhi and Professor He!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I ran into them this morning at the B University cafeteria.¡± Yin Shixiong spun his chair around and looked at Huo Shaoheng in confusion. ¡°Isn¡¯t today Sunday? Why did Nianzhi go back to school? When did she go back?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was in the know. ¡°She went backst night, Saturday night. Mr. Huo only found out this morning.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Yin Shixiong paused then asked mysteriously, ¡°Did Mr. Huo react at all?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Zhao Liangze crossed his arms and rubbed his chin. ¡°How would he even respond? You think Nianzhi has eyes for someone else?¡±

    Yin Shixiong choked for a second and mumbled, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. Nianzhi is still young and immature. She might move on easily.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! I dare you to say that to Mr. Huo. We¡¯d really see his reaction then!¡± Zhao Liangze kicked Yin Shixiong and continued working.

    Yin Shixiong had brought back important information that Zhao Liangze sorted through before presenting to Huo Shaoheng. At three pm on Sunday, the two men went to see Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t returned to his official residence but had stayed at his office in the administrative building. He saw Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze excitement as they entered the room. He set down his pen, leaned back against his chair, and asked calmly, ¡°There¡¯s news?¡±

    ¡°We found lots of clues!¡± Yin Shixiong walked over with excitement and presented the information with Zhao Liangze. ¡°Prime Minister Dou¡¯s official residence has been calling the B University dean more frequently these past few days and several calls were between the Prime Minister¡¯s and the dean¡¯s direct lines. These two calls can be determined to be between the Prime Minister and the dean.¡±

    Zhao Liangze logged into the cloud drive as Yin Shixiong spoke and disyed the information on Huo Shaoheng¡¯sputer monitor. ¡°Look here. This rtionship chart proves that Prime Minister definitely has something to do with this incident.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the mouse and erged each image so he could view it in detail. As he looked, he began questioning Yin Shixiong about the specifics.

    ¡°This information, along with the deleted B University pond footage recovered by Little Ze, not only proves Dou Aiyan was lying, but also that her father, Prime Minister Dou, is directly involved.¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, can we have them investigate whether or not Prime Minister Dou has anything to do with this Yamaguchi Aiko?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Huo. Prime Minister Dou is currently in power, but he will also be seeking re-election. Maybe the Yamaguchi-gumi interfered with the candidates, and Prime Minister Dou is one of them?¡± Zhao Liangze asked excitedly as he leaned on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him in surprise and gave a faint smile of praise. ¡°Even Little Ze couldn¡¯t have linked everything together that well. You¡¯ve improved.¡±

    ¡°Of course I have! Look who I¡¯ve been hanging aroundtely!¡± Zhao Liangze put his hands on his hips andughed wildly. ¡°Director Bai Yueran reminded me about all this. She¡¯s amazing!¡±

    Both Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong knew that Zhao Liangze liked Bai Yueran but, currently, it was only a one-sided crush. It didn¡¯t seem like Bai Yueran was romantically interested in Zhao Liangze, but they knew Bai Yueran¡¯s younger cousin, Bai Shuang was smitten with him. Huo Shaoheng made a mental note to himself. He would have to talk to Zhao Liangze about not stringing Bai Shuang along.

    ¡°Big Xiong, you can go now and report this information. Remove the evidence about the illegal deals then send all the main points to General Ji and Speaker Long. We¡¯ll see how they¡¯ll deal with it.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew he could only investigate so much. The Special Ops unit in Japan was involved in the leakage case, and he wasn¡¯t permitted to actually investigate the Prime Minister election.

    Yin Shixiong answered loudly and left the office with the sh drive.

    Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What about me, Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at him and pursed his lips before pointing to the seat across from his desk. ¡°Sit down, Little Ze.¡±

    Looks like he has something to say, Zhao Liangze thought. An anxious feeling spread over him as he quickly sat down on the leather chair. He looked at Huo Shaoheng nervously.

    Huo Shaoheng draped one hand on the armrest of the leather swivel chair and tapped the desk twice with his pen. ¡°You have to be more cautious about your personal life, Zhao Liangze. You know Bai Shuang¡¯s father. Don¡¯t waste your time on something that¡¯ll never happen.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had never had feelings for Bai Shuang so he wasn¡¯t upset by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. He nodded quickly. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be more careful, Mr. Huo.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng is quick to judge, but what about his own life? Zhao Liangze thought.

    Zhao Liangze got up to leave Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office and suddenly blurted out, ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re the chief, and your personal life is... of course, you know better than us...¡± They both knew what Zhao Liangze was really saying: Huo Shaoheng was allowing himself to get into a rtionship with Gu Nianzhi, even though he knew they had no future together.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at him and answered nonchntly, ¡°You can go now.¡± He didn¡¯t look at Zhao Liangze again but focussed on theputer monitor. At that moment, the screen disyed the photo that Yin Shixiong had taken of He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi standing in front of the B University cafeteria. In the morning sun, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side profile was evening more stunning than the sunshine itself. He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were full of adoration as he looked at her face.

 Chapter 453 - Neglected

    <h4>Chapter 453: Neglected</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Even though the picture was captured using a pinhole camera, itsposition was surprisingly good. The expressions were natural, the sunlight made the picture more beautiful than any artificial light ever could. A picture like that could easily be turned into an oil painting or a postcard. Huo Shaoheng actually looked at it for a good ten minutes! He had not intended to look at it for so long, but when he finally snapped back to reality, the time had already passed.

    The mouse under his finger moved swiftly, as if it had a mind of its own, and deleted the picture. Turning theputer off and swirling his chair back, he looked at the afternoon sun. In an impulsive moment, he dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number. Gu Nianzhi did not answer the call. It wasn¡¯t intentional. She was looking up some information in the library and had to silence her phone. Moreover, she¡¯d worn a dress without pockets today, so her phone wasn¡¯t on her. It was in her bag.

    Gu Nianzhi looked through the information and keyed them into theputer quickly. It was almost mealtime before she was done, and she finally noticed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s missed calls. There were seven or eight of them. Startled, she returned the call, but there was no response from Huo Shaoheng. She looked at her phone and couldn¡¯t understand why he called her so many times. After contemting for a while, she called Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Brother Ze, are you busy?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked carefully, carrying her backpack as she stood by one of the pirs around the main entrance of the library. Her long legs made her look amazing.

    Zhao Liangze had just finished his dinner and was rxing at his office table. He had both his feet up and was chatting with Bai Yueran on an app via voice messages. He was having a great chat with her and nothing could distract him. When he received the call from Gu Nianzhi, he immediately sent her a text.

    ¡°Something cropped up. Will contact youter.¡±

    Bai Yueran also replied promptly with, ¡°go get busy. I¡¯ve got something on too. Let¡¯s talk another time.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was in an extremely good mood even though his chat had been disturbed. His chat with Bai Yueran had broken all their previous duration records: 30 minutes. He didn¡¯t even mind that most of their conversation revolved around work.

    ¡°Is something wrong, Nianzhi? Have you had your dinner?¡± Zhao Liangze expressed his usual concern for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s health and wellbeing.

    He and Yin Shixiong had spent six months in America with her and had developed a caretaker mindset towards her.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. She held her phone to her ears as she walked down the steps of the library. ¡°I¡¯m just about to go and eat. Just want to know if you guys have any emergency cases today?¡±

    ¡°Nope, it was a day peaceful day. Everyone is enjoying their weekend.¡± Zhao Liangze said cheerfully. ¡°Why did you return to school all of a sudden? A lot of work to catch up on?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just came out of the library. I¡¯m doing my thesis.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the evening sky and finally broached the main topic. ¡°Brother Ze, what is Huo Shao doing? Is he very busy? I called him but couldn¡¯t get him.¡±

    ¡°Nope, he isn¡¯t. We didn¡¯t have much going on today. Had a meeting thatsted the entire afternoon, but that was about it.¡± Zhao Liangze was in full alert. Could it be that Mr. Huo had already thought about his subtle hint this afternoon? And was keeping his distance from Gu Nianzhi now? But one sentence from Gu Nianzhi washed away his concerns.

    ¡°Is it? But Huo Shao called me about seven or eight times. I set my phone to silent and ced it in my bag, so I didn¡¯t hear any of them. When I finally did, I called back immediately to check if anything was wrong, but I can¡¯t get him no matter how hard I try.¡±

    The number Gu Nianzhi called was his personal number. It was made known to only a small number of people. When Gu Nianzhi had dialed this number in the past, Huo Shaoheng had always picked up. There was definitely something going on if he didn¡¯t pick up. That was why Gu Nianzhi asked if something happened. She was worried something might have happened to Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhao Liangze was also curious as to why Huo Shaoheng called Gu Nianzhi seven to eight times in a row. He didn¡¯t dare to continue guessing, so he told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°hold on, I¡¯ll see what Mr. Huo is doing right now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze left his office and took a look at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office.

    Huo Shaoheng was at work. He had a dictionary on one side, and a stack of documents in front of him. It looked like he was writing something. Turning around, Zhao Liangze sent Gu Nianzhi a text.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything urgent. He¡¯s doing a report. Would you like to try calling again? Perhaps he didn¡¯t notice his phone ringing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted herself on the chest to calm down. ¡°That¡¯s good. I won¡¯t disturb him. Since Huo Shao is busy...¡±

    ¡°No worries. Perhaps he¡¯s waiting for your call as well?¡± Zhao Liangze urged Gu Nianzhi to call again. It was very unusual for Huo Shaoheng to call a person seven to eight times in a row.

    Gu Nianzhi also thought he made sense, and since Zhao Liangze was there as well, he could mediate if something went wrong. She nodded and said, ¡°alright, I¡¯ll call again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi called Huo Shaoheng again. Zhao Liangze heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone ring before he turned around. However, Huo Shaoheng did not pick up the call. He just allowed it to ring while he continued with his work. It was like he was doing it on purpose.

    Zhao Liangze was speechless. Eventually, he knocked on the door and reminded Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, you have a call. From Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even raise his head. He merely replied calmly, ¡°I know. Busy. No time for calls.¡± Then he took his phone and turned it off.

    Zhao Liangze smiled bitterly and nodded. He returned to his office and realized that he had not turned his Bluetooth headset off when he was talking to Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi heard everything between Huo Shaoheng and himself. Gu Nianzhi had heard each and every word clearly. She was nearing the dormitory building. The road towards the dormitory was already full of weeping willows. It was green and serene. However, Gu Nianzhi stood at the entrance, feeling extremely lost. She really had not expected Huo Shaoheng to ignore her calls intentionally. Was he having revenge on her for not picking up his calls this afternoon? Shaking her head, she told herself no. Huo Shao wouldn¡¯t do something as childish as that.

    Then there was only one possibility left. Huo Shao really did not have time to answer her call. Everyone had their own list of priorities. Her ce on his list was definitely not as high as his ce on her list. The feeling of neglect was extremely strong and hard to ept. She remained in the lobby for a good while before walking heavy heartedly to the lift.

    Upon returning to her dormitory, Ma Qiqi approached her cheerfully. ¡°Nianzhi, would you like to go out to dinner? I heard there are some new restaurants outside the South gate. The reviews have been quite positive.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She did not feel like going initially, but she didn¡¯t want to be alone in the dormitory lest her mind went wild. She was worried she might not be able to control herself and just barge back to the Special Forces and confront Huo Shaoheng. Then she¡¯d really be asking for it.

    Suppressing her rashness, she smiled to Ma Qiqi. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s eat out tonight.¡±

    She went to her room to change. Taking off her formal dress, she put on a rugged pair of jeans with holes at the knees and a floral patterned knitted top. With a white Hermes bucket bag toplete her outfit, she left the dormitory with Ma Qiqi.

    There were indeed new restaurants outside the South gate of B University. The renovations were exquisite. Some restaurants looked grand, with a full eight-course meal as their signature, and some went for European country designs, selling burgers, fried chicken, and pizzas with various toppings. There were also restaurants selling Huaxia Empire¡¯s local dishes like Hunan, Szechuan, and Hubei restaurants. Hunan and Szechuan restaurants weremon in Di Capital, but not Hubei restaurants.

    Thinking of braised lotus root with pork ribs all of a sudden, she pulled Ma Qiqi by the hand. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look if they have braised lotus root with pork ribs.¡±

    ¡°You like Hubei dishes?¡± Ma Qiqi asked in surprise. ¡°I thought you¡¯ve always preferred soups and Cantonese dishes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had preferred light dishes all along. She liked them for their refreshing aftertaste.

    ¡°I like spicy food as well, and braised lotus root with pork ribs for Hubei dishes.¡± Gu Nianzhi linked arms with Ma Qiqi happily and entered the newly opened Hubei restaurant.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang the moment they sat down. Even though it wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng¡¯s customized ringtone, she picked it up to take a look. It was He Zhichu.

 Chapter 454 - Threes a Crowd

    <h4>Chapter 454: Three¡¯s a Crowd</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Hello? Professor He?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked as she answered her phone. She didn¡¯t know what he needed from her on a Sunday night but, even though they had just been together that morning, she was his teaching assistant, so it was normal for him to call her at odd hours.

    He Zhichu held his phone with one hand and put the other in this trouser pocket. He stood in front of the French windows and watched the beautiful dusk sky as he listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice. He certainly enjoyed the sound of her voice, but he also thought he heard background music, people chatting, and the sound people cing orders. He Zhichu¡¯s expression warmed, but his tone was still aloof. ¡°Nianzhi, did you finish the Powerpoint presentation for the undergraduate students?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied quickly, ¡°I just finished it at the library this afternoon but didn¡¯t send it to you yet. I¡¯m out at dinner right now. I¡¯ll send it when I get home.¡±

    He Zhichu was a little surprised. ¡°You¡¯re out for dinner? Where? Are you alone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at a new Hubei style restaurant outside the south entrance. I¡¯m not alone, I¡¯m eating with Qiqi,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she eyed the steaming te of spareribs and lotus root being served. She swallowed instinctively. He Zhichu heard the sound of Gu Nianzhi swallowing from over the phone. It sounds like she¡¯s looking at something very delicious, he thought.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet,¡± He Zhichu blurted out then immediately regretted it. It was true he hadn¡¯t eaten yet. He¡¯d skipped both lunch and dinner. The only thing he¡¯d eaten all day was the breakfast with Gu Nianzhi, and he¡¯d had no appetite to eat alone afterward.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s full lips gaped in shock. After a long pause, she finally answered. She stuttered a little and whispered, ¡°Well, would you like to eat with us?¡±

    He Zhichu agreed immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll join you for dinner, Nianzhi. I¡¯lle over right away.¡± He Zhichu strode quickly to the door and took his trenchcoat from his rosewood coat rack. He slid his arms through the sleeves of his light grey coat and went downstairs. He wasn¡¯t familiar with the restaurants by the south entrance so he used his GPS to find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location and the restaurant¡¯s address.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting with Ma Qiqi at a table for two, but she asked the waitress to move them to a four-person table by a window. The new table was directly behind where they¡¯d first sat. He Zhichu saw the sign for the Hubei style restaurant then instantly glimpsed Gu Nianzhi through the window. She was smiling. Her side profile was nearly wless. Through the pane of crystal-like ss, it almost looked like her luminous face was glowing. He Zhichu gazed longingly for a second, then averted his eyes and walked up the steps. By the time he stood in front of Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi¡¯s table, his expression had resumed its characteristic aloofness.

    ¡°Professor He?¡± Ma Qiqi blurted out in surprise when she saw him, ¡°That was fast!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed, and she was about to change the subject when He Zhichu said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    He was hungry so he came to the restaurant quickly. That makes sense, Gu Nianzhi thought to herself.

    Ma Qiqi nodded furiously. ¡°Understood! Wow, I¡¯m having dinner with Professor He. It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re one of us!¡±

    He Zhichu stared at her. What was this child bbering about! He couldn¡¯t understand her, and he was getting annoyed. Maybe it was a generational thing, he thought to himself. He Zhichu sat down next to Gu Nianzhi. Even though it was a table for four, the space felt cramped.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to shift to the side, but if she moved anymore, she¡¯d be ttened like a pancake against the restaurant window.

    He Zhichu, however, didn¡¯t seem to notice the cramped table. He looked down at the menu and asked, ¡°What did you two order?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi ordered spareribs and lotus root, and I picked crock braised chicken and rice meatballs,¡± Ma Qiqi answered quickly. She loved food and always remembered the names of the dishes people ordered.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have sea cucumber with vegetables and gold and silver dumplings.¡± He waved the waitress over and ordered. They had chosen all the restaurant¡¯s bestsellers, so the kitchen had ample amounts prepared and was able to serve it quickly. Soon after Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and Ma Qiqi¡¯s meals arrived, He Zhichu¡¯s sea cucumber with vegetables and gold and silver dumplings was also served. He Zhichu noticed the girls hadn¡¯t ordered drinks, so he asked for two sses of fresh coconut juice and one draft beer.

    Gu Nianzhi loved coconut juice, but not many people knew that about her. She didn¡¯t typically have it when she was out. When she was younger, she had secretly used thickened coconut juice to trick Huo Shaoheng into thinking it was milk. She didn¡¯t know if he noticed back then. Gu Nianzhi drank the coconut juice and found herself missing Huo Shaoheng. Stop right there, Gu Nianzhi warned herself. She put the straw away and looked up at He Zhichu with a smile. ¡°You sure know how to order, Professor He. How did you know I like coconut juice? It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    Ma Qiqi also took a sip but frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like coconut juice. It isn¡¯t like milk or fruit juice and it¡¯s sweet too! Yuck!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? So there¡¯s something even Qiqi doesn¡¯t like!¡± Gu Nianzhi gave a dramatic gasp of mock shock but forgot about the window beside her. She hit her head hard with a loud bang!

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Gu Nianzhi wailed quietly as she shot Ma Qiqi a dirty look. Ma Qiqi muffled her giggles, but she was shaking hard withughter.

    He Zhichu gracefully reached out to press his fingers against the right side of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Thankfully it¡¯s not swollen.¡± Then he pressed down gently to massage her. His fingers were very cold and the sensation felt nice against her aching head. It didn¡¯t seem to hurt as much anymore. She couldn¡¯t help looking like a rxed kitten, and she even squinted her huge eyes slightly. Her full lips curved into a smile, and she leaned into his touch.

    Ma Qiqi wanted to tease her some more, but she swallowed herughter when she saw He Zhichu¡¯s warning nce. She wagged her fingers at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, how many fingers am I holding up? Maybe you have brain damage?¡±

    ¡°Two fingers, Qiqi. Jeez, I never knew you were this kind of person!¡± Gu Nianzhi joked and angled her head towards He Zhichu. The massage felt so nice. He Zhixhu¡¯s hand paused, then he continued rubbing outwards to prevent a bruise from forming.

    Ma Qiqi stuck out her tongue. ¡°Girl, there¡¯s a ton of things you don¡¯t know! I¡¯ll let you off this time, on the ount of Professor He¡¯s presence. Here, have some sea cucumber. You need the protein.¡±

    ¡°Sea cucumbers have protein?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked nkly.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Ma Qiqi nibbled on a gold and silver dumpling. ¡°But it might fix your brain cells.¡±

    ¡°Qiqi!¡± Gu Nianzhi was only just discovering Ma Qiqi¡¯s tongue was quick enough to spare with. If it hadn¡¯t been for He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi would have argued back. She red at Ma Qiqi, but Ma Qiqi could see the smile shining through her eyes.

    He Zhichu watched them, removed his hand, and began eating. He had always been intelligent and graceful, but the ss of draft beer in his hand made him appear more masculine.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she ate her favorite food and drank her coconut juice. The dinner was very pleasant, and she momentarily forgot that Huo Shaoheng was ignoring her call. She even stared greedily at He Zhichu¡¯s draft beer and wanted to order one for herself. However, He Zhichu didn¡¯t agree. ¡°Wait till you¡¯re 22. I¡¯ll take you out for drinks,¡± he told Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced. ¡°Wait until I¡¯m 22! Professor He, you¡¯re being difficult on purpose!¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s on purpose. What are you going to do about it?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression was aloof, but his words were daring.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi remained silent. Professor He was much more attractive when he acted like this, Gu Nianzhi thought.

    Ma Qiqi was a talkative person by nature and she respected He Zhichu. She chatted throughout the dinner, and there were no awkward silences. By the time they¡¯d finished eating, Ma Qiqi wanted to be one of his students. She would have even settled for being his janitor.

    ...

    As Gu Nianzhi and the others were having dinner, Huo Shaoheng was finishing all his work, and he had no reason to ignore Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calls. He sat on the swivel chair in his office and considered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s two missed two calls while he yed with his personal phone. After thinking for a long time, he finally called her back.

 Chapter 455 - Too Much Is as Bad as Too Little

    <h4>Chapter 455: Too Much Is as Bad as Too Little</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Priest, shrine, war, arrow ¨C whose past were they? Liking how you belong to me even in the crowd...¡± It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s customized ringtone. This was one of the lesser-known songs by Jay Chou, but its melody was really special. Gu Nianzhi also especially liked the poetic imagery the song portrayed, so it naturally became his customized ringtone after they got together.

    Hearing that ringtone, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she picked up the call instinctively. The other end was silent. Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to tell He Zhichu apologetically, ¡°Excuse me, Professor He, I have to take a call outside.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you do it here?¡± He Zhichu raised his eyebrows, objecting slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m worried that I might disturb Professor He and Qiqi. Right, Qiqi?¡± Gu Nianzhi shot Ma Qiqi a look.

    Ma Qiqi caught her hint and waved her hand. ¡°Yes, yes. Go take your call outside and don¡¯t disturb us!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slightly and smiled at He Zhichu. Having no choice, He Zhichu stood up and made way for Gu Nianzhi to walk past him. Arriving at the restaurant¡¯s entrance, Gu Nianzhi stood beneath a tree and took the call. There was nothing but silence on the other end. Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone and realized that Huo Shaoheng had hung up. Couldn¡¯t he have waited for that little while? Gu Nianzhi was upset. She stared at her phone and had the impulse to smash it into the ground.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng hung up the moment he heard Gu Nianzhi say, ¡°Excuse me, Professor He, I have to take a call outside.¡± He was surprised that Gu Nianzhi would be with He Zhichu at this time. Looking at his watch, it was almost six in the evening. Was it dinner? Or had they just finished dinner? What were they doing together?

    Huo Shaoheng toyed with his phone a little before throwing it aside and turning on a tracking app on his desktop. Upon locating her, he found out that she was outside B University¡¯s south gate. She wasn¡¯t even back in school at this time.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and connected himself to the CCTVs around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location. Every public space in Di Capital had CCTVs. They formed a closely knittedwork. However, the CCTVs were only installed in public spaces. Anything other than that, it was up to the people. Government organizations could not interfere.

    For example, if you wanted to have a CCTV in your home, you could. However, the government would not have the right to ess your footage. They wouldn¡¯t even know who had decided to put a CCTV in their homes. It was the same with the B University campus. As long as it was within the campus, outsiders would not know where their CCTVs were if they did not reveal the locations. And it was all thanks to He Zhichu that Gu Nianzhi knew B University¡¯s inside information. That was why she was able to help Huo Shaoheng find the truth about Miao Yunxiao and Dou Aiyan.

    However, the area outside the south gate was a public area. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng had the authority to connect his desktop to the CCTVwork around that area. He saw that Gu Nianzhi was standing under a tree on the sidewalk. A Hubei restaurant was behind her. There werenterns hanging at the restaurant¡¯s entrance. It looked like it was newly opened. He also saw that He Zhichu was sitting at a window seat in the Hubei restaurant. He Zhichu was looking at Gu Nianzhi through the windows at that point in time.

    Gu Nianzhi was upset that Huo Shaoheng had hung up on her. However, she controlled her emotions and waved at He Zhichu when she saw him looking at her, eyes full of concern. She went back into the restaurant.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, he saw that Gu Nianzhi was enjoying He Zhichu¡¯spany, and he had even gotten an entire te of food for her. Huo Shaoheng shut the desktop down and walked to the window. He remembered Yin Shixiong telling him that Gu Nianzhi was having breakfast with He Zhichu. Now they were having dinner together. Did they have all three meals together in a day?

    Huo Shaoheng had the impulse to smoke again. He had already quit smoking when he decided to be together with Gu Nianzhi. He wanted to be healthy so that they could have a healthy, beautiful, clever, and adorable baby together. But now...

    Huo Shaoheng rummaged around and found a pack of cigarettes. He walked to the balcony and lit one up.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi sat down and continued her meal. Even though she was slightly bothered, she controlled her impulse to call Huo Shaoheng and reminded herself to not think about it.

    It took her so much to bear with it. If not for the fact that He Zhichu was looking at her from time to time, she would¡¯ve taken her phone out and called Huo Shaoheng. However, she did not want to embarrass herself in front of He Zhichu.

    Ma Qiqi was the happiest. She was easy going and having dinner with her most respected professor. She was on cloud nine. Her conversations were interesting, and she made the slightest thing extremely lively.

    ¡°...Oh and guess what? I overhead a discussion about a case by a few boys the other day. I felt that even though the case had its own issues, it wasn¡¯t as bad as they made it seem. So I went over and debated with them. In the end, one of the boys told me angrily, ¡®If you are in the person¡¯s shoes one day, won¡¯t you hope that someone would get justice for you?¡¯¡± Ma Qiqi mimicked the boy as she conveyed the question he asked her. She furrowed her brows at times and raised them at others. She looked so candid. Gu Nianzhiughed herself silly. He Zhichu patted her on the back and poured her another ss of coconut juice.

    Ma Qiqi continued, ¡°Taken aback, I asked them, ¡®Do you guys all put yourselves in the other person¡¯s shoes?¡¯ And those boys said, ¡®Of course!¡¯ So I said, ¡®That person got into trouble because of ****. So you guys hope that someone will bring justice to you when you get into trouble because of ****. Do you guys mean that?¡± Ma Qiqi returned to herself when she talked, her brows one higher than the other. Her mocking expression showed way more than her words.

    Pffft ¡ª! Gu Nianzhi spat a mouthful of coconut juice out. Thankfully, Ma Qiqi sat opposite He Zhichu. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve been covered in coconut juice.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Great aim! Try harder!¡± Ma Qiqiughed as she cleaned the table beside her.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Shoo~ stop saying nonsense. Oh yeah, what did the boys say after you said that?¡±

    Ma Qiqi threw the napkins into the trash and contorted her face into an expression of uncertainty and pain. It reminded Gu Nianzhi of someone having constipation for almost half a month. Then she said, ¡°They just looked at me like that and couldn¡¯t think of anything to say for so long!¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHHA way to go, Qiqi!¡± Gu Nianzhiughed ¡¯til she cried.

    ¡°Then I said, ¡®I¡¯m sorry all you kind-hearted souls, if you guys really get into trouble with **** in the future, I wouldn¡¯t care if you were made a scapegoat, but I will never bring justice to you. Just pray that I don¡¯t bring you down further!¡¯¡± Ma Qiqi waved her fists and showed how serious she was.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°So this is the difference in perception between guys and girls. Qiqi, from the eyes of a professional, your response could be improved on. However, sigh! We¡¯re all human, and humans will have their own emotions and thoughts. Even if we were to be professionals, we would have our very own stand as well. Which things we¡¯re able to ept and which we aren¡¯t. We don¡¯t have to measure everything the same way.¡±

    He Zhichu listened to them quietly and shook his head only then. ¡°Nianzhi, Qiqi, both your exnations were wed. As a professional, you have to be responsible for your profession. As long as you¡¯re out there as a professional, you have to forget about yourself as a person with your personal stand. This is how you representw and justice without bias.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi straightened their backs instinctively, just like when they were at a lecture.

    However, He Zhichu had no intention of continuing. He finished his beer in one gulp and said, ¡°Remember Justitia, thedy of justice? She was blindfolded, with a sword in one hand and a bnce in the other. This shows that in the eyes of thew, everyone is equal. Justitia will not be blinded by her subjective points of view.¡±

    Ma Qiqi blushed and couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Gu Nianzhi, however, retorted out of habit. Looking at He Zhichu, she said cheekily, ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re all not Justitia but merely students from thew faculty! Professor He, your expectations for us are too high. It¡¯s not a good thing, you know?¡±

    He Zhichu thought about it for a while and realized that he couldn¡¯t disagree with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Fine, you make sense.¡± He Zhichu stood up. ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    Ma Qiqi whispered to Gu Nianzhi the moment He Zhichu left his seat. ¡°How would you even dare to argue with Professor He? You don¡¯t want your life anymore?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned cheekily and whispered back, ¡°I¡¯m like a phoenix. I am reborn after putting myself through death!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a bad girl, Nianzhi! You¡¯re implying that Professor He is death. I¡¯m going to tell on you!¡± Ma Qiqiughed and stood up. ¡°Unless you bribe me with extremely good glutinous rice rolls with azuki bean paste and sweet pea pudding!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Those boys really asked the wrong questions, didn¡¯t they? They should¡¯ve asked you if you would help them if the rewards were glutinous rice rolls with azuki beans and sweet pea pudding, right?!¡±

    ¡°Hahahahah! Nianzhi knows me best!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone rang with a text message the moment she finished her sentence. Upon reading the text, she took her bag hurriedly and ced 100 Chinese Yuan on the table. ¡°Something cropped up. I have to go. This is for my part of the bill. We¡¯ll calcte it again next time I see you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was sipping on coconut juice by herself when He Zhichu returned. He raised his hand again for the server. ¡°Another five bottles of fresh coconut juice, to go. Thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up, embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Professor He, I¡¯ll just finish this bottle.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± He Zhichu signaled for her to go. ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of the bill. Where¡¯s Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°She has something going on.¡± Gu Nianzhi took the 100-Yuan note on the table. ¡°Professor He, this is Qiqi¡¯s share. Please ept it.¡± Then she took out another 100 Yuan. ¡°Will this be enough?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her coldly. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, must you be so calctive with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly. ¡°This is different! We should not take advantage of Professor He like that.¡±

    An arm found its way around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders, and he whispered into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear with a yful smile, ¡°Your Professor He has a strong family background. Taking small advantages like this doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t used to being so close with strangers, so she moved away from He Zhichu instinctively and looked at him from the side. Surprisingly, Gu Yanran was there, and behind her was Xue Jingjiang, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s childhood ymate, whom she had met a couple of times.

 Chapter 456 - Distressed

    <h4>Chapter 456: Distressed</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Yanran, and his usually indifferent expression appeared slightly feigned for a moment. Then, like a raindrop melting into the ocean, it was gone without a trace. Gu Nianzhi nced at He Zhichu and saw him smile briefly at Gu Yanran so she also nodded politely. ¡°Miss Gu,¡± she said. Then she turned to Xue Jingjiang. ¡°Brother Xue, are you having dinner with Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°Of course! That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. Unfortunately, she¡¯s not epting my offer!¡± Xue Jingjiang winked. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re not with Huo Shao?¡± This was a tricky question. Gu Nianzhi knew if she didn¡¯t answer correctly, she could give the wrong impression.

    Gu Nianzhi yed along with him. ¡°It¡¯s Sunday night. Huo Shao has to work, and I have school. When can we have dinner together, Xue Jingjiang?¡±

    ¡°Oh, ha!¡± Although Xue Jingjiang was speaking to Gu Nianzhi, he was looking at Gu Yanran out of the corner of his eye. For some reason, Gu Yanran was being very friendly towards Gu Nianzhi. The older woman walked up to take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, draped her arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s so nice to run into you.¡± She looked at He Zhichu. ¡°Lawyer He, do you want to join our table?¡±

    ¡°We already ate.¡± He Zhihcu was very cordial to Gu Yanran and didn¡¯t have his typical icy distance towards her. He inclined his chin slightly. ¡°You two eat. I¡¯ll take Nianzhi back to campus first.¡±

    Gu Yanran could only move aside and watch He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi leave the restaurant. Xue Jingjiang noticed Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t follow the elegant and handsome He Zhichu, but lingered on Gu Nianzhi. He couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Yanran, why are you looking at Nianzhi that way?¡±

    ¡°How am I looking at her?¡± Gu Yanran nced around with amazement and instinctively touched her face. ¡°Did I look scary? Did I frighten Nianzhi? Oh no, what should I do? I don¡¯t want her to be scared of me.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Why would she be scared of you?¡± Xue Jingjiang shook his head. ¡°Nianzhi isn¡¯t a calcting person, and she¡¯s not timid either. I¡¯m telling you, there isn¡¯t a person alive who could grow up under Huo Shaoheng and turn out timid.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that right? I heard you mention that before. Didn¡¯t you say Nianzhi is Huo Shao¡¯s distant rtive?¡± Xue Jingjiang noted that Gu Yanran seemed very interested in Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rtionship. He finally had a topic to discuss with her, and he wasn¡¯t about to let it go. The pair chatted and walked into the restaurant together. They also happened to sit at the table by the window where Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi had first ordered their meals. After cing their orders, they continued to talk. Unfortunately, Xue Jingjiang wasn¡¯t very familiar with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s affairs, and most of what he said was his subjective spections. Gu Yanran noticed this after listening for a while, but she didn¡¯t interrupt his exaggerated rambling. Instead, she kept smiling at Xue Jingjiang and encouraged him to continue. ¡°So you¡¯re saying she was brought under Huo Shao¡¯s care six years ago? How old was she back then?¡±

    ¡°12? Or maybe 13? I don¡¯t remember clearly.¡± Xue Jingjiang was only guessing her age. He didn¡¯t actually know under what circumstances Huo Shaoheng had begun caring for her. But this bit of news was enough for Gu Yanran. She continued to smile and chat with Xue Jingjiang, but her mind was preupied with Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire situation was so simr to her sister¡¯s. What was going on, she wondered. As she thought, her eyes drifted out the window and suddenly focused on something out the window.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu out of the restaurant. He turned to her.

    ¡°You wait here. I¡¯ll go get the car.¡±

    ¡°I can walk back myself,¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly refused. ¡°We¡¯re not far from campus. I walked here with Qiqi.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can get the car in no time. Just wait for three minutes.¡± He Zhichu patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and left no room for discussion. He walked so quickly Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bother following him. The car was just a few steps away, so Gu Nianzhi decided to wait. She put her hands in her trouser pockets, stood by a tree in front of the restaurant, and hummed while she waited for He Zhichu to return. After some time, she felt the back of her neck burn like someone was staring at her. Gu Nianzhi looked back casually and assumed she was just being paranoid until she spied a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. She turned around, and her mouth dropped with shock. Standing under another tree was a tall and handsome man in a ck trenchcoat. It was Huo Shaoheng!

    Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi looking at him and froze for a second before slowly walking out from under the tree. They stood underneath the trees, staring at each other. Maybe it was shock or the fact that they were in a fight, but neither of them walked over to the other. They just looked at each other from across the small flower bush. The streemps in front of the trees glowed with incandescent light and illuminated the brighter areas and darkened the shadows. Between ck and white, light and dark, the pair looked at each other. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant, along with the great rednterns, all became their background. After a long moment, the squeal of tires broke the silence between them. Gu Nianzhi instinctively looked in the direction of the noise. He Zhichu had returned in his car. He parked on the side of the road and got out to stand beside Gu Nianzhi. Then he looked at Huo Shaoheng on the other side of the flower bushes and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, you are here for dinner too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at He Zhichu. ¡°Good evening, Professor He.¡± He paused and offered his hand to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi,e here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. After a long moment, she finally said, ¡°Professor He, you can go home. I still have something to take care of.¡±

    He Zhichu was acutely aware of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quandary and noticed a trace of something strange in the interaction between her and Huo Shaoheng. However, he didn¡¯t say anything more but bowed slightly at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯ll ask you to take Nianzhi home then.¡± He turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Is half an hour long enough to solve this problem? If it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll call you half an hour from now to see if you¡¯re back at your dorm.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly observed He Zhichu¡¯s underhanded jab but continued to offer his hand to Gu Nianzhi and repeated, ¡°Nianzhi,e here.¡± His voice was getting lower.

    Gu Nianzhi knew this meant Huo Shaoheng¡¯s anger was growing, and she quickly replied to He Zhichu, ¡°One hour. One hour will be enough.¡±

    ¡°One hour isn¡¯t enough.¡± Seeing that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯ting over, Huo Shaoheng finally strode over. ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi will be attending ss on time tomorrow.¡± As he spoke, he took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and turned to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng dragged Gu Nianzhi, and she stumbled. She couldn¡¯t help turning back to nce at He Zhichu. He stood alone under the bright street lights. The lights illuminated the top of his head, and only his exceptionally elegant figure was visible. His face was hidden in shadows, and his expression was inscrutable. Gu Nianzhi suddenly pitied him and turned around to wave. ¡°Professor He! Please, you can go home! I¡¯lle to your office tomorrow morning!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip but didn¡¯t look back as he quickly dragged Gu Nianzhi away.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression dimmed as he raised his hand in an ¡°okay¡± gesture. Then he opened his car door and drove off.

    Huo Shaoheng held onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand until they stopped in front of the Hummer parked on the opposite side of the road. He opened the door and spoke coldly to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s already reallyte,¡± Gu Nianzhi stammered. She tried to be courageous, but it was very difficult to defy Huo Shaoheng. She no confidence in herself and, if Huo Shaoheng left without another word, she thought she would chase after him.

    ¡°This won¡¯t take much time.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked away and replied calmly, ¡°But you don¡¯t have toe.¡± He didn¡¯t try persuading Gu Nianzhi again but used all his self-control to move away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and walk to the driver¡¯s seat. He stuck the key into the ignition and put both hands on the steering wheel without looking at her, the same way he had in the Special Ops seduction resistance training. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t joking, Gu Nianzhi quickly opened the door and got in.

    ...

    Inside, Gu Yanran and Xue Jinjiang witnessed the whole confrontation through the restaurant¡¯s French window. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Hummer drove off with Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Yanran didn¡¯t look away for a long time.

    Xue Jinjiang coughed softly and said, ¡°Yanran, they¡¯re gone...¡±

    Gu Yanranposed herself and smiled at him. ¡°Huo Shao seems very strict with Nianzhi. I feel sorry for her.¡±

 Chapter 457 - Carrot after Stick

    <h4>Chapter 457: Carrot after Stick</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Xue Jingjiangughed heartily, throwing his head back. His tanned skin glowed under the lights. He was full of charm and charisma. Gu Yanran looked at him admiringly and scooped a bowl of soup for him. ¡°This carp with tofu soup tastes so good. We seldom get such fresh fish and tender tofu like this in Barbados.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang was so ttered. He quickly took a piece of lotus root for Gu Yanran. ¡°You mentioned that you like this, previously.¡±

    ¡°Not me. My sister. She likes all dishes containing lotus root.¡± Gu Yanran delved into the past. A slight smile formed on her lips. ¡°But how could we have lotus roots in Barbados? My dad doted on her so much. He hired some men to dig a pond and engaged a specialist from the Hua Xia Empire to go there, just to grow lotus roots for her.¡±

    ¡°What?! That¡¯s so generous of him!¡± Xue Jingjiangughed again. ¡°Digging an entire pond just because you girls couldn¡¯t have lotus roots, and even engaging a specialist! That¡¯s something only the richest of the rich would do!¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled demurely. ¡°We¡¯re only running a small business, definitely not one of the richest.¡±

    ¡°Yanran, you¡¯re wrong about that.¡± Hearing her say that, Xue Jingjiang stopped smiling. ¡°Do you and I have to feign politeness like this? You think I wouldn¡¯t know your family¡¯s financial capabilities?¡± They were in a business venture together. Therefore, Xue Jingjiang would know everything about Gu Yanran¡¯s financial capabilities.

    As a matter of fact, his worth wasn¡¯t low, either. Therefore, Gu Yanran felt that he would never have his eyes on her family¡¯s riches. Therefore, she nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, but Jingjiang you¡¯re right ¨C we don¡¯t have to feign politeness with each other.¡±

    After talking for a while, they began eating. Gu Yanran¡¯s etiquette was perfect. She did not open her mouth when she was eating. She¡¯d only talk after swallowing her food and rinsing her mouth with water.

    Sitting by the window, her back was straight. Her fair hands held the chopsticks as she only took a small amount of food onto her te each time. She also took note of Xue Jingjiang¡¯s ss. The moment his wine was almost finished, Gu Yanran would top it up for him. However, she only allowed herself fruit juice.

    Half an hour passed after a simple dinner. Xue Jingjiang went to get the bill and left Gu Yanran alone. She took a small, round mirror from her handbag and touched up her lipstick. Just at that moment, she saw someone signaling to her at the back in the mirror¡¯s reflection. She shifted the mirror slightly and saw that it was ady wearingrge shades. She was signaling, ¡°Help! Can¡¯t get out!¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at thedy carefully. She reminded her of someone. Shocked, she acknowledged that she saw her, took a napkin, and scribbled some words on it with her lipstick. Standing up, she walked in the direction of the restaurant¡¯s main entrance and bumped into Xue Jingjiang. He had just gotten the bill. She linked arms with him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    After going after Gu Yanran for so long, this was the very first time she had linked arms with him of her own ord. She leaned in closely but thought about the girl behind them, so she did not realize how close she was to him. But Xue Jingjiang felt it. He felt it very strongly. His posture changed instantaneously. They left the restaurant, each lost in their thoughts.

    Xue Jingjiang and Gu Yanran called their chauffeurs when they came out. Upon his call, his chauffeur arrived swiftly. He saw them entering the car and left. ¡°Yanran, should we be going to your ce or mine?¡± Seeing her being proactive, he thought that she had epted him, so he wanted to clear bases today. At the very least, he hoped to progress from first base to second. Perhaps, if he was lucky, they might even proceed to third base...

    Xue Jingjiang was happily thinking about what might happen, but Gu Yanran was not in the mood to fool around with him. Hearing what Xue Jingjiang asked, Gu Yanran shook her head apologetically. ¡°Jingjiang, I have something going on today. I¡¯ll most likely be working ¡¯tilte. I¡¯ll invite you over next time.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Xue Jingjiang was disappointed, but since Gu Yanran had already said that she would be inviting him, could he be too far from third base?

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng drove Gu Nianzhi all the way to the apartment that he had bought for her before stopping. They remained in the car. Without turning on the lights in the car, they were soon engulfed by darkness after the motion sensor lights went off in the parking lot. After waiting for a while, Gu Nianzhi figured that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t going to talk. Therefore, she decided to break the ice. ¡°Huo Shao, you were looking for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°I cannot look for you if I have nothing going on now? Nianzhi, when did you get so polite with me?¡± Actually, he wanted to say, ¡°so distant¡±...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile in the darkness. She realized that she was the cause of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s unhappiness. Had she managed to affect the ever-so-emotionless Huo Shaoheng? Aww~ she was going to give herself 32 ¡°likes!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bad mood over the past two days disappeared into thin air. She moved towards Huo Shaoheng slowly. Huo Shaoheng was just wondering if he should remove the keys or just start the engine and take Gu Nianzhi back to school. He felt that his ¡°results¡± from training were good. After seeing Gu Nianzhiughing happily while talking to other men, he could still control himself and face the situation calmly.

    Just then, a warm, tiny hand went around his shoulders. The other one cupped the side of his face. Huo Shaoheng was startled. The hand on his face turned his head to face her. Then, Gu Nianzhi leaned forward and kissed Huo Shaoheng on the lips.

    Huo Shaoheng had not expected Gu Nianzhi to be this daring ¨C she still dared to move close to kiss him when he was being so cold. His heart skipping a beat, Huo Shaoheng graded himself with a ¡°zero¡± on his ¡°training¡± and lifted Gu Nianzhi from her seat onto hisp. With a hand on her waist and the other on the back of her neck, he dominated their kiss.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s kiss was gentle and shy, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s was intimidating and daring. He wasn¡¯t satisfied with just the touching of their lips; he wanted more. He yearned for more.

    Gu Nianzhi held onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms in an attempt to stop him from continuing. She had merely wanted a peck on the lips to symbolize that they had made up, but judging by how Huo Shaoheng was kissing, would she be able to wake up for school tomorrow...?

    Gu Nianzhi struggled in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and whined in between kisses for him to stop. What she didn¡¯t know was that her actions and voice turned him on even more. Huo Shaoheng was already losing control. Since he had already ranked his own training as failed, Huo Shaoheng bit his lips and carried Gu Nianzhi out of the car, into the lift, and straight up to level 18.

    ...

    The ¡°thunderstorm¡± came fast and furious this time around. Before she knew it, Gu Nianzhi found herself in the bathtub again. Huo Shaoheng was sitting behind her. They were...¡±Watching out for the over consumption of water¡± again.

    Gu Nianzhi whined, ¡°Huo Shao! What is this supposed to mean? Giving a carrot after a stick?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused and then broke into a smile. He hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist from behind, rested his chin on her shoulders, and said calmly, ¡°...So Nianzhi feels that this is the carrot. Sure, we¡¯ll have more of them in the future.¡±

    He had used a little strength just now and was worried that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be receptive. However, her response was way better than anticipated...

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. After thinking about it, she realized how wrong her words sounded. She covered her face in embarrassment and moaned softly. With one arm around her waist, Huo Shaoheng turned her around to face him. Removing her hands covering her face, he kissed her.

    This kiss was differentpared to the passionate kiss just now. It felt like a warm andforting breeze in spring that blew softly across the flowers. It was full of love and tenderness. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s agitated emotions were instantly melted by the kiss.

    The moment the kiss ended, Gu Nianzhi hugged Huo Shaoheng around his neck and said, ¡°Huo Shao, if you had kissed me like that after we were done that day, I wouldn¡¯t have felt so sad...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered that he had left immediately after being intimate with her the other time because he was worried that he might have fallen too deeply. So, he had hurt her by being like that? He struggled within himself for a while and kissed her again. ¡°...Just get used to it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Who wanted to get used to those kinds of things?!

 Chapter 458 - Life in Motion

    <h4>Chapter 458: Life in Motion</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and raised her tiny fists with a sly look. She gently hit Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder and whispered, ¡°Why is that something I have to get used to? Coming back to kiss me isn¡¯t that hard.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t¡¯ speak and only watched her quietly. His eyes were as dark as obsidian, and when he watched her intently, she felt like he had the whole world in his eyes. He was willing to offer the world to her, but he kept silent instead. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze put Gu Nianzhi under a spell, and she gradually softened her stance. Two voices kept arguing in her head. One voice said, It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s like this. Why does he have to change for you? The other voice countered, But he loves me, right? Why can¡¯t he make one harmless change for me? In the end, Gu Nianzhi finally looked down to avoid Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze.

    She put her arms around his neck and massaged him, then said coyly, ¡°Huo Shao, just give it a try. It¡¯s not that hard.¡± While she was ying coy and draping her arms over Huo Shaoheng, shepletely forgot they were sitting in a full bathtub, and Huo Shaoheng, who hadn¡¯tpletely fulfilled his desires, had some fun once again.

    ...

    After another shower, Huo Shaoheng carried an exhausted Gu Nianzhi out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She rolled into the bed and wrapped herself tightly in the thin nket with her back to Huo Shaoheng.

    Heid next to her back with satisfaction and finally spoke in his baritone voice, ¡°If I wanted you right now, you think your little sheet could keep me away?¡± He leaned forward to drag Gu Nianzhi out of the nket and into his embrace. He covered her with his own nket.

    At first, Gu Nianzhi resisted his advances, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms were so warm and safe that she could only pretend to struggle before finding afortable spot on his shoulder and passing out in less than a minute. When she woke up the next day, she found she was ¡°working out¡± again.

    ¡°Huo Shao, are you done yet? I still have to go to school.¡± Huo Shaoheng urged Gu Nianzhi breathlessly under his body. She was driving him crazy. Even though her voice was sweet, her constant nagging was ruining the mood. Huo Shaoheng finally blocked her mouth impatiently with his lips and drove his tongue inside every time she tried to speak. He sucked hard on her tongue until she couldn¡¯t talk. Aside from the weak cries, she couldn¡¯t make any other sounds.

    ...

    After another round of lovemaking, Gu Nianzhi once again copsed onto the bed with exhaustion. She stared at Huo Shaoheng as he stood up and got dressed. He had done the most workst night, but he was also more refreshed and energetic. He was so rejuvenated it looked like he¡¯d gotten a full 16 hours of sleep. Gu Nianzhi scoffed loudly to alert him there was a worn out person needingforting. Huo Shaoheng turned around to look at her with a hint of a smile. He walked towards her and bent over to gently pat her cheek.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fuss. It¡¯s time to get up. I¡¯ll take you back to school.¡± As he spoke, he threw her phone to her. ¡°Your Professor was anxious. He called many times.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat up right away and gripped her phone. Her eyes were wide with shock. ¡°Why do you have my phone, Huo Shao!¡± She clearly remembered putting it in her coat pocket!

    ¡°You were sleeping so wellst night, and I was worried it might wake you up. So I took it out and shut it off,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly before going to the closet to bring Gu Nianzhi a set of clothes. ¡°Go change in the bathroom. I¡¯ll make you breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t sit still, and she red at Huo Shaoheng. She mustered enough courage to say, ¡°Huo Shao, you can¡¯t do that to my phone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak, just put both hands in his pockets as he leaned in front of the closet. He replied calmly, ¡°You¡¯re still not getting up and showering? You don¡¯t want to shower alone? Then let¡¯s go together. It¡¯ll save water.¡± He started to unbutton the sps at the top of his military uniform.

    Gu Nianzhi shrieked before grabbing the clothes and getting up from the bed. She dashed into the bathroom in her pajamas. The door locked with a click. She didn¡¯t want to be ¡°eaten¡± again...

    ...

    At seven am sharp, Huo Shaoheng dropped Gu Nianzhi off at her dorm. Resting both hands on the steering wheel, he gave her a sidelong nce. ¡°Go now, I¡¯ll take you home this weekend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bottled up grievances were melted away by his words. She looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome side profile and despised her ownck of backbone and principles, but she still instinctively leaned over to kiss his cheek. She blushed. ¡°Huo Shao, did you remember what I told you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± He sounded aloof yet polite as if he were brushing her off.

    Gu Nianzhi knew he spoke like this whenever he was ¡°ready to ept criticism but refused to change.¡± She got out of the car and stood on the steps of the dorm building to watch Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car speed away. She felt uncertain about her future. It wasn¡¯t like she was asking for much, but why did Huo Shaoheng always refuse topromise? How many times had she given in already? I have no self-respect or principle when ites to him, she thought. I despise my own behavior.

    ...

    Back at the dorm, Ma Qiqi was still asleep. Gu Nianzhi packed her backpack in her room then went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast for her roommate and get a bowl of yellow cornmeal porridge for herself. She¡¯d already had breakfast at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ce, but his Yanghzhou fried rice made her parched, and she needed something to drink.

    When Ma Qiqi opened her door and was shocked to see two fried donuts, a bowl of silky tofu, and three xiaolongbaos on the dining table. Gu Nianzhi sat alone and was enjoying her own bowl of yellow porridge. Ma Qiqi rushed over to Gu Nianzhi, hugged her cheerfully, and kissed her cheek.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re my little fairy! Never stop!¡± She sat across from Gu Nianzhi and began devouring the breakfast. Gu Nianzhi cast away her worries and smiled at the sight of Ma Qiqi eating. She felt especially proud.

    Ma Qiqi chewed on the donuts as she asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Where did you gost night? I almost stayed up for you.¡± She continued, ¡°Yesterday Miao Yunxiao was released on bail to await the trial. She came over especially to see you and said she wanted to thank you.¡±

    ¡°Miao Yunxiao? Came to thank me! You must¡¯ve heard wrong!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help looking out the window. ¡°Am I crazy? Is the sun still rising from the east!¡± She was very sure that the sun hadn¡¯t risen from the west.

    ¡°Of course not, I even asked her, and she said she would personally speak to you when you came back. Also...¡± Ma Qiqi hesitated for a second before leaning closer to Gu Nianzhi to whisper, ¡°I think she¡¯s going to transfer schools.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with understanding. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t transfer out, the school would expel her. So considering her options, it¡¯s still better to withdraw voluntarily.¡±

    When the two girls finished breakfast, Miao Yunxiao knocked on their door again. Ma Qiqi opened it and turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, Miao Yunxiao is here to see you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came out of the small kitchen and examined Miao Yunxiao quickly. Thest few days must have been terrifying. Her normally round face hadpletely sunken in leaving her skin waxy and her hair brittle. Her eyes didn¡¯t dart quickly as they had before, and she often looked away to avoid eye contact. It looked like the ten days of detention hadn¡¯t been easy. Gu Nianzhi sighed but remained quiet as she stood next to Ma Qiqi. Miao Yunxiao finally looked up to quickly nced at Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi fair and rosy skin seemed to exude youth. She quickly looked away. Miao Yunxiao stuttered, ¡°ssmate... ssmate Gu, I came here to thank you.¡±

    ¡°To what do I owe the honor? I don¡¯t remember doing anything you need to thank me for,¡± Gu Nianzhi countered Miao Yunxiao with a smile. The truth was, she would rather Miao Yunxiao apologize about all the gossip she¡¯d made up about her. But unfortunately, this was someone who would rather give thanks than apologies.

    Miao Yunxiao hung her head and mumbled, ¡°I heard the personnel say it. You helped find evidence to prove my testimony was true. That¡¯s how I got released on bail to wait for the trial.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze. She instantly understood that this must have been Yin Shixiong or Zhao Liangze¡¯s handiwork. They were the only ones who knew about her involvement in the case, but she didn¡¯t see why they would tell Miao Yunxiao.

    ¡°ssmate Miao, this was only a coincidence. Don¡¯t think too much of it,¡± Gu Nianzhi said politely. ¡°Cooperate fully with yourwyer and help the military find Yamaguchi Aiko. You may even help the nation and get a lesser sentence.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Miao Yunxiao jerked her head up. ¡°If I can find that woman, will my record be cleared?¡±

 Chapter 459 - Leaving No Trace

    <h4>Chapter 459: Leaving No Trace</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a judge. She wouldn¡¯t know how the court would sentence Miao Yunxiao, so she did not give her a definite answer. Instead, she said, ¡°You can bring this up with yourwyer. If she has a way to help, she¡¯ll appeal for it in court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that if Miao Yunxiao really managed to be of help to the Army, the court could shift her position to being a tainted witness. After the case, there would be a chance that they would allow her to leave no records under her name.

    Miao Yunxiao nodded eagerly. She trusted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wordspletely now. ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯ll go and have a talk with mywyer immediately. Nianzhi, thank you. Thank you so much!¡± She bowed her thanks again and quickly ran out.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi exchanged nces and did not mention anything regarding Miao Yunxiao again.

    Upon packing her bag, Gu Nianzhi turned to Ma Qiqi. ¡°It¡¯s almost eight. I need to get to Professor He¡¯s to submit my assignment. You have sses today, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, an elective and two core modules.¡± Ma Qiqi stretched. ¡°I have to go, too.¡±

    After saying their goodbyes, Gu Nianzhi went down hastily towards He Zhichu¡¯s Professors¡¯ dormitory. She did not dare to call He Zhichu prior and just braced herself to go directly to his apartment. She pressed the doorbell.

    Ding dong!

    The door opened the moment the doorbell rang. He Zhichu stood at the door with a straight face. There were shadowy looking rings beneath his eyes, and he looked pale. It seemed quite clear that he had not had a good night¡¯s rest.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head in guilt and said timidly, ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver my assignment, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s grip on the door handle tightened. His lips remained pursed as he looked at her coldly and did not say a thing. Taking a step aside, he made way for Gu Nianzhi to enter.

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed herself in and took herptop out of her bag. ¡°Professor He, the PowerPoint slides you needed for your lecture today and my thesis ¨C I sent them both to your mailbox this morning.¡±

    He Zhichu acknowledged and entered the kitchen. ¡°Have a seat. I haven¡¯t had breakfast.¡± His usually clear voice had a strong nasal tone to it today. It seemed like he had caught a cold.

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremely guilty. Putting down her bag, she followed He Zhichu into the kitchen and asked, full of concern, ¡°Have you caught a cold, Professor He?¡±

    He Zhichu remained silent. He took a pack of coffee out and poured it into the coffee machine.

    Gu Nianzhi moved around him. ¡°Professor He, is it a good idea having coffee early in the morning? You¡¯re already not feeling well. Should you have some milk instead? Or some porridge?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her coldly. ¡°Can you make them?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I can¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head honestly. ¡°But I can try making ginger tea for you. After drinking a cup of ginger tea, you¡¯ll definitely feel better.¡±

    He Zhichu looked and pointed at an electric stove to the side. ¡°Go make it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Professor!¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over and opened the cabs to look for ginger and brown sugar. Then, using her phone, she searched for instructions on how to make ginger tea.

    Gu Nianzhi was still holding her phone in one hand in front of the tea pot, looking at the directions and adding water and brown sugar slowly even after He Zhichu was done making his coffee. It was an obvious case of learning on the fly.

    He Zhichu¡¯s bad mood he had been in since the night before disappeared. He brought his coffee, stood beside Gu Nianzhi, and asked, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be able to enjoy the ginger tea you made before sunset today, Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied without thinking, ¡°Will I need that long? The instructions say ten more minutes will suffice.¡± Only upon saying that did she realize He Zhichu was actually teasing her. She turned around, pouted, and red at him. Her big eyes sparkled. It even looked seductive to He Zhichu when she red at him sideways.

    He Zhichu quickly lowered his head and drank a huge gulp of coffee. Then, he left the kitchen.

    Ten minutester, Gu Nianzhi was finally done making her ginger tea. She poured it into a cup and brought it out. Looking at its color, it honestly looked like coffee. He Zhichu did not protest. He finished the tea in one gulp.

    No one could deny that Gu Nianzhi picked things up quickly. Of course, it could also be due to the foolproof recipe for ginger tea. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s very first cup of ginger tea was a great sess. He Zhichu felt himself perspiring almost immediately after he drank the tea. His headache also felt better.

    He didn¡¯t like wearing damp shirts, so he intended to have a quick shower. Before going in, he reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I sent you a couple of case studies yesterday. Look through them properly and arrange a set of points that you can use for debate in court. I¡¯m going to wash up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carried herptop into the study and sat down. Ever since she became He Zhichu¡¯s assistant, he had turned the redecorated study into one that suited her usage better. He changed the desk into an off-white one and added a new bookshelf. It contained many journals and reference books. On the other end of the room, he ced a sofa bed and a couple ofrge cushions good enough to be pillows along with arge, fluffy sheet.

    When Gu Nianzhi workedte there, she¡¯d have a nap on the sofa. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to spend time traveling. Of course, she¡¯d lock the door no matter if He Zhichu was there or not.

    ...

    Upon entering his bedroom, He Zhichu went to the bathroom and got the water started for his bath. His phone rang even before he was done removing his clothes. The ringtone was slightly strangepared to the melody from the Hua Xia Empire. He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat before swiping to answer the call.

    ¡°Zhichu, when will you being back?¡± An old but powerful voice came from the other end. His tone was firm and determined, like a person who was used to givingmands.

    He Zhichu, however, did not seem to mind. He merely replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go back once I¡¯m done with my things.¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°Father, have you been well?¡±

    ¡°I will not be well as long as you¡¯re not back.¡± Some coughing was heard after this was said. What followed was a bright and gentle voice from a female, speaking softly in the background. He Zhichu knew that voice. It belonged to Aunt Qin. His grip on the phone tightened.

    ¡°Zhichu, we heard that you¡¯ve found Nianzhi. Why aren¡¯t you bringing her back?¡± Old Mister He asked, ¡°Is it that hard, based on your capabilities?¡±

    He Zhichu frowned. He avoided the question. ¡°Father, I heard that you and Aunt Qin want another child. Should I rmend some hospitals?¡±

    This question sessfully managed to divert Old Mister He¡¯s attention. Or rather, it managed to attract Aunt Qin¡¯s. Aunt Qin took the phone from Old Mister He and nagged He Zhichu. ¡°Chu, why would you be teasing Aunt Qin as well? You know your father only has one son, and he only wants this son. Why are you still being like that? Come back soon, Chu. Don¡¯t bother too much about the things there for the time being. Aunt Qin will find other ways.¡± Even though Aunt Qin was Old Mister He¡¯s second wife after his first wife passed on, He Zhichu never called her mother nor missus. He continued calling her Aunt Qin.

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. Let¡¯s hang up. Someone will notice if we speak for too long.¡±

    Aunt Qin hung up immediately, afraid to leave any trace.

    He Zhichu looked at his phone and smiled, thinking how the Special Force¡¯s Trojan Virus would have listened in on this phone call if he had not edited the program.

    Putting away his phone, he went for his shower.

    What he did not know was that even though he had edited Zhao Liangze¡¯s Trojan virus, that particr phone call left some traces in the program, as his phone required the Nandou Satellite System to send and receive signals. Zhao Liangze¡¯s Trojan Virus left a ¡°back door¡± using the Nandou Satellite System. Therefore, that phone call from his home had left some disruption in the program.

    Right now, Zhao Liangze was staring at the strange frequency on the screen and spacing out. It was his Trojan Virus. Why couldn¡¯t he decode his own virus? He did not believe that there was someone out there who was better at decoding than himself or Nianzhi!

    Yes, he¡¯d made up his mind. He¡¯d go and look for Gu Nianzhi if he could not solve this!

    ...

    Prime Minister Dou had been extremely stressed out by the pressure from the Committee and Armytely.

    ¡°Prime Minister, the due date for the Committee is nearing. Are you prepared to be interrogated by them?¡± Prime Minister Dou¡¯s senior secretary was extremely worried. ¡°The Principal of B University has already been suspended. The moment the new acting principal steps in, many things won¡¯t be able to be covered up anymore...¡±

    Prime Minister Dou said stubbornly, ¡°What do I have to hide? Even if Aiyan had really met up with Miao Yunxiao, they wouldn¡¯t be able to prove that they were talking about the Japanese woman!¡±

    ¡°But what about the phone calls between the Prime Minister¡¯s Office to the office of B University¡¯s principal? And you ordering them to delete the footage? How would you exin that?¡± the secretary asked, worried.

    This was because he had been the one to make that call. Of course, it was under Prime Minister Dou¡¯s instructions, but they had no idea how the Army and Committee had found the voice recordings from that call. They were currently appealing for the approval from the court to use it as a piece of evidence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll think of something.¡± Prime Minister Dou was about to speak, when he saw a familiar figure pushing a cleaning cart, entering the room. He quickly told his secretary, ¡°Prepare a speech. I¡¯ll make some phone calls.¡±

    His secretary left the room and closed the door behind him. Prime Minister Dou looked at the woman who was there to clean and sighed. ¡°Yamaguchi san, why are you here again?!¡±

 Chapter 460 - Diversion

    <h4>Chapter 460: Diversion</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yamaguchi Aiko had a headscarf to disguise herself as a cleaningdy. She looked up and grimaced at Prime Minister Dou.

    ¡°I have nowhere to go. If I didn¡¯te to you for help, I¡¯d be a sitting duck.¡± The Huaxia Imperial Secret Service had cast a city-wide in pursuit of Yamaguchi Aiko. Although they weren¡¯t as disturbingly capable as the Special Operations Forces, they were powerful enough to force her to go to the Prime Minister.

    Prime Minister Dou was speechless. Yamaguchi Aiko had agreed to not contact him again in order to prevent him being dragged into the mess. She knew Deputy Chief of Staff Xu¡¯s entire family was being framed for the crime. If someone else could take the fall for him, Prime Minister Dou thought, why should he have to suffer too? Prime Minister Dou¡¯s expression darkened and he pointed to a bookcase by the wall.

    ¡°Clean there first.¡±

    Yamaguchi Aiko was pretending to be a janitor, so it made sense for her to actually clean as part of her disguise.

    ¡°Prime Minister Dou, I have a n, but I need your help in order to escape,¡± Yamaguchi Aiko said as she picked up the cleaning tools to dust the shelves near the wall.

    Prime Minister Dou flipped through a book in front of the shelf and didn¡¯t look at Yamaguchi Aiko as he spoke. If anyone walked in, it wouldn¡¯t be obvious that he was actually interacting with her.

    ¡°How can I help you? I¡¯m being watched closely too,¡± Prime Minister Dou whispered quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a heads up about the Secret Service¡¯s operations twice now. Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± The Secret Service was under the Huaxia Imperial cab and, therefore, regarded as a domestic counterpart to the Special Operations Forces. Theoretically, the Secret Service reported to the Prime Minister. The two departments were responsible for domestic and foreign affairs respectively, and while duties sometimes ovepped, their jurisdictions differed. However, because the Secret Service reported directly to the Cab and had a lower security clearance, there were too many people who had the power intervene. They were not as strong as the Special Ops, so they had not yet arrested Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Yamaguchi Aiko gave him a vicious look of resentment.

    ¡°The Special Operations Forces and the Secret Service are working with customs.¡± She didn¡¯t dare attempt to flee. If she was spotted by the superbly capable Special Ops, there was no way she could run. She knew she couldn¡¯t risk being arrested. The consequences were too grave. Yamaguchi Aiko couldn¡¯t help shivering, unwilling to imagine what would happen if she were arrested. If it came to that, immediate suicide was the only option.

    ¡°What? Special Ops are involved with customs!¡± Prime Minister Dou was both shocked and furious. He threw his book on the ground. ¡°How dare they! The customs department directly reports to the Cab. To hell with the Special Ops!¡±

    Yamaguchi Aiko nodded furiously. ¡°You are the Prime Minister. How can you allow a military department to circumvent your authority? Think about it. You should be in the same standing as Speaker Long and General Ji, but the Special Ops has knocked you off your pedestal. What¡¯s the point of being Prime Minister if you don¡¯t have any power?¡±

    Prime Minister Dou¡¯s expression became uglier. He had long noticed that, with his title, he should be the nation¡¯s top leader. At least, he should have been part of the troika along with Speaker Long and General Ji. However, the other two men always looked down on him, and while they were all too happy to intervene in his matters, he was never allowed to touch the military¡¯s business. It wasn¡¯t fair.

    ¡°I¡¯ll find a way. What they¡¯re doing ispletely out of their jurisdiction.¡± Prime Minister Dou nned to have his own senior executive assistants peruse the relevant Huaxiaws to determine what the Special Ops was viting and order them topletely withdraw from domestic affairs. He believed Speaker Long and the Supreme Military Council would support him. No one wanted to see an institution like that emerge.

    ¡°You can think about this in detailter. The important thing right now is to get me out of here.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko smiled suggestively. ¡°Prime Minister Dou, can you help me?¡±

    ¡°How can I help you?¡± Prime Minister Dou regarded her suspiciously. ¡°Did you forget our agreement? I¡¯m already being targeted by the Special Ops. You don¡¯t stand a chance if anything happens to me.¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you. You are my biggest supporter in the Huaxia Empire. If something happens to you, how would that benefit me? All our previous efforts would be for nothing. Plus, even if I was willing, the Yamaguchi-gumi would never agree. I¡¯d rather die than be punished by them. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko was eager to reassure Prime Minister Dou and tried very hard to dispel his worries.

    Prime Minister Dou felt relieved once he heard Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s promise. She was right, the Yamaguchi-gumi punished their own members even more cruelly than they punished their enemies.

    ¡°Very well then, just remember what you promised.¡± Prime Minister Dou rubbed his eyes and picked up another book from the shelf.

    Yamaguchi Aiko took her cleaning tools and dusted the shelves as she approached Prime Minister Dou. She whispered even more quietly so her voice would not be picked up even if the room was bugged.

    ¡°Prime Minister Dou, you have to think of a way.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko squinted her narrow eyes to appear gentle and conforming. ¡°If anything happens to me, the Yamaguchi-gumi wille after you too.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou understood and frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something, but right now, you need to fix my issue first.¡±

    ¡°What issue?¡± Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Can you tell me?¡±

    ¡°I have a senior executive assistant who called the dean of B University about the incident with you and my daughter. He¡¯s been discovered.¡± Prime Minister Dou turned around to nce at Yamaguchi Aiko. ¡°Do you have a solution?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simple. Anyone who¡¯s been discovered will just disappear.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko replied without hesitation, ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Disappear? How?¡± He didn¡¯t understand. ¡°The Secret Service is hounding us like dogs. They have strong noses. No matter where you hide him, they will find him.¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Dou you are so interesting. Why would I hide him!¡± Yamaguchi Aiko cackled. ¡°When I say disappear, I mean dispose of the body...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Prime Minister Dou folded his hands behind his back and walked around the study several times. ¡°Then, what about the support you promised?¡±

    Yamaguchi Aiko hadn¡¯t thought he would still be concerned with the election at this point. She blinked and answered quickly. ¡°No problem. The Yamaguchi-gumi will send someone else to contact you. I can¡¯t get involved anymore. I¡¯ve messed up this task, so I will be disciplined when I get back. Most likely, I¡¯ll never return to the Huaxia Empire again.¡±

    ¡°Very well then.¡± Prime Minister Dou nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your update, and, when you solve this problem for me, I¡¯ll help you leave.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a promise!¡± Yamaguchi Aiko sighed with relief and was secretly ted to finally get Prime Minister Dou on the hook. After they finalized their n, she calmly left the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Soon after, Yamaguchi Aiko noticed someone tailing her. This was as expected. She smiled and deliberately allowed them to discover her presence at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. How else could she divert their attention? She donned a humble janitor¡¯s outfit and squeezed onto a crowded bus making sure to change her seat several times in order to shake off the person assigned to tail her. And with that, she melted into the crowd.

    ...

    Early the next morning, a fatal robbery urred in a neighborhood not far from the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. The victim happened to be one of Prime Minister Dou¡¯s senior executive assistants who was responsible for themunication between the Prime Minister¡¯s office and all the major universities. He was working overtime at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence and had left for his apartment when he was attacked.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on! Where was security! How could such a vicious robbery and murder happen near the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, with the victim being one of Prime Minister Dou¡¯s senior executive assistants no less! What if a normal citizen was attacked? Would they have been doomed as well?¡± The officials from the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence were full of indignation andined to the Imperial Capital¡¯s police headquarters.

    Elite police officers were dispatched to the scene to handle the case, but they found that the surveince cameras in the neighborhood had been deliberately destroyed mere minutes before the crime urred. Without the footage, the detectives could only infer what happened. As they surveyed the scene, they saw a man lying in a pool of blood, his throat shed by a de. His briefcase was found nearby, but his wallet, phone, and expensive watch were left on the body. If this was a robbery and murder, then what was stolen? The money, identification, and the Rolex that doubled as cash were all intact.

    ¡°Robbery and murder? This was clearly silencing a witness,¡± an officer grumbled with a disdainful shake of his head.

    ¡°Be careful with your words. You¡¯re a police officer. You need evidence before you make ims,¡± his chief warned him quietly. ¡°We need evidence to support this, so hurry up and find it.¡±

 Chapter 461 - Scapegoat

    <h4>Chapter 461: Scapegoat</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This senior secretary was supposed to be at the Committee¡¯s interrogation with Prime Minister Dou to exin the deletion of the footage. No one had expected that he would be ¡°robbed and killed¡± the day before. The investigators at the Police Headquarters in Di Capital were furious as well. They could not even check the CCTVs along the streets. They weren¡¯t even as powerful as B University.

    Without footage, the best option would be to look for witnesses. However, witnesses were hard to find. They¡¯d require time, energy, and resources working hand in hand. Prime Minister Dou was exasperated. He called Senior Speaker Long and General Ji personally. ¡°Will you people be appeased only when I die?! First, it¡¯s my secretary. I¡¯ll be next!¡± With his men being murdered out of the blue, of course he had reason to fume.

    Prime Minister Dou even went to the secretary¡¯s funeral and gave arge pension to his parents. He also promised to let his younger brother work at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office to fill the space. Suddenly, the secretary¡¯s family felt that Prime Minister Dou was a good person and did not wish to pursue the matter further. They only hoped that the killer would be found soon so that their son could rest in peace.

    The interrogation by the Committee and the Army was put on hold as well due to the secretary¡¯s death. If this went on, Prime Minister Dou figured that his supporters, the Committee, and the Army would not be easy to handle.

    After this incident, Prime Minister Dou trusted Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s words even more. A weekter, Yamaguchi Aiko appeared at Prime Minister Dou¡¯s mansion again. She did not appear as a cleaner this time around but as a personal assistant of the Prime Minister¡¯s wife. She wore a huge pair of shades and stuck eyelid tape to her eyelids to erge her eyes. She looked extremely different. No one would have been able to recognize that she was the cleaner from the other day, unless the person had gone through special training.

    ¡°...Your resume looks good. Would you like to be my personal assistant?¡± The Prime Minister¡¯s wife spoke kindly to Yamaguchi Aiko. It looked very much like a normal interview. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go to South East Asia with the Prime Minister to attend an ASEAN conference a week from now and will be in need of a personal assistant to take care of my look. Would you be up to the job?¡±

    Yamaguchi Aiko used signnguage to reply respectfully, ¡°Not to worry, madam. I used to design looks for celebrities in Hollywood for a good number of years. Given how gorgeous you already are, you¡¯re already a notch better than them! I¡¯ll definitely do my best to tailor looks that will make you the most beautiful woman in the Huaxia Empire!¡±

    Even though Mrs. Dou had no idea why Prime Minister Dou insisted she employ this average looking dumbdy to be her personal assistant, she was totally won over by thedy upon trantion by her signnguage trantor. She felt that she might not be able to find one whom she liked so much even if she was to interview every single person in the country.

    She requested that thisdye up with a couple of looks for her, including a look for formal events, another for a casual conversation, and another for opening or closing ceremonies. After dressing Mrs. Dou up with the fine jewelry and essories that she selected and matching them with the makeup and hairdo, Mrs. Dou looked like apletely different person.

    ¡°You¡¯re so skillful! Did you learn how to sew in the past?¡± Mrs. Dou looked at her reflection in the mirror, extremely impressed.

    Yamaguchi Aiko felt insulted. She showed slight displeasure but recovered quickly. She smiled as she signed, ¡°In order for me to learn how to style, I needed to know some form of clothing manufacturing as well. On top of that, I needed to know about makeup and hair, jewelry designing, and how to differentiate gems, too.¡±

    ¡°Nice. Move in immediately. We only have one week before we have to leave.¡± Mrs. Dou had made up her mind to employ this person as her personal assistant. ording to thew, some of the Prime Minister¡¯s wife¡¯s personal assistants were sried by the nation but were selected by the Prime Minister¡¯s wife herself. They had to get their backgrounds checked, but those checks were done by the Prime Minister¡¯s Office as well.

    The background checks for the Prime Minister¡¯s wife¡¯s personal assistants were not strict, as the candidates were usually her rtives or friends. However, the people who worked at the Prime Minister¡¯s office had to go through extremely strict background checks, including the candidate¡¯s three prior generations and immediate rtives. Unbeknownst to Prime Minister Dou and his wife, his family had long been on the list of suspects. Therefore, the employment of this personal assistant raised an rm in the investigation as well.

    After the interview, Yamaguchi Aiko came out of the Prime Minister¡¯s Office. As usual, she left many clues, causing the Secret Service to tail her. However, just likest time, she managed to get rid of those people after boarding the train. However, losing their target again after tailing her for a while did not cause them to lose ground this time around. After informing the headquarters of the update, they received news from the background-checking department at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office. Uponparison, they found a major lead.

    ¡°The background of this personal assistant is fake.¡±

    ¡°Pfff ¨C it has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen any fake documents so poorly done.¡± The secret service investigated the false identity of Yamaguchi Aiko¨CSatoshi Saito¨Cand realized that she was the same person¨Cthe cleaner¨Cwhom they had lost the other time. This meant that she was none other than Yamaguchi Aiko, who was ax expert in disguise!

    ¡°The person in cahoots with Yamaguchi-gumi was indeed Prime Minister Dou!¡± The people from the Secret Service were angry and in shock. ¡°How could he have done that?!¡±

    ¡°For the election, he would sell his soul to the devil. What misconceptions did you ever have with people who value power over lives like them?¡±

    ¡°Then what do we do? He¡¯s our highest superior. Are we supposed to rebel against him? Isn¡¯t that disrespectful?¡±

    ¡°Is he even fit to still be our superior after doing this?¡± Spit!

    The people from the Secret Service weren¡¯t people to offend, either. They evaluated the information from Prime Minister Dou and focused on the ASEAN conference set to happen the following week. They concluded that if Yamaguchi Aiko was desperate to escape, she¡¯d use the opportunity to do so as Mrs. Dou¡¯s personal assistant when they left the country for the conference.

    ...

    A weekter, the foreign affairs department for the ASEAN Southeast Asian multteral conference led by Prime Minister Dou headed to Di Capital¡¯s airport through the specialized tunnel. This tunnel avoided the stringent checks in the airport and also the eyes of the Special Forces and Secret Service.

    The team had special authority to skip the checks in the airport because they had their own security officers, and they would be boarding private nes instead ofmercial aircraft. However, when they arrived at the end of the tunnel, the security officers from the Secret Service greeted them.

    They wore the ck uniform of the Secret Service and armbands embroidered with golden shields. Hands behind their backs, they stood at attention at the end of the tunnel like tall trees in the forest, looking at Prime Minister Dou¡¯s foreign affairs team. Seeing them in this posture, Prime Minister Dou shivered. His gaze instinctively went to his wife¡¯s personal assistant.

    ¡°What is this that you¡¯re doing? We¡¯re the Department of Foreign Affairs and are on the way to a conference. We do not have to go through the security checks in the airport,¡± one of Prime Minister Dou¡¯s men said firmly and waved his arm indicating to them to let the group pass.

    One of the directors from the Secret Service came up front and bowed to the Prime Minister. ¡°Prime Minister Dou, it¡¯s important to us that you¡¯re traveling, so we¡¯re worried that there might be people who would hide among your people, posing a danger to your wife and yourself. Therefore, please proceed to the VIP room for a short time while we do a search of your team. We will let all of you pass the moment the check is done.¡±

    ¡°My team is fine.¡± Prime Minister Dou rejected him tly. ¡°I¡¯m pressed for time. Please make way.¡± Prime Minister Dou had spoken. The people from the Secret Service did not dare to disobey orders, but they did not let him pass, either. The two groups of people just stood there, each refusing to give in, and they did not know what to do.

    Prime Minister Dou was getting increasingly anxious. When he saw the people from the Secret Service calling other departments to ask what they could do next, in a moment of panic, he red at his men and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. Let¡¯s just go. Our ne is still waiting for us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Since the Prime Minister had already given his orders, the subordinates were not afraid anymore. Pushing ahead, they managed to push the people from the Secret Service aside in no time.

    The team going to the conference was a big one this time around, approximately 500 people. The Secret Service only had 20 odd men standing guard. However, they were well trained in terms ofbat. Prime Minister Dou¡¯s men were not their match.

    No one saw who pushed the other first, nor who gave the first p. Within moments, the two groups of people began fighting, and the scene was out of control in no time. Ten bodyguards in the middle protected Prime Minister Dou and his wife. Yamaguchi Aiko lowered her head and hid behind Mrs. Dou.

    Just when the fight alerted the people in the VIP room, the sound of a gunshot was heard. The shot had been fired directly at the personal assistant behind Mrs. Dou. The person got hit right in the back and fell silently onto Mrs. Dou.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Mrs. Dou turned around in anger. Instead, she saw the personal assistant she personally hired looking at her lifelessly. Instinctively, she pushed her away, only to realize that her hands were sticky and warm. Looking at her hands, she was appalled to find that it was blood!

    The ¡°personal assistant,¡± whom she had pushed away, had already fallen to the ground with a thud. ¡°Murder! Murder! Someone murdered a person!¡± Mrs. Dou screamed hysterically and cked out.

    The people who were fighting stopped when they heard the scream. Upon seeing ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko¡± fall dead, Prime Minister Dou secretly heaved a sigh of relief, but he did not show it. Instead, he hugged his wife and shouted, ¡°Ambnce! Ambnce! My wife has heart disease. She can¡¯t handle being frightened!¡±

    The airport, which had initially been orderly, suddenly became a mess. All the security, Secret Service, and Special Forces in in clothes were called to the scene to investigate the murder immediately.

    Meanwhile, in one of the VIP rooms, Gu Yanran stood up gracefully, followed by a woman who was in her forties. They headed towards the boarding gate. The checks were much more lenient now. Gu Yanran brought the woman onto her private aircraft.

    Five minutester, her aircraft rose into the air and flew in the direction of South America. The middle-aged woman sitting in front of her removed her wig and shades and gave her a smile. ¡°My dear Miss Gu, thank you so much for your help.¡± It was none other than Yamaguchi Aiko, who had just narrowly escaped.

    ¡°You¡¯re still the smarter one, getting a dumb person as a substitute to be Mrs. Dou¡¯s personal assistant.¡± Gu Yanran praised her. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that they had no idea that your scapegoat had been the Prime Minister all along?¡±

 Chapter 462 - Exit Blocked

    <h4>Chapter 462: Exit Blocked</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yamaguchi Aiko took a sip from the drink she held elegantly in her hand. She looked out the window and watched the blue sky and white clouds as she said leisurely, ¡°If I said it was all a coincidence, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll believe anything you say.¡± Gu Yanran cocked her head with a smile and ced a thin nket over her legs. ¡°I¡¯m just curious why you don¡¯t leverage the Prime Minister¡¯s influence to expand your business in the Huaxia Empire? You¡¯re close to him, right?¡±

    ¡°Yanran, you¡¯re a natural business person.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko set her coffee cup down and nced at the other woman¡¯s curious expression. She smiled subtly. ¡°But not everything can be measured with money.¡±

    ¡°Of course I understand that, but what you did was...¡± Gu Yanran averted her eyes. Her disapproval was apparent.

    Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s smile faded, and she looked down thoughtfully before exining carefully, ¡°Yanran, we¡¯ve known each other for a few years now. You know what kind of person I am. If I told you I wasn¡¯t doing this willingly, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Yanran winked yfully at Yamaguchi Aiko. ¡°It came from you, so I believe it. After all, I¡¯m able to witness your ability myself.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Yamaguchi Aiko sighed. ¡°Okay, thanks for helping me this time. I¡¯ll make sure to tell my people once I get back. We¡¯ll be sure to repay you.¡±

    ¡°It was nothing. Why make a big deal out of it?¡± Gu Yanran shook her head casually. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite, just make sure to be more careful and try to stop doing this kind of thing. Not only are you done for if you¡¯re discovered, but I might get in trouble too.¡± She sighed heavily. ¡°I don¡¯t have powerful supporters like you do. If something happens to me, no one will help.¡±

    ¡°I know. This was just an emergency situation. It¡¯ll never happen again,¡± Yamaguchi Aiko quickly promised.

    ¡°Good.¡± Gu Yanran closed her eyes for a nap.

    After witnessing Gu Yanran¡¯s reaction, Yamaguchi Aiko knew the situation was not as trivial as she had imed. After all, she¡¯d lied to her and fabricated an identity.

    ¡°Yanran, I have my reasons. I...¡± Yamaguchi Aiko frantically exined because she didn¡¯t want to cross Gu Yanran.

    ¡°No need to exin. I already said I believe you.¡± Gu Yanran opened her alluring eyes and gently squeezed Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯ve already been friends for so many years. There¡¯s no need for such exnations.¡± They had be acquainted through business andter grew close because of their simr tempers. The rtionship had evolved from a purely a client and manager rtionship to a deep and intimate friendship.

    Yamaguchi Aiko was touched. No one had ever trusted her unconditionally like this. Her troubles from before the age of 18 had never been respected, but after she turned 18, her life underwent a tremendous change. She was now 25 years old. It had only been seven years since she began her new tumultuous life. She didn¡¯t want to lose her lifestyle or the envy and respect of others. She was unwilling to give up fame, fortune, or men. As the ne¡¯s engine grew louder, it drowned out their voices. Like Yamaguchi Aiko, Gu Yanran wanted to take an afternoon beauty rest, so the conversation quickly ended, and they both fell asleep.

    ...

    In the Huaxia Imperial Capital Airport, a woman with ck framed sses and straight bangs copsed on the floor. Streams of blood flowed from under her body. Groups of police officers and military officials cordoned the scene, and Prime Minister Dou and his wife were taken to the VIP lounge for protection.

    ¡°You people can¡¯t dy our foreign affairs delegation! Are you willing to take responsibility if there¡¯s a dy in this ASEAN multteral talk!¡± Prime Minister Dou shouted at the police officers. He was full of confidence and thought his Achilles heel had finally been eliminated.

    ¡°Prime Minister Dou, we have learned that the woman shot outside was the person we¡¯ve been pursuing all this time: Yamaguchi Aiko,¡± a inclothes police officer said calmly. ¡°We also wanted to ask you why she was part of your foreign affairs delegation and your wife¡¯s personal assistant.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou sneered. ¡°You must be kidding! Are you really taking advantage of a dead person who can¡¯t even defend herself? How can you prove she is Yamaguchi Aiko? Do you have evidence?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The inclothes officer presented a special arrest warrant and inventory of evidence signed jointly by the court and Senate. ¡°We¡¯ve already presented them to the court, and if you still have a different opinion on the matter, you can exin it to the court. Mr. and Mrs. Prime Minister, pleasee with us.¡±

    Prime Minister Dou nched at the sight of the inventory of evidence. He¡¯d never suspected that Yamaguchi Aiko would leave behind so many clues. Now the Secret Service was catching onto them! His wife¡¯s heart dropped and she went pale. She hadn¡¯t known that woman was Yamaguchi Aiko! And she had been specifically hired as her personal assistant by Prime Minister Dou. Had he set her up? It was toote to say anything now. Prime Minister Dou made one final attempt to free himself. ¡°So what, you¡¯re going to arrest me? Don¡¯t you want a representative at the ASEAN multteral talks? This will bring shame to the nation!¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Dou, the Senate has already authorized Minister Bai to rece you in the ASEAN multteral talk, and their new delegation should have taken off by now. There¡¯s no need for you to worry. This way please.¡± Another military official in in clothes stepped in to take the Prime Minister and his people away.

    ¡°Minister... Minister Bai? Bia Jiancheng?!¡± Prime Minister Dou almost fainted. After all his precautions, he never expected the Minister of the Imperial Administration, Bai Jiancheng, to block his exit.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Prime Minister, pleasee with us,¡± the man repeated and stepped aside politely. People in the airport watched as the police officers escorted the Prime Minister and his wife out of the airport in cruisers.

    The TVworks and the inte were immediately abuzz. Countless reporters conducted interviews trying to piece together what had happened with the Prime Minister. Various conspiracy theories began by sympathizing with the Prime Minister, who hade from nothing and climbed to his position on his own merit. But not long afterward, his deal with Yamaguchi Aiko was exposed, and his public opinion reversed.

    ¡°How could he work with the Yamaguchi-gumi to rig the Prime Minister election? Who does he think he is?¡±

    ¡°Did he go crazy? Hahahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°The Prime Minister is willing to go to any lengths to win the election.¡±

    ¡°All the Prime Minister¡¯s children are mentally challenged. His wife is too. Out of all people to be her personal assistant, why would she choose a Japanese spy?¡±

    Almost overnight, the grassroots Prime Minister who had enjoyed a high support rate saw his reputation plummet. People had already initiated petitions to ask Prime Minister Dou to resign. He had been elected so only the voters themselves could remove him from office. Thus the Senate stepped in to form a grand jury to impeach Prime Minister Dou. The dramatic reversal in public opinion instantly became the hottest topic in the nation and was cleverly manipted and leveraged to support the recement of the Prime Minister. This merged with the flood of support for Minister of the Imperial Administration, Bai Jiancheng. While he was still attending the ASEAN multteral talk, his domestic support skyrocketed.

    Amidst the celebrations in the Secret Service, the Cab, and the military, only the Special Operations Forces remained silent. Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong sat quietly in their office and analyzed the incident.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, I actually think it¡¯s less believable now that Yamaguchi Aiko has been exposed so thoroughly.¡± Yin Shixiong frowned as he flipped through the information sent from the Secret Service and military.

    ¡°Something is definitely wrong.¡± Zhao Liangze pped the desk. ¡°Just look at the evidence. It¡¯s almost as if it was all nted intentionally. Prime Minister Dou was set up!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng mulled this over for a long time and clicked on the evidence with his cursor before finally replying, ¡°Actually Prime Minister Dou wasn¡¯t wrongfully used. He really did collude with Yamaguchi Aiko, and she promised him the Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s support for the election. There¡¯s no way he can deny that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded thoughtfully as he looked at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Little Ze, your littledy¡¯s father is making quite the rise in ranks, isn¡¯t he?¡± He was asking about Bai Yueran¡¯s father, Bai Jiancheng, who was officially representing the Huaxia Empire in the SEAN multteral talk.

    Zhao Liangze grinned widely but pretended to be humble.

    ¡°What do you mean rising in the ranks? I don¡¯t understand, but Minister Bai is truly capable and humble. His reputation is true to character.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and nodded. ¡°Bai Jiancheng is a good candidate.¡± He wasfortable as long as Bai Shuang wasn¡¯t the one Zhao Liangze liked. Bai Yueran and Bai Jiancheng¡¯s branch of the family wasn¡¯t impacted by Bai Yusheng.

    With his Chief¡¯s approval, Zhao Liangze became even happier. However, Huo Shaoheng still made sure to remind him, ¡°I don¡¯t think the Yamaguchi Aiko incident is over yet. I don¡¯t believe that woman who was shot was really Yamaguchi Aiko.¡±

 Chapter 463 - Who Exactly Was It?

    <h4>Chapter 463: Who Exactly Was It?</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the real Yamaguchi Aiko?¡± Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were both in shock. ¡°Mr. Huo, what is this conclusion based on?!¡±

    ¡°Nothing, as of now.¡± Huo Shaoheng clenched his fist and supported his chin. Then, he extracted the pictures of both Yamaguchi Aiko and Yamaguchi Youko, and ced them side by side on theputer screen.

    ¡°Look. Don¡¯t they look alike?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked both of them to move closer to the screen. ¡°Yamaguchi Youko¡¯s case ¨C I think you guys still remember that one?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yin Shixiong waved immediately. ¡°But I thought she had an ident in Japan? We all thought that she was murdered by the Yamaguchi-gumi...¡±

    ¡°Judging from the things now, it might not be.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned his gaze to the screen. ¡°We merely heard about the ident. Did anyone go to the scene of ident? Do we have pictures as evidence? Did anyone manage to check her family? Nope, we didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°True, Yamaguchi Youko¡¯s lead ended with the ident. Moreover, we were convinced that the Yamaguchi-gumi murdered her. Therefore, we were content with just that, instead of having a thorough check.¡± Remembering that mission, Zhao Liangze asked, ¡°So... Mr. Huo has doubts now? Perhaps this Aiko is Youko¡¯s younger sister? It¡¯s no big deal that sisters look alike, right?¡±

    ¡°That is possible, too.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°So we really need to check on Yamaguchi-gumi properly now.¡±

    ¡°But their security is way too strict...¡± Zhao Liangze frowned. ¡°If I remember correctly, we tried to hack into their internal system. However, we were discovered within a short time, and our men had to poison themselves in order to avoid going through torture and interrogation.¡± What he meant was, had theynded in the hands of Yamaguchi-gumi, they¡¯d be better off dead. And this was precisely the reason Huo Shaoheng went deep into thought and waved for them to leave the room. ¡°Leave the office now. I¡¯ll think it through.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Upon leaving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze went back to their respective desks. Zhao Liangze scrolled casually through the headlines online. Seeing how Prime Minister Dou¡¯s family was treated, hemented relentlessly, ¡°This Prime Minister Dou. He really lost his mind all because of power. How could he have coborated with Japan¡¯s Yamaguchi-gumi? I dare say, even the politicians in Japan dare not do this.¡±

    Yin Shixiong sprawled on his desk and saidzily, ¡°Power drives people crazy, especially a position as high as that. He did not have anyone stopping him. It was very likely that he just wanted to make use of Yamaguchi-gumi for a while, but he did not expect that he would have to sell his soul if he wanted a deal with the devil.¡±

    ¡°Well said!¡± Zhao Liangze apuded, but he was shocked to see that Yin Shixiong did not look happy. Puzzled, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Bad mood?¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head, full of images of Yamaguchi Youko. ¡°Little Ze, why do you think Youko wanted Nianzhi that time?¡± They knew that Gu Nianzhi got hit by the arrow once, and that stuff came from none other than Yamaguchi Youko.

    ¡°You feel that that incident was on purpose instead of a coincidence?¡± Zhao Liangze raised his eyebrows. ¡°But I have always felt that it was a coincidence...¡± The son of a wealthy man wanted to get his hands on some aphrodisiac, and Yamaguchi Youko happened to have some, so she sold it to him.

    ¡°But think about it; such an expensive and rare drug, and it fell so coincidentally into the hands of that particr wealthy boy? Now, that already isn¡¯t normal. It felt like she was purposely trying to wait for him to take the bait.¡± Zhao Liangze began to think about it seriously. He rose from his desk, folded his arms, and paced around the office, analyzing the situation with Yin Shixiong. ¡°If what you said is true, then there¡¯ll be a problem. Yamaguchi Youko or Yamaguchi-gumi ¨C why would they want to go against Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°You think she¡¯s connected to Yamaguchi-gumi in some way?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s expression darkened further. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean that she would definitely not be able to be together with Mr. Huo?¡± Other considerations aside, if Gu Nianzhi really had a connection to Yamaguchi-gumi, then even if they fell deeply for each other, they wouldn¡¯t be able to be together.

    ¡°Big Xiong, you¡¯re exaggerating things. Not necessarily having a connection, but perhaps a victim of Yamaguchi-gumi?¡± Yin Shixiong hit the table, snickering. ¡°Anything is possible. One has to be daring enough to make assumptions and careful enough to obtain relevant evidence.¡±

    ¡°True, that.¡± Zhao Liangze was obviously relieved. ¡°I was so worried...¡±

    ¡°Forget, leave it to them. Even General Ji isn¡¯t saying anything anymore. Would our words matter? Looking for Nianzhi¡¯s father and knowing his background is more important for us right now.¡± Yin Shixiong turned hisputer on and began searching for information on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background again.

    Right at that moment, he received an email. After ncing through it casually, Yin Shixiong¡¯s mind sprang to attention, his eyes bigger than ever. ¡°Come here quick, Little Ze!¡± His voice even sounded different.

    ¡°What abouting over there? What do you want again?¡± Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at Yin Shixiong, refusing to head over to his desk.

    ¡°Come here, quick!¡± Yin Shixiong was about to panic. ¡°A really crazy email just arrived from South America!¡±

    ¡°What? The people who were sent to check on He Zhichu¡¯s background?¡± Zhao Liangze ran over quickly and stood behind Yin Shixiong, looking at hisputer screen. The email was short. It contained only one sentence: ¡°The name of Gu Yanran¡¯s father is Gu Xiangwen as well.¡±

    Now it was Zhao Liangze who was panicking. ¡°What the hell?! Gu Yanran¡¯s father is Gu Xiangwen as well?! Doesn¡¯t that mean that she and Nianzhi are biological sisters?! But they are not blood-rted!¡± He only realized when he was done panicking and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t they go there to check on He Zhichu? Why did they send information on Gu Yanran?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s fingers began dancing on the keyboard. ¡°I was feeling puzzled as well. I¡¯ll ask.¡± He continued, ¡°This annoying person. Would it kill him to type another sentence?¡± Of course, he was merely ranting. In their line of work, it was really possible they could die if they were to type another sentence.

    After sending the email, Yin Shixiong forwarded the email to Huo Shaoheng. Shortly after, the door to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office opened. Huo Shaoheng came out from the door, looking solemn. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did the check move to Gu Yanran?¡± This piece of information relinked a clue from a long time ago.

    ¡°We were puzzled as well, Mr. Huo, so I just sent a reply to ask.¡± Yin Shixiong showed Huo Shaoheng his correspondence.

    Huo Shaoheng nced and nodded. ¡°Inform me once they reply. Also...¡± he paused. ¡°Check Gu Yanran¡¯s DNA again.¡± They had tested it previously, and it showed no connection between her DNA and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. But now they were linked up again by having the same father.

    ¡°But Mr. Huo, are you sure that Gu Yanran¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, is the same person as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen?¡± Zhao Liangze, being aputer expert, had the logical mind of aputer programmer. He thought about things deeply and in a sophisticated manner.

 Chapter 464 - The Looming Fog

    <h4>Chapter 464: The Looming Fog</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms in front of the window and watched the scenery outside. The sky was blue and bright with sunshine, there was peace in the world, and all was well. Still, Huo Shaoheng could sense the raging waves looming in the distance revealing a sliver of its fearsome body. The names Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi were linked together because of Gu Xiangwen. Perhaps Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen merely had the same name as that of Gu Yanran¡¯s? But what was the likelihood of that? Less than one in ten million. The more likely possibility was that this was the same person, just like how Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko were the same people. Without Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s appearance, they would never have been rmed by the Yamaguchi Youko incident. The woman¡¯s appearance was what helped theme up with their new hypothesis. It was nothing strange for sisters to resemble each other, but to have them behave nearly the same was uncanny. Even identical twins acted differently, so why would sisters of different ages be so alike? As for He Zhichu, what role did he y? He came because of Gu Nianzhi, and he also knew about her past, so why didn¡¯t he reveal it to her? Interrogating He Zhichu was pointless. As an experiencedwyer and tenured professor at the Harvard Law School, he had countless methods of concealing the truth without giving away a single clue. That¡¯s why Huo Shaoheng had never tried to learn the truth from He Zhichu. He only believed in what he personally investigated. All the doubts swirled through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind and seemed to connect into a web, yet he couldn¡¯t link certain key points together.

    Zhao Liangze hugged hisptop and fiercely keyed inmands tounch yet another Trojan virus attack on the Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s inte in an attempt to extract more information. Yin Shixiong twirled a dart in his hand and frowned as he threw it at the dartboard. The two men looked up from time to time to see Huo Shaoheng standing by the window. His back was powerful and extremely straight, just like it had been during past missions when nothing could ever challenge him. He was the backbone and column of the Special Operations Forces. He was where all its members rested their beliefs.

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the window for some time. His two subordinates noticed the sun gradually travel west and illuminate the west-facing window in a golden glow. A long time passed before Huo Shaoheng turned around to look at Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong and said calmly, ¡°Our problem is that we never directly interacted with Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko. These are two people, but one of them has always been a mystery to us.¡±

    Zhao Liangze stopped typing and Yin Shixiong put away his dart. They looked at Huo Shaoheng nervously and asked in unison, ¡°Mr. Huo, you want to investigate these two people again?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over from the window and responded in his baritone voice, ¡°We have to investigate her true identity.¡±

    ¡°True identity?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since searching for Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko yielded no results, we have reason to believe that these two names could be a kind of disguise. Her true identity is someone else.¡± Huo Shaoheng returned to his desk, braced himself on two arms, and looked at his two personal secretaries.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong shared a nce as they both had the same realization.

    ¡°And her target is actually Nianzhi, so we don¡¯t have to let this woman lead us by the nose.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze returned to theputer monitor on his desk and he used to cursor to start several programs. ¡°Notify the personnel in South America to continue the operation. This time, focus on Gu Yanran. He Zhichu can be set aside for now.¡± Since they¡¯d already determined that Gu Xiangwen was Gu Yanran¡¯s father, they decided they should continue in that vein. After all, the only reason they had investigated He Zhichu was to find out more about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past.

    ¡°Big Xiong, get a new sample from Gu Yanran. This time you¡¯ll have to obtain it personally,¡± Huo Shaohengmanded Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong immediately left Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office to discover a way to find Gu Yanran and get her DNA sample.

    ¡°Little Ze, you don¡¯t need to continue attacking the Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s inte.¡± Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time and finally continued,

    ¡°Send a letter directly to the Yamaguchi-gumi inquiring about Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko, with emphasis on Yamaguchi Youko¡¯s car ident.¡±

    ¡°Send a letter directly?¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes bulged, ¡°But... that¡¯s against regtion. With what identity are we sending the letter?¡±

    ¡°Have the Huaxia Conste General in Japan represent it. The Yamaguchi-gumi is now parading itself as a legal business. It has cut off all ndestine ties, but its core is still illegal.¡± A hint of ridicule appeared on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. ¡°So send a letter as a formal inquiry.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze quickly returned to his own office to contact the Huaxia Conste General in Japan.

    Before Zhao Liangze was able to reach someone from the Huaxia Conste General in Japan, Yin Shixiong flung the door open with a strange look. ¡°Mr. Huo, I just confirmed that Gu Yanran has already returned to Barbados. Her private jet took off four hours ago. It left the Empire¡¯s borders a long time ago.¡± Yin Shixiong ced his findings from the airport on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk. ¡°Look at the time. It¡¯s the exact same moment that Prime Minister Dou¡¯s group had the incident at the airport. They were all there at the same time!¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Zhao Liangze also came over to look at Yin Shixiong¡¯s research results. ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Check to see who apanied her on the flight. Get detailed information.¡± Huo Shaoheng ordered Zhao Liangze to contact the General Administration of Customs Department and obtain the documents and security footage of Gu Yanran departure. Ten minutester, the General Administration of Customs Department found the departure records and sent it to the Special Ops special inbox. Zhao Liangze printed all the information about the people who had departed with Gu Yanran, including their photos. He then sent it all to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk.

    ¡°A total of five people apanied Gu Yanran onto the jet, including two housekeepers, one male, and one female. There were three bodyguards, all male.¡± Zhao Liangze ced the stacks of information in front of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°These are their photos and copies of their passports.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flipped through each one, and his eyes finally fell on the photo of Gu Yanran¡¯s middle-aged female housekeeper. He picked it out and pushed it back to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Run a digital analysis to remove her sses, and find out who she really is.¡±

    Zhao Liange quickly transcoded the photo and loaded it into his analysis program. It appeared the woman had been fully prepared. After careful digital analysis, the image revealed a middle-aged woman they had never seen before. This was not the Yamaguchi Aiko they had envisioned.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, this person either isn¡¯t Yamaguchi Aiko, or she¡¯s more powerful than originally anticipated.¡± Zhao Liangze magnified the photo and projected it onto therge screen in the office. ¡°You can see that there is no trace of camouge on her face. This is either her real face or her skills are more advanced than ours. As far as I know, only the United States is more advanced than us in this respect.¡±

    ¡°This person is the focus of the investigation.¡± Yin Shixiong shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately she already left the country.¡±

    But Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong¡¯s brains whirred, but then immediately understood their Chief¡¯s intention. They bothughed.

    ¡°Understood!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze high fived each other with bright smiles. ¡°If she¡¯s still in the nation, our power is restricted. But now that she¡¯s left the borders, the sky¡¯s the limit for us!¡± The Special Ops had unlimited operational capabilities outside the Huaxia Imperial borders and were not subject to any legal restrictions. Their battlefields were never within the borders of the Huaxia Empire. Their domestic actions were severely restricted, and they could not overstep jurisdiction. In other words, their domestic operations were often encumbered and often could not proceed as intended. Only when the battlefield was ced outside their borders could they use their full power to achieve their goals.

    The next day, the Huaxia Conste General in Japan replied to Zhao Liangze. The results were shocking. The Yamaguchi-gumi denied any affiliation with Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko, as well as any attempt to intervene with the Huaxia Imperial Prime Minister elections.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, is the Yamaguchi-gumi responding truthfully?¡± Neither Zhao Liangze nor Yin Shixiong believed the Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s reply, but at the same time, they also didn¡¯t understand why Huo Shaoheng would send a formal inquiry letter to them.

    Huo Shaoheng sat at his desk to read the Yamaguchi-gumis¡¯ reply forwarded by the Huaxia Conste General in Japan. He remained silent for a long time.

    ¡°I have to see General Ji. Connect me to his phone line.¡± After some time, Huo Shaoheng finally broke the silence and tidied the files on his desk. ¡°Make preparations and be on standby.¡±

 Chapter 465 - Taking Care of It Personally

    <h4>Chapter 465: Taking Care of It Personally</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong contacted General Ji¡¯s personal secretary immediately. ¡°Mr. Huo wants to speak to General Ji. When will he be avable?¡±

    Half an hourter, General Ji returned his call. ¡°Shaoheng, you were looking for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept it short and sweet. ¡°General Ji, I have some things to discuss with you, and I think it¡¯ll be better if we talk face to face.¡±

    General Ji could hear the serious tone of his voice and he immediately replied, ¡°When can youe over? I¡¯m done for today.¡±

    ¡°Now.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up and turned around. ¡°Prepare the car. Go to the Army¡¯s Supreme Council building.¡±

    Half an hourter, Huo Shaoheng arrived in his chauffeured car at General Ji¡¯s office in the Army¡¯s Supreme Council building. He ced all the documents in front of General Ji and briefed him on Yamaguchi Aiko, Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s official response, and his hypothesis. Finally, he told General Li his n.

    ¡°General Ji, I would like to go to South America personally,¡± he proposed.

    General Ji gave him a grave look and said, ¡°Shaoheng, your status is different now. You¡¯re not fighting on the front lines of the Special Forces anymore. Is there any particr reasons you want to do this yourself?¡±

    It was General Li¡¯s opinion that the Special Forces agents based in America could easilyplete this mission themselves. Huo Shaoheng had long prepared his reply.

    ¡°General Ji, this concerns Gu Xiangwen, Nianzhi, and the He¡¯s in South America. It is of great importance. I would like to see that it is done properly.¡±

    General Ji put his sses back on and began looking at the documents Huo Shaoheng had provided. His brows furrowed as he read.

    ¡°You suspect that the personal assistant who died at the crime scene isn¡¯t the real Yamaguchi Aiko?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but there is no evidence of that yet,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied honestly. ¡°I¡¯ve already discovered that they¡¯ve left the country, so I can handle this as well.¡±

    General Ji nodded. ¡°Anywhere outside the country is your battlefield. You won¡¯t be bound by ourws, and we know not to probe too much into what the Special Forces do overseas.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the reason why the Special Forces were created.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up straight, put his hands on his knees, and looked at General Li seriously. ¡°Everything we do, we do for the benefit of the Huaxia Empire, and the safety of its people.¡±

    ¡°I have never doubted your intentions,¡± General Jiforted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°But Shaoheng, you have to think carefully. You¡¯re already the highest rankingmander, and your primary task is to remain where you are and adjust yourmands ordingly, not to fight on the frontline. Your safety has already be of utmost importance in the Special Forces. Do you really want to chain yourself to a suicide mission?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and nodded. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying General Li, but as the highestmander, I feel that I shouldn¡¯t only givemands, but also be able to fight for our people on the frontline. Every single one of us in the Special Forces should exhibit this flexibility. Plus, the Special Forces should not rely solely on me. We all have a n B. When I¡¯m away, please fill my position. It will ensure the smooth operations of the department.¡±

    General Li had to admit Huo Shaoheng made sense. Even though Huo Shaoheng was extremely valuable, the Special Forces needed to be able to operate when he was not around. Anything less than that would be considered a failure on his part.

    After a long moment of silence, General Ji finally nodded. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll support your decision. Arrange your follow-up well. I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sir!¡± Huo Shaoheng stood at attention and bowed. Then he turned around and left.

    ...

    Upon returning to his headquarters in the Special Forces, Huo Shaoheng spoke to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Find Cuba¡¯s Military invitation. We will ept and attend on behalf of the army.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze immediately understood that Huo Shaoheng was going to handle this personally, and, like General Li, they tried to talk him out of it.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, must you go? We can handle this on our own.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored them and returned to his desk. ¡°We¡¯ll leave tomorrow. Get ready.¡±

    They understood that Hu Shaoheng¡¯s mind was set, and he did not want to continue wasting time.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had no choice but to reply, ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    The decision to represent the Army in Cuba had been made veryst minute, so Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had to use practically all the people in the Secretarial department to prepare for their trip. Huo Shaoheng had to work through the night to finish reading all the important documents on hand, and once he was done, he forwarded them to General Li. It was six o¡¯clock in the morning when he finally finished his work. It had been a cold night, and Di Capital was still foggy. Huo Shaoheng walked out of his office, and let out a slow, long breath on the balcony. He put on his Bluetooth earpiece and said, ¡°Connect Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    The automatic function on his earpiece immediately dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi was still asleep in her dorm room. She had rushed toplete her thesis the day before and had only managing to turn it in at about one or two in the morning. It was only six o¡¯clock, and she was still sound asleep. Her phone rang, but even though the ringtone could be heard in the room, it did not wake her.

    Huo Shaoheng listened as the phone rang then forwarded his call to the voice mailbox. He knew Gu Nianzhi must still be asleep. After a moment of thought, Huo Shaoheng changed into in civilian clothes and got Fan Jian to drive him to B University.

    It was exactly seven o¡¯clock when he arrived at the lobby of B University¡¯s female dormitory. Many students were already awake and heading towards the cafeteria for breakfast. Gu Nianzhi was still asleep, but her internal clock slowly woke her up. However, she did not want to move and decided to sleep in and enjoy herself.

    ¡°Priest, shrine, war, arrow, whose past do they belong to? I love how you belong only to me in the midst of this crowd.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s custom ringtone rang again. It called for her to open her eyes. In no time she grabbed her phone from the side of her bed and swiped to answer it.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car and listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleepy voice. A smile spread across his lips, and he said gently, ¡°Nianzhi,e down. I¡¯m in your lobby.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Gu Nianzhi was delighted. She put on her robe and rushed to her window. It was true! That familiar car! That was Huo Shao¡¯s car!

    ¡°Huo Shao, give me a minute. I¡¯ll be down soon!¡± Gu Nianzhi changed quickly and didn¡¯t even bother tob her hair. She knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car could only stay in the temporary parking lot for 15 minutes.

    ¡°Huo Shao, why are you here? Is something wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked the moment she got in the car. She knew Huo Shaoheng would nevere to her at this time under normal circumstances.

    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her sideways and put a strand of stray hair behind her ear. ¡°I¡¯ll have to travel for work soon.¡±

    So he¡¯s here to say goodbye, she thought.

    For a moment Gu Nianzhi was overwhelmed with happiness, but then a sense of dismay took over her. She couldn¡¯t bear to be apart from him.

    Leaning on his chest, she asked softly, ¡°How long will you be gone for?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng allowed her to lean onto him. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll be back the moment I¡¯m done there.¡±

    He might be able to bring back answers from my past this time, Gu Nianzhi thought. When hees back there will be no more mysteries to separate us.

    Gu Nianzhi knew the nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s job was highly confidential, and she shouldn¡¯t ask any questions. But how could she hold back when he was going off? She was worried about him. She would miss him. Couldn¡¯t she ask just one small question?

    Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t give me direct answers anyway, she thought.

    ¡°Fine then, but please take care. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head, paused, and continued. ¡°Huo Shao, can I send you off?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Huo Shaoheng caressed her hair. ¡°Just take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be good. Really good.¡± Gu Nianzhi promised quickly. ¡°Promise to be careful!¡±

    This was what worried her the most. Huo Shaoheng lowered his gaze to look at her pink lips. He wanted to kiss her, but Fan Jian was in the front seat, so he knew he couldn¡¯t do anything too shocking.

    ¡°Yes, wait for me.¡± Huo Shaoheng only tightened his grip on her hands before saying, ¡°Go back. I have to leave now.¡±

    His time was calcted by the seconds. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to leave, but she used all her determination to pull herself from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. She stood on the steps of the dormitory and watched as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car disappeared in the distance. She felt as if her heart were leaving along with him.

    She returned to her dormitory with a heavy heart and threw herself onto her bed. She hugged her panda pillow and felt depressed. She did not want to get up for a long, long time.

    After a while, Ma Qiqi knocked on her door and reminded her, ¡°Nianzhi! Come out for breakfast! Don¡¯t you have sses this morning?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that she still had to go to He Zhichu¡¯s office. Frowning, she rose, washed up, and got dressed. Then she picked up her bag and left.

    He Zhichu noticed her mood the moment she entered the room.

    cing a ss of milk in front of her, He Zhichu asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the milk and began sipping on the straw, but she remained silent.

    ¡°Quarreled with Huo Shaoheng, did you?¡± He Zhichu asked. He couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity.

 Chapter 466 - Seven Years

    <h4>Chapter 466: Seven Years</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and listlessly replied, ¡°no.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering, sultry eyes were full of concern, yet his thin lips appeared stoic.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just mood swings. I¡¯ll be fine in a bit.¡± Gu Nianzhi was already used to He Zhichu¡¯s contradictory nature of suppressed concern. She looked up and tried to smile at him.

    ¡°That time of the month?¡± He Zhichu raised his brows. ¡°Take a few days off if you¡¯re feeling unwell.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so embarrassed she didn¡¯t dare meet He Zhichu¡¯s eyes. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    He Zhichu realized he¡¯d made a wrong assumption, and he felt awkward as well. He got up and walked to the kitchen then came back with a te of muffins. ¡°Have one, I remember you said you liked this brand best.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked and saw it was her favorite kind. She licked her lips and reached out to eat one slowly then washed it down with a sip of warm milk. She instantly felt better. He Zhichu could tell Gu Nianzhi had something on her mind, but as she was unwilling to talk about it, he didn¡¯t bring it up again. He went on to discuss her academics and future career.

    ¡°Nianzhi, your grades and your work as a teaching assistant are going well. You¡¯re excelling. Have you thought about taking some time to intern at aw firm?¡± He Zhichu ced a stack of cases in front of her. ¡°Take a look when you have the time. These cases are not only from the Huaxia Empire but from overseas as well. My hope is you¡¯ll work hard and take the American Bar Exam when you¡¯ve got the time. Then you can also practicew in the United States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought this was a great suggestion. She was already qualified as a practicingwyer in the Huaxia Empire, but if she could obtain an American license, it would give her even more career options after graduation. Gu Nianzhi felt excited, but she quickly replied, ¡°the American Bar Exam is administered per state, and many require American academic credits. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t qualify.¡±

    ¡°The State of New York doesn¡¯t require American academic credits. They also recognize foreignw school credits. If you want to try the exam, you can send your transcript to their designated international transcript assessment agency for evaluation. They will convert your credits into the American equivalent, then you¡¯d be able to take the test.¡± He Zhichu was very familiar with this process and exined it in detail.

    ¡°I see. I haven¡¯t considered it yet, but if you think I should give it a try, I¡¯ll make preparations.¡± Huo Shaoheng was leaving for a mission, and Gu Nianzhi knew she¡¯d have more free time. She wanted to busy herself, so she wouldn¡¯t end up pining after Huo Shaoheng all the time.

    ¡°Yes, your grades will definitely meet their requirements. Your English is also much better than your ssmates. It¡¯s practically your nativenguage.¡± He Zhichu picked up his coffee cup and studied her through the rising steam.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered what He Zhichu had said about the person rted to her past, and she hesitated for a moment. It had been a few days, but he had yet to say anything. She decided to finally ask, ¡°Professor He,st time you said... that you¡¯d help ask the person rted to my past. How is that going?¡±

    ¡°You really want to know?¡± He Zichu looked down to avoid Gu Nianzhi¡¯s longing stare. ¡°Your memories haven¡¯t recovered. Would you even believe me if I told you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi considered this problem. Aside from Huo Shaoheng, she didn¡¯t trust the word of others, and that included He Zhichu. But she¡¯s been feeling increasingly friendly and safe towards He Zhichu. She already trusted him more than she had in the past. Of course, she knew it was not wise to trust everything He Zhichu said unconditionally, but gathering new clues was always a good idea, right? She could logic her way through what was likely and unlikely to be true. She didn¡¯t want her heart to continue drifting and spinning aimlessly like a rootless weed in the water. She picked up her ss and sipped the warm milk. She felt the heat calm the nerves in her stomach. She looked up at He Zhichu steadily and said, ¡°if you tell me, I¡¯ll analyze whether it¡¯s true or not.¡±

    Of course, He Zhichu wasn¡¯t satisfied with her answer, but what could he do? The only solution was to take it step by step. Ideally, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memories would recover naturally, but with the state of the medical facilities in the Empire, this was unlikely to happen. On the other hand, He Zhichu knew that what Gu Nianzhi most required and craved was a concrete identity.

    Let¡¯s just go with it, for now, He Zhichu thought as he crossed his legs on the spacious sofa. He nced at Gu Nianzhi before taking out his phone and calling a number. After a long moment, the other person finally picked up.

    ¡°Lawyer He, what¡¯s going on? I didn¡¯t expect a call from you at this hour.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s slightly raspy voice came from the phone. Gu Nianzhi thought she had a natural,zy charm to her voice.

    He Zhichu peered at the call tracking location disyed on the phone and looked surprised. ¡°You¡¯re not in the Empire?¡±

    ¡°No, I returned to Barbados the day before yesterday.¡± Gu Yanranid on the bedroom terrace in Barbados and felt the gentle night breeze cool the daytime heat. She was in a joking mood and said, ¡°what is it? Could it be that Lawyer He misses me?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled faintly, and his shimmering, sultry eyes shed. ¡°Of course, I missed you. You are our firm¡¯s most important client. We all miss you.¡±

    Gu Yanran giggled and tightened the tropical silk robe across her body. ¡°Lawyer He, that¡¯s mean. You only miss my business, not me?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re too polite.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice softened. He no longer sounded aloof and icy, and Gu Nianzhi noticed that he was much more friendly towards Gu Yanran than others. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for so many years. We know each other better than anyone else, in business and personal life.¡±

    ¡°I know. I wouldn¡¯t dare joke with you otherwise.¡± Gu Yanran changed her position on the lounge chair andid back. ¡°Okay, give me a straightforward answer. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll skip the courtesy.¡± He pondered for a few minutes then took out another phone, opened a file, and looked at the screen. ¡°Miss Gu, you first became our client seven years ago. You authorized us to be your legal representative and deal with all legal matters regarding your younger sister, Gu Nianzhi. Is that correct?¡±

    Up until this point, Gu Nianzhi had been in a cloud of confusion and hadn¡¯t known what He Zhichu was plotting, but when He Zhichu said this, she jerked her head up violently. She muffled her mouth and stared at him in shock. His words echoed in her brain. Deal with the legal matters rted to your younger sister, Gu Nianzhi. Deal with the legal matters rted to your younger sister, Gu Nianzhi. Who was this Miss Gu? Gu Yanran?

    Gu Nianzhi recalled that Gu Yanran had once told her she had a younger sister also named Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi had told Huo Shaoheng, but she hadn¡¯t thought much about it after they¡¯d checked and discovered they were not rted. There were so many people in the world, and it was not unusual to have people with the same name. But when Gu Nianzhi heard He Zhichu¡¯s words, everything changed. Gu Nianzhi had always presumed that He Zhichu knew about her past. So now they¡¯d gone full circle, and Gu Yanran actually had yed a part in her past?

    On the other line, Gu Yanran was also feeling surprised. She wore a headset and looked up at the starry night sky where the stars glittered on a velvet blue backdrop. The broad-leafed tropical nts swayed quietly in the ocean breeze, and she could hear the crash of waves from somewhere nearby. She felt as if she was alone on top of the world.

    He Zhichu waited for a long time but eventually urged her to speak. ¡°Miss Gu?¡±

    Gu Yanran snapped out of her thoughts and said quietly, ¡°Seven years ago, my parents had an ident, and I had to rush over to deal with it. I left my sister, who was 12 at the time, alone in Barbados. When she went out to sea, she disappeared. I couldn¡¯t find her anywhere. Yes, I fully authorized yourw firm to help me with the rted matters. I¡¯ve contacted many renowned detective agencies from around the world, and I¡¯ve worked with both the American and Barbadoes police, but I still can¡¯t find my sister.

    He Zhichuughed, and his cold voice carried an indescribable weight. ¡°Yes, Miss Gu. It¡¯s been almost seven years now.¡±

    In the case of missing persons, Gu Nianzhi knew there was a huge difference in ¡°seven years have passed¡± and ¡°almost seven years have passed.¡± In many countries, a person is considered legally deceased when they have been missing for a total of seven years or more. The case of Gu Yanran¡¯s missing sister, Gu Nianzhi, was still unsolved, but once the full seven years passed, and she had yet to be found, the case would automatically close, and she would be presumed dead.

 Chapter 467 - Wanting to Find Little Sister More Than Anything

    <h4>Chapter 467: Wanting to Find Little Sister More Than Anything</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Yanran sat up and said unhappily, ¡°Lawyer He, what exactly do you mean? I wanted to find my younger sister more than anything, but I just couldn¡¯t. What could I do?¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡± He Zhichu smiled again and said slowly, ¡°you¡¯re ourw firm¡¯s biggest client. My assistant and Wen Shouyi are your actingwyers, but they¡¯re not around anymore. I, as her boss, think I can take over the case and help you with finding your sister.¡±

    Gu Yanran was suspicious. She had a theory, but she did not dare confirm it.

    Holding on to a piece of yellow jackfruit she asked, ¡°are you implying you already know my sister¡¯s whereabouts? You know this has to be handled very carefully.¡± The Gu¡¯s wealth in Barbados wasparable to that of the entire nation. Not just anyone could im she was Gu Yanran¡¯s little sister.

    ¡°I know. That is why I wanted to ask you for your sister¡¯s doctor and dentist.¡± He Zhichu wanted to use the medical records of Gu Yanran¡¯s little sister to confirm her identity.

    All of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hopes disappeared in an instant.

    Did he want a DNA test?

    But, they¡¯d already tested her.

    Gu Nianzhi cast this thought out of her mind and shook her head. He Zhichu saw her reaction and gestured for her to calm down and continue listening to Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran thought for a while and said, ¡°we had the same family doctor and dentist. Would you like their contacts?¡±

    ¡°Yes please, send them to me. I¡¯ll contact them.¡± He Zhichu took another phone and prepared to record their contact information.

    Nodding, Gu Yanran replied, ¡°sure, I¡¯ll send them to you.¡±

    Gu Yanran found the contact details of her family doctor and dentist and sent them to He Zhichu. After she was done, she felt exhausted.

    Standing from the sofa bed, she told He Zhichu lethargically, ¡°it¡¯ste. I¡¯m turning in. Goodnight, Lawyer He.¡± It was day time in Huaxia Empire, but in Barbados, it was alreadyte into the night.

    ¡°Goodnight. Sweet dreams.¡± He Zhichu replied.

    After he hung up, he looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nonchnt expression and said, ¡°if I had just told you out of the blue, you wouldn¡¯t have believed me. I¡¯m searching for evidence piece by piece and giving them to you, so you can gauge the authenticity on your own.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. She did not tell He Zhichu that Huo Shaoheng had already checked her DNA, and he was taking the wrong route. She knew she was not supposed to reveal anything about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, even if it concerned her.

    ...

    In the Cuban airport 12 hourster, the Honorary Military guards were standing neatly at attention, waiting for the arrival of the highest Army representative team in the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng was visiting Cuba with the title of Vice Secretary of Huaxia Empire¡¯s Military Supreme Committee. This was his public title. No one knew he was really the head of Special Forces.

    The year before, Huo Shaoheng had secretly taken a submarine into Cuba to settle Bai Yusheng¡¯s case. This time, however, he was the Vice Secretary of Huaxia Empire¡¯s Military Supreme Committee, visiting Cuba for an official interview. The private aircraft he took had a fierce dragon painted on it. An eagle was painted, flying out of its mouth.

    ¡°The arrival of Huaxia Empire¡¯s Military Supreme Committee General!¡±

    Cuba¡¯s Honorary Military guards cheered as the door of the aircraft opened, and the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Military song yed. A flock of white pigeons flew into the air. Their chirpsplemented the military song from the skies.

    Wearing the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Army¡¯s dark green Major General Uniform, Huo Shaoheng appeared at the door of the aircraft. He was tall and muscr. He stood at attention, and his handsome face was ented by the sunlight. Gasps of admiration could be heard from across the airport. The Huaxia Empire¡¯s students who were studying in Cuba had been brought there to wee Huo Shaoheng, and they screamed enthusiastically from the bottom of their hearts.

    ¡°Wee, Major General Huo!¡±

    ¡°Wee, Major General Huo!¡±

    ¡°Wee, Major General Huo!¡±

    Beautiful, tan Cuban beauties moved closer to Huo Shaoheng as they began their wee dance. Standing at the door of the aircraft, Huo Shaoheng smiled politely, raised his hand, and waved at the Military and cheering crowd. He steadily descended the red carpet steps of the aircraft.

    ¡°We meet again, Major General Huo.¡± The leader of the Cuban Revolutionary Army, Vakterlo, greeted Huo Shaoheng in basic Mandarin.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his hand and returned his greetings in Cubano.

    ¡°It is an honor to see you, Marshal Vakterlo.¡±

    Vakterlo was impressed. Switching back to Cubano, he asked excitedly, ¡°Major General Huo, you speak Cubano as well!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he shook his head, ¡°my Cubano is only as fluent as your Mandarin.¡±

    Both of them looked at each other and smiled knowingly. Turning around, they walked towards the Honorary Military guards, entered their respective cars, and began the inspection.

    Even though the Honorary guards of the Cuban Revolutionary Army had the proud South American trait of passionate service, their formation was not neat or coordinated. The Honorary Army of Huaxia Empire¡¯s standard was much higher.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng would never criticize the Army of another country. On the contrary, he hoped that the Cuban Army would be as weak as possible. He didn¡¯t want them to go through trials or rigorous training. It would be best if they were the kind of military group that called off training sessions in the summer because they were afraid to get dehydrated. If they were like that, Huo Shaoheng thought, they¡¯d get along just fine.

    Upon thepletion of the inspection, Huo Shaoheng led his team and checked in to a 5-star hotel solely funded by the Chinese in Cuba¡¯s capital, Havana. The people there were all on their side; it would be easier for him to move around even if he changed his identity.

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Huo, our official schedule is over for today. What are your ns after this?¡± Zhao Liangze held on to his iPad and stood in front of Huo Shaoheng, waiting for hismand.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and stood in front of the French windows, admiring the sea outside. The sky was slightly grey, unlike its usual brilliant hue of blue. It highlighted the color of the ocean ¨C a bright shade of turquoise. The color of the ocean blended into the horizon far away, and it was almost impossible to differentiate the areas between the ocean and the sky.

    Without turning, he said, ¡°where are the Special Forces men? I want them to meet up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Zhao Liangze acknowledged themand and went off to arrange a meetup. The Special Forces men based in Cuba were not allowed to meet with them directly. They were also not allowed to know who Huo Shaoheng was. They couldn¡¯t even know who Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were. They¡¯d need a middleman to meet up. This middleman was already there as well. He was an officer in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s embassy in Cuba. His surname was Fei, and he was a Lieutenant Colonel. People addressed him as Lieutenant Fei.

    Lieutenant Fei¡¯s was secretly a member of the Special Forces. However, this identity was so well hidden, no one from the embassy knew about it.

    At sunset, Huo Shaoheng put on a pair of sunsses and changed into brownish yellow hunting attire. On his back, was a huge hunting backpack. He walked into a bar in Havana with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong.

    People of all trades frequented this bar. Many had just returned from hunting in the ins. They brought their trophies and were busy showing them off in the bar. The hunting bags that Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong were carrying actually contained dismantled heavy-duty weapons. In the event of an emergency, they would be able to assemble the weapons in five seconds, and the weapons had a shooting range of a thousand meters.

    The curvy barmaid brought them to a table by the window. Then, she served them their locally brewed Havana beers and three cut cigars. Huo Shaoheng picked up a cigar and toyed it around in his fingers. His other hand covered his ss, and he nced around the bar quickly.

    The bar was built from wood. A couple of extremely old posters were posted behind the cashier¡¯s wall. In the middle of the posters, was a rudder hung on the wall. Nicely polished wine sses hung upside down above the cashier, and some bottles of quality wine were ced in dark brown wine racks. An ancient jukebox was ying some of the disco music that had been popr half a century ago. Time seemed to have stopped in the bar. It felt as though nothing had changed.

    Small groups of men spoke with strong ents. Some spoke Cubano dialects, some spoke in English and others in Spanish. Two Chinese men in flower print shirts and Bermudas were seated at the table beside them. They were having a small drinkingpetition amongst themselves, but their words were miraculously sent to Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze¡¯s Bluetooth earpieces. One of them was Lieutenant Fei in disguise. That meant the other would have to be a member of the Special Forces based in Cuba.

 Chapter 468 - Is He Still Alive?

    <h4>Chapter 468: Is He Still Alive?</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already say you¡¯d found Gu Yanran¡¯s father? Aren¡¯t you checking on the He¡¯s right now?¡± The disguised Lieutenant Colonel Fei purposely spoke in the dialect of a specific mountain vige in the northern part of the Empire. It was simple enough to understand for someone from the Huaxia Empire but much more difficult for foreigners who only had a limited understanding of thenguage. The Special Operations Forces personnel used the same dialect, and he pretended to be drunk as he spoke.

    ¡°Funny you should ask! I was scoping out the He manor the other day and ended up observing the He family send people to pick someone up from the hospital. There was so much fanfare, I got curious and looked into the patient. Can you guess who it was?¡±

    ¡°How would I know if you don¡¯t tell me?¡± Lieutenant Colonel Fei red at the other man. He was tempted to dump his drink on his face.

    ¡°His name was Kevin Ku! I thought it sounded familiar, and then I remembered it was one of the names the Chief had asked us to look into. I checked the hospital records carefully and discovered he was actually Gu Yanran¡¯s father!¡±

    ¡°You sure it¡¯s not just the same name? The name Kevin Ku ain¡¯t anything special.¡±

    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t special, but the hospital admission record had the name Jasmine Ku as a rtive of the patient, and that¡¯s the name Gu Yanran uses in English. It also had her contact information: her phone number and home address. If this was just a coincidence, why would the phone number and address be the same as Gu Yanran¡¯s?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tensed up as he listened to the two men¡¯s conversation. He¡¯s been practically certain Gu Xiangwen was already dead, but now he was to believe the man was actually alive! Huo Shaoheng nced at Zhao Liangze, who understood and immediately tapped Morse code into the headset for Lieutenant Colonel Fei. Lieutenant Colonel Fei was also wearing a Bluetooth headset. When he heard Zhao Liangze¡¯s message, he quickly ryed his question.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong with this Mr. Gu? You know, don¡¯t you?¡± If he could obtain the medical records, then he must know what his illness was, right?

    The man nodded. ¡°Yeah, yeah. He¡¯s in aa! Get it?¡±

    Aa... Huo Shaoheng sighed internally, so he hadn¡¯t been too far off after all. Living in aa was practically the same as being one of the living dead.

    ¡°If he¡¯s in aa, how did he get discharged?¡± Lieutenant Colonel Fei asked curiously. ¡°Did he wake up?¡± There were many cases of patients in vegetative states waking up after several years or even decades.

    ¡°Nope. Heard it was a suddenplication, high fever or something. So he was taken to the hospital and when the fever broke, he got discharged.¡± The man paused. ¡°But as to how he got in aa, we spent a whole lotta time checking and only found one clue.¡± He looked around and leaned over to whisper into Lieutenant Colonel Fei¡¯s ear. ¡°I rmend you investigate an aircraft ident in Southeast Asia seven years ago.¡±

    ¡°An aircraft ident in Southeast Asia seven years ago?¡± Lieutenant Colonel Fei was stunned. ¡°Which country in Southeast Asia? Give me a straight answer!¡±

    But the other man had already stood up and was patting Lieutenant Colonel Fei¡¯s shoulder with a smile. ¡°This wine¡¯s pretty good, let¡¯s have another next time!¡± He stumbled out of the tavern.

    Zhao Liangze had been listening to the man¡¯s entire conversation eagerly, and he almost jumped up to chase after him. Huo Shaoheng grabbed his shoulder and forced him to stay in his seat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. There¡¯s someone here.¡± Huo Shaoheng whispered quietly and poured a shot of tequ for all three of them. They began pping the table and chairs in a drinking game. Sure enough, a few Cuban inclothes policemen or Secret Service agents began scanning the tavern. Their eyes were as sharp as like eagles. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s group yed their game happily, and the officers red disdainfully before looking elsewhere. Lieutenant Colonel Fei pretended to slump over drunkenly, and a waitress nudged him to pay his bill. The officers watched for a while and were about to walk over when a couple of hunters got into a disagreement and began to fight. Tables and chairs were knocked over, and a couple of cups and tes smashed into pieces. The nging sounds echoed in the tavern. The officers shrugged their shoulders at themonce scene and stopped surveying to move on.

    Half an hour after they left, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s group stumbled ¡°drunkenly¡± out of the tavern and went to an ordinary three-star hotel to check in. This time they used the identities of three cigar sellers from Southeast Asia who hade to Cuba to source high-quality cigars and sell them back in their home country. These kinds of businessmen weremon in Cuba, and the locals were ustomed to them. The hotel staff didn¡¯t suspect anything strange and checked them in enthusiastically. They even rmended three cigar factories. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s group feigned interest and asked for the contact information so they could go see them in a few days. Once it got dark, they resumed their normal identities and returned to their five-star lodge to prepare for their talk with the Cuban militaryter that evening. The itinerary for the Cuba trip was three days of official business and five days of free interaction. Huo Shaoheng nned to use the five days to visit Barbados, and if time permitted, he also wanted to go to Columbia where the He manor was located.

    ¡°This He family is really something else, Mr. Huo.¡± Zhao Liangze sent all the material he had gleaned about the He family to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Seven years ago, Columbia was still the most chaotic country in South America, but once the He¡¯s rose up, they banned all forms of drug use. They were even stricter than the government itself. The criminals from Columbia had no ce to stay, and they all escaped to Mexico. Mexico seven years ago and Mexico today is likeparing hell and heaven.¡±

    ¡°Looks like the He¡¯s influence hasn¡¯t extended to Mexico then.¡± Yin Shixiong crossed his arms and rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he looked at the image Zhao Liangze pulled up.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably a tacit agreement upon with the United States. The United States has a considerable amount of influence on Mexico. They wouldn¡¯t be happy if the He family started controlling it.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at the image and immediately made his conclusion. ¡°Countries like Brazil, Argentia, Bolivia, and Peru, in addition to Columbia, must also respect the He Family.¡±

    ¡°No matter how powerful the He family is, their influence is only in South America. It¡¯s possible they can¡¯t even get involved with Central America, let alone our nation.¡± Zhao Linagze sighed with relief. ¡°But that Professor He is smug, with good reason too.¡±

    ¡°We can set the He family aside, for now. Our target is Gu Yanran and Gu Xiangwen in Barbados.¡± Huo Shaoheng had formed a n. ¡°It¡¯d be ideal if we could send Gu Xiangwen back to the Empire.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew Gu Xiangwen was in aa, but who knew when he would go from one of the living dead to being actually dead.

    ¡°Right, and our people still have to investigate the aircraft ident that happened in Southeast Asia seven years ago. That man didn¡¯t exin why, but it sounded like it can be checked pretty easily. Let me see here...¡± Zhao Liangze paused and a strange look appeared on his face. ¡°Guess what I found?¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and tell us! Don¡¯t you know ¡®people who talk in circles can¡¯t find wives!¡¯¡± Yin Shixiong pped the back of Zhao Liangze¡¯s head loudly.

    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re the one who can¡¯t find a wife!¡± Zhao Liangze turned around to shout at Yin Shixiong, but then looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, do you remember flight MH210 from seven years ago? It was a passenger ne from a certain Southeast Asian country. It was originally supposed to go to the United States, but it went missing mid-flight. The wreckage waster found on a small ind in the Indian Ocean.¡±

 Chapter 469 - One More Person on the Plane

    <h4>Chapter 469: One More Person on the ne</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Zhao Liangze with a fixed yet unfocused gaze. After a long time, he finally asked, ¡°how is this ne ident rted to Gu Xiangwen? Was he on the ne?¡±

    How could he have been on that ne seven years ago and now be in aa?

    ording to the news received by the Special Forces, there were no survivors of that ident.

    ¡°Yes, I went there with a colleague personally.¡± Yin Shixiong was taken aback as well. ¡°There were citizens of the Huaxia Empire on that flight, so you had me follow the people from the Foreign Affairs department and help the families of the deceased with their wakes.¡±

    That aviation ident had seemed almost ridiculous, Huo Shaoheng recalled. The aircraft had disappeared from the radar in a blink of an eye, and it hadn¡¯t gone where it was supposed to go. Countries from around the world helped with the search, but no one found anything for more than half a year.

    Then, miraculously, two yearster, someone discovered the wreckage of the flight on a small ind in the Indian Ocean.

    ¡°Even if some people survived the crash, they would¡¯ve died of serious injuries. They were found two yearster! Think about it. An aircraft falling from the sky. Could anyone go totally unharmed?¡± Yin Shixiong said as he immediately retrieved information from the ident.

    He¡¯d taken many pictures and had written a detailed report. He¡¯d also made sure to ensure the scene was cleared up properly. But there had been nothing left of the passengers besides bodies and bones. It had taken a lot of manpower to match the DNA of the family members with the victims before sending the bodies and bones back to the Huaxia Empire for proper burial.

    Huo Shaoheng could easily recall the aviation disaster as well.

    ¡°I remember that ident. There was nothing left of our citizens...only bodies, and we did not miscount.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We found all our citizens,¡± Yin Shixiong answered quickly. ¡°But if Gu Xiangwen had been a passenger onboard the flight, he wouldn¡¯t have been our citizen, so there¡¯s a possibility his name wouldn¡¯t end up on our list.¡±

    ¡°Which means we wouldn¡¯t have been informed of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s fate.¡± Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, what would you like to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng came to a decision in no time. ¡°First, Little Ze, get the list of passengers on board flight MH210. Confirm whether or not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s name was on the list.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Zhao Liangze wrote down his task. He nned to use his personalptop to look for loopholes in MH Airline¡¯s South East Asian website and enter their main site from there. Then he would look for the passenger records from seven years ago.

    ¡°Second,¡± Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°Big Xiong look through the list of funeral preparations on that Indian Ocean ind again. Check if we missed anything or if there are any strange records we glossed over.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Yin Shixiong wrote down his task as well and immediately began looking through the records on his personalptop.

    ¡°Third, I will personally go to the hospital Gu Xiangwen just left.¡±

    This thirdmand was for himself.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze exchanged nces and said together, ¡°Mr. Huo, we¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    They would never allow Huo Shaoheng to act alone. He wasn¡¯t a mere soldier from the Special Forces anymore; his safety concerned the lives of tens of thousands of Special Forces soldiers from all over the world.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and sighed. ¡°Fine. You guysplete your tasks first. I¡¯ll make arrangments for Barbados.¡±

    ¡°Who will we be going as, Mr. Huo?¡± Yin Shixiong asked excitedly. ¡°Barbados is a small country, but I¡¯ve heard their girls are really fiery!¡±

    ¡°Your puny mind is filled with nothing but girls!¡± Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Mr. Huo, do we have to bring this thing along?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°We will be going as ourselves this time around. Big Xiong, contact the government of Barbados. Simply say the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Army¡¯s Supreme Committee respects their military, and wishes to have an exchange with them.¡±

    Yin Shixiong paused slightly then said, ¡°what¡¯s there for us to respect? Seems like ants vying for the attention of elephants?¡±

    ¡°The Barbados government wants to be on good terms with the Huaxia Empire in order to do business with us. They want to export rum. Their country¡¯s famous for it.¡± Huo Shaoheng decided to ignore Yin Shixiong¡¯s joke. ¡°Reach out to them immediately. If you can¡¯t find a reason, just make one up. We have to interview Barbados officially.¡±

    Zhao Liangze stepped up. ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯ll contact General Ji and Senior Speaker Long for their authorization on my end.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Quick. I want to be in the Barbados airport inspecting their Honorary Army by this time tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze pushed all jokes aside and turned into working mode. Their efficiency was amazing.

    Two hourster, Zhao Liangze was already on the main website of MH Airlines and had managed to retrieve the passenger records from flight MH210. The name ¡°Kevin-Ku¡± was printed clearly on the list.

    Theypared this with the list MH Airlines had provided the Huaxia Empire Embassy with seven years ago. The two lists were identical.

    There was no doubt about it, Gu Xiangwen had been on that flight.

    Yin Shixiong went through the scenario all over again, but could not find any loopholes.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, it happened like this: the aircraft crashed on the ind, the airlines announced that there were no survivors, the insurancepany paid a huge amount of money.¡± Yin Shixiong continued. ¡°But because Gu Xiangwen wasn¡¯t our citizen, he name wasn¡¯t on the list provided to us by the insurancepany. This is normal. In order to find out if the insurancepanypensated the Gu family, we¡¯ll have to hack into the insurancepany¡¯s internal system.¡±

    Yin Shixiong turned his eyes on to Zhao Liangze. ¡°We¡¯ll need Little Ze¡¯s help on this.¡±

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes andughed. ¡°No need to say that twice! I¡¯ve already had a stroll through the insurancepany MH Airlines was using at the time and got thepensation list from their system.¡± With that, he produced the list and maximized it on hisptop.

    ¡°Look here, Mr. Huo, the Gu family waspensated with a huge amount of money.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? If Gu Xiangwen did not die, then wouldn¡¯t Gu Yanran be involved in insurance fraud?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Should we inform Swiss Anew Insurance?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent. He digested the information from both of them and looked through the records carefully. His brows furrowed even more, and he finally said, ¡°did you notice Swiss Anew gave the Gu¡¯s a familypensation instead of a personal one?¡±

    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Yin Shixiong looked over curiously. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a payout to the Gu family?¡±

    ¡°No. International insurance is categorized into four divisions: personal, parents, children, and family.¡± Huo Shaoheng was familiar with this topic, and his subordinates were impressed. Huo Shaoheng continued his exnation. ¡°A family policy would cover a family that was traveling, including a partner and children.¡±

    Zhao Liangze fell silent. His logical mind was at work again, analyzing the situation.

    ¡°Are you saying Gu Xiangwen wasn¡¯t alone? There was someone else from the Gu family on that flight?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up and began typing his analysis into theputer. ¡°We already know this: Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t on the flight because she¡¯s still alive. As for her sister, if it is Gu Nianzhi, she wasn¡¯t on the flight either.¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked at the evidence carefully and noticed an interesting point. ¡°Look here, Mr. Huo. The day Nianzhi appeared was the day MH210 crashed!¡±

    ¡°Yes. Nianzhi wasn¡¯t on the flight either. Neither of the daughters were, but Swiss Anew Insurance gave them the family insurancepensation, and Gu Yanran epted it gracefully. From this we can deduce the person with Gu Xiangwen was most likely his wife, and she most likely passed away. So, Swiss Anew insurance gave them with the family insurancepensation.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up the mouse and circled ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife.¡±

    ¡°Did you guys manage to find out who is she?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s someone named Grace Ku on the passenger list. Could that be her?¡± Zhao Liangze returned to the passenger list again and found the name.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Women from other countries often use the surnames of their husbands after they¡¯re married. It¡¯s highly possible she has the same surname as Gu Xiangwen. But who is Grace Ku? Is she Nianzhi and Gu Yanran¡¯s mother?¡± Yin Shixiong asked thoughtfully, feeling as though the mystery was bing simultaneously clearer and also moreplicated. He felt so close, yet so far away.

 Chapter 470 - I Got You In Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 470: I Got You In Trouble</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Still, Huo Shaoheng felt optimistic, and he encouraged Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze by saying, ¡°Big Xiong, Little Ze, think about it this way. Our situation is looking up now that we have more clues.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze nodded in unison. ¡°Yes, Mr. Huo. At least we know where Gu Xiangwen is, and more clues have surfaced.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was truly their Chief. A moment ago, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had felt incredibly anxious, but now they were full of positivity and hope.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We also know we should invetigate Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused and recalled that Gu Nianzhi had never called out for her mother. Even after she had passed out from a high fever, she¡¯d cried out for ¡°father¡± and ¡°uncle.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen has always been discreet and mysterious. We know about his wife now, but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll be hard to track down.¡± Yin Shixiong gestured his fingers daintily and asked in a singing voice, ¡°now doesn¡¯t thatplicate things, Mr. Huo.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him then looked forward and replied dryly, ¡°how is your contact with Barbadosing along? Right now it¡¯s-¡± he looked at his watch, ¡± three pm. I want to be standing on Barbados soil tomorrow by noon.¡±

    Yin Shixiong instantly retired his jokes. ¡°Roger, Chief! I¡¯ll contact them right now!¡± With his smooth tongue and a trantor from the Huaxia General Conste in Cuba, he only had to say a few words for the Barbados representative to happilyply. They were a small poption, and their government departments were rxed. Now that a major ¡°international figure¡± wasing to visit their country, the government workers smiled happily. They finally had some serious business to do!

    Because Barbados was such a small country it was very easy to coordinate with. The entire country was about the size of an average city in the Huaxia Empire. With the assistance of the Huaxia Empire, Barbados was able to quickly finalize the itinerary for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s visit.

    That night, the local TVworks in Barbados aired breaking news. Gu Yanran was sitting in the dining room of her manor eating dinner when she saw the news on TV. She wasn¡¯t feeling too well, so she didn¡¯t each much per meal though she did eat frequently.

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s Major General Huo, isn¡¯t it? He¡¯s visiting Barbados?¡± Gu Yanran paused and set her utensils back on the dining table. She stared at the TV, but unfortunately, the news didn¡¯t have any details. It glossed over the purpose of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s visit and used most of the time to praise his high rank within the Huaxia Empire and his admiration of Barbados. The report ended byplimenting the wise and decisive Governor of Barbados. It was full of self-ttery, and Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help but frown. She knew Barbados¡¯ck of power better than anyone else, so why would a military general with a bright future trouble to visit such a ce? The report ended, and Gu Yanran reyed it over and over again. She felt intrigued but peculiar. Suddenly, her phone rang. Checking the screen, she saw a text from an acquaintance.

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng is as sly as a fox. He has another purpose for visiting. I¡¯m afraid I got you in trouble.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart dropped, and her indescribably strange feeling returned. It felt like a cloud of mist had snaked its way around her heart and blocked the road ahead. But she couldn¡¯t bear to try and dispel it. Gu Yanran yed with her phone and left the dining room. She stood on the balcony to watch the blurry coast in the distance. The air was heavy with seawater and a salty smell. She pursed her lips and looked at the bougainvillea, plumeria, andrge poncho daisies nted around her and sighed gently. She¡¯d been lonely for too long.

    Gu Yanran turned back and went to her father¡¯s room on the second floor. The lights were off, and the heavy velvet gold curtains not only blocked out the light, but also the sound of waves from outside. It was as quiet as a mausoleum. Gu Yanran reached out to turn on the wall sconce and walked in under the amber light. Her father¡¯s bed was in the smallest bedroom inside. The ce was almost like a miniature hospital. It was filled with various medical equipment, as well as two nurses and two doctors who provided all day care.

    Upon seeing her enter, the doctors and nurses on duty stood up. ¡°Miss Gu.¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded. ¡°How¡¯s my father today?¡±

    ¡°Just like yesterday. He¡¯s not better or worse.¡± Dr. Lawrence, the doctor she had hired from the United States for a considerable fee, watched her with adoration. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but Gu Yanran refused to ept his advances. Gu Yanran walked over slowly and quietly stood at her father¡¯s bedside.

    ¡°Are there any medical advancements? I¡¯m hoping that my father will wake soon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, Miss Gu.¡± Dr. Lawrence stood next to Gu Yanran. He was tall and handsome, and his eyes were as blue as the ocean. Hardly anyone could resist his gaze. Gu Yanran was the exception. She had once politely told him she had a strict upbringing, and her parents would never allow her to marry a white man. She must marry a fellow Huaxia citizen. Dr. Lawrence thought this was an excuse, and she simply hadn¡¯t fallen in love with him yet. Once she fell in love with him, those rules would disappear.

    Gu Yanran was aware of Dr. Lawrence¡¯s feelings for her, but she honestly didn¡¯t like him and, it was true, her parents would never allow her to marry a white man. Her mother was gone, and her father was in aa, but she still obeyed them.

    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Lawerence. If you think this is fruitless, I can advance half a year¡¯s sry, and you can go back to the United States.¡± Gu Yanran turned to smile at Dr. Lawrence faintly. ¡°Perhaps, this ce is not suitable for you.¡±

    Dr. Lawrence¡¯s heart dropped. He loved Gu Yanran, but he loved his profession more. His work here was rxing and easy, and the sry was ten times what he¡¯d get in the United States. He had no qualms against money, and he could find beautiful Huaxia women anywere. There was no reason to give up everything just for Gu Yanran.

    The adoration Dr. Lawerence¡¯s eyes instantly disappeared, and he replied seriously, ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m a professional, and I abide by professional ethics. I can distinguish between work and personal business.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Yanran smiled. ¡°Then you must make sure to disy it.¡± She turned to leave but continued before she went out the door. ¡°Add another shift. You can all work eight hours each.¡± She was increasing personnel. The Gu family housekeeper quickly arranged to hire more doctors and nurses.

    ...

    At noon the next day, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s special aircraftnded at the Barbados airport. The Barbados government officials, socialites, and wealthy businessmen all weed Huo Shaoheng. Of course, Gu Yanran was the most important nongovernment representative.

    ¡°Major General Huo, wee to Barbados.¡± She extended her hand to Huo Shaoheng with a smile.

    Huo Shaoheng gave her a polite, business-like smile as he reached out to shake her hand.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you truly live up to your name.¡±

 Chapter 471 - We are Considered Old Friends

    <h4>Chapter 471: We are Considered Old Friends</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You tter me, Major General Huo.¡± Gu Yanran tilted her head. Her sparkling almond eyes were clear and had a touch of girlishness to them.

    They were simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback but did not express it.

    He¡¯d remembered seeing Gu Yanran a couple of times in the Huaxia Empire. The way she held herself was definitely different than Gu Nianzhi. These differences were slight, but Huo Shaoheng was extremely familiar with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mannerisms, and he could spot the simrities and differences between her and almost anyone he met. It was easy to spot theparisons between the two women now. He did not say anything but merely smiled, turned away, and shook hands with the Governor of Barbados. He boarded the jeep with the Governor and began his tour of the Honorary Military guards of Barbados.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze wore their sunsses and followed behind Huo Shaoheng silently. They didn¡¯t even want to look at soldiers so below CU¡¯s honorary guards¡¯ standards.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, showed great interest in their army. He asionally waved to the crowd which caused never-ending cheers. Gu Yanran wore Chanel¡¯stest Spring-Summer Houndstooth suit and a huge feathered hat. She looked ssy and elegant. At first nce, she did not stand out, but when people looked at her again, they couldn¡¯t tear their eyes off of her.

    She stood in the crowd and watched Huo Shaoheng with the tanned Barbados Governor as he steadily inspected Barbados¡¯s Honorary Military guards. She gave a slight sigh. That strange unexinable feeling had returned to her. She put a hand on her chest and med her dizziness on the sun. She began seeing stars, and each one seemed to contain Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile.

    She closed her eyes and held on to one of the housekeepers.

    ¡°An, help me back, please.¡±

    One of the Gu family housekeepers was a nativedy in her forties. She was plump, but her movements were agile. Gu Yanran looked even more slender when standing beside her.

    ¡°Miss Gu, are you not feeling well again? The sun is so hot. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    An was a powerful woman. The circumference of her arm was almost the size of Gu Yanran¡¯s waist. She held on to Gu Yanran and gently helped her into the Gu family¡¯s ck limousine. Gu Yanran felt better once she¡¯d been in the air-conditioned car for a while.

    ¡°Miss Gu, would you like to return home?¡± An turned her head and was about to instruct the chauffeur to drive, but Gu Yanran stopped her.

    Shaking her head, she said, ¡°the inspection hasn¡¯t ended. Major General Huo and I are considered old friends. How could I leave early on his big day? There¡¯s going to be a state banquetter as well. How could I-¡±

    A loud bang was heard before she could finish her words. It sounded like someone ttening a metal can.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Yanran turned her face towards the source of the sound. She was greeted by the sight of her chauffeur¡¯s head tilting back, a gunshot wound on the middle of his forehead. He was bleeding furiously.

    ¡°Murder! Murder!¡± An screamed at the top of her lungs the moment she saw what had happened. She opened the door and screamed with all her might. The people¡¯s concentration had been focused on the viewing tform, but An¡¯s voice was as strong as a world-ss soprano, and they turned their attention to the car.

    Gu Yanran covered her head with her hands and hid behind the seat in fear.

    Right at that moment, a group of men in masks ran towards Gu Yanran¡¯s car. They shot An in the back of her head with a sniper. She didn¡¯t even have a chance to shout, she just fell in front of the viewing tform, eyes opened.

    The people on the tform finally understood what was happening.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are there snippers?¡±

    ¡°Bodyguards! Bodyguards!¡±

    ¡°Get the police! No! Get the Army! The Army!¡±

    The viewing tform was engulfed in chaos.

    The local celebrities and businessmen were brought to safety by their bodyguards, while the others called out for the police and army. The police and soldiers held their guns and looked helplessly at the scene before them. They had absolutely no idea what to do.

    No one had taught them how to react in this situation.

    Nothing like that had happened in Barbados for more than 50 years.

    Their national safety and security were all outsourced, and the soldiers only listened to country U. As long as they paid their protection fee to country U, they were always safe...

    Because of this, ten snipers was all it took to render the Barbados government useless.

    The Governor of Barbados had already jumped out of the jeep with his bodyguards and was running towards the nearest bulletproof car. Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze were left alone in the parade jeep. The Honorary guards had already gone into hiding the moment the first gunshot was heard.

    Yin Shixiong narrowed his eyes and looked at the coward. ¡°Mr. Huo, I stand by my words: these ants want topare themselves with the elephants.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was scanning through the crowd. All of a sudden, he noticed a spot of white in the opposite direction ¨C the reflection of a sniper!

    ¡°Get down! Jump!¡± Huo Shaohengmanded quickly. Squatting down, he disappeared from the roof of the jeep and was out of the vehicle in less than a second.

    The three of them hid behind the parade jeep.

    ¡°Did you bring the equipment?¡± Huo Shaoheng waved behind them.

    Zhao Liangze handed Huo Shaoheng a shotgun. ¡°The box is here. I¡¯ll fix it now.¡±

    Their weapons followed them everywhere they went. Their ammunition hadn¡¯t been discovered this time around, because they were visiting Barbados on an official visit, and their luggage hadn¡¯ been inspected. That was ow three weapons had sessfully made their way to Barbados.

    ¡°Save her! Save her! Miss Gu¡¯s been kidnapped by the snipers!¡± In the midst of all the chaos, Gu Yanran¡¯s male housekeeper realized their limousine was being driven away by the snipers, and Miss Gu was still in the car. He was panicking and didn¡¯t seem to care that the snipers were still shooting in all directions. He ran up to the viewing tform and shouted for help.

    Bang!

    Another shot and the housekeeper fell from the viewing tform.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the housekeeper, and he took his gun and aimed. A sniper went down. He crouched and ran in a Z formation towards the viewing tform. His agility was impressive, and he reached his target in no time.

    ¡°Who got kidnapped by the snipers?¡± Huo Shaoheng patted the male housekeeper who had been shot.

    The housekeeper used his final breath and pointed behind him. ¡°Miss Gu...¡±

    Then he died.

    Huo Shaoheng looked towards the direction which the housekeeper had pointed. He saw the ck limousine driving off unsteadily. Raising his weapon, he turned away from the light and knelt in front of the viewing tform. Aiming at the direction of the bulletproof limousine, he shot the back left tire.

    A fortified bullet spun its way out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gun and hit the back left tire of the limousine.

    The wheels were made of special rubber, but they were no match for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fortified bullet.

    After a loud bang, the limousine swerved to the side of the road.

    Just at that moment, a yellow Hummer SUV appeared from the corner of the road. Gu Yanran was pushed out of the ck limousine and dragged into the Hummer SUV by her arms.

    ¡°Chase them!¡± Huo Shaoheng waved, signaling for the Barbados soldiers to chase the men.

    The soldiers looked at him then at the Governor.

    ¡°Go! Quick! That¡¯s Miss Gu, for God¡¯s sake!¡± The Governor still treated Gu Yanran like an extremely important figure. After he ordered them to chase her, he fell silent again. However, the policemen and soldiers were no match for the snipers. Huo Shaoheng saw the number of men decreasing rapidly, and he pursed his lips. He shouted to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, ¡°let¡¯s go!¡±

    They were here on an official visit and were the only three from the military. The others were all in charge of administration. They would not be much help, Huo Shaoheng decided. It was better they take care of their own lives for now.

    But Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze disagreed. ¡°Mr. Huo, we¡¯ll go. You stay here!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at them. ¡°We¡¯re overseas. There¡¯s no need to adhere to ourw. You guys go. Do you know English? Or Bajan?¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were unable to retort. Before they realize it, Huo Shaoheng had sprinted forward like a leopard and was chasing the SUV. They had no choice but to follow suit, and they covered Huo Shaoheng from the back. The Governor of Barbados finally came to his senses. Waving his arms, he shouted for the policemen and outsourced soldiers to follow the chase.

 Chapter 472 - Tracking and Pursuit

    <h4>Chapter 472: Tracking and Pursuit</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The mustard yellow Hummer sped through the tunnels away from the Barbados airport. The group in pursuit hadn¡¯t expected another vehicle to intercept the blocked limousine, so they¡¯d chased them on foot and fallen behind. Huo Shaoheng raised his anti-material rifle. He didn¡¯t even have enough time to use the scope to lock on the target. He aimed and fired several shots at the Hummer just as it was about it disappear around the corner. His uracy was eerily perfect, and because the Hummer wasn¡¯t bulletproof and the tires weren¡¯t specially treated, they were effectively destroyed by the bullets. With a great boom, the SUV¡¯s front wheels exploded and blew up the asphalt under the car. In an instant, the road was marred with pits and chunks of concrete everywhere, and the air heavy was with smoke and dust. The obnoxiously loud Hummer made a full 180-degree spin then flipped over.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shooting skills were very urate, but this was on a level bordering awe-inspiring. The two men solemnly gripped their own anti-material rifles and nked either side of Huo Shaoheng to protect him. A feeling of pride rose in their hearts. This was their Chief! They were willing to die under the leadership of such a man!

    Huo Shaoheng had no time to think about unnecessary sentiments. He focussed all his attention on the flipped car in front of them. Huo Shaoheng waited until the car door opened, then he immediately shot at the masked shooters crawling out. A pink cloud of blood sprayed out of wherever the armor-piercing bullet fired at, and the masked gunmen nearly evaporated. The scene was shocking from afar and even more terrifying for the other gunmen near the bodies. They shrunk inside the car and didn¡¯t dare toe out. This was the first time anti-material bullets had been shot in Barbados. The local police and soldiers¡¯ jaws dropped. They didn¡¯t know that anti-material rifles didn¡¯t require spotters and could be used directly, like pistols!

    ¡°Go get them!¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around to see the Barbados local police and soldiers finally catch up. He waved to begin directing them. They had been too afraid to go earlier, but their bravado increased once they saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s godly shooting skills. They put on bulletproof vests and slowly surrounded the fallen SUV. But Huo Shaoheng knew things had taken a turn for the worse once the police and soldiers had gathered around the car. They blocked his view, and he couldn¡¯t see the silhouettes of the masked gunmen inside anymore. As expected, several shots fired at the crowd around the car and the soldiers and policemen all fell to the ground. By the time Huo Shaoheng had reached them, there were no more criminals alive inside the car, only the severed remains of several people he shot.

    ¡°Where did they go?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at one of the Barbados police officers with a grim expression. It was more dangerous to have foolishrades then skilled enemies.

    The officer looked up and pointed a shaky finger forward. ¡°They ran off.¡±

    ¡°Where did they go?¡± Zhao Liangze asked in English and held up his gun to defend Huo Shaoheng.

    The officer seemed to have some useful knowledge. ¡°That¡¯s the direction of Miss Gu¡¯s manor, are they-¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened. That¡¯s where Gu Xiangwen was! Could the masked gunmen really be targeting Gu Xiangwen? But why did they take Gu Yanran hostage first?

    ¡°Lead the way to Miss Gu¡¯s manor.¡± Huo Shaoheng held the gun with one and held the officer¡¯s shoulder with the other. ¡°Have your personnel follow as well.¡±

    The officer quickly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just over there! Come with me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong, along with a group of armed policemen and soldiers, all ran towards the Gu manor.

    The masked gunman tied Gu Yanran¡¯s hands and mouth her muffled as they dragged her by the arm towards the Gu manor. They pulled her in front of them to act as a shield, and when they arrived at the iron gates, a masked gunman fired a shot. The lock on the gate popped open.

    ¡°What are you people doing!¡± The guards at the Gu manor were furious and picked up their phones to call the police. The masked gunmen holding Gu Yanran fired directly a guard¡¯s forehead. The guard fell over with a thump, his eyes still open.

    Tears streamed down Gu Yanran¡¯s face, but she couldn¡¯t speak with the tape over her mouth. As one of the wealthiest people in Barbados, the Gu family had many armed guards at their manor. The guards realized their employer was being held at gunpoint, and they rushed out to defend her, but as soon as they showed their faces, the masked gunmen shot them all in the head. Pitted against the Gu family guards, the masked gunmen¡¯s shooting skills were as effective as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s had been on them. They¡¯d been terrified when they¡¯d faced Huo Shaoheng, but now they regained their confidence.

    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go!¡± The masked gunmen could hear people chasing after them and knew their time was limited. They must quicklyplete their boss¡¯s n.

    ...

    When the Huo Shaoheng and the Barbados policemen and soldiers arrived at the Gu manor, they saw countless bodies fallen around the great iron gates. All the fallen guards were armed, but they had been shot in the head before they¡¯d the chance to use their weapons. Blood stained the ground, and some spots had already turned dark brown. The huge leaves of the tropical nts were sttered with blood.

    ¡°These gunmen are ruthless! What are they nning, a massacre?¡± Yin Shixiong spat vehemently.

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip on the anti-material rifle and said quietly, ¡°let¡¯s hope we made it in time.¡± There was no time for any more arrangements, so he made a decision immediately. ¡°Big Xiong,e inside with me. Little Ze, stay outside as dispatch, and use the highest frequency on the Bluetooth headset to ensure there¡¯s no eavesdropping.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± By now, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze could no longer say they were viting regtions. They could only obey Huo Shaoheng¡¯smands.

    Huo Shaoheng spoke to the Barbados local police and soldiers briefly and directed them to surround the area around the Gu manor in order to prevent the gunmen from escaping again. Luckily the Barbados local police and soldiers were ustomed to following orders. Before, they¡¯d followed the Americans, and now they followed Huo Shaoheng. They epted hismands and surrounded the Gu manor as he¡¯d instructed. Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and the best Barbados snipers crawled down the tree-lined path of the Gu manor. The main building of the Gu manor was a four-story vi-style home tucked inside a lush forest. It was distinctly tropical yet had obvious Huaxia architectural influences. The lowest floor was the basement, and there were three stories above it. In no time, the manor¡¯s giant rosewood door appeared before them. It was ajar and the men could see a light from inside. The Gu forest was so dense that, even in the middle of the day, there was little natural sunlight, and the house lights were left on.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped three meters from the manor and tilted his head to listen for a moment. He heard gunshots, screaming, and crying. The masked gunmen were very vicious.

    ¡°Go.¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned and led the group inside. Although he and Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t make any noise, the so-called ¡°excellent snipers¡± were less professional, and their heavy panting and thundering steps carried inside the house.

    ¡°Jack! They¡¯ve followed us!¡± The masked gunmen panicked. ¡°Hurry up, and get rid of these people! We¡¯re running out of time!¡±

    By the time Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong burst through the entrance, several of the masked gunmen were aiming their guns at a group of people kneeling in the living room. They appeared to be servants from the Gu manor. Gu Yanran was facing the door. Her hands tied behind her back, and a gun was pressed to her head.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯ll ask again. Where is your father! If you don¡¯t tell us, you¡¯ll end up like these people!¡± The masked gunmen in the front raised his semi-automatic rifle and began shooting at the group of kneeling servants. Bullets flew through the room. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong were forced to roll out of the living room and hid behind the heavy rosewood door. They shared a nce and fired several shots inside. nking the other side of the door, they began shouting at the people inside.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been surrounded! Drop your guns and surrender!¡±

 Chapter 473 - No Choice

    <h4>Chapter 473: No Choice</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was merely procedure for Huo Shaoheng to say this. It was the same with the culprits back in the Huaxia Empire ¨C they never expected the masked snipers to respond.

    Of course, the masked snipers responded by raising their guns and shooting towards the source of the noise! Huo Shaoheng stopped trying to convince them to surrender. He nodded to Yin Shixiong, and they picked up their weapon and shot in the snipers¡¯ direction.

    The masked snipers in the living room realized that the nightmare they had just experienced a few moments ago had returned. They¡¯d quite enjoyed shooting at the Gu family servants, but now that they¡¯d be targets themselves, they did not feel very good at all. Still, they were forced to endure the shots. It was either shoot or be shot.

    Within minutes, seven or eight masked snipers were dead. Only 2 masked snipers remained alive. They hid behind Gu Yanran and used her as a human shield.

    ¡°I¡¯ll shoot her if youe any closer!¡± One of them shouted towards the door.

    Gu Yanran was barely alive. She couldn¡¯t even lift her head.

    She cried as she shouted towards the door. ¡°Let them kill me! As long as I¡¯m dead, my father will be safe!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± The sniper hit the back of her head with the gun handle. ¡°Bring us to your father now! If not, we¡¯ll make you wish you were dead!¡±

    ¡°Jack! We¡¯ve already searched the house, and we still can¡¯t find him! What do we do! Everyone else in this house is dead, and this bitch still isn¡¯t gonna give us his location!¡±

    The two masked snipers spoke in Spanish and thought the people from the Huaxia Empire would not understand theirnguage. However, they underestimated Huo Shaoheng. His grandmother had taught him English, French, German, and Spanish from the moment he learned how to speak. His gift in learningnguages wasparable only to his mother.

    Huo Shaoheng understood.

    It seemed like the masked men had already searched the entire mansion, but could not find Gu Xiangwen. That must have been why they gathered everyone in the living hall and killed them one by one in front of Gu Yanran. It was an attempt to traumatize her into revealing the whereabouts of her father.

    If Gu Xiangwen wasn¡¯t in the manor, then where was he?

    Huo Shaoheng hummed softly for a second and nodded to Yin Shixiong expressionlessly. Then he slipped outside the mansion and managed to get behind Gu Yanran and the masked men. His weapon was able to shoot through walls. He¡¯d done the same thing in the Huaxia Empires holiday vi to separate the kidnapper from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmate. Huo Shaoheng picked up his gun, aimed at the back of the man¡¯s head, and clicked.

    Bang! The gunshot was heard throughout the entire manor.

    One of the masked men fell dead, but the other was brave. He did not seem shocked by his partner¡¯s split skull. Instead, he grabbed Gu Yanran, broke the ss, and jumped out of the window.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at thend outside the French window and his heart sank. He¡¯d left an area out after all. The Gu¡¯s mansion was built near the sea. Little stone hills, streams, waterfalls and jungles surrounded it. The French window in the hallway faced a small waterfall, and when the windows were opened on a good day, the water droplets felt even better than being in an air-conditioned room. There was a pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Thest masked sniper grabbed Gu Yanran, rolled into the pool, and swam in the other direction. Huo Shaoheng had instructed the police and soldiers to surround the mansion, but he had missed this spot.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t his fault. The Gu family mansion was extremely secluded and heavily guarded. The Special Forces were not as impulsive as the masked snipers. Therefore, theyout of the Gu¡¯s family mansion was only known to them by satellite data. They had not expected the Gu family mansion to be built in such a dense jungle and amongst the mountains. It was a tropical forest with nts growing year-round, which affected the uracy of theirnd formation diagram.

    It was an emergency. If the masked sniper was correct, only Gu Yanran knew the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen. If the men killed him, the lead they¡¯d been searching for for seven years would vanish. If the lead was gone, they may never get another chance to unravel the mystery of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past

    At that moment, many thoughts shed through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clear, sparkling eyes were one of them. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to dwell on those thoughts. He had no choice but to follow.

    He turned around to look at Yin Shixiong and said in a low voice, ¡°contact Little Ze. Track my location. I¡¯ll make a move first.¡± With that, he rolled towards the French window and jumped into the pool.

    The masked sniper was pulling a drenched Gu Yanran from the pond when he saw Huo Shaoheng following him. He held up his gun and fired a few shots. The bullet hit the water and created huge sshes, which merged together with the water from the waterfall. In the sunlight, it created a rainbow over the pond.

    Even though Gu Yanran knew that this was pure physics, the image of an extremely handsome man jumping into a rainbow pool to save her made her heart skip a beat.

    ¡°What are you looking at! He¡¯s dead!¡± The masked sniper pped Gu Yanran. ¡°Follow me!¡±

    He grabbed her by her hair and almost dragged her on the ground as he made his way towards a narrow path.

    Gu Yanran looked at the pool and its rainbow and felt her eyes water. She held in a sob, though she couldn¡¯t help a wave of depression from washing over her. Just when she was convinced Huo Shaoheng was really dead, the water sshed from the pool again. The handsome man emerged from the water, held up a gun, and took aim.

    Gu Yanran almost cheered but controlled herself. However, the sniper who was dragging her realized something was amiss. Turning around, he fired at Huo Shaoheng, and then dragged Gu Yanran onto a small boat by the sea.

    ¡°Get in! Be quiet! If you make one more sound, and I¡¯ll make sure to use this on you!¡± The masked sniper pointed the gun at Gu Yanran before tying her up.

    When Huo Shaoheng finally reached them, he saw a canoe-shaped boat about to set off to sea. Perhaps the engine was faulty, or the masked sniper did not know how to operate the boat correctly, because he only managed to start the engine after five whole minutes.

    ¡°Tuk-tuk tuk-tuk...¡± The engine of the boat roared. Gu Yanran¡¯s mouth was taped shut, her limbs were tied up, and she was thrown to a corner of the boat.

    Huo Shaoheng ran to the beach. The boat had just left the coast, but due to the strong current, it could not travel quickly and kept being washed backward. The masked sniper held the gun in midair, pointed it at Huo Shaoheng, andughed hysterically at him. Huo Shaoheng dove under the water in a blink of an eye. The turquoise sea churned white waves. It looked crystal clear under the sun. Gu Yanran peeked from the boat to look for Huo Shaoheng. Tears rolled off her cheeks. The masked sniper rolled his eyes at her, and she turned her head, hiding her face from him.

    The boat moved forward, while Huo Shaoheng chased closely behind.

    The masked sniper was frustrated at being unable to operate the boat well. He cursed and swore, and kicked Gu Yanran in his anger. They¡¯d started their mission with more than ten people, each with a task to handle; but their n had been foiled thanks to this asshole from the Huaxia Empire.

    Why did he continue to chase them? Did he really want to die that much!

    The masked sniper gave Huo Shaoheng¡¯s a cunning look and bit his lip. He pulled the oar and the boat came to a sudden stop. It had stopped moving so quickly that it almost capsized.

    Huo Shaoheng was steadily closing in on their distance. The masked sniper couldn¡¯t care less about the boat anymore. He held on to his sniper properly, loaded it, ced it on the edge of the boat, and aimed at Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 474 - In The Same Boat

    <h4>Chapter 474: In The Same Boat</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark hair was barely visible in the blue waters. The choppy waves shed at the boat, and the bullets whizzed by Huo Shaoheng creating huge sshes in the water. The water was as salty as a lover¡¯s tears. Because Huo Shaoheng¡¯s group was visiting an ind nation, they were all fully prepared with a variety of diving equipment including the most basic tool: goggles. Huo Shaoheng wore a pair of high-quality diving goggles, which greatly facilitated his ability to swim under the water. However, he didn¡¯t have a snorkel, so he was forced toe up to the surface to breathe. The masked gunmen was a close distance away, and he used this an opportunity to fire, but he missed every time. The bullets merely whizzed past Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body and impacted the gunman¡¯s sense of direction.

    It was very difficult for Huo Shaoheng to carry an AMR on his back while swimming. The masked gunman kept missing his target, and he stood up in a rage, waved his arms, and made lewd gestures at Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and attempted to keep his body concealed underwater. The waves sshed loudly and crashed into the shores. It was a challenge for both the people and the boat to move away from the coast. But the sky was growing darker, and it looked like it might rain. In tropical climates, storms came out of the blue and were unpredictable. The masked gunman saw the weather was working against him and began to shout angrily. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore and knelt down to press the muzzle of his gun against Gu Yanran¡¯s chin. He ripped the tape off her mouth and said, ¡°this is thest time I¡¯ll ask. Where is your father? If you don¡¯t tell me now, I¡¯ll send you to your mother and sister early!¡±

    ¡°Do it then! I¡¯ll never tell you!¡± From the corner of her eye, Gu Yanran saw a person¡¯s silhouette float up in the water. Her heart began to hammer wildly, and she shrunk back fearfully as she shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to see my mother and sister for a long time now! Go on and shoot!¡± She closed her eyes as if she were weing death. The masked gunman red at her with fearsome eyes and replied cruelly.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m too scared to kill you? I¡¯d murder my entire family if I got angry enough! But I won¡¯t let you die so easily. I¡¯ve failed my mission, so I might as well have some fun before I¡¯m punished.¡± Throwing his gun away, the gunman began tearing at Gu Yanran¡¯s clothes. He took a needle out of his pocket and was about to stab it into Gu Yanran¡¯s neck when Huo Shaoheng climbed into the boat. He tried to be gentle with his movements, but the tiny boat could barely hold all their weight. It nearly overturned from the crazed gunman¡¯s shifting weight. When Huo Shaoheng boarded, the gunman noticed the movements. He turned and saw Huo Shaoheng had actually climbed into the boat. His face filled with horror, and he tried to grab his gun, but Gu Yanran took it from the floor of the boat and fired at his chest several times.

    ¡°Go to hell! Die! Monster! You can go die!¡±

    The masked gunman didn¡¯t think the helpless Gu Yanran would defend herself, and he didn¡¯t have enough energy to turn back. She sat up and pushed the masked gunman¡¯s corpse into the ocean.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the half-mad Gu Yanran and put a hand on her shoulders to calm her. ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s me. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s dead now.¡±

    Gu Yanran red at Huo Shaoheng and only seemed to recognize him after a long moment. She wailed and threw herself into his arms. Her Chanel suit was already in shreds from the masked gunman.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hands instinctively to avoid touching Gu Yanran¡¯s shoulders, but he didn¡¯t have enough room to turn away. In a tiny boat like this, one strong movement could send him or Gu Yanran straight into the sea. It would be just as easy as Gu Yanaun shoving the corpse into the water. Just as he was hesitating, a bolt of lightning suddenly illuminated the sky, and booming thunder followed. Torrential rain fell from above and further agitated the sea. The small boat was unable to bnce under all the cmity and was on the brink of turning over at any moment. Huo Shaoheng quickly removed his jacket to cloak Gu Yanran. He quietly supported her by the arm and sat her down in the boat.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m going to navigate. Please sit here for now.¡±

    Gu Yanran shivered, and her lips werepletely pale. Her lips devoid of color resembled a cactus flower in a summer night, gentle yet beautiful. She nodded and steadied herself against the side of the boat to watch Huo Shaoheng attempt to control the paddles.

    The heavy rain was so dense that the sound of the storm overpowered any other noise. Gu Yanran was in no mood to speak but only watched Huo Shaoheng navigate the boat on the vast sea amidst the storm. The water was too rough for them to approach the coast, so they were forced to head towards a small ind nearby. They docked the boat and got off. Huo Shaoheng carried his AMR with one hand and steadied Gu Yanran¡¯s shoulder with the other as they made their way up the small ind¡¯s beach.

    Gu Yanran finally came to her senses, and her terror faded. She tightened Huo Shaoheng¡¯s jacket around her and looked around before telling him, ¡°this is Mara Ind. I used to vacation here with my parents and sister all the time. Come with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave her a strange look. ¡°You have a house here?¡±

    ¡°Our family owns this ind.¡± Gu Yanran turned back with a smile, ¡°thankfully you have a good sense of direction, otherwise I don¡¯t know where we would¡¯ve drifted.¡±

    This was true, getting lost at sea was basically a death sentence. They¡¯d either die from starvation, dehydration, or exhaustion. Huo Shaoheng remained silent for a long moment then also looked up.

    ¡°Where is your house?¡±

    The heavy rain continued to fall so densely it appeared like a sheet of luxurious grey satin, making everything look hazy. Although Gu Yanran was familiar with the area, it took a long time for her to find her vacation cabin. In order to maintain the original environment of the ind, the cabin was built from logs and simply varnished. However, the interior was apletely different world. It had all the modern facilities, including a power generation. The only w was there was no inte.

    Huo Shaoheng walked into a guest room to immediately shower and rinse the salty sea water off of himself. As he showed, he turned on his Bluetooth headset. Even though it had been soaked in the ocean for such a long time, the call quality was not affected.

    Huo Shaoheng connected with Zhao Liangze. ¡°Little Ze, locate my position.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong had deeply regretted not restraining Huo Shaoheng once they¡¯d witnessed him jump into the ocean to chase after the masked gunman. They were devastated and even prepared tomit suicide once they found Huo Shaoheng¡¯s... corpse. They never imagined Huo Shaoheng could survive in the ocean! Zhao Liangze¡¯s rollercoaster of emotions sent him from the pits of despair to the highest joy. When he heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, he felt better than he ever had in his life.

    He quickly answered, ¡°no problem! Mr. Huo, please don¡¯t hang up yet. I¡¯ll locate you right away!¡± In just five seconds, Zhao Liangze determined his coordinates using the satellite positioning system in his Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, how did you go over there?¡± Zhao Liangze was speechless. ¡°It¡¯s too far, and we can¡¯t use helicopters because of the storm. We¡¯ll have to pick you up tomorrow once the rain stops.¡± He continued. ¡°Are you alone there?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused and glossed over his question. ¡°I¡¯m on a small ind that belongs to the Gu family. Gu Yanran is here too.¡±

 Chapter 475 - Fussy Eater

    <h4>Chapter 475: Fussy Eater</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhao Liangze said. It was obvious that Huo Shaoheng had rescued Gu Yanran, then drifted to one of the inds belonging to the Gu family. As for the masked sniper who kidnapped Gu Yanran, either he was shot, dead, or captured by Huo Shaoheng. There were no other possibilities.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong admired Huo Shaoheng¡¯s execution during tasks. He never disappointed them.

    Huo Shaoheng removed his Bluetooth earpiece and ced it beside the basin. Then he took a quick shower. He intended on wearing his own clothes once he was done. Even though they were drenched, they were still wearable.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the shower wrapped in a towel. He heard someone knock on the door, then Gu Yanran¡¯s voice followed.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, I have some of my father¡¯s clothes here. He¡¯s about your height, and all these clothes are brand new. They even have the tags. I¡¯ll put them on your bed. You can wear them after you¡¯re done.¡± She left after that.

    Huo Shaoheng did not respond. After waiting for a moment, he opened the door to take a look. He made sure Gu Yanran had really left and examined the three sets of clothing ced neatly on the bed.

    One of them was sky blue, the other light grey, and thest one was a dark olive color. Huo Shaoheng liked the simple colors and designs. He was slightly taken aback by her forethought, but he picked up the clothes and took a closer look. They were all made from abination of linen and cotton, and their thread counts were high, which made them extremely suitable for a tropical country. The designs were in and simple but had amazing workmanship. One look and you could tell they were expensive. A second look confirmed that the clothes were still new, with their tags intact. Of course, the price tag had been removed.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng removed his towel and selected the dark olive colored set of clothes. It appeared that Gu Yanran¡¯s father was almost as tall as Huo Shaoheng, but perhaps not as muscr as him. The shoulders were smaller than Huo Shaoheng wasfortable with, but thankfully, the fabric contained lycra, so it was slightly stretchable. It would have looked more casual on a slimmer man, but it entuated Huo Shaoheng¡¯s muscles and made him look even more masculine. Once he was done changing, Huo Shaoheng came out of the room. He was rather surprised to smell food.

    He did not look for the source of the smell but took a tiny device out of his button and moved around in the house. It appeared as if he was only looking at the house¡¯s decor, but he was really testing if the house had any hidden cameras. The members of the Special Forces were trained to do this every time they went to a new location, and it had be an upational habit. When Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had gone to America with Gu Nianzhi, they¡¯d used the same device to discover hidden cameras in the house they were staying in.

    Huo Shaoheng had also tested the bathroom before he showered. He only began his shower after he¡¯d made sure the bathroom had no hidden recording devices. He wasn¡¯t being suspicious. This was merely a habit. Huo Shaoheng walked around the house, but the device showed nothing out of the ordinary.

    Looks like this is really just a normal holiday vi with no hidden devices, Huo Shaoheng thought. He turned and walked to the bedroom and ced the device back into his button. Then, he picked up his seawater-soaked clothes and walked into the kitchen to speak to Gu Yanran, who was busy cooking.

    ¡°Miss Gu, do you have a washing machine and a dryer here?¡±

    Gu Yanran wore a mustard yellow apron and was about to open the pot and give the soup a taste when she heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice from behind her. She turned and was taken aback to see a tall, muscr, handsome man walk into the kitchen. His features were even more handsome than a Greek sculpture. His face was expressionless, but there was no coldness in his gaze. He walked over calmly. His eyes looking like stars in the night sky, able to drown anyone who looked into them...

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly became nervous. She felt her cheeks turn red, and she knew she was blushing furiously. It reminded her of the time she¡¯d had a fever as a child. Her mother had been worried and stayed awake the entire night to take care of her. She would ce her cheek against Gu Yanran¡¯s to test for the change in her temperature.

    She felt the same way now, like she was running a high fever.

    ¡°Yes, we do have a washer and dryer. They¡¯re in the garage there. Just ce your clothes in the basket, Mr. Huo. I¡¯ll wash them for you.¡± Gu Yanran turned away and pointed at theundry room.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and noticed her face that was unusually red. ¡°Are you feeling well?¡± He asked.

    Gu Yanran lowered her face and shook her head. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m just feeling warm because I¡¯m making soup.¡±

    Then she moved over to show Huo Shaoheng two pots of soup.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Sorry to trouble you, Miss Gu, but I don¡¯t eat soup. You can have them for yourself. You¡¯ve gone through a great trauma today. The soup will give you your strength back.¡± He looked around the kitchen then left.

    He never ate anything others cooked, much less at a ce like this. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s job had trained him to be careful about every little thing.

    Taking risks was part of his job, but he never took unnecessary risks.

    Gu Yanran did not expect him to not eat the soup and felt disappointed. ¡°Mr. Huo, are you worried this soup isn¡¯t safe to eat? I can eat it first to show you.¡±

    She took a small bowl of creamy white soup, lowered her gaze, and used the tip of her tongue to test the temperature. Then she sipped all the soup gracefully. She raised her head and smacked her lips.

    ¡°See? It¡¯s safe.¡± Gu Yanran said carefully and looked at the sky outside the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s raining cats and dogs out there, and the temperature will drop soon. It¡¯ll be better for you to have some soup to keep you warm. I¡¯ve added ginger powder. That¡¯ll warm you up as well.¡±

    She turned around and stirred the soup. ¡°My little sister had a weak stomach when she was a child, and she was a fussy eater. Mom and Dad doted on her, but I doted on her even more. I wanted her to be exposed to more food types, so I learned a lot of herbal recipes from famous Chines physicians, just because of her fussiness.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks briefly and said, ¡°oh?¡±

    Then he left the kitchen. Gu Yanran waited for a while. She turned around when she felt that there was no one in the kitchen and saw the door to the kitchen was open, but Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t there.

    It¡¯s pouring. Where did he go? Oh lord, please don¡¯t leave, Gu Yanran began to panic. The ind belonged to the Gu family, and she knew it better than anyone. In order to preserve the natural feel of thend, her parents had insisted on only building one vi on the south side of the ind. The rest of the ind remained untouched. There were animals, poisonous snakes, crocodiles, and Komodo dragons on thend.

    Gu Yanran went pale. He removed her apron, put on a poncho, grabbed a torch used for camping, and went into the rain.

    ¡°Mr. Huo? Mr. Huo? Mr. Huo?¡±

    Gu Yanran called out for Huo Shaoheng in between sobs, but all she heard was the rain. It drowned out even the echoes of her voice.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng was walking amongst the coconut ntation. He was wearing a poncho and a pair of rubber boots from the garage of the vi. Looking up, he saw fresh coconuts high up on the coconut tree. Gulping, he realized that he was actually thirsty.

    He would not touch anything in the vi, but wild coconuts were natural sources of water. There was also plenty of edible fruit growing in the jungle like bananas, passion fruits, jackfruits, custard apples, and durians. It truly was a tropical ind.

    Huo Shaoheng threw some stones at the coconut tree, and a couple of huge coconuts fell onto the ground. He picked up a coconut and hit it against a rock. The husk cracked, revealing the flesh and water inside. Huo Shaoheng began drinking from the coconut. Only after drinking from the third coconut, each one the size of a basketball, did Huo Shaoheng feel his was finally quenched.

    ...

    Holding the torchlight in one hand and a poncho in the other, Gu Yanran moved slowly through the muddy grounds, hoarse from all the shouting. She walked until she saw a tall figure emerging from the forest, parting the branches as he moved.

    It was Huo Shaoheng in a poncho. He had an entire string of fruit in one hand and a huge snake, its body the thickness of a mug, in the other.

    Gu Yanran was shocked.

    ¡°Be careful, Mr. Huo! That snake is poisonous!¡±

    ¡°No worries. I¡¯ve already removed its teeth and eaten its gall. We¡¯ll have snake soup when we get back.¡± Huo Shaoheng threw the snake to Gu Yanran. ¡°Miss Gu, do you know how to make snake soup?¡±

    Gu Yanran screamed and moved back. Trembling, she stammered, ¡°Mr. Huo, I- I- I have no idea how to make snake soup.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do the cooking then. I¡¯ll borrow your kitchen, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°No- No problem.¡± Gu Yanran entered the kitchen nervously behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Using a Swiss army knife, Huo Shaoheng skillfully skinned, washed, and chopped the snake up. Then, he threw the nicely chopped snake pieces into a pot of boiling water. After that, he added some coconut water, salt, and some unknown herbs for taste.

    Upon seeing the snake being chopped up into pieces, Gu Yanran did not feel afraid anymore. Moving towards the kitchen, she peeked into the pot of creamy white stew containing snake meat. Taking a deep breath, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°it smells so good! Mr. Huo, I didn¡¯t expect you to be able to cook so well!¡±

 Chapter 476 - Heartache

    <h4>Chapter 476: Heartache</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°It¡¯s not really a skill, just something I¡¯ve be ustomed to.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up adle and filled a bowl with creamy snake stew. He set it down before Gu Yanran. ¡°Have a taste?¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled happily and quickly used her spoon to try a bit. She savored it on her tongue replied happily, ¡°It tastes even better than it smells! Mr. Huo, you¡¯re amazing! Not only are you an Imperial Major General at such a young age, but you¡¯re also an excellent cook!¡± She giggled. ¡°Whoever you choose to be your wife will be a lucky girl.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up thedle again and served himself the snake stew. He didn¡¯t reply to Gu Yanran and easily changed the topic. ¡°Miss Gu, do you know anything about the gunmen who abducted you?¡±

    Gu Yanran paused for second and frowned in deep thought. ¡°My family has always been careful and reserved. I have no idea why they¡¯de looking for my father.¡± As she spoke, she looked at Huo Shaoheng with sincerity. ¡°The truth is, although my father didn¡¯t die from the aircraft ident seven years ago, it still left him in aa. Honestly, he¡¯s no different than a dead person. I don¡¯t know why the gunmen went through all that trouble to find him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immersed himself in his thoughts. ¡°What is the name of your father? Did he survive an aircraft ident? This is fortune amidst misfortune. Our ancestors once said that survivors have their luck turned against them. I¡¯m sure your father will wake up again.¡±

    Gu Yanran and Huo Shaoheng sat at the dining table together with there bowls of creamy snake stew in front of them. As she stirred the stew gently and took a few bites, Gu Yanran sighed. ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯ve saved my life so I won¡¯t hide anything from you. My father¡¯s name is Gu Xiangwen. Did you hear about flight MH210¡¯s ident seven years ago?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Of course, there aren¡¯t many people who didn¡¯t hear about it. But I know there were no survivors, may I ask if your father...¡± He trailed off.

    At the time, the identmanded the full attention of global media. For two months nearly everyone was specting about the airne¡¯s location. Even the United States¡¯ 24 hour GPS systems failed to find any traces of the missing flight. All sorts of conspiracy theories emerged and it nearly became a field of academic research. I wasn¡¯t until two yearster, five years ago, that the wreckage was found on a small ind in the Indian Ocean and the case was finally closed.

    Gu Yanran took a few sips of the snake stew and emptied the bowl before setting down her spoon. She wiped her mouth with a tissue and spoke quietly.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re asking, I won¡¯t conceal anything. Although my father was reserved, he was not a normal man. In fact, he is a very famous schr within the international academic realm. He was very serious about our family¡¯s privacy, so he never appeared in public.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stirred his bowl slowly and listened to Gu Yanran. When she paused, Huo Shaoheng looked at her intently. His encouraging eyes couldpel anyone to spill their secrets and speak from their heart.

    Gu Yanran was no exception, and she got very emotional. ¡°Before the ident, my parents were flying from Southeast Asia to the United States to attend an academic conference. Afterward, they were set to return to Barbados. However, the flight had problems in the middle of the journey and deviated from its flight path. Then it disappeared from the radar. It finally crashed onto a small ind in the Indian Ocean. My father customized his phone, and even under such extreme circumstances, I was able to locate my parents. I was the first to rush over.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was shocked. ¡°Your father created something that advanced? What kind of phone is it? Can I see?¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded and set her phone on the dining table. ¡°Please have a look.¡±

    Huo Shhaoheng picked up Gu Yanran¡¯s phone to scrutinize it carefully. From the outside, Gu Yanran¡¯s phone was just the most popr iPhone. She pried open the side and showed it to him.

    ¡°See, my father developed a mini positioning system. It uses any surveince satellites in orbit to determine the user¡¯s location. Apparently, it¡¯s a very simple system, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t understand it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at it a long time then took a pair of small pliers from his Swiss army knife to carefully pull the chip out of Gu Yanran¡¯s phone. It was incredibly tiny, and 100x magnification was required to clearly see the circuitry. It was amazing Gu Xiangwen had created such an advanced piece of technology. In regards to microchips, Huo Shaoheng was practically an expert. He asked Gu Yaran. ¡°Do you have a magnifying ss?¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded quickly. ¡°My father has one in his study. Would you like to chat in there?

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the nearly invisible microchip in his palm, and his eyes moved quickly over the snake stew Gu Yanran finished before nodding. ¡°Ok, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Gu Yanran led Huo Shaoheng to her father¡¯s study. The moment he walked in he became more alert. The more he knew about Gu Xiangwen, the more impressed Huo Shaoheng felt. There were very few people in the world who could sincerely impress Huo Shaoheng. Gu Yanran found her father¡¯s magnifying ss and passed it to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng used the it to carefully pore over the microchip on his finger. The workmanship was awe-inspiring.

    ¡°Did your father really make this himself? Or did he design the ns and have someone else make it?¡± The best circuitry was not made by machine but polished by hand.

    ¡°My father made it by hand.¡± Gu Yanran sounded proud. ¡°He¡¯s amazing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the microchip again and again before returning it to Gu Yanran¡¯s phone. ¡°In other words, you just used the microchip in the phone to locate your father after the ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you must know more about the situation than me. The whole world was focussed on the Southern seas, but I was sure it was in the Indian Ocean. I didn¡¯t want to draw attention, so I used our own family ships and nes. We didn¡¯t spend a penny of anyone else¡¯s money.¡± Her eyes turned red at the memory of the situation and Gu Yanran choked. ¡°But what¡¯s the use of this positioning system? By the time I found him, he was unconscious and holding my mother¡¯s corpse...¡± Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t continue speaking and used a tissue to cover her mouth as she sobbed.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent and leaned against the edge of the desk. He put both hands in his trouser pockets and waited for Gu Yanran to finish crying before passing her another tissue. ¡°Miss Gu, my condolences.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been seven years and every day I think about how wonderful it would be if my parents and sister were still alive.¡± Beads of tears streamed down Gu Yanran¡¯s face, and her nose turned red.

    Huo Shaoheng gave a neutral smile and secretly recalled how it hadn¡¯t seemed like she¡¯d missed her family when he met herst year. At the time, the proud Gu Yanran was a representative of the International Distinguished Women. She had a powerful aura and calcted all situations to maximize her personal benefit. Her current state of helplessness and distress was unbefitting to her. It suited Gu Nianzhi more. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts naturally drifted to Gu Nianzhi, and he felt as if she was wretching his heart violently in her hands. His heart ached, and he pressed his palm against his chest.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, what¡¯s wrong? Are you unwell?¡± Gu Yanran noticed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subtle movement and quickly asked. ¡°Are you hurt? Let me see!¡± In a rush to get close to Huo Shaoheng, Gu Yanran lunged towards him but stopped when she was about to lean in. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the first aid kit!¡± She ran out the door but suddenly slumped to the floor. It appeared as if she had passed out or fallen asleep. Her breathing was even, her chest moved up and down, and her cheeks were even pinker than before.

    Huo Shaoheng put both hands in his pockets, walked over slowly, and smiled. ¡°Many-banded krait stew and buttercup should help you sleep through the night.¡± He walked past Gu Yanran and closed the door carefully before he left.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng walked out of the study, his entire demeanor changed. Hepletely removed the mask he used in front of Gu Yanran and resumed his normal capable and strong personality. He took out the thin transparent gloves he carried and cut off the power for the entire house. The house plunged intoplete darkness. After cutting the power, the surveince equipment was not able to function. He knew all the footage would be lost, and his movements would never be detected. Putting on his night vision goggles, he began searching for traces of Gu Xiangwen in the cabin. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t expect to find Gu Xiangwen there, but this was the first ce he¡¯d had the opportunity to search.

    As he walked through the dark hallway made of logs, his eyes scanned over the walls. He couldn¡¯t help wondering if this was a ce little Gu Nianzhi had once run through. She could¡¯ve worn little leather shoes and a fluffy skirt as she dashed around.

    On the second floor were five rooms. Four of them were bedrooms, but thest was a chess and gym room. From the various exercise machines inside, it was apparent that Gu Xiangwen loved to exercise. However they¡¯d all been covered in dust for a long time, so it was clear no one had used the room since Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident. Gu Yanran was obviously not someone who liked to exercise, and as for Gu Nianzhi... Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help smiling when he thought of her. No one knew better than him how much Gu Nianzhi hated exercise. The room had wooden floors covered in dust, so Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t go inside, but merely looked in from the hallway. He wanted to avoid leaving footprints. The curtains were half drawn to allow the moonlight to filter in, and the dust danced in the moon¡¯s glow.

    Huo Shaoheng gently closed the door and headed towards thergest bedroom on the second floor. This, he assumed, was Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s room. He found the door locked. He tried to push it open but decided it wasn¡¯t worth going back to Gu Yanran to find a key. He took out his small toolkit and fiddled with the lock for a few moments before it popped open. The room was thickly carpeted so there was no worry of leaving footprints. Huo Shaoheng stepped inside. The entire room was about fifty square meters and very spacious. Therge wood frame windows had one-way crystal panes which allowed people to view the outside while prohibiting others from looking in. It was extremely private. There was a firece in the lower corner of the east wall and several picture frames on the mantle. Huo Shaoheng walked over and adjusted the brightness on his night vision goggles to take photos before looking at the picture frames. Despite his years of cultivation, one nce was all it took to make his heart skip a beat. The middle photo was showed a family of four. An elegant and intelligent looking man and a quiet and graceful woman sat in the middle, while two girls stood at their sides. The older one was about 16 or 17, and the younger one was around 11. The older girl was obviously Gu Yanran, her face looked exactly the same, but the younger girl was no one other than Gu Nianzhi from seven years ago! But other than him, there wasn¡¯t a single person who could ever guess the girl in the photo was really Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 477 - Where to Spend the Night

    <h4>Chapter 477: Where to Spend the Night</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng pointed the night vision sses at the picture frames and snapped a couple of HD pictures. Now the Special Forces would have faces to match with the names they¡¯d been discussing.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the picture for a long time trying to see the resemnce between Gu Nianzhi and her parents. Sadly, she did not look very much like them. Gu Nianzhi looked a little like her mother when she was young. She had the same round face, curved brows, and narrow and long eyes. But Gu Nianzhi¡¯s features had changed. Her eyes were now round and sparkly, just like the girls in manga. The shape of her face changed from round to heart-shaped.

    Many people said the eyes are the windows to one¡¯s soul. The moment the eyes look different, the entire person felt different as well.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father looked elegant. After studying the picture closely, Huo Shaoheng noticed that both Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi had the same gaze. Their eyes look like they were smiling even when they weren¡¯t talking, making people feel a sense of closeness to them.

    Huo Shaoheng took the picture frame and removed the photograph inside. He looked at it closely for a long time. The photograph looked old, and it didn¡¯t appear to be edited. And even if it was fake, how would the person have known what Gu Nianzhi looked like when she was 12?

    They wouldn¡¯t even know what she looked like now...

    After ensuring the authenticity of the photograph, Huo Shaoheng put it back into the picture frame and ced it in its original position. He turned and looked around the room but could not find anything else that was out of the ordinary.

    Using the camera from his night vision sses, he snapped many pictures before leaving this huge bedroom and moving to the smaller ones. It was clear that the room opposite of Mr. and Mrs. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s room was Gu Yanran¡¯s. The things inside were ssy and expensive, but not in poor taste. They were clearly bought by ady who grew up with a silver spoon.

    Huo Shaoheng only nced across the room before closing the door and moving towards the smaller room next to it. The next room clearly belonged to a young Gu Nianzhi. The things inside were all meant for a child, including a small single sized bed, wardrobe, bookshelf, and a kid-sized two-seater sofa with a light purple nketid across it.

    Huo Shaoheng entered the room and examined it thoroughly. He did not leave a single stone unturned. It was definitely cleaned on a regr basis. The things in the room were not covered in dust, and even the fluffy carpet showed no signs of mold even though the house was built on an ind. The house had a dehumidifier, but since Huo Shaoheng had cut off all the electricity in the house, the dehumidifier could not be turned on. He walked to the window and opened them. He had an unobstructed view of the skyline outside the window.

    The rain had stopped. The wind parted the clouds. It was a clear night with countless stars in the night sky. The waves hit the shore lightly and the insects on the ind buzzed in the night. It felt so calm and tranquil.

    The view was amazing.

    After looking at the ocean for a while, Huo Shaoheng made a mental note to bring Gu Nianzhi here after everything was finally settled. He wanted to stand at the window with her and admire the magnificent view. He hoped it would be able to waken her lost memories. Huo Shaoheng left the room feeling much happier.

    He walked around the entire vi,bing through every inch of it. Huo Shaoheng looked through the house the entire night but could not find anything else to prove this used to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s home. He also could not find any traces of Gu Xiangwen.

    If Gu Xiangwen isn¡¯t here and isn¡¯t at the Gu family mansion, then where could he be? Huo Shaoheng wondered. Why is Gu Yanran hiding him?

    A series of questions appeared in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind and began bothering him. Wanting to sort his thoughts out, he left the vi and walked to the beach. He sat on a huge rock, hugged his knees, and began thinking things through. It was finally daybreak. The sun was rising on the horizon. Its rays reflected on the ocean and made it look like crystal. Squinting his eyes, Huo Shaoheng admired the beautiful scenery. Little Ze should be here anytime now, shouldn¡¯t he?

    Right at that moment, the sound of a helicopter came from afar. Huo Shaoheng stood up and looked far ahead. Putting on his Bluetooth earpiece, he managed to get into contact with Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Little Ze. Is that you?¡±

    ¡°How are you Mr. Huo? We¡¯ll be there soon! We¡¯re taking Barbados¡¯ AH-IZ Cobra Helicopter, and we¡¯ll bending on the beach. Please be careful!¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice came from the other end of the earpiece. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze felt utterly relieved to finally hear Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice again. Even though they were soldiers and it was the nature of their jobs to asionally risk their lives, they were still nervous every time these asions urred.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. In the horizon, a helicopter was indeed making its way over. He had already sent the coordinates of this ind over to them the previous day. With the coordinates set, all they needed was to figure its exact location and a safe route to get there.

    ¡°There¡¯s anding station here. It was probably used tond private jets. Check if you guys are able tond there instead.¡± Huo Shaoheng informed Zhao Liangze of thending station¡¯s approximate location.

    Zhao Liangze was ted. He informed Yin Shixiong, who was flying the helicopter. ¡°There¡¯s anding station on this ind. You lucky chap!¡±

    The Barbados Army had been reluctant to send their men to save someone from an unknown ind initially, saying their pilots were not trained to handle such situations and would not be able to ensure a safe takeoff andnding. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had negotiated with them for a long time before getting a letter of authorization and guarantee from General Ji to certify their capability. Only then were they able to loan thetest helicopter they¡¯d just bought from America.

    Yin Shixiong, who was licensed to fly a helicopter, could not hide his excitement. He insisted on flying the helicopter on his own and imed total responsibility if anything went wrong. After getting the guarantee and some benefits from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Supreme Army Committee, the Barbados Army finally agreed to loan their helicopter to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. Yin Shixiong had initially wanted to show off his expert flying skills but was disappointed things turned out to be so easy.

    ¡°There¡¯s even anding station. How secluded can this ind get?¡± Yin Shixiong grumbled. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the map of Barbados include this ind?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just the Map of Barbados.¡± Zhao Liangze snorted. ¡°This ind isn¡¯t included on the world map. The Gu¡¯s are quite a family. They can wipe an entire ind off the world map...¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng had notnded there personally, Zhao Liangze would never have believed an ind undetectable by satellite could even exist.

    Huo Shaoheng hung up with Zhao Liangze, left the rock, and found a hiding spot approximately 500 meters from the beach. After a while, the AH-IZ cobra helicopternded safely on thending station a stone¡¯s throw away from the beach.

    ¡°Mr. Huo! Mr. Huo!¡± Zhao Liangze jumped from the helicopter, and Yin Shixiong waved at Huo Shaoheng from the cockpit. Huo Shaoheng came out from his hiding spot and saw Zhao Liangze almost tumbling towards him.

    ¡°Mr. Huo! I¡¯ve finally found you!¡± Zhao Liangze grabbed on to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and almost broke into tears. ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t put yourself in danger anymore! We know this time was our fault, and we¡¯ve already requested corporal punishment from the army. General Ji was furious. You¡¯ll have to think of what to tell him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. ¡°How did General Ji know about this?¡±

    ¡°We needed to borrow their helicopter but the Barbados Army did not want to lend it to us. We had no choice but to get General Ji to provide them with a letter of guarantee before they agreed.¡± Zhao Liangze scratched his head and felt ashamed of himself.

    Without Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze could not handle the Barbados Army. They¡¯d had to make an emergency call to the Huaxia Empire in the middle of the night in order to get General Ji to help them speak to the Barbados Army via video conference.

    ¡°Useless.¡± Huo Shaoheng mocked him. ¡°Making an emergency call just for this. You¡¯re really good at embarrassing me, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yes Mr. Huo, scold me all you want. It was indeed my fault.¡± Zhao Liangze epted all punishments instead of trying to get out of things like he used to do.

    Huo Shaohengughed. He patted Zhao Liangze on the shoulders. ¡°Alright, I was kidding. Don¡¯t feel ashamed. Everything has its pros and cons. Even though it was rather embarrassing to call our country for help in the middle of the night, it gave us a perfect excuse to request overseas military stations from themittee. Now we might not have to borrow helicopters from other countries in the future.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was surprised. He felt warmth in his heart. ¡°You mean it, Mr. Huo?¡±

    Only Huo Shaoheng was able to see the good in all the bad that they did and use them for their future benefit.

    ¡°Of course. No matter where the representatives of the Huaxia Empire go, they should be protected by the army.¡± Huo Shaoheng was thinking far into the future. He was a soldier from Huaxia Empire and only thought of the nation¡¯s interests. As for the interests of other countries, they¡¯d have to forgive him for having limited power over that.

    After a short while, Yin Shixiong grew impatient and shouted into his microphone. ¡°Get on the helicopter. You can catch up on the way back. Our rental is calcted by the seconds for heaven¡¯s sake!¡±

    His loud voice bombarded into Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze¡¯s earpieces. It was so loud that their ears hurt.

    ¡°You¡¯re asking for it, Big Xiong. Just wait till when we get back!¡± Zhao Liangze scolded.

    Huo Shaoheng turned his Bluetooth earpiece off and spoke to Zhao Liangze. ¡°I¡¯ll get Gu Yanran so we can all leave together.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. Where¡¯s Miss Gu?¡± Zhao Liangze looked around. ¡°She isn¡¯t here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to talk about what had happened. He pointed to the helicopter. ¡°Go get ready. I¡¯ll bring Gu Yanran here in three minutes.¡±

    Turning around, he went towards the vi. Just when he entered the vi, Gu Yanran came down the stairs, rubbing her neck.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng and felt confused. ¡°Mr. Huo,st night...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and replied calmly. ¡°I waited for the rescue team on the beach the entire night. Did you have a good sleep, Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yanran was bewildered. ¡°Really? I only remember that you went to my dad¡¯s study. Then I realized I slept on the floor of my dad¡¯s study. Last night, what...?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pretending to be shocked. ¡°Miss Gu, why did you sleep on the floor? You brought me to your dad¡¯s study to have a talk for a while before I left. You said that you wanted to stay back to clean up so I left on my own. I wasn¡¯t sure what happened to you after that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng dared tell her these lies because he knew the powerful effects ofbining Coral snake meat with Erigeron. It had the power to distort people¡¯s memories.

    Gu Yanran tried her best to recall what had happened. It really did seem like Huo Shaoheng was telling the truth. She apologized immediately. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Huo. I was so tired I didn¡¯t even show you to your room. You had to wait outside the entire night. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I¡¯m used to it.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°The rescue team is already here. We have to leave now.¡±

    Looking at his watch, he said: ¡°We only have three minutes. One and a half minutes have already passed.¡±

    Gu Yanran quickly said, ¡°let¡¯s go then. Is it a helicopter? I heard noises from the room just now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my subordinates loaned the helicopter from Barbados Army,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied. ¡°Do any servantse to this house?¡±

    Gu Yanran wouldn¡¯t be the one cleaning this ce on her own. She did not look like someone who liked doing domestic chores.

    ¡°They stay in the main house over on the maind bute to the ind regrly to clean and maintain the house.¡± Gu Yanran walked towards Huo Shaoheng while rubbing her neck. ¡°I think I sprained my neck after sleeping on the floor. Are you good at giving massages, Mr. Huo? Could you help me please?¡±

 Chapter 478 - Help Me with a Big Favor

    <h4>Chapter 478: Help Me with a Big Favor</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng gestured with his hands but didn¡¯t touch Gu Yanran¡¯s neck. He merely smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t realign bones, I can only break people¡¯s necks. Miss Gu, are you sure you want me to help you?¡±

    Gu Yanran shivered with a look of shock on her face. ¡°No way. Mr. Huo doesn¡¯t look like that kind of a person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a soldier, so my strength is difficult to control. One moment of hesitation on the battlefield can spell life or death, so that¡¯s the way I am.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. We only had three minutes, and now we only have one left.¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to start running and disappear in a blink of an eye. A knowing smile appeared on her face¡ªthis Major General Huo was not young but was still a shy person. Gu Yanran was also slightly flushed as she supported her neck and chased after him. Luckily, she had changed intofortable shoesst night. Otherwise, she would have had no way of running quickly in her usual 100-millimeter high heels.

    The only regret Gu Yanran had was her short height. Ugliness could be fixed by stic surgery, and a small chest could be augmented, but the only solution to short height was to wear 100-millimeter high heels every day. It wasn¡¯t like she could cut her legs then add inserted height!

    Gu Yanran stumbled behind Huo Shaoheng to reach anding pad close to the beach. She saw a giant helicopternding with its propellers starting to spin and the deafening noise loud enough to cause hearing loss. The propeller created a powerful vortex of air, so Gu Yanran¡¯s hair was blown into a mess, and she couldn¡¯t even keep her eyes open. She still tilted her neck and forced herself to match Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pace.

    Huo Shaoheng was already on the helicopter, and the face that appeared at the top of the hanging rope was that of a handsome young man grinning widely to reveal eight pearly teeth. It was Zhao Liangze, who she had previously met back at the Huaxia Empire and was also one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries. Gu Yanran quickly grabbed the rope to climb up. When she reached the cabin door, Zhao Liangze offered his hand.

    ¡°Miss Gu, please take my hand.¡±

    Gu Yanran grabbed his hand and leveraged his strength to climb into the helicopter. As soon as she got in, the helicopter shuddered violently, then slowly lifted up in the air from the currents created by the propellers. After ascending, the helicopter circled above the sea several times before flying back in the original direction. Gu Yanran fell over from the shaking movements and took great effort to slowly get back up.

    Zhao Liangze looked at her strange posture and asked, ¡°Miss Gu, what¡¯s wrong with your neck?¡±

    She grimaced. ¡°I slept all night on the floor of my father¡¯s study, so I probably got a crick in my neck because I slept funny.¡± She nced around the cabin. ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Huo? I saw him get in first.¡±

    A young man with strong brows andrge eyes turned around from the pilot¡¯s seat with a smile. ¡°Mr. Huo is piloting. Miss Gu can ask Little Ze for anything.¡±

    Gu Yanran froze when she recognized the man as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s other personal secretary, Yin Shixiong. Holding her neck, she stood up in surprise. ¡°Mr. Huo also knows how to pilot helicopters? That¡¯s amazing!¡±

    ¡°Right! Our Mr. Huo knows lots of things!¡± Yin Shixiong nodded to her with a giggle. ¡°Please sit down. Little Ze, give Miss Gu a spot.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had her sit on the seat by the side of the cabin and put on the seatbelt for her.

    Gu Yanran quickly replied, ¡°My neck has a crick and needs to be realigned. Don¡¯t do up my seatbelt yet.¡±

    Before Zhao Liangze could speak, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice sounded from the front of the cabin. ¡°Big Xiong, doesn¡¯t your family have a long ancestry of famed bonesetters? Go help Miss Gu realign her neck.¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked at Huo Shaoheng with shock, mouthing the words silently, ¡°When did my family ever have a long ancestry of famed bonesetters?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have to look to know his reaction. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he looked ahead in concentration to pilot the armored helicopter. He replied dryly, ¡°Hurry up and go. That¡¯s an order.¡±

    Military orders could not be refuted. How cruel! Yin Shixiong cast Huo Shaoheng an unbearable expression, but it quickly transformed into a smile as soon as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes nced over. ¡°Ok, ok, ok, my family has a long ancestry of famed bonesetters. We are the best at bone realignment.¡±

    Undoing his seatbelt, Yin Shixiong squeezed himself out of the front row of seats to stand before Gu Yanran. He cocked his head at her neck and reached out his muscr arms to gesture at her delicate neck

    ¡°Miss Gu, which side do you need to be realigned?¡±

    Gu Yanran frowned suspiciously. ¡°Do you really know how to realign bones?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s perfect that you asked me to help.¡± Yin Shixiong lied as he rubbed his hands together, knuckles cracking instantly.

    Gu Yanran grew even more frightened, shrinking back and protecting her neck. ¡°No... No thanks, I think I should go have my family doctor look at it.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Yin Shixiong continued his act. ¡°But Mr. Huo gave the order, and military orders cannot be refuted. You cannot simply say ¡®no thanks.¡¯ Here, give me your neck!¡± Yin Shixiong rolled up his sleeves in a brawny way.

    Eyeing his thick arms and broad palms reaching toward her neck, Gu Yanran closed her eyes and screamed, ¡°No thanks! Mr. Huo! I don¡¯t need you to realign my neck anymore!¡±

    Yin Shixiong only obeyed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders, so he pretended not to hear Gu Nianzhi no matter how shrilly she screamed. Wrapping hisrge hands around her neck to squeeze, he suddenly pointed behind her and said, ¡°How can there be someone there?!¡±

    Gu Yanran instinctively looked over, and Yin Shixiong took the chance to turn her 180 degrees. A crack sounded, and pain suddenly shed like a shock from the top of Gu Yanran¡¯s spine throughout her entire body. The incredible pain in her entire body caused her to see white. With a scream of agony, she passed out.

    Zhao Liangze crossed his arms as he stood on the side to watch Yin Shixiong y out the little scene and snickered. ¡°Your little trick made her pass outpletely. She only got a crick in her neck for sleeping funny? It can be fixed without turning her neck. You just needed to distract her.¡±

    ¡°You do it if you¡¯re so great! You can just shut up if you¡¯re not doing it!¡± Yin Shixiong waved his fist at Zhao Liangze. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you say anything earlier, and now you¡¯re gloating after it¡¯s done. My methods are fine as long as they work. Even though it hurts, it¡¯s still better than her turning into a crooked-neck beauty. Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was focused intently on piloting the helicopter from the front seat. His concentration was solely on the various data on the instrument cluster, so hepletely disregarded Yin Shixiong¡¯s bbering.

    Zhao Liangze leaned over to peer at Gu Yanran. ¡°What a timid girl. Why did she faint?¡±

    Yin Shixiong waved his hand with a smile and replied proudly, ¡°My bone realignment skills are good, huh? It hurts enough to make her feel like she¡¯s dying!¡± This was actually a secret torture technique used during interrogation and originated from bone realignment movements.

    Zhao Liangze exhaled sharply and moved away in shock. ¡°How did Miss Gu wrong you? Why did you use such a technique on her?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know any other bone realignment techniques! Mr. Huo knew this, too. I only know this one.¡± Yin Shixiong felt wronged and immediately went to sit back down at the front row so he could ask Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, you won¡¯t me me for identally making Miss Gu pass out, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even turn around to face him. ¡°What was my order?¡±

    ¡°To help Miss Gu realign her bones!¡±

    ¡°Then did you do it?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Her neck is fine now, but...¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head, something felt wrong.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him slowly. ¡°How are you even a soldier? As long as youpleted the task assigned by your superior and didn¡¯t breakws or codes of conduct, then who cares how youpleted it?¡±

    Yin Shixiong understood right away! ¡°Mr. Huo! It¡¯s my luck of a lifetime that I can serve you. I want to be your subordinate for my next lifetime and the one after that! My loyalty will not sway for three lifetimes!¡± Yin Shixiong clutched his heart and acted dramatically in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled the lever, and the helicopter instantly circled down. Its entire fusge spun in the air like a top. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were spun around madly and got so sick that their faces nched as they grabbed for the handles and shouted, ¡°Mr. Huo! What was it?! Was there turbulence?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply. He focused on looking ahead and finally returned the lever to its original position after a while. The helicopter resumed its normal travel without spinning. In the distance, the coastline was materializing as they approached Barbados. Yin Shixiong hugged the garbage can to puke violently.

    Huo Shaoheng looked back at him. ¡°Feel awful?¡±

    ¡°That made me so sick! You might as well kill me with one shot!¡± Yin Shixiong whimpered. ¡°The air currents over oceans sure are unpredictable.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what you experienced was how I felt when you were telling me those things just now. It had nothing to do with air currents over the ocean,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied smoothly and even looked back at him.

    Yin Shixiong finally understood! Mr. Huo was ying a prank on him! ¡°Ok, Mr. Huo, I was only joking. How am I even qualified to serve you for three lifetimes?¡± Yin Shixiong arranged his face into an alluring smile as he bowed dramatically at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It was the disciple¡¯s fault for speaking foolishly! It was the disciple¡¯s fault for speaking foolishly!¡±

    Zhao Liangze also realized what happened and snickered from the side with a shake of his head. He nced at Gu Yanran before saying, ¡°Luckily, Miss Gu fainted. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve puked her guts out from all thatmotion.¡±

    Huo Shaohengpletely ignored Gu Yanran¡¯s condition and replied to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Contact Barbados to tell them we have arrived, and have their military and police be on armed stand by. We still don¡¯t know anything about those shooters, so we can¡¯t rx our vignce.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze answered loudly and immediately established contact with the Barbados military.

    Gu Yanran woke up slowly. The pain remained in her spine. She almost felt entirely paralyzed. However, her neck was fixed and no longer hurt.

    ¡°Mr... Mr. Huo, are we almost there?¡± Gu Yanran asked weakly, ¡°I... I¡¯m really worried about my father¡¯s safety. Mr. Huo, I wonder if you and your colleagues can help me with a favor?¡±

    ¡°It depends on what kind of favor and if I can or cannot help,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly, but it was precisely his n, so he knew exactly what Gu Yanran would ask for help with.

    As expected, Gu Yanran asked, ¡°It¡¯s my father. I want to ask Mr. Huo and your colleagues to help ensure the safety of my father and transfer him to the United States. Barbados is no longer a safe ce for him.¡±

 Chapter 479 - Allowing Them to Let Their Guard Down before Taking Control of Them

    <h4>Chapter 479: Allowing Them to Let Their Guard Down before Taking Control of Them</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze did not respond. They looked at each other and turned toward Huo Shaoheng at the same time.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to fly the helicopter and was preparing for anding. He did not agree instantaneously even though Gu Yanran¡¯s suggestion was exactly what he wanted.

    Manipting the thoughts of others had been his strength after all these years of professional on-the-job training and experience. Therefore, he just focused on flying the helicopter at that point in time.

    ¡°Sit tight. We¡¯re going tond soon.¡±

    The three passengers on the helicopter put their seatbelts on immediately. The roaring engine of the helicopter died down in no time.

    Huo Shaoheng removed his seat belt and emerged from the pilot seat. ¡°We¡¯vended. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng, full of admiration. He grumbled to Yin Shixiong, ¡°What the hell?! Big Xiong, please stop telling everyone that you¡¯re the best pilot. You¡¯re just an amateurpared to Mr. Huo!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the amateur!¡± Yin Shixiong retorted angrily. However, he looked at Huo Shaoheng full of admiration as well. ¡°But you¡¯re really amazing, Mr. Huo! Yournding was perfect! I couldn¡¯t feel anything!¡±

    Pilots would know that the hardest part of piloting any flying vehicles would be during their takeoff andnding. It was actually easy in between. And the skills fornding were tougher to master than taking off.

    Yin Shixiong felt that his flying skills were top notch, perhaps only fairing a little lower than the best pilot in Hua Xia Empire. Butpared to now, he was nowhere near Huo Shaoheng¡¯s flying skill. Nowhere near it at all.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored the praises from his secretaries and walked toward Gu Yanran. Then he shook his head. ¡°Miss Gu, we¡¯re here in Barbados for an official visit. We have duties that we need to fulfill. I¡¯m a soldier from the Hua Xia Empire and not an outsourced soldier, so I do not ept employment at the eleventh hour. I sympathize with what your father went through, but I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m unable to do much.¡± With that, he opened the door of the helicopter and jumped off.

    Gu Yanran was really taken aback this time around. She hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to reject her tly like that. She had thought that Huo Shaoheng would ept her suggestion no matter if it was an official or personal note... Could she have thought wrong?

    Gu Yanran frowned and looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back. She could not understand his words.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were shocked as well. They knew the exact reason why Huo Shaoheng wanted to go to Barbados, but they also knew that it was a norm for them to hide their true emotions in their job. To them, they could only allow people to see what they wanted them to see. For that which they did not want others to know, they would have to keep mum about it. If not, the only path for them to take would be death.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangzeughed jokingly and told Gu Yanran, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re too much! Your suggestion isn¡¯t going to work. What did you take us as? We¡¯re neither bodyguards nor outsourced soldiers. For someone like our Mr. Huo, how can he be a bodyguard? Yes?¡±

    Gu Yanran jumped. She smiled along with them and exined herself quickly. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I mean, Mr. Huo is so kind at heart, and he¡¯s so capable. He even didn¡¯t mind taking care of someone who¡¯s almost a stranger like me. So I was wondering if he would be able to help my father.¡± A tear ran down her cheek. She choked and continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t even found my little sister. My father and I have been depending on each other since then. I¡¯d rather die than let anything happen to him.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart went out to her. He did not know Gu Yanran well and thus did not dislike her. However, he did not have any special feelings toward her either. He was merely treating her like a normaldy.

    However, this time around, his impression of her was that of someone who did not mind sacrificing herself for the whereabouts of her father. Zhao Liangze suddenly felt a sense of respect for her. Moreover, he knew that Gu Nianzhi might be her little sister. Even though they had different DNA...

    Zhao Liangze knew that he was soft-hearted, so he kept quiet and jumped down from the helicopter.

    However, Yin Shixiong was different. He smiled as he passed a piece of tissue to Gu Yanran. ¡°Now, don¡¯t cry anymore, Miss Gu, Mr. Huo has official duties to fulfill; time really isn¡¯t on his side to help you out.¡±

    Gu Yanran epted the tissue and dried her tears. Yin Shixiong took the opportunity to caress her back and took some loose strands of hair from her.

    Truthfully, Gu Yanran¡¯s hair was really messy at the moment due to the entire ordeal. Her long hair was messed up on her back; it was an easy task to get as much as he wanted. However, just to be safe, Yin Shixiong kicked a small metal te used to anchor the ne to the corner of the helicopter exit. Since Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t paying attention, the metal te tripped her.

    Badang!

    Gu Yanran fell and hit her nose onto the metal railing of the door, and her nose began bleeding.

    Yin Shixiong ran over immediately to check on Gu Yanran, handed her a handkerchief for her bleeding nose and a tissue to stop the bleeding.

    Gu Yanran was thoroughly out of sorts. Embarrassed, she refused to meet Huo Shaoheng after getting off the helicopter. Instead, she requested that Yin Shixiong send her home.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to ask for permission,¡± Yin Shixiong quickly replied.

    He went over to where Huo Shaoheng was and whispered: ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯ve gotten Miss Gu¡¯s hair and blood sample. But now she¡¯s asking me to send her home...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng red at him and replied, ¡°Give me the things.¡± After taking the things from Yin Shixiong, he continued, ¡°Little Ze and I are not outsourced soldiers, but you are? Or you¡¯ve gotten yourself a sideline of being a bodyguard and a chauffeur?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was extremely embarrassed by Huo Shaoheng. Scratching his head, he said sheepishly, ¡°Aren¡¯t I doing all this for Nianzhi...?¡±

    If Gu Nianzhi was really Gu Yanran¡¯s little sister, Gu Nianzhi would be the one who would be caught in the middle if they fell out with Gu Yanran now.

    Huo Shaoheng had already thought about this, but he didn¡¯t really care. Gu Nianzhi belonged to him. He would never put her in a dilemma. However, things had to be prioritized, and what was important right then was finding her father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s suggestion just now was actually what Huo Shaoheng wanted, but he did not want to agree immediately, as it would have been overly obvious. Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t thoroughly understood Gu Yanran as a person. Therefore, he wanted to be more cautious.

    And those masked snipers who escaped¡ªif they had more people, and if those people were hiding somewhere observing them and they helped Gu Yanran bring Gu Xiangwen to America, they¡¯d fall right into the snipers¡¯ trap and give them all leads to Gu Xiangwen.

    Huo Shaoheng had strategized countless secret attacks, and many of them were unsolved in the respective countries to date. They were fighting a losing battle by trying to y hide and seek with Huo Shaoheng. Therefore, no matter what, he would never agree to helping Gu Yanran immediately.

    ¡°Get someone to tell Gu Yanran that you have official duties to fulfill and therefore are unable to send her back. Get the Governor of Barbados to appoint someone to send her back instead.¡± Huo Shaoheng got into his own vehicle. ¡°Just get someone to tail her in the dark. Do not let anyone find out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Yin Shixiong epted Huo Shaoheng¡¯smand and went to look for the people from the Governor of Barbados.

    Many of them volunteered enthusiastically when they heard that the wealthiest person in Barbados, Miss Gu Yanran, needed someone to send her home. Finally, the Governor sent out almost an entire toon to send Gu Yanran home to the Gu mansion.

    It was actually rather hrious to see a helpless Gu Yanran being escorted onto an army jeep by a toon of soldiers.

    ...

    Gu Yanran did not dare to enter her house when she arrived.

    It looked exactly the same as yesterday, when she had been kidnapped from the ce. However, there were yellow cordons blocking the entrance and a warning from the police indicating that the area was the scene of a murder.

    Entering the living hall, Gu Yanran realized that the bodies were gone. In their ce were chalk markings of the positions they had been in before being moved away.

    The soldier from the Barbados Governor¡¯s office who had sent her back sympathized with her. He went up to her and suggested quickly, ¡°Miss Gu, I doubt anyone can stay here anymore. Why don¡¯t youe to the Governor¡¯s office to stay for a few days? I¡¯m sure Mr. Governor would be more than happy to provide protection for you.¡±

    Gu Yanran only felt better after throwing up a lot. Shaking her head, she declined. ¡°It¡¯s okay, thank you. I think I¡¯ll go to a hotel.¡±

    There were only a couple of five-star hotels in Barbados, and all of them belonged to the Gus... The people from the Governor¡¯s office knew about this as well, so they stopped trying to convince her otherwise. They merely got her into the jeep and sent her off to the hotel she wanted to go to.

    Coincidentally, just as she entered the lobby of the hotel, she saw Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangzeing down from the stairs of the hotel in civilian clothing.

 Chapter 480 - A Stone Cold Man

    <h4>Chapter 480: A Stone Cold Man</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Hmm? Miss Gu, why are we meeting again?¡± Yin Shixiong greeted her curiously. ¡°Are you here to meet a friend at the hotel?¡±

    Gu Yanran grimaced with a shake of her head. ¡°I can¡¯t live at home anymore...¡± she managed to utter before breaking into a sob.

    Zhao Liangze quickly dragged Yin Shixiong aside, whispering in his ear, ¡°You¡¯re perfectly happy being the third wheel, huh?! Miss Gu isn¡¯t speaking to you here.¡±

    ¡°How was she not speaking to me? I was the one who struck up the conversation.¡± Yin Shixiong was very displeased. ¡°Why can¡¯t she greet me? How lowly do you think I am?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re lowly, you¡¯re just an idiot! And you¡¯re still babbling on! I think you know most things, but there¡¯s still something you don¡¯t get yet!¡± Zhao Liangze shot Yin Shixiong a disappointed look. ¡°Go stay over there and stop interrupting!¡±

    Yin Shixiong snorted, then red at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Who¡¯s the one who knows most but still doesn¡¯t get something yet?! Little Ze, I¡¯m way better than you at reading Mr. Huo. But whatever! It¡¯s true that we shouldn¡¯t get involved in this. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

    As they spoke, they crossed their arms to nk Huo Shaoheng for protection and looked like real bodyguards. Huo Shaoheng had both hands in his trouser pockets as he stood casually before a crying Gu Yanran. He appeared calm as he quietly watched Gu Yanran cry delicately. When all the hotel guests witnessed this in the lobby, nearly all of them imagined a sad soap opera scene of ¡°a stone cold man.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng surveyed the surroundings with a nce and reached out to help Gu Yaran without touching her. ¡°Miss Gu, let¡¯s go talk over there.¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded, taking out a handkerchief to blow her nose. She followed Huo Shaoheng to the cafe beside the hotel lobby. The cafe was exclusively for VIP hotel guests and arranged in independent seats in order to prioritize customer privacy. The pair sat down in a very exquisite and private booth behind a transparent carving of a mountain. The waitress respectfully offered Gu Yanran the best coffee from the hotel and nearly used a tone of worship as she carefully said, ¡°Miss Gu, our condolences.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s tears immediately fell once again. She grabbed the waitress¡¯ hand to put a high-value US dor bill in it as a tip. The waitress was very touched but also extremely saddened. She left with a conflicted look in her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng reached out to shift the coffee cup before him but did not make a motion to drink it. He asked Gu Yanran calmly, ¡°Miss Gu, what happened to your home? Aren¡¯t all the shooters dead now?¡±

    ¡°...Everyone from my home is dead now. It¡¯s like a nightmare.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes were red from crying. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine how horrible the scene was. All the people you spent day and night with for over a decade suddenly disappearing, and the only thing left is the memory of how theysty there in the living room. I can¡¯t stand it... I can¡¯t stand it, as soon as I see that ce... I can¡¯t live there anymore. I want to sell that house.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained expressionless but quietly passed a tissue to the woman. ¡°Miss Gu, will you be able to sell the home since murders urred there?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng actually mentioned this casually, but it seemed to remind Gu Yanran of something. She nodded immediately. ¡°Mr. Huo is right, it¡¯s not right for me to sell the house like this to someone else. Fine. I won¡¯t sell it, but I¡¯ll demolish it so I can build a theme park for all the Barbados citizens to enjoy for free.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Yanran with surprise as he leaned back in the booth seat, his fingers gently tapping on the dark green marble countertop. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Your family has lived there for so many years, after all.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°How long has your family lived there?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked down as she wiped her tears on the tissue and sobbed several times in order to calm down gradually. She reached out to sip the cup of coffee. The warm and smooth drink slid down her throat to assuage the fears Gu Yanran had experienced over thest day and night.

    Looking up, she bit her lip as she quickly nced at Huo Shaoheng only to find him staring intently at her. His dark, inky eyes shimmered with a warm glow to make her suddenly feel very safe. With Huo Shaoheng at her side, Gu Yanran finally felt her mind and body fully rx. This stoic and quiet man had the allure of consoling one¡¯s heart. But it was a shame... Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help sighing in her heart, no longer wanting to y games with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, we are honorable people who speak from the heart.¡± Gu Yanran turned the white ceramic coffee cup in her hands as she looked at Huo Shaoheng with sincerity and resumed her previous confidence. ¡°You came to Barbados because of my father, Gu Xiangwen. Isn¡¯t that right? I don¡¯t understand why you won¡¯t help now that he¡¯s in grave danger.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t expected Gu Yanran to have the guts to directly expose his motive, but he would also never admit to it. ¡°Where did Miss Gu get that idea?¡± Huo Shaoheng refuted fluidly. ¡°I came to Barbados for a military visit. This had nothing to do with your father.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Gu Yanran smiled faintly, her gaze lucid as water. ¡°So you¡¯re not suspecting that Gu Nianzhi is my biological sister and my father¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart trembled, but he quicklyposed himself to prevent Gu Yanran from taking control of the conversation. ¡°Why would you say that? Although you¡¯re both Gus, how can that one thing prove that she¡¯s your biological sister? Isn¡¯t that too presumptuous?¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his legs casually, hands folded on top of his knees as he looked up at Gu Yanran with a peculiar smile.

    Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help but sigh internally as she looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fearsome yet reliable physique and handsome looks. She had finally found a man who matched with her body and soul, but it was a shame that she was a step toote...

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not that simple.¡± Gu Yanran raised her brow and set down the coffee cup in her hands. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not just you. Lawyer He is also looking for evidence.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing. A trace of impatience crossed in his heart, yet no trace was found in his expression. He continued to watch Gu Yanran quietly to allow her to continue.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, to be frank with you, I liked Gu Nianzhi the moment I saw her. It was a feeling of affection that came from the heart, but looking at her appearance, I really never thought she was my biological sister. It was only because she has the same name as my sister that I started to like her.¡± Gu Yanran grew more honest and began revealing the answers to the secrets both He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were pursuing.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Is that so? We didn¡¯t really notice that. Pardon my straightforwardness, but I don¡¯t think Miss Gu has even seen Nianzhi more than a few times.¡±

    Gu Yanran was stunned and shocked by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s remark, but she looked at him regretfully and replied subtly, ¡°Mr. Huo, have you never experienced barely knowing someone yet feeling that you¡¯re being reunited with them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied steadily. ¡°Never. I believe that time will reveal true character.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it looks like you are a very cautious person.¡± Gu Yanran nodded with a new understanding of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°But I more so believe that some people will stay strangers even after knowing each other for a lifetime, while others can meet for the first time but feel like old friends.¡±

    ¡°¡®Some people will stay strangers even after knowing each other for a lifetime, while others can just meet for the first time but feel like old friends?¡¯¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Miss Gu¡¯s Chinese would be so exceptional even though you grew up abroad.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo is too kind.¡± Gu Yanran smiled elegantly and got excited. ¡°My parents valued my Chinese studies. My sister was naughty when she was young and didn¡¯t like speaking Chinese, but my parents spoiled her and said she didn¡¯t need to learn it. But I was different and was forced to study it even though I didn¡¯t want to.¡± She sighed. ¡°But they wouldn¡¯t force me to study now even if I wanted them to.¡±

    The expression of love towards deceased parents would have been very sincere and touching if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been the one she was speaking to. Unfortunately, it was Huo Shaoheng she was speaking to. He was truly a very cautious person, and it was how his personality had always been. Since enlisting and doing intelligence work, his cautiousness had amplified by another 100 times. So to touch the heart of such a person was harder than reaching for the heavens.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Yanran nkly, unperturbed by her emotional words. He only continued to question her. ¡°Professor He sought out Miss Gu, too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m much closer to him than you are.¡± Gu Yanran was truly being very honest. She could already sense that being frank was the only way to get Huo Shaoheng to sincerely agree to help her. She had no other choice at this point. If Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t help her and her father, then she might very well be buried in Barbados.

    ¡°I heard Professor He mention that Miss Gu is a major client of hisw firm.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°But why would he ask you about anything rted to Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why he did, but he asked the contact information of my sister Gu Nianzhi¡¯s childhood family doctor and dentist. He probably got a hold of them now.¡±

    Gu Yanran nced at Huo Shaoheng with a smile, then looked away to the French windows beside the booth seat. Across from the French window was a man-made tropical forest andke. The view was vast and beautiful, and they could also see vibrant tropical birds flying through the trees. Her mood seemed to rise alongside the colorful tropical birds.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the untouched cup of coffee as he silently mulled over it. He Zhichu must also have been investigating Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity if he had asked Gu Yanran for the contact information for her sister¡¯s childhood family doctor and dentist. But wasn¡¯t he already privy to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past? Why was he still investigating? Huo Shaoheng keenly sensed there was something else he didn¡¯t yet know, so he didn¡¯t want to specte wildly. He nned to call Gu Nianzhi directly in the evening when he was free so he could ask her.

    Gu Yanran noticed Huo Shaoheng grow noticeably silent, so she bowed forward to probe him. ¡°Mr. Huo? I still have the same request, can you please help me? Help my father? Maybe Gu Nianzhi really is my sister, so if you help my father, you¡¯re also helping hers, right?¡±

 Chapter 481 - Overestimated Her Importance

    <h4>Chapter 481: Overestimated Her Importance</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Upon hearing Gu Yanran¡¯s words, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank. Even Gu Yanran knew to make use of Gu Nianzhi to convince him. Did everyone know Gu Nianzhi¡¯s importance to him?

    She cannot be his weakness. He did not need one.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head nonchntly and rejected Gu Yanran¡¯s suggestion again. ¡°Even if Nianzhi was your sister and even if your father was her father, would we have a reason to save your father?¡±

    Gu Yanran frowned again. Why can¡¯t this Huo Shaoheng be affected by anything at all?

    He wouldn¡¯t help no matter what; did she overestimate Gu Nianzhi¡¯s importance in his heart? At that thought, Gu Yanran felt far more lighthearted than before. Even though she was still frowning, her tone revealed signs of happiness.

    Blinking her eyes, smiling sweetly, and showing her dimples, she asked, ¡°Mr. Huo, can¡¯t you just take it as helping a friend? This is a life-and-death situation. You¡¯re a soldier. Shouldn¡¯t soldiers save the dead and help the injured?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Saving the dead and helping the injured is the job of a doctor, not a soldier. I¡¯ll take back my words. Miss Gu¡¯s Chinese has to be improved upon. Please don¡¯t use the wrong words again, lest your meaning not be brought across.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll make a move first if Miss Gu has nothing else for me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned and left swiftly.

    Gu Yanran remained in her seat, stunned. Her gaze was fixed on the back of Huo Shaoheng for a long time before she snapped back to reality.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the seat steadily and met up with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong in the hotel lobby. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Proceed as nned.¡±

    They exited the hotel and hailed a cab. They told the driver that they would like to sightsee in Barbados, and got him to just drive around. They wanted to go to ces with more people and nice scenery. They also promised the driver a handsome tip if he could bring them to such ces.

    The moment the driver heard that he could be a part-time tour guide and earn a good extra ie, he was all smiles and agreed readily.

    ¡°May I know what interests the three of you, please? The beach, food, or... women and pharmaceutical things?¡± The driver turned around and questioned them enthusiastically, looking at the three of them like they were walking banks.

    Huo Shaoheng wore his shades in the back seat on the right and remained silent. Yin Shixiong sat in the front passenger seat, smiled politely and said in heavily African-American ented English, ¡°We would like to seended properties. Can you bring us?¡±

    ¡°Landed properties?¡± The driver scratched his head. ¡°There¡¯re manynded properties in Barbados. Which type ofnded properties would you like to see?¡± After thinking for a while, he said, ¡°There are many bodyguards guarding these properties here. We wouldn¡¯t be able to get in. You can only look at them from outside if you really want to take a look.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sat in the back seat with Huo Shaoheng, but he took the seat on the left. ¡°Oh?¡± he responded. ¡°Is that the case? Then why would they need bodyguards? Barbados seems like a safe country to me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is safe.¡± The driver shrugged and continued matter-of-factly. ¡°But you know, the richer you are, the more afraid of death you¡¯d be, so they¡¯d rather lock themselves in cages they have made for themselves.¡±

    Everyoneughed at this statement. Suddenly, the car felt far friendlier than it had before.

    Huo Shaoheng also began talking. ¡°Actually... Barbados isn¡¯t all that safe, is it? There was even a gunfight at the airport where your governor was weing some VIPs.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the governor¡¯s problem,¡± the driver said without a care. ¡°How can normal, average citizens like us be met with anything exciting? I heard that it was simr to events that happened in movies...¡± The driver got excited at this point. He alternated between driving and turning around to talk. ¡°It isn¡¯t just the airport! The Gu mansion, as well! Do you know about the Gus?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fists tightened. ¡°What about the Gus? We have no idea about them. We¡¯re here to do business.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then it¡¯s okay. Let me tell you¡ªthe Gus are the wealthiest family in our country. Other than being rich, they were also really passionate about charity work. Ourrgest hospital, our orphanage, and thergest charity organization, the food bank, were all initiated by them.¡± The driver grew agitated as he spoke and even honked the horn a couple of times.

    Zhao Liangze was horrified at his driving ethics. With wide eyes, Zhao Liangze looked at him and shouted, ¡°Bro! Please drive carefully! Don¡¯t turn back anymore! We can hear you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my skills are top-notch!¡± The driver turned around again. However, this time, upon turning back to the wheel, he realized that he had almost driven into the oppositene. Shocked, he turned his steering wheel back again, breaking out in cold sweat.

    After this episode, the driver stopped turning around. However, he continued telling Huo Shaoheng and the guys about the charitable deeds by the Gus in Barbados. Other than starting up a hospital, an orphanage, and a food bank to provide three meals a day free of charge for the poor, they also donated to schools and invited famous doctors and professors from other countries toe to Barbados to lecture in their schools. Therefore, it was safe to say that the Gus contributed quite a huge extent to the country¡¯s growth.

    ¡°But...¡± The driver sighed after he was done rting all the good deeds the Gus did. ¡°Good people usually do not live long. Mr. Gu did so many good things but could not escape the aviation disaster. He was already a vegetable when he was sent back. And now, seven years have passed. He hasn¡¯t woken up yet. I think he won¡¯t be able to wake up for the rest of his life.¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s really sad,¡± Yin Shixiong replied, encouraging the driver to talk further. ¡°But their family was so well off. Surely they would be able to hire the best doctors? Mr. Gu should be able to wake up, shouldn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Everyone says that, too. But it has already been six to seven years. I doubt there¡¯d be much hope.¡± The driver shrugged again and took a turn, entering a quiet side street.

    Huo Shaoheng recognized immediately that this was the road to the Gu mansion. However, they were only halfway in when a policeman stopped them.

    A policeman knocked on the window and told the driver, ¡°It¡¯s the scene of murder up ahead. You cannot go in further.¡±

    The driver became agitated. ¡°Sir, please, can we enter just for a little while? Just a look will do. These three gentlemen are here for business. They¡¯re interested in mansions. Of course, I¡¯d bring them to the biggest and grandest mansion in our country! But it¡¯s a waste that we¡¯re just one day toote. If not, we¡¯d be able to visit properly!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the guys had learned from the driver that before that Gu Xiangwen had met with the ident, and that he opened up their mansion to the public every week for the public to visit. Of course, he only opened up a part of the mansion; the area where the Gus live was not included. However, the area that he opened up had enough ces and points of interest to take up an entire day for the people.

    After Gu Xiangwen was involved in the ident, however, Gu Yanran had taken over the Gus and said that Gu Xiangwen needed peace for recovery. Therefore, she only opened up the mansion once a month for the public instead.

    ¡°...Yesterday was the day that the mansion was open to the public,¡± the driver said sadly. ¡°No one expected something like that to happen. After this, the rich will never do anything like that again¡ªopening their houses to the public for visiting. The Gus were the only wealthy family who were generous in the country all along. They did not behave like the other wealthy families, using a cage to separate themselves from the people, but instead shared their nice living environment by opening up their home for us to visit. But it¡¯s this kind of family that has mishaps befall them.¡± He sighed. ¡°Such poor things... The wealthy families will definitely hire even more bodyguards from now on, and it¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re doing that...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong understood his hint. He took a roll of US dors from his pocket. Pushing the stack of notes to the driver, he said, ¡°Brother, please help us. Think of something. You made it sound so interesting that we really want to go in, but now we can¡¯t. That¡¯s too torturous...¡±

    The driver held the roll of notes and realized that it was indeed an entire stack of US dors. Feeling extremely happy, he opened his door and walked toward the police officer. He shook the officer¡¯s hand and pushed three of the notes into his hand. ¡°Sir, please help. We would only be entering for a little while. We¡¯ll walk. We won¡¯t drive in. Is that okay? They¡¯re tourists, and they¡¯d be helping our economy l! Mr. Gu wouldn¡¯t have rejected them.¡±

    The police officer took a swift look at the notes in his hand and realized they were worth half a month¡¯s sry. He put away the money and looked around. ¡°Then make it quick. I¡¯ll keep a lookout here. What¡¯s your contact number? I¡¯ll give you a call once time¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°No problem! No problem at all!¡± The driver bowed and agreed readily. Returning to the car, he opened the door and told the three of them, ¡°Come out, quick! The officer is kind enough to let us enter for a while. We have to make it quick, though.¡±

    Nodding, Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze alighted from the car. They pretended not to see the police officer. The police officer also did the same by looking the other way, allowing the cab driver to lead them into the mansion.

    Huo Shaoheng had been here while chasing the masked sniper yesterday. It had been a nerve-wracking time, so he hadn¡¯t been able to appreciate the scenery along the way. Since it was for the sake of visiting this time, so looked around carefully.

    ¡°...Mr. Huo, I finally understood why that ind wasn¡¯t shown on the map.¡± Zhao Liangze lowered his head and showed Huo Shaoheng the results on his device. ¡°Gu Xiangwen must have fixed an anti-satellite detector on the ind. He has one around here as well, but it isn¡¯t strong, so it can only reflect phone calls around the vicinity and not satellite detection.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had suspected this long ago. He understood the concept of anti-detection, but if he were to make a device like that... Most likely, even his mother, Song Jinning, would not have been able to do it. Because other than having an extremely advanced knowledge of physics, the person had to possess advanced engineering skills.

    If Gu Xiangwen really made these devices on his own, his workmanship would have surpassed the top engineer in the world.

    People said that machines were smarter than humans, but the most advanced machines¡ªmicrochips and smart devices¡ªwere all made by humans. Machines were not able to achieve such precision.

    The three of them followed the driver to the main entrance of the mansion. There were still yellow cordons at the entrance, but they were not high. The driver could get past them by merely going over.

    There weren¡¯t any police officers at the entrance; it seemed like that officer was the only one on duty. Apparently, they felt that no extra security was needed since no one was living here anymore. Barbados was extremely short on police officers.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the yellow warning cordons and shook his head. He was speechless at how things were done here. The cordons were useless. He went over them with ease as well.

    The three of them followed the driver into the living hall of the mansion and saw the chalk drawings marking the positions of the corpses before they¡¯d been moved away. A solemn atmosphere filled the room.

    They had the urge to remove their caps and mourn. However, upon touching their heads, they realized that they were not wearing any.

    Yin Shixiong coughed and asked, ¡°Where are the people here?¡±

    ¡°I heard that all of them died except for Mr. Gu and his daughter,¡± the driver said softly and looked around, seemingly afraid.

 Chapter 482 - Eye-catching

    <h4>Chapter 482: Eye-catching</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°All murdered?¡± Yin Shixiong widened his eyes and asked in a dramatic tone, ¡°The criminals are that vicious?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was truly too vicious. Everyone is saying that the gunmen were looking for Mr. Gu and they guess that it¡¯s his enemies from before seeking revenge!¡± The driver¡¯s spittle flew as if he were acting out a great legend.

    Zhao Liangze was rendered speechless. He turned to look out the window and grumbled, ¡°You know that, too? What a vivid imagination. Why don¡¯t they be scriptwriters?¡±

    On the other hand, Huo Shaoheng listened with great interest. Arms crossed, he rubbed his chin with one hand as he asked the driver quietly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Mr. Gu is kindhearted and did a lot of charity work? How would he have enemies?¡±

    ¡°Sir, think about it. Mr. Gu is wealthy yet discreet. Honestly speaking, we had no idea who he was before his aircraft ident because he did his charity work anonymously. Then he becameatose, and his older daughter especially hired the Pope from the Vatican to hold mass to pray for their family. That was when his identity was publicized. Only then did we know Mr. Gu had secretly helped us so much.¡± The driver was very emotional as he bowed several times in the living room before continuing, ¡°I think you should all leave now. Many people died here, so no one would dare toe again.¡±

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng and his men weren¡¯t afraid of the dead. But they had to appear frightened in front of the driver, so they seemed like normal people.

    Yin Shixiong shivered dramatically, his voice shaking as he said, ¡°Sir, we¡¯d better leave now. It¡¯s so creepy here...¡± His gaze swept around the living room and didn¡¯t see anything suspicious before he gave Zhao Liangze a look. They nked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back, then looked down to take out a Cuban cigar and used a de to cut off the end before lighting it.

    Huo Shaoheng also reached out to him. ¡°Give me one.¡±

    The three men lit their cigars and said to the driver, ¡°We¡¯re leaving now. What about you?¡±

    The driver grew excited. ¡°Cuban cigars? That¡¯s some good stuff! I can tell it¡¯s good just from the smell.¡± As he spoke, he also produced a cigar and waved it at them. ¡°I have some too, but they¡¯re not as good as yours. Yours smells so wonderful!¡±

    Yin Shixiong then took out a Cuban cigar for the driver. ¡°Here. Let¡¯s all smoke together.¡±

    With smoking the cigar as an excuse, they left the living room and walked around Gu manor. The mansion appeared to have been very secure in the past, but most of the equipment was aged and not maintained. Perhaps no one had been repairing them since Gu Xiangwen had his ident? Huo Shaoheng and his men were experts, so their hearts itched upon seeing the exquisite technology goingpletely to waste. They badly desired to uninstall the equipment to take back to the Huaxia Empire to analyze it carefully.

    Huo Shaoheng held his cigar and looked at Gu mansion with a conflicted expression. He thought he hadn¡¯t acted too professionally in front of Gu Yanran.

    It was more than an hourter when they finally left the Gu mansion. The taxi driver took them to a small tavern before driving off. Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze would never eat at such a ce, and they had onlye here because it was a good ce to talk. A boisterous ce where all sorts of people gathered was the safest ce to have a conversation.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, what are you nning to do after seeing all that?¡± Yin Shixiong gave Huo Shaoheng a bottle of locally brewed blueberry rum. ¡°Try this. It tastes pretty food. I had some earlier, and it¡¯s safe.¡±

    ying with his ss, Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time before saying, ¡°If Gu Yanran insists that we escort her father, she will think of a way for sure. We might as well wait and see.¡±

    ¡°...But Mr. Huo, what if she finds someone else? Didn¡¯t wee here because of... her father?¡± Zhao Liangze was concerned.

    ¡°Yes, and we must get ahold of Gu Xiangwen. But Gu Yanran might not ask us to escort him to the United States.¡± Yin Shixiong sipped his drink, pping his hands to the beat of the song the dancing female singer performed on the stage.

    ¡°Right. I remember that she¡¯s very close with Professor He and with the He¡¯s influence in South America. It¡¯d be a piece of cake for them to send someone to escort them to the United States.¡± Zhao Liangze voiced his concerns. He was very worried about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s decision.

    Although Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t yet certain, he would still consider Yin Shixiong¡¯s opinion. As he thought about it more, he knew he wasn¡¯t making a mistake. He never exined his actions to his subordinates and had only told them about his thoughts this time because he required them to cooperate with his little act.

    ¡°If you think about it this way,¡± he said, ¡°if Gu Yanran didn¡¯t ask us but the Hes, then it would lure out the Hes, and we would be able to clearly observe their power without even having to go to South America. If Gu Yanran insists we escort her father, that means she¡¯s not as close to the Hes as she ims. Or it could even mean that the Hes and the Gus have some conflict, so she cannotpletely allow the Hes to take control.¡± Huo Shaoehng wrote a few words on the table using the drink, then quickly wiped them away.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze finally understood their superior¡¯s intentions. Theyughed sheepishly. ¡°Mr. Huo, you don¡¯t need to exin. This was our fault, and we actually crossed the line.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. When we are on missions, the situation may change in a single second, so we need to cooperate with each other instead of you blinding obeying me.¡± Huo Shaoheng consoled his subordinates. ¡°Ok. Remember that we are Huaxia Imperial soldiers, not mercenaries. We cannot ept Gu Yanran¡¯s request. But we also can¡¯t let the Gus out of sight, so we have to act discreetly and continue observations.¡±

    The three men drank for a bit more before heading back to their hotel.

    In the evening, they got into the car sent by the governor-general of Barbados to take them to his official residence. The governor-general of Barbados had especially hosted a banquet for them that night, and it was a national banquet, though it was not quite as borate since Huo Shaoheng was only representing the Huaxia Imperial military but not the entire nation. They got out of the car at the huge European-style official residence, and Huo Shaoheng looked up at the two great white pirs with numerous Biblical stories engraved into them. The craftsmanship was exquisite and the images so realistic that even the folds on the clothing could be clearly discerned. Folding his hands behind his back, Huo Shaoheng nced at the carvings with interest before nodding at the governor-general who hade out to greet them.

    ¡°Good evening, Governor-General.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Major General Huo. It¡¯s our honor that you can attend our banquet.¡±

    The Governor-General was a heavyset ck man in his sixties. He was very polite, and it was apparent he had a prestigious upbringing and hadn¡¯te from the poor quarters.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to him and shook his hand briefly before following him inside the official residence. The spacious hall glittered brilliantly with fiverge crystal chandeliers illuminating the interior as bright as day. The lighting was especially soft. Every woman¡¯s makeup looked exquisite and beautiful, like they were under professional soft filters. Their skin appeared soft and wless.

    Gu Yanran wore a bright red halter mermaid gown with ck trim. Her long hair was arranged in a bun at the back of her head, topped with a diamond crown. The diamonds were of excellent quality, so the chandeliers¡¯ lights almost refracted a tiny rainbow on them. Under the rainbow lights, Gu Yanran was as breathtaking as a jewel, and all eyes of women and men, old and young, were attracted to her. She was obviously close with everyone in attendance, as she carried a colorful cocktail and made her way through the esteemed guests of the hall, chatting andughing quietly. She toasted them from time to time as if she were practically the hostess. After a while, she walked before Huo Shaoheng and took a cocktail from a waiter¡¯s tter to pass to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Cheers¡±

    Huo Shaoheng epted the ss with a faint smile. ¡°Miss Gu is in a great mood.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m feeling great because my problem has been solved.¡± Gu Yanran smiled kindly. ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯ll hear about it very soon.¡±

    She elegantly turned around to leave after speaking to him, only leaving behind the image of the creamy expanse of her back and her slender neck to Huo Shaoheng.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze stood at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side and gawked at Gu Yanran¡¯s evening gown with sharp exhales. ¡°What an eye-catching gown!¡±

    ¡°Yes! The front is so modest and shows no skin, but it¡¯s actuallypletely backless!¡± Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help but fall into his work habits and take several photos of Gu Yanran.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Yanran¡¯s back once with a frown, then quickly averted his gaze. Walking to the window, he connected to his Bluetooth headset to call Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    It was 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. in the Huaxia Empire at the time, so Gu Nianzhi had just gotten up and was washing up in the bathroom. When she came out, she saw that she had missed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call. Instantly frustrated, she quickly called him back. Huo Shaoheng guessed that Gu Nianzhi must have been washing up or having breakfast when she didn¡¯t pick up his call easier, so he wasn¡¯t surprised at all when Gu Nianzhi called back soon after.

    ¡°Huo Shao, is that you?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surprise was evident through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Bluetooth headset. Her voice was very close to his ears, almost like a tiny hand fondling his earlobes to gradually turn them red.

    ¡°Yeah. Are you up, Nianzhi?¡± Huo Shaoheng went to sit down at the sofa by the window. He crossed his legs. His eyes were still darting over all the guests in the hall as he observed every single person.

    ¡°I just woke up and went to wash up in the bathroom earlier, so I missed your call.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s crisp voice was alluring like an oriole. She couldn¡¯t stop speaking as soon as she started. ¡°Huo Shao, what are you doing? What time is it over there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s around 7:00 p.m. here. I¡¯m at a banquet at the official residence of the Governor-General of Barbados.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spoke nonchntly, with no intention of hiding from Gu Nianzhi. There was no need to conceal these things because he was making an official visit and not conducting a secret mission. His itinerary was known to the Huaxia Imperial government, the military, and the Senate. As his family, Gu Nianzhi was also allowed to know of his whereabouts.

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Is there lots of yummy food there? What are the specialties in Barbados?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled with a shake of his head. ¡°All you know is food.¡±

    Just as he was about to tell Gu Nianzhi about a few specialty dishes of Barbados, Gu Yanran¡¯s voice suddenly called out clearly from behind him, saying, ¡°Mr. Huo is here? I must go now. I wanted to say goodbye.¡±

    The Bluetooth headset picked up the voices too well, so Gu Nianzhi could also hear everything from her end. She froze for a second, then realized it was Gu Yanran. She thought about the fact that Gu Yanran was in Barbados¡ªcould Huo Shaoheng¡¯s visit have something to do with her? Gu Nianzhi was slightly unhappy because Huo Shaoheng had only said he was going to Cuba. He had never mentioned Barbados.

 Chapter 483 - Feeling Loved

    <h4>Chapter 483: Feeling Loved</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Hearing Gu Yanran¡¯s voice, Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to turn around. He could not be impolite in public.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Something¡¯s up. Got to go.¡±

    He switched off his earpiece and stood up from the sofa. Turning around, he saw Gu Yanran being blocked by Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze behind a huge bonsai.

    ¡°Miss Gu is leaving?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over. ¡°That¡¯s early.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Something cropped up at home. My father will be heading to America soon. I¡¯ll send him over before returning to settle the funerals of our servants.¡± Gu Yanran looked serious. ¡°Our family suffered a great loss this time around. I¡¯ll demand all thepensations from them for all the people I lost in my family.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean that Miss Gu already knows who sent the masked snipers?¡± Huo Shaoheng put both his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo and looked at Gu Yanran attentively. ¡°You won¡¯t be safe no matter where you go if you don¡¯t know who those people are.¡±

    Gu Yanranughed bitterly. ¡°I think we can just wait to die if we still cannot be safe in America.¡±

    ¡°Theoretically, everyone is waiting to die the moment they are born. Therefore, Miss Gu, you don¡¯t have to feel too worried,¡± Yin Shixiong joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

    Gu Yanran forced a smile again and curtseyed to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, farewell.¡± With that, she turned and left.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Yanran exiting the hall of the Governor¡¯s mansion and looked at Yin Shixiong. Yin Shixiong understood what Huo Shaoheng wanted and left the hall as well.

    After they were gone, Huo Shaoheng returned to the seat and called Gu Nianzhi again.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting on her bed in the dormitory, hugging her knees, looking sad.

    Ma Qiqi called out to her from the door, ¡°Nianzhi? It¡¯s time for breakfast! There¡¯s pork soup dumplings today! Your favorite! And they have mixed grain porridge as well. I went outside to get it for you specially!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt hungry the moment she heard Ma Qiqi¡¯s voice. Heaving a long sigh, she hit her head a couple of times and scolded herself for letting herself go hungry...

    Getting off her bed, her phone rang again. She picked it up. ¡°...Huo Shao?¡±

    Seeing that it was already ratherte, Huo Shaoheng asked quickly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you know that Professor He looked for Gu Yanran before?¡±

    Initially upset, Gu Nianzhi forgot all about being unhappy the moment Huo Shaoheng asked about this. ¡°Yes he did,¡± she said honestly.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times; tell me if anything happened and don¡¯t hide anything from me. Do you even remember?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremely wronged. She leaned against the wall with her phone and grumbled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys test for our DNA before and realize that we were not rted? So when Professor He asked Gu Yanran for the details of her family doctor and dentist, I felt that he was just wasting his time and would never find any oue. So I kept quiet about it.¡±

    Nothing would havee out of it even if she had told him. Moreover, did she really have to tell him every minute detail of her life? Would he even be able to take it?

    Huo Shaoheng felt that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reasoning made sense, but the rtionship between He Zhichu and Gu Yanran¡ªor the rtionship between the Hes and the Gus¡ªwas the main focus of their investigation. Therefore, everything regarding this would be good if he got to know them.

    However, he could not reveal too much detail to Gu Nianzhi, either. So, after thinking about it for a while, he decided not to harp on about this anymore. Softening his tone, he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, did you miss me while I¡¯ve been gone for these few days?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt engulfed by sweetness all of a sudden. ¡°Yes, I did... Every day, every moment...¡± Then she asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You? Did you miss me?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Huo Shaoheng felt himself going weak every time he thought of Gu Nianzhi when he was on the ind. That feeling was so alien to him, who was used to being cold, aloof, and serious. His very first reaction was to suppress that warm and fuzzy feeling immediately. A whileter, he had epted it gradually as the feeling he would have solely between Gu Nianzhi and himself.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and began whining. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I want you to say it... Say it, pleeease?¡±

    That dragging of thest word tugged at his heartstrings repeatedly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied, and returned to his calm demeanor. ¡°I have to toast to the governor now. You should be going to ss soon, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to give up. ¡°Then please take care...¡± Then she continued, full of reluctance. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡±

    Through the phone, the mountains, and the oceans, Gu Nianzhi actually felt the warmth of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s big hand caressing her head. She closed her eyes and felt far better than she had just now. She felt like a new person! With a happy mood, she felt that this world had be an even more beautiful ce.

    Opening the door, she took a long whiff of the table that was covered in breakfast. This had to be the smell of love.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng only left the governor¡¯s mansionte into the night. Upon returning to the hotel, Huo Shaoheng received a phone call. He understood immediately why Gu Yanran had looked so confident at the dinner.

    The call was from General Ji. His first sentence was, ¡°Shaoheng, the Army will be giving you a task. You¡¯re to escort Gu Yanran¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, to America. You are to ensure his safety and not have any miscalctions on your end.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    What was this? What was going on?

    Hearing silence from the other end, General Ji knew that Huo Shaoheng was not happy with the mission he had been tasked with. Gu Yanran had sent someone to speak to him on her behalf and had even given the Hua Xia Empire a huge gift. It was a nuclearser firer, moremonly known as a ¡°satellite killer.¡± The Hua Xia Empire had been doing research on this for a long time but could not figure out a better technology for its aiming. Then Gu Yanran had sent an email containing the technology which they could not solve this afternoon.

    Gu Yanran had had contacts with the higher authorities in the Hua Xia Empire all along. The previous donation had caused some unhappiness between the two parties, but Gu Yanran had apologized sincerely this time around and had even sent such a huge gift first. Her only condition was that she wanted Huo Shaoheng to bring his people to escort her father to America.

    From Barbados to America, they would have alreadypleted half of the mission the moment they boarded the ne. The issue now was that Gu Yanran was still hiding her father somewhere. Somewhere even the masked snipers could not find.

    Huo Shaoheng asked General Ji, ¡°Do you know that she was being chased for her life? Do you know why she was being chased for her life?¡±

    General Ji was taken aback. ¡°I know that there were people who sought her life. I wouldn¡¯t have asked for your help if not for this. Shaoheng, you¡¯re wrong to behave like that. Since she needed our help, how could you just leave things as it is?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to say that he had ns, but with the higher authorities from the army now involved in this, it was clear that his ns had been interrupted. He could not request for the army¡¯s higher authorities to listen to hismand as well.

    After being silent for a while, Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Fine. I can escort him but not to America. He has toe to the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

 Chapter 484 - A Two-Pronged Approach

    <h4>Chapter 484: A Two-Pronged Approach</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    General Ji burst into a loud fit ofughter and nodded. ¡°Shaoheng never fails me! You never get taken advantage of! We had the exact same thoughts!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you think I¡¯d do anything for a loss?¡± General Ji said smugly. ¡°Since Gu Yanran asked for our help, she¡¯s not the one calling the shots. I also told her the same thing¡ªI¡¯ll ask you to personally escort them if they areing to our nation. If she¡¯s going to the United States, she¡¯ll have to ask the CIA. I was just testing you earlier. You went to Barbados out of the blue and caused such a ruckus, so all the leaders back home are very unhappy. But if you can sessfully bring Gu Xiangwen back, then you¡¯ll have a clean te, and they¡¯d be very pleased!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°General Ji, why would you still want to go in circles with me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going in circles with you.¡± General Ji¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Someone already said that you went to Barbados because of Gu Yanran and now you¡¯re just putting on a show with her...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind calmed down. It¡¯d actually be strange if something hadn¡¯t sabotaged him with his work. ¡°So does General Ji believe or not believe me?¡±

    The truth was, the fact that General Ji was testing him meant there were many problems. Previously it was because of Gu Nianzhi, and now, Gu Yanran was added to the mix. The two could be sisters, and one bad egg between them was enough to ruin Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation and destroy his career. He had been personally trained by General Ji, so the older man certainly didn¡¯t want to see his proudest disciple be led astray because of women. He had to guard against it because there had already been far too many young talents ruined by women. Otherwise, why would there be the ancient proverb that a woman¡¯s arms were a hero¡¯s grave?

    General Ji understood what Huo Shaoheng was implying and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but trust must be umted through actions. After this incident, my trust in you has certainly increased once again. I hope that you will not disappoint our nation and citizens¡¯ hopes for you, and that you¡¯ll sessfully bring Gu Xiangwen back to the nation.¡±

    ¡°But General Ji, Gu Xiangwen may not be very useful even if hees to our nation.¡± Huo Shaoheng vaguely sensed that the military was putting too much hope on Gu Xiangwen. Although he was an amazing man, he was nowatose and had been unconscious for thest seven years. It was very unlikely he would ever wake up again. Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he have recovered by now with the Gus¡¯ wealth and the Hes¡¯ connections giving him the care of the best medical expertise and facilities in the world?

    ¡°I know, we¡¯ll discuss matters once you bring him here.¡± General Jimanded, ¡°You must be careful abroad. Did you catch the gunmen who suddenly appeared at the Gu manor? There must be something fishy there.¡±

    ¡°No, they were all killed.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°But if we have to bring Gu Xiangwen back, then the gunmen may reappear. I request that the military provide more support and greater facilitation. Otherwise, we, as three Special Operations Forces personnel, will never be able toplete this mission.¡±

    Officially, Huo Shaoheng was visiting as the Deputy Secretary of the Supreme Military Council but not as the leader of the Special Operations Forces. So he had only brought two Special Ops personnel: his two personal secretaries, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Ok, I grant your request. I¡¯ll have the Supreme Military Council standingmittee give its stamp of approval right away and send it to your inbox as soon as it¡¯s done.¡± General Ji agreed without another word and instantly had his secretary make preparations.

    Huo Shaoheng set down the phone, looking out at the night sky outside the window. Although it was already veryte, he didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all and began nning for the operation. He needed a method to distract the gunmen in order to bring Gu Xiangwen, a person in a vegetative state, back to the Empire. Should he distract them with a red herring? Or use a substitute?

    After considering it for a while, he still believed the root of the problemy with Gu Yanran. If he didn¡¯t figure out the whole situation about the gunmen¡¯s origins and motives, there was no way he could create a wless n. So he still had to visit Gu Yanran. And perhaps that was why she had been so confident tonight.

    Huo Shaoheng was mildly irritated but turned off the light to go to bed.

    ...

    It was noon in the Imperial Capital of the Huaxia Empire. The sun dazzled from high up, and not a cloud floated in the blue sky. The color was as pure as blue crystal. Gu Nianzhi rode her bike to He Zhichu¡¯s professor¡¯s building just as he drove his Maserati over. Gu Nianzhi parked her bike at the bike racks and stood under the tree to wait for He Zhihu. He lowered the window and said dryly to her, ¡°Get in.¡±

    ¡°Where does Professor He want to go?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked up to his car window with a smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you lecturing today?¡±

    ¡°The family doctor and dentist information I got from Gu Yanran has arrived. Do you want to confirm it with me at the hospital?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering, sultry eyes gazed silently at Gu Nianzhi seemingly without emotion, yet it was like he had 1,000 words but couldn¡¯t find a way to tell her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think anything woulde out of it, but it seemed rude of her not to go despite He Zhichu going to great lengths to obtain the information. Of course, the key point was that He Zhichu had mentioned ¡°Gu Yanran.¡± Gu Nianzhi was now more wary of this name since Huo Shaoheng¡¯s recent trip to South America.

    She opened the car door. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take up your offer. Professor He, why do think I have anything to do with Gu Yanran? Although she has a younger sister named Gu Nianzhi, she hasn¡¯t asked me anything to confirm if my identity.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought she had a need to remind He Zhichu so he didn¡¯t get his hopes too high. Otherwise, he would feel miserable when the results were not what he expected.

    He Zhichu only smiled without another word before starting the car once again and driving off quickly.

    They arrived at a well-known private hospital in the Imperial Capital called the House of Meihua. The hospital mainly used high-end physical examinations and maintenance of health, as well as advanced DNA identity technology. It also frequently coborated with the number-one ranking John Hopkins hospital in the United States. He Zhichu was very familiar with Dr. Dous, the director of the hospital, because he was one of its donors.

    ¡°Dearest Mr. He, we meet again.¡± Dr. Dous was an overweight white woman in her fifties who appeared very kind and gentle. She turned to Gu Nianzhi and asked He Zhichu, ¡°And who is this?¡±

    He Zhichu put both hands in his trouser pockets and replied coolly, ¡°She¡¯s my student. Mrs. Dous, I have a dental record and a few blood samples here. Can you examine them for me?¡±

    ¡°Ok, Mr. He. What would like to do with them?¡± Dr. Dous nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Does this have something to do with your student?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°I want you to check to see if the dental record and blood samples have any connection to my student.¡±

    Dr. Dous frequently performed DNA tests and identification examinations, so she understood He Zhichu immediately. She nodded and took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand with a smile. ¡°Student,e with me.¡±

    ¡°My name is Gu Nianzhi. You can call me Little Gu.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly introduced herself since He Zhichu hadn¡¯t done it for her.

    ¡°Ok, Little Gu,¡± Dr. Dous answered smoothly. ¡°Come with me now.¡±

    She took Gu Nianzhi to aboratory where she first took X-rays, then took dental records, and finally, obtained a drop of blood from her fingertip for the DNA test.

    ¡°Ok, you can go out now. I still have something to discuss with Dr. Dous.¡± He Zhichu angled his chin at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Wait for me outside.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi went out without protest and took out her phone in the reception area where she discovered there was WiFi and immediately started to y games online.

    In Dr. Dous¡¯s office, He Zhichu sat across from her and spoke in a grave tone. ¡°Dr. Dous, I chose to do this examination at your hospital because I value the absolute privacy your hospital provides.¡±

    Dr. Dous immediately reassured him. ¡°I understand, Mr. He. All our records will be returned to you as soon as we finish the examinations, including Miss Gu¡¯s blood sample and dental records.¡±

    It was easy to deal with understanding people, so He Zhichu chose to work with Dr. Dous. He knew that apart from being skilled at DNA tests and identification examinations, Dr. Dous only had mediocre medical skills, so he wasn¡¯t worried that she would notice anything else.

    ¡°Thank you for the exnation, Dr. Dous. I hope that you can guarantee absolute privacy,¡± He Zhichu said as he pushed a confidentiality agreement to her. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine as soon as you sign this.¡±

    Dr. Dous nced at the agreement and couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°The requestedpensation for breach of contract is astronomical. Mr. He, do you not trust me at all?¡±

    ¡°I trust you. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have brought her here to do the examinations. There are so many hospitals in the world, yet I only chose yours¡ªthis demonstrates my trust in you. But trust is one thing, while using legal procedure always provides more security. I think you can appreciate that. There will be no problems as long as you don¡¯t leak my student¡¯s privacy.¡±

    He Zhichu had a sharp tongue that confused Dr. Dous to no ends. She signed the confidentiality agreement in a daze and grimaced.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re being so cautious and I can¡¯t bear the consequences of any mishaps, do you want to wait for me here and watch me perform the experiments until we get the results?¡±

    Typically, such examinations were performed byb technicians, but given how vignt He Zhichu was and that Dr. Dous had personally signed a confidentiality agreement, she truly had no way of assuming the risk of any responsibility.

    This was exactly He Zhichu¡¯s intention. He wouldn¡¯t be reassured until he saw it himself. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine. How long will it take?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll personally do it, so I am guaranteed to be the first to use all the equipment. It¡¯ll be about six hours.¡± Dr. Dous looked at the clock on the wall/ ¡°It¡¯s 12:30 p.m. right now, so we should have results by 6:30 p.m.¡±

    Her task was to verify if Gu Nianzhi was the same person that the blood samples and dental record He Zhichu provided belonged to. So, apart from testing the blood samples and dental records He Zhichu had provided, she also had to test Gu Nianzi¡¯s samples andpare the results. Because these were two experiments of different natures, she could use two machines at the same time to cut the time in half. Otherwise, six hours wouldn¡¯t have sufficed.

    Gu Nianzhi was getting into her game in the reception area so much that she forgot the time. By the time she felt her neck get stiff, she realized that two hours had passed, but He Zhichu still didn¡¯te out yet.

 Chapter 485 - Irrefutable Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 485: Irrefutable Evidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Why aren¡¯t they out yet?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone was about to go dead. She retrieved her charging cable from her bag and went into the lounge to look for a plug. As she was looking, she sent He Zhichu a text: ¡°Professor He, do you still have anything for me, please?¡±

    He Zhichu was sitting in Professor Dous¡¯sboratory, observing her doing experiments and recording data and checking his emails. He saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text the moment she sent it. After contemting for a while, he replied: ¡°I still need another four hours. Would you like to return to school first, then return, or would you like to just wait here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone and couldn¡¯t believe what she had just seen.

    Four more hours?! Then what about dinner?

    Gu Nianzhi had already begun to feel hungry. She paced around the lounge for a while and thought it through. If she were to return to school now, she¡¯d be dyed by an hour because she¡¯d be taking public transport. If she were to return to school ande back again, the journey would take two hours. Why would she do that?

    She neither wanted to return to school nor stay here. Turning on the map of her phone, she saw that there was a Starbucks nearby. Replying He Zhichu¡¯s text, she said: ¡°Professor He, I¡¯ll go out for a walk and return in four hours. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Where would you be going?¡± He Zhichu was not pleased. Changing his mind, he replied, ¡°Come in. Look at how Professor Dous does experiments. You¡¯d believe it if you saw it with your own eyes, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless at He Zhichu¡¯s persistence but could not think of any reason to retort. Moreover, He Zhichu¡¯s caution in handling this had sparked her curiosity.

    Did she really have a secret rtionship with Gu Yanran? But if that was really the case, why had Gu Yanran not recognized her when they¡¯d first met? If she was really her little sister, she had gone missing at only 12 years old. How could Gu Yanran not be able to recognize her? It wasn¡¯t even like she¡¯d gone missing as a baby...

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and replied to He Zhichu: ¡°Ok.¡±

    ¡°Come to Professor Dous¡¯sb,¡± He Zhichu replied.

    Gu Nianzhi went to theboratory and knocked on the door. He Zhichu opened the door for her.

    Upon entering, Gu Nianzhi walked to Professor Dous and looked at the progress of the experiment. She fell in love with it the moment she set eyes on it. She was also extremely interested in the experiment and even asked questions when Professor Dous was waiting for data to be churned out.

    Gu Nianzhi did not major in Science at University, but it did not hinder her interest in the subject. Moreover, she was really good at hands-on experiments. After observing for a while, Gu Nianzhi was already able to help out with simple experiments.

    ¡°Little Gu, you¡¯re such a genius.¡± Professor Dous was pleasantly surprised, and said, full of smiles, ¡°There¡¯s a whiteboratory coat there. Go on. Put it on ande over and help me with the experiment.¡±

    Letting Gu Nianzhi do it personally would be a better choice to He Zhichu, wouldn¡¯t it?

    Professor Dous looked over at He Zhichu to seek his consent.

    He Zhichu nodded briefly and said, ¡°Nianzhi, help Professor Dous properly. Don¡¯t be cheeky.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost silently rolled her eyes 1,000 times. Cheeky?! She hadn¡¯t been cheeky for 100 years! Please...

    As she was upied, Gu Nianzhi did not feel that time was passing slowly anymore. She put on the whiteboratory coat in Professor Dous¡¯sb and moved around the different apparatus and machines, stopping asionally to record data. When she did not understand certain details, she¡¯d bring the data over to ask Professor Dous.

    Even though it was her first time doing experiments, she was extremely observant, and her hands-on skills were excellent. There were some steps that required specific details; the moment Professor Dous showed Gu Nianzhi the steps, she could remember them perfectly.

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi after he was done checking emails on his phone and admired Gu Nianzhi, who was putting all her attention on the experiment. His lips curled into a smile. This Nianzhi was indeed his Nianzhi...

    ...

    It was five o¡¯clock in the evening. The rays from the setting sun shone onto the white curtains in theb. Gu Nianzhi ced the final test tube into the PCR, which was testing for DNA, pped her hands, and said, ¡°Professor Dous, is there anything else? I¡¯m all done.¡±

    Professor Dous smiled happily and replied, ¡°That¡¯s all, Nianzhi. We¡¯ll have to wait for another hour and a half before the results are out. Come; let¡¯s order some takeout. What would you like?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt her stomach rumbling. ¡°I want prawns, pork dumplings and some fruit. Would they have cantaloupes?¡±

    Professor Dousughed. ¡°That¡¯s a lot! Aren¡¯t you afraid of putting on weight, Little Gu?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a lot...¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at He Zhichu. ¡°Is it?¡±

    Professor Dous picked up the phone to ce her orders and told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I avoid carbohydrates at night. I¡¯ll only take vegetables and fruit, and they have to be raw.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled politely and shook her head. She wouldn¡¯t eat those things. They were for rabbits...

    He Zhichu ate even less for dinner, usually settling with nothing but a ss of red wine. However, seeing that Gu Nianzhi had such a good appetite, he also piped in, ¡°I want prawns, pork dumplings, and cantaloupe as well.¡±

    20 minutester, their dinner arrived. The three of them had dinner in a small room.

    After working hard for the entire afternoon, Gu Nianzhi was famished. She ate a lot but had exceptional mannerisms during mealtime. Even though she was really hungry, she did not gobble her food.

    Professor Dous was extremely impressed and treated her even better than before. ¡°Where did you grow up, Little Gu? You look like a princess when you eat.¡±

    After swallowing thest dumpling, Gu Nianzhi rinsed her mouth with some water before replying Professor Dous. ¡°Professor Dous, I grew up here, but because the person who brought me up was a soldier, he was extremely strict when it came to discipline. Therefore, I was trained since I was young. If you feel that this is princess-y, I think the real princesses in Europe would beg to differ.¡±

    Professor Dousughed heartily at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply, and seeing that she was enjoying her food so much, she ordered some desserts and ice cream for her. They spent over an hour on the meal, and the atmosphere was cheerful and rxing.

    After dinner, Professor Dous pped her hands. ¡°Mr. He, it¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go and check on the results.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded and looked as cold and aloof as ever while he followed Professor Dous back into theboratory.

    Gu Nianzhi followed. She looked closely as Professor Dous took the things out from the machine and hung the developed pictures on a special frame one by one. There was data for the experiment as well; there were three copies, one for each of them.

    Professor Dous looked at the data and pictures and continuously eximed, ¡°Oh, my Lord!¡± She looked at the pictures, then at Gu Nianzhi. Then she turned to He Zhichu and said, ¡°Mr. He, the blood samples and dentistry records you brought are identical to Little Gu¡¯s. They¡¯re the same person. Look at the data here.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Gu Nianzhi objected. Her heart skipped a beat, and she leaned against the wall of theb. She wanted to run but realized she had nowhere to run to.

    He Zhichu looked at her firmly, pain and hurt in his eyes. ¡°Nianzhi, you did the experiment with your own hands. I got the things with my own hands. You¡¯re still not willing to believe this?¡±

 Chapter 486 - Opening the Door to a New World

    <h4>Chapter 486: Opening the Door to a New World</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Gu Nianzhi blurted then immediately felt guilty as soon as she saw the pain and hurt in He Zhichu¡¯s eyes. She knew she was being too quick to assume and too curt¡ªHe Zhichu had gone to such lengths to do all this work, so why did she have to hurt his feelings? From the corner of her eye, she noticed Dr. Dous curiously nce between her and He Zhichu. She quickly looked down and pursed her lips to whisper, ¡°Professor He, I have something to discuss with you.¡±

    Dr. Dous understood and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to be off work now. Do you want to go downstairs first?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded, taking the blood samples, dental records, and the day¡¯sb results from Dr. Dous. He put them in the briefcase he carried today and walked out with Gu Nianzhi. They got into He Zhichu¡¯s Maserati.

    At first, no one said anything, so the silence in the car felt heavier than usual. When the car got on the highway and merged into the throngs of traffic, He Zhichu finally gripped the steering wheel, his eyes looking forward, and coldly spat, ¡°...Say it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said nothing.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying it?¡± He Zhichu nced at her with a cool expression because his good intentions had not been well received.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and rubbed her finger on her watch, mentally deciding how to tell He Zhichu¡ªin order to not reveal intelligence Huo Shaoheng had gathered¡ªwhile still expressing herself. ¡°Professor He, are you certain that I¡¯m Gu Yanran¡¯s younger sister? But why did you, instead of Gu Yanran, take the initiative to investigate our rtionship?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi decided to use the Gu Yanran angle. The older woman had seen her and met her, yet had never treated her with a hint of sisterly love. As Gu Nianzhi always said, she was rescued by Huo Shaoheng when she was 12 years old, not two years old. If she was really Gu Yanran¡¯s younger sister, then why didn¡¯t she make a move at all? Other than mentioning that she had a younger sister also named ¡°Gu Nianzhi,¡± nothing else hade out of it.

    The question was fairly sharp. He Zhichu¡¯s mood improved as he nced at Gu Nianzi and replied casually, ¡°You¡¯re not totally ungrateful since you recognized that I was the one making the effort to investigate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent. Why couldn¡¯t Professor He stop going in circles! Could they even have a proper conversation?! Gu Nianzhi fiercely turned away to look out the window like she was going to ignore him until he decided to speak properly.

    ¡°What? Are you mad now?¡± He Zhichu turned to nce at her, stroking her hair. ¡°A little girl like you still has such a bad temper...¡±

    ¡°Humph!¡± Gu Nianzhi shoved He Zhichu¡¯s hand away, puffing out her cheeks angrily. ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t try to muddle your way through this. You still haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled, withdrawing his hand and continuing to grip both hands on the steering wheel. He looked at the road ahead. The highways in the Imperial Capital were still congested at this time and didn¡¯t go very fast, so it seemed like they were flowing at a turtle¡¯s pace through the traffic. Rows of headlights sped by to form long lines of light that glowed colorfully and were very beautiful.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you, why didn¡¯t you believe that you¡¯re Gu Yanran¡¯s sister? I had asked Gu Nianzhi, Gu Yanran¡¯s younger sister¡¯s previous family doctor and dentist, for these records. How do you exin how they have your blood samples and dental records? Don¡¯t say I gave it to them. I can swear on my life that I didn¡¯t doctor anything.¡± He Zhichu replied confidently and was more cautious than ever.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a second. She would definitely believe it if Huo Shaoheng was the one to tell her that. But with He Zhichu, she could only half-believe him at this point. She didn¡¯t totally distrust him, since He Zhichu had only recently proven that he was someone she could trust. Trust was not something that was built easily, but just one incident, one sentence, or one opportunity could be enough to ruin it.

    ¡°But... But...¡± Gu Nianzhi began to mumble. She really wanted to say that she was not biologically rted to Gu Yanran, but that meant she would betray what Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side had gathered. She must not say it. Her heart turned a thousand times in that one moment. Gu Nianzhi finally found a wless reason. ¡°But Professor He, why did you test the family doctor and dentists¡¯ records? Why didn¡¯t you directly test if Gu Yanran and I are biologically rted? Isn¡¯t that easier and more direct? It¡¯s more convenient, too, since you are very familiar with Gu Yanran and are also my instructor. You¡¯d be able to test our DNA as long as you get Gu Yanran¡¯s blood sample or even a strand of her hair. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    She had finally asked the crucial point. He Zhichu nced at her with pride and gently tapped his finger on the steering wheel before replying, ¡°...Yes, why did I take a longer route instead of directly testing if you and Gu Yanran are biologically rted? Why is that?¡± His voice was normally cold and aloof, but as he spoke slowly now, there was an indescribable discretion.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled, her brain firing up right away as she muttered, ¡°You didn¡¯t test if Gu Yanran and I are biologically rted but directly tested if the rtionship between me and the Gu family¡¯s Gu Nianzhi. This means... means... I got it!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shimmered. She turned around to inch closer to He Zhichu and said hastily, ¡°Is it because the Gu family¡¯s Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran are not biologically rted at all!¡±

    Only this exnation could serve as the perfect footnote for He Zhichu¡¯s actions. So He Zhichu had always wanted to prove that Gu Nianzhi was the same Gu Nianzhi who had been separated from the Gu family, not that she was biologically rted to Gu Yanran. Otherwise, why would He Zhichu take a longer route purposely if there was a shortcut?

    He Zhichu smiled at her. His shimmering, sultry eyes had an unspeakable elegance in them. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re smart after all and managed to turn the problem around.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated again. ¡°If Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family is not rted to Gu Yanran, then how are they sisters?¡±

    ¡°Why does this matter? Who said people can¡¯t be sisters if they aren¡¯t biologically rted?¡± He Zhichu gently tapped his fingers on the steering wheel with a snicker. ¡°Do I even have to teach you this? A family with two sisters that aren¡¯t rted but are still legally considered family. That¡¯s not rare at all. Nianzhi, you¡¯d better not tell people you¡¯re my student. How embarrassing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks flushed. She had backed herself into a corner when it came to her rtionship with Gu Yanran. He Zhichu¡¯s words were like doors opening up to a new world for her¡ªher outlook suddenly brightened. Now that she knew she wasn¡¯t rted to Gu Yanran, a great burden seemed to be eased from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind. As for ¡°legally recognized¡± sisters who were not biologically rted, it could only be the scenario of step-sisters through a second marriage of their parents or adopted children. No matter the reason, these were all sisters who weren¡¯t rted by biological means. Gu Nianzhi no longer had to care about what Gu Yanran could do to her.

    Propping her chin with her hand, she rested her elbow against the car door and said thoughtfully, ¡°So, Professor He is certain I am the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family? But then... Why didn¡¯t they ever look for me?¡±

    He Zhichu sighed. ¡°Nianzhi, that¡¯s up to you to figure out. I don¡¯t deal with such pointless things since you wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew her choice to blurt out earlier that she didn¡¯t believe He Zhichu had hurt him. Shrinking back her hand, she fiddled her fingers nervously and looked at him with apprehension. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    She was looking at him to cautiously. He Zhichu¡¯s heart dropped, but he stayed quiet for a long moment. After some time, he replied raspily, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. Think about it well and decide what you want to do and whether or not to believe the evidence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down, her fingers once again rubbing the watch from Huo Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯te to a conclusion yet because she still needed to seriously discuss it with Huo Shaoheng. It looked like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s previous direction of investigation hadn¡¯t been correct. They had assumed that Gu Nianzhi was not from the Gu family when they tested that Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi were not rted, so they had stopped investigating Gu Yanran¡¯s trail of clues. But He Zhichu had sensed something more and had started from the angle of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s childhood medical and dental records to confirm that the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family in Barbados was the same Gu Nianzhi in the Huaxia Empire. But if she was really that Gu Nianzhi, how had she gotten from the tiny country of Barbados in Central America to the Huaxia Empire? Had shee alone or had shee with someone? These thoughts swirled in her mind like tiny dots in the mist. She could only wait until the fog cleared up before she could link them together.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t speak again and was quiet the entire drive back to the university. He drove her directly back to her dorm building.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll give you one day off tomorrow so you can carefully read through this information and digest it.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s tone softened. ¡°But you can¡¯t be sad for more than a day because the past is the past. There¡¯s no need to pursue what happened before. The important thing is what decision you make in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and carried the things He Zhichi had given her. She desperately wanted to return to her dorm room to get in touch with Huo Shaoheng right away. She had so much to tell him.

    Watching Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back rush inside the dorm building, He Zhichu sighed beforeying down against the steering wheel. He stared in the direction where Gu Nianzhi had run off in and looked pointedly for a long time before starting his car to leave.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi threw the dorm room door open with a loud bang and assumed Ma Qiqi had gone to study when she didn¡¯t see her in the room. She sighed in relief because she really didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone except for Huo Shaoheng right now.

    Locking the door to her room after she walked in, Gu Nianzhi took out her phone to call Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal number. It rang for a long time, but no one picked up.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Nianzhi said, looking at her watch. It was currently past 7:00 a.m. in Barbados, and ording to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s routine, he ought to be up by now. Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to call Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze quickly picked up and asked cheerfully, ¡°Nianzhi, why are you calling your Brother Ze?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no time to joke with him and immediately said, ¡°Brother Ze, where¡¯s Huo Shao? I have something important to tell him.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo? Mr. Huo had to go out because of something.¡± Zhao Liangze broke into a wide grin. ¡°What is it? Nianzhi is checking on Mr. Huo¡¯s attendance?¡±

    ¡°Checking what attendance?¡± Gu Nianzhi grew anxious. ¡°Brother Ze, I really have something important to tell Huo Shao! It¡¯s to do with the Gu family from Barbados.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Zhao Liangze stopped fooling around. ¡°Really? What news do you have?¡±

    ¡°...I got it from Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say much to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Hurry up and have Huo Shao pick up the phone! I called many times, but he didn¡¯t take it.¡±

 Chapter 487 - Iâ€™ll Teach Her Some Manners

    <h4>Chapter 487: I¡¯ll Teach Her Some Manners</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Professor He told you?¡± Zhao Liangze became serious. ¡°Are you sure about this? It is really rted to the Gus in Barbados? Can it be trusted?¡±

    They had many reasons to doubt He Zhichu, but they could not let Gu Nianzhi know this. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t from the army, after all. Therefore, they had to withhold a substantial amount of information from her.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and said slowly but clearly, ¡°Yes, we definitely can trust this. Can I speak to Huo Shao now, please?¡±

    Her voice sounded a little impatient.

    She honestly did not have the mood or the time to joke around with Zhao Liangze at this point in time. After spending six to seven years looking for her background, she had finally found it. She couldn¡¯t wait to share the news with Huo Shaoheng and listen to his opinions on this.

    Zhao Liangze sensed the impatience in her voice and got a shock. This seemed serious. After contemting, he said, ¡°Mr. Huo left early in the morning to meet someone. He did not bring his personal phone. Would you like to call his work line?¡±

    ¡°He left early in the morning for work?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in shock. ¡°It¡¯s only about seven in the morning over at your end, isn¡¯t it? Huo Shao isn¡¯t even in the army; why would he have to leave so early?¡±

    Zhao Liangze smiled sheepishly. ¡°Because we had to amodate Miss Gu¡¯s schedule. Mr. Huo tried to arrange a time to meet her to discuss some official matters with her yesterday, but she said that she only had time during her morning jog and tea. Therefore, Mr. Huo went over to meet her first thing in the morning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Is it time to discuss official matters during a morning jog and tea time? Such entitlement...¡±

    ¡°What did you say, Nianzhi?¡± Zhao Liangze could not tell Gu Nianzhi more regarding Gu Yanran, as the higher authorities in the army were already involved. It turned a private issue into an official one, so it was inconvenient to let Gu Nianzhi know any more.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and pushed her feelings of unhappiness aside. ¡°I¡¯ll call Huo Shao on his work line, then.¡±

    Zhao Liangze knew that Gu Nianzhi was an extremely sensible girl. She would never call Huo Shaoheng on his work line if she could help it. Knowing that she was sensible, Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t hold it in much longer. Trying his best to let her in on as much as he could, he warned her softly, ¡°Mr. Huo is currently trying to settle something really urgent. Nianzhi, bear with it if you can. If you are unable to handle anything, you share it them to Brother Ze and Brother Xiong. We will definitely be able to help you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and walked to the window of her room, holding onto her phone. Looking at the night scenery of her school, she tried her utmost best to calm herself down and replied Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, I will not be a burden on you guys. I know Huo Shao is in Barbados and met Gu Yanran. This thing I needed to speak to him about is something regarding the Gus and Gu Yanran directly.¡±

    She did not say that it was directly rted to her, as Zhao Liangze had already revealed slightly that he guessed that she had some personal matters she wasn¡¯t able to solve. She did not want him to misunderstand further.

    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Zhao Liangze hung up and poured himself a cup of coffee in a daze. Turning to Yin Shixiong, who was recording some information on theputer, he said, ¡°Nianzhi just called and demanded to speak to Mr. Huo, saying that she needed to speak to him about the Gus here. Do you think Professor He told her anything?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Professor He?¡± Yin Shixiong turned around in shock and stood up from his desk. ¡°You sure? Did Nianzhi say anything?¡±

    ¡°She was vague. She only insisted on looking for Mr. Huo.¡± Zhao Liangze hit his forehead a couple of times with his fist. ¡°I keep having a feeling that something big is about to happen.¡±

    ¡°Just observe,¡± Yin Shixiong replied calmly. ¡°We¡¯ll just make sure that we do our jobs well. We wouldn¡¯t be able to control anything even if there were to be even more changes.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m overinvested.¡± Zhao Liangze finished his coffee in one gulp and returned to hisptop.

    The only way to calm himself down was to work.

    ...

    In another vi on the beach belonging to the Gus, Gu Yanran wore a set of white clothes meant for ying badminton and a matching white headband. On her feet was a pair of navy blue badminton shoes as she sat in the middle of the outdoor balcony amid the garden. Right in front of her was an unobstructed view of the Caribbean Sea, and there were even seagulls flying in the clear blue sky. Due to the distance between the vi and the ocean, one couldn¡¯t hear the waves. Instead, only the tranquility and magnificence of the ocean were in view from the vi.

    Huo Shaoheng was wearing his shades and stood on the balcony, looking ahead, admiring the view with folded arms.

    ¡°Miss Gu really knows how to enjoy herself. Building a vi here in the middle of the mountain and jungle, blocking the sea breeze and filtering the humidity. This is a perfect ce for a holiday vi.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo does appreciate good things.¡± Gu Yanran took a fork and picked up a piece of smoked meat, cing it gracefully in her mouth. Then she took a couple of red grapes harvested from her very own vineyard and ate them with the meat, enjoying her breakfast very much. ¡°Mr. Huo, are you certain you don¡¯t want to have some?¡±

    Even though Huo Shaoheng was holding his temper, he did not show it at all. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯ve already had my breakfast, and I¡¯m full,¡± he replied calmly.

    ¡°What a waste. I prepared some breakfast for you as well, you know?¡± Gu Yanran shook her head disappointedly and continued, ¡°This steak is done rare. It melts in the mouth. You sure you don¡¯t want to give it a try?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and sat down opposite Gu Yanran. ¡°Can we discuss official things now? May I know, where is Mr. Gu, please? When are you intending to move him to America?¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled cheekily, and two deep dimples appeared on her cheeks. ¡°Can¡¯t Mr. Huo see that I¡¯m having my breakfast?¡±

    She was the one who had told Huo Shaoheng that she only had time to discuss official matters during breakfast, and now, she said that she did not want to discuss official matters during mealtime. She was definitely trying to be difficult.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly pissed off at this, but he managed to hold it in perfectly. He nodded politely and said, ¡°Sure. Shall we wait till you¡¯re done with breakfast then?¡±

    ¡°Sure. It wouldn¡¯t be long.¡±

    As if, Gu Yanran giggled secretly. I would never make this easy for you...

    She significantly slowed down her speed. Whenever Huo Shaoheng looked over, she¡¯d look and him and smile gleefully.

    ¡°...Ran out of patience already?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could tell that she was intentionally trying to dy his time, so he took out his phone and began ying with it. Then, slowly, he said, ¡°No problem; take your time. There are white clouds and blue skies, ocean, and waves to look at. With such an amazing view, I can rx a little while waiting for you.¡±

    He sat back and showed a rxed expression. He even sounded like a rich man who did not care about a thing in the world.

    Gu Yanran was taken aback by his response. She looked at him and finished her food gracefully, then began eating porridge.

    Just when the two of them refused to give in to each other, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang. His heart skipped a beat. It was his work line.

    Who would be calling this number at this time?

    However, using this call as an excuse, he could leave for a little while. Looking at his phone, he was more shocked to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number, but he still looked as though it was nothing but a usual call from someone. Turning to look at Gu Yanran, he stood up and said, ¡°Excuse me, I have a call.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. No worries. I¡¯m not done with my breakfast yet.¡± Gu Yanran winked at him and smiled happily.

    Being able to make the cold and aloof Huo Shaoheng a few days ago behave like this, she felt like she had managed to avenge herself. Growing up, she had never met a man who could ignore her so thoroughly. The thing was, he was exactly the type of man she was interested in.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the side of the balcony and picked up the call. ¡°...Yes?¡±

    Something huge must have happened on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side for her to call this number during his working hours.

    Gu Nianzhi heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone and knew that someone was beside him. She immediately knew that it was Gu Yanran.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°Huo Shao, is it convenient to talk now? This is important. If not I wouldn¡¯t have called this number at this time. I¡¯ve called your personal line countless times but to no avail...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put one of his hands into his pocket. Standing at the side of the balcony, he faced a direction where he was able to see Gu Yanran out of the corner of his eye.

    His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it wasn¡¯t soft, either. ¡°Yeah. Go ahead.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and told Huo Shaoheng everything that had happened that afternoon. Finally, she said, ¡°At 6:30 p.m., which was exactly half an hour ago, I got the results indicating that I am the Gu Nianzhi from the Gus in Barbados.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was extremely shocked by the news. Even though he still looked expressionless on the outside, he was overwhelmed with emotion within. He closed his eyes and took his hand out of his pocket to massage his temples. Then he paced around the balcony a few times, digesting this piece of information.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that the call was cut off when there was no response from Huo Shaoheng. She checked her phone many times to ensure that the signal was working well before hearing Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°...Do you still have the test results?¡±

    ¡°Yes; Professor He gave all of them to me.¡± Pausing, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°All experiments were done under the witness of Professor He and myself. Most of the experiments were even done by myself under Professor Dous¡¯s instructions. Therefore, this test is definitely reliable.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He hung up the call and sent a text to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°...But you and Gu Yanran are definitely not blood-rted. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied to his text: ¡°You can be sisters or rtives even if you¡¯re not biologically rted as well. Under thew, you can be step-sisters or sisters through adoption; all these are legal and recognized rtionships as sisters.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng realized that they had focused on the wrong area in their previous investigation. Moreover, they really had not expected that Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran would not be biologically rted but were still considered sisters.

    Turning to look at Gu Yanran, who was still having breakfast, he was surprised to see that she was looking at him as well. Seeing that he had turned around, she smiled brightly at him and waved.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want to have breakfast together?¡±

    Her voice was loud, and it traveled to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earpiece as well. However, Gu Nianzhi was already calm and collected. She was more concerned about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reaction when he learned about her background than Gu Yanran.

    Huo Shaoheng came to a decision immediately. ¡°Send all your documents to Little Ze. I¡¯ll go back immediately. Upon confirmation, we might need your help. Don¡¯t hang up; we¡¯ll talk as I walk.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held the call for a while and walked to Gu Yanran¡¯s dining table. ¡°Miss Gu, something cropped up. I have no time anymore. We¡¯ll leave this as it is today. Goodbye.¡±

    Without waiting for Gu Yanran to react, Huo Shaoheng left the vi.

    Looking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and handsome back, Gu Yanran frowned with her brows furrowed. What was this thing that had cropped up? Was it more important than her father¡¯s whereabouts?

    Weren¡¯t these people in a hurry to get her father to their country?

    ...

    The moment Huo Shaoheng got into the car, he told Gu Nianzhi everything about how Gu Yanran had tried to dy the time and how she did not want to reveal Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts.

    Gu Nianzhi knew exactly what and how Huo Shaoheng thought. She reacted instantly and eximed worriedly, ¡°What does she want, exactly? Huo Shao, let me go. I¡¯ll get Father¡¯s whereabouts from her. If she dares to not give it to me, I¡¯ll teach her some manners!¡±

 Chapter 488 - Reading Each Others Minds

    <h4>Chapter 488: Reading Each Other¡¯s Minds</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone improved Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mood instantly. If Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity was confirmed as the same Gu Nianzhi who had disappeared from the Gu family in Barbados seven years ago, then she really had ample reason to ask Gu Yanran to tell her the whereabouts of her father, Gu Xiangwen. Gu Yanran obviously didn¡¯t want to go to the Huaxia Empire, so she was doing all she could to dy the Huaxia military, but this wouldn¡¯t work on Gu Nianzhi.

    Of course, the condition to this solution was that Gu Nianzhi had to prove her identity. This was the data He Zhichu had obtained for her, as well as the identity confirmation from Dr. Doug¡ªthese could be used as identity confirmation evidence even if presented to the FBI.

    The problem Huo Shaoheng faced in Barbados was easily resolved. Pressing the phone to his ear, he was quiet for some time and stared deeply at the tropical scenery outside the car. Greenery was everywhere, and he could see the brilliant sun upon raising his head. It melting his hardened and solemn heart as the swelling warmth spread out toward the rest of his body. It was like the day Gu Nianzhi had a sweet and cloying dessert that she had forced him to eat. He hadn¡¯t liked it to begin with, but the sweetness had reached his heart when she¡¯d stuffed it into his mouth...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get a response from Huo Shaoheng for a long time, so she thought he didn¡¯t agree and was worried that his pride had taken a hit because of what happened. She quickly said, ¡°Huo Shao, do you not want me to help you? But this has to do with my past, so I¡¯m not actually helping you. I¡¯m more helping myself.¡±

    Her considerate words warmed Huo Shaoheng even more, and he even pitied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s careful consideration. He would never admit that he actually really liked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emboldened drive, but unfortunately, she rarely acted that way since she had matured.

    Gripping the phone, Huo Shaoheng sighed deeply and replied in a steady voice, ¡°I¡¯m very happy that you¡¯re taking the initiative to help me. I actually was going to get you to help anyway, so we basically thought of the same idea.¡±

    This time, Gu Nianzhi was the one left speechless for a long time. A tingling, swelling sensation spread out from her body. It was like the year Huo Shaoheng had taken her to a hot springs resort to soak in the hot springs. The warmth of a lover¡¯s embrace was absolutely addictive. Her gaze had secretly followed Huo Shaoheng ever since she had be a young girl, but he had always been too mature, too capable, and much too old for her. He had a lot more life experience and was always the figure she idolized. Even after they got together, Gu Nianzhi was trepidatious and ever fearful that she would lose him or wasn¡¯t worthy of him. But this time, she could sense the happiness of reading another¡¯s mind and having their hearts joined as one.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her cheeks grow hot against the phone and probably would¡¯ve lit up with the tiniest spark. People always said a hint of sunshine gave brilliance, but a mere spark would ignite her... Gu Nianzhi looked up instinctively to see a girl in the mirror smiling foolishly. She copsed onto the table in a fit of giggles, shoulders shaking.

    Huo Shaoheng heard herughter and also smiled in return. He asked gently, ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mughing at myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi stoppedughing, not daring to look in the mirror again. Thankfully, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t at her side to see her foolish appearance. Otherwise, that would have totally ruined her image with him. She hoped that in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind, she would always be the whip-smart and wless Gu Nianzhi.

    However, Huo Shaoheng sensed it mentally and didn¡¯t relent. Heughed quietly. ¡°Start a video call.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile froze on her face. ¡°Why? I... I... I didn¡¯t wash up or dress yet. Just came home all dusty. I don¡¯t... don¡¯t want to start the video call.¡±

    ¡°I want to see you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice had never been so low and gentle before. In the front seats, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze felt the hairs raise on the backs of their necks. They desperately prevented themselves from looking back to see if their chief in the backseat had been switched with someone else...

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely helpless in the face of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tender tone. She thought he must have cast a spell on her as she mindlessly turned on the video camera to aim at herself and even forgot to put on a filter.

    Resting an elbow against the window, Huo Shaoheng held the phone with his other hand to look down at the screen. It was the image of a beautiful girl who was trying hard to hold back a smile, but her two faint dimples appeared at the corners of her cute and luscious lips. This was Nianzhi. His Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thumb lingered lovingly on the screen just as if he was stroking her cheek. ¡°Pretty girl,¡± Huo Shaoheng texted Gu Nianzhi, and she began to giggle.

    Her unbridled and musicalughter was extremely infectious. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze in the front seat couldn¡¯t help but smile as well and looked back at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile disappeared, and he ended the video to call her again. ¡°Go fax me the information right now. I need to receive it as soon as I get to the hotel. Can you get this done?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi knew when the video suddenly ended and Huo Shaoheng resumed his normally aloof tone that there were outsiders present. She also curbed her smile and promised him seriously.

    ¡°Ok, then make it quick.¡± Huo Shaoheng ended the call and put away the phone nonchntly before saying to the driver, ¡°Please hurry up, I¡¯m in a rush.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze in the front seats also sat up straight and began to work.

    When they returned to the hotel, Zhao Liangze set up the machine to receive encrypted faxes and received the data Gu Nianzhi had sent over. Zhao Liangze quickly uploaded it to the cloud drive and had Huo Shaoheng log in to see it. Huo Shaoheng took a whole two hours to finish reading all the information and data. He perused it in detail and specifically looked up the jargon and terms he didn¡¯t understand in order to learn all the professionalnguage in a short period of time.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, can Nianzhi really belong to the Gu family from Barbados?!¡± Yin Shixiong braced himself on his arms against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk and asked with shock, ¡°But we checkedst time. Nianzhi and Gu Yanran¡¯s DNA are not biologically rted...¡±

    ¡°Who said only biologically-rted family are legally considered sisters?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly as he repeated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. ¡°We don¡¯t need to prove that she¡¯s rted to Gu Yanran. We just need to prove that she¡¯s the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family in Barbados.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze thought about it and finally understood the convoluted point. They nodded furiously and said in unison, ¡°Mr. Huo is a genius! How did you think of that?! We really backed ourselves into a corner with that!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea.¡± Huo Shaoheng ignored his subordinates¡¯ ttery. ¡°Nianzhi thought of it, and, of course, that was due to Professor He¡¯s hint.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Professor He again?! He clearly knew everything! Why didn¡¯t he tell us directly!¡± Yin Shixiong got irate and pped the desk. ¡°Look at all the time we wasted! We did so much work for nothing!¡±

    ¡°How was this time wasted? Investigating the truth should be aplex process to begin with.¡± Huo Shaoheng was unperturbed. ¡°Also, how could we totally believe He Zhichu¡¯s words without reservations? We must prove it step by step, so the necessary work must be done, and the time required must be taken in order to find the best solution.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze answered loudly in eptance of their scolding. ¡°But Mr. Huo, even though this evidence is enough for us, is it enough for the government of Barbados to reinstate Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity?¡± Zhao Liangze printed the data out and passed it to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What else do we need to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned in the high-backed leather chair with a hand under his chin. After considering it for a while, he finally said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we need Nianzhi toe here personally.¡±

    ¡°Have Nianzhie to Barbados? Great idea!¡± Yin Shixiong pped his hands loudly. ¡°We need tounch a surprise attack against Gu Yantan! This woman won¡¯te to our nation and only wants to go to the United States. We can¡¯t give her another chance to dy things!¡±

    ¡°Right. Once we prove Nianzhi¡¯s identity, Gu Yanran will no longer be the only person to make decisions for Gu Xiangwen.¡± Zhao Liangze also chimed in, ¡°Nianzhi is already 18 and ispletely capable of assuming responsibility. She¡¯s also Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, so she can also make half the decisions for Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Not just half.¡± Yin Shixiong snickered with his arms crossed as his eyes darted. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, although Nianzhi isn¡¯t rted to Gu Yanran, we still don¡¯t know who¡¯s really Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter!¡±

    Zhao Liangze thought about it. ¡°We don¡¯t have to be suspicious about that. Even though Gu Yanran isn¡¯t rted to Nianzhi, they must be legally recognized as family. I¡¯ll be the first to say it, not only biologically-rted sisters are legally considered sisters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the same,¡± Yin Shixiong objected. ¡°Let me ask¡ªif there are two daughters, one biological and the other not, whether from adoption or certain marriage rtions, who do you think has the greater right over Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng cast his eyes downward for a long moment and began to makemands. ¡°Little Ze, immediately contact our nation and have them expedite travel arrangements of Nianzhi to Barbados. Remember, we need the quickest speed. It¡¯s now...¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°9:30 p.m. in the Huaxia Empire right now. I need to see Gu Nianzhi at the Barbados airport by 9:00 p.m. local time, which is 9:00 a.m. tomorrow in the Huaxia Empire. Repeat my words exactly to them and tell them that this is a military order. They will be subject to military punishment if it¡¯s dyed even by a moment!¡±

 Chapter 489 - Reunited in a Foreign Land

    <h4>Chapter 489: Reunited in a Foreign Land</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Hearing Huo Shaoheng use this cold and emotionless tone used usually formanding, Zhao Liangze saluted while replying.

    Huo Shaoheng turned and looked at Yin Shixiong sternly. ¡°Big Xiong, arrange for people to escort Nianzhi here. Remember to keep it low profile. Do not alert those who are not involved.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Yin Shixiong saluted like Zhao Liangze did and replied loudly.

    Switching to work-mode in an instant, they knew they were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s soldiers, and Huo Shaoheng was theirmander. And anymands from themander had to be followed without any questions or doubts. If not, they would be facing corporal punishment.

    ...

    Five minutester, in Hua Xia Empire¡¯s highest suprememittee, General Ji¡¯s office, a coded confidential email arrived

    General Ji, who was in a meeting, was called out by his personal secretary. ¡°Sir, General Huo sent a confidential coded email from Barbados.¡±

    General Ji¡¯s expression darkened. He took the email from his secretary and said, ¡°Tell the people in the meeting that we will end here today. Something urgent cropped up, and they will submit reports to me if there were anything they need me to go through. I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±

    He returned hastily to his office and retrieved the codebook from his safe. Deciphering the code from the book line by line, he finally understood the content of the email. Upon reading, General Ji felt like he was on a roller coaster; it went up and down repeatedly, and he almost had a heart attack.

    Holding onto his chest, he leaned on the sofa and contemted for a while, feeling overwhelmed. No one expected that Gu Nianzhi was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter; nor did anyone expect that Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran were not biologically rted...

    They had always wanted Gu Xiangwen toe to the Hua Xia Empire, but Gu Yanran did not want to cooperate. They could only be led on by her and gave in continuously, hoping that she¡¯d agree to let Gu Xiangwen stay at the Hua Xia Empire.

    However, now that Gu Nianzhi is his daughter, what else will they have to worry about?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s influence over Gu Nianzhi was so great that, most likely, she would agree to gift Gu Xiangwen directly to the army...

    General Ji touched his chin and smiled. He did not approve of them being together initially. But if Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father was Gu Xiangwen, why would anyone stop them?

    They only knew how to look at how things benefitted them. Anyone who dared to object when facing a benefit so great would be considered as a threat to the welfare of the Hua Xia Empire. He need not do it on his own; the seniors in the army would get rid of them personally...

    General Ji¡¯s mouth curled up even more, and he made a decision immediately. He arranged for the relevant departments to get the documents for Gu Nianzhi to make her way to Barbados in the shortest amount of time possible.

    The Hua Xia Empire had a treaty with Barbados that their citizens would not require visas when they visited each other¡¯s countries. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi only had to bring her passport and get an airline ticket to get there.

    ...

    It was 10 o¡¯clock at night. Gu Nianzhi had just finished washing up and was about to go to bed when Yin Shixiong¡¯s call came in.

    ¡°Nianzhi, get up now and prepare to board the ne. I¡¯ve already arranged for your passport to be brought to the boarding gate. All you have to bring is your daily bag. There¡¯ll be no need for luggage or daily necessities, as Mr. Huo has already gotten people to bring them over from Europe. They will have arrived once you¡¯re here at Barbados.¡±

    After Yin Shixiong was done with the briefing in that quick and serious tone, he asked, ¡°Did you hear what I said? This is Mr. Huo¡¯smand.¡±

    A militarymand carried far more weight than anything; Gu Nianzhi had been following Huo Shaoheng for six years and knew that very well.

    She sat up from her bed immediately and said nervously, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll get up immediately and go to the airport. Who will be waiting for me there?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you¡¯re there.¡± Yin Shixiong left it at that. ¡°You have 30 minutes before the ne takes off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wailed. ¡°30 minutes?! I need 30 minutes just to get to the airport!¡±

    ¡°Fan Jian is already waiting for you at your dormitory. He has 20 minutes to get you to the airport. Any failure to do so and he would¡¯ve broken a military rule.¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice was cold and merciless and was extremely differentpared to how he usually was¡ªhappy and cheerful.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more nervous upon hearing Yin Shixiong sound like that, but she knew the importance and severity of this. Thus, she did not have anyints. She hung up and got up from her bed to get dressed.

    Carrying her small daily bag, she only took her purse and keys. She didn¡¯t even have time to bid Ma Qiqi goodbye. She only sent He Zhichu and Ma Qiqi texts after she boarded the car, which Fan Jian was driving.

    She told Ma Qiqi that something urgent had cropped up, and she needed to leave for a short period of time. She also troubled Ma Qiqi to apply for study leave for her. She told He Zhichu that she had something urgent to attend to and to apply for a study leave directly with him. However, she did not state where she was going.

    When Ma Qiqi saw her text, she opened the door in shock. Knocking on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room door, she realized that Gu Nianzhi had already left.

    ¡°What could be so urgent?¡± Ma Qiqi was extremely worried for Gu Nianzhi but did not press the matter. All she replied was, ¡°Safe trip. Come back soon.¡±

    He Zhichu was calling his family when he received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text. He understood where she was going the moment he received the text. He put his phone away after some contemtion and sent a text to his contact as well, informing them to arrange for his personal ne to return to South America tomorrow.

    ...

    Fan Jian really took only 20 minutes to send her to the airport. The people waiting for her at the boarding gate were the army doctors whom she was familiar with¡ªYe Zitan and Chen Lie!

    ¡°Brother Chen? Doctor Ye? You¡¯re going to Barbados as well?¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely surprised but d. The people who were going to Barbados with her were familiar faces; how nice.

    Chen Lie smiled and nodded. ¡°No choice. For Mr. Huo, I got dragged out of my bed in the middle of the night.¡± Turning to look at Ye Zitan, he asked, ¡°Are you tired or hungry, Doctor Ye?¡±

    Ye Zitan shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s board the ne. We¡¯re the only ones left.¡±

    Holding special passes from the army and the ministry of foreign affairs, they didn¡¯t need to go through the hassle of security checks, and they proceeded to board the ne from the VIP passage directly.

    In order to remain confidential, they did not engage their private jet. Instead, the army let them travel to Barbados with amercial ne, which was in constant contact with the Special Forces. There weren¡¯t direct flights to Barbados from the Hua Xia Empire. Therefore, like Huo Shaoheng and the guys, they had to take a flight to Cuba before transiting to a domestic flight to Barbados.

    It was nine o¡¯clock at night in Barbados, which was nine in the morning the next day in the Hua Xia Empire. Gu Nianzhi, Chen Lie, and Ye Zitan touched down safely in Barbados.

    Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze did not wee them at the airport. Gu Nianzhi, Chen Lie, and Ye Zitan boarded a cab and headed to the Hua Xia Empire Embassy Conste instead of checking in at a local hotel. Huo Shaoheng and the guys were waiting for them in the Embassy.

    ¡°Miss Gu, Mr. Chen, Miss Ye. This way, please.¡± A consr officer weed them with a wide smile and led them to the entrance of a meeting room.

    The door to the meeting room opened in an instant. Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze looked at them calmly, arms folded.

    ¡°Huo Shao! I can finally see you!¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled happily and walked quickly toward him.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and looked at her closely. ¡°You must be tired from the trip. You¡¯ve lost weight.¡±

    ¡°No, no. I wasn¡¯t tired at all. Lost weight? That¡¯s great...¡± Gu Nianzhi felt her fatigue and nervousness evaporate into thin air. She held onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m hungry. Is there food?¡±

    ¡°The Embassy had prepared dumplings for you guys. They¡¯ll be bringing them over soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and entered the meeting room.

    Chen Lie and Ye Zitan followed suit. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze waited behind and closed the door for them, standing guard outside. There were only Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, Chen Lie, and Ye Zitan in the small meeting room.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi sat side by side, holding hands, and looked at Chen Lie and Ye Zitan who were standing opposite them. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short for this emergency mission: Nianzhi will be going to the governor¡¯s office with meter on. Chen Lie and Ye Zitan wille up with a list of equipment needed to bring a patient who has been in aa for seven years back to our country. We will make the purchase from Europe immediately.¡±

    Chen Lie rolled his eyes. ¡°What?! You got me here on high alert all for the sake of bringing a vegetable back?! Do you know why they¡¯re called vegetables? It¡¯s cause they wouldn¡¯t feel a thing no matter what you did to them! What equipment would we need? All we have to do is to carry him up onto the ne!¡±

    ¡°This person is extremely important. We do not want any idents happening along the way.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused and felt a twitch from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. He gave her hand a squeeze, then held her more tightly. That slowly calmed her down.

    After Gu Nianzhi felt better, Huo Shaoheng continued. ¡°And I suspect that his condition is moreplicated than simply being in aa or being a vegetable, because we haven¡¯t seen this person. Being over-prepared is always better than being under-prepared.¡±

    This aroused Chen Lie¡¯s interest. Yawning, he folded his arms and said, ¡°Sure. Let me in on more details. I¡¯lle up with the list. It¡¯s too tiring today. Can we turn in, already?¡±

    ¡°Go. You stay here with Dr. Ye. I¡¯ll be bringing Nianzhi to settle some things.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up.

    All of a sudden, a weird smile crept up on Chen Lie¡¯s face. Nodding, he said knowingly, ¡°...Settling some stuff... Settle. Well, then...¡± Heughed.

 Chapter 490 - A Sweet Burden

    <h4>Chapter 490: A Sweet Burden</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°We are going to do official business, not personal things.¡± Huo Shaoheng instinctively objected to Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie gasped withughter, supporting himself on the table and saying loudly, ¡°No one said you¡¯re doing personal things. What are you so riled up for?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing. His other hand reflexively made a fist, wanting nothing more than to punch the strange smile off Chen Lie¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Chen Lie suspiciously, then at Huo Shaoheng to ask with curiosity, ¡°Brother Chen, we are going for official business. What are youughing about?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t exin it to you. You¡¯d better hurry on with your business with Mr. Huo...¡± Chen Lie winked at Gu Nianzhi before pouting at the door.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Ignore him.¡± Huo Shaoheng was stone-faced as he tightly pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand to take her out of the small conference room without looking back.

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go so fast. You still have time to take care of business... You can do it several times, too...¡± Chen Lieughed, but his cheerfulughter was cut short when he gleaned Ye Zitan¡¯s disapproving look. ¡°Little... Little Ye, I was only joking with them.¡± Chen Lie rubbed his head sheepishly, unsure where to look.

    Ye Zitan shook her and whispered, ¡°Dr. Chen, Nianzhi is still young. How can you make that kind of joke in front of her?¡±

    ¡°I... I was only joking...¡± Sweat started beading on Chen Lie¡¯s back. He was naturally anxious in front of Ye Zitan and had taken things too far earlier. ¡°I was just adding some excitement to the mood. I didn¡¯t mean anything else...¡±

    Ye Zitan saw that Chen Lie¡¯s face was flushed, so she stopped scolding him and considerately changed the topic. ¡°Dr. Chen, are you hungry? Mr. Huo had dumplings earlier...¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Dumplings, he had those. Oh my goodness, I am actually a bit hungry.¡± Chen Lie wiped the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief and quickly walked out the door where Yin Shixiong was standing. ¡°Big Xiong, are there dumplings here? Mr. Huo and Nianzhi aren¡¯t going to have some before they head out?¡±

    ¡°They still have business, but the dumplings were ready a long time ago. Please follow me.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was familiar with the ce, and he took Ye Zitan and Chen Lie to the dining room in the conste and asked the chefs to duty to cook dumplings for them.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as they walked out the conste doors. The night was at its darkest. The stars were shining brilliantly, and the sounds of distant waves could almost be heard. The humidity from the sea was in the air, as well as intermittent beautiful calls of nightingales to punctuate the night¡¯s peacefulness. They walked hand in hand to arrive at the street of the conste where the lights of the Barbados night shined bright. A gentle breeze swept across their faces warmly. It also felt slightly damp, just like the ultimate moment of intimacy between two lovers. No wonder people from the tropics were so passionate and outgoing. This kind of weather was perfect for love 365 days a year...

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng with a smile as she watched his wless side profile. She only hoped to continue walking like this forever¡ªto never have it end. Unfortunately, this was only her wishful thinking, because soon after they left the conste area to arrive at the Barbados government offices. It was truly a very small county, and all the government offices were concentrated together. It was not even as big as the regional offices of major cities in the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng led her to a white building and whispered, ¡°This is the Department of Domestic Affairs for Barbados. We need their help to reinstate your identity.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the in-looking building with curiosity. ¡°It¡¯s that small?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it is small. The Barbados national defense has only 600-some soldiers, so a few gunmen were enough to cause a huge incident here.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°There are still no leads on the gunmen, and you might be their target if you reinstate your identity. Are you scared?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°What do I have to be afraid of when I¡¯m with you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand with a smile on his lips as they looked up at the building together. ¡°I brought you here tonight because I still want to keep your identity secret for some time to wait and see so we can strike first when the time is right. Also, don¡¯t mention that you lost your memories when you go in now, ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Ok, are we going in now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and called his contact within the Barbados government. He spoke in a perfect English ent, and Gu Nianzhi waspletely intoxicated... She smiled at Huo Shaoheng, gently curling to his side. Fluidly holding her waist, Huo Shaoheng spoke into the phone a little more before telling Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Ok, we can go in now.¡±

    Soon after, the doors to the Department of Domestic Affairs building of the Barbados government opened, and a middle-aged ck man greeted them. When they sat down inside, Huo Shaoheng submitted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity confirmation information. The middle-aged ck man quickly nced through all the material and kept eximing, ¡°My God,¡± as he read.

    After finishing, he looked at Gu Nianzhi with shock and asked carefully, ¡°Dear Cereus, do you still remember me? I held you when you were little!¡± He then said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Gu is a very kind man. He helped me and my entire family. I wouldn¡¯t be here as a high-level government official if he hadn¡¯t sponsored me to attend university in the United States, He changed my life, and I¡¯m very happy that I have a chance to repay his kindness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled. Could Cereus have been her English name? Cereus literally meant cactus flower, queen of the night. It was an unusual name. Gu Yanran¡¯s English name was Jasmine, which was amon name for women.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled subtly and looked at Gu Nianzhi as he replied to the official, ¡°Mr. Mike, you still remember her?¡±

    ¡°I remember how Cereus looked like when she was little.¡± He examined Gu Nianzhi carefully. ¡°I have to say that she lookspletely different now. If it wasn¡¯t for the test results here, I wouldn¡¯t dare to believe...¡± He couldn¡¯t dare to believe she was Mr. Gu¡¯s youngest daughter from all those years ago.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s understandable. If it wasn¡¯t for me seeing her grow up before my eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have believed it either.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded politely. ¡°May I ask what other evidence you need? Nianzhi was considered a missing person in Barbados all those years ago?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Mike had already prepared all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s information. ¡°She went missing seven years ago and, strictly speaking, in two weeks, it¡¯ll be a full seven years that she¡¯s been missing. You know that many things be difficult to do once the seven years pass.¡±

    ¡°Yes, so it¡¯s Mr. Gu¡¯s good fortune that Nianzi could return to the Gu family before the seven years passed.¡± Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°See what other evidence you need in order to reinstate her identity and close the case.¡±

    ¡°I need some time to examine this information,¡± Mike continued in his businesslike manner. ¡°But be assured, I will keep this confidential. I can swear as a Christian that Jasmine will not find out.¡±

    ¡°I believe you.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook Mr. Mike¡¯s hand. ¡°I came to you because you are the most devout Christian. Mr. Gu will be sure to thank you once he wakes up.¡±

    Mike solemnly pressed his right hand against his chest and bowed at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Huo. I will take care of this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time after they walked out of the small building that housed the Department of Domestic Affairs.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°You don¡¯t trust that Mike will keep the secret?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi paused to look up at him. ¡°I was thinking that since Huo Shao gave such important documents to him and also trusted him, then his identity... isn¡¯t all that simple?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze slightly, his eyes so sharp that they could almost read minds like an X-ray. He nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°It was my intuition.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled shyly. ¡°Or maybe I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re right.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a small smile, picking up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand to kiss the back of it. ¡°My Nianzhi is the smartest.¡±

    Cheeks flushing, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile was even more dazzling and alluring than a cactus flower under the moonlight. Huo Shaoheng was almost spellbound and couldn¡¯t help lowering his lips to kiss her perfect cheek, then moving naturally to her lips. He kissed her again and again, and even though logic told him he should stop, the sensation took control of his consciousness.

    Cradling Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, he tasted her repeatedly. Gu Nianzhu stood on her tiptoes, dazed from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kisses. In her mind, she thought she heard the cries of nightingales, as well as seerge cactus flowers blooming in the moonlight. The silvery glow pierced through the dark backdrop of her mind, where scant memories appeared. Someone cradled her like a child to her chest and pointed to the cactus flowers in front of them. They taught her the pronunciation tone by tone.

    ¡°Cereus, Cereus, that¡¯s your English name...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t see the person¡¯s face, but the voice was a bit familiar. Who was it? Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes as a spasming pain suddenly took hold of her brain in order to prevent her from continuing the memory. She hugged Huo Shaoheng tightly and nuzzled his neck like a kitten.

    ¡°Sleepy?¡± Huo Shaoheng stroked her head and finally stopped the long kiss. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s full and luscious lips were already red and a little bruised.

    Seeing her like this made Chen Lie¡¯s teasing voice echo in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind. ¡°...Go do business... Do it well...¡±

    Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the excitement in his body and casually moved away from her. ¡°Go to bed. Just stay at the conste for the next few days and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder to y coy. ¡°I can¡¯t even lift my legs.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t move, see...?¡± Gu Nianzhi attempted to lift her leg. ¡°I can¡¯t even lift my legs up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng broke intoughter and bent down. ¡°Here. I¡¯ll carry you.¡±

    His tall and strapping back bent over before her. Gu Nianzhi was both excited and touched. A hint of faint bitterness was also brewing in her heart, but everythingbined to be a sweet feeling. She rested against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back to allow him to carry her the rest of the way. The streemps stretched theirbined shadows into long shapes that had no end.

    ...

    When they got back to the conste, it was already 11:00 p.m. Chen Lie walked out of his room to see Huo Shaoheng carrying a sleeping Gu Nianzhi on his back. He chuckled loudly, ¡°Boss, I told you to take it easy. It¡¯s just the first day, and you already made our Nianzhi pass out. How will she keep going in the future?¡±

 Chapter 491 - Youâ€™re Free

    <h4>Chapter 491: You¡¯re Free</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng red at Chen Lie and spoke to a direction behind him. ¡°Dr. Ye, please help me send Nianzhi to her room.¡±

    Chen Lie went pale immediately. He stood there not knowing what to do¡ªhe didn¡¯t dare to turn around and stood there like a wooden puppet. He looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was smiling, and walked past him slowly.

    Chen Lie only snapped back to his senses after Huo Shaoheng sent Gu Nianzhi into her room. He turned around and realized that there was no Ye Zitan at all! Huo Shaoheng had tricked him!

    Chen Lie was quite pissed off and ran to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door, raised his fist, and wanted to bang on her door. However, he stopped. He remembered that Ye Zitan¡¯s room was directly beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s! He couldn¡¯t take this lying down, though, so he folded his arms and stood outside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, waiting for Huo Shaoheng toe out.

    Huo Shaoheng ced Gu Nianzhi, who was sleeping soundly, onto the spacious bed in the room. Even though Barbados was a tropical country and was really hot right now, there was an air conditioner installed in the room, so it was still cool.

    Huo Shaoheng wiped the beads of perspiration off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead and covered her with a silk nket on the bed. He only left the room after that.

    Even without turning to look, he knew that Chen Lie would be leaning against the wall, feeling upset. Putting his hands in his pockets, Huo Shaoheng said calmly to Chen Lie, ¡°You¡¯re trying to have double standards now?¡±

    ¡°Would I dare to?!¡± Chen Lie felt extremely wronged. ¡°I¡¯m the peasant, and you¡¯re the minister. You¡¯re able to set the bars, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to not follow. Happy?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s consider us as equals today, then.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around and became serious. ¡°Chen Lie, this is really important. Please treat it as such. Anything can happen, and snipers can appear anytime.¡±

    ¡°So serious? Who¡¯s that person?¡± Chen Lie interest grew. ¡°Why are we so careful?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Shall we talk tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Oh, please! You¡¯d keep someone hanging like that? You think I can sleep like this?!¡± Chen Lie grumbled unhappily. His rant was not loud, as he remembered that Gu Nianzhi and Ye Zitan were sleeping in the rooms nearby.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Sure. Since you¡¯re unable to sleep, follow me. I¡¯ll show you something.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng brought Chen Lie into his room and showed him the documents. ¡°This is your mission this time around. You¡¯re to bring Gu Xiangwen back to the Hua Xia Empire in the position of a health doctor.¡±

    Chen Lie only managed to digest the information and react after a while. ¡°Gu Xiangwen?! That Gu Xiangwen?! You¡¯ve finally found him?! Didn¡¯t you say that he¡¯s be a vegetable? How?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and replied, ¡°ording to sources, he became like that after the MH210 ident.¡± He paced around the room, looking through the leads again. ¡°What we know is that everyone except for him died. His daughter, Gu Yanran, managed to save him. However, he hasn¡¯t been able to wake up.¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Chen Lie was extremely confused. ¡°How would Gu Yanran be his daughter?! Isn¡¯t his daughter Nianzhi?! You¡¯ve always said that Nianzhi¡¯s father is Gu Xiangwen, haven¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Nianzhi¡¯s father is indeed Gu Xiangwen. However, he is also Gu Yanran¡¯s father.¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and saw Chen Lie¡¯s chubby face turning red with stress. Heughed. ¡°You¡¯re shocked as well?¡±

    ¡°...Gu Yanran and Nianzhi are not biologically rted, but she¡¯s Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter? Then Nianzhi...¡± Chen Lie frowned, and his eyes turned into a thin line as his brow furrowed.

    ¡°Can¡¯t get it?¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not torture you further. There is such a thing as a sibling rtionship that isn¡¯t biologically rted. Just think outside the box¡ªoutside the box of being rted by blood.¡±

    Chen Lie finally understood. ¡°One of them isn¡¯t the biological daughter of the Gus! Gosh! So that¡¯s it! I¡¯ve been so blurred by everything.¡±

    To be honest, that shouldn¡¯t have been thought of as being blurred. It was because Gu Nianzhi was in a moreplicated situation. She had lost her memories before she¡¯d turned 12. Therefore, the only thing in the past to prove her identity was to test for DNA. If her DNA did not match, who would be able to say something such as that they were sisters who are not biologically rted?

    It was because of He Zhichu¡¯s help this time around that more leads to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past had been discovered.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down on the sofa opposite Chen Lie, supported an arm on his knees, and continued letting him know about Gu Xiangwen: ¡°...On the day I arrived at Barbados, the Gus were raided by masked snipers. Their intention was to get Gu Yanran to reveal the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen. However, Gu Yanran refused to let them know no matter what. After that, I gave chase and saved her. Therefore, she decided that she wanted me to help her send her father to America.¡±

    ¡°To America? Not to our country?¡± Chen Lie sat up straight. ¡°Why are you beating around the bush?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not beating around the bush; the things that happened in between wereplicated. Anyway, eventually, she got the army to help her, but the only condition was that Gu Xiangwen had to be sent to Hua Xia empire instead of America.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed. ¡°Eventually, even though Gu Yanran had agreed to the terms and conditions set by the army, she was rather reluctant. Therefore, she had been dying the progress. I had no choice but to get Nianzhi here. I got you here as well, just in case.¡±

    Chen Lie finally understood the entire episode. With his chin in one hand, he contemted for a while. Then he shook his finger. ¡°Then it looks like we¡¯ll have to prepare more equipment and more people in order to keep this safe.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and regarding this, I¡¯ll give you all authority for decisions. I¡¯ll get the person and bring him here and look out for his safety. You¡¯ll be in charge of the patient¡¯s condition along the way, making sure that he remains as he is and does not have any worsened conditions along the way. It¡¯d be best if you could think of a way to wake him up.¡± Huo Shaoheng pinned extremely high hopes on Chen Lie and looked at him firmly.

    Chen Lie nodded eagerly. ¡°Of course I¡¯d think of something. Don¡¯t worry. But finding the person is of the utmost importance right now, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and leaned back on the sofa. ¡°Barbados isn¡¯t a big ce. There¡¯s only so muchnd. Where can Gu Yanran hide her father?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked, feeling clueless.

    ¡°Even the local snipers couldn¡¯t find him. You¡¯re a foreigner here and aren¡¯t familiar with everywhere. How would you find him?¡± Chen Lie shrugged. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just wait patiently?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll push Gu Yanran again tomorrow. If she still refuses to relent, then don¡¯t me me for not having patience.¡± Huo Shaoheng is someone who had many backup ns. He was merely trying to see how Gu Yanran wanted to y her game.

    Gu Yanran was currently driving her car, returning to the vi in the suburbs from the city.

    Her phone rang. Putting on her Bluetooth earpiece, she answered the call. ¡°It¡¯s you? Yes? You¡¯re still here?¡±

    There was nothing but silence on the other end for a while before the voice came again: ¡°Yanran, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve really implicated you this time.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Yanran stopped in her tracks. She intended to step on the brakes but stepped on the elerator instead. Thankfully, there weren¡¯t many people on the road. If not, she¡¯d have bumped into the car in front.

    ¡°...Huo Shaoheng and his guys are still after my whereabouts. I¡¯ve just received news that they¡¯ve already gotten information on the Yamaguchi-gumi,¡± the voice said worriedly, showing her displeasure.

    ¡°What? How could that be?¡± Gu Yanran got a shock as well. ¡°What does Yamaguchi-gumi have to do with you? Don¡¯t scare yourself.¡±

    The person on the other end remained silent for a while. She could not exin to Gu Yanran what had happened in detail, so she finally said, ¡°We have to stop contacting thoroughly and not allow people to know that we¡¯ve been in touch. If not, it¡¯ll be the end for the both of us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡± Gu Yanran didn¡¯t believe it. She giggled. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you at all...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really serious.¡± The person on the other end sounded grave. ¡°I¡¯ve escaped twice, but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to do it again a third time. If I can¡¯t...¡± The person paused. ¡°Then just pretend you never had me as a friend, and forget you ever knew about my existence in this world.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Gu Yanran stepped on the brakes and stopped her car on the shoulder of the road. ¡°You¡¯d better make yourself clear. What the hell is going on?! What have you done?¡±

    ¡°The less you know, the safer you¡¯ll be. You sure you want to know?¡± The person on the other endughed wryly. ¡°Just don¡¯t try to find out any more. Yanran, you¡¯re my friend. I¡¯ll never let anything happen to you. Just be careful these few days...¡±

    The person mumbled some more things on the other end, then hung up.

    Gu Yanran frowned and looked at the road in front of her. Was going to Hua Xia Empire the only way out for her now? But she really wanted to go to America more. It¡¯d be easy if she were to go alone, but if she were to bring a human vegetable, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to go there in secret.

    She sighed and leaned on her steering wheel. After a while, she dozed off.

    After a while, a ck Mercedes SUV stopped in front of her. A tall and masculine man exited the car and knocked on Gu Yanran¡¯s windows. ¡°Miss Gu? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Gu Yanran turned to look at the familiar face and opened the door.

    The man sat down in the car. ¡°Miss Gu, do you have some things you¡¯re unable to solve? I can help you.¡± The man¡¯s eyes were bright, eager, and innocent. He looked like an innocent boy.

    Gu Yanran touched his face gently and traced her finger down his arms, then held his hand. She looked at the hand¡ªthe hand that had helped her countless times. It wasn¡¯t exactly clean, and it was sttered with blood. However, he was the only person she could depend on at that point in time.

    However, this pair of hands couldn¡¯t help her anymore this time around.

    Gu Yanran shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stand by us anymore, Ye Xuan; you¡¯re free now.¡±

 Chapter 492 - Who is Whose Salvation?

    <h4>Chapter 492: Who is Whose Salvation?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Free?¡± The man named Ye Xuan seemed to snort in contempt at the term. ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯ve forgotten again how Uncle Gu sponsored the orphans at the orphanage but didn¡¯t restrict our freedom. We¡¯ve never been anything but free.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Yanran gave a slightly tired smile. She had no energy to argue over semantics with him. Turning away, she looked out the car window and replied dryly, ¡°Consider it my incorrect use of words, ok? I¡¯m really tired. I don¡¯t want to argue today.¡±

    ¡°No one is arguing with you.¡± Ye Xuan leaned over to look at Gu Yanran to see that she did appear worn out. He pressed her. ¡°Go sit over there. I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    Gu Yanran looked back at Ye Xuan¡¯s SUV parked behind her car and pouted. ¡°Then what about your car?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it here and get someone to tow it back once we return.¡±

    Gu Yanran truly had no more energy to drive. She shifted over to the front passenger¡¯s side and curled up in the soft seat, biting her nails and staring nkly.

    Ye Xuan started the car and asked her, ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Back to the manor,¡± Gu Yanran said wearily, as if she were full of thoughts but couldn¡¯t speak. Ye Xuan was quiet for a while, driving the car onto the highway and opening the windows to allow the slightly cool night¡¯s breeze to bring in the ocean¡¯s humidity. It served to refresh their minds. Gu Yanran decided to close her eyes to rest. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep for a bit. Remember to wake me up when we get there.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Ye Xuan answered sullenly.

    He drove the entire way back to Gu manor in the countryside. The traffic was smooth and very quiet, so it took less than 15 minutes to arrive at the manor¡¯s entrance.

    Ye Xuan got out first, then opened the door and stood to the side like a doorman. ¡°Miss Gu, we¡¯re here.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyelids fluttered, her long eyshes gently trembling as she slowly opened her eyes. There was a moment of confusion until she saw the tall iron gates before her, as well as the bright streetmp in front of the gate and the tall figure standing underneath it. She went nk for a second and murmured, ¡°Why can¡¯t you be him?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu?¡± Ye Xuan frowned and bent over inside the car to hold her arm. ¡°Wake up. We¡¯re here.¡±

    Gu Yanran suddenly woke up and allowed Ye Xuang¡¯s strength to pull her out of the car. Rubbing her groggy eyes, she said, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll go in now. What about you? Do you want to stay the night?¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s car was still on the shoulder of the highway, and it was alreadyte in the night. He wouldn¡¯t be able to find anyone to tow it. ¡°You want me to stay here for the night?¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s braced himself against the great iron gates with one hand to block Gu Yanran¡¯s way inside.

    She looked up at his face with surprise¡ªstrong brows,rge eyes, a tall and straight nose, hooded lids. These were all standard features of a mixed-race child, and he was an especially handsome one, too.

    ¡°Ye Xuan...¡±

    ¡°You missed me?¡± Ye Xuan stubbornly refused to let go, walking forward and lowering his head so his question was spoken against Gu Yanran¡¯s lips.

    Gu Yanran wanted to say no, but Ye Xuan had alreadytched onto her lips to block the word and prevent her from refusing. Gu Yanran moaned as he lifted her up to walk through the great iron gates. Intertwined with each other the whole way, their clothes were thrown down in a path. By the time they reached the living room in the manor, they were anxiously aroused by each other.

    ...

    Gu Yanran was in a foul mood, and Ye Xuan¡¯s appearance was like the perfect antidote to allow her to temporarily forget all her recent troubles. She could fully enjoy the pleasures of intimacy between a man and a woman with him. After they finished, she covered herself in a towel and went to the bathroom to shower. Seeing the marks all over her body, she shook her head and went straight to the shower to rinse off.

    After showering, she came out of the bathroom to see Ye Xuan also washed up. He had changed into pajamas and was leaned against her bed reading a magazine. It was a fashion magazine Gu Yanran had carelessly left on the side table to kill time at night before sleeping. Ye Xuan waspletely disinterested in the things women read, but it felt fairly awkward not having something to hold onto at a time like this.

    Gu Yanran sat in front of the vanity and used the blowdryer to dry her hair. Ye Xuan set down the magazine and cradled the back of his head with his hands as he watched her get dressed. After Gu Yanran had applied her night cream, she walked over to the bed wrapped in a nightgown and said to him, ¡°Xuan, this is thest night. Let¡¯s break up.¡±

    ¡°Break up?¡± Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t hold back a snicker. ¡°Since when were we ever together?¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t speak. She looked down snobbishly, the corners of her lips slowly pursing.

    ¡°...It doesn¡¯t matter if you look at me like that. From the moment you saved me, I swore that my life belonged to you. I will follow only you for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°Xuan, we were still young back then,¡± Gu Yanran said nkly, sitting on the bed and pressing Ye Xuan¡¯s palm against her cheek. ¡°I guess we had a good time together, so let¡¯s end it on a good note, too. I¡¯ll marry in the future and have my own family and husband. He won¡¯t be happy that I have a ¡®close male friend...¡¯¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he¡¯ll be happy or not.¡± Ye Xuan looked at her obsessively. ¡°During the 10 years of boarding school in the US, my happiest moments were reading the letters you sent me. It¡¯s been so many years, and you sent me one every week without pause. Until Uncle Gu had his ident... I wasmitted to you long ago even though you were still young, so you didn¡¯t know...¡±

    Gu Yanran covered his mouth with her hand. ¡°Stop talking. It¡¯s all in the past. We are grown up now.¡±

    ¡°You were still young back then, and you saved me and then got really sick because of it. Uncle Gu sent me to the United States to attend boarding school, and I went for a whole 10 years. I didn¡¯t think that Uncle Gu would beatose when I came back.¡± Ye Xuan punched the bed with his other hand, ¡°I saw on the news how you were taken hostage by those gunmen the other day. Yanran, can¡¯t you see? You can¡¯t be without me. You asked me to leave, and then something like that happened. Tell me, how can I feel reassured letting go?¡±

    Gu Yanran stared at Ye Xuan. Her heart was moved. Since Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident, she had been supporting the entire Gu family alone. There were few people in the family to begin with, and with the incredible family fortune resting on her shoulders, she felt like a disobedient child unting the immense wealth to the public. No wonder it attracted so many greedy eyes and she was already at the brink of copsing. Ye Xuan had abandoned his studies to rush back to Barbados as soon as Gu Xiangwen had the ident. He¡¯d helped her and waspletely loyal.

    Even though Ye Xuan was very good to her and she had feelings for him, too, he was only one person with limited capabilities. There was no way he could protect her or her family. She needed stronger support.

    ¡°Ye Xuan, we really aren¡¯t meant for each other.¡± Gu Yanran sighed, propping her head on one hand to allow her long, wavy hair to fall down and obscure half her face. ¡°I don¡¯t want to upset my husband in the future. You... should go.¡±

    Hands trembling, Ye Xuan half-knelt in front of Gu Yanran to take her hand to beg. ¡°Yanran, are you really not going to give me a chance? I can help you, I really can help you!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t help me,¡± Gu Yanran stated calmly, ¡°and I don¡¯t want to ruin your life. Ye Xuan, you should have your own life, find a nice girl, and fall in love. You¡¯ll marry and have your own family. Have a few kids of your own. Soon, you¡¯ll forget everything here, and maybe you¡¯ll wish nothing more than for it to have never happened at all.¡±

    ¡°Yanran!¡±

    ¡°Ye Xuan, we really aren¡¯t right for each other.¡± Gu Yanran waspletely calm, her tone emotionless. ¡°You should go and nevere back. Don¡¯t me me for being heartless if you show up again.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really kicking me out?!¡± Ye Xuan appeared very hurt. He slowly stood up to look down at the silent Gu Yanran. He waited for her reaction.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s expression was unchanged as she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not kicking you out, I¡¯m just letting you live your own life.¡±

    Since Gu Yanran was being so insistent, Ye Xuan no longer had any reason to stay. Stone-faced, he quickly rushed out of the room but didn¡¯t forget to m the door shut for her as he left.

    Gu Yanran looked in the direction of the room with a wry smile. She took out her phone to call Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    ¡°Mr. Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Yanran was finally calling, so he took his time putting on the Bluetooth headset and allowed it to ring several times before finally answering, ¡°Miss Gu, what is it?¡±

    Gu Yanran froze for a second and secretly thought that Huo Shaoheng was a good actor. She knew how badly he wanted to see her father, Gu Xiangwen, but he pretended to be so casual about it. Gu Yanran broke into a smile. ¡°Yes. Did Mr. Huo forget? Didn¡¯t you promise to send my father to your nation for medical care?¡±

    ¡°Oh, about that. I do remember, but Miss Gu didn¡¯t seem to be in a rush, so there¡¯s no reason for us to be in a rush, either. Barbados is a pretty nice ce. I guess we are traveling on the taxpayer¡¯s dime.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put one hand in his trouser pocket and held a cigar with the other as he stood in the hotel¡¯s smoking lounge to watch the blue skies and white clouds outside the window. Earlier, Mr. Mike had already given him a letter of approval stating that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity waspletely legal and her Barbados citizenship would be reinstated shortly.

    Barbados was amonwealth country, so Gu Nianzhi automatically gained amonwealth citizenship. But with this, it also meant that her Huaxia citizenship was nullified. However, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t worried. As soon as they returned to the Empire, he would help Gu Nianzhi apply for Huaxia Imperial citizenship and emigrate as a naturalized Huaxia citizen. Until all the citizenship procedures wereplete, Huo Shaoheng had to keep all this a secret from Gu Yanran. He wanted to see what tricks she had up her sleeve.

    As expected, Gu Yanran became uncertain from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and finally replied, ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry, Mr. Huo. I didn¡¯t mean to dy things, but you know that the gunmen are atrge. I¡¯m afraid to reveal my father¡¯s whereabouts too quickly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snorted internally, but his tone was more baritone than ever. ¡°We don¡¯t need to discuss the past. It¡¯s better that we meet your father soon, and then we can discuss how to get him on the flight.¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded. ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte right now. If Mr. Huo is free at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, you cane to the Mand Manor in the countryside. This is another property belonging to our family. You can find it on the map.¡±

 Chapter 493 - Gu Xiangwenâ€™s Whereabouts

    <h4>Chapter 493: Gu Xiangwen¡¯s Whereabouts</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After the phone call with Gu Yanran ended, Huo Shaoheng began checking up on Mand Manor.

    ording to the map, it was a plot ofnd approximately 10 acres in area. There weren¡¯t many houses in the area, only a main building and a couple of small architectural structures around. Forests upied the rest of the area. It was near the mountains and sea¡ªa rather nice and tranquil location.

    ¡°Big Xiong, get the car ready. We¡¯ll be heading to Mand Manor tomorrow morning at eight o¡¯clock.¡± Huo Shaoheng sent Yin Shixiong the address. ¡°Little Ze, get backup on standby.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    Due to having to bring Gu Xiangwen back to the country, after consulting General Ji, the army gave Huo Shaoheng the green light to engage more people from the Special forces to Barbados to aid in executing the n. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze would be managing these people. Huo Shaoheng would be managing Gu Nianzhi, Ye Zitan, and Chen Lie personally. They were still staying in the Embassy, while Huo Shaoheng and the guys were still staying in the hotel.

    Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze did not sleep the entire night the day before the operation. They were preparing to execute the first step of the n perfectly.

    ¡°It will be thest time we push Gu Yanran to tell us the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen tomorrow. If she still wishes to drag our time, we will execute n B.¡± Huo Shaoheng handed two sets of ns to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. ¡°However, if she manages to think it through and tell us, we will discuss how we would bring him back, and we¡¯ll execute n A.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze took the documents and began preparation work.

    The next day, at seven o¡¯clock in the morning, Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong were already prepared. They headed to the main lobby of the hotel to have breakfast.

    Yin Shixiong left earlier to drive the car over. The car was a bulletproof one imported from Cuba to protect them from the masked snipers if they attempted to hide around the Gus¡¯ Mand Manor. Huo Shaoheng had contacted the Hua Xia Empire Embassy in Cuba specifically to get this car.

    Huo Shaoheng exited the hotel. Yin Shixiong alighted the car quickly to hold the door for him. A couple of people followed suit, but they were actually Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bodyguards.

    The morning traffic in Barbados was smooth, especially from the city to the suburbs. The traffic was rather heavy from the suburbs into the city. That was because many people stayed in the suburbs but worked in the city.

    15 minutester, they had arrived at the main entrance of Mand Manor. Ye Xuan did not leave. He had hidden himself in the forest outside Mand Manor. He wanted to know the reason Gu Yanran insisted on chasing him away.

    When Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car arrived, Ye Xuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He climbed up a tree and hid among the leaves. They were in an elegant but low-profile ck car, and it was parked in front of the main entrance of the Gus¡¯ Manor.

    A capable-looking young man exited the car first. Wearing shades, he looked around. Then he bowed and opened the door. An even taller and far more handsome man came out from the car slowly. He was diagonally facing Ye Xuan, so he could only see the man¡¯s side profile. However, just by only looking at the side profile of this man, his perfect looks almost suffocated him.

    It must have been because of this man... Ye Xuan concluded in his mind.

    His perfect looks aside, Ye Xuan could already tell that he was someone of a high status just by the way he was standing. He had the aura of someone who was of an important status. This aura separated him from the rest of the people, and it caused people to want to submit and listen to him.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s eyes revealed a gaze that was beastly. Was it really because of this man that Miss didn¡¯t want him anymore? Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be like this man within this lifetime, but did he have a true heart like him?

    Just when he was thinking agitatedly, Ye Xuan¡¯s body swerved slightly. It was a slight swerve, almost equivalent to a small gust of wind blowing at the leaves, rustling them. However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s observance sensed that they were being watched.

    He covered his mouth to cough lightly, but he was really speaking softly into the receptor on his hand. ¡°On your right, in the direction of three o¡¯clock. Unnatural movements.¡±

    Zhao Liangze, who was on standby, received the news and immediately contacted with people from their end to adjust the satellite locations in this area for a thorough carpet search.

    A short whileter, Ye Xuan¡¯s blurred image of his back view and a face shot were sent to the receptor on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. The receptor looked simr to an Apple watch, but its functions were totally different.

    When Huo Shaoheng looked at the information on the watch-receptor, Ye Xuan¡¯s image was already fully loaded.

    ¡°Check who this person is.¡± Huo Shaoheng saw that the person looked sad behind all the fearsome expression, so he felt that this person wasn¡¯t the same as the masked snipers from before.

    The masked snipers fromst time all had the looks of desperations in their eyes. They only looked at the amount they were paid and not anything else.

    Zhao Liangze began searching for profiles. The first ce he hacked into was, of course, the database of all the people in Barbados. In this database, there would be data on the citizens of Barbados and the people who legally underwent immigration into Barbados. This data would include their pictures, passports, and fingerprints.

    Of course, if this person happened to not be a citizen here, or if he had entered this country illegally, his data wouldn¡¯t be in that database. However, Zhao Liangze was in luck. He acquired the details of this person during his first attempt to hack into the database of the Barbados government. Feeling d, he sent all the details to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had already read through almost 90 percent of Ye Xuan¡¯s information while walking to the main entrance of Mand Manor from the main metal gate. So, this guy was an orphan whom Gu Xiangwen sponsored. He was actually studying in America but had returned to help Gu Yanran handle the Gus¡¯ assets after Gu Xiangwen had met with the ident.

    However, it was weird that he felt the need to hide in the forest to spy on them. Given his rtionship with the Gus and Gu Yanran, he could actually wee them openly with her. Were there problems between them?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s upational hazard was acting up. Hemanded Zhao Liangze to continue checking on Ye Xuan and to see if he could find out about the school he was boarding at while in America for 10 years. The moment he sent themand, the doors opened in front of him.

    Gu Yanran was wearing a light-gray business suit and looked at her clock while saying in approval, ¡°You¡¯re very punctual, Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°Being punctual is the virtue of a king. It should be my job to do so.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly and entered the house with Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Yanran looked curiously at the few people who looked alert and capable and asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°They are...?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re my subordinates. You can ignore them.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at them. ¡°Stand guard at the entrance.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    Even though there were only four to five of them, it was grand to hear a neat response.

    Gu Yanran was taken aback but returned to normal in no time. ¡°You¡¯re too careful, Mr. Huo; it¡¯s actually very safe here.¡±

    ¡°Just in case.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down. A Barbados-African wearing a white-colored maid¡¯s outfit brought him a coffee. Using very basic Mandarin, she said, ¡°Meester Huo, have a coffee please...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and thanked her.

    Gu Yanran looked at the maid who just walked away, and she sighed. ¡°These are a new batch of helpers whom I just engaged. They¡¯re not trained yet. We would be leaving anyway, so why bother to? So they¡¯re just like that.¡±

    ¡°What about the previous helpers?¡±

    ¡°All dead. On that fateful day, killed by the masked snipers. They were all longtime helpers with my family. Some had even begun working here before I was born. All gone, just like that. I feel really apologetic to their families, so I prepared a huge sum of condolences donations for them yesterday.¡± Gu Yanran took a sip of coffee and looked troubled. ¡°I really have no idea what went on. Everyone in the family is gone. I¡¯m the only one left.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened quietly. Turning his cup, he put it back onto the table. After Gu Yanran was done talking, he asked, ¡°I thought you still had your father? Even though he¡¯s a vegetable, he¡¯s still alive, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. There¡¯s still my father.¡± Gu Yanran wiped a tear that fell out from the corner of her eye. ¡°But his condition isn¡¯t good. It deteriorated again recently, and he has gone to the hospital a couple of times.¡±

    They were finally at the main topic. Huo Shaoheng straightened his back, and looked at Gu Yanran, full of concern. ¡°Is he still in the hospital?¡±

    He had actually run a thorough check. Gu Xiangwen had already been discharged from the hospital with the help from the Hes before Gu Yanran had returned to Barbados all of a sudden. However, no one knew where he was after he was discharged.

    At the very least, the masked snipers did not know. Therefore, they had used all the helpers from the Gus to threaten her¡ªand had almost killed her, as well.

    Gu Yanran tilted her head and considered. ¡°Wow,¡± she said. ¡°Mr. Huo is really clever, isn¡¯t he? You ask good questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Actually, my father is still in the hospital. However, he is well-protected by the Hes,¡± Gu Yanran said slowly and clearly. ¡°A few days ago, my father¡¯s condition worsened, and he had to be admitted to the hospital. The Hes received the news that someone had their eyes and minds on my father. Therefore, they came up with a n to let others think that my father had already been discharged in order to distract their attention. That was the reason why the masked snipers did not know that my father was still in the hospital. He only changed wards, and they changed all his doctors and nurses.¡±

    ¡°There are many people in the hospital. How could no one know?¡± Huo Shaoheng found it unbelievable.

    ¡°Even the people taking care of my father don¡¯t know who he is. Moreover, I haven¡¯t visited him, not even once, since I returned. Of course, those people would not suspect anything,¡± Gu Yanran said confidently. ¡°But, Mr. Huo, if we were to bring my father out, I would have to be there personally for the discharge procedures. However, that would reveal my father¡¯s whereabouts. By then, I don¡¯t even dare to imagine what might happen to the hospital. What do you suggest we do so that we can get my father out, safe and sound, but not alert the snipers?¡±

    This was going to be a tough one.

    If Gu Yanran doesn¡¯t go, they won¡¯t be able to get Gu Xiangwen out of the hospital. However, if she went, the snipers would know Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts immediately, and by then, it would be possible that a massacre might happen there.

    Huo Shaoheng did not wish to blow the matter up.

    What could he do?

 Chapter 494 - Incomparable (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 494: Iparable (Part 1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°The hospital must meet you in order to discharge him?¡± Huo Shaoheng was only troubled for a moment beforeposing himself and beginning to question Gu Yanran. ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t they know who the patient is? Didn¡¯t you just say the hospital doesn¡¯t know what kind of person the patient is?¡±

    Gu Yanran stared at Huo Shaoheng with a frown, and after a while, she seemed to finally understand his convoluted words. ¡°The thing is, the doctors and nurses certainly don¡¯t know what kind of person the patient is, but a veryplete procedure is required in order to discharge the patient. Not a single step can be missed. When I first had my father admitted into the hospital, I chose the highest-level clearance for discharge.¡± Gu Yanran exined the rules and regtions of the discharge procedure for hospital patients. ¡°The highest clearance requires immediate rtives to be present in order to discharge the patient. As for who is considered an immediate rtive, is Mr. Huo well aware? Only children, parents, or spouses are considered immediate rtives.¡±

    So that was the case. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart instantly calmed down, but he asked casually, ¡°Must the immediate rtives be present? Can¡¯t you use power of attorney?¡± If that was a possibility, then Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t required to personally go to the hospital and catch the gunmen¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Yanran wagged her finger with a smug look. ¡°If power of attorney was possible, then that wouldn¡¯t be considered the highest clearance for patient discharge. That would be one step below.¡±

    ¡°In other words, there¡¯s no other way to discharge your father other than an immediate rtive personally going to the hospital?¡± Huo Shaoheng again repeated Gu Yanran¡¯s exnation.

    ¡°Right. Mr. Huo is perfectly correct. Now, within the Gu family, only my father and I are immediate rtives, so... This is a difficult situation.¡± Gu Yanran spread her palms, her expression extremely helpless. ¡°How about this? If Mr. Huo can help us arrest the person behind the gunmen, I¡¯ll discharge my father immediately. I¡¯ll emigrate with him to your nation. What do you think?¡±

    So, after all that, she was still insisting that Huo Shaoheng first help arrest the mastermind behind the gunmen before he could enjoy the benefits that came along with Gu Xiangwen. But Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts on trying his best to find Gu Xiangwen differed from the high-ranking Huaxia military elites. He didn¡¯t really care about the benefits that Gu Xiangwen could bring after he woke up, because he knew that some things could not be forced. No one knew if Gu Xiangwen would be willing to cooperate with them after he woke up. They wouldn¡¯t force him to do anything for them, so this was not enough motivation for him.

    Gu Nianzhi was arge part of why he was using all efforts to find Gu Xiangwen. That way, he can give her a proper identity. But Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want Gu Yanran to know about this, so he pretended to listen with interest before replying, ¡°This is a serious matter, and we still have no leads on the gunmen. It¡¯s not impossible to arrest them, but it will take a lot of time. I¡¯d like to ask you not to visit your father even once during this period of time. In other words, you don¡¯t have to discharge him, but can we see him first?¡±

    People went topare items from three stores before purchasing. It would only make sense to see the actual person they were rescuing? Gu Yanran understood what Huo Shaoheng meant and knew he wouldn¡¯t help her with the request unless she gave him some benefit to start with.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I can arrange a time. Mr. Huo can personally go to the hospital at an indicated location and time to see my father.¡± Gu Yanran agreed quickly and reached her hand out to him. ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡± Her business demeanor was generous and decisive, without a hint of dy. It was as if her earlier dragging on with the decision had merely been an illusion.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and stood up to briefly shake Gu Yanran¡¯s hand. ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡±

    Leaving the Gus¡¯ Mand Manor, Huo Shaoheng looked up to quickly nce at the location where someone had been hiding earlier. He noticed that the presence in that spot had disappeared, so they must¡¯ve left. Yin Shixiong walked over to open the car door for Huo Shaoheng, and he silently got inside. His car quickly drove out of the Gus¡¯ Mand Manor to return to the General Conste of the Huaxia Empire in Barbados in the city limits.

    ...

    When Huo Shaoheng returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, she was still asleep. Shey on the bed, hugging the nket, not appearing very elegant. A long leg stuck out from under the nkets with the fabric twisted around it. Her skin was as pale as a fresh piece of lotus root.

    Huo Shaoheng swallowed hard, walking over to help her adjust her nkets. She acutely woke up and half-opened her eyes to see that Huo Shaoheng had arrived. Immediately rxing, she hugged his waist and snuggled against him before closing her eyes again. Huo Shaoheng knew she was awake but had the habit of staying in bed for a while before fully waking up. Huo Shaoheng decided to sit on the edge of her bed and crossed his arms to think about the day¡¯s situation. On the way back, Gu Yanran had already sent him the time and location. It was to be 8:00 a.m., three days from now. It wasn¡¯t too early or toote, and that was when he could take the special pass Gu Yanran had given him to visit Gu Xiangwen. Of course, he could only visit with the special pass but had no way of discharging him. Huo Shaoheng also wanted to take the opportunity to let Gu Nianzhi see Gu Xiangwen. It was her father, and she hadn¡¯t seen him for six or seven years now.

    ¡°Huo Shao, what are you thinking about? Why are you so distracted?¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist and closed her eyes toy down for a while. She mumbled groggily. ¡°You didn¡¯t even kiss me. This doesn¡¯t make sense...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng broke intoughter and lowered his head as he¡¯d been told to kiss her cheek. ¡°Since you¡¯re awake now, you should get up. You never get up on time even when you¡¯re away from home.¡± He then raised his hand to gently p Gu Nianzhi¡¯s butt through the nket.

    ¡°Domestic violence... Domestic violence...¡± Gu Nianzhi cried softly, arching her body rebelliously so that the thin silk nket was wrinkled into ripples. It was a tempting sight. He wanted nothing more but to rip it away to see whaty underneath...

    ¡°You call that domestic violence? Hmm?¡± Huo Shaoheng decided to scoop Gu Nianzhi up, nket and all. He held her in his arms and pretended to throw her down. ¡°Do you really want to try some domestic violence?¡±

    ¡°No... No... Huo Shao. Fine, forgive this little girl...¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled, opening her glittering eyes to smile broadly at Huo Shaoheng. She then hugged his neck and kissed him once on each cheek.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll let you off today, considering it¡¯s your first vition. But if you do it again, you¡¯ll be punished for both offenses.¡± Huo Shaoheng whispered in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, his hot breath igniting a fire by her ears and the heat instantly spreading from it all throughout her body. She was so excited that even her toes curled up.

    Gu Nianzhi throat began purring faintly like a little kitten, and before she could object, Huo Shaoheng had already lodged her lips with a kiss. A longer and tender morning kiss finally had Gu Nianzhi awake with satisfaction. She hummed as she went to wash up in the bathroom. As soon as she walked in, she was very touched to see that all the toiletries and even the towels were the brands she liked. It was obvious that Huo Shaoehng had someone prepare them for her. Because of this, she spent a bit more time to wash in the bathroom in order to fully enjoy the considerate preparations Huo Shaoheng had made for her. If she didn¡¯t wash well, it would be a shame for all the body wash, face wash, and shampoo to have traveled across oceans to get there.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch to see that Gu Nianzhi had been in the bathroom for almost an hour. Did it take that long? Had she fallen asleep in the bathtub? Huo Shaoheng stood up and went to knock at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bathroom door.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi finally turned off the shower and used a towel to dry her body. She then put on a bathrobe and wrapped her hair in a towel before opening the door. Huo Shaoheng stood at the door with his arms crossed as he assessed her. ¡°You showed? What took so long?¡±

    ¡°I had to wash well. I was stinky from flying in the ne for so long.¡± Gu Nianzhi crinkled her tiny nose. ¡°Also, Huo Shao made such great arrangements to ensure that everything in there were my favorite toiletries. Otherwise, I really would have not been used to it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand nonchntly. ¡°Come out if you¡¯re done. There¡¯s something I still have to tell you.¡±

    Because this situation required Gu Nianzhi¡¯s presence, Huo Shaoheng also had to include her into the nning of the operation. Of course, this was also with the special approval of the Huaxia Imperial Supreme Military Council. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t reveal the n to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Then Huo Shao should go out first. I¡¯lle out after I get dressed.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly looked for clothes to change into.

    Huo Shaoheng was busy, too, so he raised his arm to nce at his watch. ¡°Your clothes are in the suitcase over there. It was all sent yesterday. Remember to choose a more mature outfit and to wear more adult-looking makeup, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and heard the door close as soon as she found the suitcase. Turning around, she saw that Huo Shaoheng had already left. She really had been in the bathroom for too long.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head regretfully but immediately cheered up when she saw the suitcase full of new clothes. Opening it up, she spilled all the clothes onto the bed and tried them on one by one. She even did something new by mixing and matching. Another half an hour passed with her putting on clothes. By the time she walked out of the room, she saw Yin Shixiong squatting by her door. Gu Nianzhi said nothing.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re finally out.¡± Yin Shixiong looked up at her with a wink before getting ustomed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mature and stunning makeup. He didn¡¯t get up. ¡°Your Brother Xiong has old bones and can¡¯t get up after squatting down all day waiting for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reached out to him with a smile. ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯ll pull you up.¡±

    Yin Shixiong squeezed her hand and stood up with a smile. ¡°Thankfully, Nianzhi is sweet enough to take pity on Brother Xiong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed him. ¡°Fine, fine! Hurry up and tell me what you were doing at my door? Did Huo Shao ask you toe?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°Hurry up ande down with me. We have to discuss the concrete n now and were only waiting for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fumbled at her clothes sheepishly. ¡°You were all just waiting for me?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Yin Shixiong took her to a small conference room then closed the door. ¡°Mr. Huo, Nianzhi is here.¡±

    Looking up, Huo Shaoheng instantly saw a morous young woman walk in. She slightly arched her delicate neck, coral lips glistening with a pearly sheen and her face absolutely stunning. ncing through the room, she was iparable!

 Chapter 495 - Incomparable (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 495: Iparable (Part 2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    So, Gu Nianzhi looked like this when she dressed maturely...

    She looked even more alluring than usual with slight smokey eye makeup, which contrasted greatly with her fair skin. The bridge of her nose was so perfectly straight; it looked like she¡¯d used a ruler to guide its development. Upon applying some shimmering, coral-colored lipstick, she was the perfect example to challenge a man¡¯s sense of self-control.

    She¡¯d selected a pearl blue body-con dress, which entuated her figure exceptionally well. It looked like a second skin on her.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze darkened. He reached out a finger and pointed at Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...Remove your makeup.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. She wanted to ask, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want me to look slightly more mature?¡±

    However, seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s darkened gaze¡ªand Chen Lie and Yin Shixiong, who seemed like they were eager to see some show unveil itself¡ªshe stopped herself and rolled her eyes at Huo Shaoheng before returning to the room to remove her makeup.

    Chen Lie was initially a little afraid, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi roll her eyes at Huo Shaoheng, the feeling of shock overpowered his fear. ¡°Wow! Our Nianzhi isn¡¯t afraid of you anymore! Mr. Huo, you¡¯re in danger now¡ªthere¡¯s actually someone who isn¡¯t afraid of you!¡±

    ¡°Why should she be afraid of Mr. Huo?¡± Ye Zitan looked at Huo Shaoheng curiously and looked back at Chen Lie, who was smiling so tedly. Moving toward Chen Lie, she asked softly, ¡°I thought Nianzhi¡¯s makeup was really pretty even though it made her look mature. Nianzhi is still young. She hasn¡¯t even reached 20 yet...¡±

    Chen Lie was even happier upon hearing that. He moved closer to Ye Zitan and whispered, ¡°I thought so, too. How beautiful! But someone has issues with their eyesight. I think it¡¯d be better if he went to the optometrist for a check.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng red at Chen Lie, then returned to his seat at the head of the table in the meeting room. Tapping on the documents on the table, he said, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left. You¡¯re not here in Barbados as tourists. You¡¯re here on the sponsorship of our country and our army; we have to do our jobs well.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s lips twitched. He did not joke around anymore but gave Ye Zitan a little shove and sat down on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s right.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be bringing Nianzhi and Chen Lie to the hospital to visit Gu Xiangwen in three days. Big Xiong, you¡¯ll go with us and be in charge of the local security. Little Ze, you¡¯ll still be in charge of ourmunications. Dr. Ye, you¡¯ll remain on standby at the embassy. The equipment that Chen Lie ordered will arrive within these couple of days. You¡¯ll be in charge of receiving them. Check to see if they made the right delivery.¡±

    Even though they were able to return for an exchange or refund if they did not get the orders correct, they needed the equipment urgently. Thus, they had no time to wait for an exchange, anyway.

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Everyone nodded and epted their tasks.

    Huo Shaoheng handed Chen Lie and Ye Zitan a document. ¡°Go and have a look. I still have some things to inform Big Xiong and Little Ze.¡±

    What he was about to say should have been regarding the things the Special Forces had to do. Chen Lie and Ye Zitan did not wish to know more anyway. Standing up, they replied, ¡°We will go back first, then.¡±

    After Chen Lie and Ye Zitan had left, Huo Shaoheng rted Gu Yanran¡¯s request to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. ¡°Her main objective is still to arrest the masked snipers. However, we do not know much about them. How can we arrest them like that? What do you think?¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other for a while before Yin Shixiong went to retrieve the video footage of the snipers at the airport the other day. He turned to Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. ¡°Mr. Huo, Little Ze, look at these snipers. How many were they? How many died eventually?¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at Yin Shixiong¡¯sputer screen for a minute. ¡°...About eight? We killed seven right there, and thest one took Gu Yanran and escaped but got killed by Mr. Huo in the sea.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, tapping on the meeting table lightly with the back of his pen. ¡°I did not kill that guy. Gu Yanran did.¡±

    ¡°What?! That¡¯s amazing!¡± Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong eximed at the same time. They had not heard Huo Shaoheng mention anything about that day. Since he¡¯d initiated the incidents for that day, it piqued their interests. They could use the excuse that knowing the truth could help them discover the mastermind behind everything.

    Huo Shaoheng went silent for a while and was about to begin talking when the door was opened again. Gu Nianzhi entered the meeting room with nothing but skincare on her face. She had removed the heavy makeup.

    She had also changed her outfit. Gone was the body-con dress. Instead, she had selected a light turquoise silk blouse with butterfly sleeves. It had a big but elegant ribbon tied with a sash around the cor area of the blouse. For her bottom, she had selected a pair of long white trousers made from abination of linen and silk, and it entuated her long legs. She had tied her hair into a low ponytail and looked clean and fresh instead of seductive and alluringpared to her previous outfit.

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief and waved for her to go over to him. ¡°Nianzhi, sit here.¡± He pointed at a seat beside him.

    This seat was in the middle as well, but it was beside Huo Shaoheng. However, it wasn¡¯t a corner seat; she was merely sharing the space in the middle with Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi did not reject it. She walked over gracefully and sat down beside him. However, she still looked cold and serious, unlike how she¡¯d looked in the past¡ªlike she was smiling even though she wasn¡¯t talking.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that she was unhappy, but he did not have the habit of giving in to her in front of others. He could give in to her when it was only the two of them; he could give in as much as he could. But when there are others around, he would never admit to any mistakes no matter what. To him, he had already given in by asking Gu Nianzhi to go over and take a seat beside him.

    Gu Nianzhi was unhappy. However, after she sat down, she saw that Huo Shaoheng was checking on her out of the corner of his eyes repeatedly. Even if he was speaking to Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong, he still made sure he was able to steal nces at her. She felt better knowing this. Her hand went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh under the meeting table and pinched on it.

    Huo Shaoheng was talking to Yin Shixiong when he felt the pinch. Gu Nianzhi had used too much strength, and it broke one of her nails. She retracted her hand and tried to bite the broken nail off.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed what she was doing and took her hand out from her mouth. He said in a low voice, ¡°Biting your nail at this age?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and showed him the chipped nail: ¡°...Broken.¡±

    Then she looked down and tried to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh...

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and took out his Swiss army knife. It contained a nail clipper. He held on to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft and fair hand and began clipping her nails for her. As he was doing so, he said, ¡°No more long nails in the future. Clip them off the moment they grow.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Huo Shaohengforted all her feelings of being upset in an instant. Gu Nianzhi smiled happily and looked around the meeting room. She saw two pairs of eyes about to pop out of their sockets. Feeling proud, she tilted her head upward, feeling like a queen.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze averted their gazes quickly. One of them looked up at the ceiling, while the other turned to look at the corner of the room. They pretended not to have seen Huo Shaoheng trimming Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nails. Huo Shaoheng, however, did not mind a bit. After he was done clipping the nails, he nagged at Gu Nianzhi for a while before turning to look at Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°That day, on the boat, Gu Yanran pulled the trigger by herself after managing to get her hands on the gun. That shot killed him. I was still swimming over at that time, so I wasn¡¯t in the boat with her then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still feeling sweet and was racking her brains as to how to show another round of public disys of affection. However, that feeling disappeared when she heard such gory narrations of what had happened. ¡°What were you guys talking about just now?¡±

    ¡°We were talking about the day Gu Yanran was kidnapped by the masked snipers.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked like his usual self. He looked at her and asked, ¡°Do you want to listen as well?¡±

    ¡°Not just Gu Yanran was kidnapped by the masked sniper. It was Mr. Huo who went all-out to save her. He jumped into the sea with strong currents and swam for his life to save her life.¡± Yin Shixiong did not have to look at the ceiling anymore; he smiled cheekily, seemingly not afraid of anything, and filled Gu Nianzhi in on imaginative details.

    ¡°Yes. Then both of them even ended up at a lone ind and stayed there for the night.¡± Zhao Liangze made everything sound even more ambiguous. All he wanted was to make fun of Gu Nianzhi, hoping to see her get jealous.

    Of course, what they were looking forward to seeing even more was how Huo Shaoheng would deal with her. They had always thought that their boss only knew how to use his fists in a fight¡ªor for firing guns that could kill people within a mile. They hadn¡¯t expected that he would know how to take a nail clipper to trim anyone¡¯s nails.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze suspiciously. Supporting her chin with both hands, she raised her eyebrows. ¡°What did you say? Were the two of you with Huo Shao at that time?¡±

    Yin Shixiong said, ¡°...Nope.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Since neither of you were with them, how could you describe everything as though you were there?¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t forget; you have to face legal consequences if you try to make up stories. Or do you still want to continue?¡± Her face was stern, and it actually exuded power.

    What the hell?! How could they have forgotten about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eloquence?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry now, Nianzhi, we were just joking.¡± Yin Shixiong pped himself lightly on the face while smiling sheepishly. ¡°To be honest, we have no idea what happened at all. We were also listening to him telling us.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rolled his eyes at the two of them and was extremely pleased with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s response. Putting an arm on the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chair, he wrote some things with the other hand. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. I did save Gu Yanran and stayed at the lone ind belonging to the Gus for a night. But I was waiting for rescue the entire night out on the beach and did not stay in any of the rooms in her vi. Also, I¡¯d like to bring Nianzhi to that ind for a look.¡±

    ¡°Is there WiFi on the ind?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked seriously.

    ¡°...No.¡±

    ¡°Why should we go anywhere without WiFi?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her hand with disinterest. ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on Gu Yanran¡¯s father.¡±

    ¡°But I heard that you stayed there as a child. I still saw your room in that vi.¡± Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi looked at each other, and he expressed heartache and pity in his eyes.

 Chapter 496 - Incomparable (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 496: Iparable (Part 3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I really lived there when I was younger?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned with curiosity, her gaze sweeping over Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze¡¯s faces. Seeing them stare wide-eyed at her and Huo Shaoheng, she couldn¡¯t help but feel shy and excited. Huo Shaoheng was starting to get intimate with her in front of others without shame. Was she finally getting closer to her goal?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile grew wider. She rested her chin on both hands as she cocked her head at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, I don¡¯t remember it at all....¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t remember anything to begin with,¡± Yin Shixiong ribbed her. ¡°It¡¯s not strange that you¡¯d forget a little ind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t object for once but nodded solemnly, ¡°That¡¯s true. So what does this little ind mean to me? Why do I have to go see it?¡±

    Although she¡¯d argued with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong earlier about getting back at them for ¡°starting rumors,¡± she was still affected to a certain extent. The thought of Huo Shaoheng and Gu Yanran being on the tiny sailboat, then spending a night together on a small ind, still made Gu Nianzhi a little unhappy no matter how much she trusted Huo Shaoheng. So she instinctively disliked the ¡°little ind.¡±

    ¡°Seeing a ce you were once familiar with might help recover your memories.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned back in the seat, one arm resting on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chair back and patting her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t fuss. Come with me to the Gus¡¯ little ind tomorrow. That¡¯s also your home.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Then what about Gu Xiangwen? We¡¯re not seeing him anymore?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your dad,¡± Huo Shaoheng corrected her. ¡°You can¡¯t call him by his name.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head, mischievous eyes rolling¡ªbut out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sight. A father was supposed to be their daughter¡¯s greatest support, but within Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memories, Gu Xiangwen was considered absent. It was difficult for her to feel the love of a child toward a parent for him, but the appropriate respect was still necessary.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Gu Nianzhiposed her emotions by looking up with a small smile. ¡°How do we get there? Is it far away?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find.¡± Zhao Liangze shook his head with disapproval. ¡°Mr. Huo, are you actually going to ask Gu Yanran to go with you too? Otherwise, how would you find the location of the little ind?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened in confusion, then asked with unease, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Gus¡¯ ind? How could it not be found? We all have GPS maps on our phones. Don¡¯t tell me it can¡¯t be found...¡±

    ¡°Haha! Nianzhi, it really can¡¯t be found.¡± Yin Shixiong pped the table. ¡°Little Ze, you exin!¡±

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at Yin Shixiong. He would have exined even without being asked. ¡°Nianzhi, your father is truly a great scientist. Aside from the blueprints and patents, the ind itself had anti-GPS signal technology installed on it. So this ind cannot be located on any map. If it wasn¡¯t by coincidence that Mr. Huo and Gu Yanran happened to drift near that ind that day, we would¡¯ve never known about its existence.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi replied coolly. ¡°If it¡¯s not on maps and we aren¡¯t locals, then it will be really hard to find. You don¡¯t know what you don¡¯t know.¡± She expressed her thoughts with thest sentence in English.

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s exactly what I mean. You don¡¯t know what you don¡¯t know.¡± Zhao Liangze smiled, sly as a fox, then looked at the confused Yin Shixiong smugly. ¡°Big Xiong, people with low IQs don¡¯t understand our conversations.¡±

    ¡°Humph! Pretending to be so great in front of me! As if I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re made of?¡± Yin Shixiongposed himself and snickered without backing down. ¡°You¡¯d better think of a way to get that anti-GPS technology from the ind!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something that can be learned in a day.¡± Zhao Liangze rubbed his chin. ¡°Last time, it was lucky that Mr. Huo contacted us with his phone, so I was able to determine the ind¡¯s location. Otherwise, we would have no way of going this time.¡±

    Without the exact coordinates on the vast sea, and only relying on the luck of a blind cat hunting for a mouse, it could take a lifetime. And the ind still would never be found.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng again, her wordsced with hidden meaning. ¡°Huo Shao, was that ind memorable?¡±

    If he replied yes, then Gu Nianzhi would definitely infer that it was because he had been together with Gu Yanran. But if he said no, then Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t hesitate to retort that there was no point in going back since he didn¡¯t think it was memorable. Her memories were gone regardless, so there wasn¡¯t much point to even going to the ind.

    Huo Shaoheng knew exactly what logic Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words implied since she had grown up under his care. How dare she try to fool him? Huo Shaoheng reached out to stroke her head, his voice as low and alluring as a cello. ¡°Of course it was memorable, because I thought of you while I was there.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª! I can¡¯t take it!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair to make fun of single people! You have to treat us like a protected species!¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were irritated by the couple¡¯s loving eye contact, so they began shrieking wildly.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled dotingly at Huo Shaoheng, totally ignoring Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong¡¯s terrible cries. Taking Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand off her head, she nuzzled her cheek against his palm and asked softly, ¡°Really? You really thought of me?¡±

    The skin on her cheek was unbelievably silky. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm felt like it was touching ayer of clouds when he was against her skin. He didn¡¯t even dare to apply too much pressure for fear that her face would dissolve like a cloud if he pressed too hard. He recalled piloting a fighter jet one time. He had opened the top hatch of the cockpit to reach out and stroke the clouds. They had felt exactly like this.

    ¡°Yeah. So are you going or not?¡± Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand. After all, it was inappropriate to have such intimate interactions in front of his two personal secretaries.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t stop him. She turned around to smile at Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong, who were covering their eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Enough from you two! Brother Xiong, Brother Ze, are we going to have fun on that ind? Let¡¯s see what¡¯s so great about it that Huo Shao can¡¯t stop thinking about it...¡± She said this purposely, shooting Huo Shaoheng with a sidelong nce. The long and narrow corners of her eyes slightly lifted to appear even more naturally alluring.

    Ignoring her, Huo Shaoheng tapped his fingers on the desk. ¡°Big Xiong, Little Ze, make the preparations today, and we will go out to sea tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to let Gu Yanran know?¡± Zhao Liangze tidied up the materials in front of him before standing up. ¡°It¡¯s her home, after all. Wouldn¡¯t it be wrong, especially if she found out?¡±

    Since the ind belonged to the Gus, what would she think about them trespassing on it?

    Coughing lightly, Gu Nianzhi said seriously to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, did you forget about me? I¡¯ve already been proven as the youngest daughter of the Gus. So, that ind also belongs to me. If I say you guys can go, then you can go. Stop just considering Gu Yanran, all right?¡±

    They kept mentioning Gu Yanran, so Gu Nianzhi was getting irritated. Like an only child suddenly discovering that they had a sibling, she would require a mental buffer period.

    Yin Shixiong immediately understood with a giggle. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s right. That ind also belongs to our Nianzhi, so why would we need more permission if she¡¯s inviting us there? Mr. Huo, what do you say?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wanted Gu Nianzhi to have the domineering attitude of ¡°who can do it but me?¡± She couldn¡¯t lose to Gu Yanran when it came to a forceful attitude. He had no idea what kind of feelings or rtionship status the two biologically unrted sisters had between them, so he could only hope that Gu Nianzhi could be more forceful in the situation so as to not lose the upper hand.

    ¡°Nianzhi is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s youngest daughter. Her words have more authority than ours.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her with a half smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to prepare first, and we¡¯ll leave early tomorrow morning.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong got up to leave first. Gu Nianzhi took her time to stay behind because she wanted to go with him. Huo Shaoheng tidied his data and files, then asked without looking up, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave yet?¡±

    ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked to him boldly and pulled on his sleeve. ¡°Huo Shao, what¡¯s with you today? Why did you make me wash my makeup off? You didn¡¯t like it?¡± She had thought it looked pretty good. She¡¯d even looked a bit severe when she¡¯d nced in the mirror.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. Don¡¯t do makeup like that again.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t put on makeup from now on. Your natural face is the best.¡±

    ¡°Really? Huo Shao isplimenting my natural beauty?¡± Gu Nianzhi was alreadytched onto his arm and leaned her head against it, giddy. ¡°Am I prettier than Gu Yanran?¡±

    Huo Shapheng was silent. Looking down at Gu Nianzhi without speaking, his dark eyes were ck like an abyss in the quiet night.

    Gu Nianzhi grew nervous beneath Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intense stare, so she could only let go of his arm nervously. ¡°Can¡¯t I even ask? Huo Shao, you¡¯ve neverplimented my looks before...¡±

    ¡°You still need to beplimented?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his brow as he closed the briefcase. ¡°Give you an inch, and you¡¯ll take a mile. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll go blind if Ipliment you.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand his logic. ¡°How wouldplimenting me make you blind?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re too dazzling. My eyes would be blinded.¡± Huo Shaoheng pinched her chin. ¡°Is that good enough?¡±

    So that was the way Huo Shaoplimented her beauty.

    Happily standing on her tiptoes, Gu Niaznhi smooched him loudly on the cheek. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ve discovered that you have a pretty special way ofplimenting people¡¯s beauty. Most people couldn¡¯t ept it.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t ept it?¡± Huo Shaoheng paused in his steps to look down at her. His face remained stoic, yet he silently moved closer to her.

    ¡°Of course I can ept it! Because I¡¯m not a typical person!¡± Gu Nianzhi brandished her tiny fists, her infectiousughter echoing in the conference room.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mood also brightened. As they walked out of the conference room, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face looked like she had applied blush. Even the corners of her eyes were tinged with the lightest pink. She was positively glowing, and everyone could see her allure wherever she went. However, she hadn¡¯t put on a single bit of makeup and wasplete barefaced.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi like this, Ye Zitan whispered to Chen Lie, ¡°So it¡¯s true that love is the best cosmetic for women...¡±

    Chen Lie carefully studied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s even more beautiful face and viciously decided to turn around to Ye Zitan and say with a pout, ¡°Little Ze, you also look the best with no makeup on. You¡¯re even prettier than Nianzhi.¡±

    The corners of Ye Zitan¡¯s lips twitched as she tried hard to purse her lips and stop her urge to throw her thick reference book at his head. She tried to reply calmly, ¡°Dr. Chen, it¡¯s better that you call me Dr. Ye.¡± As she spoke, she turned to leave quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi was just about to speak to Ye Zitan and hurried over to Chen Lie when she saw her leave. ¡°Brother Chen, why did Dr. Ye leave? I still have something to talk to her about.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s entire face was scrunched together bitterly. He spread his palms. ¡°How would I know? You women are so hard to understand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had an inkling as she walked around Chen Lie twice. ¡°Hmm? Brother Chen, you really... like Dr. Ye?¡± She mumbled the word ¡°like¡± so that no one could overhear and embarrass Ye Zitan.

    ¡°What do you mean like? Not like¡ªwhat does a little girl like you know anyway?!¡± Chen Lie waved his fists at her. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, I have business.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t stay behind to argue with him anymore. She returned to her room to write down a packing list for their voyage and then drove out with Yin Shixiong to make a big shopping trip. They were busy until the sky was full of stars. Huo Shaoheng was nowhere to be seen. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t worried because no matter how busy he was, he would be sure to show up tomorrow morning.

    As expected, Huo Shaoheng came to knock on her door to get her to go have breakfast before dawn the next morning, before the sun was even up. After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi went back to her room to apply the highest PA sunblock and put on Prada baroque sunsses that shielded half her face, a baseball cap, and Under Armour sportswear and matching runners, as well as diving equipment.

    They took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car to the beach. It was a little past six in the morning, so the round sun had yet to appear over the water. Like a beautiful woman concealing half her face with the pipa she embraced, the sun¡¯s beautiful glow already spilled across thend, but it was still half concealed and unwilling to surface. The seawater was a translucent¡ªbright blue like a crystal awaiting an expert to cut and collect it.

    ¡°The Caribbean Sea is so beautiful...¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed with awe, sping her hands to her chest and closing her eyes to enjoy the sea breeze. ¡°Where¡¯s Huo Shao?¡± She was standing on the dock on the bay with Yin Shixiong to wait for Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, who had gone to get the boat.

    ¡°Over there... That¡¯s our boat?¡±

    Yin Shixiong squinted his eyes and shielded his brows to look out at the sea. Soon after, the sound of spraying water and the hum of a motor slicing across the sea¡¯s surface broke the silence around the dock.

    Gu Nianzhi looked far ahead. In the direction of the rising sun, where the water was ayer of shimmering gold, a pure white, bullet-shaped, single-story yacht was speeding along the ocean surface. It seemed to slice through from the sun.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Millenium Ota the Conste just acquired this year. It¡¯s 30 meters long with a total of 7,800 horsepower. Can carry 15 people and has three engines. Not only is it quick, but there¡¯s also lots of room for us to stow our goodies.¡± Yin Shixiong patted multiple long cases with a bright smile.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She couldn¡¯t help but quickly avert her eyes. What was wrong with these people? They didn¡¯t even think about how romantic being on the sea was! But instead, they brought small andrge guns, then studied how to find the best sniping spots on the yacht. Were they going on an ocean hunt?!

 Chapter 497 - Incomparable (Part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 497: Iparable (Part 4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Brother Xiong, why did you bring all these out to sea?¡± Gu Nianzhi went to the narrow boxes beside Yin Shixiong and touched them. They were the boxes for the sniper rifles in the headquarters. She had seen them when she was at the headquarters with Huo Shaoheng before. Looking at the number of boxes, it seemed like they¡¯d brought a few sets.

    Yin Shixiong leaned the boxes against his body. ¡°It¡¯s better to be well prepared than to have not prepared. It¡¯s safer to just bring them along.¡±

    All right then. Such a careful person. You wouldn¡¯t be able to find many in the world, anyway.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped persisting. She walked to the shore and raised her arms, waving at the ship that was making its way towards them.

    Huo Shaoheng was navigating the ship in the bridge attentively. He looked in front and saw a youngdy whose perfect figure couldn¡¯t even be hidden with long pants and a top meant for sports. Thatdy was waving at them enthusiastically.

    Judging by that figure, it was his Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He elerated the ship. It roared and moved in front at a faster speed.

    ...

    ¡°Huo Shao, this is such a beautiful ship.¡± Gu Nianzhi boarded the ship and explored around for a while before sitting downfortably in the cabin.

    This space felt like a little living area. There were lush sofa seats on both sides of the cabin and a long table as a coffee table in the middle. There were also built-in cabs behind the sofa seats on the walls. The space was well utilized.

    Huo Shaoheng asked Yin Shixiong to navigate the ship and went to the cabin himself. He opened one of the cabs and retrieved some bottles of ice cold rum and coconut juice and ced them on the table.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the cab again to take a look inside. ¡°Oh, this is a refrigerator!¡± she eximed happily.

    ¡°There¡¯s a kitchen at the back, too. We can barbeque.¡± Huo Shaoheng opened the cap of the rum and downed it in one gulp.

    Seeing that, the corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Mr. Huo! That is rum! Not beer! Must you down it that quickly?¡±

    ¡°Rum can warm you up. I suggest you have one as well.¡± Huo Shaoheng handed a bottle of rum to Zhao Liangze. ¡°We still have to dive at the blue holeter on. Don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±

    ¡°Dive? Is it a deep one?¡± Gu Nianzhi skipped to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side, full of curiosity. She grabbed his arm and swung on it. With sparkling eyes, she asked, ¡°Can I go, too?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze rejected her tly.

    ¡°There¡¯s a blue hole in the waters near the water of the Gus¡¯ ind. I need to go and take a look. The currents are strong, and the temperature is low over there. You¡¯re ady. It¡¯d be better if you did not go to such a ce to dive.¡± Huo Shaoheng ced a bottle of coconut juice in front of her. ¡°Have some coconut juice. Then let Da Xiong bring you to fish for crabs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cheered up immediately upon hearing that she should go crab fishing. She nodded happily. ¡°Sure, sure! I¡¯ll go crab fishing with Brother Xiong and steam them for you guys after you get back.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Huo Shaoheng caressed her head and proceeded to change into his diving suit with Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi walked to the bridge and sat on the high stool beside Yin Shixiong. Smiling cheekily, she said, ¡°Brother Xiong, Huo Shao says that you¡¯ll bring me to fish for crabster.¡±

    Yin Shixiong wanted to dive as well, but he could not go against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders.

    Holding on to the rudder, he grumbled, ¡°Why would you even need me to bring you for crab fishing? It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t go on your own.¡±

    They also went crab fishing back in Hua Xia Empire.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡ªI can go on my own, but Huo Shao wants you to apany me.¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and moved closer to Yin Shixiong. She looked at his face closely, gave a sly smile, and said, ¡°Huh? You¡¯re unhappy? Ah... You want to dive as well, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes at her and turned the rudder expertly to avoid a waveing in their direction. ¡°This is a world-famous dive site. The water is also the best in the world with zero pollution.¡±

    ¡°I want to go, too...¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed. Looking around the bridge, she saw that Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were changing in the back cabin. Lowering her voice, she whispered to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, why don¡¯t we go on a dive in secret after they¡¯ve gone down?¡±

    Yin Shixiong pursed his lips immediately and gave Gu Nianzhi a meaningful look. Gu Nianzhi did not manage to catch the hint. They were on the embassy¡¯s ship instead of a ship from the Special Forces. Therefore, she¡¯d assumed that there wouldn¡¯t be many tapping devices.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you want to go against my orders in broad daylight?¡± boomed Huo Shaoheng, his voice filling the bridge.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped and covered her ears and almost fell from her stool. She looked around fearfully and stammered: ¡°H... Huo... Sh... Shao, where are you?¡±

    How could he have heard when she had spoken so softly?!

    Yin Shixiong pointed to a button that was easily overlooked. Then he pointed to his mouth and ear.

    Gu Nianzhi understood. Most likely for easymunication, Huo Shaoheng had installed a tapping device in the ship. Who would have known that it would mean ruining Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sneaky n?

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered. Hopping off the tall stool, she mumbled, ¡°I... I think I¡¯m having seasickness. I need to have a rest in the cabin.¡± Then she escaped.

    Yin Shixiongughed heartily and spoke into the tapping device. ¡°You¡¯ve scared Nianzhi, Mr. Huo. Her face was so pale.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snorted and ignored the issue altogether. He told Yin Shixiong, ¡°I¡¯m going to enter the waters with Little Ze soon. You remember the directions, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do. The Gus¡¯ ind is just a nautical mile ahead. Should I stop the ship at the ind¡¯s dock?¡± Yin Shixiong asked pointedly.

    ¡°Look around on the outside first.¡± Huo Shaoheng was extremely curious about the surroundings of the ind. He wanted to know how Gu Xiangwen had managed to conceal the ind from everyone. It would be extremely beneficial to the army if he could find out.

    The stealth equipment used by the army¡ªfor example, the fighter jet¡ªstill used technology like messing up radar signals in order to remain hidden. However, with modern satellite technology, it was getting tougher to conceal those jets. Therefore, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s technology was extremely valuable.

    ¡°What was even rarer was that Gu Xiangwen had had this technology at least seven years ago. If he hadn¡¯t be a vegetable... Wow! Imagine how much he would have been able to refine that technology...¡± Zhao Liangze sighed and put on his diving suit with Huo Shaoheng.

    Completing their outfit with the diving equipment, they went to the side of the ship and looked far ahead. The blue hole that was near the waters of the Gus¡¯ ind was right in front of them. An area amid the otherwise turquoise waters was a brighter hue of bluepared to the waters around it. It was a deep and striking blue.

    If someone, anyone, were to describe the colors of the waters around the blue hole to be aquamarine, then the waters in and around the blue hole itself would have been the purest of blues: sapphire.

    Looking at such a pure shade of blue from above, it felt like looking down at an eye in the ocean gazing up into the sky as it shimmered. The shape of the blue hole was a perfect circle. No one knew if it was a wonder of Mother Nature or manmade.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down and see if there are any interesting things inside.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved and flipped into the ocean.

    He had felt that in order to conceal the ind, Gu Xiangwen would not have only done what he had seen on the ind. Therefore, he wanted to inspect the area around the ind as thoroughly as possible. It was a pity that he did not have the luxury of time and could only skim through everything hastily and report what he saw here to his mother, Song Jinning, after he returned to the Hua Xia Empire. His mother, Song Jinning, was a high energy physicist in the army. She would be more than familiar with these things.

    Zhao Liangze followed Huo Shaoheng and jumped into the ocean and swam towards the blue hole in front of them.

    The waters around the blue hole were a significantly deeper shade of blue than the surrounding waters. Therefore, it was rather easy to differentiate between them. They carried diving equipment and other instruments for the detection of light and sound frequencies. They also had wirelessmunication systems.

    Following the currents, they swam. Many tropical fish swam around them as well. Perhaps because humans were rare in this area, the fish were not afraid of them at all. On the contrary, they were swimming along with them, seemingly having fun. Their tails created waves and hit Zhao Liangze right in the face.

    He avoided the fish instinctively by swimming to the side. Seeing the ¡°culprit¡± swim away haughtily, Zhao Liangze hissed angrily: ¡°I swear I heard that fish snigger!¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice came through from themunication system: ¡°Little Ze, fish can¡¯t talk, much less snigger. Are you too deep underwater that you¡¯re beginning to hallucinate? Pfft! If we had known earlier, we could¡¯ve let me go down instead. I¡¯m way healthier than you are!¡±

    ¡°Get lost, you preschool principal; go apany the kids for crab fishing!¡± Zhao Liangze retorted.

    ¡°Zhao Liangze!¡± Yin Shixiong hit the rudder with his fist angrily, his voice sting into themunication system.

    Zhao Liangze smiled victoriously and increased his speed to catch up with Huo Shaoheng. The blue hole was right in front. They could feel the currents bing stronger as they got closer, moving in the direction of a spiral. They would be ¡°sucked into¡± the blue hole on the other side if they weren¡¯t careful. Theymunicated through themunication system, which was linked to the ship.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhiy down on a deck chair on the side of the ship with a fishing rod in one hand, fishing from the ship. She wore a huge hat to keep the sun out of her face and even had a huge umbre on top of her deck chair.

    She had amunication system as well; she put it on the table beside her. She could hear Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze talking. Yin Shixiong sat beside her, looking glum, slicing pineapples for her.

    The ship was anchored somewhere near the blue hole. They were waiting for Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze to return.

    ¡°Hey. With such amazing weather and a beautiful sea view, you are going to just sleep it away?¡± Yin Shixiong finished slicing the pineapple and was feeling bored. He snatched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hat, trying to disturb her.

    Gu Nianzhi snatched her hat back andughed. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m trying to see if the fish will bite the bait. This way, I can y games on my phone as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you!¡± Yin Shixiong shook his head. Standing up, he took his rod and walked to the other side of the ship.

    A voice came from themunication system. ¡°We¡¯re in the blue hole...¡±

    There were some disruptions from themunication system immediately after they said that. Then all was silent.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at themunication system and pped it a couple of times. ¡°Huo Shao? Brother Ze? Are you guys in the blue hole already?¡±

    There was no reply.

    ...

    Just then, someone noticed movement in the blue hole as well. After contemting, she called Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Yanran, it¡¯s time to make it up to you. Go to your family¡¯s ind now. Someone entered the blue hole.¡±

 Chapter 498 - Incomparable (Part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 498: Iparable (Part 5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What?!¡± Gu Yanran, who was having a dedicated beautician give her a spa treatment, shot up from the waterbed right away. Her face showed total shock. ¡°Who? How did they find that ce?!¡±

    She waspletely naked. Her voluptuous body, full of curves, was as alluring as a perfectly matured peach. Although her dedicated beautician was also a woman who had seen many female bodies before, she couldn¡¯t help flushing, and her heart beat quickly every time she saw Gu Yanran.

    The woman on the phone gave a quietugh of derision. ¡°Who else? It¡¯s your Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°Hey... How can you say that? When did he be my Mr. Huo?¡± Gu Yanran froze before immediately objecting, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, he already has someone.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± The woman didn¡¯t reply but only urged her, ¡°Hurry up, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be picking up his body if you¡¯re toote.¡±

    Gu Yaran was aware of how powerful the blue hole near her family¡¯s ind was. She signaled the beautician to leave as she said to the person on the phone, ¡°That¡¯s a real blue hole there. It¡¯s not a limestone cave where divers love to go. The water doesn¡¯t circte in the blue hole¡ªthere aren¡¯t even any fish there. How could they dare go there? What are they trying to do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing, but they are definitely interested in your family¡¯s ind.¡± The person on the phone mulled over it before adding, ¡°This is a good chance, and I won¡¯t get you in trouble. You be careful, too. I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡±

    Gu Yanran understood what she meant. Pursing her lips, she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t act too rashly, either. You¡¯ll take it too far.¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. I can¡¯t drag you into this.¡± The person hung up.

    Gu Yanran called again to only find that the number was a fake one. She was shocked and speechless at her elusive, phantom-like friend. However, she was in a rush to go out to sea, so she¡¯d already made several calls as she dressed and put on makeup in the lounge. She had her newly hired housekeeper arrange for a yacht and a full team of security to apany her to sea in 10 minutes. Money made the world go round, and with the Gus¡¯ power, the preparations were easilyplete within minutes.

    ...

    A very streamlined, white, bullet-shaped yacht floated in the waters by the blue hole near the Gus¡¯ ind. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bother putting on a hat as shey by the small table and continuously fiddled with the radio, her curvy lips pressed tightly into a thin line. The curves on her face appeared even more exquisite and delicate, like fine porcin as thin as an eggshell that could shatter from a breeze.

    Yin Shixiong sat anxiously beside her on the deck, rubbing his hands together nonstop. ¡°Little princess, stop touching it. Be careful not to break it, or we won¡¯t be able to get any news from Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work in the first ce,¡± Gu Nianzhi said gloomily, her fine, pale fingers a stark contrast to the ck radio.

    ¡°How could that be?¡± Yin Shixiong attempted to exin, ¡°When you dive down to the deep sea,munication with the surface will naturally be affected. And they also went to a ce like that blue hole, so it¡¯s impossible that there will be a good radio signal.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little doubtful and looked at Yin Shixiong suspiciously. ¡°Are you sure? Do you guarantee it?¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! I was just saying that it¡¯s a probability! Probability! Get it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I get it.¡± Gu Nianzhi red at him. ¡°But there¡¯s definitely something wrong with this radio, too. What if Huo Shao and Brother Ze want tomunicate with us but can¡¯t because of this broken radio? Who¡¯s going to take responsibility?¡±

    ¡°Me! I¡¯ll take it! Is that fine with you? Little princess, hurry up and put it down! Put it down!¡± Yin Shixiong implored her and managed to get the radio away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. He hugged it to his chest for fear of Gu Nianzhi taking it back and breaking it with her fiddling.

    pping her hands, Gu Nianzhi went to the cabin to wash her face and reapply her sunscreen before putting on sunsses anding out again. Looking at the view of the sky and sea merging into one expanse of blue, she couldn¡¯t find any reason to be cheerful. She hugged her knees on the lounge chair, eyes staring nkly at the nearby blue hole without blinking.

    It was said that seawater was the cradle of life¡ªand that seawater as deep and blue as the water in the blue hole did not give life but destroy it. Because there was ack of cirction in a true blue cave, ocean creatures had no way of surviving within them. Gu Nianzhi bit her nails as soon as she grew stressed, but this time, as soon as she put her hands to her lips, she recalled how Huo Shaoheng had helped her clip her nails. Her heart couldn¡¯t help but wrench even harder.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had dived into the blue hole, unable tomunicate. As soon as they entered the blue hole¡¯s waters, they discovered that it was truly different from outside. Everything was still, even the seawater. With no light and no sound, the only sensation was the incredibly vivid hue of blue. They dove in the blue hole, experiencing an abnormal resistance. As soon as they entered it, they found that they couldn¡¯tmunicate freely.

    Visually, there was no barrier between the seawater in the blue hole and outside, but there was an invisible force that separated the two. Light could seep in, and humans could swim in, but sound and radio waves happened to be blocked outside this blue hole.

    Huo Shaoheng was deeply impressed with the wonders of nature as well as the handiwork of the creator, but he also had an inkling in his mind that Gu Xiangwen may have been using this blue hole to block out all signals from the ind. The human eye could discern the ind, but high-tech satellites and sonar detection systems couldn¡¯t find it. Like an outdated GPS, the systems would detect the existence of a path with no resistance, yet if the physical road had already been dug out, what awaited after making the turn was not a vast road¡ªbut a fall off the cliff.

    Zhao Liangze was very nervous. If it hadn¡¯t been for him still being able to see Huo Shaoheng swimming ahead in his upper-right corner, he would have fearfully floated up. Although he was annoyed by the fish that had tricked him earlier, he really wanted it toe back to tease him once again, if only to prove that there were other living creatures aside from him and Huo Shaoheng.

    But the truth was, they were the only living creatures. This was a grave for underwater creatures. They had dove roughly 200 meters, yet the ocean floor was nowhere to be seen.

    Zhao Liangze followed Huo Shaoheng, diving down and grabbing his arm in an attempt to pull him up. However, Huo Shaoheng waved at him then pointed down deeper in the water. Zhao Liangze looked curiously to see, at their six o¡¯clock position, a shadowy, round object that didn¡¯t appear to be a natural formation. It was far too round and perfectly shaped. Their geographical knowledge made it obvious that there were no natural spherical objects in nature.

    ¡°Down.¡± Huo Shaoheng gestured at him, and they dove down toward the spherical shape.

    ...

    On the ocean surface, Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes from the ocean breeze and slowlyy down on the wicker chair. The waves weren¡¯t too rough and pped against the yacht¡¯s side to shake its entire body like a bullet-shaped cradle. The swinging motion of the yacht resembled that of a cradle, lulling its upants to sleep. It was also noon and just after a full lunch, so people often got sleepy. Gu Nianzhi originally just wanted to close her eyes to prevent the noonday sun from dazzling her eyes, but she fell asleep soon after. Although she was napping, her body still remained tense and concerned for Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze¡¯s well-being.

    Yin Shixiong sat on the other lounge chair to the side and still had a fishing rod ced in front of him. However, he wasn¡¯t focused on the fishing rod but the radio. He had to be ready to receive any messages from Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze at any time.

    ...

    The white Millenium Ota contrasted sharply against the sapphire blue seawater. A sleek, 10-person rowboat quickly discovered it.

    ¡°Is this it?¡±

    ¡°It must be. It¡¯s the only white yacht near the blue hole.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the blue hole first.¡±

    The people on the rowboat put on diving suits before swimming toward the blue hole. They had brought special instruments that enabled them to transmit messages from outside the blue hole. Soon after, they entered the blue holes¡¯ boundary and initiated the instruments to easilymunicate.

    At the same time, Gu Nianzhi was asleep on a wicker chair on the deck. She suddenly felt a faint tremor like a gentle breeze flowing through branches or a kitten sticking its tongue out to lick her fingernails. It was extremely gentle but unable to ignore. She assumed it was the forces of the ocean currents pushing against the yacht and didn¡¯t think much of it. Flipping over on the wicker chair, she still wanted to nap some more.

    After a while, the tremor grew more obvious and was also very uniform. One, twice, three times¡ªit repeatedly vibrated against her skin.

    Opening her eyes suddenly, Gu Nianzhi discovered the tremor had disappeared. She looked around to see that on the vast sea, the line between water and sky had melted away. Everything was painted blue, and for a second, she was confused about her whereabouts. She had no idea which was the sky and which was the sea.

    Rubbing her forehead, she turned to look at Yin Shixiong sitting with his arms crossed beside her. Had He closed his eyes in meditation, so she pushed him after getting up. ¡°Brother Xiong, don¡¯t you think the ocean waves are a bit strange here?¡±

    ¡°How are they strange?¡±

    ¡°It keeps vibrating. Don¡¯t you feel it?¡±

 Chapter 499 - Incomparable (Part 6)

    <h4>Chapter 499: Iparable (Part 6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong closed his eyes in an attempt to get a feel. Shaking his head after a while, he replied to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nope, didn¡¯t feel any vibrations. There was only shakiness from the sea. Were you referring to that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and stood up on the bow of the ship. Spreading her arms, she tried to rx her body in an attempt to feel the surroundings. The feeling became stronger the moment she closed her eyes. The vibrations were increasing in strength ¡ªfrom the strength of a cat¡¯s lick to the strength of raindrops falling onto one¡¯s face. It was even slightly prickly.

    However, the moment Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes, a vast, clear sky greeted her with the clear blue sea, along with some sea breeze and the sun zing down on them. There were no raindrops at all. So where was the feeling of raindropsing from?

    That prickly feeling from the raindrops. Where did ite from? Gu Nianzhi began feeling frustrated.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, can you get in touch with Huo Shao and brother Ze?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat beside Yin Shixiong and leaned forward on her knees, supporting her chin with her hands. She looked at Yin Shixiong like that, intently.

    Yin Shixiong shook his head. ¡°Stop rushing. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll begin to panic too. Nothing will happen. Signals are usually bad when ites to deeper dives. It¡¯smon. Think about it like this¡ªno news is good news, yes?¡±

    This sentence did not calm Gu Nianzhi down. This was especially so when she felt the vibrations increasing in strength the moment she closed her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up again and paced around the deck. She stopped asionally, held on to the poles of the ship, and looked far off in the direction of the blue hole.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had already managed to swim to the ce where the sphere was located. The water temperature was extremely low; they felt that they did not wear a thick enough dive suit even though theirs already had the function of keeping them warm.

    Zhao Liangze felt his temperature decreasing gradually. He was cold.

    Theirmunication system broke down the moment they entered the blue hole. The only way for them tomunicate was to sign to each other. Thankfully, they could still see each other. If not, the situation would¡¯ve been much worse.

    ¡°It¡¯s a big rock.¡± Huo Shaoheng swam one round around the sphere. He signed to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Do you want to measure the density of this rock sphere? See if it¡¯s hollow?¡±

    Zhao Liangze fixed the instrument around the sphere and began measuring. Huo Shaoheng took his sniper rifle and swam to the rock on the other side to keep a lookout for him. A normal sniper rifle would be affected underwater. The bullet would be affected by the currents and would not be as urate.

    However, as Huo Shaoheng and the guys were always on missions under special circumstances, their weapons were all modified. The sniper rifle he had was designed for underwater use.

    Just a short while after they began working, there was movement amid the quiet waterscape. Huo Shaoheng sensed danger. He was about to drag Zhao Liangze back to his hiding ce when he saw a ck figure swimming toward them at high speed.

    That ck figure was amazingly fast. When Huo Shaoheng first noticed it, he thought that it was some kind of sea snake. He even felt that it was odd that such a creature would be appearing in the blue hole, a ce where no other living organisms were found. In the end, the figure was already only about 10 meters from him before he snapped back to reality. He could¡¯ve broken all human records in swimmingpetitions with that speed.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pupils contracted. It was clear now; that figure wasn¡¯t any sea snake. It was a person looking like a sea snake! His body was long, narrow, and extremely flexible, just like a sea snake!

    He was breathtakingly fast, as if he had blended in with the waters. He was already less than a meter away from Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze before Huo Shaoheng could do anything.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that there wasn¡¯t time to waste. His body reacted faster than his mind: He had already raised his gun. Pursing his lips, he fired a shot at the man¡¯s chest.

    It seemed like the man did not expect anyone to be as quick as him. As a result, he had no form of protection. Spreading his arms, a bright ray of light reflected from the de of his knife and shone through the sea.

    Zhao Liangze turned instinctively to the source of the sudden brightness before realizing that someone was approaching them, and that person was brandishing a knife at him! Everything happened so quickly. He was attempting to flee when he saw blood gushing out from the man¡¯s chest.

    The person felt a sudden coldness spread from his chest and closed his eyes even before he felt pain. He was still holding on to the knife in death...

    Zhao Liangze knew that Huo Shaoheng was covering him. Quickly packing up, he hung the equipment around him and swam in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    Huo Shaoheng panicked. He would¡¯ve pulled Zhao Liangze over personally had those people note. By hiding there, no one knew he was there, and it was the perfect spot to cover Zhao Liangze. However, people wereing now. By going over to his side, Zhao Liangze had just shown the enemy his hiding spot; there were bound to be more people behind that man. They¡¯d be able to catch both of them together.

    Huo Shaoheng thought quickly, then swam out from his hiding ce and changed to a new spot.

    When Zhao Liangze reached Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hiding spot, he panicked when he did not see him, worrying that he had met with some kind of mishap. However, looking around him, he realized that, other than the person who had been shot by Huo Shaoheng just now, no one else was injured.

    Mr. Huo must be safe...

    That was how Zhao Liangzeforted himself. It was only then that he managed to snap back to reality. He realized that he shouldn¡¯t have swum in the direction of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hiding spot. It was exactly the same logic as if they were in a battlefield: If the soldier who was being covered ran to the soldier who was covering him, both of their locations would be exposed to their enemies at the same time. Then they¡¯d be killed by the enemies in an instant. Therefore, Zhao Liangze stopped trying to look for Huo Shaoheng. Instead, he hid behind the reef on his own.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Zhao Liangze behind a reef not far away. He was looking in the direction of where the man hade from when he saw that Zhao Liangze was not swimming toward him anymore.

    If he guessed correctly, this man wouldn¡¯t be alone. He was worried about Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong as well, who were above the waters.

    Huo Shaoheng checked his sniper rifle carefully and pitched it onto the reef. He even removed his scope. This was to prevent any form of reflection that would give his hiding ce away.

    A short whileter, as he¡¯d expected, some people swam over. However, it wasn¡¯t just one person this time¡ªit was three, swimming in the form of a triangle.

    Every single one of them wore suits made to look like sharks. They had not knives in their hands but guns like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s! And if those guns could be used underwater, they must have been excellent.

    Huo Shaoheng felt even more stressed. He hid behind the reef and aimed at the person swimming in front.

    Boom!

    The low sound of a gunshot was heard amid the silence of the bottom of the ocean.

    The person swimming in front convulsed. The next thing they knew, he was bleeding from his chest. Hugging his sniper rifle, he spiraled downward into the deep sea.

    The blue hole seemed to have no end. The person¡¯s corpse was just like the previous guy that Huo Shaoheng had killed. He just slowly sank down into the depths. Eventually, he was out of sight. No one knew where he would end up, either.

    The other two people seemed afraid of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shooting skills. They stopped for a while before swimming back, fleeing for their lives.

    Backs facing me. That will be easier to handle.

    Huo Shaoheng remained emotionless and raised his sniper rifle from behind the reef. Two gunshotster, both divers joined theirrades and spiraled down the blue hole.

    Zhao Liangze breathed a sigh of relief. He raised a thumb at Huo Shaoheng to praise him. Huo Shaoheng signed to him, signaling that he should not move and that he had to change his hiding spot.

    This was a blue hole where signs of living organisms were scarce. Had they been onnd, shooters would have had to change their hiding spot for every shot they fired instead of firing two shots from the same ce.

    Zhao Liangze nodded and retreated back to his hiding spot. He continued to fidget with his device in an attempt to get connected to Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi, who were above the waters.

    When no one else came after he¡¯d waited for 15 minutes, Huo Shaoheng swam to the reef that Zhao Liangze was hiding in to sign to him that they had to leave the blue hole quickly and return to the ship.

    Zhao Liangze nodded and, carrying his equipment, followed Huo Shaoheng. However, they realized that they had a problem when they swam to the intersection between the blue hole and the ocean.

    There had been no obstructions when they¡¯de in. The color of the waters had just looked different. However, on their way out, they realized that there was an invisible wall at the same intersection. You couldn¡¯t see it, but you could feel it. An electric current shocked them the moment they tried to swim forward. Their internal organs almost gave way.

    Compared to Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze had a weaker physique. He was only shocked once behind Huo Shaoheng, and his organs were badly affected. He puked a mouthful of blood and stained his diving goggles.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is there an electric fence here?¡± Zhao Liangze panted as he signed to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Should we try another direction?¡±

    Currently, the electric fences that were sold in the market were not transparent¡ªthey required a physical fence before electricity could be run through it. Only after connecting everything to the main system could the fence receive signals to send currents to intruders when the fence was touched.

    However, Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng both knew that the electric fences in the army had surpassed such technology long ago. They had managed toe up with invisible electric fences. Electric fences like these were excellent in many ways. They were transparent, safe, easily set up, and portable. All they needed was a tiny main system before they could be set up.

    However, based on what they knew, setting up such a huge invisible electric fence underwater was a technology that no country could yet achieve.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡± Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze split up to test along the ends of the fence, hoping to find an opening.

    However, after trying for one whole hour and being almost paralyzed by the electrical currents, they were still unable to find an opening in the fence!

 Chapter 500 - Incomparable (Part 7)

    <h4>Chapter 500: Iparable (Part 7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What should we do? Mr. Huo, we can¡¯t get out!¡± Zhao Liangze gestured frantically and looked at Huo Shaoheng with despair.

    Huo Shaoheng retreated a distance from the blue hole¡¯s edge. Although his body could suffer more than Zhao Liangze¡¯s body, being electrocuted for an hour was not a pleasant feeling.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go up and look.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed to the sea level of the blue hole. They didn¡¯t want to surface in the first ce, since someone was trying to kill them. Surfacing would make them open targets. If Huo Shaoheng had been the one trying to kill people, he would certainly force them to surface and shoot them one by one like targets. But they had no way of surviving now if they didn¡¯t surface.

    Although these were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s enemies, he couldn¡¯t help but admire their technological breakthrough of being able to ovee technical difficulties of the seawater to create a working electric fence. If only they could obtain that technology for themselves... Huo Shaoheng was greatly impressed as he quickly swam toward the surface of the blue hole. Zhao Liangze had no choice but to follow.

    One meter, two meters, 10 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters... They were about to break the surface of the blue hole and could even see light seeping through the eerily blue water.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go up first!¡± Huo Shaoheng said in signnguage to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Don¡¯t pop up yet.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Zhao Liangze instantly held Huo Shaoheng back. Huo Shaoheng was the Major General, so his life was much more valuable than Zhao Liangze¡¯s. He didn¡¯t want to let his Chief be a target for him. He would never forgive himself.

    Huo Shaoheng signaled to him, ¡°I have quicker reflexes than you. I might be ok if I go up. You¡¯ll definitely not be ok.¡±

    Zhao Liangze said nothing. Although it was the truth, the words made him want to cry. He stared wide-eyed at Huo Shaoheng kicking fiercely and swimming up toward the water¡¯s surface.

    As Zhao Liangze watched Huo Shaoheng go, he felt his breathing bingbored. They had almost used up all the oxygen they¡¯d brought. Looking up at the blue surface above, he watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s silhouette shrink into a small dot before quickly moving away. Zhoa Liangze hugged his pile of instruments as he looked up, unable to calm down for a very long time.

    Huo Shaoheng approached the blue hole¡¯s surface. The light grew stronger and was almost piercing. Draping an arm across his forehead, he used his other hand to hold a tiny instrument to stab toward the water¡¯s surface in trepidation.

    Zap!

    A wave of violet electricity shed by, and although Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instrument was made of insting material, it still shook so hard that his wrist went numb. As expected! Even the surface was part of the grid and electric fence! The entire blue hole waspletely surrounded by the high-voltage electric fence, like a tightly sealed blue bucket. Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were the two fish who had been tossed into the bucket. Was this another way of shooting the fish in the barrel?

    This was the first time Huo Shaoheng had experienced being totally helpless and unable to cry for help. This was not an exaggeration but a grim reality. Gritting his teeth, Huo Shaoheng had a tense expression as he resolutely continued to use the instrument to test the fence.

    Zap, zap, zap...

    A string of violet electric arcs flew up from the surface to dance on the eerily blue water. It was as brilliant as maple leaves under the sunlight, sparkling with specks of gold, and so beautiful that it was impossible to look away. However, Huo Shaoheng was in no mood to appreciate the beautiful sight. His heart continued to sink, and, just like the blue hole, it sank lower into an unknown ce with no bottom...

    ...

    Less than one nautical mile away from where Huo Shaoheng was testing the fence, a long and narrow navy yacht silently bobbed on the sea. Its body was very close in color to the blue hole, so it was difficult to discern where it was and where the blue hole was from a distance. It was quite deceiving.

    On the bow of the yacht stood a woman dressed like she middle-aged, with thick bangs, a round, full face,rge ck-framed sses that covered half of her face, and long hair that reached her shoulders. She wore a slim-cut dress suit, and although she had a slightly voluptuous figure, her curves made her appear alluring.

    The woman used binocrs to watch where the blue hole¡¯s sea level was emitting violet electric arcs and snickered, ¡°So he¡¯s not going to give up? Then let¡¯s increase the current.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Her subordinate quickly adjusted the instrument to increase the voltage of the electric fence surrounding the blue hole.

    When Huo Shaoheng made hisst attempt to test the sea level, the voltage happened to be increased. A zap of violet electric shockspletely destroyed the instrument in his hand! If he hadn¡¯t reacted quickly enough to drop it, he might have been electrocuted.

    ...

    Furrowing her brows, Gu Nianzhi stood still on the bow of the yacht. She had already been there for half an hour. Her feelings of unease grew, and the tremors were also getting stronger. Initially, she had only been able to feel them with her eyes closed, but now, she could feel them even with her eyes open.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, you really can¡¯t feel the shaking?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned back again to reconfirm with Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong again shook his head but wasn¡¯t as sure that Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were as fine as he¡¯d believed half an hour ago. ¡°Nianzhi, how about we steer the yacht closer to have a look?¡±

    Yin Shixiong stopped insisting because he was also getting nervous. Although he didn¡¯t have the same intuition as Gu Nianzhi, his long years of working in the Special Forces had trained his intuition to sense such peculiarities.

    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go over there!¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed in the direction of the blue hole. ¡°I have the strongest feeling from that direction.¡± It could be said that the tremors she¡¯d experienced were alling from that direction.

    Yin Shixiong looked in the direction Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger pointed. He reached out to calcte the coordinates and confirmed it before heading to the cockpit to steer the rudder. Their yacht was a new model that had been released that year, with excellent capabilities and great speed. It shed through the waves as quickly as a bolt of white lightning.

    ...

    ¡°Miss Yamaguchi, the yacht ising over from there.¡± A man with a goatee walked up to the bow where the middle-aged woman holding binocrs stood. He whispered to her and even pointed in the direction the white yacht wasing from.

    ¡°That quickly?¡± The middle-aged woman was very surprised as she shifted the binocrs toward where the white yacht wasing from. ¡°Hmm. Why is she here?¡±

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s face fell immediately. However, herrge ck-framed sses and binocrspletely covered her face, so no one noticed the split-second change in her expression. By the time she put the binocrs down, she had resumed a normal expression.

    ¡°Haha! This is going to be interesting.¡± With a half-smile, the middle-aged woman passed the binocrs to the man with the goatee. ¡°Get the snipers in position. Leave no survivors on that white yacht. Throw all the bodies into the blue hole.¡±

    Great. I won¡¯t even have to deal with the corpses.

    Walking into the narrow cabin, the middle-aged woman almost wanted tough out loud. She had nned this for so long, and it somehow was about to be sessfullypleted today. She thought back to her painstaking ns in the past and how they had all been miraculously thwarted. However, Gu Nianzhi was destined to die, so what did it matter if it happened sooner orter? One would search high and low, only to find it when one least expected. What she needed right now was not only apuse but also fine wine¡ªa big ss of it.

    Inclining her head, she gulped down an entire ss of tequ. A faint blush quickly tinged her normally pale face, giving her otherwise forgettable looks a bit of allure.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi stood on the bow of the white yacht, watching as they neared the blue hole. She was beyond anxious¡ªand was about to put on a diving suit without a second thought in order to go find Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze¡ªwhen she noticed that there seemed to be something else floating by where the blue hole and normal ocean was divided.

    Quickly rushing back to the cabin, she found the most powerful binocrs and syed against the window to observe the bobbing shape. A boat! There was somehow another boat there! In other words, it was another yacht that was somewhat simr to their Millenium Ota. It was also a streamlined shape, but while the unknown yacht was pointed at both ends like a weaving shuttle, their Millenium Ota was a solid bullet shape. The yacht floated at the edge of the blue hole, and because its paint color was so simr to the color of the blue hole, a normal person wouldn¡¯t have easily noticed it. They might have overlooked the navy yacht if not for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s keen eyesight and instant intuition that something was amiss.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s instincts told her that the yacht had a deeper underlying purpose for being there, just like themselves. It wasn¡¯t here for sightseeing. However, she didn¡¯t need to find more evidence because the other people had already raised their ck gun barrels to aim at the Millenium Ota.

    With a great bang, a heavy armor-piercing bullet arced across the sky and shrilly hurtled toward the yacht¡¯s window. Gu Nianzhi only had time toy down. The bullet went over her head by just one centimeter, cutting straight through to the other side of the yacht. It had punched two holes right through their yacht.

    The Millenium Ota heaved violently in the waves, and Yin Shixing was nearly tossed off. Hearing the gunshot and seeing the person with a sniper rifle on the yacht not far away, his face fell as he cursed, ¡°Motherf*cker! I didn¡¯t even shoot yet! He dared to shoot first! He must want to die!¡±

    As he spoke, he stopped the yacht. He shouted through the PA, ¡°Nianzhi! Bring me the AMR!¡±

 Chapter 501 - Incomparable (Part 8)

    <h4>Chapter 501: Iparable (Part 8)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Hearing Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice, Gu Nianzhi climbed up from the deck and sprinted to the cab where the guns were stored. She took out the longest box and lunged toward Yin Shixiong who was on the bridge. She almost leaped onto the floor of the bridge as another bullet flew toward them and hit their ship.

    Yin Shixiong looked extremely pissed and kicked the box out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms. He took the box to the back of the rudder. In 15 seconds, he had put together a huge sniper rifle.

    Gu Nianzhi had only managed to crawl to Yin Shixiong¡¯s legs by this time. Hearing the sounds of the gun being loaded, Gu Nianzhi raised her head and realized that Yin Shixiong had already raised the gun and was walking out of the bridge.

    ¡°Stay here. Do note out,¡± Yin Shixiong told Gu Nianzhi without even turning to look at her. He walked out of the bridge and locked the door from outside.

    The bridge was the safest ce in the entire ship, as the door and the body of the ship were waterproof. However, the other cabins were not as tough as this. The little room Gu Nianzhi was staying in already had a bullet hole shot through it. However, those bullets would never be able to prate through to the bridge.

    ¡°Don¡¯t close the door, Brother Xiong!¡± Gu Nianzhi rushed to the door and flung herself onto it. ¡°I can be your spotter!¡±

    Due to the fact that Gu Nianzhi had followed Huo Shaoheng for a long time, she knew a thing or two about the army. For example, she knew that snipers usually operated in pairs: a shooter and a spotter.

    Of course, Yin Shixiong would never allow Gu Nianzhi to be his spotter.

    Who was she kidding? Huo Shaoheng would most likely blow his top the moment this little princess had as much as a small abrasion. Yin Shixiong would never forgive himself, either. This was the little girl they had brought up on their own; they didn¡¯t even have enough time to pamper her.

    Gu Nianzhi whammed on the door for a long time, but Yin Shixiong continued to ignore her.

    He carried the sniper rifle and crouched at the bow. Using a big float to cover himself, he aimed at the enemy¡¯s sniper.

    The enemy¡¯s sniper wasn¡¯t amazing, in his opinion. That was because the sniper used a scope on his rifle, which created a reflection from the sun, totally exposing his hiding spot. He calmly took aim using a set square and calcted the wind speed and the opponent¡¯s location.

    Two minutester, Yin Shixiong pulled on the trigger.

    Boom!

    His sniper was initially silenced. However, due to the distance, the bullet created noise caused by the friction caused between itself and the wind. Sniper rifles like these were too quick, causing the bullets to travel with such a speed that they would render a silencer useless. When the opponent heard the bullet from Yin Shixiong¡¯s gun, it was already right in front of him. It broke his scope and went right into his forehead!

    The sniper did not even have time to moan. He fell backward onto the ground and stopped moving altogether after twitching a couple of times.

    The middle-ageddy saw that their opponent had struck one of their snipers down from the bridge. She did not falter, and shemanded calmly, ¡°Next.¡±

    Another sniper went to take his ce, and the one who was shot dead was thrown into the blue hole.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze hid among the reefs in the blue hole. The amount of oxygen they¡¯d brought with them was running out. In order to ration their oxygen supply, they were sharing a gas mask, one breath each, in order to extend the duration of their oxygen supply.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, will Big Xiong and Nianzhi be okay?¡± Zhao Liangze signed to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°...Hopefully they will,¡± Huo Shaoheng signed back.

    He said ¡°hopefully¡± instead of ¡°definitely.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart sank. He fiddled with themunication device in his hand and came to a decision. ¡°I want to try repairing themunication device again, Mr. Huo,¡± he signed to Huo Shaoheng.

    They¡¯d be waiting to die if the device couldn¡¯t work. It was obvious that their opponent wanted to trap them in the blue hole in order to kill them. They couldn¡¯t get out. They could only pin their hopes on the people above the waters to save them.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that they did not have any other choice; they could only try every hope they had. He felt that the device, whether working or not, would not make a difference to the oue.

    ¡°Try it then,¡± Huo Shaoheng signed and turned his attention to the ocean in front of him.

    It was blue everywhere in the depths of the blue hole. There were no colorful tropical fish or beautiful coral. Everything was still. Everything except for Zhao Liangze and himself.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the ocean in front of him quietly. What is Nianzhi doing now? he thought all of a sudden. Is she lying on the deck of the ship, sun tanning? Or will she be barbequing crabs, waiting for them to return and enjoy the feast? Or will she be panicking, bugging Yin Shixiong to fix themunication system because she¡¯s also realized that the system has broken down?

    He felt indescribably awful when he thought of not being able to return this time round. This was his first time feeling this, even after all of his missions putting him at the risk of being unable to return every single time. He couldn¡¯t just sit and do nothing.

    Hugging his rifle, he squinted and decided that he was going to try surfacing again.

    Right at that moment, there were movements in the usually peaceful blue hole. Huo Shaoheng looked up¡ªsomething was falling down from the top. He turned on the binocr function of his diving lens and saw that it was a corpse.

    He had an idea.

    ¡°Little Ze, wait here. I¡¯ll return swiftly.¡± Turning around, he shoved his oxygen tank to Zhao Liangze and kicked the rock, shooting upward in the direction of the corpse.

    In shock, Zhao Liangze realized that Huo Shaoheng had left his oxygen tank for him as well. He was extremely grateful¡ªbut worried.

    Even though he had gone on many missions with Huo Shaoheng, none had been as dangerous as this one. At such a juncture, with the possibility of only one survivor making it out alive, Huo Shaoheng had actually given him the hope of living.

    With such a major general,mander, and a leader, what could he say?

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s diving goggles fogged up. He knew he should not be crying now, but he couldn¡¯t help it.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed the corpse that fell from the top, grabbed his cor, and pulled him to the side of a rock in the blue hole. Upon observation, he realized that the man had died from a shot to the head. This was Yin Shixiong¡¯s habitual shot...

    Moreover, that shot on the man¡¯s head was obviously caused by a bullet from the Special Forces!

    Huo Shaoheng felt relieved and worried at the same time. He was relieved that Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi had sensed that something was amiss and began fighting the opponent. However, he was worried that there were only the two of them up there. Would they be able to handle such fierce opponents?

    What was more worrying was that he did not know how many people their opponent had.

    The moment the thought of Gu Nianzhi being in danger hit him, his expression darkened further.

    Turning his arm, he grabbed the corpse by the back of his shirt and put him in front of himself as a human shield. Then he kicked furiously and swam toward the surface of the waters above the blue hole.

    This time around, the corpse took the electricity from the fence for him, and he sessfully managed to break the surface of the water!

    He took gulps of fresh air, and oxygen filled every inch of him. His mind finally felt at least 100 times clearer than it had been just now.

    ...

    ¡°He managed to get out?¡± The middle-ageddy on the blue ship removed her binocrs and said angrily, ¡°A bunch of useless junk! You can¡¯t even catch people with a! Shoot! Shoot that man!¡±

    She pointed at Huo Shaoheng who just managed to surface from the waters, andmanded her men.

    Huo Shaoheng only managed to get some air before diving back down into the blue hole. A pity he did not have his oxygen tank with him anymore. If he had, he could¡¯ve used the corpse as a human shield and could have just swum through the fence from the bottom of the blue hole into open waters.

    That was because he was nearer to the surface of the Blue Hole than he was to the sides of it. Therefore, he had no choice but to allow himself to surface in order to get some air before attempting to swim to the edge of the blue hole.

    The snipers from the blue ship were rather good. They¡¯d almost hit Huo Shaoheng on several tries.

    Huo Shaoheng dragged the corpse with one hand and held onto the sniper rifle with the other. He was unable to aim properly and only managed a few random shots, which did not affect the opponent at all.

    Seeing that her men did not manage to hit the man in the diving suit after so long, the middle-aged woman deduced that the man was Huo Shaoheng himself. Otherwise, no one would have been as capable.

    ¡°Just in time. Both of you can go to hell together and be lovebirds of theherworld...¡± The middle-aged woman smiled wickedly and took the sniper rifle from her shooter. She took aim at Huo Shaoheng personally. Her skills were way better than those of her men.

    A series of gunshots were heard. The water around Huo Shaoheng sshed quickly. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vision was blurred by the sshes. At that moment, a bullet from the opponent shed his diving suit and injured his arm.

    Soaking an injury in seawater was the literal version of sprinkling salt on one¡¯s wounds. Huo Shaoheng clenched his jaw and decided to go all-out at this moment of danger. Raising his head, he saw the blue ship. He threw the corpse in the direction of the gunshots, raised the other hand with the rifle, and began a series of shots. The shotsnded right on the ship, and the frequency of the shots was just like those fired out from machine guns.

    His gunshots finally managed to catch the attention of Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong, who were on board the Millennium Ota. Gu Nianzhi took the binocrs and saw a figure in the waters, exchanging fire with the opponents who were onboard the ship.

    That figure was Huo Shaoheng!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, then sank. She saw blood oozing out from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm with the high-function binocrs... He was injured! How could he be injured?!

    Gu Nianzhi became fierce and mad in that second. Throwing the binocrs aside, she flung herself onto the door of the bridge. ¡°Let me out! Let me out!¡±

    Yin Shixiong continued to ignore her. He continued to take aim using his sniper, shooting his opponents.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Yin Shixiong would not be opening the door for her. In a moment of worry, she looked at the rudder and turned to look at the distance between them and the opponent. Clenching her jaw, she ran to the bridge and familiarized herself with the navigation system within three minutes.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s key was still inside the rudder¡¯s keyhole. Pale as a sheet, Gu Nianzhi turned the key with all her might and started the engine of the ship. She turned on the auto navigation, and, at the highest speed, she held onto the rudder and drove the ship straight in the direction of their opponent!

    ...

    ¡°Abandon ship! They¡¯re tired of living!¡±

    The moment the men of the middle-aged woman saw that the white ship¡ªwhich was at least twice their size¡ªwas cruising toward them at such a high rate of speed seemingly seeking to die together with them, they jumped off the ship immediately.

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s subordinate pulled her by the arm urgently. ¡°Yamaguchi-san! Please abandon the ship! They¡¯reing! Our ship wouldn¡¯t be able to take it!¡±

    The middle-aged woman did not expect that Gu Nianzhi would be so mad. She was navigating the ship toward them as if she wasn¡¯t afraid to die.

    She did want Gu Nianzhi to die, but she didn¡¯t want to die with her!

    ¡°You bitch!¡±

    The middle-ageddy threw her rifle away and looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was almost shot to death in the sea. At the final moment before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Millennium Ota ran into them, she put on her life vest and jumped off the ship with her men!

 Chapter 502 - Incomparable (Part 9)

    <h4>Chapter 502: Iparable (Part 9)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! What are you doing?¡± Yin Shixiong watched their yacht speed toward the other navy blue, shuttle-shaped yacht. They were about to crash into its side. He wore a face of shock as he carried the AMR back to the cockpit and was about to open the door.

    Because he was so nervous, it took him a while to open the deadbolted cockpit door. Inside, Gu Nianzhi had her back to him, and her slender body was straight as a rod. With both hands sped firmly on the rudder, she looked ahead without blinking. The navy blue, shuttle-shaped yacht was approaching! Yin Shixiong closed his eyes, throwing away the AMR from his hands to lunge over to Gu Nianzhi and hold her back just before the two vessels were about to collide. He used himself as a seatbelt to secure her between himself and the instrument cluster.

    The immense force of the collision between the two yachts was enough to rattle Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skeleton, and thankfully, Yin Shixiong gripped her firmly from behind so she wasn¡¯t flung out by the powerful inertia. However, the hand Yin Shixiong used to brace the instrument cluster was shaken so badly that it was bleeding.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to see that Yin Shixiong was also bleeding from the side of his mouth. She was shocked. ¡°Brother Xiong! Why...? Why are you bleeding?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong tasted the sweet and metallic tang from the back of his throat. Bearing the pain of having his arms nearly torn out of their sockets by inertia, he answered Gu Nianzhi raspily, ¡°...Because I¡¯m furious at you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said nothing. He must have been ok if he could still make jokes. Turning back, Gu Nianzhi finally sensed the yacht being tossed wildly by the waves. The navy blue, shuttle-shaped yacht in front of them was only half the size of their Millenium Ota, so it had been knocked right over on the ocean¡¯s surface. It appeared that their own yacht wasn¡¯t too badly damaged and was only unable to bnce due to the massive force of the collision. It bobbed unsteadily on the ocean and was enough to make them dizzy. Even Gu Nianzhi, who had never been seasick, was almost unable to bear it. Her face nched even more as she gritted her teeth hard to prevent herself from vomiting. Yin Shixiong was faring no better, but he continued to hold Gu Nianzhi securely to prevent her from being injured by inertia.

    The people on the navy blue yacht used all their strength to swim away from the waters where they had collided. But soon after, a great tidal wave swept several of them near the blue hole¡¯s waters. They hadn¡¯t had a chance to disable the electric fence installed there, so it was still powered up.

    A crackling of violet electric arcs illuminated the top of the blue hole, and the people screamed before being electrocuted to death and falling into the blue hole. The middle-aged woman floated in the ocean, two underlings nking her sides. Looking up to witness her personnel dying, she was both shocked and enraged as she shot a venomous look at the white yacht that had knocked them over. She wanted nothing more than to scrawl the word ¡°death¡± on it in big letters!

    ¡°Miss Yamaguchi, what should we do?!¡± Her underlings were terrified at seeing the others instantly charred ck from the electric shocks made by the blue hole¡¯s perimeter fence. They were criminals who faced death every day and had no fear of it, but they didn¡¯t want to perish without leaving aplete corpse.

    ¡°What are you scared of?¡± The middle-aged woman looked around. ¡°Head that way! The Gus¡¯ small ind is nearby. You¡¯ll get there after swimming for about an hour.¡±

    Their luck was not too bad; they didn¡¯t swim long before another ck yacht sped their way. This one was evenrger than their own navy blue one or the other white one. It was almost a small-sized, three-story luxury cruise ship, but with very powerful motors and high speed. The middle-aged woman bobbing in the water saw the ¡°Ku¡± in floral script emzoned on the side of the ship and finally sighed in relief.

    Her eyes shimmered as she said to her underlings, ¡°A ship ising from over there! Hurry up and send the re for a distress signal!¡±

    The underlings obeyed hermand, quickly taking out the re signal he carried and aiming his gun in the air.

    Gu Yanran sat in therge living room on the third floor of the ck yacht, her eyes resting anxiously on the waters ahead. She saw the violet electric arcs even from a distance. Her heart dropped, and she almost fell over. Standing in front of the window with her hands sped, she closed her eyes as she muttered prayers to the god of the sea...

    ¡°Miss Gu, are you Christian?¡± A tall white man stood behind her with his arms crossed, watching her with interest. This was the bodyguard Gu Yanran had hired. Turning around, Gu Yanran gave him a small smile and said solemnly, ¡°James, I was praying to Poseidon, god of the sea. I hope that everyone will be well. I¡¯ve truly seen enough deaths...¡±

    James also grew serious and nodded to Gu Yanran. ¡°Miss Gu, the Lord will hear your prayers and protect you and the people you care about.¡±

    Gu Yanran turned back, her eyes still looking in the direction of the blue hole. Suddenly, several ck dots began drifting toward their ship. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they appeared to be people who had fallen into the water.

    ¡°Miss Gu, those are the three people who fell into the water over there. Should we rescue them?¡± One of Gu Yanran¡¯s housekeepers came over to whisper in her ear.

    Gu Yanran reached out her hand. ¡°Give me binocrs.¡±

    The housekeeper handed a set of powerful military-grade binocrs to her. She lifted them up to look over and froze at the sight.

    Why is it her? What is she trying to do?

    But regardless of her suspicions, Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t just leave them to die. Gu Yanran gave the order: ¡°Send men over to rescue them.¡±

    ...

    The waves continued to churn, but the sea was already much calmer than it had been during the earlier collision. Gu Nianzhi panted as she slowly steadied herself to say to Yin Shixiong behind her, ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯m ok. You can rest now.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had been clenching his hands too tightly earlier, so his muscles had nearly seized. With great effort, he finally pried his fingers open and then cautiously flexed them a few times to ensure that his hands were ok. He folded his hands behind his back and stepped back to say with a rasp, ¡°Nianzhi, are you ok?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a lot better now,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she looked back to nce at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong had thick brows,rge eyes, and slightly tanned skin. But he appeared somewhat pale right now, perhaps from being seasick earlier.

    Gu Nianzhi patted his arm. ¡°Get some rest, I need to go out for a bit.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Yin Shixiong grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand again. ¡°You already acted rashly by hitting that yacht. Luckily, it was fine. Otherwise, I would have no way of answering to Mr. Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed yet felt saddened at Yin Shixiong¡¯s mention of Huo Shaoheng. Her nose stung as she tried to support her body. She said calmly, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t hit that yacht, there would be no Huo Shao for you to answer to. Let go. I have to go outside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke the truth. The situation earlier had been a close shave, and even if Yin Shixiong had been the one to pull the trigger, the results would have been the same. At the time, he hadn¡¯t been as decisive as Gu Nianzi.

    Yin Shixiong was slightly ashamed but still maintained his grip on her arm. ¡°Nianzhi, Mr. Huo will be ok for sure. He¡¯s survived even more dangerous situations before. This is nothing.¡±

    The truth was, the Special Operations Forces had undergone overseas missions over the past few years and had faced far graver dangers. They also battled foreign mercenaries and armies frequently, so these sea pirates were actually nothing inparison.

    Gu Nianzhi knew this was the truth, but she also was aware that the situation in the blue hole was different. This was unlike anything Huo Shaoheng and his men had faced before, but she had no way of exining that clearly to Yin Shixiong. The crux of it was that she was going by intuition, so there was no scientific exnation for what she was doing. And because it had been based on her intuition, she had to go for it herself or regret it for the rest of her life.

    Gu Nianzhi pried Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand off, finger by finger, and said steadily, ¡°Let me go. I need to go find Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°How will you find him? He¡¯s in the blue hole and wille out soon.¡± Yin Shi Xiong hadn¡¯t seen Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exchange of gunfire with the people on the yacht earlier because he¡¯d been tied up dealing with another sniper. He hadn¡¯t seen what Gu Nianzhi had seen through the binocrs.

    Shaking her head, Gu Nianzhi spoke in a voice that was even calmer. ¡°Huo Shao and Brother Ze can¡¯t get out. If they could leave, they would¡¯ve left long ago. Do you still not understand? They... are in danger.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s face fell. ¡°Are you certain?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain, so I need to go down and see,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she moved to take her clothes off.

    Quickly turning his head away so that he wasn¡¯t looking at Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong shouted toward the window, ¡°Since you¡¯re not even sure about it, why are you going?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity of him turning away to dash out of the cockpit and mimicked his earlier actions by locking Yin Shixiong in there. She ran to the small living room to find their prepared diving suit and took off her sportswear. d in only her underwear, she began putting on the diving suit. It was far too big and didn¡¯t fit her at all, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have the time to worry about that right now. Scrunching up her tiny face, she carried an oxygen tank and fiercely jumped into the water. Carried by the flow of the water toward the blue hole, she began to swim over!

    By the time Yin Shixong used a wire to pry open the deadbolted cockpit door and rushed out to the deck, he only caught a glimpse of Gu Nianzi¡¯s back swimming fluidly through the sea. Like a mermaid, she swam toward her prince.

 Chapter 503 - Incomparable (10)

    <h4>Chapter 503: Iparable (10)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waterborne abilities had been honed with the Special Forces guys. Therefore, if it was merely swimming, Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Gu Nianzhi at all no matter how strong the waves were. However, there were not merely waves in the ocean. There was the possibility that those people who just jumped off the ship might be lurking around, intending to bring harm to them.

    Yin Shixiong rushed to the bow of the ship and waved his arms frantically, but he did not dare to call her name out loud. He did not want people to know that she was in the water lest it attract more trouble. He only let out a long howl to vent his anger and frustration.

    It was already noon. The sun zed onto the sea, causing it to appear an even brighter shade of blue. Gu Nianzhi swam in the direction of the Blue Hole with all her might. The day was clear and the water blue, but she was not in any mood to admire the scenery. Her face was hot from the re of the sun. Thankfully, she had her diving goggles on to protect her eyes.

    She did not dare to dive underwater, as she did not have apass with her. She¡¯d lose her sense of direction if she dove under without apass. She had to keep a lookout for potential snipers when she swam on the surface of the water as well, in case the ones who had just abandoned their ship were still lurking around. If they still wanted her dead and were hiding somewhere near, they could kill her anytime.

    It was fine if she died, but no one would be there to save Huo Shaoheng if she did. And Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t just important to her; he was important to the entire Hua Xia Empire as well. Once she thought of this, she felt an immense sense of responsibility, and a sense of bravery came over her. Even so, she did not swim blindly. She utilized all her skills learned from her swimming lessons. She tried her best to get to the Blue Hole as quickly as possible, using the least amount of energy.

    ...

    Gu Yanran was standing on the bow of her ck ship, looking at the waves ahead and the journey toward the Blue Hole. The middle-ageddy walked up to her from behind and asked her one final time, ¡°Yanran, you really have to go to the Blue Hole to save Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t just let him go to that dangerous ce without doing anything,¡± Gu Yanran replied without even turning to look at her. She was looking fixedly at the Blue Hole nearby. The water there was a deeper shade of bluepared to the water around it. It was so blue that it was slightly overwhelming.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t even love you. Why do you still want to save him?¡± The middle-ageddy looked at Gu Yanran curiously. ¡°Even if you save him, could you bear to see him together with another girl?¡±

    Gu Yanran lowered her head and kept quiet. After a while, she said sadly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t do anything, right? But if I save him, he¡¯ll definitely remember it...¡±

    ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t expect Yanran to be such a loyal girl. Couldn¡¯t tell that about you in the past.¡± The middle-ageddy nodded. ¡°Okay then, since we are unable to be on the same page, give me a small boat and let me go off from here.¡±

    ¡°You want to leave?¡± Gu Yanran finally turned to look at her. She was calm. ¡°Why do you always dress up like that? Moreover, we¡¯re at sea. You¡¯re sure you¡¯ll only need a small boat?¡± Without water or food, the moment the wind blew, the boat would definitely disappear into the sea.

    It was akin to suicide.

    The middle-ageddy sniggered. Shaking her hand at Gu Yanran, she saidzily, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about how I dress myself. However, the person you¡¯re going to save is the person who has been trying really hard to arrest me. Should I be sitting here, waiting for my death?¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯ll be dangerous if you get off here, too. There¡¯s a possibility of death.¡± Gu Yanran walked to the middle-aged woman and looked at her closely. ¡°I have no idea about the feud between the two of you, but can¡¯t you make peace with him for my sake?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you sure you want us to make peace?¡± A strange smile crept up the middle-aged woman¡¯s face. ¡°I shan¡¯t borate further. Just give me a jet ski and let me leave. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be toote. He¡¯ll have seen you together with me and will misunderstand again.¡±

    Gu Yanran sighed. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not going to let it go. Why? Must you?¡±

    ¡°Stopmenting like you really know the whole story. You don¡¯t. You¡¯re not in my shoes. If you were, I don¡¯t believe you¡¯d still be all calm and being such a saint.¡± The middle-aged woman sniggered again and shook her head. ¡°Just give me a boat. I still have two loyal subordinates. They¡¯ll protect me. We won¡¯t have problems getting back to shore.¡±

    Seeing that she wasn¡¯t able to talk her out of it, she knew that she had done her part as a friend. Nodding, she agreed. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll give you a safety boat with some food and water. Ration them. If everything goes well, you¡¯ll be back onnd in half a day.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just half a day, why are you so wishy washy?!¡± The middle-aged woman was getting impatient. She turned around before she left and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯ll really be going this time around. There won¡¯t be any reason for us to meet in the future, either.¡± She paused, turned around again, and smiled strangely at Gu Yanran. ¡°However, are you sure you¡¯ll be able to enter the Blue Hole to save him? I¡¯ve already turned on your father¡¯s electric fence...¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Gu Yanran was in shock. She walked faster in an attempt to grab the middle-aged woman. ¡°How did you do it?! How did you know about the electric fence?! Who told you?!¡±

    The middle-aged womanughed like she had just heard the funniest joke in the whole world. Holding onto her chest, sheughed, rocking back and forth. Eventually, sheughed until she cried. Wiping away the tears that came out from the corners of her eyes, she giggled. ¡°...How did I know? Who told me? Good question, but I don¡¯t know, either! Hahahahaha...¡± The middle-aged woman continuedughing as she jumped off the ship into one of the lifeboats the ship put down.

    Her subordinates followed suit. The lifeboat swayed a couple of times. The middle-aged woman steadied herself and started the lifeboat. Gu Yanran watched them go from the bow of her ship.

    Almost immediately after the three of them left, Gu Yanran¡¯s ship arrived at the waters near the Blue Hole. The brilliant blue water in front of them was almost blinding to their eyes. After looking at the Blue Hole for a while, it would make one feel like other things were white in color...

    Gu Yanran raised her hand, and the caretaker immediately put a pair of shades into it. Putting the shades on, she looked ahead at the Blue Hole and was relieved that it was clearer to the eyes. She mumbled, ¡°How did the electric fence start? It had been so many years, shouldn¡¯t it already have run out of power?¡±

    She felt extremely uneasy and paced around the bow with folded arms. She eventually decided to not trust the middle-aged woman¡¯s words and issued amand to her caretaker. ¡°Get someone to take the lifeboat to the Blue Hole to save people.¡±

    ¡°Who do we save, Miss?¡± The caretaker asked, clueless. ¡°Do you have a picture?¡±

    Gu Yanranughed at the caretaker¡¯s questions. ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be any living organisms in the Blue Hole usually. Why would you need pictures? Just save whoever¡¯s there.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Gu!¡± Even though the caretaker found Gu Yanran¡¯s words extremely weird, she was still the employer, and she paid them. Therefore, he would listen to hermands by hook or by crook.

    The caretaker¡¯s actions were swift. In only a couple of minutes, he managed to get two muscr, well-built swimmers into the lifeboat before heading to the Blue Hole.

    Gu Yanran and her ck ship remained about ten meters away from the Blue Hole. Whatever was going on there, they could see clearly with their eyes, not to mention, Gu Yanran had a pair of highly functional binocrs with her.

    Looking through the binocrs, she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head bobbing up and down in the water around the Blue Hole. Seeing his handsome features, strong shoulders, and swimming strokes so perfect that he could appear in any instructional swimming books, he looked rxed, like he wasn¡¯t afraid of any danger at all. Swimming around in this blue world, it felt like this was his territory, and he was the king!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was finally nearing the Blue Hole. However, a ck ship cruised toward her even before she swam over. It was going toward the Blue Hole as well. The ship created a big wave that swept Gu Nianzhi under. Gu Nianzhi only managed to surface after quite an effort. That wave also blocked the view of Gu Nianzhi from the people in the ship.

    Be it Gu Yanran or the middle-aged woman and her twopanions who had just left the ship, they did not notice a slim figure floating toward the waters of the Blue Hole.

    Gu Nianzhi surfaced and missed seeing the trio who had just left on the lifeboat. Shaking her head to get rid of excess water, she looked around and determined her direction before following the ck ship. She still did not know who was on board the ck ship, but due to meeting those bandits from the white ship, Gu Nianzhi was still cautious of the people on this ship. Carefully hiding herself in the ship¡¯s blind spots, she avoided being seen by anyone from the ck ship.

    ...

    ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s the waters of the Blue Hole. Right ahead.¡± The caretaker stood beside Gu Yanran and looked at the two swimmers going down to the lifeboat from the ship.

    Gu Nianzhi had already managed to make her way to one of the reefs near the Blue Hole. Her dark gray diving suit camouged her perfectly with the reefs around her. She stayed there quietly, observing her surroundings. The waters around the Blue Hole weren¡¯t t. The area had weird stones stacked around it. Therefore, ships would not be able to make their way there. However, lifeboats would have no problem.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes wide and looked at the lifeboat moving toward the Blue Hole. Three meters, two meters, one meter... It was in!

    Pssst!

    Just when the lifeboat was about to enter the area around the Blue Hole, a purple electrical current jolted the bottom of the boat. However, this time around, the current was way stronger thanpared to before. It was almost like a bolt of lighting. The lifeboat became a ck mass, and the two people on board died instantly.

    Gu Nianzhi was in shock. The purple current hadn¡¯t been so strong just previously! It hadn¡¯t even been half an hour? How did it be so strong?

    Gu Yanran was in shock as well. She did not expect that the electric fence that her father left behind could not be controlled anymore...

 Chapter 504 - Incomparable (11)

    <h4>Chapter 504: Iparable (11)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The sea water in the blue hole started to boil, and the violet electric arcs crackled on the water. The electricity flowed on the ocean like a madly dancing golden snake, or a sky streaked with lightning before a powerful storm. However, the positions ofnd and sea were reversed. The blue hole looked like the sky, while the sky looked like the ground.

    Gu Yanran exhaled sharply, covering her mouth as her eyes widened at the scene before her. She murmured, ¡°That day... That day seven years ago, it looked just like this...¡± She remembered the situation that day was nearly the same as right now¨Cthe sky was dark, the water blue, and the positions of the sky andnd seemed to reverse. It was also on that day that she suddenly received the unfortunate news that the flight MH210 her parents boarded had gone missing mid-flight. Countries all over the world began joining in the massive search efforts. She rushed out of her house to prepare for her parents¡¯ funeral arrangements. The younger Gu Nianzhi had insisted on sailing on the sea that day. Their family servants couldn¡¯t stop her and could only apany her, but that yacht never returned after setting sail... Gu Yanran closed her eyes, unwilling to continue the memory.

    Lying behind the reef, Gu Nianzhi grew even more anxious at the sight of the blue hole. What did she have to do in order to rescue Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze? The people in the boats had no way of approaching those waters. Earlier, she had seen Huo Shaoheng float up in the water intermittently, but so much had happened, and he hadn¡¯t reappeared. Could something have happened to him? Gu Nianzhi was terrified at the thought. Her heart hammered wildly like a great hand was squeezing it so hard that all the blood in her body was going to burst and then start seeping out through her throat and eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi could only taste the sweet and metallic tang of blood in her throat. Pressing her lips together hard, she forbade herself from revealing any weakness. This was not the time to falter. There were still people she must rescue from that underwater hell. Gu Nianzhi stealthily moved down from the reef and prepared to dive down to sea level. When she arrived, she could already see the blue hole not far away and had no need to be scared about getting lost. It was at this time that a horn shriller than one on a car sounded from the ocean¡¯s surface. It red continuously and was getting closer to her.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped in fright and was about to roll down the reef when a voice was heard behind her. ¡°Hmm? There¡¯s actually someone here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly terrified at being discovered. The situation was dire, and she had no idea if the person was friend or foe, so she thought the only safe solution was to instantly dive underwater. She didn¡¯t expect the other person to be much more nimble in the water than she was. Gu Nianzhi had learned to swim in a pool, while it was apparent the other person had grown up by the sea and had trained against waves. Soon after, they picked Gu Nianzhi up by the arm and threw her in the corner of the tiny life boat.

    A middle-aged woman wearing ck-framed sses and thick bangs covering her entire forehead turned around on the lifeboat, then ripped off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s snorkel and diving mask. ¡°Ha! So it is you!¡± The middle-aged woman beganughing maniacally. ¡°Oh, Gu Nianzhi! You¡¯re finally getting what¡¯sing to you!¡± It was the woman from the navy blue yacht!

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely nervous, yet kept her expression calm and aloof as she replied coldly, ¡°Who are you? Do I know you?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know me. It¡¯s good enough for me to know you.¡± The middle-aged woman smiled viciously and maniacally like she was finally exacting her sweet revenge, then she pped Gu Nianzhi soundly across the face.

    Gu Nianzhi never took anything sitting down, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to hit her back and reply crisply, ¡°Can¡¯t you speak civilly? Why do you hit people for no reason!?¡±

    The middle-aged woman was shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s p and finally came to her senses after a while. ring at her, the woman¡¯s eyes were almost on fire. ¡°You hit me?! You dared to hit me!¡± She then screamed at her two underlings, ¡°What the hell are you two doing?! Why aren¡¯t you tying her up!?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew things were bad. How could she save Huo Shaoheng if she was tied up? She made the sudden decision to pull out the gun from her diving suit and shot right at the woman! But she was too nervous, and her hands shook, so the shot missed. However, the shot was enough to shock the woman. She never expected Gu Nianzhi to actually have a gun in her diving suit, so she paused with fright then immediately pulled an underling over to cover the front of her body. Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and immediately fired a second time, killing the middle-aged woman¡¯s underling with one shot!

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s other underling instantly took out his gun and aimed at Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi was already prepared, so she rolled to the ground as the second shot was fired and crashed right into the middle-aged woman¡¯s leg, knocking her over. Gu Nianzhi began wrestling with her. The underling now had no choice but to proceed more carefully and not shoot again. He looked on from the side, afraid to hurt his mistress by ident.

    Gu Nianzhi had no such qualms, so she continued wrestling with the middle-aged woman and found that she was much weaker. Gu Nianzhi could twist the woman¡¯s hands backwards with one hand and also get on her side to kneel on one leg. With one hand holding the gun, she aimed at the man who was too afraid to shoot and fired several times at him! Gu Nianzhi killed the middle-aged woman¡¯s second underling. With one kick of her foot to each body, Gu Nianzhi flung both bodies into the sea and turned back to re at the middle-aged woman, her eyes full of lethality!

    ¡°You actually killed people!¡± The middle-aged woman¡¯s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. ¡°...You actually killed people! You knowingly broke thew!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was much bolder with a gun in her hand. She was secretly ted that she had randomly grabbed one of Huo Shaoheng and his men¡¯s prepared diving suits. It was different from normal ones and had numerous weapons and ropes hidden in it so it could save lives or beat down enemies in a pinch. These were all specially prepared military supplies for the Special Operations Forces.

    Gu Nianzhi gradually stood up, her arm holding the gun aimed straight at the middle-aged woman. ¡°I killed out of self-defense. Do you have a problem with that? ...Unlike you people, who want to murder us!¡±

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s eyes sparkled as she snickered slyly. ¡°We want to murder you? Are you guys dead? Not one of you died, so I¡¯m afraid you want to murder us! But Gu Nianzhi, this may all be a misunderstanding... You don¡¯t have to be like this... We can speak calmly...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hated this woman for putting Huo Shaoheng in danger, so she had no interest in listening to her. It was obvious that the woman couldn¡¯t defeat her, and she had lost two of her underlings, so she was now trying to talk her way out of it. Speaking with such a cowardly person was a waste of her time. Walking closer, Gu Nianzhi aimed at the woman¡¯s head without hesitation. ¡°I don¡¯t care what misunderstanding we had, but since you wanted to kill me earlier, I have no reason to let you off now!¡± She pushed on the gun¡¯s safety to disable it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know about your memories from before you were 12 years old?! You¡¯ll never know the answers if you kill me! Don¡¯t you want to know who your parents are?!¡± The middle-aged woman had cold sweat streaming down her back. She didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi would be so decisive and unforgiving. Not only had she killed two people, she nned to murder her as well!

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated. How did this Japanese woman know about her situation? However, she quicklyposed herself and forcefully pressed the gun so hard that she almost bore a hole into her temple. She spat out coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll die if I don¡¯t know my memories before I turned 12. Why should I screw around with you?! And you don¡¯t need to worry about my parents.¡±

    ¡°...Gu Nianzhi, I really overestimated you. So you¡¯re so rash, barbaric, and uncouth. How sad would your parents be if they found out!?¡± The middle-aged woman was finally getting desperate. ¡°You went through all that to catch me, aren¡¯t you at least curious why I kepting after you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped, and she slowly lowered her hand. ¡°You kepting after me? When was this? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡±

    The middle-aged woman was livid from hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. How could this little girl be so infuriating!? She had painstakingly made all the ns and arrangements, and was so close to eliminating her¡ªbut somehow she kept escaping several times. Even this time, it could be considered a three to one score. Maybe this was her chance to turn the tables around... Or could she not be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opponent? The middle-aged woman stared at Gu Nianzhi with a strange look. ¡°You really don¡¯t know? You don¡¯t remember that you went to your ssmate¡¯s birthday banquet one dayst year, then got afflicted by an aphrodisiac?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was blown. How did this middle-aged woman know about that?! ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice finally lowered, her suspicion apparent.

    The middle-aged woman rejoiced. She knew Gu Nianzhi was falling for it. She snickered. ¡°Do you really want to know who I am?¡±

    As they spoke, a loud horn began to sound again. Gu Nianzhi came to her senses and knew she couldn¡¯t dy anymore. Huo Shaoheng was still waiting for her to rescue him. Even a minute¡¯s dy could increase the danger. Thus, she wasn¡¯t curious at all and said coolly, ¡°Why do I care who you are? You can say it if you want!¡± She then pushed on the safety again to prepare to shoot.

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s expression also changed when she heard the horn. Her tone shifted into a conniving one. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to know, since any woman inflicted by H3ab7 will have a terrible end! Gu Nianzhi, was it pleasurable having sex with seven men?!¡±

 Chapter 505 - Incomparable (12)

    <h4>Chapter 505: Iparable (12)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What exactly are you talking about?!¡± Gu Nianzhi could feel her heart thumping furiously. However, she did not allow herself to look like she was being taken advantage of. ¡°H3ab7? What the hell is that? I think the amount of junk in your head is more than enough to flood the entire Sahara desert, seriously. Why are you still here wasting everyone¡¯s time?¡±

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi did not give a hoot about what she said, the middle-aged woman began to doubt herself. Was she really fine?

    Impossible... After contemting for a while, she decided to trust her belief in H3ab7¡¯s capabilities. That drug was indeed deadly, and it had been proven through many clinical trials with Asiandies. It was impossible that Gu Nianzhi would not be affected.

    ¡°Haha... You don¡¯t remember anymore? That¡¯s even better. Go and check if you want, what the aphrodisiac was that you took that time. I think it¡¯d be better if you don¡¯t get married. Your husband wouldn¡¯t even know the color of the hat he¡¯d be wearing...¡± The middle-aged woman¡¯s words were vile, but no one could tell if she was telling the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi was different. She could not remember most of what had happened after the effects of the aphrodisiac had kicked in. She only remembered that she had managed to find Chen Lie right before the effects kicked in, and she was fully confident of Chen Lie¡¯s doctoring skills. Therefore, regarding the effects that the middle-aged woman had mentioned, she was confident that she had not gone through any of them.

    Of course, she was even more confident of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s capabilities. As long as he was around, he would save her from any cmities she was in. However, the words from the middle-aged woman made Gu Nianzhie to a realization. ¡°You¡¯re Yamaguchi Youko!¡± She couldn¡¯t remember much from that incident. What little she knew were bits and pieces from Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng.

    She also knew that Huo Shaoheng and the Special Forces were after Yamaguchi Youko, and the aphrodisiac her ssmate, Feng Yixi, gave her, was from this Japanese woman called Yamaguchi Youko as well! She had also seen Yamaguchi Youko¡¯s picture from Huo Shaoheng before. Even though it wasn¡¯t identical, her features were recognizable. Only Yamaguchi Youko would know such details from that incident.

    ¡°You are Yamaguchi Youko! You really didn¡¯t die!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grip tightened. She loaded the gun and put it right in the middle of the woman¡¯s forehead. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strength was so great that the gun left a red mark on her skin. ¡°That¡¯s even better. I won¡¯t have to feel any guilt even if I really do kill you!¡±

    ¡°You really want to kill me?!¡± The expression of the woman dressed to look middle-aged changed multiple times. She did not expect Gu Nianzhi to be this heartless. ring at Gu Nianzhi, she smiled pitifully. ¡°To think someone like you is the top schr of thew faculty?! You¡¯re knowinglymitting a crime. That¡¯s worse! Everyone should know what kind of person you are. You disgust me!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows again, full of thoughts. If this woman is really Yamaguchi Youko, she really knows a lot about me. Where did she get all those details? However, the thoughts merely shed past for a second before being pushed to the back of her mind. Who cares who she is? With such a heart, even if she is someone I used to know, am I supposed to forgive her? What a joke...

    Aside from wanting to harm her on numerous asions, she had caused Huo Shaoheng to be in danger this time around. She deserved to die 100 times purely because of that.

    Gu Nianzhi made up her mind. cing her finger on the trigger, she said in a low voice, ¡°I really can¡¯t be damned if you feel disgusted or not. Get someone to pray for you at your tomb a year from now!¡± With that, she pulled the trigger.

    Right at that moment, the long sharp blow of a whistle could be heard. The sound came continuously, sharp and high pitched. It hurt their ears. Gu Nianzhi lost focus and looked in the direction where the sound hade from. A huge ship appeared on the horizon. It was cruising towards them. They couldn¡¯t tell if it was the ship, but waves were rocking their little lifeboat rather vigorously.

    Gu Nianzhi was caught off guard. After an idental slip and almost losing her gun, the bullet brushed past the woman¡¯s ear and shot into the distance. The woman was surprised to realize that she was still alive. Grabbing onto the opportunity, she grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist, wanting to snatch the gun out of her hand.

    ¡°Damn you!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention returned to the woman as she raised a leg and kicked. The woman fell off the lifeboat just like that. Then, Gu Nianzhiid face down on the edge of the lifeboat and fired multiple times into the water, causing a huge ssh.

    ¡°Stop! Stop! What are you doing?!¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s voice came from behind Gu Nianzhi. She was shocked beyond words, and her usually bright and clear voice was quivering.

    Turning around, Gu Nianzhi saw Gu Yanran on a lifeboat, nearing her. Looking in the direction that Gu Yanran came from, she confirmed that the ck ship she had seen was Gu Yanran¡¯s, which also meant that it belonged to the Gu¡¯s...

    She felt strange in her heart but did not let it affect her for long. With a dark expression, she saw a few swimmers jump into the water and pull the woman onto their lifeboat.

    ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi?! Why are you in Barbados?!¡± Gu Yanran finally confirmed the talldy¡¯s identity. Looking at her, she was shocked to see a gun in her hand. ¡°Why on earth are you holding onto a gun?! And forcing people to their deaths?! Nianzhi, how can you ignore thew like that?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still staring at the woman who was dressed to look middle-aged. She did not even look at Gu Yanran and said calmly, ¡°Miss Gu, please don¡¯t discuss thew with me. We¡¯re on the open seas right now. May I know which country¡¯sws you are abiding?¡±

    The woman closed her eyes. She was wrapped in a thin towel and hid away in a corner of Gu Yanran¡¯s lifeboat. She was expressionless and silent. Gu Nianzhi looked at her again before shifting her attention to Gu Yanran. ¡°You know each other?¡±

    Before Gu Yanran could reply, the womanughed weirdly. ¡°Of course she knows me. She was even my guarantor to let me leave the country hahahhahaa... All idiots!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Hearing such words from her, Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t take it, either. ¡°You¡¯d better be grateful that I saved your life!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Gu Yanran and the woman. Pursing her lips, she stuffed the gun back into her diving suit before turning around to start the lifeboat¡¯s engine.

    ¡°Hey! Gu... Nianzhi, what are you doing?¡± Gu Yanran tried to stop her. ¡°Are you going to save Mr. Huo just by using this little lifeboat? It¡¯s no use!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused. The image of how the lifeboat that was the same model as hers got electrocuted shed in her mind. However, she continued to lower her head and focused on starting the engine of her lifeboat. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to not save him just because she knew it was dangerous.

    A short whileter, the engine started. Gu Nianzhi navigated the lifeboat in the direction of the Blue Hole without looking back.

    Panicking, Gu Yanran shouted after her, ¡°Come back! Youe back! Don¡¯t die! We can think of another solution!¡± However, the noise from the engine was too loud, and there was no way Gu Nianzhi would be able to hear her.

    ¡°Why is that child so bloody stubborn?!¡± Gu Yanran sighed and saw the woman hiding in a corner of her lifeboat. ¡°Why did you return? Where are your subordinates?¡± she asked the woman, confused.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi killed them. This youngdy is really something. She kills without a thought.¡± The woman spat and looked at Gu Yanran from the corners of her eyes. ¡°Since I¡¯m already on your boat, be nice and take me back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not obliged to save you.¡± Gu Yanran furrowed her brows and said impatiently, ¡°I¡¯ve told you not to leave on your own before, but you refused to listen. Look, now. You have no one with you. How are you supposed to report to the people on your end after you get back?¡±

    The womanughed. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to worry about how I¡¯ll report after I get back. I think you¡¯d better...¡± She shifted her gaze and looked at Gu Nianzhi nearing the waters of the Blue Hole, the area with the violet-colored electric arcs in the waters.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s gaze followed. ¡°Sigh, what a pretty girl. Why must she be so stubborn?¡± Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t bear to look anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± She ordered her lifeboat to return to her ship. The woman, however, continued to watch the lifeboat that Gu Nianzhi was on.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the water covered with violet electric arcs. Her eyes showed fear. She was afraid, indeed. To date, her scariest memory was the beginning of everything she could remember, the ident when she was 12. After that, when Huo Shaoheng entered her life, she was protected safely and extremely well. The past six or seven years had been the happiest in her life...

    However, this person who had given her a second chance at life was in danger right now, so even if she was terrified, she would never allow herself to be talked out of going to the ¡°dead sea.¡± Even if she had to die, she wanted to die with Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi had found a new sense of determination. She looked at the water covered with violet electric arcs and forced herself to think of a solution in ten minutes. ording to her calctions, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze¡¯s oxygen supply wouldst only for a maximum of three hours. It had already been two and a half hours. She needed to have a substantial amount of time out of the remaining 30 minutes forst minute emergencies. Therefore, technically, she was only left with less than ten minutes.

    Could she think of a solution within ten minutes?! If she had had a super calctor or different tools with her, she¡¯d have a better chance to settle this huge area of violet electric arcs. However, she didn¡¯t have anything with her. She only had a mobile phone, and it was used for gaming. It was impossible to do extensive calctions with it.

    Then, she saw a Swiss Army knife in her diving suit. Could this be a tool for soldiers? What a joke... Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and told herself to calm down, and that she¡¯d definitely find a way out. As long as this had been set up by a person, she¡¯d find a way to bypass it!

    She wasn¡¯t the same girl anymore who was trapped in the car, helpless as she looked at the raging fires in front of her. She would find a way. She would definitely find a way!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes snapped open as the first question popped into her head: since the water was able to produce violet electrical arcs, what kind of starter would it require to produce electrical arcs of such magnitude?!

 Chapter 506 - Incomparable (13)

    <h4>Chapter 506: Iparable (13)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The several mostmon ways to generate electricity were hydroelectric, wind power, thermal power, sr power, and nuclear power. Gu Nianzhi quickly recalled the physics knowledge she had learned from the expert instructors at the Special Operations Forces, andbining it with the surrounding situation of the water around the blue hole, she immediately eliminated the possibilities of thermal power and hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity required an extreme flow of water or arge temperature difference in the seawater in order to generate electricity. However, the current geography and water conditions obviously didn¡¯t fulfill the requirements for hydroelectricity. Also, hydroelectricity requiredrge scale infrastructure.

    The blue hole¡¯s surroundings had no trace of human influence because its most natural topography had been preserved, so thispletely eliminated the possibility of hydroelectric generation. Thermal power was self-exnatory, as there were no natural resources that enabled it. Aside from the immense infrastructure hydroelectricity and thermal power required, wind-generated power and nuclear power also had stringent requirements for energy generation, so they also needed basic infrastructure. Gu Nianzhi quickly eliminated the possibilities of hydroelectricity, thermal power, wind power, and nuclear power.

    Sr energy could be small orrge scale and have aplicated or simple generation mechanism. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know too much about sr power, but she understood the general principle. Also, the Special Operations Forces base had sr panels installed. She had been curious in the past and secretly climbed onto the roof to inspect them closely. The best sr panels in the world had already advanced into miniature and streamlined models, and even portable models. Like other technologies, all the most advanced technology was used in the military. Sr power was no exception.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled, and when she looked at the waters around the blue hole again, she immediately noticed something different. She observed therge and small reefs protruding above the water¡¯s surface near the blue hole. The reefs didn¡¯t look very different from normal ones, but upon closer inspection, there were irregr surfaces, and the rough-looking ones actually held a secret within.

    Gu Nianzhi concentrated on looking at the reefs, and her gaze gradually focused on a spot near her life boat. The location of the reef was quite clever. Half was inside the blue hole¡¯s waters, and the other half was outside. If this was truly the sr power she had deduced, then the location was certainly interesting. Looking along the area around the blue hole, she immediately discovered the trick within. The reefs were spread out into stars and chess pieces where the blue hole¡¯s waters and the normal ocean intersected, so half were inside the blue hole¡¯s waters, and the other half was outside. It would be perfect if they could be used as carriers to generate sr power... Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shimmered as she started up the lifeboat to head towards the reef.

    Suddenly, shouting and the sounds of fighting erupted from Gu Yanran¡¯s yacht. Gu Nianzhi had been focused on her thoughts but was suddenly startled by the noise. She instinctively looked in that direction to see that the middle-aged woman was actually holding Gu Yanran at gunpoint on the yacht¡¯s helm! The woman¡¯s back faced the ocean, and she was tightly choking Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran kept trying to force the woman¡¯s hands away, but she couldn¡¯t peel them back. The middle-aged woman pointed the gun at Gu Yanran¡¯s housekeepers and security while continuously screaming.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that Gu Yanran had thising since that woman was clearly not a good person, yet Gu Yanran actually decided to save her and bring her on her yacht. Gu Nianzhi looked away to ignore what was happening with Gu Yanran, then focused on jumping onto the reefs. All sorts of reefs in various sizes were littered around where the blue hole¡¯s waters and the normal ocean intersected, so Gu Nianzhi had to navigate carefully in order for her lifeboat to avoid the reefs.

    When she arrived at the reef closest to her, Gu Nianzhi stopped the lifeboat, estimated the distance between the reef and herself, and then took out a rope of appropriate length from her diving suit. Making a knot, she threw it towards the reef. After throwing it two times, the rope looped around the reef, and with a tight tug and her foot firmly nted on the boat, Gu Nianzhi volleyed herself up and towards the reef! Shended sessfully!

    Gu Nianzhi almostughed with relief, but her happiness was quickly extinguished. The reef was charged with electricity, too! She had no idea approximately what voltage it was, and it was certainly weaker than the violet electric arcs on the blue hole¡¯s waters, but it was still beyond what normal humans could endure. Gu Nianzhi could feel hundreds of thousands of tiny needles pricking her entire body. At first it didn¡¯t hurt too much, but after three seconds, the pain spread throughout her body. Gritting her teeth, she managed not to cry out. Ignoring the pain in her body, Gu Nianzhi half crouched on the reef and began using the simple circuit detector from her diving suit to find evidence of sr panels. Soon after, she found a clue and couldn¡¯t help sighing in awe.

    She had no idea who was such a genius, as these weren¡¯t reefs at all! These were sr panels disguised as reefs! The outer surface employed a very interesting paint that not only disguised the faux reefs¡¯ surfaces, but it also protected the normal operation of the circuitry inside as well as increasing the absorption of sr energy by several magnitudes! This was amazing.

    The reason why sr power hadn¡¯t been mass introduced was because the rate of conversion for sr pr was too low, and due to its low performance, it caused more pollution to the environment. But the ¡°sr panel reefs¡± near the blue hole¡¯s waters were naturally formed and not only had a high conversion rate but also achieved recycling of circuitry equipment in order to minimize environmental pollution. This was why the waters in the area had maintained their natural appearance. By utilizing, modifying, and protecting the environment, such technology was truly mature and could be sustainably developed.

    As Gu Nianzhi was appreciating the technology, she also had to carefully avoid the violet electric arcs on the other side of the reefs, near the blue hole¡¯s waters. Those were high voltage, and she was sure to die on contact. It didn¡¯t matter if she died, but what about Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze? Gu Nianzhi would never allow such a thing to happen. Now that she knew were the power was being generated, the next step was to destroy it.

    Looking up to count, Gu Nianzhi saw that there were about eight of the same reefs visible that formed an octagon. There was only limited time, so she couldn¡¯t climb onto each one to destroy them. This was the moment a tool of destruction could be used. Gu Nianzhi took a gun out of her diving suit and aimed at several simr rocks nearby. With continuous shots, the rocks were reduced to pieces,pletely destroying the outer paint on the rocks as well as the internal circuitry. Two minutester, the violet electric arcs on the water near the blue hole were visibly diminished and soon weakened. They floated above the sea surface like sparse, blue willow-o-wisps.

    Overjoyed, Gu Nianzhi knew she had found the right direction and was about to keep firing at the reefs when a greatmotion sounded from Gu Yanran¡¯s yacht. ¡°Let me go! Let me go! You can¡¯t bite the hand that saved you!¡± It was Gu Yanran desperately screaming.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced back to see the middle-aged woman had somehow stolen a gun and was holding Gu Yanran hostage at the helm of the third floor of Gu Yanran¡¯s deck. The woman¡¯s back faced the blue hole. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything left now! Have your family bring money to ransom you!¡± The middle-aged woman¡¯s loudughter was maic yet harrowing to the brain.

    Frowning as she listened, Gu Nianzhi slowly lifted her gun to shoot the middle-aged woman in the back in order to save Gu Yanran. She couldn¡¯t exactly idly watch Gu Yanran get killed. But before she could make a move, Gu Yanran¡¯s situationpletely reversed. The middle-aged woman suddenly stumbled and fell forward, then Gu Yanran somehow got away from her and now held the gun. She aimed it at the middle-aged woman¡¯s chest and fired several times before kicking her corpse into the ocean. The seawater was immediately stained red by blood, and the middle-aged woman¡¯s corpse quickly floated above the surface, bobbing in the waves. The Yamaguchi Youko that Huo Shaoheng and his men had pursued for so long had died just like that?! And Gu Yanran was the one to kill her?! Eyes bulging, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s jaw dropped. However, she was only shocked for a second, then she instantly turned away to find a spot where she could dive into the blue hole¡¯s waters.

    Her concentration was focused on how to find a spot where the violet electric arcs were the weakest, so she didn¡¯t notice that the giant yacht from earlier had already stopped nearby. The yacht was fully equipped, and a lifeboat several timesrger than her own was lowered from the yacht and was now speeding in her direction.

    ¡°Gu¨CNian¨CZhi! Come back here!¡± A furious cry sounded from behind her, and the aloof voice dragged Gu Nianzhi back to reality from her thoughts.

    Turning back again in shock, Gu Nianzhi saw He Zhichu standing on a white yacht ring at her with rage! ¡°Professor He?! Why are you here?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised after the shock wore off, and she waved at him with a smile. She then quickly turned around and dove down into the blue hole¡¯s waters were the violet electric arcs were the weakest.

    It wasn¡¯t that she disobeyed He Zhichu, but that there could be no further dy with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s situation. She had no time to exin to He Zhichu. He Zhichu just managed to arrive and witness Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender figure dive into the blue hole¡¯s waters that still sparked with the weakened electric current. This was the second time he had witnessed her facing danger. But this time, no one could stop him, so He Zhichu also dove down without another word.

 Chapter 507 - Incomparable (14)

    <h4>Chapter 507: Iparable (14)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was silent when Gu Nianzhi went into the water. She did not create any sshes, just like the best Olympic diver. She felt the electric currents the moment she entered the water. It felt as though countless needles were pricking every inch of her body. Tightening her jaw, she bore the pain and dove downwards.

    Just like she thought, the moment she went through the pain on the surface of the water, there wasn¡¯t any more current once she was approximately two meters underwater.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and looked at the world of brilliant blue in front of her. She thought of the things she saw and silently admired the people who set this ce up. Pure still water would not carry electric current. However, water from the environment usually carried impurities, and thus would definitely conduct electricity. Seawater would definitely be a conductor as well.

    However, the person who set this ce up cleverly used the blue hole¡¯s surroundings and covered the entire area with an electric arc from top to bottom, using a material that couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye, separating the blue hole and the rest of the waters.

    ¡°This is too clever...¡± Gu Nianzhi praised in her heart repeatedly as she swam quickly towards the bottom of the blue hole.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the rock where he was hiding with Zhao Liangze. Seeing that he was still trying to fix themunicator, he smiled exasperatedly and tapped his shoulder.

    Zhao Liangze raised his head. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng had returned, he screamed loudly and zoomed over to give him a hug. Patting him hard on the back, he created sshes, even underwater. The mask he wore cut off his voice. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t hear anything, but he could tell that Zhao Liangze was extremely excited by the strength he patted him with.

    Huo Shaoheng patted him back and hid behind the rocks again. They began signing what happened in the waters to each other. It was then that Zhao Liangze realized that the electrical fence could enclose even the water¡¯s surface! Zhao Liangze felt that his eyes would¡¯ve popped out of their sockets in awe if not for the diving goggles.

    He signed excitedly, ¡°...We thought that this was a fairly advanced electrical fence, but judging from the looks of it, it¡¯s way more advanced than any electrical fences used by the military!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded but wasn¡¯t as excited as Zhao Liangze. He¡¯d be over the moon if such an advanced technology belonged to them. However, this advanced technology was keeping them trapped under the water. How could he be happy about it? Such a dark advanced technology; it¡¯d be scary to imagine if another country got hold of it...

    The two of them leaned against each other, resting behind the reefs. They were using just one oxygen mask in order to ration their oxygen supply. Slowly, time passed. Their oxygen supply was dwindling and running out. They hadn¡¯t intended to spend much time there, so the oxygen tanks they¡¯d brought with them were small and would definitely be used up.

    In order for Huo Shaoheng to have a higher chance of survival, Zhao Liangze had been intentionally lowering his oxygen intake starting ten minutes ago. He felt that Huo Shaoheng was way more important than he was, and he was willing to give Huo Shaoheng the chance of living. He felt that it was worth it, even if he were to die, as Huo Shaoheng would definitely avenge him. By then, he¡¯d get Huo Shaoheng to burn someputer programs for him, so that he could still be updated on the advancement ofputers even when he was down there.

    He also lowered his activity level in order to conserve more energy and tried his best to not get discovered by Huo Shaoheng. After only a short while, he felt that he was already beginning to hallucinate. It wasn¡¯t a sea of blue in front of him anymore. Instead, it was a beautiful vi with two gorgeousdies in white tennis outfits holding onto tennis rackets on their way to the court for a game.

    They were giggling between themselves as they walked, and the sun shone through the spaces in between the leaves. The tallerdy¡¯s skin glowed a healthy shade of bronze, and her smile showed a perfect row of white teeth. Her plump lips were where Zhao Liangze wanted his lips to be. Yes, this tallerdy was none other than Bai Yueran in his mind.

    He looked at the scene in front of him weakly and tried to reach out to touch thedy¡¯s face, but thedy disappeared like bubbles. He had just begun to reach out, and she disappeared without a trace in front of him.

    The sea of blue quietly returned to his area of focus without as much as a ripple. Zhao Liangze felt a wave of disappointment wash over him as his brain was suffering from a severeck of oxygen. ¡°Don¡¯t go... Yueran... Don¡¯t go...¡± He tried his best to reach out in front of him and catch thedy who disappeared. He lost control of himself for a minute and fell forward.

    It was then that Huo Shaoheng realized there was something wrong with Zhao Liangze. He held him by the shoulders and hit his face with all his might. However, Zhao Liangze was unresponsive. He had already fallen into aa.

    Huo Shaoheng connected the oxygen supply to Zhao Liangze¡¯s mask to let him breathe. However, he was unable to take in oxygen. Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to Zhao Liangze being in aa, or if he was persistent in not taking in any oxygen even after cking out so that he could save thatst bottle for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng tightly hugged Zhao Liangze¡¯s almost lifeless body. His sadness was beyond words. They did not mind sacrificing, but such a pointless sacrifice was his fault! He couldn¡¯t allow Zhao Liangze to die here. He had to get him out!

    Huo Shaoheng carried Zhao Liangze as he tightened his jaws. Kicking his legs straight, he shot upwards like an arrow. He used all his energy to swim upwards towards the surface of the water. This time, he was going to use his body as a shield to get Zhao Liangze out of there!

    Unless the opponents were going to use bombs to blow him into pieces, he was still going to protect hisrade!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi moved her arms and dove towards the bottom of the ocean just like a mermaid. The deeper she went, the less she could feel the electrical currents. The moment she was ten meters underwater, she couldn¡¯t feel any pain from the current anymore.

    She increased her speed of diving and opened her eyes to the best of her ability in an attempt to look for Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. She only realized that she had been too rash when she was in the area of the blue hole. The blue hole¡¯s area is massive. How will I find Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze like that?

    However, an idea immediately popped into her mind. She had confirmed that theirmunication system didn¡¯t work because of the disruption of the electrical arcs. Since she was already in the blue hole, and the arc was on the surface of the blue hole to disrupt connections between people above the water and the people in the blue hole, it should be working there.

    Gu Nianzhi took out a smallmunication device from her diving suit and pressed it repeatedly. She sent out Morse code repeatedly, which she had learned from Yin Shixiong. ¡°I am Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shao, Brother Ze, where are you guys? I¡¯m already within the area of the blue hole. I¡¯m at...¡± She sent them the location indicated on her tracking device through themunication device.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng carried Zhao Liangze¡¯s body and swam upwards towards the surface of the water with all his might. All of a sudden, he felt the smallmunication device on his throat vibrate. He swam as he felt the vibrations from the device on his neck. It felt increasingly familiar, just like Morse code!

    He took the device and ced it on his ear immediately. ¡°Didi... Di... Didida...¡± A series of Morse code was sent repeatedly. It was repeating the same message: ¡°I am Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shao and Brother Ze, where are you guys? I¡¯m already within the area of the blue hole...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally managed to decipher the entire message and stopped swimming in shock. He stopped for a couple of seconds carrying Zhao Liangze¡¯s body before speeding up in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s method worked like a dream. She received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reply within a short time and was ted. She almost forgot that she was within a high danger zone of the blue hole and swam in circles in joy. Looking at the sshes, she felt extremely excited. When Huo Shaoheng arrived carrying Zhao Liangze¡¯s unconscious body, that was exactly what he saw.

    Gu Nianzhi looked like a fairy in that ck diving suit. Swimming in circles underwater, her perfect figure among the sshes she created, Huo Shaoheng could feel her joy even from a distance. It felt like an avnche in his heart. Everything else was buried, and all he could see and feel was a happy figure dancing in the brilliant world of blue in front of him. He could feel the corners of his eyes turning wet. Huo Shaoheng raised his head quickly and took a deep breath to calm himself.

    This silly kid...

    He carried Zhao Liangze¡¯s unconscious body and swam over. Gu Nianzhi swam another circle and saw Huo Shaoheng swimming towards her when she turned her head. She swam towards him happily and wanted to swim right into his embrace when she saw him carrying the unconscious Zhao Liangze. She understood immediately and signed to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°What happened to Brother Ze? Did you guys meet with danger?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and signed back, ¡°Why did youe down? Where are the snipers up there?¡± The moment the violet electric arcs were turned on, he had no choice but to dive back down, so he wouldn¡¯t know what had happened up there.

    Gu Nianzhi signed back to him,¡±...All died. Yamaguchi Youko died, too. Yes, the middle-aged woman who wanted to kill you. Long story. It¡¯s safe above the water now. I¡¯ve destroyed the electrical arc¡¯s power supply. The electrical current above the water is weak now. Let¡¯s go up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was ted when he got the news and pulled Gu Nianzhi towards him by the waist, giving her a big hug. Gu Nianzhi melted into him and felt herself go weak all over. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strong arms went around her waist. She was floating in the pure, brilliant blue water. Everything seemed so perfect, like she was in a dream. Even that electrical arc above the water felt just like a backdrop in that beautiful dream.

    ...

    He Zhichu followed closely with a stern face behind Gu Nianzhi as she jumped into the water and swam quickly forward. However, the weakened electrical current within the area of the blue hole seemed to get a recharge the moment he swam to the edge of the area. The power of the purple electrical arc soared, and the sounds of electricity could be heard.

    He Zhichu tried to enter thepound multiple times, but the electric shock was beyond him. On the tenth try, he cked out due to electrocution. He would have been dead if his subordinates had not arrived in time to take him away...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi jumped off without a care and left Yin Shixiong alone on the damaged Millennium Ota. After contemtion, he finally got in touch with Barbados¡¯s governor¡¯s office and Cuba¡¯s embassy. He reported the incident and requested their best chopper immediately to save Huo Shaoheng.

    The moment the people from the embassy heard that Huo Shaoheng had met with danger, they reported the incident to their governing office. Ten minutester, thetest military chopper had already taken off from Cuba, moving in the direction of the blue hole.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng brought the unconscious Zhao Liangze near the blue hole¡¯s surface. Looking up and thankful for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s extreme observance, he pulled Gu Nianzhi who had almost swum her way up. When she realized why he had done that, she was taken aback as well. The weakened electrical arc had somehow managed to recharge itself and was raging like a ghostly blue fire, burning a field of death.

 Chapter 508 - Incomparable (15)

    <h4>Chapter 508: Iparable (15)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked to see the violet electric sparks shimmering on the sea¡¯s surface above her, and it left her speechless for a long time. Swimming a few circles in the water, she wanted to struggle out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grip to see what was happening above them. However, Huo Shaoheng gripped her firmly by the arm to prevent her from leaving his side. Gu Nianzhi knew she couldn¡¯t hide behind Huo Shaoheng at a time like this, or all three of them would die. Lifting her hand, Gu Nianzhi signalled in signnguage to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯ll go up to see what¡¯s going on. I already shot all the sr panels, so there is no way of generating power. Where did these violet electric arcse from?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand and quietly looked at her through the diving mask for a while as he wrote on her palm stroke by stroke, ¡°...The circuitry is not that simple here. There is no way there¡¯s only one circuit system.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood. Even her WiFi at home had an auxiliary backup power supply, so how could a massive setup like this not have one? The auxiliary power must¡¯ve been activated. Now she had even more reason not to back down. Since she came down to the blue hole, she must rescue the two men. Gu Nianzhi squeezed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand back and frowned at Zhao Liangze, who was hoisted over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Brother Ze, have you heard enough?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze and instinctively nced at Zhao Liangze, because he assumed he woke up. Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to wrench her hand free and swam like a fish to escape Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clutches. She quickly swam up to the surface.

    She had dared to trick him. She was getting bolder by the day... Jerking his head up violently, Huo Shaoheng followed her while carrying Zhao Liangze. The seawater was abnormally resistant, and he also had to carry another person, so despite Huo Shaoheng¡¯s excellent swimming skills, he couldn¡¯t catch up to Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi quickly swam near the blue hole¡¯s surface and could sense that the violet electric arcs were bright enough to blind through the thick diving goggles. Gritting her teeth and wrapping her arms around her head, she swiftly propelled her legs against the sea water to break the surface.

    Zap¨C!

    The electric arcs crackled loudly on the surface, and Gu Nianzhi once again felt like she was crawling through a hill of needles. Countless tiny needles as fine as cow¡¯s hair pricked her body. Though she didn¡¯t bleed, the pain was trapped in the marrow of her bones and was enough to suffocate her. However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t pass out, and the pain actually sparked her courage. ring at the violet electric arcs in front of her, she clenched her fists and thought, Then let¡¯s try it out! We¡¯ll see what¡¯s more powerful, the arcs or me!

    Closing her eyes, she rushed up to the surface once again. As soon as her head popped up from the water, a giant line of violet electric arcs zapped her, apanied by the sound of thunder pping! Not daring to open her eyes, Gu Nianzhi endured the searing pain and quickly dove back down into the water. Would the shocks fry the hair off her head, making her bald? As anxious as Gu Nianzhi was to rescue them, she couldn¡¯t help worrying about her appearance... If she could bear the pain, how could she not bear the prospect of baldness!?

    Gu Nianzhi reopened her eyes in the water and looked up at the violet electric arcs on the surface for a while before rushing up once again. This time, she endured longer than the first time, but it still was painful to the point that even her joints were on fire. Luckily, she had a very high pain tolerance, because normal people would have either passed out from the shock or died from it. Gu Nianzhi was actually able to break surface twice, and although she couldn¡¯t escape the electric arcs on the surface, she was much more impressive than a normal person.

    ...

    The people on both He Zhichu¡¯s and Gu Yanran¡¯s yachts looked at the brilliant violet electric arcs on the sea¡¯s surface. They had all closed their eyes regretfully to give Gu Nianzhi a moment of silence when they first witnessed her burst up from the surface and have her head fried by the violet electric arcs. They thought she was doomed without a doubt, so they werepletely floored the second time they saw Gu Nianzhi break the surface and get beaten down by the violet electric arcs once again. There had been no one who could escape the electric arcs alive! But they just saw someone survive after getting shocked by the violet electric arcs?! Interest grew, and everyone took out binocrs to watch Gu Nianzhi emerge over and over again, only to be forced back down into the water by the shocks.

    ...

    He Zhichu regained consciousness and walked to the bow of the yacht solemnly. He epted binocrs from someone to watch Gu Nianzhi persistently battle with the sea of violet electric arcs. The corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help twitching. This child had always been so stubborn. When she first arrived at his side at the age of six, she loved ying in the small garden. One time someone put a small Taihu stone on the garden path she frequented because it melded with the naturalndscape and was an interesting addition to the path. He Zhichu¡¯s father also loved Taihu stones, so everyone agreed it was nice. However, they didn¡¯t consider that Gu Nianzi frequently went on the path alone, while He Zhichu¡¯s father didn¡¯t go there often. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t like the stone, so she asked for the obstacle to be moved away. He Zhichu didn¡¯t take notice at the time and only thought it was a stone, so there was no need to be so serious about it. But Gu Nianzhi was extremely stubborn. She secretly woke up at night when there was no one to help her move it. She would run to the garden and move the rock, throwing it into the grass before happily going back to bed.

    That night, a curious He Zhichu followed the tiny Gu Nianzhi to watch her slyly evade the guard, crawl across the hallway, avoid the lights, and crouch her small body as she stole to the garden path. With heavy grunts and mustering all her strength, she finally moved the small Taihu stone and threw it away... Just like now, she had determined the violet electric arcs to be her obstacle, so she would stop at nothing to ovee it, even if it meant beating herself bloody. He Zhichu massaged his temples, his indifferent eyes softening. He ordered someone to take a megaphone to shout at the blue hole¡¯s waters, ¡°...Don¡¯t go upwards! Go from the bottom! It¡¯s easier!¡±

    The person rying the message didn¡¯t quite understand what it meant, but He Zhichu knew Gu Nianzhi would understand. When Gu Nianzhi emerged once again and was shocked by the violet electric arcs to the point that even her marrow was burning, she heard the message called out from He Zhichi¡¯s side. As Gu Nianzhi sank back down into the water, Huo Shaoheng finally caught up to her and grabbed her to prevent her from hurting herself on the surface again.

    Gu Nianzhi pried off Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand before gesturing to him, ¡°Huo Shao, I also want to save myself. I don¡¯t want to die here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her before letting go and using signnguage to say, ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll take him out first ande back for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzi pulled him back and pointed to the violet electric arcs above. She solemnly wrote in his palm, ¡°Don¡¯t go. If you pass out, I can¡¯t carry both of you. I¡¯d let go of Brother Ze for sure. Huo Shao, do you want to see Brother Ze die like that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent as he stared at her hard with emotion. She had truly grown up by his side, so she knew him all too well. He certainly wouldn¡¯t allow Zhao Liangze to die, but he also didn¡¯t want to see Gu Nianzi perish. If it was possible, he would rather die for the two of them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Huo Shao.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a giggle, stretching her arms to swim in a circle. ¡°See, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m really fine, I won¡¯t die. These shocks are nothing to me. I was just thinking about how to get you and Brother Ze out of here. The shocks don¡¯t affect me, but you guys are different. I¡¯m worried the voltage is too high, and you guys won¡¯t be able to endure it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew Gu Nianzhi had a special body constitution and had personally witnessed Gu Nianzhi break the surface of violet electric arcs several times, yet she was still able to bounce around. He began to trust her words but couldn¡¯t help feeling pained. Gu Nianzhi grew up under his care, and other than tripping during a long distance run, she had never suffered such torture.

    ¡°We¡¯ll try again, but this time instead of going from the surface, we¡¯ll go from the bottom.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed in the opposite direction. ¡°Those are normal waters over there. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°There are also electric fences over there. We tried earlier.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head with a wry smile and gently swung Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in the water. ¡°Here, let me carry you both and break the surface.¡± Huo Shaoheng nned to use his body as a shield to deliver Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze out of the electric fence on the blue hole¡¯s side. If they couldn¡¯t go from the surface, then they could only force their way through the electric fence they couldn¡¯t see.

    ¡°No¨C!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head, causing a swirl of bubbles. ¡°Let me go try first. Maybe it¡¯ll be different than before?¡± Wrenching herself out of his grasp, she swam over horizontally.

    She quickly arrived where the blue hole¡¯s waters and the normal ocean intersected. It was only a shallow distance of less than three meters below the surface, because underneath was all limestone that couldn¡¯t be moved, even if it was dug out. Gu Nianzhi had to pass a vertical area of sea water less than three meters deep in order to leave the electric fence in the blue hole¡¯s waters and return to the normal ocean. Huo Shaoheng watched her nervously. He and Zhao Liangze had tried there earlier, too, but had both passed out for a few seconds from the shock. Losing consciousness in the ocean could be fatal. He immediately prepared himself to rush over to save her as soon as she passed out.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi swam above the limestone. The seawater¡¯s pressure at a three-meter depth was not as high. Her body instantly rxed. Reaching out, she probed for the invisible electric fence in front of her.

    Zap...!

    A searing pain traveled from her fingertips and wrenched at her heart, but it was much weaker than the violet electric arcs on the surface. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun into gear. Even she couldn¡¯t withstand the violet electric arcs on the surface and had been beaten down into the water over and over again. However, the voltage here was much lower, so was the auxiliary power supply only buffing the strength of the violet electric arcs on the surface? Was it true that the entire electric fence had been inevitably weakened by her? Hope rose in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart as she shut her eyes, crossed her arms around her chest, and propleed her legs forward to surge towards the unseen electric fence in front of her! Electric shock! The pain rattled her bones, but this time, she sessfully escaped!

 Chapter 509 - Incomparable (16)

    <h4>Chapter 509: Iparable (16)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    There wasn¡¯t any fence that could be seen with the naked eye between the area of the blue hole and the area of the open waters, but the invisible electric fence was even more powerful. The moment Gu Nianzhi managed to get out, she swam towards the water¡¯s surface. This time around, there weren¡¯t violet electrical arcs attacking her from the top. She surfaced from the sea, removed her diving mask, and inhaled deeply.

    The people on the lifeboats and ships nearby saw Gu Nianzhi surface and cheered loudly. They were all d that she managed to escape death from the horrendous violet electrical arcs. Gu Nianzhi heard the cheers and waved cheerfully at them. Everyone forgot which side they were on at that moment. They only felt that someone had managed to surpass a threshold, which no one had done before, and were all happy for her.

    It was simr to being in the Olympics with the motto, ¡°Faster, higher, stronger¡± in thepetition. Each time a record was broken, everyone would be happy about it, no matter if it was arade orpetitor.

    He Zhichu held onto the ship¡¯s rails tightly. His heart skipped a beat. Seeing Gu Nianzhi out of danger, his face finally did not look as tense. He Zhichu boarded the lifeboat as he issued themand, ¡°Send a lifeboat. Get an emergency doctor to bring a first aid kit and get on the boat to stand by.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head surfaced from the water, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to get fresh air into her lungs. She had never realized how amazing oxygen could make a person feel until then. No wonder our lives depended on it...

    A small lifeboat filled with many necessities cruised over towards her and stopped nearby. He Zhichu was on the lifeboat, waving to her. ¡°Come here, Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She remembered that Brother Ze had been unconscious for such a long time and definitely needed a doctor immediately. It¡¯d be bad if his brain were damaged... Such a clever Brother Ze, she still wanted to consult him on many things regardingputers.

    Gu Nianzhi swam towards the lifeboat that He Zhichu was on. She held onto the side of the boat and asked, ¡°Professor He, Brother Ze fainted underwater. We don¡¯t know how he is. Could you please do me a favor by lending me your doctor to take a look at him after I bring him up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expressive eyes looked at the doctor with all his medical equipment behind He Zhichu. He Zhichu stopped smiling and raised his hand towards her. ¡°Get out. You¡¯ve been in the water for too long. It¡¯s bad for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to hold onto the side of the boat and asked flightily, ¡°Okay, okay. Can you please do me a favor, Professor He?¡±

    He Zhichu hadn¡¯t seen Gu Nianzhi being flighty in front of him in so long. His heart skipped a beat, and he bent down to grab Gu Nianzhi by the wrist immediately. With that, he pulled her out of the water. Since Gu Nianzhi needed He Zhichu¡¯s help, she allowed him to pull her onto the lifeboat.

    The nurses behind He Zhichu were quick. They covered Gu Nianzhi with a thick towel the moment she got on the boat. However, Gu Nianzhi began to panic. ¡°I still need to go back and save people! Professor He, can you wait for a moment, please?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re able toe out, do you think they need you to save them?¡± He Zhichu rolled his eyes at her and turned to his subordinates. ¡°Get people to go down. See the direction she came from? Dive in from there, and you¡¯ll be able to save the people within the blue hole.¡± That way, they¡¯d be able to bypass the violet electrical arcs.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi, such a youngdy, managed to get out from under the waters over at that side, the men felt that being big and buff, they¡¯d be fine. A strong diver took the lead and dove underwater in the direction Gu Nianzhi came from. Following him, a couple more dove down and swam in the same direction.

    Seeing that there were people who could help her save Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, she was extremely grateful and bowed to them repeatedly in gratitude. He Zhichu put both his hands into his pockets and couldn¡¯t bear seeing this anymore. He pulled her to him and looked at her coldly. ¡°Why are you even thanking them? You think they would¡¯ve gone if I hadn¡¯tmanded them to?¡±

    ¡°Of course I must thank Professor He even more.¡± Gu Nianzhi thanked He Zhichu as well and began to sweet talk him. ¡°But, since Professor He and I know each other so well, it¡¯s too formal to say thanks. They¡¯re not close to me, so even if they¡¯re just following yourmands, I¡¯m still thankful.¡±

    Seeing her eyes darting around as she spoke, He Zhichu knew that she was trying her best to make him happy. However, since she was willing to make him happy now, it was way betterpared to trying to shun him, wasn¡¯t it? He Zhichu asked, concerned, ¡°Hungry?¡±

    ¡°Of course! How could I not be? I could eat a cow!¡± Gu Nianzhi said exaggeratedly and even sighed.

    He Zhichu was speechless. Turning around, he got someone to bring him a crab sandwich. ¡°Here, see if you like it.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi was looking at the guys who were swimming towards the blue hole, she did not realize what He Zhichu had prepared for her. She only realized that it was one of her favorites, a crab sandwich, after taking a bite. ¡°Wow, Professor He, this crab sandwich is really delicious! Thank you so much.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled her brightest smile and took the sandwich. She finished it quickly.

    The moment she finished eating her sandwich and cleaning her hands, she heard a scream from the waters near the blue hole where she hade from just a while ago. Looking over, she saw the three swimmers who supposedly had gone down to save Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. Two of them were unconscious and were brought up by the third swimmer. That third person surfaced and called out to them for help with all his might. They had not managed to save anyone, and on the contrary, they needed to be saved.

    ¡°We swam to the area that she came out from. The moment we dove down, the electrical currents were still extremely strong! They swam first. The moment they reached the intersection, they were electrocuted. Me, being at the back, saw what happened to them and didn¡¯t try my luck. Otherwise, all of us would¡¯ve cked out underwater and would¡¯ve just died.¡± The person who wasn¡¯t electrocuted continued bbering. As he spoke, he kept looking at Gu Nianzhi. He felt that Gu Nianzhi had not actuallye out from there. How could she be fine if she really had?

    He Zhichu¡¯s doctors examined the swimmers who were unconscious and whispered to He Zhichu, ¡°Yes, these two were electrocuted.¡± Then they, too, looked at Gu Nianzhi. They all looked at the two muscr swimmers who passed out, then looked at Gu Nianzhi who looked so frail and slender, and everyone fell into silence.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up. The smile on her face disappeared. She put on the diving mask quickly and told He Zhichu, ¡°Please give me five minutes, Professor He. I¡¯ll bring Brother Ze up.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± He Zhichu protested, but Gu Nianzhi had already jumped off into the water and was diving quickly downwards in the direction from which she hade just a few moments ago.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Youe back! Come back now!¡± He Zhichu held onto the low railings on the lifeboat and shouted with all his might. He looked on the verge of going crazy and bing depressed, and it made everyone¡¯s hearts go out to him. The nurse who was looking at him quietly already had tears in the corners of her eyes. Turning around, she quickly wiped them away.

    ¡°Be on standby. I¡¯ll go down and take a look.¡± He removed his jacket revealing a dive suit that he was wearing underneath. Holding onto the railings, he flipped himself into the water and swam in the direction Gu Nianzhi had disappeared into. His subordinates followed quickly after him in order to offer protection.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the ce where she had managed to get out. She swam around the area and did not manage to see anything out of ce. She was puzzled as to why the swimmers were electrocuted. The electricity felt painful when she swam across, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent that it would make people fall unconscious, was it? This was weakpared to the violet electrical arcs on the surface...

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and found the entrance she had exited from previously. It was about three meters wide. Without any hesitation, she dashed over with her eyes open this time around.

    It was the same pain ¨C the electrical shocks that went all the way into her bones, just like someone taking millions of needles to prick her at her bones. It was so extremely painful that she trembled from the pain. Her trembling created ripples in the water, and they traveled outwards. However, this pain did not render Gu Nianzhi unconscious.

    She returned to the area of the blue hole. Huo Shaoheng was waiting for her in the same spot, carrying Zhao Liangze. He only stopped worrying when he saw Gu Nianzhi return after she managed to get out.

    ¡°It¡¯s been tough on you.¡± Huo Shaoheng signed to Gu Nianzhi as she swam to his side.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she shook her head. She was already recovering from the current. Pretending to be fine, she signed to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Give Brother Ze to me. I¡¯ll take him out. Professor He is here. He brought lifeboats and doctors with him. He brought medication as well. Brother Ze will be saved as long as he gets out.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback when he heard that He Zhichu was here again. However, when he saw that he had brought doctors and medicine, the unhappiness he felt disappeared immediately. Zhao Liangze would definitely be fine with He Zhichu¡¯s help.

    Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi on her shoulders and put Zhao Liangze down. He swam towards the ce Gu Nianzhi hade from with her. When they arrived at the waters with the narrow three-meter exit, Huo Shaoheng stood atop a reef and ced Zhao Liangze on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender shoulders. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Brother Ze has been so nice to me. I wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to him. Huo Shao, you don¡¯t have to thank me for this.¡± Dragging the unconscious Zhao Liangze, she embraced his head and shoulders as protection. Then, she kicked a reef nearby and shot herself and Zhao Liangze upwards towards the invisible electrical barrier.

    She did not know if it was due to the fact that she had someone with her and the surface area was greater, but she felt that the current had be stronger. It was way strongerpared to when she had entered just now. Gu Nianzhi bit her lip and bore the pain. She put in every ounce of effort she had and finally managed to drag Zhao Liangze past the electrical barrier!

    He Zhichu managed to arrive shortly after. He took Zhao Liangze from her arms and got his men to take him up. ¡°He¡¯s out! He¡¯s really out!¡± Everyone on the lifeboat cheered. The doctors and nurses rushed to care for Zhao Liangze, giving him a full body checkup and emergency treatment.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around, preparing to swim towards the blue hole again. He Zhichu pulled her back. ¡°You¡¯re still going?! Look at you!¡± he yelled angrily at her.

    Her lips were already bruised from her bites. It showed clearly how painful it had been... However, Gu Nianzhi hade here because she wanted to save Huo Shaoheng. How could she give up now?

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a blink of an eye, Professor He. I¡¯ve already done so much. You wouldn¡¯t want me to give up at the eleventh hour, would you?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at He Zhichu, but her eyes showed utmost determination.

    He Zhichu tightened his grip on her, but Gu Nianzhi pried his fingers off one by one. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Professor He.¡± She turned and swam towards the blue hole and tried to force her way in again. Going through the electrical fence twice seemed to be her body¡¯s limit. The pain increased by multiple folds. She was only worried that Huo Shaoheng would see through that, so she tried her best to pretend that she was all okay.

    The moment she returned to the blue hole, she reached her hand out to Huo Shaoheng and went into his embrace. They hugged each other tightly. They felt relieved that their partners were fine but also felt blessed to have each other in such moments of danger.

    ¡°Huo Shao, let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Nianzhi nudged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and pulled him into her embrace. She did not have any worries anymore this time, since the person she was hugging was Huo Shaoheng.

    Her chest was soft. Huo Shaoheng opened his arms and hugged her tightly as well. They remained in a hug and swam towards the invisible electric fence.

    They were arriving at the ce she had entered and exited twice. Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and looked at Huo Shaoheng. Right at that moment, she wriggled and pulled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head into her embrace. Huo Shaoheng was stunned as his face was engulfed by softness. Right at that moment, Gu Nianzhi bore a pain so strong that she almost screamed out loud. Using all her remaining strength, she dragged him out of the blue hole!

    All Huo Shaoheng felt was needles pricking his arms. After only a short while, that feeling disappeared. The quality of the water was clearly different as well. Huo Shaoheng lifted his head and saw a clear shade of blue above him instead of all the violet electrical arcs. He was overjoyed. Hugging Gu Nianzhi with one arm, he used the other arm to propel them both upwards, legs kicking nonstop.

    They had finally surfaced!

 Chapter 510 - Matters of the Heart (1)

    <h4>Chapter 510: Matters of the Heart (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    They had been underwater in the blue hole for nearly three hours. If Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t arrived to bring them extra oxygen tanks and then also used her own strength to get Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze out the shackles of the electric fence, Huo Shaoheng knew he would probably have been doomed.

    He Zhichu sighed with great relief when he saw Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi finally break the surface. His long arms quickly rowed the boat towards them, then he helped Huo Shaoheng hoist Gu Nianzhi onto the lifeboat.

    ¡°How¡¯s Little Ze?¡± Huo Shaoheng saw Zhao Liangze lying on a simple medical stretcher as soon as he boarded the lifeboat. Zhao Liangze¡¯s diving mask had already been removed, and he wore an oxygen mask instead. Though he appeared somewhat pale, he didn¡¯t look as bad as Huo Shaoheng had expected. Huo Shaoheng set Gu Nianzhi down and removed his own diving mask before striding over to Zhao Liangze without a second nce back. ¡°Is Little Ze ok?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked the doctor and nurse with concern, ¡°How is he? When will he wake up?¡±

    The doctor nced at Huo Shaoheng, then He Zhichu. He finally answered after He Zhichu gave a slight nod. ¡°You came up just in time. He would¡¯ve beatose if he had remained passed out any longer.¡± When the brain was deprived of oxygen for too long, intelligence could be fatally impacted.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded gravely. ¡°Thank you, doctor. Please treat him properly, no matter what the expense.¡±

    ¡°We will. We will do our best to help with anything Mr. He asks for.¡± The doctor assumed Huo Shaoheng was He Zhichu¡¯s important guest, so he was very polite.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled before continuing to ask after Zhao Liangze¡¯s condition and taking out his phone to call Yin Shixiong. Huo Shaoheng had actually cared about Zhao Liangze first as soon as they got into the lifeboat...

    Gu Nianzhi curled up in the corner of the lifeboat, unable to move. She stared at Huo Shaoheng with wide eyes. As strong as she was, her heart still wrenched at the sight of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back. But she didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to notice that she was hurt, so she couldn¡¯t me anyone or even me Huo Shaoheng. He must think she was alright, so it was only human of him to go ask about Zhao Liangze¡¯s condition first. With conflicted emotions, Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and decided to ignore the sore sight. She understood the principle and reasoning, but when it came to facing reality, she couldn¡¯t stay indifferent. The matters of the heart were always like this¨Cit wouldn¡¯t really be love if there were no impulsive urges, selfless sacrifice, and thoughts that tossed around her mind a thousand times, would it?

    ...

    He Zhichu boarded the lifeboat, and his subordinates quickly handed him arge clean towel to dry off. He Zhichu used it to wipe his forehead, and his eyes shed when he saw Gu Nianzhi curled up alone in the corner of the lifeboat. She still had the diving mask on, and her entire body was d in gray, so she didn¡¯t really stand out. He Zhichu walked over to her, half kneeling to gently help take off the diving mask as he said, ¡°Why are you still wearing this? Why didn¡¯t you take if off?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no energy to stop He Zhichu from taking off her diving mask, and the truth was that she couldn¡¯t even lift a finger. All she could do was force a smile. He Zhichu took off her diving mask and froze when he saw her face. Her tiny face waspletely devoid of color, but her bottom lip was bruised purple with obvious bite marks and bleeding, broken skin. A corner of her lips was cut and already beginning to swell. He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened as he quickly took her pulse. Under his fingers, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pulse was very weak and barely detectable. The faint breath of life seemed to almost disappear. He Zhichu¡¯s fingers began to tremble as he let go of her wrist to grab her hand. Her hand had always been very soft, like it was truly supple and boneless. But now He Zhichu felt not softness, only weakness without an ounce of strength as he squeezed her hand. He Zhichu¡¯s heart palpitated as leaned forward to pick Gu Nianzhi up so that he could quickly take her to yacht for treatment.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to see He Zhichu carrying Gu Nianzhi and frowned unhappily. He walked over to block He Zhichu, asking calmly, ¡°Professor He, what are you doing?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at him before responding in an icy tone, ¡°Since you set her down, you have no right to take care of her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his path and quietly watched He Zhichu. After a while, he nodded. ¡°I do owe Professor He a favor this time and will make sure to remember it. But I¡¯m the one taking care of Nianzhi. There¡¯s no need for Professor He to get worried. Give her to me.¡± He offered his hands to He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhiid against He Zhichu¡¯s chest, so exhausted she could scarcely breathe. She had no energy to listen to the two men bicker. The several times she passed through blue hole¡¯s electric fence truly tired her. The intense pain had drained all her energy, so she couldn¡¯t even speak as her headid limply on He Zhichu¡¯s shoulder. Her cheek was pressed against his chest to prevent Huo Shaoheng from seeing the lips she bruised when biting herself. She could sense the sharp innuendo hidden in He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, but she was too tired to deal with the two of them. Closing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi sighed softly.

    He Zhichu was very concerned about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition, so he was very irritated to see Huo Shaoheng continuing to block their way. He snapped coldly, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that your rashness made Nianzhi like this? Don¡¯t you feel sorry for what you¡¯ve done to her? She risked her life to save you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi lying limply in He Zhichu¡¯s arms and replied calmly, ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. Nianzhi will be fine.¡± If she was in any danger, he would¡¯ve never allowed her to rescue him.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine? What do you mean?¡± He Zhichu was enraged, anger building on his normally aloof face. His shimmering, sultry eyes were icily lethal as he watched Gu Nianzhiy like a doll in his arms. He snarled, ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s fine?! She didn¡¯t die, but that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not in pain!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sniffled, tears nearly falling. She didn¡¯t die, but she certainly was in pain. Although she didn¡¯t agree with many of the things He Zhichu had done in the past, this time his words deeply struck the most fragile part of her heart.

    ¡°Do you know what it feels like to be continuously shocked by high voltage electricity? Mr. Huo, have you tried it before? If you haven¡¯t, don¡¯t say such things in front of me!¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression became even more frigid. ¡°Move aside!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t move. He continued to extend his hand and addressed Gu Nianzhi this time, ¡°Nianzhi,e here.¡±

 Chapter 511 - Matters of the Heart (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 511: Matters of the Heart (Part 2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This time around, Gu Nianzhi was unresponsive to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. She was still lying in He Zhichu¡¯s embrace, faced away from Huo Shaoheng. Of course, she couldn¡¯t move even if she wanted to.

    She had endured everything when she was underwater. Didn¡¯t people always have such sudden outbursts of energy when they were faced with crises? However, after she¡¯d managed to bring Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze up, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She felt like a deted balloon, without an ounce of strength left.

    However, from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s angle, the position Gu Nianzhi was in felt wrong on so many levels. He felt that Gu Nianzhi was deliberately rejecting him, and he could not ept that at all.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his tone and took a step forward. He reached out to He Zhichu and attempted to pull Gu Nianzhi away from his embrace.

    He Zhichu tightened his hold on Gu Nianzhi and refused to let go. He red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You try touching her again, and I¡¯ll kick you off the boat this instant!¡±

    The lifeboat wasn¡¯t big, and He Zhichu had brought a good number of people. If He Zhichu seriously wanted to kick him off the boat, there was really nothing he could do to save himself.

    Initially, Gu Nianzhi did not want to pay any mind to this. However, when she heard that a fight was about to break out between He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng, she turned around and breathed, ¡°No...¡± She sounded tremendously weak.

    Huo Shaoheng finally saw her face. It was so pale that it looked like the first snow in winter. However, it was summer right now¡ªhow could there be snow? It gave people the chills. Her plump lips were all bruised, with two clear teeth impressions, which had obviously been bitten by herself.

    Her lips were chapped and bleeding. Half of her face was swollen. She lookedpletely differentpared to how he had seen her just 30 minutes ago. She looked like she¡¯d just gotten pped brutally.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank, and he understood immediately¡ªGu Nianzhi had been hurt, too. And judging by how pale she was and how weak she sounded, her organs must have been badly affected. Was she like that due to the electrical currents under the water?

    So, her body wasn¡¯t so strong that the high-voltage electrical fence hadn¡¯t been able to affect her. Rather, she¡¯d been worried that he wouldn¡¯t allow her to save him, and that was why she¡¯d forced herself to bear all the pain and pretend that nothing was wrong. Using the diving goggles, she had hidden it from him, as well.

    Within a matter of minutes, Huo Shaoheng thought it through and understood what Gu Nianzhi was thinking. No matter what, he was the one who had brought her up. She understood him, but he knew her better.

    However, his habit while being at war all these years was to ensure the safety of hisrades first. This had already ingrained in him for a long time. After making sure that Gu Nianzhi was fine, the main person of concern was Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze cked out because he refused to take in more oxygen for himself. As his superior andmander, Huo Shaoheng had to know his condition immediately. Only after knowing that he could recover, could Huo Shaoheng be calm, so he neglected Gu Nianzhi just now.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng, closed her eyes, and breathed weakly again. ¡°...Tired.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± He Zhichu yelled at Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°I¡¯m sending her to the ship to get treatment!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped insisting and allowed him to pass.

    Carrying Gu Nianzhi, He Zhichu walked past him quickly. The lifeboat had arrived beside the cruise ship. Seats and ropes were put down for He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi. They made their way up. After that, Zhao Liangze, the doctors, and the nurses went up. Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu¡¯s subordinates wentst.

    ...

    Gu Yanran watched, fixated on what was happening on He Zhichu¡¯s end from her boat.

    Even though she did not see He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng argue, she had seen Gu Nianzhi save them on the other end of the boat, and she felt extremely confused.

    The electric fence surrounding the blue hole was her father Gu Xiangwen¡¯s proudest invention. It was a huge but extremely detailed project. The key factors in this project were unknown to everyone, even Gu Yanran. Therefore, the moment Gu Xiangwen and his wife had met with that fateful ident, this electric fence had practically be barren¡ªbecause no one knew where its switch was, and how to activate it.

    Gu Yanran was shocked to begin with that the electrical fence had been activated all of a sudden, but what shook her more was that someone had managed to survive it!

    It was true that Gu Yanran did not know how to start the electrical fence, but she did know how powerful it was. That was due to Gu Xiangwen bringing it up during dinner multiple times after he¡¯d invented it. He was extremely proud of it, and he¡¯d told his family how powerful it was during dinner...

    Moreover, before Gu Xiangwen had met with that fateful ident, Gu Yanran had seen Gu Xiangwen start the fence once, and she had witnessed its power. This was something that even she did not know about on a technical level. It was an obstacle that even she could not ovee. How could Gu Nianzhi, at her age, do it?

    Gu Yanran thought long and hard about it. When she saw He Zhichu and everyone on his boat boarding back onto the ship, she told her subordinate, ¡°Contact Mr. He. tell him that I¡¯d like to visit Mr. Huo and Miss Gu to see if they¡¯re okay.¡±

    Her butler immediately got in contact with He Zhichu¡¯s side.

    ...

    The moment He Zhichu boarded back onto his ship, he carried Gu Nianzhi into the medical room with the best equipment on board. Giving an order to the doctor who was attending to Zhao Liangze just now, he informed him gravely, ¡°Give her a detailed checkup quickly. See if she has to be sent to America for emergency treatment.¡±

    The doctor, seeing He Zhichu¡¯s expression, prepared the entire set of medical equipment and called his best assistant to conduct the checkup for Gu Nianzhi.

    They checked everything from her breathing rate to her heartbeat and then her organ vitality. They¡¯d have done a CT scan for her if they¡¯d had the facilities on board.

    Huo Shaoheng remained outside. Folding his arms, he observed the situation through the ss windows.

    He Zhichu had on a disinfected white doctor¡¯s robe and a mask. He was disinfected entirely before being allowed in the room. Standing beside the doctor, he oversaw the whole checkup procedure. The advanced equipment ensured the speed and uracy of their checkups.

    The results were ready in just 10 minutes. Holding the results, the doctor looked at He Zhichu with a strange expression.

    ¡°Mr. He, thisdy is just suffering from fatigue... All she needs is a long night of sleep...¡±

    The doctor almost rolled his eyes at He Zhichu. He thought back at how He Zhichu had looked at him and spoke to him just now¡ªit had made him think that thisdy had some internal injuries that were so severe that she was on the verge of dying or something...

    Dissing He Zhichu for over-exaggerating things in his heart, the doctor said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and attend to the gentleman over there if there¡¯s nothing else here. He is in a more critical condition than thisdy; he needs to be conscious soon.¡±

    He was referring to Zhao Liangze.

    He Zhichu looked at him nkly. ¡°Really? She¡¯s fine? No internal injuries or illness?¡±

    He emphasized ¡°internal injuries,¡± sounding extremely worried.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s fine. I can vouch for that. Thisdy¡¯s health is at the optimum condition. She¡¯s really just suffering from fatigue and needs to rest in bed for a couple of days.¡± The doctor answered He Zhichu in detail, with the perfect ethics of a doctor.

    He Zhichu had no idea why, but after hearing that Gu Nianzhi was fine, he did not feel relieved. On the contrary, he felt even sadder than before. Waving his hand, he told the doctor, ¡°Go and get your things done. I¡¯d like to have a short rest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already fallen asleep. The bruises on her lips were still evident, but the teeth marks had faded slightly. Judging by the speed of her recovery, it was safe to predict that the injuries on her face would be gone by the next day.

    He Zhichu sat by the side of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed. He hugged his head andy face down on the side of the ship. He felt horrible. It was his fault that she was like this...

    Huo Shaoheng waited outside the room. The moment the doctor came out, he went to the doctor and said in extremely fluent English, ¡°May I know how thedy in the room was?¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s perfect English, the doctor had a good first impression of him. Smiling, he told Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Thatdy inside was merely suffering from fatigue. All she needs is just to rest for a couple of days. We can give her a couple of injections of glucose if you¡¯d like, but she¡¯d really do fine even without them.¡± The doctor¡¯s firstnguage was English as well.

    Huo Shaoheng confirmed carefully. ¡°Really? She¡¯s really fine? There aren¡¯t any internal injuries or illness?¡±

    The doctorughed and shook his head. ¡°You asked the exact same question as Mr. He. I¡¯ll answer the same way. No, she does not have any health issues. It¡¯s just that she is still young, yet she rescued two adult males from the bottom of the sea. It¡¯d be a miracle if she wasn¡¯t tired out.¡±

    There was also that electrical current, which the doctor witnessed personally. The doctor felt that he would¡¯ve been on his way to see God if he had been the one who¡¯d had to go through such shocks. Thisdy was merely lucky and extremely blessed by God in order to be able to save both of the men just now.

    ¡°Amen. May the Lord continue to bless her. If we were to talk about severity, that man over there is really way more critical than thisdy. I need to take a look at him right now.¡± This doctor traced a cross on his chest, nodded to Huo Shaoheng, and left to examine on Zhao Liangze.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the treatment room for a while before opening the door. However, he held back and did not go in. It was a fully disinfected room; he did not go through the process of disinfection, so he could not go in.

    Folding his arms, he leaned against the door of the treatment room. His face looked calm as he thought about the possibilities of what had happened.

    All of a sudden, his phone rang. The ringing of a phone always sounded a lot more prominent when the area around you was silent.

    Putting on his Bluetooth earpiece, Huo Shaoheng picked up the call. He straightened his back when he realized that it was Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°How is it?¡± he asked. ¡°Is the chopper on the way?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s on the way, Mr. Huo. I¡¯m on the chopper. Are you in the ship with four levels right in front?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s surroundings were noisy. It sounded like the chopper¡¯s rotors.

    ¡°Yes. I told you just now that this was He Zhichu¡¯s ship.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put away his phone and knocked on the door. He Zhichu raised his head and looked at him.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and said calmly, ¡°My chopper is here. I¡¯ll be bringing Nianzhi with me.¡±

    He Zhichu stood up and went to the door, blocking it. ¡°You can leave, but Nianzhi stays,¡± he said just as calmly.

 Chapter 512 - Matters of the Heart (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 512: Matters of the Heart (Part 3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Professor He, you teachw. You must know more about personal freedom than I do.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back, his tone steady and without inflection or emotion. His gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi, who was sleeping in the infirmary, a hint of regret and pain shing in the depths of his eyes.

    He Zhichu put his hands in his trouser pockets, the corners of his mouth twitching to reveal a wry smile. ¡°Personal freedom? Mr. Huo, I still haven¡¯t pursued the fact that you¡¯ve confined Nianzhi for the past seven years. Are you really going to talk to me about personal freedom right now?¡±

    ¡°We confined Nianzhi?¡± Professor He, don¡¯t you think there are issues with your verbiage?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked back to regard He Zhichu coolly. ¡± Professor He, you aren¡¯t rted to Nianzhi at all. From what position are you saying these things? At least I¡¯m her guardian.¡±

    ¡°Haha! You¡¯re her guardian? Who gave you the right? You elected yourself? Did you ask her parents? Did you receive their permission?¡± He Zhichu continued to sneer. ¡°You can¡¯t even steal someone¡¯s pet in public, let alone a live person like Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°So you also know Nianzhi is a living person? Then why don¡¯t you ask her first before preventing her from leaving with me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t interested in arguing with He Zhichu. To him, arguing was a waste of both time and energy. Plus, it couldn¡¯t solve any problems. He never argued with others, and even if he beat the opponent bloody, he still wouldn¡¯t argue with them.

    ¡°You want to ask her? Fine. She is currently injured, so you cane back to ask her once she gets better.¡± He Zhichu motioned to close the infirmary door. ¡°Don¡¯t let the door hit you on the way out, Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out to block He Zhichu from closing the door as he calmly stated the w in He Zhichu¡¯s logic. ¡°The doctor just told me Nianzhi is fine. Professor He should know that fabrication of evidence is a serious offense.¡±

    He Zhichu simply crossed his arms, his tone bing more frigid. ¡°What¡¯s this? Mr. Huo is implying that his terrible habit of using Nianzhi today, then throwing her away, can all be wiped out as long as she¡¯s fine? Nianzhi must be blind! How can she have feelings for a person like you!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pupils constricted quickly. It happened so fast that even He Zhichu didn¡¯t detect the change in his emotions. He Zhichu squinted coolly at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What is it? You don¡¯t have anything to say for yourself? You¡¯re feeling guilty!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s between me and Nianzhi. Professor He has no need to worry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused but held himself back from saying anything else to infuriate He Zhichu. But that simple statement was enough to rip He Zhichu¡¯s heart to shreds. His face immediately nched, eyes ring at Huo Shaoheng so hard that it was like they were about to burst into mes.

    Huo Shaoheng walked up. ¡°Nianzhi must leave with me. But...¡± He turned around to look at He Zhichu. ¡°Once she recovers, she¡¯ll continue to study under Professor He.¡±

    This was his greatestpromise. If it weren¡¯t for the history of the rtionship between He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi, he would¡¯ve cut their ties a long time ago. As much as he coddled Gu Nianzhi, he would never allow a man with ulterior motives to continue as her instructor.

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth twitched again as he helplessly watched He Zhichu stride past him to walk over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed. He constrained himself again and again but found that he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Removing his hands from his trouser pockets, he clenched them into fists and threw a loud punch at the side of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face!

    His body was fast, and his fists were like the wind. Because Huo Shaoheng was solely concentrating on Gu Nianzhi, he wasn¡¯t able to dodge the punch. By the time he had reacted, He Zhuchu¡¯s fist had alreadynded viciously on the side of his face.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped aside instinctively to evade He Zhichu and also reached out his arms to block the iing fists once again. He replied icily, ¡°Professor He, are you sure you want to fight with me?¡± Fighting was his job, regardless of whether it was with guns or fists. ¡°I can¡¯t argue like you, but if you want to fight me, you should go home first and consider carefully before challenging me,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he shoved He Zhichu back hard.

    Unexpectedly, He Zhichu was also very strong, and his arm encircled to hold Huo Shaoheng back. The two men were at a standstill, neither of them willing to give up.

    At that moment, He Zhichu¡¯s subordinate walked over. ¡°Mr. He, Miss Gu wishes to visit us. She said she¡¯s very sorry for injuring everyone.¡±

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng let go at the same time. Huo Shaoheng walked inside the infirmary without looking back. He Zhichu red at him hatefully before turning to his subordinate and saying, ¡°Let here over.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng stood before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and bent over to feel the temperature of her forehead. While her temperature was normal, her face was void of color and made her bruised lips appear even more shocking. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but stroke her lips with his finger. Once soft as petals, her lips had now gone through great abuse. Huo Shaoheng could almost imagine how Gu Nianzhi had endured immense pain to travel between the electric fence over and over again. She had also pretended to be ok in front of them and forced smiles. His heartbeat, strangely, was a tremor that almost seemed to prate his soul to make his hands tremble. However, his lips were pressed tightly together, and his expression was calm in order to not betray any emotion.

    Gu Nianzi wasn¡¯t sleeping well because she seemed to hear people constantly arguing. She woke up as soon as Huo Shaoheng stroked her forehead. Subtly opening her eyes, she was shocked to see the person in front of her was Huo Shao!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly closed her eyes again, not daring to look. Huo Shaoheng had asked her toe over earlier, and although she had no strength to walk over herself, it was the first time she¡¯d experienced feelings of resistance toward him and his orders. When Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes, her eyelids trembled.

    Huo Shaoheng instantly noticed that she was awake. Taking back his hand, he looked at her quiet before saying, ¡°Big Xiong brought a helicopter over. Do you want toe back with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t pretend to sleep anymore, but she didn¡¯t know how to face Huo Shaoheng and was still feeling wronged... Pouting her lips, she slowly turned on her side to ce her back to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly at her childish behavior but wouldn¡¯t admit that he was also sighing in relief. At least she was still willing to y coy rather thanpletely ignore him.

    Huo Shaoheng bent over to whisper into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear. ¡°...Come back with me, ok?¡± His tone was very gentle, and he was also acting very humble. This was the first time he had bent over to assuage someone.

    Gu Nianzhi was not so easily assuaged this time. However, she still understood the gravity of the situation¡ªshe¡¯de to Barbados for business, not leisure. So she had to leave with Huo Shaoheng, but he¡¯d chosen not to force her to cooperate with this fact.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied simply, opening her eyes to look at Huo Shaoheng. Her eyes werepletely calm, her heart no longer bursting with happiness and excitement like it had been when she¡¯d seen him before.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly bent over to pick her up and pressed her against his chest before turning to walk out of the infirmary door. As soon as they reached the door, He Zhichu led Gu Yanran and her people inside.

 Chapter 513 - Matters of the Heart (Part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 513: Matters of the Heart (Part 4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Are you okay, Miss Gu?¡± Gu Yanran asked worriedly the moment she saw Huo Shaoheng walking over, carrying Gu Nianzhi. Jogging over to Huo Shaoheng, she stood in front of him and looked at Gu Nianzhi closely before asking again, ¡°Would you need a full-body checkup? Saving two people from the waters of the blue hole was really a feat.¡±

    Her gaze was filled with concern, and she chose her words and tone carefully, worried that she might anger Gu Nianzhi.

    Seeing Gu Yanran¡¯s concern, Gu Nianzhi felt obliged to give her a reply. She moved a bit in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace and was just about to talk when Huo Shaoheng pressed down on the back of her head. That immobilized her, causing her to only be able to remain in his embrace.

    ¡°Miss Gu, Nianzhi saved two humans from the blue hole. How could she be fine? Can¡¯t you see that I was just about to bring her for a full-body checkup?¡± Huo Shaoheng replied to Gu Yanran on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s behalf.

    He Zhichu raised his brows and stood by the side with his arms folded. He did not expose Huo Shaoheng¡¯s nonsense.

    Gu Yanran turned around to look at He Zhichu and asked, confused, ¡°Mr. He, you do have doctors on your ship, don¡¯t you? Miss Gu is in critical condition right now. We won¡¯t know if she¡¯d be able to withstand the journey back...¡±

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth twitched. He folded his arms and said casually, ¡°Well, I really wanted Nianzhi to stay. Sadly, someone didn¡¯t allow that. What can I do?¡±

    ¡°How can this be?¡± Gu Yanran looked upset and shook her head at He Zhichu. ¡°We have to prioritize. Nianzhi must be in extremely critical condition now. Mr. Huo, Mr. He, I think you guys know this better than me, don¡¯t you? Get Nianzhi checked immediately. If there are no doctors here, I have some on my ship. I have a habit of bringing doctors and nurses with me every time I go out to sea, just in case.¡±

    If even Gu Yanran had the habit of bringing doctors and nurses onboard every time she went out to sea, it¡¯d be ridiculous if He Zhichu didn¡¯t have any on his!

    Seeing that Gu Yanran had already made her stand, He Zhichu shrugged. ¡°Actually, the doctors on my ship already gave Nianzhi a checkup. However, it seems like Mr. Huo wants to do it again after he gets back...¡±

    ¡°Already checked? Then that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good...¡± Gu Yanran nodded, full of relief, then asked again, ¡°Is she ok? Let me know if you need any help.¡± She turned to Huo Shaoheng and apologized profusely, ¡°My sincerest apologies to the both of you. It¡¯s my father¡¯s mistake. I don¡¯t know why he wanted to build this electric fence back then; I said that it was a bad idea, but he refused to listen. This fence hasn¡¯t been able to start ever since he got into the ident. I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Huo and Miss Gu to have such luck to have witnessed and experienced it starting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stuck in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace, listening to Gu Yanran¡¯s words, and understood a few points:

    1. The fence had been set up by Gu Xiangwen personally, then¡ªher father was really something!

    2. Gu Yanran had no idea how to operate this electric fence¡ªreally? Gu Nianzhi had some doubts about this.

    3. There had to be a reason why the electric fence started on its own¡ªGu Nianzhi did not believe that it had been by chance.

    Setting up an electric fence of such technology and scale, and you tell me it can be started by chance? Gu Yanran¡¯s knowledge of Physics must be really mediocre...

    Gu Nianzhi mocked her silently, over and over again.

    Hearing Gu Yanran talk about her father and the electric fence, He Zhichu fell silent. His gaze fell instead on the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, looking at her intently as if it was about to have flowers sometime soon. Huo Shaoheng, however, was listening intently to Gu Yanran. He nodded after she was done and said, ¡°It, indeed, is weird. Then what do we do about the waters around the blue hole now? The electrical arcs are still there, no?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are. I have no idea how to turn them off, either. Not many in this world are able to make sense of my father¡¯s inventions.¡± Gu Yanran sounded proud of her father as she said this.

    Indeed, with a father like Gu Xiangwen, she had the right to be proud.

    Huo Shaoheng got lost in his thoughts for a while. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was in his embrace.

    This is his biological daughter, isn¡¯t she? Gics are an amazing thing¡ªshe is as intelligent and capable as he was, and determined as well. She never gives up on the things that she sets her heart on. Even if she were to be injured, she¡¯d just smile and say that she¡¯s fine...

    ¡°Mr. Gu was really amazing,¡± Huo Shaoheng said meaningfully. ¡°We¡¯ll pay him a visit next time.¡±

    What he meant was to go to the hospital to see how Gu Xiangwen was.

    Gu Yanran understood what he meant and nodded. ¡°Sure, of course. We¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± She took a step forward toward Huo Shaoheng, tiptoed, and looked at Gu Nianzhi, whom Huo Shaoheng was carrying.

    Huo Shaoheng loosened his grip, allowing Gu Nianzhi to turn around to look at Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran smiled immediately. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re really fine? That¡¯s great!¡±

    Tilting her head, Gu Yanran reached out to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you were so amazing today. No one has survived my father¡¯s electric fence yet. How did you do it? Actually, I have another question that I can¡¯t understand and wanted to ask you. I hereby invite you to my ce as well; you definitely have toe!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She wanted to talk, but after much struggle, she only managed a soft ¡°...Ok.¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded and looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, I haven¡¯t asked you. Why didn¡¯t you tell me you wanted to dive around here? The waters around the blue hole look calm, and everyone thinks that it¡¯s a perfect spot for diving, but it has its hidden dangers. The number of peopleing here has been decreasing in recent years.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng agreed and replied, ¡°It was impromptu. We wanted to use this opportunity to rx out at sea and did not expect the hidden dangers.¡±

    ¡°The ocean on its own is a ce where humans have not been able to fully explore, much less the blue hole. Mr. Huo had learned a lesson this time around. If you guys want to have fun here in the future, let me know in advance, and I¡¯ll arrange a perfect trip for you so nothing like this will happen.¡± Gu Yanran said this happily, her face glowing. She was as passionate as a newly bloomed flower. Then, turning to Gu Nianzhi, she said cheekily, ¡°Nianzhi, of course, you cane, too. I wee you with open arms as well!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried to smile before ignoring Gu Yanranpletely. She turned her back to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace and leaned her head against his chest, her face calm and tranquil.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang. At the same time, they heard the sound of choppinging from above. Yin Shixiong had arrived with a chopper.

    Nodding to He Zhichu, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Professor He, I owe you one this time around. I¡¯ll treat you to a feast when we¡¯re back at the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    Of course, He Zhichu couldn¡¯t be bothered with a meal from Huo Shaoheng, but seeing Gu Nianzhi look at him expectantly, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to reject the invite.

    ¡°We shall see after we get back,¡± he replied coldly.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled immediately and nodded toward him, before closing her eyes and turning her head back toward Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace to rest.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to Gu Yanran politely. ¡°Miss Gu, we¡¯ll be making a move first.¡±

    He left, carrying Gu Nianzhi.

    Zhao Liangze had already woken up when they arrived on the top deck of He Zhichu¡¯s ship. He was lying down on the stretcher, and a couple of people were cing hooks on the stretcher to pull him up to the chopper. Yin Shixiong stood beside him quietly, a stark contrast to his usual behavior of teasing Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze had just regained consciousness and was feeling tired as well. He didn¡¯t feel like talking, so he only acknowledged Yin Shixiong¡¯s presence before closing his eyes to rest.

    Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi, and Yin Shixiong walked toward them. ¡°Huo Shao, are you okay? Nianzhi, you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    Yin Shixiong already knew that it was Gu Nianzhi who had saved Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. He totally admired her courage and bravery and looked at her with total admiration in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless and didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. So she behaved like a little ostrich and buried her head deeper into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her tightly and ced hooks onto himself. Pulling the ropes, the people from the chopper began pulling him up to get them onto the chopper. The chopper that Yin Shixiong had brought was big and stable. The moment they went up, Chen Lie and Ye Zitan came over to them.

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Lie. ¡°You¡¯re here, too.¡±

    ¡°Big Xiong informed me.¡± Chen Lie looked at him disapprovingly. ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯ve gotten into quite a big pile of sh*t this time around. How did you get into such trouble? How is Nianzhi? Can she still walk? Why must you carry her?¡±

    ¡°Give her a check again.¡± Huo Shaoheng ced Gu Nianzhi onto a stretcher carefully and told Chen Lie, ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s doctor had already given her a check and said that she was fine, but I¡¯m still worried.¡±

    He had thought that she was fine, too, but when he saw that she was tired to the point of nearly losing consciousness¡ªand knowing the power of the electric fence¡ªhe realized that he had truly neglected Gu Nianzhi.

    Chen Lie nodded. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll have to check. Oh yeah, General Ji is waiting on the line. You had better go and exin to him. Mr. Huo, you¡¯re already a Major General. You cannot do things like that anymore. General Ji was so worried that you might have met with some sort of mishap and stayed awake the entire night.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up quickly. ¡°Then look after her. I¡¯ll go answer the call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shot open and looked at Huo Shaoheng. Her gaze was deep but quiet, like a deep well.

    Huo Shaoheng felt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze. He stopped and turned back to caress her head. ¡°Good girl. I¡¯m just going to answer a call. Will be back in a minute.¡±

    Chen Lie almostughed out loud. He rolled his eyes and mumbled, ¡°The phone is just a meter away. Do you have to...?¡±

    The moment Gu Nianzhi looked up, she would be able to see Huo Shaoheng on the phone. However, she did not say anything. She looked at Chen Lie, then looked at Ye Zitan, who was busy doing her duties. Her gaze spoke of nothing but usations.

    Chen Lie understood that gaze immediately, coughed a couple of times, and stopped teasing her. Turning away, he brought a machine over and began doing the checkup for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi rxed her body and closed her eyes. However, her mind was thinking nonstop. She recounted the incidents that had happened for the past two days and remembered something.

    She hadn¡¯t told He Zhichu where she was going when she¡¯d requested permission to be absent from school. How did he know that she would being to Barbados?!

    And he¡¯d still managed to bring a medical staff at the veryst minute to save her?

 Chapter 514 - Matters of the Heart (Part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 514: Matters of the Heart (Part 5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong had asked the Cuban Air Force for a rather old helicopter. It had been produced by the former Soviet Union, but it was robust, reliable and strong. It flew at a stable speed but was quite loud. Yin Shixiong sat next to Gu Nianzhi and plugged his ears to shout, ¡°Old Mao¡¯s things are all like this! No bells or whistles, kind of ugly, but safe and reliable!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by Yin Shixiong, so she nced at him with a slight pout.

    ¡°What is it? Look at your mouth, you¡¯re pouting like a fish.¡± Yin Shixiong tapped her lips, asking curiously, ¡°Hmm? Howe you¡¯re injured? Who bit you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally couldn¡¯t hold back from rolling her eyes and sneering at Yin Shixiong to reveal two rows of tiny white teeth to indicate she had bit herself. Yin Shixiong looked at the small and delicate bite marks and secretly knew they couldn¡¯t have been from Hup Shaoheng... He giggled at her. ¡°Then why did you bite your own lips? Were you craving meat? If that¡¯s the case, just tell your Brother Xiong, and we¡¯ll get barbecue meat as soon as wend!¡±

    More barbecue meat! Gu Nianzhi had already rolled her eyes 100 times in her mind. The memory of this ¡°barbecue¡± on the sea was too vivid. She thought she would not want to have barbecue meat for the rest of her life now...

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng took a call not too far from the others. He was using the special phone line on the helicopter. Although the technology was rather old, there was almost zero possibility of being eavesdropped on.

    ¡°Shaoheng, what happened, exactly?¡± General Ji was very anxious over the phone. ¡°How could something happen? Didn¡¯t you say you would bring Gu Xiangwen back? Did someone interfere with you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered it carefully and thought he couldn¡¯t rule out that possibility for now. He was also very interested in Gu Xiangwen¡¯s electric fence and wanted to take the opportunity to see what information he could get out of Gu Yanran. He wanted to figure out how much she knew, or ask about where Gu Xiangwen had conducted his research to aid their investigation.

    ¡°Chief, the investigation is still ongoing,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied carefully. ¡°And we also have new information and hope to not only sessfully bring him back, but also bring new technology with us.¡±

    General Ji instantly knew that Huo Shaoheng had found something good again, but he didn¡¯t ask about it over the phone. He sighed in relief and replied, ¡°That¡¯s great! That¡¯s great! You mustplete the mission despite any cost! That way, I can answer all those other people.¡±

    General Ji was facing a lot of pressure because Huo Shaoheng had run into issues in Barbados. The Supreme Military Council, the Senate, and Prime Minister Dou¡¯s Cab were all questioning him and asking him to answer as to why Huo Shaoheng had deviated from the itinerary on this overseas visit... General Ji read Prime Minister Dou¡¯s request for ¡°questioning,¡± which, in itself, was almost considered a leak of intelligence. He cursed in his study for nearly half an hour afterward.

    ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯m telling you to ignore it if you receive any letters of inquiry from the Cab¡ªforward them to me, and I¡¯ll deal with them!¡± General Ji had always been very protective of his people, and now that he was emboldened, he nned to put Prime Minister Dou in his ce.

    Huo Shaoheng asked in shock, ¡°Prime Minister Dou didn¡¯t resign yet?¡± He remembered that Prime Minister Dou had been exposed colluding with the Yamaguchi-gumi even before he went abroad.

    ¡°...When is it ever that simple?¡± said General Ji. ¡°He refused to resign. If the Senate impeaches him, they¡¯ll have to start the grand jury process, which will take at least six months to a year to assemble. Also, the election is in a month, so everyone is saving the trouble by simply not reelecting him during the election.¡± General Ji punched the table lividly.

    Stunned silent for a moment, Huo Shaoheng gently tapped the small square table with his fingers. ¡°Do the voters know about his scandal? If they don¡¯t and end up reelecting him...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. His scandal is posted everywhere now¡ªonline, in print, on TV. It¡¯s all over the ce, but Old Dou is very tenacious. No matter how much pressure he receives from others and the public, he ignores it all and continues to be Prime Minister.¡± General Ji shook his head with pity. ¡°But politics are not our business, so we don¡¯t have to worry about it. You just need to bring that man back for me.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Huo Shaoheng instantly stood straight to ept themand. Setting down the phone, he returned to Gu Naiznhi¡¯s side to see her giggling with Yin Shixiong. Huo Shaoheng walked over next to her to help adjust her nket. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down before shaking her head and turning her body so that her back faced him and Yin Shixiong. Yin Shixiong scratched his head. Something didn¡¯t look right... Nianzhi always obeyed Huo Shaoheng, why was she rebelling now?!

    ncing at the two of them, Yin Shixiong stood up and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll go see how Little Ze is doing...¡± He finished speaking and left. But where could he even go in a small helicopter like this? He could only walk a few steps and find another ce to sit down.

    Huo Shaoheng sat next to Gu Nianzhi and was speaking with Chen Lie, who was checking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s vitals. ¡°...What did you examine? Are you sure she¡¯s ok?¡±

    Chen Lie looked at the data stats with a shake of his head. ¡°She really is ok, but over-exhausted. ording to what you said, the electric arcs in the waters of the blue hole were very powerful. Nianzhi¡¯s health was impacted to a certain degree, so she must rest well for a few days.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. Chen Lie¡¯s diagnosis was nearly identical to the one from He Zhicu¡¯s doctor. However, the other doctor didn¡¯t seem to know about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special body constitution, so Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t set his mind at ease. Now that Chen Lie had fully examined her, he could finally be reassured that Gu Nianzhi was really okay.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes as she listened to Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie quietly discuss her condition. She was somewhat displeased. Huo Shao was asking so much to confirm that she was ok, but what did that mean, exactly? She was ok now but had truly been injured... It also hurt a lot. The extent of the pain was equivalent to when she¡¯d donated bone marrow to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning. The pain burrowed itself in her marrow. The only strength she had over others was her ability to tolerate pain... But how was that a good thing?

    Gu Nianzhi was very depressed. Facing the wall, she looked at the old and worn paint on the helicopter. After staring for a while, she somehow fell asleep slowly.

    By the time she woke up, they had already returned to the Huaxia Conste General in Barbados. She was in her own room, and the light was on. The warm yellow glow had the ability to warm and calm her heart. Opening her eyes, Gu Nianzhi looked around and thought she was alone. Slowly getting up from the bed, she removed the thin nket covering her body and dizzily got out of the bed to put on slippers. But as soon as she took two steps, her legs gave out, and she fell with a thump on the carpet.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up from the sofa in the room and walked over to pick her up. ¡°Why did you wake up? Where do you want to go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Huo Shao? You¡¯re here? Why didn¡¯t I see you?¡±

    ¡°I was sitting on the sofa over there.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned his body so Gu Nianzhi could see that the round sofa in the middle of the bedroom that had a higher back. Huo Shaoheng had been sitting there, and if he didn¡¯t make a sound, Gu Nianzhi really wouldn¡¯t have noticed him sitting there.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhiposed herself and pushed away his hand to reply calmly, ¡°It¡¯ste. Huo Shao should go back to rest. I¡¯m ok here.¡±

    ¡°Are you really ok?¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Why are you pouting like that if you¡¯re ok? I¡¯ll stay here with you if you say you¡¯re not ok.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ll only stay with me if I say I¡¯m not ok, then what¡¯s the point?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked away, unable to dispel the feeling of being wronged.

 Chapter 515 - It Was Really Coincidental

    <h4>Chapter 515: It Was Really Coincidental</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless at that moment. She saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression of being wronged, and asked her, concerned, ¡°Where¡¯d you want to go by getting off the bed?¡±

    ¡°To the bathroom...¡± Gu Nianzhi said, upset. ¡°Put me down. I¡¯ll go on my own.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still carried her to the bathroom and turned on the light before putting her down.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the door to the bathroom open, entered the bathroom without as much as turning around to look at Huo Shaoheng, and mmed the door shut. Then she locked herself in the bathroom.

    She walked to the basin and stood still and looked at her reflection. She remained silent for a long while.

    She thought, from what she¡¯d read from books in the past¡ªsomething about understanding everything when a person was faced with death, and many things that one couldn¡¯t understand in the past¡ªwould suddenly be understood. They¡¯de to a point of enlightenment and eptance.

    And after going through what she had gone through, did shee to that enlightenment and eptance? But she did not want to be enlightened, nor did she want to ept...

    Gu Nianzhi reached out and began scribbling on the mirror. She had thought that she wasn¡¯t thinking but realized that she had written ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± after she was done.

    With Gu Nianzhi being like this¡ªand having such feelings¡ªeven she was afraid of herself, much less Huo Shaoheng. He must have felt that he was being forced into a corner, didn¡¯t he? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want things to be like that. She didn¡¯t want to see herself being more and more reliant on Huo Shaoheng, and she didn¡¯t want her expectations of him to increase. If this went on, she was afraid that their love for each other might just run out one day...

    She remained in the bathroom for almost an hour and still couldn¡¯t decide what to do.

    Let go? She couldn¡¯t bear to. But if she were to continue being like that, she really couldn¡¯t imagine how things would turn out to be. Passionate love could change a person until the extent that the person bes unrecognizable.

    Even someone as patient as Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t take how long she remained in the bathroom. He knocked on the door. ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you okay? Did you fall asleep?¡±

    He was worried that Gu Nianzhi might fall asleep in the bathtub. It might be hazardous, so he didn¡¯t want to take a chance.

    Gu Nianzhi remained standing in front of the mirror of the bathroom. Hearing Huo Shaoheng knocking on the door, she snapped back to reality. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she remembered a ssic quote from Scarlett in Gone with the Wind: ¡°After all, tomorrow is another day!¡±

    Yes, tomorrow. She¡¯d figure how to interact with Huo Shaoheng tomorrow.

    Opening the door, she came out of the bathroom. ¡°Huo Shao, I forgot to tell you something,¡± she said formally. ¡°That Yamaguchi Youko¡ªremember her? She was the one who wanted you dead this time around. However, because she held Gu Yanran hostage, she killed her and threw her body into the ocean.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. ¡°Yamaguchi Youko? Shouldn¡¯t it be Yamaguchi Aiko?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps Youko and Aiko are the same person after all...¡± Gu Nianzhi replied.

    She remembered that Huo Shaoheng had been out to get Yamaguchi Aiko this time around. They found out that she¡¯d managed to sneak out of Hua Xia Empire during the chaos with Prime Minister Dou. Coincidentally, they¡¯d met someone who called herself Yamaguchi Youko this time around, at the waters around the blue hole near Barbados.

    Putting two and two together, one could have guessed they were rted¡ªeven if the person wasn¡¯t too bright. Yamaguchi Youko most likely had not died. Therefore, the person who called herself ¡°Yamaguchi Youko¡¯s little sister,¡± the one who wanted to avenge her older sister, Yamaguchi Aiko, couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t even realize that she had let the cat out of the bag.¡± Gu Nianzhi yawned sleepily. ¡°All right, Huo Shao. I¡¯ve said everything I could. Aren¡¯t you tired? Go and sleep. I¡¯m so tired.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her wordlessly until she crawled into her bed and covered herself with her quilt, then slept with her back facing the door.

    With the lights off in the room, everything was engulfed in darkness. Huo Shaoheng stood in the darkness for a while before leaving the room quietly. He was wide awake as he left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. He¡¯d sensed that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in a good mood, and he knew the reason why. However, what else can he do?

    He might be able to appease Gu Nianzhi if he said all sorts of sweet nothings to her, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. Giving in to Gu Nianzhi today and talking gently to her was his limit.

    Huo Shaoheng walked along the corridor and took a turn. There was Yin Shixiong, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

    ¡°Sir.¡± Yin Shixiong stood at attention and saluted Huo Shaoheng the moment he saw him walk over.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Huo Shaoheng continued walking. Then he asked, ¡°You can¡¯t sleep? What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Just went to visit Little Ze. He¡¯s much better now.¡± Yin Shixiong followed Huo Shaoheng down the stairs. ¡°Mr. Huo, are we going back to the hotel, or should we just stay here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped and gave it a thought. Then, turning to Yin Shixiong, he asked, ¡°Do you want a drink?¡±

    ¡°Drinks? Sure!¡± Yin Shixiong cheered up instantly. ¡°I know that the restaurant here serves a premium rum that¡¯s so good. Should we? And... I have some top-quality Cuban cigars, too...¡±

    Then he pretended to cough a couple of times and asked Huo Shaoheng carefully, ¡°Mr. Huo, I heard that you¡¯ve quit smoking?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Hand over the cigars, and you shall be spared.¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately took out his prized collection and smiled cheekily. ¡°Mr. Huo, here are the cigars. Please spare me!¡±

    Grabbing him by the shoulder, Huo Shaoheng dragged him to the bar at level one. ¡°Go get the rum.¡± He found a seat and began skillfully cutting off the head of the cigar. Then he ced the cigar into a silver cigar mouthpiece and inhaled deeply.

    Yin Shixiong returned with rum and saw Huo Shaoheng sitting on a high stool opposite the bar. He supported his face with one hand and held the cigar in the other. He was mostly looking at the cigar burn between his fingers and didn¡¯t smoke a lot.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re in a bad mood?¡± Yin Shixiong asked carefully and poured Huo Shaoheng a ss of rum.

    The alcohol content of this rum wasn¡¯t high; it was simr to fruit wine. Huo Shaoheng took a sip and denied calmly, ¡°No. I¡¯m contemting the mission the day after.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to the hospital visit of Gu Xiangwen?¡± Yin Shixiong became alert. ¡°But can Little Ze recover by then?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was the mediator for this mission; he was extremely important. The effectiveness of their mission would be cut by at least 50 percent if he couldn¡¯t make it.

    Huo Shaoheng put out the cigar in the ashtray and said calmly, ¡°He needn¡¯t be there physically. He can do his job in bed; it¡¯s fine.¡±

    People in their line of work usually weren¡¯t even afraid of life and death. So, cking out due to ack of oxygen? It was a small matter.

    ¡°True that.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded as he took a sip of rum and a deep puff of the cigar. ¡°Mr. Huo, Nianzhi really impressed me today,¡± Yin Shixiong said thoughtfully. ¡°She was so strong and determined. What a pity she isn¡¯t in the army with us.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks, but due to his usual calm demeanor, he sat extremely still. Moreover, Yin Shixiong was rather intoxicated with alcohol, so he didn¡¯t notice Huo Shaoheng¡¯s small movements.

    He continued excitedly. ¡°Lucky for her today! If it had been me, Mr. Huo, you and Little Ze would¡¯ve died in that unlucky blue hole!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? borate.¡± Huo Shaoheng held the ss in one hand and looked calm as usual. He rxed, straightened his legs, and reclined beside the bar. He looked exceptionally rxed and casual.

    However, this did not trick Yin Shixiong. Having followed Huo Shaoheng for so long, he knew it when Huo Shaoheng was in a bad mood.

    Upon contemting, he decided to help Gu Nianzhi this time around. He poured Huo Shaoheng a second ss of rum and began talking. ¡°When we saw the white ship begin attacking you today, Nianzhi and I were so worried. I had locked her in the navigating room initially and took the sniper rifle to duke it out with them, but the moment I returned, Nianzhi locked me up instead. She jumped into the water, ignoring my protests, and was determined to save you and Little Ze.¡±

    ¡°...It was really like that?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked expressionlessly, holding his tall ss so tightly that his knuckles turned white. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°I was panicking by then and wanted to jump down with her. But what about our ship? We¡¯d all be dead¡ªeven if we were to beat them if we didn¡¯t have the ship. Moreover, I absolutely trusted you and Little Ze that you would be able to handle any situation that was thrown at you guys. I totally did not expect the waters around the blue hole to have such a crazy mechanic!¡±

    Yin Shixiong continued, ¡°We were really so lucky. We¡¯d have all died if not for Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng drank a gulp of rum from his ss. ¡°Ok. Then?¡±

    ¡°It was so dangerous at that time. If Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been so decisive¡ªand didn¡¯t care about her own life and just wanted to save you guys from those purple electrical arcs¡ªI only could have returned to the Hua Xia Empire to wait for the army to chop my head off.¡± Yin Shixiong said this half-jokingly.

    In truth, had they been in the most dangerous situation, Yin Shixiong would have reported everything to the Hua Xia Empire first, then died with Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. This was how strong their bond was in the army was after going through countless missions together.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and patted Yin Shixiong on the shoulders. ¡°Nianzhi did really well this time around. You¡¯re not bad, either. Based on what happened, both of you couldn¡¯t jump into the water at the same time. Nianzhi was better in the water than you, so it was wise, as it¡¯d be more efficient for her toe than you.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo! You don¡¯t hit people right in the face like that!¡± Yin Shixiong said cheekily, trying to distract Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Did you ask how my face felt when you decided to humiliate me like that?!¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°I was being honest. I can¡¯t even be honest anymore?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. We can only say things that are politically correct! Who¡¯s ¡®Honesty¡¯? I don¡¯t know him.¡± Yin Shixiongughed while giving the table a yful smack. Then he asked, ¡°Why were Professor He and Gu Yanran there as well? It was really coincidental today.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, really coincidental.¡± Huo Shaoheng drank some more rum and looked far ahead. ¡°Nianzhi said that the woman on the white ship was Yamaguchi Youko. Then, because she¡¯d held Gu Yanran hostage, she was killed. Her body was thrown into the ocean.¡±

 Chapter 516 - Actually Not a Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 516: Actually Not a Coincidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yamaguchi Youko?! She was actually still alive!¡± Yin Shixiong almost knocked the wine ss off the bar when he jumped up. ¡°Is it true?! That Yamaguchi Aiko was actually Yamaguchi Youko?!¡±

    Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko were both being investigated by the Special Operations Forces, so Yin Shixiong considered the possibility.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost certain.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly set down his wine ss before standing up. ¡°So we must leave here as soon as possible to safely escort Gu Xiangwen back.¡±

    Yin Shixiong understood what Huo Shaoheng implied. ¡°Mr. Huo, you want to do it earlier...?¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯m only telling you¡ªthe operation the day after tomorrow is not a drill but the real thing,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied as he strode out. His tall and strapping back faced Yin Shixiong; it seemed like it could bear all the burdens of the world.

    Yin Shixiong sat alone in the half-lit bar, carefully mulling over the entire operation the day after tomorrow. He was shocked to find that there was pressure even though they were changing it to a formal operation. And because they had informed Gu Yanran that it was just a visit, even she was fooled...

    ¡°Hahaha! Amazing! This is amazing!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s mood brightened. Downing the remaining wine in the bottle with his lifted ss, he stumbled drunkenly back to the living room to rest.

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi woke up veryte. She was only awakened because of He Zhichu¡¯s visit.

    ...

    ¡°Professor He is here?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly got up to dress and hurried to the bathroom to wash up. She chose a heavy silk dress in marine blue to hide her paleplexion for He Zhichu¡¯s visit.

    He Zhichu sat on a sofa in the corner of the living room, chatting with Yin Shixiong. Gu Nianzhi quickly nced over to find that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t anywhere to be found. She didn¡¯t ask anything else before walking over to He Zhichu with a nod. ¡°Professor He, I was about to go see you. I didn¡¯t expect you toe.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded, regarding Gu Nianzhi from head to toe with a faint smile. ¡°Nianzhi, how are you feeling? Are you still in pain?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a fairplexion, and because she was physically exhausted, her skin was devoid of any color. But the marine blue color only made her appear slightly fragile instead of haggard. Gu Nianzhi extended her hand with a smile and spun around. ¡°See, I¡¯m totally fine. I made Professor He worry.¡±

    He Zhichu beckoned her to sit down. ¡°Don¡¯t take it too lightly, and make sure to rest for another two days. I just came to see you and will be going back to the Empire now.¡±

    ¡°Professor He is leaving?¡± Hu Nianzi sat next to He Zhichu. ¡°You¡¯re not going to stay a few more days?¡±

    He Zhichu keenly sensed that Gu Nianzhi was treating him differently than before. Gone were the constantly shunning and evasion, she now regarded him normally like her other friends. She didn¡¯t give him any special treatment, but he was already delighted by this fact. His biggest gain on this trip was to have Gu Nianzhi treat him normally. ¡°No, I came here suddenly, and there are still many things to take care of at school. I can¡¯t leave your fellow ssmates alone for too long.¡± He Zhichu gave a half smile and nced at her before taking the initiative to say, ¡°Are you curious why I came to Barbados?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly. ¡°Then will Professor He unravel the mystery for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu rested a hand on the back of the sofa, crossing his legs and leaning into the sofa. He looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It was a simple inference. I had just helped you obtain the medical records and dental records of the youngest daughter from the Gu family in Barbados, Gu Nianzhi-¡ªthen Mr. Huo made a visit to Cuba. I already knew back then that he had an ulterior motive for the trip, and next was the incident of Prime Minister Dou at the airport. Gu Yanran rushed back to Barbados, and then you request a vacation right after. When I called you, your phone was already outside of the service area. If I still couldn¡¯t guess where you went, then I would have no right to be your instructor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked in thought for a while and asked quizzically, ¡°Fine. But even if you guessed that I came to Barbados, then... How did you manage toe to the blue hole¡¯s waters near Barbados at the perfect moment?¡±

    Before they¡¯d left, they had only told the conste staff that they were going out to sea to fish and barbecue crabs. Huo Shaoheng and his men diving in the blue hole¡¯s waters was a secret operation, so they didn¡¯t mention it to anyone.

    This was not an easy question to answer, and it was easy to reveal too much if he wasn¡¯t careful. Luckily, He Zhichu had already prepared well for the question beforeing. ¡°That can only be said to be a coincidence.¡± He Zhichu calmly leaned over to pick up the coffee cup from the table and take a sip. ¡°I originally wanted to find you, but then the conste staff told me that you went out to sea to fish for crabs. I had my staff check the whereabouts of all themercial and private ships that went out to sea in Barbados today, then easily found the location of your Millennium Ota.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quietly agreed. ¡°What did Professor He need me for?¡±

    He stared at her fixedly, his eyes only reflecting her. ¡°I came to see if you needed any help since I know this ce better than you, after all.¡± The Hes were the underground godfather, of South America, so He Zhichu was certainly powerful enough to do anything he wanted here.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in conviction and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you so much, Professor He. We really did need your help, and we might not have returned alive if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± He Zhichu said as he nced at Yin Shixiong who was listening in on their conversation. ¡°Nianzhi is so amazing. You would¡¯ve all survived even if I didn¡¯te. But without you, there was no way they would¡¯ve survived.¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled sheepishly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Without Nianzhi, we would¡¯ve all been goners!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Brother Xiong. You have all saved me many times before, so I was just returning the favor.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel nervous in front of He Zhichu and Yin Shixiong, so she acted especially rxed. She didn¡¯t have to worry about her actions and words offending others or if her posture was not being elegant...

    He Zhichu¡¯s face fell. ¡°Nianzhi, you faced many dangers before? Are you saying that Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t guarantee your safety even with his power?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hands. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t face my dangers. There were a few times when I got dragged into situations as a bystander when Huo Shao, Brother Xiong, and Brother Ze came to help me.¡±

    ¡°Really? For example?¡± He Zhichu refused to change the topic.

    Gu Nianzhi found it hard to talk about, so she mumbled, ¡°Well, Professor He, it was... It wasst year when we went on a grad trip that we ran into criminals. It wasn¡¯t anything big...¡± She instinctively concealed the incident of her being afflicted by an aphrodisiac at Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday banquet. The only reason was that it seemed awkward to tell a man; she wasn¡¯t that open, yet.

    ¡°When you finished your undergrad?¡± He Zhichu frowned in thought. ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard about it?¡±

    ¡°It was a long time ago and was perfectly resolved. All the gunmen were killed, and the hostages were freed, so everything was good,¡± Yin Shixiong interjected. ¡°Professor He, our Mr. Huo had personally gotten involved, and typically, this is not the kind of case someone at his level would dabble in!¡±

    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s true. So, it was that incident. I did hear about it once.¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi with a chuckle. ¡°Nianzhi, when are youing back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave in a few days.¡± Gu Nianzhi glossed over it because she couldn¡¯t reveal the actual date and time. She also didn¡¯t even know when they were going to leave Barbados and return to the Empire.

    ¡°Really?¡± He Zhichu picked up that she was humoring her but didn¡¯t pursue it any further. ¡°Very well, then. I¡¯ll wait for you at school. You mustplete all the homework you left behind.¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help wailing. ¡°No way, Professor He! You especially came here to assign homework for me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He Zhichu stood up in a great mood. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first. Call this number if you need anything, and they¡¯ll do everything to help you.¡± He passed a business card to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. It was a simple design with a passion fruit border around nothing but a phone number.

    ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated before finally epting the business card.

    This time, she truly realized how helpful friends could be when she was in a pinch while away from home. She didn¡¯t refuse He Zhichu¡¯s goodwill because it was better safe than sorry. Gu Nianzhi personally walked He Zhichu out of the conste and ran into Huo Shaoheng at the door. He was returning from going out.

    He was just getting off a cross-country Jeep and wore a camo hunting outfit with a shotgun. He squinted when he saw He Zhichi and Gu Nianzhie down the steps of the conste together and walked over to greet them. ¡°Professor He is here. Why don¡¯t you stay for a bit longer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m returning to the Empire and wanted to see how Nianzhi was doing today.¡± He Zhichu was not as aggressive as the other day and appeared elegant and gentle. ¡°Mr. Huo went on a hunt?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I hunted a few wild pheasants at a famous artificial hunting ground in Barbados. I¡¯m going to make a soup to help Nianzhi heal.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around to take a few plump, dark grey pheasants out of the Jeep with their wings tied back. He waved them at He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes and couldn¡¯t help but swallow hard. These were guinea fowl imported from Guinea in Africa! This was real guinea fowl¡ªa famed delicacy!

 Chapter 517 - Whatever Happened to Your Self-control?

    <h4>Chapter 517: Whatever Happened to Your Self-control?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This wild pheasant, also known as ¡°guinea fowl¡± left a deep impression on Gu Nianzhi. This was because she¡¯d tried it once with Huo Shaoheng and the guys. She was full of praises for this dish, but it was a rare opportunity; that was the only time she¡¯d had it...

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and saw that her full attention was on the guinea fowl in his hands, and the corners of his lips curled upwards for a split second. It disappeared after.

    Waving the pheasants at Yin Shixiong, who had juste to the door, Huo Shaoheng informed him, ¡°Big Xiong, bring these to the kitchen. We¡¯ll have add-on dishes tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Yin Shixiong smiled happily as he briskly walked down the steps and took the pheasants from Huo Shaoheng. Then he nodded at He Zhichu, who was squinting at him and said cheerfully, ¡°Have a safe trip, Professor He; see you back at the Empire!¡±

    He Zhichu looked away and smiled briefly. ¡°Sure. See you back at the Empire.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked down the steps with He Zhichu and watched him leave in a sleek, custom-ordered, bulletproof Cadic sedan. She even waved at him reluctantly.

    Looking on for a while from the side, Huo Shaoheng pulled her slightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Professor He has already left. He wouldn¡¯t be able to see you anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled her arm back and tilted her head. ¡°We must have manners. Does it matter if Professor He is able to see? So we¡¯re able to do anything we want if no one could see us?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and said expressionlessly, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s good to have manners.¡± Then he red at Yin Shixiong, who was ogling at them from the side. ¡°What are you doing that for? Bring these to the kitchen. Personally kill and de-feather them. I¡¯ll cook.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo is going to cook?!¡± Yin Shixiong was pleasantly surprised and didn¡¯t mind being tasked to kill the pheasants anymore. In the past, if he was tasked with something like this, he would¡¯veined that he was too much of a talent to be just killing animals¡ªand being mocked at by Gu Nianzhi after.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not do that today. Instead, she swallowed before returning back into the conste.

    Yin Shixiong kept looking back and forth between Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi. Finally, he shifted beside Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°What happened to Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s throwing a tantrum. Ignore her,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, but he followed Gu Nianzhi in the direction she had disappeared to.

    Yin Shixiong pouted and mimicked Huo Shaoheng. ¡°She¡¯s throwing a tantrum. Ignore her¡ªhow convincing you made that sound, General! I would¡¯ve believed it for another minute if you hadn¡¯t followed her. Now, I wouldn¡¯t believe it for even a second...¡±

    Yin Shixiong headed up the stairs as well, shaking his head. Just then, he saw Chen Lie hiding beside the door, mocking him. ¡°My dear Big Xiong, the intelligence of this 250-watt third wheel is amazing!¡±

    He smiled as well, waving the guinea fowl at Chen Lie. ¡°Doctor Chen, did you hear him, too? Look at Mr. Huo still trying to talk his way through! Saying ¡®she¡¯s just throwing a tantrum; ignore her,¡¯ yet following closely behind. I bet he went to Nianzhi¡¯s room!¡±

    Chen Lieughed heartily and said, ¡°Now, it¡¯s you who have no idea about this. When Mr. Huo said, ¡®ignore her,¡¯ he meant for you to ignore Nianzhi. Nianzhi was to be coaxed by him alone. Understand? You stop being a third wheel.¡±

    ¡°What the hell?! Did he really?¡± Yin Shixiong was so taken aback by Chen Lie¡¯s interpretation that he was almost speechless. However, upon giving it a thought, he felt that it made sense as well. Smiling, he said, ¡°Yeah, seems like it really was that way.¡±

    Both of them entered the conste,ughing with each other.

    Yin Shixiong took the guinea fowl to the kitchen to clean them up personally. Chen Lie had initially wanted to give Gu Nianzhi a check again, but the moment he reached the turn of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, he saw Huo Shaoheng entering her room.

    Chen Lie smiled widely and pushed his equipment toward Zhao Liangze¡¯s room instead.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room and took out a set of casual wear. She was about to change out of the heavy, silk marine blue dress, which she had worn specially.

    Just as she turned around and was about to change, she saw Huo Shaoheng entering her room and closing the door behind him.

    Raising her eyebrows, Gu Nianzhi raised her voice. ¡°Huo Shao, you should¡¯ve knocked on the door beforeing in... What if I had been changing? That wouldn¡¯t be nice, would it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat down at the single sofa seat beside the window in her bedroom and crossed his legs. cing his arms on the armrests, he supported his face with a hand on the armrest and said, ¡°Change then. I¡¯ll see which suits you better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She red at Huo Shaoheng and was so angry that she was almost speechless.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, now? You¡¯re shy?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her firmly. Putting his leg down, he stood up from the seat and walked toward Gu Nianzhi.

    He walked normally¡ªneither fast nor rushed. He was rxed and natural, but to Gu Nianzhi, this felt extremely stressful. Hugging her clothes, she moved backward and warned him, ¡°Don¡¯te here. I said, stoping toward me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened to her and stopped. He was about an arm¡¯s length away from her, looking at her fixedly.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng stopped because she had asked him to, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but grumble inside due to his actions.

    He has never been so obedient in the past; what has made him so outside of the norm today?

    Most likely, it was due to her being too upset, or perhaps it was because Huo Shaoheng knew her too well. Looking at how Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed, the smile at the corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips became more prominent.

    Nodding, he said, ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll be going back now, then.¡± He turned and left.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more shocked now. She held onto her clothes while watching Huo Shaoheng leave. She wanted to ask him to stay, but she felt too embarrassed to do so. However, seeing him leave like that, she felt even more horrid.

    As she was feeling a mixture of anxiousness, annoyance, anger, and disappointment, Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. Making a turn, he returned to sit down on the single seat sofa. After just a few steps, Gu Nianzhi felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster, going over many mountains and rivers.

    She felt her eyes water. Lowering her head, she hugged her clothes and walked toward the bathroom. The sofa was located between the bathroom door and the table at the south wall of the bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi walked briskly past him. Huo Shaoheng reached out and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist and looked up at her.

    Gu Nianzhi refused to look at him. Looking somewhere else, she said tly, ¡°...Let go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her wrist. It was so frail and thin; it was really unexpected that such a frail-looking wrist could save two grown men from such scary waters of the blue hole...

    His calm heart skipped a beat, and he pulled on that wrist, pulling Gu Nianzhi into his embrace.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her tightly on hisp. Then, holding the back of her neck, he kissed her.

    Her lips still had some bruises. It felt slightly painful when he sucked on them. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. Hitting Huo Shaoheng, she struggled in his embrace and wailed, ¡°...Don¡¯t be like that! Being passionate and cold, however you wish... I can¡¯t take it anymore... Is it fun to y around with my feelings like that? Seeing me feeling all this nonsense for you¡ªdoes it please you so much? Stop trying to bully me! I don¡¯t want you anymore! I will never want you anymore!¡±

    As she said, ¡°I don¡¯t want you anymore,¡± she pulled on his clothes and cried her heart out.

    Huo Shaoheng continued kissing her. He didn¡¯t care how she struggled in his embrace or hit him. He continued kissing her as if he wanted to console her with those kisses. The tip of his tongue gently licked the bruises on her lips, tracing the shape of them, and eventually entering her mouth. Their tongues intertwined.

    Gu Nianzhi tried very hard to push him away. Using her tiny tongue, she attempted to push Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tongue out. However, the moment she used some strength, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breath deepened, and he kissed her harder.

    He held onto her head firmly. She could not move. Her lips were forced open; he was having his way.

    Her tears flowed uncontrobly. They fell in between their lips, wet and salty, prating into their hearts. Perhaps, love tasted like that.

    Gu Nianzhi was lightheaded from the kisses. Her tears gradually stopped, and she stopped resisting him. She justy in his embracefortably with slightly swollen lips as he continued sucking on them, not allowing her to say anything out of anger...

    After the long kissing, they were both slightly out of breath. Gu Nianzhi was still sobbing asionally. She snuggled in his embrace like a child who had been wronged, looking forfort in a parent. If this was the source of her distress, what else could she do?

    Huo Shaoheng patted her on the back and cleaned her face with some tissues from the table. Lowering his head, he touched her nose with his and asked softly, ¡°...Still angry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and buried her head in his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t think a kiss and a hug can buy me over this time around. It won¡¯t be so easy.¡±

    ¡°Oh... What else do I have to do, then?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked expressionlessly, but a hand had already begun to roam.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. She grabbed his hand and said with a mixture of anxiousness and anger, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean this! This... This... wouldn¡¯t work either!¡±

    ¡°This... This... What is this?¡± Huo Shaoheng held onto her, continuing to roam with his hand. ¡°What do I have to do? Just let me know, and I¡¯ll dly oblige.¡±

    ¡°You wish!¡± Gu Nianzhi struggled.

    Huo Shaoheng removed his hand reluctantly and hugged her tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t squirm on myp. You might¡¯ve sparked something.¡±

    ¡°Whatever happened to your self-control, Huo Shao?¡± Gu Nianzhi mocked mercilessly. ¡°How can you go on missions like that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng handed her the dress and leaned backward on the sofa. Smiling, he supported his head with one hand, squinted at her, and used the other hand to caress her slightly swollen lips. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m thankful that we¡¯re not enemies... If my opponent were to send out my Nianzhi, I¡¯d have no choice but to surrender.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? Am I that amazing?¡± Gu Nianzhi was so happy at his words that she forgot about everything else.

    This sentence might have been one of the most romantic things Huo Shaoheng had said to her throughout their rtionship...

 Chapter 518 - You Have to Take the Helm

    <h4>Chapter 518: You Have to Take the Helm</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re amazing... Ok. You¡¯re not mad anymore?¡± Huo Shaoheng kissed her again, his tone sounded like he was patronizing a child.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered when she finally reacted. Huo Shaoheng was truly patronizing her. All the previous excitement instantly faded. She smiled with a shake of her head, leaning against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and keeping quiet. She really was in over her head to believe that Huo Shao would surrender so easily. That was even less likely than the sun rising in the west... But Gu Nianzhi no longer bickered with Huo Shaoheng.

    This incident made her keenly aware of the gap between them¡ªnot only in terms of status and identity but also age and life experience. She was an 18-year-old student, as easily read as a transparent crystal to the esteemed, 28-year-old Major General Huo Shaoheng. She wasn¡¯t yet his opponent. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s longshes lowered as she quietly lost herself in thought.

    And for Huo Shaoheng, he believed the incident ought toe to an end. He didn¡¯t have all that time to focus on personal things. Huo Shaoheng gently patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, whispering in her ear, ¡°We¡¯ll go see your father at the hospital the day after tomorrow. This is an official mission, not a drill. I¡¯ll discuss the specific ns with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up and slid off Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp with a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll go change and then you can tell me the whole n. I have a simpleputer program in which I can enter all the various conditions of the operation. We can see if there is any room for improvement.¡±

    ¡°Ok, no rush. You get changed.¡± Huo Shaoheng was already in work mode. He stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go make guinea fowl for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi watched him leave her room with a sigh in her heart, then went to the bathroom to change and shower. Because she was in a bad mood, taking a bubble bath and applying rxing rose body cream helped alleviate her emotions. At the crux of it, she couldn¡¯t base all her emotions on other people. She had always been able to talk herself through these sorts of things and didn¡¯t get stubborn.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng busied himself for an hour in the conste¡¯s kitchen. Once the guinea fowl was braised, he called Yin Shixiong. ¡°Big Xiong, we¡¯ll go talk to Nianzhi about the operation on the day after tomorrow.¡±

    The two men arrived at Gu Nianzi¡¯s room just as she stepped out of the bathroom.

    d in a bathrobe and with her hair still dripping with water, she used a pure white towel to dry her hair as she called out through the bedroom door, ¡°Is that Huo Shao and Brother Xiong? I just showered, you guys. Wait a bit...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong sat down in the living room outside the bedroom. Taking out their tablets, they began a drill on the operation using the schematics. Once Gu Nianzhi came out after drying her hair, she sat across from the two men and listened intently to the course of action. After he finished exining, Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± he asked. ¡°Did you understand?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi considered it for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you sure I just need to show my identity, and we¡¯ll be able to discharge Gu... My father?¡±

    ¡°ording to the rules and regtions of that hospital, that¡¯s the case,¡± said Huo Shaoheng. He mused, ¡°Our personnel alsopiled some information about the hospital. We have limited time, so it¡¯s not veryplete, but we were able to clearly research their rules and regtions.¡±

    ¡°Right, and if they still refuse, then that means either something is fishy with them, or something is fishy with Gu Yanran. No matter which one it is, we are confident we can get Gu Xiangwen.¡± Yin Shixiong pounded the coffee table, his expression solemn.

    Gu Niaznhi carefully read the action n again and took out herptop to break it down into main segments to input into the simple program she¡¯d created. After running the program, she pointed to the results.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there are any issues,¡± she said, ¡°but if they have a backup n or hidden conditions, then our n might get derailed.¡±

    ¡°So, we must prepare for the worst possibility.¡± Huo Shaoheng made a fist with his right hand to prop his chin up. Looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop screen pointedly, he replied, ¡°Nianzi, send me a copy of this program so I can study it tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzi nodded with a smile. ¡°This was prepared for you guys, anyway... But I didn¡¯t get a chance to give it to Brother Ze.¡±

    Yin Shixiong pped soundly. ¡°Nianzhi is too amazing! Little Ze has a sessor. How wonderful!¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze, don¡¯t talk about things you don¡¯t know about. If you keep bbing mindlessly, Huo Shaoheng might punish you!¡± Gu Nianzhi ribbed Yin Shixiong with a smile, her mood greatly improved from earlier.

    Huo Shaoheng assumed she had gotten over it, so he packed up and used a sh drive to copy Gu Nianzhi¡¯sputer program and the earlier results. He quickly left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room with Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Nianzhi sat alone in the living room for a long time before standing up to shrug and pick up herptop. She went back to her bedroom to continue researching the operation for the day after tomorrow. This was the first time she was officially participating in Huo Shaoheng and his men¡¯s missions. She was a bit like a special guest, so she had to give it her all and not drag them behind.

    ...

    After busying herself, Gu Nianzhi really did forget her little grievance and lost track of time. When she got the call to go downstairs for dinner, it was already 6:00 p.m.

    Gu Nianzhi was finally able to eat the delicious and tender guinea fowl. These wild pheasants could be domesticated, but the vor couldn¡¯t rival wild ones.

    ¡°This soup is so fresh!¡± Gu Nianzhi drank two bowls in a row, her eyes crinkling with a smile. ¡°Huo Shao, what spices did you put in?¡±

    ¡°How could it taste fresh if there are too many spices?¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head with disapproval. ¡°I only added a bit of salt.¡±

    ¡°Then this was the actual vor of the ingredients? No wonder it tastes so fresh and delicious!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to gush over the soup and ate so much she could barely walk. She couldn¡¯t sleep right away because she was too full, so she walked around the conste and finally arrived at Zhao Liangze¡¯s treatment room. Opening the door, she saw Huo Shaoheng sitting on the sofa in front of Zhao Liangze¡¯s bed. He had his head down and was typing something on his tablet. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes dimmed as she rested her hand on the door handle, unable to enter or leave. Should she go in or not?

    Just as she was hesitating, Yin Shixiong came up from behind her to pat her shoulder with a chuckle. ¡°Nianzhi, are you here to see Little Ze? Why aren¡¯t you going in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t escape. Yin Shixiong took her inside Zhao Liangze¡¯s room. Hearing the door, Huo Shaoheng turned around to see Yin Shixiong bring Gu Nianzhi inside.

    ¡°Need something?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly, his gaze taking in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to walk over. She nced at Zhao Liangze on the bed. She asked, ¡°Is Brother Ze any better? Did he wake up yet?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s much better, and all his vitals are normal.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke slowly, each word chosen with discretion.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t he woken up yet? It shouldn¡¯t take this long.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. He already woke up once over the past couple of days. Chen Lie said it was a subconscious action. He must rest for another two days before he consciously wakes up.¡±

    Chen Lie also opened the door toe in. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re here? Are you better? Here to see Little Ze?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m ok. I just came to see if Brother Ze woke up yet or not.¡± Gu Nianzi was a little embarrassed, unsure where to look.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s no longer oxygen-deprived, so he will recover,¡± Chen Lie consoled Gu Nianzhi, giving her a pat on her shoulder.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and walked over to the window. Crossing his arms, he waited for Zhao Liangze¡¯s test results toe back. This was an important prerequisite. Zhao Liangze was crucial to the sess or failure of their operation. Chen Lie gave Huo Shaoheng a look, and they both left Zhao Liangze¡¯s room to speak in the empty hallway outside.

    Yin Shixiong came over to adjust Zhao Liangze¡¯s nket and turned back to see a helpless Gu Nianzhi. He asked in confusion, ¡°Nianzhi, what is it? It¡¯s not your fault Little Ze is hurt. Why do you look like this?¡± It was as if she had wronged him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and mumbled, ¡°...It¡¯s because of me that Brother Ze got severely injured. Brother Xiong, is my father Gu Xiangwen worth all this sacrifice?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, even if your father is not that capable, our operation is absolutely still worth it because of you.¡± Yin Shixiong reassured her with confidence.

    Eyes glistening with tears, Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Ok. I understand. We will be sessful the day after tomorrow!¡±

 Chapter 519 - Rather Lucky

    <h4>Chapter 519: Rather Lucky</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    There was a long corridor outside the treatment room. It looked empty except for the presence of Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, do you want Little Ze to wake up and return to normal sooner?¡± Chen Lie asked softly. He looked serious.

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is Little Ze¡¯s condition critical? I thought you said that he was fine.¡±

    ¡°He is fine. However, seeing that he still hasn¡¯t woken up, I¡¯m worried that it might be the early signs of him bing a vegetable.¡± Chen Lie pushed the round spectacles up the bridge of his nose. ¡°Losing consciousness due to ack of oxygen is a natural defense mechanism. However, we have not managed to understand the full capacity of the human brain. Therefore, we can¡¯t predict what might happen. He might wake up anytime soon, or he might never wake up at all...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood silently in front of the window with his arms folded. He looked at the tropical night of Barbados and thought about it for a while before turning to Chen Lie. ¡°Shoot.¡±

    ¡°Erm... I¡¯m just... Erm...¡± Chen Lie began perspiring under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sharp stare. Taking out his handkerchief, he wiped his oily forehead and finally stammered, ¡°Since Nianzhi is here as well, why don¡¯t we¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Shut the f*ck up!¡± Huo Shaoheng snapped, cutting off the rest of Chen Lie¡¯s sentence. ¡°How many times have I told you? Nianzhi is a human! A living human! She¡¯s not a moving experiment! I¡¯m very disappointed in you, Chen Lie! Do you see Nianzhi as one of thoseb mice you have for experiments?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had never been so stern with Chen Lie before. His face turned red instantly. Chen Lie knew that he should not have raised this suggestion, and he doted over Nianzhi as well. He had never viewed her as a walking experiment. But things were just like that. Most people would want a shortcut when they were met with difficulty.

    Whoever chose not to take a shortcut when there was one was an idiot. Chen Lie was no exception. Under such an extreme situation, he would want to take a ¡°shortcut¡± again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Nianzhi as myb mouse before, Mr. Huo. I was just telling you about an option. With this option, Little Ze could recover almost immediately!¡± Chen Lie exined himself clearly to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Moreover, don¡¯t forget the reason why the army put her in your care. Don¡¯t forget about the nation¡¯s benefits just because you¡¯ve fallen for her!¡±

    ¡°Chen Lie, Nianzhi and the nation¡¯s benefits don¡¯t sh,¡± Huo Shaoheng said firmly. ¡°She¡¯s one of the people I want to protect, and the nation¡¯s benefits would be something we all need to work together to achieve as her citizens. If there¡¯s a benefit that we can achieve by sacrificing one of our citizens, I think we¡¯d rather forgo it.¡± He said this with such backbone that it seemed like he would be the one to face all cmities should anything befall the Hua Xia Empire...

    Chen Lie looked at Huo Shaoheng nkly and only whispered after a good while, ¡°...Then, if something really were to happen to Little Ze, what would you intend to do? Nianzhi already seemed to feel very guilty just now...¡±

    ¡°She was feeling guilty?¡± Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It was obvious... You guys were here because of her father. It¡¯d be odd if she didn¡¯t feel guilty.¡± Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ve said what I could. I won¡¯t tell Nianzhi what I told you. I just wanted to discuss an option with you. Since you don¡¯t wish for Nianzhi to help, let¡¯s leave it to fate. Pray hard¡ªmaybe Little Ze will wake up soon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent and stood in front of the window along the corridor, alone. He opened the window and felt the humid night air of Barbados. Taking out a cigarette, he lit it up and inhaled deeply before blowing a long puff of smoke.

    Chen Lie returned to Zhao Liangze¡¯s ward and saw Gu Nianzhi talking to Yin Shixiong. Walking directly to Zhao Liangze¡¯s bedside, he checked the various equipment and noted that everything looked normal. The only thing he didn¡¯t know was when Zhao Liangze would regain consciousness.

    Seeing Chen Lie¡¯s arrival, Gu Nianzhi saw that there were three to four people in the ward. Turning to Yin Shixiong, she said, ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯ll go back first. Please let me know the moment brother Ze wakes up.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Who knows? Maybe he¡¯ll be awake tomorrow. Go and have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± Yin Shixiong waved at her. ¡°We have to go out the day after tomorrow. You should begin packing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded understandably, greeted Chen Lie, and left the ward.

    Chen Lie nced at her and stopped himself from saying what he initially wanted to say. Eventually, he only said, ¡°Go back and have a good rest, Nianzhi. Let me know if you¡¯re feeling out of sorts.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi acknowledged Chen Lie¡¯s words and closed the door behind her. The next thing she saw was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s masculine back along the corridor. It gave her an immense sense of security. Gu Nianzhi walked over. She couldn¡¯t help herself.

    Huo Shaoheng heard footsteps moving toward him and turned around. Realizing that it was Gu Nianzhi, he put out the cigarette and threw the butt into a bin nearby. ¡°It¡¯ste,¡± he said. ¡°Go back and rest.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, is something bothering you?¡± Gu Nianzhi sensed that Huo Shaoheng was feeling off.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m thinking about the mission the day after tomorrow,¡± Huo Shaoheng denied tly. ¡°We¡¯ll need to get a recement if little Ze is still unwell by then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to volunteer, initially, but she had to go to the hospital with Huo Shaoheng, so she couldn¡¯t mediate there. Thus, she remained quiet and only said, ¡°Then I¡¯m going back to sleep. Please rest early as well, Huo Shao.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and watched her leave.

    He only returned to Zhao Liangze¡¯s ward after Gu Nianzhi was out of sight. However, just when he entered Zhao Liangze¡¯s ward, Gu Nianzhi tried to peek at him from around the corner. She saw him disappearing into Zhao Liangze¡¯s ward.

    Huo Shao was going back to Zhao Liangze¡¯s ward. Did brother Ze¡¯s injuries have anyplications?

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room feeling worried. Turning herptop on, she looked through the program she¡¯d designed for the mission. She felt that there was still something missing, but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint what the issue was.

    Since she couldn¡¯t sleep either, she took herptop and returned to Zhao Liangze¡¯s ward.

    Yin Shixiong had already left. Only Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie were at Zhao Liangze¡¯s bedside. One of them was doing some work on hisptop while the other was looking at the data from all the medical equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the door open and entered. She asked softly, ¡°Huo Shao, Brother Chen, are you guys hungry? Does anyone want supper?¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi, he rubbed his temples. ¡°Why are you still awake?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about brother Ze; can¡¯t sleep,¡± Gu Nianzhi said honestly and sat down opposite Huo Shaoheng with herptop. ¡°I wish to help with taking care of him here.¡±

    ¡°How can you take care of him? You¡¯re not a professional nurse, nor a doctor.¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned. Standing up, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you back to bed.¡±

    Staying upte isn¡¯t a good habit to begin with.

    Chen Lie nced at Huo Shaoheng and quipped, ¡°Go back to bed, Nianzhi. Even Big Xiong went back. Moreover, you don¡¯t feel safe with me here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I hope to see brother Ze regain consciousness sooner.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow furrowed. Raising his voice, he warned, ¡°Nianzhi, I said, go back to bed.¡±

    Nianzhi raised her voice as well. ¡°No. I want to wait here for brother Ze to wake up.¡± Hugging herptop, even though she was still slightly afraid, she didn¡¯t show signs of backing off.

    ¡°I repeat. Go back.¡± The pitch of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone was getting higher, but the speed of his words remained slow and firm.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back. I want to wait here for brother Ze to wake up.¡± Gu Nianzhi was increasing the pitch of her tone as well. She hugged herptop to her chest, seemingly using it as a shield to protect herself from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s anger.

    Chen Lie watched the argument between them, agape.

    However, what was more surprising was that their argument seemed to jolt the unconscious Zhao Liangze awake as well. He moaned, ¡°...Noisy...¡±

    Chen Lie reacted immediately. He rushed over in surprise. ¡°Little Ze is awake?! Are you awake?!¡± He was worried that it might be a nervous reflex like the other time.

    Zhao Liangze made some noise in his throat. Then he opened his eyes slowly, and the first thing he saw was Chen Lie¡¯s round sses and round face.

    He closed his eyes exasperatedly and grumbled, ¡°Doctor Chen, can you not get so close? It¡¯s scary...¡±

    Chen Lieughed happily. ¡°Hahaha! He¡¯s really awake! That¡¯s great! Thank God for His blessings! Little Ze is really awake!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, who were in the midst of arguing, turned around upon hearing that.

    Chen Lie turned to them and shouted, ¡°Nianzhi! Mr. Huo! Come over quick! Little Ze is really awake!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was the first to run over. She ran to Zhao Liangze¡¯s bedside and asked worriedly, ¡°Brother Ze? Are you really awake?¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched. He opened his eyes wearily again and said hoarsely, ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just talking in my dream. Happy?¡±

    He must have really recovered if he could even joke around.

    Huo Shaoheng walked behind Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re finally awake. Are you hungry? I¡¯ll get the kitchen to make you some supper.¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s hungry and needs supper.¡± Chen Lie smiled and winked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I want some wantons. What would you like?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just have some fruit.¡± Gu Nianzhi had eaten a heavy dinner, so she wasn¡¯t hungry at all.

    Huo Shaoheng turned on his Bluetooth earpiece and called Yin Shixiong over. Yin Shixiong ran all the way to the ward in excitement upon hearing that Zhao Liangze hade round.

    ...

    ¡°You brat! Everyone was worried about you!¡± Yin Shixiong was so happy that he swung a punch against Zhao Liangze¡¯s bed. The strength was so great that the mattress moved.

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes. ¡°Another punch from you, and I¡¯ll lose consciousness again.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Yin Shixiong bowed jokingly in front of Zhao Liangze before rushing to prepare supper for everyone. All of a sudden, the atmosphere in the ward became cozy.

    Nodding toward Gu Nianzhi, Chen Lie said, ¡°Go back to bed. Little Ze is awake; he still has to bathe before doing a full-body checkup again. It¡¯d be inconvenient if you are here.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Nianzhi left obediently. Looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brow continued to furrow, but he remained silent, staying back to do his work.

    With Zhao Liangze regaining consciousness, their progression would be able to soar.

    The next day, Zhao Liangze was already able to get out of bed. However, he did not get off the bed. He remained in bed and looked at the program designed by Gu Nianzhi from Huo Shaoheng¡¯sptop. He was full of praises for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi is such a genius,¡± he said. ¡°I need to have her as my disciple! It¡¯d be enough to have her alone as my disciple!¡±

    He was, after all, aputer genius, and was slightly more talented than Gu Nianzhi¡ªsomeone who studiedputer programming asionally. However, all he needed to do was alter some parts of her program before it was able to calcte many more things.

    ¡°If we were to prepare along this line, the percentage of sess would increase tremendously,¡± Zhao Liangze said, exining his edit to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded excitedly. ¡°No wonder I felt that something was off. So that was it. Brother Ze, thank you so much!¡±

    Zhao Liangze smiled. ¡°This program is rather well done! Can we keep it as thepany¡¯s asset?¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze is so kind. This program was designed for you guys. I feel honored that you have taken a liking to it!¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed immediately.

    She spent the entire day in Zhao Liangze¡¯s ward and discussed the program with him, as well as how she could better take over his role during the mission.

    Zhao Liangze would remain here to mediate. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had been out the entire day conducting preparations outside and had tasked Zhao Liangze to give Gu Nianzhi a crash course on the Special Forces¡¯ rules and regtions during a mission.

    ¡°We all have our own protocol during a mission. Your memory is great, so you¡¯ll have to memorize these in half a day. Can you do it?¡±

    Zhao Liangze had basically condensed the contents of two weeks¡¯ worth of Special Forces training and demanded that Gu Nianzhi memorize them in half a day.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory and brain were exceptional, an entire day of training drained herpletely. At about 9:00 p.m., after Zhao Liangze finished wrapping up the crash course with Gu Nianzhi, she was already so tired out that she found it a challenge to keep her eyes open. She passed out the moment she reached her bedroom. She had no more energy to think about other rtionship issues.

    After bustling around the entire day, Huo Shaoheng had finallypleted all the necessary preparations for the mission. Hearing that Gu Nianzhi had already fallen asleep upon returning, he smiled. However, he was still worried about her. After ensuring that she was fine by going to her bedroom to check on her around midnight, he left with peace of mind.

    ...

    It was the day of the mission. Gu Nianzhi woke up extra early. She had gotten a good night¡¯s sleep the previous night and felt sufficiently recharged.

    After going through her protocol in bed, she got up and washed up. By 7:00 a.m. sharp, she was already in a modified hunting suit with a wide belt in the middle that hid a shotgun in case of an emergency. She wore a pair of tall boots, and in her fashionable Hermes bag was a bulletproof vest and other equipment for the mission.

    Shepleted her look with a huge pair of Prada shades, which covered about half her face. It made her look fashionable but not attention-seeking. That was because many wealthy people in Barbados were dressed this way as well. It¡¯d be attention-seeking if she did not dress the way she did.

    The hospital that Gu Xiangwen was in was located in one of the wealthy estates in Barbados. The surroundings there were serene. The location faced both the mountains and the sea, and there was only one way up. It was quiet and safe.

    It would be extremely tough to bring a person¡ªespecially a vegetable¡ªout from the hospital without anyone knowing. Therefore, they had decided to bring Gu Xiangwen out officially, using the legal method.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the Jeep that Huo Shaoheng was driving, feeling nervous about meeting her long-lost father. She was biting her nails as they neared the metal gates of the hospital.

 Chapter 520 - Duel (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 520: Duel (Part 1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng kept ncing at Gu Nianzhi out of the corner of his eye as he drove. Seeing her biting her nails again, he reached his right hand over to pull her fingers from her mouth and chided, ¡°Biting your nails again. Didn¡¯t I cut them for you a few days ago?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly before pushing his hand away and back onto the steering wheel. She cocked her head. ¡°Drive properly, Huo Shao. It¡¯s not easy to steer with one hand.¡±

    ¡°I can drive without using my hands at all.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked away, at the great iron gates before the hospital. He still felt restless and made sure to remind her, ¡°We¡¯re here. Remember to be helpful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed, then perked up and got out of the car with Huo Shaoheng. A sentry checking for permits was standing in front of the gate, making the whole ce resemble a military camp. Gu Nianzhi was secretly shocked and followed closely behind Huo Shaoheng as they made their way to the sentry. He was obviously a white mercenary. Holding an AMR in his arms and wearing Ray-Ban sunsses, he nced at Gu Nianzhi with a whistle and flirted.

    ¡°What a cute girl,¡± he said. ¡°You wanna have a drink with me tonight?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly walked up to shield Gu Nianzhi while taking out the special permit. He said in a heavy African-American ent, ¡°We¡¯d like to visit Mr. Ku. Here is our authorized pass.¡±

    The white sentry held Huo Shaoheng in a different regard as soon as he spoke in an African-American ent. He quickly epted the special permit to validate its authenticity and came out with a much friendlier smile. ¡°Thank you, sir. Madam. You may enter now.¡± He pressed the button to open the great iron gates, and they squeaked loudly before opening automatically.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi returned to their open-top Jeep and started driving inside. Huo Shaoheng drove on the hospital¡¯s small path ording to the address provided by Gu Yanran. They could see several groups of patients in hospital gowns taking walks, as well as ck nurses in pure white uniforms pushing wheelchairs to allow disabled patients to enjoy the fresh air.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly grew nervous and began to smooth her hair. She took out a small mirror to check her makeup, then fiddled with her modified hunting outfit. She finally took out some lipstick to reapply.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and reached out to take away her makeup mirror. ¡°Don¡¯t get nervous. It¡¯s your father. What are you nervous about?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just nervous...¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help ying coy. ¡°And I really don¡¯t remember them at all...¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that you forgot as long as your identity is legally recognized.¡± Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair. ¡°Do you still remember what you have to do?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I remember all of it.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and recited the entire protocol to him.

    Huo Shaoheng listened. This child was really nervous. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything more and continued to drive in silence. He took her to the building that housed Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ward. This was a small building in the innermost part of the hospital, and the outer walls were dark aquamarine-colored ss to camouge them well amongst the thick foliage.

    Gu Nianzhi walked nervously toward Huo Shaoheng once she got off the Jeep. Earlier, she had said she was nervous, but she hadn¡¯t revealed all the reasons. On the one hand, she was truly anxious about the imminent meeting with her father, and on the other hand, it was because she was officially participating with Huo Shaoheng and his team¡¯s operation. She was extremely worried that she would give them trouble...

    Huo Shaoheng strode calmly and leisurely to the entrance of the building to register. He disyed the special permit to the staff, who verified its validity and replied with a smile, ¡°Sir, this way, please.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his brow and turned around to escort Gu Nianzhi. They followed him inside the building. After passing through a long hallway, they arrived at the elevators, and he turned around to say, ¡°Mr. Gu¡¯s ward is essible by a special elevator, so the other elevators cannot go there. Here,e with me.¡±

    He took them to a small room beside the elevator and opened the door. There was actually another elevator entrance inside!

    The staff member stood just below the elevator door and looked up at a camera above it with a smile. The camera shed blue, and a shutter sounded before the elevator opened. The staff took Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi inside. So the elevator had retinal scanning capabilities...

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help grumbling to herself¡ªwith such stringent security measures, did these people really not know who ¡°Mr. Gu¡± was?

    The elevator quickly took them to the door to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ward. The staff knocked on the door and spoke to the video camera outside. ¡°Someone is here to see Mr. Gu. They have a special permit signed by Miss Gu.¡±

    The people inside checked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special permit once again before opening the ward¡¯s door to let Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi in. Huo Shaoheng walked in front, his towering bodypletely blocking the tall and slender Gu Nianzhi behind him. She nervously stared at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back, her violently hammering heart finally calming down.

    ¡°Mr. Gu is here. Are you here to see him?¡± Gu Xiangwen¡¯s nurse was a heavy middle-aged ck woman. Her smile was gentle and kind.

    Instantly taking a liking to her, Gu Nianzhi felt emboldened enough to quickly walk forward and around Huo Shaoheng. She was the first to arrive in front of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s bed.

    Before her eyes was a specially made bed covered with medical devices. And in the middle of instruments of various sizes was a skeletal man. Gu Nianzhi had never seen Gu Xiangwen¡¯s photo, but she instinctively knew that he ought to somewhat resemble her. However, she didn¡¯t think that seven years in a vegetative state would have been enough topletely alter Gu Xiangwen¡¯s appearance. All that was left were his bones.

    This is my father?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened at the man lying on the bed, incredible shock in her heart... So, the Gus hadn¡¯t looked for Gu Nianzhi for seven years because Gu Xiangwen had be a vegetable? Gu Nianzhi stared nkly at him. Her nose started to sniffle, but she didn¡¯t want to cry. She turned around to Huo Shaoheng and gave him an inquisitive look, unsure of how to proceed.

    Huo Shaoheng came over and thoughtfully studied this man in a vegetative state before asking the nurse some questions.

    ¡°When did Mr. Gue to your hospital? Have you always been in charge of him? How is his health? Have there been changes in the seven years?¡±

    These were all questions focusing on patients in a vegetative state, which Chen Lie had specially prepared for Huo Shaoheng to ask.

    The nurse smiled respectfully. ¡°He¡¯s been at your hospital for over three years now. I heard that he used to be under the care of a private nurse at home but was transferred to the hospital after his condition deteriorated. Yes, I¡¯ve always cared for him, for as long as since he¡¯s been here. As for his health, you¡¯d have to ask the doctor. I¡¯m just a nurse.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. The nurse¡¯s answers were about the same as the information he¡¯d gotten from Gu Yanran, so it must have been true. Huo Shaoheng then asked for some details regarding Gu Xiangwen¡¯s treatment, then finally pointed to Gu Nianzhi and spoke to the nurse and guard.

    ¡°Thank you for your efforts,¡± he said. ¡°I have a proof of identity, signed by the Barbados government, to prove that she is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s youngest daughter, Gu Nianzhi. ording to your hospital¡¯s regtions, only immediate rtives can discharge Mr. Gu.¡±

    Thest word Huo Shaoheng spoke was like a signal for Zhao Liangze all the way at the conste in the Bridgetown city district. He immediately cut off all externalmunication for the hospital¡ªfromndlines to mobile data, the signal copsed due to sudden data congestion. Because the Special Operations Forces had their own dedicated satellitemunication system, jamming the hospital¡¯smunication systems didn¡¯t affect them. They were still able to use their Bluetooth headsets to receive all messages. At the same time, all the elite members of the Special Ops in South America mobilized and gained control over external traffic to the hospital.

    Gu Yanran, who was keeping in touch with the hospital and awaiting news from Huo Shaoheng, suddenly found the connection to the hospital interrupted.

 Chapter 521 - Duel (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 521: Duel (Part 2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng had just finished his sentence, but the smile on the ck nurse¡¯s had already frozen. She snapped back into reality after a few seconds and stammered, ¡°D¡ªd... Discharge him?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re here to discharge him.¡± Huo Shaoheng kept his sentences short and simple. ¡°My men will bepleting the discharge documents now. Please move. We¡¯d like to pack his things for him.¡±

    As Huo Shaoheng spoke, the men outside had already received instructions to bring the legal proof of identity given to Gu Nianzhi by the Barbados government¡ªher Barbados passport and proof of direct rtion¡ªto the administration building of the hospital to get on with Gu Xiangwen¡¯s discharge procedure.

    The people from the administration were shocked upon seeing the documents. They didn¡¯t want to proceed with the discharge, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. These people had provided all the evidence required for the discharge. What else could they do? Rules were rules, even if Gu Yanran had left instructions for them.

    ¡°Please... Please hold on. We will have to verify the documents.¡± The people from the administration department stammered and ran off to their office to call Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran had left a number here to contact her directly should there be an emergency. Even though the people from the hospital did not know who that number belonged to, they had tried it a couple of times in the past, and their problems had been immediately resolved.

    However, this time around, they couldn¡¯t get through no matter how they tried.

    Huo Shaoheng and the men were waiting for approximately 10 minutes outside. When they saw that the people who were supposed to handle the discharge disappear into the office, they knocked on the counter.

    ¡°Where¡¯re you guys?! Do you need so long to verify those documents? Can¡¯t you just check directly with the government?!¡±

    The people from the administration department tried for about half an hour but still couldn¡¯t manage to get a call through to the number they had. With the people outside rushing them, they had no choice but to abide by the rules. If not, they might be charged with illegally holding a hostage...

    The people from the office emerged slowly, frowned, and began to proceed with the discharge procedure.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were seen packing Gu Xiangwen¡¯s belongings in his ward. From his breathing apparatus to his daily change of clothes, they packed everything that could be hauled away.

    The ck nurse stood to the side and rubbed her hands. She repeatedly told them, ¡°He hasn¡¯t recovered... Where are you taking him?¡±

    ...

    in 30 minutes, the people on Gu Yanran¡¯s side were beginning to panic.

    ¡°Should we report this to Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we check what happened again?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve sent people over, but they didn¡¯t give us any form of response...¡±

    What they didn¡¯t know was that the men they¡¯d sent had been defeated and locked up in a small room, waiting for the entire incident to be over before they could be let out by the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Special Forces Elites based in South America.

    Waiting for them didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. When they finally decided to report to Gu Yanran, it was already 40 minutester.

    ¡°What? You can¡¯t get through to the hospital?¡± Gu Yanran asked in shock. ¡°There isn¡¯t anywork, either? Then don¡¯t you know how to send people down to check? It¡¯s not that far from here, is it? Just about a 10-minute drive!¡± She looked up from her breakfast in the garden¡¯s shelter and red at her subordinate.

    ¡°We¡¯ve sent people, but we can¡¯t contact them, either...¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s brow furrowed. She stood up in an instant.

    Sh*t! she cursed in her head. Someone must have found out... It¡¯s toote.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s expression darkened, and she made a decision.

    ¡°Quick! Bring more men and inform the securitypany. Get them to provide us with military aid. I¡¯ll go with you guys!¡± shemanded as she took her phone out and sent a text for help.

    Upon sending the text, she threw her napkin, turned, and left in a sh.

    Gu Yanran left so quickly that she stepped on a corner of her tablecloth on ident. The tablecloth was pulled from the table. The silverware on the table was thrown onto the ground as the tablecloth was pulled. However, Gu Yanran was not disturbed by the noise and left hurriedly all the same.

    ...

    After 40 minutes of going over the discharge procedure, it was finally done.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng and the rest of the guys were worried, they pretended to be calm, as they didn¡¯t want to raise any suspicion. In any case, they¡¯d cut off all forms ofmunication. They didn¡¯t have to be worried that the hospital staff would have anything else up their sleeves.

    The director of the hospital arrived at Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ward personally and looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re Gu Xiangwen¡¯s youngest daughter? I¡¯ve never heard of you before!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled, looking cheeky. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you? My sister hasn¡¯t mentioned me before?¡±

    ¡°Your sister? Oh, Miss Gu. Nope, she hasn¡¯t...¡± The director of the hospital looked Gu Nianzhi up and down andmented, ¡°You¡¯re Young Miss Gu. You don¡¯t look like your sister at all.¡±

    ¡°How can we look alike if we¡¯re not twins?¡± Gu Nianzhi said cheekily and showed the director her new Identification documents from the Barbados government. ¡°Look, this is my proof of identity. The government stamp is right here. You can check with the relevant department if you¡¯re still not convinced.¡±

    ¡°But ourndlines andworks are down, so we¡¯re unable to contact anyone at the moment.¡± The director was still trying to hinder them. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just wait for a while longer?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened, and she spoke in fluent English with a British ent. She looked firm and haughty and felt exactly like an unreasonable princess from a wealthy family as she said, ¡°That¡¯s your problem. I¡¯ve provided you with the necessary documents to discharge a patient. I¡¯m not obliged to fulfill your every request at thest minute.¡±

    The director was used to outmaneuvering people who tried to reason with him, but when faced with unreasonable people, he was at a loss for words. That was because the wealthy people he served from Barbados were all haughty and unreasonable like her. Now, he truly believed that Gu Nianzhi was the youngest daughter from the Gu family...

    Yin Shixiong appeared with four or four strong and buff-looking men, and they lifted Gu Xiangwen onto a stretcher. This was a stretcher that had been prepared by Chen Lie. It had been shipped over upon urgent request from Europe. There was everything a person in his vegetative state would need. Gu Xiangwen was merely being transferred from one bed to another, without any changes in medications.

    ¡°Go.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved and shot Yin Shixiong a stare.

    Yin Shixiong nodded and brought his people out with Gu Xiangwen.

    The moment they arrived in the corridor, there were two identical stretchers. Each of them contained a human in a ¡°vegetative state.¡± These were decoys they had prepared. The objective was to not let people know exactly where they had gone.

    However, they had underestimated the abilities of their opponent. Or, rather, they hadn¡¯t known who their opponent was, exactly, or where they were...

    The three stretchers did not even make it to the lift entrance before a huge explosive sound resounded through the building.

    ¡°Down!¡± Huo Shaohengmanded. It felt like the explosion was directly below them. He hugged Gu Nianzhi immediately and rolled forward toward a pir beside the door.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The explosions were heard continuously from outside the building.

    The entire building was filled with smoke. A bomb had exploded within the building. They could see the mountains and forests behind the hospital through the front of the building!

    Yin Shixiong protected his men and Gu Xiangwen, and he pushed him back into the ward. Sticking his head out of the window for a peek, he saw a couple of masked men in ck outside, carrying methrowers, shooting mes and moving toward the hospital building.

    ¡°Mr. Huo! Take them away! I¡¯ll cover you guys!¡± Yin Shixiong grabbed his sniper rifle from the stretcher, ced it in the window, and began taking aim.

    Bang!

    A bullet spun its way toward the masked men and shot the one who was in front¡ªa headshot.

    Huo Shaoheng jumped up from the ground and took out another sniper rifle from the stretcher. He didn¡¯t even take aim but just fired at the methrower of the man who had been shot by Yin Shixiong.

    Boom!

    The methrower that the man was carrying had two tanks in total. One was pure oxygen, and the other was petrol. One bullet was all it took to blow up the entire tank of oxygen, along with the petrol. The fire that ignited from the shot was enough to turn the man carrying it into ashes within a minute.

    Normally, anyone who saw this would be so afraid that they¡¯d flee in horror. However, the remaining masked men were clearly not normal people. Not only did they not back down, but they even began aiming in the direction the bullets hade from!

    The mes looked like devils from hell, shooting directly at the windows on level three!

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong quickly ducked to avoid the fire. The mes shed past them and disappeared within seconds. What was left was thick smoke.

    Gu Nianzhi was crouching at the pir beside the door of the ward where Huo Shaoheng had left her. She observed the situation in shock and felt herself beginning to panic. She almost screamed out loud when she saw the mesing toward Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong, so she quickly stuffed her fist into her mouth. She didn¡¯t want to be a burden to them.

    ¡°Call the police! Quick! Call the police!¡±

    ¡°Ourndlines are cut off!¡±

    ¡°Run! Run! These thieves don¡¯t care about their lives anymore!¡±

    The director of the hospital, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s caretaker, and the hospital workers ran around randomly, panicking.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t stand to look at them anymore and told Yin Shixiong, ¡°Escort them out through the back door. I¡¯ll distract their fire here.¡±

    ¡°No! I¡¯ll cover you guys. You bring them out, Mr. Huo!¡± Yin Shixiong rejected. He couldn¡¯t allow Huo Shaoheng to be in such danger again.

    ¡°This is amand.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not continue and sat up from the ground. He loaded his sniper rifle swiftly in one motion. ¡°Your aim isn¡¯t as urate as mine. I can get out of this, but you can¡¯t. Go!¡±

    It really wasn¡¯t the time to be indecisive or to give in to one another. Since his first rebuttal had failed, Yin Shixiong did not insist. He knew that his aiming wasn¡¯t as urate as Huo Shaoheng, but he didn¡¯t feel that Huo Shaoheng could get out of this, anyway. However, there were still Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi to think of¡ªtwo people who needed him to escort them to safety. So he resolved to send them first before returning to help Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Then please be careful, Mr. Huo,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll escort them out first.¡± Yin Shixiong left his sniper rifle with Huo Shaoheng and took out two semiautomatic shotguns from the stretcher. He carried Gu Xiangwen on his shoulder and tied him to his body. Then he shoved a shotgun at Gu Nianzhi andmanded, ¡°Take this and follow me! Cover my back¡ªif you see anyone running toward you, shoot without mercy!¡±

 Chapter 522 - Duel (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 522: Duel (Part 3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had also practiced with semiautomatic machine guns back in the city base of the Huaxia Imperial Special Operations Forces. She hadn¡¯t picked them up for several years now, but her training came back to her as soon as she touched the weapon. Scrunching her tiny face, she epted the semiautomatic submachine gun from Yin Shixiong and fiddled with the bolt to load several times. After familiarizing herself, she quickly followed Yin Shixiong out to the stairway on the other side of the hallway.

    ¡°Follow me!¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her hands to the director of the hospital, the nurses, and the guards who quickly followed them up the stairs.

    Yin Shixiong carried Gu Xiangwen on his back and ran in a crouch while Gu Nianzhi held the semiautomatic machine gun. She constantly checked behind them for any movement.

    Alone, Huo Shaoheng carried an AMR and changed positions by the window on the third floor. With a single shot of his gun, a ck and red cloud of mes would erupt downstairs. Like a judge of the underworld controlling the life and death of the human realm, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure hid in the shadows by the window¡ªevery shot eliminating the life of the ck-cloaked figures downstairs.

    The ck-cloaked figures finally grew too nervous to advance. They scattered about to find hiding ces. Huo Shaoheng took note of their movements and immediately used hismunication system to ry orders.

    ¡°A Team, three targets are moving forward in the seven o¡¯clock position. Over. B Team, two targets are moving forward in the three o¡¯clock position. Over. C Team, four targets are moving forward in the six o¡¯clock position. Over.¡±

    Standing on the third floor, Huo Shaoheng looked down at ground level from above. He solemnly reported the orientation and the movements of the ck-cloaked gunmen. Gu Nianzhi followed Yin Shixiong and the others down the rear stairs, allowing Huo Shaoheng to attract the attention of the firepower from the third floor. Their path was unobstructed, and the group quickly arrived on the first floor. However, the hospital director assumed the danger had passed and didn¡¯t want to follow Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s group anymore. He subtly cast a look to his staff, and they began dragging themselves to their feet from behind. When they saw that Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzi had exited, they quickly bolted out of the building.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Gu Nianzhi screamed at the people when she noticed them not hiding in the hills but running up instead.

    The director of the hospital only was able to wave behind him and didn¡¯t even get to speak before a wave of gunshots ck guns in the trees knocked him to the ground.

    ¡°Someone got killed! They killed someone! This is a hospital! You people can¡¯t do that!¡±

    The ck nurse suddenly mustered the courage to scream furiously in the direction of the gunmen¡¯s shots. But they were clearly professional killers who were cold-blooded and ruthless, unperturbed by the ck nurse¡¯s cries.

    Boom!

    With another shot, the ck nurse also fell in a pool of blood.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her semiautomatic machine gun tightly and hid behind arge rock with Yin Shixiong. Hearing the execution-like gunshots, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and poked her head out from behind therge rock. Cocking her semiautomatic machine gun, she fired a whole belt of ammunition at him!

    Ratatatatat!

    The semi-automatic machine gun spat out a ming tongue that rolled toward the crazed gunman. While the gunman was very much enjoying executing others, he began shrieking horribly when he was shot by the submachine gun. However, he grew quiet after a short moment and convulsed on the ground as hey dying in his own blood.

    Yin Shixiong had wanted to stop Gu Nianzhi, but seeing how ruthless the gunmen were with murdering the hospital staff, he knew they would be discovered eventually. So he didn¡¯t stop her and crouched at her side as a spotter. Gu Nianzhi fired off a whole belt of ammunition and seemed to terrify the enemy. They didn¡¯te back but retreated into the woods.

    Yin Shixiong broke into a run while quickly dragging Gu Nianzhi in the other direction and whispered, ¡°Run now! They¡¯re going to use a methrower!¡±

    As soon as he spoke, a great wave of mes climbed up the back of therge rock they hide behind. They would certainly be burned to a crisp if they had stayed there. Gu Nianzhi grew scared with a second thought. Clenching her gun, she ran even faster than Yin Shixiong. The Special Ops members who were providing backup had arrived, so they informed Yin Shixiong of their locations using the Bluetooth headsets and quickly eliminated all the gunmen on their path before regrouping with Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Why are there so many gunmen? Didn¡¯t we investigate it beforehand?¡± Yin Shixong asked their backup with a grim expression.

    ¡°We did investigate it, but this is Barbados, not our own Empire. There are many things here that even the local government may not know about.¡± The soldier also wore a mask in order to not reveal his identity in Barbados. He looked at Gu Nianzhi as well as Gu Xiangwen on Yin Shixiong¡¯s back. ¡°Come with me. Our cars are parked over there. It¡¯s just past this point here.¡±

    ¡°...But Huo Shao hasn¡¯te back yet,¡± Gu Nianzhi whispered as she looked toward the building, refusing to leave with the others.

    Yin Shixiong also nced anxiously in that direction. ¡°How is Mr. Huo¡¯s situation?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo is clearing targets from a fixed position,¡± the soldier replied sinctly, then waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go now. You can¡¯t help him from here.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s alone there...¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered, her eyes lingering on the building.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t say another word before grabbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and running toward the exit.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to stay with Huo Shaoheng, but it was obvious that she would be his burden if she followed him¡ªshe could only grit her teeth and follow Yin Shixiong out. Just as they began to run, she heard the gunshots and explosions getting louder from behind her. It was almost like an explosion scene in a Hollywood war film. She couldn¡¯t help stopping to look back at the building, which had suddenly erupted into great mes. The thick smokepletely blotted the blue sky with ck.

    Gu Nianzhi became very anxious and grabbed Yin Shixiong to ask, ¡°Brother Xiong! What about that building? Will he be ok?¡±

    Yin Shixiong turned around to stop and look, his own heart beating violently. He shared the news he got from the Bluetooth headset. ¡°He should be fine. Mr. Huo lured most of the gunmen over to the building to help us escape...¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Gu Nianzhi shuddered with the shock, her voice trembling on the brink of tears. ¡°What should we do?!¡±

    As strong as Huo Shaoheng was, with so many enemies surrounding him, there was bound to be a moment when he overlooked something...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes turned red, but she forced the tears from falling. She looked at Yin Shixiong and enunciated carefully, ¡°I have to go find him!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t go. My mission is to escort you and your father.¡± The normally well-tempered Yin Shixiong replied in a businesslike manner, unwilling to give in. He was even willing to tie Gu Nianzhi up to prevent her from running around.

    His fellow soldiers carried guns vigntly and were also worried when they looked back at the building. But the mission was the most important thing, so they couldn¡¯t go to save Huo Shaoheng even if he was in mortal peril. Their mission was to escort Gu Xiangwen onto the airne.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The soldier beside Yin Shixiong pushed Gu Nianzhi. ¡°There¡¯s no more time!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ran, stumbling from being shoved, but kept looking back at the building behind them.

    ...

    Earlier, Huo Shaoheng had noticed that the gunmen had suddenly surrounded the building and knew that Yin Shixoong¡¯s group had been discovered. He immediately decided to run in front of various windows in the building to allow the gunmen to see his shadow. As expected, the gunmen downstairs discovered him and immediately changed their tactics. They only sent a scant number of gunmen to scout the back of the hospital and kept most the gunmen running toward the building.

    Huo Shaoheng was engaged in a gun battle from the building¡ªlike a street battle during World War II, this was a world of snipers. One shot eliminated one target, and one¡¯s position was changed with each shot.

    Huo Shaoheng retired from the third floor as he eliminated as many gunmen as possible while retreating downstairs. At the same time, he left enough detonators and explosives at all the corners of the staircase. As soon as he exited the first floor, he turned back to unleash a storm of bullets and marked the beams of the exit with endless bullet holes. It crashed down with arge boom and was half-buried in fallen bricks. The gunmen following him saw that their exit was blocked, so they immediately turned around to run out the back door. This was all timed by Huo Shaoheng; as soon as he ran out of the building, he detonated the remote explosives.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Evenrger explosions rang out through the clouds, and ck mushroom clouds spurred from the highest point. Like a vicious devil, it loomed over the earth.

    Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong, and the rest of the group all turned around to see the buildingpletely copsing from the massive explosion. The quaint three-story building had been reduced to ashes before their eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth tightly, her tears falling uncontrobly. She desperately ran back to search for Huo Shaoheng, even if all she could find were his bones...

    Yin Shixiong and the other two men couldn¡¯t hold her back, their foreheads covered with sweat.

    Suddenly, they noticed a tall figure standing up from where the building smoldering and raining ash nearby. He held an AMR in one hand and a semiautomatic machine gun in the other, walking toward them through the ash. Towering mes were the backdrop of his rise, and, like a war of god emerging from a sea of mes and explosions, he stood tall between the sky and earth.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with disbelief, wiping her zed eyes with the back of her hand. Yet she couldn¡¯t clearly see who that was... Her vision was very blurry, and the tears streamed down without end. Wiping her eyes with her hands over and over again, her face was soon streaked with ck and white like a tabby kitten. But she didn¡¯t care as she stared wide-eyed as Huo Shaoheng walked to her side, then passed her by.

    Huo Shaoheng ordered the group solemnly, ¡°Why are you all standing here? Hurry up and retreat!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yin Shixiong was the first to run out and follow the fellow Special Ops soldiers providing back up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed Gu Nianzhi, and she quickly ran forward.

    Huo Shaoheng guarded their backs with his sniper rifle. When they escaped from the building, they noticed that the whole hospital was in chaos. Patients, doctors, and nurses were running everywhere, but no one knew what was happening. They all screamed, ¡°Help!¡± Some hid in the wards, and others hid in the woods or ran outside the hospital. The hospital guards were nowhere to be seen, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s group managed to meld into the crowd and sessfully leave the hospital. They got into the several Jeeps parked nearby and sped off toward the airport.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s procession of vehicles nearly passed by them on the road.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gu Yanran jerked her head back and stared at the several cars leaving, then at the thick smoke rising from the hospital. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we were a step toote. Go to the hospital to see what¡¯s going on¡ªyou and you,e to the airport with me! Right now! Immediately!¡±

    Gu Yanran decisively made a U-turn on the road, leading two other cars behind her. They turned and chased after the Jeeps that had just left.

    <h4>Comments (3)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 523: Duel (Part 4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Jeep sped its way along. A couple more Jeeps of the same model appeared around them when they were on the expressway, driving in different directions to distract their opponents.

    The one that had Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi turned into a smallne¡ªa shortcut to the airport.

    The people who were chasing after them were tricked. They chased the decoy Jeep for a long while, only realizing that they were duped when the Jeep plummeted over the edge of a cliff. The Jeep had no driver; it was controlled from afar. The ¡°driver¡± they¡¯d seen was a doll.

    Of course, upon falling off the cliff, the Jeep, along with the doll, sunk into the ocean. Their opponent did not even find out that the Jeep did not have a real driver.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been duped!¡±

    The men returned to the hospital, fuming.

    Over at Gu Yanran¡¯s end, after the car she was in spent some time chasing one of the decoys, she felt something fishy was going on andmanded her subordinate, ¡°Stop chasing. Go directly to the airport.¡±

    Her instincts told her that her father had been whisked away by Huo Shaoheng and his men. As for what route they used, she needed to wait for her subordinates to get to the hospital before she could find out.

    The Rolls-Royce Phantom that Gu Yanran was in was modified into a bulletproof vehicle. It had a huge body and was much longer than a normal sedan. It attracted a fair bit of attention when they were on the expressway.

    Upon seeing a car like that, everyone gave way to it. Therefore, Gu Yanran¡¯s journey to the airport was exceptionally smooth. The moment she arrived at the airport, her subordinates managed to reach the hospital. They were looking around frantically for the director and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s caretaker, as well as the administration people to understand the entire situation. However, the hospital was still a mess. Theirwork had just been restored, and they were still waiting for the police.

    They only had 600 people in the army and less than 100 policemen. It wouldn¡¯t have been enough even if they¡¯d asked all of them toe. The fire engine had already arrived and was putting out the fire. No one had the time to answer any of their questions.

    ...

    Gu Yanran headed to the control tower the moment she arrived at the airport. She was practically invincible in Barbados; she was also a VIP in the airport. Thus, she entered the control tower as if she owned the ce.

    The inspector of the control tower quickly went to her and bowed to greet her. The management of the control tower also came over to say hello one by one.

    Gu Yanran nodded to them in acknowledgment and said, ¡°I have something that I need. A favor from all of you.¡±

    ¡°Please let us know how we can help, Miss Gu. We¡¯ll help any way we can,¡± the inspector quickly said, hoping to get into Gu Yanran¡¯s good book. ¡°What can we do for you, please?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked down on the airport from the control tower. Lowering her voice, she said, ¡°I need you to halt all flights from leaving the airport and divert all flights entering Barbados. Give me time. I need to find someone. Someone extremely important to me.¡±

    ¡°What?! Stop all flights from taking off? Andnding, too?!¡± The inspector was shocked. ¡°Th¡ªth... This...¡± This request sounded rather unreasonable...

    Gu Yanran took a step forward and told the inspector hurriedly, ¡°My father has been taken away by some people. Most likely, they¡¯ll be boarding one of those flights. I cannot allow them to take my father away! Therefore, you have to stop all flights from taking off! I, Gu Yanran, will bear every loss and inconvenience caused by this!¡±

    With that, she stuffed a thick envelope into the hands of the inspector. His heart skipped a beat. What a thick pile of cash... It was US dors! He could tell from touching the material.

    ¡°This... All right, let me try.¡± The inspector nodded. ¡°I hope it won¡¯t cause too much chaos. However, Miss Gu¡¯s father being held hostage ought to qualify as a serious incident. It is almost equivalent to our airport being under a terrorist attack. Therefore, Imand that all flights be dyed! All flights entering Barbados will be diverted to Cuba instead for holding and will wait for further notice.¡±

    The inspector¡¯s instructions were sent to all operators in the control tower. Albeit shocked, they epted that it was serious, as it concerned the Gus.

    Gu Yanran stood in front of the French windows of the control tower with her arms folded, and looked at the endless blue sky in front of her, feeling extremely anxious. She was even trembling slightly.

    Just as Gu Yanran¡¯s subordinates were looking through the CCTV one by one for traces of Huo Shaoheng, a roaring sound was heard from the airport runway. A passenger airne was taxiing on the runway, preparing to take off.

    Gu Yanran looked at the scene wide-eyed. She put down her arms and asked the inspector coldly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to halt every flight for takeoff? What¡¯s with that one?!¡±

    Shocked as well, the inspector checked the flight¡¯s information immediately. ¡°Miss Gu,¡± he said. ¡°This is the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s airne. They have a special pass to... to... take off.¡±

    What he meant was that nes from the Hua Xia Empire were outside of his control.

    Gu Yanran raged. Clenching her fists, her phoenix eyes opened wide, ring at the inspector. ¡°What did you say?! We¡¯re on the grounds of Barbados! Not the Hua Xia Empire! Can¡¯t you have some guts?!¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, this has nothing to do with guts. It¡¯s got to do with power. We have no power. Mymand will only reach as far as the nes under our control. Those that aren¡¯t, there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±

    Even though the inspector had epted Gu Yanran¡¯s money, there were simply things he couldn¡¯t do. He couldn¡¯t interfere with things outside of his control even if he wanted to.

    Gu Yanran sighed and did her utmost best to control her temper. Looking out the window, she thought of a solution within seconds.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± she said. ¡°Pull the indicator for a typhoon. ording to the rules, all takeoffs have to be dyed if there are indications of typhoons.¡±

    There were indeed dark clouds forming outside. However, it would be a little farfetched to say that a typhoon wasing. A heavy thunderstorm sounded believable, though. But whether it would be a typhoon or a thunderstorm, it would be within the control of the control tower. Even if a thunderstorm did urter, that would be considered a mistake of the weather forecast, not the control tower trying to dy the takeoff of a Hua Xia Empire airne.

    ¡°Sure, sure, sure!¡± The inspector was pleasantly surprised and epted Gu Yanran¡¯s idea.

    He pulled on the orange warning indicator immediately and announced the warning for a typhoon. All flights, including those with special takeoff passes, were to be dyed.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were in the First ss cabin with Gu Xiangwen.

    To be frank, almost half of the people on this flight were people from the Special Forces. This was because Huo Shaoheng had utilized almost all the elites based in South America from their Special Forces, which meant that these people had been exposed. They wouldn¡¯t be able to remain here any longer and had to return to the Hua Xia Empire. Therefore, this flight was almost filled with people from the Special Forces.

    Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, Chen Lie, and Ye Zitan were also in the First ss cabin. Chen Lie and Ye Zitan were taking care of Gu Xiangwen and Zhao Liangze. Zhao Liangze¡¯s condition was remarkable. He had recovered fairly quickly and was experiencing noplications.

    Gu Xiangwen was a different story, though. He was in a vegetative state. His exit from the hospital had been hindered by the snipers. The stretcher that Chen Lie had painstakingly prepared had not been used, and his medications had been halted for a while. Therefore, his condition had deteriorated.

    While checking for his vital signs, Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°Barbados¡¯s medical industry is so backward. They couldn¡¯t even keep up with his basic nutrition. Even if he wasn¡¯t a human in a vegetative state but a real nt, he would have been almost dead.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained seated at a seat by the window silently and looked out of the windows, fully alert.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seat was actually beside Huo Shaoheng, but she did not sit in her seat. She was helping Chen Lie and Ye Zitan look after Gu Xiangwen and Zhao Liangze.

    The engines of the airne were roaring. It was already taxiing and was about to enter the runway for takeoff. However, after a short while, the engine stopped.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up wordlessly and strode toward the cockpit.

    ¡°What happened? Why are we stopping?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked with a low voice. ¡°We have a special pass to take off. You can ignore them.¡±

    When the control towermanded all flights to dy takeoff, Huo Shaoheng already knew that someone wasing, but he did not mind, as their flight was one from Hua Xia airlines with a special takeoff permit.

    But why had they stopped?

    ¡°Sir, Barbados has pulled the orange warning for a typhoon,¡± the pilot quickly exined. ¡°Look here...¡±

    ¡°Typhoon?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned and looked at the skies in from the window of the cockpit. They were indeed filled with dark clouds.

    However, the problem was that Barbados was a tropical country. Thunderstorms and typhoons were frequent urrences. Should he insist on a takeoff and leave Barbados, or wait for a while and see if it was really a typhoon?

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the First ss cabin. Before he could decide, Gu Yanran had already arrived in front of the ne with her people.

    ¡°I want to see Mr. Huo,¡± Gu Yanran told the pilot using amunication system that had been allowed ess to the cockpit. ¡°I am Gu Yanran. Please get Mr. Huo toe down and speak to me.¡±

    The pilot remained silent for a while before replying, ¡°Mr. Huo? May I know which Mr. Huo, please? There are many passengers on the flight. It won¡¯t be easy to look if you just mention ¡®Mr. Huo.¡¯¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d advise you against ying around with words with me,¡± Gu Yanran stated clearly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say his name because I did not want to blow this matter up, since Mr. Huo took my father away illegally. If I were to state his full name, the one to lose face would be the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    The pilot listened to Gu Yanran¡¯s threats with a straight face and understood that she knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true position in the country. Moreover, they indeed had a human in a vegetative state from Barbados onboard...

    Putting down the system, the pilot went to the First ss cabin personally to look for Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s ady outside with the surname Gu who specifically requested to see you. She says that you took her father away ¡®illegally...¡¯¡±

    Of course, the pilot did not believe that Huo Shaoheng had taken the man away illegally. He was merely rying to Huo Shaoheng what Gu Yanran had said.

    ¡°Illegally?¡± Gu Nianzhi heard this and stood up. ¡°Just based on her words? Is this thew of Barbados? Such self-entitlement...! Huo Shao, let me go and see her instead.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up as well and said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    Since they weren¡¯t able to leave, they decided to talk it out.

 Chapter 523 - Duel (Part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 523: Duel (Part 4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Jeep sped its way along. A couple more Jeeps of the same model appeared around them when they were on the expressway, driving in different directions to distract their opponents.

    The one that had Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi turned into a smallne¡ªa shortcut to the airport.

    The people who were chasing after them were tricked. They chased the decoy Jeep for a long while, only realizing that they were duped when the Jeep plummeted over the edge of a cliff. The Jeep had no driver; it was controlled from afar. The ¡°driver¡± they¡¯d seen was a doll.

    Of course, upon falling off the cliff, the Jeep, along with the doll, sunk into the ocean. Their opponent did not even find out that the Jeep did not have a real driver.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been duped!¡±

    The men returned to the hospital, fuming.

    Over at Gu Yanran¡¯s end, after the car she was in spent some time chasing one of the decoys, she felt something fishy was going on andmanded her subordinate, ¡°Stop chasing. Go directly to the airport.¡±

    Her instincts told her that her father had been whisked away by Huo Shaoheng and his men. As for what route they used, she needed to wait for her subordinates to get to the hospital before she could find out.

    The Rolls-Royce Phantom that Gu Yanran was in was modified into a bulletproof vehicle. It had a huge body and was much longer than a normal sedan. It attracted a fair bit of attention when they were on the expressway.

    Upon seeing a car like that, everyone gave way to it. Therefore, Gu Yanran¡¯s journey to the airport was exceptionally smooth. The moment she arrived at the airport, her subordinates managed to reach the hospital. They were looking around frantically for the director and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s caretaker, as well as the administration people to understand the entire situation. However, the hospital was still a mess. Theirwork had just been restored, and they were still waiting for the police.

    They only had 600 people in the army and less than 100 policemen. It wouldn¡¯t have been enough even if they¡¯d asked all of them toe. The fire engine had already arrived and was putting out the fire. No one had the time to answer any of their questions.

    ...

    Gu Yanran headed to the control tower the moment she arrived at the airport. She was practically invincible in Barbados; she was also a VIP in the airport. Thus, she entered the control tower as if she owned the ce.

    The inspector of the control tower quickly went to her and bowed to greet her. The management of the control tower also came over to say hello one by one.

    Gu Yanran nodded to them in acknowledgment and said, ¡°I have something that I need. A favor from all of you.¡±

    ¡°Please let us know how we can help, Miss Gu. We¡¯ll help any way we can,¡± the inspector quickly said, hoping to get into Gu Yanran¡¯s good book. ¡°What can we do for you, please?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked down on the airport from the control tower. Lowering her voice, she said, ¡°I need you to halt all flights from leaving the airport and divert all flights entering Barbados. Give me time. I need to find someone. Someone extremely important to me.¡±

    ¡°What?! Stop all flights from taking off? Andnding, too?!¡± The inspector was shocked. ¡°Th¡ªth... This...¡± This request sounded rather unreasonable...

    Gu Yanran took a step forward and told the inspector hurriedly, ¡°My father has been taken away by some people. Most likely, they¡¯ll be boarding one of those flights. I cannot allow them to take my father away! Therefore, you have to stop all flights from taking off! I, Gu Yanran, will bear every loss and inconvenience caused by this!¡±

    With that, she stuffed a thick envelope into the hands of the inspector. His heart skipped a beat. What a thick pile of cash... It was US dors! He could tell from touching the material.

    ¡°This... All right, let me try.¡± The inspector nodded. ¡°I hope it won¡¯t cause too much chaos. However, Miss Gu¡¯s father being held hostage ought to qualify as a serious incident. It is almost equivalent to our airport being under a terrorist attack. Therefore, Imand that all flights be dyed! All flights entering Barbados will be diverted to Cuba instead for holding and will wait for further notice.¡±

    The inspector¡¯s instructions were sent to all operators in the control tower. Albeit shocked, they epted that it was serious, as it concerned the Gus.

    Gu Yanran stood in front of the French windows of the control tower with her arms folded, and looked at the endless blue sky in front of her, feeling extremely anxious. She was even trembling slightly.

    Just as Gu Yanran¡¯s subordinates were looking through the CCTV one by one for traces of Huo Shaoheng, a roaring sound was heard from the airport runway. A passenger airne was taxiing on the runway, preparing to take off.

    Gu Yanran looked at the scene wide-eyed. She put down her arms and asked the inspector coldly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to halt every flight for takeoff? What¡¯s with that one?!¡±

    Shocked as well, the inspector checked the flight¡¯s information immediately. ¡°Miss Gu,¡± he said. ¡°This is the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s airne. They have a special pass to... to... take off.¡±

    What he meant was that nes from the Hua Xia Empire were outside of his control.

    Gu Yanran raged. Clenching her fists, her phoenix eyes opened wide, ring at the inspector. ¡°What did you say?! We¡¯re on the grounds of Barbados! Not the Hua Xia Empire! Can¡¯t you have some guts?!¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, this has nothing to do with guts. It¡¯s got to do with power. We have no power. Mymand will only reach as far as the nes under our control. Those that aren¡¯t, there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±

    Even though the inspector had epted Gu Yanran¡¯s money, there were simply things he couldn¡¯t do. He couldn¡¯t interfere with things outside of his control even if he wanted to.

    Gu Yanran sighed and did her utmost best to control her temper. Looking out the window, she thought of a solution within seconds.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± she said. ¡°Pull the indicator for a typhoon. ording to the rules, all takeoffs have to be dyed if there are indications of typhoons.¡±

    There were indeed dark clouds forming outside. However, it would be a little farfetched to say that a typhoon wasing. A heavy thunderstorm sounded believable, though. But whether it would be a typhoon or a thunderstorm, it would be within the control of the control tower. Even if a thunderstorm did urter, that would be considered a mistake of the weather forecast, not the control tower trying to dy the takeoff of a Hua Xia Empire airne.

    ¡°Sure, sure, sure!¡± The inspector was pleasantly surprised and epted Gu Yanran¡¯s idea.

    He pulled on the orange warning indicator immediately and announced the warning for a typhoon. All flights, including those with special takeoff passes, were to be dyed.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were in the First ss cabin with Gu Xiangwen.

    To be frank, almost half of the people on this flight were people from the Special Forces. This was because Huo Shaoheng had utilized almost all the elites based in South America from their Special Forces, which meant that these people had been exposed. They wouldn¡¯t be able to remain here any longer and had to return to the Hua Xia Empire. Therefore, this flight was almost filled with people from the Special Forces.

    Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, Chen Lie, and Ye Zitan were also in the First ss cabin. Chen Lie and Ye Zitan were taking care of Gu Xiangwen and Zhao Liangze. Zhao Liangze¡¯s condition was remarkable. He had recovered fairly quickly and was experiencing noplications.

    Gu Xiangwen was a different story, though. He was in a vegetative state. His exit from the hospital had been hindered by the snipers. The stretcher that Chen Lie had painstakingly prepared had not been used, and his medications had been halted for a while. Therefore, his condition had deteriorated.

    While checking for his vital signs, Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°Barbados¡¯s medical industry is so backward. They couldn¡¯t even keep up with his basic nutrition. Even if he wasn¡¯t a human in a vegetative state but a real nt, he would have been almost dead.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained seated at a seat by the window silently and looked out of the windows, fully alert.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seat was actually beside Huo Shaoheng, but she did not sit in her seat. She was helping Chen Lie and Ye Zitan look after Gu Xiangwen and Zhao Liangze.

    The engines of the airne were roaring. It was already taxiing and was about to enter the runway for takeoff. However, after a short while, the engine stopped.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up wordlessly and strode toward the cockpit.

    ¡°What happened? Why are we stopping?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked with a low voice. ¡°We have a special pass to take off. You can ignore them.¡±

    When the control towermanded all flights to dy takeoff, Huo Shaoheng already knew that someone wasing, but he did not mind, as their flight was one from Hua Xia airlines with a special takeoff permit.

    But why had they stopped?

    ¡°Sir, Barbados has pulled the orange warning for a typhoon,¡± the pilot quickly exined. ¡°Look here...¡±

    ¡°Typhoon?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned and looked at the skies in from the window of the cockpit. They were indeed filled with dark clouds.

    However, the problem was that Barbados was a tropical country. Thunderstorms and typhoons were frequent urrences. Should he insist on a takeoff and leave Barbados, or wait for a while and see if it was really a typhoon?

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the First ss cabin. Before he could decide, Gu Yanran had already arrived in front of the ne with her people.

    ¡°I want to see Mr. Huo,¡± Gu Yanran told the pilot using amunication system that had been allowed ess to the cockpit. ¡°I am Gu Yanran. Please get Mr. Huo toe down and speak to me.¡±

    The pilot remained silent for a while before replying, ¡°Mr. Huo? May I know which Mr. Huo, please? There are many passengers on the flight. It won¡¯t be easy to look if you just mention ¡®Mr. Huo.¡¯¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d advise you against ying around with words with me,¡± Gu Yanran stated clearly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say his name because I did not want to blow this matter up, since Mr. Huo took my father away illegally. If I were to state his full name, the one to lose face would be the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    The pilot listened to Gu Yanran¡¯s threats with a straight face and understood that she knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true position in the country. Moreover, they indeed had a human in a vegetative state from Barbados onboard...

    Putting down the system, the pilot went to the First ss cabin personally to look for Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s ady outside with the surname Gu who specifically requested to see you. She says that you took her father away ¡®illegally...¡¯¡±

    Of course, the pilot did not believe that Huo Shaoheng had taken the man away illegally. He was merely rying to Huo Shaoheng what Gu Yanran had said.

    ¡°Illegally?¡± Gu Nianzhi heard this and stood up. ¡°Just based on her words? Is this thew of Barbados? Such self-entitlement...! Huo Shao, let me go and see her instead.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up as well and said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    Since they weren¡¯t able to leave, they decided to talk it out.

 Chapter 524 - Duel (Part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 524: Duel (Part 5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The door to the Huaxia Airlinesmercial cabin slowly opened, and a tall man with an impressive aura walked out. He looked up once. His impably handsome face was like a ray of light piercing gloomy skies. The people under the ne couldn¡¯t help averting their eyes, not daring to look at the strapping man standing at the cabin door. The maning out of the ne was Huo Shaoheng, and Gu Nianzhi also followed out behind him. She stood next to Huo Shaoheng and nced down.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes were pitch ck, but instead of looking at Huo Shaoheng, her gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi behind him. Their eyes met through the space as they silently regarded each other. Huo Shaoheng led Gu Nianzhi down the temporary ramp on the airne to stand not too far in front of Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Miss Gu, may I ask what you wanted to see us for?¡± Gu Nianzhi was the first to speak, her sweet smile,rge, blinking eyes, and long eyshes seemed to cast a spell of allure like fluttering butterfly wings.

    But Gu Yanran was unimpressed and shifted her gaze from Gu Nianzhi back to Huo Shaoheng. She said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Huo, may I ask, what¡¯s the meaning of you illegally removing my father from the hospital?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back without replying. He only raised his chin slightly, his gaze cast toward the empty space in the distance without looking at Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Illegal?¡± Gu Nianzhi was the one to speak again. ¡°Miss Gu, what evidence do you have to prove that our actions were illegal?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re admitting to taking my father away?¡± Gu Yanran naturallytched onto the loophole in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and instantlyunched a counterattack. ¡°How can this not be illegal?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, first of all, we took Mr. Gu at your request, and secondly, we alsopleted the legal discharge procedure in ordance with the hospital rules. How can you simply use us of breaking thew?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms, her face arranged into a half smile.

    Pupils constricting suddenly, Gu Yanran¡¯s long and narrow eyes squinted as she rebutted, ¡°Right. I had asked Mr. Huo to escort my father to your nation, but not right now. We never decided on a time. Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Huo? Secondly, how did youplete the legal procedure to discharge my father from the hospital without my presence? The hospital is up in mes right now and a living hell. Isn¡¯t that the most irond evidence that you forcibly took my father away?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, then coughed nomittally. His gaze rested on Gu Nianzhi in permission for her to continue. Gu Nianzhi spoke even more fluently with his encouragement.

    ¡°Firstly,¡± she said, ¡°you im that the time was not set, but to me, it was already set. Since we have differing opinions on this point, we can set it aside for now. Secondly, we certainlypleted the legal procedures in ordance with the hospital¡¯s regtions. You can inquire with the hospital if you have any doubts.¡±

    ¡°ording to hospital regtions, the presence of immediate family is required to discharge my father,¡± Gu Yanran crossed her arms with a smile, her gentle gaze resting on Gu Nianzhi. Confident in her victory, she no longer acted as aggressively as earlier. ¡°I¡¯m my father¡¯s only immediate rtive in this world, and I certainly wasn¡¯t present to discharge him. So how can you im that youpleted the legal procedures? Gu Nianzhi, I suggest you stop being recalcitrant and twisting words with skewed logic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being recalcitrant and twisting words with skewed logic?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed softly, the sound as crisp as silver bells.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and prepared to speak just as Gu Yanran¡¯s ringtone suddenly sounded. She picked it up to see it was the subordinate she had sent to the hospital. He had also texted her to ask her to pick up the phone no matter what because he had important news to report. Gu Yanran hesitated for a second before saying to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Excuse me, I need to take a call.¡± She clutched the phone and walked aside but still faced Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. Setting the phone to her ear, she replied, ¡°Speaking.¡±

    The person instantly said over the phone, ¡°The director of the hospital said that they found your younger sister, so it was her who personally came to discharge the senior Mr. Gu from the hospital!¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?!¡± Gu Yanran was instantly furious, the veins on her neck popping as she lowered her voice. She spat her words out. ¡°What do you mean my sister?! How can they believe such a ridiculous lie?! Ourpany has pumped so much money into their hospital every year, yet we¡¯ve only been funding a bunch of idiots!¡± Gu Yanran was so angry she nearly passed out while holding the phone.

    But the person on the phone was still determined to exin the day¡¯s events. ¡°...They brought government-issued identification to prove that Miss Gu is actually your sister and also senior Mr. Gu¡¯s immediate rtive. She requested for senior Mr. Gu to be discharged, and, ording to regtions, the hospital mustply.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s hands quivered. ¡°What?! Miss Gu? You mean... Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    She cast a suspicious look at Gu Nianzhi standing beside Huo Shaoheng. Garbed in a camo hunting outfit, she appeared much more mature than before, yet herrge eyes were still lucid and pure as a young girl¡¯s should be.

    Turning around, Gu Yanran had her back to her the pair and gradually calmed down while still holding the phone. She replied, ¡°What proof did they have? Do you know?¡±

    The person immediately replied, ¡°I scanned the document on file. Does Miss Gu wish to see it?¡±

    ¡°Send it to me.¡± Gu Yanran ended the call and turned around to stare at Gu Nianzhi, her pitch-ck irises like a bottomless abyss.

    Gu Nianzhi only heard snippets of Gu Yanran¡¯s conversation and understood that the call was from the hospital. If Gu Yanran had already established contact with the hospital, then they could no longer conceal what had happened there. Gu Nianzhi also didn¡¯t want to conceal it anymore. She looked at Gu Yanran and cocked her head slightly with her palms spread.

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t have much memory of you, it¡¯s a coincidence that I happen to be the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family,¡± said Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Xiangwen is my father, so I can legally discharge him from the hospital¡ªare you shocked?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Gu Yanran blurted out, then looked Gu Nianzhi up and down. Her gaze was cautious yet uncertain. ¡°You don¡¯t look anything like my sister when she was younger...¡±

    ¡°If you could rely solely on your eyes, then what would DNA tests be needed for?¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted, then took out the prepared photocopies of two pieces of her identification. ¡°Here, you see? This evidence proves that I¡¯m the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family and that I¡¯m Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. What other doubts do you have?¡±

    Gu Yanran stared pointedly at the younger girl in disbelief as she epted the photocopies of the identification. Included were also signatures of the dentist and physician, proving that the Gu Nianzhi standing before her was the same sister who had disappeared seven years ago on the Caribbean Sea. Gu Yanran quickly nced over the evidence and the proof, her legs shakily retreating several steps. Looking up, she stared nkly at Gu Nianzhi with a conflicted expression, unable to convey what she felt.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly looked at her for a while before replying calmly, ¡°So, Mis Gu, we didn¡¯t take my father illegally. It¡¯s perfectly normal for a daughter to discharge her father from the hospital.¡±

    ¡°A daughter discharge her father from the hospital?¡± Gu Yanran repeatedly whispered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, her expression bing stiff. She still continued to look at her pointedly, and if one looks could materialize into the physical, Gu Nianzhi would have had tworge holes burned into her face from the intense stare.

    ¡°Right. A daughter is an immediate rtive, and, ording to hospital regtions, I can discharge him.¡± Gu Nianzhi was still unustomed to calling Gu Xiangwen ¡°Dad¡± or ¡°Father,¡± so she merely addressed him with an obscure ¡°him.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s body continued to shake as she stared in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. A hint of fear shed in her eyes but quietly disappeared in the increasingly gloomy sky. Thunder boomed from above. A rapidly moving thunderstorm was imminent.

    ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s about to rain,¡± said Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If you still can¡¯t ept the reality that I¡¯m the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family, then you can go back to properly digest it. Don¡¯t stand here in the rain. Ok. We have to board the ne and prepare to depart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded at Gu Yanran and turned back to follow Huo Shaoheng into the ne.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent the whole time, standing to the side like a spectator, yet he had watched the entire event unfold.

    Gu Yanran looked down to read the evidence and proof again, her entire body trembling slightly. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes, and her expression was sorrowful yet joyous. Could she really be Nianzhi?! Could her sister have really returned?!

 Chapter 525 - Duel (Part 6)

    <h4>Chapter 525: Duel (Part 6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Nian... Nianzhi... You¡¯re really my sister, Nianzhi?! But you don¡¯t look like how you did when you were young...¡± Gu Yanran took a step forward to be closer to Gu Nianzhi and slowly held out her arm, wanting to caress Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively tilted her head and took a step back; she did not want to be touched by Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s hand froze in midair for a moment before she put it down. Her eyes were already brimming with tears.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Are you really Nianzhi?¡± Gu Yanran asked again, shock written all over her face. Only after a while did she close her eyes, as if she were trying to rpose herself and bring herself back to reality.

    The look of shock slowly disappeared, and a look of disbelief took over. She opened her eyes and looked at Gu Nianzhi closely, as if she had never met her before and wanted to remember every detail of her by heart. She looked agitated again¡ªlike she had just been reunited with long-lost kin but did not dare to believe it to be so. In just a couple of minutes, Gu Yanran felt like she had just gone through an emotional roller coaster ride.

    Sensing Gu Yanran¡¯s emotions, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression softened along with her tone. ¡°The evidence already proved that I am Gu Nianzhi from the Gus. As for my looks, no one would be able to guarantee that they¡¯d look the same or simr to when they were younger, would they? So if Madam Gu was to use this as an excuse to deny the fact that I am the Gu Nianzhi from the Gus, it¡¯d be unreasonable, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. I did not mean to deny. I¡¯m just shocked. Too happy...¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s tears fell from her face. She looked at Gu Nianzhi with a mixture of emotions. ¡°Nianzhi, where have you been all these years? What happened during the time when you disappeared? How did you...?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was standing beside her. ording to what she knew, Nianzhi had grown up under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s care. But how had Huo Shaoheng, a soldier from Hua Xia Empire, found Gu Nianzhi?

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°We will arrange another time for that. For now, if Miss Gu allows, we are going to take off.¡±

    Depression shed in Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes for a second. She allowed her gaze to move between Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi for a moment before letting out a long sigh. ¡°Mr. Huo, even if Nianzhi is really my sister, it¡¯s not nice of you to do this. Nianzhi is my sister, but the person whom you took away is my father. Did you even think of how I¡¯d feel as a daughter?¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled. He put a hand into his trouser pocket casually, held Gu Yanran¡¯s arm with the other hand, and smiled serenely, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have had to resort to this if Miss Gu had agreed to the date sooner. All right. Since Miss Gu has acknowledged Nianzhi¡¯s identity, then we¡¯ve cleared the air for now. Can we leave already?¡±

    Gu Yanran held on to her handbag, which was always by her side, until her knuckles turned white. Would it even work if she were to say ¡°no¡± now?

    Even if she was all-powerful in Barbados, she was nothing to the people from the Hua Xia Empire. Heck, even the governor was a nobody in their eyes, much less Gu Yanran. They shouldn¡¯t have hidden themselves in this lousy country...

    Gu Yanran suppressed her regret and distress. She nodded. ¡°Sure. Since Mr. Huo insists and we already had an agreement beforehand, you can bring my father away first. However, whether or not Nianzhi is really my little sister, please allow me to get it checked on my end. No matter what, our family business is rather big; we can¡¯t allow people to simply proim themselves as members of our family without proof.¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi had never thought that she would really return to the Gus to be their little daughter. When she got her identity verified, all she wanted was to be able to bring Gu Xiangwen back to Hua Xia Empire as legally as possible.

    Raising her eyebrows, she smiled at Gu Yanran. ¡°Take all the time you want, Madame Gu. No matter what, in your eyes, the Gus¡¯ family business is rather big and is more important than your father. Therefore, you allow us to bring your father away. But to enter the Gus, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy for me¡ªare you trying to imply this?¡±

    Gu Yanran was startled but quickly smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Nianzhi. I just want to verify again and will be in the Hua Xia Empire to look for you in no time. There¡¯s only the two of us in the Gu family now. We should be taking care of each other. Please take care of Father¡ªI¡¯ll go over to the Hua Xia Empire the moment I¡¯m done with things here.¡±

    Gu Yanran had taken a step back and actually allowed Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng to take Gu Xiangwen away.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t expected that this would be resolved so easily. He looked deeply at Gu Yanran and bowed. ¡°We thank you for your understanding, Miss Gu. We¡¯ll see you in the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve taken my father away. I¡¯ll definitely look for you guys.¡± Gu Yanran had calmed down already, and she took out a small handkerchief to wipe her tears. Smiling with tears in her eyes, she said, ¡°Please leave a form of contact, Mr. Huo. I wouldn¡¯t want to have to go online to look for ways to contact you when I¡¯m there!¡±

    Gu Yanran was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. They had to leave their contact details with her. Huo Shaoheng did not protest. He called Yin Shixiong over.

    ¡°Give Miss Gu our point of contact,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll make a move first.¡±

    Holding Gu Nianzhi by the waist with one arm, Huo Shaoheng nodded to Gu Yanran and guided Gu Nianzhi up the temporary stairs that were fixed from the cabin door of the airne.

    Gu Yanran looked at Yin Shixiong and smiled. ¡°How long did you guys n this?¡±

    ¡°...They were all coincidences, coincidences. What n are you talking about?¡±

    Of course, Yin Shixiong denied it. He knew how to talk very well.

    He gave Gu Yanran the number of the Special Forces administrative department. ¡°Just call this number and look for me.¡±

    Gu Yanran epted the business card that Yin Shixiong handed her and shed him a smile. ¡°I definitely will. My father is with you guys. Please take good care of him and don¡¯t bezy on that! I¡¯ll check, ok?¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Yin Shixiong returned the smile and remembered Chen Lie saying that Gu Xiangwen was ¡°barely hanging in there.¡± He couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Then I think you should quickly check with the hospital here. They¡¯ve made your father so weak that he¡¯s barely hanging in there.¡±

    ¡°What?! How could that be?!¡± Gu Yanran was so taken aback that her expression changed drastically. ¡°That hospital could operate only because I have been supporting them all these years! How would they dare to¡ª?¡±

    ¡°That, I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Yin Shixiong replied as he handed a set of health checkup documents to Gu Yanran. ¡°This is the report from our doctor after he was done with a check on your father. It was done just now. Look at the vital signs, and you¡¯ll know how that hospital ¡®takes care¡¯ of your father.¡±

    Gu Yanran took the document suspiciously and skimmed through it. Her expression darkened as she read through the document, and she was so angry that she almost tore up the papers.

    ¡°How dare they?!¡± she said. Bowing to Yin Shixiong, she added, ¡°Please take good care of my father. Please.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was taken aback. He had not expected Gu Yanran, who carried such power and anger, to back off so easily.

    ¡°I need to get Miss Gu¡¯s identity verified now, and I¡¯ll also have to check with the hospital regarding my father. If that was really how they treated him, I¡¯ll kill them!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face was red with anger, her hands still trembling. It was clear that she was still shocked by the news. Her little sister, who had disappeared for seven years, had reappeared all of a sudden and had already grown into a youngdy. She must¡¯ve been overwhelmed with emotions, wasn¡¯t she?

    Gu Yanran turned and led her people to leave the ce.

    Yin Shixiong looked at Gu Yanran, who was protected in the middle by her subordinates as she left, and changed his opinion about her.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng returned to the airne and hadn¡¯t yet recovered from what had just happened either.

    ¡°...She really just let us off like that?¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled and rested her head on her seat. Looking at the scenery outside, she allowed herself to get lost in it.

    Huo Shaoheng sat beside her and turned to look at her. ¡°Stop harping on it. It would have ended the same way even if she hadn¡¯t agreed to it. To be honest, I felt that she was just being realistic.¡±

    People who were realistic would be the ones who stood to gain, eventually. She had realized that it wouldn¡¯t work if she were to go head-on with them. Would she, alone, be able to stand against the entire Hua Xia Empire?

    ¡°I think that your older sister is just a realist,¡± he said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t beat about the bush. The moment she learned that she was fighting a losing battle, she changed her ns. She really is a good businesswoman.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a magazine from the first ss cabin and began flipping through it. He had other opinions about Gu Yanran.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned onto the handle of her seat ruefully. ¡°...Calling her my ¡®older sister¡¯ already? I haven¡¯t even managed to bring myself to...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flipped a page mindlessly and said steadily, ¡°Whether you admit it or not, legally, she is your older sister, so I guess you¡¯d better get your mindset adjusted soon.¡±

    It was logical, but she felt ufortable when the words came from Huo Shaoheng himself.

    She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, pouted, and said, ¡°Which side are you on, exactly? He¡¯s my father as well, you know...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to nce at her and wrung her little nose with his finger. ¡°Do you still not know whose side I¡¯m on? Big Xiong was right. You¡¯re a Little Miss Heartless.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, really wanted to slide himself under the chair at this moment.

    Do I really still have to be involved even when I¡¯m just eavesdropping?

    He felt a sense a grievance wash over him.

    This made Gu Nianzhi smile. She moved closer to Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°...Then how would you like to punish me, Huo Shao?¡±

    Spoken in her clear, sweet voice, it gave the sentence a tinge of seductiveness.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. However, he looked as calm as ever and continue to flip through the magazine. ¡°Punish you? I¡¯ll decide when we get back. We shall put that on record for now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to retort when the announcement for takeoff came from the pilot of the flight, requesting that the passengers put on their seatbelts. She immediately put on her seatbelt and prepared for takeoff, not bickering with Huo Shaoheng anymore.

    After taking off, the airne flew into the clouds in seconds. It took the shortest route toward the Hua Xia Empire.

    The flight took more than 10 hours, flying over half the globe before finally arriving in the airport of the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s capital. The moment the flightnded, an ambnce and an SUV from the Special Forces, which Huo Shaoheng had arranged, were already on standby at the door of the flight.

    They did not have to go through customs upon arrival. Instead, they boarded the SUVs from the Special Forces and left the airport, heading toward the Special Forces¡¯ headquarters directly.

    General Ji, Senior Speaker Long, and Minister Bai, who had since taken over Prime Minister Dou¡¯s duties, were already waiting for them at the headquarters.

    ¡°This is Gu Xiangwen?¡± General Ji stepped forward excitedly and looked at the malnourished man in a vegetative state on the stretcher.

 Chapter 526 - Swift and Ruthless

    <h4>Chapter 526: Swift and Ruthless</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Speaker Long and Deputy Minister Bai followed behind, nking General Ji. They curiously surveyed Gu Xiangwen lying on the stretcher.

    ¡°Yes, he hasn¡¯t awakened, so he must be immediately transported to the ward for emergency treatment.¡± Chen Li did not leave the stretcher¡¯s side at all and nodded to General Ji, Speaker Long, and Deputy Minister Bai before quickly ordering someone to push Gu Xiangwen away. Huo Shaoheng stayed behind to report to the three chiefs about the Barbados trip.

    ¡°In other words, someone in Barbados wanted Gu Xiangwen dead?¡± Speaker Long furrowed his brow. ¡°What happened, exactly? Did your men figure it out?¡±

    ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t enough time, and our mission was to escort Gu Xiangwen back, so it didn¡¯t do to cause more trouble.¡± Huo Shaoheng proudly sat in front of the three Imperial leaders. ¡°Also, I will report about the situation in Barbados.¡±

    General Ji nodded, his hands folded on the conference table. Wearing reading sses, he peered up from the lenses at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Tell us, what happened when you nearly ran into danger in Barbados?¡±

    The call he¡¯d gotten in the middle of the night asking for an emergency request to borrow a helicopter from Cuba had been shocking enough to the older man. Huo Shaoheng was the protege he had painstakingly trained, so there was no way he would allow him to suddenly perish in a tiny ce like Barbados.

    ¡°That incident had a lot to do with Gu Xiangwen.¡± Huo Shaoheng began exining the electric fence in the blue hole¡¯s waters near the Gu¡¯s ind. ¡°...The Huaxia Empire and the United States are considered the most advanced countries when ites to electric fence research, but neither of uspares to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s technology. In other words, there is noparison.¡±

    ¡°How far off are we?¡± Deputy Minister Bai asked gravely. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be self-deprecating.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of self-deprecation. Let¡¯s just say that the electric fences we are developing represent the peak technology in cold weaponry, while Gu Xiangwen¡¯s electric fence is considered nuclear weapon technology in hot weaponry. That¡¯s the difference.¡±

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng finished speaking, the entire conference room was plunged into silence.

    After a long moment, Speaker Long asked raspily, ¡°Are you certain? There was no exaggeration?¡±

    ¡°The electric fence is still on the blue hole¡¯s waters. You may go experiment on it yourselves if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t continue exining because the power of weapons could only be personally witnessed by individuals. Someone who had never seen it could not be convinced by using words or their imagination. General Ji and Speaker Long shared a nce but didn¡¯t continue questioning it.

    Deputy Minister Bai rapped the conference desk and replied, ¡°We should send personnel over to take a look. Since it¡¯s that groundbreaking, that¡¯s all the more reason we cannot give up on Barbados.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued without agreeing or disagreeing. ¡°Gu Yanran finally agreed to let us escort Gu Xiangwen back to the Huaxia Empire while she verifies Gu Nianzhi¡¯s history in Barbados. The Barbados government has provided proof of identification, but Gu Yanran wishes to investigate it herself, as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. It¡¯s normal that she¡¯s being cautious about such an important thing.¡± Deputy Minister Bai said softly, ¡°But has Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity been confirmed?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s the youngest daughter of Gu Xiangwen, and we already obtained medical and dental records from Barbados for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s youngest daughter, Gu Nianzhi. We also performed a DNA test against the blood sample she left with her family physician in Barbados to prove that the DNA matches. We¡¯ve proven that she¡¯s the youngest daughter of the Gu family from Barbados who went missing seven years ago.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out the government-issued proof of identification and passport signed by the Barbados government. ¡°Gu Nianzhi is now a citizen of Barbados, but given that she and her father have made great contributions to our Huaxia Empire, I rmend allowing her to gain Huaxia citizenship.¡±

    The Huaxia Empire was not a country for immigrants, so it was very difficult for foreigners to naturalize or gain citizenship. In the past several decades, the Huaxia Empire had epted fewer than 500 foreigners to be Huaxia citizens. Most of them were foreign talents who had made great contributions to the Huaxia Empire and were also of Chinese descent.

    ¡°You may put in a request regarding this, and we will consider it.¡± Deputy Minister Bai was now in charge of the cab, so granting citizenship to foreigners was within his jurisdiction.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the back of his seat with a smile as he looked at Deputy Minister Bai leisurely. ¡°How long will consideration take? I recall that if the conditions are met, such situations are eligible for special processing timelines.¡±

    Deputy Minister Bai shook his head. ¡°There are established procedures for these things. Shaoheng, I really can¡¯t give you a concrete timeline.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at General Ji, but the older man shook his head slightly back at him, so he decided to drop the subject.

    Once they were briefed on the situation, Speaker Long and Deputy Minister Bai left the Special Operations Forces base first. General Ji stayed behind. As the Special Ops were directly under themand of the military, General Ji had more jurisdiction and responsibility.

    ¡°General Ji, please urge them regarding Nianzhi¡¯s situation.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and General Ji walked to the medical building of the Special Operations Forces base together. It was almost summertime, so the path to the medical building waspletely shaded by foliage. The trees along the path were heavy with emerald leaves. Small flowers of unknown species scented the air with sweetness, and little birds sang refreshing melodies from time to time to break the serene silence of the base.

    General Ji teased Huo Shaoheng with a chuckle. ¡°Director Bai didn¡¯t refuse your request. What are you so anxious about?¡±

    ¡°We risked our lives to bring Gu Xiangwen back. You can¡¯t allow those government officials to dy precious time.¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped and noted suggestively, ¡°Gu Yanran is not someone who will let things go easily. She is still verifying Nianzhi¡¯s identity, and once it¡¯s confirmed, she will certainlye to the Huaxia Empire to stake her im.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that she¡¯ll ask for Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi to return to her family?¡± General Ji understood what Huo Shaoheng was implying and immediately replied, ¡°That¡¯s very serious. I¡¯ll discuss this with Old Long right away. As for the citizenship, the Senate has special privileges. If the Senate approves, then Old Bai¡¯s cab can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng needed this to be a quick battle. Confirming Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity had been dragged out for too long, and if he didn¡¯t nip the problem in the bud now, countless troubles would being their way in the future.

    General Ji left the Special Ops base for Speaker Long at the Senate, then had a private discussion spanning nearly two hours.

    By evening, when the cab was about to finish for the day, they received a phone call from the Senate informing them that they had just held a special vote to ept two foreigners¡¯ requests for citizenship. The cab¡¯s respective departments were to immediately process the request without dy. The department overseeing the granting citizenship within the cab waspletely shocked. They had never encountered such a situation before, and although the Senate had the ultimate power, they had never exercised it before. This was the very first time, and the exception was made for Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi. Gu Xiangwen was far too valuable, and as for Gu Nianzhi, the blueprints she¡¯d brought seven years ago made her eligible as a person of

    ¡°special contributions.¡±

    The respective department in the cab immediately entered overtime as they processed the citizenship request for Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi. Documents were sent and stamps applied. By the time it was allpiled at Deputy Minister Bai¡¯s desk, it was early morning the next day. Deputy Minister Bai saw the special request sent by Speaker Long and signed in a flourish without any objection. Thus, Gu Nianzhi and Gu Xiangwen became Huaxia citizens and possessed Huaxia Imperial passports and identification.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely exhausted from the trip to Barbados. She went to her room to rest after returning home and slept for nearly 24 hours. When she finally woke up, the morning sun was starting to rise outside the window, and she almost confused about what time and day it was. She had gone to sleep in the early dawn, so she hadn¡¯t expected to also wake up at dawn. How long had she been asleep for?

    Stretching her backzily, she removed her nkets to get off the bed and put on slippers. A small burgundy booklet at her night table caught her eye. Reaching to grab it, she saw it was a passport¡ªa brand new one issued by the Huaxia Empire. It had her name and photograph. Underneath the passport was a brand new identification, different from her previous one. What did this mean?

    Gu Nianzhi turned the passport and identification in her hands over and over again to study them.

    Huo Shaoheng knocked beforeing inside and saw that she had finally woken up. ¡°Get up now, if you¡¯re awake. Are you hungry? Breakfast is served in the dining room downstairs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lifted up the passport and identification for him to see. ¡°Huo Shao, what does this mean?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s your new passport and identification.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat on the single-seater sofa by her bed. ¡°Your identity has been reinstated, and you¡¯re now a citizen of our nation.¡±

    So her old passport and identification were voided. Gu Nianzhi gasped, scratching her head and smiling sheepishly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that I would have a new identity just after one sleep.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Huo Shaoheng was a bit taken back. ¡°Your current identity is the real and legal one.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ve been using a fake passport and identification before...¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait for me to wake up and ask first?¡±

    ¡°You slept so peacefully, so I didn¡¯t wake you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also nned to tell her that as soon as the new passport and identification were issued, he had sent in the marriage request. He¡¯d just received news that the military was beginning their background check on Gu Nianzhi. But seeing her listless expression, he swallowed the words back down.

 Chapter 527 - Youâ€™re Good

    <h4>Chapter 527: You¡¯re Good</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°How long have I slept for?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked while covering herself with the nket and sitting up, hugging her knees. Her eyes still looked rather clouded. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t sleep for too long.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch and said monotonously, ¡°A day and a night; not too long, indeed.¡±

    What she¡¯d gone through in Barbados had been too much for her to take. Moreover, she had endured the shocks from the electrical arcs, which had caused a certain level of damage to her body. On top of that, a flight of over 10 hours was physically draining as well. Therefore, she would be yearning for sleep after returning. Sleep was considered a defense mechanism for healing.

    Chen Lie hade over to check on Gu Nianzhi. He had said that she was fine, just asleep. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng had allowed her to rest peacefully.

    Rubbing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi whined, ¡°Only a day and a night...¡±

    She was getting more daring¡ªshe even dared to rant in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled. Standing up, he told her, ¡°Unpack your things first. I still have a meeting to attend today. Your father has already been admitted to the Military Hospital under Chen Lie¡¯s care, along with a group of professional specialists. Just look for Chen Lie or Doctor Ye if you want to visit him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment. Putting down the hand she was using to rub her eyes, she looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You¡¯re leaving already, Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I still have a meeting to attend.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was there solely because he was worried about her, so he had visited personally to wake her up.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯t bear for him to leave yet, but she remained quiet. She merely looked at him with her expressive eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, bent forward, and nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Good girl. Get up for breakfast. You¡¯ve got schoolter, too.¡±

    Then he left. Just like that. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t even missed her at all.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back, overwhelmed by emotions. He opened the door, and then there was a sound of the door closing. He disappeared behind it. He¡¯d left, just like that...

    Gu Nianzhi continued sitting on her bed. Looking at her watch, she realized that it was already seven o¡¯clock in the morning. She crawled out of bed slowly and went for a shower in the bathroom. After she was done, she slowly dragged her feet back into her bedroom and began her skincare routine. She was dying time on purpose.

    By the time she went down, as expected, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t at the dining table. However, she only went down after almost an hour.

    Zhao Liangze sat in the dining room, reading news off his iPad. Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi enter the dining room, he put down his iPad and said her cheerfully, ¡°Nianzhi, sit down. We have porridge, beef buns, deep-fried dough sticks, and noodles for breakfast today. What would you like to have?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a seat opposite him and reached out for a dough stick. Breaking it in two, she began pairing it with porridge. After a while, she asked, ¡°Has Huo Shao left already?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He left a long time ago. The moment he came down from upstairs.¡± Zhao Liangze picked up his iPad and continued reading the news. Not even looking up at Gu Nianzhi, he asked, rxed, ¡°When do you intend to go to school, Nianzhi? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°Why must you do it?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be Brother Fan¡¯s job?¡±

    ¡°Brother Fan has sent Mr. Huo to General Ji¡¯s, and Big Xiong hasn¡¯t returned, as he was caught up with some matters. So, it¡¯s down to me!¡± Zhao Liangze raised his head to look at Gu Nianzhi and leaned forward. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t trust Brother Ze¡¯s driving skills?¡±

    ¡°Nah!¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled and bit into the deep-fried dough sticks. She finally couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and asked, ¡°Brother Ze, my passport and identity have all been changed. Do you know? So those that I had been using in the past were all fakes.¡±

    Zhao Liangze noticed a tinge of displeasure from her tone andughed guiltily. ¡°Oh, well, no matter how we change it, the name still remains, doesn¡¯t it? People won¡¯t be confused...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as that.¡± Gu Nianzhi furrowed her brow and looked at Zhao Liangze, hitting the table with her knuckles. ¡°My identity and passport numbers are all different now. It feels like I¡¯ve changed into a whole new person. It feels really bad. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Changed to a whole new person?¡± Zhao Liangze tried to sympathize with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You mean you¡¯re unhappy with your new identity?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that...¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed and used her hand to support her face, feeling all her appetite slip away. ¡°I just feel... like... you guys should¡¯ve sought my consent no matter what before you had it changed. Shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Zhao Liangze found that even funnier.

    The little girl who grew up with us now has a mind of her own and wants her opinions to be considered!

    He found it interesting just thinking about it.

    ¡°Fine, fine. It wasn¡¯t something serious, anyway; it¡¯s just a change of identity documents.¡± Zhao Liangze really couldn¡¯t understand why Gu Nianzhi was making a fuss about it. ¡°We still have many things to do today. Finish up with your food, and I¡¯ll send you to school. How many days of absence did you apply for? Will your school make things difficult for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of her school and said, ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problems, should there? Professor He knew all about it.¡±

    Zhao Liangze knew that He Zhichu had saved his life, in a way, and wanted to thank him personally as well.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll go with you so that I can thank Professor He, as well,¡± Zhao Liangze said as he showed Gu Nianzhi a basket of gifts he¡¯d prepared for He Zhichu. It was a hamper bought from the stores, and it contained flowers, fruits, and a ssy but extravagant gold pen.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped as she touched the pen. ¡°Brother Ze, you really spent a lot! This pen must¡¯ve cost a bomb¡ª¡±

    Zhao Liangze knocked lightly on her head. ¡°This is totally nothingpared to my life!¡±

    ¡°True that!¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and said sincerely, ¡°Brother Ze, it¡¯s so nice to see you well and alive!¡±

    Zhao Liangze had been teasing her for so long and intentionally avoiding the topic of being saved by her. He was hoping that she would whine to him and demand a gift for saving his life, but surprisingly, she did nothing of the sort.

    Feeling embarrassed, Zhao Liangze took another paper bag from under the table and handed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°There. Brother Ze¡¯s life is really precious, so Nianzhi the savior will definitely have a huge gift of thanks as well.¡±

    ¡°What? I have one, too?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked and surprised.

    She had totally lost herposure. Her big, expressive eyes became pretty overturned crescents, and her longshes entuated the eyes beautifully. Her beautiful pink lips curled upward. She was smiling so brightly that she was definitely a sight to behold.

    ¡°Of course you have one!¡± Zhao Liangze shook his head and caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Nianzhi, you silly girl! Did you forget that you were the one who truly saved me?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her hands. ¡°Please don¡¯t be burdened by this, brother Ze. You went to Barbados and put yourself in danger because of my matters. Saving you was a must. Please don¡¯t take me as your ¡®savior.¡¯ I¡¯ll be so embarrassed...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi...¡± Zhao Liangze wanted to say that they¡¯d have gone to Barbados to bring Gu Xiangwen back to Hua Xia Empire whether or not Gu Nianzhi was his daughter, but would it make him seem too cruel to say so? Eventually, he found a different way to say it. ¡°Nianzhi, going to Barbados¡ª50 percent was because of you, and the other 50 percent was for our mission. You weren¡¯t obliged to save me, but you did. So I can¡¯t becent and ept it so righteously, either. Therefore, just ept this gift of thanks. If not, I¡¯d be the one feeling bad.¡±

    Hearing how Zhao Liangze put it, Gu Nianzhi finally epted the little paper bag. She took out a small, red fluffy box from the bag.

    ¡°What¡¯s this? This box is so adorable!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her present happily.

    Girls truly weren¡¯t able to resist cute, exquisite little things.

    ¡°Just open it!¡± Zhao Liangze folded his arms and looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s happy expression contentedly. He was confident that Gu Nianzhi would love it, as it had been Bai Yueran¡¯s suggestion. This gift was her suggestion when she¡¯d visited Zhao Liangze and heard that he intended to get Gu Nianzhi a gift to thank her for saving his life.

    A Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra greeted her the moment the box was opened. It was unlike the ones that Huo Shaoheng had gotten her in the past. Huo Shaoheng usually got her VCA nes decorated with different colored gemstones, but this was fully decorated with diamonds.

    The diamonds weren¡¯t huge, but every single one of them was full and clear, with amazing rity. They decorated a total of five flowers. It didn¡¯t look like much when you firstid your eyes on them, but when you looked at them a second time, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to take your eyes off them anymore. This must have been what they called ¡°low-key luxury.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. ¡°Brother Ze, did you hit the lottery? Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra nes like these don¡¯te cheap...¡±

    Compared to the ones Huo Shaoheng had bought for her in the past, this was at least three times as expensive. She knew a lot about Van Cleef & Arpels nes. However, the ones that Huo Shaoheng bought for her were meant for young girls. This one from Zhao Liangze was more suitable for maturedies.

    ¡°Like I said, Brother Ze is rich.¡± Zhao Liangze put his arms down and leaned toward Gu Nianzhi, formally thanking her again. ¡°Nianzhi, thank you. Really. I was prepared for death when I was in the blue hole, but who doesn¡¯t want to live? You¡¯ve saved me and given me a second chance at life, so what¡¯s money? I can eveny my life down for you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and shook her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll ept the ne, all right? Brother Ze, you¡¯re speaking as if it¡¯s some serious matter. That¡¯s scary...¡±

    ¡°Haha! You wouldn¡¯t ept it if I didn¡¯t put it like this.¡± Standing up, Zhao Liangze announced, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you to school.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi had left school in a hurry that day and only brought her handbag. Her belongings were all in the dormitory. Therefore, all she had to bring back to school this time was her handbag. Both of them boarded Zhao Liangze¡¯s car and drove toward the south gate of B University.

    At the same time, a private jet wasnding in Di Du¡¯s airport.

    Sitting in her private jet, Gu Yanran looked at the foggy morning of Di Du airport. She still looked rather helpless. She had remained in Barbados for another day, investigating the teeth models and blood samples from Gu Nianzhi and her family doctors from when they were still kids.

    The doctors all told her the same information: The data from Huo Shaoheng was all authentic. They were identical to the ones they after doing DNA tests on their end. Therefore, this Gu Nianzhi from the Hua Xia Empire was really her little sister, Gu Nianzhi.

    But she had gone out to sea seven years ago. How had she ended up in the Hua Xia Empire?

    She looked repeatedly at a picture of Gu Nianzhi when she was a kid. She really did not look like she did now.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you can enter the country now.¡±

    Her newly employed caretaker was a plump white Britishdy who was a bit over 50. She had attended the institute for caretakers all her life and hade from a family of caretakers for other families as well. Gu Yanran had to put in a good amount of effort and double the srypared to the market rates before this woman had agreed to work for Gu Yanran.

    Standing up, Gu Yanran smiled to the caretaker. ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Thomas.¡±

    Mrs. Thomas smiled as well. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Miss Gu. This way, please.¡±

    They alighted from the jet and did the necessary paperwork to enter the country. Then they boarded the car that came for Gu Yanran, heading toward the vi that she had bought in the Hua Xia Empire.

    ...

    The moment Gu Nianzhi arrived at school, she went to look for He Zhichu with Zhao Liangze to halt her leave application.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi closely. ¡°Are you tired? Do you still want to rest for a few more days?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m fine, really!¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve rested more than enough, to be honest.¡±

    Zhao Liangze handed the hamper he¡¯d bought to He Zhichu and said sincerely, ¡°Professor He, thank you so much for saving my life in Barbados. It¡¯s a little something from me. Please ept it.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded in acknowledgment and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, bring this into my study.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi acknowledged and said, ¡°Professor He, I have to do even this, now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my assistant¡ªmy only assistant. If you¡¯re not going to do this, then who will?¡± He Zhichu looked at her and spoke matter-of-factly. His eyes had their usual look ofcency, and his tone spoke nothing but coldness.

    Fine, thought Gu Nianzhi. You¡¯re good...

    Gu Nianzhi took Zhao Liangze¡¯s huge hamper and took it into He Zhichu¡¯s study.

    Zhao Liangze spoke to He Zhichu for a little while more before calling out into the apartment, ¡°Nianzhi! I¡¯ll make a move first. Call me if you need anything!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ran out quickly, but Zhao Liangze had already left. Stomping her feet, she grumbled, ¡°Leaving so quickly! I still have things to ask him.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to ask?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s tone was much warmer now that no one else was around. His attitude had clearly changed. ¡°You¡¯re really feeling fine?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I really am!¡± Gu Nianzhi spun around in front of He Zhichu. ¡°Everything¡¯s normal. I slept for a day and a night, and I recoveredpletely. However...¡±

    Looking at He Zhichu, she still felt that she had to inform him about this since he was her lecturer, and she¡¯d had to change all her identity information from the school, so she continued.

    ¡°...My passport and identity card have all been changed. I¡¯m now a naturalized citizen of the Hua Xia Empire. An immigrant. It¡¯s different than my previous identity.¡±

 Chapter 528 - Coinciding Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 528: Coinciding Thoughts</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were a little sad, and although it wasn¡¯t too obvious, He Zhichu had always been observant of her and noticed it right away. ¡°What is? Are you so unhappy about just changing some IDs?¡± He Zhichu pointed to the kitchen. ¡°Make me a coffee, and you have some coconut juice. It¡¯s in the fridge.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened. ¡°I¡¯m making coffee?¡± She was so shocked that she almost forgot about being upset about her new passport and identification.

    ¡°Yes, who else is going to do it if you don¡¯t? It¡¯s only right that the disciple serves their master in times of need. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    He Zhichu sat down fluidly, crossing his leg and watching Gu Nianzhi with his head cocked. A half-smile was on his lips, and his elbows rested on the armrests of the single-seater sofa to allow his palms to fold atop his crossed leg. He appeared very rxed and casual. His words left no room for the stunned Gu Nianzhi to object, so she could only go to the kitchen to make coffee. Because she thought grinding beans would take too long, she took a packet of instant coffee and made a cup for He Zhichu. Then she grabbed a bottle of pure and natural coconut juice from the fridge to set it onto the tter with coffee to bring out. cing the coffee on the table in front of He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi sipped from the coconut juice daintily.

    He Zhichu set the coffee down after one sip. ¡°You didn¡¯t use the beans?¡±

    ¡°No. My coffee tastes bad?¡± Gu Nianzhi feigned ignorance, unsure of where to avert her eyes.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not too great.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t drink instant coffee but didn¡¯t ask Gu Nianzhi to make her another one because his intention for asking her to make coffee was to divert her attention. He didn¡¯t actually want to drink any.

    ¡°Oops, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°I bet Professor He¡¯s coffee is even tastier.¡±

    So, Professor He should keep making his own coffee!

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi only though this to herself and would have never said it out loud.

    He Zhichu already knew what she was thinking from her expression. He smiled. ¡°...You don¡¯t want to make coffee for me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrank back with guilt, quickly drinking from the coconut juice and not daring to meet He Zhichu¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Very well, then. You have to learn how to grind beans and make coffee,¡± He Zhichu stated seriously. When he saw that Gu Nianzhi wanted to object, he said, ¡°It can be included as part of your daily score with a weight of 5 percent.¡±

    Because she highly valued her grades, Gu Nianzhi instantly changed her demeanor and smiled sweetly at He Zhichu to reply in a sugar-coated tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Professor He. Next time, I¡¯ll be sure to make you a fragrant and delicious cup of freshly ground coffee!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± He Zhichu cocked his head and changed the subject. ¡°Did Gu Yanran object when you brought Gu Xiangwen here?¡±

    ¡°Of course she did. We almost didn¡¯t make it out of Barbados.¡± Gu Nianzhi was exaggerating a bit. ¡°Not only was it very scary, but Gu Yanran deted as soon as Huo Shao got off the ne and said a few things to her. She agreed for us to take Gu Xiangwen... my father away.¡±

    The truth was that Gu Nianzhi had gotten off the ne with Huo Shaoheng and had spoken a lot more to the older woman than Huo Shaoheng had. But she gave all the credit to Huo Shaoheng because without him for reassurance and support, even her glib silver tongue would have beenpletely useless. Gu Yanran was obviously not someone who was easily scared by mere words.

    ¡°That easily?¡± He Zhichu seemed to be in disbelief. He looked down in thought for a while before asking, ¡°What about afterward? Did Gu Yanran say anything? She epted the fact that you¡¯re her sister right away?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t ept it right away.¡± At the reminder of this, Gu Nianzhi grew even more depressed. ¡°She said she had to verify it for herself. Professor He, you know that I wanted to find out about my past so I didn¡¯t have to hold an unknown identity...¡±

    She paused but didn¡¯t exin why she didn¡¯t want to have an unknown identity because this involved her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng. Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixoong had already hinted to her that she would never pass the background check if her identity was not rified.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t ask anymore and was only thinking about Gu Yanran¡¯s reaction. He reminded her subtly, ¡°The Gu Yanran I know is an intelligent and tenacious person who stops at no end to achieve her goals. She¡¯s also flexible and works hard to turn the tables around in negative situations. From a certain perspective, you¡¯re quite simr to her in that regard.¡±

    ¡°So what if we¡¯re alike. I¡¯m not her biological sister.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms. ¡°This is the only thing that makes me happy out of the whole situation.¡±

    He Zhichu snickered before turning away. ¡°She probably thinks the same thing. The two sisters have coinciding thoughts about this point.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. Taking advantage of He Zhichu¡¯s good mood, she wanted to get more information. ¡°There are many things about the situation that I still don¡¯t understand. Can Professor He exin them to me?¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯ll only say it again¡ªif you can¡¯t believe my wordspletely, then what¡¯s the point of me telling you?¡± He Zhichu shook his head with a gentle gaze. ¡°This will actually make it more difficult for you to recover the memories.¡±

    ¡°But I just want to know why Gu Yanran ims I disappeared on the Caribbean Sea near Barbados when my earliest memory was on Huaxia Imperial soil? Or more specifically, in a car about to explode.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never understood this point, so she although she knew Gu Yanran had a younger sister that also shared her name, she didn¡¯t think much of it. There was too far of a distance between where she had disappeared and ended up. And it was likely that Gu Yanran had the same thought, so she didn¡¯t investigate her, either.

    He Zhichu was in a daze and didn¡¯t answer her question. With a hand propped under his chin, he stared fixedly at a 100-cube shelf in the corner of the room. After a long moment, he finally said, ¡°There must be something else we don¡¯t know about yet.¡±

    ¡°...Then how did Professor He know that I was in the Huaxia Empire and came here to find me...?¡± Gu Nianzhi finally asked in a weak voice. This question had been lodged in her mind for a long time, but she had never asked it out loud.

    He Zhichuposed himself, his shimmering, sultry eyes watching all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions and changes in expression closely. ¡°Do you have some misconception about our He family¡¯s influence? But Huo Shaoheng hid you well, so even with our power, it took me several years to find a single clue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi certainly didn¡¯t know what power the Hes had, but she had heard Zhao Liangze say that they were the underground godfathers of South American politics. So He Zhichu must¡¯ve had his own methods? If he started investigating from the upper ss and gleaned news about Gu Nianzhi, that was because she was under the care of someone extraordinary¡ªthe powerful and esteemed Huo Shaoheng.

    She could onlyugh. ¡°I understand, but why didn¡¯t you tell Gu Yanran directly? If it wasn¡¯t because we had to go escort my father here, then you probably wouldn¡¯t have said anything about me being Gu Yanran¡¯s sister?¡±

 Chapter 529 - Bias

    <h4>Chapter 529: Bias</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ever since Huo Shaoheng saved her when she was 12, Gu Nianzhi had been growing up in the Special Forces headquarters alongside him¡ªshe¡¯d never had any interactions with the world outside.

    In the beginning, her lessons had been conducted by tutors who were engaged by the Special Forces. Eventually, the tutors had found her to be extremely gifted¡ªalmost a genius¡ªwhich had caused them to put in even more effort to teach her.

    After only two years, she took the University entrance exam at the age of 14 and had achieved an impressive grade, which had allowed her to enter any majors in any university she wanted. The army had been worried about her during that time. They did not want her to appear in public. Therefore, she had not left the headquarters to attend university but had attended online lessons from distinguished universities for two years.

    That had been the case until about two to three years ago when Huo Shaoheng and his men could not discover where she¡¯de from no matter how they tried. Therefore, they intended to let her interact with society to see if there would be any changes. That was the reason why she had been allowed to attend a university. Also, if someone was searching for her, it would be easier for them.

    Because the Special Forces of the Hua Xia Empire was so well protected¡ªand because she was at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side¡ªinformation was even harder to uncover. Heck, it was practically impossible for information to be uncovered.

    However, things would be different the moment Gu Nianzhi went out to attend university. It was simr to getting out of a well-protected ¡°castle¡± and returning to society, somewhere where she was able to interact with others. In order to remain with Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi had selected a university in C City. This way, she would be able to remain by his side.

    This had happened until six months ago, when she graduated from university and managed to be He Zhichu¡¯s postgraduate student. She had to leave C City and head to Di Capital.

    Thankfully, the Special Forces had decided to shift their headquarters to Di Capital at that time. Had that not been the case, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi would really have had to be separated from each other.

    Gu Nianzhi had been paying attention to He Zhichu¡¯s reaction after she was done narrating her life as far as she could remember. Head hanging, He Zhichu batted hisshes a little, cleared his throat, and said clearly and coldly, like someone had dropped cubes of ice into some spring water, ¡°If I told you that there was a bias involved, would you believe me?¡±

    He still looked expressionless. Even his tone sounded monotonous. He reached for his coffee but did not take a sip. He was merely twirling the cup on the coaster slowly, listening to the sound it produced.

    The moment Gu Nianzhi heard that, she fell silent and did not probe further.

    It had taken her so much effort to change the rtionship between her and He Zhichu back to that of professor and student. She didn¡¯t want to ruin it and make things awkward again.

    ¡°Oh? So it¡¯s like that? I see. It¡¯s just all about timing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Nianzhi managed to change the topic, and it indicated that she did not wish to pursue it further.

    He Zhichu breathed a sigh of relief...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question had been too sharp. He Zhichu hadn¡¯t known how to answer her at that point of time. All he could do was reveal a partial truth. If she was willing to listen on, he¡¯d seize the opportunity.

    A pity she did not wish to listen on, but it¡¯s okay. He¡¯d just keep it to himself then. As long as she doesn¡¯t harp on the reason anymore.

    A smile spread out on his cold face. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. Oh, by the way, did you manage to catch up on the work you¡¯vegged behind on due to your absence for that past few days?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned at the mention of her work. ¡°Professor He, can you give me an extension, please?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her silently. His eyes spoke of nothing but coldness.

    ¡°Two days? One day?¡± Gu Nianzhi bargained, not wanting to give up so easily.

    He Zhichu finally nodded. ¡°One day. I¡¯ll give you an extra day toplete what you¡¯vegged behind on¡ªfulfilling your duties as my teaching assistant at the same time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too much! Would I even have the time to sleep, then?!¡± Gu Nianzhi almost wailed, but she couldn¡¯t bear to not be his teaching assistant, as the remuneration was really high...

    It was oddly satisfying to see the figures of her bank ount increasing each month.

    ¡°Then cease your services as my teaching assistant; I¡¯ll look for others.¡± He Zhichu was bent on Gu Nianzhi not giving up the job, so he decided to be passive-aggressive.

    Indeed, Gu Nianzhi reacted as he¡¯d expected. She said sternly, ¡°Professor He, please calm down. I¡¯ll definitelyplete my homework and fulfill my duties as a teaching assistant well.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I look forward to your performance.¡± He Zhichu finished the instant coffee made by Gu Nianzhi in a gulp upon replying.

    It tasted horrible, indeed.

    He Zhichu ced the cup back on the coffee table with a look of disgust.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly as she stood up and bid He Zhichu goodbye. ¡°I¡¯ll make a move first, then, Professor He.¡±

    Nodding, He Zhichu felt vibrations from his phone. It was Gu Yanran. He rejected the call and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Quickly go back andplete your assignment and fulfill your duties as my teaching assistant. I¡¯ll check tomorrow.¡±

    He Zhichu picked up Gu Yanran¡¯s call only after Gu Nianzhi had left.

    ¡°Mr. He, you were trying to confirm Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity when you called me to ask for Nianzhi and my family doctor and dentist when we were young, weren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Yanran asked directly, not beating about the bush.

    He Zhichu had expected Gu Yanran¡¯s call, so he merely acknowledged with an ¡°Mm,¡± before continuing, ¡°Congrattions for sessfully finding your little sister.¡±

    ¡°...You already found out a while ago, didn¡¯t you? Why didn¡¯t you tell me about it then?¡± Gu Yanran stood in front of the French windows of her vi, still feeling messed up inside.

    This was too unbelievable to her. She had been feeling dazed ever since confirming this piece of information.

    Then she had remembered to call He Zhichu.

    If she guessed correctly, He Zhichu had provided Huo Shaoheng with the help he needed to get his hands on the information to prove Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity because it meshed with He Zhichu asking her for the contacts of their family doctor and dentist shortly before the incident urred.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know much earlier than you. Like you, I didn¡¯t expect her to be your sister from the beginning,¡± He Zhichu said leisurely. The smile on his lips spoke of haughtiness¡ªsomething it was lucky that Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t witness. If she had, she¡¯d have blown her top.

    He Zhichu also walked to his French windows and stood in front of them, looking down from level 28. The people bustling on the streets looked like ants; it was impossible to distinguish Gu Nianzhi from where he was. He continued monotonously, ¡°Until I figured that we could use the records from the family doctor and dentist from when she was young, I contacted you for their details.¡±

    ¡°...It was a coincidence, then?¡± Gu Yanran had held it in for too long, but she blurted out in the end, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too much of a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°Well, that was the truth, and it was quite coincidental. I couldn¡¯t deny even it if I wanted to.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s smile had a tinge of mockery in it. ¡°Yes? Miss Gu, are you ready to wee your little sister back home?¡±

    ¡°Home?¡± Gu Yanran paused. Some emotions shed past, and she quicklyposed herself and smiled. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve confirmed that she¡¯s my little sister, of course, she¡¯d have to go home. She¡¯s the daughter of the Gus. Of course, she has to go home.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s already a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire.¡± He Zhichu reminded Gu Yanran daringly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid she wouldn¡¯t agree to go back to Barbados with you if your home is still there.¡±

    Gu Yanran sighed. ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll speak to her.¡±

    Vexed, she looked at the picture in her hand again. Then she ced it back into the picture frame and into her Yves Saint Lauren handbag carefully.

    ...

    Upon returning to her dormitory, Gu Nianzhi saw Ma Qiqi eating at the table.

    Seeing her enter the dormitory, Ma Qiqi was stunned for a second. Then she let out a stifling scream and jumped at Gu Nianzhi, looking her left and right, up and down, trying to make sure she was fine. Then,ughing heartily, she eximed, ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Nianzhi! I thought you had forgotten about me! They were already all saying that you had transferred schools!¡±

    ¡°What? How many days has it been? How did such rumors surface?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head, feeling ridiculous. ¡°Tell me who started the rumor¡ªI promise not to kill her!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha... Kill my ass. Judging by your frame, you can¡¯t even outfight me...¡± Ma Qiqiughed and bickered with Gu Nianzhi for a while before letting her go. ¡°Fine. I shall not tease you anymore. You¡¯ve been gone for a few days and must be tired. You¡¯ve even lost weight¡ªlook at that chin!¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s long, slender, fair finger pointed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exquisite chin. ¡°Look. So pitiful.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right! Enough all right. Always poking fun at me.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed and pushed Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand away. ¡°Go to your ss. I still have toplete my work. Professor He only allowed me an extension of one day. I¡¯ve got to remain awake for 24 hours to finish everything on time.¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok. I shall not disturb you then.¡± Ma Qiqi let go of her knowingly. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to the library. Shall I treat you to dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Nah, make it the day after. I got to rush my work today and tomorrow.¡± Gu Nianzhi made an ¡°ok¡± hand sign. ¡°I¡¯ve received your thoughts. That¡¯s more than enough.¡±

    Nodding, Ma Qiqi replied, ¡°Okay, do your best! I¡¯ll be making a move first.¡±

    After packing her bag, Ma Qiqi made her way to the library for revision. Gu Nianzhi remained in the dormitory alone and began rushing on all her backlogs.

    Suddenly, her phone rang. Hearing that it was from an unknown number, Gu Nianzhi did not pick it up¡ªHuo Shaoheng and He Zhichu had personalized ringtones in her phone. There was another ringtone for the people on her contact list. Thest ringtone was for people who were not on her contact list.

    She forgot about the time the moment she became busy, only stopping when her stomach was growling and would have fainted if she still hadn¡¯t found something to eat. That was when she finally stood up to call for takeout.

    Looking at her phone, she saw a few unanswered calls from unknown numbers. It indicated that the time was 9 o¡¯clock at night as well.

    She¡¯d returned to her dormitory at noon and hadn¡¯t had anything to eat or drink since then. To think that nine hours just passed just like that! No wonder her neck felt so cramped.

    Gu Nianzhi gave her neck a rub and redialed the missed call on her phone. The person picked up almost instantaneously.

    ¡°May I know if this is Miss Gu, please?¡± The voice on the other end sounded vaguely familiar.

    Slightly taken aback, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°You are...?¡±

    ¡°I am your older sister, Gu Yanran. Have you forgotten so quickly?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s bright and clear voice came from the other side of the call. Gu Nianzhi sighed.

    Patting on her chest to calm herself down, Gu Nianzhi adjusted her tone and tried her best to be calm. ¡°Madame Gu has arrived at Di Capital already?¡±

    The number indicated on her phone was a local one. Therefore, she was certain that Gu Yanran had already arrived at the Hua Xia Empire.

    It has only been... two days?

    Smiling, Gu Yanran nodded. ¡°Yes, I justnded this morning and have been wanting to look for you, but why didn¡¯t you pick up all your calls?¡±

 Chapter 530 - Family at Home

    <h4>Chapter 530: Family at Home</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t have my phone on me, so I didn¡¯t hear it. I just saw now when I was using the phone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone rxed. She was feeling conflicted toward Gu Yanran because she had a negative initial impression of her based on how she¡¯d treated Huo Shaoheng. But now, although her impression still wasn¡¯t great it wasn¡¯t as bad as before, this was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s older sister, after all. Regardless of whether she remembered her or not, they were legally a family. And this time, when they¡¯d gone to Barbados to escort Gu Xiangwen to the Huaxia Empire, Gu Yanran hadn¡¯t put up as much resistance as they had anticipated. So Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t feel disgusted toward her.

    Gu Yanran smiled when she noticed the change in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone. Her long and narrow eyes squinted, and she smiled with allure. ¡°Oh, is that so? I thought you didn¡¯t want to pick up my call...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°What did Miss Gu do to me that I wouldn¡¯t pick up her call?¡±

    Gu Yanran was stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, but her mind whirled as she smiled faintly. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m more convinced than ever that you¡¯re my sister. You¡¯ve always been so good with your words, even from a young age.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was obviously giving Gu Yanran a hard time, but somehow, the older woman turned it into apliment about her being good with words. Gu Yanran¡¯s tone was still friendly and gracious enough to ignore her little jab¡ªshe seemed just like a perfect big sister.

    Gripping the phone, Gu Nianzhi leaned against the wall by the dorm room window to look outside. It was already past 9:00 p.m., and the sky waspletely dark. The streetmps lit up one by one, emitting a warm yellow glow into the night sky. People passed on the street below with rxed and cheerful smiles. The serene scene was infectious for Gu Nianzh, who couldn¡¯t help breaking into a smile.

    ¡°Really? What was I like when I was younger?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked into the phone quietly, her tone softer than before.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember? You were especially bright and knew how to talk when you were little, so Mom, Dad, and I really spoiled you.¡± Gu Yanran picked up the photo with one hand and giggled at the image of the chubby little girl. She could only be in awe of the Creator¡¯s magic that had produced such a difference in her appearance...

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t recall how she had interacted with the Gus and Gu Yanran when she¡¯d been young. Although Gu Yanran¡¯s words echoed in her ears, she couldn¡¯t form a mental picture.

    ¡°Nianzhi, why are you so quiet?¡± Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help asking after waiting for a while. Gu Nianzhi had yet to speak.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself, and her belly growled. Sheughed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just a bit hungry and was about to order delivery.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You still haven¡¯t eaten at this hour?¡± Gu Yanran looked at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s already past 9:00 p.m. Silly child, why aren¡¯t you taking care of yourself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sheepishly smiled at herptop and used one hand to navigate the cursor to order food online as she replied, ¡°I had quite a bit of homework today and had to make the deadline, so there was nothing I could do about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Too much homework? Your instructor is Professor He, right? Why is he assigning so much homework for you?¡± Gu Yanran began using a reproachful tone. ¡°I¡¯ll ask him myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°Miss Gu, I had requested a vacation recently, so the homework umted. It¡¯s not because Professor He assigned too much.¡±

    Hearing that it was because Gu Nianzhi had requested a vacation, Gu Yanran nodded with understanding. Her tone grew even more amicable. ¡°That¡¯s a valid reason, too. He should be more understanding of you. Sister will ask for you.¡± She sighed before Gu Nianzhi could even reply. ¡°Poor Nianzhi. You¡¯ve been under a stranger¡¯s roof all these years and couldn¡¯t voice your grievances, right? Don¡¯t worry. You can always tell Sister if there¡¯s anything bothering you, now that I¡¯m here for you. Sister will take care of anything for you. If anyone messes with you or treats you badly, you can tell me, and I¡¯ll help.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only wanted to rub her temples at the words¡ªshe had been under the care of Huo Shaoheng for the past six or seven years, yet she had never felt like she was ¡°under a stranger¡¯s roof.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, I¡ª¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could finish her sentence, Gu Yanran cut her off again. ¡°Nianzhi, you should be calling me Sister.¡±

    ¡°...Umm, my delivery is here. I¡¯ll let you go now, and we can chat when we have more time.¡± Gu Nianzhi still couldn¡¯t call her ¡°Sister,¡± and didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation, so she found an excuse to end the call.

    Gu Yanran looked at the phone¡¯s screen with a shake of her head before texting her, ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up for dinner tomorrow.¡±

    Soon after Gu Nianzhi set down the phone, her delivery actually did arrive. She quickly went downstairs to pick it up and had just set everything up on the dining table when the dorm room¡¯s door lock clicked open. Ma Qiqi walked inside.

    ¡°Nianzhi? You¡¯re having ate-night snack?¡± Ma Qiq was also carrying a box of food. ¡°I got seafood pae. Do you want to have some?¡±

    Seafood pae had a stronger vor, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to have such salty food at night. She shook her head with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s fine, you have it. I have some almond tofu, sauteed bok choy, and also mushroom and vegetables. Do you want to try it?¡±

    ¡°Umm, that¡¯s nd food.¡± Ma Qiqi pouted. ¡°I¡¯ll stick with my seafood pae...¡±

    They set out the cutlery and sat across from each other to dine and chat. Ma Qiqi was actually very curious about where Gu Nianzhi had been and what she had been doing for the past few days, but she couldn¡¯t exactly ask if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything. Ma Qiqi could only ask subtly, ¡°Are you finished with your business? You left in such a hurry that day that the instructors among the faculty were asking about you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°It was fine. I just went to visit a rtive, and it¡¯s all ok now.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ma Qiqi stopped asking when she saw that Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t want to talk about it. They began chatting about the faculty and happily finished theirte-night snacks. Because everything had returned to the state they had been in before Gu Nianzhi requested for vacation, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood brightened.

    Gu Nianzhi did some more homework after returning to her room and saw that it was already two in the morning. She finally shut off herputer and washed up in the bathroom. When she came out, she couldn¡¯t sleep, so she yed with her phone on the bed.

    Contemting whether or not she was going to call Huo Shaoheng, she stroked his name on the screen but was feeling offended. He hadn¡¯t called her a single time the whole day. It would be fine if he was on a mission or had an emergency meeting, but he was clearly only attending some general meetings. There were always gaps in the meetings when he could give her a call or text, but he had chosen not to. She wasn¡¯t going to take the initiative to contact him. Shutting off her phone unhappily, Gu Nianzhi curled up in her bed to sleep.

    ...

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng was also still awake. He had just returned from a Supreme Military Council meeting, and a bunch of tasks had umted. He was also thinking about the submitted marriage request, so he took out his phone to call General Ji again.

    ¡°General Ji, did you see my request?¡±

    ¡°I did, and the military is discussing it. But Shaoheng, why did you submit the request before sorting it out with your own family?¡± General Ji quietly said to him, ¡°Your father has opposed it...¡±

 Chapter 531 - Make Up for It

    <h4>Chapter 531: Make Up for It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Oh...?¡± Huo Shaoheng returned the question calmly. ¡°What did he oppose?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, was the Director of the Military Political Department. Like General Ji, he also held the rank of general. Even though he did not have as much authority as General Ji, he was one of the top five generals with the highest authority in the Military Supreme Council.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact reason, but he was the first person to oppose it when they were in a discussion about that.¡± General Ji scratched the back of his balding head exasperatedly. ¡°If it was anyone else, the council could¡¯ve shut them up, but your father was different... No matter what, he¡¯s your father. Even though the management has to approve your marriage, the management will consider it on a case by case basis if you have actual feelings towards the partner and if your family likes her.¡± He was trying to imply that Huo Guanchen¡¯s opposition had a certain extent of power in this case.

    Holding onto his phone, Huo Shaoheng did not reveal any emotion no matter what he was thinking about. Nodding, he replied, ¡°Okay, sorry to disturb you. Why is General Ji still awake, though?¡±

    General Ji could almost see that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care about this and was extremely pleased with his reaction. Not showing any emotion easily, no matter the situation, was exactly how a general should behave. ¡°You brat. Why didn¡¯t you consider whether I would be in bed when you decided to call? And you have the cheek to ask me this now?¡± General Ji couldn¡¯t decide if it was more funny or annoying, and grumbled over the phone.

    Smiling, Huo Shaoheng replied, his tone sounding pleasant, ¡°I know that General Ji must be working overtime again, so I called. I asked you just now because I wanted to nag you to turn in earlier. Is that wrong?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! You brat! You¡¯ve said all the good and bad. I knew you¡¯re as good with words as those people from the legal department!¡± General Jiughed and talked a little more before hanging up. Looking at the clock on the wall, it was already half past two in the morning. Yawning, General Ji put his documents into the safe in his study and retreated to his bedroom, turning in for the day.

    Huo Shaoheng could not sleep. He was still holding onto his phone with one hand, and the other hand was ced on the handle below the window in the car. He was looking at the night scenery with dark eyes.

    The road to the headquarters of the Special Forces was secluded. The number of vehicles was clearly decreasing as they moved. The light from the streetmps looked like a straight line from the speed, like an arrow that goes straight to one¡¯s heart. Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes, covered them with his hand, and stopped looking at the scenery outside. He was already thinking about when to take a trip home. He had not been home since New Year¡¯s.

    His grandfather, Huo Xuenong, had brought his granddaughter, Huo Jin, to Europe to rx after the incident with senior nurse Zhang and hadn¡¯t returned since. His mother, Song Jinning, was the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics. She had been immersing herself in research like she couldn¡¯t wait to just live in theboratory, just like in her younger years. His father... How long had it been since he had thought about that father of his?

    Huo Shaoheng thought and toyed with his phone. He dialed his mother¡¯s number. As expected, his mother wasn¡¯t asleep, either. Song Jinning was still reading theses in theboratory. She wanted to make up for the 17 years she had missed out on. On top of having endless meetings and endless theses she had to read, she even did up a simple small room in theboratory, containing some daily necessities, clothes and shoes. She was really living in theb.

    Her phone rang. She nced at the caller disy and was surprised that it was her son. Picking up the call, she answered, ¡°Shaoheng?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still awake?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked in courtesy. ¡°Still doing experiments?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m reading some theses.¡± Song Jinning smiled as she rubbed her temples. ¡°What about you? Not asleep, either?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not asleep if I¡¯m able to call you.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°Let me visit you. Is it convenient?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Song Jinning was stunned for a moment before realizing that her son had something to tell her. ¡°Juste. I¡¯ll be at the office in the experiment building. You know which one.¡±

    After acknowledging, Huo Shaoheng hung up and informed his chauffeur, Fan Jian, ¡°Head to the Institute of High Energy Physics. Get some dinner along the way.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had no response to the information. Then, Fan Jian changed directions and headed towards the Institute of High Energy Physics. An hourter, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vehicle was driving through the gates of the institute. Even though it was already three o¡¯clock in the morning, the security still ensured that they had a special ess pass before allowing them to enter.

    ...

    Looking at her watch, it had already been an hour. Huo Shaoheng should have arrived already. Standing up, she left her desk and walked to the door and opened it. The corridor was dark, because the building used motion sensor lights. They were off when there wasn¡¯t anyone around. However, in the blink of an eye, the sounds of steady footsteps filled the corridor and the lights gradually came on.

    A tall figure appeared before Song Jinning¡¯s eyes. He strode in from the end of the corridor, and the lights shined downwards from the top of his head, emphasizing his already deep features. He looked out of this world.

    Song Jinning smiled uncontrobly. She was still wearing herb coat, and she put both her hands in her coat pockets. Just like that, she looked at Huo Shaoheng walking towards her, a small paper bag in his hand.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be staying upte, Mom.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked to Song Jinning and closely observed how she looked. ¡°I brought some freshly boiled soup with cordyceps, lingzhi, ginseng, and pepper. Have some for supper.¡±

    Taking the paper bag from Huo Shaoheng, a memory from more than ten years ago, before the incident happened, shed through Song Jinning¡¯s mind. Huo Shaoheng, who was still a teenager then, also took a small paper bag of cakes that day to herboratory to enjoy with her. She felt guilty towards this son of hers. When he was young, she was engrossed in her research, returning to work the moment she was done with her maternity leave. He was one month old.

    After that, when he was a teenager, she was too shaken by that incident and became mentally unstable. She couldn¡¯t even continue with her daily activities, much less talk about fulfilling the duties of a mother. The corners of Song Jinning¡¯s eyes became wet. She turned around before letting him realize and hid her face in the shadows. ¡°Come in. You have some, too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and followed Song Jinning into her office and closed the door behind him. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze stood guard at the stairs and the entrance of the elevator. They wore their Bluetooth earpieces so that they could be contacted anytime.

    Upon entering Song Jinning¡¯s office, Huo Shaoheng looked around. In just a few months, Song Jinning had already brought a lot more books and experimental apparatus here. She had even added a fewrgeputers.

    Song Jinning took two bowls and two spoons from her room and served a bowl of soup to Huo Shaoheng before taking one for herself. As she was taking the soup, she said, ¡°Actually, the usage of cordyceps had been magnified. The thing that¡¯s useful in cordyceps, the cordycepic acid, is actually mannitol, which is an extremely cheap source of ingredient.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but smile at thisment. ¡°Mannitol can also be used in food, so it¡¯s okay to have some asionally.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I was just saying. This soup tastes great! The fire was strong enough when they boiled it.¡± Although she was nagging a bit, Song Jinning still drank her soup happily.

    Huo Shaoheng did not touch his bowl of soup. He stirred a couple of times before offering it to Song Jinning. Song Jinning epted it without hesitation and finished the bowl as well. Then, she sighed contentedly and said, ¡°Soforting. This soup is really great!¡±

    ¡°You skipped dinner again, didn¡¯t you?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Song Jinning quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll order meals for you in the future. Someone will bring you meals three times a day henceforth. You¡¯ll just have to eat them.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Such amazing things exist? Actually, we do have a cafeteria here. I¡¯ve been there a couple of times. The food is surprisingly rather decent...¡± Song Jinning avoided Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes guiltily. She really had no time. The determination to restart the experiment kept bugging her. She almost wanted to invest all her time in it. Twenty-four hours a day simply wasn¡¯t enough. She had lost count of the days she had fallen asleep in front of theputer. When she woke up in the morning, she quickly washed up before continuing with her work.

    However, even if it was so tedious, she still looked radiant. It seemed like she managed to utilize all the energy she had stored in the past 17 years while she was mentally unstable. Huo Shaoheng smiled and sent a text to Yin Shixiong, asking him to ce an order for three meals a day for a year to be delivered to Song Jinning¡¯s office during meal times. Otherwise, she¡¯d still eat only when she remembered her hunger. It¡¯d affect her health in the long run.

    Song Jinning did not continue talking and finished the rest of the soup. She also ate two wholemeal bread rolls that Huo Shaoheng had brought along. Sitting across from Song Jinning, he ensured that she had finished eating before clearing the bowls and bringing them to her washroom to clean.

    Song Jinning followed him in and looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and masculine figure while leaning against the washroom door. ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯ve something on your mind. Do you need help?¡± Nothing could escape a mother¡¯s eyes, indeed.

    Even though Song Jinning had been mostly absent in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s growing years, a connection in blood was still undeniably strong. She sensed that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s emotions weren¡¯t normal. Other than Gu Nianzhi, Song Jinning could be considered the second person who could sense what Huo Shaoheng was hiding emotionally.

    After he was done washing up, Huo Shaoheng ced the bowls in the cupboard and washed his hands before turning around. ¡°Yes, I do have something on my mind. Let¡¯s talk outside.¡±

    Song Jinning was over the moon. She stepped forward and held him by the arm and said seriously, ¡°Shaoheng, looking for me when something¡¯s bothering you, I¡¯m really happy.¡± Being depended on by her own son and being able to do something for him was the joy of being a mother.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was rather speechless at this remark. He wasn¡¯t a little boy anymore, but in Song Jinning¡¯s eyes, most likely he was still the little boy from 17 years ago who skipped school just to bring a birthday cake to celebrate her birthday with her.

 Chapter 532 - Opposition and Support

    <h4>Chapter 532: Opposition and Support</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng quietly removed his arm and walked out of Song Jinning¡¯s small bathroom to head to her office. Song Jinning followed him to her office with a smile. ¡°Tell me, what did you want to speak to me about?¡± Song Jinning opened the notepad on herptop to prepare to mark down what Huo Shaoheng needed on her calendar as a reminder so she wouldn¡¯t get too busy and forget.

    Huo Shaoheng sat across from Song Jinning with one hand resting on her desk and the oher ying on his phone. He calmly told her, ¡°I just submitted my marriage request.¡±

    Song Jinning gasped, her jaw dropping for a long moment. After some time, she stood up in surprise and braced herself against the desk, leaning forward to ask anxiously, ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re really going to get married?! Who is the bride? Is it.. Is it... Nianzhi?!¡± Since Song Jinning had regained consciousness, she had quickly noticed that Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng in special way. Of course, Huo Shaoheng also treated Gu Nianzhi differently. She was happy to see the pair be a couple. Gu Nianzhi was a genius girl while Song Jinning had also beenbeled a ¡°genius girl¡± in her youth. Geniuses cherished each other, so she adored this lively and cute young girl.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly, a small smile on his lips as his finger tapped on Song Jinning¡¯s desk gently. Even his tone had softened. ¡°You like Nianzhi, too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very taken with that young girl!¡± Song Jinning smiled brightly, her expression joyous. After a while, she got confused. ¡°Submitting your marriage request is a good thing, so why are you asking me for help?¡± She assumed there had been some difficult problem...

    Huo Shaoheng cast his eyes down on the delicate carvings on the burgundy mahogany desk and replied in a low voice, ¡°After I submitted the marriage request, Father expressed his opposition during the military¡¯s discussion.¡±

    ¡°What? He opposed? What right does he have to oppose?!¡± Song Jinning was immediately enraged, her fair skin flushed red and alluring eyes stirred with anger. She pped the desk viciously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go find your father tomorrow. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson if he dares to get in the way of my daughter-inw joining the family!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think that Song Jinning would be so supportive of him and Gu Nianzhi. A rush of warmth rose in his heart. However, it was a fleeting feeling as he resumed his normal calmness. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and bowed slightly. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should rest now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t keep you any longer. It¡¯s alreadyte, so you should try to go to bed.¡± Song Jinning nced at her watch. It was already past three am. She personally walked her son out, and the quiet hallway lit up once again from the motion sensor lights. Song Jinning¡¯s fair skin was luminous under the glow. ¡°Shaoheng, then does Nianzhi know about you submitting the marriage request? What gift should I prepare for her as mother-inw? Do you know what she likes?¡± Song Jinning asked happily because she wanted nothing more but to have Gu Nianzhi join their family right away.

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened. With both hands in his trouser pockets, he walked slowly with a shake of his head. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know yet.¡± He then looked at Song Jinning. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Song Jinning stared at him in shock. ¡°Why does it need to be confidential?¡± She understood her son was involved in a very special job, so she was always careful to avoid giving him trouble.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head again. ¡°It¡¯s not because of that.¡±

    ¡°Then why not? Who would even act the way you are? How can the girl not know when she¡¯s about to get married? Are you really going to n the whole thing yourself!?¡± Song Jinning couldn¡¯t hold back herughter because she was in such a good mood.

    Huo Shaoheng recalled how Gu Nianzhi resisted her new identity, so he only kept silent before replying, ¡°Because the marriage request is only the first step. She still has to go through a background check after she passes. I¡¯m also not sure about the time it takes toplete the background check. It may be six months or several years.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Song Jinning was perturbed. ¡°I don¡¯t recall it being thatplicated when I married your father?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because of different positions and ranks, so the level of background check is also different,¡± Huo Shaoheng exined simply.

    Song Jinning understood right away. In other words, Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t have a particrly high rank back then and only held a mid-tier position, so the time required and procedure for the background check was much simpler. On the other hand, Huo Shaoheng was already a general and part of a specialized and confidential military department, so the time required and procedure for the background check was notparable.

    After seeing Huo Shaoheng off, Song Jinning only slept for three hours before getting up to wash her face and change. She returned to the Huo Manor once again before Huo Guanchen left for work.

    Now that Huo Guanchen lived there alone after the Zhang¡¯s were driven out, and Huo Xuenong and Huo Jin had gone to Europe, the house was so empty that even footsteps echoed. Huo Guanchen left early and returnedte, so he didn¡¯t spend too much time there. But because Song Jinning had arrived early today, Huo Guanchen was still at home.

    As soon as he looked up, he saw Song Jinning walk in wearing a sky blue dress suit. Huo Guanchen¡¯s breath nearly stopped. He stared nkly at the cold and beautiful woman walking up to him and was about to speak when Song Jinning frowned and asked unhappily, ¡°Why did you oppose Shaoheng¡¯s marriage request? What right do you have to oppose it?!¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s passion was extinguished by her words, and his expression fell instantly. He asked in a low voice, ¡°What are you talking about? How did you know about that?¡± He had expressed opposition during a general military meeting. Could someone have leaked intelligence? Huo Guanchen immediately thought of General Ji, and his anger burned fiercely in his heart.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how I found out, I¡¯m only asking if you are rejecting Shaoheng¡¯s marriage request!¡± Song Jinning red angrily, yet her bright and elegant face appeared even more lively and beautiful.

    ¡°I do oppose it.¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression darkened as he straightened his neck and retorted cooly, ¡°Are you saying that you support them?¡±

    ¡°Of course I support them.¡± Song Jinning also straightened her neck to not show any weakness. ¡°Shaoheng and Nianzhi are a match made in heaven. What are you opposing them for?!¡±

    ¡°A match made in heaven?!¡± Huo Gunachen wanted tough madly at the sky. ¡°Jinning, don¡¯t you know that Nianzhi grew up under Shaoheng¡¯s care! Shaoheng is her guardian!¡±

    ¡°So what? He¡¯s only her guardian, not a biological rtive.¡± Song Jinning smiled disdainfully. ¡°I already sorted it out a long time ago. The military requested that Shaoheng care for Nianzhi. What misconceptions do you have about such a nominal guardianship?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my misconception, it¡¯s what others will think!¡± Huo Guanchen felt his veins were about to burst as he looked at the stubbornly misled Song Jinning. He red at her. ¡°Nianzhi grew up with him, and she was only 12 years old when he became her guardian! Did you know she was only 12!? Shaoheng is a whole ten years older than Nianzhi. What will others think?! What will they think?! Does Shaoheng want to advance his career!? Have you thought about that?!¡±

 Chapter 533 - Refusal to Realize

    <h4>Chapter 533: Refusal to Realize</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Song Jinning had spent her entire life on research. Her love with Huo Guanchen had already been a thing of the past. Now, other than research, the only other thing that was of any importance to her was her only son, Huo Shaoheng. Therefore, her son¡¯s lifelong happiness was of utmost importance to her.

    ¡°Who would dare to?!¡± Song Jinning took a step forward, pointed at Huo Guanchen, and raged, ¡°The person who thinks that way has a mind so warped, may he be condemned! Don¡¯t put those dirty thoughts you guys might have onto my son! Nianzhi was 12 when Shaoheng was her guardian, but Shaoheng did not develop feelings for her at that time! Grow some brains, will you?!¡±

    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t think so, what if there are people who do?!¡± Looking at his wife, who spent nearly her entire life in the confines of herboratory, a sudden pang of longing shed in his mind. She had always been a princess, but he was never a prince...

    ¡°If someone ¨C anyone ¨C were to malign your daughter-inw like that, what on earth are you doing as a father?!¡± Song Jinning¡¯s finger was so close, it was about to jab Huo Guanchen in the chest. ¡°Instead of stepping out to defend them, you¡¯re trying to use underhanded methods to put them down. Are you even human?!¡±

    Huo Guanchen was furious. He couldn¡¯t understand why Song Jinning was this unreasonable, and he waved his hands in frustration. ¡°Enough! This isn¡¯t up to you to control. Don¡¯t mess things up.¡±

    ¡°Not up to me to control?!¡± Song Jinning was fuming. ¡°I am Shaoheng¡¯s mother. How is this not up to me now?¡±

    Huo Guanchen felt guilty when asked that question, so he tried to be stern. ¡°I did not say that as a father, I opposed this as the Director of the Political Department in the Army.¡±

    ¡°I see. So now you remember that you¡¯re the Director of the Political Department?¡± Song Jinningughed coldly. ¡°But everyone else thinks of you as Shaoheng¡¯s father. So what do we do about that? Why don¡¯t we do it this way, in order for you to be more ¡®impartial,¡¯ severe ties with Shaoheng. Then it won¡¯t matter to us anymore whether you disagree or not!¡±

    ¡°Severe ties with Shaoheng?! Dream on!¡± Huo Guanchen had already lost his wife. He couldn¡¯t bear the thought of losing his son as well. Moreover, he had high hopes for this son of his. He had always hoped for Shaoheng to climb to ces he could never reach. Therefore, he cared a lot about Shaoheng¡¯s selection of life partner.

    ¡°Me? Dream on? Haha! I, on the other hand, really want to see if I am dreaming.¡± Song Jinning waved her fists as fair as jade in front of Huo Guanchen. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you lose him as your son if you continue to oppose.¡±

    Huo Guanchen frowned, and his brows furrowed for a good while. He still shook his head eventually. ¡°If Shaoheng really disowns me as his father all because of Gu Nianzhi, I¡¯ll oppose this even more.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d oppose this, even if Shaoheng wanted to disown you as his father?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Even if Shaoheng were to sever ties with me, I¡¯d still oppose this.¡± Huo Guanchen said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for his own good. He¡¯ll understand in time.¡±

    Song Jinning did not wish to speak to him any longer. She did not understand how she had fallen for someone like him in the first ce anymore and had still loved him for so many years...

    Taking a deep breath and suppressing her inner thoughts, she asked Huo Guanchen, confused, ¡°Don¡¯t they just have to love each other in order to get married? What on earth are you thinking about, exactly? When you married me, did you marry me so that you could have a smoother career progression as well?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was taken aback. He retorted instinctively, ¡°How can youpare them with us back then? Back then, we were nobodies. Of course we could marry anyone we wanted. However, Shaoheng is different now...¡±

    ¡°Haha, how different? His rank is way higher than yours back then, so why can¡¯t he choose the girl he wants to marry? Then why should he be a major general?¡± Song Jinning scoffed. ¡°Forget it. You can¡¯t get reason into your head. I¡¯m just a busybody and stupid enough to even try and reason with you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was so angry that he almost felt his blood vessels constricting. Song Jinning turned and left after she was done talking. A sky blue figure moved in front of him, and the white scarf on her neck swayed along with the wind, looking like a cloud from the sky had just descended in front of him.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He reached out to Song Jinning and grabbed her arm. ¡°Jinning, you came here just to quarrel with me?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t quarrel with people.¡± Song Jinning did not even turn around. ¡°I came to reason with you, but you refuse to see where you went wrong. I¡¯m just wasting my time. Let go of me.¡± Song Jinning wrenched her arm out of Huo Guanchen¡¯s grasp and strode out of the Huo¡¯s family mansion.

    After she exited the mansion¡¯s iron gates, Song Jinning turned around and looked at the ce where she stayed for more than 20 years. She felt that it looked unfamiliar all of a sudden. Had 16 years changed Huo Guanchen, or had he been like that all along, only it hadn¡¯t shown because he had nothing to lose back then? Song Jinning felt really confused. She walked quickly and left the main grounds of the army, returning to her Institute of High Energy Physicsboratory.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng had just exited from a meeting early in the morning when Zhao Liangze came up to him and whispered, ¡°Mr. Huo, your father is here. He¡¯s waiting for you in the small meeting room over there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a look at his schedule for the day. ¡°Do I have anymore meetings today?¡±

    ¡°Not today, no. Only the one you just came out of.¡± Zhao Liangze scratched his head awkwardly. He knew that Huo Shaoheng wanted a reason not to see Huo Guanchen. It was a pity Huo Guanchen¡¯s rank was higher than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, so he could see Huo Shaoheng even without making an appointment. Huo Shaoheng handed Zhao Liangze the documents in his hands to take back to his office and headed towards the small meeting room with a stern face.

    ¡°Shaoheng.¡± Huo Guanchen saw that Huo Shaoheng walked in with a straight expression and was not sure if he was happy or unhappy.

    Sitting down in front of Huo Guanchen, Huo Shaoheng spoke in an official tone, ¡°General Huo, is there anything today?¡±

    He had not greeted him as his father. Huo Guanchen fumed. He initially wanted toe and make peace of some sort, but he couldn¡¯t care less now. He mmed his hand on the table andmanded, ¡°Take back your marriage application immediately! How can you take marriage as a game?!¡±

    Putting both hands on the meeting table, Huo Shaoheng looked at Huo Guanchen sideways and remained silent. His features were so deeply set that he looked perfect ¨C almost like a mannequin. He stood so still, one could almost mistake him as one.

    Huo Guanchen was ufortable under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intense gaze. He lowered his head and had a sip of tea. Then, he asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking? Or are you speechless already?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and spoke calmly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about. There¡¯s no need to waste time.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude?!¡± Huo Guanchen mmed his teacup onto the table and saw red. ¡°I¡¯m your elder, if we¡¯re talking about age, and I¡¯m your superior, if we¡¯re talking about rank ¨C and you have the cheek to talk to me like that?!¡± No matter if he was speaking to an elder or his superior, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude towards Huo Guanchen was less than satisfactory in his opinion.

    Huo Shaoheng did not falter. Looking away, he looked out the window for a while before replying, ¡°Going by age, this is the headquarters of Special Forces ¨C my ce of work. I cannot talk about my personal matters during working hours. Going by rank, please talk about official matters, General Huo.¡±

    ¡°I am talking about an official matter!¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s face fell. ¡°Your marriage isn¡¯t a personal matter. Listen up ¨C take back your marriage application!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°If my marriage isn¡¯t a personal matter, then you have even less of a right to talk to me about it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression changed. His son had grown up. He was independent now. He wanted to get out from under all the protection he was having. Huo Guanchen felt a mixture of emotions.

    ¡°Nothing much. General Ji and the others were happy to see the application. I have no idea why General Huo is opposing.¡± Huo Shaoheng rapped the table lightly with his fingers. Clonk, clonk, clock. It vexed Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen could use others who approved of this marriage of having ulterior motives, but it was different if it was General Ji. General Ji had groomed Huo Shaoheng personally. Everyone knew that General Ji saw Huo Shaoheng as his sessor. If General Ji wanted to ruin Huo Shaoheng, he would have many methods to do so. He did not have to use marriage as a trap.

    Huo Guanchen hesitated and thought about the repercussions this issue could bring. Eventually, he still shook his head. ¡°I oppose. Even if General Ji were to agree, I would still oppose it. Shaoheng, I¡¯m doing this for your own good. You¡¯re blinded by love now. You wouldn¡¯t know what I mean. Wait ¡¯til you¨C¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and stopped Huo Guanchen. Then, he raised a finger and swung it in front of Huo Guanchen. ¡°General Huo, ¡®blinded by love¡¯¨Csuch an unprofessional and humiliating description. Please don¡¯t use it in front of me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t parse my words. You know what I mean.¡± Huo Guanchen frowned and sincerely felt that his son was blinded by love. Otherwise, how could he not see the issue on such a simple case of pros and cons?

    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand your intention. Honest.¡± Huo Shaoheng said expressionlessly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just be straightforward?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was speechless. Some things he could say in front of Song Jinning, but not Huo Shaoheng. The things he was nning for the person involved, he couldn¡¯t let the person involved know about.

    ¡°Why are you not saying anything? My time is precious. I¡¯ll leave now if there aren¡¯t any official matters to talk about.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and bowed slightly, an action to send a guest off. ¡°If it¡¯s any personal matter, you can talk to me over the weekend when I¡¯m resting from work.¡±

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was not faltering no matter what, Huo Guanchen recognized his determination, and he could not leave it at that. ¡°Shaoheng, you know that the effort you put in for over ten years might go down the drain if you insist on marrying Gu Nianzhi? You might even be forced to quit or get demoted. You really want to end up like that?¡± Huo Guanchen looked at him deeply, stood up, and left the meeting room.

    As he was walking past Huo Shaoheng, he used the corner of his eyes to see if Huo Shaoheng was still standing there attentively. He did not even turn around. He looked straight ahead, standing straight, looking proud. Sighing mentally, Huo Guanchen left the meeting room.

    Huo Shaoheng only left the meeting room a good while after Huo Guanchen had left. Folding his arms, he walked back to his office slowly and opened the windows. The summer scenery was gorgeous, but all he wanted was a cigarette.

    ...

    After rushing for a day and a night, Gu Nianzhi finally managed toplete all the work that He Zhichu had given her before she left for Barbados, including fulfilling her duties as his teaching assistant.

    Sometime in the evening, immediately after she was done packing up and was about to call Ma Qiqi to have dinner together, her phone rang. She picked it up and realized that it was Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s Sister. I¡¯m here to take you out for dinner.¡± Gu Yanran sounded cheerful but firm on the phone and did not allow Gu Nianzhi to refuse. ¡°I¡¯ll be at your lobby in a minute. Come down now.¡±

 Chapter 534 - Bros Before Hos (1)

    <h4>Chapter 534: Bros Before Hos (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t refuse even if she had wanted. Gu Yanran had already ended the call. She¡¯d be blowing Gu Yanran off if she didn¡¯t go or if she went out to eat with Ma Qiqi. Breaking a promise and making others wait was something Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t do, and it was even worse because Gu Yanran was not just a normal acquaintance to her. Looking down at her phone and rubbing the screen for a bit, Gu Nianzhi finally said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Qiqi, something came up. I can¡¯t go to dinner with you anymore.¡±

    Ma Qiqi heard Gu Nianzhi take a call, so she assumed that obscenely handsome boyfriend of hers was on his way. She winked at her yfully. ¡°Nianzhi, bros before hos!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Same to you!¡± Gu Nianzhi knew Ma Qiqi had misunderstood, but this wasn¡¯t the time for her to fully exin her rtionship with Gu Yanran, so she could only mumble vaguely, ¡°My family is here to see me...¡±

    ¡°Your family?¡± Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t conceal her excitement and shock. ¡°Aren¡¯t you... Aren¡¯t you...¡± An orphan?

    Gu Nianzhi could tell what Ma Qiqi had left unspoken and spread her palms. ¡°Right, I originally thought I had no family, buttely someone appeared. I¡¯m still going to wait and see. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s actually my rtive.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Ma Qiqi instantly brightened up andtched onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hurry up and go. Don¡¯t let her wait too long.¡± An orphan girl suddenly finding a rtive was a great celebration. Ma Qiqi had both her parents, and they had cherished her since she was a child, so she sympathized with Gu Nianzhi. Now that she heard Gu Nianzhi had a rtive, she was genuinely happy for her.

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed her hand. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go now.¡± After walking a few steps, she turned back to Ma Qiqi. ¡°Qiqi, can you not tell anyone about this for now?¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t.¡±

    ...

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi went downstairs and came out of the building, she spotted a silver six-person Audi Pikes Peak Quattro parked near the steps. Seeing the flower script, ¡°Jasmine Ku¡± emzoned on a silver que on the side of the car, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyelids began twitching uncontrobly. This Gu Yanran sure knew how to enjoy life, and rightly so. The car was obviously custom made and priced in the tens of millions of US dors. It was once ranked in the top five luxury cars in the world, but one would never suspect the car of being so valuable from its appearance. Gu Nianzhi knew about this car because she happened to help He Zhichu with a small case that involved introducing the top luxury cars in the world. Gu Nianzhi had a sharp and almost photographic memory. She couldn¡¯t help inhaling sharply at the sight of the luxury car she had only seen on a website. She patted her palpitating heart as she made her way over.

    Gu Yanran revealed her face from the back passenger window and smiled. ¡°Get in.¡± The driver got out from the front seat and walked around to open the door for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. This was too much. Did she really need a driver for an SUV?! An elongated Rolls Royce was one thing, because it would be shameful to ride in it without a driver, but SUVs were for people to drive themselves! Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi got in the car and sat next to Gu Yanran. She nodded to her. ¡°Miss Gu is truly a woman of action. I had already made dinner ns with my roommate but didn¡¯t expect to blow her off.¡±

    Gu Yanran draped a hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and replied, ¡°Sorry Nianzhi, I just wanted to see you so badly, so I didn¡¯t think too much about it. I apologize.¡± She then continued, ¡°Where were you nning to have dinner with your roommate? How about we invite them, too?¡±

    Since Gu Yanran made such an offer, it wouldn¡¯t do for Gu Nianzhi to continue pouting unhappily. She reached out to smooth her hair that reached her chest with a smile and took the opportunity to wiggle Gu Yanran¡¯s hand from her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s fine. My roommate is very nice and a reasonable person. She doesn¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± Gu Yanran nodded, sighing emotionally. ¡°Your friend is understanding and knows that friends are not as important as family. She can see why you chose your family over friends. If she can¡¯t understand, then she¡¯s not a friend worth having.¡±

    She¡¯s already giving lectures? Gu Nianzhi thought about it but actually couldn¡¯t find a rebuttal. She could only stay quiet the whole way as they drove to a high-end club not far from campus. Gu Yanran was obviously an important guest, and the handsome young man at the door had his eyes light up when she shed her ck VIP card. He politely led them to a very elegant private room. It was decorated Japanese-style with several pretty papernterns hanging from the ceiling. The paper was pure white and masked the light inside, acting like a soft filter. The light it cast made everyone¡¯s skin appear luminous like jade.

    The room was covered in tatami mats, and a low table was in the center for them to kneel at for the meal. Gu Nianzhi disliked the Japanese style of kneeling for a meal because her legs turned numb after a while. ¡°Miss Gu, you like Japanese food?¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at Gu Yanran and recalled her struggling with Yamaguchi Youko on the waters by the blue hole. She was feeling peculiar.

    Gu Yanran obviously thought of Yamaguchi Youko as well. Her eyes dimmed as she looked at the low table and the tatami. She replied quietly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I used to have it often with my Japanese friend.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu has many Japanese friends?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat with her legs crossed on the tatami and noticed Gu Yanran was kneeling with perfect posture. Gu Yanran was born feminine and alluring, so she appeared demure and gentle like a Japanese woman when she kneeled. Gu Nianzhi remembered how Gu Yanran personally killed Yamaguchi Youko and kicked her corpse into the ocean. Compared to the woman quietly pouring sake for her, it was like two different people.

    ¡°What do you want to have?¡± Gu Yanran took the meticulously crafted menu and passed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Order anything you like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look at the menu but smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Japanese food. Miss Gu can decide.¡±

    ¡°Ok then, I¡¯ll order a few of the popr dishes and a bottle of plum wine. We can chat while we eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. Soon after, a waitress in a kimono came inside to take Gu Yanran¡¯s order, then bowed deeply and closed the door as she walked backwards out of the room.

    ¡°Nianzhi, how have you been all these years? Why didn¡¯t youe find us?¡± Gu Yanran was very interested in how Gu Nianzhi had lived during thest few years. ¡°I was so worried and didn¡¯t stop looking for you on the Caribbean Sea. I had no idea you came here of all ces!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t recall at all how she went from being on a yacht on the Caribbean Sea to a car about to explode on Huaxia Empire¡¯s C City streets... Thus, she wasn¡¯t able to answer Gu Yanran¡¯s question and only replied simply, ¡°I also don¡¯t remember. When I woke up, Huo Shao had already saved me. Afterwards, he became my guardian.¡±

    Gu Yanran had long been aware of these things, so she was merely confirming the earlier information from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal exnation. ¡°The Huaxia Imperial Military is not reliable at all. How could they let you be raised by a man?¡± Gu Yanran kept sighing. ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s all my fault. If only I had found you earlier.¡±

    Gu Yanran was speaking sincerely and honestly, so Gu Nianzhi found herself unable to feel disgusted. ¡°Huo Shao is very good to me. I¡¯ve never felt wronged.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly redeemed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation. ¡°Miss Gu shouldn¡¯t think too much of it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Yanran looked at her pointedly. ¡°Nianzhi, we are sisters, and aside from Father, we are the closest people to each other in the world. No matter if you treat me as your older sister, you¡¯re still my only sister. If I don¡¯t care about you, who will?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, thank you.. Sister Gu.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally agreed to call Gu Yanran, ¡°Sister,¡± although she added ¡°Gu¡± before it. Just as they were chatting, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang again, this time with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone. They hadn¡¯t been in touch for several days, and Gu Nianzhi had stopped herself from calling him. Now that Huo Shaoheng was finally calling, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore and quickly picked up.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where are you?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was an especially rich baritone over the phone and also had a hint of barely detectable exhaustion.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed it and quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯m out for dinner with Miss Gu. Was there something Huo Shao needed?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened. ¡°Gu Yanran is having dinner with you? Where are you guys? How many people are there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just me and Miss Gu.¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at Gu Yanran as she tapped the phone to send her location to Huo Shaoheng. He was currently sitting in a car parked in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building.

 Chapter 535 - Bros Before Hos (2)

    <h4>Chapter 535: Bros Before Hos (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Upon receiving the address Gu Nianzhi had sent over, Huo Shaoheng gave it a check and found that it was a Japanese restaurant nearby.

    Realizing that it was Huo Shaoheng, Gu Yanran extended the invitation warmly, ¡°Nianzhi, is that Mr. Huo? Ask him toe, too. We¡¯ve ordered too many dishes, and we won¡¯t be able to finish them, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You want to invite him, too?¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated.

    ¡°Yes, of course! No matter what, he¡¯s my future brother-inw!¡± Gu Yanran winked knowingly at Gu Nianzhi, looking happy for her.

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately won over by the mention of ¡°brother-inw.¡± Blushing slightly, her usual fairplexion showed a tinge of pink, and she looked more beautiful than ever.

    Gu Yanran held her hand, tightened her grip slightly, and smiled. ¡°With my little sister¡¯s looks, countless elite men would fall head over heels for you. Making you his at such a young age, Mr. Huo is really lucky and has such a great sense of judgment!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, sis.¡± Unknowingly, Gu Nianzhi had already stopped calling Gu Yanran ¡°Miss Gu,¡± and had begun calling her ¡°sis.¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled and poured Gu Nianzhi another ss of sake.

    Upon receiving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call, Gu Nianzhi answered, ¡°Have you had dinner already, Huo Shao? Do you want to join us?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t interested in Japanese cuisine, but because both Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran were there, no matter if it was regarding work or personal matters, he should pop by to take a look. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be on my way. Wait for me.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up after he was done talking and told Zhao Liangze, ¡°Get Big Xiong back. We¡¯re going to the Japanese club.¡±

    ...

    Yin Shixiong had already exited earlier to inform the dormitory in charge that he would like to see Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Nianzhi had note down, even after a long while. The person who came down instead was Ma Qiqi. She asked the moment she saw him, ¡°Who¡¯s looking for Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± Yin Shixiong walked over, looked at Ma Qiqi, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re Nianzhi¡¯s roommate?¡±

    Nodding, Ma Qiqi said, ¡°Nianzhi has gone out to dinner with a family member. Who are you? Would you like to leave a message?¡± Then she continued, ¡°Do you have her number? Why don¡¯t you call her instead?¡±

    Of course Yin Shixiong had her number. He just totally did not expect that she wouldn¡¯t be around in her dormitory at this time. ¡°Family member? Since when does she have a family member?¡± Yin Shixiong realized something was wrong and became stern. ¡°How long has she been out for? Who was it, exactly? Do you know?¡±

    Immediately taken aback, Ma Qiqi wanted to tell him, but remembering that Gu Nianzhi had asked her to keep it a secret, she didn¡¯t know if she shoulde clean with him. Due to the stress of being in a dilemma, her face flushed.

    ¡°Do you know or not?¡± Yin Shixiong raised his voice, his expression looking darker than ever. This little girl looked rather bright, but why was she so wishy-washy when it came to getting things done?

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She said that the family member appeared recently...¡± Nianzhi, I can only help you to this extent... Ma Qiqi eximed in her heart.

    ¡°Just appeared?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s brow furrowed. He was about to continue interrogating Ma Qiqi when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice came through the Bluetooth earpiece. ¡°Come back. Nianzhi isn¡¯t here.¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately understood that Huo Shaoheng had just spoken to Gu Nianzhi via a call. He waved a hand at Ma Qiqi, who was confused as ever. ¡°Okay. I know now. Thank you.¡± Then, he turned and left. He was tall and muscr, and almost blocked all the lighting in from outside as he went out.

    Ma Qiqi looked at him curiously before returning to her dormitory.

    ...

    Upon returning to the car, he heard Huo Shaoheng telling Fan Jian, ¡°Drive.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡± Yin Shixiong turned around and asked Zhao Liangze, who was sitting beside Huo Shaoheng.

    Holding onto an iPad, Zhao Liangze replied to Yin Shixiong without looking at him, ¡°Japanese club. Nianzhi is there with Gu Yanran.¡±

    ¡°So it was Gu Yanran?!¡± Yin Shixiong pped his head. ¡°I was still wondering why her roommate was stuttering regarding her whereabouts, saying that Nianzhi went for dinner with her family. I was wondering, what other family does she have, other than us!?¡±

    ¡°Wow Big Xiong, you really dare to talk, huh? Since when was Nianzhi your family?¡± Zhao Liangze smiled as he shook his head. ¡°Gu Yanran is Nianzhi¡¯s legal family member.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be her family? I¡¯m her older brother!¡± Yin Shixiong announced proudly, ring at Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°You wish!¡± Zhao Liangze spat but did not continue bickering with Yin Shixiong, because he saw Huo Shaoheng frowning from the corner of his eye, indicating that he was unhappy.

    Yin Shixiong turned around and saw Zhao Liangze hinting at him with his eyes and kept quiet. He turned back and began looking for the address on his phone.

    Upon arriving at the restaurant where Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran were having dinner, Fan Jian stopped the car at the main entrance for Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze to exit before driving the car to the parking lot. Huo Shaoheng brought Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong to the VIP room that Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran were in.

    The waiter who was standing by at the entrance of the room opened the door and bowed. ¡°Good evening, sirs. Please enter.¡± Gu Yanran had already informed them that she would be having guests over.

    The guys entered the room. It was a beautifully decorated Japanese-style private room. The table she was sitting at with Gu Nianzhi was a square one. It was perfect for two or three up to a maximum of four, with one person on each side. It¡¯d have been too cramped if there were five people.

    She was about to alert the waiter to move them to a bigger room, but Yin Shixiong had already walked up to the waiter and asked, ¡°May I know if you have a bigger, slightly more normal-sized room, please?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. She couldn¡¯t control herself and went over to pat Yin Shixiong on his arm. ¡°Brother Xiong, I can understand why we¡¯d need a bigger room, but what¡¯s with ¡®normal?¡¯ How is this room abnormal?¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed heartily and put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not used to kneeling. If we kneel, Mr. Huo, Little Ze, and I won¡¯t be able to eat.¡±

    Honestly, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t like it, either. However, she could put up with it, unlike the guys. Perhaps they didn¡¯t have to put up with anything they didn¡¯t like. Gu Nianzhi pped and announced, ¡°Sure, then. Let¡¯s change rooms!¡±

    Gu Yanran stood up slowly and nodded to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Huo.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng returned the gesture. ¡°When did Miss Gu arrive? Weren¡¯t you confirming in Barbados?¡±

    ¡°It was just for a couple of days. Well, I checked and confirmed it. That was why I couldn¡¯t wait to fly here immediately to look for her.¡± Gu Yanran walked to Gu Nianzhi, held her hand with one hand, and put her other hand around her shoulders, an action to show utmost protection.

    The waiter at the door went to look for his manager to get his guests moved to arger room. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze stood guard at the door happily, watching the three of them talk.

    Huo Shaoheng stood on one side alone. Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran were in front of him. Gu Nianzhi did not really talk, but Gu Yanran had begun a friendly conversation with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°...Oh? Miss Gu believes that Nianzhi is your little sister now?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly as his gaze went past Gu Yanran swiftly andnded on Gu Nianzhi. However, Gu Nianzhi turned her head sideways and avoided Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°With evidence that solid, I couldn¡¯t deny anything anymore,¡± Gu Yanran joked. ¡°I haven¡¯t thanked Mr. Huo for taking care of my sister all these years. It¡¯s my treat tonight. Mr. Huo, Mr. Zhao, and Mr. Yin, please order anything you like.¡±

    ¡°It was what we should do. Miss Gu is being polite,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied to Gu Yanran politically. He wasn¡¯t paying attention to Gu Yanran at all but was still looking at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Sis, you said that you¡¯d treat me.¡± Gu Nianzhi still refused to look at Huo Shaoheng and pretended to be jealous, shaking Gu Yanran¡¯s arm.¡±

    ¡°Of course, treating you was my main intention. They¡¯re merely add-ons. My dear sister is the main star of tonight!¡± Gu Yanran pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exquisite little nose. They were sisters no matter what. They were naturallyfortable with each other and became close within a short time.

    Gu Yanran looked at Gu Nianzhi who was whining and looked at Huo Shaoheng whose gaze was fixed on Gu Nianzhi. She burst outughing and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re already in a rtionship with Nianzhi, but you¡¯re still calling me Miss Gu? Doesn¡¯t it sound a little too distant like that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and remained quiet.

    Yin Shixiong quickly came over to avoid dampening everyone¡¯s feelings. ¡°There¡¯s a bigger room there. Let¡¯s go. They¡¯ve already informed the manager.¡±

    Nodding, Gu Yanran said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been too proud just now by ident, so she didn¡¯t know how to lower her pride now. She was embarrassed to do it, especially in front of so many people, and especially when she had been whining while holding onto Gu Yanran¡¯s arm. She didn¡¯t even dare to look at Huo Shaoheng. She just lowered her head and followed Gu Yanran towards the door.

    When she walked past Huo Shaoheng, he reached out and held her arm. He did not talk, but his hands were warm. The hand holding Gu Nianzhi was almost scalding. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat and slowed down her steps.

    Gu Yanran turned around and saw them. Smiling, she said, ¡°We¡¯ll go over first. You guys take your time.¡± Then, turning to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, she said, ¡°Please, after you, sirs. The room is bigger over there, and they have tables and chairs as well, so you won¡¯t need to kneel to eat.¡±

    Gu Yanran, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong left, and only Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi remained. The door in front of them was half closed, but the corridor was empty. They could see the Japanese-style painting on the wall and a beautifulmp with the painting of a Japanesedy hung along the corridor.

    Huo Shaoheng remained quiet. He used more strength and pulled Gu Nianzhi into his embrace. He hugged Gu Nianzhi tightly and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Angry?¡± he asked Gu Nianzhi with his low and sexy voice.

    Gu Nianzhi had already decided not to be upset, but she felt even more wronged upon being asked, and tears welled up in her eyes. She struggled in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms but didn¡¯t manage to get away as he hugged her tighter.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busier recently...¡± Huo Shaoheng exined after being quiet for a while.

    ¡°Until you couldn¡¯t even afford the time to send me a text or give me a short call?¡± Gu Nianzhi finally spoke, but her voice was so soft, it sounded like a newborn kitten. It was clear that she had said this after mustering all her courage.

    They had just begun their rtionship, but he already could control himself so well? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to wonder if they spent some more time together, would he not be attracted to her anymore?

 Chapter 536 - Bros Before Hos (3)

    <h4>Chapter 536: Bros Before Hos (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the girl in his arms. Her fair, porcin skin was faintly tinged with a natural blush, and her eyes were lively with light and as bright as shimmering water. Since a long time ago, he already had every inch of her skin, every expression carved in the deepest recesses of his heart. He was more familiar with her than anything. ¡°...I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m free from now on.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave in again because he instinctively didn¡¯t like to see Gu Nianzhi frowning and unhappy.

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better remember, don¡¯t forget.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted her tiny and luscious lips as she looked up at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes reflecting only him. ¡°I see my other ssmates in long distance rtionships who basically live on their phones, but you didn¡¯t even call me once these past few days.¡±

    So that was the reason. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. How could he be on the phone all the time like her ssmates? ¡°There¡¯s no way I can call every day,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly as he stroked her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to call when I¡¯m not busy. Ok, stop fussing. We have to go back to dinner.¡± He naturally took her hand and walked out of the private room.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed because she felt that he still didn¡¯t understand what she meant. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m not asking you to call me every day.¡± Her frown deepened, her expression appearing even more depressed. ¡°But don¡¯t you always want to see the person, hear her voice, and spend more time together when you love someone?¡± Like how she wanted nothing more but to stick to Huo Shaoheng every day, but unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t a child anymore. She used to not have a care in the world and followed him every day, attached to his hip. Now that she had grown up, people would make fun of her if she kept it up.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her again. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± He still held her hand as they walked together to therger private room. The middle of the room wasden with all sorts of exquisite dishes and several bottles of sake. Gu Yanran was already sitting at the table with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. They chatted happily andughed, then looked up when Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhie in holding hands. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was normal, while Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look happy. But as soon as she came in, she curved her lips into a small smile as she sat next to Gu Yanran, and across from Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. Huo Shaoheng knew his girl was throwing a tantrum, so he sat next to her as if nothing were amiss. Gu Nianzi finally appeared happy, and the sadness in her eyes became less obvious.

    Using serving chopsticks, he picked up several things for Gu Nianzhi that she liked, such as fresh shrimp tempura, pork shogayaki, as well as a tender wagyu steak. He set them on her te painted with yful koi fish. Gu Nianzhi pointed to the Arctic shrimp tempura on the other side of the table. ¡°I want that, too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reached out his long arm to ce several shrimp on her small te. ¡°Don¡¯t eat too much fried food. It¡¯s not good for you.¡± Tempura had a pretty name, but it was actually deep fried. Gu Nianzhi ignored him and dug in happily.

    Gu Yanran overheard it and quickly replied, ¡°Then don¡¯t eat so much. Nianzhi, Major General Huo already told you not to. Why are you still eating it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t eat fried food often. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem if I¡¯m having some only asionally.¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng, then Gu Yanran. She thought they were being too bossy.

    Yin Shixiong was quick to give her a break and winked at her. ¡°It¡¯s fine once in a while. Also, our Nianzhi is a natural beauty. She doesn¡¯t get pimples or fat no matter how much fried and junk food she eats!¡±

    Of course he would touch a sore spot... Gu Nianzhi had been suffering from too much internal heattely, so she had actually grown a small pimple on her forehead. The bite of fresh and delicious shrimp tempura suddenly turned to ash in her mouth. Forcing herself to swallow it, she then didn¡¯t touch the tempura on her te again but only ate the wagyu steak. Huo Shaoheng got her another two red bean mochis so she could fill her stomach.

    Gu Yanran sipped her sake, her cheeks flushed and eyes as bright as shimmering water. Watching Huo Shaoheng continuously get food for Gu Nianzhi, sheughed. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Major General Huo eating? The food is not to your taste?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m eating.¡± Huo Shaoheng also had a wagyu steak in front of him, and he set it aside after two bites. Although wagyu was considered the best beef in the world, it didn¡¯t settle in his stomach right.

    Gu Yanran then spoke to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re also half a hostess here. Don¡¯t just sit there and eat. You should serve Major General Huo, too. He already got so much food for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up. ¡°How am I half a hostess? Aren¡¯t I the guest today? Sister, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re treating me today?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re my sister, so of course you¡¯re half a hostess.¡± Gu Yanran spoke as she used serving chopsticks to get Huo Shaoheng another piece of wagyu steak. ¡°Let¡¯s eat while the food is hot. It won¡¯t be good if it gets cold.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and used cutlery to cut the steak into small pieces to eat slowly.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°We¡¯re all close here, it won¡¯t do for Sister to keep calling him ¡®Major General Huo.¡¯ It sounds so polite and distant.¡±

    ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll call him ¡®Mr. Huo,¡¯ too.¡± Gu Yanran adapted quickly and changed her reference right away. ¡°Mr. Huo¡± was of course more familiar sounding than ¡°Major General Huo,¡± but not too intimate because everyone did the same. Gu Nianzhi was very satisfied with Gu Yanran¡¯s response, so she smiled at her and began eating the mochi.

    When Huo Shaoheng had finished half his food, his phone began to ring. He unlocked it to check it and stood up. ¡°I have to go take a call.¡± He then left the private room, and Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong also set down their chopsticks and followed him out.

    Only Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran remained in the private room. Gu Yanran chided her softly, ¡°Nianzhi, stop giving Mr. Huo a hard time. You have such a bad temper...¡±

    ¡°Oh? I wasn¡¯t...¡± Gu Nianzhi averted her gaze guiltily, not daring to meet Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re still going to say you weren¡¯t? Look at how guilty you look!¡± Gu Yanran was both annoyed yet amused as she stared at her wine ss in a daze before continuing, ¡°Mr. Huo is a good man, and they are hard toe by. Nianzhi, you must seize the chance. One of us has got to be happy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was perplexed by her words and cocked her head at Gu Yanran. ¡°Sister, what are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still young, but you¡¯ll understand in the future.¡± Gu Yanran downed all the wine in the ss. ¡°Good men are hard toe by, and you shouldn¡¯t let go when you meet one.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt even more guilty as she sheepishly refilled Gu Yanran¡¯s ss. ¡°What¡¯s with you? Are you drunk? You keep slurring.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not drunk.¡± Gu Yanran stared at Gu Nianzhi, reaching a finger out to lift her chin. She studied her face for a long time before sighing. ¡°How pretty, Nianzhi. You¡¯re really getting more and more pretty.¡±

    ¡°Yes, everyone keeps saying it, so I really don¡¯t know how ugly I was as a child!¡± Gu Nianzhi made a funny face, and Gu Yanran burst intoughter. She took out a photo from her pocket and passed it to her. ¡°Look, that¡¯s who you were as a child.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi epted the picture of a family of four. A gentle and elegant man sat with a quiet and demure woman in the middle. nking their sides were two girls, one about the age of 16 or 17 years old, while the younger one was about 11 years old. The older one was no doubt Gu Yanran, since she didn¡¯t appear much different from when she was 16 or 17. The younger girl was no one but Gu Nianzhi from seven years ago! Gu Nianzhi looked at the little girl in the photo and saw that it looked the same as the other photo of her holding the doll. She immediately sat up straight with widened eyes and asked in shock, ¡°This... This was our family?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Yanran looked at her strangely and chose her words carefully. ¡°This is Mom and Dad. Also Nianzhi, you can see that my face hasn¡¯t really changed, but why didn¡¯t you recognize me when we first met again? Do you have a difficult reason?¡±

 Chapter 537 - Bros before Hos (4)

    <h4>Chapter 537: Bros before Hos (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It wasn¡¯t a secret that Gu Nianzhi had lost her memories, because too many people knew about it. Moreover, because of that, the Special Forces had spent so many years trying to look for her family to no avail. Shrugging her shoulders, she said casually, ¡°Nothing much, I just don¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t remember?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s narrow eyes widened, and she repeated to herself, ¡°How could you not remember? Do you really not remember anything? Mom, Dad, me... Our home... How could you not remember?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Gu Nianzhi knocked on her head lightly. ¡°I want to remember, but there¡¯s no way. The moment I try to think about what happened that year, I get an unbearable, splitting headache.¡±

    ¡°What? Headache? That¡¯s serious.¡± Gu Yanran became worried. ¡°How long has it been hurting for? Do you want to get it checked? I know the best brain surgeon and neurology doctors in America. I can contact them and bring you over for a check up?¡±

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine as long as I don¡¯t think about what happened in the past.¡± Gu Nianzhi put her chopsticks down and had a sip of plum wine. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve found you and Dad. All the more reason I won¡¯t have to think of the past anymore.¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded in agreement. ¡°No wonder. Sigh, I¡¯m too careless. Your name is already Gu Nianzhi, and it didn¡¯t even ur to me to check if you were my sister. It led us to have to travel another big round before we could be reunited.¡±

    Speaking of which, Gu Nianzhi was reminded of He Zhichu. She moved closer to Gu Yanran and tried to ask, ¡°Sis, have you known Professor He for a long time already? He seems to know you well...¡±

    ¡°Well... quite, but not exactly.¡± Gu Yanran smiled knowingly. ¡°I got to know Lawyer He about three or four years ago. Got to know him because of some family matters we had to settle. His assistant, Wen Shouyi, was my representative.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not have a good impression of Wen Shouyi, so she pouted and moved back to her seat, quietly digesting what Gu Yanran said. If what she said was true, that He Zhichu only got to know Gu Yanran three or four years ago, and it was only that time that the He¡¯s and Gu¡¯s got involved with each other, then why did He Zhichu behave as though he had known her for a long time? And He Zhichu did have a lot of evidence indicating that he really had known her for a long time...

    However, about three or four years ago, Gu Nianzhi was already being well protected in the Hua Xia Empire Special Forces Headquarters in C City. She had no opportunities to meet He Zhichu as well then.

    How strange.

    ¡°You guys really got to know each other only three or four years ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi poured Gu Yanran another cup of wine. ¡°I thought the He¡¯s and Gu¡¯s were close family friends...¡±

    Gu Yanran sighed and said sadly, ¡°Haha, it¡¯d be great if we were...¡± She held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand on the table. ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t be in such a difficult position. Nianzhi, I used to be the only one supporting the entire Gu family. Thankfully, you¡¯re back now. We can work together towards amon goal, so those people won¡¯t dare to harbor ill thoughts about our family¡¯s assets anymore.¡±

    ¡°Those people? Who?¡± Gu Nianzhi had heard about the incident from Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze where Gu Yanran was kidnapped by a group of masked snipers. It was because of this that she and Huo Shaoheng had spent the night together. Gu Nianzhi was ufortable each time she thought about it. However, she knew that it wasn¡¯t totally Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fault, and Gu Yanran, judging by her behavior now, seemed like she did not have feelings towards Huo Shaoheng, so she suppressed her unhappiness and jealousy. Whether she was upset or jealous, as long as it did not put others in a bad position, it was merely a normal way of expressing emotions as a human.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are, either.¡± Gu Yanran shrugged. ¡°Nianzhi, since you don¡¯t remember anything from the past, let me tell you, our father, Gu Xiangwen, is an extremely outstanding schr and engineer. He invented many things that were, and are still, useful for everyone and had them patented. Our annual ie, if we were to just base it on patent collection, is already a huge figure.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi merely acknowledged it and had no other form of reaction.

    Gu Yanran secretly observed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression when she told her about their family¡¯s ie. She realized that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t interested in the Gu¡¯s wealth. She secretly nodded in agreement. If she were someone who merely wanted to pose as Gu Nianzhi, she¡¯d have looked excited at the mention of their wealth, and Gu Yanran would have to be wary of her. However, it seemed like Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t care about it. Of course, it might be due to her amazing acting, if she was doing it. A meal wouldn¡¯t allow Gu Yanran to see through her. Gu Yanran decided to wait and see.

    Gu Nianzhi really wasn¡¯t interested in the Gu¡¯s wealth. To someone who donated a million US dors without batting an eyelid, wealth was just a figure to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Look at you. It really seems like you don¡¯t know anything about the Gu¡¯s.¡± Gu Yanran said, smiling awkwardly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s no wonder. You have a boyfriend like Huo Shao, so you wouldn¡¯t need to bother much about the Gu¡¯s, but no matter what, you¡¯re a daughter of the Gu¡¯s. Let me prepare a good dowry for you when you¡¯re getting married, okay?¡±

    ¡°Why are we talking about dowry now? That¡¯s so old fashioned.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed and changed the topic. ¡°Sis, what about you? Where¡¯s my... future brother-inw?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had initially wanted to say, ¡°brother-inw,¡± but she observed that Gu Yanran had no ring on her left ring finger. Therefore, she knew that Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t married and changed her sentence to, ¡°future brother-inw.¡±

    ¡°Future brother-inw?¡± It was Gu Yanran¡¯s turn tough. ¡°Your sister here isn¡¯t as lucky as you. I¡¯m already 25, but still single.¡±

    ¡°What? How can that be? Sis you¡¯re so pretty. You haven¡¯t had a boyfriend before?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Gu Yanran all over, not believing her words.

    ¡°Used to have a boyfriend, but we broke up,¡± Gu Yanran said matter of factly. ¡°You don¡¯t expect your sister to be almost 26 already and still be a virgin?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed at the mention of that, lowered her head, and ate some vegetables quickly. Gu Yanran watched Gu Nianzhi blush. Her almost jade-white fair skin on her ear lobes had turned a bright shade of pink. When the lights from the top of the room shined on her, you could see the fine hair on the back of her neck, like the hair of a baby, so soft and fragile. Ady who was only about 18 or 19, beautiful from top to toe, looking as young as ever, she really looked like a flower just about to blossom...

    Gu Yanran sighed thoughtfully and looked at her watch. ¡°Why did Huo Shao disappear for so long?¡± Taking a call would take up almost half an hour?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch as well. ¡°Oh yeah. Was there an emergency?¡±

    Gu Yanran knew Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Minister Feng from the Secret Service well. She knew all along that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t that of a normal person, but it wasn¡¯t until Xu Piaohong leaked the secret that time when the video of her and Huo Shaoheng went online that she confirmed her guesses. That a man like him with such high authority and power would love her little sister so much, Gu Yanran felt truly happy for her.

    Gu Yanran looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s watch from the corner of her eyes. It caught her attention and she asked, ¡°Did I see correctly? This watch has a female version? I¡¯ve asked them many times, but they told me that they only manufactured the male version for this design.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled her sleeve down and covered the watch. The corners of her lips curled upwards uncontrobly. She said as calmly as possible, ¡°Huo Shao gave it to me. He said that he got them to customize it. He has one, and this is mine.¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s a couple¡¯s watch!? No wonder!¡± Gu Yanran eximed. ¡°Huo Shao is such a capable person. He could even get the people from that proud brand to customize a set of couple¡¯s watches for him!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and remained quiet. Standing up, she said, ¡°Let me go and see if anything is the matter.¡±

    Before she could exit the room, the door opened. It was Yin Shixiong. He popped his head in and asked, ¡°Nianzhi, something cropped up. We have to go. Mr. Huo asks if you want to leave with us.¡±

    ¡°What? So fast?¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated and turned around to look at Gu Yanran. She saw that she sat at the table filled with good wine and food, but she was all alone. Loneliness was written all over her face.

    When Gu Yanran saw what happened, she waved to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Go, go. Huo Shao is more important than me. Don¡¯t throw tantrums anymore.¡±

    ¡°Since when!?¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted but continued, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave now, sis. Let¡¯s keep in touch.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Yanran raised her ss and took a sip of wine, but did not turn around to look at her.

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that she was unhappy, but asking her to sacrifice Huo Shaoheng and remain with Gu Yanran, wouldn¡¯t she be stupid? Sighing, she followed Yin Shixiong out of the restaurant to the parking lot. Yin Shixiong opened the car door for her, and Gu Nianzhi looked into the car. Zhao Liangze sat knowingly at the other end of the back seat. Huo Shaoheng sat in the middle, looking like he was waiting for her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at him and said awkwardly, ¡°Huo Shao, you can leave now if you have something on.¡± However, in her heart, she was thinking, You¡¯ll be dead if you leave now...

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and looked at her. Reaching out his hand, he said, ¡°Come in.¡± He sounded a bit stern with a slightly strict tone that she was so familiar with, something she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no to. Pouting, she entered the car.

    Fan Jian started the engine in no time and drove into the night towards the south gate of B University. No one spoke along the way. Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong were the talkative ones usually, but they were both quiet now. As for Zhao Liangze, he wouldn¡¯t talk if no one else started talking.

    Huo Shaoheng draped an arm over the seat on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back habitually and rubbed his temples using the other hand. He was almost expressionless, but it was clear that something rather urgent had cropped up.

    Gu Nianzhi began feeling uneasy. She wanted to probe, but with so many people in the car, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to whine in front of everyone, so she remained silent like everyone else. However, it took her a lot of effort to remain quiet.

    After a painfully long time, they finally arrived at the lobby of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory. Fan Jian, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze exited the car, leaving the couple with some personal space for a while. With no outsiders around, they felt more at ease.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders lightly, and she took the cue and leaned into his embrace. After finding afortable spot, she remained there contentedly. Huo Shaoheng caressed her head, feeling her soft, silky hair and took a deep breath. He thought of the mission that he had to face shortly and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s uneasiness, and finally told her, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve submitted a request for marriage to the management.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked speechless. ¡°@¡±

 Chapter 538 - Bros Before Hoes (5)

    <h4>Chapter 538: Bros Before Hoes (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What... request?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought she was hearing things and struggled against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace so she could pick at her ear. However, Huo Shaoheng pressed her against his chest, his voice drifting down from the top of her head. There were no lights inside the car, and the warm yellow glow of the streemps only made the interior of the car appear darker and more surreal. Gu Nianzhi was totally confused. She only wanted to fall in love properly. How were they suddenly talking about marriage?! They hadn¡¯t even fallen madly and deeply in love yet, but somehow they had immediately jumped to the final stage?! The end of love was either parting ways or getting married, but it all meant the same thing.

    Nuzzling against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest, Gu Nianzhi hugged his muscr waist tightly and mumbled, ¡°Marriage is the grave of love... Huo Shao, are you sure you want to doom our love before it even blooms fully?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head gently. ¡°What¡¯s all this cynical bbering?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true. I read a psychologist¡¯s theory on the three stages of love.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally looked up from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace to gaze into his eyes that were as dark as a starry night. She murmured, ¡°The first stage is testing and flirting, the second stage is powerful and inseparable love, and the third is the stage of emotional transformation...¡±

    ¡°Emotional transformation?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s when love transforms into another emotion. It can be friendship, familial love, or nothing at all,¡± Gu Nianzhi stated confidently, one hand caressing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. ¡°There is little passionate love between a married couple because it¡¯s more familial love.The existence of love is short-lived and dazzling, Huo Shao... Let me continue to enjoy the sweetness and thrill of love...¡±

    ¡°...You just want to keep ying coy.¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted her chin up with one hand and asked calmly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi denied it instantly, cocking her head to move her chin away from his hand. ¡°Huo Shao, I...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised a finger to press against her lips and sessfully prevented her from continuing. ¡°Let me finish, I just submitted the marriage request, and the military is still discussing it. They have to cast a vote, then begin the background check.¡± For the first time, Huo Shaoheng exined the entire procedure to Gu Nianzhi in detail.

    Gu Nianzhi listened nkly. She only knew about the background check from before but now finally realized that the background check was only carried out after the military agreed to their marriage. If the request was rejected, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for the background check. Herrge bright eyes stared unblinkingly at Huo Shaoheng, intently focusing like a child being serious.

    Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°ording to normal procedures, it may take six months for the standingmittee of the Supreme Military Council to discuss and cast a vote on the decision.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°There is a background check after the vote is held, so the entire process may take anywhere from a year to three.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry. We¡¯re not getting married tomorrow. You can keep ying coy and keep enjoying the sweetness of being in love.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face burned hotly, but she wasn¡¯t willing to be snubbed by Huo Shaoheng. She answered unhappily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with enjoying being in love? How can Huo Shao insult me like that?¡±

    ¡°I insulted you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you kept saying that I¡¯m ying coy for enjoying being in love...¡± Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng, but because herrge eyes were so doe-like, it didn¡¯t appear threatening at all.

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been coy.¡± Huo Shaohengughed when he saw her get angry. He whispered in her ear, ¡°...Fine, you can be as coy as you like in front of me. Just not in front of anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Shpaheng briefly but couldn¡¯t tell from his faint smile if he was joking or being honest. ¡°You really don¡¯t think it¡¯s annoying?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s annoying, but I don¡¯t dislike it,¡± Huo Shaoheng answered honestly.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned speechless and turned away angrily. ¡°You already think I¡¯m annoying, so why submit the marriage request?¡±

    ¡°To take one for the team. You can just annoy me instead of everyone else.¡± Huo Shaoheng locked her against his chest. ¡°Be good, I might go on a mission abroad very soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze instantly. ¡°A mission? You¡¯re already a Major General, not some footsoldier. Why do you still have to go personally?¡±

    ¡°Because the mission requires a Major General to personally get involved.¡±

    Lips quivering, Gu Nianzhi wanted badly to ask what the mission entailed that made it worthwhile for Huo Shaoheng to go. But she knew he couldn¡¯t disclose his work to anyone and telling her there was a future mission was already an exception. After battling in her mind for a long time, she finally chose to not mention it and hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck as she reminded him, ¡°You must be careful ande home soon. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head and tucked her messy chest-length hair behind her ear. ¡°You have to be good, too, and be more inconspicuous while I¡¯m abroad. You can be as coy as you want when Ie back.¡±

    ¡°Then you muste back, and if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll be coy with someone else.¡± Gu Nianzhi sniffled and used a threatening tone.

    ¡°You dare?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her coolly. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to get punished ording to family rules when Ie back.¡±

    ¡°Family rules? We have such a thing? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t back down and wanted to argue back.

    ¡°You want to know?¡± Huo Shaoheng whispered in her ear, his voice raspy and seductive. ¡°...How about youe back to the apartment with me tonight, and I¡¯ll demonstrate our ¡®family rules.¡¯¡±

    Cheeks flushing red immediately, Gu Nianzhi was thankful the car was dark so they couldn¡¯t see each other clearly. Otherwise she¡¯d be mortified. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I have to go back to the dorm. I already took so many days off, and today isn¡¯t a weekend, so I still have ss early tomorrow morning...¡± If she went home with him to get ¡°punished ording to family rules,¡± there was no way she could get out of bed tomorrow.

    Huo Shaoheng was truly the ace of the Special Operations Forces. His physical endurance was no joke. Although Gu Nianzhi was physically stronger than normal, even she couldn¡¯t take a whole night of getting tossed around by him... How would she get to ss tomorrow? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to miss more sses. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know that Huo Shaoheng still had business, so he actually couldn¡¯t spend time with her, even if she agreed. It was already hard to squeeze in an hour to have dinner with her. ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll take a raincheck and redeem it when I¡¯m back.¡± Huo Shaohengughed quietly, his fingers stroking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek gently. The pads of his fingers were slightly calloused and smelled faintly of nitre from the guns. It was pungent, yet gave Gu Nianzhi a sense of security.

    After a long while, Gu Nianzhi finally answered him and said, ¡°You have to be careful.¡± Huo Shaoheng used to go on missions in the past as well, but Gu Nianzhi had never felt so lost and nervous before. Their rtionship was different now, so her feelings had changed, too... Huo Shaoheng walked her out of the car, and they went to the entrance of her dorm building together. Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and asked, ¡°When are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave when I have to.¡± Huo Shaoheng could only tell her that much. Gu Nianzhi watched him leave before drifting back to the dorm in a daze. Ma Qiqi was already asleep, so her room was dark. Gu Nianzhi jumped on the bed as soon as she got inside. Burying her head in the pillows, her mind reverberated. Oh my god! Huo Shao actually wants to marry me!

    But he hasn¡¯t proposed yet.... How can he just say he¡¯ll marry me?!

    Fine, Huo Shao has the ability to marry whoever he wants, but can I get married just like that?

    She barely slept the whole night with the two voices in her mind arguing the entire time, so the bags under her eyes were especially dark the next day. When she went to He Zhichu¡¯s ssroom for the lecture, He Zhichu took one look at her exhausted face and said coolly, ¡°What is it? Did you rob a housest night?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Rob a house? No? I was sleeping in my dorm the whole time.¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely sleepy and mind-numbed, so she couldn¡¯t even make sense of what He Zhichu was implying.

    He Zhichu snickered and brought a ss of warm milk to her. ¡°Drink a bit of milk to rx.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sipped from the ss and actually felt even more tired. She sat on the couch to listen to He Zhichu exin a case study and got so groggy, she actually fell asleep. Luckily, she was the only one in the ss, so He Zhichu stopped lecturing and got a thin nket to cover her before going to his study to prepare for lessons.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng went to the Senate after driving Gu Nianzhi back to B University. Speaker Long and General Ji were both waiting for him. There were many things that hadn¡¯t been exined clearly over the phone, so he needed to have a meeting with them to understand the next mission in detail.

 Chapter 539 - Guiren (1)

    <h4>Chapter 539: Guiren (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Upon entering Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office in the House of Lords building, Huo Shaoheng saw many pieces of traditional Chinese furniture. He raised his hand and greeted the two seniors. ¡°Good day, Minister.¡±

    ¡°Have a seat.¡± Senior Speaker Long pointed at the sofa across from his own seat.

    Office staff brought Huo Shaoheng a cup of tea in a traditional covered teacup and ced it on the coffee table in front of him. Of course, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t here to have tea when he was asked toe to the office at such an hour. He began the conversation straightforwardly, ¡°May I know what¡¯s the matter, Minister and General?¡±

    Senior Speaker Long waved his hand, indicating for his subordinates to leave the office. Only General Ji, Senior Speaker Long, and Huo Shaoheng were left. Senior Speaker Long looked stern as he began, ¡°It¡¯s another month before the Prime Minister election.¡±

    What did the Prime Minister election have to do with the Special Forces? It was a known fact that they couldn¡¯t interfere with anything that went on within the nation. They could only control things that happened outside the boundaries of the nation. Huo Shaoheng nced at General Ji. Seeing that he remained silent, he did not probe further and listened patiently.

    ¡°...This time around, Minister Dou isn¡¯t able to participate in the election. The other candidates are mediocre. Up ¡¯til now, the election only had two candidates that looked more prominent.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Senior Speaker Long was referring to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Bai Jiancheng, and Law Minister Tan Dongbang. Everyone was familiar with Bai Jiancheng. He had been taking over Prime Minister Dou¡¯s duties after he got into trouble with thew, just like a deputy Prime Minister.

    Everyone thought that he would definitely be the one elected as the next Prime Minister, until a new candidate, Law Minister Tan Dongbang, suddenly announced his interest in joining the election. His mission of ¡°fairness for all¡± attacked the people who were privileged and focused on the all-time popr moral slogan, ¡°Leaders should face the same penalty as the people of the nation if they vite thew.¡± This suddenly pushed his poprity to the moon.

    Moreover, when he was the Minister of Law, he focused on solving the crimes of those who were wrongly used and pushed the court to reopen cases that people felt were not well justified. Many people who were initially wrongly used felt extremely grateful to him. Therefore, the moment he announced that he would be joining the election, most of the citizens voiced their support for him over Bai Jiancheng, who conformed to the norms of society.

    ¡°The person you mentioned to me over the phone was someone rted to Minister Tan,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°Who is it, exactly? Since he has decided to take part in the Prime Minister election, did you check his background thoroughly? If his direct family members have migrated, he wouldn¡¯t be qualified to take part in the election, would he?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯ve checked. The Tan¡¯s are a big family. They have many distant rtives overseas, just like the Xie¡¯s, your grandmother¡¯s family. However, all of Tan Dongbang¡¯s direct family members are citizens of Hua Xia Empire. He has a daughter, though. She is currently studying overseas. However, she¡¯s holding a study permit, so it¡¯s not a case of migration. She will be graduating with her master¡¯s this summer and initially intended to remain to continue her postgraduate studies overseas. However, her father¡¯sst minute decision to take part in the election made her change her ns. She has to be back in the Hua Xia empire before the election, which will be the day after her final exams.¡± Senior Speaker Long produced a set of documents and ced them in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng took the documents and began flipping through them expressionlessly. ¡°So this is the matter that you said was urgent? A female student who is studying overseas, and you want the Special Forces¡¯ Major General to bring her back to the empire? Yes, very normal and not privileged at all.¡±

    General Ji was speechless. Senior Speaker Longughed a little. ¡°Brutally straightforward, Shaoheng, but I¡¯m not done talking.¡±

    ¡°I await your continuation.¡±

    ¡°Tan Dongbang¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren...¡±

    ¡°Stop. Why is his daughter a benefactor?¡±

    He did not know much about the people from the cab, much less about their rtives, whether direct or distant.

    ¡°His daughter isn¡¯t the benefactor! Guiren is her name! They named her Guiren!¡± Senior Speaker Long almost lost his cool when Huo Shaoheng asked this question. He was thinking the same thing! What¡¯s with naming their daughter Guiren?

    Guiren... Why don¡¯t they just name her Fuxing?

    ¡°Oh.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused before saying, ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°This Tan Guiren has been majoring in violin at the Juilliard School in America. She has just been minding her own business and has been a good girl. However, due to her father¡¯s decision to take part in the election, she had been affected.¡± Senior Speaker Long¡¯s voice deepened, and he handed Huo Shaoheng a set of documents. ¡°We¡¯ve just gotten news that she has disappeared from her campus.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He nced at General Ji. General Ji nodded at him. ¡°Someone from the embassy confirmed the information. She¡¯s really gone missing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the documents and flipped through them again, asking as he looked, ¡°How do you know that her disappearance is rted to her father¡¯s decision to take part in the election, even if the disappearance is real? Perhaps it¡¯s just a simple case of kidnapping.¡±

    ¡°Because someone sent Tan Dongbang a letter saying that his daughter would be able to return safely as long as he drops out of the election. Otherwise, his daughter would be worse off than dead.¡± Senior Speaker Long punched the table. ¡°I raged upon seeing this letter. How ridiculous! How can anyone threaten our candidate like this? Is there stillw in this country?!¡±

    ¡°Then why did you look for me?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up straight. ¡°You can use the Special Forces guys who are based in America. Why should I do this personally?¡± As the head of the Special Forces, he did not have to attend to every single case personally anymore.

    ¡°This... One of the officers from our embassy found this.¡± General Ji handed another set of documents to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look. Doesn¡¯t this look familiar?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the set of documents and flipped through them. Upon seeing the figures on the documents, he stopped, looking at those figures, lost in thought. This was a set of maic field data. To be more specific, it was a set of odd maic field data. It was identical to the data found when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s maternal grandfather, Song Haichuan, and mother, Song Jinning, failed in their experiment 17 years ago. It was also identical to the ones found seven years ago when Gu Nianzhi was found at the scene of a car ident.

    However, this time around, it had appeared in the dorm at the Juilliard School, New York, America. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but he was expressionless. Keeping the documents, he raised his head to look at the two men sitting across from him. ¡°Regarding the abnormal maic field data, we have been following up on it at the Special Forces for a long time. We also have people who specialize in this. It¡¯d be better if you sent them instead.¡±

    ¡°But you would volunteer to go and investigate whenever there were cases involving this set of figures.¡± Senior Speaker Long was beginning to feel confused. ¡°Why have you decided to not go this time?¡±

    ¡°Times change.¡± Huo Shaoheng covered his thoughts extremely well. He would never tell Senior Speaker Long and General Ji the real reason behind his decision, because he felt that this set of figures was merely a set of numbers now that they had found Gu Nianzhi.

    General Ji and Senior Speaker Long exchanged nces and then looked at Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°You¡¯re really not interested? You really don¡¯t want to go?¡±

    ¡°The case must be extremely beneficial to the country if I¡¯m required to handle it personally. How will it affect our country when the daughter of a candidate gets kidnapped?¡± Huo Shaoheng was firm. ¡°I have too many things on hand. I¡¯ve got no time to check on missing persons.¡±

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng had made up his mind, even after trying to convince him for so long, General Ji and Senior Speaker Long decided to give up. This was also partly due to the fact that it was almost daybreak, and the two older men were too worn out to continue. Therefore, they asked Huo Shaoheng to think about it before calling it a day.

    Coming out of the meeting room, Huo Shaoheng saw the first golden rays in the sky. A bright, red sun had just begun to rise in the distance. Just as he was contemting if he should look for Gu Nianzhi, his phone rang again. This time around, though, it was his personal line. Less than five people knew about this personal line of his.

    Looking at his phone, he was surprised to see that it was Chen Lie. ¡°Mr. Huo, where are you? Are you at headquarters? Can youe to my office for a moment?¡± Chen Lie asked, sounding urgent.

    ¡°Be back soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng said swiftly and hung up. Then, he got into his car and informed Fan Jian, ¡°Return to headquarters.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his door and massaged his temples. Then, he closed his eyes to have some rest. He woke up the moment they arrived at headquarters. Instead of returning to his mansion, Huo Shaoheng went to Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    Chen Lie¡¯s base was on the top floor of the medical department. Huo Shaoheng took the elevator and arrived at the ce where Chen Lie was working alone. Chen Lie had been calling him sincest night, asking him toe see him. Moreover, he wanted to check on Gu Xiangwen. Chen Lie had only managed to stabilize Gu Xiangwen¡¯s condition a few days after they returned. He was slowly recovering.

    Pushing the snow-white door open, Huo Shaoheng looked into the room at Gu Xiangwen, who was lying on his bed. There were tubes all over him. The amount of machines surrounding him made the room look like a garage instead of a room for a patient.

    Chen Lie was in the office beside the room. He had already seen that Huo Shaoheng hade up from the CCTV, but he only went into his office a whileter. ¡°Seen him?¡± Chen Lie rolled his eyes. ¡°What would you need to worry about when he¡¯s under my care?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried. Just taking a look to see when he¡¯s able to wake up.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and took an apple from the corner of Chen Lie¡¯s table and bit into it. ¡°Sour.¡± Putting it down, he turned to Chen Lie. ¡°Why were you looking for me?¡±

    Chen Lie frowned. He looked at Huo Shaoheng and moved his eyes away guiltily. Then, he looked around the office, avoiding the question. Having been friends with him for many years, Huo Shaoheng could see that he was having some difficulty.

    Toying with the bitten apple with one hand, Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°What do you want to do again? Wanting to make use of Nianzhi again when you¡¯re unable to save people? I¡¯ve warned you many times, Nianzhi isn¡¯t ab rat. Don¡¯t even think of using her to save Gu Xiangwen. I¡¯ll look down on you for life if you do that.¡±

    It seemed like Chen Lie had something on his mind that he could not say. Turning purple, he finally jumped out of his office, rushed to the door, and mmed it shut. Then he turned off all the surveince in his office. After all that, he turned to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Do you know where the hidden surveince is here?¡±

    This meant that he had something he needed to say but did not want anyone else to hear and record it. Huo Shaoheng became stern. This was the main building in the headquarters of the Special Forces. Huo Shaoheng did not even know how much hidden surveince there was. Therefore, if there was something he had to say that he did not want people to know, it would be impossible to do it here.

    Standing up, he said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Chen Lie understood. He jumped up, grabbed his coat, and exited his office with Huo Shaoheng. They took the elevator down and headed to the spacious field in front of the medical building. As long as they kept their volume low there, no devices would be able to pick up their conversation.

    When Huo Shaoheng saw that Chen Lie was so meticulous, he had already braced himself for the worst, even though his face did not show at all. ¡°Spill. What happened?¡±

    Chen Lie had little beads of perspiration on his nose whenever he got nervous. Removing his sses, he gave them a wipe before putting them on again. Then, gathering all his courage, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you first, Mr. Huo, but don¡¯t be anxious.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Shoot.¡±

    ¡°This time round, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow, even if I really wanted to.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Her DNA is notpatible with Gu Xiangwen¡¯s.¡±

 Chapter 540 - Guiren (2)

    <h4>Chapter 540: Guiren (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng grew quiet for a moment before asking him again, ¡°Why does a DNA mismatch have anything to do with you using her bone marrow?¡± It was fine as long as their bone marrow matched.

    Chen Lie grimaced. ¡°I was only telling you one of the results. Not only did the DNA not match, but the bone marrow typing also didn¡¯t match, so I couldn¡¯t use it even if I wanted to.¡±

    ¡°You really thought about doing it? And even tried, too?¡± Huo Shaoheng gazed at him coldly. ¡°Do you have a deathwish?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to y along if you want to start something!¡± Chen Lie was also angry now, grinding out the words from between his clenched teeth. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me secretly doing the test, you would still be fooled right now! When this stuff gets out, all your work will be for nothing!¡±

    Right. Huo Shaoheng had thought Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past had been determined already and hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen. Crossing his arms, he walked slowly around the empty square in circles, not straying too far away. After a while, he asked, ¡°Then what about Gu Xiangwen? Did you confirm his identity?¡±

    ¡°This Gu Xiangwen should be the real one.¡± Chen Lie thought about it for a bit. ¡°His DNA matches with Gu Yanran¡¯s, so they are biological father and daughter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly tightened his fists. ¡°Gu Yanran is his biological daughter?¡± Were all his spections from before incorrect? He originally thought Gu Nianzhi was his biological daughter while Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t, but now it was the opposite? After walking around the square several times, Huo Shaoheng recalled what He Zhichu had done. He had proven that Gu Nianzhi was the Gu family¡¯s youngest daughter, instead of proving she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter. Also, Gu Yanran had admitted that Gu Nianzhi was her family¡¯s little sister. What did this mean? This meant Gu Nianzhi was legally the Gu family¡¯s daughter... right? But the consequences would be too devastating if Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter, while Gu Yanran was. Huo Shaoheng knew how eager the high-ranking military elites were to obtain Gu Xiangwen¡¯s research results and patents, and also knew what great benefits they would bring to national security. But if this leaked, then Gu Yanran¡¯s identity would also fluctuate in importance,pletely overtaking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. No, this couldn¡¯t be. Huo Shaoheng squinted before stopping his pacing and looking back at the helpless Chen Lie. He told him calmly, ¡°This incident ends here. Don¡¯t tell anyone just yet. Remember, you never did this test. You must destroy all the records.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Chen Lie nodded. ¡°You have a solution?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is definitely Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. There is no doubt about her legal identity,¡± Huo Shaoheng stated confidently. ¡°As to whether or not she is biologically rted to him, why does it matter? Even Gu Yanran admits her identity.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Maybe Gu Nianzhi could be Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife¡¯s biological daughter?¡± Chen Lie murmured, ¡°Too bad I can¡¯t get her information and blood sample. Otherwise...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± Huo Shaoheng could vaguely sense that things were not as simple as they seemed, but at the moment he needed them to be very ¡°simple.¡± The marriage request had been submitted, and his father Huo Guanchen was still opposing it, but it was because all the military elite believed that Gu Nianzhi was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter and that they were still supporting Huo Shaoheng. But as soon as the news broke that Gu Niazhi wasn¡¯t biologically rted to Gu Xiangwen, then it would be a matter of moments before the military elites withdrew support. Then his father, Huo Guanchen, would be the most vocal person on the issue of his marriage, and the request would be rejected instantly.

    Huo Shaoheng walked around the square several times again with his arms crossed. The early summer sun rose with the dry heat of the season. The trees around the square were draped in green foliage, yet it couldn¡¯t dispel the newly arrived summer heat. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart was also getting hot and agitated. ¡°You must keep this confidential for as long as possible.¡± Huo Shaoheng clenched his fists and finally decided to reply with confidence, ¡°I have to go abroad this month for work. You have to remember to use the reason of Gu Xiang¡¯s serious illness not yet fully recovering to temporarily reject anybody¡¯s visits.¡±

    ¡°Ok, that is not a problem.¡± Chen Lie nodded. ¡°That is very simple, but if Gu Yanran decides to tell everyone herself...¡±

    ¡°She might not say anything for now as long as we don¡¯t provoke her.¡± Huo Shaoheng understood Gu Yanran fairly well. ¡°We just need to keep her calm for another three days.¡±

    Chen Lie sensed that Huo Shaoheng already had some kind of a n in ce but didn¡¯t want to ask too much. ¡°You think about it clearly. Do you need to give Nianzhi a heads up?¡±

    ¡°No, she can¡¯t remember anything, anyway.¡± Huo Shaoheng resumed his normal demeanor. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now.¡± When he returned to his office, he said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Send me information about Tan Dongbang¡¯s family situation.¡±

    ¡°Tan Dongbang? The Minister of Justice? Popr candidate for the Prime Minister election?¡± Zha Liangzeughed. ¡°Mr. Huo, you sure have broad interests.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at him before walking straight back to the private room inside his office. Zhao Liangze rubbed his nose and immediately obtained all the information about Tan Dongbang from the data vault, then sent it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had only read a bit of it when General Ji called again to implore passionately, ¡°Shaoheng, this is a serious matter. You should consider it well and go to the United States personally.¡±

    ¡°General Ji, I need a reason.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone was no longer as resolute. ¡°Why do you want me to go no matter what?¡±

    General Ji stiffened. He had only meant to humor him, but he thought about how he and Speaker Long had tried to convince Huo Shaoheng all night, but the younger man had yet to give in at all. He knew that he would never convince Huo Shaoheng using a random excuse. ¡°You really want to know?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cursor quietly clicked on Minister of Justice Tan Dongbang¡¯s information, and he scrolled through the pages. Tan Dongbang was a family man with a long history of academic achievements. Both his parents were esteemed figures in the Huaxia Imperial legal realm, but the Tan¡¯s had always been famous only within the academic circles as a schrly family. Tan Dongbang was the first one in his family to make a career outside of academia. Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife, Cai Songyin, was born in the Huaxia Imperial liberal arts family, the Cai¡¯s. Her ancestors were once especially renowned figures in the educational world, and many current high-ranking government leaders had been helped by the Cai¡¯s in the past, so they remained thankful to them even to this day. They also only had one daughter, Tan Guiren.

    ¡°Shaoheng, it¡¯s actually Mrs. Tan who requested that you personally take part in helping them find their daughter. As parents, it¡¯s understandable that want to give their daughter the best treatment. Just like how hospitals will ask for the best doctors, schools will look for the best students and the best teachers. Also, there is certainly something strange with this incident, so I will be reassured if you personally take part.¡± General Ji was getting on in years already, yet he was able to set aside his pride and beg Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent as he gazed nkly at the information on the screen. General Ji continued to mutter over the phone, ¡°Shaoheng, if you personally find Tan Guiren, then both the Tan¡¯s and the Cai¡¯s will owe you a favor. If Tan Dongbang is elected Prime Minister, then your future will improve over the next five years...¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng was part of the military system, Tan Dongbang would be figuratively the leader of the nation if he was elected Prime Minister. The promotion of generals and assignment of rank had to be approved by the Cab was well, so Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be able to rise in rank if the Prime Minister-led Cab didn¡¯t agree. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t actually care about that, because if he had, he would¡¯ve immediately agreed yesterday. There would have been no need for Speaker Long and General Ji to beg him repeatedly. But the information he had just received form Chen Lie made him change his mind. After looking at the data for a long time, and with General Ji¡¯s tongue already so parched from pleading over the phone he was about to give up, Huo Shaoheng spoke. ¡°General Ji, it¡¯s not out of the question for me to go personally. But I have a condition.¡±

    ¡°What condition? Tell me!¡± General Ji was overjoyed at the news. It was a great feeling to have the entire situation turn around!

    ¡°I will go if the military can immediately approve my marriage request and alsoplete Nianzhi¡¯s background check before I go abroad.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers began tapping mindlessly on the desk. He was feeling a hint of nervousness, but his expression waspletely inscrutable.

    ¡°What?!¡± General Ji was shocked. ¡°You already know how long the process takes! How can you make such a request?!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t agree? That¡¯s fine, then.¡± Huo Shaoheng motioned to end the call.

    General Jiposed himself and began to rebut Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, be reasonable. How can your issue and Tan Guiren¡¯s incident be on the same level?¡±

    ¡°From the start, requesting me to go personally was a favor asked by certain people. Then why can¡¯t I make a request of my own?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. He could already see a glimmer of hope. ¡°How can those people propositioning the Tan¡¯s not pay a bit? They have to understand that asking us to go is asking us to risk our lives to help them return their favor to the Tan¡¯s.¡±

 Chapter 541 - Guiren (3)

    <h4>Chapter 541: Guiren (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The world just worked that way, even if you were taking the backdoor. If you required someone¡¯s help, they wouldn¡¯t agree just because you needed their help. It wouldn¡¯t be so easy. You¡¯d have to give something in return. This would be known as a ¡°benefit exchange.¡±

    General Ji held onto the phone. He was speechless for a long time. Finally, he coughed and said, ¡°Let me discuss it with them again.¡± Then, he hung up and turned to his secretary. ¡°I need to go out and settle some things. You give them a call to see if they¡¯re home.¡± He handed his secretary a list. ¡°Call everyone on the list except for Huo Guanchen.¡±

    The secretary took a look and saw that the list contained names from the Army Supreme Committee. Therefore, he did not think too much about it and began calling them. There were a total of 15 people on themittee, including General Ji and Huo Guanchen. There was no need to call Huo Guanchen, so he just had to make 13 phone calls in total.

    Very soon, the calls had been made. Seven of them were home and could see General Ji. The other six were tied up with work, so they arranged to see General Ji the next day. General Ji was busy discussing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s issue for two whole days with themittee before he managed toe to a satisfactory agreement with them.

    Being able toe to amon consensus with such aplicated problem in just two days had its reasons. The main one was that they wanted to keep Gu Xiangwen in their country. That was why they wanted Gu Nianzhi to marry Huo Shaoheng. Gu Xiangwen wasn¡¯t a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire. Even though he was already registered as a Permanent Resident, no one could guarantee that he would want to keep the status once he woke up. The only thing that could increase the chances of him staying would be to keep one of his flesh and blood here.

    Previously, they had been dying processing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s marriage request. It wasn¡¯t that they disagreed, but they had to show some respect to Huo Guanchen. Moreover, Gu Nianzhi was still young. She had just reached the legal age of marriage in the Empire. Even if she agreed, and the background check passed, they wouldn¡¯t get married immediately. Therefore, themittee felt that it was okay to dy the entire decision.

    That was the reason why everyone wasn¡¯t rushing the decision. On one hand, they wouldn¡¯t offend Huo Guanchen; on the other hand, they wouldn¡¯t be deemed as not respecting Huo Shaoheng, either. However, now that General Ji hade to ry Huo Shaoheng¡¯s terms for him to attend to the case personally, these people finally understood that Huo Shaoheng was already angry and felt his treatment had been unjust.

    They needed Huo Shaoheng to help them with many more things in the future, and the Tan¡¯s kidnapping incident was one of them. Their journey would be more smooth sailing only after they settled this. Since everyone had stated their terms and conditions, it was really much easier toe to a consensus.

    During themittee¡¯s meeting, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s marriage request had been approved with 14 positive votes and one negative vote. Looking at the oue, Huo Guanchen¡¯s face turned pale. He could not think of anything to say. He would really be stupid if he still wanted to object to the marriage. However, with such a drastic change in these 14 people over just a couple of days, Huo Guanchen knew that Huo Shaoheng must have done something to convince them. When he thought about this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel proud of his son and angry at him at the same time. However, there was nothing he could do.

    The moment a decision was made in the organization, there was no room for changes. Or to put it in another way, it would be too tough to change even if all 15 of them were to work together.

    ...

    It was another three days with no news, calls, texts, nor meetups. However, this time around, Gu Nianzhi did not feel frustrated or insecure, like she hadn¡¯t seen him in years. That was because she hadn¡¯t gotten over the shock that Huo Shaoheng had given her that day. How was it that she was going to be married all of a sudden?

    Gu Nianzhi was working on her essay on theputer but had zoned out again. She looked at the gorgeous summer sun outside the window, and her eyes narrowed to avoid the re of the sun¡¯s rays. Looking back at herputer¡¯s screen, she realized that her essay made no sense at all.

    So distracted...

    Gu Nianzhi gave up and stopped writing altogether. Turning herputer off, she walked to the refrigerator and took out some dragon fruit. Then, she drizzled some manuka honey on it and put it into a white, round porcin bowl. She brought the fruit to Ma Qiqi¡¯s room and knocked on her door.

    ¡°Qiqi, do you want some dragon fruit?¡±

    Ma Qiqi opened the door. A sleepy face greeted Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s Saturday! Why are you awake so early?¡± Looking at her watch, it wasn¡¯t even eight in the morning. If they did not go home over the weekend, they¡¯d usually sleep in until about nine or ten.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly and showed Ma Qiqi the white porcin bowl. ¡°Look! Superbly juicy dragon fruit. Fragrant, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth. I topped it with raw manuka honey as well! Do you want some?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ma Qiqi was suddenly awake and nodded vigorously. ¡°Let me wash up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi went to the dining table and ced two forks in the bowl, one for Ma Qiqi and one for herself. Ma Qiqi came out after a short while and sat down at the dining table with her. Picking up a fork each, they began eating.

    ¡°Ooh, this dragon fruit is indeed yummy. It¡¯s so juicy and soft! It¡¯s the softest I¡¯ve ever eaten.¡± Ma Qiqi almost wanted to cheer for having such amazing dragon fruit. Gu Nianzhi was d that Ma Qiqi was enjoying the fruit so much. She stopped eating after a couple of mouthfuls and watched Ma Qiqi eat. After having a few pieces of dragon fruit, Ma Qiqi asked, ¡°Nianzhi, why did you not go back this weekend? Didn¡¯t your boyfriende to pick you up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in a daze and did not hear what Ma Qiqi had said. Ma Qiqi tapped on the table. ¡± Nianzhi, is something bothering you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh...¡± Gu Nianzhi snapped back to reality. She wanted to cover things up initially, but she also really wanted to rant. She had grown up with Huo Shaoheng and the guys, and used to tell all her inner secrets to Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, or Huo Shaoheng. However, she had grown up and couldn¡¯t bring herself to discuss her girl¡¯s worries with the guys.

    When she was an undergraduate, she still had Little Temptress, Lady Cao, and Green Tea Fang to help her think of solutions. However, at that time she did not have that many things bothering her that she needed to confide in someone. After a while, Gu Nianzhi finally asked, ¡°Qiqi, what do you think is a good age to get married?¡±

    ¡°Married?!¡± Ma Qiqi was stunned. Even though she was older than Gu Nianzhi, she was only 23 years old. She had just ended a rtionship and did not have any intention of starting a new one. Marriage felt like a long way away for her. She smiled slyly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ve just turned 18 and haven¡¯t even had your 19th birthday celebration, right? What is it about getting married?! You have a long way ahead of you, but you¡¯re thinking of being a naggy housewife already?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed along with her. Even though, ording to thew in Hua Xia Empire, one could get married once they turned 18, Ma Qiqi thought exactly like she did! They were all youngdies who were just about to entire society. Their lives had just begun, in their opinion.

    They were still looking at guys based on their looks, still had romantic, unrealistic expectations for rtionships, and wanted their imaginary handsome guys to fit into their imaginary perfect rtionships. If the guys could not be on par with their imagination, they¡¯d have endlessints. Being hopelessly in love was what they were looking for in a rtionship at their age.

    ¡°You¡¯re so good with words, Qiqi.¡± Gu Nianzhi decided to change the topic after giving it some thought. She was worried that Ma Qiqi would continue asking her questions. ¡°Oh yeah, how have you been recently? Did you get into a new rtionship? I saw you standing at the tree downstairs, talking to someone tall when I was on my way back from the library. Your smile was extremely gentle.¡±

    ¡°What?! You saw?!¡± Ma Qiqi wailed and covered her face in embarrassment. ¡°No, no. He isn¡¯t my new boyfriend. Definitely not.¡±

    Putting down her hands, she looked at Gu Nianzhi shyly, moved close to her, and whispered, ¡°But it seems like he¡¯s interested in me...¡±

    ¡°Do you like him?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, curious. ¡°He¡¯s the one who¡¯s courting you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t had the experience of being courted. She was the one taking the initiative between Huo Shaoheng and herself, so she didn¡¯t know how it felt to be courted. Sometimes, she even doubted herself, questioning whether Huo Shaoheng truly loved her, or if she was just a routine for him. He might be used to taking care of her, letting her bug him and epting that she was his responsibility and obligation...

    Ma Qiqi closed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know... He¡¯s rather nice. I still have to wait and see...¡±

    ¡°Then what else do you want?¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely curious now. ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough that he¡¯s nice to you? Is he not good enough to you?¡±

    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t.¡± Ma Qiqi continued sternly, ¡°I have to have feelings for him, too, you know? If I agree to be together with him purely because he is nice to me, it¡¯d be gratitude, not love. It¡¯d also be a form of disrespect towards him if I were to agree to be his girlfriend like that.¡±

    ¡°It would?¡± Gu Nianzhi began to get lost in her train of thought again. ¡°How do you know if he loves you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really simple!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes lit up, just like they had chandeliers in them. Using her hands to support her face, she said romantically, ¡°Well, they think of you non-stop, and find means and ways and opportunities just to see you. If you weren¡¯t together, then morning and goodnight calls would bepulsory. As for you, you feel like you can¡¯t breathe whenever you see him. Just imagine, the things you¡¯ve practiced in your mind to look good around him are all forgotten because you have fallen head over heels over him and can¡¯t control your movements and moods.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Listening to her description, Gu Nianzhi felt that Ma Qiqi was describing an idiot. However, she frowned and realized regretfully that she seemed to be the idiot in this rtionship, identical to Ma Qiqi¡¯s description when she was with Huo Shaoheng. Did Huo Shaoheng have a hard time bearing with her? But it did seem like she really loved Huo Shaoheng. However, she couldn¡¯t tell if Huo Shaoheng loved her as much.

    She used to think that she could make Huo Shaoheng fall for her as much as she loved him, but after the incident at the Blue Hole, she felt that it was highly impossible. Comrades and missions were way more important to him than she was. That day, when she was hurting so badly on the ship and couldn¡¯t move, she saw Huo Shaoheng leave her for hisrades. She couldn¡¯t deny that it was a huge blow to her, and she was still recovering from the hurt.

    Her insecurities increased. Was Huo Shaoheng using marriage to coax her because she was throwing a tantrum? But he didn¡¯t know that that wasn¡¯t the type of security she needed. She wanted his true feelings towards her. Would there, perhaps, be any chance that Huo Shaoheng might fall for another person, someone who was more mature, graceful, good-tempered, and gorgeous? If there was someone like that, what would she do? Must she give Huo Shaoheng up just like that?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a long time and concluded with two words, ¡°No way!¡±

 Chapter 542 - Guiren (4)

    <h4>Chapter 542: Guiren (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°So that¡¯s the case...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes curved as she smiled. ¡°Qiqi, there must be many people pursuing you?¡±

    ¡°Not really...¡± Ma Qiqi blushed as she looked up at Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, shining, lucid eyes, her soft porcin cheeks, nose so straight and delicate that it looked like it was drawn with a ruler, and her naturally rosy, curvy lips. She gushed with envy, ¡°A girl as pretty as Nianzhi must have even more people pursuing her! Why did you choose your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°My boyfriend? Who?¡± Gu Nianzhi also blushed as she waved her hand. ¡°No, no.... No one is really pursuing me.¡± She immediately thought of Mei Xiawen, and Gu Nianzhi calmly removed him from her list of suitors. The way she saw it, being pursued only counted when it was someone she liked. Being pursued by someone she disliked was considered harassment. She only wanted Huo Shaoheng to pursue her, but she realized it was impossible.

    ¡°No way? Our Nianzhi is smart and pretty. Are those other men blind or something? But luckily, your boyfriend has good taste and locked you in so early.¡± Ma Qiqi pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek with a smile. ¡°Look at this pretty little face, how alluring!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly cocked her head to avoid Ma Qiqi¡¯s ¡°lecherous ws,¡± while pinching her nose. ¡°Speaking about beauty, our Qiqi is the true first ss beauty. Look at that alluring smile. Even a girl like me can¡¯t hold myself back!¡±

    The two girls fooled around in the dorm and because they were so young, they quickly forgot about stressful things. To them, life was a kaleidoscope constantly giving them surprises, and every step back was beauty and goodness, so even the gloomy clouds were adorned with silver linings.

    ...

    On Saturday morning, He Zhichu woke up in his bedroom and almost didn¡¯t want to open his eyes. After quietlyying there for a while, he finally fumbled for the phone on his side table and unlocked it to check the time. It was 8am sharp, and he still didn¡¯t want to get up. Last night he had been dealing with some family issues and busied himself until nearly midnight before he got to sleep. He didn¡¯t think he would wake up at just 8am. Circadian rhythms were truly a scary thing. When he checked his phone, he also looked at the locating function out of habit. He bolted upright from bed as soon as he looked. The phone location system actually indicated that Gu Nianzhi was on campus...

    This was a rare opportunity. Ever since Gu Nianzhi started school, she almost never spent weekends there, so it was very rare that she actually stayed for the weekend. Looking at the phone for a while, He Zhichu finally set it down and fell asleep again. So what if she was at school? It wasn¡¯t like he could invite her to spend the weekend with him. Their rtionship was only that of a student and a teacher, nothing else, he Zhichu reminded himself.

    He slept some more, and it was almost noon by the time he roused again. Getting up from the bed slowly, he went to the bathroom to take a shower then made himself coffee. After finishing the drink, his entire body was finally awake. He Zhichu nced at hisputer but didn¡¯t really want to continue working. Taking out his phone to check again, he found that Gu Nianzhi was located at the campus tennis courts. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t yed tennis for many days now, so he needed to exercise a bit. He Zhichu walked into the bedroom to change into a tennis outfit and tennis shoes. He carried a tennis bag with a tennis racket downstairs. He drove to the campus tennis courts and parked in the underground parking lot then went up in the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi were ying against each other on the fourth court. They both wore pure white tennis outfits and white sport socks, their pale and slender legs running and jumping around the courts, exuding an extreme aura of youth. Carrying a tennis racket, He Zhichu calmly walked past them without letting his eyes stray. Gu Nianzhi had her back to him as he passed by, but Ma Qiqi faced him directly. Looking to see He Zhichu walking over, she stiffened andpletely forgot to receive the ball, so it almost hit her.

    ¡°Qiqi, are you ok?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked and quickly ran over to the.

    Ma Qiqi shot Gu Nianzhi a desperate look and almost smacked her back with the racket. Gu Nianzhi was bewildered and turned around to see that He Zhichu had somehow appeared. He happened to look over and meet her eyes. ¡°Professor He? You¡¯re here to y tennis ?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked up to him with a cheerful smile and waved her racket. ¡°Do you want to y a game or two?¡±

    ¡°y with me? Are you sure?¡± He Zhichu subtly smiled at Ma Qiqi with a polite nod before ncing at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s flushed little face. Her forehead was glistening with sweat from the physical activity. He raised his hand, unable to stop himself from wiping it off of her.

    Gu Nianzhi backed up with a smile. ¡°What is it? If Professor He is a world ss yer, then I¡¯m not too shabby, either!¡± Only Gu Nianzhi coulde up with that level of confidence.

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s y a game or two.¡±

    Ma Qiqi also came around and said quickly, ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi is practically a little beast! She¡¯s way too energetic. I¡¯m no match for her. I hope Professor He can properly teach her a lesson, so she¡¯s not so impudent!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gently swatted Ma Qiqi¡¯s back with a giggle. ¡°What a sore loser. Tattle telling?¡±

    ¡°How is this tattle telling? I¡¯m just asking an incredible person to defeat you!¡± Ma Qiqi winked at her before sitting at the side of the court. She took arge swig of spring water.

    Gu Nianzhi was already standing opposite He Zhichu on the court to begin the game. Gu Nianzhi was first to serve, throwing the tennis ball high up in air and raising her racket to m down fiercely, sending it hurtling over to the other side like a bullet.

    Although He Zhichu appeared schrly and elegant, unlike a skilled athlete¡ªGu Nianzhi knew she had made a grave mistake as soon as he received the ball. He jumped with agility and had incredible aim. With a powerful swing of his racket, Gu Nianzhi could even hear the air screaming by her ear. This was a formidable opponent! With renewed energy, she focused only on ying against He Zhichu.

    ...

    On Saturday morning, the Special Operations Forces base was serenely silent. Most people were enjoying a nice morning of not needing to go out for early training. Huo Shaoheng still woke up at 7am as usual and had breakfast as he went through his emails. Unless it was an emergency, he typically didn¡¯t reply to them. After breakfast, he went for a morning run. Although it was early summer, the morning temperature wasn¡¯t too high, but it was still much hotter than it had been a few weeks earlier. After Huo Shaoheng finished running ap, his forehead and back were covered with a fine sheen of sweat.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, General Ji is calling. Would you like to take it?¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice sounded over the Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng slowed down to a walk around the dark green, oval-shaped track with both his hands in his pockets.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re up?¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Chief.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°I got up a long time ago. I¡¯m out for a morning run.¡±

    ¡°Morning runs on the weekend, hahahaha...¡± General Ji was very cheerful. ¡°You¡¯re truly my best soldier!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. That was considered being a good soldier? General Ji sure had low standards. He casually chatted with him some more before General Ji remarked happily, ¡°Shaoheng, we have the results of Nianzhi¡¯s background check.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart jolted. He walked over to sit on the stone bench at the side of the track. ¡°Really? That¡¯s pretty efficient.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s efficient, the Standing Council of the Supreme Military Council had authorized ¡®expedited handling,¡¯ so how could it not be quick?¡± General Ji said smugly. ¡°The military has unanimously agreed to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng marrying.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So Nianzhi¡¯s background check was fine?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked in great detail, ¡°I had requested for it be expedited but not to lower the standards. I want to know the level of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check and results.¡±

    ¡°You punk, you don¡¯t forget anything!¡± General Ji chided jokingly before promising, ¡°It was all the highest level, and her background check results werepletely fine. It was the top score.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat bolt upright. ¡°Then give me a copy of the background check. I want to keep a record.¡± Files were only worth anything if they were physical copies. Huo Shaoheng was well aware of how it worked.

    ¡°Ok, not a problem.¡± General Ji was happy to do this favor. ¡°When are youing to pick it up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle right away.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in about half an hour. Other than the background check, can General Ji also please write me a marriage rmendation letter?¡±

    ¡°What are you in such a rush for!?¡± General Ji was perplexed. ¡°Are you actually trying to get married right away? There¡¯s not even time! You haven¡¯t bought a new home, invited guests, or even prepared a wedding gown yet!¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°I just want toplete all the procedures first but won¡¯t be getting married right away. General Ji is overthinking it.¡±

 Chapter 543 - Guiren (5)

    <h4>Chapter 543: Guiren (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± General Ji did not seem to trust what Huo Shaoheng had said. He had been ¡°threatened¡± too much by Huo Shaoheng these past couple of days and realized that he could not understand what was on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind anymore.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied steadily, a small smile creeping up the corners of his lips and a pen twirling in his hand. The pen dotted the paper asionally, staining it.

    General Ji was lost in his thoughts for a while. Since the marriage application and political review all passed, getting the letter of approval would be in line. Why should he stop Huo Shaoheng at this juncture? Moreover, Huo Shaoheng really wasn¡¯t getting younger...

    General Ji nodded, defeated. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get Secretary Cao to take you to finish the paperwork.¡± He paused, then tried to scare Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°We have already agreed that Nianzhi is still young, and you¡¯ve got to consider that as well, about how it¡¯ll affect your career. It would be best to marry her only after her father wakes up. Then she¡¯ll have her biological father attend her wedding. Wouldn¡¯t that be much better? Don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Mm...¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that we wouldn¡¯t be married immediately. I can¡¯t do anything if General Ji doesn¡¯t want to believe my words.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you. I¡¯m merely reminding you. Actually, it¡¯d be better if you were to finish all your paperwork in one go...¡± General Ji chuckled for a good while before hanging up.

    Huo Shaoheng did not hesitate. He returned to his mansion and had a shower, and then he prepared all his documents. Finally, he drove to the Military Supreme Council. Even though it was a Saturday, the people on duty prepared Huo Shaoheng¡¯s documents diligently, as his was ssified as a ¡°special case.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng checked the documents in the meeting room. He looked through every single one of them carefully, word by word. There were 14 signatures from the members of themittee on his marriage application. The political review had the stamps of the members as well, in addition to a reference number to easily file it.

    He looked carefully again at the grade and level of the review. He only stopped upon confirming that it was the top grade review. That was because with the top grade review, the chances of them denying the documents would be lowest.

    Huo Shaoheng put the two sets of documents in his bag. Then, standing up, he turned to General Ji¡¯s secretary, Secretary Cao, and thanked him. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Secretary Cao.¡±

    ¡°No worries, no worries! Major General Huo is too polite.¡± Secretary Cao was a middle-aged man in his forties. Looking at Huo Shaoheng, he smiled widely and said, ¡°I¡¯ll now take Major General Huo to get the letter of approval.¡±

    ¡°Sure, thank you.¡± Huo Shaoheng took his bag and stood up. He followed Secretary Cao to the Army¡¯s secretarial department to obtain his letters of proof and approval.

    He was an active duty soldier and was at the rank of Major General. The management needed to write a special letter of proof and approval if he was to get married. It was a military marriage that was protected, and they had to go through some steps to keep it secret.

    Looking at the highest-ranking secretary stamping his letters of proof and approval, Huo Shaoheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With these documents, he would be able to marry Gu Nianzhi any time...

    After settling the issue that he was most worried about, Huo Shaoheng realized that he was feeling more rxed than he imagined he would be. Did he care about this so much? Huo Shaoheng curled the corners of his lips into a smile and ced his bag on the passenger seat beside him. Starting the engine of his car, he left the Military Supreme Council.

    As the car entered the Sanhuan expressway, Huo Shaoheng activated his Bluetooth earpiece and called Gu Nianzhi. It rang for a long while, but no one picked up. He nced at his watch. It was almost noon. Could it be that the littlezy bum is still in bed?

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a while before whipping out his phone and opening his GPS tracking system. The avatar representing Gu Nianzhi was a four-leaf clover. The little four-leaf clover on the map indicated that she was in the Sports Stadium of B University.

    She¡¯s exercising in the sports stadium? Huo Shaoheng knew how much Gu Nianzhi hated exercising. He looked up at the sky for a bit. The sun did not rise from the west today... Feeling curious, he turned his steering wheel and headed towards B University instead.

    He arrived at the entrance of the Sports stadium at about one in the afternoon. Turning the engine off, he got out of the car and looked at his phone. The little four-leaf clover wasing closer to the entrance. Huo Shaoheng put away his phone. Leaning against the sleek ck door of his car, he lit a cigarette and took a long puff. Holding the cigarette in one hand, he rested the other on his car, eyes fixed on the main door of the sports stadium.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi, Ma Qiqi, and He Zhichu exited the stadium, talking andughing happily. He Zhichu asked calmly, ¡°Had your lunch already?¡±

    ¡°Not yet! Is Professor He going to give us a treat?¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes lit up, and she nudged Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much, Qiqi. What professor He meant was that he was going to have lunch, and he¡¯s trying to get us to leave.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°Did I say that?¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a pretty good Hubei restaurant near the south gate. Do you girls happen to like Hubei dishes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Ma Qiqi nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Professor He likes Hubei dishes, too?¡±

    He Zhichu neither disliked nor liked them, but Gu Nianzhi liked them. Even though He Zhichu wasn¡¯t looking at Gu Nianzhi, his words were meant for her. ¡°Since you like it, let¡¯s go there together. It¡¯s boring to have lunch alone, anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and turned her head. From the corner of her eyes, she saw someone extremely familiar.

    Really?

    At this time?

    And this ce?

    Why was he here?

    Gu Nianzhi thought that she had missed him too much, causing everyone to look like him. However, that person really looked like him. Even though it was just a nce, it made Gu Nianzhi turn back to take another look. After taking a closer look, Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes wide.

    It¡¯s really him!

    It¡¯s Huo Shao!

    She almost lost control of herself and ran directly towards him. Thankfully, Ma Qiqi and He Zhichu were still with her. That made her use thest bit of her control and not run over. She followed Ma Qiqi and He Zhichu down the steps slowly, then she walked towards Huo Shaoheng.

    Even though she walked normally for the first few steps, her speed began increasing after that. She almost jogged to Huo Shaoheng. Panting slightly, she said, ¡°Huo Shao, why are you here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already seen her the moment she exited the stadium. He had intended to walk over to surprise her, but seeing that Ma Qiqi and He Zhichu were with her, he decided against it. He remained standing by his car. He gazed deeply at Gu Nianzhi and acknowledged, ¡°Yeah. Came nearby for a meeting, so I popped by to take a look at you.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes turned to little crescents with her smile. The perspiration on her forehead had dampened the stray hairs around her face, and with the pink flush from her exertions earlier, her sparkly eyes stood out even more.

    Huo Shaoheng tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°You¡¯re drenched with perspiration. Why didn¡¯t you have a shower beforeing out?¡±

    ¡°Not used to the showers in the stadium, so I wanted to go back to the dormitory to shower,¡± Gu Nianzhi exined and remembered that Ma Qiqi and He Zhichu were waiting for her. She turned around and looked at them apologetically. ¡°Professor He, Qiqi, I can¡¯t join you guys for lunch anymore...¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng and asked coldly, ¡°Since Mr. Huo is here, why don¡¯t we have lunch together?¡±

    Ma Qiqi was hinting at Gu Nianzhi through her winks as well. Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and took a peek at Huo Shaoheng. Then, she asked softly, ¡°Huo Shao, do you want to go with them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng contemted for a while before replying, ¡°You guys have to shower first, yes? Shower before having lunch.¡± This meant that he had not rejected the invitation.

    He Zhichu rolled his flirtatious eyes before telling Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi, ¡°Nianzhi, Qiqi, you girls go back for a quick shower and change of clothes. Then we¡¯ll meet at the entrance of the Hubei restaurant. I¡¯ve already made reservations.¡±

    Since He Zhichu had already said that, and Huo Shaoheng did not object, Gu Nianzhi epted the invitation daringly.

    Turning on the engine, Huo Shaoheng opened the door for Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi, and took them back to their dormitory for their shower. As he was closing the door, Huo Shaoheng turned to He Zhichu. ¡°What a good example Professor is setting for his students by encouraging them to be healthy and active.¡±

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to smile. ¡°You tter me, Mr. Huo. See youter.¡± Waving his hand, he walked towards the parking lot.

    Huo Shaoheng got into his car and drove the girls back to their dormitory. Ma Qiqi felt awkward only after entering Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car. She realized that Gu Nianzhi and her boyfriend didn¡¯t really talk, so she felt really uneasy. She jumped out of the car immediately the moment they arrived at the lobby of their dormitory and walked to the entrance.

    When she arrived at the entrance, she bumped into the senior who was interested in her. ¡°Where have you been, Qiqi? You did not pick up my calls.¡± The senior had been waiting for her for a while now and had been worried that something might have happened to her. He only breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her.

    Blushing, Ma Qiqi raised her tennis racquet. ¡°I went for a game of tennis. Is senior looking for me?¡±

    It seemed like the senior was blushing as well, but he mustered up all his courage and said, ¡°I want to take you to a movie. Are you free?¡±

    ¡°Movie? It¡¯s only noon now...¡± Ma Qiqi felt odd. Don¡¯t movie dates happen at night?

    ¡°Yes. I bought the tickets for the night show, but we can have a meal first before we catch the movie.¡± It seemed like the senior hade prepared. They¡¯d be able to spend more time together like that.

    Ma Qiqi understood his intentions and blushed further. Her face now seemed like a ripened apple. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was still in the car with her boyfriend, she made her decision. ¡°Sure! Give me five minutes. I¡¯ll go and get changed!¡± She had already had a shower at the stadium, unlike Gu Nianzhi, who was still drenched with sweat.

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait.¡± The senior was seemingly more rxed now that she had epted his invitation, and he smiled handsomely. Ma Qiqi blushed again. She ran into the elevator and into her room. Changing into a cute dress, she patted on some rose powder to brighten her face. Then, she matched her outfit with a little bag before rushing back down.

    ¡°Four minutes and 50 seconds.¡± Ma Qiqi pointed at her watch. ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± The senior shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a Japanese restaurant near the south gate. Do you like sushi?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Ma Qiqi was a food lover. She¡¯d enjoy it as long as the food was delicious. Ma Qiqi sent He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi a text as she walked. Professor He/Nianzhi, something cropped up. I cannot join you guys for lunch anymore. Enjoy your lunch!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone beeped in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car. Looking at her phone, she saw that it was a text from Ma Qiqi. Huo Shaoheng sat in his car and remained silent all the while and only turned to ask when Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone beeped, ¡°Something happened?¡±

 Chapter 544 - Very Beastly

    <h4>Chapter 544: Very Beastly</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi could feel the weight of the five minutes of silence she endured inside the car. She was so shocked, she almost trembled when Huo Shaoheng suddenly spoke. Huo Shaoheng noticed the obvious act of fear, and it also meant something different to him. He silently turned away to look out the window. ¡°Go shower first.¡± His temple was slightly swollen, and the angle of his chin was particrly square. He had used amanding tone that came naturally from a domineering person.

    Pouting, she nced at Huo Shaoheng from the corner of her eye to mentally chastise him. Huo Shaoheng happened to turn around to see her side eye and naturally alluring looks, and his entire body instantly stiffened. Stroking her cheek with hisrge hand, he gently pressed down the corners of her eyes down to rx her gaze. Letting go, he looked away to the front and said quietly, ¡°Get out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhu wanted to quickly push the door open and rush out so she could m the door hard in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. She was sure he would have a priceless expression... But unfortunately, she only dared to imagine it. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pitch-ck eyes swept over her, and he didn¡¯t have to say anything for her to lose all bravado. Gu Nianzhi shifted her gaze and had her hand on the door to open it when she saw Ma Qiqi dressed up nicely and wearing a coral Phillip Lim 3.1 backpack. She was walking over to the elegant older male student with a smile, and they headed towards the little tree-lined path. Ma Qiqi was gone already? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped, and she looked back at Huo Shaoheng to whisper, ¡°Huo Shao, do you want to go have a seat in my dorm? It¡¯s going to take me some time to shower...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at her but kept his eyes straight ahead at the windshield. His voice was very stern. ¡°No, your roommate is there. That¡¯s inconvenient.¡±

    ¡°Qiqi just left. She went out with someone...¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured, ¡°I¡¯m alone.¡± She finished the sentence and pushed the door open to leave. Huo Shaoheng considered it, then turned off the ignition and removed the car key before also getting out of the car. He had already locked the briefcase in the trunk. They stepped into the dorm elevator one after another. They watched the number in the elevator rise, just like their throats swallowing words nervously down. Before they knew it, they had arrived.

    When the elevators opened, Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng, and they walked out together. This wasn¡¯t the first time Huo Shaoheng hade to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm, but because it was an afternoon on the weekend, there were barely any people in the hallways. They quietly walked through the hallway and quickly entered Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi¡¯s dorm. The living room was tidied up neatly, and the door to Ma Qiqi¡¯s room was ajar. With one look they could tell it was empty, and it was evidence of how hastily she had left without even remembering to lock the door. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sharp eyes swept over Ma Qiqi¡¯s side like he was determining if anyone was inside the room. Gu Nianzhi noticed it and held back a giggle. ¡°She really did leave. One of our older ssmates is pursuing her, and I saw them walk towards the south entrance.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked away and closed the door to the hallway before they walked into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room together. Gu Nianzhi closed the door and took out a bottle of spring water from the mini-fridge. ¡°Huo Shao, you can have a seat, and I¡¯ll be ready soon.¡± She went to the closet to get a change of clothes and was about to turn to the bathroom when the room suddenly dimmed. Turning back, she saw Huo Shaoheng already standing in front of the window and closing the drapes. Biting her lower lip, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart hammered wildly. She understood what Huo Shaoheng was implying, and she also wanted it a bit, too, but this was her dorm, so she felt a little shy...

    Huo Shaoheng closed the drapes but didn¡¯t do anything else. Standing before the window with his arms crossed, the long drapes in front of the French windows trembled slightly from his movements. Gu Nianzhi finally noticed that Huo Shaoheng was wearing casual clothes including a well-fitting white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbow paired with pants and a fine quality calfskin belt. It entuated his incredibly long legs. Gu Nianzhi found her face getting a bit hot. She had never been able to resist Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsomeness... Quickly averting her eyes, she dashed into the bathroom with a bundle of clothes.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at her but was observing the entire room. He hadste here when the semester first began, and he had helped her change her mattress as well as get some supplies. Looking at the dorm room after a few months had passed, it was no longer empty like before. The sound of sttering water could be heard from the bathroom, and he finally looked in that direction. She was showering inside... Huo Shaoheng swallowed but maintained a stiff posture and recalled the purpose of today¡¯s visit. He had originally brought the information over to let Gu Nianzhi see it, so she could feel reassured, but he had ended up running into her ying tennis with He Zhichu. Although they weren¡¯t alone because Ma Qiqi there as well, and he also knew nothing would happen, even if they were alone together, he still changed his mind from earlier. Remembering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smiling face, hot and cold behavior, and little tantrums, Huo Shaoheng sighed heavily in his mind. She was truly just a child. It was the first time he felt what he was doing was very beastly...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi finished showering in 15 minutes and came out with her hair still wet. She used arge towel to dry her hair as she walked out of the bathroom and saw that Huo Shaoheng was still standing still in front of the window. ¡°Huo Shao, sit down. Why are you standing?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to a round, plush chair by the window.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her ivory skin that was so tender and soft. Because she happened toe right out of the bathroom, her skin looked even more plump, like a ripe lychee. The heat rose in his abdomen, but he controlled himself. He was already very beastly and couldn¡¯t continue indulging. ¡°Are you done getting ready now? Let¡¯s go if you¡¯re done, so you¡¯re not making your Professor He wait too long.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand itched for a cigarette, but this was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm, so he couldn¡¯t smoke.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll go after I dry my hair.¡± She sat down at the vanity in front of the window and used the blow dryer on her hair. Huo Shaoheng was standing right beside the vanity and nced at her from the corners of his eyes for a bit. He quickly appeared behind her to hug her from the back. Scorching kisses fell on her neck, and he sucked very hard. He carried a unique masculine scent that intoxicated her and made her weak in the knees. Gu Nianzhi struggled desperately. ¡°Don¡¯t kiss my neck... It¡¯ll leave marks...¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied fluidly as he yanked apart her clothes to kiss her shoulder des. Gu Nianzhi not only had weak knees but also couldn¡¯t bnce anymore. However, Huo Shaoheng let go of her after she struggled for only a little bit. He fixed her clothes and did up all the buttons. Gu Nianzhi looked down at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s slim and long fingers moving around her chest. She was secretly frustrated he wasn¡¯t continuing things. How long had it been since they werest intimate? Men had certain needs, and as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official girlfriend, Gu Niaznhi didn¡¯t want to see him hold himself back. Reaching out, she gently caressed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exposed corbones, ¡°Huo Shao, you look so good in this white dress shirt...¡±

    Swallowing hard, Huo Shaoheng almost couldn¡¯t stop himself from taking her right there and then. But he controlled himself and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seductive hand with a gentle smile. ¡°Don¡¯t fuss, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    As soon as he spoke, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach growled as if on cue, and the sound was especially loud in the quiet dorm. All the previous lust was dispelled. Gu Nianzhi cursed her body for not being able to withstand hunger. How silly! Why did it have to growl!?

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s embittered expression, Huo Shaoheng was extremely ttered. Bending over, he whispered in her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll feed your stomach first, then take you back to my apartment and feed you right here...¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand drifted around her body, moving down from her stomach and stopping for an instant. Gu Nianzhi had thought she was already familiar with it all but still blushed innocently from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s teasing. She squeezed his shoulders tightly, her body so stiff it was like she was sitting on his hand...

 Chapter 545 - Who Did You Learn This From?

    <h4>Chapter 545: Who Did You Learn This From?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand and hugged her tightly from behind. Then, he whispered in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go to lunch first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to nod, but she realized that even her neck felt stiff. Huo Shaoheng seemed to have cast a spell on her, rendering her immobile. Being unable to move, she only managed an, ¡°Um,¡± softly, the ending of that word having a raised tone along with shivers. It sounded as though it were a chord yed from an instrument with echoes looping the chord, embracing the person listening to it.

    Huo Shaoheng felt himself tensing up listening to her voice. Finally, he became so tense that any small touch would make him explode. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, ¡°Um,¡± was all it took. He had initially pushed her away. However, since she hadn¡¯t left his embrace, he pulled her back once again. He supported the back of her head with one hand and kissed her urgently while unbuttoning her clothes quickly with the other. The buttons he had buttoned up just a moment ago were all unbuttoned again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were in his mouth. She felt his hands moving around and mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Why are you the one who decides if I should be buttoned up or unbuttoned...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her sweet protests and unbuttoned all her clothes in the blink of an eye. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s toes curled. She couldn¡¯t stand properly and was almost hanging onto Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°...Dormitory... In the dormitory... Be gentle...¡± Gu Nianzhi said intermittently, using whatever rationality she had left with to remind Huo Shaoheng. No one knew how good the soundproofing in the dormitory was. Even though Ma Qiqi wasn¡¯t in the dormitory, who knew if there was anyone next door? She didn¡¯t want her schoolmates to eavesdrop on her...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands paused. His rationality told him that he should stop. He usually had a high level of self control and could control himself in any situation. Just when he was about to let her go, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Professor He is still waiting for us for lunch. We shouldn¡¯t let him wait for too long...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands hugged Gu Nianzhi tightly again and moved her towards the bed. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t...¡± Gu Nianzhi had no time to talk anymore. Huo Shaoheng had already sealed her mouth with his lips and stopped her from saying anything. He his tongue probed her mouth and found her little tongue. He chased and twirled his tongue around hers, not giving her a chance to talk.

    Gu Nianzhi was lightheaded from the kiss, and when she realized she was stark naked, she was already on her rose carpet. Lying on the carpet, even the flesh of a freshly peeled lychee wasn¡¯t as sweet as hers... Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze darkened, looking at her fixedly. He looked her over from top to toe, and she got goosebumps. Gu Nianzhi felt like amb awaiting ughter. However, amb wouldn¡¯t turn around and smile sweetly at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze darkened further, and he hugged her tightly from behind. Kissing her neck to her back, he said with his deep voice, ¡°Bing clever, huh? Spill; who did you learn this from?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t learn from anyone...¡± Gu Nianzhi craned her neck and panted lightly, her voice breaking up.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t learn from anyone? Who would believe you now...¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s panting became heavy.

    Gu Nianzhi was so embarrassed that even her toes were blushing. A tinge of pink flushed throughout her body, making her look even more attractive to Huo Shaoheng. In the past, he hadn¡¯t thought about what the woman of his dreams would look like, even after he became close with Gu Nianzhi. However, right at that moment, he knew what the woman of his dreams looked like. Every single thing he liked was on Gu Nianzhi. Her appearance was a miracle to the Army, as well as to him.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a warm, fuzzy feeling, and that feeling spread to the rest of his body, making him feel dizzy with bliss. All of a sudden, Gu Nianzhi came to her senses, ¡°...Condom... You¡¯re not wearing one...¡±

    Hugging her shoulders, he kissed her strongly before asking, ¡°You have them here?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Gu Nianzhi was stunned. ¡°They¡¯re all at the apartment...¡±

    ¡°Then forget about it.¡±

    ¡°How can we... What if I get pregnant...¡± Gu Nianzhi stuttered.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t expected this. Gasping, he whispered into her ear, ¡°It¡¯s okay... Just give birth to the baby if you get pregnant...¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m only 18. I don¡¯t want... a child...¡± She was still a child herself.

    ¡°Um...¡± Huo Shaoheng acknowledged. ¡°Got it...¡±

    ...

    Eventually, Gu Nianzhi only felt a sudden wetness on her back and understood what had happened. She definitely wouldn¡¯t get pregnant that way, but... She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng exasperatedly and pouted, looking like she was full of grudges.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll get a towel.¡± She had no choice but to remain still on the bed until Huo Shaoheng brought the towel over and wrapped her up, carrying her to the bathroom. They had a shower together before the stickiness was all gone. Coming out from the shower, Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I¡¯m getting some condoms to keep in the dormitory.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Huo Shaoheng rejected her naturally. ¡°Today¡¯s an ident. There won¡¯t be a next time.¡± What was putting condoms in the school dormitory about? Huo Shaoheng would never agree to that.

    ¡°ident?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng as she was blow-drying her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Gu Nianzhi felt that Huo Shaoheng was someone who would never lose control, be it of himself or the things he was handling. Every single thing he did was nned.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Huo Shaoheng put on his belt in front of the mirror and tucked the ends of his white shirt into the belt. His shirt was slightly wrinkled, but it wasn¡¯t obvious. However, his hair was still slightly wet.

    Gu Nianzhi blowdried her hair until it was semi-dry before turning to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, let me blow-dry your hair for you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wiped himself with the towel again and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯ll be dry in no time.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought that it was true his hair would dry quickly since the weather had warmed up, so she did not insist. Her phone rang while she was drying her hair.

    Huo Shaoheng took a look at her phone on the study table. Realizing that it was He Zhichu, he answered the call. ¡°Professor He?¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, He Zhichu¡¯s expression was not friendly at all. He asked coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi? She won¡¯t being, either?¡± When Ma Qiqi sent a text saying that she couldn¡¯t make it anymore, he had replied, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll treat you again next time.¡± However, when he arrived at the Hubei restaurant, he waited for half an hour but still did not see Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi just had her shower. She¡¯s drying her hair. We¡¯ll be there once she¡¯s done,¡± Huo Shaoheng said casually as he folded his arms and leaned against the windows, opening the curtains.

    He Zhichu felt his heart break a little. Closing his eyes, he controlled his anger and replied coldly, ¡°Quick. I¡¯ve already ced orders.¡± Then he hung up and threw his phone onto the table in the VIP room.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was finally done drying her hair and changing her clothes. She went to Huo Shaoheng and asked, ¡°Who called?¡±

    ¡°Professor He. He¡¯s already at the restaurant. Let¡¯s go,¡± Huo Shaoheng said naturally. Grabbing her Hermes bucket bag, Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng out of the dormitory. They came down from the dormitory building and entered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, arriving at the Hubei restaurant shortly after.

    They entered the room after each other. There was a beautiful chandelier. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze looked slightly flustered under its light, and her body looked soft. She clearly looked like she had just ¡°showered.¡± Seeing red, He Zhichu punched Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You bastard!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was abnormally quick. He dodged He Zhichu and managed to avoid the punch to his face. However, He Zhichu was quick as well. The moment Huo Shaoheng dodged his punch, his left punch followed and hit Huo Shaoheng squarely in the back. Huo Shaoheng did not expect a ssy-looking guy like He Zhichu to have such strength. His punches were clearly professional, as well. He had studied this before.

    Bam! The sound was so loud that it caused echoes in the VIP room. Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She was still in shock when a couple of punches were exchanged between the two men. ¡°Stop! Stop! Don¡¯t fight anymore!¡± Gu Nianzhi snapped back to her senses and stood in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    He Zhichuughed coldly at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Letting a woman stand in front of you as a shield? Are you still a man?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. You¡¯re right for hitting me.¡± He was a bastard. He Zhichu was right, and he was right to hit him, too. That was why Huo Shaoheng did not retaliate. He was merely dodging the punches meant for his face.

    ¡°She¡¯s only 18! How could you... How could you...!?¡± He Zhichu had thought that with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity and character, he wouldn¡¯t move so quickly in a rtionship, even after confirming their feelings for each other. However, looking at the two of them, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hair that was intentionally left damp, would there still be things that he didn¡¯t understand?!

    Gu Nianzhi blushed. She was embarrassed by He Zhichu¡¯s words, but she didn¡¯t understand how he could tell... I showered! I even dried my hair and ensured that I didn¡¯t smell like that before leaving the dormitory.

    Taking a step in front, Huo Shaoheng shielded Gu Nianzhi and told He Zhichu, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll be responsible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head to look at Huo Shaoheng from behind his back. She wished she could look at his heart and understand what he was thinking... Did he only want to be responsible for her? Why should she allow him to be responsible for her? She was a willing party; he had not forced her...

    Gu Nianzhi felt ufortable. She lowered her head and pulled at the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clothes. ¡°Huo Shao, Professor He, let¡¯s eat? I¡¯m starving...¡±

 Chapter 546 - Concern

    <h4>Chapter 546: Concern</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu snorted again before returning to his seat. His expression was as cold as ice, and it didn¡¯t appear he had any appetite. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even dare to look up at He Zhichu but sat next to Huo Shaoheng and quietly took the bowl and chopsticks before looking at the dishes served on the table. He Zhichu had ordered all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite home cooked dishes such as lotus root and sparerib soup, pearl dumplings, eggs fried with chilies, wild rice, meat stir-fried with chilies, and sour potato strips. Some dishes were a bright green, while others were an eye-catching soft yellow and crisp white.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes fell on the lotus root and sparerib soup. It was Huo Shaoheng who had taught her the habit of having soup before every meal, and He Zhichu also had the same habit. However, he had no appetite right now and only watched Gu Nianzhi quietly. Huo Shaoheng picked up thedle to serve Gu Nianzhi a bowl of lotus root and sparerib soup. She sipped it daintily as she watched He Zhichu, then looked at Huo Shaoheng to ask with hesitation, ¡°Professor He, aren¡¯t you eating?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up his own bowl when he heard her. He served himself arge bowl of rice and ate it with the eggs fried with chilies, wild rice, and meat stir-fried with chilies. He Zhichu ordered a bottle of red wine and poured a ss for himself. Huo Shaoheng set down his bowl and also filled his own ss before raising it to He Zhichu. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to properly thank Professor He for your help in Barbadosst time. Unfortunately, I¡¯m going abroad right away and don¡¯t have time to treat you. When Ie back, Nianzhi and I will make sure to treat Professor He to dinner and you must attend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also set down her spoon at his words and looked at He Zhichu with a nod. ¡°Professor He, you muste.¡±

    He Zhichu cast his eyes down at the ss of red wine in his hand and raised it to swirl. cing it by his lips for a sip, he didn¡¯t look up before replying, ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± He then thought about it and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re my teaching assistant. Did you finish nning my schedule for the next month? You know better than me if I have any spare time.¡±

    As his teaching assistant, Gu Nianzhi certainly had to help He Zhichu organize his daily schedule. She knew exactly what he was doing, who he was meeting, what lectures he was holding, and what sses he was teaching. She had to n at least two months at a time. Gu Nianzhi had a great memory and thought about it right away. ¡°Professor He has a bit more free time this month, but next month will be busier. I will check Professor He¡¯s scheduled to confirm a time to treat you to dinner.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Professor He answered but didn¡¯t speak again. He sat quietly drinking red wine alone and quickly finished a full bottle. Gu Nianzhi typically grew full from soup, but because she especially exerted herself physically today, she ate two more bowls of rice after finishing the soup.

    Neither He Zhichu nor Huo Shaoheng spoke. Gu Nianzhi looked up quietly to meet both men¡¯s eyes that were dissimr shapes but were giving her the same sharp look. ¡°Hey, why are you guys looking at me like that?¡± Gu Nianzhi set down her bowl and chopsticks. ¡°Can¡¯t you let me eat my food in peace?¡± They were like two cheetahs eyeing prey. Their stares were way too aggressive, and Gu Nainzhi found herself unable take it...

    There wasn¡¯t much food left after they finally finished dinner, so there was no need to take it home. He Zhichu didn¡¯t eat anything in the end, and when Huo Shaoheng went up to pay, he was informed He Zhichu had paid the bill a long time ago. Huo Shaoheng stayed quiet and returned to the private room to see Gu Nianzhi chatting with He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu drank on an empty stomach, so he was already a bit drunk. However, he didn¡¯t blurt things out or do strange things like most drunks. His eyes were especially bright when he got drunk, so his shimmering, sultry eyes increased in allure. If he were to flirt with girls right now, he could woo whoever he wished¨Cexcept for Gu Nianzhi... Seeing him like this, Gu Nianzhi asked Huo Shaoheng with concern, ¡°Huo Shao, let¡¯s take Professor He home? It doesn¡¯t look like he can drive.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng agreed without protest and nked He Zhichu with Gu Nianzhi to help him out of the restaurant.

    Although He Zhichu could still control himself inside the restaurant, he lost all inhibition as soon as he stepped out of the Hubei cuisine restaurant. He stood alone on the steps and refused toe down. All he did was smile at Gu Nianzhi and not say anything. Gu Nianzhi started sweating nervously but managed to finally stuff him into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car to drive back to the professor¡¯s building in B University.

    He Zhichu¡¯s suite was on the 28th floor. The three of them rode the elevator directly to the 28th floor and finally arrived at the entrance of He Zhichu¡¯s suite. ¡°Professor He, please open the door.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the keyhole. The suites there could either be unlocked using password and key, or fingerprint. Gu Nianzhi thought He Zhichi would have a key on him for sure but didn¡¯t expect to only have him smile at her quietly even after she asked several times. He wouldn¡¯t tell her how to open the door. Gu Nianzhi finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pressed He Zhichu¡¯s hand on the fingerprint lock to get scanned. With a loud click, the door opened from their fumbling around. Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi helped He Zhichu into the room and put him on the sofa so he couldy down. Gu Nianzhi even brought He Zhichu a tub of warm water so he could wipe himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, Nianzhi. It¡¯s ok, we can leave now.¡± Huo Shaoheng thought it was about time and mentioned taking Gu Nianzhi back.

    Gu Nianzhi set a towel by the edge of the tub and asked He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, make sure to eat some real food when you get hungry. A ss of red wine is nothing.¡± Huo Shaoheng had already walked out before Gu Nianzhi followed behind him. As soon as she got into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, she began chattering away. ¡°Huo Shao, do you think Professor He will be ok? Do you think Professor He has a housekeeper? Do you think Professor He damaged his liver by drinking on an empty stomach?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her before replying coolly, ¡°How about I take you back to care for Professor He if you¡¯re so worried?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi let go of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand with a sheepish smile. ¡°I was just saying. What is Huo Shao getting upset for?¡± She had said and done many stupid things in the past, but Huo Shao never minded and certainly never scolded her in public before. Now he was actually being sarcastic to her... Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t ustomed to Huo Shao acting that way. Their car turned onto a tree-lined path leading to the south entrance. Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°To the apartment.¡± Huo Shaoheng mmed on the elerator and the speed gradually increased as they came out of B University¡¯s south entrance. The high-quality sportscar purred loudly as it sped forward. Unfortunately, they were on the Fourth Ring Road of the Imperial Capital, so it was packed with traffic despite it being the weekend.

    Gu Nianzhi rested her head against the window as she watched the thick throngs of traffic and mumbled, ¡°How much longer will it take?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the map to see that there was an ident ahead causing such a big traffic jam. Since this road was blocked, he would find another one. Luckily, he had the most convenient and updated phone GPS, so they were able to find a back road to take. From the back road, it was only a short distance to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s high-rise apartment. They got out of the car in a better mood. Holding hands, they walked into the elevator and watched the number on the disy inch closer and closer to the level of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. With a chime, the elevator door opened and standing before the apartment door was none other than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sister, Gu Yanran.

 Chapter 547 - Retort

    <h4>Chapter 547: Retort</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When they saw Gu Yanran, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but to look at the floor number in the elevator. It¡¯s 18... I¡¯m on the right level... The apartments there were built with private elevators, only one unit per level. How could there be another person on this level?

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng in the elevator, Gu Yanran looked extremely relieved. ¡°Mr. Huo, is this apartment yours? That¡¯s great! Someone finally came. This apartment really gave me so much trouble!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. This apartment was hers. How in the world could Gu Yanran think that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s? Fine, Huo Shaoheng paid for it, but he bought it under her name, for her. So technically, it was hers. Thinking along this line, Gu Nianzhi managed to control herself and not correct Gu Yanran. Seeing that Gu Yanran had exited from the elevator, Gu Nianzhi asked, shocked, ¡°Sister, why are you here? How did you manage toe up here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng emerged from the elevator after Gu Nianzhi. Seeing that she did not correct Gu Yanran¡¯s misunderstanding, he looked at her but did not say a word.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s attention returned to Gu Nianzhi. Straightening her bangs, she said exasperatedly, ¡°How else could I havee up? In the elevator, of course.¡± Then, she shed her resident card at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look, my resident card. I bought the apartment on the 19th floor, but this annoying card brought me to level 18! It wouldn¡¯t take me another level up no matter how I pressed the elevator. I was just about to go back down to look for the management for a good exnation!¡±

    ¡°What? Sister, you bought an apartment here as well?¡± Gu Nianzhi was more shocked than before and jumped a little. ¡°Why did you think of getting an apartment here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I have a vi in the suburbs. Bought itst year. I bought this one ¡¯cause dad is here, and I¡¯ve found you, so I wanted to get an apartment in the city so that we¡¯ll all be able to get together more often.¡± Gu Yanran smiled brightly as she continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to be neighbors with Mr. Huo.¡±

    It was only then that Huo Shaoheng smiled and replied, ¡°This isn¡¯t my apartment.¡± Turning around, he looked at Gu Nianzhi and gentleness shed in his jet back eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s. You sisters are so fated...¡±

    It was Gu Yanran¡¯s turn to be shocked. She looked between Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi before asking, ¡°This apartment... really belongs to Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s hers.¡± Huo Shaoheng hugged Gu Nianzhi by the shoulders and replied politely, ¡°Nianzhi is still young. Miss Gu, as her older sister, please take care of her in the future. We shall not dy Miss Gu in looking for the management to get an exnation.¡± He led Gu Nianzhi to the door.

    Gu Yanran turned to look at them before smiling and waving to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now, Nianzhi. We¡¯re neighbors, henceforth. I¡¯ll visit you often.¡± Then, she walked towards the elevator and descended.

    Taking out his door key card, Huo Shaoheng opened the door. Gu Nianzhi mumbled non-stop, ¡°What a lousy apartment. Whatever happened to privacy?! Refund! They definitely have to give me a refund!¡±

    Entering the home, Huo Shaoheng looked around before looking through the footage of the CCTV. The footage showed that Gu Yanran was indeed only standing at the elevator and did not attempt to open her door. Of course, no one entered the house. The footage had recorded nothing out of the ordinary. Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head. ¡°What a coincidence though, that she bought the apartment directly above me.¡± Looking up at her ceiling with a chandelier and knowing that Gu Yanran would be walking around above her head, Gu Nianzhi felt uneasy all over.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the kitchen and took out a can of beer. He downed it in one gulp. Looking up at the ceiling, he told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll have to be away on a mission in two days¡¯ time. Don¡¯te here to stay, go to the Headquarters if you¡¯re free.¡± Even though Gu Nianzhi was uneasy, she hadn¡¯t thought of noting here. She had already personally decorated this apartment nicely and treated this as her second home. How could she just stoping? Moreover, she and Gu Yanran had the same father. This was a rtionship she couldn¡¯t deny.

    ¡°After Father wakes up, he¡¯ll most likely be living upstairs. It¡¯ll be easier to help take care of him like this.¡± Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng and took out a bottle of coconut juice. Opening it up, she had a sip of it. The cool and refreshing liquid glided down her throat to her tummy, making her feel way better.

    Thinking of Gu Xiangwen, Huo Shaoheng nodded like he understood something. ¡°I¡¯m predicting that your father won¡¯t be able to recover during this period of time. Visit him more at Chen Lie¡¯s and talk to him more. Who knows? Perhaps by doing that, he¡¯ll be able to regain consciousness sooner.¡±

    ¡°Really? How is he already?¡± Gu Nianzhi ced the unfinished coconut juice back into the refrigerator and looked at the beer in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. ¡°Huo Shao, you like this brand of beer? Is it good?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and threw the beer can into the trash can. ¡°Not bad, but you are not allowed to drink. Remember that you¡¯ll have to be 22 before you¡¯re allowed to.¡±

    ¡°But the legal age to purchase alcohol is 18.¡± Gu Nianzhi was unhappy. ¡°Why must I wait ¡¯til I¡¯m 22 years old?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve really gotten capable.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around and put his hands around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist. ¡°You dare to retort to what I said?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hid in his embrace and saidzily, ¡°Of course not... Only Huo Shao would be able to retort. How would I dare to retort to Huo Shao?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace was warm and stable. It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite ce to be.

    Curling his lips, Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and whispered into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, ¡°...Indeed, you only are able to get bullied by me... do you want to get bullied again?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intentions and within a short while, she raised her head. She looked at Huo Shaoheng longingly but pushed him away. Biting her lips, she pointed at him usingly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be like this, Huo Shao!¡±

    ¡°There are many things you don¡¯t know... Come, let me show you some things that you didn¡¯t expect...¡± Huo Shaoheng put in some strength and carried her into the room, princess style.

    It was another night of never ending war.

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up the next day, she realized that she had been sleeping in his embrace the entire night with her head on his shoulders, and he was hugging her like she was his bolster. No wonder she felt that there was something heavy on her back the entire night. It was almost suffocating...

    She raised her head quietly but saw that Huo Shaoheng was looking at her without a sound. His eyes were so deep and ck, looking extremely sharp. They also looked like ck pearls, like the moment he moved them, they¡¯d sparkle.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged him like a ko and snuggled up to Huo Shaoheng, kissing his eyes. Huo Shaoheng had already closed his eyes the moment she snuggled up closer to him, allowing her to nt kisses on his eyelids as she wished. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s kisses were fluttery but hot, like the stars reflecting on ake. The moment the wind blew, the surface of theke would sparkle excitedly. His heart began to feel excitement once again.

    The moment she was done with her kisses, he hugged her gently, caressing her cheeks with his chin. After a night of rest, the stubble on his chin tickled Gu Nianzhi, and sheughed heartily, trying to get away from him, squirming in the sheets.

    A man¡¯s hormonal reactions were the strongest when he wakes up in the morning, and that included Huo Shaoheng. For someone who began having physical pleasure after abstaining for a long time and being with the girl he loved, why should he still control himself? Thus, Gu Nianzhi realized that after squirming for a while, he was on top of her, trapping her again...

    This time around, it took an even longer time, until Gu Nianzhi almost begged him in tears before he let her go... After that, Huo Shaoheng went to have a shower happily before making his way to the kitchen to make breakfast.

    Gu Nianzhi, however, spent a long time in the shower beforeing out supporting her back with her hands. This was really too much. However, knowing that Huo Shaoheng was about to leave the country for his mission, and that they wouldn¡¯t be able to have any form of contact until he was back, Gu Nianzhi did notin.

    Being a soldier¡¯s kin, it was normal to have to be in separatends sometimes. She was prepared for that. Therefore, can I interpret Huo Shaoheng¡¯s passion since yesterday as a way to tell me that he can¡¯t bear to leave me? Gu Nianzhi thought dreamily as she went about her skincare routine.

    Her reflection showed her looking fair with red lips and a pair of sparkly eyes. She did not look like she had just gone through a series of ¡°vigorous exercises...¡± Except for her sore back...

    Huo Shaoheng entered the room and saw Gu Nianzhi in front of her dressing table, rubbing her back. His eyes lit up, and he walked over to her, hugging her by the waist. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your back is aching?¡±

    ¡°You have the nerve to ask me that? Wasn¡¯t it your fault?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°My back is about to break.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist was extremely slender. Huo Shaoheng had measured many times, and each time, it felt like it was as fragile as it looked. However, it was extremely strong when it tensed up when required. It was just like her character. Huo Shaoheng kissed her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a massage.¡±

    After massaging her for a while, a familiar sense of warm fuzziness engulfed Gu Nianzhi again. Laughing, she pushed him off. ¡°I dare not let Mr. Major General give me a massage. I¡¯m not that lucky yet.¡±

    ¡°Says who? You¡¯re the luckiest girl ever.¡± Carrying her up, Huo Shaoheng sat on the stool of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dressing table and ced her on hisp. ¡°Where¡¯d you want to go today? I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around, surprised. ¡°The entire day?!¡±

    Looking at his watch, Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°Twelve hours should be okay.¡± His time was calcted by hours and minutes. It had always been like that. However, Gu Nianzhi was extremely contented. Kissing him, she said, ¡°Would you go to tutorials with me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback.

    ¡°You¡¯re not willing to?¡± Gu Nianzhi battered her eyshes at him. Being so close, Huo Shaoheng could almost feel her longshes brushing his face. They were so light, like the wings of a butterfly.

    ¡°You only want me to attend tutorials with you?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked unbelievably. ¡°It¡¯s really rare that I have so much free time.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked at Huo Shaoheng with puppy eyes. ¡°I always see couples attending tutorials together, and they even help their girlfriends get a good seat. I¡¯m so envious of them and have always wanted my boyfriend to do that with me, too. However, no one attends tutorials with me...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mei Xiawen attend tutorials with you in the past?¡± Huo Shaoheng found a loophole in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly upset. Raising her hand, she covered his gorgeous eyes and said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s my call to say! Mei Xiawen doesn¡¯t count! She was... she was just a friend!¡±

 Chapter 548 - Gold Digging

    <h4>Chapter 548: Gold Digging</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to make herself sound more pitiful to spark Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sympathy so he would apany her to campus to study. It wasn¡¯t true that no one studied with her, but none of those people were Huo Shaoheng. She said all that and appeared so aggrieved so that Huo Shaoheng would study with her once and fulfil her one wish.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand with a smile and ced it by his lips to kiss. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go study with you if you want.¡±

    Gu Nianzihi was ecstatic, hugging Huo Shaoheng and kissing him with a loud smooch. ¡°Huo Shao is the best!¡± They had breakfast, then took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car back to campus.

    Soon after they left, Gu Nianzhi got a call from Gu Yanran as they drove. ¡°Nianzhi, where are you? I cooked some of the favorite things you liked to eat when you were younger. Do you want me toe downstairs to pick you up for lunch?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly. ¡°Oh, what a coincidence, I already went back to school.¡±

    ¡°That early?¡± Gu Yanran nced at her watch. It was only ten in the morning. Most people were still sleeping in at this time on a Sunday, right? Could Huo Shaoheng not have stayed overnight at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment? Gu Yanran raised her brows slightly and asked with hesitation, ¡°Nianzhi, did Mr. Huo leavest night?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi mumbled because she didn¡¯t want to talk about such a private matter with Gu Yanran. Although she already knew Gu Yanran was her sister, her memory hadn¡¯t recovered, so she didn¡¯t have affection developed throughout childhood towards the older woman. She was just a bit closer to Gu Yanran than a normal friend but was more distant from her than even Ma Qiqi. ¡°Sis, go on and eat. I¡¯m about to arrive at school. I¡¯m on the way right now.¡± She prepared to hang up.

    ¡°You¡¯re driving?¡± Gu Yanran unexpectedly didn¡¯t want to end the call and started chatting with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi could only say, ¡°No, I... I¡¯m in a taxi.¡± She didn¡¯t want to mention Huo Shaoheng was driving. Otherwise, Gu Yanran would know he stayed at her apartment overnight. She hadn¡¯t said anything earlier, so mentioning it now would just expose what she had been hiding.

    ¡°Taxi?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s brows furrowed closer together. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll buy a car for you. Do you want a Lexus or a Volkswagen Beetle? Those are perfect for young girls to drive. You¡¯re our Gu family¡¯s daughter. How can you always be calling cabs?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then felt a little guilty. Gu Yanran seemed to treat her quite well.. But she didn¡¯t need her to buy a car. When Gu Nianzhi spoke again, she used a much gentler tone. ¡°No thanks, Sis. I actually have a car, but it¡¯s a bit inconvenient to drive to school because there isn¡¯t proper parking, so I¡¯m used to calling cabs.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll hire a driver for you.¡± Gu Yanran was probably used to being a leader, so she immediately decided for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯ll send a website of cars to you and you can pick one. Then I¡¯ll send a driver to you, and I¡¯ll be more reassured if he can drive you on the weekends from now on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed, but she still shook her head in refusal. ¡°Sis, it¡¯s really fine. Huo Shao has a driver who can drive me...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, I wanted to talk to you about that.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s tone grew stern. ¡°Nianzhi, tell Sis honestly¨Cwhat is your rtionship with Mr. Huo?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well it¡¯s... boyfriend and girlfriend...¡± Gu Nianzhi said with some guilt. Huo Shaoheng nced at her as he reached out to stroke her hair gently without a word.

    ¡°Are you married?¡± Gu Yanran asked again. She was standing in front of the French windows in the apartment, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds outside. Her thoughts were in distant Barbados as she recalled how she spent her childhood with Gu Nianzhi, but her expression became more solemn.

    ¡°...Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi switched her hand holding the phone and felt the mounting pressure, ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°There are no but¡¯s.¡± Gu Yanran held her head high. ¡°Since you haven¡¯t married him and are only boyfriend and girlfriend, you cannot rely on him too much financially. Us girls from the Gu family are not gold diggers. We don¡¯t need to leech off men.¡±

    ¡°Sis! What are you saying?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was sweating nervously from her words and frantically exined, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not leeching off of Huo Shao!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear you aren¡¯t.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s tone also softened as she said gently, ¡°Since you aren¡¯t, then how do you have money to buy an apartment? The price of the apartment you¡¯re living in right how is not something a university student can afford.¡± Gu Yanran knew Gu Nianzhi had been an orphan for the past six or seven years, and Huo Shaoheng was her guardian. But now she had a ce and a car¨Cwith the apartment being a luxuriously furnished high-rise unit in a good area. She knew this was not something a normal middle-ss person could afford, so where was Gu Nianzhi getting money from? It was obvious Huo Shaoheng had bought it for her...

    ¡°You are only dating Mr. Huo and aren¡¯t married, so how can you ept such an expensive gift?¡± Gu Yanran raised her voice. ¡°Give me your bank ount number so I can deposit money in it, and you can return the money Mr. Huo used to buy the apartment. Although our family is not as powerful as the Huo¡¯s, we still have enough money to buy an apartment. There¡¯s no need for you to live in a man¡¯s apartment before getting married.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling very conflicted, so she had no idea how to respond right away. Of course she had thought about returning Huo Shaoheng¡¯s money in the future, and she especially wanted to pay him back for the apartment. That¡¯s why she decided to focus on working as He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant and even wanted to intern at hisw firm in her second year of graduate studies, so she had more experience before graduation and would be able to earn more money in the future. Gu Yanran¡¯s words pierced the innermost part of her heart. But Huo Shaoheng would certainly never take her money... Gu Nianzhi began numbing into the phone, ¡°Sis, let¡¯s talk about this another day. There¡¯s no rush with the apartment.¡±

    ¡°I know Mr. Huo doesn¡¯t care about that amount of money, but our family doesn¡¯t care, either. You must establish your stance. A girl can¡¯t sponsor a man, but she also can¡¯t rely on a man too much.¡± Gu Yanran obviously supported the notion of a man and woman splitting costs, so her tone was even more stern. ¡°More importantly, you aren¡¯t an orphan anymore, Nianzhi. You have the Gu family¨CFather and I will support you. Stop using a man¡¯s money. Us Gu¡¯s will not stoop so low.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flushed redder with every word and even started to feel a bit ashamed. It was true she had been using Huo Shaoheng¡¯s money all along. Although he didn¡¯t mind and attended to her every need, met all her requests, and even exceeded her expectations¨CGu Yanran¡¯s words had hit her longtime sore spot. Was she being too entitled? Gripping the phone, the glib-tongued Gu Nianzhi found herself speechless for the first time. She could only mumble back as Gu Yanran continued to chastise her over the phone. Although it wasn¡¯t easy on the ears, Gu Yanran had a point. They had not married yet, so Gu Nianzhi shouldn¡¯t be spending so much of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s money, right? ncing at her Hermes Picotin bag from the corner of her yes, Gu Nianzhi felt even more ashamed...

    After scolding her for a long time, Gu Yanran noticed Gu Nianzhi had grown quiet and knew she must be epting the criticism. ¡°Send your bank ount number to me, and I¡¯ll arrange for deposits. How much was your apartment?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Huo Shao bought it and put it under my name.¡±

    Gu yanran was silent for a long time, and after a while, she finally replied, ¡°Ok, I understand. I¡¯ll transfer a monthly allowance to your bank ount from now on, and you have to remember not to use a man¡¯s money anymore. You must treasure yourself if you want to marry him. If you treat yourself like a little pampered doll, no one will respect you, let alone want to marry you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled how Huo Shaoheng had said, ¡°The marriage request has already been submitted.¡± A feeling of pride surged in her heart¨Cher Huo Shao was different from all the other losers out there! Also, he truly wanted to marry her and would not disrespect her. But Gu Nianzhi was still too young, so she still hadn¡¯t gone through the drab details and penny pinching that all married couples experienced. She had been dating Huo Shaoheng officially for less than six months and truly hadn¡¯t thought of using marriage to prove anything. In today¡¯s society, how many couples had divorced after getting married, anyway? Wasn¡¯t it good enough for two people to love each other?

    Marriage? She¡¯d consider it after she graduated. Before that, she wanted to fully enjoy being in love. She was only going to date once in all her life, so she cherished it very much.

 Chapter 549 - Common Language

    <h4>Chapter 549: Common Language</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Holding onto her phone, Gu Nianzhi leaned her head against the window, her smile dazzling beyond words. Looking admiringly at Huo Shaoheng as he drove, Gu Nianzhi tried to reassure Gu Yanran on the other end of the line. ¡°Sis, Huo Shao isn¡¯t that type of person. He has already said that we¡¯re going to get married.¡±

    Laughing, Gu Yanran continued, ¡°Nianzhi, when ites to words from men, just listen and forget about them. He said that you were getting married, but have you guys gotten married?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t reply. She looked at Huo Shaoheng and initially wanted to tell Gu Yanran that he had already submitted the marriage application to Army management. However, she remembered that even Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze did not know about him submitting the application and decided against it. She merely emphasized, ¡°Huo Shao is serious about me, Sis. But thank you, I¡¯ll remember your words.¡±

    Even though Gu Yanran¡¯s words were rather harsh, Gu Nianzhi knew that her sister only meant well. Perhaps only family members would dare to say such things to each other? Of course, she had already thought of this question a long time ago and had been nning to be independent. She remembered everything Huo Shaoheng had done for her. She didn¡¯t feel like it was out of pity.

    Hearing that Gu Nianzhi understood what she was saying, Gu Yanran nodded. ¡°Okay, get to school, then.¡± She asked again, ¡°Are youing back next weekend? Do you want me to pick you up?¡± Then she remembered Gu Xiangwen and told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Oh yes, I want to visit Father in the next couple of days. Do you want to go, too?¡±

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng did not object, Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Sure, Sis, let me know when you¡¯ll be visiting Father. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Their father was with Chen Lie. Without Gu Nianzhi, Gu Yanran would most likely not be able to see him. Gu Nianzhi felt that since Gu Xiangwen was Gu Yanran¡¯s father as well, and they brought him to Hua Xia Empire, they wouldn¡¯t stop her from seeing her own father. Or... Would they?

    Gu Yanran was finally satisfied. They spoke for a short while more before hanging up. Holding onto her phone, she stood in front of her French windows for a while. Her gaze extended past the windows andnded on the expressways in the distance. From where she was, they looked like belts. Cars were traveling along the expressway. She squinted at them, seemingly trying to see which car Gu Nianzhi was in...

    Her phone rang again shortly after. Looking at her phone, it was an unknown number. Feeling strange, she answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡±

    The caller did not speak. However, she could hear a man¡¯s deep breathing. Gu Yanran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. It was someone she was familiar with. ¡°Yanran, how long do you want to hide from me? You think I wouldn¡¯t be able to find you after you ended everything in Barbados?¡± It was Ye Xuan.

    Shocked, Gu Yanran sat down on a posh armchair beside the French windows and asked, ¡°Ye Xuan? How did you find out about this number?¡± This was a number she registered after she had arrived there.

    ¡°How hard could it be? Other than this number, I also know your exact location now.¡± He chuckled. ¡°My dear miss, you¡¯re on the 19th floor, aren¡¯t you? Yes. Look down. I¡¯m standing at the lobby of your apartment. Let me up?¡±

    Gu Yanran jumped up from her chair and looked down from her window. However, from where she was, everything looked like ants and wouldn¡¯t be clear unless she used a pair of binocrs. Gu Yanran walked into her apartment and actually returned with a pair. She headed to the balcony and looked down.

    At the apartment¡¯s lobby, someone who was dressed in casual wear and a pair of shades was waving in her direction. It was really Ye Xuan. Gu Yanran was extremely shocked. This person could not only find my number, but he managed to find the new apartment I just bought? This is really unbelievable...

    Gu Yanran was suddenly interested in him all over again. Standing at her balcony for a while, she finally nodded. ¡°Enter the elevator. I¡¯ll let you up.¡±

    Ye Xuan arrived at Gu Yanran¡¯s apartment in no time. He hugged Gu Yanran tightly the moment he opened the door and kissed her furiously. After struggling for a while, Gu Yanran melted into his never ending kisses... She didn¡¯t know what happened exactly, but eventually, they ended up in her bed. She only knew that she almost cked out after they were done.

    Getting up, Ye Xuan picked up his clothes and went into the bathroom for a shower. Gu Yanran put on her nightdress and leaned on the bed, thinking of whatever had been bothering her for a while before making her way to the bathroom as well. The door wasn¡¯t locked, so Gu Yanran opened the door. The sound of water from the showerhead stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Xuan opened the bathroom curtains. His bronze, solid figure with an eight pack appeared from behind the bathroom curtains. He did not bother to hide his body from Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran looked at him for a while before asking straightforwardly, ¡°How on earth did you find me?¡± She thought she had already cut off all contact with him. Even the people who were with her did not know about this new number. How did Ye Xuan know?

    ¡°You really want to know? Ye Xuan exited from the shower after putting a towel around his waist. He raised Gu Yanran¡¯s face by her chin and looked at her, full of lust. ¡°Give me a kiss, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Gu Yanran tiptoed and kissed him immediately. He returned the kiss contentedly and whispered in her ear, ¡°Yanran, you never asked me what I was majoring in when I was in boarding school in America for so many years, did you?¡±

    Gu Yanran listened intently. She was indeed not exactly clear. He was an orphan who was sponsored by their family. Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t interested in knowing more.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a nickname online, Max.¡± Ye Xuan sat up straight, an evil expression on his face. ¡°Go online and Google ¡®Dark Web Max,¡¯ and you¡¯ll know who I am.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart skipped a beat, ¡°Dark Web?¡± In order for someone to know what the Dark Web was and have a certain level of poprity, this person would definitely be somebody capable. Gu Yanran was increasingly interested in him. ¡°You actually have this talent? Why didn¡¯t you tell me in the past?¡±

    Ye xuan looked at her deeply. ¡°You didn¡¯t need it in the past, but now you do. That¡¯s why I came to your side.¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t have the patience to waste more time with him. She took her phone and turned around, went back into her bedroom, and Googled ¡°Dark Web Max.¡± The results made her jaw drop.

    Max was a new hacker on the Dark Web. He was always alone and never joined sides. However, he¡¯d help whenever and wherever he was needed. He was just like the final vote in an election ¨C and the side his vote fell on would win.

    Gu Yanran was speechless with the information she saw. Holding her phone to her chest, she thought, This guy¡¯sputer skills are really crazy. No wonder it was such an easy task for him to find my whereabouts and contact details.

    There hadn¡¯t been anyone with such a skillset around her as of yet. Now, at Hua Xia Empire, she was all alone and did not know anyone. Ye Xuan¡¯s skills could really benefit her to a great extent. By the time Ye Xuan was done putting on his clothes, Gu Yanran had alreadyposed herself. She looked him over like she had never seen him before and pointed to the sofa beside her bed. ¡°Sit.¡±

    Ye Xuan took a seat and crossed his arms, resting on the armrest. He found afortable posture and looked at Gu Yanran. ¡°Now you know. Yanran, you need me.¡±

    Gu Yanranughed and praised him. ¡°Xuan, I did not expect that you were so capable. It was my negligence in the past.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your negligence. Come back to me now. It¡¯s not toote, yet.¡± Ye Xuan leaned forward, but seeing that Gu Yanran was shunning him, he looked down disappointedly and returned to his seat.

    Gu Yanran smoothed her hair and smiled attractively at him. ¡°Xuan, I really admire your capabilities. You shouldn¡¯t be someone who is hiding.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. As long as I can be by your side, I am willing to be anything.¡± Ye Xuan looked at Gu Yanran passionately. She was his goddess, his salvation. She saved his life and had be his emotional support. There was no way he was going to leave her.

    Shaking her head, Gu Yanran said, ¡°Xuan, I want to groom you to be my right hand man. With our current rtionship, it¡¯ll affect you in the future.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡±

    ¡°But I do!¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s chest rose and fell, her cheeks flushing. ¡°Xuan, you don¡¯t want to listen to me anymore?!¡±

    Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t reject Gu Yanran¡¯s words. Covering his face with both his hands, he struggled for a long time before nodding. Getting on one knee, he kissed the back of her hand. ¡°As you wish, my queen.¡± He knew that this meant that they would not be able to have physical intimacy anymore...

    Finally managing to convince Ye Xuan, Gu Yanran continued, ¡°Okay. Where are you staying currently? I¡¯ll introduce my little sister to you in a couple of days.¡±

    ¡°Your little sister?¡± Ye Xuan was confused. ¡°You have found... Her?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve found her. She¡¯s already 18 and really gorgeous. You wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize her, even if she was standing in front of you!¡± Gu Yanran made a funny face at him. ¡°I heard that she¡¯s a genius. Who knows? Maybe you and she will speak amonnguage!¡±

    ¡°That plump and willful girl?¡± Ye Xuan snorted. ¡°Who wants to have amonnguage with her?¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng drove Gu Nianzhi back to school. Stopping in front of the temporary parking lot in front of her dormitory, he waited for her to fetch her bag to attend her tutorial.

    This experience was rather new to Huo Shaoheng as well. He entered the Army shortly after enrolling in college, so most of his modules werepleted by independent study. The time he spent in school was really minimal. Now that he was going to apany Gu Nianzhi to her tutorial, it was like reminiscing about college times for him.

    The couple arrived at the ssroom building beside theke of B University. There were fewer people in the building on Sunday at about 11 in the morning. Gu Nianzhi found an empty ssroom and entered it with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°This is our lecture hall.¡± Pointing to the podium, Gu Nianzhi exined, ¡°Professor He has lectures here once a month. It¡¯ll be full attendance each time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say much. He took out his phone and began clearing his work. Gu Nianzhi took herptop out and began to do her work as well. More students began pouring into the lecture hall. Curious stares began falling on Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, a gorgeous youngdy with an extremely handsome, mature man sitting together. Even though they both did not really talk, their asional eye contact and chemistry were like a wall with only the two of them behind it. Having to see a couple being loving when everyone else had to study on a weekend was totally unbearable!

    More people were looking at them, and Gu Nianzhi was feeling more embarrassed. Not being able to take it anymore, Gu Nianzhi turned off herptop. Turning to Huo Shaoheng, she whispered, ¡°Can we leave now, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and asked slowly, ¡°You don¡¯t want to attend your tutorial anymore?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Her face was flushed beyond words. How could she continue?!

 Chapter 550 - Are You Willing?

    <h4>Chapter 550: Are You Willing?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The stares of her ssmates in the ssroom were like a spotlight. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and acquiesced to Huo Shaoheng quietly. ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s my fault. Can we leave now?¡±

    ¡°Your fault? What did you do?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat there as still as a statue. He averted his gaze from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction but kept her in view from the corner of his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it. She really had apologized too quickly. Had she even made a mistake here? She only wanted to experience dating like her other ssmates got to... But she discovered it really wasn¡¯t appropriate when she attempted it. Huo Shao wasn¡¯t a normal student, so it was a major mistake to apply the standards of how normal people dated to him. She couldn¡¯t have her cake and eat it, too. How could she be so greedy? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun because she now understood that she had really been in the wrong.

    ¡°Huo Shao...¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled the corner of Huo Shaheng¡¯s shirt from under the table, her expression nervous. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have made that kind of request of you... I won¡¯t do it again...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and took her hand calmly. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as ¡®shouldn¡¯t have,¡¯ it¡¯s only whether you are willing or not.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed as she nced at him. ¡°When did Huo Shao get so articte?¡±

    ¡°Was I not articte before?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and put his phone back into his pocket as he helped Gu Nianzhi carry her backpack.

    Gu Nianzhi put herptop into the bag with a smile and carried it before walking out of the ssroom with Huo Shaoheng. It was already evening by the time they returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm. Huo Shaoheng walked her out of the car and gave her a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Wait for me toe home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously. ¡°Huo Shao, take care.¡±

    ¡°Call Big Xiong if you need anything.¡± Huo Shaoheng reminded her, ¡°Little Ze ising with me, so you can¡¯t contact him, either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood they were on official business, so any unanticipated disturbances could result in catastrophic losses. To Gu Nianzhi, this was incredibly important. She wanted nothing less than to give Huo Shaoheng trouble, so she wouldn¡¯t disturb him while he was away on business, no matter how bad the situation was. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you toe home.¡± Gu Nianzhi ignored the people milling past the building and got on her tiptoes to kiss Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cheek.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her back. ¡°Go inside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked into the entrance of the dorm building, and when she got into the elevator, she turned around to see Huo Shaoheng still watching her quietly from the car parked in front of the building. She couldn¡¯t help turning around and walking up to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, why aren¡¯t you getting into the car?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll watch you go inside.¡± Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair, his deep and mesmerizing eyes gradually softening. Leaning over, he kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Be good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged his waist and leaned against his chest to listen to his quiet but steady heartbeat. She told herself to be brave and independent. She must wait for him to...e home. After a long time, she arched her neck and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had already calmed down. ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs now. Huo Shao, you should go, too. Call me when you get back.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be going, then.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch to see it was about time. He still had to rush back to the base and get his supplies and identification, then make it to the airport. No longer hesitating, Huo Shaoheng got into the car and waved at Gu Nianzhi before starting it and speeding away.

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi ended up standing in front of the building to watch him leave. When she could no longer see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, she finally walked back to the dorm with her head hung. They hadn¡¯t even separated officially yet, and she was already miserable from missing him. Gu Nianzhi knocked her head in warning. She couldn¡¯t obsess too much over Huo Shaoheng. He had a job, and so did she. She couldn¡¯t let love over take her mind and waste her life. But love was not a faucet that could be easily turned on or off at one¡¯s whim. It was normal to lose control over one¡¯s emotions.

    Opening the dorm door, Gu Nianzhi saw Ma Qiqi walk out of her room with dripping wet hair. ¡°Hmm? Nianzhi is back? Why do you look so dejected?¡± Ma Qiqi noticed something with Gu Nianzhi was amiss. ¡°Why are you sad?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched her cheek. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re just missing the words, ¡®I¡¯m miserable¡¯ on your forehead in bold letters.¡± Ma Qiqi gestured at her face with a giggle. ¡°Tell me if something¡¯s bothering you. I¡¯m the caring friend who can help you analyze it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed her gently with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go dry your hair or you¡¯ll get cold. I¡¯m ok, I was just tired from doing too much homework.¡±

    Ma Qiqi finally saw that Gu Nianzhi was carrying aptop bag and wearing a backpack. She exhaled sharply and shouted in an exaggerated tone, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re amazing for going to study, even on Sunday! You are a walking example of being smarter and working harder! But how will the normal, simple people like me even live?!¡±

    ¡°Even live? You¡¯re exaggerating. Aren¡¯t you living rather nicely?¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled with her a bit before going to her room and shutting the door.

    Ma Qiqi also hurried back to her own room to dry her hair. She had an evening date with the older ssmate interested in her, and they were going to the campus hall to see the Moscow National Ballet perform. This time they were ying her favorite, ¡°The Nutcracker,¡± so she wanted to enjoy it fully.

    After going back to her room, Gu Nianzhi took out herptop and continued doing homework. She lost herself in her studies and had no stray thoughts, so time passed by especially quickly. By the time she finally finished her paper, it was already past 9pm.

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had boarded a ne to the United States. Both he and Zhao Liangze had put on disguises, and of course, while their identification was fake, the visas were genuine. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was disguised. His nose had a high bridge to begin with, and now that it was padded, it appeared jarring and reduced his attractiveness. His jawline was also padded to form a boxy square-shaped face and paired with specially-equipped ck-framed sses, he appeared to be a normal IT engineer at first nce. Even Gu Nianzhi would have a hard time recognizing him. Zhao Liangze was also in disguise and also wore specially-equipped ck-framed sses that made his nose appear a bit squashed. The corners of his mouth always drooped as he constantly chatted away.

    The two men sat in the economy ss of the international flight, and just like all the other normal people, there was nothing noticeable about them. They were using the identity of employees of a Huaxia Imperial private enterprise with a branch in New York. They carried L-1 visas for high-level employees of multinationalpanies.

    After a full 12-hour flight, they arrived in New York at a little past 7pm. Once they got through customs, the employee from the private enterprise held up arge sign by the exit to greet them. Zhao Liangze saw the sign and pulled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Huo Shao, this way, please.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng followed him over. A woman in her mid-forties hade to greet them, and she asked curiously, ¡°Mr. Huo and Mr. Zhao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Thank you. Where are we staying tonight?¡±

    ¡°I already booked the Hilton Hotel for you. You can stay there for the first few days and move once thepany finds a ce for you.¡± The middle-aged woman was very chatty and continued to exin thepany situation to them during the entire ride. She emphasized how thepany was working well and making lots of money.

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze listened to her intently and chimed in from time to time. The middle-aged woman was actually also a member of the Special Operations Forces. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been asked to pick up Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. She only knew that these two men were colleagues from the Special Ops, and because they were in disguise, she didn¡¯t actually know their true identities. ¡°Enjoy your stay. We can talk about the rest tomorrow.¡± The woman briefed them with a smile before leaving the hotel.

    As soon as she left, Zhao Liangze took out all his devices to check the security and to see if there were eavesdropping devices the room, as usual. He then drew the curtains and made the n for the next day. ¡°Huo Shao, tomorrow someone will be taking us to Tan Guiren¡¯s dorm at Juilliard to have a look.¡± Zhao Liangze reported the next day¡¯s n to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng answered, ¡°Go sleep now. We are going to the scene tomorrow and have to be very careful.¡±

 Chapter 551 - Scoop

    <h4>Chapter 551: Scoop</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After he was done putting away his things, Zhao Liangze went to his room to sleep. Even though Huo Shaoheng said that they should rest and rise early, due to jetg, they did not manage to sleep much during the night and woke up at about four or five o¡¯clock in the morning.

    After having their showers in their respective hotel rooms, each was about to proceed downstairs to look for some food when they realized that the other party was also awake. Smiling, Zhao Liangze told Huo Shaoheng, ¡°The biological clock is scary, indeed. Who would expect that we¡¯d be sufferers of jetg?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We used to get up early when we were back in Hua Xia Empire as well, anyway,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly. He walked to Zhao Liangze and whispered, ¡°Bring your things. We¡¯ll be visiting the site with Little Zhao from the private investigation firm.¡±

    They were in America with L-1 passes, and their upation was supposed to be IT engineers. However, their current upation was staff from a private investigation firm in New York, owned by the Chinese.

    Tan Guiren was Chinese. Even though the local police had opened her case, due to the fact that no one had reported seeing her, and she wasn¡¯t an American citizen, plus, with the low efficiency of the American police, the case was progressing way too slowly. It was almost like no one really put in the effort to look for her.

    It had been six days since she had gone missing. Normally, the first 24 hours the person was missing were the golden period to look for him or her. If no one could find the missing person within that time frame, most likely they¡¯d be looking for a dead body, instead.

    The Tan¡¯s had used their special status to get the best person in the Special Forces to go and look for their daughter after the golden 24 hours had passed. On top of that, Tan Guiren¡¯s father, Tan Dongbang¡¯s reputation as the hot favorite of this season¡¯s prime minister election spread to America due to this.

    ...

    It was six o¡¯clock in the morning. The entrance of the police station in west Manhattan, New York, was filled with people from the media and passers by. The officers who were reporting to work in their personal cars and the police officers who were driving police cars saw the scene and were shocked.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Did a celebrity get caught for drug abuse again?¡±

    ¡°Or did a celebrity steal again?¡±

    The clueless policemen exited their vehicles and began exchanging suggestions with each other softly. Their station was located in the wealthiest area in New York. People who resided there were directors of multinationalpanies, and many Hollywood stars own property there as well.

    Most of the cases there were either theft for adrenaline rush, or some businessmen or celebrities bing unconscious due to a drug overdose. However, these things happened on an almost daily basis. Why would there be so much media today?

    The policemen saw that there were even reporters from the threergest broadcastpanies, ABC, NBC, and CBS, and also online television broadcast stations, including CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. There were even people from newspapers such as the Washington Post and New York Times. There were also people from social media tforms like Twitter and Facebook!

    Seeing that the police officers had arrived for work, the media rushed towards them, aimed their recording devices or microphones at the officers, and began throwing questions at them.

    ¡°Good morning, officer. Did you know that the daughter of the favorite prime minister election candidate from Hua Xia Empire went missing in your state?¡± The reporter who asked this question came from the Washington Post. This newspaper had be famous because they revealed the Watergate scandal of then-president, President Nixon. The founder of this newspaper had ignored popr beliefs and supported its reporters as they followed up on that Watergate scandal. The paper went against the government when they tried to stop the investigation and eventually exposed the scandal, resulting in the president giving up his presidency. They were the only ones who were that politically sensitive.

    They, too, had just received information that Tan Guiren, the daughter of the hot favorite prime minister election candidate of Hua Xia Empire, Tan Dongbang, mysteriously went missing while she was studying at Julliard. Even though it had already been six days, they had just received news that the girl who had gone missing was someone with a special social status.

    They had thought that it was their exclusive, but when they arrived at the station in west Manhattan, they realized that the person who gave them the news had most likely spread it to all the major broadcastingpanies in America.

    ¡°Madam, may I know if you have investigated at Julliard? We¡¯ve heard that she went missing in the dormitory! Did you engage the people from the X Files to investigate such a mysterious case?!¡± The reporter who asked this question came from CNN. In order to exaggerate news, they did not minding up with false information to garner attention. There was a saying in Hua Xia Empire, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be too much of a CNN.¡±

    Even though the police officers from the west Manhattan police station were not of the highest caliber, they were mostly fans of the drama series. Seeing this amount of media in front of them, the cautiousness and sensitivity they learned from the drama series they watched was on full disy.

    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re unable to reveal more.¡±

    ¡°Please excuse us. Don¡¯t interrupt our usual operations.¡±

    ¡°Please move behind the yellow line. Those who cross the line will be arrested with the charge of hindering the police during a case.¡±

    A series ofmands came from the station chief, and all the media had no choice but to leave. The officers could finally make their way into the station. Only then did they begin to gossip about what had happened outside.

    The only person who was upset with all this was the station chief. He returned to his office and picked up the internal line, requesting that a number of officers and PR personnele to his office for further questioning.

    ¡°What the hell happened?! Why are there so many reporters?! Even the X Files came up. Did they grow up eating sh*t?!¡± the station chief, Officer Carmo, yelled. He was a Latin man who was almost 50 years old. Stout with a round tummy, his belt looked like it was about to burst.

    The officers and PR personnel exchanged nces and produced a set of prepared documents and began reporting to Officer Carmo. After listening to their report, no one could decipher Officer Carmo¡¯s expression.

    He took out a small book from the cupboard beside his desk and patted it with his plump hands. With his brows furrowed, he said, ¡°Mr. Zhao told me that the girl who was reported missing from Julliard a few days ago was the daughter of Hua Xia Empire¡¯s prime minister?!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not the prime minister yet. He¡¯s a candidate in the prime minister election. However, we heard that he¡¯s the favorite candidate this season and has the most supporting votes.¡± The PR personnel corrected Officer Carmo carefully and continued, ¡°I only got to know about this online as well.¡±

    Boom!

    Officer Carmo punched the desk, and his coffee cup jumped due to his strength, spilling the coffee. However, he didn¡¯t mind at all. Instead, he shouted, one word at a time, ¡°What happened to that case?! I remember someone telling me that the girl left home of her own ord! Why did it escte to going missing from her dormitory?!¡±

    ¡°Sir, leaving home of her own ord was one of the guesses when she went missing from the dormitory. There was no disagreement about that.¡± Officer A was slightly unhappy now. He was the main officer on this case, and he had not expected an international student to have such a family background. In the past, if foreigners with a political background wanted to stay in the United States, they¡¯d make themselves known, and they¡¯d offer extra protection to those people around the ces they stayed. However, this girl had been staying there for three years, and no one had told them that she was the daughter of some important politician!

    ¡°How would we know if they had note clean with us?¡± Officer B pouted and said. ¡°Her father was only a Minister of Justice before this, so she wasn¡¯t at the level where we would offer her extra protection, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that her father had just announced that he would be joining the election.¡± Officer C loved watching ¡°House of Cards¡± and was extremely intrigued by theplications among the higher authorities in the political world. He continued enthusiastically, ¡°Would it be due to an internal battle for the election, and we are just unlucky to be involved?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Things like this are extremelymon. When it was the presidential election in our country, didn¡¯t the two final candidates continuously attempt to harm each other? Kidnap and murder are not new, either...¡± Officer A began getting excited. He did not want to admit that this had happened due to his negligence in security. This concerned his year-end bonus, and he would never allow this to ruin his bonus.

    If they could escte a crime to the status of political incident, then they would not have to bear any form of responsibility. Of course, the American government would never punish their own police officers due to the child of a foreigner election candidate going missing in their country, and the people of Hua Xia Empire would never punish the American police due to their internal conflicts.

    Officer Carmo listened, and his already small eyes narrowed. He sat on his office chair and turned around with it. The poor chair squeaked in protest due to his weight, and it almost seemed like it was about to copse. Officer Carmo contemted for a while before posting the question, ¡°The girl went missing due to their internal conflicts. Do you guys have evidence to support that?¡±

    ¡°Evidence?¡± Officer A shut up. If his imagination could be used as a valid source of evidence, he could go on for three days and three nights. Sadly, it couldn¡¯t be used.

    ¡°How can youe to that conclusion without evidence?! You think they¡¯re as stupid as you?!¡± Officer Carmo threw everything onto Officer A out of anger. ¡°You idiot! Get out! Go to Julliard and get evidence for the case! Iste the dormitory! At the same time, inform the media that we will be holding a press conference tomorrow to brief them about updates on the case!¡±

    The PR officer smiled when she heard this. Yes! If they had to have a press conference, this case would be known across America, no, it¡¯d be known worldwide! She would just focus on being on screen and be someone famous so that she wouldn¡¯t have to return to the station and work with a bunch of brutes! She was only 30 years old. She could still make a name for herself in the industry!

    Officers B and C couldn¡¯t make themselves smile, even if they wanted to. They didn¡¯t care about such ¡°exposure.¡± Only Officer A bent to pick up the documents on the ground and cleaned the table before saluting. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Aftering out from the office, Officer A took some policemen and exited by the back door, got into a police car, and headed towards Juilliard. At this time, though, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were already at the doors of Tan Guiren¡¯s dormitory.

 Chapter 552 - Unmatched Luxury

    <h4>Chapter 552: Unmatched Luxury</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were not professional police officers or detectives, they still had basic investigative training as members of the Special Operations Forces. With Little Zhao from the detective agency leading the way, they saw that the door to Tan Guiren¡¯s dorm didn¡¯t even have a notice on it and wasn¡¯t sealed off with yellow police tape. The door was ajar, so anyone could go in ore out at any time.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to his lips to cough quietly and calmly asked Little Zhao, ¡°Have they called the police yet or not?¡±

    ¡°Of course they did. The Tan¡¯s have a rtive in New York who was in contact with Miss Tan daily. This time, he called and texted Miss Tan, but she hadn¡¯t been replying, so he got worried and came to check. He kept knocking on her door, but she didn¡¯te, so he asked her ssmates and figured out she hadn¡¯te out or gone to ss in two days.¡± Little Ze shook his head with regret. ¡°I saw the photos. She¡¯s a very pretty girl and looks like an angel...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened slightly. ¡°So by the time you discovered she was missing, she hadn¡¯t shown up in two days already? In that case, shouldn¡¯t the date Tan Guiren went missing be moved back by two days?¡± That meant she had been missing for eight days, not six...

    Little Zhao scratched his head sheepishly. ¡°Maybe. We were only informed two days ago that the Hua Xia Empire is sending personnel over to investigate the case.¡± If it wasn¡¯t because Tan Guiren¡¯s father, Tan Dongbang, is a popr candidate for the uing prime minister elections, her case wouldn¡¯t be getting such attention from the Hua Xia Empire.

    Zhao Liangze subtly took out his devices to scan the room and discovered that there were no eavesdropping bugs nted, but when he walked to the corner of the hallway, he saw a video camera that probably monitored the hallway. Zhao Liangze looked at it and pulled Hu Shaoheng¡¯s arm to point out the camera¡¯s location to him. Huo Shaoheng nced at it casually and walked closer to the camera. ¡°Right, Little Zhao. How did you determine she disappeared from the room?¡± Zhao Liangze put away his devices and asked the question on both his and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s minds. If they only discovered she was missing after no contact for two days, then how was it determined that she had disappeared from her dorm?

    Little Ze noticed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s movements and quickly said, ¡°You picked up on it, too? There¡¯s a camera over there recording the hallway 24 hours a day. The police got evidence from the surveince footage and said that Miss Tan didn¡¯te out again after going into her room. Then one of her rtives called the police, and the police used the campus spare key to open the door and found it was empty inside.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng went back inside after listening to Little Zhao and replied, ¡°Then can we have a look inside?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to take you in.¡± Little Ze opened the door to Tan Guiren¡¯s dorm excitedly and ushered Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze inside. Huo Shaoheng nced around the room from the door. It was a very cramped single person dorm, about ten square meters in size. There was a twin size bed covered with clean sheets with skinny stripes, as well as several furry teddy bears. An exquisite pale yellow flower-shaped wall clock hung by the bed, and it was at the eight o¡¯clock position. Directly across from the door was a window and under it a desk with aptop that was already turned off. Next to the wall opposite the bed was an elegant vintage vanity. The wallpaper in the room was already very old, and the original rose pattern had faded to a shabby chic look. The room exuded the look of a dorm with over 100 years of history.

    Inside the room was also a small storage space that had been converted into a closet. When they walked inside, they noticed luxury that was a stark contrast to the inness of the rest of the room. Several Hermes Picotin bags were disyed on the shelves, and several pairs of Stuart Weitzman tall boots were scattered messily on the floor. High-end brand name dresses and pant suits hung from the rack. It appeared that Tan Guiren¡¯s true identity of a wealthy socialite was revealed only by looking in the closet. Huo Shaoheng looked around the closet and left. Zhao Liangze remained behind to take photos of every corner.

    Little Zhao took Huo Shaoheng around Tan Guiren¡¯s dorm and gestured while saying, ¡°Where do you think she could have gone? This is such a tiny ce, a square room. Could she have disappeared into thin air?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept quiet. He walked to the window to carefully study it and found it was sealed. To install central air conditioning in older American buildings like this, many windows were sealed because changing all the windows to new ones was a great expense. Juilliard certainly didn¡¯t want to pay it, or couldn¡¯t afford it, so all the windows werepletely sealed. The sealed window was a benefit to the case, since that excluded the possibility of Tan Guiren leaving through it. Huo Shaoheng looked at the window a bit more and used his clear stic gloved hand to gently wipe the window sill. Much dust had umted, and from the side it was evident that no one had touched it.

    Turning around, he walked through the room again but didn¡¯t see any signs of a struggle or fighting. Could someone have really disappeared into thin air there? That was ridiculous. But when he thought about how the mysterious maic field had been detected there, it didn¡¯t seem so strange, after all. Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and stroked his chin in thought as he stood by the door.

    Zhao Liangze was using professional high-resolution cameras and camcorders to document the entire space, including the tiny bathroom. Just as the three men finished examining the room, a loud cacophony of footsteps and shouting sounded by the door.

    ¡°Move side! The police are here!¡±

    ¡°We need to clear the scene. All irrelevant people are to leave!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Why is the door open? Did someone go in?¡± A stocky policeman opened the door to Tan Guiren¡¯s dorm and was shocked to see three Asian men standing inside. ¡°Who are you? Why are you inside a crime scene?¡± The policeman immediately darkened his expression and started shouting at them.

    Little Zhao immediately came over to disy his ID and business card. ¡°Hello, I am from the detective agency retained by Miss Tan¡¯s parents. We are here to find clues as allowed byw.¡±

    The policeman¡¯s expression eased a bit when he heard they were from the detective agency hired by Tan Guiren¡¯s parents, but he still waved his arms, shooing them out like little chickens. ¡°Get out, get out. We are sealing the crime scene today. The police are investigating, so you¡¯d better not mess with the case.¡±

    ¡°The police are sealing off the room?¡± Little Zhao was perplexed. How many days had it been anyway? Sealing it today? Wasn¡¯t that toote?

    The policeman was flushed from the questioning so he pretended not to understand what Little Zhao was implying and shouted, ¡°New clues have appeared, so we need to reopen the investigation!¡±

    ¡°New clues? What new clues? Can you give us a simple exnation?¡± Little Zhao instantly started questioning the policeman. ¡°I was hired by Miss Tan¡¯s parents, so I have a right to know what new clues you¡¯ve discovered.¡±

    Of course the police didn¡¯t have any new clues at all. It was only a random excuse to kick them out. Their only clue was discovering that Tan Guiren¡¯s parents were new dignitaries in the Hua Xia Empire.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t able to share our intelligence with you for now. If you want to find out more, then you¡¯ll have to watch the press conference tomorrow.¡± Sergeant A waddled inside with a group of rookie police officers who had just started training. He raised his finger andmanded, ¡°Go inside and look carefully for clues! You¡¯d better find something, even if you have to dig up the ce!¡± The police officers swarmed inside and immediately crowded up the room.

    Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Little Zhao instantly retreated. Looking at the police officers blundering inside like a swarm of flies, the originally tidy little room was instantly messy. Little Zhao couldn¡¯t help grimacing and whispered, ¡°How can they find any clues messing around like that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze also shared the same thought, but they didn¡¯t say anything as they quietly watched the group of police officers turn Tan Guiren¡¯s dorm upside down. After about 15 minutes, there was nothing left for them to dig through and Sergeant A finally waved them out. He taped off the door to prevent anyone else from going inside the dorm.

    Little Zhao went over to talk to him. ¡°Sergeant, how are we toe back for more clues if this ce is taped off?¡±

    ¡°The police are investigating now, so there¡¯s nothing more for you to do.¡± Sergeant A didn¡¯t want anyone else to intervene.

    Little Zhaopletely ignored him and sneered. ¡°We have a power of attorney. Are you sure you want us to take this to the Intermediate Circuit Court?¡±

 Chapter 553 - Magnetic Field

    <h4>Chapter 553: Maic Field</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Xiao Zhao¡¯s question had a good impact on the policemen. Officer A gulped and stammered before handing him a key. ¡°Hold this. Let us know when you¡¯ve got some leads.¡±

    The private investigation firm was determined to build a friendly rtionship with the police. They didn¡¯t want to ruin the rtionship if they could help it. Therefore, Xiao Zhao epted the key happily and left Tan Guiren¡¯s dormitory with Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and the guys. They headed towards the investigation firm Xiao Zhao was working for. There was professional equipment there Zhao Liangze could use to develop the pictures he had just taken.

    Xiao Zhao brought Zhao Liangze to the area to develop pictures, while Huo Shaoheng remained in the office alone to look at the footage of the dormitory Zhao Liangze had taken just now. He wouldpare it with the footage the private investigation firm took of the same ce a few days ago.

    Even though they had just left the small space, it still felt different looking at it on video. Perhaps it was due to looking at the entire issue from another angle, or perhaps a High Definition camera could capture many more things than the human eye could. After looking through the footage twice, Huo Shaoheng had managed to discover some differences.

    For example, the sunlighting through the window seemed to be darker in shade on a certain part of the floorpared to the others. Also, the flower-patterned clock on the wall had stopped ticking. That particr type of clock did not have a second and minute hand, and its hour hand was rather hidden. Therefore, sometimes one had to record the clock at different times in order to see the differences.

    The footage from the investigation firm showed that the time on the clock indicated it was eight o¡¯clock, and the footage they had taken today revealed that the clock was showing the same time. The footage taken by the investigation firm was taken in the afternoon, while their footage was taken in the morning at about seven o¡¯clock. No matter which day the footage was taken, the time would not be eight o¡¯clock.

    From his knowledge, these clocks mostly used button batteries to operate, though some of them could be plugged into wall outlets. It would be good to know which type Tan Guiren had in her dormitory.

    After he was done with watching the footage, Huo Shaoheng took the report for the case and had a close read again. After an entire afternoon, Zhao Liangze had managed to develop all the pictures from the morning. He brought them back to the Hilton Hotel along with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, look at these pictures. Is there anything special?¡± Zhao Liangze disyed all the pictures on the floor of the living area in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite ording to his directions, recreating Tan Guiren¡¯s dormitory.

    Folding his arms, Huo Shaoheng stood at the edge of the pictures and remained silent. He was thinking about the report the officer had written. It had specifically mentioned something about a maic field. Everything was so coincidental. This officer was supposed to go to the scene of crime as someone from the embassy for a routine check. He wasn¡¯t supposed to go as an officer from the Special Forces. Coincidentally, among the people who went, someone had a device that could detect maic fields.

    The moment the officer saw the figures, he became alert and returned with a professional device to detect the maic field properly and recorded the unusual figures of the maic field in Tan Guiren¡¯s room. However, the moment he finished recording, the strange maic field disappeared...

    Huo Shaoheng did not look at the figures closely. Instead, he was thinking about why the maic field would appear and why it would vanish. He had felt that there was a good chance that this was the key to Tan Guiren¡¯s case, because every time this abnormality appeared, some other unusual signs would follow. Or rather, some unexinable things woulde along with the figures.

    Seventeen years ago, for the first time, when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning, and maternal grandfather, Song Haichuan, were doing a coborative experiment with the Army, these exact maic fields appeared when the experiment failed.

    Seven years ago, it appeared again. This time around, the maic field appeared in the middle of a T-junction in C City. Huo Shaoheng was supposed to be there to protect the director of High Energy Physics, Bai Jinyi, when she was there to collect the figures. At that exact ce, they witnessed a car drive into the maic field and explode. The 12-year-old little girl Huo Shaoheng had saved from the ident was none other than Gu Nianzhi, who had been carrying a little bag.

    The third time happened midst year. The figures appeared at the Gulf of Aden in Somalia. Upon receiving the information, the then-director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Bai Jinyi, who hadn¡¯t been put behind bars, led a team to the waters around that area to collect data. That time, some of the bigger Blue Star countries sent research vessels to the waters near Aden and Somalia for data collection. ording to Bai Jinyi, some countries even sent submarines.

    The fourth time would be this time. Tan Guiren went missing in her own dormitory, and then they discovered this strange maic field. Was it coincidental? Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t a scientist; he was a soldier, and not just a normal one at that. He was a soldier from the Special Forces. People in that line needed an inborn trait of being doubtful of everything, including things that might look ordinary.

    Never conclude anything unknown to be supernatural was the principle of the Special Forces. Many things that looked unusual initially were actually not unusual. You just had not managed to discover the key for that thing.

    It was just like magic. The audience would usually think that they were looking at something miraculous if they didn¡¯t know the secret behind the magic tricks. However, the moment they discovered how the magic trick was performed, most would realize that it was just a matter of angles.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the pictures again. He had a hunch that the key to this casey in angles. Someone was intentionally confusing them and hiding his or her true intentions. Therefore, discovering that person¡¯s motive would be the only way to find Tan Guiren. Upon hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s analysis, Zhao Liangze shook his head. ¡°Do you think that Tan Guiren is still alive, Mr. Huo?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t and have no need to know if she¡¯s alive or dead. All I have to do is to find her, alive or dead.¡± Huo Shaoheng analyzed calmly and pointed at a particr picture. ¡°Look at this wall clock. It stopped at eight o¡¯clock. Then look at the angle at which sunlight was shining into the room ¨C notice anything interesting?¡±

    Zhao Liangze craned his neck and looked closer. After a rather long time, he finally nodded, deep in thought. ¡°Yeah, quite interesting...¡± From the picture, Tan Guiren¡¯s window was facing north. Only the rays from morning sun were able to prate the room. When the sun set, no sunlight would be able to shine into the room.

    ¡°Little Ze, can you use software to analyze the angle and precise location of the sunlight when it shines into the room at about eight o¡¯clock in the morning?¡± Huo Shaoheng picked both pictures up and ced them in Zhao Liangze¡¯s hands. This request required picture and analytical software to work together. However, it wouldn¡¯t be too tough a task for Zhao Liangze.

    After a couple of days, he finally managed toe up with such software. Scanning all the pictures of Tan Guiren¡¯s dormitory, the pictures were analyzed for their data and converted into 3D pictures. The next thing they knew, Tan Guiren¡¯s dormitory was in 3D on theputer screen in front of them.

    Standing behind Zhao Liangze, Huo Shaoheng watched him adjust the figures and match the time and angles. On theptop¡¯s clear screen, ady¡¯s dormitory with curtains that had just opened to wee the morning sun appeared. The sunlight poured in like golden rays. The software mimicked the direction that the sunlight would shine in andnded on a point on the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Mm?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that on the floor?¡± Zhao Liangze squinted and looked closer, and even tried to magnify the floor for better definition. ¡°It looks like a picture?¡± Zhao Liangze said doubtfully. ¡°Looks weird, like vines twirling around.¡± To put it urately, it was an oval with vines on the border. Under the sunlight, it shone slightly green. Very soon, the picture disappeared as the sun had already moved because it wasn¡¯t eight o¡¯clock anymore. This picture appeared only at a specific time at a specific spot. What did it mean?

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and stood behind Zhao Liangze, curling his lips. ¡°Interesting. Are they trying to test our intelligence?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was speechless. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°Who would be some? Why can¡¯t they just keep it a simple kidnapping? Why must they leave so many clues for us to solve?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re just confident that no one will find them.¡± Huo Shaoheng used a narrative tone, looking cold. ¡°However, since they¡¯ve decided to leave clues, it means they have requests. Then we shall wait and see who has better patience.¡±

    ¡°What do we do, then?¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. ¡°It has already been eight days. Will Miss Tan be okay?¡±

    ¡°Her family should roughly know.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed. He didn¡¯t feel good that his fellow countrywoman had gotten kidnapped overseas. ¡°She should have been brought back to our country a long time ago or should have informed the embassy here so they could provide her with special protection.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded empathetically. ¡°Let¡¯s do our best.¡±

    What did they do at the Special Forces? They provided special protection for the citizens of the Hua Xia Empire when they were in foreignnds. When a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire met with any trouble or mishaps overseas, and the embassy was in a difficult position to mediate, it would be the job of the Special Forces to act. Therefore, they decided to not move for now and to watch the opponent¡¯s moves.

    ...

    The police station in west Manhattan had been gaining much exposure over the past few days. The press conference they had been holding once a day had been very well received, as the media was interested in being updated regarding the case.

    Even though they had not managed to find new leads, they promoted themselves daily, giving a shout out to the kidnappers once a day. They also reminded residents to call the cops if there were new leads and announced their hotline. They also announced the mary reward of 100,000 US dors if Tan Guiren was found.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been idle, either. He had been going to Juilliard for the past few days to see if there were any suspicious characters around.

    In a blink of an eye, half a month passed. The Tan¡¯s were almost hopeless by now, but Huo Shaoheng still looked as calm as ever. He took the opportunity to go through the allocation of Special Forces personnel based in America and set up a new branch there. This ce was, of course, hidden in the city. Huo Shaoheng set up the branch in the busiest part of New York City.

    New York was a city of democracy. It would be best to hide their base there rather than in other parts of the country.

    ...

    As they entered June, the weather gradually became warmer. Gu Nianzhi walked out from the dormitory. The moment she walked under the sun, the cooling sensation from her room disappeared. She dabbed the perspiration from her forehead and looked at the ruthless rays from the sun above. Suddenly, she was reminded of Huo Shaoheng, who hadn¡¯t contacted her for more than half a month.

    Missing someone really happened constantly. No matter what she looked at, it was easy to be reminded of him. Was the task this time round such a difficult one that he had to be gone for so long?

 Chapter 554 - Headline News

    <h4>Chapter 554: Headline News</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi went to the library to do research for her paper. After sitting all afternoon, her neck grew sore. Rubbing her eyes, she got up to collect her things and go home for dinner. It was then she heard two girls whispering to each other not too far away. ¡°Oh my God! Is this real?! Minister Tan¡¯s daughter went missing in the United States?!¡±

    ¡°She probably got kidnapped, right? It¡¯s already been two weeks, and they still haven¡¯t found her. What are American police good for, anyway?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, where are the legendary American police who can do anything? The FBI? Captain America? Hehehehe...¡± The girls were snickering and grew louder. They finally muffled theirughter and shushed themselves after a librarian came over to knock on their desk.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her backpack and remembered the headline news she had seen on social media. She instantly understood what the two girls were talking about. It was the case of the missing daughter of the popr candidate for the prime minister elections, Tan Dongbang. All sorts of rumors were raging across social media, and the Manhattan police were seemingly ying out a soap opera with their daily press conferences, all too eager to earn more screen time. Gu Nianzhi kept rolling her eyes mentally.

    Walking out of the library, she saw the sun gradually begin to set, and her mind drifted to thest time she saw Huo Shaoheng. It was thest time he apanied her to study at the library... The most gentle smile appeared on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips, and in her daze, she had already taken out her phone to fiddle with. After considering it for a while, she finally decided to call Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was soft and carried the tenderness of a young girl.

    Yin Shixiong picked up the call and spun around leisurely in his office chair. ¡°Nianzhi, what do you need Brother Xiong for? Do you want toe to the base? You haven¡¯t been here in a long time now.¡± It seemed like Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been to the Special Forces Operations headquarters ever since Huo Shaoheng left. Although before Huo Shaoheng left, he told her she should stay at his official residence on the base when she had time, Gu Nianzhi still hadn¡¯t gone. What was the point of going if he wasn¡¯t going to be there? That also wasn¡¯t a regr ce, so Gu Nianzhi was conscientious about not abusing her privileges.

    Now that Yin Shixiong was mentioning it, Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I miss you guys, too. I¡¯lle back when Huo Shao and Brother Ze are back.¡± She then hesitated before finally asking, ¡°Brother Xiong, when will Huo Shao... When will hee back?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. It could be tomorrow, or it could take longer and be several months or even half a year.¡± Yin Shixiong answered vaguely because he didn¡¯t want to give Gu Nianzhi a concrete idea.

    Gu Nianzhi actually knew that they had military discipline, so it wasn¡¯t possible to disclose anything to outsiders. Even though she was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s family, these were not things she could know about. While she understood the reasoning, it did nothing to assuage the longing in her heart. ¡°Brother Xiong, then are Huo Shao and Brother Ze... safe?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked Yin Shixiong as she walked, ¡°Did he call back? Did he ask about me?¡± She badly wanted to know about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current situation.

    Yin Shixiong was getting ufortable and mumbled, ¡°Well, they should be safe. How could they not be with Mr. Huo there? Phone calls? No, he didn¡¯t call.¡± Huo Shaoheng really hadn¡¯t called and hadn¡¯t contacted the base since he had left with Zhao Liangze. They had heard the Special Ops personnel in North America were undergoing restructuring, so Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t worried for now. But he could detect the longing in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice. She was just an 18-year-old girl, after all. It waspletely normal for her to worry about a lover who had suddenly cut off allmunication. But Yin Shixiong truly couldn¡¯t reveal any information, and after thinking about it for a long time, he finally answered vaguely, ¡°They are working right now and helping with a favor. Since there are so many Hua Xia citizens abroad, the Special Ops must step in when something serious happens.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could tell Yin Shixiong was saying that a Hua Xia citizen living abroad had run into trouble, so Huo Shaoheng had personally gone over to help. How important could this person be for Huo Shaoheng to personally get involved?! Gu Nianzhi was grumbling in her heart but instantly thought of the hottest topic on social media right now. The daughter of the popr candidate for the prime minister elections, Tan Dongbang¨C she went missing and got kidnapped! Could Huo Shaoheng have gone to the United States to deal with the case?! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun and she blurted out, ¡°Brother Xiong, is Huo Shao in New York? It¡¯s almost summer break. I want to vacation in New York.¡±

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to immediately guess where and what Huo Shaoheng was doing, so he could only gloss it over. ¡°New York? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea... Let¡¯s goter. Why go right now? It¡¯ll just make it a bigger mess.¡± He was indirectly confirming Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suspicions. Huo Shaoheng was in New York right now, and he was probably there for the case of Minister Tan¡¯s daughter.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief knowing Huo Shaoheng was in New York, because she had been quite afraid that he was on a mission in a warring country. In a ce like that, everyone had to be on edge, and their lives depended on the holster of their gun at all times. The United States was a much better option since it was a legal society with a government and social stability. Knowing that Huo Shaoheng was not in a dangerous ce, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood brightened instantly. She ended the call and nearly hummed as she quickly walked back to the dorm.

    After having dinner with Ma Qiqi, Gu Nianzhi went back to her room and began final edits on her papers. Her phone suddenly rang. He Zhichu was calling. Gu Nianzhi unlocked the phone to take the call with a smile. ¡°Professor He, how can I help you?¡±

    He Zhichu sat on the couch with one hand moving the cursor on hisptop as he dealt with work emails from his Americanw firm and called Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I wanted to ask if you finished your paper, as the due date is tomorrow.¡± He Zhichu sent the emails off and said to Gu Nianzhi when he saw there was nothing important, ¡°Do you want to be my personal assistant and deal with my work emails from my Americanw firm?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been his teaching assistant for some time now, and because she was smart, she quickly got the hang of work after familiarizing herself with it and only needed to spend seven or eight hours a week to finish all her work. She used all her other time to earn academic credits in order to graduate early. He Zhichu saw that she was so keen to learn and was quick to adapt, so he wanted to train her well to prepare her for her future career as awyer.

    ¡°So I wouldn¡¯t be Professor He¡¯s personal assistant, but Lawyer He¡¯s personal assistant?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile. ¡°Does that count for academic credits?¡±

    ¡°It does, and it alsoes with an official sry as well as insurance and housing funds. What do you think, do you want to do it?¡± When He Zhichu spoke like that, he was like a fallen angel tempting the human heart. His shimmering, sultry eyes were faintly tinged red, his tall and straight nose perfectly sculpted, and his thin, cruel lips pressed into a tight line.

    ¡°Oh? Insurance and housing funds, too?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was very tempted, and of course, the major attraction was that she could familiarize herself with the workflow of an Americanw firm early on. This would be a good foundation for her future role in aw firm.

    ¡°Right, and if you¡¯re willing, I can send ourw firm¡¯s employment contract to you. This is official and legally binding.¡± He Zhichu set down his cursor and picked up his ss of red wine to swirl, the thick wine inside gleaming deep ga. He raised the ss and downed itpletely.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it some more before replying cautiously, ¡°Can Professor He please send it over for me to have a look? I don¡¯t know if I have the time to work...¡± She had started school half a yearter than the other graduate students, so she was a semester behind in academic credits. For the past six months, she had been taking many courses andpleting them in hopes of making up for the time she had missed.

    ¡°You can give it a try first if you¡¯re not sure yet. All jobs have a probation period, so this one is not an exception.¡± He Zhichu resumed his business-like manner, making Gu Nianzhi much morefortable.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly finished the paper and sent it to He Zhichu. ¡°I just sent my paper to your email.¡±

    He Zhichu switched over to his B University email and saw the paper Gu Nianzhi sent over. He opened it to check as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll send my work email and password to youter so you can help me deal with my work emails from the Americanw firm from now on.¡± Wen Shouyi had taken care of that previously, and now that she had gone home, He Zhichu felt it was better for him to hire another assistant.

 Chapter 555 - Couldnâ€™t Help It

    <h4>Chapter 555: Couldn¡¯t Help It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the email ount and password that He Zhichu had just sent her and contemted for a while before logging in. The moment she managed to ess his ount, the uncountable emails in English almost blinded her. At that moment, she understood how it felt to be working in an all-English environment.

    She immediately began to focus and read the emails. In the beginning, she was merely trying to get ustomed to He Zhichu¡¯s work, trying to see the types of emails he received on a daily basis. However, after an entire night of looking through his emails, she arrived at a conclusion. No matter what your upation was, the moment you¡¯re at the top of the mountain, money would just be god damn easy to earn! Of course, the journey to get there would be extremely tough, but the moment you pulled through, it¡¯d be the same for all upations. Therefore, actually, money didn¡¯te easily...

    Most of He Zhichu¡¯s emails came from people from listed multinationalpanies who wanted to have awyer to draft some legal documents. Some also offered him directorship in theirpany. They did not offer him shares but merely invited him to sit in during their meeting, and he¡¯d be paid in tens of thousands of US dors every minute.

    Gu Nianzhi coughed a couple of times, exited He Zhichu¡¯s mailbox, and sent him a text. Professor He, I¡¯ll sign it. It wouldn¡¯t be too hard to be the assistant of someone like that. Hell, it¡¯d even be easier than being his assistant at B University. She didn¡¯t think that there was any problem, so she signed the contract, scanned it, and sent it to He Zhichu.

    Upon receiving her signed copy, he merely added in his digital signature and sent it to hisw firm in America to have it stored in the HR archive. He was one of the partners in thatw firm and had a say in employment. The HR department received the contract and entered it into the system immediately. Gu Nianzhi was officially employed by the biggestw firm in America, even though she was just a rookie assistant.

    After receiving confirmation from America, He Zhichu called Gu Nianzhi and informed her, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re officially my assistant now. They¡¯ll contact you and provide you with an official email address. Remember to provide them with your bank ount number for them to transfer your monthly sry.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Gu Nianzhi replied cheerfully and closed herptop. Looking at her watch, she was surprised to see that it was already 11 o¡¯clock. ¡°You¡¯re not turning in yet, Professor He?¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to go for a nice shower.

    Shaking his head, He Zhichu replied, ¡°There are still things to finish up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered one of the official emails from He Zhichu¡¯s mailbox and leaned against the doorframe of her bathroom, smiling. ¡°You have such an easy job; just attend some meetings each month and pick up your iPad to draft some organizational contracts, and that earns you such a crazy amount monthly.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s fees were 50,000 US dors per minute. Yes, you saw correctly; he charged by the minute.

    However, there were still many organizations who wanted to engage him. He wasn¡¯t short of money, so he did not ept all cases. Usually, he¡¯d ept a couple of significant cases per month and delegate them to his subordinates. He¡¯d collect half of the earnings, and the other half would be given to his employees as their sries. For awyer of his rank, a two-minute job would be equivalent to a novicewyer¡¯s annual sry.

    ¡°Meetings can be tiring, as well you know. Don¡¯t think that earning money is easy for me.¡± The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched, and his smile disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t usually ept criminal and civil cases. Most of my cases are rted to corporatew. However, if you wish to be slightly busier, I can give those cases a try.¡±

    ¡°No thanks!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped He Zhichu. ¡°This is good as is. Wait ¡¯til I pull through my year and get enough credits. Then you can think of epting other types of cases.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let me know whenever you want to try handling other types of cases. I¡¯ll grab some of them.¡± He Zhichu really went ording to her preference, including at work. Gu Nianzhi was getting to know him better and understood his style of doing things. Of course, she wasn¡¯t as resistant towards him as before.

    Hanging up, Gu Nianzhi entered the bathroom for her long awaited shower. However, He Zhichu was still looking at the darkened screen of his phone. Even though his expression was cold as usual, the asional sparkling of his eyes showed that he felt something. He had never thought that it would be like this after managing to find her.

    After a while, he finally put his phone down. However, right at that moment, his phone vibrated with an iing text message. Chu, it¡¯ll be your birthday soon. Come home. It was from Father. He Zhichu gripped his phone tightly and turned it off. He pretended not to have seen the text and headed to bed. He intended to reply the next day, as he did not want his father to call him if he knew that he was still online.

    ...

    The prime ministerial election candidate, Tan Dongbang, whose daughter had been missing (kidnapped) in America for a while now, had been the hottest discussion topic in the Hua Xia Empire. Minister of Internal Rtions, Bai Jiancheng¡¯s, news of garnering poprity barely surpassed his news, but in no time, Tan Dongbang¡¯s daughter¡¯s kidnapping case had gone up in poprity by five percent. To the candidates who were at the end phase of the elections, this amount was actually a big gap.

    Bai Jiancheng had high EQ. Even though he was being surpassed, and his hard work all this time might have been for nothing, he did not show any form of anger nor have any distasteful behavior towards his opponent. Instead, he showed how impressed he was with Tan Dongbang¡¯s results, and this behavior was undeniably gracious, even for Tan Dongbang himself.

    ¡°Uncle, are you going to just let that Tan Dongbang ruin all your hard work?¡± Bai Shuang couldn¡¯t stand the injustice. ¡°It had been you all along who was leading, and you were the one who was supporting the entire internal cab! How could he just snatch all your hard work away!? He could even use his daughter¡¯s mishap to help him in his election? What a scumbag!¡±

    Bai Jiancheng¡¯s eldest daughter, Bai Yueran, exchanged nces with him before smiling and turning to Bai Shuang. ¡°Little Shuang, don¡¯t say that. No one wanted something like that to happen to Minister Tan¡¯s daughter. Most likely they didn¡¯t ask for this piece of news to be leaked, either.¡±

    Bai Yueran smoothed Bai Shuang¡¯s long hair and said maturely, ¡°Yes Little Shuang. Some things we keep to ourselves. We can gossip about it at home, but let¡¯s not just shoot our mouths off like that in public and give people reasons to pick on your uncle, alright?¡± She then asked, ¡°Oh yeah, how has Little Ze been? Has he contacted you recently?¡±

    Bai Shuang shook her head. ¡°I heard that he left for a mission. It has already been a month since we contacted him.¡±

    Pouting, Bai Yueran said, ¡°Oh yes. Special Forces¡¯ missions have all along been confidential. You don¡¯t disturb him either, okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Bai Shuang nodded bashfully. She would never tell her cousin that she sent a text message to Zhao Liangzest night. She knew that he would not reply, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. She was happy whenever she looked at his disy picture.

    ¡°Hmm, Little Shuang, do you want to work? Ever since you resigned from foreign rtions, you¡¯ve rewarded yourself with a long holiday. Isn¡¯t it time to return to work?¡± Bai Yueran looked at Bai Shuang carefully. She still pitied this cousin of hers whose parents had passed away.

    Bai Shuang was contemting this as well. Supporting her face with her hands, she leaned on the sofa and said, ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with Little Ze when he¡¯s back.¡±

    Bai Yueran¡¯s hand trembled. She looked at Bai Shuang¡¯s profile. ¡°You¡¯re that close to him already?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re friends.¡± Bai Shuang wanted to smile again, but she held back. She and Zhao Liangze were buddies who could talk about anything under the sun. She believed that they could be something more after a while.

    Bai Yueran smiled while looking at her. ¡°Sure, when hees back, discuss it with him.¡±

    Since Bai Yueran didn¡¯t have anything more to say, Bai Shuang stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and check on auntie. It¡¯ll be dinner soon. I¡¯ll call you guys?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Quickly go and see her if you want. I want fried chicken wings. No idea if the kitchen had made them.¡± Bai Yueran smiled. She was extremely attractive when she smiled, especially her lips. Even though they looked slightly bigger, it was really sexy when she smiled. Bai Shuang pinched Bai Yueran¡¯s cheeks lightly and headed downstairs.

    The moment Bai Shuang left, Bai Yueran closed the door of the study and asked Bai Jiancheng, ¡°What do you intend to do, dad?¡±

    Tan Dongbang had been pushing them into a corner. It was impossible that they would not retaliate. However, they didn¡¯t have to mention this in front of Bai Shuang. Bai Jiancheng¡¯s expression remained the same. He was still smiling his iconic smile with his arms folded. cing his arms on the table, his charisma was immensely strong. ¡°Nothing, I just didn¡¯t expect the Tan¡¯s would be going all out like this.¡± Bai Jiancheng shook his head. ¡°I really overlooked his potential in the past; however, this poprity in the news must be removed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that as well.¡± Bai Yueran sat opposite Bai Jiancheng at the table. ¡°Should I visit the media?¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t do that.¡± Bai Jiancheng looked at her. ¡°Yueran, I personally guided you to be who you are today. Do you understand the concept of letting nature take its course? It¡¯d be more efficient to change people¡¯s mindsets than to change the news. If you were to forcefully remove this news, the Tans would be able to use that to threaten us while they looked for another piece of news to garner attention. By then, their poprity would soar again, and mine would continue to drop.¡±

    Bai Yueran clenched her fists and closed her eyes. ¡°I understand, dad. I will not interfere with the freedom of the media.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Bai Jiancheng lowered his voice and said seriously, ¡°The attraction people have towards news is temporary. If you want his news to lose the attention of the people, it¡¯s simple ¨C use another headline to divert the people¡¯s attention...¡±

    Bai Yueran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°I saw this article that was headline-worthy. It¡¯s also a student from our country who went overseas to study. This could attract more attention that Tan Guiren¡¯s case, but because that family was just a normal family and not some family with a political background, I¡¯m worried that its poprity won¡¯t be sustained for long.¡±

    ¡°Is it really headline-worthy? People from normal families are our citizens as well. How can we just sit back and rx when they need our help?¡± Bai Jiancheng began to smile. ¡°Tell me, what is it about?¡±

    ¡°This happened in Germany.¡± Bai Yueran took out her phone and went to a website that wasn¡¯t so eye-catching and found the article. ¡°This article has no poprity now, even overseas, because Tan Guiren¡¯s case has taken up most of the readers¡¯ attention.¡±

    Narrowing his eyes, Bai Jiancheng asked, ¡°How did you find this?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find this. It appeared in the weekly reports from the Special Forces.¡± Bai Yueran was the main person in charge of the legal department in the Special Forces and received these updates as well.

 Chapter 556 - Indignation

    <h4>Chapter 556: Indignation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Internal reference reports?¡± Bai Jiancheng looked up with a nod. ¡°That sounds about right. I don¡¯t want to hear anything you¡¯re not supposed to tell me.¡±

    ¡°How could that be?¡± Bai Yueran waved her hand cheerfully. ¡°I would never do anything against military discipline. Routine reports are internal reference reports, so any government officials with appropriate clearance can read them.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng was deeply impressed and very satisfied with his daughter. ¡°Yueran, your future is not limited as merely the Director of Legal Affairs for the Special Operations Forces. You know that, so you must be self-sufficient and guard your reputation well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s smile faded, and she grew more stern. ¡°See if this case can be used.¡±

    Bai Jianchen looked at Bai Yueran¡¯s phone again, scanning over the news article with a frown. ¡°What nonsense. A threesome? Are you sure this article can¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Of course. This was reported in the local German media, so it¡¯s not something that has to be kept confidential. But no one is really picking up on this article, whether in Germany or in the Huaxia Empire.¡± Bai Yueran sighed softly. ¡°It¡¯s probably because this female exchange student didn¡¯te from a powerful family.¡±

    Because the girl came from a regr family, there was no subsequent media value, and the media outlets had a keener nose than dogs¡ªhence, a certain group among the media wasbeled as the ¡°paparazzi.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng read the unassuming article again then decided, ¡°Ok, have someone follow up on this article, and there won¡¯t be a need for us to make a fuss over it.¡±

    As long as the article was reposted in is entirety, experienced media outlets would naturally know how to garner attention. It was only one article, and all they needed was for its poprity to surpass the Tan Guiren case.

    ******

    At the end of June, all the universities in the Huaxia Empire were entering final exam season. As a first-year Master¡¯s student, although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s professional exams were in the form of essays, her elective courses were still normal exams. Luckily, she had a photographic memory, so exams were never a challenge for her. However, she had taken too many courses, so she still had to studyte into the night in her dorm. Despite being an excellent student, she still needed to invest a certain amount of time and effort.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that she had shed a cocoon by the time she finished thest exam for her elective courses. She hadn¡¯t felt so stressed out in many years now. By taking nine elective courses and three professional courses in one semester, she¡¯d finally caught up with her fellow students in the same year, who had already been in school for two semesters.

    Carrying her backpack out of the exam room, she giggled to Ma Qiqi. ¡°Qiqi, where do you want to go for dinner tonight? It¡¯s my treat!¡±

    Ma Qiqi had also just finished herst exam, too, and was checking Weibo and WeChat on her phone. As a social media enthusiast, she had a hard time not going online every day. However, because of final exams, she¡¯d forced herself to refrain from checking her phone for three days now and was feeling serious withdrawal. She had finished herst exam today and couldn¡¯t wait to get her ¡°social daily¡± on the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi saw her eyes widen and her tiny mouth gape slightly. Her fair face was visibly flushed as if she had seen a news article and was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t stop gasping.

    ¡°What is it? What did you read?¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned over to see.

    Ma Qiqi passed the phone to her and covered her face to whisper, ¡°Hurry up and read it! Oh my God! The exchange students are so open nowadays!¡±

    ¡°Open?¡± Gu Nianzhi was perplexed and looked down to read the top trending headline on Weibo: Fatal Threesome! Young Female Exchange Student Perishes Abroad!

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. The article sounded just like a bad tabloid!

    ¡°Are you on fake Weibo?¡± Gu Nianzhi half-smiled at Ma Qiqi and said sarcastically, ¡°The high-ss and high-ie bourgeoisie on Weibo would really have such a trashy article rank number one?¡±

    ¡°Humph! You don¡¯t know, eh? This article has all the elements of going viral!¡± Ma Qiqi had suddenly be an experienced analyst on Weibo trends. ¡°Look. Young female exchange student, threesome, perished abroad! How can the bourgeoisie not be shocked?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you Weibo idols can say this has elements of a viral news article when it¡¯s obviously a trashy tabloid piece. Can¡¯t you just admit that you¡¯re amoner?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m amoner, then what are you?¡± Ma Qiqi pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face. ¡°Are you a refined person?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also amoner.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°I love the world ofmoners andmon things!¡±

    She pinched Ma Qiqi back, and they joked together and read the article as they walked back to the dorm.

    ¡°See? This is what the local German prosecutor said: The Huaxia female exchange student was having a threesome with this German couple, but they took it too far and she died...¡± Ma Qiqi shook her head with a sigh. ¡°How desperate was she...?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi noticed something strange. ¡°What did you say? What prosecutor? He really said that?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Ma Qiqi read the original article to her, ¡°See, that¡¯s what the article said. The German couple who turned themselves in admitted it was a threesome...¡±

    ¡°Humph!¡± Gu Nianzhi was instantly enraged. ¡°This is just fake news! How can a German prosecutor say such a thing to the public?! They are just bullying the deceased female student. She can¡¯t even defend herself!¡±

    Ma Qiqi also stiffened, her mind considering what Gu Nianzhi was saying as her smile faded. She replied with a frown, ¡°Right. I was just thinking about how it was weird, and now that you¡¯ve said it, I finally understand what¡¯s strange about it.¡±

    ¡°Right? We are bothw students, so we should know that the used¡¯s testimony cannot be used as conclusive evidence. The prosecutor also can¡¯t disclose those words as the actuality of the case. This is a serious vition of the dignity of the deceased and also the spirit of thew. I really don¡¯t want to believe that Germans who have always been known for their rigor would do such a thing.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head sadly and asked Ma Qiqi, ¡°Do you have the original source of the article?¡±

    She saw that the article had been posted by a German news outlet and tranted. Gu Nianzhi wanted to see if the original German article said the same thing because domestic reposts of foreign articles weren¡¯t always tranted urately.

    Ma Qiqi looked it up. ¡°I don¡¯t understand German, but it must be from this newspaper. It¡¯s a newspaper from the city where the case urred.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a look and memorized the Chinese trantion of the name of the newspaper, then used her phone to trante it back into German to look up the original German article. She really did find the unassuming German article in the local newspaper¡¯s website and saw that the local police¡¯s website also reposted it. Using trantion software on the article, she found that it was practically the same as the Weibo trantion.

    ording to the prosecutor representing the local police, the female exchange student¡¯s ssmates reported that she had been missing for two days, and when the police searched for her, they found her corpse in a forest behind an abandoned building. She had numerous injuries and was also disfigured. The police had only been investigating for a few days when a German couple turned themselves in and imed that the Huaxia female exchange student had willingly had a threesome with them but had unfortunately died...

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. ¡°Qiqi, I still think something¡¯s not right. How can the German prosecutor repeat the used¡¯s one-sided ims to the media?! He really had the guts to say that? Does he want to lose his job?¡±

    This was serious misconduct andpleted overturned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s impression of Germans as ¡°rigorous.¡±

    Ma Qiqi shrugged. ¡°Who knows? Maybe he assumed it¡¯s the truth?¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered and put away her phone to sigh. ¡°He¡¯s a prosecutor. How could he not know that the truth should be judged in court during a trial? This case hasn¡¯t been tried, nor sentence passed. How can he dare to say such misleading things to the media?! I hope that this girl¡¯s parents will sue this German prosecutor when they read this article! Also, the local police station and this newspaper¡ªhow can they boldly post such nder against the deceased¡¯s reputation? It¡¯s misleading news.¡±

    ¡°Not only are they boldly posting it, but it also became the top trending Weibo post.¡± Ma Qiqi pitied this innocent female exchange student who had lost her life. ¡°How horrible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about the incident timeline and pouted. ¡°This is obviously torture and murder. How can it be fabricated into a fatal threesome? To hell with it! They will face karma for saying such cold-blooded things!¡±

    ¡°Right. The article says her body was found under trees in a forest and that she was covered in injuries and disfigured. Oh my God! What kind of threesome would go to such an extent? She was obviously tortured and murdered.¡± Ma Qiqi also considered it and grew indignant. ¡°I¡¯m going toment! We can¡¯t let unscrupulous media make money off the deceased!¡± She began typing furiously on Weibo.

    Gu Nianzhipletely agreed with her and became passionate, too. She used her own Weibo ount to express support for Ma Qiqi¡¯sments.

 Chapter 557 - Floating out of the Water

    <h4>Chapter 557: Floating out of the Water</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What bullsh*t. Threesome?! This is obviously a rape and murder before attempting to get rid of evidence! How in the world could there be people who agree with those kinds ofments?! Are they stupid?!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯sment became one of the topments shortly after she posted it. It was liked by manyizens with a sense of conscience and brains.

    It was clear that someone was attempting to make the victim a scapegoat in this case. There were hints that the victim, a student who had gone there to study, had an indecent character, and that she deserved it because she came from a wealthy Asian family and was unting her riches. They intentionally made her look bad, seemingly like they were at the scene of the crime on the day itself. Someizens who were unable to distinguish right from wrong were led along by thosements and joined in to shame the victim.

    However, the moment Ma Qiqi¡¯sment surfaced, theizens who had a sense of righteousness joined in and began calling out the German media. Eventually, the culprit who started all the negativity was found and revealed. Of course, he could not escape being shamed by allizens online.

    Seeing that Ma Qiqi¡¯sment had be the topment, Gu Nianzhi was extremely happy. Patting her on the shoulders, she told Ma Qiqi repeatedly, ¡°Well done, Qiqi!¡±

    Ma Qiqi did not expect that her suddenment would be in the limelight, but she was happy as well. ¡°Justice is always in everyone¡¯s hearts!¡± Ma Qiqi sighed emotionally and fell on the bed, beginning to scroll through her Weibo ount. ¡°Just too bad that it¡¯s actually not of much use that we arementing so much here on our own. I just hope that the victim¡¯s family can have a way to bring her some justice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat on an armchair beside her bed and was scrolling through her Weibo ount as well. She replied without as much as looking up from her phone, ¡°Most likely they¡¯ve seen it. Hopefully, they feel slightlyforted.¡± Otherwise, their daughter would have died a wrongful death and would still be humiliated. Who could withstand such treatment?!

    Very soon, this news was spread to Hua Xia Empire and caught the attention of many. In no time, the attention on this news superseded the attention on Tan Guiren. Realizing that this piece of news had value, the media from Hua Xia Empire immediately sent their reporters to Germany to follow up on this incident. Eventually, more mind-boggling things got exposed.

    It was almost summer break. Everyone hadpleted their exams and had a lot more free time on hand. Ma Qiqi did nothing over the past few days except to follow up on the case. Finally, that day, she saw thetest news on the case from Germany and gasped.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Quick! Come and look at this! What the hell? The Germans look out for one another so much, don¡¯t they? Look at this woman; she has the cheek to?!¡± Ma Qiqi pointed at a middle-aged Germandy on the news and cursed. ¡°She¡¯s the biological mother of the culprit! She¡¯s also in charge of the entire case! What the hell!? No wonder when the investigative officer updated the case through a press conference, she used all his statements. They were covering for each other!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi went to the article immediately with her phone and looked through it in seconds. Shaking her head, she sighed. ¡°Unbelievable! How can such corruption happen in Germany...? Sigh. Most likely, the future of this country is ruined as well.¡±

    When the reporters exposed the fact that the female investigative officer in charge was the culprit¡¯s mother, Germany¡¯s internal cab stepped up immediately to put out the fire and appease the masses. They announced that they would be handing the case over to a team in another area, and they had since suspended that female investigative officer. She was to rest at home and not follow up on this case anymore. As for the culprit¡¯s stepfather, he was also one of the higher-ranking officers in charge of this case. His rank was even higher than the culprit¡¯s mother¡¯s.

    ¡°No wonder I felt that something was off about this case. They hadn¡¯t had a hearing and an oue, but the prosecutor was so sure that the poor victim died after having a threesome.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally understood the plot behind the entire crime. She shook her head in disappointment. ¡°This case doesn¡¯t look good for the victim. Hopefully, her family will be able to afford the legal fees in Germany in order to get somepensation. We can¡¯t allow the Germans take advantage of us like that.¡±

    The true meaning ofw and order was to have people learn from their mistakes. Breaking thew wasn¡¯t as simple as having a couple of drinks to show how sorry you were.

    This news was garnering so much attention in the Hua Xia Empire due to the new leads, and one of the first few people whomented on this report was none other than the presidential election candidate, Bai Jiancheng. Subsequently, his poprity soared back to where it was again and was almost on par with Tan Dongbang¡¯s.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re really experienced.¡± Bai Yueran was thoroughly impressed with her father¡¯s n. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be able to gain your poprity back so soon.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng smiled. ¡°We still have three months to election day. We cannot ck just because my poprity went back up for now.¡± Thinking of Tan Guiren¡¯s case, he asked Bai Yueran again, ¡°Did they manage to find Tan Guiren? It has already been more than a month since your Special Forces went there, hasn¡¯t it? Do they have news?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Bai Yueran shook her head dejectedly. ¡°However, even if they were to have any new leads, I wouldn¡¯t be the first to know, because I¡¯m only in the legal department. The Special Forces and us are two different departments. It¡¯s quite a vast difference.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Then follow up on the Tan¡¯s and see what they have up their sleeves next.¡± The Dongbangs had been quiet all this time and had not shown any new tricks. However, in the police station in the west district in Manhattan, America, a phone call was received. Someone called in with a voice enhancer and left them a message. ¡°West district police station? I know where the person you¡¯re looking for is... The sun at eight o¡¯clock in the morning, showing the direction of the sunset.¡± Just like that, a phone call without any other clues or direction. However, it made the police officers in that station extremely excited.

    It had been almost a month since they had held a press conference, but they did not have any new leads to report to the masses. The media was losing interest as the case dragged on. It was the total oppositepared to when the case had just begun. However, after the phone call, they informed the media immediately and held an urgent press conference. During the conference, they announced the message that the caller left.

    After waiting for a month, there was finally something new. Everyone was so excited and began trying to interpret the message. ¡°How can the sun at eight o¡¯clock in the morning show the direction of the sunset? This message is really unsolvable.¡±

    During the evening newscasts of the three main broadcasting stations in Manhattan, all the news broadcasters were discussing the same question excitedly, sharing this same piece of breaking news.

    Countless Americans became active in participation. The hotline for the police station almost exploded with calls as everyone thought that they had managed to decipher the hidden meaning behind that sentence and wanted to inform the cops. However, none of them were close.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the newly-built office of the Special Forces branch in America and began watching the news with Zhao Liangze. ¡°Oh? They¡¯ve finally managed to talk about the sun at eight o¡¯clock in the morning.¡± Zhao Liangze folded his arms and stood behind Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sofa. Smiling knowingly, he continued, ¡°I thought that the mastermind had already given up on this game.¡± Then, he looked at Huo Shaoheng who was sitting on the sofa. ¡°Those idiots actually want topete in patience levels with Mr. Huo. How stupid, really.¡±

    There was a medium rare steak in front of Huo Shaoheng. He ate his food as he watched the news and said, ¡°I was merely deciphering with logic. It¡¯s just that after so long, I hope there¡¯s still a chance for Miss Tan¡¯s survival.¡±

    ¡°She should still be alive.¡± Zhao Liangze brought hisptop over. ¡°We had already analyzed this previously. The other party expended so much effort to kidnap her and left clues. This must mean that they have something they want. Since there is something they want, the chances of killing their hostage before getting what they want should be low.¡± It meant that Tan Guiren was their bargaining chip as of now. How else could they bargain if they lost that chip?

    Now that they were about to be exposed, of course, Huo Shaoheng was happy about it. It was just that he still had some questions. After beating about the bush for so long and still having to provide their own clues for people to find them, it seemed like it wouldn¡¯t help their bargaining. Perhaps the mastermind did not know how Huo Shaoheng operated? Or could there be other reasons?

    Even though Tan Guiren¡¯s family had asked Huo Shaoheng to handle this case personally, he remained passive during this mission instead of actively looking for clues. If the kidnapper felt that the Tan¡¯s had given up the search for Tan Guiren, it would be likely that they would kill her off at any time. However, the kidnapper actually called in to provide clues. Huo Shaoheng could only guess that either they had a huge motive, or they were in stupid. As for which it was, Huo Shaoheng felt that he still couldn¡¯t make a final deduction.

    Clearly, Zhao Liangze thought the same. Sitting opposite Huo Shaoheng, he asked, full of thoughts, ¡°Mr. Huo, what exactly do they want?¡±

    ¡°Kidnapping a hostage from a family with strong political background, most likely they have political favors to ask.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out the pictures of vines that had been printed out. ¡°But they only came out to provide clues after an entire month. They¡¯re actually rather patient.¡±

    ¡°Political favors?¡± Zhao Liangze snorted. ¡°Then they¡¯re making the wrong move. Our country has neverpromised with kidnappers, much less granting them their political favors. They¡¯ll be lucky if we don¡¯t chase them out of the country!¡±

    ¡°Haha, but we¡¯re the only ones who know about this. They don¡¯t,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly and changed the direction of the picture in his hand. He pointed it right at the window. ¡°Open the program and look at the position the sunlightnds on in this picture during sunset.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng were probably the only ones who had discovered this picture of the vines. Therefore, whatever the person was trying to convey through that phone call, they were the only ones who understood it. Zhao Liangze turned on hisptop and opened the program. He set the time and direction, and began adjusting them slowly.

    The 3D model of Tan Guiren¡¯s dormitory appeared in front of them. Following the program, the colors outside the windows in the 3D model turned dark, and the angle of the sun¡¯s rays began changing as the time passed. The picture of the vines from when it was eight o¡¯clock in the morning showed again. However, this time around, the position where the evening sunlightnded was on the tip of one of the vines.

    Zhao Liangze paused the process, and the yellow sunlight paused. The spot where the dim yellow sunlightnded was extremely eye-catching. Putting his chin on his fist, Huo Shaoheng looked at the position of the vine and said slowly, ¡°The direction is seven o¡¯clock. Southwest?¡±

    Southwest of Tan Guiren¡¯s dormitory, in the direction at seven pm. Where would it be?

 Chapter 558 - Itâ€™s Here

    <h4>Chapter 558: It¡¯s Here</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Little Ze, do you have a map of New York?¡± Huo Shaoheng quickly looked at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Can you use your topography and data analysis software on the city map of New York?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very simple.¡± Zhao Liangze concentrated on hisptop. ¡°All the maps nowadays are digital, so it¡¯s very easy to put in.¡± His deft fingers glided over the keyboard to enter severalmands to embed the map data for New York. After the program ran several times, Zhao Liangze moved theptop to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, look. This is a map of the entire city.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the image on theptop screen and lost himself in thought. The historic Juilliard School was covered in green ivy, lush and emerald. A window was half open, and the sunset filtered through the screen to fall on the burgundy floorboards. The green vines unfurled against on the burgundy floorboards, and the ends of the vines glowed with the warm brilliance of the setting sun. A straight line was drawn out and stretched in the seven o¡¯clock position to pass through Manhattan¡¯s Central Park, the Empire State Building, and southward until it was blocked by a massive skyscraper.

    ¡°Where is that?¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed at the skyscraper.

    ¡°That¡¯s the World Trade Center.¡± Zhao Liangze hesitated before using his cursor to point to the spot beside the building. ¡°There used to be two buildings here called the Twin Towers. They¡¯re gone now...¡±

    As to why they had disappeared, all Americans and probably everyone on the Blue would never forget.

    Huo Shaoheng studied were the beam of light stopped and counted silently. ¡°...The 80th floor?¡±

    ¡°Looks right.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Huo Shaoheng got up and put on his sunsses. ¡°We¡¯re going to the World Trade Center.¡±

    The two men left the office building and hailed a taxi heading toward the World Trade Center located in the south side of Manhattan. The building was over 100 floors high, so the 80th floor was a considerable height. Taking the elevator to the 80th floor, Huo Shaoheng quickly used data analysis on theptop to figure out where the beam of light was pointing to. It was a bookstore hidden in a tiny corner.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t go inside but sat at a bar across the street with Zhao Liangze. They ordered two Bloody Marys and sat near the bar to nce at the bookstore across the street asionally. There were few customers inside, but didn¡¯t New Yorkers love to read?

    Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng wore specially made sunsses that had video recording capabilities. They were able to quickly capture the interior and exterior of the entire bookstore. After finishing the Bloody Marys, they paid and left.

    When they returned to the New York office of the Special Operations Forces, Zhao Liangze once again integrated the photos into his image and data analysis software. A panoramic view of the bookstore on the 80th floor of the New World Trade Center building appeared on hisputer screen.

    ¡°Is there something worth noting on here?¡± Zhao Liangze asked in confusion.

    He fiddled with the beam of line originating from the ivy pattern cast on the floorboards of Tan Guiren¡¯s dorm room, then gradually set his sights on the bookstore located on the 80th floor of the World Trade Center. On the screen, the beam of line traversed the buildings¡¯ walls and fell onto a shelf in the bookstore.

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened and took the mouse from Zhao Liangze to click until the image of the book on the shelf magnified. They could see that the beam of light was pointing to a photobook on the shelf, and the image on it happened to be the Statue of Liberty.

    Huo Shaoheng stroked his chin and nodded before erging the map of New York, as well as integrating all nearby terrain. He said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Look, the sun at 8:00 a.m. points in the direction of the sunset. And the direction is right here.¡± The cursor slowed down the movement and stopped at the Statue of Liberty, located on the southwest region of the city.

    Zhao Liangze was instantly enlightened. Scratching his head with a chuckle, he said, ¡°So, after all that, it ended up being at the Statue of Liberty?¡±

    They spent an hour decoding the message left by the enemy.

    ¡°The Statue of Liberty is in the park, but it¡¯s already closed. It won¡¯t reopen until tomorrow at eight in the morning.¡± Zhao Liangze studied the area around the Statue of Liberty. ¡°Mr. Huo, let¡¯s go take a look tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll go.¡±

    The next day, the Upper West Side Manhattan police station received another voicemail scrambled with a voice changer. This time, they had left another clue. ¡°The direction where the sun sets and the Twin Towers fell, a new hope arises.¡±

    The police were incredibly excited by the precious new clue and immediately held another press conference to broadcast the news to the media. The American citizens who had been guessing all day the day before were excited yet again, and nearly the whole nation joined in solving the riddle. The riddle¡¯s poprity even extended across the oceans to the Huaxia Empire, where social media, televisionworks, newspapers, and magazines all covered the two newly discovered clues.

    Reports of the unlucky murdered female exchange student had nearly extinguishedpletely. Because the case of Tan Guiren¡¯s disappearance had again returned to the public¡¯s center of attention, Tan Dongbang¡¯s poprity skyrocketed once more and exceeded that of Bai Jiancheng. This time, Tan Dongbang was a full 8 percent ahead, which was a 3-percent increase in lead from thest time he¡¯d surpassed the other candidate.

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were the first ones to arrive at the next destination of the Statue of Liberty while everyone else was still mulling over the Twin Towers. The two men followed other tourists from all around the world to see the Statue of Liberty and prepared to go take a look at the top. The massive Statue of Liberty was 46 meters high, but the base itself was 47 meters high, so the entire sculpture towered at a full 93 meters. Raising her torch high, her me was never extinguished.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the sculpture and contemted in silence. Could this ce be linked to where Tan Guiren was being held hostage? Or was she locked up in here?

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze followed the crowd into the Statue of Liberty and took the elevator to the highest point¡ªthe crown of the statue. Standing in the crown, they looked down at New York City. The Hudson River snaking around the city seemed like a shallow stream with tiny boats that resembled toys. They walked around the crown but gleaned not a single clue.

    Huo Shaoheng held onto the railing and looked at the gloomy sea ahead. He wondered if they were really looking in the right direction. The enemy had sent out voicemail after voicemail. Were they really taking them in the right direction, or were they leading them into a trap? If they investigated ording to clues provided, then they would certainly fall into a trap even if they really did find Tan Guiren.

    As Huo Shaoheng mulled it over, his gaze swept around the area surrounding the Statue of Liberty before looking down. Their height allowed them to see further, and from there, they could view all of New York City very clearly. Turning around, he faced the direction of the city, and at that moment, the sun shone from his back to bask the entire city in the morning glow. The quiet city seemed to wake up instantly, with cars speeding in different directions and horns ring from across the river. The airnes rumbling in the skies seemed near yet far as they sped toward the airport.

    Amid the cacophony, Huo Shaoheng discovered that when he looked from this angle, the sunlight pointed to a nket of darkness. However, it wasn¡¯t true darkness, but because the nearby buildings were so tightly packed, they blocked the light and only created shadows. Squinting his eyes, Huo Shaoheng pointed in the direction the sun¡¯s light cast upon and leaned over to Zhao Liangze to ask, ¡°Where is that? Which area of New York?¡±

    Zhao Liangze took out his phone to locate their position on the maps. He looked up at Huo Shaoheng to reply, ¡°That¡¯s the Bronx, the least safe ce in New York.¡± This area was very close to the Juilliard School in the Upper West Side, so they were practically neighbors.

    So it was there...

    The burden eased from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart as he patted the railing. An idea had formed in his mind, and he said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go back. We don¡¯t need to be led in circles anymore.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Go back? But we haven¡¯t found a single clue!¡± Zhao Liangze said nkly. He was still unwilling to give up and even took numerous photos of the crown of the Statue of Liberty from various angles so he could integrate them.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°No need. The enemy won¡¯t use the same tactic twice. We already used that method with the bookstore in order to find the Statue of Liberty.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Zhao Liangze frowned. ¡°Then does Mr. Huo know what the next step is?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what those maniacs will do next,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°but I do know what I need to do next.¡±

    ¡°Oh?! Mr. Huo already found a clue! That¡¯s great!¡± Zhao Liangze was ecstatic and put away all his cameras. ¡°Then let¡¯s go back to arrange it!¡±

    They needed the enemy to provide clues but would never allow themselves to be led around in circles.

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze strode out of the Statue of Liberty and began to formte a n. Huo Shaoheng called the Special Ops personnel permanently stationed in New York.

    ¡°I need the live data for all the poption flow in the Bronx this past month,¡± he said. ¡°Send it to the A Team¡¯s inbox in five minutes.¡±

 Chapter 559 - Waiting for Sunlight

    <h4>Chapter 559: Waiting for Sunlight</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The morning sun at about eight or nine o¡¯clock rose, but its rays couldn¡¯t reach the Bronx. The tall buildings surrounding it had blocked all the light around, and it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if people who stayed there felt depressed easily.

    Right in the middle of the Bronx was a rundown, grayish-white, six-storey building. Tan Guiren had just woken up within it. She hugged her shoulders and shrank into a corner, an arm blocking her forehead instinctively. The blinding rays prated from in between the wooden flooring and shined directly onto her face, awakening her. She leaned against the wall and sat there for a little while and waited for the sun¡¯s rays to move before putting her arm down.

    Opening her eyes, she began looking around the room she was in. There weren¡¯t any lights in the room. The windows had been nailed shut. It was dark and humid, even in the day. There was merely an asional ray of sunlight shining through the wooden flooring, making her look neither human nor ghostly.

    She didn¡¯t know how long she had been trapped in this little room. When she had just gotten locked in there, she could still try to keep count; however, as the days got longer, and hope began dwindling, she gave up trying to keep track of the days. Tan Guiren felt that she would be trapped there forever.

    ¡°Sister... I¡¯m hungry...¡± A timid voice sounded somewhere near her. Tan Guiren looked over. In that small, squarish house, the owner had used metal railings to separate them into smaller spaces. There used to be a person in each little space, but as time passed, the people stopped whining one by one. They got carried out, motionless.

    She remembered that there had been three adults and eight children who were about seven to eight years old in the beginning. However, now there was only her and two kids. They were a boy and a girl, and she saw them aspany. They stayed in their own cages and had no freedom, like locked up animals. They had no dignity, either.

    The other boy had already begun bawling. Tan Guiren moved over and began to console him from her cage. ¡°Little Quan, don¡¯t cry. You¡¯re a man. A man doesn¡¯t shed tears easily...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a man! I¡¯m only eight! I want mommy and daddy! I want my older brother and sister...¡± Little Quan began crying even harder.

    ¡°What the heck are you crying about early in the morning?!¡± A rough voice bombarded them through the door. Shortly after, Little Quan¡¯s cage opened and a big man went in with something that resembled a long metal ruler. Without warning, he began hitting Little Quan with it! Little Quan screamed in pain and cked out.

    Even though Tan Guiren was scared stiff, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to see him get beaten to death. Mustering up her courage, she said as bravely as she could, ¡°What are you doing?! He¡¯s just a child!¡±

    The brute turned around and red at her. Even though she was malnourished, her face still showed her beauty. An evil look shed in his eyes, and a hairy arm reached out to her. Tan Guiren couldn¡¯t move away in time. When therge, sticky hand touched her face, she fell backwards and avoided his ill-intentioned hands.

    ¡°Damn it! You dare to move away from me?! Who the heck do you think you are?!¡± The brute was extremely angered by the look of disgust in Tan Guiren¡¯s eyes. He went over to her cage in a sh, threw the lock of her cage onto the floor, and barged into her space.

    Tan Guiren tried her best to fend him off but couldn¡¯t stop him from opening the front of her clothes. She didn¡¯t know how long she had worn this silk top for. It had already begun to smell. The people there did not allow her to shower. She wouldn¡¯t dare to, even if she was allowed, anyway. However, even in her current state, she was still able to arouse a man.

    It had been a long time since Tan Guiren had eaten a proper meal, so she was already weak. Moreover, she often gave the bread they gave her to the kids. She had already lost so much weight, she was nothing more than a bag of bones. How would she have the strength to really fight off this brute?

    In no time at all, she was beneath him, unable to move. She looked up at the ceiling with an emotionless expression, and tears began falling from her beautiful eyes. I¡¯m going to lose my first time here, she thought.

    Since she was young, she had been a good girl. The Tan¡¯s were a respectable family and were extremely strict with her upbringing. She did not even have the chance to have a boyfriend. Little did she expect that she would be losing her first time here...

    As she was feeling depressed and thinking of ending her life, a loud voice came from the back, ¡°Jack! What the f*ck do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±

    Then she felt a sudden whoosh, and the weight lifted from her. The brute had fallen off from the impact of the punch and was thrown out of her cage by the man. ¡°B... Boss... I... I... Just give her to me, will you? I¡¯ve been eyeing her this whole time!¡± The kidnapper refused to give up, even when he was outside, and begged them to let him off the hook.

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Then, a bang was heard. No one could hear the kidnapper¡¯s voice anymore. They had no idea if the brute had run off on his own ord, or if he had been punched until he cked out.

    After a while, the door opened. A tall, lean man walked in and threw Tan Guiren a new top. Tan Guiren opened her eyes and saw a cold but handsome man squatting in front of her. She couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. She let out a piercing scream and scampered to the back of her cage, hiding in a corner where she began trembling feverishly. It had taken her so much to protect her virginity. She would never give it to such people...

    The man did not make things difficult for her. Holding a cigarette between two fingers, he flicked the ashes off its tip and said to her hoarsely, ¡°Change out of your top. Nothing like this will happen again.¡±

    Pouting, Tan Guiren turned around, not wanting to look at this man who was so cold and emotionless. However, she gripped so tightly at the top that was covering her that her veins were showing.

    After a while, the man walked out. However, he returned shortly with a couple of paper tes with some freshly baked pizzas on them. He ced a slice of pizza in front of each of them and said, ¡°Have some.¡±

    Tan Guiren remained motionless, but the children who were starving jumped at their food and began gobbling it down. The man locked the cages and walked out of the house, closing the door. Then, he turned to the strong men at the door and told them coldly, ¡°Anyone who dares to harass the people inside will end up like Jack.¡±

    The man who had been talking so loudly just now was right in front of them, lying on the floor, face down, with a hole on the back of his head. A mass of whitish liquid leaked out from his head; that was his brain. He had been shot dead in front of the door. The strong men were murderers who had killed countless people. However, they were as meek as mice in front of this cold man. ¡°Take him away and get rid of him,¡± the man said coldly again before turning around and heading downstairs.

    Tan Guiren turned to the window when the sounds outside had subsided. How she yearned to return to the sun, to where she used to be. However, she couldn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t know what she had done to deserve this. Her 24 years of blissful and peaceful life had vanished in one morning.

    She couldn¡¯t understand what was going on until now. She was sleeping in her dormitory and not doing anything out of the ordinary. One morning, when she woke up, she was already in this hell of a ce. How in the world did she end up here?!

    Tan Guiren put on the top that the man had given her, hugged her knees, and returned to her corner. Then, she began sobbing again.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his office in the Special Forces branch in New York. The staff nning for the Bronx had already been sent to his email. Turning on hisptop, he opened the email and began analyzing the figures it contained. The Bronx had been an area with the worst security all along. There were many sorts of people, but the majority of them were ex-offenders. It wasn¡¯t easy to find anyone here who had a clean record. However, it was the total opposite if you were looking for someone who had a record. This would be the best ce to hide a hostage, wouldn¡¯t it?

    No one would know if you were to rob or kill. Even the police couldn¡¯t be bothered to patrol this area anymore. They let the people here fend for themselves. As long as they kept it within the area, everyone took this area as a shadow or a ce that didn¡¯t exist. However, in this ce that was full of crime, Huo Shaoheng managed to see something different.

    In a ce where crimes could happen anywhere, there was this particr area that had an extremely low crime rate this month. Even those ex-offenders seemed to intentionally avoid the area. What would make these people, who were not afraid of anything, avoid the ce? The only thing to make them avoid the area would be that the area had been taken over by someone who was more evil than they were.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the Bronx¡¯s file again. He observed the data of the number of people who were moving about and zoomed in on the exact area people avoided. It was a six-storey building in the middle of the Bronx.

    ¡°Little Ze,e and take a look at this. Do you think you¡¯ll be able to get a real time image of this ce from the satellite?¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed at the location and asked Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze took a look and replied, ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. This ce already has a satellite photo of the street. I can retrieve it now.¡± In a couple of minutes, Zhao Liangze had managed to get a picture of the location. It was a rundown, grayish-white little building. However, its surroundings were exceptionally well maintained. Not only did it not have any garbage like all the other streets in the Bronx, there weren¡¯t even addicts roaming around. It was so clean that it was abnormal.

    Even Zhao Liangze gasped and pointed to the picture. ¡°...Would it be here?!¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡± Huo Shaoheng touched his chin with one hand and said with a straight face, ¡°But the people here might not be easy to deal with. We¡¯ve got to get enough backup and weapons before heading down.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Zhao Liangze blinked. ¡°Even though the people here are daring enough tomit crime, it¡¯s petty crime like fighting and theft. Would we be overreacting by using such arge amount of strength?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked extremely stern. This was rare. ¡°If Tan Guiren is really here, we need to save her and ensure that we are fine. We cannot be recognized by the American police, Army, FBI, or CIA, and you think it¡¯s that easy? Obviously, it would be best to use the biggest amount of strength and get it over and done with!¡±

 Chapter 560 - The Princess in the Ivory Tower

    <h4>Chapter 560: The Princess in the Ivory Tower</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Guns were legal in the United States¡ªcriminals had them as well as good people. There were regr guns on the market as well as illegal ck markets for guns. Because guns were legal, the ck market was even more rampant than in other countries, where guns were banned. From small revolvers to AK-47s, all American guns were avable on the ck market. Even tanks and armored vehicles returned by the military could be purchased through legitimate channels.

    The firepower Huo Shaoheng referred to was, of course, not pistols but all sorts of anti-material rifles, semi-automatic submachine guns, and at least one high-powered submachine gun. These were all obtainable through the ck market, and the North American division of the Special Operations Forces had them at the ready. They needed to face various sudden situations, as these were their daily jobs. Zhao Liangze epted themand and began arranging personnel and weapons.

    Huo Shaoheng stayed up all night to study the blueprints for the six-story building. Special Ops personnel had frequented the Bronx area over thest two days to use all sorts of specialized cameras to take infrared images of the building so they could see what was happening even through the walls. During the nighttime, Huo Shaoheng could see the photosing back and quickly locked onto a room on the third floor.

    Zhao Liangze looked at the infrared imaging and waspletely shocked. He crossed his arms and stood behind Huo Shaoheng to eximed with grief, ¡°These people are inhumane! What are they doing locking up people in cages?!¡±

    ¡°What else? It can¡¯t be anything good,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly. ¡°But it looks like Tan Guiren is still alive.¡±

    From the infrared imaging, they could see that the room on the third floor was divided by metal cages; one held an adult with two children, and the other empty cages hinted that there had been others in there before. From the bone structure of the adult in there, they assumed it must be Tan Guiren. She was incredibly lucky to still be alive after being missing for over a month.

    ¡°She will be blessed to have survived such a thing. If this girl can really escape this time, I bet her father really might be Prime Minister.¡± Zhao Liangze raised his brows yfully.

    Huo Shaoheng walked away from theputer and took out his gun to wipe it down. He didn¡¯t look up before replying, ¡°The Special Operations Forces does not get involved in internal politics. Don¡¯t forget the regtions.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Zhao Liangze was shocked and immediately reflected that his words and actions had vited jurisdiction.

    As Huo Shaoheng cleaned his guns, he began formting a battle n in his mind. Apart from the room with cages on the third floor, this six-story building was upied by people carrying weapons. They must have been culprits guarding the caged room. Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t expected the enemy to send that many people. In the six-story building with nearly 20 rooms, each contained at least two people. In other words, they were facing at least 40 enemies, who all were likely to be powerful and armed criminals. But regardless of how powerful the criminals were, they were still less than proper soldiers. Huo Shaoheng firmly believed this.

    The evening news was still ying on TV. Tonight, the Upper West Side Manhattan police station received another voice scrambled voicemail, and this time it said, ¡°Where the sun shines, the Goddess of Freedom rises.¡± Compared to the vague messages in the past, this was much much obvious. Everyone immediately thought of the Statue of Liberty, and in practically one night, the Statue of Liberty Park in New Jersey waspleted flooded with crowds of riddle-seekers eager to find clues about the missing person.

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng had alreadypleted deployment of the troops and confirmed the battle ns for the coordinated attack between Teams A and B. ¡°A Team will be 10 members¡ªthree groups of snipers and spotters with two groups of assault troops to directly enter the building. B Team will be 20 members tounch an assault into the building. All weapons must be equipped with silencers. We will attack at 2:00 a.m. Over.¡±

    Zhao Liangze assigned Huo Shaoheng¡¯s n, and because the North American division of the Special Operations Forces hadpletely withdrawnst time, the newly reformed division wasprised of new members and units. This was their firstrge-scale operation, and the soldiers were rubbing their hands eagerly for the day to finallye.

    July evenings in Manhattan already carried traces of scorching heat. People who lived in homes without air conditioning in the Bronx sat at their front doors in the evening to cool down and eyed pedestrians with eerie gazes. They looked like they were ready to start a shootout at any moment.

    Huo Shaoheng used high-powered binocrs and stood at a window of a hotel not far from the Bronx. He watched the six-story building.

    ¡°The building has an interesting name.¡± Zhao Liangze stood next to Huo Shaoheng and chuckled quietly. ¡°It¡¯s called Ivory Tower.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Ivory Tower? Haha. These people really know how to tter themselves.¡±

    An ivory tower was supposed to be a pure and clean ce, but it was now the name of the ugliest and filthiest ce. It was quite ironic.

    ******

    At that moment, in the room on the third floor of ¡°The Ivory Tower,¡± the light was dim, and the two children were already asleep. Tan Guiren sat by the wall with her knees tucked to her chest, her tiny face as big as a palm, making her eyes appear high and dark.

    The door creaked open, and the aloof, cold-looking young man walked inside once again. He wore a ck outfit and stood before Tan Guiren¡¯s cage to watch her steadily. His gaze was almost greedy¡ªthe closer he got, the more he realized how beautiful and alluring Tan Guiren was. She was untouched, like a princess in the ivory tower. That kind of irresistible elegance was an aura that could only be bred by generations of schrs; it could never have been created using money and power. In order to kidnap Tan Guiren, he had stalked her for a whole six months. In that time, he¡¯d gotten to know¡ªand perhaps even understand her¡ªbetter than herself. But Tan Guiren turned away and refused to look at him. The silent contempt was the most hurtful, and the aloof, cold-looking young man¡¯s eyes dimmed.

    ¡°Brother Hong, you¡¯re here...¡± A gangster guarding the room frantically ran out of the room to stand at the door and bow deeply at the young man.

    Brother Hong raised his rand and didn¡¯t even look back to reply, ¡°Get out. I have something to ask her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Brother Hong.¡± The gangster quickly closed the door when he saw that Brother Hong was not angry. It was like he was terrified he would change his mind.

    Brother Hong carried a stic bag and walked slowly to Tan Guiren¡¯s cage to bend over. Using the key to open the cage, he crawled inside. The cage was low, so a normal person could only bend over or sit down because it was impossible to stand straight up.

    ¡°There¡¯s a bathroom over there. You can go clean up.¡± Brother Hong silently looked at Tan Guiren for a while before passing the stic bag to her.

    Tan Guiren¡¯s back twitched slightly, and her body shifted in difort. A rush of warmth seeped down her lower body¡ªher period had finallye after being a few dayste. She hadn¡¯t expected this kidnapper to notice...

    Tan Guiren was at once furious and humiliated. She had been physically and mentally stressed for the past month, so her physical difort was amplified, and she finally couldn¡¯t help but start crying.

    Hearing her sobs, Brother Hong, who never took pity, finally felt his heart skip a beat. He put the stic bag on the ground and turned around to move out of the cage. He left it unlocked to wait for Tan Guiren toe out and clean herself in the bathroom. After crying for a while, she turned to see the bag on the ground, and, after grinding her teeth for a long time, she finally reached out to open it. There was a package of pads inside, which happened to be her favorite brand.

    Tan Guiren carried the bag and looked up to see that the young man named ¡°Brother Hong¡± still hadn¡¯t left. He stood at the door and watched her quietly so she couldn¡¯t help supporting herself on the cage to stand up and duck out of it. She walked to his side and pleaded tearfully, ¡°Please, let me go. What do you want? Money? My family will pay you¡ªeven though we aren¡¯t rich, we have many antiques passed down through the generations that can be sold for money. There are many authentic pieces of art by ancient painters...¡±

    Brother Hong reached out to smooth her tangled ck hair with a quiet sigh. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? You¡¯re telling me that now?!¡± Tan Guiren was both bitter and disappointed. ¡°What on earth do you people want?! How did I ever cross you?!¡±

    Brother Hong retracted his name and gazed longingly at Tan Guiren for a while before replying in an even, quiet voice, ¡°I already sent out the message, and your family should know what to do if they want to rescue you.¡±

    ¡°Tell me! I¡¯ll beg my family to help you as long as you tell me what it is!¡± Tan Guiren immediately grew anxious as soon as she heard there was hope that she could leave the ce alive. ¡°What do you want?!¡±

    Brother Hong looked at Tan Guiren¡¯s face lovingly, his eyesbing over her body. Tan Guiren noticed it, and her expression fell instantly. Retreating, she asked with vignce, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    Seeing Tan Guiren like this, Brother Hong¡¯s expression also darkened. He resumed his cruel expression and snickered, ¡°What am I trying to do? Of course, I want to do you! Will you let me?!¡±

    ¡°You¡ª! Shameless! Filthy! Scum!¡± Tan Guiren shook with fury but could only repeat the same few insults at him.

    Brother Hong¡¯s eyes dimmed even more. He walked up and lifted Tan Guiren¡¯s chin with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll give your family the terms tomorrow. They must exchange a political prisoner locked up in a Huaxia Imperial jail. If your family refuses, then you¡¯ll be with me for the rest of your life!¡±

 Chapter 561 - A Coincidental Accident

    <h4>Chapter 561: A Coincidental ident</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Tan Guiren almost fainted from anger at Brother Hong¡¯s words. Using all her strength, she pushed Brother Hong¡¯s hands away and told him coldly, ¡°Stop dreaming! You want to use me in exchange for the freedom of a political criminal? Do you think you or I have such importance? No one would give a damn about you!¡±

    ¡°Haha... no one? Your father is about to be Prime Minister of the Hua Xia Empire. You think they wouldn¡¯t exchange you for him?!¡±

    ¡°Shameless! My dad wouldn¡¯t!¡± Tan Guiren raised her head, and a look of determination shed across her pretty face. ¡°You want to use me to threaten them? I¡¯d rather die!¡±

    ¡°Die? Why would I let you die so easily? Let me tell you, Miss Tan, the toughest thing isn¡¯t to die, it¡¯s to live!¡± Brother Hong gave Tan Guiren a lecherous look and pushed her forward. ¡°Go to the bathroom! Your blood is almost staining the floor.¡±

    Tan Guiren looked down in shock. It was only then that she realized her period had already stained the legs of her pants. The light blue pajama pants that she had been wearing for more than a month were already stained so red that it looked like an American g. Tan Guiren grabbed a sanitary pad and ran to the bathroom.

    Bam! She mmed the door shut, leaned against it, covered her face, and began crying again. However, she did not dare to cry out loud. She merely sobbed and slid down the door to the floor. She cried for a while before getting cleaned up.

    ...

    It was evening on the second day. Many people were looking for leads on the missing person in Central Park. The police station in the west Manhattan district received another anonymous message. This time around, though, the person spoke to Tan Guiren¡¯s father, Tan Dongbang, directly. ¡°Your daughter is in our hands. We will let her go safely as long as you release the political criminal, Yin Youqin, who is locked up in Qing City Prison.¡±

    The whole world went crazy with discussion the moment this message was announced. Everyone wanted to know who ¡°Yin Youqin¡± was, including some of the people in the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s higher management. From their knowledge, this ¡°Yin Youqin¡± wasn¡¯t a political criminal and was not locked up in Qing City Prison. He was a secretly hidden, high-ranking American spy. The Americans had ced him in the Hua Xia Empire. A couple of years ago, Huo Shaoheng, the founder of the Special Forces, captured him in the dark and had him locked up in the special prison in the Special Forces¡¯pound.

    ...

    General Ji, who received this piece of information, called themittee of the Military Supreme Council for an urgent meeting. He looked extremely upset during the meeting. Who in the world spread the news that Yin Youqin was in their hands?!

    ¡°General Ji, this piece of information was most likely spread by Bai Yusheng, the convict who escaped.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, bowed and leaned on the meeting table. ¡°However, thankfully his rank was not high enough. All he knew was that we had captured the guy, but he did not know where the guy was locked up. He also didn¡¯t know this person¡¯s true identity.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t, but the CIA knows. The guy was one of the chess pieces ced by the CIA, so how would they not know?¡± General Ji looked sterner than before. He clenched his fist and trembled with anger. ¡°Sh*t! Shaoheng is in America. Should we inform him about this?¡±

    Huo Guanchen responded immediately. ¡°Of course. This concerns him. We should inform him immediately.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s midnight in America now. If we inform him in the afternoon, he¡¯ll know when he wakes up tomorrow morning.¡± General Ji looked at his watch and heaved a sigh of relief.

    However, what they didn¡¯t know was that by the time they were done with their discussion and got their approval to notify Huo Shaoheng, he had already begun the operation.

    It was already two o¡¯clock in the afternoon when Yin Shixiong received a phone call from the Military Supreme Council. ¡°Notify Mr. Huo now?!¡± Yin Shixiong was shocked beyond words when he received the call. ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll contact them now!¡± Yin Shixiong immediately used their private line to contact Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. However, no matter how he tried, he was put through to a voice message. ¡°Good day, the number you¡¯ve just dialed is not within awork with service.¡±

    Yin Shixiong sat on his office chair, his face as white as a sheet. Anyone who saw him would¡¯ve thought that he was about to pass out, because he knew this was a code within the Special Forces. When they received this message when they wanted to contact theirrades, it meant that they were already in operation. No one was supposed to answer any calls at that juncture.

    This was a solid rule.

    Yin Shixiong was panicking. He was at a loss as to what to do. He attempted to not give up by calling over and over again, and he even tried calling their branch office in America, but he was directed to the same message. This meant the same fate for them.

    This was the only time that Huo Shaoheng had activated almost the entire Special Forces team based in America, as it was a major operation. Therefore, Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t contact anyone, no one at all.

    He felt hopeless. Looking up at the sky, he prayed relentlessly for their mission to not be of any relevance to the kidnapping. However, he knew that it was futile. He knew better than anyone why Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had taken the trip to America. They wouldn¡¯t be trapped in this situation if not for Tan Dongbang¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren!

    After panicking for a while, Yin Shixiong finally called General Ji and told him the truth. ¡°General Ji, I think we¡¯re toote. I¡¯ve tried for almost an hour, but no one picked up. I was repeatedly sent to the voicemail that says that the number I dialed was not within awork with service...¡±

    General Ji fell to his seat and was at a loss for words as well. Of course he understood what that message meant...¡±The operation has begun?¡± General Ji mumbled, looking as though he had suddenly aged tremendously. The wrinkles on his face seemed extremely deeply etched into his face. Eyes that used to twinkle seemed to be in a daze now.

    General Ji snapped back to reality andmanded Yin Shixiong loudly, ¡°Call! Keep calling until someone actually picks up!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ...

    While Yin Shixiong feverishly tried to call Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, the duo was already in the midst of leading the men of team A and B from their American branch office and entering the Bronx in the middle of the night.

    It was two o¡¯clock in the morning, the time when people were the most worn out. Even if there was anyone on night shift or anyone who was used to staying upte, this time was the hardest to be awake. Even though their eyes might be open, they wouldn¡¯t be able to focus well. They might be sitting at the door, guarding the building, but they were already in their dreand somewhere far away.

    The Special Forces team A had already climbed up the buildings surrounding the ¡°ivory tower¡± and were hiding in the rooftops. They¡¯d already set up their snipers, awaiting instructions from their observer who was hiding nearby, measuring the wind speed, temperature, and humidity in order to provide the snipers the information they needed to have the best shot.

    Zhao Liangze was leading team A, while Huo Shaoheng personally led team B. They wore ck sports attire, protected by bulletproof vests and helmets that covered the bottom half of their faces. Over the top half of their faces were huge pairs of night vision goggles. They wore leather gloves that didn¡¯t cover their fingers and even had bulletproof wrist guards for protection. Each of them carried a semi-automatic sniper rifle and an entire row of bullets, just like soldiers who were at war on the front line. However, they were crouched low, moving quickly to the six-story building.

    There were two guards behind the main door, but they had already fallen asleep while hugging their guns. Perhaps they had becent that nothing would go wrong, as they had been there for more than a month, and nothing had happened.

    Huo Shaoheng was walking in front of the team. Reaching the entrance, he produced a small piece of metal wire and turned it around in the main door¡¯s keyhole. The door opened. The sound of the door opening alerted the guards, but their minds were not fast enough to sober up before they were knocked out by the shing of knives on their necks from their opponents¡¯ hands! Their blood shot out like arrows.

    Huo Shaoheng dodged the blood, retracted his arms, and threw the knives with blood on the ground. Then, in a sh, he went up the stairs. It was really dark in the building. There were no lights. Or maybe there were, but they had gone out and no one had fixed them. However, for team B with their night vision goggles, this ce had the perfect lighting.

    They followed closely behind Huo Shaoheng up the stairs. From the second level on, they began carrying out the operation ording to their n. They locked the four rooms one by one on the second level and took out their special gas blowers. They began blowing gas into the rooms. The gas contained anesthetics. They spread slowly into the rooms, and those who were inside were knocked out by the fumes before they could realize anything was amiss.

    Huo Shaoheng brought four of the elites from Team B with him and headed towards the third level. There were only three rooms on the third level. Among them was an extremely big one that had many cages inside. That was the room Tan Guiren was in. The other two rooms housed the elites of the kidnappers.

    The Special Forces were not that kind with the elites. They kicked the door open, took out their guns and shot continuously. Even the mice in the room couldn¡¯t escape the bullets, much less the people. Even though they had fixed silencers on their weapons, the soft thuds of their gunshots traveled into the silence of the night.

    Brother Hong, who was sleeping on the fourth level, was jolted awake. Even though the thudding sounds were extremely soft by the time they traveled to his ears, his fighting experience all these years told him that something was happening in the building!

    Retrieving the gun under his pillow and carrying a rifle on his back, he opened the door and had just arrived at the corridor when he felt that someone wasing towards him from the other end of the corridor. He raised his gun without thinking and began shooting, not expecting that the opponent was faster than he was and had stronger arms!

    A series of bullets flew towards him, and there was a fire fight in the corridor. Brother Hong only managed to roll across the floor and return to his own room. Giving the door a kick, he closed the door tightly and leapt towards the window. He could get to the room with the cages from that window, which was the room with Tan Guiren and the kids.

    At that time, Huo Shaoheng had just managed to open the lock to that room. The door clicked and opened. Tan Guiren, who was losing sleep due to feeling extremely tortured because of her period, jumped. She turned around and saw a man who was extremely tall, wearing a helmet and a huge pair of goggles. She couldn¡¯t see what he looked like. Tan Guiren¡¯s heart began thumping. She thought that her heart was going to leap out of her throat.

    Huo Shaoheng walked directly towards the cage with Tan Guiren and held up his gun. Firing towards the lock, it fell on the floor with a nk. He opened the cage swiftly and reached out to Tan Guiren. ¡°Miss Tan? Follow me, quick. Your father sent me to get you out.¡±

 Chapter 562 - Surprise Attack

    <h4>Chapter 562: Surprise Attack</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Tan Guiren stared nkly at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s extended hand and seemed to bepletely out of it. Incredible disbelief and the crazed joy of escaping alive intertwined, she cried out quietly and nearly stumbled as she crawled from the wall to lunge out of the cage door.

    Bang!

    A deafening sound emitted from the window and startled all the people on the fifth and sixth floors from their slumber.

    ¡°Someone is attacking us! Hurry up and kill those motherf*ckers!¡± The nks nailed on the window had been kicked to pieces, sawdust floating in the air.

    The two children also woke from their deep sleep. Rubbing their eyes, they sat up and saw the tall and powerful Huo Shaoheng carrying a gun and wearing a helmet and sunsses. Like a god of death, he stood at the door. The children were so frightened that they began to cry loudly. Their sobbing was especially piercing in the quiet night, and the sound echoed even more quickly with the nks kicked off the building windows.

    Tan Guiren fell to the ground with a scream. She rushed over totch onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s leg and cried, ¡°Help me! Please help me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked her up from the ground and aimed his gun with the other hand to shoot the shouting man who had jumped in from the broken window. The man who¡¯d been knocked down happened to be Brother Hong, who hade up from the fourth floor.

    ¡°Run!¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed Tan Guiren¡¯s arm and turned to dash out.

    However, Tan Guiren stopped him with all her strength and sobbed, ¡°Please, save those two children... They¡¯re innocent... They¡¯ve been locked up here for a long time...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and realized, in the light spilling through the broken window, that they were two Huaxia children. He pressed his lips together and whispered, ¡°You go downstairs first.¡± As he spoke, he pulled Tan Guiren by the arm to run outside.

    At the same time, loud footsteps wereing from the hallway, so Huo Shaoheng knew it must be the kidnappersing from upstairs. The Special Operations Forces personnel were dealing with them upstairs, so they shouldn¡¯t be a serious problem. Pulling Tan Guiren¡¯s arm forcefully, he quickly strode toward the stairwell. Tan Guiren desperately resisted and red at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back.

    ¡°How can you leave them to die?!¡± said Tan Guiren. ¡°Those kids are innocent! They¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t rescue them!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grasp was so strong that Tan Guiren thought her arm was about to get ripped off.

    ¡°My objective is to rescue you from here. That doesn¡¯t include those kids.¡± Huo Shaoheng was unperturbed and replied quietly as they reached the stairwell.

    But Tan Guirentched onto the stairway railing tightly and no longer resisted Huo Shaoheng. Instead, she stubbornly refused to go downstairs with him and begged softly, ¡°Since my dad sent you, I know you¡¯re a good person. I¡¯m really begging you to save them! They are also Huaxia children! They are our people. How can you see them perish at a young age like that? Those criminals are not human!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her and nced at his watch. His subordinates were reporting the results of the battle on his Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°12 targets on the fourth floor. One escaped, and the rest were eliminated. Over.¡±

    ¡°16 targets on the fifth floor. All were eliminated. Over.¡±

    ¡°15 targets on the sixth floor. All were eliminated. Over.¡±

    It appeared most of the criminals in the building had been killed. Huo Shaoheng nodded and grabbed Tan Guiren¡¯s arm forcefully as he informed them, ¡°Message received. All personnel are to retreat. All personnel are to retreat.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... Want to run? It¡¯s toote!¡± A slyugh sounded from the room they¡¯d just escaped from.

    Clutching the wound on his shoulder, Brother Hong walked out from behind the door. He raised his arm to shoot once toward the stairwell, nearly hitting Tan Guiren. The girl was so terrified that she quickly hid behind Huo Shaoheng.

    He didn¡¯t even look before shooting back and managing to hit Brother Hong¡¯s wrist. With a terrible scream, Brother Hong rolled on the floor and couldn¡¯t even hold the gun in his hand. Brother Hongy on the ground with both his shoulder and wrist shot, hisugh full of despair and grief.

    ¡°Brother! I avenged you! I lured their leader here! It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t escape! The United States will trade you back!¡±

    Tan Guiren waspletely controlled by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grip and stumbled down the stairs. She kept turning back to look at the upper floor as she ran, tears streaming down her face.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face waspletely solemn as he arrived at the exit on the first floor and calmly directed his soldiers to retreat. Special Ops Team B quickly ran downstairs form the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors. Huo Shaoheng did a headcount and saw that everyone was ounted for. He waved his hand when they all arrived, ¡°Go.¡± He then shoved Tan Guiren at one of the personnel. ¡°Take her.¡±

    They surrounded Tan Guiren and quickly left the building to run toward the residential homes across the street to meet with Team A. They nned to retreat in an orderly manner ording to the established route.

    Suddenly, a great explosion sounded from the six-story building they¡¯d just left. Great streams of mes burst from the first-floor windows, the fire raging and climbing upward to devour anything it touched.

    One Special Ops member turned around and shouted, ¡°They are detonating the building!¡±

    Tan Guiren turned back suddenly and screamed with anguish, ¡°Little Quan! Huihui!¡±

    Using all her strength, she broke from the grip of the Special Ops personnel holding her and madly rushed toward the building.

    ¡°Come back!¡± Huo Shaoheng shouted, but it was toote. Tan Guiren had already run to the burning building and was inside.

    ¡°What is she doing?¡± someone asked in confusion.

    Zhao Liangze nced at Huo Shaoheng from the corner of his eye to see the other man¡¯s lip twitch uncontrobly. Luckily, Huo Shaoheng wore sunsses; otherwise, his dark re would have terrified the others.

    ¡°You wait here.¡± Gritting his teeth, Huo Shaoheng also dashed inside.

    When he arrived in the building, he saw that the fire was not as intense as it appeared from the outside. He quickly climbed up to the third floor to see Brother Hong lying in the hallway, motionless. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help shooting him again before walking into the room from earlier. Tan Guiren was striking the lock fiercely.

    Huo Shaoheng said coldly, ¡°Move.¡±

    Tan Guiren turned back with shock to see that the leader from earlier had arrived. She wiped her tears. ¡°Please, save them!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply but aimed his gun at the lock to the children¡¯s cage. With two shots, the lock was broken, and he yanked open the doors to carry one child out on each arm. They had already lost their breath from crying and were trembling in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Tan Guiren followed him over and consoled them. ¡°Don¡¯t cry! Sister will get you guys out...¡±

    The two children finally regained their breath when they heard her voice. They stared wide-eyed at Tan Guiren and reached out to hold her hand. Tan Guiren also wanted to hug them, and in the struggle, Huo Shaoheng suddenly heard booming overhead that sounded out of ce.

    That is the sound of an armored helicopter! How could there be armored helicopters here?!

    ¡°Hurry up, or we won¡¯t make it!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank as he carried a child under each arm and pushed Tan Guiren toward the stairs. He ordered the personnel awaiting, ¡°Retreat! All personnel, retreat!¡±

    The roar of the helicopter grew louder. Not only that, but there were now police sirens so shrill that they pierced the silence of the night. Rumbling sounds of something grinding onto the ground could also be heard from all directions. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s blood chilled as he realized that he had seemingly fallen into the trap... He didn¡¯t have time to think anymore as he carried one child under each arm and pushed Tan Guiren downstairs. When they arrived at the first-floor exit, he saw that the building had already been surrounded. Not only was he facing armed police officers but also the most elite American Navy SEALs!

    The people outside began shouting over a megaphone. ¡°Criminals inside the building! You have been surrounded! Drop your weapons and surrender now!¡±

    Spotlights intersected and illuminated the normally pitch-ck Bronx neighborhood as bright as day.

 Chapter 563 - Stockholm Syndrome

    <h4>Chapter 563: Stockholm Syndrome</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°They¡¯re here to save us!¡± Tan Guiren was overwhelmed with happiness as she held the hands of the two children. ¡°That¡¯s great! We¡¯re saved!¡±

    She wanted to run out, but Huo Shaoheng moved back andmanded through his Bluetooth earpiece, ¡°Retreat! Retreat! Now!¡±

    ¡°What about you, boss?!¡± Zhao Liangze asked, his voice trembling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. All of you, retreat! That is an order! Leave this area and retreat as nned! That. Is. An. Order.¡± Huo Shaoheng still sounded calm andposed.

    Zhao Liangze felt his heart wrench. He regretted not tying Tan Guiren up when he had the chance to!

    She had to run!

    Now Mr. Huo was in deep sh*t. He was trapped in the building by the police and the Army. They had mistaken Mr. Huo for the kidnapper! Even if Tan Guiren were to speak up for him, exining that he wasn¡¯t the kidnapper but was sent there to save her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to exin the countless bodies of the kidnappers in the building. Of course, most importantly, Huo Shaoheng could never be seen by the public!

    Listening to his tone, Zhao Liangze knew that Huo Shaoheng would be looking for an opportunity to escape. As long as both Special Forces teams were able to retreat sessfully, it would be easier for Huo Shaoheng to escape on his own.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Retreat,¡± Zhao Liangze ordered softly and disappeared into the darkness with his men. The Army had already surrounded the six-story building that was currently in mes. The fire engine had already arrived as well. A huge hose was set up, and the fire was put out in no time.

    Huo Shaoheng watched the Army officers from the building. He looked at their Jeep, police cars, and the helicopter up above, and made up his mind in seconds. ¡°Miss Tan, take the two children and get out there now. Look for the police. They¡¯ve been searching for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed her forward. ¡°You¡¯re free now. After getting out, return to the Hua Xia Empire immediately. Don¡¯t dy for anything. Our people will escort you back to safety.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Tan Guiren turned around and looked at Huo Shaoheng nkly. ¡°Youe out with us. I¡¯ll exin to them that you¡¯re not the kidnapper but are here to save us!¡± Tan Guiren wasn¡¯t sure of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity, but she knew that as long as her dad had sent him, he wouldn¡¯t be a bad guy!

    ¡°No. I have some other things going on.¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed her forward softly again. He was already sure that the entire case was a plot, a plot to lure him to America to get trapped in a situation like this. Someone wanted his life, and he had fallen into the trap.

    Tan Guiren stumbled out of the house upon being pushed by Huo Shaoheng. A child in each hand, she stood in the middle of the spotlight, looking extremely helpless. At that moment, she was only d that the kidnapper had been kind enough to allow her to go to the bathroom to freshen herself up during the day. She had washed her hair and had a change of clothes. The kidnapper had even thought of giving her a new sanitary pad. Otherwise, she would have looked how she looked yesterday, dirty with matted hair, smelly with stained pants. If so many people saw her in that state, she would¡¯ve felt so humiliated.

    The military police officer saw that someone hade out of the building, and he lifted his gun to take aim. Then, realizing that it was ady with messy hair with two children who looked malnourished, he understood; they were the hostages! Tan Guiren looked exactly like she did in the pictures of her they had received.

    Officer A of the Manhattan west station ran over and waved to them with exaggerated movements. ¡°Come here! Come here, quickly! You¡¯re safe now!¡±

    Tan Guiren felt a sudden gush of warmth in her eyes. She held the two children and ran towards the people. Two female police officers ran over and supported her, one on each side, and searched her thoroughly. Upon ensuring that she did not have any weapons or time bombs on her, they wrapped her up in a thick nket. The two children were taken to a police car as well to have their fingerprints collected and identities verified.

    Tan Guiren only snapped back to reality after a good while and understood that she had been saved. This experience of slightly more than a month felt just like a long nightmare. Thankfully, she had woken up from it...

    She turned around abruptly and looked towards the building. She wanted to call out to the person who had just saved her, but the female police officer pulled her backwards. They hid behind a Jeep. Tan Guiren saw another police officer taking aim at the building, and the next thing she knew, they were all firing non-stop at it!

    Countless bullets rained down on the main entrance of the building, causing dust to fly everywhere, dancing among the spotlights shining on the building. The building shook. The helicopter above them had machine guns fixed to them as well. The officers in the helicopter were shooting at the building, too, and they finally even began firing miniature grenades!

    The building, which had already been bombed once previously, shook again, and all of a sudden, it copsed with a bang. A massive cloud of dust flew up and greatly reduced visibility in the area.

    Tan Guiren turned pale. She turned to the female police officer and asked, ¡°What on earth are you guys doing? What if there were more hostages in the building?!¡±

    ¡°Are there anymore hostages inside? Didn¡¯t you all run out?¡± The female police officer nced at her and took one step to the side. Two white men in ck uniforms stepped forward from the back and beganparing her looks to the picture they were holding. ¡°Miss Tan Guiren?¡± they asked politely.

    ¡°Yes. I am her, and you are?¡± The sounds of bombing were too loud. Tan Guiren was almost shouting to get her words across.

    The two men exchanged nces and replied loudly, ¡°We are the FBI. We are in charge of your case. Please follow us.¡±

    ¡°I am the victim! You guys didn¡¯t go and capture the kidnappers when I was kidnapped, but you want to interrogate me now that I¡¯m out?! Can you guys be more reasonable?!¡± Tan Guiren was seeing red. She was about to continue reasoning with the two men when she heard amotion nearby. The guns stopped shooting for a while, then started again, much faster than before.

    She turned around with the two FBI officers. A tall figure had emerged from the rubble of the building. He had a semi automatic machine gun, and his head was covered with headgear that covered his eyes as well. Tan Guiren was taken aback. Isn¡¯t that the man who just saved me? He hasn¡¯t escaped?! Where are his big goggles?

    Tan Guiren was about to talk, but the military police superseded her. ¡°Capture him! He¡¯s the kidnapper!¡± Then, they began to close in on him from all sides.

    Tan Guiren panicked. She pushed the policemen in front of her and screamed, ¡°Stop! Stop! Don¡¯t shoot! He¡¯s not a kidnapper!¡± However, no one listened. The American military police behaved as though they had met an army of opponents and hid behind the Jeep and police cars, shooting at the rubble mercilessly. The helicopter above roared, and its spotlight shined even brighter than before.

    A female police officer said excitedly, ¡°That¡¯s amazing! The broadcasting stations are going to earn big bucks this time around!¡±

    ¡°Of course! Have you seen such a scale for worldwide broadcast? Look at that helicopter. That¡¯s NBC¡¯s live broadcast helicopter!¡±

    Tan Guiren was so angry that she couldn¡¯t speak. These people were incorrigible! They wanted to kill a scapegoat just because they couldn¡¯t manage to capture the real kidnapper!

    No one heard her, even if she shouted. The shootings and bombings were getting more intense, and bigger fires were burning. The man who emerged from the rubble ran as the spotlight chased after him, like a warrior in the Colosseum in ancient Rome with all the beasts chasing after him, and these ruthless military police who were shooting were none other than the heartless audience!

    Tan Guiren began crying again. It¡¯s all because of me, all because of me... If she hadn¡¯t insisted on saving the children, the man wouldn¡¯t have had to go through this! The moment she thought that he might lose his life because of her stupidity, Tan Guiren couldn¡¯t take it. Clenching her teeth and looking at the helicopter flying above them, then looking at the police officers and military soldiers who were full of disgusting anticipation hiding behind the Jeep and police cars, she took a deep breath and ran out, wrapped in that nket!

    The people were all engrossed with chasing that ¡°kidnapper.¡± No one noticed that Tan Guiren, whom they¡¯d just ¡°rescued,¡± had run out among those bullets and grenades! Bullets flew past her. Tan Guiren closed her eyes and continued running. She used all her strength to run towards the tall man. It was only at this point that the military police, who were still shooting, realized that the ¡°hostage¡± had actually run out to save the ¡°kidnapper!¡±

    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± The senior FBI officer inmand ran over to stop them. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot!¡±

    ¡°Boss, why are we stopping?¡± His subordinate was displeased. ¡°We¡¯re about to capture him!¡±

    This man lowered his voice and reprimanded the subordinate. ¡°Shut up! Didn¡¯t you watch the broadcast?! The calls are flooding the broadcasting station! The audience all saw that woman run out. You want to kill her?! Don¡¯t you know that we managed to get all this ammo and the SEALs because we used rescuing her as an excuse?!¡±

    The live broadcast was a double-edged sword for them. On one hand, they could use the broadcast to prove that their suspicions had been right all along, and there was no longer any doubt. This could garner support and attention for them. However, on the other hand, because it was a live broadcast, the public would see any mistakes on their end. They would be used of misusing the military¡¯s strength if that happened.

    The shooting and bombing in the Bronx had halted. After discussion with the military, the FBImander decided not to engage in bombing anymore. Instead, they would be sending snipers to ambush the area and take the opponent down. The spotlight was turned off, and live broadcast was stopped.

    The female broadcaster began a discussion with the audience as to why the hostage would undertake the risk of flying bullets and grenades to save the kidnapper. Everyone came to the same conclusion. This woman must have gotten ¡°Stockholm syndrome,¡± which meant a hostageplex or hostage syndrome. The victim would develop feelings towards the criminal, thinking that it was love, and would even turn around and help the criminal out.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng carried his gun and finally managed to roll across a short wall before thest bullet from the military police was fired. He hid behind the wall. Sitting on the ground, he could finally catch his breath. His arm felt hot. He hadn¡¯t been shot, but it was a bullet¡¯s abrasion.

    A woman wrapped up in a thick towel squatted beside him. It was none other than Tan Guiren. She asked him carefully, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

 Chapter 564 - Would She Miss Him?

    <h4>Chapter 564 ¨C Would She Miss Him?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    How could he not be ok? He wasn¡¯t a robot... Luckily, he wore a bulletproof vest, so all his major organs were shielded when he¡¯d been shot several times in the back. But he couldn¡¯t havested this long just with the protection of the vest. If Tan Guiren hadn¡¯t run out, the Americans wouldn¡¯t have stopped shooting, and Huo Shaoheng would¡¯ve likely perished. But it was also because this annoying girl insisted on rescuing the two children that he was in all this trouble. Regardless, the entire Team A and Team B of the Special Operations Forces would have all been arrested if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t followed Tan Guiren back to the building. The entire setup was clearly a trap¡ªeverything had beenid out in anticipation of their arrival.

    Lifting his head, Huo Shaoheng looked at Tan Guiren solemnly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should go.¡±

    His voice was deep and rich like a cello ying in the dark night, tugging at Tan Guiren¡¯s heartstrings. Although she hadn¡¯t even seen this man¡¯s face, she had already taken a liking to his beautiful voice. Tan Guiren had studied music and was a born prodigy, so she had especially sensitive ears for voices.

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Tan Guiren shook her head. ¡°They¡¯ll do whatever they want to you if I go back. They won¡¯t let you go alive.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be easier for me to move around if I¡¯m alone,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied as he turned on his Bluetooth headset tomunicate with Zhao Liangze.

    The searchlights around them suddenly dimmed, and the thunderous helicopters also flew off, plunging the ce into silence. This was too eerie, and Huo Shaoheng instinctively knew something was wrong. He pressed down on her shoulders,ying her down on the ground. An anti-material bullet pierced through the wall he had just been sitting against, copsing half of it into rubble.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened¡ªcould these people not only want to kill him but Tan Guiren too? They clearly knew that Tan Guiren was hiding with him right now, yet they still used such a destructive weapon...

    The enemy immediately changed positions after missing the shot. Huo Shaoheng was also a great sniper and knew the sniper was currently changing positions, so he immediately pushed Tan Guiren so she rolled to the side. Their luck wasn¡¯t too bad. The building had a filled swimming pool behind it. Huo Shaoheng and Tan Guiren jumped in together to avoid the barrage of bullets, but they couldn¡¯t stay hidden in the pool forever because someone would be dispatched to investigate very soon. As soon as they saw a pool, they would drain it, as per the norm to make sure no one as hiding inside. So they only stayed in the pool for a while before crawling back up.

    Huo Shaoheng said to Tan Guiren once again, ¡°You¡¯ll see. You¡¯ll die at any moment if you stay with me. They want me dead.¡±

    Tan Guiren saw that these people were relentless and understood that she would only be a burden if she kept following this man. She could only hope that he would survive and not sacrifice his life because of her, or she would regret it for the rest of her life.

    Tan Guiren closed her eyes and stood up slowly. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll go.¡± After some consideration, she said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°If you have nowhere else to go, you cane to 38 Shell Bay in Long Ind to find me. My family has a house there, so I won¡¯t be staying at the dorm anymore after I escape. I¡¯m going to live at home.¡±

    She was mentally and physically exhausted after this misfortunate experience and only wanted to recuperate at home.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng would always have a ce to go. He humored her casually. ¡°Hurry up and go. Get back to the Empire as soon as possible and stop worrying your family.¡± He crouched down and headed to another backyard under the cloak of the night.

    After waiting for a while when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back was nowhere to be seen, she pped herself hard and mustered all her strength to scream shrilly, ¡°Help! Someone! Help!¡±

    Although she¡¯d majored in violin, she¡¯d also had voice training. Her crisp voice was shrill and loud enough to pierce through the darkness like a sharp de, making hearts tremble. The soldiers, police, and snipers hidden in the dark corners immediately surged over when they heard the cry and surrounded her.

    Tan Guiren waspletely soaked as she stood beside the pool with tears streaming down her face. ¡°Help! Help! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± She was scared to begin with, so she appeared genuinely fearful and shocked.

    The officers sighed in relief. ¡°See? How can a kidnapper be a good person? Don¡¯t be silly, girl. Come back with us.¡±

    Another person asked, ¡°Where did he go?¡±

    Tan Guiren whimpered, ¡°He just pped me and pushed me into the pool before running off that way!¡± She pointed to the opposite direction that Huo Shaoheng had run in and urged them, ¡°You must arrest him! I need to ask him how he can be so cold-blooded when I managed to save him once!¡±

    The officers were familiar with Stockholm Syndrome, so they shared nces before murmuring vaguely, ¡°You go over there first. The FBI is waiting for you.¡±

    After sending Tan Guiren off, the officers began pursuit in the direction she¡¯d pointed, but it was, of course, a ruse. However, they were a powerful force themselves and began calling the CIA for support when they couldn¡¯t catch up. The CIA was more adept than the FBI when it came to chasing someone in a crowd.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t run very far when he heard Tan Guiren scream. He shook his head and hoped she wasn¡¯t screwing him over with good intentions again¡ªit was his misfortune to run into someone like that. But he didn¡¯t care. They met all sorts of people in their line of work, and sudden situations weremonce. Sometimes, it was ok to encounter mistakes as long as they could be fixed in time.

    He ran all the way to the beach and hid behind arge coral reef before turning on his Bluetooth headset again to contact Zhao Liangze. He didn¡¯t expect static to crackle from the headset and for it to fail to connect. Frowning, he was about to establish a connection when he suddenly thought of a key factor: The enemy was using electromaic interference! In other words, this must have been the work of the CIA. Only they saw the threat of the Huaxia Imperial Special Operations Forces and were so familiar with tracking and anti-tracking methods.

    Since he was being targeted by the CIA and it was likely that there was a mole within the Huaxia military setting things into motion and leaking intelligence, Huo Shaoheng decided he couldn¡¯t contact Zhao Liangze and his personnel anymore. He didn¡¯t want to expose the newly established branch of the Special Ops or see hisrades perish because of his negligence. After all, it was more convenient to be alone; the enemy was in the light, and he was in the shadows. Perhaps he could unearth more things.

    With this thought, Huo Shaoheng took off his Bluetooth headset and smashed it with the back of his gun before throwing the pieces into the ocean. He wouldn¡¯t contact anyone until the danger passed.

    Half-kneeling behind the coral reef, Huo Shaoheng dismantled the anti-material rifle and semi-automatic submachine gun, then took off his jacket to wrap the pieces inside and carry on his back. His helmet and headscarf were tossed into the ocean, but he kept the night vision sunsses on. After he finished all these tasks, the sky was beginning to grow brighter. Huo Shaoheng quietly stood beside the coral reef for a while, the dark blue ocean shimmering in silence, yet when the sun vaulted itself above sea level, the entire surface sparked gold, and the water seemed toe alive.

    Watching the beautiful scene before him, Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge and lively eyes surfaced in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind. He wouldn¡¯t be contacting her for a while now. Would she miss him?

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was having dinner in the living room and suddenly felt her nose itch with a sneeze. Ma Qiqi was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed as she watched TV and ate an apple. Seeing Gu Nianzhi sneeze, she quickly replied, ¡°Do you have a cold? But the weather hasn¡¯t changedtely.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a giggle. ¡°Maybe someone is talking about me.¡±

    ¡°Humph! You¡¯re missing your boyfriend, right?¡± Ma Qiqi pouted. She was mesmerized by the TV and snickered. ¡°This reality TV show is pretty good. It¡¯s like a Hollywood movie! But it¡¯s actually real-life footage!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to watch the TV screen. Thick smoke rose, and mes burned as the sounds of gunfire were heard. She frowned and instinctively disliked it. ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about that?¡±

 Chapter 565 - Making One Feel Worlds Apart Due to the Difference in Profession

    Chapter 565: Chapter 565 Making One Feel Worlds Apart Due to the Difference in Profession

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s interesting!¡± Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t even blink. The apple in her hand was forgotten after a bite. She supported her face with one hand, her mouth half open, and gasped asionally. ¡°Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! This kidnapper is actually something!¡±

    The television showed the tall figure, who just stood up from the rubble, swerve and roll backwards, disappearing into the darkness. Bullets and grenades rained in the direction the man had disappeared in. In the eyes of the audience, this ¡°kidnapper¡¯s¡± appearance and disappearance happened in a matter of seconds. However, to Tan Guiren, it seemed like forever.

    How he stood up amid the rubble was etched deeply into her mind, even though she was already safe and had returned to her family¡¯s vi on Long Ind, New York. That man had not removed his helmet and headgear. She did not know what he looked like, but she had an extremely deep impression of his silhouette.

    The people from the FBI and CIA were beating around the bush and attempting to ask her who that person was. She onlyughed coldly and threw a question back at them, ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Isn¡¯t he the kidnapper? I thought you guys said that I¡¯ve got Stockholm syndrome.¡±

    The broadcast that caused an uproar around the whole world was merely like watching a Hollywood movie to the citizens of the Hua Xia Empire. It didn¡¯t matter to them if it was real. In B University¡¯s post graduate dormitory, Gu Nianzhi felt that Ma Qiqi¡¯s expressions were way more interesting than what was on the television. She looked at Ma Qiqi¡¯s expressions and found them amusing. She was about toment, when Ma Qiqi jumped up suddenly and waved her fists, shouting, ¡°What nonsense?! Why is it getting darker?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned and looked at the television screen. She saw someone who was wrapped in a thick nket running towards the rubble. From the dimming lights, one was able to roughly make out that the person running towards the rubble had long hair. That should be ady...? Then, it ended.

    ¡°No more! No more?! They¡¯ve already taken off their pants, and now they¡¯re telling me there¡¯s no continuation?!¡± Ma Qiqi was so upset; her fists were all over the ce. She took her phone and called the television station. ¡°What bullsh*t are you guys showing? Huh? Where¡¯s the ending?! What?! There¡¯s no ending?! They¡¯ve stopped the broadcast?! What the hell! Are the Americans pussies or what?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she shook her head. Then, she turned to look at the television screen that began showing somemercials. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s just some news. If you want a repeat, just go online.¡±

    Ma Qiqi walked to the table and ced both her hands on it. ¡°How can you not be interested at all? Do you know how hard it is toe across live broadcasts like these? Those bullets and grenades were real!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered her graduation trip experience when she was earning her bachelor¡¯s degree at C University. It was way scarier than this broadcast from America, wasn¡¯t it?

    Gu Nianzhi caressed Ma Qiqi¡¯s face, smiling. ¡°No biggie! What¡¯s there to see? Our country¡¯s Special Forces and Army are way stronger than those in America. Let me tell you, I know it best ¡¯cause I¡¯ve actually experienced an even more life threatening situation. It was way better than watching it from across the globe.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ma Qiqi tilted her head, and all of a sudden, the guy whom Gu Nianzhi addressed as ¡°Brother Xiong¡± came to mind. She knew that they were from the Army. Judging by their physiques, they should beparable to the American Army, shouldn¡¯t they?

    Ma Qiqi was in a daze as she returned to the couch and began munching on her apple again. After a while, she turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, it feels like you haven¡¯t been meeting your guy for some time. Is Brother Xiong also not around?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brow furrowed. She had just begun to think of him as well. Yeah, it really seemed slightly longer this time around. It already had been more than a month. She didn¡¯t have news of Huo Shaoheng and had not contacted Yin Shixiong at all. The strange thing was, Yin Shixiong had not contacted her, either.

    Previously, Huo Shaoheng would leave either Zhao Liangze or Yin Shixiong behind to apany her whenever he went on a mission. But now... Perhaps it was because she was already a legal adult. It wasn¡¯t necessary to have a guardian with her at all times anymore.

    Heaving a sigh, Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone and stared at it for a while. Eventually, she slid it open and dialed Yin Shixiong¡¯s number. The call rang thrice. Yin Shixiong, who was sitting in a meeting of the Army Supreme Committee, saw that it was a call from Gu Nianzhi. He contemted for a while before deciding to answer it. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking a call,¡± he said to the people in the meeting and walked out of the meeting room.

    ¡°Hi Nianzhi! How is it that my Nianzhi is free to call her brother today?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s cheerful voice came from the other end of the call.

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief without realizing it and replied happily, ¡°Brother Xiong, have you been really busy recently? I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Kinda miss you. Shall I go back to headquarters to visit you this weekend?¡±

    ¡°You? Miss me? Are you sure it¡¯s me that you miss and not someone else?¡± Yin Shixiong sounded as cheerful as usual, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t sense anything out of the ordinary.

    He cheered Gu Nianzhi up, and she began to stutter, ¡°...Brother Xiong, I know I shouldn¡¯t ask, but... do you have... news of him?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask if you know you shouldn¡¯t.¡± Yin Shixiong nagged. ¡°Nianzhi, you know it, too. Things that you¡¯re not allowed to know, Brother Xiong wouldn¡¯t even tell you a single word.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did know about this. No matter what, she had spent six years living at headquarters with Huo Shaoheng. Therefore, she knew the rules like the back of her hand. ¡°Yes, Brother Xiong. Forgive me for being nosey.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded in apology. ¡°So, I¡¯ll visit you over the weekend?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be travelling for work this weekend and won¡¯t be around for a period of time,¡± Yin Shixiong said matter-of-factly. ¡°Why don¡¯t I visit you at school instead tomorrow? You¡¯re right. We haven¡¯t met for too long. Have a meal with Brother Xiong. You can update me on what you¡¯ve been up to recently so I can report when I get the chance to... Haha... Sound good?¡±

    From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s understanding, ¡°report¡± meant that it¡¯d be reported to Huo Shaoheng. She felt sweetnessing over her, and she smiled widely. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you, then.¡±

    After ending the call, Gu Nianzhi found that she was actually blushing. Touching her face, she told Ma Qiqi, ¡°Brother Xiong will be here tomorrow for a visit. I¡¯ll be turning in early tonight.¡±

    ¡°Go, go.¡± Ma Qiqi waved at her, smiling widely as well. Then, she retreated to her room for the day, too.

    ...

    In the building of Di Capital¡¯s Army Supreme Committee, Yin Shixiong stuffed his phone back into his pocket, his face devoid of any expression. It was the total opposite of how he had been on the phone with Gu Nianzhi just a minute ago. He was a member of the Special Forces. Making up stories to keep things from people was a basic skill, and he was already a master at it. Even Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t manage to sense anything out of the ordinary from his tone.

    It was considered top secret that Huo Shaoheng had met with a mishap while on a mission overseas. Other than Yin Shixiong and two of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secretaries, only the highest management in the Army Supreme Committee knew about it.

    He returned to the meeting room and sat on a chair near the wall. It was silent in the meeting room. The people with the highest authority in the Army Supreme Committee looked grave. General Ji¡¯s face was so stern, it looked as ck as the bottom of a burned pot. After a while, he punched the table. ¡°This must be kept secret! Whoever leaked this information will be sentenced with betrayal of the nation! It will be dealt with by the military court ¨C no exemptions!¡±

    The founder of Special Forces, the next in line for the position of Chairman of the Army Supreme Committee, Huo Shaoheng, had disappeared in America. The senior officers in the Army Supreme Committee all felt like they¡¯d just been pped hard in the face. The Special Forces was affiliated with the Army and had conflicting interestspared to the government¡¯s Secret Service. However, because the Special Forces was under the Army, they had more freedom to do things and always attacked with a bang. No enemies had ever gained anything when they crossed fire with them.

    However, it was such a strong team that had never made any mistakes before that had now met with such failure. This was not any normal failure. It was akin to having the generalmander of one side of the war captured by the opponent. It was a major disgrace in terms of being in a war.

    Yin Shixiong was initially only sitting in. However, hearing the words from the senior officers from the Army Supreme Committee, he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. Standing up, he said, ¡°Sirs! Our Major General did not get captured! He wasn¡¯t sacrificed, either! He is merely missing!¡±

    ¡°¡®Merely missing?!¡¯ Hmph! That¡¯s easy to say! Who wouldn¡¯t know what it meant to be missing for someone of his rank?¡± The head of the HR department usually preferred to n for the worst. To him, this ¡°going missing¡± was almost equivalent to being captured.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Yin Youqin was in our hands, but the CIA had only announced that he ¡®went missing.¡¯ They never admitted that he was captured!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, was even more heartbroken than anyone else in the meeting room, and he had every right to be. ¡°Shaoheng is my son! However, he is also a soldier! He will not do anything that will harm the nation!¡±

    ¡°Guanchen, calm down. No one said that Shaoheng will do anything that will bring harm to the nation.¡± General Ji knocked on the table calmly to get Huo Guanchen¡¯s attention. However, he felt worried and sad as well. If Huo Shaoheng had really gotten captured, even if he managed to make it back after negotiations from both nations, he would never be allowed a good position again. This was an unspoken rule in the organization.

    Even if you never betrayed the organization, nation, or her citizens, if you were captured, this meant that it was a stain that could never be erased. This was because no one could affirm what happened after you were captured, whether you hadpromised to help the enemy in exchange for your release... And the fact remained that many internal spies changed sides after they were captured...

    Yin Shixiong took a deep breath and said slowly and clearly, ¡°Sirs, there is currently no evidence that shows that Mr. Huo has been captured. I request that all of you do not overthink this and lead yourselves to pessimism. Judging by Mr. Huo¡¯s capability, I strongly believe that he has merely hidden himself for now.¡±

    ¡°Why should he hide?¡± One of the senior officers, who was wearing a thick pair of reading sses, rolled his eyes at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Does he have anything to hide?¡±

    Yin Shixiong felt that it would take too much work to exin things to this bunch of old fashioned senior officers. It would make things moreplicated. These senior officers were magicians when it came to war. However, when it came to intelligence work, they were nothing but amateurs. All of them were the same, including General Ji, who was the one who had groomed Huo Shaoheng, because it wasn¡¯t what he was trained in at all.

 Chapter 566 - Embarrassing

    <h4>Chapter 566 ¨C Embarrassing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that Mr. Huo did anything non-ndestine, but I suspect that we have a mole among us! This person betrayed Mr. Huo! If Mr. Huo were to show himself and contact us, you think the foreigners wouldn¡¯t immediately ess his location?!¡± Yin Shixiong threw all caution to the wind in defense of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation. He didn¡¯t mind his manners at all and nearly stabbed his fingers at the noses of the military elites. ¡°Which one of you betrayed Mr. Huo?!¡±

    The usation was too serious, so all the military elite red fiercely at Yin Shixiong, and even General Ji interjected coldly, ¡°Big Xiong, you can¡¯t spout such nonsense with no evidence. I can guarantee that no one in this room is a mole. But...¡±

    But he couldn¡¯t guarantee the same of any others.

    Before General Ji finished speaking, they all understood, and the anger slowly ebbed from their faces. Instead, they appeared deeply weary and worried.

    ¡°What should we do? Do you have any leads?¡± Huo Guanchen felt as if his heart was being torn to pieces¡ªif the son he was so proud of suddenly disappeared without reason, he would never let this mole live!

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be holding this meeting if we had any leads.¡± General Ji closed his eyes as he pointed inmand. ¡°One, no one knows what Shaoheng¡¯s situation is right now, and everyone here must keep his disappearance confidential. If news gets out, then the mole must be within our group, so don¡¯t me me for being merciless.¡±

    General Ji was normally amicable and kind as a saint, so many forgot that as the head of the Supreme Military Council, he held the most power within the military, and his cold-blooded techniques were to be feared in times of war or peace.

    ¡°Secondly, there must not be an inkling of news reports domestically. Especially with the foreign TV programs. We must ensure that it¡¯ll not air again! Thirdly, the Tan Guiren incident ends here, and we will not allow the Tans to use this for publicity anymore. The Tans have to answer for what happened to Shaoheng. I will remain reserved about Tan Donbang and also make a special report to the Senate to request a special inquiry against him so he may exin the entire incident of his daughter¡¯s kidnapping. I express a high level of concern in his ability to be Prime Minister if he cannot even properly arrange for the safety of his own family as a mere candidate.¡± When General Ji finished speaking, he nced at everyone in the conference room. ¡°Any otherments?¡±

    ¡°No. General Ji covered all the details.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement and watched General Ji with both respect and fear.

    ¡°Very well. Dismissed,¡± General Ji replied coldly and looked at Yin Shixiong. ¡°You, stay. I still have orders for you.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong stood up in salute, his strapping figure ramrod straight and his gaze looking straight ahead.

    The military elite felt a chill when they walked by him. Everyone kept their heads down and quickly left without mentioning anything about Huo Shaoheng or Tan Guiren. They believed that General Ji must have had ways to monitor their words and actions since he forbade them from discussing it. The Special Operations Forces had cruel methods, and although Huo Shaoheng was young, he was responsible in his work and was able to turn the tide at the most critical moment. If Huo Shaoheng went with the flow and went into hiding, then the people who crossed him at his weakest were sure to suffer when he returned.

    Yin Shixiong and General Ji were the only two people left in the conference room. After sitting there for a long moment, General Ji finally asked him, ¡°How many of you knew about Shaoheng and Little Ze¡¯s mission?¡±

    ¡°Many knew, but no one was aware of what kind of mission it was, apart from me and the two other personal secretaries,¡± Yin Shixiong replied calmly.

    ¡°Ok. How many people abroad know about this?¡± General Ji asked.

    ¡°They don¡¯t know.¡± Yin Shixiong waspletely solemn. ¡°Little Ze contacted me to ask if I¡¯d heard back from Mr. Huo. I said I had, and he didn¡¯t ask anything more.¡±

    General Ji nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I already restricted the knowledge of the incident to the people in this conference room today. I will alert Shaoheng¡¯s other two personal secretaries so that they can be careful.¡±

    In other words, that meant that even the overseas Special Ops personnel who had rescued Tan Guiren with Huo Shaoheng in the same operation didn¡¯t know that he had gone missing. They thought he had escaped sessfully and contacted the Empire. Zhao Liangze was no exception¡ªsince he didn¡¯t dare to directly contact Huo Shaoheng abroad, he could only contact Yin Shixiong via a single line domestically to receive confirmation. He could finally be relieved, and he no longer needed to remain abroad, since Huo Shaoheng was already safe.

    ¡°Big Xiong, what did Mr. Huo say about Miss Tan? Do we have to bring her back to the Empire?¡± Zhao Liangze remembered that their objective was to bring Tan Guiren back.

    Yin Shixiongughed heartily over the phone so as not to betray his true anxiousness. ¡°Our mission was to find her. As for what happens after, that¡¯s not our business. The Secret Service will dispatch support to take over, and you cane home.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡± Zhai Liangze thumped his forehead with his fist andughed wryly at Yin Shixiong. ¡°I was really worried we had to bring her back home. Thisdy is... I don¡¯t even know what to say. We¡¯ve been on so many missions and saved so many hostages, but she is real trouble. She was willing to give up her own survival to save two kids who had nothing to do with her.¡±

    Yin Shixiong saw the video and could onlyugh before changing the subject. ¡°It¡¯s not our business, anyway. Hurry back. There are a lot of things you need to deal with here, and I can¡¯t do them all alone.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was very happy to know he wasing home. After setting a date for his return, he immediately had someone book flight tickets for him.

    ...

    The next evening, Gu Nianzhi returned to her dorm from the library and took a quick shower. She had made dinner ns with Yin Shixiong that day. She hadn¡¯t seen him for over a month and missed them dearly. She missed not only Huo Shaoheng but also Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. These three men had practically raised her and were like family. She didn¡¯t even have such a strong emotional connection to her so-called sister, Gu Yanran.

    Although she called her ¡°Sister¡± now, it was only for the sake of being polite and was not genuine. Since it was proven that she was the Gu Nianzhi¡ªthe youngest daughter of the Gus¡ªshe had no way of continuing to call Gu Yanran ¡°Miss Gu.¡± Others would think she was rude and raised badly...

    She hadn¡¯t returned to her highrise apartment in the Third Ring Road for over a month now. Gu Yanran lived directly above her and had even made the effort of calling several times to invite her for dinner, but it was a coincidence that He Zhichu had always had a task for her, so she couldn¡¯t go. After getting changed, Gu Nianzhi came out of the room and saw that her watch only read 7:00 p.m. She was already starving, but Yin Shixiong still hadn¡¯t contacted her.

    Banging sounds were heard from Ma Qiqi¡¯s room, so Gu Nianzhi knocked out of curiosity and asked, ¡°Qiqi? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Ma Qiqi yanked open the door and eximed angrily, ¡°Nianzhi! Did you know that video¡ªthe one of the reality TV show about foreign police and criminals¡ªcan¡¯t be found anywhere?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said nothing.

    ¡°It¡¯s true! I was just saying how I¡¯d watched it online a few more times, but somehow it¡¯s nowhere to be found!¡± Ma Qiqi waved her fists. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what the problem is. It¡¯s clearly about something overseas! It has nothing to do with us!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only console her. ¡°...Maybe not many people were watching, so the sites took it down.¡±

    ¡°Humph! How could that be? I remember the view count yesterday. Itpletely obliterated those stupid dramas!¡± Ma Qiqi nearly wailed. ¡°Oh my god! Why didn¡¯t I download it?! Why didn¡¯t I save it?!¡±

    ¡°It was that interesting?¡± Gu Nianzhi truly didn¡¯t understand why Ma Qiqi was so foolishly obsessed¡ªand with a foreign reality TV show, at that! She shot a sidelong nce at her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell people you know me. It¡¯s embarrassing!¡±

    ¡°It was really interesting! Nianzhi, it¡¯s your loss for not watching it. Now, you can¡¯t watch it even if you wanted.¡± Ma Qiqi spread her palms. ¡°How annoying! I heard this reality TV show also disappeared abroad. It¡¯s probably because those foreign soldiers and police officers are too weak, so they are embarrassed to have their stupidity broadcasted online for the whole world to see.¡±

    ¡°They are pretty weak, ording to you. So there are that many people outside of the Empire? They even used helicopters and armored vehicles but couldn¡¯t even catch one criminal? I¡¯m reassured to see that they¡¯re such weaklings.¡± Gu Nianzhi nearly crossed herself.

    ¡°To hell with you!¡±

    Ma Qiqi shoved her yfully when the Resident Advisor¡¯s voice suddenly sounded over the dorm¡¯s PA. ¡°Ma Qiqi, Gu Nianzhi! Someone¡¯s looking for you!¡±

 Chapter 567 - What a Snob

    <h4>Chapter 567 What a Snob</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Could it be that Senior and your Brother Xiong arrived at the same time?¡± Ma Qiqi asked curiously as she carried her miniature backpack and headed downstairs excitedly.

    As Gu Nianzhi was waiting for Yin Shixiong, she headed down with Ma Qiqi as well. Upon exiting the elevator, the girls saw two guys standing in front of their dormitory¡¯s main entrance. One of them was tall and buff, while the other was tall and slim. They were both extremely eye-catching. The guys really had arrived at the dormitory at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi walked briskly to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong, you¡¯re finally here! I would¡¯ve starved to death if you hadn¡¯te!¡±

    ¡°Now, now. Really? Aren¡¯t you exaggerating?¡± Yin Shixiong smiled as he looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s only seven o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°I usually have my dinner at five. It¡¯s already hours hourster.¡± Gu Nianzhi tapped her watch. ¡°Let¡¯s go, quick. Where are we going to have dinner?¡±

    Smiling, Yin Shixiong shook his head. He saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommate walking over from the corner of his eyes and gave her a nod of acknowledgement. ¡°Miss Ma.¡±

    Ma Qiqi was taken aback by this formal greeting. Waving her hands, sheughed and said, ¡°Just call me Qiqi. Don¡¯t be too formal with me!¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled and changed his greeting smoothly. ¡°We¡¯ll be going then, Qiqi.¡± With that, he turned and followed Gu Nianzhi down the steps.

    ¡°Who¡¯s this guy? What a snob,¡±mented Senior, who was standing beside Ma Qiqi. He felt neglected by Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong, and he nudged Ma Qiqi¡¯s arm in slight protest.

    Ma Qiqi turned to look at him. ¡°He¡¯s my roommate¡¯s rtive. Let¡¯s go. Aren¡¯t we going to a movie?¡±

    Senior was slightly unhappy with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude. ¡°Your roommate has her nose up in the air, hasn¡¯t she? She seldom says hi to me or even acknowledges my presence. What bad manners she has.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s smile became awkward all of a sudden. ¡°What are you talking about? What has she done to piss you off?¡±

    ¡°She did not piss me off. It¡¯s just that she always ignores me, and it makes me ufortable.¡± Senior was also someone who had his nose up in the air. With good grades and a wealthy family background, almost everyone was nice to him wherever he went. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi ignoring him was a stark contrast with how everyone else treated him. It made him feel unimportant, and he didn¡¯t like it at all.

    Ma Qiqi felt weird listening to that. She mumbled, ¡°I felt that it was okay, though. Should she be licking your boots to make you feelfortable?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that...¡± Senior exined quickly. ¡°I just felt that since she was your roommate, and I¡¯m your boyfriend, shouldn¡¯t she be slightly warmer towards me? We¡¯re all friends, anyway. Why would she not even want to look at me?¡±

    Ma Qiqi pouted and said awkwardly, ¡°I don¡¯t think that her attitude is problematic. I think it¡¯s fine. But Senior, when did I agree to be your girlfriend?¡± Senior was still in the process of going after her. Ma Qiqi had not decided to embark on a new rtionship. Her previous boyfriend had cheated on her, and she was still hurt from that.

    Senior raised his eyebrows and pulled her by the arm. ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s not be unhappy over people who don¡¯t matter, okay?¡±

    Ma Qiqi opened her mouth, but no words came out. She wanted to say that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t someone who didn¡¯t matter, but she truly wasn¡¯t someone who mattered in her rtionship. She really had nothing to do with their rtionship. Senior¡¯s brain functions weirdly... However, since she was already down, she followed him nheless. The movie still had to go on.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed Yin Shixiong to his car, and they drove to a western restaurant near B University¡¯s south gate. Yin Shixiong had selected this ce due to its privacy and quietness. It was a good ce to talk and catch up.

    They did not ask for a room; they just requested a window seat. There was barely anyone in the restaurant. Potted nts or screens about a meter in height separated every table, and that alone ensured enough privacy.

    Gu Nianzhi ordered cheese-baked cod with a sd and mashed potatoes as her sides. Yin Shixiong, on the other hand, ordered a medium rare steak with a bowl of crab bisque and some crab cakes as his sides. Due to the fact that Yin Shixiong drove, he did not order any alcohol. Instead, he got them some lemonade and coconut juice.

    Gu Nianzhi held her cutlery and cut her cod into little pieces. After eating a few pieces, she asked, ¡°Brother Xiong, have you been busy recently?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Without them around, all the work falls on me. How can I not be busy?¡± Yin Shixiong took a huge mouthful of steak. He was really hungry. After the meeting yesterday, he had stayed up almost the entire nightpleting the handover work for his absence during this uing trip. He had also been overloaded with work the entire morning and afternoon today, and only had time for a meal. His tummy was already rumbling.

    Seeing that Yin Shixiong had such a nice appetite, Gu Nianzhi guessed that he had skipped meals. Then, she thought of Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. ¡°I wonder if Huo Shao will be able to find decent food over there.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Nianzhi. When we went on missions in the past, being out there for six months to a year was the norm. We could eat in restaurants, roadside stalls, basically anywhere we wanted. Moreover, we could cook. With that alone, we would be able to survive better than you. I think you should worry about yourself more.¡± Yin Shixiong took a sip of his lemonade and looked closely at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight. What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re busy as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Gu Nianzhi replied, and she began enthusiastically telling Yin Shixiong about what had happened to her. ¡°Brother Xiong, other than being Professor He¡¯s teaching assistant, I am now an assistant in thergestw firm in America! I¡¯m officially employed by them!¡±

    ¡°Oh wow, really?¡± Yin Shixiong was really surprised. Out of habit, he asked, ¡°Have you told Mr. Huo yet?¡± Gu Nianzhi used to tell Huo Shaoheng everything.

    Tilting her head, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°How can I let him know when I don¡¯t even know where he is?¡± Rolling her big, round eyes, she looked at Yin Shixiong yfully. ¡°Brother Xiong, how do you think I can let Huo Shao know of this piece of great news?¡±

    Yin Shixiong pursed his lips. Eyes sparkling, heughed. ¡°You! I almost fell for your trick! When I say I can¡¯t tell you, I really can¡¯t, no matter how you try to get it out of me.¡±

    ¡°Damn, then why ask me like that?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Yin Shixiong again and frowned yfully. ¡°I got hopeful for nothing.¡±

    Yin Shixiong stopped talking. He finished his steak and downed his lemonade before speaking again. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t me me for not reminding you. The moment you decided to be with Mr. Huo, you should have been mentally prepared. Not being able to physically be with Mr. Huo can be a norm. He will have to disappear for a period of time, and during that time, you¡¯re not supposed to ask about or look for him, and you can¡¯t tell anything about him to anyone. If you¡¯re unable to do that, then I think it¡¯d be better if you stopped being together with Mr. Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi eyes began to water at Yin Shixiong¡¯s words. However, she held it in and said in a cheerful voice, ¡°Of course I know! But I thought he wouldn¡¯t have to do this often anymore due to his rank. So why would this be a norm for us in the future? It¡¯d be at most just for emergencies.¡±

    Yin Shixiong fell silent. He realized that Gu Nianzhi was right, so he couldn¡¯t retort. Touching his nose, he chuckled. ¡°Nianzhi is still so good with words. I really cannot outtalk you.¡± He continued, ¡°Now that you¡¯re an employee of thergestw firm in America, what do you want to do during your semester break? Will you be going to America to work?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and finished her cod. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ll have to see how Professor He arranges my schedule. He said that he¡¯ll be taking some cases to let me have a go at them during the break. I still have no idea where they¡¯ll be from.¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded and told Gu Nianzhi tactfully, ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you try to take more modules during the break so that you¡¯re able to graduate faster? Moreover, if Mr. Huoes back, but you¡¯re not around, how much of a waste will it be?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied. ¡°I will consider it, but Brother Xiong...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him. ¡°I can¡¯t just be waiting for Huo Shao, can I? He has his career, and I have my own job, too.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Our Nianzhi has a job now!¡± Yin Shixiong suddenly felt emotional. He looked at her like he would a daughter. ¡°But don¡¯t overwork yourself. You¡¯re too skinny. Come, eat more.¡± Yin Shixiong ordered a dessert for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Their tiramisu is really well received by many people. Try it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shared the dessert with Yin Shixiong. After they were done with their meal, they chatted for a bit to catch up before Yin Shixiong took Gu Nianzhi back to the dormitory. Yin Shixiong only left after seeing Gu Nianzhi get in the elevator. Upon exiting the south gate, he drove slowly. He was bothered and didn¡¯t know what to do after getting back to headquarters. Therefore, he drove slowly, taking it as a little road trip to unwind.

    After a while, his phone rang. Putting his Bluetooth earpiece on, he held the steering wheel with both hands and answered the call. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Sir, the Tan¡¯s are unhappy that we took the news of their daughter down. They got the External Rtions department to ask why we interfered in the nation¡¯s internal affairs...¡±

    The job scope of the Special Forces was limited in the sense that they could only dabble in affairs happening outside of the country. Even though it was managed by the Army and had a lot of privileges, they were not supposed to use them within the country. They were also not allowed to interfere in the country¡¯s internal affairs.

    The corners of Yin Shixiong¡¯s lips twitched. These Tan¡¯s are really bing bold, aren¡¯t they? he thought. He isn¡¯t even the Prime Minister yet, but he¡¯s already behaving like he is?

    Interfering with internal affairs... They think the Special Forces really wanted to interfere? If it weren¡¯t for the Tan¡¯s, who insisted that Mr. Huo to handle this case personally, would things have turned out this way?!

    But due to circumstances, Yin Shixiong was unable to say anything to them. He¡¯d be leaking military secrets if he did. They couldn¡¯t even go looking for trouble with the Tan¡¯s. General Ji would make sure of that. They could only get General Ji to pressure Tan Dongbang during cab meetings and get him to exin why his daughter did not return to the country immediately after being rescued.

    However, the Tan¡¯s also made this little inquiry into news. They hinted that the Army and internal cab had worked together to pressure their people and attempted to get sympathy from the public.

    After pondering, Yin Shixiong said, ¡°Get the legal department to step in. Reply to them using thew. If the Tan¡¯s still want to push it further, let them know that we¡¯ll put them on military trial.¡± If something really happened to Mr. Huo, it would only be a matter of time before Tan Dongbang and his wife got sued in military court, anyway.

 Chapter 568 - The Winner is Obvious

    <h4>Chapter 568: Chapter 568 ¨C The Winner is Obvious</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Bai Yueran was working overtime in her office when she received a call from the Special Operations Forces External Affairs Department. ¡°Director Bai, the Tans want an exnation as to why all news reports about Tan Guiren were removed. Lieutenant Colonel said this was an executive order and that no more publicity can be made using the kidnapping of the Tans daughter. He asks if the Legal Affairs Department can please resolve this issue.¡±

    ¡°Really? Lieutenant Colonel Yin said that? Ok, I understand and will contact him.¡± Bai Yueran set down the phone and appeared very serious as she turned to herputer to type a memo to send to Tan Dongbang himself.

    ¡°Minister Tan, ording to relevant regtions, the family members of prime minister candidates are not entitled to protection by the nation. They must be first elected, and then their direct family, including wives and children, will be entitled to special protection from the nation. Your wife¡¯s previous request already vited regtions.¡±

    The memo was also carbon-copied to General Ji, Speaker Long, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Bai Jiancheng. Tan Dongbang¡¯s assistant read the memo, and his face fell. He quickly took the printed memo to Tan Dongbang and said, ¡°Mr. Tan, look at this. It was sent from the Special Operations Forces Legal Affairs Department.¡±

    Tan Dongbang epted the page, and his face flushed, then turned ashen when he read it. Tapping his fingers on the memo, he replied, ¡°I know. You can go now.¡±

    After his assistant left, Tan Dongbang called his wife quietly. ¡°Guiren is safe now, so this ends here. Don¡¯t start any more publicity.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? How will you maintain poprity if we don¡¯t keep the publicity up? What about the public poll? The election is in a few months...¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife knew her daughter was safe already, so she now concentrated on her husband¡¯s election. Tan Dongbang running for Prime Minister was really an unexpected sess. They didn¡¯t think that he would lead the polls and surpass many other candidates who had been fully prepared, despite never having run before. In less than three months, most of the candidates had either withdrawn or been eliminated, leaving only him and Bai Jiancheng. The October elections would be his final battle against Bai Jiancheng.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to sue us if we start any more publicity using the incident.¡± Tan Dongbang forwarded the memo to his wife. ¡°Check your inbox. I just sent something to you.¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife opened her email and read the memo. Her face grew ruddy, as if someone had pped her. Although Bai Yueran¡¯s memo was sinct, it was obviously threatening in tone. Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife didn¡¯t expect there to be such a regtion¡ªthat meant her desperate begging of the Special Operations Forces to have Major General Huo save her daughter was a vition of regtions. If news got out, Tan Dongbang¡¯s established image would be fatally impacted. She stared in silence for a while, then finally picked up the phone to call all her close media friends one by one to ask them to withdraw all the prepared drafts for publication.

    ¡°...Right. She¡¯s already ok, so we don¡¯t need to mention it again. My daughter is rather shy and doesn¡¯t want to be mentioned in public like that.¡±

    Her friends all pitied Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife when she said it like that, and several of them tried to convince her for a long time. She still gritted her teeth behind a faint smile and stood by her decision.

    ...

    Bai Yueran went home after finishing overtime and saw that her father Bai Jiancheng¡¯s study was still lit. She walked to the door and knocked. ¡°Dad, you aren¡¯t sleeping yet?¡±

    Bai Jiancheng wore reading sses and was reading an internal government report. He looked up at the sound of Bai Yueran¡¯s voice and asked gently, ¡°You¡¯re back? Was it busy? You worked overtime?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just finished.¡± Bai Yueran walked inside and sat on the sofa in his study. ¡°Dad, the Tans¡¯ daughter has already been rescued, so they can¡¯t use this for publicity anymore.¡±

    Bai Jiangcheng nodded. ¡°Very good. All of our nation¡¯s citizens are equal. There can¡¯t be such preferential treatment...¡±

    Bai Yueran¡¯s mind spun. She knew that her dad was probably implying something. She probed, ¡°You are speaking about that case in Germany?¡±

    ¡°That case? Oh, how is the case going?¡± Bai Jiancheng seemed to recall it. ¡°Our exchange student can¡¯t die without justice.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow up with it again.¡± Bai Yueran understood her father¡¯s intention. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone find that student¡¯s parents tomorrow and sponsor them to go file awsuit in Germany.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. These are all Huaxia citizens, and we must help in any way we can.¡± Bai Jiancheng smiled with satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. Get to bed.¡±

    Bai Yueran excused herself.

    The next day, the social media and televisionworks were the first to change the tides. The Tan Guiren incident, which had been a top headline several times in recent days, had disappeared without a trace. Instead, the case of the exchange student who¡¯d been murdered in Germany became the hottest topic, and all sorts of details about the case went viral.

    The case hadn¡¯t even been publicly tried in Germany, yet Huaxia reporters were already writing about a new detail¡ªording to Germanws, the male suspect was not yet 22 at the time of the crime, and because he¡¯d been charged with manughter, he would only be incarcerated for seven years even if he was convicted. If he wasn¡¯t convicted, he would be released by the court. The Huaxia domestic inte exploded when the detail was released. Many people who were once fans and supporters of Germany eximed, ¡°So, Germany is really like that!¡± Or they said, ¡°The Germany I knew was a fake!¡±

    Ma Qiqi, in particr, was following the case and grew indignant once again. At lunch, she still held her phone and continuously argued with people on the forums.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this, she also thought it was extremely ridiculous. ¡°Manughter? How shameless are they?! Haven¡¯t they already changed jurisdictions?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in confusion, ¡°Could the Germany police be in cahoots with each other, so they don¡¯t want to give justice to a foreign exchange student?¡±

    Ma Qiqi shrugged with a nod. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s probably the reason.¡± She sighed. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy for this girl¡¯s family to get justice for her. I heard they are just a normal family and can¡¯t even afford to go to Germany, let alone hire a goodwyer to represent them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head at Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone. ¡°Maybe they can fundraise online for their travel expenses if they really want to go to Germany. I¡¯m willing to donate.¡±

    Ma Qiqi cried out and pped the desk. ¡°Right! I¡¯ll leave ament for them!¡± She wrote ament under the news article with excitement. ¡°I hope that the victim¡¯s family can see this. If you want to go to Germany, I¡¯m willing to donate.¡±

    Herment quickly became the most liked online.

    That night, another news article was published saying that the Minister of Internal Affairs, Bai Jiancheng, had seen the news about the murdered exchange student and was following the case. He was using his own money to sponsor the victim¡¯s family to go to Germany to attend the trial and had also promised to help pay for the bestwyer to represent them there.

    As soon as the news broke out, Bai Jianchang¡¯s poprity skyrocketed. He had been almost 10 percent behind Tan Dongbang in the polls, but the gap was reduced to 1 percent when the news of him voluntarily donating was published. Bai Jiancheng almost surpassed Tan Dongbang several times in the polls.

    Both men had used publicity, but Bai Jiancheng¡¯s method was more effective, since the Tans¡¯ own daughter had been the victim. Since parents saving children was a normal urrence, the public merely expressed sympathy for the Tans¡¯ use of ¡°the sympathy card.¡± However, Bai Jiancheng was helping a family who had nothing to do with him, and they happened to be normal Huaxia citizens who were almost at the bottom of society. Of course, this had an effect that appeared much more righteous and nobler than the Tans worrying about their own daughter.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi also had their opinions of the Bais raised due to this incident. However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t follow the case as intensely as Ma Qiqi. Gu Nianzhi had her own problems and was pining for Huo Shaoheng to suddenlye home every day. She didn¡¯t even know why she missed him so much, but she couldn¡¯t help herself.

    On thest day of the semester, she went to hand over work at He Zhichu¡¯s office and was so absent-minded that she didn¡¯t hear what he was saying to her several times.

    ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s with you?¡± He Zhichu said, seeing that something was amiss. ¡°Something bothering you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and shook her head with a smile. ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t sleep wellst night. I¡¯m feeling a bit dizzy and sleepy.¡±

    ¡°What were you doing that you couldn¡¯t sleep properly?¡±

    ¡°We had a ss dinnerst night, since summer break starts tomorrow. Everyone wanted to have a farewell dinner.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Professor He, all your documents arepleted, and I copied all the exam scores to send them out. Was there anything else?¡±

    He Zhichu thought she wasn¡¯t telling the truth, but her answer was irond. ¡°What are you nning to do this summer break?¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to pry if she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. He could tell she was absent-minded and wanted to give her a task to distract her. ¡°Do you want to intern in the United States? Or pick up a few interesting cases for experience?¡±

 Chapter 569 - Acting Underhandedly

    Chapter 569: Chapter 569 Acting Underhandedly

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to reality and wasn¡¯t satisfied with her current condition, either. She understood what Yin Shixiong had said. She thought that she was prepared in the past, but when she was actually faced with it, she realized that just the phrase, ¡°I understand,¡± wouldn¡¯t help much.

    Due to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rank and the nature of his job, going out for missions and being uncontactable did not happen often. However, it did not mean that it wouldn¡¯t happen at all. This was because he was still young, and he had founded the Special Forces. Therefore, he still had to oversee many things and handle them personally. This was an obstacle that she had to cross on her end.

    ¡°Professor He¡¯s suggestion is quite good, actually.¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled. ¡°Let me go back and think it through. It¡¯s the summer holidays now! I really should have something meaningful to do.¡± Otherwise, she¡¯d be too free, and her thoughts would definitely wander. It would only drive her crazy.

    ¡°Okay. Inform me immediately once you¡¯vee to a decision so I can make arrangements.¡± He Zhichu nodded and picked up a book. ¡°That¡¯s about it. You can go back now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up, picked up her backpack, and left He Zhichu¡¯s office. The moment she left his office, He Zhichu made a call back home. Holding his phone, he said slowly, ¡°Father, I have some unsettled matters, so I won¡¯t being back soon.¡± His tone was gentle instead of frustrated likest time.

    Mr. He, on the other end of the line, hadn¡¯t heard his son talk to him so gently in a long time. Therefore, he was quiet for a long while before replying softly, ¡°Okay. Then I won¡¯t be able to celebrate your birthday with you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± He Zhichu felt his father¡¯s love and felt his cold heart melt a little. ¡°You can give me a bted celebration when I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Yes... Sure... I¡¯ll definitely do a bted celebration for you.¡± Mr. He sounded almost like he was tearing up.

    He Zhichu sighed in his heart and hung up, expressionless. However, the moment he hung up, his mobile phone rang. He looked at the number and saw that it was from home. He slid his phone open and answered the call.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Mr. He, are you really noting back? Mr. He has prepared for your birthday for a long time. Cancelling just like that really isn¡¯t nice...¡±

    Perhaps he felt that he had let his father down, so He Zhichu did not get upset over Wen Shouyi¡¯s supposed manners. ¡°I¡¯ve been rather busy recently. I¡¯lle back and stay for a longer period of time after I¡¯m done with the things here,¡± he replied coldly.

    ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s great! Mr. He will be so happy to know. I¡¯ll tell him!¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice was bright and happy, and she blushed slightly.

    He Zhichu did not continue the conversation and hung up. Massaging his temples, he got up to look at the emails from hisw firm in America. Gu Nianzhi had already categorized the emails nicely. He could read the emails ording to importance.

    After spending some time on the emails and finding that there weren¡¯t any interesting cases, he sent an email to his secretary in America to ask if there was any case interesting enough to follow up on.

    ...

    After leaving He Zhichu¡¯s office, Gu Nianzhi roamed around in school for a bit before returning to the dormitory. Most of the foreign students had gotten train or air tickets and would be returning home for the summer break. Those who stayed were the minorities or the locals from Di Capital. Her roommate, Ma Qiqi, was a local. She was looking for a ce to intern during the break and had already decided that she would only go home on weekends.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the dormitory and saw her hugging half a watermelon while scooping it out with arge spoon. It looked so delicious, she wanted some, too. Ma Qiqi knew what was going through her head the moment she saw Gu Nianzhi at the door. Pointing to the refrigerator, she said, ¡°There¡¯s still half of it in the refrigerator. Let¡¯s eat together!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed arge spoon and lugged the other half of the watermelon out of the fridge. She sat down beside Ma Qiqi and began eating the watermelon. ¡°Qiqi, you¡¯re really not going home?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s the holidays... Everyone¡¯s going home.¡±

    ¡°My parents send me off on countless blind dates every time I go home. I¡¯d rather stay here.¡± Ma Qiqi smiled. ¡°What about you? You¡¯re not going back, either?¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng was in Di Capital, Gu Nianzhi would definitely go to the headquarters to spend her holidays. However, he wasn¡¯t there now, so Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be able to stay there, anyway. On the other hand, she could visit every other day. Gu Nianzhi had a feeling that that was the only ce she would have a chance of finding out where Huo Shaoheng was and when he¡¯d be back. Therefore, she didn¡¯t say anything concrete. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going back, too, but after I finish all the things on hand first.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded and did not probe further. She scrolled through Weibo while eating the watermelon and said, ¡°The investigation of the murder of that student who went to Germany to study has Minister Bai¡¯s financial support now. Her parents will be able to go to Germany now, won¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°So what if they go? They¡¯ll still be bullied if they don¡¯t get a goodwyer.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that Minister Bai keeps his word and gets them a goodwyer.¡±

    ¡°He already announced it to the public. How could he go back on his word?¡± Ma Qiqi showed Gu Nianzhi her phone. ¡°Look. Someone said that Minister Bai was incorrigible by using someone¡¯s murder case to increase his poprity. They say that he¡¯s shameless...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not even bother to look up and ate a mouthful of watermelon from her spoon. ¡°I detest such people. No matter what intentions Minister Bai has, whether it is to increase his poprity or to raise awareness for his campaign, he truly did this of his own ord and helped the entire family. Isn¡¯t that enough? Those keyboard warriors only know how to criticize others. Did they offer a single cent to help others in times of need?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Who cares what motive they have as long as they¡¯ve helped the people in need, right? ¡®Cause it¡¯s doing something nice, no matter what.¡± Ma Qiqi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve replied. The next time people like thatment again they¡¯ll be banned. To be honest, it¡¯s people like them who make others not want to help anymore. If you help, they¡¯ll say that you¡¯re trying to gain attention. If you don¡¯t, they¡¯ll say that you¡¯re heartless. What bullsh*t! Anyway, their mouths belong to them. They¡¯re free to say what they want. They just can¡¯t wait for everyone to be like them, onlookers, in order to make them feel special. These are the people whom we should detest!¡±

    Both of them returned to their rooms after they were done with their watermelon.

    ...

    Over in America, the all-time enemies CIA and FBI worked together for the very first time to capture the criminal who had escaped right under their noses. Every harbor, airport, train station, and long-term parking lot was covered with uniformed and in clothes police officers. CIA and FBI agents were all over the ce, too. Every single car rentalpany was being watched as well, in order to prevent him from renting a car and escaping.

    ¡°Remember, the person you¡¯re facing isn¡¯t a normal criminal. He¡¯s someone highly experienced in intelligence work, the mastermind of an international intelligence department.¡± The highest-ranking CIA officer ordered personally, ¡°You have to capture him. Bring him back if he¡¯s alive, and bring his body back if he¡¯s dead.¡±

    His subordinates looked at the screen with the extremely good-looking Asian man on it and shook their heads. ¡°Sir, are we supposed to capture him based on this picture?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. He wouldn¡¯t be so silly,¡± the officer replied. ¡°He must definitely have undergone some form of transformation to hide his identity. All of you have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha...¡± They chuckled in the meeting room.

    ¡°Then sir, do we have a picture of how he¡¯ll look like after the transformation?¡±

    ¡°Of course we don¡¯t,¡± the officer replied matter-of-factly. ¡°Why would I need all of you if I had the picture?¡± This reply made so much sense that no one could retort. Eventually, all they could do was to take the picture of the ¡°criminal¡± around with information on his approximate height and fingerprints for the search.

    However, someone with a height of about six feet was toomon in America. They couldn¡¯t be capturing everyone around that height, could they? Of course, they eventually narrowed their targets to Asian men who were around that height. That would be much easier. There weren¡¯t many Asian men with that height in the Hua Xia Empire, much less in America.

    Therefore, they increased the frequency of electromaic interference and call monitors, and ced more than enough men along the main streets of America to do a thorough carpet search for the man. Every suspect¡¯s fingerprints and faces would be immediately sent to the CIA¡¯s central control system to look for a match. However, after two days, the man seemed to have evaporated from the earth. No one could find him.

    ...

    After destroying all the electronic equipment that could be tracked by America¡¯s satellites, Huo Shaoheng went to the beach and waited until daylight before carrying his dismantled machine gun and sniper rifle wrapped in his jacket and returning to town with a couple thousand US dors in cash. When they went on missions, the soldiers from the Special Forces would usually prepare cash in case of emergencies. He found a high-end shop and bought luggage, a backpack, two sets of clothes, some daily necessities, aptop, a machine that was able to produce new identification, and a new mobile phone.

    After exiting the shop, he settled into a motel. He took a shower and changed into the clothes he just bought, then took the dismantled guns out of his jacket and ced them in the luggage. Then, he connected hisptop to the free WiFi that was provided by this motel.

    His technical skills wereparable to Zhao Liangze¡¯s. Therefore, the moment he was connected, he masked his IP address, making it appear to be one the motel¡¯s employees used, and logged into a university tform in Europe. He took that IP to be his own and began to hack into the New York DMV¡¯s central vault. ¡°DMV¡± stood for the Department of Motor Vehicles. This was the department in charge of handing out driver¡¯s licenses and identification cards.

    It took Huo Shaoheng all night, but he managed to crack the password. He entered the DMV of New York and began to look through the data. He skimmed through the details quickly and familiarized himself with the number sequences before making up a social security number for himself and uploading a picture of himself in disguise. With that, he sessfully managed to create an identity in New York that was ¡°officially acknowledged¡± by the authorities. Using this number, he made himself a New York driver¡¯s license with the machine he had bought.

    The next day, he took this driver¡¯s license and sessfully managed to rent a Hummer SUV from a rentalpany. The CIA officer that was stationed in this car rentalpany totally did not realize that this tall man was the ¡°criminal¡± they were looking for, because Huo Shaoheng had put on a special pair of contact lenses and turned himself into a white, blue-eyed, mixed-blood man from New York.

 Chapter 570 - Life is a Game

    <h4>Chapter 570: Chapter 570 ¨C Life is a Game</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Mike, did any Chinese peoplee in to rent cars today?¡± A CIA agent wasmunicating with his colleague over his headset. ¡°You¡¯ve waited there all day now. Any news?¡±

    ¡°There were a few tall Chinese mening in to rent cars, but their fingerprints didn¡¯t match records.¡±

    ¡°Then what about their IDs? Did you check carefully?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they were all legal immigrants. They¡¯ve been here for many years now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the keys from the car rental employee. As he was signing his forged English signature on the rental agreement, he happened to overhear someone on the phone asking to check the IDs of Chinese people renting cars. A sly smile appeared on his face as he threw down the pen and strode off with the car keys. No one had suspected him the entire time, let alone the uniformed police officers guarding the door or the inclothes detective inside the rentalpany. Although he had the same height as the ¡°kidnapper,¡± his blue eyes, high aquiline nose, pale skin, and authentic Oxford ent meant no one could link him to the ¡°Huaxia spy boss.¡± Also, his driver¡¯s license was an authentic one that could be found in the New York DMV license database.

    Huo Shaoheng was in a much more rxed mood when he got inside the car. He first drove several circles around the terribly congested New York streets before heading back to the motel he was staying at to take his things and check out. He didn¡¯t n to live in New York but rented a high-end apartment in the neighboring New Jersey, which was only a short drive away. After settling in, Huo Shaoheng looked at the time and saw that it was almost noon, so it was about midnight in the Huaxia Empire. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes flickered and found the town library near his apartment.

    After signing up for a temporary library card, he went online using a publicputer. This time, he continued to use various VPs and consistently deleted his login data to finally loop all the way to Europe, where he used a German library¡¯s server and easily cracked the external password. Using the German library¡¯s server, he connected to an IP phone. By this time, he had been out of contact with the Huaxia military for 36 hours, so he was 12 hours away from the 48-hour cautionary time limit. He nned to make two calls¡ªone to his father Huo Guanchen and the other to General Ji.

    Regardless of who wanted him dead in the Huaxia Empire, he felt it was quite unlikely that both these two men wanted him dead at the same time. He didn¡¯t know who the culprit was and couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that perhaps one of these men wanted him dead, but the low likelihood of it being them both was incredibly low, so it was negligible enough for him to ignore.

    His first call was to his father, Huo Guanchen. The older man picked up after three rings.

    Huo Shaoheng waited a moment before saying, ¡°Father.¡±

    Huo Guanchen stood up suddenly, his voice trembling with shock. ¡°Shaoheng? Shaoheng, is that you? Are you ok? Where are you right now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng detected the concern in Huo Guanchen¡¯s voice but didn¡¯t want to entertain his questions. After another pause, he finally answered, ¡°I just wanted to confirm my safety to you. I¡¯m fine. No need to worry.¡± He paused before adding, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone I called.¡±

    Huo Guanchenposed himself and nodded quickly. ¡°I know, I know. You be careful. I¡¯ll report your situation to General Ji.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°I¡¯ll call General Ji myself. Father, remember to keep this confidential. Danger is by our side.¡±

    He hung up. Because he¡¯d timed the conversation very urately, the enemy couldn¡¯t track his exact location with a call under two minutes¡ªeven if they were tracking him. Thanks to all the IP switching, it would be a miracle for even the German library server to be tracked.

    He made the second call to General Ji. ¡°General Ji, it¡¯s me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was steady and deep, steadying General Ji¡¯s heart like a great anchor in the quiet of midnight. ¡°You finally called back. You were just 12 hours away from our 48-hour cautionary time limit.¡± General Ji was extremely emotional. ¡°How are you? Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I still have things to deal with,¡± Hu Shaoheng said sinctly. ¡°Please take care of yourself. I only called you and my father. Also, B2 must die. You must take care of it immediately.¡±

    B2 was their code name, and with a simple search, General Ji would know that it was for the spy Huo Shaoheng had personally captured years ago, ¡°Yin Youqin.¡± This was who the kidnappers had demanded be freed in exchange for the hostage. Although he had ulterior motives, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t tolerate Yin Youqin bringing them more trouble by merely remaining alive.

    General Ji understood his intention. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll make the order right away and will be sure to give you justice.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hung up the phone and sighed deeply. Although he ended the call on time, he was certain that the person trying to kill him already knew about it. But he¡¯d still had to call back, even if that person learned about it. If he lost contact for over 48 hours, he would be subject to the most severe review, even if he did safely return. His career would basically be at an indefinite standstill, and he might have even be requested to hand over the Special Operations Forces and change careers.

    This enemy had truly nned meticulously against him¡ªeven if Huo Shaoheng survived, this enemy would make sure to destroy his reputation, make him lose the confidence of the military, and ruin his career. If it wasn¡¯t for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s surprisingputer skills, the enemy would have seeded.

    Who had Huo Shaoheng crossed? He contemted it the whole drive back to his apartment and went downstairs to the restaurant for lunch, then went back upstairs to rest. Lying on the bed, he couldn¡¯t sleep and tossed on the bed considering the situation. He finally decided that this person wouldn¡¯t know him particrly well, so he could eliminate anyone close. Anyone who knew him well would be aware of hisputer talent and would have given the Americans more hints so there would have been no way for him to forge an identity so sessfully.

    After eliminating the possibility of someone close betraying him, Huo Shaoheng secretly sighed in relief. If he was betrayed by someone close, then it meant he really had failed as the Chief of the Special Operations Forces. Luckily, that wasn¡¯t the case. As long as it wasn¡¯t someone close, he absolutely had a chance to turn the tables. When he thought about it, Huo Shaoheng perked up and didn¡¯t want to sleep anymore.

    He went through his wallet and found that he had spent too much in thest two days. After renting the apartment, he¡¯d spent nearly all his cash, so he needed to get more. After locking his things in the safe, he looked online to find an Antic City casino closest to the apartment. It was only a half-hour drive to the seaside city famous for its casino.

    He went directly to thergest Caesars Casino there and threw his car keys to the valet with a devil-may-care smile on his face as he strode inside. All American casinos were simr, with slot machines, poker, roulette, Texas Hold¡¯em, as well as sic bo.

    Huo Shaoheng merely nced around the casino, and several morous women surrounded him.

    ¡°Hey handsome, what do you want to y? We¡¯ll join you...¡±

    They winked so hard their eyelids nearly twitched, but Huo Shaoheng remained unperturbed. He spoke some Spanish to indicate he didn¡¯t understand English. The women instantly lost all interest in him and sauntered off to their next targets with a pout. Huo Shaoheng spread his palms helplessly at their backs, then exchanged for chips and sat at the sic bo table.

    After observing from the side for a while, he figured out the rules and yed ording to the popr bets. In order to not attract attention, he couldn¡¯t keep winning or losing. He was there to make money... After making careful calctions, he established the target of winning and losing 7:3 in order to make the most money in the shortest amount of time without attracting attention. The casino was huge, and someone starting out with a few hundred USD at the sic bo table would never garner a second look from the casino. Even though he ended up winning $50,000 USD in the end, the casino didn¡¯t notice anything peculiar. Of course, he couldn¡¯t take all his winnings home in cash, so the casino wrote him a bank check.

    He took the check to an Antic City branch of a major bank to open an ount to deposit the check in, then also applied for a credit card with a $10,000 limit. With a driver¡¯s license, car, and credit card, he could basically travel freely in the United States now.

    Huo Shaoheng was very cautious while doing these things and went around several full loops before driving back to his apartment. In the end, he almost ran out of gas and had to turn into the neighborhood gas station to refill. It was already evening when he returned to his apartment, so he went downstairs for dinner before going home.

    As soon as he walked in and turned on the TV, a local New Yorkwork happened to be interviewing CIA and FBI agents to ask if they had caught the criminal atrge. The FBI agent being interviewed stated solemnly, ¡°We¡¯ve already secured the entire area and have asked the public to support us. Please call the toll-free line if you see any suspicious people...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the sofa with a cup of coffee. He smiled wryly at the interview and memorized every word they spoke.

 Chapter 571 - Your Success Depends on How You Act

    <h4>Chapter 571: Chapter 571 Your Sess Depends on How You Act</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng did not turn the television off, even after the news had finished. He walked to the French windows leading to the balcony, opened them, and walked out onto the balcony. He closed the windows and lit a cigarette. He took a deep,forting puff.

    This high-end condominium apartment he had rented wasn¡¯t a high-rise building. It consisted of only about 20 levels. His apartment was on level 18. Looking down from his balcony on the 18th floor, the lights on the ground floor looked like they were sparkling. It was brightly lit from there to level six, but anything above that was so dark, you couldn¡¯t even see your fingers in the darkness.

    The light from the cigarette fluctuated between bright and dim, just like his emotions. However, he wasn¡¯t panicking. After being in his upation for a decade, he had been through near-death situations countless times. He was already used to every form of emergency and finding the right escape for himself each time.

    This time around, he had been truly caught unaware. When he first got Tan Guiren¡¯s case, he thought it was merely another simple overseas mission. Little did he expect that the opponent would take such a big step, and he even intended to sacrifice the only daughter of a prime minister candidate just to lure him into this trap.

    Of course, if the opponent had not done all that, Huo Shaoheng would not have fallen into the trap. Even now, they could not announce their victory, because the Americans had not managed to capture Huo Shaoheng. He was merely ¡°missing.¡± However, they thought that he was missing in a certain area that they had well surrounded. No one knew if he was alive or dead. Even the mastermind did not know. He must have been extremely anxious by now.

    Suddenly, Huo Shaoheng had ceased his escape attempts. Many would be wondering what was going on. Who was this mastermind? What could he do to force Huo Shaoheng to show himself?

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and took another puff of his cigarette. He blew the smoke out into a smoke ring. As he watched the smoke ring disappear, an idea came to him. Since he couldn¡¯t find out who the person was in the Hua Xia Empire, he could try it from America, couldn¡¯t he? They must have needed tomunicate with America...

    Huo Shaoheng remembered the ¡°rat¡± they had captured a few years ago. He was that person¡¯s contact when he was overseas. He told the media openly that he knew where the nuclear bombs were ced along the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s southeast coastal border. He also pointedly listed some exact locations. The moment this piece of information was out, the senior officers from the Army Supreme Committee almost went crazy.

    This was top secret information in the army; how in the world did they know everything?!

    Huo Shaoheng was then tasked with finding out who this rat was. It only took him half a day to narrow it down to a main suspect, because he found out after the investigation that there was an important factor in the locations of the bombs that the person had announced, and only one person in the entire Army knew about that. This meant that the opponent had betrayed the person who leaked the information from the Hua Xia Empire to them.

    The person, who was arrested by Huo Shaoheng personally, was someone with a remarkable background. However, the military court did not spare him at all. They ordered an immediate death sentence. Now that this had happened, Huo Shaoheng felt that he could perhaps try the same method, agitating the American spies and seeing if he could get anything out of them.

    After making the decision, he flicked his cigarette butt away and returned to his room to sleep. The next day, Huo Shaoheng woke up extremely early. He went to the gym in the condominium and trained hard for half an hour before heading down to the caf¨¦ for breakfast. After that, he drove the SUV he had rented to the train station in New City and took the train into New York. It would only take him 20 minutes.

    Upon exiting, he entered the subway station in New York. In the restroom, Huo Shaoheng entered a cubicle and removed his blue contact lenses and changed the shape of his nose. In its ce, he wore a pair of rimmed sses. Then, he tucked the edges of his white shirt into his pants and put on a pair of nicely polished leather shoes. He also had aptop bag with him.

    He looked exactly like a normal Asian IT guy verymonly seen in New York. He used this look and entered the next subway that was heading towards the harbor. The moment the train arrived at the station, Huo Shaoheng walked to the harbor and pretended to get a ticket. As he was doing so, he realized that someone had noticed him.

    This was because his looks matched the description of the Asian ¡°criminal¡± that the American police had put out in the news. The prize for finding him had already been increased from 10,000 US dors to 50,000 US dors. Therefore, many people noticed him.

    ¡°The man in font, please hold on.¡± A small CIA agent saw Huo Shaoheng enter the harbor and noticed him immediately. The more he looked at Huo Shaoheng, the more he felt that he looked like the ¡°criminal¡± they were shown at the briefing.

    Huo Shaoheng paused as if he had not heard the person calling out to him. Then, he quickened his steps. Eventually, he was almost jogging.

    ¡°Stop! The man in front! Stop where you are! If not, we¡¯ll shoot!¡± Upon seeing that the Asian man was not stopping for the agent and was running away instead, the CIA agent realized that this man must have been suspicious. He might even be the runaway criminal that they were so desperately trying to capture! He quickly called for backup from the police officers who were standing by at the harbor, prepared to shoot.

    Huo Shaoheng managed to hide behind a metal board that was used for a disy and looked around. He knew this harbor in America well. There were many illegal gatherings there, and there were many ck markets selling illegal drugs as well. He scanned quickly through the crowd and saw that there were two African Americans dealing drugs in a corner nearby. He raised his gun and shot one of the guys. The person fell, and his partner was taken aback.

    The man peeked out from the corner and saw that there were police officers with guns drawn running over to where he was. They were firing relentlessly as well. He thought that his cover was blown, so he took out his gun and shot back at them. ¡°Police are here! Run!¡± he shouted as he fired. His partners in crime immediately ran in different directions and took out their guns to shoot the police officers.

    The harbor that had been rather peaceful just a moment ago turned chaotic in an instant. America was a country that allowed its citizens to have guns for self-defense. Therefore, good people had guns, and the bandits had guns. The police had guns, and the criminals had guns, too. The moment the police officers wanted to catch someone, it¡¯d usually end up in a shooting match. Huo Shaoheng knew this well, and therefore made use of this situation to escape.

    The gangs in the New York harbor were massive. Therefore, the police tried not to care too much about what went on there. They allowed the gangs to settle their issues their way as long as they didn¡¯t break out in any machine gun fights or shootings in order to maintain peace.

    However, because they had to chase Huo Shaoheng this time around, the police and CIA had crossed into their area. They even took guns with them. With Huo Shaoheng sneaking around and even killing one of their people, the gangs thought that the police were the ones who had killed their partner in crime. This made the gangs extremely angry.

    After Huo Shaoheng had fired the shot, he retreated quickly towards one of the more crowded areas of the harbor. Seeing that the CIA agent and the police were unable to fend off the gangs, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile. He hopped onto the subway that had just arrived and headed towards the airport.

    Based on his experience, Huo Shaoheng was sure that the harbor, airport, train stations, and car rental shops would all have people from the government stationed there to keep a lookout for him. In order to get out of the trap, one needed to go into it first.

    When the police were all gathered in the harbor to settle the fight between the police and the gangs, Huo Shaoheng was already on the subway heading to Kennedy International Airport in New York. Just like when he was at the harbor, he used the same tactics to reveal himself to the CIA and FBI agents in the airport and get their attention. Due to the September 11th incident, the security in the airports in America was a lot stronger than that of the harbor. The moment he revealed himself, the CIA and FBI officers who were supposed to track him down attempted to close in on him from all directions. The security in the airport was activated as well in order to help with the operation.

    Huo Shaoheng weaved among the crowd and realized exasperatedly that it was really quite tough to escape this time. The security in the airport was way better. They had almost grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm a couple of times. He managed to escape purely based on years of intensive training. Moreover, the airport and the harbor were different, as the airport did not have gangs roaming around. He couldn¡¯t use them as a distraction anymore. Of course, the opponent did not open fire, as there were too many civilians in the airport. They could not bear the consequences of initiating a shootout in this ce.

    Huo Shaoheng began running. He jumped over obstacles and fences, and crossed low screens and walls. Finally, he managed to get out of the terminal and onto the tarmac. There was a huge and spaciousnding area for aircraft. Countlessmercial aircraft were parked neatly in front of him on the ramp.

    Huo Shaoheng began dodging and jumped onto a luggage transport vehicle, crouching low at the bottom of the vehicle before he could outrun the people who were after him. The transportation vehicle stopped in front of amercial aircraft. The worker began moving the luggage into the storagepartment.

    Huo Shaoheng jumped off before they came up. Thankfully, there was arge amount of luggage on board. Huo Shaoheng used it to hide from the workers. After leaping over a low wall, Huo Shaoheng managed to get away from the airport, seemingly ignoring how much havoc he had caused.

    He found a secluded spot and began changing his looks again. Removing his rimmed sses, he put on the colored contact lenses and hooked nose again. Then, messing up his hair, he turned his neatlybed hair into a sexy, bed-head style. It was the total opposite of how he had looked as a nerdy Asian IT man just a while ago.

    He had also reced the white shirt with a tight-fitting, floral-printed maroon shirt. Leaving the top two buttons unbuttoned, he revealed his corbone, and looked cold and aloof. He exuded an aura of not caring about the world.

    Walking around the streets of New York in this style attracted the attention of almost all the passionatedies. They were wolf whistling at him. Ignoring them, Huo Shaoheng gged down a cab and returned to the subway station in New York.

    There were significantly fewer police officers, and CIA and FBI agents than there were at the airport. Most likely they had been activated to go to the airport and the harbor after receiving information that their suspect had been seen.

    With his disguise now, no one could guess that Huo Shaoheng was the Asian ¡°kidnapper¡± that they had taken a picture of just now. He boarded the subway and returned to the station. Then, he boarded the train and returned to the parking lot in New City before driving his Hummer into the evening.

    It was exactly five o¡¯clock in the evening when he reached his condominium. Starting work at nine o¡¯clock in the morning and ending at five o¡¯clock in the evening, Huo Shaoheng felt like someone with an office job. A mocking look shed across his face.

    Opening the door to his room, he went to the bathroom immediately. He had been out the entire day, and it had been dusty. He had also used a lot of hair gel to style his hair, and it already felt oily. He had to put in a great deal of effort to feel clean again. Then, he made himself a nice cup of coffee, sat on the sofa, and began admiring his ¡°work of art¡± for the day.

    True enough, he made the headlines on the evening news for appearing at the harbor and airport today. Raising his cup of coffee, he saluted the stern looking CIA senior officer of area A and downed his coffee in one gulp.

    This news that shook the entire United States was not even mentioned in the Hua Xia Empire. Upon the Army¡¯s Supreme Council¡¯s request, all news and information regarding Tan Guiren¡¯s kidnapping was not to be reported in the Hua Xia Empire, including this report on the ¡°kidnapper.¡± It worked simrly on social media tforms as well. Anyone who spread information of this news would be taken down immediately. They were really strict about this.

    The report that was making headlines recently in the Hua Xia Empire was the murder of the female student who was studying in Germany. Due to the support of one of the prime minister candidates, Bai Jiancheng, the girl¡¯s parents were finally able to head over to Germany.

    Ma Qiqi, who was following the case, shared this piece of information happily with Gu Nianzhi. However, Gu Nianzhi only had time to ¡°like¡± the post because it was the day that she had to visit her father, Gu Xiangwen, with her sister, Gu Yanran. During the month, the sisters had gone to visit Gu Xiangwen, who was still in a vegetative state under Chen Lie¡¯s care.

    Arriving at Chen Lie¡¯s office, Gu Nianzhi saw that Gu Yanran had already arrived. However, this time, she wasn¡¯t alone. A man who was tall and slim with extremely deeply set features was with her.

 Chapter 572 - â€“ Overthink

    <h4>Chapter 572: Chapter 572 ¨C Overthink</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi took one nce at the man and knew he was mixed race, probably abination of Huaxia and Caucasian bloodlines with some Latino. That was why his features were refined and as elegant as a handsome sculpture.

    Gu Yanran noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lingering nce on Ye Xuan¡¯s face. She took her hand with a smirk. ¡°Nianzhi, this is Ye Xuan. Do you remember him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said nothing.

    ¡°You forgot? We used to y together all the time when you were little. He went to boarding school in the United States after but wrote letters to each other often.¡± Gu Yanran also grabbed Ye Xuan¡¯s hand to join all three together and sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we could still see our childhood friend after all these years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say and pulled her hand back as she muttered, ¡°...Really?¡±

    Ye Xuan had been studying Gu Nianzhi as soon as she walked in. Could this beautiful young girl with sparkling, dark eyes be the fat and ill-tempered Gu Nianzhi from all those years ago? He was deeply confused.

    Gu Yanran coughed slightly when she noticed Ye Xuan staring intensely at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, Ye Xuan was one the orphans Father sponsored back then. He just arrived from Barbados to visit Father in the hospital.¡±

    Ye Xuan finally looked away to peer at Gu Yanran. ¡°Yanran, let¡¯s go see senior Mr. Gu.¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded. ¡°I wonder how Father has been doingtely. We will have to ask Dr. Chen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kept quiet and followed them into the ward. Chen Lie was adjusting the medical devices for Gu Xiangwen and turned around to look at them. ¡°You should speak with him more often. Maybe it¡¯ll help wake him up.¡±

    ¡°Dr. Chen, can my father really wake up?¡± Gu Yanran asked worriedly. ¡°We hired the best American experts back in Barbados, but there hadn¡¯t been any progress in seven years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands in her pockets and slowly walked over, shooting Chen Lie a nce. However, Chen Lie ignored her and merely smiled at Gu Yanran. ¡°Miss Gu, I don¡¯t know how skilled your American expert was, but it¡¯s not true that there hasn¡¯t been any progress in your father¡¯s condition for thest seven years. In fact, it¡¯s been deteriorating. We¡¯ve stopped it from getting worse now, but there will still be a long process when ites to waking him up. You shoulde visit him more when you have a chance, this will help his condition improve.¡±

    Gu Yanran frowned. ¡°Dr. Chen, perhaps your treatment methods are different. Regardless of my father¡¯s condition, I know those doctors tried their best.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head in disagreement and walked before Gu Xiangwen¡¯s bed. She bent over to peer at the data on the monitoring devices, then reached out to straighten his nkets. ¡°Doctors are supposed to treat and save patients. If they can¡¯t even do that but worsen the patient¡¯s condition, then I don¡¯t think we can use ¡®they tried their best¡¯ as an excuse to gloss over their ipetence and misconduct.¡±

    Gu Yanran stiffened then smiled. ¡°Nianzhi is still sharp-tongued as ever.¡± She walked over to take her arm and urge kindly, ¡°Nianzhi, Father and I haven¡¯t been by your side all these years. It¡¯s not good that you developed such an unforgiving temper. Remember to forgive and forget. You mustn¡¯t be too harsh to others.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memories hadn¡¯t recovered, so she didn¡¯t form any emotional connection to Gu Xiangwen or Gu Yanran yet. Now that Gu Yanran was chiding her, it naturally wasn¡¯t well received. Gu Nianzhi turned her head away from Gu Yanran¡¯s smile and stated without reservation, ¡°If asking doctors to fulfill their duties is too harsh, then you are a bit pretentious with your saintly nature.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face fell. She was temporarily shocked by Gu Nianzhi calling her a ¡°pretentious saint¡± in front of all the others.

    But Ye Xuan had alreadye to Gu Yanran¡¯s defense before she could even refute Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! How can you speak to Yanran like that? Where is your respect?!¡± Ye Xuan immediately chastised Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°I¡¯m only being honest.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms. ¡°Also, Ye Xuan, why is an outsider like you in a position to scream at me when I¡¯m speaking with my sister?¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s face darkened instantly. All these years, no one from the boarding school or the Gu manor in Barbados had dared to use this tone with him and remind him of the fact that he wasn¡¯t part of the Gu family. Clenching his fists, Ye Xuan moved a mere step away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯ve always acted out against us ever since you were a kid. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be even more unbearable now that you¡¯re grown up!¡±

    ¡°While you remember what I was like as a kid, I don¡¯t. So your evidence is just one-sided, and I won¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at Ye Xuan, not at all frightened into silence.

    Ye Xuan stiffened. He had a nagging thought that the Gu Nianzhi before him now was too different than when she was young. But thinking about how he¡¯dst seen her, when she was only seven or eight years old, it waspletely understandable for her to be different, since girls changed so much as they grew up.

    Gu Yanran giggled from the side and wagged her finger. ¡°You two are still exactly the same, fighting right in front of Father as soon as you disagree.¡± She grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t fight, Nianzhi. Ye Xuan doesn¡¯t mean that. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡± She then said to Ye Xuan, ¡°Ye Xuan, you¡¯re a grown man. You should not bicker with a girl.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. Stepping aside, she allowed Gu Yanran to walk before Gu Xiangwen¡¯s bed and said, ¡°I won¡¯t take his words to heart, so of course, I won¡¯t overthink it. Sister truly treats Ye Xuan better than her own sister.¡±

    Defending him at every turn and looks of love and concern¡ªGu Nianzhi said it to only point out an objective fact. But the words held a different meaning when heard through Gu Yanran¡¯s ears. She gazed between Gu Nianzhi and Ye Xuan, then finally smiled after a long moment.

    ¡°Ok, I misspoke,¡± she said. ¡°Is that all right? Don¡¯t be angry, either of you. Nianzhi, you are my sister, and Ye Xuan is my brother. I love you both the same way.¡±

    ¡°Really? The same way?¡± Gu Nianzhi was amused. ¡°Not that I want to start something, but I¡¯m your actual sister. He¡¯s only a student sponsored by Father, yet you actually said you love us the same way. Then doesn¡¯t that mean that you have a deeper love for Ye Xuan?¡±

    Gu Yanran muffled herughter. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re a really talentedwyer. Your silver tongue will be incredible in the courts!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could tell she was changing the topic but didn¡¯t point it out. Instead, she walked out of the ward and stood by the window in the hallway to contemte.

    Chen Lie followed her out to see her standing aimlessly in the hallway. He asked her with curiosity, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go in? That¡¯s your father, too.¡±

 Chapter 573 - Love Me, Love My Dogs

    <h4>Chapter 573: Chapter 573 Love Me, Love My Dogs</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at them from afar. ¡°I¡¯ll go in after they¡¯ve left.¡±

    Gu Yanran, Ye Xuan, and Gu Xiangwen looked more like a family when they were standing together. Gu Nianzhi felt like an outcast. However, she did not want anyone to know, because she felt disgraceful thinking like that...

    ¡°You don¡¯t like them?¡±

    ¡°No, but I don¡¯t exactly love them, either,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered truthfully. She turned around to look at Chen Lie, her eyes big, ck, and sparkly, just like two ck grapes. They looked so sweet and attractive. Then, she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not close with them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get to know them better as time passes.¡± Chen Lie could onlyfort her this way. He patted her shoulder and was about to leave when Gu Nianzhi called out to him, ¡°Brother Chen, how is my father, exactly?¡±

    Chen Lie turned around to look at her and was wondering how to let her know. The corridor was quiet. The rays from the afternoon sun shined through the windows, making the dust look shimmery and pretty. Gu Nianzhi looked at Chen Lie fixedly and waited for his reply.

    After contemting for a while, Chen Lie was about to speak when they heard a neat set of footsteps from the other end of the corridor. Chen Lie and Gu Nianzhi looked over at the same time. A group of soldiers in uniform with stars on their shoulders was walking towards them. They were not exactly marching. However, due to being in the military for so long, walking in formation was a deeply ingrained habit.

    Chen Lie gawked at them, his jaw dropping. Gu Nianzhi was taken aback as well. She did not recognize anyone, but the person leading them was none other than General Ji. Seeing that, she stood at immediate attention with Chen Lie, just like they were about to salute.

    Huo Shaoheng had trained her posture of attention personally. It wasparable to the soldiers in the army. It was even better than Chen Lie¡¯s, who was at most considered half a soldier.

    ¡°Good afternoon, sir!¡± Chen Lie and Gu Nianzhi said simultaneously. Chen Lie, being an active duty soldier, saluted General Ji. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a soldier, so she stood beside Chen Lie quietly with a stern expression.

    General Ji saw Gu Nianzhi from afar. She was tall. Her pretty face still looked slightly clueless but stern at the same time. There was an indescribable sense of maturity emanating from her. General Ji raised his hand and acknowledged Chen Lie. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Doctor Chen.¡±

    Chen Lie was so emotional at thatment, he almost blurted out, ¡°It was a pleasure to be serving the citizens...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi watched Chen Lie gawk and coughed slightly. Chen Lie snapped back to reality and blushed furiously. He smiled awkwardly and asked, ¡°General Ji, you¡¯re here to visit old Mr. Gu?¡±

    There was only one patient on this level. It was none other than Gu Xiangwen. The ce he was in was heavily guarded. Nodding, General Ji stood in front of Gu Nianzhi and asked kindly, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s here to visit your father?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi acknowledged him with a smile and said, ¡°I visit him every week. Thanks for remembering my father, sir.¡±

    ¡°I should have been here earlier. Here...¡± General Ji turned around and pointed to the soldiers he brought along with him. They were all about 40 years old, mostly ranked colonel and above. ¡°I brought them here to visit old Mr. Gu. Their obstacles wouldn¡¯t have been cleared so easily if not for him, and our skies would not have been so safe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood in an instant. These soldiers were most likely from the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Air Force. She nced past the soldiers and nodded in acknowledgement. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi?¡± One of the men who was standing near General Ji nodded back. ¡°I saw you a couple of years ago. You were just this tall.¡± He used his hand and indicated her height then. Gu Nianzhiughed. That was her height when she was 12. This colonel should be the one who had taken the map from Huo Shaoheng, then.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in. How is old Mr. Gu¡¯s condition?¡± General Ji waved to Gu Nianzhi and she walked over beside him. General Ji took good care of Gu Nianzhi, just like how he would his very own granddaughter. He brought her into the ward. Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan turned around in surprise. They did not understand why there were so many people all of a sudden.

    Chen Lie rushed over to introduce them. ¡°General Ji, this is Gu Yanran, old Mr. Gu¡¯s eldest daughter. This...¡± Chen Lie paused as he nced at Ye Xuan before continuing, ¡°is Gu Yanran¡¯s bodyguard.¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s brows furrowed. He looked at Gu Yanran and realized that she did not exin further. Instead, she just went towards General Ji happily, holding out her hand. ¡°You¡¯re General Ji? I¡¯ve heard a lot about you!¡±

    However, General Ji did not shake her hand. He merely nodded politely and turned around to ask Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, how is your father?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s hand was stuck in midair awkwardly, and she shot Gu Nianzhi a look. However, Gu Nianzhi did not look at her. She looked at General Ji and replied, ¡°My father is still in a vegetative state, General Ji, but he¡¯s way better nowpared to how he was in Barbados. At least he isn¡¯t malnourished.¡±

    The soldiers behind General Ji chuckled, but they managed to quickly control themselves. Gu Yanran was taken aback. She felt like she had just been pped in the face. Putting her hand down, she said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t so serious. It was just that I was a tad too busy at that time and couldn¡¯t always go to the hospital... And they took advantage of that...¡±

    ¡°No one said it was Sister¡¯s fault,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered peacefully and brought a chair over for General Ji to sit. She looked at the soldiers behind him.

    General Ji turned to look at them as well. ¡°Come and salute old Mr. Gu and hope that he makes a full recovery soon. Then you can go back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The soldiers followed General Ji instructions immediately, standing in a straight row at attention before saluting him. It was so neat and on point that they could have written a book to teach other soldiers that this was the perfect way to salute. In a matter of seconds, these soldiers neatly left the ward. The ce finally felt spacious again. There was only General Ji, Gu Nianzhi, Chen Lie, Gu Yanran, and Ye Xuan left in the ward. There were also two of General Ji¡¯s secretaries and four bodyguards.

    Only then did General Ji sit down. He gently tugged Gu Nianzhi over to take a seat by him. He had never been so nice to Gu Nianzhi before. She was slightly taken aback and asked, ¡°General Ji, would you like some coffee or tea?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a soldier. Don¡¯t address me with such formality.¡± General Jiughed heartily. ¡°Since you¡¯re so close to Shaoheng, just call me Uncle Ji.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Chen Lie but saw him turning away to check Gu Xiangwen¡¯s vitals. That made her even more ufortable. However, she did not show it. She sat down obediently, and before she could say anything, Gu Yanran had alreadye over and taken a seat beside her, smiling. ¡°Nianzhi, since General is so nice, quick, call him Uncle Ji.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice. ¡°Uncle Ji.¡±

    ¡°Yes, good girl. I¡¯ll always help you. Your father, Gu Xiangwen, made tremendous contributions. The Nation and its citizens remember him for them. Take good care of him and hope that he will make a full recovery soon,¡± General Ji said clearly, looking stern. Then, he called Chen Lie over and asked about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s condition.

    Chen Lie had been taking care of Gu Xiangwen for more than a month. He knew Gu Xiangwen¡¯s condition like the back of his hand. Therefore, he replied confidently, ¡°His brain activity is normal. There are no clots. Therefore, I was unable to discover the exact reason he¡¯s still in aa.¡± After that, he looked at Gu Yanran. ¡°There are some things that I need to know from Miss Gu Yanran, as she saved him then. I need to know the exact situation truthfully, in order to treat him. I hope that Miss Gu will cooperate fully with me on this.¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded eagerly. ¡°Of course. Please ask whatever you wish to know, Dr. Chen. I¡¯ll be totally honest.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be at ease, then.¡± General Ji nodded contentedly. Then, he stood up and walked to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s bedside and tucked him in. Gu Nianzhi followed and stood up as well. She felt suffocated, like her heart was all tangled up.

    Chen Lie breathed a sigh of relief. With General Ji, Gu Yanran finally agreed. Let¡¯s hope that we¡¯ll be able to get something useful out of her this time around...

    After visiting Gu Xiangwen, General Ji had to rush off to a meeting. Gu Nianzhi knew that for someone of his rank to arrange ten minutes to visit Gu Xiangwen specially, and to be concerned about his condition, Gu Xiangwen must really mean something to them. She took General Ji to level one gratefully.

    General Ji was extremely polite to her all the way. His attitude was too good to be true. The more polite he was trying to be to her, the more Gu Nianzhi felt uneasy. However, as Gu Yanran was following them to take General Ji down as well, Gu Nianzhi did not dare to ask some of the things that she really wanted to get off her chest.

    Her opportunity came when General Ji was just about to get into his car. Gu Yanran¡¯s phone rang, so she had to step aside to answer it. Gu Nianzhi immediately whispered, ¡°General Ji, do you happen to know when Huo Shao will be back, please?¡±

    She knew that she shouldn¡¯t ask, but General Ji had been so nice today, Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t want her thoughts to stray to where they shouldn¡¯t. However, General Ji¡¯s expression remained the same. Chuckling, he looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Are you beginning to miss your boyfriend now, Nianzhi?¡± General Ji¡¯s secretariesughed along. Gu Nianzhi was too embarrassed to ask anymore. She remained there until General Ji¡¯s car left the hospital building.

    Gu Yanran returned after her call and said, rxed, ¡°General Ji is really nice to you, Nianzhi. Are you close to him?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped looking and turned to face Gu Yanran, smiling as she said, ¡°General Ji was just concerned about Father¡¯s condition. As for me, he was merely behaving as if he likes the things I like, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure if ¡°the things she liked¡± referred to Huo Shaoheng or Gu Xiangwen. She assumed that it was truly Huo Shaoheng.

    Watching General Ji¡¯s car disappear into the distance, Gu Nianzhi said after a while, ¡°Father is such a remarkable man, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯s not even conscious, but already so many important people are concerned about his health.¡±

 Chapter 574 - Heart

    <h4>Chapter 574: Chapter 574 ¨C Heart</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi thought Gu Yanran was focussing her attention on a strange thing and asked curiously, ¡°Didn¡¯t father used to be that amazing, anyway?¡±

    She was under that impression based on Huo Shaoheng showing her all of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s personal achievements in the international academics realm. Just the fact that he¡¯d started from scratch and used only his own patents to amass a fortune that rivaled a small country proved that he was someone to be reckoned with.

    ¡°He is very amazing, but this is different.¡± Gu Yanran cocked her head to stare at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ve livedfortably with Mr. Huo all these years. You don¡¯t know what Ye Xuan and I went through.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long moment, then continued to question her with a smile. ¡°I certainly don¡¯t know what you guys went through. Can you tell me about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when I have the chance.¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, and they walked out together. ¡°You must get along with Mr. Huo well and not be too short-sighted by only focussing on his fortune. We Gus have money, and the dowry we¡¯ll give you will be enough for you and my nieces and nephews to live in luxury for the rest of your lives.¡±

    The words were increasingly grating. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to cut Gu Yanran off. ¡°Sis, I¡¯ve never been with Huo Shao for the money.¡±

    Although she¡¯d used Huo Shaoheng¡¯s money in the past, she¡¯d still been a minor back then, and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind, so Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t dwell on it. Moreover, she¡¯d already decided to earn her own money and rely on herself, so she didn¡¯t need Gu Yanran to continuously remind her.

    ¡°I know, I know. Of course, our Nianzhi isn¡¯t a greedy person. Our Nianzhi is with Huo Shao because they¡¯re in love, of course.¡± Gu Yanran spoke to her like she was a little child.

    This was getting ridiculous. Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and stopped in front of the elevator. Clenching her tiny hands into fists, she stopped herself from punching the smile off Gu Yanran¡¯s face and frowned. ¡°Sis, am I such a terrible person in your mind? You think I¡¯d sell myself out for money?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s smile froze on her face, and she asked quizzically, ¡°Nianzhi, why must you always have your spikes up like a porcupine when you¡¯re with me? You know I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± Gu Nianzhi unfurled her fists to press the elevator button, her expression cold.

    The elevator doors opened, and Ye Xuan was inside. Seeing the two sisters standing awkwardly in front of the doors, he raised a handsome brow. ¡°Yanran, we have a meeting with Mr. Xue.¡±

    Gu Yanran seemed to just recall this and pped her forehead. She apologized seriously to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, I still have some business to discuss with Xue Jingjiang. I¡¯ll leave you to take care of Father here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my duty. No need to thank me.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked into the elevator without even looking at Ye Xuan.

    He also nced at her disdainfully and walked out. He stood next to Gu Yanran in front of the elevator, his eyes never leaving her face. They made an especially dashing couple.

    As Gu Nianzhi pressed the button for ground-level, she looked at Gu Yanran, then Ye Xuan thoughtfully. Smiling knowingly, she looked like she knew the truth between them. The normally calm Gu Yanran found her sister¡¯s smile very jarring and quickly nced at Ye Xuan. He was staring at her with all his focus, as if she were the only one in the world and everything else was just background noise.

    Gu Yanran pursed her lips, walking away from the elevator to head outside. Ye Xuan red at Gu Nianzhi again. However, she raised her arms with a smile and made a ¡°heart¡± gesture at him, then jerked her delicate chin in Gu Yanran¡¯s direction.

    Ye Xuan stiffened for a second, his face flushed pink. He suddenly didn¡¯t hate Gu Nianzhi as much anymore. Turning back to Gu Yanran ahead, he chased after her with a smile.

    The elevator doors slowly closed in front of Gu Nianzhi, and her smile evaporated. Covering her face with her hands, she sighed deeply. When the elevator reached Gu Xiangwen¡¯s floor, she finally put her hands down.

    She arrived at Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ward, where Chen Lie was changing the IV. Chen Lie turned around to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sullen face and sighed to himself. He had noticed the rift between Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran over the past few days. Although they were sisters and Gu Nianzhi had tried to get closer to her only sibling, it hadn¡¯t worked well. Probably because they weren¡¯t actually rted. This sort of thing was typical.

    Chen Lie finished changing the IV and was about to console Gu Nianzhi when he thought of something. Did Gu Yanran know she wasn¡¯t rted to Gu Nianzhi? He then recalled how Huo Shaoheng had confirmed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity and how Gu Yanran had epted the convoluted method¡ªdid that mean Gu Yanran had known that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t her father¡¯s daughter all along? If that was the case, it made sense why Gu Yanran treated Gu Nianzhi and Ye Xuan the same way... Neither was rted to her, so of course, their bond only deepened with time. Just like how Gu Nianzhi was not rted to Huo Shaoheng and his men, but she was closer to them because she had grown up under their care. Even her so-called sister, Gu Yanran, wasn¡¯t as close to her.

    Chen Lie removed his gloves and tossed them in the garbage. He waved at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi,e sit here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the couch across from him and asked wearily, ¡°Brother Chen, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pull a long face.¡± Chen Lie smiled cheerfully. ¡°You didn¡¯t even grow up with Gu Yanran and aren¡¯t rted, anyway. Why do you have to care about her so much?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Chen Lie with confusion. ¡°Why would Brother Chen say that?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t care? Then what are you frowning for?¡± Chen Lue didn¡¯t think he¡¯d assumed incorrectly. ¡°I thought you were unhappy that Gu Yanran doesn¡¯t treat you like a sister...¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You think so, too?¡± Gu Nianzhi became more interested. Propping her hands under her chin and resting her elbows on her knees, herrge eyes sparkled. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think she treated me like family. She always speaks to me like a stranger. I¡¯m not an idiot. How can I not notice what she¡¯s implying?¡±

    She¡¯d never assumed that Gu Yanran would be intimate with her right away, and since they weren¡¯t rted, she had no idea how much Gu Yanran cared for her as a sister because they had been apart for so many years. But regardless of whether they were rted or not, Gu Nianzhi was legally recognized as a member of the Gu family and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s youngest daughter. This was irrefutable, yet Gu Yanran was obviously treating her as if she didn¡¯t belong. She spoke about ¡°her dowry¡± all the time. As if Gu Nianzhi even cared about that...

    ¡°Don¡¯t be her family if she treats you like that. You already have a family with Mr. Huo. Who cares about that b*tch?¡± Chen Lie giggled at Gu Nianzhi. His words warmed her heart and, of course, also evoked her longing.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Brother Chen, do you know when Huo Shao will be back?¡±

 Chapter 575 - My Huo Shao Has Struck It Rich

    <h4>Chapter 575: Chapter 575 My Huo Shao Has Struck It Rich</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Chen Lie honestly did not know when Huo Shaoheng would return, but he could not say anything even if he knew. He could only distract her at this juncture. ¡°He¡¯ll be back when he¡¯s supposed to, won¡¯t he? But you have to be more careful between you and your sister as well. She did a good job showing others that she cares about you. Had I not known you well enough, I¡¯d have thought that you were giving her the cold shoulder.¡±

    ¡°Why would I be giving her the cold shoulder? You know me, Brother Chen, my memory hasn¡¯t returned, so I have no memory of them at all. You people were the ones who told me that she was my sister and Gu Xiangwen was my father, so I listened. I believe Huo Shao and you. I tried treating her as my elder sister as well and listened to her about the things she said that made sense. However, I really couldn¡¯t handle her taking money so seriously all the time, like she hadn¡¯t seen money before in her entire life. How is this behavior eptable for a billionaire¡¯s daughter...¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted, ranting to Chen Lie. She would only mention things like this to Huo Shaoheng, Chen Lie, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong. She wouldn¡¯t mention anything to anyone else.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had her mind off of Huo Shaoheng, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, hearing Gu Nianzhi talk about Gu Yanran being particr about money, he understood her train of thought in an instant.

    Gu Nianzhi not having the same DNA as Gu Xiangwen meant they were not biological father and daughter. Even Gu Nianzhi herself and the army didn¡¯t know. The only people who did were probably He Zhichu, Gu Yanran, Huo Shaoheng, and Chen Lie. Since He Zhichu hadn¡¯t mentioned this in such a long time, most likely he wouldn¡¯t bring it up at all.

    On the other hand, seeing that Gu Yanran did not mention this at all, Chen Lie felt that it should not be the case. He initially thought that it was due to the close rtionship between the sisters, which was why they would never mention topics like this that might hurt their rtionship.

    However, ording to Gu Nianzhi, it now seemed like Gu Yanran was trying to guard against her in every way. Thinking of the situation they were in, Chen Lie could also put himself in Gu Yanran¡¯s shoes, and he could roughly understand the reasons why she did this.

    She kept mum about Gu Nianzhi not having a blood rtionship with Gu Xiangwen most likely because Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s girlfriend. She was doing this because she wanted to have connections in the Hua Xia Empire. Consequently, she would never bring up the fact that Gu Nianzhi was not her biological sister to others on her own ord.

    Therefore, as long as Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s girlfriend, Chen Lie felt that there should be nothing much to worry about. Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t wait to lick Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boots. There was no reason for her to burn her own bridge. He remembered that Huo Shaoheng was the first one she thought of when she wanted to find an influential supporter in the Hua Xia Empire... Chen Lie smiled widely and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Alright, off you go. We have nurses here. You wouldn¡¯t be of much help, anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and turned to look at Gu Xiangwen again. He was skinny and wrinkled. She had heard that he was really suave in his younger days. However, seven years of being in a vegetative state had apparentlynded him in such a condition, no matter how strong and suave he had been before.

    This was her father looking like that... Gu Nianzhi felt that she did not really have the heart to see her father go through so much suffering. Lowering her voice, she asked Chen Lie, ¡°Brother Chen, are there no other ways? Why don¡¯t you open him up and see what¡¯s wrong? Sis said that father became like that after the ident.¡±

    ¡°I am considering that as well, but your sister was always too busy to discuss it with me. I have no choice, either.¡± Chen Lie realized that Gu Nianzhi actually cared about Gu Xiangwen. This is how a daughter should behave. On the other hand, Gu Yanran showed a more perfunctory mannerpared to Gu Nianzhi. Chen Lie had no idea if it was because she did not trust his doctoring skills or did not want him to undergo treatment. It had already taken a really long time just for the appointment to speak to her regarding the air-bound ident years ago. She kept postponing it. Finally, Gu Yanran agreed when Chen Lie brought the topic up in front of General Ji. Chen Lie was smart as well. He could roughly guess what was going through Gu Yanran¡¯s mind.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed. She understood the meaning between Chen Lie¡¯s words. Turning around, she looked at Gu Xiangwen¡¯s unconscious body again. ¡°Let me try.¡±

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll go and ask sis about the ident six years ago.¡± Being Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, she had the right to know exactly what happened.

    ¡°Hmm... Sure, that could work, too. You ask her. I mainly want to find out about the situation in which she discovered Gu Xiangwen, what injuries he had at that point in time. It¡¯d be great if she could provide me with his medical records, too.¡± Chen Lie took out a pen and a piece of paper, and began scribbling some questions he wanted Gu Nianzhi to ask.

    After skimming through them, Gu Nianzhi memorized the questions and handed the piece of paper back to Chen Lie. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll get it done today.¡± After exiting the medical building, Gu Nianzhi returned to her condominium that she hadn¡¯t been back to for the past month.

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi knew that Gu Yanran had bought the apartment above her, she stopped asking the part time helper to go over to clean up for her. It had been vacant for a month. There was a thinyer of dust everywhere. Whenever Gu Nianzhi was in a bad mood, she liked doing household chores to distract herself. Putting on her long rubber gloves, she took a pail of water and a piece of cloth, and began cleaning her home. She polished the doors, changed the sheets, and cleaned the blinds one by one. After an entire afternoon of hard work, she felt way better than before.

    Opening her refrigerator, she realized that she did not even have a bottle of water inside. She was thirsty and hungry. Therefore, she grabbed her wallet, keys, and phone, and ced them in her Hermes bucket bag before making her way to the supermarket nearby to get some groceries.

    She had a car there, so she took the elevator to the basement parking lot to get her car. It was a really cool sports car in bright red. After getting in, she drove to the supermarket. Since it wasn¡¯t a weekend, there weren¡¯t many people at the supermarket. Gu Nianzhi found the things she needed in a short while¡ªfood, water, juices, and some daily necessities¡ªand filled an entire cart.

    After paying, she pushed the cart to her car and transferred the things into her car¡¯s trunk. Upon closing the trunk, she saw a Bentley sedan driving in her direction. It stopped somewhere nearby. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind much and walked to the driver¡¯s side of her car. Opening the door, she was about to sit down when she heard Gu Yanran¡¯s voiceing from behind her. ¡°Nianzhi? Is that you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise and saw Gu Yanran getting out of the Bentley wearing a huge pair of shades. Ye Xuan opened the door for her like a chauffeur. Since Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in a rush, she leaned against her car and waited for Gu Yanran to walk over.

    ¡°It¡¯s really you, Nianzhi?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes fell on the car that Gu Nianzhi was leaning against, taken aback. If her eyes weren¡¯t ying tricks on her, this car was a custom-made Ferrari. The car even had Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name printed on it... You couldn¡¯t have cars like that, even if you were rich. Other than the buyer¡¯s name, the car had the designer¡¯s autograph. No wonder it attracted her attention¨Cit was a car of such caliber. Gu Yanran had seen the car first before seeing Gu Nianzhi. She looked at Gu Nianzhi with a mixture of emotions. After a while, she asked, ¡°Is this car yours, Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Nianzhi toyed with the keys in her hand. ¡°There¡¯s my name on the car. Of course it¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao gave this to you, didn¡¯t he?¡± Gu Yanran guessed straightforwardly. ¡°Return it to him. You¡¯re not anyone to him, but you epted such an expensive present? Our family would mind, even if you didn¡¯t.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°But they¡¯ve already engraved my name on the car. It was also bought under my name, so why should I return it?¡±

    Gu Yanran walked to her front and held her hands. Looking at Gu Nianzhi pitifully, she said, ¡°Sis will get a car for you if you want one. You¡¯re not even married to Huo Shao yet, but you¡¯ve epted such a present. How could you bring yourself to? Moreover, Huo Shao is a signed-on regr soldier. How much can he earn a month? Everyone knows how much a soldier earns. If he got found out, wouldn¡¯t you be worried that he would be investigated by the Military Commission?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Sissy knows about the Military Commission? I don¡¯t even know...¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled knowingly. ¡°Since Sis said that I shouldn¡¯t ept such an expensive car and also said you¡¯ll get me one, why not... You give me the money for this car, and I¡¯ll return it to Huo Shao. Would that do?¡±

    Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He stopped Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Enough! Cars like these are so expensive. How on earth would you have the guts to even suggest something like that? Even if Yanran isn¡¯t calctive, you can¡¯t make use of her like that!¡±

    ¡°Huh? We¡¯re having our sisterly talk. What has it got to do with you?¡± When Gu Nianzhi decided to be unreasonable, even Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t able to handle her. What¡¯s more, Ye Xuan wasn¡¯t good with words in the first ce.

    Turning around, she tilted her chin up and looked Ye Xuan up and down. Her ck eyes sparkled, full of expression. She turned to Gu Yanran and smiled extremely happily. ¡°Sissy... What do you say? True, I shouldn¡¯t be using someone else¡¯s money, but our family¡¯s money, I can use that however I want, can¡¯t I?¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled Gu Yanran¡¯s arm and swung around like an adorable sister whining to her elder sibling. ¡°Sissy, buy me this car, will you? I really, really like this car so much!¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, how can you be so shameless?¡± Ye Xuan pushed her aside. ¡°You think your sister is an automated teller machine? You want such a big amount all at once, aren¡¯t you afraid that you will bite your own tongue by ident?¡±

    ¡°My tongue is working fine. Why would there be any idents?¡± Gu Nianzhi stuck her little pink tongue out at Ye Xuan and made a face at him. She wriggled out of Ye Xuan¡¯s grip. ¡°Moreover, we haven¡¯t seen each other in such a long time. What¡¯s so wrong with Sissy buying me a car? No matter how expensive it is, it wouldn¡¯t be more precious than our sisterly love, right, Sissy?¡±

    There were traps in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. Even though Gu Yanran sensed something was amiss, she could not pinpoint what it was and couldn¡¯t retort. She smiled awkwardly and used her finger to tap on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°You yful girl. Fine, let¡¯s go home now.¡± Then she asked Gu Nianzhi again, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for the same reason you are.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled adorably. ¡°This is a supermarket. What else can I do when I¡¯m here? Be a thief?¡±

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s tone was full of love and care. ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯re back today, go to my ce for dinner.¡± Then she asked meaningfully, ¡°What about Huo Shao? Will he be joining you today?¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t reveal the fact that Huo Shaoheng was on an overseas mission. Chuckling, she intentionally did not answer Gu Yanran¡¯s question and bugged Gu Yanran instead. ¡°Sissy, silence means consent! I¡¯ll tell Huo Shao that my sister will be buying the car for me. Oh man~ My Huo Shao has struck it rich! Yay!¡±

 Chapter 576 - Puppy Love

    <h4>Chapter 576 Puppy Love</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®your family, my family?¡¯ Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡± Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t helpughing at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°greedy¡± expression. She reached out to tap her delicate little nose. ¡°See, now you¡¯re a girl growing away from the family. You¡¯re already moving all the money to your husband¡¯s family. What will we do in the future?¡±

    ¡°How can I be a girl growing away from the family?¡± Gu Nianzhi had a quizzical expression and spread her palms. ¡°Sis, didn¡¯t you say that I can¡¯t spend other people¡¯s money? Then it should be ok to spend my own. I haven¡¯t even married. How do I have a husband¡¯s family and my own family?¡± The logic was a circle, so Gu Yanran had no idea how to answer.

    Ye Xuan snorted with his arms crossed. ¡°All you ever do is bug your sister.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you sick of it?¡± Gu Nianzhi was finally angered by Ye Xuan¡¯s snide attitude and shot back, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re not a Gu, so how does our family business have anything to do with you? Why are you concerned with how my sister and I spend money? My dad sponsored your education, he didn¡¯t hire a saint to judge our Gu family!¡±

    Ye Xuan was even more angry but couldn¡¯t refute the logic behind every one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. He could only sneer. ¡°Well can¡¯t I step in to correct injustice? Mr. Gu sponsored me, so I can¡¯t allow you to treat your sister that way.¡±

    ¡°Who are you to my sister? Why do you care how I treat her?¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to back down. She walked to her car and yanked the door open without looking back. ¡°I¡¯m having dinner with my sister today. Unrted people should not invite themselves.¡±

    ¡°Who did you call an unrted person?¡± Ye Xuan lunged over to block Gu Nianzhi from shutting the door. ¡°Speak clearly! You disappeared for a whole seven years, and Yanran had to support the entire family! Do you know how much she suffered? Do you know how exhausted she was? How can you treat her like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes internally but red at Ye Xuan coldly and barked at him in a quiet voice, ¡°Let go!¡± Her eyes were lethal, dark, and shimmering with danger. Ye Xuan stiffened. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what kind of education you got in the States.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I see that you have a limited IQ. You think correcting injustice is what you¡¯re doing right now? I was the one who went missing for seven years, but Sis is the one who suffered? How did she suffer? Did she not have clothes and food, or was she homeless? No, right? The Gu¡¯s are richer than the Barbados government, and my sister is the only person in control of the fortune. You tell me, how did she have a hard life? If that¡¯s the case, then shouldn¡¯t other people just kill themselves?!¡±

    ¡°What do you know?¡± Ye Xuan snorted. ¡°You only know about money...¡±

    ¡°Haha, you and Sis were the ones bringing up money all along.¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°I¡¯m just driving a car, and one of you wants me to return it while the other forbids me to buy it with my own money...¡±

    ¡°Your own money? You...¡± Ye Xuan almost couldn¡¯t hold back from finishing his sentence.

    ¡°Ye Xuan! This is between me and my sister! Don¡¯t get involved!¡± Gu Yanran suddenly shouted at him, forbidding him from continuing.

    He mmed the door with arge bang and went back to his side of the Bentley. ¡°Are we still going to the supermarket?¡±

    ¡°No, let¡¯s order food from a restaurant.¡± Gu Yanran watched Gu Nianzhi speed away, her eyes dim as she sat back down in the car.

    Ye Xuan sat in the front driver¡¯s seat and peered at Gu Yanran¡¯s expression from time to time. She appearedpletely exhausted and shocked, which greatly concerned Ye Xuan. ¡°Yanran, what is it? Don¡¯t take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words to heart. She¡¯s always been ungrateful. Did you forget how she almost got you drowned in the swimming pool when we were little?¡± Ye Xuanforted Gu Yanran. ¡°There¡¯s fate between people, and even though you tried so hard to look for her these seven years, she doesn¡¯t care at all.¡±

    ¡°Ye Xuan, I can¡¯t allow you to speak about her like that. She¡¯s still my sister no matter what and a Gu. I¡¯ll educate her properly.¡± Gu Yanran didn¡¯t seem to want to talk about it anymore. Propping her head up with one hand, she leaned against the window and looked at the scenery outside in silence. It was the middle of summer, so the weather was hot, and the setting sun was scorching enough to soften the asphalt roads. There was air conditioning in the car to block out the powerful heat and provide a pleasant chill for the people inside.

    As Ye Xuan drove, he could see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shy red Ferrari darting between traffic. She was very fast and continued to cut people off and switchnes, so he was beginning to despise her more and more. He frowned. ¡°Although Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t likeable before, she was never this repulsive. What happened to her all these years?¡±

    ¡°What else? Good luck, I suppose...¡± The corners of Gu Yanran¡¯s lips lifted into a smile, her voice growing quieter. ¡°...She¡¯s always had good luck...¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Ye Xuan didn¡¯t hear her clearly from the front of the car.

    ¡°Nothing, I said Nianzhi is very good.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Focus on driving, I¡¯ll order the food.¡± She unlocked her phone to find a three Michelin star restaurant to order a seafood feast to be delivered to her apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi arrived at the apartment parking lot first. She carried several bags to her unit and had just finished putting everything away when Gu Yanran called. ¡°Nianzhi,e upstairs for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered, ¡°I¡¯ll be up right away. Is Ye Xuan still there?¡±

    ¡°He is.¡± Gu Yanranughed cheerfully. ¡°Nianzhi, Ye Xuan grew up with us and was your childhood friend. Don¡¯t be too harsh on him. He isn¡¯t a bad person and is loyal to our family. Please, for my sake, let¡¯s have a nice dinner together tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very repulsed by the term ¡°childhood friend.¡± She carried her phone and keys to the door and replied unhappily, ¡°Sis, you can¡¯t just say anyone is a childhood friend. He¡¯s yours but not mine. Don¡¯t get it wrong.¡±

    Gu Yanran giggled quietly. ¡°Nianzhi, looks like you forgot it all. You used to like Ye Xuan a lot back at home...¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°Sis, I already said I don¡¯t remember the past, especially what happened when I was little. Can you stop talking about such ridiculous things?¡±

    ¡°How is it ridiculous?¡± Gu Yanran leaned against the window and spoke to Gu Nianzhi gently with the utmost patience. Ye Xuan went downstairs to pick up the food, so he wasn¡¯t in the apartment. She looked around at the cozy decorations with a soft sigh. ¡°Ok, Nianzhi. You don¡¯t like to hear about the past, so I won¡¯t mention it again. I know you have someone else in your heart now, and I don¡¯t me you, but people ought to not forget where they came from.¡±

    Gu Naiznhi also sighed and urged her kindly, ¡°Sis, I really will have to think that you recognized the wrong person if you keep acting this way. Are you actually not my sister?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why do you say that?¡± Gu Yanran was obviously shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯sment. ¡°What did I say wrong?¡±

    ¡°Of course you¡¯re wrong. I was only 12 when I disappeared seven years ago. Sis, how can you I say I had a change of heart?! Are you telling me I was dating before I was even 12?¡±

 Chapter 577 - Are They Here for Me?

    <h4>Chapter 577 Are They Here for Me?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Why do you always like to twist the intention of my words, Nianzhi? You know I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Gu Yanran was slightly upset now. She raised her voice a little and walked over to take a seat on the sofa. ¡°Alright, I shall not talk further. Come up quickly. Ye Xuan has gone down to receive our meal delivery.¡± Gu Yanran hung up and did not give Gu Nianzhi any opportunity to reply.

    Gu Nianzhi made a face at the phone call that had already been hung up. If I hadn¡¯t promised Brother Chen that I¡¯d find out the details about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s aircraft ident, I wouldn¡¯t even want to go up for dinner... She entered the elevator and arrived at the entrance of Gu Yanran¡¯s apartment. Then, she pressed the doorbell and waited for Gu Yanran to answer the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Gu Yanran was waiting for her in the corridor. ¡°Ye Xuan has already brought our dinner up. They were all your favorites when you were younger, especially the deep fried lotus. This restaurant makes it really well.¡±

    Indeed, Gu Nianzhi liked deep fried lotus. She also liked lotus stewed with pork ribs. However, it was summer and slightly too hot for eating it now. She preferred to have it during the winter. ¡°Thanks, sis.¡± Gu Nianzhi made peace and walked into the corridor to change her shoes. Gu Yanran had ced a couple of home slippers in the corridor. They were UGG casual slippers. She chose one pair randomly and followed Gu Yanran into the dining hall.

    The decorations were extremely elegant. A light purple tablecloth was draped over the dining table. The material looked like silk. How extravagant... Gu Nianzhi sat down wordlessly and looked at the dishes on the table. Even though dinner was takeout, it had been ced in jade-colored ceramic bowls and tes that had gold rims and butterflies etched into them. One could tell that they had put in effort to make the setting elegant.

    ¡°Help yourselves. We¡¯re all family.¡± Gu Yanran took the sharing chopsticks and took a piece of scallop for Ye Xuan. ¡°Ye Xuan, try this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that there was green bean soup among the dishes. She took a bowl unceremoniously and drank it.

    Gu Yanranughed. ¡°Nianzhi, we eat before drinking soup. You forgot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi drank some soup before putting down her spoon and smiled. ¡°Sissy, we should drink soup before eating. It helps with losing weight and protects our stomach.¡±

    ¡°Oh is that so? Who told you?¡± Gu Yanran was extremely interested. ¡°We have been eating before having soup all the while in Barbados. I forgot that you¡¯ve lost your memory.¡±

    ¡°Everyone says that here.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled cheekily. ¡°The wealthy, knowledgeable, and influential families here are all particr about health. They don¡¯t eat ¡¯til they¡¯re bloated at every meal!¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded eagerly. ¡°We really cannot bepared to those big families. Nianzhi, Huo Shao taught you that, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Even though Huo Shaoheng did teach her that, Gu Nianzhi did not want to admit it to Gu Yanran. She tilted her head and began having her meal after ncing at Ye Xuan. ¡°Everyone eats like this. I just followed them.¡±

    Gu Yanran seemed to be really interested in this subject. ¡°Then what about the sequence when you eat? Like is there anything you should or should not eat first?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled widely. ¡°They also have this rule about not talking during meals...¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled awkwardly, the corners of her lips twitching. ¡°Always so cheeky, Nianzhi.¡± However, she stopped asking questions or talking after that. There were only the delicate clinking sounds from the cutlery and their breathing in the dining room.

    Finally, they were done with dinner. Gu Nianzhi got a cup of green tea and went to a room that adjoined the dining room to digest her dinner. Ye Xuan stood up silently and began clearing the table.

    Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran talked for a while, before bringing up the topic of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident. ¡°Sissy, what exactly happened to the aircraft that father was in?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. The cause of the MH210 crash is still a mystery, even now.¡± Gu Yanran leaned on her luxurious tatami, a cup of green tea in her hands as well.

    ¡°Yes. I remember they were saying that it was only after searching for a couple of years that they found the remains of the aircraft. Sissy, how did you find father before the search party?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more curious now.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t extremely quick, either.¡± Gu Yanran furrowed her brows and began recalling. ¡°Father had a miniature contact device on him at that time. It always sent out signals and had an extremely long battery life. Even though that device was badly damaged, it was still emitting signals. I confirmed father¡¯s location using those signals. However, I was still toote.¡±

    ¡°Toote?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Had I been faster, I might have been able to save mother as well.¡± Gu Yanran covered her face with one hand, and her voice cracked. ¡°Mother was severely injured. The ind was barren, and she passed on there. The moment mother left us, father copsed as well. When I found them, father was hugging mother¡¯s body tightly. I thought that both of them were gone... but I didn¡¯t want to give up and asked the doctors to check. Then they found that father was still breathing but had be a vegetable. Mother... left an hour before I found them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart wrenched. ¡°Then how did father look then? Do you remember? I mean, did he be a vegetable because of head injuries or injuries in other areas? Do you remember what he was wearing when you found him?¡±

    Gu Yanran thought carefully for a long time before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember what he was wearing when I found him. It took me a month to locate them. I was panicking like mad. When I saw them finally and realized that father was still alive, I was so happy that I fainted. When I woke up, father had already been carried onto the helicopter, and mother was buried on that ind.¡±

    Did this mean that she did not remember the details of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s injuries? ¡°What about his medical records? Do they still have the medical records from when father had just been admitted?¡±

    ¡°Medical records?¡± Gu Yanranughed lightly. ¡°When your Huo Shao burned the hospital in Barbados, most likely all the medical records in there were also burned.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°People still use paper documents to store medical records in this day and age? Didn¡¯t they use theputer or save anything on hard drives? What about cloud storage?¡±

    ¡°Barbados is not as advanced as the Hua Xia Empire, Nianzhi. They¡¯re still using the traditional method of writing down their patients¡¯ medical records,¡± Gu Yanran informed Gu Nianzhi matter-of-factly. ¡°Don¡¯t expect all countries to be as advanced as America or the Hua Xia Empire. There are many countries out there that are rather backwards in technology.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi supported her delicate chin on her hand and tapped her cheeks with her fingers absentmindedly. Then, she nodded like she was deep in thought. ¡°Alright, it makes sense. But if it¡¯s like that, it will be harder for father to recover.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a doctor. Why should you worry about this?¡± Gu Yanranforted her as she smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, leave professional things like this to the doctors. We just need to wait for results.¡±

    There was nothing Gu Nianzhi could do anymore. Even though something told her that it wouldn¡¯t be so simple, she couldn¡¯t find any immediate ws in Gu Yanran¡¯s recollection. Thew had always emphasized evidence. Since she didn¡¯t have any now, she could only ept what Gu Yanran had told her.

    After dinner and some chatting, Gu Nianzhi felt exhausted. She stood up and announced her departure. Gu Yanran walked her to the door, not wanting her to go. ¡°Nianzhi, you don¡¯t want to stay a bit longer? You don¡¯te often. I still want to chat with you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯ll be other opportunities.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she nodded. ¡°Sissy, I spent the entire afternoon cleaning the house. I¡¯m so tired. Let¡¯s talk again tomorrow, okay?¡±

    Gu Yanran turned around and called for Ye Xuan. ¡°Ye Xuan, take Nianzhi back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hands. ¡°Whatever for? I just stay downstairs. But...¡± She rolled her eyes and moved closer to Gu Yanran. ¡°Sissy, is he your somebody?¡±

    ¡°What?! Him?!¡± Gu Yanran shook her head in denial. ¡°Of course not! He¡¯s younger than me. I don¡¯t have boyfriends who are younger than me.¡±

    ¡°What a waste, Sissy.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°He seems really interested in you.¡±

    ¡°Since when... He¡¯s as nice to you as he is to me.¡± Gu Yanran refused to acknowledge the love he had for her written all over his face.

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything else. It wasn¡¯t her business, and anyway, she did not have time to gossip. ¡°I¡¯ll go now. Sleep early, Sissy.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned and walked towards the elevator.

    Gu Yanran pushed Ye Xuan out and insisted that he take her back. Neither of them wanted the other to be there. After the elevator door opened on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s level, she exited without even saying goodbye. Ye Xuan also couldn¡¯t be bothered to exit the elevator. He quickly pressed Gu Yanran¡¯s level and headed back.

    Gu Nianzhi fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. It was a deep sleep with no dreams.

    ...

    On the other side of the world in America, it was about eight or nine o¡¯clock in the morning. After appearing in publicst time, Huo Shaoheng rested for a couple of days in his rented apartment. He had decided to make another appearance again today. The route would be identical to the previous one. He took a train from New Jersey and a subway into the city.

    This time around, even though he had blue eyes and a curved nose, he noticed that he was already being followed. It wasn¡¯t just him, though. Every single man who was about his height was being followed.

    He roamed the airport again and realized that there were additional dogs around. Specifically, they were trained military dogs and were the most popr German Shepherd purebreds. These dogs were big with smooth, ck fur.

    Huo Shaoheng remembered that when he had been there previously, even though there were dogs, they were drug-sniffing dogs. However, this time around, the trained military German Shepherds were way stronger.

    Are they here for me?

 Chapter 578 - No Emotions

    <h4> Chapter 578 No Emotions</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng stood by the airport entryway and watched the streams of people towing suitcases through the massive space. Uniformed military police took their military dogs through the crowds. It was obvious they were drawn to Asian men the same height as Huo Shaoheng. He now appeared as a mixed-race man with a long nose and blue eyes, so the dogs shouldn¡¯t notice him. But something was amiss. If there were military dogs present, that meant someone had gotten a hold of an object carrying Huo Shaoheng¡¯s scent in order to train the dogs to search using that smell.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes dimmed and brows furrowed as he watched the military dogs weave through the crowd. ording to logic, seeing military dogs meant the mole had gotten a personal object to familiarize them with... But he had already been abroad for over two months. What scent would linger that long? Even if they got a piece of clothing or toiletry from the Hua Xia Empire, most of those had been washed and put away. Any remaining scent would be barely there, so it was impossible for the military dogs to recognize and use the barely detectable scent to sniff him out. Huo Shaoheng was personally knowledgeable about military dogs, and as far as he knew, there were no military dogs with such keen noses in the world.

    With both hands in his trouser pockets, he stared expressionlessly at the military dogs for a while then finally decided to take a gamble. He wanted to see whether his inference was correct, or if the dogs had a keener sense of smell. Like everyone else, Huo Shaoheng wore sunsses and walked inside the airport. He went to the United Airlines counter and pretended to look at the flight information board for a while with squinted eyes. Turning around, he saw everyone else was holding boarding passes and lining up for the self-check-in machines. Huo Shaoheng took out his wallet from a pocket and pretended to look for his boarding pass as he walked leisurely by.

    Suddenly, the back of his neck twitched slightly like something was staring at him. He didn¡¯t have to look back to know that there was probably a military dog locking onto him... This was perplexing... As Huo Shaoheng mulled over it, he kept walking at an even pace, weaving through the crowd and opening a cigar box. Taking a thick cigar out, he ripped away the outer wrapping and scattered the cigar onto the ground. The smell of cigars could slightly disrupt the military dogs¡¯ sense of smell, but this distraction wouldn¡¯tst very long. It was just enough for Huo Shaoheng to leave the airport lobby and return to where he had been.

    The oppressive feeling on the back of his neck disappeared, and he turned around to see a muscr German shepherd circling and sniffing the ground where he had stood. There were still pieces of the cigar on the ground, easily discernible from the clean and reflective surface. Huo Shaoheng used this method to alert his enemy that he had been there. Although he wasn¡¯t directly caught by the military dogs, a military professional would immediately know what the cigar on the floor meant. If the military dogs were targeting Huo Shaoheng and someone was using cigars to disrupt the military dogs¡¯ sense of smell, then the only conclusion was that their target, Huo Shaoheng, had appeared in the airport.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t linger but hailed a cab to return the same way he came. He picked up his car from the New Jersey train station then drove to his luxury apartment. His trackers in New York probably hadn¡¯t thought to search New Jersey just yet. Huo Shaoheng kept appearing in New York mainly to confuse them.

    When he returned to his room, he quickly washed up and began to contemte the incident of the military dogs. A mere mole couldn¡¯t exin this phenomenon. How had his enemy used his smell to train those military dogs? Also, if the enemy already had the method of effective military dogs, then his physical disguise wouldn¡¯t be much use anymore. Dogs didn¡¯t know how to recognize human faces but could discern smells. Huo Shaoheng thought about it in his apartment all night but couldn¡¯t figure out how they were doing it. However, it didn¡¯t matter, as long as he could deal with the military dogs.

    The next day, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t go into the city but went to a nearby Macy¡¯s to buy different types of perfume. He formted a fragrance simr to body odor and carried it with him. This type of smell couldrgely disguise his natural scent and obstruct the military dog¡¯s sense of smell.

    When he went into the city a few dayster, he found that the military dogs were no longer restricted to the airport but were visible in many parts of New York. How he pitied them... Huo Shaoheng felt emotionless and even wanted tough. He basically sauntered right past the military dogs, but not a single one paid him any attention.

    Summers in New York were scorchingly hot, so the German shepherds wagged their long tongues, huffing under the sun as they loyally searched for any possible suspect or location. Huo Shaoheng arrived at a smoking zone in front of a skyscraper and took out a cigar to light. He didn¡¯t look at the several military police nearby but kept them in the corners of his eyes. Soon after, the uniformed military police took the military dogs away from the area to begin searching in the next. Huo Shaoheng blew a ring of smoke in the direction where they had gone and almost wanted to whistle. However, he only entertained the thought since making a noise now would only bring himself trouble.

    Throwing the cigar in a nearby trash can, he put both hands in his trouser pockets and strolled leisurely on the streets of New York. Fifth Avenue had amassed all the top brands in the world. Half the people there were rich and famous, while the other half were there to service them. Huo Shaoheng stopped in front of the Hermes gship store. He remembered Gu Nianzhi loved Hermes scarves the most, and it was also her birthday in two months. He probably could only buy a few Hermes scarves for her this year. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t go inside but merely looked at the new fall and winter items in the window disy. One of them was a blue silk scarf printed with Van Gogh¡¯s ¡°Starry Night.¡± Gu Nianzhi would like it. Huo Shaoheng nned to find a way to buy one from the gship store in Europe and send it to the Hua Xia Empire when he returned to the apartment. That way, it would also confuse the domestic enemies.

    Huo Shaoheng began strolling down Fifth Avenue after leaving the Hermes gship store. Surrounding him were groups of shoppers from all over the world. There were richdies from the Middle East, cloaked in ck veils and carrying Birkin bags. There were also morous women wearing backless sundresses with high heels and sunsses, their lips painted a bright red as they climbed into Rolls Royces parked on the street. There were also families sightseeing¨Celderly parents, young children, and even grandchildren who were only a few years old. They held hands and walked under the Manhattan sunshine. Adjacent from him not far away was a beautiful woman d in a Chanel suit. She carried a pretty little girl hugging a doll as she pushed a stroller. The woman¡¯s Chanel suit resembled one Gu Nianzhi once purchased. She also had a slim yet curvy body. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help ncing at her again.

 Chapter 579 - Break His Spine

    <h4>Chapter 579: Chapter 579 Break His Spine</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was a summer afternoon in New York City. Two rows of tall buildings decorated both sides of the road. They helped block some of the scorching sunlight from the people below.

    The Chanel-d white woman had two Mexican-looking, middle-aged women with her. They seemed to be her helper and bodyguard. Their hands were full of shopping bags ¨C her conquests from the shopping spree earlier.

    Just a short while after they had started walking, the sound of a baby crying came from the stroller. The woman put the girl she was carrying down and bent down to check on the child in the stroller. The two Mexican middle-aged women stopped alongside her and looked around, their attention attracted by the luxury shops all around.

    The little girl, who had just been ced on the ground, did not look a day past four years old. Turning around, she saw a clown across the street, smiling at her. The clown was holding onto a bunch of balloons. Smiling, the little girl waddled away from her family and helpers towards the clown on the opposite side of the road.

    The clown was a marketing gimmick from one of the shops. Upon seeing that the little girl was waddling towards her, she was extremely nice and selected a yellow helium balloon for her to match her outfit. The little girl was overjoyed. Holding onto the helium balloon¡¯s string, she began running unsteadily towards her mother on the opposite side of the road.

    Just then, the sound of revving engines howled from the other end of 5th Street. Shocked, the little girl stood in the middle of 5th Street, unable to move an inch, looking helplessly at multiple ck Cadics speeding towards her!

    As the Cadics sped towards the little girl, many passers by screamed at them to stop. There was only the panic-stricken girl in the middle of the road. She was d in a bright yellow princess-style dress, holding onto a yellow helium balloon. It was extremely eye-catching.

    ¡°Mary! Mary! Help! Somebody! Please help!¡± The woman in Chanel had finally noticed that her little girl had run to the middle of 5th Street and was too afraid to move. The Cadics were driving towards her at full speed!

    They weren¡¯t just speeding towards her; the sounds of gunshots could be heard along 5th Street. The men inside the Cadics had opened their windows, and the armsing out of the windows had guns. They were shooting at each other.

    The pedestrians understood what was going on immediately. This was a gunfight between the gangs in New York City! People who resided in New York City knew that Cadics were almost a default symbol of these gangs...

    Recently, there had been too many military police around trying to capture the ¡°Asian kidnapper.¡± However, the gangs in New York City had lost a huge amount of money because of this. They all felt that the police in New York used the hunt for this ¡°Asian kidnapper¡± as an excuse tobat their influence in the area. Therefore, these gangs felt that they had had enough and were finally going all out today!

    Huo Shaoheng had initially hidden behind a phone booth upon hearing the sound of arriving cars. However, the little girl, who was scared stiff in the middle of the road, was right in front of him! He looked at the little girl for a second before his body reacted faster than his mind. He dashed out from behind the phone booth.

    Pushing himself off a parked BMW, his long legs went over the fence and the car, and he ran towards the middle of 5th Street. Just as he bent down to pick up the little girl, the ck Cadics were already speeding towards them from three of thenes. Huo Shaoheng moved swiftly and managed to avoid two of them that wereing from the side, but he did not manage to avoid the one that wasing right at them! He only had time to hug the little girl and roll onto the ground. They were almost lying t, and he was protecting the little girl in his arms.

    The pedestrians, who had hidden inside the shops to watch what was going on, cheered in awe. Some of them covered their eyes in nervousness, thinking they might witness two bodies under the cars.

    The Cadic that was speeding towards them did not have any intention of slowing down. It drove over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back just like that. The car arrived in the middle of the street in the blink of an eye, and all the passers by had thought that Huo Shaoheng and the little girl had already died under the car. However, Huo Shaoheng had already rolled over to the side of the road with the little girl in his arms. He got up, carrying the girl, and ced her in front of the woman who was dashing towards him. Then, he left 5th Street immediately without a word.

    The woman d in Chanel was so shocked that she carried her daughter and cried. When she finally calmed down, she realized that the man who saved her daughter had disappeared. She was extremely touched. Looking around, she realized that there was a CCTV on the shop¡¯s front, facing 5th Street. She entered the shop and asked the shopkeeper to give her the recording. She even volunteered to pay for it, because she sincerely wanted to find this kind-hearted man. She wanted to thank him personally for saving her daughter.

    However, when she walked into the shop¡¯s security control room and watched the footage, she realized that the location where the man had saved her daughter was in the CCTV¡¯s blind spot. The camera had only recorded footage of the Cadics¡¯ arrival and departure. The most they could do was to find out their license te number. The man could not be seen.

    ¡°What a waste...¡± The woman shook her head disappointedly and left the shop. What she did not know was that in one of the rooms in the building across the way, there were more than ten High Definition surveince cameras capturing every single thing that was happening on that street. Actually, cameras like those on the streets of New York City weremon. They had merely increased the numbers recently in order to capture Huo Shaoheng within a shorter amount of time.

    ...

    Fifteen minutester, in the branch office building of the CIA of America, a handsome blond man with blue eyes was sitting behind the desk, wearing a crisp ck suit. He was looking fixedly at the camera footage sent just a couple of minutes ago. He touched his chin thoughtfully, lips curling into a triumphant smile.

    ¡°Thomas, bring me a cuppa.¡± The man paused the footage, swung his legs to rest on the desk, leaned back, and cushioned his head with his hands. Then, he looked at the door of his office gleefully.

    In a couple of minutes, the door was pushed open, and a man who was almost 50 brought a cup of coffee to him unwillingly. ¡°Here¡¯s your coffee, Mr. Sean.¡± He ced the cup of coffee on the desk respectfully and glimpsed at this man. His eyes were full of envy. This man, Sean, was only in his early thirties, but his rank was way higher than his.

    Thomas had been with the CIA for half his life and had only been promoted to Assistant Director when he was almost 50 years old. He had thought that he would be promoted to Director of the Department of Security and Intelligence in South East Asia, but someone new whom they said was extremely well known took the position. That person was none other than Sean.

    Sean graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Masters before joining the CIA. He worked in Europe for a few years before returning to America. He was already the rising star, and therefore, got promoted to the position of Director of the Department of Security and Intelligence the moment it was vacant.

    Even though he was unhappy about it, he knew that Sean was indeed capable. Therefore, Thomas only med himself for not being good enough. However, he was rather pissed at how Sean always liked treating him like a maid.

    Taking the coffee, Sean took a sip and his brows furrowed. ¡°Why did you put in sugar and milk? Redo it. I don¡¯t like coffee like this. I want ck coffee with nothing added! I¡¯ve repeated this upteen times; why can¡¯t you remember it? Are you having dementia already?!¡±

    Thomas was nearly in tears. He remained silent as he took the coffee out and made a new cup, cing it in front of Sean. Sean took a sip before drinking it contentedly. Putting down the cup, with his legs still resting on the table, he asked Thomas triumphantly, ¡°Have you seen this footage? What do you think?¡±

    Thomas squinted. It was CCTV footage of a white man on 5th Street. sping his hands, he said, ¡°I... I think that this person is really brave and kind. He saved the little girl, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Just that?!¡± Sean raised his eyebrows and looked Thomas up and down. ¡°Tsk tsk. No wonder you¡¯re still at such a rank at this age. Giving you that rank is the organization being nice to you! With such dim wittedness for detail, you should be a server or cleaner, not an officer in the CIA!¡±

    Humiliation! He was definitely humiliating him! Thomas was shaking with anger. ring at Sean, he clenched his fists but did not move an inch, as he did not dare to do anything to Sean. Even though they hadn¡¯t worked together for long, Sean already knew this middle-aged man¡¯s character through and through. He was merely a yes-man. Chuckling, Sean shook his head. ¡°Angry? Not convinced? Let me convince you.¡±

    Sean started the footage again. ¡°Look at his hand. He supported himself with one hand on the car and jumped over just like that. Then he grabbed the girl and rolled over before lying t, facing the ground, sessfully hiding himself from the car. With such an eye for detail, judgment, and angle, along with his moves, don¡¯t you feel that it¡¯s something familiar?¡±

    ¡°Familiar? I only think that he¡¯s a faster runnerpared to others, and luck was on his side, just like you, Mr. Sean.¡± Thomas couldn¡¯t help but still mock at Sean a little.

    ¡°Ha.¡± Seanughed. ¡°Are you mocking me, Thomas? What right do you have to mock me? I¡¯m the director, and you¡¯re the assistant, simply because I can see things that you can¡¯t!¡± With that, he pointed at theputer screen. ¡°Look there. This action of using only one arm to support himself before jumping over the entire hood of the car, and the way heid t down when the car wasing over are the standard movements of a soldier!¡±

    ¡°Soldier?!¡± Thomas raised his head abruptly. ¡°What soldier? I don¡¯t remember us learning such moves before!¡± Prior to joining the CIA, Thomas was a retired soldier of the United States Army.

    Sean hit the table,ughing. ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t our soldier. He¡¯s a soldier from the Hua Xia Empire, and this is an action the soldiers from the Special Forces are trained to do!¡±

    Thomas¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He looked at Sean in awe, his tone suddenly bing respectful. ¡°You know about this as well?!¡±

    ¡°Of course. When I was appointed Director of the Department of Security and Intelligence in South East Asia, I focused on the mysterious man, Huo Shaoheng, from the Hua Xia Empire. I collected all his news and footage since he joined the army. Do you want to see videos of him when he was training under the founder of Mossad in Israel?¡±

    ¡°You can get that, too? You¡¯re amazing, Mr. Sean.¡± Thomas continued looking at Sean in awe. ¡°As you say, Mr. Sean. I¡¯ll listen to you henceforth.¡±

    Seanughed even louder. He had finally gotten the assistant director¡¯s approval, the old man of the Department of Security and Intelligence in South East Asia. As long as his spine had been broken, everyone in the department would listen to him without a doubt.

 Chapter 580 - They Should Go Die

    <h4>Chapter 580: Chapter 580 They Should Go Die</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Standing behind Sean, James concentrated on the screen continuously reying the tall white man¡¯s lightning-like movements. Not only did this require powerful coordination but also explosive strength and iparable judgment in order to make the split-second decision to save the little girl.

    ¡°...You see, his tumbling movement is actually a standard move for the Hua Xia Imperial Military Special Forces. Snipers do it to avoid tanks by hiding down in the trenches.¡± Seanughed and exined his findings to James. ¡°I didn¡¯t think he would use it to avoid cars on a busy road.¡± Sean shook his head. ¡°What a madman...¡±

    ¡°It was too dangerous. If that car was even an inch off, then he and the little girl would¡¯ve been ttened,¡± James muttered, his heart still beating hard as he watched the monitor. He didn¡¯t know what to think.

    ¡°Right, so he¡¯s crazy. Normal people wouldn¡¯t have made such a decision or try to save someone while they are atrge.¡± Sean scoffed. ¡°He revealed himself, then?¡±

    ¡°You still think he¡¯s that Hua Xia Imperial Major General? But this guy¡¯s white...¡± James pointed to the striking blue eyes on the HD video.

    Sean snickered. ¡°James, I think you should n on retiring. You don¡¯t know anything about modern technology. Blue eyes like that can be created using special contact lenses made inbs. Not just blue eyes, but red and white can be manufactured, too!¡±

    ¡°So it was specially-made contact lenses!¡± James cried out softly, totally shocked. ¡°That¡¯s fine, then. This proves this is the person we want to find!¡±

    ¡°What good does proving do?!¡± Sean came to a sudden realization. The rage burned in his heart, and he swiped everything off of his desk. ¡°We don¡¯t know where he is! We don¡¯t know where he¡¯s going! There are over ten million people in New York! How would we find him?! By going door to door?! He¡¯s mocking us! Mocking us!¡± Sean had never felt so indignant since joining the CIA. He had always been the cat, coolly watching his prey try to run away. He didn¡¯t think he would end up as the mouse this time, with the enemy toying with him like a cat! New York was their home base and main camp, yet they were being led in circles by a Hua Xia soldier. They should go die! What¡¯s more infuriating than seeing someone but not being able to catch them?!

    ¡°Do these videos record which way he went?¡± James asked. ¡°We installed HD cameras on all the major roads.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use!?¡± Sean nearly screamed in James¡¯ face, spittle flying. James didn¡¯t dare to wipe it off and could only force himself to take it. ¡°You think he¡¯s an idiot like you?! Why would he lead you to his home if he knows he¡¯s being watched?! I¡¯m telling you! The direction he left in can¡¯t be where he¡¯s hiding!¡± Sean brandished his fists and screamed relentlessly in the office. Hanging his head, the nearly 50-year-old James was being lectured like a child by a 30-year-old young man. ¡°Get out! Send me all the camera footage from all directions! I¡¯m going to dig him up even if I¡¯m not sleeping tonight!¡± Sean finished the day¡¯s lecture with a kick at James.

    James left Sean¡¯s office feeling ten years older. He returned to his own office and stared nkly at the login page on his monitor. He agonized over resigning every day. If he resigned, then he wouldn¡¯t need to be insulted by that horrible man every day. But if he resigned, how would his kids afford college? Who would pay their tuition? What about his mortgage? He still owed the bank lots of money, and his wife... was a homemaker. Their family would struggle as soon as he quit, and even healthcare would be a big problem. There was no way he could bear the consequences of losing his job in this society. At least he had the best health insurance nationwide from his job at the CIA... James consoled himself with this fact and finally calmed down enough to begin searching for footage of Fifth Avenue from all angles. He sorted it out and sent it all to Sean.

    Sean was also busy working. He called his contact at the TV station to have them air the footage, using the pretense of wanting to find the kind-hearted hero... As soon as the TVwork aired it, the video became viral across the nation. The slick movements, strapping body, and incredible judgement of avoiding all the oing cars was simply awe inspiring. The video was quickly reposted on YouTube and spread like wildfire across the Blue, with the exception of the Hua Xia Empire. As soon as this video reached the Hua Xia Empire, it was immediately censored and pulled from sites. All media and citizens were barred from broadcasting it, so most people didn¡¯t know about that hero video.

    ...

    In the evening, Tan Guiren had finished dinner at her vi and was watching TV absentmindedly on the couch. The evening news happened to air, and the local New York TVworks and national cable channels all aired the same news piece simultaneously. Tan Guiren was instantly enraptured by that person. She stood up with shock and nearly screamed at the handsome figure on TV! She recognized him! He was the one who appeared in the debris amid the raining bullets that night!

    Tan Guiren hit pause excitedly and stared at the TV screen for a long time. She slowly sat back down when she felt her legs grow numb from standing. Sinking into the soft couch, she curled up her body. So he hadn¡¯t left yet and was still in New York? She hadn¡¯t misjudged him. He was really a good person. An indescribable emotion and warmth surged in heart when she saw him save that little girl, like a spring breeze in March. Her entire body felt cozy. She didn¡¯t even notice what the man on the TV looked like.

    Sean had had an ulterior motive when he sent the video to the TVwork because he deliberately blurred out the man¡¯s face, so only a blurry face could be seen on TV, and no one knew whether it was a white or Asian man.

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng also happened to see the video air on TV. He smiled, not surprised. There were HD surveince cameras on the buildings... Huo Shaoheng remembered dodging the cameras on the store fronts. From the angle of the video, he determined it wasn¡¯t recorded from the store fronts but from the tall buildings across the street. No one else but the CIA had the budget to do such a thing. By using this method, Huo Shaoheng confirmed his own conjecture.

 Chapter 581 - Reassurance

    <h4>Chapter 581: Chapter 581 Reassurance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although the TV didn¡¯t broadcast a clear image of his face, the CIA certainly had internal footage of it. Huo Shaoheng considered it and disposed of his blue contact lenses and also removed his aquiline nose. Looking at his original appearance in the mirror, he somehow felt he looked unfamiliar. Without the disguise of his blue contacts, Huo Shaoheng changed into a pair ofrge, ck-framed, fake sses. With something like that on, Gu Nianzhi would be the only one who would recognize him, while even his own parents probably wouldn¡¯t. Huo Shaoheng chuckled at the mirror. Although his actions today had been risky, it was necessary to break the stalemate and create chaos for the person pulling the strings behind the scenes.

    ncing at his watch, it was already 9pm locally and 9am in the Hua Xia Empire. Nianzhi should be awake by now. Huo Shaoheng quietly took off the ck-framed sses and put them back into their case before toying with his phone. He discovered he had the urge to call Gu Nianzhi, but his many years of professional training quickly dispelled this notion, and he finally shut it off before going to bed.

    During the next few days, Huo Shaoheng often sported a ssic Ralph Lauren blue and ck striped shirt, straight slim-cut wool trousers, and a pair offortable Oxford shoes. He appeared very casual and elegant, theplete opposite of the agile and daring figure on TV. People living in his apartment building were also talking about the ¡°hero¡± who rescued the girl, but no one linked him to the fashionably dressed, casual, and elegant man wearing ck-framed sses.

    Taking advantage of not going out for thest few days, Huo Shaoheng used a VPN to log in to the European Hermes website and finally used a French mail forwarding address to purchase some Hermes silk scarves to mail directly to Gu Nianzi¡¯s apartment on the Third Ring Road of the Imperial Capital. What he didn¡¯t know was that Hermes¡¯ official website had a sudden technical difficulty, and the French mail forwarding address he entered somehow changed into a German mail forwarding address. The German location was a name that the Hua Xia citizens were familiar with as ofte.

    ...

    It was summer break, and Ma Qiqi hadnded aw firm internship. She left early in the day and returnedte at night, so Gu Nianzhi was often alone in the dorm. That day she got up bored and didn¡¯t want to go to the library to research and write essays, so she holed up in the dorm to y video games. Her neck grew sore after ying all afternoon, and she finally rubbed the back of her neck and got up to wash in the bathroom. She nned to go out for food, and when she nced at her watch, it was almost lunch time.

    Suddenly, the dorm PA rang out with the Resident Advisor¡¯s voice. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! You have a package!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised. Who would be sending her a package? She quickly tied her long hair into a ponytail and took the dorm key downstairs. A UPS truck was parked in front of the dorm, and a delivery man passed a small cardboard box to her. ¡°Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s me.¡± Gu Nianzhi showed her identification to him and signed for the package. She studied it for a long time and saw it had been sent from Germany. The address looked familiar, and the box felt light in her hands but was sealed tightly. She didn¡¯t know what was inside. Gu Nianzhi returned to her dorm room and set the box on her desk. After looking at it quietly some more, she finally put on gloves and used scissors to cut through the tape. Removing the exterior packaging, the box underneath was the familiar orange box from Hermes! Hermes silk scarves!

    These had been sent from Germany... Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart hammered. Her first reaction was that Huo Shao had sent them to her! Only Huo Shaoheng liked to buy Hermes scarves as her birthday gift! Although her birthday was still a few months away, that didn¡¯t deter Huo Shao¡¯s habit of preparing and nning things well in advance. Was this Huo Shao¡¯s way of allowing her to feel reassurance? Although he couldn¡¯t tell her where he went or what he was doing, a silk scarf sent from a long distance could discreetly tell her that all was well with him.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in front of the desk hugging the scarf, and her heart was warm. Like a traveler traversing through snowy terrain finally finding a warm fire, she wanted nothing more but to cast her whole body and mind into that fire, even if it burned her to ashes. She would do it without hesitation.

    So Huo Shao was in Germany? Gu Nianzhi took the cardboard box and carefully noted the address on it. She entered the address into theputer and finally found the ce. The German city familiar to all Hua Xia Imperial citizens as ofte appeared on her search results, and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help widening her eyes. All her suspicions suddenly revealed the answer. Huo Shao must¡¯ve gone to Germany?

    It was because of the torture and murder of that Hua Xia female exchange student. Calcting the time, Huo Shao had left for his mission abroad shortly after the case urred, and not many people knew about the incident domestically at the time. One of the important responsibilities of the Special Operations Forces was to protect the interests of Hua Xia citizens abroad. Looks like that case was fishy... Gu Nianzhi thoughtfully looked at the rted search results for the case, and her hands began to itch.

    ...

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know that the Hermes official site had such an error. He stayed in his apartment for several days and only remained connected to the outside world by going online. The CIA was like a bat flying out of its cave, and their search seemed to expand to the areas around New York.

    Huo Shaoheng changed his clothes and once again disguised himself as a dull-looking Chinese IT worker. Wearing a backpack and t shoes, he headed to New York. This time, he didn¡¯t go to Fifth Avenue but directly went past it and made a loop around the area by the CIA¡¯s New York branch. The CIA would never believe that the person they had locked the city down in an attempt to find was walking right under their noses.

    The most dangerous ce was also the saddest. This grain of truth was also applicable in the US. The neighborhoods around the CIA branch were very peaceful and had fewer street cameras. There were also no police cars speeding by. All the people there smiled brightly and wore T-shirts or dresses as they walked under the summer sun.

    Huo Shaoheng had coffee and sat at an outdoor cafe on the ground floor of a building right beside the CIA branch as he yed with his phone. A somber-looking, middle-aged white man walked out of the CIA branch and came to the cafe. He ordered a coffee with two sugars and two milks before sitting not too far from Huo Shaoheng. They almost sat back to back while Huo Shaoheng discreetly sipped his ck coffee. From the corner of his eye, he spied several people who seemed to be CIA agentse over to sit by the middle-aged man. They encircled him and were carrying healthy lunches from Chipotle. Each of them had a coffee in front of them as they had lunch andined about work.

    ¡°James, just look at the brat gloating over our heads! There are so many agents in our branch, why did he get promoted out of all people?!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! You¡¯re the true backbone of our branch! We all follow you! I get riled up when I see that brat¡¯s smug face!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s always shouting in the branch and treats you like a servant. We all can¡¯t stand it!¡±

    These people were indignant for what the somber-faced man was suffering, and they all seemed truly affected and sincere¨Cthey weren¡¯t merelyining.

    Huo Shaoheng perked up his ears and gleaned the information he wanted from their chattering. The somber-faced, middle-aged man was no stranger to Huo Shaoheng. This was an important figure in the Asian Intelligence branch of the CIA, James. He was also one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s main enemies. But from what these people were saying, it sounded like he had failed to get promoted.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his chin as he mulled it over and began recalling what he knew about James. James was a veteran and served in Asia for many years. After retiring from the military, he returned to the US, and because of his outstanding intelligence abilities, the CIA took him in to head the Asian Intelligence Branch. This person had deeplypromised the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s intelligencework in North America, and he also yed a big part inst year¡¯s case of Bai Yusheng turning against the Empire. James was nearly 50 years old and had married ratherte. He had two children. One was about to start college, and the other was just in high school. His wife was a homemaker.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t expect that an intelligent and capable person like that would be bullied, so who was this other person? Huo Shaoheng realized he didn¡¯t know anything about his new leader they mentioned. However, he was certain that this new director was a recent external promotion into the CIA Asian Intelligence Branch and couldn¡¯t have been there for more than a month because it was only in the past month or so that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been in contact with the Hua Xia Empire and also hadn¡¯t followed intelligence reports.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the newspaper in his hands to block his face. However, because there were so many people reading newspapers and ying on their phones as they drank coffee there, it probably wasn¡¯t even necessary. These were all white cor workers from nearby buildings, so Huo Shaoheng¡¯s disguisepletely blended in. Like a drop of water melting into the vast sea, even the sharpest agents didn¡¯t notice him.

    The truth was, Sean also came to this cafe. He was already unhappy to see several older agents in his branch crowding around James. Walking over with a sullen face, he barked at them sternly, ¡°Lunch break is only half an hour, and you¡¯ve all been here for an hour now.¡±

    The agents got up nervously and quickly cleaned up before rushing back to work. James was thest to stand up and said to the furious Sean, ¡°Director, I¡¯m not feeling well and want to take the rest of the day off.¡±

    ¡°Not well? Do you have a doctor¡¯s note?¡± Sean asked shrewdly, ¡°How can I believe you, if you don¡¯t have a doctor¡¯s note?¡±

    ¡°Director, ording to the CIA¡¯s regtions, only sick leaves over two days require doctor¡¯s notes. I¡¯m only taking half a day, so that¡¯s not necessary,¡± James replied slowly and got up to leave the cafe.

    Sean stared at this retreating back and balled his fists angrily, yet there was nothing he could do. Huo Shaoheng waited for Sean to leave before slowly getting up and following James.

 Chapter 582 - Internal Dissatisfaction

    <h4>Chapter 582: Chapter 582 Internal Dissatisfaction</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    James didn¡¯t know why he did it. Perhaps it was because he felt even more indignant about what his coworkers said. Or maybe it was too hot, so he was feeling very irritated and broke his own pattern by talking back to Sean, nearly quitting on a whim. But reason told him he couldn¡¯t impulsively resign, so he only took half a day off. He wanted to go to the beach and rx, then go back to the job that gave him increasingly less satisfaction.

    Last year, the Hua Xia Imperial Deputy Minister of Secret Services, Bai Yusheng, had been subverted into betraying his own nation and was killed as a result. The CIA punished James by taking away his credit, since he was originally supposed to be promoted to director. His promotion was halted, and Sean, who emerged from nowhere, took his prize. James wasn¡¯t satisfied, and although he didn¡¯t voice it, he knew it in his heart.

    Drifting aimlessly on the street, he didn¡¯t know how many blocks he walked before turning onto a sidestreet. James saw a familiar figure not too far from him... It was a strapping man dressed casually in a simple white shirt with sleeves rolled up, khaki trousers, white leather oxfords, and a head of ck hair. When the man turned around, James could see he wore sunsses that covered half his face. Although he was dressed simply, he had a unique way about him.

    James squinted. His 20 some years in intelligence work had honed a sharp intuition. Though he may havecked in some areaspared to Sean, his age and experience were irrefutable. That wasn¡¯t something a high intelligence could substitute for. Age and experience required time to develop, and the only thing he had over Sean was probably just a few more years of life experience. This wasn¡¯t something to celebrate, and James felt depressed as soon as he thought about it. However, he still abided by his professional ethics and went up to the man. As the Deputy Director of the Asia Branch of the CIA, this was his job and he must do it.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng walked ahead leisurely, perusing his surroundings. He purposely revealed himself in front of James in order to go with the flow and root out the traitorous mole within the Hua Xia military. To find this mole, Huo Shaoheng pondered it for a long time and finally decided to give them a taste of their own medicine. He would pit a mole against another mole and dig up that person. After careful observation and consideration, Huo Shaoheng determined that James was a good candidate for a mole. James had the same thought as he approached, and the two men moved closer to each other with the same ulterior motive.

    They were in the vi area in Long Ind, and everyone there was rich or famous. There were many recreational centers by the seaside parks, so people went there to escape the heat. Huo Shaoheng sat down first at a pavilion by the sea. All of the pavilions were reminiscent of Hawaiian-style huts. James looked around habitually to make sure there was no ambush before slowly walking over and sitting down on the other side of the pavilion.

    They looked at the ocean quietly for a while, then James was the first to greet the other with a friendly smile. ¡°May I ask where you¡¯re from? You look quite familiar.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng acted surprised. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t know you at all. Why would you think I look familiar?¡±

    ¡°Haha, maybe some people are simr...¡± James grinned. ¡°There was a kidnapping a few days ago. Did you see the news?¡±

    ¡°Who watches TV in this day and age?¡± Huo Shaoheng also smiled. ¡°I only go online. I¡¯m not interested in TV.¡±

    ¡°Oh, there were videos online, too. Did you see them?¡± James took out his phone and tried to covertly take photos of Huo Shaoheng, but Huo Shaoheng seemed to turn around naturally so James could only capture his back. Before James could take the photo, Huo Shaoheng had already turned to look at his phone. James could only give up and open the video for Huo Shaoheng.

    Rubbing his chin, Huo Shaoheng watched it calmly and chuckled. ¡°Very good, that¡¯s pretty interesting.¡±

    ¡°Not only was it interesting but also very valuable.¡± James smiled knowingly. ¡°I actually think this person is very remarkable and amazing. If he stayed in America and worked for us, his value would be magnified...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened internally. He didn¡¯t think James would still want to subvert him. He really underestimated CIA agents¡¯ loyalty to their nation... But so what? Neither of them knew who would win just yet... Huo Shaoheng rose with his arms crossed and gazed down at James. He replied casually, ¡°Really? Then has your worth been maximized?¡±

    James¡¯ face fell instantly. He red at Huo Shaoheng and finally grimaced after a long moment. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean. I was referring to your value. Not mine.¡±

    ¡°Right, I know. My English is not any worse than yours.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke with an authentic Oxford ent, which was night and day from James¡¯ Southern drawl. Like a British noble standing before an American peasant from the southern states, he was reserved and refined, polite yet distant.

    James had difficultyposing himself and finally shook his head with a small smile. ¡°Then do you want to consider it? You see, I am sincerely discussing the possibility with you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also smiled. ¡°I¡¯m even more sincere. Mr. James, are you sure you want to do this, then have someone else take the credit as a stepping stone for their climb up thedder?¡±

    The words hit James where he was feeling the most indignant. As long as he was indignant, then he would seek change. Huo Shaoheng zeroed in on how James imed satisfaction yet was feeling internal dissatisfaction. James started to hesitate. Just likest time, he had gone to the pains of subverting of Bai Yusheng, the Hua Xia Imperial Deputy Minister of Secret Services, but for what? Nothing! This time it might be even more credit, but with Sean above him, it¡¯d have nothing to do with him! Sean, that nasty man, would take it for his own! Sean had just arrived at the Asian Intelligence Branch and was hell bent on establishing his reputation. If James could really subvert this most mysterious Hua Xia Imperial Major General, then it¡¯d just be another credit to Sean¡¯s name...

    Huo Shaoheng carefully observed James¡¯ reaction. Although the older man remained expressionless, Huo Shaoheng could almost tell what he was thinking. Someone nearly 50 years old and at the end of his career, what would he desire?

    Huo Shaoheng continued leading him on. He lured James like a devil that could read his soul. ¡°But if you want to cooperate with me, not only could I help you eliminate the biggest obstacle in your branch but also help you get the position you want so much. Also, believe me, your value is much higher than what you can even imagine right now!¡±

 Chapter 583 - Give You a Big Gift

    <h4>Chapter 583: Chapter 583 Give You a Big Gift</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    James¡¯ nearly murky, pale green eyes shimmered with interest. Right, what would he even desire at this age, anyway? Apart from power, it would be money...¡±You know my name?¡± James thought about it for a long time and asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Then what should I call you? Major General Huo? Or Mr. Kidnapper? Or the heroic Spider Man?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed boldly. ¡°Mr. James sure can joke. I don¡¯t know about anything you¡¯re talking about, nor do I know those people. Think carefully about what I said. If you think it through, pleasee to 38 Shell Drive in Long Ind and leave a message.¡±

    James stiffened and continued to look at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously. ¡°Thirty-eight Shell Drive, Long Ind?¡± Wasn¡¯t that the residence of the popr Hua Xia Imperial Prime Minister candidate¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren? She had been a kidnapping victim a while back and had just been rescued. She stayed in her vi all day and didn¡¯t ever leave. Their CIA and FBI agents took turns visiting and wanted to glean from her information about the people who rescued her, but she had been more tightly lipped than a m shell and refused to even say a word. And now that this man was actually telling him to leave a message at Tan Guiren¡¯s residence, didn¡¯t that mean the person they¡¯ve been searching desperately for had been at her home the whole time?!

    Watching James¡¯ suspicious eyes, Huo Shaoheng knew the enemy was starting to have suspicions. That was ideal. Without the seed of suspicion, how could he start to grow a tree of betrayal?

    ¡°Also, do want to know how I¡¯m staying in New York without being detected? How I not only rescued someone and was able topletely escape but also didn¡¯t have to worry about anything else?¡± Huo Shaoheng added more fuel to James¡¯ burning suspicion. ¡°You want to know why I know so much about you and your boss? Think about the person giving you intelligence. Which side is he actually on...¡±

    James jerked his head up, his thin lips quivering uncontrobly, but he was unable to formte a single sentence. The waves crashed and could be heard in the distance, and the salty sea air mixed with condensation to swirl around them. It did not dissipate the heat but made it feel even hotter. James fidgeted in his seat and was confused by his own conjecture. He wanted nothing more but to go back to his office right away and question his informant, but he had been a CIA agent for all these years and was able to calm down after some confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t try starting things here and attempt to cause a rift between us. No matter what you say, you¡¯re trapped here, and that¡¯s the best proof.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trapped here?¡± Huo Shaoheng seemed to be hearing the biggest joke in the world and shook his head. ¡°If I wanted to leave, I would¡¯ve done it a long time ago. But I don¡¯t want to leave because I still want a chance to see you and see... my old friend.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes looked out to the light green water in the distance as he said this, like he was disdainful towards James.

    James was infuriated by his attitude and balled his hands into fisits as he stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky! If I called someone here now, there¡¯s no way you could run!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? You want to try?¡± Huo Shaoheng suddenly leaned forward and held a gun with one hand that was already pressed against James¡¯ waist. ¡°If I wanted to kill you, you¡¯d be dead by now.¡±

    James felt the icy barrel of the gun on his skin and broke into a cold sweat. He stuttered, ¡°Let¡¯s... Let¡¯s talk about this calmly... Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t report you...¡±

    ¡°Ok, I understand.¡± Huo Shaoheng removed the gun and flipped it back unto his trouser pocket. ¡°Think about it clearly. Even if you hand me over, who would benefit from that?¡±

    James looked at Huo Shaoheng with uncertainty, and his mind was arguing with itself fiercely. His many years at the CIA as well as his original military experience had instilled a loyalty to his nation. But the depth of this loyalty depended on whether Huo Shaoheng could truly convince him.

    ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to hesitate that much.¡± Huo Shaoheng softened his tone. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be great if we could cooperate and reap mutual benefits? Do you truly believe that the two powerful nations of the United States and the Hua Xia Empire would really go to war?¡±

    James instinctively shook his head. ¡°Of course not.¡± What a joke! If those two powerful nations really went to war, it¡¯d be the end of the world...

    ¡°So for the sake of world peace and the sake of the existence of our institutions, you must cooperate with me. You must know that the Hua Xia Empire has an ancient proverb, ¡®the hunting dog is cooked after it hunts the rabbit.¡¯ What benefit do you reap for killing me? If the Hua Xia Empire no longer existed, then your Asian Intelligence Branch would also cease to exist. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    James nodded again,pletely convinced by this man. Aside from the Hua Xia Empire, all Asian countries were allies of the US. Why would they need to investigate intelligence against them? The US already had stationed troops in those countries, so what secrets could they harbor? It was only the Hua Xia Empire who refused to yield. The only target of their Asian Intelligence Branch was the Hua Xia Empire, but they couldn¡¯t target them tantly, so they named themselves so as to conceal their true intentions.

    If it could be said that personal interests were one aspect, and James was too shameful to ept the offer, then using the excuse of ¡°showing mercy to the enemy while maintaining self respect¡± as a lure would make it a lot more eptable for James. Of course, he didn¡¯t agree right away and only said solemnly, ¡°Everything you¡¯ve said is your own reasons. How does that benefit me? I still need to think about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and remarked casually, ¡°Ok, you take your time. Before you make your decision, I can give you a big gift.¡±

    ¡°What big gift?¡±

    ¡°The position of Director of the CIA Asian Intelligence Branch, is that a big gift to you?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± James shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You must know that we already have a director? That man is almost 20 years younger than me and is also very capable and intelligent. There¡¯s no way he would make a mistake. Tell me, how could you make me the Director of the CIA Asian Intelligence Branch?¡±

    ¡°Have some faith.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled and folded his hands behind his back. ¡°I won¡¯t rush you, either. You¡¯ll naturally believe me once you receive the position. Goodbye.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to leave in the direction of 38 Shell Drive in Long Ind. James stared at his back while his mind was still arguing away...

    ...

    Previously, Tan Guiren told Huo Shaoheng that her family had a vi at 38 Shell Drive in Long Ind, New York. He also knew from the media that Tan Guiren had moved out of the Juilliard dorm after being rescued and was staying at her own house. At the same time, the NYPD, FBI, and CIA agents also frequented her home in an attempt to glean information from her. In order to numb James now and make him suspect their informant from the Hua Xia Empire was really their informant or an undercover agent, Huo Shaoheng decided to take advantage of Tan Guiren again.

    Thirty-eight Shell Drive in Long Ind was at the end of themunity and surrounded by snow white walls. Two waist-high iron gates stood symbolically where the two walls converged, and the yard inside wasn¡¯t very deep. A driveway ran down the middle and traversed directly through the front yard and into the attached garage.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in front of the iron gates and didn¡¯t even get a chance to ring the doorbell before seeing an elegant woman stand up from the grass and look his way. She wore an oval-shaped straw sun visor and a soft cotton dress. This girl was Tan Guiren. She had been trimming the flower bush in her yard when she saw a strapping figure standing before her gates. She nearly didn¡¯t believe her eyes, but her many years of excellent cultivation and education prevented her from looking too surprised. Holding a small flower basket and garden spade, she walked up to the iron gates and reached out to open them. She said to Huo Shaoheng with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡±

    She had been waiting for him to seek her out the entire time. From all sorts of media, she was able to understand that the Americans had put the entire area on lockdown in an effort to arrest him. However, Huo Shaoheng was in a much better state than Tan Guiren imagined. She originally assumed that he must be exhausted from hiding and would be very dirty, but he appeared clean and fresh as he stood before her and didn¡¯t look at all powerful and decisive like he had the night he rescued her. Like the ocean at night, the waves were so calm that one could only bask in the lovely peacefulness.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Hello, Miss Tan. Can I speak to you for a moment?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to call me Miss Tan, it sounds too formal.¡± Tan Guiren cocked her head and smiled. She moved aside to let Huo Shaoheng inside. ¡°Of course you can, it¡¯s all I ask for. Come in, there haven¡¯t been visitors for many days now.¡± Tan Guiren spoke discreetly but Huo Shaoheng understood what she implied. She meant to say that there were no FBI or CIA agents, and no policemen as well...

    Huo Shaoheng had been frequently appearing in the other areas the past few days, and one side effect of that was removing all the agents surrounding Tan Guiren. They finally believed that Tan Guiren truly didn¡¯t know anything at all. The Hua Xia soldiers had probably only rescued her for the mission, and once it waspleted, they could fully retreat. After waiting another two days and seeing that there were no further updates, even the hidden agents retreated. Huo Shaoheng walked there and confirmed that there were no traces of hidden agents before daring to enter Tan Guiren¡¯s yard.

    As for James, Huo Shaoheng firmly believed that he wouldn¡¯t tell anyone else about their deal. Of course, even if he told someone, Huo Shaoheng would have measures against that possibility. Following Tan Guiren inside, he saw that the Tan¡¯s vi was a four-story building surrounded by lush green forest. The top three floors were above ground while the lowest level was half in-ground and acted as a basement.

    ¡°Miss Tan, I won¡¯t be going inside. I still have to work today, so I¡¯ll make this short.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood still at the entry and spoke softly and slowly to Tan Guiren. His voice was very low, and when he purposely lowered his voice, it became unclear and hard to understand for someone who didn¡¯t speak Chinese natively. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t enter because he was sure the CIA had installed bugs inside and perhaps even pinhole cameras.

    ¡°You... Really won¡¯t sit down inside?¡± Tan Guiren wanted to thank him properly, not only for rescuing her and the two kids, but also the little girl he saved on Fifth Avenue a few days ago.

 Chapter 584 - The Last Straw

    <h4>Chapter 584: Chapter 584 ¨C The Last Straw</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng felt a trace of impatience in his heart but still held himself back. He replied quickly, ¡°There¡¯s no time. I only wanted to tell you that if someone brings a letter for a Mr. Gu in a few days, please ept it for me.¡±

    Tan Guiren was shocked. ¡°A Mr. Gu? Who is that?¡±

    ¡°Please help me ept it, and I¡¯ll forward it to him.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t exin and only asked Tan Guiren to do as she was told. ¡°Mr. Gu¡± was the secret code established between Huo Shaoheng and James; it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s alias.

    Tan Guiren pressed her lips together and answered obediently, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll remember to.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed with relief when she stopped asking questions, then continued to say, ¡°We sessfully found you because someone back home provided us with urate intelligence. It¡¯s part of the n that I¡¯m still here, and that person is your true savior. I hope you return to the Empire as soon as possible and stop worrying your parents.¡± He nodded at Tan Guiren before briskly leaving.

    Tan Guiren stiffened and hadn¡¯t even reacted before Huo Shaoheng disappeared from the iron gates outside her courtyard. His voice was very beautiful... He spoke clearly and with a perfect ent. His tone was even and rxing. The sound was so deep and alluring that she knew it was a rare and beautiful voice. Tan Guiren studied music, so her ears have always been more sensitive since she was a child. The positive traits in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice seemed to amplify in her ears. Even though he had already disappeared, Tan Guiren still stood clutching the railing by the door to stare steadily ahead. It was a summer afternoon, the courtyard was lush with greenery, and the sea breeze was gentle in the air. A branch of purple wisteria blossom fell from the nter above, swaying unsteadily in the wind like her heart.

    ...

    Just as Huo Shaoheng expected, his conversation with Tan Guiren was recorded by the bugs nted by the CIA. In the CIA¡¯s New York headquarters, Sean listened to the conversation with a grim face. He barked at James, ¡°Go investigate what is going on with our informant in the Huaxia Imperial military!¡±

    James also stiffened. He hesitated for a second before saying quietly, ¡°...Sean, I don¡¯t even know who the informant in the Huaxia Imperial military is...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know either?! Didn¡¯t you nt him there?!¡± Sean was bbergasted. ¡°There¡¯s something that even you don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± James grimaced. ¡°That informant is nted deeply. He¡¯s never made direct contact with us.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Sean was very surprised. ¡°Then how do we know that the intelligence is urate?¡±

    ¡°...Because this came from above.¡± James felt a wonderful thrill in his heart to see this almost omnipotent young man appear shocked.

    Sean understood¡ªthat informant must have been at a very high level. Or, in other words, he had been nted by agents even higher up and strictly interacted with them.

    James found some psychological advantage and began lecturing Sean. ¡°You also know that it¡¯s always been easy to infiltrate the Huaxia Imperial military, but many of the informants we bribe aren¡¯t actually core personnel but low-ranking ones that only have limited reach. We wasted lots of money in those years, and afterward, we met Bai Yusheng, who was considered an especially sessful subversion in all these years. Unfortunately, we couldn¡¯t protect him properly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that.¡± Sean recovered his confidence. ¡°If I hade a bit earlier, Bai Yusheng wouldn¡¯t have died for nothing. Did you investigate thoroughly to see who killed him?¡±

    ¡°We think it was a Huaxia special agent, but we don¡¯t have an inkling of evidence. The murder method was very generic, and without special characteristics, it was impossible to determine who did it. For a very long time, we all thought he¡¯d had a diving ident...¡±

    James looked down. The incident was a thorn at his side¡ªhe didn¡¯t hate Bai Yusheng¡¯s killer but the upper CIA bureaucrats. They had shifted all the me to him when it happened and totally neglected the one who had subverted Bai Yusheng in the first ce, refusing to give him any credit. If it hadn¡¯t been for the incident, James was certain to get the position of the director of the Asian Intelligence Branch.

    ¡°Very well, then. We need to be even more careful. I¡¯ll report this to the higher-ups to have them investigate the informant providing them intelligence from the Huaxia Empire so they don¡¯t fall into the trap.¡± Sean finished speaking and pointed rudely at the office door. ¡°Get out!¡± This attitude was thest straw, which pushed Sean over the edge from wavering at the edge. Clenching his fists, he turned to leave.

    ...

    It was another weekend, and Gu Nianzhi was packing her suitcase in the Huaxia Imperial B University post-grad dorm. The silk scarf Huo Shaoheng had sent her was carefully tucked in her backpack. Then she went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to spend the weekend after telling Ma Qiqi she¡¯d see her next week. She hadn¡¯t been back for a long time, and this time, she nned to stay for two days and help clean Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room. She called Yin Shixiong to ask him to send a car to pick her up. Yin Shixiong agreed and set the time for her to wait at her dorm entrance.

    When Gu Nianzhi came downstairs, she saw a silver BMW sedan with a military license te that must have been sent by Yin Shixiong. However, Zhao Liangze was the one toe out of the opened door!

    Gu Nianzhi was very happy and ran over to ask, ¡°Brother Ze! When did youe back?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been back for a few days now.¡± Zhao Liangze smiled with open arms to hug Gu Nianzhu. ¡°Let Brother Ze see. Hmm, very good. You look rosy and seem to have gained some weight¡ªow! Why did you step on my foot?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t even finish his sentence before Gu Nianzhi fiercely stomped on his toes so hard he nearly cried.

    Gu Nianzhi wore strappy sandals with small high-heels that could double as weapons. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for calling me fat!¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to look away angrily. ¡°If you say it again, I¡¯ll do more than step on you!¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. Brother Ze said the wrong thing and pissed off Miss Gu!¡± Zhao Liangze bowed jokingly and giggled with Gu Nianzhi.

    After they got in the car, Gu Nianzi finally remembered what he was saying and pouted. ¡°Brother Ze, stop calling me Miss Gu. That¡¯s someone else, and it might make others misunderstand.¡±

    Miss Gu was obviously Gu Yanran now. They made ns to see Gu Xiangwen the next day, and since it was on the way, Gu Nianzhi had decided to go earlier and stay a night at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Zhao Liangze giggled. ¡°Then what should I call you? Little Miss Gu? Yeah, you have a little brain...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one with a little brain! Your entire family has little brains!¡± Gu Nianzhi got even more upset. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Little Miss Gu, either.¡±

    ¡°Then what should I call you?¡± Zhao Liangze joked purposely.

    ¡°Nianzhi, of course, you¡¯ve always called me that. Why did you change today?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Fine, stop joking around, and I won¡¯t ask you about that.¡±

    She had been lectured constantly over these past few days, so she already understood that she couldn¡¯t ask about Huo Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯t hold back from asking Yin Shixiong and Chen Lie before, but not only did they not tell her anything, but they lectured her, too. Gu Nianzhi learned from her mistakes, so she stopped herself from asking Zhao Liangze, who went abroad on the mission with Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhao Liangze nodded with a smile. ¡°Actually, I wouldn¡¯t even know what to say even if you asked me. Mr. Huo is still on a mission, but mine is alreadyplete.¡±

 Chapter 585 - Brother and Lover

    <h4>Chapter 585: Chapter 585 Brother and Lover</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s words were very reassuring for Gu Nianzhi. He said it so casually and naturally, that it shouldn¡¯t be a dangerous mission at all. Gu Nianzhi happily went back to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence with Zhao Liangze and on the way there, she told him much about what she had been doing in thest month or two.

    Zhao Liangze was not as chatty as Yin Shixiong, so he was listening most the time and chimed in asionally or asked questions to continue the conversation. By the time they arrived at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, Gu Nianzhi was shocked to discover that she hadn¡¯t visited in only a month or two, even though it felt much longer. Yin Shixiong had already asked the kitchen to prepare a table full of dinner and waited for them so they could enjoy it together.

    At dinner time, Gu Nianzhi received a call from Gu Yanran. ¡°Nianzhi, where are you? I stewed sea cucumber soup and wanted to send a pot to you, but when I got to your school, you weren¡¯t there.¡± Gu Yanran loved to experiment in the kitchen and was great at everything from baking cakes to making soups.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to cook and had always avoided doing it. ¡°No thanks, Sister. I¡¯m staying over at Huo Shao¡¯s for the weekend,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered with a smile and was in a great mood.

    ¡°Huo Shao? He¡¯s back?¡± Gu Yanran was both surprised and delighted. ¡°Silly girl, what would his parents think if you suddenly went to his house without letting them know first?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao doesn¡¯t live with his parents... Just how old is he, anyway? Why would he still be leeching off his parents...¡± Gu Nianzi avoided her sister¡¯s question and didn¡¯t disclose Huo Shaoheng¡¯s whereabouts. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze gave her a big thumbs up while she made a face at them. ¡°Ok, Sister. I have to go now. I¡¯m having dinner, and it¡¯s rude to be on the phone.¡±

    Gu Yanran could only agree but still reminded her, ¡°We¡¯re going to see Father tomorrow, don¡¯t forget.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and ended the call before setting the phone aside.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t ask why Gu Yanran was looking for Gu Nianzhi but served her a bowl of soup. ¡°This is carp broth and was stewed well. The fish is overcooked now andpletely melted into the soup.¡± Gu Nianzhi loved having soup and epted it with a smile, using a spoon to sip it.

    The dinnersted two hours. For Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, this was a rare, rxing opportunity. Once Zhao Liangze finished eating, his phone rang, and he nced at it with some disappointment before picking it up. ¡°Good evening, Bai Shuang.¡±

    Bai Shuang had called and smiled. ¡°Little Ze, when did you get back? Why didn¡¯t you say anything. Aren¡¯t we still friends?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I was so busy with writing reports aftering back and handing in work that I haven¡¯t had time to rx until just now. I was nning to call you guys tomorrow.¡± Zhao Liangze cradled a cup of tea in one hand as he spoke to Bai Shaung over the phone. Gu Nianzhi wished her ears would turn into a rabbit¡¯s so they could overhear what he was saying. Of course, she didn¡¯t intend to eavesdrop on Zhao Liangze but wanted to find out if Zhao Liangze would say anything about Huo Shaoheng at all.

    From the corner of his eyes, Zhao Liangze spied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intent expression. He patted her head with a chuckle and got up to go to his room to continue the call. Gu Nianzhi sank back into her chair with obvious regret. ¡°Oh, that Brother Ze, why is he being so secretive about a phone call?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not being secretive. Could he allow you to eavesdrop?¡± Yin Shixiong saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little trick at first nce. ¡°Ok, stop worrying for nothing. Go back to your room and rest. You¡¯ll visit your father at Chen Lie¡¯s tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and went back to her room on the second floor. Her room directly faced Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite, but unfortunately, there was nothing there right now. Pushing open the door to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite, she walked inside. The room was very clean and tidy, just like the owner had never left and woulde out from the bedroom at any moment.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed quietly and thought about if she should go back and count the days to see when Huo Shaoheng would return. After leaving his suite, she went back to her room and prepared to shower. After showering, she took the silk scarves and tried them on one by one. Her deft hands made many beautiful knots that encircled her slender neck. The silk scarves were very high quality and so soft and smooth around her neck. Soon after, they warmed up and felt like a lover¡¯s caress. Gentle yet trembling, her heart gradually calmed down as well.

    That night, she embraced the silk scarves as she slept and pretended Huo Shaoheng was staying with her. When she got up the next day, she saw that she had crumpled the silk scarves into a ball, and they had lost their beauty from the night before. Like a stunning beauty ravaged all night by a careless man, her allure had faded...

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her cheeks, amused by her own imagination. After washing up, she went to breakfast and headed to Chen Lie¡¯s so she could wait for Gu Yanran to arrive. They nned to visit their father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Because Gu Nianzhi came from the base, she arrived early, and Chen Lie wasn¡¯t in the ward yet. Gu Nianzhi opened his office doors to see Ye Zitan inside alone. She was just standing up in front of theputer. ¡°Dr. Ye, you¡¯re so early.¡± Gu Nianzhi greeted Ye Zitan with a friendly smile.

    Ye Zitan smiled gently and came over to ask, ¡°Did you have breakfast yet? There are beef buns in the base cafeteria today. Haven¡¯t you always loved them?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her palms with a giggle. ¡°It isn¡¯t me who loves beef buns, Dr. Ye is misremembering.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It wasn¡¯t you? Then who could it be?¡± Ye Zitan alsoughed. ¡°Could it be Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao loves them, and another person as well.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Ye Zitan. ¡°Dr. Ye is deliberating not saying it?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Ye Zitan asked quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s Brother Chen, of course!¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands. ¡°Brother Chen also loves eating beef buns...¡±

    Ye Zitan appeared thoughtful. ¡°Dr. Chen? He can¡¯t have anymore meat. Any more, and it¡¯ll endanger his health.¡± In other words, she was saying Chen Lie was too fat.

    Gu Nianzhi appeared unaffected. ¡°Brother Chen actually isn¡¯t fat, he¡¯s just a bit rounder than others.¡±

    Ye Zitan finally burst intoughter at her words and walked to Gu Nianzhi to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so humorous. No wonder Dr. Chen loves you so much. How could he not, with your glib tongue and how much you protect him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help discreetly assessing Ye Zitan when she said this. She hoped that Ye Zitan wasn¡¯t having a misunderstanding. Gu Nianzhi knew Chen Lie liked Ye Zitan, and Ye Zitan also seemed to be a bit interested in him that way. But both of them were slow when it came to love and took time to warm up. Although they had mutual feelings for each other, no one was breaking down the barrier between them. Would Gu Nianzhi want to be the one to break it down? Gu Nianzhi considered it for a while and decided to give up. People who were nosy and got involved with other people¡¯s rtionships were the least likeable kind. Gu Nianzi didn¡¯t want to affect the rtionship between Chen Lie and Ye Zitan, so she could only remove herself from it. ¡°Dr. Ye, Brother Chen is just like my brother. Of course I must protect him.¡±

    ¡°I know. Dr, Chen is your brother, while Huo Shao is your lover...¡± Ye Zitian smiled at her jokingly, a trace of pity in her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind it as long as Ye Zitan didn¡¯t misunderstand her rtionship with Chen Lie. She could ignore anything else Ye Zitan said. ¡°Dr. Ye, Huo Shao isn¡¯t my lover but my boyfriend.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°Dr. Chen would know better than anyone else...¡±

    Ye Zitan looked down to organize medical charts with a smile as she casually chatted with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Huo Shao should almost be back by now? I saw that Little Ze and the other men have returned.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Ah...¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit taken aback. This was the first time someone took the initiative to bring up Huo Shao to her. She didn¡¯t even have to ask people about him! How exciting! She instantly perked up and nodded. ¡°I was thinking the same thing. But Brother Ze said that they came back as soon as their mission was over. Huo Shao still has a mission.¡±

    ¡°He still has a mission? This sure is a long one.¡± Ye Zitan shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s never had such a long one before. Nianzhi, do you miss Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°I do. How could I not miss him? I miss him every day, but his work is like this. He can¡¯t abandon his work and stay with me no matter how much I miss him.¡± Gu Nianzhi propped up her chin and sat on the couch in a daze.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you can understand.¡± Ye Zitan also sighed. ¡°You have so much time ahead of you, and that¡¯s how the days will always be.¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel too bad about it. She thought about it before replying, ¡°As long as he only has me in his heart and only loves me, I don¡¯t care how apart we have to be.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you wouldn¡¯t mind, even if you¡¯re separated for a long period of time?¡± Ye Zitan was very surprised. ¡°Actually, when two people are apart for a long time, they can drift apart easily. Otherwise, how could so many long distance rtionships fail?¡±

    ¡°That also depends on the person.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to discuss it any further. She didn¡¯t get involved with Chen Lie and Ye Zitan¡¯s rtionship, and she also didn¡¯t want people toment on her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng. She had no need to share anything with others.

    Ye Zitan didn¡¯t say anything more when Gu Nianzhi mmed up. She tidied up and patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek with pity like she was biting her tongue. When Ye Zitan walked past Gu Nianzhi while hugging a stack of files, a clear file fell to the ground. Gu Nianzhi saw that Ye Zitan was struggling with the things she carried and bent over to pick up the clear file for her. Her eyes identally scanned over the file, and she saw that a letter envelope was inside. It was from a German address, and that handwriting was none other than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Gu Nianzhi stiffened slightly and inserted the file back into the stack that Ye Zitan was holding. She asked nonchntly, ¡°Dr. Ye, are these your things?¡±

    Ye Zitan shook her head. ¡°These are Dr. Chen¡¯s, and I¡¯m helping him clean up and categorize so they can be archived in the appropriate category.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi mulled it over. Could Huo Shaoheng also have written a letter to Chen Lie? Why didn¡¯t he email or use instant messaging? Could it be that a traditional letter was more secure and private? Gu Nianzhi originally wanted to ask Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze again, or even try Chen Lie to see if Huo Shaoheng was in Germany. Now that she saw Huo Shaoheng sending Chen Lie a letter from Germany, it confirmed he was indeed in Germany...

 Chapter 586 - Iâ€™m Pissed!

    <h4>Chapter 586: Chapter 586 ¨C I¡¯m Pissed!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was overthinking things as she walked Ye Zitan to the door and happened to run into Gu Yanraning in. This time, she came alone and didn¡¯t bring Ye Xuan.

    Gu Nianzhi waved to Ye Zitan and turned around to follow Gu Yanran to visit their father, Gu Xiangwen. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s condition was about the same. It hadn¡¯t improved or worsened. Gu Nianzhi was heartbroken to see Gu Xiangwen lying on the bed, wasting away so much that no one could tell what he had originally looked like. Who would¡¯ve thought the handsome and incredibly intelligent Mr. Gu would turn into a skeleton?

    ¡°...Sis, should we have Father go through a craniotomy?¡± Gu Nianzhi suggested quietly. ¡°I think that he might have a blood clot in his brain since he hasn¡¯t woken at all.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. A craniotomy is too risky. There¡¯s still hope that he¡¯ll wake up if he stays like this, but he¡¯ll lose his life instantly if the craniotomy fails. Nianzhi, how can you be so cold-blooded?¡± Gu Yanran stared painfully at Gu Nianzhi, her tone usatory.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent. It was a waste of breath to talk to people on the wrong wavelength. She sat down and started twiddled her fingers, no longer interested in chatting with Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran also ignored her and grabbed a towel to wipe Gu Xiangwen¡¯s face and hands.

    Chen Lie finally arrived at Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ward after a while. He was surprised to see the sisters separated¡ªone in a daze on the couch and the other looking out the window with her arms crossed. He went over to Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯ve finallye,¡± he said. ¡°Here. Last time, you promised to tell me everything about your father¡¯s situation back then.¡±

    Gu Yanran arched her brow and nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell her? Didn¡¯t she tell you?¡±

    ¡°She did, but I still think there are some points that weren¡¯t clear. She¡¯s not a professional, so it¡¯s better that I ask you personally.¡± Chen Lie giggled and took Gu Yanran to the small room nearby to sit down and talk.

    Gu Nianzhi saw this and assumed he was going to put a lie detector on Gu Yanran. She couldn¡¯t stay here and raise her voice at the people inside the room.

    ¡°Brother Chen, Sis, I still have things to do,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now!¡±

    ¡°Go on! You have no business here!¡± Chen Lie didn¡¯t even look up as he waved her off.

    It was already noon on Sunday, and Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t there, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t n to stay any longer. She packed her things and said goodbye to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze so they would have someone drive her back to school.

    When she got back to campus, she sat at her desk and watched the sun outside her window, gradually setting in the west. Another week had passed, and tomorrow, she would wee a new week!

    There were no sses on Monday the next day, but Gu Nianzhi still went to He Zhichu¡¯s office toplete her daily duties as his legal assistant as usual. He Zhichu didn¡¯t have summer sses, but he still had work from his Americanw firm. After dealing with the daily emails, Gu Niaznzhi stared nkly at theputer screen and seemed to be absentminded.

    He Zhichu knew from her expression that she wouldn¡¯t absorb anything from reading right now. He finally sent several cases from theirw firm to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°See which one you¡¯re interested in and let me know.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s email was sinct, yet the cases themselves were fairlyplex.

    Gu Nianzhi studied them all afternoon, but her eyes were still on the case of the female exchange student murdered in Germany. Not only did she want to do something for that unfortunate female exchange student, but she also had an ulterior motive. Huo Shao was also there, so she wanted to be closer to him. Although he might continue to leave her, she could also choose to continuously move closer to him. That way, the gap between them wouldn¡¯t be so vast.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly contemted it and sent the case to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, this one is quite interesting.¡±

    He Zhichu read Gu Nianzhi¡¯s email and smiled knowingly. He sent back a simple reply: ¡°I understand.¡±

    This case had the advantage that they were required to go to Europe, so he could simply take Gu Nianzhi abroad to take her mind off things. He Zhichu didn¡¯t like to see her pining mindlessly for another man. It would be good to have something to distract her, and this case might be just the thing. He Zhichu immediately sent an email to his Americanw firm to indicate that he was epting the case.

    Because of the time difference, it was nighttime in the Huaxia Empire and daytime in America when the firm saw the email. They were very pleased to see Lawyer He, who seldom epted cases finally take the first non-corporatew case for the year. How could they not be excited? He Zhichu had never epted a criminal case like this. However, they would be hired as intiffs of the used not for the criminal trial but for the apanying civilwsuit. After epting the case, He Zhichu had Gu Nianzhi write a proposal.

    ¡°Nianzhi, the criminal proceedings for this case are still ongoing, so in other words, it may not be concluded by the time the civil proceedings open trial. Are you mentally prepared?¡± He Zhuchi sat at his desk and solemnly asked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions and ns.

    Gu Nianzhi carefully went over all the information rted to the casest night and was getting more and more passionate. She had many ideas and was excited to give it a try. ¡°Professor He, I thought about it carefully, and I don¡¯t think this civil case has much to do with the criminal case. So it doesn¡¯t make a big difference whether the criminal proceedings have concluded.¡±

    ¡°Keep going.¡± He Zhichu smiled with encouragement.

    Gu Nianzhi took out the case outline she had written down the day before. ¡°Professor He, as for the criminal case, the intiff doesn¡¯t need to hire awyer because the German prosecution is making these charges. They have their own prosecutor performing the duties of awyer. As legal representatives of the intiff¡¯s parents, we don¡¯t need to go directly to court for their criminal case, but we can supervise the German intiff¡¯s prosecution and prosecutors to ensure that they perform their duties.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s indifferent face revealed a hint of praise. ¡°And then?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slim and delicate fingers gently tapped on He Zhichu¡¯s desk. ¡°The entire case had been botched from the beginning by the German police¡¯s exploitation of official power for personal reasons. So we have reason to believe that the German prosecution and the prosecutor may have possibly engaged in malpractice. If the case is ruled in favor of the victim and the intiff is sentenced appropriately, then our civil case will only consist of seekingpensation from the local German police station, because their high-ranking officer immediately held a press conference using the used¡¯s excuse to discredit the victim. This was a major dereliction of duty, and the German police had only let this senior official retreat from the bacsh by using the excuse of taking a long vacation. I¡¯m pissed about this!¡±

    He Zhichu inclined his chin slightly. ¡°You¡¯re right. In order for civilwsuits to achieve a punching effect, it would require the seeking of massive civilpensation. If the sum is too low, it¡¯s not a punishment at all.¡±

 Chapter 587 - So Vicious, I Even Scare Myself

    <h4>Chapter 587: Chapter 587 So Vicious, I Even Scare Myself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Professor He taught us that civilwsuitpensation must be enforced ording to the financial ability of the other party, so we must find a target to maximize the profit. ording to this case, suing the local German police and that high-ranking police officer is the most direct and effective way of demandingpensation. Also, the defendant¡¯s parents will be among the defendants in the civil case.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly took out another case analysis. ¡°If I can¡¯t sue and bankrupt the parents, who abused power to cover for their son¡¯s crime of torturing and abusing an innocent person, I will leave the realm of the legal profession.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, I do admire your determination, but must you make such an oath?¡± He Zhichuughed. She was still too young and unbridled... But he happened to love how unbridled she was. If she wanted to make the world hers, then he would support her until the very end.

    ¡°You also said to express determination...¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled with a cock of her head. ¡°I need to let them know that I can get so vicious, I even scare myself!¡±

    ¡°Fine, but be more serious.¡± He Zhichu red at her, his shimmering, sultry eyes shing so quickly, Gu Nianzhi felt dizzy. He Zhichu was even more pleased, although he didn¡¯t betray it in his expression at all. He rubbed his forehead. ¡°This case isn¡¯t tooplicated, but because the defendant¡¯s parents were high-ranking police officials involved in the investigation, a lot of the direct evidence can no longer be found.¡±

    ¡°I hate that the most. When the criminal proceedings ur, there is a high possibility of the defendant of escaping punishment due to the principle of ¡®innocent until proven guilty¡¯ and the circumstances of missing direct evidence.¡± Gu Nianzhi balled her tiny fists and hit the desk. ¡°So I will not let them off! Even if they escape criminal punishment, the civilpensation will be enough to drag them from heaven right to hell!¡±

    ¡°What results do you want to achieve?¡± He Zhichu sped his hands and leaned back against the high-backed chair. He squinted to watch Gu Nianzhi intently.

    ¡°I want the murderer¡¯s parents to lose their jobs and be expelled from the police force. I want them to bear the responsibility of the massive civilpensation. If they cannot pay it even by going bankrupt, then they can only go to jail.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands, her expression firm yet sly.

    ¡°Very well. That¡¯s vicious.¡± He Zhichu nodded with approval. ¡°Then you should prepare from that angle. Right, what about your passport? Give it to me, and I¡¯ll have someone apply for a German visa for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already switched to a new passport because she couldn¡¯t use her old identity anymore. Although she was using her true identity now, she was still a bit unustomed to it. Standing up to pick up her backpack, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back to get my passport and give it to you in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m free, anyway. I¡¯ll take you there and pick up the passport on the way.¡± He Zhichu stood up as well. Gu Nianzhi wanted to refuse, but she became mute at the sight of He Zhichu¡¯s half smile. Hugging her backpack, she followed him outside and went directly back to her dorm to give her passport to him. He Zhichu left without saying anything else, and Gu Nianzhi sighed with relief. She was finally going to Germany. Would she have a chance of seeing Huo Shao?

    ...

    As Gu Nianzhi busied herself with preparing to go abroad, Huo Shaoheng had arrived at a critical moment in the US. He needed to convince James to be a high-ranking informant within the CIA for him, so he had to do something to earn his trust. Huo Shaoheng already had a goal: the rising star of the CIA, Sean. This man was too cunning and had discreetly amassed arge amount of information and intelligence about Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng disliked being studied by another like that, and although he couldn¡¯t remove photos and videos of himself from the past, he could at least remove the people watching him with ulterior motives.

    For the next two weeks after that, Huo Shaoheng did nothing but change disguises daily and scope out the areas near the CIA¡¯s New York offices. He gradually familiarized himself with Sean¡¯s daily patterns. He would drive there to work at 8am every morning and go out for lunch at noon. He left work on time at 5pm every day. Because Sean was a high-ranking officer, secret agents from the US Department of Defense protected him both obviously and discreetly. There were at least four hidden snipers clearing paths for him. This man feared death more than even James and was even more powerful.

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s understanding of the CIA, the security level surrounding Sean was approaching that of important figures like the head of the CIA. In other words, this man had a very powerful background, so he couldn¡¯t have been simply promoted. The person supporting him in behind the scenes was actually helping him be the head of the CIA. This was also even more reason that this man could no longer be allowed to live.

    Huo Shaohengpleted his observations and created a n of operation alone in his apartment. Under the sole light in the dining room, heid severalrge sheets of nk paper on the wooden dining table and used charcoal to draw many swirling lines. Upon careful inspection, these nearly formed aplete map of New York City. He didn¡¯t use aputer or an online search but had only bought several maps of New York to copy. He had always done such work and knew that the inte was not secure. Now that he was in foreign territory, it was an even stronger reason not to use the inte or aputer to create his n of operation. It would be more secure to use a traditional method.

    After repeatedly studying the entire operation several times, he finally threw therge sheets covering the table into the bathtub and burned them to ash. He then flushed the ashes down the toilet. Returning to his bedroom, Huo Shaoheng sat before hisrge desk and began arranging the weapons he needed. This time, in order to eliminate Sean, he had no way of using a sniper. Because he was alone and had no way of sessfully escaping from four sniper teams and a dozen secret police officers, he had to think of another way.

    Huo Shaoheng had carefully analyzed Sean as a person. Although he was very capable and had a strong background, it was apparent from his methods that he was very confident, almost to the point of conceit. Also, because he was rather young, and young people were often audacious and had yet to experience many hardships, they had difficulty controlling their emotions. Sean was one year older than Huo Shaoheng, but his endurance and control were noparison. That could only be umted from learning and experience. The only way to deal with someone like this was goading them into action.

    ...

    It was August and the hottest point of the summer. Sean entered the office, and the sudden burst of air conditioning instantly refreshed him. Taking strides with his long legs, he walked to his office and sat down at the desk. Just as he was about to turn on theputer, he suddenly noticed a white envelope on his desk. A flowery script unfurled on it with a single line, ¡°Dear Sean, from an old friend.¡± There was no postmark, stamp, address, or even return address. There was only a simple greeting and an even more simple signature, ¡°from an old friend.¡± This was certainly provocation! Sean mmed the desk angrily, and before his logicpletely left him, he remembered to put on a pair of stic gloves before opening the envelope. There was a single sheet of paper inside. Pulling it out to read, he was instantly livid. Two sentences were printed on it. ¡°Do your parents know that you took other people¡¯s credit to make yourself look good? Coward, you will lose everything when they find out you are just an ipetent bastard.¡±

    ¡°Coward! Coward! Coward! You¡¯re the real coward!¡± Sean kicked the desk over, and theputer on it crashed to the ground. The letter fluttered up. The door was pushed open at once, and his subordinates rushed inside. The Deputy Director, James, stood at the front, and the letter happened to fly towards him. James instinctively grabbed it, and he stiffened when he nced over the letter. His colleagues standing behind him also read it, and they all had difficulty restraining the smiles growing on their faces.

    Sean looked up to see the gloating faces that his subordinates failed to conceal and was so angry he jumped up. ¡°Get out! Get out! Get the hell out of here!¡± Sean huffed as he supported himself on the back of the chair. ¡°Who told you all toe in?!¡±

    James rubbed his nose and passed the letter back to Sean. ¡°We were just about to tell you that we¡¯ve discovered the ¡®kidnapper¡¯ has appeared in the Upper East Side.¡±

    ¡°Kidnapper?!¡± Sean jerked his head up and squinted. ¡°Tell me his address! I¡¯ll take men to investigate right away!¡±

    ¡°Haha, he really does like using other people¡¯s work to get all the credit...¡± One of the colleagues muttered quietly. ¡°It was clearly James who had found him, but it somehow became Sean¡¯s credit...¡±

    ¡°Of course, just who are we talking about here? He has someone backing him from above...¡± Although they spoke quietly, they didn¡¯t attempt to suppress their voices, so everyone heard it while pretending not to.

    Sean took a deep breath and knew he still had to demonstrate some ability in order to truly be these people¡¯s boss. Otherwise, they would never truly ept him with merely a promotion from the higher ups. They would deliberately bezy with work and disobey him, so he wouldn¡¯tst long as Director, anyway. The point was, as a boss and leader, this proved that his leadership was insufficient to earn the respect of subordinates. If he couldn¡¯t even seed as merely the Director of the Asian Intelligence Branch, then how could he ever have a chance or possibility of pursuing even higher positions?!

    Sean squinted. ¡°Get out! Didn¡¯t you hear me?!¡± James was the first to leave, and the colleagues following him all suddenly dispersed as well. It was obvious that James was the true leader of the department, because everyone obeyed him. Sean balled his hands into fists and stood expressionless in the office for a while before suddenly walking out. This time, he decided to personally go out and get rid of the mysterious Hua Xia Imperial Major General.

 Chapter 588 - Want to Play?

    <h4>Chapter 588: Chapter 588 ¨C Want to y?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Only by personally defeating this Huaxia Major General would people stop doubting Sean¡¯s abilities. That was how he had to win the respect and trust of these old-timers in the CIA. In order to be a leader, he first needed to prove that he could control his subordinates¡¯ ability, and this ability was based on using his own power tomand the loyalty of his subordinates. A slick tongue would do nothing for these people since they all were good negotiators themselves. The only possible way to was to earn their respect with true ability.

    Sean left the office and called over his security team. ¡°I have a confidential mission in the next few days so I can¡¯t have all of you following me around. You guys stay here for a little while and monitor the people here. If anything strange happens, call me right away.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± the security team agreed in unison and immediately divided responsibilities in monitoring the entire Asian Intelligence Branch.

    Unfortunately, they were only security personnel. Everyone in the branch was skilled in monitoring others, so their methods werepletely useless. Instead of monitoring the branch, they ended up being the ones monitored. At lunchtime, several of the agents from the branch grumbled to James, ¡°What do these people want? What are they watching us for? Why aren¡¯t they protecting that fearless little runt?¡±

    James knew they were referring to Sean but only kept smiling quietly. He took a bite of his hamburger and suddenly felt that the sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the osmanthus fragrance was permeating the air; everyone looked so likable, and if not to amodate that person, James would¡¯ve bought iced coffees for all the security personnel secretly monitoring them...

    The weather was getting hot. Huo Shaoheng also felt this way, as he¡¯d been weaving his way through the New York alleyways and between the tall buildings over the past few days. He was so hot he could explode. Not far behind him was a scruffy man wearing a straw hat who had been following him the whole time. Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been returning to his rented luxury apartment but pretending to be a criminal atrge, darting through the poorest and dodgiest streets of New York.

    Today, he was in Harlem, which was like night and daypared to Fifth Avenue, the order of the Upper East Side, or the understated luxury of the vis in Long Ind. Harlem was full of all kinds of vicious gangsters who would start a shootout without a second word. There was at least one shootout a day and countless street fights, so even the police ignored it. As for the shootouts, the police only cared when there were mass casualties. They disregarded it all, otherwise. This was truly a paradise for criminals.

    Huo Shaoheng remembered how, when the CIA and FBI had first pursued him, they¡¯d assumed that he would hide there. They hadbed through the area like a rat¡¯s nest several times, destroying many gangs. Because of this, the gang leaders were enraged and assumed the police were truly after them under the guise of arresting a kidnapper. That was why there were ck vehicles driving recklessly on Fifth Avenue a few weeks ago and had started a shootout. Huo Shaoheng had saved the little girl from the gang shootout that day, and since then, the American police and military had given up searching Harlem and other areas of high crime rates to focus on high-endmunities instead. But they¡¯d never thought that Huo Shaoheng would reappear in the most chaotic areas.

    ...

    Sean had been tailing Huo Shaoheng for several days now but still couldn¡¯t figure out where he was staying. This man was too sly and alert. There were several instances when Sean almost got him but still managed to lose him. It as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

    Sean was thoroughly provoked and had been chasing after him endlessly for thest few days. He swore to personally kill him! Yes, his original goal had been to personally arrest him, but after thest few days, he knew it would be impossible to catch Huo Shaoheng alive. If that was the case, he would send him to hell!

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly stopped ahead and looked around as he stood in front of the window of a very old and rundown store. He seemed to be looking at something.

    On the shabby streets of Harlem, an unfriendly ck man walked past in the street. Colorful graffiti covered the walls between the alleyways in unknown patterns. Several voluptuous and somewhat overweight ck prostitutes d in tight tank tops, short shorts, and 10-centimeter high heels solicited for business on the streets. Their breasts were like huge pairs of balloons, their lips shimmering in red, and their ck skin shining. Their coarse hair was arranged into countless little braids and wrapped intorge buns at the backs of their heads. With cigarettes dangling between their fingers, they whistled at anyone walking past them and giggled, ¡°Hey handsome, want to y?¡±

    People ignored them, but instead of getting angry, they continued to whistle and tease the next targets. It was as if, instead of being prostitutes, they were the ones soliciting for sex.

    Sean was intently focused on the target ahead andpletely failed to notice the ck prostitutes on the street. He didn¡¯t expect to be surrounded instantly as they tried to tease him. One of the prostitutes saw that he was handsome and even offered to sleep with him for free... Sean was enraged and shoved the prostitutes away, but Huo Shaoheng had already disappeared ahead. He had expended all that effort to find Huo Shaoheng and had even used a bit of the intelligence of James¡¯s informant, yet he¡¯d lost him again after tailing him for thest few days!

    Clenching his fists, he gritted his teeth and turned back to quickly return to his office in CIA headquarters. Using the CIA¡¯s authority, he requested the Harlem police to send him the local surveince footage for the day. Although the Harlem police didn¡¯t get involved much, they still quickly cooperated at the request of the CIA for surveince footage. Soon after, Sean got ahold of the video and took the entire night to finish watching all the footage. This time, he thought he had found where Huo Shaoheng was hiding.

    There was an unassuming building in the streets of Harlem with stores on the ground level and six floors of residential apartments on the upper levels. Sean carefully studied the apartment¡¯s surroundings and finally locked onto a shorter building across from the apartment. This building was only three floors tall, which was half the height of the apartment building Huo Shaoheng was in. The two buildings faced each other directly, with a main road running in between, and the direct distance was less than 100 meters. It was within sniping range¡ªSean¡¯s specialty. Sean had always been praised as a natural marksman, and when he¡¯d served in Europe, he hadpleted many assassinations without ever failing.

 Chapter 589 - A Big Gift Has Arrived

    Chapter 589: Chapter 589 A Big Gift Has Arrived

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although Sean had someone backing him, he was also very capable himself. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have risen through the ranks so quickly. This time, he had to make a big move to make the CIA intelligence personnelpletely ept him. By dusk the next day, Sean had already been hiding out on the top level of the building across from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s apartment the entire day. The whole time, he only saw Huo Shaoheng three times¨Cin the morning, at noon, and in the evening, probably when he was going to dinner.

    He kneeled on one leg without moving on the balcony on the third floor. He had measured the wind speed and airflow many times already. The dark and heavy scope was the American military¡¯s most advanced digitized smart scope, its uracyparable to the radar thatunched ballistic missiles. As soon as it locked onto a target, the target would never survive.

    The sun set in the west, thest rays of sunshine casting geometric patterns onto the skyscrapers of New York with the flourish of an abstract artist. Huo Shaoheng came downstairs and as usual, stood in front of the store windows for a while. Sean was on the rooftop of the building across the street observing Huo Shaoheng for the day, and at the same time, Huo Shaoheng had also been watching him the entire day. This man wasn¡¯t very patient, and Huo Shaoheng noticed he shook out his hand nearly three times every hour and stood up to kick his leg every three hours.

    Although it was very quick, this was a fatal error for snipers. This meant the sniper was unable to focus during a steakout. However, at dusk, Huo Shaoheng knew Sean couldn¡¯t wait any longer, and he must make a move then. Walking out from his hiding spot, Huo Shaoheng was already fully prepared. Hidden in his sleeve was a modified high-power and high-precision long-handled sniping rifle. Of course, it had diminished range and powerpared to an AMR, but its range and precision were enough to deal with the man on the rooftop across the street. Standing before the windows, feeling the scorching setting sun shining in from the side, Huo Shaoheng also sensed a barely detectable, tiny red dot. It moved slowly from the window and onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back to finally aim at his heart.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t turn around. When the tiny red dot projected from the rooftop across the street disappeared from the store windows, he already knew he was being targeted. Seeing the red dot disappear, Huo Shaoheng realized without a doubt that the enemy was going to snipe him. His eyes shed briefly, and the moment the red disappeared, he quickly moved sideways, and his left hand reached out from his shirt pocket at the speed of light. Opening his palm, it revealed a crystal prism that wavered in the scope¡¯s direction, sparkling on the rooftop of the building across the street. This crystal prism was not only smooth andpletely colorless, but it also had the ability to act as a convex lens. It could converge light to reflect as well as magnify the strength of the light a hundred times. In that moment, the crystal prism converged the fading light of the setting sun and directly reflected it back into Sean¡¯s scope!

    Sean had been watching Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back through the scope with his left eye, and his fingers were nearly about to pull the trigger when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back suddenly disappeared from the crosshairs. What reced it was a burst of powerful light like a small sun! Sean cried out, and his left eye felt as if it had been burned by aser. The pain made his hands shake, and he pulled the trigger.

    As expected, this type of shot made by reflex had no effect at all, and he had no idea where the bulletnded. He could only hear the sound of a bullet slicing through the air with a whistle. Huo Shaoheng took the opportunity to quickly pull out the high-power, long-handled sniper rifle that had been hidden in his left sleeve the entire time. He aimed at the target that had wavered a moment ago!

    Bang! Another gunshot rang out. Sean was just about to rub his left eye when a bullet hole appeared on his forehead. Sean¡¯s eyes widened, and he had already gasped hisst breath before he could even seem to understand what had happened. He copsed on the rooftop with a thump. In the chaos, although both men had shot at the same moment, the people of Harlem only heard one shot. The people began screaming, ¡°The police are here!¡± and the sounds of thunder and chaotic footsteps immediately could be heard on the streets. Countless people started to run, and some quickly got inside parked cars to speed out of Harlem.

    Huo Shaoheng was no exception. His shot was fired nearly at the same time as Sean¡¯s, so much so that no one noticed he had also fired. He pulled up the hood on his sweatshirt to conceal his face and followed the crowds out of Harlem, all the way to the subway station. Before the police had blockaded the neighborhood, he went back to Grand Central terminal and got on a train to finally return to his long-empty apartment.

    To go from a dirty and chaotic low-ss area of New York to a sterile and modern high-end area, Huo Shaoheng found himself slightly jarred. He went back to his room and first took a shower topletely clean himself before ordering a pizza. He then sat on his couch and picked up the remote to turn on the TV. As expected, all the major TVworks were broadcasting the breaking news of the young and talented Director of the CIA Asian Intelligence Branch being shot in the head. From the live broadcast, Huo Shaoheng could even see Sean¡¯s dead face with his eyes open, as well as the crisp bullet hole in his forehead. Huo Shaoheng crossed himself with a smile. ¡°Rest in peace.¡±

    ...

    Soon after, the doorbell rang. Huo Shaoheng opened the door and epted the freshly baked pizza from the delivery boy. He even tipped him ten US dors. The order total was only 16 US dors, so it was a very generous payment in the delivery boy¡¯s career. He kept bowing and nodding to thank Huo Shaoheng. He waved at him with a smile and closed the door before putting the pizza box right on the coffee table in front of the sofa and cracking open a beer for himself.

    He drank beer as he had pizza and enjoyed his handiwork. The TV was airing Sean¡¯s sniper setup on the rooftop, now pointing at the sky in a lonely manner. The excited TV host then analyzed who had killed Sean, and who Sean was attempting to get rid of. But everyone¡¯s excitement didn¡¯t continue because the CIA quickly requested a court injunction to forbid the TVworks from reporting the incident again. Although it was still being circted online, everyone could only discuss using text, and none could post photos or videos. Huo Shaoheng sighed deeply and shut off the TV before going to bed. He hadn¡¯t slept for days and needed to catch up on rest.

    ...

    James didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to do as he promised and give him a big gift. Sean hadn¡¯t been dead for two days before the CIA promoted James to Director of the Asian Intelligence Branch. James knew how to manage his power, and immediately promoted his most loyal subordinate to Deputy Director,pletely changing the atmosphere within their division.

    Sitting in Sean¡¯s previous office, James felt more conflicted than ever. He pondered expressionlessly how Huo Shaoheng was truly capable, but his capabilities were far too strong. James silently warned himself that he was better off befriending someone like that. If he made Huo Shaoheng his enemy, he would have to first assess his own abilities and see if he was capable of going against that strength. Even Sean had been mysteriously shot in the head by him. Could James evenpare with Sean¡¯s youth and strength? Of course not, so what could he use to fight against Huo Shaoheng? It was obvious that working with him would be more beneficial. Also, he had already gotten his hands dirty, as Sean¡¯s death was partially due to James¡¯ involvement...

    James inhaled deeply and decided to go leave a message at 38 Shell Bay in Long Ind after he got off work. After the flurry of Sean¡¯s case died down, he would go meet with Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

    It was past 6pm, and the seaside by Long Ind was humid and hot in the summer evening. James walked there, and the back of his dark suit waspletely soaked with sweat. Standing before the short iron gates at 38 Shell Bay, Long Ind, he could hear a violin ying from the inside. The leaves trembled slightly, and it was a bit cooler than other ces, making it a rare paradise. James looked around before pressing the doorbell. After some time, a Chinese woman in her forties came over to ask, ¡°May I ask who you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    Since James hade to leave a message for Huo Shaoheng, he naturally needed to show some sincerity. He passed a letter to the woman and said, ¡°Please give this letter to Mr. Gu.¡± That was the secret code he agreed to with Huo Shaoheng.

    The woman shook her head. ¡°Are you at the wrong ce? This is the Tan household, not the Gu¡¯s.¡±

    James stiffened but remained insistent. ¡°May I ask if Miss Tan is at home? She knows about it.¡±

    Hearing the man mention their young mistress, the woman finally epted the letter. ¡°Then I shall go ask her.¡± She took the letter into the house and came to Tan Guiren¡¯s living room. ¡°Miss, there is a gentleman outside asking to pass this letter to Mr. Gu.¡±

    Tan Guiren was ying the violin and put down the bow at the words. She frowned. ¡°Mr. Gu? Didn¡¯t you tell him that this the Tan household, not the Gu¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°I already told him, but he said you knew about it...¡± The middle-aged woman quickly exined so Tan Guiren wouldn¡¯t think she was epting the letter blindly.

    Tan Guiren¡¯s mind began to work as she immediately remembered what Huo Shaoheng had said to her. She quickly rose. ¡°I remember, someone asked me to forward a letter.¡± She epted the letter from the middle-aged woman and hurried downstairs. Arriving at the front yard, she saw a neatly dressed middle-aged white man standing there with a smile. ¡°May I ask who you are...?¡± Tan Guiren asked him with curiosity. ¡°I¡¯ll forward this letter to Mr. Gu. May I ask if you have anything else to say to him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll understand when he reads the letter.¡± James set his mind at ease and nodded respectfully at Tan Guiren before walking away.

    After he left, Tan Guiren finally realized that Huo Shaoheng never gave her any contact information. Now she had no idea how to contact him. Carrying the letter back to the house with unease, Tan Guiren wanted to call her parents back home to ask if they had Huo Shaoheng¡¯s contact information.

 Chapter 590 - â€“ Very Entitled

    <h4>Chapter 590: Chapter 590 ¨C Very Entitled</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although asking for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s contact method from the Huaxia Empire was a very roundabout process, Tan Guiren had no choice. She was only thinking that since her parents had asked Huo Shaoheng to help her on a domestic level, shouldn¡¯t they should have his contact information? But she was feeling abashed and didn¡¯t know how to exin it to her parents. Since Huo Shaoheng had given her such an important task, she didn¡¯t want to botch it.

    After thinking about it all night without sleeping, Tan Guiren developed dark circles under her eyes. She finally had no choice but to call her parents back home.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s me,¡± she said.

    Tan Guiren had been rescued nearly a month ago but didn¡¯t want to go back. Although her parents were anxious, they hadn¡¯t forced her and had only assigned more security to protect her. Since her identity was known to the American police, they had also increased patrols on her street, and she was much safer than before.

    Tan Guiren¡¯s mother, Cai Songyin, was nervous as soon as she received her daughter¡¯s call. ¡°Guiren, are you ok? Listen to me. Come back soon. You¡¯re worrying us.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m ok.¡± Tan Guirenforted Cai Songyi quietly for a long time before asking, ¡°Mom, do you have that Major General Huo¡¯s contact information?¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo?¡± Cai Songyin stiffened, then remembered that he was the military Major General they had asked for assistance from. She quickly replied, ¡°What is it? You want to speak with him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I need to talk to him about something, but I can¡¯t get a hold of him,¡± Tan Guiren said hesitantly. ¡°Can you ask his friends and family back home, or colleagues and superiors, if there is a way to contact him?¡±

    Fewer than a dozen people in the Huaxia Empire knew the truth about Huo Shaoheng being stranded. Even Tan Guiren thought he was fine and only continuing his mission.

    ¡°Oh? Is that so? Is this urgent?¡± Cia Songying was worried about her daughter being in danger again. ¡°How about youe back first? I¡¯m really worried about you. Your grandparents all really miss you.¡±

    ¡°Mom, let me rest for a few more days,¡± Tan Guiren said gently. ¡°It¡¯s much safer here now. Things are a mess back home, and I don¡¯t want to be chased down by the media all day.¡±

    Even though she was hiding in America, the domestic media was relentless about pursuing her and even tried calling her all the time for interviews in order to get firsthand information. That was, until there was a domestic ban on all reports about Tan Guiren, so she could rx. But the ban would probably be lifted as soon as she went home.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your dad is busy with the election right now, and there is a lot of security at home. The media won¡¯t being here.¡± Cai Songying tried to convince Tan Guiren for a while, but she only relented in saying that she would consider it. At least she wasn¡¯t rejecting it outright like before.

    ¡°Mom, can you help me find a way to contact Major General Huo?¡± Tan Guiren switched her hand holding the phone. ¡°How did you get him to rescue me in the first ce? Can¡¯t we find that person again?¡±

    ¡°It was a friend who rmended him to us in the beginning, and they said that your safety would only be guaranteed if he went. They weren¡¯t wrong. only Major General Huo could save you from such a dangerous situation.¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s face flushed at her mother¡¯s words. Rubbing her earlobes, she whispered, ¡°Then can you ask your friend how to contact Major General Huo?¡±

    Cai Songyin was growing suspicious at the way her daughter repeatedly asked for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s information. She nodded with a smile. ¡°Ok, no problem. My friend doesn¡¯t have his contact information but only knew how amazing he is. We still have to contact the military to get Major General Huo¡¯s information.¡±

    Ending the call, Cia Songying contemted some more before directly calling General Ji.

    General Ji¡¯s personal secretary received her call and knew it was Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife, so he quickly asked General Ji if he wanted to take it. General Ji happened to finish a meeting and was reading some information, so he replied, ¡°Connect me to her.¡±

    The personal secretary forwarded Cai Songyin¡¯s call over.

    ¡°General Ji? Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to ask if you have Major General Huo¡¯s contact information,¡± Cai Songyin said politely. ¡°My daughter had something to ask him.¡±

    General Ji was stunned speechless. Was this family in over their heads? How very entitled they were!

    ¡°General Ji? Are you still listening?¡± Cai Songyin waiting for a long moment but didn¡¯t hear General Ji give a reply, so she thought the phone malfunctioned and began tapping it.

    General Ji finally grunted and replied coldly, ¡°Sorry. Shaoheng is not here. You can talk to him when he returns.¡±

    ¡°But my daughter has something urgent to ask him. You also know that my daughter is alone abroad. If something happens to her¡ª¡±

    Cai Songyin hadn¡¯t finished before General Ji raised his voice and said, ¡°Is it our fault your daughter is alone abroad? Why don¡¯t you people bring her back home?!¡±

    Cai Songyin flushed dark red and quickly replied, ¡°My daughter ising home very soon, but she really needs help right now. She needs to talk to Major General Huo.¡±

    General Ji was sick of bantering with her and said cooly, ¡°Talk to the conste if you have a problem. Shaoheng has business and isn¡¯t avable at your beck and call.¡± He hung up.

    Cai Songyin stared at her phone, unable to believe her ears. How rude was General Ji! She went to her husband Tan Dongbang in a huff andined endlessly about General Ji before mentioning Tan Guiren¡¯s request. She said quietly, ¡°Our daughter has always been haughty and too good to consider anyone. It seems like this time is different, somehow. She¡¯s interested...¡±

    Thankfully, Tan Dongbang still had a clear head and replied angrily, ¡°Stop messing things up. Do you know what the situation is right now¡ªfor you to speak to General Ji like that? Major General Huo has a special identity, and you still tried asking for contact information! Do you want to ruin my career?¡±

    Cai Songyin flushed once again but refused to back down. ¡°What did I even do? I only asked for his contact information! He can just say no. Why make it sound so horrible?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me saying horrible things, it¡¯s what you said that¡¯s horrible.¡± Tan Dongbang shook his head. ¡°Carefully think about your tone with General Ji. Was it disrespectful? Truthfully. I hadn¡¯t even been elected as Prime Minister, and you already dare to speak with General Ji like that! How far will you go when I really get elected?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Cai Songyin recalled her earlier attitude and saw that she had acted quite entitled. Feeling a bit guilty, she muttered, ¡°I was only doing it for our daughter. She suffered through that, and it was our fault. Now that she is interested in Major General Huo, shouldn¡¯t we help her as her parents? I recall that Major General Huo isn¡¯t married and doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend, right?¡±

    Tan Dongbang frowned. ¡°How can she be interested in Major General Huo? They only met for a few days. They haven¡¯t been together every day. Aren¡¯t you overthinking this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m her mother! I can tell what she¡¯s thinking from a single thing she says! How am I overthinking things?!¡± Cai Songyin was desperate. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll tell Guiren that we can¡¯t get Major General¡¯s contact information for the time being. I¡¯ll ask what¡¯s the matter and see if we can help her.¡±

 Chapter 591 - This Electionâ€™s Voters Are Lackluster

    <h4>Chapter 591: Chapter 591 This Election¡¯s Voters Are Lackluster</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Tan Dongbang nodded and snapped impatiently, ¡°Stop giving me trouble. I¡¯ve fallen in the polls a lottely. Bai Jiancheng has true ability. He didn¡¯t have to say anything and just had to use the incident of that female exchange student¡¯s parents going to Germany to attend the trials to be viral on social media. He¡¯s already exceeded me.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. Don¡¯t get too stressed out. Bai Jiancheng is just trying to build up publicity. Who wouldn¡¯t understand why he¡¯s doing it? He¡¯s treating people like idiots...¡± Cai Songyin snorted with derision. ¡°What about your social media managers? Why aren¡¯t they following up?¡±

    ¡°Following up on what? You think they haven¡¯t tried? But they were shot down,¡± Tan Dongbang said unhappily. ¡°That post does make sense. It¡¯s true that regardless if Bai Jiancheng is using the incident for publicity or has ulterior motives, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that he is helping that family. Also, that family is not rted to him, so it makes his motives even more lofty.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Lofty?! This election¡¯s voters areckluster, if they are so easily misled!¡± Cai Songyin pped the table. ¡°We must find a way to turn the tables around. We can¡¯t let the Bai¡¯s keep gloating.¡±

    ¡°What else can we do? Now that there¡¯s a ban on our daughter¡¯s incident, we can¡¯t use it for publicity or keep up with the exposure.¡± Tan Dongbang was also unable to do anything.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± Cai Songyin was a professor at themunications college, and the Cai¡¯s were also an esteemed academic family influential in the world of arts. Several of her cousins own film and TVpanies, so Tan Dongbang¡¯s sudden poprity on social media was the result of their secret involvement.

    ¡°How could it be that easy? The election is in only two months. Isn¡¯t it toote already?¡± Tan Dongbang was very worried. ¡°They¡¯ll be sure to continue using the German case for publicity. I heard the Bai¡¯s are paying thergestw firm in the United States to hire the bestwyer to represent that family in the civil proceedings. Overseaswsuits are always dragged out. With the Bai¡¯s continued involvement, who will even remember us?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fret!¡± Cai Songyin quickly rubbed Tan Dongbang¡¯s back infort. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you don¡¯t have to worry about the media? Let me handle it.¡±

    ¡°You really have a solution?¡± Tan Dongbang cast Cai Songyin a sidelong nce. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, or it¡¯ll produce the opposite effect. Tell me, what do you n on doing?¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you. I was nning this.¡± Cai Songyin turned on herputer and searched for a lesser known piece of news. ¡°Do you still remember Bai Yusheng?¡±

    ¡°Yes, how could I forget!? Traitor! Traitor to the nation!¡± Tan Dongbang punched the desk fiercely. ¡°How much did our country suffer because of him!?¡±

    ¡°Right, don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s Bai Jiancheng¡¯s younger brother!¡± Cai Singyin opened another website with a smile. ¡°Look, as long as we get online publicity on this piece of news, how can Bai Jiancheng be shameless enough to run for Prime Minister?!¡±

    Tan Dongbang understood immediately. ¡°How can that work? There is no collective punishment in our nation. Bai Jiancheng¡¯s younger brother breaking thew has nothing to do with him! The government investigated a long time ago, and if Bai Jiancheng was involved, how could he rece Dou Yongsheng as the acting Prime Minister?!¡±

    ¡°Right, there are no legal repercussions, but the elections do not depend on thew. The elections depend on the will of the people.¡± Cai Songyin was very confident speaking about her profession. ¡°Now that modern social media is all the rage, it has the ability to sway politics. As long as we release this piece of news and send inte water armies to carry momentum in all the major websites and forums, the normal civilians won¡¯t even consider the possibility. They will only believe that Bai Jiancheng¡¯s own brother Bai Yusheng betrayed the nation. Even if Bai Jiancheng is doing it to avoid a conflict of interest, he must resign from politics!¡±

    Tan Dongbang stiffened, then he smiled wryly. ¡°Bai Jiancheng resigning from politics? You¡¯re being too idealistic. That¡¯ll never happen. I¡¯m telling you, do you know how powerful the entire Bai family is?¡± The Bai¡¯s had connections throughout the entire upper echelon of Hua Xia society through marriages, so even Cai Songyin¡¯s own family had indirect marital rtions with the Bai¡¯s.

    Of course, Cai Songyin was fully aware of this. She stood behind Tan Dongbang and smiled as she massaged his stiff back. ¡°As if I need you to tell me? But you need to understand that creating public opinion onlinees at an astronomical cost, then you must wait for the enemy to pay you back with their losses. Otherwise, it won¡¯t produce the anticipated results.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Say for example, if you want to sell something for $1,000, you can¡¯t ask for $1,000 because the buyer will be sure to bargain. So in order to sell it for $1,000, you can ask for $2,000, and the buyer could only ask for a discount of $500, allowing you to sell for $1,500. If the buyer cuts the price in half to $1,000, then that¡¯s still the price you had in mind. Using media to create public opinion works on the same principle.¡±

    Tan Donbang understood Cai Songyin¡¯s analogy. He frowned in thought for a long time. ¡°But you still must be cautious. Don¡¯t arouse theizens¡¯ resentment and make things worse.¡±

    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re careful.¡± Cai Songyin stopped her movements. ¡°Feel better?¡±

    ¡°Much better. Thank you, darling.¡± Tan Dongbang squeezed her hand with a smile and watched her leave.

    In the next few days before they could even take the news rted to Bai Yusheng online ording to n, social media in the Hua Xia Empire suddenly flooded with news about He Zhichu, the professor specially hired by the B University faculty ofw. It was revealed he was a partner in thergest Americanw firm and was also the most expensivewyer in America.

    This time, he was helping themoner female exchange student¡¯s family with thewsuit, and although the Bai¡¯s were footing the bill, He Zhichu expressed that the finalwyer fees would be one percent deducted from the targetpensation when the case was won. This meant that if the case was lost, the Bai¡¯s wouldn¡¯t have to pay him a penny. If the case was won, then the Bai¡¯s also didn¡¯t have to pay him anything.

    When this news came out, coupled with He Zhichu¡¯s aloof, professional, and extremely handsome profile, the entire appearance-crazy world of social media instantly went insane. He was such a capablewyer with such an amazing resume and handsome face, how could anyonepete!

    In nearly one second, He Zhichu¡¯s supporting fan group announced their establishment on Weibo, and Gu Nianzhi was able to magically be concealed amid the media frenzy. Aside from the people she was close with, almost no one knew that she was one of the main assistants apanying He Zhichu to Germany for the case.

    At the same time, He Zhichu suddenly became inte famous and made the Bai¡¯s look like extreme penny pinchers. The mediapanies rted to Cai Songyin immediately followed up with reports. Aside from praising He Zhichu, they also began to target Bai Jiancheng and subtly snarked about him not spending a dime, yet gloating about being a ¡°sponsor.¡± It seemed that he was using the tragedy of someone¡¯s death in order to win the election.

    ...

    Bai Jiancheng was extremely humiliated reading the reports and quickly ordered someone to contact the Americanw firm to say that the legal fees were to be paid for separately. Regardless if the case was won or not, they would not pay a penny too little. The Amerianw firm didn¡¯t dare to make the decision themselves and immediately forwarded the Bai¡¯s message to He Zhichu, who was preparing to leave for Germany.

    As He Zhichu¡¯s assistant and teaching assistant, Gu Nianzhi had spent much of thest two days at He Zhichu¡¯s home helping him prepare the professional books and reference information to take abroad. Gu Nianzhi had a slight cold and took cold medication the night before. She had only been working for a bit when her head felt extremely leaden. Sheid on the sofa to rest a little and didn¡¯t expect to fall asleep so quickly. He Zhichu didn¡¯t wake her up but took out a thin nket to cover her body.

    Suddenly, the email from the Americanw firm happened to arrive, and he immediately called back after reading it. ¡°Mary, what is this?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer He, it¡¯s great you could call us back. We don¡¯t know what to do! The Bai¡¯s are insting that the legal fees be calcted separately...¡± Mary the secretary from the Americanw firm was losing her mind. She¡¯d nevere across someone insisting on paying like that! And to be in such a hurry to pay!

    He Zhichu quietly listened to the entire incident then took out his phone to browse Weibo. He instantly understood why the Bai¡¯s were doing this. He was sitting sideways on the sofa, and Gu Nianzhi was sleeping close to where he was. He could reach out to touch her head. The living room window was open, and the slightly cool night breeze was flowing in from the French windows. He Zhichu adjusted the nket for Gu Nianzhi before replying quietly into the phone, ¡°They want to pay? Can they even afford it? Even if they can, aren¡¯t they worried people will question if their money is dirty?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s legal fees were astronomical. His corporatew cases in the past could bepleted in ten minutes, and his fee was 50,000 US dors per minute. For publicly listedpanies, that was within their budget. However, with civil proceedings apanying criminal cases, one trial couldst over an hour. Summing up all of the Bai¡¯s fortune, it should be just enough to cover He Zhichu¡¯s fees toplete the entire case. Of course, the Bai¡¯s wouldn¡¯t want to be bankrupt from the case, either.

    Mary immediately understood He Zhichu¡¯s intention and asked, ¡°Then what would Lawyer He like to do? The Bai¡¯s have expressed that there was no way they wouldn¡¯t be paying at all. You should also know that they are preparing for elections and have been used of creating publicity. This will indeed hurt their chances of getting elected.¡± Thew firm also had a keen understanding of the climate. Bai Jiancheng was one of the candidates in the Hua Xia elections and had a high chance of bing the future Prime Minister. On the principle of keeping a good future business rtionship with him, the Americanw firm didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for him.

    He Zhichu considered it for a while and finally said, ¡°Then give him a friend¡¯s discount. Charge him ording to my most expensive subordinatewyer.¡± While He Zhichu¡¯s legal fees were astronomical, his subordinatewyers¡¯ weren¡¯t. The most expensive one didn¡¯t exceed 1,000 US dors per hour, and this was a price the Bai¡¯s could definitely afford. ¡°Also, we will certainly take the percentage we dered publicly.¡± He Zhichu never lost money on a transaction, and since he was awyer, he had to be more considerate than others.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll give them a quote. Thank you for your understanding.¡± The secretary happily hung up and prepared a new contract to send to the Bai¡¯s.

    He Zhichu ended the call and looked out at the night sky outside the window. He had a sudden craving for the taste of a stout draft beer.

 Chapter 592 - An Odd Conversation

    <h4>Chapter 592: Chapter 592 ¨C An Odd Conversation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    At that moment, He Zhichu wanted nothing more but to have arge draft beer as he rowed on the Isar River in Munich with Gu Nianzhi. The case had urred in the Rou area of Germany, and because of the involvement of high-ranking Row police officers, the case was now managed under the Munich police department and the Munich District Court. He Zhichu had to take Gu Nianzhi along with four American legal assistants to Munich.

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up, she found herself still on the couch but covered by a thin nket. He Zhichu sat next to her and was sleep with one hand propping up his head. She looked up from the sofa and stared nkly at He Zhichu. He appeared very alluring in his sleep. His handsome face was no longer cool and indifferent, as his shimmering, sultry eyes were tightly shut. Brows rxed and expression serene, he was very handsome¡ªlike a gentle boy next door, not like the typically moody Professor He.

    Gu Nianzhi made a face and carefully got up from the couch. As soon as she moved, the couch cushion sunk in. He Zhichu was apparently a light sleeper and roused right away. His longshes fluttered as he opened his eyes and instinctively looked at Gu Nianzhi by his side. He happened to lock eyes with Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge Bambi eyes. His breath caught in his throat, how sparkly and dark her eyes were... It was like she could see straight to the bottom of his heart.

    Gu Nianzhi froze and immediately looked away, so He Zhuchu finally shifted his gaze down, his longshes concealing all the emotion in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from the couch while rubbing her eyes and asked in confusion, ¡°How did I fall asleep? Why didn¡¯t Professor He wake me?¡± She rubbed her back and groaned, ¡°It¡¯s notfortable to sleep on the couch. My back hurts.¡±

    He Zhichu opened his shimmering, sultry eyes and replied coolly, ¡°At least you were lying down. I sat all night, so I¡¯m the one whose back hurts.¡±

    That sounds awfully strange... thought Gu Nianzhi. But she smiled charmingly at the sight of He Zhichu¡¯s increasingly darkening expression and said to him, ¡°Professor He, how about I massage your back? Or I can make a call and help you find a professional level-eight masseur?¡±

    ¡°You know how to massage people?¡± He Zhichu snorted. ¡°You¡¯d probably im a work injury after a squeeze or two. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°As if!¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a giggle. ¡°Professor He thinks too lowly of me. How could I?!¡± She was only saying that because she had never massaged anyone aside from Huo Shaoheng, and that was because she was close to him.

    He Zhichu also knew she was just coaxing him, but he was happy just because of her saying so. ¡°Ok, you go back. You don¡¯t need toe back today. Take a shower and rest. You have a cold, and if it doesn¡¯t get better, I won¡¯t be taking you to Germany.¡± He Zhichu looked at Vacheron Constantin watch on his wrist. ¡°We still have three days.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Roger, Professor He!¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately picked up her smallptop. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡± She darted out of He Zhichu¡¯s suite to return to her own dorm room.

    Ma Qiqi was interning at aw firm during the day, so she didn¡¯t know that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯te backst night. Ma Qiqi came backte and left for work early in the morning, so when Gu Nianzhi came into the dorm room with a dizzy head early in the day, she drifted into the bathroom to take a hot shower. Afterward, she copsed right on the bed, and when Ma Qiqi came back from work that night, she realized that she hadn¡¯t seen Gu Nianzhi for two days. She knocked on her door to wake her up.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were swollen from sleep, and she opened the door with a groggy look. ¡°Qiqi? What is it?¡±

    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s with you? Are you sick?¡± Ma Qiqi reached out to feel Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead.

    Ge Nianzhi had slept all day and was actually running a high fever but had recovered on her own. She was covered in sweat and feeling very ufortable, but her head didn¡¯t hurt anymore. Rubbing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°I had a cold yesterday and feel much better now. I¡¯m just tired.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a symptom of running a high fever. Get rest now,¡± Ma Qiqi said as she walked Gu Nianzhi back into her room. ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yawned. ¡°I want some congee.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll get some preserved egg and pork congee for you. I was craving it, too.¡± Ma Qiqi made a face, then leaned over to Gu Nianzhi to ask covertly, ¡°Nianzhi, Professor He is going to attend a case in Germany. Can you get an autograph for me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew Ma Qiqi was following the case intently and whispered to her after some consideration, ¡°Qiqi, I have to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯ll be going to Germany with Professor He to help him represent the parents of that female exchange student¡¯s civilwsuit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she watched Ma Qiqi¡¯s expression morph from disbelief to joy. She practically became a roaring fan instantly. She embraced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and shook her fiercely as she shouted, ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Is this true?! You really want to represent them in the German courts?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very true. We applied for visas already.¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment but still reminded Ma Qiqi, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell anyone. Don¡¯t post it online, either.¡±

    Ma Qiqi stuck out her tongue. If Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t especially reminded her, she really would have revealed it online. But since Gu Nianzhi had requested this of her, she wouldn¡¯t say anything now; respecting privacy was the most important thing in a friendship.

    ¡°Ok, I won¡¯t say anything. When are you guys flying? I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Ma Qiqi made the decision to personally see Gu Nianzhi off to show her support, even if she had to take the day off.

    Gu Nianzhi smoothed her long hair, mussed from sleep, and yawned. ¡°I¡¯m leaving the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll see you off that day.¡± Ma Qiqi stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy some congee for you. Rest well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as she watched Ma Qiqi leave their dorm. However, she couldn¡¯t rest because Ma Qiqi had actually reminded her that she should inform Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. She originally didn¡¯t want to tell them, since she was worried they would stop her from going to Germany, which would cause trouble for Huo Shao... But upon further consideration, she still decided to be honest. If they happened to object, then they could let He Zhichu deal with it.

    Picking up the phone to call Yin Shixiong, Gu Nianzhi chatted with him a bit and said, ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯m going to Germany with Professor He the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Germany? What are you doing there?¡± Yin Shixiong was deeply concentrated on his work and replied casually.

    ¡°Did Brother Xiong hear about the Huaxia female exchange student who was murdered in Germany? Professor He was hired by Minister Bai to represent her, and I¡¯m Professor He¡¯s assistant, so I¡¯ll be going to court with him in Germany.¡± Gu Nianzhi glossed over the news so that Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t get too worried.

 Chapter 593 - The Aura of a Lawyer

    <h4>Chapter 593: Chapter 593 The Aura of a Lawyer</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong was relieved knowing that Gu Nianzhi was going with He Zhichu to Germany for thewsuit. Since the incident in Barbados, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze hadpletely changed their opinion of He Zhichu and believed he would never hurt her in any way. He smiled. ¡°Ok, make sure to learn from Professor He properly so our Nianzhi can be a realwyer in the future!¡± He then reminded her, ¡°There are many fun ces in Germany. Once you get there, make sure to walk around a bit during your free time. It can be a paid vacation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t expecting Yin Shixiong to agree to easily and even encourage her to take the opportunity to y. Didn¡¯t that mean Yin Shixiong was deliberately allowing her to be with Huo Shao? Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help getting even more excited. Her jaw dropped, and she wanted to ask about Huo Shaoheng sending her the silk scarves, but before she could even mention Huo Shao¡¯s name, Yin Shixiong had already interrupted her. ¡°Nianzhi, you know we have our military discipline.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current whereabouts were top secret, and Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t want anyone to poke around the truth, even if it was Gu Nianzhi. Now that Huo Shaoheng was in the middle of a critical and very dangerous situation, even Yin Shixiong and his men, who were in the loop, didn¡¯t even know who had betrayed him. This person was clearly right by their side and most likely had some extraordinary background. Gu Nianzhi saw that Yin Shixiongpletely refused to continue the conversation. She read his mind and understood that no one could know about it.

    After speaking with Yin Shixiong, she then called Zhao Liangze and told him the same thing. Zhao Liangze had the same reaction as Yin Shixiong and asked her to learn properly from He Zhichu, then take some time to travel. Actually, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were just speaking logically and didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi had a preconceived notion, somehow assuming everything they said was hinting at what she wanted. As a result, she looked forward to her trip to Germany even more.

    When she boarded the airne three dayster, not only did Ma Qiqi especially take the time to see her off, but Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze also came. ¡°Professor He, thank you for taking care of Nianzhi.¡± Yin Shixiong shook He Zhichu¡¯s hand politely. ¡°She¡¯s young and not sensible. If she offends you in any way, please do bear with her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Nianzhi is very mature, and you won¡¯t have to worry.¡± Aside from bringing Gu Nianzhi, He Zhichu also had four Americanwyers as assistants, and they would be flying out from the US. He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi would be flying from the Hua Xia Empire to meet them in Germany.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi waved goodbye to Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Ma Qiqi before going through security. Yin Shixiong saw that Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu had disappeared, so he said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Qiqi, do you need us to drive you back?¡±

    Ma Qiqi had hailed a cab but quickly replied, ¡°Ok, thank you, Mr. Yin.¡±

    Zhao Liangze snickered. ¡°Just call him ¡®Big Xiong.¡±Mr. Yin¡¯ sounds so weird when you say it all the time.¡±

    Ma Qiqi blushed at Zhao Liangze¡¯s words and didn¡¯t even react before Yin Shixiong smacked him upside the head. Yin Shixiong said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his babbling. You¡¯re Nianzhi¡¯s ssmate, so you can call me ¡®Brother Xiong¡¯ like she does.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Who wants to call you ¡®Brother Xiong?!¡¯¡± Zhao Liangze refused to back down. ¡°Qiqi, call him ¡®Big Xiong!¡¯¡±

    Ma Qiqi smirked and called him, ¡°Brother Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Ha! Qiqi is obedient. Let¡¯s go. Brother Xiong will take you back to campus.¡± Yin Shixiong patted her shoulder happily and took her to the parking lot.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu took a longhaul flight to Munich. The Americanw firm had already booked four suites for them at the Hilton Hotel in Munich. He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi each had their own suite, while the fourwyers shared two suites between them. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite was next to He Zhichu¡¯s and as expected, it was smaller and less grand than He Zhichu¡¯s. However, it was a standard suite in a five-star hotel and was very nice for her to stay in alone.

    After arriving, they had only rested for a few hours when the sun had already risen, and it was time to attend the trial. Gu Nianzhi quickly showered and changed into a women¡¯s Armani slim-cut suit that He Zhichi had packed for her. The slim trousers made her legs appear as straight and long as a supermodel¡¯s. Her long hair was arranged into a bun at the back of her head, revealing her luminous, fair forehead, and highlighting herrge, dark eyes that resembled two shiny grapes. She appeared sweet and alluring to everyone who saw her. Coming out of the hotel room with her briefcase andptop, she saw that He Zhichu was already waiting at the door. He also wore an Armani suit that matched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s like they were a couple.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. He Zhichu seemed to understand what she was thinking and remarked coolly, ¡°This is the uniform of our firm, and as an employee of the firm, the secretary also ordered two suits for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was put at ease, and she nodded. ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡± She then nced at the other fourwyer assistants. They were all wearing Armani suits, so she felt relieved. She followed He Zhichu to elevator and smiled. ¡°No wonder everyone wants to work at the bigw firms. Even the court uniforms are from world-renowned brands. Just for that alone everyone works hard to be full time employees!¡±

    He Zhichu remained quiet, but a subtle smile appeared on his face. However, he had already resumed his normal expression when Gu Nianzhi looked back. He replied calmly, ¡°Eat lotster. The first day in court is always nerve wracking, so don¡¯t go hungry.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Professor He, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to eat lots!¡± Gu Nianzhi ended up eating too much because the breakfast buffet was too delicious. The plump Bavarian weisswurst sausages were filled with ground beef mixed with smoked pork, green onion, ginger, lemon, celery, onion, nutmeg, and cardamom as seasonings. They were boiled in the morning and dipped in mustard when eaten. Gu Nianzhi loved the texture of Bavarian weisswurst sausages, so she ate three in one breath.

    Finally, He Zhichu couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, and she only stopped when he prevented her from having more. Gu Nianzhi looked longingly at thest Bavarian weisswurst that ended up in He Zhichu¡¯s stomach. She secretly thought about how if Huo Shaoheng were there, he wouldn¡¯t stop her from eating, but he would make her run a ten kilometer cross-country run after she ate to her heart¡¯s content... She was in a bit of a daze and turned a cup of hazelnut coffee in her hand without drinking it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like the hazelnut coffee?¡± He Zhichu raised a brow. ¡°Want a cappino instead?¡±

    ¡°...No thanks.¡± Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and quickly sipped it, gushing, ¡°This coffee is special. I can actually taste the hazelnut.¡±

    ¡°This is hand-milled hazelnut coffee. You think it¡¯s artificially vored instant coffee?¡± He Zhichu rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Ask if you don¡¯t understand something. Don¡¯t embarrass me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, Lord He is correct!¡± Gu Nianzhi was happy to be the ¡°yes man¡± by He Zhichu¡¯s side.

    He couldn¡¯t helpughing and reached out to stroke her head. ¡°Naughty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m your assistant. You¡¯re not respecting me by doing that, and it¡¯s hard for others to respect me, too.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands. She had always wanted to fight back against the high-ranking German police and officials guilty of malpractice. She did not want to be treated like a child.

    ¡°I understand. Is this ok, Lawyer Gu?¡± He Zhichu appeared serious and looked straight at her.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°That sounds about right. Professor He, today is the first day of trials. Will it take a long time?¡±

    ¡°Typically not, but it also depends on how the trial goes.¡± As they spoke, the other four assistants also finished eating, and they all went to the hotel¡¯s entrance. He Zhichu¡¯s luxury business vehicle was already awaiting them at the hotel¡¯s entrance. They didn¡¯t know Munich at all and weren¡¯t there to drive around and travel, so they didn¡¯t have the time to look for addresses. For the sake of convenience, He Zhichu decided to find a rentalpany and hire a luxury business car with a driver always on call to service them for the duration of their stay. He Zhichu took Gu Nianzhi and the four other assistants to the car and said, ¡°Go to the Munich District Court.¡±

    The driver was a middle-aged white man and had a standard Germanic face. His English carried a bit of a German ent, and he spat out words like a machine gun. He didn¡¯t stop chatting and loved to converse, so Gu Nianzhi had to smile the entire ride to the court. When they got out of the car, she noticed her cheeks were already sore from all the smiling. She reached out to massage her cheeks. He Zhichu stood coolly at her side, unconsciously emanating the aura of awyer. The marshals at the court¡¯s entrance saluted him solemnly. Gu Nianzhi also grew stony faced and straightened her sleeves before following He Zhichu along with the other four assistants inside the court.

    This was the first time she had experienced a German court. Compared to the courts in the Hua Xia Empire and the United States, the Munich District Court appeared very in. It was a square room with two rows of simple desks on both sides. It resembled desks in a ssroom in the Hua Xia Imperial middle schools. One side was for the defendant, and the other was for the side representing the intiff.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi finally met the parents of the victimized Hua Xia female exchange student, Li Haiqing. They were a very normal middle-aged couple, and it was obvious that they weren¡¯t very well off. Their clothes must have been recently tailored before they went abroad because they looked ufortable. Their faces were wrinkled with anguish, and the mother¡¯s eyes were swollen, so she must¡¯ve cried for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She knew very well how extremely difficult it was for a normal family like that to support a child studying abroad. When she was in her undergraduate studies at C University, there was a ssmate from amon background wanting to study in America. His family had pinched money to save enough for a year¡¯s tuition, while he had to work to cover his living expenses and future tuition. The ssmate often worked long hours at his part-time job. It was very difficult, so he appeared much more haggard than the other ssmates.

    Although German universities were free, living expenses were no small sum. Also, the new generation of young people in the Hua Xia Empire were often only children and with the couple¡¯s age, it was very unlikely they would have another child. In other words, their daughter had been their only child and only hope, but she had beenpletely destroyed by the two German scum!

 Chapter 594 - You Still Have Shame?

    <h4>Chapter 594 ¨C You Still Have Shame?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi coolly turned around to look at the defendants.

    Hmph! Those two vile creatures still have shame?! They dared to cover their faces with paper bags to conceal themselves! How can this be eptable?!

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to attack. ¡°Your Honor, I am thewyer representing the parents of the victim, Li Haiqing. I ask the court to have the two defendants reveal their faces to prove their identity.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know German, so she spoke English with an authentic Oxford ent. German was typically spoken in the German courts, but if thewyers didn¡¯t know German, the courts would find an interpreter. Li Haiqing¡¯s parents had their own German interpreter, but most Germans knew English. When Gu Nianzhi made her request in English, the judge didn¡¯t ask for the interpreter but indicated that he understood her request and agreed to it.

    The judge spoke to the defendants in German. ¡°The court agrees to the request from the intiff¡¯swyer. Defendants, please reveal your faces. Concealing your face in court can result in a charge of contempt.¡±

    The two defendants were a man and a woman named Seth and Niya. They hadrge, clumsy features, and upon removing the paper bags, they looked to be in their 30s or 40s¡ªhardly ¡°young and foolish,¡± as the German media had proimed. It had been said that the man had just turned 22, while the woman was only 21.

    Gu Nianzhi shot them a disdainful nce and turned to question the parents of the male defendant, Seth. ¡°Is the male suspect sitting on the dock your son?¡±

    Seth¡¯s mother Ramona had a face that was normally red like boiled beef, and it only flushed redder with her question. Lifting her chin, she asked haughtily, ¡°Who are you? How dare you speak to me?¡± Ramona spoke in German even though she knew English because she wanted to pretend she didn¡¯t understand.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know German and was looking at her interpreter for help when He Zhichu walked over to coldly rebuke Ramona in German. ¡°Earlier, the judge already confirmed her as thewyer entrusted by the intiff¡¯s parents. It¡¯s one thing to pretend to not know English, but you do not know German, either? How does someone who doesn¡¯t understand German end up at a Senior Lieutenant in Rou? Did you even graduate high school?¡±

    Ramona¡¯s arrogance withered under He Zhichu¡¯smbasting. She fidgeted in her seat and rolled her eyes, then said, ¡°...Yes, he¡¯s my son.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? You didn¡¯t find some random person to frame, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi was relentless and asked sharp questions.

    Ramona waspletely enraged by Gu Nianzhi. She stood up with clenched fists and said, ¡°He¡¯s my son! Do you want to do a DNA test?!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi shot back snappily and turned back to the judge. ¡°Your Honor, the defendant¡¯s parents have requested a DNA test. I ask that Your Honorply to this request.¡±

    The judge raised a brow and turned to look at Ramona. ¡°Ramona, you want to do a DNA test?¡±

    Ramona had clearly said this because she¡¯d been provoked by Gu Nianzhi. How could she volunteer to do a DNA test?! Also, they had been nning to have someone else take the me¡ªshe would be shooting herself in the foot to request this!

    At those words, Ramona shook her head guiltily. ¡°Your Honor, there is no such regtion in the protocol, we don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You don¡¯t agree to a DNA test? That¡¯s rather strange. Why not? Why not? Why not?¡± Gu Nianzhi repeated ¡°why not¡± to cut off Ramona and looked at the judge. ¡°May I ask if the German courts have a procedure for verifying the defendant¡¯s identity?¡±

    The judge considered it a bit and nodded slowly. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then we request the initiation of verification of the defendant¡¯s identity.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned a half circle where she stood, her piercing nce locked on Ramona. ¡°Senior Lieutenant, as aw enforcement officer, you dared to disregard the procedural justice of the court, break thew knowingly, and confuse the public. You are interfering with our legitimate request to verify the defendant¡¯s identity¡ªmay I ask what your motives are?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished speaking, and the German interpreter immediately repeated her words in German. Some of the staff members in attendance who didn¡¯t speak English were extremely shocked and pointed at Ramona with distaste.

    Ramona was extremely angry, but she knew she couldn¡¯t agree because that meant her son would have to go to jail. They wouldn¡¯t be able to find someone to take the me anymore...

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Can you choose to be silent in court?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her voice. ¡°Senior Lieutenant, please answer me.¡±

    ¡°Ramona, please answer the question from the intiff¡¯swyer,¡± the judge said with a cough, unwilling to let Ramona off the hook.

    Since the judge asked her, too, Ramona had no choice but to agree. She nodded unwillingly. ¡°Do the test if you wish.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi exhaled sharply and secretly wished she could let Chen Lie out right now. Unfortunately, Brother Chen wasn¡¯t there at the moment, so someone else would be the one to do the DNA test. She was a bit worried, but there was no other choice. All she could do was work a bit harder and watch carefully. The judge summoned the court doctor to take a vial of blood each from Ramona and Seth. He didn¡¯t take blood from Ramona¡¯s current husband York because Seth was only his stepson, so they weren¡¯t biologically rted.

    Gu Nianzhi watched from the side unblinkingly and frantically motioned when the court doctor took two vials of blood. ¡°Stop there. Please take two more vials. I need to make a record.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± The court doctor was shocked. ¡°Why would an Americanw firm need to keep a record of their blood?!¡±

    They knew the intiff¡¯s parents had hired the topwyer from thergest Americanw firm and thought nothing of it since even the most powerful outsider was no match for a local in his hometown. But the mainwyer hadn¡¯t even made a move, and his young female assistant was being so aggressive. They were finally starting to worry.

    He Zhichu replied coolly, ¡°Whether the blood needs to be archived depends on the case. Due to the defendant¡¯s parents¡¯ past history of obstruction of justice, we must tread cautiously.¡±

    The words were like a whip that stunned all the Germans in attendance. They were all mortified¡ªeveryone from the judge to the court guards flushed red from He Zhichu¡¯s words. He wasn¡¯t wrong that Ramona the Senior Lieutenant and her husband had actually attempted to conceal their son¡¯s evidence of a crime after it urred. Afterward, they couldn¡¯t cover it up anymore, and Ramona had arranged for her son to turn himself in. After he¡¯d turned himself in, they had immediately used the scandalous excuse of ¡°threesome¡± to nder the unfortunate victim.

    Gu Nianzhi had grown up with Huo Shaoheng and his men, so she had been raised as a very righteous girl. She fiercely hated such unfairness and disregard for other people¡¯s lives. He Zhichu had chosen her out of his several assistants to appear in court in order to hone her ability and also to allow her natural emotions to influence the judge. Such was the importance of appeal and personality. Gu Nianzhi could also sense He Zhichu¡¯s unyielding aura and straightened her own back.

 Chapter 595 - Hit in the Head

    <h4>Chapter 595: Chapter 595 Hit in the Head</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The coroner was stunned speechless by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and sheepishly took another two vials of blood to give to He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi for their archives. Ramona, Seth¡¯s mother, appeared livid. Balling her hands into tights fists, she stared at Gu Nianzhi with heavily made up, deep socketed eyes that made no attempt to hide her disgust and hatred. Gu Nianzhi carefully put the two vials of blood into her briefcase and nodded to the forensic doctor. ¡°Thank you.¡± She then turned to Ramona, who was a senior lieutenant police officer. ¡°Remember this. When your son is in jail, I¡¯lle to take his blood and DNA every year until the veryst year of his sentence.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get smug! My son hasn¡¯t been sentenced yet! How can you sentence him yourself?! Aren¡¯t you awyer from the best Americanw firm? How can you disregard thew?!¡± Ramona smiled contemptuously at her and discovered the handsome Chinese man standing behind her and doting over her. The girl appeared so young and barely looked legal, so Ramona assumed Gu Nianzhi had used inappropriate means to obtain herwyer¡¯s license. ¡°How did you be awyer with that kind of capability? Did you answer debates on your instructor¡¯sp and have your instructor take the bar exam for you? Is that why you think you can do whatever you want?!¡± Ramona was stony faced and stopped pretending she didn¡¯t understand English. ¡°This isn¡¯t America, this is Germany!¡±

    He Zhichu quietly looked at Gu Nianzhi and was a bit worried she would go off on a rampage. It would be bad if she lost her temper in court. Obviously, Ramona wanted to infuriate Gu Nianzhi and turn the tables around. Ramona didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to remain calm and fail to fall into the trap. She took out her small notebook and pretended to write in it. ¡°Senior Lieutenant Ramona, I am going to add another charge for you on this list¨Cdefamation. If you cannot afford thepensation we request, then you can prepare to go to jail.¡± She then turned around to sit beside He Zhichu and ignored Ramona.

    After hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s warning, Ramona¡¯s heart sank, and she couldn¡¯t help ncing at her husband, York. She whispered, ¡°What do they mean? Will there be civil proceedings?¡±

    York was more calm and calcting than Ramona. His eyes scanned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face before he turned around to reply expressionlessly, ¡°That¡¯s for certain.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What should we do, then?!¡± Ramona was flustered and grabbed the hem of her uniform tightly as she murmured, ¡°We... We...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fret, I have a n. Let her gloat for now.¡± York¡¯s eyes traveled towards Gu Nianzhi, and his gaze was as icy as a poisonous snake darting its tongue out.

    ¡°You really have a n?¡± Ramona¡¯s voice grew even quieter. ¡°The man beside her seems pretty impressive.¡±

    York solemnly regarded He Zhichu and snorted derisively at his delicate and handsome profile. ¡°We¡¯ll see exactly how impressive he is.¡±

    ¡°Silence, the court is in session.¡± The judge struck his gavel to begin the proceedings. It had only been three or four months since the case had urred, but ording to the normal efficiency of German courts, the case was able to begin trial now,rgely due to public pressure to push it forward in the queue. Many cases from the same period still needed to be scheduled for trial, and some had even been scheduled for the following year. It was thanks to the German people¡¯s conscience that the case only had to wait three or four months before it was tried. Gu Nianzhi stopped thinking about other things and focused on listening to the prosecution and defensewyer¡¯s debate.

    The defensewyer insisted the deceased Hua Xia female exchange student, Li Haiqing, willingly engaged in a threesome with Seth and Niya. She was also really into BDSM, which resulted in the injuries on her body and in the end, the three of them took it too far, resulting in Li Haiqing¡¯s death from suffocation. In short, thewyer was iming that Li Haiqing caused her own death.

    Willingly engage?! As if! Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into fists and got angrier the more she listened. He Zhichu discreetly squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and shook his head slightly to make her calm down. He Zhichu¡¯s palm was dry and slightly cool, so Gu Nianzhi did calm down. However, she quickly struggled out of He Zhihchu¡¯s grasp and took out herptop to begin making notes on it.

    After the defensewyer stopped speaking, he reiterated that his client had no previous criminal record and had a good history, so this was only an ident. ¡°Although this was very tragic, it was still an ident. I hope that everyone won¡¯t base their decision on their emotions and make this ident even more tragic. This ident has already ruined one family, so it cannot be allowed to ruin another family.¡± The defensewyer stated it seriously and bowed before stepping down.

    The logic was well constructed and convincing, but Gu Nianzhi only wanted tough at it. It was time for the prosecution to begin speaking. He first objected to the defensewyer¡¯s allegation that the victim ¡°willingly engaged¡± in a threesome. He frowned at the judge. ¡°ording to the testimony from the victim¡¯s ssmates from the same dorm, the victim, Li Haiqing, changed into a jogging outfit in the evening and went out to exercise. May I ask why a girl who had a habit of jogging at a certain time and route would suddenly want to have a threesome with two strangers?¡±

    ¡°How would I know? Maybe she fell in love at first sight with my client. You are also aware that many Hua Xia girls have a natural sense of worship for white people...¡± The defendant¡¯swyer chuckled.

    Gu Nianzhi was enraged and couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She stood up and said, ¡°Objection. The defendant¡¯swyer is using personal spection instead of legal analysis, and at the same time is defiling character of the victim as well as that of all Hua Xia girls. I reserve the right to seek legal retribution andpensation from the defensewyer.¡±

    The defensewyer¡¯s face suddenly turned beet red as he red with bulging eyes at Gu Nianzhi and shouted angrily, ¡°Am I wrong?! Could all you Hua Xia girls not be...¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Gu Nianzhi answered crisply and without hesitation. ¡°Defense, just like how there was an anti-human fascist like Hitler among you Germans, I wouldn¡¯t say all Germans are fascists like Hitler. What you said right now was a nket statement stereotyping an entire race.¡±

    The judge¡¯s expression also darkened as he warned the defendant¡¯swyer, ¡°Please watch yournguage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought the judge was being too lenient with handling the situation. She raised a brow and steadied her voice. ¡°Your Honor, in view of the racistments and views of the defendant¡¯swyer, I request the removal of his right to represent the defendant.¡±

    The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi then nced at the defensewyer. He coughed awkwardly. ¡°Hans, you must apologize to the otherwyer.¡±

    The defensewyer¡¯s face was now purple, and hisrge nostrils were huffing as his eyes widened to the size of saucers. Combined with his thick churlish lips, he really resembled a pig. He finally lowered his haughty head and apologized to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t appreciate it. ¡°If apologies made a difference, what would we need courts for? Your Honor, you know better than I what kind of crimes racism and hate speech are considered. I don¡¯t believe you will willingly break thew.¡± The judge regarded Gu Naiznhi calmly and was silent for a long time. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid at all as she scanned each face of every single person and enunciated clearly, ¡°If the judge treats the case like child¡¯s y, then I will keep taking this up the judicial system. I have no qualms about going to the German Supreme Court and the EU Supreme Court!¡±

    He Zhichu also stood up, his handsome face aloof as he stated solemnly, ¡°Her stance is that of ourw firm¡¯s.¡± If Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words couldn¡¯t be taken seriously because she was a minorwyer¡¯s assistant, then He Zhichu¡¯s words would certainly be taken seriously. He Zhichu represented thergest Americanw firm, and he was also a partner himself. Not only that, but he had a mysterious background, and the German courts had some understanding of him. Although they didn¡¯t have a clear idea, one glimpse of fur was indicative of the entire leopard. They all had a fear of his background.

    As soon as He Zhichu spoke, Hans¡¯ face turned ashen. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his dark red, sunburned face gleamed with grease. He was an eyesore. ¡°Sorry...¡± He stammered an apology to Gu Nianzhi once again.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ept it at all. ¡°I still stand by my statement. As the defense¡¯swyer, you spoke of such things, so not only are there issues with your professionalism, but this was a vition ofw. Racism or defamation, you pick. I will certainly be pressing charges.¡± Having a white man use all girls from the Hua Xia Empire of having a natural sense of worship for white people... how could she tolerate that?! What day and age was it, anyway? How could he still have such a white superiorityplex? He couldn¡¯t me Gu Nianzhi for teaching him a lesson.

    First, she wouldin to the German Bar Association regarding Hans¡¯ qualifications. If he was judged to be acting inappropriately, his qualifications as awyer would be revoked and in serious cases, he would be forbidden from reapplying ever again. Then, she would be sure to file a case with the court suing him for racism and defamation. It didn¡¯t matter when the trials were scheduled. Gu Nianzhi wanted to hang a Damocles sword over his head so he would be constantly terrified and unable to live peacefully. Of course, the most important point was that the defensewyer would have to be swapped out, and that was the most effective way to attack the defense¡¯s momentum. If she didn¡¯t teach Seth¡¯s scumbag family a bit of lesson, they would never learn...

    At Gu Nianzhi¡¯s insistence, the judge stripped the defensewyer of his right to represent the defendant, so the defense had to find anotherwyer and choose another day to continue the trial. With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s incredible assistance, the defensewyer was removed on the very first day of the trial.

    After the judge announced the adjournment of the court, the defense¡¯s side was very gloomy. Seth especially red at Gu Nianzhi. His gaze was evil and vile, so disturbing he looked like he was insane. Gu Nianzhi was unperturbed and reached out to make a scissoring gesture with her fingers. If she weren¡¯t still in court, Gu Nianzhi would have loved nothing more than to pantomime shooting a gun at Seth...

 Chapter 596 - Unlikeable Words

    <h4>Chapter 596: Chapter 596 ¨C Unlikeable Words</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu nced at her again, and she drew her hand back in trepidation before following him out of the courthouse.

    The prosecutor who had been representing Li Haiqing in the trial earlier walked up to Gu Nianzhi at the entrance of the Munich District Courthouse and said earnestly, ¡°Miss Gu, I sincerely apologize to you. Most Germans don¡¯t believe that. We know the Huaxia people are very intelligent, and we respect them a lot. We would never allow such remarks to be made in our country.¡±

    This was a nation where the chancellor had personally knelt before the Holocaust memorial. Out of all the countries, Germany had been the most earnest in their atonement for their crimesmitted during World War II, as opposed to a certain East Asian country who denied the war crimes of invading the Huaxia Empire even to this day.

    Gu Nianzhi rxed her expression and nodded subtly. ¡°I believe you. Every nation has its good people and bad people. A good nation is one where there are more good people than bad people.¡±

    If a nation had more bad people than good people, they were just a rotten egg undeserving of forgiveness.

    The prosecutor sighed in relief and mustered a smile. ¡°Miss Gu performed exceptionally well in court today. We are very impressed. Rest assured that we have ample evidence¡ªwe will be sure to give the victim justice and punish the criminals ording to thew.¡±

    ¡°The criminal case rests on your shoulders.¡± Gu Nianzhi also expressed her thanks. ¡°I sincerely thank you for putting aside personal gains to help a helpless foreign exchange student.¡±

    ¡°The goddess of justice has her eyes blindfolded. She disregards wealth and power¡ªall she sees is guilty or innocent.¡± The prosecutor extended his hand to shake Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°There will be a few more tough battles ahead. Please be prepared.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and watched the prosecutor leave.

    The defendants¡¯ parents passed by Gu Nianzhi with grim faces, and York, the stepfather of the male defendant, Seth, suddenly turned around to nce at Gu Nianzhi. His gaze was piercingly frigid and made one¡¯s blood run cold. However, Gu Nianzhi waspletely unperturbed and red back.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Gu Nianzhi demanded. ¡°Are you dissatisfied? I¡¯ve never seen someone with the audacity to re at people after harming others. You¡¯re not worried that the victim¡¯s spirit wille to you one night for a chat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s authentic Oxford ent was crisp and melodic, making the court officers all look their way.

    York snorted, his threat obvious. He wrinkled the corners of his eyes and squinted more tightly at her.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted right back at York and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t intimidate me. If something happens to me, then it¡¯s sure to be your doing.¡±

    York¡¯s pupils contracted violently but quickly recovered. He turned away like nothing was amiss and didn¡¯t say anything as he took his wife Ramona out of the courthouse entrance.

    He Zhichu coldly watched York and Ramona¡¯s car drive off, his eyes solemn.

    He Zhichu¡¯s four American assistants were all youngwyers in their 30s or 40s. They walked up to her and whispered, ¡°Gu, don¡¯t rile them up too much. We¡¯re in their territory, after all.¡±

    The assistants were concerned about her well-being and worried that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s youthful brazenness would cause trouble and offend others. Althoughwyers had to have a scathing side, they also had to carefully control it to ensure that the situation was resolved peacefully.

    Gu Nianzhi touched her rigid neck and knew she was actually scared, but would she stop just because of that? Why should bad people do horrible things, then have good people fear them? The bad people should be the ones shaking! She wanted to say something, but she instinctively nced at He Zhichu before opening her mouth. As her mentor, He Zhichu had earned her total trust when it came to her education and well-being. She knew who it was who truly cared for her. Words that might not have sounded nice out of someone else¡¯s mouth were much more eptableing from him than Gu Yanran.

    He Zhichu put one hand in his trouser pocket and carried Gu Nianzhi¡¯s briefcase with the other. His handsome face remained cool and indifferent, yet a burning fire was hidden in his shimmering, sultry eyes. He nced at his watch. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s talk at the hotel.¡±

    As they chatted, their luxury rental vehicle had driven over, and Gu Nianzhi got in it after He Zhichu. She sat with He Zhichu in the middle seat while one assistant sat on the front passenger side and the other three sat together in the back. After the minor disturbance, everyone¡¯s mood gradually elevated. The first day had been a sess, after all, and this was truly a good omen. Althoughwyers were the most logical among all professions, superstition knew no discrimination.

    After returning to the hotel, the other four assistants notified He Zhichu and happily went sightseeing. They had wanted to invite Gu Nianzhi, too, but He Zhichu had already rejected it before they could even ask. Plus, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t n to go anyway, since she was exhausted from the day and wanted to have a good rest.

    After going back to her hotel room, she first took a shower and changed in a casual pantsuit. She wore a white, heavy silk shirt with a sweetheart neckline, puffy sleeves, and ocean-blue trim, paired with skinny, light-blue, cotton, ankle-length pants and white Ralph Lauren sneakers. With her long hair loose around her neck, she only half-dried it with a hairdryer.

    He Zhichu knocked on her door, an impressed look shing in his eyes, before he asked her slowly, ¡°Where do you want to go for lunch?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to speak when her phone rang, so she quickly went back to her bedroom to get it from her backpack. It was Gu Yanran calling. After hesitating for a moment, she unlocked it to answer, ¡°Sis?¡±

    Gu Yanran sounded a bit anxious over the phone. ¡°Nianzhi? Where are you? Why can¡¯t I find you anywhere?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to answer at the moment. She had only told Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and her roommate Ma Qiqi about going to Germany with He Zhichu. She had specifically asked Ma Qiq not to tell anyone. It was summer break anyway, so not many people stayed on campus. Ma Qiqi was busy with her internship at thew firm every day and didn¡¯t contact Gu Nianzhi very much. But she had immediately taken the day off to see Gu Nianzhi off at the airport when she¡¯d heard she was going to represent the unfortunate Huaxia female exchange student. Before she¡¯d left, Ma Qiqi had made her promise to find justice for that girl and send the criminal to jail!

    Gu Nianzhi knew Ma Qiqi was intently following the case. She had told her where she was going. When news broke, and He Zhuchu voluntarily stepped into the spotlight to be the famouswyer popr in the online headlines, he¡¯d dominated all the news and, at the same time, covered up the news that Gu Nianzhi was also going with him. He Zhichu was the mainyer, anyway, and the one the Bais had truly intended to hire. Gu Nianzhi was only one of his five assistants, so it was normal that nobody would notice her involvement.

    As for the Special Operations Forces, because Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past had been cleared up and her father had moved to the Huaxia Empire, the Special Ops and the military now valued her father Gu Xiangwen more than her. So all the protective measures Huo Shaoheng had put in ce for her had all been retracted.

 Chapter 597 - Sheâ€™s Very Desolate

    <h4>Chapter 597: Chapter 597 She¡¯s Very Deste</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi no longer had her previous security privileges. When she had gone abroad, customs hadn¡¯t issued any new warnings because her passport had been changed, and the Level 1 Warning System on the customs¡¯puters still targeted her original passport. As a result, when her new passport was scanned at customs, no alerts were issued. If it wasn¡¯t because Gu Nianzi was worried Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze would look for her, she wouldn¡¯t even n on telling those two, either. She had been worried that they would stop her from going to Germany to bother Huo Shao if she told them... But in the end, she still took the initiative to tell the men, and it was ok. Neither Yin Shixiong nor Zhao Liangze stopped her but instead encouraged her to take the opportunity to have fun abroad. Aside from being happy, Gu Nianzhi once again confirmed that Huo Shaoheng should be in Germany, because those two men were happy to aid in her quest and gave her much confidence.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi discovered it was much too difficult to find Huo Shaoheng once she actually arrived there. She had no idea where to start, and Huo Shaoheng also didn¡¯t seem to take the initiative to appear or contact her. She wouldn¡¯t stupidly ask around about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s whereabouts. In the deepest recesses of her heart, her wildest fantasy was nothing more than a chance reunion on the Isar River... Now that she had received a call from the Hua Xia Empire, Gu Nianzhi was a bit anxious. She calmed down and said to Gu Yanran, ¡°Sister, I went traveling abroad.¡±

    ¡°Abroad? Where did you go?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s voice was suspicious. ¡°Did you go with Mr. Huo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted nothing more than that and secretly wished that was case! But unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t... However, Gu Yanran didn¡¯t need to know. Gu Nianzhi mumbled vaguely like she had an olive in her mouth, ¡°I went with a few friends. Sister, did you need something?¡±

    ¡°I was worried about you. I haven¡¯t seen you in many days now, and when I went to your dorm to find you, your roommate said you were out. I asked where you went, but she said she didn¡¯t know.¡± Gu Yanran was acting like the perfect sister. ¡°Nianzhi, you sure are naughty. You ran off so far without saying anything, just like when you were young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi somehow thought the words sounded especially grating. Of course she acted just like when she was young, she was still the same person! Gu Yanran¡¯s brain wasn¡¯t too bright... Gu Nianzhi kept thinking about her sister¡¯sck of intelligence as sheughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Qiqi, so she also didn¡¯t know where I was going. Wouldn¡¯t it make sense that she was confused when you asked her?¡±

    ¡°Then where did you go? Shouldn¡¯t you at least let me know?¡± Gu Yanran pressed thendline against her ear and on the other side of the room, Ye Xuan sat on the couch. On the coffee table in front of him was a machine with continuously shing red and blue lights. It was tracking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone signal.

    No one could ask Gu Nianzhi about something she didn¡¯t want to talk about. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t merely refuse to answer but typically chose to change topics so the other person would forget what they were asking. Gu Nianzhi held the phone and sat on a sofa as she dried her hair and replied cheerfully, ¡°Sister, how is father? I¡¯ve already recovered my identity as his daughter for so long now, when will you allow me to officially return to the Gu family? I listened to you about not using Huo Shao¡¯s money, and I charged this overseas trip on a credit card. Are you going to pay it for me? I don¡¯t want to be a credit ve...¡±

    Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help sighing in relief andughed. ¡°Ok, when are youing back? I¡¯ll be honest with you, all these years our family has spent more than it¡¯s earned. While others might see us living luxuriously, it¡¯s all a front. You¡¯ll understand when youe back. Ok, I have to go now, I need to talk to someone about business. It¡¯s not easy to earn money!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sounded very disappointed. ¡°Oh? Sister! Don¡¯t be so busy just yet! When are you sending me the money?¡±

    Just as she was asking, an icy voice could be heard over the phone. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! That¡¯s enough! Your sister has been working to the bone to support the Gu family, and what have you been doing!? All you know is spending money!¡± Somehow it was Ye Xuan¡¯s voice.

    Gu Nianzhi froze. ¡°Sister? You gave the phone to Ye Xuan?¡± The call ended, but the sound was especially strange, like it was electricity or the nging of a machine. Ye Xuan was somehow at her sister¡¯s home at this time of night? Gu Nianzhi nced at her watch and saw it should be about 8pm in the Hua Xia Empire. They must¡¯ve had dinner together? Pouting, Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone unhappily as she tried to think about the strange sound she heard over the phone.

    ...

    On the other end of the phone,Gu Yanran put away thendline and chastised Ye Xuan. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t you keep quiet, even for a second? Did you track her down?¡±

    Ye Xuan shook his head. ¡°I can only see that she should be in Europe. Anti-tracking software is on her phone, so it¡¯s not easy to pin down.¡±

    ¡°Europe? What is she doing there?¡± Gu Yanran frowned. ¡°This child also refused to tell me the truth. All she does it worry me...¡±

    ¡°Yanran, why are you so nice to her, anyway? You¡¯re not even actually sisters.¡± Ye Xuan frowned as he put the devices on the coffee table into a special suitcase.

    ¡°Xuan, I can¡¯t allow you to say that. She is a Gu, so she is part of our family. Why does it matter if we are actually sisters or not?¡± Gu Yanran replied gently and appeared very protective of Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You¡¯re so kind-hearted, but that Gu Nianzhi refuses to appreciate it. I feel so bad for you.¡± Ye Xuan closed the suitcase with a click and picked it up. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be going now and not bother you anymore.¡±

    ¡°Xuan, don¡¯t be angry.¡± Gu Yanran embraced Ye Xuan from behind. ¡°I¡¯m worried about her, and you know she¡¯s left my side for so many years now. I¡¯m worried she was led astray.¡± Her big sister tone was the reason Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t resist her. His breathing grew heavy as he suddenly threw down his lockbox and turned around to embrace Gu Yanran. His lips kissed her fiercely...

    ...

    In a suite in the Munich Hilton Hotel, He Zhichu had been standing silently by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side. He finally asked when she hung up, ¡°Gu Yanran called?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that was so random. She kept asking where I was.¡± Gu Nianzhi began tough. ¡°So I purposely changed the topic and talked about things she instinctively avoided, so she stopped bothering me about where I am.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t have anything to say to her.¡± He Zhichu smiled and sat on the sofa in the living room. ¡°Don¡¯t let her know where you are for now. It might not be secret for very long, because the Americanw firm¡¯s website posted the employee list for this trip. She only needs to make a simple search to find it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi was unbothered. She went abroad to work, so it didn¡¯t matter, even if Gu Yanran found out about it. Worst case, she would scold her for keeping it from her, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel an obligation to tell Gu Yanran the truth. It didn¡¯t affect Gu Yanran¡¯s interests, so shy would Gu Nianzhi report everything to her? Did Gu Yanran really think she was her older sister? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memories had yet to be recovered, and she hadn¡¯t even grown her affection before Gu Yanran¡¯s attitude destroyed any chance of it. What could she do? She felt deste...

    Leaning back into the sofa, Gu Nianzhi felt the back of her neck get sore again and reached back to rub it. ¡°Appearing in court is actually very tiring. I thought I already had experience, as this wasn¡¯t my first time appearing, but I didn¡¯t think I would still be nervous anyway.¡±

    ¡°Neck is sore?¡± He Zhichu reached out to help Gu Nianzhi massage it, but she quickly moved aside andughed. ¡°I don¡¯t dare to bother Professor He. I¡¯ve only ever seen disciples service their mentors, never the other way around.¡±

    ¡°Then you might be in for an experience today?¡± He Zhichu smiled and stopped pursuing it when he saw Gu Nianzhi tense up. He stood up to ask, ¡°Where do you want to go for dinner?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that. The weisswurst this morning was good, but it¡¯s only for breakfast, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the Bavarian weisswurst from the morning.

    ¡°This hotel only serves it in the morning, but we can go out and look if you want to have more. It should be easy to find.¡± He Zhichu turned to ask her, ¡°Do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°Oh, ok.¡± Gu Niaznhi went back to get her Chanel boy bag and followed He Zhichu out of the hotel. They hailed a cab at the hotel entrance and asked the driver for a famous restaurant to go to. He rmended a four-star Michelin restaurant, and they headed that way happily.

    It turned out the driver¡¯s rmendation was excellent. Germany was known for all sorts of pork knuckle-based dishes, like the famed Schweinshaxe known by all foodies on the Blue. It was simr to the famous braised pork trotters in the Hua Xia Empire, but it didn¡¯t use sauces. It was roasted until the gtin in the pork knuckle was nearly melted, and just this one dish was enough to fill Gu Nianzhi for the whole afternoon.

    He Zhichu ordered ck pepper seafood and pork knuckle hotpot. It was salty and fresh, and even someone like him who liked to have only red wine with every meal decided to eat several slices of whole wheat bread with the pork knuckle hotpot. He Zhichu paired red wine with the pork knuckle while Gu Nianzhi drank grape juice with her meal. She ate with gusto and almost wanted to lick her fingers clean as she asked He Zhichu longingly, ¡°Professor He, the pork knuckle here is so delicious. It¡¯s so fragrant and good. This couldpete with the specially provided meat back home.¡± Also, she could actually taste the ingredients, so it wasn¡¯t just the heavy taste of many seasonings. The best food came from the taste of the actual ingredients, while the seasonings should be used to enhance but not overpower the original vors of the food.

    He Zhichu was very picky with his food but had to admit the pork there was simr to the pork he had back home. ¡°Eat more if you like it. I¡¯ll ask if they deliver. If they do, then we can order meals from here for the next few days.¡± He Zhichu got up to call the waitress over and asked in German if they delivered. This was a local restaurant that provided dine-in as well as delivery. He Zhichu ordered lunch and dinner with daily changing menus to be sent to the Hilton Hotel.

    After lunch, He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi left the restaurant. From the map on their phone, they saw the Hilton Hotel they were staying at wasn¡¯t too far away. They didn¡¯t hail another cab but walked around to aid digestion.

 Chapter 598 - Consent to Death Disclaimer

    <h4>Chapter 598: Chapter 598 ¨C Consent to Death Disimer</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was an afternoon in Munich, the scorching sun shining down from the brilliant blue sky to soften even the pavement on the streets. They walked side by side on the sidewalk, the entire street lined with lush greenery and the sound of cicada calls. It didn¡¯t feel hot at all to walk under the trees. Not far ahead, the Alps were visible on the edge of the city, and they could even see the white snow on the mountain ridges.

    Although it was summertime under the mountain, the mountaintop was always covered in snow. When the summer sun shone on it, it sparkled brilliantly like diamonds on a crown and was incredibly beautiful. Gu Nianzhi pointed to the shimmery, snow-capped mountaintop andughed. ¡°Professor He, isn¡¯t that so pretty? Do you think we have time to go skiing here?¡±

    ¡°This is the Bavarian stretch of the Alps. The cial erosion is rather severe, so it¡¯s not a good ce to go skiing.¡± He Zhichu turned to her. ¡°You really want to go skiing? How about we go skiing in Switzend after concluding the case? The best ski resorts in the world are there.¡±

    ¡°Go skiing in Switzend?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze drifted.

    She had gone skiing in Switzend with Huo Shaoheng before, but she had been very young at the time and hadn¡¯t liked exercise much. Now, she couldn¡¯t go with Huo Shaoheng even if she wanted to...

    Sighing quietly, she shook her head to not allow these thoughts to affect her mood. It was already 2:00 p.m. by the time she finally returned to the hotel with He Zhichu. Gu Nianzhi was in much better spirits and didn¡¯t want to go back to her room yet. Looking around with herrge doe eyes, she surveyed the hotel lobby.

    He Zhichu seemed to recall something, and an idea struck him as he suggested, ¡°There¡¯s a cafe over there. Let¡¯s go sit for a bit.¡±

    A ck soul singer was on the stage at the edge of the cafe, her voice so soulful and melodic that it was as if she had been gifted by the angels. She wasn¡¯t singing very loudly, so her music was in the background like a gurgling stream. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t yet 21, so she couldn¡¯t enter German bars, but cafes were not a problem. Nodding her head, she followed He Zhichu into the cafe and sat behind several potted palm trees to enjoy the momentary peace.

    He Zhichu ordered a juice for Gu Nianzhi and a cappino for himself, along with two small slices of almond cheesecake.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Professor He I can¡¯t eat that. I¡¯m still really full from earlier.¡±

    ¡°Eat a piece with me,¡± He Zhichu replied calmly and pushed a te of almond cheesecake to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi watched He Zhichu¡¯s slightly nervous expression and quietly picked up the spoon to nibble on the cake. He Zhichu sighed with relief and slowly finished his own slice.

    The waitress quickly cleared the dishes. After they finished eating, He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t speak again and only sat in silence. Gu Nianzhi picked up her ss of fruit juice, feeling bored, but she perked up her ears to eavesdrop on other people¡¯s conversations. Although everyone spoke very quietly in such an environment, she was still close to some people, with only a few potted palm trees dividing them, so she could easily hear them. This was especially the case with several people who were even speaking American English behind the palm trees, making it even easier for her to discern.

    ¡°John, the hunting season on the Alps is about to start. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Am I ready?! You should be asking how long I¡¯ve been ready¡ªI¡¯m telling you, I pulled out all the stops for this hunting season! I¡¯m going to stay up in the mountains for a full two months! No one can stop me!¡±

    ¡°Two months?! Are you serious?! From mid-August to mid-October?! The entire hunting season is only two months!¡±

    They chatted excitedly and even mentioned the exact models of hunting rifles and ammunition they were bringing.

    Gu Nianzhi had learned to shoot with Huo Shaoheng and was very familiar with all the different models of guns. As soon as they mentioned the Remington M700 VTR, she knew that it was something that was akin to a formal sniping rifle because it was equipped with a very professional scope. Anyone interested in guns knew that the scopes on hunting rifles could be swapped for the ones from sniper rifles to convert them into true sniper rifles. Only true cold-blooded hunters used such rifles to hunt, because aside from small animals like foxes and badgers, they could also be used to hunt fierce creatures like lions, tigers, and ck bears.

    Gu Nianzhi kept silent and listened until they finished chatting and left. She asked He Zhichu quietly, ¡°Professor He, what¡¯s the hunting season on the Alps all about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a hunting season.¡± He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°There are also ces in Ennd with hunting seasons that attract hunters from all over the world. Didn¡¯t you know?¡± He had assumed Gu Nianzhi would be familiar with these things since she had grown up with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had never taken Gu Nianzhi hunting. To him, picking up a gun meant killing or saving someone, so what was the point of hunting innocent animals? He had never been interested.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t done it before.¡±

    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll take you hunting when we have the chance.¡± He Zhichu nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the hunting season here, but it ought to be simr to Ennd¡¯s. Ennd¡¯s hunting season is about the same time of year, and the hunters ride horses and take hounds as well as weapons with them into the forest to hunt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and began looking up information about hunting seasons on her phone. She cocked her head for a long time and then snickered. ¡°Hmm. Why does this seem so ky? It feels like it¡¯s a free for all! Do people actually go?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t people take part in such an exciting pastime?¡± He Zhichu chuckled with a shake of his head. ¡°Hunters have to sign a consent to death disclosure when they enter a forest during hunting season. Why do you think that¡¯s the case?¡±

    It was a remarkable thing that legally recognized consent to death disclosures still existed in Western society.

    Gu Nianzhi had only been momentarily curious and lost all interest when she asked more. She sat there with He Zhichu for a bit longer, and then they paid to leave after finishing the juice and coffee.

    When they got into the elevator to go back up to their rooms, He Zhichu¡¯s phone rang. He took it out and couldn¡¯t help but be shocked to see his father calling. His father rarely called him, so it was typically an emergency if he actually called.

    He Zhichu instantly picked up. ¡°Father, what is it?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s father replied slowly over the phone, ¡°Chu, Happy Birthday.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s throat tightened, and he was at a loss for words for a long time. ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± He finally mustered the words after great effort, his voice nearly choking.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at him curiously and was also very surprised. ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s your birthday?!¡±

    Her crisp voice echoed in the tiny elevator, so even Senior Mr. He heard it over the phone. He frowned. ¡°Chu, who are you with right now?¡±

 Chapter 599 - Sue You for Contempt of Court

    <h4>Chapter 599: Chapter 599 Sue You for Contempt of Court</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Who else could it be?¡± He Zhichu smiled wryly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Ok, Father. I have to go now. I still have a case here, and I¡¯ll be sure toe see you once it concludes.¡±

    Senior Mr. He sighed. ¡°Is it Nianzhi? Aren¡¯t you going to bring her home?¡±

    He Zhichu kept quiet, and Senior Mr. He spoke so quietly that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t overhear it. She also wasn¡¯t listening because she was only thinking about how it was actually Professor He¡¯s birthday. No wonder he asked her to have cake with him just now; it was his birthday cake. He Zhichu ended the call, and the elevator had arrived at their floor. Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the elevator, and her huge eyes suddenly glittered as she smiled at him. ¡°Professor He, happy birthday!¡±

    He Zhichu was not very affected by her casual but sweet words. ¡°No need to be so polite. Birthdayse along every year, so it¡¯s nothing special.¡±

    ¡°How is it not special?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt very guilty. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯ll get you a birthday gift.¡± Seeing He Zhichu so alone that no one was spending his birthday with him, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart softened.

    ¡°Ok then, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t pretend to be polite at all, his shimming, sultry eyes shing quickly. ¡°But this is the... first birthday gift you¡¯re getting me. You must make it thoughtful. If it¡¯s no good, I won¡¯t ept it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. How could this be? He was getting a gift but being so picky about it?! Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help grumbling to herself, but of course she would never dare to say it out loud. She smiled and spread her palms. ¡°Then what should I do? Professor He has everything from nes in the sky to small needles and thread. What do youck? If you need something, I couldn¡¯t afford it, anyway.¡±

    p! He Zhichu gently pped her open palm. ¡°Think about it yourself. Aren¡¯t you very smart? If you can¡¯t even think of this, then I think your brain is all for show.¡± He then turned back to his suite. Gu Nianzhi was left standing alone in the hallway and wanted to stomp her feet at his straight and noble backside.

    That evening, He Zhichu called for a meeting and told them that he just received a call from the prosecutor saying the defense had found a newwyer, and the trial would resume tomorrow. The four assistants and Gu Nianzhi began preparing for the next day¡¯s trial together. They delegated the work so that some were researching the background of the newly hiredwyer, and others went to find the cases he had previously represented.

    Gu Nianzhi was in charge of reenacting the case to prepare for all sorts of questioning from the defense. Like on a battlefield, they wielded spears while the defense had shields, so they needed to see who would be the stronger force to either attack or defend. Everyone discussed the case untilte at night before going back to their own rooms to sleep.

    Early the next morning, the six of them took the business car to the Munich District Court for the trial. This time, their courtroom was different from the previous one. The seats in thest one were like those from a middle school ssroom, while these were thick, heavy ck benches arranged in long rows on either side of the room that gave an air of oppression.

    Gu Nianzhi walked inside and couldn¡¯t help breathing more quietly when she saw the ck chairs. People sat down on either the defendant or intiff¡¯s side, and the judge entered on time soon after to announce that court was in session. The prosecutor began debating with the defense about the ages of the defendants. The man and woman had big, ruddy faces and stood as tall as brick walls. They appeared closer to 30 or 40, rather than recently turning 22 as the defense imed. However, there were no issues with the defendants¡¯ birth certificates, and when the case urred, it was true they were both only 21. ording to Germanw, the difference between 21 and 22 was definitive leap. German criminalw stipted that suspects between the ages of 18 and 21 were sentenced ording to youth justicews if they had not reached the maturity of adults, so today¡¯s topic was whether or not the two suspects had reached adult maturity.

    Gu Nianzhi was very angry. It was obvious these two scumbags were adults, and they had evenmitted the adult crimes of rape and murder. She didn¡¯t understand what the point of contention was, but the defensewyer obviously didn¡¯t think that way. As long as he could safely designate his clients as underage, then their sentencing would be much lighter. There was no death penalty for underage offenders in Germany, and the heaviest sentence was only 15 years in prison with two years release on parole. ording to the male suspect¡¯s family background, he probably would take a leisurely stroll around jail and then be released. Gu Nianzhi was deeply dissatisfied and balled her hands into fits. She sat on the long bench behind the intiff¡¯s bench, her tiny face scrunched up.

    The defensewyer kept drawling on. ¡°The newest scientific research proves that adult maturity is not merely determined using age or appearance. Just like the case of transgender people, the gender recognized by the individual themselves is their true gender! You can¡¯t only look at a person appearing as a woman possessing female characteristics and say she is a woman. Perhaps in her heart, she may consider herself a man. So you must respect her choice and call her a man...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teeth nearly cracked from her gritting them. Where did this weirdowyere from?! He was challenging theirmon sense and righteousness! Not only did Gu Nianzhi express her indignation, but even the Germans present at trial were continuously snorting. If it weren¡¯t for the solemnity of the court, she guessed there would even have been people crying out...

    However, the defensewyerpletely ignored everyone else¡¯s reactions, because he only cared about the judge. ¡°Your Honor, my clients weren¡¯t yet 22 and were only 21 when the case urred. Also, their mentality proves that they have not yet reached adult maturity. I urge Your Honor to bring this case back to Juvenile Court for review.¡±

    ¡°Objection.¡± The prosecutor immediately raised his right hand. ¡°The defensewyer¡¯s ims of judging maturity levels are too subjective. This is not something the world ofw can define. As for whether or not the defendants have reached adult maturity, we can look at the maturity of their bodies and teeth.¡± The prosecutor spoke as he presented a medical report to the court. ¡°This is a medical examination performed by a medical professional. From their physiological states, they arepletely mature.¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± The defensewyer saw things were going badly and immediately jumped up. ¡°I already said that merely looking at bodies and appearances isn¡¯t enough to determine true maturity.¡± He cited journals and even new theories from Harvard University¡¯s neuroscientists, angering the prosecutor so much he was stunned silent!

    What nonsense! Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand listening to it anymore. Psychological maturity, as if! You think the world revolves around you?! Why don¡¯t you defend yourself by saying that you were afflicted with acute anger issues the moment you killed someone?! Gu Nianzhi swallowed her anger and stood up after obtaining He Zhichu¡¯s permission. As one of thewyers hired by the intiff¡¯s parents, Gu Nianzhi was qualified to support the prosecutor against the defense. ¡°Your Honor, thetest research results from Harvard University cannot be used to determine whether or not the defendant is truly mature.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought the defensewyer was just being sly and kept changing concepts to brainwash everyone, so she didn¡¯t fall for his tricks or get so angry she couldn¡¯t speak.

    The defensewyer began to shriek, ¡°Harvard University is the best university in the world, and their neuroscience department is also one of the top of its kind in the world. How dare you say it can¡¯t be used as a standard?¡± He was a bit wary of Gu Nianzhi, since this little girl only had to appear once to send the the previous defensewyer packing his bags, in danger of even losing hiswyer¡¯s license. This newwyer had fully prepared, but unfortunately, he had almost no information about Gu Nianzhi at all. He had no way of finding any information to analyze Gu Nianzhi¡¯s style of debate in court.

    Gu Nianzhi walked out from the auditorium behind the intiff¡¯s stand and walked before the defensewyer to answer crisply, ¡°American public schools also allow transgender students to choose whether they want to use men¡¯s or women¡¯s bathrooms. May I ask if that is allowed in German public schools?¡±

    The defensewyer pursed his lips tightly and refused to answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. This question was obviously a trap, and he would be falling into it as soon as he answered it. His previous defense would also bepletely wiped out.

    ¡°Please answer me.¡± Gu Nianzhi waited a moment and began to urge him when he still refused to speak. ¡°Your Honor, the defensewyer still refuses to speak. Should we change the defensewyer once again?¡± Gu Nianzhi could only ask the judge for help. Defensewyers were not allowed to stay silent when questioned by the intiff¡¯swyer. While the defendant had a right to remain silent, it wasn¡¯t the case for the defensewyer.

    The new defensewyer could tell Gu Nianzhi was using the same trick and couldn¡¯t help smirking. ¡°What? Are you going to sue me for racism, too?¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t sue you for racism.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brow. ¡°I¡¯ll sue you for contempt of court.¡±

    The defensewyer was bbergasted as he stared at Gu Nianzhi. Mouth gaping, he finally huffed, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question, please answer it. Will German public schools recognize American public school regtions for transgender students?¡±

    The judge finally spoke. ¡°Defensewyer, please answer the intiff¡¯swyer¡¯s question.¡±

    The defensewyer slumped and considered it for a long time before finally replying, ¡°No.¡± But he then immediately said, ¡°But that isn¡¯t the same as Harvard University¡¯s standards for measuring maturity.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed not the same. Sir, I think your defense must have been prepared in a big hurry. Did you just find this argument recently?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Actually, why did you have to trouble yourself with that, anyway? A difficult science like neurological medicine isn¡¯t suitable for you, and it¡¯s even less suitable for your client. He looks mentally retarded and neurotic.¡±

 Chapter 600 - Donâ€™t Make Me Fight a One-sided Battle

    <h4>Chapter 600: Chapter 600 ¨C Don¡¯t Make Me Fight a One-sided Battle</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer is ndering my client as mentally retarded and neurotic! That¡¯s a personal attack!¡± The defendant¡¯swyer immediatelytched onto the loophole in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, appearing very excited.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at him. ¡°Are you certain that I¡¯m ndering your client? Is the truth considered politically incorrect these days?¡±

    The defendant¡¯swyer nearly thumped his chest as he eximed loudly, ¡°My client is most definitely not mentally retarded and neurotic! It¡¯s quite the opposite. He¡¯s very smart and logical¡ªhis academic grades prove that, and his family and friends can also testify that he¡¯s a polite and well-behaved child¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Gu Nianzhi said, cutting him off. ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to know.¡± She then turned to the judge with a serene expression and waspletely unreadable as to what her next move was.

    He Zhichu smiled faintly, secretly impressed with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quick wit amid adversity, which effectively blocked the opponent¡¯s next move.

    The judge also stiffened before confirming with the defendant¡¯swyer at the Gu Nianzhi¡¯s urging, ¡°Are you certain your client is not mentally retarded and neurotic?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± The defendant¡¯swyer blurted out, then suddenly seemed to recall something. His face dropped, and the male defendant Seth¡¯s stepfather, York, muttered bitterly, ¡°Cunning...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the judge, a polite smile on her pretty little face. ¡°Your Honor, the defendant¡¯swyer has personally confirmed that the defendant is neither mentally retarded, neurotic, nor mentally ill, and has no neurotic traits. That means he¡¯s apletely capable adult. Since he was already 21 when hemitted the crime and all his physical signs also indicate that he was an adult, we object trying this case in juvenile court.¡±

    The defendant¡¯swyer¡¯s face turned ashen. He suddenly realized he was the one who was really mentally deficient. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words reminded him that iming his defendants as mentally retarded or mentally ill was the easiest way to get him out of the sentence. How could he have cast that all aside and allowed the opponent to lead him by the nose?! That little b*tch had just checkmated him by making him personally destroy his chances of defending his client as mentally retarded or mentally ill.

    Seth¡¯s parents red viciously at him as if out for his blood. As a result, though the defense had assumed that they had prepared sufficiently for the second defense, they¡¯d ended up defeated by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interference. The judge sighed and announced that the defendant would be tried ording to the legal basis respective to adults.

    Seth¡¯s mother, Ramona, immediately burst into tears. ¡°My baby! My baby!¡± She lunged over to embrace her Goliath of a son as she sobbed and wailed.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched as she muttered in Chinese, ¡°Let go of your baby. He¡¯s not a child anymore...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get so smug.¡± The defendant¡¯swyer walked over and stabbed his finger at the sky. He warned her lividly, ¡°There are still many rounds of trials. You think you really have the upper hand?! Can¡¯t you see where you are? You¡¯re too naive!¡±

    ¡°Too young? Too simple?¡± Gu Nianzhi tidied her things with a smile, a hint of derision on her expression. ¡°I¡¯ll hold my breath. Good luck to you, too. Don¡¯t make me feel like I¡¯m fighting a one-sided battle.¡±

    ¡°You...!¡± The defendant¡¯swyer waspletely enraged by her and wanted nothing more but to beat her. However, He Zhichu and the four strapping Americanwyers surrounded him, their expressions grim as they watched on. The defendant¡¯swyer could only snort and leave in a huff.

    ¡°Give him an inch, and he¡¯ll take a mile, eh?¡± Gu Nianzhi was totally unfazed but was very displeased when she turned around to see Seth ring at her.

    What are you looking at? If Germany had capital punishment, you¡¯d be dead meat! Gu Nianzhi secretly thought to herself but pretended to appear very frightened. She immediately said to the bailiff, ¡°Sir, I¡¯m afraid that man will take revenge on me. I request court protection.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed in Seth¡¯s direction before he could avert his look of hatred.

    Everyone in court, including the judge and the bailiff, witnessed it. Seth had been originally released on bail, but upon seeing his violent look, the judge automatically rejected his family¡¯s request for bail pending on trial. The reason was that he had threatened the intiff¡¯swyer, so that was another charge, and it cost him the chance of bail.

    Ramona muffled her mouth tightly, her eyes rimmed red. She witnessed the bailiff lock her son up and walked over to Gu Nianzhi sobbing, ¡°You¡¯re too cruel! My son didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Why did you have to destroy his chances of surviving this? How are you rted to that girl? How much money did her family pay you for you to work so hard for them?¡±

    Inwardly, Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. These kinds of people did as they pleased with their bit of power and authority. Truly, nothing had changed since ancient times.

    ¡°My client was even more innocent,¡± she said. ¡°May I ask why your son tortured her to death? You son showed no mercy to an innocent person. What right do you have to ask someone else to show your son mercy? Just because you¡¯re a high-ranking police officer here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke loudly, her authentic Oxford-ented English clearly discernible to the German media waiting at the door. They practically perked their ears up to listen to what was happening.

    Ramona was thoroughly heartbroken. That dead Huaxia female exchange student was less than a dog to her. Though she would pity a dead dog, that dead girl was just a powerless foreigner. She truly didn¡¯t think her precious son needed to pay such a high price for something so minor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that my son is only 22? His whole life will be ruined if he goes to jail! What opportunities will he ever have in the future?!¡± Ramona went on to me Gu Nianzhi angrily, ¡°Also, you don¡¯t even have any evidence! How can you say that my son killed your client?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any evidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°How do you know I have no evidence?¡±

    ¡°Of course I know! My husband and I personally investigated this case!¡± Ramona wiped away her tears, a lethal look fashing in her eyes. She hadn¡¯t climbed to the rank of Senior Lieutenant by merely using her husband¡¯s influence.

    Gu Nianzhi detested this kind of person the most. She sneered. ¡°There is no evidence because you and your husband destroyed all the evidence, right?!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Ramona retreated, her expression anxious. ¡°There was no evidence to begin with! My son didn¡¯t kill her!¡±

    She finished speaking and left the courthouse in a hurry, refusing all media interviews.

    Gu Nianzhi put onrge sunsses and followed He Zhihcu out of the courthouse. There were even more reporters waiting outside, and they surged up as soon as they came out. Multiple microphones with recording capabilities were passed to He Zhichu. He also worerge sunsses, which entuated his fine features and lent an air of mystery.

 Chapter 601 - Becoming the Prosecutor

    <h4>Chapter 601: Chapter 601 Bing the Prosecutor</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu remained silent and didn¡¯t look at the reporters chasing him as he went to his luxury business car like nothing was amiss. The reporters crowding around him were confused by his aura and instinctively parted to make a path as they watched the sixwyer team from America¡¯srgestw firm walk out and get into their car. It sped away, and the reporters finally snapped out of their daze to begin frantically reporting the results of the day¡¯s trial. Unfortunately, the court didn¡¯t allow audio or video recording, so they could only use several official photos of the trial from the court to apany their articles.

    When Gu Nianzhi and the others returned to their hotel, the German media had already published overwhelming coverage of the case¡¯s second day of trial. Gu Nianzhi and the four American assistants sat in He Zhichu¡¯s hotel suite to watch TV as well as discuss the next steps in the case. Watching He Zhichu¡¯s handsome figure making long strides towards the car on the TV screen, Gu Nianzhi cupped her cheeks as she sat on the sofa and smiled. ¡°Professor He is famous in Germany now.¡±

    He Zhichu was indeed famous in Germany now, but the Germans were more interested in thergest Americanw firm he was part of. Law firms typically didn¡¯t use advertisements, but He Zhichu¡¯s high-profile exposure could be considered a free,rge scale ad for hisw firm. Thew firm originally had European branches in Ennd and France but not Germany. After the case appeared, the Germans became very familiar with thisw firm, and the business-savvy Americans immediately decided to open a branch in Germany.

    Because He Zhichu was aw firm partner and also the symbolic figure that made the Germans familiar with the firm, he was then appointed the task of overseeing the establishment of the German branch. He Zhichu didn¡¯t have to do much of the transactional and trivial tasks, he just needed to control the general direction and also sign all the important legal documents. As for anything rted to the case they were representing, He Zhichu made Gu Nianzhi the team leader and had the other four assistants be her subordinates.

    After the two previous sessions, the four American assistants hadpletely reassessed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abilities. Because the victim in the case was a Hua Xia female exchange student, Gu Nianzhi was more realistic and impactful as the legal representative, since she was also a fellow Hua Xia national. She could better evoke the sympathy of the judge and German citizens, so the assistants all supported Gu Nianzhi as the leader to take them to victory on the case.

    When the German citizens looked at Gu Nianzhi, they would think of the pitiful victim who died for nothing, and thus garner more sympathy and support. Although thew had its own logic, public pressure was also very important, and the judge had no way ofpletely ignoring public opinion because he was only human, too.

    As for the four American assistants, they would receive the same benefits as Gu Nianzhi if they won the case, because they were all theoretically He Zhichu¡¯s assistants. He Zhichu was the true person in charge of the case. By making Gu Nianzhi the team leader, it was just a matter of different delegation with their internal work, and this wouldn¡¯t affect the four assistants¡¯ future resumes. With everyone¡¯s full support, Gu Nianzhi became the main force to battle against the defensewyer in court.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi appeared in court the next day, she had arranged her long hair into a bun behind her head with a hairpin and wore light makeup. She appeared more mature than when she didn¡¯t wear makeup and seemed extremely confident. No longer looking like a young college girl, her cool expression was nearly a mirror of He Zhichu¡¯s as she stood by his side.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re Mr. He¡¯s student.¡± One of the assistants teased her. ¡°Gu, you¡¯ve learned too well. You¡¯re even a mirror image of Mr. He¡¯s mannerisms.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched her face with a smile. ¡°Smith, there¡¯s something wrong with your eyesight. You¡¯re saying I look like him, so am I not a woman, or is Professor He not a man? Hmm?¡±

    The assistant named Smith stiffened and finally realized what was happening. He was instantly stunned speechless by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp tongue, and his face turned ashen as he quickly nced at He Zhichu. He didn¡¯t think He Zhichu had been regarding them coolly all this time. ¡°Oh my God! Gu, what have you done to me! Can¡¯t I even make a joke?!¡± Smith inched towards Gu Nianzhi and gritted his teeth while pointing his finger.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened when he finally spoke. ¡°Smith, you don¡¯t need to appear in court today. Go check on how the branch expansion is going and report to me in the evening.¡± He kicked Smith out of the trial with onement. Smith almost wanted to cry but also knew it was his fault for having a big mouth. Sheepishly packing up his briefcase, he left the Munich District Court and went to check on the progress of their new German branch set to open soon. How could such a dull task evenpare to the excitement of the trial? He wasn¡¯t wrong; the day¡¯s trial was indeed exciting.

    It was the third day, and after experiencing swapping out the defensewyer and court concluding whether the defendants should be tried as juveniles or adults, Gu Nianzhi and the prosecutor joined forces to not only damage the defense¡¯s arrogance but also smoothly block off the defense¡¯s loophole of using ¡°mental retardation¡± as a loophole defense.

    For today¡¯s third session, they would finally be proceeding to the actual case itself. However, it was only when they stepped inside the courtroom that they realized there was a new judge. The new judge had an even higher rank than the previous one and treated the case with apletely different attitude. The male defendant, Seth, had an aloof expression, and his chilling eyes kept ring at Gu Nianzhi. In face of the prosecutor¡¯s questioning, his new defensewyer kept denying, ¡°My client didn¡¯t see the deceased on the day she died. My clientst saw her the day before she died, and they also had sexual rtions on the day before she died.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help sneering at the ridiculous answer. Although Seth kept trying to pretend to look innocent, his filthy eyes betrayed his evil nature. The prosecutor confirmed again and again, but the defensewyer kept insisting that his client was innocent, and that the victim, Li Haiqing, had been killed by someone else. The prosecutor pressed his lips together and nced at the information he had before coolly assessing the judge as well as several high-ranking police officers sitting behind the bench. He appeared deted.

    The case wasn¡¯tplicated at all, but the problem was finding someone brave enough to stand up for a powerless foreigner and confront the entire police district and judicial system. The police officer who had performed the DNA test previously had already been charged by the procuratorate because of procedural misconduct, but the real reason was that he had interfered with the ns of certain high-ranking police officers and stopped them from getting their child out of being charged...

    Gu Nianzhi saw the prosecutor fail to refute the defensewyer¡¯s ridiculous answers all this time and actually dete. She was very confused. This case wasn¡¯tplicated at all! ording to the information they could see right now, it was obvious the defendant and hiswyer were lying. Why wasn¡¯t the prosecutor arguing back?!

    After some time, the much relieved looking judge announced a 15 minute recess. If the prosecutor and the defensewyer didn¡¯t present any new evidence after 15 minutes, then he would be making a preliminary verdict. In other words, the defendant was likely to be acquitted due tock of evidence! Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand. She straightened her back and asked He Zhichu quietly, ¡°Professor He, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    He Zhichu knew better than Gu Nianzhi about the world beyondws. He replied icily, ¡°These people probably control the entire judicial system. The prosecutor doesn¡¯t dare to fight against them anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lucid eyes widened in shock, devoid of any traces of impurity. She asked nkly, ¡°What? How dare they?!¡± This was a matter of life and death!

    ¡°The victim was just a foreigner. Why wouldn¡¯t they dare? They would even do it to a German citizen, though it would cost more.¡± The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth turned down. ¡°But this time, they¡¯ve hit a brick wall.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and patted her vest. ¡°Thank you for the support, Professor He. I¡¯ll ask the prosecutor if I can take over.¡±

    He Zhichu regarded her quietly for some time. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±

    ¡°Afraid? Why would I be afraid of spineless criminals like them? I believe that righteousness will prevail. I don¡¯t think they can truly control the whole world! I believe there will be justice in the end. They will pay for all the things they did!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you can try, then.¡± He Zhichu looked down. ¡°The key to this case is the all the secret exchanges. Though there is ample evidence in the forefront, it can¡¯t withstand the ridiculous collusion within the local judicial system.¡±

    ¡°Ha,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied curtly and got up to look for the prosecutor. In just a short time, he had somehow disappeared. Gu Nianzhi asked several people and finally found him on the courthouse rooftop. Seeing his lone figure on the rooftop, Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood what He Zhichu meant. This prosecutor must be facing a huge amount of stress. He was probably afraid of internal revenge from the judicial system once the case concluded. After all, the murderer was the son of their department¡¯s direct superior.

    He had lost the edge and ruthlessness from thest two days and had deted under the arrogance of the defense. He didn¡¯t dare argue back anymore. Gu Nianzhi no longer wanted to ask him the reason. He had already tried his best, so why make things even harder for him? Gu Nianzhi was never one to allow another to sacrifice themselves for her interests or those of others. Slowly walking over, she coughed quietly.

    The prosecutor turned around to see Gu Nianzhi and smiled bitterly at her. He whispered, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Eyes watering a bit, Gu Nianzhi looked up and inhaled deeply. She forced the tears back down and said quietly, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you give me all your information, and I¡¯ll continue as the primary prosecutor?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± The prosecutor exhaled sharply. ¡°You¡¯re still young, and I understand how you feel. When I was as young as you all those years ago, I was also that righteous. But I¡¯m already 50 this year and will be retiring soon. If I... give this a gamble, I might permanently lose my professional qualifications and pension. Also, the rest of my life might go to hell.¡± As expected, they were the reasons He Zhichu had given.

 Chapter 602 - Endorse Yourself

    <h4>Chapter 602: Chapter 602 ¨C Endorse Yourself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was mulling over how she was yet too inexperienced and had also discovered a newfound respect for He Zhichu. She said to the prosecutor, ¡°I understand and don¡¯t me you at all. I just hope that you will give the data to me. This isn¡¯t illegal since I¡¯m also awyer representing the intiff. I have the right to ess your information.¡±

    Although the prosecutor was afraid of retaliation from those people, he still had his own sense of justice. He felt the same level of psychological stress being threatened by those people as with not being able to find justice for that unfortunate victim. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was only asking him to share his information and that it was also legal practice, he agreed without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you when we go back to the courthouse.¡± He patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Good luck! The rest depends on you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very grateful as she followed the prosecutor back to the courthouse to obtain a sh drive from him. ¡°The data is all in there, but it¡¯s all in German so you can use instant trantion software to read it in English. Although it won¡¯t be too urate, the inherent meaning will be the same.¡± The prosecutor covertly offered his suggestion.

    Gu Nianzhi agreed with a smile and returned to her seat. She passed the sh drive to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, this information is in German. Can you take a look for me?¡±

    He Zhichu epted the sh drive and plugged it in the port to begin browsing. There was a lot of information, and the prosecutor had marked down all the key points. He Zhichu quickly tranted the case summary into English and also summed up several contradictions and suspicious points for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reference. Gu Nianzhi also used herptop to connect to the free Wifi in the Munich District Courthouse.

    Since the Munich and Rou judicial systems were tantly colluding and impeding justice, she had no choice but to take drastic measures. She also knew this was illegal to a certain extent and at least vited the provisions that made the trial closed to the public. But breaking thisw had no direct link to the case itself. Even if she was discovered, it wouldn¡¯t affect the court proceedings. Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and stared intently at the screen. Her slender fingers flew over the keyboard as she opened a program she had created. By using a heavily disguised IP address, she infiltrated the courthouse¡¯s central control system and connected to the courthouse surveince camera. She then shared the real-time surveince footage using the courthouse¡¯s official ount on thergest social mediawork in Germany, in effect sharing the live stream of the entire trial.

    To allow the people of Germany to understand how corrupt the judge and police chiefs they had elected actually were, Gu Nianzhi purposely adjusted the angle of the courthouse¡¯s internal surveince camera to focus on the judge, the defendant¡¯swyer, the male defendant Seth, and his parents York and Ramona. She was careful to leave a blind spot in the courtroom so she would not be captured on camera as she attended the trial. The live stream would only broadcast her voice; her face would remain hidden.

    Shortly afterward, a live stream started on the official ount of the Munich District Court. The Germans who were following case were keenly aware of this, and there was a sudden surge in traffic on the social media site, which nearly crashed the server. Because the court wasn¡¯t too active on its official social media ount, it didn¡¯t have many followers. There had only been a small increase in follows due to the notorious case, so the court hadn¡¯t assigned anyone to be in charge of maintaining the social media ount. They only had a part-time court clerk log in once a month. So the Munich District Court waspletely oblivious when its ount started gaining 1,000 followers a minute.

    ...

    When 15 minutes were up, the judge resumed the court session with a bright smile. He said eagerly, ¡°If the defendant¡¯s and intiff¡¯swyers don¡¯t have any further questions, I announce¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold it.¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly stood up and said quietly, ¡°I have a question.¡±

    The judge¡¯s expression darkened as he stared at her. ¡°What did you say? Speak in German.¡±

    Sure enough, he was being difficult. Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. No wonder the two previous judges who had sympathized with the victim had been reced¡ªthey had changed to a judge biased towards the defendant.

    Gu Nianzhi spoke loudly in English. ¡°ording to yourws, I can defend in English, and your court must provide an interpreter for me.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have interpreters here.¡± The judge waved his hands dismissively. ¡°Either speak in German or shut up. I will announce the trial results now.¡±

    When the judge said that, thement section of the live stream on the court¡¯s official ount nearly exploded. The countless Germans watching the live stream trial were all shocked...

    How could this be?! He was clearly not allowing the prosecution¡¯swyer to speak?! Although German ought to be spoken in Germany, there was no rule that English couldn¡¯t be spoken! He imed there were no interpreters?! Fine!

    At that moment, countless certified German interpreters called the court to offer their services to thewyer entrusted by the parents of Li Haiqing. A courthouse staff member quickly came to the judge presiding over the case to ask if he needed to send an interpreter over, but the judge red coldly at him, so he didn¡¯t dare ask.

    The judge continued to ask Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Are you done speaking? Ok, I announce¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold it.¡± This time, He Zhichu stood up and replied in German, ¡°I¡¯ll act as her German interpreter.¡± His authentic Hannover ent shocked the judge.

    The tens of thousands of Germans watching the stream finally smiled. This was the first time they had sided with foreigners in a dispute between their own people and foreigners...

    Gu Nianzhi shot He Zhichu a grateful look and immediately began her cross-examination. She first looked at Seth.

    ¡°Mr. Seth,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask if it was true when your representingwyer said that you had sexual rtions with the victim one day before her death.¡±

    Seth squinted at her but refused to speak.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to hiswyer. ¡°May I ask if what you¡¯re saying is fully endorsed by your client, Seth?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m his representingwyer. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t even know what it means to sign the entrustment agreement with a representingwyer?¡± The otherwyer sneered at Gu Nianzhi, his eyes vicious.

    ¡°Ok. It¡¯s great that you know.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Seth. ¡°Mr. Seth, did you hear that? Everything that your representingwyer says next will be in representation of you and is fully legally binding.¡± Gu Nianzhi watched an uncertain look cross Seth¡¯s greasy face. She coughed quietly and continued to exin, ¡°So, do you still n to remainpletely silent? He¡¯s not you, so will he understand the case and understand you as much as you do personally?¡±

 Chapter 603 - Letting Go to Expose Yourself

    <h4>Chapter 603: Chapter 603 Letting Go to Expose Yourself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Handling the intiff on his own and not wanting a defendingwyer? Seth¡¯s heart clenched, and he moved around ufortably on his chair. He looked back at his parents, who were sitting in to listen to the court proceedings. His stepfather had a straight face and shook his head slowly at him. Of course, he couldn¡¯t allow Seth to defend himself. He knew his stepson well enough to not let him do that.

    Gu Nianzhi took note of everything that had happened and smiled to herself. Doesn¡¯t look too tough to handle. She understood Seth¡¯s character well. From the information she had, he was a biased, selfish man who lost his cool easily. He did not have a high IQ but firmly believed in himself instead of the judgment of others. She wouldn¡¯t have set a trap like this if weren¡¯t for that. Allowing Seth to expose his ws in front of all the citizens of Germany, or rather, the whole world.

    Therefore, she continued, ¡°Are you asking for help from the Bureau Chief of Rou, who also happens to be your stepfather? I¡¯ll remind you again; no matter what, you can¡¯t keep mum forever. Since that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you answer the intiff¡¯swyer¡¯s questions?¡±

    Seth was convinced. He was indeed worried that someone would say the wrong thing. Even though his parents had said that hiswyer was really good, what if he said something wrong, too? Seth already had. His mother told him to base his actions on ¡°mental illness,¡± so that it would be easier to get him off the hook, but that stupid, good-for-nothingwyer ruined it... So much for being ¡°famous.¡± He did not want to have a record. He did not want to be locked in prison his entire life.

    Just when Seth was in a dilemma, Gu Nianzhi turned to the judge and said, ¡°ording to procedures, it¡¯s my turn to question the defendant. Your Honor, please approve.¡±

    The judged red at Gu Nianzhi and almost said, ¡°Not approved!¡± However, he remembered that there were members of the media in the court. Even though York had said that he had already bribed them, he could not be too obvious. What if they leak information anyway? He just proceeded with the protocol. It wouldn¡¯t affect his final judgment, anyway. Nodding, he said, ¡°Defendant, please answer the intiff¡¯swyer¡¯s questions.¡±

    Upon themand from the judge, Seth had no choice but to walk to the stand and take his seat. Folding her arms, Gu Nianzhi stood confidently in court. Her beautiful face looked like that of the finest white tallow jade, supple and attractive.

    Seth looked Gu Nianzhi over and was reminded of the Hua Xia female student he had killed after raping her multiple times. She was slim as well, but wasn¡¯t as pretty as thiswyer, and she wasn¡¯t as fair, either. Such supple and fair skin... It must feel good touching it... He almost became hard just thinking about it.

    Seth¡¯s eyes stared fixedly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Armani suit was well tailored to her figure. It made her already slim waist look even smaller and entuated her breasts. Seth¡¯s face looked disgusting.

    Gu Nianzhi was furious, but she knew that the court hearing was being streamed live, so the more he leered at her, the easier it would be for her to expose him. Therefore, she ignored Seth¡¯s stares and began questioning him calmly. ¡°Mr. Seth, may I know where you were on the evening of May 11th a year ago, which was the night that the victim, Li Haiqing, was murdered when she went for a jog, please?¡±

    ¡°I was sleeping in my condominium apartment with my girlfriend, Niya.¡± Seth smiled lecherously and looked at Niya, who was also one of the defendants. Niya lowered her head deeply and hunched down, like she really wanted to disappear in the courtroom. Her shame was evident.

    Gu Nianzhi continued her questioning. ¡°Were there any witnesses other than your girlfriend?¡±

    Seth thought for a minute before shaking his head. ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°What a waste.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her finger and shook it from left to right. ¡°Your girlfriend is also a defendant in this case. Therefore, using her as your alibi is not valid under thew.¡±

    Seth¡¯s expression fell. Anger shed on his initially calm face. ¡°Why is that so?!¡± Seth asked Gu Nianzhi with his teeth clenched.

    ¡°Even though I¡¯m not obliged to answer your question, seeing that you¡¯ve been defying legal procedures, I shall, just so you can stop being aw-ignorant person.¡± Gu Nianzhi paused and said quickly before the defendantwyer could utter a word, ¡°Because the chance of her coborating with you and helping you cover for your mistakes is too high.¡±

    The defendant¡¯swyer was indeed slow. He only called out at that moment, ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer is derogating my client!¡±

    ¡°Objection approved. Counsel, please watch your words,¡± the judge warned Gu Nianzhi, showing his bias inly for all to see.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Your Honor, even though I feel that it wasn¡¯t derogating when I said that the defendant was aw-ignorant person, I can¡¯t do much if you choose to be biased towards him.¡±

    ¡°How is this not derogation?!¡± The defendant¡¯swyer sneered, waving an arm and showing his anger. Actions like these could easily affect the members of the jury. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time! You¡¯ve said that my client was an idiot, was crazy, and now you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s aw-ignorant person?!¡±

    ¡°I apologize for saying that he was crazy and was an idiot. However, saying that he¡¯sw-ignorant... That¡¯s a fact,¡± Gu Nianzhi said a matter of factly and began, ¡°Defendingwyer, have you forgotten about the definition of derogation? I cannot sue you for derogation just because you argue or scold me in the streets.¡±

    The defendant¡¯swyer was speechless. I should be the one suing you! How did it be you suing me?!

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and faced the jury. ¡°In order to prove derogation, you¡¯ll need three points. First, it has to be scandalous. Second, the intiff has to have evidence that he or she was being ndered. Third, publishing. Even if the first two points were proven, you would be unable to support the third point. As long as I did not publish myself saying that your client was being an idiot, derogation can never stand. You wouldn¡¯t even be able to open a case.

    ¡°As for beingw-ignorant, ording to the nature of derogation, it has to be a pseudo truth. If it was an objective truth, then even if it harmed your client, you cannot be sued for derogation. Your client isw-ignorant. That is an objective truth. Therefore, if it has harmed you or your client¡¯s precious pride, too bad. I¡¯m not taking back my words.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable!¡± The defendingwyer sneered. ¡°We¡¯re not even fighting a derogation case. Why would you say so much nonsense?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you know that we¡¯re not fighting a derogation case? Then who was the one who said that I derogated his client?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and looked at Seth. ¡°Your client speaks better than you.¡±

    This defendingwyer was actually capable, but he had no sense of conscience. Therefore, for cases like these where the intiff had all the evidence, and no one else dared to take it, he was the only one who dared to. This was because he felt that he had the backing of Seth¡¯s parents, and all he needed to do was just get this over and done with, as the final judgment had already been decided under the table. No one expected that a youngwyer who wasn¡¯t afraid of anything would decide to go against them.

    The defendingwyer narrowed his eyes. I definitely have got to show her who¡¯s boss, he thought. If not, it was okay if he lost his reputation, but it would be a disaster if he lost the case. He would have to deal with Seth¡¯s parents if he did.

    The judge was outraged by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and wanted to retort. However, when he thought of the final judgment that he had to make, he controlled himself and looked at the draft of the concluding speech he had to giveter instead.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted, turned around, and questioned Seth again. ¡°So, on the 11th of Mayst year, what exactly were you doing with your girlfriend?¡±

    Seth kept quiet and refused to say anything more.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be silent. If you remain silent, I¡¯ll just take it as you do not have any alibi,¡± Gu Nianzhi said calmly. She produced a set of documents and announced to the people in court, ¡°This is Seth¡¯s statement when he turned himself in at the police station.¡±

    Seth was stunned. Gu Nianzhi took the statement to him. ¡°Is this your signature?¡±

    Seth took a look and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You said in your statement that you met the victim on the 10th of May and had intercourse with her one day before she died. You did not meet her on the 11th of May, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I met her one day before, and we had sex.¡± A strange smile appeared on Seth¡¯s face. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, and his fingers trembled.

    Gu Nianzhi kept a stern face and took out another document. It was a forensic report. ¡°Mr. Seth, since you say that you met the victim and had intercourse with her one day before, then why did her body and clothes still contain traces of your semen when she died? Even if she did not shower for a day, she would only have traces of your semen in her. Why would the clothes that she wore to jog the next day still be stained with your semen?!¡±

    He had neglected that... Seth¡¯s eyes were darting around. ¡°...How... How would I know? Perhaps that was her fetish...¡± he stammered.

    ¡°Fetish my foot! Are you being stupid, or are you treating all of us like idiots?!¡± Gu Nianzhi felt that this excuse was absolutely ridiculous and an insult to everyone¡¯s IQ.

    ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer has once again humiliated my client verbally!¡± The defendingwyer stood up and red at Gu Nianzhi.

    The judge was expressionless. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Counsel, please watch your words. It¡¯s already the third time.¡±

    Chuckling, Gu Nianzhi spread her hands. ¡°Your Honor, I am inferring reasonably. Of course, if you feel that, along with the defendingwyer, it is not allowed to have reasonable inference, then what is the point of us having this debate?¡±

    The judge lowered his head ufortably andughed. ¡°Of course you¡¯re allowed to make reasonable inference.¡±

    ¡°Then I infer that from his atrocious words that the defendant is treating us like idiots. Is it not allowed? Or do you and the defendingwyer feel that wearing clothes stained with semen to go out the next day is perfectly normal, too?¡±

    The defendingwyer finally shut up along with the judge.

    He Zhichu had been tranting her words into German. His cold, clear voice was devoid of any emotion, and it was a stark contrast to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strong and passionate debate. At least they had managed to convince the Germans, who were watching the live stream.

    Gu Nianzhi produced another set of documents. ¡°The victim, Li Haiqing, went missing on the evening of the 11th of Mayst year when she went for a jog. Then, her roommate made a police report. Her body was only found two dayster, stark naked, in the little forest behind the building the defendant, Seth, was residing at, and her clothes were only found after the police officers dug around in 50 tons of garbage!¡±

 Chapter 604 - I Donâ€™t Dare

    <h4>Chapter 604: Chapter 604 ¨C I Don¡¯t Dare</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°After the police filed the case, the officer who performed the DNA test announced to the media that the defendant¡¯s DNA was found on the victim¡¯s clothing and body. But he was charged by the local prosecutor as a result of this and was said to have vited procedural justice by publishing the DNA test results prematurely!

    ¡°Everyone should remember that when the case was newly filed and the defendant turned himself in, there was a prosecutor who took the defendant¡¯s testimony at face value and vited the principles of professional conduct¡ªas well as justice by immediately holding a press conference. He imed that the victim actively engaged in a threesome with the defendants and had died of suffocation in the process. I also can let everyone know that the prosecutor who had prematurely held a press conference announcing that the victim had willingly engaged in the threesome not only was not charged by the procuratorate for vition of procedural justice but was actually promoted. One person was charged for revealing the truth, while the other person muddying the truth ended up promoted. How convenient! Of these two men, one announced correct information to the public but was charged for viting procedural justice. The other one, who announced false information with the intention to mislead the public, ended up being promoted. What does this mean?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on Seth¡¯s parents sitting in the audience. ¡°This means that this originally simple case saw internal police obstruction, then devolved into what we see today!¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± The defendant¡¯swyer was furious and desperate, waving his fists at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You don¡¯t have evidence to prove there was internal obstruction by the police. I¡¯m telling you, this is a very serious usation!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your reminder.¡± Gu Nianzhi cooly took out the information the prosecutor had given her earlier. ¡°ording to the police station¡¯s records, Seth¡¯s parents drove to his residence to ¡®clean up¡¯ a day prior to him turning himself in. They took away a dozen garbage bags. At the time, the police had already cordoned Seth¡¯s apartment as a ¡®key inspection area,¡¯ so nothing was to be touched inside. However, Seth¡¯s parents waltzed in because of their power and interfered with processing the evidence. Can¡¯t I make a reasonable inference that the defendant¡¯s parents had removed and destroyed all direct evidence?¡±

    All this was on the sh drive the prosecutor had given Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi threw all caution to the wind and even revealed this part of the story.

    He Zhichu waspletely impartial as he tranted all she said into German. The Germans watching the courtroom live stream werepletely aghast.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°This actually happened?!¡±

    ¡°How corrupt!¡±

    Not only were the people in the courtroom stunned, but the Germans watching the live stream were shocked as well. Many of them were locals from Rou, and although they already knew the local officials were very corrupt, never would they have imagined corruption to this extent. It was beyond what most people could ept. They all knew there were issues with this judicial system, but they hadn¡¯t thought it was so serious! Such unscrupulous trampling of justice was actually urring in their internal judicial courts and police department! What justice was left?!

    The defendant¡¯swyer didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to dare to say all that, so he maintained a dark expression and continued to express his ¡°objection.¡± He repeatedly said Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were unrted to the case, and even the judge was getting flustered.

    ¡°The intiff¡¯swyer should not be saying anything unrted to the case. If you continue this, I will revoke your qualifications as awyer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°Your Honor, I originally sensed that you were malicious toward us, but thought it was just my own delusion. Now, I¡¯ve discovered that it wasn¡¯t a delusion. It is true that you are malicious toward us. May I ask how a fair trial can proceed with a malicious judge? Also, I received my practicing qualifications from America and the Huaxia Empire, not Germany. Therefore, you have no right to revoke my qualifications.¡±

    The judge stiffened, then resumed his grim expression when he realized that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a localwyer but someone who came from a major Americanw firm. His heart hammered wildly because he¡¯d never thought that the intiff¡¯swyer would know all that. At this rate, it would be even more difficult for him to insist on pronouncing that the defendant was not guilty...

    Seth¡¯s stepfather, York, was not only the chief of the local police but also a congressman of Rou and leader of the local Democratic Party. With such power, this was not someone easily incited by one local judge. Plus, they had already promised that York would leverage his party¡¯s power to support the judge in running for public office once the trials concluded... On one side was a bright future, and on the other was justice for a minor case involving a dead foreign student. There was no question of which way the judge would side.

    The judge pressed his lips together, staring at Gu Nianzhi with furrowed brows as he contemted. There was no direct evidence anyway, so he didn¡¯t care how glib her tongue was. He just had to insist, when the time came¡ªhe¡¯d rather let a true criminal off than have to announce that he was guilty despite ack of direct evidence.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed the judge¡¯s nonchnt look and knew that these people had already reached a private agreement. Today¡¯s trial was merely a farce.

    She snickered. So, they wanted to pull strings in the background? Dream on.

    The judge sternly mmed the gavel as a warning to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The intiff¡¯swyer shall not change the topic. May I ask if you have direct evidence? If not, I will be announcing the results of the trial.¡±

    He stressed again that there was no need to make inferences because the court was evidence-based. Even the best reasoning would be useless without direct evidence¡ªlet alone apleteck of evidence.

    Gu Nianzhi was now fully convinced that the judge was in cahoots with the defendant¡¯s parents. She finally understood the helplessness the retired prosecutor had felt. He truly didn¡¯t dare to go against them and was too scared to take out the evidence even though he possessed direct evidence. In other words, he didn¡¯t dare to take it out himself. At that moment, Gu Nianzhi decided to pretend that she had personally obtained the evidence to remove the kind-hearted prosecutor from the situation. She wasn¡¯t a German anyway, so she wasn¡¯t worried about a vile person like York sabotaging her or taking revenge on her. If they want to extend their ws to the Huaxia Empire or America to retaliate against her, Huo Shao and Professor He would teach them a lesson.

    When Gu Nianzhi thought of this, her anxious heart finally felt fully at peace. She turned back to He Zhichu, and he understood her intention. He nodded at her so she could freely proceed. Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes and suddenly turned to the judge.

    ¡°Your Honor, I have direct evidence that proves that Seth¡¯s parents obstructed justice, as well as direct evidence to prove that Seth and his girlfriend lied. They met with the victim, Li Haiqing, several hours before she died¡ªnot a day before, as they imed.¡±

    The judge¡¯s jaw dropped. His eyes drifted uneasily to York, sitting behind the defendant¡¯s dock. York was Seth¡¯s stepfather and was also someone who had absolute power in Rou. His heart throbbed as he secretly recalled that they should¡¯ve cleaned up everything that was required. How could there still be direct evidence?

 Chapter 605 - The Direct Truth

    <h4>Chapter 605: The Direct Truth</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The direct evidence Gu Nianzhi epted from the prosecutor was surveince footage from the antique store across the street from Seth¡¯s apartment building. The evidence was so important that all the police officers from the Rou Police force who insisted on justice all tacitly agreed to not mention it to their superiors, York and Ramona. That was why they didn¡¯t know about the existence of the evidence until now. The surveince footage was originally intended to safeguard the antique store itself, but it happened to record the area in front of the apartment across the street.

    Seth jerked his head up and looked fearfully at Gu Nianzhi. A vicious look gradually appeared in his eyes, then he looked down to lick his chapped lips with a red tongue. The judge and York¡¯s hearts sank. When did this evidence appear?! Why didn they know about it?!

    The defensewyer nched but managed to instantly stand up to question, ¡°May I ask where the intiff¡¯swyer obtained this evidence? Why wasn¡¯t it reported to the court before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already saved the surveince footage from the sh drive the prosecutor gave her and stored it on her ownptop. She had also uploaded a copy to her Hua Xia Imperial cloud drive as well, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about someone meddling with it or deleting it. She replied calmly, ¡°This is, of course, surveince footage from the antique store. Where else do you think? As to why it wasn¡¯t previously reported... Well, we just obtained this footage recently.¡±

    The defensewyer was anxious and couldn¡¯t help turning back to look at York. York nodded expressionlessly at him. Now that he had some confidence, the defensewyer replied to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What surveince footage? The court must view it first to ensure authenticity. If it was fabricated...¡±

    ¡°Then we can show it right now in court.¡± Gu Nianzhi generously lifted up herptop. ¡°If the courtroom doesn¡¯t have equipment to y it, I can y it on myptop to show everyone.¡±

    Why would a modern courtroom not have video equipment? The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi for a while and finally said, ¡°You can connect directly to therge screen in the courtroom.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and the courthouse staff connected herptop to the courtroom screen. Soon after, the video of the area in front of Seth¡¯s apartment appeared on it. The recording indicated it was from May 11th ofst year, sometime past 5pm. It was exactly when Li Haiqing went missing! On the bench, Niya cried out andid down on the desk to sob. She was the only one appearing on the video. Niya walked out of Seth¡¯s apartment and walked in front of the entrance several times. Suddenly, a pretty, petite Hua Xia female exchange student jogged over. She was wearing a beige jogging outfit and entered the camera¡¯s field of view. It was the victim, Li Haiqing. Niya quickly walked over to stop her. Li Haiqing stopped, and the two of them spoke about something before Niya practically dragged Li Haiqing by the arm into Seth¡¯s apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi paused the video and instead of questioning Seth, she asked Niya, ¡°Niya, on May 11thst year, were you with Seth?¡±

    Niya nodded expressionlessly. The evidence was obvious. She was nearly at her limit.

    ¡°On May 11thst year, which was the day Li Haiqing died, why did you call out to her?¡±

    Before Niya could answer, Seth began screaming, ¡°She wanted to have a threesome with us! Mind your own business!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get angry but nodded to him before asking Seth once again, ¡°Then what day did she ¡®want¡¯ to have a threesome with you? Do you want to think about it again? Was it the 10th or 11th?¡±

    Seth red with bloodshot eyes at Gu Nianzhi, speechless for a long time.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to answer me? The surveince footage isn¡¯t lying, right? You all saw the day Li Haiqing was attacked was clearly May 11th.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at the paused image on the screen.

    Seth refused to back down and stiffened his neck. ¡°The 10 or 11th, what difference does it make? Maybe I remembered wrong? She was willing to have a threesome! We never forced her! Also, she was clearly fine when she left. Who knows what happened to her afterwards?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Very well, the first point of suspicion was that you truly did see the victim on the day she died. This proves you were lying.¡±

    ¡°I remembered wrong! Remembered wrong! How¡¯s that lying?!¡± Seth nearly lost his temper.

    Gu Nianzhi shot him an icy nce and turned to the judge. ¡°Your Honor, the defendant is losing his temper in court. Will you do something about it?¡±

    The judge finally said to Seth with reluctance, ¡°Defendant, please control your emotions. I will not allow an innocent person be sentenced wrongfully.¡±

    ¡°Right, and we will definitely not allow a criminal to get away,¡± Gu Nianzhi continued and made Seth so angry he nearly jumped up. The defensewyer quickly calmed him down to stop his tantrum, but his evil re was still pinned to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all as she continued, ¡°You said she willingly had sexual rtions with you, then left. But when I went through the antique store¡¯s surveince footage from that day until now, I didn¡¯t see any recording of Li Haiqing ever leaving your house. May I ask how she left? Did she fly out? Or jump out of your window?¡±

    Seth panicked and blurted out, ¡°She jumped out! She jumped out herself!¡± Li Haiqing¡¯s corpse was found in the forest behind Seth¡¯s apartment building, directly below the back window of his unit.

    ¡°Haha, you live on the third floor. Could she have jumped down from the third floor? That¡¯s impressive...¡± Gu Nianzhi said suggestively and started the video again. She said to Seth¡¯s parents sitting by the bench, ¡°Also, you two, I¡¯ll ask again, did you go to Seth¡¯s home to help him destroy evidence? Oh, right. Should I say, ¡®clean up?¡¯¡±

    Seth¡¯s stepfather York waspletely ashen as his hands began to tremble. Gu Nianzhi gazed at him quietly but didn¡¯t reply or back down. This person was the entire reason why the case was so difficult. He hadplete control over the area where the crime urred, and in Hua Xia bureaucratic terms, he was the most powerful force behind the government, prosecution, and judicial systems. He was also the main leader of the local democratic party and member of congress. This man had done much for his stepson.

    As Gu Nianzhi cursed him internally, she thought about how York would¡¯ve probably forcibly concluded the case a long time ago if Seth was his real son... York was also looking at Gu Nianzhi, but in that moment, he actually calmed down. This femalewyer looked pretty gutsy. However, he probably couldn¡¯t do anything to her because she was a foreigner. Consequently, she said and did whatever she wanted. The corners of his mouth turned up as he looked down and averted his gaze away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    A faint smile was on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips as she focused on Niya. She could tell Niya was about to break, and she had to try that angle right now to expose the entire truth of the case. Gu Nianzhi walked up to her and began questioning her. ¡°Niya, what did you say to Li Haiqing that day to make her go in the apartment with you? Why did you ask her to go in the apartment?¡±

    Niya cradled her head in her arms and wailed. She finally exposed everything and screamed as she pointed to Seth, ¡°Because of him! He always said I couldn¡¯t satisfy him! He wanted to break up with me, unless I found another woman to have a threesome with us!¡±

    ¡°Find another woman? So you found Li Haiqing? When did you meet her?¡± Gu Nianzhi also got excited but remained calm as she asked the questions. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears, making her excited and antsy. This was the moment they would have to face the truth.

    ¡°You shut up!¡± Seth bellowed at Niya and brandished his fists at her.

    Niya also screamed back at him, ¡°You monster! You made me ask my cousin to have a threesome with you! She agreed at first, then backed out! She didn¡¯te that day, and you beat me so badly then forced me to find another woman! Otherwise, you¡¯d dump me! I went crazy at that moment, and when I went downstairs to find someone, I happened to see Lie by. I said I needed her help with something, and she followed me inside...¡±

    ¡°And then?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked quickly. Niya suddenly shrank back. Calming herself down, Gu Nianzhi said to her, ¡°Even if you are guilty, it¡¯s only essory at most. But if you reveal the true killer, I can help you ask the judge and jury for leniency.¡±

    Niya inhaled deeply like she had found hope and continued, ¡°She knew she was tricked as soon as she went inside. She wanted to run and then...¡± Niya stabbed a finger at Seth, ¡°He beat her up. He hits so hard, I¡¯m most afraid of him beating me...¡± She curled up like she was recalling the days of being beaten by Seth.

    ¡°And then?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked again in hopes Niya would find the courage to spill everything.

    ¡°But that girl kep struggling like she didn¡¯t feel the pain...¡± Nuya murmured, her eyes went nk as if lost in the memories. ¡°Seth had no other option, so he used all his strength to keep beating her until she passed out. He then raped her.¡±

    ¡°How many times did he rape her?¡±

    Niya hung her head and her voice grew quieter. ¡°Five or six times? Seven or eight times? I can¡¯t remember...¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± The defensewyer stood up again.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to bark at him, ¡°Silence! I¡¯m questioning the defendant about the case! How is that now allowed?!¡± Her eyes shed, and the furious look was somewhat frightening. The defensewyer was shaken and gaped before sitting down and furiously going through his documents.

    Niya witnessed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strength and was encouraged by it. She didn¡¯t fear Seth¡¯s family as much anymore, so she continued, ¡°After he satisfied himself, we finally realized the girl was almost dead. I was so terrified, and Seth said to leave her there ande back once she was dead. That way, we would have an alibi. But when we came back three hourster, we saw she still wasn¡¯t dead, so Seth threw her out the window.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and supplemented, ¡°Seth¡¯s apartment is on the third floor, so she was thrown from the third floor.¡± She then took out the autopsy report from the coroner and said, ¡°This autopsy report proves that Li Haiqing¡¯s death was caused by bone fractures andrge scale bleeding from a vicious beating. The subcutaneous soft tissue was broken into free fatty acids that caused lung blockage and cerebral hypoxia. That¡¯s her true cause of death.¡±

 Chapter 606 - Incredible Fighting Power

    <h4>Chapter 606: Incredible Fighting Power</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In other words, Li Haqing had been beaten to death.

    The courtroom waspletely silent, and even Seth¡¯s breathing slowed down as his expression stiffened.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at everyone in the courtroom and turned to the defendant¡¯swyer to say, ¡°I¡¯ll rey the video again.¡±

    This time, the video was of the morning of May 15. A pickup truck parked in front of Seth¡¯s apartment, and a man and a woman got out¡ªSeth¡¯s mother Ramona and stepfather York. They entered the apartment, which had already been designated as a ¡°key inspection area¡± by the police. Gu Nianzhi then fast-forwarded the video and began ying at a normal speed when the surveince footage indicated that it was evening.

    After spending nearly a whole day at Seth¡¯s apartment, York and Ramona finally came out. They both carried many ck trash bags, taking them out one by one. Throwing them into the back of the pickup truck, they then drove away into the dark night.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped the video and looked at the ashen-faced York and Ramona, asking once again, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t return to Seth¡¯s apartment after the case was filed? Then what happened on May 15? The case was filed on May 13, and Seth¡¯s apartment had been designated as a key inspection area. Thus, nothing inside was to be moved. However, you spent a whole day at Seth¡¯s apartment on May 15, from morning to evening.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Seth to ask. ¡°Seth, how dirty is your apartment that your senior police officer parents had to clean it for a whole day?¡±

    Large beads of sweat formed on Seth¡¯s forehead as he stared bbergasted at therge screen. He was very annoyed. What the hell?! How could this kind of footage exist?!

    He looked desperately at his mother and stepfather. Ramona watched him with tears streaming down her face, but his stepfather was stone-faced and silent. Gu Nianzhi also kept quiet as she observed the family ying out this farce. The courtroom was being live-streamed right now anyway, so Gu Nianzhi was very confident that all of Germany was watching. She was only a bit confused as to why the court still hadn¡¯t noticed the live stream. She had been worried it would be taken down quickly, so she¡¯d even changed the password so that they would have to spend considerable effort to crack the password before they could stop the stream.

    As expected, an increasing number of people were watching this on German social media. This was the first time that the Germans were seeing that their domestic judicial system was corrupt to such an extent. How could their democratic elections end up nominating such scum? How did a gang leader like York get elected as city council member over and over again? How did he get to the position of Democratic Party leader? The people present in the courtroom were deeply shocked by the video that had just been yed. Countless stares were aimed at York and Ramona.

    Gu Nianzhi gave them enough time before asking, ¡°Mr. York, Ms. Ramona, may I ask where you disposed of the several bags you removed from Seth¡¯s apartment?¡±

    Of course, York and Ramona had their mouths closed tightly as ms and refused to say a thing to Gu Nianzhi. They weren¡¯t the defendants nor the witnesses, so they could rightfully refuse to answer any of her questions. However, Gu Nianzhi had no intention of them answering her questions. What she needed was to expose this couple¡¯s two-faced behavior to public opinion¡ªthey were a deceitful pair who couldn¡¯t be allowed to trample on justice again. Their silence was exactly what Gu Nianzhi wanted. The people watching the stream knew that the couple didn¡¯t dare to say a word because they were guilty.

    ¡°Your Honor, the direct evidence presented indicates that Seth and Niya were thest two people to see the victim, Li Haiqing, prior to her death. Also, Niya¡¯s testimony matched with the autopsy results. There is reason to believe that Niya is speaking the truth, proving that Sethmitted torture and murder, sexual result, first-degree murder, and second-degree murder. Niyamitted second-degree murder and essory in sexual assault. Additionally, Rou Chief of Police York and Senior Lieutenant Ramona obstructed justice and deliberately destroyed important evidence directly rted to the case. I ask that Your Honor pass sentence severely to give the punishment deserved.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi began to conclude. Suddenly, the defendant¡¯swyer, who had been rendered speechless by Gu Nianzhi finally remembered aw that could fight against her direct evidence.

    ¡°Objection!¡± He stood up immediately. ¡°The intiff¡¯swyer obtained surveince footage from the antique shop, which was also recorded across the street¡ªthis is beyond the scope of surveince. As an illegal vition of the personal rights of passersby, it cannot be used as evidence to charge my client.¡±

    As soon as he said this, York, Ramona, and even the judge all sighed in relief. The judge was about to happily ept the defendant¡¯swyer¡¯s suggestion to announce that the direct evidence would not be epted when Gu Nianzhi instantly thought of aw to counter it.

    ¡°ording to German criminalw,¡± she stated clearly, ¡°surveince footage takes priority over the personal rights of passersby in the trying of criminal cases. In other words, in criminal cases, even if the surveince footage exceeds the scope of legal surveince, it is no longer considered illegal evidence because it recorded direct evidence of a vicious criminal case. It is then considered legal, direct evidence.¡±

    York¡¯s face stiffened again. This time, he finally realized that he could no longer allow Gu Nianzhi to speak again. This femalewyer had far too incredible fighting power... He covertly made a gesture that he had agreed upon with the judge prior to the trial. The judge saw it and nned to sentence as they had agreed.

    At this time, the staff of the Munich District Court finally noticed the live stream on their official social media ount. The judge raised his gavel in court to read the verdict before him which clearly stated, The defendant is acquitted due tock of evidence. But before he could say the words, the courtroom doors mmed open loudly, and someone who looked like a court clerk hurried inside and whispered something to the judge.

    The judge¡¯s expression instantly darkened. He grabbed the verdict with shaking hands. Mouth agape, he didn¡¯t dare to read the verdict, which was a clear abuse of authority. He whispered to the court clerk, ¡°...Why are you telling me this? Hurry up and take down the live stream!¡±

    The clerk was nearly in tears and was grim-faced. ¡°The ount password was changed, so we can¡¯t log in at the moment. We¡¯re contacting the executivepany of the social media software to ask them to shut down the ount, but they haven¡¯t replied...¡±

    The social mediapany would, of course, refuse. The courtroom live stream was currently the most popr media on all of Germany¡¯s social media apps, attracting countless new users and streaming numbers. This was an excellent opportunity, and even if thepany could manage it, they would feign ignorance in order to let the stream go on longer.

 Chapter 607 - Protecting for Him

    <h4>Chapter 607: Protecting for Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The judge was so angry that he almost lost his cool. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and allowed his thumping heart to calm down. This was actually a small issue. He had been coborating with York for many years and had closed many cases in favor of bribery. However, this time around, he felt that his days of abusing power would being to an end. He couldn¡¯t think straight, so he merely said in a hushed tone, ¡°Then go and solve the problem! Quick!¡±

    The secretary rushed off again. The judge looked around at the court that he was so familiar with. Even though he looked calm, his trembling hands exposed his true thoughts. He willed his shaking hand to hold the gavel and tried a couple of times before finally managing to hold it properly. He intended to end the hearing today.

    Gu Nianzhi was close enough to him to overhear the conversation. They¡¯d found out about the live streaming. Gu Nianzhi felt that she had already done all she could, and the Germans already knew what they should do. Now, they would wait and see how this case would develop on social media tforms and in the German media. Without question, if foreigners like them wanted to speak out about the highest-ranking police officer from Rou in Germany, they had to debate.

    ¡°Silence! Due to the fact that there is new primary evidence, the case shall be postponed. Court adjourned!¡± The judge mmed down the gavel unsteadily and dashed out of the room.

    York and Ramona looked at each other in confusion, not understanding why the judge had gone against his word. They had initially agreed that the judge would be releasing their son as innocent of all charges, and then they¡¯d be sending him abroad toy low for a period of time. However, there was no verdict, and the judge had just left. What had actually happened?!

    Looking fixedly at the judge, Gu Nianzhi did not feel good, either. This was especially so after looking at the information that the officers had provided her with and the autopsy report from the coroner. Niya¡¯s testimony also fell on her shoulders like a boulder, weighing her down. Even though they had won hands down, there was no smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. She closed herptop, put on her oversized shades, and walked out of the courtroom with He Zhichu and his assistants.

    The moment they were out, whoooah! The area was full of people! It seemed like the media from all of Germany was present. Germany¡¯s broadcastingpanies, local papers, magazines, and online media¡ªespecially the ones who did the live streaming¡ªsent all their reporters to the location. They wanted to interview the intiff¡¯swyer, defendant¡¯swyer, and intiff¡¯s and defendants¡¯ parents. Basically, they wanted to interview everyone who was rted to the case.

    Gu Nianzhi looked over at the intiff¡¯s parents instinctively. They were from an honest and average family, and had never seen such a massive turnout before. Immediately, they stood dead in their tracks.

    ¡°Professor He, let¡¯s take them away.¡± Gu Nianzhi tugged at He Zhichu¡¯s shirt.

    Shaking his head, He Zhichu whispered, ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about them. Minister Bai has sent people to bring them over. They¡¯ll shield them from these people.¡±

    Almost immediately, a few Hua Xia Empire citizens who were wearing shades stood in front of the victim¡¯s parents. ¡°Thank you for your attention on this case. We hope that Germany is able to investigate the justice system in this country, punish the evil and reward the good, and bring justice to the people who died.¡±

    Even though it was a default response, Gu Nianzhi felt more emotional when she heard it at this point in time. These men were clearly from the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Embassy. It would definitely sound perfect and professional when the officer from the department of diplomatic services spoke, way better than how Gu Nianzhi could¡¯ve put it.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t worried anymore. The parents would never be taken advantage of if they followed these people. She entered the car along with He Zhichu. After reaching the hotel, Gu Nianzhi took a long shower and had a change of clothes before meeting up with He Zhichu and the team. They were going to have a celebration of victory. Even though the case hadn¡¯t been closed, today¡¯s live streaming was enough for the corrupt people to handle for a good period of time.

    The six of them invited their driver to join them for a meal at the four-star Michelin restaurant that He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi had discovered. Gu Nianzhi loved the weisswurst sausages in that restaurant. She ate four of them at a go. Delicious food really had a calming effect on one¡¯s mood. Gu Nianzhi felt a whole lot better after her sausages.

    They were having dinner in the restaurant¡¯s al fresco area. It was a quiet and cooling night. The fireflies flying around in the bushes looked like tiny, movingnterns. The slightly smoky air came from the Alps and Bavarian mountain ranges, making the night air crisp and cool.

    He Zhichu and his male assistants were all having stout. Only Gu Nianzhi was having a hazelnuttte with a slice of blueberry cheesecake. The lovely scent of Bavarian roses was all around them. Everything was as perfect as it could be. Gu Nianzhi felt that she could even get drunk on the beauty of this evening, even though she was only having coffee.

    He Zhichu was on the seat beside hers. It was a perfect distance, neither too far nor too close. He wasn¡¯t looking at her. Instead, he was listening to his assistants talking. They drank as they discussed the case. The secretary, Smith, who had been sent to check on their new branch office in Germany, was so regretful that he did not even look at Gu Nianzhi. He was afraid that He Zhichu would punish him again if his eyes lingered on her for a little too long.

    He Zhichu did not eat much. With a pint of stout in front of him, he turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I need to meet with some people from the German government in the next few days and set up the branch there. What do you intend to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi supported her chin with her hand and enjoyed the refreshing breeze as she felt herself rx. She wanted toze around. What could she do for the next few days when there wouldn¡¯t be a need to be in court? She wanted to look for Huo Shaoheng, but Germany was so huge, how could she do it? Gu Nianzhiughed at herself internally, but her face remained straight.

    After contemting, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll rest. I¡¯ve been busy since I touched down for the case. My jeg is still bugging me. I¡¯ve been able to pull through the past few days only with caffeine.¡±

    Nodding, He Zhichu asked her softly, ¡°Why so passionate about this case?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not understand, either. She twirled her hazelnuttte in her hand and mumbled, ¡°I have no idea.¡± In the beginning, she wanted this opportunity toe to Germany to look for Huo Shaoheng. However, after arriving, she realized that finding someone there was near to impossible. That was when she decided to focus fully on the case. Eventually, she felt rage building up in her the more she discovered. She even felt like she was in the same boat as the victim. Then, without realizing it, she had let herself go all out for the case.

    He Zhichu¡¯s flirtatious eyes looked even gentler in the romantic night. He reminded Gu Nianzhi softly, ¡°When you¡¯re awyer, you just have to do your job well. Never put in too much emotion. A sessfulwyer does not have to have too much empathy, but he or she will require an immensely high level of clear headedness. Otherwise, with too much emotion, it¡¯ll affect your ability to judge objectively. Think aboutdy justice, Justitia. She will look cold forever, and would rather cover her eyes and use the bnce in her hand to differentiate right from wrong. This is because she cannot be swayed by emotions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu was enlightening her, so she epted it humbly. She took hertte and had a sip.

    Finally, dinner was over. The four assistants were so drunk, they could not even walk straight. Thankfully, they did not have to drive. The driver took them back to the hotel and looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, everyone was praising you, you know?¡±

    The live streaming of the hearing had been deleted from the court¡¯s official ount. However,izens were quick enough to save it and upload it to various other online tforms for everyone to see. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was never seen in the video, but her voice was remembered by the masses. Her perfect English with an Oxford ent and He Zhichu¡¯s perfect German trantion both left a deep impression in everyone¡¯s minds.

    This driver had clearly watched the video as well. Even though Gu Nianzhi did not appear in that video, he recognized her voice. She looked gentle and frail. He did not expect her to be as sharp as knife in court and make the popr gangsterwyer, the judge, and York, who seemed to not be afraid of anything, dumbstruck.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded, smiling. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t my doing alone. Our team is really good! They did most of the work. I was just presenting.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not want to take all the credit on her own. To be frank, the people who deserved the most credit were the investigators who worked tirelessly on the case. Even though they did not dare to stand up for it, they hid the important evidence so that she could have it in court to bring justice to light.

    If they had not provided her with that evidence, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to convince everyone, no matter how good with words she was. It was because of these people that the people in corrupt Rou could still believe in humanity. Gu Nianzhi was really grateful to the prosecutor who gave her all the information and thankful to the policemen who hid the critical evidence from the corrupt officials. Had they not gone against the culprit¡¯s high-ranking parents, this case would really not have been solved in such a short time.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her coffee cup, faced Munich¡¯s starry night sky, and toasted, ¡°To everyone who believes in justice.¡±

    In the field ofw, there were so many types of people. Everyone looked up to the professionalism ofwyers. Therefore, if awyer decided to go against his or her conscience, it would be an easy task to distort the truth. Thankfully, the public¡¯s knowledge and ability to distinguish between right and wrong had been improving over the years. The era when someone was able to have total authority over everyone was over.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Huo Shaoheng. If he had been here with me, he would be really proud of me, wouldn¡¯t he? ...Because she was protecting the thing he deemed most important.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi did not know that he was in a dangerous situation when she was missing him. Huo Shaoheng was someone who had lots of patience. Even though he was only 29, he had been on the verge of death for ten years and had fought with people who were the elite, the smartest, the most cunning, and most evil enemies from all over the world.

    Sitting in the apartment he had rented, Huo Shaoheng removed his bandage carefully and checked on his injury.

 Chapter 608 - Proof of Allegiance

    <h4>Chapter 608: Proof of Allegiance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng had suffered a flesh wound to his abdomen on the night of the explosion but hadn¡¯t been able to treat it in time due to nning Sean¡¯s assassination. The wound had worsened, so he¡¯d spent thest month in his apartment to recover.

    Because the wound had be infected, he¡¯d run a fever for a few days but hadn¡¯t passed out from it. There was no way he could go to the hospital. He knew that American hospitals had an obligation to notify police about gunshot wounds and burns and wounds from explosions. His situation would be exposed as soon as he went to the hospital, and he couldn¡¯t let those people know of his injury. Besides, it wasn¡¯t a serious injury.

    All Special Operations Forces personnel brought all sorts of anti-inmmatory drugs with them during missions. His wound healed very quickly with his rest in the apartment and the timely application of ointment. When he took off the gauze this time, there was no longer any need to dress the wound again. He looked in the mirror to see several new scars on his powerful abdomen, but they were so faint they were barely visible. This type of injury was nothing, so he calmly threw the used gauze into the stainless steel wastebasket before flipping open his lighter to set it on fire. He then dumped the ashes into the toilet to flush them away.

    He was a bit tired after doing all that leaning, and hey on the couch with his eyes closed to rest. With one arm draped across his forehead, he covered his eyes from the piercing sunlight filtering through the windows. He was fully aware that for him and his fellow soldiers, death was the only option if the mission failed. Huo Shaoheng was in an even more peculiar position¡ªhis industry could only allow sess, never failure. It was his own negligence that had resulted in him being betrayed and falling into the trap. Luckily, he reacted quickly and retreated to the shadows in order to escape the enemy¡¯s pursuit. In the end, he ended up getting the upper hand and gaining a powerful ally.

    Two weeks had passed since he had eliminated Sean. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t make another move but patiently awaited his recovery in the New Jersey luxury apartment. When he thought about it, James had already been Director of the Asian Intelligence Branch of the CIA for two weeks by now. If Huo Shaoheng inferred correctly, James should have been attempting to contact him.

    Huo Shaoheng cleaned himself up and changed into a ck Ralph Lauren polo, casual khakis, andrge sunsses and carried a tennis bag. He drove his rented Mercedes SUV toward Long Ind. He had previously arranged with James for Tan Guiren¡¯s Long Ind vi to be their meeting ce and had told him to say he was giving something to Mr. Gu. He¡¯d also exined this to Tan Guiren, but, of course, he¡¯d purposely left the information with her without leaving a contact method. That way, after James contacted Tan Guiren, she would certainly try to find a way to deliver the letter to him but didn¡¯t actually have his contact information and would have to ask her parents back in the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to use this to provoke the mole who had betrayed him domestically because he was certain that the mole had a rtionship with the person urging the Tans. If it wasn¡¯t for this person, the Tans wouldn¡¯t have relentlessly sought help from the high-ranking military officers to have Huo Shaoheng personally rescue their daughter in New York. As long as the person instigating the Tans was exposed, the mole would be revealed any day now.

    The two-week wait would allow the situation to stew back home. Huo Shaoheng had concealed himself all this time so the enemy would grow anxious and make a mistake in their rush, revealing themselves.

    ...

    New York was extremely hot in mid-August. The nearly incandescent sun made people dizzy. Huo Shaoheng was vignt about his surroundings during his drive on the seaside road to Long Ind. The car was equipped with radio monitoring detection functions, but there had been no indications the entire way there. He remembered that there had been many hidden and tant CIA agents monitoring Tan Guiren¡¯s home.

    After parking his car at a tennis court near the vi district, Huo Shaoheng went inside to y several games before checking his surroundings again and finally ringing the doorbell to Tan Guiren¡¯s vi.

    A woman in her 40s, who appeared to be a maid, opened the door to ask, ¡°May I ask who you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for your mistress, please tell her Mr. Gu is visiting.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled and gently tapped the tennis racket against his palm.

    Tan Guiren¡¯s heart hammered as soon as she heard that ¡°Mr. Gu¡± was here. She quickly put on shoes and ran outside to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure standing outside the iron gates. Tan Guiren suddenly felt tears dampen her eyes¡ªshe had been very anxious over thest two weeks. Although she had contacted her parents back home to ask for help finding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s contact information and they had managed to get her his phone number and email, all her phone calls and emails had been to no avail. She almost thought Huo Shaoheng was purposely avoiding her... She hadn¡¯t expected him to finally appear.

    Tan Guiren strode over to open the gates and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s normally calm face broke into a faint smile. ¡°Pardon the intrusion, Miss Tan.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite,¡± Tan Guiren replied. ¡°Come in. I¡¯ve been looking for you all this time, but you didn¡¯te by again for so long. I didn¡¯t know your contact information, so I was quite anxious. Luckily, you came back again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng greeted Tan Guiren with a smile at her door, then said, ¡°I was ying tennis with some friends, so I decided to visit since it¡¯s on the way. What is it? Is it safe here? Why aren¡¯t you going home yet?¡± He then asked, ¡°What did you need me for?¡±

    His tone was so rxed and casual that Tan Guiren¡¯s uneasy heart finally settled down. She looked around and leaned over to him to whisper, ¡°Someone sent ¡®Mr. Gu¡¯ a letter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew it was probably from James, so he nodded. ¡°Can I bother Miss Tan to show it to me?¡±

    ¡°Come on in. Are you busy?¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s face flushed slightly with small beads of sweat on the tip of her nose. There was an alluring sense of delicateness on her porcin face, but unfortunately, the man before her had no such appreciation.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and looked at the trees nearby. ¡°...My friends are still waiting for me.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Tan Guiren was a bit disappointed. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it for you.¡± Setting the letter in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, the normally reticent Tan Guiren suddenly asked, ¡°...Are you on some type of a special mission?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Tan Guiren and said calmly, ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had undergone professional training, so he knew that the best way to spread ¡°secrets¡± was to tell one person a ¡°secret¡± and ask them not to tell anyone else. What was a secret? Only something that was never spoken of. Anything that was said out loud was no longer a secret¡ªeven if it was spoken to a hole in a tree. Who knew if a pair of ears was behind that hole?

    Tan Guiren felt as if she had been entrusted with a sacred task. She sped her hands in front of her chest and nodded furiously. ¡°I¡¯ll certainly not tell anyone! I swear on my life!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing. Looking down, he quickly nced over James¡¯s letter and was temporarily shocked. This was probably ¡°proof of allegiance¡± from James...

 Chapter 609 - Incoming Hurricane

    <h4>Chapter 609: Iing Hurricane</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    James discreetly revealed the locations of bugs and pinhole cameras in Tan Guiren¡¯s home. Now that Huo Shaoheng was in Tan Guiren¡¯s home, he could find the equipment or destroy it. Huo Shaoheng smiled at Tan Guiren as he folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. ¡°It¡¯s still early, and I¡¯m a bit thirsty.¡±

    ¡°Oh,e inside, then. I¡¯ll make you tea...¡± Tan Guiren got excited because Huo Shaoheng had always refused toe inside previously, but now he willingly entered once he read the letter. Did this mean he wanted to give his thanks? Tan Guiren swiftly walked alongside Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr... Mr. Gu, what should I call you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the yard¡¯syout as he felt the controls of the wireless electronic probe in his headset. There was not a bit of wireless interference or transmitting devices within five miles. James had truy cleaned up the ce. Huo Shaoheng was able to feel a bit reassured. This time, he finally followed Tan Guiren inside her home. She turned around and ran into a room in her vi, appearing somewhat frazzled.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change as he stood under therge tree before the iron gates with one hand carrying a tennis bag. The tree leaves fluttered gently making tiny sounds that melded with the distant crashing of waves. This was the sight Tan Guiren saw when she came back with James¡¯ letter. Her heart hammered, and it was all she could hear in her ears. Tan Guiren remembered how Huo Shaoheng was only willing to stand at her door for a while before asking her for help.

    The past was still fresh in her mind, andbined with their near death experience together, Tan Guiren, who was typically aloof with strangers and not skilled at socializing, somehow found herself not feeling awkward with Huo Shaoheng at all. It was like she had known him for a long time. Though they had just met, it felt like they¡¯d known each other forever. Tan Guiren personally made a cup of Dahongpao tea for him and carried it over to set on the coffee table in front of Huo Shaoheng. A silvery-white royal jasmine along with a small copper Buddha figurine sat on the transparent, post-modern ss coffee table.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded politely and picked it up with a smile. ¡°This is Dahongpao? It smells pretty good.¡±

    Tan Guiren cocked her head with a smile, her long, dark hair cascading like water. ¡°You have great taste.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng set the teacup down and stood up to walk in a circle to basically locate all the bugs and pinhole cameras James had notified him of. He reached into his trouser pockets to press on his phone, and the ringtone sounded. Taking it out to unlock, Huo Shaoheng spoke into it before saying to Tan Guiren, ¡°Sorry, my friend is still waiting for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Tan Guiren was a bit disappointed, because she thought she could spend a bit more time with Huo Shaoheng. However, she didn¡¯t force him to stay and only replied politely, ¡°Then you go ahead. Come back when you have time. My home will always be ready to wee you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and picked up his tennis bag to leave.

    Tan Guiren walked him to door and started to speak but failed several times. She finally called out just as Huo Shaoheng was passing through the iron gates. ¡°Can you leave me a phone number? That way I can directly contact you if you need anything else in the future.¡± This was the first time in all her life Tan Guiren had asked for a man¡¯s phone number. In the past, all the men were desperately trying to ask for her number. She had been very annoyed but didn¡¯t expect the tables to turn so that she would have to ask a man for his number one day. However, this was for business and to help him, right? Tan Guiren convinced herself with those excuses, but her heart hammered wildly, and she felt very warm from embarrassment.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to smile at her. ¡°I¡¯lle find Miss Tan if I need anything. Goodbye.¡± He left just like that and didn¡¯t leave a phone number after all. Tan Guiren was a bit disappointed as she stood under therge tree in front of her door. She watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back disappear from view and reluctantly went back inside when she couldn¡¯t see him anymore.

    ...

    James visited Tan Guiren¡¯s home again only a few days after Huo Shaoheng had left. He was now the Director of the CIA Asian Intelligence Branch, while Tan Guiren was the only daughter of the current popr candidate for the next Hua Xia Imperial Prime Minister, Tan Dongbang. She was living in the United States, and as the Director of the CIA Asian Intelligence Branch, James visiting her could be considered ¡°monitoring.¡± No one could say anything to him, so James coulde ¡°visit¡± Tan Guiren from time to time, as this was part of his job and didn¡¯t elicit any suspicion.

    ¡°Miss Tan, are you livingfortably here? Do you need our help with anything?¡± James asked politely. ¡°Please let us know if you need anything at all.¡±

    Tan Guiren quickly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m quitefortable here. It¡¯s safer than the school. But...¡± She hesitated, ¡°The letter you asked me to forwardst time...¡±

    ¡°Oh? I would¡¯ve forgotten if you didn¡¯t mention it.¡± Jamesughed, his eyes focused on Tan Guiren¡¯s face to read her true emotions from her expressions and to see if she was lying or not.

    Tan Guiren set a brand new bottle of spring water on the coffee table in front of James. ¡°Please enjoy.¡± She then continued, ¡°Mr. Gu has already picked up the letter.¡±

    James sighed deeply as if relieved from a great burden. ¡°When did hee to pick it up? It seems like it¡¯s been a long time already. I can¡¯t even remember anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯te for a long time, and I couldn¡¯t find him, either.¡± Tan Guiren spoke carefully, ¡°It was after 16 days that he came back to my house.¡±

    She actually remembered it so clearly. James cast a shocked look at her and couldn¡¯t help smiling, as he could read her mind from the fading blush on her cheeks. It looked like this mysterious Major General Huo also had a weakness... No wonder he personally rescued her. It must have been because it was none other than Miss Tan. No wonder his people chose Tan Guiren as the hostage. They knew the rtionship between those two. And Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stay with Tan Guiren after rescuing her but tried his best to distance himself. From James¡¯ perspective, it made sense. It was to protect Tan Guiren. To love her meant ignoring her, and that way she could stay safe. James thought about it from beginning to end and grew even more convinced his analysis made sense. He didn¡¯t rely on Huo Shaoheng or Tan Guiren to publicly reveal their rtionship, but James assumed he had discovered the truth from the clues.

    He didn¡¯t touch the bottled spring water Tan Guiren set in front of him before standing up to shake her hand. ¡°Thank you for the help, Miss Tan. From now on, I¡¯ll be stopping by Miss Tan¡¯s home every three days to have tea. If Mr. Gu is free, he is wee to join as well.¡±

    Tan Guiren raised her brows in surprise. ¡°You like tea as well? I should¡¯ve served it earlier, then.¡± She didn¡¯t like coffee and only liked everything that was rustic, like tea or water. She never touched coffee or other drinks. James was a Westerner, and although they also loved tea, it was different from the kind from the Hua Xia Empire. She thought he wouldn¡¯t like Hua Xia tea.

    ¡°I love tea from the Hua Xia Empire,¡± James said before leaving.

    Tan Guiren made sure to remember this, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯te for some time. It was not until one evening that the sky outside had suddenly darkened, thunder boomed, and the waves crashed on the ocean. Dark, oppressive clouds moved in from the edge of the sky, and the whole thing looked as if it were about to copse. Although it was a frightening scene, the people living on the seashore were all ustomed to it. It was only a hurricane. Why would anyone living on the seashore still be scared by hurricanes? Anyone afraid would¡¯ve moved away already, so everyone leisurely went on with their days. The TV stations had already predicted the hurricane a few days ago, and this one was named ¡°Isabe.¡±

    As the sea winds grew stronger, Tan Guiren was being driven back home in the caretaker¡¯s by her servant, Mrs. Fen. Opening the iron gates with the remote, the car drove all the way into the garage. It was attached to the house, so they wouldn¡¯t get wet getting out of the car. The truth was, the torrential rain from the storm had started to fall as soon as they drove into the garage. The sky seemed to be torn open, and the water from heaven¡¯s river sshed down. The raindrops were so heavy, they nearly made welts in the ground. Getting out of the car, Tan Guiren quickly walked through the small door of the garage into the house.

    Mrs. Fen brought in the food and supplies they bought from the trunk. Because of the hurricane and the risk of losing water and electricity, as well as the fact that roads would be dangerous, everyone was ustomed to stocking their fridges before the storm came.

    Tan Guiren had just gone inside the house when she could hear the video phone on the living room wall begin to beep. The phone was connected to the main entrance outside, and visiting guests normally called the house through the video phone before they coulde inside. She instantly froze when she nced at the video phone. She instinctively looked at the falling rain outside and didn¡¯t say anything before dashing outside.

    Mrs. Fen just so happened to be bringing severalrge bags of food and toiletries into the living room when she saw the door wide open, and the howling storm bringing fierce wind and torrential rain inside. The cashmere carpet in the living room was instantly soaked. When she looked out the main entrance, she could see Tan Guiren¡¯s running figure. Mrs. Fen was in shock as she set down the bags and from the door, she quickly picked up therge ck umbre she normally used. She also ran out into the rain and shouted, ¡°Miss! Miss! It¡¯s storming! You need an umbre!¡±

    Tan Guiren ignored her calls. All she could see was the rain-soaked figure standing close to the iron gates! She had seen Huo Shaoheng standing outside her gates in the video phone just now! It was raining so hard, he must bepletely soaked! Tan Guiren panted as she ran to the front of the yard and quickly opened the iron gates. She moved aside. ¡°Hurry inside! Why didn¡¯t you bring an umbre with this kind of rain?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng carried his tennis bag and was holding a racket as he walked inside. He nced at Tan Guiren, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Tan Guiren actually didn¡¯t have an umbre, either, and was alreadypletely wet after walking only a few steps. Her silk dress totally clung to her body, revealing the beautiful shape of her breasts, slim waist, and long legs. Her hair was also wet. The rainwater dripped down her slender neck and into the shadows of her cleavage. By then, Mrs. Fen had already arrived with therge ck umbre and quickly covered Tan Guiren with it. She kept sneaking nces at the rain-soaked Huo Shaoheng. He was still in the same tennis outfit and wearingrge sunsses. He looked at Mrs. Fen¡¯s curious expression. ¡°Hurry inside, your mistress is all wet now. I came to y tennis and got caught in the storm, so I wanted to get some shelter from the rain.¡±

 Chapter 610 - Political Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 610: Political Exchange</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°It¡¯s ok,e on in!¡±

    The housekeeper, Mrs. Fen, was very friendly and held an umbre for Tan Guiren as she ushered Huo Shaoheng into the main house. Huo Shaoheng nodded and strode quickly up the steps. As soon as the main doors opened, everyone rushed in. Finally, Mrs. Fen closed the door behind her to block the powerful storm outside. The floors were slightly damp inside, but the air was fresh and warm¡ªa world apart from the violent rainstorm outside.

    Tan Guiren bit her lip and was a bit abashed. ¡°Please, sir, I¡¯ll get changed.¡± She then spoke to Mrs. Fen, specifically instructing, ¡°Please get this gentleman a cup of tea¡ªuse the Dahongpao tea over there.¡±

    Mrs. Fen agreed and quickly said, ¡°Miss, hurry and change into something. You¡¯ll catch a cold from the wet clothes. I¡¯ll make some ginger soup for you.¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded before running to her room to get changed.

    Hup Shaoheng was alsopletely soaked, so he didn¡¯t sit down but looked around and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the bathroom?¡¯

    Mrs. Fen smiled. ¡°This way.¡± She passed arge towel to him. ¡°Sir, you¡¯d better change, too. We don¡¯t have anything that fits you here, just Mr. Tan¡¯s clothes. Do you want to change into them for now?¡±

    She was referring to the clothes of Tan Dongbang, Tan Guiren¡¯s father. Since the vi belonged to the Tans, Tan Dongbang was sure to have his things here.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°No thanks. I have a change of clothes in my bag. I was nning on going to a party after tennis today, so I happened to bring an outfit.¡±

    ¡°Very well, then.¡± Mrs. Fen didn¡¯t try convincing him otherwise. ¡°Please help yourself. I¡¯ll go make some tea.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng used his instrument to check the bathroom first to ensure that there were no bugs or pinhole cameras before quickly changing into dry clothes from his backpack. He had entered wearing a polo and khakis for tennis, and he now wore a navy, cotton, ironless shirt and slim dress pants. He took off his sunsses when he came out of the bathroom.

    Tan Guiren also came out after getting changed and was looking for him. She looked up to see a man walk out of the bathroom. He didn¡¯t make excessive movements and merely turned back to close the bathroom door, a tennis bag slung over his arm. He appeared so casually handsome, yet an arrow seemed to pierce her straight through the heart. If that tall, strapping figure had previously only been a blurry shadow in her mind, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current appearance was now carved into her heart.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to look over, his deep-set eyes as mysterious as the mountains and rivers. They glimmered so darkly that she couldn¡¯t even see what he was looking at. She felt dizzy. Trying her best to steady her body, her voice shook slightly as she said, ¡°Mr.... Mr. Gu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded casually. ¡°Sorry for the trouble. I¡¯ll leave when the rain stops.¡±

    The storm outside the windows had grown even more fierce, the rain sttering down on the roof and windows to leave long streaks. The streemps under therge trees outside were swaying from the powerful gusts. The shing lights were intermittent lightning appearing amid the heavy rain. It was a downpour, and a seaside storm was something even a navy vessel couldn¡¯t stand against.

    Tan Guiren wanted to ask Huo Shaoheng to stay, but her instincts told her that he was someone who never went back on his word. He wouldn¡¯t listen to her anyway, so she agreed obediently and went to the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng also sat down and saw a steaming cup of Dahongpao tea on the coffee table. He held it up to give the hot steam a quick blow, then lowered his lips to taste it. Tan Guiren sat on the sofa across from him and was fiddling with her clothes anxiously. She had just changed from the light-blue silk dress that had beenpletely soaked, and she now wore a burgundy boat-neck top with elbow-length sleeves and a gathered waist, paired with skinny ankle-length pants. Chanel camellia sandals d her feet as she crossed her legs and leaned forward in a ssically elegant Western posture.

    The living room was awkward with silence. Since Tan Guiren was the host, she ought to have taken the initiative to find a topic to chat about with the guest. However, she had been sheltered from a young age and only interacted with others in the same social circle, so she just smiled and only spoke when she had to. As a result, she wasn¡¯t very good with words. When she was with her friends, they were normally the ones who took the initiative to talk about things, so she only had to follow along. Now that she was forced to start topics on her own, it felt worse than torture.

    Huo Shaoheng appeared calm and didn¡¯t seem to notice her unease. However, he did notice her carefully chosen outfit, and his eyes sparkled for an instant as he asked casually, ¡°Miss Tan, your father¡¯s election ising up soon? Why aren¡¯t you going back home yet?¡±

    Tan Guiren secretly sighed in relief and answered cheerfully, ¡°The election is in two months, but the Huaxia Senate has agreed to give me some time to recuperate since the incident. I can go home after the elections.¡±

    ording to normal election regtions, the candidate¡¯s direct family members must return to Huaxia Empire 60 days before the election. But since Tan Guiren¡¯s kidnapping¡ªand the subsequent domestic ban on the Tans using the incident for publicity, agreed to by the Bais¡ªthe organization of the Senate responsible for the election had agreed to the Tans¡¯ request to allow Tan Guiren to temporarily remain abroad.

    The Bais only made one condition: Since there was already a vition of the regtion of not returning to the Empire on time, she also was not to return for the time being and coulde back once the election results are determined. That was because the Bais were worried that the Tans would y tricks right before the election and use the opportunity of their daughter¡¯s return as a way to boost publicity, so they simply suggested that Tan Guirene back after the elections. Of course, the Tans disagreed, but because Tan Guiren also refused to leave New York, they could only ept it.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng was asking, Tan Guiren would certainly not tell him she refused to go home because he was still here... In the beginning, Tan Guiren had only been worried that he was being misunderstood as a kidnapper and would run into danger. She would never leave her savior to fend for himself. Later on, she¡¯d felt something peculiar in her heart.

    Huo Shaoheng heard that the Senate had granted approval, and when he thought about it, it all quickly made sense. This was certainly a political exchange. He didn¡¯t ask anymore but gradually changed the topic to the Tans¡¯ social rtionships.

    ¡°Miss Tan came to study in America and ran into such trouble. Your friends and family must have been so worried. Did they visit you?¡±

    Tan Gurien considered it carefully. ¡°No. Most of our family is in the Empire, and very few are abroad. Some study abroad in Europe and America, then go back home afterpleting their studies. Otherwise, they immigrate to Europe.¡±

    For long-established and esteemed academic families like the Bais and the Tans, America was where the plebian immigrants went if they couldn¡¯t settle in Europe, while Australia was were the United Kingdom had exiled its criminals¡ªneither were good ces.

 Chapter 611 - Different

    <h4>Chapter 611: Different</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Either the Tan¡¯s and the Cai¡¯s could be loyal and just stay in the country and feel that the Hua Xia Empire was the best, or the only other ce they could go would be Europe, where the history and culture was rich. Huo Shaoheng looked around and saw a ceramic vase disyed in a corner. It looked like it came from a thousand years ago. It was definitely an antique. He had no idea how she had gotten it.

    Tan Guiren looked in the direction Huo Shaoheng was looking and noticed that he was interested in the vase. She quickly exined, ¡°That was from my distant aunt. They migrated to America a long time ago. They¡¯re one of the few rtives we have that migrated to America.¡±

    ¡°A long time ago?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My distant aunt was there during her great-grandfather¡¯s time. If we were to count, the family has been there for about a century.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood. That was the period of time when the country was in chaos. After the conversation ended, the living room went into silence again. Tan Guiren mustered her courage and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Really, thank you for this. I wouldn¡¯t have been alive had it not been for you, really.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knocked lightly on his knee absentmindedly and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too kind. That is my job.¡±

    ¡°But your rank is so high; you didn¡¯t have toe personally and put yourself in danger. I¡¯m really sorry about that,¡± Tan Guiren said quickly and stood up to bow to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Thankfully, you¡¯re okay. If you hadn¡¯t been, I would¡¯ve been living with guilt for the rest of my life.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent for a while before replying, ¡°You¡¯re overreacting, Miss Tan.¡± He shifted on the sofa. ¡°Actually, it was along the way for me. I had a mission here, so I just came by since you were around.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Tan Guiren opened her eyes wide and sat down across from him. ¡°But my mother said that they specially asked for you toe over.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He thought about what to say before responding, ¡°I was surprised that your mother thought of me. To be honest, all the soldiers from our country are well trained. Whoever came would also have been able toplete the mission.¡±

    Tan Guiren shook her head. ¡°Nope. You¡¯re different. That night, I wanted you guys to save the kids. You were the only one who went with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath and finally said cold-heartedly, ¡°I was only thinking of Miss Tan¡¯s safety. To be honest, the kids were not within my job¡¯s scope of protection.¡±

    ¡°Still, you went.¡± Tan Guirenughed. ¡°And after that, you saved that little girl on 5th Avenue. I knew I wasn¡¯t wrong about you.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. He moved his gaze to the rain outside. ¡°...They were coincidences.¡± After he finished talking, he thought, If Gu Nianzhi heard that, she would¡¯ve shaken her head so hard and not believed a single thing. She¡¯d say that I wouldn¡¯t do anything that I didn¡¯t have confidence in. Since he was like that, how could he be rash? He was immersed in his thoughts for a little while, looking at the firece in front of him. He knew Tan Guiren was talking, but he did not hear the details.

    ¡°How could this be coincidence? I¡¯m not silly. Not only do I know how to see with my eyes, I know how to feel with my heart as well!¡± Tan Guiren smiled happily and drew a heart with her long, slender fingers in front of her chest. ¡°My mother¡¯s friend rmended you to her. How could she be wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Your mother¡¯s friend rmended me? That¡¯s surprising. Not many people know me from the Hua Xia Empire.¡± Huo Shaoheng was finally hearing things that he wanted to hear. He began to probe without showing too much interest.

    ¡°Is it really true? Looks like it is!¡± Tan Guiren chuckled. ¡°You did not leave me with your contact details this time ¡¯round. I was worried that the man¡¯s letter was something urgent, so I called the Hua Xia Empire to get my parents to look for ways to contact you. They couldn¡¯t find any, though. My mother went to look for her friend. It was only then that we got to know that she did not have your contact details, either. Eventually, they asked me what was going on.¡±

    ¡°Did you tell them, then?¡± Huo Shaoheng was nervous. His heartbeat increased slightly, because if Tan Guiren had told them, most likely he would¡¯ve been able to find out who the betrayer was. He took a huge risk and exposed himself in front of this rather dim-witteddy because he wanted the mastermind outed in order to get rid of him. Huo Shaoheng had thought that Tan Guiren did not know what confidentiality was and would definitely tell her parents everything that had happened. With that, he would be able to find the person.

    However, Tan Guiren shook her head proudly. ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t! I knew that you were doing something important. I only felt that this letter must have been really important, but I would never let others know what went on! I didn¡¯t even tell my mother!¡± She looked at Huo Shaoheng with sparkling eyes, like she was expecting him to praise her.

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes. It took him some effort to not roll his eyes and blurt out words of sarcasm. Even thoughmunicating with someone with a lower IQ and EQ was really hard to bear, it was way better than facing ruthless opponents. Moreover, he had gone through training and had a much higher level of patience facing different kinds of people. Therefore, he nodded and thanked her.

    After their chat, a gust of wind blew, and all the lights in the house went out. Tan Guiren screamed softly. Mrs. Fen, Tan Guiren¡¯s helper, rushed out from the kitchen and shouted, ¡°ckout! ckout!¡±

    ¡°Most likely the wind was too strong and cut the electricity.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. His voice was deep and sexy in the dark. Tan Guiren felt an immense sense of security.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Mrs. Fen. I remember we have a diesel generator. Go take a look in the basement.¡± Tan Guiren stood up as well and took two steps forward. However, the room was too dark. Tan Guiren forgot that there was a round stool beside the sofa and tripped over it.

    Huo Shaoheng had already gotten himself ustomed to the dark. He also saw that Tan Guiren had tripped. However, he remained where he was, not moving forward to help her. He had saved Tan Guiren from the kidnappers because it was within his job scope. Now that she fell at home, he was not obliged to help her. It wasn¡¯t something life threatening, so Huo Shaoheng remained emotionless.

    Tan Guirenid on the floor for a while before sitting up and rubbing her ankle. It felt like she might have twisted it. Mrs. Fen heard the sound and found a shlight before rushing over. ¡°Miss? Miss?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed at the sofa. ¡°Miss Tan tripped. She¡¯s okay now.¡±

    Mrs. Fen rushed over and fussed over Tan Guiren. ¡°Miss! Miss! Are you okay?!¡±

    With his arms crossed, Huo Shaoheng asked Mrs. Fen, ¡°Where is the generator? I¡¯ll take a look.¡±

    ¡°In the basement. Exit here, and you¡¯ll see a fight of stairs that brings you straight there.¡± Mrs. Fen took the shlight and shook it in the direction of the room.

    Bending down, Huo Shaoheng took the shlight from Mrs. Fen, turned around, and made his way in the direction of the basement. Mrs. Fen was stunned for a moment, and Tan Guiren was blushing furiously. She had thought that he was going to pick her up when he had bent down just now...

    Mrs. Fen helped Tan Guiren up and grumbled, ¡°This man is not gentlemanly at all. Miss, you¡¯ve fallen onto the ground, but he didn¡¯t even help.¡±

    Tan Guiren forced a smile. ¡°Can¡¯t me him. It¡¯s really dark in here. Most likely, he couldn¡¯t see well, either.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Mrs. Fen was merelymenting. Seeing that Tan Guiren didn¡¯t seem to mind, an outsider like her shouldn¡¯t think too much about it.

    Holding the shlight, Huo Shaoheng went to the basement. He found the diesel generator in the small room. The vi¡¯s central control room was there as well. There was even a heater and a central cooling system. This was where CIA officers controlled all the tapping devices and pinhole cameras that they installed in this vi. Of course, Thomas had revealed this information to him.

    Due to the sudden power outage, the backup power of those devices kicked in. In the dark, one could only see a little red light blinking away. Huo Shaoheng looked at it emotionlessly. Taking out his Swiss Army knife, he neatly cut the wire in two. The red blinking light disappeared. This meant that all the tapping devices and pinhole cameras had stopped functioning.

    Then, Huo Shaoheng finally bent down to start the diesel generator. In no time at all, the lights in the vi returned. Everything in the room was easily seen. Huo Shaoheng looked around again before going back up.

    Upon returning to the living room, Huo Shaoheng saw that Tan Guiren was still rubbing her ankle. She had only turned on a small, soft light. The dim light made the living room look cosy and warm. Even the storm outside didn¡¯t look so strong anymore.

    Putting the shlight on the tea table, Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°When will the rain stop?¡±

    Tan Guiren immediately turned on the television to watch the weather forecast. The forecaster was wearing a poncho and saying nervously, ¡°Isabe seems to be getting stronger. The storm will continue through the night. Please be safe, everyone, and try to stay indoors.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. Tan Guiren sneaked a peek at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm expression and felt secretly happy, but outwardly, she looked calm. ¡°Mr. Gu, why don¡¯t you stay for the night? The vi has many rooms. There are three guest rooms upstairs and one downstairs.¡±

    After thinking about it and looking at the storm outside, Huo Shaoheng looked like he had made up his mind. ¡°If the rain doesn¡¯t stop by 10pm, then I¡¯ll be troubling you tonight, Miss Tan.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem at all!¡± Tan Guiren was exceptionally weing. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s have dinner. Mrs. Fen makes amazing Yangzhou dishes.¡±

    The Tans were from the South. Tan Guiren had be ustomed to the Yangzhou dishes from the chefs at home from the time she was young. That was the reason she brought a helper along who knew how to cook Yangzhou dishes when she needed to travel overseas.

    Huo Shaoheng did not like the nd tasting Yangzhou dishes, but he did not reject her offer. He nodded at Tan Guiren politely. ¡°Thank you.¡± Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t eat anything he hadn¡¯t prepared when he met people as the head of Special Forces. However, when he was on missions, and he couldn¡¯t control the surroundings, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. He had to eat and drink what he had to. However, he had actually nned this dinner a long time ago.

 Chapter 612 - Are You Satisfied?

    <h4>Chapter 612: Are You Satisfied?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Tan Guiren took Huo Shaoheng to the dining room. Because the house was now using a diesel generator for power, only one light was on in the dining room, as opposed to typically unscrupulous usage. The long dining table wasden with four delicious and fragrant courses and a soup, all authentic Yangzhou cuisine. A lotus blossom-shaped bowl in the middle was filled with a round, fist-sized Lion¡¯s Head meatball paired with crisp greens ented with broth. A beautiful aroma was apparent as soon as they moved closer. On the side was a dish of vegetarian stir-fry, pan-fried shrimp, mushrooms, and vegetables, as well as a bowl of tofu. More than half the food was vegetarian.

    Tan Guiren didn¡¯t hesitate to serve the only Lion¡¯s Head meatball to Huo Shaoheng using the serving spoon. ¡°Try this meatball. It¡¯s Mrs. Fen¡¯s best dish.¡±

    Mrs. Fen had retired after serving the food, and because she didn¡¯t n on having Huo Shaoheng stay for dinner, she hadn¡¯t made much food. It was only enough for Tan Guiren¡¯s portion. Yangzhou cuisine was based on small but numerous tes, and one dish may have only consisted of one bite.

    Huo Shaoheng was familiar with Yangzhou cuisine since his grandmother had been a southerner and there had been an expert Huaiyang chef at home when she¡¯d been still alive. Yangzhou cuisine was merely a branch of Huaiyang cuisine. He used his chopsticks to pick up the meatball to taste and found it mediocre. It was nothing spectacr and was leagues behind the Huaiyang chef who¡¯d used to work back home. However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t verbalize it but only nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡±

    It was a rare thing for Huo Shaoheng to even give apliment, but because he still needed to use Tan Guiren, he had no choice but to bite his tongue and act polite.

    Tan Guiren didn¡¯t mind. A smile bloomed on her face, and she continued to serve him more food. Mrs. Fen overheard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mildpliment and secretly shunned him for not appreciating a good thing. However, she didn¡¯t express it outwardly and went to dinner after serving the rice container.

    Huo Shaoheng and Tan Guiren chatted intermittently, so the dinnerpsed into nearly an hour. It was almost 9:00 p.m. by the time they looked at the clock. After they set down their chopsticks, Mrs. Fen then served them tea, and Tan Guiren looked outside to see the rain still yet to cease. It looked like Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be leaving tonight.

    Suppressing the joy in her heart, she left the dining room to help set up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room. Huo Shaoheng chose a guest room on the first floor, while Tan Gurien and Mrs. Fen both lived on the second floor for convenience. Although Tan Guiren would have preferred for Huo Shaoheng to stay in the guest room on the second floor, he had chosen the first floor himself. She didn¡¯t want to disobey anything he said because he had such a powerful aura.

    The power still hadn¡¯t returned after 10:00 p.m., and because the house¡¯s diesel generator wasn¡¯t a high-capacity model, it was almost depleted after two hours of use. They still had to reserve some power for the next day, so the three of them said goodnight to each other and retired to their rooms.

    In the early morning hours, Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and quietly got up. He wore a ck T-shirt, ck pants, and only socks as he crept out of his room. First, he went to the living room to find the bugs and pinhole cameras nted there. There was a photo frame on the firece in the living room, and behind it were four ck button-like things originally used to block the photo inside from falling out, but one of the ck buttons had been swapped for a bug. Huo Shaoheng reached out to touch it and ripped the bug off.

    After leaving the living room, he walked along the pitch-ck hallway to arrive at the dining room where they had eaten earlier. A paper lotusntern hung from the ceiling, and there were thick strings above themp as well as thinner strings holding up thempshade. And within the thinner strings was a slight protrusion that was the CIA¡¯stest model of pinhole camera. Huo Shaoheng was very tall, so he only stood at the table to reach out toward thempshade of the lotusmp in order to pull the pinhole camera off. He then went to the second-floor hallway where the CIA had actually nted several bugs and pinhole cameras. It would be a disaster if Tan Dongbang really became elected and stayed here, because then the Prime Minister would be under theplete surveince by a foreign country.

    Huo Shaoheng patiently ripped out all the bugs and pinhole cameras throughout the entire vi. He wasn¡¯t limited to the information from James¡¯s letter but personallybed through the entire vi from top to bottom. He worked from the early-morning hours until the sun was almost up, then tidied up and went back to his room to sleep. He put all the ripped-out bugs and pinhole cameras into a bag, then smashed them to bits using a hammer. He would leave here tomorrow and throw the dust into the ocean.

    The CIA agents wouldn¡¯t make a scene even if they couldn¡¯t find the bugs and pinhole cameras, since this was a vition of privacy and was illegal to begin with.

    ...

    Tan Guiren got up in the morning to find that the rain had stopped. She began to feel a bit irritated and slowly got up, changed, and washed up in the bathroom. After nearly an hour, she finally came out of her room. However, it was Mrs. Fen she saw opening the door anding out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room.

    Tan Guiren widened her eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s that gentleman?¡±

    ¡°He left a long time ago.¡± Mrs. Fen was cleaning inside and smiled. ¡°What a clean fellow. He tidied up the room so it doesn¡¯t even look like anyone stayed here. What a nice person.¡±

    Tan Guiren opened the door to find that there was no trace of Huo Shaoheng. After standing there dumbly for a while, she went out quietly. However, she wasn¡¯t disappointed for long because Huo Shaoheng also came when James visited her three dayster.

    The two men had made ns and were chatting in the gazebo behind Tan Guiren¡¯s house. The Tans had arge backyard behind their vi, and the gazebo was in the middle of it. With t fields of emerald grass surrounding it, the backyard was almost one acre. It was impossible to be eavesdropped on in the gazebo with such vast grass fields around. Of course, there were no bugs in the gazebo because Huo Shaoheng and James were both experts who had already checked for them.

    In the distance, Tan Guiren sat in the living room on the first floor of the vi as she prepared a fruit tter while watching through the clear French windows, smiling at the two familiar figures in the gazebo in the grassy fields. She was very happy and excited to help these two men¡ªit gave her a righteous feeling.

    In the gazebo, James and Huo Shaoheng greeted each other before delving into the main topic. ¡°Gu, are you happy with my gift to you?¡± James smiled as he held a pipe and put it to his lips.

    They had agreed to call each other ¡°Mr. Gu¡± and Mr. J.¡±

    ¡°J, I feel like you took advantage of me.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his legs and leaned against the seat in the gazebo. He also held a cigarette between his fingers but didn¡¯t smoke it. The white smoke gradually floated up from his fingers, obscuring his face in a hazy cloud.

 Chapter 613 - Worth It

    <h4>Chapter 613: Worth It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Take advantage of you? No, why would I dare to do that? Do I want to die?¡± James leisurely removed the pipe from his mouth and chuckled. He dug through his pockets and took out a thin envelope. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to find out who the mole in the Hua Xia Empire is? This might help you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng appeared dubious as he epted the letter from James and took out a piece of folded paper from inside. He opened it to read.

    James whispered to him, ¡°These are three departments from your nation. I tried my best and narrowed the area down to these three. That person should be within one of these departments.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng actually didn¡¯t expect the person to be so well hidden that even the Director of the CIA Asian Intelligence Branch didn¡¯t know their identity. He looked down and read the three English names printed using an old typewriter: Department of Internal Affairs, Department of Justice, and Army General Hospital. Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip on the letter slightly. These three certainly took him by surprise.

    Both the Minister of the Department of Internal Affairs, Bai Jiancheng, and the Minister of the Department of Justice, Tan Dongbang, were popr candidates in the Prime Minister election. However, the addition of the Army General Hospital was a strange one. Theoretically, the Army General Hospital didn¡¯t really have much to do with intelligence agencies, but because most of its patients were high-ranking military leaders, and the doctors often had the opportunity to make house calls for high-ranking military officials, they were able to contact many important and powerful people. Consequently, the inadvertent leakage of intelligence was highly possible by infiltrating the Army General Hospital. Although Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have much to do with the Army General Hospital, a certain person there was very close to him. This person had also been transferred to the Military General Hospital to the Special Operations Forces¡ªChen Lie.

    As Huo Shaoheng contemted the issue, although he very much wanted to eliminate the possibility of Chen Lie being the mole, his many years of professional training made him consider all the possibilities before gradually eliminating them one by one. He believed Chen Lie wouldn¡¯t purposely leak intelligence, but what if he did it passively... Did that big mouth ever know when to shut up?

    Huo Shaoheng flicked at the letter and said calmly, ¡°Three departments? Isn¡¯t the scope is too broad? J, do you know how many personnel are in these three departments? You are asking me to look for a needle in a haystack. Also, how can you prove the mole is in one of these three departments?¡± He was using counter-espionage tactics and believed James was no stranger to them, so he wouldn¡¯t be led by the nose.

    James smiled as he passed something else to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look at this, and you¡¯ll believe me.¡± It was a clipping of a photocopy of various internal CIA documents that were rted to the most well-hidden mole in the Hua Xia Empire. From the intelligence provided by the mole, Huo Shaoheng confirmed they were probably from one of those three departments.

    When two nations were at odds with each other in modern society, intelligence wasn¡¯t just limited to the military. Internal politics and judicial science were also areas eyed by the other nation. And the higher the position within departments, the more likely they were able to get in touch with high ssification secret information. Huo Shaoheng held the document as he read it over andpared it with the intelligence he already knew. He discovered that everything matched up, and his grip on the clipping tightened.

    ¡°Give it back to me. I can¡¯t let you take it.¡± James reached out to take the clipping back from Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly folded it again but didn¡¯t return it. ¡°J, this is the more interesting bit. Otherwise, you really would be taking advantage of me.¡±

    James couldn¡¯t do anything about Huo Shaoheng refusing to return the clipping. He became even more cautious and whispered, ¡°Keep this safe. I¡¯ll also be discovered if anyone finds it.¡± Just like how the internal Hua Xia Imperial intelligence provided by the mole had exposed their identity, James¡¯ clipping could also expose his position in the CIA.

    For Huo Shaoheng, the clipping was more ammunition for future ckmail, so he would never let it go. ¡°I know that, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be safe, even if I¡¯m exposed.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled and casually held onto the clipping. He appeared so nonchnt that no one would imagine how important it actually was.

    James saw that Huo Shaoheng was much more experienced than he was and sighed in relief. Putting the pipe back into his mouth again, he asked, ¡°That¡¯s good, then. What are you nning to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flicked ash from the cigarette and saw that it was nearly burned to the nub. He stubbed it out in the ashtray. ¡°I have my own ways, but I¡¯ll need your help with the next part. You can give me feedback when the timees, and I¡¯ll know where the mole is.¡± He was most worried that it was either Bai Jiancheng or Tan Dongbang, because they both had too much power supporting them. Even with General Ji¡¯s support, Huo Shaoheng would have a hard time getting rid of either of them. Also, if either of them got elected, then it would be even more difficult to eliminate them. If one of them ended up being the mole, it would be a devastating blow to the Hua Xia Imperial national security.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the pavilion for a long time, even after James left. He was considering his next step. Now that the scope was narrowed down to the three departments, he was feeling both worried and relieved. He was worried that the mole was too powerful and would cause insurmountable damage to national security, but he was thankful that none of his main contacts from his Special Operations Forces and the military were involved. He felt more confident knowing that his fellowrades hadn¡¯t betrayed him.

    Tan Guiren watched him from a distance for a long time and saw that he was sitting as motionless as a sculpture, but she didn¡¯t dare to disturb him. It was not until the sky began to grow dark that she couldn¡¯t help walking over and coughing quietly. ¡°Do you want some fruit?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snapped out of his thoughts and rose. ¡°No thanks, Miss Tan. I still have business to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Miss Tan, it¡¯s too formal. You are my savior, please call me Cheryl.¡± Tan Guiren blushed faintly and appeared gorgeous under the setting sun.

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare. That was my mission and responsibility.¡± Huo Shaoheng took a step back. ¡°I¡¯ll be rather busy for a while, so I won¡¯t be visiting. If that gentlemanes again, tell him I don¡¯t have anything else to say to him. He doesn¡¯t need toe back anymore.¡± He had reached his goal for using Tan Guiren, so he didn¡¯t want to meet James here again. They needed to meet at a different time and location now.

    Tan Guiren was a bit disappointed. ¡°Oh? Why is that? Did you just fight?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, did Miss Tan see it all?¡± Huo Shaoheng regarded her calmly. ¡°Please keep this confidential. No one can know about this.¡±

    Actually, it would be better for her to let other people know, but she expressed her determination once again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll absolutely not let anyone else know!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± Tan Guiren had no more value to him, so he didn¡¯t exin any further. The rest would proceed the same whether she was involved or not. Tapping his forehead, he turned to leave.

    Tan Guiren stopped herself from sending him off but leaned against the window as she gently bit her lower lip and watched his figure gradually disappear. Mrs. Fen followed Tan Guiren and secretly smiled when she saw her mistress like that. Her mistress was finally falling in love...

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his rented New Jersey apartment to rest for two days and calm his mind. Although he had already been well tempered from all his experiences so he was not easily shocked by anything, the three departments James disclosed still managed to make things difficult for him. He wasn¡¯t totally helpless, but the Special Operations Forces¡¯ methods could not be used domestically, even on moles. They also couldn¡¯t be too open about their operation because maintaining security of domestic institutions was rightfully the responsibility of the Secret Service, but now it looked like the Secret Service waspletely useless.

    Huo Shaoheng estimated that if he could sessfully return after this, the Hua Xia Empire should also promote the same rtionship between the CIA and FBI. The CIA was responsible for foreign intelligence work, which was the same as the Hua Xia Imperial Special Operations Forces. However, the FBI was in charge of domestic security work, criminal investigation, and also oversaw the CIA. Conversely, the CIA was also able to oversee the FBI. The two institutions mutually supervised each other to ensure the loyalty of ranks and prevent external infiltration, but the truth was, the CIA was as easily infiltrated as a sieve. However, they believed that ¡°offense is the best defense,¡± so although they often had moles, they only had to repeatedly make waves abroad to basically negate the effects of internal moles.

    The Hua Xia Empire was the only exception that failed to be affected by the CIA all these years, so they could only rely on deeply hidden internal moles to provide intelligence. The Special Ops and the Secret Service had to also mutually monitor each other from now on.

    Huo Shaoheng took off the towel hanging on his neck and went to the apartment building¡¯s gym. He appeared there in disguises, like a hooked nose and ck framed sses that couldpletely change one¡¯s appearance. He was also adept at camouge, so even if someone close spotted him, it would take them some time to recognize him. He worked out fiercely in the gym for an hour, then swam in the pool. He maintained high intensity training every day, and it was also a very good habit. After sweating a lot, his head felt a lot more clear. He had to be very vignt to be the only person creating a careful n to root out the mole who had betrayed him. Luckily, he had James as an informant, which lowered the difficulty of the game of cat and mouse considerably. Huo Shaoheng came out of the bathroom and had already finalized his n.

    The next day, he drove out to find the most inexpensive and inconspicuous apartments in the east, west, and north sides of New York. He used cash to rent three one-bedroom apartments with a six-month lease.

 Chapter 614 - Luring Out the Mole

    <h4>Chapter 614: Luring Out the Mole</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The apartment was rented out on a monthly basis, so there was no need to sign rental agreements as long as the rent was paid upfront. Huo Shaoheng randomly bought some toiletries to put inside to make it appear as if he stayed there all the time. He wouldn¡¯t be back for about a week, this time. He certainly wouldn¡¯t be living in the three other ces he¡¯d rented, but would asionally visit to learn the areas. Time passed gradually, and it was nearly the end of August.

    Today, Huo Shaoheng finally used an old typewriter to type three letters¡ªone to the Bai Jiangcheng¡¯s Department of Internal Affairs, one to the Ministry of Justice, and one to the Military General Hospital, addressed to Chen Lie. The three letters were mailed out from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s three new rental apartments, with their respective post offices in east, west, and north New York. He knew that ording to procedure, letters mailed to the Department of Internal Affairs and Minister of Justice first had to pass through the mail system, then be registered at the mailroom and finally sent to addressee¡¯s own office. That way, the letter would pass through many hands. Although it seemed excessive, each person processing the letter needed to sign, so it was simple to investigateter.

    All he could do after mailing the letters was to wait. The three letters were written in code and were a cry for help, so most people wouldn¡¯t understand. But the mole would be sure to see what was going on and locate him ording to the postal code.

    The three letters were sent from different locations and at different times. They would also be received at different times, making it difficult to synchronize between multiple people. Afterpleting all the procedures, Huo Shaoheg met with James again. This time, they didn¡¯t meet near Tan Guiren¡¯s home but on a boat on the Hudson River. They both pretended to be tourists and leisurely exchanged intelligence amid the silly crowd holding gs and wearing identical baseball caps.

    ¡°...You¡¯re all prepared?¡± said James, wearing gold-rimmed sses and arge beard to disguise himself as a Russian man.

    ¡°Yes. As soon as he discovers I wrote the letter, he¡¯ll be sure to notify you of my location for arrest.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. He held binocrs and enjoyed the view of New York like other ordinary tourists.

    James nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be deployed, then. Be careful.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already made ns to leave New York for South America when the CIA agents were deployed to arrest ¡°him.¡± He hade to America using a fake identity, so he had to leave soon. Also, he had already been away from the Empire for a long time without making contact with Gu Nianzhi, and he missed her a lot. He¡¯d sent her a scarf to confuse the enemy by using a French redirecting address. Even if the enemy found out, they wouldn¡¯t have his exact location, so he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Gi Nianzhi leaking intelligence. He truly hoped to be home in time for her birthday¡ªit was only two months away. But this wasn¡¯t up to him. Only the mole hidden deep within their internal organization could make that decision.

    Huo Shaoheng was still a high-ranking military official representing the Huaxia Empire in New York. What really mattered was that he wasn¡¯t arrested at the scene¡ªregardless of how much the CIA suspected him.

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Huo Shaoheng set down his binocrs nonchntly, rubbed his eyes, and put on sunsses before leaving calmly. He had created a rather long-term n. It would take a month to six months for the letter to reach the Huaxia Empire, fall into the mole¡¯s hands, which then initiate the operation.

    The pros of this n were that it wouldn¡¯t implicate others or harm the innocent. The con was, of course, the possibility of a prolonged timeline. If the enemy reacted within a month or two, that meant they were very anxious. If it took up to six months, that meant the enemy was very vignt and would be difficult to handle. Luckily, Huo Shaoheng was a very patient person, so he could handle whatever the enemy decided to do.

    ...

    It was nearly the end of August in the Imperial Capital of the Huaxia Empire, and all the schools were to begin the new semester. Ma Qiqi was riding her bike home after finishing her internship. Humming a melody, she happily zipped through the tree-lined path on the B University campus.

    Gu Nianzhi had left for Germany for nearly a month, and she had been amazing this entire time! Ma Qiqi had been following this case on Weibo and had even used a VPN to view the courtroom live stream that had shaken the entire German social media world. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t get to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp-witted, street-smartwyer self. She¡¯d only heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice and hadn¡¯t expected her to speak English as well as her mother tongue. Also, Professor He¡¯s German¡¯s perfect Hannover ent was too incredible!

    When Ma Qiqi returned to her dorm, she sat down in her room and sent Gu Nianzhi a message. They had been in contact all this time, but they weren¡¯t online together very often due to the time difference. So when a typically simple message was sent out, a reply wouldn¡¯te until the next day, after the other person saw the first message.

    I Love Meng Qiqi The Best: My Dear Zhi, good luck!

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi received Ma Qiqi¡¯s message and replied to it.

    Always Thinking of You: Roger! I¡¯ll try my best!

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s three letters were slowly making their way through the US postal system, put into sacks and loaded onto the airnes headed toward the Huaxia Empire. One weekter, the mailroom of the Huaxia Imperial Department of Internal Affairs received a letter from New York addressed to the Minister of Internal Affairs with no clear addressee. This type of letter was typically registered, then sent through to rted departments for various security checks before finally being sent to the receiving department.

    A few dayster, the Minister of Justice received the same type of letter addressed to the Minister of Justice. Then, a few days after that, the mailroom of the Military General Hospital received a letter addressed to medical officer Senior Colonel Chen Lie. Chen Lie¡¯s military rank and official post were stationed in the Military General Hospital; he was only temporarily transferred to the Special Operations Forces, along with his assistant, Ye Zitan. Because Chen Lie was very busy with work, Ye Zitan was in charge of taking care of his daily tasks, including receiving mail.

    ...

    It was nearly September, and Gu Nianzhi was starting to want to go home. Since the serious embarrassment suffered by the Munich District Court in front of all of Germany during the third hearing, the judicial system had gotten wary of angering the public. They didn¡¯t dare to make any dramatic moves, so the murder case of Seth of Niya was dyed for a long time without sentencing.

    He Zhichu and his four American assistants were also busy setting up the German branch of theirw firm. From legal files to selecting the location for the office, hiring staff, and purchasing office equipment, the two weeks passed quickly, and everyone was extremely busy.

    Gu Nianzhi was the only one not yet considered an official employee of the Americanw firm, and she also didn¡¯t really care much about starting up the new branch. All she cared about was the case, so she was growing exasperated from waiting.

    Today, she sat in the garden behind the hotel, reading a book. The sunshine from the end of summer and beginning of autumn was filtering through the gingko tree leaves, and, like little fans, they shimmered brilliantly before her eyes. Squinting, she stopped reading. At the corner of her vision, she noticed a middle-aged couple staring at her from the edge of the grass.

 Chapter 615 - Demanding an Exorbitant Amount

    <h4>Chapter 615: Demanding an Exorbitant Amount</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi closed the book calmly, got up slowly, and saw a inly-dressed, middle-aged couple. They stood on the edge of the grass, looking at her with humble smiles and a habitual slight bow. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled. She knew this couple! They were the parents of the victim, Li Haiqing. Standing up, she brushed off the grass and walked towards them.

    ¡°Miss Gu.¡± Li Haiqing¡¯s mother addressed her meekly, and her eyes were a mixture of fear, gratitude, and sadness. Her bodynguagemunicated a tremendous effort to remain calm and poised. The couple looked at Gu Nianzhi, and it was apparent that they admired her. Miss Gu was way younger than their daughter, but she was already so capable...

    Tears began welling up in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. She curled her lips into a smile to the best of her ability in order to let the couple feel more at ease. ¡°Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, you¡¯re here. Let¡¯s have a seat in my room,¡± Gu Nianzhi invited them. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you dinner tonight. The food here must not have been suitable to what you¡¯re used to.¡± German cuisine was considered one of the most exotic around. What they considered delicious was scarce there.

    The couple shook their heads and looked at each other. Li Haiqing¡¯s parents were over 50, and due to the stress and sadness of her passing, they looked way older. Li Haiqing¡¯s father said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re here to speak to you.¡± He looked at Gu Nianzhi. All of a sudden, he bent down and bowed to almost 90 degrees.

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. She rushed forward to help up the middle-aged man filled with sadness and said quickly, ¡°What¡¯s this for, Mr. Li? We can talk. I cannot ept this bow.¡±

    ¡°No, you can.¡± Li Haiqing¡¯s mother began wiping tears from her eyes. ¡°Wee from a poor family and couldn¡¯t afford a goodwyer. Thank you so much for agreeing to stand up for Haiqing. She was a good girl... A really good girl... She wasn¡¯t... Wasn¡¯t the type of... of girl who¡¯d sleep around with guys...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held her breath and tried really hard before she was able to stop the tears from falling from her eyes. She spoke softly and slowly, ¡°Mrs. Li, don¡¯t worry about the money. They¡¯ve done something wrong, so it¡¯s only right that they face the music. As for thewyer¡¯s fees, don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to pay them. Not only that, I¡¯ll be fighting for a good sum of civilpensation for you.¡±

    ¡°Civilpensation?¡± Li Haiqing¡¯s father shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We won¡¯t be able to get my daughter¡¯s life back no matter how much they give us... I really regret... I really do...¡±

    Regret? What? Most likely, he regretted sending his daughter to Germany for her studies... Gu Nianzhi was so good with words in court. However, she realized that she did not know what to say when she faced this simple, middle-aged couple. She couldn¡¯t think of anything tofort them, who as parents, only wanted their child to be safe and sound. Her words would never help them.

    ¡°You¡¯re not to be med. This isn¡¯t Haiqing¡¯s mistake, either.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmed down and raised her head slightly with a stern face. ¡°It was because those people are heartless! They will definitely suffer at the hands of thew!¡±

    When she said this, she remembered that the court had dyed giving a final judgment. It had already been two weeks, but they did not want to proceed with the hearing. Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll push for them to start the hearing again soon.¡± She thought that Li Haiqing¡¯s parents were here to ask her about the dyed hearing and to get her to push for the judgment.

    What she did not expect was that Li Haiqing¡¯s father would shake his head and say, ¡°The culprit¡¯s family is rich and influential. We can tell that. We¡¯re already very thankful that Miss Gu is brave enough to not be afraid of them and stand up for Haiqing.¡± With that, the couple bowed again.

    Gu Nianzhi was really feeling embarrassed by now. Taking a step back, she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m going to feel even more guilty if you keep doing this.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be mistaken, Miss Gu. We are really not here to push for anything.¡± Li Haiqing¡¯s mother sighed. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re here to bid our farewell.¡±

    ¡°Farewell?¡± Gu Nianzhi was not expecting that. ¡°Why? The case is still ongoing. Why are you leaving already?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been here for almost a month. Our jobs will be at stake if we don¡¯t return soon,¡± Li Haiqing¡¯s father said in a low voice. ¡°Moreover, we don¡¯t feel good using Minister Bai¡¯s money. Therefore, we¡¯ve booked tickets to return to the Hua Xia Empire on our own. The flight will depart tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to make them stay, but the couple had made up their minds. However, they managed to let Gu Nianzhi convince them to sign an authorization form for her to file the civil case on their behalf. With this authorization, Gu Nianzhi would be able to file the civilwsuit immediately.

    The Munich Court wants to drag this case out and not give a final judgment? Fine. I shall give you something to do, then. Let¡¯s go through the procedure for a civilpensationwsuit. Gu Nianzhi saw Li Haiqing¡¯s parents off and returned to her hotel room to start filing thewsuit.

    It was already midnight when He Zhichu returned to the hotel. He saw lighting from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and was slightly taken aback. Knocking on her door, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re still awake, Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got up from herptop and opened the door. ¡°Professor He is back.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Why are you still awake, though?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m preparing to fight a civilpensationwsuit.¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be done soon, and it¡¯ll be sent to Professor He¡¯s mailbox.¡±

    ¡°Civilwsuit?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°It¡¯s toote. Let¡¯s talk tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyelids felt as heavy as rocks. Covering her mouth, she stifled a yawn and nodded to He Zhichu before closing her door.

    Finally, after another 30 minutes, shepleted typing. Upon reading through and being satisfied with her work, she sent it to He Zhichu via email before turning in for the night.

    When she woke up, she looked at her phone and saw some text messages from Li Haiqing¡¯s parents. They thanked her profusely again and informed her that they would be boarding soon.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch and yelped. She realized that two hours had passed since they had sent the text. The flight would¡¯ve taken off by now, so she wouldn¡¯t be in time to send them off. It was okay, though. The things that Gu Nianzhi was going to do in their ce were important and valid. They wouldn¡¯t mind if she didn¡¯t send them off because of this.

    After spacing out for a while in bed, Gu Nianzhi slowly got up to wash up. When she was done, she looked at her phone. There were no replies from Professor He. She got dressed and went over to He Zhichu¡¯s room and knocked.

    He Zhichu opened the door. Upon seeing that she still looked half awake, he smiled the lightest smile. ¡°You¡¯re up? Had breakfast?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Have you read my email fromst night, Professor He?¡±

    ¡°Looking now.¡± He Zhichu moved to the side and invited her into his room. ¡°Come in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi entered his room and overheard He Zhichu order room service. They had grown tired of the Michelin restaurant they had been ordering their meals from. For variety, they had been looking around other at random restaurants. If they were too busy, they¡¯d just order their meals from room service.

    Gu Nianzhi did not have any appetite. She just wanted to fill her stomach. She sat on a seat across from He Zhichu. He Zhichu turned theptop towards her and began, ¡°You want to sue Niya, Seth, Seth¡¯s parents, the Rou district police station, and the government of Rou?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the only way to get the highest amount ofpensation and the most influence.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and continued, ¡°If I were to just sue Seth, it wouldn¡¯t be much use.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking for apensation of... ten billion Euros?¡± He Zhichuughed. ¡°You¡¯ve got a big appetite...¡±

    ¡°If I cannot demand an exorbitant amount, then why should I sue them?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°Moreover, in Germany¡¯sw, there are no limits to the amount ofpensation I can ask for. Look at the reasons I indicated. Do you think I can convince the court to let me open the case?¡±

    He Zhichu looked through slowly. Gu Nianzhi had exined the reasons for the high amount ofpensation. She talked about how Li Haiqing¡¯s parents lost a huge sum of money as they sent their daughter to Germany to further her studies. Now that she was murdered, it was equivalent to a failed investment. They needed financial assistance. Then she listed the emotional hurt the parents felt when they found out how Seth treated their daughter.

    Finally, she emphasized on thest point that Seth¡¯s parents had used their authority to manipte the Rou district police station into neglecting their duties and trying to cover up a murder. This action was unjust to the victim, Li Haiqing, and her parents. It had also been a most negative demonstration to the public. This was the most important point for Gu Nianzhi to win the case.

    With the handling of the case being so corrupt within thew enforcement agency, the Rou district police station broke thew, and the elected Rou government attempted to deceive the public, thereby enraging the public. They only way to appease them was to give these two organizations a hefty punishment.

    He Zhichu remained silent for a while beforementing, ¡°This first use that emphasizes the financial status of the victim¡¯s parents, I think it would be better not to include it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gu Nianzhi did not understand that and crossed her arms. She could not forget the haggard and frail-looking couple, and their difficult financial situation. ¡°Why can¡¯t I add that in? Seth¡¯s misconduct really brought the Li¡¯s financial losses as well.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, thew is not a charity organization. If you were to emphasize the financial status of the Li¡¯s, it won¡¯t work. In fact, it¡¯ll work in the opposite direction. They¡¯d use this as an opportunity to use Li Haiqing¡¯s parents of extortion.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gu Nianzhi truly had not thought about that.

    Overseas cases were definitely tougher than local cases. No wonderpanies tended to look for localw firms when they were required to fight for internationalwsuits. That was because the culture in every country was different, leading to the difference inw and focal points of the mass public.

    He Zhichu struck out the first point in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s email and added a new reason for her. ¡°Seth¡¯s father, York, and his mother, Ramona, were both high-ranking officers in the police force. However, they hid critical evidence and caused a dy in solving the case. They were handling the case as officers, therefore, the Rou district police station has to bear full responsibility for its staff.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi moved closer to have a better look. In awe, she said, ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re really observant and think about things from all aspects.¡±

 Chapter 616 - Cause a Ruckus

    <h4>Chapter 616: Cause a Ruckus</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Penaltypensation in civil litigation generally targets very serious crimes that negatively impact society. Your focus is strong, but in order to highlight themon responsibility of Seth¡¯s parents¡ªthe local police and municipal government¡ªit is necessary to emphasize the irreparable wrongdoings of Seth¡¯s parents in the criminal case. It is even considered a criminal act.¡± He Zhichu lectured Gu Nianzhi as if she were in ss. ¡°Understand?¡±

    ¡°Professor He is still the best!¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded like a little chick pecking for rice and appeared very obedient.

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help stroking her hair. ¡°Quit the ttery and redo the entire plea after lunchtime. Thene to the courthouse with me to submit it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily finished lunch with He Zhichu then returned to her room to rearrange the plea. It waspleted after an hour, and she sent it back to He Zhichu for a final review. After he signed it, he took Gu Nianzhi to the courthouse so they could personally submit it.

    Before they left, He Zhichu had Smith, one of his assistants, call all the major German media outlets in the name of their Americanw firm to disclose that their firm was about to represent Li Haiqing¡¯s parents to file a joint civil im against Niya, Seth, Seth¡¯s parents, and the Dessau Police Department, as well as the Dessau municipal government, with the requestpensation amount remaining confidential for the time being. And due to the Munich District Courts¡¯ deliberate dy, the case, which had gone viral online for some time, gradually cooled off due to theck of closure. This was exactly what Seth¡¯s parents wanted¡ªthe public had to stop following the case in order for them to meddle once again. They didn¡¯t expect He Zhichu to have Smith make the calls and, like the stone creating 1,000 ripples, the German media was aghast once again!

    This almost became breaking news in Germany. Suddenly, all the major German media outlets halted their normal programming and dispatched live interview teams to live-stream the filing of the civilwsuit. Li Haiqing¡¯s case was introduced and analyzed once again, and it was reported that the Munich District Court was still considering the case. Thus, a sentence had yet to be passed.

    The media worked all too quickly. Before He Zhichu¡¯smercial vehicle had even arrived at the Munich District Court, the media had already set up their myriad microphones and equipment before the courthouse entrance. It was a sunny day, and it was the middle of the afternoon, so the sun was not as scorching hot. A gentle breeze brought a refreshing coolness.

    The reporters¡¯ cameras recorded a discreetmercial vehicle approaching the other side of the street and parking in front of Munich District Court entrance. The car door opened, and a tall, handsome man in a ck Armani suit and sunsses walked out¡ªit was He Zhichu, one of the partners of Americanw firm everyone was now familiar with. After he got out, he instantly turned back to offer his hand, and a woman took it to jump out of the car. Although she also wore sunsses, she was immediately recognized as He Zhichu¡¯s only female assistant in the case and the one who had appeared in court for the third trial: Gu Nianzhi!

    The reporters surged all of a sudden, their countless microphones and recording pens passed in front of He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Lawyer He, may I ask why you are seeking civilpensation from the Dessau Regional Police and the municipal government?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer He, may I ask what amount of civilpensation you are seeking?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, may I ask if you will also be representing in the civil litigation proceedings?¡±

    ...

    Numerous questions were thrown out anxiously to await He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s answers. Gu Nianzhi received He Zhchu¡¯s indication and began to speak in English.

    ¡°We are filing a civil im against the Dessau Regional Police and municipal government because of their derelict of duty and for deliberately condoning the criminal destruction of evidence, causing indelible losses and damage to my clients.¡±

    All the German reporters spoke English to everyone, immediately tranting her words into German and transmitting live video back to their respective media outlets.

    He Zhichu looked around then continued coldly in German, ¡°This time, we are seekingpensation from the two defendants, as well as the defendant Seth¡¯s parents, York and Ramona, the Dessau Regional Police, and the municipal government in a joint im for the amount of one billion euros.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± The crowd of reporters all froze at He Zhichu¡¯s words, almost as if they couldn¡¯t understand German.

    ¡°Did I hear that right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡ªwas it one billion... euros?!¡±

    ¡°Right, right! I also heard one billion euros!¡±

    Everyone looked at He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi together to confirm once again. ¡°The im is for 10 billion euros?!¡±

    ¡°You heard correctly,¡± He Zhichu said as he walked directly toward the courthouse.

    Gu Nianzhi followed closely behind and felt very emotional. As expected, a huge civil im would turn into big news; they wouldn¡¯t be able to face the reporters if the im amount was less.

    Lips curving into a smirk, Gu Nianzhi calmly walked toward the courthouse steps. From that point, it only took less than 10 minutes to file the case at the courthouse. However, Gu Nianzhi began recalling many things. Huge civil ims were nothing new in Western countries. They existed to punish and deter so that powerful parties would never dare to harm the weaker parties again. Especially when it was a weaker person making a im against a government agency orrge corporation, their chances of winning were typically very high.

    For example, the very famous ¡°McDonald¡¯s hot coffee case¡± from thest century had urred when an elderly woman was burned by McDonald¡¯s coffee. Although she was only hospitalized for three days, she sought millions of US dors inpensation and ended up winning. This was the power of punitive damages in civil litigation.

    Gu Nianzhi hoped that this dramatic civil im would not only bring new attention from the media and public but also prepare for the possibility of a loss in the criminal case. Gu Nianzhi could already sense that due to theck of direct evidence¡ªas well as the court¡¯s preference for the defendant¡¯s position¡ªit could result in them losing the criminal case. Although they would continue to appeal, at this point, they could only use the loss of the criminal case to create indignation among the public. Gu Nianzhi hoped that their civil im would proceed more smoothly. She would actually never be satisfied with any sentence in the criminal case because there was no capital punishment in Germany. A huge civil im was the only way to show the other party was it meant to feel pain for themselves.

    Because the media had put so much attention on the case¡ªand because He Zhichu had also published the plea online after submitting it to the court¡ªthere was no way the Munich District Court could get away with not filing the case. Countless legal experts and senior politicians were all following this case intently.

    As powerful as Seth¡¯s stepfather York was, he could only do as he pleased in Dessau. His influence did not extend to the entirety of Germany.

 Chapter 617 - Counterattack

    <h4>Chapter 617: Counterattack</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Early the next morning, Gu Nianzhi learned from He Zhichu that their civil case had been epted and was to be scheduled for trial. Because of the high attention on the case, the Munich District Courts arranged for a very early date. In two weeks, the civil proceedings would begin.

    But what about the criminal proceedings? The first trial results had yet to be announced. Because the hugepensation demanded in the civil case attracted new interest from the German citizens, the case was once again noticed by everyone. This made the situation awkward for the Munich District Court, which had dyed the results of the first trial for a very long time now.

    Inside a small room in the detainment center, Seth punched the desk and screamed, ¡°What?! One billion Euros?! They might as well rob us!¡±

    Sitting across from him was his mother, Ramona. Her eyes were downcast, and the ruddiness on her high cheekbones made her cooked meat-like face appear angry and fierce. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. They notified the media, so the courts didn¡¯t dare to reject the case.¡± Ramona was frustrated and walked in circles with her arms crossed.

    ¡°The case was filed?! Then doesn¡¯t that mean... Doesn¡¯t that mean...¡± Seth¡¯s eyes bulged as he balled his huge hands into fists to brandish in the air. ¡°Was it thatwyer b*tch?! The one from the same country as the dead girl?!¡±

    ¡°Of course. That woman is vicious and refuses to give in.¡± Ramona appeared even more gloomy. ¡°Your stepfather asked someone to pass a message and negotiate with her. The best case scenario is we could settle it out of court, but she replied... replied...¡±

    ¡°What did she say?!¡± Seth furrowed his brows, his red tongue darting out to lick his chapped lips. He was almost crazy from being locked up in the detainment center for over a month now. Not only was the food terrible, but there weren¡¯t even any women around. He¡¯d always had a woman every day ever since turning 14.

    ¡°She said it was a shame there is no death penalty in Germany, and that whatever your sentence may be, it will still be too lenient...¡± Ramona tightened her fists and frowned. ¡°She wants you to die for the dead girl.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! How dare she?!¡± Seth rose in a fury. ¡°I don¡¯t care! Hurry up and get me out of here! I can¡¯t stand it anymore! I don¡¯t want to go to jail! I don¡¯t want to be in jail for the rest of my life!¡±

    Face soaked with tears, Ramona looked at her beloved only son in that sorry state. She was beyond aggrieved. ¡°Just wait, your stepfather and I are thinking of a way...¡±

    ¡°Hurry up! This is no ce for people to live!¡± Seth screamed and was finally taken back to his cell by the detention center police officer.

    ...

    Ramona returned home to see York drinking alone sullenly in the living room. ¡°York, think of a way. It¡¯s really bad for us if they keep taking this to court.¡± Ramona grabbed York¡¯s sleeve as she begged him.

    York pushed her away with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Your son has caused so much trouble from the time he was young! I told you to discipline him, but you never listened! Now he finally got into this big mess! This is murder! You think it¡¯s so easy to deal with?!¡±

    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t the judge agree to help us?¡± Ramona froze, then immediately hugged York¡¯s arm again. ¡°We helped him earn five hundred Euros with one fundraiser. He¡¯s still not satisfied?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Of course he¡¯s going to raise the price at a time like this!¡± York mmed the ss hard down on the bar. ¡°I met him today, but he was being so indecisive and vague. All the money we¡¯ve paid is down the toilet!¡±

    ¡°But, we have to get his help on this...¡± Ramona thought about it for a while and pouted her fat lips. ¡°York, help Seth think of a solution. You¡¯re only helping me...¡±

    York downed his ss of wine, his face growing even gloomier. The situation right now wasn¡¯t a matter of helping his stepson or not. It was a matter of whether or not his pride and authority could be maintained! He didn¡¯t care about Ramona¡¯s useless son at all. Although he had gotten into lots of trouble before, York only had to make the request to resolve everything, and it was no inconvenience for him. This time, it was a disaster.

    Did he regret it? Maybe he did regret not kicking out that useless thing long before. But things had already reached this state, so if he couldn¡¯t protect his stepson, it would also mean he wouldn¡¯t have power in Rou anymore. Those power hungry and vicious men would no longer respect him, and he might not be able to get elected as city councilor again. Also, he would most likely lose his job as Chief of Police. So in the current situation, saving his useless trash of a stepson meant saving his own position. His hands were dirty anyway, so he couldn¡¯t wash his hands of it now. If that was the case, no one could me him for being merciless. York downed the remaining wine and picked up his sunsses and hat. ¡°I¡¯m going out. Try to get to bed early.¡±

    Ramona¡¯s expression rxed because she knew York was thinking of a solution.

    ...

    York went out for a bit but didn¡¯t go to the court detainment center to see Seth. Instead, he called several of his previous subordinates. They were current court officers at the Munich District Court. They met in a bar and enjoyed the best drinks as they raked their eyes over the beautiful single women inside. They talked about how they wreaked havoc in Rou in the past andughed happily. York had a pipe in his mouth andughed, but it didn¡¯t match with the look in his eyes. His gaze was icy. Under the dim lightning inside the bar, the women¡¯s exposed pale breasts and legs glowed like light bulbs and attracted male attention like moths to a me. York discreetly took out several envelopes to pass out to each person. ¡°Our old rules apply, everyone is included.¡± York¡¯s eyes were half-lidded, and he remained motionless. He had one hand draped on the couch armrest, and he rapped it asionally.

    The men felt the envelopes and were excited by the thickness. Germany had a high tax rate, and as civil servants, 60% of their sry was taxed. Under these circumstances, York was even more of a savior to them by giving them cash assistance from time to time. Everyone put the envelopes away and began drinking some more before one of York¡¯s previous subordinates asked him quietly, ¡°Boss, what do you need our help with?¡± One did not get paid without working, and they all understood this well. It wasn¡¯t their first time doing things like this anyway, so no one cared. But the media was watching them closely now, so they couldn¡¯t be as brazen about it.

    York removed the pipe from his mouth andughed. ¡°It¡¯s just a small thing. It won¡¯t be difficult for you guys.¡±

    The men nced at each other, frightened by this ¡°small thing.¡± When had Mr. York ever asked for a small thing? They all looked at York with unease.

    York sighed and smoothed his natural curls that he had slicked back. ¡°My stepson is truly useless, and I am really sad he did such a thing, so I¡¯m hoping you can find some people to beat him viciously in the detention center.¡± He finished speaking and looked meaningfully at the court officers.

    ¡°Oh?! Beat him?! Boss, are you sure? We are pretty good to Seth. No one dares to touch him in the detention center!¡±

    York reached out to stop them from continuing. He said seriously, ¡°Really, have someone beat him hard. It¡¯s best if he ends up in the hospital...¡±

    The court officers understood as soon as he said it. That was too easy... Being beaten in a detention center was amon thing, and they had been protecting Seth all this time, so he hadn¡¯t suffered at all. Now... Although he was going to be beaten, everyone knew he wouldn¡¯t actually get hurt too much. This was easy money! Rubbing their palms, they replied excitedly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss! We¡¯ll be sure to find someone to ¡®beat¡¯ Seth!¡± They emphasized the word ¡°beat¡± and all knew what it meant.

    A few days after, a riot happened in the detention center at the Munich District Court. Several detained suspects suddenly started fighting each other for some unknown reason during break time. The court officers watching them at the time happened to be out for lunch, and the officers taking over the shift hadn¡¯t arrived yet. As a result, the fight started with a verbal argument and ended in a brawl. Even though Seth was a huge man, he was somehow pushed to the ground and beaten so viciously, he passed out. When the wardens found him on the ground, he had already been beaten unconscious by several inmates.

    The court officers blew their whistles, and a group of anti-riot police carrying tasers burst inside to separate the brawling group. On the empty field in the detention center, several suspects that had been beaten unconsciousid on the ground.

    ¡°Call an ambnce!¡± one court officermanded gravely. ¡°These people are seriously injured and must be taken to the hospital!¡± Soon after, ambnces¡¯ sirens were heard outside the court, and several court officers pushed gurneys carrying the unconscious suspects into the ambnce. The ambnce sped down the streets and quickly arrived at the Munich District Hospital.

    The news was quickly picked up by the media monitoring the courts, and they all fought to report it first. The TV stations had extensive coverage on the fact that Seth had been among the people seriously injured from the beating and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Many believed he deserved it, since a scumbag like him should be sexually assaulted in prison by felons.

    Gu Nianzhi also saw the news on the local Munich TV stations. She had lots of free timetely and was teaching herself German, so she watched TV every day to watch the news when she had time. She was able to train her hearing quickly and could understand some basic spoken German now. This time, she saw footage of the Munich District Court and immediately watched intently. She even took out a trantion device topare to see if she understood properly. It went without saying that it was much easier for someone with good memory to learn anothernguage. Gu Nianzhi began tough as soon as she heard the TV report that Seth was hospitalized from being beaten and had sustained serious injuries. She quickly called He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He?¡±

    He Zhichu was reading in his room and raised a brow when he saw Gu Nianzhi calling him. He swiped the phone to ept. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, are you watching TV? I saw that the Munich District Court is on the news...¡± Gu Nianzhi sat cross legged on the couch and held the phone with one hand as she held an iPad with the other to y a game.

    He Zhichu turned on the TV to give it a quick nce before frowning right away. ¡°There was a brawl at the Munich District Court, and Seth was hospitalized for serious injuries?¡± He Zhichu replied coolly, ¡°Looks like we have to go to the hospital tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 618 - Great Responsibility

    <h4>Chapter 618: Great Responsibility</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi nearly put her hands on her hips and burst outughing over the phone. She replied cheerfully, ¡°Great! Scum like him deserve to go through that!¡±

    ¡°...You think he deserved to be beaten?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi lifted a leg on the couch and kicked twice in the air. ¡°If I¡¯d been there, I would have been sure to kick him a few more times!¡±

    He Zhichu chuckled quietly. ¡°It¡¯s good¡ªif he was really beaten.¡±

    ¡°Could it not be real?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile disappeared instantly. ¡°No way. Could they be faking a serious injury to get away from punishment?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll see when we go to the hospital tomorrow,¡± He Zhichu replied coolly. ¡°The media is hounding the hospital entrance now, it won¡¯t be easy for him to get bailed out due to serious injury.¡±

    ¡°Bail due to serious injury?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°This only applies when one is injured to the point of paralysis. Otherwise, it¡¯s impossible...¡±

    ¡°Yeah. So we have to go to the hospital to see tomorrow,¡± He Zhichu replied and hung up.

    Not long after he set down the phone, it began to ring once again. This time, it was a call from back home. He was a bit surprised as he unlocked it to answer, ¡°Auntie Qin?¡± It was actually her calling.

    ¡°Chu, your father wouldn¡¯t let me tell you, but I don¡¯t think I can hide it from you.¡± Auntie Qin¡¯s voice shook as she tried to suppress her sobs. ¡°Your... Your father fell down in the garden yesterday and happened to hit the back of his head on a small faux mountain. He passed out right away and just woke up this afternoon. He¡¯s very weak right now...¡±

    He Zhichu stood up right away, his face ashen. ¡°He hit the back of his head?! Is it serious?¡±

    ¡°...Dr. Qin said that your father has a blood clot at the back of his head, and they are discussing whether to operate or not.¡± Auntie Qin¡¯s voice gradually steadied. ¡°Chu, will youe back home to see what to do?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at his schedule. The next few days all had to do with setting up the new branch. He could leave the hiring process to the fourwyers to distribute among themselves, and all the legal documents requiring signatures had already been signed. They had just filed a civil im for Li Haiqing¡¯s case today, and there were still two weeks before the hearings began, so he ought to have some time to go back.

    He Zhichu sat rigidly on the couch and was speechless for a long time. Although he had never been close to his father, he was still his father, regardless. Now that something had happened to Senior Mr. He, He Zhichu just couldn¡¯t leave him be.

    ¡°Chu? Are you still listening?¡± Auntie Qin couldn¡¯t help nagging him after getting a long silence from the other end. ¡°You¡¯d bettere back... You¡¯ve been the most important person to your father ever since your mother passed away, and although he doesn¡¯t say it, I know what he thinks. No one is more important than you. Can you... forgive your father...?¡±

    He Zhichu still remained silent but tightened his fist hanging on the side.

    ¡°Chu, I suspect... I suspect...¡± Auntie Qin mumbled and didn¡¯t seem to want to say it.

    He Zhichu finally asked her, ¡°What do you suspect?¡±

    ¡°I suspect that your father... Doesn¡¯t want to live anymore. He wanted to follow your mother...¡± Auntie Qin whispered very quietly, as if she was afraid of being overheard. Muffling the phone, she continued, ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time. I¡¯ve noticed that he always refuses to take his medication when he gets sick. I asked him, but he kept saying he forgot. This time, he was just walking around the garden and fell down like that. With so many people apanying him, how could he get so seriously injured from a fall?¡±

    ¡°Could someone be trying to hurt him?¡± He Zhichu calmed down. Walking to the window, he opened the curtains to watch the dark Munich night sky. His eyes were dim and even darker than the sky.

    ¡°Oh? You think that¡¯s possible?¡± Auntie Qin grew anxious over the phone. ¡°Then you¡¯d bettere back right away to investigate. I have no way of managing these things outside the household. There are no other men at home right now. Chu, can youe back first...? I¡¯m worried...¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and rubbed at where his brows were furrowed together. He replied after some contemtion, ¡°I¡¯lle back right away.¡±

    Auntie Qin sighed deeply, her relief apparent. ¡°Chu, it¡¯s great that you cane back. I really can¡¯t hold it together anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± He Zhichuforted Auntie Qin and ended the call. He then checked the flights to see that there happened to be a flight to New York at 1:00 a.m. After booking first-ss tickets, He Zhichu thought about his work at hand and called Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi,e over here. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just put on a face mask and was lying on the bed reading a German dictionary to learn legal provisions. ¡°Oh, is it very important? I¡¯m about to sleep. Can we talk tomorrow?¡± She was feeling sleepy and couldn¡¯t help yawning.

    ¡°No,¡± He Zhichu replied coolly. ¡°Hurry up ande over here. Don¡¯t bezy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a face and crawled up from the bed. After taking off her sleeping robe, she changed into casual clothes and slippers to knock on He Zhichu¡¯s door. He Zhichu opened the door to let her in and calmly nced at the face mask she still had on.

    ¡°You¡¯re sleeping like this?¡± he said, pointing out her earlier lie.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t shy either and giggled. ¡°I can sleep as soon as I take it off. It¡¯s convenient and doesn¡¯t need to be washed off.¡±

    He Zhichu walked to the coffee table to take out the schedule he had been looking at and passed it to her. ¡°This is my schedule for the next two weeks, as well as a progress chart for the case. You take it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened and took the two forms from He Zhichu to read. Peeling off her face mask, she threw it into the garbage and turned to look at He Zhichu. Under the chandelier light, her freshly masked face was fully hydrated, fair, and soft like the finest white-jade tofu. However, it was warm like pure white jade, and her emotional, dark eyes stared at him pointedly.

    ¡°Professor He, what is the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°Something happened to my father. I need to go see him right away.¡±

    He Zhichu glossed over it, but Gu Nianzhi could see that he was clenching his right fist very tightly. This was something serious...

    The smile disappeared from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and she nodded seriously. ¡°Your family is the most important. Professor He doesn¡¯t have to worry about things here. My four colleagues and I will make sure to work hard and not embarrass Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu walked to her side and stared at her fixedly. His gaze was dark and solemn, like a ck hole hidden in a starry night¡ªnot only was it vast and limitless but also bottomless.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to lock eyes with him and instinctively looked away. ¡°Was there anything else Professor He needed?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s throat bobbed as he¡¯d swallowed hard, choking back his words along with it. Stroking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair, he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll be ok. Consult with your colleagues if anything happens. If you can¡¯t decide, then drag it out and wait for me toe back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded solemnly and felt the great responsibility that had just been ced on her shoulders. But people only grew up from increased responsibility. She was now much more reliable, after a month in Germany, than she¡¯d been when she was still in school.

 Chapter 619 - Go Back with Me

    <h4>Chapter 619: Go Back with Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I will get back as soon as possible.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed. I was just thinking of checking on Seth¡¯s injuries at the hospital tomorrow. It looked like he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it.

    Gu Nianzhi held onto He Zhichu¡¯s daily schedule and case progression files. Looking at He Zhichu, his flirtatious eyes were not cold and aloof as usual, but instead they had looks of urgency and guilt.

    Biting her lips, Gu Nianzhi wondered if He Zhichu was worried about his father. What exactly happened? With He Zhichu not saying a word, it¡¯d seem weird if she asked. Therefore, she nodded obediently. ¡°I¡¯ll get Smith to go to the hospital with me to visit Seth. Don¡¯t worry, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not worried. He won¡¯t be able to get any advantage from you.¡± It seemed like He Zhichu was already fine and had some sarcasm in his words, but Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be sure. It sounded like he was praising her, but it also sounded like he was mocking her.

    He Zhichu had always liked being weird when he talked. However, he had been a lot better during this period of time. On the other hand, when he had said that just now, did the sarcasme due to being worried about his father?

    It was okay. Gu Nianzhi was secretly forgiving and decided to let it go. No matter what, parents were priority. Even though Gu Nianzhi could not remember what hers looked like, she understood how others felt about their parents. ¡°...Professor He, you¡¯ll be leaving tonight. Have you bought your ticket?¡± Gu Nianzhi changed the topic and looked around his suite. However, she did not see any packed luggage.

    He Zhichu nodded slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve booked my ticket. My flight departs at one o¡¯clock in the morning.¡± Looking at his watch, he continued, ¡°I have three hours.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of time!¡± Gu Nianzhi was utterly surprised. ¡°You will not be taking your private jet?¡± From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s point of view, it made more sense to go back in your own ne, didn¡¯t it?

    He Zhichu looked down at her, his flirtatious eyes sparkling. ¡°It¡¯ll take too long for them toe. Just waiting for them toe over would take seven to eight hours. I cannot wait that long.¡±

    Nodding, Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°I understand, Professor He. Is your father unwell?¡± Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be in such a rush and not even have time to wait for his private jet.

    ¡°Yes... I heard that he was injured yesterday. He only regained consciousness today.¡± He Zhichu tried his best to control his anxiety. ¡°He might have to undergo an open-skull surgery. My family couldn¡¯t decide, so I have to go back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Professor He. Your father will be fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmed herself down and began tofort He Zhichu. ¡°If something had really happened, your family would have alerted you, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±

    Taken aback, He Zhichu actually felt that what Gu Nianzhi said made sense. However, in the blink of an eye, he frowned again and did not dare to take such a risk. He Zhichu ced his arm on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. He did not apply pressure; he just rested on it lightly. Gu Nianzhi did not feel anything out of the ordinary.

    ¡°Nianzhi, would you be willing to go back with me?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice sounded clear but cold, but that was only a fa?ade. It was just like a volcano that was covered by thick snow, looking cold on the outside, but he was burning, almost exploding, on the inside.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect that He Zhichu would invite her to his ce. Scratching her head, she wanted to reject him politely. Thus, sheughed awkwardly. ¡°Professor He, it wouldn¡¯t be nice now, would it? Your family should all be worried. Why would I go and mess things up even more? Moreover, my case hasn¡¯t ended here. I am not going anywhere.¡±

    Retracting his arm, He Zhichu returned the smile awkwardly as well. He had not expected Gu Nianzhi to go back with him, anyway. He just couldn¡¯t help himself. Even if she were to agree, he wouldn¡¯t bring her back now. It wasn¡¯t time yet.

    Due to the sudden awkward question, He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi fell into silence. Gu Nianzhi felt the tension in the air. Coughing lightly, she cleared her throat. He Zhichu changed the topic swiftly. ¡°Yes. School term¡¯s about to begin again. I¡¯ll inform the school that you¡¯re on an internship.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi cared about this case a lot. Moreover, she was already a postgraduate. Allowing her to fight for cases outside of school would be amazing practice¡ªway better than doing misceneous work in aw firm.

    ¡°Thank you, Professor He!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled. She was overjoyed. She had been fretting over this. She did not want to go back to school yet, as she really wanted to finish fighting this case for Li Haiqing¡¯s parents. In order to feel appeased, she wanted to see Seth put behind bars.

    Patting her shoulders, He Zhichu said, ¡°Go back and rest. You¡¯ll have to liaise with the colleagues henceforth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bowed to He Zhichu deeply. ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best to win these two cases.¡±

    ¡°I trust you. Now, go back to bed.¡± He Zhichu turned and was about to return to his bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi called out softly, ¡°Professor He, let me take you to the airport.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He Zhichu replied without turning around. ¡°I need to speak to the four of them. Go back to your room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi acknowledged him and brought both forms back to her room.

    He Zhichu called the four assistants and informed them of his family emergency. He briefed them to liaise with Gu Nianzhi and bring the case through. If they were unable to do so, then they were to dy the case to the best of their abilities and wait for him toe back.

    He Zhichu estimated that he would be home for a fortnight at most. If it could be done quickly, he could be back in a week. He would definitely be able toe back before the case entered the hearing phase, therefore, he did not say much.

    The assistants did not mind much. They were capablewyers in America. They only agreed to be He Zhichu¡¯s assistants because he was way better than they were. Otherwise, if they were required to go to court, they were more than capable to win cases, too.

    ...

    Upon returning to her room, Gu Nianzhi changed into her pajamas and crawled back into bed. She opened the book of German Law and continued reading until she couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open anymore before turning out the light.

    She looked out of the window before falling asleep. She did not close her curtains, so she could see the night sky directly from her room. The stars sparkled in the clear night sky, with an asional red blinking dot appearing. Those were the flights taking off at night. Gu Nianzhi squinted. Was that Professor He¡¯s flight? Just when He Zhichu was worried about his family, Gu Nianzhi felt her eyelids bing even heavier. She fell asleep, just like that.

    In the Munich District Hospital, Ramona was standing by outside the operating room, crying her heart out. Her badly beaten up son was in critical condition on the operating table now. A couple of police officers stood by the door, emotionless.

    This was the protocol for a highly dangerous criminal. Even though Seth¡¯s case hadn¡¯t been finalized, the negative impact led to the government standing guard wherever he might be.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi woke up the next day and realized that it was already past nine o¡¯clock in the morning. He Zhichu had been waking her up at seven o¡¯clock in the morning during this period of time, and they would go for breakfast together. She had gotten used to that. Now that no one was there to wake her up, she had overslept.

    Thankfully, she did not have to attend court that day. Gu Nianzhi sat up in bed. Habits are scary things, really...

    After washing up, she went to the restaurant in the main lobby for breakfast. She called Smith along the way and asked him for a convenient time to visit Seth in the hospital. He Zhichu had already briefed Smith on this yesterday. Smith¡¯szy voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Have you had breakfast already, Gu? We can leave now if you have.¡±

    He had been up way earlier. He had been busy with the case and the setting up of the branch, so he was even busier than the others. Therefore, he had gotten used to turning inte and getting up early.

    Gu Nianzhi replied hastily, ¡°I just finished my breakfast. Shall we leave now?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Where are you?¡± Smith picked up his bag. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital before going to the branch office. What about you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a while, stirring her coffee absentmindedly. ¡°Hospital first, thene back and arrange the court records.¡±

    Smith nodded in approval. This student is really hardworking and smart. No wonder Professor He takes such great care of her. Smith had already arrived at the restaurant at the hotel lobby during the call. He saw Gu Nianzhi standing up from the table. She wore a navy blue silk dress today. It had three quarter sleeves and showed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate wrists. She had a watch on her left wrist.

    Smith came from a family with heritage in America known as ¡°old money,¡± which meant that he had seen his fair share of things. After taking a nce at the watch, he was immediately attracted to it. It had a sleek design, but the details were intricate and luxurious. One look, and he knew that it was a custom made model that one could not get, even if they were rich.

    He only realized that it was from Bvlgari, the king of mechanical watches, after she walked closer to him. He was taken aback. When did Bvlgari release custom watches? Then, he looked at Gu Nianzhi again, and the way he looked at her changed. From how he used to joke around with her mindlessly in the past, there was a careful sense of friendliness now. It felt totally different.

    Gu Nianzhi was not dim. The moment Smith walked over and had a nce at her watch, his attitude towards her changed. She knew exactly what was going on but did not say anything and pretended to not notice. Carrying her Chanel Le Boy handbag and wearing a huge hat withting to shield her face from the sun, Gu Nianzhi had a smile on her face as she walked alongside Smith.

    They talked in hushed voices, but Smith became even more respectful towards her. He maintained his gentlemanliness and did his best not to go overboard with his jokes as they exited the hotel. Then, he called their chauffeur, and they headed directly to the Munich District Hospital.

    This hospital was situated in an old castle. The small windows in the sharp tower were covered with whitecy curtains. Every single window had a small area for potted nts that contained red and purple morning glories. The nts crawled all over the tower¡¯s walls.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and looked at the hospital that looked just like a castle. Smiling, she asked, ¡°How many years has this hospital been here? The colors look creepy.¡± The bottom of the walls had moss growing on them. Even the stairs were in their original state, built with stone.

    Smith searched for the hospital on his phone. ¡°This castle has a history of over 200 years. However, it has only been a hospital for a few decades. They had a revamp just over a decade ago, so the interior should beparable to a normal hospital¡¯s.¡±

 Chapter 620 - Scum with Double Standards

    <h4>Chapter 620: Scum with Double Standards</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi looked up all the myriad of tiny windows. They were all in rows like a prison. Nodding her head, she followed Smith into the hospital. After disying their identification at the information desk by the entrance, they asked for Seth¡¯s room number.

    ¡°Seth is in Room 147 on the third floor.¡± A fat nurse handed the visitor pass to Smith.

    Being a rare blonde-haired, blue-eyed, handsome man, Smith winked at the nurse, and she looked like she was about to pass out before happily pointing to the elevator. Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile and followed Smith to the stairs. It was on the third floor, so they didn¡¯t need to take the elevator. They had just walked up the third-floor hallway when they ran into Seth¡¯s parents, York and Ramona.

    Smith and Gu Nianzhi stopped, and Ramona lost her temper as soon as she saw them. ¡°What are you doing here?! My son was nearly beaten to death! Are you happy now?! Satisfied?!¡±

    These foreigners sure have unreasonable double standards...

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly chiding her as she stood aside quietly to allow Smith to handle the situation. Smith was also a very humorous person who hated nothing more than scum like Seth. He shrugged dramatically and spread his palms. ¡°He didn¡¯t die? What a shame...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted, her shoulders shaking. Quickly averting her eyes, she avoided looking at Ramona¡¯s angry, frog-like face because she didn¡¯t want to embarrass herself byughing maniacally. Perhaps Smith¡¯s blonde hair and blue eyes intimidated Ramona and York from saying anything, but upon seeing Gu Nianzhi holding back herughter in the back, the couple couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°Why are youughing?! You still dare tough?! If anything happens to my son... I¡¯ll...¡± Ramona red furiously at Gu Nianzhi, her massive body practically four times the size of hers. She walked over menacingly and couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth with the back of her hand to clear her throat and stop theughter. Looking at the imposing Ramona, her expression was cold, and her clear voice was reminiscent of He Zhichu¡¯s.

    ¡°What are you going to do? Are you threatening awyer? Finee at me.¡± Gu Nianzhi lifted her hand and waved her ever-present phone at Ramona. ¡°See this? I¡¯ve started recording, so every word you say will be used in court as evidence to prove you threatened thewyers. If anything happens to me, you¡¯ll be the first suspect.¡±

    Ramona shook angrily, and her normally ruddy face turned purple, as if all her blood was surging to her head. ¡°You... You...!¡± She reached out to point to at Gu Nianzhi with shaking arms but was frightened by her phone and didn¡¯t dare to say another word.

    Not far from behind them, several police officers heard themotion and were looking in their direction. York furrowed his brows and grabbed Ramona¡¯s arm to drag her away.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned over to nce at the couple through the veil of her sunhat. York happened to turn back at the moment, his lethal nce locking onto Gu Nianzhi like a poisonous snake. Gu Nianzhi squinted and snorted quietly before turning back and heading to the ward with Smith.

    When they arrived at Seth¡¯s room, Smith disyed his identification and the visitor¡¯s pass from the nurse. He spoke elegantly in German. ¡°We are the intiff¡¯swyers, and because the defendant was hospitalized after being beaten, this is a serious matter we must verify.¡± This was legally permitted.

    The two police officers guarding the room had no positive impression of Seth, so they opened the door without resistance to allow Smith and Gu Nianzhi inside. Gu Nianzhi followed Smith inside Seth¡¯s room. Although the hospital was inside a castle, the wards were built no differently than in other hospitals. White beds, sterile equipment, ssic couches, and chairs¡ªit was a highly equipped room. Unfortunately, the patient lying in it was a filthy person inside and out.

    Smith stood before Seth¡¯s sickbed to assess his condition. Seth had his eyes closed, and both hands were cuffed to the bed. His face was swollen and bruised, with bandages around his forehead. One leg was even in a splint.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over slowly to regard Seth¡¯s wrapped-up leg, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his leg?¡±

    The nurseing over to change his dressings replied in broken English, ¡°...Fracture.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted nothing more than to open the splint to see for herself, but she resisted the urge to make the ridiculous request due to the nurse¡¯s vignt expression. Instead, Gu Nianzhi just clenched her fist and viciously pounded down on Seth¡¯s leg hanging from the ceiling.

    ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± Seth screamed horribly, opening his eyes and starting to curse furiously. His eyes were bloodshot, and days without shaving had left his face hairy, like a frightening wild human. Smith quickly shielded Gu Nianzhi behind him.

    The nurse walked over to check the splint on Seth¡¯s leg to ensure that it was still fine before telling Gu Nianzhi rigidly, ¡°The patient needs rest. Please leave the room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was worried that Seth was feigning injury to avoid legal punishment, so she deliberately tested the authenticity of his leg injury. She had hit him randomly, and he¡¯d shrieked as if he was being mauled, so it was probably real. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe that someone like Seth¡ªwith the brain power of a single-celled paramecium¡ªwould be capable of faking it so realistically.

    Although she had confirmed Seth¡¯s injury, she was displeased to have been scolded like that by the nurse. To Gu Nianzhi, sociopathic scum like Seth had no human rights; she didn¡¯t want to treat him like a human, because he didn¡¯t see others as human. The pain he¡¯d inflicted on Li Haiqing when he¡¯d murdered her was 1,000 times worse than Gu Nianzhi striking his leg just now!

    As expected, Seth was all too happy to torture and murder others, while prodding him slightly would make him cry like a baby. Scum with such double standards deserved to die.

    Gu Nianzhi became stubborn and replied coldly to the nurse, ¡°We must question the doctor. Please have the attending physiciane here.¡±

    The nurse had been very protective of Seth and was insistent about it, but Gu Nianzhi was even more stubborn than her. In the end, the nurse had no choice but to give in. Retreating a few steps, she stuttered, ¡°The¡ªthe doctor?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi removed her visor now and twirled it in her hand. ¡°Have the doctore here. Hurry up.¡± Her voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it carried a tone of authority.

    The nurse slumped her shoulders and dashed out of the room. Soon afterward, a doctor wearing a stethoscope rushed in.

    Smith put his hands in his trouser pockets, also displeased by the nurse¡¯s earlier attitude. Now that the doctor had arrived, he didn¡¯t wait for Gu Nianzhi. He said coldly, ¡°We are the intiff¡¯swyers. ording to thew, we must question you. Please answer carefully.¡±

 Chapter 621 - Iâ€™ll Wait Until You Arrive

    <h4>Chapter 621: I¡¯ll Wait Until You Arrive</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The doctor in the white coat nodded coldly. ¡°That¡¯s part of my job, go ahead.¡±

    Smith nced at Gu Nianzhi. She took out a list of questions prepared from earlier and asked the doctor each one. ¡°Who is the patient in here?¡±

    ¡°Seth, he was brought in from the Munich District Courtst night.¡±

    ¡°What illness does he have?¡±

    ¡°He was injured during a fight, second degree concussion, swollen and bruised eyes, damaged vision in the left eye resulting in near blindness, fracture of his left fib, variouscerations on his arms.¡± The doctor spoke in German, and the month of studying Gu Nianzhi had done finally paid off. However, she didn¡¯t understand many of the medical terms and only got the gist with Smith¡¯s trantion.

    ¡°What a pity.¡± Why didn¡¯t they just beat him to death? Gu Nianzhi and Smith shared the same thought.

    The doctor was speechless. After questioning him, Gu Nianzhi passed the list of questions to the doctor. ¡°Please read it and sign at the bottom if there are no errors or omissions.¡±

    The doctor appeared shocked and nced up at her like he had never signed such a document before. Smith often dealt with these situations in the US, so he pointed to the signature line. ¡°Here. Sign it, and we¡¯ll go.¡±

    The doctor gave Smith another suspicious look before carefully reading the question list from Gu Nianzhi in its entirety and finally signing his name at the bottom. He passed it back to Gu Nianzhi and nced at her before walking to Seth¡¯s bed and bending down to check his injuries. Seth was still wailing horribly, his voice hoarse and grating.

    Gu Nianzhi put away the document and didn¡¯t want to stay a moment longer. She gave Smith a look. ¡°Smith, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Smith nodded and didn¡¯t say anything to the doctor before walking out of Seth¡¯s room with Gu Nianzhi. They got into the business car and Gu Nianzhi finally asked Smith, ¡°What do you think about Seth¡¯s injuries?¡±

    Smith smiled casually. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if they are real or not, there¡¯s no way he can get bail with us watching.¡± The doctor had signed the list of questions, so he faced possible legal punishment if he was lying. Gu Nianzhi was reassured and crossed her arms as she rested her eyes in the car. It was the first time she felt a bit lonely. Thinking back carefully, although her known memories began from the age of 12, she had had either Huo Shao or Professor He at her side these past seven years. Both of these men made her feel safe, but of course she trusted Huo Shao more and felt more assured with him. She could tell He Zhichu still had reservations about her.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned when she realized what she was thinking about. Her emotions were all over the ce when she thought about how He Zhichu had already left Germany, and while Huo Shao was still there, she had no idea where to find him. If he was still in Germany, he must know she had also arrived. Li Haiqing¡¯s case had shaken the entire country, and the intiff¡¯swyers specially hired from the United States were getting full coverage. Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t appear on the video, anyone who knew her could recognize her as the voice of the femalewyer. She believed that Huo Shao must know she hade to Germany, but he probably hadn¡¯t reached out to her all this time, because his mission was especially ssified...

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi and Smith left Seth¡¯s room, the doctor came over to remove the splint from Seth¡¯s left leg so he could check it. A long, swollen scar puffed up over it and looked frightening. Smith stopped wailing and red at the doctor as he rasped, ¡°It hurts like hell. Can you give me some painkillers?!¡±

    ¡°Painkillers?¡± The doctor turned around to roll his eyes at him. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t cut your leg open with a de, you would have been exposed today. Those Americanwyers are very keen. Do you know what the consequences are if they find out your injuries actually aren¡¯t that serious?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the consequences!¡± Seth gritted his teeth and mmed the bed. ¡°I want to tear that woman apart! I hate her guts!¡±

    ¡°Stay here and be good. It wasn¡¯t easy for your parents to get you out of the detention center, so listen to their instructions and stop causing trouble.¡± The doctor called the nurse to change Seth¡¯s dressing and also administered drugs to knock him out so he could sleep for a while. Although Seth¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t as serious as what was on the chart, he was truly hurt because the beating was real. To make it even more realistic, they pulled out all the stops and actually beat him up. Of course, they avoided critical areas when beating him and hit where he was tough and muscr. Seth¡¯s face was bruised and swollen, so no one would suspect anything.

    ...

    After they left the hospital, Smith first escorted Gu Nianzhi back to the Hilton Hotel before taking the car for a meeting at thew firm¡¯s new branch. The other threewyers were already waiting for him there. Gu Nianzhi was alone in the hotel room as she arranged court records from the past few days to check for errors or omissions. She also researched information and wrote her defense for the civil suit. She busied herself untilte at night and only looked at her watch when she got hungry. It was already 10pm. She wanted to send Ma Qiqi a message or call her so they could have a chat. But at that time, it was around 5am in the Hua Xia Empire, so Ma Qiqi must have still been sleeping. She couldn¡¯t call. However, Gu Nianzhi suddenly got excited and opened the instant messaging app on her phone to send Ma Qiqi a message.

    Always Thinking of You: Qiqi, are you still sleeping? I miss you, do you miss me? She sent it and knew Ma Qiqi wouldn¡¯t see it for some time, so she put her phone away.

    Ma Qiqi replied the next day. I Love Meng Qiqi: Nianzhi, are you there?

    Always Thinking of You: Yeah. What¡¯s up Qiqi?

    I Love Meng Qiqi: Nianzhi, when are youing back? School started, and everyone was talking about you during the first ss meeting!

    Always Thinking of You: Talking about me? There¡¯s nothing much to talk about. The case is being pushed back, and the results aren¡¯t being announced. The civil proceedings are on schedule for trial. sigh It¡¯s so tough.

    Always Thinking of You: Oh? How could that be? These Germans! They¡¯re so two faced! They really were two faced, what a bunch of hypocrites! They began cursing the Germans for being hypocrites since they espoused believing in human rights for all but couldn¡¯t even deal justice in the case of a murdered foreigner. What bullsh*t!

    Gu Nianzhi felt much better after cursing with Ma Qiqi to her heart¡¯s content. In the following few days, Gu Nianzhi was going through the court records in her hotel room. She kept rereading the information provided by the police and even pretended to be the defensewyer to think of ways to defend it. Then she switched and was the intiff¡¯swyer, attacking the debate points she discovered. Every time she read it, she could glean new information and make new discoveries.

    Under the work environment that nearly split her personality, she forgot about the passage of time. Her days were productive and busy. Gu Nianzhi really enjoyed this lifestyle, and the only thing she missed was having Huo Shaoheng by her side. Her longing for him grew day by day, but she had no one to tell. Every time someone called, her heart would hammer madly, but it was never him when she answered.

    It was another night when Gu Nianzhi had already gotten in bed. She fell into a groggy sleep and heard her phone chime. Instinctively grabbing her phone, she unlocked it to see it was a message from Ma Qiqi.

    I Love Meng Qiqi: Nianzhi, when are youing back?

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and held the phone as sheid in bed to reply to the message. Always Thinking of You: I¡¯ll be back once the case is over, at least once the results of the first trial are announced.

    I Love Meng Qiqi: These Germans are so annoying, as if they can solve anything by dying? What a bunch of ostriches. They think people can¡¯t see their ugly butts by burying their heads in the sand!

    Always Thinking of You: Hahahahaha... Qiqi, you¡¯re so funny!

    They chatted for a while until Ma Qiqi went to ss. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sleepy anymore and was thinking about getting up to read for a bit when she received another text. She had never seen the sender¡¯s number before, and the message was a very simple sentence: Did you get the scarves?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Hands shaking uncontrobly, her fingers were so clumsy she mistyped several times. After trying many times, she typed one sentence: Who are you?

    The sender was silent for a while, then replied, ?? Who do you think? They then reminded her, Don¡¯t tell anyone, you understand what I mean.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded furiously and suddenly felt tears in her eyes. An indescribable feeling welled up in her chest, and she pressed her phone against it. Closing her eyes, it was almost like Huo Shaoheng was there with her. She tried to call the number, but discovered it was a fake one. Just as she was feeling confused, she got another text. I can¡¯t speak on the phone right now, don¡¯t call.

    That meant he had seen her call just now. Gu Niaznhi didn¡¯t stop nodding, and although the other side couldn¡¯t see her, she apologized sincerely and sent a text back. Ok, be safe.

    The other side was silent for some time before replying, I miss you.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears almost fell, but she quickly leaned her head back to hold them back. If he wasn¡¯t by her side, who would see her tears? Because of that, it was better she got used to not crying. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her finger on her phone for a long time before replying, Me too...

    The other person waited for a while, then replied, I want to see you. Are you free tomorrow?

    Yes, yes, yes! Gu Nianzhi frantically replied, her fingers so clumsy she mistyped and deleted it several times before being able to write a simple message. Not only was she totally free tomorrow, but she would still say the same thing, even if she was actually busy! She remembered checking the weather report. It was supposed to rain tomorrow, but so what? She¡¯d still make it there, even if it rained knives and bullets! No one could stop her from seeing the person she loved!

    The other side paused before sending a hug emoji. Ok,e to the K?nigssee in the Alps at 10am tomorrow. I¡¯ll wait for you.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to reply, I¡¯ll wait for you until you arrive! She received no reply but was so excited she couldn¡¯t fall asleep again.

 Chapter 622 - Convenienceâ€™s Sake

    <h4>Chapter 622: Convenience¡¯s Sake</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her iPad and began searching for information about the K?nigssee, a two-hour drive from Munich. A stunningly beautiful photo appeared on the iPad. Theke had originally been a narrow waterway that sliced through the tall Alps and had been left behind by cial erosion during the Ice Age. Theke waspletely transparent and faintly tinged blue, like a green dash on the finest jade bracelet, swirling amongst the mountain peaks like a jade ribbon.

    The autumn morning was covered with a fine mist, and a short distance away was the snow-capped summit of the Alps, and along with the yellow and red leaves of the mountain forests, it was as exquisite as an oil painting. The K?nigssee seemed like something out of a fairytale.

    Propping her chin up with both hands, Gu Nianzhiy on the bed and stared at the exquisite photo. She couldn¡¯t help blushing. Tomorrow, she would see Huo Shao... She had bought another Zippo lighter for him, so she could take it with her.

    ...

    On the same dark night, the Munich Regional Hospital sat in darkness. The moonlight was very beautiful, cloaking the earth with a light veil. Unwilling to be outshone, the sparkling stars decorated the entire night sky. Few people were walking about the hospital, and the cobblestone paths from the 18th century glowed with specks of blue under the moonlight.

    People were often the drowsiest at midnight, and the two policemen sitting on the bench in front of Seth¡¯s room were slumped over in sleep. Their asional snores punctuated the loneliness of night in the hospital.

    Amidst the serene night, a bird suddenly cried several times¡ªthe sound was jarring. Seth, who should¡¯ve been in a deep sleep, opened his eyes and looked around. There were no other people in the room except for himself. The window was half open and covered with a white veil of a curtain. A breeze from outside traveled into the room, carrying the night¡¯s humidity, and the white curtain began to billow like waves. The weather report had predicted heavy rain the next day.

    Soon after, the bird cried out from the window again, this time five times. Seth¡¯s two hands had been cuffed to the bed, but there was a length of chain connected to the bedpost on each cuff to allow him to raise his arms slightly without him being able to move too far from the bedpost. Flipping over, he nudged the pillow with his head. In the moonlight from outside the window, he could see a key lying underneath the pillow.

    Seth shifted his head closer until he could pick up the key with his mouth, then turned over to sit up and bend over. With the key in his mouth, he poked it several times into the lock on the handcuffs before he could fit it in. Turning the key slightly with his teeth, the right cuff finally opened!

    Seth red at the offending handcuff and violently shoved it onto the ground. He then picked up the key with his right hand to unlock the left cuff. Now that his arms were freed, he stretched his arms, which had been cuffed for several days, and was able to sit up and remove his leg from the splint. His leg was not fractured but shed several times with a knife. Although it had hurt like hell when it¡¯d happened¡ªand he loathed the doctor who had proposed the idea¡ªhe¡¯d stopped cursing when the intiff¡¯swyer had visited and had actually confirmed his injuries.

    He had to remove the splint, then change into the sneakers he had prepared in the early morning. Opening the curtains, he jumped outside the window. Seth¡¯s room was on the third floor, which wasn¡¯t a long distance from the ground. There was a zig-zag shaped stairway outside his window that led directly to connect to the first floor¡ªthis had originally been a fire escape route that the hospital had added ording to regtions. His stepfather York had purposely nned for him to stay there for convenience¡¯s sake.

    Seeing that the first trial could no longer be dyed, and because the trial had been live-streamed, it was possible that he wouldn¡¯t be acquitted as previously agreed upon, meaning he would end up in jail for sure. But Seth didn¡¯t want to go to jail at all, and his stepfather York also didn¡¯t want to see his authority challenged, so he had made a move. Although Seth would be a fugitive, it was still better than spending the rest of his life in jail. Also, if he left Germany and the case dragged on indefinitely, maybe he wouldn¡¯t end up a fugitive...

    Holding the iron handrail, Seth walked down the zigzag stairs step by step, his pace hurried. When he finally came down thest step to the first floor, he saw a duffel bag ced by the corner of the stairs. This was for him, and he knew that because his mother had secretly told him everything when she¡¯d visited a few days ago. Seth opened it to see a change of clothes and car keys, as well as a passport under a different name, a wallet full of cash, and several new bank cards that weren¡¯t under his name or his parents or rtives. That way, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being tracked when taking money out. With his passport, he could freely go to any EU country without worrying about a visa.

    Seth quickly removed his hospital gown and changed into the clothes in the bag, then carried the bag and the car keys as he strode out. A few nurses were on the night shift in the hospital lobby, and it was brightly lit with security lights at the door. Seth turned the corner and looked back to smirk at the castle-like hospital. He walked out without looking back.

    Not far from the hospital was a ck SUV that nearly melded into the dark night. Seth knew this car had been prepared for him. Taking out the car key from the duffel bag, he only had to press it to unlock the doors remotely.

    Just as he was about to walk over, he suddenly saw several people cloaked in ck walking out from behind the trees nking the road. They stood by the SUV. All of them wore sunsses. With their strong and strapping bodies, it was obvious that they weren¡¯t nice people. Them simply standing there was enough to send chills down Seth¡¯s spine.

    Seth¡¯s heart dropped. He retreated a few steps and was about to run the other way. But as he turned, several more people in the same ck outfits and sunsses walked out from behind him. The group of people in ck came from in front and behind to surround and trap him in the middle. Seth¡¯s leg shook uncontrobly, and he nearly knelt on the ground. Looking at the people in ck, he asked, ¡°Who...? Who are you people?¡±

    The ck-clothed figures regarded him silently, still as statues. No one replied or moved. Seth¡¯s legs were paralyzed with fear, and he fell to the ground.

    Suddenly, two loud ps sounded from behind the ck-cloaked figures. Several of them moved aside to clear a path. With widened eyes, Seth saw a voluptuous womaning over with long, straight hair and a round face. She wore Prada baroque sses. Someone followed him¡ªSeth¡¯s stepfather, York.

    Thank God! York crossed himself and felt the strength return to his legs. He stumbled up.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    York nodded at him but didn¡¯t say anything as he stood solemnly to the side. The lenses of the Prada baroque sses were sorge and round that they covered half of the woman¡¯s face. In the dark night, Seth couldn¡¯t see what she looked like at all.

 Chapter 623 - Appearing Again

    <h4>Chapter 623: Appearing Again</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Thedy wearing a pair of Prada minimal baroque eyewear looked at him for a while before raising her hands and pping softly in the air. With that, the men in ck standing around her moved to stand at a further distance away. They turned around and faced the other direction.

    Seth was confused. He did not know what thedy wanted. Looking to his stepfather for assurance, he was shocked to realize that his stepfather, who could basically do anything he wanted in Rou, was extremely respectful towards her.

    Who on earth is thisdy? Seth was thinking about it when thedy spoke. Her voice was deep, and her German was not exactly urate. However, her use of thenguage was correct. It seemed like she put in quite a bit of effort to learn thenguage. ¡°You¡¯re Seth?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Seth nodded and looked at his stepfather again. However, his stepfather still had his head bowed and stood beside the woman respectfully, like a subordinate.

    ¡°I heard that you got yed around by that femalewyer from the Hua Xia Empire,¡± the woman said, smiling.

    Seth finally managed to get a clearer look. Even though the shades covered more than half of her face, thisdy was of Asian descent! Just like the girl whom he raped and that femalewyer from the Hua Xia Empire, thisdy was of the same race as they were. Seth began to be cautious, as he did not know what she wanted.

    ¡°You want revenge?¡± thedy asked without waiting for Seth to speak.

    Seth raised his head sharply and stared at thedy. ¡°You mean it?¡±

    Seth¡¯s stepfather nodded along, his voice filled with gloom, ¡°Of course thedy¡¯s words are real. Seth, you cannot let thatwyer go.¡±

    Seth snorted and said vengefully, ¡°If shends in my hands, I¡¯ll show her who¡¯s boss! But...¡± He changed his mind and continued, ¡°The issue of my escape and revenge... Thanks, Dad, for worrying for me. I will not let that b*tch get away with this!¡± His swung his fists around, and his voice drifted into the distance.

    The woman coughed slightly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Her voice was muffled as she said, ¡°Tomorrow at ten o¡¯clock in the morning, thatwyer will be waiting for someone alone at the K?nigssee. We will capture her, and she¡¯ll be all yours.¡± With that, thedy opened her hand and revealed something small and white in her palm.

    ¡°What¡¯s this? Drugs?¡± You could see the lust in Seth¡¯s eyes. He was already thinking about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s amazing figure and couldn¡¯t help but to gulp a little. It was normal for gangs to use drugs to control women.

    ¡°Drugs? Ha, this is way better.¡± Thedy closed her hand. ¡°This is H3aB7. Remember this. Someone will bring this and meet you tomorrow.¡± The woman left after she finished talking, leaving York there.

    Seth looked at the woman as she was leaving and turned to look at his stepfather. ¡°Dad, is this for real?¡±

    York nodded seriously. ¡°Seth, go to the K?nigssee tomorrow morning and take thatwyer away. I will not let anyone who goes against us get away with it!¡±

    Seth breathed a sigh of relief after hearing what his stepfather said. He was still skeptical about what thedy had told him just now. It was the first time he had met her, and she wanted him to get rid of thewyer? Wasn¡¯t she a little too trusting? ¡°Why do they want us to get rid of thewyer?¡± Seth asked suspiciously. ¡°Did they get sued by her as well?¡±

    York looked at Seth meaningfully. ¡°Their grudge with her goes way deeper than ours. They just need someone to kill her, and we happen to want to get rid of her as well. They¡¯ve promised me that as long as you¡¯re able to kill her, they¡¯ll take you to America to get your looks and identity changed so that you can have a brand new life and a legal identity there.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Seth was overjoyed. He had intended to escape to North Africa, as he knew that that country was extremely poor and undeveloped. Only their major cities had decent living conditions. Of course, it was way behind America.

    ¡°They¡¯re able to do almost anything they want. Their influence isn¡¯t something we can imagine. They were the ones who helped you escape this time around as well.¡± York had obviously been paid off by thedy. ¡°Even if they were just boasting, the amount of money they¡¯ve paid is real.¡±

    ¡°Money?¡± Seth looked at York suspiciously. ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°A hundred million US dors to get rid of thatwyer and give you a new identity, on top of bringing you to America.¡± York looked at Seth calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve already deposited five million euros onto this card.¡±

    Seth was over the moon the moment he heard that he could have five million euros to splurge. No matter if the new identity could work, the cash had already been paid up. Moreover, he hated Gu Nianzhi to the bones as well, so the suggestion was totally beneficial to both parties.

    He initially suspected the other party was thinking this up as a trap for him to fall into, but realized if that really was the case, then why did she help him escape from prison? Wouldn¡¯t she be doing unnecessary things, then? Therefore, he believed that she wanted to use him to kill the femalewyer.

    Since his life had been ruined by two girls from the Hua Xia Empire, he was willing to be the one to get rid of Gu Nianzhi. Anyway, they had paid them a handsome amount. How could this not be a deal that benefitted both sides? Seth nodded confidently. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll love the hell out of her tomorrow!¡±

    Nothing but the smooth, milky skin and supple breasts of Gu Nianzhi appeared in his mind. Seth licked his lips that were going dry and chuckled evilly. After he was done assigning the task, York left the ce as well.

    Seth got into the SUV that he had parked along the road. He was by himself. The car¡¯s gas tank was filled to the brim, and there was sufficient food and drink for him to drive down south to Italy. He had intended to flee to North Africa from Italy to hide for a while, but since thedy had promised him that she could get him to America if he could get rid of thewyer, he wouldn¡¯t have to go to Italy anymore. He was off to anywhere but Germany for now. With an evil expression on his face, Seth started the car and drove into the darkness.

    After he got on the expressway towards Italy, Seth felt slightly more relieved. He was dying after being locked up for two months. If he was sentenced to a lifetime in jail, he¡¯d rather die.

    There weren¡¯t many cars at midnight on the expressway¡ªhis was the only one. There were asional 18-ton trucks as well. After driving for a while, Seth felt bored and turned on the radio for some music. Suddenly, he saw an SUV driving up behind him. Then, the SUV sped up and drove in the leftne beside Seth¡¯s car. After that, he began closing in on Seth.

    Seth was fuming¡ªthis guy was forcing him to stop! He stepped on the elerator and wanted to speed ahead. However, when he sped up, the car beside him followed suit! He was about to tailgate the car in front of him. Taken aback, he stepped on his breaks. The wheels on his car screeched, and his SUV finally began to slow down.

    The car on his left began slowing down as well. Seth was furious, but he did not dare to speed up again, driving towards the K?nigssee for the next two hours ording to the traffic rules.

    The K?nigssee was located in Berchtesgaden, on the border between Germany and Austria. It was the most beautifulke near the Alps. Seth had been there countless times, but he felt that it was the most exciting this time around.

    After he arrived at a town near the K?nigssee, he had no intention of staying at a hotel. He stopped his car in a shaded area near theke and got out of his seat angrily. The SUV that had been following him stopped as well, right behind him, like it had no intention of hiding.

    Seth walked over to the car and knocked on the car¡¯s window. ¡°Dude, you did that on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    The window of the car came down slowly. A man in shades looked back at Seth. He opened his palm and revealed a white hypodermic. ¡°You know what this is, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m here to help you. Would you have been able to escape from the hospital if it wasn¡¯t for us?¡±

    Seth understood. This was the man sent to help him, ording to thedy. He looked into the car and saw that there was someone else as well. However, her head was lowered. She was sleeping soundly.

    ¡°You¡¯re worried that I am unable to handle her on my own?¡± Seth snorted loudly. ¡°I can strangle that girl with just an arm.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not worried, but we just need to keep a lookout.¡± The man did not get out of his car, but he took out a cigarette and lit it. ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s an important mission. The girl is cunning as hell. If she brings someone along, I can help you in the dark.¡± They hade in a pair. Partly, they were there to spy on Seth, but they were also there to prevent Gu Nianzhi escaping.

    Seth was shocked. ¡°I thought you guys said that she was going toe alone?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, she should be, but what if she doesn¡¯t?¡± This man was extremely careful. ¡°We don¡¯t want to take any risks.¡± They only wanted to see her die using the most cruel and embarrassing method. Those were their boss¡¯s instructions. They did not know what feuds their boss, who was a small-sizeddy, had with thewyer, or why she wanted her dead with such cruelty...

    This man flicked his cigarette and fell silent.

    Seth contemted for a while and nodded. ¡°I shall go back for a nap. Wake me up when it¡¯s time.¡±

    The man knew that Seth was a simple minded guy who only used brute force. Therefore, he acknowledged half-heartedly and got lost in his thoughts while looking at the beautifulke in front of him.

    Time passed quickly. Before long, the sun rose, its rays shining through the clouds, reflected beautifully on the surface of the K?gnissee. However, almost immediately, some dark clouds floated over and blocked the sunlight.

    The couple in the SUV behind Seth did not sleep. They were staring nkly at the willow tree in front of their car. This was the ce where thewyer would arriveter on.

    Seth had only cared about escaping the entire night. He was too nervous in the beginning, so he did not feel tired. However, the moment he arrived at the K?gnissee and stopped his car, tiredness overcame him. He put his seat back andid down, falling into a deep sleep until someone knocked on his window. ¡°Get up. It¡¯s almost ten o¡¯clock!¡±

 Chapter 624 - It Really Works?

    <h4>Chapter 624: It Really Works?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Seth woke from his dream with a shudder. The first thing he did was nce at his watch, and the hour hand was pointing directly at the ten o¡¯clock position. Looking out the car window, he confirmed the sky was already bright. The people outside the car saw him wake up and left to return to their own SUV. Hispanion in the car was also already awake and fiddling with the radio tracker and cell signal blocker as well as a fake cell service signal base.

    At ten o¡¯clock sharp, Gu Nianzhi took the luxury vehicle He Zhichu rented to the K?nigssee. She thanked the driver after getting out of the car and directed him to return to pick her up when she called. The driver assumed Gu Nianzhi was sightseeing and didn¡¯t think much about it. He smiled and rmended a few attractions as well as several famous restaurants in the small town of Berchtesgaden. Gu Nianzhi noted them all and gave him a friendly wave before seeing him drive off.

    When the driver left, Gu Nianzhi finally looked up at the scenery around the K?nigssee. She had looked at the photos on her iPad all night and thought she knew the ce very well already. But when she got to see it in person, she finally realized the real thing was even more beautiful than the pictures! It was exceptional, because with the rise of photoshop, many photos nowadays didn¡¯t reflect the real thing anymore. She didn¡¯t think there was still a ce where the actual scenery was even more stunning than photos.

    Reaching out both hands, she stretched out her arms to take in a satisfying deep breath. Although the air was not an oxygen bar like the ck Forest in Frankfurt, the level of oxygen here seemed no worse. The K?nigssee before her eyes had water so crystal clear, she could see the swimming fish and pebbles at the bottom of theke. With light blue water, emerald grass, towering trees with leaves drenched in yellow and red as well as snow-capped mountain peaks, the beautiful scenery was enough to dispel any wayward thoughts.

    There were many tourists by thekeshore, but no one was noisy as it seemed like they were all stunned by the sheer beauty of the scene. Everyone held their breath and busied themselves with taking photos from different angles. Although there was quite a crowd, theke and mountains still appeared serene and peaceful. Gu Nianzhi walked around the area and saw the bustling crowds and many cars parked nearby. She was secretly thinking about which one Huo Shaoheng had driven there.

    In the car, Seth could see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tall, curvy figure in the distance. She wore a dark purple athletic top with matching pants that she often sported when she went out sightseeing. She paired them with white Coach sneakers and a small bucket bag that looked like it was Hermes from thebel. She stood slim and graceful under the crooked willow tree by thekeshore and also wore a pair of Prada Baroque sunsses. The weather was somewhat mild, and when she cocked her head, something on her ears glimmered brilliantly, making her appear like she was part of a portrait and unbelievably stunning.

    Swallowing hard, Seth¡¯s throat tightened and felt himself get hard. Just as he was about to open the door to get out, the person in the car behind him had already walked over and said to him, ¡°You wait in the car. We¡¯ll bring her over.¡± Seth looked again to see the man was with a woman in a dress. Together they walked towards Gu Nianzhi.

    There was an increasing number of tourists, so it was getting crowded in the prime sightseeing location. Of course, it didn¡¯t get to the point of people pushing each other, as busy as it got, but it was just more crowded than typical ces in Germany. Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at theke and was wondering which direction Huo Shaoheng would being from.

    In the silence, in theke¡¯s reflection, she could see a man wearing sunsses with a woman in a dress hug each other as they walked over. They were obviously a couple. Gu Nianzhi smiled and stepped aside to get out of their way. But the couple kept looking at each other and continued to head in her direction. Unustomed to being so close to strangers, Gu Nianzhi also couldn¡¯t move aside anymore, or she¡¯d fall into theke. In her hesitation, she was about to turn away when the man behind her suddenly raised his arm at lightning speed, a cold glimmer of light in his palm as he swiftly stabbed a silver needle into her back.

    Pain pricked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back like she had been stung by a wasp. She suddenly understood. She had fallen into a trap! Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t sent that text message! Also, was Huo Shaoheng really the one who had sent her that scarf? Someone set a trap! There was a mole within the Special Operations Forces! Huo Shao was in danger!

    In a split second, Gu Nianzhi had already clearly thought out the entire cause and effect. But she could no longer support herself, and everything went dark before her eyes as she slumped softly to the ground. When she fainted, she didn¡¯t worry about her own safety but was more concerned about Huo Shaoheng...

    The woman with the man quickly strode over to support Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. Half propping her up and half holding her, she quickly took her towards Seth¡¯s car. The man also followed behind them, his eyes scanning around with vignce. The tourists around them were still enraptured by the beautiful scenery, and most were using their phones to take photos or videos. Several people taking photos with their phones happened to record Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation. Of course, they didn¡¯t understand what was happening at the time, so nobody was concerned. Their cameras captured a beautiful, young Hua Xia girl sightseeing by theke, then a couple walking over. It seemed like they were meeting a friend. The girl was so excited, her knees went weak, and she had to be supported by the female friend as they left.

    The pair stuffed the unconscious Gu Nianzhi into Seth¡¯s car, and he was so excited he nearly lunged over. They quickly held Seth back to stop him from making a scene. ¡°Hurry up and go! Do you want to get caught here?¡± The man thought Seth was simply a beast with no human characteristics who was always ready to copte. Not only was he shameless but also brainless. There were so many people there, and he actually wanted to do that femalewyer right there and then! He was not a typical idiot! The man shoved Seth aside coldly, got into the car, and barked, ¡°Hurry up and drive!¡±

    Seth snickered and also knew he was being too impatient. Quickly starting the car, they sped off. The woman returned to her own car and also started the car to follow Seth. They drove quickly and soon arrived near the Alps. The mountain roads were rugged and narrow, so only one car could travel in each direction. There were also very few people around at that time, so it¡¯d be easy for them to kill Gu Nianzhi and dispose of her body if anything happened. Seth was anxiously excited in the driver¡¯s seat. Gripping the steering wheel, he kept turning around to nce at the unconscious Gu Nianzhi, and he asked the man sitting beside him, ¡°That B7 or whatever you injected, it really works?¡±

 Chapter 625 - Useless

    <h4>Chapter 625: Useless</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Seth was half suspicious about what the man told him. ¡°Of course.¡± The man was very confident about the H3AB7. ¡°Women are ruined for the rest of their lives once they get injected with this stuff. They can¡¯t survive without men and will sleep with them even without asking for payment!¡±

    ¡°Really?! It¡¯s that amazing?! She won¡¯t struggle?!¡± Seth¡¯s eyes widened, and he deeply regretted not getting a hold of this stuff sooner!

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± the man repliedzily and turned around to nce at the unconscious Gu Nianzhi. With her fair and wless skin, perfect face and figure, she especially had the aura of a delicate and petite girl. It was hard not to squish and destroy her. He wanted to... break her. Licking his lips, the man discovered he was feeling parched from just looking at the unconscious woman in the back of the car. He secretly considered getting in on the actionter. This woman was alreadypletely destroyed once she was injected with that stuff and couldn¡¯t survive without a man. His boss wouldn¡¯t let her live anyway, so she was only going to die. As Seth was excitedly asking about the effectiveness of H3AB7, he pressed harder on the elerator, and the car was going faster and faster. As they discussed it animatedly in the front of the car,ughing lewdly from time to time, they werepletely unaware the person in the back was already awake.

    Gu Nianzhi remained lying motionlessly but had actually awakened a long time ago. Less than five minutes after the man tossed her into the car, she had already regained consciousness. What just happened quickly shed through her mind as she tried to think over the entire incident. She recalled falling into the trap. Opening her eyes slightly, she looked around and discovered she was lying in the backseat of a car. She could feel the bumpy surface of the mountain road as the car drove over it, but she had no idea where they were going.

    Because Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t figured out the situation yet, she wisely stayed quiet and continued toy motionless, feigning unconsciousness. Luckily, these people might just be too confident about ¡°H3AB7¡± and absolutely did not expect the person in the back to regain consciousness in the end. They hadn¡¯t even wasted effort tying her up. Her movements weren¡¯t restricted, but she didn¡¯t dare to move rashly. There were two men sitting in the front, and she was a powerless woman. There was no way she could fight against them, so she had to y it by ear. She could clearly hear the men¡¯s conversation. What shocked her was that one of the male voices belonged to the vicious scumbag, Seth!

    ¡°I hated her from the beginning! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d actually get my hands on her!¡± Seth didn¡¯t attempt disguising his voice. It was heavy with hate and lewdness.

    Gu Nianzhi tried hard to not frown at all because she didn¡¯t want to make any movements to alert the two men. She perked up her ears to keenly listen to them spit excitedly as they discussed the effects of H3AB7. After a moment of shock, she only wanted to snicker.

    They were speaking in German, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quick study of thenguage finally found some use. After listening to the gist of their conversation, she could practically understand everything they said. She wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with H3AB7 and remembered that Yamaguchi Aiko (or Youko?) had specifically told her that she was once inflicted with this aphrodisiac, so she was shocked that she could be fine... But Gu Nianzhi knew she was ok and was certain Chen Lie had treated her with the antidote, so the drug shouldn¡¯t work on her.

    Now that she thought of it, could this H3AB7 be like a virus? Because only by being infected with a virus could someone develop immunity, making it useless on her. She discreetly checked her body, and it was definitely not as serious as what the lecherous men were saying. She didn¡¯t feel anything weird and was absolutely normal. Either H3AB7 wasn¡¯t as powerful as the men were saying, or she wasn¡¯t injected with it... Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands slowly curled into fists, and she lowered them down towards the seat. It seemed like she still had the strap of her Hermes bag on her shoulder, so it should be somewhere between the two rows of seats.

    ...

    The SUV sped down the twisting and turning mountain roads as the rain fell heavily. They quickly drove deep into the Alps. The road was built on a small mountain range, and the two sides were remnants from the Ice Age. It seemed like it had been cut open with an axe, and it was so deep, it appeared bottomless. The road went along the Alps, and there were cliffs on both sides, as well as towering trees growing from the steep slopes of the cliffs. They could only see the tops of the trees from the road, and they appeared like bushes. However, the trees were a dozen meters tall and towered like skyscrapers, which meant the cliffs on the sides of the road were very deep.

    At the bottom of the slope werekes left from the Ice Age, just like the K?nigssee. But because these were deep in the mountains, they were more natural and dangerous than the K?nigssee. Many vicious beasts lived amid the mountains andkes, and thus the hunting season in the Alps was very famous.

    For now, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know where she was going, so she could only squint to determine direction from the lighting through the car window. However, the rain was getting heavier, making the car windows were a blur, cloaking the ss with deep yellow rain droplets. Earlier, Gu Nianzhi had determined they were driving southward, but now she had no idea.

    Just as she was feeling uneasy, a phone suddenly rang inside the car. It wasn¡¯t her phone but an unfamiliar ringtone. After some time, the man sitting in the front passenger seat picked up and answered, ¡°Hello.¡± He then continued mumbling not in German but what seemed to be Spanish. Gu Nianzhi only knew how to count to ten in Spanish because she had once been curious enough to memorize it from Huo Shaoheng. Now she had no idea what the man was saying. However, he only spoke a bit before telling Seth in German, ¡°Stop the car, just right here. I need to get out for a bit. My boss is calling me.¡±

    Seth was ecstatic and nodded quickly. When the man got out of the car, Seth looked out the car window and saw it was a small road on the side of the Alps highway. The road was a dead end, so they could only go back the same way to get back onto the main road. Because of that, there were very few people there. Sun seldom shined on this area, and humans rarely frequented it. It was raining hard today, and no one would rescue Gu Nianzhi even if she screamed her lungs out in a ce like this. Also, from what the man said, the woman wouldn¡¯t cry for help anyway, since she couldn¡¯t wait to sleep with a man...

    Seth turned around with a smirk, his greedy eyes scanning Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body like searchlights. Then he picked up his phone and nned to take nudes of Gu Nianzhi as ckmail. Locking the car door, heid down his seat and shifted over to her. The car¡¯s interior wasn¡¯t too narrow, but Seth was built like a giant, tall and strong. Most cars weren¡¯t spacious enough for him, so he practically took up the entire interior as soon as he moved. To shift himself to the backseat, Seth could only half kneel and bend over. Looking at the camera on his phone, he slowly inched towards Gu Nianzhi. He moved and reached out to her to unzip her top. Gu Nianzhi was wearing sportswear, and the zipper in front of her chest was half open, so he only needed to pull it down to open her jacket. Seeing Seth¡¯s disgusting hand reaching for the zipper on her chest, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t pretend to be unconscious anymore. Suddenly sitting up from the seat and raising her long legs, she kicked hard and aimed viciously and directly at Seth¡¯s crotch!

    ¡°Ah!¡± Seth did not expect Gu Nianzhi to wake up and kick him in resistance! Searing pain throbbed at his crotch, and with a shake of his hand, he dropped the phone. He instinctively pressed his legs together and used both hands to cover the erect and crucial body part Gu Nianzhi had nearly ttened with one kick.

    Gu Nianzhi hit the bullseye with one kick and immediately jumped up from her seat. She raised her right fist and jabbed Seth¡¯s temple fiercely! This was a self defense technique Huo Shaoheng had taught her. It¡¯s results were maximized when the target was lying down. By first kicking the target¡¯s crotch so they had no other way of reacting to anything but the pain, she would then quickly hit the weak point on his temple to immediately knock him out. If a strong man punched someone¡¯s temple, it could result in immediate death. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t strong enough, so she could only knock Seth out.

    His huge figure wavered a bit before he fell onto the seat he had reclined. Gu Nianzhi quickly grabbed her bag from under the seat, then stomped fiercely on Seth¡¯s crotch several times before using her bag to fiercely hit him in the same spot. The Hermes bag was very high quality, and four pointed square feet were on the bottom of it. d in metal, they were almost like high heels. When she aimed precisely to hit someone hard with them, they were like tiny points that were very destructive. It felt like a sharp knife was stabbing his crotch, then gripping around it to cut it off!

    Seth was regained consciousness briefly, and he kept wailing horribly from the pain. Covering his crotch, he rolled onto the floor of the car. Gu Nianzhi saw that the space was too small, so if Seth fought back too hard, she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. She quickly opened the door. As soon as she opened it, the bean sized raindrops hit her in the face. Wiping the rain off, she was just about to jump out of the car when Seth screamed from behind, ¡°Stop her!¡±

    The rain thundered down, muffling his cry, but the man and woman in the car behind saw Gu Nianzhi run out of the car. They shared a nce and saw the shock in each other¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Wtf! How could she even escape?!¡±

    ¡°H3AB7 is useless now?!¡±

    That was impossible! They¡¯d both witnessed the potency of this aphrodisiac before... Their minds tossed in confusion, but it was what it was. Seeing Gu Nianzhi dart in front of them, they could only go after her!

    Gu Nianzhi hated not having a gun at that moment. Otherwise, she would have killed that scumbag with one shot. He had already ruined the life of one innocent girl, and now he wanted to harm her, too! Carrying her bag, Gu Nianzhi ran aimlessly on the unknown mountain road. The heavy rain continued to pour, and with suchrge raindrops, they hurt her face as they fell.

    At that moment, the car behind Seth¡¯s started.

 Chapter 626 - Ruin Him

    <h4>Chapter 626: Ruin Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi heard the sound of the engine and instinctively wanted to cry for help, but when she looked back through the thick rain, the car was speeding towards her! She instantly knew that it was the man who had gotten out of the car earlier! They were on the same side as Seth!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately ran in the opposite direction, but the car wouldn¡¯t relent and roared towards her. Cutting through the rain and mist, water sshed everywhere as it seemed the car meant to plow into her! The mountain road was narrow to begin with and only allowed two narrow one-waynes going in opposite directions. No matter how much Gu Nianzhi ran, the car behind her could easily catch up.

    Bang bang bang! A series of gunshots rang out on the road through the heavy rain. Covering her ears, Gu Nainzi quickly ran in a zigzag pattern! The person behind had a gun and was firing at her! They wanted her dead! Luckily, it was raining hard and obstructing the person¡¯s vision as well as the bullets¡¯ trajectory. Running in zigzags was very effective, so Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been shot for now, but she knew she couldn¡¯t keep counting on that good luck!

    The enemy had a gun and a car, so running zigzags could only allow Gu Nianzhi temporary escape. As more time passed, she would be physically exhausted and unable to run, even if she wanted to. At that time, she would be at the mercy of the enemy. They could murder, torture, rape, and humiliate her as they pleased. Of course, Gu Nianzhi would never allow herself to get into that mess.

    Closing her eyes, she bit her lip and looked at both sides of the mountain road. There was nothing but bottomless slopes on either side, and she had no idea what was underneath the mountain road. The rain was falling harder, and with the steep mountain on either side of the road, andslide could happen if she kept running down. But being caught would be even worse. They wanted her dead or alive, and to possibly use her to threaten Huo Shaoheng... She certainly didn¡¯t want to end up a hostage to force Huo Shaoheng to submit to their will. Gu Nianzhi had her own pride and would rather die with her will intact, rather than submit and survive.

    With this determination, she saw a stretch of damaged road ahead and turned back to look at the car speeding up towards her. She suddenly lunged despite the slippery rain and continued to roll down the side of the road with sharp gunshots ringing behind her. The mountain road was paved but was also covered with little rocks that cut into her wrists and back, casing numerous wounds, but she couldn¡¯t be bothered. She continued to roll to the side of the road in the rain and pushed herself forward to tumble down the damaged road!

    The two sides of the road were steep cliffs! The car behind chased after her relentlessly. The driver had never expected her to jump down the cliffside. A great screech rang in the air, the sound of tires squealing against the road. The car finally halted barely in time to avoid plunging down the cliff.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up regretfully at the car parked up there as she fell uncontrobly down the slope... The mountainside had soft grass as well as jagged rocks. As she fell, her calf knocked hard towards the rocks, and a sharp pain pulsed from her calf bone. It was enough to make her instantly pass out. But the falling didn¡¯t slow. She kept falling and falling...

    The man and the woman got out of the car at the intersection by the damaged road and could see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s silhouette quickly fall down like she was tumbling into an abyss. With such heavy rain, they couldn¡¯t see where she had fallen, even with their infrared night vision goggles. ¡°What¡¯s under there?¡± The woman whispered.

    The man looked at his phone and blocked the rain from it as he searched the nearby topography. ¡°This is a cliff, and both sides are hard soilyers left from the Ice Age. It¡¯s harder than rocks.¡±

    ¡°Is she dead if she fell down?¡±

    ¡°We still have to look for her whether she dies or not.¡±

    Holding each other¡¯s hands, they slowly walked down the slope in the heavy rain, but they couldn¡¯t go any further after a short distance because it was nearly a 90-degree cliff. They could only jump down or roll down like Gu Nianzhi if they wanted to move further. And with the heavy rain, they could already see the soil eroded on both sides of the road. If there was andslide... They¡¯d be goners. They looked around once more and found several scraps of purple fabric from the sportswear that had been ripped off of Gu Nianzhi. They personally saw her fall down the cliff in the rain but weren¡¯t sure if she had died. However, there was no way they¡¯d go look for her themselves. They would not jeopardize their own lives.

    The woman didn¡¯t want to pursue her anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s go back now. We¡¯ll report to the bosses and see what they say.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± The man nodded and found the location on the map to send back. Their people received the information and immediately began searching on the mountain. Regarding Gu Nianzhi, their orders were to capture her dead or alive. The correct answer was not that Gu Nianzhi had fallen off a cliff and gone missing. Their bosses would never ept it.

    Holding each other¡¯s hands, they slowly climbed up the slope and looked back down to assess the situation. The rain was falling so thickly that they couldn¡¯t see anything down there. Just trying to look made them feel dizzy. It was such a tall cliff, they had no idea what was underneath. When they got back on the road, they were bothpletely drenched but still had to check Seth¡¯s car first. Looking inside, they saw Seth lying motionless against the window. They shared a nce and the man walked over to shake Seth. ¡°Seth?¡±

    Seth whimpered quietly, his expression incredibly pained and features contorted.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± The woman asked quietly, ¡°Stomachache?¡± She noticed Seth kept covering his stomach area.

    Seth was in immense pain and couldn¡¯t even speak. The man opened the door to go in then instantly noticed Seth¡¯s crotch... It seemed to be red. ¡°What is it?!¡± He was shocked and didn¡¯t dare believe what he was assuming. No way. He had already injected Gu Nianzhi with H3AB7. It was absolutely foolproof! How was she able to fight back?! This didn¡¯t make sense!

    Seth could only feel the pain in his crotch increase as his whole body began to spasm. Finally, he couldn¡¯t catch his breath and passed out.

    The man frowned. ¡°We¡¯d better take him back or he¡¯ll die here.¡±

    The woman nodded, and like before, she went back to her own car while the man drove Seth¡¯s car. They returned to arge manor on the outskirts of Munich. Dense forest surrounded the property to conceal a huge manor that looked like a church. They carried Seth inside and had a familiar family doctor check his injuries. The doctor was in cahoots with them, so he wouldn¡¯t report Seth.

    The doctor came over to take off Seth¡¯s pants and have a look. He sighed regretfully, ¡°This man is ruined.¡±

    ¡°Ruined?¡± Several people inside the castle shared nces. ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s dead?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead.¡± The doctor took out a syringe and began injecting Seth with an anesthetic. ¡°His testicles ruptured and arepletely ttened. They must be extracted surgically, or they¡¯ll get infected and cause sepsis. He¡¯ll truly be dead meat at that point.¡±

 Chapter 627 - This Was the Cruelest of All

    <h4>Chapter 627: This Was the Cruelest of All</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The moment a man lost his balls, he wouldn¡¯t be aplete man anymore. Everyone felt a tinge of sympathy towards Seth. Even though this wasn¡¯t the worst, the doctor continued, ¡°The muscles in his penis were severed while it was erect. As intervention was dyed for too long, we are unable to repair it. Therefore, we¡¯ll have no choice but to cut it off as well.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s hearts skipped a beat. Now, this was the cruelest of all. It was already hard enough for a man to be without his balls, but Seth was going to lose his penis, too.

    The man who brought Seth back looked at the woman, who was out with him earlier, meaningfully. Both of them had the same thought: Thatwyer was so cruel! She wasn¡¯t just cruel in her heart; she was ruthless in her actions as well! To be specific, her legs were ruthless. Seeing Seth like this, he was in this state because of thatwyer!

    The man was secretly relieved that he had to answer a call and did not stay in the car to do bad things just now... Had he not answered the call, he did not know if he would have been lucky enough to escape such ¡°cruelty.¡±

    The doctor stood up after he finished talking. ¡°Take him to my clinic. We can¡¯t do surgery here.¡±

    Everyone went to seek advice from their boss. Then, two of them came down, carrying Seth, who was already under general anesthesia. They headed directly to the doctor¡¯s little clinic.

    The plump, round-faceddy could not understand upon hearing the report from her subordinates. It can¡¯t be? H3aB7 wasn¡¯t as good as she thought it was?

    It began raining. Thedy sat in front of her French windows for a while before looking again through the footage that her subordinate had sent to her. She confirmed that Gu Nianzhi had been injected with H3aB7, as she had lost her mobility and consciousness almost immediately after the injection.

    It was only what happened in the car afterwards that she did not know, as her subordinate was not present, and thus could not record it. From Seth¡¯s injuries, one could deduce that he did not manage to get fresh with her, and Gu Nianzhi had jumped off the cliff, so she did not manage to gain anything, either...

    Toying with a golden pen, thisdy chuckled softly and began giving orders. ¡°I want to see her if she¡¯s alive, or, if she isn¡¯t, I want to see her body.¡± Grasping the pen in her hand, the tip of the pen poked her so hard that her hand was bleeding, but she did not let go.

    She did not believe that the H3aB7 did not have any effect. The strength and potency of the medication was confirmed after testing on tens of thousands of volunteers. It couldn¡¯t be that Gu Nianzhi was the special one. She refused to believe that this possibility existed, but understood that there must have been other reasons.

    However, they weren¡¯t important anymore. Gu Nianzhi had fallen into her trap and fell off the cliff. If she was so lucky to escape death from the fall, she wouldn¡¯t be able to run from her second round of killing. The second round of killing would be assassination from anywhere in the world.

    She hummed a little tune as she turned on herptop. Then, she opened a program that controlled the satellites and linked herself up with Europe¡¯s Copernicus global satellite navigation system. Upon her edits, this system could detect the corners of the entire Alps, helping her to locate the person she wanted to find. There¡¯d only be a ten-meter margin of error.

    However, they were within Germany and there were American soldiers around. Therefore, they were not allowed to use weapons that were too advanced. They weren¡¯t allowed to use helicopters, for instance. Otherwise, thedy would have used a military helicopter to fly around the Alps and end this fight with Gu Nianzhi with a sniper.

    Sadly, she could not use this n. The moment the helicopter took off, the Americans would find out through their radar. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to get off the hook if they were found out. She wanted to get rid of Gu Nianzhi, but she did not want to sacrifice herself along with her. Therefore, she had to be extra careful and secretive. Even if the n got exposed in the future, no one should be able to trace anything back to her.

    Moreover, she couldn¡¯t stay here for long. She had to go back tonight. She could only devise a n that was extremely detailed and think of all the possibilities before asking her men to carry it out for her. They were not supposed to deviate from or change a single detail of her n, and she was only supposed tomand through phone calls.

    ...

    Summer wasing to an end, and autumn was arriving. The temperature in the Alps during this time at night dropped quickly. Another round of heavy rain fell in the mountains. The rain finally stopped around midnight. Gu Nianzhi woke up due to the cold.

    The moment her brain regained consciousness, so did the rest of her body. She felt pain all over. The pain wasn¡¯t sharp, however, it felt more like the thumping pain of bruises. Like when she was in the car, she did not dare to open her eyes nor move before ensuring her safety. However, even with her eyes closed, she could feel that she was lying on grass. There was also the sound of a river flowing. It should be nightfall by now, because her eyes could not feel any sunlight.

    She was also extremely tired and cold. It wasn¡¯t a normal type of coldness. She was not wearing any winter clothing. She only wore a running outfit, and it must be all tattered and torn by now.

    After listening for a while more, she heard the sound of bugs. Other than that, she could not hear anything else. There... should be... no one else here... She had fallen from the cliff. Those men shouldn¡¯t have chased after her.

    Gu Nianzhi familiarized herself with her surroundings again and began to use logic with herself. If they were to chase her, they would¡¯ve carried her away instead of allowing her to wake up on her own here.

    When she fell, she had cked out due to the fall. Finally, Gu Nianzhi slowly opened her eyes. Her long, thickshes fluttered like a pair of fans opening up. The first thing she saw was a sky filled with stars. Her gaze traveled downwards and around. There wasn¡¯t another person in sight.

    She tried to move, but her left ankle was extremely tender. The pain in her ankle was way sharper than the pain she had previously felt. Tears fell from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t because she wanted to cry, but it was a natural reaction to the immense pain she was feeling.

    Using her arm, she supported herself and tried to sit, trying her best not to move her left ankle. After she managed to sit up, she looked at herself. The Hermes bucket bag was still around her. Its quality was amazing. Her clothes were tattered and torn, but the bag was still in perfect condition, other than a thinyer of dirt and grass. After brushing it off, it was as good as new.

    She still remembered using the four sharp edges of the bag to hit the critical part of that *sshole, Seth... Knowing that the bag was still with her, she felt more at ease. She had her phone in the bag. She could call the cops for help. However, before she called for help, she wanted to inform Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze about having a traitor close to Huo Shaoheng!

    She instinctively felt that it could never be either of them, because if it was, it would be extremely easy to attack her or Huo Shaoheng. The person wouldn¡¯t have to go through all this.

    As she got lost in her thoughts a little, Gu Nianzhi took her phone out of her bag and checked it. The phone was fine. It had not gotten wet, so she could still use it. cing her finger on the button and unlocking the phone, she opened her call records and called Yin Shixiong. No one picked up from his end. After a while, her call was diverted to voicemail.

    Gu Nianzhi could not say the truth on the voicemail, so she said, ¡°Brother Xiong, please return my call. I have something really important to tell you regarding Huo Shao.¡± She wanted to try calling Zhao Liangze next, but it was the same. Her call got diverted to voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, Gu Nianzhi hung up.

    Looking at the phone glumly, she called the Munich police number 110 for help. It rang for a while as well. Just when Gu Nianzhi thought that no one was going to answer the call, someone picked it up. The sweet voice of ady came from the other end of the call. ¡°Munich Emergency hotline. May I know who is on the line please? How can I help you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi just managed to learn some basic German recently, so she only understood some of the things that the person was saying. Instead of using German, she spoke in English. ¡°Hello, someone kidnapped me from the K?gnissee and drove me up to the Alps. I just managed to escape. Please help!¡±

    The receiver on the other end of the line seemed to be in shock. After a while, she replied in English that was not as fluent, ¡°Please do not panic. Let me know your name, social registration number, residential address, and your current location.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her GPS and informed thedy of her location. Then, she continued, ¡°I¡¯m not German. I¡¯m Cereus, a citizen from the Hua Xia Empire. I was here for business.¡± She only told thedy her Christian name. Of course, she did not include her social registration number since she did not have one, as she wasn¡¯t German.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve got it. Please wait there. We¡¯ll be sending people to rescue you immediately.¡± With that, the person hung up.

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she wanted to call Smith to inform them of her situation, so they would not be in too much shock. She also had to inform them that Seth had escaped. Did her colleagues know that she was missing when she did not return? Gu Nianzhi thought about it and looked around again.

    She felt that she could have been in a cove surrounded by tall trees. The trees were most likely the ones she saw along the road. Just a couple of steps from her, there was a small stream, or rather, a small river. It reflected the moonlight beautifully.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head to look at where she had fallen. Had she been unlucky, she could have fallen into the river when she was unconscious and drowned. Even though it was not deep, it was sufficient to drown an already unconscious person. There was grass on both sides of the river. It had just rained, so it wasn¡¯t hard to sit on. In fact, it was ratherfortable.

    After knowing that there weren¡¯t enemies around who wanted her dead, Gu Nianzhi felt much more rxed. Did those people think that she had fallen to her death?

 Chapter 628 - Feeling of the Body

    <h4>Chapter 628: Feeling of the Body</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    There was arge rock on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right side, and she nned to shift herself to sit against it, as it would be morefortable than lying on the grass. Gently nudging her leg, a searing pain shot up from her left calf. She tried to press her hand on the wound, but because she didn¡¯t control the pressure, she yelped out in pain. It hurt too much! This time she was certain she had a fracture. But what should she do? Ligament and bone injuries took a hundred days to heal, but how could she recuperate in a ce like this? She¡¯d better call for help right now...

    As Gu Nianzhi contemted it, she began dialing Smith¡¯s number. It rang for a long time but no one picked up. She could only leave a voicemail, ¡°Smith, I got lost near the K?nigssee. I already called the police, so can you pick me up at the police station? I¡¯ll share the location with you.¡± As she spoke, she opened up the messaging on her iPhone to share her location with Smith via text. Smith should immediately go to the police station to pick her up when he saw this, right? To be safe, Gu Nianzhi also made the same calls to her other three colleagues. The strange thing was that they also didn¡¯t pick up, so she had to leave voicemails. What were they doing that all four of them weren¡¯t picking up?

    The four men really couldn¡¯t take calls because they were in a famous club in Munich called ¡°Happy.¡± morous women from Central Europe who came to Germany to make a living surrounded them, encouraging them to drink. The men were having an especially great time. They were ying a strip beer-drinking game where the person losing the bet would have to take off one piece of clothing. They weren¡¯t wearing much to begin with, since it waste summer and early autumn, so losing two rounds left them half-naked already.

    With golden hair, fair skin, deep set features, and voluptuous figures, the girls dazzled by merely stretching their long legs. Although these four Americanwyers had wives or long-term girlfriends and fiancees, they werepletely enamored of these beautiful women. Just as the four Americanwyers were living a dream, their cellphones were secretly infiltrated, and a Trojan virus burrowed itself. Any call that came from Gu Nianzhi would be automatically forwarded to another voicemail system. They would never be able to take her calls.

    ...

    After making the calls, Gu Nianzhi carefully put her phone back into her bag. She didn¡¯t know when they¡¯d pick her up, so she had to use her phone carefully so the battery didn¡¯t die before they found her. By then, she would bepletely stranded and helpless. Holding the bucket bag against her chest, she tried to stand up from the grass but didn¡¯t have enough strength. Her left leg was still weak, so she could only kneel her right leg on the grass and crawl towards therge rock. Even though the distance was only a few steps, Gu Nianzhi crawled for a full five minutes to get to therge rock.

    When she sat against it, she began to pant and felt that her heart rate was especially fast, but there wasn¡¯t a trace of sweat on her forehead. She thought it was a little strange and felt her forehead to find she was running a high fever... No wonder she felt weak and sore. It was because she injured her leg and also had a high fever. Gu Nianzhi sighed and helplessly closed her eyes against therge rock. It was alreadyte at night, and she felt drowsy. Coupled with the fever and dizziness, she couldn¡¯t support herself anymore and drifted into sleep. Although she was very hungry, nothing could stop her sleepiness.

    She slept the entire night against therge rock and didn¡¯t wake until afternoon the next day. When she woke up, the sun was filtered through the tree leaves and sparkled on the little stream like nuggets of gold. The foliage was thick, so there wasn¡¯t much sunlight, but it was enough for her to assess the surroundings. Although it had rained therest night, the humidity evaporated quickly under the sun¡¯s rays. The grass was dry and didn¡¯t appear to have been rained on at all.

    Anxiety rose in her heart like the climbing temperature. This was too deep down the cliff. She couldn¡¯t see the tops of the tall trees, and even if someone came to rescue her, how would they get down? Would they have to hang down from ropes? Looking up, she saw that there were no forged paths for her to go up, and of course, no way down. She had rolled down, and because it was so dangerous, she had fractured her leg and passed out. That was how she had ended up there.

    Furrowing her brows, she couldn¡¯t understand it, even after thinking for a long time, so she decided to forget about it. If she looked at it differently, even though it would be hard to rescue her from such a hidden and rugged ce, it would also be hard for the people trying to harm her to get in! So she was temporarily safe. Gu Nianzhi tried to make the best of it and touched her forehead. Her fever ragedst night but had somehow subsided already. This was fine as well, but it had made her body even more weak and helpless. She felt sore from just raising her arms, but this was a normal effect after running a high fever. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind it and supported one hand on therge rock and pushed her right hand and leg. This time, she was able to stand up right away.

    Touching where she had fractured her right calf, it didn¡¯t burn with pain anymore, but it still hurt a bit, and she couldn¡¯t support herself on it. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her kneecap and slowly stood up, her vision expanding. But what was the point of expanding her vision? The ravine was filled with trees¨Ctall, short, green, red, brown, yellow. There was no end in sight. It was practically a primeval forest. The cliffs on either side were at a 90-degree angle like walls, surrounding the tall trees and small creek. Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt like a frog looking up a well all day,pletely surrounded by tall walls with only the sky visible above her.

    When she thought of fogs, Gu Nianzi¡¯s stomach grumbled from hunger. She hadn¡¯t eaten properly since early morning the day before. Because she was in a rush to leave, she only had one tiny Weisswurst and one sip of coconut juice. Now Gu Nianzhi was not only starving but also very thirsty. Licking her chapped lips, her originally plump and moisturized lips had started to peel. Gu Nianzhi missed nothing more than the unfinished can of coconut juice in the hotel fridge... The more she thought about it, the hungrier and thirstier she felt.

    Rubbing her eyes, she looked around and found a target. She hopped on one leg to a shorter tree. The lucky thing was that tree was a willow. It was only a bit taller than Gu Nianzhi, and its branches were reachable when she stretched her arms. Gu Nianzhi chose a branch about a meter long and five centimeters wide that felt pliable. She pulled hard, but it was very stic, and the bark remained on the tree, so she couldn¡¯t pull it off no matter what. Unperturbed, Gu Nianzhi took out her keys from the bucket bag hanging on her chest. On it was a Swiss Army knife Huo Shaoheng had given her. She always had it on her keyring.

 Chapter 629 - Perks from All Those Years

    <h4>Chapter 629: Perks from All Those Years</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Flipping out the tiny de from her Swiss Army Knife, Gu Nianzhi patiently cut at the stubborn piece of bark clinging on. As flexible as the bark was, it was no match for a knife. Soon, Gu Nianzhi had cut off the lingering bark andpletely cut the branch off the tree. Feeling it in her hand, she knew it could be used as a cane, but the handle part was prickly with splinters, so it was ufortable in her palm. She then picked another even smaller de to carefully smooth out the top of the branch until it was silky and uniform. She smiled when all the splinters were gone. It felt much nicer to hold now.

    With a cane, the next thing to do was cut the willow branch into several pieces to make a splint to secure her fractured left fib. That way, she could heal quickly and guarantee the bone would heal properly. She didn¡¯t want to get a limp.

    Supporting herself on her newly crafted cane, Gu Nianzhi stared at the young willow tree for a long time to once again pick out a medium-length branch. She carefully cut it off with her Swiss Army knife, attempting to get a clean cut so that the tree could easily grow another branch. After cutting it off the tree, Gu Nianzhi sat under the tree and used several pieces of the willow branch to secure her left calf. Then she pulled theces out of her shoes to tie the branches onto her leg. Her fractured leg felt much better after she attached the willow splint to it, and for the rest of the day, she realized her leg didn¡¯t hurt as much.

    After treating her leg, Gu Nianzhi was covered in sweat. However, ncing at the cane in her hand and splint on her leg, Gu Nianzhi felt very aplished. This was one of the perks of growing up with Huo Shaoheng and all those years she had been attached to his leg, going everywhere he did. Huo Shaoheng was only 22 at the time and didn¡¯t know how to raise a little girl. Also, he only trained at the base, and it wasn¡¯t ssified, so he allowed her to follow. Gu Nianzhi had run, trained, camped, and learned wilderness survival skills with him. It wasn¡¯t for nothing after all, since she was now using everything she had learned.

    Wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, she supported herself with her cane to stand up. She nned to find water nearby to drink. When she was researching the K?nigssee, she remembered learning that the Alps were actually the result of erosion from the Ice Age, so there were also many rivers and springs formed from that period. Since there was a little river nearby, there should be a spring source that formed the river.

    After carefully observing the river¡¯s flow and the appearance of the trees in the area, Gu Nianzhi determined a direction. She limped upstream along the river for 20 minutes before finding a tiny waterfall, which was a spring flowing down from the top of the mountain. Gu Nianzhi was so excited as she strode over. She thenid down by the waterfall and took great gulps. The water had the signature sweetness of mountain springs.

    After drinking to her satisfaction, her only regret was not having a water bottle to store water in. Now she had toe back here to drink when she was thirsty. How annoying. Although she was in such a mess, Gu Nianzhi still managed to cheer herself up and pretended this was an idental wilderness excursion. After drinking water, Gu Nianzhi walked around to see what she could eat.

    She discovered that many berries grew near where the river met the cliff. They were bright and vibrant, appearing in different shapes. Gu Nianzhi roughly recognized there were at least three types of berries¡ªck currants, blueberries, and ckberries. She had had them before, but didn¡¯t dare to eat any of the other ones because she was worried they were poisonous. She only ever had berries bought from the supermarket and grown by fruit farmers, so she didn¡¯t know if the wild berries would taste any different. As Gu Nianzhi contemted, she picked handfuls of ck currants, blueberries, and ckberries and put them in her pocket to wash in the river. She then carefully picked up a blueberry to taste.

    Her pearly teeth bit into the plump berry. The juice nearly exploded out, and the bnced vor of sweetness and acidity instantly filled her mouth. Gu Nianzhi hummed and shut her eyes as she drowned in the delicious taste. It was so tasty, many times more delicious than the blueberries from supermarkets! This was true natural, organic fruit!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help stuffing one of each berry in her mouth. Inparison, blueberries were sweet and sour, ckberries were sugary, and ck currants were very tart. Combining all three berries created a spectacr new vor! The sugary ckberries bnced the tartness of ck currants, while the sweet tartness of blueberries was an embellishment to make it even tastier. Gu Nianzhi was very satisfied from eating them. Vitamin C and anthocyanin-rich ck currants killed bacteria and enhanced immunity, which was very appropriate for her current situation. Although she didn¡¯t like sour food, she had to eat more ck currants in order to survive in this ce. After feasting on berries, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood improved greatly.

    Taking out her phone from the Hermes bag hanging in front of her, she discovered the signal wasn¡¯t great there, and no one had called or even texted her. Gu Nianzhi remembered her phone was finest night. The signal was normal, but now there was only one bar left that shed intermittently. Luckily, she still had a 90% charge on it, so it should stillst for now. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel discouraged because she believed the police woulde rescue her. What she needed to do was to survive here and not end up dead before the rescuers could even arrive.

    Carefully putting her phone back into the bag, she casually rummaged through it to see many things inside. There was her Louis Vuitton wallet¡ªit wasn¡¯t too expensive but was very durable. It didn¡¯t wear, no matter what happened to it, and the pattern on the leather hadn¡¯t faded, even after using it for several years. Stuffed inside were all sorts of bank cards and credit cards, as well as some Euro and US dor cash. Looking up at the primary forest surrounding her, Gu Nianzhi sighed with a shake of her head. What good would cash and cards do here?! What could she do? She was very deste!

    Looking at the items in the bag again, she saw the one sanitary napkin she had a habit of carrying, the Swiss Army knife with her keys, several choctes, a bag of wet wipes, and most importantly, a lighter!

    She had originally nned to gift it to Huo Shaoheng, but this was perfect. She didn¡¯t need to pretend to be a cave woman and start fires from kindling wood. Gu Nianzhi almost cried as she prayed to the sky. The transition of humans from uncivilized cave dwellers to civilized people had urred when they started to use fire. Gu Nianzhi immediately felt even hungrier. She had only taken a few sips of water and had a few berries since yesterday morning until now. She only had a few choctes in her bag, but she didn¡¯t n to eat them now because she needed to save them for when she had no choice but to eat them.

    After sitting under a tree to rest for a while, Gu Nianzhi decided to go to the river to try catching fish. She cut a forked branch off a tree to fashion into a harpoon and used her cane to limp to the riverside. The water was so clear that she could see the bottom of it, where different sized anchovies swam. Gu Nianzhi swallowed hard as she stood on the riverbank. She used her self-made harpoon to begin catching fish. She wasn¡¯t sure if the fish were stupid, or if she was skillfull, as she had harpooned several fish in no time.

    She limped between the willow tree and riverside, continuously ripping off branches until she finally built a tiny grilling rack. Using the Swiss Army knife she carried, she scaled and cleaned the fish, then cut them open to remove the organs. She skewered the cleaned fish on the tip of the branch andid them on the grilling rack. She then amassed some dried leaves as fuel and took out her lighter to start the fire. When the embers jumped, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud. One door opens when one closes. When she picked with Huo Shao and his men, she had seen them grill fish. Although she had never done it herself, she remembered what to do. Now that she was doing it herself, she quickly got the hang of it, even though she was a bit unfamiliar with the process in the beginning.

    Soon after, the aroma of food drifted over, and she salivated even more. Gu Nianzhi picked up a golden roasted fish and opened her mouth to take a bite. Ah! Yuck! It was bitter! Gu Nianzhi instinctively spat the fish out. How could this be? She remembered having Huo Shao¡¯s grilled fish. It was crispy on the outside and tender inside. The fish was so tender, soft, and incredibly fresh. Her own grilled fish...

    Fine, although it looked golden on the outside, it had already burned inside. So they may be a bit more burned, a bit more overcooked, a bit more tough than the fish cooked by Huo Shao and his men... Of course, it was bitter. Could burned food not be bitter? Gu Nianzhi badly wanted to cry as she discarded the strange fish, then picked a new one to grill. She didn¡¯t know she was crisping the outside and burning the inside, making itpletely inedible.

    She spent the entire afternoon grilling fish. After trying countless numbers of fish, it was nearly dusk when she finally grilled an edible fish! But when she was eating it, she noticed all the anchovies by the riverside had all swum off... Did they finally understand that they had to get away from this ¡°butcher?¡± Gu Nianzhi slowly thought about it and hugged herself inughter.

    Shen looked at her left leg again. It didn¡¯t hurt at all anymore. Supporting herself on the grass, she stood up and randomly discovered she had some strength in her left leg now. Although she still limped a bit, it wasn¡¯t as serious as before. Gu Nianzhi stared at her left leg for a while and internally mumbled about how she might not have had a fracture...? But she remembered the pain that hit the bone, as well the feeling of not being able to use her left leg at all. It was really a fracture.

    It couldn¡¯t have been muscle strain. She was sure because she had strained her muscles before, and it was a different kind of pain. Then she recalled rolling down from the road, the rocks on the mountain bruising her body. Quickly pulling up her sleeve to check, she discovered her skin was smooth and soft, and there was no trace of being torn open earlier. After thinking about it for a long time, she couldn¡¯t understand what had happened, so she decided to put it aside for now. After all, the most important thing right now was to escape. It wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about things like that. It was a good thing to not be in pain.

 Chapter 630 - Friend or Foe

    <h4>Chapter 630: Friend or Foe</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged, shielding her eyes from the sun, and looked at the sky in the distance. It was already dusk, and the golden setting sun drenched the small creek in an orangey yellow. Through the thick foliage, she could see the grand arrival of birds returning to the forest from the sky. It was nearly nighttime again. Another day had passed, and Gu Nianzhi was slightly let down. Why were the police so inefficient here? She had called themst night, and it was already sunset. Nearly 20 hours had psed... When were they going to save her?! Also, hadn¡¯t Smith and her colleagues received her messages by now? Even if they had missed her voicemails, she hadn¡¯t returned to the hotel for a whole day and night now. Could they not be worrying about her? They didn¡¯t even call. Was she that unlikeable?

    Gu Nianzhi was mulling it over anxiously as she gathered all the leaves and twigs on the grass to divide into small piles of fuel. She nned to light a pile of twigs and leaves when it got dark so when the police arrived, they would be sure to see the fire right away. It was also so cold at night, how could she survive without a fire? She ran a high feverst night... Sighing, Gu Nianzhi sat quietly by the pile of twigs and leaves to await theing night.

    Soon after, the entire valley dimmed again as the setting sun drifted lower and lower on the horizon before finally disappearing. Gu Nianzhi was alone in the valley, and the autumn bugs chirped around her. There was the asional chattering of a bird nesting for the night, and not far away, fish sshed in the small creek. Soon, it was all quiet again.

    Completely alone, Gu Niazni felt like she was the only one left in the world. She waited until thest shred of light disappeared from between the foliage but had yet to see a trace of the police. She was certain that the police wouldn¡¯t being today as she slowly lit the pile of leaves with the lighter. It burned brightly and smoke wafted up. Taking a deep breath, Gu Nianzhi looked at the white smoke and thought optimistically that even if the police couldn¡¯te in time, the forest rangers might see someone lighting a fire with the smoke it created. They mighte to see what was happening. If the forest rangers were alerted and came here in time, then Gu Nianzhi would be rescued and wouldn¡¯t have to wait for the police toe. These European public servants sure had low productivity levels... They was noparison to the speed of police dispatch in the Hua Xia Empire.

    Sitting against therge rock, and with the bright, warm fire before her to dispel the night¡¯s chilly air, Gu Nianzhi gradually felt sleepy after staring at the flickering mes for some time. Her head started to bob slightly, like a little chick pecking for rice. She didn¡¯t want to sleep alone in the wilderness, but she had had a fever yesterday, and her body had a mind of its own. However, today she had recovered and didn¡¯t dare to sleep. Even so, she couldn¡¯t resist her body¡¯s circadian rhythm. Theter into the night it was, the sleepier she got. She was nearly at her limit. Although she forced her eyes open several times, she somehow closed her eyes in slumber under the powerful drowsiness.

    She didn¡¯t know how long she slept, perhaps a few minutes, or an hour or two. Her head felt foggy, but amid the confusion, a sudden flurry of flying birds sounded by her ear. Gu Nianzhi woke up, startled. It couldn¡¯t be a good thing that nesting birds were suddenly flying around in the middle of the night. Gu Nianzhi instantly recalled a military drill she had with Huo Shaoheng. It waste at night, and she was sleeping deeply in her tent when Huo Shaoheng gently woke her up and said the Blue Army was nning an ambush, so they had to move sites right then. Gu Nianzhi followed him groggily and asked, ¡°How do you know there¡¯s an ambush?¡± She didn¡¯t see anything. The camp was quiet, and there was no sign of arge-scale enemy attack...

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Many birds by the camp are suddenly flying in the middle of the night. There can only be peopleing.¡± As expected, their camp was overtaken by the Blue Army soon after evacuating.

    There was no question people wereing, but how could she be sure if they were friend or foe? Although she had called the police, they weren¡¯t the only ones who knew her location. Even the people plotting with Seth to hurt her knew! Gu Nianzhi considered it very carefully, and finally came to the conclusion that she wasn¡¯t certain. Perhaps the police woulde, or it could be the people trying to kill her because they still had to confirm if she had died. They wanted her dead or alive, so they mighte down there to search again. Of course, it could also be the forest rangersing, since she had started a fire in the woods...

    What would the situation be? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun quickly, and she decided that she should hide. She had gathered several piles of firewood during the day and had just lit the smallest one, so the fire wasn¡¯t too big yet. She extinguished it with two stomps of her feet. The valley that had been previously illuminated by the fire suddenly dimmed, leaving only the soft moonlight and starlight floating through the forest. Gu Nianzhi blinked and quickly ustomed herself to the darkness. Using the cane to stand up, she went around therge rock to hide behind it.

    The birds fluttered their wings in flight, and there was also another sound among them. Gu Nianzhi was totally focused and finally understood what it was. She would¡¯ve bolted and found a faraway ce to hide at that point if her left leg hadn¡¯t been hurt. There was no way she could hide in the shadows of therge rock behind the firewood. Hugging her bucket bag tightly, her heart hammered when she suddenly thought about the phone inside it. What if it rang? She quickly reached in the bucket bag to put her phone into vibration mode, then put it in her sweatpants¡¯ pocket close to her body. That way, she wouldn¡¯t miss a call if her rescuers tried reaching her.

    Laying behind therge rock motionlessly for a few minutes, she finally heard a vague buzzing sound from above. Slowly looking up, she nced at the sky, and her eyes suddenly widened.

    In the dark night, four ck-clothed figures slowly descended from the sky. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be uniformed policemen. They were tied with harnesses that resembled wires in cinematic special effects scenes. These people gripped the wires with one hand and a gun with the other! The muzzles pointed up at the sky, and the shape of the guns looked very familiar. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed quickly. Those were semi-automatic submachine guns! Were these people here to rescue her or kill her?! Police typically were fully armed to this extent only when facing off with terrorists! As an unarmed little girl, why did they need such firepower?! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped hard.

 Chapter 631 - Hiding Professional

    <h4>Chapter 631: Hiding Professional</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The four uniformed police officers came down from the top with ropes. They wore caps that covered half of their faces. They were also wearing shades. It only took Gu Nianzhi one look to know that they were not normal shades. They must have been night vision ones.

    The four police officers looked around cautiously. They were armed with guns. They were prepared to shoot should there be any movement around. Had they reallye to rescue her? Gu Nianzhi looked at the police officers again and shouted with a final glimpse of hope, ¡°Help!¡± Then she rolled onto the ground and into the jungle.

    The moment those officers heard her cry for help, they turned in that direction and began shooting! Bullets rained from above and hit the rocks. Broken pieces of rocks flew all around. They could¡¯ve injured anyone who was nearby.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi had already rolled away, some of the broken pieces of rocks hit her back. It hurt. However, they were merely abrasions. She had managed to avoid the bullets. Otherwise, she would really have been killed there.

    Gu Nianzhi could finally confirm that those police officers were not here to save her¡ªthey were here to kill her! Since that was the case, they couldn¡¯t me her for being ruthless! She should have known. That horrendous stepfather of Seth¡¯s was one of the higher-ranking police officers! How could she be so stupid and hope that the police would save her?! Seth was the one who wanted her dead, and his stepfather was the higher management in the police force.

    She had thought that the police force in Munich would not have any affiliation with York, but seeing these four armed police officers who shot in the direction her cries for help hade from, Gu Nianzhi did not dare to risk it again. She shivered the moment she tried to imagine what could have happened to her if she were tond herself in York¡¯s hands...

    With determination, she carried her bucket bag behind her and rolled onto the ground. Then, slowly, she crawled her way through. There were many trees where she was, and the moon couldn¡¯t shine through them. It was much darker than the empty space across the river. Taking the opportunity while the men were still hanging in mid air and could not see what was happening onnd clearly, Gu Nianzhi crawled out from behind the rocks and pushed the stacks of firewood she had stacked during the day closer together, forming a huge stack of firewood.

    There were many trees there¡ªtall and huge ones, short and wide ones, flowering ones, and even some with fruit on them. However, when autumn arrived, all of their leaves fell, other than those of evergreen trees. Having almost no visitors there, the ground was covered with a thickyer of fallen leaves. During the day, Gu Nianzhi had gathered them into little stacks of kindling.

    Now that the small stacks had been pushed together to form a big stack, it was much higher than the ones she had made during the day. The stack was almost as high as her knees. She ced them directly under the men who wore police uniforms¡ªthe ones who shot at her.

    Gu Nianzhi guessed that these people must be hanging there with suspension wires. Therefore, theirnding point would already have been nned and would be difficult to change on ast minute request. And before theynded, it would be impossible for them to release themselves from the wire. Taking out her lighter, Gu Nianzhi lit the firewood stack with a cold expression. Then, she quickly rolled away and hid behind a big rock.

    Light from the fire lit up the dark grounds again. However, this time, it was way stronger than before. Other than being a lot brighter, it was also a lot hotter. The mes were burning even higher as well. The mes continued growing until they almost touched the soles of the men¡¯s feet. The four men were stunned. The ce where they were supposed tond was in mes?!

    What do we do, then?!

    They were about three meters from the ground. If they were to release themselves from the wires, they¡¯d fall right into the fire. However, if they do not do that, the wires wouldnd them right into the mes as well!

    Someone began tomunicate to the people on the ground to report the situation. ¡°Eagle! Eagle! Fox calling for Eagle! There¡¯s fire at ournding point! We¡¯re unable tond. Fox requests to change thending spot!¡±

    However, the people on the ground saw the fire from the cameras on the helmets of the four men and replied ruthlessly, ¡°The fire is man-made. It is most likely by thewyer. She isn¡¯t dead! She¡¯s down there!¡±

    ¡°But the fire is too big. We can¡¯t go down!¡± The four men were extremely nervous. They had thought that it was merely a night search and wouldn¡¯t be too tough, but they did not expect to meet someone who would dare to start a fire there!

    ¡°You¡¯re not that high up, to be honest. Just jump. I can only shift a little at most. However, I probably won¡¯t be able to get away from the mes, either. Alternatively, you may jump onto the trees to the side.¡± Because there weren¡¯t a lot of empty spaces fornding spots, their only option was tond on the trees and climb down.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the four men changed direction and were moving towards the trees. Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer to the trees: My dear trees, I¡¯m so sorry. They¡¯ll being here to kill me if I don¡¯t light you up. If I do light you up, the forest conservancy people will be here. You will be saved...

    After saying that, Gu Nianzhi swifty took out her wallet, Swiss Army knife keychain, a pack of tissue, and some choctes from her Hermes bucket bag and stuffed them into her clothes before taking out her lighter again and lighting one of the big trees behind her. Coincidentally, the tree that Gu Nianzhi lit was a type of Tectona grandis. Not only was it easily mmable, it could also burn for a long time. The moment Gu Nianzhi lit the tree, she quickly rolled in front towards the river and hid in the water without a sound.

    The fire from the tree had spread to the other trees around, and a forest fire began just like that. The dark night sky of the Alps was suddenly lit up due to therge fire. The mes danced in the darkness, and the Germans and nuns who lived in the area saw the mes immediately. The bell was rung, and the forest conservancy received an emergency call. They hopped into their helicopter and flew towards the spot where the fire was located.

    The men who were wearing police uniforms panicked when they saw that the trees around were in mes as well. They were discussing whether they couldnd in the river instead, when they heard helicopters above them! The light from the helicopters shined on them and revealed their identities in an instant.

    ¡°The people who started the fire! Listen up! Put down your weapons and put your hands behind your head! You¡¯ve been surrounded!

    ¡°What? Police officers? Which department are you from? Report your Identification number!¡± It was the helicopters from the forest conservancy. The people began to put out the fire as they spoke to the ¡°police officers.¡±

    In no time at all, white foam spilled from the helicopter onto the fire. The fire was put out in a short time. However, the four men in police uniforms turned towards them and opened fire! At the same time, they shouted into their walkie-talkies, ¡°Retreat! Retreat! Fox calling for Eagle! Retreat now!¡± They wanted the people to pull them up as soon as possible.

    However, when the people from the ground saw the helicopters from the forest conservancy, they abandoned the pulley truck and drove off in their cars. The people from the forest conservancy had guns as well. They understood that the four men were not real police officers the moment they saw how they reacted!

    Seeing that their helicopter was under fire, they began to fire back as well. The four men hanging in mid air immediately became live targets.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    After a series of gunshots, three out of four of the men were dead with headshots. Thest one was shot in the arm. He dropped the gun in his hand. It fell into whatever was left of the mes on the ground and exploded...

    The people from the forest conservancy had no ns to get out of their helicopter. Most likely, they were worried that there might be more fake police officers around, and they did not want to open fire if they met them. It was also likely that they might be returning to find more help for this situation. Whichever the case was, the helicopter circled the ce a couple of times and flew away, leaving three corpses and an injured man hanging in mid air.

    Hiding in the river, Gu Nianzhi looked at what just happened feeling extremely afraid. She was also relieved that she had brought a lighter along to save her life like that. Had she exposed herself when the four men dressed in police uniforms appeared, she would be the one lying there, dead.

    Sigh. She had just lost all the trust she had in humans. It was so emotionally draining... Gu Nianzhi felt alone as she plunged her head into the water. She threw on her favorite Hermes bag and began swimming downstream. That bag wasn¡¯t waterproof. Therefore, it soaked up water the moment Gu Nianzhi went into the river. It was as heavy as a rock. Therefore, even though Gu Nianzhi loved the bag, she decided to abandon it in such a time of crisis. Her priority now was to get herself to safety.

    The forest conservancy people would definitely be back. However, she did not dare to get in contact with the people from the helicopters anymore. Looking at how they killed, even though it was in self-defense, Gu Nianzhi was still scared. And those men in police uniforms¡ªwho knew if they¡¯d be real police officers or fake ones?!

    Thinking along the same lines, Gu Nianzhi realized, who would know if the forest conservancy people who were going to return were real?! She had been somewhat ovee with paranoia, thinking that whoever came would be there to kill her. She could not trust anyone again, unless Huo Shao could appear right now. Professor He would be fine as well, but they were both not with her at this point in time.

    Gu Nianzhi swam in the cold water. In a state of panic, she managed to swim exceptionally well, even better than usual, leaving the riverbank in a short time. After god knows how long, Gu Nianzhi felt tired. Turning around, she began swimming using the backstroke, taking the opportunity to look at the ce she hade from.

 Chapter 632 - Acting Out â€œLostâ€

    <h4>Chapter 632: Acting Out ¡°Lost¡±</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    There was no fire and smoke over there, but the bright lights illuminated half the sky, and the sound of a machine roaring could be heard. Gu Nianzhi guessed the forest rangers must¡¯ve called in backup because there was an incident of gunmen opening fire and dying...

    She also recalled Seth¡¯s father, York, when she thought about those policemen who could be real or fake. York was the most powerful man within the Rou Regional Police and also the biggest crime leader. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to try her luck. She had no idea how many policemen from Munich colluded with York. If he could even intercept emergency calls, then he had to be more powerful than he appeared! There had to be some good and some bad people within all the police. Otherwise, Seth couldn¡¯t have easily escaped the hospital and plotted with someone to attack her with H3AB7.

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her head up from the water to take a deep breath, then suddenly plunged down again to swim with all her might. Before she knew it, the fracture in her left calf seemed to havepletely healed or perhaps she was too stressed and forgot about the pain of the injury as she swam for her life. No matter the reason, she was able to move her injured leg easily and wasn¡¯t handicapped in the water. She swam vigorously because she knew her chance of surviving increased the farther she got away from that ce!

    With her burst of adrenaline, she swam until she was nearly exhausted. The sky was beginning to brighten, and Gu Nianzhi finally rxed the movements of her limbs to drift ashore. She almost swam half the night... Crawling out of the water, sheid on the grass by the shore. Her entire body was soaked as she gasped for breath and was nearly dead from exertion. Tired and hungry, she had almost used up all her energy and fell asleepying on the grass.

    As the sun slowly climbed, it illuminated the forest field by the river. The area was simr to where Gu Nianzhi hade from, but the mountain peaks were higher and forest denser. There were even fewer traces of humans there. By afternoon, the sun shone even more fiercely, and the wet clothes on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body had nearlypletely dried.

    Gu Nianzhi was awakened by a warm, wet feeling of fuzziness. Slowly opening her eyes, she happened to look into a pair ofrge, dark eyes that were extremely innocent. Gu Nianzhi woke with a yelp. It was a baby deer standing in front of her! Was it licking her face earlier? Gu Nianzhi scrambled up from the grass, and the little deer was spooked. It jumped back twice then bounded into the dense forest, disappearing from sight. Gu Nianzhi looked at the emerald forest ahead andughed so hard she cried. Thank God! What was going on? Was she acting out ¡°Lost?¡±

    Sitting dazedly on the grass by the shore for some time, Gu Nianzhi finally remembered to check if the things in her pocket were still ok. She first rummaged in her pants pocket where her phone was. Yes, it was still there, but because it had been in the water for half the night, who knew if it still worked? Gu Nianzhi grumbled as she took it out. It was dead, as expected. What happened to Apple phones having the best waterproof capabilities? It was all a big lie! Gu Nianzhiined inwardly as she stood up to look around. She found the emptiest spot where the sun shone the brightest and put her phone in the light. She hoped that the light and heat would evaporate all the moisture inside and it would be usable after.

    Afterying her phone out, Gu Nianzhi then dug out several choctes from her jacket pocket. They had melted in the water and turned into a wet brown lump that looked gross. However, she was tired and hungry, and chocte was the best food to replenish her blood sugar and energy. She had no choice but to stuff it in her mouth and swallow immediately. Luckily, the taste was unchanged, and her tastebuds were especially sensitive to chocte. The more she ate, the hungrier she became, so she couldn¡¯t help throwing the second piece of melted chocte in her mouth. This time, she savored it carefully before swallowing. After having two choctes, she sat there for a while, waiting for her energy to recuperate.

    Looking down at her left calf, she pressed gently on it to find there was no pain at all. She had tied several willow branches tightly to her calf with her shoces. Gu Nianzhi had an idea. She undid the shoces and threw away the willow branches she had been using as a splint. Pulling up the hem of her pants, she checked the injured area and was floored. The skin on her left calf was luminously fair like jade, the skin so fine it appeared poreless. She remembered the bone in her calf had fractured, and she also had scapes from rolling down the road onto the mountain rocks. There had been cuts so dark they looked purple and many areas of broken skin. She had thought that it would all scar since they couldn¡¯t be treated in time. She never thought there would not only be no scars remaining, but everything had also healed so quickly! If she hadn¡¯t seen the cuts herself, she would¡¯ve thought she had dreamed it all up...

    Gently rubbing her left calf for a while, Gu Nianzhi then rolled up her sleeves to check her arms. As expected, all the cuts on her arms were healed, too, and it didn¡¯t look like there had beenrge areas of scraped skin. It wasn¡¯t strange that the cuts would heal without scars, but why had they healed so quickly? Not only had her fracturepletely healed already, but even her scrapes from falling had disappeared. She really was amazing... Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a bit, then began to smile. Maybe she was lucky. Another door opened when one closed; good-hearted people would have good karma!

    Although the wicked Seth had plotted to hurt her, she not only escaped sessfully but also taught him a real lesson! She truly hoped that vile man would die from his pain. Gu Nianzhi cursed him in her mind but also didn¡¯t know what those people had done with Seth. Would they twist the truth and im Gu Nianzhi injured him, then send police to arrest her at her hotel, and because she wouldn¡¯t be there, im she fled from the scene of the crime? Gu Nianzhi enjoyed making up the scenario and even began to n how she would defend herself and sue Seth for intending to harm her, another one against him on the books! A smile appeared on her face, and shepletely rxed. The baby deer who had run off earlier cocked its head at her from the trees for a while, then trotted over. It stood by her and began licking her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Why did animals like her so much? Gu Nianzhi was gloating for a full minute when she understood why the baby deer was so interested in her. She still had the scent of chocte on her hands! After mulling it over, Gu Nianzhi quietly took out herst mushed up piece of chocte, took off the wrapper, and ced it in her open palm. She moved toward the little deer¡¯s mouth. It looked up at Gu Nianzhi for a while, itsrge, pure, and innocent eyes melting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart. Lowering its head, the little deer began licking the melted chocte from her palm. Its soft tongue brushed against her palm, giving her skin a warm tingle.

 Chapter 636 - Returning to the Civilized World

    <h4>Chapter 636: Returning to the Civilized World</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The ungrateful bear cub ran off to hide from the rain. Gu Nianzhi looked at the thick sheets of rain and thought she couldn¡¯t just stay and get soaked. She climbed down the tree and saw that there were also some evergreens in the forest, so she ran over to shelter from the rain.

    This time, she was thankful it wasn¡¯t summertime because there was no lightning. Otherwise, hiding under a tree would be suicide. But even if there was no lightning, she was practically destroying herself. Gu Nianzhi considered it as a cold wind mixed with the rain blew towards her, chilling her to the bone. Shivering, she sneezed and thought she might have a cold. She rubbed her nose and tried to press herself closer to the trunk.

    The rain was unrelenting, sometimes falling heavier and sometimes lighter. It continued for almost a whole day! Gu Nianzhi waspletely soaked and was a mess. When it was almost nighttime, she finally couldn¡¯t stand the hunger and thirst anymore. Walking out from under the tree, she nned to forage for some berries. Suddenly, the bear cub bounded towards her and circled around her feet. Gu Nianzhi sighed and knelt down to pat his little head. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry home. What¡¯s the use of getting soaked here with me?¡±

    The bear cub¡¯s marble-like ck eyes stared stubbornly at her, then he turned to run off. He ran a bit and turned back to look at her. When he saw she wasn¡¯t moving, he would run back and crouch at her feet to wait for her to notice him before running off again. He continued to run a bit then turn back to look at her, but Gu Nianzhi remained standing, so the bear cub would run back to crouch at her feet or look up at her or run in circles around her feet. After the cub did this several times, she finally understood. ¡°You want me to follow you?¡± She looked fearfully at the bear cub like it was going to nod like some fairy creature! Luckily, it didn¡¯t nod but only looked up at her for a while before running off.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi began to follow it to see what it was up to. When the bear cub looked around again to see Gu Nianzhi was following him, it stopped running back and happily moved forward. Gu Nianzhi was finally certain the bear cub was taking her somewhere... To get away from the rain? That was amazing... She was so touched... Eyes glistening, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even notice she had begun smiling. She finally felt hope for life again in a ce where almost everyone seemed to have forgotten her, because a cute bear cub was desperately trying to help her. She only saved it once, but it knew to repay the kindness. Compared to some people, who didn¡¯t even deserve to be human, Gu Nianzhi thought it was an insult to animals to call those people as such. They were less than animals.

    Gu Nianzhi followed the bear cub with some trepidation along the narrow and rugged mountain path. Because it was still raining, the path was muddy, and when she stepped into deep and shallow mud, her sneakers werepletely ruined by the yellow dirt. She still had no idea where the cub was taking her. They walked until the sky grew dark before finally turning a corner on the winding mountain path where a steepled castle suddenly appeared! Gu Nianzhi looked up, covering her mouth as tears welled out of her eyes.

    The castle wasn¡¯t especiallyrge or small, and light spilled from several windows. There must be people in there! Warm tears danced in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes as she quickly walked towards the light from the castle. After getting off the muddy mountain path, she quickly walked onto a clean asphalt road. Gu Nianzhi sighed in deep relief and felt revitalized by returning from the wilderness to the civilized world. She nearly jogged over there but only moved a few steps when she sensed something was wrong.

    She stopped and looked around to see the bear cub had stopped before the road. It didn¡¯t step onto the asphalt road but only looked up at her from across it before turning around to waddle back the way they came. Looking at his lonesome back, Gu Nianzhi felt guilty, like she was idly watching a small child walk alone at night. However, she quicklyposed herself and convinced herself that the bear cub was a wild animal that had grown up in the mountains. Compared to her, she was the one who truly needed help. While Gu Nianzhi still felt thankful towards it, right now she couldn¡¯t even save herself. There was truly no way she could express any more gratitude towards the bear cub. Once she escaped, she would do other things to help the bear cub like increase the punishment towards criminals who poached ck bears for their bile. She promised to ept more animal protection cases for free or even pay out of her own pocket!

    Thinking this way, Gu Nianzhi finally turned towards the great castle doors. There were indeed such castles in the Alps, and Gu Nianzhi remembered she hade across them when she was researching the K?nigssee. Many German monasteries were in the Alps, and like temples in the Huaxia Empire, they tended to be established in famous mountains and rivers inessible to humans. That way, they were isted from worldly interference and allowed for better religious practice. She didn¡¯t know if this castle was one of those legendary monasteries, but since there was a castle here, wouldn¡¯t there be a cell signal?

    Gu Nianzhi got excited and quickly took out her phone only to find there really was a weak half bar of signal! She was ecstatic. How could an inte child survive without going online?! She quickly called Yin Shixiong and the other men, but it didn¡¯t go through. She then tried going online to send Yin Shixiong and his men a message. She tried for a long time but couldn¡¯t connect to anywork, so she could only give up.

    Stuffing the phone back in her pocket, she jogged all the way to the castle¡¯s iron gates. The castle was on a round plot ofnd encircled by a wall. Directly facing the main road was the iron gate. It was half a person tall and iid with exquisite wrought iron flowers. This type of door was standard security against good people but useless against criminals. Although Gu Nianzhi did not see herself as a criminal, she had no choice but to do what she had to. Pressing against the top of the gate with one hand, she vaulted her long legs and easily jumped over the castle gate.

    When she got onto the castle path, she noticed it was probably cement and a bit better than the asphalt roads outside. The rain continued, and she was alreadypletely wet from being out in the rain all day. It didn¡¯t matter anymore, so she jogged all the way to the castle¡¯s great doors. Amp hung at the top of the door, emitting a bright white light that illuminated the fine spray of rain outside. Gu Nianzhi looked at the obviously time weathered wooden door and took a deep breath before grabbing therge iron door knocker. She knocked for a full five minutes before she heard the door creak open from the inside. A fat nun wearing a ck habit and white wimple appeared. Her round face revealed a double chin. The nun was shocked to see the soaked Gu Nianzhi and gripped the door tightly as she asked in German, ¡°What can we help you with?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly used her newly learned German to stutter, ¡°Shelter from the rain, is that ok?¡± She then felt it wasn¡¯t what she meant and switched to English, ¡°Do you speak English?¡± The authentic Oxford English ent was very useful on the European continent, since it indicated a good upbringing and family background.

    The nun¡¯s nervous expression rxed immediately as she smiled at her while nodding. ¡°Where did youe from? Are you lost?¡± As she spoke, she opened the door to let Gu Nianzhi inside.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed with relief and nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, I was traveling with some friends. They left today, but I was alone, entranced by the beautiful scenery. I was a bitte and got caught in the rain, then ended up lost.¡± She nervously adjusted her clothes and scratched her head.

    The nun closed the door with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s ok. Go take a bath and change.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely happy. After being stranded in the wilderness for five days without inte and not being able to shower, wash her hair, or eat a proper meal, she waspletely done with it! It felt amazing to return to the civilized world! Nodding quickly, she replied, ¡°Yes, yes. Thank you.¡± She then continued, ¡°I¡¯ll pay whatever the cost is.¡± She was very worried the nun thought she¡¯d be eating and staying for free, so she exined right away.

    The nun smiled. ¡°That¡¯s ok. We are all the Lord¡¯s people. The Lord allowed you to meet us, so we must help without asking for anything in return. Amen.¡± She crossed herself and sounded very religious.

    Gu Nianzhi also crossed herself quickly and was liking the Lord more than ever. She followed the nun inside. The first floor of the castle was a hall surrounded by tall stained ss windows. Because it was very dark outside, she hadn¡¯t been able to see it clearly until she came inside. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t look away. The nun was very chatty and told her about the history and heritage of the nunnery. Noticing her interest in the stained ss images, she exined the images to all to her. They were all of biblical stories including the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus Christ. Although Gu Nianzhi had heard of it long before, she appeared like she was learning it the first time and sighing in awe to be polite. The nun got even more excited and began chattering the whole time until she walked Gu Nianzhi to the door of a small room where she finally stopped talking about the Bible. Opening the door, she said kindly to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You can stay here tonight.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Gu Nianzhi nearly bowed, she was truly grateful. She didn¡¯t know what else to say but thanks, having been taken in without question in an unfamiliar ce like this. Even her normally glib tongue was totally useless. Seeing the tall four-poster bed in the room, along with fluffy down quilts, a simple and elegant sofa, and a small vanity with a desk, Gu Nianzhi could almost cry with happiness. She finally had a bed to sleep in! She didn¡¯t have to worry about a beast suddenly attacking her in the night! Gu Nianzhi kept nodding with a smile and decided that if she could escape, she would make sure to donate lots of money to this nunnery! Everyone was happy to add icing to the cake, but how many would actually help to bake it from nothing? She must reward them!

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± The fat nun pointed to a small door inside the room. ¡°There¡¯s a bathroom over there, and there¡¯s still some hot water. You can bathe.¡± She then nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s discolored, filthy clothes. ¡°I also have an unworn habit. It was made when I was very thin. I can¡¯t fit in it anymore. Do you want to wear it?¡±

    A nun¡¯s habit couldn¡¯t be worn by just anyone, and it was especially taboo with Germans, so they refused to wear it. Because of this, the nun had asked cautiously. Of course, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t care less and nodded vigorously. ¡°Thank you so much, I really do need clothes to change into.¡± She hesitated and whispered, ¡°Also some underwear... Do you have any here? I can pay for it...¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, we have some, and it is brand new. You don¡¯t need to pay for it. Our nunnery always buys some new undergarments every year to donate to orphanages.¡±

    Great, so Gu Nianzhi had be an orphan epting donations. She was a bit bbergasted but nodded quickly. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The fat nun thought Gu Nianzhi was interesting to speak with, and her mood improved. Gently closing the door for Gu Nianzhi, she turned to get a change of clothes for her. At the end of the long hallway stood a tall, slim figure. The fat nun walked closer to see it was the Reverend Mother and quickly said, ¡°Reverend Mother, why are you up?¡±

    ¡°Josephine, who is that?¡± The Reverend Mother was a woman in her forties or fifties. She was very thin and had a wrinkled face. However, her eyes were sharp when they assessed people.

    The fat nun Josephone answered. ¡°She¡¯s a passing traveler. She got separated from her friends and needs to stay the night.¡±

    The Reverend Mother frowned and whispered, ¡°Lost? When did she get lost?¡±

    ¡°She said it was today.¡±

    ¡°Haha Josephine, she¡¯s lying. There¡¯s no way she was only lost for a day if her clothes are that tattered. Also, her shoes are very dirty andpletely caked with mud. She must¡¯ve been on the mountain for several days.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Reverend Mother is so amazing!¡± The fat nun Josephine appeared very impressed.

    The tan, slim Reverend Mother merely snorted and walked away as she said, ¡°Let her stay one night, but she must leave tomorrow.¡± The Reverend Mother hated people who asked for help but didn¡¯t tell the truth. Also, although the girl wore tattered clothes and appeared filthy, her exquisite little face looked like it had been polished by the Lord himself. Herrge eyes were enough to pull at heartstrings from the darkness, resembling thergest jewels on the royal crown. She was so beautiful, and the Reverend Mother instinctively knew that such pretty women were never good people.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi walked around the room and raised her arms to twirl happily before looking in the bathroom. It was truly a nunnery¡¯s bathroom, simple and robust. A ck bar of soap and a bottle of handwash sat on the white marble sink. In the shower was a white bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo, the kind easily found in German supermarkets. But all of this was much too precious for Gu Nianzhi, who had been lost in the wilderness for five days!

 Chapter 637 - The Years with Huo Shao

    <h4>Chapter 637: The Years with Huo Shao</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi carefully checked the bathroom to make sure there was nothing that shouldn¡¯t be there. Just as she was about to remove her clothes to shower, someone knocked on her door. Gu Nianzhi thought it must be the fat nuning by to give her clothes, so she quickly covered herself up to go open the door.

    It was indeed the nun holding some clothes as she smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This was my habit when I was young, and there is also some brand new underwear.¡± She thought about it then continued, ¡°All the underwear is one size, so they should fit, even though they¡¯re a bit big.¡±

    This nun was too nice! Gu Nianzhi had a great impression of her and smiled with a shake of her head. ¡°No problem, baggier underwear is morefortable.¡± She epted the clothing from the nun and began chatting with her. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Josephine. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m Cereus.¡± Gu Nianzhi only told the nun her English name.

    Josephine didn¡¯t suspect her at all and smiled as she waved. ¡°Then goodnight, Cereus.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also said goodnight to her and watched her return to her own room before quietly closing the door. Carrying the bundle of clothes from Josephine to bathroom, Gu Nianzhi saw she also brought a sleeveless top along with the underwear. She decided to properly shower and shampoo to clean off the dirt from the past few days. She had been rolling around in mud, climbing trees, and even swimming in rivers, so she smelled awful.

    She almost didn¡¯t feel picky about the scent of the soap or care if the high pH wasn¡¯t good for her skin. She grabbed it and worked up ather at the sink, then rubbed it on her face to wash her skin. Taking off the dirty jacket she had been wearing for several days, Gu Nianzhi walked into the shower and began to wash herself.

    After showering, she used soap to wash her own bra and underwear. The soap had a very high pH, so her body and face felt tight and dry after. Although she really wanted to apply lotion to her entire body, there was no moisturizer for her face in the room, so she had no choice. Feeling very sleepy after the shower, she copsed on the soft four-poster bed and almost fell asleep as soon as she hit the mattress.

    ...

    In the Reverend Mother¡¯s room, she had prayed with her rosary and was about to go to bed when the phone rang. Who would be calling at thiste hour? The Reverend Mother was shocked and decided to take the call after some hesitation. Cell signal in the Alps was very weak, so cell phones were basically useless there unless the Copernicus Satellite Navigation system could be utilized. However, that wasn¡¯t something normal people could afford. Needless to say, a tiny nunnery didn¡¯t have that kind of money, so they still used ancientndline phones.

    ¡°Who is calling?¡± the Reverend Mother asked politely.

    The caller paused for a second and spoke German in a somewhat rigid way, but the grammar was correct. ¡°I¡¯m a detective from the Munich Regional Police. We have a tip that a fugitive just fled to your nunnery.¡±

    The Reverend Mother stood up abruptly and asked anxiously, ¡°What? What fugitive are you talking about?¡± She instantly thought of the young girl Josephine had let in to shelter from the rain. She was incredibly beautiful but turned out to be a bad person?!

    The callerughed quietly. ¡°It¡¯s a young girl. She¡¯s very pretty. You must¡¯ve seen her?¡±

    When the caller mentioned this and imed they were calling from the police station, the Reverend Mother had no reason to doubt them. Also, it was true that a suspicious young girl had entered their nunnery. Josephine was kind enough to take her in, but that girl lied to her! The Reverend Mother grew stern. ¡°She¡¯s a fugitive? How do you know she¡¯s here? If you know, then why don¡¯t youe to arrest her right away?¡±

    The woman replied patiently, ¡°We have a satellite tracking system and located her at your nunnery from tracking her cell signal.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The Reverend Mother believed her and nodded before asking, ¡°Whatw did she break?¡±

    The woman didn¡¯t answer directly but replied vaguely, ¡°The courts will sentence her for her crimes. Our job as the police is to arrest her first. We hope that you¡¯ll cooperate with us and assist us with this great favor.¡± She then continued, ¡°This girl is very crafty and highly suspicious in nature. We hope that you don¡¯t give anything away. Just to try to keep her there. Our officers are heading over to your nunnery, so as long as you keep her there for a few hours tonight, our officers should be there early tomorrow morning. At that time, you can hand her over to us.¡±

    The Reverend Mother was extremely nervous and asked quickly, ¡°She¡¯s that dangerous? Will she hurt us? Hurry up and get your officers here! There¡¯s only a few of us here, and we¡¯re all women!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± The woman hung up.

    The Reverend Mother set down the phone and felt even more uneasy. She got up to walk around the room in circles but still couldn¡¯t calm down. Opening the door to Josephone¡¯s room, she saw she was already asleep, so she could only go back. She sat in her room until the sun was nearly up, then finally thought of a solution.

    ...

    The nunnery¡¯s kitchen started breakfast early in the morning. There weren¡¯t many people in the nunnery, so there wasn¡¯t a designated chef. All the nuns took turns making breakfast. With the Reverend Mother¡¯s position, she had no need to be scheduled for breakfast duty for a long time, but today she behaved out of the norm and went to the kitchen herself after saying she¡¯d make everyone breakfast. The nun assigned to cook that morning was very happy and thanked her profusely before going back to her room to sleep some more.

    The Reverend Mother was alone in the kitchen. She took out flour, eggs, and blueberries picked yesterday to make blueberry bread and blueberry cake. Both were her signature dishes, so they were more delicious than the ones from shops or restaurants.

    ...

    Maybe it was because Gu Nianzhi was in apletely new environment that she didn¡¯t feelfortable in the bed. She started by sleeping for four hours before the extreme drowsiness and tiredness faded away, then she woke up and couldn¡¯t sleep again. She recalled how she only slept for four or five hours a night in the wilderness a few days ago because she was too stressed and couldn¡¯t rx. She couldn¡¯t sleep too much, even when she felt very tired. As long as the sleepiness faded, she woke up.

    Sometimes she also thought about how this deep feeling of unease seemed to be rooted directly in her memories. She had also been like that for the first year or two living with Huo Shao. She could only sleep three or four hours a night and would be sure to wake up at midnight from a nightmare.

    Huo Shaoheng had obeyed the military¡¯smand to be her guardian, but at the time, he was only a 22-year-old young man and had no experience raising a child. Also, she wasn¡¯t a young child that would stop crying with some hugging, coddling, or candy. This child was a 12-year-old girl, neither a baby nor teenager, so he couldn¡¯t hug, coax, or give her candy to stop her crying. Huo Shaoheng had no choice, so he could only quietly sit at her bedside when she woke from nightmares and awkwardly pat her shoulder to let her know he was there with her and not to be afraid. With the reassuring patting, Gu Nianzhi gradually fell asleep.

    She remembered how in the early mornings after she woke from nightmares, she could always see Huo Shaoheng slumped over in deep sleep at her bedside as soon as she opened her eyes. His young and handsome face carried weariness and stress uncharacteristic for his age. Later on, he waspletely in charge of her sense of security, so she stopped crying, as if she had grown up overnight, and never gave Huo Shaoheng trouble again. The longer she was with him, the more secure she felt, so she began sleeping longer and longer hours at night and even developed a habit of not getting out of bed...

    Huo Shaoheng saw that he had overcorrected her and began urging her to join early morning training with his soldiers. They frequently ran ten-kilometer cross-country runs, and because she had weak health as a child, she started with only one kilometer, whichter increased to two, three, and then ten-kilometer cross-country runs. It was because of this that she vehemently hated running. Before she knew it, she gradually left behind the nightmares from her childhood as they were reced with the nightmare of daily morning runs!

    When she thought of his, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help breaking into a smile. She hugged the nkets and sat up to look at the dark sky outside. Her stomach rumbled, and she was feeling so starved, her stomach was ttened. She didn¡¯t know if this ce had any food.

    She couldn¡¯t sleep anymore and decided to go wash up in the bathroom. Checking to see that the bra and underwear she washed yesterday had dried, she changed into her own underwear before cloaking herself with the habit from Josephine. Looking in the mirror, she couldn¡¯t helpughing. The energetic girl in the mirror with huge eyes and a bright smile was obviously a fake nun! She made a face at her reflection and drew a cross on her chest with her right hand before quietly opening the door to poke her head out.

    The long hallway was silent and devoid of any other people. Everyone else should still be asleep. ncing at her watch, Gu Nianzhi saw it was only a bit past 4am, so most people were sleeping deeply right now. She sniffed the air and caught a whiff of delicious baked goods. It seemed to being from the other end of the hallway. Could the kitchen be making breakfast? When she was in the military camp, breakfast was usually made around this time. Could nunneries be simr? She remembered that Buddhist monks and nuns had morning tasks, so she assumed nuns should be about the same.

    Gu Nianzhi felt even hungrier. She wanted to work hard since she was in an unfamiliar ce, and the only way to leave a good impression was to work harder. She didn¡¯t want these nuns to assume she was azy slob, especially since she was asking them the favor of taking her in. It would be shameful to act like a princess and wait for the nuns to wait on her.

    When she thought of this, Gu Nianzhi quietly moved in the direction of the aroma of food. She followed the scent to find the kitchen and saw an older, tall and thin nun with a grim expression ce kneaded balls of dough into the oven. Each small dough ball glittered with juicy blueberries. She must be making blueberry bread. Gu Nianzhi instantly lost her appetite. She had been vomiting from heartburn since she had been eating blueberries in the wild for so many days now and couldn¡¯t eat any more. As she thought about it, she quietly walked inside and coughed gently.

    The Reverend Mother turned around to see an unfamiliar nun standing at the door. She frowned and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± She then thought of how this must be the ¡°fugitive¡± who was taken inst night! The Reverend Mother got nervous right away and instinctively squeezed the spat in her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was a little strange how this person was suddenly so nervous. However, she appeared calm and replied politely in English, ¡°Hello, I was taken in by Sister Josephinest night. May I ask who you are?¡±

    The Reverend Mother couldn¡¯t help assessing her once she confirmed her identity. Although she didn¡¯t like pretty girls, this one spoke English in an authentic Oxford ent and behaved politely. She didn¡¯t seem like a vicious ¡°fugitive¡± at all... Somehow, the Reverend Mother had a better impression of Gu Nianzhi than before.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed the older nun kept frowning as she looked at her, so she was feeling a bit peculiar. She suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and smiled. ¡°Are you making breakfast? Can I help you?¡±

    The Reverend Mother felt her heart drop as she discreetly retreated towards the oven to block view of the dough she had just put into the oven. She answered grimly, ¡°No, go back for now.¡± She then turned to watch the oven and ignored Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi thought the nun was treating her very strangely, or perhaps her impression of Joseline fromst night was too positive, so she couldn¡¯t react properly to this older nun¡¯s cold treatment. She looked at the nun¡¯s back nkly and didn¡¯t know whether to go or stay.

    The Reverend Mother faced the oven and took a deep breath before taking out a small vial from her habit¡¯s pocket. Just as she was about to drop something onto the bread, she instinctively looked back. She didn¡¯t expect the ¡°fugitive¡± to still be standing there and looking at her, too! The Reverend Mother panicked and quickly hid her hands behind her back. She chided Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I already asked you to go wait for breakfast. Why haven¡¯t you left?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, confused as to why this person was so upset with her. It wasn¡¯t like she was going to stay for free. There was no way she wasn¡¯t going to pay. Was it because the nun assumed she couldn¡¯t afford it? Gu Nianzhi thought the nuns here shouldn¡¯t be so judgemental, but she really had no idea what was going on. ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡± She bowed slightly to give a perfect curtsy.

    The Reverend Mother was shocked and pressed her hands more firmly against her back. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything more but smiled. She left the nunnery kitchen but was still feeling hungry... Looking up at the floral carvings above, she nned to go back and have more water. If that didn¡¯t work, she would go out and forage some berries.

    Taking a few steps from the kitchen, Gu Nianzhi smelled the much too alluring aroma of food. She couldn¡¯t help recalling her times with Huo Shaoheng and his men, and learning about things rted to kitchens and food. For example, during the men¡¯s training, she had learned the rule of not eating food that she hadn¡¯t seen being prepared while being on a mission. She didn¡¯t understand it back then and had asked Yin Shixiong, ¡°How can you be always watching the kitchen make food? Then how did you even work?¡± They weren¡¯t chefs.

 Chapter 638 - It Was All Worth It!

    <h4>Chapter 638: It Was All Worth It!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong exined to her that it didn¡¯t mean that she had to always keep an eye on how the kitchen was making food. It meant that when possible, she should sneak in there before the food was ready to check how it was made, who made it, where the vegetables were bought, where the rice came from and where all the salt, sauces, and seasonings were produced. Thest and most important thing was to be thest one to eat or even eat the leftovers in someone else¡¯s bowl to avoid being the first to eat when having food in an unfamiliar ce and when she had no way of checking how it was made if she couldn¡¯t cook it herself. These were all lessons paid for using blood and sacrificed lives. People typically didn¡¯t have all those worries, but for someone in a special line of work, it was of the utmost importance.

    Gu Nianzhi knew the peculiarities of Yin Shixiong and the other men¡¯s work, so thismon knowledge from their daily training could guarantee good habits when they went on missions and help avoid mishaps. Over time, Gu Nianzhi was also subtly influenced. It wasn¡¯t that she distrusted others, but she had been indoctrinated by Huo Shaoheng and his men¡¯s rules of conduct. She couldn¡¯t be at ease without checking herself. Also, she was truly hungry and perhaps she would eat anything no matter who it was from.

    Unfortunately there was no food in the kitchen, and that nun disliked her. Gu Nianzhi nned to go out to the river to catch a few fish to cook for the nuns to thank them for taking her in. Gu Nianzhi was proud of herself. Despite she being treated coldly, she was still going to roast fish for them. She was really amazing!

    Gu Nianzhi slowly walked down the long hallway and didn¡¯t return to her room. Instead, she returned to the slightly dark stairway to arrive at the door to the first floor. Opening the padlock, she pushed the door and took a deep breath. The rain had stopped, and the moonlit sky appeared to have been rinsed through with water, making the air especially fresh. Like the air from the ck Forest, one breath was enough to leave her drunk with oxygen.

    Gu Nianzhi checked her phone habitually and found there was only 10% battery left. She thought she¡¯d better ask Josephine if they had an Apple charger when she got back to recharge her phone. Then she could find a way to call Yin Shixiong and his men. She could no longer trust any of the German police, and she was afraid Smith and his colleagues were being eavesdropped on. She didn¡¯t want to contact them anymore. Putting the phone back in her pocket, she walked outside.

    Although it was no longer raining, there were still some small puddles on the cement. The sky wasn¡¯t fully bright yet, as the sun hid in the clouds far away. It was barely light outside. In the early morning, the Alps were surrounded by drifting mist and by forests as far as the eye could see. The view was as beautiful and dreamy as a portrait. Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt refreshed at the stunning sight.

    Taking a deep breath, she cast the prior unpleasantness aside and continued to wear the dirty tennis shoes with her hands sped under the habit as she strode out through the great iron gates. This time, she continued to support herself on one hand and vaulted over the waist-high iron gate. Once she walked out, the cement path ended at the asphalt road. As she went further, the asphalt road ended, and she was then on a muddy mountain path. Gu Nianzhi walked around the mud on the path and tried to stay on the grass to make the trek easier. She went back the same way she came yesterday and soon saw the small river and the road she fell off the cliff from.

    All the fish in the river feared Gu Nianzhi but were helpless against her increasingly professional spearing skills. She quickly caught several fish and strung them up on a straw rope to take back to the nunnery. When she got back, only an hour had passed, and it was a bit past five in the morning. The nuns were all starting to rouse and were washing up before going to breakfast in the dining room.

    Gu Nianzhi took the fish directly to the kitchen, and saw the depressed-looking old nun was no longer in the kitchen when she poked her head in. The kitchen and oven were empty, so the bread and cake from earlier must have been done by now. Gu Nianzhi turned to look down the hallway and happened to see a nun looking down and walking her way. Gu Nianzhi called out and the nun looked up. It was Josephine, who had let her inst night. Gu Nianzhi was very happy and waved at her before asking in English, ¡°Sister Josephine, it¡¯s perfect that you came. I wanted to roast these fish. May I borrow your kitchen?¡± Gu Nianzhi knew that Christian nunneries were unlike Chinese monk temples because they didn¡¯t forbid consuming pungent food like meat and fish, so she feltfortable asking.

    Josephine noticed her holding the fish and nodded with a smile as she answered in English, ¡°Yes, use it as you please. But breakfast is already made and was delivered to you room. I was just looking for you at your room, but you weren¡¯t there. I thought you¡¯d left already.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi set the fish down in the kitchen and said gratefully, ¡°Oh? It¡¯s already sent to my room? How can I thank you? I¡¯ll roast some fish for everyone to eat.¡± As she spoke, she had already found a knife to clean the fish. During the past few days, she had be practiced with using a tiny Swiss army knife to gut fish, so it was now much easier with a long vegetable knife. As she scaled the fish, she asked Josephine, ¡°How many nuns are in the nunnery? I only caught five fish, is that enough?¡±

    Josephineughed. ¡°That¡¯s perfect. There¡¯s five of us here including Reverend Mother. Today she got up early in the morning to make breakfast and already went back to sleep. So there¡¯s only four people to cook for, five including you.¡±

    So the old nun who disliked Gu Nianzhi this morning was the Reverend Mother. Gu Nianzhi had an idea but quickly suppressed it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll roast them all so everyone gets one.¡±

    ¡°Ok, you can roast them here, and I¡¯ll help you.¡± Josephine agreed instantly.

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s great!¡± Gu Nianzhi was very happy and quickly prepared the fish. She found salt in the kitchen to sprinkle on the fish, then also added a bit of honey and olive oil before setting them on the baking tray to push into the oven.

    Josephine smiled kindly next to her. ¡°You¡¯re quite good at catching fish...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I like to fish and roast them back at home.¡± Gu Nianzhi avoided the topic and didn¡¯t continue the subject with Josephine.

    Last night, Reverend Mother told Josephine that Gu Nianzhi was lying, so she was guarded towards her. But seeing and speaking with her now, Josephine thought nothing of it. She didn¡¯t care if the girl was lying or not. Since there were only five nuns in the nunnery, she didn¡¯t know what was worth scamming here. It wasn¡¯t Josephine¡¯s business if Gu Nianzhi lied. Her mood towards Gu Nianzhi brightened considerably when she thought of this. Looking at the roasting fish with great interest, Josephine asked, ¡°How long do we cook them for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. ¡°Fifteen minutes should be enough.¡± The fish were very tender and would overcook easily. Josephine waited in the kitchen with Gu Nianzhi and began to tell her about the various habits of the nunnery. Gu Nianzhi listened intently and murmured from time to time, ¡°So only Reverend Mother has a phone here? You usually can¡¯t go online, and there¡¯s not much cell signal?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the mountain is too high, so the signal is poor. There¡¯s typically no signal.¡± Josephine shrugged nonchntly. ¡°We don¡¯t go online anyway or contact the outside world, so phones and the inte aren¡¯t important to us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhimented internally. She really needed a phone and inte! Looked like she could only borrow a phone from the Reverend Mother. Gu Nianzhi then asked about the older nun. ¡°You said Reverend Mother was the one making breakfast early today? She was alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it should¡¯ve been another sister making breakfast today because we all rotate. But this morning Reverend Mother said she wanted to make it herself and had her leave.¡± Josephine inhaled deeply. The air was fragrant with roasting fish, so it must be delicious. Gu Nianzhi also swallowed hard. As expected, using a real oven and adding actual seasonings would make delicious fish! When the time was up, Gu Nianzhi opened the oven and used oven mitts to take out the tray. Five roasted fish glistened gold and sizzled with oil, obviously delectable.

    Josephine¡¯s eyes nearly bulged. ¡°Cereus, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d know how to roast fish so well! This is too perfect! Even four-star Michelin restaurants can¡¯t cook such nice fish!¡±

    ¡°Josephine is exaggerating!¡± Gu Nianzhi grinned widely. After all, she was a terrible cook back in the Huaxia Empire but ended up earning high praise from a German nun. It was all worth it! cing the five fragrant roasted fish on separate long white china tes rimmed with gold, she set them all on arge tray.

    Josephine took charge leading her to the dining room. ¡°Let¡¯s go and show off!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°I¡¯ll also bring my breakfast downstairs. It¡¯s nicer to eat together.¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Josephine nodded. She also didn¡¯t understand why the Reverend Mother insisted Gu Nianzhi eat alone in the room. It wasn¡¯t the first time they had hosted lost travelers in the nunnery, and they had all dined together like family.

    Gu Nianzhi was very touched by her words and smiled. ¡°But Reverend Mother must have her reasons. Is it ok if I go downstairs?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine! We¡¯re only eating together, why does it matter?¡± Josephine thought nothing of it. ¡°Also you roasted fish for us. Those other travelers did nothing but expected us to serve them!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help getting nervous. In the past, she probably would¡¯ve been one of the oblivious travelers who expected to be served. They walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, and Josephine went in to bring out her breakfast tray. Gu Nianzhi nced at it. The red cherrywood tray wasden with three bone china tes. One carried two golden muffins with roasted blueberries, and another had a slice of blueberry cake with two red strips of bacon along with yellow scrambled eggs. There was also a ss of milk. Everything looked good, except for the blueberries. As they went downstairs together, Gu Nianzhi thought about digging them out when she ate itter. The dining room was very spacious, and three nuns sat at the dining table.

    They all stood up in greeting when Josephine came over and looked at Gu Nianzhi with curiosity and asked, ¡°Who is she? A new sister?¡±

    ¡°No, she¡¯s not a new sister but a lost traveler. She¡¯s just staying here temporarily.¡± Josephineughed and gestured for Gu Nianzi to set down the tray of fish. ¡°She roasted fish for everyone. It smells really good!¡±

    The three nuns were instantly interested in the fish. Their eyes gleamed, and they were suddenly very friendly towards Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi wanted to snicker. It was a prime example of getting away with things by giving benefits. Josephine and Gu Nianzhi sat across from the three nuns and moved Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breakfast tray to her. A rather thin nun across from her eyed the breakfast on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tray and sighed longingly. ¡°Cererus, you have bacon and scrambled eggs?! How lucky... We only get bacon once a week.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the other three nuns¡¯ breakfasts. Each had two blueberry muffins and a slice of blueberry cake like she did. However, the nuns also had a bowl of oatmeal while Gu Niaznhi had the extra te of bacon and eggs.

    Josephine exined sheepishly to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. It¡¯s actually good to have bacon only once a week. That¡¯s healthier.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily divided the roasted fish to give to each nun and quietly asked Josephine, ¡°You always treat travelers staying here like that?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re the most special!¡± Josephine immediately giggled. ¡°Reverend Mother not only made your breakfast herself but delivered it to your room, too!¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank as she recalled the rules Huo Shaoheng and his men had about food from strangers. She pushed the tray aside and traded with the nun who said she liked bacon and scrambled eggs. ¡°Sister, I happen to crave oatmeal. Here, let¡¯s trade!¡±

    The nun was delighted. ¡°Ok! Thank you, Sister Cereus!¡±

    Josehine didn¡¯t think anything was amiss and was happy to see Gu Nianzhi offer her bacon. She didn¡¯t stop them at all. Gu Nianzhi traded meals with the nun, and because all the other nuns happened to wait for Josephine to eat, they hadn¡¯t touched the food yet and were able to swap cleanly. Everyone was very satisfied and ate both Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roast fish with the nunnery¡¯s breakfast. They chatted happily and enjoyed their time together. After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi mentioned wanting to borrow their phone to make a call, but when Josephine took her to Reverend Mother¡¯s room, they saw she was still sleeping.

    ¡°Just wait a bit more.¡± Josephine quickly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you needed a charger? Only the Reverend Mother has an iPhone charger.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi had no other choice but to nod in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll wait some more.¡±

    She headed back with Josephine, and just as they turned the corner, a nun came over and said to Josephine, ¡°Sister Josephine, Tess just passed out suddenly. I took her back to her room and noticed she was only sleeping, but I can¡¯t wake her up no matter what I do.¡±

    Josephine was amused. ¡°Asleep? Did she pass out or fall asleep?¡± They went to the room of the nun named Tess. Gu Nianzhi observed carefully and saw that it was the nun who had traded breakfasts with her that morning! Her heart sank as she retreated.

    Josephine was focused on Tess and bent over to feel her forehead, then checked her breathing with her hand. Sheughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s just sleeping, so let¡¯s just let her sleep awhile. If she gets a fever, we can take her to hospital.¡± Josephine moved aside, and Gu Nianzhi went to look at the nun. Her cheeks were ruddy, and her breathing was even. She was sleeping very deeply. Gu Nianzhi reached out to pinch the nun¡¯s face hard. Typically, a pinch would wake up someone who suddenly passed out and fallen asleep. But despite Gu Nianzhi¡¯s vicious pinch, Tess continued to sleep soundly. She just had breakfast and immediately fell into a deep sleep like this, so she basically fainted?

    Gu Nianzhi already knew that there was something wrong with the Reverend Mother. As for the others? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to delve too deeply into it right now. At least the four other nuns should be fine, but at a time like this, Gu Nianzhi had no moment to spare to analyze which of the five nuns were friends or foes. She had no time or energy. She was only worried that this incident was rted to the people trying to hunt her down. Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence? She was only staying temporarily, and these people wanted to drug her after one night? It didn¡¯t make sense if it was a simple robbery or murder. With the tattered clothes she came in with, she looked nothing like a wealthy person. On the other hand, the people trying to hunt her down were omniscient and were even able to intercept emergency calls to the police and use Trojan viruses to hack into people¡¯s phones. If they had pursued her here...

    She¡¯d better leave right away! Gu Nianzhi immediately made the decision but didn¡¯t say anything to anyone. She merely replied to Josephine, ¡°I¡¯m also feeling a bit sleepy. I can¡¯t even keep my eyes open. I got up too early and want to catch up on sleep now. I¡¯lle back after the Reverend Mother wakes up.¡±

    Josephine nodded. ¡°Ok, you really did wake up too early today. Go to bed. I have morning prayers with two sisters in Rose Hall over there and won¡¯t be able toe out. I¡¯ll wake you up when it¡¯s time for lunch. After lunch, we can go ask Reverend Mother to borrow her phone and charger.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was d to hear that the three nuns had morning prayers and wouldn¡¯t be able toe out right away. She nodded quickly. ¡°Go on, I¡¯ll get some sleep. Oh, my eyes won¡¯t even stay open. How can I be so sleepy?¡± As she spoke, she headed to her room. She glimpsed Josephine and the other two nuns turning the corner in the opposite direction. They entered a doorway and closed it gently.

 Chapter 639 - Molting

    <h4>Chapter 639: Molting</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. There were only five nuns in this convent. The head nun was in her room doing her things, Daisy was out cold in her room due to the medication, and the other three nuns were in the hall reciting their rosaries. Therefore, it was easy to sneak out. No one would notice.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction of the head nun¡¯s room again and felt disappointed that she could not borrow their telephone. She was worried that the telephone might be bugged, anyway.

    After returning to her room, she packed her things. She could definitely not stay here anymore. In order to keep things quiet, Gu Nianzhi used a bolster and made a human figure out of it. She disguised it to make it seem like a person was sleeping underneath the sheets. Then, she put on her jacket underneath the nun¡¯s habit and stuffed her wallet, a small packet of tissue, the Swiss Army knife keychain, Zippo lighter, and mobile phone back into it. She also brought along the underwear that Josephine had given her. That nun¡¯s habit was long and wide. It was easy to hide so many things in it.

    Just like that, she wore the nun¡¯s habit out. She peeked at the corridor before making a move. It was empty. The ce was huge, but there were not many people. This castle could really hide an army if someone wanted.

    Gu Nianzhi walked down the stairs and opened the gates. She left the convent silently and made her way into the forest. Upon entering the forest, Gu Nianzhi increased her speed and began running.

    It was quiet in the morning in the forest. Very soon, the sound of a car broke the silence. Heart thumping, Gu Nianzhi hid. Two ck police cars sped past on the road in front of her. Gu Nianzhi shivered. She knew it. She had guessed right. The people who were after her life were here again. It had been the ¡°police¡± the other time as well...

    She hid among the bushes nervously and did not move until the police cars were out of sight. Then, crouching, she ran deep into the forest.

    ...

    The head nun caught 40 winks in her room. She had been up the entire night and went to make breakfast early in the morning. She hadn¡¯t done that in a long time. Now that she had stayed up, she realized that her body could not take the fatigue at all. After she was done making breakfast, her eyelids felt so heavy. She couldn¡¯t help but return to her room to catch some sleep until the person called again and informed her that they were on the way to capture the ¡°fugitive¡± and requested she ¡°hold¡± the person.

    The head nun sat up abruptly and remembered slipping sleeping pills meant for animal hunting into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bacon. That sleeping pill could even put a bear to sleep, much less that ¡°fugitive.¡± She would be knocked out and not awaken, even if someone were to blow a trumpet in her ears.

    It was the first time the head nun had done something like that, and she felt afraid. The only thing she could do was to cheer herself on continuously. She was, ¡°getting rid of a bad egg for the people¡± and helping the police catch a ¡°fugitive.¡± Everyone should cooperate with the police should they require assistance. The head nun repeated this over and over again to herself before the sense of guilt slowly disappeared.

    However, she could not get back to sleep. She got up and washed up, and it was seven o¡¯clock when the sounds of cars could be heard outside the convent. The head nun stood up and looked out the window.

    There were two police cars outside the iron gates. An armed, uniformed police officer wearing shades got out of the car and kicked the gates open. Then, he returned to the car and both cars made their way onto the convent¡¯s grounds. The moment the doors opened, seven or eight police officers with the same uniform got out and looked up at the castle in front of them.

    The head nun came out from her room and knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door. No one answered. Josephine had just finished saying her rosary and wasing out from the hall. She saw the head nun knocking on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and informed her, ¡°She said she would be resting. She should already be asleep by now.¡±

    The head nun nodded contentedly. ¡°Let her sleep, then.¡± Then, turning to Josephine, she said, ¡°You go back to your room, too. There will be outsiders here today. All of you should note out. Tell the three others as well.¡±

    Josephine nodded eagerly and went to the rest of the nuns¡¯ rooms to inform them before returning to her own. The head nun walked down the stairs and met the police officers on her own. ¡°May I know if you are Munich district¡¯s police officers, please?¡± the head nun asked to confirm their identity.

    The person in the lead acknowledged and showed the head nun a document. Then, he asked, ¡°Where is she?¡±

    The head nun lowered her voice. ¡°I have given her sleeping pills. She should be sleeping in her room now.¡±

    The police officer smiled widely, showing a set of neat, white teeth. Giving her a thumbs up, he praised her and said happily, ¡°Lead the way! We¡¯ll capture the fugitive!¡± Then, he took out his gun and waved to the men behind him. ¡°Follow me!¡±

    The group of police officers followed, leaving two of them at the main door to keep a lookout. What if the girl was cunning and really managed to escape? They had to be careful. The rest of them followed behind the head nun into a dark and narrow corridor. The head nun felt uneasy. Shouldn¡¯t police officers take the lead? How could they allow a civilian to lead the way to potential danger?

    Pursing her lips, she walked in front with a straight face until they arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. ¡°Cereus is in there. She is already asleep. She wouldn¡¯t wake even if you were to take her away.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± The eyes of the officers lit up. ¡°Thanks, sister!¡±

    The head nun nodded gravely. ¡°I was just helping you police officers to capture a fugitive.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course! Sister is so nice to help us police to solve crimes. We¡¯ll inform our boss when we get back!¡± The police officers became serious before waving at the head nun. ¡°Leave this to us. You can go now. We don¡¯t want to scare you.¡±

    Then she turned around and saw Josephine staring at her, wide eyed. The other two nuns were looking at her in shock as well. ¡°What are you looking at?! Return to your rooms, now! The police are here to capture a fugitive! Do not hinder them!¡± The head nun rolled her eyes at them, especially at Josephine. ¡°You! Go and recite the rosary 500 times! No dinner for you until you¡¯re done!¡±

    Josephine was scared stiff, and tears welled up in her eyes. She turned and went back to her room, mmed the door, and began crying. She could tell that the adorable Cereus would most likely not live past today. However, she could not understand why someone that young and beautiful would be a fugitive.

    The police officers held the keys to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and opened the door carefully. The moment the door was unlocked, an officer kicked it open and began shooting relentlessly across the entire room! On and under the bed, in the bathroom, behind the door, the wardrobe, windowsill¡ªas long as it could be seen with the naked eye, they shot it.

    The quilt had be tattered due to the shots. White feathers floated all around and obscured vision. The police officers stood nervously at the door and waited until the feathers were all on the ground before rushing in and shouting, ¡°Hands up! Get on the ground!¡±

    There was a human figure on the bed. It wasn¡¯t moving. Should be dead by now, shouldn¡¯t she? A daring officer rushed over and removed the quilt before shooting it again!

    Bam!

    This time around, the entire bolster exploded. Countless feathers floated out and engulfed the officer. The officer screamed and ran out. The police officers who were outside shot up the entire room again until they¡¯d run out of bullets. Then, they holstered their guns and nked out looking at all the feathers in the room.

    ¡°Where is she?!¡±

    ¡°What bullsh*t kind of human is that?! It¡¯s a bolster!¡± The police officers knew that they had been tricked and shot into the air. ¡°Nun in charge! Nun in charge! You get your ass in here now!¡±

    The head nun heard the gunshots from her room and knew something was wrong. She opened the door slightly and looked at the police officers. Seeing that they were firing shots into the air and calling for her like that, her heart sank. The ¡°fugitive¡± wasn¡¯t in the room?! It wasn¡¯t possible... The pill was used for the most ferocious of animals. Would it not work on humans? Moreover, Josephine had told her that the ¡°fugitive¡± was sleeping in her room.

    The head nun came out from her room and asked the police officers meekly, ¡°Did you manage to capture her?¡±

    Seeing that the head nun was out, they dragged her over by her cor and demanded fiercely, ¡°Look! Where is she?! Where is she?!¡±

    Seeing that they had thoroughly ruined Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, but no one was in sight, the head nun was shocked as well. Straightening up, she said, ¡°But she was sleeping here just now...¡±

    ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± The officer whacked the door with the handle of his gun. ¡°Go and find her for me if she¡¯s really sleeping in the room!¡±

    The head nun went into the room meekly and looked around. The mattress was shot open. There was only an exploded bolster underneath the sheets and no one else. What¡¯s going on?! The head nun shouted towards Josephine¡¯s room, ¡°Josephine! Come out! Tell the police officers where Cereus went!¡±

    The police officers turned around and saw a plump nun with a double chin peeking out from the door. Stammering, she said, ¡°I... I... Do..n¡¯t... know. Thest time I saw her... she did say that she was tired and wanted to rest in her room... then... then we went to the hall to recite our rosaries...¡±

    ¡°Damn! She must have fled!¡± An officer understood. He red at the nuns. ¡°Which one of you told her that we wereing?!¡±

    Seeing their fierce expressions, the head nun replied quickly, ¡°I did not tell anyone! They didn¡¯t know that Cereus was a fugitive! It must be because she was too cunning! I heard her lying to Josephinest night. That was why I decided to help you!¡±

    The police officer looked at her angrily. He was really tempted to shoot this stupid nun! However, his colleague nudged him and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t create trouble for boss...¡± They could exin why they killed Gu Nianzhi, but if they were to kill these nuns and make this a big issue, they¡¯d be made to be scapegoats instead.

    They were so deeply immersed in a moment of fury that they had forgotten that murderers would not have the right to me others for pushing them out to be scapegoats. The police officer who was about to shoot was finally convinced. Putting his gun away, he began interrogating the head nun and Josephine, re-emphasizing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts.

    Josephine had no other choice but to narrate the entire process of meeting Gu Nianzhi, from the time she met herst night, to this morning before she said she was tired and headed into her room. She even told them about how Gu Nianzhi had switched breakfasts with Daisy, and that Daisy was still out cold as of now.

    The head nun was taken aback and brought them to Daisy¡¯s room immediately. Daisy was totally out cold. She did not even budge when they pped her. The police officers finally understood¡ªthe ¡°fugitive¡± was extremely cunning. She must have swapped her breakfast when she sensed that something was amiss and escaped when no one was looking!

    ¡°Damn this b*tch. How could she know?! Now we¡¯ve made a wasted trip!¡± The police officers whacked the wall again and picked up their walkie-talkies tomunicate with people on the other end.

    ¡°Over! Over! Target escaped! Target escaped! Not at the convent! Not at the convent! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!¡± The headquarters connected to the Copernicus satellite navigation system again and attempted to track Gu Nianzhi. However, as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone was not manufactured in Europe, it did not have the postern of the Copernicus satellite navigation system installed. Therefore, they could never track her unless she made a phone call.

    ¡°Roger. Group Two, return; Group Three, go.¡± Their boss had changed her tactics and did not require them to search in the convent any longer. The police officers drove off, their car disturbing the peaceful silence in the area.

    With her eyes red, Josephine looked at the head nun reproachfully and asked in a loud voice, ¡°Sister! Shouldn¡¯t you exin what is going on?!¡±

    The head nun did not back down and replied coldly, ¡°Sister Josephine, may I know what attitude this is? I was cooperating with the police...¡±

    ¡°Cooperating with the police?!¡± Josephine clenched her fists and took two steps forward before saying furiously, ¡°Are they really police officers? They¡¯re bandits! I am going to lodge aint against them! Lodge aint against these bandits who barge into peoples¡¯ properties and ruin them!!!¡±

    So she only wants to lodge aint... Breathing a sigh of relief, the head nun took a step back and said more gently, ¡°I want to lodge aint against them as well; go ahead to my room and use the telephone to call the Munich District Police to lodge aint against them.¡±

    With her head held high, Josephine said, full of determination and confidence, ¡°I will go immediately!¡± Rushing to the telephone in the head nun¡¯s room, she dialed the number of the Munich District Police station feedback hotline and said unhappily, ¡°Your station just sent about eight officers to our convent to destroy it! How could you do that?!¡±

    The feedback department took Josephine¡¯sint very seriously and replied hastily, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. Hold on, madam. Let me check who was sent out on patrol today and get back to you. Please hold on; I will definitely give you an answer!¡±

    The anger in Josephine¡¯s heart subsided a little upon hearing the person¡¯s response, but she still replied firmly, ¡°They shot countless times in our convent and almost killed someone!¡± Had Cereus been really sleeping in the room, she definitely would have been killed!

    After checking for five whole minutes, the officer returned to the call and replied, seemingly confused, ¡°Hello, did you mean that the police officers whom you met were from the Munich District Police station?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We all saw their documents of identity.¡±

    ¡°But we haven¡¯t sent anyone out on patrol today.¡± The officer on the other end was extremely confused. ¡°The day has just begun, and our officers are not even here for work yet. There were not any orders to send anyone out on patrol.¡±

    ¡°What?! Then those people were impersonating police officers?! How could they?! How could you let people like that roam around freely?!¡± Josephine was so angry that she scolded the officer for a good half an hour. The officer could not do anything but just smile awkwardly, taking down herint and reporting information before forwarding it to the crime department. Using the identity of the police and entering private property was enough to put the case through to the crime department, as they had broken thew.

    After she was done with calling the feedback hotline, Josephine went to the head nun with her brows furrowed. ¡°Sister, the police station said that they did not send anyone out on patrol today. The people who were here were not real police officers.¡±

    The head nun covered her mouth in shock and asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Really? Those men were really impersonating police officers?¡±

    ¡°The chances are extremely high.¡± Josephine nodded. ¡°The moment they opened fire in the house, I felt that something was amiss. However, I really did not expect them to be fake police officers!¡±

    She clenched her fists and waved them around again. ¡°Since they¡¯re imposters, then Cereus must not have been a fugitive! They wanted to kill her! Sister, I am extremely disappointed in you! Mother Mary would never have forgiven you!¡±

    The head nun blushed furiously. Hanging her head, she took her rosary beads and went to the hall to seek forgiveness.

    Josephine could not focus enough to recite any rosaries, so she returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room to clean up. Seeing that she had taken the nun¡¯s uniform and the underwear with her, she breathed a sigh of relief. However, the moment she realized how Cereus must have felt when she sensed that the breakfast the head nun had made was drugged she thought, how horrible would she have felt?

    Her heart sank again. ¡°Mother Mary! Please protect your children...¡± She knelt down at the head of the bed and began to pray for Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    Just when Josephine was feeling heavy hearted, Gu Nianzhi had already returned to the ce she had been before she made her way to the convent. The sunlight reflected on the river, while the fluffy white clouds in the sky made the sunlight less ring.

    The weather in the mountains had cooled, so she did not feel warm, even though she was wearing the nun¡¯s habit. However, she did not want to wear something that felt like too much of a burden. Therefore, the moment she returned to the forest, Gu Nianzhi removed the nun¡¯s habit and ced it neatly on the rock beside her, only wearing the torn and tattered sports attire. As it had already been washed, it was clean despite being tattered.

    Touching her long hair, Gu Nianzhi sighed. She was hungry again. Without further ado, she found branches and made them into rods. Then, she proceeded to the river to catch some fish again.

    The fish living in this section of the river did not know Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skills, so they did not even try to hide from her. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi managed to catch a good number of fresh, plump fish. cing them on the barbecue rack she had built previously, she began to grill her catch.

 Chapter 640 - Hunter or Soldier?

    <h4>Chapter 640: Hunter or Soldier?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The beehive the bear cub rolled to her yesterday was still there. Gu Nianzhi dug out a bit of wild honey, thered it on the fish, and continued roasting it. Soon the sweet aroma of roasting fish filled the forest. Gu Nianzhi had just picked up the freshly cooked fish to devour when she suddenly heard rustling in the trees behind her. The grass thumped slightly, and the next second, a round bear cub practically tumbled to her feet. It was her old friend! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood brightened as she gave him a dazzling smile. She picked up a half-cooked fish without honey from the grill and passed it to the bear. ¡°Here, this is for you.¡±

    The bear cub looked up at her, sticking out its tongue to lick the half-cooked fish before opening its mouth wide and swallowing half of it. Gu Nianzhi immediately shrank her hand back to avoid being bitten by the bear cub. ¡°Don¡¯t eat so quickly.¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s still plenty, take your time.¡± She had caught five fish, and there were another two with honey for herself. The other three half-cooked ones could be given to the bear cub. Gu Nianzhi sat on the grass after speaking and leisurely ate her two honeyed fish. The other three half-cooked fish ended up in the bear cub¡¯s belly. Both the human and the bear werepletely satisfied andid on the grass to enjoy the sunshine after the meal.

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling sleepy, but her mind was still reying the day¡¯s events. How had those people found her? Sheid on the grass with a sweet and sour wild weed between her teeth as she carefully considered the entire situation. She couldn¡¯t recall anything strange. She hadn¡¯t met anybody when the bear cub took her to the nunnery, and there was no way the bear cub could betray her. She also didn¡¯t get a chance to borrow the Reverend Mother¡¯s phone, so how did those people find her? She then thought of the Reverend Mother¡¯s unkind attitude towards her. Was it her doing? Maybe the Reverend Mother disliked her and called the police?

    She thought about it for a while, and something still didn¡¯t feel right. Most people didn¡¯t call the police on people they didn¡¯t like at first nce¨Cit was illogical. There must be something she didn¡¯t know yet, but she didn¡¯t want to mull over it anymore. She¡¯d better find a way to move forward, since she couldn¡¯t continue staying in the same ce.

    After resting in the grass for some time, Gu Nianzi stood up to shake the bits of grass off and waved goodbye to the bear cub. ¡°Little ck, I¡¯ll be going now. If I can make it out this time, I¡¯ll... make sure to do something for you guys.¡± She didn¡¯t know what to wish for, and the bear cub probably didn¡¯t care about what she wished for. She only did it for her own reassurance.

    Making a bundle out of her long nun¡¯s habit, Gu Nianzhi wrapped up the new undergarments and carried the pack on her back before striding out. After walking some distance, the sun was already setting in the west, and it was going to get dark soon. The sun shone from behind, and when she turned around, she saw the bear cub was still watching her, its lonesome figure stretching into a long shadow from the setting sun...

    Gu Nianzhi missed him a bit, but thinking about how difficult her path was ahead, she didn¡¯t want the cute bear cub to perish under the bullets of those people trying to harm her. She made up her mind to leave without turning back again.

    ...

    She walked alone along the rugged peaks of the Alps and began to feel depressed. She used to need nightlights when she slept and didn¡¯t dare to go to bed alone. But now she was able to sleep wherever she needed. Not only was no light necessary, but she was able to sleep all alone, even in the wilderness. Gu Nianzhi grimaced internally, thumping at her legs and looking around. She would have to sleep outside if there weren¡¯t any dwellings ahead.

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the grass and took off her shoes to discover her soft and fair soles were blistered. Using the small spike on her Swiss Army knife, she pricked open the blisters and soaked her feet in the creek. Afterwards, sheid in the grass and crossed her feet in the setting sun to let them dry. Once her feet were dry, she slowly put on her shoes and nned to forage for some berries. She was exhausted and didn¡¯t want to catch any fish. Because she also had two grilled fish in the afternoon and had eaten another one in the morning, she was already sick of fish and didn¡¯t want more.

    As the sky gradually darkened, the sound of fluttering bird wings came from the evening sky. Gu Nianzhi squinted at the birds flying across the sky and found that they were all heading to the forest diagonally from her. Was that where the birds nested? Gu Nianzhi followed them over. Entering the forest, she indeed found many nests atop the tall trees. Swallowing hard, she quietly crept up a tree with a nest, and as expected, there were bird eggs. Gu Nianzhi took advantage of most birds having not yet returned to skim through all the nests. She didn¡¯t empty any of the nests but chose to take one or two from each nest to not be too obvious in hopes that the birds wouldn¡¯t notice.

    Climbing down the tree, Gu Nianzhi had already collected a pocketful of eggs. She cradled them and walked to the riverbank, set up a small fire, and buried the eggs in the embers. Soon the eggs were cooked, and Gu Nianzhi sat cross legged on the grass to peel three eggs for a full meal. She saved the remaining seven or eight eggs for breakfast tomorrow. After finishing the roasted eggs, she went to find a mountain spring for some water and to rinse her mouth before returning to the grass. Taking her nun¡¯s habit, she covered herself with it and fell asleep on the grass.

    Because she had a small fire by her side, the beasts would be too frightened to approach her at night. White smoke drifted up from the fire, mixing in with the evening mist on the Alps, so even the rangers didn¡¯t notice. Gu Nianzhi slept peacefully, and when she woke the next morning, she was surprised to find she wasn¡¯t sore at all. Obviously, she was now used to sleeping on the grass.

    After sitting in a daze for a while, she burst outughing. Humans had an unlimited ability to adapt. Getting up to find a mountain spring to rinse her mouth, she then ate three of the roasted eggs from yesterday, then wrapped up the nun¡¯s habit to carry and continued walking. This time, she walked along the river until evening before finally getting tired.

    She sat on arge rock by the river to rest her feet and nned to find a nearby forest to see what else she could forage¨Cberries, eggs, or mushrooms would do. Gu Nianzhi could distinguish between which mushrooms were safe and which were poisonous. Wiping the sweat on her forehead, Gu Nianzhi walked towards the forest. The trees grew denser but weren¡¯t too thick or tall, so they probably weren¡¯t that old. Gu Nianzhi looked around and immediately noticed several berry bushes nearby. She quickly walked over and was about to bend over to pick them when she heard a crackling sound. It was like someone was walking on dried leaves. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. How could she be hearing that here?

    In that moment, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body reacted before her mind. Just as she understood what was happening, she had already fallen to the ground and rolled quickly to hide behind the bush. Whoosh! A series of silenced bullets were shot from a certain angle, aimed directly where Gu Nianzhi was just bending over! If she had fallen to the ground one secondter, the bullets would¡¯ve cut through her waist and rendered her half paralyzed.

    Gu Nianzhi seized up. Could those people be pursuing her again? But this time, she didn¡¯t see any police or squad cars. Shrinking behind the bush, she slowly edged back. The forest wasn¡¯t that big, but the dense foliage made it difficult to find someone in there. Gu Nianzhi gradually shifted towards the denser trees. Several gunshots could be heard from outside once again. However, this time, they weren¡¯t aimed in her direction but far off in a three o¡¯clock position. Thud! Arge bird fell from a tree, then there was a whistle followed by cheers. Gu Nianzhi could tell that they were speaking German, saying, ¡°Good job!¡± Her mind spun as she listened hard to what they were saying.

    The intermittent conversation drifted closer, then farther from her before finally leaving the small forest. ¡°Hans, how was this season for you?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good. I got a snow wolf, some foxes, and n to kill a bear.¡±

    ¡°That many? I only got a few rabbits and one bird.¡±

    The peopleughed heartily. They all had male voices. So these were hunters. Gu Nianzhi instantly recalled overhearing the conversation when she was dining with He Zhichu at the hotel. They had mentioned it was hunting season in the Alps. So the hunting season had officially begun.

    Gu Nianzhi curled up silently in the tree and waited for the voices topletely fade before emerging from the forest. It was already dark, but shepletely froze as soon as she walked out. Several men wearing cowboy hats and sunsses calmly aimed their guns in her direction¨Cright at her! Gu Nianzhi quickly fell backwards. Whoosh! Several bullets nearly grazed her forehead before hitting the ground, stirring uprge amounts of dust and bits of grass.

    Gu Nianzi rolled back into the forest and hid behind arge tree trunk as she shouted to the men outside, ¡°What are you doing?! Aren¡¯t you hunting?!¡±

    ¡°Right, we¡¯re here to hunt.¡± The men boomed withughter. ¡°You¡¯re our prey. It¡¯s not illegal to kill you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nearly saw red. She never imagined that such a barbaric practice still existed in modern civilized society! But it was true that killing people during hunting season bore no criminal responsibility. She could only me herself for identally entering the hunting grounds and losing her life. But Gu Nianzhi was never one to sit idly. Those people were mistaken thinking they could n to silently eliminate her. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you whether it¡¯s illegal or not!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help arguing with them. ¡°Kill me if you have the balls. Let¡¯s see if you end up in jail!¡±

    Only silence greeted her, but soon after, a series of well-trained and disciplined footsteps could be heard from outside the forest. The men walked in front of the forest and calmly called out to Gu Nianzhi inside, ¡°Come out, or we¡¯ll burn the forest down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cried out, ¡°Burn it down, then! The rangers will punish you if you do!¡± As soon as she spoke, a bullet from a silenced hunting rifle whizzed straight at the tree Gu Nianzhi was shielding herself with! They were deliberately provoking her so she would argue and reveal her position! This marksmanship was iparable! Gu Nianzhi immediately shut up and changed location but kept her eyes on that tree.

    Whizz! Another series of bullets flew in from outside the forest, hitting the tree and nearly cutting straight through it! She concentrated on listening to the footsteps and felt like they seemed to be in position, calm and orderly. Who were these hunters?! They were clearly trained soldiers! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart caught in her throat. If she guessed correctly, they were not normal hunters or even police, but real, proper soldiers! Of course, they probably weren¡¯t normal German soldiers, because those were subject to US-led NATO surveince. There was no way they could send out assassins, so mercenaries were the only possibility.

    The enemy had actually contracted mercenaries to eliminate her! This was the first time Gu Nianzhi sensed she might not survive, but she had always been one to give everything her best try before giving up. She would never surrender until the veryst moment.

    Gritting her teeth, she crouched down to silently make her way through the entire forest and crawl past the mountainside behind the forest. Behind the forest was a range of the Alps that wasn¡¯t too tall. These were all remnants of the Ice Age, and the stone was so hard, even des couldn¡¯t leave marks on them. Luckily, she was slim and small-boned, so she was able to weave through the narrow gaps in the mountain. Soon after leaving the forest, the moon rose, and its light illuminated the earth to veil the entire mountain area in a glow. Gu Nianzhi poked her head halfway through the mountainside, and the people holding binocrs in front of the forest were able to spy on her.

    ¡°Over there! She ran off!¡±

    ¡°After her!¡±

    Several men put away their hunting rifles and chased after her along the mountainside. Gu Nianzhi kept turning back as she ran to see those people were somehow able to follow her so quickly. She was temporarily shocked and realized they must have binocrs, so it was easy to locate her position. Gu Nianzhi calmed herself down and ran in a crouch along the cliff. She never stayed in the same spot for over a second andpletely ignored the incessant silenced bullets behind her.

    She focused on finding a path ahead. Grabbing a long vine, she vaulted over a cave and nearly twisted her ankle when shended on the grass on the other side. However, she managed to steady herself right away and ran zig zag on the mountain. She ran quite a distance in one breath and felt like her throat was being stabbed with a knife. Her lungs burned with such pain, she could scarcely breathe. Just as she stopped to hold her stomach for a break, a silent bullet grazed her arm. The topyer of Gu Niazhhi¡¯s skin was cut, and blood instantly gushed out, dying her entire sleeve red. The soldiers pursuing her were closing in, and despite the pain in her arm, Gu Nianzhi ran even faster and didn¡¯t dare to stop again.

    The smell of fresh blood attracted the wild animals. Not far away, Gu Niaznhi spied pairs of glowing green lights in the mountain peak across from her. Upon closer inspection, she saw they weren¡¯t lights but the eyes of wolves. The number of green eyes increased, which meant more wolves were there. Gu Nianzhi cried out internally. She was being chased by soldiers and also had wolves ahead waiting to attack. What should she do?

    Looking up at a rock ahead, it abruptly blocked her bath. Gu Nianzhi had been running madly without direction all this way, so she froze when she saw the rock blocking her. She couldn¡¯t move forward or retreat. Was she totally trapped? Pressing hard against the wound on her arm, she stood in front of therge rock to study it for a bit, then noticed her wound had finally stopped bleeding.

    Unwilling to give up, she looked around again and discovered a spring flowing out from behind the rock. Since water was flowing out, there must be a path behind it. Gu Nianzhi walked behind the rock and found a narrow hole hidden in the vines behind the rock. Brushing them aside, she discovered that the hole was just big enough for one person to pass through at a time. The person had to be very thin or be a small child. Even a slightly muscr adult wouldn¡¯t be able to enter. Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t had full meals in several days and had been running around in the wilderness, so she had lost a lot of weight. There was no way she could¡¯ve fit back when she was slightly plump, but she happened to be the perfect size right now.

    Feeling inside with her hand, she was happy to poke her head in to crawl through. This time, she sniffed the cave first to ensure there were no strange smells. Last time, she almost got herself killed by going into a cave where a mother wolf was giving birth. She hoped she didn¡¯t have such bad luck this time. After crawling in, Gu Nianzhi walked sideways. The passage was very narrow, and even in her current thin state, she had to keep holding her breath and tightening her chest only to barely squeeze through. She didn¡¯t know how long the path was, but as long as she could avoid the soldiers and the pack of wolves, she didn¡¯t care how far she had to walk.

    The cave was too narrow. The soldiers arrived and discovered Gu Nianzhi had disappeared. They looked around and finally discovered the cave as well, but as adult men, they couldn¡¯t get through. They tried repeatedly and held their breath until their chests burned. One of them even broke a rib trying to squeeze in.

    ¡°Goddamn it!¡± How could she run off!?¡± A man cursed as he shot angrily into the cave with his hunting rifle. Whizz! A series of bullets splintered the cave with shards of rock, stirring up dust inside, obscuring vision. Gu Nianzhi grunted and pressed her arm once again. This time, her left arm had been grazed by another bullet. The wound that had just stopped bleeding was cut open once again. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to look at her bloodied arm and nearly closed her eyes as she pressed tightly down on it. The pain made her shake uncontrobly, and she shrank like a cooked shrimp against the cave wall.

    Luckily, the soldiers couldn¡¯t go in, so she didn¡¯t have to rush out of there. She was squished between the stone walls, inhaling and exhaling hard. After the pain subsided a bit, she continued forward. After walking for some time, she only knew her chest and legs werepletely numb as she passed through a section of the cave that almost suffocated her. Eventually, she saw a wider space. There was finally a ce in the cave where she could sit down and rest a bit.

 Chapter 641 - Who Sent Them

    <h4>Chapter 641: Who Sent Them</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi bore the pain as she put down the habit she had made into a bag. She took out the brand new undergarments Josephine gave her, and from among them, she found a tank top. She wrapped it twice tightly around the arm that had been grazed by the bullet, then she quickly put the habit and the ck head covering on. Even if they had a telescope, they would have a difficult time spotting her in this outfit. At night, ck clothes didn¡¯t reflect light, so it was easy to blend into the dark.

    She sat down and took a break after changing. She was finally able to rx. Gu Nianzhi breathed quietly. She leaned against the cave as she closed her eyes while forming a firm fist. She began to ponder who had such bitter and deep-seated hatred for her that they wanted her dead, and who had such power to maneuver the police and the army to kill her. These questions had narrowed down the list, but she was still unable to pinpoint anyone.

    For as long as she could remember, she had been with Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng had protected her superbly, and there was no way he was the one behind this. Right now, her identity was that of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. Was it because of that?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind immediately thought of her pretend sister, Gu Yanran. Was she the one who wanted her dead? She quickly shook her head and crossed Gu Yanran off the list, not because she thought she wouldn¡¯t kill her, but because she wholeheartedly believed she didn¡¯t have the power.

    If Gu Yanran really had incited Germany¡¯s Munich police force to kill her and was capable of finding such skillful mercenaries to kill her, then in the past she wouldn¡¯t have been hiding from the mercenaries, and she wouldn¡¯t have had to stick so close to Huo Shaoheng.

    These mercenaries could really act. In order to make it seem like an unintentional discharge while hunting, they had used a hunting gun instead of a sniper rifle. Gu Nianzhi knew that if they really had used a sniper rifle or even an anti-material rifle, she would have been dead long ago.

    What was so rare about an anti-material rifle shooting through a tree? The best anti-material shooter could shoot through a brick wall and burst your head open. For now, Gu Nianzhi could only rejoice that they couldn¡¯t openly kill her. She needed to hide. Whether it was disguising themselves as cops or hunters, they didn¡¯t want to expose their real identity.

    Why was that?

    It meant the person behind all this was probably afraid of the people supporting her. That was why they were exerting so much effort in disguising themselves. Who were they really afraid of? Was it Huo Shao or was it Professor He?

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head to take out her cell phone, only to see that her phone battery was only at 5%, but she still had half a signal bar. Should I try to call Huo Shao and Professor He? She couldn¡¯t call Huo Shaoheng directly, but she could still call Yin Shixiong. Calling Brother Xiong was the same as calling Huo Shao. They were the only ones who could save her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dependence on Huo Shaoheng was like a religion. She believed there was nothing he couldn¡¯t do and that he would definitelye save her. But before he coulde save her, she needed to save herself and make sure that she was alive before he arrived.

    She relied on the starlight to dial Yin Shixiong¡¯s number, but it didn¡¯t go through. Half a signal bar was not enough to call the Hua Xia Empire. Gu Nianzhi could only give up. Then she thought of Professor He. She knew he was quite a powerful man in the United States, but this was Germany. Would it be the same?

    She knew that it was because his father had suddenly be seriously ill that he had had to go back home. She hastily called him. Would she be giving Professor He a hard time? She thought about it again and again, and in the end, still decided to call He Zhichu. Like Yin Shixiong¡¯s phone, the call didn¡¯t go through. Gu Nianzhi sighed and gave up on calling.

    She leaned on the wall of the cave half dreaming, half awake. She dozed with anxiety. The gunshot wound to her arm was probably infected because she had a high fever in the middle of the night. The cave was cold at night to begin with, but now she had a fever. It was cold on top of cold.

    She hugged her legs and put her head between her knees. The wound was now numb. She couldn¡¯t feel the pain anymore. Her head was dizzy, and it was not the normal kind of headache. It was like the pain was inside her brain. She could only clench her teeth tightly because she didn¡¯t even dare to make a groaning sound.

    The night was finally over, but when the sun shone on the dark cave, Gu Nianzhi woke up with her head full of sweat. She was covered in sweat, as if she had gotten soaked in the rain. Her legs were weak, and they didn¡¯t feel like her legs. Her whole body ached. Only her arm didn¡¯t hurt.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and undid the tank top on her wound and touched it. The bloodstain had turned a dark brown. It was stuck on her arm. She couldn¡¯t see the wound. It really didn¡¯t hurt anymore. She used her hands to press on the wound, and it no longer hurt like it was piercing her heart they way it had yesterday.

    She blinked and blinked. She closed her eyes to sleep for a little while, then she supported herself using the cave wall. She staggered as she stood. It was like her legs were not her own. She wanted them to move forward, but they wouldn¡¯t listen. It was too strenuous. She could only move one step at a time, and then take a break, and then continue to move forward. She walked and stopped for four or five hours, only to make it out of the other side of the mountain. It was only a short distance.

    The moment she got out of the cave, she saw a dark blueke. Around theke was lightly scattered yellow and withered grass, evidence of autumn drawing ever closer. Further from here were the Alps. It was a bit less steep than the mountain on the other side of the cave. It wasn¡¯t as precipitous.

    The nearbyke water was so blue and clear that it was like the most sparkly blue gem had fallen on the ground, melted, and be theke. But as she walked closer, it was more of a light jade green. It was the same color as that of the clearest sea. It looked blue from afar because the whole sky was reflected in the water.

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her head to look at the sky. This was the ultimate blue gem. It looked like a certain Tibeten sky that she had seen online. It was also the highest point above sea level under the heavenly blue body.

    That was what was so good about the Alps. There werekes and rivers everywhere. No wonder thekes from the north of Europe to the south of Europe got their water from the Alps.

    Gu Nianzhi became more cautious. She looked around the outside of the cave for a while, making sure no one was around. Then she slowly walked out of the cave and walked toward theke.

    Dandelions grew by the side of theke. The green leaves supporting the little fluffy balls moved back and forth in the wind. Gu Nianzhi walked toward a greenish rock, and squatted and rinsed the tank top that had been tied around her wound. The tank top dyed the water near the shore light pink. She dipped into theke and softly cleaned the brown bloodstain on her arm. She did so drop by drop, afraid that it would touch the unhealed part.

    Dandelions could stop bleeding. She had decided that if she was still bleeding, she would pluck some dandelions, pound them to pieces, and apply them to her wound. This was something she had learned from Huo Shaoheng and the Special Operations Forces¡¯ field survival course. The first few years that she followed Huo Shaoheng around, she didn¡¯t go to school. However, the things she learned were definitely not less important than what school taught her.

    Her arm became clean little by little. The dark brown bloodstain disappeared and exposed a clean white arm without a single pore in sight. Where is the grazed wound? Gu Nianzhi searched from head to toe, but she couldn¡¯t find the wound.

    If it wasn¡¯t for her cleaning the dark brown bloodstain just now, she herself would have thought she hadn¡¯t been grazed by a bullet. Gu Nianzhi touched her arm and felt confused. What was wrong with her? Was there indeed something wrong with her, or was there something wrong with this world? The day before yesterday, she fractured her bone, and the next day, it was as good as before. Yesterday, she was grazed by a bullet and bled quite a bit, and today it was as if nothing had happened... And it was always after a night of high fever that she recovered¡ªor maybe her high fever was a miracle cure?

    If she was ill or hurt in the future, she wouldn¡¯t need to take any medication. She would just need to have a fever to fully recover. She thought about it and felt like it was too ridiculous. She pped her mouth and hugged her knees as she sat by theke, not knowing where to go.

    Ever since she came through that little cave, she knew she had probably passed through one of the Alps¡¯ little mountain ranges. Right now, she was on the side of the mountain.

    She sat by theke for a long time until her stomach started growling. She took a deep breath, epted her fate, and looked for food. There were fish in theke, but it was deep¡ªa lot deeper than the littleke by the mountain. Those fish wouldn¡¯t swim to the shallow shore, and she didn¡¯t dare jump into the river. They would be difficult to catch. She had toe up with other ideas, since she couldn¡¯t eat the fish. She needed to find berries, then she would find some bird eggs.

    Because of what had happened yesterday, Gu Nianzhi was wary of all hunters in the Alps. She knew she was a little overly cautious. However, she was alone, and she only had one life. So no matter how overly cautious she was, she was not overdoing it.

    She walked around the mountain for half a day and found a nest of eggs. She took four or five eggs out of the nest and picked a bunch of berries back at thekeshore. She buried the eggs in the ground and made a fire to cook them. Then she ate the berries to replenish her vitamins.

    She sustained herself with those foods as she walked and stopped along this amazingly bigke for two days. She finally saw a family. Putting it another way, she saw a cabin standing tall and upright gracefully on the grass halfway up a hill. From the angle of theke, one could see the muddy, red-colored wooden wall with a ck log cabin roof. There was a white fence surrounding the cabin. What excited her the most was that the cabin¡¯s roof had a satellite dish.

    She slid open her phone as she looked at the umbre-shaped satellite dish basking in the sun¡¯s silvery rays. There was only 5% battery left, but the phone disyed two bars. She was going to cry.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands shook as she hastily tapped on the address book. She called Yin Shixiong as soon as she saw his number but ended up with another voicemail. She almost felt like someone had installed Trojan malware that was controlling Yin Shixiong¡¯s phone. Then again, with Little Ze, there was no way Brother Xiong¡¯s phone could¡¯ve been controlled. There was no way. Then why?

    She quickly thought of the time difference. Right now, with daylight savings, it was around six in the evening in Germany. That meant it was probably around midnight at the imperial capital, so maybe Brother Xiong was sleeping. But this time, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare leave a message. She closed the phone without saying a word.

    The first day she was in danger, she remembered calling Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, and she even left messages. However, they hadn¡¯t returned her calls even now. It was odd. Gu Nianzhi was more and more worried, but she shook her head and thought of it no more.

    She raised her head and looked toward the cabin and decided to ask for lodging. While she was there, she could charge her phone. Of course, if they didn¡¯t have an iPhone charger, then there was nothing she could do about it. She would just be unlucky. She wouldn¡¯t me them.

    After Gu Nianzhi washed her hands and face by theke andbed her hair with her hands, she walked over to the cabin. Behind the fairytale-like, ckish-red cabin was a forest reaching towards the sky. The umted snow covered the mountain peaks behind the forest. Red, ck, green, and white all enhanced each other¡¯s beauty. The evening sun¡¯s golden rays almost reflected a rainbow. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were mesmerized by this beautiful scenery as she walked leisurely toward the cabin¡¯s white fence.

    There was a greenwn in the front yard. It was cut neatly and cleanly. There were snowy white screens on the windows with big beautiful roses under them. The roses looked like they had just been watered because the petals still had sparkling and translucent droplets on them. When the droplets rolled down from time to time, they disappeared in the blink of an eye and fell into thewn.

    There was no one in the front yard, but Gu Nianzhi could hear the sound of someone cutting wood in the backyard. She thought about it but decided to not give a loud greeting. Instead, she walked around the fence and toward the sound of the wood being chopped.

    The cabin was sitting on the north side, but it faced the south. The evening sun shone on the backyard sideways like melted gold, and it matched the evening clouds harmoniously.

    A strong man with no shirt on swung an ax. His back was to Gu Nianzhi. There was a very cool motorcycle near the fence. Next to it were ten thick tree trunks. On the other side was a big pile of firewood, probably the by-product of tree felling. Each piece of firewood was one-third of a meter long and about an inch thick. They were piled neatly. One could tell by looking at the pile that it was for the firece in the winter.

    Gu Nianzhi was tongue tied while thinking it must not be easy using such a primitive firece in this day and age. All the fire ces she had seen used either electricity or gas. They imitated a real firece¡¯s effect without actually burning wood. It looked like this was probably a German country family that burned wood.

    Gu Nianzhi stood to the side and watched. The man was well-built with iparably healthy and beautiful muscles. His back was facing the sun. His light bronze-colored skin and muscles had beads of sweat on them. His arm muscles were bulging. His shoulders were broad, but his waist was narrow. He disyed perfect deltoid muscles, giving off the vibe of an ancient Roman sculpture.

    The man was only wearing jeans and knee-length rain boots. One of his feet was pressing down on his work station. He had one hand on the trunk and the other worked a two-handed saw. His arms made big movements. The rhythm was full of power and beauty. He had an ideal, perfect body. This man¡¯s figure involuntarily made her think of Huo Shaoheng. She was a little perturbed. Her eyes were glued to this man¡¯s back.

    When the man finished sawing the tree trunk, he casually turned his head and took a look at Gu Nianzhi, then calmly bent down to pick up his shirt from his work station. He had a cigarette in his mouth. He had a high nose bridge and deep set of eyes, blond hair, amazingly beautiful blue eyes, and dark eyebrows neatly shaped as if lined by a ruler.

    The way he had the cigarette in his mouth also reminded her of Huo Shaoheng. They both had that indifferent, stoic, andposed attitude, like he was so far and yet so close. His facial features were that of an ideal German man. His chin had a little grove. He had an expressionless face like that of an ascetic, but his aggressive figure formed a strong contrast.

    Gu Nianzhi momentarily forgot to speak because she was staring at the way he smoked. Maybe it was because she was staring so intensely that he took the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it on the grass, crushing it with his foot.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes followed the fallen cigarette, then followed the man¡¯s knee-length boots and watched as the boots brought the owner every step closer to her until he stopped three steps from her, leaving a very courteous distance between them. At first, Gu Nianzhi was nervous, then she rxed.

    Then the man started speaking German. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The man¡¯s voice was supposed to be impressive and powerful, but instead his voice was gentle. It was like that of a ripple caused by a gentle breeze caressing ake. It sounded as if it wanted to pierce your heart. Another big contrast. The man¡¯s testosterone was full to the brim, but unexpectedly, he spoke so gently. Such disharmony.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears moved involuntarily. She had forgotten all the German she had learned not too long ago. She had just learned German by cramming at thest minute. She could only understand some everyday conversation, somew terms, and a few news terms. That way, she wouldn¡¯t speak too indistinctly and slowly. She sighed, and with a red face, she asked the man in English, ¡°Do you speak English?¡±

    The man looked like he was dazed. The outline of his face became even sharper under the evening sun. He was stern and quiet. His blue eyes set him off from the clouds and the light in the sky, strongly attracting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s line of sight. He pressed his thin lips together. Only after staring at Gu Nianzhi intensely for a while did he finally give her a little nod. He started speaking English. ¡°Yes, I know a little.¡± His English was like how Germans typically spoke English, with a bit of German pronunciation habits.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spirit slowly came back. She smiled at him and said in fluent English, ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s like this. I¡¯m vacationing in the Alps with my friends, and I got lost after wanting to see too much at once. I¡¯ve been walking for days. This area is too remote and often doesn¡¯t have signal, so I want to ask you if you have a charger, an iPhone cellphone charger?¡±

    Because he was a man, Gu Nianzhi changed her mind. Instead of staying overnight, now she only wanted to borrow his charger. Furthermore, she hinted that she had friends this time, unlike that time at the convent when she said that she was alone. Gu Nianzhi was a very cautious person to begin with, but she was even more on guard now and was wary of everyone.

    The man looked at her from top to bottom, from her tattered sportswear to her unclear shoe colors and to the little ck bundle on her back. It was obvious that she was lost, and yet she said she came with friends. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Gu Nianzhi for a moment in silence.

 Chapter 642 - Bad Eyesight

    <h4>Chapter 642: Bad Eyesight</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The girl looked so thin, and her face was the size of his palm, yet her eyes were lively and bright. She always looked at people with focus, her eyes glimmering like pools of light that one could drown in. These were truly alluring eyes. However, the owner obviously didn¡¯t understand her own appeal as she continued to look at him, appearing even more alluring. The man looked away and grunted, ¡°I have an iPhone. I happened to bring my charger here today.¡± He then shouted something in German at the cabin. Gu Nianzhi heard him say, ¡°Mother Hanna,¡± and was excited as she followed him over.

    The back cabin windows opened, and an old woman looking to be in her sixties smiled kindly at them as she replied in German, ¡°Reinitz, bring that cute girl inside. I can tell she¡¯s hungry. Her eyes are gleaming.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Was it that obvious? Reinitz chuckled quietly. The sound was like the middle string on a cello. One casual pluck was enough to reverberate the heart. As someone obsessed with voices, Gu nianzhi¡¯s ears nearly burned upon hearing the sound. She knew this man was incredible, just his voice was enough to seduce...

    ¡°Go on in. Mother Hanna¡¯s house is the only one within ten miles.¡± Reinitz bent over and spoke softly before opening the gate and stepping aside to let Gu Nianzhi in with a smile. Gu Nianzhi immediately felt reassured at the sight of the kind woman. Also, the man looked refined. He shouldn¡¯t be scum like Seth. Gu Nianzhi thanked him and followed him inside.

    The old woman named Hanna stood at the door with open arms. ¡°My dear girl, you must¡¯ve suffered. Come to Mother Hanna.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already been wandering around the Alps for more than a week now and nearly teared up at the first kind words she heard. But she held herself back, inhaling deeply and hugging Mother Hanna. She replied in German, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know much German except for simple phrases like, ¡°Hello,¡± ¡°thank you,¡± and ¡°goodbye.¡± However, her pronunciation was exact and in an authentic Hannover ent that she had learned from He Zhichu. Hanna was very excited and immediately spoke quickly in German. It was much too fast but also in a Hannover ent. Gu Nianzhi only answered with silence. She didn¡¯t understand a word and looked at Reinitz helplessly.

    Reinitz stood by her and was temporarily stunned by herrge, soulful eyes. Smiling faintly, he spoke to Hanna in German. Hanna immediately switched to English and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You don¡¯t speak German? But your pronunciation was so perfect and was in an authentic Hannover ent. I¡¯m also from Hannover, so it felt very intimate.¡± As she spoke, she took Gu Nianzhi inside the cabin.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly. ¡°I only know a few conversational phrases. I don¡¯t know anything moreplicated.¡±

    ¡°No problem, we all speak English.¡± Hanna winked at her like a yful child and was very optimistic.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and spied Reinitz walking in, looking straight ahead. He passed by her and turned to go into another room. Hanna had her sit down in the kitchen and carried out freshly baked bread and mayonnaise, as well as two Weisswurst sausages to set before her. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Cereus.¡± Gu Nianzhi was truly starving and swallowed hard at the sight of food, but she didn¡¯t dare to eat it right away.

    ¡°Cereus? What a nice name. It¡¯s pretty, like you.¡± Hanna served her enthusiastically. ¡°Dig in! Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t dare to move, her sparkling eyes scanning the food and her brain nervously thinking of some reason to refuse at first. It was food from a stranger, after all. Still, it was best to not eat it until she figured out if these people were friend or foe.

    Hanna noticed Gu Nianzhi kept eyeing the Weisswurst and assumed she was shy. She picked up the cutlery and carefully cut up the Weisswursts in small pieces, speaking gently, ¡°Here, you can see that I made this Weisswurst myself. I used the best Berkshire pork in all of Bavaria. They are free range raised and don¡¯t live on livestock feed. Try it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi swallowed again, her yes glued to the Weisswurst. They looked so delicious, she really wanted to eat them... But since what had happened with the Reverend Mother at the nunnery, she had to be even more careful about eating food prepared by other people.

    Just was she was hesitating, Reinitz walked out of the room and sat on the tall bench beside her. He took the cutlery to first eat a slice of Weisswurst, then had a piece of bread and sip of milk before saying to Mother Hanna, ¡°Mother Hanna, can you go check the bathroom? I think she needs a shower.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly flushed and was totally speechless. It was like Reinitz somehow knew she was thinking. She only dared to eat what she saw others eat, and now that he had put it that way, she was too ashamed to continue eating.

    Mother Hanna smiled. ¡°Cereus, Reinitz isn¡¯t good with his words. Just ignore him. You¡¯ve been out there for a few days now. I¡¯ll prepare a change of clothes. I hope you¡¯ll like them.¡± She stood up and went to the room Reinitz came from. Only Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz remained in the kitchen, and this time she finally noticed he had changed. Gone were the thin checkered shirt and jeans. He now wore a slim and well-fitting white shirt with casual khakis. His tall rain boots were now changed to a pair of tennis hoes, and he sat with his long legszily stretched out by her as he pointed to the sausages on the te and said gently, ¡°Eat it. It¡¯s good. I had some, and they taste pretty good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked into Reinitz¡¯s ocean blue eyes which seemed to somehow know what she was worrying about. That¡¯s why he had discreetly eaten in front of her to let her know the food was fine. Such thoughtfulness nearly shamed Gu Nianzhi. She truly thought she was being too paranoid and had judged a gentleman¡¯s character with ill intentions.

    Even with the tragic case of Li Haiqing, there had been a righteous prosecutor as well as police who hid direct evidence from greedy and self-serving superiors. How could she treat everyone with unfair suspicion? She would be too fussy if she still refused to eat. Picking up her cutlery, she slowly lifted a piece of sausage to her mouth and chewed. Perhaps it was because she hadn¡¯t had real food for over a week, but she cried in happiness as soon as she tasted it! She really started to cry.

    ¡°Why are you crying? It¡¯s not to your taste?¡± Reinitz asked gently and picked up a napkin from the dining table to wipe her tears. Even though he was being very gentle and suppressed all his strength, his movements left several red streaks on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tender skin. He froze and looked helplessly at the napkin. ¡°Your skin is so delicate.¡± It was merely an observation, yet there was also a hint of flirtation.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her face andughed without continuing the topic. She quickly devoured the Weisswurst. Swallowing the food, she said, ¡°It¡¯s very delicious. It¡¯s way better than the Weisswurst from four star Michelin restaurants.¡±

    Reinitz knew he had misspoken earlier but finally sighed with relief when Gu Nianzhi easily dispelled the awkwardness. He changed the topic. ¡°Of course, the secret to making good Weisswurst is the pork. Even the best chef can¡¯t make good Weisswurst without good quality pork.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sipped the milk and nodded. ¡°Right, in the Hua Xia Empire we have a saying that even the best housewife can¡¯t cook without rice. It¡¯s the same principle.¡±

    ¡°Even the best housewife can¡¯t cook without rice? Well said.¡± Reinitz chuckled quietly. His blue eyes shimmered with starlight and were very alluring.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away and picked up a slice of bread. She spread mayonnaise on it and began to nibble. Reinitz watched her eat and went to get another sausage from the steamer when he saw her quickly gobble up thest two. He cut them up for her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head nearly fell down to her chest, and she felt very shy.

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t help sighing internally at the sight of her helplessness. What a child... She had just been adamant about refusing food from strangers, but now she waspletely ashamed epting the smallest kindness from others. ¡°You¡¯re wee. You¡¯re too thin and need to recuperate, but you shouldn¡¯t eat too much all at once. Don¡¯t have any more after this sausage. There are still many in the pot, and I can get you moreter.¡±

    Reinitz advised her gently, ¡°Go shower after you eat, then rest a bit ande out for dinner.¡± He could tell this girl was at her physical limit, but her energy was still very high. Her dark, shining eyes looked like they could suck people in when she looked at them. Reinitz had never found dark hair and dark eyes this attractive before. He had always preferred blonde-haired, blue-eyed German girls. ¡°Eat slowly, I¡¯m going to have a smoke.¡± Feeling Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tenseness, Reinitz left the kitchen and smoked outside.

    Soon after, Gu Nianzhi could see Reinitz¡¯s back from the kitchen window. He sat on a white fence in the front yard, long legs supporting his body against the ground as he held a cigarette in his hand. His smoking posture was a lot like Huo Shao¡¯s... Gu Nianzhi quickly looked down to continue eating. She hadn¡¯t seen Huo Shao for so long that everyone was starting to look like him, but who could actuallypare with him? Looking down, she slowly ate all the food and stood up to take the tes and cutlery to the sink to wash.

    ¡°Put it down, I¡¯ll wash.¡± Reinitz¡¯s voice could be heard from behind.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to discover he had returned without her noticing. He crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen doorway.

    ¡°That¡¯s ok, I used them so I can wash.¡± Gu Nianzhi persisted and set the dishes in the sink. Just as she reached out to turn on the tap, arge hand appeared from behind to also turn it on. The hand happened to cover Gu Nianhzi¡¯s, so she shrank back as if shocked and wiped her hands on her back as if she had touched something dirty and had to clean it off.

    Reinitz smiled and turned on the tap. ¡°Go shower, I¡¯ll wash the dishes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that she was a mess and probably an eyesore. She stopped insisting and whispered as she retreated, ¡°Thank you.¡± Turning away, she went to the room Reinitz had pointed to. She was resilient and decisive at such a young age. This surprised Reinitz because he didn¡¯t dislike it all. He smiled as he put soap in the sink.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi left the kitchen, she turned the corner in the small hallway. The door was ajar, and the plump Hanna was making the bed. The room had white walls, wooden floorboards, a Victorian-style vanity on the left side of the window, and a four-poster bed in the middle covered with white bedding with small floral print. Everything appeared clean and bright, and looked like it was freshlyundered. Gu Nianzhi coughed quietly. ¡°Thank you, Mother Hanna.¡±

    Hanna turned around andughed heartily. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Did you finish eating? Go take a shower.¡± She set a stack of clean clothes on the bed. ¡°I wore this dress when I was young, and the undergarments are brand new and unworn.¡± The undergarments were still in their packaging. It was a small tank top with panties.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll go shower now.¡± She went over to hug Hanna and kissed her cheek. In Germany it was customary for young people to kiss their elders on the cheek to express affection.

    Hanna was very happy, hugging Gu Nianzhi back and kissing her cheek. She gushed, ¡°You¡¯re such a cute little girl! I¡¯ve always told Reinitz to hurry up and get married and have kids. That way, I¡¯d have a pretty little granddaughter to take care of! But he won¡¯t listen! Otherwise, my granddaughter would be your age by now!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No way?! How old is Reinitz?! How could he have a daughter my age?!¡±

    Hanna froze and carefully studied Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re 11 or 12, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. While women loved to be mistaken for a younger age, saying a girl who was nearly 19 years old looked 11 or 12 was not apliment. It meant she looked underdeveloped.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly puffed out her chest. ¡°How can I be only 11 or 12? Mother Hanna has bad eyesight.¡±

    Pfft... The sound of a man¡¯s quietughter could be heard by the door. Gu Nianzhi stiffened immediately. Reinitz was standing at the door.

    Hanna red at him. ¡°What are youughing at?! Am I wrong? Hurry up and get married and have kids! You¡¯re almost 30!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m 28 and will be 29 next month. I¡¯m not 30 yet.¡± Reinitz¡¯s voice could be heard from behind them. ¡°Mother Hanna, Cereus should be 15. She¡¯s right, how could I have a daughter that old already?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flushed again. This mother and son sure loved to joke. She mustered her courage and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m already 18 and am turning 19 next month...¡±

    Hanna and Reinitz looked at each other and were momentarily speechless. Hanna patted her shoulder awkwardly. ¡°Hurry up and shower. I¡¯ll go see what to make for dinner. Cereus, what do you want tonight?¡±

    ¡°Anything would be fine. Thank you, Mother Hanna.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly thanked her and watched Hanna shuffle outside. Reinitz moved aside at the door, and Hanna red at him before passing by and heading to the kitchen. Gu Nianzhi walked over to close the door, but Reinitz was still leaning against it and regarded her haughtily. Gu Nianzhi grabbed the door, unsure whether to ask Reinitz to leave so she could close it. After some time, Reinitz said nonchntly, ¡°Looks like you Hua Xia girls tend to appear young. You look about the same as 11 or 12-year-old German girls.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got angry and puffed out her chest once again. ¡°Do 11 or 12-year-old German girls have D cups?¡± She immediately regretted her words as soon as she saw Reinitz¡¯s bbergasted look. She should¡¯ve bitten her tongue instead of spewing nonsense! Had she lost her mind, arguing with a strange man about that!? Face flushed, she tried to m the door shut.

    However Reinitz merely straightened his body and quickly nced at her chest with raised brows. ¡°Can¡¯t see it.¡± He then turned away.

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and secretly thought it was better he couldn¡¯t see it. Would she actually show them to him just to prove they were D cups? She wasn¡¯t stupid... mming the door shut, Gu Nianzhi carried the clothes Hanna prepared for her to the bathroom.

    The bathroom was mainly decorated in blue with light blue walls and matte navy floor tiles. The only other color was the white bathtub. It resembled naval style decorating and happened to suit Gu Nianzhi¡¯s taste. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t take a bath but opened the curtains covering the tub to shower. There were many different types of shampoo as well as Vichy face wash, making it leagues ahead of the nunnery. Although these weren¡¯t the brands Gu Nianzhi preferred, she would certainly not nitpick now. They were kind enough to take her in. What fussy idiot would be dissatisfied with brands of toiletries?

    Closing the shower curtain, she washed herselfpletely from head to toe. Her hair was especially dirty since she had only shampooed properly once in thest few days. Her hair waspletely knotted. Gu Nianzhi spent a great deal of effort washing her hair, thenthered herself in body wash and quickly rinsed. Wrapping herself in a towel, she peered at herself in the mirror and finally realized why Hanna and Reinitz said she looked 12. She was way too thin. Her face was small to begin with, but the previous plumping baby fat on her face was nowpletely gone. Her palm-sized face had shrunk, only leaving herrge, startling dark eyes. With a pointed chin, slender neck, and jutting corbones, she was the portrait of ¡°stick thin.¡±

    As for her chest, Gu Nianzhi looked down to check. It had only shrunk by a bit. It probably wasn¡¯t an impressive D cup anymore, but it was still a C. Needless to say, her waist could be encircled by her own hands. This thinness was not attractive at all. If she hadn¡¯t been that tall, even fellow Hua Xia people would assume she was only 13 or 14....

 Chapter 643 - Ups and Downs

    <h4>Chapter 643: Ups and Downs</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    German girls tended to be a bit taller. Eleven or 12 year olds were close to 1.7 meters tall, which was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current height. That¡¯s why Mother Hanna thought she was only 11 or 12. It was ording to German girls¡¯ standard height. She wasn¡¯t blindly guessing.

    Gu Nianzhi angrily put on the dress Hanna gave her. It was a traditional German dress with blue and white stripes. The bodice was ake-blue corset, and the top part of the skirt was like a waistcoat that cinched in her waist, making her breasts more noticeable. Looking like this, she definitely did not look like a girl who hadn¡¯t started developing.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a better mood and pulled herself together. She then clenched her fist. She wanted to eat, eat, and eat! Not only was it unhealthy to be this thin, but there was no way she could have enough energy to escape. After what happened at the convent, she wouldn¡¯t believe that she was safe.

    She found a hairdryer in the bathroom. Gu Nianzhi started drying her hair until it was half dry. The moment she put the hairdryer down, she heard a knock at the door. She went to open the door with her hair down. Standing at the door was Reinitz.

    He couldn¡¯t believe that she would look like a different person just from showering and a change of clothes. Her long, seaweed-like hair that was naturally a bit curly hair hung loosely about her back. He almost couldn¡¯t control his hands due to his impulse to touch her hair, so he secretly clenched his fists.

    Her small, palm-sized face was still damp from the shower she had just taken. Her cheeks were naturally flushed, and she had perfect, plump lips. As Gu Nianzhi looked at him quizzically, her upper lip curled as if she were asking for a kiss. Reinitz¡¯s eyes shifted unnaturally from her lips to her lofty bosom, then he immediately looked up and said, ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready. Come eat.¡± He then turned and walked straight ahead.

    She smiled and nodded. ¡°Ok, I will be right with you.¡± She went back to her room, braided her half-dried hair, and tied it with her old rubber band. Then she went to the kitchen.

    Maybe Hanna knew she was famished, because dinner was plentiful. A white porcin bowl was filled with rich soup. It smelled like seafood, but that couldn¡¯t be. Gu Nianzhi wondered how there could be seafood. More likeke food, she thought.

    Other than the tes set in front of everyone, there were also five more oval-shaped tes. One had freshly baked veal, and another had several pieces of bread in the shape of a rod. Thankfully, there were no blueberries on it.

    There was also a long porcin dish filled with chopped white sausages. The fourth te was of a glutinous-looking pig hoof, and on another long porcin dish there was a small, freshly baked cake. It smelled so good. Only by taking a deep breath was she able to calm herself down.

    ¡°Come sit here. I made this m chowder specially for you.¡± Hanna greeted her warmly and filled up her bowl.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t control herself anymore and used her spoon to eat a mouthful of it. It really was ms made into soup. She was right about the smell.

    Reinitz smiled and cut her a slice of bread. He put a few white sausages on the porcin te in front of her and softly said, ¡°Eat slowly. There¡¯s more in the pot.¡±

    ¡°Are you guys not eating?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Hanna, and she dared not eat anymore.

    Reinitz looked at her with the same look as before and ate a white sausage from her porcin te. Then he ate a slice of bread, and a little bit of her m chowder. He smiled at her as he held his beer ss in his hand.

    Hanna immediately said to Reinitz, ¡°Reinitz you have your own portion. Why did you eat Cereus¡¯s food?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Reinitz had eaten the food off of her te because he wanted her to eat without worry. That thought made her even more impressed with Reinitz¡¯s thoughtfulness. She smiled sheepishly at Hanna. ¡°Let¡¯s all eat. It will be merrier.¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Hanna happily scooped herself a bowl of m chowder and said, ¡°Reinitz brought this from Berlin. He really likes seafood, and so do I. It¡¯s just that we live so far from the big cities and the sea, it¡¯s difficult to get it.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you buy it online?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    ¡°We live outside of the online delivery zone.¡± Reinitz smiled faintly and took a sip of his beer.

    Gu Nianzhi took a few bites of her bread. A question popped into her head, so she asked, ¡°Reinitz, you work in Berlin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then how did you get here?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked as her eyes lit up. If Reinitz coulde from Berlin to this isted area deep inside the Alps, then she could find a way out of here. Forget about getting back to Munich. As long as she could find a ce with Wi-Fi, she would be able to be out of harm¡¯s way.

    The reason why she was so passive was because her phone had no service nor Wi-Fi. She was totally disconnected from the outside world. If it weren¡¯t for that, they would havee to save her already.

    Reinitz smiled while looking at her. ¡°I rode my motorcycle here. First, I flew from Berlin to Munich, and then from Munich, I rented a motorcycle and rode it all the way here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately remembered the cool motorcycle she saw in the backyard. ¡°Ohhh,¡± she said with a look of sudden realization on her face.

    Hanna and Reinitz bothughed. The mother¡¯s and son¡¯s smiles were kind and gentle, making one feel drawn to them. There was truth behind the saying, ¡°the face is the index of the heart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed to herself. She mustered up the courage to ask, ¡°Reinitz, when will you go back to Berlin? Can you take me with you? I don¡¯t need to go to Berlin, you only need to take me out of the mountains. The nearest town will be fine.¡± Afraid he would refuse, she immediately added, ¡°I¡¯ll pay. I won¡¯t be a freeloader and ask you to pay for everything.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s smile faded. He lowered his head as he took a drink of his beer and gently said, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll take you out of here. You don¡¯t need to pay.¡± He left without another word.

    Gu Nianzhi keenly perceived that Reinitz¡¯s mood had gone sour... She nced at Hanna and whispered, ¡°Mother Hanna, is Reinitz upset?¡±

    She raised her thin eyebrows and said objectively, ¡°Is he upset? I don¡¯t think so...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. It was very apparent. How could one not have felt it?

    ¡°Reinitz has always been like that. He has a good temper, he¡¯s never upset, and never loses his temper.¡± Hanna then said to Gu Nianzhi in a secretive tone, ¡°Besides, we are women, and he is a man, and a man must let a woman have her way. If he doesn¡¯t, then he¡¯s not a gentleman, and then he won¡¯t be able to find a wife.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Really? Reinitz¡¯s facial features were more handsome than the average American and European¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t lose to the American or the European male celebrities.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that her aesthetic sense was normal, so she didn¡¯t take Mother Hanna¡¯s words to heart. She didn¡¯t think anything of it and only said, ¡°Reinitz¡¯s very handsome, Mother Hanna. Is it because you see him so often that you don¡¯t feel that way?¡±

    Afterward, she spent the rest of the eveningplimenting Mother Hanna¡¯s cooking. She also ate a lot. Gu Nianzhi was still eating her seventh white sausage when Mother Hanna sleepily went to her bedroom. Reinitz had finished smoking and stood outside for a while, waiting for the smell of the smoke to dissipate from his body. Then he went back in. That¡¯s when he heard Gu Nianzhi and Hanna having an animated conversation. He didn¡¯t interrupt. He leaned on the kitchen doorway as he silently listened in.

    Hanna finally went to bed because she was sleepy. Reinitz quickly moved aside. Gu Nianzhi stood up as she watched Hanna leave, but she didn¡¯t see Reinitz at first. When Hanna came out, she finally saw Reinitz. Without saying a word, she gently patted him on the shoulder. She smiled and walked away.

    Reinitz continued to stand by the doorway and watched Gu Nianzhi with deep interest. He only walked in because she was still eating. He sat down next to her, then put his hands on her knife and fork and gently said, ¡°Don¡¯t eat thest white sausage. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m being stingy, but I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t handle it. You¡¯ll get an upset stomach tonight.¡±

    After several days of hunger and stuffing herself after resting for a bit not too long ago, Reinitz¡¯s gut told him that this girl¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t be able to handle all of that food. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes dimmed as she remembered her strange body. ¡°So what? I told you I¡¯m not a freeloader. I¡¯ll give you guys money.¡±

    ¡°You think I care about money?¡± The normally gentle Reinitz was finally a bit angry. ¡°You¡¯re always talking about money. Even if you ate 100 white sausages, would it cost that much? The fact is, your body will not be able to handle it. Come on. Stop eating and drink some milk, and then wash up and go to sleep.¡±

    He smoothly ced one of his hands on the nape of her neck as the other hand brought a ss of milk to her mouth. Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and took a sip of the milk. Reinitz smiled warmly and praised her, ¡°Good girl.¡± He then urged her to wash up. ¡°Go rest, I will clean this up.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi had first arrived and had eaten a little snack, it was Reinitz who had cleaned up. This time, it was also him cleaning up. It felt wrong. ¡°Let me help you,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she stood up.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s not much. It¡¯s faster if I do it myself,¡± Reinitz said as he stacked the porcin tes that Gu Nianzhi had eaten from. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s good that you can eat. I don¡¯t like girls that eat like a bird.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, smiled awkwardly, and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m not like this at home. I was really hungry this time.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Reinitz nced at her, not exposing the lies she told him when she first arrived.

    Gu Nianzhi felt bad. She stood beside Reinitz as he washed the dishes. She handed him the dish detergent and said bashfully, ¡°Um... I¡¯m... I¡¯m actually lost.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was again speechless. Her face turned redder. Gu Nianzhi told him the truth.¡±...I ...I walked around the mountain for days. During that time, I only ate berries, sometimes eggs and grilled fish. I couldn¡¯t help myself today, everything was delicious.¡±

    ¡°I already told you, it¡¯s ok. I want you to stop eating because I am worried that your body won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡± Reinitz lightly touched the area above her stomach with the back of his hand. ¡°This is going to hurt. Do you want some digestive medicine?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. She said, ¡°I¡¯m good. Nothing¡¯s going to happen, right?¡± She wanted to test out her body and see how strong it could be.

    Reinitz stopped trying to persuade her. He washed the porcin tes, knives, and forks. Then he dried them and put them back into the cupboard. Gu Nianzhi gave him liquid hand soap so he could wash his hands. Reinitzughed. His blue eyes looked intensely at her as he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you need to charge your phone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly took out her cellphone. ¡°Do you have a charger for this kind of iPhone?¡±

    Reinitz looked and said, ¡°That¡¯sst year¡¯s model. I happen to have the same model.¡± He walked out of the kitchen as he was talking and headed to his room to grab his charger. Gu Nianzhi followed behind. As she walked along, she realized Reinitz¡¯s room was next to the one she had just showered in.

    Reinitz brought his charger out of his room and saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯splexion was different from before. He constructively thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°The house is small. Please bear with it. There¡¯s only these few rooms. If you don¡¯t want to stay in this room, you¡¯ll have to stay with Mother Hanna.¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to stay with anyone, so she immediately shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s ok. I understand.¡± Immediately after saying that, she wished Reinitz a good night.

    Reinitz smiled and nodded as he said, ¡°Goodnight,¡± and went back to his room.

    Gu Nianzhi also went to her room. The two rooms were right next to each other, but the instion was probably pretty good, because after Gu Nianzhi closed the door, she couldn¡¯t hear a thing outside.

    She plugged the charger into the outlet on the wall, then plugged the phone in. Her phone had less than two percent battery left. Thank goodness. Her luck really did go up and down.

    She slid her phone open while it was charging. She saw that there were two signal bars, so she tested the Wi-Fi. It looked like she could connect, but it was too slow. She couldn¡¯t even read text messages or get any news. She could only give up for now.

    She opened the phone¡¯s address book. She wanted to give Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze another call. This time, the phone rang for a long time, but it finally went through. It was not voicemail, but it was the Special Operation Forces¡¯ call center operator who picked up the call. ¡°Hello, Special Operation Forces¡¯ headquarters call center. How may I help you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything. She nkly hung up. How could Yin Shixiong¡¯s number be the call center? No way... Could it be that special operations division had a major change during the month she had been gone?

    She finally decided to call Chen Lie after holding her phone for a long time. It rang soon after she dialed the number. Someone answered. Gu Nianzhi was very delighted and quickly said, ¡°Brother Chen, it¡¯s Nianzhi!¡±

    It seemed like the person on the other end froze for a second, then a tender female voice said, ¡°Nianzhi? I¡¯m Ye Zitan. Doctor Chen is currently performing a major operation on the chief of military affairs. He still needs ten more hours. Do you need something?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spirit came crashing down at once. ¡°Brother Chen is performing an operation? Then tell him I have something urgent that I need to get in contact with Brother Xiong and them about. I left them messages, but they haven¡¯t gotten back to me. Can you ask Brother Chen to ask Brother Xiong if they have received my messages?¡±

    Ye Zitan amiably said, ¡°Ok. Nianzhi, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. ording to what I know, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze are also on a mission. They left about ten days ago. They can¡¯t take their original cell phones with them when they are on a mission.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Oh...¡± Gu Nianzhi understood and finally let out a sigh. Knowing they were not purposely ignoring her calls and not purposely not replying to her messages was good enough.

    Gu Nianzhi believed that Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were definitely not traitors, but she was afraid that they were being used by the traitor. She felt relieved knowing they were on a mission. ¡°Ok, that¡¯ll be all. Thank you, Dr. Ye!¡± Gu Nianzhi said quickly and immediately hang up.

    Ye Zitan also hung up but did so slowly. While wearing a smile on her face, she opened a small program that clearly disyed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location.

    With her stomach full, Gu Nianzhi fell asleep quickly. She couldn¡¯t wait until her phone was fully charged. She was already soundly asleep. It should¡¯ve been the best and mostfortable sleep she had had in the past eight or nine days, but she woke up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache. She tossed and turned for a while, but she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and went to the bathroom.

    After she came back to her room, she thought she would feel better. However, she had to go back to the bathroom within two minutes. After going to the bathroom three or four times, she wondered if she had been poisoned. However, she felt better after using the bathroom. Finally, she threw up her stomach full of food and started to have a light fever. Being poisoned definitely didn¡¯t feel like this. It was probably because she had eaten too much at dinner.

    After the fifth time, she came out of the bathroom and crawled onto her bed with no energy. She heard a knock on her door. ¡°Cereus? Are you ok?¡± Reinitz¡¯s beautiful baritone voice asked.

    Gu Nianzhi struggled to get up. She leaned against the door and said weakly, ¡°Fine... I¡¯m fine... just having a bit of diarrhea... I¡¯m better already. Go back to sleep.¡± Gu Nianzhi felt embarrassed, but her legs were very weak. She couldn¡¯t even stand. She slid down the back of the door and started panting.

    It was quiet outside the door. Reinitz probably had gone back to his room. Gu Nianzhi let out a sigh of relief. She hugged her knees and put her head on them as her stomach continued to ache. She really didn¡¯t want to go to the bathroom, but it seemed like she couldn¡¯t not go.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was debating when she suddenly heard a clicking sound from the window. She looked up feebly, and she suddenly opened her eyes wide. Her window was being opened from the outside. Reinitz¡¯s big figure leaped through the window and walked toward her. He was half kneeling and half squatting before her, and he put his hand under her chin and raised it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You overate, didn¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 644 - Come With Me

    <h4>Chapter 644: Come With Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Reinitz spoke calmly, as if he were merely describing a fact and had no intention of making fun of her. However, Gu Nianzhi waspletely mortified and desperately kept her head down to stop him from lifting her chin up. In the beginning, Reinitz didn¡¯t use much pressure, because he already thought this girl was too delicate at first sight. Like the white snow atop the peaks of the Alps, it would immediately melt as soon as the sun rose. He was worried even the tiniest bit of strength would break this girl¡¯s neck. However, she was actually quite stubborn and stiffened her neck to keep him from looking at her. With a subtle flick of his palm, Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to look up at him. In the dark room, Reinitz¡¯s ssical Germanic beauty was suddenly magnified before her. Gu Nianzhi felt dizzy and quickly averted her eyes while stammering, ¡°...I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Reinitz pressed his thin lips together and smoothed her hair with concern as he chided, ¡°You¡¯re fine? You already have a fever.¡± He carried her and set her in bed. ¡°Lay down for a while. I¡¯ll get medication for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll be better after getting some sleep.¡± Gu Nianzhi touched her forehead and noticed she was really starting to get a fever. Did that mean she was going to get better soon? Typically speaking, when humans had fevers, that signified a working immune system. Many viruses caused fevers because the human body¡¯s own immune system was working to kill invading viruses to heal the body. However, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t certain if she had simply overeaten, so a fever would be of no use.

    She drifted off into a drowsy sleep. In the haziness, someone seemed to drape a cool towel on her forehead and feed her bitter medicinal juice. She didn¡¯t want to drink it, but the person was very persistent. They pinched her nose, so she had no choice but to open her mouth and was forced to swallow several mouthfuls of the medicine. Gu Nianzhi was very averse to it and vomited in her struggle. It smelled so awful, even she was frowning. The person didn¡¯t seem to mind and brought a basin of water over to wipe her off and allow her to rinse her mouth. They then removed the dirty nket and covered her with a clean one. The vomit on the bed was quickly cleaned up.

    The person sat down by the bed again to continue feeding her medicine. When Gu Niaznhi realized she was being forced to drink the bitter medicine again, she began to moan and cry. She was a patient, how could they treat her this way? She muttered unhappily in Chinese. The person wiped her tears with a tissue, unable to make sense of what she was saying, but gently patted her shoulder infort. At the same time, they continued to rece the wet towels on her forehead and fed her medicine from time to time. This pattern somehow rxed Gu Nianzhi. After some struggle, she no longer needed to use the bathroom and would only mutter a bit when force fed the medicine. She would then drift into sleep.

    The next morning, she woke up to instantly see someone sitting at the bedside. His left hand propped up his head while his right hand continued to gently pat her shoulder. Looking up the person¡¯s arm, Gu Nianzhi saw Reinitz¡¯s beautiful sculpted face. He was the person who had taken care of her all night. Rubbing her belly, Gu Nianzhi discovered it no longer hurt, but she still seemed to have a fever and stomachache. She also wanted to vomit as soon as she moved.

    Reinitz shook slightly and woke up. Looking down, he happened to meet Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, sparkling dark eyes. ¡°You¡¯re awake? Do you still feel sick?¡± he asked gently, much nicer than he had been yesterday.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, then nodded with a whisper, ¡°My stomach doesn¡¯t hurt anymore, but my gut still does.¡±

    Reinitz caressed her forehead. ¡°You still have a fever, so you can¡¯t eat anything yet. I¡¯ll make more dandelion juice for you.¡±

    So the bitter juice yesterday was dandelion juice. Gu Nianzhi no longer detested it and agreed before asking curiously, ¡°You make herbal remedies?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Mother Hanna makes them. Everyone here makes their own dandelion juice when they get sick,¡± Reinitz said as he stood up. Even with a strong physique, he was slightly haggard from taking care of Gu Nianzi all night.

    Gu Nianzhi struggled up from the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself. You look very tired. Go sleep a bit. I¡¯m much better now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy.¡± Reinitz smiled faintly. ¡°You sleep. I¡¯ll be back right away.¡± He turned to leave, his strapping figure filling the room. After the door shut quietly, Gu Nianzhi could hear Reinitz and Mother Hanna speaking in hushed voices. Gu Nianzhi was immensely grateful and slowly fell asleep again. She didn¡¯t sleep too deeply knowing that Reinitz and Mother Hanna were taking turns caring for her.

    This time, she slept until evening. Reinitz was reading a book on a small couch in front of her bed, his head lowered. From Gu Naizhi¡¯s angle, she could see his long eyshes were actually a pale gold, a rarebination with his mesmerizing blue eyes. However, Gu Nianzhi still liked Huo Shao¡¯s thick, dark eyshes and mysterious eyes the best. She stared nkly at Reinitz as she thought about Huo Shao, her gaze softening.

    Reinitz could feel her stare as he read, so he looked up calmly to see she had already roused. Leaning over, he adjusted her nket. ¡°You¡¯re awake? Are you hungry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°I¡¯m too scared to gorge on food and drink again.¡± As soon as she spoke, she noticed her voice was very tiny, and just a sentence was enough to make her gasp several times. She was unbelievably weak.

    Reinitz sighed. ¡°You¡¯re sick, save your breath. Rest well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shifted on the bed. She wanted to go to the bathroom. She had been in bed all day, and there was no way she wouldn¡¯t need to use the bathroom, even though she hadn¡¯t eaten at all and only had dandelion juice... So her peculiar body constitution didn¡¯t work on diarrhea?

    ¡°What is it?¡± Reinitz noticed she didn¡¯t want to sleep. ¡°Where are you not feeling well?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to cry, Hey mister, can you leave for a second? She looked at Reinitz but couldn¡¯t get the words out.

    Reinitz also looked at her fixedly and seemed to understand after a while. He slowly got up. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a smoke.¡± He then walked out and closed the door softly.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed with relief. She had a new level of understanding towards this man¡¯s thoughtfulness. Removing the nkets, she got out of bed. There was a pair of fuzzy slippers set beside it on the floor. They actually had a little ck bear in the front, and she couldn¡¯t help giggling as she recalled the smart and fairy-like bear cub she met on the mountain. She wondered if it still remembered her...

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it as she put on the slippers, but before she even took two steps, her knees became weak, and she suddenly fell to the ground with a loud thump. Reinitz instantly opened the door from outside and quickly helped Gu Nianzhi up when he saw her syed on the floorboards in front of the bed. He didn¡¯t say anything as he half-carried her to the bathroom door. He thought about it and opened the door, walking Gu Nianzhi to the toilet so she could lean against the sink beside it. He finally looked down and left when she steadied herself. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks were flushed red, but there was no way around it. Her legs were still weak from the full day of diarrhea yesterday, but she needed to use the bathroom now and couldn¡¯t wait. Luckily, Reinitz had only walked her there, and she was able to take care of the rest herself.

    ...

    Flushing the toilet, Gu Nianzhi supported herself on the sink and slowly stood up so she could turn on the tap and wash her hands. Reinitz heard the water from outside and knocked on the door to ask, ¡°Are you ok now? I¡¯ming in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the bathroom door to slowly make her way out. She had just opened the door and found herself looking right at Reinitz. ¡°...Thank you,¡± Gu Nianzhi said quietly.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t speak again but used his powerful arms to carry her and set her back onto the bed. He covered her with the think nket once again. ¡°Sleep some more. You should have something for dinner or you¡¯ll be too weak.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She already felt much better, but the diarrhea had been draining her energy, making her tired and unable to walk steadily. As shey on the bed to rest her eyes, Reinitz went outside to discuss dinner with Hanna. Afterwards, they made her a pot of coix seed and oatmeal porridge. They didn¡¯t have rice, so there was no way to make congee, but they had plenty of coix seed and oatmeal.

    Gu Nianzhi had no strength to eat it herself, so Hanna fed her. It was very true that humans were like iron, and rice was like steel, because she felt much more energetic after having one bowl. She had slept during the day, so she wasn¡¯t tired at all. However, Hanna was used to going to bed at 8:30 every night, so she soon bid her goodnight and went to her room to rest.

    Reinitz had dinner and cleaned the kitchen before washing up in his room. Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to check her phone. It was already charged, but she was disappointed to see she didn¡¯t even have a single bar of signal. It was back to what it was yesterday. Holding the phone, shey on the bed and quietly thought about what could be going on.

    After he showered, Reinitz came to see if Gu Nianzhi was asleep. He saw she wasying on the bed with open eyes, her gaze distant like she was thinking about something. His gaze was directed to the phone she was holding, and he seemed to understand something. ¡°We¡¯re up in the mountains, so the cell signal drops from time to time. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit surprised. ¡°Then how do youmunicate beyond the mountain? There¡¯s nondline?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too remote here, so there is no phone line connected.¡± Reinitz patiently exined to her, ¡°Mother Hanna also doesn¡¯t like to make phone calls. If something happens, she¡¯ll go to the next mountain to find the rangers¡¯ base. They have a phone and inte connection there.¡±

    Rangers... Gu Nianzhi guiltily recalled how she set the mountain on fire, and the rangers¡¯ blurry positions. She had decided not to risk exposing herself to the rangers. Reinitz was going to take her from here anyway, so she didn¡¯t need to ask the rangers for help. Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°So that¡¯s the case.¡± She didn¡¯t want to worry about the inte and phone anymore, so she asked Reinitz, ¡°How long are you staying this time? When do you n to leave? Can you take me with you?¡±

    Reinitz smiled. ¡°I nned to leave today, but I can stay two more days, since you¡¯re sick.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It won¡¯t affect your work?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt very bad. She knew most westerners had annual vacation with a set amount of days, so anything beyond that was unpaid.

    Reinitz seemed to understand her concern and exined vaguely, ¡°No, I have lots of annual leave built up. I haven¡¯t used it for many years now. You should sleep. I¡¯ll read a book here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew he wanted to take care of her, and she also didn¡¯t know if she was going to get sick again. She didn¡¯t refuse him and slipped under the nket. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to sleep. Goodnight...¡±

    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Reinitz smiled. He put his hands in his pockets and watched her from across the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes peacefully and pretended to be deep asleep, but she only wanted to reassure Reinitz. He watched for a while and bent over to adjust her nket before taking the book he was reading from the side table to continue. The light in the room was off, only leaving a warm yellow tablemp. Gu Nianzhi thought the setting was very familiar and made her feel safe.

    However, she couldn¡¯t sleep right now or dare to toss and turn in bed, so sheid straight and mentally nned what steps to take next. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze somehow had also been sent off on missions over two weeks ago. When she calcted the time, it happened to be right before she got kidnapped. Was this coincidence or intentional? Also, weren¡¯t Smith and the other colleagues feeling suspicious since she hadn¡¯t been in touch for so many days? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was confused, but because she was so frightened, she didn¡¯t dare to believe it to be true.

    Time passed slowly, and when Gu Nianzhi escaped from her thoughts, she noticed Reinitz was already slumped over, asleep on the sofa. His breathing was even and rxed like his personality, giving him an aura of calm and warmth. Gu Nianzhi shifted her gaze and quietly exhaled. She told herself that she would be rescued as soon as she left the Alps and returned to a ce with inte and other people. She couldn¡¯t wait any longer and must tell Reinitz tomorrow, so he could take her as soon as possible.

    Closing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi started to feel sleepy and was just about to fall asleep when she suddenly heard the low hum of a motorcycle outside the window. However, she couldn¡¯t hear it again when she tried hard to listen. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped, then she heard the squeak of the fence door soon after, followed by a thump. Her eyes flew open, and she was so nervous, she was about to sit up. However, Reinitz, who had been deep asleep, suddenly jumped up and fluidly moved to the window and lifted a corner of the drapes to see what was happening.

    Gu Nianzhi was much more energetic after lying in bed the whole day, and she no longer stumbled like she had that morning. She got out of bed and quietly put on her original clothes, then wore the nun¡¯s habit over them. It carried all her precious belongings: her phone, Reinitz¡¯s charger, a pack of sanitary napkins, a Zippo lighter, a Swiss Army knife, and her wallet. She then put on her tennis shoes before moving next to Reintz to look out the window.

    The stars were very bright outside, and when she leaned over, she happened to see several suspicious-looking people carrying guns and jumping over the fence. At the side of the fence, one person stopped andid on the ground with his hand digging down. He then pulled forcefully and pulled another person out of the ground. What a strange gesture... Could there be traps near the fence? Reinitz seemed to know what she was thinking and replied without looking at her, ¡°To ward off wild animals, we set traps by the fence.¡±

    No wonder, the earlier noise was from someone falling down into the trap. Gu Nianzhi felt very guilty and whispered to him, ¡°Thank you for taking care of me, but I must leave now. Those people are here for me. I¡¯ll drag you into the mess if I stay here.¡±

    Reinitz suddenly jerked his head back and looked at Gu Ninazhi fixedly. His blue eyes were as weing and intriguing as the sea. Gu Nianzhi nodded at him and turned to leave. Reinitz reached out and grabbed her wrist. ¡°You¡¯re still sick. How can you leave? Where are you going in the middle of the night?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look up but kept her eyes on Reinitz¡¯s hand on her wrist. ¡°Obviously, I am going the same way I came. How else do you think I ended up here?¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s trying to kill you?¡± Reinitz squinted. ¡°Bad girl, you never told me this.¡± He didn¡¯t say it as a question, but stated it as a fact.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quietly, her voice barely audible. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t want this to happen...¡± She tried hard to struggle out of his grasp, but Reinitz¡¯s hand secured her tightly, and even with all her strength, she couldn¡¯t pry him off with her fingers.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Reinitz didn¡¯t let go but pulled her hand to quickly move them out of the room. He first took her to his room and pulled out a duffel bag he had on the couch by the bed. Then he took out a pistol from a drawer in his nightstand and put it in her hand. ¡°You know how to shoot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately gained more trust in Reinitz when he passed the gun to her. She nodded quickly. ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Keep it on you, and obey mymands.¡± Reinitz looked at her fixedly once again before suddenly embracing her head and kissing her forehead. ¡°Be brave.¡± Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes tightly, neck stiff as she awkwardly darted away. Reinitz quickly let go of her. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡± He took her hand and continued moving.

    Reinitz opened the door to rouse Mother Hanna when they passed by her room. ¡°There are bad people here, hide now. Cereus and I will lead them away.¡± Mother Hanna was very frightened and quickly climbed out of the bed to drape on a coat and hide in the basement.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit confused. Although the small cabin didn¡¯t have many rooms inside, the hallways were full of twists, and she couldn¡¯t see which way they headed.

    ¡°To the backyard, of course.¡± Reinitz replied without looking back. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room directly faced the front yard, and that was where those people sneaking in with guns hade from. In the meantime, Reinitz took her in the direction of the backyard.

 Chapter 645 - It Already Happened

    <h4>Chapter 645: It Already Happened</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The two walked through the kitchen. Reinitz pushed open the kitchen door and looked around. The kitchen door faced the backyard. The night sky was clear with a bright moon but no stars. There were asional caw caw sounds from the crows in the woods that permeated the night.

    It looked like there were people all over the front and back yards. At this time, there were two stealthy peopleing inside from the backyard fence, but they fell into the trap with a big thud.

    Reinitz held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. While running forward, he pretty much dragged her along with him. His motorcycle was parked right by the backyard fence, not far from where the two men in the trap were. As they ran toward the motorcycle, Reinitz kicked the wooden door with one foot and threw it down the trap.

    Ahh! The two men in the trap screamed while shooting blindly up at them. Of course, carelessly firing their guns like that wasn¡¯t very effective.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even had the time to enjoy the predicament those men were in when Reinitz put a big helmet on her. Reinitz put his travel bag on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back, then hopped on the motorcycle. He turned to her and solemnly said, ¡°We¡¯re leaving right now. Hold on tightly to me.¡±

    The normally gentle man suddenly showed a side of resoluteness. Gu Nianzhi naturally listened to his directive, followed behind him, and hopped onto the motorcycle with both arms around his waist. Reinitz could feel the area around his waist where she was holding onto him. It was burning hot. His eyes dimmed as he stepped on the gas. The motorcycle made a loud noise, and a bunch of startled crows filled the night sky.

    ¡°What¡¯s that noise?!¡± The people that had gotten in from the front yard and the backyard were all startled. When they came to their senses, they saw a motorcycle rushing toward the mountain road in a sh. The light on the motorcycle made a long, curvy line. In a short time, it had gone a long distance.

    ¡°What happened?! Did they escape?!¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a diversion.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t know if they left or if they are still here!¡±

    The men in ck talked among themselves and decided to divide into two groups. Most of them chased after the motorcycle, while a small number decided to set the cabin on fire.

    Gu Nianzhi held onto Reinitz¡¯s waist firmly and pressed herself against his broad back. The motorcycle moved as swiftly as the wind and as quickly as lightning on a rugged, uneven mountain road. They were constantly jolted because the road was so bumpy. She could feel the wind blowing past her ears, even though she was wearing a helmet. When she looked up, she suddenly realized he had given her his helmet because Reinitz didn¡¯t have a helmet on.

    She was moved.

    She wanted to return the kindness to the people that always protected her and were good to her.

    Reinitz had both hands on the motorcycle¡¯s handlebars. All his attention was on hitting the elerator. Without a helmet on, he could hear the pursuers getting closer and closer from behind. Those people were also on motorcycles. In the beginning, it had been the sound of motorcyclesing to an abrupt stop that woke him and Gu Nianzhi up.

    If at this time someone had been standing halfway up the hill, they would see from this side of the Alps¡¯ narrow mountain road, a scene of motorcycles moving madly forward with four motorcycles in pursuit of one.

    The motorcycles¡¯ long, arch-like light converged into a river of motorcycle headlights. The people on the vehicles looked like boats floating in a river that was swaying back and forth. It appeared as though the ship would capsize if one were not careful.

    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

    Several bullets grazed the ground near Gu Nianzhi and their motorcycle, kicking up a lot of dust.

    ¡°They are shooting at us!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trembling voice warned Reinitz.

    ¡°Hold on tightly to me! Take out the gun! Get ready to shoot!¡± Reinity said as he looked back at Gu Nianzhi, then he quickly turned his head back to the front.

    Gu Nianzhi had already had the gun in her hand for a while. The moment Reinitz told her to shoot, she turned her body right away and calmly aimed at the nearest wheel of the motorcycle that was pursuing them. She leveled her arm, put weight on her wrist, and pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s marksmanship was very urate. It only took one shot to burst the nearest motorcycle¡¯s tire.

    Boom!

    That motorcycle suddenly lost bnce and went down the hill. The person on the motorcycle jumped off in a hurry in order to avoid the same fate as the motorcycle. However, the person was seriously wounded. The person hugged their legs as they rolled downhill with the motorcycle. The motorcycle that was closest to them was out. The three motorcycles in the back had be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s next targets.

    Reinitz heard the noise. He took a look and waspletely dumbfounded. He never thought this young girl¡¯s marksmanship could be that good. He turned his head back and took a deep breath as he hit the elerator again.

    Seeing that the person on the motorcycle they were pursuing had such precise marksmanship, the three motorcycles behind them changed their path at once. On the narrow mountain road, they drove in zigzags while disying all kinds of motorcycle driving skills.

    Gu Nianzhi was dazzled, because this time, she would not be as lucky. She shot several times, but none hit her targets. Seeing that their strategy worked, the people on the motorcycles behind them became happy. The tables had turned. The people on the three motorcycles behind them started shooting at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was starting to worry and said to Reinitz, ¡°Could you slow down a bit? I can¡¯t hit them.¡±

    Reinitz leaned in as he listened, at the same time keeping his right hand on the motorcycle. His put his left hand out and said, ¡°Give me the gun.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to drive?¡± Gu Nianzhi said. She was a bit uneasy. It was not a big deal that she hadn¡¯t hit them, but if Reinitz wasn¡¯t focused while driving, they would have the same fate as the motorcycle that went down the hill.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, give me the gun,¡± Reinitz said as he steadily reached for her hand. ¡°Hurry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to hand the gun over. Reinitz didn¡¯t turn his head. He turned his body slightly and listened to the sound of the motorcycles behind him, as if he were trying to locate the sound. He raised his left arm and turned his wrist sideways. There was a loud and clear sound.

    Boom!

    The motorcycle behind them exploded with a huge noise, and it suddenly flipped over. The people on the motorcycle didn¡¯t have time to get off. They were thrust forward by the inertia and were swung forward from the motorcycle.

    Immediately after, two gunshots went off, and the two men who had just been thrown off the motorcycle were shot in the head. They rolled down the slope with their motorcycles.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. Under the bright moonlight, the ideal German beauty was no longer kind but had a hint of apathy and callousness. His marksmanship was second to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s only by a little bit, and he was stronger than anyone she¡¯d ever met.

    There were two more motorcycles left. Seeing how skillful the person in front of them was, they didn¡¯t dare get too close and deliberately kept their distance. However, they started firing at Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz more intensely. No matter how fast Reinitz went, he couldn¡¯t outrun bullets. He couldn¡¯t retract his arms fast enough and got his skin grazed.

    ¡°Hold the gun,¡± Reinitz said as he stopped shooting and put the gun back in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. ¡°There¡¯s a cliff up ahead. Hold on tight. I¡¯m going to lure them there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was crying bitterly, but she had no choice. At this time, she could only put her trust in Reinitz. After all, didn¡¯t he have great marksmanship?

    Reinitz had both hands on the motorcycle¡¯s handlebars, and then he braked. The motorcycles behind them were suddenly taken aback. They were getting closer and closer to them as they hit the elerator violently. They increased their speed while simultaneously firing.

    Reinitz was very skillful with his motorcycle and drove in a figure-eight to confuse the people behind them and their line of vision. When they felt that their target was within reach, Reinitz again hit the elerator violently. The motorcycle let out a roar and immediately sped forward. The motorcycles behind them instinctively hit their elerators, too, and followed them intensely.

    Reinitz could hear the motorcycles getting closer and closer, and he pushed the elerator all the way. He held the handlebars tightly, and turned sharply to the left with all his might while his leg hit the ground to slow their momentum. The motorcycle made a 90 degree turn.

    Gu Nianzhi was behind Reinitz when she was astounded to see the 90 degree sharp mountain road. It was actually a death road, because to the left was an upward slope, and to the right was a cliff. If one didn¡¯t know the road well and was going that fast, one would fall, even in broad daylight.

    Her heart went into her throat as the motorcycle naturally slowed down at the sharp turn. Reinitz turned his body and hugged her. He then hit the elerator and jumped back, grabbing her as he threw himself to the left hillside.

    There were a lot of vines on the hillside. Reinitz held onto the nearest vine trying to stop falling any further. Gu Nianzhi held onto Reinitz¡¯spel tightly, shutting her eyes, not daring to look.

    The people chasing her on the two motorcycles didn¡¯t know what had happened and were surprised to see the motorcycle they were chasing had disappeared after the turn. They violently stepped on the elerator only to realize it was a 90 degree turn when they got near it. They felt something was not right, but it was toote.

    They fiercely stepped on the brake, but the turn was not only sharp, it was also narrow. The cliff on the right was close to them, and before they knew it, they were already falling off the cliff with their motorcycles.

    Reinitz firmly held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head close to his chest, using his body to shield her. One hand was on the vine, and the other held Gu Nianzhi. The two of them hung onto the side of the hill with vines. It was not as dangerous as thest time Gu Nianzhi had tumbled down the cliff.

    With much effort, they had finally gotten rid of the the two motorcycles that were chasing them. They could finally catch their breath. Reinitz kissed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair and gently said, ¡°It¡¯s over, Cereus. It¡¯s over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes slowly and looked around. They were hanging on a hillside with vines and big leaves everywhere. The leaves rustled as the wind blew. Luckily, this hill was more level than the hill she came from, or else they wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold on and would¡¯ve fallen down long ago.

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out and asked in a soft voice, ¡°Where is this?¡±

    ¡°We can get out of here from this road.¡± Reinitz rolled his shoulders and was about to continue speaking when his brows suddenly furrowed, and his eyes shifted toward the direction they came from. He stood still for a while and didn¡¯t speak for quite some time.

    It was strange to Gu Nianzhi to see Reinitz stop talking so abruptly, so she looked at him and followed his line of sight. She was immediately taken aback. She saw Reinitz¡¯s beautiful cabin on fire with sparks flying. Helicopters were circling back and forth in the night sky, spraying white foam on the fire. Although it was far away, it wasn¡¯t difficult to spot it because the fire was so bright.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank, and she almost cried. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault! Mother Hanna! She... She...¡± If anything happened to Mother Hanna because of her, she would never forgive herself.

    Reinitz held her to his chest tightly and spoke in a low voice that was different from his usual gentle voice. He suppressed his feelings and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s all right. Mother Hanna is ok.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Tears were already starting to flow. ¡°It is such a big fire. Some of those people who were after me must have stayed behind and split into two groups.¡±

    ¡°Because the helicopter is a ranger aircraft, and they came to put out the fire. When we left, Mother Hanna was already hiding in the basement. It has water and another exit,¡± Reinitz said calmly. His voice was very gentle, but the truth was, he wasn¡¯t sure, either. However, he had to say it that way to calm Gu Nianzhi down. His heart that was normally cold and hard started hurting at the sight of her hurting.

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she wiped her tears away. ¡°Should we go back and take a look?¡±

    ¡°I suspect they have backup and that those people who want to kill you are still there. We can¡¯t go back.¡±

    ¡°But your mother...¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely sorry. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Reinitz. I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say whether you should or shouldn¡¯t,¡± Reinitz cut her off and continued, ¡°since it has already happened, there¡¯s no such thing as should or shouldn¡¯t have.¡± He lowered his head and looked at Gu Nianzhi intensely with his azure eyes that had a trace of prating ck. Reinitz¡¯s expression was like cier water, gentle but also extremely cold.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. ¡°What are we going to do? What are you going to do? What about Mother Hanna?¡±

    Reinitz thought for a moment and tugged at the vines. ¡°Let¡¯s go up. There¡¯s a shortcut on the mountain. It can take us out of here.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly opened her eyes. Her big ck eyes looked at Reinitz as if they could speak. They didn¡¯t have a motorcycle, and something might¡¯ve happened to Mother Hanna. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spirit got hit hard again, but hearing that there was a shortcut out of there, she pulled herself together.

    ¡°Uh huh, I¡¯ll take you up there.¡± Reinitz¡¯s right hand held onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist tightly. While using his left hand to pull the vine with all his strength, he stepped on the rocks below him. They climbed a short distance upward.

    Gu Nianzhi was uneasy and said, ¡°Reinitz, let me go. Let me climb up myself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Reinitz wouldn¡¯t let her go. ¡°I¡¯ll get you up there. Trust me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only keep her mouth shut and concentrate all her attention on Reinitz as he climbed up. The two climbed from the middle of the night until daybreak. They reached the top of the hill when the sky had turned gray in the early dawn.

    Indeed, there was a secret road. It wasn¡¯t paved. It probably came about when the locals there walked over it. It was full of weeds, and there werentern-like wild flowers waving on the side of the road.

    Reinitz finally let go of Gu Nianzhi andid on the grassy ground next to the road as he gasped for breath. No matter how strong a person was, carrying a grown woman up a mountain in the middle of the night would exhaust them. Gu Nianzhi knew that he must be tired. She moved to his side and sat with her legs crossed and asked in a low voice, ¡°Reinitz, are you thirsty? Do you want some water?¡±

    With his eyes closed, Reinitz shook his head, but said, ¡°You have my travel bag on your back. There¡¯s two unopened bottles of water in it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt around the bag with her hands and found two bottles of water. However, she didn¡¯t drink any. There were two people. They should save it until they needed it the most or when they were the most thirsty.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was not saying anything, Reinitz opened one of his eyes. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you drinking?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t do as much as you.¡±

    Reinitz opened his other eye. His blue eyes stared at Gu Nianzhi, and she saw the gentlest smile like that of sunlight warming up the water under the cier. Gu Nianzhi looked away and looked in the direction of Mother Hanna¡¯s cabin and muttered, ¡°The fire¡¯s out. There¡¯s only white smoke left. Mother Hanna is ok, right?¡±

    Reinitz remained silent for a while. After resting at the top of the hill for a short time, Reinitz got up and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°If we take this road, it¡¯ll only take two days to reach the next town.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put her palms together and said to the sky, ¡°Thank you, God.¡± She looked at Reinitz and solemnly said, ¡°Thank you, Reinitz. When I¡¯m back home, I¡¯ll definitely reward you generously.¡±

    Reinitz looked at her for a moment and wanted to say, Do you think I risk my life for you for the purpose of getting a generous reward? But looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s innocent ck eyes, he didn¡¯t say a thing and just smiled helplessly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He grabbed the traveling bag from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back, put it on his own back, and walked forward with his face hidden.

    Gu Nianzhi followed behind, hands sped under the habit, asionally looking in the direction of Mother Hanna¡¯s cabin.

    Reinitz turned to talk to her and seeing that she was still worried about Mother Hanna, said, ¡°When we are at the next town, I¡¯ll call the forest rangers¡¯ base, and we¡¯ll know what happened to Mother Hanna.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we must do that.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very prudent. ¡°If she needs special treatment, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me.¡±

    Reinitz regarded her with a profound look. ¡°You make it sound like your family runs a big hospital.¡±

    ¡°My family doesn¡¯t run one, but I¡¯ll try really hard to find a good doctor,¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously. ¡°For Mother Hanna, I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    Reinitz said, ¡°Uh huh,¡± and then didn¡¯t say a word afterward.

    After taking a few quick steps, she turned her head and said, ¡°Really. Let me know whatever request you may have. Don¡¯t let Mother Hanna suffer... Ah. Oh my goodness!¡± She didn¡¯t think the grass on the mountain would be so slippery. Gu Nianzhi carelessly stepped on a particrly slippery patch of grass, and her whole body lunged forward.

 Chapter 646 - They Finally Noticed

    <h4>Chapter 646: They Finally Noticed</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Reinitz heard her calls and turned back suddenly. He grabbed her hand in time to prevent her from slipping forward. ¡°Be careful, the mountain paths are extremely rugged.¡± If she had really slipped, they¡¯d have rolled off the mountain. Reintz was very worried about her and decided to grab her hand and hold it without letting go as they walked.

    Gu Nianzhi had also been shocked earlier. She wasn¡¯t ustomed to long mountain hikes, so it was better to follow Reinitz. They walked in silence for a while, and Reinitz also looked back at Mother Hanna¡¯s cabin and interjected, ¡°Mother Hanna adopted me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Reinitz lost himself in the memories. ¡°I was an orphan and grew up in the orphanage. Mother Hanna adopted me when I was 12.¡± Reinitz paused, his throat catching. ¡°I¡¯m very thankful towards her. Without her, I wouldn¡¯t be who I am today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. After a moment, she consoled him withpassion. ¡°Mother Hanna is such a good person, she will have good karma. Nothing will happen to her.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He didn¡¯t seem to believe it much. ¡°This is what Eastern people believe? Good people have good karma?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked. ¡°What¡¯s there to be suspicious about?¡±

    Reinitzughed and didn¡¯t argue with her. He continued, ¡°I was very naughty as a child in the orphanage, and no one wanted to adopt a naughty boy. When I turned ten, I realized that no one would adopt me if I was bad. So I started being good and by then, I was already 11, and not many people were willing to adopt kids over the age of 11.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the gentle and elegant Reinitz. If he hadn¡¯t appeared so resolute and ruthless earlier, she would¡¯ve assumed he was a kind gentleman. Of course, he was still a gentleman but couldn¡¯t be considered gentle. He had his own toughness, and Gu Nianzhi admired it. He did what he had to and was very decisive. But regardless if he was gentle or ruthless, neither were even close to ¡°naughty.¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help imagining what Reinitz was like as a child...

    ¡°I was very depressed at the time and thought I wouldn¡¯t be better. I wanted to continue being naughty and a bad kid. That was until Mother Hanna came to the orphanage when I was 12 and adopted me,¡± Reinizt said calmly, his expression serene. Gu Nianzhi could only squeeze his hand in constion. Reinitz squeezed her hand back and gave a small smile. ¡°So I hope that what you said about good people having good karma wille true.¡± That way, Mother Hanna will be safe.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded, full of confidence.

    Reinitz pursed his thin lips and changed the topic. ¡°Who were the people trying to kill you today? Do you know?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt she had to be honest with Reinitz, and of course, she would be honest as much as possible. However, she still had some things she couldn¡¯t be honest about or was too embarrassed to tell him. After some thought, she chose what she could tell him and said, ¡°I¡¯m awyer and offended a very powerful person. Nine days ago, he plotted to hurt me, but I escaped.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡± Reinitz didn¡¯t ask who she offended but only how she escaped.

    ¡°I rolled off a cliff andnded on that side of the mountain.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the mountain range across from them. ¡°Afterwards, they started trying to kill me again, and in the chaos, I managed to pass through that tiny cave.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know about that cave. I yed there with my friends often when we were kids.¡± Reinitz nodded, convinced by her words.

    ¡°Really? You also had childhood friends?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Mother Hanna¡¯s house is the only one in a dozen miles?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there used to be other people living here, but gradually, they moved away.¡± Reinitz was very emotional. ¡°Afterwards, I went to university and then worked in Berlin, so Ie back once a year.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What a coincidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed sincerely. ¡°See, that¡¯s an example of good people having good karma. I helped others, so I met a kindhearted person when someone was trying to hurt me.¡± She deliberately looked at Reinitz to let him know he was the kindhearted person.

    Reinitz looked at her with a hint of a smile and said purposely, ¡°But mostwyers are bad people. That¡¯s always on TV and in the movies.¡±

    That made sense, and Gu Nianzhi was actually speechless.

    ¡°Just kidding.¡± Reinitz was in a better mood and changed the topic once again. ¡°Logically speaking, if you¡¯ve already jumped off a cliff, and with the Alps being such a big ce without inhabitants, they couldn¡¯t have found you so easily.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s strange, too...¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head in thought. ¡°In the beginning, four fake police officers pursued me, and I thought it was because I called the police, and they were in cahoots with those criminals. Then at the nunnery, it could have been because the Reverend Mother called the police. But the hunters who came after and the people who followed me to your house, I can¡¯t exin it at all.¡± The truth was that she had a lurking hypothesis in her head but thought it didn¡¯t make sense, because it always seemed like there was a detail she was missing.

    ¡°I think there should be a reason.¡± Reinitz analyzed it for her. ¡°If you weren¡¯t alone but with friends, then I would guess that perhaps someone betrayed you. But you¡¯ve been on the run alone all this time, so who would betray you? Who would be able to?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in deep agreement. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ve always been all alone, so how did those people find me? They were so precise and on time, it was almost like I betrayed myself..¡± She froze as soon as she spoke. How could she forget?! Her phone! She was only thinking about how Smith and her colleagues¡¯ phones were probably infected by a Trojan virus that blocked all her calls and texts, but what about her own phone? She was very certain that her phone wasn¡¯t infected with a Trojan virus, but all phones sent out signals as soon as they were turned on. Regardless of whether or not there was a tower nearby, the phone would automatically search for connectableworks.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly recalled how she had immediately turned on her phone to look for a cell signal as soon as she saw the nunnery! Also, her first reaction when seeing Mother Hanna¡¯s cabin was to also turn on her phone and get a cell signal! She also remembered how ecstatic she felt when she saw the two bars of signal on her screen... And after each bout of ecstasy were close calls with the murderers. It was like those people knew where she was.

    Reinitz¡¯s words reminded her that the area around the Alps was nearly uninhabited, so how could those people find her exact location in the middle of the mountains? Their method would be nothing short of looking for a needle in a haystack! But what if this needle had a locating system, such as the European Copernicus Global Satellite Navigation System!? Then with a satellite positioning and tracking system, it would be entirely possible to locate this needle within ten meters. A ten-meter margin of error was negligible whether on sea ornd. It was like exposing herself to her enemies.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her phone up and looked at it expressionlessly. She never imagined that the enemy had the ability to mobilize the Copernicus Global Satellite Navigation System! Most people knew that cell signals could be tracked via satellite, but Gu Nianzhi had learned through her participation in the Nandou Global Satellite Navigation System incident exactly how much energy and expense was required to use a satellite to track a specific cell signal! Merely changing the light satellite orbital itself in order to trace a specific cell signal would cost upwards of hundreds of millions of dors. Additionally, it also requiredrge scale teamwork in order to track her right on her heels. There was no way they could track her whenever they pleased, nor would just anybody¡¯s phone be worth tracking... So from the beginning, she never considered this possibility!

    Now that she understood this, she was extremely proud of herself! She had such a high price on her head that those people were spending hundreds of millions to kill her. That was amazing! She must protect herself well, as there was no way she would lose her precious life for nothing! The person behind all this now seemed more important than Gu Nianzhi had initially thought. Gu Nianzhi sneered to herself. It looked like the enemy was right on her heels because they had already used all their abilities and were starting to leave trails. There were only a handful of people capable of using the Copernicus Global Satellite Navigation System.

    Reinitz turned around, his mind also spinning into gear. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with your phone?¡±

    ¡°Someone knows my number, so they were using a satellite positioning and tracking system to find my position when I turned my phone on. They value me too highly,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied calmly as she turned on the phone again and unlocked it with her fingerprint. She went into the settings and reset everything back to factory settings. Everything on her phone was wiped to restore the phone. The sapphire screen on the iPhone shed several times before extinguishing. Gi Nianzhi looked at the phone that had apanied her for the past two years and caressed it longingly. She then turned to ask Reinitz, ¡°Is there ake or river nearby?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s nothing butkes and rivers here.¡± Reinitz realized what she wanted to do and took her on a small path going downhill. They didn¡¯t have to walk far before Gu Nianzhi saw ake that was evenrger and deeper than the one she saw near Mother Hanna¡¯s cain. Theke reflected the sky and clouds so vividly blue, she couldn¡¯t tell where the sky and water separated. Looking down at her phone, Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and suddenly swung her arm to draw an elegant arc in the sky. Her rose gold phonended on theke with a ssh, then sank down. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart felt empty after she threw her phone into theke. It was like she had lost all her support and the resource she relied on.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Reinitz gently grabbed her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll buy you a new phone when we get out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and smiled at Reinitz with a shake of her head. ¡°It¡¯s ok, I don¡¯t want to use a phone for now. I can buy my own if I need one.¡±

    Reinitz didn¡¯t press her but took her hand, and they headed along the small mountain path. He replied, ¡°That¡¯s good, too. Stay with me for now until your parents and familye to pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I don¡¯t have parents.¡± She then realized what she said. ¡°I don¡¯t have a mother, only a father. He just found me.¡±

    Reinitz seemed a bit surprised. He stopped walking and looked at her gently. ¡°You were also an orphan?¡±

    Children who didn¡¯t have parents with them could only be called orphans. Gu Nianzhi actually didn¡¯t know anything about her past. Although she¡¯d found her father, her memories weren¡¯t recovered, and the period from her childhood to teenage years was still a nk. Someone without a childhood was iplete. However, she didn¡¯t tell Reinitiz any more and only nodded. ¡°I guess so. I didn¡¯t know I had a father until a few months ago.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait for your father to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯te to pick me up. He¡¯satose, and has been for many years now.¡±

    Reinitz didn¡¯t think that the delicate-looking girl would not appear pained or embittered when she said this. Gu Nianzhi said it calmly like she was talking about someone else. Reinitz felt even more confused and squeezed her hand without borating too much. ¡°That¡¯s ok, you¡¯ll have me from now on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Reinitz, thank you for making me feel better. But I¡¯m an adult now and don¡¯t need a guardian anymore.¡±

    Reinitz grew quiet and continued walking. After some time, he said, ¡°I know. I¡¯m saying now you can stay with me until you can go home.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, thanks for your help.¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t fussy enough to reject his kindness. She truly needed someone to help her get home at a time like this. There was no way she could do it alone, and if she insisted on leaving, Reinitz would let her go. However, Gu Nianzhi thought that was too rude. She didn¡¯t want to leave a bad impression with someone being unconditionally nice to her. ¡°I¡¯ll find a ce to go online and call my family when we get to that small town ahead. I won¡¯t be using my own phone, so it should be much safer.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed, looking ahead and seeing that there weren¡¯t so many twists and turns anymore.

    They walked all day, and Gu Nianzhi got sick again right before they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, despite being fine after wandering around the Alps for more than a week before. She was drowsy from fever and needed Reinitz to carry her out of the huge mountain.

    ...

    Today was the tenth day since Gu Nianzhi had left the hotel. Smith and his three colleagues had started feeling anxious a few days ago. They received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text from ten days ago saying that she was seeing friends and would be returning in ten days. At the time, they didn¡¯t think much of it because they were busy with their own work. Also, they received news that Seth had escaped from the hospital the day after Gu Nianzhi left, so they were busy keeping an eye on the police, hospital, and courts to usher them to arrest Seth and bring him to justice.

    A week passed. They were truly too busy, and the four of them weren¡¯t enough, so Smith wanted to call Gu Nianzhi to ask if she coulde back early. However, from that day on, they had called numerous times but never got through to her. Each call would be sent to voicemail. They were fine the first time the call didn¡¯t go through and assumed her phone had died. However, when they couldn¡¯t call her over the next three days, it was getting strange.

    Although the four men were anxious, they remembered Gu Nianzhi saying she was leaving for ten days, so perhaps she didn¡¯t want to work and shut off her phone during the vacation. Smith and his colleagues did that as well. If they truly wanted a break, the only way to escape from the unending business was to shut off their phones or not bring them along. However, Gu Nianzhi should¡¯ve returned by today no matter what. If she couldn¡¯te back, she should have at least called or sent a text to let them know.

    In the end, they waited from dusk to dawn but didn¡¯t receive anymunication from her. They called her again, and she was no longer in service area... Smith walked around with his arms crossed, and the other threewyers sat on the couch in his room, worry etched on their faces. They didn¡¯t speak, but it was obvious from their faces that they were worried and concerned.

    ¡°Smith, can you stop pacing around? It¡¯s making me dizzy.¡± Onewyer reached out to wave his hand downwards. ¡°Hurry up and sit down. We should discuss what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°I think something happened to Lawyer Gu.¡± Smith rxed his arms, his expression dark. Hiswyer¡¯s intuition told him that Gu Nianzhi was probably in trouble if she hadn¡¯t reached out in ten days. If something had actually happened, then they had missed the precious initial 36 hours. By the time they noticed she was missing, the golden 36 hours were long over. Missing persons who weren¡¯t found within the first 36 hours had a low likelihood of ever being found. Smith and his three colleagues were very depressed and angry. They had actually only noticed she had gone missing ten dayster! Were they idiots?! They were too stupid! They all assumed she was traveling with friends but finally realized something might¡¯ve happened!

    They all thought about how Gu Nianzhi was before, and how they weren¡¯t actually close with her. She was always reading and studying alone in her room. She had been so quiet and would only speak or meet with them when they needed her. She was always studying at other times or writing trial summary reports or using a trantion device to learn German. Her time was well spent and happy. Also, when they even made a slight joke with Gu Nianzhi in the past, Lawyer He¡¯s cold expression would appear before them. As time passed, they found themselves in various kinds of trouble, so they all instinctively knew to distance themselves from Gu Nianzhi to avoid angering Lawyer He... So when they realized she hadn¡¯t reached out in a long time and couldn¡¯t get through to her phone, they finally thought she might have gone missing. The four men anxiously discussed it in the hotel room for a while.

    ¡°Smith, should we call the police?¡± onewyer asked with uncertainty.

 Chapter 647 - Let the Embassy Know

    <h4>Chapter 647: Let the Embassy Know</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Smith thought for a moment then shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go look for her ourselves. I don¡¯t really trust the police here.¡± The other twowyers agreed.

    ¡°We are not from around here and don¡¯t know anybody or how things work. Furthermore, we are here to prosecute the German police force and government on behalf of our client. I don¡¯t think we should call the police for the time being. In case it¡¯s a misunderstanding, we don¡¯t want to make a scene.¡± Smith waved his finger. ¡°Let¡¯s do this instead. We¡¯ll get surveince footage of these past ten days from this hotel and see if we can find anything.¡±

    They identified themselves aswyers and demanded surveince footage from the Hilton. The Hilton¡¯s management was reluctant but gave in due to the fact they were from America¡¯s biggestw firm. They gave them a copy of the surveince footage from the front of the hotel and the inside of the hotel as a favor.

    The surveince footage did not vite their customers¡¯ privacy, so it didn¡¯t matter if thewyers saw it. However, the four were not satisfied with only getting the surveince footage of the front door. What if someone inside the hotel was the one hurting Gu Nianzhi?

    It was not unheard of. For example, there was a famous case in New York where a young woman suddenly disappeared and was found naked in a cistern on the hotel¡¯s roof. The cistern was two meters high and had a very heavy concrete cover that required several strong men to lift it. However, the New York police ruled it a ¡°suicide.¡±

    These fourwyers were quite famous and had seen more than enough of their share of police corruption, so they could not blindly trust the police. They trusted the German police even less due to the fact that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sudden disappearance happened so subtly.

    Smith said to the Hilton¡¯s head of security in a stern, cold voice, ¡°Are you going to be able to take responsibility if something happened to our colleague inside the hotel? I can assure you that if anything happened to her while she was here, Hilton will not be able to stay open anywhere in the world.¡±

    The head of security¡¯s face turned red then white. He stared at the imposingwyers before he reluctantly asked for his superior. To keep the peace, Hilton¡¯s executives made a special concession to make a copy of the security footage of the hotel¡¯s corridors for the fourwyers to examine.

    With the security footage of the hotel¡¯s corridors, Smith and the others made sure nothing was missing. Then they assigned themselves each a part of the tape to examine overnight. They fixed their eyes on it the whole night until their eyes were red. They only saw Gu Nianzhi leaving the hotel ten days ago early one morning. However, it was clear as day that she left the hotel in theirpany car. She had note back since the day she left. Thest time she used her key card corresponded with thest time she left.

    Smith¡¯s spirits went up a bit, and he immediately called theirpany driver. He acted like he had urgent business, asking the driver toe to the hotel immediately. He said he urgently needed his help and that there would be additional pay. The driver was so happy that he got to the Hilton within five minutes.

    Smith and the other three invited him to a small conference room in the hotel and secretly turned on the cameras on their phones. They asked him nonchntly, ¡°Are you the one who drove Lawyer Gu? Where did you drove her to?¡±

    The driver hastily said, ¡°Oh, yes, I remember. Lawyer Gu said she wanted to go to the K?nigssee to see a friend and asked me to drive her there. It¡¯s about two hours away from Munich by car.¡± The driver finished and without waiting for Smith to continue asking, he added, ¡°How did Lawyer Gu get back? Did she call for another car? She said she¡¯d only stay for a day and would call me when she was ready to go back. I waited for her for two days. She never called. Did she not want toe back after having so much fun?¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the driver realized he had said the wrong thing. He took back what he said, quickly backpedaling. ¡°No, it was ten days. I forgot, it was ten days,¡± he said while squinting slyly to avoid Smith¡¯s line of sight. He regretted it. It had been days, and now thesewyers were asking him what happened on that day. He became agitated, so he forgot what that person told him to say and let the truth slip out. Luckily, he remembered and fixed it. He hoped they would ignore his slip of tongue.

    Smith looked at the driver with a frown and crossed his arms as he asked, ¡°Was it ten days or one day!? You can¡¯t remember a thing like that?¡±

    ¡°It has been many days. How could I remember?¡± The driver was very crafty and asked cautiously, ¡°Iswyer Gu back? Can¡¯t you ask her yourself?¡±

    ¡°If she was back, would I be asking you?¡± Smith red at him. ¡°Think, did Lawyer Gu say one day or ten days?¡±

    The driver¡¯s heart dropped when he heard that Gu Nianzhi hasn¡¯te back, and he was a little scared. He steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and told the truth. ¡°Probably one day. Yes, it was most likely one day. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask her.¡±

    The fourwyers finished listening. They were all speechless. First off, the text Gu Nianzhi sent them said ten days, but she told the driver herself that it would only be one day. She even said she woulde back that night and that she would call him to pick her up! Was it ten days or one day? That was the first inconsistency. After she went missing, they weren¡¯t able to get through to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. From the constant voicemail to not being in the phone service zone, it was strange, very strange.

    Their faces looked grim as the four of them met in Smith¡¯s room that night. They didn¡¯t want to admit it, but they had to. Gu Nianzhi was most likely missing. She didn¡¯t get lost herself, that was for sure. Someone did it. But who?

    Gu Nianzhi was the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s citizen and came to Germany specifically for a case. If she had angered anyone, it would only be Seth and his family, thewless local emperor.

    They looked each other in the eyes and understood the meaning behind them. Lawyers only represented their clients and had no direct stakes in the other party. However, because thew was directly linked to being awyer, it was all too easy to have enemies. So defensewyers hurting prosecutingwyers was amon urrence, and prosecutingwyers hurting defensewyers was also amon urrence.

    ¡°Could it be Seth¡¯s family? His stepfather wasn¡¯t a good man.¡± One of thewyers said coldly, ¡°We¡¯ve looked into his background, and it¡¯s definitely not clean.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Seth is also atrge. The hospital reported it nine days ago, but that¡¯s only when they realized it. If you push the time he went missing back a bit earlier, it might be around the same time as when Lawyer Gu went missing.¡± Smith was the first to think of this possibility, and he shivered. It was not because of that, but because on the day he and Gu Nianzhi went to the hospital to see the severely wounded Seth, the way Seth stared at Gu Nianzhi was very unusual.

    ¡°Ah? Does it really have something to do with that perverted jerk? What are we going to do?¡± No one knew what kind of scum Seth was better than this team ofwyers that knew the details of Li Haiqing¡¯s case.

    ¡°Let¡¯s call Lawyer He first. We¡¯ll call the cops after we tell him everything.¡± Smith rubbed his forehead. ¡°We can¡¯t dy this any further. We still haven¡¯t heard from Lawyer Gu. I¡¯m really worried.¡±

    What was there to worry about? They looked at each other. They all understood, but no one dared to say that possibility out loud, as if it woulde true if they said it. As long as they didn¡¯t say it out loud, Gu Nianzhi would be safe. Everyone was praying, hoping what they were despairing and dreading wouldn¡¯t happen to Gu Nianzhi.

    They didn¡¯t hang out much, but everybody had worked well together over these past few months. They all liked this hard working and smartwyer from Hua Xia. They wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it if anything happened to her.

    ¡°They even dare to go afterwyers. Looks like they are more corrupt than most!¡± The four finished talking among themselves, and Smith called He Zhichu right there. He called He Zhichu¡¯s number for a full hour, but it always ended up with his voicemail.

    The other three were shocked, and one by one they took out their phones and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s numbers including his personal cell phone, work cell phone, his office, and even the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s professor building B¡¯s phone. Not one went through. They all went to voicemail.

    Smith stared at his phone and said with a muffled nasal sound, ¡°Didn¡¯t he go back home? Where is his home? The South Pole or the North Pole? He¡¯s not picking up his phone at all.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, Smith.¡± His colleagueforted him. ¡°Weren¡¯t we the same when we were on break? Work phone and emails. We don¡¯t answer them.¡± That¡¯s what a break was. Otherwise, why take a break? Wouldn¡¯t working overtime be better?

    One of thewyers added, ¡°Plus, Lawyer He said he would be back in two weeks at thetest. Four more days, and it will be two weeks. We¡¯ll see how it goes then.¡±

    It made sense to Smith, but the thing with Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Smith hesitated. ¡°We still need to report this. Also, Lawyer Gu is a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire. Something has happened to her, so we still need to report this to their embassy.¡± If Gu Nianzhi were a US citizen, they would have gone to the American embassy long ago. Too bad she wasn¡¯t. They could only go to the Hua Xia Embassy in Munich.

    After discussing their n, they split into two groups. One would report this to the police, and the other would go to the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s embassy. Smith had more dealings with the police, so he and anotherwyer went to the police to report. The two otherwyers who knew basic Mandarin went to the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s embassy in Munich.

    ...

    The person in charge of missing person cases at the Munich police station asked, ¡°What did you say? One of yourwyers went missing?¡± He looked at Smith and his colleague with disbelief. ¡°Are you ying with me?¡±

    Smith hade there a few days ago to report Seth¡¯s escape to the Munich police station. He was urging them to catch the criminal quickly. Everyone here knew of him. Some sympathized with him, but some hated him. They felt like he was interfering with their work. Plus, their report brought shame upon the German police forces¡¯ reputation. They were very unfriendly to them. Seeing that they hade to make a report, some of the officers took pleasure in their misfortune and made things difficult for them. Smith was about to die from his anger, but he had no other choice.

    ¡°Missing? You think it¡¯s easy to fill out a missing person report? If she¡¯s underage and had been missing for 24 hours straight, you could report her missing, but unfortunately, she¡¯s already 18, an adult, so...¡± The Munich police department¡¯s officer kept on speaking in official jargon, refused to ept Smith¡¯s report.

    Smithughed coldly. He put both of his hands on that officer¡¯s desk and looked straight at his cloudy gray eyes. Punctuating every word, he said, ¡°Yeah? Now, you think 18 is an adult? Then how about your bureau chief¡¯s son? He¡¯s already 21. Why do you still say he¡¯s underage? Doesn¡¯t Germanw say you are an adult when you¡¯re 22? Tell me, am I filing a false report, or does Germany have a new fakew?¡± The officer was no match for this elite Americanwyer when it came to talking aboutws and regtions.

    The officer¡¯s face turned red after Smith publicly criticized him. He was embarrassed, but he was unable to back down. He pounded on the desk furiously and said, ¡°If I said she¡¯s an adult, then she¡¯s an adult! Even if you take it to court and ask the judge! What does it have to do with me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right... saying that she¡¯s missing might just be a misunderstanding. Your colleague is already a professionalwyer. Do you need to report it with such impatience?¡± The officer¡¯s colleague backed him up. ¡°Plus, missing person cases can only be reported by close rtives. Which of you is her close rtive?¡±

    Seeing these high and mightywyers suffering made the officers secretly happy. Many times, the police had caught suspects tirelessly only to see them walk away without being charged because of smooth talkingwyers. But why didn¡¯t they realize thatwyers also often helped the police and the prosecutors, helping them charge the suspects? It could only be said that some people only remember it when people treat them badly but forget those who treat them well.

    The police stopped Smith¡¯s flow, but he would not be defeated so easily. He used his hands to push his gold-colored sses up the bridge of his nose. He spoke sternly with a sense of righteousness, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you said my friend is an adult that I¡¯m making this report. You don¡¯t need to be a close rtive to report that. How I see it is that you guys are just talking nonsense. Whatw? It¡¯s all just nonsense. You just pull aw out of nowhere, and you don¡¯t even care if what you say is correct or not.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You trying to use reason with us? Don¡¯t you know that we¡¯re the police? We are an agency that uses violence to enforcews.¡± All the officers rolled their eyes and had looks of disdain on their faces. ¡°If you want to reason, then go to the court. The door¡¯s that way. You can see yourself out.¡±

    ¡°How can you be like this? We are just following thew. That¡¯s why we are reporting this, and you give us such an attitude?¡± Smith mmed his hand down on the table. ¡°Did you think of the consequences?¡±

    ¡°What consequences? We are also following thew and the protocol. Thew never said colleagues can report a case in ce of their close rtives.¡±

    Smith and his colleague left angrily and had to think of another way.

    The other twowyers who went to the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s embassy in Munich had a much better reception than Smith and their other colleague. The moment they said they were the prosecutors of Li Haiqin¡¯s case at the front counter, the embassy¡¯s staff warmly invited them inside. The vice-consul personally received them and invited them into a small guest room.

    ¡°You must be the team ofwyers from America, right? Thank you for your entertaining argument and for helping our country¡¯s overseas student get justice. We will remember you.¡± The vice-consul was a middle-aged man in his fifties. He took good care of himself. He looked like he was only in his early forties.

    The twowyers were modest and said, ¡°The reason why we¡¯re here today is on behalf of one of ourwyers, Lawyer Gu, who is also a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Lawyer Gu! Yes, yes, yes. She¡¯s very good. I heard her arguments. Her English was very good, not a bit of ent. It was a standard Oxford ent.¡± He chuckled as he praised Gu Nianzhi.

    Seeing that this vice-consul was praising Gu Nianzhi abundantly, the twowyers immediately struck the iron while it was hot. ¡°Yes, yes! She¡¯s very good. Although she¡¯s young, she¡¯s very intelligent, not to mention hard working. She¡¯s the main prosecutor in charge of the arguments. She¡¯s already very experienced.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Our country¡¯s femalewyer sure is good!¡± When the vice-consul heard it, he couldn¡¯t stopughing, but he didn¡¯t forget what those two Americans had just said. He said, ¡°You are here concerning her. What happened?¡±

    The twowyers became serious, and one of them started speaking first, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Ten days ago, Lawyer Gu told us she was going to see a friend. She said she¡¯d be back in ten days. However, we couldn¡¯t reach her on her phone these past ten days. Every time we called, it would go to voicemail. We found out yesterday that her phone was not in the phone service zone. We are worried.¡±

    Anotherwyer continued, ¡°We thought something was wrong and looked into Lawyer Gu¡¯s whereabouts by asking some people. We found out ourpany driver said ten days ago, Lawyer Gu personally told him that she was going to the K?nigssee for a day, and that she would call him that night to pick her up. However, that driver never received a call from her, even until now.¡±

    The vice-consul understood what they were trying to say. His smile faded. His brows furrowed as he thought about it. ¡°You mean... Lawyer Gu...¡±

    ¡°Is missing¡± the twowyers said simultaneously. ¡°Our other two colleagues already went to Munich¡¯s police station to report this. We specifically came to let you know. After all, you are the embassy for Lawyer Gu¡¯s country, and you have a duty to protect your citizens overseas.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Even if she was not hired by Mr. Bai, the department head, and she came to Germany for their fellow countryman as a normal overseas student or a contract worker, we, at the embassy, all have a duty.¡± The vice-consul hit the table. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately get in contact with our country after you fill out the form, then we will see how they want to proceed.¡±

 Chapter 648 - Heâ€™s Back

    <h4>Chapter 648: He¡¯s Back</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The embassy staff had very limited capabilities, so most of the time they required domestic internal departments to give authorization before being able to act abroad. It was because they were much too rigid with regtions, which caused a dy in acting, that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Operations Forces was established.

    The two Americanwyers nodded and sat in the small conference room, carefully filling out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s information from her resume. They weren¡¯t familiar with her, but since she was an employee of theirw firm, their human resources department had her detailed information. The two Americanwyers immediately contacted their Americanw firm. It was 2pm in the United States, and after some trouble, the twowyers finally managed to reach the director of human resources to tell him about what had happened to Gu Nianzhi.

    The director of human resources was very concerned when he heard Gu Nianzhi may have gone missing in Germany. He had immediately sent Gu Nianzhi¡¯s resume to them and also sent a text to a number He Zhichu had especially left with thew firm¡¯s high ranking executives. Only thew firm¡¯s executives knew this number, not the other employees. He Zhichu had told them if thew firm ran into serious trouble that needed a quick solution, they could text that number if he had gone back home. Otherwise, they were forbidden to contact that number.

    In all these years, they hadn¡¯t actually used this number to contact He Zhichu before, so this was the first time. In order tofort the two Americanwyers, the director of HR said to them, ¡°I¡¯ve already forwarded your message to Lawyer He. He¡¯ll reach out to you.¡± The director knew Gu Nianzhi was hired into the firm by He Zhichu and had been personally trained by him. ording to the rules, a newbiewyer like Gu Nianzhi had no way of skipping all the steps to start with direct mentorship from someone at He Zhichu¡¯s level, who was both awyer and aw firm partner. But what were rules if they were not to be broken? He Zhichu had personally requested Gu Nianzhi as his mentee, so the HR department knew better than to preach rules to him. Thew is only human, and everyone who reached the level of executive were all experts in social interaction.

    The two Americanwyers in the Hua Xia Conste in Munich immediately spoke when they heard their message was forwarded. ¡°We¡¯ve also tried contacting Lawyer He, but his phone isn¡¯t working. It keeps going to voicemail.¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m not sure, but I already texted him to see if he¡¯ll call you back.¡± The director of human resources indicated he had already tried his best, but didn¡¯t say that the phone number was not privy to other employees...

    The twowyers saw that thew firm had already tried their best and didn¡¯t ask for anything else. They left after finishing filling out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s information at the embassy. The information there was, of course, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s official identity in the Hua Xia Empire. It included her father, who appearedter, Gu Xiangwen. This was also on the information from the Americanw firm.

    The deputy consul of the Hua Xia Conste in Munich didn¡¯t know who Gu Nianzhi was when he read the information. Because this deputy consul didn¡¯t know Gu Nianzhi, he also had never been in contact with the people or the department at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s level and caliber. Also, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal situation had changed. Firstly, she had gotten a new passport and nationality when her father, Gu Xiangwen, was found. She no longer used the identity the Special Ops had given her, but the identity of a Barbados citizen gaining Hua Xia citizenship. So this time, she had traveled abroad using the legal identity. And because her identity was resolved, someone used it as a reason to lower her security level to that of a normal Hua Xia citizen. She no longer enjoyed the highest security privileges Huo Shaoheng had given her, and because of these two reasons, the deputy consul at the embassy didn¡¯t realize the gravity of the situation when he went over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal information. He ryed the news of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance back to the Hua Xia Ministry of Foreign Affairs as per protocol to await domestic review before their range of action could be determined.

    However, the twowyers didn¡¯t know about the procedures, so they started chatting after leaving the conste and returning to the Hilton Hotel. They had a positive impression of the staff at the Hua Xia Conste in Munich and were in a good mood since their day had been a sess. They went back to their rooms to clean up and saw Smith and their other colleaguee back with long faces. As soon as they saw their sullen expressions, they knew that they hadn¡¯t been sessful.

    ¡°What the hell is this? Don¡¯t tell me you went to file a report, but the police refused!?¡± Onewyer jested, only meaning to lighten the mood.

    He didn¡¯t expect Smith to roll his eyes and reply with exasperation, ¡°Such pigs! They really dared to reject the case!¡±

    Everyone was speechless.

    ¡°I was actually right? Why?!¡± Thewyer who had joked around was very confused. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they ept a case like this?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, the Munich Regional Police is at a different level. They first said we¡¯re not Lawyer Gu¡¯s immediate family, so we can¡¯t report on her behalf. Smith argued back and said Lawyer Gu is an adult, so she doesn¡¯t require immediate family to report on her behalf. Then they said we don¡¯t have enough evidence and refused to file the case for us. They kept insisting Lawyer Gu was having too much fun and forgot to contact us. They refused to admit she¡¯s gone missing!¡± The otherwyer who went to the police station with Smith kept shaking his head and sighing. ¡°How could this be?! This is ridiculous! I can bet that Lawyer Gu didn¡¯t forget to contact us because she¡¯s having too much fun!¡±

    ¡°Is there even anymon sense?!¡± The other twowyers who just returned from the Hua Xia Conste in Munich were also enraged. ¡°This is ridiculous! We need their conste to step in at a time like this!¡±

    ¡°Right, you guys went to the conste for Lawyer Gu¡¯s country. How did it go? What are they going to do?¡± Smith poured himself a ss of red wine and gave it a swirl before downing it in one gulp.

    ¡°Oh, their embassy was great! The deputy consul came out to help us and had us fill out a form with Lawyer Gu¡¯s information. I think he has to talk with his superior.¡± It was apparent the situation with the Hua Xia Conste in Munich was more positive than Smith¡¯s had been.

    ¡°Really?¡± Smith finally felt a bit better. ¡°If the embassy can personally report the case, I think those sleazy police officers would file it right away!¡± He raised the wine ss fiercely, then set it back on the bar.

    Anotherwyer piped up, ¡°We also called the director of human resources at thew firm. He happened to be in the office and sent all of Lawyer Gu¡¯s information to us. He also said that he had already texted Lawyer He to let him know about this.¡± Gu Nianzhi was personally mentored by He Zhichu, so he had to be notified if something happened to her.

    ¡°He texted Lawyer He? Will that work? Does the director know that we haven¡¯t been getting through to Lawyer He¡¯s phone?¡± Smith questioned. ¡°We¡¯ve made so many calls between the four of us, and he still hasn¡¯t gotten back to us!¡± He pped the table and was getting indignant when his ringtone suddenly sounded. He looked at it with annoyance but suddenly froze. Smith picked up the phone with shaking hands and was so excited, he shouted, ¡°It¡¯s.... It¡¯s Lawyer He!¡± They were nearly at their wit¡¯s end from not being able to reach him for so many days now. The otherwyers in the room also got excited but stayed quiet as they stared at Smith. Smith decided to use the speaker phone.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice rang out from the speaker. His English had their typical tongue rolling American ent. ¡°What happened? The director of human resources didn¡¯t exin clearly what happened to Nianzhi.¡±

    Smith inhaled deeply and said with all seriousness, ¡°Lawyer Gu has been missing since ten days ago.¡±

    The phone was quiet for a long time, and they weren¡¯t sure whether He Zhichu didn¡¯t understand or was shocked. He was silent for so long that Smith assumed the call had ended. Finally, He Zhichu stated simply, ¡°I¡¯lle back right away,¡± and hung up.

    Smith and the threewyers in the room stared at each other for a while and seemed to exhale collectively. ¡°Ok, Professor He ising back soon.¡± Their backbone would return as soon as he arrived.

    ...

    He Zhichu was in his room, sitting before the window with a hand supporting his head and the other draped on the sofa¡¯s armrest. He sat still looking at scenery outside. It was evening, and the setting sun was like a round salted duck¡¯s egg pressed to the western skies to give off thest trace of heat. There was a huge gingko tree outside his window, and when the evening breeze came though, countless little yellow and green leaves fluttered down. A woman wearing a in-colored silk top and pants was carrying a wicker basket and bending over to pick up the fallen leaves under the ginkgo tree.

    She seemed to notice someone staring in her direction, so the woman looked up and smiled at He Zhichu through the window. It was Wen Shouyi. He Zhichu wasn¡¯t looking at her, but his vacant stare was in the direction of the ginkgo tree. He kept thinking about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s incident. He had just left, and she got in trouble... Coincidence? Last time was the same, as with the one before it...

    These things kept happening over and over again, so He Zhichu could only think that there was still someone by his side sabotaging him. He thought he had gotten rid of those people a long time ago, but it looked like it wasn¡¯t the case. The main culprit was still lurking by his side. No matter who this was or what background they had, he would make sure to have them wish for a quick death as soon as he rooted them out!

    That was also why He Zhichu hadn¡¯t wanted to bring Gu Nianzhi back yet. He wasn¡¯t certain that his own surroundings were safe. He originally thought Gu Nianzhi was guaranteed to be safe if she stayed with Huo Shaoheng, so he let her be with him, even though it killed him inside. But now it looked like that also wasn¡¯t the case. Inhaling deeply, He Zhichu closed his eyes and massaged his temples to quell his rage. After some time, he picked up his phone to call his staff. ¡°Prepare immediately, I¡¯m going to Germany.¡± Ten minutester, He Zhichu went to Senior Mr. He¡¯s room to say his goodbyes and made a series of preparations to obtain his approval before leaving home.

    By the time Wen Shouyi received the news and came by, He Zhichu had already left. ¡°Auntie Qin, has the young master left?¡± Wen Shouyi asked worriedly. ¡°Senior Mr. He just had his craniotomy. He dared to leave all by himself?¡±

    Auntie Qin was arranging flowers patiently in her room. She plucked fresh greenhouse flowers from the basket and replied coolly, ¡°Senior Mr. He¡¯s surgery was a great sess. He has nothing to worry about. Also...¡± Auntie Qin didn¡¯t say anything more but merely smiled. The somewhat dim room seemed to suddenly sh like lightning, so brilliant and alluring it couldn¡¯t be ignored. She slowly looked up to nce at Wen Shouyi. ¡°Yi,e help Auntie Qin finish arranging these flowers.¡± Wen Shouyi went over to kneel by Auntie Qin to patiently arrange all the remaining flowers and nts.

    Auntie Qin stroked her shoulder, her hand so fair and smooth it was like it was carved from white jade, and it felt even colder. ¡°Yi is still the best. I don¡¯t even have to say anything, and you can arrange it exactly how I wanted.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qin taught me everything. How can I not understand what you like?¡± Wen Shouyi joked good naturedly but didn¡¯t dare look at Auntie Qin¡¯s face. It was too beautiful. Every time she looked at it, she was transfixed, even as a woman. But Senior Mr. He... Sigh, how could he not appreciate her? Ever since Senior Mr. He¡¯s first wife passed away, he ignored even a gorgeous woman like Auntie Qin. But it was this blind devotion that was irresistibly attractive to women. Perhaps Auntie Qin felt that way? Wen Shouyi quietly picked up the floral arrangement and said, ¡°Is this for Senior Mr. He¡¯s room?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Auntie Qin sighed gently. ¡°We cannot go into his room before he recovers.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Wen Shouyi lost herposure and shrieked, ¡°How could that be?! Auntie Qin is his wife!¡± Although she was his second wife, they were still legally wed.

    Auntie Qi shook her head indifferently. ¡°The young master gave the order. Who would dare rebel? But it doesn¡¯t matter, as long as Senior Mr. He recovers, it doesn¡¯t matter what I have to do.¡± As she spoke, she ced her porcin hand on her belly where a new life was growing.

    Wen Shouyi sighed and praised her. ¡°Autine Qin, hearts are human, after all. I¡¯m sure Senior Mr. He will appreciate you one day.¡±

    ¡°I hope so, too.¡± Auntie Qin cocked her head to look out the window. Herrge eyes sparkled like a starry sky, and she seemed to glow.

    ...

    At 7am the next morning, a private jet from Bostonnded at the Munich International Airport. He Zhichu emerged, expressionless, and waspletely surrounded as he took a VIP passage to pass through customs. A customized, bulletproof, and elongated Rolls-Royce Phantom was already parked outside the airport awaiting him. The Munich police received notice and even provided two squad cars to clear the roads from any obstruction and escort him to the Hilton Hotel. The people and cars on the street all darted away, and everyone was curious which nation¡¯s leader was in the Rolls-Royce Phantom surrounded by police cars.

    ¡°Is there a leader of a nation visiting Munichtely?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s a private visit.¡± Someone also chimed in, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be reported on the news, but they would still receive the same level of wee.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that is possible.¡±

    As everyone chatted, someone posted photos of He Zhichu¡¯s Rolls-Royce Phantom on social media to have people guess which nation¡¯s leader was making a private visit to Munich. However, they didn¡¯t imagine that the freshly posted photo would be immediately pulled offline, and the uploading IP address would also be locked out. The phone¡¯s owner also received a call from the police telling him that taking a photo of the car owner without permission and also uploading it on social media was a vition of privacy, so he was subject to punitive ims.

    Before a sentence was even discussed, just the punitive im alone was even more frightening than going to jail. Someone was bound to be released from jail one day as long as it wasn¡¯t life imprisonment. However, a punitive im could subject the rest of someone¡¯s life to poverty and force their head down forever. To deal with such people, punitive ims were far more painful than jail time. Because of this, no one else dared to upload photos of He Zhichu¡¯s Rolls-Royce Phantom.

    He Zhichu arrived at the Hilton Hotel in record time. Smith and his colleagues received the call early in the day, so they immediately got dressed neatly to await He Zhichu at the hotel¡¯s entrance. When the Rolls-Royce Phantom appeared, escorted by police cars, Smith and his colleagues didn¡¯t even consider that it was He Zhichu¡¯s car. So when He Zhichu emerged from it, along with an entourage of security to enter the Hilton Hotel lobby, Smith and his colleagues werepleted floored. They stood frozen and finally followed them to shout, ¡°Lawyer He!¡±

    He Zhichu stopped and turned back to see Smith and three otherwyers run over. He nodded and waved his right hand slightly to have his security team open the way. Smith and his colleagues walked over and were stunned into silence by He Zhichu¡¯s entourage. He stood in the midst of all the burly bodyguards and remained cool and indifferent as ever. His shimmering, sultry eyes werepletely devoid of emotion and although his figure was not as strapping as the bodyguards¡¯, his aura was iparable, like a king¡¯s; the world was all his.

    Smith couldn¡¯t help feeling fear and awe,pletely different from his previous mindset of treating He Zhichu like his boss. ¡°Lawyer... Lawyer He...¡± Smith greeted him with trepidation, and his eyes kept darting towards the bodyguards next to He Zhichu. Only ten days had passed, but the previously elegant and modest He Zhichu had disappeared. His current state made the people who knew him before feel he was foreign yet familiar. He Zhichu only took one nce at Smith and the otherwyers to know what they were thinking, but he was not in the mood and didn¡¯t have time to exin it to them.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± He Zhuchu replied coolly and turned into the hotel lobby before entering the elevator. Smith and his colleagues quickly followed and managed to find space in the elevator packed with bodyguards.

 Chapter 649 - Completely Understood

    <h4>Chapter 649: Completely Understood</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The elevator went up to He Zhichu¡¯s floor very quickly. ¡°We¡¯ll talk inside.¡± He used his room card to open his room. He turned sideways to let Smith and the others in. They went in single file. He Zhichu went inst and closed the door. His group of bodyguards waited outside the door.

    Smith and the rest finally stopped holding their breath after entering his room. ¡°Lawyer... Lawyer He, outside... those people outside...¡± Smith stuttered and asked the question that was pestering him the most.

    They had thought he was just a rich family¡¯s son, but now it looked like it was really not that simple. It looked like when Lawyer He brought them to Munich, he must have hidden his identity.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t like to talk about his family much. He simply said, ¡°It¡¯s a friend of the family that helped because I was in a hurry to get back home.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± So it was for Gu Nianzhi again. Everyone expressed their understanding.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He Zhichu sat on the armchair while gesturing for them to sit down.

    The fourwyers sat in their usual spots, then Smith started telling him things pertaining to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The second day after you left, Gu Nianzhi said she was going to see a friend. She texted us four saying she¡¯d be back after ten days,¡± Smith said while showing He Zhichu the text from Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This is my smartphone that received Lawyer Gu¡¯s text. The other three got the exact same text. They were all sent from Lawyer Gu¡¯s smartphone.¡± The other three also took out their own smartphones for He Zhichu to look at.

    He Zhichu only took a quick nce. Without any expression on his face he said, ¡°Who has nothing better to do than send the same text to everyone? Are you close with Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Just based on that one sentence, Smith and the others came to a sudden realization and felt ashamed. It was true that they hadn¡¯t thought of it from that angle. At the time, they thought Gu Nianzhi just wanted to let them know what was going on, that was why she sent them all a text.

    But that was unusual.

    Normally, even if she asked for ten days off, she would only contact her superior and the colleague she was closest to. Some didn¡¯t even tell their colleagues. They only needed to ask their superior for the time off. More than half of those who contacted their colleagues only contacted them to stay on top of things that were rted to work. It was obvious that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t need Smith and the others to stay on top of things.

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t there at the time, and Gu Nianzhi was closest to Smith, so there was nothing strange about her texting him. However, what was strange was that the other threewyers she wasn¡¯t that close with also got the same message. If they had been more vignt then and asked what was going on, maybe it wouldn¡¯t have been so hopeless right now.

    He Zhichu gestured for Smith¡¯s phone. After Smith handed it to him, he tapped on a few things, checked the settings, and returned the phone. ¡°Someone installed an intercepting Trojan on your phone. I¡¯m guessing Gu Nianzhi probably called you before, but it got redirected, and then she gave up.¡±

    ¡°Ah?! Trojan? That can¡¯t be! I didn¡¯t go to any phishing websites.¡± Smith yelled, ¡°You must believe me, Lawyer He! I really didn¡¯t.¡±

    Looking dismayed, the other three took out their phones and slid them open for He Zhichu to take a look at. ¡°Lawyer He, please take a look at ours.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at each of their phones and returned them. ¡°All of your phones are the same. They have the same intercepting Trojan.¡±

    The fourwyers¡¯ faces turned pale. In this modern age, smartphones were the same as one¡¯s most confidential thing containing one¡¯s secrets. There were some things on it that you didn¡¯t want others to see. Knowing there was a Trojan virus on their phones was like being naked in broad daylight with nowhere to hide their shame.

    He Zhichu was originally going to urge them to change their phones, but if they did, Gu Nianzhi would not know their new numbers. In case she got the chance to call for help, then wouldn¡¯t she have no number to call?

    He Zhichu changed his mind immediately and extended his hand to Smith. ¡°Give me your phone. I¡¯ll get rid of the Trojan, then install an app that blocks Trojans. That way, if anyone tries to do anything to your phone, you¡¯ll know it immediately.¡±

    He Zhichu would also be the first to know, because he sneaked his number into the list of contacts that needed to be informed on the app that intercepted Trojans on their phones. He Zhichu also had that app on his own phone. It was this software that made him realize that the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Zhao Liangze had attempted to do something to his phone.

    Smith was happy. He nodded hastily. ¡°Thank you so much, Lawyer He. Thank you so much, Lawyer He.¡± With such a good app, one would never have to worry if someone installed a Trojan on one¡¯s phone.

    He Zhichu repeated this action and got rid of the Trojan on the other threewyers¡¯ phones and installed the app that intercepted the Trojan. While he was installing the app, he analyzed the messages Gu Nianzhi had sent Smith. He Zhichu happily discovered that they were not from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone number!

    Smith and the others¡¯ phones disyed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number, but it was all fake. Like many emails that had viruses, the senders could use a fake email to disguise themselves. The person that sent them the text used a fake number to hide behind as a disguise. It was just that mails with viruses did not have much technological content. One just had to be more thorough to find the clue. However, the text¡¯s fake number was a lot harder to look into.

    Smith and the others looked at He Zhichu with reverence. Their eyes lit up with admiration. No wonder he became a partner at thew firm before he was 30. He had family status, good looks, and intelligence, plus he was a hard worker. They had originally thought it was because of his family that he became a partner at thergestw firm in America in his twenties. Now they understood that even without his family¡¯s social status, his more than sufficient skills would have been able to make him a partner.

    He Zhichu felt odd with these four¡¯s eyes on him. His brows furrowed, and he pointed at Smith and said, ¡°Continue. And then what happened?¡±

    Smith pulled himself together and promptly said, ¡°After that, we waited for ten days and realized we couldn¡¯t get in contact with Lawyer Gu. We asked the hotel for surveince footage and found out that Lawyer Gu had left the hotel ten days before that and took the private car we rented. The driver of the car told us Lawyer Gu personally told him she was only going to stay at the K?nigssee for a day, and that she would call him that night to pick her up.¡± While Smith was talking about it, he showed He Zhichu the footage of the driver.

    He Zhichu straightened up as he stared at the video and murmured, ¡°Did Gu Nianzhi really go to the K?nigssee?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We checked the hotel¡¯s surveince for those ten days. Lawyer Gu left the hotel in the early morning ten days ago, got into the car, and disappeared.¡± Smith gave He Zhichu the surveince footage he and the others had gotten from the Hilton. Of course, they only gave him the surveince footage with Gu Nianzhi in it. He Zhichu didn¡¯t have time for all the other surveince footage.

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed when he saw Gu Nianzhi, who was only wearing a track suit and carrying her Hermes bag, walk lightly out of the Hilton and enter the rented car.

    Smith pressed pause, and the video stopped at the point when Gu Nianzhi was getting into the car. He Zhichu stared at the picture for a long time, and his face went a bit pale. Smith and the others looked at each other and told He Zhichu onest thing. ¡°...And on the second day Lawyer Gu went missing, Seth escaped from the hospital. He¡¯s still atrge.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± He Zhichu stood up quickly. ¡°Say that again! What does it have to do with Seth?¡± He formed a fist, and his peach blossom eyes narrowed, overflowing with danger. He was no longer calm and refined, but was brimming with suppressed and cruel violence.

    Smith was a little scared and shifted back on the couch a bit as he said, ¡°There¡¯s no evidence that they are rted to each other. I¡¯m only letting you know.¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t calm down and walked back and forth around the living room while holding his arm and asking Smith, ¡°Tell me in chronological order the things that happened again. Starting from when you and Gu Nianzhi went to the hospital to see Seth. Was that scum really hurt?¡±

    Smith nodded and told the story from the beginning again without leaving anything out. He finally got up to the day Seth escaped. ¡°The second day, Seth escaped from the hospital, and I went to Munich¡¯s police station every day to urge them to catch him. However, the police used all kinds of methods to snub us, and even today there¡¯s still no news of Seth.¡±

    No one said a word, but they all knew if there was no news for so many days, Seth must have gotten away. Maybe he was hiding abroad at that moment.

    ¡°...And, the Munich police were rotten to the core. We went to report the case to them saying Lawyer Gu went missing and asked them to investigate immediately, but they... they wouldn¡¯t investigate.¡± Smith was filled with indignation when he thought of what had happened yesterday at the Munich police station. He wanted to tell them the billionws that they had broken.

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows stopped furrowing when he heard that, and he actuallyughed. It made them shudder because they felt the cruelty behind it. His face slowly calmed down. I told myself that I¡¯d use thew against you, but you started using your connections. I wanted to fight you fair and square, but you dared to use such shady tricks against my people. I gave you the carrot, but you chose the stick. There¡¯s no other choice.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, I now know. You can all leave.¡± He Zhichu was determined. He shook his hands and said to the fourwyers, ¡°First go investigate the driver. Let me know if anything unusual happened to him this month. Did he get in contact with the person we are up against? Does he have anything to do with them? Especially his bank ount. Check to see if there are any odd changes in his ounts.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re saying the driver is dirty?¡± Smith was shocked. ¡°No way, no way!¡± The driver thew firm hired was the kind that would break thew? Didn¡¯t they have background checks? He was thest one to see Nianzhi, so it was reasonable. They shouldn¡¯t overlook it.

    He Zhichu coldly said, ¡°Out.¡±

    Smith and the otherwyers all looked at each other in dismay and left, abashed. When they were out of He Zhichu¡¯s room, Smith punched the wall hard and angrily said, ¡°Don¡¯t let me find anything dirty with this driver. Otherwise, he will be in jail for the rest of his life.¡±

    The other threewyers were also uneasy. These past ten days they had been driven around by the driver many times. They never once thought he had any hidden agendas.

    He Zhichu was alone in his room. He hugged his arms and looked gloomily at the French window. It was cloudy with no sun in sight. It was the end of September, and it was getting colder. At this time Nianzhi... Nianzhi... how was she doing?

    He couldn¡¯t think about it. The moment he thought about it, he felt like someone had gouged out his heart and was cruelly mincing it again and again before throwing it at his feet. He felt as if his body were badly mangled with prating pain in his chest. The person he wanted to protect the most was Nianzhi. What had gone wrong? She kept on slipping out of his grasp again and again.

    If... if this time something had really happened to her, He Zhichu had already decided to live no more. If he didn¡¯t protect her while she was alive, then he could only go after her in the afterlife and use his eternity to repay her. Then no one would be able to separate them.

    After Smith and the rest returned to their rooms, they started to assign tasks. They needed to investigate everything the driver had done that month. They looked for Munich¡¯s best detective agency and gave them an offer they couldn¡¯t refuse. There was only one condition. It was to finish the investigation in two days and find out everything about this driver.

    While Smith and the others were using grand ways to investigate the driver, He Zhichu also sent someone to investigate him. Not long after Smith and his colleagues left his room, He Zhichu called Felix, the American NATO supreme alliedmander. NATO looked like it was only a military alliance organization that the Americans were in charge of, but the truth was, it was the supreme ruler of the European countries.

    The supreme alliedmander of NATO¡¯s interests in Europe was unfathomable to most people. When He Zhichu called, Felix was very excited. He had heard of this American that worked closely with the American military, but he had never had the chance to get to know him. Now that He Zhichu had taken the initiative to hold out an olive branch, of course that¡¯s exactly what Felix wanted.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem at all. It¡¯s only a few phone calls. I¡¯ll assist you in contacting them immediately.¡± Felix was dying to bow to show his respect.

    He Zhichu made an ¡°Uh huh¡± sound and said, ¡°I want them in front of the Munich police department at ten in the morning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only nine. There¡¯s still one more hour. It¡¯s not a problem at all. Even if the one you are looking for is in Berlin, I can ask them to transfer here immediately.¡± The sound of Felix pounding his chest could be heard on the other end.

    ¡°Thank you for your trouble. I¡¯ll see you when you¡¯re back in America.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s promise to meet Felix in America was exactly what Felix needed.

    He was delighted and suddenly stood up. ¡°Mr. He, you¡¯re too much. It¡¯s only a few phone calls, but I heard Mr. He¡¯s family dinner banquet is a thing to look forward to. I hope I will have this privilege and opportunity.¡±

    He Zhichu chuckled. ¡°Next month, it¡¯s a deal. I¡¯ll be holding a birthday banquet at the manor. I hope Mr. Felix will be able to make it. An invitation will arrive at your home in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Is it your birthday Mr. He?¡± Felix was beside himself with joy. Only close friends were invited to birthday banquets.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s... my good friend¡¯s birthday.¡± It would be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday. If she coulde back safely this time, he would have her by his side again. This time, he would take action.

    ¡°I see.¡± Felix¡¯s gut feeling told him this ¡°good friend¡± was definitely a ¡°girlfriend.¡± He was very surprised and continually said, ¡°Thank you,¡± even though He Zhichu had already hung up.

    Felix¡¯s smile didn¡¯t fade, and he immediately called the people He Zhichu wanted. It just so happened that he knew them quite well. Although they were not in the military, they were all powerful German politicians. Of course he had to have a good rtionship with these overlords.

    He Zhichu had asked him to make a few calls, one to Munich¡¯s mayor, one to the German head of administration of justice, and one to the head member of parliament in the Munich district asking them to go to Munich¡¯s police station.

    After an hour, at exactly ten o¡¯clock, He Zhichu came with his bodyguards to Munich district¡¯s police station. Munich¡¯s mayor, the German head of administration of justice, and the head member of parliament in the Munich district were all already there waiting for him.

    ¡°Mr. He, I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.¡± The head of Germany¡¯s administration of justice, who had been going to Li Haiqin¡¯s case hearing those few days, came immediately when he got the call from the supreme alliedmander, Felix.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t like to stand out in public, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t use his connections. His social status in America was enough for these German officials to be affable to him. He Zhichu¡¯s smile was aloof, and then he walked away after he casually shook hands with the head member of parliament in the Munich district.

    Munich¡¯s mayor and the head member of parliament in the Munich district walked over to He Zhichu¡¯s side in a respectful manner. They shook his hand and exchanged pleasantries. They then asked with concern, ¡°May I ask what honorable business does Mr. He have at Munich¡¯s police station?¡±

    They all knew He Zhichu came to Germany on behalf of the Americanw firm on a case a month ago. However, none knew of He Zhichu¡¯s other identity. At that moment, it was only because He Zhichu had taken the initiative to reveal his status that the supreme alliedmander, Felix, and these German politicians discovered his other identity.

 Chapter 650 - A Generous Reward

    <h4>Chapter 650: A Generous Reward</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Even the highest ranking NATOmanding officer had to grovel to this man, so the German officials and senators certainly couldn¡¯t ignore him. ¡°We¡¯ve always known that you are legally representing the Hua Xia female exchange student and attending trials here. We never imagined you had such a status in America. We have been neglectful...¡± The Mayor of Munich nearly bowed at 90 degrees.

    He Zhichu nodded slightly and had a half smile on his face. ¡°I certainly only came here for the case and never expected to ask Mr. Phillips for help. But the Munich police is too impressive. When my able assistant helping me with the Li Haiqing case went missing, my subordinates went to the police station to report her missing and ask for help looking for her. However, your police station refused to file the case and argued with us about the age of legality...¡± If He Zhichu really had the ability to get NATO involved, that meant military control. This wasn¡¯t typical ruthlessness!

    ¡°Oh? Your able assistant went missing? Where... did she go missing? The Mayor of Munich stuttered upon hearing this, andrge beads of sweat slid down his forehead. They werepletely aware of the case He Zhichu hade there for, but how could they have known about He Zhichu having such a background and status at the time?! Everyone had automatically sided with York and Seth... They were fellow German citizens, after all, and they had to be loyal to their own people. Also, York knew how to please them and also had his muscle, so all the high-ranking officials more or less benefited from York and turned a blind eye to the stalemate on the Li Haiqing case.

    Germans typically had no regard for Eastern countries, especially the Hua Xia Empire. It had been so backward and weak all those years ago, and the stereotypical impression was that the Hua Xia Empire was still isted internationally, an Eastern country shackled by stronger nations. They didn¡¯t expect this weak country to leap ahead and have their national strength skyrocket from being a third-rate developing country 20 years ago to now emerging as the second most powerful nation in the world! They were second only to the United States and had long surpassed older European countries like Germany many years ago. But because the Hua Xia Empire had gained power so quickly, it had yet to umte enough prestige and influence internationally, and was thus often overlooked or ignored. It could be said that if the victim in the Li Haiqing case had been American, the German police and courts would have never dared to interfere so brazenly.

    He Zhichu understood the nature of these people very well. He looked straight ahead and headed to the police station. ¡°We will discuss the specificster, but I¡¯m here today for something else.¡±

    The faces of the Mayor of Munich, the German Minister of Justice, and the President of the Munich Regional Council all flushed hotly. All three men were secretly angry with how York had overextended his influence. It was one thing for him to control the Rou region, but he even tried to dabble in the Munich police. Aside from He Zhichu being displeased, even the Mayor of Munich was unhappy with the situation. When the four men walked to the entrance of the Munich Regional Police Station, the regional Chief of Police heard the news and rushed over. He walked out the door and waved to the Mayor of Munich from a distance. ¡°Wee, Mayor! Please forgive me for not weing you sooner!¡±

    The Mayor of Munich was expressionless as he shook hands with the Munich Regional Chief of Police. He introduced He Zhichu to him. ¡°This is Mr. He, a friend of Mr. Phillips, NATO¡¯s highestmanding officer. He has something to speak to your police station about.¡±

    He Zhichu was no stranger to the Munich Regional Chief of Police and could guess why he was there. He just never imagined that He Zhichu would have the support of NATO¡¯s highestmanding officer, the Mayor of Munich, the German Minister of Justice, and the President of the Munich Regional Council. ¡°Mr... Mr. He, may I ask what counsel you have?¡± The Munich Regional Chief of Police nearly bowed to the ground, his bald head gleaming so brightly, it was unknown if it was from oil or sweat.

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to give counsel. Yesterday, my employee came to report a case. My able assistant has gone missing in your area, but you refused to file the report, and I would like to know why.¡± He Zhichu folded his hands behind his back, his sharp gaze directly aimed at the Munich Regional Chief of Police. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose that you should give us a proper exnation?¡±

    The Munich Regional Chief of Police instantly knew what He Zhichu was referring to, because two of his assistants had juste by yesterday to report their colleague as missing and asked for the police¡¯s help to find her. They had rejected the case. ¡°Is, is, is it regarding your assistant going missing?¡± the Chief of Police stuttered, his brain continuously thinking of a way to handle it. Denial was out of question, but how would he deal with York if he agreed?

    The Munich Regional Chief of Police cursed York for being a brainless tw*t. Seth wasn¡¯t even his own son. How was this worth it?! He had done it for his useless stepson and dragged them all into this mess! ¡°Well, about that, it was actually because... our officers didn¡¯t refuse to file the case, they only said that there was insufficient evidence and asked your employees to gather more evidence...¡± The Munich Regional Chief of Police sweated profusely and kept dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief. He politely invited He Zhichu, the Mayor of Munich, the German Minister of Justice, and the President of the Munich Regional Council to his office to discuss it. ¡°Mr. He, are you here today to report your able assistant as missing?¡± the Chief of Police asked with great respect and was a whole head shorter, both in terms of dignity and stature, than He Zhichu before him.

    He Zhichu had brought two burly bodyguards, who were obviously looked like mercenaries. They went into the Munich Regional Chief of Police¡¯s office, and He Zhichu sat on the couch with his legs crossed. With one hand draped on the hand rest, he appeared intimidating as ever and coolly scanned the Chief of Police¡¯s office. He sneered with a shake of his head. ¡°Of course not. The incident doesn¡¯t matter now, as my assistant has alreadye back. My employees got anxious and caused you trouble.¡± He Zhichu would never publicize Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance. Also, Seth was connected to her disappearance, so He Zhichu would loathe having other people link the two events. Public mor could melt metals, and when people with ulterior motives started rumors online, he didn¡¯t have to imagine what horrible things they¡¯d circte.

    Consequently, he didn¡¯t mention Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance at all and steepled his hands as he continued to speak, ¡°I¡¯m here today because of another matter. I lost an important possession and am worried it¡¯ll be smuggled out of Germany, so I¡¯m here to report it.¡± He continued, ¡°I don¡¯t need the police¡¯s help with retrieving my lost possession, since it was lost due to my own negligence. Although it went missing in your area, I have no way of dealing with your contrary and cking work ethic, so I will personally finance and hire people to find it, but I need your authorization to allow me to undertake necessary means of action within German borders.¡±

    The methods, of course, included but were not limited to violence. The truth was, He Zhichu also didn¡¯t believe the Munich police would truly dispatch officers to find Gu Nianzhi, and even if they took the initiative to find her, He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to make her disappearancemon knowledge. There was no way He Zhichu would put Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photo in Germany¡¯s missing persons file or allow her photo to be sent to everyone¡¯s phone as a missing person.

    The Munich Regional Chief of Police was the first to apud He Zhichu. He truly didn¡¯t want to help search for Gu Nianzhi. It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that the femalewyer¡¯s disappearance was rted to York and Seth... Right now, the Munich Regional Chief of Police only wanted to separate himself from this incident and get out the endless mess.

    He Zhichu personally said that his assistant had returned, but that he had lost an important possession that needed to be found. The Munich Regional Chief of Police was naturally happy to turn a deaf ear and not reveal the farce. ¡°I agree! I totally agree! I can immediately assist Mr. He by applying for a court order. That way, you can freely search for your precious possession within Germany!¡± The Munich Regional Chief of Police rubbed his hands together and wanted nothing more but to take He Zhichu to court to apply right then...

    He Zhichu nodded with satisfaction. He looked at the Mayor of Munich. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    The Mayor of Munich had originally wanted the local police to personally help He Zhichu find his able assistant, because that would make a strong impression on He Zhichu. But his Chief of Police was already starting to wash his hands of the matter, so he had no choice but to follow suit. He chuckled. ¡°Ok! No problem! But there is still legal procedure we have to follow. Your staff must at least have the qualifications of a detective...¡±

    The German Minister of Justice shook his head and helped He Zhichu with the legal basis. ¡°He doesn¡¯t necessarily need staff with the qualifications of a detective. As long as the court permits, Americans, especially the US garrison, can take necessary measures in Germany as long as they have respectable members of society as guarantors.¡± He was truly the Minister of Justice and knew the legal provisions inside and out.

    He Zhichu¡¯s typically cold and sullen face finally broke into a small smile as he spread his palms. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Minister. My staff is indeed all American, so they would meet the legal requirements of your country.¡±

    The President of the Munich Regional Council had waited a long time to appeal to He Zhichu and immediately remarked, ¡°Wonderful! How about I directly help you apply for the court approval? This case urred in Munich, and as the representative of Munich¡¯s citizens, I have a responsibility to maintain the personal property and safety of all the citizens in the jurisdiction, including but not limited to German citizens, as well as legal immigrants, tourists, and workers traveling on business.¡±

    He Zhichu had lost his possession, so it went without saying that the security of his property waspromised, and this was within the scope permitted byw. The three men who apanied He Zhichu today were nearly the top leaders in Munich. With their help, He Zhichu was able to sessfully apply for the approval. By noon, He Zhichu had already received a permit from the court allowing him to take necessary means of action within Germany¡¯s borders. With this permit, he would be able to use searching for important lost property as an excuse to privately search for Gu Nianzhi. He had decided early on to do this, thus he had brought almost 50 of his personal American subordinates with him. Aside from the four bodyguards, the rest were all especially recruited to find Gu Nianzhi. These people were either detectives in America or American veterans who were experts in tracking and investigating in the military.

    When they began searching in Munich, not a single local media outlet reported news of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance, and even Smith and his three colleges understood He Zhichu¡¯s intention. So, they bit their tongues and all imed Gu Nianzhi had returned from her travels, and she hadn¡¯t been picking up because her phone was stolen. She was having so much fun with her friends that she forgot to tell her colleagues about her new number.

    Even the Conste General of the Hua Xia Empire in Munich received He Zhichu¡¯s notification that Gu Nianzhi had returned and didn¡¯t require their personnel to help with the search. The Embassy was too happy to wash their hands of it, so they quickly reported back to the Hua Xia Empire and said it was ok, since Gu Nianzhi had returned. The Hua Xia Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs had their own procedures, and when they received the second internal reference from the Munich embassy stating that Gu Nianzhi was safe, news of her disappearing had already been reported to the higher ups. However, it was suppressed by a certain department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and no one escted it, so domestically, no one knew of the incident for the time being. Once news of Gu Nianzhi was suppressed, He Zhichu began searching for her.

    ...

    ¡°Lawyer Gust appeared at the K?nigssee, a two-hour drive away from Munich.¡± He Zhichu sent the coordinates of the K?nigssee to them. ¡°This is your permit. You are able to use violence when necessary.¡± This was actually simr to an arms license, but those were only issued to domestic citizens, while a general permit was issued to foreigners. He Zhichu¡¯s search team consisted of 41 personnel with four teams and ten people per team. Each team had a leader, and thest person was the team captain overseeing all four teams.

    ¡°What do you n to do?¡± He Zhichu asked the captain in charge.

    The captain was a veteran in his thirties and was previously a special forces soldier in the US Navy SEALs. He was an expert in investigations and sniping. The captain took out a tablet and opened up the nearby geography and surroundings around K?nigssee, then pointed. ¡°Lawyer Gu has already been missing for ten days now, and in this period, there have been several heavy rain storms, so it¡¯ll be hard to determine anything if we search there now.¡± The initial golden 36 hours for missing persons had long passed, so they had to use another way to find her.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Interesting, go on.¡±

    The captain continued, ¡°Look here, K?nigssee is a famous attraction near Munich, and there are many tourists every day. I was thinking we could cooperate with the Munich government¡¯s department of tourism and say that in order to promote the tourism resources of K?nigssee, we can have a video contest with the theme being travels in K?nigssee within thest month. We will ask for videos with the scenery as well as people, and also specify the time and location. We will prevent any traces of editing to ensure totally natural footage and have an expert rank three winners. It¡¯ll be good to set a higher prize money amount for greater social influence.¡±

    He Zhichu understood that by using this method they could discreetly filter out footage from the day of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance, and from there, check if she had been there. With their current situation, this was the best way. ¡°Ok, I agree.¡± He then turned to the personal assistant he had brought over and instructed, ¡°You go contact the Munich Department of Tourism, but not in our name. Just find a random Americanpany and use their name to cooperate with the Department of Tourism. The first ce prize will be a single one for 100,000 Euros, the second ce is ten prizes of 50,000 Euros, and the third would be 100 prizes of 10,000 Euros. Make the deadline tight. The submissions will end in five days.¡±

    Offering so many prizes was to attract more participants, and everyone would give the third ce prize a shot, even if they couldn¡¯t win first ce. For many Germans, 10,000 Euros was arge sum of free money. Also, trying to win this free money wouldn¡¯t take up too much time or effort, because all they had to do was submit footage of the scenery from K?nigssee within thest month. He Zhichu¡¯s personal assistant recorded all his requirements and immediately set out to find an appropriate Americanpany as a front, then contacted the Munich Department of Tourism.

    By noon, the contest had be viral at an unprecedented rate through all of the German media. It was broadly covered, and countless Germans thought they had a chance to win when they saw the ad. Many people looked through their phones to find footage. Many tourists had visited K?nigssee in thest month, with the majority being Munich locals.

    By 10pm, He Zhichu¡¯s contest website had received countless video submissions. And when these videos were uploaded, it was also required to indicate the date and time of recording from beginning to end to the exact second. So it as very easy when He Zhichu and his personnel had to sift through the videos to find their desired time frame. That night, the team member responsible for viewing the videos nearly stayed up all night. By early morning, one of the team member¡¯s eyes had swollen up from looking. He suddenly spied the figure of a young girl wearing purple sportswear. She stood elegantly under arge tree by K?nigssee. He instantly jumped up and shouted, ¡°I found her! I found her!¡±

    He Zhichu, who had been sitting silently behind them the entire time, walked over and bent down to look at the screen. ¡°Where?¡±

    The team member pointed to the frame paused on Gu Nianzhi and eximed, ¡°There! There!¡±

    He Zhichu moved the cursor over and continuously erged the image until he was certain it was Gu Nianzhi. The time stamp indicated it was 9:55am, ten days ago. He Zhichu sighed deeply and pressed y. The video continued, and this time, a couple embracing each other walked into the frame and headed towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back. Gu Nianzhi seemed to notice someone walking towards her and turned back to look before stepping aside. The man suddenly came up with his arm raised to pat Gu Nainzhi¡¯s back.

    ¡°Pause,¡± He Zhichu immediately barked. His eyesight was extraordinary, and he had already noticed something strange. ¡°Magnify that man¡¯s hand.¡± The team member clicked quietly to gradually erge it until everyone could see something gleaming in the man¡¯s hand. From its shape, it looked to be a syringe.

 Chapter 651 - The Footage and the Driver

    <h4>Chapter 651: The Footage and the Driver</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu¡¯s face twitched. He pushed y again, and the video continued ying. They all saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body stiffen then move back, and the man and woman leap forward. They grabbed each of her arms, pretty much dragging her back. Then there was no more of Gu Nianzhi, and the video started showing the K?nigssee¡¯s beautifulkes and mountain scenes. It was all beautiful scenery.

    The footage happened to be recorded in that scenic location because the contest said one couldn¡¯t have anything edited, so that¡¯s why it was saved. If they hadn¡¯t known something had happened to Gu Nianzhi, anyone who looked at that scene would have thought they were old friends who hadn¡¯t seen each other in a long time.

    He Zhichu was very uneasy. He praised that staff member a bit. ¡°Good job, continue. Let¡¯s see if anyone else recorded anything after this.¡±

    They really could find clues this way. The others were encouraged and looked at the other videos more carefully. By ten o¡¯clock on the second day, they had already found three videos. They happened to capture the whole scene of Gu Nianzhi being taken away.

    The first video showed Gu Nianzhi being given a shot. She passed out and was taken away. The second video showed the three of them walking towards the two cars parked nearby under a shade tree. The third video not only showed the man putting Gu Nianzhi into the front car but also the woman getting into the second car. It also recorded that disgusting, pig-faced scum, Seth, in the front car, and it got the two cars¡¯ license tes.

    Nianzhi really had been taken by Seth.

    He Zhichu was livid. He got up and kicked the armchair he had been sitting on, flipping it over. He was still angry and went into an inner room and took out a handgun. He fired consecutively and shattered all the coffee mugs, which were full of coffee, on the tea table. The ss flew everywhere, and the ck coffee spilled onto the tea table and the floor. It stained the snowy white carpet. Those working in the outer room didn¡¯t dare to take a deep breath knowing the boss was furious.

    He Zhichu had vented his anger. When he came out, everyone acted like they didn¡¯t see his peach blossom eyes turn red. ¡°Enough. There¡¯s no need to look at anymore videos. Go find someone to investigate those two license tes.¡± He Zhichu was secretly holding his fist tightly, swearing he¡¯ll hack Seth to pieces, even if he didn¡¯t do anything to Gu Nianzhi. He wouldn¡¯t let him off the hook.

    If he... He thought of Li Haiqing¡¯s sadistic death. For the first time in his life, He Zhichu felt extremely fearful. He was scared, he was really scared, but what scared him the most was Gu Nianzhi not being in this world anymore. It didn¡¯t matter if she was sexually assaulted, because to him, she would always be his Nianzhi. He was not the kind of trash that couldn¡¯t wait for their girl to die after they were sexually assaulted. However, the humiliation she received would be personally paid back one by one.

    Under He Zhichu¡¯s orders, the search continued methodically. It was easy to find the cars¡¯ owner with the license te numbers.

    ¡°Mr. He, these two tes are invalid and belonged to a Britishpany. It was only a leather bagpany that belonged to a man. It went bankrupt because the owner suddenly died. That¡¯s all the lead we have.¡±

    He Zhichuughed coldly after hearing it. He never imagined the enemy would guard themselves so well. Impressive, impressive, indeed. Even he was impressed. To be able to drive around Germany without any problem using invalid license tes...

    He Zhichu nodded at the information they brought him. ¡°Keep on investigating. I¡¯ll reward generously when the two cars are found.¡±

    So at noon that day, Germany¡¯s Munich TV station and all of Germany¡¯s social media spread a piece of news saying one would be well rewarded for any clues rted to spotting those two cars. They would give one reward of 1,000 euros for any lead, and if it led them directly to the two cars, then they would give 100,000 euros. With that reward, everyone in Munich stopped their work and kept their eyes wide open, staring at the cars near them, waiting to see a flower.

    He Zhichu was busy, and Smith and the others weren¡¯t idle, either. For two days, they employed Germany¡¯s best detective agencies to investigate and give them everything they could on the driver including what he did that month, who he saw, even how many times he slept with his wife and how many times he met up with his mistress and, of course, information on his bank ounts. It was all on the file.

    ¡°This driver is dirty for real,¡± Smith said as he looked at the information the detective sent him and pounded on the table furiously.

    The other threewyers came over. ¡°What is it? They investigated everything?¡±

    ¡°Look, 15 days ago, his bank ount suddenly had an additional 100,000 euros.¡± The money was about the right amount. It was equivalent to two years¡¯ sry for this driver. It wasn¡¯t too much, but it was not too little.

    ¡°This 100,000 euros is from a Swiss bank ount.¡± Thewyer familiar with financial fraud saw the information and said, ¡°That¡¯s going to be difficult to investigate.¡± Swiss banks were well known for keeping a tight lip. People from all over the world put their dirty money there. They relied on that to make crazy amounts of money.

    ¡°Who cares which bank gave him the money? The point is this driver got some money from who knows where, so that makes him dirty.¡±

    ¡°And look at these call records. Twelve days ago, the day something happened to Lawyer Gu, someone called him many times, and he drove to the K?nigssee many times as well.¡±

    The fourwyers found it suspicious and felt this was enough for the police to arrest the driver, but that was not what Lawyer He wanted. He didn¡¯t want everyone to know about this, that was why everything was done under the table. Even if it was to find someone, his people would do it. So even if this driver was in the wrong, they couldn¡¯t have him arrested. Their heads hurt a bit.

    ¡°Ask Lawyer He first.¡± Smith took the evidence the detective agency provided. He pushed He Zhichu¡¯s doorbell when they were in front of it.

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal assistant opened the door and asked, ¡°What is it? Mr. He is very busy.¡± Smith cleared his throat. ¡°We found some leads we would like to discuss with Lawyer He.¡±

    He Zhichu could hear them from inside. He said, ¡°Let them in.¡± The personal assistant stepped aside and watched as Smith and the rest walked inside. He took them to a study and asked them to sit. He Zhichu asked, ¡°What did you find?¡±

    Smith told him what the detective agency found out about the driver¡¯s bank ount and about him going to the K?nigssee. He Zhichu secretly clenched his fist tightly andughed coldly. ¡°A hundred thousand euros was enough to betray your employer. How shallow.¡±

    He rubbed his forehead and said to Smith andpany, ¡°Enough, forget about this, leave it to me. I¡¯m not in the mood to handle the things in the firm. I¡¯ll leave it all for you guys to handle.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Smith and the others nodded and didn¡¯t bother He Zhichu anymore. Even though they were worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety, they clearly knew they couldn¡¯t do much to help and could only help He Zhichu by not troubling him. Smith and his colleagues walked out of He Zhichu¡¯s room stiffly and looked at each other without saying a word.

    ¡°If you want to get a drink,¡± Smith suggested, ¡°thene to my room. I have red wine. I bought it a few days ago. There¡¯s still some left.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± The other three were all feeling depressed and needed some alcohol to numb themselves. The four of them were well aware what He Zhichu was going to do next. It was not that honorable. It might even skirt the line, legally. Without certain kinds of backing, this kind of method wouldn¡¯t out y well. He Zhichu had left them out of it for their own good. They knew He Zhichu¡¯s skill and power. It was not something they couldpete with or even fathom.

    ¡°Hope Lawyer Gu can sessfullye home,¡± Smith said as he raised his wine ss to the sky in the window.

    ¡°Hope Seth will be caught,¡± anotherwyer said as he also raised his ss to the sky in the window.

    Another case popped up when the other one had not yet been closed. Although they were anxious, they could do nothing. They only hoped He Zhichu would win.

    Just as they predicted, He Zhichu didn¡¯t use any legal means to deal with the driver because there was no time. If he had used the legal way, who knew when it would be done? He couldn¡¯t wait, and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait even more so.

    He Zhichu looked at the data the detective agency gave Smith and ordered someone to bring the driver to the K?nigssee that was near Munich. When they arrived, it waste in the afternoon. The sun had almost set, and theke¡¯s surface reflected the sunlight. The shore¡¯s weeping willow stirred gently in the wind. A few visitors were there, but most had already gone home.

    Several ck Hummer SUVs came as swiftly as the wind and as quickly as lightning. They stopped by the side of the K?nigssee. The driver was brought there from his home. His heart was beating like a drum. When he was going up against Smith and the others, he was able to calmly react. Even if he slipped up, he could still turn things around. But now he was facing several mercenary-like men with a murderous air about them. Looking at their powerful muscles and cold, hard, imposing manner, his legs became so weak that he couldn¡¯t stand.

    He Zhichu was wearing a pair of brand name sunsses. He was standing under the weeping willows next to the K?nigssee. Half of him was in shadow, half in the light. He was wearing a light colored outfit, and he looked big and tall. His small lips were smooth. As the setting sun shined on his face, his straight and elegant nose left a shadow. His whole body was half light, half dark.

    ¡°Clear the area.¡± He Zhichu waved his hand without looking back.

    The people he brought over started urging the two or three visitors to leave. ¡°Police activity. Please, leave the area.¡± They showed the legal paper the police station gave them. They even had a court permit that allowed them to close down the whole K?nigssee scenic area.

    Soon, all the visitors had left. The sky turned dark. Only He Zhichu and his men and the driver were at the K?nigssee.

    ¡°Speak. What happened, and who contacted you? Who told you to bring Lawyer Gu to this location?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was very cold with no emotion, but this voice was scarier than being yelled at or screamed at. The stocky driver was fat and had a bigger build than He Zhichu, but He Zhichu crushed him with his imposing manner.

    The driver trembled and spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°...No ..no one contacted me.¡±

    An emotionless bodyguard that was facing the K?nigssee walked toward the driver. He pinched the nape of the driver¡¯s neck and dragged him to the side of the K?nigssee. He kicked the back of the driver¡¯s knee and made him kneel.

    ¡°No one?¡± He Zhichu turned around. ¡°Make him tell the truth.¡±

    The bodyguard kneeled on one knee and pushed the driver¡¯s head into the coldke. The driver was taken aback when the water covered his face and went up his nose. He was choking, and the water went into his lungs with burning pain. He struggled to get up, his arms waving. He wanted to free himself from that man¡¯s grasp, but how could a potbellied driver contend with the power of a specially trained bodyguard?

    His head was let up out of the water briefly but was pushed back into the water before he could take a full breath. After only two dunks, he cried out, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, I¡¯ll tell you!¡±

    He Zhichu raised his hand. The bodyguard lifted the driver¡¯s head out of the water and dragged him before He Zhichu.

    The driver, nearly drowned,id on the ground and coughed for a while. He said with trembling fear in his voice, ¡°Someone, someone called me. Asked me to bring Lawyer Gu to a weeping willow tree on this side of the K?nigssee to see someone. He said he was Lawyer Gu¡¯s friend. It was a little surprise for her.¡±

    ¡°Why did they need to give you 100,000 euros if it was only a surprise? You think I¡¯m a fool?¡± Without looking at the driver at his feet, he said, ¡°Continuing dunking.¡± He Zhichu sped his hands behind his back.

    The driver was scared. He didn¡¯t think Lawyer He would know about the money. It looked like there was no hiding it. The bodyguard walked over and pinched the driver¡¯s neck to dunk him in the water again, but the driver loudly said, ¡°Don¡¯t dunk me anymore. I, I¡¯ll tell you everything. Seth¡¯s father, York, gave me the money, asking me to listen in on what Lawyer Gu was talking about.¡±

    It felt odd to He Zhichu. The money was from York, not from those two who took Nianzhi away? If it was to listen in on awyer¡¯s case n, it was usible. Sometimes whenwyers were conversing in a car, they spilled a thing or two. That was enough for people to work on for a long time.

    Such an important message, and York only gave him 100,000. York really made out. He Zhichu walked over, looked down at the driver, and asked, ¡°But you dide here a couple of times a few days ago. What were you doing?¡±

    ¡°When that person called me, that person told me a lot about Lawyer Gu. It did sound like that person was her friend, and that person asked me to rmend a ce that¡¯s quiet, with few visitors, that was close to the mountains. So I looked around a few times.¡± The driver slowly told them the truth as heid on the ground. He was really afraid these people would dunk him again.

    ¡°That was why you provided the location then tricked her here, right?¡± He Zhichu pressed one of his feet on the left side of the driver¡¯s face. ¡°Speak.¡±

    The driver¡¯s face changed after being stomped on a few times, and he spoke with unclear artiction, ¡°I... I didn¡¯t know they were going to hurt Lawyer Gu. I thought they were her friends. The K?nigssee is full of people. How could anything happen? Not to mention, Lawyer Gu also told me to take her to the K?nigssee to see a friend.¡± He really didn¡¯t know what these people were going to do, and the 100,000 euros was to see what thewyers were discussing. The price was reasonable, and he never thought it was for Lawyer Gu¡¯s life.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu told you she was going to see a friend?¡± He Zhichu was stumped again. He thought Gu Nianzhi had simply been tricked by this driver. Looked like that wasn¡¯t the case. Or maybe she had been tricked by more than one person. He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened, and he asked loudly, ¡°Who was Lawyer Gu going to see? If even one word out of your mouth is a lie, you will not live to see tomorrow.¡±

    The driver was scared to death. He wailed loudly, ¡°It¡¯s true! Mr. He! I don¡¯t know who, but Lawyer Gu told me herself that she was going to see a friend. She was very happy and was smiling the whole time she was in the car, Mr. He. I¡¯m not lying. I¡¯m really not lying.¡±

    He Zhichu took his feet off the driver¡¯s face and rubbed his feet on the grass in disgust. He turned and said, ¡°Do a polygraph test on him and ask him those questions again.¡±

    His personal assistant brought a portable chair over and ced it under the tree by theke. His bodyguards set up all kinds of electronics to monitor the five miles around the area. The driver was taken to the side to do a polygraph test.

    They had brought the lie detector specifically to see if the driver would tell the truth. Time flew by every minute. He Zhichu¡¯s heart was on fire, but his face turned colder and colder.

    The sky waspletely dark, cold wind from theke blew by bringing humidity with it that stung his face. He Zhichu closed his eyes. One hand propped up his head while he sat sideways on the portable chair¡¯s armrest.

    After five minutes, his men came and told him, ¡°Mr. He, the polygraph test is done. He was telling the truth.¡±

    He Zhichu opened his eyes. His peach blossom eyes overflowed with light as he stood up from the portable chair. He walked around. He looked at the K?nigssee and looked at the nearby Alps. He thought about what the driver said. Why ask the driver to find a ce near the mountains? Did they want to take Nianzhi to the Alps? The thought of it turned his heart cold. If she was in the Alps that passed through Europe, how could he find her quickly?

    He looked up at the night sky. There was no moon, but the glittering stars were twinkling. Glittering stars... twinkling... Glittering stars...

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart leaped as he remembered what Smith had said before. Two days ago, he called Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone, but it was not in the service zone. Had someone turned her phone off, or had they thrown it away? It would be better if it was turned off. He had a way of finding her location by using her phone, but if it had been thrown away, what good would it be if he found it?

    The best thing he could get out of it was knowing that she had been there. It might even be thrown there after someone did something to the phone. It could even be a trap.

    What should he do?

 Chapter 652 - Sheâ€™s Still Alive

    <h4>Chapter 652: She¡¯s Still Alive</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead with annoyance as he walked around the K?nigssee. It looked like it was unlikely they would find Gu Nianzhi directly, so they had to think of a different angle. Recalling how Seth appeared in the video, He Zhichu calmed down. He was really being too anxious, and too much concern would ruin things. How could he forget such an important person? Seth. Since Seth was a part of this, then his stepfather, York, must have something to do with it as well. There was no way York didn¡¯t know anything about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance, but in order to deal with someone like that, He Zhichu couldn¡¯t treat him like the driver.

    Tightening his fists, he silently prayed to the night sky that Gu Nianzhi would try her best to survive. No matter what, there would always be hope as long as she stayed alive. ¡°Back to the city.¡± He Zhichu decided and got back inside the car. As soon as he sat down, he hadn¡¯t even caught his breath yet when he heard the phone ring. He unlocked it to take the call. ¡°What is it?¡±

    It was the agency helping him track the license tes for a fee. The person was very excited and spoke German quickly like a machine gun going off. ¡°Someone called to tell us they saw those two cars!¡±

    He Zhichu immediately replied, ¡°Send the address to my phone. I¡¯ll go check it out right away.¡± He happened to be out, so it was on the way to see where those cars were. He Zhichu originally assumed the enemymitted the crimes using the two cars, then ran off and abandoned them. However, it seemed like they were either too careless or overconfident that they had been discreet enough that no one would find them.

    After the locations of the two cars were sent to He Zhichu, he noticed one was located not far from the outskirts of Munich, while the other was actually parked in a small clinic in Munich! ¡°Go, we¡¯ll go to this ce first.¡± He Zhichu sent the address in the outskirts to his employees. Several Hummer SUVs sped away from the K?nigssee. In the dark night, they braced against the cool night wind to head towards Munich. They drove quickly and continued elerating to pass other cars, so it only took one hour to reach the location.

    The address was located in a middle-ss neighborhood in the outskirts of Munich. All the homes in the area were single-family, and each one had a small garden in the front. These weren¡¯t especiallyrge properties, but they had front and backyards as well as gardens. There were many tall pine trees there that were green all year in order to preserve themunity¡¯s privacy. Even satellites had a hard time detecting the streetscape, but the downside was that it was gloomy year-round andcked light.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t get out of the car and used the lowered window to look at the house before them. It was a veryrge, nondescript house that was typical of those in the outskirts of Munich. It wasn¡¯t fancy or discreet, and it didn¡¯t stand out from the rest of themunity. There was a generic flowerbed in the front nted with bougainvillea as well as several rose bushes that bloomed colorfully. It was mboyant yet unremarkable. They might not have been able to find this ce if the license te hadn¡¯t been found parked there. He Zhichu looked away andmanded his subordinates, ¡°Go take a look.¡±

    A bodyguard got out of the car and went to the front door to ring the doorbell. He pressed it for a long time, but no one came out. The neighbor heard it and came out to the yard to watch them with curiosity. The bodyguard went over to greet him and asked, ¡°Hello, may I ask if you know if this family is home?¡±

    The neighbor shook his head with a smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anybodying out of this house for a while now. I think they moved away.¡±

    ¡°Moved away?¡± The bodyguard was shocked but still thanked the neighbor and came back to He Zhichu to report.

    He Zhichu frowned and poked his head out from the car to study the house again. ¡°Take people there to have a look.¡± The bodyguard nodded and turned to ask several physically adept colleagues to vault over the walls to enter the yard. The neighbor stared, wide-eyed.

    Another bodyguard exined to him with a chuckle, ¡°That family owes our boss money and hasn¡¯t paid it back or returned our calls. He cancelled his number recently, so we came by to have a look.¡±

    The neighbor looked nkly at the obviously unkind-looking group of people and immediatelybeled them as loan sharks. ¡°Oh, then you go ahead. I¡¯ll be going now,¡± he stuttered and dashed back into his house.

    The bodyguard was unperturbed and noted the neighbor¡¯s house number just in case, then went back inside to see how his colleagues were doing. Ten minutester, the person who jumped over the wall reported back, ¡°There really isn¡¯t anyone inside, just a few cars parked in the back. One of them had the te we were tracking, but it doesn¡¯t look like there are any clues.¡±

    ¡°It was the car in the back,¡± someone chimed in and everyone understood. The car parked at the vi wasn¡¯t the one Gu Nianzhi was forced into but the one following it. There shouldn¡¯t be clues in it, but He Zhichu still instructed them to be sure. ¡°Go inside and look, take photos.¡± Several bodyguards went back inside and took many photos of the car inside and outside. They then made several notations and damaged the engine before jumping over the wall again.

    He Zhichu looked at all the photos they took one by one but didn¡¯t notice anything amiss. He knew it looked like the only real clue would be from the car that Gu Nianzhi was stuffed into on the video. He Zhichu put away the photos and didn¡¯t say anything more before waving them all back into the car. ¡°Go check out the clinic in the city.¡±

    By the time they arrived at the small clinic in downtown Munich, they saw that it had beenpletely emptied. Several cars were parked behind the building, and one of them was the one Gu Nianzhi had been forced into! It was the one Seth drove! He Zhichu got out of the car this time and personally went up to the car. Under the night sky, he looked at the car with an expression as cold as Antarctica. Just one look would freeze someone to death. After a long moment, he finally gritted out from between clenched teeth, his voice as cold as ice, ¡°Open it.¡± This time, the subordinates he brought all had special skills in this regard. For example, they were able to pry open car doors even without a key.

    One bodyguard went over and used a two-foot-long, half-inch-wide telescopic ruler and inserted it in the car¡¯s door handle. Using precise movements, he pried open the car door. He Zhichu was the first to go inside. The interior had obviously been newly cleaned, and the seats were all new. However, the exterior was so worn down that the new interior appeared very jarring. It looked like someone had switched out the entire interior.

    He Zhichu exhaled faintly. ¡°Bring this car back for forensic analysis.¡± He then got out of the car and went back to his own. Propping his head up with one hand, he thought about the days¡¯ progress. First, Gu Nianzhi had been taken from the K?nigssee. But where was she taken after? It was most likely she was taken into the Alps, but why did they take her there? They had found both cars that had been used to kidnap her, and this meant Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t stay with the cars. There were only two possiblities. One, they directly drove into the mountains after leaving the K?nigssee, then came back. Two, after leaving the K?nigssee, they changed vehicles, so neither of these cars went to the mountains, or they went into the mountains and swapped cars.

    The first possibility would be the most dangerous one. If they went into the Alps and came out, but Nianzhi had disappeared, and the car interior was reced, then the only exnation was that there was a fatal conflict in the car that left permanent traces, so the enemy had topletely rece the interior of the car. But under what circumstances would there be a fatal conflict? There was no question that Nianzhi, the silly girl, had struggled for her life... He Zhichu¡¯s eyes turned red at this thought.

    Thest time he had been in so much pain was seven years ago when Nianzhi disappeared. He hadn¡¯t cried in so many years, and this time, it was still because of her. He Zhichu tried topose himself. Closing his eyes, he covered them with his hand and sat there quietly to suppress the bitter tears. His heart rate resumed its normal rhythm, and he continued to contemte the second possibility: the two cars didn¡¯t go directly into the mountains or had been swapped after going to the mountains. This possibility was a bit better than the first, and that also meant Nianzhi had a higher likelihood of surviving, although it was also more likely she had been tortured...

    In that moment, He Zhichi actually didn¡¯t know whether he wished for Nianzhi to survive no matter what or perish without suffering heartbreaking torture. Regardless of the oue, it would haunt Nianzhi for the rest of her life. He Zhichu pressed his lips together. This time, he would take her home, and no one could stop him. No matter if she was dead or alive, he would take her home and be with her forever. He Zhichu thought about it the entire way back, and time passed quickly. Soon, they arrived back at the Hilton Hotel.

    One bodyguard came over to ask He Zhichu, ¡°Mr. He, what do you n to do?¡±

    They towed the car using the Hummer SUV, and it was parked in the hotel¡¯s parking lot. He Zhichu got out of the car and nced at it. ¡°Do a forensic analysis on it, then hand it over to the police.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. He.¡± The captain of the bodyguards saluted, his military habit emerging.

    He Zhichu nced at him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. You¡¯ve already retired.¡±

    ¡°Haha... I¡¯ll try not to, Mr. He.¡± He had just retired and be a mercenary, so he still had a strong sense of military habits.

    ¡°Yeah, tell your subordinates that the forensic analysis of the car is to bepleted tonight. Also, I¡¯ve booked the entire 16th floor of the Hilton Hotel for you and your men. You can stay there,¡± He Zhichu said and walked away. As for the forensic analysis of the car, the mercenaries had experts in that regard, so He Zhichu didn¡¯t need to worry. He just had to go back to his room and await results.

    He took four bodyguards with him to the room, and Smith and the three otherwyers came over to speak with him. He Zhichu was their boss, after all, and he had taken them to Germany for this case, but they ended up losing a colleague and felt horrible about it. He Zhichu saw them but didn¡¯t invite them to sit down. He was alreadypletely exhausted and was in no mood to entertain these irrelevant people. He stood by the window and resumed his typical cool demeanor, both hands in his trouser pockets as he asked briskly, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°...Lawyer He, do you need us to help with anything?¡± Smith came forward to ask, ¡°I can go to the police station again to rush them with the Seth situation. It¡¯s already been ten days since he escaped.¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°I already said that you guys don¡¯t need to get involved in this. I have my own ns. Go back, if you have nothing to do, you can rush the courts to make a decision on the Li Haiqing case. If they dy the sentencing, then we can take the judge to the next level of court.¡± He Zhichu appeared quite ruthless, as though he were going to give hell to whomever displeased him.

    Smith and thewyers were capable of this, so they immediately eximed, ¡°Yes, sir! Lawyer He, we won¡¯t do anything but make sure the court will make a decision on the first trial!¡±

    The results of the forensic analysis were set on He Zhichu¡¯s desk the next morning. Firstly, the tires on both cars were tested and were proven to have entered the Alps. There were traces of dirt exclusive to the mountain roads by the Alps found in the tire treads. Also, by spraying luminol on the car, they determined there were indeed bloodstains in the car. The forensic expert determined there was a trace of a physical struggle in the car, and the bottoms of the seats had been derailed by an external force, thenter corrected.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart caught in his throat when he heard there were bloodstains. However, he sighed in relief as he continued reading the report because the blood type wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Gu Nianzhi was the universal donor type O, and the blood found in the car was type A. If He Zhichu recalled correctly, the scumbag Seth was Type A, so he immediately had someone ask the courts for Seth¡¯s blood sample forparative analysis. The DNA test proved that the bloodstains in the car belonged to Seth! There had been a serious altercation in the car, but Seth was the one who had bled, not Gu Nianzhi. Could it be inferred that it was Seth and not Gu Nianzhi who had suffered?! At that thought, He Zhichu¡¯s anxious mood finally found some reprieve. Closing his eyes, he considered the entire situation from start to finish again, including the new clues and evidence. He opened his eyes and shifted his gaze to the Alps in the distance. What on earth happened inside those two cars? Where was Nianzhi?

    ...

    He Zhichu had returned to Germany to discreetly begin searching for Gu Nianzhi when she had just been carried out of the Alps by Reinitz. She was sick for two days but did not have a high fever, only a low one that refused to break. It wasn¡¯t considered a serious illness, and she didn¡¯t lose consciousness, but she was physically weak and panted heavily after walking a long distance. Reinitz saw it would be quicker to carry her as opposed to all the stops they were making. They had been living in the wilderness for two days, and thanks to Reinitz¡¯s strong survival skills, they were able to make it out. However, the two days of physical overexertion had been tough on even a strong man like Reinitz. He had lost much weight, his blonde hair was tangled, and his face was covered with pale gold stubble. Only his stunning blue eyes appeared even brighter than before.

    ¡°Thirsty?¡± Reinitz carefully set Gu Nainzhi down and sat with his back against arge rock. ¡°I have some water here.¡± He had two bottles of spring water in his duffel bag, and for the past two days, only Gu Nianzhi had been drinking from them. Reinitz always looked for mountain springs or water from rivers andkes. Gu Nianzhi looked at the scant amount left in the bottle. Because she had a low fever the entire time, she easily felt parched and drank more water. She also knew Reinitz had given both bottles of the precious mineral water to her while they were in the wilderness. Looking at Reinitz¡¯s gaunt cheeks, she pushed it to him for him to drink.

    Reinitz understood her intentions, and his blue eyes shone even brighter. ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty. Here, you have it.¡± He unscrewed the cap and carefully supported Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck and set the water bottle to her cracked lips. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± Gu Nianzhi could only open her mouth slowly and allow Reinitz to give her water. She only took a sip to moisten her lips then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡±

    Reinitzughed, his eyes sparkling like starlight. ¡°Drink it. We¡¯re about to get out right away.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely excited. They had been wandering around the Alps for more than ten days, and she felt she was already at her physical limit. That was why she had gotten ill right before their victory. Stabilizing herself against Reinitz, she wobbled up and looked down to where the mountain path snaked forward. At the end of the mountain road was an asphalt road with a pretty little town at the end. ¡°We really... made it out.¡± Gu Nianzhi was ecstatic and got so excited that her temple started to throb, and her blood pressure dropped sharply. Soon afterwards, she saw darkness and passed out.

    Reintiz quickly supported her and carried her on his back to make his way down the mountain. He originally thought the way down would be exhausting and that he would be relieved once they got off the mountain. But as he went down, he discovered that perhaps this was the sweetest burden he would ever have in his life. Reinitz was a bit stunned as he carried Gu Nianzhi, taking his time with each step and walking steadily. Though the trek should have only taken half a day, he took nearly a whole day.

    It was midnight by the time they got to the small town. He carried Gu Nianzhi to the only clinic in the entire town, and there was a small emergency room. The doctor there had arge beard. He checked Gu Nainzhi¡¯s blood pressure and was so shocked, his eyes bulged against his sses. ¡°Such low blood pressure! Can she even wake up?! Why did you wait so long to take her to the hospital?! Do you want to kill her?!¡± This was even more serious than a stroke!

    Reinitz was also shocked when he saw the numbers disyed on the doctor¡¯s blood pressure monitor. He was stunned for half a minute, his mindpletely nk and unable to focus. The bearded doctor poked his shoulder, and he finally responded, ¡°Then can you check if she¡¯s still alive?¡± Reinitz found himself choking when he said the word ¡°alive.¡±

 Chapter 653 - Sheâ€™s Perfect

    <h4>Chapter 653: She¡¯s Perfect</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The big, bearded doctor stared at him momentarily. ¡°I would have called the cops to arrest you right now if she were dead, you murderer.¡±

    Reinitz let out a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at the ceiling in the emergency room. He sighed deeply and then turned and walked out.

    ¡°Hey! Where are you going?¡± The doctor was worried. Even though she was still alive, she could stop breathing at any time. Such high blood pressure... In fact, ording to everything he had learned at medical school, he didn¡¯t know how she was still alive.

    Reinitz did not turn around as he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make a call. Please wait.¡± After leaving the emergency room, Reinitz took out his phone, dialed a number, and calmly said, ¡°I want a helicopter. Yes, I have someone that¡¯s seriously hurt. I¡¯ll give you 20 minutes. Come immediately!¡±

    Reinitz put his phone away after making the call. He found the clinic¡¯s administration room and courteously asked the young, fat nurse if he could borrow her phone. His handsome face dazzled the nurse. Although his face had be thin, his chin had stubble, and his clothes were not too neat, she stared at him as if his blue eyes had power. The young nurse did what was asked of her. ¡°Here is the phone. P... p... please use it.¡± The nurse stuttered and blushed furiously.

    Reinitz¡¯s gentleness toward the young nurse wasn¡¯t like his gentleness toward Gu Nianzhi. His attitude was kind, but it had a hint of distance. He took the phone from the young nurse and started dialing. ¡°Is this the Alps¡¯ ranger station? I want to ask you about the fire from two days ago. Did you save Mother Hanna?¡±

    The rangers all knew Mother Hanna and had even eaten her white sausages before. The ranger gave him a definite answer. ¡°Mother Hanna? We saved her. We got her right away, but she was in the basement a bit long. She fainted and had signs of dehydration. She¡¯s still in the hospital.¡±

    Reinitz let out another breath. Thank goodness. ¡°Please transfer Mother Hanna to Berlin¡¯s Saint Joseph¡¯s hospital. Yes, contact them. They will treat her if you tell them my name.¡±

    His hand covered the phone after he finished his call, and he quietly muttered to himself and made another call. This time, it was not a special agency and not a 24-hour ranger station. No one picked up, so he left a message on the phone. ¡°Mr. Hans, I¡¯m sorry, but I quit. I won¡¯t go to work tomorrow.¡± Reinitz put the phone down after he finished and returned the phone to the young nurse.

    The nurse¡¯s mouth dropped, and after a few moments, she said, ¡°Sir, why did you quit? Are you sick?¡±

    Reinitz looked at her, not saying a word. His expression was cold with the hint of an imposing air about him. The young nurse¡¯s heart shook with fright. She didn¡¯t dare ask again. She lowered her head, pretending to be busy with the chart.

    Reinitz walked into the emergency room without any expression on his face and saw the bearded doctor still looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s data. He pushed the blood pressure machine and the stethoscope away from her. ¡°Since she¡¯s in such critical condition, I¡¯ve already called the Berlin hospital. They will send a helicopter here to get her.¡±

    Berlin, Germany¡¯s capital. It had Germany¡¯s best hospitals, not something the bearded doctor could evenpete with. When Reinitz said that, a huge load came off the doctor¡¯s shoulders. He said, ¡°Be careful, her vitals have stabilized a bit, but don¡¯t let her state of mind rise or fall too much, or else the blood pressure will rise even higher. By then, even Holy Mother Mary won¡¯t be able to save her.¡±

    Reinitz was quiet. He sat quietly on a cherry-colored armchair by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hospital bed. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and hands sped under his jaw. His eyes were fixed on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pale, snowy face.

    Half an hour went by quickly, and the helicopter arrived with a roar. The bearded doctor opened the door and said, ¡°The chopper¡¯s here. How will you move her?¡±

    Reinitz stood up and straightened his clothes. ¡°Someone wille get her.¡± Before they finished talking, a few people in white gowns and white masks pushed a gurney and nodded at Reinitz. ¡°Where is the patient?¡±

    Reinitz walked to the front of the hospital bed, picked Gu Nianzhi up carefully, and put her on the gurney. ¡°Go.¡±

    The medical personnel quickly put Gu Nianzhi on the helicopter. Reinitz followed. The helicopter moved very quickly in a spiral and flew toward Berlin. An hourter, theynded at the Berlin Charite hospital¡¯s rooftop helipad. The Charite hospital was the best hospital not only in Berlin but in Germany. It was also the most expensive.

    Reinitz used a nket to carry Gu Nianzhi off the helicopter. His face was grave and stern. He didn¡¯t say a word to anyone, went straight to the elevator on the roof, and went down to the 18th floor¡¯s special VIP hospital room. This hospital room had Germany¡¯s most advanced medical technology and equipment. It was on par with the best Johns Hopkins hospital in America.

    He carried her to a clean, snowy white hospital bed in the intensive care unit¡¯s number one VIP hospital room. The conditions there were much better than in the little clinic in the vige near the Alps. Two nurses walked in and said to Reinitz, ¡°Sir, please leave the room. We need to help the patient change into a hospital gown.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be outside the door.¡± Reinitz nodded and left the room.

    The two nurses took off the habit, the tattered tracksuit, and the underwear off the unconscious Gu Nianzhi. Then they put the hospital gown on her. Actually, it was a striped gown that covered her from head to toe.

    After changing, the two nurses opened the door and told Reinitz, ¡°You may now go in.¡± The moment Reinitz went inside, Germany¡¯s most famous neurologist and neurosurgeon came over to Gu Nianzhi to consult on her case. All kinds of machines were meticulously gathering data about her head, heart, pulse, blood pressure, heart beat, and brainwaves.

    However, when the doctors were about to draw some of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood, Reinitz stopped them. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today. She¡¯s still weak. Do the blood test when she¡¯s better.¡± After Reinitz said that, the doctors could only listen.

    ¡°Ok, sir.¡± The doctors looked at the data the machines disyed and felt that it was normal.

    ¡°Temperature 100.4 F (38 C), low fever.¡±

    ¡°Blood pressure normal.¡±

    ¡°Pulse normal.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to do a CT scan?¡±

    ¡°Wait ¡¯til she wakes up.¡± Reinitz wouldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi suffer anymore. ¡°Just tell me, what¡¯s her condition?¡±

    ¡°So far, everything is normal. She¡¯s just a bit weak, probably from extreme hunger and dehydration.¡± The doctors were puzzled. ¡°If I may be presumptuous, is the patient from Africa?¡± Hunger and dehydration led to malnutrition, and now it was mostly just Africa that had these kinds of conditions.

    Reinitz shook his head. ¡°No.¡± He didn¡¯t exin but said to the doctors, ¡°Give her two nutrient solutions to quickly replenish her electrolytes.¡± It would be mainly glucose, so she could replenish her energy quickly.

    ¡°When will her fever go down? Is it because her body¡¯s infected with something? Does she need aspirin?¡± Reinitz asked again because he was worried about the persistent fever.

    The doctors believed it was probably malnutrition that caused the body¡¯s immune system to drop. She¡¯d recover after her nutrients were replenished, and the fever would then naturally go away. They were all advocates for not using anti-inmmatory medicine if one didn¡¯t need it.

    Reinitz looked at Gu Nianzhi and nodded. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll talk again tomorrow.¡± It was already two in the morning. The doctors opened the door and left. After the doctors left, Reinitz asked for a change of clothes to be delivered from his apartment. After his change of clothes arrived, he went inside the VIP private hospital room¡¯s bathroom to take a shower.

    After shaving his beard in the bathroom, Reinitz remembered the habit Gu Nianzhi was wearing. She had been wearing that dirty and wrinkled habit for two days. The ck habit made her face look even sadder.

    Reinitz changed and walked out of the bathroom. He picked up his phone and started ordering some clothes for Gu Nianzhi online. He was not very familiar with women¡¯s clothing brands and just randomly looked online. He found a designer brand, Frisur. This woman¡¯s clothing brand was well sought after by young women with high ies. It had a good cut and design. Every piece was like art, abination of Scandinavian and German style integrated with practicality. Those pictures looked like they suited Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lively disposition.

    He looked through them one by one and smiled heartily. He tapped on his phone screen consecutively and bought Gu Nianzhi dozens of clothes. He almost bought all of Frisur¡¯s new collection for this season¡¯s jackets, pants, skirts, dresses, and matching footwear, scarves, and essories. Reinitz remembered Gu Nianzhi had a beautiful head of long, glowing ck hair with natural waves like seaweed.

    He hesitated when it came to underwear, but in the end, he clicked on Germany¡¯s most famous underwear website and bought Gu Nianzhi a bunch of underwear and bras. Reinitz remembered Gu Nianzhi told him she was a D cup, so he bought D cup sized bras and bought the smallest size underwear. She was so thin, her waist was no bigger than his palm. He didn¡¯t even know if this underwear could stay on her waist.

    Reinitz suddenly had an urge to buy teenage brand name things, but teenage brand name things were just too ugly. He gave up when they were not to his liking.

    After finishing buying clothes for Gu Nianzhi, Reinitz went to a skincare website to buy Gu Nianzhi a set of La Mar¡¯s skincare products. Only then could he rx and sleep.

    This time, it was not on the Alps¡¯ grassy fields and rocks, but in Germany¡¯s best hospital room. The long sofa was made by the best custom-made furniturepany to conform to the human body better than most mattress. Reinitz slept well. When he woke up, it was already five in the afternoon the next day. The 15 hours of sleep finally let him fully recover.

    The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Gu Nianzhi sleeping on the hospital bed, her ck hair against her snowy skin such a clear and stark contrast. They were clearly the simplest colors, and yet it was like she was glowing.

    Reinitz looked away and took a deep breath. He rose from the sofa and went over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hospital bed. Gu Nianzhi was still not awake and slept like before. Connected to the hospital bed were the machines disying her vital signs. All was normal. It was as if the blood pressure data he saw in the vige¡¯s clinic was an illusion.

    Reinitz slowly stretched out his hands to hold her hands. Just as he was about to bend over, he heard the door to the hospital room make a noise. Someone wasing. He maintained hisposure and put Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand inside the nket. He straightened up and turned to see an old man with a head full of white hair, rosy cheeks, and a goodplexion smiling at him. I knew you wouldn¡¯t let me down. Reinitz smiled and gave the old man a little nod. ¡°Li Dexi, sir.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Dexi walked slowly toward Gu Nianzhi with his cane. He firmly held onto his cane while standing in front of her hospital bed. He looked at her like a person looking at a rare piece of art and said in English, ¡°She¡¯s perfect, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Reinitz sped his hands behind him, standing perfectly straight and not saying a word. Li Dexi didn¡¯t want to hear a reply, anyway, and simply sighed. When would she wake up? Li Dexi asked as his eyes looked at the various machines next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hospital bed, ¡°How did she be so ill?¡±

    Reinitz answered this time, ¡°They don¡¯t know. It¡¯s still being determined.¡±

    ¡°Ok, take good care of her.¡± Li Dexi looked at her a bit and patted Reinitz on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go. If something happens, let me know.¡±

    Reinitz nodded and watched as Li Dexi left. Not long after Li Dexi left, the clothes, footwear, and skincare products arrived one after another. Because he choose express delivery and paid the highest rate, it all arrived within one day. Boxes of all sizes were stacked fully on the armchair. She would see it, if only she would wake up.

    But Gu Nianzhi slept for three days and three nights.

    Fortunately, the best doctors in Germany were looking after her and promised Gu Nianzhi would be fine. Her condition had always been stable. All the data showed her getting better. The malnutrition had been dealt with, her body temperature was normal, and there was no more fever. It proved the doctors¡¯ earlier diagnosis correct. There was no need for penicillin or aspirin. Her fever would automatically go away when her nutrition was normal. The doctors were extremely pleased with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s recovery, and everything was just as they expected.

    Reinitz crossed his arms as he stood with his brows furrowed. ¡°Why isn¡¯t she waking up?¡± She hadn¡¯t regained consciousness for three days and nights. Was she ill?

    ¡°ording to the data, she¡¯s not ill.¡± The doctors checked the machines again to make sure the machines were not defective. ¡°She¡¯s sleeping.¡±

    Reinitz looked at them in dismay.

    ¡°Reinitz, you have to understand. The human body is like a precise machine, and it works ording to its ownws. The body recovers best when it¡¯s sleeping, so don¡¯t worry. This girl is just too weak and tired, that¡¯s why the amount of time she needs to recover is more than most.¡±

    The doctor gave his medical exnation, but Reinitz didn¡¯t really believe it. He didn¡¯t argue about it and nodded. ¡°It better be.¡±

    After the doctors left, Reinitz took his phone out to look at the news as he sat on the sofa. Two things in Munich caused bigmotions, and all the media was talking about them. The first one was Munich¡¯s tourist department was having apetition. It was gathering all the video recordings of the K?nigssee from this month. The requirement was that it must be unedited footage. They said it was to promote K?nigssee¡¯s tourism.

    The second thing was about getting a big reward for spotting two cars. They even showed the license tes. The contest was over, but because the reward money was so great, and a lot of people had gotten the reward money, many of the people who had gotten the reward money confirmed the legitimacy of thepetition. It had be a heated debate online, and everyone wasmenting on these two pieces of news.

    Reinitz¡¯s eyebrows slightly furrowed as he looked at the two cars. His finger stroked his phone for a bit, then he finally opened the link and called the number on it. ¡°When a piece of news is old, just delete it. Are you saving it for Christmas?¡± He told them without reservation.

    They immediately epted his rmendation and started to get rid of any news,ment, and message rted to it, and at the same time, stopped reporting on the two news items. Soon, all of the websites in Germany had no news rted to the two topics. Citizens felt like news was supposed to have an expiration date. New news would naturally push the old news aside.

    Reinitz continued to flip through his phone and felt like it was much more pleasing to his eyes than before.

    ...

    One the morning of the fourth day, the sun rose, and the first rays of daylight shined into the hospital room, making it look like a room overflowing with golden light.

    Gu Nianzhi gradually woke up. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the snowy ceiling and the modern, shadowless light. Gu Nianzhi blinked, turned away from the ceiling, and turned to the side. She saw Reinitz sleeping on the sofa across from her bed. He was wearing a dashing hunting jacket exposing the neat white shirt cor underneath. His long ck pants wrapped his long legs. He wasying on the sofa. His shirt and pants were already a bit wrinkled, but they didn¡¯t look dispirited. His cold facial features had a kind of beauty that felt like it was a religion, as if all the joys in the world were somehow rted to him.

    The way Gu Nianzhi looked at Reinitz was like a person admiring a beautiful oil painting.

    Reinitz suddenly woke up. He was beautiful, like an ice sculpture that hadn¡¯t had the time to melt. He saw Gu Nianzhi looking at him. Her big ck eyes were naturally warm. When he looked at her eyes, the ice melted immediately and became warm like spring.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Reinitz stood up as he asked gently. He walked to her bedside and stretched his hand out to touch her forehead. ¡°The fever is gone.¡±

    The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth lifted, and she showed a grateful smile. ¡°Thank you, Reinitz.¡±

 Chapter 654 - Donâ€™t Overthink It

    <h4>Chapter 654: Don¡¯t Overthink It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You already told me many times,¡± Reinitz disagreed as he helped her sit up. ¡°What do you want to eat? Do you want to shower?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately noticed her entire body felt ufortable and dirty. Looking down, she noticed she was wearing only a hospital gown and nothing underneath it. Reinitz saw her staring and said gently, ¡°Two female nurses helped you get changed. Can you move? I can ask them to help you shower.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rxed as soon as she heard female nurses had helped her change, but she shook her head at Reinitz¡¯s offer. ¡°I can shower myself. But...¡± She rubbed her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m a bit hungry and want to eat something before showering.¡± She knew she must look like an unkempt mess right now, but she didn¡¯t care about Reinitz seeing that side of her. Because she treated him like a friend, there was no need to constantly show off her best side to him. If Huo Shaoheng had been there, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first instinct would be to immediately shampoo, shower, and change. However, she and Reinitz had already seen each other¡¯s dirtiest and most embarrassing sides when they fled for their lives on the Alps.

    Reinitzughed. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°I want McDonald¡¯s.¡± Gu Nianzhi licked her lips and had a sudden craving for junk food. Because it was high-calorie and tasted good, this happened to suit her current state.

    Reinitz replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone buy some for you, but you can only have one meal of fish and chips. If you want to have something else, I¡¯ll take you out when you get better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded happily. ¡°Ok, I need to treat you to dinner for saving me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only going to treat me to dinner?¡± Reinitz cocked his head at her, his blue eyes shining with amusement. ¡°That¡¯s not enough.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want? Tell me, and I¡¯ll do it, as long as it¡¯s within my capabilities.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged indifferently.

    As long as it¡¯s within your capabilities? Reinitz swallowed his words and smiled. ¡°One dinner isn¡¯t enough. You owe me at least three.¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Gu Nianzhi reached out. ¡°Here, let¡¯s high five as a promise!¡±

    Reintiz reached out with a smile and high fived her three times. ¡°Remember that you owe me three dinners.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strength gradually recovered, and she was speaking more energetically. Seeing Reinitz, she recalled Mother Hanna and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Right, do you have news from Mother Hanna?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Reinitz handed to his phone to her with a smile. ¡°See, this is a new photo from her. She¡¯s at the St. Joseph¡¯s Hospital in Berlin. We can go see her when you¡¯re better.¡±

    ¡°In Berlin?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°That¡¯s so far. Won¡¯t it be hard to get there?¡±

    Reinitz burst outughing. ¡°Cereus, you¡¯re in Berlin right now!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in Berlin?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°I¡¯m not in a small town by the Alps? I¡¯m not near Munich?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t such good hospitals there.¡± Reinitz pursed his lips and was still anxious about the situation. ¡°You were too ill, and I had a doctor from Berlin pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scanned the room and confirmed she was actually in a very high-end ward. There were many pieces of medical equipment she hadn¡¯t seen before. Recalling her peculiar body constitution and incredible healing abilities, she began to resist and dislike all the instruments. Shifting on the bed ufortably, she looked down and muttered, ¡°Reinitz, I¡¯m all better now. Can I get discharged? I can¡¯t sleep or eat here...¡± She knew she had said something wrong as soon as she spoke.

    As expected, Reinitzughed. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep here? Hmm? You only woke up after sleeping a full three days and nights...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and was mortified, but tried to stay calm. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asleep, I passed out.¡± Passing out for three days and three nights sounded a lot better than sleeping that entire time. Reinitz didn¡¯t correct her and chuckled as she kept trying different excuses to get discharged. Of course, he refused, but he was already in a better mood as she tried to weasel her way out, especially after she babbled so much. He shook his head and couldn¡¯t helpughing as soon as she pouted. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t convince him no matter what she said, so she got frustrated and turned away angrily. ¡°I need to shower, so you can leave.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you needed some food before you wanted to shower? You¡¯re not hungry anymore?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Then the two of them bantered in the room until someone knocked on the door. It was the person who Reinitz had asked to buy fish and chips. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help turning her head when she smelled the delicious aroma, and her gaze fell on the red box with the M logo in Reinitz¡¯s hands. All the McDonald¡¯s in the world were the same. Reinitz took the fish and chips out of the box and set them down on the disposable hospital food tray to ce before Gu Nianzhi. Looking down at the golden fried fish filets that were still steaming with heat, the delicious smell was enough to make her swallow hard. She finally gave up and picked it up. Reinitz didn¡¯t say anything but poured a cup of milk for her and heated it in the microwave. He sat quietly and watched her eat. Gu Nianzhi ignored him as she ate and drank. She threw away the tray after finishing the food. ¡°I need to shower.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Reinitz slowly stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll wait outside. Call me when you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Why do I need to call you? I¡¯m going to sleep after.¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to snort and looked away unhappily.

    Reinitz took out a cigarette from his pocket to y with, his slender fingers very nimble. ¡°You don¡¯t want to see Mother Hanna?¡±

    Fine, you win. Gu Nianzhi deted instantly and stopped bickering with Reinitz. Face flushing, she removed the nkets and got off the bed to head to the bathroom.

    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Reinitz called her back, and from the pile of exquisite boxes on the couch, he picked out a light gray oversized sweater with elbow-length sleeves, a thin ck A-line wool skirt, and a set of underwear. He passed them to her. ¡°Take these and wear them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi noticed how naked she felt under the gown, and although she didn¡¯t want to, she still epted the clothes from him and asked, ¡°What about my own clothes?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re in the wash.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What about my things?!¡± Gu Nianzhi got anxious, because everything in thereprised her precious belongings that had survived the deadly ordeal with her. She treasured them now.

    ¡°They¡¯re all here. I took them out for you and put them in here.¡± Reinitz passed a ck stic bag to her. Inside were her Swiss Army knife and keys, a Zippo lighter, one sanitary napkin, and her wallet. Gu Nianzhi rxed and took the ck stic bag and the clothes with her to the bathroom.

    She had still been weak earlier and had difficulty even sitting, but now she was able to get out of bed and go shower shortly after she had food. She was recovering so quickly... Reinitz contemted it as he watched her disappear into the bathroom. He then turned to leave. He closed the door to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, and standing outside were two Germans who looked like bodyguards. They saluted Reinitz as soon as he walked out, but he didn¡¯t even look at them. ¡°Watch her carefully. No one is allowed inside.¡±

    He took out a pack of cigarettes and walked to the smoking zone. Most of the hospital was non-smoking, so smokers had to go the designated areas downstairs in front of the stairwell. Reinitz lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply, his eyes staring nkly ahead. He seemed to be thinking of nothing, yet also a myriad of things at the same time. Since meeting Gu Nianzhi, then escaping for their lives together on the Alps and recalling how Gu Nianzhi was as a person... Reinitz looked down and threw the cigarette butt into the trash with a flick of his fingers before heading back to the hospital.

    He thought he was overthinking it, almost forgetting what he was supposed to be doing. When he returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, she had already finished showering and sat on the couch in a daze. From behind her, he could see her long, seaweed-like hair draped against the light gray sweater, and the ck high-waisted A-line skirt entuated her thin waist like a newly sprouted willow tree in the spring. Reinitz stood at the door to admire her beauty for a while before knocking on the door and coughing quietly.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and looked back to see Reinitz had returned. She stood up and quickly walked to him. Looking up, she smiled brightly. ¡°Reinitz, didn¡¯t you say you were taking me to see Mother Hanna?¡± Without visiting her personally and confirming that she was ok, Gu Nianzhi knew she couldn¡¯t feel at ease.

    ¡°Right now?¡± Reinitz nced at his watch. It was only 10am. ¡°Ok. But are you feeling well enough?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m great.¡± Gu Naiznhi twirled around, her skirt fluttering naturally to reveal the beautiful curves of her long, slim calves. ¡°I¡¯m all better now.¡±

    Reinitz looked away and said softly, ¡°Ok.¡± It was like he couldn¡¯t bear to refuse any of her requests. Walking out of the ward, he used his phone to call a cab, then notified St. Joseph¡¯s Hospital. He came back inside to say to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°We can go now.¡± Gu Nianzhi was still carrying the ck stic bag as she made her way to him.

    Reinitz said, ¡°Why are you holding that?¡± He frowned, the stic bag didn¡¯t match with the elegant outfit at all and was a total eyesore for his taste. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t relinquish the stic bag no matter what, because her things that she refused to part with for even a moment were inside. Reinitz was helpless against her stubbornness, so he could only allow her to take it. He took her out of the Charlotte Hospital. They got into the cab but instead of taking her directly to St. Joseph¡¯s Hospital, Reinitz took them to the Hermes gship store in Berlin.

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened when she saw the store from the cab. She turned to nce at Reinitz, and her eyes sparkled like she was thinking about something. Reinitz looked back at her with his deep blue eyes that were also very empty. Gu Nianzhi resumed her normally gleefulness. ¡°Reinitz, why did you bring me here?¡±

    ¡°To buy a bag, of course. You¡¯ll only embarrass me in front of Mother Hanna if you take this stic bag to the hospital,¡± Reinitz remarked casually and opened the door. He got out first then walked around to open the door for Gu Nianzhi. He was very polite and was a perfect gentleman. Gu Naiznhi didn¡¯t want to get out, but she considered it and knew it was even more awkward to refuse to get out of the cab. She finally got out but didn¡¯t go inside Hermes. Standing beside the cab, she squinted at the tall store doors and shook her head at Renitz. ¡°No thanks. These bags are too expensive. I don¡¯t want one and can¡¯t afford it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll gift it to you,¡± Reinitz replied softly and reached out to take her hand and walk her inside.

    ¡°I can¡¯t ept that.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and refused his kindness once again. She wasn¡¯t someone who didn¡¯t understand the importance of things. She epted all the luxury goods from Huo Shaoheng with peace of mind but not from Reinitz.

    He stared at her and replied softly, ¡°It¡¯s only a gift. What you mean you can¡¯t ept it? Don¡¯t overthink it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She felt like she was fighting a losing battle. Blinking, she was about to find another excuse to refuse and suddenly recalled she still had her wallet with bank and credit cards inside. Although the limits weren¡¯t as high as Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu¡¯s, it was still plenty to buy a Hermes bag. If she used her own card to shop here, then it could potentially leave clues for the people trying to find her... Gu Nianzhi immediately changed her mind and giggled. ¡°Ok, I was overthinking it. How about this, I¡¯ll buy it myself.¡± She then nced at Reinitz again. ¡°How did you know I liked Hermes bags?¡±

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know. Guess it was a coincidence.¡± Reinitz chuckled and took her hand to walk into the Hermes gship store. The employees inside bowed to them, especially to Reinitz. He walked into the world ss luxury store with his back straight, appearing so elegant that he was reminiscent of old European aristocratic blood. This was apletely different person than the half-naked mountain man chopping firewood Gu Nianzhi had met in the beginning.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on the ssic and new styles of handbags in the store¡¯s disy. Her eyes sparkled, and she secretly thought about how Reinitz had so many sides to him, from the gentle and honest Alps mountain dweller, to the aristocrat in the Hermes gship store. She didn¡¯t know how Reinitz had grown up...

    Reinitz bent down and spoke to her in English, ¡°Which one do you like? Have them show it to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi focused and immediately noticed the spring season¡¯s new Chaine bag, the Verrou. It wasn¡¯t too big and was perfect for her belongings. It was also a pure blue that reminded her of the sapphirekes they had seen in the Alps. The price was not too high, only $8,000 USD, and while it was more expensive than most bags, it was still a lot less than other Hermes ones. And most importantly, it would not be over Gu Nianzi¡¯s credit card limit. She pointed to the blue Verrou bag. ¡°This one. It¡¯s convenient for carrying.¡± Small, exquisite, light, good sized, and brightly colored¨Cthis one had all the criteria Gu Nianzhi had for a bag of that size.

    Reinitz had also noticed the same bag at first nce, and the price should be within eptable range for Gu Nianzhi, so she wouldn¡¯t be concerned with epting it as a gift. He nodded to the employee. ¡°This one, bring me a new one.¡±

    The employee appeared troubled. ¡°This bag... There¡¯s only this one for now. If you want it, then...¡± Gu Nianzhi instantly knew that Hermes was using a scarcity tactic as soon as the employee said it. They were never willing to simply sell something but had to force customers to buy a bunch of random things like belts, essories, and scarves for the so called purpose of ¡°building a rtionship.¡± Once there was a rtionship, the employees would finally tell customers the bag they wanted was in stock! It was all a big show. Customers should be able to buy what was in stock, if they could afford it. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t buy it. What was the point?

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and was about to say they should go when Reinitz took out a card from his wallet and remarked coolly, ¡°Do you have stock now?¡± The employee¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of it. It was the Hermes VIP Gold Card! Cardholders had to spend seven figures in US dors annually to qualify for it. Of course, such cardholders could buy whatever they pleased as long as Hermes had it in stock.

    ¡°Yes, yes! Absolutely!¡± The employee immediately changed her attitude and was bending over backwards with respect. Gu Niaznhi frowned from the side and looked down disapprovingly. She noticed her new shoes. They were a pair of famous red-soled Christian Louboutins. The uppers were fine-quality, ck calf leather with leather soles, however, the bottom soles that hit the ground were bright red. When walking, the bright red soles were slightly visible and had a self-restraining sense of allure when they were walked in.

    Gu Nianzhi knew Reinitz had bought them for her, and it was one thing to buy her designer goods, but it had to be this brand for some reason... Reintiz¡¯s tastes were probably simr to his personality. As Gu Nianzhi pondered, she quickly nced at him. Reinitz was looking right at her, and they locked eyes. Then they both looked away like nothing was happening.

    Gu Nianzhi found her LV wallet in the ck stic bag and took out a ck card to pass to the employee. The employee didn¡¯t ept it but only smiled at Reinitz. Reinitz took the ck credit card from Gu Nianzhi and gave it to the employee. ¡°Charge it to this.¡± With one hand novement, he had already swapped his own ck credit card to pass to the employee and kept Gu Nianzhi¡¯s in his palm. Reinitz¡¯s movements were so quick, he seemed to be performing a magic trick. Neither Gu Nianzhi nor the employee noticed that the card the employee took was already swapped.

    ¡°Ok, thank you.¡± The employee epted the card and walked to the back of the store. She went to the storeroom to find a brand new Verrou bag along with dustbag, then took it to the register to process the transaction. Finally, she brought the receipt over for Gu Nianzhi to sign. The card number printed on the receipt was cked out with X¡¯s for security.

 Chapter 655 - Let Me Go

    <h4>Chapter 655: Let Me Go</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As a result, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t notice that it wasn¡¯t her own card and signed her name. Reinitz didn¡¯t make a single sound and acted as if nothing happened. When the associate brought the card back, Reinitz got to it first and grabbed it, then he exchanged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s credit card with his. He returned it to her.

    Concerning Gu Nianzhi signing for the bill, as long as Reinitz wasn¡¯t against it, no one would investigate. The credit cardpany would only reject a signature that Reinitz didn¡¯t recognize.

    The moment the bag was bought, Reinitz took it out of the dustproof bag. He then took the trademark tag off and put the stuff from the ck stic bag that Gu Nianzhi was carrying into the new designer bag. Gu Nianzhi swung the bag over her left shoulder. It matched her dress very well. Reinitz was happy and could take her to Saint Joseph¡¯s hospital to see Mother Hanna.

    The two took a taxi. They arrived at the hospital¡¯s entrance, and after getting out of the taxi, Gu Nianzhi raised her head and looked at the big hospital building. She asked Reinitz nonchntly, ¡°Why did you take a taxi if you had this much money?¡±

    Reinitz shrugged, not minding it a bit and said, ¡°I wanted to keep this from you, but you found out. I will get someone to drive my car over in a bit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very angry. ¡°I found out? Can you be any more fake?¡± She saw Reinitz as a friend who had gone through water and fire with her. Even if he did hide something from her, it was undeniable that he had saved her life. But did he have to hide this secret in in sight?

    Reinitz was amused. He leaned toward her a bit and said in a gentlemanly way, ¡°I was wrong, Cereus. Don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi licked her lips and thought about it. What was there to be discontent about? She also hid many things from him... ¡°I¡¯m not angry. Let¡¯s go see Mother Hanna.¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to drop the topic. She urged him to quickly go inside the hospital to see his mother.

    Reinitz took her with him into the hospital. He found Mother Hanna¡¯s room. It was also a private room, but it was not as big as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. It was also not as fancy. The design was very normal. Mother Hanna was sleeping on the bed in the middle of the room. Her wrist and forehead were covered with bandages.

    Gu Nianzhi felt terrible. She whispered to Reinitz, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Mother Hanna was ok?¡± This was ok? It was obvious that she was hurt.

    Reinitz shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s only some small wounds. She got burned in the big fire, but it¡¯s not severe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him. She walked over to Mother Hanna¡¯s bedside and stretched out her hand. Only after feeling her warm hands could she sigh in relief. Maybe it was her movements that startled Mother Hanna, but Mother Hanna opened her eyes and saw Gu Nianzhi right away. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Then she saw Reinitz behind Gu Nianzhi, and immediately smiled and said, ¡°Reinitz, you are here?¡±

    Reinitz walked up to her. He casually ced one of his hands on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Mother Hanna, are you feeling better?¡±

    Mother Hanna nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but the doctor just won¡¯t let me leave. Tell them I want to go home.¡±

    ¡°Stay a couple more days. Let¡¯s talk about it again when your wounds are healed.¡± Reinitz folded the edge of the nket and said, ¡°This is Cereus. Don¡¯t you remember, Mother Hanna?¡±

    ¡°Ah? She¡¯s Cereus?¡± Mother Hanna said in surprise. She stretched her hand toward Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Quick,e to Mother Hanna¡¯s side. I didn¡¯t know you would look so beautiful in a dress. Mother Hanna totally didn¡¯t recognize you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she walked over and said, ¡°I thought you forgot about me. I was gonna cry.¡±

    ¡°No way! I even asked Reinitz over the phone how you were doing. Reinitz told me you were fine and that you were with him. I only rxed after hearing that.¡± When she finished talking, she looked at Gu Nianzhi with yful eyes that said, I understand...

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Mother Hanna, don¡¯t think too much!

    Reinitz smiled as he stood to the side. He took his hand off of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and put his hands inside his pants pockets. ¡°A couple days ago, Cereus was... unconscious. She said she wanted to see Mother Hanna the moment she woke up today.¡±

    ¡°You really are a good girl.¡± Mother Hanna was extremely happy. She held onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and would not let go. ¡°Cereus, how¡¯s your body? You need to take good care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry, Mother Hanna. I¡¯m all better now.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled, patting her hand. ¡°After seeing that you¡¯re fine today, I can now rx. Even if I went home, I¡¯d be at peace.¡±

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi say she wanted to go home made Mother Hanna¡¯s heart instantly palpitate with fear. She quickly looked at Reinitz. She pursed her lips and then smiled when she saw Reinitz looking unconcerned. She said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Is Berlin bad? Is Reinitz bad? How about staying in Berlin for a couple more days? I can apany you around Berlin. Wait ¡¯til Mother Hanna gets better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thanked her with a smile but tactfully said, ¡°Mother Hanna, I¡¯ve already stayed too long. If I don¡¯t go back soon, my family will worry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Mother Hanna looked very disappointed, but she still let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and nodded. ¡°I know family is really important.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. At that moment, a nurse pushed the door open and came in. ¡°The patient needs an injection. Anyone who is not allowed to be here please leave for a few minutes.¡±

    Reinitz held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as he took her out of Mother Hanna¡¯s room and waited in the corridor. The two said nothing as they looked out the window. After a long time, Reinitz finally said, ¡°Do you really need to go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and tactfully said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been gone for too long. If I don¡¯t go back, my family will worry.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± There was not a trace of a smile on Reinitz¡¯s face. He cast a sidelong nce at her. He had such aplex look in his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it again when you¡¯ve fully recovered. Aren¡¯t you afraid of these peopleing to kill you again since you came out so suddenly?¡±

    Of course Gu Nianzhi was afraid, but should she hide and not go back just because she was afraid? Most definitely not. But what Reinitz said made sense. She couldn¡¯t be too stubborn. If she left Germany too soon, she would end up being caught by those people again. No matter what, Reinitz was still a gentleman. He was a hundred times better than Seth, that bastard.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and thought about it for a moment. She hesitantly said, ¡°Then what should I do? I really want to go home.¡±

    ¡°How about this. First, you will stay until you are fully recovered, and when you arepletely recovered, I will take you home. Okay?¡± Reinitz¡¯s expression softened, and his face didn¡¯t look as cold as before.

    Gu Nianzhi knew very well that she couldn¡¯t go against Reinitz, so she obediently nodded. ¡°Okay. Thank you, Reinitz.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Reinitz patted her head. He stopped patting her head when the door opened behind him. He turned around and saw that the nurse who had given Mother Hanna the injection hade out.

    Once again, Reinitz took Gu Nianzhi back to Mother Hanna¡¯s room. Mother Hanna looked very tired. Sheid on the bed looking very sleepy. Seeing that Reinitz had brought Gu Nianzhi in, Mother Hanna smiled and nodded at them, and spoke nearly unintelligibly, ¡°You guys keep each otherpany. I need to sleep for a while.¡± The moment she finished talking, she fell asleep.

    After Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz said their farewells to Mother Hanna, Reinitz took her back to Charite Hospital. When they left St. Joseph¡¯s, Reinitz did not ask someone to drive his car over. He called for a taxi, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything. It had been a joke to begin with. She wasn¡¯t going to let this little thing get to her.

    ...

    The two of them returned to Charite Hospital. Gu Nianzhi obediently went back to her room to sleep while waiting for those doctors who came by three times a day, every day, to check in on her. All her vitals were perfect.

    Two dayster, the doctors mentioned wanting to do a blood test on Gu Nianzhi again. Reinitz wasn¡¯t there this time. Gu Nianzhi had to face three overly excited doctors alone who treated her like ab rat. Gu Nianzhi was in a very bad mood. She wrapped a nket around herself tightly with only her head showing. She said loudly, ¡°Go away! I am all better! I don¡¯t want my blood drawn!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only a routine blood test. It won¡¯t hurt. If you¡¯re afraid of the pain, I will give you anesthesia!¡± A man in his forties held a big needle in his hand rapaciously. The needle looked like the kind of needle one would use to administer an animal tranquilizer. He stretched his hand out to pull the nket away from her.

    Gu Nianzhi became very angry. She kicked upward from inside the nket and held onto that doctor¡¯s left hand, then she used her arm to grab the big needle in his right hand. She suddenly pushed it down into his body!

    That doctor let out a horrific shriek. He was pierced by the tranquilizer shot that was in his own hand. The pain caused his fingers to recoil as half of the tranquilizer in the needle went through his body. His horrific shriek came to an abrupt stop. His whole body recoiled as he fell to the floor andid there, motionless.

    The other two doctors, who were a bit older, watched Gu Nianzhi and the doctor struggle. They stayed far away and were too scared to help. Gu Nianzhi took this opportunity to run to the window ledge with bare feet. One hand grabbed onto the window frame, while the other hand was propped up against the window ledge. One of her feet was already dangling outside the window.

    Gu Nianzhi took a look outside the window and immediately felt dizzy. Her room was on the 18th floor! ¡°If you guyse any closer, I will jump down from here! I will really do it!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stubborn spirit surfaced. There was no room for negotiation. She stared at the window ledge with big eyes. Her long hair hanging down her back fluttered in every direction. Her small, pale face was whiter than her patient gown!

    The two older doctors got really scared. They waved their hands frantically, telling her to get down in German. Gu Nianzhi could only understand a couple of sentences, but she still said, ¡°You guys get out! Get out quickly!¡± in English.

    The two bodyguards heard themotion, and immediately took their guns out and aimed them at Gu Nianzhi after pushing the door open. Gu Nianzhi was so angry that sheughed. She stood up on the window ledge and said very loudly, ¡°Go ahead! Shoot me! If you don¡¯t, I am gonna jump down from here!¡±

    The two doctors became really worried and threw themselves at the two bodyguards. They grabbed the two bodyguards¡¯ shoulders and said, ¡°You are not allowed to fire! You are not allowed to fire! She is very valuable! You most definitely are not allowed to fire!¡±

    The two bodyguards quickly said, ¡°Let go! An idental discharge could happen easily like this!¡±

    Bang!

    During the conversation, one of the bodyguard¡¯s guns went off and hit the leg of the doctorying on the floor. However, even with this type of gun wound, the doctor justid there without moving.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly scared when she saw that. This tranquilizer was too strong, she thought. If she had let them give her the shot, she... She shivered and felt that death would be better than that.

    The moment the gun went off, more people rushed into the room. Reinitz was thest person toe in. He had only gone out for a meeting. On his way back, he went to a four-star Michelin restaurant in Berlin to buy some delicious white sausage, only to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room in chaos.

    He saw Gu Nianzhi standing on the window ledge in her room when he looked in. The window was very high, about half of the wall¡¯s height. Gu Nianzhi stood there with her white patient gown puffing up as the wind blew. Her long ck hair hung against the gown. Her bare feet were like white jade as she stood on the window ledge made of ck marble, like a broad-leaved epiphyllum that had bloomed on a ck pedestal. He was worried upon seeing her.

    ¡°Get out.¡± Reinitz didn¡¯t have time to put down the box of food that was in his hands when he loudly berated them. The moment they heard his voice, all the bodyguards left. Only the two older doctors and the middle-aged doctor lying there on the floor were left.

    ¡°You guys get out, too,¡± Reinitz told them in German. He even kicked the middle-aged doctor on the floor. ¡°Take him with you.¡±

    The two older doctors looked at each other. They didn¡¯t dare go against Reinitz¡¯s directive. Huffing and puffing, they carried out the middle-aged doctor who had carelessly injected himself with the tranquilizer.

    Reinitz put down the box of food in his hand and kicked the door with the back of his foot. It closed with a bang. He walked toward the window ledge step by step while holding out both of his hands to Gu Nianzhi. His voice was extremely gentle. ¡°Come, Cereus,e over here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused as she clung to the window ledge. Tears were forming in her ck eyes as she stubbornly held her head high and said to Reinitz, ¡°If you guys want to draw my blood again, I will jump down from here!¡±

    Reinitz stared into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes unwaveringly as he walked steadily toward her. He stretched out his left hand to her, and his voice was even more gentle. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I promise no one is going to draw your blood again. When did Reinitz ever lie to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She stared nkly at Reinitz. She opened her mouth but was afraid to say anything. She could only rely on Reinitz in this ce. Although he was not that much better than those people, as long as he was better by a bit, she would listen to him.

    Reinitz finally stopped walking when he got to the window with his hands still stretched out. ¡°Cereus,e down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi started to cry, and she slowly let go of the window frame. Reinitz took a step forward, held onto her waist, and pulled her down from the window ledge. He held her close to his chest and patted her back lightly to calm her down little by little. He carried her to the bed, pulled the nket over her, and said, ¡°I am going to close the window. It¡¯s getting cold. You will catch a cold from the wind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked as he walked toward the window ledge. He locked the window with a click. She closed her eyes. She knew Reinitz had tightly locked the window.

    Reinitz caressed her long hair as his dark blue eyes stared into her ck big eyes. His facial expression was soft and gentle, and looked as if he found her hard to part with. However, his voice was a bit tense, ¡°Promise me, you will never do something so dangerous again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the pillow lookingpletely disheartened. ¡°No, I can¡¯t promise you that, unless you let me go.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s hand stopped for a moment, and he slowly took it away. His voice becameposed. ¡°Of course you can go, but it has to be after you are all better.¡±

    ¡°I am better!¡± Gu Nianzhi said impatiently. ¡°Reinitz, I beg you! Let me go!¡±

    ¡°I... will try.¡± Reinitz saw her mixed feelings and stood up. He immediately turned around and left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    However, outside of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room there were even more bodyguards than before. Now there were eight people patrolling outside of her room every day, and they were all fully equipped with guns. Those doctors who wanted to test her blood also stoppeding.

    Gu Nianzhi was alone in her room. She couldn¡¯t do anything but read the newspapers and books that they got for her... She couldn¡¯t go online, make phone calls, watch television, or even go shopping.

    Her rosy face had be paler, and it was apparent to naked eye. She didn¡¯t eat much and had be skinnier. Even the smallest patient gown on her body looked like there was nothing underneath. It seemed as though the wind could blow her away.

    Gu Nianzhi racked her brain as she thought of ways to get out of that room, but the window had been sealed tight. There were eight bodyguards who took turns guarding her outside her room 24 hours a day. Besides Reinitz, no one else came to see her.

    Seeing that Reinitz kept herpany every day, Gu Nianzhi asked him with curiosity, ¡°Reinitz, don¡¯t you need to go to work?¡±

    Reinitz remained silent.

    ¡°You quit? Really?¡± she asked with suspicion. She was a bit doubtful. ¡°What did you do for a living?¡± Reinitz really dide there every day to keep herpany. When would he have time to work?

    ¡°I was aputer software engineer. Now I¡¯m...¡± Reinitz looked at her with a smile. ¡°Cereus¡¯ full time caregiver.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi licked her lips and mumbled, ¡°Who would believe that?¡± But she did not continue to argue with Reinitz. She had her doubts, but right now, she was unfamiliar with the ce and the people. Reinitz had saved her life before, and being with him was safer than being with other people. At least with Reinitz here, she didn¡¯t have to worry about people with huge veterinary needles trying to give her shots.

    That day, after finishing her breakfast, she once again picked up a German dictionary andpared it with a big volume of Germanw. Reinitz had told her the day before that he needed to help Mother Hanna with the discharge procedures. He legitimately had to take her back home. He didn¡¯te back the whole night.

    Someone suddenly opened the door. Several men in ck German military uniforms walked in. Thest person who walked into the room wore knee-high boots. He was tall, but his cold, handsome face was much more cunning than Reinitz¡¯s. He looked very sinister. This person¡¯s shoulders had silver epaulettes, three stars with four corners, and a silver wreath ornament. The other people had yellow epaulettes with two silver arrows in the middle. The one with three stars on the shoulders must have been their boss.

 Chapter 656 - Fake Fiancee

    <h4>Chapter 656: Fake Fiancee</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had an understanding of German military ranks, so she knew the white background and three stars with a silvery white coro decoration was the rank of colonel in the army. The other that only had golden sashes with two silvery white arrows was the rank of sergeant and was probably an underling brought here by the colonel. Gu Nianzhi nced at them, then averted her eyes and kept reading on the couch. The colonel walked over with his hands folded behind his back. He reached out to shake her hand before introducing himself in English. ¡°My name is Colonel Als, and I am the Director General of the German Federal Intelligence Service.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up slowly and nced at the proffered hand with no desire to shake it. She replied in English, ¡°I don¡¯t know you. You¡¯re in the wrong room.¡±

    ¡°Wrong room? Haha...¡± Als chuckled and sat on the couch across from Gu Nianzhi. He steepled his white gloved hands and looked at her with great interest. ¡°Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi? That¡¯s your real name, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was wracked with a full body shudder, and although she continued to look at her book, her hands were already unsteady. How did this person know her real name?! She had only told the nuns at the nunnery, Reinitz, and Mother Hanna that her name was Cereus!

    The man smiled with even more menace when he noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fall. He leaned forward slightly and reached out a white gloved hand to lift Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin, forcing her to look at him. ¡°Miss Gu, didn¡¯t your family teach you that it¡¯s considered polite to look a person in the eye when you speak with them?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi forcibly removed her chin from the man¡¯s hand and closed her eyes to spit back, ¡°My family only educated me about being polite to those who are polite to me. There is no need to be polite to people whock a proper upbringing.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re saying Ick proper upbringing? You have quite the gall...¡± The man didn¡¯t appear angry but was enjoying the game of cat and mouse as he mped a hand on her chin again. ¡°Be good ande with us. Otherwise...¡±

    Before his voice even fell, the ward door banged open once again, and Reinitz burst in, panting. His slightly tanned face was flushed red from running quickly, and his blue eyes squinted at the sight of Als¡¯ hand holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin. ¡°Let go of her,¡± Reinitz spoke in German and slowly walked over to push away the man¡¯s hand. He pulled Gu Nianzhi up from the couch and shielded her behind his back. ¡°Als, what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°What am I doing here? You hid her here and had me looking for a long time! We may be friends, Reinitz, but this is business, so I ask you not to interfere. I need to take her to my department and properly interrogate her.¡± Als raised his chin. ¡°Reinitz, you are not part of my department, so you shouldn¡¯t get involved.¡± Gu Nianzhi perked her ears up to listen to the German conversation. Thanks to her intense studying thest few days, she was able to understand most of it but still pretended she didn¡¯t know anything at all. Her dark eyes drifted between Als and Reinitz.

    Reinitz looked at Gu Nianzhi again and switched to English. ¡°No Als, you can¡¯t take her there.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t take her there? But she doesn¡¯t want to stay with you. She looks like she wants to run away any second now. Can you take responsibility for that?!¡± Als folded his hands behind his back and walked around Gu Nianzhi as he asked her in English, ¡°Miss Gu, what do you think?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi set down her book and asked calmly, ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Reinitz looked at her with a conflicted expression. ¡°The hospital says you¡¯ve recovered and don¡¯t need to stay here anymore.¡±

    ¡°So you have two choices. Eithere back to the Federal Intelligence Service with me, or go stay at Reinitz¡¯s house with him. However, he must guarantee that you won¡¯t run away.¡± Als shot a look at Reinitz.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was in chaos. What the hell was this Federal Intelligence Service?! How did they know her true identity?! Were they arresting her to threaten Huo Shao?! She guessed that this Federal Intelligence Service was simr to the Hua Xia Imperial Secret Service or Huo Shao¡¯s Special Operations Forces. In that case, they would be Huo Shao¡¯s existing enemies.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and revealed the creamy expanse of her delicate neck. Reinitz¡¯s home or the Federal Intelligence Service¨Cwas that even a question? Were they really not forcing her to go to Reinitz¡¯s house? Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. Looking up once again, her expression waspletely terrified as she grabbed Reinitz¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Reinitz, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Reinitz slowly moved his hand to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand holding onto his sleeve. It was soft and felt almost boneless, smooth and warm. His heart gradually calmed down andpletely filled with peace and joy. He only wanted to take her hand, even if he knew she was lying to him... Reinitz knew much better than Als what kind of person Gu Nianzhi was. He actually wanted tough when he saw the fearful expression on her intelligent little face... If he hadn¡¯t personally witnessed how Gu Nianzhi held the gun and used one bullet to destroy the enemy¡¯s bike in the Alps, he would certainly have been deceived by her little trick. Reinitz was calm and already had a hint of peculiarity in his heart. He actually liked seeing her rely on him like this...

    ¡°Are you sure you want to go with Reinitz?¡± From the corner of his eye, Als spied them holding hands. Turning away nonchntly, he looked at the sealed window with a faint smile on his lips. ¡°Who are you to him? How can he take my target from me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched as her mind quickly considered what Als was implying.

    ¡°Did you hear me? Who are you to him? What right does he have to take you away?¡± Als turned around and went right up to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°ording tow, only direct rtives have a right to take away my targets.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. Direct rtives? How could an unrted man and woman be considered direct rtives? Only... husband and wife would be considered direct rtives. What a joke! Gu Nianzhi flushed red and was about to wrench her hand away from Reinitz when he instinctively held her tighter and said to Als, ¡°Als, stop intimidating her. She¡¯s my fiancee, and she¡¯lle with me. I guarantee she will stay in Germany.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head. ¡°I...¡±

    Reinitz suddenly hugged her and pressed her head against him to whisper in her ear, ¡°This is for expediency! Shut up!¡± Gu Nianzhi knew it was a lie but still felt uneasy. Also, how was she staying in Germany? She was a Hua Xia citizen! She must go back! She also had things left to do! She stubbornly stabbed Reinitz¡¯s chest to make him let go. Reinitz released her and shot her a look that told her to stay quiet. Gu Nianzhi could only purse her lips and turn around with her head hung to avoid looking at the two men.

    Als averted his gaze and looked at Reinitz with a sneer. ¡°You guarantee? With what? Your life?¡±

    Reinitz was quiet for a long time, and his handsome porcin face appeared very solemn. He nodded slowly. ¡°Right, with my life. I guarantee on my life that she won¡¯t leave Germany.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi jerked her head up and red fiercely at Reinitz¡¯s back. Her gaze was so intense, it nearly burned a hole in his back. She wanted to struggle, but Reinitz stuck his hand behind him and gripped her hand even more tightly with an unspoken message to calm down, not speak rashly, and to... entrust everything to him. But how could Gu Nianzhi entrust everything to a man she had known for less than two weeks? There was only one man that she wouldpletely trust in her entire life and no other.

    However, Als was eyeing them like prey, and Gu Nianzhi knew what was more important. She would be a goner if she identally ended up under house arrest by the Federal Intelligence Service, so she stayed quiet but decided to find a chance to have a serious talk with Reinitz. Not only was iming her as his fiancee an act of expediency, but she wouldn¡¯t be staying in Germany. Also Als¡¯ words weren¡¯t reasonable, so she wouldn¡¯t be epting them.

    Ignoring Reinitz¡¯s warning nce, she looked up stubbornly and replied to Als, ¡°Colonel, you are being unreasonable, and this is also illegal. I¡¯m not a German citizen, and this is illegal detainment. My family and nation won¡¯t let you do this.¡±

    Als turned around slowly and walked to Reinitz, shoving him aside and sneering at Gu Nianzhi standing behind him. ¡°You¡¯re talking about thew with me? Do you know who I am? Do you know what institution I work for?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are or what institution you work for. It¡¯s peacetime right now. The Hua Xia Empire and Germany are not at war, so you have no right to detain the citizen of another nation. Als, you may be a colonel, but I still have to say that you know nothing about thew. You think you can break thew just because you¡¯re a colonel? You think your Federal Intelligence Service is above thew? Would you dare to say all that to your parliament, government, and citizens?!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head,pletely unafraid.

    Als looked at her and suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Hahahahaha.... You¡¯re truly the A-ranked and most sought after target of our Federal Intelligence Service! You¡¯re brave! You¡¯re intelligent! You have a glib tongue! But Miss Gu, did you know that no one has ever dared to speak to me like that!? You want to be the first one?! But I don¡¯t like being lectured like this. Do you want to die?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head disdainfully. ¡°So what? Kill me if you have the guts to!¡±

    ¡°Kill you? Did you know that as long as I wish it, I can make you suffer a thousand times worse than merely dying!¡± Als walked up and pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin again. This time he used half his strength, and her chin immediately turned red and swollen.

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t stand watching from the side anymore and grabbed Als¡¯s hand. ¡°Enough! Als, you know that I will do as I say if you have me! Why are you giving her a hard time?¡±

    Als let go, and Gu Nianzhi rubbed her chin with a vicious re. As long as she could return home alive, she would be sure to exact revenge!

    ¡°What are you looking at? You think I won¡¯t beat you?!¡± Als red back at her. ¡°I can easily kill you and bury your corpse in the mountains. Who would be able to ask me for you by then?¡±

    Haha, Gu Nianzhi looked at him with disdain. If it was really so simple, they would¡¯ve killed her in the mountains a long time ago! ¡°I¡¯m here, totally defenseless, so there¡¯s no surprise if you kill me. The Germans were able to start two world wars in the first ce. Why do you people need a reason to kill a weak woman? What a joke!¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she brought up the most untouchable part of German history.

    As expected, both Reinitz and Als instantly looked ufortable, but no one could argue back. Even the sergeants looked at each other uneasily, their loyalties wavering. Gu Nianzhi was even more certain now that these people were German soldiers and also government officials. There was no way they could be like the mercenaries hunting her down on the Alps who would pay any cost or disregard all reputation as long as they could kill her. These people wouldn¡¯t kill her because they weren¡¯t after her life. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind worked at lightning speed and practically analyzed Als¡¯ psyche.

    Als was stunned silent by Gu Nianzhi. He finally looked at Reinitz and put a fist by his mouth as he cleared his throat. ¡°Fine, you can have your glib tongue, but I don¡¯t care. Tell me, Reinitz¡¯s fiancee, are youing to jail with me or going home with Reinitz?¡± He then added, ¡°But you have to remember that if you run away, Reinitz will also be subject to corrective punishment.¡±

    Reinitz pursed his lips, his gaze elsewhere as if he hadn¡¯t heard what Als had said. Gu Nianzhi would certainly not be going to jail. She snorted. ¡°Why do I have to apany you if you¡¯re going to jail? Of course I¡¯m going with Reinitz.¡±

    ¡°You¨C!¡± Als was enraged and raised his hand to strike Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek. He didn¡¯t expect this woman to be so mouthy. She needed a beating!

    Reinitz gripped Als¡¯ arm once again and warned, ¡°Als! Enough!¡± Als angrily pushed him away and looked down as he left in a huff. His underlings all scattered behind him, leaving only Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz in the room. The bodyguards at the door turned away and closed the door for them. Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and could only feel her knees turn into jelly. She instantly slumped on the couch and was speechless for a long time. Reinitz saw this and finally understood the young girl had only acted tough and was already at her limit, but her words had truly shocked him. Most people chose to bow down in the face of power, but she was the only one who chose to challenge thew.

    Reinitz looked at her with a conflicted expression, and sometimeter, he took his phone to make a call. He went to the fridge to get a jug of milk and poured a ss to heat in the microwave and bring to her. ¡°Drink some milk.¡± Gu Nianzhi epted it and downed the ss in one gulp. She cradled the empty ss but still remained quiet. Reinitz stood beside her and held a coffee cup as he looked at the scenery outside the window and said softly, ¡°Come with me Cereus. Come to my home, and I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched, she wanted to tell him that she didn¡¯t need his protection, and she only wanted him to let her go home. But if she left Reinitz now, then her only option was to be brought back to the Federal Intelligence Service by Als. She would truly be trapped forever at that point. Reclining her head, she looked at Reinitz¡¯s sculpturally beautiful profile and his expression that seemed to be beyond all worldly pleasure. She sighed gently. ¡°Thank you, Reinitz.¡±

    Reinitz looked up slightly and began to tidy up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s things. She had been in the hospital for a week or so now, so there were many random items. They had all been purchased by Reinitz. Soon after, someone knocked on the door. Reinitz opened it and Gu Nianzhi turned to see someone delivering tworge suitcases. They were Louis Vuitton, sturdy and tough looking suitcases necessary for family vacations. Gu Nianzhi said to Reinitz, ¡°Do I even have that many things? Do we need two suitcases?¡±

    Reinitz was quiet as he pressed his lips together and packed all her belongings into the suitcases. They did end up filling both of them.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. How embarrassing. She had no idea. Reinitz took her hand to walk out of the room. A bodyguard came in to take the two suitcases and followed behind them. Gu Nianzhi asked Reinitz, ¡°Have the hospitalization fees been paid?¡±

    Reinitz nced at her. ¡°You¡¯re going to pay if they aren¡¯t paid yet?¡±

    ¡°I think Als should pay, or the German government.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°You are holding me hostage here. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not willing to pay for the hospitalization fees? Isn¡¯t that too stingy?¡±

    The words rang strangely in Reinitz¡¯s ears. He walked a few steps and stared straight ahead as he said, ¡°No one is holding you hostage. But you do need our protection here. If I let you go now, you¡¯ll be hunted down in a few days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Reinitz, I didn¡¯t expect you to sound just like Als.¡± She felt that her freedom was being restricted, and her jail was merely being swapped from the true jail cell in Als¡¯ Federal Intelligence Service to Reinitz¡¯s home.

    Reinitzughed. ¡°Als would be happy to hear you say that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and stopped speaking. She followed Reinitz to the parking lot, and he walked to a red Aston Martin. Opening the door, he smiled at her. ¡°This is my car. We don¡¯t need to take a cab anymore.¡±

    Reinitz had called a cab when he took Gu Nianzhi to see Mother Hanna at the other hospital. Gu Nianzhi had even asked if he had his own car at the time... Looking at the shy luxury sports car, she then nced at Reinitz with a shake of her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were this kind of person, Reinitz.¡±

    Reinitz was speechless. He wasn¡¯t interested in being lecherous, imbibing, gambling, or doing drugs. He just had one small hobby, so why couldn¡¯t he drive a nice car?! They got inside, and the bodyguard put both suitcases into the SUV parked behind. The SUV followed the Aston Martin out of Charlotte Hospital¡¯s parking lot, and they got onto the highway heading out of the city. In less than half an hour, they arrived at a beautiful country vi. It wasn¡¯t very big, but it was muchrger than Mother Hanna¡¯s cabin.

 Chapter 657 - Only a Tool

    <h4>Chapter 657: Only a Tool</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help herself and asked Reinitz, ¡°You look wealthy. How could you allow Mother Hannah to stay at such a ce?¡±

    Reinitz stopped his car and turned to look at her. ¡°Which ce? You feel that that ce isn¡¯t good?¡±

    Pouting, Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°It¡¯s too secluded. There¡¯s neither telephone norwork for inte connection. How can anyone stay there?¡±

    Reinitzughed. ¡°Inte is something that people came up with within the past two decades, and you feel that humans cannot live without it already? So everyone could die 20 years ago?¡±

    It sounded logical. Gu Nianzhi found herself speechless. It was rare that someone actually made her dumbfounded, and she did not feel too happy about it. She followed Reinitz into his home without a word.

    This house looked looked like an old castle from the outside, but it had an unexpectedly modern interior. French windows faced the backyard. There was a white leather sofa against the wall in the living room. Some plush carpets had been ced in the middle of the living room on maroon-colored cherry wood flooring, and a huge grand piano was next to the French windows.

    All the lights in the house were embedded. Only a lotus-shaped chandelier hung in the middle of the dining room. The light seeped through countless petals and poured onto the dining table.

    Reinitz led Gu Nianzhi up the stairs. ¡°Your room is on the second level.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed him into the bedroom and realized that it was the master bedroom. The room had been refurbished, but it still had a neat and fresh design style. It had probably been Reinitz¡¯s room in the past. When he was silent, he gave people the impression that he was cold and aloof, somewhat like the designs he preferred.

    Gu Nianzhi was unwilling to stay in Reinitz¡¯s bedroom and shook her head. ¡°Let me stay in the guest room. This is the master bedroom. It¡¯s not suitable for me to stay here.¡±

    Reinitz looked at her, and his crystal blue eyes revealed a little bit of hope and yearning. Falling silent for a while, he said, ¡°Cereus, Als said that you have to be my... direct rtive in order to be able to stay with me, so that I can protect you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°...And?¡±

    He took out a little golden box from his pocket. Upon opening it, there was a pear-shaped diamond ring of at least three carats. It had an almost perfect cut and rity, and it sparkled like rainbows the moment sunlightnded on it. That was the best way to know if a diamond had good rity.

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back. ¡°Reinitz, what are you doing?¡±

    Reinitz walked to her side and held her hand. ¡°It will just be to lie to Als. Just give in for a while and be my fianc¨¦.¡± With that, he took the ring out and put it onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left ring finger. This was a proposal ring, and it showed that thisdy was already taken.

    Gu Nianzhi removed the ring hastily. ¡°I thought this was just a trick? Why did you do it for real? I will not do this!¡±

    Reinitz looked at her and shook his head. ¡°Who said that it was for real?¡±

    ¡°The ring...¡± Gu Nianzhi opened her palm and disyed the ring. She was so fair that the ring was almost camouged when it was ced there.

    Reinitz lowered his head and took the ring from her. His warm fingers brushed against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palm. Gu Nianzhi did not feel anything special, but Reinitz felt suffocated. He put the ring on for her again and said gently, ¡°...Only a tool.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then understood. She looked at him suspiciously still but did not remove it again. This is just a cover-up n, anyway. When I¡¯m not so closely watched, I will be able to contact the people from my country. But when will brother Xiong and the guys return from their mission? What about Huo Shao? And Professor He? He should have returned from his home, shouldn¡¯t he?

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that he had mentioned that he would only go back for a fortnight at most. Now that she calcted, it had been about two weeks. He Zhichu had gone home due to his father¡¯s illness. Gu Nianzhi tried calling him, but it didn¡¯t go through. His father should be okay now, right? Even if he had to go through a surgery, it should have already been done, and he would already have been back? I can call him now, can¡¯t I? But she didn¡¯t even have a phone with her, so how could she call? At most, Professor He would realize that her phone wasn¡¯t within thework range. He would be worried, wouldn¡¯t he?

    With those thoughts, Gu Nianzhi did not sleep well the first night she was in Reinitz¡¯s house. It seemed like she had a nightmare. However, she did not scream nor cry. She just ran in the dark and hid whenever she could. There was someone chasing her, and they were fast. No matter how she tried, she wasn¡¯t able to shake the person off...

    After that, she ran too quickly and fell on the floor. Then, she woke up. When she woke up in an unfamiliar room, she forgot about her dream totally. She looked at the time on her watch and realized that it was only four o¡¯clock in the morning. Therefore, she went back to sleep. When she woke up again, it was already almost noon. Reinitz did not wake her up. He only got the chef to prepare lunch and waited for her to wake up for it.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down at the dining table and asked casually, ¡°Do you have wifi here, Reinitz? I¡¯m bored. Can I use the inte please?¡±

    Reinitz opened a set of newspapers and shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t haveputers here, either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! You can even surf the in prison!¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to cooperate anymore. She threw her cutlery away and snapped, ¡°Just lock me up in prison. Tell Als that I¡¯m willing to be put in prison, as long as I get to use theputer.¡±

    Reinitz closed the newspapers and looked at her curiously. ¡°Is inte really so important to you? You really want to pass time, or... are you trying to use the opportunity to contact someone? Don¡¯t take Als¡¯s words to heart.¡±

    Of course, both were true. However, Gu Nianzhi would never admit to the second guess. Brows furrowed, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Even if I were to contact anyone, would you guys not know? How could there be secrets online? Would I even be that stupid?¡±

    Reinitz thought about it briefly and smiled. ¡°Then what would you like to see? I have my phone. I can surf the web and read it to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was really speechless. Rolling her eyes, she sat beside Reinitz and said pretentiously, ¡°Reinitz, have you tried this sausage before? It¡¯s really yummy. It tastes like what Mother Hannah made.¡± She took a piece of sausage and fed Reinitz.

    Reinitz had never experienced such hospitality from Gu Nianzhi. Even though he knew that she had a motive, he couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth to take the piece of sausage. Gu Nianzhi looked pleased. She fed him more food and continued feeding him bread. Even though there was only bread and sausage, Reinitz was sold. His clear blue eyes looked at Gu Nianzhi, and he could not bear to leave her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away awkwardly and pulled on the corners of his shirt. ¡°There, Reinitz. Can¡¯t you just lend me your phone? I¡¯m just going to go online to read some news, especially the case that I was in charge of. I¡¯ve told you before that I am awyer and am helping someone with a case. I cannot give up halfway. I promised that I would put the person behind bars!¡±

    Reinitz took out his phone and unlocked it. ¡°Which case? Can we get it online?¡± After being silent for a while, he asked again, ¡°Your name is Gu Nianzhi isn¡¯t it?¡± He said ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± in Chinese. It actually sounded really urate, like he had practiced it over and over again.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°...Um, yes. I thought you knew it some time ago already? Didn¡¯t Als tell you?¡±

    ¡°I want you to tell me personally.¡± Reinitz looked at her with eyes full of love. ¡°I don¡¯t believe what he said, but as long as ites from you, I¡¯ll trust it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fell silent. She looked away awkwardly, not knowing what to say. ¡°Um, yes... But my Christian name is indeed Cereus.¡±

    Reinitz raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was something that they did not know. He had thought that Cereus was a made up name to cover up her identity.

    ¡°Fine, don¡¯t be like that. The case that I was working on, I don¡¯t believe Als has not told you about it.¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her head on her hand and looked at Reinitz from the dining table. ¡°I really want to finish this up. It¡¯s the case involving Seth¡ªthe person who has been trying to get me killed.¡±

    Reinitz looked at her and contemted if she was still lying to him. This girl is really clever... He searched for the case on Li Haiqing and selected some news to read for her. ¡°...Due the Seth¡¯s escape, the court has not released a final statement for him.¡± Then, he continued, ¡°You¡¯re merely one of thewyers from the intiff¡¯s team for this case. Now that you¡¯re not there, your colleagues will follow up with it.¡±

    ¡°I filed a civilwsuit against them, too,¡± Gu Nianzhi said gloomily. ¡°If I¡¯m not there, I¡¯m worried that that family will get away with this.¡±

    Reinitz continued looking at the article and chuckled. ¡°Asking for one billion Euros¡¯pensation? Very bold, very smart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her seat. She understood that Reinitz would never lend her his phone. No matter what she did, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get her hands on it.

    Picking up her utensils, she began eating her lunch. Gu Nianzhi decided to change her tack on Reinitz. She began asking questions about the rtionship between Reinitz and Als. ¡°Reinitz, why do you listen to Als so much? How is he able tomand you? You¡¯re neither a government employee nor soldier. He¡¯s going against thew by doing that to you. I¡¯m a foreigner. If he did anything to me and my country did not protect me, I would just be taken advantage of and not be able to bring justice to light. However, you¡¯re different. You¡¯re a German, a citizen of Germany. If he dared to do anything to you, you could sue him in military court and send him to military prison!¡±

    Reinitz stopped looking at his phone and looked at Gu Nianzhi fixedly. He seemed to be encouraging her. ¡°Go on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi batted her eyshes slightly. ¡°You know, as I¡¯m awyer, and a rather sessful one, if you want to sue him, I could represent you at no charge. I guarantee that he¡¯ll lose the case hands down!¡±

    Reinitz shook his head. He leaned forward and whispered, ¡°Cereus, that¡¯s what I like about you¡ªyou¡¯re able to talk nonsensical things with anyone. It¡¯s breathtaking.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. What the hell?! Did she just get looked down upon?! Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and knew that she was unable to make Reinitz and Als fight with each other.

    ¡°Cereus, do you know which organization Als¡¯s FIA used to be?¡± Reinitz felt that it was necessary to fill Gu Nianzhi in on the details. Otherwise, she would still be trying to pick on Als, and she¡¯d get into really deep trouble.

    ¡°Which?¡± Gu Nianzhi poured some condensed milk into her oatmeal and realized that it was too sweet.

    ¡°The Geheime Staatspolizei.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi trembled and looked at Reinitz, incredulous. ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Geheime Staatspolizei¡± was German. It meant ¡°Secret Police.¡± It was set up in the past when Germany was extremely corrupt, and they were a group of people who were the best at arresting people.

    ¡°That organization still exists?!¡±

    ¡°The Geheime Staatspolizei doesn¡¯t, of course.¡± Reinitz shrugged. ¡°However, their people were inherited by the FIA. Therefore, be careful around them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fell silent. She knew that Reinitz was trying to tell her something.

    He knew what she meant just now. That was why he wanted to remind her to not try and make them fight with each other, because Als could do way more than she could imagine.

    ¡°...Als allowed you to stay with me because we have been friends for a very long time. But please don¡¯t think that he will let you go.¡± It seemed like Reinitz was scaring her, because he was worried that this daring girl would think of many crazy ideas and piss them off. He was worried that they might use extreme measures on her.

    Gu Nianzhi turned pale and looked around. So, Als can know what is happening around here, too? Who would tell him? Those guards at the door? Or the cooks in the kitchen? Or the cleaners? Or was it the gardener?

    Now that Reinitz had told her this, she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to get the service crew to help her pass messages to the outside. The only person she could trust would be herself. She didn¡¯t even dare to trust Reinitz. It was clear that he and Als had a strong rtionship. However, if she were to just sit there and do nothing everyday, she would be better off dead. She lowered her head sadly and began crying. Gu Nianzhi quickly took the handkerchief on the table and wiped her face.

    Reinitz was taken aback. Eventually, he gave in. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Als tomorrow if he would be okay with me having inte here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost passed out from surprise. His ce really has no wireless inte connection! How on earth would any homes have no wirelesswork these days?!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her knees and sat on the balcony in the living room. The diamond studs on her perfect earlobes reflected the light that shined on them, making them look like little suns. She looked at the beautifully trimmed garden and thought repeatedly about her chances of escape.

    Reinitz brought a cup of coffee over, sat somewhere around her, and began reading his newspaper. Gu Nianzhi looked over and began looking at him properly. ¡°Reinitz, how did you get to know Als? Did you tell him that I¡¯m here?¡± They sounded like friends. Close friends. How could someone who was close friends with the FIA be a normal person? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me... Gu Nianzhi was unhappy to be treated like a fool, but she did not dare to say so out loud.

    Reinitz did not even look up. ¡°Would you believe me if I told you that we got to know each other by pure coincidence? They were looking for you and found you. That was how they knew that you were with me. Als was an orphan as well. We grew up in the same orphanage.¡±

    ¡°I thought you got adopted by Mother Hannah?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that was when I was 12 years old. Als was adopted when he was ten. We were already big boys then and the best of friends. After that, we met each other again in college and became schoolmates.¡± Reinitz told her everything in detail.

    It wasn¡¯t hard for Gu Nianzhi to imagine their rtionship¡ªtwo boys who were best pals lost contact after being adopted and met again a few yearster in college. Obviously, they would have be closer.

    ¡°...After that, he joined the army. He managed to excel, and was promoted time and again within short periods of time. After I graduated, I became a software engineer and started a few smallpanies. After I sold them, I had a little bit of good fortune.¡±

    After Reinitz was done talking, he looked up from the newspaper and showed a pair of stunningly smiling eyes. ¡°Curious girl, any more questions?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what to say. She turned around and faced the window. ¡°Get the inte connection up quickly. I¡¯m moldering from boredom.¡±

    Reinitz looked at her, full of thoughts. She had been nothing but obedient for the past few days and did not have any extremely disturbing behavior. However, she sat in front of the windows and looked outside on a daily basis. He could not understand what was on her mind.

    Who would be happy when they were captured and locked up? However... Reinitz shook his head and thought that perhaps it was time for other methods. She was a flower that would only bloom when grown in the wilderness. She wasn¡¯t one to be grown in a greenhouse.

    After that, Reinitz went out often. He said that he was preparing for his new venture. Gu Nianzhi did not fully believe him, but there was nothing else she could do. Moreover, did it matter whether she believed him or not?

    Als would pop by asionally to visit Reinitz. Whenever he was there, Gu Nianzhi would never leave the room. She did not wish to see nor speak to him. In her eyes, he was the prison guard who would pop by to check on her every now and then.

    After the inte connection was up, Gu Nianzhi surfed for a bit and realized immediately that it was a connection that was heavily supervised. She did not even dare to contact Yin Shixiong and the guys, because the moment she did, she would expose them.

    It was only then that she realized that she could only read some silly nothings even when she had an inte connection. She could at most follow up on Li Haiqing¡¯s case. As for Seth, who had escaped, there was still no news of him.

    ...

    ¡°What did you say?! That woman has gone missing?! She even castrated Seth?!¡± Anger could be felt from the voice of the round-faced, long-haired woman over the phone. ¡°Are you all stupid?! Useless! Trash! Don¡¯t tell me that even after giving you so many resources, including the Copernicus Global Satellite Navigation system, you still lost her!¡±

    ¡°Boss, it wasn¡¯t us! This woman had help in the Alps! There was a man who was amazing. He rode a motorcycle and headed off with her. Our bikes could not catch up with him. After that, we fell off the mountain and lost a few of our guys!¡±

    ¡°¡®Help?¡¯ How could she have help in the Alps?!¡± The womanughed in anger. She was certain that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biggest help was Huo Shaoheng. He was still stuck in America due to her tricks. ¡°Don¡¯t give me nonsense just because you want to escape responsibility!¡±

 Chapter 658 - He Zhichuâ€™s Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 658: He Zhichu¡¯s Revenge</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°She really had help! I wasn¡¯t the only one to see it. Everyone witnessed it, too! We also have a video!¡± The man stammered and wanted to send the video to her.

    ¡°Video? Fine, send it to me.¡± The woman suppressed her rage and began receiving the video from the other person. The footage was very blurry, and it was obviously a recording of a moving subject in the dark of night. However, she could still clearly make out two people on the motorcycle¡ªa man and a woman. The woman wearing a helmet in the back was slim and should be Gu Nianzhi. The man driving the motorcycle never turned back, but his broad back and long legs were still visible. It wasn¡¯t anyone she knew.

    ¡°There really was someone helping her?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes narrowed instantly, unease in her heart. The man driving the motorcycle couldn¡¯t be help left behind by that person? The woman with a round face and straight hair rubbed her temples in thought for a while, then finally shook her head and determined that couldn¡¯t be it. With that person¡¯s vignce and ruthlessness, any help he left behind would have eliminated all her people a long time ago. There was no way the help would meet Gu Nianzhi in that deste ce.

    She hung up the phone and sat contemting for a long time. In Germany, York probably couldn¡¯t help much anymore. In America, someone had already tied Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands, so he shouldn¡¯t know that Gu Nianzhi had gotten into trouble yet. After much thought, she knew the only help she could use was still from within the Hua Xia Empire. That was almost her ace card. If she still couldn¡¯t kill Gu Nianzhi with it, she could only think that she waspletely evil and tough. Good people didn¡¯t survive for long, while evil prevailed for thousands of years!

    ...

    Since He Zhichu had returned, there was still no news of Gu Nianzhi, despite the fact that he hadn¡¯t stopped searching for several days. It was like all the clues had been cut off when she went into the Alps. He decided to stop pursuing that angle and instead began to look directly for Seth and York. From the bloodstains they found in the car, it appeared Seth was severely injured and needed a ce to recuperate. In his room in the Hilton Hotel, He Zhichu read the results of the investigation from thest few days and picked up the phone tomand his subordinates.

    ¡°Remember that small clinic? Investigate the owner¡¯s name and address. Find him, and we should be able to find out where Seth is.¡± Seth was a fugitive and also severely injured, so he certainly couldn¡¯t go to a regr hospital for treatment. He may have gone to the small clinic, and the kidnappers had also abandoned the car in the clinic¡¯s parking lot. That meant the clinic owner had a deeper connection with the people trying to hunt Gu Nianzhi. With this clue, it became easy to find them.

    They assumed that swapping locations would be enough to cover their tracks, so when several masked, strapping men with semi-automatic submachine guns burst into the doctor¡¯s hiding ce and yanked him out of his bed, he still had no idea what was happening. He assumed it was a normal armed robbery or criminal demanding treatment from him and quickly said, ¡°Gentleman, do you want money or medication? My clinic isn¡¯t here, but everything is in there!¡±

    The men remained silent and took out tape to seal his mouth before bringing him to He Zhichu¡¯s location. He Zhichu didn¡¯t reveal himself but sat behind a screen to listen to his subordinates interrogate the doctor. The doctor had never been subject to such abuse. It only took breaking the wrist of his scalpel wielding hand before he cried out and confessed everything. ¡°Seth is already ruined! I surgically removed his penis and testicles! He¡¯s recovering in a vi right now! ...I don¡¯t know anything! I don¡¯t know anything at all! The femalewyer they were hunting ran off! They¡¯re still looking for her! I don¡¯t know where she is!¡± The doctor cradled his damaged hand and wailed pitifully, ¡°It had nothing to do with me! I only helped with treatment! I never did anything bad!¡±

    ¡°Haha... The person helping abusers is saying he never did anything bad, so I¡¯m merely doing charity work, too.¡± The mercenary who broke his hand made a rare joke but was truly disgusted by the hypocrisy. ¡°You said you never did anything bad, but all these years you treated the injuries these people got, and whatpensation did they give you under the table? As a doctor, you failed to report gunshot wounds or stab wounds, and you¡¯re still saying you never did bad things? How many felons like murderers and smugglers did you protect? Don¡¯t you know that is a coborative crime?¡±

    The doctor was stunned speechless, and his cries grew quieter. He Zhichu finally exhaled deeply when he heard this. He slowly supported himself on the chair to stand up. He could ease his mind somewhat knowing Nianzhi hadn¡¯t fallen into the hands of these horrible people. She had been a smart young girl since she was little, so this time he hoped that she could stay strong. He would certainly find her and personally bring her home!

    He Zhichu came out of the room where the doctor was locked up and ordered his subordinates, ¡°Go find Seth.¡± ording to the doctor¡¯s confession, Seth was hiding in a vi that was actually one of York¡¯s private properties. It was well concealed, so basically nobody knew it belonged to their family. There were no other homes within five miles, only theirs.

    ...

    Sethy on the bed in his family¡¯s vi, deste and unable to sleep at all. Every day, heid there to recuperate, but as far as he was concerned, he was waiting to die. No other people came there, aside from his mother and stepfather, who brought food and a change of clothes every three days. He didn¡¯t want to see anyone right now, anyway. His current state was not even human, so he might as well be dead! At the thought of the vicious femalewyer, he gritted his teeth and wanted nothing more but to rip her to shreds! He swore that as soon as he recovered, he would make her die a death more painful than what that female exchange student suffered!

    Seth fell asleep enraged but was awakened by pain. Opening his eyes, he discovered he was no longer on the bed but in his basement! A group ofrge men wearing masks and ck clothes surrounded him, and at their heels were several ck wolf dogs barking at him. A man draped in a ck cape with a low hood slowly walked over and stomped his foot on Seth¡¯s face. His voice was old and indifferent. ¡°Are you Seth?¡± It was an authentic Hannover ent and sounded somewhat familiar to Seth, but he couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face. ¡°Are you?¡± the man repeated.

    ¡°Yes... Yes...¡± Seth stuttered and looked up to try to see the man¡¯s face but couldn¡¯t, no matter how hard he tried. The man¡¯s face was hidden in the dark shadows of the hood, and he seemed to be wearing sunsses, too. Sweat beaded on Seth¡¯s forehead, and he suddenly felt fear. The man didn¡¯t threaten him verbally, but merely standing there was enough to send fear to his bones. He looked up at the man¡¯s cascading ck hood, and it seemed to envelope him endlessly,pletely enshrouding him like a great doom.

    The man in the ck cape was He Zhichu. He looked down at Seth shaking by his feet and removed his foot. He then wiped it on the carpet like Seth was something very dirty. He turned away and spat, ¡°Kill him.¡±

    Seth¡¯s pupils dted instantly as he watched the man¡¯s cape flutter out the door like the arrival of the god of death. Rip! Seth¡¯s clothing was torn off by a few bodyguards, and then the salivating wolf dogs eyed him eagerly. They lunged at him one by one...

    ...

    He Zhichu stood at the basement door and heard the wolf dog¡¯s excited barking as well as Seth¡¯s despairing shrieks that were increasing in volume. The bodyguards watched expressionlessly until Seth was in his death throes, then plunged a knife into his chest. The person stabbing him wore a pair of thin stic gloves that had clear fingerprints marked on them. However, the fingerprints left only faint traces on the knife.

    ¡°York has used this knife before?¡± one bodyguard asked quietly.

    ¡°Yeah, the fingerprints are all there. I found a thief and paid good money to get it.¡± One bodyguard chuckled as he positioned the knife. After everything was cleaned up, they then performed dposition treatment to Seth¡¯s body to backdate the time of death. Finally, they put Seth¡¯s dposed body in the freezer.

    ...

    ¡°Mr. He, it¡¯s all done now,¡± the leader of the bodyguards informed He Zhichu.

    ¡°Ok, clean this ce up and don¡¯t leave any evidence.¡± He Zhichu turned to look back before walking away. They came prepared and wore thick stic bags on their feet as well as thick stic gloves. They were sure to not leave any footprints or fingerprints.

    After leaving York¡¯s vi, their two vehicles quickly sped into the mountains under the cloak of darkness. They then made a big loop before returning to the Hilton Hotel in Munich. It was already midnight, and He Zhichu wasn¡¯t sleepy at all when he got back to his room. Turning on hisptop, he went online and found his target¡¯sputer to hack into. From there, he obtained a variety of evidence and information. Then he used that person¡¯s own email ount to send a mass email to many individuals and organizations, including the most popr German social media as well as the three major televisionworks. The email He Zhichu sent through the target¡¯s inbox was much too shocking.

    Nearly all the German media including online, TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines reported the same breaking news. Andrea, the famous German councilor, who was also a top contender in the next chancellor elections, had an error in his email and identally sent out a mass message with private documents! The private documents were not of the normal variety, but described how his subordinates had bought support andmitted bribery! Also, he had business dealings with the mafia and assassinated another councilor who hadpeted against him for a seat in the parliament! The evidence was so overwhelming, and the key was that he was the one who had sent it all out from his own email ount!

    The German national defense quickly followed up and requested a court order to search for evidence in the councilor¡¯s home. The councilor¡¯sputer, phone, tablet, and all smart electronic devices were confiscated for professionals to peruse. The evidence was soplete, no one could discreetly help him cover up. Everyone with ties to him wasted no time cutting their connection out of fear of being dragged into the mess. And within all the evidence, York, who was all powerful in Rou, appeared multiple times¡ªfrom helping the councilor pay for votes, to connecting him to the mafia to assassinate a political opponent, he was always present. When the incident leaked, York instantly holed up in Rou. The mayor immediately removed him as Chief of Police and gave him the position of principal of the police academy to avoid public pressure.

    Smith and his colleaguesughed bitterly when they heard this. ¡°He was still able to be principal of the police academy, even after an incident like this. That position is no worse than chief of police.¡±

    ¡°Right, these Germans have no shame!¡±

    He Zhichu stared coldly out the window and thought it was time to release the second wave. Less than two dayster, the Munich District Court¡¯s official social media ount suddenly uploaded several screenshots that detailed the internal dealings between York and the second judge in charge of Li Haiqing¡¯s case! York had asked the judge to acquit his stepson and promised to help the judge run for the next member of parliament!

    The entire nation instantly distributed the screenshots as soon as they were posted. The judge had been dying sentencing for the first days of Li Haing¡¯s case, and everyone had really believed it was due tock of evidence. As soon as the emails and screenshots were released, everyone knew it was far from the truth! The judge was colluding with York and attempting to muddy the truth! By the time the Munich District Court learned about the posts on their official social media ount, it was already viral throughout the entire nation. Even the Congress and Ministry of Justice began the process of subpoena and scheduled hearings for the judge. Although the judge denied it vehemently and imed that screenshots were fabricated with Photoshop, all the deleted emails on his phone were recovered by the German Ministry of Justice¡¯s IT department. It proved the posts were not faked but were real.

    As to why they were stupid enough to leave written evidence, it was because the two men didn¡¯t trust each other and were afraid the other would go back on his word, so they had to use a method of recording their transaction so it could be used as mutual ckmail. If one dared to rat out the other or abandon the transaction, then the other would reveal everything. This mutually destructive method was the only way to guarantee the consistency of their interests. However, they never thought that there would be such skilled hackers in the world who could discreetly infiltrate their emails and extract all the screenshots of the emails!

    Soon after, the second judge in charge of Li Haiqing¡¯s case was suspended from his post and investigated, not to mention being removed from the case. Both cases were linked to York, and he had also been revealed to have assisted the first councilor in bribing people for votes, as well as colluding with the mafia. However, he had only been removed from his position as Chief of Police to be made principal of the police academy!

    #suchacorruptedpersonwaspromotedtoprincipalofthepoliceacademy, you¡¯re kidding me! The entire nation¡¯s social media was posting the hashtag. The spotlight on York was second to none, and even the most popr idol was no match for him. Under unanimous public condemnation, as well as the assistance of certain figures, York was removed from the post of principal of the police academy. Additionally, the bnces of his German and Swiss bank ounts were revealed. All the people of Germany were truly angered when they saw the astronomical number of zeros in his bank ount. With York¡¯s position, there was no way he could earn that amount, even if he worked for 500 years as Chief of Police.

    For many citizens, political corruption and bribery was what they hated the most. Although they pitied the foreign female student victim in thest case, they didn¡¯t go through the same ordeal, so even when York wasn¡¯t dealt with severely, most people didn¡¯t really care and only joined the masses in following the case. But this was different. York was hitting the most sensitive nerve with the German people. Suddenly, all social media and traditional media were expressing condemnation towards York and also requested severe punishment. As soon as York¡¯s bank information was revealed, he was suspended and investigated. All the officials on York¡¯s side in Rou were removed, and the region held their election early. Prosecutors and police removed boxes and boxes of evidence from York and Ramona¡¯s residence. All his properties were investigated.

    He Zhichu used the excuse of the civil litigation as reason to immediately freeze all of York and Ramona¡¯s assets in his UBS Bank ount. Most people knew that UBS Bank typically never got involved in things like this and rarely volunteered to surrender or freeze their client¡¯s ounts. However, at He Zhichu¡¯s request, UBS Bank immediately agreed. The German officials all worried when they saw that even UBS Bank had to bow down to He Zhichu. Now they wouldn¡¯t dare to go against him again. Just as the investigation on York¡¯s assets was heating up, the climax came.

    The police unearthed Seth¡¯s frozen body in one of York¡¯s country vis! Everyone knew that Seth had absconded, but they didn¡¯t expect that instead of leaving Germany, he had died a long time ago! As soon as the incident was revealed, York¡¯s case was no longer a simple political one, as he now faced a criminal case! There were only fingerprints and footprints from York, Ramona, and Seth in the vi, and the autopsy revealed that he had died 20 days ago¡ªthe day he allegedly escaped from the hospital. He had died a terrible death, and not only was his corpse covered in wolf dogs¡¯ saliva, but he was stabbed with a knife with his stepfather¡¯s fingerprints! These results were ¡°unintentionally¡± leaked by someone. Ramona, who imed to be ill and kept silent all this time, instantly switched sides. Seeing her son¡¯s corpse, she cried so hard she nearly passed out. Many believed York killed Seth because his stepson brought him too much trouble, so killing him off was characteristic for York.

    Even Ramona believed, because when they had fought previously, York had mentioned more than once that her son was better off dead! Additionally, there was all sorts of direct and indirect evidence found on York. Because York had killed her beloved son, she no longer stayed quiet. She turned on him, and York¡¯s case became hopeless. They had been married for a dozen years, so she knew everything about him. In the face of all the evidence, York knew his time was up. No one would be protecting him anymore. There would only be people pushing him down further.

    He had been very violent in the detention center. After creating so many false cases and avoiding justice, the tide had changed, and it was his turn now.

 Chapter 659 - Standing on the Top

    <h4>Chapter 659: Standing on the Top</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The hard evidence and circumstantial evidence caused York to be at a loss for what to say to justify himself. The evidence looked very familiar. However, hadn¡¯t he framed someone like this in the past?

    He wouldn¡¯t have it. It¡¯s all fake! All fake! He didn¡¯t know how it happened. Was it from when Seth killed Li Haiqing, or when they nned Seth¡¯s escape, or when they kidnapped that femalewyer!?

    After thinking about it for a while, he felt like it had something to do with Seth kidnapping that femalewyer. He remembered how much manpower, money, and resources the person behind the scenes had expended to kidnap that femalewyer. If it weren¡¯t for that person popping out of nowhere, and if they hadn¡¯t done anything to the femalewyer, Seth would have been in North Africa by now. None of this would have happened. So, if he wanted to get out of this mess, he would need to find that woman.

    York thought things through as he sat in the detention center¡¯s cafeteria and ate all the food on the tray in front of him. Although he had no appetite, now was not the time to go on a diet. He needed to live. Only then could he address this injustice.

    As he was about to leave the cafeteria, a guard came over and said, ¡°York, someone¡¯s here to see you.¡±

    York was dazed. Someone wanted to see him at a time like this? Even Ramona didn¡¯t want to talk to him. Who would want to see him? York followed the guards to the visiting area. Strangely, this person didn¡¯t take him to the visiting area specially designed for criminals.

    In the standard visiting area, there was thick, bulletproof and sound proof ss between the visitors and the prisoners. They could only look at one another and talk through the phone. This person took him to a normal-looking visiting area. There was no bulletproof and sound proof ss separating the visitors and prisoners.

    The moment he walked into the visiting area, he saw a tall man in a dark suit standing in front of the window with his hands sped behind his back. The suit the man wore was extremely well-ironed. One could tell it was high-quality, handmade clothing, not something off the rack.

    York greeted him by coughing twice. The man turned and looked at York expressionlessly. As his peach blossom eyes moved, they had traces of murderous intent.

    York was shocked. The person who hade to see him was He Zhichu. York knew of him. He was the head prosecutor from the team ofwyers in Li Haiqing¡¯s case. Although he didn¡¯t appear in court to argue, York believed the prosecution team¡¯s arguments were all from thiswyer, America¡¯s biggestw firm¡¯s youngest partner. It was definitely this person who was standing in front of him, but why was he visiting?

    York smiled coldly. ¡°Mr. He? Mr. He, you havee to see me. This such a surprise.¡± York sat down without reserve, feeling not a bit of unease.

    He Zhichu sat down across from him. He ced one hand on the table between them and the other in his pocket. He appeared carefree, yet his manner was cold and indifferent. He Zhichu leaned forward as he spoke nonchntly. ¡°York, I froze your Swiss bank ount.¡±

    The color on York¡¯s face changed immediately. ¡°Impossible! That¡¯s impossible!¡± he growled and red at He Zhichu, wanting to shred him to pieces.

    He Zhichuughed as he leaned back in the chair and raised his hand. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, call your bank¡¯s representative.¡± He took out his phone, opened it, and put it in front of York¡¯s face.

    Without saying a word, York took the phone and tapped on it. He suddenly came to his senses as he was dialing. He put down He Zhichu¡¯s phone and slid it back to him. He smiled coldly. ¡°You¡¯re trying to trick me.¡± If he used He Zhichu¡¯s phone to call, then He Zhichu would have all of the information about the person he was going to talk to.

    He Zhichu shook his head as he sneered. He caught his phone and said, ¡°Do I even need to trick you? Why would I need to trick you when I know even your Swiss bank ount¡¯s password?¡±

    York¡¯s eyes narrowed in fear, and his cheeks twitched. He sat down slowly and stared at He Zhichu. After a while he asked, ¡°What do you mean? If you know everything, then why are you here?¡±

    He Zhichu yed with his phone and said with no spirit in his voice, ¡°Can¡¯t I be bored?¡±

    York was speechless. Not wanting to talk anymore, he stood up. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± York turned and began to walk away.

    ¡°Wait,¡± He Zhichu said unenthusiastically, and he stood up as well.

    York halted, not turning his head and said, ¡°What is it? You have more to say, Mr. He?¡±

    Of course He Zhichu had something to ask him, or else why would he be talking to someone he hated? To find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts and to discover who was ying these tricks behind the scenes, He Zhichu had to feign civility with this hateful person. ¡°Yes, you know the trouble you are in, right? Civil ims, bribery, murder¡ªthese three big charges are against you. Life sentence with parole is considered light. Plus, do you need me to remind you how many enemies you have in prison who are waiting for their revenge?¡±

    York couldn¡¯t move when He Zhichu finished talking. He had forgotten how many ¡°enemies¡± he had in prison. Cold sweat dripped down York¡¯s back as he felt his lung capacity bing inadequate. What does He Zhichu want? York turned around and stared at He Zhichu intensely but couldn¡¯t get anything out of that cold expression of his. ¡°Mr. He, sir, what are you trying to say?¡± York unwittingly used the honorific.

    He Zhichu took a few steps while sping his hands behind his back. He said, ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is simple. Who were you working for that let your stepson kidnap Lawyer Gu? Tell me. I can help you walk free.¡±

    York stared at He Zhichu, and after a long time, he suddenlyughed and said, ¡°So it¡¯s like that, but Mr. He, my memory is not very good. I can only remember after thinking about it.¡± He was not willing to tell He Zhichu right away.

    He Zhichu was burning with impatience, but he couldn¡¯t let York see it. If he did, there would be no further negotiation. He nodded indifferently and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let me know when you remember, but let me tell you something. I hate people who bargain. If you are willing to tell me, then tell me. If not, then forget it. I already told you my side of the bargain, but if you don¡¯t want it or want a better bargain, sorry, I won¡¯t be able to help you. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± He Zhichu turned on his heels without hesitation, but as for York, he was stupefied.

    York called out without thinking, ¡°Mr. He! Let us talk!¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t stop moving his feet and didn¡¯t turn his head as he said, ¡°We¡¯ll talk when you make up your mind. Don¡¯t force it, if you haven¡¯t made up your mind.¡±

    York was at a loss for words. He hesitated. He did not know if he should make this deal with He Zhichu. Besides, he hadn¡¯t contacted that woman, and he should at least hear what she had to say. If that woman was impervious to his misfortune, it would not be toote to betray her.

    After all, that woman was too difficult to deal with. Not only did she have the wealth to give him ten million euros in cash and deposit it in a Swiss bank ount, she also had power enough to mobilize the Copernicus Global Satellite Navigation System. If York betrayed her, a person with that kind of power... He¡¯d better think it through, or else he would be in big trouble.

    After He Zhichu left, York did nothing when he went back to his room in the detention center, but the day after that was the day he could go to the library to read and go online. He sent an email to a strange email address saying, ¡°Mrs. Yamaguchi, we need to talk. What do you think of this?¡±

    The email was intercepted by He Zhichu, who was constantly surveilling York, but what was strange about the email address York was sending his missive to was that He Zhichu couldn¡¯t find it. No matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t find the origin of that email address. It was like a stone dropped into the sea.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart sank as stared at this oue. Even with hisputer skills, he couldn¡¯t track this email down. Was there a person in the world with betterputer skills than his? Looking at the name in the email York sent, it seemed like a Japanese woman. Was there a Japanese person with such amazingputer skills?

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t believe it. He sat in front of theputer for a long time and finally thought of a possibility. Color started to drain from He Zhichu¡¯s face. With this strange email appearing, he remembered his slight unease from before. It was probably just as he had guessed. No wonder he couldn¡¯t track it down.

    Oh no! He Zhichu suddenly stood up from his desk. If the other person was really on par with him, and if he was not wrong, York was in danger. He picked up his phone and immediately called the detention center and said, ¡°I have something urgent that I need to talk to York about. Please let hime to the phone.¡±

    The person on duty was not happy being woken up from his sleep and said, ¡°Who are you? It¡¯ste. Whatever it is, call back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Myst name is He. Look at York¡¯s visitors¡¯ record. I went to see him the other day,¡± He said in a deep voice while controlling his worry.

    The man on duty turned the pages of the visitors¡¯ record impatiently, and when he saw He Zhichu¡¯s name and the remark next to the name, he immediately did a 180 and promptly said, ¡°Mr. He! Yes, Mr. He! Please wait! I¡¯ll go get York immediately!¡± The man on duty was fully awake and ran to the room holding York. He opened the door with a key and yelled, ¡°York, you have a phone call.¡±

    It was three in the morning. York must have been sleeping because there was not a sound. The man on duty couldn¡¯t do anything about it, so he turned on the light while swearing and went over to lift the nket on York¡¯s bed.

    York was dead on the bed with blooding from his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± The man was so scared that he took some steps back and fell on the ground. He scrambled up and frantically got out of the room screaming, ¡°Murder! Murder! Someone in the detention center has killed someone!¡±

    ...

    He Zhichu realized he was toote when he received the news of York¡¯s death. They probably made their move the moment they received York¡¯s extortion email. Although he didn¡¯t know who was in the shadows plotting these schemes, judging by how fast they buried York, it showed that they didn¡¯t want He Zhichu to find out. Why did they not want him to know? Ahh, the probability of it being someone he knew was nine out of ten. He Zhichu didn¡¯t have many friends, but he did have a lot of enemies.

    His sparkling peach blossom eyes narrowed as his mind quickly thought of ways to find Gu Nianzhi. His leads, Seth and York, were gone. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone for sure had been thrown away, so even using satellites to locate it would not work. Where was she? In the Alps? So far, the worst possibility was her being stuck in the Alps, but the good thing was winter wouldn¡¯t arrive for a while yet. If it was winter, then she wouldn¡¯t survive with mountains full of snow.

    He Zhichu muttered to himself for a long time and decided on two things. One, he would immediately dispatch people to search for her in the Alps. Even if he had to turn over every inch of the mountain, he would find Gu Nianzhi. Two, he had to do something. He had to appear in the media, had to appear in public, had to be where he could get a lot of attention. That way, no matter where she was, she would know that he was back and that he was waiting for her.

    After that, He Zhichu would be different from his normal self, no longer being low key and no long avoiding the media. He repeatedly appeared on Germany¡¯s big television channels, epted interviews, went on shows, and even signed up for Germany¡¯s social media ounts. The profile picture for his ount was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back, and the profile page had, ¡°waiting for you toe back¡± written on it.

    At first, Smith and the others didn¡¯t know why He Zhichu suddenly liked to make all kinds of public appearances and to be in the spotlight, but when they saw his social media ount, they knew why. He wanted to stand at the highest ce so that the person who was lost would know where to find him.

    He Zhichu was extremely good looking and attractive from every angle. His peach blossom eyes overflowed with emotions and cool disposition. He disyed a conflicting disposition that was very attractive, not to mention he could speak standard Hanoverian German, and to top it all off, his manners were like those of royalty. German people were hooked. Fan boys and fan girls were on social media everyday.

    To be exposed on such arge scale, Gu Nianzhi should have been able to see it, but too bad anything rted to He Zhichu had been blocked from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.Therefore, she could not see the whirlwind of news about He Zhichu being in Germany. Besides, she didn¡¯t like to look at the news, and Reinitz¡¯s home didn¡¯t have a television. That was why even when He Zhichu was basking in the spotlight on TV, she couldn¡¯t see him.

    Night came, and Gu Nianzhi was already asleep. Als quietly came to visit Reinitz. The two sat under the moonlight drinking draft beer, both thinking of He Zhichu¡¯s unusual behavior.

    ¡°Reinitz, tell me, that He, is he still looking for her?¡± Als asked as he pouted in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room upstairs.

    Reinitz took a sip of his draft beer and did not say anything. Under the silvery white moonlight, his face had an apathetic and nothing-to-live-for kind of expression. His blue eyes contained no trace of emotion. A ss of draft beer was finished. After a while, Reinitz said insipidly, ¡°How can he not look?¡± If he had lost her, he would look for her, even if he had to go to from heaven to hell.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, she¡¯s a capable subordinate. He took her from the Hua Xia Empire to Germany, and when he came back, she wasn¡¯t there anymore. Who could let her go?¡± Als gave Reinitz a thumbs up. ¡°But you had better foresight. If you hadn¡¯t blocked all news rted to He Zhichu, she would have known He was back. He sure knows how to make a scene.¡±

    Reinitz also recently learned of He Zhichu¡¯s other identity in America. Even NATO¡¯s supreme alliedmander, Felix, was fawning over him. Luckily, their federal intelligence agency was a separate agency. They didn¡¯t need to listen to those politicians who didn¡¯t have any backbone and who kneeled before He Zhichu, licking his shoes.

    Gu Nianzhi was in their hands. They wouldn¡¯t give up. But they also didn¡¯t want to invite trouble. If they were not careful and let Gu Nianzhi contact He Zhichu, He Zhichu could directly ask their bureau for her. They didn¡¯t know if they would let her go or not.

    ¡°It was only a small job, not hard at all,¡± Reinitz said coldly. ¡°But Cereus is not used to being locked in a room. If she walks around outside and gets the news from other people, I need to know how to deal with that.¡±

    Als poured himself another ss of draft beer. ¡°How you should deal with that? Don¡¯t you still need to obey orders? If they cave under He¡¯s pressure, what do you think I should do?¡±

    Reinitz smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. He lit a cigarette, and his view blurred as he became surrounded by smoke.

    ...

    That day, Hua Xia¡¯s Ministry of the Interior finally saw a report about one of their citizens going missing overseas. The citizen¡¯s name was Gu Nianzhi. She was one of the prosecutingwyers handling Li Haiqing¡¯s case that was buzzing not too long ago. The head Minister of the Interior had especially been following this story. The team ofwyers had been hired by the head of the department, Mr. Bai.

    Seeing that the only Hua Xia citizen from this team ofwyers had gone missing, the person in charge of overseas citizens was taken aback. He specifically picked this report from Munich¡¯s Hua Xia Empire¡¯s embassy¡¯s vice consul. The report went through all the processes, until it reached the head Minister of the Interior, Bai Jiancheng. It waste at night. His daughter, Bai Yueran, was helping him organize his files in his home office.

    When she saw the report, Bai Yueran, stood up swiftly and rushed to Bai Jiancheng¡¯s office and said, ¡°Father, Gu Nianzhi went missing in Germany. I need to tell General Ji immediately.¡± They were supposed to contact Huo Shaoheng, but Huo Shaoheng was carrying out a mission abroad. He couldn¡¯t get any messages. Bai Yueran knew she couldn¡¯t use any means to disturb Huo Shaoheng. It was the iron d rule. If she disobeyed, then a court martial would pass a strict ruling against her. Consequently, the fastest way was to contact General Ji. General Ji had more power than Huo Shaoheng, and he had a higher rank and could use more resources to find Gu Nianzhi.

    Bai Jiancheng looked up from a thick file and took his reading sses off. His brows were furrowed as he said, ¡°What did you just say? Who went missing?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi,¡± Bai Yueran said as sheposed herself. ¡°Do you remember? The girl Huo saved from his aunt¡¯s maic field experiment seven years ago is that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s younger daughter.¡±

 Chapter 660 - The Highest Specifications

    <h4>Chapter 660: The Highest Specifications</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Her? I remember now, isn¡¯t she studyingw and went to Germany to help with that case?¡± Bai Jiancheng knew that much.

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s her. But she disappeared from Germany.¡± Bai Yueran was uneasy. Although she was only the Director of the Legal Department of the Special Operations Forces, their discipline and conduct had greatly influenced her. She also knew Gu Nianzhi¡¯s importance, and although her father, Gu Xiangwen, was now more important than she was, who knew what the personnel at the Special Ops really thought? This was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s beloved...

    ¡°Ok, hurry and tell General Ji properly. Tell him not to worry, I¡¯ll have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urge the local police to look for her right away.¡± Bai Jiancheng picked up the phone and called the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    Bai Yueran nodded. ¡°Thank you, father.¡± She left her home and immediately got in her car to drive to military housing area where General Ji lived. As the Director of the Legal Department of the Special Operations Forces, she had a higher security clearance and was liked by General Ji, so she possessed an unrestricted ess permit to the military housing area that allowed her to visit, evente at night.

    General Ji was not yet asleep. Although he was already at an old age, he was still ustomed to working all night and felt the most energetic and clear headed at midnight. He was currently burying his head in a document when an internal phone line on his desk began to ring. There were three phones on his desk¨Cck, red, and gray. The one ringing was the gray internal line. General Ji picked it up without looking and answered.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s calm, crisp voice could be heard through the phone. ¡°General Ji, this is Bai Yueran. I have an important situation to report to you and am waiting at your door.¡± Although Bai Yueran could enter the military housing area, she couldn¡¯t simply walk into General Ji¡¯s home. First, she had to obtain his guards¡¯ permission, who in turn had to obtain General Ji or his family¡¯s permission before she could be let inside.

    General Ji immediately appeared solemn. ¡°Yueran? Come in now.¡± The door guards could overhear their conversation. He nodded and recorded the call for the archives before letting her inside. General Ji was justing down the stairs when Bai Yueran entered. He immediately said, ¡°You¡¯re here. Come, sit down.¡±

    Bai Yueran stood in the middle of the living room and waited for General Ji toe over before presenting with both hands the briefing from the Deputy Consul of the Hua Xia Conste General in Munich. She spoke quietly, ¡°We just received the briefing. Gu Nianzhi has gone missing in Germany.¡±

    General Ji didn¡¯t expect to hear that kind of news in the middle of the night. His face twitched uncontrobly, but he remained calm and silently sat down on the couch while supporting himself on the armrest. Taking out the reading sses in his jacket pocket, he began to carefully read the diplomatic brief. Although it was less than 500 words, he spent a full half hour reading it. Bai Yueran didn¡¯t even dare to breathe too heavily and only stared nkly at the couch next to General Ji. After a long time, he finally spoke slowly, ¡°It¡¯s already been over 20 days between the time Gu Nianzhi went missing and when we received this news. Why is that? Does the conste have any updates?¡±

    Bai Yueran stiffened and was secretly impressed with General Ji. As expected, the older the wine, the finer it was. General Ji was able to get to the point right from the start, while she had missed looking at the date on the briefing. She replied, ¡°Yes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has such poor productivity, they took more than a week to deliver this report to my father. We must increase their productivity.¡± She didn¡¯t know which part of the process had caused the dy, but this was a crucial point for her father, Bai Jiancheng, running for election. He couldn¡¯t make any mistakes right now, so she didn¡¯t want to assign the fault for now.

    General Ji let it slide. Regardless if it was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, these were both government departments that Bai Jiancheng could manage. But as the highestmand within the military, General Ji had no way of even saying a word. To overstep boundaries and get involved in the business of others was the biggest taboo in politics. Seeing that General Ji was staying quiet, she then continued, ¡°What should we do? Should we send personnel to Germany?¡±

    General Ji considered that since Gu Nianzhi was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter and also Shaoheng¡¯s fiancee, there was no reason why they couldn¡¯t help if something happened to her. But Huo Shaoheng was currently on a mission abroad, so he couldn¡¯t be notified of this yet, nor could General Ji allow him learn of it. Although General Ji knew Huo Shaoheng understood what was more important and wouldn¡¯t abandon work for personal reasons, who could guarantee that? Huo Shaoheng had fallen in love with only this one girl in all these years, so General Ji didn¡¯t dare to wager...

    After some thought, he said, ¡°Go back and have your father ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs again to see if they have any new updates on the situation. I¡¯ll keep this for now and decide how to proceed.¡±

    Bai Yueran rose. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and ask my father right now.¡±

    General Ji also stood up with a smile. ¡°Thank you, Yueran.¡±

    ¡°General Ji is too polite. I¡¯m also part of the Special Operations Forces, and I see Nianzhi as one of us.¡± Bai Yueran spoke sinctly and turned to leave without hesitation.

    After Bai Yueran left, General Ji took the briefing to his office and read it over again before picking up the ck phone to call the Special Ops. ¡°Operator, connect me to Yin Shixiong or Zhao Liangze.¡± General Ji was thinking that since Huo Shaoheng was abroad, it would be appropriate to have his two personal secretaries take care of it. Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze could all be said to have raised Gu Nianzhi, so they were responsible and cared for her. They would be more concerned regarding helping her than others.

    General Ji still felt a bit of unease, but he knew Gu Nianzhi was also an adult, and the Special Ops gave her special protective measures, so she should be easy to find. However, the operator replied, ¡°Reporting to the Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Yin and Lieutenant Colonel Zhao are both on missions. They are unable to speak on the phone right now.¡±

    General Ji tightened his hands and secretly thought something was amiss. Gu Nianzhi had disappeared, and all three of them were on missions at the same time! He asked in a grave tone, ¡°What missions are Yin Shixiong or Zhao Liangze on? Who sent them out?¡±

    The operator knew they were speaking to General Ji, the highestmanding officer in the military. However, the Special Ops was rather unique, and even General Ji was not allowed to question certain things. If he must know, then Speaker Long also had to be present. The operator replied politely, ¡°General Ji, this is the Special Operations Forces¡¯ process. They will report to General Ji upon their return.¡±

    At those words, General Ji also understood. He had been anxious earlier and had forgotten that rule. He immediatelyposed himself with the reminder. He nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were both away, and General Ji felt it was necessary for him to be responsible for this.

    The next day, General Ji held a special meeting with the Supreme Military Council and informed the seven attendees of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance. ¡°This young girl has made a great contribution to our nation. I think there is something strange with her disappearance. What do you think?¡±

    Everyone remembered how Gu Nianzhi had first appeared wearing a backpack that carried a priceless blueprint for fighter jet technology. ¡°It is strange.¡± A general sitting next to General Ji frowned. ¡°But she¡¯s no longer an orphan. Shouldn¡¯t we tell her family first? Has her father awakened?¡± To these people, the most important person right now wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi, but her father, Gu Xiangwen. Gu Nianzhi had only brought them a blueprint, but if Gu Xiangwen woke up, he would be a priceless asset that could provided countless blueprints. These could be used to invent and help the Hua Xia Empire break out of the technological bottleneck in various top technologies.

    However, they still all unanimously agreed to use the highest specifications to rescue Gu Nianzhi, merely because she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. They all assumed that Gu Xiangwen would refuse to work with them if he awoke and found his beloved youngest daughter missing... Of course, General Ji also knew that Gu Nianzhi had another important identity as the girl Huo Shaoheng loved. He needed to help Huo Shaoheng find his fiancee. However, General Ji didn¡¯t mention this, since Huo Shaoheng¡¯s marriage request was only known by himself and his own personal secretary, Secretary Cao.

    General Ji looked at everyone in the meeting. ¡°Guanchen, I¡¯ll leave you in charge of this. Go to the hospital today to see if Gu Xiangwen is awake first, then find a way to tell her sister the news.¡±

    Huo Guanchen quickly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go once this meeting concludes. This can¡¯t wait, as it looks like it was already dyed quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we need this to be quick. I¡¯ll provide anything you need, and you will take the lead. Just let me know what you require, I¡¯ll be your support,¡± General Ji stated solemnly to indicate the severity of the situation. Once everyone left, General Ji came clean to Huo Guanchen. ¡°Guanchen, there¡¯s something else you have to know.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Guanchen looked at General Ji, perplexed. ¡°Is it about Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Well, pretty much.¡± General Ji looked around before whispering, ¡°Shaoheng already submitted his marriage request before he went abroad. The military has approved it, along with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check, so she¡¯s already your future daughter-inw. You must try your best to help her with this situation.¡±

    Huo Guanchen froze. ¡°What? Shaoheng is marrying her?! No way? How... can this be?! General Ji, are you joking with me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I joke about something like that?!¡± General Ji was miffed. ¡°No one else knows about this, so you have to keep it a secret, too. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know what Shaoheng would think...¡±

    Huo Guanchen pursed his lips, his mind at a loss. His own son had submitted a marriage request, but he was thest to know. Even General Ji was aware before he was. As with Gu Nianzhi, with her identity of growing up under Shaoheng¡¯s care, what would others think if they got married? But he knew that because she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter, no one would dare or be allowed to gossip. If Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, Huo Guanchen would be rejecting this with all his being. He swallowed his anger and promised General Ji, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, General Ji. I¡¯ll be sure to find the best personnel to investigate the incident using the highest specifications.¡±

    General Ji patted his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. I¡¯m confident that you¡¯ll take care of it.¡± From General Ji¡¯s point of view, it was most appropriate in terms of personal and business reasons to have Huo Gunachen take charge of investigating Gu Nainzhi¡¯s disappearance while Huo Shaoheng was abroad.

    ...

    After the meeting, Huo Guanchen returned to his office and immediately called his private secretary to assign the mission. He didn¡¯t disclose what it was but only told them it was an important mission, so he needed to convene a meeting with all the relevant personnel from the military and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The highest specifications were required, and there would be continuousmunication with the Special Operations Forces in order to arrange for the best rescue operation. Because this was abroad, the Special Ops had a natural advantage.

    With Huo Guanchen¡¯s orders, his personal secretary went to make the arrangements. After nning the topic of the meeting, he took his vehicle to the hospital on the Special Ops base. Gu Xiangwen was being closely guarded there and was treated exclusively by Chen Lie and Ye Zitan. Ye Zitan had even been demoted to the position of nurse to highlight Gu Xiangwen¡¯s importance. Not even General Ji would receive nursing care from Ye Zitan, who was second only to the best doctor in the nation, Chen Lie.

    When Huo Guanchen came to visit Gu Xiangwen, Gu Yanran also happened to be there, because it was the day of the week that she came by to visit. Huo Guanchen brought two personal secretaries with him and nodded to Gu Yanran when he saw her. ¡°Miss Gu.¡±

    Gu Yanran recognized Huo Guanchen as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, who held the rank of general, which was even senior to Huo Shaoheng. She gracefully extended her hand and smiled. ¡°Oh? To what do we owe the honor of having General Huo visit today? We are truly blessed and honored!¡±

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t intend to shake her hand but couldn¡¯t refuse, since she was already offering. He shook it briefly. ¡°Miss Gu is too polite. I¡¯m here to see how your father is doing and ask when he will wake up.¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a question for Dr. Chen and Dr. Ye.¡± As they chatted, Chen Lie and Ye Zitan walked in.

    ¡°Hello Chief.¡± They quickly saluted Huo Guanchen.

    He raised his hand. ¡°Hello Dr. Chen and Dr. Ye.¡± He walked over to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s sickbed to observe for a while and turned to ask Chen Lie standing behind him, ¡°Dr. Chen, when will Mr. Gu wake up?¡±

    Chen Lie spread his palms. ¡°Chief, this is not an easy question to answer. He¡¯s been in a vegetative state for too long, and so many of his bodily functions have atrophied. I have just slightly restored some of his bodily functions, but I wouldn¡¯t know as to when he¡¯ll wake up.¡±

    Huo Guanchen sighed internally but remained outwardly calm. ¡°Ok, I understand. You must try your best to save him, regardless of price.¡±

    Gu Yanran was both touched and uneasy when she heard this. She whispered, ¡°Chief... Chief Huo, Dr. Chen and Dr. Ye are trying their best. It¡¯s not their fault that my father is in such bad condition.¡±

    Huo Guanchen had a good impression of Gu Yanran. She was graceful, and the wealthiest person in her country. The key reason she controlled arge amount of assets at such a young age was because she was understanding. She was too kind to even medical personnel...¡±We should be ashamed that Miss Gu thinks that way.¡± Huo Guanchen looked up slightly and recalled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s incident. ¡°Is Miss Gu free? I need to speak to you about something.¡±

    ¡°I happen to be free today and especially made time toe see my father.¡± Gu Yanran nodded with a smile. ¡°Please, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee with me.¡± Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t want to tell her in front of Chen Lie and Ye Zitan. He knew Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng were close friends, so he was worried that Chen Lie would forgo military conduct and secretly inform Huo Shaoheng. Huo Guanchen absolutely didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mission to impacted by Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Yanran looked around when she noticed Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t want to disclose it there. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Huo Guanchen took her to the main floor of the hospital, and they walked to the empty field in front of the building. Huo Guanchen and Gu Yanran were the only two people standing in the vast space, and in the distant four corners stood Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretaries and guards, who were vigntly checking the surroundings to prevent irrelevant people froming close. In the empty space, Huo Guanchen whispered to Gu Yanran, ¡°Miss Gu, we just received news that your younger sister, Gu Nianzhi, went missing in Germany.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s mouth gaped, and her eyes zed over. ¡°What did you say? Who went missing?¡± She looked at him in confusion like she hadn¡¯t heard correctly.

    ¡°Your sister, Gu Nianzhi.¡± Huo Guanchen slowed his speech and enunciated each word carefully. He looked at her helplessness expression with pity.

    Gu Yanan closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand. When she opened her eyes again, they swirled with tears as she choked, ¡°Oh? How did she go missing?! She¡¯s just a young girl and is so pretty, too. She¡¯s not familiar with Germany. I don¡¯t dare to imagine her fate if she ends up in the hands of those perverts...¡±

    Huo Guanchen quickly said, ¡°No need to be so pessimistic, maybe she¡¯s just stuck somewhere. Let¡¯s say she got her wallet and phone stolen while she was traveling and couldn¡¯t contact anyone for the time being.¡± He continued, ¡°Also, General Ji has personally given orders to have us use the highest specifications with this investigation. He¡¯ll approve all resources and personnel necessary, so everyone in Europe will be sent to Germany to look for her. She¡¯ll be ok.¡±

    Gu Yanran wiped her tears and replied quietly, ¡°Thank you, General Huo. You¡¯re right. My sister has always been a handful, and when we find her, I¡¯ll make sure to scold her so she stops giving people trouble.¡±

    ¡°How is this trouble?¡± Huo Guanchen chuckled heartily. ¡°She¡¯s Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter. Just this fact alone means we will rescue her at any cost. Besides that, your father won¡¯t ept it when he wakes up and sees that we didn¡¯t try our best!¡±

    Gu Yanran sighed. ¡°Thank you and General Ji for your concern. The highest specifications... Oh, Nianzhi is such a lucky girl. Although she¡¯s not my father¡¯s biological daughter, my father has loved her as much as me. He¡¯ll be sure to be grateful when he wakes up.¡±

 Chapter 661 - Even a Hero Is Unable to Win a Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 661: Even a Hero Is Unable to Win a Beauty</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter?! This piece of information was too much. Even someone like Huo Guanchen was taken aback. He could control himself to such an extent because he had been trained so well in the army for many years. Therefore, his sense of self-control was beyond that of others. He did not lose control and let out a scream.

    However, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal some sense of shock on his face. Seeing that Gu Yanran was looking at him curiously, Huo Guanchen clenched his fist and pretended to be coughing. ¡°Miss Gu, you said that Nianzhi isn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter? How... is this possible?¡± He had never known about this before. Huo Shaoheng had never mentioned it to him, not even a word.

    ¡°How is it not?¡± It was Gu Yanran¡¯s turn to be shocked beforeing to a realization. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? I thought Huo Shao or Doctor Chen had already told you!¡± Then she mumbled, ¡°How can it be? No one knew about this? I thought everyone did... Damn. Me and my big mouth...¡± She pped herself, full of guilt.

    However, when Huo Guanchen heard that Huo Shaoheng knew about it, he believed the authenticity of the information, and he immediately understood why Huo Shaoheng wanted to keep it from everyone... Had he not done that, his marriage approval would not have gone through so easily.

    Huo Guanchen had been against it all along. Therefore, he did not know that Huo Shaoheng had already gotten it done... If General Ji had not let the cat out of the bag today, he wouldn¡¯t have known that not only had Huo Shaoheng gotten approval, he had also gotten Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check done! Thetter was the tough one to clear.

    This cunning man! Even though Huo Guanchen was extremely angry, he secretly felt proud of his son, because Huo Shaoheng should be the only person who was able to mess around like that with the management of the military supreme council, and he was his son¡ªhis biological son. Therefore, after knowing about the entire incident, he had no choice but to continue nning for him.

    ¡°I see. So is Nianzhi your father¡¯s daughter? I mean... under thew. Are they considered father and daughter?¡± Huo Guanchen calmed down quickly and asked kindly with a smile on his face, seemingly not perturbed by the information he had heard just now.

    ¡°Oh. Yes, she is. Of course she is my father¡¯s daughter. Definitely so under thew,¡± Gu Yanran said confidently. No one could hide nor deny that. She had no intention of going to that extreme, either.

    ¡°Oh. Then that should be fine,¡± Huo Guanchen said happily. ¡°Even though she isn¡¯t his biological daughter, as long as Mr. Gu loves her like his own, then that¡¯s enough. She is worthy of us using all our resources to rescue her. Thank you and goodbye.¡± With that, Huo Guanchen turned and left. He stood straight and proud as he walked away, and Gu Yanran watched him for a while before leaving as well.

    ...

    Upon returning home feeling gloomy, Gu Yanran saw that Ye Xuan was fiddling with his technical things again. She couldn¡¯t help but want to talk to him. Sitting down, she hugged Ye Xuan¡¯s arm and leaned her head on his shoulders. ¡°Xuan, I¡¯m sad.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Xuan did not even turn around. Fingers flying across the keyboard, he was typing differentmands into theputer. No one knew what he was up to. Maybe he was only enjoying his time using the inte.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I did the right thing today.¡± Gu Yanran looked down in guilt. ¡°Why do you thinkdy luck is always on Nianzhi¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with her?¡± Ye Xuan looked at Gu Yanran. ¡°Given her situation now... You consider her lucky still?¡±

    ¡°Know what? Major General Huo and Major General Ji knew that Gu Nianzhi was missing.¡± Gu Yanran sat up straight and used her hand to support her head on theputer table. ¡°They are going to use the best resources from the country to rescue her, even after finding out that she isn¡¯t my father¡¯s biological daughter.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡± Ye Xuan chuckled. ¡°You think they¡¯ll definitely be able to find her just because they¡¯re going to use the best resources? Why did you tell them that she isn¡¯t Uncle Gu¡¯s biological daughter, though? Must you be the one to do it? Didn¡¯t they already know?¡±

    ¡°I did not do it on purpose.¡± Gu Yanran was extremely troubled. ¡°I really did not do it on purpose... What¡¯s more, that Major General Huo said that they¡¯d still do their best, even if she wasn¡¯t his biological daughter. He also said that as long as my father treated her like his own, it showed something.¡±

    Ye Xuan stopped typing on hisptop and looked up. ¡°To be honest, Major General Huo was right. Remember you used toin to me that Uncle Gu loved Nianzhi more?¡± He turned around to hug Gu Yanran. ¡°Remember how I used tofort you?¡±

    Gu Yanran blushed.

    Of course she remembers. Ye Xuan told her, ¡°You have me.¡±

    It was that night after he told he that, that she... Gave herself to him...

    ¡°Xuan, I¡¯m so lucky that I still have you.¡± Gu Yanran returned the hug.

    ...

    Huo Guanchen returned to his office and thought about the incident from the beginning. Eventually, he picked up the phone and called General Ji. ¡°General Ji, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t know if you know.¡± Huo Guanchen sighed. ¡°Nianzhi isn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter.¡±

    ¡°Ah?! She isn¡¯t?!¡± General Ji¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Who told you this?! You cannot say things like that just because! What era are we in now? You say she isn¡¯t, and we have to believe you?! Have you tested their DNA?!¡±

    Laughing bitterly, Huo Guanchen continued, ¡°Precisely because we¡¯re in this era, and there¡¯s DNA tests. We don¡¯t believe what people say just like that, therefore, people don¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°What?! But when they brought Gu Xiangwen back from Barbados, they also said that they had evidence that Nianzhi was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter!¡± General Ji stood up. ¡°What on earth is going on?!¡±

    When General Ji said that, Huo Guanchen was confused as well. However, upon realizing that it could be his son who was being tricky, he understood. Chuckling, he replied, ¡°Perhaps we were mistaken? They said that they had evidence to prove that Nianzhi was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, but did not specify that she was his biological daughter. I¡¯ve asked Gu Yanran, and she confirmed it. Nianzhi is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s adopted daughter.¡±

    With official documents to support the adoption process, of course she was officially Gu Xiangwen¡¯s adopted daughter. He had to put it that way instead of saying that Huo Shaoheng was mistaken or was intentionally trying to hide information. At most, it would be a case of mimunication...

    General Ji¡¯s brows furrowed. How could Huo Shaoheng not mention such an important thing to me? What is this guy up to?

    However, he had to confirm this first, that Gu Yanran was telling the truth, before making any decisions. Moreover, General Ji was thinking about something even deeper. He believed that Huo Shaoheng would never keep it from him forever. When he got what he wanted, he would definitelye clean with General Ji. However, he was ufortable with being kept in the dark by the person he had trained. Moreover, if he had known that Gu Nianzhi was only Gu Xiangwen¡¯s adopted daughter, he wouldn¡¯t have helped Huo Shaoheng pass Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check so eagerly.

    Now that everything was done, General Ji realized that he had been tricked... He couldn¡¯t exin what he was feeling. He really admired Huo Shaoheng for this, but at the same time, he was extremely furious. How could this guy hide things from me because of a girl?! He couldn¡¯t allow things like that to continue. Just like a gardener who had put a lot of effort into his garden, when he realized that the tree he had put in so much effort to grow had grown nted, what would he do? Of course, he would take a clipper and snap it away!

    One would need effort to groom a sessor in order to benefit the people below. However, it was really tough to find a suitable candidate! General Ji made up his mind as he was brooding over this.

    Since Huo Shaoheng cared about Gu Nianzhi so much that he could hide important information from his superior, General Ji, General Ji had decided to take note of how influential Gu Nianzhi might be to him.

    Since the olden days, even heroes were unable to resist a beauty. However, Huo Shaoheng had to ovee this. Even if he were to kill the beauty, Huo Shaoheng had to ovee this! Just take it to be a lesson for Huo Shaoheng this time around and a wake up call to Gu Nianzhi, that the most important thing to Huo Shaoheng should be the country and the army. Not a woman, not her! As for Huo Shaoheng, I¡¯ve got to let you remember this as well. Then I¡¯ll see if you¡¯ll still dare to hide things from me!

    However, General Ji also knew that this matter could not be blown out of proportion. If it was, it wouldn¡¯t be just him being unhappy. The entire management of the Supreme Council would be furious and rece Huo Shaoheng with someone of their own in a matter of seconds. Albeit capable, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t have made it this far had General Ji not presented him with all the opportunities to go on missions and to prove himself.

    Just within the short time that Huo Guanchen was informing General Ji of the information, he had already run the entire incident in his head a couple times and had made up his mind on the attitude that he wished to portray.

    After Huo Guanchen was done, General Ji chuckled. ¡°I see. He doted on her more than his biological daughter. This is interesting. Sometimes, indeed, one¡¯s adopted parents are closer than biological ones. Maybe it applies to Nianzhi as well. Hahaha... oh, I have a calling in. I¡¯ll answer that now. I¡¯ll call you again, Guanchen.¡±

    Seeing that General Ji did not seem to mind, Huo Guanchen breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried whether General Ji would begin to suspect Huo Shaoheng after this incident, as the importance of this was rather subjective. However, it seemed like General Ji wanted this to be as quietly resolved as possible. Right now, those were Huo Guanchen¡¯s exact sentiments as well.

    At this juncture, Huo Guanchen and General Ji both were taken aback at one piece of information. They had not expected Gu Nianzhi to have reached that level of importance in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart. They had thought that Huo Shaoheng was willing to marry Gu Nianzhi because of the benefits of the nation...

    It seemed otherwise now.

    Since his son was grown up, it was good to have his preference. However, focusing too much on rtionships wasn¡¯t what a man should be doing. Huo Guanchen hung up and looked at his rescue n. After contemting, he struck out ¡°highest rank of importance¡± and reced it with ¡°middle rank of importance.¡±

    Had he not been considering that Huo Shaoheng might be unable to pull himself together if anything were to happen to Gu Nianzhi, Huo Guanchen wouldn¡¯t even use ¡°middle rank of importance¡± on her. He was extremely tempted to just make a call to the Hua Xia Empire Embassy based in Munich and inform them not to do anything drastic, that Gu Nianzhi was merely a normal citizen. All they had to do was to get the local police to investigate, as they were unable to interfere with the governing in another country, yada yada...

    Of course, he was merely toying with the idea. Had he really done that, the already horrible rtionship between Huo Shaoheng and himself would be thoroughly ruined.

    And their rtionship was already on the rocks.

    ...

    Upon ending the call with Huo Guanchen, General Ji looked at the profile of the three Gu family members. He summoned his personal secretary, Secretary Cao. ¡°The Gu¡¯s family profile doesn¡¯t have DNA reports. Get them from Chen Lie.¡±

    Secretary Cao knew that the profiles of the families that the army deemed important all had to have DNA reports. This was to prevent people from changing their appearance and being unable to support their identity.

    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll give him a call immediately and see if Doctor Chen has them.¡± Secretary Cao nodded, noting the task. After Secretary Cao exited the room, he picked up his ck mobile phone and called the Special Forces Headquarters. General Ji had only hung up the call just now with an excuse so that he could get someone to check on the truth.

    Picking up the phone, Secretary Cao said politely, ¡°Front desk, I am Secretary Cao from the first office of Special Forces. Please connect me to Doctor Chen Lie. I have something to confirm with him.¡±

    The front desk secretary was so shocked that she did not even dare to breathe. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± she replied breathlessly. She called Chen Lie¡¯s office, but the person who answered the call was Ye Zitan.

    ¡°Doctor Ye, is Doctor Chen in?¡± the front desk secretary asked urgently.

    ¡°Doctor Chen is currently doing an experiment and is unable to leave it at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?¡± Ye Zitan smiled.

    The front deskdy sounded disappointed. ¡°But General is waiting to speak to Doctor Chen!¡±

    ¡°The General? Which one?¡± Ye Zitan was worried now. ¡°We cannot make the General wait too long...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Secretary Cao from the first office of Special Forces,¡± the front deskdy replied quickly, not wanting Secretary Cao to wait even longer.

    ¡°Oh? Connect him, then. I¡¯ll speak to him,¡± Ye Zitan replied quickly and sat down in Chen Lie¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Sure. Please hold on.¡± The role of the front desk officer was merely to connect phone calls. Of course, whether or not Secretary Cao wanted to speak to Ye Zitan was entirely up to him.

    She put Ye Zitan on hold and asked Secretary Cao, ¡°Sir, Doctor Chen is currently doing an experiment and is unable to leave it alone at the moment, but Doctor Ye Zitan said that you could ask her anything you needed confirmation with.¡± To the front desk officers, the secretaries of major generals were major generals as well.

    Upon contemtion that Ye Zitan was Chen Lie¡¯s assistant and was also one of the main doctors caring for Gu Xiangwen, Secretary Cao nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll speak to Doctor Ye.¡±

    The front desk officer connected the calls.

 Chapter 662 - Find Her in No Time

    <h4>Chapter 662: Find Her in No Time</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Chief.¡± Ye Zitan immediately stood up in salute when she picked up.

    ¡°Dr. Ye?¡± Secretary Cao could sense Ye Zitan¡¯s tension and rigidity, so he chuckled. ¡°I wanted to ask Dr. Chen something. I¡¯m not sure if you know?¡±

    ¡°Please ask. If you¡¯d like, I¡¯ll be sure to inform you of everything and anything I know.¡± Ye Zitan saw that there was no one else in the office, so she began twirling the phone cord around her finger to calm down.

    ¡°Ok, so there aren¡¯t any DNA records for the three Gu¡¯s in the archives. I wanted to ask if Dr. Chen had them. If he does, can he please deliver a copy to the No. 1 Military Building here?¡±

    Ye Zitan quickly replied, ¡°We did make a record. It¡¯s not in the archives for the Gu¡¯s? Dr. Chen already sent it over? Oh, but he didn¡¯t directly deliver it to General Ji. He gave it to Huo Shao...¡±

    Secretary Cao¡¯s mind began to work when he could sense Ye Zitan was implying that even if there was a fault, then it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s and not Chen Lie¡¯s. But what rtionship did Huo Shaoheng and General Ji have? It wasn¡¯t one easily affected by hearsay from a minor doctor. Secretary Caoughed. ¡°Oh, perhaps there was an error. No problem, you can deliver another copy to us as long as you have the records.¡± Secretary Cao considered it and then decided to remind her, ¡°Once Chen Lie has finished his experiment, have him personally deliver them to the No. 1 Military Building and give them directly to me. Thank you, Dr. Ye.¡± He hung up.

    Ye Zitan set down the phone with a quiet sigh. Her head half hanging, she felt some guilt. But this guilt was nothingpared to the medical studies she pursued. She wanted to be the top doctor in the nation and surpass even Chen Lie. However, she had limited talent and came from amon background, so she didn¡¯t have Gu Nianzhi¡¯s luck and had to entirely rely on herself. She¡¯d create her own luck if she started with none! Turning on herputer, Ye Zitan read about a groundbreaking breakthrough in a certain virus research that someone had sent her and waspletely spellbound.

    ...

    Chen Lie came out after finishing the experiment, and Ye Zitan immediately shut down herputer as she said to him, ¡°Dr. Chen, there was a call from General Ji¡¯s Secretary Cao. He asked you to deliver a copy of the DNA records for the three Gu¡¯s. He said it was for the archives.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s heart sank, because he knew right away that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background couldn¡¯t be concealed anymore. He and Huo Shaoheng had been half purposely hiding the fact that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter in order to wait and see once she received even more guarantees. The ideal scenario was that she would marry Huo Shaoheng before this truth was revealed. But now it seemed like it could no longer be hidden. Who was the big mouth that leaked this? Chen Lie stayed quiet as he solemnly took out the DNA reports for the three Gu¡¯s and ced them in a red ¡°Top Secret¡± file. He called several armed soldiers from the Special Operations Forces over to escort him to General Ji¡¯s No. 1 Military Building.

    ...

    General Ji did not appear as if anything was amiss. He sat alone in his office for half an hour without reading a single word of the document in front of him. He didn¡¯t believe for a second that Chen Lie didn¡¯t perform a DNA test on Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi. He also didn¡¯t believe that Huo Shaoheng was unaware of this. When he thought about it, he carefully recalled that Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie already seemed to know Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter when they went to Barbados to retrieve Gu Xiangwen.

    The evidence they had was the result ofparing the DNA and dental records of Gu Nianzhi and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s youngest daughter, instead ofparing the results against Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA. In that case, how did they know that Nianzhi was adopted? How did they know to prove that she was adopted? The legal documents seemed to be from a long time ago. How did Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie know? Numerous questions swirled around General Ji¡¯s head, and he began to feel even more suspicious. Soon after, Secretary Cao came in to report, ¡°Chief, Dr. Chen Lie is here. He has brought the DNA reports for the three Gu¡¯s.¡±

    General Ji waved his hand. ¡°Have hime in.¡±

    Chen Lie carried the red file stamped ¡°Top Secret¡± as he anxiously walked inside. Standing before General Ji¡¯s desk, he reached out to push up the round sses on his nose. His fat face was so sweaty, it gleamed like grease. General Ji also remained silent and sat behind the desk as he peered up at him over his reading sses. The heavy pressure was enough to send Chen Lie¡¯s heart leaping out of his throat, but he forced himself to stand with a straight back and didn¡¯t buckle under General Ji¡¯s re. After a long moment, General Ji pointed to the chair in front of his desk. ¡°Sit.¡±

    Chen Lie secretly sighed in relief and set the red folder on General Ji¡¯s desk. ¡°Chief, this is the information you requested. I confess, this was my fault. I should¡¯ve given these reports to Huo Shao earlier, but I was so busy with work that I forgot. By the time I remembered, Huo Shao had already left on his mission. I nned to give it to him when he returned. I didn¡¯t expect you to think of it already. It¡¯s all my fault. Please punish me!¡±

    General Ji looked at Chen Lie and said gravely, ¡°It¡¯s only your fault? You forgot to exin how Shaoheng would forget, as meticulous as he is. Are you protecting him or setting him up?¡± Chen Lie still dared to cover this up for Huo Shaoheng... Though it was honorable of Chen Lie to not betray Huo Shaoheng, ying tricks in front of his superior was also an unwise decision.

    General Ji remained solemn as he took the red file Chen Lie had set down on the desk. Opening it, he removed the three DNA reports to read. All three records were excellent and contained detailed data and clearparisons as well as medical terminology apanied with professional interpretation, so even ayman was able to clearly understand it. Gu Nianzhi really wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, while Gu Yanran was.

    General Ji couldn¡¯t help recalling how Gu Yanran had clearly asked for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s protection when she first contacted them... At the time, if they had known Gu Yanran was the biological daughter of the owner of the blueprints, there was no way they would¡¯ve rejected her like that. It could be said that she was unlucky, or maybe Gu Nianzhi was lucky and blessed!

    After General Ji finished reading them, he didn¡¯t say much and ced all three records back into the file. Resealing it, he put his own red seal on the front before calling an internal line to have Secretary Cao take the file. ¡°Take it to the archives. It¡¯s Level 1 confidentiality.¡±

    Secretary Cao took it with both hands and walked out smiling. General Ji began to question Chen Lie. ¡°Where did you get the evidence to go find Gu Xiangwen in Barbados?¡±

    Chen Lie choked and began to mutter, ¡°That you¡¯ll have to ask Huo Shao. I really don¡¯t know. I went because Huo Shao asked me, and I investigated what he asked me to. The only thing I forgot was to remind him to archive the three reports.¡±

    ¡°Haha, fine. You can go now. Ask Secretary Cao toe back in.¡± General Ji removed his reading sses and rubbed his eyes. ¡°I still have business. I¡¯ll call you in for a meeting when Shaoheng is back.¡± This tant disregard for discipline and conduct must be rooted out!

    Chen Lie left with his head hung low and ran into Secretary Cao at the door. Secretary Cao smiled at him before entering General Ji¡¯s office. ¡°Chief, Dr. Chen appeared very disheartened just now..¡± Secretary Cao sat down with a smile. ¡°Did you scold him? It actually wasn¡¯t Dr. Chen¡¯s fault. Dr. Ye told me that Chen Lie forgot to give the records to Huo Shao. Huo Shao must¡¯ve been too busy and was in a hurry to go abroad, so he didn¡¯t get to submit them in time.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Young people always learn the hard way. I¡¯ll teach them a lesson!¡± General Jiughed ruefully and took out a document. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know what kind of rtionship he has with Shaoheng? Go, distribute these documents first. Keep a close eye on the Special Ops. We can¡¯t have another power rise up from within. Right now, Shaoheng is away, so we have to be wary of people causing trouble.¡± Someone had already dared to gossip about Huo Shaoheng to General Ji. When the cat¡¯s away, the mice will y!

    Secretary Cao quickly rose. ¡°The Chief is right. The Special Ops can¡¯t fall into chaos while Huo Shao is gone.¡± He picked up the document from General Ji and went off to arrange the work.

    General Ji then remembered the earlier call and dialed Huo Guanchen. ¡°Guanchen, this situation is neither minor or serious. How about this, we must find Nianzhi, and we will continue using the highest specifications in order to find her as soon as possible. When necessary, we can use all our strength in Germany to rescue her.¡±

    Huo Guanchen stiffened. He had just lowered the specifications, but General Ji was still insisting they use the highest... He assumed that their target had always been Gu Xiangwen, so Gu Nianzhi was still a shortcut to him, just like how it always had been. But Gu Xiangwen was already moved to the Hua Xia Empire, and his biological daughter, Gu Yanran, also followed him here. Gu Nianzhi was no longer as important.

    Truthfully speaking, if it wasn¡¯t for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship with Huo Shaoheng, Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t even want to send Hua Xia personnel to look for her in Germany. He would only have had the embassy urge the local police to do the searching. He didn¡¯t expect General Ji to insist on using the highest specifications, but he certainly wouldn¡¯t argue. Huo Guanchen could only obey all his superior¡¯s orders unconditionally.

    General Ji stated severely, ¡°This must be kept confidential! I¡¯ll execute anyone who dares to let Shaoheng know!¡±

    Huo Guanchen finally sighed in relief. Although he was still unhappy, he was feeling a lot better than before. As long as it didn¡¯t affect his son, who even cared if Gu Nianzhi survived or not? She wasn¡¯t even Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter, and Huo Guanchen thought that Gu Yanran was just being polite when she said how Gu Xiangwen treated his adopted daughter better than his biological one. What idiot would believe it!? Setting down the phone, Huo Guanchen revised his nned course of action once again and sent it to his subordinates to execute.

    ...

    In order to truly execute the operation, they had to rely on the Special Ops. Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze were all away, so the mainmanding officer within the Special Ops was a Deputy Commander. He received Huo Guanchen¡¯smand and learned of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance, so their personnel must assist. He stiffened and immediately had his subordinates investigate. ¡°We used to have a tracking device on Gu Nianzhi. Go check if it¡¯s still working.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used to enjoy the highest level of security measures, so not only did Special Ops personnel secretly protect her, but Huo Shaoheng had also prepared a top tier satellite tracking system on her. As long as the device didn¡¯t leave Gu Nianzhi, they would find her in no time. The Special Ops personnel who used to be in charge of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security immediately checked the memo and found the device¡¯s frequency and code in order to input it into the Special Op¡¯s central control system. Using the superputer, they could connect with the Hua Xia-invented Nandou Satellite Tracking and Navigational System. This system had twice the uracy of the European Copernicus System and the American GPS.

    In the following day and night, the personnel at the Special Op¡¯s central controlputer busied themselves using the Nandou Satellite¡¯s designated channels to change its orbit over Europe and target the Munich area, because they knew that was where Gu Nianzhist appeared. With that location as a starting point, they began expanding the search in all directions in order to locate her. After the sessful orbital change, they still had toplete many calctions and use various feedback data to undergo analysis and simtion. Finally, on the following night, which was evening in Germany, a small red dot glowed on their locating map. It was weak in the beginning, but as the operating personnel increased the signal strength transmitted by the satellite in the area, it finally began to grow brighter and brighter.

    ¡°Chief, look at that location. Why isn¡¯t it in Munich but near Berlin?¡± The researcher in charge of data analysis was perplexed. He looked at it over and over again. Wasn¡¯t this location too far from Munich? They had received reports that Gu Nianzhi went missing near Munich. Could she have gone to Berlin? Also, was the tracking device even her on person?

    The leader of the central data control team looked at the coordinates obtained by the researcher and mused, ¡°Send this location to our field personnel in Germany. Have them go check it out. We will send two people over to meet them.¡± ording to regtions, personnel going on missions must undergo body checks at the Special Op¡¯s infirmary. Everyone knew they would be going on missions but also understood that these weren¡¯t questions that could be asked, so no one asked anything they shouldn¡¯t.

    Ye Zitan brought a vine chart over and asked, ¡°ording to regtions, we must check if you¡¯ve had these vines before going on missions. Take a look, check the ones you already have. If you haven¡¯t...¡± She paused. ¡°Different ces require different vines. I don¡¯t know where you¡¯re going, so you must rely on yourselves.¡±

 Chapter 663 - Your Darling

    <h4>Chapter 663: Your Darling</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    For example, if they were to go to South Africa, they would need more immunizations, like yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, tetanus, Cholera, and Eb. If they were to go to Central or South America, on top of all the shots mentioned for South Africa, they would also require immunizations for cerebrospinal meningitis, measles, mumps, and chicken pox. However, if they were to go to more developed areas like Europe or North America, they would require fewer immunizations, but mumps, measles and rube were definitely necessary.

    The two staff members looked at the brochure Ye Zitan had given them, pointed at the column with mumps, measles, and rube, and said, ¡°I think we have taken these before. Could doctor Ye please check if we have developed antibodies to these?¡±

    Even though one had been injected with immunizations, it did not necessarily mean that they would work. It wasmon knowledge. For example, some people had the immunization for hepatitis B many times, but they still contracted the disease, as they did not have antibodies to it.

    Ye Zitan immediately understood where the staff members were going. Her heart skipped a beat, but she did not say anything as she began doing blood tests and physical exams for them.

    After checking that they had indeed developed antibodies to the diseases, Ye Zitan approved their health checkups and sent them out. After they were gone, Ye Zitan sent a text message to a number. ¡°Praying Mantis is beginning operation. They should know where Cicada is.¡±

    Just when they were going crazy, they were ted upon receiving Ye Zitan¡¯s message. ¡°Please report on Cicada¡¯s location,¡± they replied.

    This was tough for Ye Zitan. No matter how bright she was, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get to the central control system of the Special Forces. Therefore, she could only reply, ¡°Follow Praying Mantis,¡± and send them the pictures of the two staff members just now. It meant to follow the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s tracking satellite by following the two men.

    ...

    Chen Lie sat in his office alone, smoking. Smoke filled the air and caused Ye Zitan to choke and cough the moment she entered. She waved her hands in front of her mouth and nose in an attempt to fan some smoke away and said, ¡°Doctor Chen, won¡¯t you set off the smoke rm by smoking like that here? What, did the rms fail or something?¡±

    ¡°I turned them off,¡± Chen Lie said gloomily. Turning around, he saw Ye Zitan¡¯s look of concern, and his spirits lifted instantaneously. Putting out his cigarette, he raised his hands, smiling. ¡°Okay! I¡¯m not smoking anymore!¡±

    Ye Zitan walked over gently and tidied his ashtray while attempting to console him. ¡°Doctor Chen, this isn¡¯t all your fault. You told Mr. Huo, but he wanted to hide it from the higher ups...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chen Lie did not expect Ye Zitan to be speaking up for him and stopped her quickly. Even though he felt warm in his heart, he knew the seriousness of the matter and did not want to betray Huo Shaoheng like that.

    Ye Zitan blushed with embarrassment at his harshness. She put down the ashtray and said chokingly, with tears in her eyes, ¡°Please calm down, Doctor Chen. I¡¯ll go now...¡± With that, she left the office hastily, wiping tears off her face.

    Chen Lie panicked. However, he realized that Ye Zitan increased her pace as he attempted to chase after her. He was embarrassed to continue chasing her, so he returned to his office, sighing, and locked himself in. Moreover, he and Huo Shaoheng had something more important that they were keeping from the higher ups. This was what was worrying him. When he thought of this, his heart sank. Picking his phone up, he decided to call Ye Zitan.

    Ye Zitan only answered the call after a while. ¡°I¡¯m sorry doctor Chen, it¡¯s my fault. You were right to reprimand me.¡± Her voice was still shaky. The chances of her crying just now were high.

    Chen Lie felt even guiltier now. He softened his tone and stammered, ¡°Doc... Doctor Ye... It was my fault just now. I should not haveshed out at you... Please don¡¯t be upset...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry...¡± Ye Zitan sighed. ¡°I have to go through my materials now, Doctor Chen. Do you have anything else for me?¡±

    Even though Chen Lie had had a crush on Ye Zitan for a rather long while, he hadn¡¯t been able to figure out how tomunicate effectively with her in order to let her know his feelings. Disappointed, he hung up and closed his eyes, putting the matter to the back of his mind.

    He began pondering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background. This involved Gu Nianzhi; he had to let her know beforehand. At least, she had to know how much Huo Shaoheng had to go through just for her! Thisrade of his did so much for her but did not let her know. How could he?

    However, Chen Lie dialed many times but was unable to get through. He only managed to get the message, ¡°The number you¡¯ve just dialed is not within the area of service.¡± Chen Lie red at his phone, pissed, like he was trying his utmost to see through it so that he could figure out what on earth went wrong. He could not get through to Gu Nianzhi no matter how he tried.

    This is weird. Huo Shaoheng is out on a mission. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze are out on missions as well. Who can I call? Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi don¡¯t seem to be on really good terms. Should I ask her? Maybe I should just wait...

    He shoved his phone back into his coat pocket with his stubby fingers on his chubby hand and stopped trying to call Gu Nianzhi, deciding to immerse his attention in research instead.

    ...

    It had been about ten days since Gu Nianzhi hade with Reinitz to this vi in the capital of Germany, Berlin. September was almost over, and October was arriving. It was autumn. The suburbs of Berlin had maple trees, and the leaves were turning red. All the daisies in the greenery were blooming beautifully. They were a mixture of blue, purple, pink, while, and light green, and they added life to the otherwise boring greenery by attracting different types of butterflies and bees. The weather was great¡ªit was neither too warm nor too cold. It was almost the best season of the year.

    Gu Nianzhi, however, was losing weight rapidly, and it was obvious even to the naked eye. She ate a good amount daily and did not exercise. Logically, she should be putting on weight. However, it was the total opposite for her.

    Reinitz knew that Gu Nianzhi did not have a good night¡¯s sleep whenever he saw her with dark eye circles in the morning. She was here physically, but her heart was somewhere else. Therefore, her mental state was bad. She was like a walking zombie and was even showing signs of anorexia.

    Reinitz was extremely worried about her health, and he got a doctor to check on her on a weekly basis. As long as there was no mention of drawing blood, Gu Nianzhi would cooperate nicely with the doctor. Reinitz would stand by to ensure no doctors dared to mention that.

    ...

    The doctor stated, ¡°Cereus¡¯ vital signs are normal. There are no signs of her being anorexic, Reinitz.¡± Then the doctor asked, confused, ¡°From the symptoms you¡¯ve described, she does look anorexic, but does she have the most important symptom of vomiting after eating?¡± That was the ssic symptom of anorexia¡ªvomiting immediately after an intake of food, like it was the body¡¯s natural reaction. Therefore, the body was not getting the nutrients it needed to survive and would therefore lose weight rapidly.

    Reinitz was struck dumb. After thinking about it carefully, Gu Nianzhi really did not have the symptoms of throwing up after meals. She ate a huge amount of food at each meal, and she ate slowly, too. The only way to know that she was alive everyday was probably just during mealtimes.

    However, she wasn¡¯t throwing up. Therefore, it showed that it was not very likely that she was anorexic. Or rather, her rapid weight loss was due to something else. As for the real reason, Reinitz knew best.

    ...

    Als came to ¡°spy¡± again in the evening. Reinitz brought him to the neighborhood to take a walk. They walked along the path covered with maple leaves and discussed Gu Nianzhi. Als was wearing his Bluetooth earpiece as he walked, so as to keep in contact with his people. After a while, he stopped abruptly and asked, ¡°What does she want to do?¡±

    The men keeping watch on Gu Nianzhi said through the earpiece, ¡°Miss Gu attempted to leave the house at the fence at the backyard...¡±

    Als was speechless.

    Reinitz turned to look at him, puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Als turned to him mockingly. ¡°Your darling wants to escape.¡±

    Reinitz fell silent for a while. After that, he mumbled, ¡°So many of your men are watching her. How would she be able to escape?¡±

    Als chuckled and shook his head. He was in an extremely good mood as he whistled. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tricks only seemed funny to him. He did not even worry about her.

    Reinitz looked at Als calmly and said, ¡°Actually, by locking her up like that, she will die. Can¡¯t you tell? Even if you don¡¯t kill her, she¡¯s letting go. Is such a person someone you¡¯d want?¡±

    Als was taken aback. ¡°What do you mean? Let me tell you...¡±

    Reinitz cut him off as he turned around in the direction of the vi. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it? She¡¯s losing weight too rapidly and bing weaker.¡± When they had just met her, even though she was skinny, she could still say emphatically that she had a D-sized cup...

    What about now? She merely sat there like the most beautiful sculpture. Even her eyeballs did not move.

    ¡°So what? Didn¡¯t the doctor say that she wasn¡¯t anorexic?¡± Als couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Are you sick in the head or something?! Don¡¯t tell me what you¡¯re up to?!¡±

    Reinitz smiled. However, that smile was anything but happy. It was like a crack in a porcin sculpture. It opened up, and you could see the dark inside.

    Their voices were low. On the maple leaf-covered pavement, one could only see the confused look on Als¡¯s face and Reinitz looking as cold as ice.

    After a while, they continued walking. Reinitz nced at him. ¡°Alright. What can I do? You¡¯re thinking too much... The chrysanthemums over there have bloomed. Aren¡¯t those your favorite? Do you want to take a look?¡± The bright hues of wild chrysanthemums made them look like little suns, and they were even more eye-catching when they were seen bathed in rays of sunlight. There were fields of wild chrysanthemums on the hillside near his ce, and Als loved looking at them.

    ¡°Oh? Then we really have to take a look. They weren¡¯t in bloom a couple of days ago when I went.¡± Als smiled and followed Reinitz to the valley that he liked.

    Als beamed like a child as they entered the valley filled with wild chrysanthemums. Looking ahead, the slopes were filled with the pretty little yellow flowers as well. With that smile, it was hard to imagine that it was the same person who had been so cunning just a moment before.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had long noticed the trend for the past fortnight that Als had been visiting more frequently. Each time he was there, both of them would go out for a walk for about 30 minutes to an hour. While they were gone, the men that Reinitz ordered to keep watch over the vi would be a lot fewer, all because they went off with Als. Als was an important figure with a high position, so he had many bodyguards with him.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that this was an opportunity not to be missed. That evening, Als was there again. He looked gloomy. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Reinitz suggested drinking. They went to the living room. Reinitz prepared bratwurst sausages and pork knuckles. They began with beers first, then wine, and finally, vodka.

    Albeit slightly drunk, their eyes sparkled. Als was a talkative drunk. Therefore, he rambled on, but no one understood a thing he was saying. Reinitz was a calm drunk. He looked at Als as he smiled gently, and his gaze was especially gentle when his eyesnded on Gu Nianzhi. It was so gentle that Gu Nianzhi felt her heart flutter. It was like he was caressing her with his gaze.

    Unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t paying much attention. She was contemting whether Reinitz was truly drunk or if he was merely pretending...

    After staying with him for so many days, they understood each other fairly well. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t a fool. Reinitz was a capable person. Even if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think much of Als, she wouldn¡¯t do the same to Reinitz.

    She also understood that even though Als said that Reinitz would be implicated if she were to run away, there was a high chance that it might not be true. Judging from the friendship between Reinitz and Als, nothing would happen to Reinitz. Even if he did something extremely illegal, Als would cover up for him. He wasn¡¯t the type who would betray his buddy.

    Of course, this was only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s assumption. As for whether it would really happen, she would need time to prove her theory. She had nned for a long time and intended to use her escape to prove this theory once and for all, and see if Als would lock Reinitz up. If he didn¡¯t, she could leave in peace. If Als was really so heartless, then she couldn¡¯t bring herself to see Reinitz get implicated as well. From Huo Shaoheng¡¯s information, Gu Nianzhi knew only too well how scary the ¡°Geheime Staatspolizei¡± were from that time.

    Today seemed like a good opportunity. Gu Nianzhi sat beside Reinitz and poured him drinks continuously. Reinitz¡¯s clear blue eyes really looked as clear as a pond. He looked at her lovingly, as though he wouldn¡¯t see her again. Gu Nianzhi finally felt that her earlobes were burning from his stare.

    Raising her arm instinctively and tilting her head, she rubbed her earlobe to cool it down. The diamond stud on her earlobe shimmered beautifully under the chandelier¡¯s light. Then, it seemed like there was a faint red light inside the stud.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi did not see that. However, Reinitz noticed it. He squinted his clear blue eyes but still looked at her gently. He reached out slowly and rubbed her earlobe.

    Gu Nianzhi shied away. Covering her earlobe, she grumbled, ¡°Why did you touch my ear?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobes were her sensitive spots. Moreover, Reinitz had great strength. To him, it was just a rub. However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobe was already red.

    Reinitz put his hand down. That soft and silky texture lingered on his fingers. He felt suffocated and wiped his fingers continuously on his pants, like he wanted to get rid of that texture. He was really drunk. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t dare to do the thing he had always wanted to do¡ªrub her earlobes.

 Chapter 664 - Escape

    <h4>Chapter 664: Escape</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    However, even though Reinitz was truly drunk, he was not a typical drunk. He didn¡¯t confuse people he knew, but he did lose a bit of self control with his actions. For example, he used his fingers to do what he always wanted, which was to rub Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobes. But then he felt it was wrong and desperately wiped his hands on his pants...

    Gu Nianzhi coldly assessed Reinitz and Als¡¯ expressions to ensure they were actually drunk before pouring them another ss. ¡°Enjoy drinking, I¡¯m going to bed now.¡±

    It was actually only 8pm, and Gu Nianzhi never slept that early. However, Reinitz didn¡¯t say anything and just watched her leave. Raising his wine ss, he downed the entire thing with his eyes open. He finally realized what Gu Nianzhi had served him when he finished it. It was abination of beer, wine, and vodka. The ratio was meticulous, so not only was the drink high in alcoholic content, but it also knocked someone out easily. He syed out on the dining table after finishing it. His head was spinning, and he was unable to get up. Right before he lost consciousness, he thought about how he had underestimated Gu Nianzhi...

    Meanwhile, Als had lost control of his body and was dancing in the dining room as he sang his favorite musical, ¡°The Magic Flute.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room. Although she appeared very calm, her heart was hammering like a drum. She quickly packed all her personal belongings and quietly sat on the window bay to allow the peaceful night scenery calm her down. After a while, she pretended to be thirsty and silently crept downstairs to get water. As expected, Reinitz was passed out drunk while Als hugged the wine bottle as he continued to sing the musical. Gu Nianzhi smiled then went outside to wave at two of Als¡¯ guards. They came over when they saw here out and asked, ¡°Where is Miss Gu going?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Your chief is drunk, and the house reeks of alcohol.¡± She then pointed to the door. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a look? Your chief is so drunk, he¡¯s singing a musical...¡±

    Hahahaha! The two young guards were amused by Gu Nianzhi and went inside to look. ¡°Then we¡¯ll be escorting Mr. Als home. Goodnight, Miss Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Goodnight, you take care.¡± She waited for the two guards to help Als into the small car and drive away before going back inside the house.

    Reinitz was still drunk in the living room. He slept deeply with his brows furrowed and one hand balled into a fist pressed under his chin. His entire body was so tense, it looked like he was having a nightmare. Gu Niazhi felt very conflicted. She looked at Reinitz for a while and quietly went upstairs to put on her Hermes bag and bundle up the nun¡¯s habit from the nunnery. She had wrapped some bread and muffins in stic wrap to put inside the habit and nned to eat them on the way. Looking back at the room she had stayed in a dozen days, she then pulled the wool nket off of her bed to take downstairs.

    When she arrived to the dining room, she gently covered Reinitz with it. It waste September, and Berlin was beginning to feel chilly. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want Reinitz to sleep on the table like that all night because he might get sick. She got up and looked back at the house one more time before quickly leaving. When she came out the front door, she gently closed it and strode onto the maple tree-lined path outside.

    In the night, she walked alone and thought about how she¡¯d quite like this ce if she wasn¡¯t under house arrest... Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She recalled how the beginning of her life with Huo Shao was simr to her time with Reintiz. She hadn¡¯t had any freedom to go anywhere. But the difference was that she had beenpletely willing to follow at Huo Shao¡¯s heels at the time, because she only felt safe around him. Not only would she never sneak away, she probably wouldn¡¯t leave even if he kicked her out, unlike her current situation of using all these methods to escape. It was because she didn¡¯t want to be under house arrest.

    Why had she changed? Was it because she had grown up? As she considered it, she keenly sensed someone was following her. This was expected, since she never thought a few bottles of wine to inebriate those two men would mean she could escape. There were so many guards and spies watching her, how could sneak out alone? So, she had another brilliant n. She walked further up and turned a corner to get to the intersection. This was a forked road, and there typically was no traffic since Reinitz¡¯s vi was in a remote location. It took more than an hour to walk to the nearest bar, but this forked road would be a blindspot for the people following her. As long as she sneaked inside, the people behind her wouldn¡¯t see how she disappeared. They would only assume she had walked ahead and turned a corner, so they would immediately chase after her.

    She had noticed this ce when she went out for a walk with Reinitz one time. She hadn¡¯t said anything and only remembered it for herself. This time, everything went as she had nned. Soon after she ducked inside, two strapping white men in casual clothes quickly ran past the road ahead. They stood at the forked road to quickly make a call, then each man took off in a different direction.

    Gu Nianzi waited for them to leave beforeing out and running towards the bar. She hadn¡¯t run in many days, and all the food she had eaten recently hadn¡¯t been absorbed by her body, so her stomach began to hurt soon after she started running. Cradling her stomach, she sat under a tree for a long time before she felt some relief. Looking up at the moonlight and shining stars through the foliage, she was so touched she could cry. She finally had gotten out! She was finally free! As long as she could run to that bar, she would be able to find a ce to go online or borrow a phone to use! As long as she could contact the outside world, what did she have to fear!?

    After resting for a bit, she stood up when she felt the strength return to her legs and continued running to the bar. It was when she escaped this time that Gu Nianzhi realized she had be much weaker than before. She had assumed she had a special body constitution, but now it looked like apart from being able to heal faster than others, she wasn¡¯t a bulletproof iron woman who couldn¡¯t fall ill... She still got sick, became weak, and if she was in a bad mood, she felt anxiety more easily than normal people. With that thought, Gu Nianzhi felt much better. It was true that it was always a give and take. She wasn¡¯t a monster...

    She looked around to confirm no one was following her before slowly making her way to the bar. Though it normally only took an hour, she spent almost two hours to get there due to her weakness.

    What terrified her was the shrill sound of sirensing from the road behind her when she had just arrived at the bar¡¯s door! ck police cars, as well as ck uniformed soldiers and policemen on motorcycles, headed in the other direction. They were going where Gu Nianzhi hade from, which was the direction of Reinitz¡¯s vi. Seeing the gnarly symbol on the vehicles made Gu Nianzhi shudder. It was the Federal Intelligence Agency! The logo was derived from the Gestapo¡¯s logo...

    It was Als. He must be pursuing her! Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect them to be so fast! She clearly recalled Als being ck out drunk when he was carried away by the two guards. But then again, she had dyed on the way for two hours because of her weakness...

    There was no way around it. Gritting her teeth, Gu Nianzhi pushed open the door to walk into the bar. It was past 10pm, so the bar was already closed. There were no bartenders or customers in sight. The empty ce waspletely devoid of any people. Gu Nianzhi thought about it and walked to the back hallway. There was a small door with two German words on it. Gu Nianzhi guessed they might be, ¡°Employees Only, ¡± which meant the area was only for employees, and customers should noting in. But Gu Nianzhi had no choice. She pushed the door to walk in, and sitting on the couch was a drop dead gorgeous, blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman. She turned around to nce at Gu Nianzhi, who only felt dizzy and instinctively looked away to ask nervously, ¡°Can I borrow your phone for a second?¡±

    The woman raised her brow and immediately broke into a smile as she rose. ¡°Ok...¡± Just as she was about to pass her phone to Gu Nianzhi, there was a loud banging from outside, then the sound of uniform marching. The noise was enough to shake the floorboards in the bar.

    Gu Nianzhi felt even more terrified but tried to appear calm as she reached out to the woman to take the phone. Suddenly, someone shouted from outside, ¡°Anyone here? Come out! It¡¯s the police! Get out here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned ashen. hadn¡¯t those cars passed by already? How did theye back so quickly?! She looked pleadingly at the blonde woman and shook her head.

    The woman studied her silence before asking in German, ¡°They¡¯re here for you?¡±

    ¡°I... I...¡± Gu Nianzhi managed to stutter before speaking in Englsih, ¡°They kidnapped me and put me under house arrest in another ce. I just escaped, please help me!¡± She looked so pleadingly that the blonde woman thought the pretty Asian girl was like a terrifiedmb for ughter. She was so scared and anxious, so... easily destroyed. No one would think a young girl like that would be a threat, right? Then who were the people putting her under house arrest and pursuing her? Was it gangsters or the police? The sirens from earlier were probably the police... The blonde woman studied her carefully, her eyes conflicted as she seemed to consider whether she should believe Gu Nianzhi or give her up.

 Chapter 665 - Think Too Much

    <h4>Chapter 665: Think Too Much</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the woman in front of her with sincerity. She could see that this woman had an air of chivalry. To put it another way, it was the air of an older sister. She was protective toward those who were weak and toward animals. There was no way she would be indifferent with her begging like this.

    Under the circumstances, Gu Nianzhi felt like it was safer to ask a stranger for help than to ask Smith and the others for help. Who knew if Smith¡¯s phone still had the Trojan malware monitoring all his activities or not? If she called them when they still hadn¡¯t realized the Trojan malware was on their phone, then she would be walking right into the trap.

    Thedy boss with blond hair and blue eyes looked at her again. It looked like she had made up her mind. Gu Nianzhi was happy. She heard them telling her toe out again. Thedy boss pushed the sofa away with a swift movement and exposed a basement under the sofa. She said in English with a German ent, ¡°Go down there. Tell me more about it when Ie back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thanked her quickly and jumped down without saying anything else. Thedy boss put the rug and the sofa back, then she made her hair look dishevelled and loosened her cor. She made herself look like she had just gotten up and walked out with tens of thousands of expressions on her face. With a newly lit cigarette in her hand, she saidnguidly, ¡°What is it, sir? My bar¡¯s closed... but, if you want a drink, I¡¯ll fix you one myself.¡± She gave that dashing-looking man an amorous nce.

    The handsome man standing in front of her was Als. His eyes were still red. He looked like a person who was drunk but who had been forcibly awakened by someone. ¡°No need. I want to ask you something. Did an oriental girle by here?¡± Als took out his phone, and on it was a picture of Gu Nianzhi. It was a picture that she didn¡¯t know had been taken. She was sitting by the window, and the white curtain was dancing in the air. Her ck hair was flying upward, and her eyes sparkled with an expression that looked like she was smiling and not smiling at the same time. She looked like a forest fairy.

    Thedy boss looked at it and said, ¡°Wow! Such a beautiful girl! Is she your lover?¡±

    Als was rendered so speechless that he could not keep his bnce. He stared at her. ¡°What lover? She¡¯s a fugitive! A fugitive!¡±

    ¡°Fugitive? Oh? What did she do?¡± Thedy boss asked with curiosity, ¡°Such a beautiful girl, I would definitely remember her if I saw her. Sir, is there reward money for catching her? As you know, my little business can¡¯t make ends meet. If there¡¯s a reward, I¡¯ll ask some of my friends to keep their eyes open. The moment we see her, we¡¯ll call the cops. How about it?¡±

    Als was satisfied and nodded. ¡°Fine. Of course there¡¯s reward money. It¡¯s a lot. Enough to buy this little bar of yours.¡±

    ¡°That much?!¡± Thedy boss¡¯s eyes sparkled and showed an appropriate amount of greed. She patted her well-developed chest and swore, ¡°I will catch her! No, I¡¯m not going to just sit here. I have to walk around and see if she¡¯s hiding at the foot of that hill or by thekes in the forest. Yes, and that nearby valley. It has a lot of rivers. People can also hide there.¡± The more she talked, the more excited she became. She looked like she couldn¡¯t wait to call her friends and start looking around. After all, money makes the world go ¡¯round.

    It looked like Als was convinced. He nodded slowly. ¡°I forgot about the valley nearby. Let¡¯s go! To the valley!¡± He turned and left. His thick military boots made a loud sound on the bar¡¯s floor.

    As the sound gradually became more and more distant. Thedy boss went back to the ¡°staff only¡± room from before. She closed the door, pushed the sofa aside, lifted the moveable floorboard, and said, ¡°Come out. They are all gone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood on the basement stairs as she poked her head out and looked around. Thedy boss stretched out her hand and pulled her out. Gu Nianzhi climbed out of the basement and said in a low voice, ¡°Thank you for helping me.¡±

    ¡°No problem. It just so happens that I¡¯m closed today. Nobody else saw you. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Thedy boss looked at her. ¡°Tell me, what did you do? That man isn¡¯t just any police officer, he¡¯s a soldier. I recognized his epaulet. He must be a colonel.¡± She paused and then continued, ¡°Such a young colonel, he must have aplished a lot.¡± After saying that, she cast a sidelong nce at Gu Nianzhi. She was bing suspicious.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and told the woman about Als. ¡°That person just now, was he wearing a ck uniform, very handsome, but also very feminine?¡±

    ¡°...Oh, I think so. Why? Are you really his lover? Thedy boss¡¯s eyes became wide, and she looked intrigued. ¡°Could it be that he wants to make you his? But you would rather die, and that¡¯s why he took you captive? Such a sadomasochistic affection! I like it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead creased in consternation. This bossdy is really too out there! Such ridiculous imagination. Why not go write a web novel?! Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but condemn her in her mind. Nevertheless, she put a weak smile on her face and timidly said, ¡°No, I offended an influential official, and that person wants to hurt me...¡± Oh, that sounded even more ridiculous!

    ¡°Ah? Thedy boss¡¯s eyes became bigger. ¡°Influential official? Who?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head. ¡°I don¡¯t dare say his name. If I can escape, I¡¯ll definitely tell you who this person is...¡± So sad. She couldn¡¯t even say the name of the person she was afraid of. Thedy boss showed an expression full of pity. ¡°Fine, don¡¯t say it, then. I believe you. What do you n on doing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a while. ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. Can you let me stay for the night? I¡¯ll leave first thing in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s not a problem.¡± Thedy boss was very forthright. ¡°Behind there is an employee¡¯s living quarters. It was originally for my two employees, but business got slower and slower. It¡¯s empty before ten at night. There¡¯s no need to have any employees. It so happens that no one lives there now. You can make do with it for one night.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, then she thought of phones. She asked, ¡°Can I borrow your phone?¡±

    Thedy boss took out her phone and unlocked it with her fingerprint. ¡°Take it. Calling your family?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made an ¡°uh huh¡± sound and took the phone. She automatically thought of calling Huo Shao, Yin Shixiong, or Zhao Liangze, but her finger slid down on thedy boss¡¯ phone and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s phone number instead. She didn¡¯t want to leave Huo Shao, Yin Shixiong, or Zhao Liangze¡¯s number on someone else¡¯s phone. Their numbers were a secret. She couldn¡¯t let outsiders know them. There were many consequences if one of their numbers became known to others. None of the consequences were something that Huo Shaoheng and those who were in their kind of field could ept.

    He Zhichu¡¯s phone rang for a long time, and no one picked up. Even the voicemail didn¡¯te up. It was as if it hadn¡¯t gone through at all. Gu Nianzhi had some misgivings. Could it be that He Zhichu hadn¡¯te back yet?

    During the past ten days under house arrest in Reinitz¡¯s country residence, she didn¡¯t know what was going on in the outside world. She hadn¡¯t seen He Zhichu¡¯s name appear or even Li Haiqing¡¯s case mentioned. What was happening out there?

    Gu Nianzhi had an urge to go back to Munich, but she couldn¡¯t right now. Als was hunting her down with a vengeance. She had to wait until tomorrow or the day after. She would leave when their guard was down.

    Thedy boss looked at her sympathetically. ¡°It didn¡¯t go through? Or is it that no one¡¯s picking up?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head and returned the phone to thedy boss. ¡°Thank you.¡± She asked, ¡°Do you have aputer here? Can it go online?¡±

    Thedy boss nodded. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s aptop. Me and my two other friends usually use it to watch movies and y games. Use it if you want to.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very happy, and she followed thedy boss to the temporary staff living quarters, eagerly waiting for tomorrow toe. Before thedy boss left, she gave her aptop. ¡°It¡¯s very old, make do with it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile blossomed, and she excitedly held onto theptop. After thedy boss left, Gu Nianzhiid on the bed, opened theptop in a hurry, and connected to the inte.

    She first browsed through the news. It wasn¡¯t much different from when she was with Reinitz. She took a look at it again. Theputer didn¡¯t have any instant messaging programs. She decided to download one. There was a Hua Xia instant messaging program. He Zhichu didn¡¯t use it, and Huo Shaoheng and the rest didn¡¯t either, but Ma Qiqi was on it every day. At least she could still contact Ma Qiqi.

    Gu Nianzhi happily found the download web page, and clicked download. However, theputer needed a password to download things to the hard drive. Gu Nianzhi hit theptop hard, wondering if it really needed to have such tight security.

    Thedy boss had already left. Gu Nianzhi would feel bad if she called her just to ask for the password to download things thiste at night. It was too tasteless. The best she could do was ask thedy boss tomorrow morning when she arrived.

    She turned off theptop. Gu Nianzhi was a bit sleepy. She yawned, and then she suddenly remembered that other than a cell phone, there was also andline. That was why she subconsciously thought of calling thedy boss¡¯s cell phone.

    Gu Nianzhi was suddenly not sleepy anymore. She got out of bed, went to the bar¡¯s lounge, and found thendline. She called He Zhichu¡¯s number again. This time, she dialed the Hilton hotel where He Zhichu was staying. The phone rang three times, and then it stopped. It didn¡¯t go through.

    Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t give up. She then called the phone in the Hilton¡¯s lobby. It went through, but the moment she started talking, she heard a very low crackling sound. She hung up immediately. Her heart was pounding. She was very familiar with that crackling sound. Someone was listening in and recording right now.

    That crackling sound was a hallmark of old answering machines.

 Chapter 666 - Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 666: Meeting</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    No way? Someone bugged the phone? Could Als have found her already?! With the Gestapo¡¯s power from all those years ago, bugging calls was no difficult task, but when Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully, she realized it wasn¡¯t possible. If they had already discovered that she was here, Als could simply bring personnel to raid the ce. Why were they lurking around and bugging calls? Gu Nianzhi was very anxious and didn¡¯t dare to make any calls again.

    Apparently, Als had already ounted for any methods she could use to contact the outside world... With this fact, it meant she couldn¡¯t exactly trust the inte, either. If the enemy could bug a normalndline and cellphone, that also meant they could control her inte usage, and monitoring inte usage was far simpler than bugging andline.

    Gu Nianzhi went back to her room unhappily to sleep. She suddenly thought that she couldn¡¯t consider herself as having sessfully escaped, because she was still under Als¡¯ omnipresent surveince. She had no idea how Reinitz was doing... Gu Nianzhi had originally wanted to find out if Als would subject Reinitz to collective punishment, but now realized how naive she was. How would she check, go back and see? Haha, Als must¡¯ve prepared ample personnel there to wait for her to fall into their hands.

    The Gestapo¡¯s speciality was its omnipresentwork. It could enshroud a vige, a town, or even every single person in a city to expose all their secrets. With such intensive surveince, could she even leave Berlin for Munich?

    Gu Nianzhi had a hard time falling asleep. She crawled up and turned on herptop again to look up the map of the surrounding area. There was a subway five miles away that could take her to the city or the airport. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind began to work. She could take the subway directly to the airport and buy a flight there, but she soon deted. Without a passport or German identification, there was no way she could buy tickets! So she could only take the train from Berlin to Munich... Gu Nianzhi decided on the ce she would go the next day and finally felt tired enough to fall asleep.

    She woke up early the next morning and went to the small bathroom to wash up before changing into the nun¡¯s habit. The soldiers must¡¯ve told Als what she was wearing when she escapedst night, so the habit provided a temporary disguise. Nuns weremon in the area, and Gu Nianzhi had seen a castle-like nunnery in the mountains when she went out walking with Reinitz on the maple tree-lined path one day.

    As she was leaving the employee¡¯s break room, Gu Nianzhi saw a baseball bat propped up against the wall. Thinking about how she had nothing to defend herself with and how baggy the habit was, it would be easy to conceal the baseball bat. She grabbed it on the way out and stuffed it under her habit to tie to her side, then left 50 US dors in the employee break room.

    ...

    The blonde bar owner remembered Gu Nianzhi was there, so she came back to the bar much earlier, before the other employees arrived for the day. She noticed a nuning out of the room and nearly shrieked. Soon after, she realized that it was Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You really scared me.¡± She pouted at Gu Nianzhi yfully. ¡°Are you going out looking like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and crossed herself. ¡°Thank you for giving me a ce to stayst night. God bless you.¡±

    The bar ownerughed. ¡°That¡¯s pretty believable.¡± She passed the paper box she was holding. ¡°I got you breakfast. Eat it while it¡¯s still hot.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happened to be hungry and was nning to buy some food. Now that the bar owner was nice enough to get it for her, she took it to have a look. The bar owner got her a donut, a milk carton, and two freshly cooked Weisswursts. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes gleamed as she giggled. ¡°Thank you! I love Weisswurst!¡±

    ¡°No problem. Weisswursts are the only good food around here. Everything else is so yucky.¡± The bar owner chuckled. ¡°Sausages are the only good food in Germany. When I studied in Paris, that was truly a food lover¡¯s paradise.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed as she secretly thought how the Hua Xia Empire was the real paradise for food lovers, but she didn¡¯t argue and just smiled. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll eat it after I leave. It¡¯s already gettingte. I¡¯d better go right away.¡±

    The bar owner noticed her insistence and didn¡¯t force her to stay. Her blue eyes crinkled as she smiled. ¡°Safe travels.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bowed again in thanks and took the box of food with her. In the beginning, she walked away happily. She ripped apart a bit of the breakfast to feed the wild ducks on the side of the road and finally ate when she saw the ducks were okay. After finishing the food and throwing the box into the garbage, she continued on her way.

    When she was about a mile away from the train station, she saw a line forming ahead. She was walking down a small country road that wasn¡¯t meant for cars, so she mostly saw mountain bikes the entire time. A lineup on a small road like this was very strange. Gu Nianzhi went up and walked to the end of the line to ask a kind looking old woman, ¡°Why is there a line ahead? Isn¡¯t this road for pedestrians and bikes?¡±

    The old woman smiled. ¡°I heard there is a checkpoint ahead. They are trying to catch an escaped criminal.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t appear worried at all, but her heart dropped. She stood next to the old woman and had full body shudders when she got on her tiptoes to see men in ck uniforms standing not too far away. As expected, they wore the same uniforms as Als...

    They didn¡¯t look like his colleagues, so these must be his subordinates. That meant they considered all the possibilities including inte, phone, and modes of transportation. Gu Nianzhi had a feeling Als would capture her one way or another. She gave Als the middle finger from under the baggy nun¡¯s habit and turned to leave. If this way was blocked, then she had to find another way.

    After milling around all day, she had already familiarized herself with the town and discovered it was very small. However, she couldn¡¯t leave and was too ashamed to go back to the bar and give the kind bar owner more trouble. At nightime, she realized she¡¯d be sleeping outside again, but this was unlike when she slept outside in the Alps, when she was in a lot of pain and was forced to do it. Now, she was enjoying it because it was her own decision. She¡¯d rather have the sky as her nket and the ground as her bed than to live a luxurious life under constant surveince.

    Stretching her back, Gi Nianzhi skillfully found an empty spot in the forest to sit down. People had pics and barbecues nearby, so there were some metal grills in the field. Gu Nianzhi found some firewood and dried leaves to put in the grill, then used her zippo lighter to ignite it. Closing the lid, the grill would keep the fire on yet hide the light and prevent it from burning out.

    Sitting near the grill, Gu Nianzhi felt very warm. She gradually fell asleep but remained alert, even in her dreams, and was not totally asleep. She didn¡¯t know that her earring shed red once again. Not too far from her, two Hua Xia Imperial Special Operations Forces personnel wore Bluetooth headsets and were correcting coordinates in real time ording to the instructions from the headset. Someone suddenly slit their throats from behind, and their bodies were buried under the leaves.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was half asleep as she held her small bag with one hand and a baseball bat with the other. That way, she kept constantly vignt and could instantly jump up to attack, even though she was in the wilderness. Suddenly, the sound of branches and leaves being crunched could be heard. The sound was very familiar to Gu Nianzhi, and after her experience in the Alps, it nearly became her nightmare.

    She quickly got up and looked around. The fire in the grill beside her should be out by now and was only emanating thest traces of warmth, but it was still hot enough that she wasn¡¯t chilled... Crunch... There was another sound of leaves being walked on. The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched as she quietly crawled away and ran off crouching as she carried the baseball bat.

    Hiding in the forest, she used the moonlight on the empty field to see two people walking over from the forest to stand where she had been just now. They looked around like they were searching for something. Under the moonlight, one person turned around and Gu Nianzhi was shocked when she saw his face clearly. That man was Chinese, just like her! What are they doing here? Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t seen another Chinese person in over two weeks. She hid in the trees without moving and held her breath to see what those people wanted. She had always been careful, and her experiences in thest few days taught her that she could never be too careful. She only had one life.

    The two men walked around in a circle and fiddled with their Bluetooth headsets like they were listening to something. They finally looked at each other and said, ¡°...Should be here.¡±

    ¡°The signal stopped here, and the coordinates are urate within ten meters. She should be in the forest.¡±

    ¡°Then the thing is still on her?¡±

    ¡°It should be. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t keep moving.¡±

    The men kept mumbling quietly, but it was loud enough for Gu Nianzhi to hear. She listened in confusion. What are they trying to do? Just as her suspicion was at its peak, the two men suddenly walked towards where she was hiding. It was very dark inside the forest, but the middle of the field used for pics was very bright under the moonlight. The two men wore peculiar smiles as they slowly made their way to where she was hiding. Gu Nianzhi could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She always had a natural sense of danger, and this time, her instinct told her something was wrong. Just as she was about to sneak away, she heard the two men finally speak. ¡°...Miss Gu? Are you there? Don¡¯t be scared, Huo Shao sent us to rescue you...¡±

 Chapter 667 - An Idiot

    <h4>Chapter 667: An Idiot</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°We¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time, Miss Gu. Didn¡¯t you go missing in Munich? Why are you in Berlin?¡± They spoke Mandarin¡ªurate Mandarin with Hua Xia Empire¡¯s ng. Both of them spoke as they closed in on her.

    Gu Nianzhi had yearned for this for a long time. She had struggled all this time in the hope that there would be someone to save her, especially Huo Shaoheng. However, when these two men said that they were here under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders, she realized that she did not believe them.

    Are they Huo Shao¡¯s colleagues from the Special Forces? They used to protect her in the dark in the past and not let anything happen to her... Tears welled up in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. She was confused; confused as to whether she should show herself, purely because she was a little worried that these two men would be traps set by the cunning Als.

    However, she heard the two men speak again. ¡°She should be here, shouldn¡¯t she? It seemed like there was someone here just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused. She did not know if she should trust them. However, if she continued to hide and not make a noise, and these two men shouted for her, she was worried that they would attract the search party from Als.

    What if these two men were really people sent by Huo Shao? Wouldn¡¯t she be letting go of an opportunity to get out of all this?

    She clearly knew that by relying solely on herself, it would be nearly impossible to escape from Berlin. It wasn¡¯t totally impossible, but almost, and she was already drained, both emotionally and physically.

    After contemting for a while, she made up her mind. Holding the baseball bat behind her, she emerged from the bushes. ¡°Excuse me, are you from the Hua Xia Empire?¡± she asked in Mandarin.

    Even though the two men knew that their target was there, they were shocked when she suddenly appeared. They saw a pale girl with long ck hair wearing a ck nun¡¯s habit emerging from the bushes. It was dark in the forest, and anyone would¡¯ve been shocked to see something like that. However, theyposed themselves quickly. Finally! After such a long search, Cicada appeared on her own!

    One of them walked towards Gu Nianzhi and smiled. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re from the Hua Xia Empire. You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi? We¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back and asked, ¡°Where is your identification?¡± She did not recognize these men. They were not anyone she knew from the Special Forces.

    ¡°Identification?¡± Theyughed. Our boss is clever, indeed, saying that this girl is naturally easily suspicious and wouldn¡¯t trust us easily. She would definitely ask them for some form of identification, so they each prepared a ¡°formal¡± Special Forces identification. One of them took out a little booklet akin to a passport and showed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Look. Mine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt like her brain just exploded with fireworks when she heard that. It wasn¡¯t tion nor excitement. It was anger! Gu Nianzhi was furious! These men were definitely not people from the Special Forces!

    Gu Nianzhi knew very well that because of the special job scope of the people from the Special Forces, they could not even bring their phones with them when they went on a mission, let alone any form of identification! Who had heard that people from the Special Forces specifically brought identification with them when they went for overseas missions?! A bunch of idiots!

    However, she could not lose herposure. Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t know how these two men found her and whether or not they were Als¡¯ subordinates. Tilting her head, she pretended to be curious. ¡°How did you find me, then?¡±

    The people in front of her clearly became more excited. Smiling, they inched closer to her. ¡°There¡¯s a GPS locator installed somewhere on you. All we had to do was to check, and we knew where you were.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She knew that the protection that Huo Shaoheng gave her in the past was extremely strong, and it wasn¡¯t strange that she had something like that on her. However, it was obvious now that there was a traitor within the Special Forces...

    ¡°Of course. How else could we locate you?¡± The person continued to inch closer. His steps seemed more impatient now. Most likely he was too excited. His palm identally moved, and under the moonlight, there was a reflection. Gu Nianzhi was shocked to see a dagger hidden in his hand!

    Finally acknowledging that something might not be right, she waved the baseball bat at the man and cursed. ¡°Locate? Locate my ass. You¡¯re an idiot, you know?! I¡¯ll kill you, you son of a b*tch who thinks you¡¯re so clever!¡± Gu Nianzhi swung and hit the man¡¯s temple. She struck with such speed, that even if she did not have much strength, the bat worked its wonders.

    The man felt his vision go ck, and a sudden, sharp pain at his temple. Then, in the blink of an eye, blood gushed from within, and a huge patch of his neck bruised. It swelled into a huge bump. His arm felt extremely numb. It felt just like when he got hit on his nerve in his elbow. He couldn¡¯t even hold the dagger anymore. It fell onto the ground with a clear clink.

    Gu Nianzhi ran into the forest to hide the moment she struck the man. The forest was pitch ck. Gu Nianzhi stumbled as she ran. She couldn¡¯t see where she was going and bumped right smack into the trunk of a tree. Her face swelled.

    The person thought that Gu Nianzhi truly believed that they were really from the Special Forces and showed her the ¡°identification,¡± not expecting her to suspect anything. Therefore, they did not expect that Gu Nianzhi would strike at them before escaping into the pitch ck forest. They had wanted to stop her, but one of them was already down. He couldn¡¯t even see clearly due to the pain. However, he shouted instinctively, ¡°Chase her!¡± before falling and cking out.

    ¡°Whatever for?! Just shoot!¡± The person behind him hadn¡¯t spoken until now. Finally, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He did not care that hisrade had already fallen. Taking out his gun that was fixed with a silencer and a scope, he took aim in the direction that Gu Nianzhi had run and shot a couple of rounds!

    One of the bullets brushed past Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left arm andnded in the tree trunk beside her. Even though the gun was affixed with a noise cancetion device, the shots were clearly heard in the silence of the forest when they hit the tree trunks.

    Gu Nianzhi was pushed forward by the abrasion of the bullet. After stumbling a few steps, she fell. She thought that she would definitely not be able to escape this time. However, she did not expect that the bullet sounds would still attract the police officers and search party for Gu Nianzhi that Als had ced around the area. Steps were heard from a distance, and Gu Nianzhi quickly curled herself up into a ball and hid behind a tall tree.

    More gunshots were heard and then silence. The war seemed to have ended. Gu Nianzhi heard the police officers in civilian clothing say in German, ¡°Two down. Eh? No. There¡¯re two over there as well. Four in total.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped and closed her eyes. There were only two men, weren¡¯t there? Why did they say four? Could it be that there were really people from the Special Forces there to save her?! And they got killed by these two men?!

    Tears rolled down Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks. She covered her mouth to silence her sobs to the best of her ability and moved slowly towards the opposite side of the forest.

    The four corpses dyed the search party, so they could not chase after her in time. Or perhaps they did not know what the four men were doing, either, and so they did not link them up with Gu Nianzhi? Anyway, they did not give chase, and Gu Nianzhi was beyond thankful for that.

    She moved slowly for the next few hours and only managed to find an exit from the forest at daybreak. She was stunned the moment she exited the forest. Had she just made a huge circle? She faced the back door of the bar which she had left yesterday morning...

    Gu Nianzhi covered her injured arm and hesitated before walking towards the door and knocking on it. A handsome blonde guy opened the door. He saw that it was a nun with a swollen face and smiled kindly. ¡°Sister, how may I help you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm was hurting badly. Her face was swollen, too. Her voice became slurred. With almost all her strength, she said, ¡°I... I... am looking for yourdy boss...¡±

    ¡°Lady boss? Oh. Please hold on a moment.¡± The guy nodded with a smile and called the blondedy with blue eyes to the back door in no time.

    Thedy boss recognized her the moment she saw the nun¡¯s habit. Seeing that half her face was swollen and she smelled of blood, she covered her mouth in shock and asked softly, ¡°What happened to you? Who did that to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her and tried to talk, but she cked out and fell over right in front of thedy boss. Thedy boss held her quickly and brought her back to the room meant for her workers.

    ...

    When she woke up, Gu Nianzhi realized that she was in the room of the bar she had slept in the night before. Her left arm was already bandaged, and her uniform was changed. The baseball bat was also at her bedside.

    Gu Nianzhi felt embarrassed whenever she looked at the baseball bat and wondered if thedy boss saw the 50 US dors that she left behind. She did not have much cash left...

    She looked at her watch and realized that it was already about two in the afternoon. She had slept from daybreak until afternoon. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had lost too much blood, but she was thirsty. Just when she was about to get up to look for water, the door opened.

    The handsome blonde guy whom she first saw that morning stuck his head in the door and checked on her. Seeing that she was already awake, he greeted her. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± He entered the room and seeing that Gu Nianzhi wanted to get up, he rushed over to help her and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    This was simple German that Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°Water... I need water...¡± Gu Nianzhi said weakly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get water for you.¡± The guy stood up and took a bottle of mineral water to her. He opened the cap and ced it in her right hand.

    Gu Nianzhi gulped down half a bottle.

    The blonde guyughed. ¡°Don¡¯t drink so quickly. We have more.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was too thirsty, and that was why she drank so much before feeling slightly better. She put the bottle of mineral water on the table beside her bed and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 668 - Unleashing the Qi Army

    <h4>Chapter 668: Unleashing the Qi Army</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± The young man adjusted her nkets. ¡°Are you hungry? You slept all day. Do you want some food? This is a bar, so we only have some snacks. I can get something for you. What do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely famished and felt as thin as paper now. Pursing her lips, she whispered, ¡°Anything would be fine. I¡¯m not picky.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± The young man¡¯s smile grew. ¡°I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and suddenly said, ¡°Can I ask to use your phone for a bit?¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± The young man generously handed his phone over without question. It was also an iPhone but an older model. In order to not make Gu Nianzhi feel embarrassed, he even offeredpassionately, ¡°Take your time, there¡¯s no rush. Get in touch with the nunnery, and I¡¯ll get some food for you.¡±

    He really thought she was a nun? Gu Nianzhi was speechless. After he left, Gu Nianzhi was alone in the room. She opened the phone app and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number. Just like the other day, it kept ringing, but no one picked up nor was there an option to leave a voicemail. Listening to ¡°Forever¡± ying, Gu Nianzhi rubbed the phone quietly and had a new understanding of her situation. She gave up calling him. She thought that regardless if Professor He had returned from home yet or not, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him. And Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare call Smith or her colleagues because of the Trojan virus. Lastly, she would never call Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, or Zhao Liangze¡¯s numbers from a stranger¡¯s phone. Who else could she call?

    As Gu Nianzhi frowned in deep thought, she finally thought of Ma Qiqi! She could call Ma Qiqi! She now knew that the person behind it all had a deep understanding of her situation, so that was also why they wouldn¡¯t be prepared against a regr person like Ma Qiqi. Compared to the other people in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life, Ma Qiqi was a nobody. For the person nning all this, Ma Qiqi had just a minor role that could bepletely ignored, and it was because of this that Gu Nianzhi could try to outsmart them.

    She needed to try to see if she could tear an opening out of the omnipresent web that surrounded her. That way, she could escape and see the sun again. Gu Nianzhi never expected Ma Qiqi to be herst lifeline when she got into trouble! She anxiosuly started to dial Ma Qiq¡¯s number, but as soon as she input it, the German mobile operator sent a text notification saying that the phone was not enabled for international roaming, so it was unable to connect the call.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her chin and finally felt the evil power of the god of destiny. She had finally found someone generous enough to loan her a phone, but then it was unable to make international calls! Of course, she knew that it was very expensive to make international calls, and the young man probably didn¡¯te from a wealthy background if he worked at a bar in a dingy little vige. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want him to receive a ridiculous phone bill because of her one call. However, the point was that even if she paid the bill herself in order to enable international calls, it would still take some time to work.

    Since she couldn¡¯t make the call, Gu Nianzhi looked down at the phone screen and casually swiped until she saw a familiar app. Her heart hammered. Never did she expect that the most popr Hua Xia instant messaging app would be installed on the young man¡¯s phone! This was the app that she wanted to install the night before on the bar owner¡¯sptop but didn¡¯t get a chance to! Back in the Hua Xia Empire, she had heard that the app was also very popr abroad but assumed it was an exaggeration. Now she knew it was the truth.

    However, Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes as she secretly mused, what a coincidence! Right, so even though she couldn¡¯t make international calls, she was still able to go on an instant messaging app. See, what a coincidence? Gu Nianzhi had a wry smile on her lips as she tapped the app open and entered her campus username and password to quickly log in. It should be sometime around 9pm in the Hua Xia Empire right now. Gu Nianzhi quickly opened her friends list and didn¡¯t hesitate to send a message when she saw Ma Qiqi¡¯s icon lit up. However, Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t seem to be there and was only showing as online. She waited a bit and didn¡¯t get to receive a reply before she heard footsteps outside¡ªsomeone was here. Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to change her ns. She opened a chat and quickly said to the camera, ¡°Qiqi! Qiqi I¡¯m in Berlin! Help me!¡± She then sent it off quickly before logging off right away and spending a few seconds to clear her login history.

    Just as she set the phone down, the door opened. The blonde bar owner smiled as she walked in with a first aid kit. ¡°You finally woke up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and smoothed her hair. ¡°Thank you for taking me in again. I... I took your baseball bat and left 50 US dors. Did you see it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, what a deal!¡± The bar owner winked at her. ¡°I only spent 15 euros to get that baseball bat and have used it for a few years. Factoring in depreciation, that was a great deal!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and replied calmly. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to. I just wanted to have something to protect myself on me. If it wasn¡¯t for that bat...¡± She stroked the baseball bat by the bed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have survived to see you again.¡±

    The bar owner grew serious at those words. ¡°What¡¯s your name? The police are still looking for you, and they also discovered four bodies in the little forest over there. Apparently, they are all Chinese.¡± As she spoke, she studied Gu Nianzhi with a look of disbelief. She couldn¡¯t believe that this tiny girl, who was so thin she could get blown away by the wind, would be able to kill four strong grown men!

    Worry shed across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face when she recalled what the police saidst night. She was worried that two of the four dead men were Special Operations Forces personnel. There was no doubt the other two were evil and deserved to die! If that was the case, then the Special Ops must know she was in trouble and had been using satellite tracking to locate her. However, they were killed by those two evil men, which meant the mole within the Special Ops was colluding with the person hunting her down. The mole would figure out her location and tell the people hunting her her whereabouts. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened. She raised her hand to slowly rub her diamond earrings.

    The bar owner sighed when Gu Nianzhi remained silent. Half her face was swollen, and she also had abrasions from bullets on her arms. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no way you killed them. Here, I¡¯ll change your dressing.¡± As she spoke, she opened the bar¡¯s first aid kit and took out gauze and medication. She leaned over to remove the bandages on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left arm.

    Gu Nianzhi reacted and discreetly covered her left arm. ¡°That¡¯s ok. You can leave the things here, and I¡¯ll change it myself in a bit.¡±

    ¡°You can change it yourself?¡± The bar owner didn¡¯t insist. After setting the things down, she said, ¡°I heard the rumors that two of the dead were resisting the police and were killed by them. The other two had their throats slit by the two killed by the police.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you sure?¡± Gu Naiznhi straightened her back, her expression nervous. ¡°How did the police know that?¡±

    ¡°Very simple. I heard that the two men killed by the police had knives on them. Their fingerprints were also on them, along with blood from the men who had their throats slit. They knew as soon as they did theparison. So this case is closed, and you don¡¯t have to worry. It had nothing to do with you,¡± the bar owner reassured her kindly.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, but it pulled at the wound her face and made her gasp. ¡°Nothing to do with me? They beat me up, and I only regret not getting revenge myself.¡±

    The bar owner was curious. ¡°Who beat you? The two men who had their throats slit or the two killed by the police?¡±

    ¡°The two killed by the police.¡± Gu Niazhi shrugged. ¡°It should be them. Honestly, if you didn¡¯t tell me, I wouldn¡¯t have known there were two other people from earlier.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± The bar owner nodded and stood up. ¡°Then you rest, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± She said, ¡°Remember to change your dressing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and watched her leave. As soon as the bar owner left, the blonde young man buying her food came back. He carried a paper bag with an ¡°M¡± on it. It was McDonald¡¯s fast food. Gu Nianzhiughed. Fine, there was a McDonald¡¯s here, too?

    The young man set the paper bag on the nightstand and said to her, ¡°I rode my bike there, so it¡¯s still hot. Do you want to eat it right now?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded slightly and epted the paper bag to take out the box. She wrapped a piece of fried chicken in a napkin to pass to the young man. ¡°Here, eat with me.¡±

    It was already past 3pm, so it was time for a snack. The young man didn¡¯t pretend to be polite and gobbled up the fried chicken from Gu Nianzhi. She also gave him some fries and poured half the box of milk from McDonald¡¯s for him so he got to have a bit of everything. She smiled as she watched him eat all the food before slowly taking some for herself. The young man looked very honest and was even embarrassed in the end. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I actually finished eating before you.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at him. ¡°My face is swollen, so it takes me a long time to eat. It¡¯s normal that you ate faster than me.¡±

    The young manughed as he asked her, ¡°You still need my phone?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m done. No thanks.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the phone by her pillow. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡±

    She kept thanking him, and the young man was delighted. ¡°I¡¯m d I could help you.¡± He looked sympathetically at Gu Nianzhi. This nun was all beat up and was too scared to even call the police...

 Chapter 669 - Saw the Video

    <h4>Chapter 669: Saw the Video</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The young man looked at her with warmth and pity, but Gu Nianzhi was extremely calm as she ignored it. Gu Nianzhi ate the McDonald¡¯s quietly, then went to sleep again after she finished eating.

    At the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s imperial capital postgraduate dormitory, Ma Qiqi had just gotten back to her room after studying. She looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door out of habit. It was still locked tightly. There was no light on, and no one was there. She opened the door to her own room and put her book bag down. She then went to the bathroom and washed her face. She came out and sat at the desk in front of the window.

    On the desk was herptop. She had been ying a game recently because she was bored. When she went to the library to study, she would keep herputer on. She sat down and looked at the game¡¯s progress. She nodded, satisfied, and then logged off the game.

    After she logged off, she saw her instant messaging program¡¯s little icon jumping about. Somebody had sent her a message. Ma Qiqi opened it and immediately gasped! The message was from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ount! And it was even a video!

    Ma Qiqi was very happy. She clicked on it with her mouse. The video downloaded quickly, then it automatically started ying. The moment she saw the video, her smile froze. She opened the video only to see a girl with half of her face full of purple bruises who was saying anxiously, ¡°Qiqi! Qiqi! I¡¯m in Berlin! Save me!¡±

    Only after Ma Qiqi watched it many times did she finally recognize who the girl was. She immediately gasped! It was Gu Nianzhi! How did she get beat up so badly? Ma Qiqi immediately jumped up from her seat. She grabbed her hair as she walked around in a circle in her dorm room.

    Wasn¡¯t Nianzhi with Professor He?! Why was she beat up like that and needing me to help her?! What happened?

    Ma Qiqi immediately paced around her dormitory in a state of agitation. Then she thought of how Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯te back in a long time. She assumed she was too busy. Did something happen?! But she hadn¡¯t heard a thing about it!

    Ma Qiqi remembered that Gu Nianzhi went to Germany with Professor He Zhichu. Without another word, she went on their school department¡¯s website to find how to get in contact with He Zhichu. She wanted to find him so that she could get to the bottom of the situation. She would rather let this be someone stealing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s instant messaging ount and asking her for money than for it to be real.

    After searching on their school department¡¯s website for a long time, she only found He Zhichu¡¯s school department number and email. It was a no brainer that He Zhichu was traveling all over Germany. He wouldn¡¯t have time to check the department¡¯s voicemail or email. Even though He Zhichu was very famous in Germany, Ma Qiqi was not smitten with him. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t know much about his whereabouts. How do I find ways to contact him in Germany?

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she remembered she used to follow the ¡°He Zhichu fanclub.¡± The fanclub¡¯s blogger was He Zhichu¡¯s most smitten fan. Every day, this person would routinely stare at all kinds of pictures of He Zhichu from different angles.

    Ma Qiqi immediately got on Weibo, and she immediately found the ¡°He Zhichu fanclub¡± that she was in before. She found the blogger¡¯s Weibo forum thread in a nce. Surprisingly, it was a German social medial ount. Curious, she clicked on it and realized this thread¡¯s social medial ount was actually He Zhichu¡¯s German social media ount. Then she looked at the profile picture. She immediately recognized that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back! Although the background was obscured, Ma Qiqi could recognize that it was Campus B¡¯s scenery.

    Soon, the remark under the social media ount caught her eye. ¡°Waiting for you toe back...¡±

    Oh sh*t! Ma Qiqi¡¯s heart immediately tightened. That picture, that remark, doesn¡¯t it all mean that Nianzhi¡¯s missing? Even Professor He can¡¯t find her! Was that why he always kept a low profile in the Hua Xia Empire, but kept a high profile in Germany? In such a developed inte age, Nianzhi could easily contact Professor He and find her way home.

    But what if Gu Nianzhi really was taken by someone? She remembered half of Nianzhi¡¯s face being bruised. Because the image was not that clear, she couldn¡¯t recognize who it was, and it made the video even scarier the first time she saw it.

    Ma Qiqi looked through the posts one by one. She really had to thank that smitten blogger. She gathered all the news regarding He Zhichu in Germany, then tranted it into Chinese and posted it. Followers clicked ¡°like¡± and shared it. It made it easier for Ma Qiqi to nce through what He Zhichu had done recently. However, the more she saw He Zhichu¡¯s recent activities, the more scared Ma Qiqi became.

    She didn¡¯t know if she was biased toward the video, but she believed the video was real. The ount was not hacked, nor was it a scam. If it was a scam, the scammer would already have given an ount number to send money to. Was there a scam where they just told you where they were and did not give you a bank ount number?

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s fingers were shaking. She downloaded the English version of the German social medial software with shaky hands. She registered, then subscribed to He Zhichu¡¯s official ount and immediately sent him a private message.

    Lovely Qiqi: Professor He, I¡¯m Ma Qiqi, Nianzhi¡¯s dorm mate. I want to ask you if something happened to Nianzhi?

    Ma Qiqi never imagined that she would receive a call from He Zhichu immediately after sending him the message. After all, there were millions of followers on that ount. Having millions of fans on one ount in Germany was already shocking. There were probably even more people who sent him private messages. Also, it was hard to say if he was the one personally managing the ount. That was why the moment she finished sending the private message, she went to the bathroom to take a shower to get ready for bed.

    The moment she came out of the bathroom after showering, she heard the dormitory¡¯s private phone ringing like crazy. Every time it went to voicemail, the person on the other end would hang up and patiently call again.

    Ma Qiqi was annoyed. She went over to take a look and saw 20 missed calls on it. The phone number was from Germany. Ma Qiqi¡¯s heart jumped, and she wondered if it was Professor He calling her. Is this Professor He¡¯s phone number? It was different from the department¡¯s number. Ma Qiqi heart tightened as she immediately picked up the phone and said, ¡°Professor He? Is it you?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s somewhat tired and cold voice came over the phone. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Professor He, student Ma Qiqi. What¡¯s the meaning behind the private message you sent to my German social media ount?¡±

    Ma Qiqi asked in a hurried voice, ¡°Tell me, did something happen to Nianzhi? Where is she right now?¡±

    He Zhichu went quiet for a few seconds and then said, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°The profile picture you used is of Nianzhi¡¯s back, and the profilement was, ¡®waiting for you toe back.¡¯ Is that not obvious enough? Also, you kept a low profile here and kept an even lower profile when you were in America. It didn¡¯t make sense for you to suddenly have such a high profile in Germany. Something must have happened, right?¡± Ma Qiqi calmly analyzed it, but she felt so bad inside that she wanted to cry. However, she still managed to control herself. She thought about Nianzhi suffering somewhere. She had to keep herself together to help her! To save her!

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and rubbed the space between his eyebrows, thinking that all of Nianzhi¡¯s schoolmates were pure and elegant, warmhearted andpassionate. It was clear that birds of a feather flocked together...

    ¡°Professor He, tell me, did something happen to Nianzhi?¡± Ma Qiqi inquired persistently while she held onto her phone tightly. She was so nervous that her face became red.

    He Zhichu finally said, ¡°Yes... I¡¯m currently looking for her, but no matter what I do, I can¡¯t find her.¡± It was like she had disappeared into thin air. He Zhichu had almost turned over all of Munich, but there was still no trace of Gu Nianzhi.

    Five days ago, he finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He sent four groups of people to the east, south, west, and north of the Alps. Even if he had to plow the entire Alps and Bavaria, he would not give up! That was why when he saw Ma Qiqi¡¯s private message, he automatically grabbed his phone and found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory phone number and called. Luckily, Ma Qiqi was in the dormitory, or else He Zhichu didn¡¯t know if he would have flown back to Hua Xia to find Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi exhaled and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this, I just got a video from Nianzhi today. She... she...¡± Remembering Nianzhi¡¯s badly battered face made her want to cry. Her voice choked up. ¡°She was beaten badly by somebody, saying she was in Berlin, and asked me to save her!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s mind was ringing. He felt as if everything was spinning. It was as if he¡¯d lost all consciousness for a split second and was floating in the vacuum of space. It was as if the scariest nightmare had be reality in a heartbeat. He Zhichu¡¯s heart jumped to the sky. He didn¡¯t want this anymore. He wanted to destroy the whole world. Something really had happened to Nianzhi... In the end, something had happened to the one he was holding in his palm.

    Was meeting Huo Saoheng the luckiest thing that had happened to her? He Zhichu¡¯s tears fell silently. He was alone in the room. He let his tears surge violently, but he did not make a sound. His hands squeezed tightly into fists. His nails were not long, but they cut deep into the center of his palm. However, he couldn¡¯t feel the pain. He only wanted to squeeze tighter because the piercing pain allowed him to be more clear-headed. He Zhichu couldn¡¯t be muddled or let hatred blind him. Now he had to go save someone. Only after telling himself this over and over again for a full 15 minutes was he able to continue to listen to what else Ma Qiqi had to say.

    ¡°Professor He? Professor He? Are you still there? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Do you want me to send the video to you? It¡¯s best if you have that instant messaging program and then add me. Then I can forward it to you.¡±

    Because He Zhichu didn¡¯t say a word, Ma Qiqi thought it was because he felt he was in an awkward situation. After all, He Zhichu was only a professor. He was not her family. Even if he didn¡¯t do his utmost to save her, Ma Qiqi could understand. No matter how good he was to her, it was probably no more than a professor being kind to his student.

 Chapter 670 - Canâ€™t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

    <h4>Chapter 670: Can¡¯t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t expect He Zhichu to try his best to rescue Gu Nianzhi, since there were no nice professors who would care more about their students than their own families did. Ma Qiqi only wanted him to see the video and truly understand Gu Nianzhi¡¯s predicament. Anyone who saw Gu Nianzhi with that swollen face would hate the people who had done that to her and want to avenge her. At least, that¡¯s what Ma Qiqi believed. She only thought to maximize her chances of getting more help for Nianzhi under these circumstances. Gu Nianzhi begged Ma Qiqi to save her, so she must want her to seek help and not try to do it herself. Ma Qiqi was self-conscious about her own strength, and when it came to the matter of distance, He Zhichu would be the most convenient.

    Of course, Ma Qiqi had no idea that He Zhichu didn¡¯t even have to watch the video. Every single word about Gu Nianzhi was enough to wring his heart. Heposed himself and appeared stoic as he immediately installed the instant messaging app Ma Qiqi was talking about and added her to his friends list. He then received the video of Nianzhi forwarded from Ma Qiqi.

    He Zhichu¡¯s vision blurred as soon as he started the video. Reaching out, he stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bruised, purple face over the screen. His lips twitched as he tried his best to hold back the relentless tears. It was really Nianzhi, so she was kidnapped and taken to Berlin... He had assumed that the enemy would hide her in a rural vige, but somehow they went to the German capital of Berlin. He Zhichu stood up quickly andmanded his subordinates, ¡°Prepare the jet. We will leave for Berlin immediately.¡±

    Soon after, He Zhichu¡¯s status dimmed on the app. Ma Qiqi sent two nudges to him but received no response. He should be offline, then? She sighed. Yes, all the students used to be jealous of Gu Nianzhi and felt that He Zhichu especially doted on her and included her in all the opportunities. But now it looked like Professor He was only an instructor in times of trouble. Could she rely on Professor He to try his best to help? Ma Qiqi thought about it over and over again, but didn¡¯t know what He Zhichu would do. She couldn¡¯t put all her eggs in one basket, so she needed to find more help for Nianzhi instead ofpletely relying on Professor He. Ma Qiqi was Nianzhi¡¯s only hope, after all!

    Suddenly, Ma Qiqi recalled that Gu Nianzhi used to be an orphan and had only recently reunited with her father. Her father was in a vegetative state at the hospital, and she also had an estranged older sister... Gu Nianzhi told her about these circumstances and specifically told her not to repeat them to anyone. Nianzhi said she wasn¡¯t ready to treat them as her real family yet. With this intuition, Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t want to let Nianzhi¡¯s sister, whom she disliked, to know what was happening. Then who else could help?

    Ma Qiqi finally couldn¡¯t help remembering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s extremely handsome boyfriend who made her feel breathless with one nce¡ªHuo Shao. She also recalled the strapping and handsome ¡°Brother Xiong¡± who made others with him feel secure. They seemed to have been Nianzhi¡¯s guardians in the past. Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t divulged much about her personal life. Ma Qiqi could vaguely remember this from when Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first roommate, Miao Yunxiao, had a conflict with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend. He seemed to be powerful and influential, and had a pretty high rank in the military. She remembered the car with the impressive military license ce frequently parking in front of their dorm building. Compared to Professor He, someone like that should have a better chance of rescuing his girlfriend if she got into trouble abroad, right?

    Ma Qiqi closed her eyes and cradled her head in her hands as she leaned against the desk in deep thought. How would she ever find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend? The Imperial Capital was so huge, and there were many military departments. With so many military personnel, how could she find him if she didn¡¯t even know his full name? Would she have to go to a certain military department with a big sign that read, ¡°Get out here, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend! We need to talk!¡± What a joke...

    Ma Qiqi sighed and spun around on her chair. One spin after another, and another... The room began to revolve at high speed, along with her head. Where would she find the contact information for those people? Right! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s student profile! Ma Qiqi instantly stopped spinning her chair when she randomly thought of this. All students submitted their family¡¯s contact information and family situation when they first enrolled. Gu Nianzhi was still an orphan back then, and if her information hadn¡¯t been revised, then the family contact information should be for her guardians! In other words, it was likely to be Huo Shao or Brother Xiong¡¯s contact information!

    Excited, Ma Qiqi stood up from the still spinning chair and almost lost her bnce. She quickly grabbed the desk to stabilize herself and began to think about how she would go to the faculty to look up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s student profile. Last time, their tutor, Gui Suyao, had taken out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s student profile and shared it with the faculty¡¯s student council... Afterwards, Professor He was very angry, and Gui Suyao had to officially apologize to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Right! Senpai is the leader for the faculty student association...¡± Ma Qiqi murmured to herself and quickly picked up her phone from the desk to call Senpai, who had been pursuing her all this time. ¡°Senpai, are you asleep yet?¡± Ma Qiqi nced at the time on theputer. It was already past 11pm.

    Senpai just climbed into bed and was reading a book as he hugged the nkets. The corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile on his handsome and elegant face when he saw Ma Qiqi calling. He slid the phone to unlock it and asked, ¡°Qiqi, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Senpai, the thing is, I... I need to contact Nianzhi¡¯s family about something. Can you help me go to the faculty to look up her student profile and find her family¡¯s contact information?? I just need one phone number!¡± Ma Qiqi spoke hurriedly, and her voice was so crisp and urgent in the dark night it sounded like a tinkling melody.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Gu Nianzhi?¡± Senpai considered it. ¡°Student information is tightly monitored now. It¡¯s not easy to check.¡±

    ¡°Senpai! My dear Senpai! Please! Just help me this once!¡± Ma Qiqi yed coy over the phone, but unfortunately, Senpai couldn¡¯t see it. However, he seemed to be able to imagine her cute face from her tone and couldn¡¯t helpughing. His tone softened. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll try tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Great! Thank you, Senpai! You¡¯re the best!¡± Ma Qiqi broke into a bright smile and grabbed her phone as she twirled. She was in a much better mood now. Nianzhi, you have to hang on! I¡¯ll find someone to save you! Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t really sleep all night and even had a nightmare in which she saw Nianzhi being beaten cruelly. Ma Qiqi lunged over to save her, but then someone kicked her in the butt... Ouch! That felt real! Ma Qiqi woke up from the pain and discovered she had fallen off the bed.

    Checking her phone, it was already past 6am. Although she was ustomed to not waking up until after 7am, she was worried today and couldn¡¯t sleep. She crawled out of bed with dark circles under her eyes and washed up before going to the cafeteria to buy two luxurious breakfasts to deliver to Senpai. It was only 7am when she went, so most of the students in the male graduate student dormitory were still deep asleep. Ma Qiqi waited downstairs for half an hour before Senpai woke up. She called him, then took the food upstairs.

    ¡°Oh? You are one lucky rascal! Your girlfriend is delivering a special breakfast!¡± All the boys in the dorm began to hoot.

    Ma Qiq smiled sheepishly. ¡°This is breakfast I got for Senpai. Don¡¯t go running your mouth!¡±

    ¡°Senpai? We¡¯re Senpais, too! Why didn¡¯t Qiqi deliver breakfast for us?¡± All the other boys in the dorm began to tease her.

    Ma Qiq was very embarrassed, but because she had to ask Senpai to help her get Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family contact information from her student profile, she could only let them tease her as she blushed scarlet.

    Senpai thoroughly enjoyed the typically brisk Ma Qiqi appearing so helpless and finally epted the two trays of breakfast. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can eat outside, then we¡¯ll go to the faculty.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°Thank you, Senpai!¡±

    She followed on his heels, and they went downstairs together to enjoy breakfast in the student association office. Afterwards, she read in the office as Senpai went to look for the instructor in charge of the faculty student profiles to borrow Gu Niazhi¡¯s information. The instructor initially refused, but relented in the end because he was close to Senpai and had been helped by him many times before. Senpai was saying he was helping his girlfriend and only needed the contact information for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s parents. Also, his girlfriend, Ma Qiqi, was indeed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommate. The instructor considered it and whispered to Ma Qiqi¡¯s Senpai, ¡°Then just have a nce and memorize the phone number only. Don¡¯t make a copy or take any photos.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll just nce at the contact information.¡± Senpai wasn¡¯t nning on looking at anything else. The truth was, he had already read all this but didn¡¯t remember much from it. The teacher secretly took out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s student profile for Senpai to read.

    Senpai found her family¡¯s cell phone number right way and read it twice to memorize it. He then saw the number listed as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°distant uncle.¡± Senpai was speechless. He smiled as he left the faculty student association office archives and said to Ma Qiqi, who was still reading inside, ¡°Getting anxious? I saw you poking your head out the door every minute.¡±

    ¡°Senpai, did you get the contact information?¡± Ma Qiqi threw down the book and quickly ran out. She nearly grabbed Senpai¡¯s arm to swing it coyly.

    Senpai nodded. ¡°I got it.¡± He then read Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family member¡¯s contact information to Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi quickly saved it on her phone, then pressed the call button. It rang a few times then was redirected to a man¡¯s voicemail. It was a standard voicemail message saying he was unable to take the call at this time and asked the caller to leave their phone number and a detailed message so he could return the call when possible. Ma Qiqi instantly knew it was ¡°Brother Xiong¡¯s¡± voice. She didn¡¯t know how she remembered it. Although she only heard him speak a few times, she was very familiar with his tone and ent.

 Chapter 671 - Huo Shaoâ€™s Gaze

    <h4>Chapter 671: Huo Shao¡¯s Gaze</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ma Qiqi was relieved. This was one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardians, brother Xiong¡¯s number. It seemed like he was an assistant of that Huo Shao. Therefore, if she had found him, she should be able to find Huo Shao. However, she did not say anything. She couldn¡¯t because Senpai was here, so she hung up.

    She was in a rush to make the phone call again. Therefore, she stuffed her phone into her pocket, waved to Senpai and said, ¡°Senpai, I¡¯ll go back now. Thank you!¡± With that, she ran off.

    Senpai was speechless. Thisdy! She really just ignores me after I helped her! Senpai could not decide whether to be upset or tough. He felt ufortable, but after busying himself with other things, he forgot about it.

    The moment she returned to her dormitory, Ma Qiqi dialed the number again. This time, after the call went to voicemail, she left a message. ¡°Is this Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian? I am her roommate, Qiqi. My mobile number is... I have something important to tell you regarding Nianzhi. Please contact me after hearing this message! You must! It¡¯s a matter of life and death!¡±

    The number that Ma Qiqi had dialed was a number that Huo Shaoheng had set up for Gu Nianzhi in the past. As long as someone dialed that number, the person at the end of the voicemail mailbox would immediately answer it and send it to the relevant person. Two people would receive voicemail from this number. One of them was Yin Shixiong, and the other was Zhao Liangze.

    Due to wanting to take care of Gu Nianzhi, the two of them would not be sent on missions at the same time. Usually, one of them would be staying in the country just in case they had to receive information about Gu Nianzhi. Otherwise, Huo Shaoheng would kill them.

    However, after finding her father, Gu Xiangwen, many of her safety measures had been secretly revoked when Huo Shaoheng went on his mission. Therefore, all three of them were sent on missions this time around. Fortunately, because Huo Shaoheng was extremely careful, some of the safety measures were not touched.

    It wasn¡¯t because the people who revoked her safety measures were being kind. It was simply because they did not know that those measures existed. Or rather, they forgot about their existence.

    For example, the diamond earrings on Gu Nianzhi had GPS systems installed in them. There was another one¡ªit was the number under ¡°family contact¡± that she filled her registration forms with.

    These should have been revoked as well. However, due to the vast number of safety measures Huo Shaoheng had put on her, it was too much of a hassle to check how many, exactly, there were. Therefore, they had left some alone unintentionally.

    Even though no one was keeping track of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location every minute of the day anymore, they did not take the earrings back from her. Therefore, the moment something happened to her, they could activate all the satellites involved and locate her in seconds.

    That phone number still existed as well. Even though there was no one assigned to specially answer the voicemail, the number was still active. Therefore, after a while, it would be automatically sent to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. It was just that both of them were on overseas missions now, so they couldn¡¯t answer it.

    After leaving the message, Ma Qiqi began to count the days while waiting for Yin Shixiong to get back to her.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng waited for another month in New York. It was almost October, but the opponent had not made any moves. For a while, he thought Thomas had misled him. However, he could still hold his patience. For people in his profession, being able to have patience was key to many things.

    That day, he went to check the three apartments he had rented. The studio apartment in the east was rather centralized in that area. There was only one apartment building in that area, and the rest were allnded vis.

    He went to check the mailbox in the morning but to no avail. Then, he went to the Starbucks opposite the apartment for a coffee. Taking out his Kindle, he read some books just like the people who stayed there. Then, he exited the Starbucks and boarded the bus to the west part of the city.

    There were rental apartments everywhere in the west. They looked like matchboxes that were stacked up. Even though they looked neat, it looked nothing like New York. Most of the people who were there were all ¡°artists¡± from all over the world. You could call them ¡°street artists¡± as well.

    Huo Shaoheng went to the mailbox and disposed of some junk mail, then he went to the Kentucky Fried Chicken nearby. He bought a family bucket and finished it all on his own.

    It was about one o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Finally, his destination was the north. The apartment in the north was in a really nice ce. It was previously a house that some millionaire built for his mistress in the past. After they broke up, the house was redeveloped into apartments.

    From the outside, it looked like a grand mansion. There were many windows just like a school. They were all the windows of different apartments rented to those who wanted to pretend to be rich when they were not quite there yet.

    Huo Shaoheng walked around the area and sensed something amiss. It felt too differentpared to the past. He had been here countless times. The ambience there feltid back but elegant. Everyone walked at a rxed pace, and they all looked at ease. Everyone dressed up to the nines, like they were ready to go to a party anytime.

    However, the moment he entered the area that day, Huo Shaoheng sensed that there were many people who felt out of ce with the residents in this area. Of course, people couldn¡¯t usually sense things like that. Only people who had undergone professional training and had been on countless missions on the verge of death like Huo Shaoheng would have such a keen sense of observation.

    For example, to a normal person, there was a couple sitting in an alfresco caf¨¦. They did not look out of the ordinary. They wore well-pressed, warm-colored shirts with cors. The man wore a pair of pants that were of the same color tone, and the woman wore a ttering pencil skirt. However, to Huo Shaoheng, they looked like a sore thumb in the crowd. That was because in this town where everyone tried hard to be cool, they would never button the top button of the shirt. Instead, they would leave one to two buttons undone to reveal their necks and a hint of corbone.

    As for thedies, even though that one had brown hair as well, residents all knew that it was extremely old fashioned if anyonebed their hair to be sleek. The fashionable ones all had a messy, bed-head look.

    Finally, the way residents looked at people was different. The residents habitually looked at people with a flirtatious smile, like they could have sex anytime if both parties were attracted to each other. It was unlike some of the people there. They looked at people straight, like they couldn¡¯t wait to see right through you.

    With all this added together, the sense of awkwardness separated them from the residents in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. He noticed these differences, but he did not turn and walk away. Instead, he strode towards them and entered a supermarket with a devilish grin.

    Some beautifuldies saw him when they were buying things and were hopelessly attracted. They flirted with him to the best of their abilities, but he merely smiled. Then, all of a sudden, he looked over and met their eyes. They almost melted...

    The people who were attracted to him lost interest immediately and looked away, getting back to their business. Just like that, Huo Shaoheng took a turn through the supermarket and left the ce with ady. He left and boarded a cab when they reached a turn.

    If he was right, the traitor had begun his or her operations. The person had waited for more than a month. That was considered patient, but not extremely patient. He did not understand why the person had decided to strike after more than a month of waiting.

    Logically, under such circumstances, they should wait for about half a year before striking if they hadn¡¯t received any news in a fortnight. However, the timeline now was neither within a fortnight nor half a year¡ªan awkward point in their timeline. Now, that was worth pondering.

    Huo Shaoheng enjoyed the cab ride a little and ensured that no one was following him before returning to his apartment in New Jersey. Thomas should be sending him a letter soon, or the letter would have been left at the ce they had agreed upon. It was just that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t collected it.

    To be honest, even though Thomas had agreed to work with him, they didn¡¯t fully trust each other yet. This was normal when two people from opposing teams decided to work together. This was also the attitude the people in their profession had towards others. They would never fully trust someone. If anyone trusted a traitor a hundred percent, then that person was overly na?ve. He would not be suitable to have this as his upation.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng sat in his spacious apartment with a mug of beer, feeling heavy hearted. He remembered clearly which departments he had sent the letters to. The one that involved the apartment in the northern part of the city had been sent directly to Chen Lie.

    He did not expect it to really be Chen Lie... Was it really Chen Lie? Huo Shaoheng could not straighten his thoughts for a while. He¡¯d met Chen Lie very early on, even before he joined the army. They were friends after a fight.

    He was still hot tempered at that time and nned for a mission on his own to sneak his aunt¡¯s body back from the main hospital in the army. Then, the then ¡°genius intern doctor,¡± Chen Lie, discovered his plot. He had thought that Huo Shaoheng was a burr who stole illegal things...

    The two men fought. Of course Chen Lie lost terribly, but he spilled the truth after Chen Lie interrogated him as well. After hearing his exnation, Chen Lie decided to trust him without a doubt. He even helped Huo Shaoheng to hide his aunt¡¯s body in the hospital¡¯s refrigerator. He could say that without Chen Lie¡¯s help, the truth about his aunt¡¯s case would not have been brought to light.

    After that, they had more opportunities to strengthen their friendship. When Huo Shaoheng joined the army, Chen Lie met him again when he started the Special Forces. By then, Chen Lie was already the military doctor whom the Special Forces requested. He had brought his assistant, Ye Zitan, with him.

 Chapter 672 - Do the Least Expected

    <h4>Chapter 672: Do the Least Expected</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng lit a cigarette and sank down into therge, single-seater sofa in the living room. The window was open, carrying in the night breeze that was chilled by thete autumn. New York was in the northeastern part of the United States, so the nights were already hinting at the cold winter. The cold breeze lowered the surge of heat in his body.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it again and again, but he didn¡¯t think it could be Chen Lie. However, the ce targeted was the apartment on the north side of New York, and the letter sent to Chen Lie was the only one mentioning that address. That apartment was where he imed to stay as bait. The mole within the Special Operations Forces didn¡¯t hesitate to take that bait. If it wasn¡¯t Chen Lie, then who? No matter who it was, it must be someone close to Chen Lie. Huo Shaoheng fiddled with his zippo lighter as he quietly mused, and his eyes quickly hardened with resolve. No, he couldn¡¯t rely on his emotions. With this situation, Chen Lie couldn¡¯t clear his name. Huo Shaoheng was still waiting for James¡¯st tip. Once confirmed, Huo Shaoehng would go to Cuba.

    He stayed awake all night, and as soon as the sun rose the next day, he went to a post office on the north side of New York. He rented a mailbox there, and once the deed was done, James would mail it there. Huo Shaoheng saw the letter he expected as soon as he opened the mailbox. He took it with him back to the apartment and quickly read through it. As expected, James¡¯ letter confirmed that their branch had received a tip from the Hua Xia Empire that the ringleader of the Special Operations Forces was hiding out in an apartment on the north side of New York. It also included the exact address.

    Huo Shaoheng flipped his lighter open expressionlessly and burned James¡¯ letter, then immediately went downstairs to terminate the rental agreement with thendlord. He had been there for nearly three months and had initially signed a one-year lease, so he gave the excuse of a family emergency that he had to go home to. Of course, he lost his deposit, but the agreement was terminated. He calmly finished the termination procedures and put everything in a suitcase he towed out of the morous luxury New Jersey apartment.

    He got in his rented SUV and drove directly to the New York docks. There was a rental return ce there, and he handed back the SUV¡¯s keys before finding gangsters on the dock to arrange for travel to Cuba. He paid them in cash and took an overnight voyage.

    As Special Ops personnel, Huo Shaoheng had a deep understanding of all sorts of gangs in different cities. In many instances, they needed to deal with gangs in order to conceal their identities or for expedient travel. Within these gangs, there were sure to be undercover agents from the Special Ops. The Chinese gangs were a powerful rising force within the gangs of New York. They were already taking stakes from the established Sicilian gangs and South American gangs. However, no one knew if they received any support in their rise to power.

    Late at night, a speedboat silently cut through the waves and headed out to international waters. The US and Cuba had recently resumed diplomatic rtionships, so there weren¡¯t many direct flights and ferries between them. However, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t go on a ne, even if there was an appropriate flight. The fake identity he had used when he came to the US had already been exposed by the CIA, and although it was possible to board with a fake passport, leaving evidence was inevitable.

    Right now, Huo Shaoheng needed to discreetly leave New York so nobody could figure out where he was. His mission could only be officiallypleted when he safely arrived in Cuba, and that was when he could use his true identity tomunicate with the Hua Xia Empire and resume working. He had been holed up in New York for so long, it was finally time tounch a counterattack. It took two days from New York to enter international waters, then loop to Cuba.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t waste time during those two days and had already finished nning the restructuring and purging of the Special Ops. This mole was deeply nted and had nearly tripped up even Huo Shaoheng. But when did this start? Huo Shaoheng thought about it carefully from beginning to end and could onlye to his previous conclusion that this mole must be a rookie who had been turned just recently. This wasn¡¯t an older personnel who had lurked for years and possessed ample experience. The obstacles created by the mole proved that they weren¡¯t able to take him out with a single hit using long term nning.

    The enemy understood his itinerary and the people pulling strings in the background to create a scenario that led him to New York. In the face of such a situation, the enemy didn¡¯t know what kind of weapons the Special Ops possessed in New York or the entire world outside the Hua Xia Empire. They may know what but not how, so their betrayal could only temporarily disrupt Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ns without it being serious enough to endanger his life. If the mole had been an older personnel who had lurked in the Special Ops for years, then Huo Shaoheng was well aware that he couldn¡¯t have left the US so easily. But while older people had their calcting ways, rookies chose to act in the least expected way and couldn¡¯t be underestimated, either.

    Sitting at the bow of the ship, Huo Shaoheng silently watched the sun rising in the distance. He should be thankful that hisrades of many years were still standing by him instead of stabbing him in the back. Now that he had found the key to the problem, it became much easier to solve. Huo Shaoheng had basically confirmed his course of action during the two days at sea.

    When he arrived in Cuba two dayster, Huo Shaoheng immediately went to the Hua Xia General Conste in Cuba. This time, he could directly reveal his identity, and say he hadpleted his mission and needed to contact the Hua Xia Empire. The General Consul of Cuba allowed him to use his direct line to call back. When General Ji received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call, it was noon in the Hua Xia Empire. ¡°General Ji, my mission isplete.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice could be heard on the phone and dispelled all the pent up frustration in General Ji¡¯s mind from thest few days.

    ¡°Hahaha, excellent! Excellent!¡± General Ji leaned back against his office chair. ¡°Where are you right now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at the Conste General in Cuba.¡± Huo Shaoheng was also sitting and appeared rxed as he stretched his body. ¡°General Ji, I need an official reason to appear in Cuba.¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem!¡± General Ji instantly agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll have Little Ze regroup with you in Cuba, and also have the military announce that you are visiting Cuba as the Deputy Secretary of the Supreme Military Council.¡±

    That way, he could officially appear in public. Due to his long period of disappearance, all the people rted to him were very worried. Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s settled, then.¡± He paused, then notified General Ji, ¡°I still need to continue working and hope that General Ji can approve all the support and provisions.¡±

    ¡°Of course! Of course!¡± General Ji knew Huo Shaoheng was about tounch a counterattack. General Ji was also furious that Huo Shaoheng had been betrayed, and now there was the issue of Gu Nianzhi as well. But recalling how Huo Shaoheng had undermined his authority, General Ji felt he still had to reach him a lesson, so he wouldn¡¯t be even more brazen in the future. Burrowing ants could topple a building, and no evils were too small¡ªthese were words of wisdom from history. So General Ji didn¡¯t mention Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation at all and only said, ¡°Your normal work is certainly your responsibility. Do what you need to.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ended the call and looked at the course of action in front of him before quickly dialing another number. This call was made directly to the court martial of the Special Ops. The personnel in this unit were like the military police, and their duties included arresting internal personnel who vited thew. Nobody knew that the unit leader, Zhou Qiyuan, was one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secret personal secretaries. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rank, he should have four personal secretaries, but while most people knew about Yin Shixiong and Zhao Laingze, very few were aware of the identities of the other two personal secretaries.

    ¡°Qiyauan, this is Huo Shaoheng.¡± Huo Shaoheng introduced himself directly.

    Zhou Qiyuan was reading files at his private office and stood up. ¡°Chief.¡±

    Huo Shaohengmanded him stoically, ¡°Immediately take the ethics unit and surround the Special Operations Forces Hospital. Arrest all medical personnel, from those in the mail room to everyone in Chen Lie¡¯s office, including him. Detain them in separate cells.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°The patients in the hospital are not to leave, and no visitors are permitted. Wait for my return to make any decisions.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhou Qiyuan was two years older than Huo Shaoheng and had been personally rescued by Huo Shaoheng in Myanmar years ago. Ever since then, he had been one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secret personal secretaries.

 Chapter 673 - The Man at the Top of the Food Chain

    <h4>Chapter 673: The Man at the Top of the Food Chain</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Zhou Qiyuan was a man of action. He didn¡¯t talk much, but he followed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders unconditionally. He was much more loyal than Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. The moment Huo Shaoheng gave the order, Zhou Qiyuan immediately acted on it. He put the phone down and pressed the button inside the building. ¡°Pass down the order: seal off the encampment¡¯s front gate. Kill whoever tries to break through it on the spot.

    ¡°Team one, team two, immediately take some people with you to seal off the headquarters hospital from the east and the west. Team three, team four, immediately take people with you to seal off the north and the south side of the headquarters hospital.

    ¡°Team five, team six, team seven, and team eight, follow me inside the building to apprehend all the medical workers.¡± Zhou Qiyuan put down the phone and grabbed his own Sam Browne belt. Without any expression on his face, he put on the disciplinarymittee¡¯s armband emzoned with a ck crest with gold embroidery. He straightened his hat, took four soldiers with him, and went down the stairs to assemble with his team.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The disciplinarymittee had a total of nine teams. Eight of the teams were always on the move. The nine teams were like the head of the dragon god that was always secretive in movement and left no trace. Under team captain Zhou Qiyuan¡¯smand, the eight court martial teams quickly went to the front of the headquarters hospital building.

    It was exactly noon. Thete autumn rays of sun were not that hot in the imperial capital. The public square in front of the hospital had patients in twos and threes walking in the sun. Some medical workers wearingb coats had just finished eating and were about to go upstairs. Some had juste downstairs and were about to eat lunch.

    When the teams of soldiers wearing ck military uniforms with the disciplinarymittee¡¯s armbands sealed off the whole hospital, medical workers and patients were all stupefied. They were actually the Special Operation Forces¡¯ backup reinforcement and had never seen this kind of situation before.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Why is the disciplinarymittee on the move?¡±

    ¡°Is someone revolting because Huo Shaoheng is not here?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! That¡¯s the disciplinarymittee¡¯s team captain! Even if the whole world revolted, he wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s tongues were wagging, but they were forced inside the hospital by court martial team members. One doctor was very unhappy and asked in a calm and collected manner, ¡°What is the meaning of this? Are there still anyws?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only obeying orders. Please cooperate with the investigation. As far as thew goes, please talk about it with the military tribunal and the judges.¡± Zhou Qiyuan had a poker face and was expressionless as he waved his hands.

    Members of teams five, six, seven, and eight entered in a single file and put head covers and handcuffs on every medical worker in the hospital building. They put them all in the disciplinarymittee¡¯s prisoner transport vehicle.

    Chen Lie¡¯s office was on the top floor of the hospital building. He had just finished eating lunch and was talking to Ye Zitan about a recent liver transnt operation. ¡°Doctor Ye, what do you think the probability of rejection is?¡± Chen Lie looked at the surgical patient¡¯s file. He was still in doubt.

    Ye Zitan tilted her head and looked at the medical file in Chen Lie¡¯s hands and said as if she were in deep thought, ¡°There probably won¡¯t be rejection. Doctor Chen, your surgical skills are bing better and better.¡± There was admiration, respect, and joy with a sense of alienation in her tone of voice.

    Chen Lie¡¯s attention was all on the file. He looked at it for a long time and shook his head as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that optimistic. We¡¯ll discuss it more after observing it for a few days.¡±

    The moment the medical file was put away, they heard a session of loud footstepsing from the corridor. Chen Lie cranked his neck to see. ¡°Ah? What is that sound? Sounds like a troop ising.¡±

    Ye Zitan was also curious. She turned and walked to the door. The moment she saw a row of people in the disciplinarymittee¡¯s ck military uniforms, her face turned white. She was a bit panic-stricken and said to Chen Lie, ¡°Doctor Chen, it¡¯s the disciplinarymittee.¡±

    The moment she finished saying it, the disciplinarymittee¡¯s captain, Zhou Qiyuan, said, ¡°Doctor Ye, sorry about this. Take her away.¡±

    A team member walked to the front and put a ck cover on her head without an exnation and took out handcuffs and put them on her wrists. Ye Zitan was so scared out of her wits that she lost her bnce as her legs became weak. She fell onto the floor and almost wet her pants.

    Chen Lie was dumbstruck as he watched the scene unfold in his office. He stared nkly for a short time. He then frantically crawled over the desk from behind and said loudly, ¡°Zhou Qiyuan! What are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Doctor Chen, I¡¯m following orders. Please cooperate with our work.¡± Zhou Qiyuan waved his hand to the back. ¡°Take him.¡±

    Another member of the disciplinarymittee came up. This time, it was to cover Chen Lie¡¯s head and put handcuffs on him. Chen Lie was incredulous. He said in a stern voice, ¡°Zhou Qiyuan! Does Huo Shaoheng know you¡¯re doing this? If you do this to me and Doctor Ye, Huo Shao will skin alive you when hees back!¡±

    ¡°This is on Huo Shao¡¯s orders. Doctor Chen, you can ask him yourself when hees back,¡± Zhou Qiyuan said in aposed tone. Then he suddenly smelled a burst of something pungent. He looked down. It was Ye Zitan. She was so paralyzed with fear that she finally wet her pants.

    ...

    When Huo Shaoheng gave the disciplinarymittee the order, Zhao Liangze had already been sent to Cuba on an assignment. He immediately went to provide support to Huo Shaoheng.

    On the morning of the second day, arge, special ne from the Hua Xia Empirended at Cuba¡¯s international airport in Havana. After the ne came to aplete stop, Havana rolled out the red carpet. Journalists and television crews were positioned at the back. Only after preparations wereplete would the ne¡¯s hatch door open and the important figurese out.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was there in advance, took advantage of the interval. Before the airne opened its hatch door, he slipped onto the ne. When he got onto the ne disguised as a staff member from Cuba, no one knew that he was the important person on the special airne.

    Zhao Liangze was already waiting in the first ss cabin alone. The moment Huo Shaoheng walked in, Zhao Liangze stood up excitedly and saluted. ¡°Sir.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at him and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m going to change. Go and see how Cuba¡¯s preparations areing along. Have the television crews arrived yet?¡±

    Zhao Liangze said, ¡°Your military uniform has been prepared. It¡¯s here.¡± He took a pile of neatly folded military clothing from the suitcase and said, ¡°The person who came is our very own outreach TV director.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said a simple, ¡°Uh huh,¡± and started to undo the military jacket. Zhao Liangze walked out and closed the door for Huo Shaoheng and stood outside.

    The airne was a military aircraft. Everyone on the ne including the pilot and the flight attendants were all affiliated with the army. They all had a military rank.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly changed into his formal major general military uniform. He put on his army hat, a pair of sunsses, white gloves, his Sam Browne belt, and his gun holster. The holster had a gun in it. He pulled it out to check it. There were 20 bullets in the clip.

    Not long after that, Zhao Liangze knocked on the door. ¡°Sir, everything is ready. Cuba¡¯s head of the department of military affairs has personallye to wee you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up, opened the door, and nodded at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Zhao Liangze saluted again as he stood by the door. He then followed behind Huo Shaoheng and walked out with aposed expression.

    They stood by the entrance of the cabin for a while. Soon, the cabin door opened. Huo Shaoheng took the first step out. Havana¡¯s sky was so blue, it was translucent. Clouds were floating in the azure sky. It looked like someone¡¯s random brushwork. Cuba¡¯s revolutionary military song was being yed in the public square. A bunch of doves fluttered in the sky.

    A red carpet wasid from the cabin of the airne to far beyond the ramp. Cuba¡¯s head of the department of military affairs was wearing Cuba¡¯s revolutionary military uniform. He smiled at Huo Shaoheng as he stood by the ramp. Huo Shaoheng waved and then walked firmly step by step down the ramp.

    The television crews and the journalists from the two countries were very taken by Huo Shaoheng in his major general uniform. They all became smitten with him, and one by one, they lifted their cameras and took pictures like crazy. Directors from television stations only aimed their cameras at Huo Shaoheng. Cuba¡¯s head of the department of military affairs¡¯ face only got filmed when he was shaking hands with Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhao Liangze was next to Huo Shaoheng. Hemented how the world was a ce that only saw a person¡¯s looks. On the other hand, he was proud of how the major general was such an attractive man and had such great military capability that he was at the top of the food chain.

 Chapter 674 - Low Profile

    <h4>Chapter 674: Low Profile</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to keep a low profile. He used the charade of arriving in Cuba with the military craft from the Hua Xia Empire for the sole reason of having an official reason for appearing there. So after a brief meeting with the Supreme Military Council of Cuba, he told General Ji that he wanted to return to the Hua Xia Empire immediately.

    However, General Ji did not approve as he smiled in his office like the benevolent Buddha Maitreya. ¡°Shaoheng, think about how suspicious it would look if you left so soon after arriving. How would others perceive that? What would the people watching you think?¡±

    That made sense. He had toplete the charade he had started. His hands were already wet, so he didn¡¯t want to miss thest part and waste all the previous efforts. Huo Shaoheng knew that because of the mole¡¯s betrayal, intelligence agencies from all over the world were carefully watching his movements. ¡°Ok, the Chief is right.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t object. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait some more.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in Cuba, anyway. You should take the chance to properly learn from your contemporaries there. You¡¯re currently visiting Cuba as official military personnel, so you can also look at the Cuban signal radar system while you¡¯re there. Since Cuba is so close to the US, they¡¯ve got to have some interesting things, hahahaha...¡± General Ji couldn¡¯t helpughing when he spoke of something positive.

    Huo Shaoheng agreed. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll make a note to.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the special military aircraft is there, anyway, so you can stay as long as you like. It¡¯s best you stay longer, and there¡¯ll be an important political assignment for you after that.¡± General Ji¡¯s tone grew stern. ¡°You already know that the nation is rather tense right now with the election happening in a few days. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to return yet, so just wait a bit, and then you cane back after the election results are announced.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment but still answered, ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Because he couldn¡¯t return to the Hua Xia Empire yet, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t contact Zhou Qiyuan again.

    Zhou Qiyuan wasn¡¯t in a rush. They were beginning to individually interrogate everyone who had been detained. Although Zhou Qiyuan didn¡¯t know why Huo Shaoheng asked him to detain all these people, he had toplete the routine interrogations. It was just a matter of asking about their resumes and daily responsibilities, as well as social rtions. It was like a background check but at a more strict level. Every question had to be supported by concrete evidence, whether it was in the form of documents or the testimony of a witness.

    ...

    Huo Guanchen sat in the office of the Special Operations Forces headquarters base. He looked at the especially grim-looking Deputy Commander of the Special Ops, whose eyebrows hadn¡¯t rxed even once. It was only a simple field mission, how could the personnel disappear? Did they run off? Turn into traitors? Or... had something happened to them? It had already been two days since the field personnel left for Germany, and the base hadn¡¯t been able to contact them again.

    Typically, such a situation meant an ident had urred. Although idents were expected, since it wasmonce in this line of work, the more important thing was the measures and means to take after the ident. It must be swiftly and cleanly resolved. However, Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t have a background in intelligence work, so he had no experience with remedial measures or what to do in order to prevent more losses. ¡°Missing? What should we do, then? What about Gu Nianzhi? Was she found?¡± Huo Guanchen raised his voice. ¡°This is how you botch an assignment from your superiors?¡±

    The Deputy Commander was secretly enraged but couldn¡¯t show it to General Huo. He could only hang his head and silently bear Huo Guanchen¡¯s shouting. Huo Guanchen pped the desk in anger. ¡°What do you mean by that?! Hurry up and send more personnel there to look!¡±

    The Deputy Commander finally looked up at the furious Huo Guanchen as he replied evenly, ¡°General Chief, we can¡¯t simply send more personnel there without first figuring out what happened.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because at the moment, we can¡¯t determine if the real Miss Gu was at that location, or if it was the enemy¡¯s trap.¡± The Deputy Commander didn¡¯t want to send more of his personnel to certain death, and also those two missing men were a problem whether they were dead or alive. They had already sacrificed two field personnel for one Gu Nianzhi. Could their personnel be merely cannon fodder, ready to be used and expended? The Deputy Commander believed the matter should be thoroughly thought out first.

    Huo Guanchen slowly sat down again at the Deputy Commander¡¯s words. There was no doubt they made a lot of sense, and Huo Guanchen also thought it was a good idea. They hadn¡¯t stopped searching but were merely unable to continue due to the Special Ops field personnel running into trouble. ¡°Ok, do what you need to. I fully authorize you to resolve this.¡±

    Huo Guanchen took out a pen and wrote a memo for the Deputy Commander. ¡°General Ji has made special note of this situation to not disclose this to your Chief for now. You must remember that anyone who reveals this to your Chief will be subject to military punishment. I will give no concessions and believe General Ji feels the same way.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± The Deputy Commander had no objections, nor did he dare to. But who would he assign to resolve this, if Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t know about it? If Huo Shaoheng was in the Hua Xia Empire, then the Deputy Commander could personally go there. But Huo Shaoheng was abroad right now, so the Deputy Commander couldn¡¯t go, since one of them had to always remain in the Hua Xia Empire. If the two of them flew somewhere, they also had to take separate flights at different times.

    After much consideration, he could only think of Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. They were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries and extremely capable themselves. Also, they had always been there with Huo Shao in regards to Gu Nianzhi. The two field personnel disappeared because of Gu Nianzhi, and any way he saw it, personal or business, it was reasonable they should know about the incident and investigate if it was rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance.

    Also, General Ji gave orders not to let Huo Shao know of the incident for now, but he didn¡¯t say anything about other people. Additionally, this incident was no secret within the high-ranking officials in the Special Ops. In order to locate Gu Nianzhi by satellite, all the personnel involved modifying the satellite¡¯s orbit knew about it. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze both happened to be sent abroad on missions right now. Zhao Liangze had just been assigned to Cuba to assist Huo Shao on the official visit, so the only option was to immediately summon Yin Shixiong back to deal with the matter.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong had been sent to Japan and had onlypleted half the mission when he received an urgent order to return to the Hua Xia Empire. Even the flight had been booked so he could board as soon as he had his suitcase. As a soldier, it was Yin Shixiong¡¯s duty to obey his superior¡¯s orders.

    Yin Shixiong immediately boarded the ne without question. It was only a three hour flight from Tokyo to the Imperial Capital. Yin Shixiong boarded at 5pm andnded at the Imperial Capital International Airport at 8pm Tokyo time. With the time difference, it was already 9pm local time. The adjutant picking him up opened the car door grimly to usher him inside.

    Yin Shixiong nodded and got into the front passenger seat before asking his adjutant, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    His adjutant started the car and answered simply, ¡°There has been an ident with two people out there.¡± In their professional terminology, ¡°people out there¡± referred to field personnel and ¡°ident¡± meant death in the line of duty.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart sank. Although this situation was not umon, he still felt horrible every time he got such news. Those were all his fellowrades, and no warrior remained indifferent when they heard about the death of theirrades, unless he didn¡¯t see them as one of his own. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s talk when we get back.¡± Yin Shixiong answeredly sinctly and didn¡¯t ask any other questions.

    They headed to the Special Ops base, and instead of going Yin Shixiong¡¯s home, they drove directly to Yin Shixiong¡¯s suite in Huo Shao¡¯s official residence. Both he and Zhao Liangze had their own rooms with studies and conference rooms like small individual suites. He showered in the bathroom and came out in a change of clothes. After he dried his hair, he went to the kitchen to look for some food before notifying his team members, ¡°We¡¯ll have a meeting in ten minutes. All officers on duty and personnel with a rank of colonel or above must attend.¡±

    After notifying everyone of the meeting, Yin Shixiong went to his safe to take out his domestic phone. It was dead, so he took it to the conference room to plug in as he waited for everyone to arrive. Because he was early, the phone had time to charge and turned on after he had waited for a little bit. He unlocked it with a swipe and saw an important voicemail. It was sent from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s external contact number.

 Chapter 675 - Canâ€™t Say

    <h4>Chapter 675: Can¡¯t Say</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The number that was released to the public for Gu Nianzhi to use for enrolling in schools was connected to Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong¡¯s phones. The moment they received messages from that number, they were supposed to answer them within the shortest amount of time. However, it had been a really long time since Gu Nianzhi was of legal age. Since then, not many people had dialed this number.

    What would it be about? Yin Shixiong pressed the ¡°answer¡± button. A clear female voice that sounded like she was panicking was heard over the phone. ¡°May I know if you are Nianzhi¡¯s guardian? I am her roommate, Ma Qiqi. My phone number is... I have an important thing to tell you about Nianzhi. Please call me the moment you hear this message! You must! It¡¯s a matter of life and death!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was speechless. Right. What is this? He had only been away for 20 days. Why did it seem like he didn¡¯t understand Mandarin anymore? He remembered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommate, Ma Qiqi. She was tall and had an outgoing personality. She was always smiling. He did not expect her to drop such a huge bomb on him.

    Yin Shixiong felt faint. Massaging his temples, he listened to the voicemail one more time before calling Ma Qiqi. ¡°Qiqi, I am Yin Shixiong. I just heard your message. What is going on?¡±

    Ma Qiqi screamed and said, ¡°Brother Xiong, it¡¯s like this. Nianzhi sent me a video recording of herself a couple of days ago. Her face was swollen from beatings. She said that she was in Berlin and asked me to save her...¡±

    Yin Shixiong was too shocked for words. Just when he was about to ask for further information, the people whom he had called for a meeting arrived. So he told Ma Qiqi, ¡°Qiqi, I have to go to a meeting now. I¡¯ll call you again.¡± With that, he hung up. When he called for a meeting, ten minutes meant ten minutes. No one would arrive anyter than that.

    Yin Shixiong put down his phone and nodded to everyone. ¡°Please, sit. I want to know what happened. The general asked me toe back on an emergency notice, but I haven¡¯t met him yet. I wanted to get a heads up first.¡±

    His lieutenant had already told him in the car that two people who had been sent on a mission went missing. However, what exactly happened, like where and when, were not stated clearly. Now that they were in the office of the Special Forces, they could say whatever they wanted, as the room was encrypted.

    Another lieutenant stood up and saluted. ¡°Sir, it was like that. Two of our people were sent to Germany on a mission. We suddenly lost contact with them all. It has been three days.¡±

    Germany? Yin Shixiong remembered Ma Qiqi saying ¡°Berlin¡± in her message. Berlin was the capital of Germany... Could this be rted to Nianzhi? Yin Shixiong tensed up. He tightened his fists silently and released them before asking, ¡°What were they doing in Germany? I don¡¯t remember any missions there recently.¡±

    ¡°We are not sure about that, sir. You¡¯ll have to ask the general about that.¡± His lieutenant shook his head. ¡°You know that these are the rules. We are unable to ask for the details of our colleagues¡¯ missions.¡±

    Yin Shixiong went silent. That was true. His lieutenant and team had not reached the rank whereby they could ask about their colleagues¡¯ missions. They were also unable to tell anyone unrted about their missions. If they did, they¡¯d be breaking the rules of confidentiality. However, they could reveal the information to their superiors. For example, Huo Shaoheng and his secretaries had high ranks. Therefore, they had the right to know the details of their colleagues¡¯ missions.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see the general now. Wait here for me.¡± Yin Shixiong stood up and walked to the general¡¯s office building.

    The general had been as busy as hell these past couple of days. He needed to investigate why the two soldiers went missing in order to type a detailed report to his superiors and subordinates. Had he not be able to do that, he would have to bear the responsibility. By getting Yin Shixiong toe back, he wanted Yin Shixiong to bear the responsibility of investigation and see if it was rted to Gu Nianzhi going missing.

    The moment Yin Shixiong arrived at the building, someone brought him up. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Yin, pleasee in. The general is waiting for you.¡±

    It was already after office hours now. However, knowing that he would touch down at this time, the general remained in his office, as he knew Yin Shixiong would want to look for him.

    Yin Shixiong arrived in front of the general and saluted. ¡°Sir! Lieutenant Colonel Yin is here to report, sir!¡±

    ¡°Please have a seat, Lieutenant Colonel Yin.¡± The general pointed at the seat in front of him. ¡°There¡¯s an important reason why I recalled you on an emergency notice.¡±

    Yin Shixiong took his seat and answered, ¡°Please let me know the details, sir. I¡¯m wondering what it might be.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± The general sighed before continuing, ¡°It happened four days ago.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart was thumping against his chest. He felt that it wasn¡¯t going to be something good.

    ¡°Four days ago, General Ji received a call from our embassy in Munich, Germany. The person in charge there had sent a report saying that one of our citizens, Gu Nianzhi, went missing in Munich. Lieutenant Colonel Yin, by the time we received the information, she had already been missing for about 17 to 18 days...¡±

    Yin Shixiong felt like his heart had stopped beating. It was really rted to Nianzhi! Nianzhi really met with danger in Germany?! But wait; Ma Qiqi said that Gu Nianzhi ran into trouble in Berlin, but the General said that it was in Munich...

    Yin Shixiong felt panicked. He very much wanted to go to the central control system to confirm Gu Nianzhi¡¯s satellite location, so that he could know for sure where she was. However, the words from the general after that confirmed his suspicion. ¡°General Ji had left this to General Huo. General Huo contacted us and asked if we could locate Gu Nianzhi. You know that Gu Nianzhi had been the person who was the most protected in our department, even though her security measures have already been removed, but...¡±

    Yin Shixiong was shocked and blurted out, ¡°General, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security measures have been removed? Why wasn¡¯t I informed? When did it happen?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had set Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security measures personally. She used to be extremely well protected. However, perhaps she was too well protected. For six years, no one actually came to look for Gu Nianzhi. They were also unable to find anything rted to her background.

    Finally, Huo Shaoheng decided to let her go out to interact with society. They protected her secretly in the dark and went along with the flow. Finally, they found that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father was Gu Xiangwen and cleared her background. However, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t announced that her security measures should be removed. Who was the one so daring to remove Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security measures?!

    The general was stunned for a while. ¡°This was an order from the Military Supreme Council. I was merely following orders.¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°Okay. Then, please keep the order well, General. When Mr. Huo returns, he¡¯ll be sure to question this.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve saved everything ording to protocol. When Mr. Huo returns, he can check anytime,¡± the general replied confidently and produced a copy of the document. ¡°There, this is it.¡±

    Yin Shixiong took a quick look and said, ¡°Since this is a copy, can General give me one?¡±

    ¡°Sure, of course. The original has already been saved. We have many copies though. You can have this.¡± The general knew that Yin Shixiong was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secretary. Giving it to him would be akin to giving it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Yin Shixiong put the copy carefully into his suitcase and continued listening to the general¡¯s report.

    ¡°Where were we? Oh. We¡¯ve removed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security measures, but there wasn¡¯t time to remove them all, such as the satellite system that was on her. Therefore, I asked the central control staff to locate her based on the system and found that she was in Berlin.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes went wide. He interrupted the general again. ¡°Berlin?! It¡¯s really Berlin?! I thought you said Munich?¡±

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it?! We are confused as well. Therefore, we sent two of our people to Berlin to take a look and find out what exactly happened.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°Then? Then our people went to the location that was indicated on the satellite system. There wasn¡¯t anything anymore.¡± The general spread out his hands. ¡°Ourmunication was suddenly cut off, and we couldn¡¯t contact them anymore.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s brows furrowed further. He understood immediately that Ma Qiqi¡¯s voicemail wasn¡¯t for nothing. It was real!

    ¡°Such an important thing, why didn¡¯t anyone inform Mr. Huo?¡± Yin Shixiong was unhappy but did not reveal his emotions. ¡°I heard that he hadpleted his mission.¡±

    ¡°General Huo and General Ji gave orders to not let Mr. Huo know about it until he returns. If anyone leaked the information, he would be dealt with under militaryw. No exceptions!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was speechless.

    ¡°But I feel that this would be much better if you took charge. Therefore, I recalled you immediately.¡± The general leaned closer to Yin Shixiong and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Big Xiong, work hard.¡±

    Yin Shixiong replied immediately, ¡°I will. I shall go now, sir. I¡¯ve got many things to delegate.¡±

    The general did not try to keep him longer and looked at him as he left the office. Yin Shixiong did not return to the meeting room. He got a car and headed directly towards B University to look for Ma Qiqi.

 Chapter 676 - Will You Tell Her Boyfriend?

    <h4>Chapter 676: Will You Tell Her Boyfriend?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After Ma Qiqi left the voicemail, she waited a full three days before Yin Shixiong called her back. ¡°Qiqi, this is Yin Shixiong. I just finished a meeting and am on the way to campus to talk with you.¡± Yin Shixiong wore his Bluetooth headset and spoke solemnly. It was already 10pm, and Ma Qiqi had just returned from studying at the library.

    She quickly replied as soon as she heard it was Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯m at the dorm. I¡¯lle downstairs to meet you now.¡± She was just getting ready to shower, but she didn¡¯t need to anymore. Quickly grabbing her phone and keys, she headed downstairs.

    After waiting for ten minutes, a ck Jeep with a military license te drove over and parked in front of her. Yin Shixiong opened the door. ¡°Get in.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded and got in without hesitation. She had been stressed about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation for thest few days now and had finally gotten in touch with Yin Shixiong, so she only had her mind on rescuing Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t hear the person calling her name from behind.

    ¡°Qiqi! Qiqi! Get back! Qiqi! Qiqi! Where are you going?!¡± Senpai hade to visit Ma Qiqi with a bag of midnight snacks and witnessed Ma Qiqi getting into a Jeep with a military license te. He caught a glimpse of a very handsome man inside... He desperately called for her toe back, but Ma Qiqi got in like she hadn¡¯t heard him. The corners of Senpai¡¯s mouth twitched as she took out his phone to call her.

    Ma Qiqi was just about to speak with Yin Shixiong in the car when her phone rang. Looking down, she saw it was Senpai. She wasn¡¯t in the mood to flirt with him right now, so she ignored itpletely. To her surprise, he called relentlessly. Because she had no choice, she finally picked up and asked, ¡°Senpai, what is it?¡±

    Senpai inhaled deeply to calm himself down and asked purposely with a smile, ¡°Qiqi? Are you at the dorm? I bought a midnight snack for you. Come down and get it.¡±

    Ma Qiqi frowned. ¡°I¡¯m already asleep. Thank you, Senpai, for the snack. I¡¯ll treat you tomorrow.¡± She then hung up.

    Senpai froze with the phone in his hand and stood in front of the B University female graduate student dorm for a full minute before dropping his arms sullenly. Looking down, he red in the direction Ma Qiqi left in and quickly walked down the steps of the dorm before throwing the snack into the garbage. Dusting his hands off, he stalked off.

    ....

    Yin Shixiong drove Ma Qiqi to a parking lot in B University before stopping. It was alreadyte in the night, and the parking lot was for teaching staff and students to use during the day, so very few cars remained. They wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being overheard in an empty parking lot. Yin Shixiong turned to Ma Qiqi and asked solemnly, ¡°Qiqi, tell me again. What video was it?¡±

    Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t say anything but unlocked her phone to log into her instant messaging app and open the video Gu Nianzhi sent. ¡°See for yourself.¡±

    Yin Shixiong stared at Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone. On the 5.5 inch phone screen was the video of a young girl with half her face red and swollen. Her eyes were terrified, and her soft voice shook with fear, ¡°Qiqi! Qiqi! I¡¯m in Berlin! Save me!¡± The video was very short, only a few seconds long. It had obviously been sent in a hurry. This was Gu Nianzhi?! The young girl they¡¯d coddled ever since she was young?! Half her face was puffed up and swollen. Because her skin tone was fairer than most, her injury and the resulting green and red bruises appeared even more terrifying and serious looking than usual. What shook him more were her eyes... In that moment, he seemed to see the 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi again¡ªthe little girl who was so scared, she covered her head whenever people spoke too loudly, and who would curl up in a corner to cry quietly.

    Yin Shixiong jerked his head around to look at the dark night sky outside the window. One hand was balled into a fist as he put it by his mouth to block out the sobs that wanted to escape from his throat. However, he couldn¡¯t stop the tears that flowed from the corners of his eyes and could only pretend he was looking away casually to use his left hand to discreetly wipe his tears. The video was so short, Ma Qiqi thought Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t understand it. When he looked out the window, she yed it for him again. ¡°Brother Xiong, look at it. Is this Nianzhi?¡±

    Yin Shixiong closed his eyes and took out his phone as he said to her, ¡°Send the video to me.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nced at him. ¡°Brother Xiong, what¡¯s your user name?¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought about that. They weren¡¯t allowed to installmon instant messaging apps. They only used apps they created themselves and had specificmunication channels, so it was much safer and much more secure than themon apps normal people used. ¡°How about this, add my phone number and then save the video to your phone, then send it to my phone through text.¡± Yin Shixiong began to recite his number to Ma Qiqi. Although Yin Shixiong had called Ma Qiqi earlier, his phone had special settings that could conceal his number. So even though he had called her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see all the digits and couldn¡¯t save his number. In order to add his number, Yin Shixiong had to tell her theplete set of digits.

    Ma Qiqi looked at him and slowly saved his number in her phone before sending the video to him as he instructed. Yin Shixiong received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s distress video and opened it to rey and ensure it was fine before saving it to his phone. ¡°Qiqi, thank you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, we really... really... wouldn¡¯t know it was so serious.¡± Yin Shixiong thanked Ma Qiqi sincerely.

    Ma Qiqi waved her hand as she shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Brother Xiong. Nianzhi is my roommate and good friend. Who¡¯s going to help her if I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Qiqi. Nianzhi is lucky to have a good friend like you.¡± Yin Shixiong smiled and thought about how his Nianzhi had great luck with friends. Her undergraduate roommates were protective of her, and now she had such a kind roommate during her graduate studies. It was obvious they made the right choice allowing her to study.

    ¡°Brother Xiong is being too polite.¡± Ma Qiqi sighed. ¡°I actually didn¡¯t do much. I only made a few calls and sent some texts. Oh, Nianzhi went there with Professor He, so I didn¡¯t think something like that would happen. I asked Professor He, he confirmed...¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu? What did he say?¡±

    Ma Qiqi considered it. ¡°Professor He confirmed Nianzhi was really missing and said he was looking for her.¡± She then showed Yin Shixiong He Zhichu¡¯s ¡°Waiting For You¡± German social media ount.

    Yin Shixiong finally remembered that He Zhichu was in Germany, too! He had taken Nianzhi there, so how could something happen to her with him there?! Cold sweat beaded on Yin Shixiong¡¯s back. No one knew better than Yin Shixiong and his men about how capable and powerful He Zhichu was abroad. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had personally witnessed He Zhichu¡¯s strength. Who would be powerful enough to cause even the influential He Zhichu to lose Nianzhi?! Yin Shixiong¡¯s hands began to tremble slightly on the steering wheel. He tried his best to focus and answered Ma Qiqi evenly, ¡°Ok, I understand. It¡¯ste now, I¡¯ll take you back.¡± He started the car.

    Ma Qiqi sighed in relief now that she had finally ryed the message. Leaning back on the seat, she smiled. ¡°Brother Xiong, is Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend with you guys?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yin Shixiong answered absentmindedly as his mind kept thinking of ways to contact Huo Shao. However, recalling the Deputy Chief¡¯s words, he didn¡¯t dare go against his superior¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Then, would you let him know?¡± Ma Qiqi asked desperately. She had nearly lost her mind over Nianzhi¡¯s safety and knew that she hadn¡¯t done her best if she didn¡¯t tell Nianzhi¡¯s impressive boyfriend.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t know how to answer. There were military ranks just as there were different levels in executive positions, as well as a soldier¡¯splete conformity to all superiors¡¯ orders. These were all things Ma Qiq didn¡¯t understand yet, but they tossed and turned in Yin Shixiong¡¯s mind. He turned around to look into Ma Qiqi¡¯s huge and hopeful eyes. He replied slowly, ¡°Are you talking about Huo Shao? He¡¯s away on business, so I can¡¯t get a hold of him for now.¡±

 Chapter 677 - Kept a Tight Lid on It

    <h4>Chapter 677: Kept a Tight Lid on It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°A business trip? Then call him or text him, or video chat with him. How is it possible that you can¡¯t get in contact with him?¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes were open wide. She couldn¡¯t believe what Yin Shixiong had just said. ¡°Big Xiong, now is the era of the inte. How is it that we can¡¯t get in touch with him?! Don¡¯t tell me that he went to a deste ce on a business trip!¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled bitterly and raked his hands through his hair. He stopped exining and said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Okay, we have arrived at your dormitory.¡± The female graduate students¡¯ dormitory was just ahead. Yin Shixiong stopped the car.

    Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t really get it. However, she did know Huo Shao and Yin Shixiong were soldiers. Maybe they had difficulties that they were reluctant to discuss... She stopped inquiring. She quickly jumped out of the car and said, ¡°Then Big Xiong, you should help Nianzhi. Bring her back soon!¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Qiqi, we will try our best.¡± He started the car the moment he finished talking, and then he drove off.

    Ma Qiqi stood in front of the dormitory¡¯s front desk and watched Yin Shixiong¡¯s Jeep drive away until it was out of sight before going back to her dormitory.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong sped down the road. His mind was ying the video he just saw over and over again. The more he thought about it, the more scared he got. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn¡¯t sit still. No, he must tell Huo Shao about this.

    Yin Shixiong looked at the situation from a different angle. In the end, he came up with an idea. He turned the wheel and drove toward the military headquarters. At the time, it was already almost midnight. Most of the people at the military headquarters were already asleep.

    Yin Shixiong drove all the way to General Ji¡¯s door. As he got out of his car, he said to the guards, ¡°Could you get General Ji for me, please? Just tell him Yin Shixiong is back. I need to ask for his advice concerning something important.¡±

    The guards looked at him. One of them picked up the inte. He called General Ji¡¯s personal secretary to confirm that General Ji hadn¡¯t gone to sleep. Only then was the call transferred there.

    ¡°Sir, there is a man iming to be Lieutenant Colonel Yin Shixiong at the gate. He said he needs to ask you about something very important.¡±

    General Ji was in the study. He took off his sses. He rubbed his eyes and said, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    General Ji¡¯s personal secretary took Yin Shixiong to the study.

    ¡°Hello, sir.¡±

    ¡°Take a seat.¡± General Ji nodded as he casually pointed to a soft stool in front of his desk.

    With great manners, Yin Shixiong sat down on the chair. He had a stern expression as he said, ¡°General Ji, Deputy Chief just called me back while I was abroad. I now understand what is going on. However, there is something that I want to confirm with General Ji.¡±

    General Ji looked at his personal secretary. That person understood and turned and left. He even kindly closed the study¡¯s door.

    ¡°Talk. What is it?¡± General Ji put on his sses and looked at the documents in front of him again. He was showing an obvious expression that said he didn¡¯t want to talk much.

    When Yin Shixiong saw General Ji¡¯s attitude, he knew he was going to have a hard time convincing General Ji, but when he thought of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shao, he braced himself and said, ¡°General Ji, this is an important issue. Not only did something happen to our field agents, but Gu Nianzhi was also...¡±

    General Ji looked up from the documents with a deadpan expression.

    The corner of Yin Shixiong¡¯s mouth twitched, but he bravely continued and said, ¡°Something this big has happened, but Deputy Chief told me that I can¡¯t inform Huo Shao. I just want to confirm it. We really can¡¯t inform Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can¡¯t. I said that.¡± General Ji said coldly, ¡°Since you already know it, I will also warn you. If you dare tell Shaoheng about this before he returns, I will not go easy on you. Court martial was designed for people like you who feignpliance!¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart jumped. He didn¡¯t understand why General Ji said it in such a serious way... Feignpliance? It was almost as if he was saying they disobeyed orders. Of course, Yin Shixiong would not have it, so he stubbornly replied, ¡°General Ji, I don¡¯t understand. We never did anything that ¡®feignedpliance.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Hehe, never?¡± General Ji threw the document down and leaned against his chair. ¡°You can say that you never did, but can you guarantee that others never did?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was speechless. Okay, It was true that he was not sure about the others, but he believed in Huo Shao, believed that he would never do anything that would hurt the country or the army. ¡°General Ji...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± General Ji suddenly became angry. He stood up from behind the desk and pointed at Yin Shixiong¡¯s nose and asked him, ¡°You said you didn¡¯t. Then let me ask you, did you know about Gu Nianzhi not being Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. He was thoroughly shocked. ¡°What?! Not his biological daughter?! Where, where, where...where did you hear this from?!¡±

    Even Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t know about it... and he was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary! He sure kept a tight lid on it! General Ji groaned to himself.

    ¡°Big Xiong, this is not professional of you. Your boss knows, but you don¡¯t.¡± He clicked his tongue and continued, ¡°Think about how it became the way it did, and then you cane back here to argue about whether Shaoheng should be informed.¡± General Ji waved his hand. ¡°Leave. It¡¯s reallyte, and I need to sleep.¡±

    Yin Shixiong walked out of General Ji¡¯s house and got into his car like he was sleepwalking. Then he started his car as if he were in a trance. He drove back to the Special Operation Forces¡¯ Headquarters in that kind of mental state. Luckily, he did so without causing any idents.

    Back at the station, he went to the meeting room without thinking. He came back to his senses when he saw the meeting room was full of people. He nodded at everyone. ¡°I have kept you waiting.¡±

    All the people in the meeting room expressed that it was not a problem. They waited for him to start talking. Yin Shixiong took the water bottle on the desk, turned the cap, and drank half of the bottle. Only then did he start to talk to the people in the meeting room. ¡°I went to see the vice president. After that, I went to see General Ji. That¡¯s why it took so long.¡±

    Everyone expressed that they understood. They didn¡¯t look like they resented waiting. Yin Shixiong nodded once again and said, ¡°First, we will handle the situation with the two missing field agents. I authorize you to dispatch someone to investigate everything concerning what happened. I want all the information concerning the situation before ten o¡¯clock tomorrow morning.¡±

    From the strategic decision-making process to picking field agents and confirming the field agents¡¯ location, as well as thest time the two field agents contacted them, all of that had to be in the report.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s men took the assignment, left the meeting room immediately, and started making preparations.

    Yin Shixiong sat in the meeting room alone. He was exhausted. He covered his face with his hands and sat there silently for a moment before going back to his room to sleep.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had been treating her wound at the blond woman¡¯s ce for two days. During these past two days, she had been putting medicine on the arm and had changed the bandage all by herself. It was a good thing that the wound was on her left arm. That way, bandaging it didn¡¯t require much of an effort.

    Actually, her wound was already healed by the second day. However, she didn¡¯t want these people to know about her strange body, so Gu Nianzhi continued to pretend she needed to change her bandage and needed to put more medicine on it. She let her left arm hang and acted like someone who was severely wounded.

    However, she felt that just taking care of her wound alone was too depressing. She needed something else to do. She found thedy boss and borrowed herptop. She decided to kill some time by browsing online. Thedy boss was very generous, letting her borrow theptop. Gu Nianzhi spent most of her time on theptop during the past two days, as she had nothing better to do.

    In the beginning, she would often search about things rted to Li Haiqing¡¯s case. Who knew how much news and detailed case analysis she had looked at? There was nothing new to see. She searched the browser again. She wanted to see some ¡°old news,¡± but when Gu Nianzhi was browsing for ¡°old news,¡± she found something strange. She discovered that the search engine there couldn¡¯t find all the news there was.

    She searched for old news concerning Li Haiqing¡¯s case. At first, she just wanted to have all the news rted to this case starting from the beginning until now. After that, she wouldpile a list based on the timeline and see what kind of link there was between the news and the case. The result of her search was that Gu Nianzhi clearly realized that half of the news she had seen before was not there anymore. She could remember something just by seeing it once because her memory was better than most people¡¯s.

    The news concerning Li Haiqing¡¯s case was rted to the case she had. That was why she had read every one of those news articles before. When she searched for them again, she realized that the news from earlier had disappeared. Was it because those news articles had been deleted?

    Couldn¡¯t be... Why has only some of the news disappeared? Is there anything special concerning the news that disappeared? Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes as sheid there on the bed. She silently thought about it for a moment. Even though the news had disappeared from the inte, she still remembered the news she had scrolled through previously.

    She tried to remember the content of every article. Gu Nianzhi suddenly opened her eyes. She had found the pattern! The new items that clearly existed before but had now disappeared from the search all had one thing inmon. They all had the title, ¡°Lawyer He¡± or the name, ¡°He Zhichu¡± in it.

 Chapter 678 - Youâ€™re All in This Together

    <h4>Chapter 678: You¡¯re All in This Together</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°This is quite interesting¡­¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured to herself. Leaning against the bed, her left hand was in a sling around her neck while she used her right hand to type. She appeared very clumsy.

    The blonde bar owner and the bartender would alwayse see her, and both thought it was funny how she used one hand to tap on the keyboard. They urged her to stop typing and watch movies instead, but Gu Nianzhi would just smile. ¡°I¡¯ll watch in a bit. I¡¯m reading people¡¯s arguments on online forums.¡± The bar owner and bartender stopped trying to convince her at those words.

    Once they left, Gu Nianzhi reconsidered the pattern she discovered. What kind ofwork would cause some news to appear and other news not to? This was way too simple for Gu Nianzhi¡ªfiltering. Someone set up specific keywords to be blocked out on theputer she was using¡­ So all web pages containing that blocked keyword would be filtered out. It was actually very simple once she understood it. Just like how everyone used ad filter extensions like Adbloc.k software to filter out certain sites, this was a simr principle. Wasn¡¯t it the case? Gu Nianzhi thought she should try it out. She would hypothesize boldly and confirm carefully.

    While this type of firewall was perhaps an insurmountable gulf for some people, it was nothing for Gu Nianzhi. During all the years she had spent in the Special Operations Forces base, she had learned hacking from the fifth highest ranking hacker on all of the Blue, Zhao Liangze. He had given her a very good foundation because he taught her from the most basic DOS programs, and DOS was the origin of all widely usedputer operating systems. To truly be a powerful hacker, she couldn¡¯t just use hacking software. All the truly powerful hackers were actually talented software engineers who were skilled at coding.

    In their eyes, the entire inte seemed to be just like the shing green symbols and lines like the Matrix; everything had its own logic and patterns. Gu Nianzhi stared at theptop in front of her and used one had to sporadically enter several DOSmands and discreetly circumvent the monitoring program on theptop to send several pings to the outsidework. Soon after, most of the signals returned withplete and rapid feedback, but a few were blocked. Several blocked signals were the signals from when she tried to ping He Zhichu or Lawyer He rted webpage signals. So this was the case¡­

    The bar owner was in this together with Als? There really was someone installing website filters on the LAN she was using, so all the information in her LAN had been filtered through. But the filters? Firewalls? Were these people sure about trapping one of the top hackers on all of the Blue in awork firewall? Gu Niaznhi smirked but didn¡¯t feel good at all. If one had to describe her reaction, then it could be like how the main character in the old film, The Truman Show, felt when he first realized he had been in a studio set all his life. But while the main character was so shocked, he almost lost his mind, Gu Nianzhi had survived a month of wandering in the wild and had increased her ability to withstand situations. She didn¡¯t lose her mind from the shock but silently cursed herself for being so brainless yet again. What was her advantage? Of course it was her intelligence, not her physical strength! What a joke¡­ She had totally ignored the shortcut and tried everything to escape only to get herselfpletely injured¡­

    p! Gu Nianzhi hit herself hard in the face. She must remember this lesson¡ªonly idiots pitted their own weaknesses against other people¡¯s strengths. The p was a bit too much. When the bartender came by to deliver her dinner, his eyes widened with shock at the distinct handprint on her face. ¡°Who hit you?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Too embarrassed to admit she had hit herself, she could only look down and mumble, ¡°Don¡¯t ask, it¡¯s all my fault¡­¡±

    It was the bartender¡¯s turn to be speechless. He turned away quietly, and then Gu Nianzhi could hear him fiercely exim in German with someone outside¡­

    Pouting, she decided to ignore it and only had two bites of bread before going to wash up. Then she opened the door and told the bar owner and bartender outside, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep after watching a bit of a movie. Goodnight.¡± This meant she was locking the door.

    The bar owner red at the bartender and turned to Gu Nianzhi with a smile, ¡°Ok, I can tell you don¡¯t look too good. Get to sleep early and wake up early tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Than you. The faster I heal, the sooner I can leave. I won¡¯t bother you for much longer.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I¡¯m very happy you¡¯re here. You can bother us for as long as you like. Don¡¯t feel bad about it.¡± The bar ownerforted her and walked her back inside.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded to her and closed the door and deadbolted it. After locking it, she sat on the bed and looked at all four corners of the room. Her LAN was already being monitored, so there was a high chance the room was being monitored as well. However, she didn¡¯t know where the cameras were and didn¡¯t have the Special Operations Forces¡¯ infrared camera detection tool on her. But if there were cameras in the room, then they were probably being monitored online. As long as it was online, then Gu Nianzhi had a way around them.

    She looked around and picked up theptop as she got on the bed, then pulled the nkets up to cover herself entirely from head to toe. That way, even if there were cameras in the room, those people could only see a cocoon-like nket on the bed but couldn¡¯t tell what she was doing¡­ Hiding under the dark nket, Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly as she removed the sling connecting her neck to her left arm and began typing rapidly with both hands.

    The enemy was monitoring herptop, so theoretically, they could see everything she was doing on it. Gu Nianzhi used the opportunity of ying the Blu-Ray movie to enter a DOS program and quickly type severalmands to create a zombie virtual hard drive on theptop. This wasn¡¯t actually on theptop¡¯s hard drive but was within the virtualwork using theptop¡¯s virtual internal memory. Because theptop was older and didn¡¯t have much storage, the entire thing slowed down considerably when Gu Nianzhi used arge amount of memory to build a zombie virtual hard drive. Not only was theptop slow for her, but the monitoring would also be slowed down.

    ording to differences inwork bandwidth, the enemy¡¯s monitoring of herptop would be dyed by at least one minute to indefinitely. In other words, when theg time was long enough, then monitoring would slowly freeze. The monitoring screen would forever disy the image before the freeze urred but wasn¡¯t actually able to monitor her anymore. Just like amon scene in movies, people avoided elevator camera monitoring by sticking a picture of an empty elevator on the camera. The security room¡¯s screen would forever show the same image, and while they assumed no one was getting in or out of the elevator, others could have a party in there without detection.

    Gu Nianzhi patiently expanded her zombie virtual hard drive and continued to erode thework bandwidth until her Blu-Ray movie¡¯s images and sounds began to stutter. Then she finally stopped. The virtual hard drive should¡¯ve reached a critical point, and once theptop processes returned to a stable state, she could confirm that the enemy¡¯s monitoring had failed. Gu Nianzhi closed the Blu-Ray movie and began to madly program using the most primitive DOS.

    The enemy wanted to fool her using the firewalledwork to cut her off from the outside world, so she would give them a taste of their own medicine! Gu Nianzhi was very productive after entering a programming state. She spent the entire night creating useful targeted application software and named it, ¡°devourer.exe¡± after its function.

    After being cooped up in her nkets the whole night, she finally crawled out in the daylight. Gu Nianzhi put her left arm back in the sling and went to sleep after washing up to make up for theck of rest from the night before. Because she was sure someone was monitoring herptop, she nned to only work at night from now on. Most people were the sleepiest at night, and no matter how prepared they were, there was no way they could remain alert while staring at a still image on a screen.

    After sleeping peacefully the whole day, Gu Nianzhi woke up at dinner time. She had a cheerful dinner with the bar owner and bartender, then when back to her room to take a shower. Afterwards, she turned on herptop to open her program. The program used up 99% of thework bandwidth in one moment, freezing the monitoring footage and also circumventing the filtered out keywords.

    Gu Nianzhi no longer needed to hide under the nkets. She sat boldly on the bed and began browsing online. This time she searched for ¡°the Li Haiqing case,¡± and there were many results containing ¡°Lawyer He¡± and ¡°He Zhichu.¡± Unlike yesterday, where He Zhichu seemed to not exist in the world, all the pages with his name appeared, which proved she had circumvented at least one filtered keyword. Gu Nianzhi directly searched ¡°He Zhichu¡± online, and the first hit was his official ount on Germany¡¯srgest social mediawork. Gu Nianzhi bit her bottom lip hard and felt both sad and pained when she saw what was obviously a picture of her back on his profile, along with the title, ¡°Waiting for you toe home¡­¡±

 Chapter 679 - Did Not Give Up

    <h4>Chapter 679: Did Not Give Up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    So Professor He had already been back and had not given up looking for her... Gu Nianzhi looked at the pictures apanying He Zhichu¡¯s reports and realized that he had really lost weight. He did not have a buff body to begin with and looked evennkier now. The circles below his eyes showed many days of inadequate sleep.

    Tears welled up in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. However, she bit her lower lip and held back her tears. She continued looking through reports on He Zhichu and noticed a trend. It seemed like He Zhichu drastically increased his publicity from the time she went missing. He did not merely appear on different media outlets¡ªhe even created a social media ount.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu was someone who wanted a lot of privacy. It was to the extent that it seemed like he wanted to hide himself from the public. He had such a strong influence in North America and South America in the past, but they did not even know about it. They had initially thought that he was merely a genius when it came tow.

    She only got to know about if afterwards, that He Zhichu had a tremendously strong background, but he did not want many people to know about it. He would rather live among everyone just like a normal lecturer from a university. Why would someone like that be so public all of a sudden?

    It didn¡¯t take much for one to realize that...

    Gu Nianzhi was touched. She was happy but was afraid at the same time. She was tempted a couple of times to send He Zhichu a private message, but looking at theptop in front of her and remembering the cameras that had been set, Gu Nianzhi stopped herself. The time wasn¡¯t right yet. She could not alert her enemies now. If Als found out about it... She did not want to go through what he was capable of again.

    With a heavy heart, Gu Nianzhi closed the window to He Zhichu¡¯s social media ount and began searching for news about the Hua Xia Empire. Many articles in Mandarin came up. It had been a long time since Gu Nianzhi had seen Chinese words. She read withfort.

    Then, in a corner that was not eye catching, she saw an article that read, ¡°...Our Military Supreme Council¡¯s acting secretary, who is also the youngest major general in our country, led the team on a national visit to Cuba...¡± The picture apanying the article was Huo Shaoheng alighting from the private jet, waving to the masses.

    He was wearing a perfectly fitted major general military uniform. All the badges on him made him look even more outstanding. Standing on the ne, his perfect looks outshined the brilliantly blue sky behind him. Even though he was wearing shades and no one could see his eyes, Gu Nianzhi still smiled when she saw his picture. She could tell that he was in a good mood.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome picture and turning to look at her own haggard reflection in the mirror, Gu Nianzhi felt moody. This should be his mission now, shouldn¡¯t it? The time and date of the article told her that he should have been there within thest couple of days. So he haspleted the previous mission already? Since he haspleted the previous mission, did he try to call me?

    Gu Nianzhi regretted throwing her phone away...

    But if he did try to call me and realized that my phone was not ¡°within thework of service,¡± he would definitely have a hunch that I had met with some mishap, wouldn¡¯t he? Therefore, there is only one possibility¡ªhe did not call me.

    If he was still on a mission and did not call, she would understand. This was one of the sacrifices Gu Nianzhi had to make when she decided to be together with Huo Shaoheng. She was already mentally prepared. However, it was clear that he hadpleted his mission and had already begun a new one. They had been apart for so many months, but he still did not call? That made her feel really awful.

    What Gu Nianzhi did not know, was that Huo Shaoheng was actually still on the first mission. This visit was tying up the loose ends of that mission. However, all she felt was her heart sinking. She felt like crying and was extremely upset. She walked around in circles in the room and told herself repeatedly to calm down. She was all alone right now. No matter if she was angry or crying a river, she would still be alone. She only had herself to depend on.

    With that, Gu Nianzhi raised her head and stopped her tears from flowing. When she calmed down, she thought about it rationally. Huo Shaoheng definitely did not know that she was in trouble. That was why he was able to still look happy in front of the media. Of course, with his position and experience, he wouldn¡¯t show how he felt in order to confuse enemies. Whether he was the Major General of the Hua Xia Empire or the founder of the Special Forces, he couldn¡¯t reveal his emotions. Had he done that, he would have been a failure.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was still confused. If Huo Shaoheng did not know that she was in trouble, then why would people from the Special Forcese? She still remembered the two men whose throats were slit...

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to contact He Zhichu because she was worried that she would alert the enemies unnecessarily. She had bigger ns in mind. She did not wish for the two men from the Special Forces to have died in vain. They had been there to save her. Gu Nianzhi bit her lip and thought, They definitely were. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been killed...

    Looking at Huo Shaoheng one more time, Gu Nianzhi closed the tab and opened a page for hackers. She began to write her program. The traditional DOS was too much of a hassle to use. Gu Nianzhi did not have that much patience. She would need to refine her program after writing it in DOS in order for it to run as she would like.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi bore with her emotions and stayed up another night in order to refine her program, ¡°Devourer.exe,¡± on the hacker¡¯s website. The moment she turned on the program now, she would be able to bypass her enemy¡¯s guard and also be able to disable the camera on their end. This meant she needn¡¯t worry about where the cameras were hidden, as long as they lost contact with the enemy. Anyway, it would be toote when they found out about this after she had left.

    When she was done writing the program, Gu Nianzhi slept through the day again. She only woke up when it was time for dinner. Thedy boss with blonde hair and blue eyes was slightly worried about her. ¡°Do you want to see a doctor? Why have you been sleeping so much recently?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I have nothing else to do. When I sleep, time passes faster. That way, I won¡¯t feel like I am being locked up.¡±

    The bartender¡¯s ears turned red upon hearing that. Coughing, he turned away and continued having his dinner. Thedy boss was more calm. She smiled and said, ¡°How could it be? You have all the freedom you want! Tell me, where would you like to go? I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, thank you. I¡¯m not fully recovered yet. Actually, I read that one¡¯s body recovers faster if one is sleeping. Therefore, I decided to sleep more in order to heal faster.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes. That¡¯s correct. Our bodies heal when we are asleep.¡± Thedy boss was clearly relieved. She even handed Gu Nianzhi a bowl of stew. Gu Nianzhi took a sip and found the taste to be extremely familiar. She put it down.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like this?¡± Thedy boss raised her eyebrows. ¡°It tastes decent, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I do, but I¡¯m already full.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her tummy. ¡°My injury hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. Therefore, my appetite isn¡¯t that great.¡±

    Thedy boss nced at her arm and saw that it was still bandaged. Gu Nianzhi also looked like she had difficulty when she was lifting things. She looked off bnce when she walked, too. She did not forget how Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm was covered in blood when she saw her that day. What a waste. Such perfect skin. With a wound that deep, she¡¯ll have to have skin grafts in order to hide it. ¡°Alright. Then you rest early. Get well soon!¡± Thedy boss sounded sincere.

    Gu Nianzhi wondered to herself but did not reveal any emotions, because it wasn¡¯t time to trash things yet. After she was done washing up, Gu Nianzhi returned to her small room and locked the door. She turned theptop on and opened her program. With that, she was in control of the web.

    Gu Nianzhi went online to roam about again and downloaded the chatting app. Even though thisptop had a password, decoding it was child¡¯s y to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi did not want to hack into their system on the first try, simply because it was hical to do so. However, after knowing thatdy boss, the entire bar, and Als were on the same side of the bed, she couldn¡¯t care less anymore.

    Since you guys want to watch me, I¡¯ll just retaliate ordingly.

    ...

    When it was midnight, Gu Nianzhi got up energetically and sat in front of theptop. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Work hard! Let¡¯s go!¡± When she opened the program, her ¡°Devourer.exe¡± was working well. After one day of running, it had already sessfully entered the enemy¡¯s web system.

    She searched for the CCTV view and saw that they were seeing a wallpaper that Gu Nianzhi had created. In order to make it look realistic, Gu Nianzhi even used Macro to create a desktop picture and allowed some pop ups and games to be essed. However, Gu Nianzhi had already bypassed all their security systems and entered their system through a back door.

    She was nervous but excited, because this wasn¡¯t a normal website. This was Germany¡¯s internalwork for their Federal Intelligence Agency!

 Chapter 680 - A Big Move!

    <h4>Chapter 680: A Big Move!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°devourer.exe¡± was like a small beast exploring its way, and it carried her to the internal central control system of the German Federal Intelligence Service. She traversed within the intr and anxiously searched for the information she wanted to find. When she had escaped that night, four Chinese people had died in the woods by the bar. Gu Nianzhi was certain the two of them were criminals pretending to be someone else, while the other two were real Hua Xia Imperial Special Operations Forces personnel. Rubbing the diamond earrings on her earlobes, she considered it for a second but didn¡¯t take them off in the end. This was her only contact with Huo Shao, and she didn¡¯t want to remove them, even though she knew the danger of wearing them. She wanted to ess Als¡¯ intr and find information about the four dead people.

    That morning, the blonde bar owner told Gu Nianzhi about the murder in the woods, and she assumed it became another well known case in Germany if even a bar owner knew about it... But afterwards, she didn¡¯t see any news online at all, so it was like she had imagined the events that night. Now she finally understood that the bar owner knew all the details, not because the case was prolific within the poption, but purely due to her being in cahoots with Als. She might even be personnel from the Federal Intelligence Service and had only told Gu Nianzhi about it probably to glean information from her. Unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi had no idea why the Hua Xia Empire sent personnel over, so she didn¡¯t even have an opportunity to leak any intelligence.

    Shrugging, Gu Nianzhi continued to dig through the German Federal Intelligence Service¡¯s intr. From the website infrasture, the German Federal Intelligence Service was mainly divided into eight major systems. Bureau 1 was the main intelligence service with Als as the Director General. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers paused as she dug up Bureau 1¡¯s encrypted file. The password was very simple because some idiot intelligence personnel had created a .txt file and saved it with the encrypted file. The .txt file was named ¡°password.txt....¡± Inside were all sorts of passwords for various encrypted files, so when Gu Nianzhi essed password.txt, she had the key to all the encrypted files.

    She froze when she opened the encrypted file¡ªit was a summary list of all intelligence personnel, including undercover German Federal Intelligence Service personnel in various countries... She even saw the list of undercover personnel in the Hua Xia Empire! One could search high and low only to find it when one least expected! Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to upload it to her own cloud drive.

    Bureau 2 managed signals, and Bureau 3 analyzed intelligence, while Bureau 4 was encrypted with the mostplicated password, which wasn¡¯t listed in the stupid password file. Gu Nianzhi nced at the external description and discovered Bureau 4 was the administrative level of the German Federal Intelligence Service. It was a bunch of officials, so she was toozy to look into it. Consequently, she didn¡¯t waste energy cracking the password and skipped over it. Bureau 5 was counter international terrorism. Bureau 6 was responsible for technical support, so the personnel monitoring her right now should be from there. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands itched, and she drew a pig¡¯s face on Bureau 6¡¯s encrypted file... Bureau 7 was in charge of training intelligence personnel. While Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t interested in the training procedures, she thought Huo Shao and his men would be, so she carefully selected a few files to upload to the cloud drive.

    Lastly, Bureau 8 was in charge of counter-espionage activities. Gu Nianzhi perked up and instinctively knew that the information rted to the four Chinese men would be saved there. She clicked on it and sifted through file by file, looking through all the pictures. Three hourster, her eyes were nearly blind when she finally found a folder rted to the four dead Chinese men! Opening it, she saw it wasn¡¯t merely all sorts of photos of the incident¡¯s scene and the deceased from various angles, but also the Federal Intelligence Service¡¯s analysis report.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced over it and discovered that Als and his men had discussed whether this was the opportunity to take advantage of the identification of the dead Chinese men to issue a diplomatic note to the Hua Xia Empire and question why they had sent intelligence personnel to Germany! Afterwards, it was vetoed, and while the personnel wasn¡¯t named, they were coded as the name ¡°G¡± on the file. ¡°G¡± said that firstly, the identification was fake, so if they pretended to not know any better and used them to question the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they would only shoot themselves in the foot and reveal that Gu Nianzhi was in their hands...

    Gu Nianzhi shook anxiously when she suddenly saw her name on the encrypted files, and her hand nearly slipped off the mouse. Her heart almost leapt out of her throat, and it took her a long time to calm down. She quickly downloaded the files to upload onto her own cloud drive.

    However, thework connection suddenly slowed down, and her uploads paused midway. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. Could someone have discovered her? ncing at her watch, she saw four hours had already passed. She had been too greedy and spent too long on her first hack into the enemy¡¯s intr¡ªtoo many traces were left. Gu Nianzhi knew she was being too clumsy, and Zhao Liangze would be sure to scold her if he found out. But this was such a rare chance, and she didn¡¯t want to give up the opportunity to help Huo Shao and the Special Ops learn the secrets of the German Federal Intelligence Service.

    The seconds passed, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers flew over the keyboard as she continued to code for faster processing times. Ten minutester, her uploads were still paused, and her program¡¯s rm system had already been activated. This meant the enemy may have already discovered there was a problem with her surveince and that there were external parties essing their intr. What should she do? If she gave up this chance, she may never be allowed to ess it again. Also, if Als and his men had a talented hacker within them, then there was a chance she could be discovered here...

    To give up or continue, that was the fatal question. In the split second battle between humanity and fate, Gu Nianzhi finally made her decision. She would make a big move! Let¡¯s show these arrogant white people that even an anxious bunny can bite back! She wouldn¡¯t attack until she could make the one fatal shot! Closing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi began to initialize the final system on devourer.exe. Soon after, she let go of the cursor and watched the program she created begin to wreak havoc on the German Federal Intelligence Service¡¯s intr.

    ...

    At the same time, rms sounded continuously in the central control room of the German Federal Intelligence Service. The sharp ring cracked through the base, where the sun had just cast the sky into a milky white.

    ¡°Hurry! Hurry! We have an external attack!¡±

    ¡°Where? Where?!¡±

    ¡°The intr, you idiot! The intr has beenpromised!¡±

    ¡°Initialize emergency systems! Pursue the intruding program! We must trace the origin IP to this program!¡± Seeing the situation get more serious, their most capable software engineers sped over, but it was already toote. If they didn¡¯t take the final measures now, all their secrets would be destroyed. This was worse than the highestmanding officer of the German Federal Intelligence Service being a mole from a foreign country, because it meant the possibility of exposing all the German Federal Intelligence Service¡¯s secrets all the way back to the time of the Gestapo! All the Germans in the central control room stared at each other, their faces ashen as they mumbled, shook, and had no idea how to deal with the current situation.

    Als screamed, ¡°It¡¯s toote! Stop tracing the IP! Cut the power! Cut it now!¡± The moment the main power was unplugged, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°devourer.exe.¡± intensified and exploded with itsst attack. It transformed into hundreds of millions of mini programs. Like white blood cells devouring bacteria, it wiped everything out, and its speed increased exponentially. All the files in the German Federal Intelligence Service¡¯s intr were destroyed by a locust-like attack. From encrypted to unencrypted files, system files, and data files were all swallowed and shrunk into packets, then were forwarded to external emails at lightning speed. Even with such arge amount of files, the speed was so high that it hadpleted all consumption procedures and initialized the self destruction sequence in the time it took for the entire system to gradually cut power.

    Als called Reinitz over for the serious emergency, and where he stood in front of the central control system of the German Federal Intelligence Service¡¯s huge host machine, he only saw a bright circle of light sh on the screen. A cute pink pig walked out of the ring of light and rolled at them twice before turning around to reveal a short tail wagging on its plump butt. The ring of light gradually shrank until the pink pig disappeared inside it.

    Boom! Als punched the host machine viciously, his eyes aze with anger. ¡°They¡¯ve gone too far! They¡¯ll wish they¡¯d never gotten caught!¡±

 Chapter 681 - Canâ€™t Be Any Cooler Than That

    <h4>Chapter 681: Can¡¯t Be Any Cooler Than That</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Checkmate.¡± Gu Nianzhi said the word slowly and watched the little pink pig on theptop slowly disappear. She then made a finger gun with her hand and aimed it at the screen and made a bang sound. Thest thing she did before the Federal Intelligence Agency websitepletely copsed was send a private message to He Zhichu¡¯s official social media ount. Inside was only a German word: ¡°GESTAPO.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t write anything else, not even her own name, because she didn¡¯t know if there were other words that were being blocked. Once the block was activated, she would lose her only chance.

    During that time, all the hackers around the world noticed the huge change on Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s website.

    ¡°Little Pink Pig!¡±

    ¡°Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s internalwork has copsed!¡±

    ¡°Little Pink Pig did it!¡±

    ¡°Oh my goodness! Simply awesome!¡±

    ¡°She is my idol! My goddess! Totally!¡±

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a she? Not a he?¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid? Would a man use little pink pigs?! This definitely is a woman, and it is a young delicate little girl!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... I have lived to witness history being made!¡±

    Every Blue hacking organization¡¯s screen was flooded withments like these. This dream-like attack was like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves as it departed. Can¡¯t be any cooler than that!

    Since then, the world of international hackers had another code name, ¡°Little Pink Pig.¡± Her achievement had spread throughout all of the Blue hackers¡¯ organization. Even some big countries¡¯ Blue intelligence agencies¡¯ honkers were deeply impressed with it, and they all secretly wanted to recruit her.

    It was because she breached Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s internalwork by herself. She took all of its information as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. It caused Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency such a massive loss that it was impossible to know how bad it was. ¡°Impossible to know how bad it was,¡± was not an exaggeration. It really was impossible to know how bad it was. Secrets from the time of the Gestapo would no longer be a secret after tonight.

    No one was more excited than the hackers from Eastern Europe. Due to historical reasons, hackers from Eastern Europe hated Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency more than any other country¡¯s. They hated that agency more than any of Germany¡¯s other departments. These hackers had also diligently tried to breach Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s internalwork. But after all these years, they had never really breached the internalwork.

    But tonight, someone did it!

    These hackers from Eastern Europe had be die-hard fans of Little Pink Pig. Many of them disyed their support of Little Pink Pig. Their symbol was that of Little Pink Pig¡¯s butt.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know about themotion she had caused, because she didn¡¯t know that every country¡¯s intelligence agency¡¯s internalworks were constantly attacking each other. Attacks from hackers, honkers, government officials, and residents never stopped. That was why this brilliant act of ¡°Operation Engulfed¡± she directed was witnessed by many people. They only saw a small portion of it, but they were all masters in their fields. They all saw what caused the devastating change to the internalwork perfectly clearly.

    The main reason why Gu Nianzhi was capable of making such a mess of Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s central control systems was because she was a part of the Federation Intelligence Agency¡¯s internalwork systems. In order to get her protected local areawork, they tried to trick her, make her lower her guard, and tried to get her information illegally. It was actually the Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s internalwork¡¯s territory. That was why it was easy to go against the current. All those strong and undefeatable things were all breached from the inside. That was also the easiest way topletely defeat a person, a race, and a country.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s action imperceptibly fit in with this theory.

    ...

    It was unavoidable that when Gu Nianzhi started Operation Engulfed, the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Special Operation Forces also noticed it. And they were more fortunatepared to other countries¡¯ intelligence agencies, because they got a steady flow of ¡°blessings¡± from Germany!

    Thousands upon thousands of emails that had top-secret marks on them were sent to the Special Operation Forces like snowkes. They were sent to tens of thousands of Special Operation Forces¡¯ email ounts. When they opened them, they were all in German. And just by tranting a bit of them, everyone looked like they were dreaming.

    ¡°This, this, this... could the Little Pink Pig be one of us?!¡±

    ¡°Who, who, who? Is it Lieutenant Colonel Zhao?!¡±

    ¡°No! Lieutenant Colonel Zhao is with the boss in Cuba on an official assignment. How can it be him?!¡±

    ¡°Then who?!¡±

    ¡°No matter who it is, this person has done a great service for our country. Good gracious, this much totally wiped Germany¡¯s ¡®Gestapo¡¯ clean...¡±

    ¡°It can be said that this kind of great service is a kind of service that no one has ever achieved before or will achieve again in the future.¡±

    The Special Operation Forces¡¯ central system¡¯s employees looked at the unending stream of email. Their facial expressions looked like they were gazing at rare treasures. But rare treasures had a price. This intel was priceless.

    It was just too bad that right now was the eve of the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s prime minister general election. The Special Operation Forces usually didn¡¯t interfere with politics, but that year¡¯s election was special. The two candidates were Bai Jiancheng and Tan Dongbang. They all asked Special Operation Forces to participate. They needed them to monitor the electronic voting system throughout the country, because they both felt that only the Special Operation Forces could remain neutral, and that they would be impartial. One could even say that these two thought they had people in the Special Operation Forces, so even if they were partial, they would be partial toward their side...

    They got General Ji and Speaker Long¡¯s permission. Under Deputy Chief¡¯s supervision, the Special Operation Forces formed a group of the most loyal members who had great technological skills. He stationed them in the central control room to monitor the electronic voting system throughout the country. This was also the reason why Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯te back to the country at that time.

    General Ji actually didn¡¯t want the Special Operation Forces to be involved in politics. However, he couldn¡¯t refuse because the candidates asked in the guise of it being the citizens¡¯ will. In the end, he could only find a way to not drag Huo Shaoheng into it. Whatever the oue might be, Huo Shaoheng could still continue to be the impartial and unblemished Special Operation Forces¡¯ major general and leader.

    No one was allowed to leave the building or contact anyone from the outside before the voting results came out. That night, they were originallypleting the final confirmations and maintenance before the vote to give it a good kickoff. They never thought they would encounter such a big situation.

    Besides the Special Operation Forces, the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s secret service also noticed Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s peculiarity. However, their focus was on the election that would take ce the next day. They were too busy to attend to other things.

    ...

    And in the midst of this storm, the inside of Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s central control room was so quiet that it was scary. Reinitz lookedposed as he patted Als¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let me take a look.¡±

    He sat down in front of the central control system and quickly entered onemand after another with his long, slender fingers while saying, ¡°This hacker is a woman. She can¡¯t be over 25, might even be younger. She¡¯s a genius, but still a bit childish. If you happen to find her, give her to me. I can help train her and turn her into one of the best hackers in the world.¡±

    ¡°Just because of the little pink pig, you believe this person is a woman?¡± Als looked extremely gloomy. He was on the verge of violent insanity.

    ¡°Not only that. Seeing her programs and her style of handling matters, they all point to a female,¡± Reinitz calmly said as he hit the enter key.

    Als kicked the desk out of frustration. ¡°Who cares if this is a man or a woman!? Hurry up and locate those emails!¡±

    ¡°I am looking right now.¡±

    Als stood behind him. His eyes were in a daze. He couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already find those emails? Howe you are still searching?¡±

    Reinz¡¯s voice was full of approval and appreciation as he replied, ¡°A person has to be a genius to be able to write this type of program. Changing zeros to ones and ones to zeros, changing everything with ease. She also took extreme circumstances into consideration, only acting at critical moments, causing all the documents to disappear. She totally gave it lots of thought. She¡¯s amazing.¡±

    Als looked at him unhappily. ¡°You areplimenting our enemy. You know you are doing something very dangerous?¡±

    Reinitz tilted his head and looked at him. His blue eyes sparkled, and it looked as if there was no pressure behind them. Als didn¡¯t say anything. He stood nearby while looking ferocious as he watched Reinitz¡¯s continual search.

    An hourter, Reinitz shook his head hard and sighed. ¡°I have never seen such a smart programmer. The person capable of writing this program is really a genius, totally a genius!¡± After saying that, he turned his chair and looked at Als. ¡°Als, if you can find out who she is, you must recruit her. Get her to help you, and you will most definitely win against your enemies with a surprise move.¡±

    ¡°Better than you?¡± Als threw out that sentence. He was very unhappy that Reinitz had poured water on his own aspirations in order to make others look more impressive.

    ¡°Hehe, her technique is inferiorpared to mine. This is a new hacker. But she¡¯s really talented. With time, she could easily surpass me.¡± Reinitz shook his head as he smiled. Again he said, ¡°Believe me, if you find her, hand her over to me. I will train her to be the best hacker.¡± The enemy was too good, good to the point that Reinitz¡¯s heart had be aroused in his love for talent.

    Als sneered. ¡°When I find her, I will tear her apart! How dare she cause our system to be like this! It¡¯s enough to get her locked up for the rest of her life!¡±

    Reinz coughed. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I will skin her, even if she is a woman!¡± Als stared at him.

    He saw Reinitz¡¯s hands stop. Again Als asked, ¡°Found it?¡±

    Reinz shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you still searching?!¡± Als became very impatient. ¡°The whole department¡¯s information was transferred! Why aren¡¯t you searching?!¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to search?¡± Reinitz profusely praised the young programmer again. ¡°Genius! Definitely a genius! Can¡¯t believe this person even used the wheat and chessboard theory on her program to transfer the email. Based on this alone, she already suppressed 99.99999% of this world¡¯s software engineers.¡±

    Als was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 682 - Is She Someone You Could Covet?

    <h4>Chapter 682: Is She Someone You Could Covet?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Don¡¯t understand?¡± Reinitz smiled at Als¡¯ confused expression. ¡°I¡¯ll first tell you about the rice and chessboard theory. This was a fable from ancient India. The king wanted to reward his minister and asked him what reward he desired. The minister pointed to a 64-square chess board and said, ¡®Just grant me rice. For example, reward one grain of rice on the first square, two grains of rice on the second square, four grains on the third square, eight grains on the fourth square. Each time it must be double the amount from thest square.¡¯¡±

    Als was confused, ¡°What does that have to do with anything? It¡¯s not even that much...¡± It was only twice as much as thest time.

    ¡°Not that much? Do you know the total grains of rice on 64 squares if it¡¯s calcted as double?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°A total of 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains.¡± Reinitz looked at the screen expressionlessly and stated, ¡°The entire world would have to produce rice for 500 years in order to reach that amount.¡±

    Als frowned. ¡°Then what does that have to do with the forwarded emails?¡±

    ¡°The program forwarded emails based on the chessboard and wheat theory. The number of times it forwarded each time was double the previous one, and it also randomly chose emails to only use for forwarding but didn¡¯t store copies of them. The purpose was to prevent anyone from tracing where the email went, so how will you find it? If the grains of wheat were now transformed into the number of forwards, that means there have been a total of 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 forwards in thest hour. Converting that into time, each forward would be calcted as a tenth of a second, resulting in a total of more than 580 years. Als, are you sure you have that long to investigate this?¡±

    Als nearly spat blood from his throat. ¡°Who thought of this tricky thing? Who made this damn program!? I¡¯ll skin them alive! I swear I¡¯ll skin them! Isn¡¯t there anything we can do?!¡±

    Reinitz looked at the tracking history and slowly frowned. This program neatly traversed through thework using geometric progressions. The programmer was very sly, so each receiving inbox was also the forwarding inbox. Each one was sent and finally seemed to arrive at the originating point. Of course, this was just an illusion. Reinitz knew that the files must¡¯ve gone somewhere, but even with his ability, he couldn¡¯t find out where. If he used the blunt force cracking, there was still a shred of possibility. But with the astronomical amount of data, even the world¡¯s most powerfulputer would need tens of billions of years toplete the calctions. Could they afford to wait?

    Also, the electronic transmissions were too rapid, and if they weren¡¯t immediately found and destroyed, leakage of intelligence was inevitable. Reinitz sighed with a shake of his head. ¡°Large scale leakage of intelligence is inevitable, so the only possible solution is to initialize emergency procedures.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Als stiffened. ¡°Emergency procedures?¡±

    ¡°Right, all intelligence personnel are to change their passwords and cease all activities. Personnel abroad are to immediately return to Germany no matter what they¡¯re doing. They have to drop everything.¡± Reinitz paused then continued, ¡°Also, there are daily system backups, so I need thetest one. The enemy had been nning to make a big move, so they must¡¯ve snooped around starting at least a few days ago. If we need to find traces, we can only look through the backups from thest few days.¡±

    ¡°You decide. I agree to whatever you say.¡± Als waved his hands, his face ashen.

    Reinitz sat alone in the central control room and opened thetest system backup before today¡¯s attack had urred. The system made two backups daily, at noon and midnight. Even at different times and locations, there would also beplete backups. Reinitz had his own tracking program within the system, and once the backups were essed, he used his own tracking program to track it like a virus, and it began scanning the system prior to the attack. This program could detect unstable factors within the system. Aside from Trojan viruses, anything that didn¡¯t match with system keys would bebeled as ¡°idental¡± programs. It would take at least 24 hours topletely scan the massive system. Reinitz was in no rush and crossed his arms as he sat in the central control room. He was very confident he¡¯d find this person.

    ...

    It was finally over. Gu Nianzhi looked up at the window and saw it was already daylight. Theptop monitor reverted to its original desktop, and all traces of the devourer.exe she had entered werepletely wiped out. Now theptop was in the same state as before she had started using DOS to circumvent the firewall. Gu Nianzhi washed her face in the bathroom and carried theptop out to the bar owner. ¡°Can you see why I can¡¯t get online?¡±

    The bar owner seemed to be deeply bothered by something and looked at theptop absentmindedly. ¡°Thework around here is probably down. I don¡¯t think I can do anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see...¡± Gu Nianzhi appeared very disappointed. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll watch a movie, then.¡±

    The bartender couldn¡¯t stand seeing her look unhappy. He quickly took out his phone for her. ¡°I have data here. You can y with it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes glittered as she shook the bartender¡¯s hand excitedly. ¡°Thank you so much!¡±

    The bartender¡¯s ears slowly turned red. However, the bar owner jerked her head around and shouted at him, ¡°What are you thinking?! Are you rich? You were just asking me for money to pay your phone bill yesterday! Since when did you have data?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    The bartender jumped in surprise. He instinctively squeezed his phone and looked at Gu Nianzhi helplessly. She retracted her hand and said nervously, ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll go sleep.¡± She took theptop back to her room and bolted the door. Stretching her back, she went to bed. She hadn¡¯t slept all night, so she almost passed out. She immediately fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

    ...

    After checking his social media ounts daily as usual, He Zhichu opened the private messages. Fingers quickly gliding over them, he frowned and felt annoyed. There were way too many messages from lovesick fans, and if it wasn¡¯t for Nianzhi, he would never have had the patience to look at those brainless love confessions. He was terrified that his impatience would cause him to miss a message from Nianzhi, so he read all of them quietly, even though he was about pop a vein in his head. With his ount¡¯s poprity, he received up to a thousand messages daily, and reading them one by one could take several hours.

    He had arrived in Berlin two days ago and had already sent out many personnel to search everywhere but no no avail. That day, the first thing he did after waking up in the morning was to check his phone for private messages on his social media ount. As he nced through each one, his fingers suddenly stopped. He Zhichu sat up quickly, and his sleeping robe was half undone to reveal his exquisite corbones and muscr chest. His eyes were glued to his screen. There was a private message with just one word, ¡°Gestapo.¡± He Zhichu was very fluent in German, and with one nce he understood what organization the acronym meant!

    The fog clouding his vision all this time finally lifted, and the lingering unease from these past few days finally resolved! He had already begun to suspect that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance had something to do with the German government. With the intensity of his search, he would¡¯ve found her long ago if not for deliberate government interference. He also nned to use a different method to directly pressure the German government if he still couldn¡¯t find her by tomorrow!

    The message from the unknown sender confirmed He Zhichu¡¯s suspicions. Only Gestapo involvement would¡¯ve wiped away all traces of Gu Nianzhi so cleanly. This was not somethingmon criminal organizations could do. Haha, Gestapo? If they didn¡¯t hand over Nianzhi, then he would make sure to flip the entire German Federal Intelligence Service upside down.

    Getting up from the bed, He Zhichu put on a Bluetooth headset and outlined a mission for his subordinates as he washed up. ¡°Go check out where the German Federal Intelligence Service has strongholds in Berlin. I want all locations. Also, check if anything peculiar has happenedtely.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s subordinates were very efficient and hadpiled a report by noon. ¡°Mr. He, the German Federal Intelligence Service is headquartered in Berlin and also has several office branches. Also, each has been disguised as various locations, so it¡¯s not easy to investigate immediately. Please give us more time.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned unhappily. ¡°Why would I ask you to investigate if I had time?¡±

    His subordinates didn¡¯t want to argue with their boss, so they could only change the topic. ¡°We heard that the German Federal Intelligence Service got in a lot of trouble yesterday. The entire bureau is paralyzed, and all personnel areying low. They are refusing to answer any questions.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± He Zhichu grew interested and leaned forward to ask, ¡°What trouble?¡±

    ¡°Their intr was breached yesterday, and they allegedly suffered a huge loss.¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless.

    ¡°I also heard that the hacker was very powerful and has a code name of ¡®Pink Piggy.¡¯¡±

    He Zhichu eximed, ¡°What does that mean?! Why are they called ¡®Pink Piggy?¡¯¡± His heart hammered uncontrobly as his migraines started again.

    ¡°ording to the gossip going around international hackers, this ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is a young girl and a genius programmer.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s subordinate admired this ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ greatly and had a dreamy expression on his face as he described her.

    He Zhichu shot him a disdainful look and remarked coldly, ¡°Stop your drooling, is she someone you can covet?¡±

    The subordinate was rather close with He Zhichu and exined himself with a smile, ¡°Mr. He, I just admire people like that a lot. That¡¯s nowhere close to coveting.¡±

    He Zhichu snorted as he gently rubbed his exquisite chin. He looked down at the private message reading ¡°Gestapo,¡± and slowly said, ¡°Send a letter to the Federal Intelligence Service saying that I have a friend who is a guest of theirs. It¡¯s time she was sent back.¡±

 Chapter 683 - Canâ€™t Laugh!

    <h4>Chapter 683: Can¡¯t Laugh!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu knew that since the Federal Intelligence Agency in Germany was a mess right now, he might have to wait for their reply. He could not gauge how long he had to wait, but he dared not be too optimistic. Therefore, after sending the letter, he did not merely wait for their reply, because he could not wait any longer.

    He Zhichu began to look for partners of senior ranking political figures in Germany. As long as they were able to get a hold of the person from the Federal Intelligence Agency, he could agree to any of their terms.

    On the Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s end, they were in a state of panic. Their mail receiving system was down for emails and instant messages, as well as traditional letters, faxes, or deliveries. All forms ofmunication to them were shut off.

    Als brought the staff from Bureau 1 and the military soldiers from the German army to secure the whole headquarters. The soldiers who were in full uniform and the FIA agents in in clothes surrounded the headquarters. They forbid anyone from entering the ce, and no one coulde out, either.

    ...

    Reinitz sat in the central control room alone for a day and a night. He had not rested for 24 hours already, watching his tracking program scan through the entire backup of the FIA. As expected, the hacker began her work three days ago.

    Reinitz began to sift through the documents that were looked at. It was clear that the FIA consisted of a domainwork and peripheralwork. The domainwork was entirely separated from the peripheralwork. Therefore, if someone wanted to hack into the peripheralwork from the domainwork, it would be totally impossible unless there was a traitor among them to provide them with a passageway. However, those documents indicated that the hacker came from an internal server instead of someone who came from outside. Could there really be a traitor?

    But if there was really a traitor, with such a talent for programming and such a daring form of imagination on top of a brain with such genius calction, how could this person not be popr by now and still allow someone else to be the traitor? That wasn¡¯t logical.

    Reinitz moved his mouse and continued checking the documents. Finally, when it was almost five in the evening, Reinitz found that there weren¡¯t any sudden login records that were erased. He followed that new found lead and found theputer model that was used. He was taken aback.

    He looked at the serial number of theputer and knew that it belonged to someone from the bureau. Then, he checked on the owner of theputer. It was Dina, who was thatdy boss from the bar where Gu Nianzhi was. Reinitz suddenly realized who the ¡°little pink pig¡± was...

    Because even though the owner of theputer was Dina, she had loaned thatputer to Gu Nianzhi for the past few days. What did Gu Nianzhi do with theputer? He already knew by now.

    He did not expect this at all... They did not know that Gu Nianzhi was a genius when it came to programming! She was really unexpected. Who would have thought that an 18-year-old prodigyw student was also a genius inputer programming?!

    That Huo Shaoheng from the Hua Xia Empire really surprised them time and again. They were definitely caught off guard this time. Why is this guy so darned lucky? Reinitz looked through all the documents that were tampered with and closed the window silently. Then he rubbed his temples.

    After spending a full 36 hours in front of theputer, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore, no matter how strong he was. Upon exiting the central control room, Reinitz sighed a long sigh, and his face was nothing but weariness. With a hand in his pocket and a cigarette in the other, he lowered his head and exited the building. Standing in front of the building, he lit the cigarette and took a long puff.

    Now that it was clear that Gu Nianzhi had hacked into their system and shared information, she had sent that information back to the Hua Xia Empire, hadn¡¯t she? Reinitz took out his phone and checked the news from the Hua Xia Empire. He remembered clearly that the entire Hua Xia Empire was busy coting the votes for their prime minister election. Due to Bai Jiancheng, one of the favorites from the elections, showing concern for the female student, Li Haiqing, who studied abroad in Germany, they began to notice him for the election as well. Moreover, it was the weekend. Many Germans were by their televisions, waiting for the news of the election in the Hua Xia Empire.

    It was safe to say that this election was the most exciting one in a decade. This was because the previous elections all had one clear favorite way before the election ended. However, this time, there were two favorites, and the results kept going up even before the election ended.

    Reinitz looked at his phone. It was about five in the evening in Berlin. It should be about midnight now in the Hua Xia Empire, which also meant that the deadline to cast votes had just ended. They should be doing the counting and tabtions of the votes now. Really, no one knew who the winner would be until the final minute.

    It was lucky that the entire Hua Xia Empire was focused on the election. Therefore, Reinitz concluded that they would not immediately focus on the information that Gu Nianzhi had sent back. Or rather, they would not get down to work on it immediately. But if he wanted them to return what was already sent to them? Haha... In the era of electronic information, how would it be possible?

    ...

    To everyone in the world at this time, the Hua Xia Empire was tabting the results of the election. At the same time, Huo Shaoheng, who was in Cuba, received a call from General Ji. He exined to Huo Shaoheng the reason why he had to remain overseas.

    Smiling, Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°I understand. Please don¡¯t worry.¡±

    General Ji was relieved. ¡°It¡¯s finally all going to end. Our citizens were tense for such a long period of time. It¡¯s finally time to put an end to it.¡± He continued, ¡°Now, I want you to take on a new mission.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up hurriedly. ¡°Please advise, sir.¡±

    ¡°Actually, the results of the election are already out.¡± General Ji paused. ¡°Tan Dongbang won. Now the organization hopes that you will be able to fly to America immediately and bring Tan Guiren back to the Hua Xia Empire with the army¡¯s private jet. You have to escort her out of America before we announce the winner of the election internationally.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded absentmindedly. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He would notin to General Ji. Even though he did not feel that the actions of the Tan¡¯s were not necessary, he could only remain silent and unbiased.

    ¡°Okay, Shaoheng, you know that I have high hopes for you all along. I hope that you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡± With that, General Ji hung up.

    Huo Shaoheng felt strange. He had a weird feeling that General Ji was unhappy with him, but he did not probe further. He would be back soon, anyway. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to speak to him personally by then.

    Upon hanging up, Huo Shaoheng looked at his phone. His finger hovered over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name for a while, but eventually he controlled his desire to call her. He wasn¡¯t an 18 or 19-year-old chap who could not control his emotions. He was able to control them no matter how much he missed her.

    He had been on missions in the past as well and disappeared for well past six months. However, he had not missed her this much before, even though they had only been apart for three months, 28 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes and 24... 25 seconds.

    He had not contacted her at all for the past few months, short of sending her a birthday gift. Would she be upset with him? From how Huo Shaoheng remembered it, Gu Nianzhi never truly got angry with him before. (Whining didn¡¯t count...)

    Due to the nature of his job and habits that he had formed over the years, she was neglected sometimes. However, she would only be upset on her own for a while before smiling at him again and making up. He actually felt sorry for such a sensible girl. Therefore, he wanted to make it up to her this time. He was going to give her a surprise. All the wait would be worth it just for this surprise. It was because the first thing he was going to do after getting back was take Gu Nianzhi to register for marriage. He had already prepared all the required documents.

    He really couldn¡¯t wait. He could even imagine Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cute reaction. When she knew that she would be registering for her marriage, her alreadyrge eyes would be even bigger. They¡¯d be round, ck, and so clear that they would look like the eyes of a baby, and they¡¯d be looking around at the world and at him, full of curiosity... That was a pair of eyes that Huo Shaoheng could not resist.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled. Turning around, hemanded Zhao Liangze, ¡°Inform the American Embassy that we want to get to America. Ask them to do all the necessary paperwork for us. Our flight will depart in ten miutes.¡±

    ...

    Reinitz was standing underneath a tree in front of the central control building. He had just finished smoking a cigarette. Flicking the cigarette butt away, he drove in the direction of the bar where Gu Nianzhi was staying. His phone rang while he was on the way. Reinitz answered the call with his Bluetooth earpiece.

    ¡°Reinitz, I heard that you have discovered who the ¡®pink little pig¡¯ was?¡± Als sounded nervous and sadistically excited.

    Reinitz instinctively denied it. ¡°Nope, but I¡¯ve got leads.¡±

    ¡°What? I thought you had already found her.¡± Als was disappointed. ¡°What leads? Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°Not for now. I want to confirm something first.¡± With that, Reinitz hung up and continued driving. It was already six in the evening when he arrived at the bar.

    ¡°Reinitz! You¡¯re here!¡± The blondedy boss walked to him, seemingly nervous. ¡°How was it? Are things better there? Who did that? Such an atrocity!¡±

    The corners of Reinitz¡¯s lips twitched. He wanted tough but could not bring himself to. He did not stand on ceremony with Dina. ¡°Where is Cereus?¡± he asked tantly.

    ¡°You mean Gu Nianzhi? She¡¯s still in that small room.¡± Dina looked unimpressed with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°All she knows is how to sleep all day. No idea why would she be so tired. She¡¯s just like a pig!¡±

    Reinitz remembered the pink little pig on theputer screen and actuallyughed.

    Dina was shocked. ¡°You can stillugh at this juncture?!¡±

    Reinitz clenched his fists and coughed into them. ¡°Do you want me to cry now, if I can¡¯tugh?¡± With that, he brushed shoulders with Dina and went to look for Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 684 - I Donâ€™t Believe It, Anyway

    <h4>Chapter 684: I Don¡¯t Believe It, Anyway</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When Reinitz arrived at the small bar, Gu Nianzhi had just fallen asleep and didn¡¯t want to get up. She rolled around in bed tangled with the nkets and was calcting how long it would take for Professor He to see her private message and find a way to avenge her. She believed that with He Zhichu¡¯s authority and ability, he would be more suitable to deal with German government agencies than Brother Xiong or Huo Shao. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want her incident to cause a diplomatic dispute between Germany and the Hua Xia Empire, so it was the best for an unidentified foreigner like He Zhichu to help her out.

    In the deepest recesses of her heart, she believed she may not be able to leave this ce alive... She had turned the German Federal Intelligence Service upside down. Would the group of people seeding the previous Gestapo let her go? It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure that out. Also, she didn¡¯t have time to make proper preparations, and in the end, she had put herself in a vulnerable position in order to maximize the benefits. She didn¡¯t use thest precious bit of time to erase all traces of logging in but instead chose to ¡°devour¡± all the emails.

    The clever use of the grain and chessboard theory allowed her to forward exponentially 64 times in thest few seconds it took for power to be cut, resulting in the enemy not being able to track all the emails for tens of billions of years. The emails needed to be tracked individually, and time was linear. However, she had forwarded a myriad of emails at the same time with the parallel usage of time. These were essentially two different concepts. Even if the Germans one day learned that the files had fallen into the hands of the Hua Xia Empire, it would only be their own conjecture because they would never have any concrete evidence to prove this. Espionage activity between countries was all just tacit ys, wasn¡¯t it?

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes andy on the bed as she tried to stop herself from thinking about the consequences of being found out. She kept using the illusion that she would go home in order to numb herself. In her mind, she kept imagining being picked up by He Zhichu and returning home with him. It was a beautiful future of having a huge meal with Ma Qiqi.

    After bypassing the blocked keywords these past few days, she had already seen the results of the Li Haiqing case. Due to Seth¡¯s sudden death, the Li Haiqing case had already concluded. The other female charged, Niya, was sentenced to 50 years without parole for assisting murder and assisting in sexual assault. Under He Zhichu¡¯s incredible pressure, the German courts had already appointed another judge to conduct the trials for the civil case. The Rou local government and police, as well as Seth¡¯s mother, Ramona, faced the astronomicalpensation of one billion Euros. They of course didn¡¯t ept it and were in the process of appealing. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care about what happened afterwards. She was confident that Professor He would take good care of this case.

    Also, Huo Shao was in Cuba but hadn¡¯t called her all this time! Hmph! She would never speak to him again, and he would know how angry she was. No matter how he tried to appease her, she would ignore him and refuse to see him... If he came back and found out he would never see her again, would he be very angry or very sad? Unfortunately, she would have no way of knowing. Lost in her delusions, Gu Nianzhi was so touched by her imagination, she almost cried. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and the mood was dispelled. How annoying. Gu Nianzhi pouted unhappily and closed her eyes to pretend to be quietly asleep. She refused to answer.

    Reinitz knocked on the door some more and heard only silence as if no one was inside. He panicked and took out a special key to insert into the lock. It clicked open.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. What the hell?! She had deadbolted the lock. How did it get opened from the outside?! Where was the trust between people?! Gu Nianzhi turned away angrily and was about to use the bar owner of tantly viting her privacy when Reinitz¡¯s sculpturally beautiful face looked down at her haughtily. She was familiar with how he looked, like he was no longer interested in life and that all the world¡¯s pleasures had nothing to do with him. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank and her palms grew sweaty. Crap, how it could it be Reinitz?! He came too fast...

    He really was the destroyer of dreams. Gu Nianzhi immediately recalled what Reinitz had told her. She remembered him saying he was a rather sessful software engineer and had started a few smallpanies that wereter acquired... Now it looked like it those were just Reinitz¡¯s humble excuses. His software programming abilities were probably not just ¡°rather sessful.¡± There was only one reason why Reinitz suddenly appeared after all these days. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t narcissistic enough to believe she was a Mary Sue with a halo bright enough to illuminate the world and conquer sessful men one after another... Reinitz had probablye to see her because her incident hade to light. What the hell!? This was exposed all too quickly... Gu Nianzhi wiped the sweat on her palms against the sheets then replied calmly, ¡°Reintiz, can you go out for a second? I need to get up and change. I¡¯ll wash up, too.¡±

    Reinitz didn¡¯t move and stood there before her bed with his arms crossed. His dazzling blue eyes stared at her unblinkingly and seemed to want to peer into her true feelings behind the calm expression. Gu Nianzhi was ufortable with his staring and forced herself to repeat, ¡°Reinitz, please go outside. I need to get up and change.¡±

    Reinitz finally grunted but didn¡¯t turn around. He sat on a single seater sofa against the wall across from her bed and crossed his legs. Lighting a cigarette in his hand, he replied calmly, ¡°Change, then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Shameless! She was stone faced as she crawled out of bed wrapped in a thin nket. Taking the clothes from the side of the bed, she headed to the bathroom. Purposely taking a long time inside, she waited for herself to calm down before opening the door anding out. ¡°Tell me, what are you going to do with me?¡±

    Reinitz looked at her uneasily and finally spoke, ¡°When did you discover it?¡± He was asking her when she discovered the bar¡¯s owner and bartender were Als¡¯ personnel.

    Gu Nianzhiughed quietly. ¡°You want to know? Actually, I first discovered there was something wrong with you, then naturally came to the conclusion about the bar owner and bartender.¡±

    The answer took Reinitz by surprise once again. He squinted at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. So, beautiful men fell for her at first sight. Although she appeared somewhat haggard, she looked even more delicately beautiful. This was even more irresistible than the lively beauty he saw when he first met her. ¡°There was something wrong with me? What?¡± Renitz questioned her back calmly, his right hand gently folded on his left wrist. Only he would know how fast his heart was beating.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head. ¡°In the beginning, you always ate my food first to ease my concerns and allow me to eat.¡± That was back at Mother Hanna¡¯s cabin. Reintiz stiffened. That early? But she hadn¡¯t shown any signs of noticing it and had even fooled him...

    ¡°...This type of habit is not typical for normal people. It can¡¯t be considered as thoughtful. This is clearly a habit of foreign spies.¡± Gu Nianzhi stated calmly and gestured, ¡°Someone who knows about this habit and uses it to dispel another¡¯s concern can only be a spy.¡±

    ¡°Then what about you? How did you find out? Could you be a spy, too?¡± Reintiz calmed down and began questioning Gu Nianzhi.

    She shrugged and replied nonchntly, ¡°I want to be one, but they¡¯re not hiring... But I don¡¯t believe that you people didn¡¯t know about my identity or who I was raised by.¡± Since there was already a mole within the Special Operations Forces, these were certainly no longer considered secrets.

    Reinitz nced at her quietly and softly said, ¡°That¡¯s it? You may be too rash.¡±

    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t just that.¡± Gu Nianzhi counted on her fingers as she spoke. ¡°Also, you said you were a software engineer, but your marksmanship was too sharp that night you helped us escape. I¡¯ve seen too many talented marksman in this world, but within all those incredible shooters there is only one person better than you. How could someone like that be merely a software engineer? You believe it? I don¡¯t believe it, anyway.¡±

    Reinitz stared at her calmly, and his blue eyes gradually grew addicted to the sight. After some time, he finally nodded. ¡°So that¡¯s the case. Looks like you already nned this long before.¡±

    ¡°I can say the same about you.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled politely. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been plotting this all along? Tell me, how long has this long fishing pole been set up for? How many big fish have you caught?¡±

    Watching Gu Nianzhi refuse to admit defeat even now and not missing a beat with her banter, Reinitz suddenly felt a deep envy towards Huo Shaoheng. Why did he deserve to receive the devoted love and support of this genius girl... Why?!

 Chapter 685 - Tired of Living

    <h4>Chapter 685: Tired of Living</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The edge of Reinitz¡¯s mouth twitched twice. He stood up with his hands inside his pants pockets. His casually mentioning something shocked Gu Nianzhi so much that she almost had a hard time breathing. ¡°...Spread a big, but it didn¡¯t catch the big fish.¡±

    Reinitz took two steps forward and stood in front of Gu Nianzhi. He leaned a bit toward her, moved close to her ear, and said in a low voice, ¡°You see, the person that you are longing to protect hasn¡¯te to save you even now... It¡¯s really regrettable.¡± After saying it, Reinitz turned around and walked out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little room.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard the sound of the door lock, she knew she was being held captive for real this time. They had already shed all pretense of cordiality and stopped ¡°role ying.¡± They naturally stopped treating her like a guest.

    Should she behave like a prisoner from then? Gu Nianzhi got down from the bed and sat next to the bed. She hugged her knees and silently stared at the snowy-white wall in a daze.

    ...

    After Reinitz locked Gu Nianzhi in the room, he gave the key to Dina. ¡°Look after her. There are still questions that need to be answered. Don¡¯t let her escape.¡±

    Dina held the key and said out of surprise, ¡°What happened? Could it be that she has something to do with it?!¡±

    Besides Reinitz, none of them knew Gu Nianzhi was the ¡°Little Pink Pig¡± that turned everything upside down. After all, she was only an 18-year-old little girl. However, her knowledge of thew was better than most people¡¯s. How was it possible that she knew how to use aputer to that degree, too? At most, they thought she was somehow rted to it.

    ¡°She has very important clues, but she hasn¡¯t said anything...¡± Reinitz was vague. Inside, he was at a loss. He was usually very decisive. It was the first time in his life that he was indecisive.

    Dina was in a state of confusion as she watched Reinitz leave. She couldn¡¯t help herself and called out, ¡°Reinitz, do you know what you are doing?!¡±

    Reinitz stopped walking. He stopped, but he didn¡¯t turn around. He raised his head and looked at the pitch-ck night sky. He didn¡¯t say anything and continued walking. He got into his car and started the engine. The headlights shone brightly, and Dina automatically used her arm to shield her eyes. Reinitz¡¯s race car¡¯s engine made a roaring sound. It quickly disappeared from the road the little bar was on like an arrow.

    The bartender was also a member of the Federal Intelligence Agency. He looked worried as he looked in the direction Reinitz disappeared in. He then looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s locked door. He asked in a low voice, ¡°What happened? Did he really have to lock her up?¡±

    ¡°Leave it alone. Go home. I will guard today.¡± Dina waved her hand and let the bartender go home.

    There was only thedy boss, Dina, and Gu Nianzhi in the little bar. Dina started to have bitter hatred toward Gu Nianzhi when she found out that Gu Nianzhi was somehow rted to the Little Pink Pig hacker. She wouldn¡¯t even give her dinner to eat.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t even a bit hungry anyway because of the heated discussion she had with Reinitz. She was very sleepy. She climbed onto the bed and slept until around midnight. She woke up when she heard a car suddenly brake outside the door. She rubbed her eyes. She wondered if Reinitz hade to interrogate her again.

    She guessed wrong. It was Als. He rushed over there with a killing aura. Dina opened the bar¡¯s door as she yawned. As she let Als in, she muttered, ¡°It¡¯ste. Are you in a rush to be reincarnated?!¡±

    ¡°Reincarnated?! I am in a rush to give an abortion!¡± Als looked at her. ¡°Is Gu Nianzhi still here?! I want to take her away!¡±

    Dina was even more surprised. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Reinitz came herete in the evening and then locked her inside the room, and now you say you want to take her away?!¡± Why don¡¯t you guys fight it out? I¡¯ll listen to whoever wins!

    Als groaned. ¡°Reinitz is obsessed with her! Don¡¯t mind him!¡± He had just found out that the person who was rted to the hacker Little Pink Pig was Gu Nianzhi. He was livid. He angrily rushed toward that little room¡¯s front door where Gu Nianzhi was. He kicked the door and almost broke his foot. The special door made of metal didn¡¯t budge. Als eximed in frustration. He angrily pulled out his gun and aimed it at lock on the door.

    Dina quickly cried out to stop him. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot! I have the key here!¡± She didn¡¯t give it much thought as she handed over the key Reinitz had given her. Anyway, before Reinitz left, he didn¡¯t say anything about her not being allowed to give others the key.

    Als took the key. He unlocked the door with aposed face, and then he kicked it again. This time, the door opened with a bang. Gu Nianzhi, who just woke up, quickly hugged the nket tightly. She lifted her head to look at Als. It was as if she were looking at a crazy person.

    Als was so angry that he wanted to kick her! He was wearing tall leather boots. He kicked her, hard. Even if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t die, she would have cerebral palsy.

    Dina was extremely surprised, and all the color drained out of her face. She quickly grabbed Als from behind and said, ¡°Calm down, Als! Reinitz said she has important clues! Won¡¯t you lose the clue if you beat her up?!¡± How will we locate the emails if something happens to Gu Nianzhi?!

    Als had suppressed his anger for two days and one night. If he didn¡¯t vent his anger, he would go crazy! ¡°Let go of me! I won¡¯t hit her! But she has to go with me!¡± Als was so angry that his feet were stomping on the floor. He was so strong that Dina practically couldn¡¯t hold onto him anymore.

    At that time, Dina regretted it very much. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn¡¯t have given Als the key. If he really did take Gu Nianzhi with him, Reinitz would definitely me her. ¡°Als, don¡¯t make this difficult for me.¡± Dina became serious. ¡°Think about what Reinitz said.¡±

    Als waved his arms around. Laughter came out of his mouth like a wild animal. The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched when she saw that. How was it that she didn¡¯t see that Als was wild, irritable, and crazy before!? The head of the secret service is this kind of person? There is no future for the Federal Intelligence Agency. No wonder small fries like me can clean them out...

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. Nevertheless, seeing Als¡¯ craziness was still pretty scary. Being looked down upon by a crazy person was not a big deal, but being hit by a crazy person would be really painful. Gu Nianzhi put the nket over herself again.

    After Als screamed madly for a while, he was in a better mood. He gasped for breath as he angrily looked at Gu Nianzhi. He senselessly aimed the gun in his hand at her head. He clenched his teeth and said, ¡°Talk! Who did it?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face still had an expression of terror, however, her heart was full of curiosity. Why was it that Reinitz didn¡¯t tell these two that she was the one who did it?! Just now, Dina said that Reinitz only said she had a very important clue. Now, Als also came to interrogate her about who did it.

    So Reinitz didn¡¯t tell them the truth? Since Reinitz didn¡¯t say it, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t stupid enough to voluntarily say that she was the one who did it. She thought she was going to be dead for sure. However, a little spark of hope of surviving had ignited in her due to Reinitz. If he hadn¡¯t ratted her out, she would go along with it.

    Gu Nianzhi stubbornly turned her head. Suddenly, all kinds of revolutionary martyrs possessed her body. She had the look of, ¡°I won¡¯t talk. I won¡¯t talk, even if you kill me. I won¡¯t talk. I refuse to talk!¡±

    Als became even more angry. He suddenly got closer to Gu Nianzhi and grabbed her hair. He pulled her out of the nket.

    Gu Nianzhi wore the long-sleeved pajamas that Dina had given her to sleep in. She was not afraid of them seeing her in them. However, having her hair pulled was really painful. She quickly tried to break free from Als¡¯ grip. She was irritated. ¡°Let go! What kind of man hits a woman?!¡±

    There was no need to talk to a spy who betrayed those who were taking care of them about how a man should treat a woman. Als had an ugly grin on his face. With a whoosh of his hand, he pped her. Blood came out from the corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth and instantly half of her face swelled up. Gu Nianzhi endured it as she clenched her teeth. She didn¡¯t make a sound. She wouldn¡¯t give Als the pleasure of abusing her.

    Als pped her again. However, when he saw her not making a sound, his mood became worse. He pulled her hair and dragged her out of the little room to the lobby in the bar. Of course, no one else was there. Sitting on the counter of the bar was Dina wearing her pajamas while making drinks. She wasn¡¯t even looking at them.

    Als took out handcuffs. He cuffed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right hand to the bar¡¯s iron railing. He continued asking questions. ¡°Know your ce. Now, tell me who is ¡®Little Pink Pig¡¯ and where she is or else! I have thousands of ways to make you wish you were dead!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She was afraid of pain, afraid of being tortured. However, what she was even more afraid of was not dying from torture if they found out about her secret, her fast-healing body... To her, that was more terrifying than being tortured.

    If it was going to be like that, she might as well make Als so angry with her that he would kill her with his gun. The faster one died, the earlier one reincarnated. It was better than being tortured slowly.

    Gu Nianzhiughed coldly and said, ¡°I will point at whoever you want me to point at. I will frame whoever you want me to frame. You are the boss. I will take down whoever you want to be taken down. I am afraid of pain. I¡¯m afraid that you will hit me again. Tell me, who do you want to take the me? Thedy boss? The bartender? Or is it Reinitz?¡±

    ¡°You even dare to sow dissension among us?!¡± Als was extremely angry with Gu Nianzhi. He was itching to stomp her. ¡°Wanna see if I¡¯m capable of killing you?!¡± He had never seen anyone that would still quarrel with him so smoothly when he was angry. You must really be tired of living.

 Chapter 686 - Scared of What?

    <h4>Chapter 686: Scared of What?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Tina was shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. Not only that, but she was also panicked and no longer rxed as she had been when she was mixing drinks at the bar. She brought a ss of red wine over, and her wrist trembled, sshing the whole thing onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. She snapped back coldly, ¡°A smart mouth gets torn apart. Miss Gu sure is a pretty girl. You don¡¯t want your pretty face to be cut like the smiling man¡¯s, do you?¡±

    ¡°The Smiling Man¡± was a famous novel by the French writer, Victor Hugo. The main character was an aristocrat abducted and disfigured at a young age, so a smile was cut into his face from ear to ear. He looked like a clown and seemed to be smiling even when he cried. Although Gu Nianzhi never read the novel, she knew it couldn¡¯t be a good thing from the title. Also, Tina sshing red wine on her face irritated the swollen areas where Als had beaten her. It burned painfully like it was chili water.

    Gu Nianzhi mulled how she would put an end to herself if there was no other choice... It was bad enough Als had gone crazy, but if Tina lost her mind as well, then she wanted to figure out the quickest way to die. Gu Nianzhi began scanning through the lobby and finally settled on the gun in Als¡¯ hand. If she could provoke Als into shooting her, then she could die respectfully and painlessly. Gu Nianzhi had truly given up on her life, or perhaps she had prepared to die the moment she chose to use devourer.exe to forward emails instead of wiping her login information.

    With her many years together with Huo Shaoheng and his men, she had been influenced by them in many ways. For example, the constant vignce she practiced in day to day life as well as constantly preparing for death without hesitation... She regretted not being able to meet Huo Shao or Professor He onest time before she died. Especially Professor He. He¡¯d probably be sad to only find her corpse after expending all that effort looking for her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s distracted eyes infuriated Als and Tina. Can¡¯t this girl focus!? They were torturing a confession out of her! Als decided to cut to the chase and took out a portable high-voltage electric baton. He pressed it against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and asked with menace, ¡°Last chance. Tell me who you contacted and asked to attack our system?!¡±

    He was tasering her? Gu Nianzhi instantly recalled the shocks she suffered in the blue hole on the Carribbean Sea and couldn¡¯t help smirking to herself. Can this baton be more powerful than the electrical fence on the blue hole¡¯s waters? That was the invention of her so-called father, Gu Xiangwen! Gu Nianzhi appeared unperturbed, but Als¡¯ screaming reminded Tina of something. She shouted, ¡°I think I know who it is!¡±

    ¡°Who?!¡± Als and Gu Nianzhi shouted in unison. Als was happy to see Gu Nianzhi appear anxious and asked Tina, ¡°Who did you think of?¡±

    ¡°Als, how could you forget? She sent a distress video to someone in the Hua Xia Empire! That person must have contacted her!¡± Tina eximed excitedly.

    The shock froze on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Qiqi? Was she talking about Ma Qiqi?

    Tina got even more excited. ¡°She used Karl¡¯s work phone to send a distress video! We caught it a long time ago! I¡¯m going to call Karl now and have him bring his work phone!¡±

    Karl was the name of the bartender. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank, and she was secretly wondering if this would affect Ma Qiqi. But then she recalled how the instant messaging app had tens of billions of ounts, and Ma Qiqi had never verified her real name, so what was she scared of? She calmed herself down but pretended to look afraid and curled up under the wrought iron floral railing as she avoided Als and Tina¡¯s eyes.

    Tina called Karl in a huff, ¡°...Right, your work phone. Bring it over now! If I don¡¯t see you in five minutes, I¡¯ll being to your house!¡±

    Karl arrived in less than five minutes. Just as he was about to open the bar¡¯s doors, Tina pushed him out. In a split second, he was shocked to see the snarling Als as well as Gu Nianzhi cuffed to the wrought iron floral railing with half her face red and swollen. Karl was secretly shocked and passed the phone to Tina as he asked with hesitation, ¡°What are you guys doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Tina didn¡¯t hesitate to push him away. ¡°You¡¯re not needed here anymore. Go home.¡± She turned back inside and mmed the door shut.

    Karl was a newbie on the job and wasn¡¯t ustomed to seeing his colleagues act like Nazis. He quietly turned away and got in his car, then took out his personal phone to call Reinitz. ¡°...Right, they¡¯re in the bar, Als and Tina. They... seem to be torturing a confession out of Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Did you say Als?! I clearly told Tina to lock the room up.¡± Reinitz was very uneasy. No one knew better than he did what kind of person Als was. He smoked gloomily at his window before finally throwing away the cigarette butt and running out the door.

    ...

    ¡°Still going to stay quiet? Then I¡¯ll stop ying nice.¡± In the bar¡¯s lobby, Als turned on the electric baton and pressed it against a finger on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cuffed right hand. The voltage wasn¡¯t very high in the beginning and only caused some minor numbing on her finger. The pain was nothing for Gu Nianzhi. But soon after, Als continuously increased the voltage, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger began to hurt more and more. As the saying goes, human fingers connected directly to heart. Pain in the fingers was more unbearable than anywhere else on the body. However, Gu Nianzhi bit hard on her lower lip and forced herself to swallow the screams at the back of her throat. She didn¡¯t want to give this abuser any satisfaction of achieving his goal. She wasn¡¯t brave but merely stubborn to a fault.

    Tina took out Karl¡¯s phone from the side and had already opened the instant messaging app. She used their monitoring program to find the login and password Gu Nianzhi used before and logged in. Ma Qiqi noticed as soon as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ount went online. It was currently Sunday morning, seven or 8am in the Hua Xia Empire. Ma Qiqi just woke up and saw Gu Nianzhi was online as soon as she checked her phone. She was incredibly happy and quickly sent a message, ¡°Nianzhi? Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°Haha, they¡¯re online.¡± Tina waved the phone at Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi screamed in panic but Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t start a video chat, so she couldn¡¯t see or hear sounds from the other side.

    Tina nced at Als and nodded. She started a video chat on the instant messaging app and aimed it in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. Als understood and suddenly increased the voltage on the electric baton. ¡°Ah¨C¨C¨C!!!¡± The sudden increase in voltage made Gu Niazhi lose the shred of control she had left amid the anxiety. She couldn¡¯t help screaming. Her red and swollen face, contorted expression, and scream was like a sharp knife that seemed to jump out from the phone screen across the vast sea, traversing 5,000 miles of time and space. The sound suddenly filled Ma Qiqi¡¯s ears.

    Ma Qiqi was caught off guard and screamed so loudly, she threw the phone out of her hand. She had lived in a peaceful nation all her life and grew up in a safe environment. The most pain she had ever suffered was being cheated on by her boyfriend. When had she ever witnessed a person being cuffed and electrocuted on live video? Covering her face, she started screaming uncontrobly in her dorm and was even louder than Gu Nianzhi on the other end.

    Alsughed maniacally and finally found a hint of pleasure for his sadism with the painful screams of the two women. The tyrannical element lurking in him reached its peak, and just as he was happy to continue the turoture, the bar¡¯s doors were kicked open with a boom. Tina cursed to herself when she saw Reinitz standing there solemnly. She quickly logged out of the instant messaging app and shut off the phone before stuffing it into her pocket. Als¡¯ lost reasoning slowly returned when he looked up to see Reinitz had arrived. Gu Nianzhi was on the brink of death from the electrocution andy panting feebly on the ground.

    Reinitz walked over and reached his hand out to Als. His voice was as deep as wind blowing from hell. ¡°The key.¡± His eyes were like daggers that forced Als to look away ufortably, but he still managed to set the handcuff keys into his palm. Reinitz unlocked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s handcuffs and carried her out of the bar.

    Als and Tina looked at each other, and even though they knew Reinitz was going against regtions, they didn¡¯t dare say a word in the face of his oppressive aura. With wide eyes, they watched him carry the unconscious Gu Nainzhi out of the bar and carefully put her inside his car. He brushed away the strands of sweat-soaked hair on her forehead and sped off in his sports car.

    Als chased after him and sighed in relief when he saw him drive off in the direction of his vi not far away.

    ...

    Ma Qiqi covered her face and wailed hysterically in the dorm. Her eyes were swollen like small golf balls. After a bout of venting, her fear and anxiety finally found relief, but her knees were too weak to stand on. Her phone had been flung under the desk and she wasying near her bed, so the phone was on the other end of the room, and she couldn¡¯t reach it with her fingers. Because she couldn¡¯t stand up right away, she panicked and crawled with a roll to get under the desk and grab her phone. With shaking hands, she tried several times before opening Yin Shixiong¡¯s contact and calling him.

    ....

    Yin Shixiong had been running around the past few days trying to rescue Gu Nianzhi. He epted that he couldn¡¯t contact Huo Shaoheng, but since he was now in charge of investigating the disappearance of Gu Nianzhi and the two field personnel, he had the authority to use all technical means and personnel necessary. However, it was election day before he could even walk through the doors to the central control system room. The Special Operations Forces, which was never never allowed to interfere with domestic politics, was entrusted by both prime minister candidates with the important task of monitoring the electronic voting and balloting processes! The world ss central control room of the Special Ops was requisitioned ordingly, and the Deputy Chief took a dozen technical professionals and loyal men into the room for a whole three days. Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t even touch the door.

 Chapter 687 - A Big Day

    Chapter 687: A Big Day

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong had tried many ways for the past three days. He was just short of bringing guns and just barging in, but the deputy chief refused to let him go in with the excuse that he was worried that there would be an ¡°information leak.¡± But without the help and information from the central control room, how the hell could he save anyone?! He couldn¡¯t even confirm the location of the GPS system previously!

    Yin Shixiong was anxious by now. He had written countless reports to Huo Guanchen and General Ji, but these two men wanted him to not be anxious and said that it was okay to dy it for two days. They wanted to wait for the results of the election to be announced and the entire election to be over first before allowing Yin Shixiong to use the central control room.

    Yin Shixiong had grown more white hair due to the anxiety, but he did not have any other methods. Eventually, he even called He Zhichu, but He Zhichu had wanted to know if he had any other information. When he heard that Huo Shaoheng still did not know about this, He Zhichu hung up on him. When he tried calling back, he couldn¡¯t get through anymore.

    Yin Shixiong suspected that He Zhichu had cklisted his number. To be honest, Yin Shixiong understood He Zhichu¡¯s point of view. Even he wanted to cklist his own number! Useless thing!

    Poor Nianzhi. No one knew how much she had been through, but all he could do was to look around like a lost sheep. The Special Forces that was almighty overseas was so useless in its own country. He understood clearly that a Special Forces without Mr. Huo wasn¡¯t the Special Forces that he was used to...

    He was extremely anxious for three whole days. When he saw Ma Qiqi¡¯s number on his phone, he picked it up without thinking and connected it to his Bluetooth earpiece. ¡°Any news, Qiqi?¡± Yin Shixiong stopped his morning training and slowed down on the track. He did not want to scare Ma Qiqi with his anxiety. However, Ma Qiqi scared him the moment she began talking.

    She was screaming on the other end. ¡°News?! I told you so long ago. Why are you not going to save Nianzhi yet?! It has already been three days! Three days! They electrocuted Nianzhi! it was so scary! Ahhhh¨C! I cannot take this anymore! Just let me scream!¡±

    ¡°Electrocuted?!¡± Yin Shixiong went pale. A man who was above six feet in height stopped abruptly on the track. He was almost trembling. Holding onto a tree, he asked, ¡°Be clear! Was there more news?¡±

    ¡°Let me send you the footage! You take a look!¡± Even though Ma Qiqi was in a frantic state of mind, she had managed to save the footage and sent it to Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong received it in no time and pressed the ¡°y¡± button. The Bluetooth earpiece was immediately filled with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s screams. They sounded louder by the second to his ears. The pictures on the phone were not exactly clear. The phone model seemed old, so the resolution was not great. It was also shaky. However, it made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s already swollen face look worse.

    Yin Shixiong wavered and fell onto the ground. He realized that tears were streaming down his face. The soldiers who were doing morning training with him looked at him and asked each other, ¡°What¡¯s up with Lieutenant Colonel Yin?¡±

    ¡°He looks so sad... Did anything happen at home?¡± Some of them who knew him walked over to console him. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Yin, let us take you back?¡±

    Yin Shixiong wiped his tears, pushed the people away, and ran. He used all the energy he had and ran like lightning. He ran to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion and changed into his uniform. Taking the key, he got into the car and stepped on the elerator. He could not wait anymore. He had to report to General Ji and General Huo to inform Mr. Huo immediately! He knew that Mr. Huo¡¯s private jet should be arriving at Hua Xia Empire¡¯s international airport soon!

    Yin Shixiong drove to General Ji¡¯s home in the military headquarters first. However, upon arriving at the entrance, he was informed that General Ji had already left to take part in the new prime minister, Tan Dongbang¡¯s, first television conference.

    He left without saying another word and headed out to look for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen. Other than General Ji, the only other person who could make decisions on this would be General Huo.

    Huo Guanchen was home. Seeing Yin Shixiong, who was drenched in perspiration, he furrowed his brows and lectured him. ¡°How can you be looking like that? Where¡¯s the code of conduct for a soldier? Did you decide to just throw it away?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t even catch his breath. He handed Huo Guanchen his phone and panted. ¡°Si... Sir... Please allow me to inform Mr. Huo this instant! Nianzhi is already in grave danger!¡± With that, he used his phone to show him the footage that Ma Qiqi sent him.

    Huo Guanchen looked at the footage and turned to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Where did thise from?¡±

    ¡°...Someone sent it to me.¡±

    ¡°And you believed that person immediately? What if it is a trap? Have you verified the authenticity of the footage?¡± Huo Guanchen sounded even more upset. ¡°Looking at how you are, most likely you believed it the moment you saw it, didn¡¯t you? How could you not know that this could be the scheme of the enemy?! Lieutenant Colonel Yin, you¡¯re Shaoheng¡¯s secretary! You¡¯re not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father! Panicking over such a trivial matter, how could you achieve anything more?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was scolded badly by Huo Guanchen. When he was about to exin himself, Huo Guanchen changed his tone. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve noted this. Let Shaoheng know after he¡¯s back. But not today! It¡¯s the new prime minister¡¯s big day today. Shaoheng will have to attend the first television conference with himter. If you dare mention a single thing, I¡¯ll punish you within militaryw!¡± He then asked for a soldier andmanded, ¡°Follow Lieutenant Colonel Yin and protect his safety.¡±

    Huo Guanchen knew that if Huo Shaoheng saw this footage, he couldn¡¯t imagine what he would do. He must not see this footage no matter what.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± That soldier saluted and began following Yin Shixiong everywhere. Yin Shixiong was seeing red. Panting, he looked at Huo Guanchen with anxiety, but Huo Guanchen looked back at him coldly. He knew he had no choice.

    Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he saluted Huo Guanchen. ¡°Yes, sir! To obeymands!¡± Then he continued, ¡°Sir, my phone...¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded, but did not return Yin Shixiong¡¯s phone. ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s jet should be arriving soon. How is the security at the airport? You¡¯re his secretary. You should be at the airport in charge of the security right now.¡±

    Sending him to Huo Shaoheng but not allowing him to mention anything, and he even took his phone... Huo Guanchen was forcing him to take a stand! Now he even had a soldier following him everywhere. Yin Shixiong knew that he could not be rash anymore. He would definitely let Huo Shao know about the news, but he wouldn¡¯t let himself get into trouble as well. If he got into trouble, there would be one less person who could save Nianzhi.

    The people in the Special Forces were all smart. When they had to think outside the box, they still would not break thew. They would do what they could to abide by thew but get things done the way they wanted. Yin Shixiong left the headquarters with a heavy heart and let the soldier drive. He took the back seat and called Ma Qiqi with the phone in the car.

    ¡°Qiqi? This is Brother Xiong.¡± Yin Shixiong calmed his voice down, but Ma Qiqi still seemed weird.

    ¡°Can we speak properly, Brother Xiong?¡± Her voice was still choked from the crying, and she was using steeped tea leaves to stop her eyes from swelling too much.

    ¡°Haha, I am speaking properly.¡± Yin Shixiongughed and continued, ¡°Qiqi, I am unable to help you with the thing you wanted me to help with just now.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Ma Qiqi stood up. ¡°Brother Xiong! I did not expect you to be so heartless!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I am heartless.¡± Yin Shixiong spoke to her with the Bluetooth earpiece. ¡°There are other things with priority. Mr. Huo is about to return soon. I¡¯m going to pick him up now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Huo Shao?! Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend?!¡± Ma Qiqi panicked. ¡°He¡¯s back?! That¡¯s great! You tell him!¡±

    But Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t seem to hear her and continued talking. ¡°For this, I have to be in charge of the security at the airport. Mr. Huo¡¯s flight will bending in an hour. I will be at terminal three, the VIP exit. Yes. I¡¯m sorry. I will be at the VIP exit at terminal three. I¡¯ll be easy to spot.¡± With that, he hung up.

    Ma Qiqi was confused. She cursed Yin Shixiong for not being trustworthy. She should not trust him anymore, as it was already too urgent. Gu Nianzhi might have already turned into ashes... She shivered as she thought of the footage she watched. As she was feeling vexed, she turned on the television and paced around the living room, thinking about who she could go to for help.

    Suddenly, there was a violin ying on the television. Ma Qiqi nced at it and saw that they were screening a documentary about Tan Dongbang. She smirked. This channel really changes quickly, she thought. They were badmouthing the Tans just a few days ago, but now that he was the prime minister, they were worshipping him already.

    She did not want to look at the Tans, so she changed the channel. However, the other channel was also screening the same documentary. Ma Qiqi did not give up. She changed the channel again¡ªsame documentary! She changed all the channels in a minute, and every single channel was showing the same documentary! This was no different from New Year¡¯s Eve! Are they trying to brainwash everyone now?!

    Ma Qiqi snorted and threw the remote control. She hugged her little pillow and sat on the sofa, thinking about the strange things that Yin Shixiong had said just now. She felt that she had missed something important...

    The television was introducing Tan Dongbang¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren. They praised her like she was priceless¡ªclever and gorgeous, a music prodigy. She held her own concert in America¡¯s Carnegie Mellon golden ballroom at the age of 15... All this made Ma Qiqi even more annoyed. She had already lost count of the number of times she rolled her eyes. Just when she was about to turn off the television, she saw that the screen had changed and showed Tan Guiren boarding the ne in America.

    She knew that it had been recorded more than ten hours ago. The narrator¡¯s voice was extremely gentle. ¡°...The Vice Secretary of the Military Supreme Council, Huo Shaoheng, will be personally bringing Miss Tan Guiren back to the Hua Xia Empire. The flight will bending anytime now at Hua Xia Empire¡¯s International Airport, terminal three. Let¡¯s link up with the reporters over at terminal three to see what it¡¯s like.¡±

 Chapter 688 - You Will Have Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 688: You Will Have Retribution</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Along with the moving TV cameras, the grandeur of the T3 terminal of the Imperial Capital International Airport appeared on therge screen. Ma Qiqi stood up suddenly. She was shocked to catch a nce from the video. It showed the tall and handsome back of a man in a military uniform. He looked very familiar and should be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend, Huo Shao! Ma Qiqi finally learned that Huo Shao was actually the Secretary General of the Supreme Military Council! Ma Qiqi never cared too much about political news before, but she wanted to cry now. Oh my god, just how high was his rank?!

    Nianzhi is finally getting rescued now! Although Ma Qiqi had met Huo Shaoheng before, she never really knew what he did. All she knew was that he was in the military and had a fairly high rank, but Gu Nianzhi never really told her what he did. Ma Qiqi also never asked Gu Nianzhi, since she wasn¡¯t a nosy person. If Gu Nianzhi never told Ma Qiqi something, she would never ask. But from what Yin Shixiong said today, along with the TV introduction, she finally understood that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend was that impressive!

    No way, I have to get to the airport right now to catch him. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be harder than flying to heaven to see him again after this... Ma Qiqi thought this as shebed her hair roughly and picked up her phone and purse to rush out of the dorm building. She walked out of the campus entrance and hailed a cab that sped towards the Imperial Capital International Airport.

    Her luck wasn¡¯t too bad. The cab drove smoothly the entire time and didn¡¯t get blocked by traffic at all. It only took 45 minutes to arrive at the T3 terminal of the Imperial Capital International Airport! It typically took 90 minutes. Ma Qiqi stood at the terminal entrance and looked up at the vivid blue sky. A beautifullyrge, streamlined military aircraft appeared like a white swan as it descended from the cotton clouds.

    ...

    inclothes policemen, Secret Service agents, and fully armed soldiers were everywhere inside the airport. Ma Qiqi wandered around the airport for some time before discovering many areas werepletely blocked off from entry! How could this be? She held her phone as she stood at the T3 entrance in confusion. Watching the crowds pass by with bright smiles and happy faces, Ma Qiqi¡¯s heart was colder than the deepest winter, and it chilled her to the bone. How could those people be smiling so happily? Don¡¯t they know that an innocent girl is being tortured in a foreign country!? How could you all be smiling?! How could you?!

    Ma Qiqi red at everyone fiercely, and suddenly, in the terminal doorway not far from her, a ck elongated Rolls Royce quietly parked. A white-gloved attendant got out of the car first and politely opened the door where an elegant and refined lookingdy stepped out. The woman looked up at the tall airport terminal in triumph, then a group of people got out of the car behind and escorted her inside the terminal.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes bulged. Wasn¡¯t this Cai Songyin, the wife of Tan Dongbang whom she had just seen on TV? This was the new First Lady! What was she doing here? Ma Qiqi looked around and instantly thought about how Huo Shao had used the military aircraft to bring Tan Guiren, the daughter of the newest Prime Minister, home! No wonder Tan Guiren¡¯s mother was also here. What¡¯s the big deal with having parents, anyway? Hmph!

    Ma Qiqi pouted. She was feeling aggrieved and nervous as her eyes followed the backs of the people moving forward and inside the VIP channel of the T3 Terminal. Hmm? Why did this ce sound so familiar? Ma Qiqi looked around and finally recalled that this was the ce Yin Shixiong had mentioned to her! He said he had security duty at the airport! Just like a lightbulb going off in her head, Ma Qiqi finally understood what Yin Shixiong meant with his strange words. Ma Qiqi swiftly ran off as she saw the group enter the VIP channel and quickly followed inside.

    ¡°Miss, this is the special VIP channel for the terminal. Do you have a special ess pass?¡± A soldier armed with a rifle walked over to stop her. Fully armed soldiers were in charge of security duty inside the T3 VIP channel. It was obvious the security measures here were several grades higher than in other ces.

    Ma Qiqi stared nkly at the soldier and stammered, ¡°Well... Well... I saw the people ahead go inside, so I thought... I thought...¡±

    ¡°May I ask if you¡¯re here with Mrs. Tan?¡± The soldier asked politely and still managed to be friendly to her.

    Ma Qiqi wanted to say yes but was too embarrassed to lie. Just as she was hesitating, she spied Yin Shixionging over from the corner of her eye. She was about to call out to him, but Yin Shixiong seemed to not recognize her and said to the soldier, ¡°Go, look over there. I think a few people walked in there.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± The soldier carried his rifle and walked away. Only Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi remained in the VIP channel. The other soldiers that remained were different from the one who left. They carried rifles and wore helmets, standing motionless like statues or like a background with no freedom of mobility. They only listened to Yin Shixiong¡¯smands, because they were under his directmand andpliedpletely with him. However, Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t look at Ma Qiqi but walked to a well ventted area and looked down to light a cigarette. Watching the blue skies outside, he replied casually, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you get going?¡±

    Ma Qiqi stiffened then darted out like the wind once she understood. She followed the group of people with Cai Songyin, Tan Guiren¡¯s mom. The security personnel in the VIP channel were Secret Service agents who thought it was strange to see Ma Qiqi, but because they knew she had passed through the most secure VIP channel and was going in the same direction as the First Lady¡¯s group, they assumed she was with them. Also, Ma Qiqi was dressed rather nicely and looked like she belonged in the same ss as the newly elected Prime Minister¡¯s family, so no one stopped her for questioning.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s luck was off the charts today. She followed the First Lady¡¯s group the entire way, and they actually took a shortcut to where the swan-like military aircraft hadnded nearby. The hatch hadn¡¯t opened yet, and the stairs had just unfolded with a bright red carpetid out from the cabin door to a long distance ahead. Cai Songyin, the wife of the newly elected Prime Minister, Tan Dongbang, stood on the red carpet and watched the cabin door excitedly.

    Ma Qiqi also held her breath and quietly stood behind the group. She was tall and saw right past the crowd to clearly witness what was happening on the stairs. In that moment, the white cabin door opened, and a pretty girl in a pink dress stood at the entryway. She smiled and waved politely at the people standing below. This should be Tan Guiren, the daughter of the newly elected Prime Minister.

    Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t help pouting again and thought that Tan Guiren was merely the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter; she wasn¡¯t the Prime Minister himself. Why was she making a big deal like she was some important leader? Did she get permission from all the Hua Xia citizens?! Ma Qiqi had never rolled her eyes this much in her entire 20 some years alive, and her eyelids were about to twitch.

    Just as she was rolling her eyes again, she saw a tall and handsome man in a military uniform appear behind Tan Guiren. He wore huge sunsses that covered half his face. Tan Guiren shifted slightly and said something to him behind her, and he nodded slightly. A bashful smile appeared on Tan Guiren¡¯s face, and her head hung slightly as she held the handrail and carefully made her way down.

    Cai Songyin stood on the red carpet not far away from the stairs and smiled at her daughter as well as the young Major General behind her with unlimited future potential. She was extremely satisfied. Her husband was sessful, and her daughter was intelligent. All she was missing was a capable son-inw. With that, her life could be considered a huge sess.

    Tan Guiren was actually very nervous as she held the handrail and made her way down the stairs; she wasn¡¯t actually as calm as she appeared. Protected impably all her life, she had truly grown up in an ivory tower. But Tan Guien knew the TV stations were broadcasting her live, so she tried hard to maintain the most perfect posture and elegant manners as she walked down the stairs like a princess. The red carpet extended out all the way, and like her bright future, all she could see ahead was an endless path of red. But to Ma Qiqi, the red carpet looked like blood, and her eyes stung with tears.

    Suddenly, Tan Guiren¡¯s body wavered as she walked down the stairs, and it seemed like she missed a step before losing her footing. Huo Shaoheng smoothly gripped her arm with gentle support, then immediately let go of her.

    Ma Qiqi was speechless.

    Cai Songyin smiled even more kindly. Tan Guiren¡¯s face flushed tomato red andplemented the pink color of her dress, making her appear even more alluring. All the single men watching the live broadcast on TV had their eyes ze over, and all of them couldn¡¯t help posting online to pronounce Tan Guiren, the new Prime Minister¡¯s only daughter, as the new ¡°National Goddess.¡±

    Finally, both Tan Guiren and Huo Shaoheng stepped off the stairs. A little girl in a Snow White costume walked up to Tan Guiren to present a bouquet of flowers to her. Tan Guiren epted it happily and stroked the little girl¡¯s head. She loved children more than anything. Then she smoothly handed the flowers to Huo Shaoheng and bent down slightly to kiss the little girl¡¯s cheek.

    Ma Qiqi hadn¡¯t expected this to happen. She balled her hands into tight fists and full body tremors wracked her. She had never experienced such a thing, from excited anticipation to helpless confusion, then finallyplete uneptance. Her eyes saw red, and she stepped forward to bypass the crowd. Standing alone on the edge of the red carpet, she pointed in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction and shouted in the loudest voice she could muster, ¡°Huo Shao! Your girlfriend was kidnapped, and she¡¯s being tortured with electrocution right now! And you¡¯re actually in the mood to escort a princess! Nianzhi must be blind! You scumbag! You¡¯ll have retribution!¡±

 Chapter 689 - Taking You Home

    <h4>Chapter 689: Taking You Home</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After Ma Qiqi finished yelling, she was stupefied. She had clearlye here to beg for Nianzhi¡¯s life! How did it be so hostile? She really wanted to die. What if Huo Shaoheng be angry and wouldn¡¯t go save Nianzhi?

    Ma Qiqi opened her mouth. However, when she saw how Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes looked indifferent and stern, she really wanted to find a hole and stay in it. The imposing manner she had before went down a thousand li.

    Everyone there was transfixed with amazement and didn¡¯t react for a while. Just a moment ago, there wasughter all over the ce, but now there was absolute silence. It was as if Ma Qiqi¡¯s crisp voice was still ringing in their ears.

    Nevertheless, the director of the television station used his discretion and quickly stopped the live broadcast. Actually, the live broadcast was not really a live broadcast. It was five minutes behind so that it would make unexpected situations like what just happened easier to censor. So the scene of Ma Qiqi yelling at Huo Shaoheng was not broadcast by the television station at all. Other than the people who were present at the time, no one saw it.

    ...

    Reinitz took Gu Nianzhi back to the little country residence she stayed in before. Sheughed coldly to herself. However, it was true that her body was beyond exhausted. Reinitz put her on the chaise lounge that she often curled up on.

    Reinitz brought her milk, cake, the white sausage that she liked, and bread. He put them on the tea table in front of her. She didn¡¯t want to eat. She turned her head and looked outside the window. Her stubborn expression gave Reinitz a headache. He didn¡¯t know how tofort her, but he felt awkward in the silence.

    He brought hisptop over and looked up videos from the Hua Xia Empire for her to watch. He clicked on the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s socialworking site¡¯s most popr video. When Gu Nianzhi saw the caption ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± on the video, she was immediately drawn to it. She couldn¡¯t help but watch it.

    Reinitz let out a breath of relief when he saw her being interested in something. He walked over to the window and leaned against the window ledge. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi watched the video quietly. She slowly straightened her body, and her facial expression became excited, then pale, then empty. It was like the middle of summer became winter in a split second.

    Theptop¡¯s high definition screen showed Huo Shaoheng and Tan Guiren walking down the hangingdder. She watched him get off the ne while listening attentively to what others were saying, saw him smile so easily, and watched him as he held the prime minister¡¯s daughter who almost sprained her foot. She watched cute children giving this pair of attractive people freshly cut flowers. Furthermore, he took the flowers for the prime minister¡¯s daughter so naturally, so carefreely, as if he had done it thousands of times.

    She smiled as she watched it. She didn¡¯t realize she was crying until the teardrops formed a little pool on theptop¡¯s keyboard. She wiped her tears and continued to smile as she watched theputer. Her big ck eyes looked like the night bathed in rain, prating and sparkling and translucent. One couldn¡¯t see the end of it.

    Reinitz was watching her the whole time from the window. He saw her smile and cry. It was like seeing a flower that hadn¡¯t bloomed suddenlye to its zenith.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disheartened smile cut and bruised him. He was about to say something when he suddenly heard a rumbling sound from outside the window. He then heard systematic and orderly footsteps from all four directions. Immediately following that was a cold and indifferent voiceing from outside the window. It was perfect Hanover German.

    ¡°Reinitz, I¡¯ve got all the locations of the eight people with you locked in. Rest assured that we are all using armor-piercing bullets. We can burst your head open with one shot, even with a wall between us. If you know what¡¯s good for you, put down your weapons, go to the door, and get down with your hands on your heads. Don¡¯t me me if you don¡¯t move by the time I count to three. I¡¯ll warn you one more time, don¡¯t touch Nianzhi. I promise that whoever moves toward her will have his blood spattered not too far away. Try it if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice came in through the window. Reinitz didn¡¯t know what equipment he used, but it sounded like he was talking while lingering around him.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t move a muscle. She was like a statue. She didn¡¯t hear a thing that was said.

    Reinitz sighed. He lowered his head and saw a little red dot on his heart area. He knew it was aser guidance system. He even had that kind of weapon. He Zhichu really was not someone they could defy. Reinitz shook his head and said into the Bluetooth mic, ¡°Withdraw.¡±

    His people in the little country residence walked out. They threw the weapons out the window and put their hands on their heads as they walked out the door. They saw He Zhichu with ten big, masked men armed with heavy weaponry facing them in the open space.

    There were several cars behind them. They knew they were bullet proof cars at first nce. They were as durable as an armored car. Is he going to war?

    Reinitz didn¡¯t fight back. However, he did quietly look at He Zhichu. He raised his hands in the air and nodded at him. He then turned around and put his hands behind his head as he got down on the ground next to his men.

    A big fellow with a mask on moved forward. Aiming the gun at Reinitz and his men, he told them not to move as they fixed their eyes on them.

    He Zhichu was the first to rush into Reinitz¡¯s little country residence. The moment he went in, he saw a very thin girl sitting on the chaise lounge emotionlessly in the warmly decorated living room. In front of her was aptop. Her eyes were glued to theptop as if they were about to prate the screen.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart ached. He quickly walked over and held Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m going to take you home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lifeless eyes slowly looked up, and she saw He Zhichu in front of her. Her deep ck eyes moved, and big teardrops rolled down her cheeks. Gu Nianzhi put her head on his chest. At first, she just cried quietly, but then gradually her whole body started shaking. Then atst, she bawled out loud.

    Even those expressionless mercenaries who would lick the blood off the knife after they killed someone were visibly distressed. One by one, they looked away.

    He Zhichu held her tightly as he caressed her back tofort her. She almost suffocated from crying.

    ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m so upset! I¡¯m really upset! More than when they beat me, when they electrocuted me! When I was being tortured here, he¡¯s with a woman. He held her when she sprained her foot... I can¡¯t take it! I really can¡¯t take it! I know it¡¯s not his fault, I know he doesn¡¯t know what has happened to me! But I¡¯m still upset! I still me him! I¡¯m wrong! I¡¯m wrong! I¡¯m wrong! I¡¯m not that great! I¡¯m selfish! I¡¯m narrow minded! I¡¯m inferior! I can¡¯t work for the benefits of all! I don¡¯t have a father or a mother! I¡¯m not Ms. Perfect! I¡¯m just a beggar that he picked up! I shouldn¡¯t have wishful thinking! I don¡¯t deserve him! I reap what I sowed! I deserve it! I deserve it! I deserve it!¡± She cried until her whole body was shaking uncontrobly. She was almost falling apart.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart was cut to pieces and tears fell down in streaks. ¡°Nianzhi, no, you¡¯re not... No, you¡¯re not... I¡¯m the one that¡¯s...e back with me... I¡¯ll take you back...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fainted from crying. He Zhichu carried her out of Reinitz¡¯s little country residence and to the car.

    Reinitz and the rest weren¡¯t tied up for a long time. He didn¡¯t give He Zhichu much time to retreat.

    He Zhichu used all of his connections and spent an astronomical amount of money to bribe people in order to find Reinitz¡¯s base of operation and to sessfully save Gu Nianzhi.

    Just before Reinitz and his men could give chase, He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi got on their rescue ne and flew out of Germany¡¯s airspace.

    ...

    At the same time, something suddenly happened at terminal three¡¯s tarmac in front of the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s imperial capital. The moment Ma Qiqi¡¯s loud voice was heard, Cai Songyin¡¯s bodyguard turned pale with fright. A few sturdy looking men rushed toward her, grabbed Ma Qiqi from behind, and covered her mouth. Two other people held her down, one to her right and one to her left. One of them pped her face repeatedly.

    Ma Qiqi had never been hit by anyone like that before. That person¡¯s hand was heavy. One hit caused her to be in a state of mental confusion. Her cute little round face swelled up immediately and tears rolled down uncontrobly. She didn¡¯t want to cry in front of so many people, but it really hurt...

    At that moment, she only could only think of when Gu Nianzhi was being electrocuted. It must have been thousands of times more painful than this. Ma Qiqi became sadder. As a result, she cried even more.

    Those bodyguards didn¡¯t care if she lived or died. They frantically covered her mouth. They wanted nothing more than to drag her away immediately.

    Tan Guiren saw the scene and was furious. She could never tolerate people bullying and humiliating those who were weak and small, not to mention an innocent girl being pped in front of her.

    ¡°Let her go! You guys, let her go! Tan Guiren quickly walked over, pointed at those bodyguards, and said in a stern voice, ¡°Let her go now! Is there now? To do this in broad daylight!¡±

    The bodyguards were stupefied. They looked at Tan Guiren¡¯s mother, Cai Songyin. Only after Cai Songyin gave them a look did they let go.

    Tan Guiren quickly held Ma Qiqi in her arms. She took out her handkerchief to wipe her tears and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. No one¡¯s going to hit you again.¡±

    Ma Qiqi pushed her with one push and angrily said, ¡°Who wants your fake kindness! Go away! Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    Tan Guiren took a few steps back out of shock. She had an expression of beingpletely at a loss as she looked at her mother. Then she looked at Huo Shaoheng who was behind her.

    Huo Shaoheng looked as he usually did. He didn¡¯t show any feelings, but he had prating eyes that carried so much pressure that even Tan Guiren didn¡¯t dare to look again. It only took one look for a person to have the jitters. She quickly turned her eyes away.

    Cai Songyin didn¡¯t say anything. She only pulled Tan Guiren¡¯s hand to indicate that she should mind her business. Cai Songyin¡¯s bodyguards surrounded Ma Qiqi again, one on her left and one on the right. Another person covered her mouth.

    Yin Shixiong came running up and handled the situation at lightning speed as he took Ma Qiqi away from the bodyguards. Then he coldly warned the spectating prime minister¡¯s wife, Cai Songyin, ¡°Mrs. Tan, your husband hasn¡¯t officially taken office yet, and your bodyguards are already hurting our people so severely. I think a lot of people would be interested in this news.¡±

    Cai Songyinughed and casually said, ¡°If they are interested, then they are interested. People rely on this job to survive. We shouldn¡¯t trample on their livelihood, should we?¡± Surprisingly, she was not one bit scared of what the media would say about the whole family.

    The secret service personnel who maintained order at the airport hurried over. They pointed at Ma Qiqi as they said to Yin Shixiong sternly, ¡°This person is trespassing on airport property. She might have broken aw. Please hand her over to us.¡±

    Of course, Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t want to. Although he could handle Cai Songyin¡¯s bodyguards, he couldn¡¯t handle those elite secret service agents who also had military training.

    The secret service agents soon took Ma Qiqi away. One person twisted Ma Qiqi¡¯s hands behind her back. Another female agent took out handcuffs and was about to put them on Ma Qiqi.

    Huo Shaoheng silently stood by the side, but his brows gradually became more and more creased. When he saw Yin Shixiong appear, his eyes uncontrobly pulsated a few times.

    His heart sank.

    Ma Qiqi was probably not speaking without thinking. He didn¡¯t believe it at first. He had provided Gu Nianzhi with such tight security measures. How could anything have happened without his knowledge?

    At first, he thought Ma Qiqi just made a mountain out of a molehill. After all, she had always been a student, and she might even cry for three days if her boyfriend cheated on her. But now, even Yin Shixiong was helping her. It looked like it was no small matter.

    Huo Shaoheng threw the flower in his hand away. He took big steps toward Ma Qiqi. He sped his hands behind his back as he stood in front of her and said to the secret service agents with indifference, ¡°Let her go.¡±

    The person in charge of the secret service agents refused. After all, they were under themand of the Minister of the Interior and not under themand of the army. So the person only said, ¡°Sir, don¡¯t make it difficult for us, we...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t wait for them to finish. He took out his gun without the least bit of hesitation and held it against that person¡¯s chest. ¡°You going to let her go or not?¡±

    ¡°Gun!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s going to shoot!¡±

    The people who were present screamed hysterically and started to push and shove as they ran in all directions. It was a good thing the director had stopped the live broadcast a long time ago. Now even television cameras were asking to be smashed. The journalists and cameramen were running toward the airport terminal to take cover, but the door to the airport terminal was obstructed by armed soldiers who had all been brought over by Yin Shixiong. All their guns were loaded, and they were pointed at those who were trying to enter.

    Huo Shaoheng squinted as his fingers tapped on the trigger. The pistol rattled. The secret service agent who twisted Ma Qiqi¡¯s hands behind her back let go immediately. Yin Shixiong quickly half supported and half carried Ma Qiqi on his chest.

    When Zhao Liangze got off the airne, he saw the chaos. He promptly ran and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Yin Shixiong said in a hurry, ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the car! I brought everything!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took big steps toward the airport terminal. Yin Shixiong was holding onto Ma Qiqi¡¯s hands. ¡°You¡¯lle with us.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s face was streaked with dried tears. She choked up as she said, ¡°Are you going to rescue Nianzhi?!¡±

    ¡°Of course we are!¡± Yin Shixiong said without the slightest hesitation. He pulled her hand as he speed walked behind Huo Shaoheng.

    At that time, Zhao Liangze finally realized something had happened to Nianzhi! He immediately said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Big Xiong, did you bring your phone? I didn¡¯t bring my work cell phone. I can¡¯t connect to theputer system.¡± He wanted to immediately connect to the Special Operation Forces¡¯ central controlputer system so that he could get a satellite to track Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position.

    Yin Shixiong looked gloomy, shook his head, and said, ¡°You can use the system in the car, use that.¡±

    Zhao Liangze knew something was different about this. Something big had happened. His expression also became grim.

 Chapter 690 - Never Retreat (1)

    <h4>Chapter 690: Never Retreat (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng appeared as cold as ice as in the T3 terminal building, and hepletely ignored the guests Cai Songyin brought to wee Tan Guiren. Walking out of the Imperial Capital International Airport, he saw that Yin Shixiong was already waiting outside with Special Operations Forces vehicles. Several cars nked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vehicle from front and back, so other cars could only park and observe from a distance.

    ...

    Cai Songyin¡¯s personal assistant asked with distress, ¡°Mrs. Cai, will Major General Huo still be going to the Senate?¡± They had nned to take Tan Guiren and Huo Shaoheng to the Senate to attend Tan Dongbang¡¯s first televised speech since his election as Prime Minister, so Cai Songyin had especially contacted her friends in the media to carefully arrange a small wee ceremony. But then something like this happened...

    Although Cai Songyin was unhappy, she still put up a smile. ¡°Of course he¡¯ll be going. It¡¯s no problem. We¡¯ll head over first, and we can let General Ji know when we get there.¡± Would Huo Shaoheng dare disobey if General Ji asked him to attend?

    Tan Guiren was the only one feeling uneasy. She was silent for a moment and asked, ¡°Mommy, Mr. Huo still has something else to take care of. Let¡¯s go by ourselves. Don¡¯t make things hard for him.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re being so thoughtful already? Girls do focus on their husbands¡¯ families...¡± Cai Songyin was very happy that her precious daughter finally had a clue now. How could she not be happy?

    Tan Guiren forced a smile. ¡°Mommy, he already has a girlfriend. Stop talking like that.¡±

    ¡°Haha, who said he has one? A girlfriend not epted by his family could only be considered a female friend, don¡¯t you understand? Ok, I¡¯ll stop talking about this stuff. We have to go see your dad. He misses you so much.¡± Cai Songyin took Tan Guiren¡¯s hand, and they also headed to the terminal exit.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng climbed into the car and sat in the middle of the back seat. Yin Shixiong sat beside him. Ma Qiqi wasn¡¯t in the same car but was in the one behind them. She was riding with a female Special Ops agent. Zhao Liangze sat in the front passenger seat, where the car¡¯s navigation andmunication system could be connected to the Central Control Room. Fan Jian immediately started the car and quickly sped towards the Special Ops base. Huo Shaheng had only given him 30 minutes, so he had to drive like a mad man in order toplete his task...

    As soon as Yin Shixiong got into the car, he exined Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation. ¡°...By the time I was notified and called back to the Hua Xia Empire, Nianzhi had already been missing for more than two weeks.¡± He continued, ¡°But Professor He is frantically searching for her right now, so we can cooperate with him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained expressionless, but his long and slightly angled eyes twitched continuously. This meant he waspletely livid, but his many years of concealing emotions meant not many people could sense his rage. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that we only received news Nianzhi was missing two weeks after it happened? Give me the on duty schedule. Who was watching her when she went missing?¡± Huo Shaoheng purposely ignored everything said about He Zhichu. His voice was low and even, so it sounded very pleasant yet carried incredible pressure.

    Sweat began to bead on the side of Yin Shixiong¡¯s forehead. ¡°No... No one was watching her,¡± he stammered.

    Huo Shaoheng swept his eyes over, his chin tightening and lips pressed thin into a straight line. ¡°No one? Looks like someone wants to be executed.¡± Squinting, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice seemed to emerge deep from within the earth and carried a lethal edge. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s security privilege is A1. That¡¯s the same as General Ji and Speaker Long¡¯s. It¡¯s even one level higher than the Prime Minister¡¯s. You tell me who had enough power to cause the news of her disappearance to be dyed for over two weeks!¡±

    Not only was Yin Shixiong¡¯s entire body shaking, but his voice also wavered. ¡°Not too long after you went abroad for the mission, Nianzhi¡¯s security privileges werepletely revoked, so she was only considered a normal citizen when she went abroad, and no one was watching her 24/7 or continuously checking her satellite tracking all the time...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up slowly, his eyes shing like lightning at Yin Shixiong. Ha, heughed quietly and balled his hands into tight fists. In that moment, Huo Shaoheng recalled how he had nearly lost everything because of the betrayal by the mole within the Special Ops and had been forced to stay abroad for a few months. If he hadn¡¯t reacted quickly and had several aces hidden up his sleeve, then he would¡¯ve been a goner this time...

    Only by knocking him down could Nianzhi lose all her protection, making her meat on a butcher¡¯s block. ¡°Looks like it was a chain reaction...¡± Slowly leaning back into the seat, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body failed to rx. His voice was icy. ¡°Removed? Who agreed to this? Who executed it? Big Xiong, don¡¯t you tell me you don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook so hard he nearly jumped up from his seat, ¡°Reporting to Chief! I¡¯vepiled a list of names! We await your sentencing!¡± In thest few days he had been unable to track Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location due to several reasons, but he had still done a great deal of work, such as suggesting various suspicious areas to Huo Shaoheng. Yin Shixiong had investigated everything and prepared a list of names of the people responsible for this.

    Huo Shaoheng expressionlessly looked at the blurring scenery outside their speeding car and replied coolly, ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Arrest them all immediately.¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Yin Shixiong stiffened. ¡°Arrest... them?! But... But the people proposing the revocation and executing the order were all... members of the Supreme Military Council.¡± A normal person certainly didn¡¯t have a high enough rank to make such a decision.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and closed his eyes. The corners of his lips turned down. ¡°Then this won¡¯t happen in time.¡± When dealing with people of that kind of rank, he certainly couldn¡¯t arrest them on a whim. But would he just let things slide? Of course not! ¡°Give me the list.¡± Huo Shaoheng held out his upturned hands to Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong took out his electronic notepad and ced it in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands with both hands. Huo Shaoheng read over the list line by line. There were only seven members on the standingmittee of the Supreme Military Council, but the entire Council consisted of 50 some members. A total of three members had suggested and executed the revocation of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security privileges, and they belonged to the Supreme Military Council. Of course, they weren¡¯t in the standingmittee, but these three people¡¯s suggestion was epted through majority vote of all the members.

    The specific reason was because they believed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, had already been found and was under military protection, so the A1 security privilege should be given to Gu Xiangwen instead of Gu Nianzhi. In the beginning, Huo Shaoheng had been entrusted by the military to act as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian, so they certainly hadplete jurisdiction over everything rted to Gu Nianzhi. However, they purposely circumvented Huo Shaoheng¡¯s execution of his duty as guardian, making the situation very interesting.

    Huo Shaoheng read the list expressionlessly and wrote a few words on it before passing it to Zhao Liangze in the front. ¡°Report to General Ji and tell him that I received foregin intelligence indicating these people are moles. Ask the military police to conduct an investigation to clear their names.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was speechless. Major General, this is brazen revenge!

    Yin Shixiong was also speechless. Major General, it¡¯d be even more perfect if you could stress the words, ¡°clear their names!¡±

    Suddenly, the car phone by Zhao Liangze rang, and he saw it was from the car behind them. Zhao Liangze picked up, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s anxious voice could be heard from the phone. ¡°Is Brother Xiong there? I want to ask you guys where we¡¯re going?! Nianzhi is getting beaten! She¡¯s being electrocuted! Why aren¡¯t you rescuing her instead of going in circles here!?¡±

    ¡°Electrocuted?!¡± Huo Shaoheng looked straight in the direction of the car phone. ¡°How do you know?!¡±

    ¡°I have a video on my phone! Those bad guys sent it to me!¡± Ma Qiqi was terrified by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone. She shrank back and raised her phone fearfully. ¡°Well, Brother Xiong has it, too. I forwarded it to him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong and before he could even ask, Yin Shixiong raised his hands and quickly said, ¡°My phone was confiscated by General Huo.¡±

    Lips twitching, Huo Shaoheng replied simply, ¡°Stop the car.¡± His vehicle screeched to a halt on the highway shoulder, and Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone was quickly delivered into his hands. The car soon started again, and Huo Shaoheng pressed y. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s painful cries could be heard inside the car, and the veins popped on the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand that was holding the phone. On the five-inch phone screen, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pretty face was a blur, but he could clearly see the dark bruises and serious swelling. However, she looked at the camera fiercely instead of with fear... She was worried, but about what? Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand slowly moved up the phone screen. He wanted to stroke her contorted face, but as soon as he touched the screen, he quickly shrank back as if shocked. It was like he was deathly afraid that he would be too forceful and hurt her...

    Yes, she felt pain, and a lot of it, too... When she had been by his side and simply pricked her hand with a sewing needle, she had grumbled for half a day afterwards. He was always busy with work and typically ignored her grumbling, but he would still asionally take the time to pat her head, and she would smile brightly just from that.

    Like a blooming flower, she was brilliant, and he was unable to look away... But he remembered how Nianzhi had nearly been shocked into paralysis in the blue hole¡¯s waters yet pretended she wasn¡¯t in pain at all. He had no idea when it started, but she seemed to be hiding even her pain from him. She only wanted to show him her best side...

    Gu Nianzhi acting like that evoked more pity than the version of her who liked to grumble and be coy all the time. Huo Shaoheng knew better than anyone just how timid she was. When he first began taking care of her, Gu Nianzhi would often wake up from nightmares but didn¡¯t dare disturb him, so she would carry her little nket and sleep in front of his study. One night when he was working until midnight, he opened the door to see her tiny figure curled up in deep sleep in front of his door. He finally realized she was insecure to that degree, and from then on, he would apany her at night no matter how busy he was. He would be with her when she woke up from her nightmares. He believed that as long as he was the first thing she saw when she woke from a nightmare, she wouldn¡¯t be scared again.

    Now, another nightmare had befallen her, so who would she see when she opened her eyes? His heart felt like multiple cuts were being made on it, then were doused with salt water. The pain was so intense, it numbed him, but it was only when he saw that one name written on every cut on his heart that he understood that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s existence had already be an inextricable part of his life. For her, he would never retreat or ever let go.

 Chapter 691 - Never Retreatï¼ˆ2ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 691: Never Retreat£¨2£©</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone quietly, his expression remaining unreadable. Even Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong could not tell what was going on in his head. He was the only one who knew that he felt so suffocated that he couldn¡¯t breathe properly. Holding onto the phone with one hand, his eyes burned into the screen, like he was almost burning a hole into it.

    After a while, he sent the footage to his phone and handed Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Delete everything in this phone regarding Nianzhi. If she has a cloud ount, delete that as well.¡±

    Zhao Liangze took the phone without a word and used software to check through everything. Then he deleted all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s footage. ¡°She did not share it to her cloud ount. She only saved it on her phone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and told Fan Jian, the chauffeur, ¡°Stop the car. Tell the people behind to send Miss Ma Qiqi back.¡±

    The car screeched to a halt on the side of the road. Yin Shixiong exited the car and returned Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone to her. ¡°It has been hard on you today.¡± Then he added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t be beaten up just like that.¡±

    Ma Qiqi shook her head furiously. ¡°I¡¯m okay. You guys will save Nianzhi, won¡¯t you?!¡± She looked at Yin Shixiong, eyes full of hope. Her swollen face was filled with yearning.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Turning away, he nodded. ¡°Yes, but this is a secret operation, so it wouldn¡¯t be convenient for you to remain here.¡±

    ¡°Okay! That¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m okay. Go back; go back quickly!¡± Ma Qiqi pushed Yin Shixiong back to the car. ¡°Don¡¯t take me back! I can call for my own ride! You guys go and save Nianzhi, quick! I¡¯m okay, even if I have to walk back.¡±

    They would never allow her to walk back. Yin Shixiong told a female colleague in the car, ¡°Please take her back to B University.¡±

    The female colleague nodded¡ªan indication for him to not worry about Ma Qiqi anymore. Yin Shixiong returned to the car and joined Huo Shaoheng to return to the Special Forces Headquarters.

    ...

    Ma Qiqi took her phone and sighed. Just when she was about to look through the news, she realized that her phone was in bad shape. There were five fingerprint dents on her phone... What the hell! Whose strength is this?! My phone is in bad shape. Oh my god! But isn¡¯t this the hardest screen protector on the market?!

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes briefly and controlled his anxiety. Then, he asked Zhao Liangze. ¡°Have you managed to find Nianzhi¡¯s location? Don¡¯t tell me they removed her GPS tracking system as well.¡± Even though no one was looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s satellite tracking system 24/7, as long as the device was still on her, they would be able to track her location anytime.

    However, Zhao Liangze turned around and stammered, ¡°I haven¡¯t checked, Mr. Huo. But... but... I¡¯m worried that it might be toote...¡±

    ¡°What?! Why?!¡± Yin Shixiong panicked. ¡°What did you find?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and said calmly, ¡°Speak.¡±

    Zhao Liangze said with abination of admiration, pain, and guilt, ¡°Mr. Huo, those people wouldn¡¯t let Nianzhi go. She managed to hack the Geheime Staatspolizei¡¯s confidential information system and sent all ¨C all their confidential documents to our mailboxes, encrypted... Mr. Huo, we¡¯re toote...¡±

    ¡°What encrypted files?¡± Yin Shixiong did not understand and was just in a state of panic. ¡°Little Ze, can you speak properly?! Speak humannguage! We¡¯ve already been dyed long enough!¡±

    Zhao Liangze passed the things he found to the back seat. ¡°These mailboxes were created by me. I told her before and demonstrated to her before as well, when I taught her the ropes of being a hacker. I just logged into my system and received countless alerts. My mailbox was almost flooded.¡±

    Zhao Liangze did not even look normal anymore. ¡°So many documents! From the amount and howrge they are, it seemed like she sent Germany¡¯s entire high intelligence unit¡¯s confidential information over! We have those that were encrypted, not encrypted, system documents, documentary information, data analytics... if someone were to do something like that, he or she would go down in history in that country! Moreover, she has already been looked upon as a legend in the international hacker society. Mr. Huo, if Nianzhi was someone from our army, with this, she would be able to rece you as the leader of the Special Forces...¡±

    The army was a ce where they would reward you for your achievements. This was even more applicable in the Special Forces. In the Special Forces, as long as you produced results, no matter how people tried to sabotage you, they wouldn¡¯t seed. Simrly, you could climb up to a position by bootlicking, but you had to be able to have the capability to produce the results of someone who could take that position. Otherwise, you would get fired anyway.

    Even though this waspetitive and harsh, it was the best way to ensure that all of the country¡¯s confidential information would be in the hands of the best, who would be maximized to their fullest potential and chosen from the most suitable candidates.

    Yin Shixiong looked through the information that Zhao Liangze had found. Sighing in admiration, he asked skeptically, ¡°Little Pink Pig? Her nickname is ¡®Little Pink Pig?¡¯ Are you sure that this Little Pink Pig is Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Definitely.¡± Zhao Liangze closed his eyes, as they had turned red. ¡°Every person who writes programs will have their own style. Any other person except for Nianzhi couldn¡¯t possibly have done all this coding and calction. However, her equipment must have been rather basic, and her environment must have been bad, too. That would be the only reason why her program was written in a rather rushed manner. But that isn¡¯t the main point. What¡¯s important is that it worked. She grasped the opportunity and most likely attacked directly from their internal server. Opportunities like those are too hard toe by. If I were in her shoes, I would have done the same, too.¡± Opportunities like that were gold to anyone who worked in the high intelligence industry.

    Yin Shixiong looked and became dumbfounded. Even though there were many encrypted files that were unable to be opened in a short while, there were also many that weren¡¯t encrypted. Just randomly reading a couple of them, he was already getting excited. The look on his face was akin to how a jeweler would look when he had found the most precious gem in a mine. This was information that anyone from the Special Forces wouldy down their lives for!

    ¡°Now, do you understand? Where would Nianzhi be? After what she has done... They... Would never let her go.¡± Tears finally streamed down Zhao Liangze¡¯s cheeks. When he saw the footage where Gu Nianzhi was electrocuted and heard her screams, Zhao Liangze was already feeling horrible. He very much wanted to look for the people who were doing that to her and do the same thing back to them to vent his anger.

    However, when he saw such priceless information and thought of the situation Gu Nianzhi might be in, Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t speak anymore. He was really crying. Bawling, in fact. After living for almost three decades, he hadn¡¯t cried since he was five. He felt helpless and knew that there was nothing he could do, no matter how he tried.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the information that Zhao Liangze had found. His eyes darkened, and he snapped at Zhao Liangze, ¡°What¡¯s the use of crying? You¡¯re a man. Get out of the car if you¡¯re going to continue crying!¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately dried his tears with the back of his arm and denied it. ¡°I didn¡¯t. The tears insisted upon rolling down my cheeks. I couldn¡¯t control them.¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought, What in the world... I didn¡¯t know Little Ze had such a glib tongue. He dares to speak like that to Mr. Huo at this point in time? Did he forget what death was?

    Huo Shaoheng rolled his eyes and, to everyone¡¯s surprise, did not continue to rage but instead began talking nonsense along with Zhao Liangze. ¡°Since you didn¡¯t cry, locate Nianzhi at once. Inform everyone from the Special Forces who is a lieutenant and above to gather. Also, get every single one of them who is based in Germany as well. Big Xiong, where was Nianzhi when youst located her?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He remembered the two soldiers who were sent to look for Gu Nianzhi. Looking at Huo Shaoheng, he said timidly, ¡°I... I... I... I did not manage to locate Nianzhi. However, they did locate her previously and even sent two soldiers to rescue her.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Finish talking and stop stuttering, damn it!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was so afraid that he blurted everything out without another pause. ¡°They had actually located Nianzhi and sent two soldiers to rescue her in Berlin, however, her connection got cut, so they had no choice but to recall me on an emergency basis, but they had been using the central control room since I got back for the tabtion of the votes for the election, so I haven¡¯t been able to enter that ce ¡¯til now. Over!¡±

    Zhao Liangze turned on the satellite tracking system with a grave expression, but realized that the connection with the central control room was not avable anymore. Turning around, he shook his head. ¡°Mr. Huo, the central control room has cut off the essibility to the satellite tracking system from the car.¡±

    Yin Shixiong raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I had no choice! The Vice General said that he was afraid that information would leak!¡± Even though his rank was high, his position was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary. Therefore, when Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t around, he would practically be a pushover. It was that awkward when one did not have power and authority in the organization.

    ¡°Vice General? How dare he!¡± Huo Shaoheng punched the door of the car. Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong both pretended not to have seen the dent Huo Shaoheng made in the bulletproof metal car door.

    Letting out a long breath, Huo Shaohengmanded Fan Jian, who was driving the car, ¡°Enable emergency mode. You have five minutes to get us to headquarters. Failure to do so willnd you in the pigs¡¯ sty for their dinner tonight!¡±

    A cold shiver ran down Fan Jian¡¯s spine. He activated emergency mode and informed the entire entourage. All of a sudden, rms could be heard from the international airport in the Hua Xia Empire all the way to the expressway entering the city. A few Jeeps picked up speed in the blink of an eye.

    The rich men¡¯s sons who were speeding on the expressway with their power cars moved aside. They looked at what was going on and were bbergasted. Form 1 or NASCAR seemed like child¡¯s y at that moment. Those Jeeps are the thing!

    However, how could they talk about efficiency without speed? Fan Jian really had outdone himself this time around. They had actually needed another ten minutes before they could arrive at the headquarters. Of course, under pressure from Huo Shaoheng, Fan Jian only took 21 minutes to get to the headquarters instead of the usual 30 minutes when he sped. Therefore, Fan Jian conquered this route that would take at least one and a half hours with smooth traffic in 21 minutes. It was considered a feat in the history of the Special Forces.

    When they exited, Fan Jian was as pale as a sheet. His legs were trembling. Huo Shaoheng, however, got out of the vehicle with ease and headed directly towards the central control building.

    He delegatedmands as he walked. ¡°Call the disciplinarymittee. Arrest everyone who went over his or her own area of power over the three days of vote consolidation for the election in this building. Lock them in cells and get them to write a report the next day. Get them to write the report three times.¡±

 Chapter 692 - Never Retreat (3)

    <h4>Chapter 692: Never Retreat (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The solitary confinement rooms of the Special Operations Forces were a daunting ce and were even more ufortable than the tiny dark cells on militarypounds. There were no chairs, desks, beds, or windows. It waspletely dark, and there was nothing but a small square room, so prisoners could only sit on the ground after being locked in. Being confined in there long enough could cause mental breakdowns. In many instances, the Special Ops didn¡¯t need torture to get confessions, because being held in these solitary confinement rooms could result in pushing many people¡¯s mental capacities to the breaking point.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression still remained calm. As he walked in, the personnel on the way saluted him, ¡°Chief!¡±

    ¡°Wee back, Chief!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded but continued to look directly ahead as he walked into the Central Control Room¡¯s building. As soon as he stepped in, Zhou Qiyuan, the unit leader of the court martial, brought in fully armed officers topletely surround the building. This was the second time that Zhou Qiyuan had mobilized in thest month. Thest time he had led the court martial officers on a sweep was when they had surrounded the Special Ops hospital building.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to him and brought the soldiers, as well as Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, into the elevator. One minuteter, he was already standing in front of the thick, heavy door of the Central Control Room. Although the building housing the Central Control Room was very tall, the control room was actually six floors below the basement. The building was designed in ordance with defense levels against nuclear-grade weapons. In other words, even if nuclear war broke out, the facilities could ensure smooth militarymunication throughout the entire nation. The value of this design in modern warfare was totally priceless.

    They took the elevator down, not up. Huo Shaoheng saw Zhou Qiyuan follow him out of the elevator and folded his hands behind his back as he gave him a look. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to arrest the personnel who have been using the Central Control Room to monitor the elections and ballot counting for thest three days? What are you doing here?¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan smiled wryly with a shake of his head. ¡°Reporting to Chief, these people haven¡¯te out even once.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly, and he appeared even more lethal. ¡°They¡¯re still inside? How long have they been in there? Are they trying to destroy the Central Control Room?!¡± Huo Shaoheng instantly connected the incident of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s run-in with the German Federal Intelligence Service. Although he didn¡¯t know how she did it, even as aputer expert himself, he knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation could only have urred if she had found a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to directly ess the intr of the German Federal Intelligence Service. If she couldn¡¯t directly ess the intr but probed through the inte, then it wouldn¡¯t be a major catastrophe at all. Simrly, his own Central Control Room was alsopletely defenseless right now and could be attacked at any time! Just how important was this ce? How could anybody be let in?

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°Fine, open the door immediately. Knock out everyone inside and take them away.¡± He no longer dared to imagine what had happened inside for the past few days. There were moles in the Special Ops, military, cab, and senate, too! Their entire nation was going under! But the high-ranking officers above were still squabbling over minor things like losing face! Huo Shaoheng was extremely anxious and couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Without waiting for Zhou Qiyun to open the door for him, he kicked it hard.

    Zhou Qiyuan had just entered the password and was about to push open the door. He didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to kick it open. The thick leather-d door banged open and everyone inside was shocked. A person wearing thick sses jumped up in anger before he saw Huo Shaoheng had entered. He immediately smiled. ¡°When did Huo Shao return?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and stepped aside. He looked at the Deputy Chief quickly walking over and replied coolly, ¡°Colonel Hu, this is hard for you, especially after all your years with the Special Ops. Take him away.¡±

    The court martial officers Zhou Qiyuan brought swarmed up, and they nearly had an officer for every person arrested. They raised the butts of their guns and knocked them all to the ground.

    ¡°Remember to take them to the solitary confinement rooms. They are not to have external contact at all. They can only be given pen and paper when writing their incident reports in the confinement rooms. You can¡¯t allow them to touch anyputers,¡± Huo Shaoheng iciclymanded Zhou Qiyuan, then called Little Ze over. ¡°For the next three days, all the systems are to be backed up and isted. Ignore anything else for now. The first priority is to connect to the Nandou Satellite and locate Nianzhi.¡± To Huo Shaoheng right now, rescuing Gu Nianzhi was the most important thing, so anything else was pushed back. Also, he had no ns of cleaning up the mess here, because he needed to make the higher ups see what damage to the nation had been caused by their rash decision. Then, he could cut off some sticky hands to set an example.

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Zhao Liangze thought Gu Nianzhi was doomed. With the crimes she hadmitted, she would¡¯ve been executed if it had been against the Special Ops... But he could sympathize with Huo Shaoheng. Zhao Liangze would also not sit idle and watch his beloved perish, either. No matter what, he would take a gamble to save her.

    When Zhao Liangze began to initiate the system, the Special Ops base had entered a ¡°wartime¡± state, and all personnel got into warfare positions. Special Ops branches all over the nation also received orders to prepare to engage, and systematically sort out and undergo individual investigation.

    Huo Shaoheng stayed in the Central Control Room with only the technical analysts he trusted and awaited Zhao Liangze¡¯s location results. This result would determine his next step. He refused to believe what Zhao Liangze said. Even if he knew it made sense logically, he still refused to believe it. He would rather believe that the Gu Nianzhi who had been able to escape despite all sorts of dangers at the young age of 12, who hadter grown up with him for the following six years under his painstaking care, hadn¡¯t lost her life in silence. Even if she died, she would make a big scene, because she was the same type of person as he was when it came to things like that.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly thought of ways to rescue her. Should he use diplomatic means or secretly rescue her? If diplomatic means were required, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must make a move and begin diplomatic negotiations with Germany. After all, Gu Nianzhi was all too important to the nation. She had made such a contribution, and Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t let her suffer for nothing. He would make sure she received the rightful status and respect. This was, in fairness, owed to her by everyone.

    If she has already... Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes, unwilling to think anymore. If she had already met with an unfortunate fate, then he had no idea how to calm his mind. It was like there was a vicious beast roaring in his heart, and it always ran out of the cage imprisoning it. Crossing his arms, Huo Shaoheng slowly walked behind Zhao Liangze and suddenly saw the global tracking system on the screen before him. He rose. ¡°That¡¯s not Berlin.¡± He remembered Yin Shixiong reported to him that the first location determined by the Special Ops revealed Gu Nianzhi was in Berlin.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes widened as he eximed, ¡°No, it really isn¡¯t! Nianzhi is on a ne! She¡¯s already flown out of Germany!¡±

    Yin Shixiong also rushed over and shook Zhao Liangze¡¯s shoulders as he shouted, ¡°It must be He Zhichu! He must¡¯ve rescued her!¡±

    ¡°Locate the ne. Let me see.¡± Huo Shaoheng was feeling a bit conflicted upon hearing that it was possible He Zhichu had rescued Gu Nianzhi. Of course, he was thankful for him. He would sincerely thank whoever helped her.

    Zhao Liangze initiated the satellite positioning system and could clearly see the specific video image from the coordinates. The ne was at a high altitude, so it was even easier to see clearly. Soon after, the image ofyers of rolling clouds at a high altitude and endless blue skies appeared on the screen. Between the blue skies and white clouds, a streamlined airne was quickly moving, and a bold ¡°He¡± was emzoned on the side of the wing.

    ¡°Nianzhi is on the ne right now?¡±

    ¡°Right, the positioning system indicates she¡¯s in there.¡± Zhao Liangze was so excited, his voice trembled. He was now even more impressed by He Zhichu¡¯s abilities and power. Gu Nianzhi had made such a huge mess in Germany, yet he was able to safely take her away?! This was unbelievable!

    However, Huo Shaoheng was very cautious and carefully eyed the ne¡¯s flight path with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s not right. There¡¯s something wrong with the flight path. It¡¯s noting here, but to the US. Contact the ne¡¯smunication system immediately and call He Zhichu to tell him that I need to speak with him. I¡¯ll ask if Nianzhi is up there.¡±

    ...

    He Zhichu¡¯s private ne was now thousands of miles up in the air. Gu Nianzhi finally awoke. Opening her eyes, she saw not a ceiling or a sky, but a ne¡¯s cabin. Frowning in thought for a while, her recent memories slowly returned.

    He Zhichu came to sit by her and carried a freshly warmed ss of milk. ¡°Awake? Have some milk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi epted it, but her arms were sore and weak, and her entire body was like jelly. She didn¡¯t need to look in the mirror to know her eyes must be swollen like plums. ¡°Professor He, where are we right now?¡±

    ¡°On the ne.¡± He Zhichu opened the cabin¡¯s blinds slightly, and the sun immediately shined in from the outside. Gu Nianzhi felt a sharp pain in her eyes and instinctively covered them. ¡°Oh? Your eyes hurt?¡± He Zhichu quickly pulled the blinds back down and got up to bring the airne first aid kit over to take out an ice pack for her eyes. ¡°Here, put this on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished her milk and slowlyid back down to close her eyes. He Zhichu gently rested the small ice pack on her eyes, and the chill soothed her heart. Gu Nianzhi murmured, ¡°Thank you for rescuing me, Professor He. It must¡¯ve been a huge mes?¡± She knew what she had done and what institution she had messed with, so walking out of that ce safely was not merely a matter of simple exnations. As for what price He Zhichu paid for her, Gu Nianzhi got the chills just imagining it. She thought about how she could never repay all his kindness, even if she spent her entire life trying to.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine that you¡¯re ok now. Don¡¯t think too much.¡± He Zhichu squeezed her hand. ¡°Sleep now. We¡¯ll be home once you wake up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and didn¡¯t speak again. Soon after, the phone He Zhichu was ying with suddenly rang. He looked down to see it was a German number. It belonged to the German Federal Intelligence Service. He considered it for a moment and stood up to go to another area to take it. This was his private ne, so there were many rooms that resembled a small multi-room apartment. It was very convenient andfortable. He Zhichu sat down in the room he used as a study and took the call.

    It was Reinitz calling. ¡°Lawyer He, you sure ran off in a hurry. You¡¯re already up in Hond¡¯s airspace in the blink of an eye.¡± Reinitz¡¯s voice was even and deep, but his tone was as harsh as metallic grating. Gone was the previous gentleness, now reced with lethal decisiveness.

 Chapter 693 - Never Retreat (4)

    <h4>Chapter 693: Never Retreat (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m only going home. I am anxious to go back home. You have a problem with it?¡± He Zhichu spoke Hanover German with a hint of reservation and arrogance. His German was every bit as good as Reinitz¡¯s.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to be home.¡± Reinitz was silent for a moment and then asked, ¡°How is she doing?¡±

    He Zhichu paused and looked in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cabin. ¡°She¡¯s ok. She was awake for a bit, and then she went back to sleep again.¡±

    He owed Reinitz one for what he did. If Reinitz had gone all out against him, He Zhichu would be in big trouble. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t save Gu Nianzhi, but if he had killed that many people who were German Federal Intelligence agents, some people would be angry with them and would use powerful weapons to attack them.

    Actually, He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to drag Gu Nianzhi into it when the German soldiers went after him. He wanted her to have a happy and healthy life with people. Even more so, he didn¡¯t want her to be a fugitive.

    ¡°Good.¡± Reinitz took a very deep breath. ¡°Let her rest. This was recorded in my home. I think you will need it.¡± Reinitz hung up the phone up and transferred a video to He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu opened it. It was the sound of Gu Nianzhi crying into his chest, ¡°...I¡¯m just a beggar that he picked up! I shouldn¡¯t have wishful thinking! I don¡¯t deserve him! I reap what I sowed! I deserve it! I deserve it! I deserve it!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t listen to it anymore. He pressed the pause button. One hand rested on his forehead as he propped himself up on the round-backed armchair. He had an ice-cold expression and looked like he had to make a very difficult decision.

    Right then, a flight attendant walked over and knocked on the door. She said with a surprised expression on her face, ¡°Mr. He, there is a Mr. Huo Shaoheng who wants to talk to you. He¡¯s connected to the ne¡¯s inte.¡± To be more urate, it was themunication system that the ne used to contact the ground control tower. Most of the time, only the pilots used it.

    He Zhichu furrowed his brows. ¡°Ask him what he wants to talk about.¡± He didn¡¯t want to talk to Huo Shaoheng at all. He didn¡¯t have a choice before, but now he didn¡¯t care. He had to take Gu Nianzhi home.

    The flight attendant quickly said, ¡°The pilot asked. Mr. Huo said he wanted to ask if Miss Gu Nianzhi is on our ne. He also asked when we will arrive at their airport. He will personallye pick you and Miss Gu up.¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head as heughed. ¡°How did you guys answer him?¡±

    ¡°We answered by giving him the air route you gave us. The pilot said that Miss Gu is on the ne, and that she has been unconscious the whole time. Also, he said that we are going to America, and we won¡¯t be stopping at their airport.¡± The flight attendant said it very clearly. They indeed answered the way He Zhichu had instructed them, by telling them the air route.

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t surprised Huo Shaoheng could get in contact with his ne, but he was surprised that he was able to do it that fast... When Yi Shixiong contacted him three day ago, he said Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know about it. He Zhichuughed coldly to himself. The Special Operation Forces¡¯ leader couldn¡¯t even protect a girl. How does he even have the nerve to talk to me?

    ¡°Ok, you guys answered very well. You may hang up.¡± He Zhichu waved his hand as he dismissed the flight attendant. He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi after he walked out of the study. Seeing that she was still sleeping, he went to another cabin to make preparations for his return.

    ...

    Even though Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were closed, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep even after a long time. It felt like there was a hole in her heart, and that all of her emotions were leaking out from it. However, she didn¡¯t feel sad or depressed at all. She just felt rxed like never before. It turned out that letting go wasn¡¯t as difficult as she thought it would be. It was just so rxing. There was nothing in her heart. There was no more belief of any sort. What should she fill the nk space with?

    I should fill myself up first.

    Once she got back, she had to study hard, graduate early, then find a job. Then she could live a quiet and carefree life, and stay far away from that social stratum that she did not belong in.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and started to slowly count sheep in her head. She fell asleep again.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng had a grim expression on his face. His hands were on the Special Operation Forces¡¯ Central Control Room¡¯s control panel¡¯s front desk. In front of him was a microphone of excellent quality. He had already waited for several minutes. He Zhichu still refused to talk with him.

    Zhao Liangze stared at that air route and nervously said, ¡°Huo Shao, that ne is already flying toward the English Channel...¡± He had already found out about it from the pilot. He Zhichu wanted to take Gu Nianzhi to America.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the control panel with a deadpan face for a moment. He turned toward Zhao Liangze and said, ¡°Go over there and be my assistant.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly got out of his seat. He then sat in the other seat at the control panel. ¡°Huo Shao, what do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°Hack into the ne He Zhichu is on and change their route. Before they realize it, the ne must be flying to our country¡¯s air defense area,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he focused all of his attention on turning on his supeputer and logging on to his ount. He started to look for the frequency He Zhichu¡¯s ne gave off from the ground control and satellitemunication system. As long as he could find the frequency, he would have the opportunity to hack it.

    He Zhichu¡¯s ne wasn¡¯t a tightly guarded military ne, nor did he know that Huo Shaoheng would do something like that. That was why Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze found the frequency He Zhichu¡¯s personal ne was giving off from the ground control and satellitemunication system in less than five minutes.

    Huo Shaoheng performed the main tasks while Zhao Liangze assisted. They got into He Zhichu¡¯s personal ne¡¯s autopilot system. The more automated stuff there was, the better long-range control would be. Modern aircraft was highly automated. There wasn¡¯t much the pilots had to do. As long as they entered the route, they just had to continuallymunicate with ground control. The difficulty level of it was no more than that of driving a car.

    After five minutes, Huo Shaoheng had already secretly changed He Zhichu¡¯s ne¡¯s route. At that time, the ne had just flown over the English Channel. The blue sky and the blue coastline enhanced each other¡¯s beauty. Even the pilots were bewitched by it.

    Right then, the ne quickly flew toward the Hua Xia empire. The pilots turned on the autopilot. They were only paying attention tomunicating with ground control.

    Huo Shaoheng also helped them clear their obstacles. In advance and along the way, he informed ground control. He told them that the ne was the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s private ne, and that it needed to take that route. He asked them for their cooperation.

    It was not easy changing the route so suddenly. It was only because Huo Shaoheng used the influence of his country that he could change the other party¡¯s route so easily without the other party knowing.

    They stared at He Zhichu¡¯s ne nervously. They waited for two more hours until they could confirm the ne was flying over the Ukraine¡¯s sky. Only then could they let out a breath of relief. But Huo Shaoheng was still worried. He ordered Yin Shixiong, ¡°Go over to the air force and make sure the best fighter nes¡¯ tanks are full and ready to take off.¡± This time, no matter what, he must have Gu Nianzhi back in the Hua Xia empire safely. Only there could he really protect her.

    ...

    He Zhichu went back to the cabin Gu Nianzhi was in to read. He was also sleepy. Seeing how soundly she slept, he was affected. He went to sleep on the other bed next to her with his clothes on. The light on the ne turned off. Even the flight attendants went to sleep. Only the pilot and the co-pilot were awake.

    After half an hour, the pilot and co-pilot were discussing among themselves. At that moment, after seeing that everything was fine and that the air current was smooth, they decided to sleep, too.

    It was a ten-hour flight. They hadn¡¯t rested well the past couple of days. They decided to take the opportunity to sleep a bit. When they both woke up after sleeping for three hours, they realized that they were not facing the sky-blue Antic seacoast but a closelypacted city of lights.

    The two pilots were speechless for a moment.

    ¡°Where is this?¡±

    ¡°Are we in America yet?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it...¡±

    Both of them asked and answered themselves, and they both looked at each other. They saw the fearful expressions on each other¡¯s faces.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    They panicked a little and looked over the ne¡¯s flight record. Very soon, both of them screamed, ¡°This isn¡¯t the route we put in to go to America!¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?!¡±

    Only after they analyzed it for a bit were they able to confirm the destination of this route¡ªthe Hua Xia Empire international airport¡¯s terminal three!

    ¡°This is bad, this is bad! Did we enter the wrong route?¡± The pilot¡¯s face was pale. ¡°After all, Mr. He originally wanted to go back to the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    ¡°Right. Right. I also remember, but he then changed his mind...¡±

    They felt dizzy. They dawdled a bit. Then the co-pilot knocked on the cabin He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were in. He Zhichu woke up with a start from the knock. He rubbed his eyes, got up, opened the shade on the window, and looked outside. He only saw densely packed bright lights. The sky was dark, and one couldn¡¯t see what country was under them. He stood up and opened the door. When he saw the co-pilot, he nodded. ¡°Are we almost there?¡±

    The co-pilot¡¯s face waspletely red as he mumbled, ¡°Mr. He... we... we might have taken the wrong route...¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless.

 Chapter 694 - Never Retreat (5)

    <h4>Chapter 694: Never Retreat (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What do you mean, it was the wrong flight n?! We¡¯ve been flying for eight hours now, and you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s wrong?!¡± He Zhichu was so angry, he pounded the wall. ring at the co-pilot, his eyes were about to spurt mes.

    The co-pilot cried out, ¡°We... We also don¡¯t know what happened. Everything was normal. If we really had been on the wrong flight n, then the aviation control towers on the ground would have warned us a long time ago. But they didn¡¯t... We¡¯ve beenmunicating with them the entire time, and they said everything was normal.¡±

    The ground-level aviation control towers of all the countries were used for radar tracking of aircraft passing through their airspace. Normally, flight ns were announced beforehand, and if a flight n wasn¡¯t previously announced, the aircraft would receive an emergency warning. In serious cases, it was considered an invasion of airspace and met with prompt destruction.

    Many years ago, a civil South Korean aircraft deviated over 600 kilometers from its original established route for an unknown reason and entered the former Soviet Union¡¯s airspace. It did not send out a proper reply after receiving a warning, so the former Soviet Unionunched two air-to-air missiles killing over 200 people on the aircraft.

    He Zhichu¡¯s aircraft had maintained normal navigation point notifications throughout the entire flight, and no control towers had regarded them asmitting an ¡°invasion of airspace,¡± which meant the flight had been reported beforehand. However, the pilots didn¡¯t know how the flight n hadn¡¯t directed them to the US, but instead made them double back to the Hua Xia Empire...

    He Zhichu arrived at the cockpit and looked at the pilot¡¯s console and dashboard, his expression turning even icier. If he had guessed correctly, it must be Huo Shaoheng and his men messing things up. They hacked into his ne¡¯s operating system to remotely alter the route and had also informed the ground navigation points beforehand, resulting in their smooth flight up to this point. They were already above Kazakhstan, so they were about to immediately enter Hua Xia airspace. He Zhichu red angrily at the two pilots. ¡°What were you doing just now?! Sleeping?! How could you only realize it now?!¡±

    The two pilots shifted ufortably and looked down in shame. They had actually been sleeping earlier... Although one pilot was sleeping, and one was flying the ne, thetter had no idea that there would be any problems with the flight n. Over-reliance onputers and machinery could result in these sorts of problems.

    He Zhichu quickly turned around to coldly assess the data disyed on the dashboard. He quickly made a decision. ¡°Immediately contact Mongolia and change the flight¡¯s destination to Mongolia. We will refuel there and fly directly to the US from the Bering Strait.¡±

    The two pilots quickly nodded and began contacting the Mongolian air traffic controllers. They also needed to talk to Russia in order to alter their flight n.

    ....

    Huo Shaoheng and his personnel waited in the Central Control Room for another six hours before He Zhichu¡¯s aircraft finally flew above Kazakhstan and would soon enter Hua Xia airspace. Suddenly, the flight path rm he set began to re.

    Zhao Liangze quickly printed the data for analysis and looked up in shock. ¡°Sir, they seemed to notice the change in flight n and aren¡¯t continuing to fly towards us. They are changing their route to Mongolia.¡± This meant they were passing the vast country of Russia by entering Mongolia, then crossing the Bering Strait to go to the US.

    Huo Shaoheng knew he had no other choice, and the truth was, He Zhichu was reacting far better than anticipated. After all, they had only discovered the error in the flight n just after approaching Hua Xia airspace. If they had noticed it any earlier, then Huo Shaoheng would have had to pay an even higher price. He stood up and used themunicator to speak with Yin Shixiong, who was already on standby at the air force base. ¡°Prepare six fighter jets. I want the newest supersonic models. Have the air force send four pilots along with us, then we will immediately fly out. Little Ze is in charge of ground control.¡± He quickly strode out.

    Outside the Central Control Room, all the personnel were on standby and knew something serious had urred. Huo Shaoheng had refused to take any calls or see anyone in thest eight hours. General Ji had called him several times from the Senate, but was repeatedly told that something serious has urred in the Special Ops, so Huo Shao was unable to take calls. Afterwards, Prime Minister Tan Donbang¡¯s first televised speech as the new Prime Minister had to ur without Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attendance. The empty seat next to Tan Guiren, the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, garnered great attention. On social media, everyone was gossiping about who the seat was reserved for...

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have the energy to spare right now. He sped the entire way and made Fan Jian drive quickly using emergency measures once again in order to arrive at the air base without obstruction. Because of his high rank and previous position as a fighter pilot in charge of testing thetest models of aircraft, he had a great rtionship with the air force. Huo Shaoheng felt like he had returned home when he got there. All hismands were immediately executed. But this time, he had requested the mobilization of six fighter jets and also fully armed them in flight, so the Supreme Military Council caught wind of it.

    The old men were all very shocked and rapped the desk as they questioned General Ji. ¡°What is Huo Shaoheng trying to do?! Rebel against the nation?!¡±

    General Ji didn¡¯t know what was going on with Huo Shaoheng, but he knew that he wasn¡¯t a rash person. He calcted all his moves and had set purposes, and he always ced national and military interests in the forefront. ¡°Don¡¯t get too worried. I¡¯ll have Guanchen go take a look.¡± General Ji now understood that calling wouldn¡¯t work, so he had to send someone to physically ost him at the air base.

    Huo Guanchen was also a member of the Supreme Military Council and extremely dissatisfied with his son¡¯s arrogance. But when Huo Guanchen arrived at the remote location of the Imperial Capital Air Force Base, Huo Shaoheng had already changed into a fighter pilot¡¯s military uniform and helmet as he walked towards thetest supersonic harrier jet. Huo Guanchen rushed out of the car and called out to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng! Stop right there! What are you doing?!¡±

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stop or turn back as he replied, ¡°I have a mission. Please wait for now, General Huo. I¡¯ll report to you once Iplete the mission.¡±

    ¡°Rebel! You¡¯re going to speak to me like that?! Fine, Imand you to immediately suspend all activities! Obey the military¡¯smands!¡± Huo Guanchen was livid as Huo Shaoheng waspletely ignoring his authority in front of all these people. As a father and superior, his dignity had been deeply wounded.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped and turned around to look at Huo Guanchen. He replied calmly, ¡°Mindlessmands are not epted, and evilws are not obeyed. Please don¡¯t interfere with my exercising of duties as normal. If there is a dy resulting in a massive loss of national interests, will General Huo be taking full responsibility? Or will you share responsibility with the militarymittee?¡± Huo Guanchen froze. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t sound like he was being petty or making a joke. What on earth is he trying to do?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is top-secret and cannot be disclosed to unrted persons,¡± Huo Shaoheng remarked coolly before boarding the fighter jet. The fighter jet slowly rose up, and the lights on the nose blinked several times. Everything was quickly set in ce, and six fighter jets zoomed down the runway, quickly lifted off into the air, and headed northwest.

    As soon as six of the newest Hua Xia fighter jets wereunched and flew out of Hua Xia¡¯s airspace, the American and European satellites constantly monitoring the area immediately noticed it. Major media outlets around the world received the news and instantly exploded. Even domestic Hua Xia media that had just been discussing the new Prime Minister¡¯s first televised speech and the goddess-like beauty of his daughter all immediately flooded the media with this news. Countless people were posting the same hashtags, #sitestfighterjetsinformation, #whatthehell, and #isthiswar?

    However, some people who were well acquainted with the military also remarked that the six fighter jets were flying in a wee formation. In other words, it was using the highest specifications of their nation¡¯s air force, as well as the Empire¡¯s most distinguished specifications to wee an important guest. So what kind of god-tier character would require the highest specification of wee? The President of the United States? The UN Secretary General? It didn¡¯t appear to be either, because the normal specification for them would an escort of four fighter jets, not six. So who was this for? Could they be possibly more important than the President of the United States or the UN Secretary General?!

    Just as everyone was discussing it heatedly, and global media intently discussed the grand weing formation by the six Hua Xia fighter jets, He Zhichu discovered that his aircraft was being blocked from all directions by six fighter jets.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice could be heard from themunicator once again. ¡°Mr. He, please continue ording to the established flight n. I look forward to weing your arrival at the Imperial Capital Airport.¡±

    ¡°Scram!¡± He Zhichu finally lost it. ¡°Huo Shaoheng! You are too despicable!¡±

    ¡°Despicable? Mr. He is overstating it. I¡¯m merely thanking you for your intervention. Also, Nianzhi is on your aircraft and has caused you much trouble, so I would like to sincerely thank you. If you need my assistance with anything in the future, I will be sure to abide as long as it doesn¡¯t vite morality or Hua Xia¡¯s national interests.¡±

    He Zhichuughed mirthlessly after hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eloquent words. ¡°Major General Huo, that¡¯s a glib tongue you have! But it¡¯s toote! Just ept it. If it wasn¡¯t for me, Nianzhi would¡¯ve been another corpse by now, courtesy of the Gestapo. What¡¯s the point of all your fanfare after the fact?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment but quickly perked up to reply coolly, ¡°Mr. He also lost Nianzhi once all those years ago and almost got her killed. You being able to rescue her this time can be considered atonement. I thank you on her behalf.¡±

    He Zhichu was so livid, he was speechless. !!! He nearly jumped up in a rage because even though he was an esteemedwyer, he was actually rendered speechless by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s one statement. In his anger, he recalled the video of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pained cries that Reinitz had sent over. He only wanted Huo Shaoheng to back off and didn¡¯t hesitate to take out his phone to find the video and y it into themunicator. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you are still shameless enough to mention Nianzhi to me?! Listen for yourself!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pained cries instantly filled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s headset. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m sad! I¡¯m so sad! This is even worse than them beating me or electrocuting me! While I¡¯m being tortured here, he is by another woman¡¯s side, helping her, even if she just twisted her ankle... I can¡¯t stand it! I really can¡¯t stand it! I know it¡¯s not his fault. I know he can¡¯t possibly know what happened to me! But I can¡¯t stand it! I still me him! It¡¯s my fault! It¡¯s my fault! It¡¯s my fault! I¡¯m not that noble! I¡¯m selfish! I¡¯m petty! I¡¯m not elegant! I don¡¯t care about the big picture! I don¡¯t have parents! I¡¯m not beautiful and rich! I¡¯m a little beggar picked up off the streets! I shouldn¡¯t covet what doesn¡¯t belong to me! I don¡¯t deserve to be with him! I reap what I sow! I deserve this! I deserve this! I deserve this!¡±

 Chapter 695 - Never Retreatï¼ˆ6ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 695: Never Retreat£¨6£©</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was almost hoarse from crying. It was the exact opposite of how sweet she¡¯d usually sound. However, he knew very well that that was Gu Nianzhi. He had thought that she had already hit the threshold of her pain when she was electrocuted, but hearing her cry like that, he finally understood that there was something even more painful for her than that.

    ¡°I¡¯m wrong... Serves me right...¡± Those two phrases hit Huo Shaoheng like bullets, shattering him easily. There was a moment that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind waspletely nk. What he saw wasn¡¯t the clear blue skies dotted with stars and the private jet that he yearned so much for. He only felt empty and aimless in life. He felt like an aimless tourist in the middle of a desert without any rations or water. However, he passed out right when he saw a sea of green in front of him.

    He heard her voice echoing from a distance. Just echoing... The words came from the bottom of her heart. They entered his ears and stabbed at his heart. She revealed her darkest self. He could see her pain¡ªthe pain that tore her apart when she wanted to let go but couldn¡¯t bear to.

    His expression did not change. He was still holding onto the jet¡¯s controls, looking ahead, like he wasn¡¯t affected at all. However, that moment was so harsh. He could only say that he could understand how she felt, how painful it was. It was just that he felt it twice as much as she did. Even so, he was a man, and he firmly believed that a man should not cry, even if he was bleeding. No matter how seriously injured, he would just take it with a smile.

    Even if he were to be bombed at that moment, he believed that his spirit would still return to look out for his nation. When that time came, he would rather turn into wind. Whenever she felt the breeze around her, it would mean that he was back to visit.

    However, that girl whom he could not bear to let go of, that girl who left such a huge impact in his heart, that girl who made him fall in love so much that he treasured her life more than his was injured all over¡ªbecause of him.

    How could he not know that Nianzhi was in Germany and in such a situation? But even in that situation, she saw him exiting the ne with Tan Guiren. When she was at her most vulnerable, when she needed help the most and yearned for him the most, hiscence hit her vitally.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly.

    In the ten years that he was in the army, he had been tortured, shot, and fought so hard that he ced his life on the line countless times. He had had a skin graft on a huge area on his back, and a shot to his shoulder almost went through his body. He was merely lucky that the bullet missed his spine. Otherwise, he would have been paralyzed.

    However, all that pain was nothingpared to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words just now. Those injuries only hurt him physically, but the pain she dealt him was emotional. He had known that being with her was a high-risk bet, but since she had ced her bet, he could only apany her until the end. When she did not want him anymore, he would be left with nothing, bankrupt.

    This girl, who would be turning 19 in a week¡¯s time, this girl who had followed him since she was 12 years old used such a method to hurt him. Those people were really nning well... They had finally discovered his weakness. Therefore, they used it to the best of their advantage and stabbed him hard. However, if they thought that he would be defeated just like that, they were totally wrong.

    Holding his breath, Huo Shaoheng looked ahead and spaced out for just a moment before getting back into focus. ¡°You could still record when Nianzhi was in so much pain. He Zhichu, I thought too highly of you. You actually tore open her wound to show it to everyone. Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re such an *ss? Nianzhi trusted you so much and therefore told you her darkest secret. You repaid her trust with this?¡±

    Actually, He Zhichu had regretted it the moment he yed the recording. He knew that Reinitz had harbored ill intentions when he sent him that. Reinitz had recorded it in his home. That ¡°home¡± was not his real home but a secret spot of the FIA¡¯s. Therefore, it was normal that there would be recording devices everywhere. He had known Reinitz¡¯s intentions and hadn¡¯t thought about showing it to anyone. However, he lost his cool when Huo Shaoheng was so persistent.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng had guilt-tripped him, He Zhichu tightened his fists and replied, ¡°If anyone else were to say that about me, I would¡¯ve epted it. I was an assh*le and betrayed her trust. However, you aren¡¯t allowed to say the same, because you should be the first to listen to this recording! Why? Getting angry?! Can you just screw off and not let her see you anymore?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to say if she should see me. You got to let her say it personally. Simrly, you wanted to bring her to America. Did you seek her consent?¡±

    ¡°She was injured so badly by the Geheime Staatspolizei that she is still in aa. You still want me to ask her? Ha...¡± Of course, He Zhichu would not allow Gu Nianzhi to talk to Huo Shaoheng. What was there left to say? When you have given up hope on someone, you just have. No matter what the person said, nothing could be changed.

    Huo Shaoheng had expected Nianzhi to be injured. He replied even more calmly, ¡°Precisely because she is injured you should hand her over to me. Only I can take care of her safely.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words had a hidden meaning, and He Zhichu understood. He Zhichu knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special condition better than anyone else, maybe even better than Huo Shaoheng. This was also the exact reason why he had contemted bringing her back.

    Huo Shaoheng still had not gotten full control at home yet. There was the mastermind whom he still had not managed to arrest. He was worried that if Nianzhi went back with him, the same thing would happen all over again. However, this time around, he had realized that his worries were redundant. As long as she was with him, no one would dare to take her away.

    These few times when those people wanted to harm Nianzhi, they had gotten him to go away first before they dared to attack. What did that mean? It meant that they were afraid of him to the extent that they did not dare to do anything while he was around. Therefore, as long as Nianzhi stayed with him all the time and did not leave his sight, she would be safe, and he would be able to strike without worries and get rid of those culprits one by one.

    ¡°You? It was exactly because of you thatnded her in this state!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Precisely because I wasn¡¯t with her, that was why they dared to attack. He Zhichu, you know the logic behind teaching people how to fish instead of giving them the fish directly? If you want to protect her, you cannot just let her stay within your sight 24/7. Without freedom, you¡¯re no different than those kidnappers!¡± Huo Shaoheng reasoned with He Zhichu patiently. He did not want to anger him, as Nianzhi was still with him.

    ¡°Me kidnapping her?!¡± He Zhichu could not take it anymore. ¡°If it was in the past, I would still be grateful that you had saved her and took care of her. However, now, look at you! What did you make her go through?!¡±

    Seeing that He Zhichu would never listen to him, and sensing that there were more fighter jets arriving to spy on them, Huo Shaoheng knew that there wasn¡¯t any time left. ¡°He Zhichu, think about it. She was fine these six years with me. However, the moment she went to your side, all the harm began to befall her. You really think that she got into this because of me?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t see the need to be patient anymore. Instantly turning the jet 90 degrees, he focused on a foreign fighter jet at their nine o¡¯clock direction.

    Ssssss!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s jet shot a series of smoke bombs. Smoke was everywhere in the blink of an eye. Then, very quickly, a fighter jet with a medical g appeared and left the nine o¡¯clock direction.

    ¡°See that? There are more than just our jets out here,¡± Huo Shaoheng reminded He Zhichu. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate anymore. At least let Nianzhi recover before wee to a decision.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± He Zhichu was flustered. He saw the Japanese jet that Huo Shaoheng chased away just now as well. ¡°You guarantee?¡±

    ¡°You can record what I say right now. If I go back on my word, you can release it to anyone you wish, including Nianzhi and my superiors, or my colleagues and subordinates, and let me have no reputation left.¡±

    With a grim expression, He Zhichu relented. ¡°Fine. You said it. Repeat your words, I¡¯ll record them.¡± He turned on the record button.

    Huo Shaoheng said clearly, ¡°I, Huo Shaoheng, am willing to wait for Gu Nianzhi to be conscious beforeing to a decision as to whether she wants to stay in our country or go elsewhere. She will make the decision on her own.¡±

    He Zhichu recorded it and yed it back for Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Hear that now? If you refuse to let her go, I¡¯ll have means other than this.¡±

    ¡°I believe so.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind. ¡°With your connections, I believe that you would have your way as long as you wanted to y me out.¡±

    ¡°Good that you know.¡± He Zhichu left the cockpit and entered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. Gu Nianzhi was still asleep. He Zhichu saw that her cheeks were flushed and stopped. He ced his palm against her forehead and was taken aback that she was boiling. She was running a fever. He Zhichu calmed down and called out to her softly, ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? How are you feeling?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she was running a fever as well. She felt hot all over, and her lips were cracked. Her throat felt like it was burning, too. She croaked softly to acknowledge that she had heard He Zhichu and opened her eyes weakly.

    He Zhichu caressed her head and asked, ¡°Nianzhi, are you willing to go home with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squinted and replied softly, ¡°Professor He, aren¡¯t we going home?¡±

    He Zhichu hesitated and asked slowly, ¡°Yes we are. Come back with me to America, okay?¡±

    ¡°Why are we going to America?¡± Gu Nianzhi furrowed her brows. ¡°That isn¡¯t my home. My home is the Hua Xia Empire. I want to go back to Hua Xia.¡±

    ¡°You still want to go back to Hua Xia? I thought you had severed ties with Huo Shaoheng. Do you still find yourself unable to leave him?¡± He Zhichu smiled bitterly. No wonder Huo Shaoheng sounded so confident when he was speaking to him. He knew that she would make this decision...

    She loves him. Therefore, he will always win. This spot was actually his. How could Huo Shaoheng steal it from him?!

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was running a fever, she could still think clearly. She shook her head. Even though she was hoarse, her words could be clearly heard. ¡°No. I want to go back to Hua Xia because that¡¯s my home. My studies, career, and friends are all there. As for Huo Shao, I have nothing more for him.¡± Now that she had spoken his name, she realized she already did not have any more feelings for him.

    ¡°Nothing more? If he insists?¡± Of course He Zhichu was worried. He did not believe that Huo Shaoheng would let it go.

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent for a while before replying, ¡°No. He¡¯s not someone like that.¡± If she insisted on a breakup, Huo Shaoheng would never cling onto her. After being with him for so long, from back when she was 12 until she discovered what love was, she had used all her attention to look at that man who was so unreachable. Even though she had lost totally, she had no regrets. If she hadn¡¯t loved that much, she wouldn¡¯t have known what she wanted.

 Chapter 696 - Messing with Her Means Messing with Me

    <h4>Chapter 696: Messing with Her Means Messing with Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu quietly left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cabin and went to the cockpit to reply to Huo Shaoheng through themunicator. ¡°Nianzhi has a fever. Make this quick.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded immediately. ¡°Understood. Prepare to assume your original flight n, and we will escort you.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at the two pilots. ¡°Go to the Hua Xia Empire as per the original route.¡± The two pilots busied themselves with altering the flight n, then confirmed ground level navigation points.

    Huo Shaoheng then began to initiate the military basemunicator. ¡°Little Ze, have Zhou Qiyuane in.¡± Zhou Qiyuan was the Unit Leader of the Disciplinary Committee and also one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secret personal secretaries.

    Zhou Qiyuan was waiting outside and came in as soon as he was called. Huo Shaoheng personally told him, ¡°Get Chen Lie out here and have him prepare an ambnce to the air force base. Tell him Miss Gu has a fever, and he¡¯ll know what to do.¡±

    Thest time Zhou Qiyuan had epted an order from Huo Shaoheng, it was to arrest all personnel from the military base headquarters general hospital in the name of the Disciplinary Committee. The personnel were still detained in the Disciplinary Committee¡¯s temporary detainment center. Zhou Qiyuan had alreadypleted the first round of questioning for all the detainees and selected a few suspicious individuals out of the group. The others were not released but were treated much better than before. Chen Lie¡¯s situation was unique because while Zhou Qiyuan suspected him, Huo Shaoheng obviously trusted him a great deal.

    ¡°Sir...¡± Zhou Qiyuan hesitated but immediately angered Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Go now!¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Zhou Qiyuan didn¡¯t dare say anything else and immediately saluted before leaving to carry out his orders.

    ...

    The sky was alreadypletely dark. The entire world sighed with awe while six of the newest Hua Xia fighter jets escorted arge passenger ne as itnded at the T3 terminal of the Imperial Capital International Airport. Everyone was also specting who would be important enough to warrant the highest specification of wee by the Hua Xia Empire. Relevant institutions were soon able to determine who the passenger ne belonged to, but when the cabin doors opened, Huo Shaoheng, the Deputy Secretary of the Hua Xia Imperial Supreme Military Council, was the one to step out. He didn¡¯te out alone. He carried a person tightly bundled in a nket as he descended the temporary stairs. As soon as he got off the ne, an ambnce drove over and Huo Shaoheng carried that person to it.

    Who was this person? In almost a single moment, the image of Huo Shaoheng wearing sunsses and his major general military uniform as he carefully carried a person off the airne immediately went viral. Just recently, some people had been trying to discreetly start gossip online to make Huo Shaoheng and Tan Guiren a couple. But as soon as the photo was published, even the inte water armies were too ashamed to continue ¡°forcing an arranged marriage.¡± This kind of thing was actually not beneficial to the female at all, and it insinuated that the woman wouldpletely support the man financially while the man fed off of her. Consequently, the inte water armies knew when to stop.

    Few people within the casual audiences had truly seen what Huo Shaoheng looked like, but they all recognized the gold stars on his epaulet, as well as his major general¡¯s uniform. Even though he had such an esteemed position and high rank, he was carefully cradling that person as if they were a priceless treasure.

    In addition, the six fighter jets offering the highest specification of wee immediately overshadowed the fanfare of Tan Guiren, the newly elected Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, returning to the nation. Many people were specting that the person Huo Shaoheng was cradling was a girl because the silhouette under the nket appeared extremely petite. Photoshop experts wanted nothing more than to get their hands on the photo and analyze the entire thing. Unfortunately, the published photo was very low resolution, so it was impossible to magnify or confirm who it was. However, the people familiar with them could instantly tell who it was.

    At home, Tan Guiren also watched this scene on TV and felt very conflicted. Her mother, Cai Songyin, was calling all her friends in the media to ask if they had information about who Major General Huo carried off the ne. Although she called all the media outlets in the Imperial Empire, there wasn¡¯t a single one who knew who it was. However, they recognized the private jet, as well as the elegant man in the trench coat walking behind Huo Shaoheng. This man was none other than He Zhichu. He wore huge sunsses and appeared ice cold as he remainedpletely silent. Initially, everyone thought the wee was meant for He Zhichu, but it was obviously not the case when Huo Shaoheng carried someone else out. The person who had not revealed even a single strand of hair from head to toe was the true distinguished guest.

    ...

    He Zhichu followed Huo Shaoheng onto the ambnce. Soon after, military vehicles ahead cleared the way while others in the back escorted them. The discreet looking ck ambnce shed its emergency lights as it sped towards the Special Operations Forces Headquarters Base. Inside the ambnce, Chen Lie began to check Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood pressure and temperature. He looked for signs of infection and tried his best to treat various acute wounds. Chen Lie was stony faced and refused to look at Huo Shaoheng. He hadn¡¯t looked at Huo Shaoheng since he carried Gu Nianzhi inside the ambnce. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything either as he sat rigidly to the side and looked directly ahead like he wasn¡¯t really looking at anything at all. However, everyone knew that no one and nothing in the ambnce could escape his gaze.

    He Zhichu sat across from him and crossed his arms as he leaned against the side of the vehicle. His eyes only fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and her every breath pained his heart.

    The ambnce¡¯s sirens screamed the entire way, and they soon arrived at the Special Operations Forces Headquarters Base Hospital. Gu Nianzhi was moved onto a mobile operating bed, and with the help of several hospital personnel, she was taken into Chen Lie¡¯s operating room. She actually didn¡¯t need any surgery, but she did require a thorough physical examination. Huo Shaoheng needed to know if she had suffered any additional torture. He Zhichu didn¡¯t follow inside but put both his hands in his trouser pockets as he stood in the hallway outside the operating room. Gazing out the window, he observed the entire Special Operations Forces Headquarters Base.

    Huo Shaoheng followed Chen Lie inside and watched him carry out a series of exams on Gu Nianzhi. As Chen Lie awaited the CT results to print out, he finally replied to Huo Shaoheng icily, ¡°There is nothing seriously wrong with her, but she did suffer a series of tortures. Just like the cat that was thrown down a building repeatedly, she was thrown down again.¡± As he spoke, he looked at Huo Shaoheng with a sneer. ¡°Tell me, who threw her this time?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed. ¡°You¡¯re sure she¡¯s ok?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll know by tomorrow. It¡¯s not the first time it happened.¡± Chen Lie¡¯s smile grew colder. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be careful around me? Why are you letting me participate in such an important examination? You know that I can leak intelligence at any time, right!? I¡¯m telling you, Huo Shaoheng! You might as well kill me! That way there will be no loose ends, and no one can leak the truth about your precious treasure!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew Chen Lie was venting from being locked up for no reason all this time. He nced at him and asked, ¡°How is Nianzhi¡¯s condition right now?¡±

    ¡°She already has a high fever, so she shouldn¡¯t have much consciousness right now. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not the first time. Anyway, I have previous data to monitor.¡± Chen Lie pouted. ¡°You think I¡¯d help you if not for Nianzhi¡¯s sake?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Fine, looks like you want to start a fight today. Go to your office first, and I¡¯ll talk with you afterwards.¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself! You locked me up alone all this time! I still haven¡¯t sorted that out with you yet!¡± Chen Lie vehemently threw all the paperwork he held onto the desk and turned back into his office.

    Huo Shaoheng left the operating room and spoke calmly to He Zhichu waiting outside. ¡°Nianzhi has a high fever right now but aside from that, there¡¯s nothing else wrong with her.¡±

    He Zhichu sighed a deep breath of relief and nced at his watch. ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll be going, too. I¡¯ll call Nianzhi once her fever breaks.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have Big Xiong see you out.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were both very impressed with He Zhichu, so Huo Shaoheng felt more reassured having them escort him. He Zhichu appeared undecided and nced quickly at the door to the operating room, which was slightly ajar. He seemed to see Gu Nianzhiying quietly amid all the equipment and looked back at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, all the data here will be destroyed. I¡¯ll personally see to it.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded slightly. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, this was one point he had to concede in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s favor¡ªthat no one else had discovered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special body constitution all these years, as she was raised by Huo Shaoheng. It proved that Huo Shaoheng was very cautious in that regard. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand that. This will be thest time I acquiesce. If you let anyone else know this final secret, I¡¯ll take her away no matter what you say.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t mince his words and appeared much bolder than before.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his brow. ¡°I still repeat what I said before, can you guarantee her safety if you take her away? Can you keep her from prying hands?¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡± He Zhichu merely chuckled but didn¡¯t reply. How did Huo Shaoheng know? Haha...

    ...

    After He Zhichu left, Huo Shaoheng went to Chen Lie¡¯s office. Chen Lie was using a rag and a bucket of water to clean his office. He never allowed others in there, and Ye Zitan had always helped him clean in the past. Since both of them had been detained, the office had grown very dusty. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t help him clean but stood quietly at the side and took out a cigarette. Walking to the window, he opened it up, lit the cigarette, and took a drag.

    Chen Lie¡¯s face scrunched up from the smell, and he walked over to kick him out. ¡°Get out! Don¡¯t smoke in here! This is a non-smoking area! Understand?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and threw the cigarette in the garbage before turning around to reply, ¡°Zhou Qiyuan told you?¡±

    Chen Lie snorted. ¡°I have nothing to hide! I¡¯ve never done anything indecent! I should be thest person you¡¯d suspect!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened, and although the gloom was pervasive in his heart, he still sat across from Chen Lie and told him, ¡°Zhou Qiyuan investigated you on my orders, so it was routine business.¡±

    ¡°Routine business is locking up someone you¡¯ve known for over a decade without reason?¡± Chen Lie pped the desk. ¡°Huo Shaoheng! I¡¯ll tell you right now, I¡¯ll kill you if there is even the slightest blemish on my personal record because of this incident! If I wanted to leak intelligence, would I even need to choose an asion?! Do you even have any secrets I don¡¯t know?!¡± Chen Lie stabbed his finger at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s nose as he ranted, ¡°I treated you as a friend, but you treated me like a mole! Friendship over!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened quietly to his ranting and waited for him to huff before asking, ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Chen Lie roared. ¡°There¡¯s also Dr. Ye! I¡¯m telling you to let her go right now! Messing with her means messing with me!¡±

 Chapter 697 - Ye Zitanâ€™s Motive (1)

    Chapter 697: Ye Zitan¡¯s Motive (1)

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Chen Lie was most worried about Ye Zitan, but that was too bad, because Ye Zitan was the biggest suspect. He sighed. ¡°Chen Lie, don¡¯t let your feelings get involved. If Dr. Ye is not a suspect, we will automatically let her go.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chen Lie walked out from behind the desk and stood in front of Huo Shaoheng. Although he was not as tall as Huo Shaoheng, the aura of anger radiating from him made him seem much taller than usual.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and gave Zhao Liangze a call. ¡°Did you find everything that I told you to find?¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly asked, ¡°Is it the three letters you asked me to find before you got back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, did you find them?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at the puzzled Chen Lie. ¡°Since you found them, bring them to Doctor Chen¡¯s office.¡±

    Five minutester, Zhao Liangze knocked on Chen Lie¡¯s office door. Huo Shaoheng opened the door himself and took the folder with the word ¡°ssified¡± stamped on it.

    ¡°Huo Shao, General Ji has already called you multiple times,¡± Zhao Liangze said with deep concern. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you find an opportunity to return General Ji¡¯s phone calls?¡±

    No matter how angry he was, he shouldn¡¯t be angry with his superior. Huo Shaoheng understood that, but he was really not in the mood nor did he have the energy to report to General Ji concerning his work. In addition, the work over there was even more menial andplicated. However, he had to solve the problem at hand first and then go to General Ji and solve the problem over there. He had to climb the stairs step by step. If he climbed to the top of the building when the foundation was not firm, someone could easily push him down.

    Huo Shaoheng said to him, ¡°If General Ji calls again, tell him I¡¯m very busy right now. A lot of people are locked in the guardroom, and I need to look through them one by one. When things over here are finished, I¡¯ll personally go to the military¡¯s supreme council standingmittee to give a thorough and detailed report.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir! I got it. Wait ¡¯til Huo Shao finishes handling everything over here. Then he will report to the members of the standingmittee concerning his work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, say it like that.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded at him and closed the door. He went back and stood in front of Chen Lie. Huo Shaoheng shook the folder in his hand. He said to Chen Lie, ¡°Chen Lie, I¡¯m sorry about how things were done, but you have to know that I¡¯m not doing it without reason.¡±

    The corner of Chen Lie¡¯s mouth raised. ¡°Of course you have a reason. Our Special Operation Forces¡¯ magnificent Huo Shaoheng has a reason for everything he does.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t take Chen Lie¡¯s biting sarcasm to heart and gave him the folder. ¡°There are three original stubs for three registered letters along with two letters in here. Take a look at them.¡±

    Chen Lie was baffled but took the folder. He opened it and took a quick nce at it and said, ¡°...Three registered mail stubs, but why are there only two letters? Where is the other one?¡± He looked at the registered stub without the letter, and his heart sank. ¡°That letter was mailed here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He slowly walked to the window. He sped his hands behind his back as he looked at the bright night scene and said faintly, ¡°You know that a few months ago I was at my new assignment in New York.¡±

    ¡°Yes, for the prime minister¡¯s daughter...¡± Chen Lie pursed his lips cynically. ¡°I knew it the first thing this morning. What of it? Is there a problem? One is the little girl who is absolutely infatuated with you, the other is a perfect woman born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Who are you going to pick?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned his head and shot a nce at him. ¡°I¡¯m telling you official matters.¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok, ok. Continue.¡± Chen Lie raised his hand as if surrendering. ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°...When I went to New York for my mission, there was a setback. All of our activities were being monitored by someone. We almost failed the mission.¡±

    Chen Lie was speechless. He became serious. ¡°Are you telling me the truth?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to you? People in our field are always prepared to die at any moment, but we are not always prepared to be betrayed by our own people.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around. His expression was as calm and collected andposed as before, but what came out of his mouth was full of murderous spirit and piercingly cold. ¡°People in our field have a rule; never let the one who betrays theirrade get away with it.¡±

    ¡°Could your mission have failed because of your own doing? You said someone betrayed your guy, but do you have any evidence of that?¡± Chen Lie didn¡¯t know why, but his heart started to beat faster.

    ¡°Yes, there are many possibilities.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned again and continued to look out the window. ¡°That¡¯s why these few months while I was in the country, I looked into every one of them. I sent three registered letters to three agencies that were most likely to leak confidential matters.¡±

    Chen Lie held his breath. He looked at Huo Shaoheng nervously. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°Then, only that letter that was sent to you proved it has something to do with the one who betrayed my people,¡± Huo Shaoheng said with calmness, not carrying a hit of emotion.

    Chen Lie¡¯s legs became weak, and he was paralyzed as he sat on the floor. His round face was ghastly pale. Behind his sses were a pair of terrified, round eyes. ¡°...No, no way... Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t turn his head. He didn¡¯t want Chen Lie to lose face. ¡°Chen Lie, even if it¡¯s as you say, I never suspected you because of our many years of friendship. Because we know too much of each other¡¯s secrets. If you wanted to betray me, you could use any of it to hurt me. There was no need to forgo what is close at hand and seek what is far afield.¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng say that made Chen Lie¡¯s smiling face uglier than his crying face. He opened his mouth and wanted to say what was on his mind, many times. However, many years of military discipline wouldn¡¯t let him. It was not just any kind of crime. It was betraying your ownrades. It was the kind of crime that got people killed. Even if he personally took the me, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t allow the real traitor to get away with it. Because if he did, it would result in even morerades¡¯ deaths. No matter how selfish Chen Lie was, he couldn¡¯t do something so immoral.

    He was in agony. He was in so much agony that he wanted to die. There was a big and heavy rock on his heart, so heavy that it immobilized him.

    ¡°Chen Lie, I think you already know this. All your mail, even calls, are all handled by Dr. Ye alone. I asked Little Zhao to retrieve these three letters, and only the one sent here was not recovered. I asked Zhou Qiyuan to ask Ye Zitan about it, and she said she had never seen this letter before.¡±

    Chen Lie sighed. He held onto the desk as he stood up. He still carried a bit of hope as he said, ¡°Maybe she really didn¡¯t get it, and somebody else got it. You know that I really hadn¡¯t seen this letter before.¡±

    ¡°You are right, but Zho Qiyuan already looked into it. That letter was registered by the dispatch department. That could only mean it was already sent to your hospital building. Then there was the record of distribution. Thest recorded record of it was in the hands of Ye Zitan.¡± Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh as he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to be her, either, but all the evidence points to her. There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±

    The first thing he had done when he got back was deal with the situation concerning the traitor. The Ye Zitan was caught in had been cast by him for three months. He could finally put it away now.

    Chen Lie kept silent as he sat on the sofa with his head down, unable to collect his thoughts. He picked at a little hole on the sofa without realizing what he was doing.

    Huo Shaoheng then said, ¡°Chen Lie, other than the letter, Ye Zitan also did something I cannot forgive.¡±

    Chen Lie sneered and said, ¡°She betrayed you. It¡¯s already the most unforgivable thing. What¡¯s more serious than that?¡±

    ¡°She betrayed Nianzhi.¡± Huo Shaoheng then said with indifference, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to know who bound the cat and threw it down the stairs? This time, she was one of them.¡±

    ¡°Ah?!¡± Chen Lie jumped. This shocked him. ¡°Wh, wh, why?! No way! Isn¡¯t she on good terms with Nianzhi?! Why would she do that to Nianzhi!¡± Chen Lie looked at Huo Shaoheng in surprise. All kinds of conspiracy theories went through his mind. He even thought that maybe Ye Zitan was also secretly in love with Huo Shaoheng. That was why she was envious of Gu Nianzhi and hated her...

    Huo Shaoheng knew he was thinking too much just by looking at his eyes. He coughed silently and looked away and said, ¡°Actually, I want to know Ye Zitan¡¯s motive, too. Chen Lie, do you want to personally ask her?¡±

    Chen Lie held his head and bent over on the sofa. He had mixed feelings. If what Huo Shaoheng said is true, then it would be... really difficult to get Ye Zitan out of this situation alive. But what if it¡¯s all a misunderstanding? What if a really clever person nned all kinds of traps and framed Ye Zitan?!

    ¡°Huo Shao, are you really sure it¡¯s Ye... Dr. Ye? She... why would she do that?!¡± Chen Lie was puzzled. ¡°It didn¡¯t matter if it was her treatment, or her status, or her position, she didn¡¯t need to do this kind of thing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I also thought so, but all the evidence points to her. There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    Chen Lie looked at Huo Shaoheng, vexed. ¡°I think...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to think.¡± Huo Saoheng interrupted Chen Lie¡¯s hesitating speech. ¡°Also, one more thing, because of Ye Zitan¡¯s betrayal, two of our special agents died in Berlin.¡±

    Chen Lie felt like his heart had finally fallen and shattered. Before, he had some hope left. He had hoped that he could ask for leniency for Ye Zitan as a favor. Even if she got a life sentence, it would be better than being shot dead by a firing squad. But now, two lives were involved. He knew that if he plead for leniency, he would be as guilty as Ye Zitan, someone who betrayed theirrades.

    Although he had been secretly in love with Ye Zitan for many years, he still knew what was right and wrong. Also, the Ye Zitan he was secretly in love with wouldn¡¯t do such a demented thing.

    ¡°...Huo Shao, tell me again, how these things prove she¡¯s the one who did it?¡± Chen Lie asked for proof onest time. He wanted to put an end to the unrequited love he had for her. His facial expression was numb.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged his arms and sat on the window ledge. The evening wind blew as it carried the slight chill ofte autumn. He spoke with a rich, deep voice like a subwoofer. ¡°One, when I was in America, I sent three letters. Each contained one of the three different locations. They were of where I was staying at in New York. In the end, only the letter that was sent to your office containing the location resulted in the American CIA agents raiding the neighborhood.

    ¡°Two, Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s investigation proved that Nianzhi once called and sent a text to your phone, but your phone had no record of the text or the call. Only after doing some technical things with the phone did we retrieve those deleted records. That was during the time when you were performing an operation and when Ye Zitan had your phone.

    ¡°Third, before the Department of Field Work sent two field agents to Germany, they received a call from the medical office to get vinated. After technical personnel retrieved the data from her phone, they found a very special phone number that sent her a text from her phone. It had not only the two field agents¡¯ pictures but also indicated that following these two field agents would help them find Nianzhi.¡±

 Chapter 698 - Ye Zitanâ€™s Motive (2)

    <h4>Chapter 698: Ye Zitan¡¯s Motive (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were like heavy hammers hitting Chen Lie until he cked out and almost fainted. Rubbing his forehead, he felt very solemn. Thinking about it over and over again, he couldn¡¯t understand why Ye Zitan would do such a thing. Chen Lie stopped rubbing his forehead and asked numbly, ¡°Huo Shao, you really want me to question her?¡± He truly couldn¡¯t understand, so he had to ask her himself.

    What if Ye Zitan told him she was innocent? Holding onto thisst shred of hope, Chen Lie arrived at the Disciplinary Committee Building and went to visit Ye Zitan with Huo Shaoheng. He had just been released from this building himself that morning. The cells in that ce were about the size of solitary confinement rooms, but the difference was that there was a bed, desk, chair, and a small bathroom with a toilet. The conditions were about the same as in a single person jail cell, but regardless of how good the conditions were, it was still a jail cell, and people typically would never want to stay in it.

    Chen Lie sat down in the interrogation room. This interrogation room was different from typical ones because the entire small square room was divided in the middle by a pane of transparent ss. He sat on one side while Ye Zitan sat on the other.

    Ye Zitan immediately stood up as soon as she saw Chen Liee in. Leaning forward, she syed herself against the ss wall and asked frantically, ¡°Dr. Chen! What¡¯s going on?! Please help me!¡± The ss wall wasn¡¯t soundproof and obviously had amplifying functions. They didn¡¯t need the aid of receivers or headphones to clearly hear each other.

    Chen Lie gazed sadly at her, unable to understand how all this had happened. Ye Zitan¡¯s pretty, oval face appeared very haggard. Her hair was messy, and her previously neat clothes werepletely wrinkled. Laying against the ss wall, her beautiful eyes stared at him unblinkingly, pleading and filled with hope. Chen Lie realized this was the first time she had looked at him with such intent and desperation... He also looked at her, and his eyes were full of grief and despair, as well as deep confusion and regret. Sighing deeply, Chen Lie directly asked the question looming over his head, ¡°Dr. Ye... I want to ask you, what did Nianzhi do to you to make you hurt her like that?¡±

    Completely taken by surprise, Ye Zitan was unable to hide her emotions in time. She took a step back in shock, and her eyes flickered elsewhere. After some time, she finally stammered, ¡°Dr. Chen, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    Chen Lie had secretly liked Ye Zitan for many years now, he knew all her mannerisms by heart. Her series of microexpressions just now did not escape his knowing eyes. Thest bit of hope in Chen Lie¡¯s heart faded. He had been hoping that if there was even a shred of possibility that Ye Zitan was framed, he would defend her innocence until the end, even if it meant destroying his rtionship with Huo Shao... But Ye Zitan wasn¡¯t able to conceal her difort and shock in time, thereby fully exposing herself. If she wasn¡¯t feeling guilty, then why did she avert her eyes? If she wasn¡¯t guilty, then why did she retreat in shock?

    Chen Lie looked at Ye Zitan, his eyes growing red as he stepped forward. Bracing his hands on the ss wall, his voice was nasal as he asked, ¡°Why? Tell me why! If you betrayed Huo Shao, I would still ignore my conscience, even though it would mean wronging my good friend. But Nianzhi... Nianzhi... She¡¯s so young and pitiful, how could you be so heartless and cast salt on her wounds?! How could you bear to harm her with outsiders?! What benefits did they give you?! How could you be cold blooded enough to do this kind of thing!?¡±

    Ye Zitan didn¡¯t expect the previously doting Chen Lie, who had always treated her unbelievably well, to say such things to her. She had a hard time epting his sudden change in attitude. How could someone who loved her for so long say these things to her? Ye Zitan stared nkly at Chen Lie and asked quietly, ¡°Chen Lie, the person you love most in your heart is actually Gu Nianzhi. Is that right?¡±

    Chen Lie was rendered speechless. What the hell?! What nonsense is she spouting?!

    Chen Lie pped the ss wall hard and huffed, ¡°Ye Zitan, I know that you never had feelings for me, but you can¡¯t... You can¡¯t insult me like that!¡± You can choose not to love me, but I can¡¯t respect you or myself if you twist my feelings for you like that.

    ¡°If you love me, then why would you defend anyone else?¡± Ye Zitan gazed at him sadly. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know about my current situation. You¡¯re my only hope now...¡±

    Chen Lie stared nkly at Ye Zitan. He looked at the woman he had secretly liked for almost ten years and discovered he actually never knew her at all. Not only had she made a mistake, but she also had no feelings of regret. ¡°Ye Zitan, tell me why you did this! Was it because I didn¡¯t treat you well, or was the Army General Hospital not treating you well? Was it Nianzhi?¡± Chen Lie had a very scientific mind, so even though he hadn¡¯t yet cut off and reconciled his messy feelings, he still tried his best to analyze the situation with strict logic and clear theory.

    Looking down, Ye Zitan said somewhat frantically, ¡°Why did I do this? What did I do? I¡¯m being locked in here...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still not admitting it? Your phone is in their hands...¡± Chen Lie was in a foul mood. ¡°Ye Zitan, if you were having difficulties...¡±

    But before he could even finish speaking, Ye Zitan already cut him off reflexively. ¡°Impossible! There can¡¯t be any evidence on my phone!¡± She had clearly deleted everythingpletely...

    Chen Lie stared at her with renewed shock. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even said it was evidence, and you already assumed that? So it was you. Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s useless to delete all the evidence? Don¡¯t you know what methods the Special Operations Forces has? Even if you smash the microchip, they still have ways of restoring it...¡±

    Ye Zitan stammered for a bit and finally, fear appeared on her face. She shook her head frantically and retreated until she backed up against the wall and had nowhere to go. Cradling her head, she knelt down by the wall and began to wail.

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of crying now? I really don¡¯t understand! You¡¯re not 30 yet and already a major! I was in the process of writing a report to the hospital to promote you to lieutenant colonel next year, so why are you dissatisfied?!¡± Chen Lie yanked his hair in frustration and paced on the other side of the room. He turned to look at Yi Zitan curled up against the wall on the other side of the room, then thought about Gu Nianzhi lying unconscious on the hospital bed. He felt absolutely horrible. Who could ept that the girl he truly loved turned out to be a cold blooded criminal who betrayed hisrades and friends? But he couldn¡¯t retract all the love he invested right away. He still had feelings for Ye Zitan, but this love didn¡¯t overtake his logic. This pained him even more. ¡°You still won¡¯t tell me? Fine, what good would knowing do? It¡¯s always the same reasons¡ªit¡¯s for money or a person... Dr. Ye, you¡¯ve never been a superficial woman, so it must be for someone. How did they tempt you? Did they attract you with a handsome man?¡± Chen Lie continued to interrogate her stoically. He understood that he wasn¡¯t handsome and a man who could attract women, so he only dared to secretly love Ye Zitan. He never confessed out of fear that he would lose her as a friend if he said anything.

    Ye Zitan jerked her head up at his words and bit her lower lip as she looked at Chen Lie. It was like his words hit the part of her heart she felt indignant about. Widening her eyes, she said, ¡°Dr. Chen, don¡¯t be so overly modest. With such an exceptional person like you by my side, how could I fall for a handsome man?¡± She had never been attracted to a man for his appearance.

    Chen Lie froze. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do I mean?! Ye Zitan was infuriated. She rose up and stormed to the ss wall, brandishing her fists at Chen Lie on the other side. ¡°You¡¯re asking me what I mean?! You¡¯re so amazing! So outstanding! You excel at all surgeries! You write so many high quality papers every year! And develop so many new treatment patents! I wouldn¡¯t be half as sessful as you, even if I didn¡¯t eat and sleep so I could be in theb 24 hours a day!¡±

    ¡°What... Are you talking about?!¡± Chen Lie was shocked speechless. Ye Zitan¡¯s words surprised him even more than when Huo Shaoheng had told him she was the mole.

    Ye Zitan grew calmer as she revealed the secret in her heart. Smoothing her hair, she smiled wryly. ¡°Or should I say that Dr. Chen must look down on me?¡± She pressed her head against the ss wall and looked ahead as she muttered, ¡°I was born to a normal family, so I knew that in order to be the cream of the crop, I must work especially hard. From the time I was young, I studied and wrote essays for academicpetitions while my peers yed. During college, all my ssmates from the dorm were enjoying their college years and falling in love with boyfriends, but I left early and went homete everyday to study in the library and try to be in theb as much as possible. I worked so hard and was always at the top of the ss. But when I was assigned to the Military General Hospital, I met you, Chen Lie. You¡¯re someone I can¡¯t surpass no matter what!¡±

    Chen Lie never imagined that he would be one of the reasons Ye Zitan became a mole! He gaped at Ye Zitan and suddenly found himself speechless.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened as he opened the door from the surveince room next door. He didn¡¯t mince words with Ye Zitan. ¡°Someone else¡¯s excellence is your reason for betraying yourrades? Ye Zitan, don¡¯t me your mistakes on others.¡±

    Ye Zitan¡¯s arrogance dissolved as soon as she saw Huo Shaoheng. She curled up her entire body and slowly slid down the ss wall until she knelt on the other side.

    ¡°Tell me, what did they promise you? Who was the person to contact you?¡± Huo Shaoheng motioned to Chen Lie for him to leave. Now that Chen Lie had received all his answers, he didn¡¯t want to stay there for even a minute more. His legs were like jelly as he left the interrogation room in shock.

    Huo Shaoheng stood there with his hands folded behind his back, and Zhou Qiyuan opened the door to interrogate Ye Zitan. Even though he had asked her many times these past few days, she still refused to say anything. It was only when Huo Shaoheng had Chen Lie question her today that they breached her emotional defenses.

    ¡°Ye Zitan, who was the first to contact you? How did they contact you?¡± Zhou Qiyuan began his routine interrogation.

    However, Ye Zitan refused to answer Zhou Qiyuan and only looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m very sorry that Nianzhi died. She¡¯s the one I feel the most regret towards.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°Who told you Nianzhi died?¡±

 Chapter 699 - Ye Zitanâ€™s Motive (3)

    <h4>Chapter 699: Ye Zitan¡¯s Motive (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t die?!¡± Ye Zitan asked in shock. She had thought that...¡±She had contracted H3aB7. I thought that those who contracted that virus would definitely die!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re clear about that, aren¡¯t you?¡± Huo Shaoheng mocked her. ¡°Nianzhi was in Germany. How do you know what she contracted?¡±

    ¡°She did not get it?!¡± Ye Zitan was even more shocked. ¡°Impossible...¡±

    ¡°Do not rule out what you don¡¯t know to be impossible. Doctor Ye, you¡¯re someone with a strong scientific background. How can you have such a narrow mind?¡± Zhou Qiyuan added, ¡°Speak. How did you and those peoplemunicate? The journals that they sent to you have already been recorded in our system. Please don¡¯t even think of lying.¡±

    ¡°What?! How can you touch my personal belongings?!¡± Ye Zitan had copsed by now. Those journals... Those journals that wrote about things beyond scientific knowledge were treasures to her. They had almost be her religion. The moment that was taken from her, she felt that she had lost all support in life.

    Raising her head, Ye Zitan opened her mouth and wanted to say something but stopped herself. Head hanging low, she allowed herself to fall onto the floor like a pile of useless matter.

    ¡°Ye...¡± Zhou Qiyuan still had questions, but Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°No need to question her further. With someone like her, her words might not be true, anyway.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, sir. We have been speaking to her for an extended period of time. However, she hasn¡¯t provided us with anything useful at all. We suspect that she doesn¡¯t know who she wasmunicating with, either.¡± Which also meant that Ye Zitan was only one of the minor chess pieces.

    Zhou Qiyuan hinted that they should continue investigating. Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and stood in the interrogation room. He looked at Ye Zitan and measured the pros and cons in a second beforeing to a decision.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to question her anymore. She leaked information to our enemy and caused the death of two of our men. She caused innocent citizens of the Hua Xia Empire to die, and has already been caught red-handed. Death sentence by shooting. Immediately.¡± He had the special authority to sentence culprits in the Special Forces, and Ye Zitan¡¯s case had already gone to a secret court hearing in the Army. Unfortunately, they did not manage to get any useful information out of her.

    However, based on her conversation with Chen Lie just now, it was clear that she was the culprit. Their conversation had been recorded and could be used as evidence in court. Since she had admitted that those were her actions, there was no way she could have been maligned.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Zhou Qiyuan saluted and asked his men to head to the military court toplete the required paperwork. Even though Huo Shaoheng had said to shoot her immediately, they would require approval from the military court. That was protocol.

    After Zhou Qiyuan had left, Huo Shaoheng stood quietly in the interrogation room for a while. His gazended on Ye Zitan and only left after a while. Coming out of the interrogation room, he saw Zhou Qiyuan standing to the side waiting for him. It seemed like he had something to say.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s something that I have to report to you.¡± Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and turned to walk out. They exited the disciplinarymittee building and headed towards Chen Lie¡¯s hospital building. Along the way, Zhou Qiyuan whispered, ¡°Mr. Huo, do you really want to stop all investigation?¡±

    ¡°What else is there to investigate?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked a matter-of-factly. ¡°Did you manage to get something out of her?¡±

    ¡°No. However, for this case, if we were to investigate deeper, there might be an issue.¡± Zhou Qiyuan was more worried that if someone were to attempt to bring Ye Zitan to justice, this might be a hindrance.

    ¡°What issue?¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. ¡°Just tell me.¡±

    ¡°The number that was contacting her. We¡¯ve tried to trace the number and realized that it was an empty ount. The mobilepany could not find anything out about it, either. Thest time someone used this number was 17 years ago.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Most likely the mastermind is scheming, or they have a very strong backup. Even if we received information that it was an empty ount, it might not really be an empty ount.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan nodded. ¡°I thought so, too. Therefore, why don¡¯t we make use of Ye Zitan to lure the mastermind out?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng usually did not like exining himself to others, but Zhou Qiyuan was one of the people he truly trusted. He knew that Zhou Qiyuan had the potential to do much more. Therefore, he patiently exined, ¡°A number that even the mobilepany could not trace... If that person was someone of power, this person¡¯s power would be huge. If that person did not use his or her influence, but used techniques instead, then their technical skills would be so great that not many would be able to break them. ording to what I know, even America¡¯s CIA, Ennd¡¯s Military Intelligence, Russia¡¯s Committee of State Security, the KGB, nor Israel¡¯s Mossad could do it. If they cannot do it, then...¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan finally understood. No matter how they thought about it, the mastermind behind Ye Zitan was almost invincible. They did not have the resources to fight directly with that person as of now. Therefore, Ye Zitan was most likely just a pawn. It would be best for her to die sooner rather thanter.

    If they were to keep her, and that mastermind decided to really begin his or her game and rescue her, they would definitely be at the losing end. Moreover, being in the Special Forces for so many years, no one knew how many secrets Ye Zitan knew. Therefore, the safest method would be to execute her as soon as possible.

    ¡°Yes, sir. I understand now.¡± Zhou Qiyuan bowed and intended to go to the military court and deliver the death sentence approval personally.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to Chen Lie¡¯s building and went to visit Gu Nianzhi. She was still in aa with a high fever. Her little face was flushed, and the corners of her beautiful lips were already cracking. Huo Shaoheng took a piece of sterilized cloth and dipped it in some distilled water. Then, he dabbed it carefully on her dry lips to moisturize them.

    Chen Lie had heard him return and came out from his office. Rubbing his hands, he looked anxiously at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo...¡±

    Without raising his head, Huo Shaoheng continued to dab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. ¡°If you¡¯re free before daybreak tomorrow, you can visit Ye Zitan for thest time.¡±

    Chen Lie was taken aback. Even though he was mentally prepared, the impact was different when Huo Shaoheng told him right smack in his face like that. Removing his sses, he wiped them repeatedly with his little spectacle towel with trembling hands. He was speechless. Chen Lie cleaned his sses whenever he was nervous. This habit of his was beyond familiar to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°I understand how you must be feeling. However, a mistake is a mistake. If you¡¯ve done something wrong, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences. The mistake she made is not one that can be forgiven with just an apology. Shemitted a crime, and it was serious enough to earn her an immediate death sentence.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. The dead skin on her chapped lips had already been dabbed off by his wet towel. Her lips were slightly flushed and were so full that they almost did not have any lip lines. Her lips were pale, and they looked almost translucent. Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a while before tucking her in properly.

    Chen Lie covered his face and ran back into his office, mming the door behind him. Huo Shaoheng knew that Chen Lie must be devastated. However, he could not condone this nor wait any longer.

    He sat in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and intended to stay there for the night. However, not long after, Zhou Qiyuan gave him a call and said that the prosecutors in the military court¡¯s secret courtroom still had some doubts. They had refused to sign the agreement form for an immediate death sentence.

    Huo Shaoheng gave it some thought and said, ¡°Call Minister Bai from thew department and get her to speak to the prosecutor. I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡±

    After hanging up, Huo Shaoheng knocked on Chen Lie¡¯s door. Chen Lie stayed silent for a while before answering the door with red, puffy eyes. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I need to head out for a while. Please keep a close eye on Nianzhi.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad.¡±

    Chen Lie remained silent. After Huo Shaoheng left, Chen Lie did not return to his office. He sat beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and observed the data on the machines as he began to ramble. He knew that she was still in aa and couldn¡¯t hear anything, anyway. Therefore, he poured his heart out. ¡°Are you better already, Nianzhi? I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t know that Ye Zitan was like that...

    ¡°But wanting her dead so soon, Mr. Huo must hate her so much. Nianzhi... Please wake up soon... who knows...¡±

    Who knew what?

    Chen Lie found himself unable to continue. A one-sided love really wasn¡¯t that strong, after all. In this rtionship, she hadn¡¯t responded before. There were no happy memories of being together. There was only a one man show by Chen Lie. He felt that it was pointless already.

    ¡°Love is really the most useless and time consuming thing in this entire world.¡± Chen Lie looked at the data and changed the paper in the machine. The roll of paper that was full of data was thrown into the trash can and burned.

    After just a little while, Chen Lie realized that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fever had gone down. It had happened twice as quickly as the previous time. His attention returned to Gu Nianzhi, and he observed her bodily reactions as he adjusted the machines.

    It was already one o¡¯clock in the morning when Gu Nianzhi woke up. She had actually awakened while Chen Lie had been rattling on about Ye Zitan. However, she was confused as to what Chen Lie was talking about. She couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity anymore, so she opened her eyes and asked, ¡°Brother Chen, what happened to Doctor Ye?¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi spoke suddenly, Chen Lie jumped. He took a while to recover from the shock and pped his forehead happily. ¡°Finally! You¡¯re fine now, Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°I feel restless. I have no energy. Does that count as something?¡± Then, she continued asking, ¡°Brother Chen, what were you talking about just now? Why do I feel like you don¡¯t want her around anymore?¡±

    Chen Lie asked, wide eyed, ¡°Was it so obvious?¡±

    ¡°Was what obvious?¡± Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. She struggled into a sitting position on the bed and asked, ¡°What exactly happened?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, tell me; when you were in Germany, did you try to call me?¡± Chen Lie asked her sternly.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes I did. However, Doctor Ye answered the phone and said that you were in an operation for the General. I also sent texts.¡±

    ¡°Why did you call and text me?¡±

    ¡°I was kidnapped when I was in Germany. I wanted to call you for help to look for... Brother Xiong and Brother Ze.¡± Gu Nianzhi consciously omitted ¡°Huo Shao.¡±

 Chapter 700 - Unforgivable

    <h4>Chapter 700: Unforgivable</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Someone tried to hunt you down?! How could someone try to hunt you down in Germany?!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s round eyes grew wider as hisst bit of hope plummeted. His heart felt like it was steeped in turmeric juice,pletely bitter inside and out.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Chen Lie and why he was suddenly asking her things like that. She nced at him with a half smile. ¡°Yeah, I was bored and had someone hunt me down for fun. Are you satisfied with this reason?¡±

    Chen Lie instantly knew he was being uncouth, and beads of sweat formed on his round forehead. As he took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, he began to apologize. ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi, I didn¡¯t mean that. I was... I was feeling horrible...¡± He began to choke. ¡°This was... Dr. Ye¡¯s fault. If it wasn¡¯t for her, you wouldn¡¯t have been hunted down. She didn¡¯t tell me about the texts and calls you made to me. I only found out just now...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also widened her eyes and hadn¡¯t expected this at all. ¡°What on earth happened? How could Dr. Ye have anything to do with it?!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it in the beginning, either.¡± Chen Lie spread his palms. ¡°But Boss presented evidence, and Dr. Ye... also admitted it herself.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It was really her?!¡± Gu Nianzhi straightened up. ¡°Could the two field personnel getting killed also have something to do with her?!¡± The death of the two field personnel was the biggest regret in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart because they died for her. She had sworn in Germany to find the mole and avenge the two field personnel, but she never expected Ye Zitan to be the mole.

    ¡°It¡¯s rted to her. She was the one to leak their information in order to allow those people to hunt you down.¡± Chen Lie¡¯s eyes reddened again, and he quickly wiped his face with the back of his hand. ¡°Boss won¡¯t let her off. He¡¯s already asked me to go see her for thest time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. Typically, she would console Chen Lie, but when she saw how sad he was, she was also reminded of the families, rtives, friends, parents, wives, and children of the two field personnel. How sad they must be! Also, she had been betrayed by Ye Zitan as well. Not only did she lose the precious chance ofmunicating with the base for help, but she also nearly perished. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the enemy wanted to extract more from her, she would¡¯ve been buried in the Alps a long time ago like the two field personnel.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew solemn as she clenched the nkets on the hospital bed and controlled herself before finally replying, ¡°Brother Chen, it¡¯s very unfortunate that I can¡¯t console you or say it¡¯s okay, because what Dr. Ye did waspletely unforgivable.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s tears fell even faster.

    ¡°I know Dr. Ye well and could even consider her a friend, but as soon as I recall the two field personnel who got killed because of her, I hate her so much I want her dead immediately. But I know Brother Chen loves her a lot, so I shouldn¡¯t cast salt on your wounds at a time like this. But if you me us, her victims, because of her, then I¡¯m sorry to say that I will stop being your friend.¡± Gu Nianzhi removed her nkets and steadied herself on the bed frame to get up.

    Chen Lie quickly helped her up, and although he was still crying, he sniffled, ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi, don¡¯t be angry. I really don¡¯t me you guys. I know what she did was unforgivable and was truly cold blooded. But you know that I¡¯m human and have feelings, too. I loved her for so many years, and although me investing my emotions is a personal issue, I can¡¯t possibly retract it immediately. I actually realize that she¡¯s not the person I thought I loved, or maybe I never really knew her. But when I hear you say her name and think of her impending fate, I can¡¯t help...¡±

    ¡°Then cry. But after you cry this one time, don¡¯t shed another tear for someone like that. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± Gu Nianzhi inhaled deeply. She had also loved someone deeply before, and although it was often one-sided, she could still empathize with Chen Lie¡¯s sadness and despair. She pulled out a few tissues from the tissue box on the desk and passed them to Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen, stop using the handkerchief. Use this.¡± She then took Chen Lie¡¯s arm and they walked to the sofa against the wall of the ward to sit down. ¡°Brother Chen, you¡¯re so amazing, smart, and funny. There¡¯s actually many girls who like you, and in the future, I¡¯ll introduce you to some nice girls so you¡¯ll learn that having a one-sided crush is unreliable.¡±

    Chen Lie cried some more and felt a bit better. He wiped his face with the tissues and said dejectedly, ¡°Fall in love? I think that¡¯s a waste of time and pointless, too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help pping. ¡°Brother Chen, your words hit my heart. Falling in love is unreliable, a waste of time, and makes peoplecent. I think I realize that now.¡±

    ¡°Realize that now? Just how old are you for you to realize that now? Then what about Boss?¡± Chen Lie finallyughed from her words. ¡°Hey you, that¡¯s riching from someone who has a boyfriend. You know people will want to beat you for saying something like that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly. ¡°Since when did I have a boyfriend? Brother Chen thinks too highly of me. I was just shamelesslytching on.¡±

    Chen Lie was momentarily dumbfounded. This doesn¡¯t sound right? This is serious. ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Did you get a concussion form the electrocution?¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense now. How is this not a concussion?¡± Chen Lei turned to her. ¡°But I already did a CT scan on you, and your brain is fine. Also, you¡¯re not showing signs of nausea...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi draped a hand on her forehead and leaned back against the sofa. ¡°Brother Chen, I¡¯m being serious. Just like how you had an epiphany from your feelings about Dr. Ye, I also had the same thing.¡±

    Chen Lie frowned at Gu Nianzhi and thought something was wrong with her. But he had been through so many shockstely that his body couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. His brain was currently refusing to perform any logical analysis. He yawned. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. I have to nap for a while then go see Dr. Ye for thest time before dawn. I want to tidy up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°Go sleep for awhile, then. When do you want to wake up? I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    Chen Lie nced at his watch. ¡°I¡¯ll nap for two hours. You can call me at 3:30.¡± He then asked Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to nap?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Feels like I slept for a long time already. I¡¯m not tired at all.¡±

    Chen Lie was also aware of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special body constitution, so if she said she wasn¡¯t sleepy, she really wasn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t pretend to be polite. ¡°Then you stay put and don¡¯t go anywhere. I still need you to wake me up. There¡¯s an iPad here and also aputer that you can y with.¡± Chen Lie pointed to the entertainment facilities there then went to his office to nap.

    The single person ward was lit by only one light, the bright white casting on all sorts of medical equipment in a soft glow. Gu Nianzhi sat on the sofa outside alone and used the iPad to begin listing her personal property to see what belonged to her and what belonged to Huo Shaoheng. She nned to break up with him, so she would certainly move out of his ce. Although he already transferred the title to her name, she didn¡¯t want it or anything else at all. Those things constantly reminded her that everything she owned was actually charity from him. She was not at the same level as he was and didn¡¯t belong with him from any aspect. She had already lost her love, so she couldn¡¯t lose her self-respect as well.

    ...

    When Huo Shaoheng brought Yin Shixiong to the ssified military court, Bai Yueran and Zhou Qiyuan were already trying hard to convince the judge.

    ¡°Judge Liao, we¡¯vepleted all procedures, and the evidence is clear. Why can¡¯t you sign off on the death penalty sentence right away?¡± Bai Yueran brought a use regarding espionage to the judge and argued word for word, ¡°Her situation is unique, so there is ample reason to undergo special procedure.¡±

    ¡°Director Bai, you are also aw professional, so you must know that special procedure is especially taboo. That is not legal procedure.¡± Judge Liao obviously had a particr resistance to this case and opposed executing someone so rashly.

    ¡°Judge Liao, that¡¯s not right. When has it been a legal taboo to undergo special procedure? As long as thew allows for special procedure, then it is considered legal and reasonable.¡± Although Bai Yueran had debated with Judge Liao for half an hour now, her demeanor was still pleasant. Not only was she very professional, but she was also very mature when it came to social conventions. She understood the key points and let minor things slide, while also knowing when to use soft and hard power. Sometimes she dealt with situations even more smoothly than her father, Bai Jiancheng. It could be said that ever since Bai Yueran headed the legal department of the Special Operations Forces, not only did the efficiency increase dramatically, but the rtionships with other departments of national institutions also eased.

    Huo Shaoheng listened at the door for a while before entering. He gestured for Yin Shixiong to give them the evening snack they bought on the way. ¡°Judge Liao, Director Bai, thank you for the hard work. Have some snacks now and rest before continuing the discussion.¡±

    Yin Shixiong bought famous shrimp, pork, and pan-fried m buns from Dahuchun. Huo Shaoheng asked him to get three servings. As he opened the takeout boxes, the freshly prepared shrimp, pork, and pan-fried m buns were still steaming. The round and plump snow white buns looked so delicate and delicious at first nce. Even the ramrod straight, by-the-book Judge Liao couldn¡¯t stop himself from eating three in a row. He then had a steaming ss of soy milk they bought along with the pan-fried buns. In the hungry night hours, the extremely mentally-drained people receiving nourishment from the evening snacks suddenly felt recharged.

    Judge Liao became much easier to talk with. ¡°Huo Shao, I don¡¯t mean to disrespect you, but is there truly no room for negotiation on this matter?¡± Judge Liao returned after washing his hands and sat before Huo Shaoheng to discuss quietly.

    Huo Shaoheng sat with his legs crossed on the sofa and also appeared exhausted. ¡°If there was a possibility, I would also want to dy it, but she hasmitted a very foul crime. Also, our Special Ops division is newly established, so if we let her off easily this time, it¡¯ll be difficult for us to continue working in the future. You also know that for a unique institution such as ours, the biggest taboo is betrayal. A hundred years ago, our ancestors punished such a crime with extermination of the entire family. One time our ancestors let two children off out of the goodness of their hearts, but ended up betrayed by them. The children pointed out many of our secret agents to the enemy and resulted in many more personnel losing their lives. Please tell me, how can we recoup the loss?¡±

    Judge Liao¡¯s hairs stood on the back of his neck, and he shivered from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

 Chapter 701 - The Protective Huo Shao (1)

    <h4>Chapter 701: The Protective Huo Shao (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Bai Yueran understood where Huo Shaoheng was going with it and said, ¡°Judge Liao, you are not a normal judge. You are a judge of a secret court of our military court. You should know that your work is different from that of an ordinary judge.¡±

    Judge Liao was speechless.

    ¡°Even though Huo Shao said we should be fast and efficient, this case has already dragged on for too long. To tell you the truth, we did make the mistake of dragging it out for too long. We lost a lot of important information because of it.¡± She only took out the court¡¯s death penalty verdict form when she saw Judge Liao being affected by their hard and soft tactics. Bai Yueran then walked closer said, ¡°Would you like to sign it?¡±

    Judge Liao also was being pressured by the higher ups. They wanted him to be prudent with the case. That was why he didn¡¯t dare to yield. But what Huo Shaoheng just said did scare him. He realized at that time just what kind of soldiers he was facing. They were no ordinary soldiers.

    ¡°Let me think about it again...¡± Judge Liao stood up. ¡°We have to keep a record of every verdict we make, and we have to send it to the Military¡¯s Supreme Court of Justice. I don¡¯t want to make a mistake on this case after being a judge for so many years.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Huo Shaoheng also stood up. ¡°I hope you can make a decision before six. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±

    Judge Liao felt like his straight back was then bent again. He stooped as he went back to his office. He left the door unlocked. Huo Shaoheng sped his hands behind his back and stared at Judge Liao¡¯s office. He was pressuring Judge Liao, even with the door between them.

    Bai Yueran stood behind him and whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, are you really going to wait here the whole time?¡±

    ¡°If I said six, then I will get that death verdict paper at six,¡± Huo Shaoheng said withposure. Furthermore, he also wanted to know who was ¡°pressuring¡± Judge Liao.

    Bai Yueran covered her mouth with her hand and yawned. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the room next door to sleep for a bit. If you need anything, call me.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t turn his head. He put his hands in his pants pockets and strolled toward the window.

    After Bai Yueran left, Yin Shixiong sat on the sofa and yed on his phone. Huo Shaoheng turned on his bluetooth earphone and gave Zhao Liangze an order. ¡°Is the military tribunal¡¯s line being monitored?¡±

    ¡°It can be, right away.¡± Zhao Liangze hadn¡¯te with them, but he was waiting in Special Operation Forces¡¯ Headquarters¡¯ central control system room. ording to regtions, the Special Operation Forces could not meddle in internal affairs. However, that time those people themselves broke the rules and forced the Special Operation Forces¡¯ hands and made them take part in internal affairs.

    Huo Shaoheng, the man that never lost, wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity slide. He started to interfere with internal affairs. His biggest shoring was that he would definitely hurt the people who hurt his people a thousand fold. It didn¡¯t matter who they were, where they were, or what position they had.

    Maybe it was because of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strong presence or because those people were too cautious, but they found out Judge Liao was being monitored after one call. The other end hung up immediately after the phone rang once. Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t have time to trace the call.

    Judge Liao waited for two hours. There were no new instructions from the higher ups. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words made him tremble with fear. Finally, he picked up the pen and signed his name on the court verdict¡¯s death penalty form.

    It was exactly 3 a.m. when Huo Shaoheng got Ye Zitan¡¯s death verdict.

    ...

    After about two hours, Gu Nianzhi finally finished making a detailed list of all her property. She looked at the full page of notes without any expression on her face. She breathed out. No wonder somebody¡¯s always trying to break us up. We really are ipatible. That many things. That astronomical amount of property. It wasn¡¯t hers to begin with.

    Before, she thought she would marry Huo Shaoheng for sure and that they would be one as husband and wife. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s things would be hers, and her things would be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, so she epted it without any mental pressure. But now, when Gu Nianzhi thought about it, whether it was in other people¡¯s eyes or in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind, she was living off of him. So, did she have a special ce in his heart?

    She admitted that important missions ranked higher than she did, andrades ranked higher as well. She didn¡¯t want to fight these rankings with Huo Shaoheng. She had already prepared herself and knew that being with Huo Shaoheng meant epting the soldier side of him. That was his choice of profession. If not, then he wouldn¡¯t be the one she had fallen in love with.

    But what was up with the prime minister¡¯s daughter? Bringing the prime minister¡¯s daughter home was also a secret mission? You must be kidding me! Right now, who knows which insignificant person is ranked ahead of me. Not only could Gu Nianzhi not take it, she also flipped the desk. She quit...

    She brushed the biased thought aside. She felt like she really did not get along with the prime minister¡¯s daughter. It didn¡¯t matter if it was the former prime minister¡¯s daughter, Duo Qingyan, or the newly appointed prime minister¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren. All her love rivals were lovely and of high birth from distinguished families. She was the only one like duckweed who didn¡¯t have any roots.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She pushed the thoughts of those two people from her mind without much effort. If she had been the way she was before, she would haveined about those two¡¯s good fortunes. Why were they fighting over Huo Shao with her? Her face became red just from thinking about it.

    Everyone wants to have good things. Why should you be the only one to have them, and others can¡¯t fight for it? She couldn¡¯t win against them. Let a loss be a loss. She was never going to do that again, even if she was harassed. Gu Nianzhi sadly rubbed her forehead a bit. She thought about the old version of herself. She would rather that it was a dream.

    Only after she looked down at the list of property on her iPad did she remember the keys and the papers to the various properties were all in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. The possessions, collections, and investments were all in his official residence. Most of her clothes, shoes, and bags were all in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Why had she made that detailed list? Just to make a clean break and not go to Huo Shaohen¡¯s official residence anymore.

    Nothing there was hers. Gu Nianzhiughed bitterly. She really was a poor person, definitely a proletariat. Not much belonged to her. But she still had to get her clothes, shoes, bags, and skincare products. Some of them had never been opened. Forget that they were made to fit her measurements; she didn¡¯t want to see someone else wearing her clothes and shoes, carrying her bags, and touching her creams... She was that petty. She would fight about the littlest things.

    But the market price for those clothes and shoes were worth a two-bedroom penthouse in the imperial capital far from downtown. Then Gu Nianzhi went to check her bank ount. She had an ount specifically for her sry and school subsidies. Inside was all the money that she earned. It was not given to her by Huo Shaoheng.

    She didn¡¯t know how much money she had in that ount because she didn¡¯t use much cash. She usually just swiped her card, and he was the one who usually paid. Looking at it now, yes, although it was not enough to buy a two-bedroom penthouse, it was enough for a down payment and then some. She decided to look for a house when she went back to school, preferably a furnished home so that she could move in immediately.

    After everything was taken care of, Gu Nianzhi sent the detailed list to her school email. Then she signed out of her email from Chen Lie¡¯s iPad. She deleted her login record. She then washed her face, and afterward, she went to wake Chen Lie up.

    Chen Lie had been sleeping on top of the desk for a while. He didn¡¯t immediately react to Gu Nianzhi when she tried to wake him up. Only after he stared nkly into space and rubbed his eyes did he really wake up.

    ¡°What time is it?¡±

    ¡°It just turned 3:30. It¡¯s still dark out.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked out the window and asked Chen Lie, ¡°Brother Lie, how did I end up here? I remember... I was on Professor He¡¯s ne.¡±

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t know what to say. Gu Nianzhi picked her eyebrows while looking at him inquiringly. His brows wrinkled. He walked to the little walk-in closet. He finally answered, ¡°Huo Shao brought you here. You were lucky because you fainted on the ne. I was released from the detention center only because you were hurt and Huo Shao wanted me to treat you.¡±

    It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn to be speechless for a moment before she asked, ¡°Brother Chen, what do you mean? Why were you in a detention center?¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned on the side of the door as she talked to Chen Lie. She was still wearing the clothes that she had changed into on He Zhichu¡¯s ne. It was a baggy and light gray turtleneck. She was wearing skin-colored yoga pants with side stripes. From the back, she looked like she had slim, graceful, and slender legs that were straight and long.

    Due to the clothes that she had on looking like hospital clothes, she was brought to Chen Lie¡¯s ce. Chen Lie didn¡¯t change her clothes. She just slept for one whole day dressed like that. She was awake at that moment. The clothes didn¡¯t have shape and were not wrinkled. Her hands were behind her back, and she had put her hair that had been hanging loosely in a ponytail.

    Chen Lie changed into a white suit. He walked out while carrying many ties in one hand. He asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Which tie looks better?¡±

    The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth lifted. She pushed Chen Lie inside. ¡°Why are you wearing a white suit? Are you afraid of people not knowing that this will be thest time you will see them?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I look more handsome in white?¡± Chen Lie looked in the mirror.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Brother Chen, I think you look the most handsome in dark gray.¡± Gu Nianzhi helped Chen Lie while she was lightly pushing the clothes aside in the closet. She found a dark gray shirt with light vertical stripes and smoky gray formal pants. She also found a pair of leather shoes, and she told him to change the sneakers he was currently wearing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need a tie. Undo the button by the neck. Yes, roll up the sleeves.¡± Gu Nianzhi helped him get dressed.

    Chen Lie looked in the mirror again and realized he really did look different. It was as if he really did have that thing called ¡°aura.¡± He breathed out. He wondered what good it did to dress so handsomely. Even if he gave Ye Zitan onest good impression, she was still going to die.

    ¡°Brother Chen, you still didn¡¯t say why you were in the detention center,¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to inquire.

    Chen Lie straightened his cuffs. He said, ¡°When Huo Shaoheng was on a mission in New York, he found out there was a mole. He found out the mole was leaking information from my ce, so he locked us all up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bbergasted. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did it have anything to do with Ye Zitan?¡±

    ¡°Yes, or else how could he lock me up, too?¡± Chen Lie finally felt better. He didn¡¯t have that heartrending aching feeling when he thought about Ye Zitan.

    ¡°Brother Chen, you are probably fine now.¡± Gu Nianzhi went back to the door. She leaned on the doorframe. ¡°Don¡¯t feel so bad.¡±

    Chen Lie wasn¡¯t sure how to respond for a moment. ¡°The way you speak sounds exactly like Huo Shaoheng, and you said he¡¯s not your boyfriend.¡± Chen Lie teased Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s facial expression changed, and she said in an indifferent manner, ¡°He¡¯s really not. Brother Chen, from now on, I won¡¯t ask you about Ye Zitan, and you don¡¯t ask me... about Huo Shaoheng, ok?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had just stepped into Chen Lie¡¯s office, and when he heard that, he stepped back and quietly turned around and left.

 Chapter 702 - The Protective Huo Shao (2)

    <h4>Chapter 702: The Protective Huo Shao (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Chen Lie was looking in the mirror and looked away in shock towards Gu Nianzhi at the words. ¡°¡®Mr. Huo?¡¯ When did you so grow distant from Boss?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s only right. I was too immature before and gloated from the tiniest bit of kindness. But was that necessary? I was so desperately clingy, and in the end I was only disliked...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, why are you speaking so strangely?¡± Chen Lie stopped looking in the mirror and walked around Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Did you fall in love with someone else after going to Germany?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re the one falling for someone else!¡± Gu Nianzhi shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°I merely gave up, just like you. I gave up, got it?¡±

    Chen Lie shook his head with a look of pity. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why aren¡¯t you enjoying what¡¯s good instead of causing trouble for yourself? Do you want to end up like me...¡±

    ¡°Stop right there.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly put a stop to Chen Lie¡¯s divergence. ¡°There is a fundamental difference between us. Stop being such a busybody with everyone. It¡¯s annoying. This isn¡¯t even a big deal or anything, so stop talking about it, Brother Chen. I should¡¯ve kept my big mouth shut and not said anything to you. You are terrible at keeping secrets, and before tomorrow morning, the entire base will know from your chattering. I¡¯m warning you now, if someone else knows about this, I¡¯ll tell everyone your thing, too!¡±

    Chen Lie finally nced at her and inched over to whisper, ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked out. ¡°I almost lost my life going to Germany this time. Do you know? When people face life and death, they will expand their perspectives and see many things clearly.¡±

    Chen Lie sighed and muttered behind Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Someone is not grateful for her own blessings. It¡¯s not my problem if she wants to screw herself over. I already said what I could and did as much as I could as a friend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She could only pretend she didn¡¯t hear anything. Sitting back down on the sofa, she watched Chen Lie leave the office and went back to ying with her iPad.

    Chen Lie walked out of the office with slumped shoulders and gazed at the inky sky outside the windows of the long hallway before heading to the elevators. By the elevator doors, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back was to the hallway as he smoked facing the windows. He had a strapping figure, straight back, broad shoulders, and a thick weaponry belt around his powerful waist and incredibly long legs. But even the handsome one, the cool and impressive Huo Shao, would get dumped one day... Chen Lie suddenly felt great relief and a bit more confident. He straightened his back and coughed. ¡°Huo Shao is back? Why don¡¯t you go sit inside? I¡¯m going to go see... Dr. Ye.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him as he continued to gaze out at the night sky and smoke his cigarette. Chen Lie frowned. ¡°Go outside if you¡¯re going to smoke. Strictly speaking, this is also a non-smoking zone. Although there are windows...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped smoking but held the cigarette in his hand as he continued to look out the window. Yin Shixiong stood behind him and was frowning so hard that his handsome face with strong brows andrge eyes was about to wrinkle. Chen Lie waved to Yin Shixiong before getting into the elevator and heading to where Ye Zitan was being locked up.

    ...

    After Chen Lie left, Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked quietly, ¡°Sir, what¡¯s wrong with Nianzhi?¡± The way Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Mr. Huo¡± earlier shocked Yin Shixiong to the core. It was like seeing a precious daughter adored by her father suddenly deciding to cut off all ties with him.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him before looking down and replying coolly, ¡°She¡¯s probably still sick.¡±

    ¡°She should take medication if she¡¯s sick. Otherwise, she¡¯s going to terrify other people.¡± Yin Shixiong scratched the back of his head. ¡°Then... Are you still going inside?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng threw the half finished cigarette into the garbage under the window sill and took out a new one to light. ¡°Yeah, after I finish this cigarette.¡± Yin Shixiong nced at thest cigarette Huo Shaoheng had just thrown into the garbage, then at the second one in his hand. He decided to shut up.

    ...

    Ye Zitan couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Her dinner in the evening was extraordinarily richer than usual, so she knew she was done for. She actually never thought that her end woulde so soon. After having dinner, she went to shower properly and changed into her favorite clothes before sitting at the end of her bed and waiting for the morning with wide eyes. When it was nearly 4am, the guard came to tell her Chen Lie was visiting.

    Ye Zitan smiled bitterly and walked out of her cell to arrive at the interrogation room with the ss wall divider from earlier. Chen Lie was dressed cheerfully and appeared very elegant. Standing before the ss wall, he looked at her solemnly and nodded when she arrived. ¡°Dr. Ye, this is thest time I¡¯ming to see you. I want to know if you can tell me what they used to convince you to lose your basic humanity.¡±

    Ye Zitan didn¡¯t expect Chen Lie to say that, and her face nched. Her mouth gaped, and she was stunned silent for a long moment before she stammered, ¡°You don¡¯t understand, you don¡¯t understand. Their technology is much too advancedpared to us. We can¡¯t catch up, and you can¡¯t, either...¡±

    ¡°Dr. Ye, that¡¯s the difference between us. I never believed anyone could be better than us. If they exist, then we will surely overtake them in the future. No one is first ce forever. Everyone is advancing and developing throughpetition with each other.¡± Chen Lie pushed his sses up the bridge of his nose. ¡°It¡¯s my regret that you ended up being such an unscrupulous person.¡±

    Ye Zitan finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and burst into tears. She regretted it now, but it was toote. There was no such thing as second chances in life. Covering her face, she wailed pitifully.

    Chen Lie still had something to say and quietly waited for her to finish crying before continuing, ¡°The fact that you¡¯re crying proves you understand what you did wrong. When you arrive at the underworld and see those two fieldrades, I hope you remember to apologize to them. And apologize to them on my behalf as well.¡±

    Ye Zitan¡¯s entire body shook. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m about to die?¡±

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t speak but looked away unwillingly. Ye Zitan pressed her head against the ss wall and shook like a leaf in the wind. After some time, she looked up at Chen Lie. ¡°I wronged them. If I see them, I¡¯ll be sure to ask for their forgiveness.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°What about Nianzhi? Is she still doing ok?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, she just woke up.¡± Chen Lie nodded. ¡°Luckily, she¡¯s ok. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop myself from ending you myself.¡±

    Ye Zitan smiled at him bitterly. ¡°Dr. Chen, I also want to see Nianzhi and apologize to her directly.¡±

    She would only have the opportunity to apologize to the two field personnel after her death, but with Nianzhi, Ye Zitan wanted to apologize to her before she died. This could possibly be Ye Zitan¡¯sst wish, so Chen Lie considered it. ¡°Just wait.¡± He walked outside and called Huo Shaoheng on his phone. ¡°Boss, Dr. Ye says she wants to see Nianzhi. What do you think?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was still smoking in front of the window by the elevator when Chen Lie¡¯s voice was heard in his Bluetooth headset. He thought about it for a while and said, ¡°Let her see Nianzhi.¡± He then nced at Yin Shixiong standing behind him. ¡°Take Nianzhi to see Ye Zitan.¡± There was audio and visual recording in the interrogation room anyway, so Huo Shaoheng wanted to see what Ye Zitan would say to Gu Nianzhi. Nianzhi was so smart, so she might ¡°lead¡± Ye Zitan into revealing who the mastermind was.

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Yin Shixiong shared the same thought and quickly went to Chen Lie¡¯s office to see Gu Nianzhi still ying games on her iPad. He waved frantically at her. ¡°Nianzhi, Dr. Ye wants to see you. Hurry up ande with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little shocked and set down the iPad. Straightening her clothes, she called out crisply, ¡°Brother Xiong, long time no see.¡± She then got up and quickly walked to the door. ¡°Why does Dr. Ye want to see me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but Dr. Chen called just now to ask Chief and got his permission.¡± Yin Shixiong spoke as he discreetly observed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression. In the past, Gu Nianzhi always smiled like a blooming flower whenever he spoke about Huo Shao, but she appeared very calm today and didn¡¯t have a mood swing at all. Scratching his head, Yin Shixiong decided not to mention this.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Yin Shixiong to the elevator and got inside. She noticed Yin Shixiong was still looking around and asked, ¡°Brother Xiong, what are you looking at?¡±

    Yin Shixiong opened his mouth but recalled how Gu Nianzhi had called Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo¡± just now. He decided not to mention anything and smiled. ¡°I was just seeing if anyone else wasing. If not, we can close the elevator.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted when she thought about how it was 4am. Who would be getting on an elevator right now? He couldn¡¯t evene up with a proper excuse... She didn¡¯t speak again but soon arrived at the interrogation room with Yin Shixiong. Chen Lie was waiting for them at the door and grabbed her arm as soon as she arrived. They went inside together while Yin Shixiong guarded the door. Inside the interrogation room, Ye Zitan was already curled up by the ss wall and appeared very haggard.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly went over and didn¡¯t feel good seeing Ye Zitan in that state. Coughing softly, she asked, ¡°Dr. Ye?¡±

    Ye Zitan looked up slowly, and her eyes glittered when she saw Gu Nianzhi had arrived. She quickly supported herself on the ss wall to stand up and kept her eyes on Gu Nianzhi, her gaze burning with greediness. ¡°Nianzhi? You¡¯re really ok? That¡¯s so great! Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry... Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have traded you for the experimental data...¡± Her voice was shrill and carried excitement uncharacteristic from before.

    What could Gu Nianzhi say? Thank you for not killing me? She stayed quiet.

    Ye Zitan¡¯s mood was rather unstable. She watched Gu Nianzhi through the ss wall as sheughed and cried, ¡°Nianzhi... You¡¯re the one I wronged the most. You¡¯re actually more pitiful than me. I shouldn¡¯t have coborated with others to hurt you. I still remember the time you were raped to that extent, all covered in injuries, and I was so heartbroken to see it. How could I cast salt on your wounds? Greed must have blinded me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression fell, and she interjected awkwardly, ¡°Dr. Ye, do you know what you¡¯re saying?! Being raped? That never happened...¡±

    Zhao Liangze was recording the interrogation from the Central Control Room and quickly turned off all recording equipment before notifying Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Chief, listen to what Ye Zitan is saying to Nianzhi!¡±

    The sounds of Ye Zitan¡¯s crying andughter were heard in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Bluetooth headset before the words, ¡°...the time you were raped to that extent...¡±

    ¡°Motherf*cker! Damn it!¡± The normally unperturbed Huo Shaoheng suddenly threw his cigarette to the ground and swore.

 Chapter 703 - The Protective Huo Shao (3)

    Chapter 703: The Protective Huo Shao (3)

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng entered the elevator with an extremely stern expression and told Zhao Liangze through the earpiece, ¡°Inform the execution team. We¡¯ll carry out the execution immediately.¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at his watch. It was only half past four. Executions were usually carried out at noon. Ye Zitan just issued herself a death sentence. When the prison executed a criminal, they¡¯d usually let them have a nice final meal and also send some clothes that the criminal liked, so they knew that their time was ¡°nearing.¡±

    ...

    In the interrogation room in the disciplinarymittee building, Gu Nianzhi looked at Ye Zitan sternly and said coldly, ¡°Enough, Doctor Ye! I wanted to be nice since you were going to be executed soon, but look at what you¡¯re saying! Do you think you¡¯re humane at all?! No wonder you¡¯d betray yourrades for personal gain. People like you will never be the best in the world of medicine. You¡¯re always thinking of how to take advantage of people¡¯s knowledge for your own sake and stealing other¡¯s credit as your own. Shame on you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words struck the weakest spot in Ye Zitan¡¯s heart. For her, achieving breakthroughs in experiments had be a spell, an evil spell that pulled her to sacrifice anything she had, just so she could achieve them¡ªjust like the notorious doctors from Japan¡¯s Unit 731 who used real humans for experiments just because they wanted real results for breakthroughs.

    Those doctors from Unit 731 did not see the Chinese as humans but viewed them as animals. Or perhaps they saw them as objects, like a piece of wood or a rock. They were just a set of data to the doctors, not living humans that would experience pain and cry, just like they did. And what wererades? They¡¯d even sacrifice their own families or even themselves, if necessary.

    ¡°Haha... You¡¯ll never understand how invincible they are! Even though you might have been lucky enough this time around, you won¡¯t be the next. You will not be able to escape... They¡¯ve set their eyes on you... You¡¯ll never ever be able to escape!¡± Ye Zitan was almost delusional by now due to the impact of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. Raising her hands, sheughed eerily and seemed to havepletely lost her mind.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and folded her arms casually. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your efforts anymore, Doctor Ye. It¡¯s futile to try to get off the hook by pretending to have lost your mind. I¡¯m awyer and am able to tell you responsibly that for the crime of being a spy, losing one¡¯s mind will not be one of the considerations for being let go.¡±

    Ye Zitan¡¯sughter stopped abruptly. She red at Gu Nianzhi with red eyes. Her usually tidy hair was already a mess because of her incessant rubbing, making her look like a maniac.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Gu Nianzhi was full of confidence whenever she spoke about her profession. ¡°Because being a spy isn¡¯t an ordinary crime. You require a mastermind organization that has absolute sanity and power to carry out a crime in order to givemands, and the person receiving themands must have absolute sanity and power to carry out thosemands. Therefore, those who are spies will never be mentally unsound. If that person was mentally unsound, he or she would never have been able to carry out thosemands. Don¡¯t try so hard anymore. Your mastermind has obviously already given up on you. To them you were merely a tiny chess piece that is easily receable. They¡¯ve betrayed you, but you¡¯re still protecting them? How silly.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be... It can¡¯t be... They said... They said that I¡¯m extremely important to them... I am their only spy in the Special Forces...¡± Ye Zitan shook her head in denial, like she would be able to fully deny Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words as long as she used enough strength.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. Supporting herself on one hand, her slender finger tapped on her right cheek. ¡°Continue trying to brainwash yourself. You? The only spy? You trust their word? I really take my hat off to those people now. They¡¯re really good at looking for one¡¯s weak spots. To you, Doctor Ye, the usual tools of bribery¡ªmoney and men¡ªmight not work. Therefore, how could they use you? The only way would be to target your eagerness for medical breakthroughs.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too proud of yourself. You think that you¡¯ll be able to escape death twice?¡± Ye Zitan did not even try to hide anymore. ring hard at Gu Nianzhi, she looked vastly different from how she looked when she had been crying a moment ago. She had really intended to apologize to Gu Nianzhi. However, seeing how Gu Nianzhi spoke, she did not feel apologetic anymore.

    ¡°Haha, you think I¡¯m dumb? If they were really so good, they wouldn¡¯t have had to use you to find out where I was.¡± If Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t so capable, she would have died at the foot of the Alps. Even though she was disappointed by how she had to escape all on her own, her confidence regarding her own capability and survival skills increased tremendously. Even though people learned from failures, a person wouldn¡¯t be confident unless they had seeded.

    Chen Lie was dumbfounded listening to their conversation. When he heard Ye Zitan bring up how Gu Nianzhi looked after the ordeal when she first contracted H3aB7, he almost died. Beads of perspiration dotted his forehead. He was just relieved that he had held it in at the time and had not told Ye Zitan the entire truth. Ye Zitan only knew that Gu Nianzhi was ¡°used¡± to that extent. She did not know, however, that it was due to the H3aB7. She had thought that it was only due to a normal aphrodisiac.

    She also did not know that it was done by Mr. Huo... Otherwise, they would have had something against Huo Shaoheng by now. Mr. Huo, this is the best I can do... Chen Lie thought quietly. Just when he was about to pull Gu Nianzhi away, he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darken as she took charge of the conversation.

    Under her emotional stimtion, Ye Zitan seemed to have gone mad, so Chen Lie kept quiet and listened in on their conversation. He wanted to know who the ¡°them¡± in Ye Zitan¡¯s story was. However, just when Ye Zitan threw herself onto the ss wall like she wanted to break it and physically fight Gu Nianzhi, Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s voice could be heard outside the door. ¡°Time¡¯s up! Criminal, to the execution ground.¡±

    Chen Lie was taken aback. Gu Nianzhi was stunned. They looked at each other, seemingly lost. The door to the interrogation room opened, and Yin Shixiong waved at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come out quickly, Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw a tall, lean man standing at the door. He looked extremely normal, like one who easily blended in with the crowd. However, when she caught his gaze, shivers ran down her spine. He was cold, extremely cold. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This person is really something. Why haven¡¯t I seen him before? This was one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secret secretaries, Zhou Qiyuan. He was also in charge of the disciplinary department in the Special Forces.

    Chen Lie nudged Gu Nianzhi, and they left the interrogation room together. ¡°Big Xiong, it¡¯s not even noon yet. She¡¯ll be executed already?¡± Chen Lie asked, brows furrowed. He nced behind Yin Shixiong and did not see Huo Shaoheng. He guessed that it must have been Huo Shaoheng¡¯s idea...

    Well, it was.

    When he heard Ye Zitan spilling that incident to Gu Nianzhi, he had cursed himself for making the same mistake as his ancestors. Being soft hearted was really a no-go in his line of work. Had they executed Ye Zitan earlier, none of this nonsense would have happened.

    ...

    The execution team arrived at the execution ground. It was only five o¡¯clock in the morning. The skies were just about to brighten up. The morning air was damp, and it felt cool as it was already mid autumn. The Special Forces¡¯ execution ground was built in a valley. There were maple leaves all around. The grass there was greener than in other ces.

    Ye Zitan was brought to the execution ground with her head covered. A tall, well-covered man in shades and a mask went to Ye Zitan and pulled her head cover off. He scanned her eyes with aser indicator andmanded someone to test her fingerprints. Finally, he took a drop of her blood for archive records before pushing her to the exact location of execution.

    Ye Zitan¡¯s legs had already turned jelly by then. She could not stand up. She only sat there. Just when the sun rose, the executioner raised his gun, aimed in Ye Zitan¡¯s direction, and released a shot. Immediately following, more gunshots were heard. The sound echoed all across the execution ground. However, it did not stop. The executioner emptied his clip, reloaded his gun, and continued shooting. He only stopped after reloading three times.

    Yin Shixiong witnessed the entire process in the viewing room. When the executioner finished and had made sure that Ye Zitan was indeed dead, he threw the gun to the soldiers standing by and headed to the viewing room.

    Yin Shixiong looked at the man as he removed his gloves and handed him some wet towels to clean his hand. The executioner was none other than Huo Shaoheng. For him to be carrying out the shooting personally, he must have been really angered by Ye Zitan¡¯s actions.

    Yin Shixiong did not know what to say, so he tried to start a conversation. ¡°Why did you shoot so many times, Mr. Huo? Usually we only shoot once or twice, at most.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng removed his shades and said with a straight face, ¡°...Aim wasn¡¯t urate, so I fired more shots.¡±

    Yin Shixiong almost fainted. He thought, Let me tell you a joke: Mr. Huo said that his shooting was bad! Would you believe it? I wouldn¡¯t.

 Chapter 704 - Donâ€™t Be Like This

    Chapter 704: Don¡¯t Be Like This

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ye Zitan was taken away, so Gu Nianzhi and Chen Lie also left the Disciplinary Committee Building. Chen Lie was absentminded the entire way and couldn¡¯t concentrate at all. In the end, he didn¡¯t want to return to his office and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll go rest in my dorm for a while. Nianzhi, can you go back to the ward by yourself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a fever anymore, but Chen Lie was still worried. He wanted to observe her for another two days and hadn¡¯t discharged her yet. Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Brother Chen, have some proper rest. When you¡¯re finished resting, can I be discharged and go back to campus?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll talk about it when Ie back.¡± Chen Lie waved without looking back and turned down a small path leading to the dorm.

    Gu Nianzhi went back to Chen Lie¡¯s office alone and sat on the sofa outside the private room. She sighed deeply. Ye Zitan was taken away and would probably nevere back. Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully and discovered she had no extra sympathy. Perhaps she really didn¡¯t have the mindless kindness of people who helped the hand that struck them down. Or maybe Ye Zitan¡¯s final words to her diminished thest bit of sympathy. Leaning on the soda, she draped one hand over her forehead as she quietly thought about what happened. Although Gu Nianzhi had shot down Ye Zitan¡¯s final words as she said them, it was impossible for her to not have any doubts at all.

    ¡°The time you were raped to that extent, all covered in injuries...¡± Ye Zitan¡¯s words continued to echo inside her head, and her face nched as she recalled the past events. Gu Nianzhi clearly remembered that although she had been dosed with an aphrodisiac at her college ssmate Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday party, she was able to find Chen Lie before the effects took over. At the time, Chen Lie took her to the Special Operations Forces Base in C City. However, she didn¡¯t remember what happened after she arrived on base, and by the time she woke up, it was two weekter. She had also missed the interview with He Zhichu because of this.

    If Ye Zitan was telling the truth, then she would have only been assaulted during the time she lost her memories while she was at the Special Ops base. But that was Huo Shao¡¯s territory, so how could such a thing happen? Based on her sense and logic, Gu Nianzhi thought Ye Zitan was lying. But Ye Zitan also swore she saw Gu Nianzhi ¡°covered in injuries,¡± and when she woke up it, was indeed Ye Zitan caring for her...

    What had happened, exactly? Also, she clearly remembered her first time was with Huo Shao. Her thoughts instantly jumped to how her first time with Huo Shao wasn¡¯t on the bed but in a bathtub. That was a bit strange. Did she bleed at the time? Actually, it hadn¡¯t happened that long ago, but she couldn¡¯t remember the details clearly. Rubbing her forehead with frustration, Gu Nianzhi smoothly picked up the iPad on the couch and started to y a game. Only ying games could distract her when she was in a foul mood.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng came back from the execution grounds and somehow ended up at the base hospital building. He took Yin Shixiong to the floor Chen Lie¡¯s office was on and paced in front of the elevator for a while. Yin Shixiong followed behind him for a bit but suddenly had an exciting thought. He instantly got the epiphany, is Nianzhi ying coy with Huo Shao? So that¡¯s why Huo Shao avoided visiting her all this time... Then why would he follow him and be a third wheel? It¡¯d be hard for Huo Shao to coax Nianzhi even if he wanted to. Yin Shixiong decided not to go. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ll go see what¡¯s happening with Little Ze. Can you go to Dr. Chen¡¯s office alone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t turn around but raised his hand in a wave to indicate it was fine. Yin Shixiong sighed in relief and smoothed over his curious expression before running off to find Zhao Liangze for some munication.¡± Yin Shixiong was so excited, he couldn¡¯t stop himself when he saw Gu Nianzhi, who typically obeyed Huo Shaoheng like a deity, finally ¡°rebel.¡± He must share it with someone. He couldn¡¯t be the only one shocked. Little Ze needed to get a shock, too. He might as well share his feelings.

    ...

    It was only a little over ten meters from the elevator to the Chen Lie¡¯s office, but Huo Shaoheng felt like he had walked for a very long time. When he arrived at the door, which was slightly ajar, he quietly stared at it. After a while, he finally reached out to push it open. Gu Nianzhi was ying on her iPad on the couch and assumed Chen Lie had returned when she heard the door. She didn¡¯t look up before saying, ¡°Brother Chen, why are you back so soon? Are you all rested now?¡±

    No one answered her. Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt tension in the air and looked up awkwardly to see not Chen Lie, but Huo Shaoheng standing at the door. The light from the hallway illuminated him from behind and cast a huge shadow. He stood at the doorway, his deep set and inky eyes staring at her unblinkingly. How long had it been since theyst saw each other? Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure it out in the moment. She looked at him but didn¡¯t feel the blossoming joy from before. Instead, she recalled how he and Tan Guiren dismounted the ne as soon as she saw him. That gentle smile and natural movement of helping her stand up, as well as how smoothly he epted the bouquet¡ªall the scenes shed across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind to instantly destroy any lingering feelings for him. She originally thought she would cry and scream when she met him again, venting all her grievances before ending their rtionship. However, she realized she was as calm as water as she nodded to him. ¡°Mr. Huo came.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°Nianzhi, do you have to be distant?¡±

    ¡°Then should I call you ¡®Uncle Huo?¡¯¡± Is that intimate enough?

    Huo Shaoheng tasted the blood rise at the back of his throat. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrobly as he finally came inside and closed the door behind him. He walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and asked calmly, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Yes, much better. Thanks for the concern.¡± Gu Nianzhi shut off the iPad and stood up to give Huo Shaoheng the seat. ¡°Please, have a seat. Do you want tea or coffee?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets and continued to ask, ¡°Where do you feel unwell?¡±

    ¡°Nowhere, I¡¯m great.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very polite. ¡°Thank you for taking me to Brother Chen.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and his tone grew low. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be like this...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m exactly like this. Sorry it doesn¡¯t meet your expectations.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked directly at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Actually, I wanted to speak with Mr. Huo about something, too, and had originally thought with how incredibly busy you are, I might have to wait six months or a year for you to spare time for a small potato like me. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you after only waiting for a day.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fuss.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out and tried to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°You know I always have time for you.¡±

    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t know when you have time.¡± Gu Nianzhi stepped back to avoid his hand. She thought she would cry but didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t want to sound too caustic and appear like she was being jealous, nor did she want to continue leaving such an impression on Huo Shaoheng. Maybe her expression was so terrible in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s memory that no matter how hard she tried, he just assumed she was being fussy.

    She had gone through life and death in Germany yet was only giving the impression of ¡°being fussy¡± with him. Gu Nianzhi finally felt bitterness in her heart, and her nose began to sniffle. Tears swirled in here eyes, but she didn¡¯t cry. Looking down to inhale deeply, Gu Nianzhi recalled Ye Zitan¡¯s words. The question that had been rolling around in her mind earlier could not escape her lips when she faced Huo Shaoheng. She wasn¡¯t shy, but she instinctively knew that with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s abilities and capabilities, it would be much too easy to fool her. So in order to find the real answer, she mustn¡¯t try asking Huo Shaoheng, but Chen Lie. Chen Lie was a chatterbox, so it was much easier to lure him into revealing the answer. Gu Nianzhi lost herself in her thoughts and didn¡¯t notice that Huo Shaoheng had grabbed her hand. She struggled. ¡°Let go.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, we have to talk properly.¡± Huo Shaoheng used only a bit of strength to pull her down to sit on the couch again. Gu Nianzhi struggled again and finally escaped from his hand, then turned around to bring the iPad over and cradled it. She contemted not dragging things out, since it would hurt more the longer it took to resolve.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was within arm¡¯s reach, and wanted to hug her badly, but she appeared like she wouldsh out as soon as he touched her. He controlled himself. They had been apart for a few months but ended up in this state when they finally reunited. Huo Shaoheng raised his arm and draped it on the couch¡¯s armrest. His long legs stretched outzily while his other arm rested on the back of the couch behind Gu Nianzhi so he could almost hold her.

    Gu Nianzhi toyed with the words in her head several times before looking down and finally saying with difficulty, ¡°Mr. Huo, thank you for the care over the years. I¡¯m very thankful.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, look at me. What did I teach you before? It¡¯s rude to not look in someone¡¯s eyes when you¡¯re speaking to them,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly as he discreetly inched closer to Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 705 - Letâ€™s Break Up

    <h4>Chapter 705: Let¡¯s Break Up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was still that familiar pampering tone and attractive deep voice. In the past, when Gu Nianzhi heard Huo Shaoheng speak like that, her legs would be weak. Don¡¯t even get her started about looking at his enticing eyes. His attentive gaze could make you feel like you were the only thing he was interested in in this whole world. But what was the truth?

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head slightly and looked up at Huo Shaoheng with indifference in her eyes. Her eyes were big, and when her gaze was fixed on you, you could see your reflection in her eyes. At that time, that pair of soul capturing dark blue eyes were as clear as an autumnke. But they weren¡¯t those addictive and happy eyes that he was familiar with. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she looked at him. ¡°In Mr. Huo¡¯s eyes, am I still that insensible child?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked away and sat closer to her.

    ¡°Then what kind of person am I in Mr. Huo¡¯s eyes?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. Of course, he knew what kind of person she was. So obedient that it was cute, clever, and quick witted. Also very kind, sympathetic and having a sense of justice. In short, he raised her himself. How could he not know what kind of girl she was?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He stretched out his hand and stroked the long hair behind her back. Gu Nianzhi reacted to his movement by moving away. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was not saying anything, Gu Nianzhi could only talk to herself. ¡°In Mr. Huo¡¯s eyes, am I so obedient that it is cute, clever, and quick witted, also very kind and sympathetic?¡± Exactly what Huo Shaoheng thought of her.

    He wet his lips and said in a low voice, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Ha,¡± Gu Nianzhiughed grudgingly. ¡°See? That¡¯s the difference between us.¡± She straightened her sleeves. Gu Nianzhi scooted away again. She was almost at the edge of the sofa. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not like that. I¡¯m only like that because I know you want me to act that way. That¡¯s why I acted that way in front of you. See, didn¡¯t you fall for it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand stopped, and he put it behind the sofa. ¡°Is it not?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m actually not an obedient person. If you contact my ssmates, my school professors, teachers, you will know that Gu Nianzhi was never an obedient person. I like to question authority. I like to have challenges. I¡¯m smart and clever, but I¡¯m also stubborn. When I¡¯m stubborn, it makes people want to beat me up. I have a bad temper. I get angry at the drop of a hat. Mr. Huo, you should be happy because I never let you be the target of my anger. I¡¯m always scheming.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng heard that, he didn¡¯t know if he should be happy or hurt. He raised his brows and said indifferently, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t have a temper? I know about your little shorings, but to me they are not shorings.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re great and generous. Of course, you don¡¯t care about my little shorings. But they are a part of me. I¡¯m narrow minded. I¡¯m possessive. There are some things that I would rather break than share.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng just looked at her with keen eyes. His brows narrowed. Gu Nianzhi picked up the iPad. Her finger slid on the screen that was as smooth as ss. It sounded cold, as if it were ice from the Alps formed during the Ice Age. She said it one word at a time. It pierced Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cold, hard heart.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you think my attitude had changed. It¡¯s not something you¡¯re familiar with, but do you know the reason behind it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued to lean on the sofa, but he scooted closer to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi was already at one end of the sofa. She couldn¡¯t scoot any further. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s big, tall figure closed in. He confined her to that corner. Gu Nianzhi was thinking of the past deeply. She wasn¡¯t paying any attention to his movements. She didn¡¯t notice what he was doing.

    ¡°I thought I was going to die when those two fake police officers put me in Seth¡¯s car. I know what kind of person Seth was better than most people. The way he treated Li Haiqing. He sadistically killed her. But I was lucky and woke up unharmed.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched involuntarily a few times.

    ¡°I saw an opportunity when Seth was thinking of his evil deeds. I kicked him, then I jumped out of the car. At that time, it was raining heavily. I was on a mountain path in the Alps running toward any paths there were. I didn¡¯t dare stop any cars because there were cliffs on both sides of the road. I was afraid that before I even got away, I would fall off a cliff. But in the end, I still ended up at the bottom of the cliff because I had nowhere else to go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips pressed together until they became a thin line. His heart beat madly. To him, this level of danger was nothing, but it was different for Gu Nianzhi. She had never experienced this kind of danger before. Although he had taught her how to survive in the wild, it didn¡¯t include how to survive falling off a cliff. It was an exceedingly difficult drill for special forces soldiers.

    ¡°During that time, I thought I might not be able to see you again.¡± Gu Nianzhi talked about how she felt with indifference. She talked about the past as if she were telling someone else¡¯s story.

    Huo Shaoheng moved closer to her and put his arm around her. He wanted her to lean on his chest. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t lean on it. She was still sitting there with her back straight. She looked straight ahead as if she were looking at a rainy night in the Alps.

    ¡°Then, I woke up. They were still after me. From falling down the cliff to four fake cops trying to kill me. I could only keep on running. That whole time, I ate wild food, slept in the open, and contended with animals. Good thing I met a cute little ck bear. It helped me out quite a bit.¡± Gu Nianzhi breathed through her nose. ¡°I miss it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his fist. Then one of his hands was on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, and the other hand held her arm. He only had to use a little strength, and he would be able to lift her up and put her on hisp. But Gu Nianzhi was stiff and sitting very straight. Her face was pale like delicate porcin. He didn¡¯t dare use too much force. He was afraid that if he squeezed too hard, he would break her.

    ¡°They went to great lengths to kill me. I didn¡¯t dare call you guys because I was afraid it would affect your work. I was at the end of my rope. That was why I called Brother Chen. I never imagined that the call would end up killing two field agents.¡± The nasal sound Gu Nianzhi had earlier was now stronger than before.

    Huo Shaoheng knew she felt guilty. He patted her on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t kill Boren, Boren died because of me. How could I not feel guilty?¡± Gu Nianzhi earnestly asked.

    She only realized how close Huo Shaoheng was sitting to her when she raised her eyes. His body was giving off warmth. She was enveloped in his breath. Gu Nianzhi looked at him. Herplexion had returned to normal. ¡°Even though I was in such danger, I hated bothering you guys. But where were you? What were you doing at that time? Were you with the prime minister¡¯s daughter looking at the sea, or were you listening to the rain with her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯m not ming you. I know those missions were given to you by the big boss. But in my opinion, they were all f*cking stupid.¡± The foulnguage spilled out of Gu Nianzhi mouth unrestrained.

    Subconsciously, Huo Shaoheng wanted to correct her, but after considering it carefully, she was right. That mission was really f*cking stupid. He patted her back and said, ¡°...Sorry.¡± She had longed for his rescue when she was in the wild and in the mountains. But what was he doing? No wonder she was so hurt. He took a deep breath, but he didn¡¯t exin the danger he had encountered before. There was no need to find excuses when you were wrong.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. Really.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out the gift she was nning on giving to Huo Shaoheng, the Zippo lighter. ¡°Then I encountered Reinitz and Als. I didn¡¯t investigate and fell into their trap. But when I realized it, I didn¡¯t make it easy for them, either.¡± Gu Nianzhi yed with the Zippo lighter and cast a sidelong nce at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I breached their system and wiped out their entire intelligence channel. Did you guys receive those emails?¡±

    ¡°We got them.¡± He firmly grasped her shoulder. He realized she was much thinner than before. Before, she was soft, smooth, and round. Practically couldn¡¯t feel the shoulder de. Now it was scary how bony she felt in his hands. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    That information was valuable, but because they got it three dayste, it already made them lose a lot of opportunities to eliminate the traitor. But just that one top secret file among all those files contained so much information that it would take them eight to ten years to analyze.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. You guys have protected me for so many years. That¡¯s thest thing that I can do for you,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she pulled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand open and put the lighter in his palm. ¡°This lighter was supposed to be a gift for you. It saved my life. It¡¯s also thest gift I¡¯m going to give you. You don¡¯t mind that it¡¯s used now, do you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the lighter that still had Gu Nianzhi¡¯s warmth. His arms tightened. He finally pulled Gu Nianzhi close to his chest. He tried to convey his guilt-ridden conscience and pain that he was unable to put into words in that embrace. Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. She stretched out her arms and patted him on the back. ¡°It¡¯s ok now. I don¡¯t mind it anymore. If it weren¡¯t for what you taught me all these years, I would not have been able to survive in the Alps. In any case, I¡¯m very grateful to you.¡±

    The more courteous she was, the more he was not used to it. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart ached. He quickly lifted her chin and was about to kiss her water chestnut lips. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t evade it or avoid it but just looked at him like that. The way her clear eyes reflected his tense facial features, he suddenly couldn¡¯t kiss her. Their lips were so close to each other that they could feel each other¡¯s warm breath blowing on the corners of their eyes. They were close, but there was an invisible wall between them.

    ¡°When Als was electrocuting me, I really couldn¡¯t handle it. I would think of your embrace. Think of youing to rescue me. That way it wouldn¡¯t be that painful, but after Reinitz saved me, I saw you with the prime minister¡¯s daughter... I felt like I would rather continue to be electrocuted in that little bar.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart was cut into pieces. He put her head on his chest and firmly embraced her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears rolled down. ¡°Huo Shaoheng... let¡¯s break up.¡±

 Chapter 706 - I Need To Consider It Well

    <h4>Chapter 706: I Need To Consider It Well</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    She really wanted to break up. The words suddenly shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind. Throughout all these years, Gu Nianzhi had called him ¡°Uncle Huo,¡±¡±Huo Shao,¡± then finally, ¡°Mr. Huo.¡± This was the first time she had called him by his full name, but this first time it left her mouth was also when she was asking to break up.

    Huo Shaoheng felt very conflicted, and his arms instinctively tightened to hug her closer. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head. ¡°Nianzhi, I know you¡¯re very sad and upset. But don¡¯t make any decisions at a time like this, ok?¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her back and felt how she trembled in an attempt to hold back her sobs. He felt horrible.

    Gu Nianzhi sniffled and pushed herself out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms to nce at his solemn expression. ¡°This is not the most sad and upset I¡¯ve been. I only made this decision after thinking about it for a very long time.¡± As she spoke, she turned on the iPad she had been holding the entire time and opened up her list of assets. ¡°These are the things you have given me over the years, so I shouldn¡¯t ept them but give them all back to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the real estate and bank ount statements, as well as the investment ounts. ¡°But as for the clothes, shoes, bags, and skincare products you bought me, I won¡¯t be returning them. I don¡¯t like other people using my things.¡±

    When He Zhichu had yed the recording of Gu Nianzi¡¯s heartbreaking words through the airnemunicator yesterday, Huo Shaoheng already knew Gu Nianzhi had beenpletely heartbroken this time. He had mentally prepared himself for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request to break up, but he didn¡¯t think she would ask so soon and also quickly divide their mutual assets. Intelligent girls leaving the vortex of love became so logical and calm it was astounding. Huo Shaoheng both pitied and loved Gu Nianzhi when she was like this, yet he also felt a trace of guilt. However, while their rtionship started when Gu Nianzhi asked, that didn¡¯t mean it would end at her request.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, undeniable resilience appearing on his tight jawline. He still continued to hug her as he listened to her say the words that cut his heart. Leaning over, he used one hand to lift up her chin and gently peck again and again at her pink, curvy lips. His attractive baritone was like a devilish spell cast upon people¡¯s hearts. ¡°Nianzhi, I know it, I know it all. No one will use your things... It¡¯s all yours, everything is yours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears streamed down as she tried to forcibly remove Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand from her chin, however, she couldn¡¯t move it no matter how hard she tried. All she could do was look up passively and allow him to continue kissing her lips. There he was again, treating her like a child. Every time he made her upset, he thought kisses and hugs would make her feel better? Gu Nianzhi was angered and suddenly opened her mouth as he tried to kiss her again. She lunged at him like a little leopard and bit hard on his lower lip. Her tiny, perfect pearly teeth instantly left a row of tiny bite marks on his lower lip. She bit down hard until she tasted a hint of sweet blood on the tip of her tongue before slightly releasing her teeth. She had made him bleed...

    They were very close to each other, breaths intertwining. He was panting slightly, but she waspletely rigid like a small animal guarding against him. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes slowly darkened. How could she stop loving him just because she said so? Did she even ask him? His right hand instinctively secured the back of Gi Nianzhi¡¯s neck, and he lowered himself to kiss her once again. Gu Nianzhi was even more furious, and her tiny mouth opened to bite with her tiny pearly teeth once again. However, Huo Shaohengtched onto her lips and sucked hard. As soon as she opened her mouth to bite down, he used one hand to hold her cheeks like a vice. Just like that, his tongue darted into her mouth and caught the tiny tip of her tongue in an intimate dance. Gu Nianzhi mumbled as she continued to struggle in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. Her arms couldn¡¯t move him, so she used her legs, too. As soon as she stretched her long legs, Huo Shaoheng used his other hand to hold her down and fluidly leaned forward. He pushed her down on the sofa, and her long legs happened to wrap around his lean waist.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly realized she had made another mistake. How stupid of her topete with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s physcial strength! Not only was she not his opponent, but even a dozen of her could be defeated by him single-handedly. In her desperation, she began to cry out in pain, ¡°Let go of me! My arm is going to snap. It hurts...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately recalled the video of Gu Nianzhi began electrocuted by Als. His body became rigid, and after a moment, he finally calmed down enough to help Gu Nianzhi sit up on the couch.

    She quickly pushed him away and stood up from the sofa. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, we broke up already. You can¡¯t hug and kiss me whenever you like.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her, his eyes so dark they appeared bottomless.

    ¡°Are you listening to me? Say something...¡± Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Are you agreeing or not?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly agitated as he sat on the couch and waited for himself to calm down. He finally looked at her and repliedzily, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. He dared to beat around the bush! Gu Nianzhi felt even more repulsed and looked down to pick up the iPad from the sofa. She opened the list of assets and printed out two copies, one for herself and one to pass to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°This is yours, and when I have time to go to your official residence, I¡¯ll find all these things and return them to you. Also, I need to take back my clothes, shoes, and bags.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally nced at the list and replied slowly, ¡°You already returned the apartment to me. Where will you put all your stuff?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi originally wanted to say she would leave it in her dorm, but then realized that she had an entire 350-square-foot closet for just her things at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence! Her entire dorm at B University wasn¡¯t even that big. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a house. I have enough money to afford the down payment.¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked and inadvertently revealed her n.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed between his brows. ¡°Just stay in the apartment on Third Ring Road. You don¡¯t need to return it to me.¡±

    ¡°No thanks. I hate that ce more than anything.¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately refused. Because Gu Yanran lived on the floor above her, she no longer wanted to force herself to suffer anymore. She¡¯d clearly express something if she didn¡¯t like it, so what if she didn¡¯t consider the big picture?

    Huo Shaoheng understood. After a moment of silence, he replied, ¡°Ok, then we can discuss itter. Your injuries haven¡¯t healed yet. You need to recover first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t argue with him because she knew there was no point in doing that right now. Obviously, Huo Shaoheng still believed she had the sudden urge to make a fuss and assumed she¡¯d be fine after a while, so she would use her actions to prove she wasn¡¯t simply making a fuss. With this thought, Gu Nianzhi also calmed down. ¡°Fine. Brother Chen also asked me to recover first.¡± She rubbed her arm. ¡°You twisted my arm earlier. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s dislocated.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and grabbed her arm. He squeezed it, then her joint, examining it. ¡°There is no dislocation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shooked her arm and suddenly recalled how she had nearly perished several times on the Alps and hurt her arm, but then quickly recovered. Gu Nianzhi asked directly without evasion, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, do you and Brother Chen know about my special body constitution?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng squinted. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°When I was being hunted down in the Alps, I was injured several times.¡± Gu Nianzhi stretched out the arm that had been shot and rolled up her sleeves to reveal a smooth, pale arm that waspletely wless. Even the pores weren¡¯t visible. ¡°See, does this look like it has ever been shot?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands trembled slightly before he reached over to grab her arm and stroke it with his other hand. He moved down inch by inch. ¡°Where were you shot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to the front section of her left elbow that faced outwards. ¡°Here...¡± She then pointed to her left leg. ¡°I fractured the bone when I fell off a cliff, but it healed in less than two days.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng half kneeled and rolled up the hem of her yoga pants to examine her calf. He certainly didn¡¯t seeing signs of a previous fracture.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°Is that why you and Brother Chen never allow me to go to other doctors?¡± They knew about her special body constitution, so they didn¡¯t want her to end up ab rat.

    Huo Shaoheng rose and nodded. He wasn¡¯t going to hide it from her anymore. ¡°Right. You have a rather special constitution, but it¡¯s not to an outrageous extent. We only wanted to prevent unnecessary trouble, so we didn¡¯t want you to go to other hospitals.¡±

    In that respect, Gu Nianzhi was truly thankful for Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie. They loved and protected her like a human instead of seeing her as important experimental data. Gu Nianzhi was extremely grateful for Huo Shaoheng when she thought about the extent Ye Zitan would go to for experimental data. But being grateful and loving someone were two different things. Gu Nianzhi nodded and was about to thank him when she heard knocking outside the door.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Chief, Secretary Cao from General Ji¡¯s office is here. He says he will be escorting you to go see General Ji.¡±

    They had stopped calling and decided to physically bring him there. Huo Shaoheng had also prepared to exin the situation to General Ji today. Straightening his military uniform, he nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Rest well. We¡¯ll talk when Ie back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said nomittally, ¡°Business is more important, Chief. You¡¯d better deal with your superiors.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He left her private room and closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Huo Shao...¡± Yin Shixiong walked out but immediately pursed his lips tightly at the sight of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. His lower lip had obviously been bitten, and what was going on with the tiny row of bite marks?! Yin Shixiong suddenly imagined the erotic scene of ¡°Gu Nianzhi rebelling and Chief forcefully repressing her for 300 rounds...¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at him. ¡°Did you see a ghost?¡±

    This is even scarier than seeing a ghost alright! Yin Shixiong keep staring nkly at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips and gestured to his own. ¡°Chief, your lips... What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened and opened the door to return to the bathroom to look in the mirror. The cut on his lower lip was still bleeding, and the tiny row of bite marks on his full lips were indeed obvious. They looked like a branding.

 Chapter 707 - Fighting for Her

    <h4>Chapter 707: Fighting for Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled bitterly. This restroom was located in the hospital building in Chen Lie¡¯s office. It was equipped with a first aid kit. Huo Shaoheng took it out, as he was beyond familiar with everything there. There were medications to stop bleeding and some cotton balls in the first aid kit.

    Picking out a cotton ball, Huo Shaoheng put some ointment on it and dabbed it onto the injured area. Then, he dipped the cotton ball into some distilled water and rolled it over his lips. In no time at all, the bleeding on his lips stopped. The teeth marks disappeared as well.

    Huo Shaoheng looked normal upon exiting the washroom, other than his lips looking slightly pale. Gu Nianzhi sat on the sofa and did not look up. She did not even want to know why Huo Shaoheng returned after going out. Huo Shaoheng remained silent as well and exited immediately. He closed the door behind him and turned to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Where is Secretary Cao?¡±

    ¡°Downstairs.¡± Yin Shixiong stole a nce at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips as he replied. He noticed that they were already fine and followed Huo Shaoheng down to meet Secretary Cao.

    Secretary Cao was leaning against a military Jeep and having a puff at the entrance of the medical building. When he saw that Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had exited the building, he threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and walked over to them before saluting. ¡°Major General, General Ji invites you over for a bit.¡±

    Even though Secretary Cao was General Ji¡¯s personal secretary, his military rank was lower than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. When they were outside, he was still respectful.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Hello, Secretary Cao. I had intended to meet General Ji today. I didn¡¯t expect us to have the same thought.¡±

    ¡°General Ji is merely concerned about you,¡± Secretary Cao replied politely.

    They exchanged some words before Fan Jian drove Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car over. Huo Shaoheng waved to Secretary Cao. ¡°Let¡¯s go now. Don¡¯t keep General Ji waiting too long.¡±

    ¡°Please, after you.¡± Secretary Cao saw Huo Shaoheng enter the car before heading back to his own Jeep.

    ¡°To the headquarters.¡± Secretary Cao¡¯s Jeep was in front. His chauffeur led the way. Huo Shaoheng sat in his car and followed behind.

    The morning sun¡¯s rays spilled over the grounds of Di Capital, and the air smelled of osmanthus. Two military vehicles entered the main entrance of the headquarters.

    ¡°Salute!¡± The guards at the entrance saw the passes and license tes of the vehicles and raised their right hands together in a salute. They looked on as the vehicles entered the headquarters.

    However, General Ji was not at his office. He waited for Huo Shaoheng in his study at home. Huo Shaoheng arrived at the entrance of his study and narrowed his eyes at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong got the hint and did not follow Huo Shaoheng in. Instead, he got connected to Zhao Liangze, who was on standby at the Special Forces headquarters, and started to chat with him over his Bluetooth earpiece.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng stood outside the door to the study and saluted. ¡°Huo Shaoheng is back from his mission and here to report to General Ji!¡±

    General Ji had waited the entire night before he was able to see Huo Shaoheng. He was happy, angry, and slightly upset. He left Huo Shaoheng standing at the door for a while longer on purpose before answering, ¡°Enter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door and entered the study, closing the door behind him. General Ji¡¯s study was lined with maroon carpet. All the furniture was a dark shade of reddish brown. It looked traditional, just like a schr¡¯s study. A tall disy cab made of the same type of wood as the rest of the furniture divided the spacious study into two different areas.

    General Ji was in the little area that was separated by the cab. Huo Shaoheng walked past the cab and saw General Ji looking at him sternly from behind his desk.

    Upon seeing him, General Jiughed sarcastically. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you still remembered toe and see me?!¡±

    ¡°Sir, the Special Forces was in chaos when I returned. Therefore, I went back to handle things first beforeing over to report to you. If something happened to the Special Forces, people would be picking on you, General Ji. Therefore, I had no choice but to prioritize it,¡± Huo Shaoheng reported smoothly and even reminded General Ji that he would also be in trouble if the Special Forces went down. This was because the Special Forces could exist due to General Ji¡¯s support.

    General Ji snorted at the reply and took out a stack of documents from his desk cab. He mmed it onto the desk. ¡°What is this? You¡¯re still doing this for me?! Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t treat everyone as fools! What is this bullsh*t about the Special Forces being in chaos? You¡¯re really capable at finding excuses, huh?! Look at this! Look at how others are makingints against you!¡±

    ¡°Comints against me?¡± Huo Shaoheng disyed a confused expression. ¡°I justnded yesterday. I really have no idea what happened. I¡¯m willing to listen.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know anything. Let me tell you, then. You used your authority and country¡¯s resources for your own woman! Let¡¯s see if you still dare to deny any usations! All this is evidence in ck and white! You have made a major mistake!¡± General Ji pounded on the desk and stood up in anger.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes jumped. He replied slowly with a hint of mockery, ¡°Using the country¡¯s resources for my own woman? Using my authority for my own purposes? I think the person whoined about me should go and question the new Prime Minister and PM Dou before asking me if I used the country¡¯s resources on my own!¡±

    General Ji was dumbfounded by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rebuttal. He was also rather guilty of that. The trip to New York was indeed a trap. He had initially wanted Huo Shaoheng to take on that assignment so he would be more well-liked by the new Prime Minister, but he really did not expect it to be a trap.

    General Ji coughed and put away the documents. ¡°You can¡¯t say that. PM Dou is a Prime Minister no matter what. It¡¯s within your job scope to help him. Shouldn¡¯t you, as a soldier, protect the Prime Minister¡¯s family?¡±

    ¡°I think they¡¯ve forgotten that they were not the Prime Minister¡¯s family when Tan Dongbang sent me to New York,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied tly. They want me to be the scapegoat? Haha... Even before they were born... no. Even if they had already been born, he could let them die in an instant...

    ¡°Look at you! What¡¯s the rush?! Did I not target your weak spot?¡± General Ji folded his arms and looked at him unhappily. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to get over this. You got the jets to take off for your own girlfriend. Now, isn¡¯t that using your authority for your own purposes? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position and Tan Guiren¡¯s¡ªhow can they bepared?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms as well and stood with his legs apart, looking rxed. He replied calmly, ¡°You¡¯re right, sir. No matter how I see it, Tan Guiren can never bepared to Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re aware!¡± Seeing that Huo Shaoheng seemed to give in, General Ji was not that angry anymore. Just when he was about to say some things to lighten the mood, Huo Shaoheng opened his mouth again.

    ¡°Tan Guiren is of no use to the country, no matter how I see it. She isn¡¯t helping the country gain anything constructive at all but is receiving treatment that is way above her importance. She has utilized too many of the country¡¯s resources, and such careless splurging is something that we should have reflected upon. I¡¯ll ensure nothing like that repeats itself in the future.¡±

    General Ji was speechless.

    ¡°However, Nianzhi is different. From the moment she arrived in our country when she was 12 years old, she has been making significantly important contributions. For a start, after finding her, the development of the engine of our backup power supply improved tremendously. Our fighter jets are some of the best in the world. For all that, we have Gu Nianzhi to thank.¡± Huo Shaoheng was firm as he recited it all, like he was presenting a full report.

    General Ji¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°The drawing belonged to Gu Xiangwen. It was by no means rted to her much, no?¡±

    ¡°We got it from her backpack. General Ji, we know her. As for whether or not it belonged to Gu Xiangwen, we will have to ask him when he wakes up. Before that, however, the credit goes to Gu Nianzhi.¡± Huo Shaoheng was persistent in his efforts and did not allow anyone to do anything to take credit from Gu Nianzhi.

    General Jiughed bitterly and raised his hands. ¡°Sure, but even so, the army protected her securely for seven whole years. That should have returned the favor for the drawing, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled into a smile, too. He continued, ¡°A year ago, Gu Nianzhi donated 90 million US dors anonymously to the army to benefit the soldiers who fight for the nation on the front line. That fund is the biggest we have on hand right now, Today¡¯s Heart charity fund.¡±

    General Ji was deep in thought. ¡°Today¡¯s Heart was undeniably donated singlehandedly by Gu Nianzhi... I almost forgot, but how on earth did she have that much money?¡± Then he mumbled, ¡°Today¡¯s Heart... It is Nianzhi! No wonder. I was thinking why the name of the fund...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes. Today¡¯s Heart is Nianzhi¡¯s name taken apart. It¡¯s a name by me. As for her money, don¡¯t you remember that she won awsuit in America for their disciplinary department and CIA? That was herpensation for winning the case, but she donated it in full to the army. Moreover, she did it anonymously. Therefore, it was clear that she did not want anything out of it. Tell me, General Ji, now, how can Tan Guiren bepared to Nianzhi?¡±

    General Ji¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and he continued being stubborn. ¡°But that is mary help. How can you fly the jets just because of that?!¡±

    ¡°Because she¡¯s worth it!¡± Huo Shaoheng threw all the documents that Zhao Liangze had arranged onto General Ji¡¯s desk.

    ¡°Due to being betrayed by our men in Germany, Gu Nianzhi got captured by the FIA. However, she did not give in and fought them. On her own, she managed to hack into the entire information vault in the FIA and forwarded everything she found to our mailboxes. Tell me, General Ji, is such a person unworthy of being escorted back by our jets?

    ¡°Also, for your information, all these precious documents that Gu Nianzhi risked her life to get for us took three whole days to decode due to the central control room being tied up keeping surveince on the voting campaign. We lost out on the best window of time to decode those documents.¡±

    General Ji was almost speechless. He put on his sses hastily and began to look through the documents. He was so agitated that he could not speak. As he looked at the documents, he realized, These are the real treasures! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s 90 million donations totally paled inparison to this information!

    Huo Shaoheng looked on silently and waited until General Ji was done looking through the information before continuing, ¡°May I know if you still wish to pursue theint that I was abusing my authority for personal use, sir? If you pursue this, I am not afraid to face the panel and board, and will attend military court with confidence as well. I will just bring all these documents and evidence and let everyone decide if what I did was right!

    ¡°What was so wrong about escorting our country¡¯s hero with our jets? Who isn¡¯tfortable with me saving Gu Nianzhi, and why are they ufortable? Are they really ufortable for the right reasons?! Must we force geniuses who are willing to sacrifice for the country like Gu Nianzhi to go to another country to be their citizens before we are truly satisfied with our doings?! If we have these people among us, can we call them to be traitors, betrayers, and people who backstab their country, then?!¡±

 Chapter 708 - Humans Cannot Win Against Fate

    <h4>Chapter 708: Humans Cannot Win Against Fate</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng enunciated each word carefully, and although he spoke quietly, each word was bold and brash to the ear. Closing his eyes, General Ji¡¯s expression gradually grew solemn as he pushed the pile of paper toward Huo Shaoheng. He took off his reading sses and sighed before looking at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Fine. If this is truly a false charge, then I¡¯m also prepared to fight against it. I wouldn¡¯t be showing you these papers if I really had issues with you in this regard.¡±

    The private use of fighter jets was truly a serious crime. Worst case, Huo Shaoheng could be sentenced to life imprisonment for the most serious level of ¡°misfeasance.¡± Best case, Huo Shaoheng would be unable to avoid punishment. He could be demoted in rank if he suffered punishment. There was a great gulf between the rank of colonel and general, and many soldiers couldn¡¯t ovee it in their entire lives. Because Huo Shaoheng had sessfully risen through the ranks at such a young age, there were certainly many people displeased with him. As soon as he was demoted, there would be no way he could ever cross that threshold again, so no matter what the situation was, General Ji would be sure to protect Huo Shaoheng and never allow anyone to sessfully bring him down. However, Huo Shaoheng had to be punished, so General Ji summoned him to his home and nned to lecture him. However, he ended up being checkmated by Huo Shaoheng instead.

    No one would be happy to encounter such a thing, but even General Ji¡¯s greatest grievances were dispelled by the data provided by Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi has truly made a great contribution to the nation. Don¡¯t worry, I will not mistreat her at all in that regard. Anyone who has contributed to our nation and our military will be remembered by me, and also by the nation and all its citizens.¡± General Ji was a fair person when it came to punishment and rewards. ¡°But you must also be careful about your methods.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still stood before General Ji¡¯s desk with his arms folded behind his back. He didn¡¯t look at the stack of papers but stared straight forward to reply calmly, ¡°I can understand that some people have issues with me. There are many people dissatisfied with my position up here, but I believe in the military, my superiors, and our soldiers as well. Their eyes are sharp, so there is no way they¡¯ll allow people with ulterior motives to seed with their conniving plots.¡±

    The words sounded good to General Ji¡¯s ears. One of the important reasons why he appreciated Huo Shaoheng was that he wasn¡¯t egotistical enough to proim himself as the best as soon as he made some minor achievements, nor did he refuse to trust his superiors andrades. Huo Shaoheng was different because he had the strength and tenacity of a soldier, yet he possessed the smoothness and the ability topromise of a politician. The person who could truly be the top leader of military needed to be able to excel in both aspects, so General Ji had always wanted to train Huo Shaoheng as his sessor.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was still too young and had grown wayward branches before the trunk had fully developed. He must be trimmed in order to be something great. General Ji was extremely dissatisfied with Huo Shaoheng in this situation because he had betrayed too many principles of a soldier for one woman. This made General Ji very dissatisfied and also worried him. He had been choosing candidates for so many years and finally found a sessor that met all his requirements, so he would not allow an unimportant girl to ruin Huo Shaoheng¡¯s future. As a result, he must be more strict with Huo Shaoheng than anyone else.

    General Ji¡¯s expression darkened as he frowned at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Nianzhi did make a great contribution, but you cannot make her the excuse for your mistakes. Tell me, did you do nothing wrong at all?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng inclined his head slightly and didn¡¯t hesitate to reply, ¡°General Ji, I, Huo Shaoheng, have never done anything against the nation, military, or our citizens.¡±

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t do anything wrong? Shaoheng, this is your final chance.¡± General Ji braced himself against the desk and squinted as he slowly rose. Leaning forward slightly, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle¡¯s. In that moment, the true aura of this veteran of a hundred battles finally shone.

    Huo Shaoheng was unperturbed and shook his head with confidence. ¡°Reporting to Chief, no!¡±

    General Ji lost his temper because he had given Huo Shaoheng a final chance, yet he was refusing to admit his mistakes and voluntarily admit fault. ¡°Huo Shaoheng! As a soldier, you lied to your superior and went against orders for a woman! And you still dare to say you didn¡¯t do anything wrong?! You dare to tell me that you never hid Gu Nianzhi¡¯s true upbringing from me?!¡± This was the real reason General Ji was the most dissatisfied with Huo Shaoheng. A soldier was duty-bound to obey, and in General Ji¡¯s eyes, Huo Shaoheng had made the most serious mistake possible.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to reply loudly, ¡°Reporting to Chief, no!¡±

    ¡°Still so tight lipped!¡± General Ji huffed as he took out Gu Nianzhi and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA report from a drawer and angrily threw it on the desk. ¡°Look for yourself! Gu Nianzhi isn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter at all! Gu Yanran is! We¡¯ve been going in the wrong direction the entire time! But you lied to me because of your self-interest and because you value personal rtionships over your official duties! You lied to the military! Don¡¯t think that you can squander my trust just because I appreciate you! Ask yourself, would I give you a hard time if you told the truth?! The real reason I don¡¯t believe you can be with Gu Nianzhi anymore is because you lied to me about this important issue! Who knows what other mistakes you¡¯ll make for her in the future?! Shaoheng, I am handing over such arge organization to you, and this is how you reassure us?!¡± General Ji vented in one breath, and the veins on his forehead bulged. For soldiers, the most fatal blow was viting orders and going againstmands.

    Huo Shaoheng finally understood the true reason for General Ji¡¯s change in attitude. So it is because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past. Luckily, he was already prepared. He had only kept it discreet in order to obtain their marriage request sooner and allow Gu Nianzhi to sessfully pass through theplicated background check process. Since General Ji knew about it now, and they had already received their marriage request as well as passed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check, he had nothing to worry about.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie or go against orders by hiding it from you or the military,¡± Huo Shaoheng continued speaking evenly, and his demeanor was so normal, he didn¡¯t seem to be concealing bad intentions at all.

    General Ji stared at Huo Shaoheng and tried to understand what he was thinking. He frowned even harder. ¡°You think I¡¯m that big of an idiot? You¡¯re saying you didn¡¯t lie, so that makes it true? You dare to deny it with all this evidence? Shaoheng, you¡¯re not this kind of person...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, General Ji. I really haven¡¯t lied to you. I believe that the DNA report you received is authentic, and that it proves that Nianzhi and thatatose Gu Xiangwen have no biological rtions. But who can prove thatatose person is the real Gu Xiangwen?¡± Huo Shaoheng calmlyid down his trump card. He had begun to suspect that when he learned from Chen Lie that Gu Nianzhi and ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s¡± DNA didn¡¯t match. However, he truly had personal reasons because he needed to give Gu Nianzhi a temporary identity in order to pass the background check so she could marry him. Unfortunately, humans cannot win against fate. He had nned everything and even concealed it from General Ji. He never expected Gu Nianzhi to be the person to go against his n... Marry her? She had already asked to break up. A look of disappointment shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes.

    General Ji was shocked speechless by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. This was even more surprising than the day Huo Guachen told him Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. He nearly bellowed, ¡°What do you mean?! But you personally rescued him?! If he¡¯s a fake, then what was the point of all your fanfare?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly looked at General Ji and nodded. ¡°Yes, I personally brought him back to the Imperial Empire and did that because of Nianzhi¡¯s identity. The situation was very urgent, and someone was trying to murder thatatose Gu Xiangwen as soon as wended in Barbados. We didn¡¯t have time to investigate the truth back then, so we could only bring him back first. I¡¯m still investigating what the truth is. I still believe that Nianzhi is truly Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, but as to why the DNA doesn¡¯t match, it could either mean that this Gu Xiangwen is fake or that there is still something we don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°But his DNA matches Gu Yanran¡¯s. How do you exin that?¡± General Ji¡¯s heart slowly began to beat again. Although Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reasons were very shocking, they weren¡¯tpletely unfounded. If what he was suggesting was true, then he truly hadn¡¯t disobeyed orders or lied to him. General Ji could still trust Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work. Sighing deeply, he was able topletely rx.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded again. ¡°Yes, theatose Gu Xiangwen we brought back should be Gu Yanran¡¯s biological father, so I believe that there is still something we don¡¯t know. I originally nned to summarize all the contradictions and suspicious points before reporting to you in detail, but you asked me to go to the US to rescue Prime Minister Tan¡¯s daughter as soon as I returned from Barbados, so I had no time to do this.¡± He spread his palms and went along with the momentum of convincing General Ji. ¡°General Ji, I really want to know, who gave this DNA report to you?¡±

    ¡°Why do you need to know that?¡± General Ji squinted and appeared like an old fox.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything, but you must be vignt regardless of who this person is. Think about it. Aren¡¯t there too many coincidences in y damaging our rtionship? After all, everyone knows that you are my most powerful and only support.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words made General Ji feelpletely satisfied and finally erased all his embarrassment and unease about being betrayed by Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng understood clearly that if this thorn remained in General Ji¡¯s heart, then it would only bury itself deeper and be a serious enough scar to threaten their rtionship. He had to remove and disinfect it, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about future side effects.

    General Ji truly treated Huo Shaoheng as his trusted vassal and opened up honestly. ¡°Your father learned about this from Gu Yanran, and then I had someone deliver the DNA report to me.¡±

 Chapter 709 - I Owe It to Her

    <h4>Chapter 709: I Owe It to Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°My dad also has something to do with this?¡± Huo Shaoheng was really surprised for a moment. ¡°Why would he be interested in the situation?¡± Huo Shaoheng also felt it was strange that Gu Yanran took the initiative toe clean with this, because she hadn¡¯t said anything before. Huo Shaoheng knew that she wanted to get close to Gu Nianzhi, which was why she didn¡¯t take the initiative to expose the situation before. He never imagined that it woulde out of her mouth this time.

    General Ji¡¯s reply answered two of his questions simultaneously. ¡°It¡¯s like this. Our conste in Germany told us the news of Nianzhi going missing in Germany. Section Chief Bia specifically told his daughter Bia Yueran to notify me. At the time, I was also shocked, so I put your father in charge of it so that he could use the best methods to rescue Gu Nianzhi. As a result, when your dad went to see Gu Xiangwen, he found out that Gu Yanran was there, and he told her about Gu Nianzhi going missing. After all, at that time, we thought they were biological sisters...¡±

    General Ji gasped. However, afterward, he came back to his senses. He also noticed that something was off. Why didn¡¯t Gu Yanran talk about it earlier but chose to reveal the truth about Gu Nianzhi being the Gu household¡¯s adopted daughter under the extremely stressful situation when Gu Nianzhi was missing?

    ¡°So that¡¯s why.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything else. Since it was his father, Huo Guanchen, who got the news, it seemed like he had to make a trip home.

    ¡°How is it? Since you got back, have you discovered who the spy was?¡± At that time, General Ji began to care about the issue and said, ¡°You should examine this whole thing, since someone was actually able to infiltrate an agency like the Special Operation Forces.¡±

    ¡°That is nothing out of the ordinary. Our job is to infiltrate, to be infiltrated, and to be permeated. It would actually be strange if there was no spy,¡± Huo Shaoheng objected. ¡°I can guarantee that our important departments will be able to eliminate spies, but as for the other departments, I can¡¯t guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that? I thought you found the person. She was in the Special Operation Forces. That doctor, Doctor Ye or something, right?¡± General Ji was very interested in that situation. General Ji was also extremely furious about the time when Huo Shaoheng was in danger in New York. He almost lost his most capable general under an uncertain circumstance.

    ¡°Correct. The name was Ye Zitan. She was executed this morning,¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly said. ¡°But she wasn¡¯t the real mastermind. There is someone else pulling the strings, but the enemy has their guard up. We can¡¯t find clues to prevent more information being leaked. That¡¯s why I ordered her to be executed.¡±

    General Ji had an ambiguous smile on his face when he said, ¡°You did the right thing by executing her. But isn¡¯t the marksmanship of the Special Operation Forces¡¯ firing squad horrible? I heard that the firing squad shot three rounds of bullets just to shoot her dead.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I already told them to practice due to the firing squad¡¯s marksmanship.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯splexion didn¡¯t change, nor did his heart be jumpy. Either way, General Ji didn¡¯t have all the evidence. Even if he guessed the reason, it would only be a guess, always.

    ¡°As long as you know. This situation with Dr. Ye didn¡¯t have a good effect on us. Because of her, we lost two of our field agents for nothing. Also concerning Nianzhi, do you know why they wanted to kidnap her?¡± General Ji raised his eyebrows. ¡°To top it off, it was Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency, too. I just feel like something was off.¡± They all knew that Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s predecessor was the infamous Gestapo during World War II.

    ¡°From what Nianzhi said, someone revealed that we are in a rtionship, so...¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bat an eyelid when he said that the reason Gu Nianzhi was kidnapped was because of him. Even though he knew that was not the case, they clearly valued Gu Nianzhi much more than they cared about him. However, he didn¡¯t want General Ji to know about it at that moment. He didn¡¯t want the military to show interest in Gu Nianzhi again even more so.

    ¡°Ah?! Absolutely outrageous! It seemed like Nianzhi encountered trouble not of her own making.¡± General Ji believed that reason. After all, Huo Shaoheng also carried out operations in Europe for a couple of years and had encounters with Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency. For them to take an interest in Huo Shaoheng was reasonable.

    ¡°That reason may be a big possibility, but to get to the bottom of it, I think I may need to take a trip to Germany.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t exin further, but he took the initiative to offer himself for an assignment in order to go to Germany. Gu Nianzhi was angry, and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to sh with her again. Plus, he really did own her a rescue. Even though she was able to save herself with He Zhichu¡¯s help, Huo Shaoheng was still brooding over it. He needed to get revenge for Gu Nianzhi and give Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency a piece of his mind.

    ¡°You will go there personally?¡± General Ji wasn¡¯t very willing. ¡°Shaoheng, right now you are not suited to personally go on an assignment again.¡±

    ¡°General Ji, I even worked as a bodyguard that picked people up. What kind of work can¡¯t I do?¡± Huo Shaoheng poked fun at himself and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this time I will n things out beforehand. I will be back soon. I won¡¯t waste time.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I believe in your ability and judgment since you are already the head of the Special Operation Forces.¡± General Ji felt a bit guilty toward Huo Shaoheng. That was why he didn¡¯t oppose him much and only exhorted again and again, ¡°You must be careful. Be safe. Don¡¯t take risks.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Huo Shaoheng saluted once again. It indicated that the conversation was over.

    He had sessfully dealt with the problem.

    ...

    After leaving General Ji¡¯s home, Huo Shaoheng immediately took Yin Shixiong back to the Special Operation Forces headquarters. They went straight down to the control room that was in the basement¡¯s sixth level. Zhao Liangze had already been there the whole day. Besides waiting on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders, he was also was sorting out the confidential documents Gu Nianzhi had obtained.

    When he saw him walk in with calmposure, Zhao Liangze quickly walked over to Huo Shaoheng and asked with concern, ¡°Huo Shao, did General Ji give you a hard time?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°The thing with General Ji is fine. I already exined it to him. Now, I want you to do another thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked toward the central control room¡¯s supeputer. He stretched out his hand and typed in a couple ofmands. ¡°Find out everything you can about Als, the German Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s section one bureau chief. Send me information on where he has been these past ten days. I will give you one hour. I want to get the information before I board the ne.¡±

    ¡°ne? Where are you going?¡± Zhao Liangze looked at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong spread out his hands to show that he didn¡¯t know, either.

    Only then did Huo Shaoheng say, ¡°Big Xiong, go get ready. You are going to Germany with me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong immediately understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intentions. The two of them stopped talking and then said, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± in unison.

    ...

    After an hour, Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had already disguised themselves. They boarded Hansha airline¡¯s ne to Berlin, Germany. Their new identity in Germany was that of backpackers, poor travelers. They wore the mostmon kind of outdoor jackets, big, ck-framed sses, and Louis Vuitton t shoes. They were carrying rucksacks, and their hair was a bit greasy. Those neat and clean Germans noticed it, and they kept their distance. The effect the two of them wanted was indignant res without catching too much attention.

    Ten hourster, the ne arrived in Berlin. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had sessfully entered the country. Their visas and passports were all real because they had their country to back them up. There was no need to think of a way to get into the country illegally.

    The two of them rented a car from the Berlin airport and drove straight to Berlin¡¯s city center. They rented a hotel room on a block that was right across from the entrance of Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency.

    In the morning, they could see Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s employees going to work. In the afternoon, they could see theming out for lunch. In the evening, they could see them getting off of work and going home.

    Both of them had already made preparations, so naturally they didn¡¯t pay much attention to other people. From the beginning, their target was only one person, and that was Als. Als¡¯ appearance stood out among the crowd. He had a kind of beauty that was so feminine that it was abnormal. He was the focus of attention when he was in a crowd.

    Huo Shaoheng read the information Zhao Liangze had given him on where Als had been those past ten days. He noticed that he would often go to a small restaurant for lunch that was two blocks from where they were. There weren¡¯t many people on that block. It was pretty quiet, and there weren¡¯t many people in the little restaurant.

    Hua Shaoheng observed it for a whole day. Then he said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Book the return flight back to the imperial capital. We will make our move tomorrow. After that, we will board the ne right away.¡±

    The return ticket they booked was for a ne that belonged to Hua Xia¡¯s Airline. That way, they could ensure that they wouldn¡¯t be dyed in the middle of their travels like luggage.

    ...

    Berlin¡¯s sky was a bit cloudy on the afternoon of the second day. The sun only appeared for a short while in the morning. It actually started to drizzle in the afternoon. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong wore raincoats that could change colors. Theyid on a three-story-high building¡¯s roof that was across from the small restaurant. They set up a sniper gun, put the silencer on, and aimed it at the seat where Als often sat in that little restaurant.

    Huo Shaoheng anaylized the data Zhao Liangze had given him. Als was a person that suffered from severe obsessivepulsive disorder. That was why, every day, he would take the same route, go to the same restaurant, and sit in the seat that he was used to. He wouldn¡¯t even change his body position and direction. It was a strange habit for an intelligence agent to have. However, Als wasn¡¯t a field agent. He handled clerical work and assassinations. That was why his obsessivepulsive disorder was not considered a weakness but actually a strength.

    It started to rain harder. Their line of vision became limited, but looking through the scope of the sniper gun, everything was clear and orderly in the crosshair¡¯s reticle. It was as clear as a database. Every seat could be marked.

    At 12:30, Als appeared in their field of vision right on time. He was wearing a gray raincoat. His hands were inside the pockets as he casually walked into the restaurant and ordered what he was used to eating, grilled fish and sausage along with a small piece of bread and a bowl of soup. He put it all on a tray and walked back to the seat he always sat in.

    The moment he picked up his knife to cut the fish, he suddenly felt like something was strange. A red dot that suddenly came out of nowhere slipped in front of his eyes. He looked up, but he didn¡¯t see where that red dot had gone. If someone was sitting across from him, that person would have seen that the little red dot was in the middle of his forehead.

    Then, there was a little pew sound. Als¡¯ entire body became stiff as he stared at what was in front of him. A distinct bullet hole was in his forehead. It was very circr. For a person with OCD, it was very fitting.

    It took Als five minutes to fall down on the dining table. By then, Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had already gotten in their rented car and had driven to the airport. Yin Shixiong asked with curiosity, ¡°Huo Shao, why did we use our country¡¯s sniper gun for this? The Germans will find out about it.¡±

    ¡°I want them to know that it was us,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly as he hit the gas. They arrived at the airport in ten minutes. After five more minutes, they were being helped by airport personnel, and they sessfully boarded the ne.

    When the German Federal Intelligence Agency finally got news of Als¡¯ assassination, the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s flight had already left Germany and was cruising past Kazakhstan¡¯s skyline.

 Chapter 710 - Kindness Is Returned Tenfold

    <h4>Chapter 710: Kindness Is Returned Tenfold</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The two-street-long block where the Federal Intelligence Agency was headquartered in Berlin waspletely blockaded. The outermost defense was ordinary anti-riot police who wore bulletproof helmets and vests, and carried bulletproof shields. They werepletely armed, but no one knew against who. Germans were different from Hua Xia people in that they didn¡¯t like to join in the excitement. As a result, nearly all the Germans avoided the area after the streets were blockaded. Residents in the area also didn¡¯t dare peek their heads out, and they locked their doors and windows tightly.

    The residential buildings on both sides of the street were swarming with fully armed soldiers wearing sunsses and carrying semi-automatic submachine guns. They upiedmanding heights and vigntly monitored everyone inside and outside the area. Many inclothes police officers wereing and going as they walked around looking for evidence. In the center of the blockaded area was the small restaurant where Als had been assassinated. The restaurant owner and the diners at the time were already sequestered inside another room. They were not used of being criminals but were treated as primary eyewitnesses. There was also a chance there were spies among them, so no factors were ruled out.

    Als stillid on the small dining table, but there was a tiny bit of ck blood seeping out of the bullet hole in his forehead. It made a strange ¡°S¡± symbol resembling a snake on his pale skin. The senior detective from the Berlin Police Headquarters barked his conclusion to his subordinates. ¡°This is obviously a cult killing. Look at the symbol on his forehead. I¡¯ve seen this symbol before in my years of handling cases...¡±

    Many detectives nodded in agreement with his theory. But there were also ones who didn¡¯t agree. They surrounded Als and swept their eyes around looking at everyone on the scene. Soon after, the shrill squeal of car brakes could be heard at the entrance of the blockpletely blockaded by anti-riot police.

    ¡°Everyone! Salute!¡± The uniform sound of numerous heels kicking together in salute could be heard from the entrance. The police officers investigating the case looked outside to see a strapping man in a ck trenchcoat rush inside. He had an aquiline nose, deep set eyes, blonde hair, and blue eyes to form the ssically handsome Germanic face. There was a small cleft in his chin, and his expression was somber as if he had no interest in the pleasures of life. He carried the aura of religious abstinence. All the German soldiers present saluted to him, but he was expressionless and ignored them all.

    ¡°Major General Reinitz!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Major General Reinitz?!¡±

    ¡°Why is he here?!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the head of the General Directorate of the Federal Intelligence Agency, newly promoted to the role of Director of the General Directorate at the beginning of this year!¡±

    ¡°The dead person is his important subordinate. He must be here to show his respect?¡±

    The Berlin police officers chattered away, but Reinitz didn¡¯t make his way to them. He turned and went over to the small, three-story residential building across the street. Although Reinitz didn¡¯te over, several inclothes agents from the Federal Intelligence Agency walked over and told the police officers after disying their identification, ¡°We¡¯re taking over this case. You can all leave now.¡±

    ¡°Why? This is a criminal case of a cult murder. Our police department has always handled this, and you are the Federal Intelligence Agency. Isn¡¯t this beyond your jurisdiction?¡± The detectives refused to give up. This was another huge case that was going to rock the nation. How could they willingly give up this chance to be famous?

    ¡°You can ask your own Chief of Police.¡± The Federal Intelligence agents were very arrogant and escorted the police out without further exnation. ¡°Do you want to walk out now, or should I throw you out?¡±

    The police had no choice but to nce at the solemn soldiers on duty and the aggressive Federal Intelligence agents. Without the support of the police headquarters, they could only diminish their fanfare and retreat from the area. Before they left, they saw a group of people escorting Major General Reinitz atop the small residential building across from the restaurant. The police had no idea what they were doing.

    Reinitz was standing on the rooftop of the residential building, staring nkly at a spot there.

    ¡°Major General Reintiz, this is where the criminal must have set up the sniper rifle.¡± Bureau 6 of the Federal Intelligence Agency was responsible for technical support, and one of its special technicians was demonstrating the ballistic curve to Reinitz. ¡°The culprit had very urate marksmanship. The sniper rifle should be a Hua Xia Imperial JS05 12.77mm model, using an ultra-urate micro bullet to make one direct head shot. Also, the bullet strength was perfectly controlled, so it did not pass out of Director Als¡¯ head but directly imploded in a small area of his brain.¡± That exined the little blood spilled. ¡°The specific circumstances will be determined once an autopsy is performed on Director Als and the bullet is extracted.¡±

    Reinitz remained expressionless and replied coolly, ¡°You already said the bullet had caused an implosion in a small area. How could you find any evidence from that?¡±

    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±

    Reinitz checked the markings left by the culprit¡¯s sniper rifle once again and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s certainly a Hua Xia-produced sniper rifle. There is no doubt about it.¡±

    ¡°This is really the work of a Hua Xia special agent?! They are too barbaric! They dare instigate something in our territory!?¡±

    Reinitz didn¡¯t nod or shake his head, but a peculiar smile appeared on his face. However, it quickly melted away into his characteristically stoic and joyless expression. ¡°This evidence alone cannot prove this was done by a Hua Xia agent.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because this sniper rifle was once sold by the Hua Xia Empire at an international gun show. Anyone could¡¯ve bought it, so it¡¯s the same as not being able to use the killer of being an American just because you saw an American Remington sniper rifle...¡± Reinitz spoke evenly and gently, but all his subordinates knew that the President of the Federal Intelligence Agency wasparable to that youngest Hua Xia Major General and was also a cruel man himself. However, the difference between him and his good friend Als was that Als¡¯ cruelty was on the surface, so everyone knew he was a psychopath. Reinitiz wouldn¡¯t physically touture people like Als did, but he still had a way to make people beg for death.

    ¡°Oh? Then who did it? Could it really be what those policeman were saying, that it was a cult killing?¡± The technician was skilled in his own field, but he wasn¡¯t very good at analyzing the case.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t reply but turned to go downstairs and headed to the small restaurant across the street. A tall and morous woman had been waiting for him for a long time now. She went up to him as soon as she saw him walk down. ¡°Major General Reinitz, I believe this was the work of a Hua Xia agent. Their goal was to avenge Gu Nianzhi.¡± She stared at Reinitz with clear fury on her face. She was ming Reinitz.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t look at her as he replied dryly, ¡°Dina, am I the Director, or are you? I don¡¯t want to hear that kind of talk again.¡±

    Dina balled her hands into fists as she stared at Reinitz¡¯s straight back and shot back icily, ¡°Major General Reinitz, are you telling me you don¡¯t want to avenge Als?! Or are you still distracted by that woman¡¯s beauty and forgot your responsibilities and loyalties?!¡±

    Reinitz ignored her and quickly strode into the restaurant. He nced at Als lying on the dining table and turned around tomand, ¡°Check all flights to and from Berlin in thest three days and target anyoneing from the Hua Xia Empire, regardless of their nationality.¡± He frowned deeply and now regarded the enemy several grades more seriously than before. In thest few days, he had been busy dealing with all the Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s Central Control System files being stolen. All field personnel were summoned back, all passwords were changed, and allmunications were suspended. And it was because of this that he only received news of Als¡¯ attack several hours after it urred.

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong¡¯s ne was already flying over Kazakhstan. Reinitz considered for a few minutes and used his titles of the German Military¡¯s Major General and the President of the Federal Intelligence Agency to send a special message to General Ji of the Hua Xia Military¡¯s Supreme Military Council. In the message, he questioned the Hua Xia Military about why evidence of the ballistic curve from a Hua Xia Imperial sniper rifle would be found at the Berlin murder scene of Director Als of Bureau 1 of the Federal Intelligence Agency. He also requested a list of names of all purchasers of the Hua Xia JS05 12.7mm model sniper rifle. Of course, Reinitz was not naive enough to believe the Hua Xia Empire would truly provide him with the list of purchasers. He was merely using this as a way to warn the Hua Xia Military that he already knew what they had done in Berlin...

    When General Ji saw the special message from Germany, he finally realized what Huo Shaoheng had done and was instantly enraged. He lost his temper inside his office. ¡°Insolent! I already told him not to take the risk!¡± However, as much as he shouted, there was no way he would respond to the Germans¡¯ instigation.

    General Ji had his secretary send a simple message back. ¡°Trade secrets cannot be disclosed.¡± At the same time, he also had Secretary Cao ost Huo Shaoheng at the Special Forces Operations base once again.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong left the Imperial Capital International Airport and got into Fan Jian¡¯s car to head back to the Special Forces Operations headquarters. They had only been gone for two days for this trip and ended the operation as quickly as lightning. However, the two men acted normally because this wasn¡¯t the first time they had done such a thing, and it was nothing to be excited or boast about. Also, the anger in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest did not find relief from killing Als. But just when they arrived at headquarters, Secretary Cao stopped them.

    ¡°Major General Huo, please stop for now. We must go back immediately. General Ji nearly flipped the dining table over.¡± Secretary Cao didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. It had only been three days, and he had to stop Huo Shaoheng at the Special Forces Operations headquarters base twice already...

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened slightly. General Ji knows about it already?

    Secretary Cao walked closer to whisper, ¡°Germany sent a special message...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. The enemy had reacted quickly, indeed. He followed Secretary Cao to General Ji¡¯s study. He had just been let out of this study two days ago and was already back here today. A singlemp was on inside the room, so it was rather dark. General Ji sat behind the wide desk and began to shout as soon as he entered, ¡°How many times did I tell you!? Don¡¯t take the risk! Don¡¯t take the risk! Are you just ignoring my words now?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stayed silent as he endured General Ji¡¯s lecture. After yelling at him for nearly a minute straight, General Ji felt some relief when he finished. He picked up a teacup from the desk to sip and leaned tiredly back into the chair. ¡°Your target was too important this time. They won¡¯t let this go easily.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally looked up and replied confidently, ¡°Yes, I did it on purpose. Two of our field personnel died because of them, so they must pay the price. The price being that kindness is always repaid tenfold.¡± Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t remember the lesson.

    General Ji admired Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tenacity greatly, but he didn¡¯t believe this exnation. ¡°Why did it have to be Als? Even if you are repaying their kindness by tenfold, why did you choose the second-inmand of the Federal Intelligence Agency? That¡¯s the same as the enemy killing your Deputy Chief. Would you just let it go?¡± General Ji stared directly at Huo Shaoheng to study all the changes in his expression.

    However, Huo Shaoheng remained as unperturbed as a mountain. ¡°They have to let it go, even if they don¡¯t want to. This incident is certainly not over, but when did they ever let us off? Why do we have to give them an excuse to back down?¡±

    His words made too much sense, and General Ji found himself speechless. He was also reflecting on himself. Was he so old that he had lost the fearless lethal edge of youth? After a long moment, General Ji waved his hand. ¡°Fine, go back for now. I¡¯m going to give you a three-month break so you can collect yourself. You¡¯re too murderoustely, and it doesn¡¯t align with work.¡±

 Chapter 711 - Traps, Itâ€™s All Traps

    <h4>Chapter 711: Traps, It¡¯s All Traps</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    A three-month break? When the Special Forces is in chaos? Of course Huo Shaoheng would not agree to it, but he would not reject General Ji directly, either.

    ¡°I was indeed a little rash, General Ji. But think about it. I fell into a trap set by our enemy in America and almostnded in the hands of the CIA. Over here in my Special Forces, a traitor was found and caused the death of two of myrades. Their bodies were not even found until recently. This time around, my trip to Germany was merely to give them a warning. However, this is far from enough. Therefore, I cannot go on a break yet,¡± Huo Shaoheng said sincerely with a gentle tone.

    General Ji¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. He touched his chin and thought out loud, ¡°What you said makes sense as well. However, in only two days, you¡¯ve already executed two people. I know that you¡¯re angry, but in times like these, we will need even more to be cool and collected. You¡¯ve been in this line of work for a long time now and should not be so rash.¡±

    It was true that he should not, but he should also not lose his golden opportunity during the wait. Of course, Huo Shaoheng was biased when he had decided to go to Germany to kill Als, but he had also analyzed it thoroughly before going there. He had not gone there solely based on anger.

    His biggest push factor was the central information system in Germany that Gu Nianzhi had just managed to hack. He could only attack swiftly when the opponent¡¯s information department was down and have an opportunity to get rid of their best man. Coincidentally, their best man happened to be the person who electrocuted Gu Nianzhi.

    When Huo Shaoheng saw her being electrocuted, he had already sworn to kill this man. He did not know who the person was when he first saw the footage. However, when Gu Nianzhi wanted a breakup, she said his name in tears in his arms. From then on, Als was already a dead man to Huo Shaoheng.

    Rash?

    Of course, but as a man, he could not take this lying down. The woman he loved was kidnapped and electrocuted. He was already being nice allowing Reinitz to live. No matter what, he was the one who let Gu Nianzhi go eventually. Had he not done that, Gu Nianzhi would not have been back by his side so soon.

    Huo Shaoheng contemted and replied, carefully selecting his words, ¡°General Ji, Ye Zitan was a traitor who directly betrayed two of ourrades. Therefore, she definitely had to die. As for Als, he was a lesson from us to the FIA. They set a trap in Germany and wanted to gain from it, but there¡¯s still someone behind them. By killing Als, I was also trying to warn the people behind him not to think that we¡¯re a pushover that would not retaliate when our people are killed or tortured. An eye for an eye¡ªthe only way for them to return to the negotiating table would be to make them listen. General Ji, you told me this before. The reason we set up the Special Forces was to pave a nice path for our benefits overseas. As long as there were things that the country and army could not do in the open, we would be the ones doing those things.¡±

    General Ji was extremely taken aback when he heard those words from Huo Shaoheng. Indeed, this was why he had wanted the Special Forces to be set up then. Huo Shaoheng had followed through with that initial belief, but General Ji, as one of the founders and initiators, had be cowardly unknowingly over the years.

    ¡°Shaoheng, knowing that you¡¯re thinking like that makes me feelforted. You did not forget about the responsibilities you have and remembered our beliefs all this time. I¡¯m very happy that I was right about you.¡± General Ji looked at Huo Shaoheng encouragingly, and his eyes were almost filled with admiration. ¡°Okay. You don¡¯t have to go on a break. However, you¡¯re not allowed to travel for now. You¡¯ll have to give me your passport so that I can make sure.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not have any ns to leave the country for now, or rather, before he made up with Gu Nianzhi. He would not be leaving her anymore...

    ¡°Okay. As you wish. I¡¯ll get Big Xiong to send my passport overter on,¡± Huo Shaoheng agreed steadily. Seeing that General Ji was happy with his reply, he took the opportunity and continued, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing, General Ji, that I would like to inform you of.¡±

    ¡°What about? Let¡¯s take a seat.¡± General Ji pointed at the sofa across his desk. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to take a seat after standing for so long?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and filled General Ji¡¯s cup with more tea before taking a seat.

    ¡°I wish to inform you about the mistake that the vice president of the Special Forces has made.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up straight on the sofa. ¡°He went against the Special Forces¡¯ important rules and beliefs and dabbled in the nation¡¯s affairs. He¡¯s not suitable to be the vice president of the Special Forces anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was referring to the vice president of the Special Forces forcing the people he trusted to remain in the central control room for three days to support the voting campaign.

    General Ji was slightly embarrassed when he heard that. ¡°Ah, that... It¡¯s like this; we cannot fully me him. It was at my request and Speaker Long¡¯s, along with the two prime minister candidates¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You, Speaker Long, and the two prime minister candidates¡¯ request... That¡¯s true.¡± Huo Shaoheng had skipped over the fact that General Ji and Speaker Long were involved.

    This was something that he had no choice but to do, as he could control the vice president of the Special Forces but was unable to control General Ji, Speaker Long, and the two candidates.

    ¡°However, being the second-inmand of the Special Forces but not having any stand of his own and going ording to others¡¯ wishes, that went against the beliefs, motto, and mission of the Special Forces. It is a severe case of neglect. Moreover, for those three days in the control room, we missed the golden opportunity to decode many pieces of information, and it caused us tremendous losses. If we do not punish such an action, how can I work in the future? Would anyone even respect me anymore? How else can the Special Forces be the nation¡¯s secret powerful weapon?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng linked the entire issue to the existence of the Special Forces. Even if General Ji were to speak up, it would be hard for him to do so.

    However, General Ji still felt troubled. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°We cannot say that. Even though there¡¯s a use that says the Special Forces are not supposed to dabble in national affairs, things happen. Moreover, this request wasn¡¯t brought up by me alone. There was still Speaker Long and the two candidates. Also, let me tell you, the nation¡¯s people support this. They trust that the organization is fair and just, and therefore, were willing to allow you guys to keep watch over the entire campaign.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched. He controlled his frustration and lowered his voice. ¡°General Ji, what do you mean by the ¡®nation¡¯s support?¡¯ I thought that our organization was supposed to be secret. No one was supposed to even know about our existence other than the government bodies. How would the citizens know? If even they learn about our existence, how can we be kept a secret? How can we work, then? We might as well disperse.¡±

    General Ji was struck dumb by his words. With his brows furrowed, he said, ¡°Actually, it was the candidates who said this. They said that ording to a survey, everyone hoped to have a fair organization that would be the one in charge of counting the votes, an organization that does not take sides in politics. Therefore, they selected your organization.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wanted tough out loud. These two candidates really thought that they were so good at ying the game, didn¡¯t they? They were trying to make the citizens be the scapegoat...

    Leaning forward, Huo Shaoheng looked General Ji straight in the eyes and said clearly, ¡°General Ji, I feel that you and Speaker Long¡¯s intentions were good. However, the two candidates took advantage of your good intentions. Their request was really too odd. If they were the ones who guided the citizens¡¯ opinion and selected the Special Forces to be the organization to count the votes for the campaign, then I¡¯m confident in saying that they have all the criteria to leak our secret. Please do not think that betrayal is only leaking information to our enemies. People like them who reveal their own secrets are also considered betrayers.¡±

    General Ji¡¯s heart skipped a beat. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the disy cab, deep in thought. Indeed... The Tans and the Cais were the ones who wanted Huo Shaoheng to go to America to rescue Tan Guiren... And the Bais were the ones who were fine with Gu Nianzhi going to Germany. And at the final moment of the election, both of them actually had the same thought and wanted the Special Forces to be the vote-counting organization...

    When he thought along that line, General Ji felt extremely ufortable. Being used as a gun to shoot¡ªno one would feelfortable about that. His expression darkened. Looking at Huo Shaoheng, he nodded. ¡°Yes, Shaoheng. It¡¯s really great that you thought about the entire incident in all aspects. This doesn¡¯t seem that simple.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir! You¡¯re so wise!¡± Huo Shaoheng praised General Ji. Now, General Ji was happy and shy.

    He smiled and pointed at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You! I¡¯ve praised you just now and said that you were mature, and now you talk like that. Look at your position and rank. How can you still praise others like that? Aren¡¯t you worried that anyone wouldugh at you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°I¡¯m always your subordinate, General Ji. Without your great leadership, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to work so smoothly.¡± This wasn¡¯t all boot licking. General Ji honestly provided huge support to the Special Forces and was their biggest back up. That was the reason why Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suggestions could go through so easily.

    General Ji was finally convinced. Opening his arms, he smiled happily and said, ¡°Fine, then! Let me know what you want to do. I will definitely support you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so wise, sir!¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and bowed to General Ji. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to have heard that from you. It¡¯s like this: this mistake that the vice president of the Special Forces made could actuallynd him a sentence of life imprisonment. However, since General Ji helped to plead for him, I will not allow such a harsh punishment. Instead, I will just appeal for him to step down as vice president of the Special Forces.¡±

    General Ji pointed at Huo Shaoheng and smiled knowingly. ¡°Traps. It¡¯s all traps. Talk. Who do you want to promote?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking that we should have two vice presidents. Then we wouldn¡¯t be faced with such a difficult position like this,¡± Huo Shaoheng said smoothly. ¡°Big Xiong and Little Ze are really capable. Their capabilities are top notch. They¡¯ve been my personal secretaries for so many years and had never made any mistakes. I feel that they¡¯re both worthy of being the vice presidents of the Special Forces. This would also help me to better carry out missions in the future.¡±

 Chapter 712 - To Appoint by Favoritism

    <h4>Chapter 712: To Appoint by Favoritism</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You want to promote Big Xiong and Little Ze?¡± General Ji had a hard time holding back hisughter. ¡°Shaoheng, Shaoheng... You really are appointing by favoritism, hahaha...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was rendered momentarily speechless. He waited for General Ji to finish his chuckle before replying with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve amused Chief. Neither Big Xiong nor Little Ze are my rtives, so it¡¯s not quite right to say it¡¯s ¡®appointing by favoritism.¡¯¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re your personal secretaries...¡±

    ¡°Right, and I used to be your subordinate...¡± Huo Shaoheng raised a brow slowly. ¡°You supported me greatly, but did anyone say you ¡®appointed by favoritism?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Haha, very right! Actually, we promote talent, and that¡¯s the key word, ¡®talent!¡¯ As long as we know he¡¯s talented and didn¡¯t make mistakes, then why shouldn¡¯t we promote him? It¡¯s good you know this. As long as you can answer to anyone that it¡¯s only for national interests, then there is no need to worry about the minor traditions and about gossip.¡±

    ¡°I worry about gossip least of all.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a half smile as he nodded. ¡°Also, in our line of work, we don¡¯t need fame and perhaps can¡¯t be exposed at all.¡± He discussed it with General Ji some more before finally making onest request. ¡°General Ji, these twost prime minister candidates have made our work extremely passive. It could be said that the loss we suffered this time was entirely due to their unreasonable request. Also, I have reason to suspect that there are moles nted by the enemies by their sides.¡±

    General Ji instantly grew stern and stared at Huo Shaoheng as he replied gravely, ¡°Shaoheng, that¡¯s a very serious usation. Tan Dongbang is now the Prime Minister, and I also heard that he will appoint Bai Jiancheng as the Minister of Domestic Affairs. Although these two men were at each other¡¯s throats during the election, they¡¯ve obviously reconciled now. Your usation that they have moles by their sides means extremely serious consequences.¡±

    ¡°I know, so I wanted to discuss it with you. We are only suspecting it at this point, but this is not unfounded. This logical conclusion was derived from their recent activity, the resulting loss we suffered, and the consequences caused.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused and looked at General Ji to make sure he understood before continuing, ¡°Originally, I thought the most difficult thing was that we would be helpless even if there are moles nted by the enemies at their sides, because our Special Operations Forces cannot get involved in domestic affairs.¡±

    General Ji suddenly understood and chuckled as he pped the desk. ¡°Shaoheng, Shaoheng! You never take a loss with any trade! Tell me, what do you want to do? Give them a taste of their own medicine?¡±

    ¡°The Chief is wise!¡± Huo Shaoheng broke into a smile. ¡°See, I was truly promoted by you from the beginning. You know everything I¡¯m thinking.¡± ording to their mission statement and regtions, the Special Ops certainly couldn¡¯t get involved in domestic affairs. This was the bottom line determined by the military elite all those years ago. But this bottom line had been breached by the two prime minister candidates under the guise of ¡°public will.¡± The Special Ops had already been involved in domestic affairs, so for Huo Shaoheng, he might as well go with the flow. Not taking advantage of the so-called ¡°public opinion¡± would be a disservice to the nation, military, and public will.

    Even if the enemy learned of this, the Special Ops would still have a legitimate reason to defend themselves with. It¡¯s not like the candidates were the only ones allowed to use ¡°public will¡± as an excuse to request the Special Ops¡¯ help. The Special Ops could also follow the ¡°public will¡± and begin to monitor them. Didn¡¯t they trust the Special Ops more than anything else? If the Special Ops had been appointed to monitor the voting and balloting process, then what would be wrong with the Special Ops monitoring their behavior? The Special Ops was merely taking responsibility for ¡°public will,¡± since they had monitored the election on behalf of ¡°public will.¡±

    ¡°Ok! We did suffer a great loss this time, so they should pay a price. Also, they were the ones to break the rules first by borrowing our guns. Of course we¡¯re going to give them a taste of their own medicine.¡± General Ji nodded with approval. ¡°You want to monitor the people at their sides?¡±

    ¡°Excellent idea, Chief!¡± Huo Shaoheng appeared totally convinced. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of that point yet, and you¡¯ve already mentioned it. It¡¯s true that the older the knife, the sharper its de! You¡¯re my role model!¡±

    General Ji grinned widely at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and inclined his head inughter for a while before saying, ¡°Ok, then carry out the n as you wish. As for their people, you don¡¯t need to notify them. Can you do that?¡± In other words, Huo Shaoheng was allowed to monitor the cab, but he couldn¡¯t be discovered before he obtained actual evidence. Otherwise, General Ji wouldn¡¯t be able to quell the resulting trouble from such actions.

    Huo Shaoheng had been eavesdropping on foreign intelligence agencies for many years and now had no choice but to deal with a domestic institution. All signs pointed to the possibility that the mastermind behind harming Gu Nianzhi was located within the Hua Xia Empire. If he still rigidly abided by the Special Op¡¯s original code of conduct and mission statement of refusing to react to domestic affairs, then what awaited him and Gu Nianzhi would be even more fierce backhanded traps and murder attempts. He couldn¡¯t sit idle or simply watch Gu Nianzhi fall into the enemy¡¯s seemingly omnipresent traps. The enemy had misjudged him by assuming he was someone to never intervene in domestic institutions, so they had burrowed themselves there. But nothing was ever certain in the world, and now it was the enemy¡¯s turn to be caught off guard.

    It was the early hours of a brand new morning when Huo Shaoheng left General Ji¡¯s home. He hadn¡¯t slept for two full days and nights, but he was still energetic and not sleepy at all. Huo Shaoheng returned to the Special Operations Forces headquarters and immediately called for a special meeting to console all the base personnel¡¯s unease. He also announced that the Deputy Chief had vited the Special Operations Forces¡¯ mission statement and regtions by intervening with domestic affairs, so he ordingly should be sent to the military court for sentencing. However, because he had been jointly vouched for by both prime minister candidates, he wouldn¡¯t be sent to the military court but only dismissed from his duties immediately and transferred to the back office as office director.

    The Deputy Chief was still locked up in the detainment center by the Disciplinary Committee, and dismissal of his duties did not require anyone else¡¯s permission because Huo Shaoheng hadplete personnel rights. But in regards to a high-ranking position like the Deputy Chief¡¯s, Huo Shaoheng would never be the only one to make the call, even if he had the power to do so. Therefore, he also obtained General Ji¡¯s support because with it, Huo Shaoheng would have a legitimate reason for his actions. Also, the Disciplinary Committee had struck like lightning, so everyone had already mentally prepared for the Deputy Chief¡¯s dismissal, and thus it didn¡¯t cause very muchmotion.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s next announcement to appoint Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong as the new Deputy Chiefs was a pleasant surprise for everyone. These two men had much more experience within the Special Opspared with the previous Deputy Chief who had been an external promotion. Also, they got along very well with their peers, so nearly everyone was happy with their promotion.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Big Xiong, you¡¯ve got to treat us!¡±

    ¡°Little Ze, you¡¯re looking especially good with this great news!¡±

    The conference room was suddenly abuzz with a joyous atmosphere thatpletely wiped out the suffocating pressure within the Special Operations Forces headquarters from thest few days. Everyone was in high spirits and felt that they had a renewed sense of motivation to support the organizational backbone again.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were both extremely excited because they never thought Huo Shaoheng would help them obtain such an important position and good treatment! It was known that as soon as someone was promoted to Deputy Chief, they would also rise to the rank of colonel, and subsequently, the rank of senior colonel was no longer unattainable.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at everyone cheering inside the conference room and gave Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze a look before discreetly leaving alone. Without him present, everyone celebrated even more excitedly. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze knew that Huo Shaoheng was purposely giving them a chance to better get along with the group, so they agreed generously. ¡°Ok! Where should we go eat? We¡¯re treating you all today!¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the hallway for a while and mindlessly took out a cigarette to light. Inhaling deeply, he nced at his watch and saw it was already past 7am. He left the building and headed to the base cafeteria to buy two breakfasts to take to Chen Lie¡¯s office. There was a special private room outside Chen Lie¡¯s office, and that was where Gu Nianzhi was currently staying.

    Huo Shaoheng knocked on the door but got no response. He turned the door handle, and discovering it was unlocked, pushed it open. There was now arge, white, four-sided screen in the middle of the room, and on the other side was a single bed. Huo Shaoheng walked past the screen and saw Gu Nianzhi sleeping on the bed, her tiny face milky and luminous, lips pink and lush. She was looking much better than she had two days ago. Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t happy to see Gu Nianzhi recover so quickly, and he sighed deeply because he pitied her. Setting the breakfast on the small table by the bed, Huo Shaoheng sat at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside and adjusted her nkets before also checking her forehead to see she didn¡¯t have a fever and that her temperature was normal.

    Chen Lie heard the noise and walked out from his office. His expression was bitter. ¡°Boss? You finally came over. Nianzhi is fussing about getting discharged. I don¡¯t think I can hold her back anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Here, did you have breakfast yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng passed one of the breakfasts he bought to Chen Lie. ¡°Beef buns, millet porridge, boiled eggs, and milk tea.¡±

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t hesitate epting it. ¡°I worked an all-nighter, so I¡¯m starved.¡±

    ¡°An all-nighter? Doing what?¡± Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi was still sleeping, so he didn¡¯t wake her but followed Chen Lie to sit down in the office.

    Chen Lie chewed on the beef buns as he said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I was reading the medical papers we obtained from Dr. Ye.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood. ¡°That¡¯s the bait those people gave her?¡±

    Chen Lie nodded and gushed, ¡°These people were dumb, too. They should¡¯ve just given such good papers directly to me instead of buying off Dr. Ye.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sneered. ¡°Careful with what you say. Is it that amazing?¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s smile faded as he replied sternly, ¡°Luckily, you caught Dr. Ye. Otherwise, Nianzhi would¡¯ve been a goner.¡±

    ¡°The papers have something to do with Nianzhi?¡± Huo Shaoheng was even more surprised, because he hadn¡¯t read the papers.

    ¡°Strictly speaking, it has to do with her body constitution. The papers and data those people gave Dr. Ye are about cutting-edge studies on the rapid repair of cells.¡± Chen Lie tapped a pen on the paper. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll burn it after I read it. Truthfully speaking, although it¡¯s very advanced, it¡¯s not as advanced as Dr. Ye believed.¡± Chen Lie smiled and was now very calm when he spoke about Ye Zitan. ¡°We¡¯re already doing many of these studies ourselves. Dr. Ye... didck talent. Otherwise, we would¡¯ve invited her to join our research group.¡±

 Chapter 713 - Stop Causing Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 713: Stop Causing Trouble</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was expressionless as he took the thesis paper from Chen Lie¡¯s hand. He quickly read it. He agreed with Chen Lie¡¯s perspective after reading it. ¡°It¡¯s definitely something, but it isn¡¯t as defiant of the natural order as Ye Zitan had said. However, I feel like they didn¡¯t bring out the real goods. They were only using this like fool¡¯s gold to attract Ye Zitan¡¯s interest and gain something actually valuable in return.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body¡¯stent ability to heal rapidly had shown that it was much stronger by many folds than what the data presented by the thesis had supposed. Even though Chen Lie envied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unique body constitution, he was not the same as Ye Zitan, who had no boundaries for the sake of science. Furthermore, he had watched Gu Nianzhi grow up. Not many people would be willing to let people experiment on a cat or dog that they raised themselves, let alone a human being who was still alive...

    Chen Liepletely agreed with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s perspective and angrily said, ¡°I was thinking exactly the same thing. But my heart is more at peace after reading this, or else I would have thought they were so good that we would be left behind. If that happened, it would be really vexing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and threw the thesis into the stainless-steel wastebasket. He then took out the Zippo lighter Gu Nianzhi had given him and set the thesis on fire. Zhao Liangze had already disposed of the original physical copy from the mailbox. The fewer people who knew about this stuff, the better.

    Chen Lie shook his head and sighed after seeing the bright fire in the wastebasket turn dark. What was left of the thesis was only a pile of ck ash. He asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You were on a mission again these past two days? I am telling you, you are already a major general, a well-known member of the Special Operation Forces. So why do you still need to take care of everything yourself? Don¡¯t you understand that important people need to stay out of danger?¡±

    One of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands was in his pants pocket, and the other was on Chen Lie¡¯s desk. His long legs stretched as he calmly said, ¡°There are certain things that you have to take care of yourself to have peace of mind.¡±

    Chen Lie looked at him a bit nervously. ¡°What did you do? Don¡¯t tell me you went to Germany!¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice became cold. ¡°They dared toy their hands on our people. How could I not give them some color?¡±

    Chen Lie stared at him for a long time. He leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be sanctimonious and tell me all those noble excuses. Tell me the truth. Was it because of what happened to Nianzhi that you went there to vent your anger?¡±

    ¡°What anger do I need to vent?¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly denied it. ¡°It was for the country¡¯s benefit that I did it. Revenge for our field agents. That was why we invited that Mr. Als to eat a bullet.¡±

    ¡°Who is Als?¡±

    ¡°The German Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s section one bureau chief.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his right hand without any expression on his face and made a finger gun with his hand. ¡°A shot right through the middle of his forehead. It was an extremely precise and small bullet. It would only explode inside the skull. It most definitely wouldn¡¯t pollute the environment.¡±

    Chen Lie gasped a breath of cold air. ¡°You are too ruthless! What did Als do to cause heaven and humans alike to be so furious?! Wasn¡¯t that kind of bullet prohibited?!¡±

    ¡°He killed two field agents, and he electrocuted Nianzhi,¡± Huo Shaoheng said coldly.

    ¡°Right! Right! You should have given him a couple more of those small, super precise bullets!¡± Chen Lie instantly became angry. ¡°Are they even human! Nianzhi isn¡¯t even a secret service agent! She¡¯s an innocent little girl! He is demented! That day when you wanted me to go to the airport to get Liangze, was it because of this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. His eyes became hazy for a quick second.

    ¡°Heheh, and you said it wasn¡¯t for Nianzhi...¡± Chen Lie came back to his senses and gave Huo Shaoheng a despicable look. ¡°Just keep on talking nonsense. You even invited him to eat a bullet... Will you eat it if I invite you?¡±

    ¡°You asked if I was the one who invited him. Of course it was me who invited him. I didn¡¯t ask him to pay for the bullet.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned back in the chair. Both of his hands were on the armrest. He flicked his fingers lightly and nonchntly said, ¡°I really need to sort out the ranking this time around. Before, I didn¡¯t feel good about using my people all the time, but now I won¡¯t be reserved about it. I just promoted Big Xiong and Little Ze to be Deputy Chiefs of the Special Operation Forces.¡±

    Chen Lie grinned widely and nodded with great energy. ¡°Alright, Huo Shao. From now on, there will not be a drop of water that will be able to leak out of this ce.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, can¡¯t help it. I waspletely forced to do it.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a little smile and spread his hands. He stood up and was about to turn around and leave when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet, soft voiceing from the door outside. ¡°Brother Chen! Can I be discharged today?!¡± She was clearly not calling for Huo Shaoheng, but that voice still made Huo Shaoheng¡¯s steady andposed heart jump a couple of beats.

    Chen Lie smiled bitterly, pointed toward the door, and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You hear that? These past couple of days, the moment she opens her eyes, she asks to be discharged. I am starting to have white hairs looking for reasons to dy her discharge.¡± He pointed to his own head as he said this.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him and said with indifference, ¡°I don¡¯t see any white hair, but it seems like you have gotten a bit balder.¡±

    Chen Lie became furious, so furious that he grabbed a document from the desk and threw it at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Get out!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng easily dodged it. He turned around and walked out of the room while he said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯te out for a while.¡±

    ¡°Ha! I¡¯m going to go out, and I will be a third wheel! Let¡¯s see what you are going to do about it!¡± Chen Lie brought over his mirror harshly and looked at the top of his head carefully to see if it really was balder.

    ...

    The moment Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes, she started to ¡°bother¡± Chen Lie. She really wanted to be discharged. She couldn¡¯t do any of the things that she nned by staying there. Furthermore, she wanted to go back to school, and she really missed Ma Qiqi.

    Being unable to be discharged those past two days, she could only mull over her situation. She was thinking that the reason He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were able to find her location must have been because of Ma Qiqi¡¯s help.

    When Gu Nianzhi was in that predicament, the only people she was able to get in contact with were Ma Qiqi and Chen Lie. Because of Ye Zitan, Chen Lie must have not gotten the message. Then the real assistance must havee from Ma Qiqi.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely grateful to her.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng came out from Chen Lie¡¯s office and walked past the screen to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sick bed. He saw that she had already changed into patient¡¯s clothing, and that she wasying on the bed in boredom. One of her legs was raised high up as she did kicking exercises on the bed. Her round and fat, soft, pink toes had snow-white nails like jade that were reflecting the light like pearl.

    The edge of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched a couple times. He nonchntly looked away and calmly said, ¡°You are awake? Are you feeling better?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only saw Huo Shaohenge out of Chen Lie¡¯s office at that moment. She wrinkled her eyebrows so discreetly that it was unnoticeable. She put her leg down in a hurry, covered herself with a nket, and said in an unsatisfied tone, ¡°Mr. Huo, this is a girl¡¯s patient room. Don¡¯t you knock when youe in?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    Chen Lie heard it from the office. Heughed so hard that he couldn¡¯t hold his mouth shut. He quietly gave Gu Nianzhi a thumbs up. He had been counting the strands of hair he had on the top of his head with the mirror while attentively listening to those two being at odds with one another in the patient room.

    Gu Nianzhi took a quick nce at the half-closed door and pulled the nket up topletely cover herself. She said firmly to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Huo, I need to get up and wash up now. Can you get out for a moment?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He took one out, put it in his mouth, and nodded. ¡°Okay. You wash up, then.¡± He turned around and left, but he didn¡¯t hear Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice telling him to stop smoking.

    Gu Nianzhi only looked at his back. Her eyes dimmed. In the end, she swallowed what she was going to say. She quietlyid back down on the bed. Then she pulled back the nket and got up. She put her slippers on, but she didn¡¯t go to the bathroom to wash up. Instead, she knocked on Chen Lie¡¯s office door. ¡°Brother Chen, are you in there?¡±

    Chen Lie froze for a moment. ¡°Nianzhi? Are you by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Huo went out.¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed open the unlocked door and went in.

    Chen Lie put the mirror down in a hurry and said a bit unnaturally, ¡°Nianzhi, what is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against Chen Lie¡¯s big office door while hugging her arms around herself and said in an unhappy tone, ¡°I want to ask Brother Chen, when can I be discharged? If you still won¡¯t discharge me, then I will sue you for illegal confinement.¡±

    Chen Lie quickly raised both hands. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hasty, little miss! Your Brother Chen is a scaredy cat, and I don¡¯t handle threats well. Fine, you can be discharged. You will be discharged today.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi felt better instantly. She was beaming with joy and stopped hugging herself. ¡°Can I really go now?¡±

    ¡°Of course. But, it would be better if you changed your clothes.¡± Chen Lie nodded and gestured at her.

    Gu Nianzhi walked toward the desk in his office. ¡°What is it, Brother Chen?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, Brother Chen is going to give you some advice. There is a limit to your arrogance and to being loved. Huo Shao isn¡¯t a very patient person, and he really is a very busy person. He just went to Germany these past two days and personally killed that German Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s section one bureau chief, Als. He didn¡¯t sleep for two days and nights. You should stop causing trouble! Look at the dark color under his eyes...¡± Chen Lie winked his round eyes and exhorted Gu Nianzhi in a low voice.

    Gu Nianzhi was very shocked. Her eyes widened as she lowered her voice and asked, ¡°What? These past two days? He killed Als?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. You know that person, right?¡± Chen Lie lean forward. ¡°Was it this person that electrocuted you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered the pain from that day, and she held the fingers on her left hand without realizing it. She nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, electrocuted my fingers.¡±

    When Chen Lie heard that, he felt like his own finger started to have a burning pain. That Als really was abnormal. Being electrocuted is painful enough, but to go as far as to pick the most painful spot to electrocute her! Didn¡¯t he know that the fingers are linked to the heart? What a bastard!

    Chen Lie quicklyforted Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you see, Huo Shao has already avenged you. You should stop causing trouble, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t like Chen Lie saying that. However, she also knew that anyone who knew her and Huo Shaoheng almost all felt that way, that she was the one who was unable to recognize others¡¯ good intentions; that she was the spoiled and arrogant one; that she was the one causing trouble without good reason.

    But did they think about the fact that whether Als was assassinated or not, she couldn¡¯t pretend the aching pain that she felt in her heart never happened? What was Huo Shaoheng doing during the time she would rather have been pursued and killed than to bother him...

    So,te iste.

    But she was still grateful that Huo Shaoheng killed Als. He was able to pay off the debt of blood for the other two field agents. That was another incident altogether.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly nodded. ¡°Brother Chen, you should not intervene in the thing between him and me. He killed Als, so I am naturally grateful to him, but Als also killed two of our field agents. With him being the way he is, it would definitely be an eye for an eye. If you insist on saying he killed Als for me, you are actually belittling him. But don¡¯t you worry, I won¡¯t cause trouble for him.¡±

    They had broken up amicably. What was there to cause trouble for?!

 Chapter 714 - Amicable Breakup

    <h4>Chapter 714: Amicable Breakup</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Chen Lie chuckled and cocked his head. ¡°Who is he? He is who? Nianzhi, you keep saying ¡®him,¡¯ and I¡¯m getting confused.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen, you can stay confused, then. I¡¯m not responsible for convincing you or relieving confusion.¡± She walked out of his office and went to the bathroom to wash up and change out of the hospital gown. She put on theundered, hooded cowl neck, loose fitting sweatshirt, yoga pants, and white Ralph Lauren ts. Looking fresh and clean, she walked out of the bathroom and packed all her things into arge cloth bag to carry to the door.

    In the hallway outside the door, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping back nearly blocked out all the sunlight shining in from the window. Gu Nianzhi looked down and wanted very badly to sneak quietly past him, but Huo Shaoheng turned around when he heard the door and saw the fresh looking Gu Nianzhi staring down at the ground. He called out to her, ¡°Nianzhi, where are you going?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and looked up at Huo Shaoheng with a smile. ¡°Mr. Huo, I was just about toe looking for you. Brother Chen said I can be discharged now, so I wanted to go to your official residence and pack my things.¡±

    She obviously still wanted to break up and split up their ¡°assets.¡± Huo Shaoehng nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you.¡± He walked over to her and naturally snaked his arm around her back to gently rest his hand on her right shoulder, forcefully bringing her into his embrace.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped aside to leave Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tilted hug. ¡°Mr. Huo, I already said we¡¯ve broken up. What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and replied calmly, ¡°I already said I have to consider it. Why are you in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry?!¡± Gu Nianzhi lost her temper but as soon as she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s unperturbed calmness, she knew she couldn¡¯t get easily riled up like a child around him. She stifled her anger and turned to head towards the elevator as she said, ¡°Then you should consider it quickly. Unteral requests for divorces are legal, so please don¡¯t make things difficult while I¡¯m being gracious here.¡±

    Pursing his lips, Huo Shaoheng followed her inside the elevator. They stood on opposite sides of the elevator and looked straight ahead. There were mirrors on all four walls, so although they didn¡¯t look at each other, they were able topletely observe the other¡¯s expressions. Gu Nianzhi only nced quickly before looking down at the marble floors under her feet. In the mirror in front of her, Huo Shaoheng could only see her dark ck hair but not her face.

    He sighed internally and reached out to take the cloth bag she was holding. Gu Nianzhi refused initially, but Huo Shaoheng was too strong, and she didn¡¯t want the embarrassment of struggling in the elevator with him, so she gave up after a few pulls.

    Huo Shaoheng took the cloth bag and quickly nced inside to see there was a small Hermes bag he hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°You bought this bag yourself?¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help asking. Then he thought of the birthday gift, but he couldn¡¯t ask about it inside the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and replied calmly, ¡°I threw away the Picotin bag you gave me when I was running for my life in the Alps.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    Gu Nianzhi shot him a sidelong nce before exining simply, ¡°They had sent fake police officers to catch me, so I escaped through the river. That bag became as heavy as a rock as soon as it got wet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You were right to throw it away. Your life is more important. If you liked that bag, I can have someone look for another one in France.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No thanks. I don¡¯t like that kind of bag anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked ahead and didn¡¯t say anything else. They returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence in silence and went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite. Her suite was across from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s on the second floor. He stood by the door and didn¡¯t seem to want to go inside as he passed the cloth bag back to her. However, Gu Nianzhi invited him in. ¡°Pleasee in, Mr. Huo. I¡¯ll give the key back to you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and saw she wasn¡¯t joking. He had no choice but to follow her into the suite. Gu Nianzhi went directly to the bedroom inside. On the east wall of the bedroom hung an oil painting, and when she flipped it over, it revealed a recessed safe in the wall. Gu Nianzhi went to the lower drawer of her vanity and took out a key, then entered the safe¡¯s password and fingerprint authentication before using the key to open it. This type of safe used the double protection of fingerprint and retina technology, as well as basic password protection and mechanical locks. Once the safe opened, Gu Nianzhi took out the deeds, all sorts of deposit slips, investment ount stubs, and a box of jewelry and set it all on the bed in a row.

    Huo Shaoheng still had his hands in his pockets and stood ramrod straight without walking over. He remained standing by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and frowned. ¡°Nianzhi, are you really going to this extent with me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, I know you definitely don¡¯t believe that I truly want to break up with you.¡± Gu Nianzhiid out everything like it was a flea market stall and turned around to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Since it doesn¡¯t matter what I say to you, I¡¯ll use these things to prove my sincerity.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her intently before slowly leaning against the side of the door. One leg was straight, and the other was bent as he stood casually and responded calmly, ¡°Nianzhi, I think you remember I said I would consider it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you can consider it.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her brow nonchntly. ¡°But these are things that I must do.¡± She pointed to the deeds. ¡°Actually, legally speaking Mr. Huo, these deeds are not valid. I wasn¡¯t present when you transferred titles, nor did I sign any powers of attorney. Also, I wasn¡¯t 18 yet when you transferred the apartment in C City to me, so it¡¯s invalid.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head started to hurt. How could he get this smart and legally versed girl to change her mind? Rubbing his forehead, he inhaled deeply. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll forget about the deeds. But these deposit statements and investment ounts...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all the same. You didn¡¯t transfer them legally. But ording tow, these things can be ignored as long as they are not brought up legally. So as long as I don¡¯t file a case, they¡¯re not considered illegal. But I will be going to court to file a case if you refuse to take them back.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked to the closet with a smile and packed up some clothes, shoes, and skincare products she often used. She nned on moving the clothes, shoes, and bags in the 350-square-foot closet once she settled into her own home. When she thought of her own home, Gu Nianzhi began to urge him, ¡°I¡¯m hoping that Mr. Huo can transfer the titles of these deeds back as soon as possible and get it done today. I know Mr. Huo has that ability, isn¡¯t that right?¡± She turned around to look at Huo Shaoheng and even winked yfully.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands nearly began to itch in his trouser pockets. Such a naughty girl should be pulled over hisp and spanked. Gu Nianzhi was really throwing all caution to the wind. She no longer blushed, and her heart no longer raced when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s incredibly handsome face. She also no longer tried her best to show her best side to him. The truth was that it was never sustainable to constantly present one¡¯s best self to their lover. When two people were together, showing each other their most honest side and beingfortable with it while not pretending or trying to please the other was the key to a longsting rtionship.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside and looked down at the bed covered with all sorts of red identification booklets and papers, as well as an exquisitely made redwood box that was obviously vintage. He replied, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll change itter.¡±

    ¡°Can you hurry up? Like get it done today?¡± Gu Nianzhi put her clothes into arge piece of Louis Vuitton luggage. ¡°I know Mr. Huo has that ability. Can you not make things difficult for amoner like me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to nce at her, asking quietly, ¡°Why does it have to be today?¡±

    ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t have to be today, but I¡¯m hoping for as soon as possible.¡± She cocked her head. ¡°I picked an older home near campus and need to mortgage it. I won¡¯t get approved if I have other properties under my name.¡±

    ¡°You want to buy a house?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned seriously now. ¡°Why are you buying an older home? If you really need to buy a house, I can sell this one to you.¡± He pointed to an apartment in the Xiangshan Vi District in the Imperial Capital. ¡°This is not far from your school. It¡¯s just a 15 minute drive.¡±

    Speaking of cars, Gu Nianzhi pped her forehead. ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot about that car.¡± She went to a desk drawer and found the key for the bright red, customized Ferrari and set it beside all the deeds.

 Chapter 715 - If You Can Use It, I Can, Too

    <h4>Chapter 715: If You Can Use It, I Can, Too</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was beginning to turn sour. He bent down and picked up the car key on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed. ¡°This was a Valentine¡¯s Day present customized for you. I can ignore the other things, but you¡¯re going to return this, too? Do you think that I¡¯m the kind of bastard who takes back presents from his girlfriend over a breakup?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She blushed slightly. Indeed, this was differentpared to the others. This was the first Valentine¡¯s Day present Huo Shaoheng had given her after confirming their rtionship... perhaps also thest...

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lower lip and opened her palm to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Alright. That was my fault. Give me the car key.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and ced the car key into her soft, fair palm. His big hands wrapped tightly around her tiny slender ones briefly before letting go. He wanted to say something but could not find the words, so he remained silent.

    Standing to one side, he watched Gu Nianzhi pack her daily necessities, things she frequently used, clothes, and shoes into her full sized LV luggage. There were four pieces of luggage in total. She filled all of them.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the things that were still unpacked. She closed the wardrobe and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave these here for the time being. I¡¯ll get them after I¡¯ve moved into my ce.¡± Then, she looked at Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°Mr. Huo, can you leave this house vacant for a couple of days and only rent it out to others after I¡¯ve moved into my ce?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°This is your ce. It¡¯ll be vacant if you don¡¯t live here.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. Such a big house being vacant, what a waste!¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Goodness...¡±

    ¡°Sure. When you¡¯re done moving your things, I¡¯ll move here.¡± Huo Shaoheng merely wanted to shut Gu Nianzhi up. Her words might sound fine to others, because they were just like the usual things couples said when they broke up. However, to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ears, they were extremely excruciating.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him and wanted to say something but decided against it.

    ¡°Speak if you must. Why are you being wishy washy about it?¡± Huo Shaoheng took a seat.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed in the direction of the bathroom. ¡°Mr. Huo, if you¡¯re going to move here, I think you¡¯ll have to redo the bathroom.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The bathroom is spoiled?¡± Huo Shaoheng wanted to go to the bathroom to check.

    Gu Nianzhi said gloomily behind him, ¡°It¡¯s all pink. Are you sure Mr. Major General Huo is able to use it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. He did not continue walking to the bathroom. He turned around and looked at Gu Nianzhi exasperatedly and said after a while, ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you can use it, I can, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not talk about it anymore. She looked at the boxes on the ground and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, can I get Brother Xiong or Brother Ze to take me back to school, please?¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were both Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secretaries. If Gu Nianzhi wanted to get them to help, she would definitely have to get Huo Shaoheng¡¯s approval.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and picked up the biggest box. ¡°Big Xiong and Little Ze just got promoted. They¡¯ve gone out to celebrate. They¡¯re busy. I¡¯ll take you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blocked Huo Shaoheng and smiled. ¡°How could I bother you? Mr. Huo is of such a high position. I really can¡¯t make you my chauffeur. I think I¡¯ll call Brother Xiong. No matter what, I want to congratte him on his promotion.¡±

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi go look for thendline, Huo Shaoheng realized that her phone must have been left in the Alps. Taking out his phone, he handed it to her. ¡°Use mine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that Huo Shaoheng did not want her to use thendline, so she took the phone and thanked him. She opened the contacts and entered Yin Shixiong¡¯s number. The moment the call went through, Yin Shixiong immediately answered. Heughed as he said, ¡°Mr. Huo! Do you want toe and be happy with us?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Brother Xiong! Congrattions on your promotion!¡±

    Yin Shixiong realized that it wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng, but Gu Nianzhi using Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone to call him. He was even happier. ¡°Nianzhi! Come with Mr. Huo! There are many people here. You¡¯ll know all of them. Little Ze, and some other colleagues whom you¡¯ve met before! We have barbeque, a seafood buffet, and karaoke!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could hear all the noise in the background. It did seem like there were many people. She smiled happily and said, ¡°Thank you, Brother Xiong, but it¡¯s okay. I just want to congratte you and Brother Ze. Please tell him for me!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was already buzzed on alcohol at that point. He said loudly, ¡°No problem!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung up. Then, after thinking for a while, she turned to Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°Mr. Huo, can I use your phone for another call?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to remember He Zhichu¡¯s number and B University¡¯s professor building¡¯s main line. She was contemting which to call when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang. Gu Nianzhi instinctively thought that it would be Yin Shixiong and answered it.

    A staff member¡¯s voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Mr. Huo, a call from Tan Dongbang. Would you like to answer it, please?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile disappeared. She passed the phone back to Huo Shaoheng silently. Huo Shaoheng took the phone and wanted to switch to his Bluetooth earpiece, but seeing that Gu Nianzhi had turned around to pick up her boxes, he just put it on loudspeaker. ¡°Put him through.¡±

    An extremely gentle voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Is this Mr. Huo? This is Tan Guiren.¡±

    Hearing that it was Tan Guiren, Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi. She was still packing her things and did not seem to be affected at all. His brows furrowed. ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Tan, may I know if anything is the matter?¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, Tan Guiren blushed immediately. She gathered her courage and asked with a shaky voice, ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯ll be my father¡¯s inauguration five days from now. I want to invite Mr. Huo toe and attend the ceremony. May I know if you¡¯re free, please?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was back facing Huo Shaoheng, and she could clearly hear the call. Even though she was mentally prepared and also knew that Huo Shaoheng did not have any romantic feelings towards Tan Guiren, she still nked out a little when she heard the shy and nervous invitation.

    Most likely it was another girl who was mesmerized by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s charms, wasn¡¯t it? Gu Nianzhi remembered that footage. It seemed like that girl was someone who had great manners and was rather pretty. She and Huo Shaoheng... werepatible in every way¡ªage, family background... In everyone¡¯s eyes, they would have thought that she was way better than Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and felt ufortable. However, it wasn¡¯t the type of pain you¡¯d feel when the man you love loved someone else. It was the pain of being neglected and people looking down on you. Everyone said that she was notpatible with Huo Shaoheng. She really didn¡¯t have any more energy to go against the world.

    Gu Nianzhi packed her luggage and locked it up with her password, then decided to call He Zhichu on his phone. If she still couldn¡¯t get through, then she¡¯d call the professor building¡¯s main line.

    She had no idea where He Zhichu had gone these past couple of days. He had not contacted her at all. While being locked up in Chen Lie¡¯s ward, she was practically cut off from the rest of the world.

    On Huo Shaoheng¡¯s end, he rejected Tan Guiren¡¯s invite bluntly. ¡°Miss Tan, I¡¯ve been away for a few months. Work is piling up, so I won¡¯t be free for the next few months. Please let Mr. Tan know that I congratte him on being elected the new Prime Minister.¡±

    Tan Guiren was extremely disappointed. Biting her lower lip, she dragged the time out for a while before trying harder. ¡°Mr. Huo, attending my father¡¯s inauguration is part of your job, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    No matter what, Huo Shaoheng was the head of the army, part of the government. Everyone influential from the government and army would be attending Tan Dongbang¡¯s inauguration. Those who did not attend were either not invited or were too sick to attend.

    Tan Guiren had not expected Huo Shaoheng to reject her so bluntly and tried to talk him into it gently. However, what she did not know was that no one would be able to change Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind once he¡¯d decided something. He smiled superficially and said, ¡°Miss Tan, do you happen to be one of the cab¡¯s employees? Or are you Prime Minister Tan¡¯s personal secretary?¡±

    Tan Guiren was taken aback for a moment. Then, she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m neither. I just returned from overseas and am still not in the best of health. Mommy said that I should rest more...¡±

    Before she could even finish her sentence, Huo Shaoheng had already replied politely, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you have no right to invite me to your father¡¯s inauguration as well. Alright, I¡¯m really busy now. Get Prime Minister Tan¡¯s secretary to call my secretary if there¡¯s anything.¡± With that, he hung up.

    Tan Guiren blushed, embarrassed. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Her mother, Cai Songyin, came in from outside, knocked on the door, and asked pleasantly, ¡°How did it go? Did Mr. Huo agree?¡±

    Tan Guiren replied, embarrassed, ¡°I was too rash. Mr. Huo is the head of the army while I am just a nobody. Of course he wouldn¡¯te if I was the one who invited him.¡±

    ¡°Noting?! How could it be?¡± Cai Songyin was extremely puzzled. ¡°Are you sure? No matter who invites him, this will be your father¡¯s inauguration. Why would he reject it? Moreover, you¡¯re your father¡¯s only child. You will be standing with your father during the ceremony. He would reject being seen with you?!¡±

    Tan Guiren was confused, hurt, and embarrassed. She said quickly, ¡°Mommy, I tried. It did not work. I¡¯ll go back for now...¡± Tan Guiren returned to her home quickly and locked the door.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had hung up. She turned around. ¡°She¡¯s inviting you to Tan Dongbang¡¯s inauguration. Why doesn¡¯t Mr. Huo go? This indeed is part of your job, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the biggest piece of luggage and shrugged. ¡°Nope. Attending inaugurations is not part of my job scope.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°But what if some people fall during the ceremony? Who would help her up if you weren¡¯t there?¡±

 Chapter 716 - You Can Call My Name

    <h4>Chapter 716: You Can Call My Name</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He stared intently at Gu Nianzhi. She looked a bit jealous, but her faint smirk diluted the jealousy much more than he wanted it to.

    Gu Nianzhi originally didn¡¯t want to mention this to Huo Shaoheng to avoid making him think she was feeling jealous, but she changed her mind because she knew it would be too obvious if she avoided mentioning it the entire time. It clearly bothered her a lot, and it clearly pushed her emotions over the edge. This was the final straw that made her decide to break up, so why pretend it didn¡¯t exist? Why did she have to suffer it alone? No one cared even if she felt hurt internally from the suffering, so she blurted it out honestly. The situation at the time was vivid in her mind, and every time she recalled it, a new scar would appear on her heart. So let him assume she was being jealous. It didn¡¯t matter to her anymore, and she also didn¡¯t want to exin it.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and stared at her quietly. He wasn¡¯t a stranger to what Gu Nianzhi felt and could alsopletely understand her psyche at the time. To see that kind of situation when she was at her most desperate... Just like when the strong willed men from Special Operations Forces underwent specialized training to see that kind of thing during high intensity, anti-stress training would directly cause breakdowns and require a long period of psychotherapy to recover from. Also, Gu Nianzhi was only a young girl five days away from turning 19. She had never really gone through major setbacks in life, and the psychological impact she experienced was surely even more powerful than what field agents went through. After some time, Huo Shaoheng reached out to take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and replied steadily, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you have the chance to sprain your ankle if you were by my side.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had beenughing, but tears fell as soon as she heard his words. She quickly wiggled out of his grasp and turned away to wipe the tears with the back of her hand. She choked. ¡°Yeah, I believe you. But you¡¯re not by my side most of the time, so I need to make sure I don¡¯t have a chance of spraining my ankle. Even if it happens, I need to learn how to help myself. If I had waited for someone else to rescue me, I might have be crippled and gotten killed from the fall already.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng exhaled deeply. He knew Gu Nianzhi was too hurt this time and wouldn¡¯t recover in a short period of time. He didn¡¯t say anything more but carried one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suitcases in each hand.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped him. ¡°Mr. Huo, can you lend me a phone? I can call someone else to pick me up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stop walking or lend his phone to Gu Nianzhi. He carried the suitcases and walked out, so Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to stomp her feet before following him out of his official residence. A silver Bentley Bentayga SUV was parked in front of the entrance. It was very smooth and streamlined as it quietly sat at the door like a piece of moonlight¡ªstrong, reliable, gentle, and considerate. Gu Nianzhi snickered before following him inside the car.

    Huo Shaoheng drove to the base exit and draped one arm on the steering wheel and and rested the other against the window frame as he nced at Gu Nainzhi in the front passenger seat. ¡°You don¡¯t like this car?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look out the window and crossed her arms as she replied calmly, ¡°No, this car is pretty decent.¡± It is better than most men, anyway, Gu Nianzhi thought to herself. It worked hard withoutint and endured all sorts of abuse but still remained strong, reliable, gentle, and considerate. Just thest two points themselves had much difficulty coexisting.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her again and turned onto the highway. It was Tuesday and past working hours, so the roads weren¡¯t busy despite the many cars. They remained silent the entire trip and soon arrived at B University and then Gu Nianzhi¡¯s graduate student dormitory.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes almost filled with tears at the familiar sight of her dorm. She pressed herself against the window to stare at the building and sighed. ¡°Back then, I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able toe back, and when I was sleeping in the Alps, I even dreamed of my dorm at night.¡± This was her real home and the real ce that made her feel like she belonged. Seeing her school, dorm, and even the ssmates she had arguments in the past with all made her feel extremely at home. From thisst life and death struggle, she left behind her reliance but earned confidence in her own abilities. She could only live honestly and stably by relying on herself. Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into fists and turned to Huo Shaoheng earnestly. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Huo.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly and leaned over to undo her seatbelt. Body heat radiated and cloaked her when his strapping figure moved close to her. Gu Nianzhi shifted away ufortably. Huo Shaoheng stopped and said next to her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®Mr. Huo.¡¯ That¡¯s too formal. You can call my name.¡± Of course, he¡¯d rather that than have Gu Nainzhi continue calling him ¡°Uncle Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi considered it. She had already achieved her goal, so she shouldn¡¯t need to call him ¡°Mr. Huo¡± anymore to indicate their distance. She nodded. ¡°Ok, Huo Shaoheng. Then I won¡¯t pretend to be polite.¡± As soon as the seat belt unfastened, she opened the door and leapt out of the car.

    Huo Shaoheng followed her out and carried her suitcases as they went up together. When Gu Nianzhi arrived at her door, she was so excited and frantically fished out her keys from her bag to clumsily unlock it. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Ma Qiqi poking her head out of her room.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°Qiqi!¡±

    The two girls screamed in unison and excitedly ran up to each other in an embrace as they shouted andughed. They bothughed so hard, their tears fell fromughter. Ma Qiqi grabbed Gu Nianzhi and asked worriedly, ¡°Are you ok, Nianzhi?! I saw them electrocute you. I was so shocked, I started crying!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head and winked at Ma Qiqi. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m sorry I shocked you. Actually, it didn¡¯t hurt that much. I was just screaming purposely to make them satisfied. What would I do if I appeared too ¡®unyielding¡¯ and they decided to continue torturing me? I had to satisfy their perverse psyche, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Ma Qiqi knew Gu Nianzhi was consoling her and wiped her tears. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re fine. Looking at you, there¡¯s nothing wrong at all. See, your tiny face is even rosier than mine! Silly girl, you worried me so badly!¡± She then hugged Gu Nianzhi tightly and rubbed her back hard.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly at the sight of the roommates being so ¡°intimate.¡± It was better to have Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood brightened. Ma Qiqi finally calmed down and noticed there was someone else in the room. She focused her eyes and froze. Wasn¡¯t this the incredible Major General Huo!? She had yelled at him at the airport that day! Ma Qiqi¡¯s face instantly flushed, and she stood there awkwardly, unsure what to say.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what happened with Ma Qiqi at the airport and only assumed she was feeling shy seeing Huo Shaoheng. She turned to him and said, ¡°Thank you for driving me back, Huo Shaoheng. Hope I didn¡¯t use too much of your time.¡± In other words, he was dismissed.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t leave just like that. Picking up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suitcases, he replied, ¡°You guys chat. I¡¯ll go unpack for you.¡± He then walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was wrong and was about to call him back when Ma Qiqi grabbed her from behind to drag her into her own room. ¡°Get over here, Nianzhi. I have so many things to ask you, I¡¯m gonna explode if I don¡¯t ask them now!¡±

    Ma Qiqi was now more important to Gu Nianzhi than Huo Shaoheng, so she followed inside her room. Ma Qiqi mmed the door shut and scanned her up and down to ensure she was really fine before sighing. ¡°Nianzhi, I have to tell you something.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as she patted Ma Qiqi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Qiqi, do you think there are still things you can¡¯t say to me at this point? You saved my life. I¡¯m endlessly grateful to you.¡±

    Flushing scarlet from Gu Nainzhi¡¯s words, Ma Qiqi said shyly, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t do anything. I only made a few calls and sent two videos.¡± She then asked, ¡°Professor He was the one to save you, or was it that...¡± Ma Qiqi gestured at the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Gu Nianzhiughed at her reaction and muffled her mouth. ¡°It was Professor He. That Mr. Huo was too far away and didn¡¯t make it in time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I know.¡± Ma Qiqi punched the bed vehemently and said with some worry, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m telling you¡ªI even yelled at him at the airport that day! You think he will... retaliate against me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened. ¡°Yelled at him? You saw him?¡± She assumed Ma Qiqi found Huo Shaoheng through Yin Shixiong or Zhao Lianze.

    Ma Qiqi also stiffened. ¡°Your boyfriend didn¡¯t tell you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pinched Ma Qiqi¡¯s lips with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. What boyfriend... He¡¯s not anymore.¡±

    Ma Qiqi grew serious and squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°What happened?! Did someone actually steal him away?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was totally confused and couldn¡¯t help shoving Ma Qiqi. ¡°Wake, up Qiqi. Why are you sleep talking in the middle of the day!?¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t know?¡± Ma Qiqi bit her lip in contemtion and crept closer to Gu Nianzhi to whisper, ¡°The thing is, Nianzhi... I was in a panic trying to get someone to rescue you, but when I found Brother Xiong, he said your boyfriend wasn¡¯t in the Hua Xia Empire and that the military had banned anyone from notifying him. Later on, I saw he was visiting abroad and then escorted that Prime Minister¡¯s daughter back here. I went to the airport to stop him...¡±

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Say that again. You said someone banned Huo Shaoheng from being notified? And then you went to the airport to stop Huo Shaoheng? But... But... How did you get in?¡± Gu Nianzhi knew that the entire airport would be cleared for an event like that. There was no way a normal person like Ma Qiqi could go stop someone.

    Ma Qiqi suddenly got embarrassed and fidgeted before whispering, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell your boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Tell me. I promise I won¡¯t mention anything.¡± Gu Nianzhi then thought it was still wrong and added, ¡°How many times did I tell you, stop calling him my boyfriend. He¡¯s not anymore. We already broke up.¡±

 Chapter 717 - Too Rich to Be a Good Match

    <h4>Chapter 717: Too Rich to Be a Good Match</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Wh, wh, what?! Broke up?!¡± Ma Qiqi sprang up from her bed. ¡°Are you ying with me?!¡±

    ¡°No. Stop being so surprised.¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled her down so she could sit. ¡°You tell me first, then I¡¯ll tell you why we broke up.¡±

    Ma Qiqi patted her chest. Her heart was still fluttering with fear as she said, ¡°Ok, it¡¯s like this. That day Brother Xiong told me the one who was going to the airport to pick you up was Huo Shao, I went to the airport to stop him. But you also know that I can¡¯t get in. I was only able to get in because Brother Xiong helped me out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt warmth in her heart as she grasped Ma Qiqi¡¯s hands.

    Ma Qiqi felt encouraged and continued to speak as her face lit up. She told it like telling a story and told her everything, including what Yin Shixiong told her and how she desperately begged for help. At the end she said, ¡°...When I arrived where Huo Shao and that Tan something were, I was right on time to see them get off the ne. Can you guess what I saw? I saw your Huo Shao being that Tan something¡¯s flower guard! I was so mad! I ran up to him and yelled at him. I said, ¡®Huo Shao! Your girlfriend has been kidnapped and electrocuted! You¡¯re still in the mood to be a flower guard!? Nianzhi was really blind! You¡¯re trash! You will get retribution!¡¯¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled as she listened. She hadn¡¯t seen what Ma Qiqi just said on the video! ¡°Qiqi, you mean, you saw them getting off the ne? You saw Huo Shao help that Tan Guiren and take the flowers from her hands, and then you ran over and yelled at him?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked about it in detail. Like a puzzle with a piece missing, she tried hard to reconstruct the whole picture.

    Ma Qiqi nodded a little. ¡°Yes. As you also know, at that time, the live broadcast was cut. The whole inte didn¡¯t see me when I was yelling.¡± Sheughed mischievously and poked Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you can¡¯t me me, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came to her senses and shook her head. ¡°Of course not.¡± How could she me her for helping her to that extent?! She couldn¡¯t even wait to thank her! To have someone who has my back and that spoke up for me feels really good... She hugged Ma Qiqi and ced her head on her shoulder.

    ¡°But you said that you guys broke up. Did he fall for someone else?¡± Ma Qiqi was puzzled. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt very perplexed. Her feelings and her decisions were not something that could be exined in a sentence or two. But she was also considerate of Ma Qiqi¡¯s worries. After thinking about it, she said in a concise yetprehensive manner, ¡°No, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t fall for someone else. It was me. I almost died from braving through untold dangers. Now, I¡¯m able to ept many things. Stop insisting. It¡¯s better for everyone this way.¡± Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t change, and she wouldn¡¯t ask him to change for her. So the best oue was to break up peacefully. She didn¡¯t want to wear the feelings down to nothing.That would be too ugly.

    Ma Qiqi only understood half of it, but she still nodded. ¡°Ok, as long as you know what you are doing, then it¡¯s good. But Nianzhi, you are still young. Even if you are dating, you don¡¯t need to die by hanging yourself on one tree. Look at me, I¡¯ve already hanged myself on many trees, but not only am I still not dead, I¡¯m stronger!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted withughter from her joke. Those grievances and unwillingness that were at the bottom of Ma Qiqi¡¯s heart slowly dissipated in her heartyughter. She thought about it. It is only a breakup, and just like Ma Qiqi said, I¡¯m still young, and the most important thing right now is to finish school, start my own business, and be able to stand on my own feet in this society. Only then will I not be abandoned by someone...

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqiughed for a while. Then she remembered that it was Tuesday and said, ¡°Qiqi, do you have sses today?¡±

    ¡°Ah?! Oh no, oh no! I forgot about it when you came back! I have two sses this morning! One of the sses is already halfway over!¡± Ma Qiqi put her backpack on in a hurry and ran out in an instant.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room after she heard the door outside the dormitory close with a bang. The moment she walked in, she was dumbfounded. Huo Shaoheng had already put her suitcase in the closet, and he was getting water to do some cleaning for her.

    The window was thoroughly cleaned, the floor was mopped, and there were new sheets on the bed. The quilt cover was in theundry basket. The old bed cover had been taken off, and it was also in theundry basket.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to see Gu Nianzhi walking in when he heard the sound of the door. He stood up straight and asked, ¡°Ma Qiqi left?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°She went to ss. She was so excited just now, she forgot she had sses. She just left.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted the bed. ¡°Come sit here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°What? I won¡¯t do anything to you,¡± Huo Shaoheng said in a calm and collected manner. He stood up from the bed and gave up his seat.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t go over there. She didn¡¯t say anything as she lowered her head for a long time. She thought a lot about what Ma Qiqi had just said. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mention a thing about Ma Qiqi yelling at him at the airport or little things like that. Men like Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t take it to heart.

    Only big things about the country and unstable situations around the world are on their minds. In their eyes, people like Ma Qiqi and myself arepletely not worth mentioning. They naturally wouldn¡¯t care if you yelled at them, praised them, or loved them. And he¡¯s too rich to be a good match for me. We don¡¯t suit each other. Also, I¡¯m too demanding. It¡¯s too difficult. Isn¡¯t it a good thing to get out of such intense feelings?

    Gu Nianzhi calmly said, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I apologize for my attitude from before. I didn¡¯t feel good, and I wasn¡¯t in a good mental state. I hope you will be a bigger and better person and not take it to heart.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stupefied. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gu Nianzhi. He wasn¡¯t happy with her mild attitude. On the contrary, he was even more depressed.

    She continued, ¡°I know you had your reasons, but you also know that I... I, under this kind of situation, really... really don¡¯t have that generous attitude. I... am really tired.¡± Gu Nianzhi hung her head and stroked a few strands of her hair that had fallen down.

    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over to her and held onto her shoulder. ¡°The one who should apologize is me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°I know, it¡¯s not your fault. Even though I was really upset, I know I shouldn¡¯t me you.¡±

    ¡°You can me me.¡± Huo Shaoheng felt worse. Worse than when Gu Nianzhi kicked up a row, worse than when she cut him with her words. He leaned forward and embraced her as he leaned her against his chest. He patted her back. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re not angry anymore, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and lightly pushed Huo Shaoheng away. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I already told you that I¡¯m not angry anymore.¡±

    ¡°Are we still breaking up?¡±

    ¡°Of course we are breaking up.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked after being silent for a while.

    ¡°No reason. If you really want a reason, you could say you are too rich to be a good match.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head. The sparkle and twinkle in her eyes disappeared instantly.

    ¡°You resent my age.¡± Huo Shaoheng let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and took a step back. He looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face and sped his hands behind his back. He clenched his fist tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit irritated. ¡°Is too rich to be a good match interpreted that way? You clearly know it¡¯s not like that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped being at a loss with that subject. He looked away. He then looked around the room and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to buy a cellphone and to buy daily necessities. Your refrigerator is empty.¡±

    ¡°I can buy them myself. Huo Shaoheng, thank you for today. Take care. I won¡¯t walk you out.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened the door in the room. She was ready to drive him away.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly smiled at her like a sudden spring breeze that blew by a dormant valley and immediately following, creations came back to life, full of vitality. Gu Nianzhi felt like what was in front of her eyes was splendid and dazzling. Her eyes were bursting.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m free today.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked her hand up the way he used to before. He took her out of the dormitory in a smooth manner.

    Gu Nianzhi was still shocked and immersed in that beautiful smile. After a while, she came to her senses and struggled free of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, but they were already in the car. He really is too crafty... The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth raised, and she didn¡¯t say a thing as she went with Huo Shaoheng to buy a cell phone.

    When it was time to pay, she used her own bank card. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He only helped her to turn her phone on and looked inside it. He put it down without saying anything. Gu Nianzhi finished buying the phone and finished installing the SIM card. Huo Shaoheng was the first to call it. He then took the phone out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and saved his number. He saved it under ¡°A.¡± That way, his number would always be the first number.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She took back her phone and gave He Zhichu a call. This is an unfamiliar number. He Zhichu won¡¯t pick up. Indeed, the phone went to voicemail. Gu Nianzhi left a cheerful and lively message. ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s Nianzhi. This is my new cellphone number. I¡¯m back at ss. Can you please send me the ss schedule?¡±

    Not only was Gu Nianzhi He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant, but she was also his assistant in the Americanw firm. She was an official employee who was on his payroll.

    Huo Shaoheng drove the car in silence as he drove Gu Nianzhi in a circle near her school. He nonchntly asked, ¡°Nianzhi, you said you were looking for a house near the school. Where?¡±

 Chapter 718 - How Did She Get Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 718: How Did She Get Pregnant</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Unexpectedly, Huo Shaoheng was asking about her buying a house. Gu Nianzhi felt very conflicted. She really wanted to finalize the purchase right away so she could move all her things from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ce, but did it require Huo Shaoheng to view the house with her? She was trying to break up with him. Was it a good idea to be together all the time?

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and could read the hesitation on her face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s a second-hand house? I¡¯ll help you check if it¡¯s safe. You¡¯re a young girl and don¡¯t know the area. If you end up next to bad neighbors...¡± Huo Shaoheng stated seriously with his brows slightly curved, as if he was very concerned about the area¡¯s security.

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless, but upon careful thought, it didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea to have Huo Shaoheng check if the surrounding area was safe. After all, Huo Shaoheng was an expert in this field, and Gu Nianzhi also didn¡¯t want to live beside unfriendly neighbors. After some hesitation, she stared down at her phone and asked, ¡°Will this interfere with your job? Aren¡¯t you very busy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not busy.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the areas surrounding campus and replied casually as he drove, ¡°Big Xiong and Little Ze got promoted, so I can pass many duties onto them now.¡± Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t be assured. He had to finish dealing with all the things at the Special Operations Forces before he had free time to console Gu Nianzhi.

    He then nced at Gu Nianzhi, but she turned around to look out the window. ¡°Fine, then turn there up ahead. There is the Hepingli Precinct. It looks pretty good.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned the steering wheel as instructed. ¡°You¡¯ve been here before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you know it¡¯s pretty good?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at him. ¡°I saw it online. What¡¯s not online in this day and age? There are so many ads for second-hand houses everywhere.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t ask anything else but directly drove to a quiet road near the precinct and parked. They had to contact the realtor or homeowner before they could go in to view the home, and Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure if she could reach them right then.

    She got out of the car with Huo Shaoheng first and walked around the precinct. The buildings there were about ten years old, and there was even an enclosed wall around the entire precinct. The buildings weren¡¯t too tall, and the tallest one was only 12 floors high. It had elevators, and each level had four units. The exterior appeared well maintained. Security was on duty at the entrance of the precinct, and carsing and going had special permits, so anyone who wasn¡¯t a resident had to register and leave a photocopy of their identification.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°It looks pretty good. When I get back, I¡¯ll check the backgrounds of all the residents here. If it¡¯s ok, you can buy it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. She was suddenly very nervous because she knew that Huo Shaoheng was going to investigate the backgrounds of all the residents there. He could probably scour for everything and investigate theplete history up to three generations, along with extended family rtions. ¡°I haven¡¯t even looked at the house yet. How can I buy it, just like that?¡± This time it was Gu Nianzhi opposing it.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°Do you have the contact for the homeowner or realtor?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Call them to ask and see if we can view it today.¡± Huo Shaoheng was a man of action. They were here anyway, so they might as well check the actual unit.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was a bit abrupt and too sudden. The homeowner couldn¡¯t prepare on such short notice. But Huo Shaoheng kept staring at her, so she could only take out her phone and call the realtor.

    The realtor picked up and quickly asked, ¡°Miss Gu? I¡¯ll ask the homeowner for you. I can take you to see the unit if they don¡¯t mind.¡± He was very efficient and called her back in five minutes. ¡°What a coincidence, the homeowner happens to be cleaning inside right now. You can go up to see it yourself. I already told them your name.¡±

    ¡°Great, thanks a lot.¡± Gu Nianzhi hung up with a smile and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°The homeowner happens to be cleaning. We can go see it.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and followed her up. The security at the precinct entrance had already received a call from the homeowner, so he knew Gu Nianzhi was there to view the house. He let them in after copying her identification.

    They arrived at Unit 602 of Building A in the Hepingli Precinct and rang the doorbell. A woman in her thirties opened the door and nced at them before asking with a smile, ¡°Are you Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Are you the homeowner? Mr. Zhao, our realtor, had use here.¡±

    The woman moved aside. ¡°Come in. We¡¯re packing right now and will be moving out right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng casually looked around the house. This was a two-bedroom unit with elegant finishings, hardwood flooring, light-colored waterproof paint on the walls, two clean and ventted bathrooms, and an open concept kitchen and dining room, as well as arge bay window directly facing the dining table. Gu Nianzhi walked around and liked the ce a lot. Although it wasn¡¯t as big as the ce Huo Shaoheng had bought her, this was about to be the first home she had ever bought and carried a different meaning. She was much more proud to use something she bought with her own money. Although Gu Nianzhi liked the ce, she didn¡¯t express it. She asked Huo Shaoheng nomittally, ¡°Are you done looking?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They said goodbye, and the homeowner was very nervous. She called the realtor and wasn¡¯t sure if she could sell the house to them.

    After Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng left the house, they had practically decided on buying it. They got in the car, and Huo Shaoheng drove her directly back to campus. On the way, they stopped off so he could take her to the supermarket and buy some toiletries and food for her dorm.

    It was already past 3pm when Gu Nianzhi arrived at her dorm. Gu Nianzi carried several bags out of the car and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Thank you for shopping with me today. It¡¯s gettingte, so you¡¯d better go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the many bags she carried and took them from her hands once he parked. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you upstairs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to refuse, but Huo Shaoheng had already strode over to the elevator. Gu Nianzhi could only follow him. They returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm, and the first thing they saw was that Ma Qiqi had already returned. She was holding a thermos and watching TV. As soon as Gu Nianzhi came in, Ma Qiqi stood and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re back? Where did you go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she set a bag of snacks on the dining table. ¡°Here, Qiqi. This is my treat.¡±

    Ma Qiqi cheered and took a bag of shrimp crackers out of the stic bag to eat. Huo Shaoheng took all the rest of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s things to her room. Ma Qiqi winked at her, but Gu Nianzhi only hit her yfully and followed inside. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you don¡¯t need to do that. I can clean up myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi firmly and stubbornly took the bags from Huo Shaoheng and was much more adamant than before. He let go as he watched Gu Nianzhi smoothly separate the things she bought and put them in the proper ces. He stood there for a while longer, and because Gu Nianzhi ignored him, he took a cigarette from his trouser pocket and tapped it on his palm twice before saying to her, ¡°I¡¯d better go back now. You can go sign the contract and pay the deposit once I finish the background checks.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even turn around as she replied, ¡°Thanks for helping.¡± Soon after, she heard Ma Qiqi say goodbye, and the door mmed shut. Gu Nianzhi rxed instantly. Jumping out of her room, she waved at Ma Qiqi. ¡°Qiqi,e tell me about all the gossip around campus and the faculty recently!¡± Ma Qiqi carried her snacks into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. Gu Nianzhi took out two cups of iced milk tea she bought, and they ate and drank as they happily spent the afternoon chatting.

    ...

    It was already past 6pm when He Zhichu noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voicemail. He had spent thest few days investigating Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance in Germany. Much of the evidence had long since been destroyed, so his investigation wasn¡¯t going well. However, this also pointed his investigation in the correct direction. The longer he spent looking into it, the more it seemed to point to the least likely results. In the afternoon, He Zhichupiled all the evidence and called back home.

    The person picking up was none other than Wen Shouyi. He Zhichu¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Wen Shouyi, do you have nothing better to do? You¡¯re at my house all the time.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice shook with obvious fear. ¡°Mr. He, Auntie Qin... Auntie Qin... had a miscarriage.¡±

    He Zhichu was momentarily speechless. He rose and appeared very solemn. ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qin... had a miscarriage.¡± Wen Shouyi repeated it, and this time, she spoke slowly and enunciated each word as if she were afraid He Zhichu hadn¡¯t heard her properly.

    ¡°Auntie Qin had a miscarriage? When did she get pregnant?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was tempered with ice water. Each word induced shivers like ice shards.

    ¡°It was only two months ago.¡± Wen Shouyi replied very quietly, like she was pressed against the phone. ¡°Auntie Qin is very sad, and Senior Mr. He has been staying with her in her room for the past two days.¡±

    He Zhichu wanted to sneer. ¡°You¡¯re sure? My father knows she had a miscarriage?!¡±

    ¡°Of course he knows.¡± Wen Shouyi stiffened. ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°Have my fathere to the phone.¡± He Zhichu kicked irritably, and the coffee table in front of him tilted to spill a few drops of coffee from the cup on it. He Zhichu took a tissue to wipe it clean. Soon after, Senior Mr. He picked up. He Zhichu immediately asked, ¡°Father, Auntie Qin had a miscarriage? How did she get pregnant?!¡± He Zhichu knew his father once had a very serious prostate disease, so he was no longer fertile. But he also knew that Auntie Qin had been obsessively in love with his father for decades, so it didn¡¯t seem like she would cheat!

    Senior Mr. He rubbed his forehead and said quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Your Auntie Qin used my previously frozen sperm for in vitro fertilization.¡±

 Chapter 719 - Waiting for You

    <h4>Chapter 719: Waiting for You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Since it was like that, He Zhichu felt that there was no need to say more. Aunt Qin had been pregnant and even lost the baby...

    After He Zhichu hung up, his brows furrowed for a long time before he sighed. He massaged his temples and checked his voicemails. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clear and sweet voice sounded in his ears. He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help but smile at that voice.

    It was about six or seven o¡¯clock in the evening. Gu Nianzhi had just returned from dinner and had her shower. Di Capital was already turning cold in October, so the weather at night was rather chilly. She wrapped herself up in her bathrobe and exited the bathroom. While she was drying her hair with her fluffy towel, her phone rang. She walked over to take a look.

    It was He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi answered the call. ¡°Professor He! You are indeed a busy man!¡±

    He Zhichu was sitting on the sofa in his apartment in the professor¡¯s building with an arm resting on the sofa¡¯s armrest. He looked extremely rxed, albeit cold and aloof. However, his voice was extremely gentle. ¡°You¡¯re back in school, Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat on the chair in front of her desk. She put on her Bluetooth earpiece and began talking to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, can you send me the schedule for this semester, please? I want to see how many more credits I require in order to graduate.¡±

    He Zhichu was taken aback. ¡°Graduate? You want to graduate so badly?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve thought about it. In order to get my master¡¯s, I don¡¯t actually need many credits. The important factor would be the final thesis. As long as I canplete all the credits, thenplete my thesis, the school should allow me to graduate early, shouldn¡¯t they?¡± Gu Nianzhi began whining. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re my professor. You wouldn¡¯t stop me from graduating early, would you?¡±

    He Zhichu sighed and felt his headache worsen. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re still young. Why would you want to graduate early? I think it¡¯s best for you to remain in school for a couple of more years...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. She looked at the scenery outside her window and suddenly wanted to rant. ¡°Professor He, I know that I¡¯m still young. However, who said that only people who are older can enter society? For so many years, I¡¯ve been protected too well by Huo... Shaoheng and have cut contact with all of society. Now that I¡¯m independent, of course I would love to return to society as soon as possible.¡±

    Without the bed of roses that Huo Shaoheng had fabricated for her, she would rather let herself be stronger and create her own world for herself.

    ¡°Independent?¡± He Zhichu did not agree with her. ¡°What are you talking about? Huo Shaoheng would allow you to leave him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly. She did not tell He Zhichu about the breakup. She merely said softly, ¡°Huo Shaoheng is busy as well. I just want to graduate early and get a job, so that I¡¯ll be able to support myself.¡± No matter how well Huo Shaoheng treated her, this episode only taught her that she was no better than an orphan who was staying with her savior. The only difference was that she could finally break free from that savior and work hard for herself now.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi did not mention anything, He Zhichu already felt some form of sensitivity in the air. He sat up straight and asked slowly, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ve quarrelled with Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi avoided the question. ¡°Professor He, please help me and allow me to graduate early. This is really important to me.¡±

    Seeing that she was trying hard to avoid the question, He Zhichu confirmed that there was something wrong between her and Huo Shaoheng. This was within his expectations as well. Since the time Gu Nianzhi was crying and bawling in Germany, He Zhichu had already felt that she would break up with Huo Shaoheng.

    Of course, he was also clear that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t the type of person who would agree to a breakup just because she said so. Huo Shaoheng was simr to him. They liked having control and wouldn¡¯t allow anything to affect that. However, coincidentally, both of them had met someone who was dying to get out of their control. It was the same person¡ªGu Nianzhi.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you this semester¡¯s schedule. I¡¯ll also send you the schedule for next semester. If you¡¯re able to hang in there, you can finish the 15 credits you¡¯re short of, which would be equivalent to five sses, then you¡¯d be able to begin writing your thesis andplete your internship during the second half of next year.¡± He Zhichu opened Gu Nianzhi¡¯s file and looked through it quickly before giving his advice.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately replied ecstatically, ¡°I can finish 15 credits in four months! That¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ll see if I canplete my thesis at the same time.¡±

    He Zhichu sat up straight and said sternly, ¡°Think it through properly. If you¡¯re going to take so many sses and still do your thesis, your body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I was born with amazing health!¡± Gu Nianzhiughed and poked fun at herself. He Zhichu was speechless.

    After hanging up the call, Gu Nianzhi turned on herputer to ess her email. She wanted to check on her sses as soon as possible.

    He Zhichu sat on the sofa for a long time thinking about it before deciding to call hisw firm in America.

    The next day, when Gu Nianzhi checked her bank ount bnce, she was shocked to realize that there was a huge amount of money in it! This amount was more than enough for her to get that house!

    Gu Nianzhi tried to think about it, and the first thought in her mind was, Did Huo Shaoheng give me money again? However, after she had calmed down, she checked the source of the transfer and realized that it was from thew firm in America.

    Gu Nianzhi called He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, I just realized that a huge sum of money was transferred into my bank ount from thew firm in America. May I know the reason, please?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and leaned against the window. He held his phone in one hand and fed his fish with the other. ¡°Yourmission for Li Haiqing¡¯s case. This is the bonus for the first period.¡±

    ¡°So much?!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the ount bnce happily. ¡°No wonder everyone wants to be awyer. What an amazing future being awyer has!¡±

    He Zhichuughed. ¡°Money face... Since when have you been short on cash before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed. She made a face at her phone. He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t be able to see it, anyway. Then she smiled happily. ¡°Professor He, schrs love money so that they¡¯re able to put it to good use. So why can¡¯t I like money now? Moreover, I feel proud that I¡¯m earning my keep. Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Of course it¡¯s okay.¡± He Zhichuughed gently. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s still a civilwsuit for Li Haiqing¡¯s case. After it¡¯s closed, you¡¯ll be able to get anothermission.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded eagerly. ¡°Yes yes yes! Thank you, Professor He, for giving me this opportunity! Please look out for me more in the future as well!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my assistant. Who should I look out for if it¡¯s not you?¡± He Zhichu was in a great mood. He patted the crumbs in his hand and said, ¡°When will you be returning to ss? Are you feeling better already?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mpletely well!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the schedule. ¡°I¡¯m good anytime. I want to give it my all in these four months! All I will be doing will be studying and losing weight!¡±

    He Zhichu did not know what to say.

    After putting down the phone, Gu Nianzhi began drafting a study n. She selected her sses. In order to register for them, He Zhichu and her course instructors needed to give her letters of approval so that she would be allowed to take all these sses together.

    Due to the long duration of Li Haiqing¡¯s case and experiencing kidnapping, she had missed the due date of ss registration. If she wanted to take these sses, she¡¯d have to submit an appeal.

    The professor¡¯s and course instructors¡¯ approval would definitely be necessary. On top of that, she¡¯d need to find the professors of those sses to allow her in their sses as well.

    After settling everything and registering for all five sses, she also had managed to fix her title for her thesis. By the time everything hade to an end, it was already Thursday night.

    Gu Nianzhi was returning to her dormitory from the library and saw a familiar silver gray Mercedes Benz Bentayga SUV by the lobby. This was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s new car. A couple of steps further and she saw Huo Shaoheng smoking as he leaned against his car door. He was tall and muscr, wearing his army uniform. His sleeves were folded as he leaned against his car, back facing her.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as she smiled. ¡°Are you waiting for someone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng threw his cigarette butt away and replied. ¡°Yes. For you.¡±

    ¡°Anything the matter?¡± Gu Nianzhi showed him her books. ¡°I¡¯m very busy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not know what to say. He controlled his emotions and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve done a background check on the people staying around the area of the house you wanted to buy. They¡¯re all decent with no prior records.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. What does he think he¡¯s doing? Finding a criminal? Gu Nianzhi pouted secretly and replied politely, ¡°Thank you, then. I just had ns to sign for the house tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°Qiqi will go with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi rejected his offer. ¡°You¡¯re too busy. I¡¯m not that important for you to bother with.¡±

    Such politeness, but so sarcastic. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened. Shaking his head, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m willing to.¡±

    But I¡¯m not... Gu Nianzhi almost said it out loud. However, seeing that Huo Shaoheng was serious about it, she felt that it had be habitual for him to show concern towards her. He still treated her as a kid...

    I cannot get my own house on my own, I cannot drive on my own, I cannot drink... Gu Nianzhi looked up and took a deep breath. She suppressed the unhappiness. She knew that once Huo Shaoheng had made up his mind, no one would be able to change it. Therefore, she didn¡¯t want to waste her energy.

    ¡°Alright, up to you, then.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded at Huo Shaoheng and left.

    Huo Shaoheng did not follow her this time. He merely leaned against the car and took out another cigarette as he looked at her disappearing back view.

    Yin Shixiong did not dare to make a sound in the car. When Gu Nianzhi left, he finally popped his head out and asked softly, ¡°Mr. Huo, are you and Nianzhi really over?¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible? Nianzhi likes to dream as she¡¯s still young. How old are you already? Still dreaming?¡± Huo Shaoheng red at him and lit his cigarette with the lighter Gu Nianzhi had given him.

 Chapter 720 - Whoever Touches the Sore Spot, Dies

    <h4>Chapter 720: Whoever Touches the Sore Spot, Dies</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong almost vomited blood from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s scathing response. I¡¯m very old? Very old? Very old?! We¡¯re the same age, Chief! Yin Shixiong only dared to mutter this internally. Shrinking his head back, he sat in the driver¡¯s seat. He was so bored that he nearly pressed on the car¡¯s horn for fun.

    Huo Shaoheng also didn¡¯t say he was getting in the car as he leaned against the front bumper alone and smoked quietly. The dark yellow glow of the night¡¯s streetmps cast a shadow on the ground. His handsome back and extremely attractive long legs somehow revealed a deep loneliness on thiste October evening in the Imperial Capital.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t want to bother Huo Shaoheng at all, nor did he dare to urge him to get back into the car. After a while, Yin Shixiong had a sudden inspiration and discreetly called Ma Qiqi. Ma Qiqi had just finished chatting with Gu Nianzhi and went back to her room to get ready for bed. When she heard the phone ring, and it was Brother Xiong¡¯s special ringtone, she was so excited that she lunged over to grab the phone. ¡°Brother Xiong?¡±

    ¡°Qiqi, it¡¯s me.¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s mood brightened as soon as he heard Ma Qiqi¡¯s crisp and refreshing voice. He snuck a nce at Huo Shaoheng smoking at the side of the car and lowered his voice to ask Ma Qiqi, ¡°Qiqi, is Nianzhi back?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s back. I was just chatting with her, and she went to shower. I¡¯m getting ready for bed,¡± Ma Qiqi replied as she pulled the nket back to get into bed. The nights in the Imperial Capital were already very cold at this point, and because it wasn¡¯t yet time for the buildings to start being heated, the soft and thick down nket was an essential item.

    ¡°Then was Nianzhi unhappy or upset? Did shein to you about anything?¡± Yin Shixiong skillfully lured Ma Qiqi into revealing more details. He had no choice, since his Chief¡¯s love life had hit a bump. As one of his personal secretaries, he had to shoulder the important responsibility of being the mitigator.

    Ma Qiqi shook her head and asked in confusion, ¡°Nope, why do you ask? Nianzhi was in a good mood and even made ns with me to go with her to buy a house and transfer titles tomorrow.¡± She then giggled with envy. ¡°Nianzhi sure is amazing. She¡¯s already working hard and earning enough to buy a house. I¡¯m still mooching off my parents.¡±

    ¡°Qiqi, it¡¯s your good fortune to be able to rely on your parents. Look at poor Nianzhi. She can¡¯t mooch off her parents, so she can only mooch off the Chief...¡± Yin Shixiong smirked yfully as he joked around with Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t appreciate him saying that and raised a brow as she rebutted, ¡°Nianzhi is not mooching off Huo Shao. Nianzhi is relying on herself, and this was all the money she earned working as awyer. Don¡¯t look down on her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare! Little princess Nianzhi has always been our precious treasure since she was a young girl!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart dropped because he knew he had misspoken and quickly tried to salvage it. ¡°I was only saying that and making a joke. You also know they¡¯re dating, so isn¡¯t it normal to mooch off each other?¡±

    Ma Qiqi was silent for a while and said coolly, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be that kind of person, Brother Xiong!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was speechless. Goddamnit! His reputation had been destroyed because of Chief! How could he flirt with girls and date from now on?! Yin Shixiong quickly chuckled to dispel the awkwardness then said quietly, ¡°Qiqi, I was only joking! I was only joking!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ma Qiqi slid down into the nkets and whispered back, ¡°Actually, Nianzhi already broke up with Huo Shao.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was dumbfounded. How did everyone know already!? The Chief was the only one not admitting it. Yin Shixiong perked up and asked, ¡°Nianzhi told you? That they broke up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she told me herself and said it many times, too.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t talking about it once enough? What do you mean she said it many times?¡± Yin Shixiong suddenly felt a bit indignant for his Chief. This was a man who had never bowed down or taken a loss, yet look at what had he turned into for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sake!

    Ma Qiqi quickly exined, ¡°No, it was my fault. I kept doubting if they really broke up, so Nianzhi kept correcting me over and over again. I¡¯m never going to ask again. A breakup is a sad thing, so why should I keep mentioning it?¡±

    Yin Shixiong continued to lead the questioning. ¡°But didn¡¯t you say Nianzhi wasn¡¯t upset? And now you¡¯re saying it¡¯s a sad thing?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a sad thing! You think breaking up and having a broken heart isn¡¯t a sad thing for a girl?! I¡¯m telling you that as long as the breakup wasn¡¯t caused by the girl cheating, it¡¯s always the girl who is more sad! Even if the girl was the one to ask for a breakup, she¡¯s still the to the one who is more sad!¡± Ma Qiqi nearly sat up and clenched her teeth at the phone.

    Yin Shixiong was using his Bluetooth headset to speak with Ma Qiqi, and her unexpected, suddenly deafening voice hurt his eardrums. Rubbing his ears, he whispered, ¡°I get it. Little princes, you¡¯re a little princess, too. No wonder you¡¯re good friends with Nianzhi, birds of a feather flock together.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? We¡¯re good friends sharing the same outlooks.¡± Ma Qiqi poked fun of Yin Shixiong. ¡°You¡¯re jealous?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m jealous, so jealous I¡¯m about to spit blood.¡± Yin Shixiong leaned back into the seat with a smile and nced in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm to see her room¡¯s light had just extinguished. She should be sleeping now? Huo Shaoheng saw it, too, and threw away the nearly burned out cigarette butt before getting into the car. Yin Shixiong quickly said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Ok, talkter. You sleep, I¡¯m going to go.¡±

    ¡°Bye, Brother Xiong.¡± Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t ask anything else but fell asleep after she bid him goodnight.

    Huo Shaoheng got in the car and nced at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Who were you calling?¡±

    ¡°Ma Qiqi, Nianzhi¡¯s roommate.¡± Yin Shixiong started the car. ¡°She said Nianzhi was in a good mood and even made ns with her to buy a house and transfer titles tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak but supported his chin with one hand and rested his arm against the car window as he gazed nkly at the night sky. Yin Shixiong spied him from the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°Chief, why is Nianzhi buying a house? Did you know about this?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Tomorrow I¡¯m going with her to transfer titles.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied coolly and nced at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Drive properly and don¡¯t get distracted chatting. That¡¯s against trafficws.¡± Yin Shixiong knew that Huo Shaoheng meant that he should shut up. He didn¡¯t dare say anything more or even dare bring up the question. It is clearly the Chief¡¯s sore spot, and whoever touches it, dies!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi still had two sses on Friday. After sses, she rushed to the cafeteria to buy some fried rice and then headed to the real estate bureau in the Hepingli Precinct with Ma Qiqi. When they arrived at the real estate bureau, Gu Nianzhi was shocked to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brand new silver Bentley Bentayga SUV parked in front of the temporary parking stall. Huo Shaoheng opened the door to get out when he saw they had arrived and nodded to them. ¡°Nianzhi, Qiqi, you¡¯re both here.¡±

    Gu Niaznhi also greeted him. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d reallye. I was actually just being polite. You don¡¯t need to be here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say. He nced at Ma Qiqi and saw the girl staring at them with wide eyes as she looked back and forth at them like she was anticipating a good show. Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to let Big Xiong out. He knocked gently on the door, but it was actually in Morse code.

    Yin Shixiong in the car was speechless. He was only obeying the Chief¡¯s mands¡± and got out of the car to greet Gu Nianzhi first. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re here to buy a house?¡± He made it sound like she was at the real estate bureau to buy vegetables or something. Gu Nianzhi red at him, and Yin Shixiong also thought his forced interaction was a bit awkward. He turned to smile at Ma Qiqi. ¡°Qiqi, remember how I told youst night that I had something to ask you?¡±

    Ma Qiqi stopped looking at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, then frowned. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember? Come here, I¡¯ll ask you again.¡± Yin Shixiong walked across the street and beckoned to her.

    Ma Qiqi said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll be back right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Go ahead, it¡¯s fine. Have a proper chat with Brother Xiong.¡± She patted Ma Qiqi¡¯s shoulder and pointed her chin at Yin Shixiong. Ma Qiqi smiled as she ran over.

    Huo Shaoheng walked up and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Did you bring everything?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted the Cambridge messenger bag she carried. ¡°It¡¯s all in here.¡± They walked to the lobby of the real estate bureau where the homeowner and realtor were waiting for them. Realtor Zhao quickly walked up to them when he saw Gu Nianzhiing inside with a strapping and handsome man. ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be here? You saw that I already deposited the down payment.¡±

    ¡°We already received it, yes. You said you¡¯re paying full in cash?¡± Realtor Zhao confirmed again. ¡°This will be much easier, since it would take a long time to apply for a mortgage from the bank.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened. He nced at Gu Nianzhi and pulled her aside to ask quietly, ¡°You¡¯re paying full in cash? Where¡¯d you get all that money from?¡±

 Chapter 721 - You Are Harassing Me

    <h4>Chapter 721: You Are Harassing Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Where did the moneye from? Yeah, I don¡¯t have a mother or a father. I¡¯m a poor student. Where did the moneye from to buy the whole house in one go?! In the end, I¡¯m being looked down on by someone... I¡¯m being looked down on by someone I once deeply loved.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were stinging. They prickled, and tears almost came out. However, she bore it, smiled weakly, and said, ¡°I earned it from work. I went to Germany and helped Li Haiqing in awsuit. I won thewsuit, so I got a bit of a bonus.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng doubted it. ¡°Whatwsuit has such a big bonus?¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi bought a second-hand home, it was also a home near school. It was in the best primary school district in the whole imperial capital. If the middle and high school over there were not normal schools, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t even have been able to buy a second-hand home there. A small two-bedroom home cost around two million.

    To Huo Shaoheng, two million was not considered much. The Hermes bags he bought for Gu Nianzhi before were worth more than that. But to Gu Nianzhi¡ªwho was determined to draw a line between herself and Huo Shaoheng by returning all the bank cards and investment ounts he had given her¡ªit was definitely arge sum of money.

    Gu Nianzhi became angry when she saw that Huo Shaoheng still didn¡¯t believe it after she exined it to him. Gu Nianzhi sneered and threw off Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Then Mr. Huo, where do you think my money came from? Did I get it dishonestly?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was quiet. ¡°Nianzhi, that was not what I meant.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you meant by it. I earned my money the honest way. I paid my sry¡¯s tax. I can¡¯t do anything about it if you don¡¯t believe me. Now, please move. Don¡¯t get in my way of buying a house.¡± Gu Nianzhi was ready to cry, and she pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away. She sped in the direction of the real estate agent and the house¡¯s owner.

    Huo Shaoheng acted quickly. Right after Gu Nianzhi shook his hand off, he took a step forward and quickly grabbed her. Heid his hand on her arm with a little force like an iron ring. It caused her a dull pain.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked back at Huo Shaoheng with fury in her eyes. The glittering, translucent tears were clearly visible, but she stubbornly raised her head and refused to let her tears fall.

    It was a bit vexing for Huo Shaoheng to see Gu Nianzhi being like that. I hurt her with my words again.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi was so sensitive, she was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow. A little rustling of leaves in the wind would make her put up her guard, especially if it happened right in front of her.

    The child that was scared to death that appeared in front of him seven years ago had appeared in front of him again. Or maybe the child that was scared to death had never left his side and had never grown up. In the past, he had given her enough sense of security. That was why she hid it so well. Nobody could expose her. When the safe haven was destroyed, she had nowhere to hide. That frightened child could onlye back with her guard up and stare at the world that made her feel unsafe.

    He suddenly understood it. The more she invested her deep feelings in him, the more she would be hurt. Others probably couldn¡¯t sympathize and understand her fear and despair, but being the one she used to love, how could he not know? Huo Shaoheng controlled the pain and the suffering he had in his heart. He told her in a deep voice, ¡°Nianzhi, I do believe you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her plump chest rose and fell. Huo Shaoheng saw that the people on the side were watching. He was annoyed for a short while but then stretched out his arms and pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whole body into his embrace. He used his own back to block the people¡¯s view. He then looked back at them. His eyes carried a bone chilling killing aura that was full of pressure. Those people quickly looked away and didn¡¯t look at Gu Nianzhi again.

    Gu Nianzhi was not grateful. She said in a low voice, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I told you before, you cannot hug me whenever you want. You are harassing me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was truly speechless. He looked down at Gu Nianzhi as he held her against his chest. He slowly let go. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back and left his warm embrace. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I¡¯m going to get the house, and it¡¯s going to change ownership. I hope you won¡¯te with me.¡±

    Her eyes were alert and vignt. It stabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart like an arrow.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, and he didn¡¯t move. Just like that, he watched as she walked further and further away with each step. She went to the real estate agent and the owner. They went to find the people in the Real Estate Bureau to do the process.

    People came and went in the hall. They were all busy attending to their business. Only Huo Shaoheng stood there all alone. He was in a bustling downtown area, but to him it was more like he was in an uninhabited valley. Those people that came and went were no different than nts to him. There was only one person in his eyes, Gu Nianzhi¡ªevery frown and smile, every act and move. Even though he was so far away, to him it was like she was right next to him. Just by looking at her from afar, he felt happy. He would dly endure hardship.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi went into the Real Estate Bureau¡¯s big hall where people worked after idly chit chatting outside the door for a short period of time. The moment they went in, they saw that Huo Shaoheng was alone, standing by a wall on the right in the hall. He was standing perfectly straight like a pine tree. There was not a doubt that it was a posture of a soldier.

    ¡°Huo Shao, where¡¯s Nianzhi?¡± Ma Qiqi asked curiously as she looked around the hall.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed. ¡°She¡¯s over there, doing paperwork.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ma Qiqi quickly ran over to join her. She patted her shoulder lightly and greeted her. ¡°Nianzhi! Why are you doing the paperwork yourself? Why didn¡¯t Huo Shaoe with you?¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi turned and saw that it was Ma Qiqi, she smiled and pulled her toward her. ¡°Here, help me look at these papers. There¡¯s so much, I¡¯m practically blind.¡± There were so many papers to sign when one transferred ownership of a house. Gu Nianzhi gasped in amazement. Ma Qiqi quickly took the paper Gu Nianzhi handed her and looked at it.

    Yin Shixiong stood next to Huo Shaoheng and scratched his head as he looked in the direction where Ma Qiqi disappeared to. He asked very cautiously, ¡°Huo Shao, what happened?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him. He sped his hands behind his back like before. He just observed the people in the Real Estate Bureau. Whether they were employees, or were buying or selling a home, he observed them all.

    Seeing him like that, Yin Shixiong concluded that Gu Nianzhi probably did something again and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go see how they are doing? They are two little girls that have never bought a home before. Gotta be careful that they don¡¯t get taken advantage of.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t express his opinion, but he also didn¡¯t argue. Yin Shixiong knew it meant that he agreed. Yin Shixiong smiled and nodded at the real estate agent and the homeowner. He extended his hand when he got to the little room where Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi were. ¡°I¡¯m Big Xiong. Nianzhi is my little sister. I came here to see how things are going.¡±

    The real estate agent and the homeowner thought maybe Yin Shixiong was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cousin. They had a favorable impression of him when they saw that he was a man with striking features. They went over to shake his hand and exchanged greetings. As Yin Shixiong talked to them, he was carefully weighing their words and expressions. Only after he determined that they were all decent people was he able to rx.

    After Yin Shixiong came over, Gu Nianzhi and the rest sped up their pace. It was very apparent. Not long after, the papers that needed signing were all signed, and the things that needed to be done at the Real Estate Bureau were all done. The business deal would be final after Gu Nianzhi transferred her money.

    Of course, it would take at least a month to finish all the procedures, but the main procedures were done. The owners got their money and immediately handed over the keys to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi had gotten the house! She could now move everything in.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Gu. If you need further services, you cane find me.¡± The real estate agent gave Gu Nianzhi a card before he left.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled and said, ¡°Nice working with you.¡± As she took the keys with her to the big hall, Gu Nianzhi could see that Huo Shaoheng stood out with one nce. He already had an extraordinarily handsome appearance. On top of it, his informal military uniform made him so handsome that it aroused great indignation from both men and gods. Many women in the hall wittingly and unwittingly looked him over from top to bottom. They pretended to borrow a pen or ask for directions to strike up a conversation with him.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say much, but he also didn¡¯t act coldly. Just like that, he kept a polite distance from them, but he was also indifferent. It made people unable to refrain from approaching him. Huo Shaoheng went to receive them when he saw Gu Nianzhi walking over with Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi.

    ¡°It¡¯s all done?¡± he asked as he looked at Gu Nianzhi. It was rare for him to sound so gentle. It sounded so good that it could reassure and pacify the public.

    Gu Nianzhi had just be a person with property, so she was happy. The moment she was in a good mood, she became a lot more magnanimous. She also didn¡¯t mind that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t believed her a moment ago. She smiled and nodded. She was carrying an envelope full of papers and said, ¡°It¡¯s all done. I¡¯m going to go over there to take a look. If you guys are busy, you can go back now.¡±

    Outside the Real Estate Bureau, it was getting dark. Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything going on today.¡± He then said, ¡°Since the house has been bought, let¡¯s all go and take a look at it.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t refuse. She got into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s new car with Ma Qiqi and headed toward the Hepingli Precinct.

    They soon arrived at the entrance of the precinct. Gu Nianzhi took out the door card from inside the big envelope and gave it to Yin Shixiong. He slid it by the precinct¡¯s car entrance. The yellow crossing bar slowly lifted up. They drove to the parking lot in the basement and then went to the sixth floor from the basement parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s home, number 602, faced south. It was between two apartments, and the apartments took up quite arge amount of space. The door opened. They saw that everything had been moved out. The home was very clean and tidy. Without all the furnishings, it looked a bit more spacious than it had thest time she saw it.

    Ma Qiqi walked in and out of every room, sighed with feeling, and said, ¡°This house is really nice. A big part of it is that it¡¯s well renovated. It¡¯s stylish, and the material is good. It looks like the real deal. Although it¡¯s a second-hand home, it¡¯s well maintained.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I picked this house the moment I saw it online. Then I came to look at it, and I still felt that it was really good.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also looked at it. The perspective that he and Yin Shixiong saw things from was different from Ma Qiqi¡¯s. The two of them walked around the house. Huo Shaoheng said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°The locks need to be changed first. Nianzhi, I¡¯ll help you install some safety measures in this home.¡±

    The things Huo Shaoheng installed were definitely things that people had so that they could stay alive. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t refuse unreasonably and said with sincerity, ¡°Ok, thanks. I was originally thinking of finding a home securitypany to install a set of security systems. I feel better with you guys installing them.¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled as he patted her head. ¡°You are pretty good at telling good from bad. Of course, we are better than home securitypanies.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together and smiled. She suddenly remembered something, and the smile disappeared as she said to Huo Shaoheng solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t install listening devices and pinhole surveince cameras in my home.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 722 - Iâ€™m that Indecent?

    <h4>Chapter 722: I¡¯m that Indecent?</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t confirm nor deny as he looked around. ¡°When do you n to move in? It¡¯s best this ce ispletely renovated again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t let him change the topic and waved at him. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, did you hear me or not? You¡¯re not allowed to install bugs or pinhole cameras in my house!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi seriously and replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m that indecent?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was temporarily speechless. Shifting her gaze, she mumbled, ¡°I was just reminding you.¡±

    ¡°As if I need you to remind me. You are doubting my professional abilities.¡± Huo Shaoheng spread his palms at her. ¡°Give me the key. I¡¯ll renovate it for you, and then you can move in.¡±

    ¡°Then you have to remember that you can¡¯t install bugs or pinhole cameras in my house. You promised,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she waved the key at him. She valued her privacy greatly and was also very familiar with the Special Operations Forces¡¯ pervasive methods, so she had no choice but to be blunt up front. Of course, it was very ideal for Huo Shaoheng to provide security measures for her, but it couldn¡¯t cross her personal boundaries.

    ¡°Yeah, when do you n to move in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in a rush. It¡¯d be fine as long as she could get the house ready before graduation, but she didn¡¯t tell Huo Shaoheng that. ¡°The earlier the better. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have no ce to stay during the winter break.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her as he took the key. He turned around to call Yin Shixiong, ¡°Big Xiong,e here for a second.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly ran over, and the two men began to discuss installing security measures. ¡°Chief, we¡¯re really not installing anything?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes darted as he asked very quietly. However, he knew there was no way they wouldn¡¯t be installing these things.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and continued to speak calmly, ¡°Of course we will. But it won¡¯t be in the house¡ªit¡¯ll be at the door, hallway, elevator, precinct entrance, walls, and underground parking. All the windows here, exterior or interior, need to be connected to the police as well as our rm systems.¡± He then nced at the house. ¡°This ce needs to bepletely renovated, and we need to find the bestpany to do it. Have someone keep an eye on it and dismantle everything from here, inside and out.¡± Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be reassured, as this was a side effect of their upation.

    Yin Shixiong snickered and gave a thumbs up to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Genius! You¡¯re a true genius!¡± That way, there would be absolutely no bugs or pinhole cameras inside the house, but the entire apartment would be seen under pervasive surveince. Even if one birdnded outside the window, the Special Ops would know. If Gu Nianzhi discovered this in the future, it still wouldn¡¯t make Huo Shaoheng appear ¡°indecent.¡± He hadn¡¯t vited his promise to Gu Nianzhi of not installing anything inside the house. They key word being, ¡°inside.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi watched Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong talking at the door, and they both appeared very serious. Blinking, she went to take Ma Qiqi to see the balcony. The balcony in the apartment was sealed, and the previous homeowner had installed a small tatami there. It felt very nice to walk on with bare feet. A dark green bamboo curtain hung in front of the huge French window, and it could be rolled up to let down the primrose-yellow gauze curtains on the two sides. When the curtains melded with the gentle moonlight, it made for a beautiful mood.

    Ma Qiqi pointed to the tatami with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a set of tatami furniture, a small cab, two cushions, a coffee table, and a lounge chair. You can put them right here, and on the weekends, we can have tea and watch TV. You can put a big LCD TV right here.¡±

    Gu Nianzi crossed her arms and blissfully imagined her happy future with Ma Qiqi. She couldn¡¯t help sighing at the mental image. ¡°Ok, we can hang a pot of orchids here, the kind that¡¯s already bloomed. A row of sulents can be on the window sill.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded fiercely. ¡°Sulents are great! I can only keep those alive, all other nts are doomed in my hands.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°What a coincidence, me too. We sure have a lot inmon.¡±

    ...

    It was already past 6pm by the time Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong finished chatting. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner, and we¡¯ll drive them back afterwards.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked towards the apartment.

    Yin Shixiong was very excited and walked inside to dere, ¡°Ladies, please give us the pleasure of having dinner with you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get a chance to refuse before Ma Qiqi started snickering and pointing at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Ok! Brother Xiong better get prepared to pay the bill. Careful, or we¡¯ll bankrupt you!¡±

    Yin Shixiong waved at them. ¡°Fine, not a problem! As long as you guys can eat, I¡¯ll get a loan if I have to!¡±

    ¡°Brother Xiong, that¡¯s ridiculous. You¡¯d need to take out a loan for one dinner? You just want to split the bill, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi smirked and patted Ma Qiqi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Today is my big day as a new homeowner, so it¡¯s my treat. Tell me, where do you want to go?¡±

    Ma Qiqi quickly said, ¡°Awesome, Nianzhi is treating us! Our No. 1 cafeteria on campus is pretty good. I love their chili stir fry. How about we go there?¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew Ma Qiqi was trying to help Gu Nianzhi save money and nodded absentmindedly. Although this girl looked loud and chatty, she was actually very considerate and cared about other people¡¯s feelings. He couldn¡¯t help feeling even more positively about her.

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the doorway and checked on his phone beforeing inside. ¡°There is a Cantonese restaurant nearby. Let¡¯s go check it out. I¡¯ll treat.¡±

    Ma Qiqi immediately sped her hands together and replied, ¡°Huo Shao¡¯s treat! Then I must take advantage of it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong went downstairs while the two girls followed. Gu Nianzhi red at Ma Qiqi. ¡°You¡¯re looking down on me?¡±

    ¡°As if I dare to look down on you!¡± Ma Qiqi nearly shouted indignantly. ¡°But isn¡¯t it true I was never treated by Huo Shao before? Just let me be satisfied this once... I can brag about this for a year, being treated by a national high-ranking official!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and gently patted her shoulder. ¡°Just look at you go on and on... I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t go around bbing. Troublees from the mouth.¡±

    ¡°I know, I won¡¯t say the name of who it was. But you have to satisfy the vanity of a meremoner like me!¡± Ma Qiqi grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and whispered in her ear, ¡°I angered him before, so now I¡¯m trying my best to appease him. Hopefully, he forgets what happened before and doesn¡¯t set me up in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself how unlikely it was that someone like Huo Shaoheng would hold a grudge about something like that. However, she could also understand Ma Qiqi¡¯s worries. If she hadn¡¯t been lucky enough as a child to meet Huo Shaoheng, then her current psyche would be even more like amoner¡¯s than Ma Qiqi¡¯s. She¡¯d probably avoid someone at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s level at all costs.

    ...

    They got into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car to go to the nearby Cantonese restaurant for dinner. Cantonese food was focused on, ¡°fragrance, softness, tenderness, richness, and lightness.¡± Their soups were especially considered the best. Ma Qiqi also loved Cantonese food, so she took the menu and didn¡¯t hesitate to order ck bean sauce steamed spareribs, crab butter braised snake stew, and crab balls in broth. Yin Shixiong followed suit and ordered steamed chicken, and a seafood and marinated meat tter. Gu Nianzhi took a nce, and it was obvious there would be more than enough food, so she only ordered a basket of shrimp dumplings as an appetizer. Lastly, Huo Shaoheng looked at the menu and ordered the restaurant¡¯s signature winter melon, rice, and duck stew. It was getting colder out, so Gu Nianzhi needed more nourishment. They thoroughly enjoyed dinner, and Ma Qiqi even had a bit of wine, so her tiny face was rosy and especially alluring paired with her huge, sparkling eyes.

    It was past 8pm when they finished dinner, so Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong took Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi back to the dorm. They watched to make sure the girls were settled in the room before getting back in the car to leave B University.

    Yin Shixiong drove onto the highway, and Huo Shaoheng was silent for a while before telling him, ¡°Go to the military housingplex and return to Huo Manor.¡± There was only one major military housingplex in the Imperial Capital, and that was where the military elite resided. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s home was also there, but he hadn¡¯t been back in a long time. Yin Shixiong turned onto the highway leading to military housingplex. The road wasn¡¯t busy at all, so they arrived in only half an hour. Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and looked at the single family house with its own yard before calmly walking inside. There were two guards on duty on the two sides of the iron gates. They saluted Huo Shaoheng when they saw him. ¡°Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand but didn¡¯t stop walking. When he arrived at the main door, the orderly on guard duty at the front door greeted him loudly. ¡°Chief!¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, was reading an internal military memo in the living room when he heard the orderlies give their greetings. He set down the internal memo and looked at the door. A smile appeared on Huo Guanchen¡¯s face when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure appeared in the foyer, but it quickly faded away. He appeared somber and picked up the internal memo to read once again.

    Huo Shaheng walked into the living room and stood before Huo Guanchen to state calmly, ¡°General Huo, I have something to ask you about.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was momentarily speechless. He wasn¡¯t even calling him ¡°Father.¡± What the hell was this?! Huo Guanchen was feeling unhappy as he inclined his head to look at Huo Shaoheng and replied coldly, ¡°We can talk here.¡±

    ¡°This matter is confidential. You¡¯ll be making an error speaking about it here.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets and stared steadily at his father.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be making an error? Are you serious!?¡± Huo Guanchen was enraged and flung the internal memo down as he stood up. ¡°What kind of attitude is that!?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t vition of confidentialityws consider an error?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice also turned frigid.

    ¡°You¡¯d better really have something confidential to talk about! Otherwise... Hmph!¡± Huo Guanchen walked upstairs to his study.

    Huo Shaoheng looked around to see that Huo Guanchen was the only one in the cavernous living room. In the past, this house was always bustling and full of people. Grandfather Huo and his partner, Head Nurse Zhang, her son¡¯s family, and grandchildren were enough to fill the house. At the time, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning, was still seriously ill and had a specialized nurse taking care of her 24/7. Also, Bai Jinyi from the Bai family would stay overnight a few times every week. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes dimmed as he followed Huo Guanchen to his study.

    Huo Guanchen sat behind the desk and rested his arms on the chair¡¯s armrests. He appeared very annoyed and asked Huo Shaoheng with a frown, ¡°What do you have to ask me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and looked down haughtily at Huo Guanchen as he asked solemnly, ¡°General Huo, I want to ask why you didn¡¯t execute General¡¯s Ji¡¯s orders of using the highest specifications to rescue Gu Nianzhi when she disappeared in Germany.¡±

 Chapter 723 - The Only Stain

    <h4>Chapter 723: The Only Stain</h4>

    <b>Trantor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio <b>Editor:</b> Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What do you mean? You haven¡¯t been home for so long, and the moment you¡¯re back, you want an interrogation session?! Do you still regard me as your father?!¡± Huo Guanchen was extremely angry at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude. The son that he was so proud of could not get along with him all this time.

    ¡°General Huo, we are talking about work-rted things as of now. Please do not stray from the topic and jumble private and work issues.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped on the table, indicating for Huo Guanchen to cool down.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s mouth twitched. He took a couple of deep breaths before being able to calm down.

    Someone knocked on the door, and it neutralized the tense environment a little. It was a soldier sending some snacks over. Huo Guanchen raised his voice in acknowledgement. ¡°Come in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything until the soldier left. ¡°The Special Forces has already begun investigating this. General Huo, please let me know if you have any reasons not to do so. This is the most I can do for you as a son. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be sentenced by the military court.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re threatening me?¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re treating your biological father like this because of a girl? Your future will be ruined if this gets out as well!¡±

    ¡°General Huo, I¡¯ve said time and again that I¡¯m talking to you about work-rted things. Since you insist talking about personal matters, sure, let¡¯s talk.¡± Huo Shaoheng ced both hands on the table and leaned forward. ¡°Gu Nianzhi will be your daughter-inw. This is how you¡¯ll treat your family? You can¡¯t wait for her to die? Is that it?¡±

    Huo Guanchen mmed his palm on the table and stood up. He looked Huo Shaoheng in the eyes and boomed, ¡°Daughter-inw?! Did you think of asking for my opinion at all?! Are you going to marry her, even if I am against it?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up straight and put his hands in his pockets. Smiling, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have to ask for your permission or opinion if I want to marry her. I¡¯m merely informing you. Alright, since you¡¯re unwilling to talk about personal matters, let¡¯s talk about work-rted matters again. May I know why you went against General Ji¡¯smands and did not save Gu Nianzhi using the highest order of operations?¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked at Huo Shaoheng for a while. When he realized that Huo Shaoheng would not be giving in, he had no choice. He sat down again and spat, ¡°How did I not save her using the highest order ofmand?! Whatever I did was ording to the book. It was just that our men disappeared. Therefore, we had to put it to a halt. Even if the military court were to question me, there would be nothing they could do!¡±

    ¡°Does that mean that you admit not doing anything for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rescue operation on purpose?!¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice became louder. His voice was low, therefore, when he became fierce, his voice sounded rather intimidating.

    Of course, Huo Guanchen wasn¡¯t intimidated by Huo Shaoheng. However, he was surprised at how firm Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude towards Gu Nianzhi was.

    ¡°How can you put it that way, Shaoheng? You¡¯re really not giving a damn about anything anymore, are you?! All you want is to get married to Gu Nianzhi, right?!¡± Huo Guanchen felt heartbroken. By now he was about to beg Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Wake up! You¡¯re not a good match.¡± His good son would be ruined in his stupid rtionship that should not even have happened in the first ce.

    ¡°Sin! Such sin!¡± Huo Guanchen sat down and held his head in his hands. ¡°Shaoheng, think about it. You were her guardian! She has been with you since she was 12! How could you not know... not know how others would be talking about you behind your back?! I am embarrassed the moment I think about it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snorted and replied slowly, ¡°General Huo, what you did in the past was even more embarrassing. Since even you could live with it, why should I be embarrassed over such a small matter? This should be our family tradition. Even if it got spread around, it would be a good topic of conversation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still ming me for the divorce?¡± Huo Guanchen looked up at Huo Shaoheng. His eyes were already red. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know what happened! When I saw the letters between your mother and eldest uncle... I almost went mad! I am human, too! A man, at that! Any man wouldn¡¯t have been able to take it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not pity him one bit. ¡°You believe anything people say? You have a brain to listen to hearsay? Have you even considered mother¡¯s feelings? Mother was so sick then and could not defend herself. However, you had already sentenced her. Generai Ji and perhaps others were able to badmouth Nianzhi and I, but you cannot. You can even abandon such a sickly wife, and you want to lecture me now?¡±

    ¡°I have never given up on your mother! Had it not been for me, you think she¡¯d be able to wait until the day she got treated?!¡± Huo Guanchen was beginning to choke. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯m sincerely telling you. Don¡¯t get married to Gu Nianzhi. I can understand your feelings towards her. The men from the Huo family are all loyal. We cannot help it. You like her, love her, cannot bear to leave her, fine. You can keep her by your side for your entire life. I will not stop you. When she has children, I¡¯ll allow them to take our surname. They will be my grandchildren. But just promise me, never marry her. The one you should officially marry should be ady from an influential family. Not someone like Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Even if she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s adoptive daughter, Huo Guanchen did not care one bit for her. Even if they did not talk about the position of an adoptive daughter versus a biological daughter, all he needed to look at was when she went missing when she was 12, and no one from the Gu family actually tried looking for her. That, to him, was enough to know her position in the family.

    ¡°The people from the army did not care about your future all for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s copyright. You think they¡¯re doing it for you?! Has it not urred to you before, that if you marry Gu Nianzhi, your future will stop?! You¡¯ll be a major general forever! They will also have one less strong opponent!¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes had turned red by now. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who will truly think about you. Only biological parents think about your future for your sake!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°General Huo, don¡¯t stray from the topic. I came back to question you, not to listen to you spout nonsense.¡±

    ¡°How is this nonsense?! I¡¯m telling you the truth!¡± Huo Guanchen punched the table. ¡°I will not allow Gu Nianzhi to be the only stain on your career progression!¡±

    ¡°So you have admitted, in a way, that you intentionally did not do your best in rescuing Gu Nianzhi because you wanted others to kill her off for you, so that she couldn¡¯te back, am I correct?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked even colder. His gaze was like sharp knives, slicing Huo Guanchen¡¯s conscience.

    Huo Guanchen clenched his jaw. ¡°Don¡¯t put words into my mouth. I have never wanted Gu Nianzhi dead and would never want others to kill her off for me.¡± He merely wanted Gu Nianzhi to leave Huo Shaoheng and nevere back...

    ¡°General Huo, objectively, you have a motive. Subjectively, you took action. It¡¯s too tough for me to cover up for you. When they begin their investigation, I can only tell them the truth.¡± Huo Shaoheng saluted. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±

    ¡°Stay there!¡± Huo Guanchen was not worried about the investigation from the military court. He called out to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Your grandfather and Jin will being back to attend the new Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. Go and pick them up from the airport!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng merely left the mansion without even turning back. Huo Guanchen wasn¡¯t sure if Huo Shaoheng had heard him.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng went back to his car. His mind was so much of a mess that he opened all the car¡¯s windows. Autumn nights in the Capital were cold. The chill wind finally managed to calm Huo Shaoheng down.

    Huo Shaoheng supported his head with a hand and admired the night view outside the car, thinking about his next move. In Germany, the person, Als, who tortured Gu Nianzhi has already been put in ce. Reinitz is rather weird. Even though he is indebted to Gu Nianzhi, he was the mastermind of the entire trap. However, in the end, Huo Shaoheng still could not understand why he would let Gu Nianzhi go. Moreover, his rank was too high, so Huo Shaoheng still couldn¡¯t do anything to him.

    In America, the head of the Security and Intelligence Department of Southeast Asia, Thomas, was already his spy. As long as there were people from Hua Xia who attempted to contact anyone from America, Huo Shaoheng would know almost immediately as well.

    As for the Hua Xia Empire, he had already fixed all types of devices to listen in on people¡¯s conversations. As long as the opponent had the intention to strike, he would be able to catch them red-handed.

    He had made up his mind to put the person to death immediately after he arrested them. No one should survive from this. Therefore, before that could happen, he had to observe everyone carefully. He wanted to see who would be able to not wait any longer first, so that when the tides were low, he would know who was, or were, the masterminds...

    Only after walking through the entire n in his mind and ensuring that it was perfect did Huo Shaoheng close his eyes and massage his temples.

    He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Gu Nianzhi. He yearned for her. However, she was so near yet so far. He couldn¡¯t even go near her. He thought about the scene at the real estate bureau lobby. Gu Nianzhi was so against him hugging her. With that thought, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze became darker. It looked like a long and dark night without any stars.

    ...

    When he arrived at his mansion in the Special Forces headquarters, Zhao Liangze took an invitation from General Ji to him.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, General Ji invites you to attend the inauguration of the new Prime Minister, which is two days from now.¡± Zhao Liangze ced the invitation on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study desk. ¡°Big Xiong and I also received invites.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took it and looked it over before putting it aside. ¡°You¡¯ll represent the Special Forces and attend the ceremony. Big Xiong and I will be busy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Zhao Liangze epted themand. However, he continued, ¡°If General Ji asks about you and Big Xiong, what am I going to say?¡±

    He had thought that Huo Shaoheng would say that they had a lot of work on hand or that he was required to attend to some urgent mission. He just wanted a confirmation so that he could reply General Ji confidently.

    However, Huo Shaoheng gave it some thought before folding his arms and saying calmly, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be down with a fever, and Big Xiong will be down with diarrhea two days from now. Just tell him that.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was speechless. Can he really be so willful?! Zhao Liangze had turned purple. Finally, he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°Mr. Huo, then everyone will know that you merely don¡¯t want to attend the ceremony...¡± The moment anyone heard about the reasons, they¡¯d know. It was that obvious.

    ¡°Let them know. I have no intention of hiding it.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled up. He did not intend to continue the conversation. ¡°You and Big Xiong have to start doing the job of the vice presidents of the Special Forces as soon as possible. When I¡¯m not around, you and Big Xiong will have to share the burden. The three of us will never be able to leave the headquarters at the same time. Something like that should never happen again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Zhao Liangze saluted to acknowledge. Putting down his hand, he said angrily, ¡°Mr. Huo, are we going to just let whatever happened go?¡±

    It was clear that luring them away was a trap. If any one of them had been in the headquarters at that time, Gu Nianzhi would not have been in such danger and would not have almost died in another country.

 Chapter 724 - Matters of the Heart Require Remedies of the Heart

    <h4>Chapter 724: Matters of the Heart Require Remedies of the Heart</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer Zhao Liangze¡¯s inquiry at all. He quietly turned on theputer on his desk and threw a memo at Zhao Liangze with the words stamped on the cover, ¡°Not even one is to survive.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded seriously and sighed in quiet relief. He balled one hand into a fist to smash into his other hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need to worry anymore now that I know you won¡¯t be letting them go! Nianzhi can¡¯t suffer for nothing. Also, when I think about how those people stabbed us in the back while we risked our lives on missions, I just want to throw up!¡± This incident infuriated all the field personnel at the Special Operations Forces headquarters. They didn¡¯t fear bleeding, sacrificing themselves, or their enemies¡¯ treachery. What pained and terrified them the most was betrayal by their own people.

    Huo Shaoheng was also angry, but he couldn¡¯t express it outwardly like Zhao Liangze did. He merely waved and allowed Zhao Liangze to take care of the provisioning before also calling Yin Shixiong inside. ¡°General Ji asked you and Little Ze to attend the new Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. Do you want to go?¡±

    Yin Shixiong stiffened. ¡°I¡¯ll go if Chief asks me to.¡± He worked under Huo Shaoheng anyway, so he would go if Huo Shaoheng asked him to. Even General Ji was not his direct superior.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Little Ze to represent us in attendance, so you don¡¯t need to go anymore. You¡¯ll be going out with me in two days.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Yin Shixiong had no interest at all in the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. Truthfully speaking, the Special Ops typically avoided high-profile public functions like that at all costs.

    General Ji actually didn¡¯t want them to go, anyway, but Tan Dongbang¡¯s Prime Minister¡¯s office kept calling him. Afterwards, even his wife, Cai Songyin, personally came to visit him to formally request that she be allowed to thank the Special Operations Forces for specially deploying a rescue mission for her daughter, Tan Guiren. She had especially asked the office of the Prime Minister to secure three tickets for the best seats and also emphasized that they would be seated together in the Tans¡¯ VIP section, so it would not cause any gossip.

    General Ji wasn¡¯tfortable with the idea, but he still had to respect the Tan¡¯s and the Cai¡¯s, so he didn¡¯t refuse her outright. But when the invitations were delivered to the Special Ops, Zhao Liangze called General Ji to report that Chief and Big Xiong were feeling unwell, so he would have to attend alone.

    General Ji smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Since Shaoheng and Big Xiong are sick, and you¡¯re the only person left in charge of the Special Ops, it won¡¯t do to send you out to the inauguration. You¡¯d better stay back, too. How about this. I¡¯ll help exin this to Mrs. Tan and let them know that while we are grateful for their generosity, fate is going against our will. There¡¯s nothing we can do, hahahaha...¡±

    Zhao Liangze was speechless. He ended the call and after carefully thinking about it, he realized he admired and was impressed with Huo Shaoheng even more. It was convenient for them to do anything because he had won General Ji over to their side. This was the convenience of having a tiger¡¯s skin as their banner.

    ...

    On Saturday night, General Ji personally called Cai Songyin. ¡°Mrs. Tan, what a shame. Both Shaoheng and Big Xiong are ill. One has a fever, and the other has an upset stomach, so they won¡¯t be able to attend Prime Minister Tan¡¯s inauguration tomorrow. Please apologize to Prime Minister Tan on our behalf. Also, Little Ze won¡¯t be able to leave because both Shaoheng and Big Xiong are ill. This is a security protocol. We hope you understand.¡±

    Cai Songyin began to frown. ¡°General Ji, Major General Huo is ill? What kind of illness is it? Why are both of them ill at the same time? Are they alright? How about I bring a doctor to examine them? Dr. Cai from the Imperial Capital Harmony Hospital is my cousin. She is a skilled physician.¡±

    The corners of General Ji¡¯s lips turned down. He was feeling less and less patient with Cai Songyin¡¯s aggressive attitude. The key principle in bureaucracy was being tacit and basically never revealing someone¡¯s farce. Huo Shaoheng was using an obvious excuse to not attend the inauguration to express his dissatisfaction with the Tan¡¯s, so he had no desire to ice their cake. Ever since his conversation with Huo Shaoheng that night, General Ji had epted his perspective and also believed that there was someone deliberately damaging his rtionship with Huo Shaoheng. Thus, he was even more dissatisfied with the Tan¡¯s and didn¡¯t want to make his prized general a part of their entourage. Most importantly, their own party represented the military, while the Tan¡¯s were with the Cab. It had always been necessary to avoid conflicts of interest, so all contact had to be minimized. Huo Shaoheng was General Ji¡¯s announced sessor, so he absolutely didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to give the impression of toadying for personal gain. He was a soldier, so he relied on his own abilities and risked his life to advance his career. There was nomon ground with the Tan¡¯s, who used glib tongues and backhanded methods to win the election.

    ¡°Haha, is Mrs. Tan saying that she doesn¡¯t trust the doctors from our Military. No. 314 General Hospital? You may not know that our top physician in the nation, Little Chen, is now a doctor on Shaoheng¡¯s headquarters base,¡± General Ji shot back subtly and then hung up.

    Cai Songyin hadn¡¯t even reacted by the time she realized General Ji had already ended the call. She couldn¡¯t help getting frustrated. ¡°How rude. As expected, all soldiers are uncouth...¡± Cai Songyin muttered about General Ji under her breath, but she certainly wouldn¡¯t really say it out loud, even if she had all the courage in the world.

    She went to the study to find her husband. ¡°Dongbang, Huo Shao and his two men aren¡¯ting tomorrow. What do you think is going on?¡± Cai Songyin sat down in a huff and picked up a teacup to sip from. ¡°I¡¯m doing Huo Shao a special favor, so I first had Guiren call him about the invitation, and then I sent a formal invitation for General Ji to pass along. But they said they are sick and can¡¯te.¡± Cai Songyin didn¡¯t believe that Huo Shaoheng and his men were ill at all and thought it was just an excuse. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t spend too much effort finding an excuse because he wanted to make his attitude clear, anyway. They should know he never wanted toe in the first ce. And why didn¡¯t he want toe? They should have known it themselves.

    Tan Dongbang was stressing over preparations for his speech at the inauguration the next day, so he thought Cai Songyin¡¯sining was a bit much. He coughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It makes sense that they don¡¯t want toe. Think about it. They are a military institution, and General Ji will already being with his own men. Why do you have to insist on having Huo Shaoe as well? Also, Huo Shao personally rescued our daughter. We should be very grateful to him. Why do you need to nitpick?¡±

    Cai Songyin was feeling upset and didn¡¯t expect Tan Dongbang to not console her and recognize themon enemy, and instead say it was her fault. She turned and replied unhappily, ¡°What are you talking about? You think this is for my own pride? This is all for our baby girl!¡±

    ¡°Guiren?¡± Tan Donbang frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? Is she sick? I haven¡¯t seen here out for dinner the past two days.¡±

    ¡°She is sick.¡± Cai Songyin¡¯s eyes glittered happily upon mention of their daughter. ¡°So I¡¯m trying to find a cure for her.¡±

    ¡°What illness does she have?¡± Tan Dongbang became anxious. He only had one daughter, so he loved her more than anything and truly raised her like a princess. Of course, Tan Guiren was also very considerate and obedient, so she never caused her parents trouble. After her suffering in America, Tan Dongbang treasured her even more, and his loving heart had no idea how to spoil her.

    ¡°What illness? It¡¯s an illness of the heart, an illness of longing.¡± Cai Songyin picked up the small fan from the coffee table and waved it. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s tender heart has finally moved, and because you¡¯re not helping as her father, I have no choice but to do it myself.¡±

    Tan Dongbang looked up and stared at Cai Songyin for a long time before replying, ¡°You¡¯re saying she likes Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Could it be fake? Our daughter has great taste.¡± Cai Songyin pped. ¡°I was just on the phone with Huo Shao¡¯s father, General Huo, yesterday. General Huo is very modest and refined. He¡¯s much more pleasant that General Ji. I never really had a good impression of military men, and you know that both our families have been schrly elite for centuries. Now that you¡¯re the Prime Minister, it¡¯s only imminent that our families will rise in the ranks again, so we must be very cautious with Guiren¡¯s marriage. But the Huo¡¯s are different. I had someone investigate, and you know what? Although Huo Shao¡¯s grandfather had a normal family, Huo Shao¡¯s grandmother was actually a Xie... We didn¡¯t know anything before. The Huo¡¯s are certainly very low key.¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Really? You mean that Xie family?!¡± In terms of old aristocratic blood, the Tan¡¯s and Cai¡¯s only deserved to clean up after the Xie¡¯s. ¡°I understand. You¡¯ve worked hard these past few days.¡± Tan Dongbang walked over from behind the desk and sat down on the couch beside Cai Songyin to massage her shoulders. ¡°Here, Mrs. Tan is tired. Let your husband help you rx your muscles.¡± The couple had grown up together, and their families were of equal status, so they naturally got married and always had a strong rtionship.

    Cai Songyin beamed and patted Tan Dongbang¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m d you understand me. This time, I wanted to have Huo Shao and Guiren stand together and look like a family. That way, when the national television directly broadcasts them in the same frame, they will basically be a publicly recognized pair.¡± She was doing Huo Shaoheng such a huge favor, she never expected him topletely ignore it.

    Tan Dongbang considered it for some time and said after much contemtion, ¡°You¡¯reing from a good ce, but someone like Huo Shaoheng probably wouldn¡¯t want to build influence using his wife¡¯s rtionships. Also, you have to think that his grandmother is a daughter of the Xie¡¯s, so does he even need to take advantage of our connections? We must alter our methods and not push it too hard. Otherwise, it might have an opposite effect.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll listen to you. It¡¯s for the sake of our daughter¡¯s happiness, anyway.¡± Although it was the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration the next day, the couple doted on their daughter and spent most of the night discussing how they would help secure Huo Shaoheng, ¡°the golden husband,¡± for Tan Guiren.

    ...

    At 10pm on Saturday, Gu Nianzhi rode her bike and carried her backpack as she returned home from studying at the library. Under the dim yellow glow of the street lights in front of the dorm building, Gu Nianzhi saw the silver Bentley Bentayga SUV again. There was also a handsome man leaning against the SUV¡¯s door, smoking. Sighing, she parked her bike at the racks beside the dorm and slowly walked over before standing in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng threw away his cigarette and smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re back sote? Why aren¡¯t you resting on a Saturday?¡± His expression had been stoic and solemn, handsome yet tinged with an indescribable authority. But the moment he saw Gu Nianzhi, a faint smile appeared like a ray of warm light that brightened the road on a cold autumn night.

 Chapter 725 - Promise Me One Thing

    <h4>Chapter 725: Promise Me One Thing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I already told you on the phone that I have to study untilte into the night.¡± Gu Nianzhi made adjustments to her tone of voice and her words, but she still felt helpless. Huo Shaoheng had called her at five in the afternoon and said that he would pick her up for dinner and to take her to his official residence to celebrate her birthday.

    Gu Nianzhi graciously declined. She never imagined that Huo Shao woulde, but he was still waiting for her there. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that was because he was worried about her, or because he thought that she was lying, so he had gone over there to expose her lie and call her out on it.

    However, it didn¡¯t matter what the reason was. Gu Nianzhi felt like she was unable to stand it. She was also puzzled at how courageous she had been, how she had put all her energy into it, and how she had given Huo Shaoheng all of her heart in the past. At that time, it felt like it was a dream. After she woke up, he still felt familiar, dear, but she didn¡¯t have that, ¡°it has to be him¡± kind of love that she used to have anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯sck of affection didn¡¯t cause Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile to disappear. He took a step forward and stretched his hand out to her. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t work too hard. Tomorrow...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cut him off. She raised her head. Her facial expression looked moreposed than ever before. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, stop being like this. Stop wasting your time on me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand froze in midair. He didn¡¯t touch Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi looked at his hand. His slender and attractive fingers seemed to have charisma. She remembered the warmth of his palm. Dry but warm... but she no longer yearned for it.

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I know it¡¯s difficult for you to give up in this short period of time. But believe me when I tell you that you are just ustomed to it, to taking care of me and protecting me. I was a mission given to you by the military. You did a very nice jobpleting the mission. I¡¯m serious, you can go now that you have aplished it. I want to walk the path from here on myself. You should have your own life. You don¡¯t have to focus on me anymore.¡±

    It could have been because of her youth, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was lovely and innocent. The stabbing words that came out of her mouth had a kind of straightforwardness that was childlike, na?ve, and cruel. Huo Shaoheng slowly put his hand down and looked deeply at her.

    Gu Nianzhi also stared back at Huo Shaoheng. It was the first time she could clearly see what he looked like. Before, the moment she saw him, she would feel her heart beat so fast, and her eyes became so dazzled by a riot of colors. With that riot of colors, she couldn¡¯t look into his eyes. Now she noticed that the shape of his eyes was really appealing. His pupils were full and pitch-ck. She couldn¡¯t see the end of them. The corners of his eyes were smooth and firm. They didn¡¯t nt upward. They were just long, and it made his eyelids look even more profound.

    When he looked at you quietly like that, it had a different kind of charm to it. Maybe to him, it was only polite to have that kind of bearing. However, in a woman¡¯s eyes, she would be dying to make those moving eyes her own. She wouldn¡¯t allow him to look at other people again. The edge of her lips raised slightly as Gu Nianzhi thought of it like that. A naughty smile appeared.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and pretended that he didn¡¯t hear what Gu Nianzhi had said. He continued his sentence from before Gu Nianzhi had cut him off. ¡°...Tomorrow is your birthday. How do you want to celebrate it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it. But I want to celebrate it alone.¡±

    ¡°Do you really have to be so cruel?¡± Huo Shaoheng watched helplessly as Gu Nianzhi was distancing herself from him more and more. It was possible that the only way he could look at her up close in the future would be through the use of a satellite...

    His pupils looked even deeper. All the emotion that was being tossed about was hidden deep inside his dark pupils as if no one knew of all his worries. Gu Nianzhi lowered her head. ¡°Let go. I know letting go hurts a lot, because I have been there. But short term pain is better than long term pain. After the pain is over, you will realize that it was no big deal. In this world, there is no one who can¡¯t survive without a certain someone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng silently looked at Gu Nianzhi from the shiny ck hair on the top of her head to her white neck. The way it was so slender and enchanting like a white swan could move a person. Her nted shoulders were what peoplemonly referred to as, ¡°the shoulders of beauties.¡± He took in her tall figure with a thin waist and long legs. She was one day short of being 19, the age of a fresh flower.

    ¡°You really want to break up?¡± Huo Shaoheng squinted. His pupils had already turned dark ck. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded strongly. ¡°I am 100 percent determined and certain. I want to break up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let out a long sigh and stared directly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Fine, I will break up with you, if you promise me one thing. Otherwise, you can forget about leaving me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She slowly raised her head and looked into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. They werepletely dark, like a dark night where you couldn¡¯t even see your fingers if you put them in front of you. She couldn¡¯t tell what it was that he was thinking of. ¡°Promise you one condition?¡±

    ¡°Yes, as long as you promise me one thing, I will break up with you. I will keep my word.¡± Huo Shaoheng knocked on the vehicle¡¯s window as he finished talking. He had a cold and stern posture. ¡°Chen Lie,e and be a witness.¡±

    When Chen Lie, who had stayed in the car that whole time, heard the way Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice and tone sounded, he felt a cold airing from the bottom of his heart. Huo Shao was nning to do something big by digging a big hole for Nianzhi to jump into...

    Did he wish to have many blessings? Or should he warn Nianzhi by putting his life on the line? Chen Lie slowly stuck his head out from the car window and looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile that looked worse than crying. ¡°Nianzhi, hi...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to look at Chen Lie being like that. She only took one look at him, and then she looked away and said, ¡°Brother Chen, you also came?¡± At that moment, she also felt apprehensive from the bottom of her heart. Her face turned a bit red, and she felt embarrassed.

    Huo Shaoheng hade to look for her, and he also brought Chen Lie. Could it be that it was not what she thought it was¡ªthat he came to harass her? Who brings a friend along to do this kind of thing? Most men won¡¯t do this, let alone men like Huo Shaoheng...

    Could she be wrong? Was what she just said due to her thinking too much of herself? Gu Nianzhi felt so ashamed that she couldn¡¯t form a sentence. She nodded slightly. ¡°Hello, Brother Chen.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a step back. ¡°Nianzhi, if you agree to this one condition, we will break up. Chen Lie will be the witness. If I go back on my word...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly raised her hand to stop Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I believe you. There is no need to swear.¡± In her heart, Huo Shaoheng had always been a strong man who was true to his word. Of course, a good man and a good boyfriend were two different things. Even though she no longer loved him, she still didn¡¯t want him to swear in a way that caused people to feel ufortable.

    ¡°Okay, and you? You agree? Agree to my condition, and we will break up,¡± Huo Shaoheng said slowly as he leaned against the car door in a calm andposed manner.

    Chen Lie¡¯s round head stretched out from the car window, and he looked at Gu Nianzhi with worry. However, Huo Shaoheng was standing nearby. Even if a person beat him to death, he wouldn¡¯t have the guts to warn Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit hesitant. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She felt a bit strange about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sudden request, because from the impression that she had, Huo Shaoheng had never been this type of person. Gu Nianzhi groaned and didn¡¯t answer for a few moments.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to? Then that just proves that you still have feelings for me.¡± Huo Shaoheng took a step forward and walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side. He raised his hand to smooth out her hair that was hanging down by her forehead. His warm fingers swept across the side of her face like a light wind blowing on the water¡¯s surface, causing ripples. ¡°Let¡¯s not break up. Tomorrow is your birthday. I sent you a silk scarf as a birthday present a while ago. I have been back for a couple of days, and I haven¡¯t asked you if you got it yet.¡±

    It would have been better if the silk scarf had not been mentioned. When he mentioned it, she remembered those helpless days in Germany and remembered the video that caused her to have an emotional breakdown. Afterward, she made up her mind and took decisive action in thatplex situation.

    ¡°First, tell me what the condition is.¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her teeth. Huo Shaoheng had made her angry, but she still had a bit of reason left in her. She couldn¡¯t agree to his condition without knowing anything. Then again, if she wanted to break up, what could Huo Shaoheng do to her? It was just that the two of them would have an unpleasant breakup.

    The reason Huo Shaoheng mentioned the condition was so that he could get out of an embarrassing situation himself without looking bad. Gu Nianzhi also didn¡¯t want to make this breakup too unpleasant, and she was still grateful to Huo Shaoheng.

    It was true that there was no room for any criticism for Huo Shaoheng if he was simply a guardian or an ordinary friend, but as a boyfriend... She couldn¡¯t see anything that was negative about him.

    ¡°Right now, I haven¡¯t thought of it yet.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was gentle. It was like a stream running in the mountains, and it had the power to cleanse someone¡¯s heart. ¡°I will go back and think about it. I will tell you about it tomorrow morning, okay?¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi. His deep gaze beseeched her. Gu Nianzhi could not help but nod. ¡°Fine. But I want to warn Mr. Huo that you shouldn¡¯t make any demand that is illegal or immoral. Even if I agree to those demands, the court would consider it to be invalid.¡±

    Chen Lie closed his eyes while he was in the car. He knew it. What kind of person was Huo Shaoheng? Even those veteran spies failed miserably in his grasp. It was a piece of cake for him to get what he wanted from an inexperienced person like Gu Nianzhi. He just never thought that Huo Shaoheng would actually use that kind of tactic on Gu Nianzhi.

    He thought that he loved her so much that he was unable to extricate himself, but at that moment, he found out he loved her so much to the point of being unscrupulous. He didn¡¯t know which type was more eptable by others, but in Chen Lie¡¯s cold eyes, it didn¡¯t matter which kind it was because Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care anymore. Huo Shaoheng was only pushing Gu Nianzhi further and further away by doing things this way. But when it came to feelings, only the person who drank the water knew best whether the water was hot or cold.

    After all was said and done, Chen Lie was only an outsider. He couldn¡¯t continue to get involved in other people¡¯s feelings. He wasn¡¯t very experienced in rtionships himself, so he was going to stop giving people advice on them. Chen Lie thought of Ye Zitan. A hint of disappointment shed across his eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed heavily. His eyes had a pained expression. ¡°You really want to break up with me no matter what? Can¡¯t we go back to the way things were?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together and distanced herself from him even further. ¡°Mr. Huo, even though I don¡¯t love you anymore, I still respect you. You are not going to destroy thest good impression I have of you, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile disappeared as he nodded. He restrained his facial expression. ¡°Okay, I wille find you tomorrow at nine o¡¯clock to tell you about the condition.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a look at him, then turned and walked away. Only after Huo Shaoheng silently watched her back disappear from the dormitory¡¯s lobby did he turn around to get into his car. He suddenly hit the gas. The Bentley SUV made a roaring sound and sped forward like an arrow.

    ¡°Speeding! Speeding!¡± Chen Lie was almost thrown out of the car and was so scared that he hastily put his seatbelt on as he grabbed the handle above the door.

 Chapter 726 - Nineteen Forever

    <h4>Chapter 726: Neen Forever</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was stony faced as he sped through the streets and even ran several red lights. He only took 15 minutes toplete a typical 90-minute drive and arrive at the Special Operations Forces headquarters base. Chen Lie emerged from the car with an ashen face and even muffled his mouth as he ran to the garbage can by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to throw up several times. Huo Shaoheng threw the car key to the orderly in charge of picking up vehicles and walked over to Chen Lie to ask coolly, ¡°Carsick?¡±

    Chen Lie wanted to roll his eyes from the vomiting. ¡°Are you driving a car or a fighter jet?! Even roller coasters aren¡¯t as fast as you!¡± Chen Lie vomited some more and took out a napkin from his pocket to wipe his mouth before following Huo Shaoheng inside his official residence. They sat down in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, and Huo Shaoheng took one look at Chen Lie¡¯splexion before asking an orderly to make him a cup of ck tea. ck tea warmed the stomach and also alleviated the nausea from motion sickness. Chen Lie had a cup of ck tea and slowly recovered. He syed out on the couch and said, exhausted, ¡°Boss, please spare my inconsequential life. I thought I¡¯d be the first person to die for the sake of your love life...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He quietly turned on theputer and entered severalmands. The personnel receiving the orders immediately contacted all rted parties. As he awaited responses, Huo Shaoheng lit a cigarette and looked down to ask Chen Lie, ¡°From what you see, how is Nianzhi¡¯s mental state? Does she need psychological counseling?¡± He had brought Chen Lie to see Gu Nianzhi earlier that day and had wanted Chen Lie to make an initial psychological assessment in order to determine a treatment n. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s experiences in Germany had made arge impact on her psychological state. Huo Shaoheng would never forget how Gu Nianzhi had autistic tendencies when she was 12. It was thanks to her extraordinary trust and reliance on him that she didn¡¯tpletely shut out the entire world from her heart.

    Chen Lie recalled meeting Gu Nianzhi in front of the graduate students¡¯ dorm that day and mused quietly, ¡°From herplexion, I really didn¡¯t notice any psychological issues.¡±

    ¡°You can determine psychological issues fromplexions?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Boss, this is where you don¡¯t understand. Mental illness is also a type of disease, but it absolutely doesn¡¯t manifest only on a psychological level. People with mental issues differ from normal people in their irises, sclera, skin tone, and physical movements. It can absolutely diagnosed with physical observation, questioning, and measuring pulses.¡± Chen Lie straightened in his seat and ced one hand on his knee while brandishing the other in the air. He exined it eloquently, and his words were very interesting.

    ¡°Go on.¡± Huo Shaoheng listened intently and appeared thoughtful.

    ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s irises are round, and sclera are white and clear. Her skin tone is rosy and delicate, and she has great control over her body. Although she is still very sad, it¡¯s not to the point of losing control. Simply stated, she has already freed herself from her deep love for you. Boss, are you sure you want to continue being with her?¡± Chen Lie asked gingerly. Huo Shaoheng had been his good friend for over a decade now, and he had watched Gu Nianzhi grow up and tended to her himself. Both were dear to his heart, so Chen Lie didn¡¯t know who to urge or what he could do. He was in despair, too!

    Huo Shaoheng grunted calmly, his long fingers flying over the keyboard as he tapped outmands.

    ¡°You¡¯re really not going to let go?!¡± Chen Lie stood up from the couch and walked over to the soft chair in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk to sit down. He rested his head on one hand and pped the desk with the other as he frowned at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You have to consider that Nianzhi probably won¡¯t love you like she did before, or she might not love you all, and you still want to be with her? You can lead a horse to water, but you can¡¯t make him drink!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused his hands. Theputer screen was still running an unknown program, and the illuminated symbols shed across his face. Although Chen Lie was sitting so close to him, he actually couldn¡¯t clearly see his expression. After a long time, Huo Shaoheng nced at Chen Lie and smiled faintly. ¡°Those who love deeply don¡¯t survive for long, and those who are most intelligent will suffer in other ways. It doesn¡¯t matter if Nianzhi loves me a little less. That way, she can be with me forever.¡± Her pain and mental block was because of him, and if she couldn¡¯t ovee the block, she¡¯d never be happy. Too strong of a love and too sharp of an intellect were double-edged swords that hurt both the wielder and the target. However, Huo Shaoheng believed that as a man and someone much older than Gu Nianzhi, he¡¯d rather be hurt by her than see her hurt herself. It would be alright as long as she was by his side.

    Chen Lie was at a loss for words. He suddenly wanted to cry, so he pretended to look up casually at the ceiling and replied, ¡°Fine, then. So what do you want me to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued hammering at the keyboard as he replied, ¡°Are you going to the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°They sent me an invitation, but I already said no.¡± Chen Lie didn¡¯t like to show his face in public. In the past, he liked medical research the most and Ye Zitan second best. But Ye Zitan¡¯s actions disappointed him greatly and also caused him to doubt his own judgement. As a result, he now only loved medical research and had even made up his mind to never get married.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Ok, keep tomorrow¡¯s schedule open. I have something I need help with.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t exin what it was, but Chen Lie didn¡¯t ask, either. With their friendship, they didn¡¯t need much exnation to understand each other.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t return to the dorm in a good mood, but she was also somehow relieved. This was her first love, and it was going to end on her 19th birthday. She thought about how she probably wouldn¡¯t celebrate her birthday for the rest of her life now. Walking out from the bathroom after a shower, Gu Nianzhi wrapped up her damp hair and turned on theputer to continue writing the outline to her thesis. She needed to finish five courses in four months and also write a master¡¯s thesis. She didn¡¯t have enough time at all.

    Ma Qiqi knocked on her door. ¡°Nianzhi? Are you free?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the half-finished outline and closed the document before calling out, ¡°Yes. Come in, Qiqi.¡±

    Ma Qiqi opened the door to see Gu Nianzhi wearing coral velvet pajamas and white, fluffy,mb-shaped slippers on her feet. She twirled around in her chair and smiled at Ma Qiqi. Ma Qiqi suddenly thought Gu Nianzhi looked like a cute, pink doll, so she walked up to hug her and rub her back. Gu Nianzhiughed so hard, her tears fell. She pushed Ma Qiqi away saying, ¡°Stop getting physical, Qiqi. My hair¡¯s not dry yet.¡±

    Ma Qiqi pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s porcin, rosy cheeks with a smile and sat down on a chair next to her and asked, ¡°What are you doing? I didn¡¯t you see you at all on Saturday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to theputer. ¡°I was studying at the library. There¡¯s a lot of homework, and I was busy working on it.¡±

    ¡°You have that much? Are these special benefits from Professor He?¡± Ma Qiqi asked curiously because she had a different instructor than Gu Nianzhi, so she had no idea about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s courses.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated before telling Ma Qiqi the truth. ¡°I want to graduate early, so I¡¯m working hard to finish more courses right now.¡±

    ¡°You still want to graduate early?!¡± Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t help pping her shoulder. ¡°Nianzhi, I think living with you has made me even less confident in myself. This is called being prettier, younger, smarter, and more hard working?! You¡¯re the prime example!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by Ma Qiqi¡¯s words and grabbed her arm to shake gently. ¡°Qiqi, you¡¯re too nice. What¡¯s so great about me? I only want to graduate soon and find a full-time job so I can support myself.¡±

    Ma Qiqi knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sore spot, so she considerately avoided the touchy topic and said to her, ¡°Nianzhi, tomorrow is your birthday. Do you have any ns?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Ma Qiqi. ¡°You know about it...¡±

    Ma Qiqi giggled. ¡°Of course I do. Our counselors have the birthdays of all the students in our ss.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that the case?¡± Gu Nianzhi tapped her cheek. ¡°Tomorrow... Actually, I was still nning to go study.¡± She didn¡¯t want to celebrate her birthday tomorrow or for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Oh you! Studying on your birthday! Are you not going to graduate early just by not studying for a day?¡± Ma Qiqi was irked. ¡°Come on, Nianzhi. Sounds like you don¡¯t have ns. Come to my house. I told my parents it¡¯s your birthday tomorrow, so they said you coulde over if you don¡¯t have other ns. My mom¡¯s handmade long life noodles are the best.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated. Ma Qiqi was a very special friend, so her invitation was difficult to reject. She could treat it like going to a roommate¡¯s house for dinner. After some thought, Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Ok, what time? I might have something going on in the morning.¡± Huo Shaoheng said he woulde meet her at 9am with a condition for her to ept. She already promised to wait for him at that time, so she couldn¡¯t go back on her word.

    ¡°In the evening,e to my house for dinner. My dad will drive us back to campus after dinner.¡± Ma Qiqi draped her arm on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Nianzhi, this is the first time I¡¯ve invited a ssmate to my house. You can¡¯t stand me up!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded fiercely. ¡°I¡¯ll be there for sure.¡± They confirmed their ns for the next day, and Ma Qiqi returned to her room happily. Gu Nianzhi closed her door and realized she wasn¡¯t in the mood to write her paper when she looked at herptop again. She shut it off andid down on her bed. As sheid there, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep, so she started ying games on her phone. As soon as midnight passed, the phone suddenly rang. It was He Zhichu¡¯s special ringtone. Gu Nianzhi picked up andughed. ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s already sote. Why are you calling?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s cool voice could be heard through the phone. ¡°Nianzhi, happy 19th birthday to you.¡± This was the first birthday greeting she had gotten that day.

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°Thank you, Professor He, but please don¡¯t wish me happy birthday again. I decided to not celebrate my birthday ever again. I want to be 19 forever.¡±

    How childish... He Zhichu broke into a small smile and took his time asking her, ¡°Ok, Miss 19 Forever. What do you have nned for tomorrow?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held her phone and looked around the dark dorm room. She yawned. ¡°Nothing in particr. I was going to study at the library, but Qiqi said she was inviting me over to her house for dinner tomorrow, so I agreed to go.¡±

    He Zhichu knew Ma Qiqi had helped Gu Nianzhi a great deal, so he felt reassured letting them be friends. ¡°Then you¡¯d better remember to bring some gifts for Ma Qiqi¡¯s family. You can¡¯t go empty handed, understand?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Oh my god, thanks for the reminder, Professor He. I almost went to Qiqi¡¯s house with a grin and two empty hands.¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t helpughing at the sound of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s crisp and charmingughter. ¡°Silly. Ok, get some sleep tonight. You¡¯re a year older now that it¡¯s your birthday. I hope that your wish of graduating early wille true soon.¡±

 Chapter 727 - Give Me Another Chance

    <h4>Chapter 727: Give Me Another Chance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After hanging up, He Zhichu took a ss of red wine and sat in front of the window. His gaze got lost in the beauty of the night view in front of him, and he felt exceptionally rxed. He had finally managed to wait for this day to arrive. All his preparations needn¡¯t be brought out anymore. Winning, even without needing your troops, was something only the cleverestmander could achieve.

    He raised his ss into the air. ¡°Happy birthday, my Princess.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi fell asleep immediately after hanging up. She did not have a good sleep. Even though there were no dreams, it did not feel like she had slept deeply. Her heart was left hanging, and she did not feelfortable at all.

    When she woke up in the middle of the night due to thirst, she remembered Huo Shaoheng saying that he would agree to the breakup if she agreed to a condition. So why should she agree to that condition? She was the one who wanted the breakup. It didn¡¯t exactly matter whether Huo Shaoheng agreed or not.

    As for agreeing to agree to his condition, Gu Nianzhi merely wanted to end things well, to put a full stop to his care and teachings after all these years. Although there was no more love, she still respected him. Huo Shaoheng was someone who was worthy of respect. Having him was the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s fortune.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled over and fell asleep. When she woke up again, it was already past eight in the morning. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and got up slowly. She only woke up fully after her shower.

    She opened her wardrobe and took some time to decide on her outfit. Eventually, she chose a red knitted turtleneck dress with puffed sleeves matched with a pair of Stuart Weitzman long boots. Leaving her hair down, she had decided to go bare-faced. Her perfectplexion was something that no makeup could achieve. This should be able to leave both parties with the best impression.

    She put on some moisturizer quickly before her phone rang. ¡°The rain is falling, but the story remains the same. I heard that you are still on your own...¡± It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personalized ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi answered the call, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a moment.¡± Gu Nianzhi took the Hermes Verrou bag that she had bought on her own in Germany and left her dormitory.

    Ma Qiqi was having breakfast in the living room. Seeing hering out from her room in red, Ma Qiqi was mesmerized by her beauty. She covered her eyes and shouted dramatically, ¡°Oh! My eyes! My eyes!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kicked her yfully and left quickly. She saw Huo Shaoheng standing beside his silver-gray Mercedes Benz SUV the moment she went to the lobby. He was in his full uniform instead of civilian clothing. The stars on his shoulders could blind anyone anytime.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and thought, I did not expect that Huo Shaoheng and I were thinking the same thing... They both wanted to end this rtionship properly. This was indeed the Huo Shao that Gu Nianzhi knew. Decisive and firm. Gu Nianzhi smiled and walked over. ¡°You look really good in uniform.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows and did not hide the surprise in his eyes. ¡°You look really good in red dresses.¡± Then, he opened the door as a gentleman and let Gu Nianzhi in.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the passenger seat in front. She realized that there was no one else in the car. It seemed like he was seriously talking about a breakup with her this time around. Chen Lie wasn¡¯t there, and Brother Xiong and Brother Ze weren¡¯t there, either.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. Had she known that Chen Lie was in the car yesterday, she wouldn¡¯t have said something so cruel. She should respect Huo Shaoheng a little in front of others, shouldn¡¯t she? However, she had decided that she wanted a breakup no matter what, so it didn¡¯t matter if there was any respect.

    Huo Shaoheng got into the car and drove.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction the car was heading. It seemed like they were heading towards the headquarters of the Special Forces.

    She felt uneasy.

    ¡°Headquarters.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t been there, right? Even if you were to break up with me, it wouldn¡¯t mean that we won¡¯t be contacting each other ever again, would it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Actually, she really intended to not have any contact with him except for work. Just take today as myst time at the Special Forces headquarters, then. To be honest, she still had some feelings for the ce and the people there. They had protected her for seven years, and they were continuing to do so. The two of them who died in Germany because of her came to her mind. She felt a pang of sadness again.

    Gu Nianzhi moved her gaze away and looked at the other end of the car. She remained silent. Huo Shaoheng had stopped talking as well. Both of them remained silent until they arrived at headquarters. Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Huo Shaoheng had not stopped his car in front of his mansion. Huo Shaoheng opened the door and let her get out. Gu Nianzhi looked up at the building. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±

    They stood at the empty grounds in front of the headquarters building. Maple trees surrounded them. The clear blue sky above them had fluffy white clouds. Some pigeons flew past asionally, and their chirps could be heard.

    Huo Shaoheng brought her to the small meeting room beside his office. He looked at her and asked for thest time, ¡°Nianzhi, you really want to break up with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at his beyond handsome face and nodded quietly. She had said it many times and did not want to repeat herself again.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in front of her and looked at her. ¡°I said yesterday that I would agree to the breakup if you agree to a condition.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded again. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not against thew and morals, I¡¯ll agree to it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smirked and picked up a set of documents in a big envelope. ¡°Confidential¡± was stamped on it.

    ¡°Yes, we can break up, as long as you give me another chance.¡± Huo Shaoheng put the envelope in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Gu Nianzhi did not believe what she had just heard. She looked at Huo Shaoheng nkly. Her mind was in chaos. She felt that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t going ording to the rules again.

    ¡°I said that we can break up, as long as you promise to give me another chance,¡± Huo Shaoheng said steadily, his bodynguage showing that he was rxed, but his eyes revealed his anxiety.

    ¡°But we¡¯ve already broken up. Why should I give you another chance?¡± Gu Nianzhi tightened her fists. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you¡¯re not the only one who knows how to y the word game.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a word game.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood in front of her. His height felt suffocating to Gu Nianzhi. He lowered his gaze to look at her. ¡°By breaking up, it means that whatever happened in the past has ended. However, it also means that something new has just begun. Do you mean that we will never be able to be together after breaking up? Won¡¯t you ept my pursuit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back instinctively, and her eyes widened. ¡°You want to pursue me?¡± It looked like she had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. She couldn¡¯t believe it.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reaction, Huo Shaoheng felt a tinge of pain. He controlled his emotions and continued steadily, ¡°Yes. I am going to pursue you. As long as you promise to give me another chance, I¡¯ll agree to the breakup.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used so much effort to calm herself down. Huo Shaoheng actually wanted to pursue her. If she had heard this before going to Germany, she would¡¯ve been so happy...

    Gu Nianzhi patted herself on the chest lightly. She looked at Huo Shaoheng for a good while before shaking her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t fair. You can pursue me, but you don¡¯t allow me to do it?¡± Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and took a step forward to be closer to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How can something like that even exist? Since you are not going to agree to my condition, then we will not break up.¡±

    ¡°Of course we will!¡± Gu Nianzhi stomped her foot. She pointed at Huo Shaoheng usingly. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not stop in his tracks. He took another step forward. ¡°Then tell me, do you agree to it or not?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked nkly at Huo Shaoheng. Her full lips opened and closed without a sound. After a while, she finally managed topose herself and reasoned with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, I¡¯m happy to hear you say that. However, the problem between us isn¡¯t as simple as you pursuing me.¡±

    ¡°So your best method to solve it is to break up totally?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°That method doesn¡¯t seem very clever.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s the only method I can think of.¡± Gu Nianzhi was determined. She wasn¡¯t his match. Therefore, she wanted to get lost on her own ord before someone tried to chase her away in the future.

    ¡°If I have a better option?¡± Huo Shaoheng stuck his right hand out. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s return to our topic. You agree to my condition, and I agree to the break up. Deal?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously. What does he want?

    ¡°You¡¯re not agreeable? Fine, then, we will not break up.¡± Huo Shaoheng took another step forward. Gu Nianzhi was already confined in between the wall and his embrace.

    She pushed him away. ¡°Mr. Huo, this is your office! You wouldn¡¯t want me to scream anything that would reflect badly on you, would you?!¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. No matter what you say, I wouldn¡¯t care, unless you agree to my condition.¡± Huo Shaoheng was satisfied as he watched her struggle and hesitate, yet also be so determined and brave.

    ¡°Okay. I promise you. You can pursue me all you want, but it does not mean that I will need to ept your pursuit.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head defiantly at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°But you have to agree to give me a chance. If you are not going to ept my pursuit, how is that called giving me a chance?¡± Huo Shaoheng made everything sound so logical, there seemed to be no other way out. It was the first time Gu Nianzhi realized that Huo Shaoheng was so damn good with his words!

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng, mouth agape. There¡¯s something wrong. There¡¯s definitely something wrong! But what?! What¡¯s wrong, exactly?! She wanted to rebut Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, but she couldn¡¯t find any loopholes anywhere. His logic was as smooth and perfect as a circle.

    If she really wanted to rebut, it seemed like the only way out was to go back on her word. However, if she were to go back on her word, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t break up. What must I do now?!

    Just when she was almost at her limit, Huo Shaoheng opened the envelope stamped ¡°Confidential.¡± He produced two sets of documents and two red booklets. He ced them in front of her.

    ¡°Nianzhi, give me another chance. This time ¡¯round, we won¡¯t go through a rtionship anymore. We shall get married immediately. I¡¯ve prepared the certificate of marriage. This is a copy of marriage approval from the army, and this is the notice of marriage form that I¡¯ve already signed. As long as you sign these, we will officially be married.¡± Huo Shaoheng took a pen and pushed it into the hands of the lost and pale Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s also a divorce agreement here. I¡¯ve also signed it. Give me three years of your time. Three years from now, if you still feel that we¡¯re unable to be together, you shall sign the divorce agreement, and our marriage will be immediately void.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bombarded time and again by Huo Shaoheng. Her clever brain had stopped thinking. She did not understand. She was here to discuss a breakup. How on earth did it escte to a marriage?!

 Chapter 728 - Marry Me

    <h4>Chapter 728: Marry Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and pinched herself hard before her brain recovered from the massive bomb Huo Shaoheng dropped. Inhaling deeply, she mustered the courage to ask Huo Shaoheng, ¡°But I don¡¯t love you anymore. How can we marry without love?¡± She knew there was a reason behind everyone¡¯s marriages, and for her it was a simple reason of wanting to marry the person she loved.

    ¡°There¡¯s no contradiction. We can marry first and then fall in love.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was baritone and even, so it was veryforting.

    ¡°But what if we can¡¯t love each other in the end?¡± Gu Nianzhi was troubled. ¡°Even if we can divorce in three years, that also means that I¡¯ll go from a perfectly normal unmarried girl to a young divorcee! Huo Shaoheng, I¡¯ll only be 22 in three years. Do you think that¡¯s fair to me?¡± Although Gu Nianzhi was young and had lived with Huo Shaoheng on the Special Operations Forces base for a long time, thuscking experience with society, she had grown up with the inte and didn¡¯t need to physically participate in order to be part of society. She learnedputer skills from Zhao Liangze at a young age and had been online on social media such as various major forums and weibos for a long time, so she had the idea that society was much more stringent towards women. In three years, Huo Shaoheng would still be a desirable bachelor, even if he divorced. He might even be more sought after... But what about her? Her value would be on a steep decline.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly as he continued to tempt Gu Nianzhi. His voice became even more maic. The devil in his heart opened up its wings to enclose her in its feathers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Our marriage will be kept confidential. There is a special organizational department responsible for specialized marriage registrations. Our marriage information will be filed confidentially, and there will be no external records. No one else will know about it until you are fully willing to marry me. If we divorce in the future, I guarantee that this marriage will not be part of your personal record. As long as you agree, you can still write ¡®unmarried¡¯ on any forms you fill out. Think about it carefully. We can break up as long as you agree.¡±

    From now on, she would no longer be his girlfriend, and he would no longer be her boyfriend. From now on, she was only his wife, and he was only her husband. How wonderful would that be? However, Gu Nianzhi heard a different meaning in the words. Raising a brow, she nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You want to have... a secret marriage?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want that. If you agree, we can have a publicized wedding today. We can invite all the guests here immediately. Our wedding would be even grander than the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration today.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward, moved closer to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, and whispered, ¡°Did you know that when I was in the United States, I had already nned the schedule for our wedding?¡± No matter what surprises urred, nothing would stop him from marrying her, even if the surprise was Gu Nianzhi herself.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely shocked. She looked at Huo Shaoheng nkly and was so conflicted, she didn¡¯t know what to say. Should she trust him? Should she publicize the wedding? Gu Nianzhi had a clear answer already; she didn¡¯t want to announce it. She never nned to get married, so why she would randomly announce it?

    Huo Shaoheng seemed topletely understand what she was thinking and asked keenly, ¡°Nianzhi, are you willing to announce it? I already said that all the decision making power rests with you. I only want to have a fair chance of pursuing you.¡± He would gamble everything he had for this one chance.

    Now it was Gu Nianzhi who hesitated. Was she willing to get married? Of course she didn¡¯t want to marry him, but she was trapped by his words. What would he do if she insisted on rejecting him? Suddenly, Gu Nianzhi realized she didn¡¯t know Huo Shaoheng that well, after all. She originally thought he had a strong and proud nature, so he would never drag things out or beg a woman without any principles. But his current actionspletely overturned her understanding of him.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely confused. All the things Huo Shaoheng did for her shed through her mind. His neglect and the emotional pain he inflicted on her also reyed in her mind. Two opposing feelings waged a war in her mind. One moment, the positive feelings overpowered her and told her to stop hesitating and agree to his request. The next moment, the negative feelings took control and asked her to throw a fit, flip the table, and walk out. She was done with this! Unable to make her mind in that moment, Gu Nianzhi fell into a long silence.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and slowly reached out his right hand to grab her hand. He was still holding the pen he tried to stuff into her hand. It was a Cartier tinum pen he had specially customized for her for their big day. The slim and exquisite pen felt as smooth as silk in her grip, and there was a small heart on the top of the pen cap. It was a whole three-carat, wless diamond cut into a heart shape, and the middle was micro engraved with the words, ¡°Nianzhi is the only one in my heart¡± in floral calligraphy. It could only be read with a magnifying ss. The entire design was sleek and streamlined, and the exquisite personal details were hidden within the subtle luxury. The conference doors opened quietly, and the leader of the Special Operations Forces Disciplinary Committee, Zhou Qiyuan, and Chen Lie walked in with smiles. They closed the door silently. Huo Shaoheng whispered in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, ¡°Here, sign it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and appeared solemn as she stubbornly refused to bow down. Huo Shaoheng reached out his left arm to firmly hold her waist as he held her hand with his left hand. With a gentle push of his arm, they both bent over the conference room¡¯s long desk. Gu Nianzhi badly wanted to reject him. Her fingers were stiff and refused to write properly. However, Huo Shaoheng held her hand gently, patiently, and stubbornly as he used unrefusable strength to hold her hand. Like an adult teaching a child how to write, they wrote down her name stroke by stroke on the wedding registration form. ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± was written beside the previously printed ¡°Huo Shaoheng.¡± It looked like a perfect couple.

    p, p, p! The conference room suddenly filled with the sound of apuse. Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and saw that there were now two more people in the conference room. Zhou Qiyuan and Chen Lie smiled and pped as they stood in front of them. They both wore pressed military uniforms, had shaved faces, and had tidied up neatly. It was obvious that they had dressed up especially for the asion. Huo Shaoheng let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and sighed obviously. His entire aura had changed. He passed the signed marriage registration form to Zhou Qiyuan. ¡°Qiyuan, this is within your jurisdiction. Take it in for records.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan carefully checked all the forms to make sure all the information was correct and that the necessary identification and paperwork was inside the envelope before nodding. He took out a military stamp and solemnly stamped the administration section of the marriage registration form in red ink.

    Chen Lie also came over and chuckled. ¡°I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness.¡± He then signed his name on the witness line of the marriage certificate.

    Zhou Qiyuan finished stamping the documents and immediately put them in an envelope to store at the confidential records office. In order to obtain this document and start all the procedures, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t stopped making preparations since midnight yesterday. Because it was during the weekend, all the relevant personnel were off, and Zhou Qiyuan had to get up in the middle of the night and run around waking people up from bed. He didn¡¯t tell them the reason but only told them it was, ¡°the Chief¡¯s orders.¡± Combined with his absolute authority as the leader of the Disciplinary Committee, he used both soft and hard power to obtain all the necessary stamps and keys to filing cabs.

    Because Huo Shaoheng instructed that this marriage must be kept confidential, he was willing to acquiesce temporarily in order to quell Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mental barrier. However, this had much more legal power than normal military marriages, so aside from the immediate parties of Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, Chen Lie and Zhou Qiyuan were the only ones to know about it. General Ji would be informed shortly. When theypleted the marriage procedure, Huo Shaoheng would proactively report to General Ji and also request that he keep it confidential as per confidentiality regtions.

    Gu Nianzhi stared wide eyed at Zhou Qiyuan as he took the documents away, leaving only the marriage certificate and a divorce request form on the conference table. Chen Lie smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Today is still your 19th birthday. Nianzhi, it¡¯s your disadvantage that your wedding anniversary and birthday are on the same day.¡± He gave Huo Shaoheng a suggestive look, but Huo Shaoheng ignored it and picked up the two certificates on the conference table to read.

    Soon after, Zhou Qiyuan returned, and he no longer carried an envelope but had a single-lens reflex camera hanging around his neck. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll take a wedding photo for you and put it on the wedding certificate. The procedure isplete once it¡¯s stamped.¡± The typically stony faced Zhou Qiyuan had somehow made a joke.

    Chen Lie stared at him in shock. ¡°Zhou Qiyuan, so your face actually isn¡¯t frozen?!¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan was speechless. His smile vanished, and hepletely ignored Chen Lie as he strode over to Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, and steadily raised his camera. Huo Shaoheng rested one hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and took her in front of an empty wall in the conference room. A projection screen hung on the wall, gleaming white and clean, just like the background at the photo room in the Civil Affairs Bureau¡¯s marriage registration office. Chen Lie¡¯s eyes were drawn to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi wore a bright red cashmere dress and appeared delicate and alluring. Huo Shaoheng was in his major general¡¯s uniform and appeared strapping and handsome. He even wore his military cap. Standing together, they looked like a perfect couple and were very easy on the eyes.

    Chen Lie smiled. ¡°Hmm? Nianzhi, why are you wearing a bright red dress? It really looks like a wedding outfit!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. Would Chen Lieugh at her if she told him it was just a coincidence?! Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and red unhappily at Chen Lie.

    Zhou Qiyuan spied this from behind the camera and coughed. ¡°Your expression should be more rxed for a wedding photo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly scrunched up her face. Huo Shaoheng smiled at the camera as he sneakily moved one hand up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist to gently press where she was the most ticklish. Gu Nianzhi was taken by surprise and instinctively smiled from the ticklishness. Zhou Qiyuan quickly clicked the shutter and immediately captured her cute and natural smile. Her expression was as alluring as a cactus flower blooming for the first time under the moon.

 Chapter 729 - She Had Really High Moral Principles!

    <h4>Chapter 729: She Had Really High Moral Principles!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses. Her smiling expression was suddenly frozen. She pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away with all her might. She turned her head away and looked in another direction, furious. Huo Shaoheng left her side calmly. He went to Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s side to look at the result of the picture taken by the single-lens reflex camera.

    Chen Lie also came over to look at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding photo. ¡°Impressive! Zhou Qiyuang, you are really amazing! This is at the level of a professional!¡±

    Both of them smiled happily in the photo, especially Huo Shaoheng. His facial features were exquisite and cold. It was that kind of beauty that was so fierce, it could cause people to be breathless. He also had that kind of strong energy about him that showed that he was a man of his word¡ªeven more so than normal soldiers. That was due to his rank and experience. Furthermore, he was a soldier with a special position who had had many life and death dealings. However, the smile he wore in his wedding photo was especially warm. The smile dispersed all the killing aura and piercing cold air he gave off, and it made people think of the word ¡°happiness.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan sent the photo to the printer in the meeting room and printed it out using photo printing paper. He then glued it to the marriage certificate. Huo Shaoheng stamped the embossing seal on the two copies of the marriage certificate himself.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the marriage certificate that was brought to her. She opened it and took a look at it silently. She knew that her mood would be heavy from start to finish on that day. In the beginning, due to being in too much shock, she was temporarily in a trance. Later on, she gradually started toprehend it. That whole time, she had a little sneer on her lips, even until the two of them had their wedding photo taken. She was taken by surprise when Huo Shaoheng tickled her. She only gave a little smile because she couldn¡¯t hold it in. The extremely short moment of that smile was perfectly captured by Zhou Qiyuan. This person was really not simple.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly raised her eyes and took a look at Zhou Qiyuan. Zhou Qiyuan was also Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary, who often worked behind the scenes, ¡°in the dark,¡± as it were. He was one of the two personal secretaries who were never known to the public. There was not a need to talk about his ability. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to be the Special Operation Forces¡¯ Disciplinary Committee leader from among many talented people or be a person who could stabilize the Special Operation Forces when Huo Shaoheng was facing imminent danger if it weren¡¯t for his ability.

    Even so, he felt that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were extremely cold when she looked at him. Staying there made him feel uneasy. He didn¡¯t dare look at Gu Nianzhi and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave now.¡± It was the newlyweds¡¯ wedding night. He knew better...

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Ok, thank you for today.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, you are too courteous.¡± Zhou Qiyuan smiled at Gu Nianzhi, turned around, and left the meeting room.

    ¡°Okay, you guys are already husband and wife. Even though it can¡¯t be publicized, under thew you are legally married.¡± Chen Lie patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and smiled. He looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, you sure saved lots of money with this marriage. Where is the wedding ring? The reception? The bride price? Newlywed house? With empty hands like that, you sessfully conned our good girl, Nianzhi. Hehehe! Even I, Chen Lie, can¡¯t stand it! Don¡¯t you bully our Nianzhi! I¡¯m from her side of the family!¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth raised. He already predicted that Gu Nianzhi would not give in so easily, so that was why Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even bring out the ring. In the end, if he took it out, it would be thrown to the side by that little ingrate to demonstrate her determination and willpower to ¡°break up.¡±

    If Gu Ninazhi is still unwilling after three years... Huo Shaoheng reasonably decided to stop thinking about that question temporarily. To him, he couldn¡¯t easily give up on something before he tried giving his all. Huo Shaoheng turned back and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°When you decide to go public, we will immediately hold a wedding ceremony.¡±

    He also suddenly shot a nce at Chen Lie. ¡°You say you are from Nianzhi¡¯s side of the family. Remember what you just said. When the timees, you have to adorn Nianzhi¡¯s dress. It can¡¯t be lower than my bride price. That way, it will show that you really do care about Nianzhi. Right, Brother Chen?¡±

    The gloating look on Chen Lie¡¯s face immediately changed. Die young! The dowry he had to give had to be of equal value to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bride price?! He had topete with Huo Shaoheng financially? Even if he sold everything he had, he still wouldn¡¯t have that much money! Chen Lie really wanted to p his own mouth a couple of times! You talk too much! Do you now know the trouble the mouth can start?!

    Chen Lie interrupted him. ¡°Then Huo Shaoheng, since you guys are already married, can I leave now that the deed has been aplished?¡± His face was red, and he pretended that he didn¡¯t hear those things Huo Shaoheng said at the end.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows and said in aposed manner, ¡°Yes. Also, thank you for today.¡± He ced more emphasis on this ¡°thank you¡± than the one he said to Zhou Qiyuan.

    Chen Lie said, ¡°You¡¯re wee. You¡¯re wee,¡± in a depressing manner. He then left the ce from the corner of the room. When he left, he was especially considerate by closing the meeting room¡¯s door.

    Both Chen Lie and Zhou Qiyuan were gone. Only then did Gu Nianzhi lift her head to take a look at Huo Shaoheng. Since Huo Shaoheng held her hand to sign the marriage certificate, she hadn¡¯t looked at him directly.

    Huo Shaoheng knew what he did was not good, but he didn¡¯t regret it. He stretched his long legs while his hands were in his pockets. He leaned against the meeting room¡¯s desk and nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Any words? You can say them now.¡± He could tell that Gu Nianzhi almost couldn¡¯t hold back what she wanted to say from her heart.

    Before, it was probably because Zhou Qiyuan and Chen Lie were still there that she held it in and didn¡¯t say anything for his sake. Even though Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care about it, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s way of doing it still made him feel very dejected.

    The fetters on those feelings that held them back for so long were finally gone. He didn¡¯t restrain himself anymore and let the warmth from the bottom of his heart pour forth from his eyes.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger reached its peak little by little. She picked up that marriage certificate and pped it on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest with a cold expression on her face. ¡°This is the condition that you want me to agree to? You know, if there is no love, a marriage certificate is just a piece of scrap paper.¡±

    ¡°This marriage certificate exists because I¡¯m showing you respect. You know what my profession is. Do you know how many of those things you did to me were against thew?¡±

    ¡°I said the foremost requirement for me to agree to the condition is for it to be legal and moral, but did you do it? If I wanted to, I could immediately request the court to void this marriage certificate. There wouldn¡¯t be a need for a divorce.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly and didn¡¯t say a word to refute her. Instead, he looked at Gu Nianzhi with joy. He turned his hand over and held the hand that Gu Nianzhi used to p his chest. He lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°But you won¡¯t. You promised me you would give me another chance. I know a chance like this won¡¯t happen a second time, so I¡¯m really going to cherish it.¡±

    The fearless Gu Nianzhi that was full of vitality was actually the woman he dearly loved. The cowering and pitiable person who was afraid to even love was not his Nianzhi. In order for him to get rid of the emotional entanglement from her heart, he would need to stir up her fighting spirit.

    ¡°Fine, then. I also have a condition.¡± Gu Nianzhi took her hand back. Her fair and clearplexion turned red. ¡°Before I am willing to do this, this can¡¯t be made public. To other people I am still a single woman. You also can¡¯t force me to perform husband and wife duties.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked deeply at Gu Nianzhi. His Adam¡¯s apple moved up and down as he swallowed. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to perform husband and wife duties, but is it still a no when I pursue you and you ept me?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you think too much.¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged her arms as she looked at Huo Shaoheng coldly. ¡°I still want it to be like it was before the marriage: going to school, studying, getting my degree, finding a job. You can¡¯t interfere, and you can¡¯t interfere with my personal life, either.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Fine. But you can¡¯t stop me from pursuing you. Don¡¯t forget, you promised.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi puckered her lips and smiled. She still felt Huo Shaoheng pursuing her to be absurd and unimaginable. She thought it over for a moment and asked, ¡°Actually, if you want to pursue me, you could still do so without the marriage certificate. Why must we have a marriage certificate?¡±

    Why? She felt like there had to be other reasons. It was true that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t exined it to her. He wouldn¡¯t tell her that the most important reason was because he didn¡¯t want to lose her, so even if doing things that way wasn¡¯t good, he would use any means necessary.

    Of course, there was also a more important and practical reason. Only by making Gu Nianzhi his wife could he immediately request General Ji to move Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security to level A. It was only slightly lower than her previous special level A. If they were not married, he could still increase her security level. However, then it would only go through General Ji¡¯s secret special procedure. From a practical operating perspective, doing things that way would be much more troublesome. Furthermore, other agencies would inevitably be involved. He would have to at least exin to the senate why, and he did not want the other agencies to be aware of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s uniqueness, not even one bit.

    Huo Shaoheng still didn¡¯t say a word. He only stretched his hand toward her. ¡°Give me your cell phone. You are now my wife. Your cell phone¡¯s security needs to be upgraded.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She didn¡¯t take out the cell phone. Huo Shaoheng could only walk over to her and take her cell phone out of her little bag himself. He took a look at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s new Hermes bag while he was at it. ¡°Reinitz bought the bag for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was furious. ¡°Of course not! I bought this with my own money! Do you want me to show you the receipt?¡± During that time, she and Huo Shaoheng were still in a rtionship and were lovers. How could she ept expensive gifts from other men?! She had high moral principles!

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and used it to press the cell phone without making a sound. He used her fingerprint to unlock her cell phone. He was nning on using his own cell phone to send some security programs to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone.

    The moment he dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone, the cell phone¡¯s ring tone sounded right away. ¡°The rain falls softly, my hometown is overgrown with grass and trees. I hear that you are still alone...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and tilted his head. ¡°This isn¡¯t the cell phone ringtone you used before.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clearly remembered his ringtone on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone was, ¡°The priest, the temple, the battle, the bow and arrow, who did they belong to, I like that you in a sea of faces is scenery that only belongs to me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, and calmly and slowly said, ¡°Yes, from the moment I was determined to break up with you, I changed your ringtone.¡± She felt like that was more suitable for her mood.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed her cell phone a couple of times using his finger. He instantly retrieved his previous ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 730 - Loss of Dignity

    <h4>Chapter 730: Loss of Dignity</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Watching Huo Shaoheng¡¯s slender fingers fly across the screen of her cellphone, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger began to build. She couldn¡¯t even decide what went on her own phone now? She looked at Huo Shaoheng and balled her tiny hands into fists as she red at him and said, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t take this too far!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked like she was ready to fight.

    When Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t notice, a small smile appeared on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. He¡¯d rather Gu Nianzhi yell at him, banter with him, or even roll around in a physical fight with him¡ªthat was still better than how she appeared polite on the surface but was actually drifting further and further away from him like a few days ago. Huo Shaoheng quickly installed security software and returned the phone to Gu Nianzhi. His expression was already calm by the time he looked up. ¡°See for yourself, these programs are only for preventing Trojan horses. They aren¡¯t spying on your phone.¡± Speaking of monitoring her phone, Huo Shaoheng could get into any phone he wanted. As if he needed to especially install specialized monitoring software on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone? Of course not.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up the phone and began to seriously check it. Her slim fingers quickly tapped on the screen, and when she was checking the list of various apps on her phone, Gu Nianzhi suddenly recalled how Huo Shaoheng told her Reinitz bought the Hermes bag for her. With a sullen face, she opened her banking app and checked transaction records from two weeks ago when she was in Germany. The results were shocking¡ªshe was unable to find any record of that purchase in her records! How could this be? Could the bank have made a mistake? They didn¡¯t charge me? But how could that be... This wasn¡¯t a couple hundred? This bag was 8,000 US dors, and Hermes was no charity. How could they not charge her?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face began to nch after she had looked into it for several minutes. Her fingers held the phone weakly as she recalled all the details from when they had bought the bag at the Hermes gship store in Germany. She suddenly recalled some details she didn¡¯t notice at the time. Could Huo Shaoheng be right? So Reinitz actually paid for this bag?! The bag suddenly became a sore sight for Gu Nianzhi. With a stony face, she poured everything out of the bag and showed the empty bag to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Can you give me a stic bag?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°You still have some bags at my official residence. Go pick one of those.¡± He didn¡¯t ask Gu Nianzhi what happened because a young girl like her had thin skin. She had just vehemently defended her dignity and now obviously knew her ¡°dignity was lost¡± and was very embarrassed. Biting her lower lip, Gu Nianzhi was very angry at herself. She actually hadn¡¯t checked her banking history properly aftering back but had immediately begun to ¡°divide assets¡± between her and Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the conference room, and Gu Nianzhi quickly walked up and pulled his sleeve. Huo Shaoheng stopped and turned to look at her. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed as she stuttered out an apology. ¡°...I ...I really didn¡¯t know. I clearly gave my card to the sales person!¡± Reinitz must¡¯ve switched cards when the sales person took the card for payment. Although she was unhappy about Reinitz lying to her, she indeed made a mistake herself. It was likely that Reinitz had bought this bag for her.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, ¡°Return the money to Reinitz in a few days.¡±

    ¡°How would I return it?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around to pack her things and put the small items back into the bag. She carried it and walked beside Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Little Ze send Reinitz¡¯s bank ount information to you, and you can directly deposit into it.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled and appeared to be in a good mood. He walked Gu Nianzhi out of his office building, and they took their time walking back to his official residence. Late fall was the best weather out of the entire year in the Imperial Capital. It wasn¡¯t hot or cold, and the sky was always a vivid blue with white clouds driftingnguidly above maple trees as vivid red as mes. When Gu Nianzhi walked on the path, everything became her background. Her red dress was like fire, and her eyes were bright. There was a trace of anger on her face, but this anger made her even more alluring. At least, that¡¯s what Huo Shaoheng believed. He looked straight ahead as he walked beside Gu Nianzhi, but he kept her in the corner of his eye the entire time.

    They returned to his official residence, and Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi directly to her old suite. Everything was still the same as when she had moved out. The only difference was that there were a few empty shelves in the closet. Huo Shaoheng walked into the closet inside the suite and picked up a bright red Hermes Berline bag from the bag shelf. It matched perfectly with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dress. ¡°Use this one.¡± Huo Shaoheng set the bag down in front of her. ¡°This is a new style for the year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. After some hesitation, she finally epted it without protest and put all her personal items into the new bag from Huo Shaoheng. As she was cleaning up, someone knocked on the door.

    Huo Shaoheng turned on the video phone on the door and saw it was his orderly, so he asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The orderly immediately responded, ¡°Chief, the Office of the Prime Minister is calling. Do you want to take it?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t called his cell phone but thendline in his official residence, so it must be for business. Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and said to the orderly outside the door, ¡°Connect it to this room.¡± There was also andline in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. The orderly agreed, and soon after, thendline in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite began to ring. Huo Shaoheng picked up the call.

    The crisp voice of a middle-aged woman could be heard. ¡°Is this Major General Huo? This is Cai Songyin. I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly but quickly rxed his expression. ¡°Not yet. May I ask who you are?¡±

    Cai Songyin didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to pretend to not who she was and didn¡¯t believe it at all. Sheughed and continued, ¡°I¡¯m Tan Guiren¡¯s mom. Thank you for rescuing our Guiren in the United States...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°You have the wrong person. I never saved your daughter. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m hanging up now. Listening to people talk gives me headaches. Sorry.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up and looked up to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s puzzled expression.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over to look at her. ¡°Are you done packing now?¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Tan¡¯s wife called just now?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked covertly, ¡°You obviously rescued her daughter, so why are you lying to her face?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up a long strand of loose hair from her shoulder to throw into the garbage. ¡°I didn¡¯t save her daughter. How can I admit I did this kind of thing when I didn¡¯t do it?¡± If he really did do it, then it was even more important to not admit it. He didn¡¯t know how many secrets were revealed just from Cai Songyin bbing over the phone, but Huo Shaoheng remained very calm and didn¡¯t want to spook the enemy just yet. The Tan¡¯s and Bai¡¯s were now under his surveince. The more they talked and the more things they did, the better he could tighten the to avoid letting any one of those fish escape.

    Gu Nianzhi understood that all Special Operations Forces missions could only be carried out and never spoken of. Even if it was very dangerous and a great emergency, Huo Shaoheng would never reveal a single thing. Gu Nianzhi looked down and carried the small bag from Huo Shaoehng. She also put the bag Reinitz paid for inside another cloth bag.

    ¡°What else do you have nned for today? Are you going back to school to study, or do you want to go out?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked outside. ¡°Wait for me for a second. I¡¯ll go change.¡± He had specially worn his major general¡¯s uniform for the special asion.

    Gu Niazhi replied, ¡°I need to go back to campus. Qiqi invited me over for dinner tonight.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped walking and grunted. He went back to his room to change and emerged from his room soon after wearing casual clothes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll drive you back to school.¡±

    Gu Niaznhi sighed in relief, she really had been afraid that Huo Shaoheng would insist on apanying her while she studied at school. They got inside the car and drove all the way to B University. Huo Shaoheng received many calls on the way but ended them all after giving simple responses. Later on, he instructed his phone operator to not take any calls unless it was an important matter, so everything else was blocked.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you really don¡¯t need to drive me if you¡¯re very busy. I can go take the subway over there.¡± There was a subway entrance not far ahead.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head casually. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not busy today.¡±

    ¡°Why are you getting so many calls if you¡¯re not busy? You think I¡¯m dumb or something?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes internally many times.

    ¡°They¡¯re just urging me to attend the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration.¡± Huo Shaoheng thought about it, and now that Gu Nianzhi was his wife, there were certain things he could tell her without viting confidentialityws.

    Gu Nianzhi was floored. ¡°The new Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration?! You¡¯re not attending such an important event?!¡±

 Chapter 731 - Now This Would Be Awkward

    <h4>Chapter 731: Now This Would Be Awkward</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi fully understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position. This was also part of the reason why she wanted out of this rtionship. For someone of his position, he should have been at the inauguration. Now, so many people were calling him...

    However, Huo Shaoheng held onto the steering wheel and replied calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to, because I have something more important to do.¡± Getting married, of course. That was the most important thing in his life. The only thing.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She looked outside the car and said gloomily, ¡°Look, it¡¯s nothing good being with me. I¡¯ll still dy your work. I hope that you¡¯ll be able to think clearly after a few days so we can end this properly.¡±

    ¡°Attending the inauguration isn¡¯t my job.¡± Huo Shaoheng ced his arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck and turned her head to face him. ¡°End properly? You can get that out of your head. Even if we really have to in the future, it wouldn¡¯t be proper.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± Gu Nianzhi felt herself boiling with anger again. ¡°We¡¯re all adults. We¡¯ll stay if we can get along and leave if we can¡¯t. You don¡¯t even understand this logic?¡±

    She had not shown any temper in front of Huo Shaoheng in the past. She was easily contented¡ªa little affection could make her bloom. Heck, she bloomed even without affection. However, over the past two days, she had realized that she wasn¡¯t able to control her temper very well.

    ¡°You still remember that you¡¯re already a legal adult?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone had a hint of mockery. ¡°An adult would think of running away from problems instead of solving them?¡±

    ¡°When did I run away from problems? I¡¯ve been trying hard to solve this issue.¡± Gu Nianzhi tried hard to push Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. How many times have I told you? I¡¯ll apply for a personal protection order from the court if you continue doing so and not allow you to appear anywhere near me!¡±

    ¡°Is breaking up the solution to a problem? And you¡¯re still denying that you¡¯re running away.¡± Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand and looked at her sideways. ¡°You still want to apply for a personal protection order? Are you sure? Nianzhi, you¡¯re awyer, not a heartless reporter who merely wants to capture attention with headlines.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and turned away. ¡°To be honest, our problem is not solvable. Therefore, only a breakup will work. However, you refuse. You even brought out a marriage certificate. You¡¯re sure it won¡¯t be worse three years from now?¡±

    ¡°That was why I said that there won¡¯t be a ¡®proper ending¡¯ between us.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked ahead, and his tone clearly became more lighthearted, like he was talking about something that wasn¡¯t important. However, his words were full of impact. ¡°We don¡¯t have to think about what will happen in three years. It wouldn¡¯t be of use now, even if we thought about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but bite her nails. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s masculinity used to be extremely attractive to Gu Nianzhi. However, she felt suffocated now.

    Taking a look at Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng sighed. It looked like she was stressed out by him. She hadn¡¯t bitten her nails in a long time, but she was doing it again now. He knew that she would bite her nails whenever she was stressed out. Huo Shaoheng fell silent and concentrated on driving.

    After a while, his phone rang again. This time, it was his father, Huo Guanchen. ¡°Shaoheng, your grandfather and Jin areing back today. Are you picking them up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put on his Bluetooth earpiece and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m sick, won¡¯t be going.¡± However, he continued after a pause, ¡°I will get people to pick them up.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just don¡¯t forget. They¡¯llnd at one o¡¯clock in the afternoon.¡± Huo Guanchen sounded extremely unhappy. ¡°And I heard that you won¡¯t be attending the inauguration? Why? Are you that sick?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t even fetch my grandfather, so how can I attend the inauguration?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned the steering wheel and exited the expressway. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if you just go. Isn¡¯t grandfather going as well? So would it matter if was there?¡±

    Huo Guanchen fell silent for a while. ¡°How did you know that your grandfather would be there as well?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, Huo Guanchen¡¯s father, Gu Xuenong, was also a general, but he had already retired a couple of years ago. Usually, they wouldn¡¯t invite people like them to ceremonies like this, unless he was an important right hand man in the past, just like General Ji. However, Huo Xuenong had never been one. He was at most the right hand man¡¯s assistant. Therefore, Huo Guanchen was taken aback that Huo Shaoheng would know that his grandfather would be attending the inauguration.

    He knew because Cai Songyin had told him personally. When she found out that Huo Xuenong was recuperating in the Xie¡¯s mansion in France, she passionately invited them back to attend the inauguration. She even sent the ne tickets and invitation all the way there.

    Huo Shaoheng did not know about that yet, as it happened before he began to spy on the Tan¡¯s. Anyway, the spying would only happen at their workce. He wouldn¡¯t be able to spy on them in their home. Therefore, he was merely analyzing the situation based onmon sense.

    ¡°...Grandfather has been in France for so long. If there wasn¡¯t anything important, why would hee back?¡± Huo Shaoheng was indifferent. ¡°We already have two people attending from our family. How would it look if I was there, too? Must we work under them now? Father, I didn¡¯t know we¡¯ve stooped so low already.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was furious. Of course he wasn¡¯t going because he wanted to bootlick the Tan¡¯s. He was going because he wanted the Tan¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren, to be his daughter-inw. To Huo Guanchen, the girl who would be able to marry his son should be good tempered and filial on top ofing from a good family and having a good character and looks. Being filial was of utmost importance.

    Dou Qingyan, the daughter of the previous Prime Minister, was from a good family and had good looks as well. However, Huo Guanchen was not happy with her, as he felt that that girl was willful, stubborn, and not filial. He knew that Huo Shaoheng was stubborn too, much less filial. If his wife wasn¡¯t filial, Huo Shaoheng would think that he had support and be even more distant from the family.

    Tan Guiren left him with an impression that she came from a good family, was a good girl, clever, and beautiful. He also heard that she had never had a boyfriend before and was extremely obedient and filial.

    ¡°What do you mean by bootlicking? Shaoheng, when did you be so rebellious? This is basic courtesy!¡± Huo Guanchen was extremely angry. ¡°Your grandfather and I will be going tonight. Your mother will be going as well. Come along if you have nothing going on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said that I¡¯m sick.¡± Huo Shaoheng almost wanted to honk his car horn. ¡°I have no obligation to the Tans. If you¡¯re going to continue forcing me, I can only cklist your number.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Huo Guanchen stood up from his chair in his study in a fit of anger. However, the next moment, he realized that the line had already been cut off. He called back again frantically and realized that Huo Shaoheng had not cklisted his number. He had merely stopped picking up the calls and forwarded them to his voicemail mailbox.

    Huo Guanchen breathed a sigh of relief.

    ...

    After Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone call, Gu Nianzhi fell silent as well. She knew that the phone call was from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father. However, she did not ask about it. She only thought about her father, Gu Xiangwen, who was recuperating in the Special Forces headquarters.

    After contemting, she took out her phone and called Chen Lie. ¡°Are you busy, Brother Chen?¡±

    Chen Lie was looking through some data analysis in his office. Seeing that it was Gu Nianzhi who called him, he picked it up immediately. ¡°No, I¡¯m just looking at some documents. Is there anything the matter, little bride?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ignored the ¡°little bride¡± and asked, ¡°My father, Mr. Gu, how is he? I forgot to visit him when I was at the headquarters today.¡± She reflected that she wasn¡¯t a filial daughter.

    Chen Lie was taken aback. He chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay! Mr. Gu is still in a vegetative state. He wouldn¡¯t know, even if you hade.¡± Then, in order to make Gu Nianzhi feel less guilty, Chen Lie continued, ¡°Actually, your sister, Gu Yanran, has beening less, too. Just take care of yourself well and stop letting your thoughts run wild.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Gu Yanran isn¡¯t my father¡¯s biological daughter, but I¡¯m different...¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s brows furrowed. Did she not know that her DNA did not match Gu Xiangwen¡¯s? Chen Lie contemted for a while before saying, ¡°Nianzhi, hold on. I¡¯ve got to answer a call,¡± and used thendline to call Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng answered the call with his Bluetooth earpiece.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, regarding Nianzhi¡¯s background, should we tell her the truth? We can¡¯t keep the fact of the DNA a secret much longer. Since Gu Yanran has already spilled the beans, I don¡¯t want Nianzhi to be the only one in the dark.¡± Chen Lie tried to convince Huo Shaoheng quietly.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Huo Shaoheng agreed. Since they were already married, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s protection.

    Chen Lie returned to the call with Gu Nianzhi and began talking gently. ¡°Nianzhi, I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Brother Chen?¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s... and your DNA don¡¯t match. You¡¯re not his biological daughter.¡± Chen Lie felt an overwhelming sense of silence from the other end of the call. Gu Nianzhi seemed to have even stopped breathing.

    Chen Lie continued, ¡°But Gu Yanran and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA match. They¡¯re biological father and daughter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only felt hot on her face, like it had been pped. Even though she did not have much familial love with Gu Xiangwen, she had always thought that she was the biological one, and Gu Yanran was the adopted one. She knew that her DNA was different from Gu Yanran¡¯s, but she didn¡¯t know that it was also different from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s. Now this would be awkward.

    Gu Nianzhi forced a smile. ¡°I got it. Thanks, Brother Chen.¡±

    Upon hanging up, Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Did you know that Gu Xiangwen wasn¡¯t my biological father?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her. ¡°Yes. I only found out recently as well. However, there are still things that we cannot exin in this incident. Therefore, we kept it between ourselves...¡±

    ...until Gu Yanran spilled the beans when Gu Nianzhi was missing.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts were on the same wavelength. She immediately thought about this question. ¡°Since no one said it, then why tell me all of a sudden?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not hide this fact from her, either. ¡°Gu Yanran spilled it when you were missing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

 Chapter 732 - Lucky Girl

    <h4>Chapter 732: Lucky Girl</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi quietly digested Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and slowly pieced the situation together. ¡°When I went missing in Germany, Gu Yanran told someone I wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter?¡± Gu Nianzhi seemed to mutter to herself.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    ¡°Under what circumstances did she say those things? And then what happened? What goal was she trying to achieve?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s detailed brain began to work again as she asked a series of questions like she was debating in court.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her with a hint of a happy smile on the corners of his lips as he replied coolly, ¡°I¡¯m not yet sure what goal she wanted to achieve. At the time, my father happened to mention your disappearance in Germany and that we were using the highest specifications to rescue you. She said that you were a lucky girl because even though you weren¡¯t Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter, he loves you as much as he loves her...¡± He told her everything honestly. As expected, he spied a sh of surprise on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, along with a tinge of disappointment in her eyes. Huo Shaoheng sighed quietly to himself and couldn¡¯t help touching her head. ¡°What are you thinking? You have me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and pressed her lips tightly together. Her full and luscious curvy lips nearly ttened into a thin line to reveal a trace of pink. After a long silence, she finally said, ¡°She thinks that means I¡¯m lucky? What a strange thought. If she really saw me as a sister, shouldn¡¯t she have worried about my safety first? She knew that I had disappeared in Germany, and even a national defense department was going toe forward to rescue me. But her first reaction was to say I¡¯m lucky... After that, did she say she blurted it out identally, and that she didn¡¯t know the military wasn¡¯t aware I am the Gu¡¯s foster daughter?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed and looked at her with praise. ¡°Yeah, you guessed right.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was sullen for a while, then finally shrugged as she muttered, ¡°Very well, then. I didn¡¯t know how to get along with that father and daughter, anyway. This is a good thing.¡± If they were really biologically rted, then she still had to constantly stop herself from burning the bridge with them since they could be her only family. Now that she knew she wasn¡¯t biologically rted to that father and daughter, she couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved.

    ¡°Then where are my real parents?¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured to herself and sighed against the window. She mindlessly drew thin lines on the ss, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart ached. This was probably the first time he heard Gu Nianzhi mention her real parents. Because Gu Nianzhi lost her memories from before she turned 12 and grew up with Huo Shaoheng and his men, it was almost like she had been with them since she was born. There was no ce for her real parents in her daily life. Now she finally wanted to know where they were.

    Huo Shaoheng drove quietly as he recalled when Gu Nianzhi was unconscious and once called out, ¡°Dad, Uncle.¡± She told him her dad was Gu Xiangwen, but who was her uncle? If Gu Xiangwen was her foster father, then the only memories in her head were from when she was adopted by the Gu¡¯s? Huo Shaoheng felt his eyes get foggy. He thought that he was investigating one thing, but it somehow pointed in an unexpected direction. Also, they had oncepared Gu Nianzhi and Xie Qingying¡¯s DNA to prove they had a solid biological rtionship. As for Xie Qingying¡¯s mother, Huo Shaoheng knew that she was Gu Tian and allegedly Gu Xiangwen¡¯s younger sister. This was the biggest doubt in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head when he learned Gu Nianzhi and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA didn¡¯t match. Either Gu Tian also wasn¡¯t the Gu¡¯s biological daughter, or the Gu Xiangwen they knew wasn¡¯t actually the real one. But if Gu Tian wasn¡¯t the Gu¡¯s daughter either, then why would her daughter be rted to Gu Nianzhi? Could there be a biological rtion between two generations of foster daughters in the Gu family? What a coincidence... A string of doubts swirled around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head and gradually pointed in a certain direction. They should still verify the authenticity of this Gu Xiangwen.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were both lost in their own thoughts, so they didn¡¯t speak the entire way back to campus. It was already noon when they arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building. Huo Shaoheng parked the car and got out. ¡°We haven¡¯t had lunch yet. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    Not only had Gu Nianzhi not had lunch yet, but she hadn¡¯t even had breakfast. She overslept that morning and rushed around to get ready. She didn¡¯t have time for breakfast at all, and afterwards, Huo Shao, Zheng, and Chen Lie shocked her twice, so she was already starving. It would have been fine if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t said anything, but as soon as he mentioned food, her stomach grumbled.

    ¡°You really are hungry.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Should we go to a Cantonese restaurant or a Hubei one?¡± Both of them were near B University, so it was very convenient.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and appeared a little sullen. ¡°I¡¯ll just grab something from the cafeteria since I¡¯ll be going to Qiqi¡¯s house in a bit.¡± Suddenly, Gu Nianzhi recalled she hadn¡¯t gotten any gifts for Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents yet.

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to know what she was thinking. ¡°Then let¡¯s have lunch first, and then go to the warehouse supermarket nearby to buy some gifts for Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi forced a smile. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m going to put my things down in the dorm and eat something at the cafeteria. I can go to the supermarket near campus to buy the giftster. You can go back to work. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her for a while more and felt her underlying resistance. He didn¡¯t continue insisting. ¡°Ok then, you go ahead. Call me when you get there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed the cloth bag in her hand and objected. ¡°That¡¯s not polite, right? I¡¯ll be at someone else¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°Ok, suit yourself.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out his phone to check. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now.¡± He turned back to the car and didn¡¯t seem to linger before quickly starting the car and speeding away. Soon after, he disappeared from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t know what she was feeling. Turning around to look at the tall graduate students¡¯ dorm building, she thought about how she was still an unmarried young woman when she left this morning. But when she returned, she was already a young wife. Although Huo Shaoheng said he would delete all traces of records if she was still unwilling to be with him in three years, that could deceive others, but she would still know the truth. She knew that she had been married. Also, she thought she had already confirmed her past when she left, but now her brain was a total mess when she came back. Shaking her head, Gu Nianzhi headed to the dorm elevator.

    ...

    Opening the door to her dorm, Gu Nianzhi looked up to see Ma Qiqi sitting in the room, chatting with a man. The man heard the door and turned around, his shimmering sultry eyes hinting at a smile. It was He Zhichu.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where¡¯d you go?¡± Ma Qiqi waved at her with a smile. ¡°Did you have lunch yet? Professor He said he woulde home with us for dinner!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°What is it? Nianzhi isn¡¯t weing me?¡± He Zhichu rose and smiled subtly at her.

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a bright red cashmere dress, the loose bell sleeves made her appear even more delicate and charming. However, she was a bit pale. ¡°Oh, not at all. I don¡¯t mind as long as Qiqi doesn¡¯t mind. I¡¯m a guest, too.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly and suppressed the rolling unease in her heart.

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s our family¡¯s rare and great honor to have Professor He over for dinner!¡± Ma Qiqi replied happily and went over to pat Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Have you eaten lunch yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I was about to go to the cafeteria. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I just ate.¡± Ma Qiqi turned to ask He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, did you have lunch yet?¡±

    He Zhichu nced at Gu Nianzhi and shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to eat yet, so I¡¯ll go the cafeteria with Nianzhi. Qiqi, make sure to tell your parents you have another personing!¡±

    ¡°No problem! I¡¯ll call them right now.¡± Ma Qiqi waved at them with a smile and went back to her room to make the call.

    Gu Nianzhi set down the bags she had been carrying. She only took her keys and meal card as she said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, you really didn¡¯t have lunch yet?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I originally wanted to ask you out for lunch.¡± He Zhichu walked next to her. ¡°I knew you were going to Qiqi¡¯s house for dinner tonight, so I was hoping you could have lunch with me.¡± He had gone to her dorm and chatted with Ma Qiqi for a while before she had invited him and Gu Nianzhi to her house for dinner. He Zhichu went with the flow and agreed.

    He Zhichu had seen Gu Nianzhi the entire week she had been back, either in ss or during discussions about her work as a teaching assistant and legal assistant. Sometimes they even had lunch together. As a result, Gu Nianzhi easily agreed to He Zhichu¡¯s suggestion, and they went downstairs together. They walked to the No. 1 cafeteria and ordered two lunches before carrying the trays to a quiet corner on the second floor.

    When he had finished half his food, He Zhichu said he needed to go outside for something and left Gu Nianzhi to eat alone. She didn¡¯t mind and waved at him so he could suit himself. Unexpectedly, He Zhichu returned shortly after carrying a cake box. He set it in front of her and smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, happy birthday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to react to the pink cake box and the little princess figurine on top. She nodded at He Zhichu. ¡°Thank you for remembering, Professor He.¡± No matter what, this was her first slice of birthday cake for the day. Gu Nianzhi opened the cake box and sighed in relief to see a small, palm-sized slice of cake. ¡°This cake looks very good.¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up a spoon to dig in. The smooth, rich vor immediately enveloped her mouth. This was certainly the most delicious thing ever! Gu Nianzhi squinted happily as she enjoyed the tasty vor. Her gloomy mood gradually improved.

    ¡°I ordered it from someone. It¡¯s an exclusive recipe.¡± He Zhichu gave a half smile as he moved the cake box aside and nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s satisfied expression. ¡°Looks like you still really like this kind of cake.¡±

    It was that suggestive tone again. Before, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to ask He Zhichu about her past, or perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have trusted him back then. But after what happened in Germany, she had gained a new level of trust towards He Zhichu. She nced at him and used a napkin to wipe her mouth before leaning back in the chair and looking at He Zhichu quietly. ¡°Professor He, did you know I¡¯m not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter from the beginning?¡±

 Chapter 733 - Think About It

    <h4>Chapter 733: Think About It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu was speechless.

    ¡°Did you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked. Her eyes were slightly impatient.

    ¡°Byw you are the real daughter of the Gu family. I think it¡¯s not a controversy. Is it that important if you are not the biological daughter?¡± He Zhichu used a napkin to wipe his mouth. His movements were elegant and befitted an aristocrat.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°It¡¯s important to me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± He Zhichu stared at her, appearing to not understand. ¡°How did you find out?¡± He was under the impression that not many people knew about it. Furthermore, these people were not supposed to tell Gu Nianzhi about it for various reasons.

    ¡°Gu Yanran told me herself.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked a bit stupefied. Her feelings toward that less cultured sister were getting worse and worse.

    ¡°Gu Yanran?!¡± He Zhichu looked very surprised. ¡°Are you sure? Did she really say it herself?¡± Before, He Zhichu thought that Gu Yanran didn¡¯t have the guts to say it, but it seemed like he had underestimated her. Once these women go crazy, they don¡¯t care about anything. They¡¯re digging their own graves. He Zhichu wetted his lips and viciousness shed in his eyes.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it myself, but the one who heard her say it is very reliable. I choose to believe him.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say who it was because this thing involved Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen.

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed. A hint of coldness shed in his peach blossom eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hear this kind of thing, I can ask Gu Yanran to take back what she said.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. She looked helpless and sad. ¡°How should I say this? They all say that the one who gives birth to you is not as great as the one who raises you. But I don¡¯t have any memories from before I was 12. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t have that feeling of family love toward the Gu family, toward Gu Xiangwen and Gu Yanran. I originally thought I was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter and that Gu Yanran was the adopted daughter. Turns out it was the opposite. I¡¯m the adopted daughter, and she¡¯s the biological daughter. Do you know how awkward that is?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. You don¡¯t need to see them as your family.¡± He Zhichu finally understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s worries. He breathed and said objectively, ¡°They¡¯re only there to find a husband for you. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    He Zhichu realized he had blurted out a secret, so he picked up a cup of juice and took a sip. He glossed over it and said, ¡°You are the Gu family¡¯s daughter. It doesn¡¯t matter if Gu Yanran admits it or not. You don¡¯t need to take her seriously.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t take her seriously, but she¡¯s the one who¡¯s paying close attention to me,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as the corner of her mouth showed the irony of it.

    ¡°She¡¯s paying close attention to you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She looked at me as if she wished I was not there. I feel like I¡¯m a thorn in her side, something she can¡¯t ignore or can¡¯t get rid of... hahahaha...¡± Gu Nianzhi struck the bowl as sheughed so hard that tears came out.

    He Zhichu broke intoughter and shook his head. ¡°You think too much. Even if you are a thorn in her side, she wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to you. Don¡¯t worry. You have me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile froze as she stared at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, you must know about my past. Please, what are you hiding?¡± After having a life and death experience anding to a dead-end with her feelings for Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi suddenly had a strong desire to unearth her past. But she couldn¡¯t only rely on Huo Shaoheng anymore. If Gu Nianzhi wanted to be independent, she needed to have all of herself. That included all of the present, future, and her past.

    At that moment, she had her present in her hands. She was working hard for her future, but her past was in the ck hole of her memory. What would she have to do to excavate her past? Gu Nianzhi knew that to have real peace of mind, she would need to find her roots. Otherwise, she would always feel empty and deste. Not knowing who I am, where I¡¯m from, or where I¡¯m supposed to go... The feeling of not having roots and memories was horrible.

    He Zhichu¡¯s posture was graceful. His facial expression didn¡¯t change, but his eyes hadplicated emotions in them as he looked down. The hand that held the chopsticks was a bit tense.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t see that split second He Zhichu was vignt. She held a cup of freshly made mango juice with both hands. She was unwilling to let it go and asked, ¡°Professor He, today¡¯s my birthday. Can¡¯t you tell me about my past?¡±

    ¡°You will believe me, if I tell you right now?¡± He Zhichu quickly curbed his mental state and gradually smiled with his eyes. ¡°Would you believe me if I told you, you were engaged to me the moment you were born?¡±

    Spoot¡ª! She immediately spat out the mango juice she had just put into her mouth. If He Zhichu hadn¡¯t dodged quickly enough, his light-colored suit would have been covered in mango juice.

    ¡°Hehe, you don¡¯t believe it, do you?¡± He Zhichu gave a weak smile and shook his head. ¡°So why do you bother asking? If I say you are the daughter from the Gu family, then you are the daughter from the Gu family. Why do you care if you are an adopted daughter or a biological daughter? Of course, if you really care if you are Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter, you can go look for the answer yourself. I will provide any assistance you may need.¡±

    He Zhichu put his hands under his lower jaw. His peach blossom eyes overflowed with attentiveness and were fixed on Gu Nianzhi. His eyes also concealed a bit of something.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly wiped the table with paper towels and grumbled, ¡°Professor He, you usually don¡¯t joke like that. I couldn¡¯t hold it in. That was an incredible joke.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Just consider it a joke, so it doesn¡¯t matter what people tell you. To know if it¡¯s true or false, you will need to find out yourself, just like what I taught you before. As awyer, defend your client with all your heart, but never fully believe what the client and the witness say. Only when one does some strict reasoning doesplete truth exist. Do not assume that many things in life are outrageous and say they are illogical. Actually, deep underneath it, there is logic. It¡¯s just that most people do not see the logic underneath it because they only see the absurd appearance,¡± He Zhichu said while helping Gu Nianzhi clean the little dining table.

    Gu Nianzhi repeatedly nodded and said, ¡°Professor He, I understand. I will look into this. Even if I was adopted, I will find out where they adopted me from and who my real parents were.¡±

    As He Zhichu listened, one of his hands trembled so discreetly that it was undetectable to the eye. However, he quickly recovered and smiled as he said, ¡°Good, but will you be able to graduate in four months if it¡¯s going to be like that?¡± To find the truth of one¡¯s past was a big project. On top of that, there were five sses and one MA thesis. Even if it was Gu Nianzhi, it couldn¡¯t be done.

    She raised her eyebrows, suddenly came to a realization, and smiled. ¡°Professor He, thank you for your advice. I¡¯m wasting my time on an insignificant problem. Right now, the most important thing is to finish school, graduate early, then find a full-time job. After I settle down with my career and life, it won¡¯t be toote to find out about my past.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He Zhichu shook her hand with satisfaction. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m really looking forward to the day you graduate early from school.¡± Only after she graduated could he officially court her. Until then, their rtionship was still that of a teacher and student. Although He Zhichu didn¡¯t care how others saw it or what they thought of it, Gu Nianzhi was different. He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t let anyone have the opportunity to bring shame upon Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation. He would rather wait¡ªwait until the day he could officially court her. Plus, he had already waited for so many years. Waiting another few months wouldn¡¯t matter.

    The two of them left the dining hall after finishing their lunch. They walked toward the warehouse-type supermarket outside the school. He Zhichu remembered the attitude Gu Nianzhi had before and idly asked, ¡°How are things with you and Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. She hesitated for a bit, then eventually said, ¡°We broke up, but I don¡¯t n on getting a boyfriend for three years. I want to work hard and put a lot of effort into my career.¡±

    He Zhichu gazed at her with a profound look. ¡°Putting your heart into your career is, of course, a good thing. However, are you sure that you won¡¯t get a boyfriend for three years?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to. I also hope that others will not harass me,¡± Gu Nianzhi said solemnly. She did n it that way. She couldn¡¯t let people know about her marriage with Huo Shaoheng, but she also didn¡¯t want others to think that she was still together with him, so in front of others, they must appear to have broken up.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t want He Zhichu to misunderstand. That was why she simply said she wouldn¡¯t have a boyfriend for three years. Three years from then, the marriage with Huo Shaoheng would be dissolved. She would only be 22 years old. It would not be toote to carefully consider marriage at that time. Besides, in three years she would also be three years older. She would be more mature than what she was now.

 Chapter 734 - Willing but Unable

    <h4>Chapter 734: Willing but Unable</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In that instant, Gu Nianzhi nearly recalled how Huo Shaoheng said shecked the maturity of an adult. Her eyes dimmed, but she reminded herself that the most important thing for her right now was her studies. She couldn¡¯t get distracted. After making up her mind, Gu Nianzhi began to talk about her graduation thesis with He Zhichu. They spoke as they walked and soon arrived at arge warehouse supermarket outside of campus. Gu Nianzhi bought a set of health supplements for middle-aged and elderly people, and a set of Lae skincare products and asked for them to be wrapped up. She nned to gift them to Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents. He Zhichu carried the box of supplements while Gu Nianzhi carried the Lae gift box as they happily walked back to school.

    When they returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm, Ma Qiqi greeted them with a smile. ¡°I already called my parents, and they are very excited to wee Professor He as well. Also, they asked if we want to go over early and hang out at my house. We live in the suburbs, and the house is very big. We even have a yard, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at He Zhichu and smiled. ¡°Does Professor He have the time? If you¡¯re busy right now, Qiqi and I can go over there first.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded subtly. ¡°I¡¯m free. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! Professor He, you have a car, right? Give us a lift!¡± Ma Qiqi quickly went back to her room to get her bag and sent her address to He Zhichu¡¯s phone.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu. ¡°Thanks, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s shimmery sultry eyes shed. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the car, you guys wait here. I¡¯ll call when when I¡¯m back.¡±

    ...

    He Zhichu quickly drove his Bentley over to Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi¡¯s dorm. The girls were already waiting by the door. The happily got into He Zhichu¡¯s car. He sat in the driver¡¯s seat while the girls sat together in the back. Ma Qiqi looked around excitedly and asked He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t you also have a very shy Maserati?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t mind and replied casually, ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s a sportscar that only seats two.¡± There were three of them right now, so the spacious Bentely was obviously more suitable. Gu Nianzhi noticed this Bentley was also silver, but it wasn¡¯t an SUV, of course. He Zhichu entered Ma Qiqi¡¯s address into the GPS and started the navigation system before driving off campus.

    ...

    At the same moment, inside Terminal T3 of the Hua Xia Imperial Capital International Airport, a ne from France had justnded. In the first ss cabin, Huo Jin wore thetest Chanel autumn travel suit and walked over to Huo Xuenong to whisper, ¡°Grandfather, we¡¯re here.¡±

    Huo Xuenong opened his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re here? That quickly? I only slept for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we justnded. This airne is pretty good and steady,¡± Huo Jian said as she carried her Chanel ssic p bag and brought Huo Xuenong¡¯s cane over. ¡°Use this.¡±

    Huo Xuenong nodded and saw the familiar autumn scene of the Imperial Capital through the cabin windows. His expression was dark. A few months ago, he had been stripped of his rank of general and was also forced to retire because of the incident with his head nurse. He couldn¡¯t deal with the shame and hurriedly left the country to avoid attention on what happened.

    He hadn¡¯t enjoyed the past few months abroad. The Xie¡¯s oftenined to him because of his wife, Xie Ziyan. Although they were civil people who didn¡¯t abuse him because of the embarrassing history between him and his deceased wife, they weren¡¯t very nice to him, either. Huo Xuenong had been a chief for more than half his life, so it was obvious how depressing it was for him to suddenly fall from his high position. In the past few months, his salt and pepper hair hadpletely turned white, so he looked like he had aged more than ten years.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get off the ne, Grandfather.¡± Huo Jian thoughtfully supported Huo Xuenong¡¯s arm as they headed out of the cabin together.

    However, when Huo Xuenong thought about it, he had gained some face when he thought about the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration tonight. It was the Prime Minister¡¯s wife who had personally invited them, after all, so he felt that his lost respect was being slowly regained piece by piece. The new Prime Minister¡¯s wife, Cai Songyin, was really a flexible person capable of reading people and situations, so she ttered Huo Guanchen and Huo Xuenong very well. When Huo Xuenong received Cai Songyin¡¯s call from the Hua Xia Empire, as well as the couriered invitation and flight tickets, he instantly straightened his hunched back in the Xie¡¯s estate in France.

    Huo Jin was secretly happy from the bottom of her heart. She had truly learned what an aristocratic family was by living in the Xie¡¯s French estate for a few months. The Xie¡¯s cultivation was iparable to any n¡¯s in the Hua Xia Empire right now. It was a shame that such a family had moved abroad a long time ago.

    However, as good a ce as the Xie¡¯s estate was, it wasn¡¯t somewhere she could stay forever. Huo Jian wanted to return to the Hua Xia Empire a long time ago, but just like Huo Xuenong, she had nearly ruined her reputation because of her mother¡¯swsuit. She couldn¡¯t stay in the Huo manor anymore, so she followed Huo Xuenong abroad to avoid the gossip. She could onlye back with him this time because Cai Songyin promised to get her a position as Creative Director with a media outlet she knew well. As a result, Huo Jin often sang the Tan¡¯s praises to Huo Xuenong to help Cai Songyin.

    Both grandfather and granddaughter got off the ne, passed through security, and then went to pick up their luggage. They hadn¡¯t brought much of anything when they went abroad, but they came back with four full suitcases. Most of it was luxury goods Huo Jin bought in France, and the rest was Huo Xuenong¡¯s daily toiletries. They stood in the airport hall to wait for their luggage and looked around for a long time without seeing any sign of Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Grandfather, didn¡¯t cousin say he was going to pick us up?¡± Huo Jin was very nervous and constantly asked if Huo Shaoheng was picking them up.

    Huo Xuenong was getting impatient and waved his hand. ¡°Your uncle said he would ask Shaoheng to pick us up. Would he dare disobey?¡±

    Huo Jin smiled nervously as she supported Huo Xuenong and looked around. After waiting for a long time, Huo Shaoheng was still nowhere to be found. Seeing that there were fewer and fewer people picking up luggage, Huo Jian knew that their luggage would be taken away if they didn¡¯t get it now. She had no choice but to tell Huo Xuenong, ¡°Grandfather, wait here please. I¡¯ll go get the luggage.¡±

    Huo Xuenong nodded. ¡°Go on, then. I¡¯ll call your Uncle.¡± Huo Xuenong called Huo Guanchen and said sternly, ¡°Guanchen, did you tell Shaoheng or not?¡±

    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back?!¡± Huo Guanchen was overjoyed. ¡°You¡¯re at the airport now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we alreadynded a while ago.¡± Huo Xuenong nced at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s already 2pm. Why hasn¡¯t Shaoheng shown up yet?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart dropped as he recalled what he told Huo Shaoheng and quickly replied, ¡°Just wait a bit longer, I¡¯ll ask Shaoheng.¡± He then called Huo Shaoheng, but his call was directly sent to voicemail just likest time. Huo Guanchen had no choice but to leave a voicemail. ¡°Shaoheng, your grandfather is already at the airport. Why didn¡¯t you go pick him up yet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already asked his head orderly, Fan Jian, to pick up Grandfather Huo. Fan Jian had always waited outside Terminal T3 whenever he picked someone up from the airport, but Huo Xuenong had always been ustomed to someone picking him up from inside the airport. As a result of the misunderstanding, much time had psed. When Huo Xuenong and Huo Jin took four suitcases outside the terminal doors, Fan Jian, who had been waiting for a long time, finally saw them and waved them over. ¡°Over here!¡±

    Huo Jin had keen eyes and turned around to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s driver, Fan Jian. She instantly smiled like a blooming flower as she said to Huo Xuenong, ¡°Grandfather, isn¡¯t that cousin¡¯s car? Let¡¯s go over there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t go wandering off. Follow me.¡± Huo Xuenong suddenly became a caring fatherly figure and spoke sternly to Huo Jin. Huo Jin moved aside obediently and waited for Huo Xuenong to get inside the car before following.

    Fan Jian was a great driver and also had a quick tongue. He exined to Grandfather Huo, ¡°Chief suddenly had a feverst night and was anxious about picking you up, even though it didn¡¯t break this morning. The doctor strongly suggested he rest at home, so he didn¡¯te but made sure to remind me to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Sick? What kind of illness? Is it serious?¡± Huo Jin instantly got nervous and wanted nothing more but to call Huo Shaoheng herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. I heard it was a fever,¡± Fan Jian answered smoothly in order to ay their suspicions.

    Huo Xuenong still scoffed. ¡°Of all the time to get sick, it had to be when we came back. Hmph!¡±

    ¡°Grandfather please don¡¯t say that. Illnesses cane suddenly and without choice,¡± Huo Jin said as she looked at Fan Jian in front of them. ¡°The doctor said he needed to rest at home? Then that means he can¡¯t walk around, right? Do you know if my cousin will attend the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration tonight?¡±

    Fan Jian chuckled. ¡°Chief is sick, so he can¡¯t go even if he wanted. He¡¯s willing but unable.¡±

 Chapter 735 - This Wonâ€™t Be Taken Lying Down (1)

    <h4>Chapter 735: This Won¡¯t Be Taken Lying Down (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Cousin won¡¯t be going tonight?¡± Huo Jin said as she looked at old Mr. Huo. ¡°Grandfather, should we visit cousin?¡±

    Fan Jian¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Did I go overboard and cause an undesirable effect? He coughed and said, ¡°Mr. Huo has instructions to take you back to the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the army. Please be understanding, Miss Huo. I have to follow orders.¡±

    It was the nature of a soldier to adhere strictly tomands or orders. Grandfather Huo thought about it and nodded. ¡°Take us back, then. I¡¯ll give Shaoheng a call to see how he is after we get back.¡±

    Since Grandfather Huo said that, Huo Jin had no other option but to remain quiet.

    Huo Guanchen was at the main door waiting for them. When Grandfather Huo exited the car, Huo Guanchen went forward happily. ¡°You¡¯re back, father.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Grandfather Huo looked around, supported by his walking stick.

    It was about three or four in the afternoon. The mansion was quiet and empty, without anyone walking around. There were trees nted along the passage, and one could hear the leaves rustling when the wind blew. Even though this was not as grand as the Xie¡¯s mansion in France, it was Grandfather Huo and Huo Jin¡¯s favorite. It was home. They had stayed there for so many years, of course they developed feelings towards this ce. It wasn¡¯t just a ce of pretty things to them.

    Huo Guanchen supported Grandfather Huo by his arm and entered the mansion. Fan Jian quickly drove away and returned to headquarters to report to Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng looked up from his desk at Fan Jian. ¡°Okay. Noted. You¡¯ve done well. You can go and rest. We have nothing else going on today.¡± It was Sunday, and it was supposed to be Fan Jian¡¯s turn for a rest day, anyway. He breathed a sigh of relief and reported some minor things before leaving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office.

    Huo Shaohengpleted some work on hisputer before checking his watch. It was almost half past four in the afternoon. Just when he was about to call his mother, Song Jinning, thendline rang.

    He answered the phone. ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was the call control officer. ¡°Mr. Huo, your grandfather is calling to ask about your health.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not wish to answer Grandfather Huo¡¯s call. ¡°Still have a fever. When I¡¯ve recovered, I will return the call.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The call control officer understood what to say. She kindly rejected Grandfather Huo. ¡°Grandfather Huo, Mr. Huo is still resting and not answering any calls. When he recovers, he will return your call.¡±

    Grandfather Huo almost smashed the phone upon hearing a politically correct reply. However, he could not take it out on the officer. Therefore, he controlled his anger and replied tly, ¡°Alright. Let him rest. Get him toe home after he has recovered. We should gather as a family.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± After Grandfather Huo hung up, the officer forwarded the voicemail to his mailbox. Of course, Huo Shaoheng did not listen to it immediately, as he was calling his mother, Song Jinning.

    ¡°Will you be going to the inauguration tonight?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am. I¡¯m one of the leaders in this industry. The education minister will be going with us.¡± Song Jinning spoke to Huo Shaoheng with her Bluetooth earpiece. She was still typing on the keyboard, looking at the trial experiment¡¯s data analysis.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that his mother wasn¡¯t someone who liked attending public events, and she would try her best to stay away from events like these. He did not expect her to attend this ceremony, either. He lowered his voice. ¡°You can not go if you¡¯re busy. Would there be a problem?¡±

    ¡°How could there not be a problem? The problem would be huge.¡± Song Jinning massaged her temples. She had lost almost 16 years of time. When she woke up after 16 years, she realized that almost everything had changed.

    Even if she didn¡¯t talk about anything else, 16 years ago, when her father was the President of the Institute of High Energy Physics, all their funds came from the government. All they had to do was to continue with their experiments, and they did not have to worry about anything.

    However, their funds came from the departments of education and finance, which meant the cab. Whenever they required funding, they would have to type a report to request it. They wouldn¡¯t even know if they would get it unless someone had connections.

    Song Jinning did not feelfortable about it in the beginning, but she had been academically inclined all along and picked things up really quickly. That included social skills. She wasn¡¯t good with socializing in the past, because it wasn¡¯t necessary. However, it was a requirement now. After being taken advantage of twice, she had grown clever. Each time she submitted a request, it would definitely get approved.

    Unfortunately, Prime Minister Dou, whom she was so familiar with, had stepped down just a couple of months back. Now, the new Prime Minister would be taking his ce. Therefore, it was important for him to know about her existence. After she managed to build a good rtionship with the new Prime Minister, it would benefit their institute greatly.

    Huo Shaoheng listened quietly to Song Jinning telling him how she had met with so many difficulties over the past few months, and how she managed to ovee each and every one of them. From being a President of the Institute out of nowhere, to a president who was respected by the entire institute, she had indeed gone through a lot. She was busy, but it was extremely fulfilling for her.

    Huo Shaoheng had heard about Song Jinning¡¯s difficulties and had requested that some of his friends in the cab keep a look out for her. He was worried that something might happen. However, Song Jinning was extremely capable. There hadn¡¯t been any situations that she could not handle during the past few months. Up until now, she hadn¡¯t required any special secret help from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s connections. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng smiled and listened to how his mother felt so proud of herself without stopping her.

    ¡°...Therefore, I have to be there tonight. Your mother isn¡¯t a weirdo who only lives in theboratory.¡± Song Jinning looked at the data churned from theputer happily. ¡°Let me tell you, Shaoheng, my trial experiment from theputer has been really sessful. After running it through a few more times, I will be able to get into the real experiment!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat up straight. ¡°Really? Congrattions! However, if you really want to kickstart the experiment again, please type a report to the army instead of the cab.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Song Jinning replied in a sing-song voice. She was smart enough to understand Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hidden meaning. ¡°I will make sure that it¡¯s highly confidential.¡±

    ¡°Please do. And do not mention this to anyone,¡± Huo Shaoheng reminded her and turned on hisptop to look at the CCTV in the institute. He deleted their conversation just now, so that even the CCTV over at the institute did not have any trace of it.

    Song Jinning stopped talking about this and changed the topic. ¡°Will you be there too, Shaoheng?¡±

    Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m down with a fever. Not going.¡±

    Song Jinning was momentarily speechless. ¡°Fever? And you¡¯re still on the phone with me for so long? Why aren¡¯t you resting? Remember to drink more warm water and don¡¯t stay upte anymore.¡± Song Jinning was extremely worried. She did not think about whether Huo Shaoheng was telling the truth.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, and his tone softened. ¡°Yes. I will rest.¡± Then he asked again, ¡°Have you prepared your gown for tonight?¡±

    ¡°Gown?¡± Song Jinning¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I¡¯ll just wear a ck dress. I have quite a few of them.¡± She would pair it with a pair of ck-rimmed sses and an old-fashioned hair clip before putting a white lily brooch on her dress. It made her look at least a decade older.

    Song Jinning¡¯s looks were akin to a bug in her system. She was almost 50, but due to being injured for 16 years, her aging had stopped during that time. She looked the same as she did 16 years ago. Her skin still was fair and supple, her features deep and sharp, but the innocence in her eyes was gone. Cheerfulness and a carefree spirit took over. She was morous and eye-catching, like a flower that had just bloomed. Nheless, Song Jinning liked dressing old because for her position, earning respect was easier if she looked older. It would also avoid unnecessary problems.

    If Song Jinning did not want to go, it¡¯d be fine. Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t force his mother to do something she didn¡¯t like. However, Song Jinning was excited about going, as she wanted to be in the midst of society. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng changed his mind and wanted his mother to be in the spotlight for once.

    He truly felt that he should be putting out something, as the entire Huo family seemed to have been stepped on already. Any Tom, Dick or Harry could order them around. He had put up with this since he realized that the trip to America had been a trap. He would not take this lying down.

    ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t wear that ck dress.¡± Huo Shaoheng called her ¡°mom.¡± He never did. Tears welled up in Song Jinning¡¯s eyes. Her son had called her ¡°mom.¡± Of course she would agree to anything he said!

    Therefore, when Huo Shaoheng suggested sending a gown over, Song Jinning replied immediately, ¡°Sure. I am in theboratory. You can send it here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng acknowledged and hung up. He went to his room and took out the gown, matching jewelry, essories, and bag he had prepared for her some time back and put them in a suitcase. Then, he brought it to the main door of his mansion.

    These gowns, jewelry, shoes, and bags had been prepared for Song Jinning initially to wear at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding. There were a few sets of them. One of them was just right for an event like tonight¡¯s.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng drove a pearl-blue Mercedes Benz Mulsanne, and he brought a makeup specialist along with him. Fan Jian drove the silver Bentayga SUV and followed behind them.

    The two cars arrived at the institute one after the other and stopped in front of the building where Song Jinning was working. Huo Shaoheng took the suitcase and went up to the building along with the makeup specialist.

 Chapter 736 - This Wonâ€™t Be Taken Lying Down (2)

    <h4>Chapter 736: This Won¡¯t Be Taken Lying Down (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re going on a mission?¡± Song Jinning opened the office doors, and the first thing she saw was the small suitcase Huo Shaoheng was carrying. She then noticed a tall, handsome young man beside Huo Shaoheng who smiled at Song Jinning.

    ¡°Hello, Director Song. I¡¯m the Chief¡¯s subordinate.¡±

    ¡°The gown and jewelry I prepared for you are in this suitcase.¡± Huo Shaoheng set it on the ground and then introduced them. ¡°Mother, this is Little Ning. He specializes in styling.¡± He then told Little Ning, ¡°Create a good style for my mother. Try your very best.¡±

    Little Ning smiled brightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chief. I can create whatever effect you want me to.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to hear.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted Little Ning¡¯s shoulder and nodded with encouragement.

    Song Jinning smiled at them and took the suitcase inside the room to get changed. Huo Shaoheng followed her inside because there were some things he needed to tell her. Song Jinning walked into the room and set down her suitcase to see that Huo Shaoheng had followed.

    ¡°What else do you need to tell me?¡± Song Jinning shut the door and assessed Huo Shaoheng top to bottom. ¡°So, you don¡¯t have a fever.¡± That meant he was purposely not attending.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t exin any further. He opened the suitcase to reveal the evening gown, jewelry, shoes, and bag inside. ¡°Mom, tonight you¡¯ll be the most dazzling guest at the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration.¡±

    Song Jinning frowned slightly when she saw the coral mermaid evening gown that was as fluid as moonlight. ¡°What do you mean? You need me to steal the spotlight in an event like this? What are you trying to do?!¡±

    To Song Jinning, this was a matter of basic manners. For example, purposely dressing more beautifully than the bride at someone else¡¯s wedding was the main trait and method of a cunning b*tch. Song Jinning would never deign to do such a thing.

    Huo Shaoheng only said one thing. ¡°Thanks to the Tans and the Cais, your son almost perished in the United States.¡±

    Song Jinning felt her mind buzz instantly as a stream of blood rose from her chest¡ªall manners and all rules were instantly out the window. Suddenly, she understood the intention behind Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions, why he lied about having a fever and would not attend the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration, why he made the effort of delivering the obviously expensive evening gown and essories to style her.

    Tan and Cai. Weren¡¯t those the main characters at the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration today?! She clutched her chest suddenly and asked with apprehension, ¡°What did you say?! Is it really true?!¡±

    ¡°You taught me to give as received. They have been plotting all this time and created such a big to trap me. Of course I need to repay their kindness.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone was as normal as ever, just like he was talking about a trivial thing.

    Song Jinning¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. ¡°Shaoheng, what do you need me to do? I¡¯ll do whatever you tell me to.¡± Her voice shook as she reached out to grab Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm, but she only reached out halfway before dropping her head weakly. Her son was nearly 30, no longer the tiny boy from all those years ago.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Mom. I already said that they¡¯re not the only ones who know how to weave a. I do, too.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was slightly cool. ¡°Also, my isrger and more closely knitted, so once it¡¯s tightened, there will be no fish escaping.¡±

    Song Jinning looked at Huo Shaoheng with tearful eyes. Once again, she felt she wasn¡¯t a responsible mother. When Huo Shaoheng had been born, his grandmother, Xie Ziyan, had raised him single-handedly. Afterwards, Song Jinning had an ident with an experiment, and his grandmother also passed away, so Huo Shaoheng needed topletely rely on himself. It was thanks to the heaven¡¯s blessing that he could grow up to be the man he now was.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly as he got a tissue from the desk and passed it to Song Jinning. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset, Mom. I¡¯m ok. Attend the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration tonight. I only hope that you can disy all the brilliance you possess.¡± He wouldn¡¯t give Song Jinning any pressure. He only wished for her to not conceal herself anymore. Gold should shine like gold, and diamonds should glitter like diamonds. Fish eyes should rest honestly and quietly instead of shamelessly masquerading as pearls. They shouldn¡¯t think that everyone else was blind and wouldn¡¯t see the truth.

    ...

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng came out of the room and asked Little Ning to go inside to style Song Jinning. Little Ning nodded and walked in with a smile. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a morous woman standing in the middle of the room. She wore a coral mermaid evening gown and glittered like a gem despite being bare-faced. It was like there was actual light shining from where she stood, and it was so brilliant, it dazzled his eyes.

    Little Ning averted his eyes slightly and was so shocked by this woman¡¯s beauty that his heart nearly stopped beating. There was actually such a stunningly beautiful woman in the word, and she was actually almost 50?! With such stunning beauty, Little Ning thought that his added touches would not only make her look like she was in her early 30s, but early 20s wouldn¡¯t be a stretch! Walking in to take a closer look, Little Ning began to gush even more.

    ¡°Director Song, how do you care for your skin? I¡¯ll test your skin¡¯s age...¡± Little Ning was speechless when he read the data on the test paper. All he could say was that she had good genes that defied age. The test paper indicated that Song Jinning¡¯s skin¡¯s age was only 22 years old! Little Ning didn¡¯t want to say anything more.

    Pursing his lips, he used his livelihood¡¯s skills to style Song Jinning. First he did her hair, then makeup, andstly, skincare for her body. He studied her features. Typically, with Little Ning¡¯s ability, it was a very simple thing to create a makeup look akin to ¡°a stic surgery effect,¡± but Song Jinning¡¯s features were impable. Little Ning studied her for a long time, and in the end, he only cleaned up her eyebrows a bit. Aside from typical makeup like foundation, blush, and eyeliner, the only other major change he made on Song Jinning¡¯s face was sculpting her eyebrows.

    Huo Shaoheng waited outside for more than an hour before Little Ning finally walked out. He said to Huo Shaoheng excitedly, ¡°Chief, can I ask Director Song about her health maintenance secrets if she has some free time in the future?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. The door behind him opened, and Song Jinning walked out slowly. In one stunning moment, the air seemed to stop flowing inside the room. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes sparkled as he gave Little Ning a thumbs up. ¡°This is great, Little Ning! This effect is better than expected.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s because Director Song has a great foundation. I only did her eyebrows.¡± Little Ning looked at Song Jinning with a dreamy expression. She was his best work ever.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to tell Song Jinning and said, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s already past 6 pm. I¡¯ll have Fan Jian and Little Ning stay back so they can take you over to the National Center for the Performing Arts. Take my car.¡± He left behind the pearly blue Bentley Mulsanne for Song Jinning to use and left the Institute of High Energy Physics alone with his Bentley Bentayga SUV.

    After Huo Shaoheng left, Little Ning went downstairs to find Fan Jian. He saw Fan Jian standing dazedly in front of the pearly blue Bentley Mulsanne, so he patted his shoulder. ¡°Little Fan, why are you spacing out?¡± He then nced at the Bentley with admiration. ¡°What a good looking car. This is Chief¡¯s own car?¡±

    ¡°These are all Chief¡¯s own cars.¡± Fan Jian gulped. ¡°I¡¯m actually driving a Bentley Mulsanne today.¡±

    ¡°Just look at your silly face! Don¡¯t embarrass Chief today.¡± Little Ning was making a guest appearance as Song Jinning¡¯s assistant today and would be going to the inauguration with her, so Fan Jian would be the driver.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng drove away from the Institute of High Energy Physics and called Yin Shixiong on the way. ¡°Big Xiong, do you have ns tonight?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was bored at home alone and was about to y online games. When he received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call, he was very happy and asked, ¡°Chief, what fun are you up to?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled subtly, his voice light and confident. ¡°Do you want to go see Qiqi¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°Qiqi? Ma Qiqi?¡± Yin Shixiong grinned broadly. ¡°This girl is pretty interesting, but what is it? Chief wants to go?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is going to Ma Qiqi¡¯s house for dinner tonight,¡± Huo Shaoheng said suggestively.

    Yin Shixiong instantly understood. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll ask Qiqi.¡± He ended the call with Huo Shaoheng and immediately sent Ma Qiqi a text to ask her directly, ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m free today. Can I drop by your house to have some dinner?¡±

    At the same moment, Ma Qiqi, Gu Nianzhi, and He Zhichu were ying poker in the game room on the second floor of her house. Her phone chimed to indicate she had a text. Ma Qiqi quickly nced at it to see Yin Shixiong¡¯s text, then picked it up to read carefully. Hmm? He wants some dinner? Ma Qiqi smiled and sent a big ¡°OK¡± back.

    Yin Shixiong got the reply and also smiled. He asked Ma Qiqi for her address and nned a time before he called Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Chief, Qiqi said she¡¯s inviting me for dinner.¡± He grinned and purposely didn¡¯t mention Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°Ok, I have a car, so I¡¯ll drive you over.¡± He made it sound like Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t have a car!

    Yin Shixiong was stunned speechless and knew he could never prank Huo Shaoheng. Instead, he would ¡°embarrass himself¡± in the process! ¡°Chief, hurry and pick me up.¡± Yin Shixiong hung up, exhausted.

    ...

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s house was in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital and wasn¡¯t too far from the Institute of High Energy Physics. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong only took half an hour to arrive at her front door.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, you¡¯re here!¡± Hearing the car outside, Ma Qiqi ran out of her house. A silver Bentley SUV was parked on the side of the road by her door, anding out of the car was not only Yin Shixiong but also Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 737 - This Wonâ€™t Be Taken Lying Down (3)

    <h4>Chapter 737: This Won¡¯t Be Taken Lying Down (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Huo Shao?!¡± Ma Qiqi was very surprised. She couldn¡¯t keep her mouth closed. ¡°You, you, you... why are you here?¡±

    The corner of Yin Shixiong¡¯s mouth raised. He stretched out his hand and shook it in front of her. ¡°Qiqi! Come back! Come back to your senses! Your Big Xiong is here!¡±

    Ma Qiqi grabbed Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand that was swaying randomly. She couldn¡¯t help herself and got near his ear and asked quietly, ¡°Why is Huo Shao here, too?¡±

    When Yin Shixiong texted, he didn¡¯t mention a word about Huo Shao... Of course, Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t do anything to make his own senior officer look bad. He made a coughing sound and said, ¡°It just so happened that when I came out, Huo Shao also came out to attend to something, so I got into his car and came here.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ma Qiqi sighed and patted her chest. ¡°So Huo Shao needed to attend to some business. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good.¡±

    She originally thought Huo Shaoheng was going to leave when he dropped Yin Shixiong off. She never thought Huo Shaoheng woulde into her home with Yin Shixiong and blurt out the sentence, ¡°...business has been attended to.¡±

    Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t know what to say as Huo Shaoheng walked in through her front door. His eyes unconsciously scanned the dining room for a bit. He didn¡¯t see a sign of Gu Nianzhi.

    Ma Qiqi quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi and Professor He are here, too. Do you guys want to see them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked away and looked at Yin Shixiong in silence. Yin Shixiong quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi is here, too? Such a coincidence! Of course, we have to see her.¡±

    It was so fake. Huo Shaoheng gave Yin Shixiong a dissatisfied look and spoke in a polite manner to Ma Qiqi, ¡°We should greet Mr. and Mrs. Ma first.¡± They were going to greet Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents. After all, they were guests in their home.

    Huo Shaoheng being that courteous scared Ma Qiqi. She was stunned. She nodded, and with a thud, thud, thud, thud she ran to the kitchen to get her mother and father and did an introduction. ¡°Mom, Dad, this is Big Xiong, and this is Huo Shao. They are all Nianzhi¡¯s... rtives and friends. I also know them pretty well, too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you guys are Nianzhi¡¯s friends and rtives? Are you here to pick her up? Have you eaten dinner yet? If not, stay and eat a simple home cooked meal.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s father and mother greeted Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong with great zeal.

    Before Yin Shixiong could think of what to say, Huo Shaoheng had already smiled weakly and said, ¡°Thank you, you two. Then I won¡¯t be shy about it.¡± He then turned toward Yin Shixiong and said, ¡°Big Xiong, there is a basket of crabs in the back of my trunk. Bring it over and give it to Qiqi.¡±

    ¡°A basket of crabs?!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes were about to pop.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s family ate crabs one by one. They never imagined that Huo Shao ate crabs by the pound. When Yin Shixiong saw Ma Qiqi¡¯s surprised face, he made a funny face andughed mischievously. He grabbed the car key and went out to get the crabs.

    It was obvious that Huo Shaoheng had bought those crabs not too long ago. They were still lively. They were crawling around the bamboo basket. They made it look like it was crowded. Ma Qiqi¡¯s father was overjoyed when he saw that basket of crabs. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. Steamed crab dipped in vinegar sauce would be delicious.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and smiled. ¡°Mr. Ma knows what¡¯s what.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you are too courteous.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s father was a businessman. He was not considered a rich man, but he did have afortable upper middle ss life. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford the suburban vi with a back yard and be able to think about giving Ma Qiqi a condominium on the East Road near the downtown as a dowry.

    He took the crabs and went to the kitchen with Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother to get things ready. They usually paid someone to cook for them and clean their house, but Ma Qiqi insisted on a special meal that day. To show how much they cared, the husband and wife were determined to cook themselves. They made a table full of dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted great.

    ...

    Ma Qiqi took Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong to the recreation room on the second floor. He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were sitting at either side of a chess table talking. On the recreation room¡¯s ceiling was a light made from semi-transparent material in the shape of a lotus leaf. The bright, filtered light was soft and delicate. Everything in the room looked like it had gone through a light filter.

    He Zhichu was wearing a white striped shirt with a light blue V-neck cashmere sweater. His eyes were locked on Gu Nianzhi and looked as if they were glued to her face while her slender fingers were picking cards.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back was facing the door. It was unclear what she was saying. He Zhichu suddenly looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips that were puckering. His peach blossom eyes were overflowing with tender affection. Huo Shaoheng sped his hands behind his back, and he silently tightened his fist. However, he restrained himself and didn¡¯t say a thing.

    Ma Qiqi smiled as she walked up and said, ¡°Nianzhi, Professor He, Huo Shao and Big Xiong also came to my home for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head and was surprised to see Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong standing by the door in the chess room. ¡°Big Xiong, Huo Shao, what are you guys doing here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong and immediately said, ¡°Big Xiong wanted to see Ma Qiqi.¡±

    Yin Shixiong pressed his lips together and was about to refute it when he saw Ma Qiqi¡¯s bright and cheerful face suddenly turn red from the corner of his eye. Under the soft light, one could see Ma Qiqi¡¯s white, shining fine hair on the top of her earlobe. It looked like it had been brushed into ce by a tiny brush. He was embarrassed as he swallowed what he was going to say. He scratched his head andughed mischievously and didn¡¯t refute it. However, he didn¡¯t say anything about it, either. He went over to the chess table where Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu were sitting and asked, ¡°What are you guys ying?¡±

    ¡°Texas Hold¡¯em. Do you want to y with us?¡± He Zhichu gathered the cards. He looked at Huo Shaoheng with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Ok, haven¡¯t yed it in a long time.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat next to Gu Nianzhi and pointed at the seat across from him. ¡°Big Xiong, Qiqi, you guys sit, too.¡± The good thing about Texas Hold¡¯em was that two to 12 people could y the game together. At that time, they had five people, which was not a problem at all.

    Yin Shixiong quickly sat next to He Zhichu. Ma Qiqi sat in the seat of honor and acted as the card dealer. The real yers were Yin Shixiong, He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi, and Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°What are the stakes?¡± Yin Shixiong asked in high spirits.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him and said, ¡°In our country, it¡¯s against thew to use money as a stake while ying Texas Hold¡¯em. Whoever does so will be charged with gambling.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yin Shixiong was not a person ofw and did not understand thatw. ¡°It¡¯s no fun without stakes, right?¡±

    ¡°There are stakes. How could there not be? It¡¯s just not money.¡± Smiling, Ma Qiqi brought a bamboo basket over from the end of another table. Inside, it was full of small walnuts. ¡°Here, use these as the stakes. The person who loses will open a walnut for the person who wins.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too easy?¡± Yin Shixiong raised his eyebrows. He looked down on those stakes.

    ¡°Easy?¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s long eyebrows jumped. ¡°I¡¯m not finished speaking. Stop talking while I¡¯m still talking.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine! Continue!¡±

    ¡°The loser will open the walnut for the winner without using tools like a hammer or scissors.¡± Ma Qiqi exchanged nces with Gu Nianzhi. She was proud of herself.

    ¡°Can¡¯t use any tools?¡± Yin Shixiong smiled. ¡°Now that¡¯s more interesting.¡±

    He picked up a walnut, weighed it in his hand, and put it in front of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, if you lose to Big Xiong, Big Xiong doesn¡¯t need you to open a walnut. Just write a small program for Big Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Big Xiong, are you looking down on me?¡± Gu Nianzhi stretched her finger and poked Yin Shixiong. ¡°Why don¡¯t you and I increase the stakes?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was about to agree when he suddenly remembered Texas Hold¡¯em¡¯s special point, which was it had various sets. If a yer had a really good memory and was really good at math, then they could easily count their opponents¡¯ cards. Gu Nianzhi had a photographic memory. Not only that, but she had already taught herself undergraduate math material and was a top student when she was 13!

    ¡°Haha, I wouldn¡¯t dare look down on Miss Gu!¡± Yin Shixiong closed his palms. ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡±

    Ma Qiqi winked at him and started to deal the cards. After the cards were dealt, Gu Nianzhi unexpectedly folded. Yin Shixiong looked at the cards in his hand and thought about it for a long time and also folded. Only He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were left, facing each other.

    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Huo Shaoheng put the cards in his hand down without batting an eyelid.

    He Zhichu looked at him for a while, and then he also said, ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±

    Both of themid down all of their cards. Ma Qiqimanded the order of the cards. The corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth lifted slightly, and he looked at his cards first. The first card was the ace of hearts. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look at the cards she was dealt. She only wanted it to end...

    He Zhichu¡¯s face had no expression. His peach blossom eyes were full of stillness. He sat absolutely still and just stared at the cards in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. Huo Shaoheng smiled as he showed his second card, the king of hearts. Yin Shixiong was very excited. No way! Huo Shaoheng¡¯s luck was so good that it was unnatural.

    He Zhichu continued to remain still and calmly looked at Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng extended his slender and beautiful fingers and showed his third card on the table, the queen of hearts. Immediately following that, he flipped over the fourth card, the jack of hearts. Just those four cards were enough to be the highest ranking hand in a royal flush out of all the straight flushes! He just needed a ten of hearts to have an unbeatable hand of cards from heaven on that card table.

    ¡°Are you still in?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at He Zhichu as if he were soliciting an opinion. At that time, even Ma Qiqi was not sure.

    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± He Zhichu clenched his teeth and flipped over his card. The first card was the king of spades, followed by the queen, jack, and ten of spades. Unexpectedly, it was also the highest ranking hand of all the straight flushes. He just needed a nine of spades to have a straight flush. Of course, it was a lower grade flush than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, but it was also a very good hand of cards.

    They both only had one card left in front of them. Huo Shaoheng was calm and collected. He asked He Zhichu in a manner that was as light as a cloud in the breeze, ¡°Are you in?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng deeply, and after a long time, he shook his head. ¡°I fold.¡± As he said that, He Zhichu flipped thest card he had over. To everyone¡¯s surprise, it was a nine of spades!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t refrain from sighing in her heart. Her eyes were glued to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands to prevent him from cheating.

    Professor He is too cautious... Actually, Huo Shaoheng tricked him. Gu Nianzhi had a good memory, and she could count cards. Her hand was horrible. It didn¡¯t have a flush or a straight. It didn¡¯t even have one pair. That was why she folded. However, she had counted the cards ahead of time. The cards He Zhichu had were the only straight flush on that card table.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s first four cards were really good, but thest card was only a two of diamonds. That cardbined with his other four cards made it a nothing. It was as bad as the cards Gu Nianzhi had. Even Yin Shixiong had one pair in his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at He Zhichu as she shook her head. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re too cautious. Huo Shao only had a two of diamonds left. Can¡¯tpete with your straight flush.¡±

    ¡°No way. Huo Shao, you really only have a two of diamonds?¡± Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi both asked at the same time.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he looked at Gu Nianzhi and flipped over thest card he had. It really was a two of diamonds. He looked at He Zhichu and said, ¡°Professor He, I had an unfair advantage. Thanks for letting me win.¡±

 Chapter 738 - This Wonâ€™t Be Taken Lying Down (4)

    <h4>Chapter 738: This Won¡¯t Be Taken Lying Down (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression suddenly darkened, but it onlysted for a moment before he resumed his typical aloof look. He replied slowly, ¡°Huo Shao really is good at fooling people. Although I can¡¯tpare with that skill, I didn¡¯t lose after all.¡± So he didn¡¯t need to suffer the shame of shelling walnuts for Huo Shaoheng. ording to Texas Hold¡¯em rules, folding in the middle of the game didn¡¯t constitute a loss. He Zhichu had only used the rules reasonably to his advantage.

    ¡°This is not merely fooling, but also involves the high-level theories of psychology, advanced mathematics, logic, and the study of interpersonal rtionships.¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed his cards. ¡°I could y an entire royal flush if I wanted to.¡± But because Gu Nianzhi had been staring at his hands the entire time, he didn¡¯t want to make any moves. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s typical habits, he would always cheat if he gambled. When the Special Operations Forces taught their personnel gambling skills, the most often repeated phrase was that there weren¡¯t nine tricks in ten gambles, but ten tricks in ten gambles. There was no exception to this, and the only difference was in varying levels of trickery. Huo Shaoheng had taught Gu Nianzhi these skills, too, including how to cheat and switch out cards. When he thought about it, the tides had really changed. By teaching his disciple, he was no longer able to cheat as the teacher. As he considered this, an inadvertent smile appeared on his face.

    Yin Shixiong smirked as he whispered, ¡°Chief, stay restrained. You only got a draw from one round of cheating. Why are you smiling so smugly?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smoothed his face as he rubbed his chin with one hand. ¡°I was smiling?¡±

    ¡°Do you need a mirror?¡± Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t hesitate anymore. ¡°How about I ask Qiqi to borrow her makeup mirror for you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong coolly, and that was enough to make him dete. He sheepishly went over to Ma Qiqi to watch her shuffle the deck. Gu Nianzhi had already looked away and no longer stared at Huo Shaoheng. However, he sat beside her so she couldn¡¯tpletely ignore his interaction with Yin Shixiong. Gu Nianzhi smiled and said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, you actually only got derailed because you were paying too much attention. If you calmly count cards, then other people can¡¯t trick you.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression brightened instantly, and his shimmery, sultry eyes nearly overflowed with tenderness. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and smiled as he replied casually, ¡°Ok, but I don¡¯t really know how to count cards. Nianzhi, teach me when you¡¯re free.¡±

    ¡°Ok, no problem. When we get back on campus and have some time, I¡¯ll talk to you about it.¡± Gu Nianzhi promised instantly.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened as he rose. ¡°You guys keep ying. I¡¯m going for a smoke.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look at him and continued exining the steps to counting cards to Ma Qiqi and He Zhichu. Yin Shixiong pressed his ear against the wall and wasughing so hard inside that his stomach was about to burst. However, he wouldn¡¯t dare go check on Huo Shaoheng, even if he had all the courage in the world, so he decided to take the remote to turn on the TV in the chess and card room.

    No matter which channel he yed, every single one was broadcasting the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. Gu Nianzhi got up to get tea and nced at the TV to see all the guests arriving on the scene. A bright red carpet wasid in front of the National Center for the Performing Arts, stretching from the front steps to a very long distance away. The street lights on either side of the sidewalk were as bright as day, fully illuminating everything that was happening there. An area was reserved for reporters, and countless reporters squished together there as they carried video cameras, cameras, and recording pens while asking about the arriving guests.

    There were also some people squatting in the corner counting the luxury vehicles. The walkway in front of the National Center for the Performing Arts was barricaded, and a group of police stood at the front to maintain order. On the other side, many regr civilians were let inside to share the joy of the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration in order to create an atmosphere of universal celebration. Of course, the group of civilians wasn¡¯t randomly let in. Before they were let inside, they had undergone a lottery ceremony on the official website of the office of the Prime Minister and had their names verified, along with a background check by the Secret Service. These people came from all parts of the Hua Xia Empire and epassed a very broad area, so it was very representative of sharing joy with the masses.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi came back with tea and saw the doors of the luxury cars on TV open as important figures representing the Hua Xia imperial military, government, and business world emerged one after another. She actually recognized a few of them. For example, the man who had just emerged from a bullet-proof military vehicle with a red g was the white-haired General Ji. Walking beside General Ji and whispering quietly in his ear was another silver-haired senior, Speaker Long. In addition, Bai Jiancheng, the Minister of Domestic Affairs, walked with a tall, curvy, beautiful woman¡ªhis daughter, Bai Yueran. She was also the Director of the Legal Department of the Special Operations Forces.

    Afterwards, Gu Nianzhi also saw the Huo¡¯s. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, was in full military uniform, and even though he was already in his fifties, he was so well maintained that he only appeared to be in his early forties. Although he was already a certain age, the years had been kind to him. The precipitation of time had increased his aura of a mature and reliable man; he was elegant, yet carried the signature fierceness of a soldier. Huo Guanchen walked with a young woman and an energetic senior. Gu Nianzhi recognized the energetic senior as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, and the young woman was Huo Jin. So they have returned from France to attend the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. Huo Jialian wore a Dior haute couture evening gown. As she looked back on the red carpet with a smile, her eyes were enthusiastic and seemed to be full of a smug confidence. This scene was rather interesting. Gu Nianzhi simply cradled her tea and watched TV on the couch.

    ¡°Nianzhi, what are you watching? You don¡¯t want to y anymore?¡± Ma Qiqi called out to her from the card table.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t turn back before replying, ¡°I¡¯m watching the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration tonight. You guyse watch it, too. This time it looks like a celebrity event. It seems more lively than before, but it also feels a bit crass.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy to understand.¡± He Zhichu walked over and sat with her as he replied coolly, ¡°The new Prime Minister¡¯s wife has a good rtionship with the media. She likes events like these.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°You mean Cai Songyin? She¡¯s the only thing on the news the past few days.¡± Actually, the news was also reporting on Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to mention her name, so she pretended she didn¡¯t exist.

    ¡°Our new Prime Minister¡¯s wife is pretty good looking.¡± Ma Qiqi also came over and sat on the rug in front of the sofa. She hugged a teddy and suddenly pointed at the TV. ¡°Look! Isn¡¯t that the new Prime Minister¡¯s family?!¡±

    They saw a ck extended Cadic slowly drive up to the excited crowd before parking by the red carpet. Not only were the reporters excited, but the sardine packed crowd of onlookers on both sides of the barricades also began to get restless. The scene was nearly transformed into a sea of phones as everyone raised up their devices to frantically take photos of the Cadic. However, Cai Songyin, Tan Dongbang, and Tan Guiren sat in the car and didn¡¯t get out right away.

    Tan Guiren asked Cai Songyin quizzically, ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re here. Why aren¡¯t we getting out yet?¡±

    ¡°No need to rush.¡± Cai Songyin wore a red mermaid gown for the asion. It revealed one pale shoulder and arm, and because of the cold weather, she also draped a mink cor around her neck. ¡°We¡¯ll step out once the helicopter doing the live broadcast gets into position. That way, the recording angle will be the best. Today our daughter is the star of the show, so we need to debut at the most perfect moment,¡± Cai Songyin exined as she adjusted the fox fur shawl on Tan Guiren¡¯s neck. ¡°Little Darling, are you cold?¡± Little Darling was Tan Guiren¡¯s baby name.

    ¡°No.¡± Tan Guiren was thinking the car was so warm, how could she be cold?

    After a while, Cai Songyin nced at her watch and saw it was about time. Just as she was about to open the door to walk out, she noticed somemotion outside the car. Thismotion was even more intense than when the Tan¡¯s car appeared in front of the National Center of Performing Arts. Could someone even more important than they were have arrived? Cai Songyin didn¡¯t believe it. Tonight belonged to their family, so she wanted to see who was being so rude. Cai Songyin turned around to look coldly.

    Not far from them, a pearly blue Bentley Mulsanne was slowly driving up. The blue was like a pearl as mysterious as the ocean, instantly attracting everyone¡¯s attention, and it instantly obliterated the Tan¡¯s normal-looking Cadic. This was a real luxury vehicle! Also, looking at the que on the car, it must have been custom made. Cai Songyin¡¯s face had already fallen. Just as she was about to open the door to step out, she saw that the Bentley door was also opening. A woman in a coral mermaid evening gown slowly stepped out. She merely stood on the red carpet, but the moon and stars in the sky crept away into the clouds, hesitant topete with her beauty. Even the bright streetmps dimmed from the woman¡¯s brilliance. The moring crowd in front of the National Center of Performing Arts instantly quieted. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on the morous woman whose beauty seemed to glow. All the video cameras were pointed at her, and all the phones and cameras captured only her.

    After a while, she raised her hand and waved to everyone in the most elegant way. She then turned to nce at the extended Cadic Cai Songyin was in with a subtle smile. That smile was like clouds breaking to reveal the moon, the east wind whistling through a thousand flowers and trees. After seeking her a thousand times in the crowd, one only had to look up randomly to see her standing amid the brilliant lights. Everyone had a different notion of a beautiful woman, but in that moment, everyone present seemed to think that she was the true epitome of beauty.

    Cai Songyin saw the woman¡¯s outfit clearly and scowled. She was wearing nearly the exact same thing! The only difference was that Cai Songyin¡¯s mermaid gown revealed half her shoulder and one arm, while the other woman waspletely covered up. Cai Songyin saw her slightly plump arm and suddenly felt very ufortable. What she hated more was that the woman walked out first, so she woulde after. It would give the audience the impression that she was a lesser version!

 Chapter 739 - This Wonâ€™t Be Taken Lying Down (5)

    <h4>Chapter 739: This Won¡¯t Be Taken Lying Down (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    She couldn¡¯t allow her family¡¯s best night to be ruined by some woman who hade out of nowhere. Cai Songyin immediately made the decision to call her assistant and said very quietly, ¡°Go ask the Minister of Secret Service in charge of security detail tonight, what on earth are they doing? How could they let just anybody in here? Hurry up and get rid of the woman who came out of the Bentley now. We can¡¯t allow her to just stand there.¡±

    When Cai Songyin¡¯s assistant received her call, he had just recovered from the shock of Song Jinning¡¯s beauty. The assistant mumbled, ¡°Mrs. Tan, you¡¯re talking about the beautiful woman... who just got out of the Bentley? She can¡¯t be just a normal person if she could take this kind of car here...¡± The main thing was that he didn¡¯t want to get physical with a beautiful woman like that.

    Cai Songyin also knew that the woman must be rich if she could take a car like that there, but money didn¡¯t make the rules at an event like tonight¡¯s. With so many high-ranking government bureaucrats and military leaders present, this was no situation for a nouveau riche to steal away the spotlight. In Cai Songyin¡¯s heart, she had already determined Song Jinning was a reckless nouveau riche by her actions. After all, what kind of woman born to a cultured, elite family would do such a spotlight-stealing thing and offend the hosts? But Cai Songyin happend to forget that as a mother, Song Jinning would even stab Cai Songyin several times without hesitation if she was asked to, let alone steal the spotlight if it came to her child¡¯s life or death.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. If you are worried about offending her, you can start by politely asking her to leave. Otherwise, what¡¯s the meaning of her standing there like that? The Prime Minister and I can¡¯t even get out of the car.¡± Cai Songyin¡¯s tone grew stern. ¡°Stop making excuses. Hurry up and find someone!¡±

    The assistant flushed from Cai Songyin¡¯s screaming, and he quickly bowed. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Tan. I¡¯ll go deal with this right away.¡± Ending the call, he looked around and called several security personnel from the Secret Service to head towards Song Jinning.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng stood under the maple tree in the backyard of a three-story vi in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital. Wearing a Bluetooth headset, he held a cigarette in his right hand and his phone in his left as he intently watched the live broadcast of the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. ¡°Four o¡¯clock position, there are people walking towards Director Song. Deploy n A and allow the media toe forward,¡± Huo Shaoheng calmlymanded the scene at the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration.

    Although he didn¡¯t personally attend, his personnel had already been nted in every corner long before. Zhao Liangze was in the Central Control System of the Special Operations Forces headquarters base monitoring the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration, as well as sending all sorts of information and feedback from the live site to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaohengpared and analyzed all the feedback from the live scene of the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration in order to instantly learn thetest urrences and make the most correct decisions.

    He discovered that Cai Songyin had sent several Secret Service security personnel over to where Song Jinning was and immediately nned the next round of action. Little Ning, the stylist Huo Shaoheng had sent to be by Song Jinning¡¯s side, wore sunsses with a ck suit to appear like a fierce bodyguard. As soon as he came out, Cai Songyin¡¯s assistant was approaching from close by but suddenly stopped. He looked at Song Jinning with suspicion, then nced at the bodyguard behind her. Based on his instincts, he thought such a beautiful woman who could afford such a car and had a capable bodyguard must not be an average woman. Would he really dare to kick her out? Just as he was hesitating for a few seconds, a group of media personnel carrying video cameras and microphones, as well as all sorts of online streaming equipment, suddenly rushed over from behind him to run towards Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning was also a bit shocked, unsure why these reporters were running over. Little Ning wore a Bluetooth headset in order to ept all sorts ofmands. In the moment, he went over to Song Jinning¡¯s ear to whisper, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. This is part of our preparation. You can just answer whatever they ask you.¡±

    Song Jinning sighed in relief and kept a smile on her face as she nodded slightly at all the media personnel crowding around. All the microphones were put in front of her, and the excited reporters began interviewing her. ¡°Are you Director Song of the Institute of High Energy Physics?¡±

    ¡°Is the Institute of High Energy Physics building a Large Hadron Collider?¡±

    ¡°Director Song, I heard the Large Hadron Collider in Europe is already able to generate the Higgs singlet. Does it theoretically prove that time travel is possible?¡±

    A stream of questions was thrown out and live streamed on TV and online. The audience andizens gave the highest amount of attention when the reporters mentioned ¡°the possibility of time travel.¡± Countless people began searching for the meanings of Large Hadron Collider and Higgs singlet online.

    Song Jinning was a bit surprised, but the reporters weren¡¯t asking anything confidential, and at least it didn¡¯t have anything to do with their actual experiments, so she exined with a smile, ¡°Our Institute of High Energy Physics has always beenmitted to theory and research. The Large Hadron Collider is still in the process of theoretical discussion, so I cannot give an answer at this time. As to whether or not the Eurperoan Large Hadron Collider has already generated the Higgs singlet, I can only say that wishes are beautiful, yet reality is cruel. But as scientists, we must achieve beautiful wishes amid a cruel reality for everyone¡¯s sake.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s casual answers somehow received great acim from the reporters. They wasted no time quickly sending all sorts of live news reports in a race to be the first to broadcast on TV and online. Even General Ji had noticed themotion. When the reporters Huo Shaoheng arranged passed a microphone to General Ji, he answered sinctly, ¡°Director Song¡¯s father, Song Haichuan, was the first generation high energy physicist of our nation. He solidified a strong foundation for our nation¡¯s high energy physical theory. Seventeen years ago, Director Song Haichun unfortunately perished in an experiment, so we must always remember the great contributions scientists have made to our nation. I suggest that we pay tribute with a three-minute moment of silence for those sacrificed scientists on this grand asion.¡±

    Gernal Ji¡¯s suggestion was well received by all the military elite in attendance. As a result, the previously bustling and lively entrance to the National Center for the Performing Arts suddenly plunged into silence. This silence was different from how everyone had been shocked speechless when Song Jinning appeared. This silence was somber and dignified, making many feel great emotion.

    Cai Songyin was still in the Cadic and was the only one so infuriated, all her features contorted. She nearly had an aneurysm. Clutching her chest, she panted inside the car, ¡°This woman is Mrs. Huo, Song Jinning?! Why does she look like that? Could she have especially gotten stic surgery for today¡¯s inauguration? Also, today is the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration! What does General Ji mean by this?!¡± The joyous inauguration had been turned into a memorial. Wasn¡¯t that creating bad luck?!

    Tan Dongbang leaned forward in thought. ¡°This isn¡¯t good. I¡¯d better go now. You and Little Darling figure it out.¡± He then opened the door to get out, but everyone was still in the moment of silence, so no one cheered for him. Consequently, Tan Dongbang had no choice but toment with everyone else.

    After a while, the moment of silence passed, and Cai Songyin finally got out of the car with a smile. She stood beside Tan Dongbang, and behind her was the obedient and smiling Tan Gurien. The reporters and live audience had finally noticed that the Prime Minister¡¯s family had gotten out of the car. However, they missed everyone¡¯s most exciting moment, and many thought it was very awkward to suddenly see the family smiling on the red carpet. A reporter carried a video camera and rushed in front of the Tans to quickly say, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, Mrs. Tan, you finally came out! We all waited for you for so long!¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s smile nearly fell. Tan Dongbang was much more collected as he politely smiled at the camera. ¡°Just now, everyone was having a moment of silence for the scientists who sacrificed themselves for our nation. Although I am the Prime Minister, I cannot interrupt everyone at a time like that, so I waited for the moment to pass before getting out. We will forever remember the scientists who sacrificed themselves for the nation.¡± As he spoke, he bowed to Song Jinning, who was standing before him.

    Cai Songyin looked at Song Jinning with a conflicted expression, but the reporter who ran up first suddenly eximed once again, ¡°Mrs. Tan, why are you wearing nearly the same evening gown as Director Song?!¡± Had they worn the same thing?! Cai Songyin lifted her arms instinctively with a smile. ¡°No? You see, my evening gown is sleeveless, while Director Song¡¯s gown is long sleeved. How are these the same thing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true. That¡¯s our mistake for not noticing it earlier.¡± The reporter then aimed his camera at Cai Songyin¡¯s arms to take some shots before leaving to interview someone else. Cai Songyin shifted to her side ufortably. Tan Guiren followed behind her and looked straight down like she was very embarrassed.

    ...

    After the Prime Minister¡¯s family got out of the car, the VIPs in attendance began entering the National Center for the Performing Arts in small groups. The interior had beenpletely renovated, and the middle tform was where the Prime Minister would be sworn into office. The Prime Minister¡¯s family and the Prime Minister¡¯s most capable assistant would be standing on the tform. There were several private boxes closest to the tform, and one of them was reserved for the Tan and Cai families. The Huos also had their own private box.

    Song Jinning had received a different invitation from other people from the Department of Education, because hers was with the Huos in their private box. She didn¡¯t know who was in there when she walked in until she looked up to see Huo Guanchen standing in front of the box¡¯srge window. Huo Guanchen almost didn¡¯t blink as he stared at her. His burning gaze was difficult to ignore. Song Jinning frowned as she turned away to leave the box. But before she could walk out, she saw Cai Songyin bring in Tan Guiren, who had been following her earlier.

    ¡°Are you Mrs. Huo? I¡¯ve heard so much about you.¡± Cai Songyin beamed as she waved at Song Jinning like the embarrassment outside earlier had never happened.

 Chapter 740 - This Wonâ€™t Be Taken Lying Down (6)

    <h4>Chapter 740: This Won¡¯t Be Taken Lying Down (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Song Jinning gave Cai Songyin an icy stare. Swallowing her fury, she replied coolly, ¡°You¡¯re mistaking me for someone else. I¡¯m not Mrs. Huo.¡± She walked around Cai Songyin to leave.

    Cai Songyin instantly understood and quickly grabbed Song Jinning¡¯s arm with an apologetic smile. ¡°Director Song, my mistake. I was too overwhelmed today with all the media and all the important guests attending this inauguration. I was confused with everything going on. Please forgive me!¡± Cai Songyin was secretly irked as she apologized. What status do the Huo¡¯s have, anyway? And what status do the Song¡¯s have in the face of the Huo¡¯s? Also, Song Jinning¡¯s father, Song Haichuan, passed away 17 years ago. So what if he was regarded as a fallen hero? The Song¡¯s are a dying family.

    Cai Songyin had assumed Song Jinning would certainly want to get back together with Huo Guanchen, so she intended to lend a hand by calling her ¡°Mrs. Huo.¡± She didn¡¯t think Song Jinning would be so superficial. Not only did she not ept the kindness, but she insulted Cai Songyin in front of all these other people. If it wasn¡¯t for her daughter¡¯s future happiness, Cai Songyin really wouldn¡¯t want anything to do with Song Jinning. Who would want to stand next to a demon like her?!

    Cai Songyin had hired a professional institute to investigate Huo Shaoheng¡¯s family for the sake of Tan Guiren¡¯s marriage, so she knew Song Jinning was actually 49, and as a woman who was nearly 50, she was two years older than Cai Songying. However, seeing Song Jinning like this, with so much stic surgery she looked like an unaging demon, she appeared even younger than her daughter! Song Jinning had a thin waist, long legs, and the mermaid evening gown¡¯s curves happened to entuate her S-shaped body perfectly. Her face was as soft as white jade, and even close up there were no visible ws. Her skin was even more youthful than Tan Guiren¡¯s.

    Cai Songyin always thought she was still curvy and beautiful even though she had aged, but standing beside the stic Song Jinning, she basically looked like an old hag. Cai Songyin looked down on superficial women like that from the bottom of her heart. However, this superficial woman had birthed a good son, so for her daughter¡¯s sake, she had no choice but to feign kindness. Although Cai Songyin was secretly thinking that, she didn¡¯t reveal anything of it in her expression. She continued to hold Song Jinning¡¯s arm warmly. ¡°Director Song, please be gracious enough to forgive my mindless slip of the tongue.¡±

    Song Jinning was unmoved by Cai Songyin¡¯s pleading. She extricated her arm and replied calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it.¡± She still wanted to walk outside.

    Cai Songyin had no choice but to drag her daughter over. ¡°Little Darling, this is Director Song. Quickly, help Mommy apologize to Director Song.¡±

    Tan Guiren had been secretly staring at Song Jinning. Tan Guiren could tell Huo Shaoheng had inherited his handsome features from Song Jinning. However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s masculineplexion must be from Huo Guanchen. Huo Shaoheng was abination of both his parents¡¯ best features, so he was a rare beauty. As a result, Tan Guiren had a very good impression of Song Jinning. She didn¡¯t need Cai Songyin to prompt her again before saying sweetly, ¡°Hello, Director Song. You¡¯ve maintained yourself so well. Can I learn your maintenance secrets when we have a chance in the future?¡±

    As soon as Song Jinning saw Tan Guiren, she recalled listening to Fan Jian and Little Ning chat in the car about how their Special Operations Forces had rescued Tan Guiren from New York. Although they didn¡¯t specify who went to rescue her, with Song Jinning¡¯s intelligence, it was easy for her to piece together the situation from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s simple statements. As a result, seeing Tan Guiren was like seeing the mortal enemy who wanted her son dead. However, Song Jinning had been educated well from the time she was young, so she curbed herself from saying anything cruel. Nheless, shepletely ignored Tan Guiren and didn¡¯t even say anything polite in reply. The atmosphere in the private room instantly grew awkward.

    Cai Songyin shot a look at the people inside the private room. The few rtives from the Tan and Cai families all found excuses to leave and closed the door before walking out. The only ones left in the private room were the Huo¡¯s, Song Jinning, Cai Songyin, and Tan Guiren. Cai Songyin nced at her watch. There was still half an hour before the inauguration would officially begin. It was still cocktail hour, so everyone was making connections and catching up. She had wanted to take the opportunity to sweet talk Song Jinning to help her daughter leave a good impression for her future mother-inw, but Song Jinning waspletely unyielding, so Cai Songyin could only look at Huo Guanchen, as well as Grandfather Huo and Huo Jin, in hopes they would help ease the tension.

    Huo Jin¡¯s expression was a bit peculiar, but she still walked over to say to Song Jinning, ¡°Aunt, you¡¯ve always been forgiving. You¡¯re not going to give Miss Tan a hard time, right?¡±

    Song Jinning nced coldly at Huo Jin before looking away and saying without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯m not your aunt, so don¡¯t pretend to be familiar with me. I remember that you watched your own mother die without doing anything. Don¡¯t pretend to be a good person here with your sweet talking.¡±

    The bloodpletely drained from Huo Jin¡¯s face. Lips quivering, her eyes instantly filled with tears. Covering her face, she ran back to Grandfather Huo¡¯s side and cried silently. Grandfather Huo looked at her but recalled how her mother died, so he also felt some animosity and decided to stay quiet and drink tea as he watched the drama unfold.

    Huo Guanchen saw that Song Jinning was being too rude, so he walked over to help Tan Guiren out. ¡°Jinning, Prime Minister Tan¡¯s only daughter, Miss Tan Guiren, is smart and obedient. She¡¯s also very filial.¡± He then said to Cai Songyin, ¡°Mrs. Tan, you have such good fortune to have a daughter like her.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s rigid face finally broke into a smile. She had been right, Huo Guanchen was elegant and humble. He spoke with versatility and would always keep other people¡¯s egos in mind. In contrast, although Song Jinning was so beautiful she seemed ethereal, her social skills were much too terrible. Also, her personality was so blunt, she would easily make enemies. No wonder Huo Guanchen would support her daughter.

    Cai Songyin arranged her face into a smile and returned thepliments. ¡°Thank you, General Huo. Director Song, you¡¯ve maintained yourself so well. We are both the same age, but looking at the two of us, no one would ever believe that. Who knew you would have a son that old? The first time I saw you, I thought some famous celebrity had arrived. Oh, that¡¯s not right. What famous celebrity would have a face like yours? They could never catch up, even if they had stic surgery!¡±

    Song Jinning ignored the secret jabs in Cai Songyin¡¯s words with a smile. ¡°My son is filial and capable. I don¡¯t have to worry about him, so it¡¯s only natural that I look young.¡± She then nced at Tan Guiren and didn¡¯t hesitate to shoot back at Cai Songyin, ¡°Your daughter is too capricious. Not only did she hurt herself but also others, her family, and her nation. No wonder you look older than your actual age. I hope that you can discipline your daughter properly from now on instead of trying to rank on the top searches everyday. Don¡¯t get innocent people killed for your sake. Everyone has their own parents, so there¡¯s no such thing as one life being more precious or worth more than anyone else¡¯s.¡±

    The words were too harsh, and Cai Songyin¡¯s smile suddenly ked off piece by piece like sto on a wall. Tan Guiren¡¯s expression also fell instantly, and she was so embarrassed, she wanted to dig a hole in the ground. She forced herself to not cry immediately. She could tell Song Jinning was talking about her kidnapping in the United States, but she had been a victim. Perhaps Huo Shao¡¯s mom didn¡¯t know that yet, so Tan Guiren didn¡¯t me her.

    Huo Guanchen felt like he had been pped in the face. He had justplimented Tan Gurien for being smart and obedient, but Song Jinning had argued word for word and used her of being too capricious. ¡°Jinning, what¡¯s wrong with you today? Did you forget to take your meds?¡± Huo Guanchen said unhappily, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to give some respect. She¡¯s a younger person, too. Miss Tan is so obedient, how is she capricious?¡±

    ¡°If I have to remember to give respect, then who¡¯ll remember to spare my son¡¯s life?! Huo Guanchen, don¡¯t me me for revoking your parental rtionship with my son if you¡¯re going to disregard his life!¡± Song Jinning was enraged as she stabbed her finger at Huo Guanchen¡¯s nose and shot back, ¡°She said she¡¯s obedient?! Her father was running for Prime Minister, so why didn¡¯t she return to the nation as required byw?! You¡¯re saying that¡¯s not being capricious?! Forgive my blindness, but I can¡¯t see how a person like that is obedient and filial.¡±

    ¡°You...!¡± Huo Guanchen was enraged. He balled his hands into fists and snarled, ¡°Shaoheng is a soldier! Protecting the nation and protecting its citizens is his responsibility! Even if he sacrifices his life, that¡¯s for the sake of the nation and the citizens! Don¡¯t bring shame to his name!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bringing shame to his name?!¡± Song Jinning couldn¡¯t help sneering. Even her well cultured personality was infuriated by Huo Guanchen. ¡°Soldiers are also human, so soldiers can¡¯t sacrifice their lives for people who are too eager to die! I wouldn¡¯t stop my son if many innocent people were being hurt, but I wouldment the loss of my son if he lost his life for people who are whining and eager to die! If that happens, I will make the people who get my son killed repay with their own lives!¡±

    ¡°Song Jinning! You¡¯re taking this too far!¡± Huo Guanchen nearly shouted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it even further for my son!¡± Song Jinning didn¡¯t hesitate to snarl back.

    Tan Guiren finally burst into tears and continuously bowed to Song Jinning. ¡°Sorry... Sorry... Sorry... Director Song, it¡¯s all my fault... Sorry...¡±

    Cai Songyin was heartbroken as she quickly hugged her daughter to calm her down like a toddler. ¡°Little Darling, don¡¯t cry. Little Darling, don¡¯t cry. It wasn¡¯t your fault. Don¡¯t feel bad.¡±

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t stand listening to it anymore and said unhappily, ¡°Mrs. Tan, is this how you teach your child? You don¡¯t teach right from wrong. No wonder your daughter is so capricious.¡±

    Cai Songyin couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and sneered, ¡°Director Song, maybe you¡¯re mistaken. Did your son rescue my daughter? Your son doesn¡¯t admit it though...¡± She was still angry about what Huo Shaoheng said over the phone the other day.

    Song Jinning was unperturbed. Arching her elegant brows, she replied sternly, ¡°When did I ever say my son rescued her? I was expressing vehemence for the sake of the nameless warriors who sacrificed in silence! Also, you people don¡¯t have any desire to learn from your mistakes at all. Don¡¯t turn your shame into pride. It¡¯s hard to guarantee that misfortune won¡¯t spread to my son in the future. I¡¯ll say all the blunt words required today. Don¡¯t ask for my son if anything happens in the future. He¡¯s a major general of our nation, not your private bodyguard! If you dare bother my son for personal matters again, I¡¯ll have to ask the Senate if the Prime Minister taking special privileges would be considered abusing power for personal gain. Should the Senate impeach him? Would you believe that I can immediately request impeachment procedures from the Senate to make your husband the first Prime Minister in history to be impeached on his first day in office?¡±

 Chapter 741 - This Wonâ€™t Be Taken Lying Down (7)

    <h4>Chapter 741: This Won¡¯t Be Taken Lying Down (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°When the timees, your husband¡¯s name will be written down in history. You don¡¯t need to thank me too much. I am an easy person to talk to. I don¡¯t hold grudges, and I also repay evil with good.¡± Only after Song Jinning finished saying that in one breath did she feel the pent-up grudge slowly dissipating from her chest. How could she, being a mother, not know when Huo Shaoheng was in danger? Just thinking about it scared Song Jinning. She was infatuated with doing scientific research, but her love for her son did not lose to scientific research by one bit. She would willingly sacrifice her life for both of them.

    When Song Jinning talked about it to that degree, Cai Songyin hadpletely given up the thought of building a good personal rtionship with her. ¡°Director Song, it¡¯s no fun when you say it like that. First, let¡¯s not talk about our family inconveniencing your son. Even if something does happen in the future, it would definitely be official business. You can rx,¡± Cai Songying said as she looked at Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen gave her a little nod that indicated she didn¡¯t need to address the issue any further. ¡°We also have something else to do today, so we will stop bothering you. You guys can do as you please.¡± Cai Songying quickly nodded her tense neck a couple of times. She pulled Tan Guiren hard and got out of there.

    Tan Guiren¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying. She kept on asking, ¡°Mommy, why did Director Song say that it was my fault? I didn¡¯t... I didn¡¯t do on purpose. I didn¡¯t know those people would kidnap me. If I had known, I would definitely havee back on time!¡±

    ¡°Mommy knows! Mommy knows! Our Little Darling is a good girl. Don¡¯t listen to the nonsense that Song person said. She is jealous. All women who have sons are like that. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Cai Songyin racked her brain tofort Tan Guiren.

    Tan Guiren slowly stopped crying, wiped her tears with a tissue, and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need tofort me, Mommy. I know it was my fault. What do I have that would make Director Song jealous? She looks younger than me...¡±

    ¡°You, why are you so stubborn?¡± Cai Songyin absolutely adored that daughter of hers. She hated to even say one harsh word to her. In order to make her happy, she unwittingly said, ¡°The reason why Director Song showed you such a nasty attitude must be because Huo Shao likes you. She realized that she was about to lose her son. She felt like she was losing her bnce. Right, it¡¯s exactly like that.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Tan Guiren started to feel shy. ¡°But... Huo Shao has a girlfriend. Why would he like me? If Director Song wanted to be angry, shouldn¡¯t it be at Huo Shao¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    Cai Songyin made a groaning sound, and her eyes turned icy cold. The anger that Song Jinning had caused her wouldn¡¯t be for nothing. She would return it sooner orter. She could endure Song Jinning¡¯s rudeness for the sake of her daughter¡¯s happiness. However, it wouldn¡¯t be so fortunate for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s girlfriend, Gu Nianzhi. If she could obediently break up with Huo Shaoheng, she could let it go. If she doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her and has the wishful thinking of marrying Huo Shaoheng, then she will be sorry.

    Cai Songyin was fired up. She had eaten enough of the anger that Song Jinning caused her, and she was going to take it out on Gu Nianzhi. She had also investigated Gu Nianzhi and found out that she was only an adopted daughter of the Gu family. As the Gu family¡¯s biological daughter, Gu Yanran¡¯s attitude toward that little sister was very interesting. Cai Songyin had nned on winning Gu Yanran over first, then she would deal with Gu Nianzhi. No matter what, whoever blocked her daughter¡¯s road to happiness was her enemy.

    Even though Song Jinning had just said a lot of nasty things, there was one thing that Cai Songyin strongly believed to be right, and that was that people would do anything for their children! ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t think too much. Mommy will help you settle it. You just need to listen to me.¡± Cai Songyin lovingly touched Tan Guiren¡¯s face. ¡°Go over there to the dressing room and get someone to fix the makeup around your eyes. It won¡¯t look good in front of the camera, being this swollen.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± Tan Guiren obediently nodded and didn¡¯t dare to act stubborn again. From the moment she was born, she had only acted stubborn once, and she almost didn¡¯te back alive. However, she didn¡¯t regret it because if not for that stubbornness, she would have never met such a good man like Huo Shaoheng...

    ...

    After Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren left, Song Jinning also left. She really didn¡¯t want to be in the same room with Huo Guancheng. As far as she was concerned, after the divorce they were like strangers who had nothing to do with each other. There was no need to be pretentious and say they could still be friends. At least, she couldn¡¯t be. However, Huo Guanchen stopped her. He was worried when he clenched his fist and said, ¡°Jinning, don¡¯t go. Let us sit down and talk.¡±

    Song Jinning only said two words, ¡°Move aside.¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked at her with pain and said in a low voice, ¡°Jinning, how long are you going to be angry?¡±

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t even turn around and continued walking as she said, ¡°I am not angry. As long as you don¡¯t cause any trouble for my son, I won¡¯t be angry about anything.¡± If you trouble my son, then I will be angry at you for everything.

    ¡°He is also my son!¡± Huo Guanchen groaned angrily. ¡°Would I hurt him? Jinning, you¡¯re a scientist. You are in theb all day. You don¡¯t know how to treat people...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to treat people?¡± Song Jinning turned around and looked at Huo Guanchen with indifference.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you? Just now, how did you treat Mrs. Tan? Did you think that just by having a sharp tongue...¡±

    Song Jinning interrupted before Huo Guanchen could finish. She held her head high and with a softugh said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you think of it this way? I know how to treat people. I just don¡¯t want to waste good manners on them, because they don¡¯t deserve it¡ªand neither do you.¡± She shook her index finger at Huo Guanchen.

    Song Jinning turned around gracefully. Her fishtail skirt trailed on the ground and drew a perfect arc like ebbing waves in the ocean revealing rare treasures from the bottom of the sea. Huo Guanchen watched Song Jinning¡¯s back, and he felt that even her back was so beautiful that it could cause other people¡¯s hearts to ache. ...Such a fine woman. How did I lose her? Huo Guanchen held his head in his hands. His strength left him as he sat on the couch.

    ...

    Song Jinning came out from the private room and looked around. Then she went in the direction where General Ji and Speaker Long were. Half an hour was almost up. The servers were setting up the wine sses and straightening out the tables and chairs. The official ceremony was about to start.

    ¡°General Ji. Speaker Long. You guys seem to be having a lively conversation. Mind if I sit here?¡± She pointed to a seat next to Speaker Long.

    Speaker Long nodded and smiled. ¡°Sit. There is no one here.¡±

    General Ji asked Song Jinning with deep concern, ¡°Director Song, where was your original seat?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head and smiled. ¡°In the private room with the Huo family. You know as well as I do that Huo Guanchen and I have been divorced for a long time. How could I be in the same private room with him? So I came out.¡±

    ¡°What? How could they set up such a seating arrangement? That¡¯s really inconsiderate. Later, when I have the chance, I will say something about it for you. The people in the Prime Minister¡¯s office shouldn¡¯t be so careless.¡± General Jiined for a while. He wanted to give Prime Minister Tan Dongbang a phone call right then and there.

    Song Jinning reckoned that the mother and daughter were properlyining to Tan Dongbang. He who strikes first gains the advantage. She said to Speaker Long, ¡°Speaker Long, I just had a dispute with Mrs. Tan. I¡¯m a bit worried. Would she have a pillow talk with Prime Minister Tan and look for opportunities to hurt me by using underhanded methods like purposely cutting funding for our Institute of High Energy Physics?¡±

    ¡°What? You had a dispute with someone?!¡± Both Speaker Long and General Jiughed. ¡°You have to tell us about this. How did you have a dispute with someone?¡± From their perspective, over these many years, Song Jinning would only argue with someone when it came to scientific data. She had never argued with people about any other things. What¡¯s more, Cai Songyin was not a part of the academic circles. General Ji and Speaker Long couldn¡¯t figure out what Song Jinning and Cai Songying could be arguing about.

    Song Jinning shrugged and sighed and said, ¡°What else would we argue about? Of course, it was about my son, Shaoheng. They disrespected him. As a mother, I couldn¡¯t stand it, so I said something to her. She then angrily pulled her daughter away.¡±

    General Ji and Speaker Long looked at each other. They secretly knew what Cai Songyin was nning. General Ji¡¯s eyes narrowed. In the past, he had distanced himself from Huo Shaoheng because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past. He wasn¡¯t looking down on Gu Nianzhi for being an adopted daughter, but he was angry at Huo Shao for keeping the truth from him.

    He felt relievedter on, but only because Huo Shaoheng had exined it to him. He knew he hadn¡¯t kept the secret from him on purpose. Rather, someone was intentionally trying to drive a wedge between them. After that, General Ji trusted Huo Shaoheng even more. He also knew that Huo Shaoheng had sent in his marriage report. He had passed the political investigation. He might want to marry Gu Nianzhi at any second. Isn¡¯t it stupid to meddle in other people¡¯s affairs at this time?

    Plus, if Huo Shaoheng really did abandon Gu Nianzhi for the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, General Ji would feel bitterly disappointed, and he wouldn¡¯t dare promote someone like that. That was why General Ji had looked on with a cold eye at the time. He definitely would not get involved.

    After thest time Speaker Long failed at being a matchmaker, he also didn¡¯t want to get involved, especially this time around, since Huo Shao¡¯s biological mother had appeared. Who had more rights than the biological mother?

    Consequently, both of them said, ¡°If they stop funding your Institute of High Energy Physics¡¯ due to personal issues, you cane straight to us.¡±

    Speaker Long even added, ¡°If Tan Dongbang dares to act that way, our impeachment procedure is not to be reckoned with.¡±

 Chapter 742 - Start Something (1)

    <h4>Chapter 742: Start Something (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Song Jinning appeared obviously relieved as she looked sincerely at Speaker Long with eyes that sparkled like stars. She stated solemnly, ¡°Speaker Long, I¡¯ll remember what you said. If funding for our Institute of High Energy Physics is blocked by people in the future, I¡¯ll have to ask you for help.¡±

    Speaker Long nodded, agreeing immediately. ¡°No problem. Matters rted to the Institute of High Energy Physics are also national matters, and Prime Minister Tan is not someone who doesn¡¯t understand the order of importance.¡±

    Song Jinningughed quietly. ¡°Hopefully, Prime Minister Tan doesn¡¯t disappoint your expectations and has the true backbone of arge nation¡¯s Prime Minister.¡±

    At the same time, Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin were making final preparations in the VIP room of the National Center for the Performing Arts. They were about to walk out of the room and onto the tform to begin the inauguration ceremony. ¡°Little Li, go check on Little Darling. We¡¯re about to start right away. She needs to hurry.¡± Cai Songyin discreetly sent Tan Dongbang¡¯s personal assistant outside.

    Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang were the only ones left in the VIP room. Cai Songyin made sure that there was no one around before quietly telling Tan Dongbang about her fight with Song Jinning in the private room earlier. She finished with an aggrieved expression. ¡°What should we do? Little Darling finally likes someone, and we approve of him, too. But this future mother-inw is too awful.¡±

    The rtionship between a daughter and her mother-inw had been an insurmountable obstacle throughout history. Cai Songyin personally never went through this problem because she grew up with Tan Dongbang. Their families matched in status and knew each other¡¯s backgrounds well, so Tan Dongbang¡¯s mother always treated Cai Songyin well. His mother had passed away a few years after Cai Songyin married Tan Dongbang, so she never personally experienced a hostile rtionship with her mother-inw. However, she had heard enough horror stories about it from close friends. After witnessing Song Jinning¡¯s impable beauty, aggressiveness, and words that cut like a knife to the heart today, how could Cai Songyin¡¯s littlemb of a daughter win against such a witch?? In that moment, Cai Songyin almost wanted to convince Tan Guiren to give up.

    However, Tan Dongbang mused after hearing her ount, ¡°I met with Director Song a few times before. She needed to apply for grants to fund the Institute of High Energy Physics, so she¡¯s also close with people from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education. I never heard that she was unreasonable before.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?! You think I¡¯m lying?!¡± Cai Songyin instantly lost her temper. ring at Tan Dongbang, she thought about how Song Jinning had stunned countless people with her beauty today, and now her typically obedient husband was actually defending her, too. She couldn¡¯t help overthinking. ¡°Tan Dongbang, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re being soft towards Song Jinning because you saw how beautiful she is?¡± Cai Songyin raised her arched brows as she sneered at him. ¡°She must¡¯ve had stic surgery, and her entire body must¡¯ve gone under the knife, too. Otherwise, how could she have that kind of face and body? Don¡¯t forget, she¡¯s almost 50. She¡¯s even two years older than me. Are you lusting after that?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so horrible! Am I that kind of person?¡± Tan Dongbang patted her shoulder softly. ¡°I¡¯m speaking about business. Think about today¡¯s asion. Is this something worth getting jealous about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best you know that. We¡¯ve been a couple and worked hard for so many years to get to this day. I treasure this time just as much as you.¡± Cai Songyin hugged Tan Dongbang¡¯s waist and rested her head in his embrace. ¡°Dongbang, we¡¯ve been married for so many years and always got along. We¡¯re much better than Song Jinning and Huo Guanchen. They were like enemies in the private room today. It was ufortable to see them fight.¡±

    Tan Songbang patted her back. ¡°I¡¯m d you know that. Don¡¯t worry, Song Jinning won¡¯t dare be too rude to Little Darling as long as she is the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    Who would be bold enough to be rude while under someone else¡¯s roof? ¡°Yeah.¡± Cai Songyin agreed. If Song Jinning was a housewife, then Cai Songyin really wouldn¡¯t know how to deal with her. It wasn¡¯t like she could barge into her house and teach her how to run her household. But Song Jinning was the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, and although it was an academic institution, it was a subordinate of the Ministry of Education. Technically, it also meant it was ruled by the Cab, and the head of the Cab was now her husband, Tan Dongbang. How hard would it be for a boss to make things difficult for an employee?! Cai Songyin broke into a smile. The couple stood there in a quiet embrace in the middle of the VIP room as they calmed their excitement.

    They quickly moved apart when Tan Guiren opened the door. Seeing her parents act so lovingly, Tan Guiren was certainly very happy. Covering her eyes and turning away, she said yfully, ¡°Continue! Continue! Don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    ¡°You silly child, don¡¯t be naughty.¡± Cai Songyin¡¯s pale face was flushed from finally feeling a bit better. Taking out her phone, she called her assistant in. ¡°You don¡¯t need me to tell you how important tonight is. I think you guys know what to do.¡±

    The two assistants were her confidantes, so they quickly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Tan, we understand.¡± After walking out of the VIP room, the first assistant said to the second one with a yful wink, ¡°Well, what do you think madam wants?¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t know what she means?¡± The second assistant raised his chin in the direction of where Song Jinning was sitting in the hall. ¡°That person hit a nerve today. We certainly have to wipe her out...¡±

    ...

    Five minutester, all the lights in the National Center for the Performing Arts extinguished, and countless pinpoints of light in the four corners of the hall slowly lit up. It looked like candlelight but obviously wasn¡¯t the real thing. Afterwards, top tier sound equipment in the hall rang out with a sweet female voice counting down, ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Let us apud our new Prime Minister Tan Dongbang, his wife Mrs. Cai Songyin, and the Prime Minister¡¯s only daughter, Tan Guiren!¡±

    At the same moment, all the lights in the National Center for the Performing Arts slowly lit up. It was so dazzling that the chandeliers on the ceiling appeared like huge lotus flowers blooming. On the tform set up in the middle of the hall, two rows of LCD lights suddenly turned on to illuminate a long, straight ramp. Reflective tape ran along the ramp and glittered under the cool toned LCD lighting, resembling lotus flowers blooming on the ramp.

    The three Tans walked out from the end of the ramp as they graciously waved to the guests in the National Center for the Performing Arts, a lotus blooming under each step they took. The most eye-catching one was Tan Guiren. She was dressed up like a little princess. Her long, straight ck hair was shoulder length, and a small diamond tiara rested atop her head. This was a piece of jewelry passed down from the Cai¡¯s ancestors, and because Cai Songyin had married the most sessfully out of all the Cai¡¯s, that meant Tan Dongbang was the most impressive groom. Because of this, the diamond tiara was gifted to Tan Guiren as a congrattory gift. They were her closest family, and the tiara was gifted to Tan Guiren by her grandmother, so although it was precious and nearly priceless, it didn¡¯t constitute bribery at all.

    A major reason why Tan Dongbang had attained his current sess was because he had always been cautious about his reputation. He wasn¡¯t lecherous or greedy, but instead worked hard for a good reputation and power. He also loved his daughter very much and was a model father, so the position of Prime Minister was perfect for him. Today was the day his long cherished wish and ambitions of many years had finally been realized, so he was very excited, and his pale and elegant face flushed pink as she walked up the tform with confidence and eagerness.

    At the same time, all the Hua Xia Imperial TVworks, social media websites, newspapers, magazines, and media all focused their attention on the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. The event was being broadcast live on TV and online. The inte water armies were in position on Weibo to begin giving hits, likes, and reposts to photos of the Prime Minister¡¯s family during the inauguration.

    Cai Songyin had two assistants who were experts in this field, as they were professionals she had hired from a small website for an exorbitant sry. They were the best at creating public online opinion, swaying public opinion, and were of course adept at picking fights, starting drama, turning fans into antis, turning antis into fans, as well as pretending to be hostile and friendly passerbys. They possessed a full repertoire of skills.

    Cai Songyin had also nned the entire Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration ahead to make it an excellent opportunity to create a persona for her and her daughter. Cai Songyin shaped herself as a richdy who was born to an academically distinguished family, possessed a broad education, was beautiful, alluring, and a sessful businesswoman. Her daughter was born into a famous family, was a musical prodigy from childhood, and a beautiful, rich socialite who had studied abroad for many years. Their family was truly good looking, and although they were not as shockingly beautiful as Song Jinning, they definitely stood out among all the other richdies.

    As a result, all the inte water armies posing as ¡°passerbys¡± began to use the same hashtags when the Tans uploaded their carefully selected photos on Weibo:

    #Oh my God! This is the most beautiful First Lady ever!

    #Delicate looking Prime Minister¡¯s little princess, want to go on a date?

    #Prime Minister Tan is so handsome!

    #Look at the family that is better looking and smarter than you!

    Soon after, all the topics began spreading on Weibo in a rapid and brainwashing manner. Song Jinning was also discreetly deleted from most of the TV reys and inte live streams so as to only highlight the Prime Minister¡¯s family. There was no other solution as Song Jinning¡¯s outfit was too eye-catching. The worst part was her dress was very simr to the First Lady¡¯s, so Cai Songyin would instantly bepared against her if both women appeared on camera at the same time. However, for some reason, thergest national TVwork in the Hua Xia Empire somehow shot a liveparison photo during the live stream of the Prime Minister being sworn in. On one side was the First Lady in a red, shoulder-baring mermaid gown, and on the other was Song Jinning in a modest coral mermaid gown.

    When people looked at Cai Songyin by herself, everyone thought she was really a beautifuldy, butparisons were always harsh as soon as they were made. When the two were put against each other, everyone instantly thought Cai Songyin¡¯s evening gown was too tight, constricting the b on her waist. Her arms were also too thick, revealing her pale looking skin and making a sore sight for the eyes. Her face was also too chunky, so it looked huge when she smiled and made her appear fierce. And although Song Jinning didn¡¯t appear on TV very much at all, her brief appearance was a surprising delight and utterly unforgettable.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s assistant immediately noticed that the national TVwork had actually broadcast Song Jinning, and to make it worse, there was aparison against Cai Songyin. Their faces fell when they immediately called the national TVwork and asked them to ¡°mind their influence.¡± As a result, Song Jinning was wiped from the TVs once again.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng took his phone to the room. For him, his mission for the day had been aplished, so he didn¡¯t really care about what happened next. Weibo data and creating online public attention were trivial matters to him, so he didn¡¯t think about it at all. However, Gu Nianzhi happened to see it as she was browsing on Weibo, so her fingers began to itch as she nudged Ma Qiqi. ¡°Qiqi, wanna start something?¡±

 Chapter 743 - Start Something (2)

    <h4>Chapter 743: Start Something (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In the game and chess room in a three-story vi in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital, Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi sat cross legged and side by side on the carpet. He Zhichu and Yin Shixiong watched TV for a while, but neither of them were interested in the reception at the National Center for the Performing Arts, so they came back to the card table to study new ways of ying Texas Hold¡¯em. Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi focused intently on browsing Weibo.

    ¡°Start something? What do you want to start?¡± Ma Qiqi nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, glowing eyes, giggling as she peeked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    ¡°Yes, Qiqi. Don¡¯t you think the Prime Minister and his wife are writing posts to trend on the searches once again?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers thoughtfully scrolled through her phone as she quickly browsed through the news on the home page.

    ¡°For sure!¡± Ma Qiqi snickered loudly. ¡°I can¡¯t stand looking at the water army¡¯s boasting anymore. With such a stunningly beautiful woman in front of her, how dare she boast about herself as a ¡®beauty of the century?!¡¯¡± The truth was, Ma Qiqi still thought Cai Songyin was very beautiful before seeing Song Jinning all dressed up. At least among all the wives of the elite bureaucrats, Cai Songyn¡¯s ability and beauty were certainly in the top five. But after seeing Song Jinning on TV, Ma Qiqi discovered she really hadn¡¯t seen much of the world yet.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know where the First Lady gets her huge ego from. Just look at all this hype on Weibo. Does she really think we are stupid citizens who are so easily brainwashed?¡± Ma Qiqi snorted. If this was on B University¡¯s intr, this kind of trick would¡¯ve already resulted in an embarrassing exposure of the original poster.

    Gu Nianzhi looked through Weibo for a while, then watched some TV. She noticed Song Jinning¡¯s figure had mysteriously disappeared, so she wasn¡¯t seen anywhere. Instead, beautified photos of Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren were going viral. Gu Nianzhi watched the steeply increasing amount of likes on Weibo, as well as the numerous recognizable and beautified photos of Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren. The photos especially showcased all the detail on every single beautiful piece of jewelry they wore, and that piqued Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photographic memory.

    Soon after, she began searching online. There were basically no secrets in the online age, as long as someone had a direction in which to search. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory was especially good, so she basically never forgot anything she saw online. When she looked at Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren¡¯s clothes and shoes, she instantly began to ponder. Mrs. Tan¡¯s evening gown is worth 26,000 US dors. Hmm, this number looks somewhat familiar¨Clike I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before. But where? It seems to have been on the campaign expense report published by Prime Minister Tan? Mrs. Tan¡¯s diamond ne... Is it real? Also, Miss Tan¡¯s diamond tiara... I seem to have seen it in a book about the history of Europeran royal jewelry...

    Gu Nianzhi immediately began to search online using her memory, and the result rendered her speechless, even though she already wanted to start some drama. Did this family owe her something from thest lifetime or vice versa? Were they repaying the debt here? Gu Nianzhi admitted to not being a generous person, even though she could give up Huo Shaoheng. However, she wouldn¡¯t let the family off who had caused her to give him up. Stretching her long legs on the carpet, she leaned back onto the sofa and smiled. ¡°So let¡¯s start something here!¡±

    In that moment, Cai Songyin¡¯s water army on Weibo had already begun posting ttery about how exquisite and rare her evening gown and jewelry were. ¡°Monique Lhuillier personally tailored this evening gown¡ªlimited release worldwide this fall. There is only one of this kind, and it is worth 26,000 US dors. Mrs. Tan paid for everything herself and didn¡¯t spend a penny of taxpayer¡¯s money.¡±

    ¡°The brilliant pear-shaped sapphire pendant diamond ne was said to have belonged to thest Queen of India. Now it rests upon the lush neck of the First Lady. The beauty of the jewelry and wearer trulyplement each other.¡±

    ¡°The Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren¡¯s diamond tiara has an even more impressive history. It is said to be an heirloom passed down from the Cais¡¯ ancestors, and thest owner was Napoleon¡¯s Queen, Josephine.¡± The short, boastful posts were going viral on Weibo.

    Gu Nianzhi could only chuckle when she read them and calmly analyzed the photos of Song Jinning appearing on her phone today. These were full body photos of the morously dressed Song Jinning from this evening, in addition to the scant ones that had managed to get published. However, they had all been deleted afterwards, but Gu Nianzhi was quick enough to save them before they werepletely wiped out online.

    Her finger quickly tapped on the phone screen to crop, magnify, and edit the photos into searchable images. She began arge scale search using the images andparisons. Using this method, she found the background of Song Jinning¡¯s outfit. As Gu Nianzhi read each description, she couldn¡¯t help exhaling sharply. These analyses proved that Song Jinning¡¯s outfit for the evening just so happened to be one level higher than Cai Songyin¡¯s. Song Jinning precisely won, but the dress wasn¡¯t ridiculously more expensive. It was the kind of arrogance obvious when someone baited another topete against their beauty and purposely invited the fight.

    ¡°Someone is already starting something...¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself and smiled faintly. ¡°Then let me give you a hand!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked in with his hands in his trouser pockets. Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, a smile appeared in his eyes. He sat down on the couch next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and leaned forward slightly to poke his head by her side. His eyes were dark as he watched her slender fingers fly on the phone screen like delicate butterfly wings. He Zhichu noticed this and also came over to sit on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s other side, so he nked Gu Nianzhi with Huo Shaoheng on the other side of the couch.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely focused on the excitement of starting something. ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m going to write a long Weibo post about Director Song, and of course the main content will be targeting the First Lady¡¯s posts. Afterwards, I¡¯ll have someone repost it so you have to remember to scroll through the popr topics on the First Lady and argue back one by one. Remember to use the content from the long post.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked down and began editing a long post with photos and texts as she elbowed Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi broke into a huge grin. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s start something together! You post it, and I¡¯ll go argue!¡± Arguing with people online could be said to be one of Ma Qiqi¡¯s favorite activities, and nothing else topped it for her at the moment. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long post was quicklypleted, and she used a secondary ount she rarely touched. After camouging herself withyers of IPs, she finally used a French library¡¯s IP to post this back to the Hua Xia Empire.

    Ma Qiqi took a look and said with shock, ¡°You¡¯re arguing back using her outfit? Doesn¡¯t that seem like a cheap shot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a smile. ¡°It is a cheap shot, and people like us would agree. But what about the people we¡¯re trying to piss off? Are we trying to anger them or anger ourselves?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯re angering them! If we anger ourselves first, then what¡¯s the point of arguing?¡± Ma Qiqi waved her hand nonchntly.

    ¡°Right, so when we argue, we must use the method that bothers the opponent the most. That way, we can piss them off from the bottom of their hearts to make their guts explode. Haha! Anyway, even if we think it¡¯s a cheap shot, we can use it without question as long as the other person doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s cheap. Because at the end of the day, we are going to argue with them so hard, we¡¯ll make them doubt the value of their lives and make them wish for death.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her right hand to flick Ma Qiqi¡¯s head. ¡°Here, let¡¯s get started!¡±

    Soon after, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long Weibo post was created, and she also tagged a known fashion influencer. Using a program, she pushed her tagged content to the very top. The famous fashion influencer, who happened to be following thetest action on Weibo, immediately saw the long post on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secondary ount. He read it briefly and instantly reposted. It went without saying that the post was well researched and had text and photos to support it. The content was also a hot topic, so there was no question about him reposting it!

    Ma Qiqi also used her secondary ount to follow the influencer. When Ma Qiqi saw that the fashion influencer had nearly instantly reposted the long Weibo post from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secondary Weibo ount, she couldn¡¯t help giving her a thumbs up as she then read through each part. She smiled and referenced the content in Gu Nianzhi¡¯sst post to argue back point by point in the water army¡¯s topics boasting about Cai Songyin.

    My Meng Qiqi: ¡°Here, here, let¡¯s take a look! Director Song of the Institute of High Energy Physics¡¯ customized evening gown was also designed by Monique Lhuillier herself. It is limited avability and one of a kind, valued at 52,000 US dors. Miss Song paid for it herself.¡±

    My Meng Qiqi: ¡°But was the First Lady¡¯s evening gown really paid for by herself? Then why did I see this 26,000 US dor instation fee on your husband, Prime Minister Tan¡¯s campaign expense report? I¡¯d like to ask if Mrs. Tan¡¯s evening gown was paid for by Prime Minister Tan¡¯s campaign funds?!¡±

    My Meng Qiqi: ¡°Miss Song¡¯s emerald pear-shaped diamond brooch was gifted to the Queen of Ennd by the King of India and his Queen as raj during the British colonization of India. Afterwards, it was purchased by an anonymous buyer at a charity auction.¡±

    My Meng Qiqi: ¡°As for Mrs. Tan¡¯s sapphire pear-shaped pendant diamond ne, it was indeedst known to be the possession of thest Queen of India. But this ne should be collected in the Xie¡¯s family museum in France right now. Mrs. Tan, where did you get the exact same ne? Did you borrow it? Rent it? Or order a high-quality imitation piece using photos?!¡±

    My Meng Qiqi: ¡°Now let¡¯s look at Mrs. Song¡¯s palm leaf pear-shaped diamond tiara. This tiara has a long history and once belonged to Princess Maria Bonaparte of France and was auctioned off by Sotheby¡¯s in thest century. The Xies allegedly purchased it, and the Senior Mrs. Xie was Miss Song¡¯s mother-inw, so there is a clear connection with this clue.¡±

    My Meng Qiqi: ¡°As for Prime Minister Tan¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren¡¯s diamond tiara, it also has another name, ¡°Lover¡¯s Knot.¡± It once belonged to Queen Mary of the British Empire in the 19th century, but not Queen Josephine of Napoleon as the post previously imed. Why did I say once belonged? Because this diamond tiara was stolen during a royal exhibition and has been missing since then. Oh! That¡¯s wrong, hasn¡¯t it appeared now!? I should tag the British Embassy in the Hua Xia Empire to let them know that their nation¡¯s royal jewelry that had been missing for many years has finally reappeared!¡±

 Chapter 744 - Start Something (3)

    <h4>Chapter 744: Start Something (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After Ma Qiqi sent several replies to the hot topics posted by the inte water army, they were immediately picked up and pushed to the topments by numerous likes. The smug and proud water army posting manuscripts finally saw someone exposing their boss, so they instantly lost their temper. The head of the water armymanded, ¡°Delete them! Delete them all from the inte!¡±

    But who was Gu Nianzhi, anyway? Of course she had prepared beforehand. As soon as the water army deleted from their end, it immediately triggered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cloning software. Suddenly, tens of millions of the same replies were cloned from Ma Qiqi¡¯s secondary ount and rapidly sent out. The head of the water army was furious. Insulting people from behind keyboards and ying dirty tricks was originally their strength, but now they were being led by the nose like a joke! ¡°Keep deleting them! Block the keywords! Block the ounts!¡± But their frantic deleting only made things worse because as soon as they did it, the clumsy denial resulted in self-exposure, and this garnered even more attention.

    Everyone began reposting the replies Ma Qiqi left from her secondary ount, and then some people traced them back to find the original content on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secondary ount. Famous fashion influencers also stamped their approval and reposted to Weibo, adding to the credibility. The entire inte started to repost the post on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secondary ount.

    At the same time, a simr topic was being pushed to the top searches by everyone, so Ma Qiqi¡¯s popr replies on her secondary ount nearly became a top keyword. Some keen-eyed people saw that the replies contained information about Prime Minister Tan¡¯s campaign financial report, so they actually investigated it. The results were shocking¡ªthe spection was actually true. So although Mrs. Tan¡¯s expensive evening gown was not paid for by the nation¡¯s money, it actually used campaign funds donated by their supporters! This was the same nature of error as misappropriation of public funds, or it could even be considered a criminal act. The nature of the error was even more vile because it directly offended the voters, the ones who voted for Prime Minister Tan, in particr! This was messing with their own support base! So when Prime Minister Tan tearfully swore himself into office, the furious voters had already clogged up the TVworks¡¯ hotlines. They demanded Tan Dongbang exin what was going on!

    Cai Songyin¡¯s assistants never even dreamed that things would develop to this extent and were so anxious, they jumped like ants on a hot te. They paced in the office inside the National Center for the Performing Arts. ¡°No, things are almost getting out of control. I have to go to the office in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence and personally guide them on how to transfer attention to another hot topic.¡± After giving rushed directions to the second assistant, the first assistant left the National Center for the Performing Arts and returned to their office in the main building of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence to immediately make directmands tomence ¡°crisis public rtions solutions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, who had been observing the overall state of the inte, keenly noticed that the public opinion had been altered. An expert had chosen to enter the ying field and was discreetly transferring attention to Song Jinning, even going to the extent of exposing how she became mentally ill for 16 years from the experimental ident. Of course, it was described in an inconspicuous way and not many people knew about the incident to begin with, so few people connected Song Jining to the topic in the beginning. However, Gu Nianzhi immediately understood what topic these people were deliberately trying to start. Why did they need to transfer attention to Song Jinning? They had obviously worked very hard to erase all traces of Song Jining from the entire inte today so she wouldn¡¯t even get a tiny bit of attention. So why were they suddenly giving her all this attention? This is fishy!

    Focusing her mind, Gu Nianzhi read each post secretly referring to Song Jinning. The posts were getting pushed up to the top, so more and more people were liking them. Very soon, these would be top posts as well. ¡°You wanna mess with me? You guys think you canpare with the Gestapo?¡± Gu Nianzhi was unperturbed and actually fought in high spirits. She didn¡¯t even turn around as she put her hand out. ¡°Qiqi, let me borrow your phone for a second.¡±

    Ma Qiqi was cradling her phone and arguing furiously with someone online, so she didn¡¯t hear Gu Nianzhi at all. Yin Shixiong sat cross legged by Ma Qiqi and was also holding his phone as he argued alongside her with a smile.

    Though Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t respond, Huo Shaoheng sitting behind Gu Nianzhi offered his phone up and put it in her palm. He Zhuchu nced at him and also took out his phone. ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want to do? I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around to see He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng standing like two great sculptures on either side behind her. They smiled at her, but she suddenly felt weird. Looking down at the phone in her hand, she realized it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s and quickly returned it to him. However, Huo Shaoheng suggested, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to trace the IPs? Use my phone to do it. It¡¯ll be easier.¡± His phone had higher security privileges, so it was obviously easier to enter certain systems to trace IP data. This was an irrefutable fact. But how did he know she was tracing IPs next?! She hadn¡¯t even done anything yet! Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a second before making up her mind and deciding to use Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone. It was locked, so she needed Huo Shaoheng to unlock it, but when she passed the phone back, her thumb identally rested on the home button. It shed for a second and unlocked.

    It was difficult to say in that moment who was more shocked, Gu Nianzhi, or He Zhichu.

    ¡°Your fingerprint is also saved on my phone, so you can unlock it anytime, and it¡¯ll be easy for you to check on me,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly, not shy about it at all.

    He Zhichu frowned and looked at Gu Nianzhi to ask, ¡°Check on what? Didn¡¯t you break up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded furiously and answered nkly, ¡°Right, right. We broke up. What would I check?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I pursue you again, even if we broke up?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned back on the couch and replied evenly, ¡°I¡¯m not your professor, so I¡¯m not restricted by the school rules and regtions. I can continue to pursue you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s statement about not being Gu Nianzhi¡¯s professorpletely wounded He Zhichu. With a sullen face, He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng and replied coldly, ¡°Nianzhi is still young, so she should focus her energy on studying. If you really are looking out for her, stop harassing her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he stretched his long legs casually. He leaned forward to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to hurry up and trace the IPs?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and found an IP tracking app on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone. She entered all the water army¡¯s secondary ounts in batches to feed into the app. Soon after, she was able to find all the IPs used by these secondary ounts. Just as she expected, although there were hundreds of ounts, they mainly used only three IPs. Gu Nianzhi used her own secondary ount to post the exposing results under the topics and pointed out bluntly, ¡°What a joke, all these ounts insulting people from behind keyboards and ying dirty tricks are actually only using three IPs! Let me ask if you¡¯re sharing an office or sharing the same router?!¡± Her reply was quickly spotted by passersby, and the water army was also exposed and ridiculed by the public.

    ¡°Oh? So working as part of a water army is a real job? Please send me a job! I¡¯ll only charge 50 cents per post!¡±

    ¡°The poster above is charging too much. I only want five cents!¡±

    ¡°Get out of here! The poster above is posting pure sphemy! I¡¯ve never seen any water army! I¡¯m posting this at 9pm.¡± Since the water army had been exposed, their shady posts naturally began to appear suspicious. Gu Nianzhi used an app to quickly automatically like Ma Qiqi¡¯s replies from her secondary ount and bump them up to the topments. The suspicions towards the Tan¡¯s instantly pushed them to the eye of the storm.

    In one moment, even the major TVworks broadcasting the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration couldn¡¯t sit idle any longer. This was the hottest topic! This was all hot news! After some struggling, the TVworks also yed two parallel windows while doing the live broadcast of the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. One window disyed Cai Songyin¡¯s beautifully photoshopped photos, while the other window yed the content from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secondary Weibo ount, which was actually the replies from Ma Qiqi¡¯s secondary ount thatmbasted Cai Songyin¡¯s posts! As a result, the entire nation and even the entire world all knew what was happening as they viewed the inauguration ceremony of the Hua Xia Imperial Prime Minister. Prime Minister Tan¡¯s campaign funds had been misappropriated?! Mrs. Tan possessed a high quality replica of a trademarked piece of jewelry?! Miss Tan was wearing jewelry stolen from the British royal family?! The morous and famous family of Prime Minister Tan was in a heap of trouble!

 Chapter 745 - Start Something (4)

    <h4>Chapter 745: Start Something (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    At that time, the most important part of the prime minister¡¯s inauguration ceremony was about to start. Inside the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Imperial Capital¡¯s National Center for the Performing Arts, Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren stood on the side of the high stage and watched Tan Dongbang¡¯s passionate speech. Their eyes brimmed with tears. Tan Dongbang showed real, earnest feelings. He was very proud of his sess and swore he would be a good prime minister, a prime minister who would aplish something, one whose name would be known in the history of the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s prime ministers. That was why he was very excited.

    He was also deeply moved. He had struggled for ten years to make his dream of bing prime minister a reality! For that very important day, he had even written his own inauguration speech. Although it wasn¡¯t as flowery or as magnificent as the speech his aides and staff could have written, which would have been sure to leave the crowd in high spirits, his speech won from the standpoint that it was utterly sincere. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t need to work too hard to memorize it. Every word flowed as smoothly and easily as if they were leaking from the bottom of his heart. A speech like that moved everyone who was there listening to it.

    Ten months before that moment, he had gone from the least likely candidate to the person who had thestugh, just like that. So even though the world outside the National Center for the Performing Arts was cheering loudly, there wasn¡¯t any indication of a storm inside the National Center for the Performing Arts. However, Cai Songyin¡¯s henchmen couldn¡¯t handle the situation anymore. They had gone too far with the topic, so at the moment, the me was shifted to them in a grand way. They didn¡¯t know where those small ounts hade from. A single long blog post hadpletely defeated their month of preparation like fallen flowers carried away by flowing water.

    ¡°Find their IP address!¡±

    ¡°We only know that it was from a library in France... We know it¡¯s fake just by looking at it...¡±

    So what if it was fake? One simply couldn¡¯t find anything more than that. And their fake IP address could cause their enemy¡¯s world to turn upside down! Cai Songyin¡¯s assistant ruffled his messy hair in an extreme manner as he paced around the office. He then finally picked up the phone and called Cai Songyin. Just in case, Cai Songyin also wore a Bluetooth microphone. At that time, the cellphone¡¯s earpiece rang. She was a bit surprised. She discreetly took the call.

    ¡°Mrs. Tan, we have a big problem!¡±

    When Assistant A¡¯s extremely grief-stricken voice came through the phone, Cai Songyin was suddenly startled. An ominous feeling started to bubble up from her heart. It seemed like since the moment Song Jinning came onto the scene like a goddess, she started to have that ominous feeling again and again.

    She looked at Tan Guiren and gave her a meaningful nce. She then silently disappeared and walked toward the backstage area. Cai Songyin was also on stage, but because Tan Dongbang was the person people were mainly focusing on, the lights around him were turned off while he was giving the speech. Only the lights directly across from him were on. That was why when Cai Songyin left, not many people noticed. She only started to talk to Assistant A when she was in the VIP lounge.

    ¡°Talk. What happened?¡±

    At first, Assistant A was mumbling, but after being yelled at by Cai Songyin, he was so scared that he spilled everything. ¡°Mrs. Tan, someone said that you used the Prime Minister¡¯s campaign funding to buy your evening gown, and that your ne is a fake, and that the diamond crown your daughter has is stolen property.¡±

    The moment Cai Songyin heard that, all the color drained from her ruddy face, and she became white like a ghost. Cai Songyin gnashed her teeth and yelled, ¡°What did you say?! Say that again!¡± She temporarily lost all her etiquette. Of course, she was alone in the VIP lounge, so who was there to see her etiquette? She didn¡¯t need to care. Only after Cai Songyin listened to Assistant A mumble it to her one more time did she sit on the sofa and cover her face with her hands. Her body couldn¡¯t stop trembling. It seemed as if her worst nightmare hade true.

    How did those people know?! My husband¡¯s campaign financial report was that thick and had manyplex figures. How did someone find out about that insignificant 260,000 dors?

    If she had known that was going to happen, she would have changed the numbers... Also, how could her ne be a quality fake?! It was clearly a birthday gift from a businessperson. And her daughter¡¯s diamond crown... she must have been tricked by her maternal side of the family. Could it really be stolen property?!

    The crown had been given to her by the Cai family¡¯ste grandfather. Herte grandfather did say that it was to be considered a family heirloom and should not be worn in public. However, they all thought that it was because herte grandfather was overly cautious, and that he made that request because he didn¡¯t want to be high-profile and disy his wealth. Could it be that it really did have a secret?!

    Cai Songyin¡¯s face was deformed from anger. One moment, her heart was beating intensely, and the next, her heart was beating slowly. It was like someone was pinching her lifeblood, and they were going to end her life at any moment! She covered her chest and took deep breaths. She finally called Assistant B in. ¡°Oxygen! I need oxygen! I can¡¯t breathe...¡±

    Assistant B was scared upon seeing Cai Songyin¡¯s face as white as a ghost. Assistant B rushed out and grabbed some oxygen equipment for her. That kind of equipment was normal for a big event. Of course, the new prime minister¡¯s inauguration was a big event. Furthermore, the people who came were all very rich and important. Not one of them could be neglected. That was why there was so much oxygen equipment.

    Cai Songyinid t on the sofa as she covered her face with the oxygen mask. She looked weak as she breathed in the oxygen. Her chaotic mind slowly began to clear. She creased her brow as she thought about how to handle the problem.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fake IP address tactic worked. Cai Songyin¡¯s Assistant A¡¯s public rtions¡¯ effort to divert the crisis also failed. Gu Nianzhi personally buckled on her armor and went into battle. She used her own small ount to refute every single one of those subjects that was rted to the water armies. She even asked people to respect scientists and to stop gossiping about the scientific researchers. After all, they were not celebrities who entertained, and they were not like those people who liked to use the inte to promote themselves, so they were not obligated to entertain the public. In return, the public should leave them alone.

    The proposal was approved by many genuine strangers, and it was forwarded several million times. It went viral andpletely crushed the water armies that were involved with Song Jinning. However, that was not enough, because those conversation topics still existed in cyberspace. If someone wanted to stir up trouble again by bringing up those topics, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to push them back when it did happen again.

    Since Gu Nianzhi had started it, she might as well finish it. She used Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cell phone ess to find out who the three IP addresses those Water armies used belonged to. When the address 32 Willow Lane appeared on the cell phone, Gu Nianzhi nearly fainted! The address 32 Willow Lane was where the empire¡¯s Prime Minister was staying! That was why Cai Songyin¡¯s water armies were so brazen as to directly use the Prime Minister¡¯s residence¡¯s IP address to sensationalize the Prime Minister¡¯s wife?! They really didn¡¯t let one¡¯s own fertile water flow into other people¡¯s fields...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry. She then solemnly sent out another blog post. On it was a list of the names of the water army members and the three IP addresses. Then next to the address 32 Willow Lane she wrote, ¡°...The whole thing is like a magic show. The strangers who talked about ¡®the beauty of the century¡¯ were the Prime Minister¡¯s wife¡¯s own water armies! Prime Minister Tan pleasee out and delete the nder posted by the water armies your wife controls! We have the right to pursue legal liability!¡±

    The moment the post was sent out, it went viral immediately. Everyone was interested in it. It unexpectedly went back to the Prime Minister¡¯s residence in a dramatic manner. The address surprised many.

    ¡°My God! From now on, it will be impossible to look at the words ¡®beauty of the century¡¯ anymore!¡±

    ¡°Going to die young! The moment I see this ¡®beauty of the century,¡¯ I will immediately think of white skin. Can¡¯t they y nice?!¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Tan¡¯s whole family, can you guys be any lower?!¡±

    ¡°So, it was Mrs. Tan that sensationalized herself as ¡®the beauty of the century?¡¯¡±

    Cai Songyin instantly became theughing stock of the entire inte.

    ...

    Tan Dongbang finally finished his stirring inaugural speech and announced that the ceremony had ended. He went to the VIP lounge backstage whileughing and talking with Tan Guiren.

    The moment they walked in the door they saw several men in procurator¡¯s uniforms standing in front of Cai Songyin. With a serious look on their faces they said, ¡°We just received a report that said there was some illegal use of Prime Minister Tan¡¯s campaign funds. We are asking you to do us an enormous favor bying with us and assisting us in the investigation at this moment, please.¡±

    Because Cai Songyin was the person in charge of Tan Dongbang¡¯s campaign fund, the procuratorates and the legitive assembly had records of it.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Tan Dongbang was simply dumbstruck as he watched those men take Cai Songyin away. They didn¡¯t even allow him to talk to her at all!

 Chapter 746 - Rare Opportunity

    <h4>Chapter 746: Rare Opportunity</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Mommy! Where are you taking my Mommy?!¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s tears streamed down as she rushed over to Cai Songyin. Two tall men wearing the Procuratorate¡¯s uniform blocked her with their arms to keep her away as they replied sternly, ¡°The Procuratorate would like to invite Mrs. Cai Congyin for some tea. Please do not obstruct official business.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Drink tea? It¡¯s already sote, why are you drinking tea with her? Can¡¯t you do that tomorrow?¡± Tan Guiren widened her glittering, Bambi-like eyes as she looked at them with confusion. The tip of her nose and eyes were red, while the rest of her skin was as pale as snow. She looked extremely fragile, lovable, and pitiful.

    Tan Dongbang quickly dragged Tan Guiren over and coaxed her quietly. ¡°Little Darling, don¡¯t be scared. Mommy wille back tomorrow.¡± The Procuratorate officials looked at each other before gesturing ahead, so Cai Songyin had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow them outside.

    ...

    Inside the hall of the National Center for the Performing Arts, the lights had brightened once again. Bai Jiancheng, the Minister of Domestic Affairs, stood up and said to his daughter, Bai Yueran, ¡°Should we go now?¡±

    Bai Yueran nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Their gazes were extremely calm, and it didn¡¯t appear like they were disappointed or embittered from losing the election at all. At that moment, Bai Jiancheng¡¯s phone suddenly started to vibrate. He took out his phone to check it, and a peculiar expression shed across his face for a second.

    Bai Yueran didn¡¯t miss the changing expression on Bai Jiancheng¡¯s face, so she asked with concern, ¡°What is it, Father? Did something happen?¡±

    The corners of Bai Jiancheng¡¯s lips curved nearly imperceptibly before he resumed a calm expression. He was almost stern when he passed the phone to Bai Yueran. ¡°See, something serious has happened.¡±

    Bai Yueran suspiciously epted the phone from Bai Jiancheng, and her eyes widened in surprise as soon as she looked down to read the topic. She stared at Bai Jiancheng and asked, ¡°No way?! He just took office!¡±

    ¡°Haha, nothing goodes out of taking shortcuts to sess,¡± Bai Jiancheng mumbled so quietly that no one heard it but Bai Yueran.

    Bai Yueran looked down and carefully read the information on Bai Jiancheng¡¯s phone before giving it back to him. She waspletely impressed. ¡°Father, you are still the most broad-minded. You see so much further from your high position.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always taught you to not mind a moment¡¯s loss or gain. As long as we have a clear conscience, we can be at peace whether we win or lose.¡± Bia Jiancheng straightened his cor. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll go back.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go console Prime Minister Tan?¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s eyes flickered as she looked towards the backstage area.

    ¡°We won¡¯t go. There¡¯s no way Old Tan wants to see anyone right now. We are the people he wants to see least of all,¡± Bai Jiancheng said emotionally. He also looked back for a moment. ¡°This was the doing of your Uncle Gao from the Procuratorate. We can go back and give him a call to see what¡¯s going on.¡± The Prosecutor General of the Procuratorate was Gao Caihui, an old friend of Bai Jiancheng¡¯s of many years. He was considered a family friend of the Bai¡¯s.

    ¡°I understand, Father.¡± Bai Yueran waspletely impressed by Bai Jiancheng right now, so she was even more respectful towards him than before. As soon as they left the National Center for the Performing Arts, Procuratorate officials took Cai Songyin out the back door and into the Supreme Procuratorate¡¯s vehicle. As soon as the car doors shut, its interior plunged into boundless darkness. Cai Songyin watched with wide eyes as the light from outside the window appeared farther and farther away from her. Hugging herself, she shrank into a corner of the car as dread and fear filled her heart.

    ...

    Gu Yanran was also a guest attending the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. Truthfully speaking, she was surprised and ttered when she received the First Lady¡¯s personally delivered invitation. She had been racking her brain to find a way to get an event ticket, but unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been there, and she personally didn¡¯t have strong rtionships with anyone from the upper echelon of Hua Xia society. It had been difficult to secure a ticket, so when Cai Songyin personally delivered an invitation, Gu Yanran was extremely excited and thanked her profusely by donating another one million US dors of political contribution money to Tan Dongbang¡¯s campaign fund. Cai Songyin saw that Gu Yanran was a smart person and needed her to manipte Gu Nianzhi, so she had a new understanding of this young woman. During the night¡¯s inauguration, Cai Songyin had even introduced Tan Guiren to Gu Yanran, and they chatted for a while. But before the new friendship could even take root, Cai Songyin got in trouble.

    After Prime Minister Tan¡¯s inauguration concluded, Gu Yanran got Ye Xuan¡¯s text. ¡°Yanran, check Weibo.¡± Gu Yanran opened Weibo in confusion, then nearly couldn¡¯t believe her eyes when she saw the headlines and top trending topics on Weibo! What is going on?! Cai Songyin is in trouble?! Her heart was in a panic as she put away her phone and found a staff member to ask, ¡°Where is Mrs. Tan? She asked me to go see her.¡±

    The staff member had seen Cai Songyin speak with Gu Yanran, so he thought they were very close. He pointed backstage. ¡°In the VIP room over there.¡± Gu Yanran took her clutch and walked to the VIP room with unease. But before she walked up to the door, she suddenly saw men in ck uniforms walk out. Cai Songyin was in the middle of the group but instead of the ambition of the past, -her face waspletely devoid of color. Her eyes were zed, and a jacket was covering her hands. Gu Yanran instantly recognized that Cai Songyin must be wearing handcuffs, although it was being covered by the jacket. How did they get here to fast?! Gu Yanran moved aside to give them space to pass, then went to the VIP room after they left.

    Prime Minister Tan¡¯s bodyguards, assistants, and secretaries guarded at the door. They spoke politely when they saw someonee over. ¡°This is the VIP room. We are not expecting guests.¡±

    Gu Yanran quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m here to see Miss Tan. I just saw Mrs. Tan... walk out with some people...¡± Seeing the staff not budge at all, Gu Yaran added, ¡°I¡¯m Gu Yanran. Mrs. Tan asked me to pass a message to Prime Minister Tan and Miss Tan.¡±

    ¡°Really? What did Mrs. Tan say?¡± Prime Minister Tan¡¯s secretary asked suspiciously, not fooled by her.

    Gu Yanran replied confidently, ¡°Please go ask Prime Minister Tan. If he doesn¡¯t have a problem with it, I¡¯ll tell you what message Mrs. Tan asked me to pass along.¡±

    The secretary flushed from Gu Yanran¡¯s words. He rubbed his nose and said, ¡°Please wait.¡± Opening the door, he said to the extremely worried father and daughter inside, ¡°Prime Minister, there is ady named Gu Yanran outside. She said she just saw Mrs. Tan and has a message to pass to you and Miss Tan.¡±

    ¡°Gu Yanran?¡± Tan Dongbang heard the name before but didn¡¯t know it well.

    Tan Guiren recalled it and said, ¡°Daddy, Mommy especially brought me over to chat with Miss Gu tonight.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°She¡¯s Gu Nianzhi¡¯s older sister.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡¯s older sister?! Oh, I remember now.¡± Prime Minister Tan nodded and called out, ¡°Let here in.¡±

    The bodyguards, assistants, and secretaries waiting outside the door all moved aside for Gu Yanran. She smiled at them before opening the door to go inside. Tan Dongbang and Tan Guiren were the only ones inside the VIP room. Tan Dongbang had just turned 50 but maintained himself well, so he appeared to be in his early 40¡¯s. He had a lean body, handsome face, and looked like a perfect gentleman.

    He was standing with Tan Guiren and was in the middle offorting her, even wiping her tears. His kind, fatherly demeanor made Gu Yanran stare for a long time before she said, ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, Miss Tan.¡±

    Tan Dongbang looked up to see an elegant, beautiful, and alluring woman standing before them. Her jet ck hair fell smoothly behind her back, and while she appeared in at the first nce, she was a delicate beauty that no one could look away from at second nce. Gu Yanran wore a light pink Chanel off-the-shoulder evening gown. Her cor bones were exposed and moved sublty with her breathing. Tan Donbgbang only gave her a nce before averting his eyes. ¡°Miss Gu? What message did my wife give you?¡±

    Gu Yanran walked to Tan Guiren¡¯s side and looked at Tan Dongbang before passing her phone to him. ¡°Mrs. Tan didn¡¯t give me a message, but I was too worried about her wellbeing, so I especially came over to see how I can help.¡±

    Tan Dongbang had no idea what was happening to Cai Songyin and was at his most anxious and frustrated. His mood worsened with Gu Yanran¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t say anything rude because of his good manners. He also didn¡¯t want to look at Gu Yanran¡¯s phone, but as soon as he looked down, he saw the trending topics rted to Cai Songyin. Tan Dongbang¡¯s heart sank as he took Gu Yanran¡¯s phone to read. His hands shook hard just after reading a few of the top news articles. ¡°How could this be? How could this be? What on earth is going on?!¡±

    ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s happening? Don¡¯t scare me,¡± Tan Guiren said as she began to cry again.

    As Gu Yanranforted Tan Guiren and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, she also said to Tan Dongbang, ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, it¡¯s imperative to bring Mrs. Tan back now. Do you know anyone from the Procuratorate? Can we see what can we do?¡±

    Tan Dongbang shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Miss Gu, you don¡¯t understand. Songyin has been invited to the Procuratorate for tea, so we can¡¯t go asking for her right now.¡± If they went together right now, it would only make things look worse and do more harm than good with Cai Songyin¡¯s case. He understood that much.

    Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t familiar with the bureaucracy of the Hua Xia Empire, but she knew overseas bureaucracy very well. It was a simple matter of offering a big enough bribe. ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, I feel that I have a strong connection with your wife despite just meeting her, so I can¡¯t bear to see her innocent reputation be tainted or injustice affect good people. Don¡¯t hesitate to ask if you need any help. Whether it be money or effort, I¡¯ll do everything to help as long as it¡¯s within my power,¡± Gu Yanran said very earnestly to instantly win over Tan Dongbang and Tan Guiren.

    ¡°Sister Gu, thank you. You¡¯re too amazing.¡± Tan Guiren was tearful as she refused to let go of Gu Yanran¡¯s hand.

    Tan Dongbang renewed his strength and decided to go back to discuss countermeasures with his aides. He said to Gu Yanran, ¡°Thank you for helping us out in this difficult time, Miss Gu. We are still in shock over what happened to us today, so we¡¯ll have to invite Miss Gu over for tea another day. We won¡¯t be taking up any more of your time now.¡±

    ¡°No problem, I understand. Please take care of yourselves and do not be too upset.¡± Gu Yanran patted Tan Guiren¡¯s shoulder before briskly leaving.

    ...

    Back at Ma Qiqi¡¯s house, Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi cradled their phones and continued to browse all the news channels to follow the newest updates to the incident. ¡°So even the Procuratorate has made a move... Why so quickly?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect a long Weibo post to topple thetest First Lady.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back on the sofa behind her. Balling one hand in a fist, he rested it under his chin as he calmly exined to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Tan Dongbang became the Prime Minister as a dark horse, so there are plenty of people unhappy with him. This is such a good opportunity, no one would let it get away.¡±

 Chapter 747 - You Set the Terms

    <h4>Chapter 747: You Set the Terms</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ma Qiqi was sitting beside Yin Shixiong, so she overheard Huo Shaoheng and couldn¡¯t help feeling endless emotion. Huo Shao, who had always givenmands but never exnations, was making the only exception for Gu Nianzhi. He was actually exining theplicated interests embedded in bureaucracy. Gu Nianzhi also understood that these people were using the opportunity to trip up the Tans. Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t have a long tenure in the Ministry of Justice and had only been the Minister of Justice for less than a term before he announced he would run for Prime Minister. Compared to Bai Jiancheng, who had been Minister of Domestic Affairs in the cab for several terms now, Tan Dongbang was extremely lucky. Everyone knew that Tan Dongbang being elected was inextricably linked with his wife, Cai Songyin, who was especially adept at creating hype in the media and on the inte. Today, Cai Songyin had somehow tripped up because of ¡°creating hype¡± online, so the key to her sess could also be considered her undoing. Gu Nianzhi instantly understood what Huo Shaoheng meant in entirety.

    However, He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng with annoyance and replied dryly, ¡°Nianzhi doesn¡¯t need to get mixed up in your politics. Please be careful with what you say, Mr. Huo.¡± He then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to be the bestwyer, or a politician?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯ll assume you want to be the bestwyer, since you¡¯re not saying anything. To be awyer, the most important thing is to maintain a righteous heart. Without a just position, it¡¯ll be very difficult to make the correct judgement. Without the correct judgement, you¡¯d be unable to go anywhere without winning,¡± He Zhichu lectured passionately and was the portrait of the strict mentor ensuring the sess of his pupil.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded instinctively. ¡°Of course I¡¯d rather be awyer.¡± Especially when it came to battling in court, it didn¡¯t matter if the other party was the defendant or intiff, the feeling of using her wisdom and logic to crush the opponent was awesome!

    He Zhichu¡¯s cool expression rxed somewhat as he put a hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder to encourage her. ¡°Then keep working hard and be the very bestwyer.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly put his hands in his trouser pockets, his dark eyes flickering under the dim light. ¡°Nianzhi, no matter what you want to be, awyer or even a politician, I¡¯ll support you as long as it¡¯s what you want.¡±

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips began to twitch. ¡°Huo Shao, you are hell bent on arguing with me. Is that right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the spare time for that. Professor He, you¡¯re overthinking it. I¡¯m merely stating the facts.¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly.

    He Zhichu sneered but didn¡¯t speak again. Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and rubbed between her brows to alleviate her mounting headache. She decided to not get involved. Biting her bottom lip, she gently tapped her phone to send out another text to the official ount of Tan Dongbang¡¯s Office of the Prime Minister urging them to delete the post.

    Ma Qiqi regarded He Zhichu with curiosity then looked at Huo Shaoheng like she was understanding something. Just as she was about to speak, arge hand suddenly came over to muffle her mouth. ¡°Who?!¡± Ma Qiqi turned around and red viciously. However, she discovered Yin Shixiong looking at her with a smile. Of course, he was still muffling her mouth. Ma Qiqi¡¯s anger quickly dissolved into nothing, like ice and snow under the sun. With a red flush on her cheeks, she looked at Yin Shixiong and gestured for him to move his hand away. Yin Shixiong chuckled before letting go. Suddenly, a phone rang inside the game room.

    ¡°Qiqi, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± It was Ma Qiqi¡¯s mom calling her.

    Ma Qiqi seemed toe to her senses and jumped up to grab Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Great! We can finally eat now. Nianzhie here. You¡¯re the birthday girl today, and everything was prepared especially for you. We¡¯re just your escorts!¡±

    Yin Shixiong folded his hands behind his back and couldn¡¯t help thinking about the sensation of Ma Qiqi¡¯s lips against his palm. This girl appeared loud and chatty, yet had a very soft pair of lips... Yin Shixiong suddenly felt his thoughts straying a bit.

    ...

    Ma Qiqi took the guests from the game room downstairs to the dining room on the main floor. Arge round table was in the dining room. It had arge Lazy Susan in the middle, much like the ones in restaurants. The table was alreadyden with delicacies made by Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents. In the middle was an ancient style y pot holding lotus root braised with spareribs, which had been cooking the entire afternoon. This was the dish Gu Nianzhi always ordered in Hubei restaurants. Near the y pot was a te of shredded pork fried with peppers. Bright green pepper strips, coriander, and dried red chilies were fried together, and the pork was coated so that it was still tender and soft once removed from the pan. It simply melted in the mouth.

    In the clockwise direction of the Lazy Susan, the table alsoden with a te of glutinous rice balls, fish smelling leaf with head cheese cold sd, a bowl of dark red sugar zed braised pork, as well as pale garlic and vermicelli stuffed oysters, salt and pepper shrimp, and a bowl of mapo tofu that made one want to sneeze at the first smell. They must have used authentic green pepper. There was also spinach with minced garlic, vegetables in oyster sauce, braised meatballs, almond and abalone mushroom seared in a dry pot, fried cmari with shallots, crisp green pickled vegetables and fish, and bright red spicy beef. Everything was inrge soup bowls the size of small pots, and theypletely filled the table. Gu Nianzhi nced and discovered it was all home-style dishes, and most of them were her favorites as well. A warm feeling suddenly filled her heart.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother came out in a change of clothes and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Nianzhi,e sit down. Today is your birthday, and after we eat all this, there are still steamed crabs. Qiqi also prepared a birthday cake for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, auntie.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded gratefully. Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother had Gu Nianzhi sit beside her, and next to her was Ma Qiqi and then her father. Huo Shaoheng sat next to Ma Qiqi¡¯s mom and was only one seat away from Gu Nianzhi. He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to sit too close to Huo Shaoheng, but if he didn¡¯t sit by Huo Shaoheng, he would be even farther away from Gu Nianzhi. As he was hesitating, Huo Shaoheng had already dragged Yin Shixiong to the seat next to his. He Zhichu could only sit between Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi¡¯s dad. This spot just so happened to be right across from Gu Nianzhi, so He Zhichu smiled instead and nodded to Gu Nianzhi before sitting down.

    ...

    ¡°Here, you eat some more. Why are you so skinny? You must not eat enough everyday. Are you a picky eater?¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s mom spoke quietly to Gu Nianzhi as she served her food. ¡°You can¡¯t just have meat. Eat some vegetables, too.¡± She was a very gentle middle-aged woman, and Ma Qiqi¡¯s personality waspletely different from hers, so she must¡¯ve gotten it from her dad.

    Gu Nianzhi had never been cared for by an older woman like that, so it felt like someone plucking at her heartstrings. Every time Ma Qiqi¡¯s mom spoke gently to Gu Nianzhi, her heart swelled. ¡°Ok, thank you, auntie. I¡¯ll eat it.¡± Gu Nianzhi ate every single thing Ma Qiqi¡¯s mom served her, and she even swallowed her most detested onion and cmari without hesitation. Although it made her a bit sick, she didn¡¯t refuse because she was too greedy for the warm and intimate feeling from Ma Qiqi¡¯s mom.

    In terms of caring about her, Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze, as well as He Zhichu, were people who were much more concerned about her than Auntie Ma, whom she had just met. But Gu Nianzhi thought that Auntie Ma¡¯s care was a different kind from Huo Shaoheng and his men¡¯s. It was like there was a spot in the bottom of her heart that she didn¡¯t even know was missing something, but Auntie Ma¡¯s care had discreetly staked a g there to let her know that there was a deficiency. Afterward, she realized that this kind of care was a mother¡¯s care. This type of deficiency was due to missing a mother¡¯s love.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi eat the onion and cmari in big bites, He Zhichu, Huo Shaoheng, and even Yin Shixiong were ufortable and almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Yin Shixiong set down his chopsticks several times and wanted to say something, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi keep eating with a contorted expression yet still didn¡¯t refuse to swallow it, he couldn¡¯t say a single word. He could only feel pained. This child had always been that way. Whenever someone gave her the smallest kindness, she wouldtch on without letting go...

    Huo Shaoheng recalled the books about child and adolescent psychology he had asked Chen Lie to loan him recently. He was very certain that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s symptoms were the result of a serious ¡°deficiency in motherly love.¡± It wasn¡¯t because she lost her memory and forgot her mother¡¯s love, but that in the deepest recesses of her memories or subconscious, there had never been a ce for motherly love. In other words, she was a child that never knew a mother¡¯s love from the time she was young, so she had a strong sense of insecurity, and this insecurity was most likely imnted deep in her subconscious, even before she lost her memory. Huo Shaoheng watched Gu Nianzhi quietly. She waspletely unaware and simply ate as she discreetly studied Ma Qiqi¡¯s mom. She appeared curious, yet obedient and eager to please.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt ufortable and stood up to say, ¡°You guys keep eating. I need to go out to make a call.¡± He strode out and soon after, He Zhichu¡¯s phone also rang. He took it out to look at and also stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a call.¡± The two men went out to therge tree in the backyard one after another. Huo Shaoheng held a cigarette, and it flickered as a tiny red light within the darkness.

    He Zhichu walked over and said dryly, ¡°Mr. Huo was looking for me. What can I do for you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng inhaled from the cigarette and flicked away the ash before finally saying, ¡°He Zhichu, just tell me straight. What do you want in order to help Nianzhi find her parents?¡±

    He Zhichu was momentarily speechless. Looking away, his shimmery, sultry eyes shed briefly under the dark sky. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been plotting all this time and began looking for Nianzhi seven years ago. It wasn¡¯t untilst year that you finally got news of her and suddenly came to our nation from the United States.¡± Huo Shaoheng methodicallyid out the cards for He Zhichu. ¡°He Zhichu, I believe you wouldn¡¯t hurt Nianzhi and believe that you came here to find her. But you¡¯ve found her now, so why didn¡¯t you ever mention anything about bringing her home? What about her parents? Are they still alive?¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± He Zhichi frowned, appearing puzzled.

    ¡°You saw it just now as well. You should understand what Nianzhi longs for. She¡¯s been with us for seven years, and although she lost her memory, she¡¯s never mentioned her parents even once. A 12-year-old child must know what the word ¡®parents¡¯ means, even if she lost her memory.¡± Huo Shaoheng continued urging He Zhcihu in hopes he would help Nianzhi.

    After some time, He Zhichu finally responded icily, ¡°Gu Xiangwen is her father, so what¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?!¡± Huo Shaoheng threw away the cigarette in his hand and growled quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t you tell me that you weren¡¯t aware that theatose Gu Xiangwen isn¡¯t her biological father!¡±

 Chapter 748 - Determining Truth and Falsehood (1)

    <h4>Chapter 748: Determining Truth and Falsehood (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu snickered out loud as he put his hands in his trouser pockets and walked a few unperturbed steps under the shadow of the tree. Looking up at the night sky, he said, ¡°So that¡¯s the case. You only figured out it now?¡±

    ¡°You gave us the clue, so we escorted Gu Xiangwen back under your suggestion. He Zhichu, what are you trying to do? Is it fun to manipte people?¡±

    ¡°Right, I have nothing better to do than manipte you! What am I trying to do? Mr. Huo, didn¡¯t I help you out?¡± He Zhichu continued to sneer. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want Nianzhi to have an identity to sessfully pass the background check with? I let her go, even though it broke my heart, all because I wanted to let her be with the person she liked. And what about you? What did you do?! You broke her heart! If I had known before that this would happen after letting her stay by your side, I would¡¯ve taken her back right away and not given you any opportunity to hurt her.¡± He Zhichu also toughened up. ¡°You¡¯ll never have this chance again. I suggest you stay far from Nianzhi. Otherwise, I¡¯m not going to be polite about asking!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened. He stood still under the tree¡¯s shadow, the leaves above sparse and filtering the silvery glow of moonlight onto the ground. The trembling speckles of light shined on Huo Shaoheng in patches of light and darkness. His expression, one of a controlled silence, was hidden in the dark. The thoughts tossed in his head, but he didn¡¯t know what to start with. After a long time, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Then you admit to deliberately fabricating Nianzhi¡¯s identity?¡±

    ¡°Fabricating her identity?¡± He Zhichu frowned. ¡°It¡¯s her real identity! Nianzhi is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, and I¡¯ll say that no matter where I go.¡±

    ¡°But this Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA doesn¡¯t match Nianzhi¡¯s. How do you exin that?¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms, his eyes as sharp as an eagle¡¯s as he focused intently on He Zhichu from under the dark shadows under the trees, not missing a single expression or movement.

    He Zhichu shook his head indifferently, a faint smile appearing on his face. ¡°Major General Huo, I know the DNA doesn¡¯t match. That¡¯s why I had you find Nianzhi¡¯s dental records and blood samples from when she was a child.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°Since it was possible to prove Nianzhi¡¯s identity with an indirect method, why don¡¯t you use an indirect method to prove Gu Xiangwen¡¯s identity?¡± He Zhichu raised a long eyebrow, a happy look in his shimmering, sultry eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly began to understand that He Zhichu¡¯s words had proven two points. Firstly, there was something wrong with this Gu Xiangwen. Secondly, they had to get indirect records in order to prove this Gu Xiangwen¡¯s identity. For example, they could use Gu Xiangwen¡¯s dental records and blood samples from before he had the ident, but where would they find them? In the past, they took six months to investigate Gu Xiangwen but didn¡¯t find anything at all. Afterwards, they were given a clue by Xie Deshao to investigate Kevin Ku and were finally able to find his academic records. However, they realized that this person had hidden himself very well, so they weren¡¯t able to find any other clues aside from his academic records. Huo Shaoheng looked at He Zhichu and asked, ¡°Why does it have to be indirectly? Why not directly?¡±

    ¡°Because it can¡¯t be directly, so you can only do it indirectly.¡± He Zhichu might as well not have spoken.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to y with his riddles anymore, so he changed the topic. ¡°Then do you know where to find the indirect evidence?¡±

    He Zhichu shrugged. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± His movement was incredibly simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mannerisms.

    Huo Shaoheng found it a sore sight, so he asked, ¡°Then how did you know there was something wrong with this Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    ¡°Very simple, it¡¯s because of Gu Yanran.¡± He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng like he was almost an idiot. ¡°She¡¯s a living person right here, and you actually can¡¯t even see it? Major General Huo, don¡¯t you know a clumsy excuse exposes the lie?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, please don¡¯t use yourself to measure others.¡± Huo Shaoheng snapped out of his confusion and resumed his typical confident demeanor. ¡°So you mean that there¡¯s also something wrong with Gu Yanran?¡±

    ¡°I never said that. Gu Yanran is also a real daughter from the Gu family.¡± He Zhichu spread his palms. ¡°But I¡¯ll remind you to never rely on women to use rational thinking. If they are backed into a corner, they will be a total mess when they go crazy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°Professor He sure has ample experience. You¡¯ve taught me a lot today.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t bother arguing with him and snorted before going back inside. Huo Shaoheng stood under the tree for some time before texting Zhao Liangze. ¡°Help me arrange a meeting with Xie Dezhao. I have something to speak to him about.¡±

    Xie Dezhao¡¯s current wife was Speaker Long¡¯s cousin. Last year, Speaker Long had previously attempted to match Huo Shaoheng with Xie Qingying, but it didn¡¯t work out. Huo Shaoheng learned about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s international reputation and status from Xie Dezhao, and Xie Dezhao¡¯s first wife, who passed away, was named Gu Tian. This person should be Gu Xiangwen¡¯s younger sister. ording to Xie Dezhao, Gu Tian was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s real sister.

    Huo Shaoheng remembered thatparing the DNA of Gu Tian¡¯s daughter, Xie Qingying, and Gu Nianzhi showed that they were rted. This proved Gu Tian should also be rted to Gu Nianzhi. It would be ideal to get Gu Tian¡¯s DNA. Huo Shaoheng still remembered what Xie Dezhao said about Gu Tian and Gu Xiangwenst year.

    ¡°So what if he¡¯s esteemed? He went back on his word and left his own sister to die. I wouldn¡¯t want anything to do with him, no matter how great he is! The truth is, I haven¡¯t contacted him since my wife died. I beat him up 26 years ago at my wife¡¯s funeral and kicked him out. I never allowed him into our house again! It didn¡¯t matter if he tried toe, since I never allowed him in. He tried to visit the first few years my wife passed away but was always kicked out by me and eventually stoppeding. He then started sending Qingying gifts every birthday. But ever since six years ago, he never sent gifts to Qingying again.¡±

    The ¡°six years ago¡± Xie Dezhao mentioned happened to be the year Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ne crashed.

    As for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife? Huo Shaoheng suddenly realized that neither He Zhichu nor Xie Dezhao seemed to mention Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife, not even once. But Gu Yanran mentioned her before, and Huo Shaoheng had found the name Grace Ku on the passenger list of the ill-fated flight MH210. This should the English name of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife. Huo Shaoheng lost himself in his thoughts. After thinking about it for a while, he decided to first figure out Gu Xiangwen¡¯s identity and then find Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife, who was also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother. It was time for Xie Dezhao to identify this ¡°Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ...

    After sending the text, Huo Shaoheng went back to the dining room to see that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in her seat anymore. Before he could ask, Yin Shixiong already understood the look in his eyes andughed. ¡°Nianzhi went to the bathroom.¡±

    She must¡¯ve gone to throw up... Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything as he quietly heated a ss of water and set it by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spot. He Zhichu had already left the dining table and was checking his phone by the window.

    Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong were chatting with her parents, so the four of them were getting along very well. After a while, Gu Nianzhi came out of the bathroom. Her tiny face was a bit pale, so she must¡¯ve suffered in there a lot. Huo Shaoheng watched here over and sit down, then pick up the ss of warm water he had prepared. She downed the whole thing. Gu Nianzhi had almost puked her guts out in the bathroom earlier. The taste of onion and squid heaved in her chest, so she wanted nothing more than to soak her entire body in water to wash away the smell.

    ¡°Finished eating? Here, let¡¯s have some crabs.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s dad saw everyone was about done with eating, so he went to the kitchen to take out the steamed crabs. The giant crabs were a full pound each and were tied up with straw rope. The shells were bright red from steaming, and when they cut away the string and opened the shell, they instantly saw the bright yellow roe.

    ¡°This is is butter-filled crab. Nianzhi, you have great taste!¡± Ma Qiqi winked at her and reached out to grab one for her te.

    He Zhichu came back to sit down and took a plump crab for his te. He began to use the crab cracker to open the shell. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t need to use tools at all because his hands were more useful than any tool. He could use only his hands to break the crab shells, so they were no challenge for him at all. Soon after, the te in front of him was piled with a small mountain of freshly unshelled crab meat. With a bit of vinegar and ginger, the vor was so fresh it could erase all the worries in the world.

    Gu Nianzhi focused on finishing eating one crab and was about to take another when she realized someone had taken her te away. Instead, there were two tes of freshly unshelled crab meat on each side of her. She looked up from the tes and first saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome and solemn face, then turned to notice He Zhichu¡¯s elegant and warm smile.

 Chapter 749 - Determining Truth and Falsehood (2)

    <h4>Chapter 749: Determining Truth and Falsehood (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Eat, but stop eating after you finish this te. Crabs are cold food. Eating too much of it is bad for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed He Zhichu¡¯s te of crab meat aside as he put his te of crab meat in front of Gu Nianzhi without batting an eye.

    He Zhichu was speechless.

    The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth went up. She looked at the dining room. She went over to the table by the wall and grabbed a white porcin bowl. She put the two tes of crab meat in the white porcin bowl. Then she asked Ma Qiqi for a bag of sliced bread and mayo and made many crab sandwiches. She ced them on little tes and gave everyone in the dining room one.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she said, ¡°I presented Buddha with a flower from another person. Don¡¯t look down on my gift! Huo Shao and Professor He picked out the crab meat. The bread and the mayo are from Qiqi¡¯s home. I only moved my hands. Eat them and see how they taste.¡±

    Ma Qiqiughed so hard that her insides hurt. She grinned as she took a crab sandwich from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. She took a bite, and it was unexpectedly delicious. The tasty crab meat mixed with the thick mayo wrapped in whole wheat bread tasted so good that she couldn¡¯t stop eating. Her mouth was full of the taste of the food.

    When Ma Qiqi finished eating the crab sandwich, she went over to her mother while smiling like a monkey. She had a mischievous smile on her face as she said, ¡°Mom, didn¡¯t you say that you want to go on a diet? Let me eat that crab sandwich for you!¡± She snatched the crab sandwich from her mother. That way, she would not give her mother the chance to refuse her.

    ¡°The way I remember it, it was you who wanted to go on a diet.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother smiled as she patted her. ¡°The sandwiches Nianzhi made for us are delicious. You should learn something from her.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi saw that, she quickly put her own crab sandwich in front of Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother. She said, ¡°Aunty, try this. It¡¯s clean, and I haven¡¯t touched it yet.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright and resplendent eyes that revealed an expression of respect. She didn¡¯t know why, but her heart ached unexpectedly. Smiling, she took a big bite of the crab sandwich and said, ¡°Yes, the sandwich Nianzhi made is really good. No wonder Qiqi wanted to have mine, even if she had to scream and cry to get it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really good! I would scream and cry to get my hands on it!¡± Ma Qiqi made a funny face at Gu Nianzhi and finished eating her crab sandwich in two or three bites. She licked her fingers, and her eyes lit up as she stared at her mother¡¯s crab sandwich.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother saw that and purposely teased her as she relished and finished her own crab sandwich. She sighed with a lot of emotion. ¡°Ah, how can this be so delicious? If Nianzhi were my daughter... Too bad she¡¯s somebody else¡¯s daughter. My daughter doesn¡¯t want to make me sandwiches to eat. She only snatches sandwiches from me. It drives me madparing her.¡±

    Ma Qiqi started to feel bad and stomped her feet. She cried unhappily, ¡°Mom¡ª!¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s fatherughed as he pulled her hand and said, ¡°Your mother likes other people¡¯s daughters. I like my own daughter. We are tied, hahaha!¡±

    Ma Qiqi was extremely happy and hugged her father¡¯s neck while jumping and shouting,¡±You¡¯re the best! I love dad the most!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s was almost as tall as her father, but she jumped in front of him like a little child.

    ¡°You went too far! Stop looking for opportunities to drive a wedge between us, mother and daughter!¡± Ma Qiqi ¡®s mother grinned reproachfully at her husband.

    Ma Qiqi quickly hugged her mother. ¡°Mom, I also love you! I love you all!¡±

    The family of three was very joyous and harmonious, and the atmosphere around them was very good. Gu Nianzhi had never seen a family consisting of a father, mother, and child being so beautifully intimate. She became temporarily sentimental.

    She thought, So that¡¯s what it feels like to have a mother and father... No need to worry that they won¡¯t like you because you did something wrong. No need to be afraid that they will look down on you when you didn¡¯t do your best. Their love is from the heart. They don¡¯t ask for anything in return. They work hard withoutint because everything they do, they do it for their children.

    She just realized that in this world there was a kind of unselfish love, and that love was the love parents had for their children. Everyone had a mother and father, but what about her mother and father? If they were by her side, would they be like Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents, spoiling her without her having to ask for it?

    While she thought of those things, it looked as though ayer of mist had covered her big, shiny eyes, and they suddenly became hazy. He Zhichu saw it, and his heart was distressed for a short period of time. He walked over to Gu Nianzhi and put his crab sandwich next to her mouth. He smiled and said, ¡°You really want to eat the crab sandwich, too? I ate half of it. If you don¡¯t mind, you can have it.¡±

    His tone was cool and detached. However, the words that had juste out of his mouth had a kind, gentle, and tender tone. Gu Nianzhi looked up at him, opened her mouth without realizing it, and took a bite. Upon seeing that, Huo Shaoheng brought his own crab sandwich over and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten it. Do you want to eat it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only came back to her senses after she saw him. She blinked and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to eat anymore. I¡¯m full.¡±

    ¡°Ok, go home if you¡¯re full. It¡¯s gettingte.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t take it to heart and ate the crab sandwich in a few bites.

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t help but cough and say to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Oh? Didn¡¯t you say that there is cake? Where is it? You wouldn¡¯t only be thinking about plundering other people¡¯s crab sandwiches and forget about our Nianzhi¡¯s birthday cake, would you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t!¡± Ma Qiqi jumped. ¡°I will go get the cake! Nianzhi, don¡¯t leave,¡± she said as she ran like a streak of smoke toward the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Qiqi, don¡¯t rush. Slow down!¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s father and mother also asked them to stay with sincerity. ¡°Leave after you have some cake. Qiqi put a lot of effort into preparing it.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother took out another red envelope and put it into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Nianzhi, happy birthday. May you have many more in the future. May you live long.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi epted the red envelope and held it tightly in her hand. She kept on saying, ¡°Thank you, auntie... thank you auntie...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. From now on,e y at our home more often, ok? We only have her as our only child, and she often said it was lonely at home. It would be livelier with you around!¡± When Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother saw that Gu Nianzhi was a clever and likable person¡ªshe even heard that she was very good at studying¡ªher impression of Gu Nianzhi became better than before. They could only rx when she was associating with that kind of friend.

    Ma Qiqi quickly brought over the cake she made for Gu Nianzhi. To one¡¯s surprise, it was an ice cream cake. The top was covered with ayer of snowy-white whipped cream and frosting with, ¡°Happy Birthday¡± beautifully written on it.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and winked at Ma Qiqi. ¡°Ah! Ice cream cake, yummy!¡±

    Actually, the one who liked to eat ice cream cake was Ma Qiqi, but Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother said that it had too many calories and wouldn¡¯t let her eat it. Even though Ma Qiqi really wanted to eat it, she was an especially obedient child and had promised her mother she wouldn¡¯t eat ice cream cake. Consequently, even if she was at a ce where her mother couldn¡¯t see her, she still would not eat it. However, on the pretext of a schoolmate¡¯s birthday, she helped herself to it openly in front of her mother.

    Gu Nianzhi knew her intentions. She smiled as she picked up the knife and cut the ice cream cake into slices. She gave everyone a small te of it. Ma Qiqi ate it happily. She and Yin Shixiong were fighting over it with smiles on their faces. The whole room was full of the sound of her and Yin Shixiongughing and teasing. When they finished eating the ice cream cake, it was already 11 at night.

    Huo Shaoheng said to Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents, ¡°Thank you for your hospitality today. Thank you for giving Nianzhi a birthday dinner. It was very sumptuous.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you are too courteous. They were only home-cooked dishes that were not worth mentioning. Mr. Huo¡¯s crabs were the best of all.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s father said it with humor. He nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, from now on,e hang out with Qiqi when you have time. Think of it as your own home.¡±

    The rims of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes became red when Ma Qiqi¡¯s father said those words. She was only able to not expose how she felt with a great amount of effort and answered with a crisp voice, ¡°Ok, uncle.¡±

    ...

    When it was time to leave, Ma Qiqi followed Gu Nianzhi and exited the front gate. Yin Shixiong was forced by Huo Shaoheng to go up and ask Ma Qiqi with a smile on his face, ¡°Qiqi, do you want to ride in my car? I¡¯ll take you back to school.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she instinctively nodded and said, ¡°Ok!¡± She only remembered that she and Gu Nianzhi hade over in He Zhichu¡¯s car after the words slipped out of her mouth. It was supposed to be on the way, but she went and troubled Yin Shixiong...

    Doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea. Ma Qiqi turned and looked at Gu Nianzhi. It was a bit difficult to choose.

    Gu Nianzhi knew what she was thinking. She smiled and pushed her. ¡°Fine, you go in Big Xiong¡¯s car. I will take Professor He¡¯s car.¡± She also purposely said, ¡°It will be quieter without you around. You jabber. You are too noisy.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m noisy?!¡± Ma Qiqi pointed at her in an exaggerated manner. ¡°I heard that a certain someone has been a chatterbug since they were young!¡±

    ¡°Heard? Who did you hear it from? Yi?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she pushed Ma Qiqi. ¡°Ok, I know you two don¡¯t keep secrets from each other! Hurry! Look, Big Xiong¡¯s face is red!¡±

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry. He simply grabbed Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. My car is on that side.¡± He walked Ma Qiqi to the car, and she sat in the front passenger seat. He sat in the driver¡¯s seat, quickly started the car, and drove away like a streak of smoke. Ma Qiqi held the hand that Yin Shixiong was pulling. She thought, He has big warm hands...

    Ma Qiqi only came to her senses after the car had driven for a distance. She turned her head and looked. Something was not right. She asked, ¡°Yi? Where¡¯s Huo Shao? Didn¡¯t you say that Huo Shao had some business to attend to, and he just happened to take you with him?¡± This is Huo Shao¡¯s car. How did we drive off with it?

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Then he hit his forehead in an exaggerated manner. ¡°Aiya! I forgot Huo Shao at your house. What should I do?!¡±

    Ma Qiqi rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, ¡°Don¡¯t know what you are doing. How could you forget something like that?¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly took out his phone and called Gu Nianzhi. He put on an act as he said, ¡°Nianzhi? Did you leave yet? I¡¯m going to leave with Qiqi now. I¡¯ll leave Huo Shao for you to take home. Is that ok?¡±

 Chapter 750 - Determining Truth and Falsehood (3)

    <h4>Chapter 750: Determining Truth and Falsehood (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When Gu Nianzhi took Yin Shixiong¡¯s call, Huo Shaoheng had already gotten inside He Zhichu¡¯s car. She really regretted not sitting in the front passenger seat with He Zhichu when she first got in. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have had to sit with Huo Shaoheng. She didn¡¯t feel anything, but it was a bit awkward. Turning to look out the window, she giggled at Yin Shixiong and said faintly, ¡°Brother Xiong, how did you have the gall to ¡®forget¡¯ your Chief? You take me for an idiot?¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled over the phone. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t expose someone having a hard time. Also, Chief understands that it¡¯s hard for me to be an old, unwanted, single man. Shouldn¡¯t you understand me, too?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an... old, unwanted, single man?!¡± Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Brother Xiong sure is great at making things up!¡± Her mood gradually improved. Ending the call, she turned to Huo Shaoheng sitting at the other end other seat. ¡°Huo Shao, Brother Xiong asked us to drive you back. Where are you going?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rested his head on his hand and leaned against the window as he replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m going to your school.¡±

    ¡°Going to my school?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Why are you going to my school sote?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her with a hint of a smile in his eyes. ¡°Big Xiong is driving Qiqi back to school, so I¡¯ll wait for him there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and called Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong, Huo Shao said to wait for him at our school.¡±

    Yin Shixiong understood and secretly sent Huo Shaoheng a text to confirm. Huo Shaoheng quickly replied, ¡°Yes¡± and put his phone away.

    He Zhichu was driving the car, an unspeakable grievance in his heart. He wanted very badly to park on the side of the road to let Gu Nianzhi sit up front. Or maybe I should ask her toe up right now? However, it seemed to vite trafficws and was somewhat unsafe. Coughing lightly, he turned on the car radio and Debussy¡¯s ¡°Moonlight¡± began to gush out like running water. The graceful melody seemed to soothe the mind.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned her head against the window and looked at the outside scenery in a daze. Her eyes were wide, and from where Huo Shaoheng was sitting, he could even see the rows of street lights reflected her her eyes like the entire starry sky was inside of them. He could tell that Gu Nianzhi was still entranced by Ma Qiqi¡¯s happy family. Huo Shaoheng thought about it and said expressionlessly, ¡°Qiqi¡¯s family is quite nice. I could tell that her parents are good people who love their child.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°But some parents don¡¯t have a good rtionship with their kids at all. To them, children are tools or missions to be tossed aside afterpleting them.¡±

    What is he talking about? Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and quickly looked at Huo Shaoheng. He wasn¡¯t looking at her but was starting out the window on his side. Gu Nianzhi could only see his handsome profile and the perfect curvature of his jawline.

    ¡°...There are also parents who don¡¯t care care about their kids at all, but make all sorts of demands on them when they grow up. They just want the kids to be ves to repay their generosity of raising of them.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was very deep, like the sound of a piano ying along with the flowing of a mountain spring. It was very interesting to listen to.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and was just about to rebuke him when He Zhichu started to speak from the front of the car. ¡°Huo Shao is right. Nianzhi, Qiqi¡¯s parents are already considered very good parents because most of them aren¡¯t that nice. In my many years as awyer, I¡¯ve seen many irresponsible and unreasonable parents. There was a very wealthy man in the United States who prepared a will before he died and left all his inheritance to his children with his second wife. Even the second wife¡¯s ex-husband got a share, but he didn¡¯t leave a penny to his kids with his original wife. Also, there are mothers who pimp out their daughters and make them sell their bodies to repay their mothers¡¯ gambling debts.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. So these two men saw her admiring Qiqi¡¯s parents today and decided to teach her about all the unreliable parents in the world?! Gu Nianzhi wanted to bow down to these two people. Who wanted to hear such negative things? It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t know that. Sighing, she said with exhaustion, ¡°I understand it all, I was just moved by the moment. I already grew up without parents...¡± She nced at Huo Shaoheng. If she didn¡¯t judge him as a lover, his care for her was absolutely without a single fault.

    ....

    He Zhichu had to agree with Huo Shaoheng, so he was feeling ufortable. But he had to agree because he also didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to be stubborn with her thoughts.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly recalled the situations with Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu. There wasn¡¯t much to say about Huo Shaoheng. Although he had real parents, his father was unreliable. His mother focused all her energy on scientific research, so he was raised by his grandmother. He must¡¯ve not enjoyed much parental love. However, his parents were both with him, and it was undeniable that Auntie Song loved Huo Shaoheng very much. Of course, Auntie Song and Auntie Ma werepletely different people, so they couldn¡¯t bepared. Gu Nianzi liked them both. She wanted to be an independent woman like Auntie Song but also wanted to have a mother like Auntie Ma. Was she too greedy?

    Gu Nianzhi gently tapped her fingers against the window to the rhythm of the piano, then looked at He Zhichu sitting in the driver¡¯s seat at an angle in front of her. She seemed to remember He Zhichu mentioning once that his mother passed away when he was a teenager. His father didn¡¯t remarry for more than ten years for He Zhichu¡¯s sake, and it was only when He Zhichu turned 30 that his father finally married a longtime close friend. With this thought, Gu Nianzhi finally calmed down. Fine, not everyonees from a family like Ma Qiqi¡¯s, so it is enough to understand each other, right?

    But Gu Nianzhi still thought that the two men were different from her. Regardless of whether their parents truly loved them, they both knew who their parents were and where they belonged. She was different because she didn¡¯t remember her parents, her childhood home, or memories, and it made her insecure. She craved a mother¡¯s love much more than they did. So, she must graduate quickly and be able to be independent shortly after, then begin to search for her mother. She couldn¡¯t rely on others at all... Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts began to blur and sleep slowly overtook her. She fell asleep leaning against the window. The day had been too tiring, and even as an extremely energetic person, she was a bit overextended.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t hear her talk for some time and noticed her breathing gradually soften like she had fallen asleep. Turning around, he saw she really was asleep. Only her head was leaning against the window, and her arms were hugging her chest tightly as she curled up in the corner. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes glittered quickly as he shuffled over and pulled Gu Nianzhi to him so she could lean on his shoulder.

    Gu Nianzhi was deep asleep, and in her dreams she noticed a familiar scent move close to her, so she instinctively leaned over and found afortable position. Listening to a familiar heartbeat, it was the perfect luby to ease her into a deeper sleep. Huo Shaoheng looked down to see that Gu Nianzhi had already nestled against his chest and was grabbing his cor as she slept. He smiled faintly and hugged her like that and allowed her to sleep on his chest until they arrived at her dorm.

    He Zhichu saw it all from the rearview mirror, and the veins popped on the back of his hand as he squeezed the steering wheel. However, he gritted his teeth and kept quiet.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong had already arrived and was waiting alone after Ma Qiqi went upstairs. It was already past midnight, so there weren¡¯t many people on campus. He didn¡¯t have to wait long before he saw He Zhichu¡¯s car drive over and park in front of the dorm building. The doors opened, and Huo Shaoheng got out of the car. He then turned back to carry someone out.

    He Zhichu also got out of the car and called out to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, that¡¯s not appropriate, is it now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped walking and nced at him. ¡°How¡¯s it not appropriate? Nianzhi is asleep.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only a few steps. I can wake her up.¡± He Zhichu came over with an icy expression and called out, ¡°Nianzhi, wake up.¡± His voice seemed to explode by her ears.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes in a daze and soon noticed something was wrong. She quickly struggled to stand up and vaguely remembered she had leaned against Huo Shaoheng as she slept. She instantly felt mortified and didn¡¯t look up as she said, ¡°Professor He, thanks for driving me back home. Goodnight.¡± She turned and ran back to the dorm.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t reply but sent her a text asking her to rest well before getting in the car and driving away.

    Yin Shixiong finally came over and smiled. ¡°Chief, can we go back now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at him as he reached out. ¡°Keys.¡±

    Yin Shixiong gave him the keys and followed him in the car. They left B University and returned to the Special Operations Forces headquarters base.

    ...

    The following day was Monday, so Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi both had morning sses. They got up around 7am and quickly wolfed down breakfast before taking their backpacks and running to their ssrooms. That Monday at the B University campus, the young students weed their race against the sun and were full of high spirits.

    However, the world outside the campus was not as stable and peaceful. The new First Lady being taken away by the Procuratorate on Prime Minister Tan¡¯s first day in office was like a storm migrating from Weibo to reality. Everyone online and offline followed the big news. Tan Dongbang and his aides discussed it all night and finally decided to havewyers escort Cai Songyin back from the Procuratorate early the next morning. The jurisprudence they based the action on was that the Procuratorate hadn¡¯t issued a court summons, so they couldn¡¯t detain her without establishing proper cause. If they needed her to assist with investigations, then there must be awyer present. She also couldn¡¯t be forced to do anything or be detained for more than 12 hours.

    Tan Guiren cried all night and finally fell asleep in the morning. Tang Dongbang couldn¡¯t care at a time like this because he was in hot water himself. He could only hope that Tan Guiren would stay obedient. Just as he sat down in his office, he heard the internal phone line ring. The operator said Miss Gu Yanran was asking to see Prime Minister Tan and also had thetest news about Mrs. Tan.

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯te alone but also brought Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan had observed Cai Songyin¡¯s incident fromst night until now. Afterwards, he told Gu Yanran that within the people setting Cai Songyin up, there was a very powerfulputer expert.

 Chapter 751 - The Invisible Hand

    <h4>Chapter 751: The Invisible Hand</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was true that while the expert looked at the mechanism, theyman looked at the excitement. Theizen audience witnessed a live drama of ¡°magic realism¡± onlinest night, but there were also manyputer experts who discovered there was an ¡°invisible hand¡± in the background setting up the entire thing. They posted professional opinions on Weibo. ¡°There is a team led by aputer expert behind the entire thing, and the whole team is well organized. With so many searches and resources, as well as the amount ofputing required for digging up IPs and the equipment required, this all illustrates that the incident wasn¡¯t a coincidence. The hacking was premeditated, nned, actionable, and executable. This was the result of long term nning and investment inrge amounts of manpower and resources.¡±

    ¡°There are only a few such organizations like that in the world. We will wait and see which hacker organization announces responsibility for this incident.¡±

    ...

    Gu Yanran took Ye Xuan to Tan Dongbang¡¯s Official Residence of the Prime Minister. She couldn¡¯t absorb everything with her eyes alone the entire way there. The great No. 32 Willow Hutong had been a ce she had only heard of but couldn¡¯t enter in the past, but now its doors were wide open for her. With her head half inclined, she maintained an elegant smile as she graciously walked through the long corridors to arrive to the door to Tan Dongbang¡¯s Office of the Prime Minsiter. Two staff members stood in front of the door, and one of them moved aside when they saw Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan. They bowed over to help them push open the heavy dark brown oak door. Gu Yanran thanked them with a smile then took Ye Xuan inside.

    Ye Xuan remained calm from the beginning until now, like the surroundings were not enough to shock him. Gu Yanran was quite pleased with his attitude and introduced him to Tan Dongbang with a smile. ¡°This is Ye Xuan. He¡¯s aputer expert.¡±

    Tan Dongbang reached out a hand to Ye Xuan. ¡°Hello.¡±

    Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Prime Minister Tan to appear even younger in real life than on TV.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡± Tan Dongbang was in no mood for pleasantries and directly asked Gu Yanran, ¡°You said there was aputer expert. What did you mean by that?¡±

    Gu Yanran prodded Ye Xuan. ¡°You exin and tell Prime Minister Tan properly.¡±

    Ye Xuan nodded as he took out hisptop from the briefcase he carried. He began to demonstrate for Prime Minister Tan. ¡°I¡¯ve been observing this entire incident sincest night and out of curiosity, I checked the IP for the ount that wrote the long Weibo post. I didn¡¯t expect to only discover the IP to a French library, even with my abilities.¡±

    Tan Dongbang was very disappointed and frowned. ¡°Our personnel discovered the same thing as well.¡±

    ¡°Not only that, his IP was also heavily concealed. I used a bit of a tactic to finally check where he transferred. It was directly carried out through the Nandou satellite.¡± Ye Xuan¡¯sst sentence was the main point. ¡°Prime Minister, who could use the Nandou satellite to directly transfer and also disguise their IP? There can¡¯t be many people capable of that.¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s words practically pointed out that the secondary ount must belong to one of their internal personnel.

    In fact, Tan Dongbang had long suspected someone from the inside was working against him. Otherwise, how could they investigate everything so thoroughly? Ye Xuan¡¯s words matched his thoughts, so Tan Dongbang became much more friendly. He even called several personnel over to offer Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran coffee or tea. Ye Xuan asked for coffee, Gu Yanran asked for tea, and Tang Dongbang got tea as well. He also asked personnel to bring some snacks in, and they chatted as they ate.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi browsed Weibo on her phone at lunch time. When she saw the ¡°statements¡± made by puter experts¡± on Weibo, she couldn¡¯t help feeling shocked. What kind ofputer experts would determine her actions yesterday as those of a team?! She had simply wanted to start something on a whim and argued back on Cai Songyin¡¯s posts... These people sure knew how to do damage control.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s curvy lips lifted as she revealed a sly smirk. Logging onto her own Weibo, she used another secondary ount toment, ¡°Computer experts, you determined that a team¡¯s actions could conceal the truth about the First Lady¡¯s misappropriation of campaign funds, faking of high-end jewelry, and also that she had her daughter wear stolen jewelry? Where are your morals? Eaten up by dogs...¡±

    Ma Qiqi instantly backed her up. ¡°This is some damage control. I give theseputer experts 99 percent and not 100 percent, so you don¡¯t get too smug!¡± Herment was quickly bumped up by likes. Even bystanders expressed that this incident could not be covered up with damage control.

    ¡°Also, hacker organizations... These people¡¯s imaginations are even stronger than theirputer skills.¡± Ma Qiqi covered her beaming smile.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her and whispered, ¡°Prime Minister Tan and his personnel won¡¯t let this go easily, that¡¯s for sure. Keep a low profile and don¡¯t reveal this to others.¡± Although she wasn¡¯t afraid of them, she was worried about all the trouble that could follow, so it was best to avoid what they could.

    ¡°I know, as if I need you to remind me? Also, as to why yesterday¡¯s incident developed to that dramatic extent, I¡¯m confused, too. So don¡¯t worry, even if someone tried to question me, they wouldn¡¯t get anything out of it. I don¡¯t even know what happened, either!¡± Ma Qiqi giggled and gobbled down her lunch before going back to her room to nap. Gu Nianzhi then looked at Weibo some more before losing interest and logging off.

    ...

    The department responsible for supervising the election within the Supreme Procuratorate of the Hua Xia Empire was called the Election Office. They were located on the highest floor of the Supreme Procuratorate building. Cai Songyin had been brought there for questioning the night before. Neither she nor Tan Dongbng were clueless folks who didn¡¯t know anything. However, she had been pampered and well respected for many years and was used to being arrogant, so she was very unustomed to the environment. Naturally, she didn¡¯t say a word and kept repeating, ¡°I need to see mywyer.¡±

    The Procuratorate questioned her the entire night but failed to pry open her mouth, so they felt very useless. Also, the legal team sent by the Tans had arrived at the entrance of the Supreme Procuratorate and was holding a press conference right there. ¡°Dear friends from the media, hello. We are not here today to talk about efficiencies or build rtionships. Instead, we are here for an innocent Imperial citizen who is an unfortunate victim. Although my client is the wife of the Prime Minister, she is foremost a citizen and enjoys all the rights a citizen should have.¡± Thewyer the Tans hired was thewyer from JDw office, Jin Wanyi. She was no longer the nobodywyer who had been pushed out to clean up messes no one wanted, but was now an independent and respectedwyer.

    She had a professional and short coif, and she was wearing thetest dress suit by Issey Miyake with high heels nearly three inches tall. Soon after, Jin Wanyi¡¯s press conference for her client, Cai Songyin, in front of the entrance of the Supreme Procuratorate went viral on Weibo. The press conference was quickly captured on Miaopai short videos and reposted everywhere.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but check on thetest update on the situation while she was bored in ss. Her hand paused when she saw Jin Wanyi¡¯s video. If she remembered correctly, this woman had been romantically ambiguous with Brother Xiong for some time.

 Chapter 752 - Doesnâ€™t Your Conscience Hurt?

    <h4>Chapter 752: Doesn¡¯t Your Conscience Hurt?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Thest time she crossed paths with Jin Wanyi, Xu Piaohong was still trying to get between her and Huo Shaoheng. How arrogant and possessive over Huo Shaoheng had Gu Nianzhi been back then¡ªand even though she chased away Dou Qingyan and Xu Piaohong one after another, it ended up being futile. She even broke up with Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really care about the marriage certificate at all. To her, it was just a piece of paper that could be invalidated anytime. After being lost in her thoughts for a while, she sighed and easily forwarded the video to Yin Shixiong.

    In less than a minute, Yin Shixiong replied to her text, ¡°?¡± He didn¡¯t say anything else.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile as she typed two words, ¡°Jin Wanyi.¡±

    Yin Shixiong replied, ¡°??¡±

    So is he still not remembering, or is he ying dumb? Gu Nianzhi pouted as she sent, ¡°haha¡± back before ignoring Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong was very ufortable to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text of ¡°haha.¡± He looked at Jin Wanyi in the video on his phone, then thought about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude. He couldn¡¯t help but think that if it had been Qiqi, would she also mince her words and keep half the truth from him? But when he recalled Ma Qiqi, he suddenly understood why Gu Nianzhi wasughing. Crap, could this girl think there was something between me and Jin Wanyi? If she told the whole thing to Ma Qiqi, how would he even begin to exin it? After some contemtion, Yin Shixiong sighed deeply and surrendered to Gu Nianzhi. He sent her another text. ¡°Little princess, I admit it was my fault.¡±

    Seeing his reply, Gu Nianzhi smirked and sent back, ¡°The most important lesson is admitting and learning from a fault.¡± The matter was considered closed. Yin Shixiong and Jin Wanyi probably never really got anywhere. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t say that. There was always an ambiguity between adult men and women. How else could their rtionship develop without some initial ambiguity? Love at first sight was too rare of an urrence, so why couldn¡¯t people give each other a chance? It was fine as long as they didn¡¯t cross the line.

    ...

    Because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s video, Yin Shixiong also began to pay close attention to the progress with the Procuratorate. He reported to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Chief, the Tan¡¯s have sent awyer to the Procuratorate to demand release.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look up as he replied, ¡°If the Procuratorate hasn¡¯t evenpleted the process within one night¡¯s time, then I think we need a new Prosecutor General.¡±

    Yin Shixiong stiffened. ¡°Oh? You knew that already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t I know?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up from theputer and asked calmly, ¡°Why are you paying attention to the Tan¡¯swyer? Because it¡¯s Jin Wanyi?¡±

    Yin Shixiong nearly kneeled. Who said Chief and Nianzhi weren¡¯t a couple?! Come out here! I¡¯ll beat you up! They are both noticing the same key point! ¡°Of course not.¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head. ¡°But why do you all assume I would pay attention to Jin Wanyi?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Huo Shaoheng reprimanded him coldly. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then it looks like the Special Operations Forces is not training personnel properly.¡±

    Yin Shixiong finally quickly straightened his posture and called out, ¡°Reporting to Chief, I admit fault!¡±

    ¡°The most important lesson is admitting and learning from a fault. You are dismissed.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved at him and asked him to leave.

    Yin Shixiong recalled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text as soon as he heard the words. He nearly kneeled once again and wanted very badly to ask, ¡°Chief, are you monitoring my phone?!¡± Of course, he would never ask that, even if he had all the courage in the world. Sheepishly leaving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t even dare to look up.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his door as he shook his head. What did the Special Ops do? It was the intelligence work of monitoring people daily, and Yin Shixiong actually told Huo Shaoheng he couldn¡¯t tell what the woman admiring him meant? What a joke...

    ...

    Yin Shixiong sat back down in his office, his back already soaked with cold sweat. He could swear that he didn¡¯t have any feelings for Jin Wanyi, but he was very certain about whether she had feelings for him. However, he hadn¡¯t explicitly rejected her before, and that was mainly because he didn¡¯t feel any resentment towards her. As a result, he would go out with her once every three times she asked. Watching movies, browsing bookstores, ying a game, going on a hike...

    So without me noticing it, many people assumed we were a couple? Yin Shixiong felt a bit wronged by this thought. They were only hanging out as a normal man and a woman, and Jin Wanyi never said anything about liking him. What could he do? Tell her to not like him? Would Jin Wanyi not look at him like he was dumb and shoot back, ¡°Since when did you ever hear me say I liked you?¡±

    If it was in the past, Yin Shixiong would have argued back confidently, ¡°So what? Why can¡¯t I pay attention to Jin Wanyi?¡± But now he didn¡¯t have that boldness anymore. Why not? There seemed to be a lingering concern in his heart. He instinctively felt that being ambiguous with another woman would be wronging another person.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s stomach was tied up in a hundred anxious knots as he sat in the chair. He turned on the wall-mounted TV in the office and continued to watch the live broadcast of the Procuratorate¡¯s entrance. By now, Jin Wanyi had already led her legal team inside, so they must be negotiating with the Procuratorate.

    On TV, the live broadcast anchors watched all thewyers go in, so they invited all sorts of legal experts to start discussing the case. The legal experts all focused on whether the Procuratorate had the power to circumvent the courts and directly make arrests, and if Cai Songyin had immunity as the First Lady. They began intense discussions, and because Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t a legal expert, he wasn¡¯t interested. Instead, he used his phone to record part of the legal experts¡¯ discussion and sent it to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi just finished sses and was packing up herptop. Seeing Yin Shixiong send her a video, Gu Nianzhi smirked. These legal experts were lying right through their teeth. It wasn¡¯t because they were ipentent orcked professional expertise, but because they had rtionships of interest and decided to take sides. Rightfully speaking, these were experts who were all well known schrs from universities and had their houses filled with legal literature. How could they spout nonsense even aw student like her would disagree with? Putting all other reasons aside, they must¡¯ve been paid off by the Tan¡¯s to deliberately divert attention and clear criminal suspicion from Cai Songyin¡¯s name.

    Speaking of that, could there not be fair legal experts? They existed, of course, but weren¡¯t invited on TV. The ones invited were clearly siding with Cai Songyin and also touted Prime Minister Tan¡¯s family. Carefully thinking about it, there must be many people supporting Tan Dongbang if he could be the Prime Minister, so how could he be so easily toppled as soon as he got into office? There must a series of battles. Gu Nianzhi thought out the cause and effect, so she had already calmed down.

    Also, why the hell were these people discussing if the First Lady had immunity? She¡¯d only heard of diplomats in foreign countries possessing diplomatic immunity, as well as the US President being able to grant immunity when he left office. She¡¯d never heard of any high-ranking Hua Xia bureaucrats having any immunity. Were they trying to create a precedent so it¡¯d be easy to follow as a basis in the future? Shaking her head, Gu Nianzhi shut off her phone and went to the cafeteria for dinner. After having dinner, she went back to the dorm and felt somewhat tired, so she didn¡¯t n to go study. She stayed in her dorm to review her homework and assignments.

    Ma Qiqi went out to study at night and didn¡¯te back until 10pm. She shouted as soon as she came back and saw Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Are you in your room?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out of her room and asked quizzically, ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Did you watch TV? There was a discussion about Cai Songyin¡¯s case just now. Did you know about it? Thewyers the Tan¡¯s hired have already gotten Cai Songyin released from the Procuratorate!¡± Ma Qiqi brandished her fists angrily. ¡°What do you think? How could they do that?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re still discussing it?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. They had already discussed it all day and didn¡¯t stop even now?

    ¡°Yeah, these people are ridiculous.¡± Ma Qiqi dragged Gu Nianzhi out to the living room to watch TV. ¡°See, look at this fat legal expert. I remember him. He¡¯s the head of the Z University Law Department. He¡¯s always been at odds with our school and resented that their department ranked below ours. This is their chance for exposure!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally took the time to carefully look at the ¡°legal expert¡± helping the Tan¡¯s wash off criminal suspicion. She was grateful to find that none of the legal experts lying on TV graduated from the B University Law Department. From the looks of it, the B University Law Department was the very elite, and that seemed to make sense. ¡°Our school¡¯s professors and alumni don¡¯t want to get involved in this mess,¡± Gu Nianzhi said thoughtfully.

    Ma Qiqi put her hands on her hips and said sternly to the TV, ¡°No, maybe they¡¯re quietly watching these people pretend to be experts.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Well said. But I don¡¯t want to watch them pretend to be experts anymore. How about we expose them?¡±

    ¡°Expose them? You want to start something again?!¡± Ma Qiqi got excited. ¡°Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to start something again.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as she stood stood up. ¡°These people are taking this too far and treating the audience like idiots.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked into her room and tested a few apps already installed on her phone. These apps could help her make inte phone calls and also hide her true IP. In order to confuse the enemy, Gu Nianzhi nned to use the fixed IP at 32 Willow Hutong to disguise herself. If the enemy had a skilledputer expert, they would only be able to trace the fixed IP to 32 Willow Hutong, which was the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Hehe, keep on tracing...

    ...

    Coming out of her room, Gu Nianzhi passed her phone to Qiqi. ¡°Here, Qiqi. Let¡¯s expose these kids in the emperor¡¯s new clothes! God will give blessings for your sess!¡± She winked at her as she showed her a passage she typed on herptop.

    Ma Qiqi understood what she meant and was able to grasp the key point after a little thought. The TV stations typically had segments for audiences to call in during these political programs so they could discuss with the experts and hosts. Ma Qiqi took the opportunity to call in. The microphone on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone had a voice changer on it. When Ma Qiqi called in, she sounded like a young man. She said to the host and legal experts in attendance, ¡°I¡¯m a normal viewer, and I¡¯m very disappointed in your program and the experts. Firstly, the Procuratorate didn¡¯t arrest anyone, they only invited Cai Songyin in to assist with investigations. I want to ask the intentions behind your program and legal experts twisting the normal operational procedure into making arrests. Also, our nation has never had the precedent of immunity. The head of the Z University Law Department is a proponent for legal justice yet tantly said such things about the elites abusing power and bullying others. Doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew Ma Qiqi¡¯s call would be cut off by the TV station without question, so she directly recorded a short video and uploaded it on her secondary ount. She wasn¡¯t wrong. There was a high level of attention on Cai Songyin¡¯s case. The TV station didn¡¯t expect that many people would hear Ma Qiqi¡¯s call, even though it had been deleted. Also, Gu Nianzhi had uploaded the video in real time on Weibo, so it quickly went viral. As a result, the head of the Z University¡¯s Law Department became a meme: a huge, fat face with the words, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt?¡± written on the top of it. On the bottom it read, ¡°This was the time his conscience was sted the hardest.¡±

 Chapter 753 - Really Knows How To Do Business

    <h4>Chapter 753: Really Knows How To Do Business</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Memes with the caption ¡°Doesn¡¯t your conscious hurt?¡± went viral on the Inte. Even television stations were surprised by how quickly it spread. The head of the Z University¡¯s Law Department gave strict warnings to those that circted and used the memes on Weibo, a popr microblogging website. It infringed on his right to his portrait. Moreover, he expressed he would send out a letter from his attorney as a warning to the one that made the meme because it tarnished his image.

    The moment that post came out, readers were dumbfounded. Everyone had used memes for so many years, and yet none had seen something like that happen. Was that really illegal? Of course it wasn¡¯t. So many celebrities were made into memes. If it really did vite their rights, would the court of justice be able to deal with it? Besides, would those celebrities give up that great big opportunity to be rich and famous because of a few memes? It was a no-brainer...

    Soon after that article came out on Weibo, manyw professionals came to inform the public about the basics of thew. Among them were many students from B University¡¯s Law Department. They wrotements under the head of the Z University¡¯s Law Department¡¯s Weibo. They only cited one article from thew.

    ¡°When a public personage decides to show and make his or her face public, the pictures belongs to the public. He or she cannot object to said pictures and how the public distributes them.¡±

    This meant that if the head of the Law Department didn¡¯t go on the television station as a specialist and was not recorded, it would have been against thew to make memes using his private pictures. However, the original picture that everyone used to make the meme was a screenshot of the head of the Law Department from the television station¡¯s public broadcast. It belonged to the public domain and he had lost his individual rights to the picture. Furthermore, he could not oppose those that reproduce it.

    In short, one couldn¡¯t be a public figure and gain fame and wealth and ask people to treat one like a normal person so that one could protect one¡¯s fragile conscience. Public figures had to endure the pressure and the price that came with being a public figure.

    When the head of the University¡¯s Law Department saw everyone quoting that article ofw on his Weibo and that it became a hot thread, he finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He quietly deleted his attorney¡¯s letter that was full of anger from his Weibo. At the same time, he also closed his Weibo ount.

    Due to that, it affected his image very much. After much consideration, Z University decided to relieve the head of the University¡¯s Law Department¡¯s of his duty. Cai Songyin¡¯s case had not even started yet but before thew expert knew it, he had fallen off his horse. Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi had been following the progress of the case, and they felt like everything worked out in mysterious ways.

    ¡°Qiqi, say, how many people would be affected by this case?¡±

    ¡°It all depends on them. The winner would gain both fame and wealth. Of course, the loser would have to pay the price.¡±

    ...

    Jin Wanyi was thewyer representing the Tan family. She worked on the case with all of her might. She already aplished a lot by bringing Cai Songyin home from the procuratorate. However, the case was not over.

    ¡°Prime Minister Tan, your wife¡¯s case is fairlyplicated. Right now, the most important thing is the case involving the embezzlement of your election fund. If we are too careless, this case could affect you...¡± Jin Wanyi warned Tan Dongbang with the utmost of care. She looked at Cai Songying, who looked dejected, and then looked at Tan Dongbang, who looked distressed. She stood up and said, ¡°You two, husband and wife, talk about it thoroughly. I will take my leave.¡±

    Tan Dongbang closed the office door the moment Jin Wanyi left. He walked over to Can Songyin and said, ¡°Songyin, it must have been hard. They didn¡¯t do anything to you, did they?¡±

    Cai Songyin shook her head, but when she raised her head to look at Tan Dongbang, her eyes were brimming with tears. ¡°Dongbang, it won¡¯t affect you, will it?¡±

    ¡°No. No. I hired the bestwyer to handle this case for you. Nothing will happen.¡± Tan Dongban embraced Cai Songyin, patted her back, and said, ¡°Little Darling is very worried about you. Do you want to see her?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t it scare her? This child has never seen something like this before. I don¡¯t want it to traumatize her. Should I take her to a psychiatrist?¡± The moment Cai Songyin thought of her daughter, her heart ached.

    ¡°It did scare her a bit. She had been in her room the whole day and hadn¡¯te out.¡± The phone suddenly ran when Tan Dongbang said that. He took out his phone and looked at it. It was Gu Yanran. He quickly picked up the call. ¡°Miss Gu, hello.¡±

    Gu Yanran said, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, I¡¯m almost at the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence. I heard that Mrs. Tan is home. Is it true?

    ¡°Yes. She just got home. Do you need to speak to her?¡± Tan Dongbang said that as he gave the phone to Cai Songyin for her to listen, too. ¡°It¡¯s Gu Yanran.¡±

    ¡°Gu Yanran?¡± Cai Songyin¡¯s eyebrows wrinkled. ¡°Why pick up her call when I¡¯m in such a state of affairs?¡±

    ¡°She wholeheartedly wants to help you.¡± Tan Dongbang quickly exined when he saw that Cai Songyin had misunderstood Gu Yanran. ¡°That night, everyone was hiding from you. She was the only one that came and asked what had happened. Then she brought aputer expert over to help us see where those little Weibo ounts came from. She helped us a lot.¡±

    Only after hearing Tan Dongbang say things like that did she take the phone and make a soft ¡°hello¡± sound.

    When Gu Yanran heard Cai Songyin¡¯s voice she chirped, ¡°Mrs. Tan? You¡¯re back? That¡¯s great!¡±

    The corner of Cai Songyin¡¯s mouth raised and in a low spirit she said, ¡°Yes, I just got home not too long ago. Thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Tan, you are too courteous.¡± Gu Yanran quickly expressed her loyalty, ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like an outsider. I¡¯m almost there. Let us talk about your case thoroughly. I have some information that I want to talk to you about.¡±

    Cai Songyin felt nice and warm since Gu Yanran was that enthusiastic. She felt really good. She softened her voice. ¡°OK then, thank you.¡±

    Not long after, Gu Yanran was at the Prime Minister Tan¡¯s Residence¡¯s office. However, that time she didn¡¯t go in. Instead she said, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, I came here to discuss private matters with your wife. How about we go back to your home to discuss it?¡±

    Tan Dongbang thought about it and agreed. ¡°Miss Gu is very considerate. We will discuss it at home.¡±

    They went to the residential quarter of the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence. It would better to protect their privacy. Tan Dongbang knew that even if someone wanted to monitor them, they couldn¡¯t monitor them in their residence. They went to Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin¡¯s room. The moment Gu Yanran walked in, she was bbergasted by the fine, extravagant, and exceptionally beautiful door. The surprise in her eyes disappeared in a blink of an eye. It was reced with her gentle and refined smile. Cai Songyin asked her to sit and she personally made a cup of coffee. She gave it to her with both of her hands.

    ¡°Mrs. Tan, you are too courteous.¡± Gu Yanran raised herself slightly from her seat and took the coffee. She held it with two hands. She shot a nce at Tan Dongbang, who was sitting on the side. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, Mrs. Tan. This time I came here to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, please speak.¡±

    Gu Yanran took a document out of her personal little bag. ¡°This is a letter of authorization from the Xie family. It¡¯s from France. I bought the right to use the external form of the sapphire teardrop shape diamond pendant ne from the Xie family for a million dors. That¡¯s why it¡¯s true that it¡¯s a quality fake, but it doesn¡¯t vite any rights.¡±

    That meant it was legal.

    ¡°Ah?! Really?!¡± Cai Songyin was pleasantly surprised. ¡°How could I have the nerve to do it? You spent so much money and time...¡±

    She opened that document and read it carefully. There were three portions ¡ª one in French, one in English, and one in Chinese. Cai Songyin was good at French and English, so she could read all three portions of the document.

    After she had finished reading it, she was very surprised and said, ¡°The one million dors is actually only the right to use the external form of a piece of jewelry?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is also a serial number.¡± Gu Yanran pointed at the cluster of numbers at the top of the document. ¡°This represents the certification number of your ne. It also has value.¡±

    Tan Dongbang also read the document. His facial expression lookedplex. ¡°I never knew that the Xie family was that good at doing business. It really is beyond my expectations.¡±

    Even the external form of the ne had to have a registered pattern so that no one could copy it. If one wanted to copy it, then one must discuss the question rted to the right of using it with them.

    ¡°Prime Minister Tan, the Xie family doesn¡¯t usually issue these kinds of certificates. Only because they respect my father did they gave me such a thing. Also, they want the price of friendship.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s light-hearted attitude toward the one million dors left a deep impression on Tan Dongbang and Cai Songying. It was not that they had never seen money ¡ª their social status was worth more than ten times that one million dors. However, to spend one million dors on someone as a favor so easily was still hard, even for them.

    ¡°One million dors was the price of friendship...¡± Cai Songyin wanted tough loudly.

    Gu Yanran also said, ¡°Also, consider that ne to be a birthday gift from me. Look, the pattern date is your birthday.¡±

    To buy the certificate from the Xie family, Gu Yanran had to do a lot because the Xie family didn¡¯t even want to sell it at all. They didn¡¯t care about the issue regarding Huaxia Empire¡¯s new prime minister¡¯s wife¡¯s reputation. They only said that vitors had to pay the price. Only after Gu Yanran transferred one of her father¡¯s, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s, patterns did she get that certificate from the Xie family. That one million dors that the Xie family said was ¡°price of friendship¡± was really the ¡°price of friendship.¡± Compared to the pattern Gu Yanran gave up, the one million dors was only a pretense she put on for others to see.

 Chapter 754 - Taking Credit to Seek Reward

    <h4>Chapter 754: Taking Credit to Seek Reward</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Cai Songyin squeezed Gu Yanran¡¯s hand and was endlessly grateful. ¡°Miss Gu, you are too kind!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but cry as she spoke. Gu Yanran patted her back gently and was the face offorting elegance. Tan Dongbang smiled as he sat across from them and thought the scene was strangely harmonious. Cai Songyin felt much better after crying for a bit.

    Tan Dongbang came over to take her hand and help her stand up. He said gently, ¡°Go wash your face in the bathroom and take a shower if you¡¯d like. You look exhausted.¡±

    Cai Songyin nodded quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll go freshen up.¡±

    Tan Dongbang walked her to the bathroom, and Cai Songyin reminded him quietly, ¡°The issue with the imitation jewelry actually isn¡¯t too serious. The key is still the misappropriation of campaign funds. Lawyer Jin said that¡¯s the most important.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll go ask Gu Yanran about it in a bit.¡± Tang Dongbang gave her a look. Cai Songyin had been married to him for many years and instantly understood his intentions. The root of the problem with the misappropriation of campaign funds was that it was defalcation. The 26,000 US dor evening gown was just the tip of the iceberg. There was also arge amount of money that went to their own pockets. If the Procuratoratetched onto this and insisted on auditing the finances of their campaign funds, then more than half their fortune would be lost. Cai Songyin went to wash up in the bathroom while Tan Dongbang invited Gu Yanran to sit in the smaller living room.

    The thick gold velvet curtains in the room were drawn even during the day, so only arge pear blossom chandelier was left on. Gu Yanran sat under the pear blossom chandelier and glowed like a blooming flower herself. A look of fascination shed across Tan Dongbang¡¯s eyes. Heposed himself and picked up some paperwork Jin Wanyi left with a smile. ¡°Miss Gu, my wife and I are very thankful for you help. Since you are looking out for us, we won¡¯t treat you as an outsider. This is what ourwyer left behind. Can you take a look and see where we should start?¡±

    Gu Yanran smirked, unable to contain the smugness in her heart. She was finally able to break into the highest echelon of Hua Xia society... And all of this was not with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s help but with her own efforts as Gu Yanran. She sat on the chaise lounge and raised her chin slightly. Her skin glowed like pale jade under the pear blossom chandelier as she smiled and took the information left by Tang Dongbang¡¯swyer. She began to read it carefully, and as the seconds passed, her expression didn¡¯t change at all. However, she began to feel her mood shift. Thewyer¡¯s paperwork made it very clear that the key point in the case was the misappropriation of campaign funds. As for the other two things, it didn¡¯t matter if it the jewelry was an infringement of trademark or suspected to be stolen goods. Neither were within the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s jurisdiction. Even if they were, the importance was nowhere close to the severity of the misappropriation of campaign funds.

    So Tan Dongbang showed this to her because he hoped she would help with the issue of misappropriation of campaign funds? If she was going to help, it wasn¡¯t going to be spending a mere hundred million US dors. Gu Yanran began to muse. She was willing to spend her entire fortune, but she needed to see if the profit exceeded her investment. She was essentially a businesswoman, and while she could be in the business of murder, she would never take a loss on a deal. Political investments, however, were another issue. Gains and losses couldn¡¯t be calcted from the numbers on the books. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, these are legal documents, and honestly, I don¡¯t understand them very well.¡± Gu Yanran had already made up her mind as she slowly closed the file. As expected, she saw a sh of disappointment in Tan Dongbang¡¯s eyes. She held the file and continued, ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I want to take this file home and show it to my legal counsel. What do you think?¡±

    Tan Dongbang had assumed Gu Yanran was unwilling to help and was a bit disappointed, but now that he saw she was only being cautious, he was truly happy. Looking at her with a smile, he nodded and said, ¡°Ok, of course you can take it home. You can read it for as long as you like. This is just a photocopy.¡±

    ¡°Ok, no problem.¡± Gu Yanran stood up and shook Tan Dongbang¡¯s hand as she said her goodbyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going back now. When Mrs. Tanes back, please help me say goodbye to her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind. Songyin already sees you as a dear friend. No need for such polite words.¡± Tan Dongbang already treated Gu Yanran as his confidante. After all, a money tree was well liked by everyone.

    ...

    Gu Yanran took the legal documents back to her apartment. Propping her head up with a hand, sheid on the chaise lounge and thought about it for a long time. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t understand the legal documents, that was just an excuse to dy things with Tan Dongbang. What she really needed was to think carefully about how to help the case in order to maximize her interests. She wasn¡¯t an idiot saint and would never help someone without expecting a return, but she wasn¡¯t able to think quietly for very long before themunicator rang. Gu Yanran picked up and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    The precinct security was calling. ¡°Miss Gu, the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, Miss Tan, is here to visit.¡±

    Gu Yanran stiffened. ¡°Tan Guiren?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The security guard called as he discreetly checked out Tan Guiren. How pretty... She is even more beautiful than on TV...

    ¡°Ok, let her in.¡± Gu Yanran hopped up to change in her bedroom. By the time Tan Guiren came to her door to ring the bell, Gu Yanran was already waiting in the living room. She then opened the door and arranged her face into a smile for Tan Guiren. Reaching out her arms she said, ¡°Miss Tan, wee. It¡¯s my great honor to have you visit.¡±

    Tan Guiren smiled at her and also reached out. They hugged and pressed their faces against each other as per Western customs. But after she stepped inside, Tan Guiren immediately dropped to a kneel and used Eastern greetings. Gu Yanran was shocked and quickly helped Tan Gurien up. ¡°Miss Tan, what are you doing?¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s eyes quickly filled with tears as she sobbed to Gu Yanran, ¡°Miss Gu, I came here to beg you without my Mommy and Daddy knowing. Please, save my Mommy!¡± She knew from Tang Dongbang that Gu Yanran had helped them deal with the issue of imitation jewelry, but Gu Yanran was unwilling to help with the case of misappropriation of campaign funds. This was a time that everyone was looking out for their own necks, so the Tan¡¯s friends and family were just observing without wanting to help. Gu Yanran was the only one standing up and helping in this time of distress. Tan Guiren came to see her secretly in hopes of convincing her to agree to help her family ovee this obstacle. Although she didn¡¯t know much about the world, she knew what would happen to her father as Prime Minister if her mother was jailed.

    Gu Yanran was silent. After listening to Tan Guiren finish crying, she gave her a ss of milk. ¡°Sit down and drink.¡±

    Tan Guiren took it with both hands and said hopefully, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re so nice and amazing. You¡¯ll help my Mommy for sure, right?¡±

    Gu Yanran sat next to her with a smile and stroked her head. ¡°Miss Tan sure is adorable. I¡¯ve always wanted a younger sister like you since I was young.¡± She didn¡¯t need to be too smart; such people were much too annoying.

    ¡°Miss Gu is too polite.¡± Tan Guiren smiled shyly. ¡°If you want, I can call you my older sister.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not necessary. I have a younger sister, so she¡¯ll be unhappy if you call me older sister,¡± Gu Yanran said. Standing up, she walked to the window and looked out at the blue sky outside. In her mind, she was making the final calctions. If she helped them, then she certainly wanted much more in return. Gu Yanran squinted as she looked back at Tan Guiren. ¡°Miss Tan, are you willing to rescue your Mommy at any cost?¡±

    ¡°Right! What do you want? My Daddy will agree to anything, and I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to,¡± Tan Guiren said desperately. Her eyes were red and a bit puffy. It was obvious how much she had cried for so many days now.

    Gu Yanran patted her shoulder. ¡°Miss Tan, I hope you¡¯ll remember what you said today. Can you swear to it?¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded as she raised her right hand. ¡°I, Tan Guiren, swear on this day that if Miss Gu Yanran can save my Mommy from all charges, then Daddy and I are willing to do anything.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t need to do anything. Just remember what I¡¯ve contributed and don¡¯t forget my help or makeints once this is all over,¡± Gu Yanran said as she draped an arm on Tan Guiren¡¯s shoulder. Her hand was very cold.

    Tan Guiren couldn¡¯t help shivering, but she still looked at Gu Yanran with hope-filled eyes. She hoped to see a firm answer on the other woman¡¯s face.

    Gu Yanran finally nodded. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll give it a try, but I can¡¯t guarantee your Mommy will be ok. I can only guarantee the incident will not involve your Daddy.¡±

    This was good, too. Tan Guiren thought to herself that thest thing she wanted was for the incident to involve her Daddy. As long as her Daddy was ok, then her Mommy would be ok, even if she got in trouble. ¡°Ok, thank you Miss Gu.¡± Tan Guiren bowed sincerely.

    After she left, Gu Yanran picked up the phone to call Tan Dongbang. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, Miss Tan just left my house.¡±

    Tan Dongbang was very shocked. ¡°Little Darling? Why did she go see you?¡±

    ¡°Miss Tan is very worried about Mrs. Tan¡¯s safety and especially came to beg for my help. But my abilities are limited, so I told her I could only guarantee that the incident won¡¯t involve Prime Minister Tan. I can¡¯t promise Mrs. Tan can escape unscathed. Prime Minister Tan, what do you think?¡±

 Chapter 755 - Someone Elseâ€™s Man

    <h4>Chapter 755: Someone Else¡¯s Man</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Oh? How could that be?!¡± Tan Dongbang instantly frowned. ¡°Miss Gu, are there really no other options? My wife grew up with me and we¡¯ve always been so happy together. I can¡¯t let anything happen to her!¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Tan, you really are loyal and loving. Mrs. Tan must¡¯ve saved the world herst life in order to marry you.¡± Gu Yanran was even able to be humorous at a time like this, so Tan Dongbang admired that a lot.

    ¡°Miss Gu is too kind. I am one with my wife and if anything happens to her, I will suffer too. So I hope that Miss Gu can understand that.¡± Tan Dongbang lowered his voice in pleading to Gu Yanran. Of course, he had farther sights than Gu Yanran. Not only did Cai Songyin help him greatly, but the Cais also had high positions and he had been friends with her for many years ¡ª but the fact that Cai Sognyin was the First Lady and used of the misappropriation of campaign funds meant he couldn¡¯t let anything happen to her. This incident also had close implications for him and there was no such thing as rescuing one but not the other. If something were to happen to Cai Songyin in this case of misappropriation of campaign funds, then he also couldn¡¯t escape from responsibility as the Prime Minister. There was no doubt that they would both share the same fate.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart trembled and she secretly thought that Prime Minister was quite impressive for holding steadfast and not slipping up. She originally had intentions of using the Tan¡¯s elite positions to advance herself, but Tan Dongbang refusing to abandon his wife at a time like thispletely changed her perspective of him. An unknown emotion began to fill her chest. Why were the men who were loyal to their wives and girlfriends always someone else¡¯s? After a period of silence, Gu Yanran replied evenly, ¡°Prime Minister Tan makes a good point. I will reconsider this. Right, I read the documents from thewyers and also wanted to see the funding reports for your campaign team. Would that be possible?¡±

    Tan Dongbang froze. That was confidential, so he had Cai Songyin be the financial director for his campaign team. He only trusted his wife, so even Lawyer Jin hadn¡¯t seen the entire funding reports.

    ¡°...If you¡¯re not even willing to show me this, then I have no way of helping. I think you can understand that. Even if I need to move funds, it will take some time to amass,¡± Gu Yaran said as she ended the call politely. ¡°Please consider this carefully. If there is no other option, you can speak to me again.¡±

    Setting down the phone, Tan Dognbang was silent for a long time. At night, he told Cai Songyin about Gu Yanran¡¯s request and of course, he didn¡¯t repeat what Gu Yanran said about only being able to save one of them. That kind of talk would cause Cai Songyin to dislike Gu Yanran and for some reason Tang Dongbang didn¡¯t want these women to be at odds at all. He only hoped that they could be harmonious sisters. Cai Songyin also did not want to allow Gu Yanran to see theplete funding report. She mulled over it and eventually said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the record problem. you tell her an amount and just have her raise the money.¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯ll work?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You think Gu Yanran is helping us to this extent just because she has too much money to burn?¡± Cai Songyin rolled her eyes at Tan Dongbang. ¡°She wants to break into the upper ss. At a time like this, wouldn¡¯t it be a piece of cake for you and I to help her? So just agree to whatever she asks for, since promises aren¡¯t worth anything anyway. As long as she deposits the money into our campaign team¡¯s bank ount, this incident will be considered over.¡±

    Tan Dongbang thought about it carefully and also believed it was all that could be done. However he was still feeling a bit ufortable with how his wife was speaking so shrewdly. He still thought that Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t so willing to help them purely because of personal interests. He still thought there was something about the way she looked at him...

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll go tell her and then consult Lawyer Jin to see how we should proceed,¡± Tan Dongbang said as he adjusted Cai Songyin¡¯s nkets. ¡°You sleep. I still have some business to take care of.¡±

    Cai Sognyin sighed in relief and kissed his cheek before falling asleep. The past few days had been too tiring and she really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. However she wouldn¡¯t let the person who did this to her have an easy time, as soon as she figured out who it was!

    ...

    The next day, Jin Wanyi came to Tan Dongbang¡¯s official residence to ask him about the case. ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, from what angle do you want to defend Mrs. Tan?¡±

    Tan Dongbangid down all his problems one by one. ¡°...First of all, do you have any way to smooth out the issue of the evening gown?¡±

    ¡°Evening gown? Oh, that¡¯s rather simple. It¡¯ll be okay as long as the evening gown is returned to the campaign team and you say that it was rented from the material purchased by the campaign team. You can im market rent.¡± Jin Wanyi began to give them solutions.

    ¡°But the news published that my wife bought the evening gown with her own money. What can we do about that?¡± Tan Dongbang was rather greedy. He wanted Cai Songyin to walk away from the case unharmed and also not to tarnish their family¡¯s reputation...

    Jin Wanyi sighed and spread her palms helplessly, ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, that¡¯s not how the calctions work. Right now we need to solve the legal problems, and as for the media posts, they can be considered false touts and do not involve thew. These are just moral issues, so you must be willing to open your mind to them.¡± In other words, the boastful words in the posts would remain forever...

    It was the first time Tan Dongbang was dissatisfied with Cai Songyin. If she hadn¡¯t gotten greedy about creating these so-called characters, they would have never ended up in such a passive position. How could the opposition be able to topple Tan Dongbang by just getting ahold of a tiny mistake? But he didn¡¯t consider how if it hadn¡¯t been for Cai Songyin creating characters for their entire family, he could not have emerged victorious amongst all the other candidates and be remembered by the public. How could he have won the election as the ck horse? This kind of thing was a double edged sword ¡ª he couldn¡¯t only enjoy the one sided benefits and disregard the side effects.

    Jin Wanyi saw this clearly as an outsider, but Tan Dongbang became a bit stubborn from within the situation. However he still perked up and discussed some details with Jin Qanyi before concluding the day¡¯s meeting. In the evening, when Gu Yaran called to ask with concern, Tan Dongbang couldn¡¯t help venting to her. ¡°Really, even if she can get out of being charged, now her reputation would be tarnished. How can I run for re-election?¡±

    Gu Yanran quickly replied, ¡°What? What did thewyer say?¡± Tan Dongbang told her everything Jin Wanyi said. This was exactly what Gu Yanran hoped for. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, you must be able to let it go. I think Lawyer Jin is right. Her reputation is tarnished, but the public¡¯s memory is short. As long as your wife¡¯s case is settled, there will be other headline news in the next few days and everyone will forget about the posts.¡±

    Tan Dongbang thought about how the public¡¯s memory span was short, yet his opponents would never forget... If he were his own opponent, he would alsotch onto this point and wait to unleash it in the future to damage his reputation. However, he had no choice right now, since even the professionalwyer was saying this. He could only admit to it.

    ¡°...Prime Minister Tan, don¡¯t worry. Your positive assets are great, so even if Mrs. Tan goes into the negatives, you can still bring her back up.¡± Gu Yanran said with a giggle. Her voice seemed to have hooks that traveled through the phone totch onto Tan Dongbang¡¯s heart through the electrmaic waves.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you sure has a way with words.¡± Tan Dongbang¡¯s mood sweetwened from her words.

    ¡°Just call me Yanran. Miss Gu sounds too distant.¡±

    ¡°OK, Yanran.¡± Tan Dongbang slowly enunciated her name. Like chewing an olive, the vor lingered in his mouth.

    ...

    Gu Yanran ended her call with Tan Dongbang and mulled over it in her room before finally calling Gu Nianzhi. She had been back from Germany for a week now and Gu Yanran hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to speak with her. This time, Gu Nianzhi finally picked up. Ye Xuan had gotten Gu Nianzi¡¯s phone number for Gu Yanran because her previously number had been cut off. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re finally back? How are you doing?¡± Gu Tanran asked gently and sounded very concerned.

    Gu Nianzhi was in low spirits and didn¡¯t want to talk to Gu Yanran. But today when she was about to decline the call, she identally hit ept and had no choice but to pick up. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her thick reference book, ¡°You need something?¡±

    ¡°No. It was your birthday two days ago and I wanted to have a birthday party for you, but it also happened to be the same day as the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration. The Prime Minister and his wife were kind enough to invite me, so I really couldn¡¯t reject their offer and finally went. I didn¡¯t get a chance to spend your birthday with you, but please don¡¯t me Sister...¡±

 Chapter 756 - This Is for Your Own Good

    <h4>Chapter 756: This Is for Your Own Good</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Yanran¡¯s voice was very quiet as she gently apologized to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi began to frown. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I enjoyed my birthday.¡± She paused, then asked Gu Yanran, ¡°Have you visited Fathertely? How is he?¡±

    Gu Yanran replied vaguely, ¡°You don¡¯t know how Father is doing? He¡¯s within your boyfriend¡¯s jurisdiction...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I broke up with Huo Shao.¡± Gu Nianzhi was getting impatient. ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything else, I¡¯ll be hanging up now. I still have lots of homework.¡± If Gu Yanran didn¡¯t even care about her own biological father, then Gu Nianzhi felt she shouldn¡¯t be such a busybody.

    Gu Nianzhi ended the call, and Gu Yanran still held the phone. As she looked at the scenery outside the window, a smile slowly formed on her face. How wonderful... Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng have broken up. This was reasonable, since Gu Yanran didn¡¯t think any man could stand that Gu Nianzhi had gone through that kind of ¡°kidnapping...¡± Huo Shaoheng was no exception. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s greatest support should be gone now. Gu Yanran truly sighed in relief.

    After that, Gu Yanran began to contact Tan Dongbang even more frequently. Tan Dongbang even gave Gu Yanran the position of personal assistant at the office of the Prime Minister so she could officially enter the official residence. Gu Yanran purposely buttered them up, so even Tan Guiren became a good friend who would confide everything to her. As for Cai Songyin, she was asked toy low under the rmendation of the legal team and political aides. She would avoid public appearances to avoid continued public attention on her incident. Because of this, she moved out of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence and went to live alone in the Tan¡¯s previous residence. After an excruciating two-week wait, the First Lady¡¯s trial for misappropriation of campaign funds finally began.

    ¡°Sister Gu, today is friday, and next Monday, my Mommy¡¯s trial will begin. I want to go back home to stay with her. Will Sister Gue with me?¡± Tan Guiren looked at Gu Yanran with puppy dog eyes, hoping she would apany her. She heard that Cai Songyin¡¯s temper was very bad as ofte, so Tan Guiren thought Gu Yanran might be able to cheer her Mommy up with her glib tongue.

    ¡°Little Darling, I¡¯m very busytely, and Mr. Prime Minister has several talks this weekend. I won¡¯t be able to spare time.¡± Gu Yanran declined politely and continued, ¡°Actually, Mrs. Tan loves you the most. She¡¯ll be very happy as long as you can stay with her.¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡± Tan Gurien sighed again, her mood not too cheerful. She believed that her Mommy wanted to see her Daddy most of all right now, but he was always saying he was busy, so he hadn¡¯t even visited her once in the past two weeks. Tan Guiren thought about it and went to go look for Tan Dongbang. ¡°Daddy, do you have free time this weekend? Mommy is going to court on Monday. Do you want to make some time to be with her?¡±

    ¡°Sweet Darling, your Mommy only needs to see you to cheer up. How about you go spend more time with Mommy on Daddy¡¯s behalf? Daddy is very busy. There are many talks this weekend, and I can¡¯t reschedule them.¡± Tan Donbbang¡¯se excuse was somehow an echo of Gu Yanran¡¯s.

    Tan Guiren pouted. She had no choice but to go back to the Tan¡¯s previous residence alone and spend time with Cai Songyin.

    Cai Songyin had lost a great deal of weight in thest two weeks. After experiencing the harsh reality of falling from the precipice to rock bottom, she wasn¡¯t as haughty as before. After waiting at the door for half the day, she only saw Tan Guirene alone. Cai Songyin didn¡¯t conceal her disappointment from her face well, so Tan Guiren saw it clearly. She felt pained but didn¡¯t know how to console her Mommy, so she could only squeeze her hand and murmur, ¡°Mommy, are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Mommy is alright. Little Darling, you¡¯ve gotten thinner.¡± Cai Songyinposed herself and held Tan Guiren¡¯s hand as they walked inside together. ¡°What do you want to eat? Mommy will make it for you.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I want dried pork floss egg rolls. Mommy, can you make some for me?¡± Tan Guiren swung Cai Songyin¡¯s hand coyly. She actually didn¡¯t really like to eat pork floss egg rolls, but the snack took a long time to make and required much effort, so that way it would stop Cai Songyin from continuing to dwell on her unhappiness.

    Cai Songyin understood her daughter¡¯s intentions and stroked her face with pity. ¡°Ok, Mommy will make pork floss egg rolls for you.¡±

    While Tan Guiren and Cai Songyin were making pork floss egg rolls in the kitchen, Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran were in riding gear and were riding in the East Mountain Racecourse outside the Imperial Capital.

    ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, what you think about the trial on Monday?¡± A reporter had somehow sneaked past the strict security of the East Mountain Racecourse and raised up his phone to interview him.

    Tan Dongbang was shocked and quickly jerked his harness back. The horse raised its hooves so high up it was nearly standing on two legs. The reporter quickly darted away to avoid being trampled. He then moved closer from the side and raised his phone asking loudly, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, what do you think about your wife¡¯s trial on Monday?!¡±

    ¡°Who are you? How did you trespass onto the East Mountain Racecourse?! Where¡¯s security? Secret Service? Where the hell are they?!¡± Gu Yanran saw what was happening and quickly came forward to shield Tan Dongbang as they ran back.

    The reporter saw Gu Yanran and recognized her as the Prime Minister¡¯s new personal assistant. He quickly raised the phone up to her. ¡°Miss Gu, do you know what the Prime Minister thinks about trial on Monday? So the Prime Minister doesn¡¯t have time to be with his wife right now but came to the East Mountain Racecourse to ride? Does that mean he is feeling very confident about the case, or are the rumors about the Prime Minister and his wife being estranged actually true?¡±

    Gu Yanran stiffened and secretly thought the reporter was very keen. How did he get in here? With a solemn face, Gu Yanran stopped her horse and said with raised brows, ¡°This is where the Prime Minister is riding. I¡¯m warning you, leave right now. Otherwise, this will be considered obstruction of public safety once the security and Secret Service get here.¡±

    However, the reporter obviously had strong backing if he could get past the strict security, so he naturally was unperturbed by her words. He instantly used his phone to record. ¡°Miss Gu truly is a bold person, but are these words representing the Prime Minister¡¯s thoughts or your own?¡±

    Gu Yanran was just about to say, ¡°My thoughts are what the Prime Minister thinks,¡± but instantly knew that was inappropriate. She had almost been set up by this reporter. Smoothing the anger from her face, she smiled. ¡°Please don¡¯t be upset. I¡¯m only thinking about your safety. You can feel free to stay if you don¡¯t want to leave. There¡¯s a lounge here, so you might want to rest for a bit and have some water and snacks. I¡¯m sorry that we can¡¯t host you properly.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s unexpected change in attitude made it difficult for the reporter to continue his questioning. He could only shut off his phone sheepishly. ¡°Ok, I wish Miss Gu and Prime Minister Tan a happy weekend.¡± After the reporter left, the scene immediately aired on TV.

    Tan Guiren and Cai Songyin were making the pork floss egg rolls in the kitchen as they chatted. The wall-mounted TV was on as always in order to liven up therge, empty house. But suddenly, they both saw Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran appear on TV! ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore! This is their weekend talk?!¡± Cai Songyin suddenly threw the dough on the ground. ¡°They take me for a fool?!¡± She furiously grabbed her phone and called Tan Dongbang. It rang for a very long time before someone answered it.

    ¡°Hello? Who are you looking for?¡± The gentle voice and even tone belonged to none other than Gu Yanran.

    Cai Songyin only felt rage blind her as she blurted out, ¡°Why do you have Dongbang¡¯s phone?! Have him speak to me!¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled subtly as she passed the phone to Tan Dongbang. ¡°Your wife is calling.¡± As she spoke, she sat behind Tan Dongbang and continued massaging him.

    Tan Dongbang took the phone andughed as he answered, ¡°Songyin, what is it? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°What is it?! You dare ask me that?!¡± Cai Songyin was enraged, ¡°Aren¡¯t you having talks? Why¡¯d you go to East Mountain Racecourse?! Why is Gu Yanran handling your phone?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be upset Songyin. Your screaming is so uncouth. In that aspect, you really have to learn from Yanran. Her temper is so good. She¡¯s never lost her temper in front of anyone, no matter what happens.¡± Tan Dongbang said evenly, ¡°Also, she¡¯s my personal assistant, so of course she¡¯s going to take care of my phone.¡±

    Cai Songyin nearly spat blood. She was so angry, she wanted tosh out again, but Tan Doongbang continued, ¡°You¡¯re going to trial on Monday, and your current state won¡¯t do. You need to control your emotions so you won¡¯t fall into traps, no matter what anyone says to provoke you. Did you watch TV today? That was someone deliberately targeting me. Do you not trust me?¡±

    When he said this, Cai Songyin calmed down somewhat, but she didn¡¯t fully believe him. ¡°Really? This is for my own good?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Yanran is doing this for you, too. She said to give you some anti-provocation experiments so you won¡¯t get angry in court,¡± Tan Dongbang said before hanging up.

 Chapter 757 - Last Chance

    <h4>Chapter 757: Last Chance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Tan Dongbang rubbed his face. He felt like Cai Songyin¡¯s temper was bing worse and worse and that it was bing more and more unreasonable. Before, he could still talk things through, but at the moment, she was very suspicious.

    He walked back a bit and he just happened to lean against Gu Yanran¡¯s chest. Gu Yanran draped chiffon on him from behind. Her hand massaged him just right. He felt very good. It was hard to tell if there was the smell of her just getting out of a bath. Tan Dongbang quickly fell asleep.

    ...

    It was also that Friday afternoon that Ma Qiqi was getting things ready to spend the weekend at home.

    ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to go home with me? My dad and mom really like you,¡± Ma Qiqi warmly said.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit moved because she really liked the feeling Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother gave. However, she thought about it carefully. It was not good to go to someone¡¯s home too often, especially since she had been there not too long ago. When someone tells you not to be shy, you should, in fact, be a little shy.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, but still said, ¡°I also really like uncle and aunty, but I still have to finish some reports this week. Next time.¡±

    Ma Qiqi also knew that Gu Nianzhi was anxious to graduate early. She picked a lot of sses and she also had to do her thesis. Therefore, to show that she understood, she put both of her hands on her shoulder and smiled as she said, ¡°Fine. Will you be OK being here by yourself? Do you need someone to keep youpany?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t need it. I don¡¯t have the time. Keep whatpany? Keep mepany while I study alone?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she refused. ¡°Hurry, leave. Isn¡¯t your dad picking your up?¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded. ¡°My dad¡¯s car is already downstairs. Then, I¡¯m going to go!¡±

    ¡°Go, go. Don¡¯t stick around. I¡¯m not your boyfriend. Do act like it¡¯s so hard to leave me.¡± Gu Nianzhi teased Ma Qiqi as she pushed her out.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to go anywhere. She wanted to stay in school while she worked hard on her studies. Ma Qiqi went home for the weekend. It was just Gu Nianzhi herself that was left in the dormitory.

    He Zhichu called and asked her, ¡°Nianzhi, do you have ns on the weekend?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have three reports that I have to write. I just started my graduate thesis. I would be grateful to God if I don¡¯t have to stay upte on the weekends.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as she said that while she pushed open the door to her room. She wanted to turn the television in the living room off.

    Ma Qiqi forgot to turn off the television when she left. As a result, the moment she picked up the remote, she saw Gu Yanran appear on the screen. She was wearing a set of white riding apparel gear. She was riding a purplish red horse and was talking to a reporter. Gu Nianzhi was shocked when she found out that after not seeing her for a few days, Gu Yanran had actually be the prime minister¡¯s personal assistant.

    ¡°Nianzhi, why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± He Zhichu suddenly couldn¡¯t hear anything from the other side of the phone. He quickly asked out of concern.

    Gu Nianzhi was glued to the television and said, ¡°Professor He, turn on your TV and watch the news channel.¡±

    He Zhichu was standing in front of the window. When he heard that, he turned and walked over to the front of the tea table that had his remote control. He bent down and picked up the remote and turned on the television. Gu Yanran¡¯s image was still on the screen of the news channel. The reporter was still on the line with the anchor.

    ¡°...Next week is the first trial of the prime minister¡¯s wife, but it seems like Mr. Prime Minister is not the least bit worried. He is even leisurely and carefreely riding a horse in the East Mountain Racecourse with his personal assistant. Does this mean that Mr. Prime Minister has a well-thought-out n for the case on Monday, or could it be that Mr. Prime Minister has already given up?¡±

    ¡°He probably won¡¯t give up. Everybody knows that although the one that¡¯s appearing in court is the prime minister¡¯s wife, the Prime Minister couldn¡¯t only think of himself,¡± another reporter added.

    The anchors and the reporters brought it up and discussed it. However, the thing that Gu Nianzhi was interested in had already changed.

    She looked at the screen coldly and said, ¡°Professor He, say something. What is the connection between Gu Yanran and me?¡±

    During that crucial moment when she was kidnapped in Germany, Gu Yanran unexpectedly revealed that she was not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter. She had been back for three or four weeks. Gu Yanran only called once. She knew she was OK. She even knew that she broke up with Huo Shaoheng. She hadn¡¯t called since. Gu Yanran¡¯s eager attitude was so different from before she went to Germany.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if other people that had sisters had the same circumstances she had. Even though she was not her biological child, they did grow up together. Usually, affection is cultivated by living together. However, by looking at Gu Yanran¡¯s attitude, did Gu Yanran have amnesia?

    He Zhichu was also watching the news program. To him, Gu Yanran was a very adaptable woman and it amazed him. She was like some kind of weed ¡ª even if one put it under a rock, it would still be able to sprout through a crack. What that kind of seize-every-opportunity spirit, He Zhichu had to admire it. But the thing was, one shouldn¡¯t sacrifice other people¡¯s interests and use it to pay the price in order to reach one¡¯s destination.

    He Zhichu thought about it for a bit and said, ¡°Same as you. Gu Yanran is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. But if you don¡¯t like her, then don¡¯t pay attention to her. What meaning is there if you were to contend with this kind of person?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not contending with her. I find her irritating. Hang up. I still have to write my reports.¡± Gu Nianzhi hung up after she finished talking and ignored He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu put the phone down slowly. He clenched his fist. He had a sinister and ruthless look on his face.

    Gu Yanran is jumping about so fiercely. I can only hope that she still has some reasoning in her.

    If she thought that by hanging on to the Prime Minister, she could trample on Gu Nianzhi, then she could not me him for not beating around the bush anymore...

    ...

    That day, on Monday, Gu Nianzhi was supposed to have sses in the morning. However, because there was going to be a live broadcast of the hearing, she asked for leave and didn¡¯t go to ss. She stayed in her dormitory alone while swiping her phone.

    That time, the prime minister¡¯s wife was involved, and the live broadcast of the hearing could not be recorded. There was no video, and only the words were broadcast. Gu Nianzhi read them line by line. When she saw Jin Wanyi¡¯s defense for the prime minister¡¯s wife, Cai Songyin, shesuddenly squinted her eyes.

    ...What that kind of defense, what is Jin Wanyi nning?

    The defense that was on disy went like this: ¡°Honorable and excellent judge, I, the defensewyer, will speak in the defense of the used, Cai Songyin, in ordance with thew. Together with the public prosecutor¡¯s investigation, the collegial panel will take her defense and the prosecutor¡¯s investigation into consideration.

    ¡°ording to our country¡¯s electionw¡¯s 250thw, the crime of embezzling campaign funds means the campaign staff took advantage of the job¡¯s benefits. If someone reallocated the campaign funds for their own personal use, they would be carrying out an illegal activity. To embezzle arge portion of the campaign fund in order to make a profit by carrying out that action, or to embezzle a big amount of the campaign fund and not return it within three months would also be illegal. That¡¯s what the crime of embezzling campaign funds is.

    ¡°We can see that the first condition to be charged of embezzling campaign funds is when a person reallocates the campaign fund for one¡¯s personal use. On the ground of the evidence that has been shown, although the defendant, Cai Songyin, had reallocated campaign funds, she had returned them to the campaign ount. The bank¡¯s day-to-day ount can prove it here.

    ¡°Besides, the defendant, the person from the campaign staff that was in charge of the financial affairs, was Cai Songyin. Moreover, she¡¯s the prime minister¡¯s wife. It was not for personal use when she reallocated the campaign fund. It was all for the campaign. Furthermore, she had never carried out activities to help her make a profit.¡±

    The public prosecutor disagreed and said, ¡°Cai Songyin¡¯s statement said the evening gown that was worth $260,000 was out of her own pockets, but it was actually from the campaign fund. Would this not be considered personal use?¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s argument was this: ¡°As everyone knows, all statements are unconfirmed truth. After the statement had been released, the defendant had never publicly admitted any of it on any asion. Furthermore, sheter proved that, actually, the words on the statement were added by one of the temporary workers on the campaign staff. He had already been let go by the campaign team.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi read that part, she was already speechless.

    A ¡°temporary worker¡± can dismiss the prosecution¡¯s doubts? How could Jin Wanyi be that negligent?

    As expected, the prosecutor immediately demanded to summon that temporary worker to court, and Jin Wanyi was not willing to tell them the way to contact him at all. For that reason, the prosecutors attacked her fiercely. For a while, they were in strait circumstances. Cai Songyin¡¯s party ignored it.

    At first Cai Songyin was still able to maintain her smile. Later, it was more and more difficult to smile. Jin Wanyi was also unwilling to be outdone and had a battle of words with the prosecutors. She was downright angry.

    In the end, when the prosecutors questioned Cai Sonyin, shepletely lost control of her emotions. She pointed at the prosecutor in the court and yelled, ¡°It¡¯s clear that someone is out to get me! Out to get the prime minister! You think I don¡¯t know who¡¯s pulling the strings behind you? Let me tell you, even if you pull our prime minister down, it still wouldn¡¯t be your master that¡¯s in the shadow¡¯s turn! What a joke! Topete with us!¡±

    The court was suddenly in chaos. Even the broadcasting of the words discontinued at one point. Later, when it reappeared again, the judge reprimanding Jin Wanyi and Cai Songyin and was choosing and using words that favored the prosecutors. The situation at that moment was very disadvantageous toward Cai Songyin.

 Chapter 758 - Birthday Party (1)

    <h4>Chapter 758: Birthday Party (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi finished watching the live broadcast of the first trial and quicklypiled several doubtful areas. Firstly, Cai Songyin¡¯s legal team somehow directly admitted she had misappropriated campaign funds, and that was also the more serious error. With a case like this, there would be no legal repercussions, even if there was actually misappropriation of campaign funds as long as it was reimbursed in a timely manner.

    However, in terms of morals, she had already lost. The voters would forever remember that Prime Minister Tan had a wife and financial supervisor who misappropriated campaign funds. If he wanted to run for re-election, it almost guaranteed he wouldn¡¯t be able to raise any more money as long as Cai Songyin was by his side. So why did Jin Wanyi have to publicly admit guilt during her argument? Since there was already proof from the running ount that the funds had already been repaid within three months, it would¡¯ve been possible to directly defend the use of funds as normal campaign team needs. It was inflow and outflow of cash anyway, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe that Jin Wanyi and her team hadn¡¯t consulted professional ountants. So why did they have to leave such arge loophole?

    Secondly, it was even more ridiculous to me a temporary worker for the oundish post. This reason was enough to foolizens, but using it in court as a legitimate reason guaranteed Cai Songyin¡¯s doom. It was directly burying a ticking bomb with her.

    In the end, the only purpose Gu Nianzhi could see in all of all this was targeting Cai Songyin. The Prime Minister was able topletely extricate himself from the case, and it was very likely Cai Songyin wouldn¡¯t be sentenced because it was very difficult to judge if she had broken thew. However, her reputation waspletely ruined, so she could never help Tan Dongbang campaign again. It could be said that with this case, Cai Songyin was the only one to be ruined. This was quite interesting. Gu Nianzhi shut off her phone and propped her head on her hand as she mused at her desk.

    ...

    After the live stream of the trial, some people were happy while others were aggrieved. Tan Guiren witnessed her own Mommy loseposure in court and be taken away by the bailiff, so she instantly burst into tears. Gu Yaran and Tan Dongbang had to console her together for a very long time before she finally calmed down. Tan Guiren was exhausted from crying and went back to her room to sleep. Tan Dongbang adjusted her nkets and said with pity, ¡°This child was really spoiled by her Mommy and me.¡± He then nced at Gu Yanran. ¡°Yanran, you need to spend more time with Little Darling from now on. You¡¯re strong yet gentle, and very capable, too. I hope that you can positively influence Little Darling.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Prime Minister is too kind.¡± Gu Yanran was delighted and shocked by hispliment. She left Tan Guiren¡¯s room with Tan Dongbang to return to the dark, empty hallway in the office.

    Tan Dongbang sighed again. ¡°If only Little Darling could be like you. I really wish I had a daughter just like you.¡±

    Gu Yanran suddenly stopped and stared at him. ¡°Prime Minister, you know that I don¡¯t want to be your daughter.¡±

    ¡°Is it shameful for you to be my daughter?¡± Tan Dongbang instincitvely looked away. ¡°I¡¯m old enough to be your father.¡±

    Gu Yanran suddenly got excited. She looked up at Tan Dongbang without concealing the admiration in her eyes as she said quietly, ¡°I¡¯ve always dreamed of having a father like you. But when I really came to your side, I¡¯m also d you¡¯re not my father. Otherwise, what would I do?¡±

    Tan Dongbang shut his eyes and only heard all the blood in his body rush to his brain. His eardrums thundered, and he nearly couldn¡¯t hear anything except for Gu Yanran¡¯s seductive voice echoing in his ears. His arms instinctively grabbed Gu Yanran¡¯s waist. Gu Yanran pushed opened a door in the hallway and pulled Tan Dongbang inside. The room was pitch ck, and the curtains were drawn so they didn¡¯t know what room it was. Tan Dongbang had already pressed Gu Yaran onto the sofa and began kissing her madly. He hadn¡¯t felt like this in a long time...

    ...

    Gu Yanran woke up the next day and saw that Tan Dongbang was still blissfully asleep by her side. She was incredibly satisfied. Drawing circles on Tan Dongbang¡¯s chest, she waited until he woke up. Tan Dongbang wasn¡¯t young anymore, so his stamina couldn¡¯tpare to Ye Xuan¡¯s. However, he gave Gu Yanran iparable emotional satisfaction.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Tan Dongbang opened his eyes to see Gu Yanran¡¯s elegant, beautiful face. Squeezing her hand, he leaned over to kiss her.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Yanran smiled happily and sat up in bed. ¡°It¡¯s almost Little Darling¡¯s birthday. I want to host a grand birthday party for her. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Really? I forget about it. I¡¯ve been so busytely.¡± Tan Dongbang also sat up and had an even better impression of Gu Yanran now. ¡°I¡¯m very happy you¡¯re nice to Little Darling.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I want you to understand I like Little Darling because you like her. I¡¯ll treasure everything you love.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s sweet talking was very advanced, and Tan Dongbang hadn¡¯t felt this way for many years now. He had been married to Cai Songyin for decades, so they were alreadypletely acquainted with each other. He no longer felt the same thrill as he did with Gu Yanran... But he also loved his daughter. She was the apple of his eye. Gu Yanran understood this well, so that¡¯s why she was so kind to her.

    Besides, Tan Guiren was just a daughter, so she would be married off with a bit of dowry when the time came. She wouldn¡¯t get in Gu Yanran¡¯s way at all. She knew that Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin had tried hard to match Tan Guiren with Huo Shaoheng. Originally, Gu Yanran thought that was impossible, but knowing that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had broken up, she suddenly felt it wasn¡¯t that impossible, after all. Although Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t interested in Gu Yanran, he treated Tan Guiren differently. Also, Gu Yanran cleary saw how he treated Tan Gurien at the airport, so Gu Yanran wouldpletely win against Gu Nianzhi if she could get Tan Guiren to steal Huo Shaoheng and bring him over to their side.

    Gu Yanran became even more friendly when she thought of this. After breakfast, she visited Tan Guiren. She was draped in a gown and sat still in front of her vanity. ¡°Little Darling, what is it?¡± Gu Yanran sat by her side and smoothly brushed her hair. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday in two days. Your father said he¡¯ll host a grand birthday party for you. He¡¯ll invite all the important elites from the Imperial Capital to celebrate your birthday. What do you think?¡±

    Tan Guiren hung her head dejectedly. ¡°My Mommy¡¯s trial isn¡¯t over yet. How can I be in the mood to have a birthday party?¡±

    ¡°Little Darling, you can¡¯t think that way.¡± Gu Yanran held her hand and urged, ¡°You think a birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence is just a party? It¡¯s also a social asion, and many important things are decided on such social asions. If you want your Mommy¡¯s case to conclude quickly, then you should happily host this birthday party and then find a chance to plead to those important elites...¡±

    Tan Guiren was convinced. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Yanran took her hand. ¡°I also have news to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What news? Is it about my Mommy?¡± Tan Guiren answered instinctively.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao?¡± Tan Guiren seem to take a long time when she heard the nickname before she suddenly understood what it meant.

    ¡°Right, I heard he broke up with his girlfriend, Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Tan Gurien¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi told me herself. Don¡¯t forget, Gu Nianzhi is my so-called sister.¡± Gu Yanran smiled faintly, an amused gleam in her eyes.

 Chapter 759 - Birthday Party (2)

    <h4>Chapter 759: Birthday Party (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Really? When was this?¡± Tan Guiren was inevitably distracted. She stared at Gu Yanran with her lucid eyes that were as pure as a lily.

    Gu Yanran thought Tan Guiren was extremely cute when she was like this. She picked up a brush to pass through her hair as she said, ¡°It should be since she came back from Germany... Oh, although I¡¯m her sister, I can¡¯t defend her when ites to this incident.¡±

    ¡°...Why? You know why they broke up?¡± Tan Guiren asked uneasily as she clutched the gown to her chest and appeared very anxious.

    Gu Tanran peered at Tan Guiren¡¯s beautiful face in the mirror and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics, but I understand my sister very well. I also understand men very well, so I know the reason, roughly.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°They probably broke up since Nianzhi came back from Germany.¡± Gu Yanran paused then stopped brushing Tan Guiren¡¯s hair. She moved close to her ear to whisper, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but you can¡¯t repeat it to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°I definitely won¡¯t say anything!¡± Tan Guiren grew even more nervous and stared at Gu Yanran in the mirror. She almost couldn¡¯t breath. She had no idea why she was so nervous. Perhaps she instantly rejected being the reason behind someone else¡¯s rtionship falling apart...

    Gu Yanran continued, ¡°My sister, Nianzhi, was kidnapped in Germany and went missing for almost two weeks. After she was found, Huo Shao broke up with her...¡±

    Tan Guiren instantly stood up, ¡°What?! Is that true?! Huo Shao broke up with Gu Nianzhi because she was kidnapped in Germany? How could this be? How could this be?!¡±

    Gu Yanran stiffened. She didn¡¯t understand why Tan Guiren was reacting so strongly. She knew Tan Guiren had gone missing in the United States for some time and the Tans had used that incident for domestic publicity in order to make Tan Dongbang a household name. But she had always assumed that it was the Tans own ploy and that they were the ones to arrange for Tan Guiren¡¯s disappearance. Also, the Tans forced Huo Shaoheng to go save Tan Guiren in New York and the incident was strictly confidential, so even many high ranking bureaucrats were not aware of this incident, let alone Gu Yanran.

    So, she had no idea what Tan Gurien experienced while she went missing in the United States. In the moment, Gu Yanan witnessed Tan Guiren nearly getting hysterical, and although she was a bit confused, she still chose tofort her. Grabbing Tan Guiren¡¯s hand, she nodded and asked, ¡°Why not? I can understand it... I can understand it very well... You think...¡± But she suddenly thought about how she shouldn¡¯t be so ¡°familiar¡± with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s kidnapping and changed her tune. ¡°Actually I¡¯m just guessing blindly, sp maybe this wasn¡¯t the reason. Maybe it was because of something else. For example, Huo Shao met someone more suitable so he broke up with someone less suitable...¡±

    Tan Guiren finally sighed and blushed. Her eyes sparkled as she sat on the soft white chair in front of her vanity and murmured, ¡°...Huo Shao met someone more suitable? Then he has another girlfriend now?¡±

    ¡°You have to ask yourself that...¡± Gu Yanran patted her cheek with a smile. ¡°You forgot how Huo Shao personally picked you up with when you returned and cared for you so well at the airport. You still don¡¯t understand?¡±

    Tan Guirenughed abashedly with a shake of her head, ¡°Actually, Huo Shao doesn¡¯t have much to do with me. Really, we are just regr friends.¡± From the beginning until now, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t exhibited any behavior or actions that surpassed that of a normal friend. Tan Guiren was very clear on this fact but secretly liked Huo Shaoheng.

    Still, however much she liked him, she never confessed to Huo Shaoheng or bothered him because she knew he had a girlfriend. A good girl would never be a homewrecker. As much as Tan Guiren liked Huo Shaoheng, she would never take the initiative to break them up. So when Gu Yanran said that, Tan Guiren instinctively rejected the idea. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m really not that close to Huo Shao. He probably broke up with Gu Naiznhi because of issues between them. I don¡¯t think it had anything to do with others.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. Of course it was a problem between them. Although Gu Nianzhi is my younger sister, I¡¯m not siding with her.¡± Gu Yanran stroked Tan Gurien¡¯s head. ¡°I really wish you were my sister... too bad it¡¯s just a thought.¡±

    ¡°You can be my sister!¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s eyes gleamed, ¡°How about we swear into sisterhood! You can be my chosen sister and I¡¯ll be yours!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Haha... ¡± Gu Yanran giggled and covered her mouth. She was about to cry fromughter. ¡°Oh, Little Darling. You¡¯re such a charm. What day and age is it, swearing into sisterhood... Little Darling, are you living in the 1800s?¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s face flushed even redder from Gu Yanan¡¯sughter. She decided to sprawl on the vanity to cover her face. Gu Yanan saw that Tan Guiren was getting too embarrassed from the teasing and finally stoppedughing, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stop teasing you. Little Darling, your birthday happens to be this weekend. Do you want your birthday party to be on Friday or Saturday? Sunday is fine too.¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday was actually on Saturday, so she obviously chose her actual birth date. ¡°...If it¡¯s not a hassle, let¡¯s do Saturday. Everyone is already off so they wouldn¡¯t need to request any extra days.¡± Tan Guiren thought about it and looked up at Gu Yaran. ¡°Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s OK. Little Darling is our little princess. You can have anything you want.¡± Gu Yanran was very satisfied with Tan Guiren¡¯s attitude of dependence. ¡°Give your guest list to me and I¡¯ll arrange everything. I¡¯ll make sure to host a grand party for you on Saturday.¡±

    ...

    Soon after, the invitations for the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter¡¯s 25th birthday party were sent out. This was a birthday party for the Prime Minister¡¯s only daughter, so the Imperial Capital¡¯s bureaucrats and elites were very respectful and all promised to attend. Very soon, the government officials who didn¡¯t receive an invitation were ashamed and wanted nothing more but to purchase them at a high price from the ck market. But this was a party at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, so how could the invitations get on the ck market? They would never pass the background check alone.

    Gu Yanran was in charge of sending out invitations for the birthday party, so there were many people trying to tter her in hopes she would be gracious enough to give out just one more innovation. For Gu Yanran, it was a simple favor, but for the bureaucrats who did not get an invitation, it was no less than a life saving drug. Although Gu Yanran was in charge of the internal resources within the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, she was especially amiable and never lostposure or acted arrogantly. Also, she was very wealthy and was a rich heiress herself, so everyone¡¯s perception of her gradually improved.

    With the buzz around Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday party, Gu Yanran had discreetly gotten famous herself and sessfully essed the upper echelon of Imperial Capital society. Everyone knew that the Prime Minister¡¯s personal assistant, Miss Gu, came from a good background, was beautiful, and capable, but put on no airs. She was very easy to talk to and also greatly improved Prime Minister Tan¡¯s image, too. Tan Dongbang¡¯s polls had been dragged down because if Cai Sonyin¡¯s case and were now slowly climbing up again. On Friday afternoon, Tan Dongbang looked at thetest data from the polls sent by his subordinates. He gushed to Gu Yanran. ¡°This is all thanks to Yanran, otherwise this situation wouldn¡¯t have been so easily turned around.¡±

    ¡°The Prime Minister is being too kind. I¡¯m only doing what I should be doing, and I¡¯m totally willing.¡± Gu Yanran smiled humbly and warmly. She didn¡¯t have Cai Songyin¡¯s forcefulness, yet possessed her level of ability. Tan Dongbang was more than pleased with Gu Yanran so he took her wherever he went. All his outfits, arrangements, and scheduling ¡ª including the internal affairs of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence as well as his daughter Tan Guiren ¡ª were all taken care of by Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran felt conflicted as she thought about how much she used to hate her mother for sending her to Ennd for school when she was younger. Never did she expect that the professional knowledge she learned in Ennd would finallye in handy.

    ...

    On Thursday night, Gu Yanran had already returned to her own apartment on the Third Ring Road to pack. She hadn¡¯t returned there for a long time now. Downstairs was where Huo Shaoheng had hidden Gu Nianzhi like a mistress, but she hadn¡¯te back there since returning from Germany. This was also one of the reasons why Gu Yanran believed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. If they hadn¡¯t fought, then why would Huo Shaoheng hold off sleeping with Gu Nianzhi for so long? The apartment below hers was the irond evidence of him being her sugar daddy...

 Chapter 760 - Birthday Party (3)

    <h4>Chapter 760: Birthday Party (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Using the key card to open the door, Gu Yanran smoothly pressed on the switch for the wall sconce in the corner. The pitch ck room was suddenly brightly illuminated. Someone sitting on the smoke-gray, L-shaped couch in the middle of the living room instinctively raised their arms to block the blinding light. Gu Yanran finally noticed someone was in there! After careful inspection, she realized it was Ye Xuan. Slowly walking over, she asked, ¡°Xuan, you¡¯re here?¡±

    Ye Xuan lowered his arm and looked up at Gu Yanran before hugging her waist and pressing his head on her stomach. He murmured, ¡°You¡¯re finally back. Yanran, why did you take so long toe home?¡±

    ¡°Xuan, I have business to take care of right now, so I¡¯m very busy.¡± Gu Yanran smiled gently and rubbed the back of Ye Xuan¡¯s head so lightly that he got goosebumps all over his body as her fingers stroked the back of his neck. It didn¡¯t feel bad. It was actually a rare thrill. He couldn¡¯t help embracing her tighter, and he even dragged her against his body. However, Gu Yanran didn¡¯t let him pull her down as she said quietly, ¡°Xuan, I don¡¯t feel so good.¡±

    Ye Xuan slowly let go and shifted aside on the couch. ¡°Sit, don¡¯t just stand there.¡±

    Gu Yanran smoothly sat beside him and took out an invitation from her bag. ¡°This is an invitation for the birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence this Saturday. Are you free?¡±

    Ye Xuan read the invitation with raised brows. ¡°Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday? Yanran, why do you have to deal with even Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday? What are you doing at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the Prime Minister¡¯s personal assistant, so any matters rted to the government and cab have nothing to do with me. But as for all the internal duties at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, the Prime Minister¡¯s schedule, and even his daughter, Tan Guiren, those are all my responsibilities.¡± Gu Yanran propped her head on her hand as she gently stroked Ye Xuan¡¯s arm with her other hand. ¡°Even though I have many subordinates, I can¡¯t feel reassured, so I must check everything myself. It makes me even more tired.¡±

    Ye Xuan studied Gu Yanran carefully and saw that she had dark bags under her eyes, and her face was devoid of color. She really did look like she was exhausted. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? What¡¯s the point of having subordinates? If you have to do everything, then you will never finish all the work, even if you never eat or sleep,¡± Ye Xuan said as he shifted to Gu Yanran¡¯s side to give her a massage.

    Gu Yanran closed her eyesfortably and quickly fell asleep. Ye Xuan saw that she was sleeping so deeply and couldn¡¯t bear to disturb her, so he brought her upstairs. Gu Yanran slept right until the morning and screamed when she woke up and looked at her watch. ¡°I¡¯mte! I¡¯mte!¡± She quickly removed her nkets and ran to the bathroom to hurriedly wash up before going to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. She didn¡¯t even say goodbye to Ye Xuan.

    Ye Xuan looked at the breakfast he had just made with a helpless shake of his head. Sitting down to eat it alone, he turned on theputer and continued to track the several secondary ounts on Weibo from before. He also tried to track the origin of the call to the TV station that had toppled the head of a universityw department. He looked at theputer programs running and closed his eyes to rest somewhat helplessly. The facilities here were too rudimentary. If this was in the United States, the supeputer in his American office would¡¯ve finishedputing everything a million years ago. But it had been two weeks already, and it was still running... Ye Xuan sighed and decided to set an rm before lying on the sofa to nap.

    ...

    Friday night, Gu Nianzhi finished sses and wore her backpack as she rode her bike from the lecture hall to the dorm. As soon as she turned the corner to the dorm, a ck Mercedes SUV rolled down its window, and Gu Yanran, wearing Prada Baroque sunsses, poked her head out as she waved with a smile. ¡°Nianzhi! Come over here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless. She held onto the bike¡¯s handlebars with both hands and rested her weight on one leg on the ground. ncing up at the car, she said calmly, ¡°You need something?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, of course there¡¯s something. It¡¯s a good thing, too.¡± Gu Yanran continued to wave from inside the car.

    Gu Nianzhi clearly noticed that Gu Yanran seemed unlike the person from the before. Whenever Gu Yanran looked at Gu Nianzhi in the past, regardless if she was appearing indifferent or friendly, she would always look cautious inside like she was deathly afraid of offending Gu Nianzhi but also couldn¡¯t help provoking her. But now, her smile was very genuine and gracious, like she was strangely ¡°not splitting hairs with someone less than her.¡±

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi knew that Gu Yanran had secretly stabbed her in the back when she was in the most dire situation and that Gu Xianwen wasn¡¯t even her biological father, she didn¡¯t want to humor Gu Yanran at all anymore. ¡°Miss Gu, spit it out if you have something to say. I still have to study tonight.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t move to dismount from the bike and still bnced herself on one leg. Thest remnant of the sunset spilled out from the narrow space between two buildings and happened to shine on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right leg that was bnced against the ground. She wore tight fitting jeans, and her slim leg appeared like an exquisite work of art under the golden sunlight.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t helpnding on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s leg and looked quietly for a while. Gu Nianzhi got impatient and lifted her leg up as she readied herself to ride off.

    Gu Yanran finally called out, ¡°Wait!¡± As she spoke, she opened the door to get out. As soon as Gu Yanran stepped out, several ck-d bodyguards wearing sunsses surrounded her as they vigntly monitored all the students walking past the dorm building. Gu Nianzhi began to smirk and put her leg down again as she waited for Gu Yanran to walk over.

    Gu Yanran stood before her and said with a light chuckle, ¡°Nianzhi, you sure are haughty.¡±

    ¡°Haha, calling the younger sister haughty when you want to speak with her. Miss Gu, who is the real haughty one here?¡± Gu Nianzhi flicked her bike bell indifferently. ¡°Please speak quickly if you have something to say. If I leave anyter, the cafeteria will run out of food.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have dinner yet? Here, I¡¯ll take you to dinner,¡± Gu Yanran invited excitedly and was about to grab her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand to avoid Gu Yanran¡¯s. Coughing lightly, she said, ¡°Gu Yanran, what is wrong with you? I¡¯m really busy and still need to go study tonight.¡±

    ¡°Going to study at night is considered being very busy?! Nianzhi, you¡¯re bing more and more humorous.¡± Gu Yanran nearly covered her smirk with her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t be naughty. I need to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°Then say it. I¡¯m all ears.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to nce at her. ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    ¡°Ok then, I¡¯ll make this short,¡± Gu Yanran said as she looked down to take an invitation out from her bag. ¡°Tomorrow is Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday. This is an invitation to her birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence tomorrow. Nianzhi, I worked really hard to get you an invitation. You have toe.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. I¡¯m busy.¡± Gu Nianzhi declined right away and didn¡¯t even look at the invitation in Gu Yanran¡¯s hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a capricious child,¡± Gu Yanran chided her. ¡°What is it? You¡¯re angry at me? Angry that I told people you¡¯re not Father¡¯s biological daughter? Why does it actually matter? Even though you¡¯re adopted, Father spoils you more than me. You should be happy about that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only wanted to look up and sigh at the sky, but Gu Yanran was always pretending to be an understanding older sister in front of people, and Gu Nianzhi had indeed been capricious when she refused to go to Gu Yanran¡¯s car earlier. If she continued to argue with Gu Yanran, other people would probably think she was being arrogant, so Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and acted patient. ¡°It¡¯s really fine. I¡¯m actually very busy because I wasted some time in Germany a while ago. I need to make up for sses now.¡±

    ¡°You think Sister doesn¡¯t know? But tomorrow is Saturday, and you don¡¯t have sses. Soe and check it out. Say happy birthday to Miss Tan.¡± Gu Yanran prodded her arm gently. ¡°Sister isying the way for you. You just broke up with Huo Shao, so how will you earn more money in the future if you don¡¯t get to know more people in high society right now? You¡¯re awyer, so it¡¯s good for you to know some big clients, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded.

    Gu Yanran saw that Gu Nianzhi was being quiet, so she thought she was listening to what she was saying. Rxing herself, she continued, ¡°Ok, stop being stubborn with Sister. I¡¯m very busy right now as Prime Minister Tan¡¯s personal assistant. I¡¯m the only one in charge of his official residence and his work schedule. That includes his daughter, Tan Gurien, too. I have no choice about spending less time with you. Don¡¯t me Sister...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shot her a strange look. ¡°You? Prime Minister Tan¡¯s personal assistant?¡± She was actually being serious...

    ¡°Right.¡± Gu Yanran showed her badge from the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°See, this is my ID. Come to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence tomorrow, and I¡¯ll show you around. It¡¯s actually a very normal house. It¡¯s nowhere as grand as our mansion in Barbados.¡±

 Chapter 761 - Birthday Party (4)

    <h4>Chapter 761: Birthday Party (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi restrained her temper as she listened to it for a long time. She looked calmer. She had a smile on her face that was so aloof and indifferent that Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t tell what was behind it.

    ¡°Finished?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at her. She knew that if she could not persevere at that time, Gu Yanran would talk for a while. She stretched out her hand and took the invitation. ¡°OK. If I¡¯m free tomorrow, I will go.¡±

    ¡°Awesome! Nianzhi, just use my name when you go tomorrow. I will send people to bring you inside.¡± It was clear that the happiness was from Gu Yanran¡¯s heart.

    Gu Nianzhi said nothing.

    She looked at the invitation in her hand. ¡°Having this invitation still wouldn¡¯t get me inside? I still need to go find Ms. Gu to get in? Then, what good is the invitation? I¡¯ll just use your name tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned the invitation to Gu Yanran again.

    Gu Yanran quickly corrected herself and winked at her and said, ¡°Of course not. Nianzhi, of course you can also go by bringing this invitation, but if you use my name and say that you are my little sister, they will be more respectful toward you. Furthermore, you wouldn¡¯t have to wait in line. You coulde in immediately. Isn¡¯t it that great? Didn¡¯t you say that you are busy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made an indifferent ¡°uh-huh¡± sound. ¡°OK, I¡¯ll look at tomorrow¡¯s schedule,¡± she said as she put the invitation into her bookbag carelessly. She stepped on the pedal. ¡°I¡¯m going to go.¡±

    ¡°You have toe tomorrow!¡± Gu Yanran waved her hand at her. Then she went back to her own car.

    Gu Nianzhi parked her bike in the bicycle parking shed and raised her eyes to look at Gu Yanran¡¯s car driving away with an air of superiority. There were motorcycles in the front and in the back making way for it. It was very ostentatious and extravagant. Gu Nianzhi curled her lips in disbelief at Gu Yanran¡¯s habit of bullying-others-by- unting-her-powerful-connections. She really was speechless.

    She carried the bookbag on her back as she came out from the bicycle parking shed. Just as she was about to enter the dormitory, she heard someone call her name behind her. This time, it was Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face bloomed into a smile.

    She turned and faced Yin Shixiong, who was standing under the stairs with open arms. ¡°Big Xiong! Are you here to see Qiqi?¡±

    Yin Shixiong gasped.

    If it weren¡¯t for a certain person who was in the shadows keeping an eye on him in an unknown ce, he would haveined about it while crying to Gu Nianzhi... but he was there to see Qiqi. He was ¡°forced¡± to see Qiqi! Of course, he could only dly endure the hardship.

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s like this.¡± Yin Shixiong took out two invitations from his pocket. ¡°This is an invitation for the prime minister¡¯s daughter¡¯s birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence tomorrow. I want to ask Qiqi to go with me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes brightened and patted Yin Shixiong¡¯s shoulder hard. ¡°Good job, Big Xiong! Keep it up!¡±

    ¡°...But, on the phone Qiqi said that she¡¯s not used to that kind of event and that she doesn¡¯t want to go.¡± Yin Shixiong forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m wondering, could you help me and go to the banquet at the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence with Qiqi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about how Gu Yanran had just specificallye to give her the invitation. Her eyeball moved and said, ¡°OK, but can you let me see the invitation?¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly put the invitation in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. Gu Nianzhi looked at it. It was almost exactly like the invitation that Gu Yanran had given her. However, the invitation she got had her name on it, whereas the two invitations that Yin Shixiong had didn¡¯t have names on them. That was a bit interesting.

    At first, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to go. It was a no brainer that since Gu Yanran came to specifically give her the invitation, she had to go to the event. She wouldn¡¯t let her feelfortable. Why would she bring trouble upon herself?

    But, seeing how rare it was for Yin Shixiong to ask and that it was to go see the world with Qiqi ¡ª and especially because it was to see the real people that they hated on Weibo ¡ª it looked like it would be very interesting...

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and she nonchntly asked, ¡°It¡¯s Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday party, right? What about her mother, Cai Songyin? Will she be present?¡±

    She knew that on the day Cai Songyin was driven mad at court that she lost control of her feelings and was temporarily detained. That was why the person who would host Tan Guiren¡¯s party would not be her own mother, but the person with a strange identity, Gu Yanran.

    Yin Shixiong secretly smiled as he looked to his left and right. He moved close to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°...This is the specially prepared birthday present we are going to give Ms. Tan. At that time, not only will Ms. Tan be shocked, but even the Prime Minister and his pretty assistant might also be surprised...¡±

    ¡°They have a really good appetite. Even if it were a whale from deep in the sea, they would still eat it.¡± Gu Nianzhi made fun of her in an indifferent manner as she thought of how just then ,Gu Yanran had that overweening and arrogant look. She was suddenly very interested in tomorrow¡¯s party.

    She looked down at the invitations that were in Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand and spurted out, ¡°...This is Huo Shao¡¯s idea, right?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?!¡± Yin Shixiong had a fake ¡°panic-stricken¡± expression. He even put on an act and looked around him.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately knew that Huo Shaoheng was probably nearby.

    Her smile immediately disappeared and she put the invitation back in the bookbag and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I still need to stay upte to study. I can only go if I finish the report I have right now. Big Xiong, you should beg the Gods and Buddhas to bless and protect me and let me finish my reports sessfully today! Or else, I would not be able to take your Qiqi to the banquet!¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed at what Gu Nianzhi had said, but was pleasantly surprised he was able to ept the words ¡°your Qiqi.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi went back to the dormitory and saw that Ma Qiqi was already back. She was in the living room, eating a snack.

    When she saw Gu Nianzhie in, Ma Qiqi lifted the snack in her hand and asked, ¡°Want to eat? Cashews.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Too oily. I don¡¯t want to eat them. I still haven¡¯t eaten dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put the bookbag down and took out an invitation and put it in front of Ma Qiqi. ¡°There, Qiqi. Tomorrow¡¯s banquet at the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence. Big Xiong wanted me to give it to you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I told him I¡¯m not going.¡± Ma Qiqi shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m amoner... I don¡¯t go to those kinds of events for high officials and noble lords. Tell me, does he want me to make a fool of myself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi found it funny. She walked over and sat next to her. She pinched her nose, which was quite elevated, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t say that Qiqi. There¡¯s nothing special about high officials and noble lords. Besides, don¡¯t you want to see that person we hate on Weibo?¡±

    Ma Qiqi looked at her and threw a round cashew into her mouth. ¡°I have never been to an event like this before. I don¡¯t feelfortable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going. Will you go?¡± Gu Nianzhi could see that Ma Qiqi had a bit of stage fright. Actually, she was probably interested. Plus, there was Yin Shixion...

    The moment she heard Gu Nianzhi was going, Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯m going! Of course, I¡¯m going!¡±

    She put the invitation away happily and stood up and said, ¡°OK, then you have to go with me tomorrow! The one who doesn¡¯t go is no better than a dog!¡±

    ¡°...I don¡¯t mind being a little dog. Woof, woof, woof...so cute.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Ma Qiqi¡¯s winking eyes. Ma Qiqi almost passed out from the shock she gave her...

    ¡°Alright, alright! You win! It doesn¡¯t matter since you have to take me, or else I won¡¯t go.¡± Ma Qiqi said that as she carried the snack pail into her own room.

    The moment she went in, she used her back to close the door. Then, Ma Qiqi leaned against the door and took out her phone and texted Yin Shixiong, ¡°done.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was sitting in his car when he got Ma Qiqi¡¯s text. He happily turned his head toward Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting in the back seat, and said, ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s done!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly and asked Yin Shixiong, ¡°How about Cai Songyin? Is the procedure to release her on bail done?¡±

    ¡°Done.¡± Yin Shixiong stepped on the gas and the car moved. At the same time, with much emotion he said, ¡°She sure is unlucky. I heard from people in the court of justice that she didn¡¯t need to be locked up for that long. She could go home on the second day, but the Tan family¡¯swyer acted like she had forgotten about her. Also, Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t say a thing about it. She was locked up the whole time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng made a couple of ¡°haha¡± sounds and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it perfect? If she went home right away, where would we get to see this much drama?¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought about it and also felt like it was funny. However, when he thought of Gu Yanran, he looked to the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°Huo Shao, what should we do about Gu Yanran? Right now, her power and influence are quite big.¡±

    ¡°Yes, leave her to Nianzhi.¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted his wrist and looked at his watch disapprovingly. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We need to get back quick and hold our regr meeting.¡±

    At that time, their regr meetings were held on Fridays. After the meeting, there were those who had to be on duty, and those who had the weekend off.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was writing her report that whole night. She only went to sleep at 6 a.m.

    Gu Nianzhi nned on sleeping that whole morning because the birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence was at night.

    On Saturday morning, Huo Shaoheng called her. He called her for a long time and no one picked up. In the end, he called Ma Qiqi. He only found out that she stayed up all night to write her report and that she was sleeping in the morning.

    That was the perfect way to avoid him?

 Chapter 762 - Birthday Party (5)

    <h4>Chapter 762: Birthday Party (5)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng hung up and didn¡¯t bother Gu Nianzhi again. He was also very busy with work, so he had to make time every time he contacted her. However, Gu Nianzhi was always studying or sleeping, so she didn¡¯t take his calls often. Before he knew it, two weeks had passed, and he hadn¡¯t even seen her once. Huo Shaoheng turned off theputer and wanted to check on the day¡¯s work schedule, but he found himself distracted. His eyes kept instinctively drifting over to his phone, but finally, he held himself back. However, staying up was still a bad habit, and he was going to see her at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence tonight anyway, so he would remind her then.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi slept very well during the day because she had stayed up all night. By noon, He Zhichu had called her, and then Ma Qiqi also called when Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t pick up. Ma Qiqi told him that Gu Nianzhi had stayed up all night and only went to bed in the morning. After setting down the phone, He Zhichu immediately drove out to a nearby restaurant to order take out and deliver it to their dorm. When he arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building, it was already past 4pm. He Zhichu called Gu Nianzhi once again, and this time, she picked up. Her voice still sounded groggy from just waking up as she sat on the bed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Professor He, what is it?¡±

    He Zhichu replied dryly, ¡°I have some soup for you. Do you want toe downstairs to get it?¡±

    ¡°Soup?!¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately felt hungry because she had slept all day and hadn¡¯t eaten anything at all. ¡°I¡¯lle down right now. Thank you, Professor He!¡± Gu Nianzhi happily dressed to go downstairs and saw He Zhichu wearing a in-colored suit with a light blue tie. He stood handsomely in front of the dorm building, and many girls snuck nces at him. However, he didn¡¯t appear irritated at all. Gu Nianzhi walked out with a smile and waved to him. ¡°Thank you, Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu passed an insted lunch box with hot food and soup to her. ¡°Eat it while it¡¯s hot.¡± He then asked, ¡°There¡¯s a birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence tonight. Do you want to go?¡± He asked casually, like he could take her there at any time if Gu Nianzhi wanted to go.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly asked, ¡°You got an invitation, too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Gu Yanran gave me one.¡± He Zhichu heard her say, ¡°too,¡± so he asked, ¡°Could you have gotten an invitation as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Gu Yanran also gave me one. She even personally came to do it so I could see her gloat.¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit helpless. ¡°That arrogance is hard to imagine.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°People like that are short sighted. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to consider her your sister.¡±

    ¡°Huh? That won¡¯t do.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s not about whether I consider her my sister or not. Since we are both daughters of the Gu family, I won¡¯t abandon my identity, even if I dislike her. Like you said, I am Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter from a legal perspective. What¡¯s wrong with that? Why do I need to avoid her like the gue? Does she even deserve that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He Zhichu patted her head. ¡°So do you want to go to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence tonight?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go. Why shouldn¡¯t I? She¡¯s trying so hard to make me go, so wouldn¡¯t I be wasting her carefully nned hard work if I don¡¯t?¡± Gu Nianzhi saw that all the people she knew seemed to have been invited, so she understood what Gu Yanran was plotting. However, she wasn¡¯t scared of Gu Yanran at all. She didn¡¯t want to deal with her before only because she didn¡¯t want the hassle. But if Gu Yanran insisted on giving her trouble, then Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t going to back off. It was always the same thing. She would never start drama but was certainly not afraid of it. If someone was going to mess with her, she would be sure to make the other person walk the other way if they ever saw her again. They wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with her again.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯ll be going tonight, too.¡± He would keep an eye on Gu Yanran and wouldn¡¯t forgive her if he were to find out that she had anything to do with those dirty tricks.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi took the lunch box back to the dorm and happened to see Ma Qiqi walking out of her room. ¡°Wow! What smells so good?¡± Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t budge as soon as she saw good food. Gu Nianzhi opened the lunch box and saw arge bowl of lotus root braised spareribs, as well as a small container of sea cucumber millet porridge, a box of sea cucumber steamed eggs, and a bowl of chicken and sea cucumber. ¡°This is a sea cucumber feast!¡± Ma Qiq¡¯s eyes glittered as she giggled. ¡°Professor He prepared this for you? He must¡¯ve known you stayed up tootest night, so all these sea cucumber dishes are for nourishment. It¡¯s especially good for people who stay up a lot.¡±

    ¡°Here,e eat with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi brought out tableware and also served Ma Qiqi a bowl of soup. The two girls began to eat the food He Zhichu bought. It went without saying that He Zhichu knew Gu Nianzhi very well, so he bought enough food for two people to share. He already knew Gu Nianzhi would eat with Ma Qiqi. There wasn¡¯t actually that much food, and it tasted especially delicious and fresh since the sea cucumber was perfectly cooked without turning rubbery. It melted in their mouths but wasn¡¯t too soft to not be chewy at all. Also, they could tell the food had only been lightly salted and didn¡¯t have any seasoning like chicken or mushroom extracts, so these were all natural vors from the food itself. Afterpletely finishing the food, Ma Qiqiid on the couch and rubbed her stomach. ¡°I think I¡¯m stuffed. Why do we still need to go to some birthday party? There¡¯s no way I can eat anymore...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered as she pointed at Ma Qiqi. ¡°Silly, you¡¯re overthinking it. You think there will be a proper dinner at the birthday party? It¡¯ll be all drinks, fruit, and some buffet food. It¡¯s never any good, and guests don¡¯t go for the food, anyway. It¡¯s for social exchange, get it?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Ma Qiqi shook her head honestly. ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to go...¡±

    ¡°Then we won¡¯t go.¡± Gu Nianzhi said deliberately, ¡°We¡¯ll just be wallflowers if we go, anyway. I don¡¯t know many people there.¡±

    Ma Qiqi thought about it and mused, ¡°Then let¡¯s go anyway. I¡¯ve never been to an event like that, so I can brag about it for a year if I just go one time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got a stomach cramp fromughing andid on the floor for a while before going back to her room to shower and change. When it was past 7pm, the sky was already dark, and the streetlights outside the dorm began to light up one by one to overpower the sunset¡¯s glow. Gu Nianzhi wore a pantsuit and avender wool top with puffy sleeves. There was a mid-century, multiyered scarf detail and loose cor, but the top slimmed down at her waist to entuate her bust and taper her waist. Her long, straight legs were d in a pair of gray, skinny wool trousers. The leg waspletely straight, and she appeared especially professional when she tucked them into the mid-height boots reaching her calf. She didn¡¯t really wear makeup and only swiped on a pearly pink lipstick to instantly brighten her face.

    Ma Qiqi wore the newest Chanel Fall-Winter skirt suit in sky blue, and the skirt revealed just the top of her knee to show off her long legs. She wore Manolo hnik high heels in a matching color and paired it with a knee length coat. It was alreadyte October, so the Imperial Capital was very cold at night. Yin Shixiong and Huo Shaoheng drove to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm to see Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi already waiting by the door. Yin Shixiong waved happily to get them toe over. However, Ma Qiqi was the only one to run to the car while Gu Nianzhi went to another car.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the back, and his eyes were dark as he looked at the car ahead. He recognized the te as He Zhichu¡¯s car. ¡°Your Professor He is going to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence for the birthday party, too?¡± Huo Saoheng asked Ma Qiqi calmly.

    ¡°Yes, Professor He also brought us dinner tonight. It was all sea cucumber and was so delicious!¡±

 Chapter 763 - Birthday Party (6)

    <h4>Chapter 763: Birthday Party (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng agreed. His face remained calm but he didn¡¯t speak again. Sitting in the backseat, he turned to look at the scenery outside the car. Along the Imperial Capital¡¯s highways at night, the tall streetmps sparkled and stretched out into shimmering lines. He recalled looking down from his fighter jet as he flew in the night¨Cthe lights on the ground shone so brilliantly and were so eye-catching that they surpassed the beauty of the stars and the sun. Every time he was in a bad mood, he would go test the newest fighter jets and zoom through the night sky, darting through cloudyers to see the serene and beautiful scenery on the ground below. Even the biggest worries would seem to disappear. But today, even the most beautiful scenery failed to garner his interest. After a while, Huo Shaoheng looked away and took out his phone to open his call log. Pressing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photo, he opened a new text and didn¡¯t hesitate to send the message, ¡°No more staying up all night.¡± After he sent it, he felt it had been too severe and rigid. Considering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current rebellious phase, his fingers rubbed the screen for a while before he slowly added, ¡°It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi sat in He Zhichu¡¯s front passenger side and cocked her head as she discussed her graduation thesis with him. She still thought the evidence for the argument wascking and failed to prove the points she wanted to illustrate. Just as she was pondering this, she felt the phone in her small bag vibrate. She must¡¯ve gotten a text and assumed it was from Ma Qiqi. Unlocking her phone, she realized it was from Huo Shaoheng. Peering at his first text, Gu Naiznhi couldn¡¯t help sneering coolly. What a macho man, wanting to manage everything. His first words were, ¡°No more...¡±

    Who are you anyway? Do you still think you¡¯re my guardian?! I¡¯m an adult now, you should speak with some respect! Just as she cursed him internally and nned to shut off her phone, she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s second text which added, ¡°It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers paused and the smirk nearly fell off her face. A resolute and stern person like Huo Shaoheng was actually sending a gentle text. For him, this must be his very limit. Gu Nianzhi felt her nose start to sniffle. After looking at her phone some more, she decided to shut it off and put it back into her bag. Looking at the bag, she realized she¡¯d happened to grab the newest style of Hermes bag that Huo Shaoheng had bought for her. Staring at it quietly for a while, Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and leaned back into the seat to mediate.

    He Zhichu turned to nce at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleepst night? Don¡¯t stay up all night again. If you can¡¯t finish the work on time, you can always graduate six monthster. That¡¯s still graduating early.¡±

    ¡°No, I already nned it out.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head and stubbornly refused.

    ¡°Okay, take care of yourself.¡± He Zhichu no longer urged her to give up. ¡°Make ns for everything so you¡¯re not in the spur of the moment.¡±

    ¡°I know, thank you, Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi still held her original respect for He Zhichu as a teacher and this made him very frustrated. He also didn¡¯t know what to do to make her eliminate the tall barrier of ¡°respecting one¡¯s teacher¡± that stood between the two of them. Luckily, he remembered how he¡¯d learned to not take things too quickly when he first found Gu Nianzhi again. After trying hard to calm himself down, He Zhichu asked again, ¡°What do you n on giving Miss Tan for her birthday?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even open her eyes as she calmly replied, ¡°...Red envelope.¡± She then added, ¡°I put in 250 RMB.¡±

    Giving Gu Nianzhi a sidelong nce, his sultry eyes revealed a hint of amusement. ¡°You really dare to give her that?¡±

    ¡°...Why wouldn¡¯t I? I also prepared a red envelope for Gu Yanran for all her troubles.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s curvy lips smirked. ¡°250 RMB for each of them.¡± She was no longer sleepy after talking to He Zhichu, so she asked him, ¡°What about you? What is Professor He gifting?¡± Before waiting for He Zhichu to reply, Gu Nianzhi asked with curiosity, ¡°Does Gu Yanran know Professor He very well? Or are you close with the Tans and Cais?¡± Otherwise, why would He Zhichu be invited to Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday party?¡±

    He Zhichu shot a conflicted look in Gu Nainzhi¡¯s direction. ¡°You think I¡¯m very close to them?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded honestly. ¡°There¡¯s no question about Gu Yanran and your teaching assistant Wen Shouyi. They are basically best friends, as close as sworn sisters. Since they¡¯re so close, then there¡¯s no reason why you wouldn¡¯t be close to Gu Yanran, right?¡± Smiling slyly, Gu Nianzhi was using a little trickery to avoid directly answering He Zhichu¡¯s question. Instead, she used indirect evidence to prove her point with a hint of slyness.

    Of course, He Zhichu heard it in her words right away but he didn¡¯t refute them directly. ¡°Yeah, they are pretty close. But isn¡¯t there something wrong with directly inferring that I¡¯m close with Gu Yanran, just because she¡¯s close with Wen Shouyi? What are you hinting at? That I have an abnormal rtionship with Wen Shouyi or secret dealings with Gu Yanran?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly flushed red. Her little trick was exposed and also directly dismantled. As expected, Professor He was Professor He, and her skills were still crude inparison... Gu Nianzhi was sheepish for a bit but then recovered. She giggled. ¡°Actually I have suspicions about both.¡±

    About him having an abnormal rtionship with Wen Shouyi or secret dealings with Gu Yanran? He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help sneering and his voice quickly turned icy. ¡°Ha, so in your eyes, am I just a crude person? Do I only deserve to be with those kinds of people?¡± Looking at someone¡¯s circle of friends could be a judgment of their character.

    Gu Nianzhi was humiliated from hisebacks and immediately apologized. ¡°Sorry Professor He, it was my mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have thought about it that way.¡±

    ¡°You thought about it even though you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s fury rose and he could feel how boundless and unbridled it was. However, there was no way for him to unleash it. He had nearly given up everything toe look for Gu Nianzhi, only to end up in this kind of predicament. He couldn¡¯t move forward or backward and he couldn¡¯t even exin himself. In his crazed fury, He Zhichu suddenly pressed hard on his horn to release his frustrations.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly covered her ears. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m sorry. I made a mistake. Can you stop being angry?¡±

    The loud car horn was scaring people and causing all the cars around them to move out of the way since they didn¡¯t know what was going on. Yin Shixiong was driving close behind He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi and he also heard the car ahead sounding its horn incessantly.

    ¡°What is it? Was there an ident?¡± Ma Qiqi poked her head out curiously. ¡°Is that Professor He and Nianzhi¡¯s car?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, chase them and force them to stop.¡± Huo Shaoheng put down his phone and calmlymanded Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Roger, Chief,¡± Yin Shixiong instinctively replied. He then said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Sit tight.¡± mming on the elerator, their Bentley suddenly shot forward like an arrow.

    Up ahead, He Zhichu felt somewhat better after hitting the horn for a while. As soon as he moved his hand away, he noticed that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car pressing up from behind. He Zhichu was still furious. Although he¡¯d vented by abusing the car horn, he was far from being calmed downpletely. Seeing Huo Shaoheng elerating close behind them was exactly what he¡¯d wished for. He said to Gu Nianzhu, ¡°Sit tight.¡± Then he mmed hard on the elerator and there was a ¡°boom¡± from their car. Gu Nianzhi swore that at the moment, the car was going so fast it was rising up from the ground...

    Yin Shixiong was just about to catch up to the car in front of them when he realized it had jumped ahead again. It elerated shockingly fast and even emitted a series of loud booms like thunder. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression stiffened and he quickly straightened his back as he muttered, ¡°Sonic boom!¡±

    Was Professor He trying to fly to heaven?! He¡¯d made a car exhibit sonic boom effects that should only be on supersonic fighter jets! No wonder he¡¯d disappeared in a blink of an eye. Maybe they had arrived at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence at No. 32 Willow Hutong by now... Ma Qiqi tightly squeezed the safety handle on the roof of the car and was jostled around so much she nearly puked. Yin Shixiong looked at her with some concern and couldn¡¯t help but rx his foot from the gas pedal. He said to the rearview mirror, ¡°Chief, should we still chase them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly moved forward. His eyes were dark as he gazed in the direction where He Zhichu¡¯s car had disappeared. After a long moment, he finally said, ¡°...No.¡± Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t need to chase after them. Huo Shaoheng had already sent an encrypted message to the Special Operations Force¡¯s internal line established to maintain order at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. ¡°Keep an eye on a gray Bentley, license te XXXXXXXXX. Find a way to draft its engine blueprints.¡± The message was written in code. Even if it was intercepted, no one would know what it meant.

 Chapter 764 - Birthday Party (7)

    <h4>Chapter 764: Birthday Party (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong hadn¡¯t guessed wrong. He Zhichu¡¯s car had already sped to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Although the highways in the Imperial Capital weren¡¯t busy on a Saturday night, that kind of speed was very shocking. When Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, her entire body was shaking. The way He Zhichu was driving just now was too scary, and also, how did that car be so fast?! That was inhuman!

    After speeding madly for a while, He Zhichu¡¯s fury finally disappeared. However, he began to feel guilty when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ashen face and how she couldn¡¯t even walk without stumbling. He went over to offer his arm to her. ¡°Can you walk? How about I walk you inside?¡±

    Gu Nianzi wanted to have the backbone to reject him, but she felt the world spin after only taking two steps. She instinctively grabbed He Zhichu¡¯s arm to stabilize herself. ¡°Proessor He, you want to murder me?¡± Gu Nianzhi said quietly with gritted teeth, ¡°Your car can fly to heaven.¡± This was not a metaphor at all.

    ¡°...Sorry.¡± He Zhichu pursed his lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t control my emotions properly.¡± He turned around to look at his car and knew he had already exposed himself to Huo Shaoheng. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s keenness and stubbornness towards engines, He Zhichu was sure he had already arranged for someone topletely dismantle his car. He Zhichu turned back to touch the hood of his car and then put his hand back into his pocket to grip the car key inside to quickly initiate the self-destruct button. He heard a low explosion from under the Bentley¡¯s hood, and then some white smoke wafted up from beneath the hood. It was quickly blown away by the evening autumn wind in the Imperial Capital. Smiling subtly, He Zhichu turned around and walked Gu Nianzhi into the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t use the special invitation Gu Yanran had given her but instead used the normal invitation that Yin Shixiong had given her and Ma Qiqi. She noticed that He Zhichu also had a normal invitation without a name on it. As much as Gu Yanran tried to tter He Zhichu, she still hadn¡¯t given him a personalized invitation, so it was enough to prove that there was a particr reason why Gu Nianzhi had received one. Gu Nianzhi confirmed once again that it was the right decision for her to not use the personalized invitation from Gu Yanran. Gu Nianzhiposed herself and smiled as she followed He Zhichu into the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    The security at the entrance used devices to conduct security checks, then guests lined up and set their gifts on a long table to the side. There was a special staff member in charge of registering and receiving Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday gifts. Just like Gu Nianzhi, He Zhichu also gave her a red envelope. But unlike Gu Nianhzi¡¯s measly 250 RMB, his envelope was much puffier.

    After passing security, they walked through the long hallway and headed to the building the Prime Minister¡¯s family lived in. There were a total of three buildings in a row inside the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, arranged in three parallel rows with a long hallway connecting between. The Prime Minister¡¯s family lived in the second and middle building. The first building was a conference room mainly used by the Cab to conduct most of their meetings. After crossing through the conference building, they arrived at the second building, a smaller structure where the Prime Minister¡¯s family lived. This was considered the Prime Minister¡¯s private area, so Huo Shaoheng¡¯s methods were not allowed there. The innermost building was the Prime Minister¡¯s office building that his aides and personnel worked out of.

    Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday party was considered a family affair, so she couldn¡¯t use the first or third building. They could only host it in the second building where the Prime Minister¡¯s family lived. This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s second time visiting there. The first time she visited, He Zhichu was also present, and Prime Minister Dou¡¯s family still lived there. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help remembering Dou Qingyan. She must still be in jail?

    When she recalled Dou Qingyan, she also recalled, ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko,¡± or in other words, ¡°Yamamguchi Youko...¡± This person seemed to have an unusual rtionship with Gu Yanran. When she thought about this, Gu Nianzhi thought she must find a chance to visit Dou Qingyan in jail. But what reason could she use? She didn¡¯t have any rtion to Dou Qingyan at all and wasn¡¯t her legal representative either, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to apply to visit her. If she truly had no other option, then she could only ask Brother Xiong and Brother Ze for help.

    Gu Nianzhi mused as she followed He Zhichu into the building where the Prime Minister¡¯s family lived. As soon as she looked up, she waspletely floored by the decorations. On the wall across from the main entrance of the hall there was a full wall of white lilies arranged in a heart shape, and inside was a giant, wall-height photo of Tan Guiren. In the photo, Tan Guiren wore a white princess gown and a diamond crown. This crown wasn¡¯t the white diamond one she had worn on the day of the Prime Minister¡¯s inauguration but instead was a pink diamond one. It was a real crown and looked even more exquisite, luxurious, and princess-like than the one from the inauguration.

    He Zhichu took one nce at the pink diamond crown and was shocked. A look of surprise crossed his typically aloof face, and his shimmery, sultry eyes stared at the pink diamond crown for a while before ncing over the top of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. He appeared to be prudently considering something and sighed awkwardly.

    Gu Nianzhi was also staring nkly at the photo of Tan Guiren because she felt something in it was drawing her attention. In the photo, Tan Guiren looked at the camera with a pure and innocent smile, and the most amazing part was that there wasn¡¯t the slightest trace of corruption in her eyes. They were lucid and beautiful like a newborn baby¡¯s. It was very rare for a 25-year-old girl to keep such a pure heart. Gu Nianzhi stood under the lily photo wall and sighed quietly. Only a girl who had been adored by her parents since she was a child and raised in luxury could have such carefree eyes. But Gu Nianzhi also thought that still having that kind of gaze past the age of five had nothing to do with family situation or having both parents around. This should be due to a failed family education.

    As Gu Nianzhi quietly looked up at the lily photo wall, many people were also looking at her. Gu Yanran saw Gu Nianzhi from the second floor. She was shocked to discover Gu Nianzhi hade in without anyone notifying her. ording to her n, the personnel in charge of greeting guests at the door would immediately notify her as soon as Gu Nianzhi came in with her specially-made invitation. Gu Yanran had nned to stop her at the door, but somehow something went wrong, and the first step already failed. Gu Yanran then saw the handsome He Zhichu standing beside Gu Nianzhi and couldn¡¯t help gripping the second floor railing hard. Even though Gu Nianzhi lost Huo Shaoheng, she already was able to get close to He Zhichu. This Gu Nianzhi was too impressive, but so what if she was close with He Zhichu? This wasn¡¯t the United States.

    A trace of iciness appeared in Gu Yanran¡¯s gentle eyes. In the Hua Xia Empire, Gu Nianzhi had already lost her only support of Huo Shaoheng. On the other hand, Gu Yanran now had the powerful support of Prime Minister Tan, so the winner was already obvious. Today was the day Gu Yanran would reveal her victory. If only she could reveal Gu Nianzhi¡¯s true identity today as well. Gu Yanran got more and more excited as she thought about it, and a vicious look appeared on her typically gentle and elegant face. After quietly looking at Gu Nianzhi for awhile, she averted her eyes and jerked back when she saw her vicious, teeth-gritting look appear in a mirror-like reflection on the hallway pir. She scared even herself and quickly patted her face to arrange it back into an extremely gentle smile before slowly walking to Tan Guiren¡¯s room. What a shame. Gu Yanran sighed from the bottom of her heart as she opened Tan Guiren¡¯s bedroom door. Her face was already beaming brightly. ¡°Little Darling, the birthday party is about to start. Are you ready now?¡±

    ...

    As Huo Shaoheng followed Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi to the inner hall of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, he also instantly saw Gu Nianzhi looking up at the lily photo wall. She had grown a bit taller and wore a sharp pant suit. Her long, silky hair fell down her back, and the mid-calf length boots elongated her legs even more, somehow giving a unisex look. However, the puffy sleeve top with mid-century scarf cor and slim waist tailoring added a hint of feminine allure. It wasn¡¯t a slim cut top at all, but her curves were shockingly seductive from the side. Heat rose in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart with one nce. He gulped hard, and his eyes dimmed like he was swallowing a freshly snuffed me, and although it was just embers, it was surprisingly hot. Before he realized it, he had already walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and folded both hands behind his back as he asked calmly, ¡°Nianzhi, the renovations in your house are finished now. Do you want to look at them after the party?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless. She really wanted to reject him, but what should she say? The corners of her glittering eyes twitched as they reflected the lily-covered wall. A calm, elegant smile appeared on her delicate face. ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s alreadyte. Maybe another day.¡± Gu Nianzhi was secretly impressed by her own smooth and polite reply. She never thought she would give such a vague and polite refusal to Huo Shaoheng one day.

    He Zhcihu heard it all from the side and a proper smile appeared on his aloof face as he bowed slightly to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao is actually attending Miss Tan¡¯s birthday party. You¡¯re truly a Prince Charming.¡±

    ¡°So anyoneing to the birthday party is a Prince Charming? Then is Professor He here as Miss Tan¡¯s Prince Charming as well?¡± Huo Shaoheng typically ignored such pointless and instigating words, but he knew this was one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mental barriers and decided to refute it.

    Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong stood behind the three of them and were practically terrified as they watched He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng draw their des against each other. ¡°Big Xiong, shouldn¡¯t you go appease them?¡± Ma Qiqi pushed him gently and suggested a bad idea. ¡°How about I call Nianzhi over?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a busybody.¡± Yin Shixiong red at her and quickly nced around the hall before dragging Ma Qiqi away. ¡°There are more peopleing here. Let¡¯s get out now.¡± He even reminded the three people standing in front of the lily wall before he left, ¡°Huo Shao, Nianzhi, Professor He, we¡¯re going that way.¡± He turned to the L-shaped couch behind the nts on the edge of the wall where there were long tablesden with food and drinks. Ma Qiqi also saw it, and her eyes instantly sparkled, but before they could walk to the table, Yin Shixiong saw an acquaintance.

    ¡°Big Xiong? Is that you?¡± A surprised voice could be heard from behind them. It sounded familiar with a trace if intimacy. It was none other than Jin Wanyi. Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t help rolling his eyes to himself.

 Chapter 765 - Birthday Party (8)

    <h4>Chapter 765: Birthday Party (8)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t hide her feelings at all. Even Ma Qiqi, who was quite brave, was aware that something was wrong. She turned her head and her eyebrows creased. Yin Shixiong could only sneer and nodded as he greeted Jin Wanyi. ¡°It¡¯s Attorney Jin. Are you here to celebrate Miss Tan¡¯s birthday?¡±

    Isn¡¯t that obvious? Today is Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday banquet.

    Jin Wanyi really wanted to re, but when she caught a glimpse of Yin Shixiong constantly looking at a bright and bubbly young girl next to him, she didn¡¯t feelfortable. It was if the napa cabbage that she¡¯d had her eyes on was about to be dug up by a pig...

    However, before she could say anything, Yin Shixiong had already grabbed Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Qiqi, this is Attorney Jin. This is the leadwyer from the group ofwyers that Prime Minister Tan hired.¡± To Jin Wanyi he said, ¡°This is Qiqi.¡±

    By the introduction alone, one could immediately see who he was close to.

    Ma Qiqi immediately became happy as she looked Jin Wanyi up and down. She smiled as she said, ¡°Attorney Jin, you look prettier in person than you did on T.V.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you could learn from her. Attorney Jin is your senior.¡± Yin Shixiong smiled as he squeezed Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand and said to Jin Wanyi, ¡°Attorney Jin, we will let you get back to what you were doing. We won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± He said that as he pulled Ma Qiqi toward the buffet table.

    Jin Wanyi looked on awkwardly as she watched them leave. She quickly nced around. Thankfully, everyone¡¯s eyes were on the pictures of lilies on the wall. No one was paying any attention to where she was.

    ...

    As He Zhichu finished saying ¡°flower protector,¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face without batting an eye. It was too bad that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Buddhist monk-like attributes had increased quite a bit. He already had a difficult time identifying any happiness, anger, sadness, or joy from her expressions. Maybe she just knew how to hide them better. The light in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes was deep as he wondered if he was having too much of aisse-fair attitude toward her. Would the knot in her heart be even tighter from now on if he let her be willful like that? Would it be an excuse she used to turn him down and to exclude him?

    He Zhichu had always treated the things that Huo Shaoheng said with contempt. Heughed coldly and was about to argue with her when a staff member from the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence rushed over to him and asked, ¡°Mr. He? Your car... it spontaneouslybusted in the parking lot. There¡¯s only a pile of ash left.¡±

    He Zhichu turned his head toward Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I need to go out and take a look. You wait here for me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng again with an ¡°unfair fight¡± expression. His glittering peach blossom eyes twinkled and carried a hint of a smile in them. He turned and quickly walked away.

    After He Zhichu left, Gu Nianzhi also wanted to leave. Although Huo Shaoheng was not looking at her, he was able to urately grab her arm when he stretched out his hand. He slowly asked, ¡°Nianzhi, do you still remember what you promised me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She really wanted to brush away Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand that was grabbing her arm in such an unrestrained manner. She never imagined that she wouldn¡¯t be able to free herself even after pulling away several times. She couldn¡¯t help but lower her voice to whisper, ¡°Let me go.¡±

    ¡°Forgetting everything you promised me? Your memory is getting worse. Say, how should you be punished?¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed her arm more tightly and didn¡¯t let go.

    He bent his wrist a bit and leaned closer to her ear. She could feel him breathing. Her face suddenly started to burn up.

    He lowered his voice even to say, ¡°Mrs. Huo? Mrs. Huo?¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard that, her snow-white face became as red as if she had applied ayer of blush.

    ¡°You said that you wouldn¡¯t make it public! You said that if I didn¡¯t agree that no one else would know about it! Huo Shaoheng, you are going back on your word!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was really worried. That one name spoken by Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mrs. Huo? Mrs. Huo?¡± made her felt shameful and bashful, but she didn¡¯t dare yell. She lowered her voice until it was extremely quiet. The sound was a bit hoarse as it came from her throat. It unintentionally revealed a kind of natural charm that she didn¡¯t know she had.

    When she was worried she became stronger. If she wanted to struggle free with that energy, Huo Shaoheng could still control her. She was also a bit worried that she would be reckless and break her arm... Huo Shaoheng could only move his other hand around her to grasp her waist. Only by using a bit of arm strength and imprisoning practically her whole body against his chest did it make her unable to move.

    In other people¡¯s eyes, they were a beautiful couple snuggling close to each other under the wall of lilies. On a scale of attractiveness, this pair was on the higher end. Everyone¡¯s eyes were attracted to them. They practically forgot all about who the birthday girl was, even with her picture hanging on the wall. Gradually, more and more people appeared in the hall. Their curious eyes were like searchlights. They could see the couple very clearly. Gu Nianzhi felt so embarrassed that she could not lift her head.

    There was no helping it. Fortunately, she remembered that Huo Shaoheng was still a person who was opened to persuasion. She had no choice but to entreat him with soft words. ¡°Huo Shao, don¡¯t be like that. I still have to be an upright person... Did you forget what you promised me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget, but you did. That¡¯s why I could only forget it, too.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi who had suddenly be agreeable as she leaned into his chest. He had an indifferent expression on his face. It was as if he didn¡¯t feel like he was being a presumptuous guest trying to usurp the role of the host.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Let go, Huo Shao. Let¡¯s talk about it.¡±

    ¡°...Yes, what did you promise me before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say it? You promised me that you would give me another chance.¡± Huo Shaoheng identally said this, although his expression was still calm andposed.

    Gu Nianzhi furrowed her brows. ¡°I gave it to you... what are you still not satisfied with?¡±

    ¡°Gave it? Not picking up my calls, not getting into my car, and when you see me you act like I¡¯m not there. You call that giving me a second chance?¡± Huo Shaoheng loosened his grasp and took a step back. He had a grave and stern expression as he said, ¡°You are not allow to not pick up my calls from now on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bbergasted. But because of the big crowd in the hall, she had to take Huo Shaoheng¡¯s public image into consideration. Therefore, she nodded her head in an agreeable manner. ¡°I will pick up. I will pick up. Not picking up the senior officer¡¯s call would be a death wish.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to say a few more things, but his Bluetooth headset had started giving him information from the agent hed nted in the area. The agent was saying that He Zhichu¡¯s car had suddenly self-destructed, but they couldn¡¯t find any clue as to the identity of the person who had destroyed it. Furthermore, this situation was almost exactly like seven years ago when the car Gu Nianzhi was riding in had suddenly self-destructed.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart tightened. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Go home with me to the new home after the night is over.¡±

    He said that with a solemn expression. He turned and walked away with long strides. Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back. Her heart was roaring with rage.

    That¡¯s my home. My second-hand home! Don¡¯t use the phrase ¡°new home.¡± There are many ways to interpret those words.

    But at any rate, the two left. Gu Nianzhi was finally able to breathe. She raised her head again and looked up and down at the gigantic picture of Tan Guiren. She didn¡¯t know why, but she felt like there was something familiar in that picture of Tan Guiren. What was it? Her eyes were hesitant to move as they looked at the picture. In the end, her eyes stopped at the pink diamond crown on Tan Guiren¡¯s head.

    Yes, looking at everything in the picture again, the only thing that attracted her attention was the pink diamond crown. Pink diamonds were first-ss items in the world of diamonds because natural pink diamond production was very rare. Scarcity increased their value. Naturally, in the world of diamonds, pink diamonds were the most expensive. But the strange thing was, she was not a person that even liked jewelry.

    So why was it that she felt a piercing pain in her heart the moment she saw Tan Guiren¡¯s pink diamond crown? Gu Nianzhi patted her chest. She felt her heart beating vigorously. It was beating more intensely than usual. The more she looked at the picture of Tan Guiren wearing the pink diamond crown, the more familiar it looked to her.

    She took out her cellphone and aimed it at the pink diamonds in the picture. She took a high-resolution picture. Then she walked over to a sofa in a nt-filled corner of the room and sat down. She started to use the software on her phone and to cut, edit, and mix the colors. Only after the picture had been adjusted and made extremely clear did she upload it to a search engine that specialized in searching for objects in pictures. The search was quick and convenient.

    She didn¡¯t know if it was because pink diamond jewelry were so rare, but there were no results the first time Gu Nianzhi searched for the picture. That was very unusual. Gu Nianzhi felt that, with Tan Guiren¡¯s family status, there was no way she would wear a fake pink diamond crown. That was why she assumed that the pink diamonds were real.

    In the delicate pink diamond crown, the main diamond was a heart-shaped bright pink gem that was practically as big as a mah-jong tile. A diamond with such a pure color, no blemishes, thick, and full of natural pink could not have been an unknown.

    But why couldn¡¯t it be found on the inte? Gu Nianzhi immediately thought that it might be because of two reasons. One was that the pink diamond crown had always been someone¡¯s family heirloom and had never been worn publicly before. Maybe, Tan Guiren wearing it was the first time it had been disyed publicly, just like that stolen diamond crown.The second reason was that her family had it custom made. Things that were custom-made were usually kept very private. It could also exin why it couldn¡¯t be found on the inte when searched randomly.

    If it was custom-made by someone, such a big pink diamond must have needed to be auctioned. Most jewelers would not sell such a big pink diamond alone. The moment Gu Nianzhi realized this, she changed the operations of her search. She went on Blue¡¯s top ten auction websites and searched. For safety reasons, many auction websites blocked results for outside searches that were random. If one wanted to search for something, one would need to go directly to the website and search there. Gu Nianzhi searched like that. She actually found that pink diamond crown on the website of Christie¡¯s Auctions.

    The pink diamond crown originally belonged to the czarina, the Russian Empire¡¯s Catherine the Great. It was given to her as a betrothal gift from her mother-inw, Elizabeth. ording to legend, pink diamonds had powers over love. Lovers that owned pink diamonds would be happy and sweet together as long as they lived. Furthermore, that pink diamond crown had been auctioned for an astronomical price of 70 million dors eighteen years ago at Christie¡¯s Auction House. It was purchased by an anonymous buyer. 70 million dors 18 years ago had inted far beyond 70 million dors in today¡¯s money.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the date of the auction sale of the pink diamond crown on the Christie¡¯s Auction House website. Her plump water-chestnut lips firmly pressed together. The date of the auction sale happened to be her on birthday. 18 years ago, on that day, she had just turned two.

 Chapter 766 - Birthday Party (9)

    <h4>Chapter 766: Birthday Party (9)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi quietly looked at the online record from Christie¡¯s auctions and kept rubbing her phone¡¯s screen. She really wanted to know who the anonymous buyer was. How did this pink diamond crown end up on Tan Guiren¡¯s head? Zhao Liangze taught her inte skills and also the regtions for hackers and red hat hackers. They valued national interests above all, so they couldn¡¯t disregard thew just because they were skilled hackers. She also couldn¡¯t use the knowledge he had taught her tomit crimes for her own interests.

    Gu Nianzhi had always been obedient, but this time she couldn¡¯t help it. She thought about how badly she wanted to learn the identity of the anonymous buyer, but not because she wanted to harm the interests of Christie¡¯s auctions. Gu Nianzhi knew that ¡°anonymous¡± only applied to public disclosure. There was no way to remain anonymous to the auction house. Also, auction houses greatly valued buyer privacy, so if the buyer was unwilling to disclose their identity, they would never publish it on their behalf. So in order to find out who the anonymous buyer was, she had no choice but to hack into Christie¡¯s website and infiltrate their internal system.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have any tools on hand aside from her phone, but that was enough. As long as Christie¡¯s website didn¡¯t have powerful security like the German Federal Intelligence Service, she could break into the external programs. Sitting alone on the L-shaped couch behind the nts, Gu Nianzhi waspletely focused on her phone. In the eyes of the other guests, she looked like a wallflower no one wanted to talk to.

    Gu Yanran took the opportunity toe out and take a look when Tan Guiren went inside to change. She saw that He Zhichu was gone, and Gu Nianzhi was sitting alone on an L-shaped couch behind the nts as she yed on her phone. Her lonely back was enough to make Gu Yanran beam like a blooming flower. She hadn¡¯t seen Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s interactions by the lily wall earlier, and no one mentioned anything to her, either, so she didn¡¯t have a sliver of a doubt that they had truly broken up.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have the spare time to think about such silly things. In her heart, she had really broken up with Huo Shaoheng, and now he was in the process of trying to pursue her again. It was up to her whether or not she epted him, so she didn¡¯t care about what other people thought, nor was it any of their business!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers continued to fly over the phone¡¯s screen as she entered in strings ofmands to bypass one firewall after another. She cracked passwords one by one, and after ten minutes, she had finally cracked into Christie¡¯s auction¡¯s intr system and gained ess to their backend programs.

    After getting inside the backend, it meant she had ess to all of Christie¡¯s trade secrets. However, Gu Nianzhi remembered what Zhao Liangze told her, so she didn¡¯t look into any of Christie¡¯s other information. She only wanted to find out who had purchased Catherine the Great¡¯s pink diamond crown for the incredibly high price of 70 million US dors 18 years ago.

    Widening her eyes, she concentrated on looking through the records in Christie¡¯s online backend. Soon after, she found the unannounced buyer. His English name was Kevin Ku. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands couldn¡¯t stop shaking. Wasn¡¯t that the name of heratose father, Gu Xiangwen?! After carefully checking, there was no other information on the website proving that this Kevin Ku was Gu Xiangwen. The name was somon, after all, and there were bound to be other people with the same name. She continued reading, and she ended up seeing that there was an additional note on the purchase record saying that the buyer asked Christie¡¯s auction house to use the best diamond engraver to engrave, ¡°To Cereus, my little darling¡± inside the pink diamond crown.

    When she had gone to Barbados, hadn¡¯t those people told her that Cereus was the name of the Gu¡¯s youngest daughter, Gu Nianzhi?! As a result, she began using Cereus as her English name after that. If she had only seen Kevin Ku¡¯s name earlier, she could have guessed that it might be a duplicate name. But now that she saw someone named Kevin Ku had purchased a pink diamond crown for his daughter, Cereus, she waspletely certain. What were the odds that aside from her and Gu Xiangwen, there was another father named Kevin Ku with a daughter also named Cereus?! It was practically impossible. So this pink diamond crown had been purchased by her father, Gu Xiangwen, from Christie¡¯s auctions 18 years ago. From the purchase date, it must¡¯ve been meant for his daughter¡¯s first birthday present.

    Gu Nianzhi carefully looked at the record and reread each word several times. The unnamed emptiness in her heart seemed to slowly fill. She had no memories of her parents, but in that moment, she suddenly experienced the pure and deep love from her parents. They must¡¯ve been using all their means to give their beloved daughter the very best things. Gu Nianzhi stroked the words, ¡°To Cereus, my little darling¡± on her phone¡¯s screen, and tears slowly pooled in her eyes. ¡°Dad... Mom...¡± She called out softly and no longer felt foreign and distant with those names.

    Looking up, she took a deep breath and turned around to look back at the giant photo wall. Gu Nianzhi now believed that Gu Xiangwen must be her biological father. There was no other possibility. As to why theatose ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± they had used all that effort to rescue in Barbados... His DNA didn¡¯t match with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, but it did match Gu Yanran¡¯s, which only proved that he was Gu Yanran¡¯s biological father. It didn¡¯t prove he was Gu Xiangwen.

    Also, Gu Yanran used something that belonged to Gu Nianzhi to curry favor. This was something her parents left for her, and it was easy to prove. As soon as they looked at the serial number inside the pink diamond crown, they could see whether or not there was also the engraving. Gu Nianzhi sat on the couch as she contemted.

    Ma Qiqi came over and asked curiously, ¡°Nianzhi? Are you hungry? Why do you keep ying on your phone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up to nce at Ma Qiqi and gave a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± At that moment, hearty apuse erupted from behind them. They both looked back. In the spacious hall, a pathway had been made in the middle of the packed crowd. As Tan Guiren walked down the winding staircase from the second floor, she wore the pink diamond crown and a pink princess gown. She smiled and waved at everyone. Prime Minister Tan wore a ck tuxedo and stood energetically behind Tan Guiren. He wore gold-rimmed sses on his pale face, appearing very gentlemanly. Gu Yanran wore a simple and sleek ck Givenchy evening gown. She stood beside Prime Minister Tan and was the portrait of gentleness and elegance. She was very alluring. They stood like parents behind Tan Gurien.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes werepletely drawn to the pink diamond crown on Tan Guiren¡¯s head. She had only seen photos before and was unable to look away, but now that she saw the real thing, her full attention was glued to the pink diamond crown. That was hers... A voice in the deepest recesses of her heart kept screaming, unwilling to let her escape again. She now fully believed that Gu Xiangwen was her biological father. What Gu Yanran said about her being the biological daughter and Gu Nianzhi being adopted was untrue. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t think of any reason why a father would spend a jaw dropping amount of money to purchase a rare treasure for his one-year-old adopted daughter. She must be her father¡¯s biological daughter, and her father must love her mother very deeply. That¡¯s why he also treasured their baby.

 Chapter 767 - Birthday Party (10)

    <h4>Chapter 767: Birthday Party (10)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The feeling was purely Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intuition, or maybe it was a child¡¯s feelings for her own parents. Gu Nianzhi stood beside Ma Qiqi and earnestly stared at the pink diamond crown atop Tan Guiren¡¯s head. She squeezed her phone hard. But when Gu Yanran¡¯s smug and disdainful gaze seemed to sweep over to Gu Nianzhi, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her head and suddenly jolted her awake. Closing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi gradually slowed her breathing to calm down.

    Right. She couldn¡¯t act rashly. Just like in awsuit, having intuition wasn¡¯t enough to make a case. She must use actual evidence to convince others of her points during the court debates, and also use tight-knit logic to prove that her inference was correct. This was a puzzle, and it didn¡¯t matter if she knew what the image actually was. She had toplete it in order to prove to others what it was.

    Gu Nianzhi still had no feelings of love and respect for theatose man on the sickbed, and she thought that she was cold-hearted enough to not have any feelings about seeing her own father beatose. But she had a different feeling when it came to Gu Xiangwen. His name seemed to be imnted deep in her memory. Even though she had already lost her memories and his image had be so fuzzy that she couldn¡¯t recall anything, she still had a different feeling when she heard that name.

    As she looked at the pink diamond crown, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s name seemed to float to the surface of her hazy subconscious. It gradually took form as a solid and indestructible helm at the bottom of her heart. It could block out all storms and give her shelter. It was only a name, yet it gave her a feeling of belonging. It made her feel as though she was no longer someone without a past.

    The first thing she needed to do was to divide the assets with Gu Yanran. Although she couldn¡¯t yet prove theatose patient on the sickbed was not the real Gu Xiangwen, she could use her identity as the daughter of the Gus to formally request that Gu Yanran evenly divide the assets with her. She had been away from the household for seven years, and in those seven years, Gu Yanran had taken full control of the Gus like Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t exist. In the past, Gu Nianzhi had mentioned giving family assets to Gu Yanran, but Gu Yanran had never formally responded, and Gu Nianzhi never bothered following up. At the time, she¡¯d had no feelings for the Gu family and also knew her DNA didn¡¯t match with Gu Xiangwen. As the Gus adopted daughter, she had no energy to fight with Gu Yanran for the family fortune.

    But now things were different. She was certain that she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s real daughter. But before she could find evidence, she had to cut off Gu Yanran¡¯s dirty hands that put her fingerprints on everything. What right did Gu Yanran have to look for support in the Huaxia Empire? Of course, she was using Gu¡¯s family fortune and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s money. Haha... So she wanted to take advantage of Gu Nianzhi and emerge unscathed? Had she consulted her for a professionally educated answer yet?

    Slowly raising her head, Gu Nianzhi smirked at Gu Yanran standing high above the winding staircase. She revealed an interested smile and crossed her arms, tapping a rhythm with her feet.

    In the hall before her, Tan Guiren was beaming as she lifted her skirts to walk down the steps and into the middle of the hall. Gu Yanran and Prime Minister Tan smiled at each other as they walked down the stairs. They nked Tan Guiren¡¯s back. Gu Yanran pped, and a young female staff member in a back and white maid¡¯s uniform wheeled a food cart over. On the food cart, a giant rainbow fiveyered cake was revealed to everyone and the hall suddenly erupted into apuse and cheers.

    ¡°Birthday girl, cut the cake!¡±

    ¡°Birthday girl, cut the cake!¡±

    Tan Guiren turned back to look at Gu Yanran with a smile and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Gu Yanran said as she passed the long cake knife over. ¡°Here, cut the cake.¡± As Gu Yanran spoke, she gestured to the hall, and the orchestra behind the divider began to y ¡°Happy Birthday.¡± She had hired the national orchestra to y here. Everyone began singing along happily.

    ¡°Happy Birthday to you!¡±

    ¡°Happy Birthday to you!¡±

    Tan Guiren held the cake knife and looked back at her father, Prime Minister Tan.

    Someone teasingly shouted, ¡°How about Prime Minister Tan, Miss Tan, and Miss Gu all cut the cake together?¡±

    ¡°Right, right! Cut it together!¡± Soon, the crowd began to get boisterous.

    Gu Yanran looked at Prime Minister Tan. ¡°Mr. Prime Minister...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s cut it together.¡± Prime Minister Tan took her hand and walked to Tan Guiren¡¯s side. Then each of them took one of Tan Guiren¡¯s hands to hold the long handle of the cake knife. The three of them were very happy and looked like a family as they cut through the secondyer of the fiveyered cake.

    Cai Sognyin had just walked into the hall and instantly became livid when she saw this scene. She had suffered bitterly in the detention center and been forgotten by the time she got out! Her own husband, who she had grown up with, was holding another woman¡¯s hand and cutting a birthday cake with her beloved daughter! Did they still remember who the mistress of the household was?! Her entire body shook with anger as she walked through the crowd with a solemn face to stand before the three people cutting the cake.

    Tan Guiren looked up with shock and was so happy that she started to cry when she saw that Cai Songyin had actually arrived. Throwing down the cake knife, she ran over, eximing, ¡°Mummy! You¡¯re home!¡±

    Prime Minister Tan instinctively let go of Gu Yanran¡¯s hand and strode over to Cai Songyin¡¯s side. He said excitedly, ¡°My dear wife, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Cai Songyin had been in the detention center for two weeks, and her once plump face hadpletely slimmed down. When an older person slimmed down, they appeared even older than their actual age. There were deepugh lines running down both sides of her mouth and obvious wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She wore a wrinkled purple silk jacket with matching colored wool trousers, so she looked more like a cleaningdy working at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.

    Gu Yanran walked over with a bright smile. She wore a streamlined and well-fitting Givenchy evening gown. Standing before Cai Songyin made the differences in their appearances even more obvious. She said to Cai Songyin, ¡°Mrs. Tan, you came back just in time. We are about to cut the cake...¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Cai Songyin asked suspiciously, still ufortable from the earlier scene. But she couldn¡¯t make too big of a fuss in front of all these guests and had to save face for Tan Dongbang. Also, it was her precious daughter¡¯s birthday, and she didn¡¯t want to upset her.

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t reply. Tan Guiren quickly said, ¡°Mummy, don¡¯t be angry. Miss Gu is Daddy¡¯s personal assistant. She was the one to n my birthday party. See, so many guests came today.¡±

    ¡°Personal assistant?¡± Cai Songyin stifled her anger and looked at Tan Dongbang. ¡°So, it¡¯s not for business? What does our family need Miss Gu¡¯s assistance with?¡±

    ¡°...She¡¯s just taking care of internal affairs within the official residence and also taking care of Little Darling. You know how busy I am and since you were gone, Yanran... Miss Gu decided to help us out a lot.¡± Prime Minister exined quietly, shooting Cai Songyin a look telling her to stop asking questions.

    But Gu Nianzhi saw the opportunity. Why wouldn¡¯t she take advantage of it? She followed them over and sped her hands with a smile. ¡°So since that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s no wonder Sister said she had to take care of Miss Tan and has no time to take care of me. That¡¯s great. Now that Mrs. Tan is back, Sister doesn¡¯t need to be Prime Minister Tan¡¯s personal assistant anymore.¡±

    Gu Yanran almost choked from hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She was about to respond when she realized that any reply she gave would be strange. If she said she would continue to be a personal assistant, then would Cai Songyin let it go? But if she said she wasn¡¯t working anymore, wouldn¡¯t all her money go down the drain? Gu Yanran smiled brightly and pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Oh you, all you know about is being naughty. Working as the Prime Minister¡¯s personal assistant is official business, how can I quit on a whim?¡±

    ¡°Oh? But Mrs. Tan is back, what else does Sister need to do? The internal affairs at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, the Prime Minister¡¯s food, clothing, shelter, amodation, travel, and itinerary nning, as well as Miss Tan¡¯s day to day life¨Cthat¡¯s all Mrs. Tan¡¯s responsibility as the official mistress of the house. What else can Sister do?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised a brow and smiled gently.

    Cai Songyin nodded. ¡°These past few days have been hard for Miss Gu, but the household will have me from now on. You...¡± She paused, unsure of what else to say.

    At this point, Gu Yanran was a bit shocked that Gu Nianzhi would start causing rifts as soon as Cai Songyin returned. She walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and tapped her shoulder. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t make a fuss. Sister is working officially.¡± She then quickly nced at Prime Minister Tan.

    ¡°But any future internal affairs regarding the Prime Minister¡¯s home and Miss Tan will all be taken care of by Mrs. Tan. Sister, what would you do as a personal assistant?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms and revealed a helpless look. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be too worn out. You are a proper heiress, the oldest daughter of the wealthy Gu family from Barbados, but you¡¯re here serving people. Don¡¯t you think that cheapens your image?¡±

    ¡°...How is being a personal assistant serving people? You¡¯re Yanran¡¯s sister, how can you speak like that?¡± Prime Minister Tan saw that Gu Yanran was turning pale from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s taunts and couldn¡¯t stand listening anymore. He defended her, saying, ¡°Also, even though my wife is back and the internal affairs of the official residence and my daughter won¡¯t require her help anymore, we still need her to n and arrange many things at the official residence.¡±

    The corners of Cai Songyin¡¯s eyes twitched. Tan Dongbang was sounding quite intimate in his defense of Gu Yanran...

    However, Gu Nianzhi was unfrightened and smiled at Prime Minister Tan as she nodded. ¡°In other words, has Prime Minister Tan asked my sister to take care of internal affairs, as well as business matters?¡± The office of the Prime Minister¡¯s work schedule and arrangement of the Prime Minister¡¯s itinerary were certainly considered official matters.

    Prime Minister Tan nodded and praised her strongly. ¡°Yanran has done very well. With her help, our office¡¯s work efficiency has doubled.¡±

    ¡°Haha, so that¡¯s the case. Prime Minister Tan, how can you break thew knowingly?¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to urge him kindly. ¡°Hurry up and terminate my sister¡¯s employment now. I really can¡¯t bear to see you impeached before you even settle into office.¡±

    Tan Dongbang was very wary of the word ¡°impeach,¡± so he sneered. ¡°I never knew that hiring a personal assistant would result in impeachment! We¡¯ve had so many Prime Ministers throughout our nation¡¯s history, and every single one had their own personal assistant. If there will be any impeachment, bother them first!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the circumstances of the previous Prime Ministers¡¯ personal assistants. But I do know that using Gu Yanran as a personal assistant to take care of the official business of the Prime Minister¡¯s office is already considered the highest degree of leaking intelligence.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her chin and continued pushing the issue. ¡°Gu Yanran has a Barbadian nationality. May I ask everyone if they¡¯ve ever seen a nation¡¯s highest leader use a foreigner to take care of official business?!¡±

 Chapter 768 - Birthday Party (11)

    <h4>Chapter 768: Birthday Party (11)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Right, how could the nation¡¯s leader use a foreigner as an assistant?! All the guests attending Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday party were elites from the upper echelon of Hua Xia society. They were rich and powerful, so all of them were very politically sensitive in their heads. After hearing what Gu Nianzhi said, these people didn¡¯t really change their expressions, but they were grumbling internally. Just recently, they had seen Gu Yanran bustling around the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence and gloating like no other. Also, she spoke and acted in an authentic Hua Xia manner, so no one expected such a thing...

    However, Gu Yanran¡¯s heart sank. Her face nched and flushed at the same time, so it looked ugly. She really didn¡¯t know that there was such a rule in the upper echelon of Hua Xia society. Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin never said anything about foreigners not being able to work at the Prime Minister¡¯s residence when they asked her for money and benefits. If she had known about this rule in the beginning, then she certainly wouldn¡¯t have spent so much money helping Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin rece what they had embezzled! Gu Yanran suddenly balled her hands into fists, the veins popping on the back of her hand. Gritting her teeth hard, her previously gentle and elegant demeanor was about to crack.

    On the other side, Gu Nianzhi locked eyes with Prime Minister Tan, and she shook her head sadly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I don¡¯t know if it should be the Secret Service or the Special Operations Forces investigating you.¡± This should be treated as an espionage case...

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s heart dropped, and then he saw a tall, handsome man standing by Gu Nianzhi who nodded. ¡°Yeah, thisdy is right. The Prime Minister¡¯s office cannot hire foreigners for work. This incident must be thoroughly investigated by the Secret Service.¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi heard Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice, the joy blossomed in her heart. This was a professional giving his endorsement. Was Prime Minister Tan scared now or what?!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the ashen Gu Yanran and said deliberately, ¡°Sister, are you surprised? Is this shocking enough for you? You especially delivered an invitation for me yesterday. Were you nning on exposing Prime Minister Tan¡¯s illegal actions?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Gu Yanran finally couldn¡¯t stand the crowd¡¯s stares anymore and berated Gu Nianzhi quietly. ¡°Do you know where we are right now? Don¡¯t make a fuss!¡±

    ¡°How am I making a fuss? I already said that I was merely stating the facts,¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously. ¡°I already said long before that your intelligence iscking, so you shouldn¡¯t get involved in this mess.¡± Honestly speaking, Gu Nianzhi looked down on Gu Yanran quite a lot. Even if she possessed a massive fortune, she didn¡¯t know how to protect it but instead chose to run around currying favor. From the very beginning, she nned to use Huo Shaoheng and rely on him to protect her fortune that rivaled a nation¡¯s, but after failing, shetched onto Prime Minister Tan...

    A woman who had no spine to begin with would never be able to stand up, even if she was given a mountain of gold. No matter how Gu Yanran pretended to be gracious and elegant, it was obvious from her methods and behavior that her life only had two possible paths: to kneel down or lie down in bed for a man... From this perspective, Gu Nianzhi truly felt that this was an issue of Gu Yanran¡¯s upbringing. If she had grown up with a family like the Gus, even an adopted daughter or servant wouldn¡¯t have developed this kind of behavior. Also, He Zhichu told Gu Nianzhi before that she was the same as Gu Yanran, so she was the real daughter of the Gus. The only possibility was that Gu Yanran hade to the Gu householdter on, or perhaps at a certain age. Her behavior and world views had already formed by then, so her time with the Gus wasn¡¯t enough topletely change her. That exined her behavior and why her created identity of the oldest daughter of the Gus possessing a fortune rivaling a nation¡¯s felt so awkward. In that moment, Gu Nianzhi really wanted to know how Gu Yanran was raised and how she came to join the Gus. This jarring difference between the legendary Gu family and how she acted, what caused it?!

    Gu Yanran waspletely infuriated by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s look of contempt towards her intelligence. It was that same gaze again. She thought she would never see that look again for the rest of her life! Gu Yanran suddenly walked up and whispered in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear so they were the only ones to hear, ¡°Haha, my intelligence isn¡¯t enough? You still lost to me...¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Get it straight in your head. Some things can¡¯t be said on a whim.¡± Gu Yanran immediately shut her mouth but formed a smirk. Gu Nianzhi memorized everything and nned to take her time to pay Gu Yanran back for this. At this moment, she calmly looked at the sweaty-faced Prime Minister Tan and said slowly and evenly, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, do you want to ept investigation by the Secret Service, or ept impeachment by the Senate? Which would be easier for you?¡±

    Tan Dongbang looked around the crowded room and saw that several deputy ministers of the Secret Service were already solemnly taking out their phones to make calls, so he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He had no choice but to spill the truth. ¡°...Actually, you are overthinking it.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s expression stiffened and Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t even dare to look at her face as he continued, ¡°Actually, Miss Gu Yanran is only helping out here as a friend. She¡¯s not a formal employee of the Prime Minister¡¯s office and never touched any confidential information. She¡¯s like a guest who was helping out at our home for a few days.¡±

    In other words, Gu Yanran was only a temp worker at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Never did Gu Nianzhi expect a person like Tan Dongbang to y such a trick! So he lied to Gu Yanran? ¡°Oh? Sister, you spent money and gave effort, but you didn¡¯t even get a formal position in the ce?!¡± Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°When you came to deliver my invitation on campus, you took the vehicle from the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence and brought bodyguards from the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Now he¡¯s saying you¡¯re a temp worker, but what kind of temp worker would get your kind of treatment? That¡¯s even fancier than what formal employees get!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s facepletely nched. She never expected to not even get a formal job title! Then did that mean her money was flushed down the toilet?! Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help ring at Tan Dongbang but disocvered he didn¡¯t even dare to meet her eyes. She felt even more horrible and aggrieved.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Gu Yanran with a smile, then looked at Tan Dongbang and Tan Guiren standing, confused, between them. She shook a finger at Tan Dongbang. ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, although you said my sister isn¡¯t a formal employee, in reality she was involved with official business at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. So this has created a fait apli, and I¡¯m afraid it can¡¯t be diverted by merely throwing out the excuse of her being a ¡®temp worker.¡¯¡±

    This time it was Tan Dongbang¡¯s turn to look ashen. When he and Cai Songyin initially nned to persuade Gu Yanran to offer money to help pay back the deficit from the embezzled campaign funds, they were going to y edge ball. So even if someone exposed them for not being allowed to hire a foreigner, they could argue that Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t a formal employee and had never participated in official business. He didn¡¯t expect to be shocked by Cai Songyin¡¯s return today and be the one to actually blurt out that Gu Yanran had participated in official business! He had shot himself in the foot.

    Gu Nianzhi gazed coldly at Tan Dongbang¡¯s remorseful face. She thought to herself that it was far toote for him to regret things now. She didn¡¯t need to think hard to know that if Gu Yanran hadn¡¯t bled money, then why would Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin give her such big perks? In other words, Gu Yanran was stingy, and if Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin hadn¡¯t promised a huge, irrefusable offer, would she be generous enough to be a fool with an open wallet and not ask for anything in return?!

    So Prime Minister Tan and his wife shouldn¡¯t gloat or be thankful for Gu Nianzhi, as she had no intention of helping them. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t purposely targeting anyone, but she felt that Tan Dongbang, Cai Songyin, and Gu Yanran were all trash. Today she would first expose Gu Yanran as being, ¡°the Prime Minister¡¯s personal assistant,¡± and then break down Tan Dongbang¡¯s flimsy excuse of her being a ¡°temp worker.¡± Finally, she would make a move on Cai Songyin.

    Gu Nianzhi had a simple goal. She wanted this ¡°iron triangle¡± bundled with self interests to fall apart andpletely destroy all possibilities of Gu Yanran ever finding support in the Hua Xia Empire again. After all, Gu Nianzhi had control Gu Yanran if she were to be able to find the real Gu Xiangwen. She couldn¡¯t give Gu Yanran the chance or ability to create any future obstacles for her.

    Gu Nianzhi nced over to discover that Cai Songyin appeared somewhat conflicted. She seemed to want to gloat but was also a bit worried about Tan Dongbang. This meant she still had love for him. Gu Nianzhi coughed quietly and patted Cai Songyin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mrs. Tan, why did you onlye back today? I really never thought that your case would end up like that. It¡¯s a shame. You are so amazing but will never be able to help Prime Minister campaign or raise funds again. If I had been the one to represent you in the case, by now you would¡¯ve already countersued the Procuratorate for damaging your reputation and begun seeking statepensation.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s eyes narrowed suddenly. ¡°What did you say? I haven¡¯t been convicted or broken thew. Why can¡¯t I raise funds anymore?¡±

    The corners of Tan Dongbang¡¯s lips trembled before he interrupted Gu Nianzhi with an unhappy frown. ¡°Miss Gu, today is my daughter¡¯s birthday party. This is not somewhere for you to solicit business. Please be respectful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°Right, Prime Minister Tan didn¡¯t want to provide your wife with the bestwyer, so there must be a reason for that. Ok, I¡¯ll stop now. Oh my, your legal representative Miss Jin is staring daggers at me...¡±

    Jin Wanyi was, indeed. She had originally wanted to watch the action but ended up overhearing Gu Nianzhi boldly im she could help Cai Songyin fight for statepensation, so she couldn¡¯t help getting nervous. She was worried Gu Nianzhi would run her mouth, so she quickly came over. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t speak nonsense. We¡¯ve given this case our best effort. Don¡¯t think you can be arrogant just because you have Lawyer He¡¯s support.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being arrogant?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed her slender and delicate finger at herself with a half smile. ¡°Lawyer Jin, you think so? If I state my reasoning, will you and your clients, Prime Minister Tan and Miss Gu Yanran, p yourselves in the face three times?¡±

 Chapter 769 - Birthday Party (12)

    <h4>Chapter 769: Birthday Party (12)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Jin Wanyi had a guilty conscience. She couldn¡¯t help but take a quick look at Prime Minister Tan.

    Prime Minister Tan only looked nervously at Cai Songyin who had raised her brows little by little as he repeated, ¡°She¡¯s uttering nonsense...She is only a student. What does she know about going to court?¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Tan, it¡¯s unreasonable for you to say it like that.¡± Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t know why she was so happy when she saw that Gu Nianzhi was finally calling Jin Wanyi out. She also spoke up to support her. ¡°You say our Nianzhi is only a student? Did you know that Attorney Jin, the one you hired to represent you, is the opponent our Nianzhi defeated one year ago? Not to mention, our Nianzhi traveled to Germany to go to court for one of our country¡¯s innocent overseas student who was a victim. She overturned the whole city of Rosu¡¯s senate, government, and police headquarters! You said she doesn¡¯t know how to go to court? Haha, if she doesn¡¯t know how to go to court, then this Attorney Jin probably doesn¡¯t even know how to write the words ¡®go to court!¡¯¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s words really did not leave them with any dignity. Yin Shixiongughed out loud and pulled Ma Qiqi toward him, reprimanding her in a low voice. ¡± Blindly talking about what truth? Watch the y from the side.¡±

    Jin Wanyi started to look scared. Not only because of the piercing words that Ma Qiqi had said, but also because Yin Shixiong was acting like he cared, even though she knew that he didn¡¯t as he looked at her eyes. She couldn¡¯t express the pain it caused her.

    After Gu Nianzhi got Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong¡¯s backing, she grew even more confidence and vigor. She took the initiative to attract Jin Wanyi¡¯s attention. ¡°Attorney Jin, do you have something to say? Do you want to bet? Hitting yourself in the face is quite embarrassing. If you voluntarily give up, I will not look into it.¡±

    ¡°Look into what?¡± Cai Songyin had been looking on from the side for a long time. She didn¡¯t think of it before, but when she saw Tan Dongbang, Jin Wanyi, and Gu Yanran¡¯s uneasy facial expressions, her heart unexpectedly sunk.

    What happened that she didn¡¯t know about?!

    At that moment, her mind was reying every scene from the court. Slowly, a thick and heavy fog started to condense at the bottom of Cai Songyin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, are you telling the truth?¡± Seeing that Tan Dongbang and Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to speak, Cai Songyin stretched out her hand to stop them. She jutted her chin at Gu Nianzhi, motioning for her to continue speaking.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she sighed. She used her hand to arrange her hair by her temple and said in an indifferent manner, ¡°Mrs. Tan, I¡¯m awyer. To consult awyer, the fee is paid by the minute. Also, you would need to sign a non-disclosure agreement. That way, people with high aspirations won¡¯t be able to steal my methods.¡±

    Saying it like that made Jin Wanyi felt a bit guilty. She actually didn¡¯t want to bet with Gu Nianzhi, but she also wanted to hear what kind of methods Gu Nianzhi had. At that moment, she had been singled out by Gu Nianzhi. She practically jumped backward. She looked a bit rmed and bewildered. She stuttered, ¡°Is there also a charge for consulting aboutmonws? Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯re really evil!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m evil?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she walked toward Jin Wanyi. ¡°The ideas Ie up with are worth tens of millions of dors in the country. You don¡¯t want to spend a penny and yet you want to listen. You also want to use my methods in court, but you used me of being evil?! Is there any kind of logic in this world? Attorney Jin, no wonder you were the opponent that I defeated a year ago. Turns out, you didn¡¯t use your energy to improve your professional skills. On the contrary, you harbor evil intentions and use the skills you do have on dishonest practices.¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s stomach shrank when she heard that. She didn¡¯t feel good. It was just as Gu Nianzhi had said. She had gone against her original intention of being awyer. Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes rested on Gu Yanran.

    When she had defended Cai Songyin, Jin Wanyi had made a list of different defenses and the results they would have. Gu Yanran chose one that could save Tan Dongbang andpletely destroy Cai Songyin...Tan Dongbang had been present at that time. He hadn¡¯t said a single thing. It was as if he was implying that he agreed.

    She really never thought that Gu Nianzhi could discern this just from watching the courtroom broadcast on T.V.! This young girl really had boundless potential...

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but look at Yin Shixiong again. She saw him beaming with joy as he listened attentively to the tall and bubbly girl next to him speak. He didn¡¯t notice her at all. How did her life be like this? There was no big break in her career. Now, even the man she was secretly in love with was snatched away by somebody else...

    While Jin Wanyi was in a trance, Gu Nianzhi turned her head to Cai Songyin. ¡°Mrs. Tan, when thewyer representing said that you did reallocate the campaign fund, it didn¡¯t matter that you returned it within three months. Those words already gave you a life sentence. In people¡¯s hearts and eyes, you would forever be that person that used the campaign fund. In the future, when you would appear with Prime Minister at a campaign fundraising event, people would retreat a three-day march and would no longer donate to Prime Minister Tan.¡±

    The people in the hall that heard what Gu Nianzhi said all wore meaningful smiles. That young femalewyer really did have skill. Compared to mostwyers who could only do things ording to what their client wanted, one could immediately distinguish which one was superior and inferior. She not only defended for one¡¯s innocence, she would eagerly and sincerely defend the client¡¯s reputation.

    To those politicians, reputations were more important than anything else. No matter how unworthy of it they were when they were in a private ce, as long as it was not disclosed to the public, they could still behave with integrity. If their bad deeds were disclosed, it meant one¡¯s political career was already over.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s dried and cracked lips trembled intensely. She turned her head and looked at Tan Dongbang. Prime Minister Tan¡¯s eyes were evasive. He didn¡¯t dare look her in the face.

    She looked at Gu Yanran again. Gu Yanran was actually looking at her face and said, ¡°Mrs. Tan, don¡¯t be trickdc by my little sister¡¯s words. She¡¯s liked to boast since she was young. Who knows how many people she¡¯s tricked by the lies she came up with...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s facial expression changed. Was Gu Yanran shedding all pretense of cordiality? That was exactly what she had been looking for. The truth was, every time she saw that older sister¡¯s hypocritical face as she pretended to be nice, she really wanted to throw up.

    Gu Nianzhi stood in front of Gu Yanran. Her facial expression was grave and stern as she sneered. Her deep and dark eyes were fixed on Gu Yanran as she said in a cold manner, ¡°Gu Yanran, don¡¯t open your mouth and lie. Although I¡¯m your sister, I will sue for nder if you talk like that. I will be a pair of pants with you. Do you believe me?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s pupils dted. Her whole body trembled.

    ¡°Apologize. I want you to apologize immediately.¡± Gu Nianzhi took a step forward again. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t remember the things that happened when I was younger. It¡¯s not up to you to nder and tarnish me.¡±

    ¡°You already said that you don¡¯t remember the things that happened when you were younger, how could you say that I nder and tarnish you?¡± Gu Yanran presumptuously thought that she found a w in what Gu Nianzhi had said and immediately fought back.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking to me about evidence? Fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed her finger. ¡°One, you said when I was younger that I lied and tricked people. Where is the witness? Who can prove that I actually lied and tricked people when I was younger?¡±

    ¡°Is me proving it not enough?!¡± Gu Yanran smiled coldly. ¡°You don¡¯t remember, but it doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t remember!¡±

    ¡°Haha, Lady Gu Yanran, you are a person who is ignorant of thew. You are the user. What you say can¡¯t be used as evidence. Just like when you y ball. You can¡¯t be a yer and be the referee. That¡¯s why you have to prove that I said those kinds of things. You have to bring out human testimony and material evidence that proves I said those things. If you couldn¡¯t bring it out, you are ndering me.¡±

    Gu Yanran opened her mouth. She suddenly remembered that one time when all the old servants of the Gu family back in Barbados had been suddenly attacked and killed. She quickly shut up.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say it? Oh, I think I remember. That one time when all the old servants of the Gu family that were in Barbados were kidnapped and killed. Lady Gu Yanran, am I right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory was very good. At that moment, she firmly believed that Gu Yanran had a problem. The ability to think about and connect things that happened that long ago was very scary...

 Chapter 770 - Birthday Party (13)

    <h4>Chapter 770: Birthday Party (13)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to immediately connect to the old servants who perished in the Gu manor in Barbados. Not only was she shocked, but a vicious glimmer shed in her eyes. She actually calmed down when she grew vicious and blinked as she looked at Gu Nianzhi with a disdainfulugh. ¡°Fine, fine. You¡¯re right. It¡¯ll be ok if I apologize?¡± She waspletely glossing it over.

    ¡°Then you admit to fabricating lies and discrediting my reputation?¡± Gu Nianzhi questioned her seriously once again. ¡°An apology alone is useless. I won¡¯t sue you if you p your own face three times.¡±

    Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t helping balling her hands into fists as she said quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t take this too far! Today is Little Darling¡¯s birthday. If you have issues with me, we can talk when we get hometer!¡±

    ¡°Gu Yanran, you discredited my reputation in public, so you should be very grateful I¡¯m not suing you for your entire fortune. You¡¯re actually going to negotiate with me? Fine, looks like you prefer awsuit over pping your own face three times. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll oblige.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t back down at all.

    Gu Yanran tightened her fists as she looked at Gu Nianzhi in disbelief. ¡°I only said a few things, and you want me to p myself in public?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°This is so you can remember to not speak without thinking first. I¡¯m helping you learn the lesson about not saying things you don¡¯t have evidence for. Here, hurry up and do it. If you¡¯re not going to, then I¡¯ll have to do it myself.¡±

    Gu Yanran backed up in fear and pointed to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Stop it!¡±

    ¡°If you dare bber anymore, I¡¯ll immediately draft my notice to the court.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her phone and said sternly, ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±

    Everyone in the hall was looking at them, so Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help but stare at Tan Dongbang pleadingly. However, he turned away to look at the window to avoid her. Suddenly, Ye Xuan walked through the crowd and reached out to move Gu Nianzhi away as he chided her coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch Yanran!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw Ye Xuan¡¯s arm move and suddenly whooshed as she looked away and perhaps moved even faster than her brain couldpute. With a twist of her slender waist, she moved in a semi-circle to avoid Ye Xuan¡¯s arm and also extend her right arm to p Gu Yaran soundly across the face!

    Gu Yanran screamed as she covered her cheek and red furiously at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You hit me?! I¡¯ll sue you, too!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved and stated icily, ¡°That was reasonable self defense. Gu Yanran, put a cor on your little wolf puppy so he¡¯s not biting people.¡±

    Gu Yanran wanted to argue with her but felt guilty as soon as she heard the words, ¡°little wolf puppy.¡± She rubbed her cheek and red angrily at Gu Nianzhi without saying anything else.

    However, Ye Xuan was unhappy. He asked coldly, ¡°Who are you calling a little wolf puppy?¡±

    ¡°Whoever answers is the little wolf puppy.¡± Gu Nianzhi had already learned how to argue back like that a long time ago. Ye Xuan jumped in anger, but Gu Yanran pulled him back. Prime Minister Tan couldn¡¯t help looking at them again.

    Suddenly, Cai Songyin frowned and called out from the sidelines, ¡°Gu Nianzi, you really have another solution?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi ignored Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan. Spreading her palms, she nced at Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin offered a few solutions for you to choose from when she was helping you decide on a direction of defense. If I didn¡¯t guess wrong, Lawyer Jin originally must¡¯ve had another solution to better protect you, but Prime Minister Tan and Miss Gu Yanran somehow chose the one that was least favorable for you.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    ¡°How dare you use me!¡±

    ¡°No such thing happened!¡±

    Prime Minister Tan, Gu Yanran, and Jin Wanyi all denied it at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help crinkling her eyes into crescents as she smiled. ¡°Oh my, you all sure are a team. I¡¯m making a reasonable inference ording to legal defense. All the mentors at thew firms teach this! If Lawyer Jin really didn¡¯t do this, then that is a serious breach of professionalism, and youpletely disregarded your client¡¯s best interests. JD Law Office is thergestw firm in the Imperial Capital, so how did you get a job there? Could the rumors be true that you¡¯re using personal connections?¡±

    Of course Jin Wanyi and her team had discussed several solutions, but they now knew they must not admit to it! Cai Songyin looked suspiciously at the serious Gu Nianzhi and then the vignt and defensive Tan Dongbang, Gu Yanran, and Jin Wanyi. In the moment, she didn¡¯t know who to trust.

    Suddenly, Tan Dongbang pulled Cai Songyin¡¯s sleeve and said gently, ¡°Yin, go upstairs to rest a bit. I¡¯ll handle this, and afterwards, I¡¯ll exin it to you. We¡¯ve been married for so many years, trust me.¡± He then asked Tan Guiren to go upstairs with Cai Songyin.

    Cai Songyin gave Gu Yanran a distrustful nce when she heard Tan Dongbang say that. She finally said to Tan Guiren, ¡°Little Darling should stay here with everyone. Mommy will go get changed.¡±

    Tan Guiren saw that her Mommy had finally returned and had many things to tell her, but she couldn¡¯t leave a house full of guests at a time like this. ¡°Ok, Mommy. Come back soon.¡± Tan Guiren longingly watched Cai Sonyin go upstairs. Cai Songyin didn¡¯t bring Tan Gurien upstairs because she wanted her to stay back and help her keep an eye on Tan Dongbang. With his daughter there, he wouldn¡¯t dare do anything too oundish.

    Gu Yanran also sighed in relief. She covered half her face and said, ¡°Today is Miss Tan Guiren¡¯s 25th birthday, and we thank everyone for making it here. Please don¡¯t just stand here anymore. There¡¯s a buffet on that side for everyone to enjoy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to smirk. So Gu Yanran thought this was over? What a fool. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze suddenly fell on the head of an indecisive and confused Tan Guiren. The pink diamond¡¯s color was truly the best saturation she¡¯d ever seen and the highest rity as well. Under the brilliant lights from the chandelier in the hall, it was like she wore a pink rainbow on her head and was so beautiful, no one could look away.

    Tan Guiren just witnessed how her father and Gu Yanran¡¯s faces fell from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usations, so she felt very bad for them. However, Gu Nianzhi also seemed to make sense, so she didn¡¯t know how to respond. Just as she was hesitating, Gu Nianzhi had already pointed to the pink diamond crown on Tan Guiren¡¯s head and blurted, ¡°Miss Tan, where did you buy this pink diamond crown? It¡¯s very beautiful. Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°Oh? This pink diamond crown?¡± Tan Guiren instinctively adjusted the pink diamond crown on her head and nced at Gu Yanran before saying, ¡°This is my birthday gift from Sister Gu.¡±

    ¡°Really? Sister, you gifted this pink diamond crown to Miss Tan?¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to look shocked as she stared at Gu Yanran.

    A faint flush finally returned to Gu Yanran¡¯s nched face. She looked at Gu Nianzhi and felt smug again when she saw her shock. She only wanted to make Gu Nianzhi feel bad as she drawled, ¡°Yes. This was a birthday gift from Father when I was little. I saw it suited Little Darling, so I gifted it to her. Little Darling is a real princess, so she¡¯s the only one who deserves to wear this pink diamond crown.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? So Sister gifted the pink diamond crown to someone else because you think you don¡¯t deserve to wear it? Haha, if it¡¯s your birthday gift from Father, then why don¡¯t you think you deserve it?¡± Gu Nianzhi stated suggestively, a glimmer of sarcasm in her eyes.

 Chapter 771 - Birthday Party (14)

    <h4>Chapter 771: Birthday Party (14)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°This is mine and I can gift it to whoever I want. What does deserving it or not have anything to do with it?¡± Gu Yanran looked at Gu Nianzhi with an amused face, her happiness unparalleled. Just seeing the admiration and desire in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes made Gu Yanran feel that this gift was worth giving...

    Everyone in the hall witnessed this and whispered quietly to each other.

    ¡°That pink diamond crown looks pretty expensive...¡±

    ¡°Right, it must be a famous object. I also have a few pieces of pink diamond jewelry but their color is noparison to this.¡±

    Everyone in the room had refined taste. Since Gu Yanran had given such a huge gift, it was no wonder that the Prime Minister¡¯s family was being friendly with her.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. Cocking her head to study the pink diamond on Tan Guiren¡¯s head, she said, ¡°Is that so? Did Father really give it to you? But I think this pink diamond crown is a high-end replica, so why would Father give a replica to you?¡±

    High-end replica? The faces of all the people in the hall fell when they heard this. Some people even believed it right away since the Tans had a history of wearing high-end replicas... In the case of Tan Guiren¡¯s mother, Cai Songyin, one of her past charges was rted to acquiring a high-end replica of trademarked jewelry. Although Gu Yanran got involved afterward to purchase the trademark rights, a fake was still a fake. Wearing a fake was considered taboo in their social circle. Though the people in the hall didn¡¯t speak loudly, they didn¡¯t attempt to suppress their voice either. She instantly became furious and her face fell as she said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Little Sister, you just told me to not say things without evidence to back up them up, so why are you spouting nonsense now?¡±

    ¡°Since Sister is saying that, does that prove that you were spouting nonsense and ndering me earlier?¡± Gu Nianzhi broke into a smile, her plump lips curving into a pleasant shape. Her lips were pearly and glowing, and her entire person seemed to be submerged in the ethereal moonlight. ¡°And I never spouted nonsense. Sister, how would you prove that this pink diamond crown is authentic and not a high-end replica?¡±

    Gu Yanran sneered at her. ¡°Why do I need to prove it to you? Also, high-end replica¨Cdo you even know what this is? High-end replica, what nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Of course I know what this is.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked around Tan Guiren, her voice suddenly bing so crisp and loud that the entire hall could hear her clearly. ¡°This pink diamond crown¡¯s style is the exact same pink diamond crown that belonged to Catherine the Great.¡±

    ¡°Catherine the Great¡¯s crown?! That¡¯s a royal crown!¡± The people in the hall began to grow excited and some people even picked up their phones to take photos of the pink diamond crown on Tan Guiren¡¯s head.

    ¡°Hmm? I didn¡¯t think you would be so knowledgeable.¡± Gu Yanran raised a brow. ¡°To tell you the truth, this was a gift from my father especially bought from Christie¡¯s Auctions on my birthday. I still have the invoice from Christie¡¯s at home. High-end replica? Why would the Gu household wear replicas?¡±

    ¡°Haha, so what if you have an invoice? Can¡¯t invoices be faked?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised a finger to shake as she said nonchntly, ¡°I once saw a case of full-service fakery. I know for a fact that not only the invoice but even a receipt from the top tier American department store Neiman Marcus can be fabricated!¡±

    ¡°You keep going on and on, but you¡¯re just angry that I gave this crown to Little Darling.¡± Gu Yanran smiled triumphantly when she spied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s look of desire. She mimicked Gu Nianzhi by shaking her finger. ¡°Little Sister, I know you like this crown, but I didn¡¯t think you deserved it, so I gave it to someone who does.¡±

    ¡°Really? So it¡¯s not because you think you don¡¯t deserve it that you don¡¯t dare to wear it? And you could only give it to someone else to curry favor?¡± Gu Nianzhi was unperturbed. Folding her hands behind her back, she stared at Tan Guiren. ¡°There¡¯s a simple way to prove if this was something purchased from Christie¡¯s Auctions. We can just look at the serial number. If the pink diamond crown is an authentic item purchased from Christie¡¯s Auctions, there must be a serial number on it.¡±

    Gu Yanran began to hesitate when she heard this. She had never seen any serial numbers on the pink diamond crown before... Could it be fake? Impossible! How could Father buy a fake?!

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Gu Yanran had stopped speaking, so she turned to Tan Guiren. ¡°Miss Tan, can you let me take a look at your pink diamond crown? I¡¯ll determine if it¡¯s real or not. With all these people watching us, you don¡¯t have to worry about it being damaged at all.¡±

    Tan Guiren liked the pink diamond crown a lot and she also didn¡¯t believe an affluent family like the Gus would buy a high-end replica, so she graciously took it off her head to pass to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Have a look at it. I think it¡¯s real. This center diamond¡¯s rity and color are too wonderful, I don¡¯t think it could possibly be a high-end replica.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi epted the pink diamond crown from Tan Guiren, she felt her heart nearly stop. Her breathing halted as she carefully cradled the pink diamond crown in her hands. At that moment, she could almost feel her parent¡¯s caring smiles and their gentle, loving hearts. It pierced through the clouds of time and enveloped her, warm and caring. In the bustling throngs of people in the crowd, the noisy voices all vanished and the only thing left in the world was this pink diamond tiara. It was magnified endlessly in her eyes. This was a gift from Father... Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate fingers rested on the pink diamond crown, so pale they were nearly transparent.

    ¡°Stunned from looking?¡± Gu Yanran smirked. ¡°You must¡¯ve never seen authentic good things if you think such a wonderful piece is a high-end replica.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself, quickly ncing at Gu Yanran before lifting up the pink diamond crown to look at its inside edge. The inside of the crown glittered and was nearly transparent... there was no engraving at all! She couldn¡¯t even see the serial number! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. Could this pink diamond crown really be a high-end replica?! She clearly remembered that the backdoor records on Christies¡¯ website noted that the buyer had once requested a diamond engraver to engrave a message on it! If she couldn¡¯t find that engraving, then there was no way she could reim this pink diamond crown! At that moment, Gu Nianhzhi¡¯s fiercely brainstormed a way to solve the mystery.

    ¡°Serial numbers for Christie¡¯s Auctions aren¡¯t on the actual auctioned item, but the invoice.¡± Gu Yanran had yed with the thing for so many years now and naturally knew where the serial was located. ¡°See, it¡¯s this one.¡± She even took out her phone to disy the invoice she saved. She had also printed a copy of the invoice when she gave Tan Guiren the gift as evidence. Ever since Cai Songyin had received high-end replica jewelry as a gift, she had a newfound appreciation for knowing the source of a gift. Prime Minister Tan had examined the evidence of purchase to ensure there would be no legal problems before allowing Tan Guiren to ept the gift. She never thought she could take it out as evidence, so Gu Yanran¡¯s low spirits finally improved.

    Gu Nianzhi only took one nce at Gu Yanan¡¯s phone to memorize the 18-digit serial number. It was indeed the same one she saw on the record on the Christie¡¯s Auction website. This meant that the pink diamond crown was a rare treasure that Gu Xiangwen bought from Christie¡¯s Auctions 18 years ago. But why couldn¡¯t she see the serial number and engraving? In a moment of panic, Gu Nianzhi felt her heart tremble when she recalled how Huo Shaoheng had used some free time to teach her methods of reading invisible handwriting. These methods werergely used in espionage work, but he also mentioned that auction houses would engrave unique serial numbers when they sold one-of-a-kind treasures. In order to not damage the appearance of these treasures, the auction houses would use a type of invisible engraving art that could not be seen by the naked eye. Only by using special lighting and shining on it from a certain angle could the serial number be revealed. Gu Nianzhi had an idea and turned to Tan Guiren. ¡°Miss Tan, can I borrow your projector for a moment?¡±

    ¡°Projector? Oh? I don¡¯t know if there is one here...¡± Tan Guiren said awkwardly and looked towards Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran had been like a housekeeper of the Prime Minister¡¯s Office for two weeks now so she clearly knew things that even Tan Gurien didn¡¯t.

    But before waiting for Gu Yanran to reply, Gu Nianzhi had already called out to the female staff member pushing the cable cart and asked, ¡°Can I borrow the projector?¡± There was a projector in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence and Gu Nianzhi had even seen Prime Minister Dou¡¯s family y a video of Dou Qingyan studying abroad on it thest time she was here.

    The female staff member nced at Tan Gurien. Tan Guiren sighed and replied permissively, ¡°If there is one, please give it to Miss Gu.¡±

    The female staff member nodded and took out a radio to call a staff member and tell them to bring the projector over and set it up. Soon after, the projector was set up. Arge white screen lowered from one wall in the hall and faced the projector. Gu Nianzhi adjusted the projector and turned on the light before cing the pink diamond crown in front of it, slowly adjusting the angle. On the white screen, a brilliant pink diamond crown appeared and began to turn continuously.

    Frowning, Gu Tanran said unhappily, ¡°Little Sister, what are you doing? Careful not to damage the crown. I already gave it away, so if you break it you¡¯ll have to pay for it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ignored her so she could focus on adjusting the angle of the crown under the projector¡¯s light. When she turned it to a certain position, blurry lettering appeared on the inside of the pink diamond crown on the screen! Then the words slowly focused so that each number could be clearly seen, and then flowery script also appeared! Sharp gasps were heard inside the hall and even Gu Yanran was shocked by the sight. On the white screen, an 18-digit serial appeared on the inside of the greatly magnified pink diamond crown. This was the pink diamond crown¡¯s serial number. Right after the numbers appeared, a sentence in a floral script could be seen. It said, ¡°To Cereus, my little darling.¡± The record she saw online finally materialized physically before her eyes and Gu Nainzhi¡¯s eyes turned red. Her crisp voice had a harsh edge to it, ¡°Sister, everyone knows my English name is Cereus and yours is Jasmine. There are records of this on identification like passports. What right do you have to im that this pink diamond crown was gifted to you by Father?!¡±

 Chapter 772 - Birthday Party (15)

    <h4>Chapter 772: Birthday Party (15)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Also, didn¡¯t you say this was your birthday gift from Father? But look at the auction date on the receipt! That¡¯s my birthday! My first birthday! Why would Father buy this crown from an auction on my birthday and give it to you for your birthday afterwards?! Gu Yanran, you are aplete idiot, but do you think the rest of the world is as stupid as you?!¡± Gu Nianzhi blurted it out in one breath and was so angry, she panted slightly.

    She could only be thankful that Father had also requested that the auction house keep his request for engraving confidential all those years ago. So even though Gu Yanran got her hands on the Christie¡¯s auction receipt and purchase record as evidence, she didn¡¯t know about the engraving at all. Otherwise, Gu Yanran would¡¯ve never dared to publicly gift the pink diamond crown, even if she was forced at gunpoint.

    Gu Yanran waspletely dumbfounded by the image from the projector. She had coveted the pink diamond crown for many years and could finally officially im it as her own. How many times had she yed with it at home and how confident had she been that she had studied every inch of it¡ªbut she never thought there was a secret trap in there all along! Father, oh Father... You wracked your brain and only cared about Gu Nianzhi... Why didn¡¯t you ever treat me this well?! A pitiful smile appeared on Gu Yanran¡¯s face. Her entire body was ice cold and shaking. An unnamed hatred filled her eyes,pletely wiping away all her previous gentle elegance.

    Ye Xuan looked at the handwriting on the screen and was a bit shocked himself. He nced at Gu Yanran, then Gu Nianzhi. In his heart he could feel something was wrong. He also knew about this pink diamond crown. When he was in boarding school in the United States and secretly chatted with Uncle Gu¡¯s daughter anonymously online, she often mentioned this thing and said it was her first birthday present from her father that she really liked. She liked the pink diamond crown so much, yet somehow wanted to gift it to someone else. Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t understand it at the moment either, even though Gu Yanran said it was for a greater benefit...

    This was his first time seeing the receipt, and he finally knew the date on it was 18 years ago. That definitely wasn¡¯t Gu Yanran¡¯s first birthday. Gu Yanran and Tan Guiren were the same age, and both turned 25 this year, making them three years older than Ye Xuan. So who was the anonymous Miss Gu who chatted online with him for all those years?! Ye Xuan suddenly had a splitting headache and cradled his head as he retreated to hide in a dark corner. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quiet usations echoed throughout the hall, and all the guests stood dumbfounded and stunned silent by the dramatic turn of events.

    Prime Minister Tan also froze for a moment before politely reaching out his hand. ¡°What is going on? Miss Gu Nianzhi, please return this pink diamond crown to me first. Can you and your sister sort out your affairs in private?¡± It was very embarrassing for them to hash this out in public.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled quietly with a shake of her head. ¡°That won¡¯t do. This is clearly something my father gifted to me. How can I give it to you? And don¡¯t even say the word, ¡®return.¡¯ Mr. Prime Minister, aren¡¯t you ashamed to say that?¡±

    Now that Prime Minister Tan had broken his silence, he didn¡¯t need to say the rest. The Prime Minister¡¯s chief secretary immediately supported him. ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi, everyone clearly saw you cheat the crown away from Miss Tan. I don¡¯t care what kind of dispute you have with your sister, but Miss Gu Yanran formally gifted this diamond crown to Miss Tan for her birthday. You wouldn¡¯t be cheap enough to im back a gift that was already epted?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised a brow with a smile. ¡°Hmm? So you want to discuss ownership of an item with awyer? Ok, then I¡¯ll tell you firstly that my father gifted this object to me, and I have the receipt and engraving as evidence. Gu Yanran has no right to dispose of something that doesn¡¯t belong to her. In other words, she has no right to gift my things to others. Now she¡¯s taken something that doesn¡¯t belong to her, and that¡¯s considered theft. Her giving it to you means it¡¯s a stolen item. May I ask if your great office of the Prime Minister would really help a thief hide her stolen goods?¡± Gu Nianzhi paused to cradle the pink diamond crown tightly, then continued, ¡°As for any exchange of interests between you people, ask her for it and not me for my things. I have nothing to do with you people. Mr. Prime Minister, can you be a bit less shameful?¡±

    Prime Minister Tan was pale with anger from her words, so his polite face actually appeared a bit vicious. The Prime Minister¡¯s chief secretary also flushed immediately, but Prime Minister Tan didn¡¯t say anything, so he had to force himself to keep trying to get the crown back. Pushing the gold-rimmed sses up his nose, the Prime Minister¡¯s chief secretary kept repeating, ¡°This was gifted to Miss Tan by Gu Yanran. You have no right to take it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°If you keep acting this way, I¡¯ll have to go to court to sue your Prime Minister for forcible theft. Mister, do you want to have your Prime Minister also appear in court before your First Lady¡¯s case even concludes?¡±

    Tan Guiren quickly interjected when she heard this, ¡°Fine, fine, just return the crown to Miss Gu Nianzhi since it¡¯s hers, anyway. I don¡¯t want it.¡± She spoke as she leaned against Prime Minister Tan and held his arm. ¡°Daddy, I know you¡¯re doing this for me, but more than anything, I don¡¯t want you to get into trouble because of this.¡±

    The Prime Minister was stony faced as he red at Gu Nianzhi before stating evenly, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll let this go on ount of my daughter. I have no interest in whoever this belongs to, but I feel chilled to the bone for your sister, for whom youpletely have no regard.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face recovered a bit of color when she heard Prime Minister Tan publicly speak up for her. Looking up, the bitterness shed through her eyes, but she soon resumed her normal gentle elegance when she nced at Gu Nianzhi. She sighed and said with pity, ¡°Nianzhi, Sister forgives you. I know that you were kidnapped and held hostage by a psycho in Germany for two weeks and suffered... torture, that¡¯s why you¡¯ve be so extreme...¡±

    ¡°What?! She was kidnapped and held hostage by a psycho?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it... These sisters are obviously tearing each other down. Also, Gu Yanran was proven to be a liar. How can we believe her again?¡±

    Everyone muttered, and somehow, most people didn¡¯t believe Gu Yanran. Ma Qiqi¡¯s rage practically burned in her heart, and she lost allposure. She wanted nothing more than to viciously strangle Gu Yanran to death! Yin Shixiong quickly held her back and whispered, ¡°We can¡¯t react strongly to this incident. Wait and see how Nianzhi handles it.¡±

    But Yin Shixiong was actually nervous, too. He secretly pressed a button ording to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arrangement in order to release the ¡°bomb¡± of the evening. He hoped this would help Gu Nianzhi solve this dilemma.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was utterly unperturbed. Slowly walking over, she looked directly at Gu Yanran and moved closer step by step until she stood right in front of her to say sarcastically, ¡°What¡¯s this? You immediately imagine a little erotic novel as soon as you hear the word ¡®kidnapping?¡¯ Isn¡¯t your character an elegant and unbesmirched female heiress? Why do you imagine all this junk in your head?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my imagination. Everyone is also thinking that...¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s voice was still very gentle, but she looked at Gu Nianzhi with pure hatred.

    ¡°Everyone? Who¡¯s everyone?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged, not bothered by Gu Yanran¡¯s look at all. ¡°Gu Yanran, you¡¯re addicted to lying. I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t mess with me again, or be careful lest I take everything from you!¡±

    Gu Yanran clutched her chest in pain, and her face was full of disbelief. ¡°Nianzhi, Niaznhi, you used to be such a wonderful girl! How did you end up like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was totally fed up with Gu Yanran, but what angered her the most was how she mentioned the incident in Germany. She immediately understood that Gu Yanran probably did more than beat her while she was down in the whole incident. It was very likely she was involved in the entire thing! Otherwise, how would she know that her disappearance had something to do with a certain ¡°psycho?!¡±

    Thinking about how Gu Yanran had not only encroached on the family fortune, stolen her home, and even plotted ways to kill her, Gu Nianzhi lost herst bit of kindness towards her. She stood in front of Gu Yanran and looked down at her condescendingly. She said calmly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll discuss everything clearly in front of all these people. You¡¯ve always imed to love me like your own biological sister, but all these various rumors damaging my reputation areing from you. I didn¡¯t fault you for it before because I cherished our sisterhood, but now you¡¯re ustomed to lying?! You think lying a thousand times makes it reality?! You think I¡¯ll always suffer in silence?!

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯ve made a big mistake! Weren¡¯t you worried I woulde back to the Gu family and split the fortune?! I truly never wanted it, but now that you¡¯re dragging me into the gutter, wouldn¡¯t it look like you¡¯re setting about something without justification if I don¡¯t fight for my share?! I¡¯m formally suing you, Gu Yanran, and on Monday, I¡¯ll request that the court equally divide family assets! And I mean equally¡ªone less deposit, property, patent, or stock is not considered equal! Also, equal division of family assets is calcted from the year our parents got into the ident. You don¡¯t know math, so I¡¯ll exin it simply to you. Throughout all the years, all the frivolous spending, failed investments, gifts to curry favor¡ªhalf of those are all mine, and you owe them to me. Gu Yanran, get ready to be fully exposed by me! We¡¯ll see how much you¡¯re worth in the end! Will prostituting yourself be enough topensate for my share of the family fortune?!¡±

 Chapter 773 - Birthday Party (16)

    <h4>Chapter 773: Birthday Party (16)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was tender and crisp, but punctuating the words like that made them resonate powerfully. It was very shocking. There was absolute silence in the hall for a short while. Everyone¡¯s eyes were constantly moving back and forth between Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran¡¯s heart was beating wildly. It was about to jump out of her throat.

    When she heard Gu Nianzhi say that she wanted to divide up the family property, all the blood in her body nearly gushed out through the top of her head. It was practically impossible for her to control herself. She had used up all of her self-control. She almost drove her freshly-done nails right through the skin of her palms.

    Gu Yanran made a long sighing sound. It sounded a bit shaky. She said, ¡°...Divide up the family property? I¡¯m afraid not. What family property can we divide? Father is not dead.¡±

    She meant that, for now, the Gu family¡¯s property was still under Gu Xiangwen¡¯s name.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the pink diamond crown in her hand. The corner of her lip curled up in ridicule. She didn¡¯t even look up as she said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. You don¡¯t understand thew. Just because you say not to divide it, doesn¡¯t mean it will not be divided.¡±

    With great difficulty, Gu Yanran resisted those eyes that were looking down on her and said in aposed manner, ¡°It¡¯s true that I don¡¯t know. Father is still alive and you want to divide the family property, what logic is that? What country¡¯sw is that?¡±

    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll break thew down for you again.¡± Gu Nianzhi held the pink diamond crown in her palm. Her facial expression was very calm. ¡°Listen up, that person on the sickbed had already been in a vegetative state for seven years. He haspletely lost all of his abilities. He¡¯s no longer a person that is part of the principal part of thew. Thew could end it. That¡¯s why we can divide the family property.¡±

    A person who had been missing for seven years could be dered dead under thew. Of course, people in a vegetative state were also treated that way.

    Unfortunately for her, Gu Nianzhi still could not openly kick Gu Yanran out because Gu Yanran¡¯s identification documents proved that she was actually Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. It didn¡¯t matter if the person in a vegetative state was Gu Xiangwen or not, it wouldn¡¯t affect her legal status. After Gu Nianzhi had weighed the pros and cons, she decided not to deny her identity as the daughter of the Gu family. That was why, under the circumstance of not having a will, Gu Yanran could im half of the family property. But seeing Gu Yanran¡¯s activities and movements in those few years, Gu Nianzhi had reasonably and rationally guessed that Gu Yanran had already squandered most of her portion.

    ¡°In the past, you thought of me as being underage and not able to manage the family property, but now I¡¯m an adult. I¡¯ll take at least half of all the things belonging to the Gu family.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes quickly looked around the hall. She had a panoramic view of everyone¡¯s expression.

    ¡°You want to fight over the right to manage the Gu household? Fine, we¡¯ll talk about it in the future. Today is... Miss Tan¡¯s birthday. You shouldn¡¯t...¡± Gu Yanran paused and looked at Prime Minister Tan gently.

    When Prime Minister Tan saw that, his heart ached and he helped her to get out of the trouble she was in. He had a solemn expression as he said, ¡°This is your family¡¯s private matter. Why make such a scene and so much noise in the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence? How did you get in here? Who gave you an invitation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. She didn¡¯t want to say where she got her invitation from. Prime Minister Tan had held it in that whole night. But he finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore?

    Seeing the way he looked at Gu Yanran, she thought pigs were more likely to flythan for there to be nothing going on between the two.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t refrain from secretly pushing aside Gu Yanran¡¯s meat and vegetable. Still want to get Prime Minister Tan, this old outer leaf of cabbage, when you have Ye Xuan, the little wolfhound. Seriously...

    She didn¡¯t want to be her sister! She didn¡¯t want them to be sisters even if it was only under thew! While Gu Nianzhi was pondering how to break Yanran herself, she was also verbally attacking Prime Minister Tan.

    Her facial expression changed and she said in a serious manner, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, you sure are quick to burn bridges after you¡¯ve crossed them. How did the dispute I have with my sister be our family¡¯s private matter? Are you really going to act like this has nothing to do with you and your wife?¡±

    ¡°The more you talk the more out of ce it bes. What does this thing have to do with Prime Minister Tan and Mrs. Tan?¡± Gu Yanran was a bit scared when she refuted it. ¡°Enough. We will talk about the problems when we get home.¡±

    ¡°Why talk about it when we are home? The thing that I want to say has to do with Prime Minister Tan and Mrs. Tan.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned and looked at Tan Dongbang. She was tall. Her pair of ck eyes were so bright that they astonished people.

    The crystal chandellier in the hall was reflected in her eyes. They looked like tens of thousands of stars had fallen into an pond in autumn. The pond rippled slightly and crushed the starlight. They dispersed the little specks of stars. They could capture a person¡¯s soul.

    Prime Minister Tan looked at her and then looked away. In a displeased way, he said, ¡°If it¡¯s private matter, we can talk about it in the future.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a private matter.¡± Gu Nianzhi said it openly and simply. ¡°I want to talk about the money Gu Yanran put into your campaign fund to make up the deficit.¡±

    She paused and looked at how Prime Minister Tan¡¯s facial expression went from being annoyed to more grave. The eyes that were almost hidden behind the gold wired sses narrowed severely.

    ¡°...What does this have to do with you? The court ofw had already approved of it.¡± Prime Minister Tan didn¡¯t want to hear Gu Nianzhi speak anymore. He turned as he pulled Tan Guiren over toward the spiral stairway.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the Prime Minister¡¯s back and punctuated her words as she said, ¡°How could it have nothing to do with me? It was without my permission that Gu Yanran made an illegal donation. I want to file awsuit and recover that money that was illegally donated.¡±

    All of a sudden, Prime Minister Tan stopped moving. He knew how much money that was. If Gu Nianzhi really recovered that money, then he would need to take out his own money to make up the deficit. That was not a small amount of money. It was close to 20 million dors in deficit. It was all given by Gu Yanran herself.

    ¡°But Gu Yanran also has half of the Gu family¡¯s property. She donated her portion to Prime Minister Tan. What¡¯s the problem with it?¡± Prime Minister Tan¡¯s principal secretary quickly tried to wash the blood off the floor.

    ¡°Haha, really? Then see you in court. You will know why Gu Yanran¡¯s donation was an illegal donation at that time.¡± Gu Nianzhi handled theplicated matter with ease.

    Everything was going dark for Gu Yanran. Her body tottered. She quickly grabbed onto the table for support. She faintly gasped for breath. She vaguely wondered, what am I going to do?

    ...

    At that moment, Cai Songyin had just finished washing up and came out from her bedroom. Being locked up for half a month, she had not be too slovenly. However, it was not asfortable there as home. She was wearing a bathrobe as she sat in front of a dressing table. She pressed the remote control that was on the dressing table.

    It was a remote control that controled the interior electrical appliances. It could control the air conditioner, the T.V., the telephone, and the three-dimensional surround-sound system that was all around the room. Every day, Cai Songyin loved listening to some very soothing light music to loosen her strained nerves before she went to bed.

    She used the remote to turn on the stereo system. Immediately, it was as if Richard yman¡¯s ¡°Fur Elise,¡± the piano piece, spread and filled her whole bedroom with moonlight. She held theb and started tob her hair. In the mist of music that sounded her like spring water gurgling, Cai Songyin finished her nightly care routine.

    She stood up and walked over to her wardrobe. She took out a dress suit and put it on the bed. She felt like the position of the pillow was not quite right. The two pillows were not ced neatly. Cai Songyin had a bit of OCD and she really disliked it. Cai Songyin pulled the pillow over and patted it. When she was just about to put it back in its original spot in a neat manner, she saw something sticking out from under the pillow. It was a ckced garter silk stocking underwear.

    Cai Songyin was 100% sure that she didn¡¯t own such sexy underwear. She looked at it. It was Victoria¡¯s Secret Angels¡¯ brand. It was not considered especially expensive. It was very flirty. She then looked at the size. It was the smallest petite size zero. It was not her size. The clothes she wore were sizes eight to ten. Haha, someone was purposely trying to drive a wedge between the husband and wife?

    Cai Songyin didn¡¯t believe a bit of it. Her mouth twitched. She threw the ckce garter in the wastebasket. She took off her bathrobe and changed her clothes. At that moment, she suddenly heard people talking. She quickly covered herself with the bathrobe and asked in an rmed manner, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    The person that was talking ignored her and continued to speak, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, are you sure you want to go with this n?¡±

    It was thewyer that was representing her, Jin Wanyi¡¯s voice. At that moment, Cai Songyin could see that it was not that someone was talking in her bedroom, but it was a voice recording that was being yed on her speaker. She held her breath as she continued to listen.

    Then she heard her husband, Prime Minister Tan¡¯s voice. ¡°Yanran doesn¡¯t think this n is bad. I looked at it. Although it¡¯s a conservative n, it will guarantee sess. That¡¯s why I still want to do this one.¡±

    Attorney Jin seemed to hesitate for a bit. She then said, ¡°Fine then, since you guys are persistent. However, I need to warn you that your wife¡¯s reputation will be ruined by using this method to defend her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s okay.¡± Tan Dongbang¡¯s voice was a bit cold.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s heart sank in that second. She thought of what Gu Nianzhi said in the hall. She said thatwyers all had a few ns that they give their clients. Attorney Jin, Tan Dongbang, and Gu Yanran had all denied it in unison! They treated her like a fool!

    Cai Songyin stood up. Suddenly, the sound in the speaker changed.

    Then the sound of a man and woman talking passionately in bed filled the room. There was also the sound of heavy breathing and flesh collidinging clearly from the sound system. It echoed through Cai Songyin¡¯s and Tan Dongbang¡¯s bedroom. Cai Songyin was very familiar with the voices of the man and woman in the recording. It was Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran.

 Chapter 774 - Birthday Party (17)

    <h4>Chapter 774: Birthday Party (17)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Songyin had always been proud of the sound quality of the top-grade stereo surround sound system imported from Germany. However, today was the first time she hated how the sound quality was too realistic. If this was an impersonation, then their skills were far too impressive... Tan Dongbang¡¯s voice was so familiar to her and had spoken in her ears for so many years that she could hardly tell the difference from this impersonation! All their beautiful, youthful memories, their romantic and loving past all suddenly copsed under the blow of the two people¡¯s explicit pillow talk emanating from the stereo. Cai Songyin stood expressionless in the middle of the room and slowly raised her increasingly shaky hands to cover her ears as she screamed madly, ¡°Ah¨C!¡±

    It¡¯s fake! It¡¯s fake! This isn¡¯t real! Cai Songyin wanted her screams to overpower the disgusting sounds from the stereo, but she discovered that no matter how loudly she screamed, those intimate conversations found a crack to delve into her ears, brain, and heart. Unable to stand the toture, Cai Songyin finally burst into tears and cradled her head in her hands as she sat on the floor. The floor was covered with a fine-quality handwoven wool rug imported from the Middle East. She opened her eyes to look at the vine pattern on the rug while she screamed and cried her heart out. The bedroom had excellent sound instion, so no one outside would hear her, even if she screamed until she lost her voice. She took this opportunity to vent without any self restraint. After crying, Cai Sonyin supported herself on the ground to slowly climb up. Grabbing the remote on the vanity, her face was ashen. At this moment, the voices in the stereo had already changed like a movie montage changing locations.

    She heard someone saying urgently, ¡°...Where¡¯s the Prime Minister? He needs to sign this document right away!¡±

    ¡°Just wait, the Prime Minister... is in a meeting.¡± The person speaking was totally serious and was none other than Tan Dongbang¡¯s chief secretary. His tone and inflection proved that he was totally aware of what Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran were doing. Cai Songyinpletely froze. The chief secretary¡¯s words clearly proved that these shameless adulterers were actually having a tryst in the Office of the Prime Minister!

    She couldn¡¯t take it anymore and raised her arms to viciously throw the remote towards the wall-mounted speakers. There was a loud bang, and the top-quality speakers fizzled a few times before retreating into silence. Cai Songyin panted as she stood in the bedroom for a long time before she expressionlessly dressed herself and looked in the mirror to put on a coral-colored lipstick. This color would brighten her skin tone. Her face was currently dark and oppressive, so she couldn¡¯t go out in public without some brightening.

    Taking out her phone, she opened the control system for the speakers and logged in to find the file containing the sounds so she could download it onto her phone. To her surprise, the file was actually a video file with sound. If she yed it on her phone, she could not only hear the voices but also see the footage! On the phone, she saw the two people on the bed twisted in all sorts of positions, and thest shred of hope in her heart died. The voice wasn¡¯t an impersonation, nor was this a trap. It was actually her beloved husband. They had been friends for decades, yet his image totally copsed in front of her. She knew she was done for, and her life was unsalvageable now. Their many years of love didn¡¯t ovee this man¡¯s political ambitions. There was no way she could ever support Tan Dongbang ever again.

    A shrewd person like Tan Dongbang would only see Cai Songyin as his burden that would drag him down in the future. No wonder he couldn¡¯t wait to get involved with Gu Yanran. She was the wealthiest person in Barbados and had a fortune that rivaled a nation¡¯s. She was also young, beautiful, and was in her prime. There was no single thing in which Cai Songyin could win against her. She was nearly 50 and at her age, losing her marriage and husband meant losing everything. But if these two people thought Cai Songyin would obediently retreat from the stage, then they were seriously mistaken. Tan Dongbang wanted to get rid of her? Gu Yanran wanted to use her to get ahead? Dream on...

    Cai Songyin expressionlessly began using the professional video editing software on her phone to begin editing the video. She had originally worked in media, so making video edits like this was a piece of cake. First, she blurred out the background and Tan Dongbang¡¯s body and face to only reveal the general image of the bed. Then she also processed his voice until it couldn¡¯t be recognized. As for Gu Yanran, Cai Songyin enhanced rity and contrast tools to even preserve the high resolution so that her body was explicitly exposed on the screen. Even the obvious birthmark on her right breast could be clearly seen. Finally, Cai Sonyin selected the most shocking part of the footage to save into two files. One was a two-minute short film, while the other was a 30-second spotlight feature on Gu Yanran. She uploaded the original video file to her cloud drive and protected it with a password before deleting the backup on her phone. She then used her phone¡¯s video yer to watch the two-minute short film several times to ensure that it didn¡¯t reveal even a sliver of Tan Dongbang in it. She finally smirked. Taking several deep breaths, Cai Songyin walked out solemnly.

    She came down the winding staircase, and when she was halfway down, she saw that the projector was in use downstairs. On the white projection screen that was as tall as a wall was the pink diamond crown Gu Yanran had gifted to Tan Guiren. Afterwards, she overheard Gu Nianzhi use Gu Yanran of stealing her possession to curry favor with someone else and even say she would make sure to take every single thing back...

    Because of her daughter, Tan Guiren, Cai Songyin had always disliked Gu Nianzhi. But somehow she felt strangely ted to hear Gu Nianzhi berate Gu Yanran. Just as their ancestors said, the enemy¡¯s enemy was a friend. Cai Songyin snickered as she took out her phone to connect to the projector¡¯s control app and discreetly send the two-minute short film she had just edited onto the video yer for the projector. Because all the electronics in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence were controlled by a smart system, all the other ces aside from the bedroom could be controlled by a phone instead of remotes. She only needed to download a central control app, and Cai Sonyin happened to use this app to upload the two-minute short film. Afterwards, Cai Sonyin logged into her own secondary Weibo ount to upload the 30-second spotlight feature on Gu Yaran...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had just berated Gu Yanran and threatened to ¡°expose her¡± and make her ¡°prostitute herself,¡± so the words were still echoing in everyone¡¯s ears. Gu Yanran¡¯s sorrowful look gained sympathy from many as they thought Gu Nianzhi was being too aggressive and crossing the line. Suddenly, the dimmed projector illuminated with a beam of light once again to shine onto the projection screen ahead. It turned on by itself. Everyone¡¯s eyes were naturally glued to the beam of light and looked towards the projection screen. In the blink of an eye, two people tossing around in bed suddenly appeared on the white screen! The man¡¯s body and face had been blurred out, so no one could tell who it was. However, no one would really care, even if they could see it, because the woman¡¯s body and face on the screen captured everyone¡¯s full attention! Everyone only needed one nce to immediately recognize that the woman curling like a snake around the man was Gu Yanran!

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes widened, and he quickly nced around before covering Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes with one hand. ¡°Don¡¯t look at it!¡±

    Ma Qiqi was eagerly watching it, so why wouldn¡¯t she keep looking? Stomping her foot down, it caused Yin Shixiong so much pain that he jumped away. Ma Qiqi could then widen her eyes and watch the short film clearly, as the female lead was just standing not far from her.

    The hall echoed with Gu Yanran¡¯s soft and alluring sex sounds. She was not the typical siren. People who had just thought Gu Nianzhi was being too aggressive immediately changed their perspective. This Gu Yanran was too big of a hypocrite! If it wasn¡¯t for this adult rated film, barely anyone would¡¯ve known Gu Yanran had such a side to her!

    ...

    Gu Yanran was already very humiliated after arguing with Gu Nianzhi. She never thought that something more embarrassing awaited her! Starting at her own naked body on the giant screen, she saw that the resolution was extremely high with enhanced contrast and color treatment. She began to ck out! Without thinking, she looked at Prime Minister Tan, but he looked at her like she was a ghost and stumbled as he nearly ran upstairs to escape.

    Tan Guiren turned around to nce at the screen and was also shocked. Covering her mouth, she stood on the winding staircase and didn¡¯t know what to do. Cai Songyin was the only one to slowly walk down the stairs step by step to stand before Gu Yanran, who was shaking uncontrobly. She covered her smile. ¡°Miss Gu, what are you doing? Today is Little Darling¡¯s birthday party. How could you be so careless as to y your private video and share it with everyone?¡±

    Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and turned around to point at Gu Nianzhi as she screamed, ¡°You¡¯re too shameless! How can you y such a thing to get back at me!? You vited my privacy!¡± In her anger, she even forgot to im the video was Photoshopped. Of course, with a high resolution video like that, whomever she used of using Photoshop would have had to possess incredible skill.

    This incident obviously had nothing to do with Gu Nianzhi. She rolled her eyes and already knew who was behind it all. Spreading her palms, Gu Nianzhi said calmly, ¡°Gu Yanran, don¡¯t bark up the wrong tree. Why would I have your filthy things? Look carefully at who the male lead in the video is. This video was most likely made by the male lead¡¯s wife or girlfriend.¡±

    Gu Yanran instantly understood that it wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi but Cai Songyin who was behind this! She then looked at the continuously reying video and felt even more humiliated and angry. Lunging over, she frantically tried to shut off the projector, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t turn it off. On the screen, she continued to tumble, and everyone in the hall got over their initial shock to find the video more and more hrious.

    The quick-reflexed people took out their phones to record it. However, even people who didn¡¯t record it on their phones but saw it with their own eyes had a hard time erasing the endlessly looping video from their heads. It was made far too well! Even special original footage from Japan couldn¡¯t rival it. There was a beautiful soundtrack, emotional dialogue, and although the male lead had been blurred out, that left even more to the imagination.

    Amid the chaos, He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng walked inside. They nced at the video reying in the hall, and Huo Shaoheng folded his hands unhappily behind his back as he said coldly, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, this is a birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence¡ªnot an adult-rated party. Please show some self-respect.¡±

 Chapter 775 - Birthday Party (18)

    <h4>Chapter 775: Birthday Party (18)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was low and even, maic enough to pull heartstrings while carrying reusable authority. His face was already unusually handsome, but when he spoke so sternly, it made others admire him and want nothing more than to bow down to him. Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge and dark eyes nced over, his gaze as cold as obsidian submerged in ice water. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes swept over all the faces in the hall before finally looking at Gu Nianzhi. They stared at each other, separated by only the length of the hall, but it felt like they were mountains and rivers apart.

    Tan Guiren noticed that Huo Shaoheng had arrived and was even defending her. Her heart nearly exploded in that instant. She discreetly looked at Huo Shaoheng and then at Gu Nianzhi. She didn¡¯t see any difference in their expressions, so they appeared like two normal acquaintances. Tan Guiren thought they were being too calm and didn¡¯t show the excitement and joy of when two lovers when they saw each other. If he was her boyfriend, she would be happy and lunge right at him. How could she stand so far away like nothing was happening and not even nce up? Tan Gurien thought about it quietly as she glued her eyes on Huo Shaoheng.

    It also seemed like Gu Yanran had seen her savior and quickly said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao! This is too much! They invaded my privacy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a wave of disgust from her words and couldn¡¯t help but elbow her to move aside. Once again, she wanted to end her rtionship as Gu Yanran¡¯s sister¨Cthis woman was so shameless that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore... Huo Shaoheng separated from the crowd and headed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. This direction was also the same as Gu Yanran¡¯s, but she wasn¡¯t feeling the typical ecstasy she did when she usually saw Huo Shaoheng walk over¨Cit was like a drowning person finally getting a piece of driftwood thrown out to them from the shore. She would do anything to grab onto the driftwood in order to float back up. Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng walk over and instinctively looked to her side. Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi stood not too far behind her, so she quickly turned around to stand behind them. ¡°Don¡¯t turn, just stand there like that,¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly threatened them from behind their backs.

    Yin Shixiong wanted tough, but as soon as the corners of his lips raised, he saw Huo Shaoheng striding over expressionlessly. He quickly dropped his smile and also grew solemn. Hyo Shaoheng walked very quickly and calmly passed by Gu Yanran before stopping in front of Yin Shixiong. He didn¡¯t look at Gu Yanran at all, not even a single nce in the corner of his eye.

    Gu Yaran bit her lip, not willing to give up. ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re really not going to do anything about this? This incident... Nianzhi caused it all!¡± She knew it wasn¡¯t actually Gu Nianzhi. At a moment like this, Huo Shaoheng would only get involved with helping Gu Yanran resolve the issue if she dragged Gu Nianzhi into it as well. Otherwise, she would also get Gu Nianzhi into this mess too... Although the two had broken up, Gu Yanran knew that men always have a bit of care for their ex-girlfriends. She truly had no other option and saw that Prime Minister Tan would be of no help, so she must pin her hopes on Huo Shaoheng helping her clean up the mess.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around. He stared at Gu Yanran coldly and said in an even voice, ¡°What did you say?¡± His voice wasn¡¯t loud, nor was he stern, but the aura was so oppressive that it made one want to keep their head down.

    Gu Yanran stared nkly at his handsome face. She said with grief, ¡°Huo Shao, are you not going to bring justice when Nianzhi has done such a random and illegal thing?¡±

    So, she was bent on pinning this mess on Gu Nianzhi? Cai Songyin didn¡¯t say anything now, but she beamed as she saw Gu Yanran point the finger at Gu Nianzhi. She wanted nothing more but for the two sisters to fight, the more viciously the better. It would resolve both her and her daughter¡¯s issues in one fell swoop...

    Huo Shaoheng appeared annoyed and said icily, ¡°Gu Yanran, speak only when you have evidence. Make sure not to say nonsense in front of me.¡±

    ¡°...Huo Shao, I didn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully; I never hit women. I always execute them directly,¡± Huo Shaoheng said coldly before turning around to ignore her. He nced at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong got the hint to immediately take out his phone to call the police. ¡°...Right, this is the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. There are people ying explicit videos here, pleasee to investigate it.¡±

    ¡°Turn it off! Hurry up and turn it off!¡± The staff in the hall finally seemed to wake from their daze and rushed towards the projector to clumsily shut the projector off. The pants and moans, as well as the squeaking of the mattress all instantly vanished from the hall. The silence was jarring to everyone. Gu Yanran sighed in relief but was too ashamed to continue staying there. Prime Minister Tan was unreliable and had already run away. As for Huo Shaoheng... His eyes were too terrifying. Especially when he said, ¡°...I never hit women. I always execute them directly.¡± It shook Gu Yanran to her soul and she didn¡¯t dare go close to him again. She turned around to find Ye Xuan in the crowd and said shakily, ¡°Xuan? Xuan? Where are you?¡±

    ...

    Ye Xuan stood in the corner, facepletely ashen and heart cut to pieces. The beliefs he had adhered to all these years tipped forward like a great building, ready to copse any second. His gaze darted between Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi before gradually settling on Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi stood with her head hanging behind Yin Shixiong and was ying with the little fringes on her sleeves. She looked like an obedient girl, rather than the Sailor Moon who had fiercely argued with Prime Minister Tan and Gu Yanran earlier. That felt like it had been an illusion.

    Suddenly, she noticed the looks in her direction. Gu Nianzhi looked up to see Ye Xuan standing in the corner against the wall. He was no longer calm as he had been in the beginning, nor was he caustic like before. He simply looked at her, his light brown eyes filled with thick grief and remorse. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled as she secretly thought that Gu Yanran¡¯s little wolf puppy had truly fallen in love with her... Just look at his mournful face... But why was he staring at her? Could he also believe that Gu Nianzhi had secretly recorded that video? Haha, he thinks too highly of her...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze discreetly drifted in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. As soon as Gu Yanran¡¯s little video began to y, Gu Nianzhi instantly understood that it must be Huo Shaoheng and his men¡¯s handiwork... Also, Yin Shixiong had once told her that Huo Shao had prepared a big gift for them, so she wasn¡¯t dumb enough to not understand the little double entendre. Did she really think it was a ¡°big gift?!¡± When Huo Shaoheng came in earlier, he was stern-faced as he¡¯d scolded everyone for attending ¡°the adult-rated party,¡± and was fairly deceptive. The audience didn¡¯t understand and they really thought that Huo Shaoheng hade to bring justice... Just look, didn¡¯t Gu Yanran get fooled earlier? Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how this video ended up in Cai Songyn¡¯s hands, the focus of the videos and the fact that it yed as Cai Songyin came downstairs¨Conly an idiot would miss who the mastermind was...

    But while Gu Yanran was dumber than an idiot, she was a brave fool who messed with the wrong people and curried favor with those she shouldn¡¯t. Gu Nianzhi had already burned all bridges with her, yet she¡¯d still dared to drag Gu Nianzhi into the mess. But was Huo Shaoheng someone easily messed with? Gu Nianzhi grumbled in her heart, not showing weakness as she red back at Ye Xuan.

    Ye Xuan was feeling waves of disgust and turned away to walk listlessly out of the hall. The Gu Yanran in the short video just now was the same Gu Yanran he knew so well. He also knew Gu Yanran didn¡¯t consider him as her boyfriend, so although she spent the night with other people which made him feel ufortable, he didn¡¯t have any opinion of it. He always believed that when he sessfully won her heart and got her to agree to be his girlfriend that she would no longer get involved with other men. But watching the video, Ye Xuan finally understood that he couldn¡¯t ept this behavior at all¨Csleeping with him while maintaining this kind of rtionship with another man.

    The other thing that he couldn¡¯t ept as soon as he thought about it was that he seemed to have recognized the wrong person... He rushed back when the Gu family had an ident seven years ago and Gu Yanran had embraced him as she cried about the pains of supporting the family single-handedly. She also spoke about a lot of things that only Ye Xuan and the Miss Gu who chatted anonymously with him would know about. He thought Gu Yanran was the person who chatted anonymously with him and was also the one who saved him. Now, he finally realized that he had been too presumptuous. He had truly loved Gu Yanran, but even though he now realized that she was the wrong person, his feelings couldn¡¯t be simply taken back like that.

    However, he also looked down on himself for being blind enough to invest his emotions in someone like her. He headed out the doors of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. The streemps outside the entrance glowed pale white, stretching Ye Xuan¡¯s shadow far across the sidewalk.

    Gu Yanran realized that Ye Xuan had left and hastily followed him out. The people in the hall wore a myriad of expressions as they watched the evening¡¯s ¡°Best Actress¡± quietly exit the scene.

    Cai Songyin looked at her back with contempt and thought to herself about there was still another wave of viral attention toe. She should take her time enjoying it...

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng looked around and slowly walked behind Yin Shixiong. He stood next to Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t even look at her. With both hands in his trouser pockets, he looked straight ahead and said calmly, ¡°The new house is finished renovating. Are youing back with me tonight, or am Iing back with you?¡±

 Chapter 776 - Letâ€™s Go Together

    <h4>Chapter 776: Let¡¯s Go Together</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Was there a difference? Although she really wanted to go see how the renovations in her new home looked, she was somewhat unhappy with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone. She had also suffered through great battles today, so even someone as healthy as she happened to be was feeling a bit tired. At that moment, she only wanted to take her beloved pink diamond crown to a ce where she could carefully study it alone.

    Looking up, she was about to fight back when she saw Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi nearly leaning over backwards with their ears perked! Haha! Why were they being so obvious with their eavesdropping?! Rubbing her earlobes, Gu Nianzhi looked straight ahead and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m too tired today. I want to go back to the dorm.¡± If she was going back there, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t ¡°follow her back,¡± right?

    Pursing his lips, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze fell on the pink diamond crown she cradled. ¡°That is a very expensive thing. Are you sure you want to bring it back to campus like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was again speechless. She looked down at the pink diamond crown in her hands and also noticed the furtive nces sweeping her way from the hall. She hugged the pink diamond crown even tighter.

    ¡°Come back to the official residence with me and lock it in your safe.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was bing deeper, like he was admonishing her yet also tempting her.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Then she passed the pink diamond crown to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You can take it back and put it in the safe.¡±

    ¡°You trust me that much?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a while, then epted the pink diamond crown from her. ¡°Actually, you can put it in your new house, too. I also installed a built-in safe there. It has an rm that¡¯s directly connected to the police station.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi struggled in her heart and wanted to continue saying no, but when she saw the pink diamond crown in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, she couldn¡¯t stand the possibility of losing it again. Huo Shaoheng truly knew her too well and suggested an offer she couldn¡¯t refuse. Closing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi could only say quietly, ¡°Ok.¡± She then continued, ¡°You can drop me off at the door.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and bnced the pink diamond crown casually on his palm. ¡°When are we leaving?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Ma Qiqi. ¡°You go out first. I still need to talk to Qiqi about something.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded as he took the car keys from Yin Shixiong. ¡°I already called Little Fan to pick you and Qiqi up.¡±

    They had taken the same car there, and now Huo Shaoheng was driving himself and taking Gu Nianzhi to the house she had bought, so Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi had to find another ride. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Yin Shixiong discreetly gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. ¡°Chief is so flexible. What a great man!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Yin Shixiong but didn¡¯t say anything else. She didn¡¯t have to ask whose side Yin Shixiong was on, so she didn¡¯t me him.

    Ma Qiqi dragged Gu Nianzhi to the side to chat. ¡°Nianzhi, are you stilling back tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said calmly, ¡°Of course I¡¯ming back. I¡¯m only going to see the house and also drop this off.¡±

    Ma Qiqi knew Gu Nianzhi was talking about the pink diamond crown. It was far too valuable. ¡°Remember to hide it well. Maybe you can go to the bank tomorrow and put it in a safety deposit box?¡± Ma Qiqi suggested to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I will. I think my house has a safe installed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Ma Qiqi was reassured and patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You have to be careful.¡± Huo Shao¡¯sbat abilities were so strong, and Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t help wanting to pray for Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    Inside the hall of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, quiet music began ying again. The men and women in evening wear acted as if nothing had happened as they chatted in the hall, but many were talking about what had just happened. Gu Yanran, the richest person from Barbados, had fallen from grace just like that. They watched Gu Nianzhi now with a new perspective and approval. Someone with ability wouldn¡¯t be buried away no matter where they went. Huo Shaoheng saw several people walk towards Gu Nianzhi and left first. He only said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the parking lot.¡± After he left, those people came over to greet Gu Nianzhi and even wanted to exchange business cards with her.

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m still a grad student. I don¡¯t have a card.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu is already so impressive as a masters student at the B University Faculty of Law, your future must have unlimited potential.¡± This kind ofpliment wasn¡¯t worth any money, but it was enough to express someone¡¯s attitude. Someone who didn¡¯t have regard for you wouldn¡¯t bother with you, let alone givepliments. Gu Nianzhi understood this principle and tried her best to talk to those people as seriously as possible. After nearly 20 minutes, Gu Nianzhi finally said goodbye before leaving with Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi.

    Tan Guiren saw Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t leaving with Huo Shaoheng, so she really wanted to believe that they had truly broken up. But she also saw Gu Nianzhi give the pink diamond crown to Huo Shaoheng to take away... Why would someone give such an expensive thing to a normal acquaintance? With this thought, Tan Guiren was confused again. She looked at Gu Nianzhi with a conflicted expression and asked, ¡°Why did Miss Gu have Huo Shao take the pink diamond crown?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself that it wasn¡¯t any of her business, but that was too rude and disrespectful towards the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter. Also, with what she was about to do, she was afraid this Prime Minister wouldn¡¯t remain in office for many more days. As a result, Gu Nianzhi was more tolerant towards Tan Guiren, so she said seriously, ¡°Oh, the thing is I was worried that the crown wasn¡¯t real, so I asked Mr. Huo to help me examine it for authenticity.¡±

    Tan Guiren waspletely shocked. ¡°Huo Shao knows how to examine jewelry and artifacts?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Huo has all sorts of skills and knows everything.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly before turning to leave.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi had a hard time holding back theirughter. When they stepped out of the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, they finally burst outughing.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯tugh with them because she saw He Zhichu standing at the door to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. She remembered how Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu hade in together earlier, and for some reason, He Zhichu had suddenly felt the pink diamond crown in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand was an eyesore. He hadn¡¯t followed her inside but turned around to the hallway outside. He stood alone there quietly to smoke, his long and handsome figure appearing especially lonely under the streemps.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and went over to whisper, ¡°Professor He?¡±

    He Zhichu turned around to look at her and see her beautiful face that was as refreshing as a spring bud. Herrge eyes were now filled with more things than before and were no longer as clear as a little creek one could see right through to the bottom of. They had became a pool of autumn water, mysterious and alluring. ¡°Nianzhi, you did well today.¡± He Zhichu began to praise her. ¡°I saw your debate with Gu Yanran.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately flushed. ¡°You saw it? Didn¡¯t you go outside?¡± She remembered He Zhichu had been called outside by personnel earlier. They said something had happened to his car.

    He Zhichu looked up at the moonlight at the edge of sky and said dryly, ¡°Big Xiong sent a livestream to Huo Shao on his phone, so I also saw it from outside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit embarrassed but could only ask, ¡°Is your car ok?¡±

    He Zhichu held a cigarette between his fingers and sighed. ¡°It suddenly ignited and ispletely gone now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°Then how are you getting home?¡± She was worried since she had gotten a ride there from He Zhichu, and now he no longer had a car. Could she just leave him behind like that?

    He Zhichu threw away the cigarette in his hand. ¡°How are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking Huo Shao¡¯s car back.¡±

    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go together then,¡± He Zhichu replied coolly, his shimmery sultry eyes glittering as he followed Gu Nianzhi to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car.

 Chapter 777 - You Like to be in the Car?

    <h4>Chapter 777: You Like to be in the Car?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was standing in the front of his silvery-gray military SUV and waiting for Gu Nianzhi in the spacious parking lot behind the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence.

    He leaned on the passenger¡¯s side door as he hugged his arms around himself. His body was leaning slightly forward and his head was hanging halfway down. He had long legs. One leg was straight and the other leg was bent halfway. The backs of his feet rested on one of the tires.

    Under the clear moon, standing there, he looked like a picture.

    The man was perfect. How could she refrain from looking at him?

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi forgave her younger self for being extremely ignorant.

    When Huo Shaoheng lifted his head and saw Gu Nianzhiing toward him, his expression changed briefly.

    Because she was not the only oneing toward him. He Zhichu was also there.

    His deep eyes squinted. However, when He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi got there and were standing in front of him, things went back to normal.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Huo Shaoheng straightened his body and nonchntly said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You still need Professor He to walk with you even when it¡¯s not that far?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a bit awkward.

    He Zhichu hadn¡¯te to send her off...

    But before she even opened her mouth, He Zhichu said, ¡°Something happened to my car today. Huo Shao also saw it. Now, it¡¯s getting dark and it¡¯s not very convenient to get a car toe to the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence. I have to trouble Huo Shao to take us back. This happened to be on the way.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi and he could tell from her facial expression that she hadn¡¯t told He Zhichu where she was going to go.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly had an idea and quickly said, ¡°Yes, yes. It happened to be on the way. Huo Shao, take both of us back to school!¡± This way, she wouldn¡¯t need to go to the newly-purchased second-hand home alone with Huo Shaoheng.

    So awesome and so resourceful!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to pat herself on the back again.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her unenthusiastically and opened the door. ¡°Get in the car.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu and hesitantly asked, ¡°How about Professor He sits in the front?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. His cool and indifferent voice was especially lonely in the capital¡¯ste autumn night scenery. ¡°No, I¡¯m not ustomed to sitting in the same row as strangers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at He Zhichu. He knocked on the car door and said to Gu Nianzhi with a displeased attitude, ¡°Hurry up. Your school closes its door at 11 o¡¯clock.¡±

    It would be a bit more troublesome to arrive after that time. One would need to stop and show one¡¯s ID.

    Gu Nianzhi was happy and thought that she could return to school and wouldn¡¯t need to be alone when she faced Huo Shaoheng. She immediately got into the car and sat in the front passenger seat. He Zhichu sat in the back.

    The corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth moved so subtlety that it was unnoticeable. He went around to the driver¡¯s seat, closed the door, fasted his seatbelt, started the car, stepped on the gas. The silvery-gray Bentley quickly left the parking lot of the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence.

    At first, no one in the car spoke.

    Huo Shaoheng was a person who didn¡¯t speak much to begin with.

    He Zhichu was also not a person who spoke much.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was the kind of person that spoke a lot, she was tired that day. She didn¡¯t want to talk so she propped her head in her hand as she looked at the night scenery outside the window, lost in thought.

    The streetlights near the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence were very bright. Safety and security were veryprehensive and circumspective.

    When they got off the big street, Willow Lane, and got onto the highway, Gu Nianzhi noticed two people that she was familiar with.

    It was Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran.

    Their car was parked by the side of the road. It looked like they were arguing.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car was driving too fast. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t clearly hear what they were arguing about, even with her window down.

    Their car quickly passed them and got on the highway.

    ¡°Close the car window.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked straight ahead and said it indifferently.

    Gu Nianzhi pressed the button on the car door and the car window went up.

    The mor and the noise from the highway immediately quieted. The silence in the car was scary. The breathing of the three people could be heard clearly.

    Gu Nianzhi felt ufortable and tried to think of something to say.

    ¡°Professor He, what happened to your car?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned her head and looked at He Zhichu who was sitting in the back seat.

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Professor He¡¯s car suddenly spontaneouslybusted. It turned into a pile of ash.¡±

    He tilted his head as he looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°...Almost like the car you were riding in when you were 12. It waspletely burned.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows creased. ¡°But I didn¡¯t hear any explosion.¡±

    If the circumstances really were exactly like what had happened to her when she was 12, there would have been the sound of an earth-shaking explosion. It seemed like there also had been a very high mushroom cloud...

    Huo Shaoheng made an ¡°uh-huh¡± sound. ¡°Yes, that is the only difference. Professor He¡¯s car did not explod, but it was still thoroughly burned like your car. That¡¯s why it¡¯s stranger.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car exploding had caused everything to be burned up from the high temperatures. It was still considered to have a scientific foundation.

    However, He Zhichu¡¯s car didn¡¯t even explode, yet within seconds, it had suddenly turned into ashes when it spontaneouslybusted. To a certain degree, this was more difficult. It was scarier.

    The moment Huo Shaoheng got the news, he had gone to the site to investigate. Appropriately, he¡¯d found out that the situation was more serious than what he had expected, so he immediately assembled the Special Operation Forces¡¯ technical personnel and sealed off the site. He nned to send everything, including the soil and the ashes, to the Special Operations Forces¡¯b.

    Based on what they knew about spontaneousbustion phenomenon, something that could burn up that way just didn¡¯t exist. Nothing was hot enough to burn a high-grade manufactured car material into ashes in a matter of seconds.

    Furthermore, it had burned very ¡°thoroughly¡±. It didn¡¯t give off any foul smell after the stic or chemical materials were burned. Because of that, there was no industrial pollution.

    What did that mean?

    That meant that the two cars had reached a super high temperature instantly. Then everything quickly burned and disintegrated and became carbon dioxide. That was why there was no pollution.

    There was only one instance of a car spontaneouslybusting, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s analysis already had advanced knowledge and theories about the environmentally-friendly aspects, chemicals, materials, high energy physics, weapons, and so on about it.

    She gasped in amazement as she listened. She couldn¡¯t help herself and asked He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, what was special about your car?¡±

    He Zhichu hugged both of his arms. His head was tilted because he was also looking out the window. When he heard what Gu Nianzhi asked him, he turned his head and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Nothing.¡± He paused and listlessly said, ¡°Even if there was something special about the car, I wouldn¡¯t know of it. I¡¯m only aw professor.¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed queitly but he didn¡¯t expose He Zhichu.

    With He Zhichu¡¯s abilities, he was only a w professor¡±? That was belittling himself...

    If Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guess was correct, He Zhichu¡¯s car had been modified. That was why when he knew he¡¯d found out about the sonic boom sound and the ability to increase the speed of the car very quickly, he had resolved to cut off his arm to survive and had burned the carpletely.

    So what was the use of him suspecting him?

    He wouldn¡¯t give up a single shred of evidence.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. Huo Shaoheng had the most patience when he was waiting by a stump for a hare to bump into it.

    The three of them didn¡¯t speak anymore and drove back to B University in silence.

    When they arrived, it was only 10:50. It wasn¡¯t time for the gate to close yet.

    Huo Shaoheng drove the car directly toward the building that He Zhichu lived in.

    He furrowed his brows and said, ¡°You should take Nianzhi back to the dormitory first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even turn his head. One of his hands was on the steering wheel and he calmly said, ¡°We have to honor the teacher and revere your teachings.¡±

    He Zhichu calmly undid his seatbelt and pushed opened the door. He then kicked the door closed.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the car window and he stretched out his hand to wave at him. He then stepped on the gas and left like a bowstring arrow.

    Gu Nianzhi had just been thinking of undoing her seatbelt and getting out of the car. She hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to drive away so quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the road in front of her and after a while she said with surprise, ¡°...This is not the way to my dormitory.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, this is the way to our new home.¡±

    ¡°You promised to take me back to the dormitory!¡± Gu Nianzhi was angry. ¡°How could you not keep your word?!¡±

    ¡°When did I promise that?¡± Huo Shaoheng took a nce at her. One of his arms had already moved toward her and he ced one hand over her closed fist. He held it firmly. His smile reached his eyes. ¡°I just said I would take Professor He back first.¡±

    That was really too crafty!

    Again, Gu Nianzhi experienced how Huo Shaoheng was different now. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she had been wronged. She turned her head and looked away and said unsatisfactorily, ¡°...You never tricked me before!¡±

    ¡°You also didn¡¯t ignore me before.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her hand. His deep dark eyes rested for a very short time on her pouting water-chestnut lips. In a split second, his voice became deep. ¡°Be good, sit. We will be there soon.¡±

    It was true that the second-hand home that Gu Nianzhi had bought was not too far from the school.

    After Huo Shaoheng left B University, he arrived at Hepingli Precinct¡¯s building A¡¯s underground parking lot within ten minutes.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that her shy red Ferrari was already parked in the parking lot in the only space with apartment.

    ¡°Get out of the car.¡± Huo Shaoheng parked the car. He walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and opened the car door for her.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the car and did not move. Her expression looked cold as she said, ¡°I want to go back to school.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the car.¡± Huo Shaoheng said those words again. It seemed like he was a bit annoyed.

    Gu Nianzhi was thinking: Good that you are annoyed. It¡¯s best if you are tired of me. In the future you will want to get further and further away from me.

    She stayed in the car and did not move.

    Seeing that she still wouldn¡¯t move, Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You like to be in the car? Fine...¡±

    He walked over to the driver¡¯s side of the car. He opened the car door, got into the car, started the car, and backed the car out of the parking space. Then, he parked the car at a dead end that had a surveince camera.

    Huo Shaoheng then pressed a button. The color of all the windows in the car gradually became darker. It kept most of the light from the parking lot out. One could only see blurry shadows through the tinted windows.

    Gu Nianzhi originally thought that Huo Shaoheng had given in and was driving because he wanted to take her back to the school.

    She thought too much...

    How could Huo Shaoheng give in?

    Gu Nianzhi looked around her and had her guard up. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tightned his face and made a whoosh sound as he undid his seatbelt. He tiled his head toward her and bent down. He nimbly held her shoulder with one hand as he ced his other hand in her hair behind her head. He lowered his head without hesitation and kissed her lips.

    Who knew how long it had been since he kissed her. He had just touched her soft lips and he already felt like there was something rumbling in his head. His reasoning and self-control had allpletely crumbled.

    At first, he only wanted to do it half-heartedly so that it would scare her a bit.

    But she tasted sweeter and more refreshing than he remembered

    He couldn¡¯t separate his lips from her lips when they touched. With him using that much force it wasn¡¯t even kissing, but sucking. He was sucking her hot lips. It was awfully painful...

 Chapter 778 - Spoiling and Loving

    <h4>Chapter 778: Spoiling and Loving</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng was extremely strong and was very excited, so his arms were so tight around Gu Nianzhi that she almost couldn¡¯t catch her breath. The heat in his chest was burning hot and carried an intoxicating scent as he stuffed Gu Nianzh¡¯s entire head into his own aura. All she could breathe in was him, and he wanted topletely possess her inside and out, up and down, mind and body. Gu Nianzhi was a bit dizzy and instinctively wanted to rebel against him, but that alluring scent made herpletely freeze like she was paralyzed.

    Huo Shaoheng nearly sucked on both her lips and kept kissing her over and over, tirelessly. It wasn¡¯t until Huo Shaoheng started kissing her too hard, causing her pain that Gu Nianzhi slowly regained her senses. She began struggling in his arms and raised her arms up from under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body in an attempt to leverage against him and push him away. However, Huo Shaoheng only needed to use one hand to lock both her hands together and raise them up so he could press her onto the back of the seat. Her softness nearly drowned him, and Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help pressing more tightly against her. They were so close that he could even felt her erratic heartbeat against his chest, so he began kissing her even more recklessly. Like a lover of wineing across an irresistible brew, he allowed himself to indulge freely...

    Gu Nianzhi discreetly opened her eyes to see his handsome face so close to hers. He was so close, she could even count his long, thick, dark eyshes. His straight, sculpted nose was pressed to the side of her own nose, his hot breath mingling with hers. Every time he pressed against her lips, his nose would gently touch her cheek like a butterfly dancing gently. It made her feel like she was being treasured, but his forceful restraint made her feel repulsed from the bottom of her heart.

    As he was lost in sucking on her lips, Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth slightly and wanted to bite him again likest time. However, Huo Shaoheng seemed to be prepared, and as soon as her lips parted slightly, he used his other hand to smoothly pinch her exquisite chin to immobilize her mouth. She could only keep her mouth open and look with wide eyes as his powerful tongue delved inside. Huo Shaoheng looked down slightly, his lips crushing against hers again and again to taste the sweetness of her lips. He swept past her lips and used the tip of his tongue to hold down her diminutive tongue and keep it from continuously escaping. She couldn¡¯t escape at all. Their lips and tongues tangled, as close as could be. But being restrained at the jaw and having her arms locked tight was not a nice feeling.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips had be numb, and she trembled from the bottom of her heart, suddenly feeling sad. The tears quietly brimmed in her eyes, but she tried hard to keep her eyes wide open to prevent the tears from falling. She couldn¡¯t cry. There was no way she could cry. She couldn¡¯t cry in front of him again. Because she was forcing herself not to cry, her body became so stiff that even Huo Shaoheng noticed it. He gradually woke up from that uncontroble mood and slowly stopped kissing her. However, he remained in his original position, pressing chest against chest, lips against lips as they quietly leaned into each other.

    Opening his eyes, he could clearly see the tears in hers. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were rimmed with red, and the tip of her tiny and delicate nose was also red, but she forced herself to keep control and not let the tears fall. Seeing her eyes full of tears made him feel incredibly pained. How could she be so stubborn? She also had been this stubborn in the beginning, when she wanted to be with him. She was so stubborn, it was impossible for him to ignore her, and before he knew it, that allowed her presence to take root in his heart. But now she wanted to leave him and was still this stubborn. She didn¡¯t care what she had to do and was willing to rip him out of her heart root and stem. Huo Shaoheng lowered the hand mping hers together and released her chin. Cradling her cheek with one hand, his thumb gently traced above her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to hold herself back but ultimately couldn¡¯t win against the urge to cry. Biting her lip and turning away, she said fiercely, ¡°Could Mr. Huo be gracious enough to let a little nobody like me go?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair, his voice somewhat raspy, ¡°Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°You were pressing so hard, I couldn¡¯t breathe.¡± Gu Nianzhi still turned away and refused to look at him, feeling more aggrieved than ever. ¡°All you do is bully me...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed before calling her name again. ¡°Nianzhi...¡± Gu Nianzhi red at him and shoved the car door to find it was locked securely. She couldn¡¯t open it, no matter what. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m pursuing you right now, so this kind of thing... is very normal.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally got off of her and sat properly the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t interested in you that way, then that would actually be a problem.¡± When a man loved a woman, there at least had to be a special attraction. This was an important sign differentiating romantic love from other feelings.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a naive girl. She was well-read and didn¡¯t forget a single word she came across. She also wasn¡¯t superficial in her understanding of rtionships, so she had no mental barrier about being with the man she loved, because that came naturally when love grew and was a matter of fact. But now... Now it was different. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help looking at him with balled fists. ¡°Then did you ask me? So you¡¯ll force me if I don¡¯t want it!?¡±

    ¡°Would you agree if I asked?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then why would I ask you?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s answer was sinct and powerful. It came bundled with its own logic.

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened again and finally reacted after a moment. ¡°The logic of a robber!¡±

    ¡°You only realized it today?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned on the steering wheel and looked at her from the side. His calm expression also carried the determination and aggressiveness that meant he was certain of victory. ¡°I shoot people in the head as I negotiate. That¡¯s my principle.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi huffed quietly and closed her eyes as she rubbed her forehead. Right, how could she forget? When she was with Huo Shaoheng all those years ago in the Special Operations Forces, she had personally witnessed him and his personnel practicing negotiation tactics for overseas rescue missions. That meant never negotiating orpromising with kidnappers. The so-called negotiations were all about tactics to earn more time to shoot the kidnapper in the head. ¡°You treat me like your prisoner! That¡¯s crossing the line!¡± Gu Nianzhi berated him quietly and was furious.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even want to do what you personally promised to me, so that¡¯s also a unteral destruction of an agreement. Why should I reason and use principles with you?¡± Huo Shaoheng shut off the car and took out the key as he replied calmly, ¡°If you want me to treat you like one of my people and not a prisoner, then you should properly adhere to the agreement between us, and I promise to spoil you to death.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Did anyone ¡°spoil¡± like that?! Also, when did she say she wanted to be spoiled?! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes nearly lit up in mes as she gritted out, ¡°Huo Shaoheng! Spoiling isn¡¯t loving! Do you understand?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t understand. To me, spoiling is loving. Why would I spoil you if I don¡¯t love you?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned over to help her undo her seatbelt, his eyesmanding fear. ¡°Get out. We have a whole night to investigate this problem.¡±

 Chapter 779 - Courting Method

    <h4>Chapter 779: Courting Method</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Was it possible to not get out of the car?

    Again, Gu Nianzhi remained in the car and didn¡¯t move.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her and got out of the car to walk over to the passenger¡¯s side. He stretched out his hand and opened the door. Again, he said, ¡°Get out of the car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a hint of danger in the air. She looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stern expression and clenched her teeth as she said, ¡°I want to go back to the school.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, didn¡¯t you always want to prove that you are a grown-up? But you are absolutely acting like a child right now. Yet you want to talk about equality with me?¡± Huo Shaoheng knocked on the car door. His speech was somewhat threatening. ¡°Don¡¯t make me do it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi became even more furious. Her speech became incoherent when she got angry. ¡°I¡¯m a kid that hasn¡¯t grown up? You always interfere in my life! What does that make you?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a bad person. You want to say that, right? That I¡¯m a pervert?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned in and carried her out of the car in one swoop. ¡°Do you want to have a taste of what a real pervert is like?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger muddled her head. She struck at him and scratched at his face.

    Huo Shaoheng tilted his head. His head avoided Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers, but his neck was not so fortunate. There was a welt forming where she¡¯d scratched him.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the blood. Her muddled head cleared up.

    She bit her lip as she looked at Huo Shaoheng with unease. ¡°...Why didn¡¯t you dodge? Don¡¯t tell me that you couldn¡¯t dodge...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her for a short time and put her down. He leaned her against his side and stood firm as he said, ¡°Nianzhi, if you want people to treat you like an adult, you have to act like an adult.¡±

    ¡°How am I not acting not like an adult?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very unsatisfied. Her little mouth was a bit swollen from being kissed was sticking up again. ¡°You are clearly biased against me.¡±

    She also knew that she had grown up with Huo Shaoheng. Maybe in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart, no matter what she did, she would always be that kid that listened to everything he said and would always look up to him...

    But she was clearly an adult now! Was it he who didn¡¯t understand, or was it she that didn¡¯t understand? Gu Nianzhi was so fidgety that she wanted to walk in circles where she was.

    ¡°I have my own way of looking at things. You have your way of looking at things. We both seek amon ground and want to put our differences aside.¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and looked at her swollen little mouth. He could not look away. He could not refrain from bending down. He lifted her face and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to kiss you again. You are not allowed to get angry.¡±

    This time, he didn¡¯t suddenly kiss her. He informed her first. Nheless, it was still unreasonable.

    Gu Nianzhi scattered her hands. She wanted to push him away, but this time he tried his best to be gentle. He didn¡¯t suck at her with great force. The lips only rubbed and touched.

    The force he used was just right. The warmth from the kiss went directly from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips to her heart.

    The gentler and softer the touch, the more intense that numbing and ticklish the electric shock sensation was.

    Before Gu Nianzhi came to her senses, her rxed hands were already embracing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist. She began to kiss him back.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body became temporarily stiff. Then he kissed harder. His kisses were not even confined to her lips but were on her cheek, her nose, her forehead, and even her eyelids.

    Gu Nianzhi only came to her senses when he excitedly used a bit too much strength.

    She realized that she was actually kissing Huo Shaoheng back. She quickly let go of his waist. She tilted her head to avoid his kiss. She gasped for breath a bit and said, ¡°...Okay, this is a parking lot. Aren¡¯t you afraid that someone will take a picture of you without you knowing it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped trying to kiss her and pressed her head to his chest. He said in a calm and collected manner, ¡°No. I kissed my wife. What kind of problem is there?¡±

    Only after the two of them had quietly nestled against each other for a short while did Huo Shaoheng let her go. He turned around and grabbed a paper bag from inside the car. Inside was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s top-grade pink diamond crown. He closed the car door and locked it. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand with his free one and walked toward the elevator in the parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t refuse or say anything. He held her hand as they went directly to the sixth floor.

    602, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s second-hand home was on the sixth floor.

    He used the key card to open the door. The apartment was pitch-ck inside. If one held out their hand in front of them, one would not be able to see their own fingers.

    Huo Shaoheng pressed a few switches on the wall. Immediately, the space became very bright.

    The room immediately attracted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention. It was not at all like what she remembered. The whole interior had been torn down and was newly renovated.

    Before, there had been a fake wooden floor. The wall had been painted a light color of thin waterproof paint. The renovation was very elegant, but upon closer examination, it had not been that well done. It was a bit cheap overall.

    The newly renovated room was obviously different.

    One could tell with just one nce that the floorboard was of the best-quality cherry wood. It was a very warm reddish-brown color. One could clearly see the wood veins.

    There was now a vestibule where they entered the apartment. One no longer saw the whole living room the moment they came in.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the shoe cab in the vestibule and said, ¡°Take your shoes off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi obediently took off her ankle boots and put on a pair of soft furry slippers. They were the same brand that she was ustomed to wearing when she was in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Walking in from the vestibule, one could see that the whole living room was what people would consider to be a simple and modern style. It was simple, but not cheap. It looked like it took more time and energy to put together a room in that beautiful and imposing style.

    Huo Shaoheng had indeed put forth a lot of effort into renovating that apartment. Especially since it only took him two weeks...

    Gu Nianzhi walked around every room.

    Huo Shaoheng took her to the bedroom and showed her the built-in safe hidden behind the wardrobe. He told her the password and the method to open it. Then he put her top-grade pink diamond crown in it. ¡°I will bring a pretty box for you tomorrow. You can put the crown in the pretty box. It will preserve it better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. Then she, alone, looked around the guest room that was next to the bedroom.

    She noticed that the only guest room had been renovated into a study as soon as she walked into the room. The things inside looked like they belonged to Huo Shaoheng...

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the guest room and knocked on the door.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°What happened to this room? I don¡¯t remember wanting a study.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°I bought the home myself. Why would a single female build a study for a man?¡±

    Although married, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had some agreements about it. Their marital status would not be made public without Gu Nianzhi acknowledging it.

    That was why Huo Shaoheng could not use the reason of them being already married as a basis to ask her.

    ¡°...Single females also have suitors and boyfriends,¡± Hu Shaoheng reminded her. ¡°I¡¯m courting you right now. You agreed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her arms around herself and walked a few circles around Huo Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯t hold back and asked, ¡°Huo Shao, aren¡¯t you embarrassed by saying something like that?¡±

    ¡°Why should I be embarrassed?¡± Huo Shaoheng was calm,posed, and at ease as he walked into the study and sat down. He turned theputer on.

    That was his workputer. Of course, he¡¯d put it there because it was convenient.

    ¡°...You are only courting me, but your things have already passed through the hall and entered the inner chamber. Do you even know what courting is?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her jaw. ¡°Want to ask Brother Xiong and see how he courted Qiqi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°...Are you Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Am I Big Xiong?¡±

    ¡°...Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you require me to court you like other people court?¡± Huo Shaoheng said that without turning his head as he turned off theputer. He stood up and walked over to her. ¡°It¡¯s already veryte. Go take a bath. I¡¯ll draw the water for you, okay?¡±

 Chapter 780 - Feelings and Logic

    <h4>Chapter 780: Feelings and Logic</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stood at the door to the study motionlessly as she quietly watched Huo Shaoheng. Her dark, inky eyes seemed to be housing burning mes, but they were also hidden in a pool of autumn water. ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng took her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t know where the bathroom is?¡± Obviously, they had just looked at it, and now he was saying she didn¡¯t know where it was. Was he treating her like a stupid bimbo?

    Gu Nianzhi watched him steadily as she wrenched her hand away. Holding her right hand with her left to massage it, she replied dryly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t want this house anymore. I can gift it to Huo Shao in thanks for raising me all these years.¡± She then turned to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng froze for a second. He hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be this stubborn. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had already walked towards the foyer, Huo Shaoheng strode over and grabbed her hand right away. ¡°Nianzhi! Don¡¯t fuss!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not making a fuss.¡± Gu Nianzhi lost her bnce from being grabbed, almost falling down. Leaning over backwards, she happened tond right in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng encircled his arms around her to hug her from behind. His broad chest was like a mountain that could shield her from the wind and rain. ¡°Nianzhi, what on earth do you want?¡± Huo Shaoheng was a bit helpless. ¡°Being petty and cruel won¡¯t solve anything.¡±

    ¡°But forcing me to ept the things I don¡¯t want also can¡¯t solve anything.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped struggling and looked down to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms holding the front of her body. They were solid and strong. One hand was enough to render her immobile.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his mouth and wanted to ask what she didn¡¯t want, but he was also worried she would run her mouth and say something she¡¯d regretter on, so he swallowed the words. The girl in his arms was fragile and had low confidence, yet she was smart and arrogant. The two conflicting emotionsbined in her to create a mysterious allure.

    Truthfully speaking, Huo Shaoheng had already known she actually wasn¡¯t suitable for him when they first started dating. From a certain standpoint, General Ji, Speaker Long, and even his father, Huo Guanchen, all had legitimate concerns. In the beginning, he felt mostly responsibility for her. But when their rtionship developed to a certain point, he could no longer rely on being influenced by logic. They had arrived at this point together, and she wasn¡¯t the only one to get trapped; he was as well.

    After he understood his own feelings, he immediately began preparations for their marriage. With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past, marrying someone like Huo Shaoheng was nearly an impossible task, but he thought of all the options and made something impossible a reality. However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand these things, and marriage wasn¡¯t what she cared about.

    Although she was incredibly intelligent and was an expert in her field of study, she was only a 19-year-old girl when it came to love. Andpared to a man nearly 30 years old like himself, she certainly considered rtionship matters differently than he did. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were dark as the night sky. They flickered slightly as he tightened his arms embracing her and finallypromised. ¡°This is your house. I¡¯ll take all my things out tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly acquiesced, and Gu Nianzhi actually thought she misheard. A warmth rose from her chest until it hit her eyes and nearly turned into tears pouring out. Gu Nianzhi froze for a full minute before blinking to fight back the tears. She escaped from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and stood in front of him. She didn¡¯t miss the sh of disappointment deep in his eyes. He had been in the military for so many years, and if anyone were to ask the highest intelligence agencies from various countries, overseas and domestic, who would ever think the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s Major General Huo would actually ever acquiesce?! A hot-blooded man who neverpromised a single word amid storms of bullets had somehow taken a step back to this extent for her. Gu Nianzhi really began to feel regret. Was she being too harsh? If she was being that decisive, would she hurt Huo Shaoheng?

    Huo Shaoheng focused on her in his arms, lips slightly opened as he continued, ¡°Give me some time. I¡¯ll have Big Xionge over tomorrow to pack up my things.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down, her full, curvy lips gaping as she finally said quietly, ¡°You can stille over to visit in the future, just like Brother Xiong and Brother Ze.¡±

    At least she had stopped insisting on giving away the house. Huo Shaoheng sighed in relief, finally able to console the little princess. He hugged her even harder and kissed her cheek. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go take a bath now. I¡¯ll fill the tub for you?¡±

    ¡°Ok,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied obediently. ¡°I¡¯ll go get clothes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng went to the bathroom while Gu Nianzhi went back to her bedroom to find pajamas. Opening the closet, she immediately saw the ck T-shirt she¡¯d always used as pajamas. These were casual clothes provided to Huo Shaoheng by the military, and there was a brand new stack in the cubicle inside the closet. She grabbed one and also took a small pair of panties before going to the bathroom.

    Inside the bathroom, the tub was already filled, and Huo Shaoheng half-knelt in front of it to add essential oil to the water. Gu Nianzhi sniffed to discover it was her favorite Bulgarian rose essential oil. Huo Shaoheng tested the water temperature then turned around to see Gu Nianzhi standing at the bathroom door. She still carried his long ck T-shirt. ¡°It¡¯s ready now. You can take a bath.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up.

    Gu Nianzhi moved aside at the door to give him room and watched him walk out. She sighed in relief once again. At least Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t make any further requests. Gu Nianzhi closed the bathroom door with a smile and began to bathe herself.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the study to check his email, then sent Yin Shixiong a message asking him to pick up his things tomorrow afternoon. It was Saturday, and tomorrow was Sunday, so he had a whole day¡¯s time. The study door was left open, and after a while, he heard the bathroom door open. Huo Shaoheng knew Gu Nianzhi had finished bathing. He sat motionless in the study until she came over to tell him goodnight. It was only then that he turned to look at her and said, ¡°It¡¯ste. Go sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and walked back to her bedroom with a smile. This was the first night in the house she had bought herself, so it was very memorable. Gu Nianzhi returned to the bed and moved the nkets aside to lie down. The bed, nkets, and sheets were the brands and models she had been ustomed to in the Special Operations Forces, so she didn¡¯t feel ufortable in the bed at all. Very soon, her lids grew heavy, and she fell asleep.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi woke up feeling hot in the middle of the night. She had a dream that she slept beside an oven, and in the dream, she kept pping herself and muttering, ¡°How could it be this hot? Isn¡¯t it alreadyte October?¡± In the Imperial Capital,te October to early November was approaching the time when the city prepared for unified heating. Finally, she woke up covered in sweat and also discovered there was another person on her bed. It was Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger rose immediately. How could he be like that?! They had already made an agreement, and he was turning his back on it!

    However, when she clearly saw what Huo Shaoheng was wearing, she was stunned silent. Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t changed but still wore his military uniform as he slept like that outside her nkets and hugged her tightly while she was bundled in nkets. No wonder she felt so hot... But Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand was a bit cool. The air conditioning in the bedroom was automatically lowered at bedtime, and because she slept with nkets, the daytime temperature would make her too hot and kick at the nkets. Gu Nianzhi was certainly fine because she had nkets, but Huo Shaoheng only wore a standard military dress shirt and trousers, so he was still a bit cold at night.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sleeping figure. His features appeared even more sculpted and exquisite, carrying a kind of harsh beauty that was especially alluring when he was silent. Now that he was asleep, he didn¡¯t appear as authoritative as he did when he was awake but seemed even more astonishingly handsome. After staring at him for a while, she poked him gently with a delicate finger.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t rouse, so Gu Nianzhi pushed him again with a bit more force. Huo Shaoheng seemed to have finally awakened and mumbled without even opening his eyes, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t fuss.¡± His hands then seemed to instinctively move the kents and delved inside their warmth before he sighed deeply in relief.

    Gu Nianzhi froze because the next second Huo Shaoheng had already embraced her and found afortable position. Soon after, she heard his breathing even out and rx like he was deeply asleep. Gu Nianzhi was extremely speechless and pushed him again. ¡°Huo Shao, go sleep in the study...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fuss. I haven¡¯t slept for four days now...¡± Huo Shaoheng mumbled hazily again, then waspletely unresponsive.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to inch closer to his ear and scream for him to leave, but when she heard that she couldn¡¯t shout. He hadn¡¯t slept for four days. He wasn¡¯t made of steel! How could his body take it? At this moment, Gu Nanzhi was not worried at all about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°animal instincts unleashing¡± and doing things to her that she disliked or couldn¡¯t talk about. Now she was only worried that she would wake Huo Shaoheng up from his rare chance to sleep, so sheid obediently and still in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, closing her eyes and even rxing her breathing out of fear of waking him. After counting several hundred sheep, she also fell asleep.

    Not long after she fell asleep, Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes to steadily watch Gu Nianzhi. With a smirk, he hugged her tighter in satisfaction and kissed her forehead. Pressing his cheek on the top of her head, he finally fell asleep. He hadn¡¯t lied, he really hadn¡¯t slept in four days. The German Federal Intelligence Service had beenunching revenge attacks against them, and it was only then that Huo Shaoheng realized the Germans already knew many things about them. However, the Germans hadn¡¯t made a move until now, probably because they were waiting for the perfect opportunity. Huo Shaoheng spent much effort transferring all the Special Ops field personnel out of Germany without any casualties. After this blew over, he nned to send new personnel over. Luckily, Gu Nianzhi had sent them intelligence to enable a deeper understanding of the German Federal Intelligence Service, so it was even easier to crack their passwords.

    The Germans, of course, knew their encrypted files had been stolen, so they immediately changed all passwords but didn¡¯t modify the rules for their password generation. Gu Nianzi¡¯s contributions were not giving them existing passwords but were sending them all the system files. Day and night, Zhao Liangze led a 20-member team of elite technicians to process the millions of emails Gu Nianzhi had sent. They needed to ssify and integrate, then decipher and summarize before sending them to specific intelligence departments for further analysis. These things wouldn¡¯t be aplished in a short period of time. But For Huo Shaoheng, not sleeping for four days was not something he couldn¡¯t handle. His highest record was not shutting his eyes once for seven days and nights.

    ...

    On Sunday morning, the sunlight filtered through the tulle curtains in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. She didn¡¯t want to get up and nned to sleep some more. Hugging her nkets, sheid on her side to snuggle deeper when she was suddenly poked by something hard against her back...

 Chapter 781 - Itâ€™s Yours When You Have Me

    <h4>Chapter 781: It¡¯s Yours When You Have Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi sensed that something was not right. She opened her eyes wide. Her whole body became stiff.

    She remembered that she had found Huo Shaoheng sleeping on top of her quilt in the middle of the night the day before. She had be soft-hearted momentarily and let him inside the quilt with her...

    It was really hard to exin men in the morning in a few words.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and moved her body slowly to the other side of the bed.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng also woke up. Henguidly pulled Gu Nianzhi back and embraced her. He buried his face in the nape of her neck and took a deep breath of her scent. His tone was deep and had a lethargic kind of throaty quality. It sounded so good that it could impregnate her ears. ¡°Awake? What are you hiding for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and was displeased, but she also found it hard to talk. She could only try her best to evade him.

    It looked like Huo Shaoheng understood her. He chuckled into her ear. Hisughter was maic and full of temptations that were hard to describe.

    He bit Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobe and groggily said, ¡°...You are a top student. Could it be that you never learned health and physiology?¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi knew what was going on. Even if she was not a top student, she had already done it with Huo Shaoheng. She wouldn¡¯t be argumentative.

    That was not being innocent or pure. It was a sweet, na?ve young woman¡¯s temptation.

    However, she felt especially awkward. She didn¡¯t want to be so close to him.

    ¡°...Since you are already awake, shouldn¡¯t you go to the guest room?¡± Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and tried her best to suggest that calmly.

    ¡°Tired, can¡¯t move.¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed. He circled his arms in front of him. One arm passed under her body and encircled her. He pulled her to his chest. ¡°Sleep with me for a little while longer.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng said that, Gu Nianzhi remembered how the night before Huo Shaoheng had incoherently said that he ¡°hadn¡¯t slept in four days¡±. Her heart tightened and she hesitated a bit and softly said, ¡°Inadequate sleep is bad for your health.¡±

    ¡°You know that, huh? Then why do you stay up all night?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t open his eyes and hugged Gu Nianzhi. Again, he took a deep breath and smelled her neck. ¡°...What perfume do you use?¡±

    ¡°Who sleeps and put on perfume?¡± Gu Nianzhi moved her shoulder. ¡°You think everyone is Marilyn Monroe? That women only wear Chanel No. 5 when they sleep?¡±

    Huo Shoheng didn¡¯t continue the conversation. He started to kiss Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exposed shoulder.

    The exquisite, soft, tender, sweet-smelling shoulder served as a foil under the ck t-shirt. Her skin¡¯s beauty trumped the brilliance of snow. Exposed to the first rays of the morning sun, it seemed zed in ayer of sparkling light.

    His two hands crossed and gathered together in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body. Their two bodies were glued together as they spooned.

    He deliberately sucked on her shoulder until a little strawberry mark appeared on her snowy-white shoulder.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart almost jumped out of her chest when she felt the hickey on her shoulder. She was a bit flustered. She grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands, panted, and said, ¡°You... didn¡¯t you say you haven¡¯t slept for four days? You¡¯d better make up for theck of sleep. I have to get up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng started to kiss her earlobe again. He spoke into her ear and said, ¡°...Nianzhi, when will you give in already?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too soon? You just started courting me how many days ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately felt her heartbeat bing normal. ¡°You can¡¯t take it that fast.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed. ¡°Fine. I can continue to court you, but you can¡¯t avoid me anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi actually did still have the idea of avoiding him. She had always felt that as long as two people didn¡¯t meet and had no interactions, then no matter how deep the emotions they had, they would all disappear eventually.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to give up. Although he didn¡¯t have much time, he would contact her or call her or see her directly in order to keep pursuing her.

    Nevertheless, Gu Nianzhi had juste out of an infatuation that made her neglect herself. She really didn¡¯t want to make the same mistake again.

    Or, it could be said that she still didn¡¯t have the confidence to grow old with a man like Huo Shaoheng.

    This man was too good. So good that even she felt like she was unworthy of him...

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything, so he used his arm strength and hugged her as he turned her around. Face to face and forehead to forehead, he continued to ask, ¡°...What are you afraid of? I¡¯m already married to you. What are you still worried about?¡±

    ¡°...Married, we can still get a divorce. Mr. Huo, in today¡¯s society marriage, doesn¡¯t mean anything,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered calmly. She pressed her palm to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and tried her best to not lean too close to him.

    However, when Huo Shaoheng tightened his arms, she bumped into his very hard chest. It hurt a bit.

    ¡°Divorce? Nianzhi, I will not divorce you.¡± Huo Shaoheng said it displeasingly.

    ¡°You won¡¯t? But I remember you said that if I still don¡¯t agree within three years that you will terminate our marriage.¡± Gu Nianzhi felt like something was wrong the moment she heard that. She immediately got a hold of the loophole in what Huo Shaoheng had said.

    Huo Shaoheng wetted his lips. He thought that it was true since his head was not too clear in the morning...

    One always had to be vignt when speaking to a person like Gu Nianzhi who had an especially good memory.

    ¡°...Yes, correct, but don¡¯t you forget that you should be with me for these three years. If you don¡¯t even try then you are only acting in a perfunctory manner.¡± Huo Shaoheng quickly took charge of the conversation. ¡°If you are constantly avoiding me, our three years will be postponed.¡±

    While he was saying that he was secretly making little movements to divert Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention.

    Gu Nianzhi was constantly thinking about how to refute what Huo Shaoheng had said. She didn¡¯t want him to lead her into a trap. Therefore, she didn¡¯t notice what he was doing.

    Gu Nianzhi only came to her senses after he did it a few times. Her small snowy-white face immediately turned bright red. She angrily scolded him. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to quench my thirst by thinking of plums.¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled. Then he got near her ear and requested something that he knew she would not agree to. Something that he could not help but ask.

    Gu Nianzhi really did groan vexingly. ¡°...No.¡±

    ¡°Then when? How about we schedule a time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only felt her face burning. How could Huo Shaoheng say such a shameful thing?!

    ¡°...Yes? When?¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to ask. ¡°I won¡¯t force you, but you can¡¯t make things difficult for me on purpose, right?¡±

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi looked down. Her two hands were on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and she softly said, ¡°I haven¡¯t agreed to being your girlfriend. Can¡¯t you...can¡¯t... you can¡¯t do that with me.¡±

    ¡°Then when will you be my girlfriend?¡± It seemed like Huo Shaoheng overestimated his self-control. He slept in the same bed as Gu Nianzhi for one night and it unexpectedly made it difficult to control himself.

    ¡°I said that I need to think about it. Continue courting.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng and she suddenly smiled. Her big ck eyes slyly shed a bit and she said, ¡°...It¡¯s yours when you have me.¡±

 Chapter 782 - Aside From You

    <h4>Chapter 782: Aside From You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In that moment, Huo Shaoheng recalled what he said to Gu Nianzhi before. ¡°Come seduce me. If you can seduce me, I¡¯ll be yours.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were nearly an echo of his. This little girl was seeking ¡°revenge¡± then? Huo Shaoheng wanted tough, but with some more thought he realized it was even harder to let go. There seemed to be an extra little hand on his heart recently engorged with iron blood. It kept scratching at his heart and made it feel itchy. But when he nearly couldn¡¯t take it anymore, it suddenly disappeared. She was right in front of him in this beautiful moment, yet she was still somehow stoic like a shimmering dewdrop hanging from a willow branch in the vase of the Guanyin Bodhisattva¡ªfresh, tender, weak, yet full of unimaginable vitality.

    ¡°Ok, you¡¯ll be mine if I can pursue you. But before I can pursue you, you can¡¯t be with anyone else,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he lowered his head to kiss Gu Nianzhi, blocking her mouth and kissing viciously. ¡°You¡¯re not saying anything, so I¡¯ll assume your silence means agreement.¡± He then removed the nkets to get out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

    Gu Nianzhi was both angry and indignant. She thought about how he just assumed blocking her mouth meant silent agreement? He was ridiculous as usual...

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng was in the bathroom for a long time, and it made Gu Nianzhi think he might¡¯ve fallen asleep in the tub again. She thought about how she¡¯d probably pass out standing in the middle of the road if she hadn¡¯t slept for four days and nights. Quickly putting on shoes, she went to the bathroom door to knock. ¡°Huo Shao? Are you done washing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was at a critical point. With the sound of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, his hand jerked, and he finished... Closing his eyes, the afterglow of release coursed through his body as hezily called out, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to bathe right now.¡± Afterwards, the sound of running water could be heard.

    Gu Nianzhi pondered it a bit and finally understood. Face slightly flushed, she tried to keep herposure as she went back to bed and pulled the nket over her head to continue sleeping. Although she couldn¡¯t really fall asleep, she stillid on the bed with her eyes closed.

    After a while, she heard the bathroom door open, so Huo Shaoheng must¡¯vee out from his bath. Gu Nianzhi moved her nkets to take a nce, then was instantly about to get a bloody nose. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t wear a bathrobe and only had a white towel around his waist. His skin glowed tan in the morning light, along with his broad shoulders, powerful yet slim waist with clear muscle tone, and an eight pack that extended deep down underneath where the towel covered. His long legs extended from under his waist, long and slender yet carrying huge explosive power. Gu Nianzhi quickly shut her eyes and said, ¡°You can wear my pajamas.¡± Her pajamas were T-shirts anyway, so there was no problem with him wearing one.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Ok, matching pajamas.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes quickly and couldn¡¯t help wanting to punch the bed! She already knew she shouldn¡¯t have been so nice! Huo Shaoheng opened the closet and found a ck T-shirt to put on, and then went to the study next door to get some of his change of clothes. Putting on his underwear, he then took a box out and put his daily toiletries and change of clothes inside. Carrying the box to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, he then put it in his closet. Gu Nianzhi slept with her back to him and covered herself from head to toe in the nket, so she had no idea what he was doing.

    Closing the closet door, Huo Shaoheng came back to bed and moved the nkets so he could lie down. The alluring scent of Cool Water immediately permeated the nkets. Gu Nianzhi loved this men¡¯s cologne and had bought this brand of shower gel for Huo Shaoheng before. She didn¡¯t expect him to also have some of it here. ¡°Didn¡¯t you shower? Why are you still sleeping?¡± Gu Nianzhi was unhappy to turn around and see Huo Shaoheng wearing the same ck T-shirt she wore. She wanted nothing more than to take it off herself right away, but seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suggestive look, how could she dare take it off?

    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy... I¡¯ll sleep some more.¡± Huo Shaoheng smoothly embraced her and closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m very happy you¡¯re letting me wear couple¡¯s pajamas with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°This is the only thing you can wear here, or do you want to wear my nightgown?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled quietly. ¡°Still not going to admit it? Little liar...¡± This kind of intimate nickname seemed to take them back to sweeter times from before. Back then, she would be satisfied to merely focus on adoring him. She should¡¯ve always kept on admiring him from afar, then all the subsequent sadness and disappointment would¡¯ve never happened. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was down again. She also closed her eyes and said very earnestly, ¡°I really wasn¡¯t. You¡¯re just thinking too much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gently patted her back but didn¡¯t argue. He changed the topic. ¡°Why are you so busytely? What are you in a rush to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled, so Huo Shaoheng knew her the best, after all... ¡°I want to graduate early as I told you before. It¡¯s been approved recently.¡± Gu Nianzhi shifted her body. ¡°After I work hard for four more months, no, three more months¡ªafter Lunar New Year¡ªI can graduate.¡±

    ¡°How are you handling it?¡± Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and carefully studied her face. Her skin was clear and luminous, and because of her youth, it was plump and soft in the morning after a good night¡¯s sleep. Like a freshly peeled lychee, she looked so supple and sweet that he couldn¡¯t help wanting to take a bite out of her. Her brows were dark without being drawn on, and her eyshes were lush and dark to cover therge eyes he loved and loathed. Her tiny and delicate nose bridge and slightly rounded nose tip paired with curvy lips, as well as the faint dimples on the corners of her mouth made her look just like an exquisitely painted beauty. Huo Shaoheng thought that every single inch of this beauty had been crafted from the creator¡¯s ideal vision.

    Although he knew Gu Nianzhi was often working all night as ofte, there were no bruises under her eyes, nor was her skin a sickly pallor. She appeared luminous like peaches and cream, and with sight agitation, her snow-white cheeks would look like she had put on ayer of blush. Her rosy hue glowed from within, and not only was she iparably beautiful, but she was also healthy-looking. Gu Nianzhi was starting to blush from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stare. Opening her eyes, she met Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark ones and suddenly asked boldly, ¡°Huo Shao, I always thought you wouldn¡¯t be such a needy person after breaking up...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be with anyone else,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, not falling for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap, ¡°aside from you.¡±

    ¡°...Am I that good?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit arrogant and vain, but also felt unsuppressable unease. Looking down, she didn¡¯t dare look in his eyes again.

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her as he replied easily, ¡°Yeah. I invested so much effort in you, you wouldn¡¯t want me to lose everything, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re treating a rtionship like business?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened and when she looked up again, her eyes were full of anger.

    This anger made her look even more lively and beautiful. Huo Shaoheng lifted her chin and stared deeply at her. ¡°You¡¯re the one splitting hairs with me, so I have no choice but to oblige.¡±

 Chapter 783 - In the Past

    <h4>Chapter 783:</h4>

    <h4>In the Past</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After all that was said, it was all her fault?

    Gu Nianzhi felt very upset.

    She thought of what she had done for Huo Shaoheng in the past; living for him and experiencing death for him. Every act reyed in her mind. In the end, she only got the four words, ¡°fussing over minor matters.¡± She really couldn¡¯t bear that kind of ¡°kindness.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body suddenly became stiff. She held onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and pushed him with great force.

    But Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strength was great. She couldn¡¯t shake him at all.

    Huo Shaoheng was keenly aware that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was downcast again. Furthermore, it was more serious now than the night before.

    He quickly thought about what he had just said. He immediately understood. The youngdy was wasting time on trivial things again.

    Or maybe the way he¡¯d said it was wrong.

    He clearly knew that she was sensitive and she became angry easily. Any word he said would be yed in her heart ten times. It would be hard for her to not twist what he said.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed to himself and hugged Gu Nianzhi even tighter. ¡°Little well-behaved one, what are you thinking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together and pouted andined. ¡°...What else could I be thinking of? You said I¡¯m fussing over minor matters and that I was all wrong. It¡¯s all my fault? Since I make things difficult for you, you don¡¯t have to do things to satisfy me. I said it before that short-term pain is better than long-term pain. It¡¯s because I was the one that said we should break up, so you are not happy about being dumped, right? I will give you a chance. You can tell me that we are breaking up, okay? I will...¡±

    She didn¡¯t finish what she was saying. Huo Shaoheng kissed her on her lips again and stopped the words froming out of her mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi mumbled and pushed Huo Shaoheng away with all her strength. But the moment she opened her mouth, Huo Shaoheng moved closer and kissed her lips again and blocked her mouthpletely.

    Her hands and feet struggled simultaneously. The amount of force she used was quite great. Huo Shaoheng could only mp her hands down against the pillow. He ced his legs between Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and his whole bodyid on top of her¡¯s. Only then was he able to ease Gu Nianzhi, who was acting like a little wild cat that was baring its fangs and brandishing its ws.

    Gu Nianzhi was tired and she was huffing and puffing. Huo Shaoheng pushed down on her like a mountain. She was unable to breathe. However, when the opportunity was within reach she could still kick Huo Shaoheng violently.

    The two of them started to turn, roll, and wrestle with each other.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng could not do it seriously. He only used two or three tenths of his strength. He was quarreling and fighting noisily with her to let her vent her feelings while preventing her from hurting herself. He was only waiting for her to get tired and until her whole body was sweating. Only then would she feel a bit better.

    The more Gu Nianzhi fought the more spirited she became. She didn¡¯t care if Huo Shaoheng was really backing down or if he was faking that he was backing down since she was in a very bad mood. Her mood was extremely bad. It was the kind of mood where she must hit someone to vent her feelings!

    Her leg flew up and kicked between Huo Shaoheng¡¯s legs. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even need to avoid it. He easily waved one of his hands and grabbed her little leg and made it so that she couldn¡¯t kick him again.

    However, Gu Nianzhi took advantage of the opportunity and turned her body. She used her left leg as a fulcrum and did a somersault on the bed. She stood up high and straddled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck.

    He was stunned. The youngdy¡¯s technique of catching someone at close-range was not bad...

    Huo Shaoheng was temporarily excited and they started to learn from each other.

    One hand was holding her waist. One hand lifting her buttocks, he was just about to let her go and to put her down. But at that moment, Gu Nianzhi used all of her strength and held onto his neck.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers waved in session and jabbed the funny bone above Gu Nianzhi¡¯s elbow. He loosened the arm that was holding his neck and shouted. For the next round, he increased his lower body¡¯s strength and used half of his strength topletely lift her up and then rolled as he carried her onto the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi punched and kicked. She wanted to push Huo Shaoheng away. Huo Shoaheng could only use even more force to suppress her.

    The poor bed was making creaking sounds loudly and clearly as they tossed about.

    Not long after, there was only a rumbling and crashing sound.

    The bed copsed.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t control her forward movement fast enough and was about to fall to the floor.

    Huo Shaoheng stretched out his arm and fell off the copsed bed with her. He became Gu Nianzhi¡¯s human cushion.

    Gu Nianzhi sat on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist and looked up at the copsed bed. She felt shame and anger. She had taken all of her anger out on Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It¡¯s all you. It¡¯s all you. It¡¯s all you! What stupid bed did you buy? Fake and low-quality product! You must ask forpensation!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clearly knew that it was not a problem with the bed. It was from him not controlling his strength well enough. It was beyond what the bed could bear...

    But Gu Nianzhi was angry. He knew better than to reason with her. He only held her as he lifted her up. He pressed her neck and leg and asked, ¡°You are not hurt anywhere, right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi was still panting with rage. She turned her head and said, ¡°Even if I am hurt, it wouldn¡¯t matter. It will be fine after a few days. I am endowed with a different kind of natural gift!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly had a fit of sadness. He embraced her and didn¡¯t say a word for a long time.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sudden tenderness scared Gu Nianzhi.

    She blinked her contrasting ck and white eyes and looked at Huo Shaoheng in a perplexed manner. She didn¡¯t know what was wrong with the man...

    He had just been fighting with that youngdy. Shameless!

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and gave a big sigh. His eyes became gentle. His voice grew even more deep, low, and sweet-sounding as he said, ¡°...Today, it was my fault. How do you want to punish me?¡±

    What?

    Huo Shaoheng admitted it was his fault?

    Yesterday he hadpromised and backed down. Today he¡¯d admitted he was wrong and apologized.

    Was the sun rising from the west? Or was her home¡¯s feng sui flourishing?

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and quickly nced in the direction of the window.

    No, the sun was still rising from the east.

    ¡°...It¡¯s not my fault?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the copsed bed. It was a big headache.

    ¡°I never thought that you were wrong. You say that other people think too much. It¡¯s you who thinks too much.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her by the hand and sat on the sofa. His attitude was very sincere. ¡°You are dying to twist and misunderstand everything I say. Tell me, isn¡¯t that unfair to me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched her earlobe and didn¡¯t say a word.

    She knew that she had the intention of venting her anger on someone. She was suppressing the anger inside of her since the time the breakup hadn¡¯t worked and she was tricked into signing the marriage certificate.

    ¡°If you have something to say, let¡¯s talk about it.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her as she pouted her mouth out of habit. He couldn¡¯t help but set her on hisp. He moved closer and kissed her pouting lips. ¡°Such pretty lips are for receiving kisses, not for feeling like one has been wronged.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned her lips into a straight line. She didn¡¯t leave a bit of them out for him to kiss.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her lower jaw. It sounded gentle, like it could calm and quiet a person¡¯s heart. At the same time, he caressed her scattered hair while he let her lean against his chest.

    In order to make her not feel awkward, Huo Shaoheng came up with a topic that could divert her attention. ¡°Tell me about the things that happened in Germany.¡±

    ¡°...Didn¡¯t I already talk about it?¡±

    ¡°You have to tell me everything from the beginning.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped the tip of her delicate nose. ¡°I read the Special Operation Forces¡¯ mission report from that time and I feel like there are some problems. ording to the information that came from Germany, those two Special Operation Forces¡¯ field agents that were killed weren¡¯t killed by the people in the federal intelligence service.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly sat up straight. It was what she cared about the most and it was the thing that she was longing to do for them. Get revenge.

    ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t them.¡± Gu Nianzhi became serious. ¡°It was like this.... That day, I left Dina¡¯s hotel and ran into two people in the grove. They said they were sent by the Special Operation Forces to find me and they even showed me proof. I knew that it was fake the moment I saw it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Correct, our field personnel would not carry their credentials on them.¡±

    ¡°Then I hit them. I turned and ran. I hid in the forest. I heard Als bring his people over and kill those two fakes. Then, I heard them say that there were two more corpses in the forest. If my guess is correct, those two corpses were the real... field agents. However, they had been killed by those two fakes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was choking on sobs. ¡°Weren¡¯t they very skillful? Why were they killed so easily?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng muttered to himself. Unconsciously, he patted her back with one of his hands while saying, ¡°Since they were able to tail those two field agents to their destination and even catch them off guard and kill them, they must have had something that gained those two field agents¡¯ trust.¡±

    ¡°...You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s still a mole?¡± But Gu Nianzhi creased her brows and thought about it carefully. ¡°Ye Zitan was only a military doctor. To be able to send out those two¡¯s pictures was already her highest achievement.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I feel like there is still a spy.¡± Huo Shaoheng squinted his deep ck eyes. They radiated a deep cold. ¡°But this person hides too well. There has not been a w until now.¡±

    ¡°...This person¡¯s ability is not only confined to the Special Operations Forces.¡± Gu Nianzhi analyzed with him. ¡°I feel like this person is able to move too many resources around. Plus, this person¡¯s ns are careful and cautious. Their only mistake was me.¡± She pointed at herself. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for my special physique, his n would have been perfect and sessful.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her slender fingers. ¡°Yes, only Chen Lie and I know about your physique in this whole entire country. You canpletely put your trust in him and me.¡±

    ¡°...It seems like Professor He also knows.¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated a bit, but still said it. ¡°I feel like Professor He probably knows a lot of things rted to me. But he doesn¡¯t say much about it. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s so apprehensive about.¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu knows, but he¡¯s also keeping it a secret for you. I feel like there¡¯s nothing to worry about concerning this.¡± Huo Shaoheng creased his eyebrows in a way that was so subtle that it could not be detected. ¡°But if he does know about your past, why is he unwilling to say anything?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not staying quiet, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he the one that called attention to the Gu family? Maybe he¡¯s in some kind of trouble?¡±

    ¡°You are very empathetic toward him?¡± Huo Shaoheng was a bit unhappy, but he only said these few words unenthusiastically.

    Gu Nianzhi felt it immediately. She squinted her eyes and raised her lower jaw and made an ¡°humph¡± sound and said, ¡°Professor He saved my life many times. Of course, I have to think on the bright side.¡±

    ¡°But you have to think of the negative when ites to me?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned dangerously close to her. ¡°Do you favor one and discriminate against the other, Mrs. Huo?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are not the same.¡± Gu Nianzhi said it unwittingly and when she finished saying it, she knew she had said the wrong thing. She was so upset that she almost had to hit the wall with her head.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes sparkled gently. The smile in his eyes gradually appeared.

    The feeling of restlessness, anxiety, and fretfulness that had been in his chest since the time Gu Nianzhi wanted to break uppletely vanished. He embraced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist and jolted his legs. ¡°...So, Mrs. Huo loves Mr. Huo deeply and expects a lot from him. I understand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes 180 times in her heart. She groaned coldly. ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t encourage yourself. We are already in the past. Understand?¡±

 Chapter 784 - Thatâ€™s Why Heâ€™s the Chief

    <h4>Chapter 784: That¡¯s Why He¡¯s the Chief</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yeah, in with the new and out with the old. The past doesn¡¯t matter because we only care about the present and the future.¡± Huo Shaoheng kissed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek again. ¡°Hungry? Let¡¯s go out for breakfast!¡± Although the house¡¯s renovations were finished and daily necessities were also arranged, the fridge was empty except for some bottled water. Huo Shaoheng nned to take Gu Nianzhi shopping and buy groceries to make something for her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to go out with Huo Shaoheng. She got up from his leg and frowned. ¡°I need to go take a shower and then go back to school.¡± She was unbearably humiliated at the thought of the copsed bed. At a time like this, she didn¡¯t want to face anyone and only wanted to huddle up in her own little world...

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly for a while before nodding. ¡°Okay, go shower and I¡¯ll drive you back.¡± Gu Nianzhi was sweaty and ufortably sticky after ying around with Huo Sgaoheng all morning. She went to the bathroom to shower.

    Huo Shaoheng fiddled with his phone in the bedroom for a while before calling Yin Shixiong. ¡°We¡¯re leaving right away. Remember to order another bed when you¡¯re here to clean up. Just get the same one as before.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had juste back from morning exercises and was eating breakfast. He wore his Bluetooth headset and nodded. ¡°Okay, Chief.¡± Then he asked, ¡°Is the bed for the guestroom?¡± That room was originally a guest room, but Huo Shaoheng had changed it into a study during renovations. There was no actual bed in there, only a futon that could be opened up and used as a bed.

    ¡°Bedroom.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up.

    Yin Shixiong was tongue-tied. Wasn¡¯t there a bed in the bedroom? Why did he need to order another one? But Huo Shaoheng was the Chief and the Chief was the biggest authority, so whatever he says, goes. Yin Shixiong immediately ordered another bed to be delivered to the address in Heping Li.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi came out of the shower and changed into simple cashmere pants. She put her purse on and saw that Huo Shaoheng had already changed. He stood up straight in front of the French windows. With both hands in his trouser pockets, he looked at the scenery outside. She had no idea what he was thinking about. ¡°I can go back by myself,¡± Gu Nianzhi said coolly. ¡°It¡¯s only a few steps and I can walk.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned back to nce at her and walked over. They didn¡¯t speak to each other again as they got in the elevator to go down to the parkade. Huo Shaoheng then drove Gu Nianzhi to the school.

    Not long after they left, Yin Shixiong brought two orderlies over. When they got inside the house, Yin Shixiong directed the two orderlies to pack up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s things from the study. He went to the bedroom and was a bit curious about why he needed to order another bed for the bedroom. Could Gu Nianzhi have forbidden the Chief from sleeping on her bed, so he must prepare another one? Nianzhi really had guts! Yin Shixiong secretly supported the fearless and brazen Gu Nianzhi. Opening the bedroom door, he slowly walked inside. As soon as he walked in, he saw that the bed had snapped in two.

    Yin Shixiong instantly whistled as he imagined countless erotic scenes. ¡°Hehe, their battle was too fierce. The Chief didn¡¯t even take it easy...¡± The bed had a solid wood structure and was imported from overseas, so Yin Shixiong knew more than anyone just how sturdy it was. But such a sturdy bed had copsed after one night with these two people... Yin Shixiong smiled wickedly as he imagined all this.

    The two orderlies finished cleaning up the study. They came into the bedroom to ask Yin Shixiong for further instructions. They looked shocked and stunned when they saw the copsed bed. Their eyebrows seemed to talk for them.

    Yin Sixiong kicked them as he chuckled. ¡°What are you imagining?!¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s amazing... It was the Chief?¡± The two orderlies¡¯ eyebrows wiggled at the copsed bed.

    ¡°Of course. It makes sense that he is the Chief and you are only an orderly.¡± Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes. ¡°Hurry up and get rid of this copsed bed. I already ordered a new bed and it¡¯ll be delivered soon.¡±

    ¡°...Colonel Yin, can we ask the bed manufacturers to add some reinforcements?¡± one orderly suggested. ¡°It won¡¯t be good for the Chief if he¡¯s constantly changing beds.¡±

    ¡°So what? He can get a new one every day if he wants!¡± Yin Shixiong flicked the forehead of the orderly giving the suggestion. ¡°Won¡¯t be good for him?! I¡¯m telling you now, if this gets out, there¡¯ll be no question as to who is responsible! When the timees, I won¡¯t go after anyone else. I¡¯ll put you two in istion! I¡¯ll send you to military court!¡±

    The two soldiers immediately deted. ¡°Colonel Yin, we certainly won¡¯t say anything!¡±

    ¡°This is an order! We will never vite an order!¡±

    ¡°Good that you know that.¡± Yin Shixiong red at them. ¡°Fine, go clean it up and carry it down to the truck.¡±

    The two orderlies began to tidy up quietly. Yin Shixiong helped them lift the bed frame. Although the bed had copsed, it¡¯s weight hadn¡¯t changed at all. The mattress was fine, but the bed frame underneath hadpletely snapped into two. Yin Shixiong knelt down and studied the breakage for a long time. His final conclusion was that only the pressure of a jack could have crushed the bed to this extent!

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t drive directly to B University. He parked in front of a congee shop and went inside to buy a breakfast set which he brought to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Eat this first, don¡¯t go hungry.¡± Gu Nianzhi was actually a bit hungry but she wanted to refuse. However, her stomach rumbled as soon as she smelled the delicious food. Huo Shaoheng opened the congee box. ¡°You want me to feed you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was petrified and quickly grabbed it. She began eating immediately and asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°What about you? You don¡¯t want to eat it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have any appetite.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to say something else but managed to hold back. She quietly took out a tiny beef bun from the breakfast box and passed it to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Eat one to fill your stomach.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened his mouth to swallow the entire beef bun in her hand. The beef bun was small and exquisite, only a bitrger than a soup bun. Gu Nianzhi finished half a bowl of congee herself and ate two more beef buns with a cup of soy milk. The remaining half bowl of congee was taken by Huo Shaoheng to finish off. He also cleared up the rest of the dim sum. He then got out of the car to throw away the garbage before taking Gu Nianzhi back. It was about 10 A.M. when they arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to leave right away and made small talk by picking up their earlier topic. He continued to question Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, think about it again. What was strange about Germany? Speaking of that, why did you go visit the K?nigssee by yourself? I never heard you mention liking to visit tourist attractions so much before?¡±

    As a member of the new generation of inte children, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite hobby was staying home and going online. She had grown up with Huo Shaoheng, so Huo Shaoheng understood this very well. Speaking of that, Gu Nianzhi recalled what had happened. Turning around to stare at Huo Shaoheng, she said somewhat sheepishly, ¡°Huo Shao, someone pretended to be you and sent me a box of Hermes silk scarves for my birthday. They were sent from Germany, so I thought you were in Germany and then... I went there for thewsuit.¡±

 Chapter 785 - Going Against Regulation

    <h4>Chapter 785: Going Against Regtion</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°I said someone was sending me scarves from Germany under your name. If not, how could I be lured to K?nigssee with one text...¡± Gu Nianzhi was about to pout again. Her face looked gloomy.

    Thinking about it, it was simply the most awkward situation that she was in...

    How could she have fallen into the enemy¡¯s trap if she wasn¡¯t sex crazy and wasn¡¯t enchanted by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s good looks?!

    The moment she saw the words ¡°Huo Shao,¡± she became a love-struck fool.

    So, she was yearning to see Huo Shaoheng. For the sake of ¡°keeping it a secret,¡± she hadn¡¯t told anyone about going to K?nigssee to see Huo Shaoheng. As a result, she¡¯d fallen into someone¡¯s trap just like that!

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t told anybody about that detail because it was too embarrassing.

    But even when she was kidnapped and being tortured, she¡¯d always had a hopeful spirit. She was in a battle of wits and courage against those who wanted to hurt her because she firmly believed that Huo Shaoheng was her support. No matter where she was, as long as she was in danger, he would absolutelye to save her.

    If he couldn¡¯te, then it must be because he had more important official business.

    Between the interest in the nation and his own safety, Gu Nianzhi could understand Huo Shaoheng¡¯s choice. She had never thought of ming him.

    Huo Shaoheng was a solider. Gu Nianzhi also understood very well that he, being a soldier, had to sacrifice some of his personal interests.

    In the wake of time, in the wake of a kind of danger that had no road to heaven and no door into the earth, in the end when she was subjected to electrocution and had experienced nine deaths and was still able to escape it, that faith waspletely beaten and broken only by the image of Huo Shaoheng being with Tan Guiren.

    What the h*ll, that was also for the nation¡¯s interest?!

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi truly understood the difference between Huo Shaoheng and her. She was aware that, in some eyes, she was worth less than Tan Guiren. Because she was an orphan girl that didn¡¯t have parents with high social standing and because she wasn¡¯t a person that was in that high circle.

    She could still remembered her wrath and grievance perfectly. There was also self-abasement and disappointment.

    At that time, her many years of faith had broken and fallen apart.

    She had always considered Huo Shaoheng to be her religion.

    She suddenly realized that she felt that what she¡¯d considered to be sacrifices werepletely worthless. So, it gave rise to serious doubts about her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng. It also gave rise to serious uncertainty about their future.

    Rather than facing a future meeting where the tune would end and the audience would disperse,she would rather be the person that exited the ce first.

    That was why the first thing she wanted to do when she came back was break up.

    Since she wanted to break up, she naturally didn¡¯t speak a word of her falling into the trap because of the scarves Huo Shaoheng sent her.

    It was too embarrassing!

    However, Huo Shaoheng remained silent for a few moments. His eyes were deep and quiet. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°...The Hermes scarves that were sent were from Germany?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The one sent to my dormitory.¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered and she quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s still in my dormitory, but I kept it to remind myself not to do stupid things anymore.¡±

    Not because I still have feelings for you.

    Only after Huo Shaoheng was silent for a short while again did he ask, ¡°Then did you... receive a box of Hermes scarves that were sent from France?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No... why do you ask?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pressed his lips together and said in an unenthusiastic manner, ¡°When I was in America, I specially went to the Hermes official website to order a birthday present for you. They were Hermes scarves and I sent them directly to your t in Sanhuan.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes became bigger at once. ¡°You... you... you... Say that again! You really sent me Hermes scarves?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and didn¡¯t say anything. However, his deep ck eye showed that he was puzzled.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t receive the Hermes scarf that I sent from France, but you received the Hermes scarf that was sent from Germany, and it was also a birthday present?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was solemn as he confirmed it again because that detail was too important. So important that he might need topletely reverse the direction his deduction was going in the past.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°You really... when you were in America, you still kept on thinking about buying me a birthday present? Didn¡¯t you say... didn¡¯t you say... that when you are on a mission you can¡¯t do any... any personal activities?¡±

    That was why she¡¯dter realized she that had fallenl into someone¡¯s trap. She even deeply regretted it because she didn¡¯t listen to Huo Shaoheng and had actually believed that Huo Shaoheng would send her a gift when he was on a mission and make an appointment to see her.

    ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± Huo Shaoheng muttered. He suddenly hugged Gu Nianzhi tightly. ¡°But I went against regtion...¡±

    That was why he¡¯d received his punishment immediately.

    Just a bit more and Gu Nianzhi would have left him forever.

    Huo Shaoheng had a burst of post-traumatic stress. His back suddenly started to sweat and it immediately soaked through his ck t-shirt.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t get it?!¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her fist. ¡°Where did you send it? Oh, you just said it was to the t in Sanhuan... I haven¡¯t been there. Have you been there?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been there, but it was only to see if Gu Nianzhi was there or not. He didn¡¯t think about if there was a package that hadn¡¯t arrived.

    ¡°Wait, I will give Sanhuan t¡¯s property management a call first.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her cellphone from her bag and immediately called Sanhuan t¡¯s property management.

    Even thought it was a weekend, Sanhuan t¡¯s property management didn¡¯t take days off. There were also people working on the weekend.

    When the phonecall went through, Gu Nianzhi quickly asked, ¡°May I ask if a package was sent there from France a month ago? It was for building 5 room 1801¡¯s Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    After property management checked and denied it, ¡°No, we didn¡¯t receive any package for building 5 room 1801.¡± It didn¡¯t matter if it was delivered from within the country or from outside of the country. There were no package there.

    That was strange...

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You¡¯re sure you sessfully ced the order?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and directly checked his Hermes online ount. There was a shipping record of his purchase. He was dumbfounded when he checked it.

    He clearly remembered filling out a shipping address from France, but looking at his ount at that moment, it showed a shipping address from Germany!

    Furthermore, the address to receive it was also changed from the imperial capital¡¯s Sanhuan apartment to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s B University¡¯s dormitory address!

    Furthermore, the shipping address in Germany was from the Rosu district and was also Li Haiqing¡¯s crime spot!

    Wasn¡¯t that too much of a coincidence?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face looked livid.

    He had never been yed like that before.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say a single thing. He immediately called Hermes¡¯s French website¡¯s VIP service line.

    It was also a 24-hour service line. Every customer that had his high status had their very own service line.

    ¡°Hello, I want to inquire about something. I ced an order online a month ago. Why did the shipping address change? You must give me an exnation.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke French fluently. His tone was very strict.

    The customer representative over the phone quickly said, ¡°Please hold on one second, Mr. Huo. We will investigate it immediately!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng became angry. The consequences were very serious. Especially to a luxury goods industry like Hermes.

    Huo Shaoheng was a big customer. A big financial backer.

    Hermes headquarter¡¯s IT department¡¯s best programmer was immediately called over. After bustling about, they found out the reason in under 15 minutes.

    They exined it to Huo Shaoheng like this: ¡°Mr. Huo, during that time, our system was malfunctioning. That was why your sending address identally changed to the German address. But I already checked it for you. Your item has already arrived. Miss Gu already got it and signed for it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put the phone down. His facial expression did not rx. Rather, it became graver.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked her with a deep voice, ¡°...That box of things, where did you put it?¡±

    ¡°In my dormitory.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very confused. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense! Even if the system did malfunction, it would not be so smart! If it was only the shipping address that changed, then it is still a bit feasible. However ,even the addressee¡¯s address had changed and the address is in the Huaxia Empire which is thousands of miles away. That is too smart... are they sure it was a system malfunction? Not a man-made malfunction?¡±

    She had always thought that it was a series of stratagems. From the very beginning, to the scarves sent from Germany were a trap, to the text sheter received from ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± in Munich. It was all a part of someone¡¯s n. It was all faked.

    But looking at it at that moment, that series of stratagems was of a much higher level than she had preconceived!

 Chapter 786 - Help You For the Last Time

    <h4>Chapter 786: Help You For the Last Time</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The hardest lie to expose is the one mixed in with some truth.

    In the chain reaction plot that targeted them, one of the most importantponents was somehow true... Gu Nianzhi thought it was all too surreal. No wonder she hadn¡¯t had any sense of vignce and had been instantly fooled into going to the K?nigssee. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have gone to Germany if she hadn¡¯t received the silk scarves from Huo Shaoheng. If not for that, the n would¡¯ve never seeded. Gu Nianzhi sat in the car as she recalled the entire incident from beginning to end. She fiercely hated the person who¡¯d plotted this, yet admired them somewhat. It would have been truly difficult to control all theponents of the chain reaction and to have them work in conjunction. The entire n would never have seeded even if only oneponent had failed. The truth was, the chain reaction n only failed because Gu Nianzhi had a special constitution.

    Rubbing her forehead, Gu Nianzhi recalled another problem as she looked at Huo Shaoheng with confusion. ¡°Huo Shao, you said you were in the United States. Why did you use a French mail forwarding address then?¡± If his mail forwarding address hadn¡¯t been modified by someone else, it would have still been in France and not the United States, so Gu Nianzhi might¡¯ve wanted to go to France instead.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the front passenger seat, his left elbow resting on the edge of the window, propping up his head. He appeared calm and had alreadyposed himself. His long and slender fingers quietly tapping on the steering wheel, he looked at Gu Nianzhi thoughtfully. ¡°...You thought I was in Germany, so you followed He Zhichu to Germany... to represent in thewsuit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. That was really one of the main reasons. Although she¡¯d had intentions of helping the unfortunate female exchange student, she had only confirmed her decision to go to Germany to legally represent Li Haiqing because she thought Huo Shaoheng would also be there. But now she¡¯d already broken up with Huo Shaoheng, and exining all of this again made her feel embarrassed. Averting her eyes, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t answer Huo Shaoheng¡¯s question. Instead, she asked him, ¡°Why did you use a French forwarding address?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng noticed Gu Nianzhi refusing to answer him. Raising his brow slightly, he looked straight ahead and remarked coolly, ¡°...Because I was on a mission and no one could know where I was.¡± He didn¡¯t mention a word about what his mission was or what he¡¯d experienced in the United States.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure out whether she was disappointed or relieved of a great burden. Looking down, she suppressed the messy emotions and said, ¡°...Then our opponent is pretty impressive. They must not have anticipated you sending the silk scarves as one of theponents initially. But I think it¡¯s a bit strange that they wanted me to go to Germany so badly. Couldn¡¯t I have gone to France? If they hadn¡¯t changed your mail forwarding address...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward in his seat. ¡°Still remember Reinitz?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded, then suddenly had a realization. ¡°Right, the German Federal Intelligence Service participated in the entire thing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a given.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his chin slightly. ¡°Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that you happened to run into Reinitz when you were being hunted down on the Alps?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the ¡°chance encounter¡± and sighed quietly. If she hadn¡¯t actually met Reinitz by chance, then the kind and friendly Mother Hanna couldn¡¯t be a normal person either. But it hadn¡¯t seemed staged when she and Reinitz were on the motorcycle and being hunted down, or when Mother Hanna¡¯s house was burnt down. Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°You think Reinitz is one of theponents in the mastermind¡¯s chain reaction n? What was the goal of thatponent?¡± She still thought something didn¡¯t add up.

    Huo Shaoheng was also considering this problem. What role did Reinitz have in this chain reaction plot? After all, he represented the German Federal Intelligence Service. Was it a plot within a plot, where he was the ultimate mastermind waiting to defeat the winner of the first battle? Or was he patiently waiting for the battle to be over so he could reap all the benefits?

    ¡°His role is still to be determined.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to hastily jump to any conclusions. He wouldn¡¯t categorize Reinitz until he had firm evidence. In the beginning, Huo Shaoheng had thought Reinitz was the one behind the entire n. It wasn¡¯t until he heard about the trick with the silk scarves that he realized Reinitz wasn¡¯t the real mastermind.

    ¡°...Yeah, he saved me in the end after all.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a wry smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he was thinking. If he plotted all that to catch me and used so much effort to arrange all sorts of scenarios, but ended up letting me go in the end... wouldn¡¯t his boss punish him?¡±

    ¡°...If he¡¯s the boss, who would punish him?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked outside nonchntly. It was noon on the B University campus and the entire ce was bursting with vitality. The sunlight filtered through the golden sycamore leaves, spilling on the ground and glittering like gold shards. Warm and lively energy permeated the air.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted as she whispered, ¡°There is a Parliament and Chancellor in Germany right? Doesn¡¯t he need to be held ountable to them?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine now. He shouldn¡¯t have any problems.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice fell like a hammer to put the full stop on this topic. Gu Nianzhi also felt very conflicted when she thought about Reinitz. It was hard to determine if this person was good or evil, but he hadn¡¯t seemed bad to her. Her tiny porcin face looked conflicted. Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs to help you bring the silk scarves down.¡±

    ¡°No thanks, I¡¯ll go myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi objected to himing upstairs with her. When she opened the door to get out of the car, she made sure to remind him again, ¡°Don¡¯te out, just wait in the car.¡±

    ¡°...Okay.¡± Huo Shaoheng smirked. Lowering the car window, he lit a cigarette and held it between his fingers as he watched Gu Nianzhi disappear into the dorm.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the dorm to discover that Ma Qiqi wasn¡¯t in her room. It was Sunday, so she must not havee back from visiting home yet. Gu Nianzhi went to her room to find the box of silk scarves and opened it to look. After touching them for a bit, she bit her lip and she resealed the box to carry it downstairs. Huo Shaoheng threw away the cigarette as soon as he saw her walking over. He opened the door to let her into the car. Gu Nianzhi could smell the faint tobo smell as soon as she got in the car. Although Huo Shaoheng had smoked with the window open, the car still smelled a bit. Gu Nianzhi crinkled her tiny nose but didn¡¯t say anything as she put the box in front of him. ¡°Here, this is the package I received.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened it to look. ¡°This was what I ordered.¡± He had painstakingly chosen all of them, yet she hadn¡¯t worn any on her birthday. Closing the box, he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll buy better ones for you.¡± In other words, he had to take the box away.

    ¡°...You really have to take it away?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. ¡°What are you taking it for?¡±

    ¡°This is evidence,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°I need to take it back to investigate.¡±

    ¡°...But if you take them back, then you won¡¯t be able to hide how you vited military rules.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to take the box back out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. He looked at her intently with warm eyes. His handsome face had a trace of a smile on it. It was like osmanthus blooming in autumn. This waspletely different from his typical tough exterior, but it only increased his attractiveness. Gu Nianzhi only took one nce at him before calmly looking away. ¡°...I don¡¯t think this box of silk scarves is evidence. You shouldn¡¯t take it since it won¡¯t help with anything.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so what is the evidence?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny, jade-like hand supporting the bottom of the box. He reached out to grab her hand from to prevent her from leaving the car. ¡°Help me think. My brain is a mess right now and I can¡¯t think of anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Go on, keep pretending. You think I¡¯m falling for that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, I¡¯m waiting for Mrs. Huo to help me prove my innocence.¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted her hand up to kiss the back of it. ¡°Some things are better done by others than by myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled her hand away and frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll ignore you if you call me Mrs. Huo again.¡±

    ¡°...Fine, I won¡¯t call you that for now.¡± Huo Shaoheng let go. ¡°Tell me why this box can¡¯t be evidence, then I¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief, looking down to open the box. ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Think about the entire incident. The only thing the enemy actually did was modify something on the Hermes website¡¯sputer system. This package was still delivered to me usingpletely normal means, so what¡¯s the point of you taking it away?¡±

    ¡°Touche. If that¡¯s the case...¡± Huo Shaoheng took a tiny silk scarf out of the box. It was printed with the golden flowers from one of Van Gogh¡¯s paintings. He tied it around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck and made a pretty little knot. ¡°Happy Birthday, mon cheri.¡±

    ¡°...What did you say?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand what Huo Shaoheng said. It sounded like French. While her German was pretty good, she didn¡¯t know any French at all.

    ¡°...Happy Birthday.¡± Huo Shaoheng put on a serious face as he straightened her silk scarf. His warm fingertips ghosted over the skin on her neck, sending waves of shudders through her body.

    However, Gu Nianzhi stayedpletely still and didn¡¯t disy any reaction at all. She didn¡¯t quite believe him, but carefully memorized the pronunciation of Huo Shaoheng¡¯sst sentence so she could go home and look it up. Hugging the box, Gu Nianzhi looked down at the silk scarf on her neck and saw how it was tied beautifully. She didn¡¯t know how to tie it like that all. Gu Nianzhi touched the scarf as she remarked seriously, ¡°Since you got into this mess because of me, I¡¯ll help you solve it. Actually, you could ask Brother Ze, but this situation is rather unique and you can¡¯t allow personnel from the Special Operations Forces to know about it. I guess I have no choice but to help you for thest time.¡±

    She thought that since Huo Shaoheng had vited military discipline by buying her a birthday gift while on a mission, it would cause even more trouble if a third party knew about it. It would still be safest for her to do it herself. That way, absolutely no one else would know. As long as Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t get the stupid urge to turn himself in, no one would know he had vited military rules. Gu Nianzhi could feel more reassured when they broke up.

 Chapter 787 - Destroying the Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 787: Destroying the Evidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips went up and he made an ¡°uh-huh¡± sound as he said, ¡°How do you want to find the evidence?¡±

    ¡°Simple, go around France¡¯s Hermes official website¡¯s back-end. As long as someone tampered with the ordering record, it will leave its mark behind.¡± Gu Nianzhi closed the box and held it to her chest. ¡°I will look at what their system¡¯s privacy is like. If it¡¯s not difficult, I should have the clue tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°...That fast?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re doubting my ability?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. She opened the car door with one hand while rudely saying, ¡°I¡¯m getting out. Thank you for bringing me back.¡±

    She held the box as she stood under the parasol tree in front of her dormitory. She waved her hand and casually told him goodbye. Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly. He started his car and drove away.

    Gu Nianzhi had only turned to enter her dormitory when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car disappear down the asphalt road.

    She was back in her room. First, she took the scarves out of the box and put them in the drawer where she kept all of her scarves. She used scissors to cut it into pieces after analyzing the box inside out and taking pictures of it with her phone again. She threw it into a stainless-steel wastebasket. She found a lighter and lit it and burned it to ashes.

    That was considered ¡°destroying the evidence by destroying the corpse¡±. Nobody would ever find the box and use it as evidence to prove that Huo Shaoheng had once attended to personal matters while on a mission...

    But the more important piece of evidence was still on Hermes¡¯ official website.

    Huo Shaoheng had used his own ount to buy the scarves. In the future, it would be difficult to exin it in case someone found out the time of the purchase coincided with the time when he was in America on a mission.

    Gu Nianzhi took the initiative to suggest helping Huo Shaoheng find pieces of evidence. Actually, she wanted to ¡°destroy¡± the root evidence of Huo Shaoheng viting the rules.

    To her, a person like Huo Shaoheng should not have a single blemish to his reputation while he was working. If there was, then it must be someone else¡¯s fault.

    After the box had been dealt with, Gu Nianzhi opened herptop and dragged out her hackingputer program.

    Before, she could hack someone¡¯sputer system by using her cellphone. Of course, using aptopputer at that moment would let her have more powerful functions.

    Thatputer program was written back when she was under Zhao Liangze¡¯s guidance. After a few years, she had made many improvements to it. She¡¯d even improved theputer by using quantum theory to decipher passwords. She¡¯d greatly improved the efficiency of essing other people¡¯s encrypted systems.

    Even if Zhao Liangze had looked at thatputer program during the early days, he would have considered himself to be inferior.

    But Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know about that. Not because she was humble, but because she had neverpared herself to others before.

    To her, using a cutting-edge area of research was as natural as eating or putting on clothes. For example, in quantum theory, many people were still at the stage of proving the theory. However, she was already using it practically.

    The ¡°devourer.exe¡± that she¡¯d used in Germany to take the Federal Intelligence Service Central Control System down, the grain theory, actually had the same amazing satisfactory oue as when quantum theory was used even though it was of a different approach.

    After theputer program was opened, Gu Nianzhi proceeded to conceal her IP as usual. Only then did she drag the French Hermes¡¯ official website address to her hackingputer program to conduct a close analysis of it.

    The first step was to find the interface of Hermes¡¯ official website¡¯sputer program and connect with the back-end.

    If the front-end and the back-end didn¡¯t have an interface at all, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s only option would be to find another way in. That would be a bit more troublesome.

    She used the opportunity they gave her when they disguised their internal local areawork as an external website to hack into the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany¡¯s private intr. She beat them at their own game.

    This time, she didn¡¯t know what Hermes¡¯ official website would be like. However, from what Gu Nianzhi understood about those online stores, they should be connected.

    The ERP system that most online stores used had the front-end connected to the back-end. Furthermore, it was a simple system. The focal point was on the inventory, shipping goods, and keeping a timely record of a few sectors¡¯ ounts. Those few sectors also had an automatic system that kept their financial statements.

    Most people couldn¡¯t get inside the system because that kind of system had all kinds of protections against passwords being entered the wrong way.

    But to a hacker of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s level, a password was the lowest level of safety and security in a system. To her, with her great littleputer program and her greatputing ability, no matter howplicated a password, it was all simple to her.

    She heard a ¡®ding¡¯. She entered the website¡¯s interlink in no more than two minutes. The system showed that the password had been deciphered.

    Indeed, it was just as she had expected. The online website¡¯s framework was too simple. It looked fancy with all kinds of amazing shing animations on the surface, but the truth was that the fundamental structure of the site was still in its first phase.

    Huo Nianzhi slid her finger over herptop touchscreen and quickly entered Hermes official website¡¯s back-end.

    She saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s purchase record. She remembered the specific date and time perfectly.

    She started to search on the other party¡¯s database and she found the purchase record from that day.

    She quickly switched her own ount with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ount. She immediately altered Hermes¡¯ database history just like how the other party had stealthily altered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shipping address. Gu Nianzhi did it better. She crossed the sea by using a digital trick and switched the whole ount.

    As a result, the person who had ced the order became Gu Nianzhi.

    She then erased any trace of the system being altered.

    To Gu Nianzhi, she didn¡¯t need to create a ¡°system malfunction¡± to crudely erase the evidence of it being altered. She just took advantage of the other party¡¯s system of updating the back-up initial data everyday and used a littleputer program that wouldpletely cover it. Itpletely altered the other party¡¯s back-up.

    That way, other than the hacker who had changed the shipping address in the past, a third party would not know that the ount that ced the order had been changed.

    Even if the IT programmer that Huo Shaoheng called to consult picked up the phone, the programmer would not remember well enough topare the ount.

    Gu Nianzhi even gave her ount the mark ¡°VIP¡±. Doing so would confuse the other party¡¯s memory in a more realistic manner.

    Only after she had switched the ounts and altered all the back-up data did Gu Nianzhi entere the second stage of the procedure.

    She wanted to see which IP address had hacked into France¡¯s Hermes¡¯ official website and had changed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sending address on that day.

    So much time had passed. The other party also seemed to be very skillful.

    Only if one entered the other party¡¯sputer program¡¯s management system could one see all the IP systems the other party had used. Then filtered out the IP with the appropriate time frame as well as the IP that had something to do with Huo Shaoheng cing the order.

    That would require a great deal of calction ability.

    To be safe, Gu Nianzhi downloaded all the IP addresses that had gone onto Hermes¡¯ official website that day. She put them inside her ownputer program and started to search.

    The amount of data was huge. She still needed to verify and analyze it. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s littleptopputer was unable to handle all the load.

    She looked at the estimated time theputer program gave. It would need 15 hours topletely analyze everything.

    It was noon. That meant it would finishputing at three in the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi really knew how to n everything. She immediately pushed theptopputer to the side to let it do its work. At the same time, she took out her iPad and started to write her thesis.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the headquarters of the Special Operation Forces¡¯ encampment ground. He first went back to his official residence to change the clothes he was wearing.

    He saw Yin Shixionging back as he wasing down from upstairs.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s done?¡± Huo Shaoheng carelessly asked as he buttoned the hook and the eye on his military uniform.

    Yin Shixiong pressed his lips together tightly and immediately stood at attention. However, the gossip that was right in front of his eyes was practically about to break through the horizon...

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyes and nced at him coldly.

    Yin Shixiong was provoked by that nce and he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. He chuckled. ¡°Huo Shao, did you juste back from the hospital? Everything¡¯s okay with Nianzhi, right?¡±

 Chapter 788 - Canâ€™t Mess With Her

    <h4>Chapter 788: Can¡¯t Mess With Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Hospital?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed when he heard the word. He quickly understood what unspeakable scenario Yin Shixiong had imagined... Lowering his gaze, he didn¡¯t look at Yin Shixiong as he walked past him, only stopping to say, ¡°...The Special Operations Forces require restructuring. You¡¯ll take the lead and represent the cadres at the very entry-level by doing kitchen duties to start. Feed the pigs for a few days, thene back and write a report about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh?!¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s face nched with fear. He didn¡¯t say another word before quickly saluting. His expression was anguished as he watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure disappear in the direction of the door. Thinking about how he couldn¡¯t keep his own mouth shut and had been nosy about the Chief¡¯s personal life, no wonder he was being assigned to kitchen duties! Even as the actual Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Forces... Restructuring? What a joke! He was clearly being temporarily demoted! Yin Shixiong wanted to p himself.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng calmly walked out of the official residence and headed directly to the Central Control Room. Although he said he wanted Gu Nianzhi to help him ¡°find evidence,¡± that was only to give her reassurance. He could tell that she was taking responsibility for his mistake again. But it actually had nothing to do with her, so Huo Shaoheng pitied her. Although she kept saying she wanted to break up, she never hesitated to be on his side whenever something happened to him. Walking to theputer in the Central Control Room to sit down, Huo Shaoheng did the same thing Gu Niaznhi had done and hacked into Hermes¡¯ official French website. After essing the site, he couldn¡¯t find his order. He was frustrated that the enemy might have altered the evidence once again...

    It took him four hours to finally find the ¡°mastermind¡± behind the missing order. It was Gu Nianzhi. She had changed his order ount into hers... But why? Rubbing his chin, Huo Shaoheng stared at the sixputer screens and mulled over it. She must¡¯ve wanted to help him destroy all the evidence. The package was evidence, but the fact that he¡¯d handled something personal during a mission was also evidence. In fact, it was even greater direct evidence. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips slowly curved into a happy arc.

    Fine, if she wanted to y that way, he¡¯d have to make it even more realistic. Huo Shaoheng directly linked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ount with his own into a parental ount format. Her purchases would be on his bill, making it a true VIP ount. That way, it was even more secure. It would appear legitimate, even if anyone called his order into question. The order now appeared to have been purchased through his subount. Even though he didn¡¯t personally make the purchase, the subount enjoyed all his authorization and was basically equivalent to him purchasing things directly.

    After solving this problem, Huo Shaoheng did the same thing as Gu Nianzhi had done and entered the system management program for Hermes¡¯ official website. He found where the login IPs were saved and downloaded everything to begin data analysis. Huo Shaoheng looked at the estimated processing time calcted by the system. It would take 78 hours, even using therge supeputer in the Central Control System.

    ...

    In the evening, Ma Qiqi left home and came back to campus. As soon as she walked in, she yelled, ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhu? Are you here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out of her room. ¡°Qiqi, you¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m back! What about you? How was your weekend with Huo Shao?¡± Ma Qiqi winked at her yfully. ¡°Here,e tell Sister. If you tell me a good story, I¡¯ll give you candy!¡±

    ¡°Scram!¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed her away. ¡°I¡¯m on a diet, I don¡¯t want candy.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want candy? Well, I have some home-cooked food I brought back. Do you want some?¡± Ma Qiqi smugly took out a box of food and wiggled it in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had been missing Ma Qiqi¡¯s home-cooked food awhile. Although the vor was nothing inparison to the signature dishes from star-rated restaurants, she could taste the feeling of home in her cooking. ¡°Oh? Really? Then we just have to buy some rice for dinner and then we¡¯re good!¡± Gu Nianzhi happily jumped out of her room. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy rice!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Stop trying to change the topic. Hurry up and tell me if you made up with Huo Shao yet!¡± Ma Qiqi yanked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shirt sleeve. ¡°Did youe back to the dormst night?¡±

    ¡°Well, we are still friends...¡± Gu Mianzhi avoided the topic. Aside from everything else that had happened, the bed copsing yesterday was too embarrassing to mention.

    ¡°Friends?¡± Ma Qiqi rolled her eyes. ¡°You really broke up? Tell me the truth, is Huo Shao still your boyfriend?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head in all seriousness. ¡°No, Huo Shao isn¡¯t my boyfriend anymore.¡± No matter how she saw it, Huo Shaoheng truly wasn¡¯t her boyfriend anymore. She didn¡¯t lie to Ma Qiqi about that.

    ¡°Oh? How could that be?¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s beaming face gradually faltered. She wanted to ask more, but seeing how Gu Nianzhi appeared unwilling to speak, she swallowed the words back down. When it came to rtionships, only the direct parties involved could really know what it felt like. As an outsider, Ma Qiqi had no say about other people¡¯s rtionships. Ma Qiqi patted her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sit here and I¡¯ll go buy rice. I¡¯lle back and then we can eat together.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re treating me so well! Qiqi, if you were a man, I¡¯d marry you for sure!¡± Gu Nianzhi showed her loyalty with a smile.

    ¡°Nianzhi, if it¡¯s true love, gender isn¡¯t an issue at all.¡± Ma Qiqi gave her a sultry look. ¡°For you, I¡¯d love to be gay.¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s really too bad we can¡¯t have it that way then!¡± Gu Nianzhi muffled herughter. She turned back to her room to check on theputer program.

    Ma Qiqi sheepishly snorted at her before grabbing a container to buy two servings of rice from the cafeteria. When she came back, she saw that Gu Nianzhi had already heated up all the food in the microwave and ced everything neatly on the dining table. The two girls ate from their own bowls and began having dinner. As Ma Qiqi ate, she shared with Gu Nianzhi the gossip she had read that day.

    ¡°Oh, right. Nianzhi, today the top-ranked search result on Weibo was your so-called sister Gu Yanran¡¯s little video. Hehe, it was much shorter than the one we saw at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, but all of the important parts were there and it immediately caused an uproar!¡± Ma Qiqi excitedly took out her phone. ¡°I was quick and saved a copy before it waspletely wiped off the inte. Here, I¡¯ll you let watch it and spread the seeds of rebellion everywhere!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t watch Gu Yanran¡¯s video. She read thements on Weibo before asking, ¡°Who uploaded this? Someone attending the birthday party at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence took a video and put it up?¡±

    Ma Qiqi found the Weibo ount that had posted the video. ¡°Oh? Was the ount already deleted? Looks like it...¡± Before she could finish her sentence, she heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed it to take a look andughed. ¡°Speak of the devil, the leading actress of the viral video is calling.¡± She slid her thumb across the phone to answer.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! You¡¯re too horrible! Do you have any conscience at all?! How could you put my video online? I¡¯m your sister! You didn¡¯t help me and kicked me while I was down!¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s hoarse and tearful voice emitted from the phone.

    ¡°Gu Yanran, stop trying to me me. Say another word more and I¡¯ll add another charge to your list.¡± Gu Nianzhi no longer saw Gu Yanran as her sister at all, so she certainly didn¡¯t mince her words.

    ¡°So you did it but won¡¯t dare to admit it?! Hmph, you¡¯re still iming that someone else yed the video at the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, but what¡¯s the real truth? It was really you! I¡¯m telling you now that you shouldn¡¯t¡¯ think you¡¯re the only one who can sue. I can sue you! I already found the evidence to prove that you were the one who uploaded it! Gu Nianzhi, wait for the subpoena!¡± Gu Yanan hung up.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her phone with a frown. ¡°What aplete idiot. I¡¯m not afraid of awsuit, but I don¡¯t have the kind of time to waste with her.¡± She still needed to graduate early, andwsuits really take a lot of energy and get lots of attention. The distraction would seriously impact the progress of her studies. Gu Nianzhi decided to end the battle quickly. Which mentally impaired person had given the idea to Gu Yanran? Who wanted to use aputer program to frame Gu Nianzhi? It¡¯s true that the ignorant are fearless. She would make Gu Yanran know she couldn¡¯t be messed with! Gu Nianzhi immediately called Gu Yanran back.

    The phone rang a few times and Gu Yanran picked up. She said with annoyance in her voice, ¡°What are you calling for? I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s no use in begging for forgiveness.¡±

    ¡°I never thought of begging for forgiveness. Why should I beg if I never did anything?¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly stood up and walked to her room to shut the door. ¡°Gu Yanran, I¡¯ll tell you again that I had nothing to do with your video. I¡¯m going to find the ount and IP that uploaded your video on Weibo right now and you can see for yourself who you need to sue.¡±

    ¡°I already found it, it was your dorm¡¯s IP! And you still dare say it wasn¡¯t you?!¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s voice was extremely sinister. ¡°You ruined me, so I won¡¯t make your life easy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms as she stood in front of the dorm window and sneered. ¡°My dorm¡¯s IP? Gu Yanran, it¡¯d be apliment to call you illiterate. Tell me who gave you that evidence. I¡¯ll find the real IP immediately and p their face with it!¡±

 Chapter 789 - A Summer Insect Cannot Discuss Ice

    <h4>Chapter 789: A Summer Insect Cannot Discuss Ice</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You?! Hahahaha...¡± Gu Yanran looked like she had heard a good joke. Sheughed till she was swaying back and forth and until she started to have tears in her eyes.

    She only held onto the sofa¡¯s handle to stabilize her body after a while. She said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you are too conceited. Even if you are a genius, it¡¯s already reflected in yourw major. Do you want to pretend to be aputer master in front of me? Do you thinkputer skills are like Chinese cabbages? Just because you say you can, do you actually think that you can? Stop being so shameful. You already broke up with Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t count on him to save you. Wait for myint to reach court and see if he would still pay attention to you!¡±

    Gu Yanran knew that a person like Huo Shaoheng who had a military ranking and position resented people with bad reputations that reached the point of awsuit.

    The moment Gu Nianzhi became the used, forget about Huo Shaoheng retreating ny li, but he would certainly not lend a helping hand.

    ¡°A summer insect cannot discuss ice. Your intelligence quotient is defective. You are discriminating against people with normal intelligence quotients. That¡¯s a bad habit.¡± Gu Nianzhi said that in a monotone. The simple words were like throwing fire on a pack of dynamite. They rumbled and exploded in front of Gu Yanran.

    Her facial expression suddenly changed. ¡°Who¡¯s intelligence quotient are you talking about?!¡±

    The sound from the cellphone suddenly pierced her ears. It was no longer the gentle and solemn mezzo-soprano ringtone she was used to. It was clear that it touched her sore spot.

    Gu Nianzhi found that even more funny. Last time, she¡¯d discovered that Gu Yanran resented the topic of her intelligence quotient. Those clever Gu family members had probably upset her with it since she was young and that had caused her to have a shadow in her heart...

    That was why she poked at the shadow in her heart to get twice the result with half the effort.

    ¡°Tell me, who am I talking about? You believe whatever other people tell you and you get into a fit of rage because you are humiliated when I say that you have no brain?¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged her arms around herself. Her voice was even calmer.

    ¡°You think you are the only one that¡¯s smart? The website, Weibo, gave me the evidence. You are telling me to not trust the website, Weibo, and to believe you as you talk irresponsibly about nonsense?¡± Gu Yanran sneered repeatedly. ¡°I won¡¯t let you off the hook this time, Gu Nianzhi. Expect a letter from mywyer!¡±

    It was actually Weibo¡¯s official website that had provided the evidence?

    Immediately, Gu Nianzhi had two reactions. One was that someone had coborated with Weibo and provided false testimony.

    She thought about the level of influence and the scale of the website. By doing that, the losses outweighed the gained. So basically, that possibility could be crossed out.

    Then it could only be the second possibility. And that was, it was the same as Hermes¡¯ official website. Weibo had also been hacked by someone. That was why that Weibo ount that uploaded the video had showed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory¡¯s IP address.

    Concerning the second possibility, Gu Nianzhi had ways to deal with it.

    Gu Nianzhi held the phone further away and waited for Gu Yanran to stop hysterically venting her feelings. Only then did she say, ¡°Just you wait, I will find the real IP and send it to you. Tell the person that¡¯s supporting you clearly that he should be prepared to bring shame and ruin upon himself if he wants to fight with me. Once I make my move, he should wait in front of a crowd and be ready to be exposed. He can never hide behind someone and cause trouble again. Also, if you obstinately persist in going about things the wrong way and still think it was my dormitory¡¯s IP that uploaded your video, then you go ahead and sue me. I will keep youpany.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone after she had finished speaking. She temporarily blocked Gu Yanran¡¯s phone number.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that someone must have made a false testimony to instigate Gu Yanran into suing her. That was why she¡¯d warned them of everything and hoped that the person would have a better brain than Gu Yanran and not just use the money to harm others...

    But she would need aputer if she were to immediately investigate the IP addresses that hade into contact with that Weibo ount.

    Her ownptopputer was verifying the IP addresses that hade in contact with Hermes¡¯ official website. There was no way that it could do other things at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head as she looked at her watch. It was, at that moment, six in the evening. If she moved fast, she could still go to the department store to buy aptopputer.

    Checking the IP address with just a cellphone wouldn¡¯t work. It couldn¡¯t do it fast enough.

    She had decided to go out and buy aputer.

    At that moment, her phone rang again.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that it was He Zhichu calling. She picked up the phone as she was leaving. ¡°Hello, Professor He. What is it?¡± she asked polietely.

    He Zhichu was quiet. He asked, ¡°Nianzhi, where are you?¡±

    ¡°In the dormitory. But I¡¯m heading out right now. If you have something to say, you can just say it.¡± Gu Ninanzhi was working part-time as He Zhichu¡¯s teaching assistant and aide at the same time. Their work was very much rted.

    ¡°Heading out? What do you need to do thiste? I don¡¯t have anything to do right now. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± He Zhichu stood up. He couldn¡¯t be at ease with Gu Nianzhi going out alone at night.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m just going to the department store near the school to buy aputer.¡±

    ¡°...Don¡¯t you already have aptopputer? Is yours broken?¡± He Zhichu grabbed his car keys and also walked out. ¡°I will apany you to buy a new one.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not broken, but one is not enough. Something suddenly came up. That¡¯s why I need to buy one.¡± When Gu Nianzhi said that she was already inside the elevator.

    He Zhichu understood and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case,e to my ce. I have manyputers here and they have many functions. You can do anything you want with them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a ¡°huh¡± sound and hit her forehead. ¡°Oh yeah! Why do I seek from afar what lies close at hand? Okay, Professor He. I will borrow one of yourputers!¡±

    She remembered that He Zhichu¡¯s study actually did have two desktopputers that had very powerful functions that could be used as a kind of first-ss configuration of local areaworkputer servers.

    Using that kind ofputer to check the IP address would probably be much more efficicent.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely happy. She came out of the elevator and quickly walked toward the professor¡¯s building that He Zhichu lived in

    When Gu Nianzhi agreed toe to his ce, He Zhichu didn¡¯t go out. He went to his study and turned on theputers.

    One of the screens was shing. It showed that a person wanted tomunicate with him.

    He Zhichu frowned and closed themunication program. He used his phone and called them back.

    ¡°Ah Chu, your father wanted me to ask you when you¡¯reing back.¡± It was Aunt Qin¡¯s voice. It was mild and soft. Her temperament was very good.

    He Zhichu had never seen a person with a better temperament than Aunt Qin. That was why, at that moment, he had mixed feelings.

    Although his mother¡¯s temperament was usually optimistic and humorous, when she got angry and and lost her temper, it was earthshaking...

    When outsiders saw it, they would always say that his mother¡¯s temper was not as good as Aunt Qin¡¯s. However, in his father¡¯s eyes, his mother was irreceable.

    Even when she was extremely angry, he would always dly endure the hardship.

    He Zhichu hadn¡¯t understand it before. Only at that moment did he understand the meaning behind it.

    He Zhichu¡¯s cool and cold face revealed a little smile. His voice also softened a lot. ¡°If my father misses me, let him call me himself. There¡¯s no need to trouble Aunty Qin.¡±

    ¡°Child, to say this kind of thing to Aunt Qin.¡± Aunt Qinughed gently and softly. ¡°Your father is getting older. He was very ill not too long ago. Don¡¯t you want toe back and help him with his responsibilities? The Hes have a big family and a big business. We only have you as our only son and heir. If you don¡¯t help your father, no one can help.¡±

    He Zhichu yed with the car key in his hand and said faintly, ¡°My father¡¯s health is still very good. I¡¯m not going back and nothing will happen to the He family. Aunt Qin, I have something I need to do. I¡¯m going to hang up.¡± After he finished saying that he walked outside and waited for Gu Nianzhi.

    When Gu Nianzhi came out of the professor building¡¯s elevator, she saw He Zhichu with his hands in his pants¡¯ pockets. He stood in front of his room with a very elegant and smart posture.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were opened wide with confusion. ¡°Professor He, you are leaving? Did Ie at a bad time?¡±

    ¡°I was waiting for you,¡± He Zhichu said in an indifferent manner. ¡°Come in.¡±

    He turned and went inside.

    ¡°I¡¯m not used to Professor He being this nice.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed happily as she followed He Zhichu inside.

    This was He Zhichu¡¯s suite. It was also his ssroom and conference room.

    All the doctoral students and postgraduates he taught went to ss there. Gu Nianzhi even used a little office there.

    He Zhichu took her to his study and pointed at theputer with some of the best functions and said, ¡°Thisputer will satisfy all your needs, no matter what you need to do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had used thatputer once before and knew that it really was out of the ordinary. Itsputing ability was especially powerful. Otherputers really couldn¡¯tpare to it.

    She happily sat down in front of theputer. She used a shdrive to transfer her hackingputer program into theputer.

    She turned theputer on to start it. It¡¯s speed was so fast that it was like lighting!

    If she had used thatputer to check the IP address that had logged into Hermes¡¯ online website on that day. She knew that ten minutes would probably be enough.

    Those thoughts shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, but they were quickly pushed down

    Because the thing was rted to Huo Shaoheng, there was no way that she could do anything about it on somebody else¡¯sputer. She could not do it, even if it was on He Zhichu¡¯sputer.

    However, investigating Gu Yanran¡¯s video on someone else¡¯sputer didn¡¯t matter.

    Anyone¡¯sputer would be fine.

    Gu Nianzhi entered Weibo¡¯s website and found that original Weibo ount that had uploaded Gu Yanran¡¯s video.

    At that moment, the ount showed that it had already been canceled by the user.

    To most people, there was really nothing they could do if the ount was already canceled.

    But to a hacker, actions like canceling an ount not only revealed what one intended to hide, but it was a lot more convenient to work with than an ount that had not been canceled.

    On every single website, canceling does not actually delete one¡¯s ount. The ount is actually moved to an inactive folder outside of the normal safety and security software¡¯s protection range.

    That kind of folder¡¯s safety and security measures were much lower than normal ounts. That was exactly what a hacker would want.

    Gu Nianzhi turned on theputer program that tested passwords. It only took three seconds to figure out the back-end login password for the ount.

    The password was deciphered. It was like entering uninhabitednd to Gu Nianzhi. She quickly transfered all the frozen content from the canceled ount.

    She looked at every line of code. She discovered that someone had actually changed the ount¡¯s IP address.

    At that moment, the ount was indeed disying Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory IP.

    ¡°This is what one calls disying one¡¯s slight skill before an expert.¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered as she started to strip it downyer byyer to verify theputer program.

    She followed the vine to get to the melon. She checked out the IP that the altered ount had used to login.

    On the inte, everything one does leaves traces behind.

    If one wanted to erase the evidence, the perfect way to do so would be to have aplete back-up, just like what Gu Nianzhi had done on Hermes¡¯ official website.

    However, she carefully checked that hacker¡¯s behavior and discovered that he hadn¡¯t thought things through.

    When Gu Nianzhi checked Weibo¡¯s back-up data from the day before, she found out that the ount¡¯s content had not been covered with altered content. The ount was still in the condition it was in before it was canceled.

    The IP address that had uploaded the video was also recorded on it. Gu Nianzhi recognized it the moment she saw it because she was very familiar with the IP address that had uploaded the video. It was one of the IP addresses that 32 Willow Lane possessed.

    32 Willow Lane was the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence.

    She had already guessed that the person who¡¯d uploaded Gu Yanran¡¯s video and the person who¡¯d put Gu Yanran¡¯s little movie on the projector were the same. She¡¯d really guessed it right.

    After a few moments passed, she found the hacked Weibo ount¡¯s altered IP that had uploaded the video and the hacker¡¯s IP.

    However, ording to the database search, it actually showed that it was an invalid IP that no one had ever used before.

 Chapter 790 - Your Target

    <h4>Chapter 790: Your Target</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi frowned as she stared nkly at the two IPs in front of her. One was the original IP from the deleted Weibo ount that had uploaded Gu Yanran¡¯s video. She named it ¡°IP A.¡± IP A was the IP address for No. 32 Willow Hutong, the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. If Gu Nianzhi was correct, the deleted Weibo ount probably belonged to the First Lady, Cai Songyin, as a secondary ount. Or it could be a secondary ount belonging to one of her team members. This was the real IP address that Gu Nianzhi nned to dump on Gu Yanran as evidence. It would prove that her explicit video had been uploaded by someone in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. Gu Yanran would have to leave her alone after that.

    Gu Nianzhi called the other IP address ¡°IP B.¡± IP B was the IP that a certain hacker had used when they¡¯d logged into Weibo. In other words, it was the IP used by the hacker to modify the IP that had uploaded the video. It belonged to the hacker who was trying to frame Gu Nianzhi. But IP B was invalid!

    What was an IP? IP stands for Inte Protocol. In other words, it meant an inte agreement. Every device that could go online, whether it be a phone, tablet, notebook, or PC, each would have their own unique IP. Just like how a phone had a phone number, and residences had addresses, each one was unique. Without an IP address, it would be impossible to go online. Every IP on the inte was issued and managed by a special management organization in the United States. No one could set their own IP address, not even national institutions.

    Because of this, Gu Nianzhi was able to investigate and lock onto the IP. She went into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Operations Forces exclusive IP database to conduct a search. She thought she¡¯d be able to find theputer that was behind all this. By doing so, she would also be able to find the person controlling theputer. But IP B didn¡¯t meet the standards of international IP naming conventions at all. IPs that didn¡¯t meet the standards of international IP naming conventions couldn¡¯t establish normal data exchanges with otherputer systems. In simple terms, no one can speak to someone using anguage that no one else understands. This type of IP shouldn¡¯t be able to establish an inte agreement or have the capability to go online. That¡¯s why it was considered an invalid IP. So how could an invalid IP ess a Weibo ount and hack in through its backdoor to modify its data?

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, perplexed by the situation. Could the enemy have been intelligent enough to use an invalid IP to mask their true IP? Gu Nianzhi considered it thoroughly before trying one more time. Her deft fingers hammered on the keyboard as she typed in the strings of coding, peeling backyer afteryer to find the hidden data behind this invalid IP. Time passed by slowly and she focussed intently on theputer, trying to crack this ¡°invalid IP.¡±

    To Gu Nianzhi, if something didn¡¯t make sense on the surface, it usually meant that there was more information hidden underneath. She didn¡¯t believe in supernatural forces, deities, or mysticism. She only believed in science. She worked hard for a full three hours, coding 6 PM until sometime after 9, but she didn¡¯t even get one step closer to finding the information hidden behind the invalid IP.

    He Zhichu came over several times and saw that she was focussed on coding. He didn¡¯t disturb her. When he came over again, he saw her leaning against the back of theputer chair. Her eyes were closed, one arm draped over them. She pursed her lips in exhaustion. He Zhichu knocked on the door. ¡°Nianzhi, do you want an evening snack?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was starving. She had only eaten a bit of home-cooked food with Ma Qiqi earlier in the evening. Before she¡¯d finished dinner, Gu Yanran had called to interrupt them. ¡°Thank you, Professor He. I want to have some congee and then a bowl of fresh wonton soup.¡± Gu Niazhi suddenly felt even more hungry at the thought of the vor of fresh wonton soup.

    He Zhichu agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll go order the food.¡± He turned around to get his phone and order food. He was different from Huo Shaoheng because he had always been a well-pampered prince. It was obvious that he had been carefully raised during childhood, which meant that he was even more helpless than Gu Nianzhi when it came to cooking and doingundry. On the other hand, Huo Shaoheng had been in the military for many years. Caring for himself presented no challenges to him. He could make delicious food and do housework well. Of course, with his current rank, he had orderlies to take care of those tasks so he didn¡¯t need to do them anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed to herself. Shaking her head, she stood up and stared at the invalid IP in front of her once again. She nned to have an evening snack and then think about it again. For now, she was in a rut.

    Gu Nianzhi came out of the study and went to the bathroom to wash her face. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a ss of warm milk. Before long, the fresh wonton soup and sea cucumber, abalone, and dried scallop congee were delivered. Gu Nianzhi smelled the fragrance of the delicious food and immediately got an appetite. She immediately sat at the dining table.

    He Zhichu brought over a medium-sized white jade soup bowl to serve Gu Nianzhi a bowl of fresh wonton soup. True to its namesake, the essence of fresh wonton soup was in the soup itself. Gu Nianzhi picked up the bowl to take a sip of soup. It was so delicious that all her tastebuds came to life again. The soup was clear and rich. It had simmered for a day and a night using bones, chicken, and dried scallops. Then the bone waste, meat waste, and scum had been removed, leaving only the clearest broth. Added to the broth was a bit of dark purple seaweed, bright green coriander shreds, crisp white onion, and a touch of salt. It was irresistible.

    Gu Nianzhi then had a little wonton. It was a normal wonton made using pork, shrimp, and egg. However, with just one bite, she could tell that the pork and egg must be organic and that the shrimp must be wild-caught, not farmed. The vor was much better than other pork, egg, and shrimp on the market.

    ¡°Professor He, which restaurant did you order this snack from? The ingredients are too impressive, it tastes about the same as the specially provided food Huo Shao and his men eat.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she asked He Zhichu for the restaurant¡¯s name. She nned to go there often from now on.

    A hint of a smile appeared on He Zhichu¡¯s aloof face. ¡°You like this food?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded intently. ¡°It¡¯s very delicious. Can I have another bowl?¡± She wanted nothing more than to eat the entire fresh wonton soup...

    He Zhichu served her a bowl of sea cucumber, abalone, and dried scallop congee. He said, ¡°Eat this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the bowl congee and was speechless. She¡¯d only wanted some congee. Millet would¡¯ve been fine. Why did it need to be this luxurious? She was a bit embarrassed to eat abalone in the middle of the night...

    He Zhichu put the spoon in her bowl. ¡°Eat it. You¡¯ve been using your brain too muchtely and you need some supplementing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. She thought about how she¡¯d had the innate ability to recover the second day after being shot, nevermind merely overworking her brain... ¡°Professor He, you don¡¯t know anything about my power...¡± As Gu Nianzhi grumbled internally, her expression grew strange.

    He Zhichu saw it and raised a brow. His shimmery, sultry eyes were like pools, sparkling with amusement. ¡°...Are you grumbling at me again?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®again?¡¯¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly. ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯ve grumbled at you before.¡±

    ¡°Have you not? Since the day I interviewed you, you¡¯ve grumbled at me.¡± He Zhichu rapped on the dining table. ¡°Hurry up and eat it. This type of seafood congee doesn¡¯t taste good once it cools down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows instantly moved as she began to y coy. ¡°How do you know?!¡±

    He Zhcihu didn¡¯t answer that, but said, ¡°As long as you like to eat it, I¡¯ll have this person cook here for me. You cane over whenever you want to eat it.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is this a helper you hired?¡± Then Gu Niaznhi understood. ¡°You prepared these ingredients on your own?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded and said nonchntly, ¡°I bought an organic farm. All the food was delivered from there, including the pork and the seafood. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re not together with Huo Shaoheng anymore. If he can give you specially provided food, so can I.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only look at He Zhichu. She refused politely, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯lle here from time to time to satisfy my cravings. But you really need to eat properly yourself. I remember seeing you drink red wine, but I¡¯ve never seen you eat.¡±

    He Zhichuughed. ¡°How could that be? Of course I eat. It¡¯s just that... I used to drink a bit more. I was in a bad mood back then.¡± He paused before looking at Gu Nianzhi, his voice softening. ¡°I won¡¯t anymore. My appetite came back.¡± As to why his mood was better, he didn¡¯t say anything, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask. After finishing the evening snack, Gu Nianzhi went back to the study to continue her battle.

    After He Zhichu finished washing up, he saw that Gu Nianzhi was still coding with a frustrated expression on her face. He was very curious and stepped inside to ask, ¡°What problem are you running into? Do you need help?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, then shook her head and said with exasperation, ¡°I did run into a problem, but...¡± She nced at He Zhichu with a smile. He Zhichu probably couldn¡¯t provide that kind of help and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how good He Zhichu¡¯sputer skills were. After all, He Zhichu had often made her turn on theputer for him when she was there.

    He Zhichu knew from her eyes what she was thinking, but didn¡¯t say anything about it. He leaned forward slightly and reached out from behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back. As he draped his hand over her mouse, his gaze fell on the two IPs unearthed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hacker software. He Zhichu didn¡¯t pay too much attention to the one on top belonging to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence. When his gaze fell on the invalid IP, his brows suddenly started twitching and he squeezed the mouse even harder. After some time, he gradually let go.

    Gu Nianzhi moved aside a bit andughed. ¡°Professor He, can you help me?¡±

    He Zhichu removed his hand and straightened his back as his expression quicklyposed itself. His hands were in his trouser pockets as he said to Gu Nianzhi casually, ¡°You think I don¡¯t know anything aboutputers, is that right?¡±

    ¡°No, no.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head with a smile. ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen you disy your ability in this field. Why is it? Don¡¯t you want to show your students your chops?¡±

    ¡°Tell me this first... Why are you checking these two IPs?¡±

    This was not confidential, so Gu Nianzhi told him about how Gu Yanran¡¯s video had uploaded and gone viral on Weibo. Then she exined how Gu Yanran had asked Weibo to provide the information for the ount that had uploaded the video. Weibo¡¯s office had given her Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm IP, and Gu Yanran had threatened to sue Gu Nianzhi based on that.

    ¡°...Professor He, you know that everyone already knows who actually did it that day. But now they¡¯re taking it too far. They even used a hacker to change the IP to frame me. How can I not bite back?¡± Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into fists and said angrily, ¡°Who has the spare time to fight a scandalouswsuit like this? I need to fight her in court to get my family assets back!¡±

    Although He Zhichu understood what was happening, his expression was still a bit awkward. He mused for a moment before telling Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...This IP appears to be invalid, but it could connect to the Inte. Why do you think that is?¡±

    ¡°I think that it was modified. The enemy is more skilled than me. I spent half a day¡¯s effort on this and still haven¡¯t been able to find the true IP behind it.¡± Gu Nianzhi said glumly, ¡°Look, it¡¯s already been three hours. I¡¯ve still no progress.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at the program and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that this IP won¡¯t be trackable by you, so what¡¯s the point of finding it?¡±

    ¡°But they fabricated information to frame me!¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t find them right now. Just like you said, he is more capable than you for now. You can¡¯t choose to attack him directly. Instead, return to your original goal.¡± He Zhichu calmly summed it up to her. ¡°The path is taken step by step. Right now, your target is Gu Yanran, so the person behind her either has to give up or reveal themselves. You can¡¯t be led by the nose, so you should take the initiative in your own hands.¡±

 Chapter 791 - Better At It Than You

    <h4>Chapter 791: Better At It Than You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed as she listened to He Zhichu¡¯s exnation, but her eyes were still staring at that invalid IP address in a spellbound way.

    The method He Zhichu mentioned, at that moment, was indeed the most appropriate and it saved the most time.

    She could not spend too much time on that thing. If she really couldn¡¯t unravel the invalid IP, was she just going to wait for Gu Yanran to take her to court?

    Nevertheless, to her, the invalid IP address was the greatest attraction. It was like a person with OCD who¡¯d seen a book that was crooked and insisted on setting it straight. A top student who liked math would stop eating, drinking, and sleeping to solve a problem at all costs when she suddenly discovered that it couldn¡¯t be answered.

    The logic behind giving up and the desire to solve the problem struggled with each other for a long while. In the end, she hardened her heart, slowly nodded, and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let it go for now.¡±

    But she also secretly promised herself that when the thing with Gu Yanran had been resolved and when she had graduated ahead of time, she would have a great deal of time to solve the problem...

    He Zhichu exhaled. His lower jaw raised as he smiled. ¡°What would you do then? The IP address has already been changed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together in a spirited manner and cunningly said, ¡°I will change it back again...¡±

    To be more precise, she was going to create a man-made system failure to force the website, Weibo, to restore its back-up data from the day before. It would recover the uploaded IP address that had been falsified by the hacker. Furthermore, it would let the canceled ount be an active ount again.

    She would take advantage of this and add a small app to that Weibo ount. It would let that ount automatically disy the IP address it was logged onto and all the ces it had been used.

    She then took a screenshot of the Weibo website¡¯s public page. That way she could send it to Gu Yanran and p her in the face with how wrong she¡¯d been.

    He Zhichu touched her hair and smiled as he said, ¡°You have a lot of crafty ideas. You have done a lot of this kind of thing before, right? Whoever¡¯s in a sniping war with you picked the wrong opponent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt proud of herself as she smiled, but she quickly put a stern expression on her face and said, ¡°...That¡¯s not really true. I couldn¡¯t beat the person who made the invalid IP...¡±

    He Zhichu withdrew his hand. He secretly said to himself, but may you never have to see him again and not know who he is...

    ¡°You¡¯re only 19 years old. In the future, you will have an ample amount of time for yourself. Plus,puter skills change with each passing day. It could be that you will unravel this mystery in the near future.¡± He Zhichu understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s habits and thoughts. He could onlyfort her like that.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and she nodded slowly. ¡°Professor He is right. I will work hard!¡±

    ¡°Yes, make your move,¡± He Zhichu said as he picked up his iPad. He sat on the sofa in the study to keep herpany and nced at the news asionally.

    Gu Nianzhi employed all of her tricks and started to attack Weibo.

    ...

    At 11 in the evening, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s biggest social media website, Weibo, suddenly experienced a technical malfunction.

    Theputer servers from Blue were all suddenly hit with different levels of attacks. Furthermore, the attacks were being conducted perfectly. They were unified like they had all been carried out by one precise ruler.

    Countless people who had a habit of going to sleep only after they had finished scrolling through Weibo found themselves unable to get on. There were wails like ghosts and howls like wolves on every online forum. They expressed that they were at a loss for how to live anymore...

    All of Weibo¡¯s IT Personnel and external assistants were quickly assembled to respond to the first massive global technical malfunction Weibo had ever experienced since itsunch.

    All of Blue¡¯s Weibo technicians used video conferencing to contact each other. They were in a frenzy as they discussed the best means to resolve the problems.

    After hustling for two hours, they realized that if they didn¡¯t take decisive action sometime soon that the whole system would be destroyed. All the past data would be lost.

    ¡°...Let¡¯s reset the hard drive.¡± Weibo¡¯s technical directors from all over the world gritted their teeth as they made the decision over the global technical department¡¯s video conference call. ¡°Thetest back-up data from yesterday was at what time? Start from there.¡±

    ¡°But that would cause all the data from today to be lost.¡± Some of the staff from the technical department did not want to resign themselves to taking this course of action.

    ¡°We need to tackle the big problem and let the small ones go at a time like this. We either lose today¡¯s data or lose all of our data. Which would you pick? Do you even need to think about it?¡± The technical director sprayed saliva on a young technician¡¯s face. ¡°Reset the hard drive!¡±

    At one in the morning, Weibo¡¯s system sent out a notice. It announced that the hard drive had been reset to the system¡¯stest back-up, and that day¡¯s data would bepletely lost. In it, they apologized to numerous Weibo users. Furthermore, they wouldpensate everyone for the loss by giving them three months¡¯ worth of free membership.

    The moment the notice was sent out, the people who were not able to sleep without scrolling through Weibo were finally put at ease.

    They rebooted the whole system and restored the back-up data. Then they started to test it to see if the virus that threatened the entire system had disappeared.

    That process took another two hours.

    Weibo¡¯s technical departments were fully convinced everything had gone back to normal. It was three in the morning when Weibo went back online.

    Many domestic and international agencies were also rmed at Weibo¡¯s global malfunction. One of them was the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Special Operation Forces.

    Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng were both in the central control room. They had practically watched Weibo¡¯s malfunction unfold from beginning to end. Moreover, they had contacted Weibo and wanted to ask them if they needed technical assistance.

    However, they rejected Special Operation Forces¡¯ assistance on the basis of protecting Weibo users¡¯ privacy.

    As a result, Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know that it was all the result of just one young girl¡¯s temporary interest.

    ...

    ¡°Awesome, the IP that logged in has appeared.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she took a screenshot of the Weibo ount that had been canceled. It had reappeared because the data from the day before had been restored. It clearly disyed the true IP address used when the video was uploaded. Moreover, it also showed the address of the site. It was 32 Willow Lane, the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence

    At the same time, the video that Weibo¡¯s system had deleted had reappeared again after restoring the back-up data.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately used the ount with the disguised IP to forward it. Moreover, she sent it to several important figures like the Prime Minister¡¯s official ount.

    She wrote: ¡°...Weibo¡¯s technical malfunction made a lot of evil thingse to the surface. Did you think that you would not be responsible found for your illegal activity because you canceled an ount? Have Prime Minister Tan exin this, please. Why is the IP address uploading this vulgar videoing from your Prime Minister¡¯s IP address? Why did it show the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence as the ce of origin? Why cancel the ount after uploading it? What kind of shameful conspiracy are you trying to conceal?!¡±

    This message immediately made those Weibo users who couldn¡¯t sleep in the middle of the night extremely excited.

    One after another, they went to look at the Weibo that had been canceled the day before but was since recovered. The screenshot of the ount showing both the IP address and the address of the site made them all go crazy. Those who hadn¡¯t had time to download the video quickly downloaded it then.

    That lively Weibo ount was almost like a sumptuous dinner banquet. The forwarded article about the conspiracy quickly became the hottest searched item on the site.

    The news media also immediately responded and covered the Weibo article about the Prime Minister¡¯s vulgar video in their hot news slots.

    The Prime Minister¡¯s Residence¡¯s hotline had not stopped ringing since 3:10 in the morning.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was very satisfied when she struck thest letter on her keyboard. She sent Gu Yanran a screenshot of the real IP address. She stood up and pped her hands as she grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Sessfully aplished! Today¡¯s task has ended in a very satisfactory way!¡±

    He Zhichu continuously smiled as he looked at her. He stood up when he saw that she had finally finished with her task and said, ¡°It¡¯s veryte. How about just resting here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and quickly declined. ¡°No, I will go back to my dormitory. It¡¯s right inside the school. I will be alright.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you there.¡± He Zhichu would not let Gu Nianzhi walk in the dark alone anymore.

    He grabbed his coat and walked out of the professor building with Gu Nianzhi.

    It was dark in B University¡¯s garden. It was the middle of the night and the moon was bright, but there were few stars out. The cold breeze made them cold all over.

    But Gu Nianzhi was so excited that she was hot. Her little snowy-white face was flushed and beautiful. Her eyes were sparkling. She didn¡¯t show a hint of exhaustion from staying up sote.

    He Zhichu slowly walked with her as he listened to her tender and soft voice chattering away. It reminded him of the time they¡¯d spent together years ago. It was as if those days were back again.

    A little smile emerged on his cold face. His sparkling peach blossom eyes were absorbed in looking at Gu Nianzhi. She was the only thing he could see.

    He really wished the road to her dormitory would go on forever.

    But it was only a wish. In reality, they reached Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory pretty quickly.

    He Zhichu straightened Gu Nianzhi¡¯s scarf. ¡°Go to sleep. Tomorrow¡¯s Monday. I¡¯ll give you a leave of absence from your morning ss.

    He Zhichu¡¯s sses were on Monday mornings. Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after sleeping for a few hours. I don¡¯t need to skip ss.¡±

    ¡°Okay then.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t say much. ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and waved at him. ¡°Goodnight, Professor He.¡±

    She turned and entered the elevator. She watched as the elevator door closed slowly. He Zhichu stood there awhile, looking at her. His sparkling peach blossom eyes were deeply sad and pitiful.

    Gu Nianzhi was startled. When she craned her neck to look, He Zhichu had already turned and walked out

    Odd...

    Gu Nianzhi felt apprehensive. She shrugged her shoulders and stopped thinking about that unusual thing about He Zhichu. In any case, there were many unusual things about him. Gu Nianzhi pretended that she hadn¡¯t seen anything.

    When she went back to the dormitory, she entered her room quietly because she was afraid of waking Ma Qiqi up.

    It was already 3:30 in the morning, it would be rude of her to wake someone up at that hour...

    Gu Nianzhi went to the bathroom to wash up as quietly as she could. When she came out, she saw that herptopputer had already had retrieved all the IPs that had logged into Herme¡¯s official website

    She felt very tired. She thought about waiting to look at it the next day, but when she walked over to the desk, she identally nced at it. Just one nce at the results caused her to be unable to move.

    The IP address that theputer screen showed was not some random IP. It was the invalid IP that she found over at He Zhichu¡¯s ce that had also tampered with the Weibo ount!

    ...

    He Zhichu took long strides as he walked back to the professor building. He sat on the sofa in the study and stared into space for a while.

    The invalid IP that Gu Nianzhi had found reyed in his mind. He tried for a long time, but he was still not able to shake away that scary thought.

    In the end, he could not tolerate it anymore. He called his home state and woke up his older male cousin, Qin Zhiyuan. ¡°Older Cousin, help me look up an IP address,¡± he said as he sent the invalid IP to Qin Zhiyuan.

    Qin Zhiyuan, who had been woken up in the middle of the night, wasining and groaning. Still, he did not refuse to help He Zhichu.

    He turned on hisputer and started a fast search. Then he rubbed his eyes as if he had just seen something that was hard to believe. He stared at the information being disyed on theputer. He unwittingly said, ¡°This is impossible!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart sank. ¡°What do you mean? Did you find anything?¡±

    ¡°...This invalid IP. This... IP. How could somebody be using it? Didn¡¯t that person... didn¡¯t they... die seven years ago?!¡± Qin Zhiyuan mumbled as his fingers shook on the keyboard.

 Chapter 792 - What Did You Discover

    <h4>Chapter 792: What Did You Discover</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu slowly leaned back against the sofa, gently tapping his fingers on the armrest. His expression was more exhausted than ever. So, it really was him... Slowly closing his eyes, he recalled the giant explosion and the rising mushroom cloud from seven years ago... Seven years ago. That man¡¯s madness was still vivid in He Zhichu¡¯s memories. The great explosion he¡¯d created, could it have failed to kill him? How could that be? He Zhichu was silent for a long time.

    ¡°Zhichu? Are you still there? How did you know this IP was still being used? That¡¯s so strange.¡± Qin Zhiyuan scratched his head, heart still pounding with fear. ¡°What should we do? If that madman appears again, could he...¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He Zhichi calmly interrupted Qin Zhiyuan. ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t say anything to anyone else yet. I still have to discuss this with my father. I don¡¯t think this is that simple.¡±

    ¡°Okay, whatever Master He says.¡± Qin Zhiyuan yawned. ¡°I¡¯m reassured with you taking care of it. Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°...Thank you.¡± He Zhichu ended the call with Qin Zhiyuan and then called his father. Although it was already past midnight, Senior Mr. He picked up the phone as soon as it rang.

    ¡°Chu?¡± Senior Mr. He was a bit nervous and his voice was unusually frail in the quiet night. It was often a bad thing to get a call from family in the middle of the night, so Senior Mr. He¡¯s heart was tensed up.

    He Zhichu felt something lodged in his chest. He was silent for a moment before saying quietly, ¡°Dad, are you still well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, much better now. How are you? Is your health alright?¡± Senior Mr. He¡¯s voice rxed as he slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard. He straightened the pillow by his side. It was the favorite pillow of his wife, still in their bed after so many years. No one could sleep beside him except for his first wife. He Zhichu knew that although his father hadpleted the formalities of marriage with Auntie Qin, they always slept separately so that he didn¡¯t have to worry about waking someone up when he called at night.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He Zhichu squeezed the phone as he sat on the couch and crossed his legs. Although he appeared very rxed, he was actually feeling very anxious. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you...¡±

    ¡°Say it. It must be urgent if you¡¯re calling sote at night.¡± Mr. He chuckled. He was very happy and grateful that he could help shoulder his son¡¯s burdens.

    He Zhichu hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°Dad, Uncle Gu...¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± Mr. He¡¯s angry shout carried through the phone as he instantly straightened his back against the headboard. Balling his hands into tight fists, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°How on earth is he your uncle?! If it wasn¡¯t for him, would your mother have died so suddenly?! If it wasn¡¯t for him, would Nianzhi have had to leave us at such a young age?! If it wasn¡¯t for him, would you have left home and refused toe back?! He destroyed our family and I won¡¯t forgive him, even after I be a ghost! Don¡¯t mention his name to me again!¡±

    He Zhichu wanted to grimace when he heard this. As expected, Mr. He became furious as soon as Gu Xiangwen was mentioned. This anger had been umting in the twelve years since He Zhichu¡¯s mother had suddenly passed away, growing until the earth-shattering chaos of that day seven years ago... He Zhichu had a headache and rubbed his temples. He drawled, ¡°Dad, Uncle Gu is still Nianzhi¡¯s real father no matter what mistakes he made. Also, he saved me.¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he saved you, do you think I would have any tolerance for him after your mother died?! It¡¯s a shame that he didn¡¯t learn from his mistakes and is now going after Nianzhi!¡± Mr. He was so furious that he suddenly began to cough.

    ¡°Dad, are you okay?¡± He Zhichu stood up with concern. ¡°Calm down, take a deep breath. Right, take a deep breath. Is there water by the bed? Drink some water.¡± He Zhichu guided his father over the phone in order to alleviate his strong fit of coughing. Hearing his father reacting so fiercely, He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to mention the previous topic again in fear of further provoking him.

    However, Mr. He didn¡¯t let it go once he calmed down. He asked sternly, ¡°...Why did you mention that person? Is there a problem?¡±

    He Zhichu knew his father was very keen, so very few people could fool him. He thought about it and managed to say, ¡°...I was only thinking, are we sure he really died seven years ago?¡±

    Mr. He frowned as soon as he heard those words. ¡°What do you mean? What did you discover?¡±

    ¡°...Nothing. I was only thinking that, although he acted strangely and never smiled, he did many unforgivable and unbelievable things. However, his achievements in science were obvious to all, he was so intelligent that nothing could stop him. So why then, seven years ago, did he have to do that? Did he really want to die?¡± He Zhichu tried to speak calmly in order to prevent his father from having more bad associations.

    Mr. He picked up what his son was hinting, so he didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he stated confidently, ¡°Zhichu, I can let you do whatever you want about other things, but not this. I¡¯ll make myself clear today, he was smart to be able to end his life. For Nianzhi¡¯s sake, I let things go when he died. But if he didn¡¯t really die, then I¡¯ll make him die again! I¡¯ll rip his body to shreds and cast the ashes to the wind! I¡¯ll do anything I need to!¡±

    ...

    He Zhichu ended the call and sat quietly in the darkened room. For a long time, he stared nkly out the nearby French window. There were no curtains on the window and he could see the sun beginning to rise outside. The navy sky had cast away its own veil to reveal its alluring colors to the world bit by bit. Navy,ke blue, grey-blue, light blue, moon white, milky white¨C-they all suddenly transformed into a brilliant red glow just as a golden sun that bounded up from the horizon. The ring sunlight suddenly filled the living room. He Zhichu instinctively raised his arms to cover his eyes. The sky was bright, another day hade. ncing at his watch, he saw that sses would start in another two hours. He Zhichu sighed andposed his mind before getting up to wash his face.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up that morning, she was roused by Ma Qiqi¡¯s fierce banging on the door. ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi! Hurry up and look at themotion!¡± Ma Qiqi excitedly shouted through the door.

    Gu Nianzhi yawned, She looked at her watch and saw it was only 7 A.M. Removing her nkets, she draped a nightgown over her body and opened the door to frown at Ma Qiqi. ¡°What is it? Did you win the lottery?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s even more interesting than winning the lottery!¡± Ma Qiqi showed her the phone. ¡°Look at today¡¯s trending news on Weibo! It¡¯s already caused a ruckus!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took one nce at Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone and felt the breath suddenly catch in her throat. She saw that the top-ranking story on Weibo was, ¡°The Senate has dered that the impeachment procedure against Prime Minister Tan Dongbang will begin at 7 AM today.¡± There were also all sorts of headlines in major newspapers, every single one of them had something to do with this news. What on earth was happening?! She had only wanted to find the real IP that uploaded Gu Yanran¡¯s video in order to p Gu Yanran in the face with it! How had it ended up causing Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment?! This world was too unreal!

 Chapter 793 - Letâ€™s Start Over

    <h4>Chapter 793: Let¡¯s Start Over</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi took the cell phone from Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand in one swoop, scrolled down the web page from the Weibo app, and started to read.

    ¡°So it was because Weibo¡¯s system malfunctioned yesterday that it restored the data from the day before?¡± The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth raised slightly. ¡°Aiyo! The Prime Minister¡¯s residence is too careless. They actually turned on their positioning when they used a small ount to do something so shameful.¡±

    That Weibo ount disyed not only the IP address but also showed the location when it uploaded the video. It was 32 Willow Lane, the Prime Minister¡¯s residence!

    ¡°Yup, yup! Heaven¡¯s has a wide mesh, but nothing escapes it! The guilty can never escape! Who told them to vilify and stab someone in the dark!?¡± Although Ma Qiqi looked down on Gu Yanran for everything she had done to Gu Nianzhi, the people at the Prime Minister¡¯s residence uploading Gu Yanran¡¯s little pornographic video online was quite shameless.

    ¡°This affair actually became the hottest topic on Weibo. It sure spread quickly.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she shook her head. ¡°What is that called? A little video dragged down a prime minister? Tsk, tsk. If the impeachment is sessful, will Prime Minister Tan hold the record for the shortest amount of time in office since the beginning of history?¡±

    ¡°Yes, up until now, there was probably no one who served a shorter time than he did. Will there be one who serves an even shorter time? That, we don¡¯t know.¡± Ma Qiqi winked mischievously. Then she looked Gu Nianzhi up and down. ¡°Hey, when did youe back yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Middle of the night. You were already sleeping.¡± Gu Nianzhi returned the cell phone to Ma Qiqi. ¡°Enough. Go wash up quickly and eat breakfast. Today¡¯s Monday. There¡¯s still ss.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded slightly, returned to her room, and washed up. Gu Nianzhi also returned to her own room. She yawned as she went to the bathroom. She wanted to wake herself up by taking a shower, but at that moment, she heard her cell phone ringing.

    ¡°The priest, the temple, the battle, the bow and arrow, who did they belong to? I like that the you in a sea of faces is a scenery that only belongs to me...¡± It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exclusive ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless. She slowly walked over, slid her finger across the screen, and answered the call. She put the phone to her ear and politely said, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Nianzhi, I got the news that Gu Yanran talked to air traffic control demanding an air route. She wants to take her own private airne to get out of the Hua Xia Empire as soon as possible. She wants to return to Barbados. The air traffic control said her request was in too much of a rush and that there were no air routes in the daytime. They could only prepare one for her after ten tonight. What do you want to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Prime Minister Tan being impeached soon and promptly said, ¡°I want to indict her right now, stop her from leaving the country.¡± She wanted to fight over the family property with Gu Yanran. If it didn¡¯t happen in the Hua Xia Empire, then she would need to go to Barbados.

    Gu Nianzhi had citizenship in the Hua Xia Empire, but Gu Yanran had citizenship in Barbados. Gu Nianzhi thought about how far away Barbados was. It would be better if she could sue Gu Yanran in the Hua Xia Empire. After all, the Gu family had so much property, they could be found throughout the world. She didn¡¯t need to make a special trip to Barbados to sue her.

    The important thing was to stand one¡¯s ground first and win thewsuit. Then she could think about executing the problem. Only by giving her a formalint first would she then be able to use a court order to ask Gu Yanran to hand over the Gu family¡¯s property.

    To tell the truth, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how much property the Gu family had at all. She was even wondering if she wanted to hack into Gu Yanran¡¯sputer and see what exactly was happening.

    Huo Shaoheng never made anyments concerning thew. He only nodded. ¡°Fine, then prepare it quickly. You¡¯ll want to ensure that the court summons will be given to her before she gets on the ne or else she will get on the ne for real.¡±

    Up until that moment, Gu Yanran didn¡¯t have any criminal record. They also didn¡¯t have any evidence to prove she hadmitted a crime. That was why they could not restrict her freedom of movement. However, if she was being sued by someone, and the intiff believed she was leaving the country and that it would affect thewsuit, then the court could confiscate Gu Yanran¡¯s passport and not let her leave the country, even if she was a foreigner. One needed to obey thew in the Hua Xia Empire if one were to get involved in legal matters there.

    Gu Nianzhi hung up. She thought that in the end she couldn¡¯t go to Professor He¡¯s ce to attend ss. She gave He Zhichu a call. ¡°Professor He, I have something I need to attend to. I can¡¯t go to ss today. Can I have a leave of absence?¡±

    He Zhichu had just finished eating breakfast. He heard what she said and asked, ¡°What happened? What kind of thing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi told him that Gu Yanran wanted to go back to Barbados, so she had to file aint to stop her.

    He Zhichu immediately agreed. ¡°Ok, prepare theint. Do you want me to take a look at it before it¡¯s submitted?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and graciously declined. ¡°This is a normal case of a property dispute. There¡¯s no need to trouble the great Lawyer He. I can do it myself.¡± It was a habit that Huo Shaoheng had instilled in her. It was that one should always rely on oneself if one could do it. Only when one could not do it could one ask for help.

    He Zhichu also knew that it was only aint. It wouldn¡¯t stump Gu Nianzhi. He said in a rxed tone, ¡°Ok, then. You don¡¯t have toe to ss today. Quickly finish theint and use express delivery to submit it. Clearly indicate that the defendant is going to leave the country soon. Hopefully, the court will hand over the summons immediately and stop her from leaving the country.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Professor He, thank you for your advice.¡± Gu Nianzhi ended the call and started to draw up aint urgently as she sat in front of herptop.

    ...

    At the capital, inside the luxury condominium at Sanhuan, Gu Yanran¡¯s face was pale. She didn¡¯t look at anything inside the condominium. She only prepared a little bag that she carried with her. Inside it were a few cards and a string of keys.

    She held her phone and continuously dialed Ye Xuan¡¯s number. However, she always got the same message: ¡°The person you are calling is unavable.¡±

    Just when she had lost track of how many times she had called him and was about to give up in despair, Ye Xuan finally picked up the phone. He didn¡¯t say a thing, but Gu Yanran knew he was there.

    ¡°Xuan? Go back to Barbados with me. Let¡¯s start over, ok?¡± The moment Gu Yanran realized Ye Xuan had picked up the phone, she cried bitterly. ¡°Xuan, give me another chance. Were all those things you said about loving me all these years fake?!¡±

    Ye Xuan still didn¡¯t say anything, but his breathing became a bit louder. One could hear it clearly through the cell phone.

    ¡°...Xuan, are you ming me? I was forced... Prime Minister Tan is the Prime Minister. Whatever it was that he wanted me to do, how could I turn him down?¡± Gu Yanran remembered the little film from Tan Guiren¡¯s birthday party and felt a bit guilty. Although she and Ye Xuan had always maintained a ¡°rtionship,¡± she also knew that Ye Xuan loved her deeply. That was why he turned a blind eye when she looked for a boyfriend outside of their rtionship. However, now he had seen it with his own eyes. It was even in a public ce with numerous people that he saw it. The force of impact was too great.

    As for her, she had never regarded Ye Xuan as a boyfriend. He wasn¡¯t even considered a spare tire. She never imagined that at that moment, Ye Xuan had already be herst hope. Gu Yanran started to cry harder. ¡°Xuan? Are you listening? I really can¡¯t not have you... I only know that you treated me the best after so many people passed me by and so many things happened. Come back to Barbados with me. We will marry the moment we are back! We will have many kids. Many kids! Didn¡¯t you want to have many kids?¡±

    Ye Xuan was slightly choking on sobs as he remembered those wonderful days he had with Gu Yanran. Perhaps those days that he considered to be ¡°wonderful¡± were all a lie. He was even more unable to ept it. ¡°Gu Yanran, it doesn¡¯t matter if it was seven years ago or just now. You have always been lying to me.¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s voice was very low as he continued, ¡°You think I really don¡¯t have a brain and that I only deserve to be fooled by you?¡±

    ¡°Xuan, what are you going to do? Listen to me!¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s heart jumped into her throat. ¡°Xuan, Gu Nianzhi is also not a good person! Think about it. In the past, why would she talk to you anonymously? She also simply looks down on you!¡±

    ¡°¡®Also looks down?¡¯ Then does that mean you actually look down on me?¡± Ye Xuanughed grimly. ¡°Gu Yanran, it¡¯s best if you stop provoking me. You¡¯ve provoked me ¡¯til I¡¯m irritated. I will go find Gu Nianzhi immediately and reveal everything about you!¡±

 Chapter 794 - Requested to Help

    <h4>Chapter 794: Requested to Help</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Reveal everything to Gu Nianzhi?! Gu Yanran was instantly blinded by rage. This was the sentence she refused the ept the most and also hated the most. All her dissatisfaction and anger over the years, as well as the unspeakable anxiety and fear that she felt after reuniting with Gu Nianzhi, finallypelled her to blurt out, ¡°Go ahead and reveal it! You reveal everything about me, and I¡¯ll rip her mask off to show you who she really is! You think she¡¯s the one who chatted with you anonymously all those years ago?! Stop dreaming! She...!¡±

    Ye Xuan was also incredibly enraged and frustrated, so he kicked one foot and mmed hard onto something. It suddenly made an earth-shattering noise, and this noise was like a powerful bomb going off right in Gu Yanran¡¯s ear. It quickly pulled her back from the very edge of reason. Gu Yanran muffled her mouth with her hand and looked out the window to see the bright blue sky that rivaled the blue hole in the Caribbean Sea. She seemed to suddenly recall something, and an extreme fear shed in her graceful eyes for a moment. Her entire body was wracked with uncontroble shudders, and even her teeth chattered loudly. The phone slid down from her hand to smash onto the ground.

    Gu Yanran slumped on the couch and pressed her hands hard against her face. Desperate, she curled up on the couch. She needed to go back... She needed to go back.. She couldn¡¯t live here anymore... She couldn¡¯t go back to Barbados either, so when she requested a flight n from the air traffic control agency, she had only used Barbados as a cover. As long as she could leave the Hua Xia Empire, where couldn¡¯t she go? Gu Yanran¡¯s heart continuously repeated the words, and she became even more determined. She needed to leave the Hua Xia Empire immediately and find a ce to hide.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi battled it out in her dormitory for an entire morning. At noon, she finally finished writing theint. This was aint about a dispute over family assets, and the contested assets were not only in the Hua Xia Empire but could also be all over the world. This kind of case was even more controversial for a court to ept, so Gu Nianzhi spent a great deal of effort in order to be able to file the case and convince the Hua Xia Imperial Court to ept herint. As soon as she printed theint, she heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone on her phone. Gu Nianzhi answered the call. ¡°Huo Shao, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Did you go file the case with the court yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng had just finished having lunch and went to the immigration agency to check that Gu Yanan¡¯s injunction hadn¡¯t been issued yet, so he knew Gu Nianzhi probably hadn¡¯tpleted her part just yet.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°I just finished writing theint, Boss. What are you in such a rush for?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte.¡± He nced at his watch. ¡°You keep working hard then.¡± He ended the call and drove his car out.

    Gu Nianzhi grumbled to herself and also ended the call. She began packing up things to take with her. At 1pm, Gu Nianzhi went to the Imperial Capital High People¡¯s Court herself to submit her ownint.

    ¡°We have no precedence for epting a case like this.¡± The clerk in charge of reception in the High People¡¯s Court carefully examined Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint and was quite impressed with it. However, it was also true that they¡¯d never epted that type of case. ¡°How about you file the case with the court in Barbados?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi became anxious. If she gave up now and let Gu Yanran leave the Hua Xia Empire, then she was extremely certain that Gu Yanran would hide somewhere and make it extremely difficult to find her ever again. ¡°Sir, can you please discuss this with the judge before making the decision?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more anxious now. ¡°I wrote it very clearly in there and included all applicablews and precedents, as well as international guidelines for handling this type of case. I listed them all. Can¡¯t you reference them?¡±

    The middle-aged man in his forties suddenly felt his face flush. He was feeling very ufortable about having a pubescent little girl question his level of professionalism. His expression also turned icy as he casually scribbled a few words on Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint with his pen. He used bureaucracy as a front. ¡°Where are the precedents? Why haven¡¯t I seen them before? Where did you find all these things that you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°I listed the bibliography in the back. You can verify it.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly flipped to the veryst page of theint. ¡°You can see, it¡¯s right here.¡±

    ¡°Never heard of them. I don¡¯t know if those can be considered references.¡± The clerk was already annoyed and stabbed the pen hard on the desk. ¡°Fine, fine, little girl. Stop causing trouble and wasting my time here. Are you an adult? Don¡¯t mess around. If you really want to file aint, awyer needs to be the one to bring you here!¡± As he spoke, he got ready to crumple Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint into a ball to throw out.

    Gu Nianzhi never thought that dealing with the clerk in court would be even more difficult than arguing with those glib-tongued defendants and intiff¡¯swyers in court! Her anxiety was about to go through the roof, and tears were about to fall from her eyes. A sheet of fog seemed to veil herrge eyes, like cold mist and moonlight cloaking water. She was so beautiful, it pained his heart.

    The clerk also seemed to notice his own terrible attitude and said somewhat guiltily, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. This is the regtion. We all need to work by the book, isn¡¯t that right? You have no charter to follow, so my hands are tied as well. Also, the mary amount involved is so high, and you don¡¯t even have awyer representing you. How can I believe you? Are you an adult? Are you just messing with me? Is that right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought, ¡°Why the hell would I want to mess with you!? Who has the spare time to be messing with you at a moment like this!? You think you¡¯re a monkey sent out to entertain people?!¡± Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into tight fists and pursed her lips. She tried hard to force the tears back into her eyes. Holding her head up high, she inhaled deeply to organize her thoughts and muster her courage. Just as she was about to continue convincing the clerk to file herint with the court, she heard the door to the small room open. Someone walked inside.

    The annoyed clerk standing across from her suddenly stered on a big smile and stood up from his seat. Quickly walking out from behind his desk, he lunged to the door and said with great respect, ¡°President Zhan, why did youe? You can just call if you need something. Whye here yourself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted with contempt when she heard the clerk act sopletely respectful. Turning around, she wanted to see what kind of important figure could cause this clerk to grovel to this extent. She saw a tall, strapping man standing at the door. Although he was already aged with hair dusted white on the sides of his face, his gaze was exceptionally sharp. He nonchntly nodded to the clerk, then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You¡¯re here to file aint?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless. However, she still nodded. ¡°Yes, I am. May I ask who you are?¡±

    ¡°Show me yourint.¡± The man reached his hand out to her, his broad palm syed before her, and gave her an indescribable sense of conviction. This was a man someone could trust with just one nce. Gu Nianzhi immediately took theint and respectfully ced it in his hands.

    The clerk was very ufortable, stammering, ¡°Well, President Zhan, we have no precedence for a case like this, and ording to the subject of those properties, they are not in out nation at all, so ordingly...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, the subject of the properties is not in our nation?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand listening anymore and rudely interrupted the clerk. She said calmly, ¡°The venue for cases of estate feuds is either in ordance with the intiff¡¯s nationality or in ordance with the defendant¡¯s nationality. I¡¯m filing awsuit to reim my family assets, and as a clerk working for the Hua Xia Imperial High People¡¯s Court, how on earth can you spout such inadmissibility? Aren¡¯t you ashamed? Did you consult with your professional ethics? If they still exist, that is.¡±

    ¡°You¨C!¡± The clerk was red-faced from being berated by her, especially with President Zhan present. However, he didn¡¯t dare trouble Gu Nianzhi again since his biggest boss was right in front of him. If he continued to make things difficult for Gu Nianzhi, then he would really be an idiot.

    President Zhan still remained quiet on the sidelines as he read through Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint very quickly. He nodded. ¡°You wrote thisint yourself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She squinted her sparkling eyes with suspicion. ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±

    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t bring awyer. If this was written by awyer, then you wouldn¡¯t need toe here to file it yourself.¡± President Zhan nced at her and saw she was still appearing wary, so he began to chuckle. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s very remarkable to have Lawyer Gu personally write her ownint.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared tongue-tied at President Zhan. ¡°You... You recognize me?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I viewed several cases you participated in, in military court and the German courts. Very fine, indeed. The youth are a force to be reckoned with.¡± President Zhan seemed to have a very good impression of her and agreed quickly. ¡°I will ept thisint and immediately send someone to deliver the subpoena, then select a date for trials.¡± Present Zhan was very busy and had been requested by someone to help. After he came over to help Gu Nianzhi file her case, he went back for a meeting.

    Gu Nianzhi felt like it was all a dream andpleted the remaining procedures with the clerk, who had instantly changed his attitude. She witnessed them send someone out to deliver the subpoena before leaving the High People¡¯s Court in a daze. Standing on the sidewalk, she turned around to look at therge national emblem hanging tall. A thought appeared in her mind, but she didn¡¯t dare confirm it.

    Picking up her phone to unlock it, she wanted to call someone, but after hesitating, she put it back down. Walking a few steps, she looked down to unlock her phone and tap on the letter ¡°A¡± for that person. She wanted to call that person and tried several times, but a thousand weights seemed to be on her finger, preventing her from pressing down. Fine. She sighed to herself and looked down at her phone. Just as she as she was about to put it back in her bag, it suddenly rang.

    ¡°Offerings, alter, bow and arrow of war, whose past did they belong to? I love the image of how you only belong to me amid the crowd...¡± It was Huo Shaheng¡¯s special ringtone. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger had just fumbled on contact ¡°A¡± on her phone... What a coincidence. Just as she was about to call him, he had called her. Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment before unlocking it to answer quietly. A deep and attractiveughter resonated from the phone. Not only was it from the phone, but it seemed to be right by her ear, not too far away. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled as she suddenly turned around to see Huo Shaoheng in uniform. With both hands in his trouser pockets, he casually stood next to the High People¡¯s Court. From her angle, therge national emblem seemed to shine brilliantly above his head. He stood under the majestic national emblem just like that, watching her with a small smile.

 Chapter 795 - Itchy Heart

    <h4>Chapter 795: Itchy Heart</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The intense red ze on the national emblem was wrapped up in the middle of ayer of golden sheaves of wheat. It was like the sun bathing the earth with sunlight from an extremely high ce. It was also like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile. His lips were slightly raised. They only outlined a little smile, and yet it was like the sunlight shining down. His lips had a bit of irresistible allure. Hot breath hit her directly in the face. Gu Nianzhi felt a bit dizzy... She closed her eyes under the heat of the sun. She maintained a still posture as she opened her eyes and watched Huo Shaoheng walk leisurely toward her.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me? Hm?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood firmly in front of her. His voice was deep and sweet-sounding. It was a bit maic, like a warm current that entered the ears and eyes, then went down and made her internal organs all warm. Her insides were all densely packed together as she was struck by his intoxicatingly simple and kind voice. She felt like a roller was slowly grinding her into powder, and when the wind blew, it all went flying.

    Gu Nianzhi held her cell phone tightly in her sweating palm. ¡°So infectious,¡± she thought. It was truly foul y! Gu Nianzhi was a bit indignant. She tried hard to speak calmly. ¡°Huo Shao, thank you for your help. It was you who called President Zhan?¡±

    Everything that Gu Nianzhi had experienced in the court reception room just then came back to her mind. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was standing in front of her with a smile on his face. What else did she not understand? Huo Shaoheng must have given the head of court a call.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately knew what she was thinking upon seeing her confused expression. He turned and looked across the street. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the car. This ce is inconvenient.¡±

    Instead of the Bentley, Gu Nianzhi saw an ordinary-looking Benz SUV parked across the street. ¡°Is there something else?¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated. She didn¡¯t want to get into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to watch the excitement?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned back a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s see how Gu Yanran takes the court summons... then I¡¯ll drive you back to school.¡± He knew Gu Nianzhi had taken a taxi there.

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately interested. ¡°We can really go watch?¡±

    ¡°Follow me.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned and walked across the street.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a second then followed him. The two of them got in the car. Again, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°How did you know I would encounter trouble at the court?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at her as he casually held onto the steering wheel and said, ¡°That¡¯smon sense.¡±

    ¡°You are looking down on me.¡± Gu Nianzhi became frustrated. However, while she knew that she would have been able toe up with ideas that would make the court file the case, it would most certainly not have happened that day if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t acted on her behalf. She would have missed the best opportunity, and Gu Yanran would most certainly have escaped. If she wanted to find her in the future, then it would be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. That was why she was even more confused.

    She was in low spirits for a while. She was genuine and sincere when she said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shot a nce at her. The corner of his mouth raised. ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s something that I should be doing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Her face was a bit red, but she still maintained her calm demeanor as she looked away. She watched as the cityscape flew by outside the car window and said, ¡°Today¡¯s Monday. Don¡¯t you need to work?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but now¡¯s break time.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned the steering wheel, got on the highway, and headed toward Gu Yanran¡¯s condominium. Half an hourter, they arrived at the luxury condominium¡¯s precinct in Sanhuan.

    The court personnel who came to deliver the court summons arrived a bitter. Gu Nianzhi craned her neck as she watched from inside the car. A few property management personnel came out by the gate house and went to confirm whether the court summons was real or fake, then they called Gu Yanran.

    Huo Shaoheng started his car and immediately drove inside. When he was at the gate, he craned his neck and told the court personnel, ¡°If I were you, I would go to that building¡¯s underground parking lot and wait there. You will certainly be able to stand by a stump and wait for the hare to bump into it (1).¡±

    The court personnel couldn¡¯t help but smile and nod and say, ¡°Ok, we will go in a bit.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi along with him as he drove to the precinct¡¯s underground parking lot to wait.

    ...

    At that moment, Gu Yanran was very unhappy in her condominium. She was just thinking of going out when she received the property management personnel¡¯s phone call.

    ¡°What?! Court summons?! It must be a mistake!¡± Gu Yanran roared angrily. ¡°I¡¯m a Barbadian. What is Gu Nianzhi suing me for?!¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, we don¡¯t understand, either. Pleasee out and bring your passport. The court personnel said that considering that the case involves arge sum of money, you won¡¯t be able to leave the country. You must hand over your passport.¡± The property management personnel hung up after she finished speaking because the person didn¡¯t want to face Gu Yanran rebuking them.

    Gu Yanran was so angry that her face was red for a short while before turning white. She hugged herself and walked around the room a few times. She called Ye Xuan again, but nobody picked up the phone.

    Gu Yanran was unwilling to give up. She tried calling him again for several minutes. Only then was she able to confirm that Ye Xuan was really not going to answer her calls. She was in a state of panic, so she simply sent Ye Xuan a text. ¡°Xuan, Gu Nianzhi is suing me. She wants to split the family property with me. They want to seize my passport. Pleasee over and help me! You¡¯re the only one I have left!¡±

    After the text was sent, Gu Yanran just stared at the cell phone unwaveringly as she waited for Ye Xuan to text back. Now it waspletely different from before. Before, it didn¡¯t matter when she texted Ye Xuan, Ye Xuan would text her back within seconds, then he would call her. He had never been indifferent. She waited a full 15 minutes. Ye Xuan¡¯s side was deathly still. He didn¡¯t reply, and he didn¡¯t call.

    However, the property management personnel called again. ¡°Miss Gu, if you don¡¯te down anytime soon, I will need to let them in.¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t have any other choice. She could only say, ¡°I¡¯ll be down right away. Don¡¯t let them in.¡±

    She carried her little purse on her shoulder. She nned on going down and getting her car in the parking lot. Then she would drive away out the back and go straight to the airport. Her private ne was waiting for her there.

    As a result, the moment she arrived at the underground parking lot and got to her car, a few men in dark purplish-blue court uniforms appeared seemingly out of nowhere. They held onto a court summons and delivered it right in front of Gu Yanran. ¡°May I ask if you are Miss Gu Yanran? This is a court summons. Please sign it. Also, your passport has to be turned over in advance.¡±

    Gu Yanran could never have imagined that these people would block her in the underground parking lot. She couldn¡¯t help but gnash her teeth and say, ¡°This is private property. What right do you have to harass me? I can sue you for infringing on my privacy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car and leaned on the window as she watched eagerly. Sheughed so hard that her sides were about to hurt. ¡°What major did Gu Yanran study? I think she didn¡¯t even learn the basics ofw. Has she really been to college?¡±

    Most of the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s college students had learned the basics ofw. Although not everyone could be aw expert, they did havemon knowledge of thew.

    One of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands hung on the steering wheel, while the other hand held onto the hand brake as he moved it. He calmly said, ¡°She attended Saint John College in Ennd. It¡¯s a school that specializes in training British stewards.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She turned her head and was in awe when she asked, ¡°You even know this?¡±

    ¡°Just looked into it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking into Gu Yanran?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was too difficult to look into Gu Xiangwen. That¡¯s why I changed the path and started from Gu Yanran. As a result, I really did find out some interesting things.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything else. He reached toward the little refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. He twisted off the lid and took a sip.

    It was like a hundred ws were scratching her heart. Her heart was very itchy as she listened to him. If it weren¡¯t for the little bit of logic left in her, she would have acted like a monkey and done her utmost to torment Huo Shaoheng by throwing a tantrum. She would go to any extreme to make him talk immediately...

    (1) Idly wait for an opportunity or for something lucky to happen.

 Chapter 796 - Work Required

    <h4>Chapter 796: Work Required</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip as she gave Huo Shaoheng a sidelong nce. It took a great deal of restraint to take her eyes off of him and continue watching Gu Yanran argue with the court official.

    ¡°Miss Gu Yanran, please sign here. Also, due to theplexity of the case and you being a foreigner, we will be recording the entire process of the delivery of the subpoena. Everything you say or do can be used as evidence in court. Please do not make this difficult for us.¡± As the court official spoke, a few men carrying cameras actually appeared.

    Gu Yanran was stunned, and Gu Nianzhi was speechless. They both had an expression that said, ¡°...never would¡¯ve expected this!¡± Gu Yanran was bbergasted and didn¡¯t know how much of her screaming and rudeness from earlier had been recorded. She suddenly felt somewhat guilty and retreated a step as she said sternly, ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re also recording me without permission?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu Yanran, we are not recording you without permission. We exined it clearly to you just now. The recorded information will be archived by the court and not publicized, nor will it be used for any purpose of gains.¡± The court official spoke with great logic and reason, stunning Gu Yanran into silence. ¡°Now, please hand over your passport.¡± The court official stepped forward once. ¡°If you refuse to hand over your passport, then we will have no choice but to take a trip to the courthouse.¡±

    Were they going to detain Gu Yanran instead? Gu Nianzhi was a bit uncertain now. Had such procedures far exceeded the scope of her estate dispute case? Although the court official kept iming it was due to the rge mary sum,¡± that reason would only fool someone who didn¡¯t understandw, like Gu Yanran. Now they were also making recordings and wanting to take her away into detention. That kind of treatment was not proportional to an estate dispute.

    After Gu Yanran ranted some more, her reason finally returned. She took out her phone and raised a brow. ¡°Wait here. I need to call mywyer.¡±

    The court official was thinking just how dull she was for taking all this time to finally remember she needed to call herwyer. Of course, they would never proactively remind the defendant if they didn¡¯t say they wanted to speak with awyer.

    Gu Nianzhi also sighed. ¡°So she finally remembered to get awyer. Hehe, with all the money she has, shouldn¡¯t she have drivers, chefs, security,wyers, and ountants milling around her everyday? Why do I always see her going around alely?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took another sip of water and replied calmly, ¡°She had an extramarital affair with Prime Minister Tan, so it would be awkward for her to take those people around with her. That¡¯s why she hasn¡¯t been seen with them recently.¡± And then she wanted to leave the Hua Xia Empire, so of course she didn¡¯t need those people. All she needed was a pilot.

    ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help swallowing hard. What scandalous news! Although she had guessed Gu Yanran¡¯s sudden arrogant attitude towards her was probably due to gaining powerful support¡ªand that support was probably Prime Minister Tan¡ªGu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have any direct evidence at all. As awyer, she still kept a reserved attitude. After all, the short films and videos yed in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence had been edited, so the man in them was censored and blocked out. There was no way to tell who it was. Even if everyone guessed it was Prime Minister Tan, who would dare start that kind of rumor without any actual evidence? But Huo Shaoheng had actually pointed out that it was Prime Minister Tan without any hesitation, so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but think that he may have direct evidence that could be published to the masses.

    ¡°...Yeah, the short films yed in the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence as well as the viral videos on Weibo were reported to the Senate as proper evidence. The Senate gave our Special Operations Forces special instructions to help recover theplete footage in the original videos and short films.¡± A faint smile appeared on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. ¡°Little Ze spent a great deal of effort recovering that for them.¡± Actually, they also had the original footage, but that couldn¡¯t be officially presented as evidence. As for the evidence that had gone around and been ¡°cleansed,¡± that had more public persuasive power.

    ¡°The recovered video and short films clearly indicate it was Prime Minister Tan. As a result, the Senate officially initialized impeachment procedures.¡± Huo Shaoheng finished speaking and nced at Gu Nianzhi. He suddenly leaned over to whisper in her ear, ¡°Do you want to see theplete video?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Although she really wanted to see it, her heart also felt a bit weird when she recalled how Huo Shaoheng must¡¯ve watched it god knew how many times. She nced at him and began to frown. ¡°Huo Shao, you must¡¯ve viewed it countless times yourself?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and sat back down. ¡°It was what my work required. But watching it once was enough. There wasn¡¯t much aesthetic to it.¡± Also, the Special Operations Forces had them watch this kind of thing countless times during their anti-seduction training. Everyone there was a weathered expert who could keep apletely straight face in the face of these special action films.

    Hehe, and he was talking about aesthetics, too. So was he using an ¡°artistic¡± appreciation psyche to watch the male and female demons wrestle? Gu Nianzhi keenly chose not to reply. She changed the topic and said, ¡°Just because of an extramarital affair, the Senate initialized impeachment procedures? That¡¯s definitely making a mountain out of a molehill.¡± Extramarital affairs meant having a messy personal life, and electing a Prime Minister was not electing a saint. Gu Nianzhi still thought this was a bit wrong.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that she didn¡¯t continue speaking about it, so he stopped teasing her. He paused and masked his expression as he continued, ¡°It wasn¡¯t because of an extramarital affair, but because... the videos and short films indicated that the location of the affair was in the Prime Minister¡¯s office.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°Just how thirsty were these people that they didn¡¯t even try to find a private residence to do it in?¡± Gu Nianzhi truly couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Don¡¯t all government agency departments have surveince? Didn¡¯t they know that?¡±

    ¡°Not all of them have surveince.¡± Huo Shaoheng corrected her. ¡°Only areas with security issues are to be under surveince, and this typically requires permission from upper management departments and the courts.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure about that part, but she believed Huo Shaoheng must know much more about it than she did. ¡°So he is being impeached for malfeasance?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about right¡ªas well as leakage of intelligence. The Senate is currently considering if they want to add that to the charges.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, and her expression changed slightly. ¡°I think they can still add one more charge¡ªmisappropriation of campaign funds and usage of illegally gifted funds to make up for the deficit. I¡¯d also sue Prime Minister Tan and his wife, Cai Songyin, and demand they repay the several hundred millions in US dors that Gu Yanran illegally gifted them.¡± This was all part of the Gu estate, and it had been wasted by Gu Yanran, the money waster.

    Huo Shaoheng recalled the time when the Minister Feng of the Secret Service first mentioned the richest woman of Barbados and felt somewhat emotional. But from looking at how Gu Yanran was even before, she still maintained the same characteristics and kept going around currying favor and scraping together support. In the beginning, she had been seeking Huo Shaoheng. Of course, she didn¡¯t seed. And then she wanted totch onto Gu Nianzhi since she was a couple with Huo Shaoheng and was considered part of the upper echelon. Afterwards, Gu Nianzhi fell into danger and for some reason, Gu Yanran suddenly revealed that Gu Nianzhi was actually an adopted daughter. Finally, Gu Yanran had an extramarital affair with Prime Minister Tan and thought she had gained powerful support, but she never expected the support to fall apart so quickly.

    ¡°From Gu Yanran¡¯s actions and characteristics all these years, we can see she is a poor businesswoman and doesn¡¯t have acumen. Even though Gu Xiangwen had all those patents and stocks, she sold anything she could as long as she could umte cash and didn¡¯t care if keeping those things would have resulted inrger gains in the long run. If she had used any random patents of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s to start businesses with, then she would¡¯ve quickly made hundreds or thousands of times the amount of money. But she actually sold off many of them for cash. Our intelligence official has determined that Gu Yanran¡¯s actions and characteristics do not align with her status and identity, so they rmended we begin by investigating her. We finally learned that she was actually studying at the St. John¡¯s College in Ennd between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. For Gu Xiangwen, the richest man in Barbados, to have his own daughter studying at a school that trains professional butlers¡ªdon¡¯t you find that ironic?¡±

 Chapter 797 - Does Hugging You Make Your Heart Tremble?

    <h4>Chapter 797: Does Hugging You Make Your Heart Tremble?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    This information was too shocking for Gu Nianzhi. Although she thought Gu Yanran was stupid and wasn¡¯t her opponent at all, learning that Gu Yanran didn¡¯t go to college but only studied at a butler¡¯s school for three years far exceeded her expectations. ¡°How could this be? Although her intelligence is not high, could it be so low that she couldn¡¯t even get admitted into college?¡± Gu Nianzhi wrung her fingers in confusion, her pearly white teeth biting her bottom lip as a look of disbelief crossed her face.

    Gu Yanran hadn¡¯t been in the Hua Xia Empire. She was actually in a foreign country. For a foreign student to get into a good university, taking exams was not the only route. All the well-known Ivy League schools proactively recruited students, and all looked at family backgrounds first. Bad grades didn¡¯t matter as long as the minimum requirements were met. Students from rich or powerful families of course had first priority. After that, normal students from regr families but with naturally gifted intelligence and earned high scores would be considered second. Of course, students whose families didn¡¯t have money or power yet didn¡¯t study hard on their own would have no chance with good universities at all. But for Gu Yanran, her father was Gu Xiangwen. That name alone would probably allow her to have free choice in all the famous European and American schools. So how on earth did she be so stubborn and decide to go study at a butler¡¯s school of all ces? Even if it was a butler¡¯s school, this was not something that someone of her status needed to professionally study.

    ¡°This problem is a bitplex.¡± Huo Shaoheng propped his head on his hand, and his fingers tapped randomly on the steering wheel. He looked ahead and said, ¡°Do you still have sses in the afternoon?¡±

    ¡°No. Today my sses were in the morning, and I already called in.¡± Gu Nianzhi was still mulling over Gu Yanran¡¯s situation. She stared wide-eyed at Huo Shaoheng, wanting him to tell her more clues that could be a great help with herwsuit.

    ¡°Ok, we can find a quiet ce to pore over itter.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a smile. ¡°What do you want to have tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°I¡¯m going back to campus for dinner tonight.¡± She sighed after saying that, no longer caring about why Gu Yanran would¡¯ve studied at a butler¡¯s school. Instead, she asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°What did you actually say to President Zhan? There¡¯s no way that such stringent treatment would be used on my case with Gu Yanran.¡± Even if Huo Shaoheng came forward, he could only help with filing the case. As for the court official¡¯s method of handling the case, that hadpletely exceeded the scope of an estate dispute.

    Huo Shaoheng averted his gaze. After looking out the window for a while, he finally said, ¡°Gu Yanran¡¯s case has the possibility of involving national security interests. As a precaution, the court sent out the team with the most stringent procedures to take charge of obtaining evidence for the case.¡±

    ¡°National security interests? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit uncertain now. ¡°It¡¯s only an estate dispute, though.¡±

    ¡°Much of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s estate consists of patents.¡± Huo Shaoheng stated it simply and didn¡¯t say anything more. Gu Nianzhi understood now¡ªthe engine blueprint in her backpack also seemed to belong to Gu Xiangwen.

    ...

    Gu Yanran looked at the uniformed court officials before her and was feeling extremely troubled, recalling how when she was back in Barbados, even the governor¡¯s office there treated her like an esteemed guest. Everyone treated her with great respect, so who would dare treat her like this? As she held the phone, her first reaction was to call Ye Xuan. However, Ye Xuan still refused to take her calls, so she had no choice but to call her ownwyer.

    Her officialwyer should have been Wen Shouyi, but she had quit her job at thergest Americanw firm when she went back to her home town. However, Gu Yanran was still a client of thatw firm¡¯s, even if Wen Shouyi was no longer working there. Gu Yanran also knew that He Zhichu was one of the bosses in thisw firm, and in the very beginning, he could have been considered herwyer. Of course, he was a higher rank than Wen Shouyi. Although He Zhichu had always spoken bluntly to her, she was in big trouble this time around and had no choice but to have thatw firm help her. But when she looked at her watch, she saw that it was currently the middle of the night in the United States, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to get help at this time. She made the executive decision to leave a voicemail in English for thew firm over there, then called He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was a bit perplexed to see Gu Yanran¡¯s number light up on his phone screen, yet he still unlocked it to pick up and asked, ¡°Gu Yanran?¡±

    Gu Yanran appeared like she was seeing her savior and was so aggrieved she nearly burst into tears. ¡°Lawyer He, can youe over here for a bit? I¡¯ve been sued. They want to give me a subpoena and are also not letting me leave the country!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been sued? Sued by who?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s fingers rapped on the desk softly. His expression was aloof, and his calm voice carried no emotion at all.

    Gu Yanran stiffened. She had been sued by Gu Nianzhi, but how could she tell that to He Zhichu? Gu Yanran always had that peculiar bit of difort whenever she faced He Zhichu. He Zhichu waited for a while, then was about to hang up when he didn¡¯t hear Gu Yanran speak. Gu Nianzhi finally answered frantically, ¡°It¡¯s my sister, Gu Nianzhi. You also know that she doesn¡¯t remember what happened in the past, so...¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, so you now know that she¡¯s actually your sister? I warned you a long time ago to not try to take advantage of Nianzhi, and you thought I was joking with you? Gu Yanran, I¡¯ll tell you that this is only the beginning. From the moment you decided to reveal that Gu Nianzhi was adopted, you should¡¯ve been mentally prepared for this.¡± He Zhichu hung up after saying that.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart plummeted hard. Lips quivering for some time, her eyes began to flicker with unease. What did He Zhichu mean by that? Could he possibly know something? That was impossible... Anyone who knew even a bit about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity and information no longer existed in the world.

    Composing herself, Gu Yanran quickly decided to first contact JD Law Offices, thergestw firm in the Imperial Capital. She called them and indicated she wanted to hire Jin Wanyi as herwyer. Jin Wanyi was thewyer she knew the best, and they had cooperated tacitly not too long ago to take advantage of Prime Minister Tan¡¯s wife, Cai Songyin. Gu Yanran was rather familiar with Jin Wanyi¡¯s professional skills. Although she wasn¡¯tparable to He Zhichu, she was still very capable, and the key point was that she was reliable and would not take advantage of her.

    Jin Wanyi received thew firm¡¯s arrangements and heard it was her familiar client, Gu Yanran, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to take her briefcase. She got into her newly purchased BMW X5 to drive towards Gu Yanran¡¯s apartment on the Third Ring Road in the Imperial Capital.

    ...

    Fifteen minutester, Jin Wanyi arrived at the underground parking lot of Gu Yanran¡¯s apartment. After parking her car, she found Gu Yanran¡¯s location and discovered that she was surrounded by a group of men wearing court uniforms. Those people even carried cameras. ¡°Stop! What are you doing?! I¡¯m warning you, the penalty for knowingly breaking thew is even heavier!¡± Jin Wanyi yelled loudly as she walked over. Her high heels clicked sharply against the concrete floor as she strode to Gu Yanran¡¯s side.

    Gu Yanran lunged over toward Jin Wanyi like she was her only hope as soon as she saw her. ¡°Lawyer Jin! They¡¯re not letting me leave and even want me to hand over my passport!¡±

    Jin Wanyi shook her hand. ¡°Miss Gu, please don¡¯t worry.¡± She turned to the group of people wearing court uniforms. ¡°Where are your identification documents? I need to confirm your identities.¡±

    The leader of the officials took out his work identification, then passed the subpoena envelope to Jin Wanyi. ¡°Hello, since you are Miss Gu Yanran¡¯swyer, please ept this subpoena on her behalf. Someone is suing Miss Gu Yanran for embezzling from the Gu estate and wishes to go to court with her to take back the portion of the estate that belongs to her.¡±

    Jin Wanyi raised a brow and said disdainfully, ¡°As far as I know, Gu Xiangwen hasn¡¯t died yet. Who would be eligible to take an estate dispute to court?¡±

    ¡°The intiff, Gu Nianzhi, has made it clear on the indictment. Gu Xiangwen fell into a vegetative state after his airne ident, and a full seven years psed at the middle of this year. This means that legally speaking, he is no longer considered to have full capacity for action and cannot be the legal subject. As a result, the intiff is qualified to seek equal division of the family estate.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to be equally divided just because she says so? What about the will? Did she forget there is still a will?¡± Jin Wanyi lost it as soon as she heard it was Gu Nianzhi. She became very aggressive and was obviously much more professional than Gu Yanran.

    However, Gu Yanran¡¯s brows suddenly twitched unnaturally as soon as she heard the word ¡°will.¡± She pulled the hem of Jin Wanyi¡¯s shirt to interrupt her. ¡°Lawyer Jin, when can I leave?¡±

    Jin Wanyi turned around to nce at her and said with ample confidence, ¡°Don¡¯t fret. You¡¯ll be able to leave right away.¡±

    Gu Yanran sighed with relief. Fumbling with the phone with her hand, she sent another text to Ye Xuan.

    Jin Wanyi was extremely imposing and said to the court officials, ¡°I apologize to you all. My client is a citizen of Barbados, and the Gu estate is also in Barbados. If Gu Nianzhi wants to sue Gu Yanran and divide the estate, then have her file aint in the courts in Barbados. Which courthouse are you from? Just how badly do you need money in order for you to ept a case you don¡¯t even have jurisdiction over?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, so she clearly heard what Jin Wanyi was saying. She couldn¡¯t help but get very angry. How could you ept awsuit for scum like Gu Yanran!? You¡¯re the one needing money badly! Your entire bank ount needs money badly! This woman always lost to her yet refused to repent. Gu Nianzhi truly thought that she should make Jin Wanyi develop ¡°Gu phobia¡± from now on, so she would feel her bones go soft and want to run off as soon as she saw her again... Gu Nianzhi saw red, and she opened the door to get out and yell at Jin Wanyi herself.

    Huo Shaoheng reacted quickly and embraced her from behind. He dragged her back so she sat in hisp, his powerful arms encircling her waist and rendering her immobile.

    ¡°What are you doing? Let me go out there.¡± Gu Nianzhi punched Huo Shaoheng a few times.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go yourself. How can you fight thiswsuit if the court official doesn¡¯t even have this bit of ability?¡± Huo Shaoheng said this quietly in her ear. He was so close that the hot air in his breath made her feel like her neck was being licked by mes.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help shrinking her neck back. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t go, but can you let go of me?¡± Gu Nianzhi began to fiercely pry Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm off in an attempt to get him to loosen his grip. Although his embrace was warm, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want herself to drown in it again.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had no intention of letting go. He looked down. ¡°Does hugging you make your heart tremble? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why does it matter if I let go or not? Ok, keep watching the drama and ignore me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

 Chapter 798 - Come Back with Me

    <h4>Chapter 798: Come Back with Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms were as strong as iron as they tightly encircled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist. How could she forget again? She could onlypete with Huo Shaoheng when it came to intelligence but not strength. If she fought him by force, even ten Gu Nianzhis wouldn¡¯t be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s opponent. Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, no longer struggling. She merely pretended Huo Shaoheng was her chair and didn¡¯t appear like anything was amiss as she focused on watching Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran not too far away.

    ...

    Jin Wanyi finished speaking, crossing her arms and raising her chin slightly to look down at the court official. She appeared very imposing. However, the officials sent out by the Imperial Capital High Court this time truly used the most stringent procedures. They did everything by the book and were also very imposing. ¡°Lawyer Jin, the trials concerning estate disputes are not considered as such.¡± The leader of the officials spoke without mincing his words. ¡°Ten years ago, the main property of the Johnson estate dispute in Ennd was in the United States. However, the charge was made in British courts and also epted. Eight years ago, the main property involved in the Hunras estate dispute in Argentina was mainly based in Australia, but it was also epted by the Argentine courts. White it is true that most estate disputes are epted by the local courts where the defendant and the property are located, that¡¯s not absolute. So regardless if we are referring to precedents or jurisprudence, it ispletely reasonable and legal for Miss Gu Nianzhi to sue Miss Gu Yanran for embezzlement of the Gu estate in the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face flushed a bit. She had just received Gu Yanran¡¯s appointment, so she hadn¡¯t had time to do her research yet and was naturally less prepared than the court officials. Also, the international precedents identified by the court staff were all listed in the bibliography of Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint. They had verified the precedents and entered them into the argument. ¡°Right now, could you and Miss Gu Yanran please sign here, and then Miss Gu Yanran can also hand over her passport.¡± The court official passed the subpoena over to them once again and also took out a receipt for Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi to sign.

    Jin Wanyi nced at the subpoena and nodded. ¡°Fine, this will do for now.¡± She took out a pen and bent over to sign on the subpoena.

    Gu Yanran grew frantic. ¡°Lawyer Jin, how could you sign it?! I didn¡¯t even agree to it yet!¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s pen paused as she turned around to look at Gu Yanran. ¡°You are the defendant, so your permission or objection is not required when you are being sued by others.¡± The court officials couldn¡¯t help bursting out intoughter when they heard this. These words were extremely rude, so Jin Wanyi was basically stabbing a finger at Gu Yanran¡¯s nose and calling her legally ipetent.

    However, Gu Yanran was very indignant. Back when she was in Barbados, whoever wanted to sue her would really have to consider their own status and power... But Gu Yanran was now in the Hua Xia Empire and under someone else¡¯s roof. She had no choice but to bow down. In that moment, Gu Yanran somewhat regretted giving up Barbados anding to settle in the Hua Xia Empire. But there were many inconveniences in Barbados as well. As a woman holding such arge estate, there was indeed no way for her to stay there forever. Gu Yanran sighed but finally signed the subpoena. After signing it, she took out her Barbados passport from her bag to hand over to the court official. Gu Yanran¡¯s expression was unchanged, but she secretly gloated to herself. You think taking my passport will trip me up? I have plenty of passports...

    But before she even finished gloating, the court official had already spoken again. ¡°Also your American passport, French passport, British passport, and Brazilian passport. Please hand all of them over.¡±

    Gu Yanran was shocked speechless. How did these people know that she had so many nationalities?! On her trips between the Hua Xia Empire and Barbados, she had only used her Barbados passport and never any of the other ones! What she didn¡¯t know was that Gu Nianzhi learned of this information from He Zhichu and had written it all on herint. Was this the feeling of having her thoughtspletely read by someone else? Gu Yanran shuddered and couldn¡¯t help looking around. It was like there was an eye quietly staring at her from a dark corner. Her entire body went cold, and her limbs stiffened. Her scalp grew numb as her heart pounded.

    The court official knew the words written on theint were true as soon as they saw Gu Yanran¡¯s expression. They smiled at Gu Yanran and urged her once again. Jin Wanyi was also secretly surprised. She never thought that Gu Yanran would be a multi-national citizen. With so many passports, could she just randomly take one and p someone in the face with it? Gu Yanran and the court officials had a standoff for a moment, but in the end she still unwillingly took out all the passports from her bag. The court officials sorted out all the passports, and after they confirmed everything was correct, they had Gu Yanran sign the receipt for handing over her passports. After thewsuit concluded, she could use the receipt to obtain her passports back from the court. Gu Yanran had finished signing it, so the court officials finally left the apartment¡¯s underground parking lot to return to the courthouse.

    Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t move. They stood beside Gu Yanran¡¯s luxury vehicle as they watched the court officials walk into the elevator. The elevator closed and went up, and Jin Wanyi sighed before turning to look at Gu Yanran. ¡°Miss Gu, what on earth is going on? Why is Gu Nianzhi suddenly filing an estate disputewsuit against you?¡±

    Gu Yanran finally regretted messing with Gu Nianzhi now. But Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t be med for this. How was she supposed to know that Gu Nianzhi would have such a lucky fate... Someone set up an intricate web of traps to take her life in Europe, yet she escaped from it alive and even lookedpletely unscathed... If Gu Yanran hadn¡¯t trusted that person¡¯s ability and thought that she would be able to kill Gu Nianzhi off, how could she have gotten in over her head with gloating and end up saying that Gu Nianzhi was adopted?

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a good ce to talk. Lawyer Jin shoulde upstairs with me.¡± Gu Yanran also walked towards the elevator.

    Jin Wanyi came that day because she was epting thiswsuit. Gu Yanran was her client, so she had to understand the situation properly before she could determine the coping strategy. Jin Wanyi followed Gu Yanran into the elevator.

    ...

    Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi had both left, so it seemed that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were now the only two people left in the entire parking lot. They were sitting together in the driver¡¯s seat of the car. Although Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Mercedes SUV was spacious, it was actually not spacious enough for two people to squish into the driver¡¯s seat. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her temples and said, ¡°Ok, they¡¯ve all left now, so I¡¯ll go, too. Huo Shao, please take me back to campus.¡± She had already said she wanted to leave, so Huo Shaoheng would have to drive and naturally had to let her go.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t let go. He replied calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t want to understand Gu Yanran¡¯s situation? You don¡¯t want to know what she¡¯ll say to Lawyer Jin?¡±

    ¡°I do, but are you going to tell me?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up to nce at Huo Shaoheng briefly. ¡°I typically only think about useless things very quickly, then let them go.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the car ande back with me. First, we¡¯ll go listen to what Gu Yanran has to say to Lawyer Jin.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally loosened his arms, and Gu Nianzhi quickly darted out of his embrace like a wisp of smoke to return to her own front passenger seat. She then quickly opened the door to get out of the car.

    Huo Shaoheng also got out of the car and used the remote to lock the doors. He dragged Gu Nianzhi by the hand towards the elevator.

    ¡°Huo Shao, let¡¯s do this another day. I need to go back today and sort out my thoughts properly. I will be defending myself in thiswsuit and won¡¯t be using anotherwyer,¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously as she stood in front of the elevator doors.

 Chapter 799 - Irresistible

    <h4>Chapter 799: Irresistible</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and stopped in front of the elevator. He looked at the open doors but didn¡¯t speak. Pursing his lips, he stepped inside with an unquestionable posture.

    Exerting a slight force with his arms, he brought an unwilling Gu Nianzhi inside.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I said I want to go back. Didn¡¯t you hear what I said?!¡± Gu Nianzhi reached out to stop the elevator doors, and because there was a sensor in them, they didn¡¯t close.

    ¡°You really want to go back?¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to hold Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as he watched her turn around and walk out of the elevator.

    The two of them stood with one person inside the elevator and the other person outside, with only their intertwined hands between the elevator and outside.

    Huo Shaoheng resumed his typical calm expression. He didn¡¯t let go but didn¡¯t use much pressure. It was like no matter what Gu Nianzhi said or did, nothing could deter him.

    A man with determination, who did what he said and knew what he was doing, possessed an irresistible attraction to women. This attraction also increased exponentially when this man was a soldier.

    He stood just like that in the elevator, looking at her quietly. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help skipping two beats.

    But if she went back to that apartment, she was afraid she would remember all those sweet memories...

    She had already been working hard to resist Huo Shaoheng, and her rationale told her that Huo Shaoheng could no longer give her a sense of security. If she was with him, it would only be a matter of time before she was hurt again.

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng could tell that there was a barely detectable hint of hesitation in Gu Nianzhi. He took the opportunity and pulled hard to drag Gu Nianzhi back inside. With one hand holding her in his embrace, he used the other hand to quickly take out his key card to swipe in the elevator¡¯s card reader.

    The elevator doors mmed shut, and the elevator quickly rose up towards the 18th floor where they had previously lived.

    Gu Nianzhi was nearly suffocated as her head was held tightly against his chest. By the time she struggled out of his arms, she discovered the elevator had already chimed because they had arrived at their destination.

    The elevator doors slowly opened, and the familiar apartment door appeared before them.

    As much as Gu Nianzhi was reluctant to, she had no choice but to be taken out of the elevator by Huo Shaoheng.

    She watched him take out the door¡¯s key card as her heart hammered along.

    Since returning from Germany, she hadn¡¯te back to this ce even once. As sweet as their past was, she had suffered just as much heartbreak.

    However, there was nothing amiss in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression as he calmly opened the door and went inside. He took out house slippers from the shoe cab in the foyer, a pair for himself and a pair for Gu Nianzhi. He set them down before her.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you changing your shoes?¡±

    ¡°Why would I change my shoes? If you have something to say, then say it. I¡¯m leaving once you¡¯re done.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around so that her back was to the living room, and she only looked at the door in front of her.

    Seeing her childish behavior, Huo Shaoheng felt a bit of a headacheing on. He walked over and stood behind her back with both hands in his trouser pockets. Looking down at the ck hair on the top of her head, he also didn¡¯t speak but stood in silence for a while.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while to see that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t speaking. She turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving if you have nothing to say...¡±

    Before she could even finish her sentence, Huo Shaoheng suddenly bowed his head down and used one hand to grab her shoulder and the other hand to hold the ck hair at the back of her head. He controlled her tightly and leaned down to kiss her.

    This time he didn¡¯t treat her gently at all, but forcefully sucked on her lips and used his teeth to nibble on them.

    Her curvy lips were full and lush, so they werefortable to kiss.

    When he bit them, his teeth seemed to nearly sink into a pile of soften cotton, and it made him want to do nothing more than swallow her whole.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were growing numb from the biting. It didn¡¯t hurt, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s teeth seemed to carry their own current. Every time he bit her, a rush of pleasure would shoot up to the top of her head and course through her entire body from head to toe.

    She was bing so soft that her legs nearly couldn¡¯t stand up anymore, so she had no choice but to lean against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body to seek a moment of support.

    As a result, Huo Shaoheng held her even tighter and kissed even harder. His tongue delved into her mouth and pulled out the tip of her tongue. He sucked it between his own lips to carefully savor before slowly nibbling the tip of her tongue in a circle.

    This time it hurt a bit, but it wasn¡¯t unbearable pain. Instead, it made her drift in and out of consciousness.

    Gu Nianzhi was starting to cry from his kissing and weakly beat at his chest. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, let me go... I¡¯m begging you... Let me go...¡± She had grown up with him, so how could he possibly not know what she liked?

    He changed his tactics to tease her again and again, making her unable to resist him.

    Her heart wasn¡¯t made of stone, so how could she bepletely unmoved by his continuous efforts to woo her? But she also understood very clearly that she wasn¡¯t currently ready to get into a rtionship with him...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips and teeth suddenly paused, and the storm-like kisses gradually eased. He did not continue to bite her lips or the tip of her tongue but instead moved his warm lips away from her. The hand that was cradling the back of her neck also released her as he quietly looked down at her.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes, not daring to open them. She hated her own weakness very much.

    ¡°Ok, stop crying.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out tissue from the cab in the foyer to help Gu Nianzhi wipe her tears. He bent down to hug her, then said with a bit of helplessness, ¡°It was only a kiss. Why are you crying?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi would never tell him that her head spun as soon as he kissed her. She was very scared of what kind of humiliating and shameful decision she would make under her unconscious state. Biting her lip, she looked away without saying anything.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head and took her to sit down on the living room couch. He quietly held her in his arms, and neither of them spoke.

    They merely sat there, hugging in the living room. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand patted her back intermittently.

    The afternoon sun spilled through the French windows, bathing the room in warm light. The coziness flowed through the empty living room giving a hint of liveliness to the apartment that had sat empty for many days now.

    The light was a bit too bright, so Gu Nianzhi instinctively turned her head into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace to avoid the sunlight directly shining in.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up when he saw this and walked up to the window to close the blinds.

    He then went to his study to bring out a small, creamy white Bluetooth speaker. He set it on the coffee table in front of the living room couch, then took out his phone, tapping a few times to turn the Bluetooth speakers on.

    Gu Nianzhi curled up on the couch with a slightly awkward expression on her face. She looked at Huo Shaoheng like she wanted to say something, but Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi¡¯s voices suddenly yed from the Bluetooth speakers to dispel the earlier awkwardness.

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly fixated, and she stared intently at the Bluetooth speaker, listening to Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi¡¯s conversation ying from it.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t listen to it, so he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a smoke.¡± Then he opened the French window to go outside and walked to the balcony to light the cigarette in his hand.

    ...

    ¡°Yanran, what on earth is going on? Why is Gu Nianzhi suddenly asking to equally split the family estate with you? Isn¡¯t she an adopted daughter of the Gu family? Why is she shameless enough to ask for money? Your parents must¡¯ve left a will, right?¡± Jin Wanyi both loved and loathed Gu Yanran as a client.

    She was properly the richest heiress, yet made herself seem like a shameful mistress and spoke vaguely to keep many things from her.

    Typically, this type of client was hard to deal with, so all of Jin Wanyi¡¯s colleagues didn¡¯t want to take the case. But Gu Yanran paid generously, so just thewyer fee made Jin Wanyi unable to say no to her.

    Jin Wanyi had been in the profession for ten years and had only been able to use a distant rtive¡¯s help to be able to work as awyer at thergestw firm in the Imperial Capital, JD. She had just recently been promoted to the role of senior.

    All these years, she believed she had good ability but bad luck, so she didn¡¯t encounter good cases and clients like others had.

    Afterwards, she went up against Gu Nianzhi on several cases and although she lost, she won fame from it. She was no longer an unknown, small-timewyer but was now able to open the doors to the upper echelon of society.

    Good clients and cases poured in for her, and her economic situation also improved because of this.

    The red ord she had purchased shortly after entering the profession had now been reced by a BMW X5. She also paid her down payment for a house in the Imperial Capital. Under these circumstances, she needed totch onto clients like Gu Yanran even more tightly.

    Actually, it didn¡¯t even matter if she won or lost, since she would receive handsomepensation either way. But if she won, then she would reach new heights.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s words caused a new wave of heartache for Gu Yanran.

    She used a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eye and said listlessly, ¡°My father used to love Gu Nianzhi a lot and treated her like his own. Maybe that caused the delusions in her head. But the will...¡±

    Gu Yanran hesitated for a second, her voice a bit hoarse. ¡°My father hasn¡¯t passed away yet, so would it will take effect?¡±

    ¡°Your father¡¯s situation is a bitplicated. But in theory, if your parents left a will, Gu Nianzhi cannot bepared to you since she holds the identity of an adopted daughter. In an estate dispute, this can help you quite a lot,¡± Jin Wanyi said in an attempt to subtly point out that the case could be settled outside of court and wouldn¡¯t even have to be taken to court if there was a will.

    Gu Yanran frowned in thought for a while before saying quietly, ¡°But what if there really wasn¡¯t a will?¡±

    ¡°Under those circumstances, it would probably be split evenly.¡± Jin Wanyi spread her palms with some pity. ¡°Without a will, Gu Nianzhi is also a primary heir. Even if she was adopted, she is an officially adopted daughter, legally speaking.¡±

    As soon as she said this, Jin Wanyi had another idea. ¡°Gu Nianzhi is an officially adopted daughter, right? Are there official adoption papers?¡±

    Sometimes, some people might say that they were adopting children but may not have necessarilypleted all the legal procedures.

    A few years ago, an international movie star adopted a pair of twin girls because she didn¡¯t have daughters of her own. Later on, she had her own daughter, so she ¡°transferred¡± the adopted twin daughters.

    Public opinion used her harshly, but legally speaking, she didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Although she had told the public that she ¡°adopted¡± the daughters all those years ago, there were some issues with the legal procedures during the adoption, which led to herter behavior being free of ountability byw.

    If this was the case, then Gu Nianzhi¡¯s desire to pursue the family estate could be extinguished.

    However, Gu Yanran only stiffened. ¡°Official adoption papers?¡±

    ¡°Right, since we are fighting an estate disputewsuit, then everything must be done ording to thew. Gu Nianzhi wants a part of the estate, so she first needs to prove she is a legally adopted daughter and present legal documents to prove her adopted identity before she can even say anything.¡± Jin Wanyi knocked the desk, her words like a heavy hammer that struck hard against Gu Yanran¡¯s heart.

 Chapter 800 - I Have Confidence in Her

    <h4>Chapter 800: I Have Confidence in Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi needs to prove her identity as an adopted daughter?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s mind quickly worked it out. Suddenly, her heart jumped, and she bit her lip as she contemted for a while before probing, ¡°Does that mean if she can¡¯t provide legal documents to prove her identity as an adopted daughter, then she is not eligible to dispute the family estate with me?!¡±

    ¡°Well, of course. Do you have any questions?¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Could it be that Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t have any official legal adoption documents to begin with?!¡±

    Gu Yanran concealed the excitement in her heart and replied dryly, ¡°That I¡¯m not too sure about. When my parents adopted Gu Nianzhi, I wasn¡¯t that old, so I¡¯m not sure about the legal aspects. I¡¯d have to find thewyer who worked with my father all those years ago and see if he knows anything in that regard. However, this is an extremely important matter, and I don¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to be ashamed for the rest of her life. Can Lawyer Jin request that the court close the trial to the public? Otherwise, the media will be hounding us for reports all day, regardless if it¡¯s me or her. It will be very annoying.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Jin Wanyi pped her hands together. The sound was deafening to the heavens and earth. ¡°I was just saying! How could there be such a thing?! How dare an ineligible, fake adopted daughter dispute an estate with the legitimate daughter?! She really doesn¡¯t know her own limits! For humans, the worst thing is to be greedy and covet things that don¡¯t belong to them! Careful to not get struck by lightning from the heavens as punishment!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s smile stiffened for a second, but she quicklyposed herself, and there was a trace of a demure smile on her lips. ¡°Lawyer Jin really knows how to make a joke. Actually, this is an understandable part of human nature. I can see where she¡¯sing from. But regardless if there are legal documents or not, she is my sister after all, and someone that my father and mother treasured all those years ago. I don¡¯t mind giving her a few million US dors. I can just pretend it¡¯s a gift to her to make her life easier from now on.¡±

    Jin Wanyi heard what Gu Yanran was implying¡ªthat she seemed to want to settle with Gu Nianzhi out of court. She couldn¡¯t help patting Gu Yanran¡¯s shoulder emotionally. ¡°Yanran, I didn¡¯t think that you were actually so kind-hearted. You care about this fake sister to this extent, even though she is maliciously disputing the estate with you and doesn¡¯t care about your feelings at all. Fine, you¡¯re my friend for sure now!¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled politely with a cock of her head. ¡°It¡¯s my honor to earn the respect of Lawyer Jin.¡± As she spoke, she stood up to go to the liquor cab and take out a bottle of Bordeaux wine from France. She poured some into crystal sses and toasted Jin Wanyi. ¡°Cheers, I look forward to working with you.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to working with you, too.¡± Jin Wanyi lifted her ss and finished it in one gulp. Then she took out awyer¡¯s contract and read every paragraph to Gu Yanran before asking her to sign it.

    After signing the full authority retainer contract, Gu Yanran wired another 100,000 RMB to Jin Wanyi¡¯sw firm as a deposit and to use as the initial funding for thewsuit.

    ...

    Intermittent sounds of doors opening and closing emanated from the creamy white Bluetooth speakers. Afterwards, there was only silence.

    Gu Nianzhi sat alone on the couch and began to muse.

    After Huo Shaoheng finished his cigarette, he walked back into the apartment to see that the Bluetooth speakers had already gone silent. He sat down to press the stop button and asked, ¡°They finished talking?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. Her expression was much more normal now as she smiled happily. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Jin Wanyi to be quite so formidable this time around. She¡¯s going to knock me down from the very beginning.¡±

    In the face of Jin Wanyi¡¯s increasing fighting power, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel frustrated but was actually excited and giddy. As soon as she focused her energy on her profession, her entire being sparkled with dazzling brilliance.

    Huo Shaoheng supported himself on the couch¡¯s armrest and propped a hand under his chin.

    He leaned on the couch to watch her quietly and buried all his emotions in a bit of surprise that shed across his eyes. ¡°What did she say?¡±

    ¡°First she¡¯ll ask me to prove that I¡¯m an adopted daughter and then fight thewsuit.¡± Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°This is a very good entry point. If I were the one helping Gu Yanran fight thiswsuit, I would also start from this aspect.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened. He straightened his back in the seat. ¡°Yeah, Jin Wanyi is pretty good this time. This is getting interesting. So what are you going to do? There¡¯s no way you can present that sort of thing.¡±

    They all firmly believed that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t adopted, so how could a real daughter present evidence that she was adopted?

    Wasn¡¯t this leading her right into a trap?

    But upon careful thought, this was truly a good way to defeat enemy soldiers without a battle.

    Gu Nianzhi propped her chin up with both hands and leaned forward on the couch. She stared straight at the Bluetooth speakers with the trace of a subtle smile on her face. She nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll naturally consider it...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head with a smile, yet still reminded her, ¡°We still don¡¯t have a way to prove that Gu Xiangwen is a fake right now, so if they insist that you aren¡¯t rted to Gu Xiangwen at all...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brow with disapproval. ¡°At least I have identification documents from the Barbados government to prove that I am Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. At the same time, Gu Yanran also is. If they are only going to get stuck on the adoption documents, then I will make Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran suffer a humiliating defeat.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you are prepared.¡± Huo Shaoheng was very reassured about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s professional abilities. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fret, even in the case they still have other evidence. I¡¯ve already contacted Xie Dezhao. Once he¡¯s here, he can at least prove that you are rted to his daughter, Xie Qingying. His deceased wife, Gu Tian, was allegedly Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological sister.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded hard, her eyes glittering and cheeks rosy.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers trembled, but he still controlled his own desire to touch her. He stood up to ask, ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. Do you want to have dinner here or go back to campus to eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also stood up and pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s more convenient to go back to campus.¡±

    This time, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t force her but took out his car keys. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll drive you.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief as she followed him out of the apartment and headed back to her campus.

    ...

    Because the Imperial Capital High Court gave Huo Shaoheng great respect, and also because the case itself involved a huge mary sum and interests, the court scheduled a particrly early start date for trial.

    The first day of the trial would be in one week on the following Wednesday.

    After Jin Wanyi¡¯s discussion with Gu Yanran, she also requested that the court close the trial to the public on the grounds of protecting her client¡¯s privacy.

    ¡°Nianzhi, do you ept this?¡± Huo Shaoheng especially called Gu Nianzhi and mentioned Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran¡¯s request for a closed tiral.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡± Gu Nianzhi also wore a Bluetooth headset as she typed on herputer and spoke with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, are you specifically calling because of this? Do you want a closed or open trial?¡±

    ¡°Smart girl.¡± Huo Shaohengplimented her with a smile, then said, ¡°After we had our discussion, we also think that a closed trial would be better.¡±

    Since the contested estate belonged to Gu Xiangwen, then everything rted to Gu Xiangwen would also be exposed¡ªespecially his patents and inventions.

    If the trial wasn¡¯t closed, then they would not be the only ones to learn about these things, but the enemies who lurked in the darkness would as well. Also, Gu Xiangwen had lived in seclusion since his sister Gu Tian died many years ago, so it was enough to show that when it came to his situation, it was best to keep things confidential.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what Huo Shaoheng meant, so she nodded. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll express to the court that I agree to a closed trial.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted before setting down the phone and beginning to conduct background checks on the people from the courthouse who would be participating in the trial. Their enemies not only existed externally, but internally as well.

    ...

    The Wednesday one week after that was the first day of the trial for the estate dispute between Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran.

    Because the request for a closed trial was made very early on, the case was basically confidential to everyone except for relevant personnel.

    Some senior media executives knew about it, but because the Special Operations Forces and Secret Service had already greeted them politely regarding the matter, they would not take the risk in order to create big headlines.

    On this day, Gu Nianzhi wore a proper ck professional suit to the courthouse.

    She came with He Zhichu, who sat in the family section on the intiff¡¯s side.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯te, but he used a direct stream to watch the entire trial. It was filmed by special equipment used by personnel sent out to the courts by the Special Operations Forces.

    Aside from Huo Shaoheng, there was also General Ji and Speaker Long, as well as the members of the Standing Committee of the Supreme Military Council inside the conference room of the Special Operations Forces building.

    When the judge announced that court was in session, Gu Nianzhi calmly gave a simple description of her own requests: as the daughter of the Gu family, she had the right to obtain a portion of the Gu estate, unless there was a will to prove there was another estate distribution n.

    Jin Wanyi got excited listening to her. This time, she would wipe away all her previous humiliation and make sure Gu Nianzhi was defeated at her hands!

    Jin Wanyi thought about this excitedly, so her voice trembled slightly when she stood up to state her own requests. ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request is both bold and shameless. May I ask how an adopted daughter is eligible to dispute the family estate with the Gu family¡¯s biological daughter? Also, can you present legal proof to prove your identity as the Gu family¡¯s adopted daughter?

    ¡°Your Honor, if Miss Gu Nianzhi is unable to present proof that she is the Gu family¡¯s adopted daughter, then I request that the court dere this case invalid since she doesn¡¯t have any eligibility to make any requests for the Gu estate in the first ce!¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s words echoed throughout the courtroom, and all the people on Gu Yanran¡¯s side smiled suggestively. Everyone looked at Gu Nianzhi with pity, like she was a little clown who didn¡¯t understand her own limitations.

    The military elite watching the trial inside the Special Operations Forces conference room were beginning to have dark expressions on their faces.

    If Gu Nianzhi lost thiswsuit, then Gu Yanran would be sure to ask to take Gu Xiangwen away. They would no longer have a reason to make Gu Xiangwen stay, and the n that had been in the works for so long would see all previous efforts wasted.

    General Ji gave Huo Shaoheng a worried nce. However, Huo Shaoheng continued to calmly look at the big screen and appeared like he was very confident in Gu Nianzhi. General Ji felt a bit more reassured and resumed watching the trial.

    On the big screen, Gu Nianzhi stood up. Her fair face was as luminous as jade as she smiled and looked towards Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, my estate disputeint never indicated that I am disputing the estate as an adopted daughter. May I ask your reason for saying that I am the adopted daughter of the Gu family?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was speechless. Then sheughed and looked around at everyone inside the courtroom. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Everyone already knows this. Gu Nianzhi, why do you refuse to face reality?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly and shook her head as she replied calmly, ¡°That¡¯s a shame, Lawyer Jin. We are discussing this problem in court, and everything we say or do must be ording to thew. I am disputing the Gu estate. I am making this request for the Gu estate ording to the identification document from the Barbados government which proves I am Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. But now Lawyer Jin is suggesting that I am an adopted daughter of the Gu family, and ording to the principle of burden of proof, please prove that I¡¯m adopted!¡±

 Chapter 801 - The Ignorant Are Fearless

    <h4>Chapter 801: The Ignorant Are Fearless</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi said this, the courtroom plunged into silence.

    All eyes were turned towards the defendant¡¯swyer, Jin Wanyi.

    Jin Wanyi only heard a buzz in her brain.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were like a bucket of ice water that instantly poured over her and froze her heart.

    Her burning scalp finally cooled down, and Jin Wanyi shot Gu Nianzhi a conflicted look, unable to muster words in the moment.

    The judge waited for a while before saying expressionlessly, ¡°Defendant¡¯swyer, can you tell me if you can present legal evidence that the intiff, Gu Nianzhi, is the Gu¡¯s adopted daughter? If you have this, please present it to the court. The court will verify its authenticity and make a judgement if this case is valid or invalid.¡±

    Jin Wanyi thought to herself that this document had to be presented by Gu Yanran, but she couldn¡¯t tell the court that for now.

    She thought about and said, ¡°Because the intiff was adopted in Barbados, it will take some time to obtain adoption documents from there. We ask the court to allow a certain amount of time and reschedule the trial.¡±

    ¡°intiff, what do you think?¡± The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi again.

    Gu Nianzhi recognized this judge. He was President Zhan of the Imperial Capital High Court.

    She nodded. ¡°I have no objection but hope that the other party can offer a reasonable time limit. If they cannot present evidence within this time limit, I ask the court to proceed in ordance with myint.¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter if she was an adopted or biological daughter, anyway. As long as it was a legally recognized rtionship, she would have the same rights and obligations.

    Jin Wanyi grumbled to herself again. She didn¡¯t think Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts would be so watertight that she wasn¡¯t even going to let them drag things out...

    The judge nodded in agreement and said to Jin Wanyi, ¡°Defendant¡¯swyer, please submit a written request for an extension of the trial. Please clearly write the reasons for the extension, as well as the length of the extension requested. The court will consider this and give writtenments to both parties.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Honor.¡± At this point, Jin Wanyi had to agree, even though she didn¡¯t want to.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face was a bit pale, but she still forced herself to stand up calmly and follow Jin Wanyi outside.

    He Zhichu was sitting on the side of the aisle.

    Gu Yanran stopped in her tracks when she walked past him, but He Zhichu looked in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction like he didn¡¯t even know Gu Yanran at all. Hepletely ignored her.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s lips wavered a little bit, and almost blurted out a sentence before she finally grit her teeth and stopped herself. She didn¡¯t say anything and walked out with her head held high. He Zhichu¡¯s sultry, shimmery eyes flickered slightly as he slowly stood up from his seat.

    Gu Nianzhi walked towards him with a smile and said with renewed energy, ¡°Professor He, how was my performance today?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad. Keep working hard.¡± He Zhichu patted her shoulder, and they walked out together through the doors of the No. 1 Courtroom in the High People¡¯s Court.

    On the way, He Zhichu asked her leisurely, ¡°You¡¯re not worried that Gu Yanran¡¯s side will directly prove that you¡¯re not even an adopted daughter at all?¡±

    ¡°What do I have to worry about?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms and smiled like a little fox. ¡°The more they say, the more errors they¡¯ll make. I actually want to see how Gu Yanran will smooth out this lie.¡±

    Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi originally thought that Gu Nianzhi would be unable to present legal evidence to prove she was an adopted daughter, so her estate dispute case would be invalidated.

    But the current situation was that Gu Nianzhi had tossed the responsibility of proving she was adopted back to them, so the tables hadpletely turned.

    As far as the adoption evidence went, Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran only had two choices now.

    They could either present a fake document to prove she was actually an adopted daughter, and in that case, Gu Nianzhi still had the same right as Gu Yanran to inherit the Gu estate, even if the document was fake. Adopted daughters and biological daughters had the same inheritance rights, unless there was a will.

    The second possibility was that they wouldn¡¯t be able to present any adoption documents. In that case, things could only proceed in ordance with how Gu Nianzhi wrote herint. ording to her identity on the Barbados government¡¯s documents, as Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, she still had the same right as Gu Yanran to inherit the Gu estate.

    So regardless of what they did, Gu Nianzhi was certain the estate dispute would go forward. Jin Wanyi¡¯s attempt to make the court dere herint invalid was impossible.

    ¡°Smart.¡± He Zhichu praised, then drove to campus. ¡°Today¡¯s court session was pretty good. Come to my ce for lunch. My organic farm made another delivery of pork, as well as some free-range chicken.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the delicious food she had at He Zhichu¡¯sst time, so she nodded. ¡°Ok, may I invite Qiqi? She¡¯s also a foodie and will be sure to like your food a lot.¡±

    He Zhichu agreed and let her call Ma Qiqi.

    The girls giggled on the phone and chatted a bit, then Ma Qiqi immediately agreed to go have food at He Zhichu¡¯s ce.

    After setting down the phone, Gu Nianzhi thought about a possibility, and her expression became slightly stern. She said, ¡°There¡¯s one possibility that Gu Yanran will simply throw Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA evidence out there. That can indirectly prove I am an adopted daughter, and then they can make a fake will. I wouldn¡¯t have any hope at all.¡±

    During awsuit, all sorts of circumstances had to be considered in order to be invincible in court.

    However, He Zhichuughed when he heard this. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very curious. Turning to look at He Zhichu, she said, ¡°But I think that is the only thing she can rely on...¡±

    ¡°That is also her biggest w.¡± He Zhichu drove onto campus as he chatted. ¡°If she dares to throw this evidence out, then the consequences will be so serious, she won¡¯t be able to bear it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat back down and thought about it for a while before smiling. ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t speak so firmly. The so-called consequences are only considered by smart people. With Gu Yanran¡¯s intelligence, what if she can¡¯t even think of what the serious consequences would be? The ignorant are fearless, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    He Zhichu stiffened. He discovered that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were quite justified, so he actually had noeback for them.

    ¡°So I¡¯d better be fully prepared,¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured to herself. Closing her eyes, she began to figure out all sorts of reactions the other party could have and how she would cope.

    ...

    After Ma Qiqi ended her call with Gu Nianzhi, she began to pack in preparation for getting a free lunch at He Zhichu¡¯s professor¡¯s building. At this time, Yin Shixiong called. ¡°Qiqi, what are you doing?¡±

    Ma Qiqi was very happy to hear Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice. ¡°Brother Xiong! Long time, no see! What are you busy withtely?¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked around at the pigsty he had neatly cleaned, as well as the several fully-fed, fat pigs. He smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m busy with work, of course... What about you? What are you doingtely? Are you free on the weekend?¡±

    Ma Qiqi held her phone with one hand and used the other to pick up her purse. ¡°I was just about to go have lunch with Nianzhi at Professor He¡¯s. Professor He has an organic farm, and I heard that they delivered organic pork to him today. It¡¯s supposed to be very delicious!¡±

    As soon as he heard the word ¡°pork,¡± Yin Shixiong seemed to smell something foul. He turned around to look at the pigsty with a shake of his head. ¡°Ok, Qiqi. I¡¯m going back to work now and will talk to youter.¡± He hung up and began to desperately clean up the once again dirty pigsty.

    When Zhao Liangze came to find him, he nearly copsed from the wretched stench. ¡°Big Xiong, oh Big Xiong. You¡¯re truly the tiger who fell to ground level and got bullied by pigs!¡± Zhao Liangze nearly fell down from hisughter.

    Yin Shixiong turned around to see it was Zhao Liangze. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he threw down the tools in his hand to lunge over. ¡°Little Ze! Did Huo Shao ask you toe find me?! Can I go back now?!¡±

    ¡°Go, go, go! Go to the side! You stink! Go back and wash yourself a few times, and don¡¯t go see Huo Shao until the stench is gone!¡± Zhao Liangze ryed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s order. ¡°The military elite are all in the conference room. There are important instructions to be conveyed today.¡±

 Chapter 802 - You Are Both My Own Flesh

    <h4>Chapter 802: You Are Both My Own Flesh</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu to his professor¡¯s building. Before Ma Qiqi arrived, He Zhichu took the opportunity to say to Gu Nianzhi with a conflicted look, ¡°Nianzhi, do you really want to have parents?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. How could he say that? Who wouldn¡¯t want to have parents?!

    She sat down on the couch in the living room inside He Zhichu¡¯s suite. Hugging a panda pillow, she sniffled her exquisite little nose and drawled, ¡°Professor He, I wasn¡¯t born out of a crack in a rock. How could I not want to have my own parents?¡±

    ¡°I remember that you never wanted to find your own parents before. Huo Shaoheng had also said that you don¡¯t even have a concept of the word, ¡®parents.¡¯¡± He Zhichu sat on the couch across from her and leaned forward to study her intently. It was like he was contemting what incident had changed her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze began to unfocus when she heard this.

    When did she suddenly want to find her own parents so badly? Was it after she returned from Germany?

    Her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng had entered a dead end¡ªor she could say that she discovered she had put too much hope in Huo Shaoheng, and the foundation beneath her feet finally copsed. She could no longer find the previous sense of security, so she turned to the sense of security that parents naturally give to their children.

    Although she didn¡¯t have a specific impression of what her own parents were like, she could still experience that deep sense of parental love from the pink diamond crown that Gu Xiangwen had gifted to Nianzhi for her first birthday gift.

    ¡°Well, people can change.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to analyze her emotional journey with He Zhichu, so she deftly changed the topic. ¡°Professor He, I was just thinking that if Gu Yanran insists on bringing up the evidence of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA not matching with mine, then I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯d better find someone or something that is rted to the real Gu Xiangwen. Also, I think that I still need to personally investigate the ind in the Indian Ocean where the ne crashed urred.¡±

    ¡°You can investigate thatter.¡± He Zhichu shook his head with disapproval. ¡°I think what you need to do now is to first investigate exactly how many assets Gu Xiangwen possesses. That¡¯s the key point to your estate disputewsuit. If you are only going to investigate Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts, then why are you fighting this estate dispute?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and quickly said, ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Professor He. I understand now and nearly led myself astray.¡±

    The original intent behind her estate dispute was to make Gu Yanran lose everything. That way she could cut off Gu Yanran¡¯s hands that poked around everywhere madly, stopping her from investigating the truth.

    There were priorities with everything and for now, making Gu Yanran lose everything and leave without any property was of the utmost importance.

    Once she reduced Gu Yanran to her true state, she would then have more clues, resources, and the freedom to investigate Gu Xiangwen as well as the whereabouts of the mother that Gu Yanran rarely mentioned.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong thoroughly washed himself several times before going to the Special Operations Forces conference building to meet Huo Shaoheng.

    He kept thinking that he hadn¡¯t washed himself enough, and there was still a persisting smell from the pigsty in his nose. Although Zhao Liangze already swore that he couldn¡¯t smell anything at all, Yin Shixiong still didn¡¯t believe it.

    Finally, he vigorously sprayed some men¡¯s cologne on his body before finally opening the conference room doors.

    Inside the empty conference room, it was as chilly as departed guests and cold tea.

    The military elite had left just now, but the big screen was still repeatedly ying footage from the trial. Huo Shaoheng sat in the conference room alone and held a remote in his hand, nearly repeating each scene frame by frame.

    In the beginning, he focused more on Gu Nianzhi. Later on, not a single person¡¯s expression or actions could escape his continuous reys. Finally, all the movements Gu Yanran made when she walked past He Zhichu became the footage Huo Shaoheng reyed the most.

    When Yin Shixiong walked in, he immediately saw Gu Yanran¡¯s footage continuously fast forwarded, paused, rewound, fast forwarded, paused, and rewound on the big screen. However, He Zhichu did not move at all or even blink.

    He sat ramrod straight in the seat and looked ahead with an aloof and cool expression. His gaze was only focused on Gu Nianzhi.

    Yin Shixiong nervously walked over and began by giving Huo Shaoheng a formal salute. ¡°Reporting to Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Yin is returning for duty!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at him but merely raised a hand to wave. ¡°Sit.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly sat down on the chair diagonally behind Huo Shaoheng. He said with enthusiasm, ¡°Chief, what you are watching? Little Ze said that the military elite were in a meeting, and that there were important instructions...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still didn¡¯t look back but used a hand to hold the remote and continuously press fast forward, pause, rewind, and y. He stared intently at the big screen as he replied nonchntly, ¡°This is footage from Nianzhi and Gu Yanran¡¯s estate dispute trial. The Military Standing Committee just left. You came toote.¡±

    Yin Shixiong lowered his head guiltily and sniffed himself. ¡°I was just showing, so I was dyed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could smell the faint fragranceing from Yin Shixiong¡¯s direction. The corners of his lips twitched as he used the remote in his hand to point at the big screen. ¡°Do you notice anything?¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve reyed it so many times, even a blind person could notice it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what did you notice?¡±

    ¡°Gu Yanran seemed to have something to tell He Zhichu, but He Zhichu ignored her, so she forced the words down her throat. Look at her throat. She was swallowing so obviously. Also, her hands were shaking the entire time, and afterwards she even balled them into fists.¡± Yin Shixiong was an expert when it came to reading bodynguage, so he was able to observe things that even Huo Shaoheng had missed¡ªfor example, the subtle swallowing movement in Gu Yanran¡¯s throat.

    This action was very subtle and not as ¡°obvious¡± as Yin Shixiong stated.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries all had their own irreceable skills. He nodded with approval. ¡°That makes sense, so it was right for me to call you back from the pigsty.¡±

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng mentioned ¡°pigsty,¡± Yin Shixiong immediately stood up with a red face and his entire body in a ramrod straight military posture. ¡°Reporting to Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Yin has returned from kitchen duties! The report shall be written right away! End of report!¡±

    Thest time Huo Shaoheng asked him to ¡°represent the troops and work at the ground level¡± and thrown him to kitchen duties to feed pigs, he had really tortured the life out of Yin Shixiong.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted before replying calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t get emotional about it. It was for your own good.¡±

    ¡°Reporting to Chief, I am not emotional about it!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly expressed his determination. This was not the time to have a fit about it, nor did he even have any anger right now. As soon as he recalled the several fat pigs and their pigsty, he didn¡¯t have any anger at all...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms were propped up on the conference table. One hand was balled into a fist, and the back of the other hand supported his chin as he watched the trial footage. He said slowly, ¡°This case decides whether Gu Xiangwen stays or goes, so it is very important to us.¡±

    Yin Shixiong finally understood now. He dragged the chair to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side and craned his neck to peer at several of the documents on the table. He said in a confused and quiet voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t we discover that there is a problem with this ¡®Gu Xiangwen?¡¯¡±

    The personnel in the intelligence department of their Special Operations Forces weren¡¯t fools. From Gu Yanran¡¯s actions and behavior, they were able to analyze that there may be something fishy about her ¡°heiress¡± status. It was also because of this that they began to suspect the identity of ¡°Gu Xiangwen,¡± whose DNA matched hers.

    ¡°For now, it¡¯s no longer important if there is a problem with this ¡®Gu Xiangwen.¡¯ The important thing is the exact amount of his assets, as well as how they are distributed.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice grew icy. He watched the continuously reying trial footage on the big screen in silence, fingers gently rapping the desk. There wasn¡¯t much change in his expression. ¡°But we can¡¯t give up investigating Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts. The Military Standing Committee has instructed us to make every effort to investigate the whereabouts of the real Gu Xiangwen. We don¡¯t have to expose this counterfeit right now. It will also be a good thing to keep him here as a red herring to attract foreign attention.¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought about it and understood, so he said quietly, ¡°So do we have any clues?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak again, but only set the remote down on the conference desk.

    Yin Shixiong scratched his head and made small talk. ¡°When I wasing over earlier, I called Qiqi, and she was very happy. She said that she was having lunch with Nianzhi at Professor He¡¯s.¡± As he spoke, he studied Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression.

    Huo Shaoheng finally turned around to nce at him. ¡°So you didn¡¯t forget to call Qiqi even while you were feeding the pigs? Do you want to feed them for a few more days?¡±

    ¡°Chief, please don¡¯t use me falsely! Wasn¡¯t I only thinking about you?!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly stood up. ¡°Nianzhi the little princess is truly very angry this time. Has Chief not yet been able to coax her?¡±

    There was a trace of deep contemtion shing in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes when he recalled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude. ¡°Yeah, leave her for now. She can do whatever she wants. I¡¯m busy with worktely. I don¡¯t have time.¡±

    ¡°Oh?! But that¡¯s unlike you. Are you going to give up just like that?!¡± Yin Shixiong grew emotional. ¡°You can¡¯t be like this! If Nianzhi were to find out, how sad would she be!?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up to nce at him and spoke with a confident tone, ¡°You care about Nianzhi a lot.¡±

    ¡°Not as much as you!¡± Yin Shixiong waved frantically.

    ¡°How about you go coax her?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned back to look at the big screen.

    ¡°That¡¯s not as good as you coaxing her!¡± Yin Shixiong nearly bowed down to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Chief, please let me off the hook! I didn¡¯t mean anything else by that, I only want to see both you and Nianzhi happy! You are both my own flesh!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and the corners of his lips began to lift from Yin Shixiong¡¯s teasing words. He raised a leg to kick him. ¡°Who is your own flesh? Have some propriety!¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong secretly wiped his sweat and thought to himself that he wanted to tell Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, Brother Xiong can only help you up to a point... If you keep throwing tantrums, the Chief will give up and throw you away! Be careful.¡±

    After all, what kind of person was Huo Shaoheng, anyway? In all these years, they had only seen him coax one person, and that was Gu Nianzhi...

    Unfortunately, the young girl didn¡¯t know the fortune she enjoyed.

    Just as Yin Shixiong was sighing to himself, he heard Huo Shaoheng say with an aloof face, ¡°I¡¯ve done all that I should. Fool¡¯s haste is no speed. It¡¯s time for her to reflect properly.¡±

    Yin Shixiong shuddered from his words. How harsh! He hadn¡¯t yet thought of how to persuade Huo Shaoheng to not be as shortsighted as a young girl, but he already could see Huo Shaoheng take out another cigarette to light. Holding it between his fingers, he said calmly, ¡°The girl I raised can¡¯t only harm me alone. I have to let her out so she can also go harm others...¡±

    He exhaled, his expression hidden in the wisps of smoke. Even Yin Shixiong, who was the best at reading bodynguage, was unable to see what he was thinking.

 Chapter 803 - You Donâ€™t Remember Me?

    <h4>Chapter 803: You Don¡¯t Remember Me?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    At lunch time, Ma Qiqi finally came to the suite in the professor¡¯s building where He Zhichu lived.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door for her with a smile. ¡°Qiqi, you came just in time! The food was just delivered and is piping hot!¡±

    Ma Qiqi took a whiff, and her eyes glittered as she said with intoxication, ¡°This aroma is amazing! Did Professor He make it? I didn¡¯t expect Professor He to also be able to make great food!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Professor¡¯s He cooking skills areparable to mine. Qiqi, would youpliment me?¡±

    Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. ¡°...So who made the food? Didn¡¯t you say that Professor He has an organic farm that delivered pork and chicken?¡± Ma Qiqi was curious as she studied Gu Nianzhi suspiciously. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you actually cooked this?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. It was the chef from Professor He¡¯s farm.¡± Gu Nianzhi let her in with a smile.

    The two girls went into the dining room together. The rectangr dining table wasden with a simple four-course meal with soup.

    The dishes included a te of pork sauteed with chilies, a bowl of sugar syrup-braised pork, a te of brown and green garlic twice-cooked pork, as well as a te of acorn tofu. In the middle was a big soup pot of goji berry, ginseng, and chicken stew.

    Everything appeared to be extremely normal home-cooked food, but the aroma was surprisingly enticing.

    Ma Qiqi could immediately feel her taste buds start to swell. She quickly sat down with Gu Nianzhi and asked curiously, ¡°These are all vegetables and meat from the organic farm that Professor He¡¯s family owns?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded subtly. ¡°These are all home-cooked dishes. Nianzhi ordered them.¡± He nced at Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯tment on her taste.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and picked up her chopsticks as she told Ma Qiqi, ¡°Qiqi, give it a try. I always believe that true culinary skills need to be actually disyed in home-cooked dishes. Everyone knows that abalone, ginseng, shark¡¯s fin, and fish maw are all good things, so it¡¯s no surprise that the dishes cooked with them will taste good. But it can¡¯t be easy to make simple home-cooked meals taste like luxury food.¡±

    ¡°Go on and brag. Even if these home-cooked dishes are delicious, they are only home-cooked dishes.¡± Ma Qiqi wanted to argue with Gu Nianzhi while she casually used serving chopsticks to pick up a bit of pork sauteed with chilies and put it in her bowl.

    When she put the several shreds of green chilies and sauteed pork into her mouth, the meat¡¯s aroma made her taste buds feel extremelyfortable and also caused her to hum and squint in pleasure. She nearly mewled like a cat who had eaten scrumptious fish.

    ¡°Delicious, right?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed and also picked up a bit of pork sauteed with chilies. ¡°The emperor would never lie to his beloved official.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Ma Qiqi red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯m the emperor who has eaten throughout the entire nation. Your food here merely ranks number one! What are you so proud about?!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m d that you like it.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a face at her, and the two girls ate happily.

    He Zhichu originally didn¡¯t have much of an appetite looking at the food, but when he saw them enjoying it so much, he also used his chopsticks to try a bite. He chewed slowly to allow his taste buds to fully adapt to the food¡¯s delicious vor. He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help eating an extra bowl of rice.

    After finishing lunch, the three of them were a bitzy and sluggish. Gu Nianzhi finally overcame herziness and got up to make three cappinos in the kitchen, then brought them over.

    Ma Qiqi cradled the cappino and sipped it as she chatted with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, when I came here I happened to get a call from Brother Xiong. He asked me what I was doing, and I said I wasing to Professor He¡¯s for lunch. He instantly hung up and sounded like he was very busy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blew at the hot steam from the cappino and looked down as she agreed. She didn¡¯t ask Ma Qiqi about what Yin Shixiong was busy with but deliberately reminded her, ¡°Brother Xiong and his colleagues¡¯ work is like that. It can get busy at any time. He didn¡¯t mean to hang up on you.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Ma Qiqi nodded like she understood half of it as her face flushed. ¡°Brother Xiong isn¡¯t typically like that, but he hasn¡¯t been contacting me much recently, so I thought...¡±

    ¡°You are overthinking it. Brother Xiong isn¡¯t that kind of person.¡± Gu Nianzhi solemnly gave Ma Qiqi some peace of mind.

    He Zhichu snickered across from them. He shook his head and got up quietly. ¡°You girls chat. I¡¯ll go check my email.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also wanted to go back, so she gave Ma Qiqi a look and said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, you can work. We¡¯ll go back now.¡±

    Ma Qiqi was there, so He Zhichu couldn¡¯t exactly ask only Gu Nianzhi to stay. Consequently, he had no choice but to nod and say, ¡°Go back and prepare well. You cane find me if you have any difficulties.¡±

    ¡°Ok! Thank you, Professor He!¡± Gu Nianzhi answered him crisply before she and Ma Qiqi left.

    They chatted and giggled on the way, and when they returned to their own dorm building, Ma Qiqi suddenly pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°There¡¯s a man... He¡¯s been following us for a long time now...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also noticed it and had already seen him when they left He Zhichu¡¯s building. But unlike Ma Qiqi, she recognized this man.

    He was Ye Xuan, Gu Yanran¡¯s little wolf puppy.

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t give any indication of his intentions but merely followed them and walked at an even pace. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything, either.

    It was noon right now anyway, and they were walking on a main road on campus, so everyone walking around was either a student or teaching staff.

    Ye Xuan wouldn¡¯t be that dumb, even if he wanted to harm them. He would have to have a death wish if he was going to do something bad in front of all those people.

    Also, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯tpletely defenseless. In her bag was a small can of pepper spray and a small extendable electric baton, as well as a small sharp knife.

    If possible, she really wanted to carry a gun. But of course, that was only a thought since it was illegal to carry arms in the Hua Xia Empire.

    She didn¡¯t expect Ye Xuan to follow them all the way to the female graduate student dorm building. Gu Nianzhi said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°You go upstairs first.¡±

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Ma Qiqi looked at Gu Nianzhi with some concern, then nced at the tall mall standing under therge tree in front of the building.

    The man had dark eyebrows, deep set eyes, a tall and straight nose, and thin lips. These were all standard features of a mixed-race person, and an especially handsome mixed-race person at that. He didn¡¯t look like a bad person, but there was something amiss with his eyes that kept staring at Gu Nianzhi. It was like he wanted nothing more than to see right through her into her soul.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I know him. You go upstairs first.¡± She paused, then said, ¡°Call my phone if I¡¯m not back in half an hour.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Ma Qiqi readily agreed, then went back to the dorm alone.

    Gu Nianzhi walked to therge tree in front of the dorm and looked at Ye Xuan before saying calmly, ¡°Mr. Ye Xuan, Gu Yanran isn¡¯t here. You¡¯re looking in the wrong ce.¡±

    Ye Xuan stared at her fixedly, his expression extremely conflicted. With both hands in his trouser pockets, one foot brushed the ground absentmindedly as he called out her name very awkwardly, ¡°...Gu ...Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re here for me?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were leisurely tucked into her coat pockets. Her eyes glittered briefly as she said with disdain, ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of following us like a creep?¡±

    Ye Xuan looked down somewhat frantically. When he raised his head again, his jet ck hair had fallen over his forehead to make his deep set eyes appear even more alluring. There was an indescribable appeal in his amber eyes.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really appreciate this hesitant speaking style.

    Sure enough, birds of a feather flock together. Ye Xuan was a man, yet he had contracted a woman¡¯s illnesses from spending all that time with Gu Yanran.

    In Gu Nianzhi eyes, Ye Xuan was the same type of person as Gu Yanran. ¡°Ok, speak if you have something to say. Otherwise, please leave our campus. Don¡¯t follow me again, or I¡¯ll call the police.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and waved it. ¡°I¡¯m very busy. I don¡¯t have time to guess riddles with you.¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s emotions were indescribablyplicated. He didn¡¯t even know how he had spent thest few days. His entire being was in a daze, like he was a zombie.

    As soon as he thought about how he could¡¯ve mistaken identities... Not only did he fail to keep his promise to Uncle Gu of staying by her side for his entire life to take care of her and protect her, but he had also colluded with a lying imposter and harmed her multiple times. Ye Xuan could feel his insides burning up. He wanted nothing more but to stab himself a few times...

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Ye Xuan was still hanging his head and not speaking, so she grew impatient and replied dryly, ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll go upstairs now.¡± She turned to leave.

    Ye Xuan finally reached out and grabbed her arm to plead, ¡°Don¡¯t go. I have something to say to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back icily at his hand that was holding her arm. ¡°Let go.¡±

    Ye Xuan had no choice but to let go, then he said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, I really have something to tell you. Do you... do you really not remember me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with amusement. ¡°Ye Xuan, is there something wrong with your head? Or did Gu Yanran send you here to persuade me? I¡¯m telling you, that¡¯s all useless. Go back and tell her that I¡¯m certain to continue thiswsuit. I¡¯ll also dispute the estate without question. I¡¯ll repeat myself¡ªhave her wash her neck and wait for me to expose her!¡±

    Ye Xuan began to frown. ¡°You¡¯re fighting an estate disputewsuit with her, but do you know how many assets Uncle Gu left behind?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m fighting thiswsuit.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms. ¡°It¡¯ll be impossible for her to spit it out herself, so that¡¯s why I have to go to court.¡±

 Chapter 804 - The Promise from Those Years Ago

    <h4>Chapter 804: The Promise from Those Years Ago</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ye Xuan looked up and quickly nced at her, a hint of sarcasm finally appearing at the corners of his lips. ¡°She¡¯ll reveal how much is in Uncle Gu¡¯s fortune in court? Are you serious?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally looked at Ye Xuan with a frown. ¡°Ye Xuan, how can you talk about Gu Yanran like that? She¡¯s your master, after all. This is so not your style...¡±

    Ye Xuan had grown up and been educated abroad, so he wasn¡¯t very good at Mandarin and could only speak and write at a basic level. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s speech was full of inte ng, so Ye Xuan didn¡¯t understand it. ¡°What master? What style? Can you repeat that in English?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She raised her chin with arrogance. ¡°Sorry, my English is poor. I can only speak Mandarin.¡±

    Ye Xuan snickered. ¡°Yeah, your English is not good, but you can go to Germany to fight awsuit in English. Gu Nianzhi, you are actually kind of what Gu Yanran said about you¡ªyou open your mouth, and it¡¯s full of lies.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very disgusted by anyone speaking positively about Gu Yanran, especially so when they also happened to insult her as well. She hated that even more.

    Without another word, she turned away and left. This time she left very quickly and also guarded against Ye Xuan reaching out to grab her arm, so she had already walked a few steps away by the time Ye Xuan noticed.

    He nearly jogged after her and panted, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t have such a terrible temper... Listen to me, I really have something to tell you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said impatiently, ¡°You already wasted so much of my time and even said I¡¯m the type of person to be full of lies. So what can you even say to a type of person like me? Hurry up and get back to your master¡¯s side. Don¡¯t piss me off, or I¡¯ll call the police and have them arrest you.¡±

    Ye Xuan was tall and long-legged, so when he started running, he was able to quickly get in front of Gu Nianzhi and stop her. He said somewhat frantically, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, let¡¯s chat. Let¡¯s go to the Starbucks by your campus, ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squinted and studied him carefully. ¡°Ye Xuan, do you really have business with me? You¡¯re not here to plead Gu Yanran¡¯s case?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even spoken with you before, so what can I say to plead Gu Yanran¡¯s case?¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°You know exactly what you did. It¡¯d be hard for someone to not misunderstand.¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke truthfully but was also quite curious about why Ye Xuan hade in the first ce. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have spent so much time dealing with him.

    Also, she could tell that Ye Xuan¡¯s attitude had certainly changed a lot from before.

    In the past, Ye Xuan was at Gu Yanran¡¯s side and looked at Gu Nianzhi like she was a stranger, so he only listened to whatever Gu Yanran said.

    But when he looked at Gu Nianzhi now, there was a trace of warmth in his eyes, and he no longer looked cold and impatient like before.

    Not only that, but Ye Xuan was one of Gu Yanran¡¯s confidants, so if Gu Nianzhi could get some information from him, it would help her preparation for thewsuit. Gu Nianzhi followed Ye Xuan to the Starbucks near her dorm.

    It was noon, so there were very few people in Starbucks, and several of the workers sat together to gossip, covering their mouths and giggling.

    They looked up to see a man and a womane inside, so a female worker instantly walked over to ask with enthusiasm, ¡°What can I get started for you today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just had a cappino at He Zhichu¡¯s, so she didn¡¯t actually want to have another coffee. However, because they were chatting there, they had to order something. Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Give me a slice of hazelnut cake, the kind with no added sugar.¡±

    Ye Xuan ordered a Colombian ck coffee. The coffee and cake were quickly served. They sat near the window with no one else around, so it was the perfect ce to talk.

    Ye Xuan used a small spoon to stir his coffee and looked down to say, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you really don¡¯t remember me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at the ceiling. ¡°Ye Xuan, when are you referring to? If it was a while back, then yeah, I remember you. You¡¯ve always been at Gu Yanran¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Not a while back, but many years ago...¡± Ye Xuan looked up at her, but in her features he couldn¡¯t see an inkling of that blurry face from his memories at all.

    He once thought that the blurry face had been Gu Yanran¡¯s, but now he could only say that it was his own wishful thinking. But was this Gu Nianzhi the little girl from long ago?

    ¡°May years ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°How long ago?¡±

    ¡°For example, over ten years ago?¡± Ye Xuan asked tentatively, ¡°Do you know how to swim?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can swim pretty well.¡± Gu Nianzhi recalled how she swam in and out of the Blue Hole several times to rescue Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. She giggled with her lips pressed together. ¡°I can also rescue people from the ocean, so would you say I know how to swim?¡±

    ¡°Oh?! You remember it!¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s gloomy face suddenly lit up. ¡°Eleven years ago, you rescued me from the ocean!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless as she thought, Bro, are you overthinking this? Eleven years ago? She had only been eight years old! Of course Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t remember what happened when she was eight, but she still studied Ye Xuan and asked, ¡°What is your age?¡±

    ¡°Oh? What does that mean?¡± Ye Xuan didn¡¯t understand such formal speech at all.

    ¡°I meant to ask how old you are. I was only eight years old 11 years ago. How could I have saved a grown man like you?¡± Gu Nianzhi propped her face up with both hands impatiently and nced out the window. ¡°Speak quickly if you have something to say. I¡¯m really busy and still have sses in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only three years older than you, so I¡¯m 22 this year. Eleven years ago, I... identally fell into the ocean, and you saved me,¡± Ye Xuan said cautiously but squinted to study Gu Nianzhi. He really couldn¡¯t see any simrities between her and that slightly chubby girl from all those years ago.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes even seemed a bit simr to that little girl¡¯s, while Gu Nianzhi¡¯s were too big. Although they were pretty... it was hard to imagine that the little girl with small eyes and thin brows would grow up to have such huge eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand listening to him anymore. She threw down her fork and crossed her arms as she stated coldly, ¡°What do you mean? Even if I rescued you 11 years ago, so what? What are you trying to say?¡±

    Ye Xuan immersed himself in his memories, looking at the ck coffee in front of him as he murmured, ¡°You rescued me, but ended up bing very ill. Uncle Gu didn¡¯t let me see you and said you were sick, and he would contact me once you were better. Afterwards, I was sent to boarding school in the United States and never saw you again.¡±

    At that time, Uncle Gu didn¡¯t even tell him who had rescued him and only said it was his daughter. Ye Xuan didn¡¯t know his daughter¡¯s name or even her age.

    Now that he thought about it, it was a little strange.

    Ye Xuan shook his head and tried to put this thought at the back of his head before immersing himself in the memories again.

    At the time, he woke up from aa and found himself in a hospital. A handsome man in a white coat told him that his daughter had rescued him, but because she rescued him, she became ill and may have suffered seque¡ªa condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury. The man asked if Ye Xuan was willing to be by her side for the rest of his life and take care of her.

    Ye Xuan was a resolute person. When he found out that the man¡¯s daughter was sick because she rescued him, and she may have suffered seque, his heart wrenched. Without another question, he agreed to that man¡¯s request.

    The man¡¯s attitude toward him became much more rxed. He even patted his head and said, ¡°I was only testing you just now. Uncle Gu is very happy that you can agree to this request, but I don¡¯t need you to take care of my daughter. I only want you to help her a bit if she needs it in the future.¡±

    At the time, Ye Xuan insisted, ¡°The director of our orphanage taught us to be honest and do as we say. Since I¡¯ve promised Uncle Gu this, I will be sure to do it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still young.¡± The handsome man wearing a white coat patted his head with a sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t even understand what this promise means. But I¡¯m d that you¡¯re happy.¡±

    The man never thought Ye Xuan would keep this demanding promise.

    However, he kept it in his heart the entire time, and very soon after that he was sent by that man named Gu to attend boarding school in the United States. He majored inputer technology and minored in finance.

    Aside from Uncle Gu and Gu Yanran, no one else knew that he was aputer whiz and was also an expert with financial nning.

    Gu Nianzhi listened carefully. The handsome man in the white coat must have been her father, Gu Xiangwen... Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes began to water. She tried her best to suppress her emotions and discreetly pressed the audio recording button on her phone to begin recording.

 Chapter 805 - The Only Photo

    <h4>Chapter 805: The Only Photo</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°So you mean that the man in the white coat was... my father, Gu Xiangwen?¡± Gu Nianzhiposed herself and couldn¡¯t help entering her trial mode. She began cross examining Ye Xuan in hopes of gleaning more information from him.

    Ye Xuan was still immersed in his memories and feelings of remorse, so he didn¡¯t dare to look at Gu Nianzhi. With his arms folded on the coffee table, he bowed his head and nodded slightly. ¡°Yeah, it was Uncle Gu. He was a very, very good person. Every year, he would donate to our orphanage and even sponsored me to attend the most expensive boarding school in the United States.¡±

    The tuition for that kind of school was astronomical for even middle-ss families in the United States, but Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t hesitate to sponsor Ye Xuan¡¯s studies for seven years.

    ¡°You went to the United States when you were 11 years old and didn¡¯te back until you were 18? You didn¡¯te back during that time, not even once?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, a bit perplexed.

    Ye Xuan looked up and gave her a smile. He squinted his deep set eyes, and he looked a bit like a certain Hollywood actor of Hua Xia descent.

    ¡°Right, I didn¡¯te back even once. For an orphan, that wasn¡¯t a big deal. What would I do if I came back? Visit the orphanage?¡± Ye Xuan didn¡¯t hesitate to say, ¡°Also, my studies were very busy. In seven years, I not onlypleted junior high and high school, but also my college studies.¡± It was obvious to see how the time had been spent.

    Gu Nianzhi had graduated from college at the age of 18 herself, so she wasn¡¯t very shocked by Ye Xuan¡¯s situation. She nodded, then asked, ¡°Then what did my father do, exactly?¡± He wore a white coat; could he be a doctor?

    ¡°Uncle Gu was a genius, and while other people called me a genius from the time I was young, I knew that I couldn¡¯tpare to even one of Uncle Gu¡¯s toes. Uncle Gu began studying for his MD and PhD joint degree when he was 16. He only took three years toplete the degree that took most people eight years. After earning the degree, he spent two years as a resident doctor and then became interested in physics, so when he was 20 he applied to MIT, the school with the top ranking doctoral program in physics. He also only took three years to graduate. After earning his PhD in physics, he then went to Harvard, the school with the number one ranking doctoral biology program. He was only 27 years old when he earned PhDs from the top three schools in the world.¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s face was full of worship, and stars almost streamed out of his eyes when he spoke of Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi also became more excited as she listened. This type of academic genius was exactly like her!

    She was bing more and more certain that she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter. Could Gu Yanran be Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter with her kind of qualifications?

    Ask her to not dream so big! Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°If my father was so amazing, then why did Gu Yanran go study at a butler¡¯s school?¡±

    Ye Xuan stiffened. ¡°Gu Yanran studied at a butler¡¯s school?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, didn¡¯t you know? You can go ask her if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms, not wanting to waste her time on irrelevant people. She then changed the topic back and asked excitedly, ¡°Then what did my father look like? I¡¯ve always heard you guys say that he was very amazing, very good at studying, and had created many inventions and patents. But what kind of person was he? Do you have his photo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a strong desire to see what her own father looked like. Needless to say, Gu Nianzhi was nowpletely certain that the dried up man in a vegetative state on the hospital bed couldn¡¯t be her father, Gu Xiangwen.

    But she had already attempted to search online for ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± in different ways, as well as the name, ¡°Kevin Ku.¡± She only learned that he had published many articles in academic journals, but there wasn¡¯t a single journal that had posted a photo of him.

    Gu Nianzhi had never seen a person who had made so many aplishments yet hid himself so carefully andpletely.

    Why was this? Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure it out, so she earnestly looked at Ye Xuan and wanted to glean more information about Gu Xiangwen as a person from him. She didn¡¯t just want the rigidbels that had been attached onto him, such as ¡°academic genius,¡±¡±great inventor,¡± or ¡°secretly rich man.¡±

    Ye Xuan stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, bright eyes. Her eyes were dark and shiny like a brilliant night sky. He only needed to reach out his arm to grasp a fistful of starlight.

    The worship and admiration on her face also infected Ye Xuan, so his voice involuntarily softened. ¡°Uncle Gu was a very good man. He was kind, generous, nice, and tolerant. I¡¯ve never met anyone better than him. He loved his daughter the most. I¡¯ve never seen a father love his daughter more, but it¡¯s a shame...¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s mood quickly plummeted when he recalled the unrecognizable man on the hospital bed.

    Looking down, he took out his wallet from his pocket and removed a four-inch photo from the slot where a driver¡¯s license could be ced. ¡°Uncle Gu didn¡¯t like to take photos. This is my only photo with him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was about to leap out of her throat. She epted the photo from Ye Xuan with nearly shaking hands and first discovered that the photo had been taken with a disposable Proid camera.

    The photo paper had seen its time, but the quality was pretty good, so it hadn¡¯t faded. However, the colors weren¡¯t too bright and wereparable to modern high-fidelity photo paper. As for the man smiling in the photo...

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth as tears fell uncontrobly from her eyes, rolling along her milky, translucent cheek and finally falling onto the photo.

    She quickly wiped it with a tissue and also rubbed the image of a tall man wearing a light camel-colored trench coat in the photo.

    His eyes weren¡¯t very big but were very deep and dark. His hair was thick andbed neatly, and his tall, straight nose was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. His chin was square with subtly upturned, smiling lips and a faint hint of amusement in his eyes that was as warm as sunshine.

    It was obvious from first nce that he was a very generous and forgiving man. He draped one hand on the shoulder of a young boy beside him as he smiled quietly at the camera.

    His smile was so contagious that even through the photo it allowed Gu Nianzhi to break into a smile from her tears.

    Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she reluctantly returned the photo to Ye Xuan. She looked up, and her her tearful eyes sent a sharp pain through Ye Xuan¡¯s heart.

    He pushed the photo back to her. ¡°This is your father¡¯s photo. You can keep it.¡±

    Ye Xuan was also carefully regarding Gu Nianzhi and discovered that although her eyes weren¡¯t like Gu Xiangwen¡¯s, her nose was exactly the same¡ªstraight and elegant. But because Gu Nianzhi was a girl, hers was more delicate while Gu Xiangwen¡¯s was handsome and masculine, unlike those other men with feminine beauty.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°My father left this as a memento for you. How can I ept it? But if you don¡¯t mind, may I take a photo?¡±

    The photo had been taken with a disposable camera, so there were no negatives. Gu Nianzhi pressed pause on her phone¡¯s audio recording button before taking it out to open her camera and aim it at the photo. Using the highest resolution mode, she consecutively took several photos.

    Ye Xuan finally put the photo away and back into his wallet. Gu Nianzhi used her phone to re-edit the photo, cropping Ye Xuan¡¯s image from it to only leave Gu Xiangwen. Then she found a picture of herself holding a doll when she was 12 years old. She copied herself from it and pasted herself onto where Ye Xuan had been standing, right beside Gu Xiangwen.

    At 12 years old, Gu Nianzhi had been around the same height as Ye Xuan had been at 11. That way, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s arm looked like it was draped on her shoulder, and she had recreated a strangely harmonious photo, just as though father and daughter had actually taken such a photo before.

    The seven years that stood between the two of them quickly faded away, and Gu Nianzhi felt like she had returned to her father¡¯s side once again. From what Ye Xuan said, this was a father who loved his daughter the most...

    As Gu Nianzhi was busy looking down and editing the photo, Ye Xuan was also observing her quietly. He was a bit shocked at how skillfully Gu Nianzhi was operating Photoshop software, and the product she created was absolutely perfect.

    Even though he was someone who had been very familiar with the original photo, he couldn¡¯t find the slightest w in it. ¡°You¡¯re only interested in this photo?¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s fingers gently tapped on the coffee table. ¡°There are even more important things. Don¡¯t you want to know?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look up before she answered, ¡°This is the most important thing. What could be even more important?¡±

    Ye Xuan was very emotional, so it turned out Uncle Gu¡¯s daughter had the exact same personality as he did. Gu Yanran waspletely different, and Ye Xuan had already noticed it before but hadn¡¯t thought too much about it. He had only felt sorry for Uncle Gu. That also strengthened his determination and belief in staying by her side, since she was so stupid.

    Without him by her side, who knew how much of the Gu fortune would be scammed away by others...

    Now that the truth was out, he was happy to see that Uncle Gu had a sessor, yet he was also embarrassed and pained by his own foolishness. Gu Nianzhi carefully saved the photo and put it into her encrypted photo album.

    Ye Xuan also took out his phone and opened an encrypted file to send to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. Gu Nianzhi heard her phone chime with a new message and opened it to see it was an encrypted file sent by Ye Xuan. She couldn¡¯t help asking in shock, ¡°How did you know my phone number?¡±

    Ye Xuan looked down at his phone and replied coolly, ¡°Gu Yanran gave it to me.¡±

    Although Ye Xuan felt guilt towards Gu Nianzhi and hoped that she would be able to reim the things that belonged to her, it was also true that he had invested years of care and love on Gu Yanran. He was not yet able topletely betray Gu Yanran, so he still concealed the part Gu Yanran yed in what happened to Gu Nianzhi in Germany.

    He knew that if he revealed this, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t just be fighting an estate disputewsuit with Gu Yanran but an attempted murder trial instead...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers tapped the phone gently as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the password to the file? What kind of file is this?¡±

    Ye Xuan told her the password, then said, ¡°This is the inventory of the Gu assets. You can start by using it as a reference.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped as she quickly nced at Ye Xuan, her eyes glittering like stars. Her look made Ye Xuan avert his gaze with shame.

    Gu Nianzhi first checked the file for viruses before opening it. It was a text file, and it contained a dense list of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s bank ounts, investment ounts, properties, antiques, list of patents, several hundred safety deposit boxes at several major banks that held unknown items, as well as several holdingpanies registered in the Cayman Inds!

    Theplex holding rtionships guaranteed the highest level of privacy for thergest shareholders. No wonder they couldn¡¯t find any clues about Gu Xiangwen at all!

    Four years ago, the total estimated value of all these assets was as high as ten billion US dors!

    What kind of a concept was ten billion US dors? Apple, thepany with the highest market value on the Blue, had 70 billion US dors in free cash flow, which was even more than the amount of cash that the US government could freely use.

    And Gu Xiangwen had used his own strength to amass one-seventh of Apple¡¯s free cash flow in only two decades. This was truly awe inspiring. However, Gu Yanran was also shockingly generous with her spending. In a mere seven years, she had squandered or sold off nearly seven billion US dors in assets! Just how quickly was she squandering the family fortune?!

    Gu Nianzhi could feel her breathing quickening already. Tightly gripping her phone, her brain quickly recalled all her past interactions with Gu Yanran.

    Thinking back to how Gu Yanran had even been reluctant to donate to charities, going back on her word shamelessly, as well as how she gave Prime Minister Tan and his wife money to cover their deficit, and the speed at which she constantly sold off all sorts of patents¡ªGu Nianzhi slowly began to understand. She angrily mmed the table. ¡°This b*tch! She¡¯s been transferring away the property all this time!¡±

 Chapter 806 - Take Care of You Forever

    <h4>Chapter 806: Take Care of You Forever</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Transfer assets?¡± Ye Xuan stiffened for a second. He looked down at the inventory of assets on his phone and said, ¡°No way. How could you tell from that?¡±

    He only thought Gu Yanran was rather stupid, so she likely only suffered more losses in business transactions. But transferring assets... That was impossible.

    As for Gu Nianzhi, she already had preconceptions about Gu Yanran, so she considered everything with a negative perspective. She carefully looked at when the assets were sold. Her mind began to deduce the situation. Within the past seven years, the situation for the first three years had been rtively normal.

    The inflow of assets was greater than the outflow, so it could be said that Gu Yanran earned more than she spent. The critical turning point was four years ago. At that time, the outflow of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s assets greatly exceeded the inflow. A significant amount was sold off and squandered, and there was also arge donation to a charity organization, ¡°Angels On Earth.¡±

    Ye Xuan quickly exined. ¡°I was helping Gu Yanran take care of the Gu estate, but she was the actual decision-maker. I couldn¡¯t exceed my authority, so I could only give her advice on key issues. As for what to actually do, she had to decide that for herself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi believed what he said. To Gu Yanran, Ye Xuan was like a little wolf puppy. She didn¡¯t give him too much attention or value him. Still, without Gu Yanran¡¯s intelligence, could she really initiate such systematic transfers of assets?

    Gu Nianzhi thoughtfully asked, ¡°Tell me the truth. What kind of role did you have regarding the Gu estate? If you really used your financial management skills, how could you allow the Gu fortune to shrink more than half over the past four years?¡±

    Ye Xuan smiled wryly and replied, ¡°I majored inputers and minored in finance. When I came back, Gu Yanran had me manage theputers. For the financial side, she had hired a special financial advisor and legal consultant, so the person she consulted when it came to the management of the estate was never me.¡±

    When he learned about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident, he immediately interrupted his master¡¯s studies to rush back to help. That had been three years ago, which was four years after the ident.

    That day, Ye Xuan returned to Barbados and saw the man in a vegetative state. He was as dried up as a skeleton. Ye Xuan didn¡¯t recognize him as the handsome man from all those years ago. Uncle Gu had been even more dashing than actors.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s was heartbroken as he knelt at the man¡¯s bedside and cried his heart out. He vowed to properly stay by his daughter¡¯s side.

    At that time, Gu Yanran appeared and told him about many of the past events, as well as bits and pieces from their ¡°chats.¡± Ye Xuan had finally been convinced that she was the daughter Uncle Gu referred to, who was also the little girl who had rescued him all those years ago.

    He never thought that she was three years older than him, but Gu Yanran said that she had always been smaller than other kids her age.

    As a result, he didn¡¯t make the connection. Gu Yanran also told him that Gu Xiangwen adopted a younger daughter, Gu Nianzhi, who disappeared the day Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ne crashed.

    As for Gu Nianzhi, Ye Xuan didn¡¯t think too much about her. He had no reason to think about an adopted daughter who had disappeared.

    From the beginning to the end, Gu Xiangwen had only asked Ye Xuan to take care of and stay with his daughter, all without mentioning he had another adopted daughter.

    From the way Ye Xuan saw it, the daughter Gu Xiangwen mentioned had to be about his biological daughter, which was Gu Yanran.

    Now, he knew he was mistaken, and time could never be turned back. Even though he wasn¡¯t Gu Yanran¡¯s investment advisor, he served as a financial manager since he was theputer manager. He carefully recorded the time of each transaction, as well as directed capital inflow and outflow topile into the Gu assets inventory.

    Gu Nianzhi took the document and knew it was the key to the estate feud. She was thankful toward Ye Xuan and nced around before quietly asking, ¡°Are you not afraid that Gu Yanran will cut ties with you if you give me this information?¡±

    ¡°I already cut ties with her,¡± Ye Xuan calmly replied as he looked down to take a sip of ck coffee. ¡°I no longer have anything to do with her.¡±

    Gu Niaznhi looked at Ye Xuan with a bit of surprise and sympathy. ¡°You broke up with her?¡±

    Ye Xuan looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lucid eyes and suddenly felt extremely filthy. In the face of her inquiry, Ye Xuan didn¡¯t conceal anything. With a nk expression, he dryly replied, ¡°I was only her bedmate. One of them anyway, so there¡¯s no such notion as breaking up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered, unsure of what to say. Was Gu Yanran a sugar mommy? Was she pretending to be a queen, or perhaps a queen mother?

    Gu Nianzhi pouted with disapproval and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sad. The good can¡¯te if the bad doesn¡¯t leave. In the future, you can find a nice girl, get married and have kids. Make Gu Yanran see how happy you are, and that¡¯ll be your greatest revenge on her.¡±

    Ye Xuanughed as he pointed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and said, ¡°I thought this would be the greatest revenge.¡± He was referring to the inventory of the Gu assets he had sent her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled suggestively and said, ¡°Yeah, this truly was the greatest revenge. Gu Yanran is bound to bleed a lot this time.¡±

    After they finished talking about business, they fell into silence. They weren¡¯t familiar with each other, so they couldn¡¯t talk too deeply. It was already quite good that they had spoken like this for the first time. Gu Nianzhi nibbled on thest of her slice of cake as Ye Xuan finished his coffee. They both stood up at the same time.

    ¡°I took up your time today.¡± Ye Xuan nodded slightly to Gu Nianzhi before passing a business card to her. ¡°You cane find me if you need any help in the future. This is a softwarepany I started. We specialize in antivirus software.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi epted it with a smile and said, ¡°Then, I wish for your business to prosper.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ye Xuan gazed at Gu Nianzhi. After some time, he couldn¡¯t help ask, ¡°Where do you n to go after you graduate? If you¡¯re going to the United States, I can go there first and make preparations.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was caught off-guard. Why did it matter where she went after graduating, and why did Ye Xuan have to make preparations?

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s confused expression, Ye Xuan calmly exined, ¡°I made a promise to Uncle Gu to stay by your side forever and take care of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. Her mood had already been a mess, and now she was depressed. ¡°Ye Xuan, you don¡¯t need to do that. Didn¡¯t you say my father had only been testing you? He didn¡¯t really want you spending the rest of your life looking after a stranger.¡± She walked out with a look of disapproval.

    Ye Xuan followed her outside until she arrived at her dorm building. He looked at her with determination and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel any psychological pressure. I¡¯ll follow you and be even more loyal than I was to Gu Yanran. I made one mistake, so I hope that you¡¯ll give me a chance to correct my sins. If I stay by your side, that¡¯s still better than you being alone. You can ask me to do anything you want.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Ye Xuan, do you want me to tell the truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her chest and stated in all seriousness, ¡°You scared me. Your tone sounds like you¡¯re my ve. I don¡¯t care if Gu Yanran treated you like a ve or not, but I certainly won¡¯t do that. My father adopted you and sponsored your tuition because he wanted you to help me out a bit when I¡¯m in a time of need. You¡¯ve already done that, so you don¡¯t need to guard by my side anymore. You have your own life. You should spend the rest of your life happily.¡±

    Ye Xuan looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s solemn expression and couldn¡¯t help but begin to smile. His gaze was firm. The expression on his handsome face was very touching as he dryly replied, ¡°I promised Uncle Gu to take care of you forever, so that means forever. A minute or second less would not be considered forever.¡±

    What a stubborn person... Gu Nianzhi was stony-faced. ¡°Ye Xuan, do you think that it¡¯s a great honor to have you stay with me for the rest of my life and that I must ept it?¡±

    Ye Xuan stiffened and replied, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you are expressing.¡± Gu Nianzhi became ruthless. The fierce look of a little beast shed across her eyes. ¡°Ye Xuan, I am also a very picky person. Though you are willing to stay, I still need to be willing to allow you to stay.¡±

    Ye Xuan looked at her nkly. After staring for a moment, a pure smile appeared at the corners of his lips. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, are you thinking that I want to be your bedmate too? Of course, I certainly won¡¯t refuse if you need that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face suddenly flushed red. She stamped her feet and refuted, ¡°I don¡¯t need a little wolf puppy! Go find someone else and be their little wolf puppy!¡±

    ¡°Little wolf puppy?¡± Ye Xuan suddenly grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and revealed a fierce expression. ¡°You already called me thatst time, and I didn¡¯t even get you back for it yet! I¡¯m not anyone¡¯s little wolf puppy! Even if I was, I¡¯d be a wolf, not a puppy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She wanted to trip him up with the words. When she thought about how she wasn¡¯t close to Ye Xuan, she finally suppressed herself. She was a wary person to begin with. The only person she had trusted with her body her whole life had been Huo Shaoheng.

    Ye Xuan shouldn¡¯t think about being her little wolf puppy. Even if he only wanted to be her guard dog, he would still need to take a long time to prove he was worthy of her trust.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her arms and angrily said, ¡°Let go! Don¡¯t make me lose that bit of gratefulness I was just feeling for you!¡±

    Ye Xuan refused to let go and continued to clutch her arm. Before he could stop, there was a series of beepsing from a car not too far away. It was very noisy.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw a shimmering ck Mercedes SUV. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car.

 Chapter 807 - Work Under You

    <h4><strong>Chapter 807:</strong> Work Under You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although no one got out of the car, the beeping horn served as a warning.

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t look around or know who the car belonged to, but he understood that it was not proper for him to be acting the way he was in front of a female dorm.

    As he slowly let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, he frowned and icily said, ¡°I was only observing my promise to Uncle Gu. Don¡¯t think too much about it. With how you¡¯re acting right now, you¡¯re not my type at all.¡± After he spoke, he turned around to leave.

    He passed by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car but didn¡¯t look in since he didn¡¯t recognize whose car it was.

    Before looking toward Huo Shaoheng¡¯s SUV, Gu Nianzhi waved her arms and cursed to herself, ¡°Psycho!¡± Before long, Ye Xuan had walked far away and disappeared on the path.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car until he received news from Special Operations Forces personnel telling him that Ye Xuan had left the B University campus.

    He finally got out of the car. Leaning on the car door, he put both hands in his trouser pockets. He had a leisurely and subtle smile on his face as he squinted to study Gu Nianzhi, who was standing on the steps to the dorm.

    Since she waited so long but no one got out of the car, Gu Nianzhi originally thought she had guessed wrong and that the person in the car wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng.

    Just as she was about to turn to leave, she saw the car door open. Huo Shaoheng strode out on his long legs.

    She watched him stand in front of the car and shut the car door with the back of his hand. He leaned against the car door and nodded at her. Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a second before walking down the steps toward Huo Shaoheng. She looked up at him and said, ¡°Huo Shao? Did you see it all? Ye Xuan came to find me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted but didn¡¯t tell her that he had sped all the way from the military base when he received news that Ye Xuan was spotted in B University. He only revealed a trace of a steady smile. ¡°What did he want with you? Was it for Gu Yanran?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it. The information Ye Xuan had told her was also important to Huo Shaoheng and his men. After all, it implicated Gu Xiangwen¡¯s patents, especially the military ones.

    She looked down to fish her phone out of a pocket. Once she retrieved it, she forwarded the Gu assets inventory from Ye Xuan to Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°This is what he gave me. I think you guys need it even more.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng noticed his phone vibrate, so he took out his phone to check. His heart couldn¡¯t help but pound. Swiping his fingers on the screen a few times, he was able to get the gist of the content. ¡°He gave this to you? Is it believable?¡±

    ¡°It should be believable. I can¡¯t think of a reason for him to mislead me in this regard.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°OK, is there anything else? I¡¯m going to leave if we¡¯re done.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his phone away and asked, ¡°That¡¯s it? He only came to find you to give you this inventory?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it and decided to tell him about the photo. ¡°He also gave me a photo of him as a child with my father. It was the first time I saw what my dad looks like.¡± Thinking about how Huo Shaoheng and his men were still investigating Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts, Gu Nianzhi thought that she should give them the photo archive to assist them.

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s photo?¡± Huo Shaoheng stiffened. ¡°Ye Xuan had Gu Xiangwen¡¯s photo?¡± He and his men had used all their efforts throughout the world but had yet to find a single photo of Gu Xiangwen that had been published.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the photo album on her phone to show Huo Shaoheng the one of Ye Xuan with Gu Xiangwen. Of course, she was too embarrassed to show Huo Shaoheng the one she photoshopped.

    ¡°Send it to me.¡± Huo Shaoheng straightened his back. His attitude became more cautious. Just as Gu Nianzhi had thought, this was an important clue.

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately forwarded the photo to Huo Shaoheng. She watched him stare unblinkingly at the photo and giddilymented, ¡°Isn¡¯t my dad handsome? I¡¯ve never seen a more handsome man than him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, declining to give anyment. Even with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s standards, he had no choice but to admit that Gu Xiangwen was indeed handsome. His type of eye-catching handsomeness was even more fetching than most other actors.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He looked through the photo album on his phone. He finally found the photo he had taken of the Gu family portrait while he was in the vi located on a small ind in the Caribbean. He passed his phone to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Take a look, who is this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned over to nce at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. Her pupils immediately constricted with one look. This photo was a family portrait of four people.

    A gentle, elegant man and a demure woman sat in the middle. Standing next to them were two girls. The older was probably 16 or 17 years old while the younger one was about 11 years old.

    The older girl was obviously Gu Yanran. She still looked about the same as she did then. The younger girl was clearly herself from seven years ago.

    As for the demure woman sitting down, she had a round face and narrow eyes that were nted and curved, as well as willowy brows. She somewhat resembled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appearance as a child.

    Could this woman be her mom? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes instantly grew intent. The man sitting beside the woman was very elegant. Upon careful inspection, his expression slightly resembled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. It was like he was smiling even when he didn¡¯t speak, making others feel like they were bathing in a pleasant spring breeze.

    ¡°Who is this man?¡± Gu Nianzhi curiously asked. ¡°This woman, could she be my mother?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced her phone next to his topare the photos. He said, ¡°I originally thought that the man in the photo was your father, Gu Xiangwen, and the woman was your mother, Grace.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How could that be? There¡¯s no way this man is my dad. That man is my dad!¡± Gu Nianzhi confidently pointed to the handsome man in the photo with Ye Xuan.

    Speaking from the heart, the man in the family portrait was gentle, elegant, and rather good looking. Of course, he was not as handsome as the man in the photo with Ye Xuan.

    Gu Nianzhi was obsessed with voices and even more obsessed with faces. She was used to looking at faces. Just by appearances alone, she already believed that the man in Ye Xuan¡¯s photo was her father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Huo Shaoheng knew about this bad habit of hers, but he felt that there was no need to correct it. The pickier her taste, the less he had to worry. She wouldn¡¯t pay attention to just any random guy off the street.

    Because she rejected that the man in the family portrait was her father, Gu Nianzhi also rejected that the woman was her mother by association. Although she didn¡¯t have much evidence, she relied on her intuition. Huo Shaoheng looked down to carefully study the two photos but didn¡¯t speak for some time.

    Gu Nianzhi grew anxious. She was worried that Huo Shaoheng believed that the man in the family portrait was her father. She ignored her embarrassment and took out the photo she had photoshopped. ¡°Do you see that? This person¡¯s nose is exactly the same as mine. Judging from his appearance, this man should be my father.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally saw the photo Gu Nianzhi had photoshopped. He nced at her and was slightly moved. His deep voice softened as he said, ¡°Yeah, I also think that the man in Ye Xuan¡¯s photo is likely your father, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Ever since he confirmed that the danger he had faced with Gu Yanran in Barbados could have been plotted by Gu Yanran, he started to be suspicious of all the evidence he obtained from that time, including this family portrait.

    To not upset Gu Nianzhi, he decided not to show it to her. Ye Xuan¡¯s photo with Gu Xiangwen changed that. His photo proved Huo Shaoeheng¡¯s conjecture. The family portrait must have been purposely nted by someone so he would see it. As to what purpose it was for, he didn¡¯t want to rashly jump to conclusions just yet.

    Sighing in relief, Gu Nianzhi soon had questions arise in her heart. She looked at Huo Shaoheng with suspicion, especially since Gu Yanran was also in it, and asked, ¡°Where¡¯d you get that photo from? Did Gu Yanran give it to you?¡±

    To a certain extent, Gu Yanran was the one to orchestrate it. Huo Shaoheng contemted her question for a moment and nodded. ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Yes is yes, and no is no, so what¡¯s the meaning of ¡®guess so?¡¯¡± Gu Nianzhi frantically asked. It had been difficult to glean new evidence. She didn¡¯t want to easily give up.

    Huo Shaoheng recounted the time he and Gu Yanran faced danger in Barbados.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that he had stayed on that ind for a night with Gu Yanran before and was jealous at the time.

    When she heard the story again, she discovered that she didn¡¯t feel jealous at all. She merely sighed and said, ¡°So, that¡¯s what happened. She really was deliberate.¡±

    The n was linked, from the transfer of assets to arranging all sorts of props to prove her identity. It didn¡¯t seem like Gu Yanran¡¯s handiwork. Gu Naiznhi clutched her phone and frowned as she paced in front of Huo Shaoheng. She mused, ¡°I think that there must be someone behind the scenes with Gu Yanran. Someone is helping her methodically n and purposefully seize the Gu fortune. Huo Shao, did you know? Gu Yanran began transferring property four years ago. Tell me, she had already established her identity as the heiress of the Gu family. That was also before she met me again, so what reason did she have to transfer property? At the time, the Gu fortune belonged to her anyway, so why did she have to take these risks?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said, ¡°I originally thought the person behind her actions had been Ye Xuan. Based on his confession today, it¡¯s unlikely that he is the person helping Gu Yanran transfer the Gu fortune.¡±

    ¡°Ye Xuan had always been very loyal to my dad. He has been guarding the Gu family and not just a certain member of the Gu family.¡± Gu Nianzhi understood that point well. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that he worked under Gu Yanran for so long and had his morals corrupted by her. He reduced himself to ve status, and I don¡¯t think that is what my dad sponsored his tuition for in the first ce.¡±

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s serious and tiny face, Huo Shaoheng frowned as he calmly replied, ¡°Yeah, so is he going to be working under you from now on? You can help him correct his morals.¡±

 Chapter 808 - No Need to Keep Him

    <h4>Chapter 808: No Need to Keep Him</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What do you mean work under me? I don¡¯t want some little wolf puppy.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted with a dismissive expression.

    Huo Shaoheng raised a brow in surprise. In a somewhat sarcastic tone, he said, ¡°You still want to raise a little wolf puppy. That is very ambitious.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into fists. Her anger was growing, but she quickly calmed down and said with a half-smile, ¡°You¡¯re too kind with thepliments. I¡¯ll be sure to notify you when I want to raise a little wolf puppy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reacted quickly. He grabbed her arm while leaning forward to whisper quietly in her ear. ¡°Mrs. Huo, you¡¯d have to wait three years even if you wanted to raise a little wolf puppy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even turn around before grunting. She calmly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Struggling out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grasp, she quickly walked toward the dorm elevator. Huo Shaoheng looked down and lit a cigarette. cing it in his lip, he inhaled and crossed his arms as he leaned against the car door to quietly watch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back disappear in the elevator. There was a subtle, inexplicable smile on his face. After silently smoking the cigarette in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building, he got into his car to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her dorm. She didn¡¯t take much time to consider what Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words meant. Her attention waspletely monopolized by the photo and data Ye Xuan had given her. She stared at the photo she photoshopped all night. She firmly memorized that man¡¯s appearance in her heart before locking it up in her password-protected photo album. Afterward, she looked at the Gu assets inventory Ye Xuan had given her. She began verifying it while also formting the next step in her court debate strategy.

    ...

    Gu Yanran returned from the first trial and immediately delved into anxiety and unease. She kept asking Jin Wanyi, ¡°Lawyer Jin, how can you agree to their conditions without my permission? You didn¡¯t even ask me at all!¡±

    Jin Wanyi rolled her eyes and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Miss Gu, we signed a full agency retainer agreement. I am your representativewyer, so you must listen to what I say when ites to matters of thew.¡±

    ¡°But won¡¯t we be tripped up by her if my father neverpleted any adoption papers?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s willowy brows pulled back. Her gaze was extremely harsh as she said, ¡°It¡¯ll end up being our fault if we can¡¯t present it when the timees! Lawyer Jin, tell me, how you can put me in a situation like this?¡±

    This was truly Jin Wanyi¡¯s mistake. Even though she was unwilling to face it, she had no choice but to admit that Gu Nianzhi was more skillful than her. Jin Wanyi thought about it sullenly for a while. Leaning in her chair, she sternly said, ¡°Miss Gu, tell me the truth. Did your father have any official adoption papers or not? If he did, take it out and call it a day.¡± She thought Gu Yanran was saying Gu Nianzhi did notplete official adoption procedures in order to monopolize the entire Gu fortune.

    Gu Yanran froze before sitting down impatiently. ¡°As far as I know, there really weren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°He really didn¡¯t have any? That makes things very difficult...¡± Jin Wanyi squeezed her pen. She tapped it on the notebook on the desk. Her brain quickly thought of a solution. ¡°If we dere to the court that we are unable to present official adoption papers, then the court would not consider her an adopted daughter. Instead, they¡¯ll process it ording to her identification documents issued by the Barbados government. If that happens, it doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s adopted or not. She¡¯s sure to inherit a part of the Gu estate.¡±

    Gu Yanran propped her head up with her hand and leaned weakly against the couch. Her gaze wandered as she thought about how Jin Wanyi was truly an unskilled as awyer. If Wen Shouyi was present, she would help think of the best solution. Unfortunately, Wen Shouyi had even given up herwyer¡¯s qualifications in thergestw firm in the United States and returned home. It was truly a shame As she thought about Wen Shouyi, she quietly sighed.

    Jin Wanyi considered it for a long time. She felt that she hadpletely been misled by Gu Yanran on the first day of trials. All her work had been for nothing. Suppressing the displeasure in her heart, she warned herself to not go against the money. When she looked up at Gu Yanran again, Jin Wanyi had resumed her standard, professional smile. She kindly asked, ¡°Miss Gu, how about you give me the contact information for your father¡¯swyer? I¡¯ll contact him and see if has legal adoption instruments or anything like a will.¡±

    Gu Yanrannguidly raised her head to look up at her. A look of vignce shed across her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll contact thewyer. Lawyer Jin should start by helping meplete the formal extension documents as required by the court.¡±

    Jin Wanyi could tell that Gu Yanran was guarding against her, so she kept smiling and nodded. ¡°OK, then I look forward to your good news.¡± The truth was, Jin Wanyi had already given up the idea of taking advantage of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s adoption papers. From Gu Yanran¡¯s behavior, she could already tell that Gu Nianzhi was properly adopted by Gu Xiangwen. However, Gu Yanran was too ashamed to bring out the legal documents since it was a p to her face. She nned to gloss it over even if she couldn¡¯t present the legal documents and still continue to fight the estate feud. As a result, Jin Wanyi began working on the next stage of preparations. She asked, ¡°Right, can you give me a copy of the Gu assets inventory? That way I can be well prepared to deal with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questioning.¡± This was something that had to be submitted. The kind of inventory to be submitted depended on Gu Yanran¡¯s mood. When Gu Yanran walked out of Jin Wanyi¡¯s office, she unhappily got into her car. Rubbing her phone, she contemted for a long time before finally ordering her driver to stop at a convenience store at the side of the road. She borrowed the convenience store¡¯sndline to call a number she thought she¡¯d never dial. The phone rang for a while before it was picked up. Gu Yanran quickly shared her recent experiences.

    The line was quiet for a long time before a woman¡¯s voice angrily screamed, ¡°Gu Yanran, you trash!¡±

    ¡°Please help me onest time.¡± Gu Yanran was not angry no matter how much the person yelled at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to support long-term poverty. Gu Yanran, I think I¡¯ve already done more than enough for you.¡± The other person refused to help.

    Gu Yanran was silent for a while before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t want to force you, but if I lose thiswsuit, Gu Nianzhi will be one of the richest people around. Also, I won¡¯t be able to stop myself from telling other people about the things you¡¯ve done...¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare, but a frantic dog can jump over walls, let alone a human.¡± Gu Yanran finally calmed down once shetched onto the person¡¯s weakness to make her help think of a solution. After the woman on the phone fiercely scolded her, she still unhappily provided advice. Gu Yanran instantly felt enlightened.

    ...

    After finishing the call, Gu Yanran returned to her apartment on Third Ring Road of the Imperial Capital. She was in a visibly better mood. Humming a tune, she changed out of her clothes and wrapped a towel on her head. She had on an apron and sleeve protectors. She happily cleaned the entire apartment. Whether her mood was good or not, she loved to clean. It could be considered a rather strange way for her to relieve stress. As expected, the phone call she made relieved much of her stress. Even the most difficult thing could be simply resolved when it arrived in that person¡¯s hands. There was a spectrum when it came to human abilities. As awyer, Jin Wanyi was far too shabby. Compared to that other person, she couldn¡¯t evenpete with her pinky finger.

    After cleaning up her apartment, it was already dark outside. Gu Yanran took a shower and ordered Japanese food from a four-star Michelin restaurant in the Imperial Capital to be delivered. She also opened a bottle of French Bordeaux red wine. Candles were lit on the dining table, and faint piano music floated in the air. There was also the subtle scent of a bouquet of roses at the entrance. Gu Yanran looked at everything with pride before snapping her fingers loudly and calling Ye Xuan. ¡°Xuan, did you have dinner yet? Come here and eat with me. I¡¯ve ordered your favorite Japanese Kobe steak, as well as French Bordeaux red wine.¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s raspy voice had a powerful allure that Ye Xuan had never been able to resist.

    As expected, the breathing on the phone suddenly grew ragged. Gu Yanran looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with some regret. He really was an adorable little wolf puppy, so she wanted to give him a final chance. ¡°Xuan,e here. We can forget all the unhappy things from before and start anew. As long as youe, we can register for marriage tomorrow.¡± Gu Yanran continued to seduce Ye Xuan. She thought about it over and over again. No matter what, she wouldn¡¯t consider herself defeated as long as Ye Xuan stood by her side. That was also what the other person had said. If she could win Ye Xuan over, things would be quickly resolved. If by chance that wasn¡¯t possible, she would have no choice but to painfully cut him off. Gu Yanran really liked Ye Xuan a lot. She also had a certain amount of confidence in her allure, so she refused to ept the worst possible oue. She thought Ye Xuan was still angry because he was jealous of Prime Minister Tan.

    Ye Xuan took a deep breath and quicklyposed his emotions. Tightly gripping the phone, he sternly said, ¡°Yanran, how about you settle things with Gu Nianzhi outside of court? As long as you settle it outside of court, we can start all over again.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Yanran was overjoyed. She thought she understood Ye Xuan best of all, so that person wasn¡¯tpletely right with what she said. She immediately replied, ¡°OK, I can settle with her outside of court, as long as Gu Nianzhi epts my terms.¡±

    Ye Xuan was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Yanran, I already gave the Gu assets inventory to Gu Nianzhi. As long as you divide the estate with her evenly...¡±

    ¡°What? What did you say? Do you dare say that to me again?¡± Gu Yanran instantly changed expressions. She stood up from the dining table with a whoosh. Her face was pale and looked vicious.

    Ye Xuan snickered and asked ¡°So what if I say it again? I¡¯m telling you, I already gave it to Gu Nianzhi. I¡¯m returning things to their owner. Do you have a problem with that?¡± Ye Xuan was both disappointed and saddened by Gu Yanran¡¯s reaction. She was a woman he had truly loved. Although he had mistaken her for someone else, the love he invested was not a mistake.

    ¡°What problem do I have with that? Ye Xuan, how dare you say such a thing! What right do you have to give my family¡¯s things to an outsider? Did you really think you were a part of my family?!¡± Gu Yanran fiercely admonished him.

    Ye Xuan only thought she was being preposterous. Draping his hand over the top of his head, he suddenly burst intoughter. He had barely caught his breath as he said, ¡°Gu Yanran, I¡¯ve never met anyone as delusional as much as you. I suggest you see a psychiatrist. If you are unwilling to see a psychiatrist, I¡¯ll gift Uncle Gu¡¯s words to you as a final message. ¡®Don¡¯t think lies be truth when you repeat them a thousand times! Lies will forever be lies. They will never be true.¡¯ At the same time, don¡¯t overly drain thest bit of love between us, Gu Yanran!¡±

    ¡°Love? Te Xuan, we didn¡¯t have any love left when you decided to deal with the Gu assets without regard for my wishes or permission. You better know what¡¯s good for you!¡± As Gu Yanran spoke, she threw the phone down. It hit the dining room wall and shattered into pieces. She still hadn¡¯t vented her anger, so she flipped over the entire dining table and watched the steak and red wine spill on the floor before feeling a bit better. It seemed the other person was right. If Ye Xuan could not be loyal to her, there was no need to keep him. He knew way too much about her.

 Chapter 809 - The Last Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 809: The Last Meeting</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Yanran stood in her apartment staring at the messy room and inhaling deeply. She made herself calm down and carefully recalled the suggestions that person had told her over the phone.

    She had been worried that she would forget while she was on the phone, so she suggested writing it down with a pen or noting it on her phone.

    The person on the phone was extremely cautious. She warned Gu Yanran that memorizing it in her head would be the most secure method.

    Regardless if she noted it with a pen or on her phone orputer, traces would be left behind.

    As soon as there were traces of those things left behind, it would be possible for others to investigate.

    Finally, that person repeatedly reminded her to not underestimate the enemy¡¯s abilities, especially that of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend, Huo Shaoheng.

    When Gu Yanran casually told that person Huo Shaoheng had already broken up with Gu Nianzhi, that person was not happy. Instead, she seemed to be shocked and was frozen for a long time before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t contact me again.¡± Afterward, she hurriedly ended the call.

    At the time, Gu Yanran thought that the connection had been lost. She quickly called back because she wanted to exin to her and ask why she couldn¡¯t contact her again.

    This time, she no longer heard the phone ring.

    She only heard, ¡°The number you are calling is not in service. Please dial theplete phone number. Thank you for your cooperation.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart instantly plummeted. It seemed that person had truly cut off all ties between them.

    Gu Yanran had doubted that number in the past because it wasn¡¯t aplete phone number. Even after checking all the phone books in the world, she had never found an international phone number that could be reached by only dialing a four-digit number.

    When she called it the first time, she still had doubts.

    When the call connected, Gu Yanran was finally able to feel reassured.

    Now, she could no longer connect to the number.

    Her life had truly be prosperous when she became good friends with that person four years ago.

    Unfortunately, the friendship onlysted four years. She had to rely on herself from now on.

    Closing her eyes, Gu Yanran recalled her n over and over again in her head until she was confident that she couldplete every detail to the extent of that person¡¯s request. She finally opened her eyes and headed to the bathroom.

    When she was in the bathroom, she looked at her increasingly beautiful face in the mirror. She suddenly raised a hand to p herself hard in the face until half of it became swollen.

    She woke up before sunrise the next day and removed the nkets to check her body. The bright red injuries on her body had already turned violet, which was very good.

    Quickly getting up, she went to the bathroom. The mirror reflected her face that was so swollen it appeared to be deformed.

    She smiled. The movement pulled at the swollen part of her face, so it appeared somewhat scary.

    After having breakfast, Gu Yanran waited a while. When it was 7 a.m. she tied an exaggeratedly and dazzling colored blue and violet Hermes scarf around her head. She wore a cashmere hoodie that was one size too big, cashmere skinny pants, t shoes, and arge, t jade bracelet on her wrist. She didn¡¯t wear any makeup. She grabbed the clear file she had prepared the night before as she left home.

    As she drove, she went around the Imperial Capital in a circle for an hour like she was looking for an address. When it was 8 a.m., she finally arrived at the office building of Ye Xuan¡¯s newpany.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s newpany created antivirus software called Virtual Vine. That meant hispany would be the enemy of allputer viruses. There were noputer viruses that could not be eliminated by hispany.

    This office was located in the high-tech business park on the Fourth Ring Road of the Imperial Capital. There were many other simr small- and medium-sized online and softwarepanies, as well as the office of one of the three major Huaxia intepanies, Qiandu Search Engine Company.

    This high-tech business park wasn¡¯t too far away from B University.

    The corners of Gu Yanran¡¯s mouth began to sneer when she thought of that.

    Ye Xuan¡¯spany rented the 17th and 18th floors of the office building.

    This time of day happened to be when most employees working forrgepanies in the office building were going to work.

    There was a steady stream of men and women walking in from the front doors toward the elevator.

    Putting on Prada Baroque sunsses, Gu Yanran elegantly walked over to the lobby of Ye Xuan¡¯spany. She politely asked the young girl at the reception on the first floor, ¡°Hello, my name is Gu Yanran. I¡¯m here to see the owner of Virtual Vine, Mr. Ye.¡±

    Thepany had been newly established by Ye Xuan, so Gu Yanran hadn¡¯t visited before. Ye Xuan had never mixed his personal life with business, so no one there recognized her.

    The young girl thought Gu Yanran was there to discuss business, so she quickly asked, ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡±

    Gu Yanran took off her sunsses and smiled at the young girl. She gently said, ¡°No, but I¡¯m very close to Mr. Ye. When he left my home early this morning, he forgot a document. I¡¯vee here to deliver it to him.¡± As she spoke, she raised her hand to show the young girl the opaque file she was holding.

    The young and talented Mr. Ye just left her home early this morning?!

    The receptionist widened her eyes in shock. Based on Gu Yanran¡¯s seemingly vague statement, she instantly imagined many erotic scenes.

    The receptionist¡¯s attitude instantly became polite. ¡°Please wait. I¡¯ll give Mr. Ye¡¯s office a call.¡±

    The internal line quickly connected to Ye Xuan¡¯s secretary. He had been working with Ye Xuan for a few years now, so he had an understanding of Ye Xuan¡¯s private life. He vaguely knew about his lover of many years, who seemed to be called Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Is it Miss Gu? Ask her to wait. I¡¯ll go ask Mr. Ye.¡±

    The secretary knocked on Ye Xuan¡¯s office door. ¡°Mr. Ye, there is ady by the name of Gu Yanran downstairs. She says she wants to see you.¡±

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t expect Gu Yanran to find him so quickly.

    He frowned but didn¡¯t make things difficult for her. ¡°Let here upstairs.¡±

    The secretary confirmed Gu Yanran¡¯s status and quickly returned the call to the receptionist on the main floor. ¡°Please ask Miss Gu toe upstairs.¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s secretary was being quite polite, so the receptionist was even more polite. She nearly walked Gu Yanran up the elevator and even pressed the button to the 18th floor for her.

    When Gu Yanran arrived at the door of Ye Xuan¡¯spany, she saw that all the cubicles inside were nearly full.

    Everyone sure came to work early...

    Gu Yanran carried an indescribable sense of superiority about her as she gracefully strode in from the lobby and headed toward Ye Xuan¡¯s CEO office.

    Ye Xuan was the owner, so his office was in the most spacious and luxurious room on the entire 18th floor.

    The side facing the lobby was an entire wall of ss.

    Everyone inside could clearly see everything outside, and everyone outside couldpletely see everything inside.

    The culture in high-techpanies was rather open and rxed, so the bosses were willing to get close to employees. There wasn¡¯t as strong of a sense of ss concept as with traditionalpanies.

    Gu Yanran walked over and took off the sunsses of her face as she nodded respectfully at the people looking up at her.

    The employees of Ye Xuan¡¯s were curious to begin with, but they were all a bit shocked when they saw the obvious signs of swelling on her face that were a result of being beaten.

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t mind at all as she walked to Ye Xuan¡¯s office and knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in, the door is open.¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s clear voice rang out from inside the room.

    Gu Yanran smiled and opened the door to walk in.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s office was like a transparent fish tank. Three of its walls were ss. When one looked out from the south-facing ss wall, they could immediately see the full view of the entire high-tech business park.

    Gu Yanran quietly closed the door but deceptively left a small gap open so the door wasn¡¯tpletely closed.

    From Ye Xuan¡¯s angle, he couldn¡¯t see it at all.

    The truth was, he was instantly unhappy when he saw Gu Yanran doing something fishy. He asked with disapproval, ¡°Why are you closing the door?¡±

    Things had already ended up like this, so what matter between them couldn¡¯t be divulged to others by now?

    Everyone already knew anyway.

    When he recalled how Gu Nianzhi called him Gu Yanran¡¯s ¡°little wolf puppy,¡± Ye Xuan immediately felt a bit aggrieved.

    Gu Yanran smiled at him, revealing eight pearly little teeth.

    Ye Xuan had never been able to resist her smile, so Gu Yanran smiled even more sweetly when she noticed he had looked away.

    She walked over and said, ¡°Xuan, it was my faultst night. I¡¯m sorry, please forgive me.¡± As she spoke, she bowed at him.

    Ye Xuan stiffened. He removed his hand from the mouse and folded his hands on the desk with a frown. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It was my fault. It was my fault. Please, don¡¯t force me anymore. OK? Do you know what my father means to me?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s tears came at her will. They instantly rolled down as she cried elegantly and delicately in front of Ye Xuan.

    Ye Xuan looked at her with shock. He couldn¡¯t help but pass her a tissue. ¡°Why are you crying? As long as you do as I say and don¡¯t make things difficult for Gu Nianzhi, what can I possibly force you to do?¡±

    Gu Yanran epted the tissue to blow her nose. She cried even louder as she said, ¡°Ye Xuan! You¡¯re heartless! I¡¯ve been with you for so many years and gave everything to you, but you¡¯re still ungrateful! You insist on forcing me, is that right? Didn¡¯t you want the Gu assets inventory? I¡¯ll give it to you!¡± As she spoke, she threw the clear file hard toward Ye Xuan.

    It was unknown if the documents inside weren¡¯t ced properly or not, but as soon as she threw it, the nk sheets of A4 paper inside flew out and scattered all over the floor.

    Ye Xuan recalled the years he spent with Gu Yanran and how they enjoyed good times. He couldn¡¯t help darkly say, ¡°As long as you agree to the conditions I set yesterday, I can wipe out everything from the past!¡±

    Gu Yanran cried louder as soon as she heard that. Her voice traveled from the crack in the door to the lobby outside. ¡°Ye Xuan, isn¡¯t it OK that I already said it? You and Gu Nianzhi only want to know that my father didn¡¯t leave a will, right? Stop forcing me! I can¡¯t take it anymore! I just have to tell you, right? My father¡¯swyer, Mr. Vanderbilt lives in Little Rock, Utah! Go find him! Go see if he has what you want! I can¡¯t take it anymore! My father is still alive! He¡¯s still alive! I¡¯m not cold-blooded like you and Gu Nianzhi! How could you want to execute the will while my father is still alive? You two are too horrible!¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Yanran turned around to yank open the door to Ye Xuan¡¯s office and ran outside crying.

    The employees of Ye Xuan¡¯spany had all craned their necks to eavesdrop on the gossip. Several people close to Ye Xuan¡¯s office even took out their phones to begin discreetly recording.

    Ye Xuan had assumed that Gu Yanran changed her mind and decided to not make things difficult for Gu Nianzhi anymore. He had not expected her old habits to die so hard. His expression turned sour as he angrily mmed the desk and yelled, ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, don¡¯t let me see you ever again!¡±

    Gu Yanran wailed as she ran out of Ye Xuan¡¯s office. As soon as she went down to the lobby on the main floor, she cried and passed out in front of the elevator.

    The crowd waiting for the elevator grew panicked. Everyone quickly called for an ambnce, which soon arrived and took Gu Yanran away.

    When the doctor in the ambnce gave Gu Yanran first aid, he unbuttoned her clothes and was shocked to find many purplish marks all over her neck and arms.

 Chapter 810 - Curb Themselves

    <h4>Chapter 810: Curb Themselves</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    The nurse on the ambnce quietly asked, ¡°Doctor? Do we need to give her aplete body check?¡±

    ¡°Take her to the hospital first. We can decide once she wakes up.¡± The doctor couldn¡¯t make up his mind either since it involved the patient¡¯s privacy. Plus, the patient copsing had nothing to do with the injuries on her body. It was due to ack of oxygen.

    The doctor was stone-faced as he put an oxygen mask on Gu Yanran¡¯s face.

    The ambnce siren screamed the entire way to the hospital.

    Gu Yanran woke up as soon as she arrived in the emergency room but was very weak. All she did was cry. She refused to speak or allow others to touch her.

    The doctor and nurse saw that her mood was unstable. Since her body had injuries, they had no choice but to allow her to be hospitalized for further observation.

    Gu Yanran called her housekeeper, Mrs. James, who immediately brought over necessities.

    Mrs. James upgraded Gu Yanran to a deluxe private ward and asked for the best doctor and nurse to treat her.

    The doctor saw that her mood had stabilized, so he delicately asked, ¡°Miss Gu, we are worried that the injuries on your body are rted to you suddenly passing out. Do you need us to examine them for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head frantically. ¡°No! I don¡¯t need them examined! I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be OK as long as I can stay here for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Well, OK. If you need it, we can...¡± Before the doctor finished speaking, he discovered that Gu Yanran had fainted again.

    This time, she was being guarded by her housekeeper. Mrs. James could help Gu Yanran make decisions, so she signed a consent form allowing the doctor to conduct a physical examination.

    The results angered the doctor and nurse. ¡°Miss Gu had been abused by someone. Mrs. James, do you know who did this?¡± the doctor asked with righteous indignation. ¡°Who would be so sick and twisted?¡±

    Mrs. James instantly thought of Ye Xuan, who often stayed overnight at Gu Yanran¡¯s. She also knew Ye Xuan had a peculiar rtionship with Gu Yanran. Even though they seemed to have fallen out because Gu Yanran had sex with another man, who knew what the young couple was thinking about. What if they were only y fighting?

    She cautiously delicately, ¡°That is my mistress¡¯ personal matter. I need to ask my mistress before I can answer you.¡±

    She spoke with an English ent. It was refined yet arrogant while remaining perfectly polite.

    The doctor understood English, so he didn¡¯t say anything. However, when he came out of Gu Yanran¡¯s private room, he called the police as per regtions.

    ording to Huaxia Imperialws, doctors in hospitals had the responsibility to call the police when they discovered gunshot wounds, stab wounds, or situations of women and children being injured.

    In the afternoon, the police station sent out two female police officers to the hospital to investigate Gu Yanran¡¯s injuries.

    Gu Yanran instantly became vignt when she heard the police were there.

    She bundled herself up tightly as she sat on the hospital bed and vehemently denied she was being abused or subjected to domestic violence. She only said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just careless. The skin on my body is too delicate. It bruises with even the slightest bump, so no one hurt me. Please don¡¯t bother me. I¡¯m recovering now.¡±

    The two female police officers were well-tempered since they had seen many victims of domestic violence.

    Such women were typically timid. They never said a thing, even if they suffered long-term domestic abuse from a man. They also never called the police to protect their rights.

    As a result, the female police officers were patient. They stayed at the hospital to speak with Gu Yanran and took care of her in an attempt to dispel her worries and have her cooperate with their investigation.

    Gu Yanran kept a tight lip and refused to say who had injured her. She kept insisting that she did it to herself.

    When the two female police officers left in the evening, Mrs. James asked Gu Yanran with concern, ¡°Miss Gu, why are you concealing this for him?¡±

    ¡°Him? Who are you talking about?¡± Gu Yanran frowned. From the corner of her eye, she saw the door was opened a crack. There seemed to be someone standing in front of the room.

    ¡°Ye Xuan, of course. Is he still fighting with you because of your incident with someone else? Actually, I¡¯d have to say that neither of you are married, so you are both free to make your own choices. What right does he have to demand your loyalty? Does he even deserve it?¡± Mrs. James¡¯s attitude became very contemptuous when she mentioned Ye Xuan.

    She looked down on Ye Xuan. She thought he was like a prostitute and merely Gu Yanran¡¯s pet boy.

    Yet Gu Yanran shook her head and suddenly remarked, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. He... I shouldn¡¯t... I shouldn¡¯t have wanted to break up with him...¡± As she spoke, she began to cry again.

    That night, Gu Yanran bruised her entire body again and added new injuries on top of the previous injuries.

    When the doctor came to make his rounds the next day, his face fell when he saw new injuries even before the old ones healed. ¡°What on earth is going on?¡±

    Gu Yanranughed good-naturedly, yet tears still fell. ¡°I already said it. I hurt myself identally. There was no one else. I don¡¯t me anyone.¡±

    The doctor instantly understood what she was implying and couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for her. ¡°Miss Gu, is that bastard even worthy of your protection?¡±

    She even went to the extent of harming herself to mask the old injuries!

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t speak again. Biting her lip, she turned away and wiped the tears with the back of her hand.

    When the two female police officers arrived, they learned what Gu Yanran had done from the doctor. They thought it was a shame and said, ¡°That¡¯s horrible. The forensic doctor won¡¯t be able to perform finger marking analysis on the injuries because of what she did. Now, there are only her finger markings on the new injuries, so it will make it difficult for us to file charges on the actual person who hurt her.¡±

    Forensic doctors were responsible for inspecting injuries. It required special equipment and techniques. Regr doctors could only assess the extent of an injury but could not evaluate it.

    When Gu Yanran learned the forensic doctor was unable to evaluate the old injuries, she appeared greatly relieved. She said to the two female police officers, ¡°Thank you for helping me, madams. I¡¯ll remember your kindness in my heart.¡±

    The two female police officers shared a nce and shook their heads in unison.

    Gu Yanran had clearly been abused and suffered domestic violence, yet she did everything to protect that man.

    That man was clearly a cold-blooded monster!

    Gu Yanran had been in the hospital for several days, but he hadn¡¯t evene to visit her once!

    It didn¡¯t matter if someone was rich or poor. As long as they were weak, they would get bullied.

    It was this type of weak woman that allowed those bastard men to be more and more fearless.

    Since they couldn¡¯t obtain any evidence and Gu Yanran refused to make usations, the police officers had no choice but to write their reports and have her sign it before they left.

    Gu Yanran was quickly discharged from the hospital and returned to recover in her Xiangshan vi.

    She refused to return to the apartment on the Third Ring Road. She ordered someone to put the unit for sale.

    ...

    Ye Xuan had been feeling uneasy ever since he learned that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s familywyer lived in Little Rock, Utah. He wanted to meet him in person.

    He wasn¡¯t certain if it was Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer or if Gu Yanran was lying to him.

    Ye Xuan carefully studied the Gu assets inventory Gu Yanran had thrown down in his office. He discovered that it onlyprised one-third of the total assets he was aware of.

    There were still two-thirds, so where did they go?

    The more Ye Xuan thought about it, the more it didn¡¯t seem right.

    Since he was also busy with his ownpany, he couldn¡¯t pick up and go.

    As a result, he left it for a few days and took the time to properly arrange things at work. Just before he got on the ne, he called Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the United States to see someone. Wait for my news.¡±

    If thiswyer was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s familywyer, then Ye Xuan was sure that he had Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will.

    As long as there was a will, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s problem would naturally be resolved.

    It would be impossible for Gu Yanran to worm out of it, even if she wanted to.

    When Gu Nianzhi received Ye Xuan¡¯s call, she happened to be writing a paper in the library.

    She walked out to the hallway outside to take the call and asked with great concern, ¡°Who are you going to see in the United States?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you for now. I¡¯m not even sure if it¡¯s true or not.¡± Ye Xuan was hesitant. He didn¡¯t want to say too much and cause Gu Nainzhi to feel even greater distaste toward Gu Yanran.

    These two were sisters after all. Although they weren¡¯t biological sisters, they were still family.

    Gu Nianzhi was annoyed by Ye Xuan¡¯s reluctance to speak, so her tone also became icy as she said, ¡°OK then, be safe. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    She ended the call and continued to write her paper.

    Ye Xuan put his phone away. Looking around, he noticed that the several people who had been following him for a few days seemed to have disappeared.

    He snorted and walked up the VIP ramp to board the ne. He was silent the entire way. He arrived in Little Rock, Utah, all alone.

    ...

    In the Imperial Capital Special Operations Forces base, Bai Yueran came to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office and ced several civilianints. ¡°Huo Shao, please ask our personnel to curb themselves. This is domestic, not abroad. They can¡¯t use the methods for dealing with foreigners on our civilians.¡±

    Tracking, monitoring, secret recordings... These methods werepletely fine if they were used abroad to serve national interests. When it was domestic... If civilians were to discover it, it would spell big trouble.

    ording to the legiture, the scope of operations for the Special Operations Forces was abroad. They could not take action domestically.

    Huo Shaoheng had taken advantage of the opportunity he came across when went to New Yorkst time. He encountered danger and caught the traitor. By using soft and hard methods, he forced the Senate to pass new legition allowing the Special Operations to act with convenience domestically once they obtained approval from the Supreme Military Council and specialmittee within the Senate.

    This ¡°convenience¡± required different levels of authorization. When it was said and done, the possibility of keeping things confidential was greatly reduced.

    As a result, Huo Shaoheng typically didn¡¯t take action domestically because it was way too easy to leak intelligence.

    To allow Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran¡¯s estate feud to proceed smoothly, he made an exception by using Gu Xiangwen¡¯s assets, which implicated a great number of national interests, as a reason to request a special permit from the Senate and Supreme Military Council to conduct surveince on Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran seemed to be a lot more formidable this time around. First, she fell out with Ye Xuan and lured him away. She also somehow discovered people were tracking her for some unknown reason. She even took the time to file aint about the Special Operations Forces to the Senate and implied that Huo Shaoheng was ¡°abusing public power for personal gains¡± by using the power he possessed to help Gu Nianzhi in the estate feud.

    Gu Yanran had submitted theint report Bai Yueran was holding.

    Gu Yanran was burning all bridges with Gu Nianzhi anyway, so she wasn¡¯t worried about crossing her or crossing Huo Shaoheng.

    Even though she knew Gu Nianzhi had already broken up with Huo Shaoheng, she still followed that person¡¯s suggestion and filed theint. It would still cause Huo Shaoheng to have more hesitance, just in case he still had feelings for Gu Nianzhi and was secretly helping her out.

    Huo Shaoheng flipped open theint report in front of him and nced at it. His eyes shed briefly as he said, ¡°This is aint mentioning names, but Gu Yanran isn¡¯t a Huaxia civilian. It¡¯s not illegal even if we monitor her, right?¡±

    Bai Yueran smiled with a nod. ¡°I also told the personnel from the Secret Service that, but they still insisted this was domestic. Speaking in terms of regions, we cannot overstep our authority. Even if we need to monitor Gu Yanran, the Secret service should be the one doing it.¡±

    ¡°I already received approval from the Senate. They can go find Speaker Long if they have issues with it.¡± Huo Shaoheng finished speaking and pushed the severalint reports back to Bai Yueran. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Director Bai for the remaining matters.¡±

    ¡°OK, I guess I know why our people are so domineering now. It¡¯s because ¡®what the superior loves, the inferior will love exceedingly.¡¯¡± Bai Yueran took back the reports with a smile. ¡°Since Huo Shao is so domineering, I won¡¯t let you down. Allow me to respond to their inquiries with dominance!¡±

    ¡°However,¡± Bai Yueran suddenly changed the topic, ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s best that you withdraw personal surveince on Gu Yanran.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look up since he didn¡¯t want to continue this topic.

    ¡°I¡¯m speaking about this topic with you, as awyer.¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s expression suddenly grew stern. ¡°It¡¯s one thing if your surveince hadn¡¯t been discovered by her. Now that she¡¯s already discovered it, Gu Yanran will probably use this to make a big deal out of it when she goes to court. She will im much of the evidence was illegally obtained and cannot be used by the court. That will create an extremely negative impact on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s estate feud.¡±

 Chapter 811 - Secret Alert

    <h4>Chapter 811: Secret Alert</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After Bai Yueran left, Huo Shaoheng sat alone in the office and contemted matters for a long time. As he stared at theputer screen, it had already turned blue.

    What Bai Yueran said was reasonable.

    Huo Shaoheng had obtained authorization from the military and Senate to monitor the Cab and take advantage of the national interests linked to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s patients to put Gu Yanran under surveince. Afterward, they also began monitoring Ye Xuan as a result of him sharing the Gu assets inventory.

    Legally speaking, monitoring government agencies like the Cab was apletely different concept from monitoring normal civilians like Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan.

    The American Snowden incident became a huge scandal that brought great shame to the American government. That was because it was no different than monitoring ordinary American civilians without discrimination, not because they had been monitoring government officials. In modern society, the former was a heinous vition of personal privacy.

    Although the United States had its own ¡°Patriot Act¡± to protect its monitoring activities, the truth was that it also knew it was indefensible. As a result, it never dared to make it public.

    As most people knew, that incident immediately faced unanimous international public condemnation after it was publicized by Snowden. No one even considered if those actions had been legal or not, which had an extremely negative political impact on the American government.

    In modern society, legality was a rtive concept.

    Legitive bodies could fabricate many unfathomablews at any moment. They could also abolish manyws that seemed to bemon sense at any minute.

    As for high-level officials, they had to consider thew, as well as the influence on civilians. This was especially the case when it came to political influence on the department of the Special Operations Forces.

    Huo Shaoheng would never forget how the elite officials of the Senate, Cab, and military had seriously doubted this point during the establishment of the Special Operations Forces. They wielded too much power, so would they expand their operations to the domestic side?

    Also, had Huo Shaoheng actually invested in inappropriate attention on Gu Nianzhi¡¯swsuit?

    If those actions were to be discovered by Gu Yanran, there was no doubt that it would cause unexpected damage to Gu Nianzhi in court. Gu Yanran might even twist the entire estate feudwsuit into the Huaxia Imperial military¡¯s attempt to abuse public power and seize private assets belonging to a foreigner.

    If that happened, Gu Nianzhi could lose all chances of victory.

    It would also push the discreet organization of the Special Operations Forces to the forefront of attention.

    From any perspective, these were not consequences Huo Shaoheng could bear.

    He couldn¡¯t allow the credibility of the Special Operations Forces, which he had established himself, to suffer a fatal blow. He also could not allow Gu Nianzhi to suffer in silence.

    After much thought, Huo Shaoheng came to a conclusion. Gu Yanran had an expert in the background. This person had a deep understanding of how the Huaxia Empire operated.

    He stared nkly ahead and continuously yed with a round gold coin in his hand. He suddenly mmed it loudly on the desk and swiped his fingers to conceal the gold coin in his palm. Picking up the internal phone line, he sent out a series ofmands topletely withdraw all surveince on Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan.

    Afterward, he stood up from behind the desk and smoothly grabbed the navy blue thin wool uniform coat from the coat rack. With a shake of his arms, he put on the coat and strode out of the office.

    After getting into his car, Huo Shaoheng drove to the second-hand apartment Gu Nianzhi had purchased in Hepingli District on the Fourth Ring Road.

    As he used the key card to open the door, Huo Shaoheng messaged Gu Nianzhi: Come to the new apartment in Hepingli. I have something important to discuss with you.

    He rarely texted Gu Nianzhi. To express his caution this time, he chose to text her.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s text when she had just walked out of a ssroom.

    She had two sses in the morning, which were both finished. She had nned on heading to the library to catch up on homework.

    When she saw the text, she hesitated for a second before returning his call.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the lounge chair on the balcony. He had just lit a cigarette when he heard his phone ring. He picked it up and unlocked before his deep and maic voicenguidly answered, ¡°Nianzhi? Are your sses over now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°Huo Shao, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,e here when you have a moment.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up at the sky. It was somewhat dreary. The northwest window came in from the prairies, carrying sand and cold. The temperature was quickly dropping.

    ¡°What can¡¯t be discussed over the phone?¡± Gu Nianzhi got on her bike. ¡°I still have to go to the library to do homework.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got up to turn on the air conditioner and adjusted the temperature to remain at 23 degrees Celsius. He said, ¡°It¡¯d be better to talk in person. It¡¯s safer here.¡±

    Their precautionary measures here could ensure their conversation would not be eavesdropped by someone else.

    Gu Nianzhi understood right away. ¡°I¡¯lle right now.¡±

    She didn¡¯t return to the dorm. She got on the bike to rush over to Hepingli District.

    She had purchased that apartment due to its convenient location from campus.

    Using a shortcut, it only took Gu Nianzhi 15 minutes to arrive in Hepingli District.

    She locked the bike to the rack outside the building and went upstairs wearing her backpack.

    When she arrived at her own door, she took out a key card. The door unexpectedly opened from the inside. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure appeared from behind it.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Huo Shaoheng moved aside to let her in. His expression was calm and gaze steady. His rxed expression and movements eased Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious heart.

    She walked inside with a smile and took a look at her apartment. ¡°When did you get here?¡±

    ¡°Less than half an hour ago.¡± Huo Shaoheng was as rxed as if he was in his own house. ¡°What do you want to drink?¡±

    ¡°Can I have a beer if I want to?¡± Gu Nianzhi gave a slight smile. She set down her backpack and threw it on the couch.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even hesitate before he turned around to the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll get milk for you.¡±

    Hmph, why ask if you are going to be this way?

    Gu Niaznhi discreetly made a face but did not say that out loud. Sitting on the couch, she stretched her legs and sighed deeply.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng emerged carrying a tray with a ss of warm milk and a small te of muffins.

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished ss, so she was actually a bit hungry. She epted the food and didn¡¯t hesitate to start downing half the ss of milk before eating a muffin.

    Huo Shaoheng cradled a cup of Pu Erh tea as he sat on the couch across from her. He watched her intently.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her milk and took a napkin to wipe her lips before asking, ¡°What is it? Tell me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head to sip the tea. He set the cup on the coffee table in front of him and slowly said, ¡°I wanted to tell you something in advance since I don¡¯t know what kind of consequences it will cause on your estate dispute case.¡±

    This way, Gu Yanran wouldn¡¯t be able to give Gu Nianzhi a surprise attack when they were in court.

    Gu Nianzhi straightened in her seat. Her expression grew stern. ¡°Does this have something to do with me suing Gu Yanran?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms. His voice was deep and pleasant. ¡°The thing is, ever since Ye Xuan gave you the Gu assets inventory, we began surveince on Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran. We discovered that Ye Xuan also told this to Gu Yanran.¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help touching her face. ¡°Ye Xuan probably still has feelings for Gu Yanran...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng automatically rubbed his chin, wisely choosing not to give any judgments on rtionship issues. His voice was calm and steady. ¡°Afterward, they had a huge fight, and Gu Yanran went to Ye Xuan¡¯s office building.¡±

    Gi Nianzhi listened attentively. When she heard that Gu Yanran told Ye Xuan her father Gu Xiangwen had awyer in the United States, her face instantly fell. ¡°Oh no! Ye Xuan just said goodbye to me. He said he was going to the United States to see someone. Could he be going to meet thiswyer?¡±

    ¡°Ye Xuan went to the United States?¡± Huo Shaoheng was slightly shocked. He quickly took out his phone to send a message to Zhao Liangze. He wanted arrangements made to have their field personnel in the United States secretly follow Ye Xuan to see what he was nning to do.

    Since Ye Xuan had gone to the United States, the Special Operations Forces had much more freedom to act.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Huo Shaoheng make the preparations and finally rxed a bit.

    Huo Shaoheng told Gu Nianzhi what he knew and finally said, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you these things to show off my efforts, but because... Gu Yanran somehow discovered she was being monitored by us and has already filed aint about us to the relevant department in the Senate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked.

    ¡°For the sake of your case, and the sake of our organization, I¡¯ve decided to withdraw all surveince on Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan.¡± Huo Shaoheng watched Gu Nianzhi intently. ¡°With this case, you can only rely on yourself from now on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and knew what Huo Shaoheng had done for the sake of her case.

    She was extremely grateful and quickly said, ¡°I know, you... You didn¡¯t need to do that... That¡¯s not good for you or your organization. I¡¯ll find a way myself. Gu Yanran isn¡¯t my opponent no matter how much she struggles.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had confidence that she could defeat Gu Yanran¡¯s evil ns. Even if she didn¡¯t know of this situation, she was still confident that she could quickly react.

    ¡°Do you not appreciate it?¡± Huo Shaoheng tilted his head yfully. His handsome face was like a ma that attracted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze.

    She used her entire body¡¯s strength to avert her gaze and looked down. ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m not an ungrateful person.¡± One could absolutely tell if the other person cared about them or not.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and walked over to sit beside Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi could only feel the couch cushion beside her sink down deep, so she couldn¡¯t help but lean in that direction like she was throwing herself at him.

    She identally fell into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace.

    Huo Shaoheng loosely hugged her and smiled. ¡°That was youing over yourself. I didn¡¯t force you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi struggled with embarrassment, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms slightly tightened around her as he gently spoke to the top of her head. ¡°Let me hug you for a bit. I can¡¯t see you again after today until yourwsuit has concluded.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± Gu Nainzhi couldn¡¯t help asking. She was in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and looked up at his beautifully shaped jaw. Her gaze was full of questions and confusion.

    ¡°To avoid conflict of interest.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down at her eyes, which shone as brightly as water, and cherry red lips. He couldn¡¯t help but lean down to kiss her on the lips.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t shrink away. She allowed him to kiss her. Herrge eyes zed over intermittently. Her longshes resembled two little fans that concealed the trace of lingering nostalgia deep in her eyes.

 Chapter 812 - Not a Minute Wasted

    <h4>Chapter 812: Not a Minute Wasted</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    They snuggled quietly on the living room couch.

    The sky outside the French windows was growing darker, and the wind was howling louder. The dried yellow leaves on the trees fell on the ground and were blown away by a gust of wind. The leaves dancing mid-air were like his own uneasy heart.

    Huo Shaoheng was worried.

    He originally assumed that they were guaranteed to win the estate feud, yet it had be one trouble after another. It appeared that Gu Yanran still had many cards up her sleeves. He was also unsure if Gu Nainzhi could handle it or not.

    Lowering his head, he wanted to say something but saw that Gu Nianzhi had alreadyid in his arms and fallen asleep.

    Her breathing was even and light. Her long eyshes did not move as they covered the hint of bruising under her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng carefully studied her peacefully sleeping face. She must have felt exhaustedtely. Her face was so pale it nearly became transparent. The color on her cheeks was faint like the lightest blush of pink on April cherry blossoms.

    On the other hand, her lips were healthy in color. Upon careful inspection, she must have put on lipstick.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and took a tissue from the coffee table to gently wipe her lips and remove the lipstick. A few streaks of coral red were left on the tissue.

    He supported her neck with one hand and encircled her knees with the other to pick her up.

    Opening the bedroom door, Huo Shaoheng saw that the bed had been reced.

    He recalled how they had yfully fought on the bed the other day and somehow copsed it. He couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    Setting Gu Niaznhi on the bed, he covered her with a thin nket and moved it aside so he could get under it.

    He didn¡¯t sleep. He sat on the bed and took out his phone to start checking work emails, as well as progress on all phases of action.

    Time passed by slowly. The room was extremely quiet.

    The windows had excellent sound-proofing capabilities, and the thick, gold velvet curtains blocked out light and heat. Itpletely concealed therge window that was half the height of the wall.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been able to sleep so leisurely for a long time.

    It seemed like her sleep quality had been terrible since she returned from Germany.

    As a result, she adjusted her schedule and became ustomed to working all night to write papers and do homework. She tried her best to take time to sleep during the day.

    Sometimes she had sses or other events in the day, so she couldn¡¯t be guaranteed sleep.

    After a long time, her exhaustion gradually became obvious.

    However, she wasn¡¯t worried because she knew it was due to the recurrence of her PTSD left unhealed from years ago. It was triggered by what she suffered in Germany. She slowly adjusted her mentality and increased her resistance to stress.

    She didn¡¯t have Huo Shaoheng¡¯s soothing, sensitive and fragile nerves. She had no choice but to reduce her anxiety and restlessness by limiting her amount of sleep.

    Although her method was silly, it managed to work. She could feel herself graduallying out of the daily panic and unease she felt whenever she closed her eyes. She began to feel increasingly tired, but it was different from when she had returned and could onlyy with her eyes open the entire night. Her nerves were in a state of unusual excitement.

    Her sleep now was the most secure and deepest since she hade back.

    Opening her eyes, she was shocked to see a tall figure sitting next to her. She didn¡¯t feel panicked. She stuck out her tongue to lick her somewhat chapped lips before quietly humming once.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Adjusting the nkets for her, he patted her back before continuing to look at his phone and gently tapping on the screen.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t that awake. She was looking at Huo Shaoheng ording to her instincts because she subconsciously knew he was someone who would allow her to sleep peacefully.

    Although Huo Shaoheng looked at his phone, he always kept the corner of his eye on Gu Nianzhi.

    When he was being stared at so intently like that, he couldn¡¯t concentrate at all.

    Huo Shaoheng finally sighed and put his phone done. Picking her up from the nkets, heid her on hisp. He bent down to begin kissing her lips. At the same time, he reached under her shirt with one hand.

    Gu Nianzhi gradually woke up. She could feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kisses growing hotter. She didn¡¯t resist him. She was only thinking about how men always touched breasts when they kissed.

    Did he also touch her when they kissed before?

    She tried hard to recall but couldn¡¯t remember. She only remembered how she had beenpletely confused and couldn¡¯t even remember her name when he kissed her in the past. Her brain turned to mush. She couldn¡¯t think of anything. She had no recollection of what he did.

    When he kissed her now, she was intoxicated but still distracted enough to think about his actions.

    Was this improvement?

    Huo Shaoheng noticed Gu Nianzhi being distracted, so he squeezed her hard before finally letting go.

    When he moved his lips away, Gu Nianzhi already panting hard.

    ¡°If you keep getting distracted, I¡¯ll have to punish you.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down to bump foreheads with her. ¡°How long has it been since you slept?¡±

    ¡°I do sleep...¡± Gu Nianzhiughed. Her tiny lips seemed to be coated in honey as she teased Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I sleep especially well next to you. You are like a sleeping pill. Just a small amount is enough. Having too much will cause an ident, so I have to take a bit every now and then.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tapped her lips with his finger. ¡°Just look at you, you¡¯re even know how to tease me with sweet words now.¡±

    ¡°When did I do that?¡± Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her nose. The tip of her nose felt soft and smooth as soon as it touched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s finger.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Huo Shaoheng symbolically patted her butt a few times. ¡°Are youplimenting me or insulting me by saying I¡¯m your sleeping pill?¡±

    ¡°How dare I insult you?¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed Huo Shaoheng away and climbed off the bed. ¡°You¡¯re the great master, so I should be serving you.¡±

    ¡°Really? Will you be serving me today?¡± Huo Shaoheng missed the warmth between them a bit, so he reached out to grab Gu Nianzhi and pull her back again toy on the nkets.

    His fingers had already begun drawing circles on her waist.

    Gu Nianzhi watched his increasingly dark eyes and looked away with some difort. She wanted to resist him, but her body was extremely rigid. She didn¡¯t know how to react.

    Huo Shaoheng watched for a while before he removed his hand and didn¡¯t continue the actions. He kissed her on the side of her cheek. ¡°I was just teasing you. Look at how scared you are.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi huffed. She didn¡¯t want to admit she had sighed in relief but still objected stubbornly. ¡°Scared? Hah,e on then, who¡¯s scared of who?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately pressed her onto the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly admitted her defeat. She frantically shook her head, refusing to let him continue kissing her as she kept begging him, ¡°Fine, fine, fine! I¡¯m scared of you! Is that what you want to hear?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that kind of thing to a man ever again.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her up from the bed. ¡°You only have this tiny bit of courage and still want to pick fights all the time. Good thing you met me and not another man. Otherwise, they would¡¯ve chewed you down to the bone by now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still being contrary and wanted to reply out of habit, ¡°You can eat me then...¡±

    As soon as she said the first word, she knew it was wrong. She was able to m on the brakes before she said the second word.

    As expected, Huo Shaoheng looked down at her with a grin. He leaned over and quietly asked, ¡°You what? Why aren¡¯t you finishing the sentence?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nice. You¡¯re such a nice person, so how could you bear to eat me? Isn¡¯t that right, Huo Shao? Major General Huo?¡± She reached out to embrace Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck. Her voice naturally carried a bit of yfulness.

    Her bright eyes shone. They shimmered like autumn pools. She was like a fairy that could suck human souls.

    As Huo Shaoheng was controlling himself, he also thought about how the little fairy was growing up into a big fairy now. It was certainly getting harder and harder to fool her.

    When he decided what to do, Gu Nianzhi had already quickly pushed him away, climbed up and went to wash up in the bathroom.

    By the time she came back, Huo Shaoheng had already calmed down. Standing in front of the dressing mirror, he straightened the cor hooks on his military uniform. He didn¡¯t turn toward as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to school.¡±

    ¡°I rode my bike here. I¡¯ll be OK for me to go back alone.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to reject him. ¡°You should wait for me to leave before going.¡±

    Since they wanted to avoid a conflict of interest, they needed to do it thoroughly.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and didn¡¯t say anything. As long as she didn¡¯t continue to reject him, this was a good start.

    Like a skilled hunter, he had enough patience to await his prey to fall into his arms once again.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi rode her bike alone from the apartment in Hepingli District.

    When she got back to her dorm building, she lifted her wrist to nce at her watch and saw it was already past 4 p.m.

    In another hour, she would be able to have dinner.

    She locked her bike to the rack in front of the building and went back to her dorm.

    That night, she began to organize her court defense strategy afterpleting her homework.

    As Huo Shaoheng said, Gu Yanran suddenly made extraordinary moves. It was like she had been enlightened. There had to be an expert advising her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was unlike Huo Shaoheng. She didn¡¯t want to know who the expert was.

    Who cares who they were? She would destroy them regardless.

    Gu Nianzhi hated the kind of people who hid in the background and made shady moves.

    They should fight with her nobly out in the open if they truly had the ability. If they were that skilled, they should represent Gu Yanran as her legal counsel. Gu Nianzhi wanted to p their faces so hard that all their teeth fell out.

    They only dared to hide in the background and shoot secret arrows. Would a truly skilled person do that kind of thing?

    How cheap!

    After Gu Nianzhi strategically despised and looked down on the enemy, she began to treat them with great importance.

    She carefully recalled every single word Huo Shaoheng had told her about Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan. Next, she carefully studied the Gu assets inventory Ye Xuan had given her. She also contemted why Gu Yanran had to make such a big deal out of it.

    Why did Gu Yanran reveal the address of Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer? What was the goal of doing that?

    Was thewyer¡¯s address real or not?

    Was this to fool Ye Xuan to go there or to trick the tiger into leaving the mountain?

    Regardless of from what perspective she considered it, Gu Nianzhi still thought Gu Yanran and the expert behind her were overthinking.

    Ye Xuan had never thought about going to court to act as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s witness, nor did Gu Nianzhi ever want Ye Xuan to go to court to act as her witness.

    The two of them had onlye together because of Gu Xiangwen. They didn¡¯t know each other well at all.

    Ye Xuan giving her the inventory was a betrayal toward Gu Yanran, so how could he publicly act as a witness in court?

    As for Gu Nianzhi, she wouldn¡¯t consider it even if Ye Xuan offered to be a witness.

    Simply stated, it was better to not have a witness in court if someone trusted could not be found.

    Since the lethal blow of a witness suddenly turning against her was too powerful, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to bear that kind of consequence.

    She wrote down every single one of her thoughts and saved them in an encrypted file on herputer before sending an email to the court handling her case. She inquired when the next trial would be held.

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively knew that this incident couldn¡¯t be dyed too long. Otherwise, Gu Yarnan would continue to make shady moves on her end and gradually destroy evidence.

 Chapter 813 - Going In Together

    <h4>Chapter 813: Going In Together</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In her email to the court, Gu Nianzhi wrote, ¡°Due to estate cases requiring a longer time toplete the verification, I would like the court to not spend too much time on the adoption documents. I suggest verifying assets at the same time.¡±

    After she sent the email, she got attention from the court processing her case.

    Honestly, the court didn¡¯t want to waste too much time on the adoption documents.

    They weren¡¯t fools. ording to thew, regardless if someone was adopted or not, either an adopted daughter or biological daughter enjoyed the same inheritance rights as long as there were no additional wills.

    The court also didn¡¯t understand why Gu Yanran¡¯s side insisted on making a big deal out of the adoption papers.

    Even if they weren¡¯t able to produce adoption papers, there was still identification provided by the Barbados government proving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity as a daughter of the Gu family. They didn¡¯t understand why Gu Yanran was so obstinate about it.

    After Gu Nianzhi sent her email, Jin Wanyi¡¯s documents requesting to dy the trial were finally delivered to the court.

    The court personnel took a look. She wanted to dy the trial for three months just to find adoption papers.

    This was basically contempt of court...

    As a result, the court epting the case heeded Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suggestion and refused Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran¡¯s request to dy trials. They decided to go in it together.

    They issued the next trial date, which was the following Wednesday, and requested Gu Yanran to submit the Gu assets inventory to prepare for verification. At the same time, they allowed Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran three months to continue searching for adoption papers.

    Jin Wanyi received the court¡¯s decision and was so angry that she knocked over her entire cup of coffee. The brown coffee sshed all over the table and even dirtied the carpet.

    After Jin Wanyi lost her temper, she still had to call Gu Yanran. ¡°Yanran, the court has rejected our request to dy for three months. The next trial date has been set for next Wednesday. Have you worked out your assets inventory?¡±

    Gu Yanran was instantly unhappy. Jin Wanyi was useless. She couldn¡¯t even get a three-month extension.

    Luckily, she had already called that other person and gotten advice from her.

    Otherwise, she was bound to lose if she only relied on this Jin Wanyi.

    Gu Yanran turned on herputer to look at the inventory she hadpletely reorganized and sent it over to Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, this is the inventory of the Gu assets. After you take a look, you can submit it to the court.¡±

    Jin Wanyi quickly nced over it and was secretly bbergasted at the huge Gu fortune.

    This magnitude of wealth was not something a wage earner could ever expect.

    Even for someone who made an extremely high wage amongst other workers, it would be impossible to earn that much money.

    When she thought of it, Gu Yanran¡¯s behavior always had a sense of penny-pinching about it, even though the Gus were so wealthy.

    Before Jin Wanyi had gotten to know Gu Yanran well, she had been scared by her attitude.

    Now that she knew her well, Jin Wanyi shook her head and had quite a bad impression of Gu Yanran.

    She entered the information into herputer and said, ¡°Yanran, make another copy of the inventory and sign your name on it. I¡¯ll send your signed document to the court.¡±

    ¡°I still need to sign it?¡± Gu Yanran was putting up a bit of resistance. ¡°Can¡¯t it be submitted to the court as is?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. The court will process it as an invalid document,¡± Jin Wanyi patently said. ¡°We have to submit the inventory tomorrow, so hurry up.¡±

    Gu Yanran curled up on the huge couch in the living room of her vi. She looked at the bleak autumn scenery outside the French windows. After taking another sip of red wine, she printed another copy of the inventory while she was drunk. She signed her name and sent it to Ji Wanyi.

    Jin Wanyi quickly sent out the signed inventory to the court as soon as she received it.

    The court received the inventory and quickly ordered personnel to send letters inquiring about the bnce and value of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ounts to the banks, investment funds, and patent registration agencies ording to the address on the inventory.

    ...

    Ye Xuan arrived in Little Rock, Utah. He didn¡¯t immediately go visit Mr. Vanderbilt, who was quite famous in the small city.

    Little Rock was a small city that only had a poption of 4,000 or 5,000 people. It was smaller than a vige in the Huaxia Empire.

    Almost everybody knew each other in this city.

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t expect that the person handling Gu Xiangwen¡¯s legal affairs and helping him establish his will would be such a in-looking, unknownwyer as kind as Santa us.

    Mr. Vanderbilt was nearly 80 years old, but his spirits were high. Surprisingly, his appearance was youthful. He took his grandson and granddaughter to walk their dog and go outside every day.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Vanderbilt.¡±

    ¡°Are you taking a walk or walking your dog?¡±

    On the way, there was a countless stream of people greeting the kind old man.

    The old man chuckled and sometimes stopped to chat with people. Other times, he would bend over to pick up his family dog¡¯s waste from thewn.

    This extremely normal person had a huge client like Gu Xiangwen.

    Ye Xuan initially thought it was unbelievable. After observing this old man for a few days, he grew more familiar with him and was even more certain that he was thewyer handling Gu Xiangwen¡¯s legal affairs.

    The old man¡¯s aura was simr to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s. It was an attitude of warmth, tolerance, and kindness. He also had a good temper.

    Ye Xuan wasn¡¯t sure if he would even feel more familiar if he interacted with him.

    As Ye Xuan thought this, he finally walked out from therge tree he had been hiding behind. He headed in the old man¡¯s direction.

    Ye Xuan remembered the typical autumn evening in the United States. The almost disappearing sunset stretched everything¡¯s shadows very long.

    Ye Xuan walked toward the sunset and said to the old man, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s eyes squinted as he nced at him and gave a kind smile. ¡°Child, you¡¯ve finallye over.¡±

    ¡°You discovered me a long time ago?¡± Ye Xuan was a bit surprised.

    ¡°Yes, you are too obvious. Although you change into different clothes and shoes every day, your aura doesn¡¯t change at all. Regardless if you wore a plumber¡¯s uniform or a delivery man¡¯s clothes, your aura remains the same. If you want to disguise yourself as someone else, it¡¯s best to disguise yourself after carefully studying that person¡¯s aura.¡± The old man was polite and smiled at Ye Xuan with the small thrill from his own judgment.

    Many people of that age had dementia. They often didn¡¯t recognize their partner of several decades, let alone be able to observe a stranger for several days.

    This old man had a clear head and spoke methodically and logically.

    By now, Ye Xuanpletely believed that his person was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s legal advisor.

    ¡°Mr. Vanderbilt, I¡¯m sorry to bother you. I hope you can forgive me.¡± Ye Xuan bowed politely. ¡°My name is Ye Xuan. You should be familiar with the name, Kevin Ku?¡±

    The old man had been smiling peacefully, but his smile froze for a second when he heard that name. He quicklyposed himself and shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. You¡¯ve mistaken me for the wrong person.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Vanderbilt, Uncle Gu has been in a vegetative state for seven years now. Don¡¯t you care about yourrgest client?¡± Ye Xuan balled his hands into fists. He wanted to grab the old man¡¯s shoulders and fiercely shake him to knock some sense into him.

 Chapter 814 - Two Birds, One Stone

    <h4>Chapter 814: Two Birds, One Stone</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ye Xuan¡¯s words and the genuine pain on his face shocked the old man.

    ¡°What vegetative state? What are you talking about? Child, I¡¯m old, and my ears are no good. I might also have Parkinson¡¯s, so I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± The old man quicklyposed himself, no longer wanting to talk to Ye Xuan anymore.

    He held his dog¡¯s leash and put his fingers in his mouth to whistle.

    A middle-aged man ran over from the other side of the road and smiled very humbly at him. ¡°Is something wrong, Mr. Vanderbilt? Do you want to go home?¡±

    He nced at Ye Xuan and got a strong impression from his mixed-race features and tall figure.

    The old man looked at Ye Xuan and originally wanted to make him go away. When he saw the dejection, disbelief, and a bit of hesitation on his face, he changed the words that were almost about to leave his mouth. ¡°Take the dog back home. I¡¯m going to walk some more.¡±

    ¡°Ok, Mr. Vanderbilt.¡± The middle-aged man was the Vanderbilt family¡¯s housekeeper. He bowed at Ye Xuan before taking the dog home.

    Ye Xuan coldly assessed the man¡¯s tailored Armani suit.

    He thought to himself with great disdain, Could thiswyer be able to earn all that money with his resume and be able to afford that kind of clothing for even his housekeeper in this tiny and unknown town?

    This horrible oldwyer even dared to say that he had no rtions with Uncle Gu!

    Ye Xuan¡¯s heart was filled with rage. His eyes were about to spurt mes.

    Before he came there, he had already used his hacking skills to check thiswyer¡¯s resume. To his surprise, the more he investigated, the more he believed thiswyer was the kind ofwyer Uncle Gu would choose.

    He was discreet and cautious. Although he wasn¡¯t famous, he had never made any mistakes.

    This was the kind of person that Uncle Gu could trust.

    Although he had received enormous benefits from Uncle Gu, he was pretending that he didn¡¯t know him at all.

    The old man suddenly smiled when he saw Ye Xuan¡¯s expression. Patting his shoulder, he said, ¡°Young man, don¡¯t be so angry. Anger makes you age and be ill easily. How about you take a walk with this old man, OK?¡±

    Ye Xuan suppressed the dissatisfaction at the bottom of his heart and tersely agreed. He followed the old man and turned onto a tree-lined path in the neighborhood for a stroll

    The two men walked to the end of the street but neither spoke.

    When they were walking back, the old man finally asked, ¡°Did you say Kevin Ku is in a vegetative state? Who is he? Why did he go into a vegetative state?¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t know him, why should I tell you?¡± Ye Xuan sneered before looking away. A dozen ideas shed through his head. He considered how to threaten the old man into talking.

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fine if you won¡¯t tell me.¡± The old man walked several steps ahead and said, ¡°My home is here. Where do you live?¡±

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t tell him. He looked up at the most towering building in the entire town. It was basically a huge castle built on the edge of the town. Not far from the castle was a hill. There was also a blueke behind the castle.

    It bordered a mountain and faced ake, so this was a ce with fairly good Feng Shui.

    Ye Xuan sneered again and said, ¡°I¡¯lle visit you again tomorrow. I hope that you will remember by then.¡±

    He finished speaking and turned to leave without looking back.

    The old man quietly looked at Ye Xuan¡¯s back and shook his head. He staggered back home.

    ...

    Ye Xuan returned to the hotel where he was staying in a foul mood. He was toozy to eat, so he grabbed a pack of beer from the fridge and took it out to the balcony to drink.

    Soon after, the entire pack of beer was half-finished. He reeked of alcohol as he sat drunkenly on the balcony and inhaled deeply.

    The middle-aged person staying next to him was a field agent from the Huaxia Special Operations Forces.

    He had been ordered to follow Ye Xuan for a few days but didn¡¯t notice anything amiss.

    No one was following Ye Xuan, and no one was anyone attempting to harm, kidnap, or murder him.

    Could they have anticipated it incorrectly?

    The person quietly returned to his room and connected to the Huaxia Imperial Nandou Satellite Tracking and Navigation System to send a series of codes back.

    The following evening, Ye Xian returned to Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s residence and ran into him walking his dog.

    The old man wasn¡¯t surprised to see Ye Xuan. He smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯vee back.¡±

    Ye Xuan nodded. His expression was haggard as he walked beside the old man. Practically begging, he said, ¡°Mr. Vanderbilt, I know that Uncle Gu must¡¯ve made an agreement with you. Uncle Gu is in a terrible state right now, and his daughter desperately needs your help. Please don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know Kevin Ku again. That makes me feel terrible.¡±

    ¡°I want to ask you, who is Mr. Kevin Ku to you?¡± The old man stopped in his tracks. Folding his hands behind his back, he looked at Ye Xuan with a solemn expression.

    Ye Xuan pressed his lips together and said, ¡°My name is Ye Xuan. I am an orphan Uncle Gu sponsored. I owe him a lot, and I swore to protect the Gus for the rest of my life.¡±

    The old man stared at him pointedly for some time. There was a sh of light in his cloudy eyes before he turned to look at the gradually darkening sky and calmly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know a Kevin Ku in a vegetative state. The only Kevin I know died seven years ago, so I didn¡¯t lie to you.¡± As he spoke, he started to walk away.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Ye Xuan was shocked and enraged. He grabbed the old man¡¯s shoulder to nearly drag him back. ¡°Say that again! You old scammer! If you say such sick-minded things again, be careful or you won¡¯t live to see the sun rise tomorrow!¡±

    He almost lost his mind and attempted to use all his energy to grab the old man¡¯s shoulders.

    The old man¡¯s housekeeper saw things were bad. He immediately rushed over from behind them and pushed Ye Xuan away as he warned him, ¡°Come any closer, and I¡¯ll shoot!¡±

    The United States was a country that allowed civilians to carry guns legally.

    Ye Xuan retreated, not stubbornly going against this family.

    Tamping down the stormy emotions at the bottom of his heart, he said to the old man, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯lle back tomorrow.¡± As he spoke, he turned to leave.

    He drove his car back with unease and got on the road back to the hotel.

    This time, his rental Jeep died not long after he started driving.

    Taking out his phone, he wanted to call the car rentalpany to exchange it for a new one. He discovered that there was no cell signal.

    He was stuck, unable to move forward or backward. Walking back in the direction he came would take an hour or two.

    Ye Xuan parked on the side of the road. He didn¡¯t see any other cars pass by. He sat and thought for a while. Since he didn¡¯t have anything to do anyway, all he would do was drink beer when he got back. He decided to try to see if he could fix the car himself.

    He got out of the car and opened the hood to take a look. He thought there was probably a short circuit.

    Finding a spare toolbox in the trunk, he began to examine the circuitry.

    The night sky began to grow dark, and the clouds became dense, blocking out the moon and stars.

    After spending great effort, Ye Xuan finally fixed the car four hourster.

    When he opened up the car, he noticed that the circuits weren¡¯t the only problem. There were also battery issues. The tires also seemed to be punctured.

    The road was remote, and there were no traces of people at all. In four hours, he hadn¡¯t seen a single car pass by.

    By the time the Jeep was fixed and ready for the road, it was already 1 a.m.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s face was smeared with ck grease. It was on his body as well. When he returned to the hotel, the doorman almost didn¡¯t let him in.

    Ye Xuan had to take out his identification and key card to be let inside.

    The Special Ops field agent watching Ye Xuan had returned to the hotel a long time ago.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s schedule had been regr the past few days. He always left the hotel and went around the area where thewyer lived in.

    In the first few days, he was nning his route, so he hadn¡¯t spoken with Mr. Vanderbilt.

    They began chatting in the past two days, but there didn¡¯t seem to be much progress.

    When the agent tracked Ye Xuan the entire way, he didn¡¯t want to be noticed since Ye Xuan was taking a remote road. The agent took another route and returned a few hours before Ye Xuan.

    This incident wasn¡¯t the main goal of the Special Ops, so the agent nned to return to his post the next day once he finished writing the investigation report.

    Not long after Ye Xuan returned to the hotel room, harsh sirens wailed sounded outside the hotel.

    Police cars, ambnces, and fire trucks raced down the road by the hotel and sped towards one direction.

    This was a quiet little town. The biggest news was typically someone drunk driving.

    The current situation seemed to be extraordinary.

    However, most of the people in the hotel were already deeply asleep.

    The hotel windows had excellent soundproofing, so people didn¡¯t hear the sirens outside.

    It was until daybreak that these people got up from their beds and turned on the TVs to watch the morning news that they finally knew what happened.

    ¡°It was learned at 1 a.m. this morning that the residence of the most famouswyer in our town, Mr. Vanderbilt, suddenly caught fire. The entire mansion was seriously damaged. ording to police sources, Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family, including his two sons, three daughters-inw, one daughter, one son-inw, as well as four grandchildren, all perished in the fire. The house was nearly burnt to the ground. The housekeeper and cook were the only ones to survive because they lived in the servant¡¯s quarters 600 feet away from the main residence. The cause of the ident is still under investigation.¡±

    The female news anchor had a solemn face and wore a ck suit on set. It was like she was announcing an obituary.

    Mr. Vanderbilt had an esteemed reputation in the town of Little Rock, so everyone greatly respected him.

    After the news was broadcast, everyone thought the incident was over and treated it like a mere tragic ident andmented briefly.

    Suddenly, the TV station change camera angles once again returned to the nearly burnt-down address of Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s home. The local sheriff was holding a press conference.

    He appeared grim as he spoke into the microphone passed to him. ¡°We just confirmed that the fire at Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s home was not an ident or natural disaster. It was caused by deliberate human action. There are traces of a high-concentration, vtile gasoline spilled at the scene. There was also a report of someone pestering and issuing threats to Mr. Vanderbilttely. If you have seen this suspect, please call 911 now, and we will immediately send officers to make the arrest.¡±

    The photo of the TV was none other than a photo of Ye Xuan¡¯s somber face as he unhappily left Mr. Vanderbilt.

    The photo looked like it was taken candidly, and the camera angle was from a certain house on the street.

    Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s housekeeper also confirmed that he saw this young man dispute with Mr. Vanderbilt and even said that Mr. Vanderbilt mentioned to him before that this young man had been following him for several days now. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was trying to do.

    This time, the American policy was unusually efficient.

    Ye Xuan was still asleep and hadn¡¯t got out of bed yet when a group of fully armed police officers kicked open the hotel door and shouted, ¡°Freeze!¡±

 Chapter 815 - Enemies Bound to Meet on a Narrow Road

    <strong>Chapter 815: Enemies Bound to Meet on a Narrow Road</strong>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ye Xuan had lived in the United States for many years, so he knew that the wisest decision to make now was to remain still.

    At the moment, he was just d that he was wearing his pajamas in bed. Otherwise, he would be very embarrassing if someone were to remove his nkets.

    Police officers wearing bulletproof vests and helmets barged into Ye Xuan¡¯s room and pointed guns to his head as they tore off the nkets.

    Under the nkets, Ye Xuan was on his side. He had no weapons in sight.

    The police offices sighed in relief and shouted at him, ¡°You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say will be used as evidence in court. You have the right to obtain help from awyer. If you can¡¯t afford legal fees, the court will appoint a freewyer for you.¡±

    Ye Xuan remained motionless. He knew that he not only needed to stay silent, but he also had to stay motionless.

    As soon as he moved, there was a possibility of getting shot in the head.

    The police officers saw that Ye Xuan was being cooperative, so they didn¡¯t give him a hard time.

    One officer came up to put handcuffs on him, so he could finally get up from the bed.

    Putting on shoes, Ye Xuan looked up at the police officers who had barged into his room and asked, ¡°May I ask what my crime was? Why am I being treated like this?¡±

    One police officer still aimed his gun at him and expressionlessly said, ¡°You are suspected of murdering Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family. You wille with us now and wait for yourwyer toe to the police station for questioning.¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s heart plummeted.

    Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family had died?!

    He finally understood that Gu Yanran didn¡¯t have any love for him at all.

    Though he had stayed with her for so many years, it didn¡¯t mean anything in Gu Yanran¡¯s heart.

    He was her bedmate, and it was just the literal meaning.

    Right now, she wanted him dead.

    This trap not only got rid of him, but it also eliminated thatwyer.

    In other words, thewyer was really Uncle Gu¡¯swyer.

    It was all his fault. He was the one to bring death to Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s expression instantly darkened. He looked down and inhaled deeply to stop his voice from choking. ¡°I need to call mywyer.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± The police raised his gun. ¡°Where is your phone?¡±

    Ye Xuan pointed under his pillow.

    One police officer fumbled for his phone from under the pillow and ced it in Ye Xuan¡¯s hand.

    Ye Xuan rubbed his phone and opened the call log. He thought of Gu Yanran as soon as he saw thatwyer¡¯s number.

    He could no longer trust Gu Yanran anymore.

    Thiswyer also had very close ties to Gu Yanran. She had even introduced her to him before.

    If he contacted thatwyer, he would be cing his life in Gu Yanran¡¯s hands. This was a woman who did everything possible to make him die.

    Ye Xuan thought about it for a while and decided to find a newwyer.

    He looked online for a while and found thewyer who was the closest to his location and charged the highest fees to represent him.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s case had the highest local exposure, so theyer instantly agreed once he got Ye Xuan¡¯s call. He quickly drove over to the hotel.

    As soon as thewyer arrived, he hammered out a bunch of Ye Xuan¡¯s rights to the police and said he wanted to get him released on bail.

    The police officers didn¡¯t promise anything and said they would talk more once they took him to the police station.

    This was a normal working procedure, so thewyer went with Ye Xuan.

    The fully armed police officers left the hotel with a man wearing a hood on his head. Everyone soon realized this was rted to the arson case at Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s home.

    The Special Operations Forces field agent quickly sent news back to the Huaxia Empire.

    ...

    It happened to be past 8 p.m. in the Huaxia Empire when Huo Shaoheng received the news.

    ¡°What? Thatwyer¡¯s entire family was murdered? The local police said that Ye Xuan was the one who did it?¡± Huo Shaoheng began to frown when he looked down at the emergency report submitted by his subordinate.

    He stood behind his desk. His body was leaning forward as he held a fist on his desk. After staring at the report for a long time, he gruffly replied, ¡°The real is fake, and the fake is real. This was a fairly good y of two birds, one stone.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong both stood across from him. Their expressions were grim.

    Zhao Liangze said, ¡°I already tranted the field personnel¡¯s secret report. Did you see it yet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I saw it. You go ahead with your work. I can discuss this with Big Xiong.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was still in charge of summarizing and organizing therge-scale intelligence from the German Federal Intelligence Service. He was so busy every day that he never stayed in one ce. He immediately saluted and left.

    Yin Shixiong asked Huo Shaoheng with concern, ¡°Huo Shao, in other words, was thatwyer real? Was Gu Yanran not lying this time?¡±

    That woman was too sly and told too many lies. Even the asional truth she told was assumed to be a lie by other people.

    They really couldn¡¯t be too vignt against her.

    Huo Shaoheng was also thinking the same thing, but he wouldn¡¯t be shifting the me because of this.

    ¡°From the current perspective, it should be real.¡± Huo Shaoheng straightened his back and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that she¡¯s sly. It¡¯s that the person behind her is an expert in ying with people¡¯s heads. Not only are they are an expert, but they also have great mobilization power.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned on the wall-mounted TV in the office. ¡°Look, this is an American TV news report about the case.¡±

    Yin Shixiong turned around to look at the TV. Among the yellow mountains was a small, lush green town with mountains andkes.

    As the TV news camera changed footage, Huo Shaoheng picked up aser pointer and drew a circle around the house that had been burnt to the ground. ¡°You see, a huge house that had been burned to the ground in one night and without anyone noticing it. Not a single person inside escaped, and Ye Xuan was conveniently framed for it. This crime seems difficult or one person tomit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that someone bought a local gang and hired them to do this?¡± Yin Shixiong quickly looked down at the information. ¡°Do we have information about gangs in Utah?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat and leaned against his desk, crossing his arms as hezily stretched his legs forward. He thought about it and said, ¡°It may not have been a local gang. If you¡¯ve ever followed the illegal immigration problem in the United States, you¡¯d know that for someone in the United States to find illegal immigrants from South America tomit these crimes, it only costs $500 per murder.¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought for a moment.

    ¡°Do you mean that the crime wasmitted by local illegal immigrants from South America who had been hired?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only one possibility. Of course, it could also be a local gang.¡± Huo Shaoheng began to faintly calm down. ¡°Since it¡¯s spection, we should consider all sorts of situations.¡±

    He sat back down behind his desk and didn¡¯t look up as he said to Yin Shi Xiong, ¡°Go see Qiqi and leak this news to Nianzhi.¡±

    Yin Shixiong replied, ¡°Yes!¡±

    He knew how important this was. He immediately agreed and turned around to pack up so he could get ready to go to B University to find Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi received a call from Yin Shixiong saying he wasing to visit her and taking her and Nianzhi for dinner. He asked if they were free.

    Ma Qiqi happily answered, ¡°¡®I¡¯m free, I¡¯m free!¡±

    Soon after, she decided on a ce for dinner with Yin Shixiong and went next door to find Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, Nianzhi, Brother Xiong ising to treat us to dinner. Can youe?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happened to be free that day. Although she hadn¡¯t finished her paper, she had been exhausted the past few days and wanted a break.

    The next day was the second day of trials, so she needed to rx.

    Like how many students partied hard just before major exams, Gu Nianzhi also wanted to relieve her stress.

    She instantly agreed and immediately went to shower. She put on a face mask and got changed.

    After much preparation, it was time for Yin Shixiong to pick them up.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi got into Yin Shixiong¡¯s car. She purposely sat in the back seat so Ma Qiqi could take the front passenger seat.

    Yin Shixiong turned around to look at her andughed. ¡°Nianzhi, are you not busy today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to court tomorrow, so I need to rx today,¡± Gu Nainzhi nonchntly replied as she held her phone to y a game. ¡°You guys chat. Just pretend I¡¯m not here.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s face flushed as she purposely coughed and said, ¡°Nianzhi, what nonsense are you saying?¡±

    She quickly turned around to happily chat with Yin Shixiong.

    Although Yin Shixiong thought it was funny, he liked listening to Ma Qiqi speak and began chatting with her.

    They talked happily. The car grew lively.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted nothing more but to put on her headphones on so she could have some peace and quiet.

    Luckily, they soon arrived at the restaurant Yin Shixiong made reservations at.

    It was a Tan¡¯s private kitchen restaurant, so the typical person couldn¡¯t get reservations.

    Yin Shixiong had made reservations with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name.

    He chose this ce because it was more private and easier to speak inside.

    Unfortunately, they discovered that fate was going against their wishes when they walked in.

    Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi were eating there as well.

 Chapter 816 - Arenâ€™t You Afraid of Retribution?

    <h4>Chapter 816: Aren¡¯t You Afraid of Retribution?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Right away, Gu Nianzhi saw Gu Yanran sitting at a small table by the window in the lobby. She froze for a second and was actually quite impressed with this person.

    Her fully-nude short video had just been pulled from the inte not long ago, and she was actually socializing in public like nothing was wrong. That kind of psychological quality was truly solid.

    Gu Nianzhi was particrly keen to learn, so she immediately felt like she should learn from Gu Yanran¡¯s psychological quality¡ªnot tying her joy to physical objects, not being sad because of personal gains or losses, doing evil deeds because they were small, not caring about kind deeds because they were small...

    Oh, doesn¡¯t something sound not right with thest two?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. She did it on purpose...

    Her plump, curvy lips formed a joyful arc, and her pretty face was suddenly illuminated with a very infectious smile.

    Gu Yanran was talking with Jin Wanyi, the faint half smile on her lips appearing very demure. From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone was watching her, so her mannerisms became even more dignified.

    As she spoke, she quickly looked up.

    When she looked over, she froze.

    Her expression instantly became aggrieved, and tears quickly formed in her eyes. However, she forced her urge to cry back down.

    ¡°What is it? Yanran?¡± Jin Wanyi looked in the direction of her gaze and finally noticed Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong having dinner with a tall, pretty young girl.

    What was the name of that girl again? Maybe it was Qiqi... Ma Qiqi?

    Gu Nianzhi then noticed them looking their way, so she waved at them without any reservations and greeted them with a smile.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi also looked over together.

    Jin Wanyi quickly averted her gaze and was a bit embarrassed, so she bent down to take a sip of mango juice to conceal her emotions.

    Gu Yanran had an idea. She stood up expressionlessly and said with a trembling voice, ¡°I have to go ask her how she can still be smiling!¡± As she spoke, she grabbed her little Chanel purse and headed over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s group.

    Jin Wanyi quickly chased after her. ¡°Yanran, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, let go. I have something I need to ask her!¡± Gu Yanran struggled out of Jin Wanyi¡¯s grasp and turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi with reddened eyes. She choked out, ¡°Gu Niaznhi, how can you be smiling!? Because of you, Ye Xuan went to the United States tomit arson and murder. And you¡¯re here eating and indulging! How can you answer to your own conscience?! Did my father adopt you so that you could use any and all methods needed to steal his fortune? So you could bully his own biological daughter?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart bloomed with joy when he heard this.

    He had just been racking his brain trying to find a way to discreetly ¡°leak¡± news of Ye Xuan¡¯s crime in the United States to Gu Nianzhi. He had to clearly tell the truth while not viting his code of conduct.

    If this worked out, Gu Yanran would ¡°take one for the team¡± and ¡°solve his dilemma.¡±

    Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t be viting his code of conduct, and Gu Nianzhi would learn of the incident. It worked out for everyone!

    He mustmend Gu Yanran!

    Although Yin Shixiong was thinking that in his head, he disyed a serious expression on his face.

    Standing up calmly from dining table, his voice was deep as usual. ¡°Lawyer Jin, what is going on? You¡¯re awyer and also Miss Gu¡¯s legal representative. How can you allow her to openly nder someone in public? Aren¡¯t you worried it¡¯ll get Miss Gu into new legal trouble?¡±

    Gu Yanran heard this and raised a thinly drawn eyebrow in shock. She nced at Yin Shixiong, then at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What is it? Could you not know yet?¡± She then stared at Gu Nianzhi and sneered. ¡°It¡¯s one thing if they don¡¯t know yet, but isn¡¯t it too fake for you to pretend to not know?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have any regard for Gu Yanran at all. She sat motionless in her seat and smiled faintly as she replied, ¡°What do I know? Miss Gu suddenly ran over here to use me. Did you forget to take your medication before leaving home today? Could it be that Miss Gu can¡¯t even afford to hire a doctor, even though you control the huge Gu fortune? Don¡¯t worry, although I need to settle ounts with you, I won¡¯t go to the extent of not leaving you enough money for your medical treatment.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m sick?!¡± Gu Yanran pointed at herself. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯re pretending, so keep on pretending! Ye Xuan has been arrested in the United States, and somehow you¡¯re not sad at all. You¡¯re the kind of woman who actually has a heart of stone. Your heart was eaten by the dogs!¡±

    Ssh¨C!

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed the water ss from the table and sshed it directly in Gu Yanran¡¯s face.

    ¡°I was ignoring you, however, I gave an inch, and you took a mile.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression grew dark. ¡°You have to apologize, apologize right now. Otherwise, I¡¯ll actually sue you. I do what I say.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp gaze turned towards Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, you know that I¡¯m not kidding.¡±

    Jin Wanyi hesitated for a second, then quickly formed a bright smile on her face and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, today was Miss Gu Yanran¡¯s mistake. I apologize to you on her behalf...¡±

    ¡°No way. She has to personally apologize to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t going to budge on that. Raising her chin slightly, she angled it towards Gu Yanran. ¡°Letting her apologize means that I¡¯m already letting her off easy. When offered an inch, Lawyer Jin shouldn¡¯t take a mile.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was red faced from being berated by Gu Nianzhi in front of Yin Shixiong. She didn¡¯t know how to get out of this situation in the moment.

    But her self-discipline as ayer prevented her from saying harsher words, so she could only force herself to bear it. Her teeth bit down on her lower lip so hard that it was beginning to bleed.

    However, Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t even look at her as he continued to make subtle jabs at Gu Yanran. ¡°Oh? How could you say such a thing? Why would you randomly curse someone, saying theymitted arson and murder, and wish for them to go to hell? Miss Gu, if I remember correctly, Ye Xuan is your... um, male friend. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Yin Shixiong hemmed and hawed for a long time before concocting ¡°male friend,¡± so Ma Qiqi started giggling andughed so hard her shoulders shook.

    Gu Nianzhi was also amused and nodded. ¡°Brother Xiong is right. Isn¡¯t Miss Gu afraid of retribution for cursing her own little wolf puppy like that?¡±

    She knew that Ye Xuan had gone to the United States to find Gu Xiangwen¡¯s representativewyer. She was also aware that Huo Shaoheng had assigned Special Operations Forces field personnel to watch over Ye Xuan, so she was very assured and didn¡¯t believe Gu Yanran in the slightest. She thought that Gu Yanran was trying to cause panic again and purposely distract her vision and mind.

    Gu Yanran saw that these people refused to believe her no matter what, so she snorted as she took out her phone. She opened the American news video she had found. She passed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°See for yourself, and don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. Ye Xuan went to the United States because of you, and now he¡¯smitted this kind of crime, so he¡¯s going to rot in jail for the rest of his life, even if he¡¯s not sentenced to the death penalty. Can your conscience really rest peacefully?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took one nce at the video ying on Gu Yanran¡¯s phone, and her heart dropped. It didn¡¯t look fake...

    Yin Shixiong also came over to take a look and eximed loudly, ¡°Who knows if this is real or not!? Nianzhi, look it up yourself!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and took out her phone to begin searching for the news Yanran was talking about.

    When a series of news reports and videos appeared on her phone, her heart sank.

    Gu Yanran was actually telling the truth?!

    Gu Yanran saw Gu Nianzhi looking down at her phone and staying quiet, so she put her own phone away and remarked loudly, ¡°See, I wasn¡¯t wrong, was I? Ye Xuan even gave up his life for you andmitted these kinds of crimes. You¡¯re still smearing my reputation and calling him my little wolf pup? Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution?¡±

    She threw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exact words back in her face and felt as though she had eaten ice cream on the hottest day. It was such a thrill!

    As ofte, she had kept losing in front of Gu Nianzhi and was feeling very aggrieved.

    Luckily, that person was smart and capable, so she turned the tables around as soon as she got involved.

    Everyone said Gu Nianzhi was smart, but from the way Gu Yanran saw it, she was less capable than even one of that person¡¯s fingers.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly finished looking at all the news reports and videos. Shutting down her phone, she looked up with a calm expression to stare at Gu Yanran and say, ¡°Miss Gu, you think I don¡¯t understand English? The news over there is just saying that the male suspect has the surname of ¡®Ye,¡¯ so how can you directly sentence him for his crimes? The court over there hasn¡¯t even tried the case yet. Also, the news only mentioned the surname, ¡®Ye.¡¯ How do you know it¡¯s Ye Xuan? Could this have something to do with you, so you knew it was him as soon as you saw the news?¡±

    The muscles on Gu Yanran¡¯s face twitched subconsciously.

    She never expected Gu Nianzhi to discover so many loopholes by just looking at the news.

    In that moment, she decided to stop calling the shots.

    That person had asked her not to speak in front of Gu Nianzhi, just in case she got a hold of her weaknesses. However, Gu Yanran assumed this day would be a good opportunity to establish her dominance, so she could use it as evidence in court tomorrow.

    She didn¡¯t think that the more she spoke, the more mistakes she¡¯d make.

    Gu Yanran looked down at the table to conceal the trace of panic in her eyes. She shut her mouth.

    Jin Wanyi finally said, ¡°When Ye Xuan went to the United States, he had a big fight with Miss Gu and asked for thewyer¡¯s address. He said he wanted to help Miss Gu Nianzhi... Miss Gu saw this address as soon as she saw the news, and the victim happened to be Mr. Gu¡¯swyer, with the suspect also having the surname of Ye. What¡¯s the big deal about her making this logical conjecture? Miss Gu is also awyer, so should you even question this kind of logical conjecture?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a nce at Jin Wanyi and smiled. ¡°I was only asking. There is no need for Lawyer Jin and Miss Gu to panic. Ok, we need to have dinner now. If there¡¯s nothing else, please give us some peace and quiet.¡±

    Yin Shixiong saw that Gu Nianzhi had already learned about the news, so he secretly sighed in relief and didn¡¯t even want to eat there anymore. He waved his hand to call over the maitre d and asked, ¡°Are there any private rooms?¡±

    The maitre d was a bit troubled. ¡°Private rooms... Require special reservations.¡±

    There were very few private rooms in the Tan family¡¯s haute cuisine restaurant. Not only did they require special reservations, but the person making them needed to be of a certain status as well.

    Yin Shixiong quickly used Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name. ¡°Huo Shao asked us to reserve it. Can you please make an exception for us?¡±

    The maitre d quickly replied, ¡°Please wait. I¡¯ll go ask the manager.¡±

    After the maitre d left, Jin Wanyi nced at Yin Shixiong and wanted to tell him something. However, Yin Shixiong picked up the menu from the table, leaned close to Ma Qiqi, and asked, ¡°Qiqi, what do you want to eat?¡±

    He was being so affectionate and not even trying to hide it at all. Jin Wanyi felt anger lodge in her chest. It wouldn¡¯t go up or down, so she nearly spat it out.

    She was only looking at Yin Shixiong. It wasn¡¯t like she was trying to catch up with him or anything. Why did he have to treat her like that?

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s expression darkened as she turned around to ask Gu Yanran, ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m already full. Are you full now?¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t want to eat at the same restaurant as Gu Nianzhi either, and since she had already achieved her goal, she nodded at Jin Wanyi. ¡°I¡¯m also full now. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The two women didn¡¯t even say goodbye before turning to leave.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind waspletely focused on the news about Ye Xuan. She was still mulling over the incident as she walked into the private room.

    Her frown deepened, and she had a vague feeling that this incident wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed.

 Chapter 817 - I Have Objections

    <h4>Chapter 817: I Have Objections</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When it was time to order food, Gu Nianzhi was still distracted.

    Ma Qiqi wanted to remind her, but Yin Shixiong shot her a look and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb her. It¡¯s fine if we order ourselves.¡±

    The Tan family¡¯s restaurant prepared famous aristocratic cuisine for imperial officials. They were known for cooking all sorts of dried and fresh seafood, and were especially renowned for shark fin. They could have essentially written a book about 108 ways to cook shark fin.

    Yin Shixiong began by ordering appetizers: stir-fried duck liver, oysters with vermicelli and garlic, and five-spice anchovies. Then he ordered braised shark fin in white wine sauce as the main course.

    Braised shark fin in white wine sauce was made using free-range, yellow hens. The chicken was nearly cooked into liquid and coupled with the rich, smooth shark fin. The dish was fresh, soft, and not too heavy.

    He looked at the menu again, then ordered a bird¡¯s nest and vegetables in clear broth. This was actually filtered broth, and there were countless ingredients when it came to chicken, duck, ham, and dried scallops.

    Ma Qiqi had never eaten such delicious food before, so in the moment she couldn¡¯t look away as she ate. She had no eyes for anything else except the food on the table, which was her greatest treasure. She looked at the food with such a loving gaze that Yin Shixiong thought he was getting jealous of the food right about then...

    However, the food was tasteless in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth. She only robotically put the food into her mouth and wanted to feel full. The shark fin tasted about the same as vermicelli to her.

    Yin Shixiong was bbergasted to see this, but he didn¡¯t disturb her.

    This was such an important matter, so Gu Nianzhi must be using her smart brain to analyze it, and he shouldn¡¯t get in the way.

    After dinner, Ma Qiqi burped from eating all the food. Gu Nianzhi seemed to finally return to her senses and looked at Yin Shixiong as she asked, ¡°Does Huo Shao know about this?¡±

    Yin Shixiong poured a bit of white wine for himself, swirling it in the ss as he replied, ¡°ording to normal procedure, foreign affairs are typicallypiled into internal reports. I¡¯m not sure if this incident was included in the internal report or not.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood what Yin Shixiong said as soon as he said it.

    Huo Shao should know about this, but he wasn¡¯t in a position to tell her. Recalling how Yin Shixiong reacted and the things he said when Gu Yanran was telling them these things, Gu Nianzhi smiled knowingly.

    This was very likely the reason why Yin Shixiong had especiallye to treat her and Ma Qiqi to dinner tonight.

    Huo Shaoheng sent an agent to watch over Ye Xuan, and now that he had gotten in trouble, Huo Shaoheng should be the first to know about it.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi was very worried about the field agent that Huo Shaoheng had sent to watch over Ye Xuan. She was afraid that he was in trouble, too...

    Since the two field agents had sacrificed themselves in Germany, Gu Nianzhi was still feeling horrible about it.

    Although she hadn¡¯t gotten them killed, she had indirectly caused their death, even though she hadn¡¯t wielded the knife. Gu Nianzhi was still very uneasy about it.

    She contemted how to ask the question in order to allow Yin Shixiong to answer her without viting his code of conduct.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, how are you all doingtely? Although work is busy, please be mindful about your health as well.¡± Gu Nianzhi probed carefully, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you at least go back and inform Huo Shao about the news from the United States?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. We are all good. It hasn¡¯t been too busytely.¡±

    He was subtly answering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question¡ªthat field agent hadn¡¯t gotten involved with the trouble.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief, and the smile on her face became rxed.

    Ma Qiqiid against the chair and used a napkin to wipe her mouth. She could finally spare some energy to gossip now.

    ¡°Nianzhi, why was Gu Yanran using that kind of tone earlier? It gave me goosebumps to listen to her.¡± Ma Qiqi shivered. ¡°Even though she got into that kind of trouble, she¡¯s still walking around like nothing is wrong. I¡¯m actually impressed by her. She¡¯s not even wearing sunsses.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, who was ustomed to examining herself in three ways daily, couldn¡¯t help thinking that maybe she was too easily ashamed?

    But when she thought about how Gu Yanran did things that typical people could never manage, she found some relief.

    It wasn¡¯t that she felt ashamed too easily, but that Gu Yanran didn¡¯t even have any shame to begin with.

    ¡°I¡¯m also impressed by her. Her psychological quality is too good.¡± Gu Nianzhi finished all the bird¡¯s nest and vegetables in clear broth in her bowl with a few bites. She took a cup of Biluochun green tea from the side to rinse her mouth and said, ¡°Bother Xiong, thanks for dinner. I still have work to do and need to go back to campus now. You and Qiqi can take it easy...¡± As she spoke, she picked up her bag and rushed out.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Don¡¯t leave me behind!¡± Ma Qiqi reached out to call after her, but Yin Shixiong had already blocked her hand. ¡°Nianzhi is very busy. Don¡¯t get in her way.¡±

    Ma Qiqi froze. Her gaze drifted down gradually until it fell on their interlocked hands.

    Yin Shixiong smiled. Just as he was about to quickly let go of her hand, Ma Qiqi instinctively grabbed onto it.

    This was the first time they had held hands, so they were both quite nervous. Their palms sweat, but neither of them let go.

    They held hands just like that, keeping their hands locked together even after they paid the bill and walked out the door of the Tan family¡¯s haute cuisine restaurant.

    When they got in the car, Yin Shixiong finally let go. Ma Qiqi sat in the car with a red face and used her one hand to continuously rub the other one that Yin Shixiong had been holding. He had no idea what she was thinking.

    Yin Shixiong actually hadn¡¯t thought too much about it before grabbing Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand today. He just didn¡¯t want her to get in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s way.

    But after grabbing it, he discovered that he couldn¡¯t let go.

    Neither of them spoke, and they drove back to the B University female graduate student dormitory just like that.

    Ma Qiqi got out of the car frantically and didn¡¯t even say goodbye.

    Yin Shixiong sat in the car and leaned against the steering wheel as he watched Ma Qiqi¡¯s somewhat panicked retreat. He wanted tough, but he also felt a sweet feeling he had never experienced before rise in his heart. It felt like responsibility as well as some kind of urge.

    He was very certain that at the age he¡¯d lived to be so far, this was the first time he had experienced this feeling of responsibility mixed with an urge.

    Perhaps it was time toe clean to Ma Qiqi.

    Yin Shixiong raised a brow as he looked in the direction of Ma Qiqi and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm before pressing down on the elerator and driving away.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had returned to campus first, but she hadn¡¯t gone back to her dorm. She went to the library instead and found a quiet corner to do research.

    She read the American news over and over again, not skipping over any kind of video or text article she could find online. She especially focused on how the local police station kept holding press conferences to report the progress of the investigation to the media.

    She was certain that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side probably had even more information, because that field agent should be close to Ye Xuan. Of course, he was hidden in the shadows¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t and shouldn¡¯t expose himself.

    Time passed by slowly, the sky gradually darkening.

    Gu Nianzhi propped her head up on her hand as she looked at the slowly darkening sky outside the library¡¯srge windows. She resisted the desire to find Huo Shaoheng for more information.

    Finally, she understood that while the information from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side was useful to them, it was useless to Gu Nianzhi.

    That information could never be used as evidence presented in court.

    Since it couldn¡¯t be used as public information presented to the court, she didn¡¯t want it, either.

    She needed to find clues from the news published in the United States to prepare a defense against possible attacks from Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi.

    ...

    The trial began at 8am the next day.

    The second day of the trial in the estate dispute case of Gu Nianzhi suing Gu Yanran was in session in the first courtroom inside the Imperial Capital People¡¯s High Court.

    This time Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi came to attend the trial, but Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze didn¡¯te.

    On Gu Yanran¡¯s side, she had only brought her female English housekeeper.

    There were only a few people seated in the spacious courtroom, and because this was also a trial that was not open to the public, the media and normal civilians could not attend the hearings.

    There were only a few courtroom officials¡ªas well as people like Speaker Long¡¯s assistant and General Ji¡¯s personal secretary¡ªattending the hearings.

    At 8am sharp, everyone had arrived.

    The judge announced the theme for the second day of the trial: to verify and divide the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets that Gu Yanran had submitted. Additionally, in regards to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s adoption papers¡ªbecause Gu Yanran¡¯s side said that they still required three more months to verify¡ªthey would not be discussing that topic today.

    The judge struck his gavel and dered solemnly, ¡°intiff, do you have any objections to the inventory of assets submitted by the defendant?¡±

    The court had also sent Gu Nianzhi a copy of the inventory submitted by Gu Yanran.

    Before entering the division process, both parties needed toe to an agreement about the total value of the assets in these kinds of estate disputes.

    Gu Nianzhi carefully studied the inventory of assets that Gu Yanran had submitted, and when shepared it to the version from Ye Xuan, she noticed that this one only contained one-third of the assets.

    Gu Yanran had indeed listed all the patents, but she only listed a very small portion of the bank ounts, investment funds, and bank safety deposit boxes, as well as antiques and holdingpanies in the Cayman Inds.

    Gu Nianzhi considered how things like patents were easily investigated, so it would be difficult for Gu Yanran to hide them. However, it was very easy to hide the other assets.

    So when the judge asked if Gu Nianzhi had any objections with the inventory of assets, she immediately said, ¡°Your Honor, I have objections.¡±

    Gu Yanran raised a brow and exchanged a knowing look with Jin Wanyi.

    Jin Wanyi sneered as she waited for Gu Nianzhi to lose her temper.

 Chapter 818 - See Improvement

    <h4>Chapter 818: See Improvement</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The judge sped his hands together on the desk and nodded expressionlessly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°intiff, state your reasoning.¡± This was a courtroom, and there werews to be followed, so regardless if she agreed or disagreed, there needed to be logic in her words.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile, then she turned around to look in Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran¡¯s direction. She said cheerfully, ¡°These two seem to be greatly anticipating my questioning. Could you two have deliberately submitted a fake inventory and are awaiting my questioning?¡± And then I¡¯ll smash through each one by one, Gu Nianzhi thought. She wasn¡¯t the type to be led by the nose.

    ¡°Objection. The intiff is using spection to substitute for truth and defame my client.¡± Jin Wanyi immediately rebuked Gu Nianzhi.

    The judge looked down to nce at the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets submitted by Gu Yanran. He gave it some thought but finally said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°intiff, please pay attention to your verbiage.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Your Honor.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked in the judge¡¯s direction and bowed, then stared at Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran. Composing her expression, she grew much more serious. ¡°Before I state my reasoning, I want to ask Lawyer Jin if you¡¯ve ever told your client that fraud is an illegal offense. Lawyer Jin, are you aware that assisting your client with perjury is also a felony for you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s face suddenly fell. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, this is an estate feud and economic case, not a criminal case. Why are you spouting nonsense about fraud and perjury?!¡±

    ¡°Is that not the case? Gu Nianzhi walked toward Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran. Her tall, slim figure now stood before them. Her aura was dominating and very oppressive. ¡°Lawyer Jin, you should educate your client about thew and tell her what fraud is. ording to our nation¡¯sws, the action of fraud is considered to be employing methods of using fictional facts or concealing the truth in order to illegally possess something and defraud a typicallyrge amount of public or private property. The most serious sentence is life imprisonment. This charge ispletely applicable to your client, Gu Yanran.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face suddenly turned ashen, and her lips quivered fiercely. However, because she had gotten into more trouble from running her mouth yesterday, she still had a shred of reason left and did not reply to Gu Nianzhi.

    Jin Wanyi gave Gu Yanran a look offort to reassure her before finally replying to Gu Nianzhi slowly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you are outright threatening my client in court. I can apply to the court for an injunction to forbid you from defending yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed out loud, then opened the file she held in Jin Wanyi¡¯s direction. ¡°Lawyer Jin, almost every country¡¯sws have the same stiptions. Everyone has the natural right to represent themselves in awsuit, and this right even overrides awyer¡¯s right to represent. As long as I am in a normal state of mind and able topletely bear legal responsibility, then the court may not deprive me of my right to represent myself in court. Lawyer Jin, the principle ofw is a very excellent course. If you¡¯ve forgotten it, then you can take advantage of your annual credit requirements for continuing education to take this course again.¡±

    Jin Wanyi sneered at Gu Nianzhi, refusing to lose to her aura one bit. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯re still the same way and haven¡¯t improved at all. This is a personal attack in court. You think this can help you win the case?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, you haven¡¯t improved much, either. Firstly, personal attacks are not defined in the legal sense. Secondly, the definition of personal attacks epasses an attack on another¡¯s body, so there is no legal basis to your usation. First of all, I didn¡¯t break thew. Secondly, I didn¡¯t attack your body. So you using me of a personal attack is a type of defamation in itself. There is no legal definition for personal attacks, yet there is one for defamation.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly flipped open her file. ¡°But today is not the time to be discussing these problems. If Lawyer Jin wants to engage in a battle of tongues with me, you will be waiting in line well into next year.¡± Gu Nianzhi seemed to be speaking about an obvious thing, like how the rain falls from the sky, and the wind blows through the trees. She didn¡¯t show a hint of self-satisfaction or joy.

    However, what Jin Wanyi hated more than anything was Gu Nianzhi¡¯sck of regard for anyone else. When she acted this way in court, it made it seem like the truth andw were on her side, so it made others want to scream at her.

    Gu Nianzhi stared pointedly at Gu Yanran and said calmly, ¡°Now let¡¯s go back to the fraud. Gu Yanran, yourwyer didn¡¯t educate you aboutw, so I¡¯ll do it in her ce this one time today. I will first dere that I don¡¯t charge for educating people onw because I am a good citizen of the nation.¡±

    ¡°Objection! The topic raised by the intiff has nothing to do with the case.¡± Jin Wanyi had no choice when she saw that Gu Nianzhi was drifting farther and farther from the topic, so she couldn¡¯t be led by the nose anymore.

    But before the judge could speak, Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Your Honor, I will prove that my topic has a significant rtionship with this case.¡±

    Gu Yanran waspletely livid, and even the tips of her ears turned red. What was Gu Nianzhi trying to prove?! Could she be proving that Gu Yanran hadmitted fraud?! Gu Yanran instantly stood up.

    Jin Wanyi quickly stopped her. ¡°Miss Gu, please stay calm. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± She hinted that she already had taken countermeasures, so Gu Yanran finally sat down again.

    Gu Nianzhi was somewhat regretful that Gu Yanran didn¡¯t lose it in court. It looked like she had rather good control over her temper this time. Gu Nianzhi knocked on the table indifferently and said, ¡°Gu Yanran, fraud is considered to be employing methods of using fictional facts or concealing the truth in order to illegally possess something and defraud a typicallyrge amount of public or private property. In regards to your case, you employed the methods of using fictional facts or concealing the truth with the intention of illegally possessing the Gu fortune. The amount of private assets you defrauded is so incredible that your crime is especially heinous. So if you insist on concealing the truth and refusing to hand over theplete inventory of assets, then I can guarantee your sentence will be the most severe degree¡ªlife imprisonment.¡±

    ¡°You are defaming me!¡± Gu Yanran was finally enraged, herrge chest heaving with emotion.

    Jin Wanyi quickly interrupted Gu Yanran from saying anything more and scrambled to say to Gu Nianzhi first, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you must have evidence for the things you say in court. How can you say that my client used fictional facts and concealed the truth? She was always Gu¡¯s biological daughter, so what do you mean she illegally possessed the Gu fortune?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hummed for a long beat and spread her palms. ¡°Fine, I didn¡¯t speak sinctly enough. Gu Yanran must have had the intention of illegally possessing ¡®my portion¡¯ of the Gu fortune. You can¡¯t deny this, right? We are standing here today for thiswsuit because of the portion of the Gu fortune that belongs to me.¡±

    In the moment, Jin Wanyi was stunned speechless by Gu Nianzhi. It was true that they were here for this estate feud case due to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appeal for the Gu fortune.

    ¡°See here, Gu Yanran, even yourwyer can¡¯t say anything to that, so it¡¯s obvious I am not wrong. Think about it carefully. I¡¯ll give you five minutes to consider re-submitting an inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped a piece of white paper on the desk in front of Gu Yanran. She then turned to look at Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, let¡¯s discuss the crime of perjury. ording to our nation¡¯sws, concealing important details and evidence of crimes or assisting in perjury during legal proceedings can result in being sentenced to three to seven years of incarceration in serious cases. Judicial staff whomit perjury will be sentenced more severely.¡± Gu Nianzhi ced much emphasis on thest sentence. ¡°Lawyer Jin, did you think this through? If you insist that that inventory is urate, then you are very likely to be suspected of perjury. Also, why haven¡¯t you signed your name on this inventory of assets? Only Gu Yanran signed it?¡±

    Biting her lip, Jin Wanyi quickly considered it and avoided the sensitive topic of the signature. She continued to refute Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, ording to our nation¡¯sws, if testimony or other evidence is inurate without being intentionally forged, then it is not considered perjury. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I had no intention to induce or assist in the fabrication of evidence. So even if there is falsehood in the evidence, I would not be considered involved in perjury.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit surprised. Jin Wanyi had actually improved and could even argue back with her... But she didn¡¯t disy this notion or continue questioning Jin Wanyi about why she hadn¡¯t signed it. This was considered letting her off the hook. Eyes shing quickly, Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°Really? But you need to clearly think about this. Whether or not it was intentionally fabricated is ultimately determined by the court. It¡¯s not as if you can get away from being charged by just saying you ¡®didn¡¯t mean to.¡¯¡± In court, one needed to have a tangible chain of evidence to prove mistakes were not intentional.

    Jin Wanyi fell into silence once again. Gu Nianzhi had beat her to the punch and forced a serious charge over her head to first make them doubt themselves. That way, Gu Nianzhi could easily continue her next round of attacks.

    ¡°Your Honor, I said that the defendant, Gu Yanran, may be suspected of fraud, and the defendant¡¯swyer, Jin Wanyi, may be suspected of perjury, because I have another version of the inventory of the Gu fortune here.¡± At that moment, Gu Nianzhi submitted the inventory of the Gu fortune she had received from Ye Xuan to the court staff to present to the judge.

 Chapter 819 - Three Birds One Stone

    <h4>Chapter 819: Three Birds One Stone</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Your Honor, this is a copy of the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets that I obtained from another source. For this reason, I did aparison between the inventory of assets submitted by Gu Yanran and forwarded to me by the county. From this, it can be clearly seen that the defendant, Gu Yanran¡¯s submitted inventory of assets is at least two-thirds less than the inventory I received. As a result, I have reason to believe that the defendant intentionally concealed assets that belong to the Gu family to begin with and has questionable intentions, so she is guilty of fraud.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked in Gu Yanran¡¯s direction and enunciated each word carefully. Her eyes were glued to Gu Yanran so as not to miss a single change in her expression.

    However, Gu Yanran was probably well-prepared, so she controlled her expressions well. She disyed the appropriate amount of shock, then gave a slight smile. Shaking her head, she seemed to be sighing with a look of disbelief.

    The judge looked down to read the inventory of assets Gu Nianzhi submitted, then theparison image of the two inventories. After a long time, he finally looked up to ask Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Where did you get this inventory of assets?¡±

    Eyes shing, Jin Wanyi quickly followed up the judge¡¯s question. ¡°Right, Gu Nianzhi. Where did you get this inventory of assets? How strange, didn¡¯t you lose your memory? How could you remember how many assets the Gus possessed? Also, you left the Gu household seven years ago, so where did you get this inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Jin Wanyi, then looked at the judge. She deliberately hesitated before mumbling, ¡°Do I have to say it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Otherwise, how will we know if your inventory of assets was obtained legally or not? Evidence in court must abide by principles of procedural justice. Once there is a procedural error, then even authentic evidence cannot be used in testimony,¡± Jin Wanyi dered passionately and recited the legal provisions with ease. She appeared professional and keen. ¡°If you cannot state the source, then your inventory of assets was illegally obtained. It cannot be used as legal evidence to begin with.¡±

    Gu Yanran finally felt reassured by Jin Wanyi. She thought maybe all the money she had spent onwyer fees was worth it after all...

    The judge also spoke. ¡°intiff, please answer the question. An important principle in an estate feud is to firstly confirm the legality of the contested object. Only by using this basis can the property be distributed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also appeared sheepish. After some time, she finally said quietly, ¡°Ye Xuan gave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Who is Ye Xuan?¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s heart hammered wildly. She was so excited, her heart was about to leap out of her throat. Finally, Gu Nianzhi was falling into their trap... Jin Wanyi was so excited, her hands trembled slightly.

    Gu Yanran closed her eyes quickly and thanked the heavens in her heart. That person could be said to never leave any loose ends. But Gu Yanran still had her suspicions, because that person was also the one who told her that her father, Gu Xiangwen, had awyer. She had no idea all along. If she had known, then she would¡¯ve dealt with thatwyer a thousand years ago. She wouldn¡¯t have waited until now. But how did they know?

    Gu Yanran was still suspicious as her eyes scanned through the court. Somehow, she ended up colliding with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze, and her mind suddenly froze. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stare swept across Gu Yanran¡¯s face. Gu Yanran could only remember Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brilliant eyes that were glossy as ink and dark like the very finest ck velvet. They appeared soft and luminous under the lights, yet dark and bottomless to conceal all her thoughts and feelings. How did this 19-year-old girl have such a calm and collected gaze in face of an increasingly embarrassing situation? Gu Yanran¡¯s heart chilled, but when she looked back again, she discovered Gu Nianzhi had already looked down to organize the loose files on the desk in front of her.

    The judge banged his gavel. ¡°intiff, who is Ye Xuan? Please answer the question of the court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly looked up and quickly nced at Gu Yanran before looking away. She looked at the judge and coughed quietly. ¡°Ye Xuan was one of the orphans once sponsored by my father, Gu Xiangwen. After my father met his unfortunate demise, Ye Xuan worked under Gu Yanran as the Gu family¡¯sputer supervisor and treasurer. Therefore, I trust the inventory of assets he has provided.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s this Ye Xuan. No wonder.¡± Jin Wanyi perked up and immediately threw out her own blockbuster. ¡°Your Honor, the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets provided by the intiff is not reliable. In representation of my client, I ask the court to consider this carefully and not ept the contents of this inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets provided by the intiff.¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately rebuked Jin Wanyi¡¯s suggestion. ¡°This inventory of assets was provided by the treasurer, the person who was the most familiar with the Gu family¡¯s assets. May I ask why the defendant¡¯swyer is saying it is not credible?¡±

    Jin Wanyi revealed a victorious smile, eight pearly teeth gleaming at Gu Nianzhi. She then turned to face the judge and said with great righteousness, ¡°Because Ye Xuan deliberately nted this evidence to frame my client. Your Honor may not know this, but although Ye Xuan was an orphan sponsored by Mr. Gu Xiangwen, when Mr. Gu Xiangwen passed away in the ident and Miss Yanran had to support the Gu household alone, he took advantage of her and infiltrated the household. He has a wolf¡¯s ambition to not only forcefully take Miss Gu Yanran, but he also abused her frequently. He tortured my client¡¯s body and soul. May I ask how we are supposed to believe evidence provided by such scum?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi appeared very shocked, which perfectly indicated she knew nothing about that side of Ye Xuan. Gu Yanran gloated secretly and was even more impressed by that person¡¯s ns to take down three birds with one stone.

    ¡°What¡¯s more, Ye Xuan not only wanted my client, but also wanted the Gu family¡¯s entire fortune! My client is only a delicate woman and has been suffering silently under Ye Xuan¡¯s perverse ambitions, yet she bravely refused his demands. Ye Xuan saw that he was unable to reap any benefits from my client, so he began to threaten her and said if she refuses to obey him by handing over the entire fortune, then he will make sure she won¡¯t get a single penny!¡± Jin Wanyi illustrated it vividly like she was writing a novel. Many people in the courtroom listened with keen interest, including Gu Nianzhi.

    Her dark, sparkling eyes widened as she eximed in shock, ¡°No way? How could Ye Xuan be this kind of person? Lawyer Jin, are you sure you are defending in court and not storytelling in the teahouse?¡±

    Jin Wanyi felt her face grow a bit hot. Her previous statements were made to create a preconceived perception for the people in the courtroom, so she deliberately exaggerated things a bit. That way, she could beat Gu Nianzhi to the punch and create a terrible image of Ye Xuan. It had been somewhat crossing the line, but allwyers used all sorts of methods and means duringwsuits, as long as they weren¡¯t illegal.

    Hadn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi used many tricks herself in the courtroom before? Jin Wanyi grumbled internally about Gu Nianzhi as she turned to tell the judge, ¡°Your Honor, Ye Xuan abused my client, and I have evidence of that.¡± As she spoke, she presented the photos of the injuries on Gu Yanran¡¯s body that had been taken in the hospital that day. ¡°These photos are irond evidence that Ye Xuan abused my client. I implore Your Honor to consider it carefully and not ept testimony from Ye Xuan,¡± Jin Wanyi stated gravely.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as she nced at Jin Wanyi in silence. Now she understood what Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran were plotting. They wanted to make Ye Xuan lose all credibility as a witness. As long as he lost credibility, then any testimony he gave could be suspected of being fabricated and would not be epted by the court. The judge looked down at the photos, the medical examination report by the doctor, and the police officers¡¯ signatures. Gu Nianzhi kept quiet the entire time and waited for the judge to finish examining the photos before saying, ¡°Your Honor, can you allow me to see those photos?¡±

    ¡°Objection.¡± Jin Wanyi immediately jumped up. ¡°These photos concern the privacy of my client. I ask Your Honor to seal them for the archives and not distribute them.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally chuckled, then wiped the smile from her face to say icily, ¡°Lawyer Jin, that¡¯s not right. How can you bring out evidence to support your views, then forbid others from seeing it? Also, I¡¯m not just anyone. I¡¯m the intiff in this case. If you say that these photos are unrted to this case, then I¡¯ll absolutely not look at them. But you were the one to throw out these photos as evidence to refute the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets that I submitted. Then that means the photos are in fact rted to the case, so may I ask what reason you have for refusing my request to examine the photos?¡±

    Jin Wanyi looked down to avoid her gaze as she said, ¡°These photos are indirect evidence. ording to thew, the decision will be made in ordance by the judge.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi also didn¡¯t look at her but turned to face the judge at the center of the podium. ¡°Your Honor, I can agree to not looking at the photos, but I want to see the medical examination report and testimony by the police. Also, I request permission to summon the doctor who examined the defendant, Gu Yanran, as well as the police officers Gu Yanran was in contact with at the time. I need to cross examine them in court.¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°Granted.¡± He spoke as he put away the photos but ordered someone to bring the medical examination report and police testimony to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi never wanted to look at Gu Yanran¡¯s disgusting photos anyway, so it was even better that she wasn¡¯t allowed to see them. However, she still needed to fight for them to avoid appearing too calm and cause the opponents to grow suspicious. Soon after, the court staff photocopied the medical examination report and police testimony and ced them before Gu Nianzhi.

    Then the judge announced, ¡°Due to the appearance of new evidence, today¡¯s proceedings are now concluded. The court will verify the new evidence submitted by the defendant, and also summon the doctor and police officers. The trial will resume next Monday.¡±

    With the bang of the gavel, the second day of the estate feud trial ended on a minor note. Gu Nianzhi took her time putting away all her files and photocopies, cing them in herptop bag.

    Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran shared a smile, both full of confidence. Jin Wanyi walked up to Gu Nianzhi with a smile and reached out to her. ¡°Lawyer Gu, thank you for taking it easy on me today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look up or shake Jin Wanyi¡¯s hand. In fact, she didn¡¯t even look at Jin Wanyi, and her face was icy as she mmed theptop bag hard on the desk and zipped it up loudly. She left the courtroom without looking back.

    On the side, Ma Qiqi was anxious upon seeing this and called out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name before chasing after her.

    Gu Yanranughed out loud. ¡°Oh my! Just look at her face. I¡¯ve never seen it so glum before! She doesn¡¯t have any ss at all.¡±

    Jin Wanyi grabbed her arm to walk her outside and said quietly with a smile, ¡°Ok, Yanran. You need to keep your tongue under control. We still have a hard battleing up next Monday.¡± Gu Yanran immediately wiped off her smile, but the amusement in her eyes shimmered. Somehow, she couldn¡¯t help it.

 Chapter 820 - Calling Out

    <h4>Chapter 820: Calling Out</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi! Wait for me!¡± Ma Qiqi finally caught up to Gu Nianzhi in a huff. Grabbing her hand, Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes had already turned red. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be sad...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still spied Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi staring at her nearby, so she recalled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s typical aloof and expressionless face. Her sparkling eyes dimmed as she replied calmly, ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m fine.¡± She squeezed Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand, then tugged her gently and walked away with her.

    As Gu Nianzhi grabbed Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand, she had an idea. However, she didn¡¯t reveal a trace of it in her expression as she got into Yin Shixiong¡¯s car while holding hands with Gu Nianzhi. Yin Shixiong also stayed quiet and got in the car to start it. He drove towards Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi¡¯s school. On the way, Ma Qiqi saw that they were alone and finally whispered quietly to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, what happened? You were stunned speechless by their questions in court?¡± This was unlike the Gu Nianzhi she knew. She had always made herself sound reasonable despite being unreasonable, and don¡¯t even get Ma Qiqi started about how Gu Nianzhi was peerless with her brazen and aggressive arguing in court.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s concern made Gu Nianzhi feel very warm inside. Holding Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand, she gave it a shake. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The more they can gloat and be smug, the better I can determine their true intentions. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Ma Qiqi breathed a deep sigh of relief. Leaning back against the seat, she pped her forehead and said, ¡°But Nianzhi, you really put up a realistic act in court. Even I was fooled. I had thought...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her arm and rested her head on her shoulder as she yed coy. ¡°Qiqi, Qiqi, don¡¯t be mad. I was only acting that way for thewsuit. I wasn¡¯t trying to fool you...¡±

    Her coy voice was girlish and soft, so Ma Qiqi¡¯s ears were growing hot from listening to it, even as a woman. She quickly giggled. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯m not saying that you fooled me. Nianzhi, speak properly. I¡¯m going to turn gay if you keep acting like this.¡±

    At that moment, Yin Shixiong finally coughed. ¡°Nianzhi, Qiqi isn¡¯t General Huo. Don¡¯t try to use your coy skills on her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted at the front of the car and straightened her back. She said seriously, ¡°Brother Xiong, you can¡¯t be speaking nonsense. When did I ever act coy? I was apologizing to Qiqi.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled in reply. Gu Nianzhi saw that Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t believe her, so she didn¡¯t bother exining further but rolled her eyes 180 times internally. However, she still needed him to pass a message along to Huo Shaoheng, so after some thought she finally said, ¡°For the third day of the trial next week, I¡¯ll be cross examining the doctor and police officers. Ye Xuan¡¯s incident will also be on the agenda.¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s case in the United States had been a key focus for Gu Nianzhi as ofte, and she was even more concerned about it than her own estate dispute. In fact, the two cases were actually one because it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s estate dispute that resulted in Ye Xuan¡¯s case in the United States. Yin Shixiong understood what Gu Nianzhi meant and nodded slightly. Gu Nianzhi turned to look out the window as she pondered what questions to ask during Monday¡¯s court session.

    After Yin Shixiong dropped Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi off at school, he returned to the Special Operations Forces headquarters base. Huo Shaoheng was waiting for him in the office. Yin Shixiong went inside and closed the door before saluting to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Chief.¡±

    ¡°Sit.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed to the chair across from the desk. ¡°Nianzhi has a message for me?¡±

    Yin Shixiong stiffened. ¡°Chief, how did you know that? I see that you two are living examples of reading each other¡¯s minds!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was unperturbed at Yin Shixiong¡¯s attempt at ttery. He calmly stared at him. ¡°Go on.¡±

    Yin Shixiong also grew stern. ¡°Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi prepared well this time around. They want to put an end to Ye Xuan.¡± Yin Shixiong had already used his phone to livestream the trial to Huo Shaoheng, but he needed to personally ry the message that Gu Nianzhi had told him in the car. Although he didn¡¯t know what it meant, he still repeated it back to Huo Shaoheng exactly. ¡°Nianzhi said that for the third day of the trial next week, she¡¯ll be cross examining the doctor and police officers. Ye Xuan¡¯s incident will also be on the agenda.¡±

    Propping his chin up with one hand, Huo Shaoheng held the mouse with his other and opened a few web pages to read on hisputer. After a while, he nodded. ¡°I understand. You can go now.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You understand it?¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head. ¡°You really understand it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything more. Setting his hands down on the keyboard, he began to type.

    Yin Shixiong left the room quietly but still didn¡¯t understand what Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were nning to do. But by the afternoon he understood a bit, because Huo Shaoheng asked him to contact the police headquarters to have them follow the progress of Ye Xuan¡¯s case in the United States.

    ...

    Time always seemed to pass by quickly for people in a good mood. Gu Yanran thought Monday had already arrived in the blink of an eye. It was time for another day in court. This time, she wore a ck and white houndstooth-patterned dress suit from Chanel¡¯stest autumn collection. Her soft ck hair was curled and arranged in a bun at the back of her head. Her milky white skin was left bare except for the lightest touch of soft pink lip balm. Looking in the mirror, she somehow resembled Gu Nianzhi a bit. However, she didn¡¯t have Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes.

    Gu Yanran looked in the mirror for a while longer and seemed to recall something. The blue hole in the Caribbean Sea continuously appeared in her head, and she felt a bit dizzy. Gripping the edge of the vanity, she sat down in front of it. Propping up her cheek with her hand, she sat like that for a few minutes more in front of the vanity before seeing that her face had suddenly nched and was left devoid of any color. Quickly grabbing a blushpact, she patted color onto her cheeks. By the time Jin Wanyi came over to pick her up, she had alreadyposed herself. The two women quickly arrived at the Imperial Capital High People¡¯s Court to await the third day of the trial.

    Gu Nianzhi wore a gray, lightweight wool business pantsuit. The suit jacket even came with its own little belt to entuate her tiny waist. Her legs were long and slender, while her hair was casually pulled up in a ponytail at the back of her head. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were sparkling and deep set, and although she looked like a teenaged high school student, she immediately dispelled certain people¡¯s wayward fantasies as soon as she spoke. Walking into the the first courtroom, she saw that Yin Shixiong was still the attending audience from her own side. However, Ma Qiqi hadn¡¯te this time because she had sses on Monday. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want her to skip sses to attend, so Ma Qiqi made sure to remind Yin Shixiong to take of Gu Nianzhi properly. Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t known what to say to that.

    Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi walk in, Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi both walked over to greet her. Gu Nianzhipletely ignored them and sat down alone at the intiff¡¯s stand. Soon after, the judge banged his gavel to announce that court was now in session. As per Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request, this time the judge had summoned the doctor and nurses who had examined Gu Yanran a few days ago, as well as the two female police officers who had urged her to report the incident at the time.

    ¡°intiff, you may cross examine the witnesses.¡± The judge folded his hands together and looked at Gu Nianzhi solemnly. The third day of the trial would be directly streamed to the military elite, Speaker Long, and his senators using the camera inside the courtroom.They didn¡¯t go to the Special Operations Forces but instead sat in the conference room in the military headquartersplex.

    Gu Nianzhi got up to bow slightly to the judge, then greeted the court staff and attending audience politely. She then looked at the four people sitting in the witness stand. There was one man and four women¡ªa doctor, nurses, and police officers. Gu Nianzhi walked over and first said in Gu Yanran¡¯s direction, ¡°Defendant, can you please confirm if the people present here are the doctor and nurses who attended to you that day? Also, are these two female police officers the two people who had once urged you to report the incident?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked over and studied them carefully. Her gaze drifted from right to left, then left to right as it slid over those people¡¯s faces. Finally, she nodded. ¡°Yes, they are the kind-hearted doctor and nurses, as well as the two female police officers.¡± As she spoke, she stood up and walked in front of them to bow deeply. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± Her humble and delicate appearance, coupled with her very beautiful and demure appearance suited her much more than her previous strong businesswoman image. It also made others pity her more.

    The male doctor stumbled up from his seat and said quickly, ¡°Miss Gu is too polite. That was just part of our job.¡± As he spoke, he looked at Gu Nianzhi without mincing his words. ¡°Miss Gu had been abused so horribly and yet you still want to sue her. I really don¡¯t understand how you can be so cruel!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, not deigning to acknowledge that person¡¯s simple-mindedness. However, Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes turned red with gratitude as she choked out, ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± She then bowed to him again.

    Finally, Gu Nianzhi said nonchntly, ¡°Defendant, since you are so grateful to the doctor who saved your life, may I ask if you know what hisst name is?¡±

    Gu Yanran stiffened. She quickly nced at Jin Wanyi and bit her lip. ¡°Of course I know.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s hisst name then?¡±

    Jin Wanyi suddenly shouted from the defendant¡¯s dock, ¡°Dr. Liu, thank you for saving my client.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, you sure saved the situation in the nick of time.¡±

    Obviously, Gu Yanran didn¡¯t remember the doctor¡¯sst name, and Gu Nianzhi had intentionally provoked her just now. Jin Wanyi also noticed it, so she immediately called out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions by saying the doctor¡¯sst name. However, Gu Yanran¡¯s hesitation and Jin Wanyi¡¯s calling out made everyone understand that Gu Yanran didn¡¯t remember this doctor at all. When Dr. Liu thought about how he had just been filled with righteous indignation, he couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat embarrassed.

 Chapter 821 - Fabrication

    <h4>Chapter 821: Fabrication</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had already achieved her goal, so she stopped arguing over the point and smiled appropriately. She asked the doctor to sit in the witness stand and began her cross examination. ¡°May I ask if you are Dr. Liu from the Hepingli Hospital?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am the emergency room doctor. That day...¡± Dr. Liu was clearly a talkative person, so he couldn¡¯t stop chatting as soon as he opened his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi gently interrupted him. ¡°Dr. Liu, at this time you only need to answer yes or no.¡±

    Dr. Liu felt embarrassed once again, and the angry indignation he felt for Gu Yanran when he first took the stand disappeared just like that. Now he only felt more and more embarrassed, so he didn¡¯t even bother talking anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for him to calm down before asking, ¡°Then I wanted to ask you if your hospital received a woman from Tower C of the Hepingli Commercial District Building who had suddenly fainted?¡±

    Dr. Liu used his hand to nudge the sses up the bridge of his nose and nodded.

    ¡°Please answer yes or no.¡± Gu Nianzhi was gentle yet insistent, her gaze calm and words sinct. She merely stared at Dr. Liu in silence.

    Dr. Liu felt a bit better and finally said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then is that woman in the courtroom right now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was her.¡± Dr. Liu pointed in Gu Yanran¡¯s direction. Gu Yanran smiled demurely at him. However, Dr. Liu was already unperturbed at this point. He had been hot blooded and wanted to get justice for the beautiful woman. But in the end, he discovered that the beautiful and rich woman who had stayed in his hospital for several days and had been ¡°extremely grateful¡± didn¡¯t even care what hisst name was. It seemed like his indignation was much too cheap. Or perhaps in that beauty¡¯s eyes, he was inconsequential, so she didn¡¯t even need him to help her get justice at all...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first question about the doctor¡¯sst name was like a bucket of ice water poured right over his head. It was also poured on the heads of the nurses, as well as the two female police officers. They looked at Gu Yanran thoughtfully and seemed to have some ideas of their own.

    After Gu Nianzhi confirmed with the witness that there was no error, she finally asked again, ¡°Then can you give a simple exnation of the medical condition of that woman you treated, who also happens to be the defendant, Gu Yanran?¡±

    This was Dr. Liu¡¯s field of expertise, so he immediately perked up and began exining with gusto. ¡°Miss Gu Yanran is actually very healthy, and she probably fainted suddenly from qi suddenly attacking her heart. Nothing is seriously wrong with her. The real problem was the injuries on her body.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted Dr. Liu¡¯s testimony. ¡°Dr. Liu, may I ask what you mean by the defendant, Gu Yanran, ¡®probably had qi suddenly attacking her heart?¡¯ Is it yes or no? Can you confirm clearly?¡±

    Dr. Liu looked at Gu Yanran¡¯s medical record that he had brought. He considered it for a second and said, ¡°I said ¡®probably¡¯ because from the results of her examination, her pulse, breathing, blood pressure, and blood sugar were all normal. ording tomon sense, she shouldn¡¯t have fainted. However...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly continued the conversation. ¡°You mean that the defendant, Gu Yanran, actually pretended to faint?¡±

    The atmosphere in the courtroom suddenly became tense, and everyone¡¯s breathing seemed to freeze. Their eyes inadvertently traveled to Gu Yanran¡¯s figure. She was in a bit of a panic but knew that she already didn¡¯t have a way out, so she used even more self-restraint than normal to control her emotions.

    Jin Wanyi frowned and stood up. ¡°Objection, the intiff¡¯s conclusion has no basis.¡±

    The judge considered it, then asked Dr. Liu, ¡°Dr. Liu, from your professional perspective, does the intiff¡¯s conclusion have any basis?¡±

    Although Dr. Liu didn¡¯t want to, he still nodded. ¡°That is a possibility. However, the human brain isplicated, and although we cannot find the cause of illness sometimes, the illness is real and not faked at all.¡±

    Of course such situations existed, but Gu Nianzhi was certain that this wasn¡¯t the case for Gu Yanran. However, she didn¡¯t continue pursuing the question because she couldn¡¯t possibly suddenly expose Gu Yanran. Otherwise, there would be no future acts for this y to continue with. Gu Nianzhi pretended to look convinced. ¡°Very well, then what happened after you epted the defendant as a patient?¡±

    ¡°Afterwards, we randomly discovered the injuries on her body, both old and new. They appeared to be from domestic violence, so I rmended that she call the police.¡± Dr. Liu looked at the two female police officers. ¡°As for what happened after, you¡¯d have to ask the police officers.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thanked Dr. Liu sincerely. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. I hope that you can provide additional help if it is required in the future.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Dr. Liu walked out of the witness stand and discovered his back waspletely soaked with sweat. He returned to his original seat, and his mood was still very anxious.

    Gu Nianzhi then asked one of the nurses to sit in the witness stand. Gu Nianzhi asked the nurse all the same questions she had asked the doctor, and after she received the exact answers, she asked the nurse with great gravity, ¡°I heard that you were the first person to discover the injuries on the defendant, Gu Yanran¡¯s body?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I discovered them that day in the ambnce. Oh, why do you think that man is so cruel?¡±

    ¡°Man? What man? What¡¯s his name?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked calmly.

    ¡°Ye Xuan. Yes, his name was Ye Xuan. The name is special and easy to remember.¡± The nurse was a young, chubby girl who was also very talkative.

    ¡°Ye Xuan? Are you sure it was Ye Xuan? Did you see it with your own eyes or did you hear it from someone?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked before the nurse and stood still as she confirmed it once again.

    ¡°Yes, it was this name.¡± The nurse nced at Dr. Liu. ¡°I heard Dr. Liu say it.¡±

    Dr. Liu returned to the witness stand and epted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cross examination with the young nurse.

    ¡°Dr. Liu , how did you know that Ye Xuan was the person psychically abusing the defendant?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked severely, her hands still holding pen and paper to take notes.

    Dr. Liu¡¯s face flushed a bit, but he still replied honestly, ¡°When I was making rounds, I was at the doorway and overheard Miss Gu speak with her housekeeper. She said it was Ye Xuan... It was Miss Gu¡¯s boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to face Gu Yanran. Her eyes glittered like mirrors as she quietly looked at her, and they seemed to reflect her very image.

    Gu Yanran averted her gaze to avoid eye contact with Gu Nianzhi. She didn¡¯t speak, so Jin Wanyi replied on her behalf, ¡°Objection. My client never said anything about Ye Xuan to the witness. As for the witness iming that he overheard it at the doorway, that ispletely nonsensical. I ask the court to not ept it.¡± This was equivalent to eavesdropping, and eavesdropped conversations mostly couldn¡¯t be used as official evidence presented in court.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes glittered as she suddenly dered solemnly, ¡°In other words, the defendant, Gu Yanran, never said anything about Ye Xuan doing this to her, so it was allpletely imagined by the doctor, nurse, and the two female police officers?¡±

    The doctor, nurse, and two female police officers all looked up at the same time and stared at Gu Yanran in confusion.

    Gu Yanran was feeling ufortable from their staring and seemed unwilling to speak. However, she seemed to finally ¡°regain her conscience¡± from their gazing, so she covered her face and sobbed, ¡°I said it wasn¡¯t Ye Xuan, I said that I was the one who did it... I¡¯m begging you all, please stop causing trouble.¡±

    One female police officer raised her voice to prevent Gu Nianzhi from attempting to defend the criminal. ¡°From our professional opinion, Miss Gu Yanran may have already lost her sense of resistance due to long-term suffering under Ye Xuan¡¯s perverseness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the female police officer who had spoken and keenly questioned back, ¡°Then may I ask your professional opinion? Are you sentencing the defendant while he is absent?¡± Ye Xuan wasn¡¯t even present, and the female police officer hadn¡¯t ever seen him before. How could she imagine such a cheap romance novel about a trashy man and scumbag woman?

 Chapter 822 - Argue

    <h4>Chapter 822: Argue</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The female police officer¡¯s face flushed under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp questioning. Balling her hands into fists, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t sentence him. I was speaking about a possible truth!¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, there are no ambiguous facts in court. There is also no irresponsible conjecture.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice became icy. ¡°Since you have spoken, I¡¯ll be able to question you now.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± The policewoman who cried out looked up. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie. I¡¯m not scared of your questioning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and invited her to sit down in the witness stand to begin the cross examination. Gu Nianzhi looked down at her information about the policewoman. ¡°Officer Tao, did you go to Hepingli Hospital eight days ago to provide the defendant, Gu Yanran, with legal aid?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Tao was very emotional. ¡°She was extremely traumatized at the time but still refused to call the police, so Officer Qiu and I tried to persuade her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°You said she was extremely frightened, so may I ask if you conducted a psychological assessment of her at the time?¡±

    Officer Tao was stunned for a second. ¡°...No.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was calm and quiet as she asked in an even tone, ¡°Since there was no psychological assessment, then how did you determine that she was extremely traumatized?¡± Her questions were bing sharper and sharper, making it difficult for Officer Tao to even breathe.

    Officer Tao¡¯s face was a bit red. ¡°She had already ended up in the hospital from the beating and cried whenever she saw other people. She was afraid of light and people, so we thought...¡±

    ¡°You thought? May I ask if you are professional psychologists? Or psychiatrists?¡± Gu Nianzhi interrupted her bluntly and pointed to Gu Yanran, who happened to be covering herself with her arms. ¡°You see, she¡¯s still crying whenever she sees people and is still afraid of light. If those things alone mean she¡¯s very traumatized, then her psyche should¡¯ve copsed a long time ago if it¡¯s already been going on for so long. I think she should be going to a mental hospital instead of sitting here and logically debating an estate dispute in court with me.¡±

    Just as Gu Yanran was about to pretend to be even more jittery, the entire courtroom looked right at her as Gu Nianzhi said this. Instead, Gu Yanran froze, and her expression was very unnatural for a moment. Jin Wanyi quickly blocked her from the view of others and coughed quietly. Gu Yanran took the opportunity to look down and pretend to be very speechless.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips began to form a smirk. Averting her gaze, she looked at Officer Tao with a severe expression. ¡°I thought that as police officers, you would act ording tow whening across such situations by first examining the injury and then proceeding with legal aid.¡±

    Officer Tao began to grow anxious when she saw Gu Nianzhi question her actions, so she quickly said, ¡°No, we actually did act ording tow. But domestic violence cases are different from others, so we cannot press charges on her behalf. She must be fully willing to press charges herself.¡± So the only thing the police officers could do was to dispel the victim¡¯s concerns and help them stand up to bravely testify against those ustomed to inflicting domestic violence.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. Closing the file, she put it behind her back and stood ramrod straight in front of the witness stand to look at Officer Tao with a half smile. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how can you be so sure that Gu Yanran was beaten by Ye Xuan? Did you personally witness him beating her or was there video evidence?¡±

    Officer Tao closed her eyes. Although her expression was indignant, she stopped speaking.

    ¡°Since there was no evidence at all, how can you conclude that these were Ye Xuan¡¯s actions based on only Gu Yanran¡¯s one-sided usations? What about evidence? Witnesses, evidence, as well as logic¡ªwhere are they?¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed even further and made Officer Tao¡¯s face and ears flush deep red from the questioning. She looked helplessly at her colleague, Officer Qiu.

    Officer Qiu obviously appeared more calm and stayed quiet the entire time. She appearedposed but was so angry when Gu Nianzhitched onto the logic loophole in Officer Tao¡¯s testimony and frequently questioned their professional conduct as police officers. Walking out from her position, Officer Qiu stood next to Officer Tao and said calmly, ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi, there is factual evidence behind my colleague¡¯s exnation just now. ording to statistics, the rate of domestic violence in our nation is 30 to 35 percent. In other words, out of every ten families there are three families experiencing domestic violence. And within the 30 to 35 percent experiencing domestic violence, 90 percent are women who are suffering violence inflicted by men. Also, 99 percent of women experiencing domestic violence are unwilling to seek legal aid. In other words, they may even willingly lie to the police when thew intervenes in order to conceal the man¡¯s violent behavior. My colleague¡¯s exnation is a logical inference based on this statistical data.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked by Officer Qiu¡¯s words. Although she had a way to overturn Officer Qiu¡¯s exnation, any logic-based rebuttal would be futile in the face of this shocking statistical data. It would probably make Gu Nianzhi appear very cold blooded, and this was likely why Gu Yanran used this kind of method as her starting point. It was not by random chance that the person directing her from the background chose to frame Ye Xuan from this angle. What kind of person would be so familiar with domestic violence statistics and could also immediately use them to support Gu Yanran¡¯s case? It must be someone rted to the field ofw or maybew enforcement such as police orwyers from legal aid agencies. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed quickly before she said with all seriousness, ¡°Thank you, Officer Qiu, for providing the data. I retract my question.¡± As she spoke, she also bowed to both Officer Tao and Officer Qiu to express her sincere apologies.

    Officer Tao saw that her attitude was humble, and she wasn¡¯t attempting to argue aggressively, so her view of Gu Nianzhi greatly improved. After a bit of hesitation, she recalled what she had said and knew there had been mistakes in her testimony as well. ¡°There were also areas where I made mistakes, too. I really shouldn¡¯t have said it like that just now. We don¡¯t know who was the one to actually physically abuse Miss Gu Yanran, and we certainly can¡¯t conclude it was Ye Xuan from her one-sided usations. I also retract what I said.¡± She then added, ¡°We didn¡¯t write who the abuser was on the report, either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly very happy and gained even more respect for the two female police officers. She quickly said, ¡°Thank you for the rmendation.Then can I conclude that you confirmed injuries of abuse on Gu Yanran¡¯s body but didn¡¯t know who abused her? Is that right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly correct.¡± Officer Tao was alsopletely convinced by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s conclusion at this time, so she decided to reveal what happened before as well. ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi is very correct. We only saw the injuries, and because Miss Gu Yanran also pinched herself again the next day, it covered the previous injuries, so we were unable to conduct a medical analysis. As a result, we couldn¡¯t check for finger markings.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around to give Gu Yanran a suggestive look, then walked over to say, ¡°Looks like you really fabricated the injuries on your body. In order to frame Ye Xuan, you first injured your entire body and then deliberately allowed the doctor and nurse to discover the injuries. And when the police arrived, you were worried they would analyze the finger markings, so you pinched yourself once again and imed you did it yourself. That way, you could both frame Ye Xuan for the crime while erasing evidence of your fabrication. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    The corners of Gu Yanran¡¯s lips witched. She didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi would urately guess what she had done and what her motive was, despite not personally witnessing it. Gu Yanran¡¯s expression grew even darker. She made up her mind and muffled her face as she sobbed, ¡°...I already said I did it to myself, but they didn¡¯t believe it. So what could I do? I was too ashamed to tell anyone what Ye Xuan did to me. It¡¯s all because I have an unlucky fate. I can¡¯t me anyone...¡± As soon as she cried, everyone fell into silence once again. After all, everyone would typically rather believe this sort of thing instead of doubting it.

    The two female police officers on the other side pitied Gu Yanran even more because they came across far too many unfortunate women like her, so they hated their misfortune and were angered by their helplessness. Gu Nianzhi understood how the two female police officers felt, and honestly, she might have even been fooled herself if she hadn¡¯t known about the tricks Gu Yanran yed while she was missing in Germany. She couldn¡¯t me the two female police officers who specialized in domestic violence cases. Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi silently passed a tissue to Gu Yanran. As she continued to sob quietly, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice softened gradually. ¡°Gu Yanran, I read the report of your injuries and have a few questions. Do you think you can answer them for me?¡±

    rms red in Gu Yanran¡¯s head as soon as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude suddenly drastically improved, so Gu Yanran didn¡¯t look up or speak at all.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Jin Wanyi helplessly. ¡°Lawyer Jin, does your client n to not speak in court again? If that¡¯s the case, do you want to speak on her behalf instead?¡±

    Jin Wanyi nced at Gu Yanran and was about to open her mouth when Gu Yanran looked up and used a tissue to wipe her nose. She choked out, ¡°You only want to see my embarrassment. Fine, I¡¯ve already been embarrassed enough anyway, so I don¡¯t care about being humiliated even more. Go ahead and ask.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her arms helplessly. ¡°I only want to figure out the truth. After all, you are iming that my important witness is the person who inflicted domestic violence on you. It makes things difficult for me, too.¡±

    Gu Yanran chuckled internally but still put up a grievous face. ¡°I know this makes things very difficult for you, but Ye Xuan was never a good person in the first ce. Sister, I don¡¯t want him to fool you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Jin Wanyi took the opportunity to reconcile and persuade Gu Nianzhi to settle the matter outside of court. ¡°Yes, you see? Didn¡¯t he convince you to sue my client? In fact, why would two sisters hate each other? You two can sit down and slowly discuss the family estate. Why must it be taken to court?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t take the bait. Opening her court file, she said nonchntly, ¡°Lawyer Jin, I had just asked if you were speaking on behalf of Gu Yanran, and you didn¡¯t say anything. So what¡¯s the meaning of you interrupting me while I¡¯m questioning Gu Yanran right now?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was sheepish from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s berating, so she sat back down next to Gu Yanran. Gu Nianzhi finally opened her file to the first page and said, ¡°Gu Yanran, can you recount the abuse incident again right now?¡±

    Gu Yanranposed herself and nned the script out in her head before slowly narrating the event. ¡°That night, Ye Xuan came to find me and asked me to sign an agreement to transfer assets. I refused, so he... so he...¡± Gu Yanran bit her lip and appeared humiliated, like it was something she couldn¡¯t speak about.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped her. ¡°Please stick to the point¡ªat what time, location, and with what methods did he physically abuse you?¡±

    Gu Yanran frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t remember what day it was.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi countered, ¡°Did he hit you on the head, and it confused your memories?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why can¡¯t you remember which day it was?¡±

    ¡°It was so long ago, how could I remember properly?¡± Gu Yanran rebuked her. ¡°I¡¯m not like you, having a good memory and vindictive heart. I¡¯ve always forgotten things once they¡¯ve happened and never take them to heart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at everyone in the courtroom with amusement. ¡°It only happened ten days ago, and Miss Gu Yanran has already forgotten everything. Looks like you need to evaluate your intelligence, not your psychiatric state. If your intelligence is below a certain level, you are considered disabled and treated as a mental patient, so you have no legal capacity.¡±

    Gu Yanran red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What do you mean?! You¡¯re calling me mentally challenged?!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. That was your own inference.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked down to flip to the second page of the file. ¡°If you can¡¯t remember the time, then can you remember the location?¡±

    Gu Yanran stiffened, then spat out vehemently, ¡°It was at my house, on my bed.¡±

    ¡°Ok, and then? In what way did he physically abuse you?¡±

    Gu Yanran massaged her temples. ¡°He used his fingernails to pinch me, his fists to beat me, and he also tried to hit me where other people couldn¡¯t see it. He never hit my face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°You imed just now that these injuries were self-inflicted, so why are you suddenly changing your tune and saying it was physical abuse by Ye Xuan now?¡± Gu Nianzhi closed her file and rubbed her chin as she fiercely steered the topic back to the original point. ¡°Gu Yanran, what is true and what is false in what you¡¯re saying? Do you need to take a lie detector test?¡±

    ¡°Objection. ording tows, lie detectors cannot be used in general civil cases.¡± Jin Wanyi immediately stood up to rebut Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Yanran panicked when she heard the words ¡°lie detector.¡± She finally calmed down after listening to Jin Wanyi and smiled wryly. ¡°I actually wanted to let him off easy, but I can¡¯tpete when Lawyer Gutches onto this and refuses to let go.¡± Sheposed herself, then continued to speak. ¡°Although Ye Xuan wasn¡¯t too great to me, he is in factpletely devoted to you. He doesn¡¯t even want the Gu estate anymore and is offering it up to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Gu Yanran, you had just said that Ye Xuan¡¯s inventory of assets was fake. So now why are you saying that he¡¯s ¡®offering up¡¯ the Gu estate? Then are you admitting that the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets provided by Ye Xuan is indeedplete and correct?!¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to be so keen-minded and analyze the psyche behind any casual sentence she blurted out. She was secretly chilled to the bone and discreetly balled her hands into fists to warn herself to not lose herposure. If she lost this case, then she wouldn¡¯t have anything anymore...

    Jin Wanyi filled in the gap at the opportune time and quickly said, ¡°My client means that Ye Xuan gave up his demands for the Gu family¡¯s assets. She didn¡¯t say that the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets provided by Ye Xuan was correct. intiff, please do not distort the original intention of my client.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t distort anything. Lawyer Jin knows that the best.¡± Gu Nianzhi stared back without an ounce of fear.

    Jin Wanyi stared back at her for a while before averting her gaze nonchntly. ¡°May I ask if the intiff has anything else to ask?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. ¡°Of course I do.¡± She turned to Gu Yanran. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again, was Ye Xuan the one who inflicted physical abuse on you? The injuries shown on the photos issued by the hospital were caused by Ye Xuan?¡±

    Gu Yanran nodded and answered nkly, ¡°Of course they were. You can summon Ye Xuan if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had waited a long time for Gu Yanran to say that. She immediately asked the judge, ¡°Your Honor, I wish to summon Ye Xuan to testify. Regardless if it¡¯s for the defendant, Gu Yanran¡¯s usations of his physical abuse or to testify about the inventory of the Gu family¡¯s assets he provided as an important witness, both are pertinent to the case.¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°I agree to summoning him.¡±

    Jin Wanyi could finally sigh in relief. She stood up with a beaming smile. ¡°What a coincidence, Your Honor. Ye Xuan just went to the United States and has already been arrested by the American police because he is suspected of murdering the family of Mr. Vanderbilt, Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer.¡± She looked at Gu Nianzhi and mimicked how she often spread her palms. ¡°You see, Ye Xuan is a horrible person who not only physically abused my client but alsomitted heinous crimes like arson and murder. How could someone like that testify as a witness? How can anyone believe the evidence provided by a person like that?!¡±

    The judge froze. Soon after, court staff presented informationpiled about Ye Xuan¡¯s case in the United States to the judge. He read the rted reports expressionlessly before asking Gu Nianzhi, ¡°intiff, are you sure you still want Ye Xuan to be your important witness?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Gu Nianzhi said without hesitation. ¡°I request that Ye Xuan be extradited back to the Hua Xia Empire for trial.¡±

    ¡°Extradition?!¡± Jin Wanyi nearlyughed out loud. ¡°Lawyer Gu, oh Lawyer Gu. Could you possibly not know that our nation has not signed extradition agreements with the United States, so we cannot extradite criminals from there? Otherwise, why do you think those corrupt officials seek refuge there?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi alsoughed. ¡°Extradition does not apply to economic cases or civil cases, but Ye Xuan is being charged with a criminal offense. ording to usual practice, the Hua Xia Empire and the United States police once signed a memorandum to cooperate on criminal cases and extradite the criminal back to the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    ¡°...But an estate dispute is an economic case.¡± Jin Wanyitched onto the loophole in what Gu Nianzhi said. ¡°You said it yourself just now, that the possibility of extradition only exists with criminal cases.¡±

    ¡°Right, but Ye Xuan being suspected of physically abusing Miss Gu Yanran is a criminal case, not an economic case.¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly changed the topic and somehow ended up on Gu Yanran¡¯s usations of ¡°domestic violence.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was even more amused. ¡°Lawyer Gu, I¡¯ll remind you again that domestic violence cases are not tried without usations. My client has repeatedly stated that she will not pursue legal responsibility from Ye Xuan, so may I ask why you think this is a criminal case?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained very calm and said clearly, ¡°Lawyer Jin, I think you¡¯ve also forgotten what is legally defined as ¡®domestic violence.¡¯¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯sughter had not even yet subsided but was abruptly cut off as soon as she heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She seemed to recall something, and like a swan that stretched its long neck to sing loudly but was suddenly grabbed by the throat, she couldn¡¯t catch her breath and nearly injured her internal organs. Gu Yanran¡¯s heart dropped as soon as she saw Jin Wanyi¡¯s expression and could vaguely sense something was amiss. But she carefully thought about their responses from beginning to end and thought, there shouldn¡¯t have been any mistakes? That person had provided her with a n that was linked step by step and was iparably well thought out. She really couldn¡¯t see how Gu Nianzhi could turn the tables on it.

    Suddenly, Gu Nianzhi threw out her trump card. She looked at the two female police officers and said, ¡°I think you two may have misunderstood. Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran are not husband and wife, nor do they have a typical familial rtionship. They are not a family. Hence, Ye Xuan being used by Gu Yanran of physical abuse is no longer within the scope of domestic violence but is considered a criminal injury case. ording tow, the police have the right and must also press charges for criminal injury cases with no need for consent from the victim. Since the criminal injury case has been established, there is concrete evidence, and Ye Xuan¡¯s case in the United States is significantly linked to my estate dispute with Gu Yanran, I urge the police to quickly file the case and also request that the American police cooperate by extraditing Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s expression instantly darkened. What were her chances of winning if Ye Xuan came back to the Hua Xia Empire?! There¡¯s no way she could allow him toe back!

 Chapter 823 - Iâ€™ll Go

    <h4>Chapter 823: I¡¯ll Go</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The two female police officers shared a nce and said to Gu Nianzhi with some regret, ¡°We will pass on your message to our superiors. Our colleagues handling criminal cases will take over this case.¡±

    ¡°Thank you both.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very polite to them. ¡°This incident was not your fault. Someone intentionally misled you by taking advantage of your kindness and goodwill.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Don¡¯t make false usations!¡± Jin Wanyi saw things were going badly and immediately shouted at Gu Nianzhi to stop.

    Gu Nianzhipletely ignored her and smiled at the two female police officers with a wink. ¡°See that?¡± The two female police officers also smiled back at her before giving Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran another suggestive nce. They got up and left the witness stand.

    The judge banged his gavel. ¡°The second day of court has now concluded. The court and police will cooperate to extradite Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire. Court is adjourned.¡± The court staff surrounded President Zhan to escort him out. Gu Nianzhi returned to her seat and began to carefully pack away her things. She put away all the loose files on the desk and ced them back in herptop bag along with herptop.

    General Ji¡¯s personal secretary, Secretary Cao, had been listening to the entire trial and greatly admired Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp tongue, clear thinking, andmanding debate style. He had also started out studyingw and enlisted after earning his doctorate. Because he started from an advantageous point and was doing a desk job, he quickly rose through the ranks. After the day¡¯s proceedings concluded, Secretary Cao wanted to leave right away but still walked over to Gu Nianzhi and praised her with a smile. ¡°Miss Gu, today¡¯s trial was very impressive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up with a smile when she heard him praising her. She discovered it was Secretary Cao. She had seen him before when she was with Huo Shaoheng but never spoke to him. ¡°You are... Secretary Cao?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit surprised. ¡°You were watching the trial?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was not a wasted trip.¡± Secretary Caoplimented her once again and patted her shoulder. ¡°Keep up the good work.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. Although she wasn¡¯t familiar with him, she still needed to smile politely. This was the secretary of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direct superior, after all. She couldn¡¯t afford to cross him. ¡°Secretary Cao is too kind.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded politely. ¡°There are still more days left in this case. I¡¯ll keep working hard.¡±

    ¡°Good luck!¡± Secretary Cao gave her another smile before saying goodbye.

    As soon as Secretary Cao left, the assistant whom Speaker Long had sent to attend the trial received a call from Speaker Long. ¡°Little Yang, Little Cao already went over topliment Gu Nianzhi. Why haven¡¯t you gone over?¡± Speaker Long was secretly making this call in the hallway. The strategy and eloquence Gu Nianzhi had disyed todaypletely took Speaker Long by surprise. He was thoroughly excited from watching the entire trial and felt that he hadn¡¯te across such a talented individual in many years now.

    As the Speaker in the Senate, Speaker Long was once the top student in the B University Faculty of Law. The truth was, most of the senators started withw degrees. Because the main function of the Senate was to makews, someone who hadn¡¯t professionally studiedw would have a difficult time mastering the work of a senator. Senators not only had to be familiar with thew but also needed to possess superb eloquence and a quick wit, as well as patience and top-notch logic abilities.

    Today, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s performancepletely shocked Speaker Long. He suddenly began to understand why General Ji was fully supporting Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship. He was keeping all the talent in his own organization! All the top talent was being moved to the military! That won¡¯t do! Speaker Long couldn¡¯t sit still when the big screen disyed General Ji¡¯s personal secretary, Secretary Cao, taking the initiative to chat with Gu Nianzhi and showering her withpliments. The assistant he had sent, Little Yang, was sitting motionless in the audience and seemed to be daydreaming about something. Speaker Long had no choice but to call Little Yang directly to ask him to greet Gu Nianzhi. Little Yang understood right away. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just picked up herptop bag and was getting ready to leave when she saw a smug and confident man in his thirties walk over. He smiled at her in a bureaucratic manner. ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. She looked around. ¡°Were you here to watch the trial?¡± How could someoneing to watch the trial not know who she was as the intiff? Who was he kidding?

    ¡°Right, I was just attending. You¡¯ve done pretty well, but there are areas you can improve on.¡± Little Yang had also started out with aw degree and loved lecturing others, so he began teaching Gu Nianzhi how to debate in thewsuit.

    Gu Nianzhi felt he was a bit off-putting but still listened politely as she walked outside. Little Yang had only said a few things when he discovered Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t paying attention, so he began to look down on her and thought she had a big ego for a person of low status. She seemed to bepletely smug after getting a fewpliments from Secretary Cao.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more disgusted by the way he spoke to her, so she turned around when she saw him continuing to follow her. ¡°May I ask what your name is?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am?¡± Little Yang looked at Gu Nianzhi with some surprise. ¡°Myst name is Yang.¡±

    ¡°Your name is Yang Guo?¡± Gu Nianzhi questioned him back in all seriousness.

    ¡°Of course not. Why do you ask?¡± Little Yang was very confused. ¡°Yang Guo? That sounds very familiar.¡±

    ¡°Hmm... If you¡¯re not Yang Guo, then why do I need to know who you are?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes internally once more.

    Little Yang¡¯s face flushed darkly.

    Pfft¨C! Yin Shixiong, who had been following them quietly all this time finally couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw it was Yin Shixiong, so her eyes glittered. ¡°Brother Xiong, did you drive here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll drive you back to school.¡± Yin Shixiong walked up again and naturally took theptop bag from her. He then nodded to Speaker Long¡¯s assistant, Little Yang. ¡°Executive Assistant Yang also attended the trial?¡±

    Executive Assistant Yang finally recovered some dignity. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and thought her eyes were much too big, her face was too beautiful, her figure too stunning. She appeared very curvy and voluptuous, even in a professional suit, so she didn¡¯t seem like such a capablewyer at all. Instead, she seemed more like a pretty vase. Putting both hands in his trouser pockets, he nodded to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Colonel Yin was also attending the trial? Why didn¡¯t Huo Shaoe?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao is quite busy. He had no time.¡± Yin Shixiong chuckled. The truth was, Huo Shaoheng was watching the live stream of the trial with people like General Ji and Speaker Long in the military headquartersplex.

    Executive Assistant Yang smiled, then turned around to carefully study Gu Nianzhi. He pondered why Speaker Long had directly called to ask him to greet Gu Nianzhi. There must be a reason for this, but for now he didn¡¯t know what Speaker Long¡¯s reason was. However, he did understand that Speaker Long viewed Gu Nianzhi with some importance. But from the way Executive Assistant Yang saw it, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s performance in court today was likely reciting what someone else had taught her. Maybe it was the people from the Special Operations Forces, or maybe it was Huo Shaoheng himself.

    Little Yang¡¯s work had always been focused on the Senate¡¯s side, so he didn¡¯t know the personnel from the military or Special Operations Forces very well. He clearly didn¡¯t know anything about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s impressive history in the courtrooms. Also, he was a top student himself, so he thought that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s performance today was only ¡°satisfactory.¡± He didn¡¯t understand why Secretary Cao had to go butter her up. However, Executive Assistant Yang had to admit that even if Gu Nianzhi was a vase, she was a precious antique sheep¡¯s fat jade vase, not a ss vase that could be bought anywhere for ten dors. With such a vase in the office, it could certainly liven up spirits.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really like the way Executive Assistant Yang looked at her, so she grabbed Yin Shixiong¡¯s arm. ¡°Brother Xiong, let¡¯s go. I still have something to talk to you about.¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded and took her to the car. He turned around and said to Executive Assistant Yang, ¡°We¡¯ll be going now. Goodbye, Executive Assistant Yang.¡±

    Executive Assistant Yang nodded cheerfully and looked at them suggestively as they left.

    ...

    ¡°Brother Xiong, you watched the entire trial today, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat in the front passenger seat and yed with the two y dolls in the car.

    ¡°Listen here, Nianzhi is bing more and more impressive,¡± Yin Shixiongplimented her cheerfully. ¡°If anything happens to Brother Xiong in the future, I¡¯ll be sure to hire you as mywyer.¡±

    ¡°Knock on wood! Brother Xiong, don¡¯t speak nonsense!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly knocked on wood for him. ¡°Good thingse true, while bad things don¡¯t. Brother Xiong will not ever need to use me as awyer.¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew Gu Nianzhi cared about him and was feeling warm inside. He said quietly, ¡°Nianzhi, had you been thinking about extraditing Ye Xuan for a while now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. ¡°This was also thanks to the help of Yanran and Jin Wanyi. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able toe back to this key point in the end.¡± She continued, ¡°When you have time, go back and ask Huo Shao if he thinks this will work or not.¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed. ¡°You don¡¯t say. When you said those thingsst week, I still didn¡¯t know what you meant, but Chief seemed to understand it a long time ago. He already asked us to call the Police Headquartersst week to follow the progress of Ye Xuan¡¯s case in the United States.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? Huo Shao thought of itst week already?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was both surprised and delighted. She also thought Huo Shaoheng was really amazing. It was like he knew the lyrics just from the tune. He immediately understood what she wanted to do and discreetly helped hery out the future path...

    ¡°Yes, now the personnel from the Police Headquarters should be contacting the American police to discuss cooperation on this case.¡± As Yin Shixiong spoke, he called Huo Shaoheng. After the call connected, he said, ¡°Chief, Nianzhi is in the car right now. Do you want to speak to her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a minute and then refused. ¡°No thanks. Tell her not to worry.¡±

    Yin Shixiong snorted before ending the call and turning around to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, Chief is telling you to not worry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already made arrangements, so as soon as Gu Nianzhi made the extradition request in court, the Police Headquarters immediately began working on the criminal case of Gu Yanran charging Ye Xuan for assault. At the same time, they quickly contacted the American police for their assistance with the case.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew a bit misty, and the indescribable feeling that lodged in her chest seemed to be likeyers of dark clouds rolling around in the August evening sky blocking her feelings. Looking up slightly, she said, ¡°Thank Huo Shao for me.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re still being petty with Chief?¡± Yin Shixiong looked at her in shock. ¡°Why are you mad for so long this time?¡±

    The gratitude that filled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart instantly disappeared. Giving Yin Shixiong a sidelong nce, she said, ¡°Brother Xiong, you need to drive properly. If you keep spouting nonsense, I might just speak poorly of you in front of Qiqi!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d dare?!¡± Yin Shixiong instinctively chided Gu Nianzhi but when he said it, he realized he had reacted too strongly. He chuckled. ¡°I was just making a joke. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi muffled her mouth, and her face was already hurting fromughing so hard. ¡°Brother Xiong, don¡¯t bother exining it. Exining it means you¡¯re guilty, and being guilty means it¡¯s actually true. I get it, I get it all.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was stunned speechless. When they arrived at campus and Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, she finally winked at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong, I was just making a joke. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡± She repeated his words back to him.

    Yin Shixiong was extremely relieved and smoothed her hair. ¡°Go upstairs. How can I get mad at you? You¡¯re just like my little sister.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nudged her head into his hand and went back in a good mood.

    ...

    Gu Yanran was in a terrible state when she returned from the courthouse. She locked herself up in the bedroom of her vi in Xiangshan, refusing to eat or drink. She also ignored her housekeeper, Mrs. James. She paced around anxiously in her room and was thinking of a way of stopping Ye Xuan from returning to the Hua Xia Empire. Jin Wanyi originally promised her that there would be no way of extraditing Ye Xuan, but she never thought Gu Nianzhi would immediately overturn Jin Wanyi¡¯s reasoning in court and also obtain the court¡¯s approval for extradition.

    How could this be? She thought about it all night and decided to contact that person again. Not only did the person¡¯s idea fail, but it seemed to be counterproductive for her situation. Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t remain alive any longer. She must quickly contact that person and have Ye Xuan killed off. However, no matter how many times she called that person, it still came back as an invalid number, and no one picked up. She could vaguely feel that the person really meant it when they told her to, ¡°not contact them again.¡± But how could she not contact her? It was her idea that got her into this mess!

    Gu Yanran thought about it all night and finally thought of an idea. Early the next morning, Gu Yanran had someone post online to create an early leak about the news of the Police Headquarters¡¯ attempt to extradite Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire. She believed that as long as this news could gain enough publicity online, then that person would see it and also agree to lend her a hand. Wasn¡¯t that right? That person was even more powerful than she could imagine. Not only did she know the address of Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer, but she was also able to burn his entire family to death in one night and frame Ye Xuan for it. Such things couldn¡¯t be aplished merely with money.

    ...

    ¡°What? The Hua Xia police want to extradite Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire?¡± The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon, Utah, was very shocked. ¡°But hemitted a crime here. How can he be extradited? Also, I don¡¯t think he is a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire.¡± A Federal Bureau of Investigation agent came to Little Rock Canyon to investigate the case. In the United States, interstate and international cases were all handled by the FBI. Of course, the local police could also ask the FBI for help when they couldn¡¯t solve cases. This was different from the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s police systems, as all the police stations in the United States were localized but did not have superior and subordinate rtionships. They only differed in sizes of jurisdiction. The only criminal investigation organization in the country was the FBI. When the FBI received the Hua Xia Imperial Police Headquarters¡¯ request for cooperation, agents were sent to Little Rock Canyon to investigate Ye Xuan¡¯s case.

    ¡°This is their request, and we previously signed a memorandum.¡± The FBI agent patiently exined the reasoning with the Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon. ¡°Not only that, but the crime hemitted here is also significantly linked to a domestic case of theirs. It¡¯s understandable that they requested our cooperation.¡±

    ¡°But Mr. Vanderbilt was our citizen. This person is the only suspect, so we can¡¯t release him.¡± The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon was very insistent. ¡°No, that won¡¯t do. You¡¯re the ones who signed a memorandum with the Hua Xia Empire, not me. Don¡¯t force this over my head.¡±

    The FBI agent was having a hard time with such an obstinate person. However, he had no choice since they didn¡¯t have a superior and subordinate rtionship, so he couldn¡¯tmand the Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon to hand over Ye Xuan and allow the Hua Xia Empire to extradite him. Because the memorandum had read ¡°cooperate,¡± it didn¡¯t mean it was mandatory. ¡°Consider it carefully. This is a photocopy of the letter from the Hua Xia Imperial Police Headquarters. I¡¯ll leave it here, and when you think it through, you can call me.¡± The FBI agent left a business card before heading back. The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon was a stubborn man and decided to go head to head with this incident. He refused to release Ye Xuan back to his own country.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was very anxious when she learned of the news. She couldn¡¯t pay attention in ss and wanted nothing more but to go to the United States herself and bring Ye Xuan back. He Zhichu noticed her being distracted and asked her to stay behind after ss. He asked her cheerfully, ¡°What is it? Something on your mind?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hide it from He Zhichu and told him about how the local police in Little Rock Canyon were refusing to extradite Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire. She even vented to He Zhichu. ¡°Thewyer over there is too weak. He didn¡¯t defend him at all. I really want to go there myself and ask that sheriff what right does he have to detain Ye Xuan! This is actually all for the sake of sending someone over there to protect Ye Xuan¡¯s safety. Otherwise, I¡¯d be able to get him released without charge immediately and also demand a hugepensation!¡± If this was extradition, then there would be a high degree of police protection in order to guarantee Ye Xuan¡¯s safety.

    He Zhichu quietly brought over his tablet and began checking the entire situation concerning Ye Xuan¡¯s case. His expression remained aloof and cool, his cruel lips pressed tightly together as he calmly read all the information. He Zhichu walked into the kitchen to pour a ss of red wine and swirl it in his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that He Zhichu had stopped speaking, so she put on her backpack. ¡°I¡¯ll go back now. Goodbye, Professor He.¡±

    When she walked to the door, He Zhichu seemed to finally make a decision. He downed all the red wine in his ss and suddenly called after her. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll go to the United States to be Ye Xuan¡¯swyer and bring him back to the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

 Chapter 824 - Dazzling Contrast

    <h4>Chapter 824: Dazzling Contrast</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi instantly stopped at the doorway and almost couldn¡¯t believe her own ears. Her body froze before she looked back at He Zhichu and asked with shock, ¡°Professor He, did I hear that right? You¡¯re really willing to go to the United States and be Ye Xuan¡¯swyer?!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression remained aloof and cold, and his tall, straight nose appeared even more sculpted and well-formed. Cradling a ss of red wine in one hand, he put his other hand in his trouser pocket as he assumed a leisurely posture. However, there was now a look of absolute ruthlessness in his shimmery, sultry eyes. Just like the feeling he often gave other people, it was full of sharp and contradicting contrast.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a very good understanding of He Zhichu as a person, unlike Huo Shaoheng. If Huo Shao told her he would do something, she believed he would always see it through. But He Zhichu...? A faint trace of doubt and hesitation appeared in her eyes. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want He Zhichu to be Ye Xuan¡¯swyer. In fact, the truth was that there was no one better suited that He Zhichu. When it came to where thew was concerned, Gu Nianzhi knew that she was even less confident with herself going personally than sending He Zhichu. But what if He Zhichu dropped the ball at a crucial moment? There couldn¡¯t be any mistakes with Ye Xuan¡¯s case. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear the consequences. This was practically herst shred of hope.

    He Zhichu was already somewhat depressed, but as soon as he saw her little conflicted look, a subtle smile appeared on his aloof face. Setting down his wine ss, he walked over to Gu Nianzhi and ced both hands on her straight and slender shoulders. He said coolly, ¡°Nianzhi, tell me¡ªdo you want to stay here and live here for the rest of your life?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and looked at him quizzically. ¡°Of course I do. I grew up here, and this is my home. I¡¯ve never wanted to go to any other countries. Yeah, I¡¯ve been to other countries, but I didn¡¯t like them at all. I only like it here.¡±

    ¡°Ok, we¡¯ll stay here since you like it.¡± He Zhichu hugged her briefly and had already released her by the time she could react. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go to the United States and bring Ye Xuan back.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, are you really willing to do that?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked once again. ¡°This is very important to me. I don¡¯t want to see anything go wrong.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s important to you is even more important to me.¡± He Zhichu stood before her with both hands in his trouser pockets. He looked down at her from above, his aloof expression finally revealing a hint of warmth to make him appear full of enigma and fascination.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and squeezed her hands harder. Sweat formed on her palms, and she heard herself say calmly, ¡°Professor He, thank you. When do you n on departing?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled faintly. ¡°My private jet can fly out tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re leaving tonight already? But the Police Headquarters hasn¡¯t sorted things out on their end yet...¡± Gu Nianzhi was very worried. ¡°You should go with the special police from the Police Headquarters, right? That would make things safer.¡±

    ¡°So you actually know it¡¯s not safe?¡± He Zhichu raised a brow. ¡°Are you worried about my safety?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried about your safety, and not just yours, but the special police officers who may be going to the United States to extradite Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire. I worry about them, too,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied honestly. ¡°But they are professionally trained and also have the nation¡¯s support, so most people would consider it carefully before going against them.¡±

    He Zhichu was quiet for some time, his gaze suddenly as cold as hail on a frozen night, expressing a hint of sharp pain. ¡°You¡¯re doubting my abilities?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m not doubting your abilities. In this world, you are the onlywyer that I can be fully convinced by. You being willing to be Ye Xuan¡¯swyer is even better than me going myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi said it very earnestly, so it was obvious she was being totally sincere.

    He Zhichu felt a little better inside and stroked her head. ¡°Then what are you afraid of?¡±

    ¡°What if... What if those people struggle in their death throes and struggle for life?¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured, the worry in her expression growing. She had studied all the news reports about Ye Xuan¡¯s case, and thanks to the Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon¡¯s love for holding press conferences, Gu Nianzhi waspletely aware of all progress in the case. From the press conferences, she learned that the most elite FBI fire investigation experts had conducted an analysis of the scene of the fire. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help hacking into the website for the Little Rock Canyon police station, and from their system she found the fire scene analysis report by the FBI experts. She had gleaned much insider information which hadn¡¯t been publicized. The FBI fire investigation expert¡¯s report concluded that the entire Vanderbilt family had been killed execution style before their corpses were burned. Among the deceased, aside from the Vanderbilt family, there were also a dozen elite bodyguards. These bodyguards had been equipped with very sophisticated weapons and even had a dozen semi-automatic sub machine guns and several boxes of ammunition. Unfortunately, these guns and bullets were used on thewyer¡¯s family by the murderer.

    Also, Mr. Vanderbilt was a secretly rich person. Everyone knew that Americanwyers were very wealthy, but it was shocking how a very ordinarywyer specializing in family affairs such as divorces and wills in Little Rock Canyon, Utah, could amass such a huge fortune. He was very discreet but hired extremely expensive bodyguards for himself and equipped them with heavy weaponry to protect his family. Although he had such tight security measures in ce, the entire family had perished. With such a sick-minded mastermind creating a trap to frame Ye Xuan, it was conceivable that anyone attempting to escort Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire would be met with brutal attacks. And from the way Gu Nianzhi saw it, He Zhichu didn¡¯t seem like Huo Shaoheng, who could rely on himself to fight off the enemy. He Zhichu was smart enough, but if he really encountered a heinous criminal, Gu Nianzhi thought he would be unlikely to survive.

    ¡°So you¡¯re actually worried about such useless things.¡± He Zhichu snorted quietly. ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t understand me at all.¡±

    ¡°Is there something about Professor He that I don¡¯t know?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled as she gave him a sly smile. She wasn¡¯t in a rush to leave and still wore her backpack as she quietly closed the door.

    He Zhichu spied her little movements but didn¡¯t call her out. He turned towards the living room. ¡°There¡¯s much you don¡¯t know about¡ªas if I need to tell you everything. Don¡¯t you have any concept of privacy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not inquiring about Professor He¡¯s privacy.¡± Gu Nianzhi followed him and asked with curiosity, ¡°I only want to know what Professor He is relying on to not worry about the mastermind behind Ye Xuan¡¯s case.¡±

    He Zhichu sat back down on the single-seater sofa and crossed his legs. Raising a hand, he said, ¡°Prepare a cup of Colombian ck coffee for me, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    ¡°Really?! You¡¯re not lying to me, right?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was very happy and quickly put her backpack down on the sofa. Before He Zhichu could change his mind, she dashed into the kitchen to make He Zhichu some coffee. The fully automatic coffee machine was very efficient, and in less than two minutes, Gu Nianzhi finished making a fragrant and rich cup of ck coffee. She carried it to him and said with great ttery, ¡°Professor He, here is your Colombian ck coffee.¡±

    He Zhichu epted the coffee cup but was in no rush to drink it. He only set it on the coffee table in front of him and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Do you know where Colombian ck coffee is produced?¡±

    ¡°Colombia, of course?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand He Zhichu¡¯s question. ¡°Is it really that simple?¡±

    ¡°It is really that simple.¡± He Zhichu ced both hands on the armrest. His handsome face blocked the light and appeared solemn. His bold movements carried an overwhelming sense of authority.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe him and blinked her pitch-ck eyes. ¡°Should you at least provide some facts to prove your viewpoint? Otherwise, I really can¡¯t feel at ease.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really not at ease?¡± He Zhichu finallyughed. He leaned forward slightly to gesture to Gu Nianzhi to pick up the iPad on the coffee table. ¡°Look it up, how Francis, the most infamous godfather in Colombia, was destroyed seven years ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Why was he suddenly talking about a Colombian godfather? Gu Nianzhi was even more confused and gave He Zhichu a puzzled look. She didn¡¯t use He Zhichu¡¯s iPad but took out her own phone to look it up on the mobilework. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger as she read the news results that came back.

    ¡°...This person was so incredible, how could he bepletely destroyed in one night?!¡± Gu Nianzhi waspletely floored.

    The news from seven years ago was popr in the Americas, so with merely one simple search, it showed that even the United States was scrambling to report the case that had urred in Colombia. This was an unsolved case even to this day. Francis was the infamous godfather of South America, and his old nest was based in Colombia. In that country, even the president had to do what he said, and all the other South American countries had to give him a certain level of respect. From the news description, this man¡¯s status was quite simr to the He family¡¯s current status in South America.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression shifted subtly. Seven years ago, Francis, the godfather of Colombia, was suddenly killed off. Although his entire family wasn¡¯t murdered, all his assets were suddenly missing. Without money, the Francis family was akin to a toothless wolf and was soon dismantled by his own men. The Francis family then ceased to exist in South America. Francis, who had been imperious in South America and could not be wiped out by even American mercenaries, died quietly just like that. His body hung from a streetlight in the Colombian streets, and his chest was hollowed out like a honeb by bullets that nearly pierced through his entire body.

    This case was still unsolved even to this day. However, no one wanted to solve it since everyone assumed it was done by US Special Forces. With Francis¡¯ security levels that could rival the forces of normal armies, a typical national army would have no way of hurting a single hair on his head. There was no way a private armed force could kill him, except for one sent by the United States. So why did He Zhichu want to bring up this case? Gu Nianzhi finished reading the news and looked at He Zhichu quizzically.

    He Zhichu looked at her silently, his gaze as heavy as deep water,pletely still. He nodded. ¡°The He family reced Francis after he died.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an elegant brow. ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t tell me that the He family is now the godfather of South America?!¡± This was something she would never ept. If He Zhichu¡¯s family was really in that kind of business, then Gu Nianzhi would consider dropping out of school...

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°No, my family is not in the drug trade.¡±

    ¡°Then what business is the He family in that could rece Francis¡¯ position?¡± Gu Nianzhi was still very doubtful. Politics in South American countries abided by the principle of survival of the fittest and was never based on persuading the masses with virtue.

    ¡°Arms.¡± He Zhichu looked up slightly. ¡°The He family is in the arms trade and is widespread across South America, Europe, and Africa.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squinted as she peered at He Zhichu thoughtfully. She remembered now. When they were in the United States, He Zhichu had a surprisingly good rtionship with the US military. The truth was, He Zhichu had a very lofty status in both the American political and military circles. If the Hes were in the arms trade, then that would exin a thing or two. But Gu Nianzhi had grown up with Huo Shaoheng and so happened to have a good understand of arms. She also leaned forward slightly and stared into He Zhichu¡¯s eyes to muse, ¡°Being in the arms trade could allow you to have that kind of a position in both the American political and military circles? Don¡¯t kid me. Thergest arms trafficker in the world is the United States. They¡¯re already selling their arms everywhere, so why would they... treat you like an esteemed guest?¡± As powerful as the Hes were, they were only a n that could not bepared with a country like the United States. A family selling arms having this kind of high status in the eyes of a huge arms trafficker like the United States? You must be kidding me again...

    ¡°Of course, I have something they need.¡± He Zhichu was unperturbed. Leaning over, he picked up the coffee cup to take a sip. ¡°While it¡¯s correct to have skepticism towards everything, continuously refusing to believe something in the face of the facts is considered paranoia, not wisdom.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi studied He Zhichu¡¯s stern expression and knew that if she asked anything else, it would concern his family¡¯s ¡°trade secrets.¡± He Zhichu certainly wouldn¡¯t say anything more. She sighed unwillingly. ¡°Fine, then. With what you¡¯re saying, does that mean you have the ability to guarantee Ye Xuan¡¯s safety?¡±

    ¡°It was the Whitewater Security Company that eliminated Francis, the godfather of Colombia, and his 2,000-guard army in one night all those years ago,¡± He Zhichu replied calmly. ¡°I paid the money and provided the action n. This time, I¡¯ll be using the Whitewater Security Company once again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened instantly. ¡°Does that mean that the person behind Ye Xuan¡¯s case couldpare with the godfather of South America all those years ago?¡±

    ¡°This person is even more powerful than he was.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was still aloof, but his tone was unquestionable. ¡°But they have unfortunately met with me, so they are destined for defeat.¡±

 Chapter 825 - Thatâ€™s Amazing, My Professor

    <h4>Chapter 825: That¡¯s Amazing, My Professor</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t encouraged by He Zhichu¡¯s words but actually felt even more worried. She frowned at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, are you sure? Or do you already know who did this? If you know, shouldn¡¯t you call the American police and provide them with leads?¡± Could he possibly want to go catch the mastermind himself?!

    He Zhichu stirred the little silver spoon in his ck coffee as he looked down to reply coolly, ¡°Why would I call the police? These are a bunch of fearless criminals. I don¡¯t know where they live or have any evidence to prove theymitted this crime. This is all my own conjecture. How can you ask me to call the police?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was rendered speechless by He Zhichu¡¯s retort. After mulling over it for a while, she found an excuse and giggled. ¡°I already said it before; Professor He is the onlywyer in the world who canpletely convince me!¡±

    ¡°How manywyers have you ever met? Aren¡¯t you ashamed to say that kind of thing?¡± Although He Zhichu said it like that, he still had a smile on his face and appeared much more rxedpared to his aloof and cool face earlier. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen to me. When the timees, I¡¯ll be sure to bring back Ye Xuan unharmed for you.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, you must be careful.¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lip. ¡°You¡¯d still better wait for the Police Headquarters to send officers over there and go with them. There are always experts in every field, and you can be in charge of Ye Xuan¡¯s legal affairs. When ites to safety concerns, leave it to the Police Headquarters.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought that Huo Shaoheng would probably send some support there, but they worked discreetly, so they didn¡¯t inform He Zhichu.

    ¡°It¡¯s best that the Police Headquarters doesn¡¯t send anyone over to the United States. They¡¯ll be mere cannon fodder and die abroad if they go,¡± He Zhichu replied coolly. ¡°It¡¯s enough for me to go. It won¡¯t be good for youter on if they sacrifice themselves for your case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. Her curvy lips parted slightly to reveal the edge of two pearly white teeth reflecting on her light pink lips. She appeared tense and nervous. ¡°It¡¯s that dangerous?! Then is it really ok for Professor He to go by himself?!¡±

    He Zhichu thought Gu Nianzhi looked very cute when she worried about him like that, so he smiled at her for a while. Then he got up to go to the bedroom and brought out a pale rose gold phone to give to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Take this. If you aren¡¯t able to call me using another phone in the future, try using this phone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi epted the phone and fiddled with it curiously. ¡°What¡¯s the phone number for this? Why am I only using this one when other phones can¡¯t reach you? Professor He, you have high technology, too?!¡± The exterior of the phone wasn¡¯t special at all, but the material of the phone was obviously very high quality. Rose gold colors often looked very cheap, but this one had a hint of silver in the base, so it instantly appeared elegant. It felt very nice in the hand and molded nicely into it.

    He Zhichu chuckled. ¡°There is no phone number for this. It can only call my number.¡± He opened up the contact list and as promised, there was only one number saved with the name ¡°He Zhichu¡± written next to it.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. A phone without a number that could only call He Zhichu? That¡¯s amazing, my Professor! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes rolled around, and it was obvious from one nce that she was full of questions but didn¡¯t dare to ask them.

    He Zhichu stroked her head and also tucked a silky strand of hair behind her ear. He said quietly, ¡°Take this for now, and in the future, I¡¯ll find a chance to tell you.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°It was my fault that you were in danger in Germanyst time. That will never happen again.¡± He squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and wrapped the phone in her palms. ¡°As long as you have this phone on you, no one will be able to ever stop you from calling me again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled her situation of not being able to cry out to the heavens or earth when she got in trouble in Germanyst time. The fear was still in her heart as she instinctively squeezed the phone and murmured, ¡°Is this phone really that amazing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you have to take it with you all the time.¡± He Zhichu was very regretful that he hadn¡¯t given this phone to Gu Nianzhi earlier. But then again, He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t have known who the person behind all this was if Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t gotten in danger in Germany. That time, Gu Nianzhi suffered a huge loss, but the person plotting to kill her also revealed themselves. However, He Zhichu hadn¡¯t yet decided how to handle this situation.

    ¡°Ok.¡± Gu Nianzhi chose to believe He Zhichu this time. Existing technological means couldn¡¯t guarantee cell signals from being intercepted, so perhaps He Zhichu¡¯s phone did have something special about it.

    ¡°As long as I¡¯m here, my phone will always stay on for you.¡± He Zhichu walked Gu Nianzhi outside. ¡°But if I have to go home when something happens, and youe across a problem you can¡¯t solve, you can call this phone, and I¡¯ll be sure to get your call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Thank you, Professor He, for the concern.¡±

    ¡°Who will be concerned about you, aside from me?¡± He Zhichu said with a half smile. He sighed to himself when he noticed Gu Nianzhi blush and appear like she didn¡¯t want to hear that. But when he thought about how Gu Nianzhi had already broken up with Huo Shaoheng, he knew he still had a chance and more time, since they had all the days ahead of them.

    ....

    Late that night, He Zhichu¡¯s private jet whistled as it ascended into the air and headed towards the United States. At the same time, Gu Yanran stood before the French windows in her vi in Xiangshan. Draped in a linen-colored cashmere poncho, she hugged herself as she quietly looked out at the night sky.

    Jin Wanyi walked inside with an exhausted face. ¡°Yanran, I heard that the Police Headquarters has already sent a letter to the United States requesting their cooperation on the case in extraditing Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire for trial. Are you prepared to confront Ye Xuan?¡±

    Gu Yanran appeared very calm. ¡°He hasn¡¯t even returned to the Hua Xia Empire yet. Why are you worried about it?¡±

    ¡°How can I not be worried? The idea you had started out pretty good, but unfortunately...¡± Jin Wanyi shook her head. ¡°Quickly think of a solution now. Otherwise, we¡¯re both done for as soon as hees back.¡±

    Jin Wanyi finally left Gu Yanran¡¯s home veryte in the night. As soon as she was gone, Gu Yanran used her own phone to directly call that invalid number, but no one picked up as usual. On social media, the topic about Ye Xuan¡¯s case that Gu Yanran had hired someone to create publicity for had already gone viral. She thought about also leaking news about the Police Headquarters¡¯ n to send personnel over to extradite Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire to the influencers as well.

    As expected, the news caused a new wave of social media attention on the Ye Xuan case. The incident was so big now, that person should definitely see it? Gu Yanran¡¯s sleepiness overcame her, and she quickly washed up in the bathroom before going to bed. As soon as sheid down, she heard her phone chime once. Afterwards, a nonsense text message leaped onto the screen.

    ¡°!!!¡± Three blood-red exmation marks that resembled three blood-stained sticks or three long swords filled with rage appeared. Gu Yanran signed deeply. She knew that person had received the news now, so she could finally get a good night¡¯s sleep.

    ...

    He Zhichu¡¯s private jet wasn¡¯t able to directlynd at the Little Rock Canyon airport because it was too small of a town and had no customs. He needed tond at the Salt Lake City International Airport, which was where the state capital of Utah was located. It was a four-hour drive from Salt Lake City to Little Rock Canyon, and on the way they needed to go through an uninhabited interstate highway.

    When He Zhichu got off his private jet, the action team leader of the Whitewater Security Company, Little A, was already waiting for him. Little A was a Caucasian man in his thirties and had joined a mercenary group when he was in his teens. Afterwards, he joined the Whitewater Security Company and became its backbone force. ¡°Mr. He, we meet again.¡± Little A smiled as he opened his arms to invite him for a hug.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look at him as he expressionlessly walked forward. ¡°Is everything prepared? This time things will be even more dangerous than seven years ago. You¡¯d better not fail miserably with this easy task.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m also better than I was seven years ago... Mr. He, believe me. This is America, so it belongs to our Whitewater Security Company.¡± Little Aughed heartily. ¡°The former vice president is a major shareholder. Who would we be afraid of?¡±

    He Zhichu walked to his private car and stopped. Turning around to nce at Little A, he remarked dryly, ¡°This time you need to equip each team member with two semi-automatic sub machine guns and four pistols. Also, you need to deploy two armored helicopters and at least six bulletproof vehicles. Additionally, there are a total of 67 areas along the interstate highway between here and Little Rock Canyon that can be used as sniping points. No need to send personnel to guard positions, but you must nt timed explosives there. The bulletproof vehicles need to be equipped with thetest integrated mortar systems, but the cars themselves need to survive mortar attacks.¡±

    Little A was confused. ¡°Mr. He, are you nning to fight in a limited local war here in the United States?¡± So many wartime provisions were typically only used in the battlefields in the Middle East!

 Chapter 826 - My Little Princess

    <h4>Chapter 826: My Little Princess</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu waspletely dismissive and directly opened the door to get inside the car. After he sat in the car, the darkly tinted windows slowly lowered, and He Zhichu¡¯s face that was as aloof as an ice sculpture gradually revealed itself from the rear window. He looked at Little A¡¯s confused face andughed mirthlessly. ¡°You¡¯re frightened?¡±

    ¡°Frightened?! The word ¡®frightened¡¯ doesn¡¯t exist in my vocabry!¡± Little A was so provoked he nearly jumped up. But with some careful thought, he felt the need to warn He Zhichu. ¡°But Mr. He, do you know what ces are close to here?¡± Little A desperatelytched onto He Zhichu¡¯s car door. ¡°The famous Ovi Air Base is right there! You are asking me to bring in all this war equipment right under the nose of Air Force?!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s shimmery, sultry eyes shed quickly as he continued looking straight ahead. He replied dryly, ¡°That¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡±

    ¡°But this is the Ovi Air Force Base!¡± Little A mmed the door hard and gritted the words out from between his teeth. ¡°All the B-2 stealth bomber pilots are trained here! They are also the only squadron in the world to have ever deployed atomic bombs! Aren¡¯t we just asking for a death wish by fighting a limited local war here? Mr. He, where is your logic?!¡±

    A moment of unease appeared briefly in He Zhichu¡¯s expression, but he quicklyposed himself and turned to look at Little A. His thin and cruel lips curled into a sneering arc. ¡°So I guess you are frightened. Start the car.¡± As soon as he quietly said the words, the driver in the front pressed on the gas pedal, and the bulletproof Cadic private vehicle immediately shot forward like an arrow being released from its bow. Little A almost fell over from the sudden eleration. He quickly tumbled forward a few steps in order to stabilize his body enough to stop, but he couldn¡¯t catch up with the car as it instantly disappeared from his view. Little A cursed as he took out his phone to call He Zhichu¡¯s number once again. He said gruffly, ¡°Mr. He, your request is a bit too much this time. I need to inquire with my superior.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡± He Zhichu wore a Bluetooth headset and used one hand to open his phone to search the local news to browse. Very good, there hadn¡¯t been any special incidents in the city of Little Rock Canyontely. The Ovi Air Force Base was also operating normally. News of his visit to the United States was confidential for now, so Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t tell anyone. However, once he went to the police station to request Ye Xuan¡¯s release on bail, the news of him in the United States would spread. By then, everything he requested needed to be in ce.

    The car window was left open, so the salty wind blew in from the wilderness and carried an icy chill. He Zhichu sighed deeply, his hands shaking uncontrobly as his fingers formed the position of holding a gun. He had been awyer for so long now that he had already forgotten what he used to do. Uncle Gu was very right¡ªhuman potential was infinite. That statement was not a metaphor, nor was there a rhetorical device. It was only the literal meaning. Closing his eyes slightly, He Zhichu¡ªwho hadn¡¯t slept for a full day and night by now¡ªfinally fell into a light slumber.

    ...

    ¡°Brother, I want to be awyer when I grow up.¡± It was Gu Nianzhi as she appeared on her twelfth birthday. She wore a pink diamond crown, pink tulle dress, and had a little chubby round face. Her fleshy little hand grabbed onto the hem of his shirt, and he could clearly see the little dimple on the back of her hand.

    ¡°Brother He,¡± He Zhichu calmly corrected her. He had the appearance of when he was 22 years old and was a bit more aloof than he was now, though he revealed a hint of warmth whenever he saw Gu Nianzhi. From the trembling and scared six-year-old little girl that had just arrived there, to her current lively, cheerful, and cute self¡ªHe Zhichu¡¯s efforts in the past six years were not in vain.

    ¡°Brother He, I want to be awyer when I grow up and be just as awesome as Brother He¡¯s mom!¡± The 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi insisted on her ¡°dream,¡± but it was only actually because she saw a video archive of He Zhichu¡¯s mother appearing in court from years ago.

    ¡°Ok, when you graduate from college, you can apply forw school and be awyer.¡± He Zhichu stood next to her and bent over to push a cake in front of her. He looked at her with a smile. ¡°Blow out the candles, my little princess.¡±

    ¡°Blow out the candles! Blow out the candles!¡± All the guests cheered in unison.

    ¡°I still have to wait until I graduate from college?! I can¡¯t wait anymore! I want to be awyer tomorrow!¡± The 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi loudly announced her birthday wish and also puffed up her tiny chubby face as she blew out all the candles in one breath. The crystal chandelier in the living room suddenly went out as well, and the room was suddenly plunged into deep darkness. It was pitch ck, so no one could even see their own fingers.

    All the guests in the room held their breath because they thought it was a special event. It was the twelfth birthday of the young fiancee of the He family¡¯s only son, so everyone was looking forward to a unique event. After all, there had been a surprise for everyone in the past five years for the five birthdays. But that year¡¯s surprise might¡¯ve been too big... When the lights were on again, everyone in the room was still in the same position except for Gu Nianzhi. He Zhichu stood alone next to cake, and the Gu Nianzhi who had been next to him had disappeared. A pink diamond crown had fallen to the ground, glowing with a dazzling rainbow halo under the chandelier.

    ...

    Screech! The bulletproof Cadic suddenly halted to a stop and parked in front of thergest four-star hotel on the outskirts of Little Rock Canyon. He Zhichu¡¯s body swayed for a second as he woke up from the dream. His thoughts were still on the day of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday seven years ago. It had only been seven seconds from the time the lights shut off to when they turned on again, and Gu Xiangwen was able to discreetly ¡°steal away¡± Gu Nianzhi from He Zhichu¡¯s side in that seven seconds.

    In the beginning, He Zhichu didn¡¯t know who had ¡°stolen away¡± Gu Nianzhi amid the crowd. He could only recall his fury and how he immediately announced the entire city was now under martialw. He sent heavily armed troops to go door to door to conduct searches. After seven days and seven nights, he finally received news, but when he rushed over, it was already a step toote. He heard a huge explosion, then saw fire raging up towards the sky along with rising mushroom clouds. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, wasughing maniacally amid the huge fire and looked like he had really lost his mind...

    ...

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead as he waited for the driver to open the door for him. He had not had this dream since he had found Gu Nianzhi, but unexpectedly, he had this dream in the car today. When the car door opened, He Zhichu stepped out.

    His assistant from the Americanw firm, Smith, had already waited on the steps of the hotel for a long time by now. ¡°Lawyer He, you¡¯re finally here!¡± Smith happily greeted him as he walked down the steps. ¡°What do you want to do? Tell me your requests!¡±

    He Zhichu looked at him with a subtle smile on his lips. His cool and aloof face waspletely calm. ¡°Did you get the message I sent you?¡±

    ¡°I got it and already contacted Ye Xuan¡¯swyer. He instantly agreed to pass Ye Xuan to us, but he set one condition.¡± Smith chuckled. ¡°I saw it was nothing major, so I agreed to it.¡±

    ¡°What condition?¡± He Zhichu kept walking and headed to the hotel lobby.

    ¡°He wants to meet you and exchange business cards with you,¡± Smith said cheerfully as he followed He Zhichu into the hotel lobby.

    Inside the hotel lobby, thewyer Ye Xuan had randomly chosen already stood up with excitement and eagerly walked towards He Zhichu. He reached out his hand, and his voice was shaking with excitement. ¡°Lawyer He? What a pleasure to meet you!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s famous name was legendary in the American legal profession. He rarely appeared in court himself, so when thewyer received He Zhichu¡¯s proactive contact to take over as thewyer for the suspect who allegedlymitted arson and murder, he almost thought it was a prank show from the TV station. He had instantly screamed and cursed at Smith, who had made the call. It wasn¡¯t until Smith used theirw form¡¯s work email ount to send a formal message that thewyer was finally dumbfounded. He quickly went to the police station to visit Ye Xuan and also told him about what happened. Ye Xuan was a bit shocked, but didn¡¯t object to it. Thewyer transfer agreement was sessfully signed, and now they were only waiting for He Zhichu to also sign it to formally establish a client rtionship with Ye Xuan. He Zhichu was also very polite to this respectfulwyer, so he nodded. ¡°Pleasure to meet you.¡±

    After greeting each other briefly and exchanging business cards, He Zhichu said he was jetgged and needed to go rest in his room first. He left Smith behind to take the file from the otherwyer. Thewyer who had received He Zhichu¡¯s business card left giddily and put it in a frame to hang on the most prominent position in his office. It became one of his ques as well. He Zhichu didn¡¯t know anything about that, or maybe he wouldn¡¯t have cared even if he knew. Now he focused all his energy on Ye Xuan¡¯s case. When Smith sent the otherwyer off, He Zhichu called him. ¡°Contact the Little Rock Canyon police station immediately. I need to see Ye Xuan and prepare to release him on bail.¡±

    ¡°Ok, Lawyer He.¡± Smith immediately connected with the number for the Little Rock Canyon police station.

    ...

    The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon was very dissatisfied when heard Ye Xuan had changed to a differentwyer and that this one had quite a background. He brandished his meaty fists and shouted at He Zhichu and Smith in the office. ¡°Bail?! Keep dreaming! Only if you¡¯re walking over my dead body!¡±

    He Zhichu folded his hands behind his back and remarked coldly, ¡°Mr. Sheriff, it¡¯s not up to you whether he can be released on bail or not. I only wanted to give you some notice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me?! So could it be up to you?!¡± The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon had worked there all his life and started from a rookie police officer. He had worked at this police station for nearly 30 years by now, so his words werew and order in that ce.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not up to me, either. The judge has the final say.¡± He Zhichu did not mince his words with the sheriff who acted like a bandit emperor. ¡°I¡¯ll make a request to the judge to move the trial date earlier.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you are?!¡± The sheriff was furious. ¡°There are rules with trial dates! It¡¯s not his case¡¯s turn yet. You can¡¯t ask for special privileges!¡±

    ¡°Special privileges?! I thought that you were the one asking for special privileges, Mr. Sheriff. You¡¯ve been detaining my client all this time, and it has now exceeded 72 hours, so I will reserve the right to impensation from the Little Rock Canyon municipal government and police.¡± He Zhichu gazed coldly at the sheriff before picking up his phone right in front of him. He directly called the supreme court that had jurisdiction over the area of Little Rock Canyon, Utah.

 Chapter 827 - Leave With Me

    <h4>Chapter 827: Leave With Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon didn¡¯t know about He Zhichu¡¯s fame but understood he was a rather powerful person. However, the judge from the Utah State Supreme Court knew He Zhichu¡¯s powerful background was not merely due to him ¡°being famous.¡± In the past year¡¯s time, He Zhichu had provided a staggering and shocking amount in political donations to all the elections for councilors and public servants. Also, he had an esteemed position in both political and military circles, so it made all the people in the field ofw feel even more impressed by him. When the judge from the Utah State Supreme Court received the call from He Zhichu, he instantly expressed that he would set an earlier court date for Ye Xuan¡¯s case. At the same time, he didn¡¯t say anything more before also instantly agreeing to allow He Zhichu to bail out Ye Xuan. Half an hourter, the Utah State Supreme Court judge¡¯s personally-signed order was sent to the office of Little Rock Canyon¡¯s sheriff.

    ¡°What?! Agree to bail?!¡± The sheriff was enraged. ¡°I never agreed to this! How dare he...¡±

    ¡°Mr. Sheriff, I¡¯d advise you to not say anything more. If you do, your pension will be gone.¡± He Zhichu coldly interrupted the sheriff¡¯s rant. What kind of public servant would not have a pension after retirement? A public servant who was convicted.

    ¡°Are you threatening me? I didn¡¯t break thew?!¡± The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon became nervous again, his ruddy, bulbous nose shining with oily beads of sweat.

    ¡°The judge will provide a fair ruling on your usage of illegal methods to obstruct my client from obtaining justice.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t waste another breath on him and motioned for Smith to show the sheriff the Supreme Court¡¯s order to release Ye Xuan on bail. ¡°Very well, then. I¡¯ll be leaving with my client now.¡±

    The sheriff red at the piece of paper and suddenly said, ¡°This says a bail of one million US dors is required! Where¡¯s your money?¡±

    ¡°I already submitted it to the court.¡± The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth lifted up. ¡°Otherwise, do you think the court would sign a bail order for free?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s tenacity made the Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon feel that for the first time, his ample years of experience didn¡¯t seem to be enough. He began to miss Ye Xuan¡¯s previouswyer. Thatwyer was easy to speak with and listened to whatever he said, so he never spoke in defense of the suspect. The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon had a terrible impression of He Zhichu and felt he was the greedy and blood sucking type ofwyer. He¡¯d defend anyone who would pay him. His conscience had been eaten by dogs!

    ...

    The iron gates of the detainment center opened, and Ye Xuan got up from the single bed. He instinctively blocked his eyes with his arms. The lighting in from outside the door was too dazzling. Ye Xuan had been in the dark room for a few days already, so he was very unustomed to bright light.

    He Zhichu put a hand in his trouser pocket as he stood at the doorway but didn¡¯t walk inside. He said dryly, ¡°Let¡¯s go. You¡¯ve been bailed out.¡±

    Ye Xuan suddenly dropped his arms. ¡°Really?!¡±

    He Zhichu turned to leave without wasting a single breath.

    Ye Xuan saw that the iron gate of the detainment center hadn¡¯t closed again, so he quickly ran out. The police officer at the door nodded to him without stopping him. Ye Xuan sighed in relief. It looked like he had really been released on bail. He followed He Zhichu out of the police station and returned to the hotel without saying anything the entire time. It wasn¡¯t until he entered the room that Ye Xuan finally said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. He. May I ask how much the bail was? I can pay you back.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at his watch nonchntly. ¡°Your case is already scheduled for trial. If there are no incidentals, you¡¯ll be going on trial tomorrow. Prepare well, and go eat and shower first before telling me the entire situation.¡±

    Ye Xuan quickly agreed. Twenty minutester, Ye Xuan came to He Zhichu¡¯s door and knocked on it. The door opened, and Smith¡¯s face peered outside from it. ¡°Come on in.¡± Ye Xuan nodded to Smith. ¡°I¡¯m Lawyer He¡¯s assistant. You can call me Smith.¡± Smith reached out his hand to him and smiled in a friendly manner.

    Ye Xuan shook hands with him before sitting down in front of He Zhichu. He Zhichu asked Smith to sit down as well and turned on the audio recording function on his phone. Nodding to Ye Xuan, he stated simply, ¡°Speak.¡±

    Ye Xuan suddenly felt his mouth go dry as soon as he recalled the events from the past few days. Licking his lips, he carefully recalled the entire course of events from beginning to end and told He Zhichu and Smith everything in chronological order. ¡°...I got Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s address from Gu Yanran, so I wanted toe find him and ask if Uncle Gu had left a will here with him. After observing him for a few days, I only probed him after thinking it was about the right time. I didn¡¯t think he would be so vignt and not reveal anything at all. I tried for a few days, and when he was finally about to tell me something, the ident happened.¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s fingers felt a bit itchy, so he looked up at He Zhichu. ¡°You have a cigarette?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t used to smoke, but he gradually began to smoke when he had to look for Gu Nianzhi. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and threw it to Ye Xuan.

    Ye Xuan epted it and took a look; it made his heart jump. That kind of cigarette was a bit longer than normal ones. The entire thing was pure white, and the tobo had a faint fragrance to it, so his lips and teeth smelled fresh after he smoked it, unlike other cigarettes which would be a bit stinky after smoking them. This type of special cigarette also had a name, and it was only after Ye Xuan hade to the Hua Xia Empire that he learned it was called specially provided cigarettes...

    After Gu Yanran got in close with Prime Minister Tan, she had once gotten a pack of specially provided cigarettes for Ye Xuan and even smugly told him that this kind of cigarette couldn¡¯t even be bought with money. He had smoked them once. Ye Xuan quietly took out a cigarette from the pack and threw the pack back to He Zhichu. Lighting it up and inhaling deeply, the vor also carried an indescribable kick. It was even better than the specially provided cigarettes Gu Yanran had given him.

    He Zhichu also took out a cigarette from the pack and looked down to light it and inhale deeply. He indicated to Ye Xuan to continue speaking.

    Smith didn¡¯t smoke and was a bit exasperated by these two men. He pointed to the smoke rm on the ceiling. ¡°You two, please be careful...¡± As soon as he spoke, the smoke rm began beeping like crazy.

    He Zhichu stood up and said to Ye Xuan, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside.¡± Ye Xuan quickly followed him out to the balcony. The two men stood under the November sun in Utah as they began talking about the Vanderbilt case. ¡°You were saying you left the neighborhood Vanderbilt lived in that day, but then your car broke down halfway way back to the hotel. You spent several hours fixing it and didn¡¯t get back to the hotel untilte at night?¡± He Zhichu said thoughtfully, ¡°Then you mean that you have no witnesses to prove you were fixing your car on the road during that period of time?¡±

    Ye Xuan shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°They plotted all this to frame me. Of course they considered all these things.¡±

    ¡°Ok, and then? You only went back to the hotelte at night to sleep, and it was in that period of time that the Vanderbilt family was attacked?¡±

    ¡°It should be said that his family had already been attacked before I even returned to the hotel. But no one knew immediately, and it was afterwards when the criminal started the fire and it got out of control that other people noticed.¡± Because Ye Xuan had investigated Vanderbilt¡¯s neighborhood for several days, he was very familiar with that area.

    ¡°Vanderbilt¡¯s house is very remote?¡± He Zhichu turned on the tablet he was holding to check the location.

    ¡°Yes, their mansion is by theke and is a certain distance from the other houses in the neighborhood.¡± Ye Xuan gestured to He Zhichu. ¡°If the fire started in the early morning, most people would still be asleep, so it¡¯s true that there wouldn¡¯t have been many people who would¡¯ve noticed it.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. The timeline all matched up, but the only problem was that Ye Xuan didn¡¯t have any eyewitnesses during those few hours on that day. But that shouldn¡¯t be the biggest point of suspicion. As long as Ye Xuan didn¡¯t actually do it, then the enemy wouldn¡¯t have any direct evidence of Ye Xuan appearing at the scene of the fire. It was very difficult to convict someone without direct evidence in the United States, where the judicial system was based on a jury. Inferences had their function in court, but they were not used as a direct basis for conviction. They were used to provide logical clues in the chain of evidence. And with Ye Xuan¡¯s case, there were serious gaps in the chain of evidence, so it waspletely insufficient for the Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon to use this point to convict Ye Xuan.

    Gu Nianzhi had probably also thought of this point, but in order to guarantee Ye Xuan¡¯s safe return to the Hua Xia Empire, she¡¯d rather use the solution of extradition instead of having him acquitted of charges. Although thetter solution was simpler, it was also the more dangerous option. He Zhichu knew that if the masterminds behind this were who he suspected they were, then their methods could not be handled by the Special Police from the Hua Xia Empire. He was afraid that only normal armies couldpete with those people.

    He Zhichu¡¯s cigarette hung from his mouth as he stared nkly at the red mountain ranges in front of the hotel. His expression resembled that of an ice sculpture. It was at that moment that his phone suddenly rang. He Zhichu saw it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number, so he picked up on his Bluetooth headset. As soon as the call connected, she quickly asked him how he was doing and also inquired about the progress on his end. After He Zhichu replied to all her questions, Gu Nianzhi mumbled for a long time before finally getting to the main topic. ¡°Professor He, Ye Xuan¡¯s case has gone viral on social media right now. They are even saying that our nation ns to extradite him.¡± Gu Nianzhi paused, then continued, ¡°I got curious and went to investigate who started this topic, and... after I tracked a few bought-and-paid-for ounts, I found the person footing the bill from the background is Gu Yanran.¡±

 Chapter 828 - Show It to You

    <h4>Chapter 828: Show It to You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu merely grunted when he heard this to show he understood. Gu Nianzhi was still not reassured on her end and wanted to remind He Zhichu, but she was worried about hurting his self-esteem. After mulling it over again and again, she finally said, ¡°Professor He, please be careful. I think that Gu Yanran has a strange intention behind this action.¡±

    ¡°What intention? Tell me directly.¡± He Zhichu noticed Gu Nianzhi was speaking very carefully around him, but his face remained expressionless as he looked down to inhale deeply from the cigarette smoke that enveloped him. Ye Xuan studied He Zhichu and noticed that there was an indescribable gentleness on the nes of his face while speaking with Gu Nianzhi. Although he appeared expressionless, his aura was different.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that He Zhichu didn¡¯t mind so she quickly said, ¡°The topic she started sounds very strange. It¡¯s like she was writing a set of instructions¡ªwhat time, what location, what urred. All she¡¯s missing is a question mark to ask a certain person to go to a certain ce.¡±

    He Zhichu squinted as he chuckled quietly. ¡°Your intuition is pretty good. She is probably looking for help.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face instantly fell because she thought the worst case scenarios she imagined had be true. ¡°Oh? Then wouldn¡¯t Professor He be in a lot of danger?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s heart began to grow warm, so even his cool and aloof face seemed to have some temperature to it. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell anyone I came to the United States, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°Not yet. The court here is stillmunicating with Police Headquarters, and Police Headquarters is awaiting news from the United States. So if the United States refuses to cooperate, then Police Headquarters can¡¯t do anything for the time being, nor would they send the Special Police to the United States to extradite Ye Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Very well, then. Keep this secret for as long as you can, and it¡¯ll make things safer for me here. Ye Xuan has already been released on bail and will be going on trial very soon.¡± He Zhichu made it sound very simple, yet Gu Niaznhi was able to understand theplexities behind it.

    ¡°Ok then, Professor He. You and Ye Xuan have to be careful!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood instantly improved when she heard Ye Xuan had already been released on bail.

    ¡°You be careful, too.¡± He Zhichu reminded her, ¡°Always take the phone I gave you.¡±

    ¡°I know, I take it with me everyday.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly took out the phone He Zhichu gave her and waved it around.

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t see it but could imagine Gu Nianzhi¡¯s movements, so the corners of his cruel lips lifted almost imperceptibly. After ending the call, He Zhichu was in a much better mood. He raised his hand to throw the unfinished cigarette into the garbage can and said to Ye Xuan, ¡°Ok, go rest and prepare for the trial.¡±

    Ye Xuan nced at him before also throwing his cigarette away and leaving. He Zhichu stood alone on the balcony and stared nkly at the brownish-red mountain ranges nearby. He held his phone and called the judge from the Utah State Supreme Court. The Utah State Supreme Court was also called the Circuit Court. After the trial dates were set, they woulde to Little Rock Canyon to begin hearings.

    ¡°I want to request protection of privacy on Ye Xuan¡¯s case and forbid the Little Rock Canyon Police Station, as well as any public institutions, from announcing any information rted to the hearings in the media.¡± This was absolutely a reasonable request, and the court itself actually didn¡¯t like media exposure, either.

    Since the Vanderbilt case had urred, the Little Rock Canyon Police Station and especially the sheriff had pretended to be someone from the entertainment world. They wanted nothing more but to hold press conferences every day. The truth was, He Zhichu¡¯s request was made just in time. When the court order was delivered to the Little Rock Canyon Police Station, the local sheriff was just nning to hold another press conference tombaste the badwyers who were just like vampires, especially scumbags like He Zhichu! The one sheet of paper from the court made the sheriff break out in a cold sweat. What was the meaning of this?! Obstructing his freedom of speech?! But the sheriff only dared to grumble to himself and would never publicly go against orders. Also, He Zhichu had invoked the Human Rights Protection Act in the US Constitution on the grounds of ¡°protection of privacy.¡± If the sheriff dared to vite this request and the media got wind of it, then he could really lose his pension.

    The nned press conference was cancelled just like that, and as soon as the grievously angry sheriff was about to give himself a day off, he received a call from the municipal government. ¡°Mr. Sheriff, there will be an important guest visiting Ovi Air Force Base tomorrow. Please n personnel ordingly for security duty.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Mr. Mayor.¡± The sheriff quickly stood up while holding the phone and was very respectful. ¡°May I ask who this important guest is?¡±

    ¡°Allegedly, it is due to confidentiality that no one is privy to that information yet. Mr. Sheriff, you only need to do your own job properly. There has already been aint about you using too much of the taxpayer¡¯s money to hold press conferences. Mr. Sheriff, you are a sheriff, not someone from the entertainment industry.¡±

    The sheriff¡¯s face waspletely red, and he appeared very sheepish with his dark and ruddy expression. Putting down the phone, he put aside Ye Xuan¡¯s case for now. It had already been passed along to the court anyway, so it would depend on the municipal government¡¯s prosecutor whether Ye Xuan was convicted or not.

    ...

    In the evening, He Zhichu had just finished showering and was holding a ss of red wine to slowly enjoy while he sat in the hotel suite¡¯s living room. Suddenly, someone rang the doorbell. He Zhichu stood up and walked to the door viewer that could see outside. He noticed Little A had arrived. No one else was in the hallway, so Little A hade alone. He Zhichu opened the door to let him inside.

    Little A carried a small briefcase and flung himself on He Zhichu¡¯s couch as soon as he came in. He wailed, ¡°Mr. He, your request is too much this time! I can¡¯t satisfy it!¡±

    ¡°Then scram.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look back as he left the living room.

    Little A had originally nned to kick up a fuss in order to make He Zhichu pay more money but didn¡¯t expect He Zhichu to instantly order him to get out. He sheepishly crawled up from the sofa and followed He Zhichu to the bar area to make himself a tequ cocktail. He then smiled respectfully and offered it to He Zhichu. ¡°Mr. He, try my tequ cocktail. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve made a drink for Mr. He.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t move, but his shimmery, sultry eyes turned as he studied Little A from the corner of his eye. ¡°What are you bbering about? The things I need must be ready tomorrow. If that¡¯s not possible, then you can go out the same way you came in.¡±

    ¡°Mr. He, you didn¡¯t know? This is not the typical difficulty.¡± Little A assumed a chatty stance and implored kindheartedly, ¡°If this were a typical situation, then it would only be a bit difficult, indeed. Air Force Base, so what?! Our men aren¡¯t any shabbier than theirs when we get riled up.¡±

    ¡°Get to the main point.¡± He Zhichu took a small sip of the drink Little A had made for him. His eyes narrowed, and his gaze was as sharp as knives,pletely wiping away his typical elegance and gentleness. All that remained was murderous intent and legality.

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s really nothing that can get past you. The main point is, we just received news that Mr. Laris, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, will be visiting Ovi Air Force Base tomorrow. Security in the city of Little Rock Canyon is being raised by three levels, so it¡¯s now the highest grade already.¡± Little A spread his palms. ¡°You see, hasn¡¯t our difficulty increased?¡±

    ¡°Laris, Commander of the Pacific Fleet?¡± He Zhichu frowned. ¡°That Japanese-American?¡±

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s him.¡± Little A chuckled. ¡°That guy does have some guns up his sleeves. The Pacific Fleet is based in Pearl Harbor, and we all know what Japan once did to Pearl Harbor.¡± The United States wasn¡¯t typical having the kind of open-mindedness to allow a Japanese-American person to be the Commander of the Pacific Fleet that was based in Pearl Harbor...

    ¡°The Commander of the Pacific Fleet is a navalmander, so why is heing to Ovi Air Force base?¡± He Zhichu took out his phone and looked up the news to discover there were no reports yet.

    ¡°Laris is visiting rather unexpectedly.¡± Little A exined to He Zhichu, ¡°We received this news through special means. Because of your request, we needed to do a lot of preparation work, including this type of intelligence gathering.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°The difficulty is a bit high, but I believe that with Little A at the helm of the Whitewater Security Company and your abilities that you will provide proper security measures for your client. So you should be able to aplish it.¡±

    Little A was smug from He Zhichu¡¯spliment. He puffed his chest out proudly. ¡°Mr. He has the best taste! I¡¯m certainly doing that. Before you came here, I had requested a wartime weaponry permit from the Little Rock Canyon municipal government in order to protect my client¡¯s safety. Mr. He, your status is no lower than the Commander of the Pacific Fleet¡¯s. We will give you a security level that¡¯s also the highest grade!¡± Little A was ttering He Zhichu from all angles.

    He Zhichu took out a cigarette, lit it, then inhaled deeply. He slowly blew out a ring of smoke and said, ¡°Did you bring what I asked you to?¡±

    ¡°I brought it. Otherwise, why would I make a personal trip here? Could I only want to make a drink for you?!¡± Little A mocked himself before pointing to the living room. ¡°It¡¯s in that little briefcase.¡±

    ¡°You retrieved it from the bank safety deposit box?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, here is your number and token.¡± Little A gave them to He Zhichu. ¡°What are you going to do with this?¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly felt charitable and nodded at Little A. ¡°Want to see it?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Little A was very interested in weapons. He Zhichu asked him to bring a pile ofrge and small parts that had been kept in a bank safety deposit box that cost an exorbitant annual rental fee. Little A didn¡¯t believe that these were only normal parts. He Zhichu walked to the living room and opened the small briefcase Little A had brought. He poured out the parts, which were separated into differently categorized, transparent stic bags.

 Chapter 829 - To Suit Oneâ€™s Fancy

    <h4>Chapter 829: To Suit One¡¯s Fancy</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Mr. He, do you need a tool?¡± Little A craned his neck to peer over from behind He Zhichu¡¯s back. He could tell that He Zhichu wanted to assemble something. Maybe it was a gun? Or maybe it was aputer?

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t answer him as his clean, slender fingers picked up all sorts of parts with familiarity and quickly assembled them. He didn¡¯t use any tools, nor did he need to reference any blueprints. It was like this thing was already imprinted in his head, and the familiar movements flowed from his fingertips. All the parts to this object also fit together perfectly. Just like the furniture that didn¡¯t require nails from the oldest Hua Xia Imperial legends, the structure itself was self-contained so all the parts were designed to go together using the best principles of mechanics. In less than one minute, there was a quiet click, and He Zhichu¡¯s left thumb pressed upwards as a somewhat strange-looking gun appeared. It looked like an anti-material rifle that had been cut in half, yet the diameter of the barrel and scope wasrger than a usual anti-material rifle.

    Little A was a weapons fanatic, so his eyes bulged as soon as he glimpsed this strange-looking gun. Blood flooded to his face instantly, and his breathing quickened so much he could even hear the sound of blood pounding against his eardrums. This was the salivating look of a glutton seeing the most delicious food in the world, or a yboy seeing the most beautiful woman in the world. He Zhichu turned to nce at him and threw the newly assembled gun with one hand to Little A. ¡°Look at it yourself.¡±

    Little A¡¯s hands trembled as he cradled the gun He Zhichu had thrown at him. He hugged it and flipped it over and over again to study. As he measured it with his hand, he muttered, ¡°The length is 60 centimeters, and it weighs about five kilograms. The caliber is 40 millimeters. The scope on top...¡± As Little A spoke, he couldn¡¯t help lifting the gun up and propping it on his arm so he could squint his left eye close to the scope that was the size of a magazine. ¡°Wtf! This is a scope?! This is clearly a small smartputer?!¡± Little A raised the gun with excitement and ran around the room. ¡°This is a scopebining aser rangefinder and a smartputer! This is an XM-40 grenade gun?! Where¡¯d you get this from? The US military¡¯s weaponsboratory has only begun testing XM-25 grenade guns, so how¡¯d you get a XM-40 grenade gun?! I think I can go to heaven now!¡± Raising the gun, he really began to run around the room andughed loudly like a child. He didn¡¯t look like the leader of the Whitewater Security Company¡¯s action team that had the most kills of all.

    He Zhichu put a hand in his pants pocket as his gaze followed the gun closely. He replied icily, ¡°This is the XM-40-CDTE system, and we call it the ¡®single soldier semi-automatic maic storm system¡¯¨Cwhich is also called the XM-40 maic storm grenade gun. Give it to me.¡± He Zhichu spread his palms at Little A. ¡°Let me demonstrate for you.¡±

    Little A hugged the gun tightly and retreated a step with an insistent shake of his head. ¡°No! You can¡¯t demonstrate it here!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only showing you, not actually shooting it. What are you afraid of?¡± He Zhichu snickered as he walked beside Little A to push and pull him with one hand. Somehow, the gun moved from Little A¡¯s hands to He Zhichu¡¯s. Little A saw that he was now empty handed, then nced at the gun He Zhichu was holding, so he fearfully moved back towards the door.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look at him as he held the gun with one hand and stuffed a box of bullets inside with the other. He raised the gun up to aim in the direction of the door. Little A could feel the hairs rise at the back of his neck like he was being targeted by some unnamed beast, so he shuddered uncontrobly.

    He Zhichu raised the gun and looked at the position of Little¡¯s A heart through the scope. His hand swiped the cursor on the scope, and the crosshairs began to search for the target with vital signs ording to the principles of thermal synthesis. Gradually, theplete hologram of Little A¡¯s body appeared in the cross-shaped field of view in the scope. He could see the shape of Little A¡¯s heart as well as all the blood and bones in his body. Everything was inplete view of his scope. ¡°This gun not only has lethality that could rival a smallser cannon, but it can also disable all electromaic and short-wave radiomunication within ten miles. It also has the special ability of blocking counterfactual quantummunication with one bullet.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was cold and harsh, and the icy expression in his shimmery, sultry eyes was very cold-blooded.

    Little A waspletely at a loss when he heard that. Though he called himself the weapon expert in the Whitewater Security Company, he had never seen or even heard of He Zhichu¡¯s gun! One bullet could disable all electromaic and short-wave radiomunication within ten miles, which meant that it could interfere with allwork signals. Simply stated, one bullet could disable the inte and electricity!!! Also, what the hell was ¡°counterfactual quantummunication?!¡± This was clearly something that still needed to be theoretically demonstrated in theboratory, so even the prototype hadn¡¯t been created yet. How could He Zhichu possess a weapon that could block it?! Little A¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but flicker with a look of greed.

    He Zhichu turned to look at him and snapped coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. This is not something you can covet.¡±

    Little A wiped his face and lunged over shamelessly. He pulled at He Zhichu¡¯s arm and half knelt on the ground to beg. ¡°Mr. He, I won¡¯t covet your gun, but you must give me a low-spec version of this gun!¡± Little A understood that he couldn¡¯t handle or dare to ept such a high-spec type, and if He Zhichu actually gave him one, he would either have to surrender it to thepany or be on the run for the rest of his life... So he only wanted a low-spec version of the XM system to satiate his cravings.

    He Zhichu saw that he was being wise, so he nodded and took out a dusting cloth from his pocket to carefully wipe the barrel and scope. He said expressionlessly, ¡°As long as you can help meplete the request this time, I will give you two low-spec versions. XM-25-CDTE systems and 100 maic storm bullets.¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± Little A was totally convinced by He Zhichu now. In order to achieve his goal, He Zhichu clearly understood what it meant to ¡°suit one¡¯s fancy.¡± For someone like Little A, money alone wasn¡¯t enough to make him fully willing to risk his life. When He Zhichu put the gun away, Little A¡¯s attitude was much more proper than before. Not only did he proactively analyze the terrain, but he also provided many countermeasures and took the initiative to immediatelyplete the deployment that day.

    He Zhichu sat down and draped one hand on the XM-40 as he said leisurely, ¡°You only have one night¡¯s time as well. Tomorrow morning, this ce is sure to be under martialw.¡±

    ¡°You can rest assured, I will certainly ce all the weapons in position before martialw begins tomorrow!¡± Although Little A spoke to He Zhichu, his eyes never left the gun in He Zhichu¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Go. Go, then. I¡¯ll await your good news.¡± He Zhichu raised a brow and lifted the gun up to encourage Little A.

    Little A felt many emotions at that moment: excitement, envy, jealousy, and hatred!

    ...

    Early the next morning, He Zhichu had breakfast and dismantled the gun to ce into his briefcase. The gun was made from a very special metal, so its internal structure was close to stic, even though it wasn¡¯t actually stic. The current existing metal detectors in the United States could not detect its existence, so He Zhichu could take it with him everywhere, including the courthouse. Security was very stringent in American courthouses, so people entering not only needed to go through inspection by the metal detector, but even their cell phones needed to be stored in cabs outside the courtroom and could not be brought inside. Early in the morning, He Zhichu took Smith and Ye Xuan, as well as four bodyguards from the Whitewater Security Company wearing sunsses, to the Supreme Court.

    Today the judge from the Utah State Supreme Court was there to hear the case of Ye Xuan allegedlymitting arson and murdering the entire Vanderbilt family. The sheriff who had personally arrested Ye Xuan would be appearing as a witness of the prosecutor to testify in court. He actually didn¡¯t want toe because the municipal government had assigned another security duty to him. But the judge requested that he must be present and also warned him that if he wasn¡¯t present that the prosecution would be missing a key witness. This could result in Ye Xuan being directly acquitted and released. The sheriff was very unhappy to learn of this. He had to go! So early that morning, he wore a new police officer¡¯s uniform and energetically appeared in the witness stand inside the courtroom.

    The case was being heard by the judge from the Supreme Court, and because the situation was an emergency, He Zhichu agreed to thew courts using aputer to randomly select a jury without protest. If they had enough time, the jurors were typically selected by the defendant¡¯swyer. But because they didn¡¯t have much time now, and He Zhichu also didn¡¯t care about who was in the jury, he took emergency measures. Sitting down in the courtroom, He Zhichu saw that there were six people sitting in the jury¡ªthree curious looking women and three solemn looking men. He turned to look at him and raised his head slightly out of respect. His alluring, sultry eyes sparkled with amusement to instantly make others feel good.

    Afterwards, Ye Xuan sat down in the defendant¡¯s stand wearing a custom-made ck Armani suit. He appeared handsome and tall in the suit, and was nearly as tall as He Zhichu. The two men stood together like they had splendid prospects.This instantly contrasted with the prosecution¡¯s side, which consisted of the short and fat prosecutor, and the even fatter sheriff who was a witness. The female jurors who enjoyed looking at faces instantly leaned towards the defendant¡¯s side. The dismissive male jurors instantly wrote a big ¡°X¡± next to Ye Xuan¡¯s name in their heads. The judge had long been ustomed to the lurking forces between the jurors. Banging his gavel, he signaled that court was in session.

    First, the prosecutor began questioning the witness. The witnesses he summoned were the Vanderbilt family¡¯s housekeeper, cook, and a neighbor from the Vanderbilt¡¯s neighborhood. Lastly, the final witness was the sheriff.

    ¡°Mr. Housekeeper, do you know the person whomitted arson that day?¡± The prosecutor cut to the chase and didn¡¯t hide his intentions at all.

    He Zhichu immediately raised his hand. ¡°Objection. The prosecutor is using directional statements to cause negative influence on my client.¡±

    ¡°Objection sustained.¡± The judge was solemn as he looked at the nearly-retired prosecutor. ¡°Please pay attention to your words and actions.¡±

    The prosecutor didn¡¯t back down at at all but said to the judge loudly, ¡°This is the testimony from the witness. I was merely repeating the witness¡¯s testimony.¡±

    ¡°Prosecutor, you are a prosecutor and not a phonograph. If repeating the witness¡¯s testimony can result in the verdict, then why do we need a judge? Why do we need a jury? Also, what does your brain even do?¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t hesitate to ridicule him.

    ¡°Objection! The defendant¡¯swyer is making personal insults!¡± The nearly-retired prosecutor grew even more agitated. Almost no one in the judicial department of Little Rock Canyon wanted to act as the prosecutor of this case because they knew that He Zhichu was Ye Xuan¡¯s defensewyer, so they all thought they couldn¡¯t afford to mess with him and that winning against him would be basically impossible. Finally, this case had been foisted upon a nearly-retired prosecutor. He was about to retire anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter if he offended He Zhichu or lost the case. His government pension wouldn¡¯t be affected by this, and his professional career was about to end, so there would be no real impact on him.

    ¡°I was merely stating the facts, and if you don¡¯t ept it, then I won¡¯t retract it, either.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s stance was very firm. ¡°I ask the prosecutor to not get entangled in the minor details. Your personal dignity is not as important as this case, because the spirits of the entire Vanderbilt family are in heaven and still waiting for you to find the true killer and bring them justice.¡±

 Chapter 830 - Direct Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 830: Direct Evidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The prosecutor of Little Rock Canyon was almost rendered speechless by He Zhichu¡¯s scathing remarks. His lips trembled, and meaningless sounds gurgled from his throat to express his anger. However, He Zhichu only looked at him calmly, and his shimmery, sultry eyes were full of cold sarcasm. The assistant next to the prosecutor discreetly pulled at his shirt sleeve, and it was only then that the prosecutor finallyposed himself and red fiercely at He Zhichu. He continued to cross examine the housekeeper. ¡°Mr. Housekeeper, can you please tell us about the day the Vanderbilt residence was on fire.¡±

    The housekeeper appeared very aggrieved and sad as he walked to the witness stand and said with great pain, ¡°That day was no different from any other. Mr. Vanderbilt went out to walk his dog after having dinner. And then...¡± He suddenly turned around to point at Ye Xuan sitting in the defendant¡¯s dock and gritted his teeth. ¡°And then it was this bastard! He had been bothering Mr. Vanderbilt for several days! In the beginning, he was sneakily pretending to be a pedestrian to spy on Mr. Vanderbilt. Afterwards, Mr. Vanderbilt discovered him, and he began bothering Mr. Vanderbilt about something. After Mr. Vanderbilt rejected him, this man became furious and set fire to house and killed all the people in Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s family!¡±

    As soon as the housekeeper¡¯s words rang out, the courtroom was filled with noisy chatter. The six jurors all had different expressions as they looked thoughtfully at Ye Xuan in the defendant¡¯s dock. The people in the gallery had already begun berating Ye Xuan fiercely. All these people were neighbors from the Vanderbilt household¡¯s neighborhood and had fairly good rtions with the family. Seeing them die so horrifically and innocently, especially the four children, the people began to hate Ye Xuan to the bone even more. Someone even openly stood up and called out to him, ¡°Devil! You¡¯ll get what¡¯sing to you!¡± He Zhichu looked back and nced coldly at the person causing themotion.

    The judge banged his gavel expressionlessly. ¡°Nomotion is allowed in the courtroom. I¡¯m asking the person shouting to leave.¡± Several bailiffs walked over and kicked out the person who had called Ye Xuan a ¡°devil.¡± By then, everyone had grown a lot more quiet, and no one spoke mindlessly again.

    The prosecutorforted the emotional housekeeper before walking over to Ye Xuan and asking with a giddy and triumphant expression, ¡°Mr. Ye, may I ask if you spied on Mr. Vanderbilt? You only need to answer yes or no.¡±

    Ye Xuan considered the question. He certainly had observed Mr. Vanderbilt for a few days before meeting him. Because he wasn¡¯t sure if Gu Yanran was speaking the truth or not, he obviously had to confirm it first. But if he answered yes, that would prove that he had been ¡°spying.¡± Spying and observing were twopletely different concepts that could seriously mislead the jurors. Before Ye Xuan answered, he looked at He Zhichu. He Zhichu appeared expressionless, so it seemed like it didn¡¯t matter how Ye Xuan answered the question. He had a leisurely calm andposure about him, and this kind of rxed mood also affected Ye Xuan, so he replied calmly, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying?!¡± The prosecutor became even more excited. ¡°The housekeeper was not the only one to see you spy on Mr. Vanderbilt. There were others who saw it, too. We have witnesses and evidence. How dare you try to deny it?!¡±

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t speak again because He Zhichu had already stood up to defend him. ¡°Prosecutor, before you assert that my client is lying, can you please exin the definition of ¡®spying?¡¯¡±

    The prosecutor was speechless.

    ¡°Prosecutor, please answer my question.¡± He Zhichu was in no rush as he requested that the prosecutor answer once again. Even the judge was looking at the prosecutor now.

    The prosecutor considered it carefully before stuttering, ¡°Spying would be secretly

    observing the private actions of another person without their permission.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded and walked to the housekeeper¡¯s side. ¡°Mr. Housekeeper, may I ask where my client was when you saw him ¡®spying on¡¯ Mr. Vanderbilt?¡±

    ¡°On the street,¡± the housekeeper replied nkly. ¡°Many people saw it as well. They could also testify.¡± He pointed to the neighbors listening to the trial and sitting in the gallery. Everyone quickly nodded to agree that the housekeeper was right.

    He Zhichu was stony faced, and his cold gaze swept across all the faces of the people in the courtroom. Some people couldn¡¯t help looking down from his gaze, and after breaking eye contact, He Zhichu finally looked back at the housekeeper. ¡°Was it during daytime or nighttime?¡±

    ¡°Daytime. Oh, I should say it was in the evening.¡± The housekeeper quickly stressed, ¡°At the time, I just saw the cook finish cleaning up the kitchen, and I went out to wee Mr. Vanderbilt home.¡±

    ¡°So Mr. Vanderbilt had been exposing his privacy on the street at that time?¡± He Zhichu smirked. ¡°May I ask what privacy he had exposed?¡±

    ¡°Objection! The defendant¡¯swyer is ndering the deceased¡¯s reputation!¡± The prosecutor immediately stood up and pointed his finger to reprimand He Zhichu. ¡°The esteemed Lawyer He is somehow asking this kind of question! I never thought Lawyer He would ever be like this!¡±

    He Zhichu quietly stood in the courtroom, his ramrod straight posture and awe-inspiring figure were enough contrast to make the oily-faced prosecutor next to him look like a little clown. He slowly waited for the prosecutor to finish speaking before finally refuting, ¡°The prosecutor has just given the legal definition of ¡®spying¡¯ as secretly observing the private actions of another person without their permission. And my client had seen the deceased Mr. Vanderbilt on the street in broad daylight, so may I ask under this circumstance, how could my client have been on the street and secretly observing the privacy of someone else walking on the street, unless that person was exposing his privacy?¡±

    The prosecutor was stunned and made dizzy by He Zhichu¡¯s continuous questions. After a while, he finally understood that he had pped himself in the face! He Zhichu had led him around in a circle from the beginning. First he asked him to exin the meaning of ¡°spying,¡± and then he used his own definition to defeat him. How treacherous! The prosecutor red fiercely at He Zhichu and balled his fists as he said vehemently, ¡°Spying is secretly observing another person without their permission!¡±

    ¡°Wrong.¡± He Zhichu shook a finger. ¡°Inw, it is necessary to secretly observe someone else¡¯s privacy in order to consider it spying. Since both people were on the street at the time, and the deceased didn¡¯t engage in any private actions, the prosecutor and housekeeper¡¯s allegation that my client was ¡®spying on¡¯ Mr. Vanderbilt does not hold true.¡±

    The judge nodded and struck his gavel. ¡°Prosecutor and witness, please pay attention to your verbiage.¡±

    The prosecutor¡¯s first trick had been defeated by He Zhichu just like that. He stubbornly continued to ask the cook, ¡°May I ask what you were doing that day?¡±

    Unlike the housekeeper, the cook had either been in the kitchen the entire time or her own staff quarters. She never saw Ye Xuan at all and had only heard the housekeeper mention it several times, so she answered honestly, ¡°I was cooking. After I finished cleaning up the kitchen and dining room, the housekeeper came back first with the dog. He said Mr. Vanderbilt saw that man who kept following him again, and that they were talking and even arguing.¡±

    ¡°So from what you saw, is the man who had a dispute with Mr. Vanderbilt here today?¡± The prosecutor asked the cook to find that person in the courtroom.

    The cook¡¯s gaze stopped curiously on Ye Xuan¡¯s face for a while, but she finally looked away and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t ever see that person or hear his voice. I only heard Mr. Housekeeper mention such a person before, so I cannot identify any particr person.¡± The cook refused to identify Ye Xuan, and the jurors looked at each other.

    The prosecutor¡¯s face was a bit bitter, so he continued to cross examine the neighbors. These people had indeed seen Ye Xuan and remembered him too, since they thought he was especially handsome... But what they saw was the same as what the housekeeper said¡ªthat they saw Ye Xuan and Mr. Vanderbilt apparently having a dispute on the street. But they didn¡¯t know what they argued about.

    Finally, thest witness to be questioned was the Sheriff of the Little Rock Canyon police station. He was more calm and formidable than any of the other witnesses. The prosecutor immediately became very happy when he saw the sheriff¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Sheriff, may I ask if you arrested a Barbadian man suspected of arson and murder in the early morning hours of October 29th? Is this man in the courtroom right now?¡±

    The sheriff red fiercely at the prosecutor and said with a sigh, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s right here in the courtroom. That¡¯s him.¡± As he spoke, he pointed to Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan looked down at the table in front of him and didn¡¯t even look at the sheriff at all.

    ¡°May I ask why you arrested him?¡±

    ¡°Because he was suspected of arson and the murder of Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family! He is extremely wicked, and the crime hemitted is very evil!¡± the sheriff said sternly and confidently with an infectious and righteous arrogance on his face. Two of the jurors were nearly brainwashed by his words, so they began to think that Ye Xuan was guilty.

    He Zhichu raised his hand. ¡°Objection. Mr. Sheriff¡¯s words are only subjective and arbitrary. He arrested my client without any witnesses or evidence to support, and detained him for more than 72 hours without any reason. We reserve the right to impensation from the Little Rock Canyon police and the sheriff.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?! Compensation?!¡± The sheriff was enraged now. He stood up from the witness stand and shouted angrily at He Zhichu, ¡°Are you questioning my professional abilities?! I¡¯ve been sheriff for 30 years, and no one has ever questioned me!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always a first time for everything. Mr. Sheriff, you should get used to being questioned by others from now on.¡± He Zhichu spread his palms, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone in the courtroom again before finally stopping on the sheriff¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Sheriff, can you please exin why you think Ye Xuan is the primary suspect?¡±

    ¡°Very simple, he had a dispute with Mr. Vanderbilt, and then no one knew where he went for four hours afterwards. It was in these four hours that Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s family was brutally murdered and set on fire. This kind of person would be the type tomit such an atrocious crime!¡± The sheriff¡¯s words once again echoed inside and outside the courtroom, so everyone couldn¡¯t help hearing them. All the judgmental gazes were cast upon Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan continued looking down and sat with his back straight in the defendant¡¯s dock.

    After the sheriff finished speaking, the prosecutor rose. He animatedly read out the usations against Ye Xuan. ¡°Barbadian man, Ye Xuan, is used of setting fire to the Vanderbilt home in Little Rock Canyon, Utah, on October 28th and murdering the entire family of 12 people. I ask the judge and jurors to consider the severity of the case and sentence penalties appropriate to it.¡± The prosecutor simply stated the allegations and the remaining time would allow the defendant¡¯swyer cross examine the witnesses and examine the evidence to refute the prosecution¡¯s allegations.

    It was due to the urgency of time that He Zhichu wasn¡¯t able to tell Smith the key points. He was also worried that Smith couldn¡¯t adapt to the situation quickly and would botch the trial, so he chose to personally appear in court. He calmly stood up from the defendant¡¯s dock and first walked up to the middle of the courtroom where he politely gave a subtle nod to everyone out of respect. Nearly everyone in the courtroom had a good impression of him at first nce. The sheriff was the only one who stared coldly at him. He Zhichu pretended to not see the sheriff¡¯s re and walked directly before the prosecutor. He asked in his fluent and authentic Oxford English ent, ¡°Prosecutor, may I ask what direct witnesses and direct evidence you are basing these allegations on? Just now I did not see you mention direct witnesses or evidence at all.¡±

    ¡°The direct witness is Mr. Housekeeper, and the evidence is the scene of the fire. Do you have any questions?¡± The prosecutor gave a sarcastic smirk and didn¡¯t have such a high regard for He Zhichu anymore.

    He Zhichu was stony faced as he walked in front of him and gently rubbed his chin with one hand while holding the elbow with the other. He said thoughtfully, ¡°It turns out that in the eyes of the prosecutor, someone who was seen four hours before the murder urred could be considered direct evidence. No wonder you¡¯ve only won ten percent of your cases and lost the other 90 percent in your 30-some years as a prosecutor.¡±

    ¡°You are making false usations!¡± The prosecutor never thought that He Zhichu would know the ratio for his work performance and was instantly furious. ¡°You vited my privacy! I will sue you!¡±

    ¡°Prosecutor, as a civil servant, your work performance is not private. The taxpayers have a right to know the truth.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice turned icy, and he turned to look at the agitated sheriff. ¡°Also Mr. Sheriff, you are using your subjective judgement instead of objective evidence to arrest someone. That is a serious abuse of public power.¡± The prosecutor¡¯s heart dropped as soon as he heard He Zhichu link the incident to the police abusing public power. He knew things were not good... As expected, the jurors¡¯ expressions immediately changed, including the three men who had originally been dismissive of Ye Xuan. They began to consider the issue of the police abusing public power as He Zhichu mentioned.

    ¡°Members of the jury, the case of Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s murder is veryplicated. But the case involving my client is actually very simple. In short, he identally appeared in the wrong ce at the wrong time. Because of this, he was used and framed by someone, but this sheriff didn¡¯t go arrest the real murderer. Instead, he arrested my client just based on hearsay and without any direct witnesses or evidence. He also refused to release him on bail. If this is ok, then where is the dignity ofw? Where are the personal rights of citizens?!¡± He Zhichu¡¯s clear voice was sharp, and every word hit the hearts of all the people in the courtroom like a heavy hammer.

    The sheriff was starting to sweat profusely from He Zhichu¡¯s words, so he quickly stood up to defend himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t abuse public power! I have evidence!¡±

    ¡°What evidence? That a housekeeper saw my client speaking with Mr. Vanderbilt on the street at night? That¡¯s called direct evidence? With that inference, then the housekeeper should be even more suspicious, since he had spoken with Mr. Vanderbilt god knows how many times. I¡¯m guessing that they¡¯ve argued before, too. But more importantly, Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family was murdered while the housekeeper and cook are both ok. By that inference, you two are suspect as well!¡± He Zhichu pointed at Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s housekeeper and cook. They were terrified and protested in unison, ¡°No! It wasn¡¯t us! You don¡¯t have any evidence!¡±

    ¡°You know now that I don¡¯t have any evidence? Mr. Housekeeper, then why did you keep saying that my client murdered andmitted arson? May I ask where your direct evidence is? I remember that you said in the police transcript that you didn¡¯t see who did it because you were already asleep.¡± He Zhichu squinted and raised his chin slightly as he coolly stared down at the sweaty faced housekeeper. ¡°ording to Mr. Sheriff¡¯s logic, you don¡¯t have witnesses to prove you were sleeping at the time, so you are also suspect. In fact, you are even more suspect because statistics show that 99 percent of these family murders aremitted by people they know.¡±

    The housekeeper looked at He Zhichu, bbergasted. He didn¡¯t understand how he suddenly went from a key witness to a key suspect!

 Chapter 831 - Bad-Tempered Little Girl

    <h4>Chapter 831: Bad-Tempered Little Girl</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Objection! The defendant¡¯swyer is making unreasonable inferences to nder the prosecution¡¯s witness!¡± The prosecutor quickly stood up to stop He Zhichu from saying anything more. ¡°These two situations cannot bepared. Mr. Housekeeper has served the Vanderbilt¡¯s family for over 20 years but never made any mistakes. But this Mr. Ye Xuan had just been here for a few days before having a dispute with Mr. Vanderbilt, and then soon after that Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family was murdered. I¡¯ll have to ask this Mr. Ye Xuan, what on earth did you argue with Mr. Vanderbilt about?!¡±

    Ye Xuan sat in the dock without saying anything or answering the prosecutor¡¯s questions. He Zhichu also didn¡¯t want Gu Xiangwen¡¯s business to be public knowledge, so he spoke out to interrupt the prosecutor¡¯s questioning. ¡°The prosecutor¡¯s question is beyond the scope of this case. Moreover, was the so-called dispute a statement from the housekeeper alone, or were there any witnesses that could prove that they argued on the street?¡± He Zhichu looked towards the people who lived in the same neighborhood as Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s family. These people appeared a bit hesitant in the face of He Zhichu¡¯s solemn expression. If this was an online argument that carried no legal consequences, then they would not hesitate to say, ¡°We saw it!¡± They would also spice up the storytelling to create sensationalist content and capture more hits online. But they were now in court, so everything they said would carry legal consequences. Also, lying during testimony was a crime in itself, so they hesitated for a moment and all shook their heads. It was true that they had only seen Ye Xuan speak with Mr. Vanderbilt, and they appeared somewhat agitated, but not a single person personally heard what the two men discussed. As to what they were talking about, only the heavens, earth, and Ye Xuan knew. Ye Xuan sighed discreetly. He also didn¡¯t want the issue of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will to be known by everyone.

    He Zhichu calmly made a ¡°sadly helpless¡± gesture at the prosecutor. ¡°What my client spoke to Mr. Vanderbilt about isn¡¯t important. The important thing is that he has no ability or motive tomit the crime. If he had a motive, then I ask the prosecutor to prove it. If you cannot provide the evidence, then stop detaining my client.¡± ording to the principle of ¡°presumption of innocence¡± in the US judicial system, if the prosecution had no evidence to prove that the defendant was guilty, then the defendant was innocent and should be acquitted.

    The prosecutor was bitter as he red at the sheriff. Collection of evidence should be the police¡¯s duty, but this chief was clearly satisfied with detaining Ye Xuan, so he hadn¡¯t collected any further evidence. This caused him to be extremely passive in court. The sheriff¡¯s face was alternately turning ruddy and pale. He was feeling some regret now. Deep down, he knew the difficulty of this case was not something a sheriff of a tiny town like him could handle. The correct approach would have been to immediately contact the FBI to have them take over the investigation. But the sheriff¡¯s greed went to his head, and he wanted to use the opportunity to increase his fame by leaving a grand aplishment in the span of his professional career. As a result, he became selfish and stubborn about detaining Ye Xuan in hopes of gleaning important evidence from him. He didn¡¯t expect Ye Xuan to be able to hire He Zhichu as his defensewyer, and He Zhichu also seemed to have ¡°introduced¡± a new key suspect to them. The sheriff¡¯s gaze fell on the housekeeper as he snickered without saying anything.

    The prosecutor knew he already had no more cards to y when he saw things going like that. He snapped fiercely, ¡°God only knows if he did something or not! He knows it, too!¡±

    He Zhichu declined toment on the prosecutor¡¯s harsh words. He turned to face the judge and made a closing statement. ¡°Your Honor, my client has no motive or ability tomit the murders and arson. The truth is, he never even stepped inside Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s home. It is horrendous that the prosecutor and the sheriff are disregarding thew and breaking thew knowingly by using him of the crimes of murder and arson just because he spoke with Mr. Vanderbilt on the street briefly. I represent my client and solemnly file a request for acquittal from the court, and hope that the police of Little Rock Canyon can quickly cooperate with the FBI to find the true murderer and bring bted justice to the entire Vanderbilt family!¡± He Zhichu¡¯s words greatly shocked the jury.

    After deliberating behind closed doors for half an hour, they came to the conclusion that Ye Xuan was not guilty of murder and arson. The members of the jury walked out of the conference room and submitted the jury¡¯s decision to the judge. The judge looked at it and saw it was simr to what he was thinking. Although it was very suspicious that Ye Xuan suddenly appeared in Little Rock Canyon and then Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s entire family met with such misfortune, there wasn¡¯t any direct or indirect evidence to link Ye Xuan to his case. The hearsay of passersby and the housekeeper¡¯s one-sided testimony was not enough for the jury to find Ye Xuan guilty.

    Also, the judge of the Supreme Court looked into the files and discovered that there was a cold case within Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s family. When Mr. Vanderbilt was in New York state over a decade ago, his eldest son went out to sea and suddenly drowned. The eldest son¡¯s wife maintained that he was murdered, but the local police insisted he hadmitted suicide, so Mr. Vanderbilt had very tense rtions with the local police for a period of time. Afterwards, they moved away from New York and went to settle permanently in Little Rock Canyon, Utah¡ªa tiny ce where even the birds didn¡¯te toy their eggs. Ever since then, Mr. Vanderbilt had paid a lot of money to equip his entire family with bodyguards, but he didn¡¯t expect even that to not be enough to protect the lives of his entire family. Ye Xuan was not even ten years old a decade ago, so this couldn¡¯t have anything to do with him. And it was also because of this that the judge didn¡¯t insist on detaining Ye Xuan. Not only that, but He Zhichu was a very respected person, so the judge dered in court that Ye Xuan was not guilty of murder and arson, so he was to be acquitted.

    As soon as the judge¡¯s verdict was announced, the people He Zhichu brought began to cheer. Ye Xuan also appeared relieved of a great burden, however, He Zhichu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t rx at all. He still kept an aloof face as he watched Smith go up to pass the paperwork to the bailiff.

    The Sheriff of Little Rock Canyon turned around to re at He Zhichu and Ye Xuan before quickly running out to find the Vanderbilt¡¯s housekeeper to ¡°assist in the investigation.¡±

    The prosecutor tidied up his things and considered something before finally walking over to He Zhichu. He extended his hand and said sincerely, ¡°Lawyer He, I¡¯ve offended you today.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Prosecutor is too humble. That is your job.¡± He Zhichu politely bowed to him and shook hands before taking Ye Xuan away.

    Walking outside of the courthouse, Ye Xuan squinted at the brilliant blue sky and sighed deeply. One would only cherish the feeling of freedom after losing it. Ye Xuan sincerely thanked He Zhichu. ¡°Thank you for helping me, Mr. He. If it wasn¡¯t for you this time, I wouldn¡¯t be out of danger so quickly.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at him before snickering. He folded his hands behind his back and said, ¡°You think you¡¯re already out of danger? No, your danger has just begun.¡±

    Ye Xuan was speechless. What did He Zhichu mean? Why couldn¡¯t he understand him?

    He Zhichu quickly walked down the steps and said, ¡°We cannot afford any dy. We must leave this ce at once.¡±

    Ye Xuan followed behind him and ran down the steps. He was extremely shocked. ¡°Mr. He, what do you mean? Could there still be danger?!¡± But the entire Vanderbilt family was already dead! Ye Xuan had even nned on staying a few days more to investigate who would be inheriting the fortune now that the entire Vanderbilt family was dead. In modern society, the estate of these rich people wouldn¡¯t be reduced to nothing when the house burned down... Bank ounts, safety deposit boxes, trust funds, documents, externalpanies... There were all too many ces to hide a will. Ye Xuan didn¡¯t want to leave Little Rock Canyon at all.

    He Zhichu stopped in front of his car and stated simply, ¡°The Vanderbilt family is dead, so now their target is you.¡±

    ¡°Me?!¡± Ye Xuan was even more perplexed. ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything about Uncle Gu¡¯s business...¡±

    Hearing Ye Xuan refer to Gu Xiangwen as ¡°Uncle Gu, ¡± the corners of He Zhichu¡¯s eyes twitched imperceptibly. ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Ye Xuan followed him into the car, and they headed down the interstate from Little Rock Canyon to Salt Lake City International Airport. He Zhichu and Ye Xuan both sat in the back of the car. This was a luxury version of the bulletproof Cadic sedan. The interior was very spacious with a soundproof and bulletproof pane of ss between the driver and front passenger¡¯s seats and the back seats. The pane of ss could be raised to ensure the rear passengers¡¯ safety and privacy.

    He Zhichu studied Ye Xuan carefully with his shimmery, sultry eyes. The corners of his eyes lifted slightly to make the judgement and suspicion very obvious. Ye Xuan was a bit ufortable as he shifted in order to distance himself from He Zhichu as much as possible. ¡°You call Gu Xiangwen, ¡®Uncle Gu?¡¯¡± He Zhichu seemed to be suddenly interested in his rtionship with Gu Xiangwen.

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t hide it from him either, so he nodded. ¡°Uncle Gu sponsored me to study in the US, and I¡¯m very grateful to him.¡± So when Gu Xiangwen perished, Ye Xuan had to help him guard the Gu household.

    He Zhichu snorted quietly and said with indifference, ¡°Sponsoring an orphan is far too easy for someone like him. He could make someone extremely rich by just giving them some scraps from his table, so do you need to be that grateful?¡± Ye Xuan waspletely loyal and willing to give his life.

    Ye Xuan pressed his lips together and tuned to nce at He Zhichu. ¡°Mr. He, I don¡¯t take good deeds by others for granted. Especially since Uncle Gu is not rted to me in any way, yet was willing to do so many things for me and change my life. Of course I¡¯m grateful to him and am willing to do anything for him.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t respond but stared coldly at Ye Xuan. ¡°So that¡¯s it? As far as I know, Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t care that much about you. He tossed you to the US for so many years without asking about you, so what has he done for you aside from sending money?¡±

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t like listening to such words and stiffed his neck as he replied angrily, ¡°Uncle Gu did it for my own good. Although he didn¡¯t let me go back to Barbados for so many years, I always kept contact with him online!¡± Not only did he keep in contact with Gu Xiangwen, but that mischievous little girl as well... But when he thought about how the person who chatted with him anonymously was actually Gu Nianzhi and not Gu Yanran, Ye Xuan felt very conflicted and his anger also ebbed. ¡°I saw her a few times when were both young. She was proud, aggressive, and a bad-tempered little girl who didn¡¯t like to talk much. But when I fell into the ocean, she didn¡¯t hesitate to rescue me. I already knew that there was no way Uncle Gu¡¯s daughter would be that kind of person. Gu Yanran spoke about her, and I actually believed it all.¡± Ye Xuanughed mirthlessly and balled his hands into fists, hating himself so much for it.

    He Zhichu froze and his heart wrenched. ¡°Bad-tempered little girl? You¡¯re talking about Nianzhi?¡±

 Chapter 832 - Unavoidable Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 832: Unavoidable Confrontation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Right, it was Gu Nianzhi.¡± Ye Xuan¡¯s voice grew quiet. He didn¡¯t dare to look at He Zhichu as he quickly turned to watch the winding mountains outside the car window. The mountains surrounding Little Rock Canyon were actually part of the mountain range that extended to the Grand Canyon. The red rocks were eroded revealing a metallic appearance inside. It was extremely eye-catching against the white clouds and blue skies.

    He Zhichu only snorted quietly and said, ¡°Gu Xiangwen was so kind to you, so what about her?¡±

    Ye Xuan frowned and turned around to look at He Zhichu. ¡°What does Mr. He mean by that? Nianzhi is his real daughter, so he would only be even kinder to her. The truth is, I¡¯ve never seen a father treat his daughter so well before.¡±

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth twitched as he draped a hand against the side of the window and stated dryly, ¡°Then you¡¯ve seen too few people.¡±

    ¡°...Really.¡± Ye Xuan didn¡¯t want to listen to anyone speak badly of Gu Xiangwen, and it was even worse to hear someone say Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t treat Gu Nianzhi well. ¡°Gu Nianzhi was very smart but had a bad temper. She got angry easily. As soon as she threw a fit, no one could console her except for Uncle Gu. One time, I saw Gu Nianzhi hit Uncle Gu on the head with a rock, and it made his head bleed, but he kept consoling her good-naturedly until she stopped being angry and carried her back.¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless. Who on earth was he talking about?! ¡°Are you sure the bad-tempered little girl you saw was actually Gu Nianzhi?¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help asking. He thought that what Ye Xuan said was too ludicrous.

    However, Ye Xuan nodded solemnly. ¡°I remember how she looked when she was young. Although she¡¯spletely different now, the age matches up. Also, her current face is somewhat simr to Uncle Gu¡¯s, especially the nose. She didn¡¯t look like Uncle Gu at all when she was young but looked more like Auntie Gu.¡± He originally thought Gu Nianzhi would look like Gu Yanran once she grew up butter on found out that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°You saw her often?¡± He Zhichu actually didn¡¯t have much interest in listening to Ye Xuan talk about these things, but Gu Nianzhi cared about Ye Xuan and Gu Xiangwen, so he had no choice but to get some information.

    ¡°Not all the time.¡± Ye Xuan lost himself in the memories. ¡°When Uncle Gu came to the orphanage, he sometimes brought her along. At the time she always wore a big, white, wide-brimmed hat and a pink princess dress. Uncle Gu held her hand.¡±

    It had been so many years ago, yet Ye Xuan remembered it so clearly, so it was obvious it made asting impression. He Zhichu didn¡¯t know what to say so he could only listen in silence.

    Ye Xuan was quiet for a while before admitting shamefully, ¡°Later on I fell into the ocean, and she saved me. Because of this she got sick, and I was sent off to the US to attend boarding school. We were separated for so many years and when I returned, I... then... recognized the wrong person.¡±

    He Zhichu casually draped his other hand on the seat, and his finger made gentle and intermittent taps as he remarked dryly, ¡°If you can even mistake her for the wrong person, then it¡¯s clear your impression of her is only that.¡±

    Ye Xuan shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°Right, most of my impression of her is from the years of chatting online with her. It was after that we became close, and I finally knew that she had always been sick. Uncle Gu was very worried about her health and doted over her care.¡±

    ¡°She was sick?¡± He Zhichu was surprised, and his fingers stopped tapping. ¡°Nianzhi was sick when she was young? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°She said so online, that she was in poor health and was sick ever since she was born. Her parents were very good to her but didn¡¯t know if they could cure her.¡± Ye Xuan propped his head up on his hand and leaned on the car window on the other side, his chiseled features appearing even more gentle with his reminiscing, as though the knife-like sharpness was sheathed by the scabbard.

    Now it was He Zhichu¡¯s turn to frown. ¡°Who is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother?¡± He Zhichu shifted with some unease, his gaze peering over from his long and narrow eyes.

    Ye Xuan wasn¡¯t close with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother, so he thought about it and said, ¡°I think her name was Grace. I heard Gu Nianzhi mention it online once. Her mother and Uncle Gu used to be ssmates and had a very good rtionship.¡± They sounded like a normal and happy family, but unfortunately the family was nearly broken apart now. He Zhichu was in a bit of a daze. It really wasn¡¯t the same... The two men both lost themselves in their own thoughts, so no one spoke in the car.

    The silence wasn¡¯t broken until the driver suddenly called He Zhichu through the cabin¡¯smunication system. ¡°Mr. He, I just received news that the road ahead has been blocked off. We must take another road.¡±

    He Zhichu straightened in his seat to ask, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°The radio says the fleet for the Commander of the Pacific Fleet has arrived, so we must all make way for him.¡± The driver sounded a bit indignant as he mmed the steering wheel. There was a thump from themunication system.

    He Zhichu squinted in consideration. ¡°Are we on Highway 95 yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. We¡¯d have to exit this highway before getting on the 95.¡±

    Route 95 was an interstate highway that spanned the entire US, so they were still driving on the Little Rock Canyon highway.

    ¡°If we detour, how long will that take?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the situation, but now that nobody can leave and are all stuck, it won¡¯t be easy to turn around.¡± The driver was also very helpless and turned on the GPS to reroute.

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead, considering what to do.

    Ye Xuan was very surprised to hear the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet wasing. ¡°What¡¯s this person doing in Little Rock Canyon?¡±

    ¡°I heard that he¡¯s here to inspect Ovi Air Force Base.¡± The sneer on He Zhichu¡¯s face was growing bigger. ¡°Who does he think he is...¡±

    Ye Xuan had studied in a boarding school in the US, so he was familiar with

    American political news. He heard that it was themander of the US Pacific Fleet and couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Did he want toe here on his own, or did someone set him up?¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± He Zhichu put down his hand and contemted rerouting or waiting to leave once the martialw was lifted.

    ¡°Thismander of the US Pacific Fleet is Japanese, and Ovi Air Force Base was the training ground for the B-18 bomber. The airne and pilots who dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan all those years ago trained here. But the Japanesemander has personallye to inspect this Air Force base. Tell me, is thismander too generous of a person, or is someone purposely giving him trouble?¡± As Ye Xuan spoke, he looked around to try to figure out where they were right at that moment.

    He Zhichuughed. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s neither. Japanese people have a problem called ¡®fearing authority but not virtue.¡¯ Simply stated, there is no point in getting them to respect your virtue. You must beat them to the ground before they act respectfully toward you.¡± So although the Americans taught the Japanese a harsher lesson than the Japanese had taught the Americans, Japanese people didn¡¯t hate the US military. In fact, they had an inexplicable affection for them.

    Ye Xuan seemed to understand something once he heard this. ¡°So you mean that thismander doesn¡¯t see himself as a Japanese person?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s exactly the opposite. He sees himself as a Japanese person.¡± He Zhichuughed when he said this and also made up his mind. ¡°Reroute to the 95.¡±

    Not far ahead, they could already see the vehicle procession for themander of the US Pacific Fleet making its grand entrance in their direction. In the very front were eight motorcycles clearing the path, and there were four identical bulletproof Ford limousines. Behind the limousines were two trucks. In the back of the trucks were about a hundred fully-armed soldiers sitting rigidly, all wearing bvas covering their faces.

 Chapter 833 - Expert Among the Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 833: Expert Among the Enemy</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The weather was fine in Utah in November. The sun was shining on the reddish-brown Rocky Mountains. The empty and distantyers of mountains ovepped the vast wilderness of a great yellow sand desert. From time to time, fighter jets took off from Ovi Air Force Base leaving long wisps of white smoke trails that lingered in the blue, transparent sky. There was a heavy fragrance of lily in the air. Utah wasn¡¯t a very busy ce, and Little Rock Canyon was not a ce with lots of people, but because Laris, themander of the Pacific Fleet, was visiting today, the somewhat deste little town suddenly grew with excitement. The entrance of the highway, which used to be empty and quiet, was now filled with police cars with shing lights blocking all the highway exits, waiting for Laris¡¯ fleet to pass.

    He Zhichu and Ye Xuan were sitting in the custom bulletproof Cadic and were waiting for the driver to turn around to bypass the intersection to get onto Route 95. Just then, a series of gunshots suddenly rang out. A bomb that had been thrown from an unknown direction crashed down into the motorcycle cavalcade in front of Laris¡¯ fleet. Thick, ck smoke instantly erupted and was especially jarring and ring against the light blue sky.

    ¡°Reporting! Admiral Laris¡¯ fleet was attacked! Admiral Laris¡¯ fleet was attacked! Admiral Laris¡¯ fleet was attacked!¡± The correspondent in Admiral Laris¡¯ fleet desperately screamed through the direct line connecting to the office of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff was a groupposed of the top leaders within the US military. The chairman of the institution was only second to the President of the United States, so the chairman was the second inmand of the US military while the president wasmander-in-chief. However, everyone knew that the president¡¯s position in the military was only a nominal title. The real team of leaders of the US military was the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral Laris was themander of the US Pacific Fleet and was also one of the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, so his position was absolutely high-ranking within the US military, and he also enjoyed the highest level of security privileges. His fleet being attacked meant that someone was attacking Admiral Laris, which also meant a deration of war against the entire United States of America! Regardless of whether the attack was carried out by an individual organization or a state organization, there was only course of action for the US military¡ªtopletely annihte it! To annihte it at any cost!

    Suddenly, all the military in the entire city of Little Rock Canyon was mobilized. Countless fighter jets, bombers, and armored helicopters were instantly taking off from Ovi Air Force Base. A ¡°flying ban¡± was promulgated over the entire city¡¯s airspace, so no airnes were allowed to take off aside from military aircraft from Ovi Air Force Base. Whether it was civilian aviation or military aircraft with permits, nothing else was allowed to lift off. The soldiers wearing bvas immediately jumped out from the rearpartments of the two military trucks behind Laris¡¯ fleet. They carried guns and maintained constant vignce as they stepped closer and closer to the cars ahead. The gunshots and bomb that attacked Laris¡¯ fleet had apparentlye from that direction.

    ¡°Get out of the car! Raise your hands! Lay down against the car door!¡± The US soldiers wearing bvas violently grabbed every single person from the cars. Some people attempted to reason with them, but these US soldiers didn¡¯t seem to have an ounce of patience, so they simply pointed their guns at those people¡¯s heads and shot once! Before long, a few people had died under those guns. The remaining people didn¡¯t dare to ¡°reason with¡± the soldiers, so they did exactly as told and didn¡¯t dare to resist again.

    In the beginning, He Zhichu and Ye Xuan remained in the car without moving and merely waited for this sudden and randommotion to pass before detouring. It wasn¡¯t until they saw the riled up US soldiers stomping their way over that the corners of He Zhichu¡¯s eyes subtly twitched. His car had excellent soundproofing and bulletproofing capabilities, so although they didn¡¯t hear the gunshots, they could still feel the power of the bomb through the vibrations of the thick, heavy vehicle chassis. He Zhichu squinted. He knew something was wrong, and just as he took out his phone to call Little A, he discovered he was getting a call from him instead. ¡°Mr. He! There is an expert among the enemy!¡±

    He Zhichu replied gravely, ¡°Cut the crap! What happened?!¡±

    ¡°There was the sound of gunfire just now, and the news already confirmed that Admiral Laris¡¯ fleet was attacked by terrorists. Now the US military has fullyunched an emergency contingency n and requested that everyone quickly evacuate. The military is pursuing the death of the attackers!¡± Little A¡¯s voice was very low, so his anger was apparent.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been you guys?¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help asking the question, and although the possibility was very low, what if Little A had enlisted a group of idiot team members?

    ¡°Of course not! Our men just got in position, and the angle of gunshots and bombs wasn¡¯t from our direction at all! Now there is a flight ban over the entire city of Little Rock Canyon, so the permit we requested for our armored helicopters ispletely useless!¡± Little A cursed. ¡°WTF!¡± Before he ended the call, he said, ¡°We¡¯re going to get on the road now. Mr. He, get out of the car quickly! I see that they¡¯re heading in your direction!¡±

    The Bluetooth headset went silent, and He Zhichu looked out the window expressionlessly. Groups of fully armed soldiers wearing bvas were conducting searches car by car and were about to head over in their direction. ¡°Robbers acting like cops!¡± He Zhichu sneered once and pulled out the small briefcase under his seat that housed the XM-230 maic storm grenade gun. He threw a pistol at Ye Xuan. ¡°Take this to protect yourself.¡±

    Ye Xuan stiffened. ¡°What on earth is going on? We didn¡¯t do it, so why are we running?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? This is a trap. The enemy is using this chaos to make sure we get killed.¡± He Zhichu stated it simply. Looking down, his hands quickly assembled the maic storm grenade gun. One minuteter, assembly of the gun waspleted. ¡°Get out of the car.¡± He Zhichu took off his suit jacket and put it back on reversed, so it turned into a hunting suit. There were also a few more bvas in the small suitcase, so He Zhichu put one on to cover his head and face. It was the same one used by the soldiers in Laris¡¯ fleet, and he also threw one to Ye Xuan. ¡°Put it on.¡±

    The driver was bbergasted but had a trace of luck in his heart, so he didn¡¯t want to get out of the car at all. He waved at He Zhichu. ¡°You guys go on. It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±

    Ye Xuan epted the bva and held the gun as he followed He Zhichu out of the car in a crouch and quickly hid in therge mountains on the side of the highway. Ye Xuan and He Zhichu hid behind arge rock on the mountain and focused intently on their car under the mountain. Under the mountain, US soldiers wearing bvas formed several positions and were shielding themselves as they made way in their direction.

    Inside the car, their driver raised both hands at the soldiers to indicate there were no criminals there, but a soldier wearing a bva carried his gun over and shot the driver! A round, bloody hole appeared on the driver¡¯s forehead, and he fell over in the car with his eyes open, not understanding how such a thing could¡¯ve happened. Then the soldier began fiercely firing his gun at the car, the bullets rattling against the metal. He even threw in a hand grenade at the end. There was a loud BOOM, and the Cadic He Zhichu and Ye Xuan had just been in was blown up into a pile of scrap metal.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s jaw dropped in shock. He looked at He Zhichu then at the US soldiers who had attacked their car just now. He murmured, ¡°What on earth are they trying to do?!¡±

    ¡°Someone on Laris¡¯ side is writing the script and directing the story to use the earlier terrorist attack on their fleet to issue a death order of ¡®killing anyone who resists.¡¯ In order for the US military to secure themander¡¯s safety, they are able to do such things,¡± He Zhichu quietly exined. ¡°Now you have to shut up and follow me.¡±

    Ye Xuan nodded, not asking any other questions before following He Zhichu to a small mountain trail. Little A¡¯s car was waiting on Route 95 on standby. The US military had blocked off the intersection to Route 95, so He Zhichu and Ye Xuan had to cross through the mountains if they wanted to get over there in order to bypass the checkpoint. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t too far away, and while they didn¡¯t dare walk on the mountain roads, the trails were still walkable. He Zhichu ran quickly ahead. Ye Xuan exercised often, so his body was fit and strong enough to keep up with He Zhichu¡¯s pace.

    However, the number of soldiers chasing them was increasing, and there were also helicopters circling in the sky that began to bellow messages. ¡°...Everyone is to retreat to the entrance of Little Rock Canyon Highway. The military will be conducting full-scale bombing against the terrorists in the mountains, so we ask everyone to retreat to the entrance of the Little Rock Canyon Highway. The military will be conducting full-scale bombing against the terrorists in the mountains...¡±

    The sleepy city of Little Rock Canyon silently stood between the mountain ranges and was facing the impact of its first small-scale local war since its establishment. The local TV station wanted to grab headlines, so it couldn¡¯t wait to post this news, but soon after, the military quickly took over the news media organizations such as local TV stations, and no other news was reported. There were only sporadic posts on Twitter and Facebook made by a few people from Little Rock Canyon. They included some photos, but because there was no official confirmation, they weren¡¯t circted much.

    ...

    BOOM! A plume of ck smoke rose up between the mountains. The military set up a mortar base under the mountains and began clearing the targets in the mountains one by one. He Zhichu and Ye Xuan had just escaped a round of airstrikes when they saw the road ahead blown up into a huge crater. Luckily, they hadn¡¯t driven, so it didn¡¯t matter, even if the road ahead was cut off. But the military¡¯s armored helicopters and fighter jets kept circling in the mountains and used heart-inductive sensor systems to search for human-shaped targets in the mountains They continuously tracked their positions and then sent them to the rear mortar units. Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He raised his gun and wanted nothing more than to shoot a full clip of bullets at the armored helicopters that weretching onto them like leeches!

    He Zhichu mped down his hand and smiled faintly. ¡°Let me do it.¡± He raised the maic storm grenade gun and suddenly jumped up from the mountain pass they were hiding in and quickly ran forward.

    Ye Xuan balled his hands into fists and also jumped out of the pass to quickly chase after He Zhichu. The armored helicopters and fighter jets sensed their changing direction and followed them. He Zhichu ran past a narrow cliff in the valley. The valley was like a pair of scissors, so as long as this point was blocked, it would make it hard for people trying to chase after them. With a quick movement, he jumped behind arge rock on the side of the valley and raised the maic storm grenade gun. He took aim at the closest fighter jet firing at them continuously with its machine guns. With a quiet pop, one maic storm bullet whooshed out like an arrow loosed from its bow, hitting the belly of the fighter jet. It looked like it had only pierced a small hole that wasn¡¯t even clearly perceptible to the eye, but in one moment, the fighter jet was like a toy airne stomped and ttened by a giant. It disintegrated in the air, and the pilots didn¡¯t even have a chance to open their parachutes before they plummeted from the sky while still strapped in their seats! With one boom, countless particles of dust scattered in the air. This one maic storm bullet also disintegrated all the electromaic and radio short-wavemunication systems within a ten-mile radius. The radar systems in the air force base, as well as the signals at thework base station, werepletely blocked.

    Suddenly, the ce became a quarantined zone with electricity and intepletely cut off except for He Zhichu¡¯s phone, which had an anti-blocking device installed. His phone signal was not affected. As he started to unlock his phone, he used the Bluetooth headset to contact Little A. ¡°I¡¯ll turn on my phone¡¯s tracking system. Can you see my position?¡±

 Chapter 834 - The Enemy Has Made a Mistake

    <h4>Chapter 834: The Enemy Has Made a Mistake</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Little A¡¯s voice could be heard from the Bluetooth headset and was full of surprise. ¡°Mr. He, you can still use your phone?! I can see it. I¡¯ll also turn my phone positioning on.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at his phone to confirm the position between the two of them before quickly finding the closest route. He pressed on the Bluetooth headset. ¡°I got it.¡± He then continued, ¡°Listen to mymands, and if the enemy continues their pursuit, we will have a big one when we meet up.¡±

    Little A exhaled sharply, his voice shaking. ¡°Mr.... Mr. He, what are you nning to do?!¡± It couldn¡¯t be what he was thinking, right?!

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything else before ending the call. Looking up at the sky, it was still a deep and saturated blue that starkly contrasted with the brownish-red mountains that appeared as vivid as fresh blood. They were like bold brushstrokes under the cerulean sky. The fighter jets, bombers, and armored helicopters that had been buzzing around like flies were now nowhere to be seen. Without electromaic and radio short-wavemunications or radar guidance, the aircraft didn¡¯t dare to continue flying.

    As for themand issued by Admiral Laris¡¯ fleet, it had fermented for some time now and was beginning to garner suspicion within the US military. In that moment, Admiral Laris was in his special vehicle and had a nasty expression on his face. Several of his closest subordinates sat awkwardly in front of him and mumbled, ¡°Mr. Admiral, do we still need to continue with this?¡± Even though they had so many US soldiers and so much excellent equipment, as well as an immediate response to the situation, the ¡°terrorists¡± who hadmitted the crime had yet to be arrested and had even escaped into the mountains. They originally thought it would be a short battle without any suspense, yet they had been met with unusual resistance and dy. Admiral Laris closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned back against the seat without saying anything.

    His deputy was also a Japanese American who understood his intentions, so he barked sternly at the several officers present, ¡°Someone attacked Admiral Laris¡¯ fleet, so they must be directing the attack at Admiral Laris. There are so many of you, yet you can¡¯t even catch a few terrorists. Do you want to go to military court and admit to nonfeasance?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely our fault.¡± Several of the officers began toin. ¡°Who knew that the city of Little Rock Canyon would have such a fragile power system? It suddenly lost all power and inte, so allmunications are cut off, and the fighter jets can¡¯t take off. We don¡¯t dare send soldiers into the mountains to conduct searches for now.¡±

    The US soldiers all used so-called high-precision equipment, but it was actually all electronic. Such equipment was indeed excellent but relied heavily on electromaicmunications, and even more sophisticated equipmentpletely relied on satellite guidance. If the satellite was wiped out by the enemy during battle, then they would be the same as blind and deaf men who had no chance of victory at all. They would be at the mercy of the enemy. The US military stationed at Ovi Air Force Base in Little Rock Canyon didn¡¯t have equipment sophisticated enough for satellite guidance, but they did have electronic equipment. Now thatmunications were cut, how could they dare to send US soldiers into the mountains?

    Admiral Laris opened his eyes at this moment and said expressionlessly, ¡°I thought all our American soldiers were top fighters who could defeat a hundred men for each soldier. Do we not know how to fight in battle without advanced electronic equipment? What a joke.¡±

    As soon as Admiral Laris said this, the officers nearly flushed red and quickly cried out, ¡°Roger, Admiral Laris! We¡¯ll immediately send soldiers into the mountains!¡±

    ...

    Without the pursuit of the helicopters and fighter jets, He Zhichu and Ye Xuan instantly felt much less pressure. They began to run towards Little A and his men¡¯s location. The mountain trail was rugged and narrow, so there were many instances where the target seemed directly ahead, but a long distance still needed to be covered before actually reaching that target. The two men ran all day without resting and only stopped midway to find some water to drink. Winter nights came early in North America, so the sun hadpletely set behind the mountain before 5pm. The valley gradually dimmed, and the bright moon crept up the mountain. Multitudes of stars glittered in the night sky while He Zhichu and Ye Xuan silently rushed ahead under the dark night.

    There were four or five national parks in Utah, and these parks protected the naturalndscape and wildlife of the area. The valley He Zhichu and Ye Xuan were crossing was part of a certain national park in Utah. At night time, all sorts of wild animals came out for food. He Zhichu and Ye Xuan had avoided them thus far to avoid having to shoot the wild animals, which would then attract the attention of those seeking them. But when they bypassed a valley to face a pack of wolves in front of the canyon, it seemed they had no choice but to shoot.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot.¡± He Zhichu eyed the gun in Ye Xuan¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s for you to deal with humans, not beasts.¡± Ye Xuan nodded but still continued holding the gun as he stood back to back with He Zhichu. He Zhichu slowly took out another type of bullet from his ammo pouch and pressed it into the maic storm grenade gun¡¯s clip. Raising the gun, he used the night vision infrared scope to look in the direction of the pack of wolves in front of them. The built-in smart cognition system inside the scope began to work and scan each wolf until quickly locking onto the alpha wolf¡¯s location. The most important part of killing a pack of wolves was to find the alpha wolf and kill it in one shot. A single sharp gunshot rang out! He Zhichu¡¯s bullet cut through the frigid night air and hit the alpha wolf¡¯s skull! Before the alpha wolf could even wail once, it had copsed to the ground. The other wolves saw this and howled shrilly before running off with their tails between their legs. But when the wolves left, their cries had attracted the attention of the people nearby.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s eyes shed briefly, and then he saw the light behind them sh several times before quickly disappearing. ¡°Someone¡¯s here,¡± Ye Xuan said quietly and raised his gun to aim at where the light had just shed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot. Let¡¯s leave now.¡± He Zhichu turned around to nce back, but he didn¡¯t want to exchange fire with official US military personnel unless he had no other choice.

    Ye Xuan finally asked He Zhichu the question in his heart as he rushed down the path with him. ¡°Mr. He, I want to know why they are creating all this fanfare. For me? I really don¡¯t think I¡¯m that important.¡±

    He Zhichu was not a patient person, so he often taught heuristically when he worked as a professor in order to allow his students to find answers on their own. He didn¡¯t teach by exining things to them and directly telling them the answer, then exining why that was the correct answer. But tonight was rather special, and perhaps their situation of being hunted down in the mountain ranges made him recall how Gu Nianzhi was in danger when she was alone in the German Alps, so there was an additional trace of softness in his heart. Heughed and said with a bit of sarcasm, ¡°They¡¯re pursuing ¡®terrorists,¡¯ so what does that have to do with you? Are you a terrorist?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Ye Xuan began to smile. ¡°But they¡¯re clearly using the excuse of pursuing ¡®terrorists¡¯ to kill us.¡±

    He Zhichu gripped the gun and looked around as he replied nonchntly, ¡°They want to kill you, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they want to kill me.¡± He was certain that the mastermind behind all this still didn¡¯t know he hade to the US to bring Ye Xuan back to the Hua Xia Empire. If the mastermind knew, they wouldn¡¯t be willing to reveal the powerful forces backing them.

    ¡°Right, so why?¡± Ye Xuan shook his head quizzically. ¡°I¡¯m not from the Gu family. I¡¯m just an orphan sponsored by Uncle Gu.¡±

    He Zhichu was also contemting this matter. He turned around to look at Ye Xuan. ¡°Then what do you know? If they want you dead, that must mean you know something that they don¡¯t want you to reveal or tell Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°What could I know?¡± Ye Xuan was bbergasted, and just as he was about to say, ¡°I was still in the US when Uncle Gu got into the ident,¡± he suddenly recalled Gu Yanran and immediately swallowed the words.

    He Zhichu chuckled when he saw Ye Xuan keeping quiet. ¡°Now you know, right? Your lover doesn¡¯t want you to go back, she wants you dead...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Gu Yanran?¡± Ye Xuan pressed his lips together and walked behind He Zhichu silently for a while before saying, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have that kind of power. I¡¯m sure that these people aren¡¯t ones she could mobilize.¡± When Gu Xiangwen first got into the ident, Gu Yanran relied on herself to support the Gu family and basically couldn¡¯t even take care of herself. It was only when Ye Xuan came back to help her that she slowly began stabilizing herself. Then soon after that, Gu Yanran hired a very impressive attorney, and the Gu family¡¯s situation instantly improved.

    Ye Xuan nced at He Zhichu. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t your assistant, Miss Wen, know better than anyone else what capabilities Gu Yanran has?¡±

    In the night¡¯s darkness, He Zhichu¡¯s expression remained normal. ¡°Wen Shouyi is Gu Yanran¡¯s attorney, and the things she knows best may not be things I know best.¡± He didn¡¯t have much interest in the Gu¡¯s, and it was only after he needed to give Gu Nianzhi an official identity that he finally revealed that the Gus in Barbados were Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family.

    Ye Xuan was getting confused listening to He Zhichu but saw that he was already starting to look annoyed, so he stopped asking questions. During the break while they were chatting, the US military squad pursuing them had already arrived not too far behind.

    He Zhichu¡¯s footsteps suddenly stopped. ¡°Lie down.¡± He quickly pulled Ye Xuan, and the two men fell down onto a small pile of rocks in the valley. Not long after, a series of rattling gunfire shot out from behind them. The gunshots cracked throughout the valley and startled a flock of flying birds.

 Chapter 835 - There Was Nothing Wrong With Those Words

    <h4>Chapter 835: There Was Nothing Wrong With Those Words</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The bullets nearly grazed their foreheads and impacted not far away, igniting an endlessly dusty sky. He Zhichu and Ye Xuan bothid motionless on the ground as if they had never even appeared. The soldiers chasing them waited for a while before gesturing to each other and raising their guns as they moved toward the area where He Zhichu and Ye Xuan had fallen with the intent of surrounded them.

    He Zhichuid on the ground with his ear pressed to the surface so he could hear the faint footstepsing in from behind. From the quiet and careful footsteps, He Zhichu could tell there should be about seven soldiers, but they didn¡¯t seem to be very tall because the sound of footsteps on the ground was proportional to body weight.

    The pursuing soldiers pressed close enough for He Zhichu to hear them speaking quietly. Because there was no longer any functional radiomunication equipment, these people had no choice but to raise their voices tomunicate. Intermittently, He Zhichu was actually able to hear English spoken with a Japanese ent! These people can¡¯t possibly be official US soldiers, he thought. The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly. He turned his head and gestured for Ye Xuan to not move.

    Then, when the pursuing soldiers were nearly on top of them, he suddenly jumped up and kicked arge rock beside him. Leveraging the force of the one kick, He Zhichu¡¯s entire body flew up as quick as a bolt of lightning! He pressed his thin lips tightly together and squinted his sultry, shimmery eyes with his arms raised up. Holding the gun with one hand in mid-air, he aimed at the seven-man team that had pursued them and shot each person from left to right with a ratatatatat! The crisp sound of gunfire resounded in the valley.

    ¡°Ah¨C!¡± Those people screamed briefly before quickly copsing to the ground, dead.

    Ye Xuan remained lying on the ground motionless until He Zhichu gestured for him to get up. At that point, he finally crawled up while He Zhichu remained half-kneeling on one knee, squatting in front of the pursuing soldiers he had just shot. He Zhichu waved at Ye Xuan. ¡°Come here and see what the people trying to murder you look like.¡± Pulling off their bvas, several Asian faces appeared under the moonlight. Or more specifically, these were Japanese faces. Japanese facial features were very recognizable, so they weren¡¯t typically mistaken for people from other Asian countries.

    Ye Xuan froze when he saw this, then finally asked, ¡°Are there many Japanese Americans within the US military?¡±

    ¡°As many as there may be, it would be impossible to assign them to one small squad to execute a mission,¡± He Zhichu replied coldly as he took out his phone to take photos of the dead soldiers. If possible, he really wanted to get blood samples from the dead men, so perhaps he could even make an American admiral step down when the time came... He Zhichu considered it calmly, but unfortunately he had only brought one gun to flee with his life, so it was impossible to take blood samples.

    Ye Xuan walked around those people several times and rubbed his nose with one hand. ¡°These people aren¡¯t US soldiers.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re finally noticing that now?¡± He Zhichu gave him a sarcastic look. ¡°Would I have shot them, otherwise?¡±

    Ye Xuan frowned. He was somewhat unhappy, but He Zhichu was his savior after all, and he was also in danger now because of him, so it was only right that He Zhichu ridicule him a bit.

    He Zhichu put away his phone and turned around to continue walking. Soon after, he stopped again to stand and listen intently for a while before pointing in the direction of a fork in the road. ¡°That way. Go in first.¡± Not long after they hid inside, a group of pursuing soldiers in the same uniforms as the soldiers He Zhichu had just killed ran past them in the fork in the road. These people weren¡¯t very tall and were noparison to most US soldiers. Ye Xuan suddenly realized that these people were probably Japanese as well. Using weapons on American soil and masquerading as US soldiers tomit a serious crime was truly in the fashion of Japanese people. The sunken aircraft carrier in Pearl Harbor was still there for people to pay respects to. He Zhichu had long seen them as eyesores.

    After waiting on the road for a while, He Zhichu calcted the time to figure out how far the enemy had most likely run ahead before taking Ye Xuan back out on the road. Not too far away, lights flickered several times before diminishing. ¡°They¡¯re using shlights to see at night. Could these people have night blindness?¡± He Zhichu grumbled quietly and ran up to them. This time they were behind, and the pursuing soldiers were actually in front of them. He Zhichu lifted up his gun and carefully counted before unloading a full clip into them! To shoot these people, He Zhichu used regr bullets instead of the bullets with maic storm effects. The pursuing soldiers who ran ahead never expected the people they were chasing to circle around behind them. A night of pursuit had tired these people out somewhat, and just when they wanted to put down their dozen kilograms of weapons to rest for a while, they felt a sharp pain in their backs and all copsed to the ground. They were dead, courtesy of He Zhichu.

    This time, Ye Xuan had also participated in the battle and personally fired shots himself. He killed at least two of the soldiers. He Zhichu patted his shoulder, and it was considered a silentpliment. At this time, the two men cooperated more tacitly and soon got rid of the rest of the pursuing soldiers. They used only two-thirds of the anticipated time required to quickly bypass the mountain and arrive at the side of Route 95. The phone positioning system indicated Little A was not too far away.

    Little A also heard the rm on his phone from inside the car, so he saw that the red dot representing He Zhichu was quickly approaching their car door. He quickly opened the door and got out. The cliff was steep, so in the end He Zhichu and Ye Xuan slid down together from the mountain peak. Little A quickly brought several men to where He Zhichu and Ye Xuan slid down and picked them up. ¡°Mr. He, was the mountain trail hard to walk on?¡± Little A keenly observed He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°The mountain trail was hard to walk on, and there were also pursuing soldiers. It was difficult to block their electricity and inte so we could finally escape outside.¡± As the men spoke, the sky suddenly brightened. The red, round sun spurted out from the horizon with bright and dazzling sunshine suddenly spilling over the mountains and water in Utah.

    ¡°It¡¯s another day.¡± Little A sighed as he quickly ushered He Zhichu and Ye Xuan inside the car so they could rush towards the international airport in Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah. Little A¡¯s mission was to safely escort He Zhichu and Ye Xuan from Little Rock Canyon to the Salt Lake City International Airport.

    When they got in the car, He Zhichu shook his head at Little A. ¡°You failed toplete the first step properly.¡±

    Little A knew he was in the wrong and mumbled to salvage his dignity, ¡°Mr. He, we really didn¡¯t know that the enemy would be that powerful this time around. They were somehow able to use themander-in-chief of the US Pacific Fleet to conceal their ns!¡±

    ¡°I reminded you,¡± He Zhichu replied dryly. ¡°In any case, you¡¯re charging money forpleted tasks. The task was notpleted, so it¡¯s only right that the payment is decreased proportionally.¡±

    There was nothing wrong with those words, and Little A wasn¡¯t even in the mood to argue. He quickly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. It was our fault, so you deserve effectivepensation.¡±

    He Zhichu grunted. ¡°Hurry up and drive.¡±

    The fleet immediately set out, and there was a bulletproof car of the same model and color in the front to clear the path and eliminate obstacles. ¡°What about the armored helicopter I asked you for?¡± He Zhichu propped his head against the edge of the window to nce at the newly brightened sky.

    ¡°Little Rock Canyon issued a flight ban, and the permit was invalidated,¡± Little A mumbled.

    COMMENT

    ¡°No matter, have them fly over to shield us,¡± He Zhichumanded expressionlessly. ¡°The enemy¡¯s airnes will soon catch up to us.¡± Although his maic storm bullet had blocked the enemy¡¯s electromaicmunications system and also disabled the radar, the enemy should have recovered after a night of repairs. They realized that He Zhichu and Ye Xuan had already escaped from the mountain, so they would certainly chase after them with fighter jets. As soon as He Zhichu spoke, the sky rumbled with the sounds of fighter jet engines. Those people had arrived even sooner than he expected!

 Chapter 836 - Wonâ€™t Play With You

    <h4>Chapter 836: Won¡¯t y With You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    There were a total of more than 12,000 fighter jets in the United States, and just by the number alone, it proudly ranked as first ce on the entire Blue. But because they were distributed among the three armies of sea,nd, and air, they were divided evenly so every military service was equipped with roughly 4,000 to 5,000 fighter jets. Ovi Air Force Base probably had several hundred fighter jets, and because this base was ind, it was not equipped with that many fighter jets, nor were these thetest models. This time, an F-22 Raptor had flown here, and although it wasn¡¯t thetest US fighter jet model, it was still the most powerful fighter jet among existing service aircraft. It was a fifth-generation twin-engine stealth fighter jet and was also known to have absolute airspace superiority. Of course, the so-called stealth was rtive to radars, but not to the human eye. Stealth fighter jets invisible to the human eye had yet to be invented. This type of fighter jet was quiterge in size and the strong winds it created when flying in low altitudes could sway cars on the road. Luckily, He Zhichu had asked Little A to prepare bulletproof vehicles that wererge in size and heavy in weight, so the appearance of the F-22 Raptor didn¡¯t result in the tragedy of people falling and cars flipping.

    Hearing the sound of the fighter jet, Little A turned icy. ¡°Mr. He, what do you want to do?¡±

    He Zhichu watched the quickly approaching fighter jet and knew this wouldn¡¯t be a Japanese person masquerading. So he merely lifted a finger and said to Little A, ¡°Ry a message to him and say that I¡¯m in the car. If they approach any closer, we will shoot their fighter jet down.¡±

    ¡°You want to report your name?¡± Little A knew of He Zhichu¡¯s status in the US military and political worlds, and the board of directors of the Whitewater Security Company had reminded him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to keep that confidential?¡±

    He Zhichu never intended to keep his whereabouts confidential the entire time. The confidentiality he wanted to keep was to give the enemy an illusion. If the enemy had long known he had arrived, then they wouldn¡¯t have deployed the ns they currently had. He came here to pick up Ye Xuan and had actually also wanted to see what kind of trump cards the enemy had and also if they were what he imagined they were...Now that Ye Xuan already came out and the enemy had even deployed a fighter jet, wouldn¡¯t it be a death wish if he kept this confidential? ¡°Right. I want to see exactly how arrogant that Admiral Laris really is...¡± There was a trace of sneer and sarcasm on the corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips. He held his maic storm grenade gun with one hand and aimed it at the quickly approaching F-22 Raptor fighter jet. With one hand resting on his knee, he tapped quietly and beat to the rhythm of the music ying inside the car.

    He Zhichu¡¯s calm and nonchnce also made everyone else rx. Little A picked up themunicator to give it a try and discovered thatmunications had recovered, so he gave an order to his pilot in the armored helicopter. ¡°Fly over there and ry a message to that fighter jet. Tell them that Mr. He is in here and ask what business they have with us.¡±

    Whitewater Security Company¡¯s ckhawk armored helicopter quickly took off from the foothills and approached the F-22 Raptor midair. The pilot ryed a message through the airmunication channel. ¡°This is ckhawk! This is ckhawk! We are the security personnel for Mr. He Zhichu and belong to the Whitewater Security Company. Please allow us to pass! Please allow us to pass!¡±

    The pilots in the F-22 Raptor were US Air Force soldiers. They were ordered to pursue and kill the ¡°terrorist¡± who had attacked Admiral Laris and had originally received an order to ¡°execute summarily.¡± However, the other party was being escorted by a ckhawk armored helicopter that also belonged to Whitewater Security Company, which was known to even active-duty soldiers. They couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. Whitewater Security Company employed many veterans as security personnel, so they were famous among active military personnel. Also, Whitewater Security Company had a military background, and a major shareholder of thepany was former vice president Niche. With such a background, could these be ¡°terrorists¡±? The pilots in the F-22 Raptor fighter jet ryed this news back to the base to determine its authentication and also requested further instructions. Ovi Air Force Base received the news and was a bit shocked too, so they followed procedure by rying the news to Admiral Laris, who was directing locally, as well as the office of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington.

    ...

    ¡°What? Did you hear it clearly? Was it He Zhichu?¡± Admiral Laris¡¯s impassive expression cracked for a moment as soon as he heard He Zhichu¡¯s name. His pupils dted and his hands shook as he went to get a cup of coffee to hold in his hands and hide his shock.

    ¡°The other party said so, but the people are inside the car, so our pilots didn¡¯t personally see it.¡± Laris¡¯s subordinate reported to him in detail. ¡°But ording to the Little Rock police station¡¯s records, as well as information sent from the courts, Whitewater Security Company indeed applied for security permits a few days ago and requested to bring wartime weaponry and armed helicopters into the city of Little Rock to protect their important client. The courts confirmed that He Zhichu so happened to have concluded awsuit in court yesterday. He Zhichu¡¯s client was acquitted, and he wanted to take him away from the city of Little Rock.¡±

    Laris¡¯s left cheek twitched twice, and his fingers rubbed a round gold coin until he finally mmed it on the table and said rigidly, ¡°Then say we are sorry to offend and to have them to get out of the car to ept military control. We are currently pursuing terrorists and would rather make mistakes than let a terrorist off!¡±

    His subordinates and the Ovi Air Force Base shared a look and nodded. They saluted at Admiral Laris. ¡°Roger, Mr. Admiral!¡±

    ...

    He Zhichu sat in the car for a while and unlocked his phone to send Gu Nianzhi a text. ¡°Ye Xuan has already been acquitted, and I will bring him back to the Huaxia Empire. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡± As soon as he put away his phone, he heard Little A, sitting across from him, jump and m his head loudly against the roof of the car. Little A rubbed his head and cursed into the phone. All the swear words blurted out, and he brandished his fists to say, ¡°Do they want to die? Get out of the car and ept military control? They think we¡¯re idiots? Does Laris, that old bastard, have a death wish or something?¡±

    He Zhichu understood now. His expression was surprised, yet he also looked like he already expected this. He gave Little A a conflicted look. ¡°They want us to get out of the car and ept military control?¡± This idea wasn¡¯t bad, but as soon as they got out of the car to ept military control, He Zhichu knew that he was sure to be safe himself. However, Ye Xuan would be sure to ¡°die identally...¡± His purpose ining to the United States was to bring Ye Xuan back to the Huaxia Empire, so he would be an idiot if he epted the so-called conditions. But Laris was using the dirty trick of ¡°being attacked¡± from his side, so it was certainly not easy to resolve. He Zhichu closed his eyes and thought about it for a while before saying, ¡°Tell them that I believe Admiral Laris¡¯s attack is very likely a trap, and the goal is actually to target me, but not Admiral Laris. For the sake of my own safety, I am unable to trust Admiral Laris. I ask him to contact the Joint Chiefs of Staff and ask them to send someone to escort me to Salt Lake City.¡±

    Little A choked and mmed his fist into the seat. ¡°Ok! We¡¯ll bring this old bastard¡¯s unspeakable intentions out in the open and see if he is still shameless enough to ask us to ept military control!¡± Little A gave this message to the ckhawk armored helicopter pilot so he could ry it to the other fighter jet pilot, as well as send a message to his senior executives at Whitewater Security Company. He Zhichu had paid quite an amount ofmission this time, so Little A didn¡¯t want to mess it up and make hispany suffer losses. If thepany suffered losses, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to get hismission.

    ...

    Admiral Laris heard his subordinate ry He Zhichu¡¯s words and nearly lost hisposure from the anger. His chest puffed, and he used all his self-control to stop his urge to curse as well. ¡°...He Zhichu said that? What proof does he have?¡± Admiral Laris gritted the words out from between his teeth and brandished his fists. ¡°My vehicle fleet has been attacked, so how can it turn into targeting him? Just how crazy can he be to say such a thing!¡±

    Laris¡¯s subordinates and the head of the Air Force Base were awkward and didn¡¯t know what to say at all. Was Mr. Admiral arguing with Mr. He about who the terrorist¡¯s real target was? Why were they making it sound like it was a great honor or something...¡±...Mr. Admiral, what do you say we should do? How about we let them go? Aren¡¯t the terrorists in the mountains? We should continue to search the mountains then,¡± the head of the Air Force Base suggested cautiously. He also didn¡¯t understand why pursuing terrorists led them to end up pursuing He Zhichu¡¯s name. This head of the Air Force Base also held the rank of major general, so he was quite familiar with He Zhichu¡¯s famous name within the US military. Would the esteemed guest of the Joint Chiefs of Staff be a terrorist? Even if he was, was it necessary to use such inferior weapons and means to deal with Admiral Laris?

    When Admiral Laris heard the implied meaning behind the words of the head of the Air Force Base, he swallowed his anger and asked, ¡°Are you questioning my decision?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to!¡± The head of the Air Force Base snapped his heels together to salute loudly. ¡°I will, of course, follow the orders of Mr. Admiral!¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Laris nodded with a slightly eased expression, ¡°Send someone to invite Mr. He over and speak. Tell him that these are emergency decisions, and this is a critical moment, so we are sorry to offend. Once we arrest the terrorists, I¡¯ll personally go to his home to formally apologize.¡±

    ...

    Laris¡¯s words were ryed to He Zhichu, but He Zhichu didn¡¯t ask someone else to send a response back but instead used the microphone to directly speak to the US military pilot. ¡°I am He Zhichu. Laris wants to formally apologize? Very well, then have himmit seppuku right here. Notmitting seppuku would be unsatisfactory to demonstrate his security. We have already notified Washington, and I still have business, so I won¡¯t y this game of cops and robbers with him. Goodbye.¡± As He Zhichu was saying this, he also indicated to Little A, ¡°Command your subordinates to leave this ce immediately.¡± This Admiral Laris had the typical characteristics of a right-winged Japanese person: stubbornness and arrogance, as well as the attitude of ¡°those who obey me shall flourish and dissenters shall die.¡± Unfortunately, He Zhichu didn¡¯t ept his methods.

    Little A obtained permission from hispany¡¯s top management, as well as support from He Zhichu, so he suddenly used his bit of license to boost his bravado and especially enjoyed the pleasure of going up against Admiral Laris. ¡°Attention all personnel! Attention all personnel! Leave Little Rock immediately! Destination, Salt Lake City International Airport. Attendance will be taken in four hours!¡±

 Chapter 837 - Face To Face

    <h4>Chapter 837: Face To Face</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Right under the eyes of the US military¡¯s F-22 Raptor, He Zhichu¡¯s Whitewater Security Company vehicle fleet began initializing one by one and drove forward. The US military fighter jets didn¡¯t dare to open fire and continued to report back to Admiral Laris¡¯s temporary headquarters. ¡°Reporting! Reporting! He Zhichu¡¯s vehicle fleet has left Little Rock! He Zhichu¡¯s vehicle fleet has left Little Rock!¡±

    Admiral Laris sat cross-legged in the temporary headquarters of the Ovi Air Force Base. There was a short coffee table with a cup of water and a pot of orchids. It looked quite zen. His arms were crossed, his eyes were shut, and his nostrils red to indicate his uncontroble rage. ¡°Their cars left just like that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Admiral. Mr. He said they¡¯ve already notified Washington, so...¡± The head of the Ovi Air Base didn¡¯t dare to continue this pursuit, but Laris was a navy admiral. Although they were not of the same military service, his military rank was much higher. Just one rank higher in bureaucracy was a frightening thing, and military ranks were clearly defined, so this point was even more important. The person in charge here already had made up his mind that he would do whatever Laris said, but Laris must leave a handwrittenmand.

    ¡°But Washington never gave me their order.¡± Admiral Laris opened his eyes and his expression was especially dull; he looked like an honest and reliable Hokkaido farmer. But a sh of light in his eyes indicated this person was angry. ¡°The fighter jets are to force Mr. He¡¯s car to stop. If they don¡¯t obey, open fire.¡± The corners of Admiral Laris¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly. He didn¡¯t believe that He Zhichu would dare to engage with the official US military directly. Laris knew about He Zhichu¡¯s supetive position in the US military world. Not only did he know about it, but he had also put in much effort in an attempt to further his personal rtionship with He Zhichu. He even used his own identity as a fellow Asian in an attempt to get closer to He Zhichu. He didn¡¯t expect He Zhichu to refuse to have any private contact with him at all and to ignore all his gestures of goodwill like he didn¡¯t exist at all. Laris had longbeled He Zhichu as ¡°untouchable.¡± Laris had long seen He Zhichu as an eyesore.

    ...

    Not long after He Zhichu and Little A¡¯s vehicle fleet left, the pilots of the ckhawk armored helicopters in charge of securing the back end noticed something was wrong and quickly called out to the others, ¡°The fighter jets from the Air Force Base are chasing us down again! They insist we stop! They are beginning to give warnings, count down...They¡¯ll open fire if we don¡¯t stop...¡±

    The veins on He Zhichu¡¯s forehead bulged when he heard this, so he immediately took over themand from Little A and said calmly, ¡°Then you open fire first! What are you waiting for?¡±

    ¡°Roger, Mr. He!¡± The pilot received themand and immediately turned on the airborne radar to lock on the fighter jet from the Air Force base and pressed the button. A grenade on the armored helicopter whistled out and flew directly at the other F-22 Raptor. The pilot in the other vehicle was shocked, and because the distance was so short, he didn¡¯t even have time to navigate the fighter jet away from danger. He made the quick decision to press the emergency button to eject himself and make an emergency parachutending to save himself. One F-22 Raptor, which was known as ¡°king of the skies¡± and had absolute airspace superiority, began to emit ck smoke just like that. It hovered in the air before it crashed directly in the mountains near Little Rock. The huge fire quickly grew, and all that remained of the entire fighter jet were the brackets.

    Admiral Laris received the news and was so furious he knocked the zen coffee table in front of him. The water and orchids on the coffee table instantly tumbled onto the floorboards.

    ¡°Mr. Admiral, are we to continue pursuit?¡± The head of the Ovi Air Force Base looked ufortable by now. Their base had a limited number of fighter jets, and now that they randomly had lost one, how was he supposed to write his report?

    ¡°Pursue them! Continue pursuing them for me! I¡¯ll go there myself.¡± Admiral Laris hadpletely lost face now. He didn¡¯t expect He Zhichu not to reserve any respect at all for him, so the grief in his heart had umted to a critical point, and he was starting to act without regard.

    ¡°Admiral Laris, the Joint Chiefs of Staff are calling and asking for you to release Mr. He.¡± His subordinate brought the expedited top-secret telegram over and leaned in his ear to whisper.

    ¡°I have my own judgment. I¡¯ll go exin to the Joint Chiefs of Staff myself.¡± Laris stood up grimly and strode outside. He got into his vehicle andmanded, ¡°Pursue He Zhichu¡¯s car up ahead.¡± Admiral Laris¡¯s vehicle fleet immediately went ahead at full speed and pursued in the direction of He Zhichu and Little A¡¯s men.

    He Zhichu and his men also used the maximum horsepower and highest speed on the road, but Laris was able to use even more resources. When He Zhichu and his men reached a checkpoint at a highway toll station, they were stopped. ¡°Mr. He, should we crash through it?¡± Little A asked He Zhichu quietly while he discreetly studied the structure of the toll station to find a ce to break through it.

    He Zhichu looked at the time. There was only an hour before they would reach Salt Lake City International Airport. He shook his head and continued to rest his hand on the maic storm grenade gun, ¡°Then we¡¯ll just wait. Admiral Laris has determined that I¡¯m a ¡®terrorist,¡¯ so I must give him a statement.¡±

    Ten minutester, Admiral Laris¡¯s car fleet arrived at the checkpoint. He Zhichu sat in the car withouting out and merely lowered his car window to nod at Admiral Laris, who was standing not far outside the car, ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Admiral Laris.¡±

    Admiral Laris saw He Zhichu¡¯s arrogant attitude of not evening out of the car, so the anger in his heart was like a pot of boiling water on the verge of explosion. ¡°Mr. He, why are you running if you have a clear conscience?¡± Admiral Laris couldn¡¯t even keep a calm look on his face anymore as he walked two steps forward and spread his palms. ¡°Or do I need to personally ask you before you¡¯de out of the car?¡±

    ¡°Admiral Laris, I¡¯m awyer. Lawyers act based on ¡®presumption of innocence.¡¯ If you want to think that I¡¯m the ¡®terrorist¡¯ who attacked your vehicle fleet, then please provide the evidence. You think this the era of the great Japanese Empire, where you can mindlessly arrest and kill people without any real evidence? That yourmands are thew?¡± He Zhichu sneered, calmly looking away from Admiral Laris.

    ¡°This is a military control period! Mr. He, you are awyer, so you must know what ¡®military control¡¯ means?¡± Admiral Laris lost his escape route with He Zhichu¡¯s sarcastic remark. As a Japanese American, his loyalty to the United States was most often questioned. He believed he was loyal to the United States, but loyalty to the United States and servicing the interests of Japan were not contradictory to him. In his heart, the United States and Japan were allies, so the interests of the United States were the interests of Japan. By the same token, the interests of Japan were also the interests of the United States.

    ¡°Ha, ha, Admiral Laris¡ªit¡¯s good enough for you to work hard in your promising job as a navy admiral. Don¡¯t attempt to argue aboutws, or about what ¡®military control¡¯ is with awyer.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s face turned stony. ¡°I already have authorization from the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, so I¡¯m sure that you received themand as well. Your continuous vition ofmands is not like that of a soldier¡¯s actions at all.¡±

    ¡°By the same token, whether I¡¯m a soldier or not is not up to you to question.¡± Admiral Laris waved his hand. ¡°Everyone get out of the car! Take them away!¡± Behind him, over a hundred US soldiers wearing bvas covering their faces and carrying guns began to swarm. The checkpoint at the toll booth was suddenly in great shock, and the ordinary citizens waiting to pass through the checkpoint were so scared they came out of their cars to personally witness this scene. They also couldn¡¯t determine who the Admiral referred to, if it was all the people there or the people in front of his fleet. The current situation was that all the ordinary civilians got out of their car, yet none of He Zhichu and his men got out of theirs. Because the men didn¡¯t listen to Laris¡¯smands, they only obeyed He Zhichu and Little A¡¯smands.

    ¡°You want to disobey orders?¡± Admiral Laris strode toward He Zhichu¡¯s car.

    ¡°Stand right there.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold and aloof voice drifted nonchntly from the car. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three, and if you still don¡¯t stop, I¡¯ll shoot.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d dare? You¡¯re on American soil! You¡¯d dare to kill a navy admiral in front of all these people?¡± Viciousness shed across Admiral Laris¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t take threats, and his blood vessels filled with the noble blood of the great Japanese Empire. He wouldn¡¯t bow his head to this person!

    ¡°One.¡± He Zhichu aimed his maic storm grenade gun and moved his eye closer to the scope.

    ¡°I¡¯ming over. Go on and shoot!¡±

    ¡°Two.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s finger rested on the bolt, and a small red dot suddenly appeared on Admiral Laris¡¯s heart. Admiral Laris felt a wave of dull pain in his chest like someone had hit him with arge hammer. It was so painful he nearly couldn¡¯t catch his breath.

    <h4>Comments (7)</h4>

    VIEW ALL COMMENTSRate this chapterVote with Power Stone<h4>Chapter 838: Ulterior Motives</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Admiral Laris stopped in his tracks, clutching his chest and bending over painfully. His subordinate ran over to support him. ¡°Mr. Admiral, could you have already been shot? He didn¡¯t count to three yet...¡±

    Admiral Laris only had one thought on his mind right now¡ªHe Zhichu meant what he said: he would shoot at him. The moment he looked down, he already saw that the other man¡¯s scope had targeted a little red dot onto his heart! Laris didn¡¯t know what kind of weapon He Zhichu used so that merely locking on the target enabled exertion of immense pressure. He felt like his heart had suddenly jumped to a strangely quick rate, and his blood vessels were about to burst. He didn¡¯t dare move another step, so he allowed his subordinates to carry him off just like that.

    He Zhichu put away his gun and called out, ¡°Admiral Laris understands the time and situation, so I won¡¯t trouble you either. Goodbye.¡± He angled his chin at Little A. ¡°Start the car. Have the toll booth let us through.¡± The personnel working at the highway toll booth were scared silly, so they did whatever Little A¡¯s men asked them to do. They were terrified that these men would raise their guns to shoot as soon as they became unhappy. He Zhichu¡¯s vehicle fleet passed the checkpoint at the highway toll booth to quickly speed toward Salt Lake City International Airport. Admiral Laris slumped inside the car. Although his chest no longer hurt, he had been slighted by He Zhichu so he might as well continue to be ¡°in pain.¡±

    ...

    When Little A¡¯s vehicle fleet had taken He Zhichu and Ye Xuan to Salt Lake City International Airport one hourter, He Zhichu received news that Navy Admiral Laris suddenly had a heart attack and was immediately rushed to the Johns Hopkins Hospital near Washington for treatment. He snickered and shook his head at Little A. ¡°This Admiral Laris sure is full of drama. You should be more careful. This man is incredibly petty.¡±

    Little A waved dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m the one escorting you.¡± Little A never revealed his face from beginning to end, so only his subordinates had faced the people from Admiral Laris¡¯s side.

    He Zhichu thought Little A was too careless. He gave him a sidelong nce and replied dryly, ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you can be a mercenary. With your behavior, you should¡¯ve died a hundred and eighty times by now.¡±

    ¡°Haha! Mr. He doesn¡¯t need to be concerned about that.¡± Little A snapped his fingers. ¡°Mr. He, you¡¯d better get on the ne.¡± He wanted He Zhichu to leave as early as possible. The truth was, he was also secretly anxious because he never expected He Zhichu to face off against Naval Admiral Laris. Although He Zhichu treated it as nothing, Little A couldn¡¯t do the same. He still needed to work in the United States, so he couldn¡¯t afford to offend these big bosses. He Zhichu didn¡¯t make things difficult for Little A and only turned around to speak briefly to Ye Xuan before taking him to the airport security area. Ye Xuan¡¯s passport and visa had been confiscated by the courts before, and they had been returned to him upon his acquittal. Thus Ye Xuan didn¡¯t have any other items but carried things on him like his passport and visa. With the connections from the Whitewater Security Company, He Zhichu and Ye Xuan were able to get through security and arrive before their private jet. He had coordinated the take-off time and flight n with the airport air traffic control long before. They had rushed to the airport at any cost and even offended Naval Admiral Laris because they needed to make it for the coordinated time. If they missed this time, then they couldn¡¯t take off until 12 hourster. Also, the longer they stayed in the United States, the longer the nightmare would continue. ¡°Little A, thank you this time around.¡± He Zhichu made an exception by shaking hands with Little A. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this gun for you.¡± He gifted the maic storm grenade gun to Little A.

    Little A quickly pushed it back and said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to use this high spec version and can¡¯t afford to ept it either. It¡¯s fine if you maybe give me a low spec version.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°I already took out the chip inside and destroyed it, so now this gun is a low spec version and no longer has maic storm and signal blocking functions. It¡¯s only a normal grenade gun, but it is a bit stronger than the grenade guns in the US military¡¯sboratory.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s that amazing?¡± Little A was ecstatic and cheerfully epted the gun from He Zhichu¡¯s hand then put it in the box. He kept standing in the air traffic control building of the airport until he witnessed He Zhichu¡¯s private jet taking off before leaving Salt Lake City International Airport and going back to report for duty.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t slept well for the past two days. She often dreamt of gory images, so her heart kept pounding. She finally sighed in relief when she received the text from He Zhichu. Although the United States had not reported any ¡°major news¡± from their side, Gu Nianzhi still had been keeping her eye on news from Salt Lake City the entire time. From her attention on Twitter and Facebook, she learned that there was a smallmotion in Salt Lake City two days ago. Those people had posted only a few pictures and said that the vehicle fleet of the naval Admiral Laris who had been visiting Salt Lake City¡¯s Air Force base had been attacked. They then admonished the terrorists. There were a scant number of people who reposted this, and the major American media such as ABC, CBS, NBC, as well as CNN and Fox hadn¡¯t reported any of it. After carefully analyzing the few photos, Gu Nianzhi determined that they were real and that mainstream media hadn¡¯t reported because it might have been ¡°harmonized and censored¡± by relevant parties. Right¡ªthere were also such things as ¡°harmonizing and censorship¡± in American media as well.

    Gu Nianzhi mulled over this piece of news for a long time before finally thinking that this ¡°terrorist attack¡± should have nothing to do with Ye Xuan and He Zhichu. However, a naval admiral going to the Air Force base of an ind state still made her feel a bit strange. Gu Nianzhi suddenly became curious so she looked up the biography of this Admiral Laris. The results shocked her¡ªthis person was a Japanese American and currently led the entire US Pacific fleet. Not long ago, he had started many disputes in the South China Sea and gave much trouble to the Huaxia Empire. At dinnertime, Gu Nianzhi mentioned this person to Ma Qiqi and evenmented, ¡°Americans are pretty insidious. Look at them using this admiral to create rifts in the South China Sea. It kinda sounds like they¡¯re ¡®using barbarians to subdue barbarians.¡¯¡±

    Ma Qiqi took a casual look but wasn¡¯t very interested. She frowned as she pulled out food from the bowl and put the chopsticks in her mouth to mumble vaguely, ¡°Who cares about him? He didn¡¯t get to curry favor anyway. What are you doing, searching about an American Naval admiral all of a sudden?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tasted a piece of sweet-and-sour spareribs she had picked from the te with her chopsticks, ¡°Do you think I like to search him? I did this because I was paying attention to my case and identally looked him up. He went to Salt Lake City all of a sudden; tell me if that¡¯s strange? For a naval admiral to go off and inspect an Air Force base, it¡¯s practically writing the tant words ¡®ulterior motives¡¯ right on his forehead!¡±

    Ma Qiqi giggled from her words and put down her chopsticks to drink a bit of water, ¡°Ok, so what about Professor He and his men? Did theye back yet?¡±

    Just as Gu Nianzhi was about to shake her head, she heard her phone chime once. A smile bloomed on her cheeks as she read the text. ¡°¡®Qiqi, your orders are strictly enforced, once given!¡¯ Professor He and Ye Xuan arrived at the Imperial Capital International Airport!¡±

 Chapter 838 - Ulterior Motives

    <h4>Chapter 838: Ulterior Motives</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Admiral Laris stopped in his tracks, clutching his chest and bending over painfully. His subordinate ran over to support him. ¡°Mr. Admiral, could you have already been shot? He didn¡¯t count to three yet...¡±

    Admiral Laris only had one thought on his mind right now¡ªHe Zhichu meant what he said: he would shoot at him. The moment he looked down, he already saw that the other man¡¯s scope had targeted a little red dot onto his heart! Laris didn¡¯t know what kind of weapon He Zhichu used so that merely locking on the target enabled exertion of immense pressure. He felt like his heart had suddenly jumped to a strangely quick rate, and his blood vessels were about to burst. He didn¡¯t dare move another step, so he allowed his subordinates to carry him off just like that.

    He Zhichu put away his gun and called out, ¡°Admiral Laris understands the time and situation, so I won¡¯t trouble you either. Goodbye.¡± He angled his chin at Little A. ¡°Start the car. Have the toll booth let us through.¡± The personnel working at the highway toll booth were scared silly, so they did whatever Little A¡¯s men asked them to do. They were terrified that these men would raise their guns to shoot as soon as they became unhappy. He Zhichu¡¯s vehicle fleet passed the checkpoint at the highway toll booth to quickly speed toward Salt Lake City International Airport. Admiral Laris slumped inside the car. Although his chest no longer hurt, he had been slighted by He Zhichu so he might as well continue to be ¡°in pain.¡±

    ...

    When Little A¡¯s vehicle fleet had taken He Zhichu and Ye Xuan to Salt Lake City International Airport one hourter, He Zhichu received news that Navy Admiral Laris suddenly had a heart attack and was immediately rushed to the Johns Hopkins Hospital near Washington for treatment. He snickered and shook his head at Little A. ¡°This Admiral Laris sure is full of drama. You should be more careful. This man is incredibly petty.¡±

    Little A waved dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m the one escorting you.¡± Little A never revealed his face from beginning to end, so only his subordinates had faced the people from Admiral Laris¡¯s side.

    He Zhichu thought Little A was too careless. He gave him a sidelong nce and replied dryly, ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you can be a mercenary. With your behavior, you should¡¯ve died a hundred and eighty times by now.¡±

    ¡°Haha! Mr. He doesn¡¯t need to be concerned about that.¡± Little A snapped his fingers. ¡°Mr. He, you¡¯d better get on the ne.¡± He wanted He Zhichu to leave as early as possible. The truth was, he was also secretly anxious because he never expected He Zhichu to face off against Naval Admiral Laris. Although He Zhichu treated it as nothing, Little A couldn¡¯t do the same. He still needed to work in the United States, so he couldn¡¯t afford to offend these big bosses. He Zhichu didn¡¯t make things difficult for Little A and only turned around to speak briefly to Ye Xuan before taking him to the airport security area. Ye Xuan¡¯s passport and visa had been confiscated by the courts before, and they had been returned to him upon his acquittal. Thus Ye Xuan didn¡¯t have any other items but carried things on him like his passport and visa. With the connections from the Whitewater Security Company, He Zhichu and Ye Xuan were able to get through security and arrive before their private jet. He had coordinated the take-off time and flight n with the airport air traffic control long before. They had rushed to the airport at any cost and even offended Naval Admiral Laris because they needed to make it for the coordinated time. If they missed this time, then they couldn¡¯t take off until 12 hourster. Also, the longer they stayed in the United States, the longer the nightmare would continue. ¡°Little A, thank you this time around.¡± He Zhichu made an exception by shaking hands with Little A. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this gun for you.¡± He gifted the maic storm grenade gun to Little A.

    Little A quickly pushed it back and said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to use this high spec version and can¡¯t afford to ept it either. It¡¯s fine if you maybe give me a low spec version.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°I already took out the chip inside and destroyed it, so now this gun is a low spec version and no longer has maic storm and signal blocking functions. It¡¯s only a normal grenade gun, but it is a bit stronger than the grenade guns in the US military¡¯sboratory.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s that amazing?¡± Little A was ecstatic and cheerfully epted the gun from He Zhichu¡¯s hand then put it in the box. He kept standing in the air traffic control building of the airport until he witnessed He Zhichu¡¯s private jet taking off before leaving Salt Lake City International Airport and going back to report for duty.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t slept well for the past two days. She often dreamt of gory images, so her heart kept pounding. She finally sighed in relief when she received the text from He Zhichu. Although the United States had not reported any ¡°major news¡± from their side, Gu Nianzhi still had been keeping her eye on news from Salt Lake City the entire time. From her attention on Twitter and Facebook, she learned that there was a smallmotion in Salt Lake City two days ago. Those people had posted only a few pictures and said that the vehicle fleet of the naval Admiral Laris who had been visiting Salt Lake City¡¯s Air Force base had been attacked. They then admonished the terrorists. There were a scant number of people who reposted this, and the major American media such as ABC, CBS, NBC, as well as CNN and Fox hadn¡¯t reported any of it. After carefully analyzing the few photos, Gu Nianzhi determined that they were real and that mainstream media hadn¡¯t reported because it might have been ¡°harmonized and censored¡± by relevant parties. Right¡ªthere were also such things as ¡°harmonizing and censorship¡± in American media as well.

    Gu Nianzhi mulled over this piece of news for a long time before finally thinking that this ¡°terrorist attack¡± should have nothing to do with Ye Xuan and He Zhichu. However, a naval admiral going to the Air Force base of an ind state still made her feel a bit strange. Gu Nianzhi suddenly became curious so she looked up the biography of this Admiral Laris. The results shocked her¡ªthis person was a Japanese American and currently led the entire US Pacific fleet. Not long ago, he had started many disputes in the South China Sea and gave much trouble to the Huaxia Empire. At dinnertime, Gu Nianzhi mentioned this person to Ma Qiqi and evenmented, ¡°Americans are pretty insidious. Look at them using this admiral to create rifts in the South China Sea. It kinda sounds like they¡¯re ¡®using barbarians to subdue barbarians.¡¯¡±

    Ma Qiqi took a casual look but wasn¡¯t very interested. She frowned as she pulled out food from the bowl and put the chopsticks in her mouth to mumble vaguely, ¡°Who cares about him? He didn¡¯t get to curry favor anyway. What are you doing, searching about an American Naval admiral all of a sudden?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tasted a piece of sweet-and-sour spareribs she had picked from the te with her chopsticks, ¡°Do you think I like to search him? I did this because I was paying attention to my case and identally looked him up. He went to Salt Lake City all of a sudden; tell me if that¡¯s strange? For a naval admiral to go off and inspect an Air Force base, it¡¯s practically writing the tant words ¡®ulterior motives¡¯ right on his forehead!¡±

    Ma Qiqi giggled from her words and put down her chopsticks to drink a bit of water, ¡°Ok, so what about Professor He and his men? Did theye back yet?¡±

    Just as Gu Nianzhi was about to shake her head, she heard her phone chime once. A smile bloomed on her cheeks as she read the text. ¡°¡®Qiqi, your orders are strictly enforced, once given!¡¯ Professor He and Ye Xuan arrived at the Imperial Capital International Airport!¡±

 Chapter 839 - Ingratiate Oneself

    <h4>Chapter 839: Ingratiate Oneself</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°They came back?¡± Ma Qiqi beamed happily as she tapped her chopsticks on the bowl. ¡°They¡¯re back! They¡¯re back! Let¡¯s see how Gu Yanran will try to weasel her way out of this!¡±

    It could be said that Ye Xuan knew all of Gu Yanran¡¯s secrets.

    Gu Niaznhi smiled. Although she was feeling very happy, she still deliberately pretended to be haughty. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that they coulde back safely. Everything else is up to destiny.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Why are you pretending in front of me? You¡¯re doing this on purpose, right?¡± Ma Qiqiughed and stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°Let me see if your nose is growing!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one with a long nose!¡± Gu Nianzhi had wanted to joke around with Ma Qiqi in the first ce, so she felt extremely happy to begin bantering with her.

    However the two girls only bantered for a little bit before Gu Nianzhi stopped and said, ¡°I have to go to Professor He¡¯s and wait for them to return.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t wait to see Ye Xuan safe and sound, as well as glean first-hand information.

    He Zhichu lived in the B University professor¡¯s building. He had brought Ye Xuan back this time and had him stay with him since he was worried about his safety.

    Ma Qiqi quickly let go of her hand. ¡°You¡¯re going alone? It¡¯s already dark out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s on campus anyway. Why would you worry about safety?¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she went back to her room to wash up and get changed.

    Ma Qiqi thought about it for a while, then discreetly sent Yin Shixiong a text: ¡°Professor He brought Ye Xuan back. Nianzhi is going to see them.¡±

    ...

    At that moment in the small conference room inside the Special Operations Forces headquarters base, Huo Shaoheng, General Ji, Yin Shixiong, as well as Zhao Liangze and several other people were listening to the Special Ops field personnel from the United States recount Ye Xuan¡¯s recent incident.

    These field personnel had witnessed theplete course of He Zhichu¡¯s actions. That included how He Zhichu and Ye Xuan were hunted down by Admiral Laris under the excuse of ¡°terrorist attack.¡± He had been secretly observing them the entire time.

    Aside from not knowing what had happened when He Zhichu and Ye Xuan had stayed in the mountains overnight, he personally witnessed He Zhichu subsequently leverage the power of Whitewater Security Company to go against Admiral Laris. He was even able to record the entire incident with a pinhole camera.

    After Huo Shaoheng listened to his summary, he called General Ji over to listen to the detailed report as well. They were using the Nandou Satellite¡¯s encrypted channel to undergo a video conference so there was no need to worry about eavesdropping.

    General Ji listened very intently and also carefully studied the self-recorded video that the personnel yed. General Ji¡¯s expression darkened as soon as he saw the Admiral Laris, the Japanese-Americanmander of the Pacific Fleet, appear.

    He was all too familiar with this person¡ªLaris had continuously created trouble for the Huaxia Empire in South China Sea conflicts. Laris was so arrogant that he even disregarded the American President¡¯s orders. He basically only viewed Japanese interests as the most important. The Pacific Fleet might as well have been considered a Japanese fleet instead of an American one.

    ¡°This Laris truly went too far.¡± General Ji mmed the desk hard before narrowing his eyes at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, have your forces collected information about this person?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded distractedly. His eyes were not on Laris, butpletely focused on the strange-looking gun that He Zhichu wielded.

    ¡°Then do you have any procedures? How can you allow this bastard to abuse powers he doesn¡¯t even have?¡±

    Although it was now a time of peace, and rtions between the Huxia Empire and Japan had normalized¡ªmost Huaxia people hadn¡¯t forgotten that period of humiliating and bloody history. Some said that people who liked war were brainless, while people who forgot historycked a conscience.

    Japan was the country that the entire Huaxia Empire was most vignt against. Also, Japan had never relinquished their ambitions towards the Huaxia Empire. Even though they had already lost the war, the hearts of the Japanese right-wingers would never admit that they lost to the Huaxia Empire. They only epted that they lost to the United States and their atomic bombs.

    Huo Shaoheng collected himself, his handsome eyes shing briefly and his expression calm as his fingers gently tapped on the conference table. He shut down the video conference, then asked Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong to stand guard outside.

    Huo Shaoheng and General Ji were the only two people left in the entire conference room, so he said quietly, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, General Ji. We¡¯ve already cast our out. The intelligence gathered by the Whitewater Security Company was actually leaked by our personnel.¡±

    Thergest shareholder of Whitewater Security Company was former Vice-President Nice, but now that he had already stepped down from office, his influence in the government was waning day by day. Oftentimes, he couldn¡¯t be the first to receive the most confidential intelligence.

    At a time like this, the field personnel Huo Shaoheng stationed in North America came in handy. They tried their best to avoid direct involvement and that way, they could still retain a convoluted line of defense even if something went wrong.

    Thanks to the Huaxia Imperial Special Operations Forces field personnel leaking intelligence, Little A had been able to know at once that the Japanese-American four-star Admiral Laris was the one who would be visiting the Ovi Air Force Base in Little Rock.

    General Ji nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Good! Well done! That¡¯s the way to do it! It¡¯s good to make him go against his superior. The best result would be to achieve our own goals without any bloodshed from our soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Huo Shaoheng inclined his chin slightly. ¡°Our field personnel are very attentive and work very hard, so their work is excellent and effective. It can be said that the damage caused by the traitorst time has now been made up for.¡±

    General Ji knew that he was referring to Bai Yusheng of the Bai family. He had once been the Deputy Minister of the Secret Service and handled the work in North America. That person had betrayed his nation and fled to the United States, causing devastating damage to the first line of the Huaxia Imperial Forces in the United States.

    Fortunately, Huo Shaoheng responded strongly and after a two-year period of restructuring, the newwork had been established. For the sake of confidentiality, the domestic agencies also strengthened mutual supervision, as well as checks and bnces in order to prevent a simr incident from urring.

    ¡°Shaoheng, I have confidence in your work. Your focus should be ced on Laris. We can¡¯t sit idly by and watch someone like thatmand the US Pacific Fleet!¡± General Ji was very wary of him since the Huaxia Imperial Navy was the weakest amongst its three military forces. Although they had greatly improved, they were still far toocking whenpared to long-established, powerful naval countries like the United States.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had a different opinion. He deliberately ended the video call so he could tell General Ji his thoughts. ¡°I think that whether Laris stays or goes should be up to the US Military¡¯s decision. It¡¯s not good for us to intervene. If something goes wrong, the United States will take advantage of our weakness and use us of interfering with the internal affairs of other countries. The United States has a tendency to support whatever their enemies oppose, so when ites to Laris, we should do the opposite of what we want.¡±

    ¡°You mean that...?¡±

    ¡°I will have our personnel leakpliments for Admiral Laris¡¯ actions in the South China Sea. The more fiercely wepliment him, the less the United States will be able to stand it.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied nonchntly. He was very good at using reverse-psychology as a tactic.

    General Ji considered this for a while, then suddenlyughed loudly and mmed the desk. ¡°Good! Impressive! Okay! Compliment him for me,pliment him to death! Just say that we hope Admiral Laris will alwaysmand the Pacific Fleet, and im that his continuous appointment will strengthen the cooperation and development of biteral rtions in the South China Sea!¡±

    Huo Shoheng smiled and took notes of the key points. He also ttered General Ji in the process. ¡°General Ji stands from the higher point and sees the farthest.¡±

    General Ji clearly knew that Huo Shaoheng was ttering him, but he was in very high spirits. He thought about how their fiercepliments would cause Admiral Laris to lose all external and internal support. That thought made him so happy, he wanted nothing more than to immediately grab some wine with Huo Shaoheng!

    ...

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze stood guard outside the conference rooms.

    Neither of them spoke, but both their focus had also been on the strange-looking gun that He Zhichu wielded.

    ¡°...Little Ze, do you think it¡¯s a coincidence or not?¡± Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t help but quietly whisper to Zhao Liangze so they could discuss it. ¡°How could Professor He have that kind of gun? Did you see when the camera showed the fighter jet fall down from the sky like it was made of papier-mach¨¦?

    ¡°I saw it.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes were very gloomy. ¡°No wonder Huo Shao can¡¯t stop worrying about Nianzhi. Think about it¡ªa person like that, who clearly has such a powerful background and such superior means. Yet he gave up everything and went through all the hardships of looking for Nianzhi. Then he rushed here to guard her...¡±

    People such as them with more internal information no longer treated He Zhichu as an ordinarywyer.

    Yin Shixiong mulled after it for a while, then suddenly shivered. ¡°Nianzhi and Professor He really have some history.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. But He Zhichu has also never done anything to hurt our national interests. Quite the opposite, he is very protective of them.¡± Zhao Liangze considered it even more carefully. ¡°Did you see how he was treating Admiral Laris? That kind of distaste and disgust was not concealed at all¡ªhe had absolutely no regard for him.¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought about it over again, yet he couldn¡¯t understand it. Just as he was about to inquire further, he felt his phone vibrate. Taking it out, he saw a text from Ma Qiqi.

    ¡°...Professor He has arrived.¡± He took one nce, then suddenly widened his eyes. ¡°Nianzhi is going to Professor He¡¯s house?¡±

    Zhao Liangze rubbed his chin and said with a smile, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good news. Hurry up and tell Huo Shao, maybe you can benefit from this.¡±

    Yin Shixiong red at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Do I look like that kind of person who¡¯d profit off this news?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Of course I would.¡± Yin Shixiong suddenlyughed. He looked down at his phone to reply to Ma Qiqi¡¯s text. ¡°If I don¡¯t ingratiate myself now, then when? Hehe, it¡¯s so rare to see Huo Shao suffer a loss. I hope that this willst just a bit longer...¡±

    Before he could even finish his sentence, Zhao Liangze¡¯s face instantly turned pale. He kept giving looks to Yin Shixiong, but Yin Shixiong was still giddily replying to Ma Qiqi¡¯s text so he couldn¡¯t see the warnings.

    Behind them, the conference room door had quietly opened. Huo Shaoheng and General Ji silently stood at the doorway, and it was unknown just how much they had heard.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at them, but directly escorted General Ji out.

    He walked very quickly, his body moving like lightning and nearly creating a gust. The air harshly pped Yin Shixiong¡¯s face.

 Chapter 840 - She Deserves It?

    <h4>Chapter 840: She Deserves It?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong finally looked up in that moment. With one nce, he nearly kneeled...

    ¡°Little... Ze, Huo Shao didn¡¯t hear what I just said, right?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s legs were trembling, his face instantly losing all color and turning stark white.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Oh you. It¡¯s fine if you just think these thoughts in your head, why did you have to say it out loud? Haven¡¯t you learned your lesson from feeding pigsst time?¡±

    These words practically made Yin Shixiong hear the screeching cries of the several pigs from kitchen duty... He was so worried he wanted to scratch the wall. He didn¡¯t want to deal with those pigs again!

    Soon afterwards, Huo Shaoheng returned after escorting General Ji. He didn¡¯t say anything or look at them. He stared straight ahead as he walked past them and returned to his office.

    If Huo Shaoheng was to immediately treat Yin Shixiong coldly, punish him, or even make him feed the pigs¡ªall these alternatives would be better than just ignoring him... Although Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything at all, this was so much more pressure than even when he put Yin Shixiong on pig duty.

    Zhao Liangze grew silent and hurried back to his office to get back to work.

    Yin Shixiong stood dazed in front of the conference room for a while, then finally decided to e clean for lighter punishment, resist for heavier punishment.¡¯

    Walking to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, he shouted loudly, ¡°Reporting! Lieutenant Colonel Yin Shixiong, Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Forces, requests to see Major General Huo!¡±

    He made a point to use formal military titles. It would be hard for Huo Shaoheng to ignore him from the office.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s drifted from the office, his tone and volume perfectly even.

    Yin Shixiong rubbed his head and mustered the courage to enter. He closed the door behind him and rushed over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk, almost dropping to his knees.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I made a mistake. Please punish me!¡± Yin Shixiong watched Huo Shaoheng anxiously, nearly bursting into tears.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly raised his head from behind theputer, taking one look at him. His pitch-ck eyes carried an indescribable authority. It made Yin Shixiong¡¯s knees turn weak and he curled down towards the desk.

    ¡°What mistake did you make?¡± Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze back toputer as he continued to hammer at the keyboard.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been gloating behind your back like that... Actually I was only joking... I didn¡¯t really want it to be any longer!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly disyed his loyalty. ¡°I was also anxious because Nianzhi has been giving you a hard time! I treat her like my own little sister! I¡ª¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re treating yourself like my brother-inw? No wonder you have no respect for me.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look up as he replied calmly. There seemed nothing amiss with his tone. However, to Yin Shixiong¡¯s ears, the sarcasm was clear and made him want to dig a grave for himself.

    ¡°How would I ever dare to? If I could really be Huo Shao¡¯s brother-inw, I would wake upughing from my dreams! But unfortunately, my parents only had me, maybe I should ask them to go to the orphanage to adopt another child, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s toote or not...¡± Yin Shixiong was bbering frantically in front of Huo Shaoheng. He was deathly afraid that if Huo Shaoheng got angry, the punishment would be so severe that he¡¯d pray for a quick reincarnation.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him again. ¡°Impressive. With so little courage, you¡¯re probably not fit for our Special Operations Forces, let alone being the Deputy Chief. I think a demotion is in your future.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, please don¡¯t demote me! I¡¯ll be sure to turn over a new leaf! I¡¯ll never speak such nonsense again!¡± As Yin Shixiong spoke, he sped a hand to his mouth.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°Enough. Have some self-respect.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had worked under Huo Shaoheng for many years, so he was very familiar with his tone and way of speaking. And what Huo Shaoheng had just said meant he wouldn¡¯t punish Yin Shixiong for his mistake. Yin Shixiong secretly sighed in relief and felt he wouldn¡¯t dare offend Huo Shaoheng again. So Ma Qiqi¡¯s text was submitted like it was a treasure to the emperor, and Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t dare try to use it to ¡®ingratiate himself¡¯ again.

    Huo Shaoheng only took one nce at the text, and then his gaze froze. ¡°He Zhichu brought Ye Xuan back and they came back together?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I heard from Ma Qiqi that they¡¯d justnded at the Imperial Capital International Airport.¡± Yin Shixiong nced at Huo Shaoheng before replying carefully. ¡°Our personnel are probably still waiting at customs, so it will take some time for them to submit the report.¡±

    In other words, it wasn¡¯t as quick as He Zhichu directly notifying Gu Nianzhi, and then Ma Qiqi directly informing Yin Shixiong.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted as he continued hammering at the keyboard for a while and asked nonchntly. ¡°...Nianzhi went over to He Zhichu¡¯s ce?¡±

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t dare to tease him anymore, so he quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s what Qiqi told me. And with Nianzhi¡¯s personality, that is something she could do.¡±

    ¡°Then let her go, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. ¡°He Zhichu just returned, so it only makes sense for her to go see her instructor.¡±

    Yin Shixiong stood in stunned silence.

    ¡°However, Ye Xuan is a rather important person and is connected to several cases. How about this, you go over there as well and see what he needs help with.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had finished giving Yin Shixiong his assignment. Yet he still stood dumbfounded. Huo Shaoheng raised his head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    Yin Shixiongposed himself and immediately saluted. ¡°Roger, Chief!¡±

    As he walked out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Yin Shixiong took out his car keys.

    When he passed by Zhao Liangze¡¯s desk, Zhao Liangze chased after him in confusion. ¡°Big Xiong, what is it? Are you okay?¡±

    Yin Shixiong waved his car keys at him and didn¡¯t even look back to reply. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I have a mission.¡±

    ¡°Oh, be safe.¡± Zhao Liangze felt reassured, d that Yin Shixiong was fine.

    ...

    Gu Yanran had been in a foul mood for the past few days. She couldn¡¯t sleep and when that happened, she ate. Light cheesecakes, rich cheesecakes, tiramisu, apple pies, pumpkin pies, blueberry muffins¡ªshe didn¡¯t refuse anything. In a few short days, she had gained five pounds and clothes that used to fit her perfectly before had be too small. Because of her severe anxiety, she was too scared to even look in the mirror.

    Therefore, when that special ringtone sounded from her phone, she was shocked and nearly lunged over to grab the phone to unlock it. She was terrified that person would disappear without a trace again.

    ¡°What is it? Has Ye Xuan been disposed of?¡± Gu Yanran asked anxiously.

    The person on the other end snickered. ¡°You still want to dispose of Ye Xuan? Aren¡¯t you too optimistic?¡±

    Gu Yanran had no choice but to be firm. If she wasn¡¯t, she stood to lose everything...

    ¡°Help me this one time and I¡¯ll never look for you again. You have my word.¡± Gu Yanran forced herself to calm down. ¡°But if you don¡¯t help me, I can¡¯t guarantee that I won¡¯t ¡®identally¡¯ reveal who you are. I tend to say too much in my sleep.¡±

    There was a brief silence, then the voice returned louder than ever. ¡°You still dare to threaten me, you useless piece of trash? Why don¡¯t you go to hell! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you¡¯ve caused this time? He Zhichu personally went to the United States to bring Ye Xuan back to the Huaxia Empire! Who can win against him? I¡¯m warning you, if you dare to drag me into this mess, I promise you¡¯ll wish for death! I keep my promises. If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll send you a few photos so you can see what happens to those who cross me!¡±

    Gu Yanran stumbled backwards in fear. She frantically grabbed onto the sofa¡¯s armrest to sit down and almost couldn¡¯t hold the phone in her other hand.

    ¡°What did you say? Lawyer He personally went to the United States? When was this? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡± Gu Yanran cradled her head in her arms and felt like she was losing her mind. ¡°Why? Why is everyone against me? They all want me dead!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? You colossal moron! So you washed your hands of this and depended on me to help you? Gu Yanran, you¡¯re lower than scum! Don¡¯t even think about iming the Gu fortune! Go back while you still have time!¡±

    The mention of the fortune calmed Gu Yanran down, and she snickered. ¡°So you want to see it go to Gu Nianzhi? She¡¯s just an orphan girl, does she even deserve it!¡±

    Silence followed. It seemed the caller was contemting Gu Yanran¡¯s words. It was so quiet, Gu Yanran started to wonder if the call was just a figment of her imagination.

    As panic started to set in, Gu Yanran pped the phone. ¡°Hello? Are you still there? Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°I hear you, stop pping the phone.¡± The voice carried a tone of annoyance, which waspletely different from when they first met.

    Gu Yanran suddenly felt very unwell.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve reached this point, I can¡¯t help you anymore.¡± The caller sighed deeply. ¡± I¡¯ve treated you well these past few years. You should know by now what¡¯s good for you. This is thest time I¡¯ll warn you not to reveal our rtionship to anyone. If anyone found out, fame and fortune would be the least of your worries¡ªmerely being alive would be a luxury. You know what I¡¯m capable of, so you can certainly tell if I¡¯m threatening you or not. Think about what I¡¯ve said.¡±

    The phone call ended and the dial tone sounded from the other line. Gu Yanran continued to hold the phone as she sat nkly on the couch. She saw the sunlight filter through the windows and gather at her feet. She stared at the swirling patterns on the Indian hand-quilted wool rug, like numerous whirlpools that made her dizzy.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi carried herptop bag as she arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s building to wait for them. She had arrived early and waited a full two hours. Luckily, Yin Shixiong came as well, so he waited with her. They chatted and joked, then called Ma Qiqi over afterwards so they were ying poker in the little pavilion in front of the building.

    When it was nearly dusk, they finally saw He Zhichu¡¯s shy Maserati drive over.

 Chapter 841 - Catch Up

    <h4>Chapter 841: Catch Up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Professor He is back!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes glittered as she left Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong to greet them.

    This time, He Zhichu had a driver, so he was dropped off right in front of his building. As soon as He Zhichu looked up, he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smiling face and his thin, cruel lips curved into a happy arc. His cold expression didn¡¯t appear so indifferent anymore.

    Opening the car door to get out, he stood in front of Gu Nianzhi and replied dryly, ¡°The car hasn¡¯t been parked yet, don¡¯t be running around.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at He Zhichu, her exquisite little face illuminating as bright and beautiful as the sun. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re back! Congrattions on Professor He¡¯s great victory! When Professor He gets involved, he does the work of two people!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued pouring on the ttery. Although He Zhichu knew that she was using honeyed words to tter him, his heart still bloomed with happiness.

    ¡°You¡¯re overdoing it.¡± He Zhichu patted her head. He gestured towards the vehicle. ¡°Ye Xuan is in the car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head over and waved at Ye Xuan, who sat motionless inside the car. ¡°Wee home, Ye Xuan!¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s feelings were extremely conflicted. On the way here, He Zhichu had told him that he wouldn¡¯t havee to the United States to rescue him if not for Gu Nianzhi. It was because Gu Nianzhi had asked for his help that he decided to step in. He Zhichu asked Ye Xuan to thank not him, but Gu Nianzhi. Ye Xuan knew what he had done to Gu Nianzhi, especially when danger befell her in Germany...

    And yet, this young girl had still saved him over and over again.

    When Ye Xuan thought about this, his nose began to sniffle and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He fiercely turned his head away so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t see his watering eyes.

    Through the darkly tinted windows, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t clearly see Ye Xuan¡¯s expression. However, she was able to see his dramatic head-turn. She shrank back her hand somewhat nervously and pulled at He Zhichu¡¯s sleeve as she pouted in the direction of the car. ¡°Professor He, what¡¯s wrong with Ye Xuan? Was he injured?¡±

    He Zhichu took one nce before knocking on the car window. ¡°Come out of the car.¡±

    Ye Xuan opened the other door and came outside. Inhaling deeply, he straightened his cor and turned around to give Gu Nianzhi a smile. ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit unustomed to Ye Xuan¡¯s politeness, but she could also understand it. No one would be in a cheerful mood after being incarcerated in the United States.

    ¡°Hello, wee back.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded at him with a smile. Her eyes were like dots of pitch-ck paint, her pale face akin to a wless piece of beautiful jade. She thoroughly exuded grace and gave off energy like sunlight.

    Gu Nianzhi had changed since childhood. Before Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi had a gloomy personality and a short temper. And even after, she still disyed those traits when chatting with Ye Xuan online.

    Of course, Ye Xuan hadn¡¯t drifted from her because of her temper. He was infinitely patient with those he cared about. Once, he had even been like that to Gu Yanran.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back. Thank you for saving me once again.¡± Ye Xuan walked over and extended his hand out to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let me rest for a night and I¡¯ll tell you everything tomorrow.¡±

    In that moment, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes seemed to light up like the stars in the sky. However, she suppressed the happiness in her heart and was purposely polite. ¡°How could that be right? You should rest for two days...¡±

    From the side, He Zhichu shook his head with a smile. Grabbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder with one hand, he said, ¡°Come on, we should go upstairs first. What are we doing here?¡±

    His hand slid down until he held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and pulled her towards the main lobby of the professors¡¯ building.

    Ye Xuan stared at their interlocking hands for a while before starting to follow them.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi had been observing the entire time in silence¡ªthey didn¡¯t even dare to breathe too loudly. After the three of them left, they finally followed.

    Yin Shixiong called after them. ¡°Professor He? On behalf of Huo Shao, I¡¯d like to wee you back!¡±

    He Zhichu had long noticed Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi standing there. But they didn¡¯t speak, so he ignored them. Now that Yin Shixiong finally spoke, it was something He Zhichu didn¡¯t like hearing. He continued to ignore them and squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly as they quickly walked to the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi was ovee with joy, so shepletely failed to notice how inappropriate it was for He Zhichu to hold her hand like that. She was too busy studying He Zhichu¡¯s face and trying to discern if he had suffered any injuries in the United States. ¡°Professor He, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He Zhichu nced at her briefly. ¡°Why, do you want something to happen to me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°Of course not. But I saw the news from Little Rock, it looked like something serious happened. I was worried...¡±

    ¡°Worried about what?¡± He Zhichu replied nonchntly.

    The pair entered the elevator and stood at the rear. He Zhichu quickly nced at Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi, who had walked into the elevator like they knew this ce and stood facing the mirrored doors. Standing between the two pairs was Ye Xuan.

    Gu Nianzhi said quietly, ¡°...I was worried you were injured.¡±

    Lifting He Zhichu¡¯s hand, she studied it carefully to find it didn¡¯t look like anything was wrong. She twisted her hand away.

    However He Zhichu grabbed her hand even tighter and replied dryly, ¡°Don¡¯t squeeze so hard. I twisted my arm and strained the muscles in my shoulder, as well as my leg.¡±

    Ye Xuan said nothing. He was blushing a bit so he could only look up at the ceiling. He never expected the stern Mr. He to lie so easily.

    However, Gu Nianzhi got nervous as soon as she heard this. ¡°Really? I assumed that it wasn¡¯t very peaceful over there.¡± She quickly rxed her grip and stopped struggling. She carefully squeezed He Zhichu¡¯s elbow. ¡°Where was it twisted? Do you need an orthopedist?¡±

    In the mirrored door, Yin Shixiong could see He Zhichu¡¯s movements. He¡¯d also heard the professor¡¯s words, and he couldn¡¯t help snorting. ¡°I happen to know something about orthopedics. Professor He, do you need my assistance?¡±

    He Zhichu cooly met Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes in the mirror. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m worried you might make it worse.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw Yin Shixiong and recalled how Yin Shixiong had said earlier that he was ¡°representing Huo Shao.¡± Her mood had somehow calmed. When the doors opened, she allowed He Zhichu to hold her hand as they all left the elevator and walked to his suite together.

    After they entered the room, He Zhichu finally let go of her hand and faced the others. ¡°Please sit.¡± He then turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Prepare coffee and snacks for the guests, I¡¯m going to get changed.¡± He went to his bedroom as if there was no one else there.

    Gu Nianzhi frequently came to He Zhichu¡¯s suite to attend sses, so she was also ustomed to making coffee for everyone and quickly agreed. ¡°Okay!¡±

    She turned to the guests. ¡°What kind of coffee do you want? There¡¯s cappino,tte, ck, or I can make milk tea.¡±

    Ma Qiqi immediately said, ¡°I want a cappino, but I¡¯ll give you a hand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Qiqi.¡± Her beautiful eyes looked towards Yin Shixiong and Ye Xuan. ¡°What about you guys?¡±

    ¡°ck coffee, no milk or sugar,¡± Yin Shixiong said.

    Ye Xuan had just gotten off a long flight, so he didn¡¯t want coffee. ¡°Do you have green tea?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make you one.¡±

    The women went to kitchen, where Gu Nianzhi quickly found the coffee, milk packs, and tea leaves. She began the preparations. Ma Qiqi helped by grinding coffee beans.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you make coffee here a lot?¡± Ma Qiqi quietly asked as they worked. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s familiarity with this ce made her look like thedy of the house.

    Of course, He Zhichu¡¯s tone with Gu Nianzhi just now had also been intimate and without any regard for others. There was a frightening tacit understanding as well as a hint of something deeper.

    Ma Qiqi looked at Gu Nianzhi with concern as she recalled the quiet Huo Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯t help sighing. The two girls looked down as they worked. Soon afterwards, they heard the doorbell followed by the sound of the door opening. Someone had arrived.

    After changing, He Zhichu emerged to find Huo Shaoheng standing in the living room of his suite.

 Chapter 842 - Lurking Forces (I)

    <h4>Chapter 842: Lurking Forces (I)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the middle of the living room of He Zhichu¡¯s suite. His face shifted slightly to scan the entire room. Yin Shixiong stood behind him and had just shut the door when he saw He Zhichu emerge from the hallway leading to the bedroom.

    He had changed into casual khaki pants and a smoke-grey pinstripe top with a short, stand-up cor. The cor was slightly open to reveal a hint of his exquisite corbones. He appeared handsome and solemn, and moved with boldness. He had just washed his face, so his hairline was a bit wet. His expression was his typically aloof and expressionless one, but when he saw Gu Nianzhie from the kitchen, carrying coffee, his eyes instantly sparkled and his color seemed to change.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up to discover He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng standing face-to-face in the middle of the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng wore a general¡¯s uniform consisting of navy-blue, straight-legged military pants and a brown military jacket, both made of wool. The jacket had t, smallpels that were sharp as knives. The white shirt beneath was tightly fastened to the very top button, which happened to be just under his Adam¡¯s apple.

    He stood straight in the middle of the living room like that¡ªtall and impressive, handsome and strapping. His deep-set and handsome face was not as ice-cold as He Zhichu¡¯s, but it wasn¡¯t passionate or lively either. He had his typical calm and confident aura of a great general.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what brings Mr. Major General Huo here today, though it¡¯s my greatest honor to have Major General Huo visit my humble abode.¡± He Zhichu inclined his chin slightly out of respect, then turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What are you standing there for? Serve the coffee and snacks for the guests.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and bent down as she carried the serving tray. She set the ck coffee and a muffin on the coffee table for Yin Shixiong. She gave a cappino and a honey cake to Ma Qiqi, a cup of green tea paired with a few mochi cakes with matcha filling to Ye Xuan, and finally made herself a cup of milk tea. Huo Shaoheng had arrivedter, so she wasn¡¯t able to prepare any drink for him. Gu Nianzhi looked up at him.

    Huo Shaoheng put both hands in his trouser pockets as he nodded to He Zhichu and said, ¡°Big Xiong never returned after leaving, so I wasn¡¯t sure what had happened to him and was worried about his safety. I came here to take a look.¡±

    1Yin Shixiong was so mortified he wanted to bury himelf. Huo Shao cared for his humble subordinate so much, yet the humble subordinate couldn¡¯t handle it. However, even if Yin Shixiong was given a hundred times more courage than he had, he would still never dare risk disrespecting Huo Shaoheng again. He had no choice but to appear cooperative and hung his head as he walked up to Huo Shaoheng to apologize.

    ¡°Huo Shao, it was my fault. I lost track of time while I ying cards with Qiqi and Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t do it again.¡± Then he turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t drink milk tea at night, it¡¯ll make it difficult to sleep.¡± He then asked her, ¡°Did you have dinner yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for He Zhichu and Ye Xuan all afternoon, but hadn¡¯t felt hungry because she was so excited. However, now that the excitement had passed, she was a bit hungry. She nced at He Zhichu briefly. ¡°Professor He, do you want to go out for dinner?¡±

    Before He Zhichu could even reply, Huo Shaoheng immediately said, ¡°So you haven¡¯t had dinner yet. How about this, I¡¯ll treat Professor He and Ye Xuan to dinner. What do you think?¡± He then said, ¡°Big Xiong and Qiqi, are you guys free?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m free, I¡¯m free.¡± Ma Qiqi enjoyed watching the drama from the sidelines, so why would she reject this great opportunity? She instantly nodded her head in agreement.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to object, so he sadly red at Ma Qiqi. His girl only knew how to get him in trouble.

    1Ma Qiqi pretended not to see him and pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Nianzhi, what about you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head was hurting a bit and she had things to ask Ye Xuan about, so she didn¡¯t want to go out for dinner.

    He Zhichu looked at her expression and understood right away. ¡°I can call and order delivery. If Huo Shao doesn¡¯t mind, you can have dinner here with us.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smoothly sat down and reached out to pull Gu Nianzhi to sit at his side. ¡°Since Professor He is treating, I¡¯ll oblige.¡± He quickly turned the tables and yed the host as he invited Yin Shixiong, Ma Qiqi and Ye Xuan. ¡°Please sit, what are you standing there for? Professor He is going to order food right away.¡± As he spoke, he even gestured at He Zhichu to go order food.

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips turned down¡ªhe was so angry that his body was rigid as he walked into the bedroom. Picking up the phone, he called a five-star restaurant and ordered a set menu of seventeen courses to be delivered.

    Coming out of the bedroom, he sat down on the couch right next to Gu Nianzhi. He took the milk tea she had made for herself, then sipped. Gu Nianzhi said nothing as he helped himself to her drink.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the other side of Gu Niaznhi. His strapping figure had caused the couch cushion to sink deeply towards him when he sat. Gu Nianzhi was still attempting to stabilize her body so she didn¡¯t want to fall over like thest time. However, as soon as He Zhichu sat down, she instantly found bnce.

    Huo Shaoheng shot a cold look and ignored He Zhichu¡¯s provocative gaze. He leaned forward slightly to Ye Xuan, who sat across from him. ¡°Did I hear that something happened to Mr. Ye on this trip to the United States?¡±

    Ye Xuan was very ufortable with the way Huo Shaoheng addressed him. ¡°Just call me Ye Xuan.¡±

    This also happened to be the question that Gu Nianzhi had been waiting all afternoon to ask, so she quickly added, ¡°Ye Xuan, tell us what happened in the United States. Did you guys have something to do with the attack on Admiral Laris?¡±

    Mention of that incident sparked hatred in Ye Xuan. He was angrier than when he was treated as a suspect in the murder of the Vanderbilt family.

    ¡°...That Laris is such a bastard! Did you know he actually orchestrated the entire thing himself? First, he had someone throw a bomb at his fleet to create a panic, then used ¡®terrorism¡¯ as a pretext to begin searching for us. He even bombed the car that Mr. He and I were in! What absolute nonsense! He was clearly pulling a scam!¡± Ye Xuan was so angry, he mmed the table and nearly spilled his tea.

    Gu Nianzhi clutched one hand against her chest and exhaled sharply. ¡°He really did that? But he¡¯s a US General?! What good does that do for the United States?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a US General, but of Japanese descent,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly. He reached out to gently pat the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand to stop her emotions from getting out of control. ¡°He¡¯s made several moves in the South China Sea, all of which were damaging to long-term American interests, but beneficial towards Japanese ones.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled as she discreetly pulled her hand from under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s and said sarcastically, ¡°This is actually ¡®being loyal to one¡¯s own army while staying within the enemy¡¯s army.¡¯ Japan should present him with a ¡®Best Japanese Citizen Award.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Right, I¡¯m just not sure... how could those people mobilize someone of such a high status to deal with a nobody like me?¡± Ye Xuan shook his head and rubbed his face with residual fear. He picked up the teacup to sip from and ease his anxious emotions.

    Setting down the tea, Ye Xuan saw He Zhichu¡¯s cool expression and then put on a face of admiration. ¡°But luckily, Mr. He went there. There¡¯s no need for me to talk too much about Mr. He¡¯s impressiveness in court. I originally thought there was no need for Mr. He to get involved with a minor case like mine, but afterwards I understood why I really needed him. Mr. He was the only one capable of getting me safely out of the States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt even more interested and quickly asked, ¡°Tell me, how was Professor He impressive? I bet his court arguments were so fierce that the opposition wished for death!¡±

    ¡°As if I need to tell you!¡± Ye Xuan brushed away the bangs that had fallen down, his eyes growing animated. ¡°But I was even more impressed by Mr. He¡¯s physical ability. Niaznhi, did you know that Mr. He has incredible physical skill? I think he¡¯s even more powerful than those special forces soldiers or professional mercenaries! In the mountain valley, he jumped up from the ground and opened fire as if it were nothing!¡±

    Gu Niaznhi¡¯s alreadyrge eyes grew even bigger as she turned to He Zhichu. She stared at him from top to bottom, as if seeing him for the first time. ¡°Is that true? Professor He, when did you learn all that?¡±

    Unlike Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi had never seen He Zhichu train before. Nor did she ever see him do wilderness obstacle runs or witness his fighting skills. So when she looked at the fresh, clean, and handsome He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi had a very hard time linking him to the fierce figure as described by Ye Xuan earlier.

    He Zhichu looked down at her for a while before suddenly leaning in her ear to whisper quietly, ¡°..You want to see me shoot?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes nearly burst with admiration.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly, reaching out to hold the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck and turning her neck to face Ye Xuan. ¡°He hasn¡¯t finished speaking. You shouldn¡¯t be so rude.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened as he reached out to remove Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. He replied icily, ¡°Major General Huo, I hope that you stop being so physical with Nianzhi. Such actions in public will trouble her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng removed his hand and inclined his chin slightly to nce at him and replied dryly, ¡°I could say the same for you.¡±

    Ma Qiqi sat on the couch directly across from Gu Nianzhi, her eyes gleaming brightly. She wanted nothing more than to record this exchange on her phone.

    Now it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn to bepletely rigid. She fiercely red at Ma Qiqi, then turned her gaze back on Ye Xuan. ¡°And then what happened? How did you guys escape?¡±

    Ye Xuan looked at He Zhichu and smiled. ¡°Mr. He had a way.¡± He made a gesture. ¡°Mr. He has an exceptionally powerful gun. With one shot, it could disable the inte, power andmunications. It helped us gain a valuable night¡¯s time.¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and rubbed his temples from the mounting headache. He forgot to remind this kid not to speak nonsense...

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi grew even more interested. However, she was more vignt this time and covered her neck to prevent Huo Shaoheng from continuing to twist it. ¡°Professor He, is that true? What kind of gun is that powerful?¡±

 Chapter 843 - Lurking Forces (II)

    <h4>Chapter 843: Lurking Forces (II)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t move at all. He remained in azy position, leaning into the couch, left elbow propped on the armrest and holding his head up on his hand. The fingers on his right hand casually tapped his thigh, his sultry, shimmery eyes slightly angled upwards and carrying a shocking air of allure. However, his voice was colder than ice as he looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Just a little toy from the United States Army Research Laboratory. It¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡±

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t know much about firearms, but it being an advanced US prototype was the only possible exnation. Most of the world¡¯s most-powerful weapons came from US defense programs. Even the inte¡ªwhich was now an indispensable part of people¡¯s lives¡ªbegan as a militarymunicationwork. Thus He Zhichu¡¯s exnation made perfect sense to him and he nodded earnestly. ¡°That thing was so powerful. It must¡¯ve been very expensive to produce.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s raised his chin coldly. ¡°It cost me quite a bit of money. You should know that my family runs a big business, so we have to save something to protect ourselves when we go abroad for work. But now, you all know about my family¡¯s treasure. You¡¯ll have to give me a break in the future.¡± He looked at Huo Shaoheng suggestively. ¡°...Especially Major General Huo, you¡¯ll have to show me some mercy and let me off easy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and answered calmly, ¡°Our nation forbids carrying of private firearms. As long as Professor He¡¯s family treasures are not brought into our country, there will be no problems.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, please don¡¯t worry. I guarantee it will not cross your borders.¡± He Zhichu shifted his body to indicate his response to Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling somewhat regretful. sping her hands in front of herself, she replied with a sigh, ¡°I only wish I could¡¯ve personally seen this world-ss, famous gun.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her before saying, ¡°You think that¡¯s a world-ss, famous gun?¡± He snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve seen too little of the world...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes flickered before he quickly exchanged a look with Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t change his position nor even his expression. He maintained the same look of exaggeration as Gu Nianzhi andughed. ¡°It truly is a pity, we¡¯ve all be country bumpkins inparison to Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Right, if only I had a gun like that. Then I wouldn¡¯t have been hunted down like a stray dog in Germany.¡± Gu Nianzhi was still bitter about falling into the enemy¡¯s trapst time and had yet to figure out who the real mastermind had been.

    Thinking about the difficult and dangerous journey she faced in Germany, she couldn¡¯t help but recall that psychotic killer, Seth. She also remembered how they injected her with that H3ab7...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes drifted to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. She squinted her lucid, bright eyes before studying him quickly.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s felt her eyes on him, but his personality allowed him to ignore it. He remained motionless and only looked at Ye Xuan. ¡°You¡¯ve suffered a lot, but have you thought about who framed you and why? Also, did you contact thatwyer?¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng actually knew what Ye Xuan had done in the United States, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t. In addition, no one else knew he was aware of this, so he still needed to get Ye Xuan to say it himself.

    As expected, Ye Xuan¡¯s expression darkened and his hands involuntarily balled into tight fists. Closing his eyes, he finally managed to say it. ¡°...It was all Gu Yanran doing. She wanted me dead.¡±

    God only knew how hard it had been for him to say that aloud. For the past few years, he¡¯d spent day and night giving all his love and energy to that woman. He had been so blind, yet also so devoted... After all that, her betrayal had been so real and so painful.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s eyes had turned red. Quickly taking a deep breath, he looked up at the crystal chandelier in the living room, trying to control his agitation.

    Gu Nianzhi habitually bit her lower lip as she contemted, leaving two tiny bite marks on her plump, curvy lips.

    Huo Shaoheng coldly red at her bad habit and reached over to lift her chin. His thumb lightly pressed her chin to rescue her lower lip from her teeth. ¡°Watch it. Don¡¯t bite your lip in front of outsiders, it affects your personal image.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was enraged, so she instinctively pushed away Huo Shaoeng¡¯s hand and her shiny eyes nearly spurted mes. She stared at Huo Shaoheng and lowered her voice to enunciate each word clearly, ¡°Huo Shao, please mind your manners!¡±

    He Zhichu was also very angry. He straightened his back and looked at Huo Shaoheng to retort coldly, ¡°Huo Shao, I already warned you about that!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng dismissively waved his hand. ¡°Bad habits must be corrected in time. This is not being physical, this is discipline.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already an adult! I don¡¯t need your discipline!¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up and sat down on the single seater couch on the other side of the coffee table.

    He Zhichu also stood and just as he was about to speak, the doorbell rang. The food had arrived. Opening the door, he had the hotel wait-staff set the table and paid them a tip. He told them toe back in two hours to pick up the cutlery.

    ¡°Okay, dinner is here. If you don¡¯t mind my humble abode, please sit down.¡± He Zhichu was in a pleasant mood and politely invited everyone to have dinner in the dining room.

    Huo Shaoheng actually didn¡¯t have any appetite at all, but if he didn¡¯t have dinner now, it would seem like he was throwing a temper tantrum, the same as Gu Nianzhi. He was so much older than her, so if he¡¯d appeared in a foul mood or refused to eat, he would appear too immature. So instead, he calmly walked over.

    He Zhichu¡¯s dining table was a long, Western-style one. He had also ordered individual tes for the set menu. He Zhichu sat in the host position at the head of the table, and to his immediate left was Gu Nianzhi. Ma Qiqi sat next to her. Ye Xuan sat across from Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong originally sat next to Ma Qiqi, but he couldn¡¯t help standing as soon as he saw Huo Shaoheng walk in. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind at all as he raised a hand and waved downwards to give Yin Shixiong permission to sit. He sat next to Ye Xuan.

    Everyone had a dinner te in front of them and in the middle of the table was a feast of seventeen courses. The food was kept hot using a small alcohol heater underneath, and smelled as fragrant and delicious as if it had just been freshly ted from the pan. Everyone ate as if it was buffet, choosing what they wanted and putting it on their dinner te.

    Although Ma Qiqi had cheerfully watched the drama, she liked eating even more. She was a true foodie. Therefore, when she saw the delivery arrive, she¡¯d immediately started itching to indulge herself. First, she had some sea cucumber and corn chowder to warm her belly, then she took a charcoal-grilled scallop and chewed it carefully.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have much of an appetite to begin with, but when she saw Ma Qiqi eat so happily, she also took an oyster to try. As far as seafood went, she only seemed to dislike oysters. She casually ate one, but didn¡¯t touch them again. After, she onlydled a bowl of soup and cradled it in her hands to drink.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t eat anything at all. He only sat at the table and had a ss of red wine by his hand as he idly chatted with Ye Xuan. His voice was very quiet, so no one else could hear them.

    Gu Nianzhi took a bite and nced across the table like she was still very angry.

    He Zhichu stopped eating after having one shrimp. He picked up his red wine ss and swirled it as he began chatting with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How¡¯s your papering along? And thewsuit with Gu Yanran?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had grown up with Huo Shaoheng and originally abided to the principle of ¡°no conversation during meals.¡± However, when she spied Huo Shaoheng not following this principle himself, she followed his lead. ¡°The paper is stillcking a bit¡ªI only wrote half and need to do some more research. As for thewsuit...¡± she looked at Ye Xuan, who was busy talking with Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Ye Xuan is the key witness.¡±

    He Zhichu took another sip of red wine. His expression seemed a bit impatient, but he chose his words carefully and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you have a n. Just let me know if you need help with anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already bothered you so much this time around. If it weren¡¯t for you, Ye Xuan wouldn¡¯t havee home alive.¡±

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t humble, so he beamed at her. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that.¡±

    On the other side, Huo Shaoheng finally turned his head to nce in Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu¡¯s direction. He wanted to say something, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stubborn and disgusted expression, he swallowed the words back down.

    Ma Qiqi was the only person eating happily at the entire dinner table.

    After dinner, Ma Qiqi was so satisfied she could scarcely walk. Yin Shixiong pulled her out to the living room to walk in circles and digest, so she wouldn¡¯t interrupt the other conversations.

    Huo Shaoheng set down his wine ss and saw that He Zhichu had already finished eating. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask Professor He. Would it be possible to speak in private?¡±

    He Zhichu set down his napkin and coldly stared at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng still remained calm and reliable, his emotions unreadable.

    ¡°Yes, pleasee with me.¡± He Zhichu got up and took Huo Shaoheng to the study.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ye Xuan were the only ones left in the dining room, so it was the perfect opportunity to talk. She nced at Ye Xuan, who kept his head low. ¡°Are you sure that Gu Yanran was really the one responsible?¡±

 Chapter 844 - Lurking Forces (III)

    <h4>Chapter 844: Lurking Forces (III)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ye Xuan shot her a nce. ¡°How could it not be her?¡± Ye Xuan was expressionless as he continued. ¡°First, she went to my office to cause a big ruckus and used the opportunity to throw out thewyer¡¯s address. She knew I would be sure to go check it for myself. Who else could it be if not her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°She lured you out to Little Rock, Utah, to find thatwyer. But do you think she could have set a trap in the United States and gotten a four-star admiral to conceal and cover for her? If she had that kind of power, why did she go around looking for support to protect the Gu fortune in the first ce?¡±

    Ye Xuan frowned. ¡°You¡¯re saying that someone is guiding her?¡±

    ¡°There must be someone else.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to p the table gently and remind Ye Xuan, ¡°She couldn¡¯t sit still from the moment you told her that you gave me the inventory of the Gu assets. There was no way that she could let you live to dismantle her ns. But in the Huaxia Empire, there is a limit to what she can do. If she made any mistakes, she would easily get herself in trouble. That¡¯s why she had to lure you to the United States.¡±

    Ye Xuan nodded and replied nkly, ¡°Maybe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit dissatisfied with how Ye Xuan was acting. ¡°Ye Xuan, did you know that after you went to the United States, Gu Yanran made it look like she was abused by you and stayed in the hospital to get an injury examination report from the hospital? In court, she used the injury examination report to nder your reputation and attempted to make the inventory of the Gu assets you submitted invalid evidence. She also said that the reason you physically abused her was that she refused to hand the Gu fortune over to you.¡±

    Ye Xuan looked up in shock and revealed an expression like he had been burned to a crisp from being struck by lightning. ¡°What did you say?! I abused her? For the Gu fortune?!¡±

    That was the biggest joke in the world!

    ¡°Right, it wasn¡¯t just physical abuse, but sexual abuse.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°She and herwyer said she was the victim of domestic violence, but I used a criminal assault charge to rece the domestic violence charge as an excuse to extradite you to the Huaxia Empire. But Professor He was even more amazing. By stepping in, he helped you conclude your case in the United States and also obtained your proof of innocence. That¡¯s why you weren¡¯t extradited to the Huaxia Empire but entered through the borders normally. This will be a great advantage in your domestic case.¡±

    Ye Xuan was bbergasted. ¡°...There¡¯s still a domestic case?! What the f*ck?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pretended she hadn¡¯t heard Ye Xuan curse and replied, ¡°Your domestic criminal assault case should conclude very easily. If you are okay with it, I can rmend a fewwyers to you.¡±

    Ye Xuan sighed deeply. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. ¡°Can I counter sue her for nder?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. ¡°How about you continue to let Professor He act as your representativewyer? I think that Gu Yanran will fold without you needing to take her to court.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll ask Professor He.¡± Ye Xuan wiped his face, looking somewhat sadly in the direction of the window.

    It waste at night and the streetmps outside the window emitted a dim yellow glow. Through the curtains, Gu Nianzhi could see the numerous shadows. It was so beautiful that it looked unreal.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to console him/ ¡°Ye Xuan, this truly isn¡¯t that big of a deal. For your criminal assault case, ask Professor He to submit several pieces of evidence for your alibi and they will have no choice but to withdraw thewsuit. It won¡¯t even end up in court. Also, you can counter sue Gu Yanran afterward for nder and for tarnishing your reputation. You can give her a taste of her own medicine.¡±

    Ye Xuan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    Actually, he wanted to have an open conversation with Gu Yanran even more andy it out clearly for better or worse. He would ask her why, why on earth...

    Gu Nianzhi was dismissive. How could there be so many strange ¡°why¡± questions in the world?

    It could only be three things: fame, fortune, love.

    Gu Yanran was certainly doing it for fortune.

    To this woman, money was probably the most important thing in the world...

    She didn¡¯t seem like a daughter raised by a secretly rich person...

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips before saying, ¡°I need you to answer this question. Trials will resume in a few days, are you willing to go to court as my key witness?¡±

    ¡°Act as your witness? Witness in the estate feud?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°This means that you¡¯d be standing against Gu Yanran. Are you willing to do that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she should be able to trust Ye Xuan by now, but she couldn¡¯tpletely let her guard down either.

    She still didn¡¯t know Ye Xuan very well as a person, so it hadn¡¯t been an easy decision to request Ye Xuan to go to court as her witness.

    Ye Xuan considered, then nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m willing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed deeply. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in court. Tell me everything you know about Gu Yanran and choose what can and can¡¯t be spoken about.¡±

    ¡°Everything?¡± Ye Xuan began tough. ¡°You really are greedy. There are so many things, but they can¡¯t all be discussed in such a short time. They are also unrted to the estate feud, so we should pick the important things to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine too.¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed. ¡°How about this... When you gave me the inventory of assets, you didn¡¯t want to go to court and argue against Gu Yanran at first. Is that right?¡±

    Ye Xuan wasn¡¯t concealing anything anymore, so he nodded. ¡°Correct, I initially didn¡¯t want to argue with her or use her in court.¡±

    So that¡¯s why he¡¯d privately given the inventory of the Gu assets to Gu Nianzhi without mentioning being her court witness.

    But Gu Yanran had a guilty conscience. Finally, she¡¯d pushed Ye Xuan into the opposing position.

    Gu Nianzhi understood the reasoning behind it, so she was also more assured about Ye Xuan. She said, ¡°Okay then, you need to prepare to answer questions about these topics in the next few days..¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi exined the things she needed Ye Xuan to prepare in advance.

    For example, something he would use to verify his inventory of assets.

    Bank ounts and savings deposits were easy to prove since they only needed to directly verify with the bank. But the other things, like all sorts ofrge holdingpanies in the Cayman Inds, would be much more difficult to verify.

    Ye Xuan considered it and said, ¡°I can make an index and list out all the evidence I can find, then see where I¡¯mcking.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be troubling you for that.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up. ¡°Find me if you have any problems and we can discuss them together.¡±

    Ye Xuan also stood up with her and walked out of the dining room.

    As soon as they walked into the living room, they saw Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong sitting on the couch together. They were leaned so close together that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but cough.

    The two of them quickly moved apart as if they had been shocked by electricity.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit amused and turned around to tell Ye Xuan, ¡°You can stay here at Professor He¡¯s ce for the next few days. I¡¯ll show you the guest bedroom.¡±

    Ye Xuan didn¡¯t mind that at all.

    Just as they were about to go and look at the guest bedroom, they heard the doorbell ring once again.

    The four people inside the living room stared at each other with no idea who could be at the door.

    Gu Nianzhi was standing closest to the door, so she moved to the peephole to take a look and discovered four police officers!

    There were three male police officers and one female police officer standing quietly at the door.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly opened the door and asked with confusion, ¡°May I ask what we can help you with?¡±

    ¡°We received a report that a Barbadian man named Ye Xuan is to be arrested on suspicion in a criminal assault case. This is the court document.¡± The male police officer disyed the arrest warrant from the court.

    Gu Nianzhi was very shocked. ¡°...It¡¯ste at night right now, you guys work at night too? Was this arrest warrant... signed not too long ago?¡±

 Chapter 845 - Lurking Forces (IV)

    <h4>Chapter 845: Lurking Forces (IV)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The four police officers at the doorughed when they heard what she said. ¡°Madam, the police department works day and night, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    Fine,w enforcement must be like that. There was always bound to be someone working at any time, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the arrest warrant issued by the court and said, ¡°This arrest warrant was signed around 4 P.M. this afternoon.¡±

    That was only two hours after Ye Xuan and He Zhichu¡¯s flightnded.

    ¡°Right, the intiff is a single woman, so she was very afraid that the defendant would continue to abuse her when he returned. She knew that the defendant was returning to the Imperial Capital today, so she especially went to court to request a special execution.¡± The female police officer politely exined to her, ¡°Using the addresses provided by the intiff, we¡¯ve been searching since 4:30 this afternoon. It took until now to find him.¡±

    The police officers were very vignt as they stared at Ye Xuan¡¯s strapping figure.

    The female police officer took out handcuffs to put on Ye Xuan.

    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped her. ¡°Where is your identification?¡±

    The four police officers took out their identification to show Gu Nianzhi.

    They didn¡¯t seem fake.

    Gu Nianzhi had a very good memory, so she was able to memorize the four police officers¡¯ identification numbers, names, addresses, and police stations with one nce.

    ¡°Will he leave with us now?¡± the female police officer patiently asked Gu Niaznhi once again.

    Of course, Gu Naiznhi would not allow the police officers to take Ye Xuan away just like that.

    What a joke!

    Professor He had risked his life to bring Ye Xuan back from the United States. How could she let their ns capsize in their own territory?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled brightly. ¡°Please wait, I have a few things to tell him first.¡±

    The male police officers were not as patient as the female officer, so their expressions were already turning ugly. ¡°You can say what you need to say when you go to the police station tomorrow. We are taking him with us today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to remain polite, but her expression turned stony when she sensed the police officers getting impatient. ¡°There are still two hours left in the day. Please wait.¡± As she said that, she shut the door.

    The four police officers exchanged looks, then began pounding loudly on the door and saying, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about escaping! All of our people are waiting downstairs!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard this and quickly ran to the balcony to take a look. As expected, numerous police cars with shing lights were parked under the professor¡¯s building. This was quite a production.

    The police were pounding on the door so loudly that even He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng could hear themotion over the private talk they were having in the study.

    They walked out of the study together.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked immediately.

    Gu Nianzhi showed Ye Xuan¡¯s arrest warrant to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°They¡¯re here to arrest Ye Xuan.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked it over and noticed the time on the arrest warrant. He flicked it with his fingers. ¡°They¡¯re really not wasting a second.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression became icy. ¡°Since I¡¯m Ye Xuan¡¯s representativewyer, I¡¯ll go liaise with the police.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed his arm, not wanting to owe him more favors. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯ve already helped me too much. This can be resolved without your involvement.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confident that she could immediately get the court to withdraw theirwsuit once she proved that the criminal injury case had not been established.

    The key was that, even though the police station wasn¡¯t wasting a second making their arrests, the court still needed to schedule a trial.

    Gu Yanran must¡¯ve thought of this as well, so she¡¯d taken a gamble and used the time difference to get Ye Xuan out before the court scheduled the trial.

    Once he arrived at the police¡¯s detainment center, it would be much easier for her to get to work.

    She would be able to give him an ¡°idental death¡± at any time.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Huo Shaoheng once saying that there was a mastermind behind Gu Yanran. Who knew where this mastermind was lurking?

    Based on how they were able to mobilize a four-star admiral in the United States, this person¡¯s power was something to be reckoned with.

    She wanted to be Ye Xuan¡¯s representativewyer badly, but Ye Xuan was a key witness in herwsuit. If she was his representativewyer, it would be bad for Ye Xuan to be her witness.

    What should she do?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain spun quickly as she tried to find a perfect solution to both problems.

    Suddenly, Ma Qiqi stood up. ¡°Nianzhi, I can be Ye Xuan¡¯s representativewyer today.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit hesitant, not because she didn¡¯t trust Ma Qiqi but because she didn¡¯t want her to get involved in this mess.

    Ma Qiqi quickly said, ¡°I also have mywyer¡¯s license. Although I¡¯ve never been in court, I would only be liaising with the police on behalf of Ye Xuan. It should be fine. If we need to go to court, you can get a differentwyer.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s criminal injury case against Ye Xuan couldn¡¯t go to court anyway.

    Gu Nianzhi considered it but still shook her head. ¡°They want to take Ye Xuan to the police station. I want to find a representativewyer who can at least stay overnight with Ye Xuan at the police station¡¯s detainment center. Qiqi, it wouldn¡¯t be safe for you to stay there overnight.¡±

    Also, she was worried that the mastermind behind this would not let thewyer off either...

    Never underestimate an enemy¡¯s madness, especially someone backed into a corner like Gu Yanran.

    This was the painful lesson that Gu Nianzhi had learned after dealing with Gu Yanran several times.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Big Xiong, please apany Qiqi so she can go to the police station with Ye Xuan.¡±

    Yin Shixiong suddenly got excited.

    He had wanted to do so long before, but since Huo Shaoheng was here, he couldn¡¯t make his own decisions without permission.

    Soldiers had a natural duty to obey orders.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng had given the order, Yin Shixiong could apany Ma Qiqi without any fear.

    ¡°Roger, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong answered loudly. He then followed Ma Qiqi and Ye Xuan to the door. Opening the door, he nodded to the four annoyed police officers. ¡°Sorry to make you wait so long.¡±

    The four police officers didn¡¯t say anything else before taking out the handcuffs to lock up Ye Xuan. One person gripped each of his arms.

    Ma Qiqi walked over and gently blocked the female police officer to say, ¡°I¡¯m Ye Xuan¡¯s representativewyer. Please be more respectful to my client.¡± As she spoke, she grabbed Ye Xuan¡¯s left arm.

    Yin Shixiong also walked over to grab Ye Xuan¡¯s right arm, squishing the other male police officer off to the side.

    Awyer was allowed to apany their client byw, even if they were going to court or the police station.

    The police officers didn¡¯t say too much as they checked Ma Qiqi¡¯swyer¡¯s license. Then they looked at Yin Shixiong. ¡°What about him?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was about to say he was Ma Qiqi¡¯s boyfriend. She quickly cut him off from speaking and replied to the police, ¡°He¡¯s my assistant. He works for me.¡±

    For him to apany her while she stayed with Ye Xuan overnight at the police station¡¯s detainment center, it wasn¡¯t enough to say he was her boyfriend. At a ce like the police station, he would only be allowed to follow her if they said he was a legal assistant.

    Yin Shixiong also reacted. Closing his mouth tightly, he appeared stern and looked quite like he though a male assistant should.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter as she waved at them. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±

    She then said to the four police officers, ¡°I¡¯m asking the court to withdraw thewsuit tomorrow, so I hope you won¡¯t give them a hard time.¡±

    ¡°Haha, does your family own the court? You think you can withdraw thewsuit that easily?¡± One male police officer was getting quite annoyed with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s talking, so he didn¡¯t mince his words.

    ¡°Haha, does your family own the police station? You think you can arrest someone just because you feel like it?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to argue back. She stared pointedly at the male police officer who had spoken. ¡°I know your name, badge number, identification number, and the address of your police station. I urge you to stay at least three meters away from my friends. If something happens to them tonight, you¡¯ll be the first person I¡¯ll sue.¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi repeated the police officer¡¯s name, badge number, identification number, the address of the police station, and anything else on his identification once more. At the same time, she also repeated the three other police officers¡¯ identification numbers, not getting a single digit wrong.

    This type of photographic memory shocked the four police officers.

    They exchanged a look and didn¡¯t say anything more, but started treating Gu Nianzhi much better. They also didn¡¯t show their slight annoyance towards Ye Xuan and his group anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t follow them to the door. Instead, he walked out to the balcony to text Zhao Liangze. He asked him to mobilize the Special Operations Forces internal personnel at the police station so they could watch over the police station that had arrested Ye Xuan.

    They didn¡¯t intend to obstruct the police from executing their duties. However, they needed to prevent the people who intended to use the police station to create issues from doing so.

    Gu Nianzhi was still not assured as she followed them downstairs.

    She watched Ye Xuan, Ma Qiqi, and Yin Shixiong all get into the police car. Then she watched the four police officers get in as well. She gestured at Ma Qiqi to call her.

    Ma Qiqi smiled as she took out her phone and waved at her.

    They had lived in the same unit for so long that they had a tacit understanding.

    Soon afterward, the police cars drove away from the B University professor¡¯s building with their lights shing.

    Gu Nianzhi stood all alone in the empty space in front of the building, nkly looking in the direction of where the police cars had disappeared.

    The streetmps were still very bright, but that made the areas where the streetlight didn¡¯t shine appear even darker.

    Her mind was a bit of a mess and she didn¡¯t want to go upstairs to face Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu¡¯s bickering yet.

    Alone, she crossed her arms, leaned against the pir in front of the building, and thought about how she would submit evidence to the court tomorrow and have them withdraw thewsuit.

    Gu Yanran was suing Ye Xuan for this criminal injury case. It was originally a nominal title purposely made up by Gu Nianzhi for the sake of extraditing Ye Xuan.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Gu Yanran to get so desperate that she¡¯d actually use her excuse.

    COMMENT

    Really...

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but think about what kind of secret Gu Yanran must be harboring.

    Was it was enough to make her take a huge gamble?

    She stood downstairs until her legs felt sore. She finally decided to go upstairs to get her bag and return to her dorm.

    As soon as she turned around, she saw He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng standing near her. One stood on the left, the other on the right. She could almost see the line dividing their rival territories between them, a great divide that could not be ovee.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi turn around, Huo Shaoheng was the first to walk over. He was carrying her little bag. ¡°...Do you want to go back to the dorm?¡±

    He knew her so well...

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit embarrassed as she epted her little bag from Huo Shaoheng. Although she wasn¡¯t too willing, she still pressed her lips together and nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you back.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out to hold her by the shoulders and protect her in his embrace. He turned around to wave at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, you should go back. It¡¯s fine for me to take Nianzhi back to the dorm.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t move or speak. His entire expression was as aloof and readable as an ice sculpture. He stood just like that at the building entrance, watching Huo Shaoheng embrace Gu Nianzhi and walk away.

 Chapter 846 - Lurking Forces (V)

    <h4>Chapter 846: Lurking Forces (V)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi frowned the entire way. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Gu Yanran.

    Huo Shaoheng loosely held his arm around her as they turned the corner on the path in front of the professor¡¯s building. He only put down his arm when he confirmed that He Zhichu couldn¡¯t see them anymore.

    Putting both hands in his trouser pockets, his footsteps slowed down to match Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pace.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel anything at all. She moved her feet almost robotically as she followed Huo Shaoheng back to the female graduate student dorm that she lived in.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. I¡¯ll walk you upstairs.¡± Huo Shaoheng took her hand. ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. Should your Resident Advisor be asleep by now?¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go upstairs even if she is asleep already.¡± Gu Nianzhi discreetly pulled her hand away. ¡°I¡¯m very sleepy and want to go to bed. You should go home too. So many things happened today and we still need to go to court tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her fixedly and was silent for a moment. Finally, he smoothed her hair and patted her shoulder. ¡°Go upstairs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even turn to look back as she walked away, leaving only the view of her tall and feminine back for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t leave. He leaned against his car door and took out a cigarette to light and inhale.

    During November in the Imperial Capital, it was starting to get very coldte at night.

    However, with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s constitution, he didn¡¯t feel cold at all in this kind of weather. He also had lots of work and things to worry about, so he needed the fresh, cold winter air to clear his head.

    Crossing his arms, the cigarette between his fingers glowed and flickered. Lifting his head, he stared in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm.

    The light in her room was turned on. Sometimes he could see the silhouette of a person inside the dorm.

    Afterward, she sat at the desk in front of her window and began typing on herputer.

    Huo Shaoheng could see even through the curtains that her silhouette was elegant and beautiful. There was a natural charm about it.

    The keenly focussed Gu Nianzhi was the most beautiful being in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi turned on herptop to begin writing a legal text requesting the revocation of theint. She would submit it to the court the next day.

    Aside from that, she still needed evidence to prove that Ye Xuan hadn¡¯t been with Gu Yanran that night.

    This evidence was very simple. It was the real-time surveince system of the apartment building that Ye Xuan lived in. But Gu Nianzhi suspected that the evidence must¡¯ve been destroyed by Gu Yanran by now...

    If the evidence had really been destroyed, what other evidence did she have to substitute it with?

    Gu Nianzhi opened some mapping software to look up the address of Ye Xuan¡¯s apartment.

    She suddenly realized that if Gu Yanran had been able to destroy the real-time surveince footage, she¡¯d probably had no way of destroying the camera outside the apartment building. Strictly speaking, that camera was surveince equipment installed by the government which happened to record the front door of Ye Xuan¡¯s apartment.

    As long as she could obtain this record, she could prove that Ye Xuan had been home the entire night and hadn¡¯t gone out at all on the night Gu Yanran that had been referring to.

    If Gu Yanran had lied about being abused that day, then her ims about continuous abuse would appear even shakier.

    Arguments in court were just like that. When there was an issue with one evidence chain, it caused a chain reaction that resulted in the other relevant evidence bing invalid as well.

    Also, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t need evidence to disprove the continuous abuse allegation. She only needed to disprove the abuse that Gu Yanran had imed she¡¯d suffered that night.

    The injury evidence from the hospital proved that it had been caused that night.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and also opened Weibo to browse. She suddenly recalled the short video of Gu Yanran that Cai Songyin had uploaded online...

    In that video, it appeared that there was fully nude footage of Gu Yanran.

    It looked like it had been recorded a few days before Gu Yanran imed she had been continuously abused by Ye Xuan.

    Perhaps she could get a hold of the video and take screenshots to see if there were old injuries visible on Gu Yanran¡¯s body.

    If she really had been continuously abused, then there must be old injuries on her body.

    If there weren¡¯t, then it could further prove that Gu Yanran was lying.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it as she looked online.

    The video on Weibo had already been deleted, but it was no match for the vast majority ofizens¡¯ love for these kinds of short videos. There were many people who¡¯d reposted or saved it to Qiandu¡¯s cloud drive.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly looked it up and found quite a few ¡°resources.¡±

    She picked the two videos with thergest file sizes and downloaded them. Then she opened them in her photo processing software, nning to use high definition technology to recover the original appearance of the video.

    Anyone who had seen the video knew that the background in this video had been blurred out, along with the man in bed with Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran was the only one whose appearance had been enhanced using high definition photo processing.

    Gu Nianzhi had modified her photo processing software when she was in university. It was more efficient than many other photo processing software on the market.

    She only needed one hour topletely reverse the blurred out outer shell of the short video and return the short video to its original state.

    When the man in the video revealed his true face, Gu Nianzhi suddenlyughed.

    She recalled how Huo Shaoheng had once told her that their Special Operations Forces hadpleted video footage recovery work in the past and returned videos to their original states. The male lead in the video was none other than the new Prime Minister, Tan Dongbang.

    It was because of this video that the Senate had initiated impeachment procedures.

    As Gu Nianzhi watched this video, she suddenly had a different idea.

    She didn¡¯t have to overturn Gu Yanran¡¯s allegations of abuse, she only needed to say that the person abusing Gu Yanran was someone else.

    However, this video contained restricted content, so she would need to obtain court permission before submitting this video as legal evidence.

    Where could she obtain a legal resource?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it some more but still had no clue.

    It was alreadyte at night, so she was getting a bit sleepy.

    Standing up to rub her eyes, she nned to shut off herptop and go to bed.

    Suddenly, a tiny bit of light glowed and flickered somewhere downstairs. Like a firefly¡¯s glow, it was short-lived yet brilliant. She looked downstairs and saw that the car Huo Shaoheng had driven was still parked in front of the building.

    A tall and strapping figure leaned against the car door. That light must being from between the person¡¯s fingers.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t left yet...

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her watch to see that it was already 1 A.M.

    Had he been standing downstairs for nearly three hours?

    During November in the Imperial Capital,te nights were even more dew ridden than usual. He hadn¡¯t dressed very warmly. Was he not concerned about catching a cold?

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth turned down as she shut off the lights and prepared to sleep.

    But when she walked over to her bed to undress, her hands couldn¡¯t move.

    Her mind kept reying the image of Huo Shaoheng downstairs. Her mood was also a mess.

    That man always made other people worry...

    As Gu Nianzhi grumbled, she put on her coat to walk out of the dorm and head towards the elevator.

    She rode the elevator to the main floor, then walked out of the building. Gu Nianzhi stood on the steps and quietly watched Huo Shaoheng for a while.

    Huo Shaoheng was a bit surprised to see here downstairs.

    He had seen the light in Gu Nainzhi¡¯s dorm go out earlier, so he¡¯d assumed she had already fallen asleep.

 Chapter 847 - Lurking Forces (VI)

    <h4>Chapter 847: Lurking Forces (VI)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What did youe downstairs for? It¡¯s already sote, but you still haven¡¯t slept.¡± Huo Shaoheng quietly said this with a softly admonishing tone. Straightening his body, he smoothly threw the cigarette butt in into a garbage can nearby. He turned around. ¡°Go back inside, I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    He waved at her with his back turned.

    Gu Nianzhi stood motionless on the steps of the dorm building, her hands inside her coat pockets. She watched Huo Shaoheng quietly, just like that.

    Under the streetmps, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s features didn¡¯t have the same iron-blooded masculinity that soaked him to the bone during the daytime. His entire person was softened by the dim yellow streemps, leaving only an incredibly handsome face that fascinated people at first nce.

    Years before, as soon as he raised his hand or walked, it would¡¯ve been enough to make her lovesick to the bone.

    He¡¯d once been her ¡°male god¡±...

    She¡¯d forcibly changed him from her ¡°male god¡± into ¡°her man.¡± And now, less than a yearter, they were nearly strangers.

    After their break up, she had finally been awakened from a state of deep, obsessive love.

    When she recalled her past foolish, lovesick behavior, she wasn¡¯t embarrassed or ashamed.

    The truth was, she still missed the days when she couldpletely lose herself and focus on being lovesick.

    At that time, life had been much simpler.

    The happiest thing she experienced every day was waking up to see Huo Shaoheng in the morning. Even if it meant that she would be urged to do morning exercises as soon as she saw him...

    Unfortunately, everyone had to grow up eventually.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the car door and got inside. He fastened his seatbelt, started the car, and prepared to leave. But from the corner of his eye, he could still spy Gu Nianzhi standing on the steps and looking at him.

    She only wore a thin coat and hadn¡¯t even changed the shoes on her feet. She was wearing the furry slippers that she wore in her room.

    Although they appeared warm, they weren¡¯t insted at all when worn outside.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and finally shut off the car. He removed the key.

    Getting out of the car, he strode towards Gu Nianzhi and grabbed her by the arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll walk you upstairs.¡±

    He was so strong that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t push him away even after trying a few times.

    She was dragged the entire way, being half supported and half carried into the elevator.

    Gu Niaznhiposed herself and was unhappy. ¡°...Don¡¯t be like this. Did I agree to let youe upstairs? You only talk to yourself, so I shouldn¡¯t have been soft-hearted towards you..¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her, his eyes so dark they appeared bottomless. ¡°You were being soft-hearted towards me? Why didn¡¯t I notice?¡±

    ¡°...Fine then, I haven¡¯t been soft-hearted.¡± Gu Nianzhi stubbornly turned away. ¡°I must be so nosy for running downstairs in the middle of the night.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head and didn¡¯t say anything more. He walked her all the way to the door of her dorm room and watched her take out her keys to open the door. He went inside with her and closed the door behind him.

    The living room lights weren¡¯t on, but there was a bit of the streemp¡¯s glowing in from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room where she¡¯d left the door ajar.

    After passing through the multiple filters, the light was so faint it was barely there. Only ayer of dim yellow-shadow vaguely allowed them to see the furniture in the room.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Last time I told you that I can¡¯t see you again until after yourwsuit concludes, but I had no choice but toe over to take a look today because of Ye Xuan¡¯s incident. You¡¯ll have to depend on yourself from now on.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head and stood there with no intention of stepping forward.

    Behind him was the door. Although it was already shut, he kept his hand on the handle so he could open it at any time.

    Was it because he wouldn¡¯t be able to see her again for some time after they separated that he¡¯d refused to leave earlier?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help imagining things, but she also felt that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t a sentimental or romantic person like that.

    It was more likely that he hadn¡¯t left because he didn¡¯t have anything to do when he got home anyway, so he¡¯d decided to stay back and think about things...

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi thought that this possibility was very small.

    It was such a cold day after all. Who would be willing to think about things outside?

    At that moment, she couldn¡¯t figure out Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts.

    Huo Shaoheng took her hand to squeeze it, interlocking their fingers. Gu Nianzhi could feel that his hand was very cold like a block of ice.

    This was the result of smoking outside in the winter.

    ¡°Just wait...¡± As Gu Nianzhi said this, she hurriedly went to her room to bring out a pair of cashmere-lined leather gloves she had bought in the past. ¡°Put these on so your hands won¡¯t get cold when you smoke outside.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng epted them and smiled. ¡°I thought you¡¯d persuade me to quit smoking.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°That¡¯s your personal hobby. I won¡¯t interfere.¡±

    Unless he wanted to quit smoking himself, people would only earn his ire if they spoke too much about it.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the pair of gloves Huo Shaoheng was wearing and felt that he appeared even more handsome. She was very pleased with her taste.

    When she¡¯d purchased these gloves, she¡¯d nned to give them to Huo Shaoheng for Christmas...

    But now there was no need to give them to him.

    ¡°Hurry up and go to bed. Don¡¯t work overnight anymore.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know about these little thoughts swirling inside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head a hundred times, so he lifted a gloved hand toward her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give me a goodbye kiss?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°If you won¡¯t give it to me, then I¡¯ll give it.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he said this, his voice seeming to emanate from his chest. It carried a pleasant ending note as he subtly bent down to slowly press towards Gu Nainzhi¡¯s lips.

    Because he was worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disgust, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t kiss her deeply as he had before. He kissed her lightly, his lips gently sweeping over her lips and stopping for a second before reluctantly turning twice and retreating.

    Short as it was, Gu Nianzhi had been so intoxicated by the kiss that she almost couldn¡¯t catch her breath.

    It was an intersection of lips against lips. It was like a gentle breeze blowing over theke¡¯s surface as it begins to thaw in early spring. There was still the coolness of ice, but it created faint ripples. It was also like newly grown willow branches hanging down and gently brushing against theke¡¯s surface, ever so gently. It was firm but not forceful.

    It had only been a split second long, gentle kiss. Even so, Gu Nianzhi felt a bit dizzy.

    She didn¡¯t know why, but this faint kiss had shocked her more than the previous more passionate kisses. She couldn¡¯t help trembling from the bottom of her heart. Even her legs started to turn to jelly.

    This kind of kiss gave her a warm feeling of being treasured. She felt important and loved like she was something precious.

    She was still feeling a bit dizzy when she inclined her head to look up at Huo Shaoheng.

    This was the first time she¡¯d looked at him so emotionally since she¡¯d returned from Germany.

    When Huo Shaoheng noticed the altered mood Gu Nianzhi was exhibiting, his heart trembled slightly.

    Her zed eyes were flickering with allure at him. Her plump and lusciously curvy lips were pouting slightly. She was still posed in a position that was suitable for kissing.

    He couldn¡¯t help but want to deepen this kiss. However, when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s flushed cheeks and recalled herck of sleep, he curbed himself.

    He only looked down to press his forehead against hers. ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep. You can barely keep your eyes open.¡±

    Gu Niaznhi agreed obediently and looked up at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips. She wanted even more but stopped herself when she recalled the beauty of that faint kiss they¡¯d just shared.

    How could she bear to destroy such a beautiful memory?

    Huo Shaoheng read her mind and slowly reached out to embrace her. He snuggled against her and said quietly, ¡°...Want more? Hmm?¡±

 Chapter 848 - Lurking Forces (â…¦)

    <h4>Chapter 848: Lurking Forces (¢÷)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Perhaps because he had stood in the open for too long, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse like someone had taken a soft and fluffy goose feather to tickle her ear, but it made his voice even more attractive. She tingled from her ears to her neck, and her heart fluttered.

    However, as Huo Shaoheng spoke, Gu Nianzhi managed to snap back to reality.

    Her face was flushed, and she bit tightly on her lower lip as if her life depended on it. Her neck was stiff, but she willed herself not to make any noise even though she wanted to...

    However, her reason was telling her that what she was doing was wrong. She had to hang in there. She wasn¡¯t prepared to ept Huo Shaoheng again, so she shouldn¡¯t be so close to him.

    Seeing her like this, Huo Shaoheng smiled and chuckled softly. He ced one hand around her waist, and the other hand went to her chin, supporting it. His thumb went to her lips, and he began caressing her lower lip.

    As if on cue, Gu Nianzhi instinctively opened her mouth, and he released her lower lip.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and kissed her.

    However, this time around, he stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lower lip gently¡ªthe part that she bit on just now¡ªand said, ¡°I will punish you like this henceforth if I catch you biting on your lips ever again.¡±

    When he spoke near her lips, she could feel his warm breath on her, which made her realize she was losing herself slowly.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that she was being seduced. She opened her arms and hugged Huo Shaoheng. She could not control herself. It was an instinct, and she could not resist it.

    With such a fragile, soft, and beautiful girl in his embrace, Huo Shaoheng was mesmerized by her smell. It attracted him so much.

    However, the moment he allowed his arm to begin roaming, Gu Nianzhi felt the movement, and she stiffened.

    Huo Shaoheng could only suppress his initial primal desires and continued to kiss her gently. He could sensitively feel that Gu Nianzhi liked being treated tenderly like this.

    Perhaps he had been too rough on her in the past, but to a man, what he wanted to do was to get to the main point with the girl he loved, and Huo Shaoheng was way more masculine than a normal man, having trained and worked in the army for so long. Therefore, his testosterone levels were way higher.

    To let Gu Nianzhi feel secure, he controlled and suppressed all his desires and kissed her slowly, over and over, and over again, never getting tired of it.

    He kissed her lightly before moving away. Then, he kissed her again, lightly, before moving away again. He did that repeatedly.

    When Gu Nianzhi felt that it was not enough, she would moan so very softly, and he would remain a little longer on her lips.

    When she was just beginning to return the kiss, he would move away slightly and make her go to him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms moved up to his neck from his waist, and eventually, her entire self was almost hanging on to Huo Shaoheng.

    She was kissing so passionately. It was like telling him all the other kisses from the past did not matter, and this was the one that mattered, that it could be there for him to reminisce over whenever he was alone.

    When she had finally snapped back to reality from the kiss, she realized that she had fallen again.

    She had initially returned to her dormitory to have a change of clothes before bedtime, so she did not have on a brassiere. She only put on a loose cotton teddy bear sweater forfort.

    She did not expect him to be here. It seemed like everything had been nned and prepared for him!

    She panted as she dropped both her arms. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not fazed. ¡°Your clothes. They are a mess. I will adjust them for you.¡± He answered her calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi red at him. She could not understand how this man could use such a normal and calm tone to talk about something so embarrassing!

    ¡°All right, it¡¯ste. Go to bed. I will leave after you are asleep.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not leave any room for negotiation as he pulled her hand and led her into the bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks at the door and said, as her back faced Huo Shaoheng: ¡°I will sleep on my own. You should go back. It is already veryte.¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her slender back view and could not bear to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed that her long hair was messy due to their kiss. So, he smoothed her hair and took the opportunity to hug her from behind. Then, he whispered into her ear softly, ¡°Goodnight, little darling.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and replied softly: ¡°Hmm...You too.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Huo Shaoheng hugged her loosely and took a deep breath on the nape of her neck and paused slightly, not to make any noise before letting go, turning around, and leaving.

    Gu Nianzhi willed herself not to turn around.

    When she heard that the door to her living room open and close, she knew that Huo Shaoheng had indeed left. She breathed a sigh of relief and closed her door before flinging herself onto her bed.

    She was exhausted¡ªmentally and emotionally. She had gone through another round of adrenaline rush for her senses, and it drained her thoroughly. She fell asleep the moment her head found her pillow.

    ...

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi woke up feeling refreshed, like she had taken some miraculous medication the day before. She felt confident, like nothing in the world could stop her from doing what she wanted to do.

    1She got out of bed, dressed, had her breakfast, and intended to go to the police station that was beside Ye Xuan¡¯s condominium apartment to request the CCTV footage on the day the incident happened as evidence.

    However, the moment she arrived at the lobby, she saw He Zhichu leaning against his Maserati. He was waiting for her.

    ¡°Professor He?¡± Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. ¡°Are you looking for me? Is there anything the matter?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to court? Let¡¯s head over together.¡± He Zhichu was worried about her if she was to do this alone. Since he did not have any major lectures these couple of days, he wanted to apany her.

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to reject him, but He Zhichu seemed to have read her mind. Looking slightly frustrated, he opened the door to the driver¡¯s seat and went in on his own and ced his hands on his steering wheel. Then, he turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If you do not wish for this to beplicated, it will be better if I were to be with you.¡±

    ¡°Why is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°This is different from when we were in America.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi believed that those people¡¯s main base was in America. Therefore, they would have more people over there and could do much more as they had more influence. However, this was the Huaxia Empire, and she felt she would be safe here.

    He Zhichu looked away and said tly, ¡°They have people here as well. We are the ones in the open, and they are the ones always in the dark. It would not be easy to defend against them. Do not underestimate how much like bastards they can be.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought of the incident of the H3ab7 drug, and immediately opened the door of the car and went in. She spoke glumly. ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu was even more annoyed than before.

    In his opinion, their rtionship had improved, at least a little, since yesterday. However, Huo Shaoheng had dropped by after, and everything had returned to where they once were again.

    Could he not bepared to Huo Shaoheng?

    He Zhichu kept a stern face, started the engine of the car, and drove toward the police station near Ye Xuan¡¯s condominium apartment.

    They arrived at the police station and requested the footage as evidence in court.

    The police officers took a look at theirwyer¡¯s certification and called the court that was in charge of Ye Xuan¡¯s case. Only after they had understood the entire situation did they bring Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu to the building where all the CCTV footage was stored.

    There were professionals in charge of looking out for different CCTV cameras throughout the day.

    Gu Nianzhi told the person in charge the time and location of the footage she had required for use in court.

    Their information was stored in theputer system andbeled individually, so it was not difficult at all to get the ones they needed. In merely a couple of minutes, they had managed to find the footage that Gu Nianzhi wanted.

    From the footage, Gu Nianzhi saw that Ye Xuan had walked well into the visibility of the camera and entered the area of his condominium apartment.

    Then, until the next day when he had to go to work, he did not leave the ce at all.

    This meant that when Gu Yanran said that Ye Xuan had ¡°beaten her up and abused her¡± in her home that night, she was lying about it.

    All they needed was this footage as evidence in court.

    As for whether Ye Xuan would have snuck out using a different way, they could view the CCTV footage from the other gates of the condominium apartment area as supporting evidence.

    It would not be easy though, in an era like this, where everyone had mobile phones and everywhere had CCTV for security purposes, to sneak around.

    Gu Nianzhi filled out a form in the police station and requested a copy of the footage. She kept it safely with the document she had prepared to request the court to revoke all charges against Ye Xuan.

    With that, she carried her bag and left the police station.

    He Zhichu had left first to go and get the car. Gu Nianzhi was waiting for him along the road near the police station.

    She was wearing a light-brown woolen sweater with long puffy sleeves, a cute woven woolen hat, and a pair of long boots in ck. She was as eye-catching as she was beautiful. When the pedestrians, drivers, riders, and passengers saw a tall and slenderdy with big eyes like a fairy standing by the road, they all felt like their day had be better.

    The police station was located at a corner of an intersection with traffic lights. It was peak hours when many people were heading to work, so there were lots of cars at the traffic light waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

    There was someone who looked just like a normal citizen diagonally left behind Gu Nianzhi. He had a cup of Starbucks in one hand and his phone in another, as he looked through news articles.

    And diagonally right in front of her was ady in her 40s holding on to a stic bag, wearing an oversized flower printed sweater, also waiting for a car.

    There were many cars on the road in front of them, and they were so close to each other that they were almost tailgating.

    He Zhichu¡¯s car was just behind a couple of cars, still stuck in the jam.

    He saw Gu Nianzhi wave to him with smiles from his car. He smiled back at her and waved, feeling happy.

    Right at the moment, a motorbike sped from the street between the cars and headed directly toward the ce where Gu Nianzhi was standing. A speeding bike stood out among a sea of cars caught in a terrible jam.

    Therefore, almost everyone was looking.

    The normal-looking man holding on to a cup of Starbucks kept his phone and walked toward Gu Nianzhi calmly, covering the area on her left.

    The woman in her mid-40s moved toward Gu Nianzhi as well and covered the area on her right.

    Gu Nianzhi realized that there was something weird¡ªsomething fierce about the rider on the motorbike¡ªand took a couple of steps backward.

    Right at that moment, He Zhichu realized that a tiny red dot had moved silently, but steadily, to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest area.

    His mind buzzed and stopped thinking. In a sh, he opened his car door and rushed toward her, jumping over the hood of his car like he was jumping over a hurdle during a race.

    At the same time, the motorbike had already managed to swerve into the road where Gu Nianzhi was waiting. The rider pulled on the handles of the motorbike and managed to fling it upward. The next thing everyone knew, he flung the bike right toward Gu Nianzhi.

    The normal-looking man on her left stuck out a leg and kicked the bike, and the bike flew to the pedestrian walkway andnded there, overturned and damaged.

    The rider who intended to lunge forward to snatch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bag fell to the side along with the bike as well.

    The normal-looking man¡¯s hand turned, and a boiling hot cup of Starbucks poured down the neck of the rider.

    The rider screamed in pain.

    The woman on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right quickly moved Gu Nianzhi to her back and stood in front of her, shielding her sight from everything that was going on.

    These two people were people in charge of security from the Special Forces, specially arranged by Huo Shaoheng. There would be different people around her to protect her as long as she went out.

    However, only He Zhichu had realized that the bike was used only to divert the attention of everyone.

    The moment he realized that the red dot had secured its position and was not moving anymore, He Zhichu panicked and hurled himself in front, pushing the woman in her mid-40s and Gu Nianzhi down onto the ground together.

    Then he hugged Gu Nianzhi tightly and rolled quickly toward the entrance of the police station.

    Almost at the same time, a series of bullets shot from silenced gunsnded near the ce from where he and Gu Nianzhi had just rolled.

 Chapter 849 - Lurking Forces (â…§)

    <h4>Chapter 849: Lurking Forces (¢ø)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Even though the sounds from the gun were silenced, the bullets shot were like grenades, or even stronger. Theynded on the cement sidewalk and created dents and damaged the entire walkway.

    Pieces of cement flew all around and smashed into the cars at the traffic light. The drivers sounded their horns in shock.

    A quiet morning had suddenly be chaotic.

    The passengers and drivers in the cars looked on, shocked out of their lives, at the scene like live action out of a Hollywood movie, unfolding in front of them. They were scared stiff and lost the energy and strength to open the car doors and escape.

    Gu Nianzhi was hugged tightly in He Zhichu¡¯s embrace, and they managed to roll to the side of the entrance of the police station in no time.

    Two police officers rushed out.

    ¡°Get down! They have guns!¡± In a moment of panic, He Zhichu could only shout like this. However, he knew that whatever the shooter had was way stronger than just a gun. Even though it was nowhere nearparable to his maic grenade gun, it seemed like its shots were more deadly.

    He Zhichu¡¯s maic grenade gun was the master control gun, and whatever the shooter had was the main output of it.

    Thankfully, the police officers were well trained. Upon hearing He Zhichu¡¯s words, albeit not knowing if the situation was real, they knew that they had to get down when their opponent had guns.

    They went down in one swift motion.

    Immediately after, they heard sounds of silenced bullets again, and the entire cement walkway in front of the police station was damaged. The ground in front of the police station was almost cracked.

    Even though He Zhichu had managed to roll into the police station behind the metal door, he was not able to hide behind a wall or pir. On the contrary, he remained on the ground and protected Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head with all his might.

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to look around when He Zhichu looked up. She then realized with a shock that there was a shooter in the building opposite them, and he was firing.

    Looking at the thoroughly damaged cement ground near them, Gu Nianzhi was speechless. What on earth was that person shooting with? He was seriously inhumane!

    Such vicious cruelty!

    Having gone through the ordeal in the forests of the Alps, Gu Nianzhi had developed an immunity to situations like this. She was not fazed, but instead a sense of excitement built up in her. She could not wait for the entire situation to be as messed up as possible, so that she could pick up a gun as well, topete with the opponent to see whose shooting skills were better...

    Sadly, before Gu Nianzhi was done trying to imagine herself as a sharpshooter, she saw seven to eight trained professionals closing in on the building opposite them.

    Seeing how they were poised, Gu Nianzhi guessed that they were members of the Special Forces.

    Then where was the normal-looking man who was protecting her out there just now? And what about the woman in her mid-40s?

    Gu Nianzhi could not help herself and strained her head to take a peek.

    Two of them, one on the left and the other on the right, got down in front of the metal entrance of the police station. They were armed and looked like they were prepared to pounce to her side to protect her should anything happen.

    She turned around and looked at He Zhichu. He had the same look as the two members of the Special Forces.

    Gu Nianzhi felt tears well up in her eyes. She remained still¡ªextremely still, so that she would not be a burden to He Zhichu.

    ...

    The members of the Special Forces had split into two routes and moved swiftly toward the building where the shooter was hiding. The rounds from the shooter were strong and fierce, but they were not afraid at all. They had almost been attacked and harmed in their homnd. They would never take this lying down.

    The Special Forces were well trained. On top of that, they were well coordinated. They made only a couple of hand signals before deciding on the n to be executed. They split into three teams and closed in on the ce where the shooter was hiding.

    On the top floor of the building, a tall man used the walls of the building, which were the height of half a man, as a hiding point. He was hugging a semi-automatic sniper. He looked through the target and aimed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    When he finally realized that he had been ambushed, the members the Special Forces were already within two meters of his radius.

    ¡°Put down your gun. Raise your hands. Put them behind your head and squat near the wall. Listen to my instructions; if not, my gun does not recognize anyone.¡± The leader of this operation from the Special Forces raised his gun calmly and aimed at the shooter¡¯s head.

    With only two meters in radius, the man would not be able to escape no matter how capable he was.

    The Special Forces were trained to shoot and kill opponents armed with guns as long as the situation was almost out of control. They would never allow them a single chance to escape.

    Huo Shaoheng had said before that the only opponents that would not worry them were opponents whose hearts had stopped beating.

    When the shooter realized that he had been ambushed, he did not show signs of fright. He retained his posture without moving. His hand was still holding the gun like he was preparing to shoot any time.

    The members of the Special Forces looked at him nervously. Everyone had a gun, and all of them took aim. They were prepared to shoot as long as they sensed that that gunman had any intentions.

    The shooter paused for a second. His hand clicked, and he turned the gun around.

    The Special Forces who surrounded him thought that he was going to put up a struggle and began shooting.

    The shooter did not turn the gun toward them. Instead, he aimed at his own heart. With a click, he pulled the trigger.

    Bam! The crowd heard a soft but strong explosion. It looked like a small grenade detonating in front of them.

    The shooter¡¯s body blew into pieces and was a mess of blood, body parts, and organs. The entire top floor of the building was a scene replicated from a gory horror movie. Anyone passing by would have thought that a carton of tomato ketchup was spilled. There were red and ckish human remains everywhere...

    As well trained as they were, the members of the Special Forces had not been exposed to such a scene, even during training.

    They were elites, however. They were able to use the final ounce of their rationality to call the forensic scientist from the Special Forces to the scene of the crime. They had also called specialists from the explosive and armor departments and activated the protocol for barricading the area.

    They could see that the gun and bullet the man used were not normal.

    To be more specific, they had never seen anyone from any country use bullets of such strength and power. They also did not know which guns would be able to withstand bullets of such power and still not shatter or backfire.

    ...

    When Huo Shaoheng arrived at the scene after receiving the news, they had already barricaded the area. No one could get close, and even the residents who were staying in the building were requested to leave. The government put them up in hotels, and they were not to return to the building until all investigations were over.

    Because Yin Shixiong was apanying Ma Qiqi in the police station with Ye Xuan, the persons who arrived with Huo Shaoheng were Zhao Liangze and some other soldiers.

    ¡°What¡¯s the updated situation?¡± Huo Shaoheng arrived at the scene but did not enter. He merely folded his arms and looked on from the barricade.

    The specialists in the area were all covered in white protective gear, and they were armed with different equipment as theybed the entire area.

    Zhao Liangze headed off to look for the person in charge of the area to learn about the situation. He returned and informed Huo Shaoheng softly: ¡°It¡¯s like this, Mr. Huo; you already knew what happened in front. Nianzhi¡¯s bodyguards realized that people were trying to assassinate Nianzhi, but when everyone moved in on this building, that person chose to shoot¡ªoh, not shoot¡ªbut to explode himself.¡±

    Zhao Liangze narrated the scenario to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°We had seven to eight of our people here. They all saw him turn the gun toward himself, aim it at his heart, and fire. Then his body exploded like a balloon, into pieces, and he sttered everywhere ¡ªlike how you see it looks like right now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng covered his nose with his hand and coughed. ¡°What weapon did that person use? I see that the cement walkway in front of the police station is damaged like a cannon fired on it.¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed bitterly. He turned and pointed at the armor specialist: ¡°That specialist said that this person used armor-piercing bullets...only cannons could withstand their firepower.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to imply that that shooter was carrying a miniature cannon around? Tell me, with Di capital¡¯s security, how on earth did he bypass all of them and smuggle that damn thing here?¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed at the scene. ¡°This is Di Capital¡¯s Sihuan district. Most of the senior colonels reside here, and therefore it is one of the ces with the best security in Di capital.¡±

    Zhao Liangze shook his head. ¡°That specialist could not understand it as well. He is now trying to collect the scraps of the weapon to see if he could make anything out of them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing. He folded his arms and stood outside the barricade and looked at the entrance of the police station.

    It was right there that Gu Nianzhi was assassinated again.

    These people seem too arrogant.

    With all his security measures around Gu Nianzhi, he could not believe that there would still be people who wanted to try to assassinate her...

    ¡°Where is Nianzhi? Is she okay?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked, without even turning around.

    Zhao Liangze replied: ¡°Nianzhi is fine. Professor He was with her then. ording to our people, Professor He was swift in his actions. When no one else had noticed the shooter¡¯s aim was on Nianzhi, he had. They all had thought the only thing that was attacking Nianzhi was the rider and the motorbike...¡±

    ¡°There was a motorbike as well?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around, and his brows furrowed. ¡°What was that?¡±

    Zhao Liangze repeated the scenario to him and pointed at the entrance of the police station: ¡°There¡ªit was there. Nianzhi was standing along the road, waiting for Professor He to get his car over. It was the peak period when people were going to work. The traffic was packed. A motorbike speeded toward her all of a sudden, wanting to snatch her bag and use the bike to ram into her along the way. We had two people near her then. They protected her left and right. Only Professor He noticed that Gu Nianzhi was the target of a shooter. Then, he lunged forward from the back to save her.¡±

 Chapter 850 - Lurking Forces (â…¨)

    <h4>Chapter 850: Lurking Forces (¢ù)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The finger behind Huo Shaoheng moved subconsciously. He looked at the direction of the police station for a while before asking, ¡°Where is Nianzhi right now?¡±

    Zhao Liangze pointed at the police station. ¡°She is still there. After such an incident, the police officers did not want to let them go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows. ¡°What has it got to do with them?¡±

    ¡°They are all like that. They had to find a reason to me, even if they could not solve the case. Therefore, they are trying to dig it from the victims. The police most likely have categorized this case as a case of revenge. Therefore, I think they were trying to interrogate Nianzhi and Professor He, wanting to get more leads from them so that they could solve this entire thing.¡± Zhao Liangze took his phone and called the chief of the station. Then, he turned to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°Mr. Huo, do you want to speak to the chief?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not take the call. Instead, he turned around and strode down the steps. He arrived at the ground level, walked through the barricades of the pedestrian walkway, and went toward the police station.

    Zhao Liangze told the chief on the other line, ¡°Chief Xiao, our Major General has headed for your station. He¡¯ll be there in a minute. I¡¯ll get over there too.¡± With that, he hung up and ran after Huo Shaoheng.

    When Huo Shaoheng arrived at the police station, Chief Xiao was already there to wee him. ¡°Sir, this way please.¡±

    Even though Huo Shaoheng was nearing 30 in age, he was still significantly younger than Chief Xiao, who was nearing 50. Therefore, when the police officers in the station saw their chief respect this incredibly handsome man, who exuded a strong aura, and call him ¡°Sir,¡± they were all shocked.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at Chief Xiao: ¡°I heard that you detained two people today. I am here to bring them back.¡±

    He did not even say which matter it was and went straight to the point of demanding the two persons¡¯ release.

    Chief Xiao felt awkward. He brought Huo Shaoheng to his office and said, ¡°Sir, it is not that I do not want to release them. However, the case today was too serious. They are our only leads...¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Huo Shaoheng interrupted chief Xiao. ¡°Even though I am not someone under the police, I have never heard that the police would make lives of the victims miserable. I will give you five minutes. You had better release them; if not, I can tell you that you will not be able to afford to offend them.¡±

    Almost immediately after he said that, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice came from one of the rooms.

    ¡°Listen up. I do not know who wanted to harm me like that and have absolutely no idea where that gun that guy had came from. These should be the duties of the police officers, and you should be investigating to get answers. You should be the ones to protect the safety and assets of the citizens and not the other way around. I know that you guys have no clue what happened, but even so, it does not mean that you can detain victims like this. I have no clue as well. I did not look at the lunar calendar beforeing out today, so I did not know that I would be meeting two lunatics. Do you think I do not want to know what had happened? You have already detained me for twenty-two minutes. Eight minutes from now, I will be able to sue you for abusing your authority and illegally detaining me.¡±

    Her voice was strong and firm, and it was clear that she was not fazed by the incident.

    Huo Shaoheng was relieved. He walked into the room.

    ¡°Eh? Who are you? How can youe in just like that?¡± The police officer who was in charge of interrogation and taking statements was unhappy. ¡°Get out! And close the damn door!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the door and refused to budge.

    Both Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu sat side by side on the chairs on one side of the table in the interrogation room. He Zhichu looked bored. His expression was as usual cold and aloof, and no one could guess what was on his mind.

    Gu Nianzhi continued arguing with the police officer. ¡°Please, do not waste time on us. Quickly go to the scene and investigate whatever you have to. Why on earth are you asking me here when you should be at the scene of the crime gathering evidence? Yes, I do have enemies. I am on my way to fight for awsuit with them. So even if I told you, would you arrest them for me?¡±

    What was this? the policeman wondered.

    Huo Shaoheng could not take it anymore. He coughed softly.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head. When she saw that Huo Shaoheng was here, her eyes lit up.

    Chief Xiao followed him inside and told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Say it. Who is your enemy? Even though we are unable to arrest them immediately, at least we will have a lead.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi folded her arms and raised her chin. ¡°Fine. I will tell you. My enemy is Gu Yanran. She is my sister under thew.¡±

    Chief Xiao was speechless.

    ¡°Miss Gu, are you sure? Your sister engaged a gunman to assassinate you? Why would she do that?¡± The police officer in charge of interrogation and taking statements thought this situation strange. ¡°Looking at you¡ªit does not look like youe from an well-to-do family. Why would your sister turn on you like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi found his words funny. ¡°I did not say that she did it. Mr. Officer, please talk about the evidence. I understand that you are eager to solve this case, but you will be sued if you want to put words in others¡¯ mouths like that.¡±

    The corners of the officer¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You do not have to worry about this. I was merely asking a logical question.¡±

    When siblings turned against each other, it was most likely due to inheritance¡ªwhich meant money.

    People die when ites to discussions of wealth, and animals die when ites to food. How true!

    Gu Nianzhi would not let this police officer know how well-to-do the Gu family was. She merely shook her head. ¡°Even though I am her enemy, and she definitely cannot wait for me to die, she would not be able to stage something like this.¡±

    Upon hearing that, the police officer gloomily struck Gu Yanran¡¯s name.

    Nevertheless, Huo Shaoheng felt that Gu Yanran was still suspicious. He would not exin this to the police officer, however. He merely said: ¡°Chief Xiao, we will take over this case from here. Do not worry; this will not affect your rate of crimes solved.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chief Xiao felt a sense of relief when he heard that. ¡°That is great. You guys can leave too.¡± He immediately pointed at Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu stood upzily and brushed nonexistent dust from his coat. He looked around at the police officers in the room and said, ¡°This is the first time, so I will not press charges. If there is going to be a next time, I assure you that you will be so popr that everyone here and even overseas will know who you are. You can be even more popr than a notorious influencer overnight.¡±

    Chief Xiao¡¯s face turned red immediately, changing from chrysanthemum to hibiscus.

    Gu Nianzhi had initially wanted tough, but she saw Huo Shaoheng look over and stopped herself. She nodded at the police officers in the room in agreement and walked out of the interrogation room with He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to chief Xiao: ¡°We will be in charge of these two people as well. You can wash your hands of them.¡±

    He was trying to convince Chief Xiao not to be fazed by He Zhichu¡¯s words.

    Chief Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, as a police officer, he would not be willing to turn into being ¡°more popr than a notorious influencer.¡±

    It would mean nothing positive!

    Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu, exited the police station, and waited at the door.

    When Huo Shaoheng came out, Gu Nianzhi went to him: ¡°How is the situation there now, Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°That manmitted suicide.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not see the need to hide it from her. ¡°You have to be careful when you go out.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I was on the way to hand in the evidence and documents to the court, to request Gu Yanran to remove the charges against Ye Xuan, so that we would be able to get back Ye Xuan, Qiqi, and brother Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved. ¡°Close the case as soon as possible, and focus on your case of inheritance.¡±

    There was no time to lose.

 Chapter 851 - She Would Never Dare to Say It

    <h4>Chapter 851: She Would Never Dare to Say It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu led Gu Nianzhi into the car and headed directly to the court, where Gu Yanran had sued Ye Xuan.

    After the morning ordeal, it was already noon.

    There were not as many cars on the road aspared to the morning, and He Zhichu focused only on pressing the elerator. With speed and the road conditions, they arrived at the court in a short time.

    The two of them took the evidence and documents with them to request that the court revoke the charges against Ye Xuan and entered the courtroom.

    They had phoned before their arrival; therefore, the court had arranged everything nicely for them. A mediator, traffic police, Ye Xuan, Ma Qiqi, Yin Shixiong, Gu Yanran, and her representativewyer were all present.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was standing energetically in the mediation room, Gu Yanran¡¯s pupils constricted. She returned to normal quickly, however, and nodded to Gu Nianzhi with a calm expression: ¡°Sister, you are here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt goosebumps all over when Gu Yanran called her ¡°sister.¡± She grabbed her hands and replied, ¡°Thank you, Miss Gu.¡± Then she turned to the mediator. ¡°I am here to hand in the evidence and documents on behalf of Ye Xuan¡¯swyer, Ma Qiqi. May I know who is in charge, please?¡±

    The mediator extended her hand. ¡°Give them to me. I am the mediator for the court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi handed her the documents and evidence. The mediator took the things and looked through them quickly. Upon seeing that they had filled the form out properly, the evidence was clear and visible, and everything was logical, she nodded, impressed.

    After holding away the things in her hands, the mediator turned to Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi, who were sitting on the side. ¡°Miss Gu and Miss Jin, intiffs of thewsuit, now that the defendant had provided us with evidence, they have requested you revoke all your charges. They have imed that you do not have sufficient evidence to file awsuit against them, and thus have requested the court to drop all charges. May I know what do you think?¡±

    She paused before continuing, reminding them. ¡°If you do not agree to drop the charges, that is fine. However, you will need to produce new evidence before the court is willing to hear it. If that is not the case, I am afraid that the court will still have the final judgment that you lose the case because you do not have sufficient evidence.¡±

    Gu Yanran cried the moment she heard that. She sobbed. ¡°How can that be? So all this torture I have gone through was for nothing, just because I do not have evidence?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and said calmly: ¡°No one here has x-ray eyes. Therefore, we do not know what exactly happened that day. I do not wish to use Miss Gu without any evidence, nor are my intentions bad. I only know that the court wants evidence to be fair. Finally, Miss Gu, I will have to remind you that tears are not a form of evidence. Therefore, no matter how much you cry, it will not help you.¡±

    Her tone was so calm and collected, but the words shot through Gu Yanran like bullets, increasing her awkwardness.

    Gu Yanran did not know what to do. She could not stop her tears, nor could she continue crying. Therefore, she lowered her head and wiped her eyes, hoping to show others she had been bullied.

    While she sniffled, Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes darted to Ye Xuan, but she realized that he was not looking at her.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to waste her time on Gu Yanran. She turned to Jin Wanyi instead. ¡°Lawyer Jin, what do you think? If you guys are unwilling to drop the charges, then we would not mind going ahead as well.¡±

    Ma Qiqi piped up. ¡°Handlingwsuits is what we do well. Lawyer Jin knows the procedures. Of course, no matter if you lose or win,wyer Jin will get yourmission. However, if your client loses the case, she will have to bear the legal consequences.¡±

    Jin Wanyi did not expect that Ma Qiqi, someone who looked so careless, could say words that were so influential. She could not help but look at Gu Yanran and realized that her eyes were nk as if she regretted her actions.

    Jin Wanyi could not help but feel frustrated.

    Of course, she knew that thiswsuit would not be an easy one. She had agreed to raise the case in court because, first, Gu Nianzhi had sounded so logical at that time, so she had ¡°borrowed¡± her viewpoint. Second, she had thought that Ye Xuan hadmitted a crime on such a scale in America so that even if he were absent from the hearing or caught red-handed like that, he would not be able to escape thew.

    She had not expected He Zhichu to help Ye Xuan get out of the crime in America.

    Now she was stranded.

    Jin Wanyi groaned silently as she looked at Gu Yanran. Then, turning to the mediator, she said, ¡°I would like some time with my client, please.¡±

    The mediator nodded. ¡°Sure. The meeting room on the side is prepared for your use. It is safe inside, as the court had promised that there would be no recording devices ced in the rooms. You can use it without any worries.¡±

    Jin Wanyi smiled an awkward smile and entered the meeting room with Gu Yanran.

    Upon closing the door, Jin Wanyi furrowed her eyebrows and said to Gu Yanran: ¡°Yanran, do you still want to sue Ye Xuan? Now Ye Xuan is free from all charges in America, and Gu Nianzhi got evidence of his whereabouts that day. If you still want to sue him, it will be tough.¡± She paused before continuing: ¡°Tell me honestly. What exactly happened that day? Did Ye Xuan really hit you? Or...¡±

    Hearing how Jin Wanyi had spoken, Gu Yanran felt her doubts. Although she felt guilty, she would never admit it. ¡°Whatever happened between Ye Xuan and me cannot be exined. Even if he wants to be heartless, I cannot live without my morals. Forget it! I will drop all charges against him. However, I will appeal for an order of protection, to stop him from appearing anywhere within ten meters from me.

    ¡°On top of that, he just ended awsuit with me. Of course, he will bear grudges. Therefore, he cannot be a witness for the inheritancewsuit between Gu Nianzhi and me.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was speechless.

    ¡°You have already pressed charges. Now you decide to change your words to ¡®Even if he wants to be heartless, I cannot live without my morals.¡¯ Aren¡¯t you a littlete?¡±

    Albeit annoyed, Jin Wanyi had a work ethic. She nodded and said, ¡°Okay. That¡¯s settled. I will go and appeal to the court.¡±

    They returned to the mediating room.

    Jin Wanyi turned to face the mediator: ¡°My client has agreed to drop all charges. However, my client wants to appeal for a personal protection order against Ye Xuan. She does not want Ye Xuan to go within ten meters of wherever she is. She would also like to request that Ye Xuan be unable to be a witness in thewsuit of her inheritance.¡±

    The mediator looked at Gu Yanran. ¡°The intiff agrees?¡±

    Gu Yanran pouted as she nodded her head. ¡°Ye Xuan and I have had a rtionshipsting many years. Even if he has decided to be heartless, I cannot live without my morals. I shall drop the charges against him. However, I do not wish to see him ever again. Moreover, I am also afraid of him...¡± She bit her lip in an attempt to appear hurt while looking at Ye Xuan.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Gu Yanran coldly as she continued her acting and realized that this lip biting was hideous. No wonder Huo Shaoheng repeatedly tried to correct her.

    Ma Qiqi stood up,ughing. ¡°Miss Gu, you know how to go back on your words, don¡¯t you? You were the one who pressed charges. Now that you know that you will not be able to win, then you turned your words to ¡®even if he wants to be heartless, I cannot live without my morals¡¯? Hahaha, what if you won thewsuit? Goodness...Moreover, now we are talking about things one by one. Whether or not Ye Xuan would be able to testify for the inheritance case between Gu Nianzhi and yourself would be decided by the court once you raised the case. That case has no rtionship with this as far as I know, so it would be senseless to agree to that right now.¡±

    Jin Wanyi agreed to this as well. However, she could only concur silently, as she was the intiff¡¯swyer. Ma Qiqi was different¡ªas thewyer for the defendant, she could speak on this.

    The mediator agreed with Ma Qiqi as well: ¡°We can consider the personal protection order, but we are able to stop Ye Xuan from testifying in court for anotherwsuit. This would not be under our control. You would have to request this of the court once the case is brought up.¡±

    Gu Yanran realized that her words had been weak, and her face flushed in embarrassment.

    She looked at Ye Xuan again and realized that he was looking at Gu Nianzhi. That gaze was so focused and gentle that Gu Yanran suddenly felt ufortable.

    Even though she was the one who had ditched Ye Xuan, seeing him change targets in such a short time upset her.

    It was all because of her...

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes darkened and moved to look at Gu Nianzhi.

    The moment this girl appeared, her life had been turned upside down...

    Did she really think that she did not know about her background?

    Sadly, she would not spill it no matter what. If she did, she would be dead.

    Gu Yanran was keeping this mum. She followed Jin Wanyi out of the court¡¯s main entrance. She was still silent even after the exit.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi sessfully managed to bring Ye Xuan out from the court.

    He Zhichu walked in front alone and had no intention of talking to anyone.

    Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong followed behind him. They were whispering to each other.

    Gu Nianzhi realized that after this incident, both of them did not care about being found out...

    She looked at Ye Xuan, who was silent and asked softly, ¡°What happened between those two yesterday? Do you know?¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s mind raced, and he was extremely tense. He was just thinking about how he would respond when Gu Nianzhi asked him about Gu Yanran and Gu Xiangwen. However, she merely smiled brightly and leaned forward toward him. ¡°How do I know? They had been whispering things to each other the entire night...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled.

    Ma Qiqi, who was walking at the back, finally snapped back to reality. She walked in front, increasing her pace, until she reached where Gu Nianzhi was standing. She pulled her to one side and said, ¡°I heard something happened while you were on the way here just now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt odd. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°I heard it from him.¡± Ma Qiqi looked behind him.

    ¡°Him? Who?¡± Gu Nianzhi teased her on purpose.

    Ma Qiqiughed and pushed her yfully: ¡°Fine, fine, I will admit. I spoke to brother Xiong about it. He¡¯s my boyfriend already.¡±

    So straightforward! Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but to mentally click on ¡°like¡± for Ma Qiqi and eximed, ¡°That is amazing! Brother Xiong is a good person. Who knows, he might even be a virgin. You have gotten yourself some treasure...¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ma Qiqi was taken aback. ¡°You are serious? Brother Xiong...still...still has not...done it before?¡±

    She knew that Yin Shixiong was not exactly young anymore. Could it be possible that there was something wrong with him?

    Gu Nianzhi almost fainted fromughter. ¡°I was just saying. As for whether it¡¯s true, you would have to ask him on your own!¡±

    They joked around and boarded He Zhichu¡¯s car in no time and returned to school.

    ...

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng was holding on to the reports from the specialists in the explosives and machinery departments. He headed to the Institute of High Energy Physics to look for his mother, Song Jinning.

    ¡°Shaoheng, what brings you here today?¡± Song Jinning, looking refreshed and as gorgeous as ever, came out in her white robe to wee Huo Shaoheng, Her skin was fair without any signs of wrinkles, and she looked not a day over 20. It was tough even for people who knew her to believe that she had a son this old. Had it not been a fact that all of them knew that she had fallen ill during these years, they would have believed that she had gone for cosmetic surgery...

    Huo Shaoheng held a suitcase locked with a code. It contained evidence collected at the scene of the crime.

    He showed Song Jinning the suitcase. ¡°I have some work-rted things to consult about with you. Would you be free? Let¡¯s look for a ce for me to show you some things.¡±

 Chapter 852 - Comparable to the Price of Gold

    <h4>Chapter 852: Comparable to the Price of Gold</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Work-rted things? Could I really be of help to you?¡± Song Jinning was ted to hear that. She felt guilty toward this son of hers.

    From the moment he was born, she had not taken care of him. It was mostly Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother, Xie Ziyan, who had raised him.

    Song Jinning¡¯s love in this life was her research work. Her son came in a close second. Her ex-husband used to be ranked third, but that ce had been empty since the divorce.

    ¡°This should be within your area of work.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted his suitcase and continued as casually as possible. ¡°This might have certain connections to maternal grandfather as well.¡±

    Song Jinning turned serious. She took Huo Shaoheng into herboratory for highly ssified experiments and locked the door before enabling the security function that included another bulletproof gate. With that, she separated the office into two rooms. They would have as much privacy as they needed. ¡°Okay, you can tell me what the matter is right now.¡±

    Although the Institute of High Energy Physics was a research facility, it did not have many secrets. But because Song Jinning¡¯s institute had coborated on research with the army, the security system here was better than at simr research institutions.

    Song Jinning activated the system to avoid distractions from the outside world. Anyone could see that she recognized the high importance of the present matter.

    Huo Shaoheng sat opposite Song Jinning at her work desk, ced the suitcase on the table, and keyed in the code to open it.

    He turned the suitcase around and let it face Song Jinning. ¡°Take a look. Do you happen to recognize what this is?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at the open suitcase in front of her. Two transparent stic bags contained ck metal pieces, which she did not recognize.

    Song Jinning looked at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously. ¡°Where did thesee from? Why would you ask me if I knew what they were?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask where they¡¯re from. I just wanted you to take a look.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out a stic bag from the suitcase and pushed it lightly toward Song Jinning. The bag skidded on the smooth surface of the work desk andnded in front of Song Jinning. She used a finger to stop it from sliding onto the ground.

    Her hand to probed the metal piece in the stic bag, and she was curious about the texture of it.

    ¡°I will have to run some tests.¡± Song Jinning¡¯s interest piqued, and she took out a new pair of gloves from her desk. She carried the stic bag to her workbench.

    Huo Shaoheng followed her and watched from the side with folded arms.

    Song Jinning used tweezers to remove the metal piece from the stic bag and ce it in a case before she put it into a machine that was able to break down the materials.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed thebel: Maic Inductively Coupled sma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy Machine (MICP-AES).

    Song Jinning exined while turning the machine on for the test. ¡°This machine can use sma to interact with materials to make them evaporateyer byyer, to atomize the material¡¯sponents. The atoms are triggered and begin to release light. Then, the machine uses the spectroscopic system to analyze their differentponents and eventuallyes up with the material¡¯s chemical form.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened intently. ¡°Isn¡¯t analyzingpounds more in the chemistry area? Would you have the relevant machine here?¡±

    Song Jinning was the head of the Institute of High Energy Physics¡ªnot chemistry.

    Song Jinningughed. ¡°I think this material is abnormal. It looks like a high-energy material. Therefore, it would require physics to analyze it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood. ¡°I came to the right ce, indeed.¡±

    Song Jinning fell silent. She turned her full attention to the machine for the analysis results.

    Huo Shaoheng waited. Two hours in, the machine was still analyzing. Huo Shaoheng had gone to take a seat on a chair nearby and began checking his emails. Song Jinning also returned to her desk to look at journal articles.

    There was silence in the office. The rays of the afternoon sun poured down into the office from the windows and made the entireboratory feel as warm as it was in the spring.

    Afterpleting an entire journal, Song Jinning realized that two hours had passed, but the machine was still analyzing. She got an idea and asked Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°Where did you get that from?¡±

    ¡°Is that important?¡± Huo Shaoheng kept at his mobile phone and looked at Song Jinning. His expression was calm, and she couldn¡¯t tell what was on his mind.

    Song Jinning nodded. ¡°Yes, it is important, so that I can at least have a clue to where it came from. Perhaps our analysis method is wrong.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng contemted that. Of course, he could not tell her the entire story, but he could briefly exin its use.

    Huo Shaoheng chose his words carefully: ¡°It is like this. This thing came from a weapon. We have no idea how this weapon came about, but we only know that it puts forth a huge amount of power, almost equivalent to or more than a cannon that can fire armor-piercing grenades. But it was fired from a gun. This was what was left after that gun exploded.¡±

    Had it not been that special, there wouldn¡¯t have been anything left after the shooter decided to self-destruct.

    The gunman had not seemed worried that they would discover the scraps as well; most likely, the important things had been destroyed.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were deep and dark.

    Song Jinning furrowed her brows upon hearing that. She tapped her head with her fingers and wondered.¡±Now that you mention this, it feels familiar...Now, what could it be?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng straightened. ¡°Would you think again? Was it from an experiment in the past? Or was it a product from theboratory?¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s fingers froze. She remained in this position for an entire minute before gasping. She stood up. ¡°Let me take a look again.¡±

    Who would not use aputer to check for things in this era?

    Song Jinning would not. She entered a small study room in theboratory and rummaged around for some time. She found an old notebook. It looked ancient.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and asked, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Your grandfather¡¯s notes during his experiments.¡± Song Jinning flipped through it quickly. ¡°All his notes were destroyed during the explosion. I had taken this by mistake to the Huos, and that was why it did not get destroyed along with everything else.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°There it is!¡± Song Jinning had gone through this notebook countless times since she had recovered from her illness. This was the only memory she had of her father, Song Haichuan. She had almost memorized everything in this notebook.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng moved closer to Song Jinning and looked at the notebook with her.

    ¡°This. Here. It had recorded that my father had discovered a high-energy material by ident when he was experimenting one day.¡± Song Jinning ced the notebook into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. ¡°Look here. I guess this material should be it.¡± She returned to the desk excitedly and turned off the machine.

    If the material was that type of high-energy one, then these normal atomizing machines would never work on it.

    As expected, when she opened the machine, the piece of scrap was still lying peacefully in the box. It had never evaporated. No wonder the machine could not manage to analyze anything even after two hours. Normal materials would require only half an hour for their atomization records along with diagrams of the materials.

    Song Jinning smiled and stroked the material lovingly. ¡°Such a yful little thing. But don¡¯t be too d so soon. I am sure I will be able to find out yourponents.¡±

    She took the scrap out from the machine and walked to another experiment table. She pulled out a small and strange-looking device and used a pair of tweezers to ce the scrap into that machine.

    She turned the machine on for another round of tests.

    This time around, it took her only one minute before the results were out.

    ¡°Yes, it is the material that your grandfather discovered! He named it X-1.¡± Song Jinning mumbled, ¡°But how did this thing manage to enter the market? Shouldn¡¯t it still be in the testing process?¡±

    The material was not stable. Moreover, its manufacture was expensive.

    Seventeen years ago, its manufacturing price was a thousand times more expensive than gold of the same weight.

    Song Jinning was unable to imagine that someone would be able to get their hands on the stable form of X-1 and could even manufacture it into a usable weapon! Song Jinning almost passed out just thinking about the manufacturing price.

    Such a high amount; if the price went ording to how it was 17 years ago, that gun would be worth more than a decade of their research funds in the institute! And that didn¡¯t even take into ount the improvements in scientific knowledge that a stablepound like that would bring for the development of society.

    Huo Shaoheng listened calmly and patiently to the functions of the material. He took the scrap and ced it back into the stic bag. ¡°Perhaps it would not be that expensive. Technology improves every day. Its price would surely drop. Now our problem would be, other than grandfather, who else knew about this new material?¡±

    Song Jinning looked longingly at the scrap material in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. She shook her head and said, ¡°Not many people knew about this. My father even kept it from me. I only got to know about it after looking through the notebook. However, my father coborated with the army during those years for a number of highly confidential experiments. I do not know if the people from the army would know.¡±

    They both thought about one person simultaneously, and it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s elder uncle, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father¡¯s older brother, Huo Guanyuan.

    However, Huo Guanyuan had passed on at his post 17 years ago during the explosion as well. Had he reported on this high-energy material to the army before he passed?

    Huo Shaoheng asked softly, ¡°When grandfather worked with the army for those highly confidential experiments, do you happen to know the direction they were heading toward?¡±

    This experiment was not within Huo Shaoheng¡¯s control, so technically, he should not be asking about it.

    However, he had this scrap as a bridge. He could ask a little.

    Song Jinning smiled as she looked at him, and said while avoiding key words, ¡°The main experiment was not to create materials like this. This new material was a by-product of the experiment.¡±

    The people from the Institute of High Energy Physics had ethics to abide by as well. She could not release information regarding highly confidential experiments to Huo Shaoheng merely because he was her son.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what Song Jinning meant and stood up to bid her goodbye. ¡°Thank you for your help. I have to go back now.¡±

    Song Jinning sent him all the way down to his car before waving and going back.

    Huo Shaoheng reported to General Ji the moment he exited from the Institute of High Energy Physics. Then, he followed General Ji¡¯s instructions to get to the headquarters of the Special Forces for an urgent meeting.

 Chapter 853 - Who Were the Ones Who Knew the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 853: Who Were the Ones Who Knew the Truth</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng and his men took over the case the moment the police barricaded the area after the incident in the morning.

    The matter was extremely serious, so everyone considered it a priority. Other organizations had tried to take charge of it as well, but they did not seed, because General Ji had specifically ordered that this incident was to be handled by the Special Forces.

    Only General Ji¡¯s interference made it easy for Huo Shaoheng to take control of this case.

    He thought about it as he rode swiftly back to the headquarters of the Special Forces. General Ji had already brought the standingmittee from the military Supreme Council to wait for him at headquarters.

    Because Huo Shaoheng had informed General Ji that the incident might be relevant to what happened 17 years ago to Song Haichuan, the previous director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, General Ji did not inform Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, about the meeting even though he was also one of the members of the standingmittee.

    Huo Guanchen and Song Jinning were not exactly on great terms. General Ji felt that Huo Guanchen should stay away from anything rted to the family of Song Jinning.

    Huo Shaoheng had no objections to this decision.

    He took his suitcase into the meeting room in the Special Forces building and saluted everyone from the standingmittee. ¡°Greetings, Sir!¡±

    General Ji waved at him. ¡°Sit down. Tell these couple of old men here what exactly happened.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not sit down. Instead, he turned on the multimedia projector in the meeting room and showcased what he had managed to find online for high-energy materials. Then he presented them with the scraps of materials he had found today and began.

    ¡°Generals, I have invited you here today as I have an important item to report to all of you.¡± Huo Shaoheng aimed hisser pointer at the projector screen. ¡°Take a look. This was what happened this morning. No construction road work caused the dents on the ground. This is the footage of the entire incident this morning, with a perfect view of what happened.¡±

    The screen lit up, and the incident from that morning showed on the screen.

    Everything had been sted, and that made everyone tense. The footage looked like a scene from a Hollywood movie in high definition.

    The footage dumbfounded even the standingmittee members and General Ji, who were exposed to all kinds of missions. They watched with their mouths agape.

    ¡°What on earth is this? Do we have it?¡± The standingmittee member in charge of weapons was almost red-eyed. ¡°If we do not have that, I propose that we ce an immediate order for it!¡±

    They were all soldiers. Therefore, they understood that weapons were of high importance in a war. Long gone were the olden days, when soldiers fought with swords and spears.

    Huo Shaoheng clicked a couple of times on the control station, and the screen changed. This time around, it showed a weapon that looked oddly like a gun with only half the barrel.

    Huo Shaoheng introduced the image: ¡°This mock-up armory image was done up based on information from everyone present at the scene this morning. The new armor-prating bullets that thoroughly damaged the cement pedestrian walkway this morning were all fired from this gun with a short barrel.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain that that thing is a gun?¡± One of the standingmittee members could not believe that a weapon that destroyed an entire cement walkway could look like a gun.

    Huo Shaoheng, however, nodded. ¡°We had seven to eight guys there. They all saw it with their own eyes and confirmed that the weapon looked like this. They fought with him nearby, and this image was established afterparing the memories of the gun from everyone from all angles.¡±

    ¡°But how...how...how is this possible?¡± General Ji asked moodily. He could not understand no matter how much he thought about it.

    How could such a small thing have such power?

    Moreover, the length of its barrel was only half of a normal gun¡¯s. The bullet had to gain enough speed in half the time. An increase in speed meant greater friction. Greater friction meant emitting a great amount of energy and heat within an extremely short amount of time.

    The energy and heat that the bullet would produce would be too powerful for any gun to take and would cause an explosion in the barrel. Up till now, no guns had been able to ovee this problem.

    Then how did that thing do it?

    Huo Shaoheng clicked again and exined. ¡°The key to our question would be the material used to manufacture that weapon.¡±

    He ced the stic bags containing the scrap materials onto the table. ¡°I arrived slightlyter than everyone because I made a trip down to the Institute of High Energy Physics, to get the people there to test for theponents of this material.¡±

    ¡°And what did the tests reveal?¡± General Ji asked with narrowed eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng showed Song Jinning¡¯s test results on the screen. ¡°Look. This is the manufacturing material. Its creator was Song Haichuan, the previous director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, a world-renowned high energy physicist, who passed on.¡±

    ¡°Seventeen years ago?¡± One of themittee members was taken aback.

    ¡°I have confirmed that the material for this gun was the same one that my grandfather found seventeen years ago while doing an experiment for the army. However, due to the hefty manufacturing price of the material, it had been ced in the testing phase without releasing it to the public. Therefore, it was not mass-produced.¡±

    However, it confirmed their suspicions when the assassination happened this morning.

    ¡°Moreover, that explosion by my grandfather¡¯s failed experiment caused the death of everyone working on it. I only got to know about this after checking on some information.¡± Huo Shaoheng was upset. ¡°I would like to know who would be so powerful and influential that they would know about this type of new material and send the information to the outside.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, even so, how could you assume that one of us had informed on our own country?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the standingmittee. ¡°I want to know who was the one who protected Song Haichuan in the dark that time. Also, who were the ones who knew the truth of this discovery by Song Haichuan?¡±

    ording to what he knew, there were fewer than five people who knew about this incident. It was impossible to believe that the traitor hid among these five.

    These were all people of high status. They had power, money, and fame. They were also loyal to their country and the army, and considered their careers of utmost importance; they were people with long-term ns.

    To be in such a position but still prefer to help the enemy? If that was the case, it would mean that they were brainless.

    ¡°The bullets that this gun contained were extremely special. Look at this CCTV footage. One of our guys was standing in front of Gu Nianzhi. Had he not pushed her away, she would have been shot through by that bullet. It would not help even if someone were shielding her from the front. With a power that huge, it could shoot through even four or five humans.¡±

    With that, Huo Shaoheng demonstrated the supposed scenario with magazines.

    The screen showed the footage when Song Haichuan was doing experiments 17 years ago. All of a sudden, they heard a gunshot. Then, in the blink of an eye, it hit the target for the experiment: one of the pirs of the abandoned building.

    The building swayed before copsing with a crash.

 Chapter 854 - Do Not Let Them Live

    <h4>Chapter 854: Do Not Let Them Live</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When the stilted building copsed, the gun exploded as well and turned into nothing but scrap.

    Thankfully, they had used a shooting machine for the test shot instead of a human. If Song Haichuan had used a human for that test shot, most likely, that person would have been sted into bits and pieces as well...

    Huo Shaoheng turned the projector off, and the screen went dark. At the same time, the lights in the meeting room went up.

    The standingmittee members all wore grim expressions, and no one spoke for a long time.

    Huo Shaoheng did not push them for a response. ¡°As you can see, we have been unable to produce a usable weapon with this material yet. Someone else managed to do it before us, however. Not only did they manage to manufacture a weapon with this material, they even managed to ship it into Di Capital tomit a crime.¡±

    His expression became stern. ¡°I would like to remind every single one of you here, that with the discovery of such weapons, all our existing security measures would be for naught the moment they decide to mass-produce the weapons.¡±

    Because other than being able to destroy cement, this portable weapon would be able to fire bullets that had enough power to shoot through multiple human beings. That would mean that bulletproof vehicles and physical bodyguards would all be useless.

    The safety of the standingmittee could not be guaranteed.

    ¡°...Such things. How on earth did they manage to get past the security at the train stations and the airport? Must we set security checks on the expressways in the future as well?¡± one of the standingmittee members asked, looking extremely worried.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the information in his hands and replied: ¡°What we have now are only guesses. The texture of this material is simr to stic. Therefore, no current security measures would be able to detect any abnormalities. Our guess now is that they dismantled the weapon and shipped the parts in before fixing them back after they managed to get through the security checks.¡±

    ¡°Such atrocity! How could we have missed them?¡± One of the standingmittee members who had a bad temper mmed his fist onto the table. ¡°It had better not be anyone from our side that leaked the information. If it was someone from our side, I must request military sentencing and shoot this bastard of a traitor to death!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded in the direction of thatmittee member. ¡°I second military sentencing of that person.¡±

    He continued reporting on the incident that had happened that morning. ¡°However, even though the opponent was cruel and had a futuristically powerful weapon, we had more than enough human resources on our end. Therefore, we were able to provide the best form of protection for our citizens in the nick of time. Other than the death of the shooter when he decided to self-destruct, no other injuries or deaths were reported.¡±

    General Ji breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°That is good, then; that is good. I have long said before¡ªif Shaoheng were the one handling matters, I would be able to rest my mind.¡±

    He looked at the standingmittee members who were present: ¡°What do you think about this?¡±

    Themittee member in charge of armory had initially wanted to interrogate the shooter, in the hopes of knowing where he got the weapon. However, when he heard that the Huaxia Empire had had it 17 years ago, and its manufacture was put on hold due to the manufacturing costs, he remained silent.

    Anothermittee member was in charge of military research. He contemted and told Huo Shaoheng, ¡°The experiment that academician Song was doing seventeen years ago for the army was, and still is, top secret. There are only five people who knew about the details of the experiment to date. One would be academician Song himself, the other is myself, and another one is Senior Colonel Huo Guanyuan. Then finally, thest two people who know about it would be Madam Song Jinning and one more...¡± He looked at Huo Shaoheng before continuing. ¡°...Would be Bai Jinyi.¡±

    Bai Jinyi actually did not know about the details of the experiment 17 years ago. However, when the experiment failed, leading to Song Haichuan¡¯s death, Song Jinning¡¯s mental breakdown, and Huo Guanyuan passing away because he was present, Bai Jinyi became the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics. She also took over this experiment and therefore became one of the people who knew the details of it.

    ¡°...However, I am not sure as to how many people knew about the existence of the newly discovered material. We will have to investigate again. I can vouch for the first four people who knew about the experiment that they will never leak confidential information to others.¡±

    He did not dare vouch for Bai Jinyi.

    She was someone who did not mind killing people for mere research data. Moreover, her second elder brother, Bai Yusheng, was a traitor who was on the run in America.

    Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows. ¡°Bai Jinyi has been sentenced to a lifetime of prison, and she is currently there.¡±

    ¡°We can sentence her again.¡± General Ji had a cold expression on his face. ¡°If she was the one who leaked the information, she would be facing a death sentence and not a mere lifetime of prison!¡±

    What an utter load of bullshit!

    Their prisons would never keep traitors alive!

    Huo Shaoheng did not protest: ¡°It would not be convenient for me to intervene here. I believe all of you who are present would be more curious than myself to know whether she had leaked information.¡±

    General Ji looked at themittee member who was in charge of military research and said, ¡°I will let you handle this. You will interrogate her personally. If she is the one who leaked the information, there would be evidence.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng supported General Ji¡¯s order as well. ¡°If any one of you requires help overseas to look for leads, the Special Forces would cooperate fully with your demands.¡±

    The standingmittee member who had a fiery temper suggested, ¡°I think we can get the Bais to help us. Namely, minister Bai Jiancheng and Colonel Bai. They are both people with a strong sense of justice, and would not be biased even if it was someone from their family.¡±

    General Ji remained silent.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what General Ji meant and said, ¡°I do not think that this would be a good idea. Let us concentrate on Bai Jinyi, because there would be an issue of confidentiality if we get too many people involved.¡±

    When it came to confidentiality, no one in the meeting room had a stronger power than Huo Shaoheng.

    They all nodded their heads, and they arrived at a consensus.

    Seeing that they hade to an agreement, General Ji announced the end of the meeting. He wanted everyone to get to what they were supposed to do and investigate the leaking of information on the experiment 17 years ago.

    Huo Shaoheng sent all the standingmittee members away until there was only General Ji left.

    He stood in the empty parade square in front of the building of the Special Forces and whispered to Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...You have to investigate properly why they would want to use such a weapon to assassinate Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Huo Shaoheng whispered back. ¡°By bringing the material up, I was just trying to cover the main issue.¡±

    He did not want the standingmittee members to put all their focus on Gu Nianzhi...

    Because Huo Shaoheng and General Ji had intentionally brought their focus elsewhere, the ¡°victim,¡± who was supposed to be concentrated on by the army, had been forgotten about just like this.

    The standingmittee members were attracted by the ¡°newly discovered material¡± and reopened the case on Song Haichuan¡¯s failed experiment 17 years ago from the ancient files in the archive.

    The Military Supreme Council formed a four-person highly confidential group for this, in order to investigate the people who knew about the discovery of that material from the failed experiment 17 years ago.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to school and went to He Zhichu¡¯s apartment in the Professor¡¯s building in B University with Ye Xuan and He Zhichu himself.

    Neither Ma Qiqi nor Yin Shixiong went.

    Ma Qiqi had not been able to sleep for the entire night. Moreover, she had just managed to get to the guy that she had liked for a long time. She was too excited, and it led to her feeling drained. She was exhausted. The moment she returned to school, she headed immediately back to her dormitory to sleep.

    Yin Shixiong sent her back to the dormitory and returned to the headquarters immediately to report to Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s apartment in B University again, she told Ye Xuan emotionally, ¡°It has been hard on you. However, this should be thest time. Gu Yanran most likely will not look for trouble with us anymore.¡±

    Ye Xuan did not look well. Perhaps he was overly tired, or perhaps he had not managed to put the past behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi look at him and said kindly: ¡°Would you like to take a shower first and rest?¡±

    Ye Xuan was indeed exhausted. However, he looked seriously at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I will go and fall asleep. When I wake up, I will tell you everything I know.¡±

    ¡°No hurry.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him andforted him with a smile. ¡°You will have your chance to talk, especially in court.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I will be your witness.¡± Ye Xuan was determined to go all out and fight Gu Yanran in court.

    ¡°That would be great!¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands. ¡°Okay. Go and have a shower first. I will make you a sandwich and a cup of hot milk. Go to bed after eating.¡±

    Ye Xuan did not reject her kindness. He stood up and asked He Zhichu: ¡°Mr. He, may I know which bathroom can I use, please?¡±

    He Zhichu brought Ye Xuan to the bathroom in his guestroom and brought him a brand new set of bathing essentials. Then, he came out of the guestroom.

    Gu Nianzhi was making a sandwich in the living room and heating up a ss of milk in the microwave.

    When there was no one there to watch, her face did not have that happy and worry-free smile that was so sweet and adorable anymore.

    She stood behind the ind alone, and her back bent with stress. She tried her best to fight everything, not allowing anyone to see her weariness and fear.

    He Zhichu felt a pang in his heart.

    Stuffing both hands in his pockets, he stood behind her quietly for a while before coughing lightly. ¡°What are you thinking about, Nianzhi?¡±

    He walked over slowly and leaned against the ind.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head slowly, and her big eyes had something to them that made He Zhichu¡¯s heart skip a beat.

    ¡°Professor He, why would they want to assassinate me? Would it be due to the inheritance of the Gus?¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless and he finally managed to find words to respond to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question: ¡°What do you think? If it weren¡¯t due to the inheritance, then why else would you be assassinated? Humans die for money, and birds die for food. People can resort to any means for the sake of money. Moreover, the inheritance of the Gus is not mere millions or tens of millions. We would be talking about way more than that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s furrowed eyebrows slowly rxed. It seemed like she hade to a decision. Nodding slowly, she said calmly, ¡°All right then, since they will not let me live, I shall not let them live as well.¡±

    Just a sentence, but He Zhichu understood her anger and determination. He nodded approvingly; this was the Gu Nianzhi he knew.

    ¡°Yes. Just like that. When others do not allow you to live, you do not have to think about them either. There will be people who like digging their own graves, so we should grant them their wishes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t you think that whatever I said just now was pure evil, and not thinking properly?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Why would you ask that?¡± He Zhichu raised his eyebrows and said coldly, ¡°In my heart, whatever you said would be right. Whatever you want to will be what I want to do. If you¡¯re thinking of pure evil and not thinking properly, then I would not be thinking properly for a long time either.¡±

    Even though his tone was cold and aloof, the content of his words was as warm as a zing fire.

    It was this sharp contrast that gave He Zhichu his unique charisma.

    Gu Nianzhi fell silent.

    She had wanted tough, but what was this feeling of warmth and contentment? Why was she touched when he said those things?

 Chapter 855 - Everything Will Be Fine In The End

    <h4>Chapter 855: Everything Will Be Fine In The End</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi fell silent for a while before shaking her head and smiling. ¡°Professor He, you are a professor... You have to mind your image, you know? Please don¡¯t allow me to just think whatever I want. If you did that, I would be so spoiled! Moreover, we are both in the legal industry. Whatever we do will have to be within thew. Even if we don¡¯t want them to live, we can only make them sumb to punishments given by the court, right?¡±

    He Zhichu turned around and leaned against the ind. He looked at the ceiling, full of thought, and said. ¡°Huo Shaoheng influenced you a hell of a lot...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone and temperament were exactly like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s...

    ¡°Oh, really? I don¡¯t think so though. I feel that I am myself, and he is himself. We are two different individuals.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile faded.

    However, her hands did not stop moving. She continued putting together the sandwich for Ye Xuan. She added a couple of slices of bacon and added some mayonnaise. Then, she threw in some lettuce and tomato slices. It looked good. Gu Nianzhi ced the sandwich onto a te just as the milk finished heating up.

    Gu Nianzhi brought the sandwich and milk into the living room and ced them on the coffee table. She turned to He Zhichu and said, ¡°I will go back first. When Ye Xuan is done with his shower, please let him have something to eat before sending him off to bed.¡±

    Ye Xuan must have been deprived of food and sleep for the past few days. Gu Nianzhi thought he had be haggard.

    He Zhichu put on his coat and said, ¡°I will walk you back.¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to reject He Zhichu, but He Zhichu wasn¡¯t leaving any room for negotiations. He merely took her by the arm and dragged her out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal with me. Also, don¡¯t forget about what happened this morning.¡± He Zhichu opened his door. ¡°Those people will not let you off simply because you are still in a school.¡±

    ¡°But you won¡¯t be able to follow me around for the rest of my life.¡± Gu Nianzhi adjusted her school bag and said, ¡°I can handle this on my own.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what kind of opponent you are, or what you will be facing?¡± He Zhichu walked to the elevator with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, please stop feigning confidence in front of me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and felt that it was unexpected for the shooter that morning to have been so ruthless.

    If not for He Zhichu, she would already be in heaven.

    Therefore, her mind wandered to the question that He Zhichu had not answered. ¡°...If their motive was to get the inheritance from the Gus, then won¡¯t I be in even more danger after thewsuit? Also, if it was really because of the inheritance, why wasn¡¯t Gu Yanran their target? Why was I the target?¡±

    He Zhichu stood by her side. He looked straight at the doors of the elevator and said calmly, ¡°How would you know if Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t their target? Unless she was worried about her safety, why would Gu Yanran have looked for backups everywhere? Also, why would Gu Xiangwen have hidden his condition from everyone? Nianzhi, what are you trying to hint at?¡±

    When he put it like that, it did make sense.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about what she knew about the Gu family, Gu Xiangwen, and Gu Yanran. She felt a horrible mess of confusion. She was helpless and extremely frustrated.

    She was helpless because she did not know what the other party wanted. She was extremely frustrated because she hated herself for not being able to do anything about the situation she was in.

    ¡°...But they have such powerful weapons. That gun was really destructive...¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled. ¡°Do I have to go back to the Special Forces to stay?¡±

    Just like when she was younger? When she had to live with Huo Shaoheng?

    However, what difference was there between that life and being confined?

    Even though Huo Shaoheng would not confine her per se, she felt like she was being confined by those opposing forces.

    Knowing that Gu Nianzhi was worried about the powerful weapons that their opponents had, He Zhichuughed and said in a rxed tone, ¡°They only have one of those weapons. They lost it the moment it got blown up. You can rest assured about that.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked suspiciously at He Zhichu again. ¡°Professor He, I have always felt that you know many things that you won¡¯t tell me. Why is that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, but you didn¡¯t believe me. So why would I tell you things that you won¡¯t believe again?¡± The elevator arrived at their level and Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu stepped in together. He Zhichu pressed the ¡°G¡± button.

    ¡°What did you tell me before? Please tell me again. I will believe you!¡± Gu Nianzhi stood in front of He Zhichu, palms together, looking at He Zhichu with puppy eyes. She looked so innocent that it would be extremely difficult to reject her.

    He Zhichu smiled as he looked down. ¡°I told you before that you became my fianc¨¦ the moment you were born. Did you believe that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Why had he brought it up again?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fell. ¡°Fine. I will not ask again. You always make a joke out of it. How could I believe you?¡±

    He Zhichu breathed a long sigh. He looked at the descending numbers in the elevator and smiled. ¡°Why do you think that I¡¯m joking?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Why would anyone arrange a marriage before one of the people is even born these days? Even if it was done, it would not be legal. Therefore, Professor He, please don¡¯t say that again. I don¡¯t want others to hear it and cause unnecessary trouble.¡± Gu Nianzhi sounded more relieved.

    She felt a mixture of emotions towards He Zhichu.

    All this time, He Zhichu had been really nice to her. He had helped her to the best of his abilities. He had also protected her and saved her. What he¡¯d done for her had gone way past what a professor would do for his student.

    And through all those things, the more she¡¯d spent time with He Zhichu, the more Gu Nianzhi realized that she felt like she knew He Zhichu very well. It seemed like they had known each other in the past, and that they had been very close.

    What was going on exactly?

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively felt that it was rted to the memories that she had lost.

    Had she really known He Zhichu before she was twelve years old?

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and tried very hard to recall her missing memories. She wanted to find just a few of her memories from before she had turned twelve. However, like always, the moment she tried to trace back her memories, her head started to hurt like crazy. It felt like that part of her brain that held those memories had been cut offpletely.

    The moment she tried to think about it, Gu Nianzhi felt like she had fallen into a bottomless pit. She could not find any direction.

    Just then, the elevator arrived at the first level of the professors¡¯ building.

    The elevator door opened and He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi stepped out together.

    It was already extremely dark outside. The streetlights in front of the building illuminated the roads.

    This was the area for teaching staff. Therefore, there were not many people around at night.

    A cyprus tree stood magnificently in front of the professors¡¯ building. The streetlight shone onto it and created a tall shadow. It looked like a soldier standing steadfast.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu walked towards her dormitory.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was massaging her temples, He Zhichu knew that she was getting a headache again. He said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t try to think about what happened in the past anymore. I was only joking with you. Those things are no big deal. The thing that you should be concentrating on right now is your inheritancewsuit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not reply immediately. She only replied after they arrived at the lobby of her dormitory. In a serious tone, she said, ¡°Professor He, I will take up thewsuit. However, I would also like to get my childhood memories back.¡±

    A strand of hair fell onto the side of her face as she talked. It made her eyes look even brighter.

    He Zhichu tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. ¡°After you finish fighting thewsuit, you will get your memories back. Therefore, you do not have to force yourself to remember. Everything will be fine in the end.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Special Forces, Yin Shixiong was giving Huo Shaoheng a full report about what had happened at court and in the police station.

    ¡°...The officers at the police station were all really nice. Even though Gu Yanran requested for them to arrest Ye Xuan, they did not make things difficult for him on purpose. After that, Nianzhi and Professor He managed to get an alibi for Ye Xuan, so they went directly to court and requested that the court dismiss all the charges. After the mediatormunicated with Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran, the court approved Nianzhi¡¯s request and let all of us go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He sat behind his desk, one hand on the mouse and the other supporting his unusually handsome face. He looked at hisputer screen as he replied, ¡°Okay. It is good that no one is hurt.¡±

    Ye Xuan could only be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s witness without worries if all his charges were dismissed.

    ¡°...Did Ye Xuan have anything to say?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked as he continued to look at hisputer screen.

    Yin Shixiong scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, sir. Qiqi was exhausted. I sent her back to her dormitory and came here immediately to report to you. Professor He, Nianzhi and Ye Xuan all went to Professor He¡¯s apartment at B University. They should be talking for a while.¡±

    ¡°I do not want ¡®shoulds¡¯ or ¡®maybes¡¯. I want a definite answer.¡± Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and slowed down the speed of the footage on hisputer by half before continuing to watch. As he did that, he waved his hand at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Go and have a rest. After that, follow up on Nianzhi¡¯swsuit.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong stood up and saluted Huo Shaoheng before turning around to leave.

    After Yin Shixiong left, Huo Shaoheng raised his head from theputer and thought about what Yin Shixiong had just told him. Then, he went back to looking at He Zhichu¡¯s fast reflexes on the footage on theputer. He studied how he had rolled on the ground, protecting Gu Nianzhi from the bullets, but not hiding behind the wall or pir.

    This raised an rm in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind.

    Usually, when even a well-trained military man was being chased by a shooter, they assumed that the best ce to hide was behind a wall or pir.

    This was because there were not many guns that could shoot through walls. The ones that could were rare.

    It would be impossible to get them in Hua Xia Empire.

    However, when He Zhichu had protected Gu Nianzhi, he seemed to know how powerful the gun was. He¡¯d cleverly kept away from the walls and pirs.

    If they had hidden behind the wall, they almost certainly would have been killed.

    This meant that He Zhichu was familiar with such weapons...

    He linked this realization to the footage that the Special Forces in America had sent back of He Zhichu saving Ye Xuan. He Zhichu had a gun with him then. It had a special shape. Huo Shaoheng realized what it was in an instant.

    He thought for a while before picking up his phone and dialing He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    ¡°Mr. He, do you have some time to talk?¡±

    He Zhichu had just sent Gu Nianzhi back to her dormitory. He was walking back to his apartment alone.

    COMMENT

    He put on his Bluetooth earpiece and put his hands into his pockets. ¡°What do you want to talk about? I am very busy, so I don¡¯t have a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°I want to talk to you about the ¡®Americanboratory¡¯ gun that you used in America.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew that He Zhichu did not want to meet up, so he said, ¡°Unless I¡¯m wrong, the gun that the shooter used this morning was the same type as the one you had in America, wasn¡¯t it? It was just a different model.¡±

    He Zhichu was slightly taken aback. ¡°Was it? What gun did the shooter use this morning?¡±

    Seeing that He Zhichu was still trying to feign ignorance, Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Professor He, let¡¯s not beat about the bush anymore. What is so powerful about those guns was the material that they were made with. Hua Xia Empire had ess to that type of material 17 years ago.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? You guys already had that material 17 years ago?!¡± He Zhichu was extremely surprised when he heard that theboratory in Hua Xia Empire had that material as well.

 Chapter 856 - Branding it with his brand

    <h4>Chapter 856: Branding it with his brand</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly. Then, he put down his phone and put on his Bluetooth earpiece. He worked as he spoke into the phone.

    He Zhichu thought over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words carefully. He confirmed again, ¡°Do you have that material in theboratory, or is it in production already? There¡¯s a big difference.¡±

    ¡°Ourboratory has had this material for seventeen years. However, whether or not it has been in production, I cannot say, as it is a national secret. Sorry about that,¡± Huo Shaoheng said matter-of-factly, although what he said was only half true.

    He Zhichu, however, was confused. He thought about it for a while and realized that Huo Shaoheng wanted to trick him. ¡°Haha... If that¡¯s the case, then why would you need to ask me?¡±

    ¡°So... You¡¯re trying to imply that you know about the origins of that gun...¡± Huo Shaoheng caught the hidden meaning in He Zhichu¡¯s words and continued to get information out of him. ¡°The shooter¡¯s target was Nianzhi. You wouldn¡¯t just let that happen, would you?¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned for a while. However, he could not be fazed so easily. Chuckling coldly, he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you where it came from? It was from one of the top five in theboratories in the United States. Since Major General Huo is so capable, it should be an easy task to hack into theirboratories, shouldn¡¯t it? I won¡¯t talk too much in front of such a capable person anymore.¡± With that, he hung up.

    When Huo Shaoheng tried calling back, his calls were all diverted to voicemail.

    He Zhichu clearly did not wish to speak to him anymore.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was already prepared for He Zhichu not to tell him the truth word for word. In calling him, Huo Shaoheng had merely wanted to confirm that He Zhichu knew about the shooter¡¯s intentions. Hearing He Zhichu being so calm and collected, Huo Shaoheng guessed that such a drastic move by the shooter had been a one-time incident. It would not be happening again.

    The reason was simply that the gun was too expensive to reproduce.

    Such drastic actions like blowing up the gun and self-destructing when the mission failed could only mean that their opponent was desperate. This was their final wave of craziness, and He Zhichu had ruined it.

    Logically, Huo Shaoheng felt that Gu Nianzhi was not in so much danger anymore. There would also not be more of this kind of shooter. Emotionally, Huo Shaoheng was still worried about Gu Nianzhi. Due to the nature of his job, he could not be around Gu Nianzhi every minute of the day.

    All of a sudden, he felt frustrated.

    Huo Shaoheng took a pack of cigarettes out of his cab and pulled one out. He ced it in between two fingers and lit it up.

    White smoke poured out from between his fingers. Huo Shaoheng went deep into thought as he examined the rtionships of the people on hisputer.

    The assassination attempt on Gu Nianzhi that morning involved his grandfather, Song Haichuan¡¯s secret experiment seventeen years ago. However, at that time, Gu Nianzhi had been only two years old.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, switched his cigarette to his other hand, and used his right hand to strike out this possibility with his mouse.

    Gu Nianzhi was not connected with that experiment 17 years ago.

    He was interrupted.

    The opposite party¡¯s motive was very simple. It was due to the inheritancewsuit between Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran. That was why the person had gone into such a frenzy. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi definitely needed to get her hands on the inheritance of the Gu¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and picked up his phone again. He called Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had juste out from the bathroom.

    She¡¯d had a good soak invender oil in the bathtub, and her tensed muscles had rxed a fair bit. It had even made her headache much better.

    Hearing her phone was ringing with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personalized ringtone, Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a while. She answered it eventually. ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°Nianzhi, you are already back in the dormitory?¡±

    When the call went through, Huo Shaoheng could see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location. She was in her dormitory.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as she picked up a towel to dry her wet hair. She sat on her bed and asked, ¡°Is something wrong since you¡¯re calling me at this time of the night?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. ¡°Yes, there is something.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go ahead and tell me then. I will be hanging up if there if it¡¯s not important,¡± Gu Nianzhi said politely, leaning back on her bed.

    ¡°Are you okay after this morning?¡± Huo Shaoheng thought of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s near-death experience that morning. ¡°Were you hurt?¡±

    ¡°I am fine. Professor He¡¯s actions were swift. He saved me again.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°He saved me when I was in Germany as well. Had it not been for him, I wouldn¡¯t havee back alive.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng acknowledged this coldly. ¡°Yes. We should thank Professor He properly one day. However, it would be nice if he could solve these issues altogether. We have determined that he might have known about the shooter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent for a rather long time.

    She¡¯d had the same sentiments and had even tried to hint about them to He Zhichu to gauge his reactions.

    Even though He Zhichu had thrown the question back at her, Gu Nianzhi firmly believed that He Zhichu knew something else about it. However, he must have had his own worries, and therefore couldn¡¯t let anyone know about them.

    Gu Nianzhi set the towel down and hesitated before saying, ¡°Professor He said that the opponent only had one of those guns. He said we do not need to worry about them attacking with the same thing again.¡±

    The only one they¡¯d had was already blown to pieces.

    Huo Shaoheng sat up straight. This was exactly what he had predicted.

    He lowered his voice, making it sound extremely sexy. ¡°...Did Professor He say that exactly? How did he know that the opponent only had one of those guns?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea either. I have tried to ask him, but he refused to tell me directly. When I probed, he... he...¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed before continuing. ¡°Forget it. Since he was unwilling to say anything, I will respect his decision. Moreover, I feel that it would be better if I found the answers on my own because it would be more reliable. I don¡¯t like to just believe the words of others without seeing the truth with my own eyes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew about her temperament and style of doing things. Even if He Zhichu told her everything, she would still not believe him and look for answers on her own to see if they were real. This rted to her background, and the memories she had lost. She could not simply ept anything anyone told her and just believe their words.

    Therefore, in her opinion, it did not make much difference whether He Zhichu told her the truth or not.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what Gu Nianzhi was trying to say. He felt the exact same way as she did. This was also the reason why he had not forced He Zhichu to tell him the truth.

    Because who would know if He Zhichu was really telling the truth?

    He was already used to looking for the truth on his own. He was not someone who took anyone¡¯s words at face value.

    He would only believe the truth that he discovered on his own.

    Anything that came from others would merely be a source of reference. Their reliability would also be hugely discounted. Gu Nianzhi had grown up alongside him, so her style of doing things had long ago been marked by his brand.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled softly at that thought and said gently, ¡°Be careful. Call me if anything crops up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied instinctively, ¡°Okay.¡± She only regretted it after she hung up the call. She had replied too quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi ced her phone on the headboard of her bed, leaned against it, and continued drying her hair while thinking about her problems.

    Ever since she returned from Germany after those horrible experiences, Gu Nianzhi could not help but like herself. How lucky was she to still be alive...

    Her opponent must be so angry, right?

    She would not die no matter what they did...

    Gu Nianzhi had an idea. She took her phone and dialed Gu Yanran¡¯s number. She could tell that there was still someone else behind Gu Yanran. That person was cleverer than Gu Yanran, and more patient too. That person also hid way better than Gu Yanran.

    In order to expose that person, Gu Nianzhi had to attack Gu Yanran directly.

    The phone rang twice before Gu Yanran picked it up. She asked with a stern voice, ¡°Gu Nianzhi? Why would you call me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled eerily and said with a creepy voice, ¡°Sister... Aren¡¯t you afraid that ghosts are looking for you after what you had done? If I had died today, the person calling you now would not be human anymore. Aren¡¯t you afraid at all?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s pupils contracted quickly. She screamed in horror and threw her phone onto the floor like it was a scalding hot piece of metal.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard the thud from the other end of the line, she knew that Gu Yanran had thrown the phone onto the ground. Sheughed and hung up.

    After she was done harassing Gu Yanran, Gu Nianzhi cheerfully headed to bed and fell asleep, feeling as though she was over the moon.

    She had many things to do the next day. Gu Nianzhi had intended to head to court immediately after waking up in order to request that they reopen the case.

    Because her witness, Ye Xuan, was already present, Di Capital¡¯s Supreme People¡¯s Tribunal Court approved Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request and informed Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi that the inheritancewsuit would be having its third judicial session the next Monday.

    ...

    It was already mid-November. The weather in Di Capital was getting dry and cold.

    Over at the Prime Minister¡¯s residence at Willow Lane Number 32, no one was having an easy time. The atmosphere in the Prime Minister¡¯s residence was akin to the weather, its temperature dropping consistently on a daily basis.

    On that Saturday morning, Tan Dongbang and Tan Guiren were sitting in the dining room at level one of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence.

    Tan Dongbang had lost a lot of weight recently. He¡¯d been sabotaged not long after he was appointed as the Prime Minister. Therefore, he was under a tremendous amount of stress.

    Tan Guiren knew that her father was extremely busy due to work, and her mother had returned to her maternal grandparents¡¯ home, so she obediently avoided the topic of Tan Dongbang being sabotaged. She took a butter knife and applied some butter on a slice of bread for Tan Dongbang and ced it onto his breakfast te. ¡°Daddy, please have some breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Little Darling.¡± Tan Dongbang¡¯s rtionship with Cai Songyin was not as good as it had been in the past, but he still loved his only daughter a lot. ¡°However, daddy has no appetite. Too many things have happened recently, and your mummy isn¡¯t home. The ministers who are harping on the case of impeachment are getting more and more angry...¡±

    Cai Songyin had not been at home for the past few days. Tan Dongbang had no one else to talk to, so he began ranting to Tan Guiren.

    Tan Guiren did not know much about these things, but she willed herself to be a good listener.

    Cai Songyin stood at the wooden entrance of the dining hall and looked at Tan Dongbang¡¯s lowered head with a dark expression. However, by the time Tan Dongbang raised his head and saw Cai Songyin, she was already smiling.

    ¡°Mummy! You are finally back?! Why are you noting in?!¡± Tan Guiren had seen Cai Songyin as well. She stood up and rushed towards Cai Songyin excitedly.

    Tan Dongbang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cai Songyin. They had been married for many years. Even though Gu Yanran was really way better than her in bed, that was most likely due to a sense of novelty. When anything happened, the first person he wanted to discuss things with was still Cai Songyin.

    ¡°Songyin, you have heard it all, haven¡¯t you?¡± Seeing Cai Songyin, he didn¡¯t need to pretend anymore. With his face sullen, he asked, ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°What should we do now? I thought you were really close with Gu Yanran,¡± Cai Songyin mocked him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get her to help?¡±

    Tan Dongbang had a guilty conscience. He said quickly, ¡°Know her well? Unless she had started her seduction, why would I have... How would I...¡±

    ¡°How would you what?¡± Cai Songyin looked at him, smiling gleefully. She waved to him. ¡°Dongbang,e here. I have something to ask you.¡±

 Chapter 857 - Interlocked Hands

    <h4>Chapter 857: Interlocked Hands</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Songyin brought Tan Dongbang to the master bedroom in the Prime Minister¡¯s residence on the second level.

    Tan Guiren followed them to the second level. However, when she saw that they had entered the master bedroom, she stopped following. She thought that since mummy had not been home for so many days, she would have many things to speak to daddy about. She did not want to disturb them. She would go and take a look again after they were done.

    ...

    Cai Songyin stood at the entrance of the master bedroom. She looked at the bedroom that had once filled her with excitement. She looked at the decorations she had once put so much effort into. She felt a pang in her heart. The tears that she thought had dried up began flowing down her cheeks again.

    She turned around and dabbed them dry.

    Tan Dongbang handed her a tissue as he lowered his voice to say, ¡°Songyin, I am truly sorry. This was my fault. You can hit me or scold me, whichever makes you happy, but please do not ignore me. You are the only woman in my heart...¡±

    Unfortunately, while words like those sometimes worked on little girls, stillcked meaning in Cai Songyin¡¯s ears.

    Cai Songyin was not young anymore. Her daughter was already in her twenties. She was someone who could do as she wished in the media industry. Why would she be blinded by Tan Dongbang again because of sweet nothings like these?

    However, she could not fall out with Ta Dongbang just like that. She could not, simply because they had too much to lose.

    As for love, it had vanished the moment she saw the short clip of Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran.

    To give herself some pride and gracefulness, she¡¯d returned to her parents¡¯ while she was seeing red. If she stayed, she was afraid that she might take a knife and kill Tan Dongbang in a fit of anger...

    However,mitting a crime against a man who¡¯d had an extramarital affair was just not worth it.

    After almost a month at her parents¡¯, she could finally face Tan Dongbang with a peaceful mind.

    ¡°Dongbang, we have been married for so many years. Youmitted a grave mistake,¡± Cai Songyin said as she took out her phone and showed Tan Dongbang a clip that she had not shown to the public. It had been taken in this master bedroom. ¡°Look, if you wanted to have an affair, why did you do it on my bed?! Who do you think Gu Yanran can be? She left so many hints here on purpose so that I would find them!¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s expression turned angry after seeing the clip.

    Gu Yanran had promised... She had promised that she would never tell Cai Songyin...

    However, the evidence was right there. Tan Dongbang was so full of guilt that he took Cai Songyin¡¯s hand and knelt in front of her.

    ¡°Songyin, Songyin... Please forgive me just this once. I will remember your kindness for the rest of life! Really! Gu Yanran has put me in such a bad spot that themittee is reassessing my ability to be Prime Minister. I have no other options anymore. You know how many years I worked hard to be the Prime Minister!¡± Tan Dongbang pulled on Cai Songyin¡¯s hands and begged earnestly. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other since we were young. I have liked you since I was a young man. You are the only one I love!¡±

    Cai Songyin almostughed out loud at that.

    He only knew how to say ¡°You are the only one I love¡± when he was faced with impeachment. Why hadn¡¯t he thought about who he loved when he was in bed with that woman?!

    Cai Songyin used all her determination to control herself and not push Tan Dongbang away.

    She took a deep breath, looked up, and closed her eyes to cool herself down before helping Tan Dongbang up. ¡°Dongbang, get up. How can you do that? You are the Prime Minister of the nation. You do not have to kneel before me.¡±

    ¡°Songyin, help me! Please help me! I do not want to be the Prime Minister who gets impeached! I still want to go for re-election! Songyin, have you forgotten about the promises we had made to each other in the past? Have you forgotten about our aspirations?¡± Tan Dongbang hugged Cai Songyin by her shoulders. ¡°As long as you help me to get through this, I swear that I will never look at other women again in my life!¡±

    Did he really think she would believe words like this?

    Cai Songyin smiled cunningly. ¡°There would be no need for that. You are the Prime Minister of this nation, how could you not look at other women? How could you work?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I will only listen to you from now on, I promise.¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s assistant and associates had all applied for ¡°medical leave¡± recently. They all wanted to avoid getting involved with Tan Dongbang¡¯s impeachment. They all felt that there was too much evidence against him. It would be too hard for him to get away scot-free.

    As such, the only people he could seek help from were his family. The Tans were a family of schrs. They were all disgusted by the things he had done. Even though they had not shown their displeasure publicly, they refused to help him.

    The only one who could help him was his wife, Cai Songyin. As long as his wife agreed to stand alongside him in times like this, he would be able to get through it smoothly.

    He had looked up the presidents and prime ministers of other countries who¡¯d had extramarital affairs while in office. They¡¯d all managed to get through the hard times by having their wives beside them.

    Cai Songyin knew about this as well, which was why she had decided to return. No matter what, they were husband and wife. She had decided that, even though they had no love for each other, they would be a couple who benefited from each other.

    Moreover, they had a daughter together.

    For her daughter to be able to marry well in the future, she could never allow Tan Dongbang to be impeached.

    However, in front of Tan Dongbang, she did not need to say such words. Men were all lowlifes in her eyes. The only way to get them to be obedient and listen was to tempt them with treats, like a carrot to a rabbit.

    Cai Songyin was filled with hatred and disgust for men.

    Tan Dongbang looked at Cai Songyin nervously and nudged her. ¡°Songyin, tell me, what should I do?¡±

    The cab had already made up a jury and sent investigating officers to gather evidence of Tan Dongbang having an extramarital affair. They were going to use that against him to question his moral values and working capabilities.

    As long as the investigating officers managed to convince the jury, Tan Dongbang would be impeached immediately.

    Cai Songyin chuckled. ¡°You are scared now? If you¡¯d known it woulde to this, would you have done it? I am tired. We will talk after I rest for a couple of days.¡±

    ¡°...But the court has already begun gathering evidence!¡± Tan Dongbang was almost desperate. ¡°I have not been able to eat or sleep for the past few days. I have aged more than a decade since you¡¯ve been gone!¡±

    ¡°I know. I have already engaged awyer.¡± Cai Songyin waved him away absentmindedly. ¡°Also, I want to change all the decorations and furniture in this room. You won¡¯t stop me, will you?¡±

    ¡°No, I will not. Change anything you want.¡± Tan Dongbang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Cai Songyin had engaged awyer. He was a Prime Minister. There were many things he could not do on his own that someone else had to do it in his ce.

    Since his assistant and associates had all left him, he found it embarrassing to engage awyer on his own...

    After thinking things through, Cai Songyin was still the best to him. Tan Dongbang had made up his mind to love Cai Songyin with all his heart henceforth.

    He left the master bedroom and closed the door. Tan Guiren was watching him the door of her room. ¡°Daddy, is mummy still angry?¡± Tan Guiren whispered and pointed to the door of the master bedroom.

    ¡°She is a lot better.¡± Tan Dongbang looked relieved. ¡°Go and apany your mummy. She loves you the most.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Seeing that Tan Dongbang was leaving, Tan Guiren entered her parents¡¯ room to visit her mother, Cai Songyin.

    ...

    It waste morning on the weekend. Gu Nianzhi woke up from her dreams and did not wish to move. She remained in bed and began scrolling her phone.

    Ma Qiqi returned with breakfast and knocked on her door. ¡°Nianzhi! Are you up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°Yes I am up, but not awake yet.¡±

    ¡°Lazy bum, wake up! I have savory and sweet bean curd, millet porridge, spring onion puffed pastry, and beef buns. Which would you like to have?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had initially intended to stay in bed. However, when she heard Ma Qiqi mention all these breakfast delicacies, she felt her tummy rumble.

    She got out of bed and washed up quickly before joining Ma Qiqi at the dining table.

    Both of them sat around the dining table and had a great time having their breakfast.

    After a little while, Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone rang.

    The moment she heard the ringtone, she took her phone out and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Give me a minute while you continue eating, okay? I need to answer a call.¡± With that, she ran back to her room, closed the door, and answered the call.

    Gu Nianzhi guessed that it was most likely from Yin Shixiong. She made a face at Ma Qiqi¡¯s door and continued having her breakfast.

    Ma Qiqi came out from her room within five minutes of taking the call. Her face was flushed, and she looked better than ever.

    Gu Nianzhi took a beef bun and ced it in front of her. ¡°You are finally settling down. Tell me, when are you guys going to get married?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Why would it be so soon?!¡± Ma Qiqi smiled as she took a bite of the beef bun. ¡°I want to enjoy the romantic times of being in a rtionship. Why would I want to get married so soon and turn into a fierce wife?¡±

    This genius, beautiful, 19-year-olddy felt as though she¡¯d been shot right in the head...

    Gu Nianzhi could not help herself but me Huo Shaoheng silently. It was all his fault that she had be a ¡°fierce wife.¡±

    Ma Qiqi babbled on about her imaginary ideal rtionship to Gu Nianzhi. Then, seeing that Gu Nianzhi had gone silent, she contemted for a while before realizing what might be going on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind. She whispered to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, are you missing Huo Shao?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Why should I miss him? Don¡¯t be silly.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you look like that?¡± Ma Qiqi folded her arms and very much wanted to interrogate Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Also, tell me... You were interlocking hands with Professor He at his apartment the other day. Are you trying to have an affair?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. She patted Ma Qiqi on the shoulders. ¡°Do you use that phrase like that?! Qiqi, my dear Qiqi, why didn¡¯t I realize that you are not that clever?¡±

 Chapter 858 - Cannot Be Played Dirty

    <h4>Chapter 858: Cannot Be yed Dirty</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the topic.¡± Ma Qiqi pretended to be stern. However, her smiling and sparkling eyes gave her away. ¡°Let me tell you, even if you intend to be together with Professor He, you have to control yourself. You have got to wait until we graduate. Do not blind anyone in the school!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and put down her spoon. She took a piece of tissue to clean her mouth and said exasperatedly, ¡°I have no romantic feelings towards Professor He. It¡¯s true. However, it is also true that Professor He has been extremely nice to me. I feel... towards him... I feel... how should I put it...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused as well. If she said that she had absolutely no feelings for him, it would be a lie.

    She was a human with feelings. How could there be no feelings?

    However, the feelings that Gu Nianzhi had towards He Zhichu were not romantic.

    Gu Nianzhi was absolutely clear about that.

    ¡°...I am sorry if I am being blunt. I am closer to Professor He than other people. I have no idea why either.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I am serious. Sometimes, I think that having an older brother like him wouldn¡¯t be that bad, but I would never ask Professor He to do disgusting things like to be my sworn brother or something.¡±

    ¡°Well, that is true too.¡± Ma Qiqi nodded in agreement. ¡°What I detest most is that the man that I like is telling me that he treats me like a sister... Sister your *ss! If he did not like me, that would be it. Why should he be so cheap?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and whispered, ¡°...That is why I¡¯m telling you, nothing is going on between Professor He and me. Even if he feels like an older brother to me, it is merely something that is on my mind. To be honest, I would never be lucky enough to have such an amazing brother as him.¡±

    ¡°Professor He is cold on the outside, but a passionate person on the inside. I really cannot tell which girl could be good enough for him,¡± Ma Qiqi said as she began admiring He Zhichu again. ¡°So handsome, he looks like a movie star when he talks and walks. No one can tear their eyes away from him...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She waved her hand in front of Ma Qiqi¡¯s face. ¡°Wake up! Qiqi, you already belong to someone!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah...¡± Ma Qiqi heaved a heavy sigh, then said happily, ¡°That is why I can only admire from afar. I cannot y dirty!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hand yfully. ¡°You can y dirty with brother Xiong. Professor He is too perfect, therefore you should only admire him from afar. Do not pollute him with your dirty thoughts.¡±

    ¡°You are the nonsensical one!¡± Ma Qiqi pped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand yfully as well. ¡°Brother Xiong and I have not reached the level where we can be dirty with each other. You don¡¯t have to worry, alright!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed gleefully.

    It was such an amazing weekend morning with good food and a best friend. Gu Nianzhi could not have asked for more.

    After they were done with breakfast, Gu Nianzhi headed to the library to prepare the documents that she would need for the hearing on Monday.

    This time, both sides were going to be well prepared. They would be fighting face-to-face in court.

    After the two times, she and Gu Yanran both knew that they were enemies.

    The assassination attempt a few days ago also made Gu Nianzhi realize that Gu Yanran very much wanted her dead.

    Gu Nianzhi had initially wanted to fight for only half of the inheritance and freeze the other half. She had not expected Gu Yanran to be ruthless enough to try to kill her. Therefore, she would not y nice anymore either.

    This time, she would be fighting for all of the inheritance. She wanted Gu Yanran out of the family without a penny.

    It would be tough though.

    No matter what, the person in a vegetative state, Gu Xiangwen, had the same DNA as Gu Yanran. Gu Nianzhi was merely an adopted daughter. If an adopted daughter was able to get all the inheritance from the biological daughter after awsuit, it would be talked about for years.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the documents and the set of answers that Ye Xuan had given to her and went deep in thought.

    She could tell that Gu Yanran had protected all the information about the Gus very well. No one had been able to find out anything about the family. All the old servants from the Gu mansion had been killed in that ¡°kidnapping incident¡± in Barbados. Ye Xuan had been in a boarding school in America the whole time.

    His only evidence was that when he was the one in charge of finance in the family. He knew slightly more about the inheritance, which was why he was able to provide Gu Nianzhi with a list of everything. By having the only other big yer in a vegetative state, everything about the Gu family fortune had to be decided by Gu Yanran.

    Gu Nianzhi used her marker to draw circle after circles and line after line of notes. Eventually, everything pointed back to Gu Yanran.

    She¡¯d had a blurry idea a long time ago. Since Gu Yanran was the main person in charge of everything to do with the Gus, her point of attack should directly be on Gu Yanran herself.

    Other evidence supported this. The only thing that she needed to confirm was Gu Yanran¡¯s real identity. Gu Nianzhi would never believe that Gu Yanran was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was not sure if she herself was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter, she was extremely sure that Gu Yanran was not.

    So... Who exactly was Gu Yanran?

    Gu Nianzhi took out the information about Gu Yanran that had been discovered by Huo Shaoheng for her reference. First ss Honors graduate from St. John¡¯s College. She was the perfect candidate to be a good housekeeper. On top of that, before she¡¯d entered St. John¡¯s College, her high school and junior school records were all nk. No one could trace which schools she¡¯d attended during those times.

    Gu Nianzhi added another point of suspicion on her list.

    ...

    The weekend passed quickly. Gu Nianzhi spent two entire days in the library. Monday arrived in a blink of an eye.

    That was the day she and Gu Yanran would fight it out in court.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up in the morning, washed up, and changed into a business suit from Versace and a ck pair of high-heeled leather shoes by Manolo hnik. She tied her hair into a bun at the back of her head. She looked more mature like that.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her reflection in the mirror and still felt slightly unhappy.

    She almost wanted to get a pair of ck-rimmed sses to put on. Those would help her to look her age... However, she did not wear sses normally. She also hadn¡¯t worn any sses to hearings in the past. If she put some on now, they would attract too much attention.

    Therefore, the sses were just a thought in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind.

    After she was done preparing, Ma Qiqi headed downstairs with her. Ma Qiqi would be going to the hearing as well. After getting together with Yin Shixiong, she didn¡¯t give up any chances to spend time with him.

    Yin Shixiong would be listening in on the hearing between Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran to represent Huo Shaoheng. Therefore, Ma Qiqi tagged along.

    Yin Shixiong was waiting for them in the lobby of their dormitory. Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi boarded the car. Gu Nianzhi took the back seat immediately, leaving the front seat for Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi hopped into the car happily, blushing the moment she saw Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong had never been in a romantic rtionship before. Therefore, he did not know the feeling of being in love. However, he knew that he was extremely happy each time he set his eyes on Ma Qiqi. He liked spending time with her and enjoyed being together with her.

    Yin Shixiong started the engine and began chatting with Ma Qiqi. Since both of them were chatterboxes, they¡¯d realized that they had many simrities from the moment they began talking. A good example was that they both loved to swim, eat, rock climb, and camp.

    By the time they arrived at court, Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi had already set a day for that weekend to go rock climbing at an indoor sportsplex.

    Their rxed atmosphere made Gu Nianzhi feel very much at ease. She allowed her mind to go nk and not think about anything, closing her eyes to rest in the back of the car.

    When they alighted from the car, Gu Nianzhi saw Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi waiting at the entrance of the courthouse.

    Gu Yanran looked extremely haggard. Even though she was still rather pretty, she was not as good looking as before. Jin Wanyi, however, looked normal as she stood elegantly at Gu Yanran¡¯s side.

    However, the moment she saw Yin Shixiong open the door with Ma Qiqi in his arms, it was clear that her elegant expression fell.

 Chapter 859 - Hand Your Evidence Over

    <h4>Chapter 859: Hand Your Evidence Over</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong drove Huo Shaoheng¡¯s silver Mercedes Benz Bentayga SUV that day. The car was tall with smooth and sleek lines. It was a car that subtly exuded luxury.

    Yin Shixiong had a soldier¡¯s build. A 180-centimeter tall man carrying Ma Qiqi at 170 centimeters in height... they looked beyondpatible and loving.

    Ma Qiqi hugged Yin Shixiong by the neck and nted a kiss on his cheek, not caring who was around. ¡°A present for you for carrying me down from the car,¡± she said, smiling prettily.

    Gu Nianzhi tutted and almostughed out loud. ¡°Please, both of you! Stop being lovey-dovey in front of the court, will you? Please be considerate towards singles like me!¡±

    A shiver ran down Yin Shixiong¡¯s spine. He turned towards Gu Nianzhi and furrowed his brows. ¡°...Single? You..?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t you know? Do you have anyments on that? Qiqi is an animal protection advocate. Aren¡¯t you, Qiqi?¡± Gu Nianzhi batted her eyshes at Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi controlled herughter and nodded. ¡°Yes, of course! I am an advocate for single animals! I was their honorary member, but have since stepped down from the position!¡±

    Yin Shixiong understood. He caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. ¡°yful girl. You want to make fun of your Brother Xiong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head to one side and flipped her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t get physical with me now, Brother Xiong! You are now attached, so you have to keep a distance from other girls!¡± she said, pretending to be stern.

    ¡°Yes, of course, I will keep my distance with other girls. However, you are my sister. I do not have to keep my distance from you, do I? Right, Qiqi?¡± Even though it looked like Yin Shixiong was doing things based on his very own rules, it was clear that he was still observing Ma Qiqi¡¯s reactions whenever he makes decisions, doing his best to keep her happy.

    Thankfully, Ma Qiqi was not an easily jealous girl. Moreover, she was a best friend to Gu Nianzhi. Therefore, she waved her hands in a rxed manner. ¡°There will be no need to. Then Nianzhi would be my sister as well! It is normal for older brothers and sisters to take care of the younger ones, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. What was this feeling of warmth inside her about?!

    Jin Wanyi, who was standing across them, could not bear what she was seeing anymore. She smiled as she walked over. ¡°This is so interesting. Going to court for an inheritance case with your very own sister, but pretending to be close to people who have no familial rtionships with you. Why do you think they are being so nice to you in the first ce...¡±

    Even though she was facing Gu Nianzhi when she said those words, she was secretly looking at Yin Shixiong. Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi both remained silent and merely looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed both their hands and turned to Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, we will talk in court. Why should we waste our time here?¡±

    Jin Wanyi held onto her suitcase tightly and said with hints of unhappiness, ¡°...But weren¡¯t you talking just now as well? So you weren¡¯t wasting time too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took two steps forward. She had already walked past Jin Wanyi. However, hearing her words, Gu Nianzhi backtracked two steps to stand in front of Jin Wanyi again. She smiled and said, ¡°Well, that is entirely different. Talking to friends is considered bonding time. Talking to enemies is considered as wasting my time. You have to be clear on the different concepts, you know.¡±

    With that, Gu Nianzhi turned around and caught up with Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi.

    Jin Wanyi was so infuriated by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words that she intended to retaliate.

    However, Gu Yanran walked over and pulled on her sleeves listlessly. ¡°It¡¯s okay Wanyi, she is already brainwashed by them and would never listen to you anymore.¡±

    Jin Wanyi pursed her lips and entered the court with Gu Yanran. They were not attending the hearing on their own either. Gu Yanran had brought her caretaker, Mrs. James, her chauffeur, and bodyguards. They entered like an entourage.

    Inparison, Gu Nianzhi only had Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi to apany her to court. Therefore, it looked like she was not well supported.

    When they had entered Court A, the courtroom where the hearing was to be held, the defendant had two to three rows of seats filled. The intiff, however, had only three to five seats filled.

    When Yin Shixiong brought Ma Qiqi to the seats, he was extremely shocked to see General Ji¡¯s secretary, Secretary Cao, already sitting there.

    He went over and greeted Secretary Cao. ¡°You¡¯re here too? You don¡¯t have any official work to attend to?¡±

    ¡°This is part of my official work as well, haha haha... How could I have free time?¡± Secretary Caoughed. He looked at Ma Qiqi, who was sitting beside Yin Shixiong, and asked, ¡°This is...?¡±

    Yin Shixiong introduced her openly. ¡°Ma Qiqi. She is Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory mate.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you are an honorary student in B University majoring inw as well? What a genius! Pleased to meet you!¡± Secretary Cao extended his hand to shake Ma Qiqi¡¯s immediately.

    Ma Qiqi felt over the moon. She smiled and shook his hands as well. ¡°I am Nianzhi¡¯s roommate. I am here to give her moral support.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice. Roommates have to like each other. If that¡¯s not the case, how can you stay together in a room? It would be hard, wouldn¡¯t it? Hahaha...¡± Secretary Cao nodded his head and sat beside Yin Shixiong.

    Ma Qiqi sat on Yin Shixiong¡¯s right.

    A short distance behind them, a person walked over and sat on Ma Qiqi¡¯s right. Yin Shixiong took a look and realized that this too was someone familiar.

    It was Senior Speaker Long¡¯s subordinate, Assistant Yang. However, he was not all smiles like Secretary Cao. On the contrary, he looked stern and solemn. The only time he did not furrow his brows was when he looked at Gu Nianzhi. However, at those times, his eyes looked like they were trying to scrutinize Gu Nianzhi.

    Yin Shixiong smiled and greeted Assistant Yang. ¡°Hey there! You¡¯re free today?¡±

    Assistant Yang nodded at him in acknowledgment but did not say anything in reply. He lowered his head and took out a notebook and a pen, beginning to take notes.

    This was because, other than the intiff and the defendantwyers, no one else could bring their mobile phones or any other forms of electronic devices into the hearing. Therefore, if they needed to take notes, they could only use the basic method of paper and pen.

    When everyone was seated, the judge entered the courtroom. The bailiffs closed the doors of the room, signifying that hearing had officiallymenced.

    The judge was still Director Zhan. He had also been the judge for the past two hearings.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi versus Gu Yanran over the family inheritance. Hearing three. The court is now in order.¡± The judge banged the gavel on the podium and turned to the defensewyer, Jin Wanyi. ¡°Defense attorney, you said that you would be looking for the proof of adoption for the intiff, Gu Nianzhi. May I hear what you have found?¡±

    Previously, Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran had said that they needed three months to get the proof of adoption. However, they still had not managed to find it.

    As expected, Jin Wanyi replied, ¡°Sir, due to our important witness, Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s appointedwyer, Mr. Vanderbilt, being murdered in America, we are unable to get any information regarding the proof of adoption at this time.¡±

    Jin Wanyi yed her words well.

    Mr. Vanderbilt was Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer in charge of his inheritance. He was by no direct means rted to the proof of adoption.

    However, when Jin Wanyi used ¡°due to¡± and ¡°therefore,¡± it somehow managed to link two unrted things. It created a false idea of the contribution of Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s death to theirck of evidence. They wanted people to think that Mr. Vanderbilt was murdered exactly because he¡¯d gone to look for the proof of adoption they needed...

    Gu Nianzhi stood up to retaliate immediately. ¡°Objection, your honor. The defendant has no evidence to prove that Mr. Vanderbilt had an immediate connection to the proof of adoption. These two issues are not rted at all.¡± Then, she said, ¡°Moreover, may I ask if the defendant has any evidence to show that Mr. Vanderbilt was my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s, appointedwyer?¡±

    Mr. Vanderbilt was Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer. It seemed like he had a copy of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will. However, Gu Nianzhi was extremely wary that Gu Yanran alone was the one who¡¯d mentioned this. However, shortly after that, Mr. Vanderbilt and his entire family were murdered.

    This could mean a lot of things.

    Jin Wanyi was taken aback. ¡°Evidence? You¡¯re asking me for evidence? Who does not know that the murder of Mr. Vanderbilt involved his entire family? Almost no one from his family is left, and here you are, still asking me for evidence?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her hands. ¡°Lawyer Jin, please do not attempt to confuse everyone in the hearing. Until now, Gu Yanran was the only one who imed that Mr. Vanderbilt was my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer. However, before we could establish that to be a fact, unfortunately, Mr. Vanderbilt had already been murdered. I empathize with the cruel fate that Mr. Vanderbilt and his family faced, but the court is not a ce to discuss empathy. When in court, what matters if logic and evidence. Therefore, since Gu Yanran said that Mr. Vanderbilt was my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer, she should be able to produce some form of evidence.¡±

    Jin Wanyi looked thoughtfully at Gu Yanran and asked her softly, ¡°...Do you have any evidence?¡±

    Gu Yanran red at Jin Wanyi and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°He is already dead. How on earth do you want me to get evidence from him? Must I go down to hell to ask him if he was my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer in charge of his will?!¡±

    She had thought that her words were clever and humorous. Her caretaker, chauffeur, and bodyguards beganughing. The court became a lively ce all of a sudden.

    However, the judge banged his gavel again. ¡°Silence. Please respect the formality of the court.¡±

    Only then did theughter die down.

    Gu Nianzhi waited until they had enough ofughing before asking pleasantly, ¡°Defendant, how did you get Lawyer Jin to be your representativewyer?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s brows furrowed. She did not understand why Gu Nianzhi had asked such a question. However, she knew that Gu Nianzhi would never ask any questions that were not rted or useful to the case.

    However, when she thought about it repeatedly, she could not manage to see the corrtion between this question and the question she had asked just now.

    After contemting it for a while, she said carefully, ¡°I called Lawyer Jin, and then we met up to discuss the details. I felt that she was reliable and capable, so I decided to engage her as my representativewyer. Why? Is there a problem here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to roll her eyes as she said (with as much patience as she had left), ¡°Nope, there is no problem. However, you merely chatted and she suddenly became your representativewyer?¡±

    Gu Yanran thought about it before replying carefully, ¡°Of course not. We signed a copy of a representative agreement.¡±

    ¡°Now, that is correct.¡± Gu Nianzhi praised Gu Yanran all of a sudden. ¡°Therefore, if you were going to engage a representativewyer, you would have to sign a representative agreement. If the agreement were not signed, the representative rtionship would not be valid. She, therefore, would not be able to represent you in this hearing anymore.¡±

    Gu Yanran remained silent.

    She looked at Jin Wanyi. Had Gu Nianzhi gone mad?

    However, Gu Nianzhi spoke again and Gu Yanran came to a realization. ¡°Therefore, since you said that Mr. Vanderbilt was my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s representativewyer for his will, may I know if you have the representative agreement that was signed between Mr. Vanderbilt and my father, Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    Documents like these were usually signed twice on two copies. One copy was to be kept in thew firm, and one to be kept by the client.

 Chapter 860 - Such â€œGenerosityâ€™

    <h4>Chapter 860: Such ¡°Generosity¡¯</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Representative agreement?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s expression was filled with confusion and suspicion. She felt unsettled. That person had just revealed a piece of information about Lawyer Vanderbilt to her. How on earth could she prove how Gu Xiangwen had retained hiswyer without admitting this?

    Gu Nianzhi hade well prepared. She could never reveal that she¡¯d gotten her information from someone else.

    If she betrayed that person, she would be as good as dead...

    When she thought about that person¡¯s vicious means, Gu Yanran felt a shiver run down her spine. In a state of panic, an idea came to Gu Yanran¡¯s mind and she found an excuse. ¡°I think there is one. However, my father had not passed away yet. Therefore, I have no idea as to where he put it.¡±

    This would work as well, to be honest.

    Jin Wanyi took the opportunity to say, ¡°However, since Mr. Vanderbilt has already passed on, his will be passed on to the person he had appointed to handle his cases. If the court allows, we can contact the attorney that he appointed and get him to take note of the representative agreement signed by him and Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was waiting precisely for them to suggest that they would contact the person appointed by Mr. Vanderbilt. However, she still pretended to contemte it a while before saying with an unwilling tone, ¡°...You are only going to contact him now? Then how long will it take before you can get some news?¡±

    ¡°Not very long. I will send them an official letter. The fastest would be one day, at most they will take a week to reply.¡± Jin Wanyi was highly confident and had decided to send thewyer¡¯s letter the moment she got back.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then be quick. This cannot wait any longer.¡±

    Jin Wanyiughed sarcastically at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude. ¡°It seems like Miss Gu cannot wait any longer. Mr. Gu has not even passed away yet, but you are already in such a hurry to get the inheritance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already noted that Jin Wanyi¡¯s emotions were unstable today when she¡¯d seen her outside of court. Therefore, her strategy was to get a suitable opportunity to upset her.

    Making mistakes in court could not be ignored just by a mere apology. Gu Nianzhi smiled in a way that could make anyone burst with anger. She shook her head and said, ¡°Lawyer Jin, you cannot say that. I do not want to take my father¡¯s inheritance. What I want to do is to protect my father¡¯s inheritance. How can you use me of wanting to take my father¡¯s inheritance?¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong? Your sister, Gu Yanran, is Mr. Gu¡¯s biological daughter. You are the adoptive daughter. Gu Yanran is the older child, you are the younger one. No matter how we look at it, what right does it give you to fight for the inheritance with your older sister?¡± Jin Wanyi began to be aggressive.

    ¡°I have already told you that I do not want to fight for it. I merely want to take back what was supposed to be mine under thew.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile became even more annoying. She purposely pretended to look like she was extremely proud of herself. ¡°If Gu Yanran is unable to produce the will, then let¡¯s split it ording to thew.¡±

    Jin Wanyi red at Gu Nianzhi. She controlled her temper and said slowly, ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s split the inheritance ording to thew.¡± With that, she produced the list of inheritance of the Gus given to her by Gu Yanran. ¡°Let us also not fight anymore. Even though Miss Gu Nianzhi does not treat my client as her sister, my client treats Miss Gu Nianzhi as her sister still. All the inheritance on this list. My client is willing to give Miss Gu Nianzhi fifty percent of it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to burst outughing when she heard that.

    The inheritance list that Gu Yanran had produced was at least two-thirds shorter than what Ye Xuan had given her. Half of it was already gone. She still wanted to split it equally with Gu Nianzhi? How ¡°generous.¡±

    The judge looked at both of the inheritance lists and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Do you ept this offer?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up. She turned towards Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran. Both of them looked back at her nervously. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply was expected by the judge and Jin Wanyi. Only Gu Yanran was extremely unhappy. She was cursing Gu Nianzhi in her heart about her greed...

    ¡°What do we do if you do not agree? This is all of the inheritance. Even if you want me to do magic and make more turn up, I will not be able to do it...¡± Gu Yanran sighed. ¡°That is really all I have, sister. There is nothing I can do about it. Why don¡¯t I give you all of this then?¡± She had already given in to this extent. Would Gu Nianzhi still be unsatisfied?

    Jin Wanyi pped her hands exaggeratedly as well and said, ¡°Miss Gu Yanran really cares about Miss Gu Nianzhi, she is even willing to give Miss Gu Nianzhi all of the inheritance.¡± She turned and faced the judge. ¡°Your honor, I think we can close this case. We will discuss this on a personal level with Miss Gu Nianzhi and have a mutual settlement.¡±

    The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°intiff, do you agree to have a mutual settlement outside of court?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at how dramatic Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran were being. She shook her head once again. ¡°I do not agree.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi, please think it through carefully. If you do not ept my client¡¯s suggestion and insist on going through the court, you can at most get fifty percent of the inheritance. However, if you handle it outside of court, you will definitely be able to get more, much more.¡± Jin Wanyi suggested sincerely.

    With terms like that, as long as you had a brain, you would definitely agree to have a mutual settlement outside of court.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed as well and said, ¡°Lawyer Jin, have you mingled around with your client long enough that you¡¯re already looking for shortcuts?¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face turned white. She pursed her lips and asked coldly, ¡°What in the world do you mean, Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the judge. ¡°Your honor, I have doubts regarding the uracy of the list of inheritance that the defendant, Gu Yanran, has produced. I do not agree that what she has produced is all of the inheritance from the Gu family. I have a list of inheritance of the Gu¡¯s as well, and I request to get my shares ording to my list instead.¡±

    With that, Gu Nianzhi walked to the defendant stand and showed them the inheritance list that Ye Xuan had given her. ¡°The defendant, Gu Yanran, has said that she would give me all of the inheritance from the Gu family just now. So? If you agree to give me everything on this list, I will drop all charges and we will have a mutual settlement outside of court. Do you agree?¡±

    ¡°Obviously we do not agree,¡± Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran said unanimously.

    ¡°There we have it.¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and showed her hands. ¡°Everyone knows that words are cheap. However, when it is going to affect your personal benefits, no one is willing to give it up. Therefore, defendant Gu Yanran, please drop all your pretense of being a loving and caring older sister. You attempted to hide the inheritance of the Gu family and attempted to take what was not yours. You have already broken thew, which is already a good enough reason to doubt your honesty.¡±

    ¡°I did not!¡± Gu Yanran began to panic. She began to defend herself loudly. ¡°I did not take what was not mine! The inheritance belonged to my family. How can you say that I, someone from the family, is taking something that is not mine? Aren¡¯t you a joke!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that strange?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked at her with her head tilted to one side. ¡°There are even rape cases made between married people, so how is it that you cannot take what is yours?¡±

    Gu Yanran was at a loss for words. She looked at Jin Wanyi helplessly. Jin Wanyi thought that this was funny.

    Since they had produced that list of inheritance, they should not be afraid to let anyone validate its authenticity. The list of inheritance that Gu Nianzhi had produced, could they check its validity? For example, thepany that they had opened on the Cayman Inds, how would they validate that? Write a letter to thepany? Thosepanies valued the privacy of all their shareholders so much. They must have gotten many of these letters before.

    Jin Wanyi knew that the list of inheritance that Gu Yanran had produced must not be the full list. However, she did not feel that it was wrong. Only an idiot would bring the full list out to split with an adoptive daughter...

    Gu Yanran was not a true Mother Theresa anyway.

    Jin Wanyi thought about this and her smile began to turn evil. She looked at the list of inheritance that Gu Nianzhi had gotten Ye Xuan, smiling like a witch. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, may I ask where you got your list of inheritance from?¡±

    ¡°This list of inheritance came from the previous head of finance of the household, Ye Xuan.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to the judge. ¡°I hereby request to summon him as a key witness.¡±

    ¡°Objection.¡± Jin Wanyi had anticipated this long ago. She objected to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s summon immediately. ¡°Ye Xuan has just ended awsuit with my client. The court approved of my client¡¯s personal protection order, restricting him from appearing anywhere within the radius of ten meters around my client.¡±

    So the personal protection order was waiting for her here...

    Gu Nianzhi red at Jin Wanyi. She had really forgotten about this.

    Jin Wanyi observed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. She guessed that Gu Nianzhi had missed this point, and smiled happily. ¡°Moreover, Ye Xuan¡¯s character is questionable. He was one of the suspects in Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s murder in America. Even though he was cleared of all charges, that was due to ack of avable evidence. It does not mean that he is not guilty of the crime. Mr. Vanderbilt and his family were murdered almost immediately after Ye Xuan met up with them.¡±

    ¡°Putting all of the above together, for someone who has a character issue and has received a personal protection order from the court, he does not qualify as a key witness for this case.¡± Jin Wanyi removed Ye Xuan¡¯s qualifications to be a witness for the case with just her words.

    The judge agreed with her as well. ¡°The defense has made a good point. However, we do not have aw that says that we have to get rid of a witness. Ye Xuan is still able to act as a witness. However, due to his position and rtionship between the intiff and the defendant, it would be hard to use his statements as evidence. intiff, do you still want him to be your key witness?¡±

 Chapter 861 - A Brand-New Way of Testifying in Court

    <h4>Chapter 861: A Brand-New Way of Testifying in Court</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi contemted quickly.

    Should she get Ye Xuan to testify?

    The judge had already made himself clear that even if he was to testify, the chances of his statement being used would be very low.

    However, to think from another perspective, if Ye Xuan testified, Gu Yanran would be faced with an immense amount of emotional stress.

    Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Gu Nianzhi still decided to get Ye Xuan to testify.

    It would take more than Ye Xuan¡¯s words to prove that Gu Yanran¡¯s list of inheritance was falsified, anyway.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded firmly to the judge. ¡°Yes, Your Honor, I would still like to summon Ye Xuan to testify in court.¡±

    What a joke. Would she give up on an opportunity like that?!

    Professor had put in so much effort so that Ye Xuan was able toe back to Hua Xia Empire safely. She would not give up on the opportunity to allow Ye Xuan to testify for thiswsuit.

    Jin Wanyi was also prepared. The worst-case scenario for her would be that Ye Xuan was able to testify in court.

    She did not expect that even after all her measures, including applying for a personal protection order for Gu Yanran, she would still be unable to stop Gu Nianzhi from allowing Ye Xuan to testify for thiswsuit.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face turned pale. She whispered to Jin Wanyi, ¡°...I thought we had applied for a personal protection order. How can he stille to court with that? Wouldn¡¯t they be ignoring the sentence of another case?¡±

    Jin Wanyi told her to calm down.

    Indeed, after seeking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opinion, the judge turned to Jin Wanyi and asked, ¡°Defendantwyer, do you agree to it?¡±

    Due to the fact that Ye Xuan had a personal protection order on him, he had to get Gu Yanran¡¯s consent if he was to testify in this court, as he would require her approval to appear within ten meters of her radius.

    If Gu Yanran did not agree to it, Ye Xuan would not be able to testify in court.

    Jin Wanyi stood up with a smile. ¡°Ye Xuan has previously caused my client a lot of harm. No matter the reason, my client does not want to see him, let alone be in the same room as him. I hope that your honor will be able to ce more consideration on the personal protection order that my client has obtained from her other case and restrict Ye Xuan from appearing within ten meters of my client¡¯s radius.¡±

    This was a tant rejection of allowing Ye Xuan to testify in court.

    The judge also felt caught in between. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°intiff, due to the fact that the defendant has obtained approval for a personal protection order against the witness, I am afraid the court will not be able to adhere to your request.¡±

    Ma Qiqi felt cold sweat on her palms when the judge said that.

    What could they do now?

    It was obvious that Nianzhi was not prepared for this.

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi worriedly and considered asking her to put this case on hold and wait until she got a letter of approval to allow Ye Xuan to testify before continuing.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not want to do so, as she could not bear to wait any longer.

    This case had already been dyed long enough. She did not wish for Gu Yanran to be able to throw her weight around any longer.

    Allowing Gu Yanran to hold onto such arge amount of wealth would open up endless other ways to end her life.

    Therefore, when Jin Wanyi was bbering away, Gu Nianzhi thought quickly about the personal protection order. Even though it was rather sudden, she managed toe up with a solution very quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she looked towards the judge. ¡°Your honor, may I ask if there are any connections to utilize any projection system in this courtroom, please?¡±

    The moment she asked this question, the judge understood where she wasing from. He could not help but nod in approval with a smile, and replied gently, ¡°Of course we have. Our court is able to connect to all social media tforms.¡±

    ¡°That would do.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands together. ¡°I hereby request that the court allow my witness, Ye Xuan, to testify using a webcam, just like how people do for online meetings. We will question him from here, and he will answer our questions in real time from his end.¡± With that, she turned to look at Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran. ¡°May I know if both of you would be agreeable to this arrangement, please?¡±

    It was precisely like this in court¨C a truly capablewyer would always have the upper hand when it came to thinking on their feet.

    This was because everyone knows how to do preparation work. However, what distinguishes a capablewyer from a normal one is how thatwyer can work their way out of situations where they were not as well prepared as their opponents.

    Jin Wanyi red at Gu Nianzhi and gritted her teeth in anger.

    She had not expected that Gu Nianzhi would be so witty as to bypass her personal protection order so easily by using an ¡®online questioning¡¯ tactic!

    Gu Yanran was dumbfounded as well. She looked around in court and mumbled, ¡°You can do that as well?¡±

    There was a webcam in the courtroom?!

    Jin Wanyi steeled herself and shouted, ¡°Objection! The possibility of falsifying would be too high if we were to use a webcam for questioning. Who would know if the person sitting there was truly Ye Xuan? Who could be sure that no one is influencing him on how he answers our questions?! We will not agree to such a method of questioning!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Jin Wanyi like she was a joke. She extended a finger and shook it. ¡°Lawyer Jin, even though I had said that we would be using a real-time webcam, I did not mean that Ye Xuan would be attending the questioning across the ocean... I meant that we would be selecting a room here, ensure that it is ten meters away from Miss Gu Yanran, and allow Ye Xuan to sit there alone in that room and video call us directly from there. We can have a police officer stand guard outside the room to ensure that no one will be able to enter. Then we will be able to ensure that the person there will definitely be Ye Xuan, wouldn¡¯t we? On top of that, we would also be able to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t be influenced by anyone outside.¡±

    How could shee up with such an idea!

    When Gu Nianzhi came up with it, Huo Shaoheng, who was watching the entire hearing from the headquarters of the Special Forces, smiled as well.

    Since things were going in this direction now, Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran could only re at Gu Nianzhi. They couldn¡¯t think of any other methods to stop Ye Xuan from testifying anymore.

    The judge smiled and nodded. ¡°Sure. We shall go ording to the intiff¡¯s suggestion. Open the small meeting room adjoining Court C. There is a webcam there that can be connected to this room.¡±

    By saying that, it meant that the judge had agreed to allow Ye Xuan to testify in court.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face fell. She sat beside Gu Yanran silently and whispered some things into her ear.

    Gu Yanran looked at her nervously. ¡°Is there really no other ways to stop this?¡±

    Jin Wanyi shook her head. She remained quiet, but her expression had already confirmed that this was something she was unable to change.

    Just like what Gu Nianzhi had predicted, the main aim of Ye Xuan being able to testify was not about the validity of the list of inheritance that he produced, but to further stress Gu Yanran out emotionally.

    Very soon, Ye Xuan, who was waiting outside the main entrance of the court, was called in.

    Gu Nianzhi told him the new method of being questioned.

    When Ye Xuan realized that he did not have to face Gu Yanran directly, he breathed a sigh of relief as well. Smiling, he replied, ¡°That would be amazing. This would be the most ideal way to testify in my opinion.¡±

    He followed the police officer to the small meeting room adjoining Court C.

    The staff of the court set up the webcam for him and connected it to the projector in Court A.

    A screen for the projector dropped down slowly over at Court A.

    When the inte was connected, a handsome Ye Xuan appeared on the screen.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Your Honor. Good afternoon,dies and gentlemen. My name is Ye Xuan.¡± Ye Xuan introduced himself politely, his deeply-set eyes making him look extremely attractive.

 Chapter 862 - Making Them Your Own

    <h4>Chapter 862: Making Them Your Own</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Yanran looked at the handsome man with exquisite features on the screen, astounded. He managed to bypass her personal protection order just like that?!

    Why didn¡¯t this guy just die overseas?!

    She was extremely regretful that she did not just get rid of him when they were in Barbados.

    However, she truly had not expected that this man, who had been so loyal to her in the past, would be her greatest enemy now.

    It would actually be easier to strike when he was in America.

    Unfortunately, she had not expected He Zhichu to stick his nose into this business.

    Had it not been for that wretched He Zhichu who had butted in, Ye Xuan would have already died without anyone knowing over in America.

    Gu Yanran thought about it silently, and she looked around the courtroom.

    She finally managed to realize that other than Huo Shaoheng, He Zhichu was absent as well!

    It seemed like Gu Nianzhi had really broken up with Huo Shaoheng.

    However, even though Huo Shaoheng did not attend the hearing personally, he had sent one of his most trusted secretaries, Yin Shixiong, to attend the hearing.

    As for He Zhichu, he did not send anyone on his side.

    Gu Nianzhi only had a small number of people on her side, and Gu Yanran could identify most of them by name.

    General Ji¡¯s personal secretary, Secretary Cao; Senior Speaker Long¡¯s subordinate, Assistant Yang; Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommate, Ma Qiqi; and Yin Shixiong. She only had these people attending the hearing and no one else.

    On Gu Yanran¡¯s side, however, there was an entire group of people.

    It seemed like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position was not all that stable after all.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s lips curled into a smile. She could not help herself and giggled.

    After the judge confirmed Ye Xuan¡¯s identity, he turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°intiff, you are now able to question your witness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bowed slightly and thanked the judge before putting on the Bluetooth earpiece that the police officer handed over to her. After she was done, she began talking to Ye Xuan.

    ¡°Can you hear me, Ye Xuan?¡±

    ¡°Yes I can, Lawyer Gu. How do you do?¡± Ye Xuan had a ssic baritone voice. He¡¯d grown up overseas and learned his Mandarin in a Chinese school there. Although he was fluent in thenguage, he could not grasp the pronunciation perfectly. He had a foreign kind of ent to his oral Mandarin.

    ¡°How do you do.¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up her list of questions and began her first round of questioning. ¡°Ye Xuan, please let us know about your rtionship with the Gu¡¯s.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart sank all of a sudden.

    She had thought that Gu Nianzhi would be asking Ye Xuan about how he had gotten his hands on the list of inheritance immediately. She was already prepared to scream at Ye Xuan for being a traitor and someone who had no professional work ethic as he had revealed his employer¡¯s financial information to someone other than his employee.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not take the mainstream method. She had not asked about the list of inheritance, but seemingly trying to pull people to her side, began attempting to tell stories.

    Jin Wanyi understood where Gu Yanran wasing from. She smiled and raised her hand. ¡°Objection. The intiff¡¯s question is by no means rted to the case. Please do not beat about the bush and waste everyone¡¯s precious time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to the judge immediately. ¡°Your honor, I will prove that my question is totally relevant to this case in no time.¡±

    The judge contemted for a while and made a note. ¡°Please prove that your question is relevant to the case as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and signaled for Ye Xuan from the screen to answer her question.

    Ye Xuan coughed softly and looked at the camera. He looked slightly sad as he began thinking about the past.

    After a while, a clear male baritone voice sounded from the sound system in the courtroom. It had high quality, and it felt like Ye Xuan was actually in the courtroom itself, testifying for the case.

    ¡°...I was an orphan in Barbados. I was growing up in an orphanage in Barbados ever since I can remember. The year I turned seven, Mr. Gu Xiangwen selected me from the rest of the orphans and engaged a home teacher to teach me all kinds of knowledge and skills. Three yearster, he sent me to a boarding school in America to continue my studies for eight years. After that, when I got to know that Mr. Gu Xiangwen had been in an ident, I returned from America to help Miss Gu Yanran in managing the household assets.¡±

    Ye Xuan had been vague about the entire incident. He had left out all the details.

    Gu Yanran breathed a sigh of relief. She had hoped that Ye Xuan would be nice based on their rtionship in the past.

    Unfortunately, even if Ye Xuan did not say it, Gu Nianzhi would never let go of this opportunity.

    She had made up her mind not to even try to protect Gu Yanran¡¯s reputation, so why would she care if anything were to damage it?!

    When Ye Xuan had finished speaking, Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the screen and continued asking, ¡°You said that Gu Xiangwen had selected you from the orphanage when you were seven. May I know why he had selected you instead of other orphans please?¡±

    This question was rather sensitive and sharp.

    Gu Yanran clenched her fists as she felt her palms turn sweaty.

    Ye Xuan fell silent for a while, then he looked at the webcam and smiled. ¡°You might not believe it, but Mr. Gu Xiangwen did not select me because I was special. He had selected me because of you, Miss Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Gu Nianzhi as her eyes sparkled. ¡°Why was this so? I was only four years old when you were seven; what decisions could I have made?¡±

    No one would take the words of a four-year-old seriously.

    Ye Xuan smiled. His deep-set features were gentle and soft, making him look extremely attractive. His tone was gentle, making him look like a perfect person to fall in love with. ¡°...Mr. Gu was different. To him, no matter how young Miss Gu Nianzhi was, he would listen carefully to her and make everything she requestede true. When I was selected that time, it was purely because Miss Gu Nianzhi had seen me amongst all the other orphans and pointed at me from where she was at.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback.

    She did not expect this to be the reason.

    The set of materials that Ye Xuan had given her did not have this part of the past in them.

    Gu Yanran was trembling with anger on her defendant stand. Her lips trembling, she blurted, ¡°Shameless! That was me!¡±

    Jin Wanyi had an idea all of a sudden. She moved towards Gu Yanran and whispered: ¡°...You mean that the person who saw Ye Xuan in the past was you? Not Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is not her.¡± Gu Yanran suppressed her panic and nervousness. ¡°I am my father¡¯s biological daughter. Why on earth would he listen to an adoptive one?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Do you have evidence to prove it?¡± Jin Wanyi continued asking.

    Gu Yanran thought about it for a while before whispering back: ¡°Ask Ye Xuan what that girl¡¯s name was.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was stunned for a while, and Gu Yanran moved to her side and whispered something else into her ear.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face lit up. She looked like she had just discovered a treasure. She totally forgot to raise her hand for permission; she simply stood up and asked: ¡°Mr. Ye Xuan, may I know what the girl¡¯s name was?¡±

    Ye Xuan, taken aback, kept quiet for a while before replying: ¡°...Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°How did you know? Did Mr. Gu Xiangwen tell you personally that that girl was called Gu Nianzhi?¡± Jin Wanyi asked the strange question all of a sudden.

    Gu Nianzhi had initially wanted to stop Jin Wanyi from talking because it was still the intiff¡¯s turn in questioning the witness.

    However, Jin Wanyi was extremely aggressive. Her question had also sparked a sense of curiosity in Gu Nianzhi. Therefore, she decided not to stop Jin Wanyi from questioning Ye Xuan.

    Ye Xuan looked at Gu Yanran, who was beside Jin Wanyi.

    His gaze contained no emotions whatsoever. He looked at Gu Yanran that way for a while before he said slowly, ¡°...No.¡±

    ¡°Then may I know how you know that that girl was Gu Nianzhi and not someone else?¡± Jin Wanyi was getting excited. ¡°Moreover, the girl at that time¨C How did you know that she was four years old and not of some other age?¡±

    Ye Xuan pursed his lips and did not speak.

    ¡°Therefore, I may assume that you actually did not know the name of the girl at that time. You also did not know about her age. This was information that you were fed with by someone¨C am I right?¡± Jin Wanyi put her questions this way, and it clearly hinted to everyone in court that Gu Nianzhi was in cahoots with Ye Xuan to fabricate false statements to be used in court.

    However, the fact remained that whatever Ye Xuan had said was purely based on his side of the story.

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°Lawyer Jin made sense. Ye Xuan, how did you know the name of the girl if it wasn¡¯t Mr. Gu Xiangwen who told you personally?¡±

    The same question, when it came from Jin Wanyi, sounded like she was trying to pick on him.

    However, when it came from Gu Nianzhi, it sounded gentle, like she was sincerely trying to find out the missing information to solve the case.

    Different emotions could be evoked when different people used different tones.

    Ye Xian finally managed to pull himself together. He recalled for a while before answering, ¡°...Even though Mr. Gu Xiangwen did not tell me personally that the girl was named Gu Nianzhi, he did tell me that her name was Cereus. After that, I learned that this was Miss Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Christian name. Therefore, a logical assumption would be that that girl was Miss Gu Nianzhi. The age would tally as well.¡±

    ¡°Which means, you actually didn¡¯t know who that little girl was. You were merely guessing, am I right?¡± Jin Wanyi was trying to force a favorable answer from Ye Xuan. Her questions were as sharp as needles.

    Although ye Xuan did not want to admit it, it was the truth¨C he had only managed toe to a deduction that that little girl was Gu Nianzhi and not Gu Yanran.

    Seeing that Ye Xuan was not talking anymore, Jin Wanyi turned to the judge, looking triumphant, and proimed loudly, ¡°Your Honor, the truth was that the girl who was with Mr. Gu Xiangwen at the orphanage who selected Ye Xuan was not Gu Nianzhi, but my client, Gu Yanran. Cereus was actually my client, Miss Gu Yanran¡¯s, Christian name. However, my client did not like the name. Therefore, she had it changed to Jasmine at ater date. Eventually, the name Cereus was given to the daughter, Gu Nianzhi, that Mr. Gu Xiangwen had adopted afterward. That had led to the misunderstanding from Ye Xuan.¡±

    Her tone was sharp and firm, and it caused a moment of shock in the entire courtroom.

    Had Ye Xuan unintentionally recognized the wrong person, or did Gu Nianzhi intentionally mislead everyone in the hearing?!

    Even the judge¡¯s expression turned sour.

    He looked coldly at Ye Xuan, who was still on the screen and said, ¡°Mr. Ye, as a witness, you have to ensure that whatever you had said must be nothing but the truth. If you are unable to do that, other than not being able to testify, you will also be charged with providing false statements and interfering with our ongoing investigations. I have to inform you that that is a major crime.¡±

    Gu Yanran breathed a sigh of relief. She straightened her back, which was initially hunching due to nervousness.

    She smiled as she looked at Gu Nianzhi, and her tightly gripped fists rxed.

    Let¡¯s see how she would handle this now.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was upied by the words from Ye Xuan just now.

    Why did she forget about such an amazing father?

    Gu Nianzhi had never hated her loss of memory as much as now.

    She focused and snapped back to reality. After nodding to Ye Xuan on the screen, she said calmly, ¡°Thank you, Ye Xuan. I believe that your statement contains nothing but the truth, but...¡±

    She changed the direction of her speech as she turned to face Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi on the defendant¡¯s stand. ¡°Lawyer Jin¡¯s suspicions are valid as well. However, as awyer, I am unable to see eye-to-eye with the exnation or assumptions thatwyer Jin has provided.¡±

    ¡°Of course you would not admit to it.¡± Jin Wanyi was smiling widely by now. ¡°You got a witness after putting in so much effort; why wouldn¡¯t you want to make full use of him to get yourself the most benefit? However, it is unfortunate that not all things in life go your way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked to Jin Wanyi. She folded her arms and stood straight, her ck eyes sparkling. Everyone that looked at her could not help but be mesmerized.

    She began asking, ¡°Lawyer Jin, you said that Gu Yanran had changed her Christian name before. May I ask if you have evidence to support that im please?¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s smile stiffened. She turned to look swiftly at Gu Yanran.

    This was what Gu Yanran had told her just now. So where was the evidence?

    Gu Yanran replied immediately, ¡°I was still young then; Christian names were used as nicknames. I do not know what evidence you are looking for.¡±

    Well, that was true as well. Gu Yanran¡¯s name on the passport was Yanran-Ku and not Jasmine-Ku.

    Moreover, everyone from the Gu¡¯s was dead. No one would know about the past anymore.

    ¡°Oh, so it was a nickname that had no records. Miss Gu Yanran is really such a capable woman, who is very used to iming the things of others as her own. Now you are even not letting my name off.¡± Gu Nianzhi snickered and continued, ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s just say that Cereus was initially your Christian name. Then can you please tell me when you decided to change your name to Jasmine?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s brows furrowed, thinking quickly on her feet. She was worried that her words would be picked on if she said something wrong. Therefore, she tried to be as vague as possible. ¡°...It had been so many years; how would I remember?¡±

    ¡°Oh? So now you do not remember when you had decided to change your name, but remember that you went to the orphanage when you were four and selected Ye Xuan? Miss Gu Yanran, do you happen to have selective memory loss?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°Moreover, when you were four, Ye Xuan was only one, wasn¡¯t he? Gu Yanran, did you forget that you are three years older than Ye Xuan, and not younger?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face flushed. She gripped the sides of the table tightly and said through gritted teeth, ¡°When I first saw Ye Xuan, I was not four! I was seven! I was small in size, and therefore he thought that I was four. However, I was already seven!¡±

    ¡°Haha, the difference between a seven-year-old child and a four-year-old is still quite big. May I ask, Miss Gu Yanran, would you really look like a four-year-old when you were seven? Was it due to malnutrition? You had no money for food nor clothes, and could not afford to see a doctor when you were ill?¡± Gu Nianzhi was so good with words that she did not give Gu Yanran even a moment to think.

    Gu Yanran could only think of trying to cover the lie that she had told, and since it was true that she was malnourished when she was young, she was way smaller in size aspared to other children. Therefore, she blurted without giving it a second thought: ¡°...Of course. Who wouldn¡¯t be when you could only get a meal a day? You wouldn¡¯t be able to grow well if you were under that kind of situation as well!¡±

    The moment she had said that, she knew that she was in trouble. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped.

    Gu Nianzhi focused her attention and said sternly: ¡°A seven-year-old who only gets one meal per day? Defendant Miss Gu Yanran, I remember that you had insisted to be Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter and had emphasized time and again that Mr. Gu Xiangwen had doted on this daughter the most. Based on Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wealth, he only gave you one meal per day?! Are you trying to imply that he was, in fact, abusing you?! Or have you been lying all along?! Trying to insult the intelligence of everyone here at the hearing and not respecting the court!¡±

    Gu Yanran flushed, turned pale, and flushed again. She was so angry that she felt her eyes almost bursting out from their sockets.

 Chapter 863 - A Changed Identity

    <h4>Chapter 863: A Changed Identity</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Jin Wanyi was also taken aback by the words that were blurted from Gu Yanran. However, she still rationally remembered that Gu Yanran was her client. Therefore, she would have to defend Gu Yanran no matter what. They were akin to people on the same boat.

    Seeing that Gu Yanran had gotten into trouble, Jin Wanyi attempted to stop Gu Nianzhi from questioning Gu Yanran. ¡°Objection! This question is in no way rted to this case.¡±

    ¡°We are fighting an inheritancewsuit now, Miss Jin Wanyi. This question is in all ways rted to Mr. Gu Xiangwen himself. May I ask why you would refer to this question as being not rted to the case please? Then what kind of questions would be rted, may I ask?¡±

    The judge looked at Jin Wanyi and raised his hand towards Gu Nianzhi: ¡°intiff, please continue.¡±

    He was acknowledging the validity of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded towards the judge in acknowledgment and turned back to Gu Yanran to continue her questioning. ¡°Defendant Gu Yanran, please answer my question: When did Mr. Gu Xiangwen give you only one meal per day? He was ranked the wealthiest man in the whole world, although he was an extremely low profile one, so why did he only give you one meal per day?!¡±

    Gu Yanran instinctively massaged her temples. She thought for a long time before she could manage toe up with an excuse, and so she said weakly, ¡°...I was being picky about food. I did not like eating. It wasn¡¯t because my father did not give me food. What are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°You were picky about food when you were seven, which led to you only having one meal per day. Therefore, you looked like a four-year-old child?¡± Gu Nianzhi mmed both hands onto the defendant¡¯s stand and looked at Gu Yanran, smiling. ¡°With such malnourishment, why didn¡¯t your pediatrician report Mr. Gu Xiangwen to the authorities? This would be a totally valid case of child abuse.¡±

    Every Western child would have to go to the pediatrician for health checks on a regr basis. The pediatricians would be calling them to make appointments even if they did not wish to go.

    Therefore, if what Gu Yanran said was true and she only had a meal per day because she was being picky about food which led to severe malnourishment and a dy in development, the pediatricians who were giving the children their annual check-ups would lever let their parents off.

    They would definitely be reported to the police, and then social workers would intervene to investigate.

    For the cases that were more severe, custody of the underaged children would be taken away from the parents.

    Gu Nianzhi briefed everyone about the rules and regtions about raising a child in a Western country, and looked at Gu Yanran like she was a joke: ¡°Who was your pediatrician? Can you let me know his or her name? If you were on that level of malnourishment, your pediatrician would definitely have some impression of you.¡±

    Gu Yanran did not expect Gu Nianzhi to be digging so deeply into the past.

    It felt like no matter what she said, Gu Nianzhi was able to find loopholes in her words and torture her to the brink of death.

    Gu Yanran stood up shakily and pointed at Gu Nianzhi in the face. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, why are you still unsatisfied? My family, The Gu¡¯s, how have they not been good to you? Which way did my father not do good enough for you that you have to go against me like this? Actually, my father was always very good to you. Although you are the adoptive daughter, Father never treated you like one. He had always loved you more than he loved me, his biological daughter!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shifted Gu Yanran¡¯s finger calmly. Then, she said coldly, ¡°You have been emphasizing that I am not the biological daughter. However, father was way nicer to mepared to you...you, who happens to be the biological daughter. If this was true, then either your character or your moral values must have been so bad that even your biological father did not like you very much and had to ce all his love on someone adopted like me.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face twitched, and she replied, frustrated, ¡°Are you stupid? I was being nice and you took my word for it?¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi had no intention of letting her off. With her left arm folded, she took the inheritance list that Ye Xuan had provided her with her right arm and waved it in front of Gu Yanran, her fingers soft, fair, and slender. She gazed fixedly at Gu Yanran, snickering: ¡°So you are trying to say that you were lying just now again? From this, I am able to confidently say that you are a pretentious person through and through. What was the use of saying pretentious things at all? Do you want me to sympathize with you? Are you trying to get people to swoon over how ¡®clever¡¯ you are for being taken advantage of? Why are we not seeing that you admitted that this list of inheritance is the real thing?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face flushed.

    Jin Wanyi rubbed her hands in a state of panic beside her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was standing right in front of them, so it would not be wise for Jin Wanyi to stop Gu Yanran from talking.

    When in front of Gu Nianzhi, it would be better to talk as little as possible.

    You could make more mistakes if you spoke more, and Gu Yanran was a living example.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong now? Why are you keeping quiet? You still have not exined all the areas that contradicted with each other.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned forward slowly. Her face was almost touching Gu Yanran¡¯s. ¡°Gu Yanran. There is still one more thing. When Ye Xuan first saw the girl, he was seven years old. You are older than Ye Xuan by three years. If that girl was you, then you should be ten years old instead of seven. Did you learn math from the security guards in your school or something? I think even if a physical education teacher was to teach math, the standard would not be this bad.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Even her eyelids stopped twitching for a bit.

    She turned around and saw Jin Wanyi¡¯s nervous expression from the corners of her eyes. Then, she understood all of a sudden and shut her mouth, took her seat, and stopped answering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions.

    Gu Nianzhi ced one hand on her back, and the other one on the front of Gu Yanran¡¯s defendant stand. She smiled as she said, ¡°...Or you actually looked like a four-year-old when you were ten? Haha, then that would not be malnourishment. It would be an illness you must have been born with... being a midget...¡±

    She looked Gu Yanran up and down. ¡°Looking at you, even though you are not tall, you¡¯re definitely not short either. Therefore, you would never be a midget. Since we have struck all the unlikely possibilities out, then there will be no way that you would look like a four-year-old when you were ten!¡±

    With that, Gu Nianzhi turned to look a the screen and asked Ye Xuan, who had been listening quietly to Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran talk all along, ¡°Ye Xuan, can you please describe how Gu Nianzhi looked when she was young at that time, and as for her age, how did you know about it?¡±

    Ye Xuan had this memory etched deeply into his heart and had reminisced it countless of times.

    He could answer anyone even with his eyes closed. ¡°That little girl was fair and plump, with a head of hair with natural curls. She was wearing a hat. Her arms were fair, just like the roots of the lotus. Uncle Gu carried her in his arms and looked across the entire orphanage. As for her age, I was only guessing as well. I only remembered her height andpared it to a girl in my orphanage. It was simr to a girl who was four at that time as well.¡±

    He was also of a smaller build at that time and hiding in a corner. Due to his small frame, he dared not squeeze to the front like the others.

    That child who was protected by her father saw him, who was all alone and hiding in a corner of the room.

    She merely pointed her finger at him, and Ye Xuan¡¯s life had been turned around just like that.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile. She walked to the defendant¡¯s stand in front of Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi and tapped on it. ¡°Hear that? That four-year-old girl was fair and plump, with plump arms like the roots of a lotus. There was no way she would be suffering from malnutrition. Therefore, Gu Yanran, you are lying. I have enough evidence to believe that the list of inheritance that you have produced is fake as well!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart was thumping. She nudged Jin Wanyi and wanted her to say something to save her.

    Jin Wanyi snapped back to her senses, coughed, and said: ¡°Gu Nianzhi, whatever Ye Xuan has said also has no evidence to back it up. It can also be considered as a one-sided story. On top of that, he is also a witness whose statement cannot be considered seriously. Don¡¯t you think you are merely trying to pick on my client?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Gu Yanran¡¯s words do not add up. I caught her lying and you are trying to stand up for her. Lawyer Jin, if we were to use professional terms for this, please do not interfere with my time to question the witness and the defendant.¡±

    Jin Wanyiughed coldly and threw a file on the intiff stand. ¡°Sure. Go ahead and question. When you are done, it will be my turn.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Please hold on.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her hand politely and turned back to signal at Ye Xuan to continue her round of questioning. ¡°And then? Why were you sent to a boarding school in America?¡±

    Ye Xuan looked quietly at Gu Nianzhi and said honestly, ¡°Uncle Gu engaged many tutors for me to learn some foundation of knowledge and skills. I worked extremely hard for three years, and it was almost like I just studied and did nothing else. Every year, that girl would visit the orphanage once to see me. Whenever she went there, I felt like I was celebrating some sort of festival. I felt happy to see her.¡±

    Tears welled up in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. She pursed her lips, looked up, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Please continue.¡±

    ¡°Three yearster, I hadpleted junior and high school lessons with flying colors. In order to reward me, Uncle Gu brought me and that little girl on a holiday.¡± Ye Xuan lowered his head as he said that. ¡°That little girl¡¯s temper went from bad to worse. She seemed depressed and did not talk much. She was slightly different aspared to how she was three years ago. However, Uncle Gu was still extremely doting towards her. He always asked me to be more understanding of her, as her health was not good, so we had to give in to her. Actually, even if Uncle Gu did not ask me to do that, even if that girl was in the pink of health but had a horrible temper, I would still stand by her and would never ignore her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Ye Xuan nervously: ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°Then...then I fell into the water by ident. That girl was extremely good at swimming. Although she looked only about seven or eight years old, she was fast and stable. Miraculously, she saved me from the water.¡±

    ¡°However, after saving me, she fell ill. Although Uncle Gu did not me me openly, I knew that he felt bad about it. After that incident, he sent me to a boarding school in America. That girl was still in the hospital recuperating at that time, so I could not even bid goodbye to her before leaving.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi realized that Ye Xuan and herself when she was young had such history.

    ¡°...What a waste. That little girl was so nice to you, but you recognized the wrong person.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head sadly.

    Ye Xuan looked at her and did not know how to respond.

    ¡®Little girl¡¯...wasn¡¯t it her?

    ¡°Yes, I recognized the wrong person. However, it happened because I was intentionally misled.¡± Ye Xuan sat up straight, looked at Gu Yanran from the webcam, and said clearly, ¡°When I was in the boarding school in America, an online friend chatted with me anonymously all along. After that, I checked her IP address and realized that it hade from Uncle Gu¡¯s home. I instantly knew that the person was you, that little girl.¡±

    He had been extremely lonely for the eight years in America, as he had no close friends in the boarding school.

    It was because there were more than a thousand people in that school. There were not many students there who were born into a normal family like Ye Xuan, and they were all not in the same ss.

    ¡°However, one day seven years ago, that friend stoppeding online. I wasted many days before calling the Gu¡¯s home number. A helper in the house answered my call. After that, the ¡®online friend¡¯ came online again that night.¡± Ye Xuan finished talking and looked at Gu Yanran¡¯s direction solemnly: ¡°Therefore, from that time onward, the little girl had a changed identity. Am I right? Gu Yanran?¡±

    ¡°How did you know it was that day?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. She had no recollection of that part of her memory and had absolutely no idea that she was a little girl with a horrible temper.

    However, thankfully, she was still kind at heart.

    Ye Xuan answered, ¡°Four years ago, I finally got to know that Uncle Gu had been involved in an ident. Therefore, I rushed back to help the Gu¡¯s. It was only then that I realized that Uncle Gu had actually had the ident seven years ago. On the day that he had the ident, Gu Nianzhi also had an ident when she had decided to go out to sea. She disappeared. My online friend also stoppeding online for a good while since that day.¡±

    ¡°If you had realized that the girl had gone missing since then, why didn¡¯t you look for her?¡± Gu Nianzhi could not help but ask.

    Ye Xuan lowered his head in guilt. ¡°I really had no idea that she was missing at that time. Gu Yanran had said that she was the one who had been talking to me all along, and for the days that she wasn¡¯t online, she said it was because she went to handle the airne crash that her parents were involved in. She had also gone to look for her sister, Gu Nianzhi, who had gone missing. It was then that I realized that Uncle Gu had adopted another daughter when I wasn¡¯t around, and that daughter was named Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    This reason sounded believable.

    How could anyone still chat with an online friend as though nothing had happened when their family had met with such a thing?

    He had talked about many things involving Gu Yanran when they were younger, and Gu Yanran knew all about them. He had initially suspected she was the same person that he had been talking to but brushed the thought away after seeing that Gu Yanran knew almost everything about what they had chatted about in the past.

    Gu Nianzhi finally felt that there were some parts of the story that she could not understand at this point.

    If both Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran were telling the truth, then Gu Nianzhi went missing when she decided to go out to sea.

    However, how on earth did she eventually appear in the rowdiest area in C Capital in Hua Xia Empire in a car?!

 Chapter 864 - You Are Biased Against Me

    <h4>Chapter 864: You Are Biased Against Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts drifted for a while, but it wasn¡¯t for long.

    It wasn¡¯t her time to pursue her background right now; it was the time for Gu Yanran to perform. She could not allow herself to snatch her spotlight away.

    Gu Nianzhi collected her thoughts and listened quietly to Ye Xuan while he finished his sentence before nodding and saying, ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Immediately after that, she concluded with the words that Ye Xuan had just said: ¡°...Mr. Ye Xuan had just said that the person who had chatted anonymously with him was actually another person, but Gu Yanran had pretended to be that person after that. Am I correct?¡±

    Ye Xuan replied, ¡°...Yes.¡±

    Why did it sound so weird?

    Ye Xuan added, ¡°...The person who had chatted anonymously with me that time was Miss Gu Nianzhi. I know that you had lost your memories after the ident and had no recollections of what had happened in the past. However, at that time, it was indeed you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squinted, her bright eyes showing that she was deep in thought. She turned around, stood in front of Gu Yanran, and lowered her voice, saying, ¡°Defendant Gu Yanran, why did you pretend to be me and chat with Ye Xuan? Why did you lie and pretend that you were the person who saw Ye Xuan immediately when you were at the orphanage?!¡±

    Gu Yanran felt a shiver running down her spine when she heard that question from Gu Nianzhi.

    She had thought that she would be able to stop Ye Xuan from testifying in court, but she did not expect that she would fail in doing so.

    How could she handle the things that Ye Xuan had divulged?

    Gu Yanran looked at the screen with eyes full of hatred and remained silent, looking solemn.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Jin Wanyi, who was looking triumphant as she sat beside Gu Yanran, then said, ¡°Lawyer Jin, your client isn¡¯t talking. Shouldn¡¯t you be talking now?¡±

    Jin Wanyi looked at Gu Yanran and whispered to her, ¡°...Yanran, are you going to answer, or should I answer on your behalf? I don¡¯t know anything about your childhood...¡±

    ¡°Must I answer?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What has this got to do with the inheritancewsuit?¡±

    ¡°It has all the relevance there can be.¡± Jin Wanyi could not even stop the things that were happening anymore. ¡°Gu Nianzhi is trying to prove that you have all the intentions to lie. Therefore...¡±

    ¡°Lie?!¡± Gu Yanran clenched her fists instinctively and her arms jerked. ¡°I did not lie! Why on earth should I lie?!¡±

    Right at that moment, she remembered Gu Xiangwen, who was still unconscious in the hospital in the headquarters of the special forces. She calmed down.

    She looked up at Gu Nianzhi and said coldly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, have you chatted with Ye Xuan anonymously before? Show your evidence. As for me, I have all the evidence that I was the one who had chatted with him anonymously. On top of that, I was indeed seven when I saw Ye Xuan in the orphanage for the first time.¡±

    She allowed her memories to drift back to more than a decade ago when the waves crashed on the shore of Barbados.

    Trees had fallen all over the ce because of the strong typhoon. There were also houses that had been destroyed by the flood. Roads were damaged, and streetmps were also broken. They fell across the roads and blocked the way.

    The ne she was on was the first one that was allowed tond after the typhoon.

    Mother held onto her tiny hands and descended from the tall steps from the ne. Looking over at the destroyed surroundings, she mumbled, ¡°Yanran, Mother is going to bring you to see someone.¡±

    She was seven years old that year.

    ...

    Gu Yanran closed her eyes and took a deep breath to suppress all her overwhelming emotions before opening her eyes again and looking at Ye Xuan, who was on the screen. She then said coldly, ¡°Ye Xuan, when I first met you, I was indeed seven years old. You were only four years old then. You definitely do not remember that anymore, but I remember that it was raining cats and dogs that day, with strong winds. The winds were so strong that many roofs were being blown off from the houses. I saw you first amongst all the other orphans. However, you did not respond to anyone at that time, and sat at a corner of the wall, hugging onto a teddy bear.

    Ye Xuan was taken aback.

    ¡°...Do you still remember that when you were four years old, there was a Sister Ranran whom you yed pretend with?¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s voice turned gentle. ¡°Our fate traces back further than where you remember we started...¡±

    ¡°Sister Ranran?!¡± Ye Xuan forgot about all his mannerisms and stood up abruptly. He almost ran to the front of the camera and breathed heavily. He sounded anxious as he asked, ¡°You are really Sister Ranran?! How did you know about Sister Ranran?! Why didn¡¯t you ever mention that you were Sister Ranran?!¡±

    The Sister Ranran who was small in size was Gu Yanran?!

    She really did not look like she was seven years old at that time!

    Gu Yanran smiled sadly. ¡°I thought you had already known...¡±

    Ye Xuan was losing himself due to shock.

    What on earth had he done?!

    Who exactly was the one he should be eternally grateful for and protect all his life?!

    Ye Xuan¡¯s eyes traveled from Gu Nianzhi to Gu Yanran, then back to Gu Nianzhi again. They darted to and fro, showing that he was extremely confused. It felt like his brain was buzzing with swarms of bees, and it made him frustrated. He couldn¡¯t think straight.

    He screamed in pain and fell in front of the camera.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at the screen. When she spoke, her voice was calm and collected, and it helped Ye Xuan feel rxed and empowered. ¡°Ye Xuan, calm down. The person who had yed pretend with you in the past might be the one who wants your life right now.¡±

    Just one sentence was all that was needed for Ye Xuan to not feel confused anymore.

    Chuckling softly and sadly, he thought, ¡®Yeah. However beautiful it was in the past, it seems to be in proportion to how ugly it has be now.¡¯

    When a beautiful rtionship has gone, the two people involved had better not cross paths with each other ever again.

    Gu Yanran raged the moment she heard that. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Do not use people! We are in court; I can sue you for nder if you attempt to use me! When did I want Ye Xuan dead?!¡±

    ¡°Did I say that it was you?¡± Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Were you the only person whom Ye Xuan had yed pretend with in the past? Why are you so eager to be that person whom I was referring to?¡±

    Jin Wanyi couldn¡¯t remain quiet anymore. She had to say something to protect Gu Yanran. ¡°My client had said that she had yed pretend with Ye Xuan when she was young. The intiff immediately said that the person who had yed pretend with him in the past wanted his life now. With such an obvious case of hinting and misleading, anyone with brains would be able to corrte. Please, I hereby request that the intiff not mislead anyone here in court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent.

    She had not expected the fighting spirit of both of them to return.

    Whatever had happened to Ye Xuan in America was indeed hard to link up to Gu Yanran if they were looking for leads that way.

    Even if all of them knew that Gu Yanran was the one who had plotted the entire scheme, they did not have evidence to back their usations up. Therefore, they could not mention it in court.

    By reminding Ye Xuan, Gu Nianzhi was only trying to clear his confused thoughts. She did not intend to use Gu Yanran of hiring assassins to get rid of Ye Xuan.

    From this point of view, it would actually be hard for Gu Yanran to sue her for nder as well.

    However, due to the fact that Gu Nianzhi had used vague words, as well as the fact that she had said ¡®perhaps¡¯ and did not directly use Gu Yanran of engaging people to get rid of Ye Xuan, they wouldn¡¯t be able to sue her even if they had wanted to.

    However, the judge still reminded Gu Nianzhi in a fair manner, ¡°intiff, please watch your words.¡±

    ¡°Sure, your honor.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded, acknowledging her mistake.

    Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other and felt more confident than ever.

    Gu Nianzhi did not give them more time to breathe. She continued on to her next question: ¡°Defendant Gu Yanran, you said that you had chosen Ye Xuan when he was four years old. However, why was it that Ye Xuan only knew that he was selected three yearster? And by a girl that was four years old? You still have not exined who that little girl was.¡±

    Gu Yanran opened her mouth and Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Please do not continue to insult all our intelligence and insist that that little girl who was four years old was you. You were already ten at that time and would be unable to pretend that you were four anymore.¡±

    Gu Yanran red fiercely at her. ¡°That was another orphan. Yes, that was you, Gu Nianzhi. That time, father had adopted you, and it wasn¡¯t because you pointed at Ye Xuan that he was selected; it was because I had selected Ye Xuan a long time ago!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not care about how much hatred and jealousy there was in Gu Yanran¡¯s words. She rearranged the things that Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran had said and managed to find two leads.

    ¡°...Which means that Mr. Gu Xiangwen had gone to the orphanage twice. Once was when defendant Gu Yanran was seven years old and Ye Xuan was four years old. ording to Gu Yanran, she had already selected Ye Xuan at that time. Three yearster, Gu Xiangwen went to the orphanage again. This time around, he adopted Gu Nianzhi...¡± Gu Nianzhi paused for a while when she had said her name. She felt weird about it, almost like she was talking about something that had happened to someone unrted.

    ¡°That time, Ye Xuan had seen Gu Nianzhi and seen that Gu Nianzhi had pointed at him, and his life changed. Is that correct?¡±

    Ye Xuan remained silent for a while before saying, ¡°I remember the one three yearster. However, as for the one that happened three years before, I only remember Sister... Ranran. I do not remember seeing Uncle Gu.¡±

    Upon knowing that small-sized ¡®Sister Ranran¡¯ was Gu Yanran who was three years older than him, Ye Xuan felt that he had to visit a counselor after he went back that day.

    ¡°My father was looking at us y from outside the window. It was no wonder that you did not remember him then,¡± Gu Yanran added with a gentle voice.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. Her bright, lively ck eyes rolled around and zoomed past Gu Yanran. ¡°The defendant is really good at adding details.¡±

    ¡°I was merely stating the facts.¡± Gu Yanran shrugged. ¡°You are biased against me.¡±

    ¡°Now it is me who is biased against you?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged, looking at Gu Yanran like she was a joke. ¡°However, you were the one who said that you only had one meal a day before you were seven. Did I make that up?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What are you trying to imply?!¡±

    ¡°Gu Yanran, you still have not exined why you could only have one meal a day before you were seven years old.¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to let go of this loophole. ¡°Let us assume that you are Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter and the daughter that he had doted on so very much. Then why did he only give you one meal a day before you turned seven?!¡±

    Gu Yanran tried to think quickly to answer that question. However, she realized that she was unable to ount for that question no matter how she chose to answer it.

    Eventually, she had no choice but to go all out: ¡°...Did I say that it was Father who gave me a meal a day?!¡±

    ¡°Then who was it who only gave you one meal a day?!¡±

    ¡°Before I was seven years old, I did not live with my father. I lived with my mother!¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s expression turned extremely cold.

 Chapter 865 - Hiding the Past

    <h4>Chapter 865: Hiding the Past</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This was the first time that Gu Yanran had mentioned her mother...

    ¡°Are you trying to say that you were living with your mother before you turned seven and not your father Gu Xiangwen?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked immediately. ¡°And your mother only gave you one meal a day? Why did your mother not live with your father?!¡±

    Gu Yanran held her breath at the questions.

    She massaged her temples and finally asked, annoyed, ¡°...Is this rted to our case?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered her enthusiastically. Gu Xiangwen would give his biological daughter a grand pink diamond tiara when she turned one. How on earth would he allow his daughter to leave his side?

    This definitely did not add up.

    Jin Wanyi furrowed her brows and stood up. ¡°Please exin the corrtion, intiff. I feel that this is getting too far away from the case.¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°I agree with the defensewyer¡¯s request. intiff, please exin the reason why you would need the answer to this question.¡±

    Of course, this question was to prove Gu Yanran¡¯s real identity. Her identity would directly affect how much of the assets would be given to her.

    However, she did not have solid evidence to prove that Gu Yanran was not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter. Moreover, that fake ¡®Gu Xiangwen¡¯ was still unconscious in the hospital at the headquarters of the Special Forces. If she had thrown this doubt out, Gu Yanran would definitely take advantage of it.

    Therefore, she would never say this out of her own ord. She would beat about the bush until Gu Yanran had enough of it before she decided to reveal her true colors unintentionally.

    As for her, she was waiting for a more important witness.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely patient the moment she went in court.

    She thought quickly and immediately managed to think of a reason to rece her real intention. Turning to face the judge, she answered, ¡°Your honor, just now Gu Yanran mentioned that she had gone to the orphanage with Gu Xiangwen when she was seven years old. She saw Ye Xuan, who was four years old at that time. However, now she said that she had been with her mother before she had turned seven years old, and not with her father. I feel that these two speeches contradict each other.¡±

    Gu Yanran interrupted Gu Nianzhi and said angrily, ¡°When I was seven years old, my mother brought me back to Barbados to be with my father. It was also that year that my father brought me to the orphanage, and I saw Ye Xuan, who was four years old at that time. Is there a problem with this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Now that sounds more convincing.¡±

    She was trying to push Gu Yanran bit by bit to divulge the truth from the past, just like squeezing a tube of toothpaste.

    Gu Yanran furrowed her brows. ¡°Are you trying to kid me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I? A court is a solemn ce. Please, defendant, I hope that you do not imagine as much,¡± Gu Nianzhi told Gu Yanran sternly. She then began questioning again. ¡°What is the name of your mother? Where did you and her live seven years ago? Why did your mother not live with your father?¡±

    ¡°...Must I say that as well?¡± Gu Yanran was even more displeased. ¡°This is the privacy of my family...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi straightened her expression and walked to the defendant stand where Gu Yanran was standing. She tapped on the stand and said, ¡°Defendant, you already made the decision toe to court, and it is regarding a family inheritancewsuit. Your so-called privacy is no longer being protected here. If you do not wish to share all this information, whatever you had said before will not have evidence to back it up, so it will not be able to be used as evidence.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?! What I said just now was all true! Why would it not be able to be used as evidence?!¡± Gu Yanran was enraged.

    ¡°Whatever you said were merely one-sided. If you are unable to provide evidence to back it up, I can easilye up with such stories on my own. Not one, not two, but many of them¨C and all of them could sound more convincing than the one you just said. However, can you believe them? Therefore, when the court decides on a sentence, they will require not only witnesses but evidence as well. Only when both are present will they be able to decide on a fair judgment.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and looked at Gu Yanran as though challenging her toe up with more stories on her end.

    Gu Yanran did not expect that even after talking so much, Gu Nianzhi still had not bought her side of the story. She could not help but feel nervous. ¡°It is up to you whether you choose to believe it or not. I have said whatever I can.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out her pen and paper and pretended to take notes. She asked without looking up, ¡°Tell us the name of your mother and the ce where you were staying. If you are unwilling to tell us why your mother was separated from your father for seven years, it is up to you as well.¡±

    Gu Yanran shut her mouth like a m and refused to talk anymore.

    ¡°You do not wish to?¡± Gu Nianzhi put down her pen. ¡°Gu Yanran, do you think I am unable to get all this information?¡±

    Jin Wanyi sighed and raised her hand. ¡°Objection. The intiff¡¯s questions are drifting too far away from the case.¡±

    The judge contemted for a while before nodding. ¡°Agreed. intiff, please turn the direction of your questions back to the case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a sense of pity. She was so close to getting the name of Gu Yanran¡¯s mother, but sadly, the judge did not allow it anymore.

    Jin Wanyi wasn¡¯t so useless after all...

    Gu Nianzhi kept her pen and paper and said, ¡°Gu Yanran, I am sorry to hear that you have been mistreated by your mother. I hope that you will not...¡±

    Gu Yanran interrupted her and said tly, ¡°My mother did not mistreat me. Please do not overthink.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Giving only one meal a day to a seven-year-old child, and you think that wasn¡¯t mistreating?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Forget it. I am just being a busybody anyway, it will be fine as long as you are happy.¡±

    Gu Yanran clenched her fists and tried extremely hard to control herself. However, she thought of herself before she had turned seven years old and still could not contain her anger. She red fiercely at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and said, ¡°Of course you would not understand what it is like to be poor. We did not have any money at that time. We only had one meal a day because that was all we could afford!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spun around. Gu Yanran¡¯s vicious re was still there. She did not stop in time, and Gu Nianzhi saw all of it.

    She walked back to the front of Gu Yanran and asked, ¡°Gu Yanran, you are the illegitimate daughter of Gu Xiangwen? Your mother is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s mistress?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Gu Yanran seemed shocked. Her face flushed a deep crimson red, and she mmed the defendant stand and stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare spout nonsense! My mother... My mother...is the wife of my father!¡±

    ¡°Oh is she really? Do they have a marriage certificate?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at Gu Yanran and pped. ¡°A wife? That is great! Where did they get married at? It is easy to check marriage records. Gu Yanran, finally you are able to produce something decent to prove your identity!¡±

    Gu Yanran was at a loss for words. She supported herself on the defendant¡¯s stand and felt faint. She felt her vision turning blurry.

    ¡°...Say it! Is this considered private as well?!¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged and looked around the court. ¡°Your honor and honorary judges, am I invading privacy by requesting a marriage certificate?¡±

    Of course, she wasn¡¯t invading privacy. A marriage certificate was a type of important official document.

    Gu Yanran was stunned for a while before stammering, ¡°...This... I wasn¡¯t even born when they were married. How would I know where they registered their marriage at? Moreover, who would allow a younger generation to see their marriage certificate?¡±

    ¡°...Other than not knowing where they registered their marriage, you have also never seen their marriage certificate. Your parents had been separated all along. On what basis could you say that they were officially married?¡± Gu Nianzhi really attacked any loopholes that she produced and attempted to widen it.

    However, saying such a im but being unable to produce any form of evidence was already a huge suspicious point.

    Gu Nianzhi did not repeat this and only stared at Gu Yanran quietly.

    Her gaze was akin to a fierce interrogation, and it suffocated Gu Yanran greatly.

    Jin Wanyi red at Gu Nianzhi. She did not expect that Gu Nianzhi would be able to turn Gu Yanran from a biological daughter into an illegitimate daughter, just like that!

    ¡°Objection. The intiff assumed my client¡¯s identity without any form of evidence. This is a kind of nder.¡± Jin Wanyi stood up to object again.

    Gu Nianzhi retorted, ¡°Your client used a story that she had made up on her own to create an identity of herself that is totally untrue. She has the tendency and intention to lie and cheat.¡±

    ¡°...What right do you have to say that it was a story?!¡± Jin Wanyi was seeing red. ¡°Do you have proof?¡±

    ¡°Then did Gu Yanran have proof for all the things that she said just now?¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°We can send people to the orphanage in Barbados to check; then we will know what happened then.¡±

    Right at that moment, Ye Xuan, who had remained quiet all this while, said with a weird expression. ¡°...That orphanage in Barbados was met with a huge fire a few years ago. It killed many people inside and all the information from the past.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Gu Yanran andughed coldly. ¡°What a coincidence, Gu Yanran. Whatever was rted to our past...you really had all of it destroyed, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? I felt really sorry about that incident in Barbados. What are you trying to hint at?¡± Gu Yanran felt relieved and some form of gracefulness returned.

    She sat down slowly and leaned back on the chair. ¡°Since we are at this juncture, Gu Yanran, let me tell you why I wanted to know about your past and your mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her intiff stand and produced a form that she had created on her own, then showed everyone the reason. ¡°Please take a look, everyone. Number one. About a year ago, Gu Yanran found out that I was the sister that she had lost. After that, all the servants who were serving the family were murdered in a case of kidnapping. ording to what I know, those servants had been there for a decade or two.¡±

    ¡°Number two. Now, Ye Xuan also told us that that orphanage was also burned down. Therefore, no one would know about whatever happened to ¡®Sister Ranran¡¯ in that orphanage anymore.¡±

    ¡°Number three. Gu Yanran refused to tell us the name of her mother and refused to tell us where she was staying before they went to Barbados. On top of that, she could not produce the marriage certificate of her mother and Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Finally, ording to Gu Yanran¡¯s academic records, other than being able to find out that she had attended a housekeeper college in Ennd before, we were not able to check the rest of her records. All these points indicate to us that Gu Yanran is intentionally attempting to hide her true identity!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s pupils constricted.

    How on earth did Gu Nianzhi find out that she had attended a housekeeper college in Ennd before?!

 Chapter 866 - A Perfect Servant

    <h4>Chapter 866: A Perfect Servant</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Even Jin Wanyi, upon hearing that Gu Yanran had attended a housekeeper college in Ennd, was taken aback. However, sheposed herself quickly and consoled Gu Yanran, who was so angry that she could not speak. Then, she stood up and faced Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu. Your evidence collection was done pretty well, but there was some problem with your conclusion.¡±

    ¡°What problem is there?¡± Gu Nianzhi kept her form. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that she was trying to hide her true identity by doing this?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, firstly, the kidnapping of my client in Barbados was the one that led to the servants being murdered. At that time, they threatened my client so she would give them something that had belonged to her father. My client would rather be tortured by them than give it to them. Eventually, they got desperate and killed everyone in the family. Finally, when they were about to kill my client, someone saved her. I do not understand why Lawyer Gu would ignore the important details and merely focus on whether they were murdered instead of why they were murdered.¡± Jin Wanyi shrugged sadly.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and said, ¡°That case is still full of doubtful points to this day. Such cruel kidnappers who were able to kill the entire house of servants but brought Gu Yanran to the open seas and still got murdered by Gu Yanran herself? Gu Yanran, if you were really that capable, did your mother know about it?¡± The final sentence was directed at Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran sensed the sarcasm in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and felt horrible. Gu Nianzhi really had pushed her into a corner. She had to talk when she went to court. However, if she did, it was obvious that the amount of mistakes increased simultaneously with the amount of things she said. The moment she said something wrong, Gu Nianzhi would bite into it and not let go...

    She wasn¡¯t like that when she was young. She did not like talking when she was young.

    A sense of fear shed in Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes. She looked at Gu Nianzhi for a split second before lowering her head again. She sped her hands together and ced them on her knees.

    Jin Wanyiughed as well and said, ¡°That kidnapper was too mesmerized by my client. My client saw an opportunity to strike and managed to save herself. That was not impossible. Could my client be med?¡±

    ¡°Of course I cannot say that your client was the one who staged the entire ¡®kidnapping and murder¡¯ case,¡± Gu Nianzhi said sincerely. ¡°Because we still have not managed to capture the kidnappers to date, we were unable to prove this point. Therefore, I was merely stating the suspicious points.¡±

    Jin Wanyi snorted and continued to defend the second point. ¡°As for the orphanage that was burned down in Barbados, that was even more funny. My client isn¡¯t even the illegitimate daughter, so why would it concern her whether the orphanage was burned down or not?¡±

    ¡°Ha ha... does it really not?¡± Gu Nianzhi threw the question back at them and looked at Gu Yanran purposefully.

    Gu Yanran red back at her, not wanting to show any signs of weakness.

    Jin Wanyi continued, ¡°As for the name of Gu Yanran¡¯s mother and her marriage certificate with Gu Xiangwen, these were not the main focal points of thewsuit. Please do not confuse everyone with too much information for this case.¡±

    With that, Jin Wanyi asked again, ¡°May I know if it is now my turn to question the intiff¡¯s witness?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while, but Jin Wanyi had intentionally ignored the point about Gu Yanran attending the housekeeper college in Ennd. She smiled and reminded Jin Wanyi, ¡°Lawyer Jin, there was a fourth point. You¡¯re going to let that be?¡±

    Jin Wanyi pretended not to have heard her and continued looking at the judge, waiting for her next course of action.

    Seeing that she was pretending not to know, Gu Nianzhi produced the documents and told Gu Yanran, ¡°Gu Yanran, your father, Gu Xiangwen, is a low profile multi-billionaire. I would like to ask why on earth did he send you to housekeeper college?! You are the daughter of a multi-billionaire. You still have to be your own housekeeper?!¡±

    Gu Yanran took a deep breath and sensed that everyone was looking at her from the corners of her eyes. She felt embarrassed and wronged. She wiped her tears and answered without emotion, ¡°Going to that school was my mother¡¯s request. Although my father had objected to the idea, he deeply loved my mother. Therefore, he agreed to everything that my mother said.¡±

    ¡°But why did your mother want to send you to housekeeper college? You were poor in the past, but from the moment you returned to the Gus, wouldn¡¯t you have more than enough money to attend a decent college?¡± Gu Nianzhi suspected the choice of Gu Yanran¡¯s mother, as she could not understand that choice at all.

    Gu Yanran bit down on her lips and said, ¡°Because we had been extremely poor before, my mother insisted that we should not depend on anyone but ourselves. She wanted me to go to a housekeeper¡¯s college and learn a set of skills so that I would be able to support myself in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not help but roll her eyes. That was really in a mother¡¯s heart? Even if she wanted her daughter to depend on herself and learn a set of skills, how on earth was being a housekeeper a set of skills? What good would it do to learn to be someone¡¯s servant?

    If she had really wanted her daughter to depend on herself, she should have encouraged her daughter to study hard and get into a good college. Gu Nianzhi could not think of any reason for her to want Gu Yanran to specialize in being a housekeeper.

    Did she want Gu Yanran to learn a set of skills to depend on herself so that she could serve rich people? Did she really want Gu Yanran to depend on herself like that?

    How fake.

    Gu Nianzhi grumbled in her mind and nned what to say next so that it did not sound too tant. ¡°It¡¯s true that you had experienced being extremely poor. However, the moment you returned to the Gus, it was akin to bidding goodbye to being poor. May I know the reason why your mother would think that way and still insist on sending you to a housekeeper¡¯s college?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Gu Yanran¡¯s records while she was at that college. Her grades were fairly good. She could indeed be an amazing servant...

    Gu Yanran had already run out of ideas about how to answer Gu Nianzhi. She merely continued with her stand. ¡°My mother wanted it. What could I do? Was I wrong in wanting to be a filial daughter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°You were not wrong to want to be a filial child. However, to paint a picture of yourself being ¡®filial¡¯ and pushing such a retarded decision on your mother, you are trying to tarnish her reputation, aren¡¯t you? Ha ha, how filial...¡±

    Gu Yanran felt that she had turned into a balloon. She would explode with anger the moment Gu Nianzhi spoke again. She did not know of anyone who could be such an annoyance in the world. She was going against her in every aspect. People like that should never have been allowed to exist in this world. Why is she even still alive?!

    Gu Nianzhi saw Gu Yanran¡¯s gaze that was full of hatred. She knew that Gu Yanran hated her to the core. However, she did not care at all. Even if she were to not do anything, Gu Yanran would have already hated her existence. So why not do something and let herself be happier, at least?

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran still fighting it out in court, Jin Wanyi patted Gu Yanran to get her to calm down before standing up and asking, ¡°Lawyer Gu, are you done?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°For now, yes. I still have an important witness on my side, but the person isn¡¯t here yet. Therefore, I will stop here for today.¡±

    Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t care about the ¡°other important witness¡± that Gu Nianzhi was going to summon. She looked peacefully at the judge. ¡°Your honor, is it my turn to question the witness now?¡±

    The judge signaled. ¡°Begin.¡±

    Jin Wanyi raised her head and walked to the box. She looked at Ye Xuan, who was overwhelmed with emotions, and spat, ¡°Ye Xuan, how long have you been with my client?¡±

 Chapter 867 - The First Time

    <h4>Chapter 867: The First Time</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had prepared a list of questions that Jin Wanyi might ask, but this question was not on the list Gu Nianzhi had prepared. The questions that Gu Nianzhi had prepared for him were all rted to the inheritance and technicalputer stuff.

    As for questions about rtionships, although Gu Nianzhi had known that Jin Wanyi might ask them as well, she had considered Ye Xuan¡¯s feelings about them and did not venture into that area. She was not the type ofwyer who would do whatever it took to win awsuit, even if it meant hurting people.

    Ye Xuan had not thought about what questions Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran would use to torment him. He had actually guessed that they would be using his and Gu Yanran¡¯s past rtionship to make a big fuss out of things, but now that the question was really being asked, Ye Xuan still felt lost for a while.

    He looked fixedly in the direction where Gu Yanran was. Even though Gu Yanran had lowered her head, looking ufortable, it seemed like she totally had no intention of stopping Jin Wanyi.

    Memories that belonged to only the two of them were now being exposed in public this way, in front of everyone. No matter how beautiful a rtionship was, it would not be able to withstand such exposure.

    The struggling look in Ye Xuan¡¯s eyes slowly disappeared, and what reced it was a pair of eyes that looked extremely emotionless. He curled one side of his lips upwards and smiled an evil smile with his handsome features. ¡°How long have I been together with Gu Yanran? Lawyer Jin, why don¡¯t you ask your client that question?¡±

    ¡°Ye Xuan! I am asking you a question. Please answer it.¡± The vein on Jin Wanyi¡¯s temple throbbed. She had also sensed the change in Ye Xuan¡¯s attitude and could not help but look at Gu Yanran.

    To be frank, Ye Xuan had some feelings for Gu Yanran still. However, he really could not stand it that Gu Yanran had used him so thoroughly...

    Jin Wanyi sighed secretly within herself. However, this was her career. Since she had signed the agreement, she had to defend Gu Yanran no matter what.

    The judge intervened as well. ¡°Witness, please stop ying around and answer the question,¡± he told Ye Xuan sternly.

    Ye Xuan touched his exquisite nose and leaned back in the soft, ck office chair. His other hand was on the table. He tapped his fingers like he was ying the piano. The smile was still lingering purposefully on his lips. He looked at Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, you really want to know my answer?¡±

    Seeing that Ye Xuan was trying various ways and means to avoid her question, Jin Wanyi thought that Ye Xuan had a guilty conscience andughed coldly before trying to force an answer out of him. ¡°Of course, please say what you must. What is there left to hide?¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s eyes darted to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi touched her nose as well and looked at the table with hooded eyes.

    Ye Xuan understood what she meant and turned to look at Gu Yanran. He softened his voice. ¡°Yanran, I still remember the first time we got together. It was during mid autumn, four years ago. Do you remember? The moon that night was extraordinarily round...¡±

    Gu Yanran did not expect Ye Xuan to say that. Her heart skipped a beat. She remembered that night so very clearly...

    She had had some wine and was on the balcony of the Gu family¡¯s mansion, facing the sea. She had used the excuse of being inebriated in order to rest in Ye Xuan¡¯s embrace. They were looking up at the moon together.

    Ye Xuan had said that the moon on the fifteenth of the lunar month was indeed as people say¡ªit was big and round.

    Gu Yanran smiled and flirted with Ye Xuan. ¡°I have got something that is even more round, and bigger than the moon. It¡¯s even fairer inparison as well. Do you want to take a look?¡±

    Of course, being young and having raging hormones, Ye Xuan could not resist such seduction. Moreover, he had already made up his mind to protect this family his entire life, including Uncle Gu¡¯s only daughter, Gu Yanran...

    Gu Yanran thought about how they were whispering sweet nothings to each other then but snapped back to reality. She looked at how Ye Xuan was siding with Gu Nianzhi and opposing her, and felt extremely angered.

    Jin Wanyi coughed and knocked on the table. She looked at Ye Xuan and asked coldly, ¡°The first time that you guys had intercourse was because you used the excuse that you were drunk and forced yourself on my client, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Ye Xuanughed. ¡°I seduced your client and forced myself on her? Did you mean the opposite, by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Jin Wanyi mmed her hands on the table. ¡°You tore my client¡¯s dress then, ignored her countless protests and pleas for you to stop, and continued having your way with her, didn¡¯t you?!¡±

    Jin Wanyi produced the torn dress that Gu Yanran wore that day as evidence as she questioned Ye Xuan fiercely. ¡°Everyone, please take a look at this. This is the evidence of my client being raped. These past four years, my client had to force herself to give in to Ye Xuan¡¯s countless unreasonable requests. She did not want to have a falling out with him. However, unfortunately, he was still greedy. After failing to get his hands on the Gu family¡¯s inheritance, he got into cahoots with outsiders to sue my client.¡±

    Ye Xuan closed his eyes. He had not expected Gu Yanran to have told Jin Wanyi that it was like that...

    Their first time was indeed intense, but he did not force himself on her. It was because Gu Yanran wore a button-down dress with many tiny buttons that night. No matter how he tried, he could not manage to unbutton those countless buttons. Therefore, Gu Yanran asked him to just tear the dress open.

    He did just that, and buttons flew everywhere. That long, flowing dress dropped to the floor and revealed the beautiful, naked body that was underneath it. He arranged that dress on the ground for them to lie on top of and had their first time. It was also Ye Xuan¡¯s first time.

    Although it wasn¡¯t Gu Yanran¡¯s first time, Ye Xuan did not mind it at all.

    After that, Gu Yanran had said that the dress would be their memento, and that she would keep it properly and cherish it forever. He had thought that that dress was the sweetest memory for both of them...

    That torn and tattered dress was never washed. The evidence of them having intercourse was still on it. The dress was kept not as a memento but only to be used as evidence against him.

    So this was a case of rape?

    Jin Wanyi looked at Gu Nianzhi triumphantly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked shocked. Her bright eyes were darting between Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan, as though she did not expect that this strong and solid evidence from Gu Yanran had been waiting for them.

    ¡°Your honor, how can such a person be qualified to be a witness?¡± Jin Wanyi mentioned the previous ¡°abuse¡± case again. ¡°The other time my client was physically abused by Ye Xuan, he had engaged a capablewyer to threaten us strongly. We had no choice but to drop all charges. Now they have upped their game but still insist Ye Xuan be their witness. My client took this evidence out as her final resort.¡±

    Jin Wanyi walked to Gu Nianzhi and shook the dress in front of her. ¡°Miss Lawyer Gu, the other time you had used ¡®CCTV footage¡¯ that you got from god-knows-where as Ye Xuan¡¯s alibi. What I want to say is, my client remembered the time incorrectly. That was why you were able to win with that ridiculous loophole. This time around, however, you and your witness will not be so lucky again!¡±

    Seeing that the defendant had brought out such a solid piece of evidence, everyone in the court was silent. If Ye Xuan had really forced himself on Gu Yanran that time, he would totally lose his right to be a witness, even if Gu Yanran did not press charges against him.

    Everyone looked at Gu Nianzhi instinctively. She had been sitting quietly behind the intiff¡¯s stand all this time. Her beautiful face had a slight smile to it, like she was telling everyone that she wouldn¡¯t be swayed no matter what evidence the defendant had.

    Yin Shixiong looked at how Gu Nianzhi was behaving and thought he was seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shadow... Every single time something huge hit all of a sudden, Huo Shaoheng would look exactly like that.

    He could not deny that such an attitude was the key to providing the entire army with confidence, especially so in the Special Forces.

    Although she looked calm and collected, her mind was arranging her thoughts extremely quickly, thinking of ways to get out of this maze. Last time, she did not wish to argue too much about the case of ¡°abuse¡± and chose to just let her drop all charges, exactly because she did not wish to face a situation as ugly as this.

    Normally, females would be the ones on the losing end of cases like these. However, to people like Gu Yanran, she would very much prefer to make the mess asplicated as possible.

    Therefore, to be fair, for cases between a man and a woman, no matter the male or female, no matter which side won or lost, the side that cared more about reputation would be on the losing end. The one who did not care about their reputation would win no matter what.

    However, there was still that reminder¡ªdo not go overboard. When you sail when the winds are strong, the chances of your boat capsizing definitely multiply. For example, this time around...

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head to look at the information she had in front of her, then looked at Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran¡¯s biography and background introductions. This waspulsory homework that she had to do prior to the hearing. Jin Wanyi would definitely have that information, too.

    However, when they were faced with ¡°solid evidence,¡± Jin Wanyi would definitely be toocent with herself and forget about the most important thing...

    If Jin Wanyi had not brought the matter up of her own ord, Gu Nianzhi would really not know that Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran had their first time in that kind of condition. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled. She looked at the judge and said clearly, ¡°Your Honor, I do not agree with the defendant¡¯s point of view.¡±

    The judge looked at her with pity and said, ¡°intiff, unless you have evidence to prove that the defendant and herwyer are lying, Ye Xuan¡¯s right to be a witness will have to be revoked.¡±

    Hearing the judge say that, Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously. They looked each other in the eyes and looked away again, smiling to themselves. They were still wary of the situation, but one could see the happiness in their eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from the intiff¡¯s stand and walked to the defendant¡¯s stand where Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi were. She covered her nose and looked at the torn and tattered dress that Jin Wanyi was carrying, and her eyes darted to Gu Yanran again. ¡°Gu Yanran, are you sure that this dress was the dress that Ye Xuan tore open at that time?¡± she asked abruptly.

    Gu Yanran nodded eagerly. ¡°You can get it tested for DNA if you do not believe me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why should I test it for DNA?¡±

    ¡°The remnants of Ye Xuan¡¯s semen are on the dress...¡± Gu Yanran wrinkled her nose suddenly, like she felt that it was disgusting. ¡°You can get it checked to see if it is Ye Xuan¡¯s...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Gu Yanran, must you be so cruel?¡±

    ¡°If he did not choose to be so cruel, would I do this?¡± Gu Yanranughed coldly. ¡°I had initially intended to keep quiet about everything. However, he decided to divulge so much. What else could I do? I am merely trying to defend myself!¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied softly. ¡°For self defense? You bore with it for so many years, it must have been hard on you.¡±

    Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi were both taken aback for a bit. Both of them narrowed their eyes in unison and observed Gu Nianzhi. They did not believe that Gu Nianzhi had just spoken for them!

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, seemingly sympathetic, and asked, ¡°Gu Yanran, you said that the previous civilwsuit was due to you remembering the time incorrectly. Then would there be any possibility that you remembered the time and date incorrectly for the first time between you and Ye Xuan?¡±

    Gu Yanran became wary and said quickly, ¡°Of course not. It was mid autumn, on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, four years ago. I remember it very well and would never forget it in my entire life!¡± With that, she looked at Ye Xuan, who was on the stand, with her eyes full of grudges. She wiped her tears while looking away again.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her voice. ¡°Gu Yanran, can you please verify that the first time you and Ye Xuan had intercourse was on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, four years ago?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! It would still be a ¡®yes¡¯ even if you were to ask another one hundred times!¡± Gu Yanran was seeing red.

    She did not lie about it this time around. Their first time had indeed happened in mid autumn four years ago! Actually, she had truly loved Ye Xuan before. Would she feel good opposing him in court?!

    Right at that moment, Gu Nianzhi interrupted her wails. ¡°You do not have to wail and shout.¡± With that, Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked at the judge. Raising her voice, she said, ¡°Just now, the defendant, Gu Yanran, confirmed multiple times, that the first time Ye Xuan and herself had intercourse was on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, four years ago, which was shortly after Ye Xuan had returned to Barbados from America. However, please take a look at Ye Xuan¡¯s birth records and passport!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi showed Ye Xuan¡¯s birth records and passport to everyone in court. ¡°Ye Xuan had only turned 22 years old in October this year. His birthday was on the second day of October on the Gregorian calendar! In mid autumn four years ago, which was on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, it would be the neenth of September on the Gregorian calendar! This would mean that when Gu Yanran first had intercourse with Ye Xuan, Ye Xuan had not even turned 18 years old yet!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spun around and threw Ye Xuan¡¯s birth records in Gu Yanran¡¯s face with a smack. ¡°Gu Yanran, you seduced a minor and made him have intercourse with you but attempted to turn the tables on him, and yet you dare to say that you were forced?! You are so utterly shameless!¡±

 Chapter 868 - The Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 868: The Breakthrough</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was truly angry this time around. Her jet ck eyes looked like two obsidian stones that had been washed by clear water. Albeit ck, they sparkled brightly. When paired with her fairplexion and jet ck brows, they looked out of this world.

    The jet ck color reflected colorful shadows, and at that moment, they looked like fireworks that had exploded in the night sky. They looked bright, colorful, and so beautiful that they managed to attract everyone¡¯s attention.

    Most likely, the only person in the entire courtroom who was not attracted to her was Gu Yanran... She only felt prickling from the pain where Gu Nianzhi had smacked her in the face with the documents. She felt embarrassed as well. She had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life!

    Tilting her head, the documents went past her face and fell onto the ground. Gu Yanran said in a state of panic, ¡°It wasn¡¯t mid autumn four years ago; it was mid autumn three years ago!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not help but show a pang of distaste as she looked at Gu Yanran coldly. Right at that moment, Gu Nianzhi looked like the icy and merciless He Zhichu as well.

    Gu Yanran sneaked a peek around the court. When she realized that everyone in court was looking at her with distaste, she panicked and pulled on Jin Wanyi¡¯s sleeves. ¡°Wanyi? Help me... I... I remembered incorrectly...¡±

    Jin Wanyi groaned in secret. However, all she could do was brace herself and mumble, ¡°My client remembered incorrectly...¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, you do know that this is not the way to fight awsuit, don¡¯t you?¡± Gu Nianzhi did not even bother to look at Jin Wanyi and only looked at Gu Yanran while she talked. ¡°You cannot merely say that you remembered incorrectly whenever I manage to catch details of youmitting a crime. I confirmed time and again just now, and you insisted that it was mid autumn four years ago, and even said that it would still be four years ago even if I asked a hundred more times. Now that I have pointed out that Ye Xuan was still a minor four years ago, you want to change your testimony to three years ago? Do you think the court is your home, and you are able to say whatever you wish?¡±

    Of course, Jin Wanyi knew all that. However, Gu Yanran was her client. Therefore, she had to give it her all to help her. Therefore, even if it wasn¡¯t logical, she had to think of ways to make up for it...

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to face the judge. ¡°Your Honor, we already have many pieces of evidence now to prove that Gu Yanran lied about Ye Xuan. Why did she try so hard to tarnish Ye Xuan¡¯s reputation and stop him from testifying in court? I now have enough reasons to believe that this would be due to Ye Xuan knowing too much of the truth, and that was exactly why she did not want him around! From this point of view, I request that Your Honor stop the defendant from continuing to make a fuss over my witness as a person. Ye Xuan is a legitimate witness. His statement should be taken as seriously as other witnesses¡¯ as evidence.¡±

    By now, almost everyone had already taken sides. Ye Xuan was a stumbling block for Gu Yanran. Therefore, she definitely would want to get rid of him.

    The judge nodded and banged his gavel. ¡°Agree to the suggestion of the intiff. The defendant will be unable toment further about Ye Xuan as a person henceforth. We will be treating Ye Xuan¡¯s statement as equally as the other witnesses¡¯.¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s restriction in court due to the ¡°personal protection order¡± was finally cleared.

    It had already been three hours since they had begun the hearing in the morning. Gu Nianzhi had just breathed a sigh of relief when Ye Xuan began talking. ¡°I know why Gu Yanran did not want me to testify in court. Other than the fact that she does not wish to split the inheritance equally, she attempted to take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life before this. When Gu Nianzhi was in Germany and met with danger, Gu Yanran already knew who the mastermind was. However, she did not provide assistance to save Gu Nianzhi. On top of that, she asked me to ce a Trojan virus on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile phone, so that she would not be able to seek help from anyone in the Hua Xia Empire.¡±

    Everyone in court fell silent. They looked at each other in shock and did not know how to react to this piece of information. This seemingly normal inheritancewsuit had finally proceeded to turn into what many inheritance cases eventually did¡ªa murder case.

    The judge¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He said sternly, ¡°Ye Xuan, what you have just said is extremely important. You cannot spout nonsense just like that. May I know if you have evidence to back you up?¡±

    Nodding, Ye Xuan said, ¡°Even though I do not have much evidence on hand regarding the inheritance, I do have more than enough evidence to prove what happened when Gu Nianzhi was the victim of attempted murder in Germany.¡±

    Due to having to trace Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile phone¡¯s signal and divert it, his tracking programs were running in real time. Therefore, he had to record a lot of texts that were exchanged between Gu Yanran and himself during the process. He did not give it too much thought at that time, so he did not delete them. Now they could finally be of use.

    Gu Yanran looked up abruptly and saw Ye Xuan on the stand, looking as cold as ever. She shook her head furiously and screamed repeatedly, ¡°Lies! Lies! You are a liar! I did not want harm to befall her! I did not!¡±

    Right at that moment, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice could be heard from the Bluetooth earpiece in the judge¡¯s ear. ¡°Director Zhan, please hold everyone in the courtroom. I will be sending my men to take Ye Xuan away.¡±

    Due to the fact that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attempted murder in Germany involved the death of two Special Forces personnel, it had been ssified as a highly confidential case. Huo Shaoheng, who was watching the hearing from the headquarters of the Special Forces, sensed that there was a breakthrough in the case in Germany. Now, he finally had enough reason to intervene.

    Also, after divulging this, the people behind Gu Yanran would never let Ye Xuan go. For his safety, Huo Shaoheng would have to bring him in immediately.

    The judge nodded slightly and whispered, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Very soon, he heard the call hang up. The judge turned to look at Jin Wanyi and asked calmly, ¡°Defendant¡¯swyer, do you have any more questions for Ye Xuan?¡±

    Jin Wanyi smiled bitterly again. How could she continue? She had prepared an entire series of questions to embarrass Ye Xuan in public. However, she would be pping herself with those questions now.

    Jin Wanyi looked at Gu Nianzhi with mixed emotions. This little girl wasn¡¯t even 20 years old, but she was so professional in court. She was able to think quickly on her feet and was also able to get her point across in a quick, straightforward, and powerful way. She had managed to push all their usations aside and also managed to stop all the possibilities of Gu Yanran trying to use Ye Xuan of being a bad guy in their previous rtionship.

    All the questions that she had painstakingly prepared for the past month had now gone to waste...

    Jin Wanyi took a deep breath and turned to the judge. ¡°No, there is nothing else we want to ask Ye Xuan as of now.¡±

    The judge made a note in his documents and looked at Gu Nianzhi again. ¡°intiff, do you have any more questions for the defendant?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what hade over her. When she heard Ye Xuan confess that Gu Yanran was involved in her attempted murder in Germany, she did not feel overly shocked. It seemed like she had expected Gu Yanran to have been involved. Therefore, she did not exhibit any signs of shock and was able to focus fully on the inheritance case.

    Nodding, she said, ¡°Thank you, Your Honor. I still have some questions for the defendant.¡±

    Gu Yanran felt emotionally and physically drained. She was extremely pale and sat behind the defendant¡¯s stand feeling extremely nervous. She asked Jin Wanyi softly, ¡°Why did it take so long today? Can we postpone the hearing? I am getting tired...¡±

    Jin Wanyi was even more tired than Gu Yanran. On top of being physically tired, she felt emotionally drained as well. However, she exined patiently to Gu Yanran, ¡°The judge will decide on the progress of the case and decide if we should postpone it. He will judge if there is enough evidence and witnesses. Since Gu Nianzhi still has some questions for you, the judge will not postpone the hearing now.¡±

    The reason for postponing the previous two hearings was due to the cases being in bottlenecks. They had to wait for new leads or new witnesses toe forward before there could be any more progress.

    Gu Yanran massaged her temples, and her face was flushed. She lowered her voice and said, ¡°I am not feeling well...¡±

    Jin Wanyi took a look at her. ¡°Pretending to be unwell in court will never work, because the judge would get a doctor here to diagnose you.¡± The court would never go along with a single person just because he or she said that they were not feeling well.

    Gu Yanran was extremely disappointed in Jin Wanyi when she realized that she wasn¡¯t able to get out of the hearing no matter what. She cracked her neck and said without looking at Jin Wanyi, ¡°Lawyer Jin, think of your professional position in the Hua Xia Empire if you were to lose this case. Although I do not have much capability, making you lose your job and be unable to get another one in this industry wouldn¡¯t be that tough.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was so angered by Gu Yanran that she snickered. She moved closer to Gu Yanran and whispered, ¡°Gu Yanran, are you trying to threaten me?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Gu Yanran red at her sideways, like she already had nothing to lose since she knew she was going to die anyway.

    Jin Wanyi thought about the whole series of events that Gu Yanran had ¡°gone through.¡± For example, that clip that was leaked on the inte when Gu Yanran was seducing a married man into having an affair with her¡ªthe whole world had seen Gu Yanran¡¯s naked body just like that. Next, she had said that Ye Xuan was the one who forced himself on her, but it was exposed that she was the one who had seduced a minor. Finally, all the lies that she had told were exposed, but she did not seem to feel a thing and even managed to find excuses within a blink of an eye.

    Each and every single one of those things, if they ever happened to another woman, would render that woman unable to keep living. However, it seemed like Gu Yanran did not mind about all that in the slightest. This was a woman who did not care about what others would think of her. Jin Wanyi mentally reminded herself to be more wary of this woman.

    Seeing that both of them were whispering to each other, Gu Nianzhi asked with her brows furrowed, ¡°Lawyer Jin, I want to ask your client some questions. Can she answer them?¡±

    Jin Wanyi looked at her and asked, ¡°Can I say no?¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you even asking?¡± Jin Wanyi took a step to the side. Gu Yanran sat up straight and braced herself, waiting for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s weird questions for her that were full of traps.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the materials that she had prepared and rapped her knuckles on the defendant¡¯s stand. ¡°Defendant Gu Yanran, I will give you another chance. The inheritance list that you submitted to the court¡ªis it aplete list?¡±

 Chapter 869 - The First Account

    <h4>Chapter 869: The First ount</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s morale in court was so strong that it was extremely mesmerizing to watch her. Gu Yanran, however, was so traumatized that she was akin to a little animal hanging on for dear life.

    Usually, for any other person, after being attacked and exposed so continuously like that, they would already be on the verge of giving up. However, Gu Nianzhi brought up the topic of what Gu Yanran cared about the most¡ªthe inheritance.

    The moment Gu Nianzhi brought up the topic of inheritance, Gu Yanran braced herself once more and felt as ready as ever to take Gu Nianzhi on again. She could give up on everything except for the inheritance! That money was hers! Hers!

    For those who did not go through those tough times when they were young, they would never understand her obsession with wealth.

    Gu Yanran sat up straight, and her eyes cleared. She red at Gu Nianzhi and gritted her teeth. ¡°Of course it is aplete list. Why? Lawyer Gu is unhappy with it? It was less than you had expected it to be? Sadly, I apologize. The Gus are not as wealthy as you think we are.¡± She made it sound as though snatching the inheritance was the only thing that Gu Nianzhi cared about.

    Gu Nianzhi calmed down as well. ¡°Oh, really? This... is really all of the Gu family¡¯s inheritance? These are also all the resources that you, Gu Yanran, have been using?¡± Gu Nianzhi ced the inheritance list that Gu Yanran had submitted onto the defendant¡¯s stand in front of Gu Yanran. ¡°Look carefully again. There are some digits and a total at the back. I left the family when I was 12, so of course I would not know how much inheritance there was in the family. However, you should know very well, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyshes batted. She looked at Gu Nianzhi, and the sparkle in her eyes vanished. ¡°Left the family when you were 12? Ha ha... Yeah...¡± She looked at Gu Nianzhi like she had never seen her before. Her expression wasplicated.

    It was like she felt evillyforted but also looked afraid of seeing Gu Nianzhi again.

    Gu Nianzhi felt uneasy being looked at by Gu Yanran like that. She tilted her head to the side and did not look at Gu Yanran again. She asked calmly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case? Or are you making up stories again? If you are, please make them more convincing. Consider the time, location, and people involved. Do not only make up stories that seem to benefit you and forget about the rest of the characters that were supposed to be in your story.¡±

    Gu Yanran chuckled. She looked straight ahead and stood up behind the defendant¡¯s stand. She leaned forward and waved to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you think that you have any right to fight for the inheritance with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and raised her beautiful brows. ¡°Thew states that I have the right to fight. So whatever you or I think does not matter.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Yanran stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, like she was trying to drill a hole in it with her eyes. ¡°Let me give you a piece of advice. Be content. Splitting this inheritance with you equally is already my biggest way of giving in. I feel so apologetic towards mother and father, as I had to give half of their inheritance to someone who is not from the family. However, in order to appease everyone and not let father be sad, I am willing to part with half of the inheritance. Gu Nianzhi, you are still not content?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s full lips curled into a seductive smile. However, the moment she spoke, it went straight through Gu Yanran¡¯s heart like a spear. ¡°You said it like you have all the rights to the family¡¯s inheritance. Gu Yanran, have you forgotten why we are here fighting the inheritancewsuit?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes narrowed immediately. ¡°If not me, then you?! Dream on!¡±

    ¡°Well, I am not dreaming. I am fighting awsuit to get the court to decide how much inheritance I should be getting.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not feel like beating about the bush and wasting time with Gu Yanran anymore. She walked back to the intiff¡¯s stand and produced a thick stack of documents. Turning to the judge with the documents, she asked, ¡°Your Honor, may I borrow the projector in this courtroom, please?¡±

    The judge made a wave to signal to the bailiff to help Gu Nianzhi set up the projector.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at everyone in the courtroom before her gaze finallynded on Gu Yanran. ¡°Defendant Gu Yanran, I have confirmed with you that the inheritance list that you submitted was everything that the Gu family has. ording to this plete list¡¯ of assets, you listed that the inheritance included 11 bank ounts, 23 investment ounts, 45 properties, 103 antiques, 257 patents, and a total of 40 rented safe deposit boxes in different banks.¡±

    Compared to the list that Ye Xuan had provided, the number of bank ounts, investment ounts, properties, antiques, and safe deposit boxes was two-thirds less than what was on Gu Yanran¡¯s list. The number of patents was urate though, other than the ones that had already been sold. However, the biggest discrepancy was that the list Gu Yanran had provided did not mention anything about the investmentpany in the Cayman Inds.

    Gu Yanran still nodded unwillingly. ¡°This is already a lot. I don¡¯t know why you are still so greedy...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almostughed out loud at Gu Yanran¡¯s tone. She was really doing a great job pretending to be innocent. When it came to being greedy, who could surpass Gu Yanran?!

    She gave the inheritance list to Gu Yanran and said, ¡°There is your signature here. It¡¯s real, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Yanran took a look. ¡°It is my signature. If you do not believe it, you are free to go to the banks and investors to confirm it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I do not have to confirm it. Let¡¯s just assume that they are real.¡±

    ¡°They are.¡± Gu Yanran, who had always cared about her appearance, rolled her eyes. ¡°Why should I lie to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened an excel file in theputer. She listed all the things on the inheritance inventory that Gu Yanran had included. There was also another column at the back of each categorybeled ¡°Net Profit Then.¡±

    Everyone in court looked at the form filled with numbers and shivered. They did not know what Gu Nianzhi had in mind to attack Gu Yanran with again...

    Gu Yanran¡¯s brows furrowed as well. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, just trying to calcte something for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up aser pointer and pointed at the excel sheet on the projector and began analyzing. ¡°ording to the inheritance list that was provided by defendant Gu Yanran, I calcted some ounts for her. The ¡®Net Profit Then¡¯ over here behind each category is calcted based on the interest rates that the banks have publicized and the profit made by the investmentpanies.

    ¡°Eleven bank ounts. The total amount is 25 million US dors. The total annual interest would then add up to one million US dors.

    ¡°Twenty three investment ounts. Each year¡¯s profit was calcted ording to the annual performance report by eachpany. They all add up to one and a half million US dors.

    ¡°If the antiques are not sold, there will be no profit. The patents would be worth the most. Each year, the patents bring in 30 million US dors. However, ording to my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s agreement, these profits from patents are not to be used yet. Therefore, the money could only be ced into funds to be used in investments, and these funds cannot be recorded as annual profit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused and waited for everyone to understand the information before continuing. ¡°Therefore, ording to the amount that the defendant, Gu Yanran, provided, the amount that the inheritance could provide per year for spending was only four and a half million US dors.¡±

    ¡°Only four and a half million US dors? Gu Nianzhi, how proud must you be to talk like that? How much do you even make a year? And you think four and a half million US dors a year is so little?¡± Gu Yanran burst outughing and had a look of contempt on her face.

    ¡°An annual ie of four and a half million US dors would definitely be a lot for an average family. However, for you, the most wealthydy in Barbados, would it even be close to enough for you per year?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned the tables around, and her tone became sharp and firm. ¡°Let us look at the most wealthydy in Barbados, defendant Gu Yanran¡¯s annual expenditures.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi disyed another excel sheet on the projector. ¡°Please take a look, everyone. The most wealthydy in Barbados, Miss Gu Yanran, would spend at least one million US dors on fashion, luxury bags, shoes, skincare products, and makeup annually.

    ¡°If we were to include the money that you spent on jewelry and luxury cars, it would be close to three million US dors. On top of that, Miss Gu Yanran has her very own fleet of employees¡ªher personal consultant, helpers, housekeeper, and team of bodyguards. These would cost the most. The sry that you have given them annually is almost three million US dors annually as well. Which means you are already spending six million US dors a year.

    ¡°Following that, let us look at your annual donations, party organizations, and gifts to political figures. Then, there is still the mansion¡¯s maintenance and upkeep, the sries of professionals includingwyers, ountants, hairdressers, makeup artists, and fashion designers. Those would be a minimum of four million US dors a year.¡±

    Gu Yanran turned pale again. Her fingers began to tremble. Her voice did not sound as strong anymore. ¡°How did you get all this insider¡¯s information?!¡±

    ¡°Insider¡¯s information?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. ¡°I got all this credit card information from the three biggest credit cardpanies in Europe and America. I have the statements from the banks, too. As long as I have a letter from the court, these organizations are more than happy to cooperate with me.¡±

    Of course, Ye Xuan provided the credit card and bank statement information. Gu Yanran¡¯s annual expenditures were also one of Ye Xuan¡¯s main job scopes when he was in charge of the family¡¯s finances.

    ¡°I shall not touch on the fact that you give some people money illegally. We will just look at the normal expenditures. Your annual spending has already exceeded ten million US dors.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and went to the defendant¡¯s stand where Gu Yanran was sitting.

    ¡°Tell me, ording to the list that you have provided, where the annual ie is only four and a half million US dors, how was that amount able to support your expenditure of ten million US dors a year?!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she tried to bluff her way through. ¡°You have seen it. I am living in the negative. My savings has already been depleted...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, an expenditure of 70 million in seven years, but the savings ount that you provided only contained 25 million. Even if you were to spend all the savings, it would not be able to sustain your seven years of expenditures.¡± Gu Nianzhi knocked on the defendant¡¯s stand. ¡°I shall be nice and leave the sky high gifting and donations alone. No matter how we calcte it, the inheritance list that you have provided does not jibe with your expenditures to a huge extent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi estimated the amount on the inheritance list that Gu Yanran had provided based on how Gu Yanran liked things to be. She liked things to be royal and grand, and liked making herself look important. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi was able to estimate these amounts. Then, shepared the amount from the inheritance list, and it was obvious that there would be a huge discrepancy between the amount of inheritance and her spending. With that, she asked, ¡°Where did your moneye from?!¡±

    ¡°Why should you care where my moneye from?¡± Gu Yanran still tried to be stubborn about it.

    ¡°If you are unable to let us know where the huge discrepancy between the inheritance and your expenditure came from, it will mean that you areundering money.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Gu Yanran seriously and smiled. ¡°Compared to hiding your inheritance, moneyundering is categorized as a major crime in all countries. If your case is too severe, you could be sentenced to death.¡±

 Chapter 870 - Another Proud Moment

    <h4>Chapter 870: Another Proud Moment</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Yanran was extremely confused by the long lines of numbers Gu Nianzhi provided. Her mathematics had been weak when she was in school. However, it did not hinder her from handling the huge amount of inheritance, and she was able to do whatever she wanted for many years in Barbados. It was because for wealthy people, there would be professionals to deal with professional things for them. They would havewyers to handle legal matters, ountants to calcte expenses, ie, and reporting of taxation matters, stylists to handle their fashion, and beauticians to handle their makeup and skincare. No matter what they did, there would be a fleet of professionals to serve them.

    This was especially obvious when the wealthy person was not the first generation but the second or third, and Gu Yanran¡¯s situation was even more different in this sense.

    Therefore, when Gu Nianzhipleted the calctions, Gu Yanran felt like a deted balloon. She looked pitifully at Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, are the things she said true?¡±

    Jin Wanyi massaged her temples and turned to the judge. ¡°Your honor, we request a postponement for the hearing. I have things that I wish to say to my client in private.¡±

    The judge looked at the time. The entire morning had passed. Right at that moment, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice could be heard in his Bluetooth earpiece. ¡°Director Zhan, our people have arrived.¡±

    The judge nodded and announced, ¡°We will take a 15-minute break. After the break, we will continue with the hearing.¡± He walked briskly out the doors of Courtroom A and headed directly to the small meeting room where Ye Xuan was.

    Huo Shaoheng was wearing his navy-blue military uniform and a pair of shades. He was also wearing his military hat. He stood at the end of the corridor with arms folded and was looking out the window.

    The judge who handled Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran¡¯s inheritancewsuit was none other than Director Zhan from the highest supreme court in Di Capital of the Hua Xia Empire.

    He walked over to Huo Shaoheng and asked emotionally, ¡°Mr. Huo, your men have already gone in?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and nodded to Director Zhan. ¡°They are inside.¡± The moment they arrived, they had swapped out the police officers. The entire ce was therefore under surveince inside and out.

    ...

    Ye Xuan was in the small meeting room, talking to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Ye Xuan, you mentioned something regarding the time someone tried to kill Nianzhi when she was in Germany. That case caused two of our people to be murdered. Therefore, we would like to invite you to our headquarters to assist us with our investigation,¡± Zhao Liangze asked Ye Xuan politely, but his attitude was firm.

    Ye Xuan had finally divulged his knowledge of this incident. He knew that he would definitely have to bear some of the legal consequences and did not resist. Standing up, he said, ¡°I will cooperate. However, I still do not know if Nianzhi will require me to be her witness.¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at Ye Xuan properly for the first time. He realized that he had addressed Gu Nianzhi in a much more intimate manner. Only people who knew each other well would call each other by only their first names, omitting theirst names.

    ¡°There should not be any problem. You wille back with us now, and if Nianzhi needs you to be her witness, we will escort you back here. However, if we do it like that, you will not have your freedom for a while.¡± With that, Zhao Liangze produced a legal document for Ye Xuan to sign. ¡°After you have signed this, it will mean that you agree to surrender your freedom temporarily, and you cane with us.¡±

    Ye Xuan was not a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire. In order to avoid issues with foreign rtions, Huo Shaoheng had instructed the people from the Special Forces to do all necessary procedures before taking Ye Xuan away.

    Ye Xuan bent down and signed the document indicating his agreement to give up his personal freedom and assist the Special Forces in their investigation.

    Zhao Liangze waited until Ye Xuan had signed the document before saying, ¡°Actually, you will be safer if you are with us.¡±

    Ye Xuan had already figured it all out. He smiled and said, ¡°I know. Since I have made up my mind to divulge this piece of information, the people behind Gu Yanran will never let me go. I will be able to continue living if I go with you guys. If I don¡¯t, most likely I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach my next birthday.¡±

    ¡°I am d you understand.¡± Zhao Liangze patted him on the shoulders, and his impression of Ye Xuan instantly became better.

    ...

    Outside the meeting room, Director Zhan took a puff from his cigarette and exhaled. He asked softly, ¡°Then you guys are not going to take Gu Yanran away as well?¡± Judging from what Ye Xuan had said, Gu Yanran was the one who had more insider information.

    Huo Shaoheng also had a cigarette between his fingers. However, he did not take a puff. He merely flicked the ashes away and said calmly, ¡°The things on Gu Yanran¡¯s side are moreplicated. We do not wish to alert the enemy for now.¡± For the time being, it was safer to leave Gu Yanran free instead of trying to lock her up in one ce, as they wanted to use Gu Yanran to catch the mastermind behind her. With Ye Xuan¡¯s testimony, they would be able to spy on Gu Yanran officially.

    ¡°You have dealt with the cab?¡± Director Zhan knew that the Special Forces had to seek permission and approval from the cab if they were to get involved with things within the country.

    ¡°They are handling the procedures right now.¡± Huo Shaoheng do not usually speak about anything regarding the Special Forces to people who were not in it. Due to the fact that it was this very case, Director Zhan asked a little more. However, since Huo Shaoheng was still tight lipped about it, Director Zhan did not probe further. The two of them began to chat about other things.

    Director Zhan had nothing but praise for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This youngdy is really impressive. After thiswsuit has ended, I will be sure to get the Human Resource team from the supreme court to go to B University to get to know her, to ask if she would be willing toe and work for the supreme court.¡± With her, they would be a lot more powerful.

    While his tone was calm, there was pride in his deep-set eyes behind his shades. ¡°Nianzhi is still young. She will have to decide on her future career path on her own.¡±

    ¡°Definitely.¡± Director Zhanughed heartily. Then, he saw Zhao Liangze bringing Ye Xuan out and stepped aside.

    Zhao Liangze nodded to Huo Shaoheng, indicating that everything had gone smoothly. Huo Shaoheng threw his cigarette butt into the trash and nodded to Director Zhan. ¡°We will take our leave, then.¡±

    Director Zhan shook his hand and bid them goodbye. The sun¡¯s rays shone through the windows into the brightly lit corridors, making both men look even taller than they were.

    Gu Nianzhi exited from the courtroom for a breather. She wanted to speak to Ye Xuan for a while, but saw a familiar tall, muscr, and handsome rear view when she was halfway to the meeting room. The person¡¯s back was facing her as he was shaking hands with the judge. She did not know what they were talking about. The judge even smiled and patted the person on the shoulder.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and put both her hands into her pants pockets. She looked in the direction of that person with his back to her.

    After Huo Shaoheng shook hands with Director Zhan to bid him goodbye, he felt that there was something strange behind him, like there was a ray of light. Instinctively, he turned around to take a look.

    At the other end of the brightly lit corridor, there was a beautiful youngdy. She looked graceful and elegant with her business suit, and that suit added some maturity to her beautiful features. A pair of jet ck eyes sparkled like they had been absorbing the rays from the sun.

    It was Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng took a look at her, but he did not walk towards her. He only nodded slightly to acknowledge that he had seen her before turning around and walking towards the exit. His pace was neither fast nor slow. His footsteps echoed along the corridor and in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart as well.

    Zhao Liangze had already taken Ye Xuan out. The soldiers from the Special Forces who were standing guard around the court had also dispersed.

    Huo Shaoheng was thest to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi did not walk over, either. She waited until Huo Shaoheng was out of sight before going into the small meeting room that Ye Xuan had been in just moments ago. She took a peek inside. It was as she had expected. Ye Xuan had been taken away by Huo Shaoheng, hadn¡¯t he?

    They were really quick in taking action...

    However, Gu Nianzhi felt that since Ye Xuan had divulged private information about Gu Yanran, he would be much better off under the protection of Huo Shaoheng and the Special Forces. Had he not followed them, he most likely wouldn¡¯t even be able to protect his own safety.

    She looked again at the door and did not ask anything else. Seeing that she seemed to have understood the entire situation, Director Zhan did not say much, either. He merely nodded and smiled at her before turning around and leaving. He was the judge for thiswsuit. In order to avoid usations of bias, he had not spoken about anything outside of court as of yet.

    ...

    Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran left the court during the break and headed to the underground parking lot. They got into Gu Yanran¡¯s luxury car to have a talk. For them, some things could never be discussed openly. Gu Yanran¡¯s luxury car had everything, including all kinds of anti-interference facilities, so they would never be eavesdropped upon.

    ¡°Yanran, what on earth is happening to you? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attempted murder in Germany that Ye Xuan mentioned¡ªwas it in any way rted to you?¡± Jin Wanyi asked patiently, hoping that Gu Yanran would tell her the truth instead of only being half truthful with her.

    Gu Yanran leaned on the spacious seat in the car and supported her head with one hand. She smiled bitterly. ¡°Actually, that was a misunderstanding. However, Ye Xuan hates me to the core now. Of course it would sound differenting from him.¡±

    ¡°Is it really a misunderstanding?¡± Jin Wanyi was still suspicious. ¡°Ye Xuan said that he has evidence.¡±

    ¡°I merely joked around with him when I wasining to him,¡± Gu Yanran said casually and did not wish to linger on the topic any longer. Whatever was rted to the time that Gu Nianzhi was in Germany, Gu Yanran did not care.

    Someone else had staged the entire incident. Even Gu Yanran herself did not know what was happening half the time. Therefore, she did not believe that Ye Xuan would know who the mastermind was.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, I engaged you as my representativewyer to worry about me, and only me. Not about other people.¡± Gu Yanran rolled her eyes at Jin Wanyi, feeling unhappy. ¡°Please just focus and think of how to win my inheritancewsuit.¡±

    Jin Wanyi thought about how Gu Yanran had threatened her just now and was extremely unhappy about it. At this moment, she felt that she should be charging Gu Yanran as much as possible in order to appease her anger.

    After a while, Jin Wanyi calmed down before furrowing her brows and saying, ¡°Then tell me the truth. The inheritance list that you provided¡ªdid you hide anything?¡±

    ¡°You cannot call it hiding.¡± Gu Yanran shook her head slightly. ¡°For example, the investmentpanies in the Cayman Inds. To be honest, I have no controlling power over thosepanies. They refuse to give me the funds even now. They have also closed some of the bank ounts and donated all the money to charity.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was momentarily speechless. ¡°Then what about the list that Ye Xuan provided?¡±

    That was the exact reason why Gu Yanran felt so heartbroken. She had truly loved Ye Xuan before. She did not expect this man to be so heartless and not consider her feelings at all. ¡°How would I know why he...¡± Gu Yanran still wanted to deny it.

    Jin Wanyi interrupted her sternly. ¡°I advise you to stop trying to bluff your way through anymore. Moneyundering is indeed a serious crime. Gu Nianzhi was not just trying to scare you.¡±

    With that, Jin Wanyi opened her iPad and showed her a list of punishments for moneyundering in different countries. ¡°Look. Actually, in our country, the penalty for moneyundering is considered the lightest. However, you would still face a jail term of more than a decade.¡±

    Gu Yanran looked through the penalties silently and sighed. ¡°Gu Nianzhi is too cruel. I amundering money just because I refuse to acknowledge Ye Xuan¡¯s inheritance list? She is really good at spinning tales, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Jin Wanyi said tactfully, ¡°Her method isn¡¯t spinning tales. Your ie and expenses must tally. If they don¡¯t, you will have to exin their source. Even if it was given by parents or won in lotteries, you have to exin where it came from. You merely asked her why you should tell her? That will never work in court.¡±

    Gu Yanran remained silent for a long time after hearing that. Finally, when the 15-minute break was almost up, she said slowly, ¡°Then let us split the inheritance ording to the list that Ye Xuan provided. Just take it that I am returning what I owe.¡±

    Jin Wanyi nodded. ¡°It will be best if you can think of it that way. I will exin to the judge, saying that due to Ye Xuan leaving the position as head financial advisor, the new person was not familiar with everything, and therefore, the list was notplete.¡±

    Gu Yanran finally smiled and nodded. ¡°Lawyer Jin, that is correct. I feel that I did not spend my money on a whim anymore.¡±

    Jin Wanyi forced a smile and left the parking lot with Gu Yanran, and they headed back to Courtroom A.

    ...

    The judge entered the courtroom and took his seat. Then, he looked around at everyone and asked, ¡°Is everyone back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up behind the intiff¡¯s stand, while Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi stood up behind the defendant¡¯s stand. Behind Gu Nianzhi, in the gallery, Secretary Cao was feverishly taking down Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exceptional performance in court. Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong were whispering to each other like they were the only ones in the courtroom.

    Senior Speaker Long¡¯s Assistant Yang was taking down notes as well, however, he looked at Gu Nianzhi every other minute, not believing that such a pretty little girl could be so sharp and smart. The person behind her, Mr. He, must have put in a lot of hard work on her.

    From Assistant Yang¡¯s point of view, he still felt that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t deserve sole credit for being able to perform so well. The credit should be going to the person who was teaching her what to say in court.

    The judge nodded and said, ¡°Let us continue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took her seat. Jin Wanyi immediately turned to the judge and said, ¡°Your Honor, after confirming everything, my client and I havee to a realization that due to the new financial advisor being unclear of the things in the household, the inheritance list was iplete. We will agree to split the inheritance ording to the one that Ye Xuan provided.¡±

    The judge smiled. ¡°Are you sure? If you are, you will have to submit an official document to confirm that that inheritance list is the correct one.¡±

    This was not bad, either. They would be able to save a lot of time this way.

    The judge thought about it and asked Gu Nianzhi kindly, ¡°intiff, do you agree?¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi did not have any objection. ¡°As long as we go ording to thew to divide the inheritance, I will be okay.¡±

    The judge struck his gavel on the table and instructed someone to bring two copies of the inheritance list over, one for Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi to sign, and the other one to be signed by Gu Nianzhi.

    This time around, both inheritance lists were finally identical. The missing two thirds of the inheritance was finally back in court. Gu Nianzhi took the newly signed inheritance list and turned to Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran. ¡°This time around, you are sure that the list is correct, yes?¡±

    Gu Yanran had learned her lesson and did not dare to speak directly to Gu Nianzhi again. She looked at Jin Wanyi.

    Jin Wanyi nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flipped through the inheritance list and said, ¡°Over here. Correct means that this inheritance list has included the funds that were still around seven years ago on the day of the airne ident, is that right?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was confused by Gu Nianzhi. She pointed at the figures on the document. ¡°What do you mean by seven years ago? Don¡¯t we have to start calcting the inheritance on the day after the airne ident? Look here. These are valuations of the banks and investmentpanies from the day of the ident. It is the full list of the Gu family¡¯s inheritance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head slowly. ¡°How can we calcte it from the day after the ident took ce? We should be calcting the inheritance value before the ident took ce. That would be the exact ce we should begin our division of the inheritance.

 Chapter 871 - Traps Everywhere

    <h4>Chapter 871: Traps Everywhere</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What?!¡± Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi both asked, almost in unison.

    Compared to Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi¡¯s shock, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calmness was extremely striking. She flipped the inheritance list and pointed at the other row of figures. ¡°This will be the cost basis value on the day of the ident.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Gu Yanran gasped. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Then, she nudged Jin Wanyi. ¡°Lawyer Jin, you tell her. This is not reasonable!¡±

    Jin Wanyi also felt that Gu Nianzhi was not being reasonable by saying that. Therefore, she helped Gu Yanran out on this.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, we are able to stand here and fight this case because Mr. Gu Xiangwen had already been in a vegetative state for a total of seven years. ording to thew, after he had entered a vegetative state for seven years, then he would be deemed as being unable to handle his own assets. With that, he would have to give up controlling rights of his inheritance. That was why you were able to bring a case out of this¡ªbecause of this seven year rule. As for seven years ago, that inheritance belonged to Mr. Gu Xiangwen. It had nothing to do with you. Therefore, you are unable to get control of it.¡±

    Jin Wanyi said the words ording to thew. Therefore, the judge agreed with her.

    When Gu Nianzhi was being objected to by the defendant¡¯swyer and the judge together, she did not get upset. On the contrary, she nodded calmly and said, ¡°Then Lawyer Jin meant that seven years ago, the inheritance from the Gu family still belonged to my father, Gu Xiangwen, and no one should be able to have any right to handle it, am I right?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was stunned for a moment. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words sounded reasonable. It was a natural assumption from what Jin Wanyi had said just now. However, when one gave it a little more thought, it seemed like Gu Nianzhi was building a trap for Gu Yanran again...

    Jin Wanyi hesitated. She looked at Gu Yanran and then back at Gu Nianzhi and said hesitantly, ¡°This question is slightly challenging...¡±

    ¡°Why is it challenging?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°I said that we should follow the valuation of all the inheritance before the ident happened. You said that I was unable to do that, because during these seven years, my father, Gu Xiangwen, was still the legal owner of all the inheritance, and no one was able to handle his inheritance without his approval or permission. This should mean that for the past seven years, no one should have been able to use, give, gift, spend, and splurge any of the inheritance. Am I right?¡±

    Jin Wanyi shut her mouth. Gu Nianzhi was too cruel. If they did not agree to calcte the inheritance based on its valuation before the ident, then Gu Yanran should never have used anything of the inheritance other than the part that she was given?!

    However, Jin Wanyi was clear that the moment Gu Xiangwen had entered a vegetative state seven years ago, Gu Yanran had been the only person to handle all the Gu family¡¯s inheritance. She had done many things with the inheritance in those seven years. Be it investments, donations, expenses, splurging, or gifting, she had spent a good part of it.

    Over those seven years, all the banks and investment organizations all thought that Gu Yanran was the only person to inherit everything from Gu Xiangwen. Therefore, even if Gu Xiangwen was still alive, they had also recognized Gu Yanran¡¯s signature and helped her in many things.

    Now, a second inheritor, Gu Nianzhi, had appeared. Ignoring whether she was the biological or adoptive daughter, no matter what, legally, she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. This was approved in the governmental documents in Barbados.

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will still hadn¡¯t been found to date. Therefore, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s inheritance could only be divided ording to thew. And before dividing inheritances, one would have to confirm their valuation first, which meant that they would know how much exactly they would be getting.

    However, as to how they should calcte that valuation, both sides had different opinions again, as everyone knew that there was a huge difference in the valuation before and after seven years.

    Jin Wanyi lowered her head and looked carefully at the inheritance list that Ye Xuan had provided. She realized that there were indeed many areas that had traps. The biggest one would be the valuation.

    This list had two valuations. One was the valuation seven years ago, on the day the ident happened, and another one was the valuation after Gu Xiangwen had entered a vegetative state for seven years.

    The two valuations were as far apart as a gxy...

    Of course, that was exaggerating. Let us put it this way: When Gu Xiangwen had just met with the ident seven years ago, the Gus had a total of 30 billion US dors worth of inheritance. However, seven yearster, there was only about ten billion US dors worth of inheritance left. There was about 70 percent less.

    However, if they were to agree, Gu Nianzhi would definitely want that 70 percent of the inheritance back, wouldn¡¯t she?! Therefore, no matter how they answered, Gu Nianzhi would have a trap for them to fall into!

    Jin Wanyi tried to think quickly for a reason to dy their answers. Gu Yanran was panicking. She could never allow Gu Nianzhi to im the 20 billion US dors worth of inheritance from her...

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I have spent so much to retain you, not to let you be a coward at important times like this,¡± Gu Yanranined softly and almost wanted to push Jin Wanyi out to shoot Gu Nianzhi until she had nothing to say.

    Jin Wanyi pursed her lips and controlled her anger before saying, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I am trying my best to think now?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi admired Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi¡¯s whisperings for a while before walking over and tilting her head. ¡°Hello, both of you? Are you done yet? We can either pursue how the Gu family¡¯s inheritance was being cheated, or we can divide the inheritance ording to the valuation seven years ago. Gu Yanran will think of ways to return the inheritance that she spent over the past seven years.¡±

    Seeing that Jin Wanyi was not about to say anything, Gu Yanran ran out of patience and stood up to rebut Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t try to scare people. I am the legal heir of all of the Gu family¡¯s assets. My father lost his ability to manage his assets, so why can¡¯t I manage everything in his ce? Do you also suspect the legal effects of corporate agreements? Those were signed before my father got into that ident!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi folded her arms and looked down at Gu Yanran. She smiled as she said, ¡°Of course the agreement was valid before father met with that ident. Gu Yanran, you stop trying to confuse everyone and divert their attention. What I was trying to say was in regards to the new agreements after father got into that ident. Do you want me to count how many there are for you? Also, I have created a spreadsheet showing where 70 percent of the inheritance went. Do you want to take a look?¡±

    These spreadsheets were all created using the information about the inheritance that Ye Xuan had provided. Gu Nianzhi opened another excel spreadsheet on herptop.

    She picked up herser pointer and began analyzing the spreadsheet for everyone.

    ¡°For the past seven years, defendant Gu Yanran used her name to sign 167 agreements. Of those, 60 percent suffered losses, which led to the Gu family¡¯s inheritance suffering a loss of three billion US dors.

    ¡°On top of that, Gu Yanran forged Gu Xiangwen¡¯s signature and signed 83 agreements. Of those, ten percent suffered losses. The Gu family¡¯s assets earned a profit of three billion US dors from these agreements. We can say that these agreements managed to cover the losses that Gu Yanran incurred with her bad choices in investments.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused there and then began to exin, ¡°It was clear that the investors who signed the agreements still respected my father, Gu Xiangwen, more, as the agreements that were signed in his name were treated seriously, and no tricks were pulled. Although Gu Yanran had broken thew by forging his signature, that will be anotherwsuit for another day. For now, based on the benefit of the assets, the agreements on the inheritance list did not suffer a loss.¡±

    Gu Yanran was struggling extremely hard by now, and it could be seen all over her face.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head, took the mouse, and scrolled downwards. ¡°Gu Yanran began selling the patents four years ago. Within these four years, Gu Yanran sold a total of 77 patents at a tremendous loss. I said that they were sold at a tremendous loss because ording to market value, these patents were worth at least five billion US dors. However, Gu Yanran sold all of them at a total of only 100 million US dors. That would be a difference of 50 times their value. Moreover, Gu Yanran had no right to sell my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s patents, at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused and continued, ¡°I went to the executive of the trust funds to get a copy of the documents that were drawn up when the trust fund was set up. The documents stated clearly that the patents were never to be sold. If they had to be sold, the rules of the trust fund had to be altered first. However, obviously, this was not done. Therefore, the 77 patents that Gu Yanran sold at a huge loss must be taken back.¡±

    Gu Yanran raised her head abruptly andughed coldly. ¡°Oh, then that would be too bad. When I was selling the patents, these people did not say anything about not being able to sell these patents.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her with a straight face. ¡°The trust fund confirmed that the agreement stated that what was sold was the right to use the patents, not ownership. They included the date of validity on the documents where you sold the patents. Those that you had sold had a due date during the seventh year after my father got into that ident.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you serious?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to read those documents yourself?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at her. ¡°Well, that would be understandable. So manyws; they would be differentpared to your major when you were at the housekeeper¡¯s college, wouldn¡¯t they? That was why you couldn¡¯t understand them, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face turned a deep crimson. ¡°I have my own group ofwyers. I...¡± She suddenly remembered that Wen Shouyi was the one who prepared thews, rules, and regtions when she had sold the patents. Wen Shouyi was her representativewyer at that time. However, Wen Shouyi had never once mentioned to her the difference between the right to use and ownership? She had only cared about collecting her fees...

    Now that Wen Shouyi had left, how could she get her exnation?! Gu Yanran began to panic.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and turned around to scroll down a portion of the spreadsheet again. ¡°Take a look, everyone. The biggest suspicious point is actually here. Within a span of seven years, Gu Yanran donated about 15 billion US dors in cash to this charity organization called ¡®Angel in the World.¡¯¡±

    The court fell silent. Everyone was looking at the crazy amount, mouths agape.

    ¡°Donating to charity is not something that is wrong. I would not say that she had donated too much, either. If it was really meant for a charity, then so be it. I could understand, and I would support it as well. However, I was curious, so I did a background check on this charity to see what this organization had that would sessfully make Gu Yanran donate such a huge amount to them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clicked with the mouse again. At that moment, the projector showed the founder of ¡°Angels in the World¡± and the location of the organization¡¯s founding. The projector was also showing the location where this charity began its work, as well as the organization¡¯s vision and foundation.

 Chapter 872 - Getting Everything Back

    <h4>Chapter 872: Getting Everything Back</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Please take a look, everyone. ording to the official Japanese documents, this ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ charity organization only consisted of two people. They are Professor Oda Masao from Japan, and the most wealthydy from Barbados, Jasmine Ku.

    ¡°I think we are anything but unfamiliar with who Jasmine Ku is. She is none other than the person who is right here in the defendant¡¯s stand right now¡ªGu Yanran. As for Professor Oda Masao, I am not sure if everyone here is familiar with him.

    ¡°This person was one of the most popr biology researchers at the University Hospital in Japan¡¯s capital. His main area of research, from the journals that he published, seemed to revolve around the human body and cell production, especially in East Asians.¡±

    When she mentioned ¡°East Asians,¡± Gu Nianzhi paused, like she had something to say, but eventually did not. ¡°...This professor was really well known in Japan. He was the person who began researching the human body and cell production of Asians. However, due to an identst year, he was burned to death in hisboratory. After he had passed on, ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ was taken over by his son, Oda Taro.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression began to turn serious. ¡°Then I checked again. This time ¡¯round, I tried to find out the kind of research this charity organization was going into.¡±

    For charity organizations like these, the governance overseas was extremely strict. They would request that these charity organizations be transparent about all their information. That would include finance and ounting records, the address and full name of the donor who donated the most funds, and the things that the charity did with the funds they had.

    This ¡°Angel in the World¡± organization, albeit a charity organization, didn¡¯t disclose much information online. The Japanese government did not seem to interfere much, either.

    For example, Gu Yanran was this organization¡¯s main donor. However, the organization¡¯s official website did not even mention her name. Her name was not even mentioned on their annual list of ounts.

    If Gu Nianzhi was not fighting thiswsuit with Gu Yanran and did not have to check where Gu Yanran was spending this money, she would never have found out that Gu Yanran had donated so much money to this charity that she had founded with someone else.

    ¡°This charity supports biology medical research, mostly focusing on the East Asian Chinese race. They were researching Chinese gene formation andparing how different Chinese genes werepared to other races and people of other nationalities.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes sparkled when he heard that. He had never imagined that he would hear the name ¡°Oda Masao¡± in this inheritancewsuit. How should he phrase it? Professor Oda Masao was their ¡°old pal¡± in the Special Forces. They were on such ¡°amazing¡± terms that Huo Shaoheng had to personally get rid of this wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing of a professor...

    Yin Shixiong calmed down in the blink of an eye and looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was on the intiff¡¯s stand.

    That time, when Mr. Huo went over to Japan to get rid of that professor, he did it to avenge Gu Nianzhi. He did not expect that one of the masterminds behind getting rid of Gu Nianzhi had been rted to Gu Yanran for such a long time...

    So Gu Yanran must have known when Gu Nianzhi was being drugged to ruin her life, mustn¡¯t she? The strange thing was, no matter how hard Yin Shixiong tried to recall, he could not manage to see how Gu Yanran could be linked to that incident. Because if Gu Yanran had known about the existence of Gu Nianzhi at that time, many things after that would never have happened.

    Looking at how pathetic Gu Yanran was now, she had brought it upon herself as she had underestimated her opponent. She did not expect that Gu Nianzhi would still be alive and would hinder her ns to take total ownership of all of the Gu family¡¯s inheritance. Therefore, this charity organization, ¡°Angel in the World,¡± did Gu Yanran know what, exactly, they were up to?

    As Yin Shixiong was pondering, he heard Gu Nianzhi ask Gu Yanran directly, ¡°Why did you donate such arge amount from the inheritance to this charity in Japan? Is there a special reason?¡±

    ¡°Special reason?¡± Gu Yanran looked deep in thought. She looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that reason?¡±

    ¡°I am willing to listen.¡±

    ¡°This reason, of course, is that it was what father was intending before he got into that ident.¡± Gu Yanran raised her head. ¡°Father had always been intrigued by Professor Masao¡¯s gene and cell research. He had been wanting to sponsor him for a long time. Therefore, he decided to found a charity to provide funds specially for research in this area.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°And where is your evidence? If father had been so concerned about this professor¡¯s research, and had every intention of sponsoring him, he must have sent messages or emails? Were there any other records?¡±

    Gu Yanran shrugged. ¡°I would not know about that. I only knew that before father got into that ident, he had already talked to Professor Masao about this area of research a couple of times. Before he got into that ident, he had actually intended to go to Japan to meet this professor. However, I do not know why, but he changed his mind at thest minute and changed his air ticket at the airport to a flight to the Hua Xia Empire instead of Japan.¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at everyone in the courtroom purposefully. ¡°It seems like it would be nice if my father had not changed his mind then. Perhaps if he had not changed his mind, he would not have met with such a fate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained emotionless and asked the same thing. ¡°Evidence? If you do not have evidence, are you using this ce as a stage to spin old wives¡¯ tales?¡±

    Gu Yanran was stunned for a while. ¡°Evidence? It was seven years ago. The airne has already disappeared. How would you want me to get evidence for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied immediately, ¡°The airline would have records of flight bookings. You said that father had intended to go to Japan, initially. However, he changed his mind and changed his ticket to the Hua Xia Empire. So when did he purchase the ticket to Japan? All that can be traced. Tell me which airline he purchased the ticket from. Or rather, I can go to Mysia to check all their flights at that time, to find father¡¯s purchase and changing ticket records.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°You are able to get that information as well? How much effort must you put in, then? It was seven years ago...¡±

    ¡°Electronic search. It is way faster than you think.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not want to listen to Gu Yanran and her nonsense anymore. She opened herptop immediately and began her search. She essed Mysia Airlines¡¯ official website and used her own hacker software to hack into Mysia Airlines¡¯ internal system. She began to check the order records.

    She checked all the flights that day. However, she only managed to find the flight that Gu Xiangwen was supposedly on, MH210. For air tickets to Japan that day, his name was not there at all. His name was also not on the list of refunds for any tickets that day.

    ¡°Gu Yanran, you said that father had intended to go to Japan. Which day exactly was it?¡±

    Gu Yanran replied, ¡°The day that the ident happened.¡±

    ¡°You are sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I was still puzzled when I heard the news of him getting into the ident. Didn¡¯t he intend to go to Japan? How would he end up on a flight to the Hua Xia Empire?¡± Gu Yanran was confident in her words.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head coldly and stared at her. ¡°Gu Yanran, you have lied many times in court. Do you know that you have alreadymitted the crime of false usation?¡±

    Gu Yanran retorted instinctively, ¡°I remembered incorrectly. How can you say that I lied when it was merely a mistake?¡±

    ¡°You pour a pail of dirty water out first. After people have cleaned it up, you merelye out to say ¡®Oh, I poured incorrectly.¡¯ Don¡¯t you feel that you were being let off too easily?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Gu Yanran fixedly. ¡°I can confidently conclude that by saying that father had intended to go to Japan and changed his mindst minute to go to the Hua Xia Empire, you were lying as well.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°What evidence do you have?¡±

    ¡°Because there is no record of changing tickets like you imed. There were also no records of cing a booking for an air ticket.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°And whatever you said should be verified by you. However, you could not produce evidence for it. You only know how to spin stories. Therefore, I will not ept what you have said.

    ¡°I feel that father was not rted to this Japanese professor in any way. If you say that he was, please provide evidence for it. If you are unable to produce any form of evidence, you are falsely using.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked to Gu Yanran¡¯s defendant stand. ¡°But you, being in cahoots with a Japanese professor to put your inheritance there¡ªthe evidence is solid.

    ¡°Normally, I would not want to get the money back from donations to charitable organizations. Even though I did not participate in any decision making, if it was really for charity, it would be okay to just donate.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked at the projector showing all the research that ¡°Angel in the World¡± had been supporting.

    ¡°However, this organization was different. Every single bit of research that this organization supported was focusing on the gene make-up of Chinese people. If they had managed toplete this research, they would be able to create a gic weapon against us Chinese.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked as serious as ever. ¡°When that timees, we Chinese would lose everything we have. The opponent wouldn¡¯t even have to use bombs, grenades, or guns but would be able to wipe us out in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Therefore, I would never be able to ept the donations that Gu Yanran gave this organization. The donations that she has given to this charity and the 30 million dors that she donated to Prime Minister Tan for his election were all illegal gifting. I will be getting everything back.¡±

 Chapter 873 - I Do Not Accept It

    <h4>Chapter 873: I Do Not ept It</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Getting everything back?!¡± Gu Yanran almost screamed. The moment she thought about such a huge amount of wealth disappearing just like that, Gu Yanran suddenly became alert. ¡°You have no right to get everything back! Since both of us have equal rights to the inheritance, you can only get back half of what has been donated at most!¡±

    Jin Wanyi was surprised at the sudden ¡°quick thinking¡± on Gu Yanran¡¯s part. She continued, ¡°My client is right. Lawyer Gu and my client both have equal rights to the inheritance. Since there isn¡¯t any will, you will each be able to own half of the inheritance, which means my client will have the right to own 15 billion US dors of the inheritance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and looked at the form in front of her. Her full lips curled into a smile. ¡°The right to inherit 15 billion US dors of assets?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°However, the assets left are merely ten billion US dors. Which means, Gu Yanran would owe me five billion US dors?¡±

    ¡°Five billion? Fine, I will give you that five billion. Then we will be through!¡± Gu Yanran shouted even before Jin Wanyi spoke.

    Jin Wanyi red at her and whispered fiercely, ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±

    Gu Yanran pursed her lips. However, Jin Wanyi had an extremely fierce re, so she did not dare to talk anymore.

    Jin Wanyi turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Whatever was donated, Lawyer Gu would be responsible for half of it. If Lawyer Gu would like to get it back, please help yourself. As for the leftover ten billion US dors, you will divide it equally between my client and yourself.¡±

    Gu Yanran was ted to hear that. She had not expected Jin Wanyi toe up with such a great idea. It was way better than the one she had thought up!

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and even apuded Jin Wanyi. ¡°You are indeed daring, Lawyer Jin. That way, your client would not even have to take out any money, but would still be able to gain another five billion US dors! Genius! Such a genius!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your praise, Lawyer Gu.¡± Jin Wanyi red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If Lawyer Gu has no objections, our inheritancewsuit can finally reach an agreement.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands down and looked at Jin Wanyi quietly. ¡°Lawyer Jin¡¯s idea was a good one. However, I would like to say that I. Do. Not. ept. It.¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s heart wrenched. ¡°Why not? Am I wrong? You will divide equally all the assets in the inheritance. Therefore, you are free to get back your half of whatever was donated. As for the rest, you will divide it equally. What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Jin is rather good at taking advantage of others. However, you cannot calcte things like that.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened Excel and typed out a couple of simple equations. ¡°Please take a look, Lawyer Jin. How can we simply ignore the 70 million US dors that Gu Yanran has splurged for the past seven years? And the loss of five billion US dors when she sold the patents at a huge loss¡ªhow should we calcte that as well? Also, the loss of three billion US dors she incurred by signing investment documents illegally¡ªhow should we calcte that? Must I be responsible for half of that, too?¡±

    Lawyer Jin furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°That is chump change.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?! Chump change?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was almost speechless. ¡°More than ten billion US dors lost just like that, and it is only ¡®chump change¡¯ to Lawyer Jin? My hat is really off to you.¡±

    Jin Wanyi bit her lips and blinked. ¡°In the perspective of the inheritance from the Gu family, it is chump change.¡±

    Seeing that both Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran were still in denial, Gu Nianzhi did not want to bother beating around the bush with them any longer. They want half the inheritance? Dream on!

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and faced the judge. ¡°Your Honor, I request that the hearing be postponed and moved to another date. I still have two important witnesses who won¡¯t arrive for a couple of days.¡±

    The judge looked at the proceedings and asked, ¡°What kind of witnesses?¡±

    ¡°They are two people who are able to prove my and Gu Yanran¡¯s identities.¡± Gu Nianzhi handed the names of the two witnesses to the judge.

    ¡°Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying?¡± The judge took a look and turned to inform Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi, ¡°Due to the fact that the intiff has managed to get two more witnesses, Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying, we will postpone the hearing.¡±

    ¡°Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying?¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s brows furrowed tightly. These two names were somewhat familiar. Who were they? Jin Wanyi moved closer to Gu Yanran and whispered, ¡°Who are these two people? Do you know them?¡±

    Gu Yanran shook her head nkly. ¡°No, I do not know them.¡±

    ...

    Upon exiting the courthouse, Jin Wanyi boarded Gu Yanran¡¯s luxury limousine. The heaters were already turned on towards the end of November in Di Capital. It was clear how low the temperature was. However, Jin Wanyi did not feel cold at all. She felt hot with panic.

    ¡°Yanran, do you really have no idea who Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying are?¡± Jin Wanyi instinctively felt that these two people were extremely important. The mistakes that Gu Yanran had made previously that made her lose face were all fine, because Jin Wanyi felt that those were not moral mistakes. No matter what, Gu Yanran would be able to get half of the inheritance.

    However, seeing Gu Nianzhi put forth so much effort in court, and the sudden appearance of the two witnesses, Jin Wanyi instinctively felt that something was about to happen...

    Gu Yanran still looked lost. She supported her head with one hand and looked tired. ¡°Why should I know these two people? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°You are the one who is not okay!¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s anger was over the top. ¡°Gu Nianzhi said that those two people could prove your and her identities! Tell me, if you do not know them, how can they prove your identity?!¡±

    ¡°Must I still prove my identity?!¡± Gu Yanran was red with anger as well. ¡°Will I, a biological daughter, be chased out of the Gu family by that adoptive daughter?!¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s heart sank. She wrapped her knuckles on the wooden paneling in the car. ¡°Knock on wood. Don¡¯t spout nonsense!¡±

    Gu Yanran snorted. However, she began thinking who else there would be in the Gu family...

    Now that she thought about it. She shivered. ¡°Xie... Which Xie? Do you know which Xie family the witnessese from?¡±

    ¡°Which Xie? Which Xie do you think they woulde from?¡± Jin Wanyi asked curiously. ¡°Or you have managed to remember who they are?¡±

    Gu Yanran finally managed to remember that Xie family... She stammered, ¡°I have an aunt who married into the Xie¡¯s. However, she passed away many years ago. I only heard my mother mention her once.¡±

    ¡°Your aunt? Then those two people are your uncle and cousin?¡± Jin Wanyi looked at the information about the witnesses provided by the court. She pointed at their ages and said, ¡°If that is the case, then they will be able to prove your identities.¡±

    Gu Yanran fell silent. After a long while, sheughed coldly. ¡°Sure. They know how to find people, don¡¯t they? They should pray that it doesn¡¯t backfire.¡±

    Jin Wanyi knew that there were hidden meanings in her words. ¡°What happened? Tell me so I will be able to defend you properly in court.¡±

    However, Gu Yanran shook her head. She had a strange smile. ¡°That is okay. If they were these two people, I would personally say it out loud.¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s mouth fell open. However, seeing that Gu Yanran was so stubborn, she could not be bothered to talk about it anymore. She sent an invoice over to Gu Yanran. ¡°Please transfer thewyer¡¯s fees to this ount. Thank you.¡±

    Gu Yanran said casually, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? Can¡¯t I pay you after everything has ended?¡±

    Jin Wanyi smiled dryly. ¡°I think it would be better to pay the fees up ¡¯til now first. There will be another hearing.¡±

    Seeing that she was insisting, Gu Yanran did not argue further. She made a phone call to her ountant to transfer the amount to Jin Wanyi¡¯s ount.

    In less than five minutes, the ountant returned her call. ¡°Miss Gu, your bank ounts have all been frozen. You will not be able to do bank transfers as of now. Thewyer fees for Lawyer Jin are one million dors. Would you like to settle that payment in cash now please?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face fell. She stood up abruptly and screamed, ¡°What did you say?! How are my ounts frozen?!¡±

 Chapter 874 - Looking for Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 874: Looking for Trouble</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal to have your ounts frozen since you are in the middle of an inheritancewsuit right now?¡± Jin Wanyi reminded Gu Yanran softly.

    ¡°Do I need you to remind me?!¡± Gu Yanran red at Jin Wanyi. Her usually gentle expression had disappeared into thin air. ¡°But those are my personal bank ounts! Gu Xiangwen¡¯s bank ount can be frozen, but why did they freeze mine as well?!¡± The moment she was agitated, she simply just left out the term ¡°father,¡± even.

    Jin Wanyi saw that Gu Yanran was almost spitting on her. She took a step backwards and turned sideways. ¡°Are they rted ounts? If they are, then your ount would definitely be frozen as well.¡±

    Gu Yanran took a deep breath and clenched her fists to will herself to calm down. ¡°What is a ¡®rted ount?¡¯ That was an ount that I opened in my own name. The money in it is all my own money.¡± Gu Yanran was in a state of panic. Her face was unnaturally flushed.

    Gu Yanran swallowed her anger and asked her ountant for the hotline for VIPs of the bank. The customer rtions officer was extremely polite and provided great service. However, they could not help much.

    The officers insisted that they had received a notice from the court to freeze the ounts, and therefore, they were merely following orders. As to why her ount was included in the list, they asked her to get her answer from the court.

    Gu Yanran hung up the call with a solemn expression and rushed down to the car as she pushed Jin Wanyi aside. In the parking lot, Gu Nianzhi, Ma Qiqi, and Yin Shixiong had just exited from the elevator, talking andughing happily. There were two more men following behind them.

    Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi, Gu Yanran did not even bother to look for the judge. She shouted, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, what right do you have to get the court to freeze my own bank ount?! You want to pursue your right to the inheritance, and I am already allowing you to do so. What, you don¡¯t even want to let my own money go now?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked her up and down and snickered. ¡°Your own money? When did you have your own money? You¡¯ve never worked a day in your life and never earned a single cent, and you are here telling me about ¡®your own money?¡¯ Why now? Just because you have a bigger face?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes turned red. She clenched her fists and walked towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be my own money? I have been handling the inheritance for the Gu family. How is that not a type of work now? Don¡¯t you forget, you were the one who said that the contracts I signed helped the Gu family earn a total of three billion US dors!¡±

    ¡°Your memory is really not very good is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone had some form of sympathy. ¡°I remember clearly that I said you earned that three billion US dors by forging my father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s signature. The ones that you signed using your own name were all illegal contracts, and they caused the family to lose three billion US dors. You have to stop taking the credit of others and iming it as your own. You also have to stop attributing your failures to others.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care whose name it was, it was money that I earned when I was handling the inheritance! What about you? When the family was facing hard times, where were you?! Oh, you were busy bootlicking the major general of Hua Xia Empire weren¡¯t you? And you think you have the right to use me right now?!¡± Gu Yanran vented all her anger at once. ¡°If you dare touch any of my money, I will fight it out with you!¡± With that, Gu Yanran ran towards Gu Nianzhi with the intention of attacking.

    Ma Qiqi panicked. She ran over in an attempt to stop Gu Yanran. However, Yin Shixiong pulled her back and red at her, hinting something to her. Ma Qiqi was taken aback. She turned around to see Gu Nianzhi step aside easily and trip Gu Yanran. A loud thud was heard as Gu Yanran tripped and fell face down.

    ¡°Miss Gu!¡± Gu Yanran¡¯s bodyguards ran over and quickly helped her up.

    Yin Shixiong stepped in front of Gu Nianzhi and shouted at the bodyguards, ¡°What are you guys trying to do?! This is the courthouse parking lot, and you guys dare to look for trouble?!¡±

    The moment he shouted, police officers began toe over to them. Gu Yanran¡¯s bodyguards did not dare to wreak havoc. They huddled around Gu Yanran and left quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction where they were walking and saw Jin Wanyi getting out of Gu Yanran¡¯s limousine. She looked in their direction, and her eyes met Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Then, she turned around and got onto her own BMW and quickly left.

    Secretary Cao and Assistant Yang, who were watching off to the side, walked towards them. They shook hands with Gu Nianzhi, Yin Shixiong, and Ma Qiqi before saying their goodbyes.

    ¡°Nianzhi, the hearing today was exciting as usual. I look forward to your performance at the next hearing.¡± Secretary Cao was admiring Gu Nianzhi more and more, and had decided to tell General Ji about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s capabilities. He would really love to have Gu Nianzhi work at the secretary¡¯s office. It would be a much better jobpared to working in aw firm...

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and chatted with Secretary Cao for a while before walking him to his car. After Secretary Cao had left, Assistant Yang went to Gu Nianzhi and looked her up and down with furrowed brows. He suddenly asked, ¡°Whichwyer did your court trial training for you?¡±

    Thewyers from biggerw firms were well prepared. They usually had practice trials for their amateurwyers who were going into court. Amateurwyers could use these practice sessions to experience the questions that might be asked during the actual trial so that they would be better prepared. It was not the same as merely memorizing normal documents and information. Good practice trials could mimic real trials very well.

    Assistant Yang felt that Gu Nianzhi would be able to have such quick responses because she had an excellent practice trial.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I have never participated in any practice trials. I merely looked for my own information and prepared on my own.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Assistant Yang chuckled. He could not believe it andbeled Gu Nianzhi as tight-lipped about secrets.

    After Assistant Yang had left, Ma Qiqi and Gu Nianzhi got into Yin Shixiong¡¯s car. This time around, Ma Qiqi joined Gu Nianzhi in the back seat. However, Yin Shixiong stopped her. ¡°I still have things to talk to Nianzhi about. I will take you back first,¡± he told her with a smile.

    ¡°Oh? I see...¡± Ma Qiqi understood and got into the front seat with a smile.

    Yin Shixiong started the engine. Ma Qiqi smiled and turned around. ¡°Nianzhi, you really got the court to freeze all of Gu Yanran¡¯s bank ounts?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°Of course. Otherwise, it would be nothing but trouble if she continues to move the inheritance.¡±

    ¡°But, if she really has no money left, will it backfire?¡± Ma Qiqi was concerned for Gu Nianzhi. She was worried that Gu Yanran would do silly things when she panicked.

    ¡°She will not be entirely without money,¡± Gu Nianzhi said calmly. ¡°She still has a lot of cash on hand. She has a lot of jewelry, too. If she wants to, she is able to sell it for money anytime.¡± However, although she had put it that way, Gu Nianzhi was also thinking about Gu Yanran¡¯s obsession with money... Did she have a phobia of having no money?

    The three of them chatted happily in the car, and they arrived at the lobby of their dormitory at B University in no time. Ma Qiqi got out of the car and went up after waving goodbye to Gu Nianzhi.

    Seeing that Yin Shixiong kept smiling at Ma Qiqi¡¯s back view and almost wanted to glue himself onto her, Gu Nianzhi was envious and said, ¡°Brother Xiong, you are sopatible with Qiqi...¡±

    Looking in the rearview mirror, Yin Shixiong realized that he was smiling widely at Ma Qiqi¡¯s back view. He stopped himself and coughed. ¡°Qiqi is a good girl. Look at her, how open minded. I said that I had something to talk to you about, and she just went up without asking anything. She is not the jealous type. Girls like that are the type a guy should have.¡±

    ¡°That is only because you and I are worthy of her trust.¡± Gu Nianzhi praised herself and Yin Shixiong. Of course, the one who deserved to be praised most was Ma Qiqi.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, Qiqi is pretty, clever, and capable. However, the best part is that she has an amazing character. She isn¡¯t easily jealous. Her ex-boyfriend cheated on her. However, she did not feel that all guys will cheat just because of that. She is still willing to trust and give her all. Brother Xiong, you have to treat her well.¡±

    Yin Shixiong listened attentively and agreed. ¡°I know. Otherwise, I would never have gone after Qiqi of my own ord. However, Nianzhi, you are so good at analyzing the rtionships of others. What about you?¡±

    Realizing that the topic was about to be on her, Gu Nianzhi raised her hand to stop Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong, stop. We are talking about work rted stuff. Not personal stuff.¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed bitterly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attempt to stop him. ¡°Fine, fine, fine. Work then, work.¡± He opened a hiddenpartment in his car and produced a set of documents for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered her head to take a look but did not open the documents.

    ¡°Information about Oda Masao,¡± Yin Shixiong said emotionally. ¡°Mr. Huo already expected that you would be finding out about the founder of ¡®Angel in the World.¡¯ Therefore, he had this prepared for you.¡±

    After pausing, he continued, ¡°Oda Masao did not die in aboratory fire. He died of... a heart attack...¡± To put it more urately, he died of ¡°heart attack¡± at the hands of Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth fell open. Her beautiful face had an unusual expression of shock. Yin Shixiong admired this rare and unusual expression on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face and chuckled. ¡°Surprised?¡±

    ¡°...The information I got online said that he died in aboratory fire.¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and opened the set of documents.

    ¡°Yes. The information online was edited by the Japanese. In the beginning, they reported it as it was¡ªa heart attack. However, after that, maybe they felt that it was rather hrious to let others know that a researcher who specialized in the area of gic make-up died of a heart attack, so they changed it to aboratory fire instead. Actually, for things like that, other than the people around him, no one really would care about it.¡± Therefore, most news usually would only be noticed for a short period of time. However, that was all Yin Shixiong could tell Gu Nianzhi.

    The documents that Huo Shaoheng prepared for Gu Nianzhi also only contained information that she could know. Information that was highly confidential was not included. He would never break the rules to show her something he could not. However, just the information that she could know already consisted of much morepared to what she was able to get from the inte.

    She looked through the information quickly, feeling touched and happy at the same time. She also felt a tinge of indescribable joy, just like she would have felt when she was eating cream puffs and feeling how soft they were while they melted in her mouth.

    Hugging the set of documents, Gu Nianzhi whispered to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, please help me thank Huo Shao...¡±

    ¡°Why should you stand on ceremony with us?¡± Yin Shixiong could not help himself and reached out to ruffle Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. ¡°We all watched you grow up. No matter how you end up with Mr. Huo, Little Ze and myself will always be the Brother Xiong and Brother Ze that you can depend on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded emotionally and acknowledged with a choked voice, ¡°Brother Xiong, also, for my uncle and cousin from the Xie¡¯s, help me ask Huo Shao about them again. Even though we have said that it is set, they have not returned to the Hua Xia Empire ¡¯til now...¡±

    ¡°They are already back,¡± Yin Shixiong whispered. ¡°However, we did not reveal that to anyone. You should know about it. This case has implicated too many people and things. For their safety, we ced many distractions around. Don¡¯t you worry. We will get this settled for you. Just be prepared to go all out and fight in court!¡±

 Chapter 875 - Donâ€™t Be Afraid

    <h4>Chapter 875: Don¡¯t Be Afraid</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    So many people having your back and assuring you to, ¡°Not be afraid¡ªwe will be supporting you...¡± just for awsuit. This would be the feeling that would be the toughest to let go of for Gu Nianzhi.

    She felt tears welling up in her eyes. Nodding eagerly, she said, ¡°I know. Thank you, Brother Xiong, Brother Ze, and Huo Shao. I will definitely do my best!¡±

    Hugging the documents, Gu Nianzhi got out of the car. The moment she got back to the dormitory, she saw Ma Qiqi hugging a tub of strawberry ice cream and enjoying it. She was momentarily speechless. ¡°It¡¯s winter now, and you¡¯re having ice cream?!¡±

    ¡°Precisely why I am having ice cream.¡± Ma Qiqi enjoyed her ice cream so much that she closed her eyes and went ¡°Mmm~,¡± her expression akin to how a cat looked when it had its favorite fish. She stirred the ice cream in the tub to ensure that it was mixed properly before scooping a big spoonful and lifting it to her mouth. Her face was full of contentment.

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately influenced by her. She wanted ice cream as well. She closed the door and felt the hot airing from the living room. It was then she realized why Ma Qiqi had said that it was ¡°precisely the reason¡± why she was having ice cream. They had turned on the heater in the dormitory.

    Removing her Burberry wool blend duffel coat and hanging it on the coat rack, Gu Nianzhi called out to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Control yourself slightly. You can get sick easily if you try tobat the heat too much with cold things.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Ma Qiqi finished the rest of the ice cream with a wide smile. ¡°See? I am done. Alright, I am going to study for my exams.¡±

    They both returned to their respective rooms and started studying. Other than going to ss and writing her graduation thesis, Gu Nianzhi still had to prepare documents and information for her fourth hearing.

    Father and daughter Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying were her important witnesses. When they had agreed to be her witnesses, they were still overseas. Gu Nianzhi had only spoken to them over the phone individually once. She had intended to brief them more after they arrived in the Hua Xia Empire. She had not expected them to be targets so soon...

    Had it not been for Huo Shao and the rest of them being capable at what they did, most likely they would be facing the same fate as Ye Xuan. Gu Nianzhi sighed and pushed those thoughts away, focusing on her preparations.

    ...

    The date of the fourth hearing was set quickly for Friday the following week. Under Yin Shixiong¡¯s arrangement, Gu Nianzhi managed to meet Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying once. They talked for a few hours, but Gu Nianzhi did not manage to get much information. Due to his ex-wife, Xie Dezhao had fallen out with Gu Xiangwen more than two decades ago.

    After not being in contact for so long, he did not know much about what had happened.

    If Xie Dezhao did not know much about what happened, then Xie Qingying would know even less. From the time she could remember, she had never seen Gu Xiangwen. She had only received many presents from him. However, due to the deep grudge Xie Dezhao held towards Gu Xiangwen, Xie Qingying did not look forward very much to the presents that Gu Xiangwen sent.

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremely disappointed. She had agreed to Xie Qingying¡¯s invitation to visit her home in France to take a look at the presents that Gu Xiangwen had sent to her during those years.

    ...

    He Zhichu had been silent and calm recently. He had chosen to observe from the side as Gu Nianzhi went ahead with fighting her inheritancewsuit. If Gu Nianzhi wanted to discussw rted issues with him, he would definitely discuss them with her. However, he would never take the initiative to discuss anything other than that.

    Gu Nianzhi had sensed that he was not particrly enthusiastic about thiswsuit, and therefore, she reminded herself to not trouble him too much with things rted to it.

    After ss had ended, He Zhichu walked out from the lecture hall looking lethargic.

    Gu Nianzhi was his assistant, and this lesson was an elective for undergraduates. He Zhichu had epted the invite from B University to hold a basic Introduction to Law course.

    It was such boring content, but He Zhichu had managed to make it lively and interesting, so everyone enjoyed his lessons very much. He Zhichu¡¯s weekly Introduction to Law ss was extremely popr. There were even some entrepreneurial-minded students who would grab a seat in advance and then sell that seat at a high price. There were many beautiful, rich girls who adored attending He Zhichu¡¯s lectures. Therefore, the seats were always sold out.

    Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu out from the lecture hall. The moment they came out, He Zhichu was surrounded by all the female students from the lecture. ¡°Professor He, I have some things that I do not understand. Can I go to your professor¡¯s apartment to ask you further tonight, please?¡±

    The girl who had asked the question was extremely beautiful. She wore a slightly oversized, off-white woolen top and tall boots, and had a head of perfect wavy curls. She looked like she hade out of a fashion magazine.

    Gu Nianzhi checked her watch. It was only ten o¡¯clock in the morning. Why couldn¡¯t the student ask her questions during the day instead of insisting on going and looking for He Zhichu at his residence at night?!

    The moment He Zhichu stepped down from the lecture podium, he stopped being the gentle and suave university professor. He would change and be a cold and aloof man. As for students like these whose intentions were not to ask him questions rted to the lecture, he had always chosen to ignore them. He Zhichu walked past them like he did not see them and left the girls who were asking him questions there. It was extremely awkward.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to be kind and helpful. Therefore, she went up to them and said, ¡°I am Professor He¡¯s assistant. If you girls have any questions, you are free to send them to me, and I will get the answers from Professor He for you and send them back to all of you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Who cares about second-hand answers?¡± The girl who was in the lead did not even look at Gu Nianzhi. She turned to her friends and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The group of them left in the opposite direction.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and jogged over to where He Zhichu was. ¡°Professor He, actually it would be better if you just rejected them nicely. It¡¯s rather offensive if you choose to remain quiet like that.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m afraid to offend anyone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu, speechless. Of course you are not afraid, she thought. However, these people hold the power over your professorship at this school! Even though the percentage from students¡¯ votes was not the main factor of consideration, if it was too low, the school would ask him to leave... Gu Nianzhi thought about it and tried to persuade He Zhichu along this line as well.

    Actually, He Zhichu was not in the best of moods. However, he was amused by her. Smiling, he said, ¡°Do I require their votes to help me stay here? Oh well, it is normal for you to think so little of me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained speechless. She massaged her forehead and said with an emotionless expression, ¡°I have not been sleeping well for the past couple of nights. I was sleep talking. Professor He, it is okay. You can ignore whatever I said just now.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°You are getting better with words, aren¡¯t you. You tell the person what he or she likes to hear. Did I ever teach you to be like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put down her arms in rm. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t Professor He teach us to be like that all along?¡±

    It was He Zhichu¡¯s turn to be speechless now. Was this considered to be sessfully imparting his knowledge, but now his student was using what he said to attack him? What was that idiom again? Oh, yes. Using one¡¯s own words against them. He Zhichu massaged his temples. ¡°How is your case going? Why is it dragging on for so long?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said softly, ¡°There were way more assets in the inheritance than I had imagined. Just collecting evidence and getting the foreign approval already took a long time...¡±

    ¡°...Just those things in the Gu family, take them if you can, but don¡¯t take it to heart if you cannot.¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi fixedly. ¡°You have lost weight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled prettily and replied, ¡°Lost weight? Isn¡¯t that great? I can lose weight even without running or controlling my diet. Professor He is praising me.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°Moreover, whatever was in the inheritance belongs to me and not Gu Yanran. Therefore, I have to get it back. I thought you supported me in getting things that belong to me back, Professor He?¡±

    ¡°I did not expect this to require so much work,¡± He Zhichu mumbled. ¡°I had no idea so many people wanted to get their hands on a piece of bone with scraps of meat...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What the Gu family has is considered to be good, fatty meat, you mean? How is that a bone with scraps of meat? Anyhow, it belongs to my father. I definitely have to get it back.¡±

    He Zhichu did not know what to say for a moment. ¡°You are out to argue with me today?¡± He Zhichu stopped in his tracks and looked at her expressionlessly. ¡°When is your fourth hearing?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow morning.¡± Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t mean to argue with you, Professor He. It¡¯s just an upational habit.¡±

    ¡°To hell with your upational habit.¡± He Zhichu curled his fingers and flicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°Do not be so sharp when you are not in a trial. A truewyer is able to not show anything outside of court, so his or her opponents will never be able to know what they are trying to prepare.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Okay, Professor He. I will do my best.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    ¡°You care about Gu Xiangwen a lot?¡± Professor He asked suddenly.

    ¡°He¡¯s my father! Of course I care about him!¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists to show her determination.

    ¡°What about your mother? Why didn¡¯t I hear that you care about you mother?¡± He Zhichu asked again.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and spun once around carrying her school bag before walking backwards down the walkway. Blinking at He Zhichu, she said, ¡°I do not feel anything towards my mother right now. However, I think that as I get to know more, maybe I will feel that I love my mother more than my father.¡±

    He Zhichu remained silent. When they arrived at the intersection, He Zhichu said, ¡°I will attend your hearing tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was ted. ¡°I will definitely perform well tomorrow!¡±

    ...

    The B University campus was already noisy on an early Friday morning. Gu Nianzhi took He Zhichu¡¯s car to the courthouse this time around.

    Yin Shixiong brought Ma Qiqi to the hearing and greeted He Zhichu with a smile. He Zhichu nodded at him and drove to the underground parking lot. Yin Shixiong also went to his car to get it parked.

    Gu Nianzhi was just standing at the entrance of the courthouse chatting with Ma Qiqi, when she saw a limousine the size of a minibus drive over. The limousine stopped in front of the courthouse. When its doors opened, Gu Yanran got out, wearing a ck and white checkered dress from thetest Chanel winter collection. The dress looked elegant. However, on Gu Yanran, it looked like she had put on a checkered carpet. Gu Yanran was also wearing a huge pair of Prada shades and entered the courthouse with the protection of her bodyguards, housekeeper, and Jin Wanyi.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi looked at each other andughed. They began to gossip about Gu Yanran. ¡°...She is just so dramatic. Does she think she will win like that?¡± Both girls held hands and were just about to enter the courtroom when they saw another luxury car drive over.

    This luxury car that had just arrived was not only royal, it was extremely high ss as well. It was a red gged bulletproof car. Gu Nianzhi looked at the license te. It was from the army.

    She stood at the entrance for a while.

    The door to the car opened, and the one who got out first was a person whom Gu Nianzhi had met a couple of times before, Xie Qingying. The door on the other side of the car opened. The person who exited from it was none other than Xie Qingying¡¯s father, Xie Dezhao.

 Chapter 876 - True and False (1)

    <h4>Chapter 876: True and False (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Xie Dezhao was slightly over 50 years old. His face had the Xie family¡¯s features. For example, the shape of his sharp nose was perfect, his eyes were deep set, and his brows were distinguished. He looked gentle but had a hint of fierceness about him. It was just that he was not as handsome as the Xie¡¯s direct family line.

    It wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first time seeing Xie Dezhao. However, it was Ma Qiqi¡¯s first time.

    Ma Qiqi was immediately mesmerized by Xie Dezhao. She pulled on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and whispered to her, ¡°Oh my god! This man is your uncle?! How handsome! For the first time, I understand why older men are more attractive. It¡¯s obvious when you look at this one...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand in front of Ma Qiqi¡¯s face. She tried extremely hard to control herughter. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Wake up, Qiqi! Brother Xiong will be crying his heart out if you continue to fawn over other men!¡±

    Ma Qiqi let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand awkwardly. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Everyone likes good looking people. I was merelymenting.¡± Then, with a much softer voice, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell your Brother Xiong about this...¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi pinched her cheeks cheekily. ¡°You owe me one!¡±

    As the two girls were chatting, Gu Nianzhi saw anotherdy exiting from the bulletproof car from the corner of her eye. This time, it was a beauty. She wore a simple, gray woolen double-breasted button down coat with a tailored woolen pants, the same color as the coat. On her feet were mid-height ck leather heels. She walked calmly towards Gu Nianzhi. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled. She peeked towards the car again and realized that no one else would being.

    The driver drove the car in the direction of the parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She stopped staring and greeted Xie Dezhao, Xie Qingying, and Song Jinning, who were already in front of her. ¡°Mr. Xie, Miss Xie, and Auntie Song, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here.¡±

    Xie Dezhao looked at Gu Nianzhi and looked at his daughter, Xie Qingying. He smiled and said, ¡°Both of you really look alike. Why are you still calling me Mr. Xie? You should be calling me Uncle. This is your cousin. She is older than you.¡±

    Xie Qingying was enthusiastic towards Gu Nianzhi as well. ¡°Cousin is so beautiful today. Are you ready? Don¡¯t be afraidter. We will definitely back you up!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by her. Laughing, she high fived Xie Qingying and said, ¡°Sure, then I shall depend on Uncle and Cousinter!¡±

    Song Jinning smiled pleasantly and noticed that Gu Nianzhi repeatedly looked toward the car that had driven away. She smiled knowingly and exined, ¡°I heard that this case involved the Japanese scientist Oda Masao. That is why I am here to listen. Shaoheng is tied down with work, so he is unable to be present.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed. She was not used to Song Jinning¡¯s powers of observation, so she mumbled, ¡°Auntie Song, I know.¡±

    ¡°You know? Oh, then I¡¯m being a busybody. Shaoheng must have told you, mustn¡¯t he?¡± Song Jinning said as she picked up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand naturally and walked towards the entrance of the courtroom.

    As they entered Courtroom A, it was obvious that the number of people on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side had increased. He Zhichu, Yin Shixiong, Ma Qiqi, Song Jinning, Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying, who were going to be witnesses, and Secretary Cao, who arrivedter, were all there. Senior Speaker Long¡¯s Assistant Yang did not attend that day. They sent a low-ranking officer from their side instead.

    Gu Yanran had the same people with her: her housekeeper, bodyguards,wyer, and an ountant.

    Director Zhan entered the courtroom and sat down in his seat. He announced the beginning of the hearing calmly. ¡°Gu Nianzhi versus Gu Yanran in the case of the inheritance of the Gu family. Fourth hearing, begin.¡±

    He struck the gavel on the table and began confirming the people present in court. ¡°intiff Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Defendant Gu Yanran and Lawyer Jin Wanyi?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Witnesses Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°Today¡¯s main agenda is hearing the testimony of the intiff¡¯s two new witnesses.¡± He raised his hand towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°intiff, you can question your witnesses.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wore a navy-blue Dior woolen dress suit. The zer had no buttons, but it was not overly seductive. Instead, it brought out a sense of maturity on top of her beauty and cuteness. It was extremely suitable for someone her age. Therefore, what she had selected wasn¡¯t a formal suit. Instead, she selected a dark colored outfit from Dior¡¯s winter collection.

    She stood up from behind the intiff¡¯s stand and smiled at everyone present at the hearing. She had tied her long hair up into a ponytail and had decided against putting on any make up. She only applied some clear gloss on her lips. She looked like a beautiful girl next door when she stood in court.

    Then let us look at Gu Yanran, who was behind the defendant¡¯s stand. There was also a luxury brand ensemble on disy. Chanel was a higher-end brandpared to Dior. However, the ck and white checkered dress just looked overly intimidating, like it was too deliberate.

    Although Gu Yanran was a beautifuldy as well after a second look, and she looked gentle and attractive when she did not speak, her outfit had lost to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands down.

    As long as you were in court during a trial, every single part of you, including strands of your hair, would be scrutinized by everyone present. To a certain extent, it affected whether you would win your case or not.

    Usually, amateurwyers made mistakes in little details like this. However, Gu Nianzhi had a natural instinct in this. It was like she was born to be awyer, just like some people who were born to be celebrities.

    He Zhichu sat in the courtroom and was lost in thought, seeing Gu Nianzhi perform so well in court.

    Gu Nianzhi had totally entered the trial state of mind. She nodded to the judge and summoned Xie Dezhao to the witness stand. Xie Dezhao walked steadily from the audience to the witness stand, and bowed slightly to the judge and everyone present in court.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to him and asked pleasantly, ¡°Mr. Xie, please introduce yourself.¡±

    Xie Dezhao was a businessman. He had his ownpany. As he sat in the witness stand, he looked like he was chairing this meeting as well. He began to speak. ¡°My name is Xie Dezhao. Xie, which refers to being thankful; De, referring to having a sense of conscience; and Zhao, which refers to having integrity.¡± The way that Xie Dezhao introduced himself was humorous, and his voice was sharp and clear. Therefore, everyoneughed politely.

    Xie Dezhao raised his hand to everyone and waited for theughter to die down before continuing, ¡°I had a wife whose name was Gu Tian. She is the younger sister of the owner of the inheritance in this case. However, she passed away 27 years ago.¡±

    Most of the people attending the hearing did not know about this. Many of them gasped upon hearing the news.

    Xie Dezhao felt sad each time he mentioned his wife. Gu Nianzhi stood in front of him and consoled him. ¡°Madam Gu Tian is looking at you from above. She would never want you and Miss Xie to be so sad.¡±

    Xie Dezhao closed his eyes, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and said emotionally, ¡°Yes, you are right. She was a kind and passionate woman. Had it not been for her, I would never be where I am today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waited until Xie Dezhao had calmed down before beginning to question him.

    ¡°Mr. Xie, may I know how you met your wife and eventually got married to her, please?¡±

    Jin Wanyi raised her hand the moment she heard this. ¡°Objection. The intiff is beginning to link the case unnecessarily again. This question is totally irrelevant to this case. Therefore, please do not waste everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the judge and said seriously, ¡°Your Honor, I will prove that this question is totally relevant to the case in no time.¡± With that, she looked meaningfully at Gu Yanran.

    However, Gu Yanran was extremely calm today like she was not worried at all. Gu Nianzhi reminded herself to be more wary, but she would not stop her questioning today. She had been wanting to shoot that arrow with her bow for a long time.

    The judge looked at the witness document that Gu Nianzhi had submitted and said, ¡°intiff, please enter the main area of focus soon.¡±

    COMMENT

    Gu Nianzhi thanked the judge and expressed her apologies to Xie Dezhao. ¡°Please tell us in essence.¡±

    Xie Dezhao went silent for a while before beginning to talk, ¡°When I met Gu Tian, we were attending a charity g dinner. She was wearing a butterfly mask, and she was elegant and attractive. I did not see her face at that time. I only heard a sentence from her and grew fond of her voice.¡± Then whatever happened after that was history.

    The Gus had already be one of the wealthy families in France at that time. Although they could not bepared to the Xies, they werepatible with their distant rtive, Xie Dezhao.

    A couple in love who was alsopatible in terms of family background... Marriage was naturally bound to happen.

    Xie Dezhao reminisced, ¡°However, after I proposed to Gu Tian, her brother, Gu Xiangwen, told me about something.¡± Then, he looked at Xie Qingying and stopped. Xie Qingying nodded at him so he would say it out loud, assuring him that she would be fine.

    Xie Dezhao furrowed his brows. Albeit unwilling, he still said it. ¡°Gu Xiangwen told me that his sister was not at the peak of health. He asked if I could ept that his sister might not be able to give birth to children in the future...

    ¡°I said that I was fine with it. The Xies are a big family. Whether we were on the maternal side or the paternal side, we had many offspring. Just in my family, I already had an older brother and a younger brother. They had many sons as well. Even if I wasn¡¯t able to have kids, it wouldn¡¯t affect the family line.¡± With that, Xie Dezhao paused. When he next spoke, his voice became raw. ¡°After that, Gu Tian told me that it was this that touched Gu Xiangwen, and he allowed his sister to be married to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi jotted down everything that Xie Dezhao had said. Xie Dezhao had told her about this before, but there were also things that he managed to rememberst minute that he had not told her previously. For example, he hadn¡¯t mentioned that this was the sentence that touched Gu Xiangwen and convinced him to give his approval for their marriage.

    ¡°And then?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with a serious face. They were almost at the important point.

    Xie Dezhao paused and looked down at the table, his voice hoarse. ¡°Gu Tian was not in good health. I knew. I told her that we did not have to have kids. There were so many people in the Xie family, so many kids. It would never make a difference if we had one or not. However, she was adamant about having one...

    ¡°She got pregnant secretly. She wanted to give me a surprise. I was so worried after finding out. I wanted her to abort the child. However, she told me not to worry, and that her brother had expected this all along, so she would definitely be able to give birth to this child smoothly.¡±

 Chapter 877 - True and False (2)

    <h4>Chapter 877: True and False (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Xie Dezhao¡¯s voice began to choke at this juncture.

    Gu Nianzhi had not expected capable of crying so badly at the thought of his wife¡¯s passing. Especially not after more than twenty years, a remarriage, and watching his daughter grow.

    She felt rather guilty about it. For the sake of her ownwsuit, was it selfish of her to implicate others and dredge up their own painful memories?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened. She looked at Xie Dezhao and handed him some paper towels.

    Xie Dezhao epted them and patted his face before saying, ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ve lost my cool.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Gu Nianzhiforted him carefully. ¡°You can choose not to say anything if it¡¯s too painful...¡±

    ¡°No, I have to say it.¡± Xie Dezhao raised his head, the tip of his nose and the lower eyelids of his eyes slightly red. ¡°When Gu Tian was seven months pregnant, I told Gu Xiangwen the news. He came to my ce in a rage. He scolded me for a long time while pointing right at my nose...

    ¡°At that time, I allowed him to scold me. I even allowed him to kick me... Because I felt that I had let him down. I had promised him that Gu Tian would not get pregnant, but I went back on my words... However, after this, Gu Xiangwen told Gu Tian that he was prepared to help her, but he could not guarantee sess. He still felt that Gu Tian was risking too much. But Gu Tian said that if she did not have a child with me, she¡¯d feel that this marriage was iplete...¡±

    Xie Qingying was sitting amongst the audience, and she began crying as well.

    A month after she was born, Gu Tian¡¯s health had gave way. Her immune system was fully handicapped and she caught a flu while in recovery. She passed on a weekter.

    Xie Qingying did not see her mother before. However, Xie Dezhao and the entire Xie family doted on her a lot. So even though she didn¡¯t have her mother by her side, the rest of the family made that sadness bearable. She would only feel her father¡¯s pain whenever he reminisced about her mother.

    Gu Nianzhi had felt nervous until after hearing the story. She looked at Gu Yanran out the corner of her eye and realized that Gu Yanran had an aloof grin on her face...

    Xie Dezhao continued, ¡°After that, Gu Xiangwen said that though he was prepared, the time wasn¡¯t right. However, since Gu Tian was about to give birth, he couldn¡¯t care less anymore. He asked me to call him a fortnight before Gu Tian¡¯s estimated delivery date, so that he coulde and help her...¡±

    ¡°May I know why Gu Xiangwen helped Gu Tian? And in what way?¡± Gu Nianzhi interrupted. ¡°Surely he didn¡¯t help with the delivery. After all, he didn¡¯t have any obstetrics experience, did he?¡±

    Although she knew that Gu Xiangwen was a genius, his main area of research had always focused on technology. He was interested in cell reproduction and gic make-up, but those didn¡¯t have any rtion to obstetrics, did they?

    Xie Dezhaoughed coldly and looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Xiangwen is your father. Perhaps you would not like it if I were to say this, but it¡¯s a fact. Gu Xiangwen said that he would be there for Gu Tian when she was about to give birth, but when the time came, we weren¡¯t able to reach him. I still remember calling Gu Xiangwen for thest time before Gu Tian was pushed into the delivery suite. I yelled into his voicemail, ¡®If you are still not here, I will never ever acknowledge you as my brother again!¡¯ After that message, Gu Xiangwen finally returned my call. He said that he was looking for someone, and that he would be there when the child was born...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sensed something suspicious. ¡°Looking for someone? Who?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes narrowed. She turned towards Jin Wanyi and whispered something to her.

    Xie Dezhao continued his story. ¡°I have no idea, he didn¡¯t say and I was too worried about my wife. She was inbor, how could I have cared who he was looking for?¡±

    That was a fair point Gu Nianzhi remained silent and indicated for Xie Dezhao to go on.

    ¡°Duringbor, Gu Tian lost a lot of blood. They tried, but there was no stopping it. I was panicking like crazy. I begged my cousin to fly a top European obstetrician from France over in our private jet. That was how Gu Tian was saved. However, due to the blood loss, the doctor realized that Gu Tian¡¯s immune system could not function normally. Her bone marrow was no longer able to make blood, and she needed a transnt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows twitched¡ªtwice. The mocking smile on Gu Yanran¡¯s face was clearer than ever.

    And Huo Shaoheng, who was watching the entire trial closely from Special Forces headquarters stood as well. He folded his arms as he continued watching the livestream, feeling frustrated. He contemted whether or not he should cut the stream... However, Xie Dezhao continued, which put Huo Shaoheng at ease again.

    ¡°After that, we sought out a specialist in marrow transnts to help find a match. Since money was no object, we were able to find a match rather quickly and then immediately performed the transnt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart had been pounding in her chest. It was only after hearing thatst part that her heartbeat calmed. She covered her thumping heart with her hand, and felt that she might not be strong enough to face the impending truth...

    She clenched her fists and felt sweat on her palms. Her legs slightly wobbled, but she mentally ordered herself to not fall in court in front of everyone. Gu Nianzhi willed herself to stand straight and looked at Xie Dezhao quietly.

    ¡°Did Gu Tian recover after that?¡± Her voice was cold and distant. It was as if she had left her body and watched this entire farce from afar.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Xie Dezhao wiped his face and stopped crying. However, his voice sounded so helpless and his features were sharper than ever. ¡°The match was sessful, but instead of helping Gu Tian produce new healthy bone marrow, the transnt caused her immune system topletely crash. From then on, Gu Tian could only live in a sterile environment.¡±

    Xie Dezhao grew quiet. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say what had happened next. It was because on the day that Xie Qingying turned one month old, Gu Tian missed her daughter so much that she secretly got someone to bring the child into her sterile room. She wanted the opportunity to hold her baby for a little while...

    And that was how Gu Tian caught the flu. She suffered for a week in bed, before eventually meeting her death.

    After she had passed on, Gu Xiangwen, who was almost unrecognizably skinny, managed to arrive at Xie Dezhao¡¯s house. However, what weed him was a white memorial. His beloved sister was just barely over the age of twenty, but had already left the world.

    ¡°...Twenty-seven years ago, on the day of my wife¡¯s wake, I bashed him up. Then I chased him away, and told him to never again return to our house!¡±

    ¡°...So you¡¯ve had no contact with him in twenty-seven years?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked. ¡°He¡¯s never met his own niece?¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been different even if he hade. I never allowed him into my house. He attempted toe back several times in the first few years after Gu Tian passed on. But after years of me chasing him off, he eventually stoppeding. From then on, his only contact with Qingying was sending a birthday present every year.¡± Xie Dezhao paused and there was a sense of insecurity in his voice. ¡°But then, seven years ago, the presents stopped.¡±

    Seven years ago was the time of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident. The presents stopped because Gu Xiangwen had been in a vegetative state ever since. Now Xie Dezhao understood why.

    Gu Nianzhi pieced what she already knew with what Xie Dezhao had just told everyone in court and managed to form a picture. There were still parts that were missing, but those were minor details that did not hinder her main point.

    ¡°All right. The story is finished. May I know what question you have,wyer Gu?¡± Jin Wanyi smirked and looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and looked at Jin Wanyi. ¡°Patience. I¡¯m getting there.¡± Turning around, Gu Nianzhi solemnly addressed the judge. ¡°Your honor, I¡¯m finished with this witness. May I call for his daughter, Xie Qingying, toe to the witness stand?¡±

    The judge raised his hand. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi signaled Xie Qingying to approach. For Xie Qingying, Gu Nianzhi did not require her to talk much. She merely asked a few basic questions about her name, her parentage, and verification of her identity. Xie Qingying answered the questions with ease, then produced her birth certificate, passport, and finally, a paternity test.

    Gu Nianzhi took thetter from Xie Qingying. ¡°This document proves that Miss Xie Qingying is the biological daughter of Mr. Xie Dezhao and Madam Gu Tian.¡±

    Gu Yanran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. For the past three hearings, Gu Nianzhi had managed to embarrass her so badly that she was almost unable to face anyone. Thankfully, in this fourth hearing, she would be able to get her revenge. Gu Yanran was so excited that she almost could not sit still anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi submitted Xie Qingying¡¯s paternity test to the court and produced two more documents. She looked around the court and back at Gu Yanran.

    ¡°I have two more paternity tests here. These reports came from the top hospital in the country, and their authenticity has been confirmed by the authorities.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s attention focused on Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°These documents proved that Miss Xie Qingying and I are biological rtives. Defendant Gu Yanran, however, has no biological rtions with Miss Xie Qingying at all.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s expression fell and she jumped from her seat. ¡°Objection! The intiff took my client¡¯s DNA sample without her permission!¡±

    ¡°Fine, I will get your client¡¯s consent now to retest her DNA and Miss Xie Qingying¡¯s. We shall see if they are biologically rted. You can get your client¡¯s consent now!¡±

    However, Gu Yanran was not angry at all. She patted Jin Wanyi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Wanyi, be calm. I¡¯m not even mad, why are you panicking?¡± With that, Gu Yanran stood and raised her head. ¡°Yes, Xie Qingying and I definitely have no blood rtions. This is normal. Because Gu Nianzhi is not rted to my father or I by blood either.¡±

    ¡°Of course¡ªbecause that is YOUR father,¡± Gu Nianzhi continued. ¡°Not mine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put heavy emphasis on the word ¡®your.¡¯ She produced a third report. ¡°This is a reportparing the DNA of Gu Xiangwen and Miss Xie Qingying¡¯s mother, Gu Tian. The report shows that they had no blood rtion whatsoever. They are not biological siblings! Therefore, I have enough reason to believe that the person who is lying in the hospital right now is not my father, Gu Xiangwen, at all!

    Gu Yanran chuckled: ¡°Are you sure?¡±

 Chapter 878 - Truth and False (3)

    <h4>Chapter 878: Truth and False (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had never seen Gu Yanran so assured before. She couldn¡¯t help the feeling of her heart sinking. However, she managed to keep it hidden from her expression. After being by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side for so many years, Gu Nianzhi had learned that the acquisition of valuable information was impossible without the willingness to take risks. Every single Special Forces operative was capable and daring¡ªtaking risks was a normal, everyday urrence.

    After having been around them for so long, Gu Nianzhi had felt their influence.

    Therefore, even though she looked at Gu Yanran with extreme confidence, she had already expected Gu Yanran to have something against her¡ªsomething huge.

    She could have called for a stay, which would have prevented Gu Yanran from speaking. However, if she had done that, then the truth might be forever suppressed.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her expression was nothing but determined after that.

    She raised her hand. ¡°If the defendant has another opinion, I am more than willing to listen.¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at her for several moments, then shook her head sadly. She moved her eyes, and¡ªmimicking Gu Nianzhi¡ªshe looked around at everyone in the courtroom. Everyone on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side of the audience looked extremely solemn. Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi red at Gu Yanran like they wanted to burn a hole through her. As did Secretary Cao., However, he was always sitting upright with a stern look. It was easy to assume that he was nervous.

    As for the audience on Gu Yanran¡¯s side, every single one of them was so nervous, they dared not even breathe properly.

    She looked at everyone before smiling. Her gaze returned to the judge. ¡°Your honor, the intiff has imed that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA has no rtion to Gu Tian or Xie Qingying¡¯s, and therefore could not be my father. Please excuse the argumentative nature, but I have never seen such an unreasonable assumption in my life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils constricted. She did not expect such a rebuttal from Gu Yanran this time around. She clenched her fists and felt the same rush of adrenaline as she would inbat with an equal adversary.

    Even Jin Wanyi gave Gu Yanran a thumbs up. Gu Yanran was even more confident now. She pushed all the DNA reports that Gu Nianzhi had ced on the intiff stand away, one by one.

    ¡°Your honor, basing paternity judgment on DNAparisons with strangers is ridiculous!¡± Gu Yanran shook her head, looking annoyed and full of contempt.

    Gu Nianzhi remained stoic. ¡°Then what is your conclusion? Given theck of evidence to verify Gu Xiangwen¡¯s identity, these are the only methods avable to us.¡±

    ¡°I understand where you areing from.¡± Gu Yanran took the DNA report thatpared Gu Tian and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA. ¡°However, you only knew about one point and not the other.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Then could you please exin your ¡®other point¡¯ to everyone here please?¡± Gu Nianzhi carefully needled her. She sounded like the host of a variety show. All she needed toplete the image was holding a microphone to Gu Yanran while shouting ¡°Lights, camera, action! Gu Yanran, please tell us your story!¡±

    Gu Yanran did not disappoint. She put down the DNA report. ¡°Gu Tian and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s DNA do not match because Gu Tian was adopted.¡±

    The already-quiet courtroom now fell even deeper into silence. Breaths were clutched in a shock. The only sound came from the central air conditioner, which somehow managed to make it seem even more silent.

    The effect left Gu Yanran extremely pleased. She did not wish to break this silence. She looked across the entire room with a huge smile stered on her face. She¡¯d sessfully achieved vengeance for all the embarrassment she had endured from Gu Nianzhi!

    But Gu Nianzhi was the first one to snap back to reality. ¡°May I know if you have evidence for that please?¡±

    ¡°Evidence?¡± Gu Yanran chuckled. She flipped her wavy hair. ¡°Have you forgotten our other auntie...?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi furrowed her brows. ¡°...You mean Gu Jing?¡± She had only heard Xie Dezhao mention Gu Jing once, and Xie Dezhao only knew about Gu Jing from Gu Tian. He had never personally met her.

    ¡°The previous generation of the Gu family had two daughters. One is Gu Tian, and the other is Gu Jing.¡± Gu Yanran raised her hands to admire her manicure. ¡°Gu Tian is your cousin¡¯s mother. She is adopted. My auntie, Gu Jing, is the biological child of the Gu family.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    ¡°Because Gu Jing has a congenital gene deficiency¡ªit¡¯s hereditary. I have it as well. In order to find a cure, my father, Gu Xiangwen, changed his specialty from physics to biology. He wanted to personally save her. He adopted Gu Tian so he could use her bone marrow to save Gu Jing in the future.

    ¡°However, Gu Tian fell in love with Xie Dezhao. She wanted to get married and have children. She did not wish to continue donating bone marrow to Gu Jing anymore. That was why my father gave up on her when she hemorrhaged during childbirth.¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at Gu Nianzhi with sympathy. ¡°It applies to you as well, Gu Nianzhi. You were an orphan that my father adopted because he wanted to cure me. Sadly, you learned the truth when you were twelve, and went out to sea in a fit of anger. I have no idea what mishaps you encountered, but amnesia was a good thing for you. You were spared the sad truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already mentally prepared herself when she heard Xie Dezhao mention that Gu Tian required a bone marrow transnt. But after this ¡®truth¡¯ from Gu Yanran, she felt dizzy all of a sudden. The ceiling was spinning. Her legs turned wobbly, and it felt like she was standing in quicksand. She could not hold on much longer...

    Her hands tightly gripped the edge of the intiff stand. Veins could be seen protruding from her hands, and only one sentence appeared in her mind: ¡°My father thought of me as nothing more than a test subject!¡±

    Was it the truth? Her bone marrow, her injuries, all the result of this? She did not want to believe it, but it seemed like she had no choice...

    Gu Yanran stared at Gu Nianzhi and was extremely ted to see Gu Nianzhi in a daze. ¡°Aren¡¯t you clever?,¡± she thought. ¡°I thought you were a genius? Look at you now, just like a lost sheep!¡±

    ¡°Now, do you understand why Gu Tian¡¯s DNA did not match my father¡¯s? She was adopted, so of course they have no DNA rtion! You even tried to prove that Gu Xiangwen wasn¡¯t my father, what a joke!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s slightly hoarse voice rang around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears. It sounded as sharp and piercing as a knife on a piece of sandpaper. However, the pain of that ringing woke her from her daze. Her ck eyes brightened, like stars in the night sky, sparkling endlessly, letting no one see through the dark.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of the table. An idea shed across her mind and she caught the little loophole that Gu Yanran had left. She calmly said, ¡°Since Gu Tian and I were both adopted, why would the DNA of Gu Tian, Xie Qingying, and myself all be rted? Tell me, what is going on here?¡±

    Was she trying to imply that she and Gu Tian were rtives coincidentally adopted by the same family? Ridiculous!

    Gu Yanran was stunned for a while. She thought quickly and smiled. ¡°You really wish to know?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled happily. ¡°Why do you think my father adopted you to cure me? You and Gu Tian share a simr gic makeup, because you are the illegitimate daughter of Gu Tian¡¯s biological sister.¡±¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked instinctively, ¡°Gu Tian¡¯s biological sister?!¡±

    Xie Dezhao was extremely surprised when he heard this. ¡°Gu Tian had a biological sister? I thought she only had Gu Jing...¡±

    ¡°It seems like you knew quite a bit about Gu Tian¡¯s biological sister.¡± Gu Nianzhi used her strongest will to control her emotions. She continued her questioning. ¡°May I know what her name was? Where was she residing? What is her current age?¡±

    Gu Yanran flipped her wavy hair and replied, ¡°How would I know? My mother was the one who told me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little lost. She felt like she had fallen into a hole or arrived at a bottleneck. She could see that there was a way in front, but she could not seem to get there.

    She closed her eyes and finally said, ¡°What evidence do you have that Gu Tian was adopted?¡±

    Gu Yanran produced a stic folder. ¡°I knew you would want evidence... I don¡¯t have your adoption certificate, but my mother had me keep Gu Tian¡¯s adoption certificate in the safe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the folder and saw an adoption certificate in Japanese. There were also English and Mandarin trantions.

    ¡°Those are official Japanese adoption records. Your aunt, Gu Tian, was a Japanese orphan adopted in Chiba Prefecture.¡± Gu Yanran had finallypleted telling her side of the story. She sat down and sipped gracefully on some water.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head to look carefully at the adoption certificate. She had learned some Japanese before, so she was able to tell if it was real or fake. However, she wasn¡¯t yet skilled enough to read documents. She had looked through the Mandarin and English copies a few times, and they seemed legitimate.

    Gu Nianzhi showed Xie Dezhao the adoption certificate. ¡°Mr. Xie, please look at the name on the adoption certificate. Is this your wife¡¯s name?¡±

    Xie Dezhao looked closely at the document. Although he did not want to admit it, the name of his wife, Gu Tian, was clearly printed on the certificate. So he had married a Japanese without knowing? And Xie Qingying was half-Japanese blood? As Xie Dezhao¡¯s face turned pale, Xie Qingying covered her mouth in shock.

    ¡°Who knows about you, Gu Nianzhi? Maybe you are a true blue Japanese!¡± Gu Yanran gave a hearty, sinisterugh. This was the happiest day she¡¯d had in years! After all the embarrassment she¡¯d endured previously, in this moment she had vengeance!

    Gu Nianzhi, however, began thinking quickly while Gu Yanran was busyughing. Logically, she had to admit that Gu Yanran had presented a nearly airtight case. However, she instinctively refused to ept this as truth.

    Gu Xiangwen had never made Gu Nianzhi feel like anything less than his daughter. On top of that, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s treatment of Gu Tian did not seem like the way a man would treat an adopted sister. Especially not ones who were only used for experimentation. Logically, Gu Yanran¡¯s story made sense. But emotionally, that was a different story.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up Gu Tian¡¯s adoption certificate and looked closely at it again. Gu Tian¡¯s original name was written as Kasahara Reiko.

    This made Gu Yanran impatient. ¡°Read it a hundred more times, it won¡¯t change anything. It wasn¡¯t my intention to reveal this, so I could leave you with some face. But you¡¯ve gone too far. You continued to push, even froze my bank ount. So, I decided to y your game.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ignored her and finished looking at the adoption certificate. She went to check the three DNA reports again. These three sets of reports were especiallymissioned for her under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions. Besides a detailedparison, they also contained DNA sequencing as well. Not all organizations would provide that, However, Huo Shaoheng was a stickler for details to ensure they had all possible evidence they might require. Therefore, he had Chen Lie include the sequencing as well. Gu Nianzhi flipped the DNAparison document to the final page. She looked at the DNA sequencing conclusion and her pupils constricted.

    ¡°intiff, do you have anything more?¡± the judge sympathetically asked Gu Nianzhi. The court could not afford to waste any more time.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and told the judge, ¡°Your honor, please give me five minutes to confirm some information. I will give you an answer immediately after that.¡± Gu Nianzhi was reminded of a news report she had seen a while ago. Although it was just a quick mention, it was immensely helpful to her case today.

    The judge looked at his watch. ¡°Okay, five minutes.¡±

    It was only five minutes, no bother to Jin Wanyi or Gu Yanran. They could afford to wait for this.

    Jin Wanyi only felt relieved after the final blow was dealt. She looked at Gu Yanran with admiring eyes, thinking on the cunning way she had held on to this piece of evidence. It seemed like she¡¯d had this card up her sleeve for some time... How else could she so easily produce Gu Tian¡¯s adoption certificate? No matter what was said next, nothing would even be as effective. Jin Wanyi rubbed her hands in excitement. If only they could get their hands on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s adoption document...

    Gu Nianzhi turned on theptop and began searching for information quickly. He Zhichu¡¯s heart went out to her from where he was in the audience. He walked up to Gu Nianzhi and softly asked, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not even look at him, just showed him the page she was looking for.

    He Zhichu had initially wanted to give Gu Nianzhi some suggestions. However, after seeing her search terms and then looking at the adoption certificate that had been ¡®decorated¡¯ by Gu Yanran, he smiled.

    ¡°All right. Do it your way.¡± He Zhichu went back to the audience and took his seat.

    Gu Nianzhi had already brought the information that she had managed to get to the judge and asked, ¡°Your honor, may I please borrow the projector again?¡±

    The judge nodded and got someone to link herptop to the projector again.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the web page that she had just found. ¡°Everyone, look here. This is a map of the gic sequencing makeup of East Asians, done by the International Gic Sequencing Organization.¡±

    The projector showed some bar charts.

    ¡°Basically, East Asians consist of three types of gic makeups¡ª0-M175, the people with yellow genes; D-YAP, people with short ck genes; and C-M130, people with brown genes.

    ¡°Among the East Asians, the Chinese¡ªmeaning the main race of the Huaxia Empire¡ªare the only ones with a makeup of pure, 100% 0-M175 yellow genes. However, the Japanese gic makeup is only 54% 0-M175 yellow genes. 35% of their genes are the D-YAP short ck genes, and 9% are the brown genes. Now, let us proceed to the gic sequencing from the DNA reports we have over here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used her phone to scan all the DNA documents to be shown on the projector.

    ¡°Everyone can clearly see that Gu Tian¡¯s DNA sequencing has no D-YAP or C-M130, which those of Japanese heritage have. Her gic sequencing clearly shows that her gic makeup is purely of the 0-M175 yellow genes. Xie Qingying¡¯s DNA sequencing shows the same results¡ªonly the 0-M175 yellow genes. This is my DNA sequence. Likewise, it shows no Japanese heritage have. I too only have the 0-M175 yellow genes.

    ¡°Based on these gic sequencing, Gu Tian, Xie Qingying, and myselfck the gic makeup of the Japanese. Therefore, the three of us could not be Japanese. Of course, if you were to talk about nationality, that would be another issue. Let us look on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi showed Gu Yanran and her father¡¯s DNA sequence.

    ¡°See this? Gu Yanran and her father¡¯s DNA sequencing clearly shows that their gic makeup is 54% 0-M175, 35% D-YAP, and 9% C-M130. They are identical to the report that the International Gic Sequencing Organization had published. Therefore, only Gu Yanran and the vegetative man who had been posing as Gu Xiangwen are pure-bred Japanese!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s loud and clear voice felt like an antidote to everyone in court. All their worries were gone in an instant.

    ¡°Although not many people have seen Gu Xiangwen in person, all avable information shows that he was a Chinese. He had no Japanese genes. Therefore, Gu Yanran, you can save yourself from those stories. The false Gu Xiangwen is your biological father, and you are both pure-bred Japanese. You tried to project your family¡¯s story on us. That¡¯s the truth, isn¡¯t it, Kasahara Naoko?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked like she had just seen a ghost. All of a sudden, her face became pale as a sheet all of a sudden, and her eyes were wide. Her eyeballs looked like they were about to pop out of her skull. Her legs turned to jelly, and she fell onto her seat.

    She didn¡¯t believe that all the evidence they¡¯d carefully prepared for so many years would be deemed totally useless by DNA sequencing!

 Chapter 879 - Having to Move Away as long as She Was Around

    <h4>Chapter 879: Having to Move Away as long as She Was Around</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The moment Gu Nianzhi finished her sentence, exuberance was heard throughout the entire courtroom. Everyone on her side stood up and apuded heartily for her. For a moment, she did not feel like awyer representing herself, but a hero who had just returned from war or a celebrity on stage. She had won their approval through her own amazing capabilities. The way she was able to turn the tables like that! She was indeed a genius!

    ¡°Great job, Nianzhi!¡± Yin Shixiong shouted. He had more inside information than most, but even he was almost convinced by Gu Yanran¡¯s story.

    He had felt so lost and numb in that moment just now. One thought had run through his mind: ¡°We are done for... Nianzhi is a Japanese... We have leaked information... We have leaked information... This is going to be serious!¡±

    Only when Gu Nianzhi had used the DNA sequencing to cleverly rebut Gu Yanran¡¯s lies did Yin Shixiong feel alive again.

    Ma Qiqi could not control herself and whistled. ¡°I love you, Nianzhi!¡±

    Song Jinning¡ªwho was usually calm and graceful¡ªsmiled widely as well, and felt like doting on Gu Nianzhi even more.

    Secretary Cao stood as well, pping louder than everyone else! He¡¯d now made up his mind to get Gu Nianzhi into the secretary office of the Military Supreme Council. He would never let this girl go anywhere else! He nned to send General Ji a rmendation immediately after the hearing today.

    He Zhichu did not stand up. However, his famously flirtatious eyes fixed on Gu Nianzhi. He could not see anyone else but her. His lips curled into a smile. There was nothing but gentleness in his eyes.

    Xie Qingying was the one who felt the most relieved. She could not ept that she was in any way rted to the Japanese. If it had been true, her and her father would have been chased out of the Xie family... Thankfully Gu Nianzhi managed to quickly prove her innocence! All of a sudden, Xie Qingying felt even more emotional towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Xie Dezhao was even more thankful. He was crying tears of happiness, as he had already regarded Gu Nianzhi as his closest rtive.

    Even some of the audience on Gu Yanran¡¯s side of the court room apuded. Gu Yanran¡¯s housekeeper, Mrs. James, turned around and red fiercely at a bodyguard who apuded. The bodyguard snapped back to reality. He stopped pping immediately and awkwardly touched his nose.

    The judge leaned back in his seat and chuckled. After a while, he raised his hand to control the longsting apuse. Trying his best to be stern, he said, ¡°Silence. There should not be so much noise during a trial.¡± He paused before adding, ¡°Do not make me repeat myself.¡±

    The audienceughed, then sat down and stopped apuding.

    Jin Wanyi was extremely angry. Gu Nianzhi had struck a deathblow again! She had thought that Gu Nianzhi would have lost this time! Could it be that she would have to move away in court each time Gu Nianzhi was around?!

    ¡°You... you, you, you... What on earth are you talking about? What DNA sequencing?¡± The perspiration on Gu Yanran¡¯s forehead trickled down. She was shaking like mad¡ªand even her voice trembled. She nudged Jin Wanyi, who was by her side like she was hanging on to thest nk of floating wood. ¡°Wanyi, Wanyi, shoot back at her quickly! Is she spouting nonsense? We are all Asians. Why would there be differences?¡±

    On the outside, there was absolutely no difference between the Japanese and Chinese!

    Gu Nianzhi flipped through the adoption certificate that Gu Yanran had provided again. She touched the paper and smiled: ¡°This document is indeed rather old... It seems like DNA sequencing was still not as developed when you guys prepared this adoption document.¡±

    Or rather, the people then still did not know that the Japanese had a different kind of gic makeuppared to the pure Chinese in Huaxia empire, did they?

    ¡°Lucky for us, we have science.¡± Gu Nianzhi was humorous for the first time. ¡°You have to keep up with the times when scheming. If not, the evolution of science and technology could let the cat out of the bag. This is a great example, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t gloat yet!¡± Gu Yanran was so angry, she could not be bothered to keep up the image of civility. She was like a beast ready to kill. Grabbing on to the defendant stand, she stood again. ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense!¡±

    ¡°The science proves it.¡± Gu Nianzhi used herser pointer to indicate the DNA sequencing of Gu Yanran and the vegetative man.

    ¡°I said that my father, Gu Xiangwen, is Japanese!¡± Gu Yanran was almost screaming. ¡°Therefore your assumption is not valid!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely calm. She was ying Gu Yanran, as a cat would a dog. ¡°Yet journal article, every research report published by Kevin Ku, stated that Gu Xiangwen was Chinese. Should I show you the reports about him from internationally acimed magazines?¡±

    Gu Yanran was at a loss for words.

    However, Gu Nianzhi refused to give her even more time to think. She took one step closer. ¡°Gu Yanran, do you know why Gu Xiangwen can never be a Japanese? It is precisely because of this!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised the so called ¡®adoption certificate¡¯ of Gu Tian. Had it not been for this Japanese adoption certificate, Gu Nianzhi would not have been able to link the type of people and DNA sequencing so easily. However, this ¡®Japanese¡¯ adoption certificate was akin to a bridge, and it linked two seemingly unrted evidences together in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind.

    ¡°In order to make Gu Tian the scapegoat, you produced this adoption certificate from Chiba Prefecture in Japan to prove that Gu Tian was an adopted Japanese orphan. This means that the Gus perhaps really had adopted a Japanese girl at that time. Because if an adoption certificate were forged, it would be too easy to prove. However, if an adoption really happened, it would be much easier to hide it from everyone.

    ¡°Moreover, there is information about the adoptive parents¡¯ nationality and race. It states that they were Chinese!¡±

    Gu Yanran was totally defeated by this detail. She fell onto her seat, looking nk. She was almost foaming atthe mouth...

    ¡°You had pulled a scam to change Gu Jing¡¯s adoption certificate to reflect Gu Tian¡¯s identity and name. They would have to be be quite close in terms of age, with the same blood type. Therefore, all you had to do was bribe a low-ranking officer in Chiba in order to get what you needed. Perhaps you didn¡¯t have to bribe anyone¡ªjust an opportunity to tell the authorities that Gu Jing had had her name changed, then you could get the name officially changed on the adoption certificate. Should we check with the Chiba authorities to see if Kasahara Shizuko had requested a change of name?

    ¡°There were few rules and regtions on adoption certificates thirty to forty years ago. That meant many areas where people could manipte details. When Gu Tian passed away at a young age and Gu Xiangwen had met with his ident, you decided to take over my position. This would get rid of get rid of Gu Tian, so even if I were to find her to testify, you could p me in the face with this altered certificate. Isn¡¯t that correct?¡±

    That was exactly the reason why Gu Yanran was calm and collected instead of being afraid when she learned that Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying would be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s witnesses.

    ¡°But you never expected I¡¯d use DNA sequencing and gic bar charts. When I used those to prove that Gu Tian could never be Japanese, your lies stood revealed. That means the adopted Japanese girl must have been someone else.

    ¡°You¡¯d attempted a simr method on me¡ªtaking all my experiences and my identity, then passing them off as your own, while transferring yours onto me. Therefore, if the Gu family had really adopted a Japanese girl in the past, and this girl was not Gu Tian, then who could it be? I think the answer is already obvious to everyone.

    ¡°There were only two daughters in the previous generation of the Gu family¡ªGu Tian and Gu Jing. If Gu Tian was not the one, then Gu Jing would definitely be the Japanesedy who was adopted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was full of confidence, and her words made Gu Yanran turn as white as sheet. Fear and panic were written all over her face, making her look extremely pathetic. Gu Nianzhi organized the events of the incident in her mind, and gave voice to her theory:

    ¡°...ording to the defendant, the Gu family had a daughter many years ago. Her name was Gu Tian. However, Gu Tian was born with an illness. In order to cure her, the Gus managed to find a girl with a perfect bone marrow match. Her name was Kasahara Shizuko. For whatever reason, the Gu family adopted this girl, and changed her name to Gu Jing.

    ¡°However, after Gu Jing had grown up, Gu Tian got married. When Gu Tian needed her help, Gu Jing had made up her mind to leave the family. This was perhaps why Gu Xiangwen could not make it in time to save her sister when she needed help so much. This was what happened twenty seven years ago. Because Gu Jing had left the family, Gu Tian could not find a suitable bone marrow transnt and passed away at a young age.

    ¡°As for Gu Jing, in the years after she left, we can safely assumethat she did not lead a good life. She gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, who is the defendant here, Gu Yanran. It¡¯s likely they could not make it on their own, or perhaps she got wind of Gu Tian¡¯s passing, or maybe it was just for her daughter. We don¡¯t know the exact reason, but she chose to return and beg Gu Xiangwen to take them in...¡±

    As Gu Yanran listened to the theory, her pupils constricted. She snapped back to reality. Instinctively, she stood and angrily shouted, ¡°Nonsense! Gu Jing is not my mommy!¡±

    ¡°Am I spouting nonsense? Then would you care topare your DNA to Gu Jing¡¯s?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aggressiveness had defeated Gu Yanran and she turned dumb once again.

    ¡°And don¡¯t spout nonsense about Gu Jing¡¯s biological sister having a daughter. If Gu Jing had a younger sister, whose daughter was also a perfect transnt match, that means sister would have also been a match. A sister would potentially be even morepatible than Gu Jing herself. If that had been this case, the Gus would have adopted both instead of just one. They wouldn¡¯t put all their eggs in one basket¡ªhaving a backup would have been ideal.

    ¡°But they only adopted Gu Jing, which meant she was the only suitable one. The daughter of her sister would be an even less-likely match. Therefore, Gu Yanran¡ªas the ¡®illegitimate daughter of Gu Jing¡¯s younger sister¡¯¡ªwould even less likely be adopted. Gu Xiangwen ran neither charity nor orphanage.

    ¡°Only one exnation makes sense¡ªGu Yanran was Gu Jing¡¯s illegitimate daughter. With her mother¡¯s genes, Gu Yanran could help the daughters of two generations of the Gu family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi managed to arrive at this deduction through careful analysis of the information she was presented with. ¡®Gu Jing¡¯s younger sister¡¯ was in fact a non-existent character Gu Yanran had made up to cover any holes in her story.

    However, Gu Yanran only wanted to rebut in a state of panic. ¡°But Gu Jing had already passed on many years ago and her ashes had been thrown into the ocean after cremation. How could you test her DNA?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused in surprise. ¡°You know for a fact that Gu Jing¡¯s ashes were thrown into the ocean? When exactly did that happen?¡±

    Gu Yanran immediately shut up.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for her to speak, but realized Gu Yanran was not going to talk anymore. She calmly continued. ¡°Since we now know the truth of Gu Jing¡¯s identity, everything else should be easier to investigate. Even if her ashes were thrown into the ocean, she grew up in the Gu family. The Gus had been a wealthy family in France in those times, and would no doubt have brought both their children in for health and dental care. All we would need is to obtain the records from those dentists and pediatricians. Blood samples and dentistry records are kept on file. With those two things, we would have Gu Jing¡¯s DNA.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes began to sparkle with the intention to murder again.

    Gu Nianzhi saw through her and shook her head. ¡°Enough, Gu Yanran. Stop trying to kill everyone with connections to your past. There are so many people in the world, and many of them knew about you and Gu Jing¡¯s real identity. Can you even finish killing all of them?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked as shocked as ever. She hugged her head and screamed hysterically. ¡°You are not human! You are not human! You are a ghost! You are a ghost!¡±

    If not, how on earth could she analyze to an uracy of eighty to ny percent of the incidents that had happened those years simply based on deductions?

 Chapter 880 - Left with Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 880: Left with Nothing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Seeing such a situation, Gu Nianzhi took an intimidating step towards Gu Yanran. ¡°Yes, I am a ghost! I¡¯m here for vengeance on behalf of everyone you had murdered!¡±

    Unable to take any more pressure, Gu Yanran screamed extremely loud and then fainted!

    Jin Wanyi stood up immediately: ¡°Your honor, the intiff¡¯s intimidation of my client caused her to lose consciousness. Please bring her a doctor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°In this honorable court of our country, you daresay I intimidated her? There are so many people here. Which of my words intimidated her, huh?¡±

    Jin Wanyi controlled her anger and ignored Gu Nianzhi. She supported Gu Yanran by the neck and stroked the back of her head to soothe her. Gu Yanran had merely panicked. She regained consciousness in no time. However, the moment she set eyes on Gu Nianzhi, she looked frightened and didn¡¯t even dare to look Gu Nianzhi in the eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve done many terrible things to ever repent for all of them.¡± She then resumed her questioning. ¡°Since that bed-ridden vegetable is not Gu Xiangwen, where did he go? Did you kill him as well?¡±

    ¡°I did no such thing!¡± Gu Yanran was totally broken now. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him! I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t...¡±

    Those were the only words she seemed capable of anymore. Her nk eyes stared straight ahead. The dream she¡¯d held for so long had suddenly been crushed, and she couldn¡¯t take any more.

    At this point, there was no path left for the trial to take. Even if there were, there was no longer a need for it.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s biological father was the man in the persistent vegetative state. For seven years, she¡¯d passed him off as Gu Xiangwen so she could get her hands on the Gu fortune.. Just based on this, Gu Nianzhi felt extremely terrified.

    The court took all the evidences and trial records into consideration and the procedures came to a close. ¡°A judgment has been rendered in the civil matter of Gu Nianzhi v Gu Yanran over the inheritance of the Gu family. As Gu Xiangwen has been missing for seven years, this court considers him legally deceased.

    ¡°The death of Gu Xiangwen will serve as a predicate to contact Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyers in America in order to determine if his estate had a will in ce. If there is, we would request for them to surrender it to us.

    ¡°For the time being, the assets the Gu family shall be frozen and an announcement made of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s death. Provided no further evidence arises to prove Gu Xiangwen still lives, the estate shall be bequeathed to Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Yanran was also involved in the attempted assassination of Gu Nianzhi in Germany, with the motive being financial gain. She was also involved in the murder of all the Gu family servants. When Gu Nianzhi informed the police of this, not only was Gu Yanran deprived of any im to the Gu estate, but she was to be remanded into police custody.

    Of course, the Special Forces had also discovered that she had close rtions with Japan. They could not let her off easily anymore.

    Seeing the dejected Gu Yanran being brought away by the police officers, Jin Wanyi felt extremely annoyed. Herwyer fees would most likely be forfeited. Gu Yanran had already lost everything, and would now face a murder charge.

    1The bodyguards, housekeeper and ountants who had been working for Gu Yanran were all in shock. Their employer had been taken away just like that. How would they continue to work? They went in the direction of Gu Yanran, hoping for an exnation.

    The others in court slowly filed out. But Gu Nianzhi remained seated behind the intiff stand, her thumping heart now slowly beginning to calm. This trial had been like running a marathon. Gu Nianzhi had been pushed to her physical and emotional limits.

    While interrogating Gu Yanran, she was still attentive and energetic. But the moment the trial ended, she realized that her legs had gone so wobbly that she could not manage to walk anymore.

    She had no choice but to sit there and pretend to pack her things as well-wishers came to pass on their congrattions.The first of these was Secretary Cao.

    He passionately shook Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°You were better than in the previous trials! I was right about you. Learn well, and contact me when you are free. We shall discuss your career prospects after your graduation, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect such an offer from Secretary Cao. Working for the army as awyer had never even crossed her mind before. But it would be an amazing opportunity.

    She nodded politely and replied, ¡°Thank you, Secretary Cao. I will contact you as soon as I¡¯m able.¡±

    After Secretary Cao left, Song Jinning walked over and caressed her head. ¡°Nianzhi, the trial is over. What are your ns after this? I just bought a new house. You and Shaoheng shoulde over for dinner when you¡¯re free.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled so much that her face started to cramp. She nodded. ¡°Of course. We¡¯lle when we have some time.¡±

    Song Jinning continued to praise her. ¡°You¡¯re quick on your feet and you have a great memory. The bar chart analyzation of East Asians was only released a few days ago, and it was the least interesting portion of the news. I didn¡¯t expect you to have noticed it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt embarrassed by the praise. ¡°It was a coincidence. I just happened to read the article.¡±

    To be honest, she¡¯d followed the debate closely. Towards the end, everyone had sought the expert opinions on Japanese reproduction genes. As an inte-dependent child, Gu Nianzhi watched the entire debate with great interest, and therefore remembered it clearly. Gu Yanran¡¯s production of the Japanese adoption certificate triggered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory.

    The DNA sequencing in the reports only contained the percentages of the different types of genes in the person¡¯s DNA. They didn¡¯t indicate what it meant. That¡¯s Because when Chen Lie did these tests, the bar chart analyzation for East Asians had not yet been released to the public.

    After the bar chart analyzation had beenpleted, everyone realized that the Chinese of the Huaxia Empire had a gic makeup that was 95% 0-M175 yellow genes. It meant they were the real, pure Asians. Mongolians, on the other hand, were not the representatives of Asia. The Chinese were. It was this piece of news that made Gu Nianzhi feel so proud of who she was, and thus left an impression on her.

    After discussing some other gic issues with Gu Nianzhi, Song Jinning left with a happy heart.

    Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying came over together to thank Gu Nianzhi next.

    ¡°Nianzhi, this is my business card. Please give me a call when you are free. No matter what, I am your uncle and Qingying is your cousin. We are your only living rtives now.¡±

    Xie Dezhao had already rted himself as her elder, and wanted to look out for her. This was the only living rtive of his beloved wife. She had lost her parents, too. Therefore, Xie Dezhao felt like he was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s maternal family.

    Xie Qingying handed Gu Nianzhi a business card as well and shook her hand. ¡°Nianzhi, I have toe to your school in a few days. Let¡¯s go out for a meal to know each other better, okay?¡±

    ¡°Definitely, cousin.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly at Xie Qingying. Turning around, she nodded politely to Xie Dezhao as well. ¡°Thank you, uncle.¡±

    After Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying had left, Yin Shixiong went over happily to knock on her table. ¡°You¡¯ve be a big shot, Nianzhi! You were sitting even when Secretary Cao talked to you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi merely smiled bitterly. She was embarrassed to tell Yin Shixiong that her legs were so weak that she couldn¡¯t even stand anymore...

    Ma Qiqi smiled and pushed Yin Shixiong away. ¡°What are you talking about? Our Nianzhi is very capable! She was treating them like friends by staying seated. What do you know?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and chased them away. ¡°Get lost! Go on ahead of me. I¡¯ll be along once I¡¯ve finished packing up my stuff.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was too eager to report back to Huo Shaoheng. Knowing that Gu Nianzhi hade to the hearing with He Zhichu, he said, ¡°All right then, we¡¯ll go. Give Mr. Huo a call when you get back.¡±

    Thewsuit was over. Huo Shaoheng did not need to keep his distance anymore.

    ¡°Okay, sure! I¡¯ll call when I¡¯m free...¡± Gu Nianzhi said.

    After Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi had left, the lower-ranking assistant from Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office couldn¡¯t hold himself back and went over to praise Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re very capable! Keep up the hard work!¡± With that, he left.

    Only He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were left in the empty court room.

    He Zhichu only walked slowly over at this moment. He knelt down with one knee and ced his hand on her knees and began to massage them.

    It was like he knew that Gu Nianzhi could not stand up.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu in shock: ¡°Professor He...?¡±

    ¡°Your legs have gone so weak that you can¡¯t stand anymore, correct?¡± He Zhichu asked casually.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with enthusiasm. ¡°How did you know?!¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯ve had that happen to me before.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice sounded far away, like he was reminiscing. His mind went back to that time. When he had snapped back to his senses back then, he fell so hard that he ended up in a wheelchair for half a year.

    Of course, what Gu Nianzhi was experiencing now was not as serious as what he did, but the situations were simr. Gu Nianzhi began telling He Zhichu about the case as he massaged her knees and ankles.

    ¡°Professor He, Gu Yanran was able to do so much and over such a long period of time. There had to have been a team behind her in order to put all that into action.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu was casual in his analysis. ¡°Think¡ªwhere would she most-likely transfer the Gu family fortune over all those years?¡±

    The likeliest suspect was whoever benefited the most. This was a simple case of cause and effect, and there was one organization that had already been suspected in many crimes.

    ¡°Do you mean Angel in the World, that Japanese charity?¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had it all figured out. ¡°Professor He, I want to get yourw firm in America to represent me in a suit against Angel in the World for my fifteen billion dor inheritance.¡±

    He Zhichuughed as he caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°You are clever. Did I teach you this as well?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯smon sense.¡± Gu Nianzhi batted her eyshes. ¡°The entire world knows the Americans are stronger than the Japanese, so that¡¯s who I should turn to in order to get my money back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that if she fought this on her own, there was too high a chance of the Japanese courts being biased against her because of her nationality. If she wanted a Japanese organization to cough up an amount thatrge, she¡¯d need American assistance.

    He Zhichu nodded with a smile. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll make the call as soon as I get back. I¡¯ll say we¡¯ve just been handed a huge business opportunity.¡±

    With fifteen billion dors at stake, how could it be anything else?

    This was working exactly how Gu Nianzhi nned¡ªshe¡¯d wanted an Americanw firm to be the ones who returned the money stolen from her by a ¡®Japanese charity organization.¡¯

    As for recovering the money that was ¡®donated¡¯ to Prime Minister Tan, Gu Nianzhi had nned to get He Zhichu to just send them a letter. She didn¡¯t believe at this juncture that the Tans would dare go to court against her...

    ...

    After He Zhichu had massaged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s knees for a good while, she was finally able to stand while leaning against the table. However, walking still proved tough. He Zhichu supported her by holding onto her arm as he helped her out.

    Once they left the courtroom, Gu Nianzhi saw a military car with a red g. It was not the one that Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying had taken in the morning. This one had a license te that looked foreign to her.

    She began to think it was Huo Shaoheng. Until the door opened and Zhao Liangze stepped out of the car. He waved at her and said, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve been sent to retrieve you.¡± With that, he winked at her to hint that Huo Shaoheng was in the car.

 Chapter 881 - Tricking Each Other

    <h4>Chapter 881: Tricking Each Other</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The winter¡¯s setting sun in Di Capital looked like a salted egg yolk hanging in the sky. The white, fluffy clouds looked down on the barren yet beautiful tree along the side of the road. The rays of the sun were like a thinyer of carpet, covering the ck, elegant, bulletproof luxury sedan parked along the side of the road. The red g on the car exuded pure power. Even the most expensive cars on the streets of Di Capital paled inparison.

    Gu Nianzhi tightened her jaw and stood up straight, never taking her eyes off the sedan. Her legs were still wobbly enough to feel like jelly. However, seeing that car and thinking of the cold, heartless man inside, Gu Nianzhi knew she didn¡¯t want him looking down on her. So she fought her exhaustion, put on a strong front immediately, and toughened herself up.

    He Zhichu looked on coldly at the change in Gu Nianzhi and sighed secretly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nianzhi?¡± Zhao Liangze walked towards them. ¡°Is the hearing over?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside the metal gates of the courthouse and nodded. Her face was as pale as a sheet.

    Zhao Liangze was more meticulous than Yin Shixiong. The moment he came closer, he noticed something was wrong with Gu Nianzhi. He extended his hand and held on to her right elbow, bringing most of her weight onto himself.

    ¡°Thank you, Professor He. We have some things we need to talk about with Nianzhi. Could you leave her with us for now?¡± Zhao Liangze asked politely. He looked at He Zhichu¡¯s hand, which was on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left elbow for a split second.

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi out of the corner of his eye and calmly asked, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to go with him?¡± If Gu Nianzhi was not willing to, He Zhichu would never allow Zhao Liangze to pull her from his side.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated. She was indeed extremely worn out and did not feel like entertaining anyone. She only wanted to go back to her dormitory for a hot soak and then sleep for a day or more.

    However, Gu Yanran¡¯s case had brought about more implications than expected. Huo Shaoheng should have already been interrogating her.

    ¡°...I¡¯ll go with them,¡± Gu Nianzhi finally replied while giving He Zhichu a sincere look. ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I return to the dorm tonight.¡±

    He Zhichu slowly let go of her elbow ced his hands behind his back. ¡°Okay, go ahead. If you don¡¯t call me by eleven tonight, I¡¯ll keep calling you until you get back to your room.¡± He looked at his watch¡ªit was already five o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in appreciation. ¡°Okay Professor He. Then I¡¯ll make sure not to keep you waiting.¡±

    Zhao Liangze felt a sudden weight being ced on his hand. It seemed like Gu Nianzhi did not have any energy left. She felt soft and wobbly, like she would fall at any moment... He didn¡¯t know what was going on. The confusion was simr to what he felt after three days and three nights of vigorous, non-stop Special Forces training.

    Zhao Liangze thought of Gu Nianzhi as if she were his own sister. He couldn¡¯t care less about any gossip that would arise. So he knelt down in front of her. ¡°Get on, Nianzhi.¡±

    He was going to put her on his back. Gu Nianzhi could not ask for more. Her legs were close to giving way. She leaned onto Zhao Liangze¡¯s back and allowed him to carry her.

    He Zhichu looked on quietly as Zhao Liangze carried Gu Nianzhi towards the bulletproof car with the red g. His eyes were filled with nothing but concern for her.

    Zhao Liangze opened the door and helped Gu Nianzhi into the car. Once she was securely inside, he closed the door and sat down in the front passenger seat. Upon closing the door, the driver inside started the engine and began to drive off into the evening sun.

    He Zhichu squinted so his gaze could follow, before finally going to the underground car park to retrieve his own car. He got inside, started the car, then stepped on the elerator and sped out like a gust of wind.

    ...

    Upon entering the car, Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng was sitting beside her. His big build instantly made Gu Nianzhi feel that that space in the back seat had shrunk. It was actually just her imagination¡ªthe car was extremely spacious,parable to a limousine. She sat as close to the door as she could, leaving enough space between them for another person.

    It seemed like Huo Shaoheng had just got out of a meeting. He was still in his full, navy-blue uniform, with a brown leather belt on his waist. With his wide, attractive shoulders, he looked as strong as ever. Covering his feet were a pair of tall, winter boots. His long legs had taken up all his leg space in the car.

    Gu Nianzhi had to shift to avoid his legs before finding a suitable position to make herselffortable. She tried her best not to get too close to him.

    Huo Shaoheng did not talk. He merely looked as Gu Nianzhi tried to sit as far from him as possible. His eyes drifted down. She wore a long coat that ended just above her knees, and his eyes fell on the short section of her legs that were exposed.

    Gu Nianzhi felt ufortable under his intense stare, and greeted him awkwardly. ¡°Is something the matter, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked away and said coldly, ¡°Drive.¡±

    The driver was none other than Fan Jian, the captain of his regr soldiers.

    Soon, the ck, elegant, bulletproof car with a red g had left the Supreme Court in the distance. It was moving in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s house in Hepingli Precinct. The same direction as her school.

    Seeing that the car was moving towards the right area, Gu Nianzhi felt relieved and a wave of drowsiness came over her.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up, she couldn¡¯t see anything. Darkness surrounded her. In a moment of panic, she felt lost and nervous. A big hand patted her back, seemingly knowing about her insecurity and trying to calm her down.

    It was only then that Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her fear. She realized that she was leaning against a wide chest. Both her hands were holding onto someone¡¯s cor, and she was all snuggled up like a baby in their embrace.

    Instinctively, she wanted to push them away.

    Somewhere above her head, she heard a chuckle. It sounded like a gentle wind blowing above the surface of a pond, and it sent ripples through her heart and butterflies in her stomach.

    It sounded so pleasant.

    She remembered that she had gone into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car before falling into a deep sleep.

    Therefore, this chest that she leaned against, so familiar and warm¡ªwas it Huo Shaoheng?

    Gu Nianzhi struggled to get off hisp.

    However, Huo Shaoheng hugged her with his big hands. The moment he did, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t move at all. She dared not. Both Fan Jian and Zhao Liangze were still in front, weren¡¯t they?

    Seeing that she stopped moving, Huo Shaoheng took one of her hands and ced it on his face. It felt just like she was caressing his cheeks...

    Of course, his skin was not as smooth or soft as ady¡¯s, but the warmth and sticity that was unique to a man made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palm feel so warm.

    She put in every effort to calm herself. ¡°Why did I fall asleep? Did I dy your schedule?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand stopped and he didn¡¯t answer her question. Instead, he asked, ¡°Too worn out?¡±

    Indeed. In fact, after sleeping, Gu Nianzhi realized that her symptoms hadn¡¯t improved. Instead, she felt worse.

    ¡°How long was I asleep?¡±

    ¡°Three hours.¡±

    Which meant that it was already some time past eight. Gu Nianzhi was even more embarrassed. ¡°That was long? Why didn¡¯t you guys wake me up?¡±

    ¡°...I asked Little Ze and Fan Jian to go back already/¡± Huo Shaoheng replied emotionlessly. ¡°Go up. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°I thought you had wanted to understand the situation?¡±

    It was only then that Gu Nianzhi understood that she had been tricked again...

    Huo Shaoheng did not reply to her. Instead, he opened his side of the door and got out. Then, he bent down and carried Gu Nianzhi, princess-style.

    He was so tall and strong, and Gu Nianzhi felt so safe and secure in his arms.

    The both of them went upstairs by elevator from the basement car park. Soon, they arrived at the resale apartment that Gu Nianzhi had recently purchased.

    It was dark. All the neighbors¡¯ doors had already been closed. The only light came through the edges of the doors. Huo Shaoheng entered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ce carrying her and closed the door behind them. He turned on the lights in the living room along the way. Gu Nianzhi had not been here in a while. She actually felt unfamiliar with the ce.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start the water. You take a bath first. After that,e out for dinner and we can discuss official matters.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had nned everything. Gu Nianzhi could not even find an opportunity to reject his suggestions since he had arranged for a discussion of ¡®official matters¡¯ after her bath and meal.

    Gu Nianzhi agreed, and Huo Shaoheng carried her into the bathroom. She sat down on the stool and waited for him to finish the preparations. He had also added some essential rose oil and bath salts as well. It smelled so calming and rxing by the time he finished that Gu Nianzhi could not wait to get in there.

    Huo Shaoheng closed the door and returned to the kitchen. Gu Nianzhi walked slowly to the bathtub while supporting herself against the walls. She slowly removed her clothes and climbed inside the tub to soak herself.

    It was sofortable that she found her eyelids getting heavy.

    ...

    After the bath, Gu Nianzhi realized that her energy had finally returned. Her legs still felt slightly wobbly, but she could walk well enough. She had changed into her fluffy, coral-colored robe and came out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel.

    The smell of food wafted from the dining area. Gu Nianzhi followed the scent. At the table, Huo Shaoheng read a newspaper. His handsome features were almost glowing under the lights. Gu Nianzhi gulped and willed herself to look away and focus on the spread.

    There were four dishes¡ªstir-fried snow peas with an attractive green color, potato slices with vinegar drizzled over them, prawns seasoned with salt and pepper, and finally, braised pork slices. There was also te of pita on the side to wrap the meat, spring onions, and cucumber. A ceramic pot sat in the middle of the table. It was covered, so Gu Nianzhi had no clue what soup was inside.

    Seeing that she had entered the living room, Huo Shaoheng took the lid off the pot. Inside was nourishing, ginseng ck chicken with goji berries and mushroom soup. The soup was clear and bright. It smelled delicious.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down without hesitation and filled a bowl of soup for herself.

    Huo Shaoheng looked on and said calmly, ¡°Slowly. This is all yours. No one¡¯s going to snatch them away. Why the speed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was famished. She ignored him and downed a bowl of soup, then filled another before slowing down. She stirred the remaining soup in the ceramic pot and raised her eyebrows. ¡°... This is the official matter that you wanted to speak to me about?¡±

    ¡°Finish eating before we talk about official matters.¡± He handed her a small bowl of rice.

    Gu Nianzhi refused to finish. Huo Shaoheng drizzled a scoop of soup onto her rice before she took it over. Having a hot bowl of rice infused with soup on a cold winter night could make anyone feel warm and contented.

    ¡°...Why are you not eating?¡± she asked Huo Shaoheng after she had eaten a couple of mouthfuls.

    Huo Shaoheng took his bowl and chopsticks and began eating as well. His posture during meals was extremely graceful and pleasing to the eye. One could tell that it was a habit established when he young. It was a stark contrastpared to the way he normally did things in the Special Forces.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s table manners were influenced by Huo Shaoheng. They both finished their meals peacefully. It felt as though the unfamiliarity and distance between them had slowly faded.

    Gu Nianzhi began whining within herself again. It was the frog-boiling trick¡ªput a frog in a pot of boiling water and it will jump out. But if you put it in a pot of room-temperature water and then gradually raise the temperature, the frog would die without realizing what¡¯s happening. Gu Nianzhi felt like the frog. When she was finally cooked, Huo Shaoheng would have his way with her...

    Tricks! They were all tricks!

    Especially all the good food on the table.

    Gu Nianzhi gulped. She got up to make Huo Shaoheng a cup of pu¡¯er tea, and get herself a cup of milk. She brought both over to the dining table. She ced the pu¡¯er tea in front of Huo Shaoheng, then looked at him and smiled. That smile was so sweet and beautiful. It made people want to hug her and give her a bite...

    Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful smile and what she had done. He was surprised as well. His own suspicions began.

    Tricks... Nianzhi had learnt them as well...

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she raised her head. ¡°Can we talk now, Huo Shao?¡±

    However, before Huo Shaoheng spoke, Gu Nianzhi had more to say.

    ¡°By the way, thank you for asking Chen Lie to include the DNA sequencing in the report. If not for that, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to turn the tables on Gu Yanran.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng acknowledged calmly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think much about it at the time. But if you hadn¡¯t mentioned the DNA bar chart in court, we would have missed many important leads.¡±

    Thinking about what a close shave this was, one would naturally be reminded by what Gu Yanran had mentioned about the bone marrow match and transnt.

    She furrowed her brows and began losing herself in thoughts while sipping her milk. ¡°Gu Yanran said that the daughters of the Gu family have a hereditary disease. Do you think it¡¯s true?¡±

 Chapter 882 - Should She Be Trusted

    <h4>Chapter 882: Should She Be Trusted</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng had not expected that that would be the thing Gu Nianzhi was bothered about. When he heard Gu Yanran¡¯s narration, he was worried that Gu Nianzhi had been used by Gu Xiangwen to treat diseases...

    No matter what, Gu Nianzhi had a special healing system, and he and Chen Lie knew only too much about it.

    However, Gu Nianzhi cleverly used the gicponent¡¯s bar charts of East Asians to expose Gu Yanran¡¯s lies. It was only then that Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief.

    He was still unwilling to think of what he should do if what Gu Yanran said was true.

    ¡°...What inheritable illness? You were going to trust a liar like Gu Yanran?¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and took a sip of his pu¡¯er tea. ¡°She even wanted to lie to herself.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not manage to convince Gu Nianzhi. Her brows, still furrowed, caused her brows to arch.

    ¡°But what she said actually made a little sense. If not, how could we exin my Aunt Gu Tian¡¯s passing? And Gu Jing too...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back on his seat at the dining table. He looked quickly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s troubled face.

    He lowered his eyes, took his newspaper that he was reading, and said, ¡°The reasons why the Gu family decided to adopt Gu Jing and Gu Yanran are still debatable. You wouldn¡¯t believe whatever Gu Yanran said, would you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She drank a huge mouthful of milk and said contentedly, ¡°What Huo Shao meant was that the Gus might not have adopted Gu Jing and Gu Yanran to treat the illnesses of their daughter.¡±

    ¡°What illnesses are there that would require other families¡¯ children to treat?¡± Huo Shaoheng did not raise his head. He opened the newspaper. ¡°At least, for me, I haven¡¯t heard of such strange illnesses before, not even from Chen Lie.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean that it doesn¡¯t exist just because you haven¡¯t heard of it before, and it also doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t exist just because Brother Chen doesn¡¯t know about it.¡± Gu Nianzhi was stubborn about this.

    Even though Gu Yanran had told numerous lies, on this topic Gu Nianzhi felt that whatever Gu Yanran had said did actually made sense. Therefore, she chose to believe Gu Yanran.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palm-sized face was stern. Her expression wiped away Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile.

    ¡°Alright, that makes sense. I was being narrowminded. Excuse me.¡± Huo Shaoheng actually apologized so gently!

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. Her eyes opened widely; she stared at Huo Shaoheng for a good while.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t I admit my mistakes now?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, felt amused, and picked up his cup for another sip of pu¡¯er. ¡°Our frontline team of soldiers were all good at pointing out the mistakes of others and admitting to our own mistakes.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    This was so politically correct! Goodness!

    ¡°Fine, if what Gu Yanran said was true, then why don¡¯t we think along this line ¨C Why must they adopt a Japanese girl to treat the illness of the Gu family¡¯s daughter?¡±

    No matter what, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s upation dealt with highly confidential information. Therefore, the way he analyzed problems was more meticulous than others.

    Gu Nianzhi understood. This was something she had failed to consider.

    ¡°What you were trying to imply was, what quality did Gu Jing, who was also Shizuko Kasahara, have that the Gu family had to adopt her to get ¨C no matter what?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rxed her brows. After being in the dark alone for so long, she felt like she was finally able to see lighting from the other end of the tunnel!

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was able to follow the right direction in such a short time, Huo Shaoheng praised her. ¡°Clever girl.¡±

    However, after contemting it for a while, Gu Nianzhi still insisted, ¡°But if we have to know the reason why Gu Jing was adopted, I feel that we should find out about the inheritable illness that was passed down generationally in the Gu family. I feel that that illness would be the root of the problem.¡±

    So no matter how long they have this discussion, the issue would still go back to the issue on that inheritable illness that had bothered Gu Nianzhi so much...

    Huo Shaoheng sighed silently in his heart.

    This little girl had really grown up. It was not easy to divert her attention anymore...

    ¡°I think, regarding this, you can discuss it with Chen Lie.¡± Huo Shaoheng set the newspaper on the dining table. ¡°He would be more than happy to look into that for you.¡±

    Chen Lie was too much of an enthusiast in his line of work.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, smiling. ¡°Sure. I will call Brother Chen after I get back.¡±

    ¡°It might not be enough to just call. You should go and visit him personally.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table. ¡°Chen Lie would be more than happy to do a full-body checkup for you.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed enthusiastically, as she was reminded of her scary healing abilities. She felt that it was rted to the inheritable illness from the Gu family.

    ¡°You can ask Xie Dezhao about the things you want to know about Gu Tian. He had an amazing impression of you.¡± Huo Shaoheng reminded Gu Nianzhi with a straight face.

    Gu Nianzhi acknowledged and said with a sense of realization, ¡°Oh yeah! I should get Gu Tian¡¯s hospital records beforeparing them to my check up! Then I would better understand the inheritable illness.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reminded her, ¡°Then it would be much better if you went to the Special Forces headquarters every weekend. That way, Chen Lie would be able to follow up with your body conditions on a weekly basis.¡±

    ¡°No problem. As long as Brother Chen said that it was necessary, I would definitely be there.¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to find out about the illness as soon as possible. She did not want to face the same fate...

    After clearing the cutleries, Gu Nianzhi came out from the kitchen and looked at her watch. It was already ten o¡¯clock at night.

    ¡°Huo Shao, could I please trouble you to take me back to the dormitory please?¡± She stood at the door and carried herptop bag. Despite that she was wearing a thick coat, she did not look heavy. Even with the coat¡¯s bulk, she had an amazing figure.

    Huo Shaoheng did not try to talk her out of it. Standing up, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re alright already, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am.¡± Gu Nianzhi spun around. ¡°I was really tired after the hearing. But I got to take a nap, I had a nice bath, and I had something to eat. I¡¯m alright now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng brought her out of the house. When they were entering the lift, Huo Shaoheng caressed her head and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re so energetic. You would definitely be different than your aunt. Did it ever cross your mind that maybe you don¡¯t have that illness at all?¡±

    ¡°Is it possible? But I heard that it is inherited...¡±

    Of course Gu Nianzhi would hope that she did not have the illness as well, but its hereditary nature was a scary thing. She did not dare to let her guard down.

    ¡°...Or maybe, your father had managed to treat you.¡± Huo Shaoheng said in his heart, but he did not say out aloud.

    ...

    It was eleven o¡¯clock at night. Huo Shaoheng sent Gu Nianzhi to her dormitory on time.

    ¡°Thanks for taking me back, Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Huo Shaoheng opened the door for her. ¡°Get some rest. When you get back, I wille and pick you up to take you to the headquarters over the weekend.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed obediently. She waved at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car until it drove into the darkness.

    The long day was finally over.

    Gu Nianzhi patted her chest and turned around to walk up the stairs.

    There was a little spot of red light at the dark corner of the dormitory¡¯s doors.

    Gu Nianzhi realized that someone was there. The red spot was the lit end of that person¡¯s cigarette. The light showed it to be the face of He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu had waited for her here?

    She remembered what He Zhichu had said in the afternoon when they were parting ways, and Gu Nianzhi was relieved that she hade back on time.

    ¡°Professor He?¡± She walked up the steps and called softly.

    He Zhichu emerged from the darkness and looked extremely lonely. When he saw Gu Nianzhi, his cold, aloof face broke out into a small smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re back? Not bad. Huo Shaoheng kept his word.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi whined, ¡°How was it him?! Why isn¡¯t it me?! What has it got to do with Huo Shao? Does Professor He not trust me?!¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi and smiled with the cigarette still in his hand.

    He knew very well that if Huo Shaoheng had not wanted to let Gu Nianzhi return on time, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave even if she had wanted to...

    However, he could not let Gu Nianzhi know about this.

    ¡°Good that you are back.¡± He mumbled. ¡°It iste. Go up and rest. We can talk tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stifled a yawn right then.

    ¡°Thank you. Professor He, I will be going up then.¡±

    He Zhichu stood at the main entrance of the dormitory until Gu Nianzhi disappeared into the lift.

    He walked down the steps alone, then smoked at the tree in front of the dormitory for a while.

    He only left after seeing the lights in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory room light up and go off.

    ...

    After leaving from B University, Huo Shaoheng headed directly to the Headquarters of the Special Forces.

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Huo!¡± Yin Shixiong had been waiting for him to return.

    Huo Shaoheng brought him into the office and indicated for him to close the door. ¡°Anything the matter?¡±

    Yin Shixiong saluted and said, ¡°Sir! Have you seen the video footage of the trial?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down behind his table. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong took a seat opposite Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, since you¡¯ve watched the trial, I won¡¯t say much.¡± Yin Shixiong wanted to report the ongoings of General Ji and Senior Speaker Long.

    ¡°During the fourth hearing, Secretary Cao had been there three times already and had nothing but praises for Nianzhi. Today, after the final hearing, Secretary Cao specifically told Nianzhi to keep in touch. It was clear that he wanted to headhunt her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened hisptop with aplex expression. ¡°The military secretarial office? Secretary Cao really admires Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he?! The military secretarial office is trusted the most by all the senior officers. Many ministers worked there previously!¡± Yin Shixiong knew that the secretary office in the military supreme council had the best system in the entire army.

    ¡°However, Nianzhi might not be willing to go there.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Moreover, she might not be able to pass her political trial...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had used some tricks to make General Ji give them the green light and end Gu Nianzhi¡¯s political trial previously, which was the reason why he could marry Gu Nianzhi so smoothly.

    However, if Gu Nianzhi was to enter the secretarial office in the Military supreme council, she would definitely have to go through a thorough political trial and background check.

    Yin Shixiong understood these rules as well andmented emotionally, ¡°What a close call! When Gu Yanran said that Nianzhi was Japanese today, I had goose bumps all over myself!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is definitely not Japanese.¡± Huo Shaoheng was not worried about this. ¡°She is Chinese. However... she was not born a citizen here.¡±

    In terms of nationality, she should be considered as a foreigner who migrated into Hua Xia Empire and then got her citizenship.

    They discussed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s career progression after her graduation when a voice could be heard outside the door, ¡°Reporting!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned on the intemunication speaker in his office.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice came from the other end of the speaker. ¡°Gu Yanran was wreaking havoc. She said she wanted to see her father. The people who were looking after him asked me if they could approve her request.¡±

    The person in a vegetative state that they had been taking care of, thinking he was ¡®Gu Xiangwen¡¯, was still in the intensive care unit in Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    Knowing that that man was just Japanese, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Ask Chen Lie to give them a receipt of the medical charges for his treatment. Give it to Gu Yanran.¡±

    He had agreed to let Gu Yanran visit her father.

    Zhao Liangze answered loudly and headed to Chen Lie¡¯s office to pass the message.

    Yi Shixiong asked softly, ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re really letting Gu Yanrane and visit her father? I thought she had a full mental breakdown? How could she still remember her father?¡±

    ¡°Not interested.¡± Huo Shaoheng had only passed themand to Chen Lie.

    That night, the man in vegetative state, Gu Yanran¡¯s father, was transferred from the Headquarters of the Special Forces to a normal hospital in Di Capital.

    Gu Yanran was led by two female police officers to the hospital the next day to visit her father.

    When exiting the van, she saw a normal hospital. She asked in shock, ¡°My father isn¡¯t here. Is he?¡±

    She thought, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he in the Intensive Care Unit in the headquarters of the Special Forces?¡±

    ¡°He was transferred here yesterday.¡± The female police officer led her emotionlessly. ¡°It is cheaper here.¡±

    Gu Yanran pursed her lips and followed the officer.

    A skinny man was lying in the hospital bed in a simple hospital room. Gu Yanran looked at him and walked to his bed with no expression on her face.

    Seeing this man¡¯s face, remembering that what she went through during childhood with him was nothing but hunger, beatings, and humiliations¡ªGu Yanran closed her eyes and broke down in tears.

    Her mother had rescued her from him and went to the Gu family. To her, it was a stark contrast in environment, like she had just arrived in heaven from hell...

    She should not be asking for anything more in cases like this, but when she saw that there was a princess in this heaven of a ce, and she had a father who was willing to spoil her so much...

    ¡°Why was there such an amazing father in this world?!¡± she thought. ¡°Why was such an amazing father not her own father?!¡±

    Her jealousy and extremity could not be bnced.

    Therefore, when the opportunity was presented to her, she grabbed it without thinking.

    Maybe she was no different than the evil man lying in this bed.

    Why else should she still need him around?

    He should go to hell by now...

    Gu Yanran turned to leave the hospital and told the female officer, ¡°I have no more money. Stop his life support.¡±

    Removing the life support of a person in vegetative state was the equivalent to wanting him dead.

    Since Gu Yanran was this man¡¯s biological daughter, she would have some power to a certain extent to let them stop his life support.

    However, it wasn¡¯t her turn to talk yet.

    Huo Shaoheng had sent people to Chiba Ken in Japan to investigate what had urred during Shizuko Kasahara¡¯s adoption process.

 Chapter 883 - Unexpected Discoveries

    <h4>Chapter 883: Unexpected Discoveries</h4>

    The two soldiers from the Special Forces arrived at Chiba Ken in Japan and managed to find the address that was indicated on the adoption certificate.

    It was an extremely quiet street with Japanese-styled houses with white walls and ck roofs along both sides of a straight asphalt road.

    There were cherry blossom trees nted along the road; however, the leaves had all fallen off, leaving the branches bald.

    They headed to the Kasahara home listed on the adoption certificate.

    However, when they had found the address, the family tag on the outside of the house did not say ¡®Kasahara.¡¯ The family tag said, ¡®Hita.¡¯

    An olddy with white hair opened the door and saw them. She smiled and asked, ¡°Can I help? Who you are looking for?¡±

    She spoke in Japanese.

    The two soldiers had been based in Japan on a long-term basis, so thenguage was not a problem for them. However, they were representing Hua Xia Empire to gather information with the locals.

    ¡°May I ask if this home belonged to the Kasaharas?¡±

    ¡°The ¡®Kasaharas?¡¯ Oh, they sold the house to us.¡±

    ¡°They moved? Do you know where they moved to?¡±

    ¡°...Do you have things you need to settle with them? It¡¯s been many years since anyone came looking for them...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. We have some things to rify with the Kasaharas. We need to see if they knew a girl named Shizuko Kasahara...¡±

    ¡°Shizuko? You mean that little Kasahara girl? It¡¯s been so many years. She even came to my ce for meals when she was still a little girl... After that? Didn¡¯t she pass away after that?¡±

    The two soldiers who were based in Japan were speechless. ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Everyone in the Kasahara family had passed on. They were the ones who sinned! To be honest, it serves them right. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t do anything that goes against our conscience!¡±

    ¡°That was her grandfather¡¯s sin. What¡¯s it got to do with her? Old woman, stop talking nonsense!¡± A middle-aged man beside the olddy seemed extremely unhappy with the fact she shot off what was on her mind.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I say that we shouldn¡¯t be doing things against our conscience.¡± The olddy insisted on her point and turned back to the two Special Forces soldiers. ¡°I remember Shizuko from the Kasahara family. On this entire street, I¡¯m probably the only one who still remembers her. It¡¯s been so many years. People have left, and people have passed on... Only me, this old woman, still remembers her...¡±

    The two soldiers from the Special Forces saw a glimpse of hope. They produced their identification document from the court. ¡°...We are here to garner evidence for awsuit. We heard that Shizuko Kasahara had already passed on...¡±

    ¡°Yes, she had. For more than a decade now.¡± The olddy said, not even looking at the identification document. ¡°Shizuko was adopted when she was young and left us. We all said that she went on to have a good life. However, after about a decade, she came back again. That time around, she was pregnant and was with a man who looked like a thug.¡±

    ¡°You say that Shizuko Kasahara came back?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, she had. She had a daughter then... Her name was... Naoko. She took her mother¡¯s surname because the father was an asshole who did not want to marry her. She took on three jobs on her own, but still couldn¡¯t support the man¡¯s gambling habits.¡± The olddy sighed. ¡°After that, she got sick. We all had no idea what was going on with her. I only heard that the doctor said it was not curable. That man she came with was so afraid that he would get infected, so he left. Shizuko said that she couldn¡¯t let her daughter be an orphan, so she brought her to get someone to adopt her.¡±

    After that, the olddy fell silent for a long time.

    The two soldiers did not dare to even breathe too hard, afraid to disturb the olddy as she thought about the past.

    This first-hand information was extremely valuable.

    In order to prevent fraud, the soldiers sent to garner information had been instructed to execute all necessary precautions. Therefore, they had voice recordings, video recordings from hidden cameras on themselves, and were sending the information back in real time to the headquarters of the Special Forces in Hua Xia Empire.

    In the central control room of the headquarters of the Special Forces, Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong were watching what was going on in Japan in real time.

    ¡°...And then what happened? She didn¡¯t try to find a cure?¡±

    ¡°There was nothing they could do. I don¡¯t know what kind of illness it was, but the doctor had already said it was incurable. She left for half a year, then came back again.¡± The olddy stood up unsteadily and pointed at a small house in the yard. ¡°She breathed herst breath right here.¡±

    The two soldiers stood up as well and walked around the house before asking politely, ¡°Can we go in and take a look please?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. There¡¯s nothing left there anymore.¡± The olddy waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s really rare that there¡¯s someone who still remembers her. Other than her daughter, no one else hase to visit her before.¡±

    The two soldiers stopped in their tracks and looked at each other. ¡°Her daughter came here as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I remember that it was about six or seven years ago. She came here to give offerings. I was the one who brought her to her mother¡¯s altar.¡± The olddy stood in front of the door and looked up into the grey skies above, filled with emotion.

    Not far away was the beautiful Tokyo Bay.

    The breeze came from the ocean, and it smelled salty and warm. Therefore, it was not very cold.

    Shortly after, the olddy brought the two soldiers to visit the altar of Gu Jing, Shizuko Kasahara.

    It was a rectangr-shaped table with her urn of her ashes inside.

    It looked like a traditional Japanese house. There was an incense burner in front of the table, and a ck-and-white photograph at the back.

    That person in the picture should be Shizuko Kasahara, or Gu Jing. It greatly resembled Gu Yanran.

    ¡°This is Shizuko Kasahara¡¯s ashes?¡± The two soldiers were surprised at how smoothly their mission was going. It felt like their opponent was note expecting that they would investigate here. ¡°It is really Shizuko Kasahara?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You can open it up and take a look if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± The olddy did not understand what was not to believe. ¡°During the cremation, everyone who lived around here attended. Oh yes, when she died, our family organized her funeral because she was taken care of by her grandfather since young. When her grandfather passed away, she became an orphan. It was onlyter that she got adopted.¡±

    ¡°Shizuko Kasahara¡¯s grandfather?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Her grandfather was Shiro Kasahara. When he brought Shizuko here, she was still a baby. His son had died and had left this daughter behind. After that, Shiro-san passed away, and Shizuko was adopted. Then Shizuko died as well. Everyone in the Kasahara family has died. No one is left. Such sinners!¡±

    The olddy seemed to be feeling insecure by now and peeked at the two soldiers.

    However, when they looked back at her, she looked away.

    The two soldiers did not appear out of the ordinary. They expressed their regret and said, ¡°We thought we might be able to get some leads, because Shizuko San¡¯s daughter is currently fighting awsuit. Thus, we would need some things from Shizuko-san. However, since these are ashes, we would be unable to test them for DNA. We can¡¯t guarantee her identity that way.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How can you test for DNA?¡± The olddy asked curiously. ¡°Is that able to prove her identity?¡±

    ¡°Erm... For example, blood samples, hair, bone marrow, or bodily fluids.¡± The two soldiersughed bitterly. They were unable to use ashes to test for DNA.

    ¡°Hmm... Is it like that...?¡± The olddy thought about it for a while and looked determined. ¡°I have Shizuko-san¡¯s hair. She cut a little bit off for me before she passed on. You guys...¡±

    The two soldiers were simply ted. ¡°If it is okay, could you please give us just one strand of her hair?¡±

    ¡°No problem. I can give you ten strands.¡± The olddyughed. She went into her house to look for the things that Shizuko Kasahara left behind from the past.

    After a short while, the olddy took a little purse out. ¡°There are ten strands of Shizuko Kasahara¡¯s hair in this purse. You can have it.¡±

    The two soldiers gratefully epted the hair. Since this olddy seemed close to Shizuko Kasahara, they asked her, ¡°Please, ma¡¯am, do you remember if Shizuko-san had requested for a name change before?¡±

    ¡°A name change? I wouldn¡¯t know about that. Perhaps you could go to the county government to inquire? They have all the information.¡±

    The olddy enthusiastically directed them there and walked them to the county government personally.

    The two soldiers thanked her profusely. The olddy bowed the ssic ny degrees all of a sudden and said, ¡°I am truly sorry that they had done what they had to your country. They were really unforgivable.¡±

    The hearts of the two soldiers skipped a beat. They felt that the olddy had seen through them, and their minds went nk all of a sudden.

    After saying that, the olddy went back to her house, closed the door, and never came out again.

    The two soldiers looked at each other and felt confused. Their startled expression matched their fake identities, so they supposed they did not raise any suspicions with the olddy.

    After leaving Kasahara¡¯s old home, the two soldiers went to the county government office to follow up on the adoption notice from that year.

    As expected, Shizuko Kasahara was the one who was adopted that year. However, three or four yearster, someone came and requested for them to change the records of the adoption from Shizuko Kasahara to Reiko Kasahara. Their reason was that it was because Shizuko-san had a change of name...

    The original adoption records still had traces of the name change.

    ...

    The video streaming from the two soldiers had stopped.

    In the central control room of the Special Forces headquarters, Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze were all deep in thought with their brows furrowed.

    This trip to Chiba Ken in Japan by their soldiers based there managed to gather some information. It was not much, but it was not little either.

    They had managed to get their hands on ten strands of Shizuko Kasahara¡¯s hair at least. Soon, they would be able to do a DNAparison with Gu Yanran.

    With this, they would at least be able to further confirm Gu Yanran¡¯s identity.

    However, it seemed like they still did not understand why Shizuko Kasahara had been adopted.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in front of theputer, deep in thought. He opened the search engine on the inte and typed in ¡®Japan Chiba Ken,¡±Shiro Kasahara,¡¯ and ¡®Shizuko Kasahara.¡¯

    After awhile, the results of the search engine made Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrows twitch.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Huo?¡± Yin Shixiong noticed something wrong with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze and moved over to take a look as well.

    He took one look and gasped.

    ¡°This is Shiro Kasahara?! The grandfather of Shizuko Kasahara?! And Gu Yanran¡¯s maternal great grandfather?!¡±

    ¡°Are they really the same person?!¡±

    ¡°... I think I might have just discovered a crazy situation.¡± Yin Shixiong looked at theputer from behind Huo Shaoheng wide-eyed.

    Zhao Liangze came over to see, then he held his breath too.

    ¡°Did the Gu family know that the Shizuko Kasahara they had adopted was the grandfather of Shiro Kasahara?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Huo Shaoheng closed the window on theputer calmly. ¡°This isn¡¯t as easy as it seems. At minimum, this means that the county government in Chiba Ken in Japan had taken part in falsifying the identity of Shizuko Kasahara.¡±

    On the adoption certificate, there had been absolutely no mention of Shiro Kasahara.

    When the name ¡®Shiro Kasahara¡¯ gave results from the search engine, the pictures depicted a notorious biologist from the Japanese history.

    Shiro Kasahara was one of several notorious biologists. He was the military doctor colonel, conducting research mainly on viruses.

    ¡°But why did it seem like the opponent wasn¡¯t prepared at all? She just spilled the information like that? Is this really not a trap?¡± Zhao Liangze was doubtful.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about that as well. He had a feeling that the opponent was letting them investigate into Gu Nianshi too easily.

    In fact, the opponent¡¯s n would have been perfect, had Huo Shaoheng not managed to save Gu Nianzhi seven years ago.

    Therefore, what the opponent had missed was that Gu Nianzhi did not die at that time.

 Chapter 884 - Starting a War the Moment They Meet

    <h4>Chapter 884: Starting a War the Moment They Meet</h4>

    ¡°It seems like Gu Xiangwen had been a target for a long time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally understood the reason why he went into hiding after his sister, Gu Tian, had passed away. It appeared Gu Xiangwen had painstakingly covered his tracks no matter what, not allowing anyone to track him.

    Perhaps he had finally realized that something was amiss...

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong discussed this with Huo Shaoheng for awhile. No matter how the discussion progressed, they had too little information on hand to proceed. The only way for them to know more would be to try to get more information from Gu Yanran.

    ...

    A few dayster, the soldiers sent to investigate Gu Jing¡¯s history in Japan returned. They had also brought back the ten strands of hair.

    Chen Lie immediately started the process for a DNAparison and sequencing report.

    The results were ideal. The DNA from the ten strands of hair indicated that the hair came from Gu Yanran¡¯s mother. The sequencing also showed that she was truly Japanese.

    They had sessfully found Gu Yanran¡¯s biological parents.

    What Gu Nianzhi had said in court was merely assumptions. In order to back up her words, she would require evidence.

    Through this investigation, Huo Shaoheng had helped Gu Nianzhi back up all of her ims. There would be no chances for Gu Yanran to fight this case ever again.

    ...

    The metal gate of the detention center opened with a whoosh. Gu Yanran hid in a corner when the cell was filled with a bright light.

    She shrunk into the corner where her mattress was and looked nkly at the officer. The officer stood at the door and called out to her, ¡°Number thirty-eight! Come out!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s number in the detention center was thirty-eight.

    She got off the bed slowly and dragged her feet towards the door.

    When she sat down in the interrogation room, she saw two police officers take out a picture. They began to question her by asking, ¡°Gu Yanran, is this person your mother, Gu Jing, who was also known as Shizuko Kasahara?¡±

    Gu Yanran raised her head and had a nk expression. Her eyes were fixed on the picture for awhile.

    That woman in the picture was so foreign, but so familiar at the same time...

    The face and the features were familiar; they were almost identical to Gu Yanran¡¯s; however, the eyes were totally different.

    It was her mother in her memory.

    If she remembered correctly, seven years ago she went to Chiba Ken in Japan to offer prayers to her mother. This was the same picture that she saw on the altar in Chiba Ken.

    Up until this juncture, it was impossible to continue denying the truth.

    Gu Yanran covered her face with her hands and began bawling.

    ...

    In the evening, a set of statements from Gu Yanran was ced on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work desk.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had already read the statements. They sat across Huo Shaoheng to give their points of view.

    ¡°ording to Gu Yanran, after her adoptive father, Gu Xiangwen, had gone through that aerial ident, then someone contacted her and told her that it was impossible for Gu Xiangwen to continue living. That person asked if she would be keen to work together. She saw an opportunity, headed to the venue, agreed on the terms and conditions, and then set up the next step. Only after she was done with the discussion and headed home did she realize that Gu Nianzhi had thrown a tantrum and headed out to sea. After that, she couldn¡¯t be found.¡±

    ¡°Then the inheritance went through some transfers. The person promised her that as long as she helped them find some of the data from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s experiments, the transferred inheritance would belong entirely to her.¡±

    ¡°She would just have to wait until Gu Nianzhi was missing for seven years, and then she would be able to apply for Nianzhi¡¯s death. After that, she would own the entire inheritance from the Gu family.¡±

    ¡°Whatever happened after that, we already knew.¡±

    Whatever happened after that entailed Gu Nianzhi suing Gu Yanran before the seven years was up, requesting to split the inheritance equally.

    Huo Shaoheng asked without raising his head, ¡°Who contacted her? Did she mention that?¡±

    ¡°...Our old pal, Masao Hamada.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback, then the corners of his mouth twitched. ¡°Coincidence? He¡¯s already dead though.¡±

    ¡°If we hadn¡¯t killed him earlier on, Gu Yanran would never have shown herself so soon.¡± Yin Shixiong smiled and gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. ¡°We¡¯ll all remember the teachings of Mr. Huo. We have to be first in everything. If we¡¯re supposed to kill the person, don¡¯t let them live.¡±

    They would have avoided many unnecessary problems if they had done that.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him calmly and asked again, ¡°And the data from the experiments? What data did Masao Hamada want from Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    ¡°I think it was rted to the data to cure the Gu daughters¡¯ inherited gic illness.¡± Yin Shixiong looked at Gu Yanran¡¯s statement. ¡°Gu Yanran wasn¡¯t exactly clear about this. Her words weren¡¯t urate, but it seems rted to the gic therapy that his research was on, and not the bone marrow transnt that we had initially thought it to be.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng became silent.

    Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng had already known about this for quite some time. These were two separate issues altogether.

    Usually gic therapies utilized viruses to invade the patient¡¯s DNA so it could repair impaired genes.

    However, thanks to Gu Nianzhi, they tried to mimic Gu Xiangwen¡¯s method to cure it. The method should expose the DNA so it could be infected by the virus. For example, they would use a gic gun to inject the viruses directly into the patient to repair the patient¡¯s impaired genes.

    It had been an unlikely discovery. When Chen Lie used Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow and injected it into a patient, he found that her bone marrow could repair the impaired genes of the patient extremely quickly.

    Therapies like these were fine for the patient, but the donor would be undergoing hell. The donor would have to go through the bone marrow extraction over and over again...

    To be frank, gic therapies in real life were not that simple and straightforward. However, for Gu Nianzhi, it was that simple.

    Of course, with such a gic make-up, it would be impossible to find what Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow offered in the world.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    He instinctively felt that the data Masao Hamada wanted was not rted to the Gu family¡¯s gic illness. What he wanted was the data of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gic make-up...

    Huo Shaoheng was certain that Gu Yanran did not know about that. If she had known about that all along, she definitely would have locked Gu Nianzhi up, even if she had to force her.

    Gu Nianzhi coincidentally went missing at that time and had avoided Masao Hamada.

    Huo Shaoheng kept running all the points through his head and came up with countless assumptions.

    However, the existence of H3ab7 popped into his head again.

    Didn¡¯t Masao Hamada invent that viral aphrodisiac?

    It was able to alter a person¡¯s gic make-up¡ªin a negative way.

    At that time, Yamaguchi Youko used Masao Hamada¡¯s drug to sabotage Gu Nianzhi. Did she really not know who Gu Nianzhi was?

    How was Yamaguchi Youko rted to Masao Hamada?

    They had initially thought that Yamaguchi Youko was from the Yamaguchi-gumi; however, the people from Yamaguchi-gumi had denied any connections between Yamaguchi Youko and themselves. They had also said that they did not know who Yamaguchi Youko was.

    Now that he tried to analyze it, it seemed like there were two forces trying to bring the Gu family and Gu Nianzhi down.

    What dark secret did Gu Xiangwen have in hand?

    What could make the Japanese so desperate tond their hands on it, so much so that they nned a grand attack over decades?

    Huo Shaoheng filed away the analysis along with the other highly confidential documents.

    He still had some areas that he could not understand, so he did not wish to share the analysis with anyone yet.

    After turning theputer off, Huo Shaoheng instructed, ¡°Put Gu Yanran¡¯s statement into our archive. On top of that, send a copy of her statement to Nianzhi. She wanted to sue the ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ charity organization to pursue the illegal gifting of Gu Yanran¡¯s inheritance form to them. She needs this evidence.¡±

    ...

    In the afternoon on Friday, Gu Nianzhi finished packing her bag and left the library.

    She got onto her bicycle and headed back towards her dormitory, feeling lighthearted.

    Ma Qiqi had already gone home. She would be going to the Special Forces headquarters to see Chen Lie.

    Just as she came out from the shower, she received a call from Xie Qingying.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you ready? Should Ie and get you now?¡± Xie Qingying had intended to treat Gu Nianzhi to a meal.

    In order to make it easier for Gu Nianzhi, Xie Qingying had chosen a restaurant near B University.

    Upon hearing the name of the restaurant from Xie Qingying, Gu Nianzhi replied readily. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s just beside our school. Alright. I¡¯ll see you at the entrance of the restaurant then.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Qingying did not insist. ¡°Seven o¡¯clock then. I¡¯ll meet you at the entrance. See you then!¡±

    ...

    Since Gu Nianzhi lived near the restaurant, she left the dormitory when it was half past six.

    She did not have a car, so she rode her bicycle over.

    After she locked her bicycle in front of the restaurant, Gu Nianzhi raised her head and saw a tall girl with big boobs standing in front of the restaurant.

    Her clothes were fashionable.

    The girl on the left looked slightly like Gu Nianzhi; however, she looked more matured. That girl was Xie Qingying.

    Huo Jin sat beside her. Gu Nianzhi had not seen her in a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and felt slightly displeased.

    When Xie Qingying said that she would treat Gu Nianzhi to a meal, she did not mention anything about treating Huo Jin as well.

    She walked over to Xie Qingying slowly and maintained her smile.

    Xie Qingying held her hands naturally. ¡°Nianzhi, this is Huo Jin, Mr. Huo¡¯s paternal cousin. I heard that you know her well?¡±

    Huo Jin said, ¡°Nianzhi, I bumped into Qingying on the way. Coincidentally, we always hung out when we were in France. When I heard that she wanted to treat you to a meal, I just decided to tag along. Is that okay?¡± Then she added, ¡°If you¡¯re not okay with this, I can leave.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled. ¡°You threw your face on the ground for me to step on; how can I bare to say that I¡¯d be unhappy?¡±

    Xie Qingying heard that and her eyebrows twitched.

    Just her luck. It seemed like she got tricked by Huo Jin.

    Did this look like they knew each other well?

    Yes, they knew each other very well¡ªto the extent that they¡¯d wage a war immediately after meeting.

    Unexpectedly, Huo Jin maintained her smile and turned to Xie Qingying. ¡°Nianzhi and I have some misunderstandings between us. I wanted to use this opportunity today to give both of you a treat so we would all be friends henceforth. We won¡¯t harp on whatever¡¯s happened in the past.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the restaurant and smiled. ¡°Our misunderstandings cost much more than this. Huo Jin, you want me to behave because of a meal from this restaurant? I¡¯m not that cheap.¡±

    Actually, Huo Jin had not caused any physical harm to Gu Nianzhi. However, each time Gu Nianzhi remembered how she treated Song Jinning when she was ill, she could not bring herself to stop disliking her.

    She did not wish to give Huo Jin any opportunity to ask for forgiveness.

    Xie Qingying felt stressed out.

    The manners she was raised with taught her to not make things difficult for others in public.

    She could not bring herself to verbally attack anyone in public.

    Therefore, the only thing she could do was to smile and say, ¡°I think it¡¯s still better if I treat today. Jin, if you would like to ask for forgiveness, find another opportunity to treat Nianzhi, alright? Today I had nned to have lunch with my cousin. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Let¡¯s have a great meal!¡±

 Chapter 885 - The Criteria of a Lifelong Partner

    <h4>Chapter 885: The Criteria of a Lifelong Partner</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to make things difficult for Xie Qingying, so she remained quiet and followed her into the restaurant.

    Huo Jin felt like she could not hold the smile on her face any longer, but she still did not bear to leave.

    This time around, she followed her grandfather, Huo Xuenong, to France and lived in the Xie¡¯s mansion for about a year. It was only then did she realize what a truly wealthy family was.

    Although the Huo family was not bad and had more power in terms of authority, the wealth that the Xie family had was much more than the Huo¡¯s. It was that obvious.

    Perhaps after a few more generations, the wealth of the Huo¡¯s could beparable to that of the Xies, but as of now the two did note close.

    Xie Qingying was merely a distant rtive of the Xies. When she was in France, she had apanied her father, Xie Dezhao, to the Xie¡¯s main family for a visit, and that was how she got acquainted with Huo Jin.

    The two of them went shopping together a couple of times, and they had coffee in one of the caf¨¦s along Avenue des Champs ¨¦lys¨¦es.

    If Huo Jin had made up her mind to be friends with someone, she could give the illusion of letting you feel good about yourself, like you have finally met someone who knew you well.

    Xie Qingying liked making friends as well. The two clicked well.

    When Xie Qingying was on her way to treat Gu Nianzhi to a meal near B University, she bumped into Huo Jin coincidentally.

    Upon hearing that Xie Qingying was going to treat Gu Nianzhi to a meal, she immediately said that she also knew Gu Nianzhi well, and she had not seen her in the longest time. She could make use of this meal to see her again.

    Xie Qingying agreed readily and said, ¡°It¡¯s always nicer to have meals with more people.¡±

    She had always liked the feeling of having family dinners where everyone in the family was present.

    When they were at the Xie¡¯s Mansion, the family could fill severalrge tables.

    She had not expected that it would be in such a situation when she finally would get to meet Gu Nianzhi.

    Even though Xie Qingying did not say anything, she had already mentally made up her mind to distance herself from Huo Jin.

    She could tell that Gu Nianzhi had a horrible impression of Huo Jin.

    She would of course be on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, so it was natural for her toe to this decision.

    The three of them sat down in a Japanese-styled private dining room.

    Xie Qingying requested the menu so Gu Nianzhi could ce her order.

    Gu Nianzhi examined the menu and ordered some Huaiyang dishes.

    One of which was shredded tofu skin braised with superior stock. It was really challenging to shred the tofu skin into thin, noodle-like strips. It had to be cut into thin strips before it could be cooked. When braised in superior stock, it tasted refreshing and savory.

    Other than shredded tofu skin, one of the most popr Huaiyang dishes was deep-fried Chinese perch that was made to look like a squirrel. The body of the Chinese perch had to be cut into strips of meat. Then, it had to be coated with egg powder before putting into hot oil to get it deep-fried into shape. Then, a sweet and sour sauce would be poured over the fish, making the dish look simr to a fluffy squirrel¡¯s tail.

    Thest dish that Gu Nianzhi had ordered would be braised pork balls with shredded crab meat. It was called braised lion head in mandarin and was made from scratch. Then, it was cooked slowly in a pot. There were only four pork balls in a pot. When it was served, each pork ball would be ced in a bowl. There would be only one pork ball per bowl. Gu Nianzhi used to like it so much that she hoped that she could have this dish as a main.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was strict in bringing her up. Therefore, he insisted on teaching her correct table manners. She was also not allowed to overeat.

    Therefore, it remained as a mere thought in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind.

    Today, without Huo Shaoheng by her side, she felt that it would be fine to cut herself some ck. Anyway, she could run three rounds around the schoolter after she was done eating to burn off the extra calories...

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had only ordered the appetizers, Huo Jin suggested, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you order the soft shell turtle soup? They have braised ypot free range duck as well. These are Huaiyang dishes that require so much skill to cook.¡±

    Xie Qingying added Huo Jin¡¯s orders to the list. She informed one of the severs before ordering some stir-fried meat for appetizers and steamed chicken wrapped with lotus leaves as mains. She also ordered a portion of bird¡¯s nest with Hashima for desserts.

    These were the signature dishes from restaurants like these. Therefore, they were well-prepared and their dishes arrived in the blink of an eye.

    The three of them chatted as they ate.

    Due to eating out, Gu Nianzhi and Xie Qingying did not adhere to the rule of not talking during meals. They had a really good time.

    ¡°Cousin, would you still be leaving aftering back this time around?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. She knew that Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying returned from overseas, but they still own businesses in Hua Xia Empire.

    Xie Qingying had already reached the marriageable age. She was supposed to return to Hua Xia Empire to search for her lifelong partner¡ªor to put it simply, a husband.

    She was not close with Gu Nianzhi in the past and did not have any intention to be close to her. Therefore, they were merely acquaintances and had not brought this topic up before.

    However, due to thewsuit happening now, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quick thinking saved her from being maligned by Gu Yanran. This left a great impression on Xie Qingying, so she developed the intention to be close to Gu Nianzhi.

    Therefore, Xie Qingying began ranting to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...This time around, my mom said that I wouldn¡¯t be able to go back to France unless I¡¯ve found a husband.¡±

    She made an expression of feign crying and it made Gu Nianzhiugh out loud.

    Huo Jin was listening to them for a long time and finally found an opportunity to interrupt. ¡°You¡¯re such an amazing girl, Qingying, and you¡¯re worried that there wouldn¡¯t be suitable candidates? Just don¡¯t be too picky; they just have to have a good character. Your family wouldn¡¯t care too much about other things anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not happy to hear this from Huo Jin. Xie Qingying also looked unhappy. ¡°When did I be so capable? Where are the eligible bachelors? I have never seen any...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi savored a pork ball and truly enjoyed its umami taste. With a great appetite, she fished another one into her bowl and said, ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Other than having a good character, the person should also have looks. He should be handsome, have a great voice, be sessful in his workce, and must definitely have a family background that¡¯spatible with my cousin. Only a man of such caliber would bepatible with my beautiful cousin, right?¡±

    Xie Qingying was extremely pleased with what Gu Nianzhi had just said. She smiled and replied, ¡°You¡¯re really good with words, aren¡¯t you? What you just said was spoken so well. My Mandarin isn¡¯t exactly good. I really have to learn from you.¡±

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi mention the criteria of a lifelong partner, Huo Jin pouted. ¡°How would there be such a perfect man around? Nianzhi, don¡¯t get Qingying¡¯s hopes too high.¡±

    She sighed and continued, ¡°If he¡¯s handsome, he wouldn¡¯t have a good family background. Or, if he had a good character, he wouldn¡¯t be capable at work. Or, if he was handsome and had a good family background, he wouldn¡¯t have a good character and would be a Casanova. Therefore, when girls like us want to look for a suitable man, there really aren¡¯t many to choose from.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? You aren¡¯t kidding me, are you?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°Who are the men you¡¯ve been seeing, Miss Huo? They really don¡¯t sound good at all!¡±

    Huo Jin turned pale. ¡°I was talking about the norm! Do you know anyone who is handsome, capable, has a good family background, and has good character? This already wouldn¡¯t be a man¡ªhe would be god.¡±

    She knew one man like that in her whole life. However, that person did not belong to her...

    Gu Nianzhi contemted but said, ¡°I really know a few of them.¡±

    Huo Jin: ¡°...One is already amazing. You know a few?! Is it because you have low standards?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not wish to lose to Huo Jin. ¡°What do you mean by saying I have low standards? I think it¡¯s your circle of friends that are low in quality, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Huo Jin¡¯s face flushed. She raised her voice, ¡°Why are you insulting others?¡±

    ¡°When did I insult you?¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up her bowl and began eating her second pork ball. After swallowing the first mouthful, she said, ¡°I was merely stating facts. If you¡¯re unable to ept it, that¡¯s your problem. Don¡¯t say that I have low standards.¡±

    Seeing that they were about to start another fight, Xie Qingying tried her best to change the topic. ¡°Weren¡¯t we talking about me going on blind dates? Why are you two fighting? Here, let me show you some of the candidates. You two can help me look through them.¡±

    Xie Qingying turned twenty-sixst year and was about to turn twenty-seven soon. She was also rather worried about her romance.

    Women from the Xie family did not need to worry about if they could get married. The issue was that they wanted to marry well; they wanted to make sure they did not marry just anybody.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Jin were bothdies. Therefore, it was innate that they were both interested in topics like these. They put down their chopsticks and looked at her expectantly, waiting for details.

    Actually, Xie Qingying returned to Hua Xia Empire in a rush this time because she had wanted to be a witness for Gu Nianzhi¡¯swsuit. She had not had time to organize her blind dates.

    However, seeing that both thedies were interested, Xie Qingying thought quickly on her feet. Just when she had managed to think of a name, a tall,nky man came into their room. He was dressed elegantly.

    Huo Jin did not know this man, but Xie Qingying and Gu Nianzhi did.

    This was Assistant Yang from the office of Senior Speaker Long.

    He walked to their table and they heard a really handsome voice. ¡°Miss Xie, you¡¯re having a meal with your friends?¡±

    Xie Qingying nodded. ¡°Assistant Yang is here as well? Isn¡¯t this ce far from the office?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to give a treat to my juniors. They¡¯re allw students.¡± Assistant Yang looked at Gu Nianzhi in secret like he was trying to imply that only students who studied their way up in B University were true graduates from B University. The people enrolled through taking entrance exams were not considered students of B University.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to not see his implying gaze, as she did not want to entertain such snide remarks.

    Assistant Yang looked at Xie Qingying instead. He smiled gently. ¡°Would Miss Xie want to say hello to my juniors?¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s stepmother was Senior Speaker Long¡¯s distant paternal cousin.

    It was normal that Assistant Yang knew her.

    However, Xie Qingying did not feel like going over. She smiled and replied, ¡°I have guests with me. Perhaps next time?¡±

    Assistant Yang looked at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Jin and smiled. ¡°These two? Would you, Miss Xie, introduce them to me please?¡±

 Chapter 886 - Can You Stop Being So Lame?

    <h4>Chapter 886: Can You Stop Being So Lame?</h4>

    Xie Qingying had no idea that Assistant Yang had attended the past few hearings and had even spoken to Gu Nianzhi before.

    She had thought that they did not know each other.

    Out of courtesy, she looked at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Jin, wanting their approval before introducing them to him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Assistant Yang and remembered the fourth hearing when Xie Qingying and Xie Dezhao were her witnesses. Assistant Yang was not present. Therefore, he was able to pretend that he did not know her.

    Gu Nianzhi did not wish to expose Assistant Yang on purpose, but every single time Assistant Yang was around, she felt like she was being picked on.

    She did not understand how she had offended him, but she did not want unfair treatment.

    Moreover, she did know him. There was nothing to hide. She did not like to be pretentious. Why did he have to pretend during moments like this?

    Gu Nianzhi put down the ceramic spoon that she was holding and smiled at Xie Qingying, ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not important people. Assistant Yang wouldn¡¯t remember us even if you had introduced us, so why bother?¡±

    Xie Qingying was startled. There was a hidden meaning behind Gu Nianzhi words...

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi, then Assistant Yang. She smiled. ¡°Do you know each other already?¡±

    Assistant Yang was unhappy with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intention to embarrass him. His brows furrowed. ¡°What¡¯s thisdy trying to imply? Your words are harsh. Did I offend you in any way?¡±

    ¡°Nope, you didn¡¯t. What makes you say so?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at him. ¡°Because we had just metst week in court, and even talked. You remembered my name then, but apparently you¡¯ve forgotten it just a weekter. So would you remember, really? You¡¯re a busy man; it would be natural to forget. Cousin, did I say it correctly?¡±

    Xie Qingying understood. ¡°You mean, Assistant Yang was present at the past few hearings?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He asked where I had my trial court practices at.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and continued to expose him.

    Assistant Yang acknowledged, ¡°Oh, you meant that? My apologies, I had indeed forgotten. Given the nature of my job, I am meeting tens, if not hundreds of people on a daily basis, and I talk with all of them. You can¡¯t expect me to remember every single detail, can you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled lightly, picked up her coconut juice, and sipped it through a straw. ¡°Given Assistant Yang¡¯s limited capability, it¡¯s normal to forget. It seems like Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office is short of capable candidates...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was merely kidding, but Assistant Yang¡¯s expression changed immediately and the atmosphere in their room became tense.

    Xie Qingying quickly tried to harmonize the situation: ¡°Didn¡¯t Assistant Yang say that you would like me to meet your juniors? It just so happens that I have admired the top students in B University for a long time. Why don¡¯t we head over now?¡±

    Assistant Yang understood that Xie Qingying was trying to make him feel less embarrassed and disliked Gu Nianzhi even more.

    Looking at Xie Qingying, Assistant Yang thought that that was what real manners and good upbringing should look like. This was the real daughter from a family that was well to do.

    Gu Nianzhi? He chuckled.

    Assistant Yang did not even look at Huo Jin, he merely turned and guided Xie Qingying out of the room.

    They entered the VIP room that Assistant Yang was hosting the juniors at. Xie Qingying saw twodies and three guys. They all looked like students.

    Assistant Yang braced himself and introduced each one to Xie Qingying. ¡°These are all undergraduate students of B University from thew program. They are also my high school schoolmates.¡±

    Amongst the five students, two of them would be graduating this year. The other three were still freshmen.

    They looked at Xie Qingying with curiosity and nodded towards her.

    Assistant Yang thought about it and intentionally introduced thedy who was about to graduate this year to Xie Qingying. ¡°This is Rong Mingxing, she is the top student in this year¡¯s graduating ss. She started attending college at the age of sixteen so she would graduate this year at the age of twenty! What a genius!¡±

    Xie Qingying looked at the pretty girl and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m so honored today to have met one of the top schrs of B University. Come, let¡¯s toast with my tea.¡±

    Xie Qingying took the ceramic pot from the table and poured herself a ss of tea before offering each of them a toast.

    Thedies drank juice, but the guys had beer. They all had a toast with Xie Qingying.

    Assistant Yang¡¯s mood began to get better slowly. With both hands in his pocket, he introduced Xie Qingying to everyone. ¡°This is the daughter of the Xie family. She¡¯s juste back from France. She is a rtive of Senior Speaker Long.¡±

    The students were all taken aback and treated her with even more respect than before.

    Xie Qingying seized the opportunity to get Assistant Yang out of her VIP room. By going to his VIP room for a cup of tea, she was already doing much more than she had intended to.

    After chatting for awhile more and praising all the students again, she bid her goodbye and left.

    After she had left, everyone began asking Assistant Yang about her.

    ¡°Senior Yang, how are you so close with Miss Xie?¡±

    ¡°Is this the Miss Xie from the Xie family that had gone to France?¡±

    They could only read about people like her from historic books!

    Assistant Yang felt important all over again and poured himself another drink. He nodded politely and said casually, ¡°Yes, she is from that Xie family. She¡¯s the rtive of our Senior Speaker Long.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Senior Yang, why¡¯s your face turning red? Are you blushing...? Do you... have feelings for her?!¡±

    The guys began kidding around, and all of them went over to give toasts to Assistant Yang.

    Assistant Yang had always held the juniors from his hometown in high regard and helped them whenever possible. However, he must be the leader amongst them.

    The twodies exchanged looks, then looked away. They did not join the guys in making fun of Assistant Yang.

    This was especially so for thedy, Rong Mingxing, who was about to graduate this year. She turned pale and looked sad.

    Assistant Yang noticed the change in Rong Mingxing and felt that his mood became much better.

    For all the embarrassment he had gone through when he saw Gu Nianzhi just now, he managed to put it all behind him miraculously.

    Smiling, he scooped a braised pork ball from the pot for Rong Mingxing. ¡°Oh yes... I thought you liked these? Eat more. You have to eat enough.¡±

    The guys in the room seemed shameless. Seeing what was going on, they began teasing Assistant Yang and Rong Mingxing immediately.

    Assistant Yang lit a cigarette and held it with his fingers. He looked at Rong Mingxing¡¯s side profile and could not read her thoughts among the smoke.

    Rong Mingxing reminded him gently, ¡°Senior, you should smoke less. You¡¯ve already drank quite a bit today.¡±

    Assistant Yang put out his cigarette and smiled. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll listen to little Rong. I¡¯ll smoke less.¡±

    Then, he took some marinated fish for Rong Mingxing and whispered, ¡°What do you intend to do after you¡¯ve graduated? Our office is looking to hire thising spring. Would you like toe and work?¡±

    Rong Mingxing was ted. She had been ying coy with this senior with a high-ranking position for so long because she wanted to have her job upon graduation taken care of.

    ¡°Senior, do you mean it? Would my shifting be taken care of as well?¡±

    Assistant Yang fell silent. ¡°...¡±

    ...

    Only after Xie Qingying had left with Assistant Yang, Huo Jin whispered, ¡°Nianzhi, Assistant Yang is from the cab? Is he the subordinate of Senior Speaker Long?¡±

    Since he was called ¡®Assistant,¡¯ he should be of a higher rank and closer to some ministers.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the personal assistant of Senior Speaker Long.¡±

    Huo Jin kept quiet and began sipping her double-boiled soft shell Chinese turtle soup.

    After a while, Xie Qingying returned. She returned to her seat and did not mention what Assistant Yang had mentioned when he was around just now. She merely turned to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Jin, ¡°Where were we?¡±

    She was referring to the topic that they were on before Assistant Yang had entered their VIP room.

    Huo Jin reminded her, ¡°Qingying, we were talking about getting you on some blind dates! We haven¡¯t even begun, and Assistant Yang came in.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes.¡± Xie Qingying was interrupted by Assistant Yang and forgot where she was. Then, seeing Assistant Yang, she vaguely remembered that her father would like to match him to her. So she asked, ¡°What do you think of Assistant Yang?¡±

    Huo Jin raised an eyebrow and looked at Xie Qingying, like she already knew that the question wasing. ¡°Assistant Yang? He looks decent. Handsome and he is quite young, isn¡¯t he? Being able to be a personal assistant of Senior Speaker Long at such a young age, if he did not make any blunders, when Senior Speaker Long retires, then he would be able to be the next speaker, wouldn¡¯t he?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not have a good impression of Assistant Yang. However, she did not wish to interfere with how Xie Qingying wanted to choose her life partner. Therefore, she only corrected Huo Jin, ¡°In order to be a Speaker, the person would have to go through an election and be a minister in the cab first. The position of a Speaker is not a promotion within the board; it¡¯s achieved through voting. Even if Senior Speaker Long retires, Assistant Yang wouldn¡¯t be able to be a speaker unless he was elected. This is especially so because an assistant is only a job categorized under a civil servant.¡±

    Huo Jin was not exactly clear about all these, and she knew that she had said something wrong again. She was slightly awkward, but seeing that Gu Nianzhi was so good with her words, she wanted very much to be in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s good books. Huo Jin did not retort and swallowed her anger again.

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like that? Nianzhi, you know so much.¡± Huo Jin praised Gu Nianzhi immensely.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°This ismon knowledge. It¡¯s taught in high school, Miss Huo.¡±

    ¡°High school? Hahaha, it¡¯s been so long; I don¡¯t remember much anymore.¡± Huo Jin used time as an excuse to maintain some form of dignity.

    Gu Nianzhi did not continue to humiliate her, and she began sipping on the turtle soup as well.

    The room became quiet, and it felt awkward.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personalized ringtone.

    If it was in the past, Gu Nianzhi would not have picked it up so instantaneously. However, she was notfortable with the dinner. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. Therefore, she picked up the call almost immediately and smiled. ¡°Hello.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. ¡°Nianzhi? Is that you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. Is there anything the matter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was too embarrassed to call him ¡®Huo Shao¡¯ in front of Xie Qingying and Huo Jin, so she just avoided it.

    The moment Huo Shaoheng heard that, he knew that Gu Nianzhi should be in some kind of situation. ¡°Is it convenient to talk?¡± he asked.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and turned to Xie Qingying and Huo Jin. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a phone call.¡± She exited the room with her phone and continued her conversation under the big tree outside the restaurant.

    ¡°Huo Shao? Is anything the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was in his car, heading in the direction of B University. ¡°I thought you would be going to the headquarters tomorrow? I have some time tonight, so I would like to pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not even hesitate: ¡°Sure. I can leave now. Where are you at?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m on the way. I¡¯ll be reaching your school soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked out of his window. ¡°I¡¯m just a turn away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I am at a restaurant. It¡¯s the Huaiyang cuisine just beside my school.¡± She told him the name of the restaurant.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and realized that he was right at the restaurant Gu Nianzhi was talking about. He also saw Gu Nianzhi on the phone under the tree.

    ¡°Head over there.¡± Huo Shaoheng told Fan Jian. ¡°I see you. Who are you having dinner with?¡± he asked Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 887 - All My Life

    <h4>Chapter 887: All My Life</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was holding onto her phone as she spoke. The moment she looked up, she saw the bulletproof car with a red g. On a cold winter night, along roads that were dimly lit, and after having to take an undeserved attitude from some strange people, seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car and hearing his concerned voice was akin to warming her heart up after feeling cold for almost the entire evening.

    She quickly replied, ¡°You guys wait here along the roadside for a minute. I will go in and get my bag.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the restaurant quickly and entered the room. She turned to Xie Qingying apologetically and said, ¡°Cousin, I have something to attend to, so I need to get going now. I will treat you next time!¡±

    ¡°Is it the phone call just now? Sure, go ahead if you have something you need to do.¡± Xie Qingying expressed her understanding. She had intended to treat Gu Nianzhi today, but with Huo Jin and Assistant Yang interrupting, she already felt awkward. ¡°I will see you again soon, yes? I will remember!¡± she said.

    ¡°No problem. I will definitely give you a call.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a sign of a call and picked up her bag. She also nodded to Huo Jin as a form of courtesy.

    Aftering out of the restaurant, Gu Nianzhi saw the car that was stopped right in front of it. She pushed her bicycle towards the car. The window of the car opened, and Huo Shaoheng took a look before instructing Fan Jian, ¡°Help Nianzhi with her bicycle and hang it at the back of the car.¡±

    Fan Jian got out of the car, took the bicycle from Gu Nianzhi, and hung it on the bicycle rank on the back of the car. Gu Nianzhi thanked him and opened the door to the back seat. Huo Shaoheng had initially been sitting in the seat nearer to the roadside. However, when Gu Nianzhi got in the car, he had already moved over to the other side.

    Fan Jian finished hanging Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bicycle, returned to the car, and drove off. The moment they left, Assistant Yang and the students came out of the restaurant. Everyone surrounded Assistant Yang and chatted happily away.

    However, Assistant Yang had already noticed that Gu Nianzhi had gotten into the car with the red g and a military license te. He picked up a cigarette and lit it. Taking a puff, he felt even more stressed.

    ¡°Senior Yang, where should we head off to enjoy next?¡± the freshman guy asked excitedly.

    Assistant Yang smiled. He took out 1,000 dors from his wallet and ced it in Rong Mingxing¡¯s hands. ¡°Little Rong, take everyone to sing karaoke in my ce. I have some things to do and have to return to the office.¡±

    Everyone thanked Assistant Yang profusely and watched him as he left in his Volkswagen Passat. One of the girls muttered, ¡°Senior Yang drank so much just now... He will be okay driving, won¡¯t he?¡±

    Rong Mingxing pursed her lips. She held onto the money in her hands and felt like it was fire burning. She mumbled, ¡°He did not drink that much. He should be fine, shouldn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°He will surely be fine! You girls are thinking too much. Senior Yang is so well liked by Senior Speaker Long in the cab. He is Senior Speaker Long¡¯s right hand man. He¡¯s had to apany Senior Speaker Long on speaking engagements with so many important people, he definitely had to drink more. What is this little bit of alcohol? Senior Yang can definitely handle way more than that!¡± The guys assured thedies and had already taken out their phones to look for karaoke ces.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng was driving a new car that the army had given him. It was warm inside. The heater was not turned on high, but Huo Shaoheng felt like a natural heater. Sitting by his side, Gu Nianzhi could feel heat emanating from him, so much so that she was actually feeling slightly hot.

    She pulled at the high cor of her woolen sweater and shifted more to the side, away from Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng did not mind at all. Folding his arms, he leaned against his seat and asked her again, ¡°Who were you having dinner with?¡±

    ¡°My cousin from the Xie¡¯s side of the family, Xie Qingying.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng and continued, ¡°And your paternal cousin, Huo Jin.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly surprised. ¡°Huo Jin? She treated you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted unhappily. ¡°She really wanted to, but it was Cousin Xie who treated me. We had agreed on it since the hearing the other day.¡±

    ¡°Xie Qingying treated you to dinner and brought Huo Jin along?¡± Huo Shaoheng was always able to ask questions that were straight to the point.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, but her eyes were still filled with admiration when she looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°No. They had coincidentally bumped into each other along the way, and Huo Jin had insisted on tagging along.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to look at Huo Shaoheng as she said, ¡°Huo Shao, do you know what Cousin Xie has to do upon her return to the Hua Xia Empire this time ¡¯round, other than helping me out?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes. He replied calmly, ¡°I had only requested that shee back to testify as a witness for the case.¡± He meant that whatever else she had to do was none of his business.

    Gu Nianzhi analyzed the way that Huo Shaoheng had answered her and figured that perhaps he knew about her ¡°mission?¡±

    ¡°Cousin Xie said that her mom had asked her to go on blind dates while she was back until she was able to find a suitable candidate to be her husband,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile. Then, seeing that there was no reaction from Huo Shaoheng, she felt bored and kept quiet, looking at the view outside her window.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and glimpsed at her. Seeing the back of her head, he knew that she was upset that he did not give her a reply. However, how could he reply to something like that? What did Xie Qingying having to go on blind dates have to do with him? Huo Shaoheng felt that Gu Nianzhi definitely did not know that Senior Speaker Long had tried to matchmake Xie Qingying and himself in the past before... If she had known about it, she would not have spoken like that. He did not exin, but the corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. It was slight, but itsted for a long time until it was time to exit the car.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him into his mansion. Returning to a ce that she had been staying for about half a year on a Friday night actually made her feel distant.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in. Seeing that she was spaced out in the dark instead of turning on the lights, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You forgot where the switches are?¡± He then turned on the lights.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes in reflex. The lights in the room were not blinding at all, actually. They were soft LED lights that were gentle on the eyes. However, when there was a sudden beam of light after being in the dark for some time, her eyes would instinctively want to protect themselves a little.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi had gotten ustomed to the brightness. She rubbed her eyes and entered the room without saying a word.

    Seeing her like that, Huo Shaoheng thought that she was still upset with him for not replying to her just now. He followed her into the room and closed the door gently. He took a seat on the single seat sofa in the room.

    Turning around, Gu Nianzhi realized that Huo Shaoheng had followed her into the room. She furrowed her brows unhappily. ¡°Huo Shao, I am turning in soon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°It is not even ten o¡¯clock. Since when do you turn in so early?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Rolling her eyes, she rubbed her temples. ¡°I had some alcohol today, so I am tired...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her, and his expression changed. ¡°You drank? Have you forgotten what I told you before?¡± She was not allowed to drink until she turned 22 years old.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around guiltily and walked to the wardrobe to get a change of clothes. Pouting, she admitted honestly, ¡°I did not drink. I was kidding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the remote control on the small table beside the sofa and turned on the tscreen television on the wall. ¡°I know that you did not drink.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise and red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°How do you know?!¡± she demanded.

    ¡°You don¡¯t reek at all.¡± Huo Shaoheng held onto the remote and began switching the channels. He was looking fixedly at the television. ¡°Look for a better excuse next time if you wish to lie.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Who wants to lie to you?! I never tell lies!¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled and looked at her before looking back at the television. ¡°My family is also arranging for me to go on blind dates.¡± To be more specific, his grandfather and father were the ones who were doing the arranging.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands trembled. She did not say anything, but she would never admit that her heart had skipped a beat when she heard that.

    She selected the clothes that she wanted to wear for tomorrow and looked like nothing was bothering her.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi and switched the channel to a military one that he usually watched. He saw that the channel was reporting that the arts department from the army was recruiting new candidates.

    Tan Guiren was standing on the military stage in a long dress and was ying the violin.

    Before Huo Shaoheng could change the channel in time, a beautiful melody from the violin had attracted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention, and she turned around to look at the television, seeing Tan Guiren.

    She was clearly taken aback.

    Narration about Tan Guiren could be heard from the television. ¡°...Prime Minister¡¯s only daughter, Miss Tan Guiren was a schr from the Julliard School. She has received numerous international awards for ying the violin. She has politely rejected many invitations from internationally renowned ensembles to join the Hua Xia military ensemble. It is our honor that we were able to recruit a world renowned violinist like Miss Tan Guiren. Miss Tan has also expressed that she felt honored to be able to join the military ensemble. The leader of the arts department in the army has given their word that they will definitely be giving Miss Tan Guiren the best treatment that they are able to give, and it will definitely be as good as, if not better than the ensembles that had initially invited her...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and pouted at the screen. ¡°Since you want to look at her so much, why don¡¯t you quickly go to her side and be her protector? It would not be good if someone falls and has no one there to help her up again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He had instinctively wanted to turn the television off, but as his finger touched the button, he changed his mind. He thought that if he were to do that now, Gu Nianzhi would definitely think that he was feeling guilty about it or that he was giving in. Then, she would definitely take advantage of him henceforth. He could never spoil her like that.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng quickly and saw that he was still watching the television and did not even move his eyes away. She felt annoyed again.

    What was she doing?

    She decided to watch the performance as well. Upon watching, Gu Nianzhi realized that Tan Guiren did y the violin rather well. She was talented in that regard. She could not help but to say sincerely, ¡°Uncle Huo, if you would like to look for an Auntie Huo in three years¡¯ time, why not just look for Miss Tan? Since you would help her up just because she could not stand stably...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her and finally spoke. ¡°How many times do you want to harp on that?¡±

    ¡°All my life,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied a little too quickly.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. The light reflected off his face like stars. ¡°You¡¯re jealous?¡±

    ¡°I was too full of myself. Forget it. I was just being a busybody. Who you want to get married to is none of my business.¡± Gu Nianzhi took her clothes and headed straight to the bathroom.

    Huo Shaoheng threw the remote control away and sped towards her. He grabbed her by the elbow and whispered into her ear with his ever so sexy voice, ¡°Hold the shower. Let¡¯s talk.¡±

 Chapter 888 - I Will Never Leave You

    <h4>Chapter 888: I Will Never Leave You</h4>

    1

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks but did not turn around. She faced the door to the bathroom and could not understand what else there would be to talk about between Huo Shaoheng and herself.

    She already knew that she still had feelings for Huo Shaoheng. How could she not?

    She had, after all, loved him for so many years. However, this love for him was already differentpared to how she had loved him in the past.

    Before she had faced attempted murder in Germany, she loved him wholeheartedly and with passion. She would even die for him. However, she had never realized that such love would notst forever.

    Therefore, when she was on the brink of death, when she was feeling extremely hopeless, the careless attitude that Huo Shaoheng had given her woke her up. Her love for him died there and then.

    Feelings usually worked that way. They came all of a sudden and left all of a sudden.

    Gu Nianzhi inhaled a deep breath and turned around, facing Huo Shaoheng. She could see very clearly. This man, Huo Shaoheng, was a totally different personpared to He Zhichu. He Zhichu looked cold and aloof on the outside. However, when you got to know him better, you would realize how passionate he was. He was a ssic example of not looking like how he really was; apletely different person inside and out.

    Huo Shaoheng, however, looked like he was easygoing and generous. He could talk to anyone and hold a conversation well. He would not be rude todies and would never embarrass them. However, only people who truly knew him would know that he was someone who was scarily determined. His coldness was something that had been etched within him, just like his silence.

    Perhaps it was due to work habits that made him hide many things that he wanted to say deep in his heart, which he would never spill even upon his death. The senior officers in the army were willing to put Special Forces, such an important department, into the hands of a young Huo Shaoheng then, purely because of this reason.

    Most likely, no one in this world would be able to enter his heart. Gu Nianzhi had thought that she could in the past, but after that, she felt that she could not, either. After chasing after him for a long time, she felt drained.

    ¡°Huo Shao, let us just let go. Three years from now, we will each have our own lives and be happy on our own. Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡± Gu Nianzhi pried his hand off her arm, finger by finger, looking calm and solemn, and almost emotionless.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm was hot¡ªalmost scalding. He let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm but held her face gently. His hands were almost as hot as her face. So they were both nervous, weren¡¯t they?

    Gu Nianzhi realized that she was too lost in her thoughts. The smell on him was so nice. That uniform on him gave her an unmistakable sense of security as well. It was to the extent that she did not wish to retaliate.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi did not try to push him away again, Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and rubbed his nose against her exquisite one. A hot and tense atmosphere surrounded and mesmerized her. She almost could not think rationally anymore, so much so that she did not realize Huo Shaoheng was moving his face closer to her lips.

    He kissed her. Gently.

    Her lips that had nothing but a thinyer of lip balm felt his lips, and he kissed them until they looked red and attractive. He was feeling so hot that he was about to lose control. He just wanted to devour her right there and then.

    Her full lips were almost swollen by his kisses. He had to rx a little before Gu Nianzhi could catch her breath. Gu Nianzhi felt lightheaded after all his kisses. She only managed to snap back to her senses after a while. She held onto his hands that were holding her face and mumbled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to talk? This is the thing you wanted to talk about?¡±

    Holding onto her face, Huo Shaoheng pulled her to him and kissed her with vigor. Then he let go of her and rested his chin on her head. His light panting sounded slightly hoarse, and it had an attractive base to it, attracting her heart and soul altogether. Hugging her to his chest and resting his face on her jet ck hair, he remained silent, not knowing how to begin.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that he was a cold person through and through. Perhaps, others could be deemed as heartless, but if he were to bepared to them, he had no heart to begin with.

    Well, he had thought so.

    All along, he could be friends withdies. He could also be colleagues,rades, or many other things, but they would never cross that boundary to be anything more.

    If he had allowed his life to progress as per normal, he would most likely give his entire life to his country and army.

    No one could go near his heart, much less enter it.

    He did not have a rebellious stage growing up and had felt that romantic rtionships were meaningless and a waste of time...

    Until Gu Nianzhi fell from nowhere and entered his life.

    Before he knew it, she became the only one who walked into his heart. He knew that he would never let go of her in this lifetime.

    Huo Shaoheng repeated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words softly, with his deep, sexy voice in her ear, ¡°...each have our own lives and be happy on our own? Did you think you were acting in some y?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly annoyed. ¡°Can you talk properly now?! Do not mock me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not mocking you.¡± Huo Shaoheng took the clothes that Gu Nianzhi was holding in her hands and threw them onto the bed. He brought her to the bed and sat down.

    Gu Nianzhi felt paranoid and did not wish to sit on the same bed as Huo Shaoheng. Pushing his hand away, she walked to the single seat sofa beside the bed and sat down.

    Huo Shaoheng did not insist she sit right beside him. He only took a look at her and said seriously, ¡°I shall just be honest today. I cannot bear to leave you. You cannot bear to leave me, either.¡±

    Although he had hurt her heart, and she had been throwing a tantrum that she wanted a breakup, how could two people who were still in love with each other not know what the other party was thinking?

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect that she would have the opportunity to hear Huo Shaoheng say something like, ¡°I can never leave you¡± in this lifetime. Her cold heart skipped a beat and warmed up like crazy. She felt like a hot air balloon that had just been filled with loads of hot air, and she was already almost floating. She could almost see the fireworks in the dark skyline, and they were so grand that even a sky full of stars could not be as beautiful.

    However, before she had enough of imagination, she heard the next sentence from him: ¡°You cannot bear to leave me as well.¡± The moment she heard that, she fell back to earth from the clouds and almost rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Ha...¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled coldly while looking at Huo Shaoheng but did not say anything.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped after he got his point across. When it came to rtionships, it would not mean much the moment you said too much. He still preferred to show his feelings through actions, not words.

    Standing up, Huo Shaoheng walked to Gu Nianzhi and bent down, supporting his arms on the armrests of the single seat sofa. His tall physique covered Gu Nianzhi entirely.

    ¡°What was thatugh for? You do not believe me?¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed his hands into the cushion of the sofa and picked Gu Nianzhi up.

    Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi into the air just like that, and her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck. ¡°Let go of me!¡± Gu Nianzhi whispered fiercely into his ear.

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°You are hugging me. How can I let go of you like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her arms and let go in shock. She got off of him and pushed him away. She did not expect that it already was the bed behind him. Huo Shaoheng fell backwards but pulled Gu Nianzhi along. She had not been expecting that and fell onto the bed with him.

    The big bed seemed to not have taken so much weight in a long time. Huo Shaoheng smiled, looked at Gu Nianzhi, and said slowly, ¡°...Such passion. What do you want tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she was at a loss for words.

    Almost immediately after, his warm lips met hers. Just like the other time, he was gentle and considerate while kissing her, allowing her to feel that she was being treasured and protected, never to be given up on...

    Her hands that were initially pushing him away loosened up and grabbed onto his cor tightly. Knowing that she liked being treated gently like this, Huo Shaoheng drew upon all the patience he had, just for her.

    ...

    However, when it was the most important time, Huo Shaoheng stopped and panted heavily, remaining silent.

    Gu Nianzhi was almost at her peak, but since everything stopped all of a sudden, Gu Nianzhi was left hanging. She red fiercely at him and rushed to the bathroom, mming the door behind her.

    Huo Shaohengughed bitterly. He had not intended to do anything today, initially. However, he did not know why, but he just could not control himself when he was alone with her.

    Huo Shaoheng got up, straightened his clothes, and left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. However, he returned about a minuteter. He had already changed into civilians¡¯ clothing and had something in his hand. He pushed the door to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bathroom open.

    Gu Nianzhi was not soaking in the tub but was in the shower instead. The moment Huo Shaoheng entered, she got a shock. ¡°...Did... Did...Didn¡¯t I lock the door?¡± Gu Nianzhi stammered.

    ¡°Fingerprint lock,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied simply and pulled her out of the shower.

    Gu Nianzhi was dripping wet, and the water droplets on her body made her skin look even more attractive.

    If Huo Shaoheng held onto her slightly tighter, he would leave hand marks on her. Her skin looked like it could break at any moment, but Huo Shaoheng wanted to break it...

    He kissed her again.

    His breathing was hot, and in his deep, sexy voice he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...Give it to me? Okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shivered and rxed. She could not control herself any longer. She allowed herself to be immersed in his gentle kisses.

    After being together again, Huo Shaoheng was so excited that he almost lost himself. ¡°...Did you miss me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°I will take it that you missed me if you keep quiet.¡±

    COMMENT

    ¡°...Nonsense!¡± Gu Nianzhi was dizzy but still remembered that she had to retort.

    ¡°But I do miss you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not speak anymore. If he had said this without any other intentions other than his heart, Gu Nianzhi felt that she would still be slightly touched. However, he was too passionate¡ªso passionate that his kisses stopped her from talking altogether...

    Fine, we shall do this the entire night like there¡¯s no tomorrow... I love you, but I am afraid to be with you. If I do not have hope, then I will not be disappointed anymore. I just can¡¯t take disappointments anymore...

    Eventually, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t remember how she was feeling, because she was so out of breath that she cked out from fatigue.

    ...

    The next morning, the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Huo Shaoheng smiling gently at her. In the morning rays of sunlight, his handsome face was even more attractive, and one would not be able to help but be attracted. However, Gu Nianzhi felt that she had already be immune to it. Sitting up, she nodded towards Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Morning.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her by the waist naturally. ¡°Are you okay already?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on her clothes peacefully. ¡°Why would I not be? Let¡¯s not lump everything up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at Huo Shaoheng, who was looking stern, andughed. ¡°Major General Huo, we are adults. What is wrong if we sleep together just because both of us have needs? Please don¡¯t tell me that you want me to be responsible.¡±

 Chapter 889 - Adult

    <h4>Chapter 889: Adult</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although Huo Shaoheng looked as solemn as usual, like not much had changed, Gu Nianzhi managed to see a sh of shock in his eyes. However, it was only for a split second. Gu Nianzhi still felt a huge sense of aplishment.

    Huo Shaoheng squinted, seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s proud expression. He leaned back onto the bed without a word. He stuck his arm out and hugged Gu Nianzhi to him again so she was leaning against his chest. Both of his hands reached into the clothes that Gu Nianzhi had just put on as he said tly, ¡°Oh really? Fine then, let us continue tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was startled. She blushed and took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands out of her clothes. ¡°It was not enoughst night?! Do you think you really have needs every single day?!¡±

    On top of the two condoms that he had used yesterday, he still had to ejacte twice externally. Eventually, she really could not take it anymore and fell asleep. After she was asleep, she did not even know if he had continued on his own...

    1Huo Shaoheng moved closer to her and looked her in the eyes. ¡°I thought you said that we were adults? Do you know what needs adults have? I did not even enjoy myself thoroughlyst night. Therefore, of course we have to continue tonight.¡±

    Four times! And not enjoyed thoroughly?! What nonsense...

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched disapprovingly at Huo Shaoheng. Then, she pushed him away and got off the bed, looking for her slippers as she said, ¡°Then I am sorry, please handle it on your own.¡±

    Just when she was about to turn and leave, Huo Shaoheng grabbed her arm. ¡°Adult, did I manage to satisfy youst night?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was extremely deep. It was not suitable to ask questions like these. However, when a person who was always solemn began to flirt, it worked even better than any Casanova out there. The person whom the question was directed at could not even feel that the question was a flirtatious one.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and smiled. ¡°Of course, I am still very impressed by Major General Huo¡¯s capabilities. I was extremely satisfied.¡±

    ¡°That will do.¡± Huo Shaoheng got off the bed as well. He was only wearing a pair of briefs, and his long legs and six pack made Gu Nianzhi almost unable to look away. Gu Nianzhi blushed as she willed herself to look away.

    ¡°Since I have satisfied you, then you will have to return the favor. Therefore, we will continue tonight.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her face and smiled meaningfully. ¡°Nianzhi, wee to the world of adults.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so stunned that she remained stationery by the bed and looked at Huo Shaoheng as he disappeared into the bathroom. Then, she jumped and frantically grabbed her things. Changing into the clothes that she had found in the roomst night, she scrambled out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion.

    Carrying her bag, she walked to the exit of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion and called Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen? This is Nianzhi. Are you awake already?¡± It was a Saturday morning. If there was nothing special going on, Chen Lie would usually sleep in.

    When Gu Nianzhi called, Chen Lie had just finished his breakfast. He took a look at his watch and replied, ¡°It is already nine o¡¯clock. No matter how I sleep in, I should already be awake, shouldn¡¯t I? Come, tell me, what is the matter?¡±

    ¡°Can I visit you for a moment? I have some things to show you.¡± Gu Nianzhi stammered.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lie agreed readily. ¡°Why would you be embarrassed with your Brother Chen? Come over.¡± Then, he asked again, ¡°Where are you? Do you want me to fetch you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered how to get to the hospital building, so she walked over as she chatted on the phone with Chen Lie. The soldiers in the Special Forces headquarters still had to go through their morning routine training even though it was a Saturday morning. However, it was already nine o¡¯clock in the morning, so the training had long been over.

    As Di Capital entered into winter, the weather was extremely cold, and each breath could turn into ice. Gu Nianzhi ran out in a rush and did not bring a scarf. After walking for a while, she felt her neck turning cold. However, she would rather bear with the cold than return to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion and face his ¡°world of adults...¡±

    ...

    By then, Huo Shaoheng was already done washing up and was sitting at the dining table having breakfast. His assistant gave him a report as he ate. ¡°Mr. Huo, Miss Gu just left. Looking at the direction she went, it seemed like she was headed to the hospital building.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Is anyone following her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    There would definitely be people watching Gu Nianzhi whenever she was within thepounds of the headquarters of the Special Forces as she was a civilian. Gu Nianzhi knew about it, but she couldn¡¯t care less. After saying that she was an ¡°adult¡± in the morning and receiving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sarcastic remarks, she still had not fully recovered from it...

    Gu Nianzhi felt useless. However, when she thought about what happenedst night, she told herself, so be it. Otherwise, if Huo Shaoheng had wanted her to go through it all over again, her waist would definitely break into two...

    She had no idea if it was due to the fact that they had not done it in so long, but Huo Shaoheng was akin to a wolfst night and wanted her so much. Gu Nianzhi blushed whenever she thought about it.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi arrived at Chen Lie¡¯s office, he had just ended a phone call. He waved to Gu Nianzhi, who was standing at the door. ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi entered Chen Lie¡¯s office with a smile and looked around. ¡°Brother Chen, you are the only person around? Where are your nurses? I heard that you managed to get a rank of being a doctorate consultant and are currently guiding PhD students?¡±

    Chen Lie smiled happily. ¡°It is Saturday today, so they went home. I am on duty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chatted for a while with him before handing him Gu Tian¡¯s hospital records. ¡°Brother Chen, I have been wanting to talk to you for some time. Did Huo Shao mention anything to you?¡±

    Chen Lie took the medical records and perused them. ¡°Oh, you want to ask about the inherited illness in the Gu family¡¯s line of daughters, yes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°You are a professional. Can you help me take a look and see what illness it is? And help me check to see if I have it as well...¡± She stopped and could not continue. The illness was like a shadow that was bothering her.

    Chen Lie was quick. He looked through the medical records and exined to Gu Nianzhi along the way, ¡°From these medical records, Gu Tian¡¯s illness was probably caused by a gic defect from birth. This defective gene should only ur in the X chromosomes, and it would only pass onto the daughter from the father. For the males, it would be a dominant gene, but for females, it should be a recessive one.¡±

    Chen Lie paused and said, ¡°But the situation in the Gu family was strange. From Gu Tian¡¯s medical records, it seems like it is a recessive gene in males and a dominant gene in females.¡± Therefore, this illness in the Gu family was the opposite of what everyone had known all along. It was recessive in males, but in a female, there would be a certain percentage of it being a dominant gene.

    ¡°Can we know which gene had the defect?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    ¡°It would be difficult to say.¡± Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°Do you know how many pairs of DNA there are in a person? Illnesses that are rted to gic defects are different in every case. For Gu Tian, the defect might have been on the gene that was in charge of her immune system. For more details, I would have to investigate further.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had expected that she would not be able to get an answer immediately from Chen Lie. However, Chen Lie was a professional. The amount of things that he could understand from Gu Tian¡¯s medical records would definitely be way more than what others could.

    ¡°I will trouble Brother Chen, then,¡± Gu Nianzhi said politely and requested that Chen Lie give her a checkup as well.

    Chen Lie had a strange look on his face at that request. He had just finished speaking to Huo Shaoheng on the telephone. Huo Shaoheng had said that Gu Nianzhi would be going to him for a weekly checkup to test for the gic illness in the Gu family¡¯s line of daughters.

    Chen Lie had told Huo Shaoheng then, ¡°Nianzhi does not have to go through the checkup. She surely does not have it. I¡¯ve already done all her DNA tests for her and even gave her her DNA sequence. We have also done all sorts of tests, and I can confidently tell you that she does not have a gic dysfunction. Moreover, even if she had, her crazy healing abilities would have healed those defective cells. What else is there to check?! Every week at that?! Do you think that I have plenty of time?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng began talking to him officially. ¡°Just check when I ask you to. What are you rambling for?! This is a mission.¡±

    Chen Lie still refused to do it. He continued to push his luck. ¡°Then I will tell Nianzhi that. If she is willing to check every week, then I will not say anything. However, if she does not want to do it, then I will not be able to do much about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng only replied with three short words: ¡°Up to you.¡±

    Now, facing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request, Chen Lie wiped the beads of perspiration on his forehead with his handkerchief and stammered, ¡°Nianzhi, actually, I have given you many checkups before. You were fine. I feel that you truly do not have this type of gic defect.¡±

    ¡°But Gu Tian looked okayst time as well, didn¡¯t she? However, the moment she gave birth, something happened to her...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked as though she was in a daze and did not dare to look Chen Lie in the eyes. She began stammering, ¡°Actually, I wanted to see if we can prepare first and observe? So that the moment something is amiss, we will be able to handle it as soon as possible...¡±

    ¡°Oh... Chen Lie nodded meaningfully. ¡°So you want to prepare for rainy days... Alright! I understand. Okay,e over for your checkup, then!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was d. She followed Chen Lie to his infirmary to begin doing the tests.

    Chen Lie measured Gu Nianzhi¡¯s height, weight, and heart rate, then brought her to do an MRI.

    Gu Nianzhi had initially thought that Chen Lie was merely patronizing her until he brought her to do an MRI scan. Sheid on the bed for half an hour, and she was almost asleep.

    When Chen Lie called out to her telling her that it was all over, Gu Nianzhi sat up, rubbing her eyes. The moment she was fully awake, she caught a whiff of food from outside. She felt her stomach rumbling and rubbed her nose. ¡°Brother Chen, do you have food here? I haven¡¯t had breakfast...¡±

    Chen Lie turned around, exited the MRI room, and smiled. ¡°Come out and eat, then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed him out of the MRI room and entered Chen Lie¡¯s office. However, she saw Huo Shaoheng there.

    On the table in front of him was a te of steamed soup buns, a bowl of porridge, and some appetizers. There were salted peanuts, deep fried white baits, and some pigs¡¯ trotters. They had been Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorites for breakfast when she was still with Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 890 - You Do Not Want Me to Let You Go

    <h4>Chapter 890: You Do Not Want Me to Let You Go</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks at the door, looking at Huo Shaoheng with sparkling eyes. Huo Shaoheng pointed towards the breakfast on the coffee table with his chin and said, ¡°Nianzhi left without having breakfast this morning. I sent this here specially for her.¡±

    Chen Lie looked at Huo Shaoheng before looking at Gu Nianzhi and smiling. ¡°Nianzhi, you did note from school?¡±

    In front of Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi did not dare to lie so she tried to be as calm as possible and answered, ¡°Nope.¡± She stopped there.

    Huo Shaoheng did not expose her and shifted to the side of the sofa. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi braced herself and walked over and sat beside him. Although she felt uneasy, she could not contain her hunger anymore. Looking at all the food in front of her, she dug in happily.

    ¡°Eat slowly. No one is going to snatch the food from you,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he stood up and turned towards Chen Lie. ¡°Are you free for a short chat?¡±

    Chen Lie nodded and replied, ¡°I happen to have some things to talk to you about as well.¡±

    The two men entered Chen Lie¡¯s office, and Huo Shaoheng closed the door behind him. ¡°Shoot. What does Mr. Huo want to talk to me about?¡± Chen Lie sat down on his office chair behind his desk.

    Huo Shaoheng asked with a focused expression, ¡°You have done the checks for her?¡±

    ¡°Yeeeessssss...¡± Chen Lie dragged out his replyzily. ¡°Neither of you listen to me, anyway... Sigh, she was purely worried that she would be like Gu Tian after she gave birth wasn¡¯t she? The minds of little girls...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was extremely surprised. ¡°What did you say?! What was she worried about?!¡± It wasn¡¯t her health she was worried about?

    Chen Lie looked at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously. ¡°You do not even know about that? Then what did you think it was? You were still telling me confidently that she would definitely want to get checked...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and did not feel like talking to Chen Lie anymore. Chen Lie finally got an opportunity to tease Huo Shaoheng, and therefore, he went on relentlessly. ¡°It has already been so long. How can you still not manage to get Nianzhi to forgive you? She is a good girl; she is soft hearted and easy to please. Just stop being so egoistic and please her more for a bit, will you? Moreover, who would say anything if you were to just put aside your pride and ego for your own wife?¡± Although Chen Lie had not been in a rtionship before, he could reason well when it came to romantic rtionships.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Chen Lie from the corner of his eye. ¡°Where did you learn all that from? Did you listen in on the lessons at the Special Forces Headquarters?¡±

    ¡°Do I even have to do that? I am born smart. Therefore, girls between 16 and 60, I know them well¡ªtheir needs and wants.¡± Chen Lie stuck his hands out and gestured before saying proudly, ¡°I am all prepared. Now, I¡¯m just short of a girl to prove all my theories!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, speechless. He knew that Chen Lie was unreliable when it came to that sort of thing. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s talk about something serious. Gu Yanran¡¯s mother, Gu Jing, was the granddaughter of the head of Japanese army¡¯s medical department, Kasahara Shiro.¡± Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows and looked extremely solemn. ¡°The case of the Gu family has escted from a simple case of splitting an inheritance to an international political and war crime incident.¡±

    When Chen Lie heard the mention of Kasahara Shiro, he fell silent for a moment. ¡°Are you kidding me?! Gu Yanran¡¯s maternal great grandfather was Kasahara Shiro?! Gu Yanran is Japanese?!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s naturally round eyes became even more round.

    He had not watched the live streaming of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trial. Moreover, since this case had used the reason of requiring ¡°privacy¡± before and had been held as a private hearing, the media could not manage to get any information. On top of that, Chen Lie had been busy with surgery for the past few days at the army headquarters. He had not had any time to ask around for information yet, and thus did not know about this piece of information from thewsuit.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Our overseas special forces soldiers have already gotten confirmation.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s face fell. It was rare that he looked solemn. He lowered his voice. ¡°Which means that this was rted to that biological team in Japan? The one that was notorious during those years?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it, but we do not have enough primary evidence.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude was calm and mature. ¡°However, whatever we have seems to point in that direction.¡±

    ¡°Those bastards!¡± Chen Lie mmed his chubby hand onto his desk, and his voice became cold. ¡°And those American scientists who were so damn hical! They could be so heartless and not pursue war criminals just because they had wanted some data from experiments!¡±

    Those figures and data were obtained from torturing and killing citizens of the Hua Xia Empire... In the opinions of those bastards, citizens of the Hua Xia Empire were not humans; they were nks of wood, bricks, and not evenparable to nts or animals, or even living beings who could think and feel. They saw citizens of the Hua Xia Empire as only bs of meat on their experimentation tables.

    They would torture the poor Hua Xia Empire citizens in any way they wanted, and the crimes they hadmitted were way worse than those of the soldiers who carried out orders to invade thends of other countries... However, such horrendous crimes were covered up so easily.

    ¡°...Haha. These people are still living to a ripe old age, and some of them are even professors, lecturing in universities.¡± Chen Lieughed sarcastically. ¡°I wonder if their students know how their ¡®knowledgeable¡¯ professors got their knowledge!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Chen Lie and replied coldly, ¡°With me around, the people who brought mishaps to our citizens will never have a chance to live to a ripe old age.¡±

    ¡°You are the best, brother!¡± Chen Lie gave a thumbs up. ¡°But for now... Can you give me Gu Yanran to experiment on?¡±

    ¡°Is she still worth anything?¡± Huo Shaoheng took a set of medical records that Chen Lie had ced on the desk. ¡°It would help you to understand Gu Tian¡¯s illness?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It would be best if we can get our hands on her mother¡¯s blood samples.¡± Chen Lie rubbed the back of his head emotionally. ¡°Did you manage to find her?¡±

    ¡°Shizuko Kasahara passed away many years ago.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked through Gu Tian¡¯s medical records calmly. ¡°Our soldiers who were based in Japan were sent to confirm the information personally in Chiba Ken.¡±

    ¡°Chiba Ken?¡± Chen Lie chuckled. ¡°The main people from that notorious biological team in Japan all originated from Chiba Ken. Kasahara Shiro was merely one of them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I know. Moreover, all the rest of the people who lived in Chiba Ken knew about it.¡± He remembered the olddy the soldiers he sent there had met. She bowed such a low bow to them before she left and said, ¡°I am truly sorry for doing those things to your country. It is really unforgivable.¡±

    This olddy must have been one of them as well, hadn¡¯t she? She had apologized to them because of that, hadn¡¯t she?

    To a certain extent, Chiba Ken was the headquarters of that notorious biological team!

    ¡°...But Gu Yanran cannot be given to you to experiment on just yet.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I still have a feeling that she has not told us everything she knows. Moreover, the person or people behind her will most definitely not want her to continue living. We will use her as bait, and once we manage to find the people or person behind all this, I can give her to you to experiment on.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Chen Lie pouted. ¡°Then you will have to remember your promise.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°When have I ever gone back on my word?¡±

    Uponing out from Chen Lie¡¯s office, he saw that Gu Nianzhi had finished all the breakfast, and the bowls were stacked neatly on the coffee table. Huo Shaoheng asked one of the soldiers to clear everything away and looked at Gu Nianzhi happily. ¡°Adult,e back with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, aren¡¯t you mean?¡± How long does he want to call her ¡°adult¡± for?!

    ¡°Fine, Nianzhi,e back with me.¡± Huo Shaoheng brushed everything away and stopped teasing her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi got nervous. She peeked in the direction of the entrance and stammered, ¡°I need to go back to school. I still have my thesis toplete.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and did not make things difficult for her. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I will take you back.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi became suspicious. ¡°You would be so nice...¡± to let me go?

    Huo Shaoheng bent down and stopped about five millimeters from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. His eyes looked so deep. ¡°You do not want me to let you go?¡±

 Chapter 891 - Give Them Face

    <h4>Chapter 891: Give Them Face</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When Huo Shaoheng said that, Gu Nianzhi retorted immediately. ¡°Since when? I am more than happy that you want to let me off!¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. However, that smile was so superficial that it made his face look like a perfect mask.

    Usually, people were not able to see what was wrong, but Gu Nianzhi could see the hidden intention behind that smile of his.

    She leaned away from him and averted her gaze, pursing her luscious lips until only a thin line was left. It had initially been intended to look stubborn, but when she pursed her lips that tightly, two dimples appeared on her cheeks. That made her look adorable and irresistible.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes turned dark. He leaned towards her and pressured her, like a jaguar that had seen its prey. He definitely wanted something from her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart began beating faster. However, she continued to pretend to be strong, not wanting to look weak. Therefore, she did not hide. She could feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smelling closer to her. He was like a wolf trying to mark its territory, full of a strong sense of protection.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips even tighter, looking even more stubborn. However, Huo Shaoheng merely kissed Gu Nianzhi lightly and quickly on her dimple. The kiss was so light, almost akin to a dragonfly touching the surface of the water before taking off, as he left his unique mark on her little dimple.

    Before Gu Nianzhi could react, Huo Shaoheng had already moved away. His lips were so soft and warm, the exact opposite of his character. Gu Nianzhi only felt that the side of her face where his lips had kissed her had been shocked by electricity. She was numb and felt ripples of nervousness coursing within her for a very long while.

    She covered her face instinctively. When she raised her head, she only saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back as he strode away towards the main door. This person was too quick, wasn¡¯t he?! Did he intend to get away after flirting?!

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and red at the door of Chen Lie¡¯s office, wanting to call out to Huo Shaoheng.

    Chen Lie came out from his office slowly. He saw that Gu Nianzhi was ring. He turned towards that direction and asked her, ¡°What happened? Where is Mr. Huo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what to say.

    She took a deep breath and warned herself to not stoop to that person¡¯s level. Picking up her bag, she said, ¡°Brother Chen, I will make a move first. See you next week?¡±

    Chen Lie smiled happily and looked flirtatiously at her. ¡°Juste if you are willing to. Taking height and weight measurements will not cause any side effects, will they?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Forget it! She would not stoop to the levels of these people!

    Gu Nianzhi turned and left.

    Upon exiting the medical building, Gu Nianzhi was surprised to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car parked in front of the building.

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the car with the windows down. He rested an arm on the window, holding a cigarette. There was little smoke issuing from it. It seemed like the cigarette had not been lit for long.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi hade out, Huo Shaoheng flicked the cigarette into a nearby bin and pressed the car horn. Looking at Gu Nianzhi, he said, ¡°Hop in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°I thought you wanted to go back to school.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her from the car, looking as normal as ever. It was like what had happened in Chen Lie¡¯s office hade from her imagination...

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and smiled at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Yes of course. However, how could I make Huo Shao be my chauffeur?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stuck his head out the window and whispered to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...You¡¯ve ridden on me like a horse. What is a chauffeurpared to that?¡±

    1Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. ¡°Horse? When did I...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ride on top of mest night?¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice until it sounded like it wasing from underground. Somehow, his facial expression remained the same.

    Extending a hand to caress her face gently, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°It¡¯s cold. Quick, hop in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood what Huo Shaoheng was talking about. Sudden heat crept up her face as she made her way to the passenger seat. She turned and red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You dare to mention that?! It was you who made me...¡±

    Be on top...

    Huo Shaoheng controlled his smile as he looked at her. Rolling up the windows, he started the engine and drove away from the Special Forces Headquarters.

    As they exited the headquarters, all the soldiers on duty saluted them as they passed. Huo Shaoheng waved at them, taking it as an acknowledgment.

    The car drove on. They reached the expressway in no time. Gu Nianzhi had been looking at the scenery outside all this time, not talking to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng turned on the radio in his car to get rid of the awkward silence between them. Of course, his car radio was set to the military channel which was reporting on the performing team in the army again...

    They had no idea if Tan Guiren was the best candidate they had gotten in many years, but they had been doing a lot to promote her as such. The publicity she had gotten was simr to what a celebrity would have gotten. Moreover, since it was a military channel, she was ced much higher aspared to lesser-known celebrities.

    Gu Nianzhi was not angry this time around. She listened to the beautiful musicing from the radio and felt her mood improving.

    Seeing that she was getting engrossed with the music, Huo Shaoheng asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...Did this ever cross your mind: What were the meanings on different levels when Tan Guiren was epted into the performing team of the army?¡±

    ¡°Meanings on different levels?¡± Gu Nianzhi furrowed her brows. Were there supposed to be other meanings... Different levels at that?

    She had not given much thought to it. However, after Huo Shaoheng brought it up like that, she realized the strange aspects of this incident.

    ¡°ording to what I know, Prime Minister Tan is currently going through an impeachment. The case has not been officially settled yet in the cab. So how did Tan Guiren manage to get epted into the performing team in the army then?¡± Gu Nianzhi now saw that something was amiss. ¡°When she got epted into the military performing team, it also meant that she joined the army, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    For anyone to join the military performing team, of course, they had to join the army. If they do not join the army, they would never be able to join the military performing team.

    Gu Nianzhi had grown up with Huo Shaoheng in the army, so she knew these basic rules.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded encouragingly and asked further, ¡°Good job, and then?¡±

    ¡°If Tan Guiren was able to join the army, either the procedures were a mistake, or it means that she passed the checks, including the background check...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi began analyzing. ¡°But Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment case is not over yet. How did she manage to pass her checks?¡±

    Usually, if a direct family member had a criminal record, an applicant would never be able to be a civil servant, much less be able to enter the army, and especially not the performing team in the army. Yet due to Tan Guiren¡¯s academic achievements, the moment she had managed to enter the army, she would rank as a lieutenant at the very least...

    ¡°...Has Tan Guiren officially been epted into the military performing team?¡± Gu Nianzhi made bold assumptions but confirmed details carefully.

    ¡°Seeing that the military radio channel and the nation¡¯s channel have been promoting her so much, it means that she has officially been epted in.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. She put together the information about Tan Guiren¡¯s eptance and Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment and realized something with a pang in her chest.

    ¡°...It seems like Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment case will be settled soon...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and exined this on a deeper level to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°That is correct. It means that the Prime Minister¡¯s maternal family, the Cais, have helped again to ensure that their son-inw is safe. Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment case has already been agreed upon in private. He will not be kicked out of his position.¡±

    ¡°That is the reason why Tan Guiren was able to join the military performing group so easily!¡± Gu Nianzhi thoroughly understood. ¡°And by fiercely promoting Tan Guiren¡¯s entrance into the military performing team on the military radio channel and national television stations, it serves as a hint to all the other opposing forces out there that this incident has already been solved in private. It¡¯s asking them to stop harboring ill intentions.¡±

    ¡°Smart girl.¡± Huo Shaoheng caressed her head. ¡°If something simr happens in the future, do not just get jealous. Think about the true meaning behind everything that¡¯s happening.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi still did not understand something. Ignoring Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subtle hints, she asked curiously, ¡°Is Cai Songyin¡¯s maternal family really that powerful? Moreover, why does Madam Cai¡¯s family still want to protect a son-inw who had an extramarital affair behind Madam Cai¡¯s back?¡±

    ¡°As for that, you can give Mrs. Prime Minister, Madam Cai¡¯s family a background check when you¡¯re free. From there, you should be able to tell why her family wishes to protect Prime Minister Tan. Also, you will be able to see what power and influences they have to make the negotiating party ept their request.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and looked at Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi should not be focusing so much on Tan Guiren entering the military performing team like this.

    Truth to be told, if Gu Nianzhi could not get over this, there would be trouble for Huo Shaoheng.

    It would be better if she could figure out all the twists and turns on her own. Then, she would be able to see a bigger picture. This way, she would not restrict herself to the problems of romance solely.

    If one was in the position Huo Shaoheng was in, anything they did would have a ripple effect on everyone around them. Therefore, each time the opponent attacked, it would never be for just one reason.

    They would be using powers to oppose powers, using distractors to get to what they wanted, and so on. They were all tricks that could be used. She was his wife and should be like him, looking at things as a bigger picture.

    Tan Guiren sessfully entering the military performing team, aside from signaling to everyone that Prime Minister Tan had stopped the impeachment, meant that the family was trying to discover things from within the army.

    However, Huo Shaoheng did not exin this to Gu Nianzhi. If she could manage to arrive at this point on her own, it would be perfect. If she did not, however, it would be alright.

    Gu Nianzhi was not from the army. Huo Shaoheng did not want her to get involved in its workings.

    Gu Nianzhi was indeed interested in what Huo Shaoheng had just said. She whipped out her phone and began searching for information rted to the maternal family of Mrs. Prime Minister, Madam Cai Songyin. The information online were mostly news articles. asionally, she found unimportant threads on forums.

    However, most of them were positive reports. There were hardly any negative stories orments.

    This was extremely strange to Gu Nianzhi, who was used to debating online. She knew that if you were a celebrity online, you would have some bad press somewhere.

    She showed her phone to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°This Cai family is indeed powerful. However, after so many years, their children all had a good track record. Negative stories about them are hard to find.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that powerful families like the Bais, Lees, Longs, and Huos would always have negative histories online. However, it was different for the Cais.

    This was not normal.

    Huo Shaoheng drove the car to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory and turned to look at her. ¡°Then you will have to search for the answer on your own. It is much easier to beat your opponent if you know who they are and what they are capable of.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed open the car door disapprovingly. ¡°What have the Cais got to do with me? Must I give them that much face to know about them? I was merely curious...¡±

 Chapter 892 - Sending Some Warmth

    <h4>Chapter 892: Sending Some Warmth</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he watched Gu Nianzhi get out of the car. Gu Nianzhi pouted as she said that. Her lips looked extremely attractive.

    Huo Shaoheng could not help but lean over and pinch her cheeks. ¡°Yes, you are the only one with such a small face.¡±

    ¡°Of course. My face is the size of my palm. It would look great if I appeared on television.¡± Gu Nianzhi smacked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away. ¡°Do not touch me as you wish. How would it look if anyone saw this? Do not pinch my face either. I am not a little child anymore.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, you are an adult now...¡± Huo Shaoheng finished her sentence for her and looked at her chest seductively, whistling as he said that.

    1Gu Nianzhi blushed and left in a huff.

    Every weekend after that, Gu Nianzhi headed down to the Special Forces Headquarters to see Chen Lie for her weekly check-ups and tests.

    Of course, they found no problems.

    Chen Lie held on to his opinion, insisting that Gu Nianzhi had not inherited the illness from her family.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at all the different data from her tests and asked, confused, ¡°How? Aunt had the illness, why don¡¯t I have it?¡±

    Hadn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen prepared Gu Yanran to cure her illness for her? If she was not sick in the first ce, then why had he adopted Gu Yanran?

    For the past month, Chen Lie had been thoroughly investigating Gu Tian¡¯s medical records.

    He had also researched many genome maps of families with inheritable illnesses.

    He found an issue afterparing the maps.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I suspect that your Aunt, Gu Tian¡¯s illness, was not caused by anything inherited.¡± Chen Lie pushed his sses up his nose and looked at Gu Nianzhi seriously.

    Gu Nianzhi did not believe what she was hearing.

    ¡°What did you say?! It is not an inherited illness?! But... But you said that it was caused by a gic defect...¡±

    ¡°This was our blind spot.¡± Chen Lie took out two sets of genome maps and pointed something out to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Look at this one here. This is the genome map of someone who had a real inherited illness, and this is a gic illness that was caused by a sudden change in gics but was not inherited.¡±

    Chen Lie presented his point of view. ¡°Look here. The difference between these two genome maps is right here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked for a long time. She still did not fully understand where the difference was as she had not studied medicine. However, she understood Chen Lie¡¯s exnation.

    ¡°Do you mean that Aunt had a sudden gic mutation which became the inheritable illness of the Gu¡¯s?¡±

    This meant that, if the Gu¡¯s had an inheritable illness, Gu Tian was the first generation where the genes had mutated.

    Chen Lie nodded gravely. ¡°Yes, that is what I meant. Gu Tian¡¯s illness was not inherited, but a mutation.¡±

    ¡°Then this is interesting. Did she have the mutation from birth or was it caused by her surroundingster in life?¡± Gu Nianzhi supported her chin with her hand, full of curiosity.

    ¡°That is the big question. If we can find a person from the Gu family from the generation before your aunt, someone from the generation of your grandfather or grandmother, that would be perfect. Then, I would be able to prove my theory.¡±

    Chen Lie shook his head as he looked at the genome map that he hade up with, extremely mesmerized by the data on it.

    Others might not understand what those figures meant. However, to Chen Lie, they were more attractive than the most beautiful woman in the world.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I will not be able to help you with that. From what I know, the generation before my father on the Gu¡¯s side all passed away at a young age. That was the reason my father, Gu Xiangwen, had to take charge of the family at a tender age and raise his sister, Gu Tian, on his own.¡±

    That was what Xie Dezhao had told her. Of course, he had most likely heard about it from Gu Tian herself.

    Therefore, the investigation into the ¡®inheritable illness¡¯ that was passed to the daughters of the Gu family had arrived at a bottleneck.

    No matter how they looked at it, it seemed like Gu Tian was the only one who had gotten the illness. Gu Nianzhi had not gotten it. Perhaps she had been cured... but how had Gu Xiangwen cured her?

    Gu Yanran had definitely not been used for any bone marrow or gene transnts. Her mother, Gu Jing, had not been used either.

    If that was the case, what was the reason Gu Xiangwen had adopted Gu Jing and Gu Yanran?

    This series of questions could not be answered. Gu Nianzhi could not understand them.

    However, she firmly believed that her father was a good person. He must have had his reasons for doing what he did.

    It must have been for her Aunt Tian¡¯s illness.

    As for herself, she believed that she had an illness of some sort as well. However, she might have been cured, or she might only be a carrier.

    However, she had been undergoing tests for a month, and everything had indicated that she was normal. Therefore, her worries were not bothering her as much anymore.

    Chen Lie took out some tea-time snacks to share with her. As they were having the snacks, Chen Lie asked her, ¡°It will be Christmas next Saturday. Do you have any ns?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. ¡°It¡¯s going to be Christmas next Saturday?¡±

    That was fast... She could not help but think about Christmasst year.

    Had it only been a year?

    Why did she feel like she had already been through a lifetime?

    After snapping back to reality after a while, Gu Nianzhi changed the topic. Looking at Chen Lie, she asked, ¡°Brother Chen, how will you be spending it?¡±

    Chen Lieughed and mumbled, ¡°I spent my Christmasst year with...Doctor Ye. It was alreadyte that day, and we were still in the hospital doing surgery. I was famished after it was over, so she cooked me a bowl of noodles...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    It was Christmas. Why had they made it sound like Valentine¡¯s Day instead?!

    They could only think of the happy times they had spent with their loved ones.

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent for a while before saying, ¡°There are so many flowers out there. Why focus on just one?¡±

    Chen Lie burst outughing and almost let the slice of cake in his hands fall to the floor.

    Gu Nianzhi took the cake from him and refilled his tea. ¡°Brother Chen, I am serious. Doctor Ye does not deserve someone as amazing as you. You will definitely find someone who you love and who loves you back.¡±

    Chen Lie nced at her from the corner of his eye. ¡°Easier said than done. What about you? Do not think that I didn¡¯t know you have been throwing a tantrum with Mr. Huo until now...¡±

    ¡°If you think that I am merely throwing a tantrum, then there is nothing to talk about between us.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling and did not pity Chen Lie as much anymore.

    Chen Lie looked serious. ¡°Nianzhi, are you serious about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not agree or disagree. She merely lowered her head and took a sip from her cup of milk tea.

    Seeing this, Chen Lie quickly changed the topic. ¡°Christmas doesn¡¯t mean much anyway. It is not our festival. We just like having the festive mood and so we celebrate it.¡±

    ¡°Most importantly, it¡¯s about the atmosphere.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I remember that it was snowing heavilyst Christmas...¡±

    Fine. She went back on her own.

    Chen Lie chuckled. ¡°I understand, I understand. It is extremely romantic when it snows!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She should stop talking already. If not, she would make even more mistakes.

    After finishing her milk tea and washing the cups for Chen Lie, she ced the cups back where they should be. She was about to say goodbye when she heard footsteps along the corridor.

    ¡°The vehicle for the performing team is here!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look! It¡¯s the princess of the performing team!¡±

    ¡°She is so beautiful in real life! Even more beautiful than how she looks on television!¡±

    ¡°Her violin skills were amazing. She is a capable person! Her father is the Prime Minister, and her motheres from the Cai family. She really is royalty!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered. She knew who was here.

    All the nurses in the corridor were rushing to take a look at her.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to Chen Liezily and said, ¡°Brother Chen, is the security at the Special Forces sox nowadays that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can enter?¡±

    Chen Lie had juste out from his room, unaware of what she was talking about. ¡°What is going on? Who is here?¡± he asked, confused.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and walked to the door with her arms folded. She pouted disapprovingly towards the outside and said, ¡°Look, everyone is rushing to take a look at her.¡±

    Chen Lie stuck his head out the door and called out to a nurse, ¡°Hey you! Why are all of you running?¡±

    The nurse was extremely excited as he eximed, ¡°Doctor Chen, the military performing team has just arrived at the headquarters. We heard that the newly epted daughter of the Prime Minister is here as well and that she will be performing for us tonight!¡±

    Chen Lie was speechless.

    What in the world?

    Why did everyone want to torture him?

    Chen Lie snapped back to reality and turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi. Other than the ¡°Tom, Dick, and Harry¡±ment that she had made just now, she acted like nothing was out of the ordinary.

    Chen Lie sighed and caressed her head. ¡°This little girl is getting better at hiding her feelings. If you are unhappy, just say so. Why must you pretend that you do not care?¡±

    ¡°Why should I pretend?¡± Gu Nianzhi put her arms down and stared at Chen Lie with her big round eyes. ¡°I just felt that it was strange. I have been with you guys for so many years but had never seen the military performing teame here to entertain anyone.¡± Then, she smiled.

    Seeing that she was smiling, Chen Lie smiled as well. No matter how he listened to it, it did sound funny.

    Gu Nianzhi and Chen Lie began contemting how the Special Forces, namely Huo Shaoheng and the guys, would handle this.

    Nothing like this had happened before!

    At that moment, at the headquarters of the Special Forces, Huo Shaoheng raised his head from his work desk and asked Yin Shixiong calmly, ¡°...What did you say? Repeat yourself.¡±

    His tone was gentle and meant to sound nice.

    However, to Yin Shixiong, it sounded cold as ice. He began stammering.

    ¡°Mr... Mr... Mr... Huo. It is going to be the end of the year soon. The army... army... decided to have a spot check, and brought the military performing team here to perform for us...¡±

 Chapter 893 - Getting Off

    <h4>Chapter 893: Getting Off</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Spot check from the army?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up from his work desk. ¡°Who is leading them? Do not allow them to enter first.¡±

    ¡°...They are already in.¡± Yin Shixiong said expressionlessly. He had stopped stammering and was already prepared to face death.

    No matter what he did now, he would be dead anyway. What else should he be afraid of?!

    ¡°Already in?¡± Huo Shaoheng put his military hat on. ¡°Okay. Then arrest everyone who is on duty at the main entrance first. Lock them up and send them to the military court.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°Mr. Huo?! This has nothing to do with them, does it?! I know that those people from the army entered with the A-ss entry permit!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned and looked at him, his re sharper than the des of a knife. Yin Shixiong felt his knees were getting weak. He only wanted to kneel...

    ¡°That A-ss entry permit only allows two people per permit. How many people did the people who were standing guard at the main entrance let in?¡± Huo Shaoheng put on his leather belt and strode out.

    Yin Shixiong shuddered and followed Huo Shaoheng, saying carefully, ¡°Mr. Huo, it was General Huo who led the people in...¡±

    There was only one General with Huo as his surname on the Military Supreme Council. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen was the Director of the Military-Political Department. His department was at its busiest at the end of the year.

    It seemed like the guards who were on duty at the main entrance knew who Huo Guanchen was, and knew that he was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father and the director of the military-political department. With his rank of General and by using a spot check as an excuse, he¡¯d managed to enter thepound and bring the performing team along. That was the reason he¡¯d been allowed in.

    If it was another department in the army, there would have been no issue at all.

    However, the Special Forces were not the same.

    This ce had a different protocolpared to all the other departments in the army. Therefore, the rules and regtions that they had to abide by were different as well. Even when they were put on trial at the military court, they were sentenced ording to their ownws and rules.

    Anyone who wanted to meddle in the affairs of the Special Forces would not be tolerated. Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and did not talk. Then, he continued making his way out.

    When he arrived at the lobby of the building, he saw that there were three military vehicles in the parade square. In the first Jeep was his father, Huo Guanchen. He had brought his chauffeur and soldiers along, plus his personal secretary.

    The second vehicle carried people from the military-political department. They should be the ones doing the spot check.

    The third one was a bigger vehicle, almost as big as a city bus. It was the vehicle made especially for the military performing team to send warmth. It was spacious and able to contain all of the people and their musical instruments. It was a convenient vehicle to have indeed.

    There was already a group of passers-by standing around the parade square. There were armed soldiers, medical personnel in white robes, and some soldiers who were staying in the headquarters for training, awaiting dispatch, in civilian clothing.

    Everyone was extremely excited and whispering to each other while pointing at the car. Curtains were drawn over the car windows, but some people opened the curtains and looked out curiously.

    Huo Shaoheng wore his Bluetooth earpiece andmanded Zhao Liangze, ¡°Disable all the signals for mobile phones within thepound. Any phones that attempt to connect to the headquarters¡¯ wireless connection, check who they are. All of them.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng strode towards the jeep that Huo Guanchen was in. Huo Guanchen was blocked by people in the parade square and could not enter. He was already furious due to that.

    Finally, Huo Guanchen appeared. He alighted from the jeep and looked at Huo Shaoheng with his brows furrowed. ¡°Get your soldiers to disarm. Why would they point their weapons at their own people? Do you know how this looks? Do you want to make mistakes?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood firmly in front of Huo Guanchen and saluted him. ¡°Good day, sir.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s anger disappeared just like that.

    This son still remembered that he was the father in front of others. He showed some dignity after all...

    Huo Guanchen began smiling. Nodding, he said, ¡°Yes, Shaoheng. I have brought people today...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put down his hand and interrupted Huo Guanchen. ¡°General Huo, please select one person. The rest of the people whom you have brought in must all be arrested.¡±

    ¡°A... Arrested?!¡± Huo Guanchen was taken aback. ¡°Why should they be arrested? Are you mistaking them for the wrong people? These people are all from the military-political department and some from the military performing team. They are all not from Special Forces. You have no right to arrest them.¡±

    ¡°It is precisely because they are not from the Special Forces. They have trespassed in a military restricted zone. We have no idea how many things they have already seen that they were not supposed to see. And we have no idea how many people would leak information. We have not even carried out background checks on these people. Mistakes like this really should not be made.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and stood with his legs slightly apart in front of Huo Guanchen. He was even taller and bigger than his father.

    ¡°However, this is a mistake on our part. Our men did not stand guard properly and allowed people in whom they should not have allowed to enter. I have already sent people to arrest every single one of them who was on duty at the entrance today. They will be sent to the military court to be sentenced soon.¡±

    Huo Guanchen finally understood the meaning behind Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. He was trying to threaten him!

    ¡°You are getting off, aren¡¯t you?! Talking to me like that?!¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s hands trembled as he produced a copy of a document with a big, red stamp. ¡°See for yourself! This is a spot check document approved by the Military Supreme Council!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the document. ¡°We are not against the spot check. However, the headquarters of the Special Forces has an important position in the country. Even if this is a spot check, you have to have an entry permit. May I ask if you have all the permits done?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was silenced.

    He looked carefully at the document that he¡¯d brought. It did not state that he would not require an entry permit to enter thepounds. If it did not state that, it meant that he would require the entry permit. Huo Guanchen felt embarrassed. It was his job to conduct spot checks in the other departments of the army.

    Only towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Forces did he need to apply for a letter of spot check.

    He had not expected for the procedure to go wrong, or for Huo Shaoheng to manage to notice it.

    He gave it a thought and initially wanted to ask Huo Shaoheng to be more lenient and allow the people to enter while he got the entry permits done.

    However, Huo Shaoheng waved his hand and the armed soldiers who surrounded the area closed in on them.

    The medical staff who were watching knew that something was amiss and left the scene immediately, heading directly back into the medical building.

    ¡°General Huo, please select one person and bring them along with you. The rest of them we will have to arrest and investigate one by one,¡± Huo Shaoheng said. He had no intention of giving second chances.

 Chapter 894 - The Appearance of Someone Capable

    <h4>Chapter 894: The Appearance of Someone Capable</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was unwilling to give in no matter what, Huo Guanchen¡¯s face turned solemn as well. He stood in front of Huo Shaoheng with his arms folded, gaining his confidence back inch by inch.

    No matter what, he had been the director of the Military-Political Department for years, which was the highest-ranking political department in the army. Huo Guanchen was not a pushover.

    He looked up at the expressionless Huo Shaoheng and lowered his voice. ¡°You really wish to go by the book with me, don¡¯t you? Fine. Let us go by the book.¡±

    With that, Huo Guanchen looked through the approval for spot check again.

    He¡¯d been intimidated by Huo Shaoheng just then and thought that he had really made a mistake.

    However, now that he had taken a second look at the document, Huo Guanchen snapped back to reality and shook the spot check approval in front of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°True that this document does not state that entry permits can be forgone, but it also states that I have the permission to ¡®do what I have to ordingly.¡¯ Major General Huo, do you understand what ¡®do what I have to ordingly¡¯ means?¡±

    To put it simply, the meaning of such wordings was up for debate. It could mean that Huo Guanchen could do however he wished. It could also mean that he should adhere to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s job scope.

    These documents were never too rigid with words. They were vague so that the people who received them had to interpret their meaning on their own.

    Just like thew of America.

    There were a total of 7,500ws. However, they were all of thews of that country.

    They did not pinpoint exactly who had to be punished if they did something wrong, but it was left to the judge and the panel to decide when a criminal was arrested and put on trial.

    To put it in a different light, every single judge could have their very own way of interpreting thews, and as long as their understanding and exnation could be justified with logic, it would be considered a legal exnation with the powers of thew.

    Huo Guanchen was using the same concept to speak to Huo Shaoheng.

    His military ranking was higher than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. No matter how he wanted to interpret the intention of the document, Huo Shaoheng had to abide by it as long as he could not think of a more reasonable rebuttal.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pupils constricted.

    He took the approval from Huo Guanchen and looked through it carefully.

    There was only one sentence on that document and no other instructions.

    ¡°To dispatch the Director of the Military-Political Department, Mr. Huo Guanchen, for the spot check of the Special Forces. Relevant departments to cooperate fully, to let the check be carried out by Mr. Huo ordingly.¡±

    It was signed off with the stamp from the secretarial department of the Military Supreme Council. That was the department with the highest powers in the army.

    Huo Shaoheng reread the document twice and felt that something was amiss.

    He stared at the stamp for a while before realizing what the issue was.

    He smiled as he handed the approval back to Huo Guanchen. ¡°General Huo, I am sorry, but your spot check approval is not legal. Please go back and get another one beforeing over for a spot check, could you?¡±

    ¡°Not legal?!¡± Huo Guanchen was taken aback. ¡°This is the stamp from the secretarial department of the Military Supreme Council, and you dare say it is not legal?!¡±

    ¡°General Huo, I think you have forgotten something. When the Special Forces were founded, it was approved by both the Senate and the Military Supreme Council. At that time, it was agreed upon that it would require the stamps from both the Senate and the Military Supreme Council should any national organization want to conduct a check within the Special Forces.¡±

    ¡°Even though your spot check approval has the stamp of the Military Supreme Council, you did not obtain the stamp of the Senate. Therefore, and I am sorry, but even you are unable to enter for a spot check.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng managed topletely block Huo Guanchen with this observation.

    He had said that Huo Guanchen could bring one person with him with an A-ss entry permit, but now even he could not enter. Such humiliation.

    Huo Guanchen was seeing red. His brows furrowed into a line and his disapproval towards Huo Shaoheng was evident in his expression. At that moment, in the parade square in front of the main building of the Headquarters of the Special forces, were the three vehicles that Huo Guanchen had brought with him. Every single person in the cars was as silent as a mouse. No one dared toe down.

    Other than that, there were only the armed soldiers surrounding them. No one else was in the area.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Chen Lie leaned against the window on the 18th floor of the medical building as they looked at the direction of the parade square.

    The sky was clear and blue. There were no clouds anywhere. Although there was sunlight, it was cooling ¨C the ssic winter weather in Di Capital.

    Because they were far away, they could not see what was happening clearly.

    Chen Lie went back to his office and returned with two pairs of binocrs. He handed one to Gu Nianzhi and used one for himself. They began looking towards the direction of the parade square.

    ¡°Brother Chen, it seems like Huo Shao is arguing with his father again,¡± Gu Nianzhi observed to Chen Lie as she looked on.

    Chen Lie chuckled. ¡°Ever since I met Mr. Huo more than a decade ago, this father and son duo have never been on good terms. I would be scared out of my wits the day they get on good terms with each other.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed at Chen Lie¡¯s reply. ¡°That makes sense. The rtionship between Huo Shao and his father seems tense.¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi was on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning¡¯s side. Therefore, she could not find any form of positive feelings towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father. Since that was the case, there was no reason for her to encourage Huo Shaoheng to repair the rtionship between him and his father.

    She was not such a saint and she did not wish to meddle in the affairs of family matters in someone else¡¯s family.

    It was just that, seeing the father and son arguing on the parade square made Gu Nianzhi feel odd somehow. ¡°...It would be great to know what they are talking about,¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled, feeling slightly disappointed.

    Chen Lie scoffed. ¡°How is this even a problem? Just give a call to Big Xiong and you will be able to know every single thing they are talking about.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Oh yeah!¡± Gu Nianzhi happily whipped out her mobile phone and dialed Yin Shixiong¡¯s number.

    Yin Shixiong connected his Bluetooth earpiece and was standing nervously to the left behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Hearing that there was an iing call from Gu Nianzhi, he epted it and took a step back to answer the call. ¡°...Is anything the matter, Nianzhi?¡± he whispered ever so softly.

    Gu Nianzhi whispered back, ¡°...Brother Xiong, is Huo Shao quarreling with his father? What happened?¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew that Gu Nianzhi had gone to Chen Lie¡¯s medical building for her checkup that day. Upon contemtion, he turned off the noise cancetion of his earpiece and whispered, ¡°...Listen to it on your own.¡±

    Now, other than being able to see what was happening, she could also hear everything that was going on through her phone.

    The Bluetooth earpiece, which had been manufactured especially for the soldiers who were dispatched overseas for missions, was multi-functional and of extremely good quality. Of course, the ones that we usually get off the shelves from the market are nowhere near to what these earpieces can do.

    The sounds were so clear that it was almost like Huo Shaoheng was standing right next to her.

    Chen Lie whispered to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Turn on your speaker, I want to listen too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned on her speaker. She would not have to hold the phone to her ear then.

    Gu Nianzhi and Chen Lie both held their binocrs to look at what was happening and listened to the sounds that came from the phone at the same time. It was akin to watching a live ¡®father and son feud¡¯ show unfolding right in front of them.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng raised his chin. ¡°Please go back before I change my mind.¡±

    Aspared to being arrested, it was obvious that the current option of returning was a better deal.

    Huo Shaoheng did not intend to increase tensions anyway and gave Huo Guanchen an exit route to take.

    Huo Guanchen red at Huo Shaoheng as he clenched his fists. He was using all the sense of control he had within himself to suppress his anger. Even if he was given a route to take, what kind of route was that?!

    He was tantly being chased away. Must he still thank him for that?!

    Just as the two men refused to give in to each other, the door of the big vehicle opened. A tall and slender female silhouette appeared, wearing long boots and a short coat.

    She had long brows and single eyelid eyes, with an oval-shaped face and a sharp nose. Her lips were colored a bright shade of red. She looked extremely eye-catching.

    It was especially true for her gaze. When she was looking at you, it was focused and attractive, like you were the only person in her eyes. However, when she shifted her gaze away, you would feel that your world had just crumbled.

    She stood in front of the car and turned back to help another person get out. ¡°Come on down, cousin.¡±

    The person in the car seemed to be hesitating. Only after a few minutes did another tall and slenderdy in tall boots emerge from the car. She was in a white woolen coat. It was obvious that she was wearing a dress beneath that coat. She was also in tall boots, but she did not exude the same kind of aura as thedy before her.

    Thedy who got out of the car was innocent and pure. She looked like a good girl. It was none other than Tan Guiren.

    ¡°Cousin...¡± Tan Guiren felt uneasy. ¡°Let us just go back. Let us not do anything that will break the rules.¡±

    ¡°How would it be against the rules?¡± Thedy who¡¯d gotten out of the car first raised her eyebrows. ¡°Follow me. I assure you that it will definitely be within the rules.¡±

    Tan Guiren looked at her, clearly not believing her.

    Thedy who¡¯d gotten out of the car firstughed. ¡°Cousin, have you forgotten what I was doing in America? Rest assured, we will not do anything that is not legal.¡±

    It was only then that Tan Guiren rxed. She followed thedy and walked over.

    Standing beside Huo Guanchen, thisdy who was dressed to the nines narrowed her eyes and looked at Huo Shaoheng from the top to bottom.

    Although she had high expectations for men and had seen her fair share of handsome ones overseas, she could not deny that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s looks were beyond what any words could describe. He was captivating, handsome, and definitely attractive, with abination of sharp features and extreme masculinity.

    ¡°Is anything the matter, General Huo?¡±

    Although she was attracted by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s looks, she had passed the age of being smitten by the looks of men alone. Therefore, she only took one look at Huo Shaoheng before turning her attention back to Huo Guanchen.

    Seeing that she hade over, Huo Guanchen¡¯s attitude softened as he said gently, ¡°Madam Cai, I¡¯m sorry to have to let you witness this.¡±

    With that, he turned to Huo Shaoheng and began introducing the two of them. ¡°This is Madam Cai Shengnan who has just returned to the Hua Xia Empire recently. She is currently the representative financial consultant andwyer of Prime Minister and Mrs. Tan Dongbang. She is also his secretary and has an extremely close rtionship with the cab.¡±

    The final sentence was meant to give Huo Shaoheng a subtle reminder. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The information regarding this Madam Cai Shengnan had only been put on his desk recently.

    It was safe to say that all the credit went to this Madam Cai Shengnan, who¡¯d returned from America when Prime Minister Tan Dongbang had been able to get off the hook of impeachment smoothly.

    Cai Shengnan had just turned 29 years old. She was 6 months younger than Huo Shaoheng. She had been practicingw all that time in America and was the co-founder of the secondrgestw firm there.

    She was well known in the industry in America. However, not many average citizens knew about her. However, her father, Cai Sumin was known by almost everyone in America.

    Decades ago, there had been a president in America who¡¯d had an extramarital affair with his female intern and was impeached by the cab. He was almost asked to leave his position.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s father, Cai Sumin, had been the leadwyer for that President. He was the one who¡¯d helped the president get through his tough times, managed to settle the disputes in the House of Representatives and Senate in America, and saved him from being removed from office.

    Decades ago, Cai Shengnan, who had just begun her life as a college student at the time, had gone through the entire case with her father. She¡¯d been extremely inspired by the way her father handled the case and had learned the ropes from there. She¡¯d managed to use the knowledge with flexibility ande up with great ideas for the legal team.

    When the impeachment was smoothly settled, Cai Shengnan, who was new to the industry, had put in a great amount of effort as well.

    The wife of the Prime Minister, Cai Songyin, was her paternal aunt. When the Prime Minister met with this obstacle, Cai Songyin still went to her maternal family and got help from her older brother. Her older brother sent his daughter, Cai Shengnan, back to the Hua Xia Empire personally to settle this dispute. She was finally was able to calm the Senate down.

    Now, this very person was standing right in front of him, rather than being represented by a piece of paper on his desk.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded politely to her. ¡°Hello, Madam Cai. Please return to the car. This is not a ce where you should be.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Cai Shengnan observed Huo Shaoheng while tilting her head. ¡°What will you do if I do not go back? Lock me up and torture me?¡± she asked, jokingly.

    Huo Shaoheng remained expressionless and said calmly, ¡°Our army would never torture captives...¡±

 Chapter 895 - I Am Here For Research

    <h4>Chapter 895: I Am Here For Research</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Shengnan folded her arms andughed. ¡°Major General Huo lives up to his name indeed. I am impressed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not move. He looked in the direction of the armed soldiers. A couple of them moved over and aimed their guns directly at Cai Shengnan. ¡°Get back to the car!¡± they roared.

    Although she was surrounded by guns, Cai Shengnan was not intimidated. She smiled as she looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, do not be so impatient. Since we were able toe in, it means that we have already done the necessary paperwork. Could you please get your men to keep their weapons?¡±

    She was still able to smile with so many guns pointed at her. Huo Shaoheng was slightly impressed by the guts of this Madam Cai. However, he did not intend to waste his time with her.

    ¡°If she is not going to get back into the car, take her away.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. Two of the soldiers came over immediately and stood on each side of Cai Shengnan. They grabbed her arms, ready to lock her up.

    It was only then that Cai Shengnan realized that Huo Shaoheng was serious in his words and that he meant every single thing that he said. However, she was still daring. She was not fazed at all, just in a lot of pain by being grabbed harshly by the two soldiers. It was so painful that her tears almost fell from her eyes. She only managed to control her tears with much determination.

    Tan Guiren stood by the side with a thumping heart. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng had arrested her daring cousin just because they did not see eye to eye, she took a step forward and said, ¡± We will leave now! Right now! Major General Huo, please let my cousin go. She just returned from overseas and does not know...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored Tan Guiren¡¯s pleas. He turned and began walking away.

    Cai Shengnanughed. She shouted after Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Major General Huo, if you leave now, I will make sure to raise charges against you at the military court. Even if you manage to get off the hook, you will never be able to get promoted again.¡±

    Who was Huo Shaoheng?

    He would never be threatened, especially by his opponent.

    He continued walking like he had not heard what Cai Shengnan had just said, back straight and chest out as he headed towards his office building.

    A couple of soldiers were getting impatient as well. They waved their hands and could not wait to lock up all these people who were so full of themselves.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression turned sour. Turning to Cai Shengnan, he said, annoyed, ¡°Madam Cai, some things that are not meant to be said should not be said. Why would you want to look for trouble?¡±

    Cai Shengnan did not care. She gestured for Huo Guanchen to be patient and raised her voice again. ¡°Major General Huo, you said that we do not have the entry permit, and therefore we are trespassing. However, what happens if we do have the entry permits?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped walking.

    He turned around after being silent for a while and said calmly, ¡°If you have the entry permits, you would be required to show them to the guards at the entrance so that they can verify their authenticity. Only after that would you be permitted to enter. However, you do not have the permission of the Senate. Therefore, it would not be epted, even if you have the entry permit.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nodded. ¡°And what if we also have the approval from the Senate?¡±

    What a joke.

    When Cai Shengnan did something, when did she ever make a mistake?!

    To enter the headquarters of the Special Forces, she had put in a lot of effort to learn all of their rules and regtions. Therefore, she knew about all the permits and approvals she would require and the limitations on the number of people who could enter. She had all of it prepared.

    Due to being in the army for so long, Huo Guanchen no longer saw these details as important. However, he did not usually need to pay attention to these details. Cai Shengnan was different though.

    She had just returned to the Hua Xia Empire and was in thew industry. She had to be meticulous when doing things. Moreover, she was preparing to visit a heavily guarded area in the army. Therefore, she had to know her dos and don¡¯ts before she could ovee every single one of them.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and thought about it before turning around. ¡°You have the approval of the Senate? Why didn¡¯t General Huo know about this?¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked even worse now.

    So Cai Shengnan was using him as bait to test Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude?

    She had the approval from the Senate but had not mentioned anything. Was she out to see him make a fool of himself?!

    ¡°Madam Cai, why didn¡¯t you tell me that you had the approval? Moreover, I did not apply for approval. What would it do if it was applied for by you?¡± Huo Guanchen was extremely unhappy with Cai Shengnan¡¯s attitude.

    Cai Shengnan smiled as she calmed Huo Guanchen down. ¡°I am also helping out in Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office currently. I approached him for a letter of approval for you. I had thought that we would not need it, but I prepared it just in case. I did not expect that we would need to use it.¡±

    Her perfect eyes looked at Huo Shaoheng, then Huo Guanchen, and smiled.

    Although she was still being held back by two soldiers, the soldiers did not use as much strength anymore. Cai Shengnan did not feel pain at all at this point.

    ¡°Let go of her,¡± Huo Shaohengmanded as he walked towards them. With her arms freed, Cai Shengnan produced a set of approval documents from her bag and handed it to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen took a look and ced them with the spot check approval that had been approved by the army. It became aplete set of documents of approval. He would be able to conduct a spot check in the headquarters of the Special Forces.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and allowed his men to bring the people from Huo Guanchen¡¯s political department to the entrance for a check, including checking the authenticity of the entry permits.

    Seeing that the people from his department were being led through the procedure all over again, Huo Guanchen breathed a sigh of relief. Now they would not be chased away.

    If he¡¯d been chased away just like that, how else could he carry out his checks in the future?! He had to thank Cai Shengnan for her careful arrangement. The unhappiness that Huo Guanchen had felt towards Cai Shengnan disappeared.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was still firm with Cai Shengnan and the group. ¡°As for you people, either you leave now or you will enter the lock-up.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so inflexible?¡± Cai Shengnan did not believe she could not outtalk him. ¡°We have the entry permits and the Senate¡¯s approval. Why won¡¯t you let us in? Moreover, we are the performing team from the army...¡±

    ¡°Madam Cai,¡± Huo Shaoheng interrupted her. ¡°Firstly, the Senate¡¯s approval allowed the political department to conduct a spot check within ourpound. The spot check has nothing to do with the performance of the military performing team. If you would like to perform in ourpound, please go ahead and get another approval from the Senate and the army. Secondly, even if you had the entry permits, we reserve the right to allow you to enter. When you decided toe here, Madam Cai, you did your research. Am I right, Madam Cai? So you should know the importance of entry permits. Am I right again, Madam Cai?¡±

    Cai Shengnan narrowed her eyes, even more impressed with Huo Shaoheng.

    The wit that he had when he was required to think on his feet, the logic he could manage toe up with... Pfft. He was good...

    ¡°...Finally, you are not a part of the military performing team, so stop pretending that you are.¡±

    Uponpleting the three points, Huo Shaoheng made an ¡®after you¡¯ gesture. ¡°Would you leave now?¡±

    Silence engulfed the parade square. The military performing team hid in the car, trembling with fear. They were so close to cursing Cai Shengnan who was, in their opinion, looking for trouble.

    She was able to sue Mr. Huo, but what about them?!

    Cai Shengnan stood on the parade square and looked quietly at Huo Shaoheng. She did not leave. She did not take any steps forward either. She had been overseas for more than a decade. However, she only had a Permanent Residency in America and had not be a citizen. Therefore, when it came to citizenship, she was still a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire.

    If it was not due to this important point, Huo Shaoheng would have had his men arrest her the moment she alighted from the car. However, she had just returned to the country. She had not joined the army yet.

    Therefore, it was true that she was not rted to the military performing team in any way.

    However, due to being actively involved in the Senate recently, she¡¯d gotten the approval of Senior Speaker Long and had already been appointed as the legal consultant to Senior Speaker Long after the impeachment case against Prime Minister Tan. She would step down from her position as the leadwyer for the prime minister.

    She¡¯d been able to tag along today because Senior Speaker Long had granted her special permission to go to the Special Forces base for research.

    In her opinion, this organization had too many powers. It was unlike the organizations that had a special authority in America like the CIA, which had to be under the scrutiny of the FBI as long as they were within the country, and the FBI had to be under the scrutiny of the Senate.

    This was the type of management she approved of.

    Moreover, she had an A-ss entry permit, approval from the senate, and the army¡¯s agreement. The documents wereplete, but she had not gone through the security check at the entrance. This was not her fault though. The guard had released them at the moment they saw Huo Guanchen¡¯s A-ss entry permit and order of spot check. They did not request to see all of it for an entry permit.

    If Huo Shaoheng had locked her up, she would have sued him to the extent that his future would be ruined.

    COMMENT

    Cai Shengnan raised her head and looked back at Huo Shaoheng, refusing to give up. She produced all the documents she had. ¡°Major General Huo, even though I am not from the military performing team, no one has written any rules that only the people from the military performing team can ride in their transport vehicle. I am here as a representation of the Senate. These are my documents.¡±

    Cai Shengnan was one meter and 72 centimeters in height. On top of that, she was wearing tall boots with heels. She was already almost a meter and 80 centimeters tall, taller than most men.

    However, she was still about half a head shorter than Huo Shaoheng. It did not matter though. She exuded a strong aura akin to a queen¡¯s. Huo Shaoheng lowered his head to look at the documents that she had produced but did not take them from her. He merely said, ¡°If you want your documents checked, please go see the guards at the entrance.¡±

    Cai Shengnan immediately pulled Tan Guiren back to the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the entrance.¡±

    ¡°Do not bother with these. I have already informed the guards at the entrance that we will not be entertaining anyone from the military performing team. Therefore, please go back.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had initiallye out to handle the spot check today, he had no intention of entertaining anyone from the military performing team.

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was still unfazed, her heart beating more determinedly.

    She wanted to see what Huo Shaoheng was made of that he could be so snobbish...

    Flinging Tan Guiren¡¯s hand away, she turned back to reason with Huo Shaoheng.

    Tan Guiren grabbed on to her tightly and pleaded, ¡°Cousin, okay, that is enough. Let¡¯s go now. Let us not give Mr. Huo so much trouble...¡±

    ¡°You are not even a somebody to him, why are you so protective?!¡± Cai Shengnan flicked Tan Guiren on the forehead exasperatedly. ¡°Won¡¯t he take so much advantage of you in the future if you act like that now?! How can I allow him to take care of you when you are like that?!¡±

    ¡°...What are you bbering about, cousin?!¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s face flushed a bright shade of red. ¡°Do not spout nonsense like that!¡±

    Seeing that her little cousin¡¯s ears were already red from embarrassment, Cai Shengnan had no other choice but to keep quiet.

    However, it would be impossible to get her to leave just like that.

    After sending Tan Guiren back to the car, she turned around again and walked back to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Major General Huo, ording to thews of the Hua Xia Empire, the senate has the right to alter thews and see that they are carried out. I am here as their representative for research at your organization. You have no right to chase me away.¡± Cai Shengnan said that with a smile and a respectful attitude. It did not sound at all like she was trying to be rude.

    However, the content of her sentence was of utmost humiliation to Huo Shaoheng.

    When she said, Gu Nianzhi who had been watching the entire scene from the medical building, felt unhappy. Even the legal representative of the Special Forces, Bai Yueran, who had just managed to get, there did not feel good about it. Her expression turned sour.

    She was challenging the authority of the Special Forces!

 Chapter 896 - Hitting Herself in the Face

    <h4>Chapter 896: Hitting Herself in the Face</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Bai Yueran adjusted her emotions and coughed as she walked over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. Smiling, she looked at Cai Shengnan and said, ¡°You are Madam Cai? I have heard about you. However, we are slightly busier today than usual and therefore do not have time to entertain you. Could you please go back? We will arrange for a time to speak in a couple of days.¡±

    It had not even been a month since Cai Shengnan had returned to the Hua Xia Empire, but she had already learned about almost all the people who were in higher management of the government body.

    The situation in Hua Xia Empire was not the same as in America, but there were some simrities.

    The governing body of America was made up of three parts. The Senate, the Cab, and the Judicial System each had authority on their own. The Hua Xia Empire was made up of three systems as well. Their Senate, Cab, and Army were systems with equal levels of importance.

    The legal system was divided into normal court and military court. The legal department governed the normal court, while the army governed the military court.

    Simr to America, the Senate of the Hua Xia Empire was divided into two parts, the members of which were elected by its citizens. The ministers who were elected represented the will of the citizens and the many ovepping organizations behind the scenes. There were even foreign powers involved. However, this was the norm in countries that held diplomatic elections. This was because it was legal for groups of people to speak up for certain groups of beneficiaries. These groups of people sometimes represented foreign powers.

    As long as everyone yed ording to the rules, it was eptable. Senior Speaker Long was the Senior Speaker in the Senate. He had been a minister in the Senate for more than three decades, having started from the lowest rank.

    Moreover, being a Senior Speaker in the Senate, he was granted authority equivalent to that of a president. He had permission from the country to employ his very own personal secretary. Even though the country paid for their employment, but he got to choose who the candidate for the job was.

    When the citizens elected him, it meant that they had agreed to give him this power.

    For example, when the president of America wanted to appoint a new government worker to an official position, he would require the permission of the Senate to hire them. However, if the president wanted to employ workers to work in the White House, he could decide that on his own. That was considered eptable and within his power. It was simr to choosing a personal caretaker for the king in the olden Hua Xia Empire.

    The only difference was that the personal caretaker in the past was sried by the king himself, not sried using money taxed from the citizens. However, the employees of the White House, although employed within the president¡¯s circle of power, were sried by its citizens.

    At this point, Cai Shengnan was the unofficially appointed legal consultant to Senior Speaker Long. In that capacity, she would be providing him with legal suggestions about his personal and official matters.

    She still did not hold a special office of the Senate. However, with the back up that she had, it would only be a matter of time.

    As long as she was able to pass the background check smoothly.

    To achieve that goal, Cai Shengnan had put in a good amount of effort into getting to know the more prominent families in the Hua Xia Empire.

    Therefore, she already knew all about Bai Yueran, the Commissioner of the legal department in the Special Forces. She was extremely impressed by this professional woman who had been able to achieve such a high ranking position in the army at such a young age. Therefore, she was polite to Bai Yueran. ¡°May I ask if you are Bai Yueran?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Madam Cai knows who I am?¡± Bai Yueran raised her eyebrows in surprise and mentally reminded herself to be more wary of Cai Shengnan.

    ¡°I heard about you from the Prime Minister, who is my uncle-inw, and Senior Speaker Long. You became so well known in thew industry at such a young age, and your breakthrough case was held at the International Court of Justice. I am thoroughly impressed!¡± With that, Cai Shengnan shook Bai Yueran¡¯s hand.

    Bai Yueran smiled more meaningfully. ¡°Oh? Madam Cai has even looked up my case at the International Court of Justice... you really are informed.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I need to know who I will, or could, be dealing with, so I can feel more confident.¡± Cai Shengnanughed heartily and retracted her hand. She produced the documents and handed them to Bai Yueran. ¡°Since Commissioner Bai is here, please help me to take a look at these documents. Your Mr. Huo here will not allow me to go in. I, however, feel that he is being unreasonable.¡±

    Bai Yueran did not take the documents from her. cing her hands behind her back, she stood with her back as straight as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. ¡°Madam Cai, you only know about one of the rules but not the other, don¡¯t you? Firstly, I do not specialize in checking documents. I am unable to determine if the documents you hold are authentic. Therefore, I will not be able to help if you give them to me.¡±

    Finally, Cai Shengnan¡¯s expression changed. She interrupted Bai Yueran. ¡°Does Commissioner Bai mean that my documents are fake? I will not tolerate such an usation!¡±

    ¡°Please do not be angry. I did not say whether your documents were authentic or not. I was merely letting you know that I do not have the authority to check your documents,¡± Bai Yueran said with an extremely pleasant tone. It made Cai Shengnan, who sounded aggressive, seem like the unreasonable one.

    Finally, Cai Shengnan understood what ¡°hiding a needle in a haystack¡± meant.

    She put away the documents and slowly said, ¡°Must it be soplicated? Are you trying to make things so difficult for me?¡±

    ¡°Why do you have to put it that way, Madam Cai? You returned from America where you worked as a professionalwyer for many years. Don¡¯t you know the importance of going ording to the protocol? The protocol to follow would have been to get your documents checked when you were at the entrance. Therefore, please do not look for someone to check them for you after you have already entered. Firstly, General Huo has already been stopped by Major General Huo. Wasn¡¯t that due to protocol? You also demonstrated your understanding of protocol when you acquired your entry permit and approval. Have you forgotten that?¡± Bai Yueran was showcasing her specialty as the Commissioner of the legal department in the Special Forces.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and stood calmly by her side. He was not going to attempt to stop the argument between the two women. However, he was not about to leave.

    Cai Shengnan was at a loss for words after Bai Yueran said that to her, but she managed to find a loophole in no time and scoffed. ¡°Protocol? You guys ignored the approval and entry permit I officially obtained, still did not allow me to enter, and now you want to talk about protocol with me?¡±

    ¡°Haha, Madam Cai, please be reasonable. You cannot be talking about protocol when we already tried talking to you about thew. When we tried to put ourselves in your shoes and talk about protocol, you changed your words and jumped over to talking about how maligned you feel... If you talk like this, you will be the winner no matter what we try to discuss with you. If that¡¯s the case, to whom can we turn if we feel maligned?¡± Bai Yueran replied calmly.

    Even Gu Nianzhi, who was looking on from a distance, was impressed by her.

    Cai Shengnan narrowed her eyes.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s debating skills were way better than she¡¯d known...

    Although the debate at the International Court of Justice had been exciting, Cai Shengnan felt that she would have been able to perform simrly.

    However, now that she was arguing with her in person, she realized that she could not gain any form of advantage over her. It seemed like she would have to reassess the abilities of thewyers in the Hua Xia Empire.

    ¡°I am not trying toin.¡± Cai Shengnan showed her entry permit and approval letter again. ¡°I am merely shocked. By rights, the order from the Senate should be the highest form of order, correct? However, you can just ignore it. That¡¯s really unexpected. Perhaps I have just returned to the country and still have not gotten ustomed to the working culture here.¡±

    ¡°The Hua Xia Empire has been on par with international standards for a long time. We are even more advanced than other countries in certain aspects.¡± Bai Yueran threw the ball back to Cai Shengnan, hinting that it was Cai Shengnan who was being unreasonable and that it was in no way rted to whether or not she was ustomed to the local working culture.

    ¡°Really? If it is already on par, and the Senate is the highest form of order, then why was your Major General Huo able to ignore my approval letter that came directly from the Senate?¡± Cai Shengnan managed to find the loophole in Bai Yueran¡¯s words and began to retort relentlessly.

    ¡°Look here. Isn¡¯t this the stamp from the Senate? Also, didn¡¯t you manage to set this organization up after getting approval from the Senate? Do you dare to go against the order of the Senate? No wonder there are people out there who think that you guys think too highly of yourselves and are conspiring things!¡±

    Cai Shengnan began pushing her luck. ¡°If we described a country as a big business, do you know what you guys would be doing? You guys would be openly defying orders. The Senate can terminate you guys immediately!¡±

    Due to the special job scope of the Special Forces, many had been against its existence since the day it was approved to be set up.

    It was purely because of the protection from Senior Speaker Long and General Ji, both of whom had really powerful ranks, that the Special Forces had managed to survive on such a huge scale.

    Huo Shaoheng was a soldier who simply did things because he liked them. He fully understood theplications and special circumstances that came with politics.

    From what Cai Shengnan had just said, Huo Shaoheng had sensitively managed to discover that there were people who wanted a piece of the Special Forces.

    If they offended Cai Shengnan too badly now, he could not predict the consequences. However, if they sumbed now, the consequences would surely be worse.

    Bai Yueran was also taken aback by Cai Shengnan¡¯s words. It was true that the authority of the Senate was the highest under thew. They had established that the Special Forces had to report to them.

    It was due to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s presentation to the Senate that he had managed to get permission to expand the authority of the Special Forces.

    To put it tantly, if the Senate decided to take back the power that they¡¯d given, what could the Special Forces do to stop it?

    Bai Yueran and Huo Shaoheng fell silent. The parade square in front of the headquarters of the Special Forces was so still that the only sound was the cold wind blowing, making the entire ce seem even emptier.

    There was only one vehicle left with a few people inside. However, no one dared to speak.

    Seeing that she had managed to silence both of them, Cai Shengnan felt extremely pleased with herself. She mentally took note that she had to work harder to defeat both Huo Shaoheng and Bai Yueran together.

    If she was able to sessfully get a permit to learn about the operations of the Special Forces, her future in Hua Xia Empire would be limitless.

    She had been in America for years and had managed to be a shareholder in the secondrgestw firm there. However, she¡¯d still felt like an outsider most of the time, and she¡¯d felt horrible about it. Therefore, she had not wished to be a citizen there like her father. She still wanted to return to her home country and be sessful there.

    She wanted to feel the glory and pride right at home.

    ¡°What is the matter, Major General Huo? Commissioner Bai? May I enter now?¡±

    Cai Shengnan stood up straight with her chest out, taking a step forward.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi, who had been watching the entire incident unfold from a distance, was panicking. There was no way she was going to allow this woman to take another step forward, okay?!

    If she managed to enter the facility, how would Huo Shao be able to hold authority in the future?!

    To amanding officer, the consequences of having his authority tarnished were extremely severe.

    However, what Cai Shengnan said had a point. If not, Bai Yueran would not have remained quiet.

    True, she had approval from the senate. This approval truly held a different meaning to people who were in the army, like Bai Yueran. However, what Cai Shengnan had said just now had truly gone overboard.

    It was clearly a p in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. Gu Nianzhi would never allow anyone to p Huo Shaoheng in the face in front of her. She began thinking as she heard Cai Shengnan say, ¡°...Defying the orders from the superiors. The Senate could terminate you guys immediately!¡±

    Bingo!

    Gu Nianzhi managed to think of something that could embarrass Cai Shengnan so much that she would have to go back. She picked up her phone and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong! Put me through to Huo Shao. Quick! Now!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was standing behind Huo Shaoheng. He was extremely annoyed too. Hearing Gu Nianzhi, he knew that she had managed toe up with a solution to fix the b*tch. With sparkling eyes, he put Gu Nianzhi through to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone.

    Wearing his Bluetooth earpiece, Huo Shaoheng had been in constant contact with Zhao Liangze. Yin Shixiong cut in and put Gu Nianzhi through.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clear and sweet voice came through to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s earpiece immediately. ¡°...Huo Shao, tell her that the Senate could not even bring down Prime Minister Tan, who was under a case of impeachment from the entire panel of judges from the supreme court. She should not be so confident in her ability to terminate anyone she wished.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could not help but smile.

    So cunning...

    To think she had been able toe up with this.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words inspired Huo Shaoheng. He did not worry about offending the Senate anymore, or that they would take his powers away. Huo Shaoheng said without worry, ¡°Madam Cai, you mentioned that the Senate has the highest form of authority. Then why couldn¡¯t they bring Prime Minister Tan down for an impeachment case that was judged by the entire panel of judges on the supreme court?¡±

    The moment Cai Shengnan heard that her expression turned ugly. She was so angry that she almost spat blood!

    This was a ssic example of using her words against her!

    She had just said that the Senate had the highest form of authority and that they could do almost whatever they wanted. However, Huo Shaoheng immediately brought up the case of impeachment that had been raised by the senate. However, they had failed in that case purely due to Cai Shengnan¡¯s maniption!

    If she wanted to insist that the Senate had the highest form of authority and that the Special Forces had to adhere to them unconditionally, then how could she exin why they had been unable to take Prime Minister Tan down from his position?

    No matter what, the government was granted permission to have their cab upon approval from the Senate. It was almost equivalent to the Special Forces.

    He was pointing out that the Senate did not have the highest form of authority. It was like any organization with rules and weaknesses!

    How could she talk now without hitting herself in the face?!

 Chapter 897 - He Is Not Suitable For You

    <h4>Chapter 897: He Is Not Suitable For You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The expression on Cai Shengnan¡¯s face was epic. It was like she had just experienced all the emotions she had, and everything she¡¯d experienced in her life, all at once.

    It was the very first time that she¡¯d been struck dumb by someone.

    This was a totally new experience for Cai Shengnan, who had been a child prodigy since she started school, and an even higher scorer when she¡¯d gone over to America to study.

    She thought about it with her brows furrowed, realizing that there was nothing she could use as a retort. She could say something, but it would be full of loopholes for people to make use of.

    She could only be med for being too greedy...

    Prime Minister Tan was her uncle-inw. She hadn¡¯t needed to put in any effort to get into his good books; all she¡¯d needed to do was settle the impeachment for him.

    However, her ultimate goal was the Senate.

    The impeachment she had settled was a p in the Senate¡¯s face...

    Only Senior Speaker Long, who was forgiving and did not mind where she was from, who was a senior who could see her for her capabilities, would have agreed to let her be his personal legal consultant.

    Therefore, since she had made her decision to double-cross, it seemed like she would have to bear this humiliation from Huo Shaoheng. Using her words against her was such a strong move. She had lost.

    Cai Shengnan was not someone who was a sore loser either.

    By tagging along this time, she¡¯d had the chance to test things out and get a look at the most mysterious ce in the Hua Xia Empire.

    However, other than the parade square and many narrow roads that could lead to anything, she had not managed to see anything. She had not even set foot through the main entrance of the administration building.

    Although she¡¯d been unable to enter the building, it seemed very simr to the military bases she¡¯d already seen overseas.

    The people here, however, were the ones who had given her the biggest surprise.

    That Major General Huo was too quick-witted. He had subverted all of the stereotypes she¡¯d heard about soldiers. She could not help but be impressed by him.

    To form such an impression was rare for Cai Shengnan. She even felt a slight sense of attraction towards him... even though he was her opponent.

    It had been a long time since she had met with a man she would surrender to...

    Cai Shengnan was born in the Hua Xia Empire and had lived with her grandparents until she reached her teens. Only then had she headed over to America to look for her parents.

    Due to having grown up in the Hua Xia Empire, Cai Shengnan had an extremely close rtionship with her little aunt, Cai Songyin, viewing her as a surrogate mother. This was one of the reasons she had been willing toe back to help her little aunt.

    Now that she was standing there, she felt as though she was seeing her future...

    Cai Shengnan finally snapped back to reality and nodded at Huo Shaoheng and Bai Yueran with a smile. She stuck out her hand towards Huo Shaoheng for a handshake. ¡°Alright, you have won. Major General Huo, I did not expect for your thoughts to be so clear and concise. Yours isparable to the brain of the bestwyer in the world. Thank you for showing me your worst side.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no intention of shaking her hand. Nodding his head slightly, Huo Shaoheng replied Cai Shengnan, ¡°I am ttered, Madam Cai. I still have things to do, and thus cannot stay here any longer.¡± With that, he turned and left, leaving her to admire him from the back.

    Seeing that Cai Shengnan was looking intently at Huo Shaoheng, Bai Yueran smiled. ¡°Madam Cai, please leave.¡±

    Cai Shengnan snapped back to reality and moved her hand to Bai Yueran. ¡°Commissioner Bai, you were amazing as well.¡±

    Bai Yueran did not mind and returned the handshake. ¡°But I am nowhere near our Major General Huo, am I? That was expected. He is the person in charge here, I am merely amissioner.¡±

    After the incident involving the leak of information about Don Qinyan¡¯s birthday, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity had been exposed. After that, the army had promoted him and allowed the Special Forces to operate out in the open, turning it into an organization akin to other military organizations. This would lower the amount of curious attention they drew.

    Even the most important people in this organization needed to be kept in the dark about were the soldiers who were sent on missions overseas where. Given Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position, he would not be required to go on missions any longer.

    When he¡¯d made the deal with the senior members about going to America to rescue Tan Guiren, he¡¯d had to go undercover. Not even people he knew personally were able to recognize him then.

    Therefore, these people were not unfamiliar with him.

    Cai Shengnan made up her mind to stop beingcent and turned back to the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± she told the leader calmly. The leader had long wanted to leave this ce. He informed the driver immediately.

    Cai Shengnan sat beside Tan Guiren and narrowed her eyes at her.

    Tan Guiren whispered to Cai Shengnan, ¡°Cousin, what were you talking about with Major General Huo and Commissioner Bai?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. Just some things regarding work.¡± Cai Shengnan looked at Tan Guiren. She looked so innocent and pure that Cai Shengnan felt slightly annoyed.

    She took out a cigarette from her bag and wanted to take a drag, but remembered that she was in the car and could not.

    She almost destroyed the cigarette in her hand.

    ¡°What is wrong, cousin? Do you have something on your mind? Tan Guiren asked curiously. She could not understand what could have made her almost invincible cousin show such a bothered expression.

    Cai Shengnan sighed and remembered a poem. ¡°Seeing him for the first time, but feeling like you¡¯ve known him for so long...¡±

    She crushed the cigarette in her hands into a ball and smiled. ¡°Nothing much.¡±

    Then, she asked about Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°Cousin, are you on good terms with Major General Huo? Little Aunt and Uncle really like him.¡± Tan Guiren blushed slightly when she remembered how Huo Shaoheng had saved her when she was in America. She felt sweet.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother was indifferent towards her, she would be with him as long as he had romantic feelings towards her. She would also do her best to make his mother, Song Jinning, happy by being a filial daughter-inw, never going against her wishes.

    However, she could not understand what Huo Shaoheng was thinking.

    This man, to her, was like an extremely tough problem, but she would still like to do her best to solve it.

    What if she managed to do it?

    With the memories in her head, Tan Guiren began narrating her experience in America with Huo Shaoheng all over again. Cai Shengnan listened closely, not expressing her point of view.

    When they arrived at the headquarters of the military performing team, Cai Shengnan finally told Tan Guiren, ¡°I feel that this Major General Huo is not suitable for you. You are more suited to be with a man from a simpler family. This Major General Huo is tooplicated for you. You would not be able to control such a man.¡±

    Tan Guiren actually agreed with what Cai Shengnan had said. However, she felt ufortable that it hade from Cai Shengnan herself. She could not figure out the exact reason why though, as she¡¯d sounded really sincere.

    Perhaps the truth always hurt.

    Tan Guirenforted herself by saying, ¡°Cousin, as I have told you before, I will listen to my parents on this matter.¡± Tan Guiren managed to politely reject Cai Shengnan¡¯s suggestion.

    Cai Shengnan did not know why, but she felt crestfallen all of a sudden.

    Forcing a smile, she said, ¡°Sure. You have always been an obedient girl.¡±

    Cai Shengnan took her car and left, unable to fully focus.

    ...

    after the military performing team left, Huo Guanchen¡¯s men from the political department had their passes checked at the entrance and slowly returned to the parade square.

    They really were there to do an annual spot check on the Special Forces.

    Huo Shaoheng had been able to reject Cai Shengnan and the military performing team, but he could not reject the annual spot check.

    Of course, he still did not wish to speak to Huo Guanchen personally. Therefore, using the excuse that he did not wish to be too close to the officer who was conducting the spot check, he got Yin Shixiong to stay back to supervise the spot check for him.

    Huo Shaoheng drove out of the facility and called Gu Nianzhi on the phone. ¡°Nianzhi, are you still at Chen Lie¡¯s?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded from her end of the phone. ¡°I just finished some snacks with Brother Chen. Is anything the matter, Huo Shao?¡± Her tone was calm and serene. He could not hear any form of surprise or happiness in it.

    Huo Shaoheng realized that he missed the Gu Nianzhi whoughed when she was happy, threw tantrums when she was upset, and wanted to announce it to the whole world when she felt triumphant.

    However, people do grow up.

    Now, Gu Nianzhi was what he had wished her to be. She had truly grown up and matured. However, it made him rather sad. His fingers drummed absentmindedly on the steering wheel as he pulled his car key out. Alighting from his car, he went up to Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    When he entered Chen Lie¡¯s office, Gu Nianzhi was cleaning up the coffee cups and small ceramic tes from the coffee table with Chen Lie.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng enter, Gu Nianzhi smiled and asked, ¡°Have you had lunch? Do you want some food?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not feel hungry at all.

    He sat down, stretching his long legs out and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m okay. How did your check go?¡±

    ¡°Nothing new.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat down across him. ¡°Brother Chen said that most likely I do not have that kind of illness.¡± She sighed after saying that like she did not believe it.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Aren¡¯t you happy that you don¡¯t have the illness?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and caressed her head. ¡°Stop thinking too much and trust Chen Lie.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi avoided his hand. ¡°Alright, I will trust him for the time being.¡± Then she asked, ¡°Who on earth is that Madam Cai? Why did she admit that she had all the paperwork only after a while?¡±

    Entry permits, approval from the Senate, the military performing team, and Huo Guanchen. She¡¯d managed to make rtionships with all of them within such a short time. She was really good.

    After Huo Shaoheng told Gu Nianzhi about Cai Shengnan¡¯s identity and situation, he exined, ¡°She has been back in the country for slightly over a month. She was the leadingwyer for Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment. It seems like she had already settled it.¡±

    They had already discussed this theory. However, they now knew who the mastermind was.

    ¡°So it was her? She is really good then. I did not expect her to be so young,¡± Gu Nianzhi added.

    ¡°If she hadn¡¯t wanted to help the Prime Minister and lick Senior Speaker Long¡¯s boots at the same time, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to use that statement against her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°What you said today was clever and helped me tons. I have not thanked you properly for that yet.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you do not have to be so polite, Huo Shao. You have already expressed your gratitude by sending me back to school.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, worried that Huo Shaoheng might want to ¡°thank her properly¡± again...

    When she¡¯dst been here at Chen Lie¡¯s for her check-up, Huo Shaoheng had been here as well. She¡¯d merely helped him to trante a document and Huo Shaoheng had said that he wanted to ¡°thank her properly.¡±

    Then, he brought her back to his mansion and ¡°thanked¡± her thoroughly ¨C inside and out. In the end, Gu Nianzhi was in his bed from Saturday to Sunday, feeling like her bones had almost shattered.

    Therefore, when Huo Shaoheng said that he ¡°had not thanked her properly,¡± Gu Nianzhi rejected it immediately.

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to remember what had happenedst week as well. He lowered his head and chuckled for a while before standing up. ¡°Let us go. I will bring you back.¡±

    Along the way, both of them chatted happily and the atmosphere rxed a lot. Upon arriving at school, as Gu Nianzhi was about to exit from the car, Huo Shaoheng kissed her on the cheeks before letting her go.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her dormitory and had just finished packing her study table when she realized that He Zhichu had called. ¡°Nianzhi, it will be Christmas next week. Do you have any ns?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°I have to study, Professor He. I am about toplete my thesis. I hope to be able to edit it properly over the next couple of days.¡±

    He Zhichu agreed. ¡°Let me know if you have any questions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had initially wanted to say that there would not be any questions, but then she that she has seen Cai Shengnan today and asked, ¡°Professor He, may I ask if you know someone named Cai Shengnan? She is a shareholder of the secondrgestw firm in America. Do you have any impression of her?¡±

    He Zhichu replied calmly: ¡°I am not exactly familiar with thatw firm.¡± Then, he added, ¡°Why would you ask about her? I can look her up for you if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lower lip and contemted for a while. She decided to put it on hold for a while since she had not confirmed what the woman¡¯s intentions were. She did not wish to alert them unnecessarily. More importantly, she did not wish to give them the attention that they craved so badly.

    After putting down the phone, He Zhichu looked at the schedule in front of him. There was a red invitation sealed with a gold wax stamp. It was the invitation from the military performing team to their Christmas performance. Such a ticket could not be purchased by even the wealthiest people in the country.

    ...

    The spot check into the Special Forces ended extremely quickly.

    Huo Guanchen had initially expected the check to take between 10 and 14 days, but it waspleted way before he¡¯d anticipated.

    When he picked up the administrative staff from his political department, Huo Shaoheng sent him off personally.

    As Huo Guanchen was about to board the vehicle, he looked at Huo Shaoheng multiple times. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he held back and eventually left without saying a word.

    ...

    On Thursday night, Ma Qiqi returned to the dormitory hastily and said, ¡°Nianzhi, the impeachment will be today, live from the venue. Do you want to watch it together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi already knew the oue. Of course, she was not keen. However, seeing that Ma Qiqi seemed to care quite a bit, she decided to apany her to watch the television anyway.

    The live broadcast was showing the votes from the Lower House of Parliament. ording to thew, both the upper and lower houses of Parliament had to have more than fifty percent of the votes to let the impeachment go through.

    Cai Shengnan had built rtionships with people from both the upper and lower houses of Parliament and fought for as much support as she could get from them.

    Today would the day that the results would be revealed.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up an apple and began snacking on it. With her eyes fixed on the television, she asked Ma Qiqi, ¡°Let¡¯s guess the ratio of the votes. I will let you have a leeway of two points. How does that sound?¡±

    Ma Qiqi red at her. ¡°You said thatst week as well. In the end, I lost all my week¡¯s allowance to you.¡±

    ¡°Well, you were careless...¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned on the sofazily. ¡°Come on. Perhaps you can beat me? If you cannot, there won¡¯t be anything for you to lose anyway.¡±

    Ma Qiqi was almost convinced by her. However, seeing theplicated numbers and form, she felt that she should not bet against a mathematics genius.

    The camera had finally changed its view to the voting hall of the lower house of Parliament.

    A balding man in his fifties sat in the hall and looked at everyone with a wide smile. Then, he raised his hand. ¡°It is the time to vote on the impeachment of Prime Minister Tan Dongbang. Dear Sirs and Madams, I wish to remind you that whether or not Mr. Prime Minister is found guilty as charged for the crimes of providing false evidence and obstruction of justice will be based on your votes.¡±

 Chapter 898 - Appearance Is Power

    <h4>Chapter 898: Appearance Is Power</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The impeachment of Prime Minister Tan Dongbang originated from the extramarital affair video between Gu Yanran and himself. However, as a Prime Minister, being unfaithful to his wife was at worst a moral mistake. The one who should be upset was his wife. The Senate would not impeach him just because he¡¯d had an extramarital affair.

    However, when that video was analyzed, more details were exposed. Everyone realized that the ce that the affair had urred was none other than in the Prime Minister¡¯s Office!

    While Tan Dongbang was under interrogation regarding the extramarital affair, he had confirmed time and again that his rtionship with Gu Yanran had not affected his work in any way, and that he had never brought Gu Yanran to his office...

    As for that social media tform, due to an attack from a ¡°hacker¡± that forced them to restore their backup, the deleted video had resurfaced again. People began to use technology to return it to its original state and expose every single detail in that video.

    With a shock, everyone realized that the video had been taken right in the Prime Minister¡¯s Office! Therefore, the first charge that Tan Dongbang had to face immediately was the fact that he had lied to the Senate and provided false testimony.

    Subsequently, he¡¯d attempted to divert the investigation teams¡¯ attention and misled them. Therefore, he faced a second charge for that, also raised by the Senate.

    As for the extramarital affair between Gu Yanran and Tan Dongbang, it still could not be brought to light, and therefore was not officially included as a charge against him by the panel of judges.

    After investigating and gathering evidence for more than a month, it was finally time to vote on the charges of impeachment. ording to the statew of the Hua Xia Empire, to impeach a Prime Minister, both the upper and lower houses of Parliament had to have two-thirds of the supporting vote before it could be carried out.

    This was also the first impeachment of a Prime Minister since the Hua Xia Empire was founded. Therefore, all the citizens were paying the utmost attention to this impeachment.

    All the television stations, news stations, and social media tforms were all tuned to the venue, reporting live to their viewers about the vote. The whole world¡¯s attention was turned to the parliamentary meeting in the Hua Xia Empire.

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the small meeting room beside the lower house of Parliament¡¯s meeting hall, Tan Dongbang, Cai Songyin, Tan Guiren, and Cai Shengnan were doing their final preparations before the voting.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s father made a call from America to run through everything with Tan Dongbang again, guiding him on how to talk his way out without breaking anyws. As the two of them talked, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

    Cai Songyin did not disturb them. She turned to Cai Shengnan quietly and said, ¡°Shengnan, tell little aunt the truth. It will be okay this time around.¡±

    Cai Shengnan shook her head indifferently. ¡°What are you worried about? My father was able to handle both sides of parliament in America. What¡¯s different here?¡±

    ¡°You cannot think about it that way.¡± Cai Songyin was frustrated. ¡°Things are different.¡±

    However, seeing her innocent daughter Tan Guiren, and thinking about her future and marriage, Cai Songyin had to bear with this on her own. If Tan Dongbang was impeached, her daughter¡¯s future would be ruined. She could have been a princess her entire life. Not a single person in the Hua Xia Empire would have been able to match her family background, so no one would be able to get a better husband than her.

    For her daughter, Cai Songyin had to take this path. Moreover, looking through the country, was there anyone more suitable for her than Tan Dongbang?

    No, there wasn¡¯t.

    No one would ever have as much gold. No one would ever be as perfect. She should have been contented.

    Anyway, she could go out and have fun in the future without feeling guilty anymore. She did not have to care about how Tan Dongbang felt anymore...

    Cai Shengnan folded her arms and paced around the small meeting room. It wasn¡¯t that she was not nervous. After all, it was her first time doing such a thing in this country.

    Although she had already done what she could, no one would know what would happen until the final results were released. She craned her neck and took a deep breath. She felt like she was convincing herself and exining to Cai Songyin at the same time.

    ¡°...There are 660 people in the lower house of parliament. I have already managed to convince 450 people to vote for objection. On top of that, there were 20 who were uncertain. That already puts us way past two-thirds. The upper house of parliament has 100 people, and 70 of them have already agreed to vote for objection. Therefore, as long as they understand the big picture, there should be no problem.¡±

    ¡°No one will go against their words, will they?¡± Cai Songyin asked worriedly. ¡°How did you convince them? You did not do anything against thew, did you?¡±

    ¡°How did I convince them? Cai Shengnan raised her head to look at Cai Songyin, her seductive eyes captivating. ¡°I used what they care about the most ¨C their votes. Why would I do anything against thew? Wouldn¡¯t I be waiting to be jailed if I did anything illegal to a speaker? Do I seem that stupid?¡±

    She had used absolutely legal methods.

    Speakers cared about votes more than anything. Cai Shengnan had used a strategy that could affect their votes to convince them. She¡¯d spoken about how Tan Dongbang could help them to garner supportive votes if he continued being the Prime Minister. If Tan Dongbang got impeached, the people who chose the speakers to represent their zones would be the first to be affected.

    Moreover, Tan Dongbang had always represented the benefits of the citizens.

    The media that Cai Songyin controlled had already been reporting that the entire impeachment as a case had originated from jealousy from other political teams. Even the leaked video had been made up by the opposing team. They had uploaded it using the IP address of the Prime Minister¡¯s mansion because they¡¯d intended to sabotage the Prime Minister and tarnish his reputation.

    Under the influence of the social media team that Cai Songyin controlled, many political teams that had intended to gain an advantage due to the impeachment had no choice but to stop harboring such thoughts.

    The moment they made any ns, they were bashed severely. When the focal point shifted, everyone¡¯s focus changed.

    Cai Songyin understood the human mind very well.

    She knew that to the citizens who were looking at this entire case simply out of curiosity, the news about political fights was way more interesting than the extramarital affair of the Prime Minister. Political fights were also easier for them to believe were authentic.

    Even if the Prime Minister really did have an extramarital affair, his wife didn¡¯t mind and was trying to exin to the public that it was a misunderstanding. Who cared if he had a mistress anymore?!

    To be able to stir news that effectively, would it really not affect any opposing political teams?

    Under the influence of misleading information released by the anonymous technical team that Cai Songyin had engaged, all the untrue information about Tan Dongbang¡¯s impeachment was spreading like wildfire under her control.

    This would be the day that they saw the results of their hard work. Tan Dongbang had finally finished speaking to his brother-inw over the phone. He felt way calmer than he had before.

    He adjusted the bowtie of his tuxedo in the mirror.

    Cai Songyin looked at his reflection over his shoulder. The handsome man in the mirror with the sleek hairstyle was her childhood love turned husband.

    Of course, this man was capable. He was the best at giving speeches. The way he could stir emotions with his speeches was not something that anyone else could do. That was the exact reason he had been able to emerge as the winner under the careful nning of the Tan¡¯s and the Cai¡¯s, surpassing Bai Jiancheng who had initially been in the lead.

    Cai Songyin patted away some nonexistent dust from his shoulders and nudged him lightly. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Tan Dongbang turned around and grabbed her hand, kissing it lightly. ¡°Wait for me, Songyin.¡± Then, he turned around and walked towards the door.

    However, Cai Shengnan went to Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren and said, ¡°Little aunt, cousin, both of you should go together and stand by uncle the whole time to show your utmost determination to support him.¡±

    ¡°What? We have to be there as well?¡± Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren asked in shock.

    Cai Songyin was reluctant because she still did not feelfortable. Tan Guiren was merely too shy to be on stage.

    ¡°Yes. Uncle needs your support more than ever. Little aunt, by standing beside him, you would subconsciously be leading what the people online are gossiping about. Netizens will look at the entire incident based on your attitude. As for cousin...¡±

    Cai Shengnan paused a while on Tan Guiren¡¯s wless face. She had noticed that Tan Guiren was decked in the Chloe brand again. She wore a white dress from their store that suited her very well ¨Cdylike and innocent.

    It was very attractive.

    Truth be told, there were already many boys online who were proiming that they would be supporting Tan Dongbang solely based on the fact that he had a daughter like Tan Guiren. They even started the slogan ¡°Appearance is Power!¡±

    Of course, some online technicians were engaged by Cai Songyin. As for how many there were, only Cai Songyin knew.

    ¡°...You have to know that theizens are all voters. They are the main people who decide who the cab will be.¡±

    After coaxing them for a while, Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren were finally convinced.

    ...

    In the meeting hall of the lower parliamentary house, the voting had just begun.

    Tan Dongbang stood on the prosecution stand across from the panel of judges. Beside him was his leadingwyer, Cai Shengnan. His team ofwyers was behind him.

    Cai Shengnan had worn a tailored LV business suit for women. It looked formal but was able to entuate her womanly features. As soon as Cai Shengnan appeared on the television screen, her name began appearing on the top search on the inte.

    #Cai Shengnan, the only Asian female shareholder of the secondrgestw firm in America.

    #Father of Cai Shengnan, the leadingwyer of the previous president of America.

    #Cai Shengnan, valedictorian of one of the top universities in America.

    Topic after topic appeared in the top search. At least three of them managed to make it into the top ten searches in no time!

    She really was famous now!

    Many members of the media noticed this beautiful and capable femalewyer who had just returned from America. Her work number began getting so many calls that it seemed like the phone would never stop ringing. They all wanted to invite her in for interviews.

    Of course, focusing all her attention on the voting at the lower parliament house, Cai Shengnan did not have time to answer the calls.

    The one who was in charge of her work calls was her assistant. Her assistant presented the grand situation to her happily. ¡°Lawyer Cai, you can begin your term of stardom henceforth. Your top search is alreadyparable to that of an A-ss celebrity. Those from the B and C sses would not even be suitable to carry your shoes for you.¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled and seemed calm.

    Wearing her Bluetooth earpiece, she whispered, ¡°Alright, get a grip on yourself. I am not in the entertainment industry. How can youpare them to me?¡±

    She had been waking up earlier and turning inter than any of the others, only getting four to five hours of sleep a day to get to where she was.

    However, although she had responded to her assistant like that, everyone had a superficial side to them.

    Cai Shengnan still found time to take a look from her personal phone to check the top ten searches on the inte.

    At that moment, a new search topic was making its way up like a rocket. It climbed until it reached the top ten in no time, then continued to make its way up.

    This search regarding Cai Shengnan went like this:

    #Cai Shengnan, an ageless woman with looks 100, figure 150, and brains 250.

    Cai Shengnan was speechless.

    The corners of her lips twitched and she felt anger beginning to rise in her.

    Were the inte technicians that little aunt had engaged idiots?!

    How did they buy search topics?!

    Were they praising her now?!

    ...

    At this moment, in the dormitory of the grad school students of B University, Gu Nianzhi put down her phone like nothing had just happened, a little smile on her lips. Raising both her hands to support her face, she watched the television showing the grand meeting hall of the lower house of parliament.

 Chapter 899 - My Heart Goes Out to My Goddess

    <h4>Chapter 899: My Heart Goes Out to My Goddess</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi had just realized that there were many top searches regarding Cai Shengnan on the inte. She knew the moment she set eyes on them that online technicians had purchased them and were now pushing them upwards in the search results.

    The moment she remembered how rude Cai Shengnan had been in the parade square of the Special Forces the other day and almost embarrassed Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi felt a sense of anger rising in her.

    Since you like being in the top search results, let me help you!

    She hacked into one of the ounts of the technicians that Cai Songyin had hired and sent out a new topic using that ount.

    #Cai Shengnan, an ageless woman with looks 100, figure 150, and brains 250.

    After that, thinking that it was another mission, they did not bother to read it carefully before buying it and pushing it up to the top result...

    ...

    Cai Shengnan looked at that top search making its way up from tenth ce to eighth, and then to fourth. It had already surpassed the three decent top search topics.

    She could not help but feel annoyed.

    What nonsensical topic was this?!

    Looks 100, fine. She still had some confidence in that. But figure 150?! Were they trying to make fun of her weight by adding that extra 50 at the end?!

    Having lived in America for too long, Cai Shengnan was ustomed to seeing beauty as being fit and lean. She had been staying active by going to the gym frequently and was slightly on the muscr side. It didn¡¯t stand out in America, but when she returned to the Hua Xia Empire, she realized that she was at least a size or two bigger than the girls who were considered beautiful...

    Fine. Weight aside, perhaps she had given it too much thought.

    However, that brains 250 was definitely embarrassing to her!

    The person with the highest IQ in the world was Einstein. He had an IQ of 278. Usually, someone with an IQ of anything above a 140 would be categorized as a genius.

    She¡¯d had her intelligence tested before. She¡¯d scored an IQ of 180. However, to the public, she had promoted herself to have an IQ of 200.

    Therefore, the moment she saw the hashtag on the top search with ¡°brains 250,¡± she immediately realized that this was definitely anything but praise!

    Also, the phrase, ¡°ageless woman.¡± That phrase was usually only used on women who were above the age of 40. When the phrase was used on those women, it was really nice praise.

    However, she was only 29!

    She was not at the age where people would say that she only looked young, was she?!

    People should never talk about two things about a woman, her weight and her age. To Cai Shengnan, IQ should be included as a taboo as well. However, this topic covered all three of those!

    She had no idea where her little aunt had managed to hire these inte technicians. Each of these top search topics attacked her most vulnerable points. When would she fire them?!

    Although Cai Shengnan was furious, she remembered that she was live on television right now. Therefore, she did not show any expression on her face except for a graceful smile. She continued looking around the meeting hall, awaiting the results of the vote.

    Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren entered and stood beside Tan Dongbang. Tan Dongbang immediately looked relieved and touched.

    He hugged Tan Guiren before taking Cai Songyin¡¯s hand and raising it up. He was showing the camera the ¡°truth¡± and greeting the audience at the same time.

    Sure enough, seeing that his wife and daughter were present to give him support, the discussion about him from theizens began improving.

    At the same time, the top search about Cai Shengnan was still spreading like wildfire. The most popr was #Cai Shengnan, an ageless woman with looks 100, figure 150, and brains 250.

    Netizens who were humorous found it funny, so they began using it to entertain both themselves and others,ing up with emojis and memes using that top search topic.

    Cai Shengnan took a look at her phone asionally and was furious at the ongoing discussions about her.

    All the effort that she had put into her professional image ¨C generous, mature, smart, and professional ¨C was all ruined by one top search. Now, whenever people saw the name Cai Shengnan, people would not think about how good she was, but how funny she was...

    Thankfully, the voting would save her professionalism to a small extent. Sheforted herself in that knowledge.

    Two hourster, the voting had ended and the relevant personnel began tabting the votes. Due to being conducted on an electronic voting system, the tabtion did not take much time at all.

    Shortly after the voting ended, the results came out.

    ¡°...We shall now announce the results.¡± The Speaker for the lower house of Parliament announced formally. ¡°There is a total of 660 speakers in the lower house of Parliament. 630 were present, and 30 were absent. There were 600 votes cast while 30 were forfeited. We received a total of 600 official votes, 350 of which voted in favor of the impeachment of Prime Minister Tan Dongbang.¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s heart sank. How had so many people voted in favor of the impeachment?

    She had estimated that there would be two-thirds of them who would vote not in favor of the impeachment!

    However, although the number of people who¡¯d voted in favor was way higher than what she had expected and had also passed the fifty percent mark, ording to the rules, there had to be a two-thirds majority in favor before the impeachment would go through. Therefore, Cai Shengnan had still won this round.

    There were less than two-thirds of the speakers in the lower house of Parliament who had voted in favor of the impeachment. Therefore, in the lower house of Parliament, this impeachment would not be valid.

    After that, the tabtion for the votes from the upper house of parliament was also released.

    Senior Speaker Long appeared on the screen of the meeting hall in the lower house of Parliament to announce the results of the vote in the upper house of Parliament.

    ¡°...The votes from the upper house of Parliament are as follows: There are 100 members in the upper house of parliament. All were present to submit 100 official votes. 60 voted in favor of the impeachment. This number does not satisfy the two-thirds majority requirement. Therefore, the impeachment had not passed in the upper house of Parliament.¡±

    Senior Speaker Long banged his gavel and announced officially that the impeachment of Prime Minister Tan Dongbang had not passed, and that Tan Dongbang would continue in his position as Prime Minister of the Hua Xia Empire until his term was up.

    ¡°That is great!¡±

    ¡°We have won!¡±

    Tan Dongbang hugged Cai Songyin gratefully as he emotionally eximed, ¡°Songyin, thank you! Thank you!¡±

    Cai Songyin hugged him back with equal vigor, presenting the image of a perfect wife.

    Only Tan Guiren was truly happy for her father.

    With tears in her eyes, she looked sincere and attentive as she bowed to all the speakers in the meeting hall, thanking them no matter which side they had voted on. Her white dress flowed elegantly behind her as she bowed, making her look like an angel.

    Very soon, the footage of her bowing had been uploaded on to the inte.

    Thements were mostly from nerdy boys. ¡°My heart goes out to my goddess...¡± said most of thements.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was watching the television with Ma Qiqi in the dormitory. Neither was surprised by the oue of the votes.

    Ma Qiqi still screamed twice to show her anger.

    Gu Nianzhi did not feel a thing. Peeling an orange, she said without even raising her head, ¡°This was something that had been decided some time back. To be honest, I¡¯m rather surprised to see that there were more than half of them who were in favor of the impeachment.¡±

    Although it was not a two-thirds majority, it was way better than getting less than half.

    By surpassing 50 percent, it meant that most of the speakers were unhappy with his behavior. This would affect how much support he would be able to get when he made political decisions in the future.

    Although the two-thirds majority was required for the impeachment to go through, when it came to the approval of political policies, only 50 percent of the votes were needed to pass a policy. Therefore, it was rather clear that Tan Dongbang would not be having an easy time as the Prime Minister for the next five years.

    Ma Qiqi sighed and leaned back against the sofa while hugging her little bolster. ¡°...This Cai Shengnan is quite good.¡±

    She¡¯d been able to handle all 700 speakers in the Senate in just one month. That showed how truly efficient she was. There were some things about Cai Shengnan that Gu Nianzhi admired, but due to what had happened the other day, she did not wish to admit it.

    Scoffing lightly, Gu Nianzhi remained quiet.

    Ma Qiqi flipped over on the sofa and supported her head with her hands. Then she asked Gu Nianzhi curiously, ¡°...I think I remember something about Prime Minister Tan owing you money, doesn¡¯t he? Has he returned it to you yet?¡±

    Staying in the same dormitory as the debtor of the Prime Minister... She was excited just thinking about it!

    She was referring to the illegal gifting of money from Gu Yanran to Prime Minister Tan. Tan Dongbang and his wife had been used of mishandling the funds meant for the election. Eventually, Gu Yanran had taken out money from her own pocket to pay off the amount that was misused. That had helped Tan Dongbang get off the hook in that case.

    Recently, Gu Nianzhi had raised the matter of splitting the inheritance of the Gu family with Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran had attempted to murder Gu Nianzhi in an attempt to pocket all of the inheritance from the Gu¡¯s. The court had since removed her rights to the inheritance.

    After that case ended, Gu Nianzhi had asked He Zhichu to send Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin awyer¡¯s letter of demand, asking for the three billion US dors that Gu Yanran had given them out of the Gu¡¯s inheritance.

    Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin were doing their best during the impeachment. Of course, they would not want other issues toe to light and affect their efforts. Going through anotherwsuit over illegal mary gains with Gu Nianzhi would not be good for their public image. Therefore, within the shortest time possible, they had sold all their properties and investments, then borrowed one billion US dors from their connections to gather the three billion US dors for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s inheritance funds.

    This was because Gu Xiangwen was still categorized as a missing person. He had already been missing for seven years, so the court had pronounced him to be deceased. The ruling would be in effect for six months.

    If no challenges to the ruling were made in that time, Gu Nianzhi would be allowed to receive all of his inheritance. But for now, Gu Nianzhi was still herself. She had not be the wealthiest woman in Barbados. Although she had won thewsuit, the money hadn¡¯t gone to her yet. It was still in the inheritance fund of Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°They have returned the money to my father¡¯s inheritance fund.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded. ¡°That is good then. If not, we would never let them off so easily.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If they did not return it, we would not let them off! Go get them, Qiqi!¡± Gu Nianzhi gave Ma Qiqi part of the orange that she had just peeled.

    Only after taking a bite off the orange did Ma Qiqi realize that Gu Nianzhi was teasing her like a dog! She threw the orange away and pounced towards Gu Nianzhi while pretending to bark!

    The two girlsughed their heads off in the dormitory, feeling happy.

    ...

    The senior officers from the military supreme council were watching the live stream of the voting for Tan Dongbang¡¯s impeachment as well.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on General Ji¡¯s side, looking calm and collected, never an ounce of shock appearing on his face. Of course, all the people in this meeting room were cunning foxes and looked calm as well.

    The people who were alwaysughing wereughing as usual, and those who typically looked stern were stern as always. No one was acting out of the ordinary.

    When the results were released, everyoneughed out loud and praised Cai Shengnan, Tan Dongbang¡¯s leadwyer.

    ¡°Thiswyer, Cai, is indeed capable. There are so many people in the Senate, but she managed to get them settled on her side within a month. Incredible!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? To keep the votes in favor below two-thirds was already a feat. Old Tan has that niece of his to thank for getting him through this impeachment!¡±

    ¡°I think so too. You see, no matter what, the wife is the best. Who on earth was his mistress?¡±

    ¡°...Gu Yanran, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s elder sister.¡±

    When someone said that, they all looked meaningfully at Huo Shaoheng. Everyone knew that his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi was out of the ordinary. He¡¯d even used the opportunity to go to America to rescue Tan Guiren in order to negotiate for approval of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check and marriage report.

    Someone remembered this and raised his voice to ask Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, how are you and Nianzhi? When are you intending to get married?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not important.¡±

    Because they were already married.

    However, the only person who knew about that was General Ji. But they had agreed to keep this a secret for now. Therefore, General Ji was happy to pretend that he did not know a thing. He would never expose Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Guanchen, who was sitting on the other end of the meeting room, was secretly ted. However, he still sighed and said ording to what Huo Shaoheng wanted, ¡°What a waste. Nianzhi was not bad really. Although not as good aswyer Cai, she is still young and definitely has a bright future ahead.¡±

    The senior officers also expressed their views in agreement with Huo Guanchen, but were secretly rejoicing all the while...

    General Ji remained silent throughout until everyone left. He had requested for Huo Shaoheng to stay back for a while. ¡°I heard about your father going over to your end for a spot check.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and put his papers and pen from the desk back into his suitcase. ¡°The results of the check were normal. You already knew about that, I presume.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I do not have to worry when you¡¯re the one in charge.¡± General Ji touched his almost bald head andughed heartily. ¡°But that day, you really embarrassed our military performing team a tad too much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent. ¡°Then what should I have done to not embarrass them?¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Our team is unique in that sense. It is hard for me when they decide toe uninvited.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± General Ji smiled as he tried to make peace. ¡°However, Shaoheng, if the water is too clear, there will not be any fish. If a person is too calctive, he will have norades. As your position gets more important, you will have to do things even more carefully, Shaoheng.¡±

    ¡°When faced with different problems, it doesn¡¯t work to just chase them away. The military performing team can be seen as not having any authority, but sometimes they seem to have an authority that even I am surprised by. Do you understand where I¡¯ming from?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng indeed understood where General Ji wasing from. The administrative regrs in the army were all like that. Chuckling, he replied, ¡°I know. Thanks for caring, General.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± General Ji patted him on the shoulders. ¡°The military performing team will be holding a performance in the main hall this Saturday. The army has requested that everyone with the position of lieutenant and above be present. You go back and give an order. Your department is special. Just get Big Xiong and Little Ze, both the vice-in-charges to go.¡±

    General Ji did not wish for his secret department to be seen in public too often. Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong had already been made public. Therefore, it was okay to let them be seen.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Huo Shaoheng saluted General Ji and left with his suitcase.

    ...

    When he returned to the office in his building, Huo Shaoheng called Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze over and told them, ¡°General Ji has instructed me just now to get both of you to attend the performance by the military performing team at the great hall today. The army has requested for everyone with the positions of lieutenant and above to be present, but our department is special. Therefore, both of you will go. What do you think?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s face immediately fell. ¡°Mr. Huo, it is Christmas this Saturday! I... I... I have had something nned for a long time with Qiqi...¡± He really did not wish to go to this bullsh*t military performing team performance!

    Zhao Liangze was okay with the idea though. He touched his chin and said, ¡°I am okay with going.¡±

    Yin Shixiong red at him and cursed him for not being brotherly under his breath...

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and looked at his schedule. Raising his hand, he said, ¡°Forget it. I will go with Little Ze. Big Xiong will be on leave.¡±

    No matter what, Yin Shixiong was already 27 or 28 years old. As their superior, Huo Shaoheng had to think about the future of his subordinates.

 Chapter 900 - An Opportunity To Get Closer With His Girl

    <h4>Chapter 900: An Opportunity To Get Closer With His Girl</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    When Huo Shaoheng volunteered to attend the military performing team¡¯s performance on Yin Shixiong¡¯s behalf, Yin Shixiong felt guilty. ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t you have anything going on during Christmas?¡± he asked carefully. As a person who had seemed to have forgotten what embarrassment was, he began blushing!

    Zhao Liangzeughed at how Yin Shixiong looked and punched him lightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mr. Huo never celebrates these foreign festivals. You knew that, didn¡¯t you? What is the point of being wishy-washy about it now? Who was the one who was whining about being dyed from seeing his girlfriend?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled sheepishly and stood to the side. Supporting his hands on the table, he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it all Qiqi¡¯s fault? She had been hinting about spending Christmas together since eons ago, saying that their school has celebrations during Christmas every year and that it is going to be amazing like it always is every year. The student union will also be organizing different activities. The school choir will be caroling around. They like it like that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him and leaned back on his seat. ¡°Big Xiong, although it is important to make your girlfriend happy, you are not allowed to participate in any religious activities. Do not make mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Yin Shixiong stood at attention and was stern all of a sudden. ¡°I know. I will not go against the rules.¡±

    For them, it was okay to sing karaoke and have meals at Christmas. However, it would be a mistake to go to a church and participate in a mass.

    ¡°Alright. Go ahead.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. ¡°Handover your work first. Check through the emergency ns again. Our enemies will not be resting while we are.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong stood at attention and saluted, answering loudly, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze left Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office back to get back to their pile of work.

    None of them would be in the headquarters during the weekend. Therefore, the people who would be on duty would be even more important.

    Of course, there were even more important things for Huo Shaoheng to handle.

    He worked through the night on all the work that was ongoing, catching up on what he had missed and delegating the work that had issues. He instructed his subordinates to follow up with their cases, rotating the soldiers on missions, settling their families, and cing Special Forces officers internationally. Huo Shaoheng had to deal with every single case.

    There were many tasks that did not require him to be there personally, but being the leader of the Special Forces, he was still responsible for the thousands of soldiers in this department.

    They were soldiers. Even though they do not go to physical war, they put their lives on the line for their missions every day in order to protect their country and its citizens.

    One little mistake of his might cause an avnche. He did not want to bear such consequences, and even more, he did not wish to use the lives of others to pay for his carelessness.

    He finally managed toplete everything on hand at about 10 A.M. on Friday.

    Of course, he did notplete every single thing, but his work could tide the special forces over for 10 to 14 days without him around.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his home and headed directly to the gym to do an hour of intense training. After sweating it out, he felt a whole lot more refreshed than he had when he¡¯d left work. Then, he proceeded to the bathroom for a nice shower before changing into home clothes for lunch.

    He had not eaten for a day and a half, so he ate a lot.

    First, he had about 600 grams of steak seared medium-rare in butter and blended herbs. He finished the whole thing and still wanted more. Then, he had a bowl of rice porridge that had been cooked until it was silky smooth. It was good for his stomach.

    There were also some simple dishes on the table. Cucumber stir fry with bacon, a chili ke omelet, stir fry with mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and a te of vegetarian stir fry bamboo shoots.

    He finished almost everything on the table.

    When a soldier came to collect the dishes and realized that Mr. Huo had finished so much food, he was bbergasted. Carrying the tes into the kitchen, he whispered to the soldiers, ¡°...How long did Mr. Huo go without eating?¡±

    ¡°Probably since yesterday morning after breakfast.¡±

    The soldier in the kitchen looked at all the dishes and shook his head with a sigh. He had been working for Huo Shaoheng for a couple of years, so he knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s habits better than most. Therefore, he knew that the food he prepared, no matter its quality or quantity, would always suit Huo Shaoheng¡¯s preference.

    ¡°Go and ask Mr. Huo if he will be having dinner tonight. If he is, I will start boiling some soup broth now.¡±

    When he reached level two, the soldier knocked lightly on the door and asked through the tel system, ¡°Sir, will you be having dinner here tonight? The kitchen wishes to prepare.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not open the door. He merely spoke to the tel system. ¡°...I will not being back for dinner tonight. I will also be busy all weekend. You guys have an early night and go for a break this weekend.¡±

    ¡°...Yes, sir!¡± The soldier sounded so happy.

    Upon returning to the kitchen, the soldier ryed the message to the three chefs who were waiting there. ¡°Mr. Huo said that he will not be home for dinner. He also told us to have an early rest and to take a two-day break because he will be busy for the entire weekend.¡±

    The three chefs smiled. ¡°Mr. Huo is such an understanding person! I can use this weekend to go out and rx.¡±

    ¡°...Hahaha, gonna see your girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Girlfriend? I¡¯ve been married for many years!¡±

    The few soldiers cleaned up the kitchen while joking around. The mansion was filled with a festive mood all of a sudden.

    Huo Shaoheng looked through more documents in his study. By the time he was done, it was already almost one in the afternoon.

    Upon checking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s time table, he realized that she did not have any lessons that day. Her final lesson should have ended at noon.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed his suitcase, put on his Bluetooth earpiece and called Gu Nianzhi as he made his way out of the house.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished her lunch and was making her way out of the canteen. She hopped on to her bicycle.

    Upon hearing her phone ring, she realized that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personalized ringtone. Putting on her earpiece, she answered the call while cycling. ¡°...Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi? Have you had lunch yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng opened the door to his Mercedes SUV and got in. Then, he started the engine.

    He was not bringing his guards along as he wanted to go out on personal business. Therefore, he did not take the vehicle with the red g.

    ¡°Just did.¡± Gu Nianzhi was in a rather good mood. She pushed the bicycle with one leg and zoomed off with a swoosh. Holding onto the bicycle with one hand, she rode beautifully around the cycling track. Her face was full of youth and joy. Anyone who saw her would be influenced by her good mood.

    ¡°ssmate Gu Nianzhi!¡± A boy who was also riding on a bicycle rode towards her. ¡°Please hold on!¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi was talking on the phone with Huo Shaoheng on the Bluetooth earpiece, she could hear the sounds from her surroundings.

    Turning around, she took a look and removed one side of her Bluetooth earpiece. She stopped her bicycle and smiled at the boy who had caught up with her. ¡°...You are from ss One from thew faculty, right?¡±

    He looked familiar but she did not remember his name since they had never spoken before.

    Gu Nianzhi was considered to be a special case in this batch of grad students. She did not have lessons together with the other masters¡¯ students. Instead, she had lessons with the doctorate students and her home teacher, He Zhichu. As for her electives, she had lessons with students from the entire school. Therefore, she was not familiar with the students from her year.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi stop and greet him with such a great smile and pleasant voice, the boy thought about how untrue the rumors about Gu Nianzhi being proud and aloof were. He felt slightly more confident about approaching her.

    He asked carefully, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, tomorrow is the weekend, and it¡¯s also Christmas. The ss is holding a dance party to help everyone to get to know each other better. Would you be so kind as to attend the party? I know you don¡¯t have lessons with us, but we are all in the same ss. You¡¯d still like to get to know the students you¡¯ll be graduating with, right?¡±

    Initially, they had intended to get Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roommate, Ma Qiqi to invite her. However, Ma Qiqi said that she would be doing other things over the weekend and therefore would not be able to join the ss activities. She did not wish to put Gu Nianzhi into a dilemma by asking her since they were friends, so she¡¯d rejected their request to ask her on their behalf.

    The ss thought about it repeatedly and eventually decided to try asking Gu Nianzhi themselves. They had nothing to lose by asking. What if Gu Nianzhi really agreed toe?

    The dance organized by thew faculty would be the biggest event of the year!

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she looked at him and tilted her head.

    ¡°...I bet that you don¡¯t know my name.¡± The boyughed. He was good at making jokes.

    Gu Nianzhiughed shyly and nodded. ¡°Okay, I will go.¡±

    ¡°Oh my goodness! That is amazing!¡± The boy literally jumped with joy when Gu Nianzhi said that and his bicycle fell to the ground with a ng.

    Gu Nianzhiughed until her sides hurt. She quickly ced her bicycle to the side and helped the boy pick his bicycle up.

    ¡°Let me know the time and venue. I should be free over the weekend,¡± she agreed readily.

    She had been studying really hard recently. She¡¯d only been getting four to five hours of sleep a day because she was trying to graduate early. As such, she felt that she should reward herself a little. She had never tried going to a party with people her own age!

    The boy nodded and built up all his courage again. ¡°Can you give me your number so I can text you the time and location?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not hesitate as she gave him her number.

    The boy dialed the number.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°Okay. I will text you the moment we confirm the location.¡± The boy shook his phone and smiled happily.

    Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°...The party is tomorrow but there is no confirmed venue yet?¡±

    The boy craned his neck awkwardly and smiled, rather embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s like this... We intend to book this bar near the school, but we have not been able to agree on the terms and conditions, so...¡±

    ¡°Oh, I get it.¡± Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°Then let me know once you have confirmed it.¡±

    The boy agreed readily and rode away, feeling ecstatic. Of course, he would have to go back and announce the good news to everyone.

    The few wealthy boys had already announced that if anyone was able to get Gu Nianzhi to attend the party, they would put up the money required to book the venue.

    Gu Nianzhi had been focusing so much on her studies andwsuit, that she did not realize that she had already been confirmed as the genius queen of her batch...

    She was smart, beautiful, and extremely professional. Girls like her would never run out of suitors. There were indeed many boys who were interested in getting to know Gu Nianzhi. However, they did not have any opportunities to even get to know her.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was an orphan, she had an amazing home teacher, He Zhichu. He was well known for being protective of his students. When Gu Nianzhi was in school, she spent most of her time with him. The moment anyone tried to get close, even before Gu Nianzhi could notice it, the cold re of He Zhichu would scare them away.

    They also heard from Ma Qiqi that she had rtives who held extremely high positions in the army. Therefore, those who had thought that Gu Nianzhi was an orphan and had looked down on her in the past did not dare to harbor any more ill intentions towards her.

    To put it simply, those with average backgrounds did not even dare to think about knowing her.

    After such a long wait, they had finally managed to get an opportunity to organize a ss party. Those who felt that they had a shot with her were all eager to spend Christmas with the girl.

    While speaking to the boy, Gu Nianzhi had not hung up on the call with Huo Shaoheng even though she had removed one side of the earpiece. Therefore, he¡¯d overheard the entire conversation between Gu Nianzhi and the boy.

 Chapter 901 - Do Your Best, Huo Shao!

    <h4>Chapter 901: Do Your Best, Huo Shao!</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After the boy left, Gu Nianzhi put on the other side of the earpiece again.

    Huo Shaoheng listened and finally asked, ¡°...Will you be attending a party this weekend?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered, feeling rxed.

    ¡°It¡¯s Christmas tomorrow,¡± Huo Shaoheng said. He did not know why, but his thoughts drifted to Christmas ofst year.

    He remembered her sitting at the bus stop alone. It had been snowing that day. He¡¯d taken the personal military jet from C City to fetch her...

    It felt like it had just happened yesterday, but it had already been a year.

    Gu Nianzhi kicked off with her long legs again, the bicycle moving along with her kick. She asked Huo Shaoheng absentmindedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Christmas? I thought that Huo Shao doesn¡¯t celebrate foreign festivals? Oh yes, were you looking for me for something?¡±

    It seemed like she still knew him rather well.

    ¡°Am I only allowed to look for you when I have a reason to look for you?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he threw the question back at her. He drove towards her school. ¡°Have you forgotten that I am now trying to win over your heart?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I like that.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as her beautiful eyes turned into two crescent moons. ¡°Do your best then, Huo Shao!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng could almost imagine the beautifully sweet but cheeky smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Her luscious lips must be curling upwards like they were seducing him to kiss her...

    His throat immediately felt dry.

    Coughing lightly, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°You don¡¯t have any lessons in the afternoon. Can I bring you to the new home?¡±

    His ¡°new home¡± referred to the second-hand apartment that Gu Nianzhi had just bought. It was near the school in the Hepingli precinct.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    She had to revise even though she did not have lessons!

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent for a while.

    Aware that she was not talking, Huo Shaoheng waited for a while before saying, ¡°...I have been watching the voting the entire day and rushed my work to get home. I haven¡¯t eaten anything since yesterday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and thought that it must not be easy being Huo Shaoheng. Her tone softened. ¡°Then go and eat. Why would you look for me? I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡±

    ¡°...Come to the new ce with me. I will make seafood pae for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng remembered that Gu Nianzhi liked this dish a lot. However, it was slightly troublesome to make this dish authentically. It required a special spice called saffron.

    Saffron was the most expensive spice in Blue. Of course, it was categorized by its price and quality. The saffron that was sold in the local market was merely average.

    Luckily, there was a soldier who¡¯d been posted overseas and had brought Huo Shaoheng some saffron from Iran that was of top-grade quality. Iran was the home of saffron and the country that produced the most saffron in the world each year.

    Although Gu Nianzhi had loved seafood pae, she hated onions. Sadly, the restaurants that served this dish usually served it with tons of onions. Only Huo Shaoheng had managed to figure out how to make authentic seafood pae without adding onions.

    It was moreplicated, and due to his workload in the past, he had only made it for Gu Nianzhi four times in the six years that she had been with him.

    Just these four times were enough to let Gu Nianzhi reminisce about over and over again.

    Just as he thought she would, Gu Nianzhi began hesitating.

    Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°Bring the work that you have to do over. Bring yourptop as well. I will cook while you work on your studies.¡±

    That would be great, wouldn¡¯t it? They would both be able to do what they had to do.

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. She had already wavered.

    Huo Shaoheng decided for her. ¡°I am already on my way. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    It was only then that Gu Nianzhi acknowledged with a soft ¡°Mm¡± and said, ¡°Then I wille back here to study after we eat. I will not be bringing my work with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say a thing. He hung up and drove over.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi saw Ma Qiqi watching television while putting on her beauty mask as she entered the dormitory. ¡°Qiqi, did you know that the ss will be having a party tomorrow?¡± Gu Nianzhi was changing into her home slippers. She put her bag down as she did so and spoke to Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi nodded. ¡°I know. They have approached me before, asking me to invite you. However, I thought that you would have ns over the weekend so I did not tell you about it. Was that wrong? Did they still look for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile and sat down on the sofa beside her. Nudging Ma Qiqi¡¯s elbow, she said, ¡°Yes, they did, but when did I have ns for the weekend? It should be you who has ns!¡±

    Ma Qiqi was happy each time she was reminded of this. She moved closer to Gu Nianzhi excitedly and whispered, ¡°Brother Xiong asked me out tomorrow. We will be spending Christmas together!¡±

    ¡°Wow, will you be spending the night together as well?¡± Gu Nianzhi intentionally misinterpreted Ma Qiqi¡¯s words. ¡°Do you want me to get two sets of sexy lingerie for you?¡±

    Ma Qiqi was speechless.

    ¡°Nianzhi! How can you say such adult-rated things!¡± Ma Qiqi pulled yfully on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears, pretending to lecture her.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed her away,ughing, and escaped from the sofa. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you blushing? Oh yes, you must be confirmed to be with Brother Xiong!¡±

    ¡°He says he wants me to be his girlfriend already.¡± Ma Qiqi was slightly awkward. ¡°But we have not really spent time together. You know he is always so busy...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Ma Qiqi and felt like she was seeing herself in the past. ¡°Qiqi, I was there once. Let me give you a piece of advice... If you truly love Brother Xiong, and if he loves you as well, then treasure the time you spend together. Even though they are busy and are usually unable to spend much time with you, being with people like them for an hour supersedes spending time with others for a month, or even a year.¡±

    However, if the other party did not love you enough, then every single second together would be torture.

    Ma Qiqi was shocked when she heard that. Only after a while did she ask, ¡°...Nianzhi, you were referring to yourself, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and avoided the topic by walking back to her room. ¡°How¡¯s that? I meant you. You have to be prepared if you want to be in a rtionship with Brother Xiong.¡±

    Upon entering her room, Gu Nianzhi washed her face and reapplied some moisturizer. Opening the wardrobe, Gu Nianzhi saw the Hermes Berline bag that Huo Shaoheng had bought for her. She took it out and threw her phone, wallet, and keys inside.

    Shortly after, her phone rang. Huo Shaoheng had arrived to pick her up.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her door and turned to Ma Qiqi. ¡°I will be going out for a while. Do not wait for me for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Ma Qiqi waved her hand at her. ¡°I will be going out with Brother Xiong first thing in the morning tomorrow. Won¡¯t be waking you up though, huh?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi usually stayed upte to revise her work and edit her thesis. She would definitely be sleeping in tomorrow. Ma Qiqi had already gotten used to her sleeping habits.

    Gu Nianzhi waved back and opened the door of the dormitory to head downstairs.

    Parked near the dormitory was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s silver Mercedes Benz SUV.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and knocked on the window, waving to Huo Shaoheng with a smile. Huo Shaoheng opened the door to let Gu Nianzhi get into the car, then drove off quickly.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring your work and aptop?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced over and saw that Gu Nianzhi had only brought a small bag with her. Thankfully, she had clothes at the new apartment. If not, Huo Shaoheng would not be able to keep her for the night if he had wanted to...

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and smiled cheekily. ¡°I just need my phone. Why would I need myptop?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not look at her as he drove into the car park of the Hepingli precinct. Upon exiting the car, Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had brought his suitcase along. She sympathized with him. ¡°...You need to work overtime again?¡±

    ¡°It will be the weekend tomorrow. I am worried about there being an emergency, so it¡¯s more convenient to have these with me.¡± Huo Shaoheng brushed the topic aside and entered the lift with Gu Nianzhi.

    The apartment that Gu Nianzhi had bought was right next to the lift. Huo Shaoheng took out the card and opened the door for Gu Nianzhi.

    Putting his suitcase on to the sofa, Huo Shaoheng removed his coat and hung it in the closet before rolling his sleeves up. ¡°I will go to the kitchen to prepare. You want to take a rest?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave it some thought before throwing her bag onto the sofa. ¡°I will help.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You are keen to learn how to cook now?¡± Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. After attempting to learn a couple of times previously but not cooking well, Gu Nianzhi had given up on trying to enter the kitchen.

    ¡°I can¡¯t always eat what you cook, can I?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. ¡°It will be better if I learn it so I can cook on my own whenever I want to.¡±

    That made Huo Shaoheng ufortable.

    Huo Shaoheng caressed her head and replied with his low voice and a rare hint of emotions, ¡°I will always be willing to make it for you as long as you want to have it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned away and smiled, but remained silent.

    Who knew about the future?

    It would be better if she learned to cook on her own.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her deeply and understood what was going through her head. She thought he wouldn¡¯t know what she was thinking because she hadn¡¯t said it out loud.

 Chapter 902 - Slaughtering After Feeding

    <h4>Chapter 902: ughtering After Feeding</h4>

    1

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The two of them entered the kitchen. Huo Shaoheng opened the refrigerator and took out a pack of saffron. He selected two to crush into a powder, then put them on a small te with white orchids.

    Gu Nianzhi watched over his shoulder and asked some technical questions asionally.

    ¡°What is the ratio of rice to saffron?¡±

    ¡°If we switched the prawns with lobsters, would the taste be the same?¡±

    There were creative questions as well. ¡°Can we put crabs in seafood pae?¡±

    ¡°Can we switch peppers with small Spanish chilies? Would it taste better if it was spicier?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng exined patiently to her while he prepared the ingredients. His replies were short answered her questions thoroughly.

    Gu Nianzhi used her photographic memory to memorize every single thing that Huo Shaoheng was doing, including the weight and quantity of the ingredients.

    By the time all of the ingredients were stir-fried and ready to be ced into the pan to simmer, two hours had passed.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the perspiration off her forehead. ¡°Cooking is such a waste of time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was surprised. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t think that it was a waste when it¡¯s time to eat...¡±

    Both of them washed their hands and returned to the living room to sit down. Huo Shaoheng spoke first. ¡°You¡¯ll be going to the Christmas party organized by your ss?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and began looking through Weibo. She replied to Huo Shaoheng without even looking up.

    Huo Shaoheng took her phone away from her and said gently, ¡°I am talking to you. It¡¯s a bit rude to continue ying with your phone when I¡¯m talking to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was merely using her phone as a cover. She didn¡¯t wish to face Huo Shaoheng alone. She couldn¡¯t deny that the anxiety that Huo Shaoheng gave her was still significant after all this time.

    ¡°...I will not y anymore. Return my phone to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she stuck her hand out. ¡°I promise!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a while before returning her phone to her. cing it in her hand, he warned, ¡°I will confiscate it if you y with it again while talking to me.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, sure. Whatever you say.¡± Gu Nianzhi ced her phone back into her bag and discreetly made a face at him. She thought that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t see that. However, she did not know that, by sitting right beside her, he could turn around slightly and see every single thing that she was doing.

    By the time Gu Nianzhi turned back with a smile, Huo Shaoheng had already moved in close to kiss her lightly on her lips. It was as amazing as she had remembered it to be.

    From the moment they kissed, it was impossible to separate them. Whenever Gu Nianzhi backed off, Huo Shaoheng would move in closer.

    She could only mumble, ¡°Let me go... Softer... Don¡¯t bite...¡± If her lips were injured, how could she go to the party tomorrow?! She did not dare to struggle too much as well, worried that Huo Shaoheng would be more forceful if she did...

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to bite her and leave his marks on her lips, announcing his possession of her. However, he was still rational and stopped himself from doing so.

    Gu Nianzhi had a life on her own. Although he was unhappy that she wanted to go to her ss party instead of spending time with him over Christmas, he had no good reason to stop her from going.

    Moreover, he would be busy. He had to attend the performance by the military performing team and would not be able to apany her. So why should he stop her from having some time for herself?

    Seeing her lonely made him sad.

    Huo Shaoheng softened his approach and stopped biting her lips. However, he still kissed her lips gently, feeling the smooth and soft texture of them. There was something about them that made him feel out of breath.

    Finally, they stopped. He hugged her head close to him and their foreheads touched. Then, they sat on the sofa in silence.

    Gu Nianzhi only moved onto hisp when she felt that he had calmed down.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and caressed her forehead. ¡°Just sit however makes youfortable. You do not need to care about me,¡± he said, his voice as hoarse as ever.

    ¡°...I am finding afortable spot,¡± Gu Nianzhi grumbled as she smacked Huo Shaoheng on the thighs. ¡°So hard. It is ufortable no matter how I sit. Put me down.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent for a while and rxed his arms so Gu Nianzhi could sit on the sofa beside him. He stood up and said, ¡°I will go to the kitchen to check on the pae. It should be almost done.¡±

    Upon entering the kitchen, Huo Shaoheng heard the sizzling from the pan. This meant that the soup had already dried up and the rice was sizzling.

    Turning off the fire, Huo Shaoheng let it sit for a while before opening the lid and preparing a bowl for Gu Nianzhi. He also took a small bowl for himself... Just a little.

    He¡¯d actually had already had lunch. Not only that, he¡¯d had a huge lunch. He could only eat a little now because he was so full. However, when Huo Shaoheng brought the rice out, seeing that he had taken so little for himself, Gu Nianzhi thought that he had purposely left most of it for her and gave him half of hers.

    ¡°Eat more. You have not eaten in so long. Your body will not be able to take it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng touched his nose guiltily and saw how much rice there was in his bowl. Calmly, he said, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I have gone on an empty stomach for so long that I can¡¯t eat too much at once.¡± This excuse was normal.

    Gu Nianzhi epted it and took the rice back.

    She could not deny that the seafood pae Huo Shaoheng made was really good.

    Although she¡¯d already had lunch, it had been two to three hours since then and she was slightly hungry. Therefore, she finished the entire bowl in no time and went ahead to take a second portion.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped eating after the small bowl. He went to make some Pu¡¯er tea. Twirling the cup in his hand, he observed Gu Nianzhi quietly.

    Since the case had ended, Gu Nianzhi seemed to have lost weight. Her skin was always fair, but it had turned quite pale. Her waist seemed more slender too...

    He remembered thest weekend and felt that he had gone overboard. He could still remember his red fingerprints on her fair skin. She¡¯d looked like her skin had blossomed saffron all over it.

    Huo Shaoheng felt his mouth go dry and took another sip of tea.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her rice and took the initiative to clear the utensils away and ce them into the dishwasher. Then, she wiped the kitchen down.

    From the kitchen, Gu Nianzhi could see that Huo Shaoheng was sitting alone in the dining area. He had a cup of tea in his hand. His hands holding the teacup were so long and strong. His palms were not big, but their shape was perfect. His fingers had some calluses¨Cevidence of handling guns over time.

    His features were deeply set. Under the soft evening rays of sunset, he was extremely handsome. No words were not enough to describe how handsome he was.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had outgrown the phase of being solely attracted to looks. She was merely sighing because he was such a handsome man. Sadly, he had no heart. Sometimes, his unconcerned attitude made people feel worse than if they had been betrayed.

    You were able to feel anger when you were betrayed, but when your other half was unconcerned with you, all you could do was to feel helpless.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped looking and removed her apron. Coming out of the kitchen, she said, ¡°Huo Shao, thank you for your seafood pae. Dinner was amazing, but I have to go back now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not move. He sat quietly in the dining area. He supported his face with one hand and used the other to hold his teacup.

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi but remained silent. It seemed like he had so much to say but did not know where to begin.

    Gu Nianzhi felt rather at a loss. She walked to the sofa in the living room, carrying her bag. Huo Shaoheng finally caught up with her as she walked towards the door.

    He hugged her from behind and kissed the nape of her neck. ¡°Nianzhi, stay. Be with me.¡± His extremely sexy voice surrounded her. It went from her ears straight into her heart. It wrapped around her heart ruthlessly, making her open her heart to him again.

    Gu Nianzhi could not exin why, but she turned around and hugged him.

    The two of them stayed entangled from the living room to the bedroom.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi did not know when she fell asleep, but before she did, she vaguely remembered thinking about why Huo Shaoheng wanted to cook for her. He¡¯d wanted to feed her before ughtering her...

    6...

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up the next day, she realized that she was snuggled into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    One of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms was supporting her neck, the other was hugging her by the waist. It was a clear sign of authority. It meant that she belonged to him.

    No wonder she still felt tired fromst night. It felt like she¡¯d been carrying an extremely heavy log up a mountain...

    So it had been this heavy log.

    Gu Nianzhi moved away from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and smiled as he looked at her. ¡°Awake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stretched her neck and sat up. ¡°What is the time now?¡± She craned her neck to look over Huo Shaoheng and took the phone from the bedside table. ¡°What? It is already ten o¡¯clock?!¡±

    She had overslept by a lot!

    She looked at her phone again and saw the boy had sent her the location of the party.

    ¡°Bar Jinling...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at it and opened Qiandu to search for the exact location of the bar.

    Huo Shaoheng got up and headed to the bathroom for a shower. He had initially wanted to get Gu Nianzhi into the shower with him, but he saw that Gu Nianzhi had a calling in and didn¡¯t distract her. He headed to the bathroom on his own.

    When Gu Nianzhi answered He Zhichu¡¯s call, not knowing why she was feeling guilty. ¡°Professor He?¡±

    ¡°Where are you, Nianzhi? I didn¡¯t see you in the library,¡± He Zhichu said, standing in front of the library at B University.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled awkwardly. ¡°Haha, I am not at school right now. Is anything the matter, Professor He?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± It seemed like He Zhichu understood something. He felt his heart skip a beat and sink, but did not say a thing about it. When that feeling got better, he finally said, ¡°I have an invitation to go watch the performance of the military performing team. Would you like to go? I can bring you along if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°I have agreed to go to the Christmas party organized by the ss, so I will have to decline. Enjoy, Professor He. The performance by the military performing team sounds like it will be amazing.¡±

    When He Zhichu heard that Gu Nianzhi was going to attend her ss party, he immediately said, ¡°Where will the party be? I will go with you.¡±

    ¡°I thought you had wanted to go to the military performing team¡¯s performance?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Not going anymore. If you¡¯re not going, what¡¯s the point of me going alone?¡± He Zhichu said immediately.

 Chapter 903 - Flirting Expert

    <h4>Chapter 903: Flirting Expert</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a bit shocked. ¡°You want to attend our ss Christmas ball? But...¡±

    ¡°But what? Would they not wee me?¡± He Zhichu replied slowly, putting one hand into his coat pocket and gradually tightening it into a fist. ¡°Or do you not want me to go?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi denied it automatically. She gripped her phone, sitting up from the bed to the nket up to cover her neck before carefully replying, ¡°Professor He, this Christmas ball is actually for the ssmates in the ss to get closer and get to know each other better.¡±

    If a professor went, then Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t dare to imagine what kind of situation it would turn into...

    He Zhichu snickered. ¡°You¡¯re scared I¡¯m going to drag you down? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go by myself so that won¡¯t negatively affect you.¡± As he said this, he ended the call.

    Gu Nianzhi listened to the dial tone from the other end and put on a wry smile.

    She didn¡¯t really mind him going on his own, but upon careful consideration, there would certainly be something wrong about He Zhichu going to the Christmas ball with her.

    He Zhichu was a professor. She was a student, as well as his teaching assistant.

    Because of their work and academic rtionships, they were often together.

    Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a very close rtionship with her ssmates, she knew about the people talking behind her back.

    She was open-minded and didn¡¯t take it to heart at all.

    But if they even attended the Christmas ball together, the gossip would probably get even uglier...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind that for herself, but she knew that this kind of thing could cause a lot of damage to a teacher¡¯s reputation.

    So she didn¡¯t call him back.

    If He Zhichu had another way to go to their Christmas ball, then Gu Nianzhi was honestly very happy about it.

    After all, she didn¡¯t know many students in her ss very well. Plus, her best friend, Ma Qiqi, had already confirmed that she wasn¡¯t going. She had a date with her boyfriend that weekend.

    When Gu Nianzhi thought about it, it would be quite awkward to go to a Christmas ball where she didn¡¯t know anyone else at all.

    But if He Zhichu also went, then it would be nice to chat with him when they were there.

    Otherwise, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to chat with anyone else attending.

    After Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully, she decided to not hesitate anymore.

    Removing the nkets and sitting up, she picked up the robe at the foot of her bed and put it on. Then she opened her closest to pick the outfit she¡¯d wear for the ball that night.

    Since it was a ball, she should probably wear a dress.

    Fall and winter dresses were too thick and heavy. Plus, they were impossible to dance in.

    After scouring her closet for a long time, she finally found a one-shoulder, almond-colored, silk dress with a high slit.

    The silk was of very fine quality and looked as smooth as clear, flowing water under the light.

    The lower half of the dress was iid with flower branches sewn from lotus-colored silk. It was very life-like and appeared like the real thing.

    She draped it on her body to look in the mirror. It made her skin appear even more fair and delicate.

    She took off the robe she was wearing and put the dress on.

    Because she wasn¡¯t wearing a bra, as soon as she adjusted the dress, she immediately saw the two obvious dots protruding from her chest reflected in the mirror.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe. He watched her with his arms crossed.

    He was dressed extremely nicely. He was not in his uniform today but in casual clothes.

    The short, cored white shirt he wore was from an indiscernible brand. However, it was so well fitted that it was probably custom tailored.

    Long and slim-cut trousers covered his long legs. Even the belt around his waist carried an aura of abstinence.

    It tightly restrained his wildness.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked as she made eye contact with Huo Shaoehng in the mirror and said, ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m wearing this dress to the ball tonight.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and draped one hand on her shoulder. Bending over slightly, he leveled his gaze with her¡¯s and said curtly, yet firmly into her ear, ¡°...No.¡±

    ¡°Why not? This dress will surely look nice when I dance.¡± Gu Nianzhi bickered with Huo Shaoheng and stubbornly tried to reason with him. ¡°I also know how to do Latin dancing. Look at this slit¨Cwhen I reveal my leg and kick it out, it¡¯ll be sure to charm everyone there.¡±

    She pointed to the diagonal curve near her thigh at the bottom of the dress to show Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at it and reached out to stroke her thigh. ¡°If you wear this dress, you¡¯ll only make people want to rip it open...¡± As he spoke, he began pushing it up her leg.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly grabbed his hand. ¡°No! I like this dress a lot! If you dare to rip it, then I¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll what?¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed his body forward and gripped her slender waist with both hands. His palms were burning hot.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and nned to say something harsh, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t let her speak. He lowered his head and kissed her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pressed her lips together and turned away to stop him from kissing her. She mumbled vaguely, ¡°Don¡¯t... I haven¡¯t brushed my teeth yet...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Huo Shaoheng held her head and kissed her anyway.

    As he kissed her, he took out his phone to nce at it and slid on the screen to open a smart control app.

    Soon afterward, anguid and warm song began ying in the room.

    When this apartment was being renovated, he had installed surround-sound Bluetooth speakers in the bedroom and living room.

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that it was the famous song by the Carpenters, ¡°Merry Christmas, Darling.¡±

    The Carpenters¡¯ singing voices from 50 years ago had been perfected over time. Like a crystal polished by the years, it was even more pure, affectionate, and free of impurities.

    Huo Shaoheng retreated a step and offered his hand as he looked down at her. He asked quietly, ¡°May I?¡±

    He was actually asking her to dance.

    His eyes were so intent that other people would have found it impossible to ignore him. His dark, ink-ck eyes seemed like they could steal souls.

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to be under a trance as she ced her hand into his palm.

    Huo Shaoheng took her soft and small hand in his own, then ced his other hand on her waist. He slid forward one step and began to lead her to spin around the small bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng was also a master of ballroom dancing.

    He had a very strong sense of rhythm as his powerful arms led her to dance smoothly to the slow, three-beat rhythm.

    Spin around, stagger, he moved in, she moved out, he moved forward, she moved backward.

    Their interlocking palms began to sweat and were getting a bit damp. Her heart hammered and her footsteps became panicked. She almost stepped on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feet several times.

    But as soon as he exerted a slight force through his arms, he could lift her upwards and spin her around.

    He sensed her nervousness so he lowered his head to kiss her forehead.

    His gentle, warm lips allowed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart to gradually rx. Composing herself, she began to dance along to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rhythm.

    She had also learned this and had secretly practiced with Little Temptress and her roommates back in her undergraduate days. But she had never had the chance to dance with someone else before.

    She¡¯d also once had the selfish and tiny wish for her first dance to be with Huo Shaoheng.

    If it wouldn¡¯t be with Huo Shaoheng, then she would never dance for her entire life.

    In the end, so many things had happened afterward that she¡¯d decided to leave him. All her past wishes had also disappeared without a trace.

    She¡¯d never expected Huo Shaoheng to use this kind of method to secretly fulfill her wish.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down to conceal the dampness in the corners of her eyes.

    The music slowed and only four verses repeated:

    ¡°Greeting cards have all been sent,

    The Christmas rush is through,

    But I still have one wish to make,

    A special one for you,

    Merry Christmas Darling.¡±

    When thest note finally ended, Huo Shaoheng stopped his movements.

    He lifted Gu Nianzhi and had her stand on his feet as he lowered his head to whisper in her ear, ¡°Merry Christmas, my darling.¡±

    His authentic Oxford ent paired with his maic and deep voice made Gu Nainzhi¡¯s heart felt as if it had rolled around in powdered sugar a few times. Honey must have been drizzled on top. It was so sweet it was criminal.

    Gu Naiznhi embraced Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck tightly and was so moved that her entire body was trembling.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t move as he allowed her to embrace him tightly. He crossed his arms behind her back, enveloping her in his arms without exerting any pressure. However, it made her feel safer than ever.

    This was the sense of security she cherished the most. It seemed to be returning bit by bit...

    After a long pause, Gu Nianzhi finally said in a raspy voice, ¡°...You don¡¯t celebrate foreign holidays, so I won¡¯t celebrate them either. You don¡¯t ever need to... Be like this again.¡±

    A rare moment like this was meant to be enjoyed only once. She could reminisce about it for the rest of her life.

    It would be meaningless if it happened more often.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her back. ¡± It doesn¡¯t matter when we¡¯re at home.¡±

    They weren¡¯t making a big fanfare at church, so Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind satisfying Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny wishes when they were alone together.

    Guy Nianzhi nuzzled herself into his arms and quietly agreed.

    Huo Shaoheng then said, ¡°You can leave this dress at home and wear it when you dance with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed. Even if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t said anything, she had already nned to save this dress as a memory.

    It was the dress she¡¯d worn when they¡¯d first danced together, so it was something she could save and remember for the rest of her life.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you pick an outfit.¡± Huo Shaoheng rxed his arms. ¡°Our Nianzhi is so pretty, she¡¯ll be sure to charm everyone there today.¡±

    Although he was coaxing her like a child, Gu Nianzhi savored it like the sweetest candy. She followed Huo Shaoheng to watch him pick out her dancing dress to wear that evening.

    Huo Shaoheng opened her closet to take a look and chose one from the dresses that still had their store tags attached.

    Gu Nianzhi took a look. It was a very unique looking, red cocoon shaped dress suit by Dior. The design was somewhat dramatic, especially at the chest and waist.

    It entuated her high breasts, slim waist, and long, straight legs. Even her knees looked unusually pale and wless.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too dramatic?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, feeling a bit anxious.

    Actually, this outfit was too mature and morous. It was obviously a very expensive piece. It would be suitable to wear to a dinner at the White House, but it would be overdressing for a tiny Christmas ball.

    Men who were dressed more simply would never dare to stand next to her.

    ¡°Is this as dramatic as when your nipples could be seen through the other dress?¡± Huo Shaoheng replied jokingly. He then went to find jewelry for her.

    1Fine. Gu Naiznhi rubbed her nose and wisely chose not to rebuke him.

    When Huo Shaoheng hung the strand of rubies and diamonds the size of pigeon eggs around her neck, Gu Ninnzhi was already resigned to her fate.

    She was glittering gold and probablyplementing the season as well as a Christmas tree...

    After deciding on the outfit, Gu Nianzhi went to the bathroom to wash up and take a bath. She also did herplete body care routine.

    When women are getting ready for an event, they never feel like there is enough time.

    Luckily, Huo Shaoheng was also busy himself, so he didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with Gu Nianzhi spending three hours in the bathroom.

    He sat on the couch by the bathroom door and was working on hisptop, keeping watch that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t fall asleep in the bathtub.

    When Gu Nianzhi finally finished washing up, she discovered that it was already 2 P.M.

    She sat in front of her vanity to dry her hair and suddenly remembered something. She asked, ¡°Huo Shao, how do you know how to dance so well? When did you learn? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly closed hisptop and rubbed his nose as he dodged the subject. ¡°What time is your ball tonight? What do you want to eat before you leave?¡±

    ¡°We should go to Bar Jinling at 6. I¡¯m not hungry right now.¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to take the hairdryer from her hand and tousled her hair as he dried it for her. He replied calmly, ¡°This is something we all have to learn at the Special Operations Forces. Everyone knows how to do it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go ask Big Xiong and Little Ze.¡±

    The truth was, Huo Shaoehng didn¡¯t want to talk to Gu Nianzhi about what they¡¯d been trained on.

    It was better to have one less troubling matter. Huo Shaoheng innately knew how to avoid giving himself unnecessary trouble.

    1Especially when it came to someone like Gu Nianzhi with her keen mind. Not only did she have a good memory, but she could counter three points with one statement. Huo Shaoheng instinctively knew that if he came clean, the consequences would be endlessly troubling.

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi believed his answer. She smiled. ¡°Then everyone in the Special Ops must be flirting experts. If that¡¯s the case, why are Brother Xiong and Brother Ze still single?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°We don¡¯t flirt with girls. Those are only missions.¡±

    It was because they knew too much and didn¡¯t want to apply such things in their own lives.

    They were better able to discern true love from fake affection than normal people were.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled knowingly.

    ...

    Time passed by especially quickly when they were together.

    Soon it was 5:30 P.M. Winters in the Imperial Capital had especially short days.

    Huo Shaoheng made a call and asked Fan Jian to drive them over.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Fan Jian to drive you.¡± Huo Shaoheng squinted his eyes as he adjusted the ne on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck. ¡°Call me when it¡¯s over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and put on her coat. She followed Huo Shaoheng downstairs to the parking lot.

    Fan Jian was already waiting inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Bentley SUV.

    They got in the car and sat in the back together.

    Fan Jian quickly drove them to the street to Bar Jinling.

    When Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, several of her ssmates standing out front waved happily at her. They called out to her, ¡°Gu Nianzhi! This way!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and was about to head over when Huo Shaoheng called after her from the car, ¡°Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to discover the Bentley¡¯s car window was lowered. Huo Shaoheng wore sunsses to conceal half his face and looked so handsome he made hearts tremble.

    There were no lights on inside the car, so only the light from the streemps fell on him. It was half dark and half bright, further entuating his mysterious and magnificent aura.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked back and went to the side of the car window. She bent over slightly and looked at Huo Shaoheng with surprise.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly reached out to hold Gu Nanzhi¡¯s neck and gently pulled her down.

    Before all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmates, the sparkling Christmas lights and the bar entrance with faint music ying, he kissed her.

 Chapter 904 - Stars Surrounding the Moon

    <h4>Chapter 904: Stars Surrounding the Moon</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain went nk for a moment.

    She could hear the song ¡°Edelweiss¡± ying in the bar. The music was scattered and quiet but lingered endlessly in her ears.

    Thatnguid and warm melody drifted through the evening winter sky. IT was like someone was gently brushing a feather by her ear.

    She had clearly been kissed on her lips, yet she felt its burning heat on her ears.

    She groggily opened her eyes and her gaze fell on Huo Shaoheng.

    When she looked through the car windows, the streetmps were orange-yellow, shining with the rare warmth of winter.

    However, the interior of the car was pitch ck. Other people couldn¡¯t see what was happening inside the car. They could only see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exquisite chin and the tiny swirling movements of him pressing very close to Gu Nianzhi.

    The male ssmates watching from the front of the bar were bbergasted. They didn¡¯t know how to react at all, even forgetting to take out their phones to secretly take a photo.

    After all, this was a fancy car and a beautiful couple. Add on a passionate kiss from a mysterious, beautiful man donning sunsses¨Cit would be easy for it to be posted on Weibo and earn thousands of reposts.

    Unfortunately, the man¡¯s aura was too powerful to allow it. Even though he had merely sat in the car and casually revealed half his face, he had utterly shocked the group of B University Faculty of Law grad students who typically proimed themselves to be the very pirs of society.

    ...

    After experiencing a bout of dizziness, Gu Nianzhi finallyposed herself.

    She thought that much time had passed, but it had only been a few seconds and Huo Shaoheng had already let go of her hand.

    ¡°Go on, have fun.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks, satisfied to see two patches of blush blooming on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi straightened her back and mindlessly wiped her lips. She had applied sheer pink lipgloss before she left, but all of that had probably been ¡°eaten up¡± by Huo Shaoehng just now.

    Huo Shaoehng calmly took out a tissue to wipe his lips. As expected, he saw a dash of pink imprinted on the pure white tissue.

    Heughed as he waved at Gu Nianzhi beforemanding Fan Jian, ¡°Drive to the military housingplex.¡±

    Fan Jian started the car and headed in the military hall¡¯s direction.

    Gu Nianzhi stood on the side of the road and silently watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car disappear into the night. She patted her cheeks to find that they were burning hot.

    Turning around, she wasn¡¯t surprised to see a row of male ssmates looking at her with their jaws hanging open. All their eyes were bulging.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over amusedly and waved at them. ¡°What is it? You don¡¯t recognize me anymore?¡±

    Her calm and confident attitude of ¡°nothing happened¡± made all these ssmates too embarrassed to ask her about it.

    ¡°How could we? Come over here, Gu Nianzhi. We have a private booking today.¡±

    The ss Rep of ss One was a guy wearing sses. He always wore a pair of gold-rimmed sses and was quite good looking. He was handsome and dashing, much better looking than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ss Rep from her undergraduate studies, Mei Xiawen.

    He was typically the one to notify Gu Nianzhi when something happened in ss, so he was closer to her than the other people were.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded to him, then followed him inside.

    The bar wasn¡¯t too big but was decorated cozily. It was also carefully arranged for the Christmas season.

    As soon as she walked into the door, she saw a huge Christmas tree. It was rare because it wasn¡¯t a fake stic tree, but a real fir tree. As she walked closer, she could even smell the fresh, pine scent of the needles.

    The tree wasden with all sorts of sparkly little ornaments. On top of the tree was an angel with wings. She had a halo around her head that was rainbow-colored. The lighting in the bar matched the colorful Christmas lights, so everything and everyone looked rainbow-colored.

    Gu Nianzhi followed her ssmates inside.

    The center of the bar had been cleared out and was obviously a dance floor. The dance floor so happened to face the bar directly where there was already a bartender making drinks. Gu Nianzhi watched the bar and suddenly recalled how she had lived in a bar for a few days when she was in Germany...

    Pursing her lips, she felt a bit strange as she slowly followed her ssmates over to where everyone else was sitting.

    The dining area was secluded from the dance floor by a divider. It was not a veryrge space and was arranged with a few square tables. The food was set out in a buffet.

    Gu Nianzhi had already eaten her fill at home beforeing here, so she took a cursory look and nned to only have a bit of fruitter. She had no appetite for other food.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you came here alone?¡± Gui Suyao, the ss tutor for ss One, stood up with a bright smile. ¡°Where¡¯s Professor He? Didn¡¯t hee with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped. Could Gui Suyao be subtly insulting her again? She immediately put on an even more suprised look than Gui Suyao. ¡°Professor He? He¡¯sing here too?¡±

    Gui Suyao was stunned speechless at that moment.

    Today, He Zhichu had asked her about ss One¡¯s Christmas ball. He had casually remarked that he was free and that he wanted to see how his students spent their Christmas.

    Gui Suyao already knew that. She thought to herself howst Christmas had been the first Christmas that He Zhichu had taught on the B University Faculty of Law. She¡¯d never noticed him caring about how ¡°the students spent Christmas,¡± but for some reason, he¡¯d be interested this year. It had to be because of Gu Nianzhi...

    Of course, Gui Suyao didn¡¯t call him out. She¡¯d answered him back with great enthusiasm. ¡°That¡¯s great! Today happens to be ss One¡¯s Christmas ball at Bar Jinling. If you¡¯re free, you cane to join us!¡±

    He Zhichu hadn¡¯t said if he would be attending or not. He¡¯d only said that he still had business to attend that that he would go check it out if he could finish his work early.

    If he couldn¡¯t finish, he wouldn¡¯t go. He¡¯d asked them not to wait for him.

    At the time, Gui Suyao had assumed that He Zhichu was being polite. When she¡¯d seen Gu Nianzhi arrive just now, she¡¯d subconsciously felt that He Zhichu must being with her.

    But after she said this, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even get a chance to deny it before a guy from ss One began to snicker. He winked at her and said, ¡°Guess what we saw outside just now?!¡±

    Before everyone else could even ask him, the guy couldn¡¯t wait to tell them. He said, ¡°...We saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend! Hehe, and you guys are still saying it¡¯s Professor He, what nonsense! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s boyfriend is not only rich, but he¡¯s a very handsome guy too! He¡¯s not shabbier than Professor He at all!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed and nched as she listened to this. She wasn¡¯t feeling too happy, but if she reacted too strongly to this type of gossip, she would be giving them even more material to talk about. They would say that she was only making a clumsy excuse to cover things up.

    Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi sat down on the couch and gave a half-smile to the guy who had been speaking just now. ¡°Hmm? Professor He is my instructor, so what nonsense are you guys talking about? Be careful with what you say or I might sue you!¡±

    They were allw students, so they knew when to stop. As expected, everyone shut up and didn¡¯t mention the incident again. Someone changed the topic and raised their wine sses topete in drinking skills.

    Several girls were sitting by the ss tutor, Gui Suyao, and studying Gu Nianzhi¡¯s outfit and jewelry with curiosity.

    A girl who was very into fashion suddenly remarked, ¡°The dress suit that Gu Nianzhi is wearing is Dior haute couture from next year¡¯s spring collection! You guys can see!¡±

    She took out her phone and searched for Dior¡¯s fashion show for next year¡¯s spring collection.

    This was the norm within the fashion industry. Next spring¡¯s fashion show would be released in the winter.

    By the time the next summer came around, the winter fashion show would begin. It was always a few months earlier than the actual season.

    The girl¡¯s phone indeed found the exact same dress suit that Gu Nianzhi was wearing. It happened to be from Dior¡¯stest spring haute couture collection.

    ¡°Hehe, this is not normal! Even A-list Huaxia celebrities are unable to scoop up haute couture pieces from famous brands like Dior. It¡¯s said that they only allow global VIP clients to preview early.¡±

    ¡°Not only her clothes, but look at that strand of rubies on her neck. Those are standard pigeon¡¯s blood rubies. My uncle is in the jewelry business and is considered a big yer, but even my uncle doesn¡¯t have this rity of rubies at home.¡±

    Several girls sat together, analyzing Gu Naiznhi from head to toe.

    They weren¡¯t close to Gu Nianzhi. Because Gu Niaznhi was dressed sovishly today, they didn¡¯t want to be stupid. They didn¡¯t want to sit next to her and look like vige bumpkins byparison, so they all ended up very far away from her.

    There was an asional jealous remark. ¡°...Although she¡¯s dressed morously, it makes her look old. Can¡¯t you see the way she looks just like a young wife? Hehe¨C!¡±

    A girl who was friends with Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t stand listening anymore. She frowned at the girl making jealousments and said, ¡°Come on, speak with some morality. Nianzhi is only 19 and looks like a young wife? You¡¯re already 26, so what do you look like? An old hag?¡±

    ¡°How can you curse me?!¡± The girl who was making jealousments got embarrassed and her humiliation turned into anger.

    These people were typically like this. They were the only ones allowed to make snidements at others. But if other people made snidements about them, then things would end ugly. It was like kicking a ho¡¯s nest.

    The guys overheard and quickly came over to defuse the situation. They immediately pulled apart the girls who were about to argue.

    Gu Nianzhi overheard this and nodded at the girl who had defended her with a smile.

    The girl seemed a bit embarrassed and was going to go over to talk to her. But now that things had escted to this point, others would probably say she was trying to curry Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favor if she went over right now. So she only thought about it and merely nodded at her without walking over.

    It wasn¡¯t like no one wasing over to chat with Gu Nianzhi though.

    The first toe over were two guys who had been interested in her for a long time. Gu Nianzhi was dressed up too prettily today, so the only things in their eyes were her face and figure. Especially her figure, oh my god. This dress suit really entuated her sexy figure!

    Although they¡¯d seen that Gu Nainzhi already had someone, they didn¡¯t want to give up.

    In the current day and age, people could get divorced after they got married. So what was a boyfriend even worth? Who knew if they¡¯d break up in the future or not?

    It wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to be the first to go over and leave an impression on her.

    Also, the young men¡¯s hormones gotten to their heads, so they didn¡¯t have many worries in mind.

    They¡¯d alle from good backgrounds and were dressed handsomely today, so they felt that they wouldn¡¯t be dismissed when sitting next to Gu Nianzhi.

    Several people took buffet tes and picked several kinds of food to bring over and said, ¡°ssmate Gu, why aren¡¯t you eating? When it¡¯s time to danceter, how will you be able to dance with us if you¡¯re hungry?¡±

    ¡°ssmate Gu, what do you typically like to drink? Juice? Just look at you, you must only drink juice and milk. Is that right?¡±

    ¡°ssmate Gu, what kind of dancing do you like? Do you know Latin dancing? Your legs are so long, they must look so nice when you do Latin dancing.¡±

    When He Zhichu walked in, he saw Gu Nianzhi sitting on the couch. Like stars surrounding the moon, she was being orbited by a group of guys.

 Chapter 905 - Better Shut Up

    <h4>Chapter 905: Better Shut Up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a very expensive and mature red dress suit today. The front of her top was slightly revealing, and a strand of pigeon¡¯s blood rubies and diamonds sat on her pale cor bones.

    If it wasn¡¯t for her youthful and bright look appearance, the outfit alone would have made her look several years older than she actually was.

    However, being beautiful gave a person this advantage. No matter how she messed with her appearance, it would only make her look even more beautiful and impart a different vor of beauty.

    As she sat on the sofa, she looked even more harmonious because she appeared to be about the same age as the male students who were a few years older than her.

    She sat with these ssmates and appeared at ease. Sheughed with ease and happiness.

    Unlike when Huo Shaoheng was at her side... Her posture was always reverent but distant. It was also unlike when she was at He Zhichu¡¯s side. Her expression was always respectful but distant too.

    He Zhichu gave a self-deprecating smile and was in no hurry to walk over there. He would allow Gu Nianzhi to enjoy a happy time with peers her own age.

    It wasn¡¯t like he could lock her up in a cage.

    Although he really wanted to do that, he merely thought about it.

    He Zhichu walked to the bar by the dance floor and sat down. He pointed to the bartender, ¡°Give me a Tequ Sunrise.¡±

    The Tequ Sunrise was a world-famous cocktail. It contained a base of tequ and was mixed with all sorts of fresh-pressed juice, so it had the sweetness of fruit wine and also the spiciness of tequ. It was very suitable for He Zhichu¡¯s current mood.

    The bartender had dyed his hair red and his bangs gold. This colorbination would be a sore sight for the eyes under natural outdoor lighting, yet he appeared strangely festive in this bar with its sparkling and colorful Christmas lights.

    He nced at He Zhichu and said with a smile, ¡°Are you here with these students?¡±

    The entire bar had been booked for the B University Faculty of Law grad students. He Zhichu obviously didn¡¯t look like a student, so the bartender wanted to confirm it.

    He Zhichu nodded, ¡°I¡¯m their professor.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± The bartender happily snapped his fingers to indicate that he understood. He turned around to the wine cab and took out a bottle of tequ imported from Mexico to begin mixing the drink.

    ...

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng had just gotten out of the car in front of the military hall entrance.

    Inside the car, he had changed into a military uniform that Fan Jian had brought for him. It was the formal and proper Major General¡¯s uniform, with the golden pine leaves supporting a single golden star shimmering on his epaulets. He had a powerful aura about him.

    The weaponry belt wrapped around his muscr waist further entuated his long legs.

    ¡°Major General Huo, this way please.¡±

    The female soldiers greeting guests at the hall entrance were part of the Military Art Ensemble. They had especially made sure to recognize all the big yers attending today. It would be considered an error if they called out the wrong name or rank.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, taking out his invitation and handing it to her.

    The soldier in charge of weing guests personally led Huo Shaoheng into the hall and helped him find his seat. He was seated in the middle of the second row of the hall.

    In the first row were seated older, senior ranked generals such as General Ji. Even the lowest military ranking person there was a general.

    The second row was much less rigid.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up to see that his mother and father were actually sitting in that row.

    Huo Guanchen sat next to Song Jinning. He turned to his side and looked down to speak to her.

    Song Jinning was sitting rigidly straight in her seat and kept an aloof expression. It was unknown whether or not she was actually listening.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his seat which happened to be on the other side of Song Jinning.

    He adjusted the brim of his cap and walked over.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re here.¡± Song Jinning looked up to see Huo Shaoheng walking over, so she ignored the fact that Huo Guanchen was still talking and stood up with delight.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You¡¯re here too.¡± As he spoke, he sat down on the other side of Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning had arrived rather early and had ended up being forced to talk to Huo Guanchen the entire time. She was incredibly annoyed, but she didn¡¯t want topletely disrespect him in public.

    If she did that, Huo Guanchen wouldn¡¯t be the only one to be embarrassed. She would be too. She had no reason to get embarrassed over an irrelevant person.

    Thus, she wore out her patience by sitting there and quietly thinking about her experiments. She didn¡¯t listen to a word that Huo Guanchen was saying.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng had arrived, Song Jinning finally sighed in relief. Without him, this evening would be very difficult to get through.

    Huo Shaoehng sat down to look at the arrangement of seats and could vaguely sense that this should¡¯ve been arranged in advance.

    He had confirmed his attendance to the Literary and Arts Performance Show the day prior and the personnel assigning seats had arranged the three members of their family to sit together.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes flickered briefly. He leaned in Song Jinning¡¯s direction and listened to her speak.

    The first thing Song Jining said was, ¡°Why did youe alone? Where¡¯s Nianzhi? You didn¡¯t bring her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned silent for a second and quickly shot Song Jining a look before replying dryly, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s ss has an event today, so she¡¯s going to that.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Song Jinning epted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exnation. She had spent her entire life in an academic and research environment, so she had a very high level of eptance when it came to these situations. ¡°That sounds right. Today is Christmas Eve and all the university students like to take this chance to go out and have fun. All the new post-doctorates in our institute are moring to celebrate Christmas Eve.¡±

    Huo Shaoehng sped his hands together and held them in front of his chest. He squinted his eyes and said, ¡°Your institute is only a research organization, but if the military also wants to celebrate Christmas Eve, haha...¡±

    Song Jinning nced at him and frowned. ¡°It can¡¯t be that strict!¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be that strict?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face remainedposed and calm, however, the words he spoke were a bit harsh. ¡°...There has never been a Literary and Arts Performance Show held on Christmas Eve. What do you think? A coincidence?¡±

    Song Jinning sighed but didn¡¯t say anything else.

    At that moment, a delighted voice asked, ¡°Major General Huo? Is that you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head and briefly swept his gaze over. He discovered that it was none other than Cai Shengnan walking over to sit next to him.

    Prime Minister Tan Dongbang was on Cai Shengnan¡¯s other and wasing over to sit down as well.

    Across from Cai Shengnan, Tan Dongbang waved at Huo Shaoheng and said cheerfully, ¡°Major General Huo, what a pleasure to see you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to extend a white-gloved hand to shake. ¡°It is a great honor for Prime Minister Tan to be attending the Military Literary and Arts Performance.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo is too kind.¡± Prime Minister Tan¡¯s face was rosy and glowing as he pointed to the stage and said, ¡°Today is Little Darling¡¯s first performance. I was worried she¡¯d get stage fright, so I especially came here to support her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand and smiled. ¡°Prime Minister Tan¡¯s beloved daughter is superbly skilled and has had international experience in the United States. How could she get stage fright? Prime Minister Tan is worrying too much.¡± He then asked, ¡°Where is Mrs. Tan? Why don¡¯t I see her here?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, haha...¡± Prime Minister Tan began tough heartily. ¡°My wife isn¡¯t feeling very well, so she¡¯s noting. Shengnan is attending on her behalf. Besides, if we had known earlier that Major General Huo would be attending, I wouldn¡¯t have needed toe. With you here, Little Darling would certainly not be afraid!¡±

    What was he saying?

    He made it sound like Tan Guiren had some connection with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but frown slightly, even though he had always been a steady and calm person.

    1Song Jinning¡¯s anger began to rise when she overheard this. She turned her head with a stony expression. ¡°Is this Prime Minister Tan? Careful, you¡¯ll get impeached again if you don¡¯t filter what you say. I will not sit idly by if our Shaoheng¡¯s clean and innocent reputation is ruined by one statement from you!¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s smile instantly froze on his face. It appeared like he was being choked by the neck. His face nearly turned purple.

    Although he¡¯d won the impeachment case, he was still embarrassed regardless. Typical people would never dare to mention this incident to him, so he would have never expected to be insulted by the mere Song Jinning, Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    His expression quickly changed several times. Just as Prime Minister Tan was about to speak, Cai Shengnan stepped in. ¡°Madam, may I ask who you are? Our Prime Minister speaks and acts based on evidence, so there is no reason to use him of defamation. Please do not threaten my client.¡±

    Cai Shengnan was the secretary of Tan Dongbang¡¯s private legal team, thus there was nothing amiss with her referring to Prime Minister Tan as her client.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s mood was instantly relieved and he resumed smiling. He purposely patted Cai Shengnan¡¯s hand graciously. ¡°Little Cai, don¡¯t be so scrupulous. I know that you have a strong professional ability, but Ms. Song is Major General Huo¡¯s mother. Wouldn¡¯t you be offending Major General Huo by saying that? Hahahahaha...¡±

    Cai Shengnan was shocked. She never thought that this extremely beautiful woman who appeared to be only 27 or 28 years old could actually be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother!

    She was too... young. Was she actually his biological mother?

    Cai Shengnan recalled the information that she had researched about the Huaxia Imperial elite and had unfortunately discovered that most of her information was about members of the Senate. She knew almost nothing at all about most of the military officials. That even included information about particrly important government departmental officials.

    That¡¯s why she¡¯d humiliated herself.

    She thought about it and leaned forward slightly to bypass Huo Shaoheng, reaching a hand out to Song Jinning. ¡°You are Ms. Song? Major General Huo¡¯s mother? I really couldn¡¯t tell. You¡¯re so young, yet you already have an outstanding and aplished son like Major General Huo.¡±

    Her elbow hung across and over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh. It was slender and natural as it carried the subtle elegance of ballet dancing.

    Cai Shengnan had actually studied ballet from a young age, so her posture and aura were both much better than those of a typical girl.

    But this position didn¡¯t appear very graceful.

    Song Jinning nced at her with a frown and reached out to push her arm back. ¡°Miss Cai wishes to speak with me? Okay then.¡±

    She turned to Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Shaoheng, let¡¯s switch seats. You sit with your father. He speaks too loudly and is preventing me from watching the show.¡±

    Huo Guanchen had been smiling happily at first as he watched the drama, but he hadn¡¯t expected Song Jinning to instantly betray him so that she could help her son out of the mess. His expression darkened quickly.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t ask for anything better. He took Song Jinning¡¯s arm to help her stand up from the seat. ¡°Please sit here.¡±

    Then he said to Prime Minister Tan and Cai Shengnan apologetically, ¡°Prime Minister Tan and Miss Cai, my mother loves music and doesn¡¯t like people near her being noisy while she enjoys it. I hope that you can understand.¡±

    This statement instantly made Prime Minister Tan and Cai Shengnan¡¯s faces flush red.

    Wasn¡¯t chattering during a concert what the least educated people did?!

    Huo Shaoheng hid the snark in his words and wasn¡¯t being rude at all. However, the meaning in his words was like a whip on Prime Minister Tan and Cai Shengnan¡¯s backs.

    He¡¯d said this primarily to put Prime Minister Tan and Cai Shengnan in their ces. Secondly, he¡¯d indicated that his family didn¡¯t wish to speak with them, so they¡¯d better shut up.

 Chapter 906 - Ease His Mind

    <h4>Chapter 906: Ease His Mind</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Prime Minister Tan and Cai Shengnan were both people born to cultured and well-educated families, so they were aware of the etiquette of watching concerts.

    However, in their hearts, they¡¯d never treated the Military Literature and Arts Performance as a concert...

    To them, this was just another social asion.

    Since they were going to socialize, it was inevitable that they would chat.

    Besides, the concert had not yet started, so Huo Shaoheng was not being respectful at all by saying that to them.

    Since Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment case, he had ced a heavier emphasis on his pride. He could not tolerate even a bit of contempt or neglect from other people.

    Yet today he¡¯d first had the inconsequential Song Jinning, Director of the High Energy Physics, scold him. Afterward, he¡¯d been distracted by Huo Shaoheng, the Major General. This indignation was difficult to swallow.

    He had originally wanted to put on a nasty expression and lose his temper, but Cai Shengnan had quickly shot him a look and whispered, ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t make things difficult for Guiren...¡±

    As soon as Prime Minister Tan thought of his beloved daughter, Tan Guiren, he immediately sighed deeply and swallowed the anger.

    Soon afterward, General Ji and his men quickly entered the hall and walked to the front row.

    Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen both stood up to greet them.

    General Ji and his men then greeted Prime Misner Tan and said to him in a very kind and polite manner, ¡°It¡¯s a great honor that you were able to attend this performance. It¡¯s also our great honor that your daughter has joined our Military Art Ensemble. I hope that she can continue to shine brilliantly and win des for our nation.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your kind blessings, General Ji. Little Darling is a hardworking child and has talent too, so it has been her wish for a long time to the Military Art Ensemble.¡± As Prime Minister Tan said this, his gaze inadvertently drifted in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    The corners of Song Jinning¡¯s eyes began to twitch as she witnessed this. Just as she was about to extinguish Prime Minister Tan¡¯s intentions, she heard Huo Guanchen chuckling from the side. ¡°Prime Minister Tan speaks too kindly. It¡¯s also been our long term wish for Miss Tan to be able to join the Military Art Ensemble. Isn¡¯t that right, Shaoheng?¡±

    Song Jinning finally understood where Prime Minister Tan got his confidence from!

    Someone had given him something to ease his mind.

    It was true that a thief in your own household is hard to guard against!

    In the presence of so many people, all she saw were these two old men acting shamelessly...

    Song Jinning snorted from the bottom of her heart. With a stony expression, she was about to rebuke them when she saw the lights in the hall dim. The performance was about to begin.

    She had no choice but to shut her mouth and keep quiet so that she could enjoy the Art Ensemble¡¯s performance tonight with everyone else.

    Truth be told, the performance was nearly a solo act by Tan Guiren.

    Aside from the violin solo and concerto, Tan Guiren was in the spotlight for even the choral performance and the group dance.

    The TV stations¡¯ cameras all pointed at her and all the spotlights on the stage aimed at her.

    When she stood on the stage, everyone else became part of the background.

    It was true that she yed the violin very well.

    When she picked up her violin, her mind and eyes were solely focussed on her violin. Beautiful music flowed from her fingertips and echoed throughout the entire performance hall.

    Her exquisite skills, ample emotions, and her deeply hidden thoughts were all performed to their fullest. She performed even better than when she had won a major international award in the United States.

    After the one song ended, the audience was silent for a few minutes before erupting into thunderous apuse!

    Even Song Jinnign had no choice but to admit that, although this girl looked a bit foolish, she yed the violin with great splendor.

    ...

    Bar Jinling did not ban smoking.

    He Zhichu sat indifferently at the bar, the shirt sleeves of his high-end, bespoke olive green shirt rolled up to reveal the discreet and luxurious limited edition watch on his wrist. One hand shielded the lighter as he lit a cigarette and inhaled slowly.

    During the time He Zhichu was waiting for the bartender to make his drink, he¡¯d turned around to look at therge t-screen TV hanging on the other wall.

    Because students had booked the entire bar today, the interior was much cleaner than usual. Subtle Christmas ssics became the background music. The bar, which was typically frequented by people from all walks of life, became quite elegant.

    The TV had originally been ying a sports program, but as soon as He Zhichu saw that it was the Huaxia Empire¡¯s national men¡¯s ser team ying, he thought that it would be even more of a sore sight than the bartender¡¯s blond and red hair dye. He instantly changed the channel.

    He switched the TV to a news channel and turned up the volume.

    Soon afterward, the students on the other side of the bar noticed He Zhichu.

    Several students immediately came over to greet him.

    ¡°Professor He!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Professor He woulde!¡±

    ¡°What would Professor He like to drink? It¡¯s my treat!¡±

    In the beginning, several guys who wanted to tter He Zhichu ran all around the bar to get food and red wine him.

    Afterward, several bolder girls also came over.

    ¡°Professor He, why did you get here sote?¡±

    ¡°Right! Professor He, if you had gotten here earlier, you would¡¯ve seen an idol TV show!¡± The girl who had been jealous of Gu Nianzhi earlier was still upset. As soon as she¡¯d seen the guys revolving around Gu Nianzhi like bees swarming honey, she¡¯d thought it was an eyesore. He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything. He smiled as he took a sip of his cocktail.

    The girl saw that He Zhichu didn¡¯t appear as aloof and intimidating as usual, so she asked boldly once again, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know who was the star of the idol drama?¡±

    He Zhichu was in a fine mood today, so he smiled as he blew out a ring of smoke and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    He Zhichu actually replied...

    The girl¡¯s heart suddenly trembled and she instantly said, ¡°It was Gu Nianzhi! She was hugging and kissing a man inside a fancy car, right outside the bar! Everyone saw it, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    She pushed the girl next to her.

    The girl was a bit scared of He Zhichu, so she murmured, ¡°I didn¡¯t see it myself, I only heard a few of the guys over there talking about it. They were weing people at the door and they allegedly saw it for themselves.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m not making up gossip. When they made a big deal out of it, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even deny it!¡±

    If she didn¡¯t deny it, then it must be true.

    Although He Zhichu had been mentally prepared, he was still panicking like crazy.

    But so what?

    No matter what he thought of it, he had no choice but to force himself to hold it in. He would hold it in until Gu Nianzhi graduated, then discuss it.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. He coughed and said icily, ¡°What¡¯s the point of you guys telling me this? Do you still need to tell your teacher when your ssmates are dating? May I ask how old you all are?¡± He Zhichu said sarcastically. He then turned around to take another sip of his tequ cocktail.

    COMMENT

    The girl who¡¯d spoken froze and looked at He Zhichu suspiciously.

    Wasn¡¯t the entire university gossiping about how He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were having a teacher-student romance?

    Could it not be true?

    He didn¡¯t seem angry at all...

    The truth was, He Zhichu was holding it in so hard that the veins on his forehead were about to pop.

    Luckily the other girls were quick-witted enough to immediately reply when they heard this, ¡°That¡¯s right, so what if Gu Nianzhi was being a bit intimate with her boyfriend? It¡¯s none of your business! You¡¯re such a b*tch!¡±

    As they said this, several of the girls pushed the jealous girl aside. They began chatting up Professor He and trying to tter him.

    They didn¡¯t actually need to seduce He Zhichu. However, with his position and status, they should familiarize themselves with him so that after they graduated he could help them look for jobs by writing reference letters.

    Everyone was in a rush to curry favor from him. Who would be dumb enough to anger him?

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t speak another word to the jealous girl again.

    However, with all the other students, regardless if they were male or female, he would chat happily with them about whatever they wanted. There was nothing he didn¡¯t talk about, so his status within the student¡¯s hearts rose several levels higher.

    In the past, He Zhichu always had a haughty aura and was renowned for being a noble and lonely flower on a high cliff.

    Now, he was being warm and kind, so he appeared like a humble gentleman. As a result, even more students crowded around him.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed He Zhichu from across the bar and wanted to go over, but seeing how he was being quickly surrounded by her ssmates, she decided not to go over yet.

    ...

    ¡°Your Tequ Sunrise.¡± The bartender mixed the drink and passed it to He Zhichu.

    When He Zhichu turned around to ept his cocktail, he saw that the news channel was now airing another piece of news.

    ¡°...The All Military Arts and Literary Performance is about to begin. The Military Art Ensemble has submitted a satisfactory result tonight. Ms. Tan Guiren, world-renowned violinist and only daughter of Prime Minister Tan, has joined the Military Art Ensemble. She has given a stunning performance to the military leaders, heads of the Cab, and the Senate.¡±

    Soon after, a melodious violin concerto yed though the high-quality surround-sound speakers.

    Because the ser game on the sports channel was image only, the volume had been muted.

    He Zhichu had wanted to watch the news so he¡¯d turned on the volume, but he hadn¡¯t expected that it would immediately be set to the loudest volume.

    He instinctively looked in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    As expected, everyone was attracted by the sound of the TV and started to look over.

    On therge TV screen, Tan Guiren wore a long, sequinned violet gown that reached the floor. It was very low cut to reveal her snow-white bosom.

    Her long hair was ironed intorge curls that cascaded down and swayed passionately with the movements of her violin ying. She had a particr air of temptation about her.

    Soon afterward, the TV camera shifted to the audience in the lower auditorium.

    By convention, the first two rows were filled by the most important people in attendance.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure only appeared on the TV for a second, but Gu Nianzhi was able to recognize him right away.

 Chapter 907 - Better Than Great

    <h4>Chapter 907: Better Than Great</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The beautifully decorated military hall auditorium was unlike its usual solemn appearance, now full of exotic style.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the scene on the TV and was a bit surprised by Tan Guiren¡¯s outfit. However, she didn¡¯t pay too much attention to her.

    This kind of person could only make her feel sad once at maximum. Make her sad twice? Tan Guiren wasn¡¯t worth it.

    As she contemted it, she realized that this must be the Military Literary and Arts performance that Professor He was originally going to go to.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shao to go as well.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng never went to this type of arts performance.

    When she was still living with him in C City, he would always spend Christmas Eve with her at the base as long as he wasn¡¯t on a mission elsewhere.

    Of course, things were different now.

    She was already an adult and had left the protection of his wings. He had more time to do his own things now.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was aplete mess, but she wasn¡¯t jealous or pained. She was just a bit confused. Really, only a little bit...

    He Zhichu picked up on the tiniest change in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression. He also noticed Huo Sahoheng on TV, but he wasn¡¯t surprised at all.

    Huo Shaoheng was bound to attend an event like that sooner orter with his kind of status. In fact, his attendance at this type of thing would only be more and more frequent.

    It looked like Gu Nianzhi was unable to get ustomed to it though...

    As He Zhichu thought about it, he was both pained for Gu Nianzhi and a bit relieved and happy for himself.

    He¡¯d never thought that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng would break up, but from the looks of today...

    He Zhichu took the remote to change the channel and said to the bartender, ¡°y some dance music.¡±

    The bartender notified the bar¡¯s DJ and asked him to y some melodious and touching Christmas songs per He Zhichu¡¯s request.

    Soon afterward, the third repeat of ¡°Edelweiss¡± began to y in the bar. The lights also dimmed until only the rainbow-colored lights lit the room.

    He Zhichu parted the crowd of people around him and walked up to the couch that Gu Nianzhi was sitting on. He offered a hand to her and asked, ¡°May I?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise at He Zhichu, feeling so shocked that she couldn¡¯t find any words to say.

    He Zhichu smiled. His shimmery, sultry eyes were extremely alluring under the rainbow-colored lights.

    ¡°You won¡¯t embarrass me like this, right?¡± He Zhichu bent down to quietly whisper in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly epted his hand. ¡°Of course not, Professor He. You speak too seriously.¡±

    They would just have one dance with everyone else.

    There were already students walking to the dance floor in pairs.

    Everyone was already a graduate student, so they all knew how to ballroom dance.

    He Zhuchu took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and ced the other on her waist. He slowly began to dance with her.

    The pair¡¯s movements were strangely harmonious. No matter whether they were spinning or staggering, they synched up like they had done this thousands of times before.

    Gu Nianzhi was also feeling confused. How could she dance in such synchronization with He Zhichu?

    Recalling when she had danced with Huo Shaoheng, they had needed to spend lots of effort getting in sync.

    He Zhichu hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist and looked down at her confused eyes. ¡°...You know, I was the one who taught you how to ballroom dance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised.

    ¡°When you were young, you saw my family host balls and made a fuss about wanting to learn. I taught you myself.¡± The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips lifted bit by bit. ¡°Otherwise, why would we be sopatible as dance partners?¡±

    At the time, Gu Nianzhi had been short and chubby. She was also very naughty and restless when they danced, so she¡¯d nearly stomped his feet swollen...

    1But he had savored the moment like it was the sweetest candy, not caring at all. He¡¯d taught her with great patience until she¡¯d finally learned it.

    Unfortunately, she¡¯d left him not long after that.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned in thought. ¡°Really? But I don¡¯t remember any of it at all.¡±

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched as he thought... If she could recover her memories, then why would Huo Shaoheng still be in the picture?

    Of course, he merely thought this to himself. There was no way he would say it out loud.

    That implicated a man¡¯s pride.

    ¡°...I am not in your memories, but your dancing still remembers me,¡± He Zhichu replied dryly as he led her into another spin.

    The pair¡¯s embrace and dancing on the dance floor were photographed by someone.

    Soon after, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone received a vibration notifying him of a new text message.

    Taking out his phone, he quickly nced at it to see a photo of He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi dancing together.

    Besides that, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appearance in the photo was mature and morous, so she was strangely a great match for the equally elegant and aloof looking He Zhichu.

    If a stranger looked at the photo, they would think this was a beautiful couple of simr ages. No one could tell that they were more than ten years apart in age.

    This photo had been taken by Special Operations Forces personnel protecting Gu Nianzhi in secret. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have ended up on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone.

    Huo Shaoheng discreetly shut off his phone. One hand was tightly balled into a fist that did not rx for a very long time.

    He never thought that He Zhichu would actually go to Gu Nianzhi and her ssmates¡¯ Christmas ball.

    1So, the outfit and jewelry he had selected for Gu Nianzhi today were all for He Zhichu¡¯s sake.

    ...

    The Military Art Ensemble¡¯s performance had been very sessful.

    After a full two hours and the final curtain call, Tan Guiren bowed again and again as everyone stood up to give thunderous apuse.

    Under the stage, two children were specially arranged to carryrge bouquets of lilies to present her with.

    Carrying the lilies, Tan Guiren appeared to be as beautiful and as natural as the lilies in her hand.

    Even though Cai Shengnan looked down on Tan Guiren somewhat, she had no choice but to admit that Tan Guiren¡¯s beauty was unrivaled at that moment.

    She couldn¡¯t help but quickly nce over at Huo Shaoheng.

    However, she saw him looking down at his phone, meaning he hadn¡¯t seen Tan Guiren on the stage at all.

    Indescribable happiness slowly rose amidst Cai Shengnan¡¯s low spirits.

    Thankfully, even her morous, alluring, and talented cousin was unable to attract this Major General Huo¡¯s gaze.

    After the performance concluded, Cai Shengnan confidently walked backstage to congratte Tan Guiren.

    ¡°Cousin, your performance was so amazing today. It was like I was back in the golden auditorium of Carnegie Mellon University when you won that major international award!¡± As Cai Shengnan said this, she pressed her cheek to Tan Guiren¡¯s in greeting.

    Tan Guiren was also very anxious and excited. She grabbed Cai Shengnan¡¯s hand and kept asking, ¡°Cousin, are you serious? I really performed well today? I¡¯m telling you, I was even more nervous today than when I participated in that internationalpetitionst time! If I had even yed one note wrong, I would¡¯ve been sure to jump right down from the stage!¡±

    ¡°How could you have? You performed so well today!¡± Cai Shengnan encouraged her once again before taking Tan Guiren, who had taken her makeup off, into the smaller performance hall next door for the celebration party.

    Huo Shaoheng had originally wanted to leave, but he was held back by his father, Huo Guanchen, because he was making him chat a bit with General Ji and his men.

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to patiently chat with General Ji and the military elite.

    General Ji was also extremely busy that day, so he only talked with Huo Shaoheng for a bit before going to have tea with the other military elites across the room.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t follow them over. He headed towards the door instead.

    From the corner of his eye, he spied his father osting his mother. He didn¡¯t know what Huo Guanchen was trying to do.

    He frowned and walked over to say, ¡°Ms. Song, would you like to go home?¡±

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t ask for anything more, so she quickly replied, ¡°Yes, I was just about to leave.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng then dryly remarked to Huo Guanchen, ¡°General Ji and his men are going over there for tea, shouldn¡¯t you head over as well?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was indeed going to go over there, but he had made ns with Prime Minister Tan. He saw that they weren¡¯ting over, so he panicked when he noticed Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning leaving the small performance hall.

    He quickly chased after them.

    In the hallway outside, he could only see Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning disappearing around a corner.

    As soon as they turned the corner, they would be outside.

    Huo Guanchen anxiously walked up to them and was about to call Prime Minister Tan when he saw three peoplee over. It was none other than Prime Minister Tan, Cai Shengnan, and Tan Guiren.

    Huo Guanchen sighed in deep relief and quickly caught up to Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning as he said to Prime Minister Tan, ¡°You¡¯ve finallye, what took you so long?¡±

    Cai Shengnan noticed that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t left yet, so she raised a brow in surprise.

    Despite her dying Tan Guiren for some time, she¡¯d somehow failed to sessfully dy her long enough.

    At that moment, Huo Guanchen began to boldly praise Tan Guiren once again as he said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°This is the Miss Tan Guiren I often mention to you. You know her as well. Since everyone is free today, how about...¡±

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t wait for Huo Shaoheng to speak before arranging her face into a smile and interrupting Huo Guanchen. She said to Prime Minister Tan, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, I can testify that General Huo Guanchen has always praised Miss Tan and can¡¯t stop thinking about her. Please be assured that I have been divorced from Huo Guanchen for a long time. I would fully support it if he were to remarry. If he marries Miss Tan, then the two families¡¯ statuses would match extraordinarily well!¡±

 Chapter 908 - I Have Conditions Too

    <h4>Chapter 908: I Have Conditions Too</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    After Song Jinning said all this, aside from the ever-calm Huo Shaoheng, everyone appeared as shocked as if they had been struck by lightning.

    Huo Guanchen could even taste the sweet and metallic vor of blood at the back of his throat. He wanted to spit.

    He red fiercely at Song Jinning and balled his fists so tightly that the knuckles cracked. It was unclear how much effort he was using to keep himself from losing control.

    Prime Minister Tan and Cai Shengnan were stunned speechless. Although they had always been glib-tongued and quick-witted in front of others, they couldn¡¯t think of a single thing to say.

    Tan Guiren looked truly shocked and terrified. Her brain couldn¡¯t think properly. Forsaking her elegance and the need to avoid conflict of interest, she directly asked Huo Shaoheng fearfully, ¡°Major General Huo, did you actually think that?! I didn¡¯t...¡±

    Her eyes filled with tears and her delicate body trembled in fright. She looked a lot like a little bunny that had been severely frightened.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm. His gaze was turned straight ahead and he refused to speak.

    Song Jinning snorted as she looked at Tan Guiren with sympathy. ¡°Young girl, why don¡¯t you take care of yourself? Why would you ask a son about his father¡¯s business?¡±

    She then said to Prime Minister Tan, ¡°You and your wife are too much. I already told your wife that there is something wrong with how you raised your daughter, but she didn¡¯t believe me. Just look at how you¡¯ve raised such a good daughter. That is all I have to say. This conversation ends here. If you let me hear anything rted to this again, you¡¯ll be sorry, Prime Minister Tan.¡±

    Song Jinning lifted her chin slightly, her expression distasteful. ¡°...Never underestimate to what extent a mother will go for her children. If you don¡¯t understand that, go home and ask your wife. She¡¯s sure to understand what I mean. Goodbye!¡±

    Song Jinning finished speaking and walked away.

    Huo Shaoheng followed after her without a word and walked out of the military hall.

    Watching the mother and son depart, Tan Guiren finally knew that her beautiful dream had been shattered into pieces. She would never be happy for the rest of her life...

    Covering her face, tears seeped out from between the cracks of her fingers and dampened the front of her dress.

    Cai Shengnan was at once happy and sad. She was feeling very conflicted as she put her arm around Tan Guiren¡¯s shoulders and said confidently, ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯ll be okay, it¡¯s sure to be okay.¡±

    Prime Minister Tan watched the apple of his eye sob with heartbreak. His heart was torn into pieces and he wanted nothing more but to strangle Huo Guanchen to death.

    He walked up to block Huo Guanchen¡¯s way as he said quietly, ¡°...What does Director Song mean by that?! I never crossed her! Is this what you mean when you say there are no problems?! Shouldn¡¯t General Huo give us a proper exnation?!¡±

    Huo Guanchen was so livid about Song Jinning¡¯s behavior that he gritted his teeth hard. He was toozy to deal with the Tans now. He¡¯d had no idea that Song Jinning had such a bad impression of Tan Guiren or that she would react to her so strongly. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t dare to let them get near each other again.

    Adjusting his military uniform, Huo Guanchen replied coolly, ¡°Nothing forcibly done will be agreeable. Since this didn¡¯t work out, let¡¯s forget about it. Goodbye.¡± As he spoke, he hurried away from the military hall.

    The three Huos had departed, leaving only Prime Minister Tan, Tan Guiren, and Cai Shengnan in the hallway,

    ¡°Uncle, are you going to give up just like that?¡± Cai Shengnan probed. ¡°How about we forget about it? The Huos... aren¡¯t a typical family, after all. We shouldn¡¯t offend them if we can afford not to.¡±

    However, Prime Minister Tan truly couldn¡¯t swallow this indignation. He bared his teeth, his smile nearly a scowl. ¡°...That¡¯s fine too. I¡¯ll ept this as long as he never gets married for the rest of his life!¡±

    1Cai Shengnan shuddered internally, not daring to reply.

    ...

    Late winter nights in the Imperial Capital were cold and windy. The night sky glowed a dim yellow from the reflection of the streemps. The thick clouds appeared in heavyyers that pressed down over people¡¯s heads.

    Huo Shaoheng called for Fan Jian to bring the car over as he said to Song Jinning, ¡°I¡¯ll drive you back.¡±

    Song Jinning had driven her car there and had nned to drive it back. But when she thought about it, it would be nice to speak with her son.

    She nodded. ¡°My car is still in the parkade. Please ask someone to drive it back for me.¡± As she spoke, she threw the car keys to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng caught them and casually passed them to Fan Jian. ¡°Drive Director Song¡¯s car back to the Institute of High Energy Physics when you have time.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Fan Jian caught the keys backhanded and put them in the glovebox of the car.

    Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning sat on either side of the back seat.

    The car drove steadily as they left the military hall and headed in the direction of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    Song Jinning has just purchased a house that was still being renovated. She currently lived in a dorm at the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    The two of them sat in the back of the car, neither of them speaking.

    After driving for some time, Song Jinning crossed her arms and nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re not young anymore. You can¡¯t me your father for nning for your marriage.¡±

    She could tell that her son was a highly desirablemodity. Anyone would want to marry him!

    Huo Shaoheng was silent.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to say anything?¡± Song Jinning sighed quietly, her voice softening. ¡°How do I say this? I can understand what your father is thinking, which is wanting to find a girl who matches your status to be your wife.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally snorted, though he still declined to make anyment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t disagree.¡± Song Jinning shifted on her side. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I have my conditions too. Don¡¯t think that your father is the only one with conditions.¡±

    ¡°What conditions do you have?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was very calm. ¡°This is rather refreshing.¡±

    Song Jinning had never been so open with Huo Shaoheng about this issue before.

    It was likely because she had been agitated by Huo Guanchen and Prime Minister Tan¡¯s scheme today that she had grown interested and wanted to speak about her thoughts.

    ¡°Of course I have conditions,¡± Song Jinning said cheerfully. ¡°To tell you the truth, family statuses need to match. I don¡¯t object to it. However, I¡¯ve always believed that having the families¡¯ statuses match is a way of making up for insufficient personal qualities. If someone¡¯s personal quality is strong enough, then why should matching statuses be required? Your wife should be able to hold up the family status all by herself.¡±

    Song Jinning paused and continued to further appease Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind. ¡°...You¡¯ll be spending the rest of your life with that person, not her family. Never mistake the lesser thing as the most important thing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought this was quite interesting, so he turned around shared eye contact with Song Jinning for a while before smiling. ¡°Then your conditions are even more stringent than General Huo¡¯s.¡±

    Naturally, Song Jinning wasn¡¯t concerned about concealing her prejudice at all. ¡°Your mother has no other requirements. Family background and appearance don¡¯t matter. The important thing is intelligence and virtue. Worst case scenario, poor virtue can be bolstered by upbringing after birth. However, the innate factor of intelligence can never be bolstered by anything during upbringing. You have to consider that when a mother has low intelligence, the child cannot be saved.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have a reply to that part.

    He smirked and half-joked, ¡°Then I¡¯ll need Ms. Song to help me keep a lookout. So, anyone who wishes to be your daughter-inw must pass your intelligence test?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Song Jinning agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll write a set of questions when I get home. 100% will be the full score, and anyone who scores under 90% will not be considered.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was quiet again.

    He shifted ufortably and thought about how with his mother¡¯s obsession with science and research, perhaps she would be able to do such a thing. After hesitating for half a moment, he replied quietly, ¡°...It¡¯s a pretty good idea to write the questions. So, which aspect do you want to focus on?¡±

    He wanted to know in advance, just in case these were all questions about high energy physics or biochemical medicine. Huo Shaoheng was worried that someone would pummel his chest with her tiny fists one day.

    Song Jinning held back herughter as she stated in all seriousness, ¡°I haven¡¯t decided which aspect it will be on yet. However, I¡¯m quite busy as ofte. I¡¯m worried that if I don¡¯t take the time to write the exam questions, it will dy your marriage. How about this, I¡¯ll go ask Nianzhi to help me write questions? There are so many girls in your life, I think she¡¯s the only one with an IQ exceeding my standard.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoehng¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help but lift high. He held back a smile and answered casually, ¡°And that¡¯s not good? Are you openly cheating?¡±

    ¡°Cheating?¡± Song Jinning purposely widened her eyes. ¡°Hmm? I never said that that I would ask Nianzhi to take the exam. How could that be considered cheating?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was surprised. He was getting yed by Ms. Song...

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng reveal a rare embarrassed expression, Song Jinning began tough happily.

    Fan Jian heard everything clearly from the front seat and couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional. She was a real mother, a proper real mother, a real mother who poked fun at her son...

    Afterughing all she wanted, Song Jinning finally grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and said warmly, ¡°Shaoheng, mom never participated in your childhood and she missed your teenage years. Mom doesn¡¯t want to keep making the same mistakes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t too ustomed to tender moments like these, so he quietly coughed before discreetly pulling his hand away from Song Jining and changing the topic. ¡°Because you¡¯ve said this today, Prime Minister Tan¡¯s side shouldn¡¯t be making sneaky moves anymore. But as for General Huo¡¯s side, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be giving up on you.¡±

    Since Song Jinning¡¯s seat had been arranged to be next to Huo Guanchen¡¯s today, it was obvious what his intentions were.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to see his parents get together again, but this was his parents¡¯ matter. He would not voice his own opinion or give his parents even more trouble.

    Song Jinning worried about Huo Guanchen the least of all. She turned her head and said with a frown, ¡°There is absolutely no possibility of anything happening between your father and me anymore. Shaoheng, you don¡¯t me me, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly raised both hands. ¡°Ms. Song, I won¡¯t interfere with you guys if you guys won¡¯t interfere with me. Is that okay?¡±

    That meant that he was washing his hands of it.

    Song Jinning remained quite polite toward Huo Guanchen superficially because she cared about her son, Huo Shaoheng. At the very least, she had never publicly disrespected before Huo Guanchen like she had today.

    Today, Song Jinning had discovered that Huo Guanchen ignored her son and her wishes as a mother. He¡¯d forcibly pushed her son together with that foolish girl, Tan Guiren, making Song Jinning finally lose her temper.

    Her father, Song Haichuan, had been a prodigy since he was very young. She had always been a genius her entire life. When it came to her son, although he was no genius, he was precocious and even more impressive than a genius. He had always known how to conceal his talents since he was a young boy.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t want the intelligence to disappear when it reached the generation of her son¡¯s children.

    ¡°...The best thing that parents can leave behind for their children is not fortune or property, but intelligence.¡± Song Jinning pointed to her head. ¡°Consider it carefully. Don¡¯t allow yourself to be led astray by your father¡¯s misguidance.¡±

    ...

    Inside Bar Jinling, the Christmas ball for the first-year Master of Law students from B University had reached its climax.

    The ballroom dance songs had already been reced. The DJ was now ying powerful and rhythmic remixes of Christmas songs.

    The intoxicated men and women on the dance floor were dancing madly like they had lost their minds.

    He Zhichu had stepped away a long time ago since he wasn¡¯t interested in the vigorous dancing of young people at all.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dance either. However, it wasn¡¯t because she wasn¡¯t interested, but because she didn¡¯t know how to. She knew a bit of Latin dancing and dancesport, but she didn¡¯t know how to do this kind of dancing at all. Of course, the main problem was that she couldn¡¯t dance because of the outfit she¡¯d worn.

    Sigh.

    She had only danced with He Zhichu a few times before He Zhichu sat down with her on the side to chat. Someone came to invite Gu Nianzhi to dance, but He Zhichu only had to look up at them to make them go away.

    He Zhichu had already had quite a few drinks but didn¡¯t appear drunk at all.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi sitting on the sidelines and mad with boredom, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Want to go home?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked down to send a text to Huo Shaoheng.

    He Zhichu had already stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you back to the dorm.¡±

    He reached out and Gu Nianzhi could immediately smell the strong scent of alcohol on him. She couldn¡¯t help but grow quiet and say, ¡°Professor He, maybe I should drive.¡±

    Not driving while drunk wasmon sense.

    It wouldn¡¯t be toote if she waited to call Huo Shaoheng until after she got back to campus.

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, let¡¯s go.¡±

    He walked ahead. Gu Nianzhi was worried about He Zhichu so she had no choice but to hurriedly say goodbye to a ssmate before chasing after him.

    Not long after they walked out of the bar, someone outside made a phone call.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi got into He Zhichu¡¯s car and sat in the driver¡¯s seat. She started the car.

    He Zhichu sat in the front passenger seat and draped a hand over his forehead. He took out a pill and threw it into his mouth before saying dryly, ¡°I have sobering medication, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scrunched up her tiny nose. ¡°I¡¯ll open the window, it reeks of alcohol.¡±

    He Zhichuughed. By the time the smell of alcohol dissipated from the car, he had already sobered up. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You should just let me drive, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused. ¡°I¡¯m also a pretty good driver, please don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She would be driving slower anyway. She wasn¡¯t scared.

    He Zhichu noticed her insistence so he didn¡¯t say anything more as he quietly sat on the side. He watched her step on the elerator and drive onto the main street.

    There was nearly no traffic on the main streets of the Imperial Capitalte at night.

    Gu Nianzhi drove at a steady speed. The traffic was clear the entire way.

    She was in a pretty good mood and turned on the car speakers to find some music to y.

    He Zhichu smiled as he looked ahead, wanting nothing more than for this moment tost all eternity. Until she drove to his home...

    But soon afterward, He Zhichu straightened his back and peered at the rearview mirror. He quietly said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...Someone is following us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also nced in the rearview mirror to discover two cars that appeared to be modified sports cars.

    ¡°We¡¯re not far from campus now. We¡¯ll arrive once we make this turn and drive ten minutes from there,¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the GPS and replied calmly. Her foot suddenly mmed fiercely on the elerator.

    Although He Zhichu¡¯s car wasn¡¯t a modified sports car, it was not something a sports car couldpete with once it showed off its prowess.

    As soon as Gu Nainzhi¡¯s foot mmed on the elerator, the car was like a quiver that had just left its bow.

    The cars behind them were left far behind. They gradually became two tiny dots in the rearview mirror.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief and prepared to slow down. She extended her foot to step on the brakes.

    Once, twice, three times...

    Sweat suddenly beaded on her forehead.

    ¡°Professor He...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°...The brakes seem to have failed.¡±

 Chapter 909 - The First Reaction

    <h4>Chapter 909: The First Reaction</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu instantly opened his eyes and looked straight ahead. ¡°The brakes have failed?¡± he asked.

    His voice was dry yet sarcastic. He also seemed to be a bit disdainful.

    Gu Nianzhi snuck a nce at He Zhichu, her palms starting to sweat. However He Zhichu¡¯s calm expression infected her, so she quickly calmed down.

    Gripping the steering wheel tightly, she didn¡¯t try stepping on the brakes again or the elerator again. She tried hard to avoid any possibility of colliding with the other cars on the road.

    Luckily there weren¡¯t many cars on the street. Otherwise, it would truly have been difficult to guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t collide with other cars.

    ¡°What should we do? Professor He, this is a main road...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were like stars as her mind quickly started to problem solve. From the best route determined by the car¡¯s GPS, she also needed to avoid the busy crowds of people and traffic, as well as allow herself to safely escape from danger.

    She really wanted to call Huo Shaoheng, but Huo Shaoheng was in the middle of attending the Military Literary and Arts Performance.

    He must have shut off his phone by now, so it would be useless to call him anyway.

    Also, couldn¡¯t she rely on herself to escape from danger?

    She had survived in the inhabited areas of the German Alps, and this was only the downtown area of the Huaxia Imperial Capital. There was no way this could be more dangerous than it had been there.

    Anyways, she only had to stop stepping on the elerator and be careful about avoiding other cars. She would drive to a sparsely popted suburban area until the car¡¯s speed gradually slowed down enough that they could jump out of the car.

    Gu Nianzhi smoothly put on the hazard lights to indicate that there was something wrong with the car and to ask the cars behind them to keep their distance.

    She looked at the GPS as she said to He Zhichu, ¡°We can turn onto this side road, it¡¯s rtively deste there. After driving another mile or so, there will be a small river...¡±

    Just in case the car was still traveling very quickly by the time they got there, they could consider driving into the river and then smashing the windows with a hammer to escape.

    Emergency hammers were indispensable tools in cars.

    He Zhichu turned around to look at her strangely. ¡°Nianzhi, aren¡¯t you afraid at all?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m scared, but what¡¯s the use of being scared? That can¡¯t save my life. Since I¡¯m scared, I should use that energy to better think of ways to save myself. I¡¯ve faced more serious dangers on the Alps than this, so what¡¯s the big deal?¡±

    She suddenly stopped speaking. From the corner of her eye, she could see He Zhichu looking at her. There seemed to be a small glimmer of tears in his sultry eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Professor He, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been scared silly...¡±

    He Zhichuposed himself and looked forward as he replied dryly, ¡°I thought that you would have some psychological trauma after experiencing that kind of a car ident and suffering from that kind of incident.¡±

    He knew that Huo Shaoheng had rescued Gu Nianzhi from a major car ident and that Gu Nianzhi had experienced extreme trauma that had caused her memory loss.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned momentarily.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. How many years has it been? Huo Shao used 10-kilometer cross-country, weighted running to help me recover from my psychological illness a long time ago. Also, shouldn¡¯t we be thinking about how to call the police at a time like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought that He Zhichu¡¯s brian had gotten fried.

    Why was he discussing depression and psychological problems at a time like this?!

    What the hell?

    ¡°Looks like I really do have to thank Huo Shaoheng...¡± He Zhichu murmured. He looked down in contemtion before snickering. ¡°Are you sure you want to call the police?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt even more strange. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we call 110 and ask for the traffic police to help us prevent an ident?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed his arms and said leisurely, ¡°Use your brain and carefully think about whether or not we should call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused again.

    ¡°Professor He, shouldn¡¯t this be our first reaction in this kind of situation?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked. ¡°The brakes have failed and we¡¯re in downtown traffic. Aren¡¯t we just waiting for an ident to happen if we don¡¯t call the police?¡±

    ¡°Right. That should be your first reaction, so you¡¯ve already fallen into the trap.¡± He Zhichu cast her a sidelong nce. He suddenly reached out to help her turn the steering wheel to the side.

    Gu Nianzhi finally noticed that she had nearly been driving over the white line.

    She busied herself with focussing on the road ahead as she thought about what He Zhichu had said. She replied thoughtfully, ¡°...Okay, so why shouldn¡¯t we call the police? What¡¯s the reason?¡±

    ¡°You can think about this. What is the person trying to do by damaging my brakes?¡±

    ¡°Kill you?¡± Gu Nianzhi replied tentatively. Her face flushed red upon hearing He Zhichu¡¯s snickering and she immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s not right. We are not going down a steep hill, nor are we on the highway. Even if we hit the curb to forcibly stop the car right now, we wouldn¡¯t be in mortal danger.¡±

    ¡°Right, so this is getting interesting. And then?¡±

    ¡°...Then this is not meant to murder you. But why then would they damage your brakes?¡±

    He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°Right, so you¡¯d call the police because the brakes were damaged.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    She seemed to understand now.

    Under normal circumstances of brake failure, they would call the police whether they crashed into the curb to stop or collided with other cars.

    ¡°The enemy actually wants us to call the police. However, since the enemy has used such troublesome fanfare, it must not be so that the police can get a chance to rescue us, but...¡± Gu Nianzhi thought of something and her face turned a bit pale. ¡°That¡¯s the trap. Once we call the police, we¡¯ll have walked right into the trap!¡±

    He Zhichu nodded with satisfaction. ¡°The foolish can be taught.¡±

    Just as he was about to exin one step further, his eyes shed quickly. He noticed shing police lights in the rearview mirror and replied dryly, ¡°See, you didn¡¯t have to call the police for them toe. They are obviously setting a trap for you and me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up into the rearview mirror and was shocked to see a series of police cars behind them. They were shing their lights and were locked onto their car, intending to forcibly stop them.

    Gu Nianzhi was very nervous and turned the steering wheel towards the side road.

    The GPS indicated there was a side road there that led to a nearby river.

    ¡°Are you scared? He Zhichu cocked his head to look at her. ¡°If you¡¯re not scared, you can trade spots with me and let me drive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at He Zhichu and couldn¡¯t help saying loudly, ¡°Are you crazy?! The brakes failed and we have police behind us, and you want us to switch seats right now?!¡±

    He Zhichu gripped the steering wheel andughed. ¡°...You see, the brakes failed and we can¡¯t continue to use the elerator either. When the police catch up to us, we¡¯ll be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°How will we be in trouble?¡± Gu Nianzhi refused. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯ve had wine, you¡¯re the one who will be getting in trouble if you drive!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I took sobering medication and am okay now.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to reason with Gu Nianzhi anymore. He gripped the steering wheel with one hand and used the other to undo Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seatbelt. He nodded at her, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three and you can move up a bit so I can sit over there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly discovered that, although He Zhichu appeared thin and lithe, his hand was shockingly strong.

    She waspletely immobilized by his one hand mping onto her.

    She had no choice but to nod and mumble, ¡°I must be crazy too...¡±

    As she spoke, she heard He Zhichu count to three and bowed her body to stand halfway up. He Zhichu shifted on his side to sit behind her while keeping both hands on the steering wheel before moving his legs over.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly scrambled onto the front passenger seat and put on her seatbelt with a shudder.

    He Zhichu turned to look at Gu Nianzhi before saying, ¡°Nianzhi, promise me that you won¡¯t tell anyone else about this, no matter what things or equipment you¡¯re about to see. That includes Huo Shaoheng. Can you guarantee that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°Professor He, what is your reasoning?¡±

    He Zhichu looked down. ¡°Neither my car nor I want to be treated asb rats.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood this and blinked in surprise.

    He Zhichu smiled at her and said quietly, ¡°Thank you.¡± He then reached out to probe his hand under the steering wheel to find a button to press.

    A small LED screen rose up above the steering wheel.

    It appeared to be a control panel.

    He Zhichu said coolly, ¡°The person who damaged my car must not know that my car has two systems.¡± As he spoke, he ced his finger on the indent on the LED screen and used the fingerprint lock to activate the second system.

    The car emitted a low rumble and the engine went silent for an instant before starting to make noise again.

    Even Gu Nianzhi could sense that the entire car¡¯s performance had changed.

    It became even quieter and morefortable to ride in. Even the tiny bumps on the road she¡¯d felt before could no longer be noticed.

    He Zhichu pressed on the brakes. They were working now.

    He then mmed hard on the elerator and it quickly shot forward.

    From their rearview mirror, Gu Nianzhi could vaguely see that the police cars they had escaped from had caught up to them again.

    He Zhichu pursed his thin lips and quickly pressed on the LED control panel several times before changing to video mode.

    Gu Nianzhi looked over and was shocked to find that this thing was like a driving recorder!

    The only difference was that this driving recorder was recording the entire car and at all times, including the undercarriage.

    On the LED control panel, they could clearly see two lewd men crawling under the car to damage the brake system. Then they took out two bags of white powder and used ck tape to tightly attach them to the car.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind instantly felt like 10,000 mythical beasts had stormed through it.

    What a vile trick!

 Chapter 910 - Seal Off

    <h4>Chapter 910: Seal Off</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi could calmly think through the entire incident in sequence now.

    Firstly, the opponent was extremely confident about what their reactions would be. It seemed like the person had also managed to know that Gu Nianzhi would not do. They knew that she could not call Huo Shaoheng because he was watching the performance. Usually, his phone would be turned off.

    Therefore, she would start looking for the police, particrly the traffic police. The moment she called the traffic police and got herself out of the vehicle, the car would be in the hands of the police officers.

    ¡®Subsequently, the ¡®white powder¡¯ would definitely be discovered by the police.

    Getting herself into that kind of trouble almost immediately before her graduation would mean that her reputation would be tarnished. Even if she was released and found not guilty of charges any charges, there would be a stain on her legal background.

    She specialized inw. How could she have a future if this happened?

    Her aside, even He Zhichu would have to leave thew industry...

    The worst part was that the person who had wanted to sabotage them had even ced two packets of white powder in the car! It meant that the person had also known that she would be getting into He Zhichu¡¯s car!

    Gu Nianzhi almost wanted tough.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng had just dropped off Song Jinning at the entrance to the Institute of High Energy Physics when his phone rang. He answered it with his Bluetooth earpiece and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    It was the soldier who he¡¯d sent to follow Gu Nianzhi.

    In the Bluetooth earpiece, the soldier sounded slightly worried. ¡°Mr. Huo, Miss Gu got into He Zhichu¡¯s car and now they are being chased by police cars! Should I follow them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. ¡°Why are they being chased by police cars? Hold on...¡± He put the soldier on hold and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personalized ringtone, Gu Nianzhi answered the call immediately and asked nervously, ¡°Huo Shao? Has the performance ended?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    She suddenly felt guilty.

    He asked softly, ¡°What happened? Why are the police chasing after you guys?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°You already know? That¡¯s great, Huo Shao! It¡¯s like this...¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly told Huo Shaoheng what had happened and finally said, ¡°We are unable to do anything now. The car seems to have been fiddled with. We do not dare to get caught by the police...¡±

    She kept herself from telling Huo Shaoheng about the two systems in He Zhichu¡¯s car, or about the camera that had recorded all the footage. She merely told him about the part when He Zhichu had asked her to analyze the situation.

    When Huo Shaoheng and the guys searched the car, they would be able to find that two packets of white powder.

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and turned on his tracking software. He found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location in no time. Then, he sent the location to Zhao Liangze with this text: ¡°Seal off the entire area in a five-mile radius from this location. Make the excuse that, due to the urrence of a special incident, the special forces have to seal the area off temporarily.¡±

    Zhao Liangze received the message and got down to work.

    First, he informed the police headquarters of Di Capital. Upon getting their approval, he sealed off five miles within Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location. Then, he dispatched the special forces soldiers that were on local standby.

    They used the identity of the corps to cover up their true identities locally. They all wore masks that covered their entire heads, only revealing their eyes. Even if an enemy took pictures of them, they would not be able to discover their true identities.

    Due to the fact that Huo Shaoheng was near her and it was a weekend, he became themander at the eleventh hour andmanded Fan Jian to drive over.

    ...

    The soldiers of the special forces had taken the armed patrolling vehicle and brought the necessary documents from the police headquarters with them. They sped towards their target location.

    By this time, the police cars had almost managed to catch up to He Zhichu¡¯s car.

    He Zhichu stopped the car beside the river. The wheels of the car sank into the mud along the riverbank. That would exin how a car with damaged breaks could still stop...

    He had already turned off the second system, so the car system had returned to normal. Other than Gu Nianzhi, no one else could know about the real condition of the car.

    Gu Nianzhi alighted from the car and waited along the riverbank. She felt cold.

    Although her coat was woolen, it was more light and stylish than practical. It worked fine if Gu Nianzhi was only wearing it outdoors for a short time, but if she had to stay out in the elements longer, it didn¡¯t do much to keep Gu Nianzhi warm at all.

    Moreover, the dress she had worn to the bar was a Spring edition from Dior. It did not contain a lot of wool, so she began trembling almost as soon as she stepped outside.

    Her legs were numb due to the cold. Her lungs hurt when she breathed.

    He Zhichu only had on a mid-length woolen coat and a Burberry scarf around his neck.

    Using the lights from the car, He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi. He saw that her face was almost as white as sheet. Her lips were extremely pale as well. He Zhichu removed his scarf and put it around Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi rejected it immediately. ¡°I am not cold, Professor He. You put it back on.¡±

    He Zhichu grabbed her hands in his. ¡°Your hands are freezing. So much for not being cold.¡± With that, he opened his coat and brought Gu Nianzhi into his embrace.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to reject the embrace, but it was really warm and nice. It was so toasty nice smelling inside the coat. It was not the smell of flowers or cologne. Perhaps it was the shower foam that he used, or perhaps it was just that he smelled clean.

    The scent was strangely familiar.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and did not reject it anymore. She was truly cold...

    Why wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng there yet?

    By this time, the soldiers from the special forces were just closing in on the area.

    ...

    The police did not manage to find their exact location. By the time they arrived, they found that they could not enter anymore. A soldier wearing a full mask and night vision goggles stepped out from the darkness with a semi-automatic machine gun and signaled for them to turn back. ¡°This area has been sealed off. You cannot go in.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡± One of the police officers jumped out of the car. ¡°We received a tip-off that there would be a huge case here. We spent a lot of time trying to get here!¡±

    ¡°This is the letter of approval from your headquarters.¡± The special forces agent shed a copy of the approval from the police headquarters in front of them. ¡°Move back. If youe closer, you will be defying military orders.¡±

    The person¡¯s voice was not sharp, but the calmness and steadiness in his tone sounded extremely stern.

    The police officer took a look at the approval and still did not feel happy. He took out his phone and called his headquarters. Upon confirming that the approval was definitely from his superiors, he red at the soldier and pointed at him. ¡°I¡¯ll remember you. When will you guys leave the area? You shouldn¡¯t get to hinder us in our work.¡±

    The agent ignored him and took aim with his gun.

    COMMENT

    The police officers had guns as well, but how could his shotgun be the match of a semi-automatic machine gun?

    These men were all tall and big. One could tell that they were not to be trifled with as soon as they saw them.

    With no other options, the police officer craned his neck to look at the area that had been sealed off and waved. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. We should check the number that called us with the tip-off.¡±

    The police cars left with their sirens still ring. After a while, only their lights could be seen.

    By the time Huo Shaoheng arrived in Fan Jian¡¯s car, the special forces had already sealed the area off and the police officers had departed. He nodded slightly and put on his night-vision goggles, alighted from his car, and walked over.

    After walking for a short distance on the muddy path, he made a turn and looked at the scene in front of him.

    The fog had thinned and there were now countless stars visible in the night sky. The grounds were t. He could not see to the horizon.

    A river was flowing nearby. The moonlight shone onto the river, creating some beautiful reflections.

    A car had crashed into the mud of the riverbank. A couple was standing beside the car in an embrace. They looked so beautiful that they could have been a scene in an oil painting.

 Chapter 911 - Wait for My Legal Letter

    <h4>Chapter 911: Wait for My Legal Letter</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and did not move anymore. Seeing what was in front of him, he was reminded of a phrase from a poem:

    The grass pasture looked spacious with the stars decorating the night sky.

    Then, another phrase from another poem:

    The dove was calling out on the surface of the water;

    The handsome man was attracted to the beautiful girl.

    His fingers moved and took out a cigarette from his pocket. Lowering his head, he lit the cigarette and took a deep breath. The little bit of light between his fingers flickered in the darkness.

    He Zhichu saw that flicker of light from the corner of his eye and raised his head. He saw a man with a tall build standing somewhere not far away, a cigarette in his hand, looking over at him.

    He had not expected Huo Shaoheng toe personally. He Zhichu pressed the button on his car key for the car to self destruct and destroyed the second system in his car effortlessly. The car that had crashed into the mud along the riverbank had long stopped moving. The self-destruct function twisted both systems together in silence. Even if the best mechanic were to open up the entire car, he would never be able to see that the car used to have two systems.

    He Zhichu nodded to Huo Shaoheng and let go of Gu Nianzhi. He took a step back and removed his coat, cing it around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders.

    Gu Nianzhi felt something was off and looked in the direction He Zhichu was looking. The nearby figure with the tall build was none other than Huo Shaoheng. However, Gu Nianzhi controlled herself. Even though her eyes sparkled, she did not walk over to him.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped staring and turned around, asking the people behind him to go over. ¡°Go. Check what was wrong with the car.¡±

    The mechanic specialists, forensic specialists, and intelligence personnel walked towards the car immediately. Huo Shaoheng followed behind them and walked towards He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was as white as snow. Under the moonlight, her lips were as pale as lotuses, and the tip of her exquisite nose was red. One look and Huo Shaoheng knew that she was freezing.

    After looking at her for a while, Huo Shaoheng turned to He Zhichu. ¡°What happened? Do you have any idea?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head and said coldly, ¡°It just came. I have utterly no idea what happened. However, did you guys bump into the police on your way here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we did.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s quite problematic on their end as well. You guys better be prepared, as they will not let this go that easily.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and hugged the coat around her even tighter. Taking a deep breath, she said, ¡°We were chased by a police car. They should know the car¡¯s license te number.¡± The moment the traffic police checked the license te, they would know who the owner of the car was. Therefore, although Huo Shaoheng had managed to get the Special Forces to stop the police, they would not let this go, especially after they had gotten that tipoff.

    He Zhichu said mockingly, ¡°Definitely. They should be at it right about now.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked, holding a cigarette in one hand and cing the other in his pocket. He was wearing his full winter uniform¡ªformal attire, as he had attended the formal performance just now by the military performing team, and a coat. They were both made of wool, and therefore, he did not feel cold at all.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face had gone almost white, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers moved, but he controlled himself. He had almost wanted to check her temperature.

    A gust of cold wind blew, and Gu Nianzhi trembled.

    Huo Shaoheng threw the cigarette in his hand away. ¡°I will get Fan Jian to take you guys back.¡± Through the Bluetooth earpiece, he asked Fan Jian to drive over. ¡°Take them back now. Be careful and take the other route.¡±

    The specialists who were at work around the car with their scanning devices had discovered the hidden stash under the car. With gloved hands, they opened the bottom of the car and sessfully removed the two packets of white powder.

    Gu Nianzhi had only seen the two packets of white powder on video. She did not think of them as huge packets. However, seeing the real thing now, her breathing almost stopped. Each packet weighed two kilograms. Two packets would make it four kilograms¡ªenough to make them spend the rest of their lives in prison.

    ¡°There are fingerprints on the package. We will investigate them.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved and got his men to retreat. He had already gotten a tipoff that the car was ruined beyond repair. There was no need to check further. ¡°We are unable to stay for too long.¡±

    He Zhichu turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had arrived under the pretense of work. It would not be appropriate for him to be in too much contact with Gu Nianzhi. Their gazes were fixed on each other for a while, then they both looked away.

    Gu Nianzhi walked up slowly and raised her head. ¡°Take us back to the bar¡¯s parking lot.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Go back quickly. I¡¯m here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled slightly. ¡°We need to go back to the bar¡¯s parking lot to file a police report that the car was stolen.¡± If they didn¡¯t report it, there would be a continuation of thisplication.

    He Zhichu understood where Gu Nianzhi wasing from and was moved.

    She was thinking about him...

    The car was his. If Gu Nianzhi had not followed the car, gotten into an ident, and gotten arrested by the police right there and then, whatever happened after actually had nothing to do with her anymore. However, she did not just look on.

    Huo Shaoheng regained his mature and emotionless expression. Looking at the car, he said, ¡°There is professional tinting on the car¡¯s windows. Most likely no one would be able to take pictures of the people in the car. But having said that, filing a police report about the loss of the car could still work.¡± He was approving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s idea.

    ¡°That is why we have to go back, to file a police report.¡± Gu Nianzhi shivered again. It was too cold. Her smile was almost frozen.

    ¡°What if there was CCTV in the vicinity of the parking lot?¡± He Zhichu asked slowly. ¡°If you were to file a police report like that, wouldn¡¯t you be shooting yourself in the foot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked slyly at He Zhichu. ¡°How would there be? I bet that the CCTV at the bar¡¯s parking lot was damaged today.¡±

    He Zhichu remembered the person, or people, who had tampered with his car, and a smile crept over his cold expression. ¡°Yes, definitely.¡±

    The three of them did not talk further. He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi got into the car that Fan Jian was driving. They headed in the opposite direction. They were not far from Bar Jinling. Even though they had to make a detour, it only took them ten minutes to get to somewhere near the bar.

    Knowing their in, Fan Jian had intentionally selected a route that would not be captured by the cameras. Finally, he managed to get them to that street.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu got out of the car and went to the supermarket nearby to spend about five minutes before exiting and proceeded towards Bar Jinling¡¯s parking lot. The bar inside was still lit up, which meant that the party was still going on.

    The two of them walked to the parking lot and looked around before He Zhichu took out his phone to call the police. Five minutester, a police car from the nearby area had made its way to them with its siren turned on and stopped in front of Bar Jinling.

    He Zhichu stood serenely in the parking lot and turned to the police officer who had arrived to receive their report. ¡°My car had been here since about six o¡¯clock in the evening, but it¡¯s missing now.¡±

    ¡°Missing?¡± The police officer scratched his head. The person who had made the report had an exceptional aura about him. He was a confident person, and it emanated strongly from him. Although he was only wearing a suit with thin gray stripes, one could guess that he was someone important just from one look.

    The car that he had reported stolen was an expensive Bentley.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way. There are usually CCTVs around parking lots. We can obtain the footage, and we will immediately know what went wrong.¡± The police officer searched for the car¡¯s license te in his system, and it matched the one that they had reported. The owner was He Zhichu.

    The moment the owner of Bar Jinling heard that an expensive car had been stolen in the parking lot on his property, he was extremely nervous. In no time, he got his people to retrieve the footage from the parking lot to show the police officer. However, the person on duty said sadly, ¡°Boss, the CCTV in the parking lot has been damaged since a couple of days ago. We requested that it be repaired, but you haven¡¯t approved it yet...¡±

    The owner felt extremely awkward. ¡°How could you not remind me about such an important issue?! You are irresponsible in your position! Don¡¯t expect a single cent for a bonus this year!¡± he scolded loudly.

    He Zhichu looked coldly at the owner of the bar who had just thrown his employee under the bus and shook his head slightly. Turning to the police officer, he asked, ¡°What do we do, then? Must I lose my car for nothing without the CCTV footage?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. Your car is so expensive, it shouldn¡¯t be too tough to find,¡± the officer said as he submitted He Zhichu¡¯s report of loss to his system. Shortly after, his walkie talkie beeped. Someone had asked for him.

    The police officer felt like something was off. He did not know what was going on. Taking his walkie talkie, he walked to the side and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, boss? I have someone filing a report here.¡±

    ¡°What did you say the license te of the car that was reported lost was?¡±

    The police officer repeated the license te number that He Zhichu had told him to his superior and added, ¡°I checked the system just now, and the owner of the car is indeed this person. His expensive car went missing. Of course he¡¯s unhappy.¡±

    The person on the other end of the line was extremely taken aback. ¡°Keep him there. I will be there immediately.¡±

    The officer did not know what had just happened, but he put away his walkie talkie and turned towards He Zhichu with a smile. ¡°Please hold on,dy and gentleman. My boss will be here in no time. The car you have lost is a luxury car. The amount involved is extremely high. We will definitely open a case for you.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded politely but was not willing to wait. ¡°I trust your abilities. However, can we make our way back now? It¡¯s too cold. I am worried that my student might not be able to take it. If she falls ill due to the cold, won¡¯t you get into trouble as well?¡± He Zhichu used both the soft and aggressive approach, and that police officer felt that he was in trouble again.

    He Zhichu was the person who had made the report. What reason would he have to keep him? However, he couldn¡¯t ignore his superior¡¯s orders! The police officer was in a dilemma. He bowed to He Zhichu politely and suggested, ¡°Mr. He, please hold on for just a bit more. My superior will be here almost immediately.¡± Then he continued, ¡°If thisdy is too cold, she can get into my car to get warm.¡±

    ¡°I refuse!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu rejected the idea almost at the same time.

    The police officer was taken aback. ¡°My car is warm...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I did not do anything against thew. Why should I get into your police car?¡± If there was someone who was hiding somewhere waiting to take pictures, seeing that she got into the police car, they would pounce on the opportunity. A little Photoshopping, and Gu Nianzhi would be in the center of some random gossip again. It¡¯s like how they say¡ªall you need is a mouth to get rumors going, but to stop it, you have to run around until your legs are broken.

    He Zhichu ignored that police officer. He took out his phone and called for a cab. Thankfully, the police officer¡¯s superior arrived at the same time as the cab. The moment he got out of the car, he turned to He Zhichu and said immediately, ¡°You are the one who filed the report? When did you lose the car?¡±

    COMMENT

    He Zhichu ced both his hands in his pockets and shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. The car had been parked here since six o¡¯clock in the evening ¡¯til now...¡± He took a look at his watch. ¡°Eleven o¡¯clock. There were five hours in between.¡±

    The police officer in charge folded his arms and walked around the parking lot a few times beforeing back to He Zhichu. ¡°To be honest, we received a tipoff that a Bentley would be having a huge deal today. However, after trailing it for several hours, we lost it. The license te of that car matches yours.¡±

    He Zhichu raised his eyebrows without a change in his expression. ¡°I see. You mean someone stole my car and did something illegal?¡±

    ¡°What does it have to do with us?¡± Gu Nianzhi was losing patience. Hugging the coat, she pulled on He Zhichu¡¯s shirt. ¡°Professor He, I am seriously freezing.¡±

    He Zhichu held her hand and felt the cold. Immediately, he turned to the police officers. ¡°I am sorry, sirs. We are really too cold to stay. See you.¡±

    The police officer in charge was about to stop He Zhichu from leaving when someone called him. ¡°Boss! We¡¯ve found that car! It is in the Little Chang river! Come over, quickly!¡±

    The police officer in charge was ted. Turning to He Zhichu, he said, ¡°Sorry for taking up your time.¡± Then he got into his police car and drove towards the river.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu got into the cab and returned to B University. The cab drove Gu Nianzhi to the lobby of her dormitory. He Zhichu got out with her and told the cab to go. Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°Why did youe down? Why didn¡¯t you take the cab back to the professor¡¯s building?¡±

    He Zhichu urged her to go up. ¡°I am okay. You go up now. I will have a cigarette before going.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really was freezing. She felt that her nose was about to run like crazy. In order to not be like that in front of He Zhichu, she turned and entered the dormitory building.

    He Zhichu smoked a cigarette alone at the lobby of the dormitory building and only left when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory lights go off.

    ...

    At the police¡¯s end, they discovered an almost totaled Bentley crashed into the mud on the riverbank. One of the police officers reported their discovery to the officer in charge. ¡°Boss, there is nothing in the car. The breaks were tampered with. It does not seem so simple.¡± However, he had doubts as well. ¡°Boss, I think this area was sealed off by some people today.¡±

    The police officer in charge knew about it. ¡°Tow the car away. Let Mr. He collect the car tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi took a hot shower before turning in after returning to the dormitory. However, she still caught a cold. She felt that her head was extremely heavy, and that she was running a fever. She remained in bed and did not want to get up. Her temples were hurting rather badly.

    She had only been dozing for a while before being fully awakened by Ma Qiqi knocking on the door. ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Look at weibo! Look at your weibo! Someone wants to make headlines!¡±

    COMMENT

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she took out her phone to take a look at her weibo. Her main page was covered with photos of an expensive luxury car, and the pictures had been taken at night.

    Someone had tagged Di Capital¡¯s safety¡¯s official ount, saying that they had managed to take pictures of the police officers having a major chase over a luxury Bentley, and he happened to know the owner of the Bentley. It was the popr Professor of Law Faculty at B University, He Zhichu. He asked Di Capital¡¯s safety what was going on.

    Then, someone with an official valid ount appeared, saying that he had received a tipoff from someone who was working in the police force, that they had enough evidence to prove that the Bentley was trafficking drugs. The amount was huge as well, and it was a big case.

    He Zhichu was also popr on weibo. His ount was an official, validated one as well. He even had his own fan club. Therefore, the moment this piece of news came out, the first batch of people who were angry were his fans. These ¡°Mrs. Hes¡± all appeared and began arguing with the person with a validated ount, cursing here and there, and it was exciting to read.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the two ounts who began the entire thread and called He Zhichu immediately. ¡°Professor He, someone has indeede out on weibo to start the news. Please use your weibo to rify.¡±

    He Zhichu had also just woken up. He took out his phone to check his weibo upon receiving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone call and tagged the police force directly. ¡°It seems like we finally have some leads about my lost car. Please check them to see where they got the information from. Someone stole my car to do illegal deals. They have broken thew,mitting theft and intentional fabrication of information, attempting to tarnish my reputation. I shall reserve my right to file for civilpensation.¡±

    At the same time, he tagged the two ounts that had started the entire hoohah. ¡°Wait for my legal letter.¡±

 Chapter 912 - One Genius Would Suffice

    <h4>Chapter 912: One Genius Would Suffice</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The moment He Zhichu rified on weibo, the members of his fan club were the first to respond.

    ¡°Hubby is the best!¡±

    ¡°No wonder he is my hubby! Wifey will make you a good dinner tonight!¡±

    ¡°Those irresponsible validated ounts were too atrocious. How dare they malign my hubby! They must be tired of living!¡±

    ¡°Hubby is so handsome! A legal letter from you is such a blessing! I want one, too...¡±

    Tens of thousands of reports,ments, and likes took over the entire weibo. On top of that, other validated ount holders who knew about He Zhichu¡¯s capabilities also agreed with the way he did things by showing their support.

    These ount holders were not just any validated ount holders. Some of them were the founders of thergestw firm in the Hua Xia Empire. There was also a creative director from a foreignw firm that had a branch in the Hua Xia Empire, one of the top businessmen in the Hua Xia Empire, and the wealthiest man in the real estate industry.

    The moment these people voiced their support, the naysayers on weibo disappeared into thin air.

    All the Mrs. Hes had beat them hands down!

    As for the official ount of the police force that had been tagged by He Zhichu, they replied that there was indeed someone who tipped the police off, but Mr. He had filed a police report for a stolen car, and it had also been found. Then, they supported their ims with pictures of the car that had been crashed in the mud along the river bank. They also exined that the car was severely damaged, but it did not contain what the person who tipped them off imed it would. Therefore, the police were investigating the truth behind the tipoff and would punish the person who had decided to spread the false rumor. It was safe to say that the police force¡¯s reply and their attached pictures turned the entire situation around.

    Even randomizens were now on He Zhichu¡¯s side and were scolding the people who had decided to spread rumors.

    ...

    The owner of the validated ount was in a frenzy at this moment. He screamed as he held onto his phone, ¡°B*tch! How dare she sabotage me! Didn¡¯t you say that it was definitely drug trafficking?! And that the police were investigating?! How did it turn into a car theft?!¡±

    ¡°How would I know?! Someone tipped me off. Moreover, you epted the person¡¯s money. It was a couple of million...¡± The person on the other end sounded rather guilty.

    ¡°A couple of million?! It was a couple of million Japanese Yen, my dear brother. Do you think it was worth a lot?! It will not even be enough for mywyer¡¯s fees!¡± The owner of the validated ount roared as he mmed his fists on the table, ¡°If I get sued, I will drag you down with me!¡±

    The person on the phone panicked andforted him quickly. ¡°Patience. Please wait. Let me ask for you again, alright? Actually, it¡¯s okay to fight awsuit. Does thew not allow people to speak anymore? You were merely providing a tip, weren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t worry. We will never let you get implicated for nothing. The boss said that if they really wanted to sue you, we would y the game with them ¡¯til the end! No one is as clear as you about what we, the Ishihara Corporation, are capable of doing. Although He Zhichu is capable, he is only capable in America. He is nowhere as powerful as we are in the Hua Xia Empire!¡±

    These corporations had been in the Hua Xia Empire for years. They had been even stronger in their earlier years. However, due to the founding of the Special Forces, they had to control their monstrous ws and not be too arrogant when it came to getting things done.

    Although they had to tone down their way of doing things, their base andwork were still around. Therefore, they could utilize those anytime to do things that would benefit Japan.

    The owner of the validated ount breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. He did not want to burn bridges with this organization, either. When everyone was out for business, they should coexist peacefully. Whoever wanted him to use anyone was fine, as long as the pay was enough. Moreover, he was only passing on a piece of information. He had not made anything up.

    The police were indeed out to chase somethingst night. That was true. He even took a screenshot of the picture of the police force¡¯s weibo ount. With that thought, the owner of the validated ount softened his tone. ¡°Haha, I am not someone who has never been through things as well. After being an influencer for so many years, I have been through enough. It¡¯s the same for celebrities as well. Who hasn¡¯t been bad-mouthed before? No one has ever sued me anyway, but all of them had said that they¡¯d be sending awyer¡¯s letter. Bullsh*t! Did they think that I grew up being scared sh*tless?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Brother De is the best! We will not be afraid about this, right? He Zhichu definitely bribed the police to cover up for him. If he dares to sue, I will have even more insider information for you!¡± Seeing that the owner of the validated ount had gone soft, the person on the phone became brave again.

    Everyone knew the owner of this validated ount as ¡°Brother De.¡± He had been famous as an influencer online for 15 years. He had slowly gained poprity from being a keyboard warrior to the owner of a well-known validated ount. He charged tens of thousands just when people wanted him to repost some of their posts. It could be said that he had a good sense for business.

    With the Ishihara Corporation supporting him, he really didn¡¯t have anybody to fear.

    ...

    It was Christmas on Sunday. Gu Nianzhi watched as He Zhichu¡¯s fans quarreled with the owner of the validated ount who had begun spreading the rumor and the ount that had supported it. After that, she finally got out of bed.

    Just when she finished washing up, He Zhichu called and asked her to make her way to meet him. She rushed over even before having breakfast, as she knew that he wanted her to meet him to discuss what had happenedst night.

    Upon arriving at He Zhichu¡¯s apartment in the professor¡¯s building, she pushed the door open as she was looking through her phone. He Zhichu came out from his room and furrowed his brows. ¡°Walk properly. What is up with looking at the phone while you walk?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put away her phone hastily and smiled at He Zhichu as she looked up at him. ¡°Professor He, you have many wife-level fans, indeed!¡±

    He Zhichu was momentarily speechless. ¡°What wife-level fans? I don¡¯t even have a girlfriend. How could I have a wife?¡± He Zhichu moved his gaze away and entered the kitchen to make breakfast. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the time. ¡°It¡¯s already noon. I¡¯d like a sandwich and a cup of milk tea.¡±

    He Zhichu was the best at making sandwiches. He toasted two pieces of fluffy white bread after coating them in ayer of egg sauce until it was slightly charred, and ced some of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite, prawns with mayonnaise, on them. After that, he added two slices of tomatoes and one piece of lettuce before rolling it up and cing it on a white porcin te. He brought the sandwich to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach began growling the moment she set her eyes on the sandwich. She began eating with gusto. He Zhichu made the same sandwich for himself. Although he did not like mayonnaise, he was toozy to make something else.

    After they were done eating, they began discussing who wanted both their reputations tarnished. Luckily, they discovered it in time and responded well, so Gu Nianzhi was already beyond suspicion. Currently, everyone on the inte was focusing on He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi was in an extremely good mood. She smiled and said, ¡°Professor He, I really did not know that you already had so many fans on weibo. It seems like it was a wasted attempt by the person who wanted to sabotage us. He or she just made your fans love you more!¡± Attacking him would only spur the fans to work together and fight for theirmon love¡ªtheir idol.

    He Zhichu shook his head disapprovingly. ¡°I created this ount to look for you when you were missing. I¡¯ve been wanting to close it down and don¡¯t usually go online, anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. It was during the time she was in Germany. In order to look for her, He Zhichu had done many things that he would not have usually done.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu was someone who had always kept a low profile. He would never expose himself to the public if he could help it. He never had an ount on social media. The only ways he would contact her were through calls or texts.

    Gu Nianzhi felt warmth in her heart, like she had just eaten a freshly bakedva cake. It melted immediately in her mouth after she put it in, and she felt warm all over.

    When she had awakened in the morning, she actually had a slight fever. She struggled to take some acetaminophen and had rested for the entire morning. Her fever had subsided. However, upon hearing what He Zhichu had said, she felt her brain warming up like she was having a fever again.

    ¡°Professor He,¡± Gu Nianzhi called him softly and gently, the gratitude and warmth were clear in her eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He Zhichu raised his head and looked at her. His flirtatious eyes sparkled, and he held out his hand and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s in his. ¡°Please do not mention such words between us. No matter what happens, I am willing to do everything and anything for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at he Zhichu and nodded formally. ¡°I will help you as well, Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless. She totally did not understand what he was referring to! He Zhichu lowered his eyes sadly and finished the sandwich in his hands. Then, he finished his coffee and wiped his mouth before saying coldly, ¡°I wanted to tell you about the case in Japan today. The one about ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ funds and the illegal gifting of the inheritance. It is progressing well. The Japanese supreme court is unable to hold it up any longer.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s amazing!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled, and her ck eyes looked like crystals. They were so very attractive. ¡°I knew the topw firm in America would be great!¡± She gave He Zhichu two thumbs up.

    He Zhichu smiled lightly. ¡°Alright. Do not just try to please me. Even if we were to win the case, such a huge amount of money would not be able to be returned so soon.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. As long as we win thewsuit, I would never mind rushing them three times a day like meal times! Did they even deserve all those donations?! Do I look like an idiot?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head disapprovingly. She picked up her cup of milk tea. ¡°When I still did not know that Gu Yanran was Japanese, I thought she was either stupid or cruel when she did the things she did. I only discoveredter that she was both cruel and stupid. Such a lost cause.¡±

    He Zhichu was not interested in Gu Yanran, so he remained quiet. After they were done with their breakfast, Gu Nianzhi took on the task of drafting a legal letter for He Zhichu. She walked out of the professors¡¯ building happily.

    Not far away from her, a handsome youth who was decked out in a long ck coat stood under a tree, ying with a coin in his hand. He was listening to Beethoven¡¯s Fifth Symphony. The grand sounds from the piano really did sound like fate was knocking on his door. He saw everything as probabilities.

    He watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s steps and calcted silently in his mind how many more steps she would take before she would run into the bicycle that was moving towards her...

    A boy who was riding a bicycle was waving his hand to his partner on the street. A couple of female students walked over from the other side,ughing along the way with books in their arms. Gu Nianzhi would be passing by these two groups of people.

    It was time.

    The youth threw a coin out. It was just like when the butterflies in the Amazon forest batted their wings, it would cause a storm in the Antic ocean. The coin was shiny and eye catching. The bright rays of the afternoon sun were reflected by the shiny coin, and they went into the eyes of one of the girls who had books in their hands.

    She called out as she covered her eyes and stopped in her tracks. Her friends surrounded her and asked, full of concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just so happened to walk past them. Seeing that they had stopped, she took a step to the side instinctively. Just this step caused the bicycle that was moving towards her to nearly run right into her sideways!

    It was about to hit. Suddenly, someone who was on a skateboard went past quickly and raised his hand. With that, the boy riding the bicycle fell to the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± The person on the skateboard quickly skated away after apologizing.

    Gu Nianzhi stood in the road in shock. Then, she realized something and turned around, looking towards the youth who was decked out in ck.

    Full of regret, the youth thought, ¡°Where on earth did that person on the skateboarde from?¡± He had left him out of his calctions just now. It seemed like his calctions were still not that urate, after all. He needed to improve before he could... handle Gu Nianzhi.

    He bowed at a 90-degree angle to Gu Nianzhi before turning and leaving. Such a genius like him in the world, only one would suffice. Gu Nianzhi was not fit to remain in this world.

 Chapter 913 - The First Chance

    <h4>Chapter 913: The First Chance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The youth decked out in a long ck coat left B University. He hopped into a ck Rolls Royce that was parked in front of the school and returned to a vi in the Yu Shan precinct.

    It was a clear day with blue skies and white clouds. Yu Shan was quiet, peaceful, and warm. Yu Shan precinct was in the mountains. The mountains had many hot springs in them, therefore, it was warm, and it even felt like spring instead of winter. Under the shade of the trees, a Japanese-style house emerged into view. It had white walls and ck tiles. The youth pushed open the bamboo gates and entered the house.

    There was a small pond on the left in the front yard. The water in the pond was clear and wasn¡¯t frozen. It seemed like the ground was really hot. On the right was a shishi odoshi, a type of bamboo rocking fountain. The entire front yard was designed to look like a ssic traditional Japanese ce.

    The youth walked to the stairs in front of the house and changed his shoes into wooden clogs. A middle-aged woman wearing a light beige kimono with pictures of coy printed on it opened the wooden door and bowed deeply to him. ¡°Wee home, Young Master Taro.¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± The youth¡¯s voice was clear. His voice had already changed, but it did not sound deep at all.

    Upon entering the house, he sat down on a tatami in the living room. He faced an old man with white hair who was kneeling behind a small tea table and greeted him. ¡°Grandpa.¡±

    There was a huge calligraphy piece on the wall behind the old man. It had the word ¡°chan¡± written on it, which meant ¡°tranquility¡± in Mandarin. There was a bright yellow pot of winter jasmine tea on the corner of the tea table.

    The old man smiled at the youth and put down thedle he was using to scoop hot water from the pot. His position for kneeling was extremely urate. ¡°Taro, I heard that you went to B University today?¡±

    The youth nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± There was a look of stubbornness and determination on his face.

    ¡°How did it go? Did you see Gu Nianzhi?¡± The old man, who was also in a kimono, folded his arms and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Yes I did.¡± The youth did not continue and moved closer while kneeling in order to pour some tea for the old man.

    ¡°So how did it go? Did you seed?¡±

    The youth¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he felt his gut wrench. Putting down the cup of tea in his hands, he said, upset, ¡°Almost.¡±

    ¡°So you have not seeded?¡± The old man opened his eyes, and his gaze was like lightning. ¡°You are still insisting on your theory of orderly chaos?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± The youth nodded, his gaze of determination never faltering. ¡°The belief of the theory of orderly chaos is that everything in the world is in a chaotic state. It is something that cannot be predicted, nor calcted. Even the existence of the universe happened in a moment of coincidence. However, I disagree with that. I feel that there is an order to chaos. It can be calcted mathematically and by categorizing, therefore, it is able to be predicted.¡±

    The old man nodded. ¡°So what is next? Have you proven your theory?¡±

    ¡°My calctions have just been put into an experiment. Indeed, they are still a little inurate. However, I will be sessful after some changes here and there.¡± The youth lowered his head. ¡°I hope that grandfather will give me another chance.¡±

    The old man sighed. His gaze traveled to the pot of winter jasmine tea on the corner of his tea table, and he mumbled, ¡°I still remember that your father went to America to study with Gu Xiangwen. They learned under the best physicist in the world. Your father was the genius of our Yamato n, and Gu Xiangwen was known as the Genius of the Chinese. Sadly, your dad was still... not as good as Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Stubbornness was seen all over the youth¡¯s face. ¡°Grandfather, I do not think that my father was not as good as Gu Xiangwen. He was merely... too gentlemanly. Gu Xiangwen was a jerk!¡±

    ¡°No. Gu Xiangwen was not a jerk.¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°He was merely too clever. He was clever to the extent that no schemes could escape his mind and eyes. Your father... What your fathercked most was graciousness.¡±

    ¡°When my father went to the samepetition as Gu Xiangwen then, my father won. However, Gu Xiangwen said that there was something wrong with the question!¡± The youth mmed his fist on the tea table furiously.

    ¡°Yes. That was why your father was not as good as him. It was because the question was indeed wrong. Your father¡¯s win turned into a joke.¡± Deep wrinkles appeared on the old man¡¯s face. ¡°However, your father¡¯s experiments were always slower than Gu Xiangwen¡¯s. When Gu Xiangwen discovered a major breakthrough with the energy from the blue star, your father finally could not take the pressure any longer...¡±

    When the well-known physicist in Japan, Baizo Ishihara,mitted suicide by stabbing himself in the stomach, it was reported for a good period of time.

    ¡°I will definitely avenge my father!¡± The youth waved his fist. ¡°Even if my father was not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s match, I, Ishihara Taro, will definitely be better than his daughter, Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    The old man looked at him deeply. ¡°Can you be?¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, I used the theory of orderly chaos to predict an entire series of events. Almost every single thing was urate!¡± Ishihara Taro was so excited as he was saying this, even his face turned red.

    The old man looked at Ishihara¡¯s bodyguard and said, ¡°Toi Kun, you talk.¡±

    Toi Ohara was a plump, middle-aged man whose height was not even five feet. He was also kneeling on the ground and began speaking about Taro Ishihara. ¡°Sir, Young Master was indeed capable. He analyzed and got his conclusions from our information and felt that Gu Nianzhi would not be attending the concert by the military performing team of the Hua Xia Empire but would be attending her ss¡¯s Christmas party instead. After attending the party, she would not be going home alone but would be going back with He Zhichu to the school. All that happened. Then, we used our connections to get people to meddle with He Zhichu¡¯s car. They also sessfully drove away from the bar. All that happened in reality. It was exactly what young master had predicted.¡±

    The old manughed. ¡°Anything else? What you did would never be just putting things in his car, would it?¡±

    Toi Ohara lowered his head guiltily. ¡°Yes, sir! The CCTV at the Bar Jinling¡¯s parking lot was damaged by our men a couple of days ago.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± The youth jumped up in shock. ¡°You said that it was damaged on its own!¡±

    Toi Ohara did not dare to look Taro Ishihara in the eyes.

    The old man raised his hand to calm Taro Ishihara down. ¡°Taro, take a seat. Look at you getting furious all because of such a tiny matter. Have you forgotten what your father taught you?¡±

    Taro Ishihara was truly furious, so much so that his eyes turned red. After a while, he finally managed to calm himself down and took a seat. He turned to face the old man and bowed low. ¡°You are right, grandfather.¡±

    The old man caressed his head. ¡°Now this is the right attitude. It is okay to fail. The most important point is to not becent when you win, and not give up when you have lost.¡±

    Taro Ishihara was so touched by the old man¡¯s words that tears welled up in his eyes. ¡°Grandfather¨C!¡±

    ¡°Go and give more thought as to how to perfect your calctions.¡± The old man was using the art of conditioning in psychology. He attacked the youth with words first before giving him motivation. ¡°I will give you two more chances to prove to me that your calctions can be used in real life settings.¡±

    If Taro Ishihara could seed, then this would be the perfect way of not using any weapons to murder someone. Thew would never be able to get them, as it would be a blind spot or a loophole in that sense. The old man was looking forward to the results.

    Taro Ishihara took his men and left the old man¡¯s house, returning to his own condominium in Di Capital¡¯s CBD area.

    Watching his skinny but proudly upright back disappear through the bamboo gates in the front, the old man massaged his temples. His body was almost unable to take it anymore.

    The middle-aged woman in the kimono quickly went over to help him. ¡°Mr. Ishihara, Young Master is smart and capable. You do not have to worry so much.¡± She attempted tofort the old man.

    ¡°How can I not worry?¡± The old man¡¯s voice was deep. ¡°We are about to lose thewsuit. The moment the funds from the foundation are questioned, the entire Ishihara Corporation will have to close down and dere bankruptcy...¡±

    ...

    Taro Ishihara returned to his own condominium. Turning on hisputer, he began calcting the different programs again. This time, he had actually used a perfect method to deal with Gu Nianzhi. However, he did not know where he had gone wrong. The first time, she had already escaped from the car that was lined with drugs unscathed.

    He did not give up. He went to her school to look for her. He had only wanted her to be run over a little in order to teach her a lesson. However, he did not expect that he could not even fulfill such a tiny wish.

    He reassessed his mistakes during the first try and felt that it was due to too much interference from his men. The calction of the theory of orderly chaos was based on what would happen naturally, without any human interference. His men had initially damaged the CCTV in the parking lot, then sent people to line the car with drugs. Just these two actions would have already ruined the fundamentals of the theory.

    Yes. It must be like that.

    Taro Ishihara pursed his lips and intended to devise another operation. This time, other than the initial ¡°flutter of butterfly wings,¡± no other external interference would be involved.

    ¡°Toi Kun, give me the details about the owner of the validated ount that you guys have been in contact with. I need the information to be as detailed as possible,¡± Taro Ishihara ordered.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ...

    The owner of the validated ount that had begun spreading the false information online received the legal letter from He Zhichu within a short period of time. He looked at the seriously-worded letter and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. They had really sent him a legal letter! They wanted him to apologize and even wanted marypensation of $30 million for tarnishing of reputation!

    What the heck!? How could this be? Why don¡¯t you just die instead?

    The owner of the validated ount was so angry that he tore the letter into pieces. Then, he called the person who had given him the tipoff. He did not expect that the number couldn¡¯t be called. It was a closed ount! The ount that had provided the tipoff had already been deleted. The ount owner had also disappeared without a trace!

    ¡°This means they want me to be the scapegoat!¡± The owner of the validated ountughed coldly. ¡°Hmph! Ishihara Corporation, do you think that I will be a pushover like that?!¡±

    After spending the entire morning in the study, he found the Ishihara Corporation¡¯s website. Then, he sent them a letter of warning. In the end, they refused to receive his letter. There was nothing he could do, no matter what he tried! The owner of the validated ount was so furious that he almost punched hisputer.

    When it was noon, he was really hungry. Looking at the blue sky, he took a deep breath and walked towards the parking lot. In order for him to get to the parking lot from his condominium apartment, he had to cross a street. The parking lot was across the street, and the condominium building was on the other side.

    They had parking lots in the lower level of the building, but he had wanted to save some money when he bought the apartment, and thus did not buy the unit that came with a parking space in the lower level. He had regretted it immensely, so the best he could do was to buy a parking space in the parking lot opposite his condominium building. It was not far per se, he just had to cross a tiny, narrow street.

    There was a vendor who sold newspapers and magazines along the street. He flipped a couple of them habitually and stopped only when the seller rolled his eyes at him. However, he still did not buy anything.

    At the other end of the pedestrian zone, an olddy was walking over unsteadily. She was one of the people living there as well. She walked along this road on a daily basis.

    There was a bus stop along the road, and there were two youths waiting for their rides.

    The owner of the validated ount looked proudly at these people waiting for public transportation. He felt that he was someone of a higher caliber, as he owned his own vehicle.

    There was someone who was lugging a cart full of briquettes, walking towards the owner with the validated ount. He was working hard.

    The orange bus was already almost at the bus stop. It was at the stop before.

    Right at that moment, a shiny coin suddenly rolled toward the feet of the middle-aged man who was lugging the cart full of briquettes. Seeing that it was a shiny coin, the middle-aged man moved to the side instinctively. He did not expect there to be a shallow pothole to the side. He stepped into the pothole and lost his bnce, then fell down immediately, causing the entire cart full of briquettes to overturn and roll down the street. The olddy quickly tried to get out of the way of the briquettes and walked a couple of steps faster towards the front.

    Seeing what had happened, the owner of the validated ount did not wish to bump into the olddy. Therefore, he moved faster as well to cross the street.

    The bus driver was distracted by the entire street full of rolling briquettes and looked at them, forgetting to step on the brakes as he was nearing the bus stop. Instead, he moved with the usual speed!

    A loud bang was heard!

    The owner of the validated ount, who had been about to run across the street, was hit by the bus! The impact was so great that he flew quite a distance andnded harshly on the ground. After a period of struggling, he stopped breathing before an ambnce could arrive.

    A youth decked out in ck smiled slightly and left, carrying his backpack.

 Chapter 914 - The Second Chance

    <h4>Chapter 914: The Second Chance</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The action in the legal letter that He Zhichu had sent to the owner of the validated ount hade to a halt due to his passing. Upon investigation, the police had confirmed that it was due to a traffic ident. The bus driver had to take some responsibility, but because the owner of the validated ount had made a dash across the street, he had to bear half of the responsibility as well. Therefore, eventually, nothing was done about it.

    ...

    Taro Ishihara returned to his condominium with a slight smile on his handsome face. He had just turned eighteen years old this year and was one year younger than Gu Nianzhi. However, he had already graduated from the master¡¯s program and was currently studying for his doctorate in chaos mathematics. No matter what, he was already ahead of Gu Nianzhi in terms of academic achievement.

    Turning on hisputer, he saw the information that Toi Ohara had sent him regarding another person. This was his second chance. He could only seed and not fail again.

    This second person was Gu Yanran¡¯s biological father. He was in a vegetative state.

    Letting this man in a vegetative state die ¡°naturally¡± was easy in some ways and tough in others. It would be easy to let him die a ¡°natural death¡± if he were in their hands.

    However, this man was currently in a hospital in the Hua Xia Empire. ording to their observations, there were people guarding him in the dark as well. If they really sent people to kill this man, then they would be exposing themselves.

    After calcting for a while, Taro Ishihara turned on his program and began calcting the probabilities of each possibility. The chaotic calction that he hade up with could include things that seemed like they were beyond control before linking those things to the main incident and calcting the probabilities of them happening. Then, it could calcte the best method in order to achieve what they wanted to do.

    For example, his goal was to let the owner of the validated ount die ¡°naturally¡± during the first chance. Finally, the things that were calcted by the program happened sessfully in sequence.

    Now what he wanted to calcte was which incident would have the highest probability of happening and whichbination of incidents would have the highest probability of allowing him to achieve his goal.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s father was in a vegetative state. However, no one knew when he would regain consciousness. Although this person was not too important, what if he were to regain consciousness and spout nonsense? It would be much better to let him die a ¡°natural death.¡±

    He stayed up for two days in his condominium calcting the probabilities andbinations before finding the best one. In order for those events to happen, it would, of course, require his ¡°butterfly wings.¡± Taro Ishihara yed with the coin in his hands, and a sh of light appeared in his eyes.

    ...

    It was New Year¡¯s Eve shortly after Christmas. New Year¡¯s Eve was a day that was celebrated internationally. Of course, that would include the Hua Xia Empire. On the morning of the thirty first of December, the skies were gray, and it looked like it was going to snow. The winter in Di Capital was not exactly freezing this year. There were small snow flurries now and then, but there were no snow storms.

    The moment working hours began, no one was really in the mood to work. They could not wait to go home and celebrate the holiday. At the normal hospital in Di Capital, Sihuan District, the nurses and doctors on duty were in an exceptionally good mood, as it would be the holidays soon.

    After breakfast, the doctors took the interns on their rounds. They went room by room, patient by patient. Perhaps because it was about to be New Year¡¯s Eve, everyone¡¯s attitude was good. The doctors were smiling, and the patients were polite. They had a peaceful and harmonious rtionship.

    It had already been a while since Gu Yanran¡¯s father was transferred to this normal hospital. Before Gu Yanran was taken away by the Special Forces, she had already said that she had run out of money and had requested that the hospital pull the plug. Of course, the hospital could not make the decision. If the Special Forces did not agree, they would not dare to pull the plug. However, they did not pay special attention to him, either.

    When the doctors and interns arrived at the door to the room Gu Yanran¡¯s father was in, the doctor furrowed his brows in an annoyed fashion and turned to the interns. ¡°This patient has already been in a vegetative state for seven years. He will be reaching the eighth year soon. You can check on his physical state when you are free. It will be helpful to learn about humans in a vegetative state.¡±

    The interns looked at each other and nodded as they smiled. Due to the fact that it would be New Year¡¯s Eve soon, there were many people who were in the hospital to visit. There were some youths running around in the corridor, pushing each other, but it was not too violent. These were games that were yed among them, so no one paid any extra attention. When they were tired and wanted to smoke, they had to resist temptation, as they were not allowed to smoke in the hospital.

    At the other end of the corridor was a nurse pushing a gurney from the operating room. She was wearing a white coat and a nurse¡¯s hat, and was walking steadily. She was going to the operating room at the other end of the corridor to prepare for the next surgery.

    Suddenly, a gold coin rolled over from nowhere. It was only a coin and would normally not cause any trouble for the gurney. However, this coin was too shiny. The moment it rolled over, the nurse looked down at it, and a sh of gold light blinded her for a second. In a state of shock, she wavered a little to the side.

    The gurney bumped into one of the youths who was standing in the corridor. The youth who was controlling his temptation to smoke looked over coldly and kicked the gurney. The nurse was furious. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?! This gurney is needed to prepare for surgery! You kicked it over, so now what am I supposed to do for the surgery?!¡± she shouted.

    ¡°Why would that be my problem?¡± The youth pushed the nurse, annoyed. With that push, the nurse stumbled into the room that Gu Xiangwen was in.

    One of the doctors who was in the room for his rounds turned around and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    The nurse exined what had happened and said, full of anger, ¡°I was merely getting them to be more careful, but look at them...¡±

    The doctor was annoyed as well. He went to the youths and raised his voice. ¡°This is a hospital. Do not make so much noise. Go back to where you came from!¡±

    ¡°Go back? You¡¯ve injured our friend. Who should we seekpensation from?!¡±

    One of the youths with a bigger build spat, ¡°You dare to kick us out?!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! How much strength can a gurney have?! Injured your friend?! Aren¡¯t you good at pretending?!¡± the nurse retorted quickly.

    ¡°What?! Pretending?! Come on. Take off your shirt and show this old nurse,¡± the youth with a bigger build instructed his friend, looking like he had done so many times.

    The doctor who was on his rounds was taken aback. He was about to stop them and saw that the youth had removed his shirt and pants as well... He was wearing only his briefs in the ward.

    The doctor only felt that it was a nuisance and scolded them. ¡°Put your clothes back on! What do you think you are doing?!¡±

    No one expected that the group of youths wouldn¡¯t back off. The moment they heard that this doctor was trying to talk down to them, they got even more angry. This escted quickly, and no one was sure who had begun this dispute.

    Eventually, everyone got tangled in a fight, and many things and equipment in the ward were damaged. The boys were protecting the girls, and the doctors were protecting the interns. They were all fighting.

    Of course, they could not beat the youths who had been in fights on a frequent basis.

    Very soon, the lights in the ward shed. It went dark and lit up again before everyone stopped.

    The CCTV in the room had recorded the gang fight. However, no one knew when Gu Xiangwen¡¯s breathing tube had fallen out... With the equipment falling over and bing damaged, they had to bring technicians in to repair everything.

    By the time the light bulbs were changed and the ward regained its visibility, the doctor who was on his rounds realized that the man in a vegetative state had already stopped breathing...

 Chapter 915 - Just Too Little

    <h4>Chapter 915: Just Too Little</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng received news on the evening of December 31st that theatose man who was intentionally ced at the general hospital as a decoy has passed away. It was written clearly in the medical report provided by the hospital that the death was caused by organ failure.

    He had been in a vegetative state for many years and would have passed on much sooner than he did if not for the sustenance of the life support machines. His current death from organ failure was but an ordinary death.

    Naturally, the hospital also recorded in detail what transpired during the day and acknowledged responsibility on its part. Both the ward doctor and nurse (who had been pushing the surgical stretcher at the time) were punished.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned at the report for some time before calling back members of the Special Forces who had been keeping the hospital under surveince. ¡°What happened with Gu Yanran¡¯s father?¡± Huo Shaoheng red at the Special Ops officer in front of him. He was scrutinizing the officer, examining his manner of speech. This, too, was a way to tell truth from lies.

    The officer replied bitterly, ¡°He was under our surveince at all times, even up until this morning. It¡¯s just that we were caught off guard by a group of youngsters who started a fight outside the ward over a surgical stretcher.¡±

    By the time they rushed into the ward, they discovered that the power supply had already been cut off. As a result of the power loss, the medical equipment stopped working, the patient¡¯s organs deteriorated rapidly, and he died soon after.

    ¡°Youngsters?¡± Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows even more. ¡°Have someone do a thorough check on them.¡± He paused then continued, ¡°Try asking the Police Headquarters for information on them first. They might just have some.¡±

    After hearing the description of the youngsters, he was certain that they were the sort of problematic youths who often got into trouble with thew, the type to frequent the police station as if it were their home.

    ¡°Yes, Senior Official.¡±

    Due to this unexpected incident, Huo Shaoheng worked overtime from New Year¡¯s Eve until the early dawn of the new year. He stood up from behind his desk, walked to the window, and lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag, and the tobo¡¯s biting taste woke his mind up instantly. It all appeared coincidental from the video footage he saw earlier in the day. Those youngsters were simply tagging along with their family for a visit while the other youths followed them.

    Everything was a blur when they fought. It just so happened that the ward doctor brought along hot-headed male interns who couldn¡¯t tolerate any injustice. They all rolled up their sleeves and were ready to go at it the moment they saw the nurse being bullied.

    As the proverb goes, ¡°A fire at the city gates is also a cmity for the fish in the moat.¡± Here, Gu Yanran¡¯s father was the fish of the proverb. Foul y was indiscernible as the cause of death. However, Huo Shaoheng refused to believe that this was all a coincidence, given the status of Gu Yanran¡¯s father.

    He had alreadyid a trap in advance, one that no one could escape from. What was unexpected, however, was the fact that it was not sprung by anyone directly. If this was all a coincidence, then they were just too unlucky. If it wasn¡¯t, then the person who orchestrated all this was extraordinarily shrewd, indeed. The n was well-executed and carried out without a single mistake. One couldn¡¯t even think about filing awsuit. There wasn¡¯t even enough evidence for the police to open a case.

    ...

    In front of the Japanese-style courtyard in the Yu Shan Vi District, Ishihara Taro, d in a ck double-breasted suit, walked in once more. This time, he stood with confidence and didn¡¯t look as anxious and afraid as he had before. After seeding twice, his confidence increased tremendously and so did his status. His followers couldn¡¯t wait to put him on a pedestal.

    ¡°Master Taro has arrived.¡± A middle-aged woman in a cherry-patterned kimono opened the doors to let Ishihara Taro in.

    ¡°Is grandpa up yet?¡± Ishihara Taro asked with a smile as he put on wooden clogs.

    The woman nodded. ¡°He¡¯s waiting for you.¡±

    Ishihara Taro nodded back and walked in reverently. He came to the sudden realization of just how old his grandfather had gotten as he stood in front of him once more. It had only been a few days since theyst met, but his grandfather¡¯s once bright and animated eyes now appeared dull and tired. ¡°Grandpa, did you not sleep wellst night?¡± Ishihara Taro sat down beside the old man and instinctively helped with the tea brewing.

    The old man nodded. ¡°The wind on the mountain yesterday was really strong, so I was worried that it would snow today. It hasn¡¯t yet, so I keep thinking about it.¡±

    Ishihara Taro chuckled as he poured the old man a cup of tea. He held it out above his head with both arms. ¡°Please have a taste.¡±

    The old man epted the stone teacup and smiled as he took a sip. He set down the teacup and stroked Ishihara Taro¡¯s head. ¡°A student that can be taught, a student that can be taught, indeed! I¡¯m finally relieved. Taro, you are better than your father.¡±

    With his grandfather¡¯spliment, Ishihara Taro thought that the hard work he had put in during the past few years had not gone to waste. ¡°I have to thank you, grandpa, for giving me two more chances. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to prove my algorithm without a hitch if not for that.¡± Sess gave him confidence and courage. He was no longer the defeated and dispirited youth.

    ¡°That is the result of your hard work.¡± The old man retracted his hand and came to his point of discussion. ¡°Since you have seeded twice, have you ever thought about doing something more serious?¡± In other words, dealing with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had hired awyer from America¡¯srgestw firm to help her with her case in the Japanese court. That was a brilliant move, indeed. While Japanese judges were not fearful of criticizing their own politicians, they were afraid of the Americans. It could be said the the Japanese¡¯s obedience to the Americans was deeply entrenched in them, like it had been engraved in their bones.

    Under the persistent pressure of Americanwyers, the Japanese courts were about to pass the verdict. Once the verdict was out, they would have no choice but to return the $15 billion that Gu Yanran had previously donated. In addition, Gu Nianzhi demanded recovery of the profits that the foundation earned from the $15 billion for the past seven years, including but not limited to interest, dividends, investment returns, and so on. This demand was the gravest, as it left them no means for survival.

    Ishihara Taro nodded solemnly and said, ¡°I¡¯m already nning, but I have note up with the best solution yet because there are just too many uncertain factors surrounding Gu Nianzhi. Please wait patiently, grandpa.¡±

    The moment he heard the words ¡°wait patiently,¡± the old man grew anxious and suddenly started coughing. Ishihara Taro quickly rubbed the old man¡¯s back and continued until he finally managed to calm him down.

    ¡°Grandpa, is it really that urgent?¡± Ishihara Taro could tell that his grandfather wasn¡¯t emotionally stable.

    Initially, his grandfather hadn¡¯t nned on letting him in on too many details because he didn¡¯t want to give him any unnecessary stress. However, as the matter now stood, he had to say it. ¡°Taro, you do know about ourwsuit in Japan with Gu Nianzhi, right?¡±

    Ishihara Taro nodded gloomily. ¡°She won¡¯t win! How can she take back what she has given away?!¡±

    ¡°She can have it back, and she will surely win this.¡± The old man looked at Taro Ishihara with aplicated expression. ¡°So you have to n for the worst and find the best way as soon as possible.¡±

    For Ishihara Taro to find the best algorithm, he would need sufficient intelligence data. For his first task, he was only able to cause Marketing V to ¡°die by car ident¡± by collecting a lot of information about him, including information on everyone in themunity that Marketing V was living in.

    That was how he was able to learn about the old woman in his neighborhood who inevitably came out for a walk at a certain time, as well as the bus station, and where Marketing V parked his car.

    For his second task, he received even more intelligence data. This was because Gu Nianzhi¡¯satose father was also one of the people they had been secretly spying on. The information enabled him to learn the personalities and habits of the doctors, interns, and nurses of the hospital like the back of his hand. Furthermore, they had information about the patients and their families down to thest detail.

    His algorithm would only work if he had all the information he needed.

    As for Gu Nianzhi?

    There was simply too little information about her.

 Chapter 916 - Off the Charts in Many Aspects

    <h4>Chapter 916: Off the Charts in Many Aspects</h4>

    New Year¡¯s Day¡ªa new year and a new day.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up in her dormitory but was still unwilling to open her eyes. The room was quiet, as Ma Qiqi had gone home to spend New Year¡¯s Day with her family.

    In order to graduate early, Gu Nianzhi had taken on so many electives that her workload was at least three times that of Ma Qiqi¡¯s. In postgraduate studies, the bulk of her workload involved writing dissertations. Since she enrolled half a yearter than her ssmates and wanted to graduate a year and a half early, she actually was going to spend only one year studying.

    Naturally, she had to make more sacrifices since she hoped to do within a year what others would take three years toplete. However, all her hard work would be worth it. If everything went as nned, she¡¯d be able to graduate right after her final exams in the winter!

    In order to do that, she first needed toplete the first draft of her dissertation and have it vetted by He Zhichu. She then needed to find a teacher before the start of her final exams to defend her dissertation. There really wasn¡¯t much time left. Chinese New Year fell on February 14th of the Gregorian calendar, which was Valentine¡¯s Day in the western world. #All the holidays areing together #Feeling spent

    Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh and finally sat up in bed after rubbing her eyes. She nced around dreamily before grabbing her phone from the nightstand and checking it. It was already ten o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi ced her pillow at the head of the bed and leaned against it, took out her phone, and proceeded with her daily activities. She went on social media, watched the news, texted, and checked on the progress of the cases that she was involved in.

    Gu Nianzhi only switched her phone back into call mode when she received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone call. She picked up the call with a ¡°Hi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been working all night. However, instead of going home to sleep, he went out for a run. He then showered and called Gu Nianzhi after breakfast at around 10am.

    He knew how busy Gu Nianzhi had been these days, burning the midnight oil every night, working on her graduation dissertation and homework. His heart ached for her, but he knew that she had to do this in order to graduate early. Huo Shaoheng also wanted her to graduate early.

    He was on duty as usual, even though it was New Year¡¯s Day. During the New Year holiday, his subordinates were allowed to take turns going on vacation. As the Major General, however, he had to be on duty as usual. This had been the case without exception for seven years. He was only doing this so that his subordinates and the young soldiers, who had worked hard the entire year, could have more time off. Since he couldn¡¯t meet up with Gu Nianzhi, he could only call to wish her a ¡°Happy New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held onto her phone as she smiled and said, ¡°I wish you a Happy New Year, too, Young Master Huo! Keep getting better every step of the way!¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed as he dusted the cigarette ashes off his hands. He shook his head and said, ¡°I see you¡¯re bing more glib-tongued.¡± Then he asked, ¡°So are you up? Have you had breakfast?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rushed and got up from her bed silently. She tried her best to maintain a stable tone and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m up. What time is it already? And you¡¯re still talking about breakfast?¡±

    The corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth turned up as he said nonchntly, ¡°Ok, that¡¯s good.¡± Then, he caught her off guard and asked again, ¡°So have you brushed your teeth yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said without thinking, ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m about to go brush my teeth now.¡± She knew from the moment she finished her sentence that her cover was blown. Wasn¡¯t this just a self-induced confession? Moments ago, she just said that she woke up early today and that she had had her breakfast. In the end, Huo Shaoheng tricked her into blowing her cover...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned crimson as she hurriedly added, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll end the call now. Time for me to head to the library!¡± She hung up the call immediately. She entered the bathroom while covering her bright red face and started washing up.

    After washing up, she heard her phone ring again as she was standing in front of her closet, picking out her outfit for the day. She checked her phone and saw that it was He Zhichu. She swiped her finger across the screen to answer the call. ¡°Professor He, Happy New Year!¡±

    With a lunch box in hand, He Zhichu had called her up as he stood straight as a ramrod in front of thew department¡¯s female dormitory, ¡°You must have burned the midnight oil again yesterday, right? Come down. I brought some food over for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cheered as she dashed to the balcony with her phone in hand. He Zhichu was there indeed, standing under the big tree downstairs. She waved at him with a smile and went downstairs after casually throwing on a thick cashmere sweater with a big B logo on it. She paired the sweater with skinny woolen pants and fleece-lined UGG boots.

    As she came out of the dormitory, He Zhichu noticed that she was without her coat and frowned ever so slightly. ¡°Previously, you developed a fever from the cold you caught. Why are you still being so careless? Hurry back. Why would youe out without a coat on?¡± He said while handing the lunch box over to her, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I still have some matters to deal with.¡± Without a pause, He Zhichu turned around and left.

    As Gu Nianzhi took the lunch box, she felt a sort of warmth washing over her soul, and it radiated from within her. As she stared nkly at his back, which was getting further away from her, she felt a sense of familiarity that she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on. This feeling of familiarity didn¡¯te from the recent interactions she¡¯d had with him. It felt more like a scene that was etched into her mind from a long time ago.

    She closed her eyes, and fragmented images shed before her. She saw herself in a field of green, standing underneath arge banyan tree, holding onto a doll. She appeared to be about five or six years old, and she was staring nkly at the back of a young man that was gradually getting further away from her.

    With the blink of an eye, she then saw herself at a boisterous birthday party. There, she was wearing a princess¡¯s tiara and looked to be about ten years old. She started bawling all of a sudden as she watched a youth turn his back to her with resolve. She threw the birthday cake that she was holding onto the ground and threw a tantrum, hoping that the youth who was leaving would turn back around ande back to her.

    Hearing themotion behind him, he slowed his footsteps. She then started crying even more loudly as she covered her chubby little face with her hands and secretly peered at the youth¡¯s tall and handsome back with her round eyes from between the gaps of her fingers.

    The youth finally turned around. Gu Nianzhi shuddered as the vision in her mind disappeared instantly. It was as magical as a daydream. Unfortunately, she snapped out of her reverie too soon and didn¡¯t get to see who the young man was.

    From the back, the young man looked a lot like He Zhichu but slightly thinner inparison. He was tall and handsome like He Zhichu and exuded an unconscious aura of sturdiness when he walked. His contrasting charm was adorable.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her forehead and went upstairs with the lunch box. Once in her dormitory, she opened the box and discovered three smaller foodpartments in it, each containing a different dish. There was a piping-hot bowl of soup, three pieces of vorful soup dumplings, and some shrimp dumplings.

    The shrimp dumplings looked exquisite. Their slight crimson-colored filling was simr to that of a glutinous rice ball¡¯s red bean paste filling. However, unlike the thick exterior of a glutinous rice ball, the skin of shrimp dumplings was made of a thinyer of translucent dough, so they looked very appetizing.

    However, Gu Nianzhi managed to resist her desire to gobble down the shrimp dumplings and started her meal in her usual fashion, by first eating the soup. She then picked up the shrimp dumplings with her chopsticks and savored them one at a time.

    She really wanted to devour all of the shrimp dumplings but held back and stopped eating them after having only four. She ate all the soup dumplings, however. She licked the corners of her mouth when she was done and stretched her back, longing for more.

    How nice! The first day of the New Year began with eating well and keeping warm.

    Gu Nianzhi made a face in the mirror and found a small container, into which she scraped the remaining shrimp dumplings. She then washed, dried, and reassembled the lunch box so that she could return it to He Zhichu when they met in ss.

    After the sumptuous brunch, Gu Nianzhi checked her watch and realized that it was nearly 11am. If she headed to the library now, she would still be able to study for six hours if she returned at 5pm. So she packed her bag and headed downstairs with herptop. After wrapping her scarf around her, she mounted her bicycle and sped to the library.

    The campus was very quiet on New Year¡¯s Day. Most of the students had been at the countdown partyst night and only returned to their dormitoryte at night. They were all still sleeping at this hour.

    She was the only person riding a bicycle through the spacious campus grounds. She felt happy and rxed in that moment. She even tried riding her bicycle with only one hand and did so charmingly.

    Once she arrived at the library, she parked her bicycle in front of the library and ran up the library steps with her backpack behind her. At that moment, a young man dressed in a long gray coat walked out from the library in hurried steps with his head down.

    The young man was Ishihara Taro.

    Gu Nianzhi was busy tidying up her scarf and was not aware of her surroundings. The two of them walked in opposite directions towards each other and almost knocked into each other.

    Gu Nianzhi sensed something amiss as the two of them got closer to each other and took a nimble step to the side just in time. By doing so, she was able to avoid running into the stranger¡¯s arms at the veryst minute.

    She raised her eyes quietly and sized him up. He turned out to be a handsome youth who looked at most only 15 or 16 years old. Ishihara Taro raised his head and nced at Gu Nianzhi. His only thought was that the pair of bright eyes belonging to the girl in front of him resembled the reflective brightness of dark ck ss. They shone and were so bright that he could not help but feel slightly taken aback.

    They looked at each other for a moment when she suddenly recalled that she had met him before. It was on Christmas day, and like him, she was walking out from the library when she was almost knocked down by a bicycle. She saw the same youth bowing to her when she turned back.

    ¡°Sorry for having bothered you,¡± Ishihara Taro appeared to be very polite as he bowed his head respectfully.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him silently, ignored him, and went straight into the library. Ishihara Taro waited until she was gone before turning back to stare at the library entrance. He murmured with a sneer, ¡°How rude, but well, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡± He shook his head and left B University for his condominium.

    He checked his email inbox once he got to the condominium and replied to an email. ¡°Could you help me get a ce as a first year foreign transfer student at B University¡¯s Master of Law program?¡±

    A reply came shortly after the email was sent. ¡°Certainly, and with pleasure.¡±

    B University¡¯s Law Department was in a coborative rtionship with Tokyo University¡¯s School of Law. Ishihara¡¯s family was very influential in Japan. Ishihara himself was thest disciple of the Tokyo University¡¯s president. Getting into B University¡¯s Master of Law program through connections was a piece of cake.

    What others found difficult was easy for him.

    ...

    After New Year¡¯s celebrations, students started returning to school one after another. Gu Nianzhi usually attended her sses with He Zhichu, so she seldom interacted with her ssmates. Therefore, she didn¡¯t hear news of the dashing Japanese transfer student who transferred into the first year of their Master of Law program. She only learned about this from Ma Qiqi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, let me tell you, this kid is just! His IQ is off the charts! His looks are off the charts! What¡¯s more, his demeanor is off the charts!¡± Ma Qiqi smiled then sighed. ¡°I would¡¯ve given him a full score if he wasn¡¯t Japanese!¡±

 Chapter 917 - Rapid Developments

    <h4>Chapter 917: Rapid Developments</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi found what she was saying funny. She was seated in front of theputer and said without even looking up, ¡°What about now? What is his score?¡±

    Ma Qiqi sat on the single seat sofa beside her and sighed as she dragged her little panda pillow into her arms. ¡°He still fails even though he¡¯s off the charts in many aspects since he¡¯s Japanese!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced back at her and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s the way.¡± She switched off herptop after saving and exiting the document she was working on. She turned around to Ma Qiqi and said, ¡°I believe that there are good people among the Japanese too, but their existence is so statistically low that it is negligible. All in all, politically incorrect or not, I discriminate against them.¡±

    Ma Qiqi extended her arms and gave her a pat on the shoulders. ¡°Good job! I support you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and lifted her hands off her. She blinked at her. ¡°That¡¯s it? Should I tell Brother Xiong that you met a youngd whose IQ, looks, and demeanor are off the charts?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Ma Qiqi got nervous and tossed her little panda pillow aside. She rushed up to her and tickled her all over, causing her tough so hard that she became breathless as she begged for mercy. ¡°Qiqi! Nice Qiqi! I won¡¯t do it again! Never again! Stop tickling me!¡±

    Ma Qiqi knew how ticklish she was and how much she was afraid of getting tickled, so she ¡°tortured¡± her a little before letting her go. She pretended to look savage and said, ¡°Remember now, little girl! You can eat what whatever you want, but you can¡¯t just say whatever you want! If you spout nonsense, I will not show you any mercy!¡± As she spoke, Ma Qiqi blew on her fingers and made it seem as though she¡¯d continue to tickle Gu Nianzhi if she didn¡¯t agree to her conditions.

    Gu Nianzhi backed away and smiled as she said, ¡°I won¡¯t tell on you. I won¡¯t tell on you, I really won¡¯t.¡± She paused then said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in young Japaneseds. They are no big deal to me!¡±

    It was only then that Ma Qiqi felt relieved.

    She went to the school cafeteria with Gu Nianzhi, and on their way there, she whispered to her, ¡°Nianzhi, this Chinese New Year, Brother Xiong will be paying my family a visit, and then I¡¯ll be visiting his family, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Meeting each other¡¯s parents already?! Progressing way too quickly! ¡°Are you guys serious?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt anxious. ¡°Qiqi, have you really made the decision to marry Brother Xiong?¡±

    If both parties had already decided on meeting each other¡¯s parents, then it must mean that they were thinking of getting married.

    Ma Qiqi nodded seriously. ¡°Yeah, Nianzhi, I¡¯m already 24 years old now. I know what I¡¯m doing. Brother Xiong is very good to me. He also loves me sincerely. I know what sort of person he is, and I know that it is not a mistake for me to get married to him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°How do you know that? The two of you have only known each other for a short while...¡± She thought about Huo Shaoheng and herself. She still couldn¡¯t exactly say that shepletely understood Huo Shaoheng, even though, if she started counting from when she was 12 years old, they¡¯d known each other for seven years. In any case, they¡¯d also only dated for a year.

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that.¡± Ma Qiqi hugged Gu Nianzhi as sheid her head on her shoulder. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the saying before? Some people know each other for their entire lives but live as strangers, while some people have only met once, but it¡¯s like they¡¯ve known each other for a lifetime. I feel the same with him. Even though we haven¡¯t known each other for very long, it feels as though we are reuniting after being away from each other.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Qiqi, are you done yet? I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re saying something so mushy. Now I believe that you¡¯ve really fallen in love. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be saying cheesy things like that. Ugh.¡± She shook her shoulders as if to get rid of all the goosebumps that came from what she heard before.

    Realizing her exaggeration, Ma Qiqi looked up, embarrassed, embraced her shoulders and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s for real, I really do think so. Obviously, I can¡¯t be sure what we¡¯ll be like in the future, but I shouldn¡¯t give up on us now just because I¡¯m worried about what might happenter on.¡±

    Well, that made sense, too. Gu Nianzhi nudged Ma Qiqi. ¡°I surrender, you win. Just let me know when your wedding day is in advance. Let me know at least a year in advance so I can save up enough to buy you a gift.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a gift?! Alright then!¡± Ma Qiqi was not going to stand on ceremony and took the opportunity to tease Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How about paying for our honeymoon to Tahiti? That isn¡¯t too expensive, right? You¡¯ll give that to me as my wedding gift!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gu Nianzhi held her hands. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I were to do that, Brother Xiong will cut all ties with me.¡± If Gu Nianzhi paid for the honeymoon, it¡¯d be like a p in the groom¡¯s face!

    ¡°Teehee... I don¡¯t care... I¡¯m helping him save up...¡± Ma Qiqi covered her face and snickered.

    ¡°Hmph! A friend who puts love before friendship! You¡¯re already using me so your husband gets to save up! Brother Xiong, hurry up and get married to your virtuous little demon! I shall soon have the entire dorm room to myself!¡± Gu Nianzhiughed and ran off, lest Ma Qiqi attack her.

    Another happy day passed by as they bickered yfully with one another.

    In the days that followed, Gu Nianzhi continued to be busy with her routine at the library, dorm room, and the school cafeteria. Her life was busy but fulfilling.

    As for the Japanese student who transferred into the first year of their Master of Law program, Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even seen him at all. This was because she woke up at 7am every morning when she had no sses to attend so that she could head to the library to do some studying. She only left the library at 6pm to go to the school cafeteria for dinner before heading back to her dormitory to continue working on her dissertation and homework until midnight. It was the same routine with no interruption.

    Both He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng had a bond of understanding between them in rtion to Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t bother her during this period of time. They let her spend thest month of her school life quietly.

    ...

    Ishihara Taro personally approached Gu Nianzhi. He had observed her for half a month and came to the conclusion that her life was just too monotonous. The same routine and monotonous life day after day. A girl like her in herte teens was actually able to bear this loneliness.

    In the evening, Gu Nianzhi came out from the library only to discover that it had been snowing outside for the entire day. The weather was still fine in the morning, so why was it snowing now? Gu Nianzhi shielded her face with her hand as she looked towards the front. More than an inch of snow had already umted on the ground. The snow on the ground was fluffy and loose, and it crunched when walked on.

    The students came out from the library in twos and threes. Some were on their phones as they stood by the side of the doors, probably making calls to find someone who coulde pick them up. Others carried their backpacks on top of their heads and ran out in the snow.

    Public janitors were repeatedly sweeping up snow on the road near the library. There were also snowplows driving up and down the school grounds, shoveling snow and sprinkling salt on the ground to prevent it from frosting over.

    Gu Nianzhi nned to call Ma Qiqi up at first but gave up on that thought. She didn¡¯t want to trouble her when it was only snowing and not raining. She pulled up her coat¡¯s hood and checked that the zippers of her backpack andptop case were closed before walking in the snow, like the other students, with her backpack above her head.

    She got down the steps to the library and rushed into the heavy snow. Tiny bits of snow sprinkled and fluttered about as they mixed together withrger snowkes. The bits of snow floated onto her face and melted when they touched her warm skin. They then solidified into ice on her face, which hurt a little. In order to make herself morefortable, she simply took the silk scarf around her neck and used it to cover one side of her face before putting on her sunsses.

    It was at this moment that a young man dressed in ck who was standing nearby took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hands. As he took out the handkerchief, a shiny gold coin that was caught in it fell out of his pocket and rolled unsteadily towards the freshly cleaned road.

    A boy who was carrying his backpack on his head and running forward saw the coin that had rolled and got excited. Sparkling gold, could it be a gold coin?! He couldn¡¯t help but bend forward in an attempt to pick the coin up.

    The public janitor behind him who was sweeping the ground couldn¡¯t avoid him and was knocked to the ground. The snowplow that was driving over hurriedly detoured to the side in order to avoid the public janitor who fell to the ground.

    At that moment in time, Gu Nianzhi, who had her backpack on her, walked into the blind spot of the snowplow¡¯s rear view mirror. The driver did not expect that a student would be in the blind spot at that moment in time. His only concern was to avoid those public janitors. He gave the steering wheel a hard turn, and the shovel on the snowplow moved horizontally towards the side.

    ¡°Ahhhhhh, be careful! There¡¯s still someone there!¡± The public janitors and students who saw the scene yelled loudly in unison.

    Although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head was not raised, she still realized that the snowplow had suddenly changed direction. Swiftly, she twisted her body and retreated away from the roadside.

    Preupied with avoiding the snowplow, she failed to notice the rockery by the roadside. She stumbled away from the main road and slipped on the thinyer of frost formed on the roadside. The back of her head faced a protruding stone in the rockery as she fell.

    Ishihara Taro, who was standing in the vicinity, became excited as he watched the scene y out ording to his ns and calctions.

    Knock quickly! Knock quickly!

    As long as she hit the back of her head, even if she wasn¡¯t dead, she¡¯d still be paralyzed!

    At that moment, a rock that came flying out of nowhere hit Gu Nianzhi right in her knee. Her legs gave way, and she ended up falling hard on her rear and sitting on the ground instead of falling backwards.

 Chapter 918 - His Painstaking Efforts

    <h4>Chapter 918: His Painstaking Efforts</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ishihara Taro¡¯s face contorted with rage the instant he saw that Gu Nianzhi had fallen to the ground in a sitting position and not onto the protruding rock. He clenched his fist tightly, and his fingernails dug into the palm of his hands, but he didn¡¯t feel any pain. He only felt unbearably upset. He had on sunsses like Gu Nianzhi did, and he red in her direction before turning around swiftly and leaving the ce.

    ...

    It was a really bad fall for Gu Nianzhi! She could only hear her mind buzzing as she sat on the ground, and she was unable to pull herself back together for quite a while. Several students that were in the vicinity ran over to her and asked, ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± She tried to push herself up with her hands, but the fall had been so painful that she could feel the impact of it on her tailbone. She was in so much pain that she inhaled deeply repeatedly.

    At that moment, a slim hand with a fairplexion reached out to her. The hand was perfectly shaped, and the fingers were very straight. They were not knobby at the joints, which were barely discernible. However, the hand didn¡¯t look too delicate and gave off an indescribable feeling of strength. The nails were clean and well-kept, the white half-moons at the base clearly visible. The middle finger of the person¡¯s left hand had a shallow ringpression mark on it.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head up slowly. Due to the impact of the fall, her sses had slid off the bridge of her nose and now sat loosely on the end of her nose. She looked somewhat hrious, but herrge, dark eyes gave her frightened expression an added look of cuteness.

    He Zhichu was the one standing in front of her. He reached his hands out to her. ¡°What is it? Are you unable to get up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her teeth as she held onto He Zhichu¡¯s hands. He Zhichu realized at once that she was hurt when she began trying to exert her strength. He bent over immediately and carried her in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m taking you to the hospital.¡±

    On second thought, he remembered that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be admitted to an ordinary hospital. He Zhichu corrected himself immediately and said, ¡°Give Huo Shaoheng a call and ask him to take you to the hospital on his base. Doctor Chen, isn¡¯t it? The doctor who sees you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squinted and mumbled ¡°Hm¡± softly.

    It seemed like her body constitution was special, indeed. All three of them, Huo Shaoheng, Chen Lie, and He Zhichu, knew about this. Even if it was just a fall, the three would not allow her to receive treatment at a general hospital.

    She took out her phone and called Huo Shaoheng. However, Huo Shaoheng was at a meeting. ording to the usual procedure, all electronic equipment, including smartphones, could not be brought into the meeting venue. Therefore, the call was received by the operator at the Special Operation Forces¡¯ headquarters.

    The operator transferred the call to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cell phone immediately when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice. Unfortunately, the transferred call went to his voicemail. After thinking about it, Gu Nianzhi then called Yin Shixiong instead.

    Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t at the meeting. He swiped his phone to answer the call when he saw that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number. ¡°Nianzhi? What¡¯s the matter? How surprising that you¡¯re taking time out of your busy day to give me a call. Haha, I¡¯m ttered!¡±

    As she held onto her phone, Gu Nianzhi observed that He Zhichu was gazing at her intently and had no choice but to whisper back to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, I... I just had a fall, and there might be some problems with my bones. Could you take me to Brother Chen for a checkup?¡±

    Yin Shixiong got serious immediately when Gu Nianzhi personally requested a checkup. ¡°How did you fall? Where did you fall? Can you move? If you can¡¯t, I¡¯ll dispatch an ambnce.¡± The ambnce would have a stretcher in it, so her injuries wouldn¡¯t be aggravated.

    Feeling pain in her tailbone, Gu Nianzhi thought that it¡¯d be better for there to be a stretcher and said softly, ¡°Yes please, if that isn¡¯t too much trouble.¡±

    Yin Shixiong called Chen Lie immediately. ¡°Doctor Chen, it seems that Nianzhi has injured herself. Could you dispatch an ambnce to her school and bring her in for an examination?¡±

    Startled at the need for an ambnce, Chen Lie said hurriedly, ¡°No problem. I will dispatch the ambnce and be there personally.¡± Chen Lie hurriedly threw on his coat and white scrubs and brought his medical team with him.

    He Zhichu carried Gu Nianzhi to the backseat of his car and said, ¡°Wait here for a while. You¡¯ll be moved to the ambnce when Doctor Chen arrives.¡±

    It was difficult for her to nod since she was lying in the backseat of the car, but she still acknowledged what he said.

    Many onlooking students witnessed He Zhichu carrying her to his car. If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, she saw some of the students taking pictures of them furtively... But they would all understand the situation once the ambnce arrived. After all, people who enjoy making malicious and groundless usations were in the minority.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t get into his car. Instead, he stood by the side of his car and scanned his surroundings indifferently. The snow was still falling, and he became slightly embarrassed by the excited students. One after another, groups of students scattered and left, but at the same time, there was a never ending stream of new students looking in their direction, curious to know what was going on.

    His car was parked on the snow covered ground by the roadside. Although it was winter, and the grass was all gone, thend there was still softer than it was in other ces.

    Gu Nianzhi asked He Zhichu from inside the car, ¡°Professor He, why did you drive out here in the snow today?¡±

    He Zhichu held his arms close to his body and stood with his legs crossed as he softly said, ¡°I came here to pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless for a moment then couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you throw the rock at me just now? You really put a lot of strength into throwing it.¡±

    He Zhichu turned around and nced at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t, but I¡¯m very grateful to the person who threw the rock at you. You wouldn¡¯t be lying here, talking to me right now if that hadn¡¯t happened.¡±

    As He Zhichu recalled what had just happened, his heart pounded so hard that it felt as though it were bursting out from his chest. At the time, he had just gotten out of his car and was behind Gu Nianzhi when he saw her falling backwards in the direction of the protruding rock, which appeared to be as sharp as a knife! The consequences would have been dire if the back of her head hadnded on the protruding rock.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but his legs gave out the moment he realized that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t hit her head on the rock. He slipped and sat on the ground when his legs gave out, and it was only then that he was able to gulp for air and breathe. It had felt like someone had been strangling him. He didn¡¯t even dare to breathe...

    1Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. How could this all be so coincidental? With her photographic memory, her logical and meticulous mind got to thinking. The current situation bore an uncanny resemnce to the one that she faced before, when she was almost knocked down by a bicycle. She was only unharmed on that asion because a boy on a skateboard rushed over and knocked down the bicycle.

    This time, she only fell on her rear and not backwards because of the piece of rock that had flown out of nowhere and hit her knee. However, the fall on her rear was so forceful that her tailbone bore the brunt of it all.

    Using a physics form, Gu Nianzhi started to silently calcte the amount of force used when shended on her rear. Her estimation was that the amount of force was almost equivalent to being hit on the back by a hammer weighing ten kilograms.

    Then again, the way in which she was saved, by both the boy on the skateboard¡ªwho put her out of harm¡¯s way by blocking the bicycle¡ªand the rock this time around, seemed simr to how Huo Shaoheng and his crew would operate. They were all keeping her safe and protected behind the scenes. Their presence could not be felt, but they always appeared at the right time to save her from danger.

    Could this really have been arranged by Huo Shaoheng?

    1She recalled what Huo Shaoheng told her before, when he forced her hand in marriage. He said that their marriage would be the fastest way to increase her security protection to the highest level. Her imagination ran wild for quite some time before she finally heard the sirens of the ambnce getting closer.

    As the doors opened, Chen Lie jumped down with a stretcher and a team of paramedics following behind him. They all rushed to He Zhichu¡¯s car.

 Chapter 919 - A Deep Love for Her

    <h4>Chapter 919: A Deep Love for Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu stepped aside, opened the car door, and reached in to carry Gu Nianzhi out. Chen Lie froze for a moment, then turned his head around and gestured for the stretcher. He Zhichu then carefully ced Gu Nianzhi on the stretcher as he ignored Chen Lie¡¯s scrutinization. His eyes were gentle, and he handled her like she was his most precious treasure.

    On the side, Chen Lie pursed his lips as he thought to himself how fortunate it was that he was the one to see this. Had it been Master Huo... He shuddered at the thought of it.

    1Huo Shaoheng had always been someone who kept his own counsel. He was very experienced with it now that he didn¡¯t let any external factors affect his emotions. Unlike He Zhichu, who always wore a cold expression on his face, a ghost of a smile always graced Huo¡¯s lips, a smile so slight that it was almost indiscernible. He was able to let himself be a positive influence on others, and he made others admire him from the bottom of their hearts. Some even ended up pledging their allegiance to him, following only hismands.

    He did not seem to be wary of others, and his calm andposed manner made it difficult for others to know what was on his mind.

    These are the qualities of a true leader...

    Even Chen Lie, his friend andrade of many years, found it hard to figure out what was on his mind. This was the reason why Huo Shaoheng had been rising through the ranks while he remained stuck at the rank of Colonel Commandant and probably wouldn¡¯t progress further.

    Chen Lie shook his head and thought to himself that he must have too much time on his hands for him to be thinking of nonsensical musings like this at this critical moment. He knew that no matter how quiet and restrained Huo Shaoheng might usually be, Gu Nianzhi was still someone special to him. There was no doubt about that.

    Chen Lie followed the stretcher and returned to the ambnce. He waved at He Zhichu and said, ¡°Professor He, thank you for notifying us in time. I will keep you updated on Nianzhi¡¯s condition after her examination at the hospital.¡±

    He Zhichu looked back into the ambnce. Gu Nianzhi, who was lying on the stretcher, had already been securely strapped onto it. A bumpy ride would not aggravate her injuries. He nodded and said, ¡°All right then. Please excuse me. I¡¯m not sure if you know my number, but Colonel Commandant Yin has it.¡±

    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll ask,¡± Chen Lie replied politely as he pulled the rear door of the ambnce shut.

    The ambnce left B University hastily as its lights shed and sirens wailed. The surrounding students only scattered at this point in time because it became apparent that the girl was seriously injured.

    No wonder Professor He had carried her in his arms...

    Most of the students, a little embarrassed of what they had done, deleted from their phones the pictures they had secretly taken of them. Some of them, however, refused to do the same and secretly left the pictures they took of them in their phones, especially the image of He Zhichu lifting Gu Nianzhi onto the stretcher. Anyone with eyes would be able to tell with one look that he was deeply in love with her.

    ...

    The ambnce shed its light as it traveled along the clear road that was devoid of obstacles. It reached the entrance of the medical building of the headquarter of Special Operation Forces¡¯ encampment ground very quickly.

    Chen Lie pushed opened the doors and got off. He saw Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong already at the entrance of the medical building waiting for them.

    He was still dressed in the military uniform he had worn at the meeting. The meeting must have just ended. His military cap was pushed down so that it was just above his eyebrows. His eyes were deep and very dark but also exceptionally bright, just like a lighted torch on a dark night. On the surface, they appeared calm and peaceful, but they were raging mes underneath.

    He stood calmly. Underneath the military uniform was his tall and strong body. The seams of his trousers were straight, and the hooks at his cor were neatly secured. There wasn¡¯t a single crease on his outfit.

    The stretcher was pushed out from the ambnce with Gu Nianzhi firmly secured onto the stretcher.

    It was only then that Huo Shaoheng strode toward the stretcher. He gave Gu Nianzhi a quick scan. ¡°Where did you hurt yourself?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked as he touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead out of habit.

    When Gu Nianzhi was younger, Huo Shaoheng would invariably touch her forehead to check for a fever whenever she felt any difort. This habit of his was so ingrained that it remained with him till this day. This time, however, it was not just headache and fever, but an injury to her tailbone!

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips turned upward, and she felt likeughing. However, the instant she felt his warm palm touch her forehead, she didn¡¯t feel likeughing anymore.

    This is the tenderness that a stoic man asionally lets escape. No matter how strong Gu Nianzhi¡¯s defences were, they would still be defeated by his gentle touch, which brought back memories from the past.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at Huo Shaoheng as shey on the stretcher. She soon realized, as she smiled, that tears had rolled down her face.

    Thinking that Gu Nianzhi was crying tears of pain, Huo Shaoheng became anxious. Despite what he felt, he didn¡¯t let it show. He simply took out some tissue paper for her to wipe her tears, then he said to Chen Lieposedly, ¡°Don¡¯t let this drag on. Send her to the operating room.¡±

    Chen Lie shuddered and did not dare joke around with Huo Shaoheng anymore. He turned around hastily and gestured for his medical team. ¡°Hurry into the elevator, send her to my special infirmary.¡±

    His medical team consisted of highly-trained professionals. They were well-coordinated and sent Gu Nianzhi into Chen Lie¡¯s special infirmary immediately without requiring further directions from Chen Lie.

    To err on the side of caution, Chen Lie performed a full body CT scan on Gu Nianzhi once she got to the infirmary to see if she had injured any other parts of her body aside from her tailbone. However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bodyposition was just too good. Although the fall this time had injured her tailbone and had caused her much pain, the severe tailbone fracture was her only injury. There were no issues in other areas of her body.

    Chen Lie checked the CT results twice to make sure nothing else was wrong before letting her return to the hospital bed. As her bone was the issue, the bed was specially customized for her this time around. It was made to be like a human mold, such that she would be able to maintain her position as shey inside it. This was to prevent her from moving about.

    Under usual circumstances, a serious bone fracture injury like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s would require at least a three-month stay at the hospital in order for the bone to heal and recover. However, in view of her special bodyposition, Chen Lie was of the opinion that two weeks at the hospital would be enough for Gu Nianzhi to recover.

    Huo Shaoheng had been waiting outside the ward the whole time. He stood outside the corridor, facing the window without speaking, a stick of cigarette wedged between his fingers.

    It was still snowing outside, and the weather was getting colder. Huo Shaoheng wore only a woolen military uniform with a regr shirt on underneath. Despite that, he felt extremely warm.

    The cigarette he was smoking didn¡¯t calm him down. From the outside, no one would have been able to tell how anxious and worried he was.

    A gush of cold wind, and the snowkes that were carried along with it, entered as the windows were pushed opened.

    He was listening to the work report that the member of the Secret Service ryed to him with his Bluetooth earpiece.

    ¡°Master Huo, what happened was this: the situation was chaotic when it happened, but thankfully there were four of us, so we were able to cover her from four different directions. So, when I realized that she would fall back and hit the protruding rock on the rockery, I threw a stone at her knee in a moment of panic so that she would only fall sitting on the ground due to the shift in the center of gravity.¡±

    After a pause, the person continued carefully, ¡°...Master Huo, are Miss Gu¡¯s injuries very serious? I made a mistake, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    The four of them were responsible for protecting Gu Nianzhi behind the scenes. In the past, they were able to easily resolve matters that cropped up. However, things had be more intense thetest two urrences. In order to prevent her from suffering an even more serious injury, they had had no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils. Nevertheless, he had still allowed her get hurt.

    Had she hit the back of her head, she could have been killed or could have be mentally challenged. On the other hand, she could have been paralyzed from the fall that she had suffered. Between the two, perhaps neither was worse than the other.

    The member from the Secret Service felt that he had made a mistake and was terribly frustrated. ¡°Master Huo, I did not do my task well. Please punish me for that. Had I appeared at an earlier time and sent her straight back to her dormitory, none of this would have happened.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t me him at all. In a warm and calm voice, he said, ¡°It¡¯s all right. You did well. Why would I punish you when you did nothing wrong? Am I supposed to punish you for having saved Miss Gu¡¯s life? Did you really think that I would be such a foolish boss?¡±

    The member from the Secret Service hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to not put any me on him. The tough man, who had been anxious about it, was so moved that he cried. He wiped his tears with the back of his hands in a rush as he said as naturally as he could, ¡°Yes, I understand. Thank you for understanding, Master Hu. I will be even more careful and vignt in the future.¡±

    ¡°You did well. Don¡¯t me yourself for it.¡± Huo Shaoheng changed the subject and said, ¡°From your report, it seems that recently Nianzhi has been encountering many of such situations. Did youpare the frequency of the current situations with the past urrences?¡±

    The member added hastily, ¡°The four of us nned on convening a meeting, as things have indeed been strange recently. We will write you a report once the situation has been summarized.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°All right. Send it to my email when you¡¯re done with the report.¡± He paused and reminded them again, ¡°The faster, the better.¡±

    He had just hung up when Chen Lie called, ¡°Master Huo, the situation has been assessed. You may nowe in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tossed his cigarette immediately and headed to Chen Lie¡¯s special infirmary. He took a nce at Gu Nianzhi, who was lying on the hospital bed, but did not enter her ward directly. Instead, he visited Chen Lie¡¯s office first.

    ¡°How¡¯s her injury?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat in front of Chen Lie¡¯s work desk, took the CT report that was on it, and started perusing it.

    Chen Lie printed out the CT image and exined it to him. ¡°Her tailbone is severely fractured. To be frank with you, ordinarily, the mobility of a person with this type of injury would be permanently impaired.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wordlessly raised his head with a grave look in his eyes. Chen Lie felt suffocated by his gaze. He had no choice but to say, ¡°Except for Nianzhi, of course. Her body constitution, aren¡¯t you already aware of that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head. ¡°Okay, then what will happen to her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll have to stay at the hospital for two weeks. That should give her enough time to recover,¡± Chen Lie said tentatively. In reality, he was not sure if two weeks would be enough for a full recovery. After all, this was the first time Gu Nianzhi had suffered such a severe fracture. It was just like her old scars from when she was younger. Although the injuries may have healed, traces of it inevitably remained.

    Huo Shaoheng unknowingly tightened his grasp on the CT report, almost tearing the report apart.

    The corner of Chen Lie¡¯s mouth twitched. He stared at his data report, as he couldn¡¯t bear to witness how his CT report was being handled. He really felt like snatching his precious report away from Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng put the report back on the desk after sitting around for a while. He then stood up and neatened his attire. ¡°...The report must be destroyed when she recovers from her injury.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Senior Official.¡± Chen Lie nodded respectfully without making any jokes about it.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, turned around, and left Chen Lie¡¯s office. On his way out, he closed the door shut, putting himself out of his sight.

    Chen Lie:¡±...¡±

    Touching his nose, Chen Lie silently turned off the surveince camera in the ward.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng sat down at the foot of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and held her hands. His voice was deep and a little hoarse as he said, ¡°...Where does it hurt? Hmm?¡±

 Chapter 920 - Fireflies Fly

    <h4>Chapter 920: Fireflies Fly</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    There¡¯s no question that bone fractures hurt a lot, so someone who¡¯s never experienced them wouldn¡¯t be able to imagine what kind of pain it is.

    If Chen Lie hadn¡¯t known about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special body constitution, he certainly would have given Gu Nianzhi painkillers, because that kind of pain wasn¡¯t something a normal person could endure, but Gu Nianzhi rarely cried out in pain in front of him. Even when she told him it hurt a lot sometimes, if Chen Lie asked if she needed painkillers or not, she would reply that she could continue to endure it. If she truly couldn¡¯t bear it, then she¡¯d take painkillers. And up until now, there hadn¡¯t seemed to be a pain that she couldn¡¯t tolerate. Physical pain, anyway. To Gu Nianzhi, emotional pain was much less tolerable than physical pain.

    Under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s quiet gaze, Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°...I¡¯m okay. It doesn¡¯t hurt that much.¡±

    It was much less painful than when she had been electrocuted by the high-voltage shocks in the Blue Hole¡¯s waters. This was about the same degree of pain as the kind when she was electrocuted by Als in Germany.

    Although she said that, pain on a scale of ten reduced to eight was still something normal people couldn¡¯t handle. Because she tolerated it, even her palms were starting to sweat.

    Huo Shaoheng felt the wetness on her palms and knew very clearly that she was actually in a lot of pain. It hurt so much that she was starting to sweat, although she still stubbornly insisted it didn¡¯t hurt...

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her forehead, which was gradually growing damp with sweat. He closed his eyes. ¡°Go to sleep. It won¡¯t hurt anymore once you¡¯re asleep. I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡±

    It was actually hard to instantly fall asleep with her degree of pain, but since Huo Shaoehng said that, Gu Nianzhi still closed her eyes and tried hard to fall asleep.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyeballs seemed to be moving slightly under her tightly shut eyelids. He tried very hard to smile, but he couldn¡¯t smile no matter what. He gently ced her hand under the nket. ¡°Can¡¯t fall asleep?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and answered honestly. She saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was too cold and somber. It was almost like he was about to pull out a gun and kill someone in the next second. Gu Nianzhi thought about it and answered slowly, ¡°..Sing ¡®Fireflies Fly¡¯ for me, and I¡¯ll fall asleep.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°.....¡±

    His gaze quickly swept over all the ces where there were surveince cameras, and he thought to himself that he would go to Chen Lie¡¯s afterward and make him delete the footage...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really want to make Huo Shaoheng sing; she only wanted to use the chance to quell Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rage.

    This wasn¡¯t good. For someone in a position like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, this was a big taboo. Huo Shaoheng seldom experienced this kind of strong emotional turbulence. In the past, Gu Nianzhi thought that he acted too calmly and didn¡¯t respond equally to her love and passion. After experiencing great disappointment, she had been very disillusioned. Now that she discovered he could be angry, she was worried about his safety and future career...

    Gu Nianzhi bared the intense pain that was gradually rising up her spine. She slowly reached her hand out from under the nkets, ced it on the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, and mustered a smile. She said softly, ¡°...I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng fiercely turned his head around and looked up for a long time. Suppressing the wetness in the corners of his eyes, he turned back around to put her hand back under the nket. He secured it with a leather strap and began to sing quietly, ¡°The sky fills with dark rays, stars twinkle the Milky Way. Fireflies say, fireflies say, ¡®Yearn for whom you may.¡¯ The stars can¡¯t keep tears at bay. The roses wither away. Let wind blow, chill the day, if only you stay. Fireflies fly, roses rest, beauty is too whole and gay. Fear not dark nights but heartache, however tired we are, wherever we go or stray.¡±

    1Gu Nianzhi had never heard Huo Shaoheng sing before, and her first time hearing it was under such circumstances. He was singing inplete a cappe. There was no music apaniment, no beat, yet it was incredibly beautiful.

    Huo Shaoehng¡¯s voice was deep to begin with, but now that he had lowered his voice even more to sing a cappe, the shock from the live bass tone made the audiophile Gu Nianzhi want to instantly kneel down...

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng with a nearly lovesick gaze, her lingering eyes greatly encouraging Huo Shaoheng. It pleased Huo Shaoheng as well.

    He sat just like that by her bedside, singing ¡°Fireflies Fly¡± over and over again until she gradually fell asleep.

    ...

    Chen Lie had been working in the office outside for awhile until he recalled that he needed to send a text to He Zhichu, so he found Yin Shixiong¡¯s number to call and ask for He Zhichu¡¯s number before sending a text. He wrote that Gu Nianzhi was doing all right but had some bone fractures, so she needed to rest quietly.

    After sending the text, he became hungry. He nced at his watch, wanting to go out to get some food. Opening the interior door, he immediately saw Huo Shaoheng sitting in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sick bed. His body was leaning forward slightly, and his hands were sped together to prop up his chin. He stared intently at Gu Nianzhi and sang for her over and over again.

    Chen Lie¡¯s knees suddenly turned soft, and he actually began to slide down along the door. He grabbed the door to stabilize himself with great difficulty, then immediately climbed back into his office. He decided that even if he got so hungry he could eat dog food, he would never step foot outside of his office.

    What kind of joke was this!? If Huo Shaoheng found out that he had overheard him singing to Gu Nianzhi, he would be in mortal danger!

    The office door shut quietly, and Chen Lie began to work once again. It was only until the sky grew dark and he thought that Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be singing anymore that he finally opened the office door carefully and took a peek.

    Good, good. Gu Nianzhi had already fallen asleep, and Huo Shaoehgn wasn¡¯t singing anymore.

    Thank the heavens and earth, he could go out for dinner now!

    Chen Lie cradled his stomach as he walked out of the office and edged along the wall. He wanted to sneak out without being noticed, but even if Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t shift his gaze, he already knew Chen Lie had walked out.

    ¡°Stand right there.¡±

    Chen Lie immediately stopped in his tracks and said with a humble smile, ¡°Huo Shao, what is it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down to adjust the nkets for Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Are there cameras in this ward?¡±

    Chen Lie thought to himself, ¡°Yes, of course there are!¡±

    Chen Lie answered excitedly, ¡°...But Huo Shao can rest assured. I turned them off earlier. The cameras in here were shut off as soon as Nianzhi arrived here!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to look at him. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I can write a military order!¡± Chen Lie nearly pointed at the heavens to swear.

    Huo Shaoheng thought to himself, ¡°Guess you knew what was good for you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snorted quietly and waved him off. ¡°Go out then.¡±

    Chen Lie was greatly relieved and dashed outside. He only recalled something after he went outside. What the hell?! That was his office! Why the hell was Huo Shaoheng acting like a host who was kicking his guest out?!

    Chen Lie grumbled indignantly about Huo Shaoheng to himself, but even if he had all the courage in the world, he would never darein to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    After Chen Lie left, Gu Nianzhi began to develop a fever.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that would happen. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body constitution seemed to require a fever in order to activate its immune ability and recovery ability. Every time she had been seriously ill or injured, a high fever had followed. The only thing he didn¡¯t know was how long the fever wouldst.

    Huo Shaoheng began to monitor the change in Gu Nainzhi¡¯s body temperature. The specially designed sick bed was fully equipped, so there was specialized equipment that monitored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body temperature and heart beat.

    Chen Lei came back after dinner with a box of food for Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, have some dinner.¡± Chen Lie set the box of food in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Suddenly, he noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body temperature was climbing rapidly, so he sighed and said, ¡°This curvature is rising higher than ever before. Looks like we¡¯ll have to take turns sleeping tonight. We can¡¯t stop monitoring her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even turn around. ¡°You go to bed. I¡¯ll watch her.¡±

 Chapter 921 - The Severity of the Situation

    <h4>Chapter 921: The Severity of the Situation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    In fact, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t shut his eyes the entire night; he kept watch over Gu Nainzhi¡¯s situation the entire time.

    At midnight, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body temperature had risen so high that the equipment began to re its rm. Huo Shaoheng suppressed the burning worry in his heart and said quietly to Chen Lie, who hade over to check on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition, ¡°...Will something happen to her because the fever is so intense?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say... Perhaps her brain will fry from the fever and turn her into an idiot...¡± Chen Lie purposely dragged out his voice and spoke in bureaucratic terms to Huo Shaoheng in revenge for the ¡°horror¡± of his singing.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°.....¡±

    His sword-like brows were just beginning to raise when Chen Lie instantly deted. ¡°Hahahaha, Huo Shao. I was only joking with you... That won¡¯t happen. Nianzhi won¡¯t turn into an idiot...¡±

    ¡°But why is her body temperature so high? It¡¯s even higher than... thest time.¡± Huo Shaoheng was referring to a year and a half ago when Gu Nianzhi had been inflicted by H3ab7 and suffered a high fever thatsted for two weeks. But her temperature thest time hadn¡¯t been as high as this time around.

    Chen Lie was also confused, so he didn¡¯t dare confidently guarantee that Nianzhi was going to be okay, but seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze, Chen Lie knew that if he dared to say ¡°she wasn¡¯t okay,¡± he would be in trouble before Gu Nianzhi would...

    ¡°Huo Shao, you still don¡¯t believe me?¡± Chen Lie puffed up his chubby chest. ¡°Even if you say that medical skills aren¡¯t unparalleled in history and modern times, they¡¯re still considered famous domestically and abroad! I said she¡¯s fine, so she¡¯s fine!¡±

    But as soon as Huo Shaoheng turned around, Chen Lie sped his palms together and chanted internally at the deeply sleeping Gu Nianzhi like he was praying. ¡°Nianzhi, you must be okay! You must be okay!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly turned around, and Chen Lie immediately hid his hands behind his back. He shook his head as he peered all around the equipment and appeared confident yet very busy. Huo Shaoheng trusted him halfway, but he couldn¡¯t feel entirely reassured.

    He sat with Chen Lie before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sick bed. They didn¡¯t speak. One man focused on changes in the equipment while the other focused on Gu Nianzhi¡¯splexion. They had tacit understanding, and each knew that the other didn¡¯t have confidence in the oue.

    After a night of anxiety, the sky finally grew bright, and the equipment finally indicated Nianzhi¡¯s body temperature and heart rate had gradually returned to normal levels.

    Chen Lie sighed deeply and stood up to wipe his sweat. He didn¡¯t tell Huo Shaoheng that his body waspletely soaked with perspiration. He had to go back and take off his shirt to wring it, and could wring out half a basin full of sweat.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t sweat, but he hadn¡¯t been any less nervous than Chen Lie the entire night. He didn¡¯t know thest time Gu Nianzhi fell into danger in Germany. By the time he had known, she already escaped safely. Because of this, Huo Shaoheng had felt guilty for a period of time, but even now that Gu Nianzhi was actually in the Huaxia Empire and under his strict protection, this kind of situation still managed to ur. He felt that he couldn¡¯t forgive himself. Of course, no matter how angry he was, he still needed to protect Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body and health first and foremost.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly woke up and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s caring gaze as soon as she opened her eyes. She thought he must not have slept the entire night; bits of stubble had appeared on his chin. However, it didn¡¯t make him appear unkempt. Instead, it added a bit of wild masculine allure. It made the normally serious, solemn, and fear-inducing Huo Shaoheng gain a new kind of handsomeness.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed internally. Did this man know the damage his appearance and voice could inflict on her? She was still seriously injured, and yet he was still continuously seducing her... This was too much...

    Gu Nainzhi pouted, and when she instinctively moved, she discovered it didn¡¯t hurt at all! She was very shocked. The sharp heart-splitting pain in her tailbone from yesterday was still freshly embedded in her memory, yet she couldn¡¯t feel any pain anymore. This was really strange. Could her self-healing abilities have reached a new level?!

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi for a long time and noticed that she wasn¡¯t moving at all. Her eyes were staring straight ahead. Huo had no idea what had happened.

    Chen Lie¡¯s words from yesterday were still lingering in his ear. Had his ill-spoken tongue be reality?

    ¡°...Nianzhi? Nianzhi?¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but quietly call out to her a few times.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and wanted to reach her hand out, but she discovered her arms were strapped down.

    Her bones had hurt yesterday, so it was okay that she had been strapped down, but now that her body was perfectly fine, it didn¡¯t feel good to be strapped to the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Huo Shao, undo these straps. I¡¯m okay now. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. It¡¯s true.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°.....¡± Although her brain hadn¡¯t been fried, maybe the fever had caused hallucinations?

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over to press down on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Your bones are still injured. It¡¯ll be troublesome if they don¡¯t heal properly.¡±

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore! I¡¯m already better!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly widened herrge eyes to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look at me! I¡¯m really perfectly fine!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was rather loud, so Chen Lie, who had been watching all this time, had no choice but to quell the situation. Putting on his sses, he quickly stood up. ¡°What is it? What is it? Where do you not feel good?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Brother Chen, tell Huo Shao that I¡¯m really okay. Can you stop strapping me down? This feels horrible!¡±

    Seeing Gu Naiznhi speak so energetically, he half believed that she was already okay. People with severe bone fractures all speak weakly and would never be able to carry their voice from their chest like she did. Her voice sounded especially crisp and tender, like a delicious fresh green cucumber from the early summer.

    But Chen Lie was a doctor, so he had to go through equipment testing in order to fully believe Gu Nianzhi was all right; he wouldn¡¯t just consider physical conditions.

    Pushing Huo Shaoheng aside, he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll check your body temperature and pulse.¡±

    When he checked the data from the equipment, he discovered everything was normal. Her body temperature, heart rate, pulse, and blood pressure were no different from that of a regr person. Compared to the record-breaking body temperature fromst night, her current body temperature data was like a cute little angel.

    Chen Lie probed with his hand and pressed a button to undo all the leather straps on the sick bed. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°We need to take another CT scan. Can you walk there yourself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat up immediately. ¡°I can!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows had already furrowed into a tight ball, so his heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat when he saw Gu Nianzhi jump up from the bed. He walked over with a solemn expression and carried her in his arms. He asked Chen Lie, ¡°Where is the CT scanner?¡±

    Chen Lie pretended not to see that Huo Shaoheng had already carried Gu Nianzhi and nonchntly looked at a shocked Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It¡¯s over there. You went there yesterday.¡± He had already walked off first as he spoke.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi to the CT room and ced Gu Nianzhi on the belt.

    Chen Lie turned on the equipment and performed another full body examination on her for the second time. Afterpleting the examination, Chen Lie looked at the CT data and the scans¨Che practically couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes.

    One night! It had only been one night¡¯s time! The severe bone fractures from yesterday had already healedpletely! He had originally nned on the recovery to take at least two weeks!

    Also, it may have been because the new injury was treated in time that it had healed especially well. There were no visible traces of the injury at all. This was apletely different situation from a normal bone fracture that had healed. It was like she had never been injured in the first ce!

    With shaking hands, Chen Lie looked at the set of data. He ced it next to the report from yesterday. He was shaking so hard that he almost couldn¡¯t sit.

    After Gu Nianzhi left the CT room, Chen Lie called after Huo Shaoheng and said as if he were dreaming, ¡°... Huo Shao, you must protect Nianzhi well. You must not allow her any opportunity to get injured again. I¡¯m truly afraid that we can¡¯t hide this anymore.¡±

    He thought that Gu Nainzhi¡¯s kind of self-healing ability was already perfect recovery at the gic level; this wasn¡¯t merely enhancement of human self-recovery ability. Also, as she grew in age, her self-healing ability manifested stronger and stronger.

    After Chen Lie said this, he proactively burnt both reports right in front of Huo Shaoheng, then hepletely destroyed the temporary data stored inside the CT scanner.

    Huo Shaoheng finally understood the severity of the situation when he saw Chen Lie proactively destroy the data he had always worshiped as treasure.

 Chapter 922 - Unusual People

    <h4>Chapter 922: Unusual People</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°How could this be?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s recently rxed eyebrows scrunched together once again. His expression was very solemn. ¡°I don¡¯t understand medicine. Can you exin this more scientifically?¡±

    If it wasn¡¯t for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rather deep knowledge, Chen Lie would have thought that Huo Shaoheng was deliberately saying this kind of thing to insult him, the greatest physician in the nation!

    If he could ¡°scientifically¡± exin Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special body constitution, he would already have been a pioneer and a major yer in international bio-gene medicine! As if he would be shocked silly by a set of examination data?

    But even if he understood that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t purposely insulting him, Chen Lie still felt very ufortable. Chen Lie had been renowned as a medical genius since he was a teenager. Even his doctorate supervisor had admitted Chen Lie was superior to him.

    This was the first time he had encountered a difficult and unsolvable problem.

    After sitting behind his desk and mumbling for a long time, Chen Lie finally dropped his eyes and said mildly, ¡°I only have sparse talents, so I can¡¯t ¡®scientifically¡¯ exin this situation for now.¡±

    After he said this, he angrily threw his pen down and turned his head away to look nkly at the stainless steel garbage can in the corner.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. His mood had rxed somewhat as he reached out to knock on Chen Lie¡¯s desk. ¡°I was only asking if Nianzhi¡¯s condition can be exined medically. Why are you throwing a fit?¡±

    Chen Lie fumed for a while and also thought that his sudden outburst was a bit inexplicable. Rubbing his head, he chuckled a bit and said somewhat guiltily, ¡°Huo Shao, I wasn¡¯t throwing a fit at you. I was throwing a fit at myself.¡±

    Then he coughed quietly. ¡°I really don¡¯t know why it¡¯s like this, but I have a general idea about what¡¯s causing her physical condition.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°...Let¡¯s put it this way. The human body has built-in self-healing functions. Everyone has them. For example, getting sick, having fevers, and fighting viruses are indications of the human body attempting to heal itself, but typical people don¡¯t have powerful self-healing abilities, so they have to go see the doctor and take medication when they can¡¯t handle it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I know that.¡±

    ¡°As for Gu Nianzhi, her body¡¯s self-healing ability is probably geometrical multiples of that of normal people. That¡¯s why we discovered these qualities.¡±

    Chen Lie stated firmly, ¡°Moreover, from the example of your mother receiving her bone marrow cells and sessfully recovering, we can see that Nianzhi¡¯s self-healing abilities can be transferred. In other words, her genes are like medicine that can heal people. That¡¯s the scariest part.¡±

    In the ten plus years since Huo Shaoheng had enlisted into the military during university when he was eighteen, he had witnessed no less major events of life and death than wartime military generals. He had long honed the ability to remain calm and unmoved, even when the world was about to fall apart, but when he heard Chen Lie¡¯sst statement, his face nched, and he was unable to speak for a long time.

    The entire medical building had clearly been set to a constant 27 ¡ãC by the central air-conditioning, but Huo Shaoheng thought that the frigid winter air from outside the building had encroached inside. It made his entire body feel cold, and he shivered with a chill.

    ¡°So I¡¯m asking you to be even more careful. You can¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi have any more idents. This time, it was thanks to Professor He being cautious and notifying us to pick her up. If it had been someone else, you can imagine for yourself what the consequences would have been if Gu Nianzhi had been sent to another hospital while she was unconscious.¡±

    Chen Lie warned Huo Shaoheng not only for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sake but for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sake as well. To be honest, Huo Shaoheng had actually already seriously vited military discipline. At the very least, he couldn¡¯t escape from the charge of ¡°deceit.¡± As a soldier, it was an unforgivable felony to go against orders.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s only excuse was probably that he was never ordered to report all matters rted to Gu Nianzhi. From the beginning, the order he had received was to unearth Gu Nainzhi¡¯s past and investigate the person who had drawn the engine blueprints. But if the issue of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s physical constitution was revealed, then those people wouldn¡¯t think that way. They would say that Huo Shaoheng was ying with the terms and would still use him of ¡°disobeying orders.¡± For Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sake, Huo Shaoheng was nearly putting his entire future at risk.

    In the face of Chen Lie¡¯s warning, Huo Shaoheng only shook his head nonchntly and eyed Chen Lie steadily as he said, ¡°As long as you can keep a tight lid on this, I can guarantee there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Chen Lie fearfully nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I see Nianzhi as my younger sister. Who would wish for their family member to be treated like ab rat? You can be assured one hundred and eighty times.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and adjusted his military cap. ¡°Then that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go take Nianzhi to stay at my official residence for two days. I¡¯ll seriously consider what to do next.¡±

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t object. He winked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Go, go, but her serious injury has just healed, so you¡¯d better be gentle...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pretended not to hear the vulgar meaning behind Chen Lie¡¯s words and turned to walk out of his office. He went to the intensive care ward outside.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting on the couch and absentmindedly cradling a ss of hot water. She looked up to see Huo Shaohenge in, her pitch ck eyes damp and glossy as she mumbled feebly, ¡°... Huo Shao, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°.....¡±

    He had originally been full of dread, but even his biggest worry dissipated when he saw her look like a little kitten begging for food. There was nothing more important than food in the heavens and earth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Come to my ce.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked to Gu Nianzhi and helped her stand up.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can walk by myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to let him support her. She wasn¡¯t even injured. Why did she have to pretend to be a patient?

    Huo Shaoheng shot her a sidelong nce. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry? So you can actually walk?¡±

    Fine, that sounded right, too.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped struggling and obediently allowed Huo Shaoheng to help her back to his official residence. On the way, Huo Shaoheng called to ask the kitchen to prepare food for her.

    The kitchen in the official residence had all sorts of ingredients prepared all year, as well as all sorts of clear broth simmering on low heat. When they heard Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t eaten all day, the orderlies in the kitchen had prepared a bowl of fine noodles in chicken soup made using braised free-range yellow hen. Free-range yellow hens are young hens that live outside a coop and are less than a year old.

    It had been been simmering on low heat for nearly an entire day, and all the oil had been skimmed off. Even the chicken meat had dissolved into the soup. Two handfuls of vegetables, a bit of bean sprouts, and a bit of salt were added before it was served in a small white ceramic bowl.

    As soon as Gu Naiznhi walked inside, she immediately smelled the aroma of chicken soup. She followed the smell and ran off to the dining room by herself.

    Huo Shaoheng followed her inside and saw that Gu Nianzhi was already cradling a small bowl of fine noodles. She ate so happily her eyes were squinting, so he felt assured enough to go back to his own room.

    His room was on the second floor. It was a suite containing a study, office, bedroom, and living room.

    After going inside, he immediately turned on hisputer to receive the work report sent by the field personnel. After the four field personnel concluded their meeting, they summarized the situation as ofte and wrote a detailed report.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the email and began concentrating on reading it. The report wasn¡¯t too long. It was only three pages, yet Huo Shaoheng spent an entire fifteen minutes reading it.

    The report was written in detail about all sorts of situations in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life over the past few days. Aside from daily trivial matters, there were several things that made Huo Shaoheng vignt. For example, there was one time she had nearly been hit by a bicycle on campus. Also, there had been strangers appearing around Gu Nianzhitely. Although they didn¡¯t do anything inappropriate, these people would discreetly follow her whenever she appeared on campus.

    If Special Operations Forces personnel imed they were second-best when it came to secretly following people, then no one would dare im they were the very best. These people¡¯s actions couldn¡¯t be noticed by typical people, and even Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t noticed them spying on her whereabouts, but from the way the Special Ops personnel saw it, it was the difference between an expert and a novice.

    However, these people were really only paying attention to Gu Nianzhi. They didn¡¯t take even the slightest actions. The Special Ops personnel only watched them but didn¡¯t expose their whereabouts. And in thest few days, these people had already disappeared from B University campus and hadn¡¯t returned again, so the Special Ops personnel weren¡¯t certain if those people were actually targeting Gu Nianzhi.

    The Special Ops personnel were nning to report these circumstances to Huo Shaoheng at their next regr meeting; they typically had a regr meeting every fifteen days. However, Gu Nianzhi already experienced this situation.

    Huo Shaoheng agreed with his subordinates. He instinctively felt these people weren¡¯t all that they seemed, but then why didn¡¯t they do anything at all? These people only seemed to be observing from the shadows, so maybe they were being too paranoid? Huo Shaoheng lost himself in his thoughts.

    After Gu Nianzhi finished a delicious bowl of fine noodles in chicken soup, she instantly felt energy return to her body again.

    Wiping her mouth, she returned to her room on the second floor to take a shower. She felt that she was already stinky from lying in bed for a day and night, then also running a high fever for a whole night, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t seem to mind at all...

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the bathtub and took a bubble bath. However, she recalled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep and maic voice when he had sung ¡°Fireflies Fly¡± for her before she fell asleep.

    Oh my god! It was so nice!

    Why was she so smart yesterday? She should apud herself!

    She remembered that when she first came under the care of Huo Shaoheng, he had found soothing lubies for her. When he wasn¡¯t home, Gu Nianzhi would y it herself and soothe herself to sleep.

    Out of all the lubies, Gu Nianzhi only remembered the song ¡°Fireflies Fly.¡± The only reason was because the song¡¯s melody was very beautiful, and the lyrics didn¡¯t sound like a luby at all. She had grumbled about it when she was young, so she remembered it clearly. Now that she thought about, Huo Shaoheng must¡¯ve be familiar with it back then so he was able to sing it.

    All soldiers can sing, and Gu Nianzhi was deeply familiar with this fact. Military songs are loud, but they aren¡¯t simple. However, Huo Shaoheng really hadn¡¯t sung before, or at least Gu Nianzhi had never heard him sing.

    This time, she had taken advantage of getting injured and had somehow gotten her way. In the moment, Gu Nianzhi somewhatmented she had healed too quickly, otherwise she could have asked him to sign it once again.

    Her thoughts grew wild as she sat in the tub, and before she knew it, the water in the tub had be cold.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the bathroom door and knocked. ¡°Nianzhi, are you done?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and quickly stood up from the bathtub. She turned on the shower to rinse herself off and wrapped herself in a bath towel beforeing out.

    As soon as she opened the bathroom door, Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng as if she had never seen him before.

    Huo Shaoheng became unnerved from her looking at him like that. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes rolled as she put her hands on her hips. ¡°Huo Shao, my bones still hurt...¡±

    ¡°They still hurt?¡± Somehow, Huo Shaoheng appeared greatly relieved. ¡°Then that means you haven¡¯t healed yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°.....¡±

    She continued the momentum. ¡°Yes, it still hurts. Can Huo Shao sing another luby for me when I can¡¯t sleepter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°.....¡±

    ¡°... Do you also want to be kissed, bugged, and carried up high?¡± Huo Shaoheng coldly looked at her, folding his hands behind his back. He was unperturbed and saw right through her little trick. He would never sing that type of song again.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her nose nervously. ¡°That¡¯s all right...¡±

    They walked to the bedroom. Huo Shaoheng had already set a redacted version of the field personnel¡¯s work report on her desk. ¡°Look at this information and try to remember if there has been any unusual people appearing around youtely.¡±

 Chapter 923 - You Can Calculate That?

    <h4>Chapter 923: You Can Calcte That?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her hair with a towel and shot Huo Shaoheng a sidelong nce. She asked doubtfully, ¡°...Unusual people? What do you mean?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms as he leaned on the edge of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s desk to exin the recent events that had urred. ¡°... From the feedback from your security personnel, it looks like your fall was a bit peculiar this time around.¡±

    ¡°Peculiar?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more shocked. ¡°I only slipped and fell on a snowy day. How could it be peculiar?¡±

    At least, she didn¡¯t feel that someone was deliberately harming her in the slightest. The janitor had fallen down, and the snowplowing truck had detoured from its original route in order to not hit the janitor, and Gu Nianzhi identally grazed a piece of ice when she tried to avoid the snow removal truck. These are all extremely normal events on snowy days.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re not very sure, either. We are only suspecting it, and you can read this information for the specifics before youe back to tell me if there is a problem or not.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finished speaking and left, leaving Gu Nianzhi alone in the room.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up the hairdryer and dried her hair as she quickly read over the material. The report wasn¡¯t very long. It was only three pages, but the content was very rich.

    Gu Nianzhi was aware that she had security personnel around her, but she was still a little stunned to see how her daily activities had been clearly observed by others.

    She silently read over the entire document, and her brows began to furrow. Huo Shaoheng was right after all. This really was peculiar. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to find clues if these people were watching her in secret.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the two most recent idents, the first one being the bicycle ident. At the time, there weren¡¯t any suspicious people on the road. She had clearly seen two groups of people approaching from the two ends of the road. When she passed between them, there was no one who had deliberately pushed her. The urrence of the ident could nearly be described as a ¡°matter of course.¡± Afterwards, she was rescued by a young person on a skateboard, and that was an ident because that person was actually her security personnel.

    And the same thing also happened this time when her tailbone was seriously injured. It appeared that a series of unrted incidents had caused the oue.

    ording to the situation described in the report, if her security personnel hadn¡¯t gotten involved at the time and had made her fall on her bottom, her hindbrain would¡¯ve hit the mountain sculpture instead.

    Gu Nianzhi understood the importance of the hindbrain for a human body. If something had happened to her hindbrain, she would have be a vegetable, even if she had managed to survive.

    If Gu Nianzhi could only exin thest bicycle incident as a ¡°random ident,¡± then she definitely couldn¡¯t say that her slipping on a snowy day was ¡°attempted murder.¡± But if it was really murder, then the mastermind behind it was powerful. It was like they hadn¡¯t done anything at all but had just keenly used certain random incidents to cause a final result.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her kneecaps with lingering fear in her heart. Who could be so powerful?

    What method did they use to take advantage of a series of incidents to create this kind of result?

    Logically, Gu Nianzhi also thought of ¡°probability.¡± She had very solidputer skills, so she could do more than use simple applications, and if she had a high level ofputer skills, that meant her math couldn¡¯t be too shabby, either.

    Gu Nianzhi had taught herself math skills at the Special Operations Forces base. From the time she turned thirteen, she had only used two years¡¯ time to teach herself all the math courses, including high-level university content such as calculus.

    Probability is a mathematical concept that¡¯s important within the study of statistics. Nianzhi was familiar with it. When she discovered that the random appearing incidents linked together to somehow cause a surprising result, Gu Nianzhi instinctively wanted to calcte the possibility of all of those things urring. If she exined it in statistical terms, it was the probabilities of the urrences of all sorts of incidents. Then she would use a form or algorithm to link all the probabilities of all the different incidents urring to calcte under what circumstances what incidents could consecutively ur, as well as what consequences would result when the events consecutively urred.

    Gu Nianzhi was obsessed with this train of thought. Ignoring that her hair hadn¡¯t dried yet, she immediately turned on theputer in the room and opened a program to begin writing aputer program to run the algorithm.

    ...

    At the same time, in a Japanese-style vi in the Mount Yu Vi District, the Ishihara grandparent and grandchild were sitting across from each other, drinking.

    Before each of the two people was a short, long table. It wasden with Japanese snacks, fruit, and sake.

    Ishihara Taro sat on his knees behind the table and raised a sake ss to say to the old man, ¡°Grandfather, even though Gu Nianzhi managed to escape this time, there is no way she can escape next time. Don¡¯t worry. Once I find out which hospital she¡¯s staying in, I¡¯ll have even stronger measures waiting for her.¡±

    The old man beamed brightly as he sighed with emotion. ¡°Taro, you really were too impressive this time. Was that Gu Nianzhi severely injured?¡±

    Although he hadn¡¯t managed to instantly kill her, they had heard that she was still severely injured and had been taken away in an ambnce. Many people had witnessed it. She allegedly damaged her tailbone so severely that she couldn¡¯t move. She had been secured with leather straps onto the ambnce stretcher, as evidenced by the photos.

    Ishihara Taro replied smugly, ¡°I calcted the reaction force she would endure at the time. It could nearly rip her entire spine from her body. Severe spinal misalignment, as well as severe bone fractures, could cause her to spend the rest of her life on a sick bed.¡±

    They had cleverly killed a person in the hospital before, so it was all too easy to kill off Gu Nianzhi, who would be paraplegic.

    The old man was evidently thinking the same thing. Heplimented Ishihara Taro generously. ¡°Taro, you have no idea how happy your father would be if he were still alive.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather praises me too highly. I spent five years time trying to figure out the principle, and suggested the preliminary algorithm. There is still a long road ahead,¡± Ishihara Taro answered earnestly. ¡°However, I will try my best to create a fail-proof algorithm as soon as possible, that way we can use it to do even more things.¡±

    If he could iste the erroneous areas, they would never have to worry about money ever again.

    The present problem with his algorithm was that it wasn¡¯t all-epassing, so it only sometimes worked. This type of issue wouldn¡¯t be too serious when it came to dealing with people. If it failed, then he only had to try again, since one sess meant that the person was dead and all was well.

    But when this method was used on other aspects, such as the stock market, it didn¡¯t work like that. Even if he seeded ny-nine times, just one failure was enough to potentially cause them to go bankrupt. So, at the moment, his algorithm couldn¡¯t yet help thepany create true wealth.

    Only by helping thepany clear its obstacles could he earn precious time and funds for his research. Then he could optimize the algorithm. He must have zero tolerance for errors.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng was working in his room and forgot the time as soon as he had gotten busy.

    Lifting up is wrist to nce at the time, he saw it was already 5 p.m. and time for dinner. It must¡¯ve been seven or eight hours since he had brought Gu Nianzhi back that morning.

    Somehow, Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯te looking for him once the entire time.

    Huo Shaoheng was a bit confused. Shutting down hisputer, he stood up from his desk and began using themunicator to call his orderly.

    ¡°Did Miss Gu go out today?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked.

    The orderly on the other side quickly replied, ¡°No, Huo Shao. Miss Gu didn¡¯t even have lunch.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was shocked. He often forgot to have lunch, but Gu Nianzhi rarely did so. What was going on?

    Huo Shaoheng strode out with his long legs and quickly walked out of his room to go to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room on the opposite side.

    Pushing open Gu Nainzhi¡¯s bedroom door, Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi was sitting in front of aputer and staring intently at the screen. Theputer screen shed with bright blue light, a series of numbers and symbols jumping on the monitor. A very long form was being quickly typed out by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slim and deft fingers.

    She seemed to be calcting something.

 Chapter 924 - Glittering Gold

    <h4>Chapter 924: Glittering Gold</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What are youputing?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned over and draped one hand on the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chair. He ced his other hand on the desk in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi had immersed herself into the world of mathematics. She didn¡¯t hear what Huo Shaoheng said.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind. His eyes stopped on the iPad ced beside the desk. The web page disyed on the iPad was called ¡°Chaos Mathematics.¡±

    Looking at the forms and program Gu Nianzhi was running, Huo Shaoheng seemed to feel he understood something. Silently taking the iPad, he sat on the couch beside Gu Nianzhi and began to read it.

    Gu Nianzhi had had a spurt of energy and had used over ten hours to finally organize a preliminary form.

    ¡°Huo Shao, when did youe in?¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her stiffened neck and was shocked to see Huo Shaoheng sitting beside her. He had propped his head on one hand and was reading the iPad on his knee.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and his gaze swept across theputer screen. ¡°I came not too long ago.¡± Then he asked her, ¡°What are you calcting?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly happy and said excitedly, ¡°I¡¯m using chaos mathematics to calcte probability! Brother Ze taught me this before, but he was using chaos mathematics to create artificial intelligence programs. I think I can borrow the concept to give it a try.¡±

    As she spoke, she pointed to the form and data on theputer and exined them one by one. ¡°You see, I first assumed that these incidents had urred randomly and were not intended results by someone else. I categorized the incidents listed on the report and estimated the probability. Then I found a suitable algorithm to plug them in and saw what kind of results I would get.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What result?¡± Huo Shaoheng also became interested. A lot of trouble could be spared if the algorithm was usable...

    ¡°The result was that out of all the random incidents, the probability of these events happening was the highest.¡±

    ¡°...Exin this more clearly.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say that in theory, as long as these incidents weren¡¯t deliberately nned, then the probability of each incident urring should be random; there shouldn¡¯t be a certain possibility that it will ur. But from the looks of the results of my calctions, in order to achieve the final result¡ªfor example, the result of me slipping this time¡ªthe series of incidents that urred before that all had the highest possibility of urring.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t thatmon sense?¡± Huo Shaoheng was perplexed. ¡°If their possibilities weren¡¯t the highest, then they wouldn¡¯t have urred.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gu Nianzhi began to smile. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it, but, while one incident could be exined like this, it wouldn¡¯t be a mere coincidence if the entire series of incidents had the highest possibility of urring.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was beginning to understand. He looked at Gu Nianzhi thoughtfully. ¡°You mean that these incidents were deliberately selected? But who could be powerful enough to link together the highest possibilities within countlessplicated incidents? Also, how did they link them together?¡±

    ¡°Right, actually this is where they revealed themselves. This proves that these incidents were ¡®false randoms.¡¯¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her chin smugly, revealing her neck, which was as slender and pale as a swan¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng nearly lost himself as he stared at the energetic and beaming Gu Nianzhi. Ever since the incident in Germany, how long ago had it been since hest saw Gu Nianzhi so proud and energetic? This was real Nianzhi...

    Huo Shaoheng began to smile. Seeing Gu Nianzhi finally walk out of the shadows in her heart and disy her allure and ability once again, he exhaled deeply.

    His voice remained deep yet gentle as he said, ¡°¡®False randoms?¡¯ How do you prove that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around to pick up the mouse and pointed to a formputing on herputer. ¡°Look here. The incidents with the highest probabilities had been selected to ur in sequence. A trigger is required to cause this. With this trigger, all the subsequent incidents would ur naturally.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng straightened his back in his seat, his gaze not leaving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful and confident smile. ¡°So you mean that this trigger was not randomly urring but artificial?¡±

    ¡°Correct!¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped herself from pping for Huo Shaoheng. There was a lot less wasted effort when it came to exining things to intelligent people.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back into the sofa and said thoughtfully, ¡°Then how would we find this artificial ¡®trigger?¡¯ Did you think about that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Of course I¡¯ve thought about it. I need to prove whether or not my theory and algorithm are correct or not, so I must find the ¡®trigger¡¯ that caused the subsequent incidents.¡±

    ¡°How would you find it?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, you would help me find it, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over and partially sat on the rug in front of the sofa. She snuggled against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s leg and looked up at him with a smile. ¡°You¡¯d help me find this ¡®trigger,¡¯ right?¡±

    ¡°How do you want me to help you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed his leg. ¡°Can you get your hands on the surveince footage from those ces?¡±

    Huo Shaoehng pinched her exquisite and finely sculpted nose. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go find them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily nuzzled against his leg. ¡°Hurry up! The sooner the better!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng made her go downstairs for dinner while he went back to his office to give Yin Shixiong the order of obtaining the surveince footage from the two areas in B University.

    Yin Shixiong took the order, and Huo Shaoheng yed the surveince footage of the hospital where Gu Yanran¡¯s father had stayed. He had obtained it a long time ago. Huo Shaoheng never believed that Gu Yanran¡¯s father¡¯s death was only an ident, but there was no evidence to prove otherwise, so he had obtained the surveince footage from that day and had watched it repeatedly. However, he didn¡¯t find any indication that anyone hadmitted foul y.

    No matter how he looked at Gu Yanrah¡¯s father¡¯s hospital room, whether he fast-forwarded or yed it at a slower speed, it all appeared to be an ident. No one had snuck into the room to kill him.

    But today, when he had looked at the introduction to chaos mathematics and spoke to Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng suddenly had another idea.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s father had been under their personnel¡¯s surveince the entire time, and they had originally intended to leave him there to lure a big fish. In the end, they didn¡¯t catch a big fish but had had their bait destroyed by someone else.

    Huo Shaoheng had recalled the incident in the hospital a thousand times in his head, so when he had looked at chaos mathematics and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s theory, he had instantly been enlightened. He couldn¡¯t help but think that the incident may have been the same as the incident Gu Nianzhi encountered. Were these actually all ¡°false randoms?¡±

    He sat in his office and listed the events that urred when Gu Yanran¡¯s father died in the hospital. He began to analyze the probability of the urrence of the incidents ording to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s theory.

    The results weren¡¯t surprising. The incidents really were the ones with the highest probability.

    In order to achieve the death of Gu Yanran¡¯s father, the probability of the incidents urring was the highest.

    Then it made sense!

    They had previously ced emphasis inside the hospital room, so what if the ¡°trigger¡± had urred outside the room?!

    Just like dominoes, there must have been at least one push from a person in order to knock down the arranged dominoes.

    Who was the person who pushed the dominos?

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the surveince footage scene by scene. This time he focused on outside the hospital room.

    He saw the hooligan-like young men joking around in boredom in the hallway across from Gu Yanran¡¯s father¡¯s hospital room. He also saw a nurse pushing an operating cart.

    There were no other people outside the hospital room.

    At that moment, though, his gaze was distracted by a beam of golden light. Where did this golden lighte from?

 Chapter 925 - The Same Person

    <h4>Chapter 925: The Same Person</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s slim and powerful fingers paused on the cursor for a moment before continuously pressing the rewind button. After doing this several times, he finally discovered where the tiny beam of golden light wasing from.

    Actually, the beam of golden light wasn¡¯t too visible. It only appeared very briefly, so most people wouldn¡¯t have noticed it, even if they watched the footage scene by scene. But this kind of tiny detail was no match for the Special Operations Forces personnel who had endured intense professional night-vision training.

    He hadn¡¯t noticed it before, because he hadn¡¯t paid close attention to what happened outside the hospital room. After all, the fist fight had urred inside the hospital room. What happened outside of the hospital room was only a little interlude...

    Everyone¡¯s initial thought was that someone hadmitted the crime amidst the chaos. Of course, theyter discovered that wasn¡¯t the case. The surveince footage inside the hospital room proved that it really had been an ident; the crucial step on the power supply cable had been made by the doctor making rounds. He had attempted to break up the fight. The had also investigated the doctor countless times, but he had no motive.

    When Gu Nianzhi¡¯s idea shattered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s logic, his focus immediately shifted from inside the hospital room to outside it. The situation was simr to dominoes. They had only focused on thest few dominoes, but the actual cause was from the shock from an external force on the first domino.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze paused on the brief sh of golden light. With his finger on the cursor, he gradually erged the golden bit of light until he finally discovered that the beam of golden light was none other than a tiny gold coin. It was a very pure gold color and looked like the color of yellow gold.

    For thousands of years, gold has been used as an item for equivalent exchange of goods. People tend to naturally take a look whenever they see something gold-colored. This has nearly be a conditioned reflex in the human mind. In other words, it was the gold coin that had suddenly rolled down to the bottom corner of the video that had caused the subsequent series of events.

    ¡°So this coin was the ¡®trigger?¡¯ No.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. The person throwing the coin must be the real trigger, but no matter how he reyed the footage, he still couldn¡¯t see the person throwing the coin.

    It looked like the person had made ample preparations; he had keenly chosen the surveince camera¡¯s blind spot and had stood there to throw a coin and subsequently change the lives of many people.

    Huo Shaoheng silently watched the footage and copied that portion of the video.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi waited downstairs for a long time, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯te downstairs to have dinner with her. She was starving, but she refused to eat alone.

    The orderly came over to check several times before he finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and went upstairs to knock on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door. ¡°Chief, Miss Gu is waiting for you to go downstairs for dinner.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened. He replied to themunicator, ¡°Have her eat first.¡±

    ¡°We already told her that, but Miss Gu refuses. She¡¯s still waiting for you.¡± The orderly outside scratched his head helplessly.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the files on hisputer to see that he was almost done. He logged out and shut hisputer off before getting up to say, ¡°I¡¯lle down right away.¡±

    The orderly began to smile and happily shouted, ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Then he quickly went downstairs to tell Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The Chief will being downstairs right way. Do you want us to serve the food?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°Hurry up! I¡¯m about to pass out!¡±

    Huo Shaoehng had just walked into the dining room and was taking the military cap off his head to hang on the wall hook as he said, ¡°Eat alone if you¡¯re hungry. Why are you being so polite with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Would youe downstairs for dinner if I didn¡¯t do that?¡±

    1She had learned a long time ago that she could only use the trick of ¡°not eating unless he ate too¡± on someone like him. Otherwise, the ¡°incredibly busy¡± Great Chief Huo would only eat once every three days and wouldn¡¯t nourish himself at all.

    ¡°So it¡¯s my fault?¡± Huo Shaoheng somehow wasn¡¯t angry at all, despite being ¡°tricked and talked back to¡± by Gu Nianzhi. Instead, his expression was extremely warm.

    However, the orderlies on the sidelines had long grown ustomed to this. They all asked Miss Gu to help whenever they ran into an issue they couldn¡¯t solve. The Chief really didn¡¯t have to eat when he got busy with work, so the orderlies were very helpless, too!

    The dishes were all served, and Huo Shaoheng waved his hand to dismiss the orderlies. He and Gu Nianzhi were the only ones left in the dining room.

    A crystal chandelier hung above the long dining table and cast the room in brilliant light. Huo Shaheng looked at the scenery and felt as though a lifetime had passed.

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and used her knife to cut her steak. She didn¡¯t even look up as she replied, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have threatened and baited the Great Chief Huo.¡±

    Her words were very sweet, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have an ounce of remorse as he nced at her. He leaned over to whisper very quietly in her ear, ¡°... When did you ever bait me. Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    ¡°How could I ever dare to? I was only saying that. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡± Gu Nianzhi curled her curvy lips and raised her ss of juice. ¡°Huo Shao, I toast you.¡±

    ¡°... I don¡¯t drink alcohol.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t fall for her trick and looked down to carefully cut the steak before him as he said, ¡°Once Big Xiong gets ahold of the B University surveince footage, let¡¯s watch it together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and took a big gulp of coconut juice. It was her favorite juice at the moment. When she was young, she loved to drink mango juice. Later on, she realized it was bad for her teeth, so she only drank orange juice and watermelon juice from then on. Now she was obsessed with coconut juice. Huo Shaoheng always had coconut juice prepared there, so it was always fresh.

    The pair didn¡¯t speak again, and quietly finished eating dinner. The orderlies noticed they had finished eating, so they came in to clear the table and serve a cup of tea to each of them.

    Gu Nianzhi asked for Biluochun, while Huo Shaoheng had Pu¡¯er. Before they finished their cups of tea, Yin Shixiong had already returned from B University.

    ¡°Huo Shao. Nianzhi. Did you just finish dinner? I didn¡¯t even eat yet.¡± He didn¡¯t pretend to be polite and began to chat as he sat down. ¡°What¡¯s for dinner tonight?¡± Yin Shixiong asked the orderly. ¡°I could eat a whole cow.¡±

    The orderly was a rookie soldier who had just enlisted that year. He smiled. ¡°That¡¯s perfect. We have steak tonight. How would Colonel Yin like it cooked?¡±

    ¡°... Medium well.¡± Yin Shixiong snapped his fingers and turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You¡¯ve already finished eating? You don¡¯t want any dessert?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and urged him, ¡°Hurry up, Brother Xiong. I can¡¯t wait anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s go upstairs first. Big Xiong,e up yourself once you¡¯re done eating.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Yin Shixiong waved his hands. ¡°Suit yourselves. I eat very quickly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also stood up and giggled at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Brother Xiong, don¡¯t eat too fast. Be careful not to choke.¡±

    Yin Shixiong red at her, but Gu Nianzhi had already turned around. She quickly followed Huo Shaoheng outside.

    Yin Shixiong looked at them harmoniously walking side by side and suddenly smiled. Rubbing his head, he took out his phone and sent a message to Ma Qiqi.

    ¡°My Dear Brother Xiong¡± Qiqi, Nianzhi and Huo Shao seemed to have reconciled...

    After sending the text, he put away his phone and began to quickly gulp down his food.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi to his room on the second floor and had her sit at his desk. He showed her the hospital surveince footage from earlier.

    ¡°Nianzhi, watch this. Is there a trigger in this video?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only took one look to know it was the hospital where Gu Yanran¡¯s father had passed away.

    ¡°...This ident was suspicious too? So he didn¡¯t pass away because of his bad luck?¡± Gu Nianzhi curiously yed the surveince footage and began to watch intently from the beginning.

    Huo Shaoheng sat beside her and watched the surveince footage again.

    In the same area where Huo Shaoheng noticed the golden light, Gu Nianzhi also clicked ¡°pause.¡± She muttered, ¡°... What is this?¡± Her long and soft fingers continuously clicked on the cursor to quickly magnify the target, just like Huo Shaoheng had.

    ¡°A gold coin? Am I seeing this right? This is a murder caused by a gold coin?¡± Gu Nianzhi began tough.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You see, the subsequent actions of the people changed when this gold coin appeared. It developed toward the death of Gu Yanran¡¯s father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi dragged the progress bar of the video but discovered that she couldn¡¯t see the person throwing the coin no matter how she dragged it.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to see it. This person must¡¯ve checked the locations of surveince cameras in the hospital. They happened to stand right in the camera¡¯s blind spot.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back in his seat and raised his arms back to cradle the back of his head. He casually crossed his long legs and appeared very rxed and carefree.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. Propping her cheek on her palm, she watched the surveince footage continue ying and replied calmly, ¡°If the person hiding in the surveince camera¡¯s blind spot is the one throwing the gold coin, then it¡¯s evident they¡¯re very arrogant and think they¡¯re god. God threw a dice to create the world, and this person is throwing a coin to control another person¡¯s life just so he can enjoy the thrill of controlling the world.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slowly. ¡°Makes sense. We can imagine that a person devising this method to kill someone must not only be arrogant but stubborn.¡±

    As they spoke, Yin Shixiong came up stairs. He ced the surveince footage from B University into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand.

    Huo Shaoheng took the USB drive and plugged it into theputer so he could watch it with Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong.

    The first surveince footage was from when Gu Nianzhi had nearly been hit by a bicycle. The surveince camera in that location was on a telephone pole close by, but it didn¡¯t directly face the path where the ident urred, so the perspective was a bit skewed. Even so, at the same time, the three of them all saw a small gold coin rolling into the video frame from a certain direction.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly hit pause and nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°So it was a gold coin again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her shoulder to calm her down. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s keep watching.¡±

    He already had a hunch that the incidents were rted. The tiny gold coin had finally linked them all together.

    But just like the hospital surveince footage, this video didn¡¯t capture the person throwing the coin, either, which meant the person throwing the gold coin had chosen to be in the camera¡¯s blind spot once again.

    Gu Nianzhi watched the angle and direction that the gold coin rolled in, then silently recalled the situation. She had a thought and immediately remembered the handsome young man in the ck double-breasted uniform. If she recalled correctly, the young man had been standing in the position that was in the same direction from where the coin happened to roll from.

    1Huo Shaoheng had already begun to y the second surveince footage. It was from when Gu Nianzhi had fallen at school yesterday and nearly ended up with hemiplegia.

    In the footage, the snowkes danced, and theyer of snow on the ground grew thick. The gleam from the snow was almost blinding. There weren¡¯t many people on the road, so the snow on the ground was clearly recorded, so when the tiny gold coin appeared on the snow-covered ground, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hesitate to hit pause.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to watch anymore. It must be the same person,¡± Gu Nianzhi dered solemnly.

 Chapter 926 - Fair Competition

    <h4>Chapter 926: Fair Competition</h4>

    When they spotted the same gold coin in three different surveince footage videos, the very natural conclusion was that the trigger causing the subsequent series of events was the same person.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eye flickered briefly. She didn¡¯t say it was the handsome young man she saw wearing a double-breasted ck uniform.

    Yin Shixiong sighed regretfully. ¡°How could that person not get recorded? What a shame!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and spun around in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chair. Crossing her hands before her chest, she looked up at the two tall male gods before her and squinted. She replied calmly, ¡°Actually from a legal perspective, there is no difference whether they were recorded or not.¡±

    ¡°Please borate.¡± Yin Shixiong appeared like he was ready to listen carefully. Huo Shaoheng also regarded her intently.

    Gu Nianzhi held the cursor and pointed to the paused gold coin on the screen. ¡°That person didn¡¯t do anything but throw a gold coin. What can you do to him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°What would you charge him with? Littering? From a legal perspective, a gold coin isn¡¯t considered garbage. Instead, it is a valuable item.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°The enemy is very smart. He actually calcted precisely that even if we discover him, there is nothing we can do.¡±

    No court would approve their theory. The truth was, these algorithms and forms were only supplementary from a legal perspective. They could be used to solve the case but werepletely useless when it came to filing the case or bringing charges.

    ¡°That¡¯s terrible!¡± Yin Shixiong balled his hands into fists vehemently and struck down hard. ¡°This is clear provocation!¡±

    This was the egotistical attitude of, ¡°I did it, so what?¡± That¡¯s why Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mention the young man in ck. What was the point of talking about him, anyway? Huo Shao would definitely investigate him, but if the enemy hadn¡¯t broken anyws at all, wouldn¡¯t Huo Shao be viting militaryw if he did that?

    Gu Nianzhi knew that the senate and cab were extremely vignt about the Special Operations Forces¡¯ domestic activities due to them wielding so much power. She didn¡¯t want to cause him trouble, let alone be a hindrance in his career.

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to have her own ns for this person. This person was targeting her, so he would most definitely appear around her once again. If she remembered correctly, she seemed to have met him that day at the library entrance.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and kept his gaze on the pale gold floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains. He replied dryly, ¡°Their target is Nianzhi, so they will continue with this as long as Nianzhi is alive. Therefore, we don¡¯t have to rush, as they are bound to reveal themselves.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Right? He had the same thoughts as she did, so it was even more reason for her to not say anything.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her own bedroom thoughtfully and sat on the couch in a daze. The algorithm from earlier refused to leave her mind. There was something that urged her to give it a try, as if it wanted to leap out to express itself.

    Holding her hand over her wildly thumping heart, she curled her curvy lips and said quietly, ¡°If thew can¡¯t punish you, then we¡¯llpete fairly to see who has the better algorithm.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that her idea was very crazy. However, if the enemy really wanted to silently put her to death without bearing any legal consequences, then she was sorry to say she couldn¡¯t swallow her anger.

    She didn¡¯t want to sit idle, let alone wait for the enemy to set the next trap so she could only flee under someone else¡¯s protection. Because as soon as the enemy triggered another ¡°domino effect¡± again, it would be more well-crafted and intense than before. When that time came, they would only be using one life in exchange for another, even if Huo Shaoheng could deploy personnel to discreetly protect her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want her side to see anymore sacrifices, especially those sacrificing themselves for her. She was very grateful that they were using their own lives to protect her, but she also felt the burden of it. It was so heavy, she could scarcely breathe. Also, she was umting anger in her heart and needed to vent.

    Everyone only has one life, so how dare that person assume he was high above others, transcending above thew and wielding power that dictated the life and death of others?! If he wanted to be god, he also needed to check if he actually had that ability. Gu Nianzhi thought this as she dazedly returned to her desk. Turning on herputer, she also began a series of calctions.

    Late that night, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s day of work had temporarily concluded. Shutting down hisputer, he rubbed his forehead before walking around his office twice to rx his muscles. Finally, he went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Gu Nianzhi was typing on herputer and still seemed to be calcting. But this time, Gu Nianzhi shut down herputer as soon as Huo Shaoheng came in. She turned around somewhat awkwardly and mustered a weak smile. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Huo Shao gone to bed yet?¡±

    ¡°I should be asking you that question.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked behind her. ¡°Why did you turn off yourputer as soon as I came in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to answer, so she muttered, ¡°That¡¯s my privacy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised a brow. ¡°Privacy? You?¡±

    ¡°Of course I have my own privacy.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw that Huo Shaoheng was giving her a suggestive look. Her embarrassment suddenly turned into rage, and she stood up. ¡°You must respect my privacy. I need to sleep now, please leave.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smirked and put his hands in his trouser pockets. His sharp gaze regarded her from top to bottom, slowly looking her overpletely. Suddenly, Gu Nianzhi felt as if she were naked before Huo Shaoheng.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was about to explode in anger, Huo Shaoheng finally retracted his gaze and patted her head. ¡°Fine, I respect your privacy. Go to sleep.¡± As he spoke, he turned around to leave Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    He left so quickly that Gu Nianzhi ended up being the one to feel suspicious. However, she didn¡¯t run after him, she only stood in the middle of the bedroom with a frown. She watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure disappear outside her door.

    She deadbolted her bedroom door then crawled into bed. Holding her phone, she continued her calctions. Her phone wasn¡¯t as powerful as herputer, but her algorithm didn¡¯t require too much memory. After optimization, the phone¡¯s core should be able to handle it.

    Gu Nianzhi tucked herself in her nkets and kept tinkering with various permutations andbinations. In the end, she didn¡¯t even know when she finally fell asleep.

    When she woke up the next day, she noticed her phone¡¯s battery waspletely drained.

    She only stayed one day at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. That morning, she began begging and forcing Huo Shaoheng to let her return to campus. Huo Shaoheng still had several meetings after breakfast, and because it was the year¡¯s end, he was extremely busy.

    He couldn¡¯t handle Gu Nianzhi hassling him. It gave him a headache, so he finally agreed. However, he made her promise that she wouldn¡¯t leave the sight of the field personnel.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, reflective eyes blinked as she replied very earnestly, ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s almost the Lunar New Year, so we¡¯d better think of how we want to celebrate. I can graduate before the year ends. Will you attend my graduation ceremony?¡±

    As soon as she said this, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts shifted to what would happen after Gu Nianzhi graduated. He patted her head. ¡°Study hard and once you graduate, you can start by resting for half a year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled without answering. She waved at him then called He Zhichu to ask him to take her to campus.

    Huo Shaoheng was a bit absent-minded during the meetings, but he finallyposed himself when it was lunch time. He had somehow been tricked by Gu Nianzhi... She didn¡¯t even directly answer his question but instead changed the topic to her graduation. Shepleted shifted his attention. Huo Shaoheng understood it now, so he chuckled and continued his meetings after lunch.

    He Zhichu drove his car to pick up Gu Nianzhi, and she was waiting outside the yellow line at the main entrance of the Special Operations Forces base. Gu Nianzhi got in the car as soon as it arrived and said, ¡°Professor He, can you first drop me off at the apartment I bought?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to campus?¡± He Zhichu was perplexed.

    Gu Nianzhi paused beforeughing. ¡°Yes, but I want to only attend school for thesest three weeks. I¡¯ll stay in my apartment in Hepingli.¡±

 Chapter 927 - The Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 927: The Meeting</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You¡¯re almost graduating and so busy, why are you only attending day school?¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Or are you nning some scheme here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at the scenery outside the car window as she replied calmly, ¡°How could I be? Professor He is overthinking it.¡±

    He Zhichu snickered. He quickly got on the highway heading to the Hepingli District as he repliednguidly, ¡°Nianzhi, your ears involuntarily move whenever you feel nervous.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Gu Nianzhi instinctively touched her ears.

    ¡°Still denying it, but you¡¯ve already ratted yourself out. If you weren¡¯t feeling guilty, why would you touch your ears?¡± He Zhichu pierced right through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s deception.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°I was only trying to prove that my ears didn¡¯t move in order to refute Professor He¡¯s statement. What are you implying?¡±

    He Zhichu nced at her, his shimmery sultry eyes sparkling slightly. ¡°It¡¯s good you¡¯re not scheming.¡±

    Then he continued to urge her, ¡°No matter what you¡¯re dealing with, wait until after you¡¯ve graduated. You only have three weeks left. You wouldn¡¯t want to waste all the previous effort.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry, Professor He. I am staying at my own apartment for the convenience of studying.¡±

    ¡°Stop making excuses.¡± He Zhichu refused to believe herme reason. ¡°If it¡¯s for the convenience of studying, then the campus dorm would be the most convenient. If you say that you you¡¯re worried about your roommate bothering you, you live in your own room, so that issue doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°The older the ginger, the spicier. I can¡¯t win against you, so I¡¯ll go back to campus.¡±

    ¡°That sounds about right.¡± He Zhichu turned his steering wheel to exit off the highway and headed towards B University.

    After driving for a while, He Zhichu asked coolly, ¡°The older ginger, the spicier? Am I very old?¡±

    She didn¡¯t think He Zhichu would be sensitive about his age! Gu Nianzhi blinked and quickly said, ¡°You¡¯re not ginger. I wasn¡¯t talking about you...¡±

    He Zhichu squeezed the steering wheel tightly and pointed out on purpose, ¡°I¡¯m the same age as Huo Shao.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very ufortable, so she nervously yed around with the infotainment system in the car and changed the subject. ¡°What¡¯s a good radio station to listen to right now?¡±

    He Zhichu stopped speaking and allowed her to change stations herself.

    Soon afterwards, they arrived at the B University female graduate student dormitory. He Zhichu dropped her off in front of the building and said, ¡°Remember to give me a call whenever you stayte at the library. I¡¯lle pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pressed her hands together. ¡°Thank you, Professor He! Thank you, Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu waved his hand. ¡°Study hard. There are only three weeks left now.¡± His expression was nearly a mirror of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s when he said this.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with some embarrassment before watching He Zhichu¡¯s car drive away. Just as she turned around to go inside the dorm building, she saw the young man in ck she had seen before. He stood beside the dorm entrance and was talking to a girl. The girl¡¯s fair cheeks glowed with two rosy patches as she looked up at the young man, her eyes revealing a lovesick expression.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She wasn¡¯t interested in a rtionship with a younger man, but because that girl was also aw student who she recalled was an older, third year masters student, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but take a second nce.

    As expected, the young man in ck looked over. His nose was straight and sculpted, but his face was too pale, so he had a fragile and delicate beauty to him.

    He watched Gu Nianzhi with a warm and polite expression, however, there was an indescribable sense of arrogance hidden deep in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi averted her gaze and purposely acted like she didn¡¯t recognize that person at all. She walked directly into the building.

    The young man in ck was Ishihara Taro.

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi had been taken away in the ambnce, he had mobilized the Ishihara Corporation¡¯s powers to search for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts in all the hospitals in the Imperial Capital. The strange thing was, Gu Nianzhi seemed to have disappeared into thin air, so he couldn¡¯t find her at all.

    That was very strange.

    He remembered how Gu Nianzhi had fallen. That kind of reaction force would typically result in death or paralysis, so he had stubbornly searched everywhere for her all this time.

    Later on, his grandfather was concerned about him bringing attention to himself and that it would make things even more difficult if the other party began to defend themselves. Hemanded his men to stop acting, and Ishihara Taro finally relented. But only two days had passed, and Gu Nianzhi somehow appeared on her own. She seemed to be totally fine as well.

    Ishihara Taro immersed himself in deep thought. Could there still be a problem with his algorithm? Could she not have fallen as hard as he predicted?

    Ishihara Taro quickly left campus to rush back and verify his algorithm. When he returned to his apartment in the Imperial Capital, he discovered his grandfather was there.

    ¡°Grandfather, you¡¯re not staying in the Mount Yu Vi District?¡± Ishihara Taro asked with curiosity.

    Ishihara Taro¡¯s grandfather was called Ishihara Wakashi. He sat on the lounge chair against the French windows in the living room and replied dryly, ¡°I want to spend more time with you. I¡¯m returning to Japan next month. What about you? Do you want toe back with me?¡±

    Ishihara Taro understood what his grandfather was implying. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. I will be sure toplete the task before you return to Japan.¡± Then he recalled seeing Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Grandfather, Gu Nianzhi returned to campus today.¡±

    Ishihara Wakashi slowly opened his eyes. ¡°She returned to campus? How could she return to school with such severe injuries? Who brought her back?!¡±

    Ishihara Taro was somewhat ashamed. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there was a problem with the algorithm, but her injuries were not as severe as I had predicted.¡±

    Ishihara Wakashi could hardly conceal his disappointment. ¡°How could this be?¡±

    After some silence, Ishihara Wakashi said with exhaustion, ¡°Then you should prepare well. You must not make mistakes next time.¡±

    ¡°Hai!¡± Ishihara Taro replied in Japanese as he kneeled on the ice cold marble floor in the living room and bowed his head in Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s direction.

    After Ishihara Wakashi left, Ishihara Taro immersed himself in frantic calctions. He didn¡¯t even attend his sses at B University.

    ...

    Ma Qiqi was very happy to see Gu Nianzhi returning. Pulling her over to study carefully, sheughed, ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re ok. That day, I heard you were taken away in an ambnce. I was so scared, I called Brother Xiong a dozen times. I asked him if he knew where the ambnce took you. Luckily, Brother Xiong told me not to worry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I already know how lovey dovey you and Brother Xiong are, so stop showing off. Even though my injury looked especially severe, it was actually not too bad. I only dislocated my ankle, so Professor He was worried for nothing. I was fine after I got an X-ray and had the bones realigned.¡±

    ¡°Dislocated? You¡¯d better be careful, then. It¡¯ll be very painful if it ends up as a chronic dislocation.¡± Ma Qiqi quickly fussed over her.

    Everyone knew Gu Nianzhi had been taken away by an ambnce as soon as she fell down, but no one could say how severe her injury actually was. After all, no one saw her bleed. They only saw her suddenly sit on the ground, so when the ambnce came, there were people taking the opportunity to joke about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition and im she was purposely making a mountain out of a molehill in order to avoid final exams.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Gu Nianzhi stretched her backzily, not telling anyone else about her true condition. ¡°I need to go rest for a while. Don¡¯t bother me.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. Go to bed. I won¡¯t wake you up no matter whoes here.¡± Ma Qiqi motioned to close the door for her.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her with a smile, then turned back to her room.

    After resting all morning, her sses started in the afternoon. The first two days were fine, but on the third day it happened to be Friday. There was apulsoryw ss at 2pm. It was also thest important ss of the day, so she had to attend. Afterwards, she had an exam.

    Final exams at B Universitysted a week, so she actually only had two weeks to study. She wanted nothing more but to do two hour¡¯s work in one hour.

    Rushing from the library to therge lecture hall, she sat down next to Ma Qiqi. The ssroom quieted soon afterwards, and the teacher of thepulsory ss stepped inside. Behind him was a handsome young man wearing a short, gray coat. It was none other than Ishihara Taro.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked at the sight. This guy was somehow also a B University student?! She quickly pushed Ma Qiqi. ¡°Who is that person?¡±

    Ma Qiqi looked up quickly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s our faculty¡¯s transfer student. His name is Ishihara Taro.¡±

 Chapter 928 - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

    <h4>Chapter 928: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°What?! He¡¯s the transfer student who transferred into our major??!¡± Gu Nianzhi was in a state of shock. Her already big eyes darkened and became even more round. Had she been mistaken? This person appearing at that ce at that time was merely a coincidence?

    No matter what, Gu Nianzhi had not seen this youth on the CCTV at all. All the evidence was linked up solely by her assumptions. What if she was wrong? Gu Nianzhi knew thew like the back of her hands. She knew the importance of having evidence, and she was willing to give every single thing the benefit of the doubt initially. This meant that she should trust that the person did not do such a thing before valid evidence was presented. Gu Nianzhi stopped looking and turned to look at her notes.

    After the lesson, Gu Nianzhi left the ssroom with Ma Qiqi and headed to the library to study. Suddenly, that Ishihara Taro followed them and called out to them. ¡°Where are you going, Qiqi?¡± His voice had the ssic quality of a baritone. His words were clear but had an ent to them. The ent was Japanese.

    Ma Qiqi turned around, surprised. With her brows furrowed, she asked, ¡°Is anything the matter, ssmate Ishihara?¡± She had only seen this Ishihara Taro once in ss. What was he trying to do by calling out so intimately to her?!

    Ishihara Taro put one hand in his mid-length coat and carried a file in the other hand. He was tall and lean, and attracted the eyes of many girls around. However, he only had Ma Qiqi in his eyes. ¡°Qiqi, there were some things from the lecture that I didn¡¯t understand. Would you be free to teach me for a while, please?¡± His tone was gentle and soothing to the ears, and he was well-mannered and good looking.

    Ishihara Taro knew the effect his looks could have. Therefore, behaving like a peacock, he showcased his masculine good looks to Ma Qiqi relentlessly. Gu Nianzhi took out her phone silently and recorded this scene, especially focusing on Ishihara Taro. Gu Nianzhi had used the highest definition possible in her camera to capture him.

    However, from Ishihara Taro¡¯s point of view, Gu Nianzhi was merely using her phone while someone was talking. It was a form of poor manners in his culture, even though the angle at which she was ying with her phone was a little odd...

    Using the corners of his eyes, Ishihara Taro observed Gu Nianzhi coldly but was exceptionally full of passion towards Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi honestly could not take it anymore. The smile on her face even looked awkward. ¡°ssmate Ishihara, I am very busy as well. It is almost time to take our exams. I honestly have no spare time. Why don¡¯t I introduce you to a tutoring ss, and you could go and have lessons with the tutor there?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst outughing. She toyed with her phonezily, and her eyes sparkled, looking like the stars in the night sky. ¡°Qiqi, is this the legendary Japanese student with a super high IQ? If this is considered super high, then your intelligence quotient must be over the moon, mustn¡¯t it? Then mine would be over the gxy.¡±

    Ma Qiqi was tickled by this andughed. Pushing Gu Nianzhi yfully, she said, ¡°Stop spouting nonsense! I was being polite! Being polite! Do you know what that is?! Did you really think that I was being rude?!¡± When she said ¡°being rude,¡± she nced at Ishihara Taro.

    Ishihara Taro had initially wanted to neglect Gu Nianzhi in order to get her attention. However, he did not expect that she would criticize his intelligence quotient¡ªthe thing that he took the most pride in! She had really offended him.

    Ishihara Taro¡¯s gaze turned immediately to Gu Nianzhi, and he said rather tly, ¡°Your intelligence quotient is able to go over the gxy? Then wouldn¡¯t my intelligence quotient be able to travel the entire universe?¡±

    Did he want to quarrel? Gu Nianzhi felt that there was no need to take Ishihara Taro to heart. Therefore, she took out her phone and yed with it for a while again and did not even look him in the eye. Then she said, ¡°Yes, the level of your intelligence quotient could travel the entire universe. However, you could not even understand the content of the core module of thew faculty and had to ask for help from a girl whose intelligence quotient could only be over the moon. My dear Qiqi, did you feel how good it is to belittle someone else¡¯s intelligence quotient?¡±

    Intelligence quotient had always been the thing that had bothered Ishihara Taro the most with regards to Gu Nianzhi. Since he was a little boy, he had known that his father had lost to Gu Xiangwen. Therefore, it had since been his life¡¯s ambition to supersede his daughter. Moreover, he had been nning this scene since many years ago.

    Turning around to meet Gu Nianzhi, Ishihara Taroughed coldly. ¡°I already graduated from my master¡¯s program at the age of 18. I am currently studying for my doctorate at Tokyo University. What about you? You¡¯re already 19 years old, but you have not even graduated from your master¡¯s program, and you dare topare intelligence quotients with me?! Such atrocity!¡±

    To his surprise, not only was Gu Nianzhi not angry, she was still smiling happily like she was doing it on purpose to upset him. Holding onto her phone, Gu Nianzhi pointed at Ishihara Taro. ¡°Since you have already graduated from your master¡¯s program, then why are youing to our school to take the master¡¯s program for first years? Could it be that the universities in Japan are not up to standard, and you have to relearn your knowledge?¡±

    ¡°I did not major inw for my master¡¯s!¡± Ishihara Taro seemed to be unable to take any form of agitation. Moreover, Gu Nianzhi was the very person that he had been wanting to defeat since he was a little boy. Therefore, making use of the fact that he was only 18 years old, he asked matter of factly, ¡°So why can¡¯t I take the master¡¯s program forw in year one?! You¡¯re being unreasonable!¡±

    Seeing that her reverse psychology was working, Gu Nianzhi made use of the situation and continued digging for information from Ishihara Taro. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not talking about reasons. I¡¯m talking aboutw, understand? Since you are unable to even understand the lecture of a core module, then let me give you some advice. Stop trying to pick upw. Return to where you came from. If you try to throw your weight around here, there will be people to teach you how to behave.¡± Gu Nianzhi stepped on Ishihara Taro¡¯s pride with her words and suddenly felt a sense of aplishment.

    It had been a long time since someone had voluntarily sent themselves to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotional punching bag, even though bullying younger kids with behavioral problems was nothing to be proud of. She hadn¡¯t realized that she was only six months older than Ishihara Taro.

    Ishihara Taro had grown up in the Ishihara Corporation since he was young and had received nothing but the best in his life, existing like a gem. Also, due to the fact that he had a way higher intelligence quotientpared to most other people, he had never experienced being put down so openly in public.

    He had not experienced people talking back to him before. Although Ishihara Taro was mentally prepared, he was extremely agitated by this as well and lost all his cool and manners. He pointed at Gu Nianzhi and roared angrily, ¡°My master¡¯s and doctorate are all majors in thetest chaos mathematics! What made you think you¡¯re so clever by only knowing aboutw?! Compete in chaos mathematics with me if you dare!¡±

    1Chaos mathematics?! Gu Nianzhi went pale. She had never expected that she would hear this terminology from this Japanese chap in front of her! She had still intended to give him the benefit of the doubt, but she would not have to anymore. He had already presented her with the evidence wrapped up in a bow.

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the agitation in her head and fiddled with the diamond ear studs on her ears casually before replying like she didn¡¯t care about him, ¡°I don¡¯t major in chaos mathematics, so why should Ipete in this silly thing with you? I really have no idea which connection you used to get into our faculty. Haha. The almightyw faculty in B University is unable to withstand gains from connections as well hahaha...¡±

    Ma Qiqi was feeling extremely happy as she listened in from the side. This damned Ishihara Taro. How dare he attempt to break Gu Nianzhi and her up? Did he think that they could be broken up so easily?! Moreover, she was someone who was attached. Who would want to mingle around with this Japanesed? She would be spoiling her own market value! To think she had even said that he was perfect in all aspects previously. How blind could she be!?

    Ma Qiqi turned to Gu Nianzhi and pretended to poke both of her eyes. ¡°Nianzhi, I was blinded. Let¡¯s go now. We shall go back to the dorm to study and not to the library anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she shook her head. ¡°How can it be? I have obsessivepulsive disorder. I am already used to going to the library. I will feel uneasy if I don¡¯t go. Let¡¯s go now. If you don¡¯t want to go, I am cool to go on my own.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nced at Ishihara Taro, who was fuming behind them, and mumbled, ¡°Why is he so angry? He¡¯s nothing but someone from a wealthy family. Who does he think should be boot licking him? How dramatic...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled her on her arm. ¡°So, shall we go to the library?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Ma Qiqi turned around with Gu Nianzhi and headed towards the library.

    There was only Ishihara Taro left there, and his tea-colored irises turned a shade darker. When Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi had gone, his bodyguard came out from a shadowed ce and asked worriedly, ¡°Young master, by saying that, will they be more wary of you?¡±

    ¡°That was exactly what I wanted,¡± Ishihara Taro replied proudly. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m out to get her, how boring would this entire thing be?! I want to see her anger from knowing that I was behind everything, but there¡¯s nothing she can do about it!¡± He firmly believed that his method was definitely outside the boundaries of thew. Even if they knew that he was behind everything, they could never sue him in any way. Just like what he had learned from thew lesson today. He knew what he had done was not able to be prosecuted, which meant that the court would never ept awsuit from the intiff.

    What had he done? He had merely thrown a coin. Would thew stop people from throwing coins? Haha, the Ishihara Corporation was not a pushover. Even if they had known that he did it and wanted to punish him, if they dared to do anything illegal, would the elites in the intelligence department of Tokyo, Japan, not do a thing?! Let¡¯s see who would dare to use those underhanded methods on a foreigner like him!

    Ishihara Taro understood the cowardice of some of the cab ministers from the Hua Xia Empire. They were most afraid to offend foreigners. They would do everything to protect them, so how would they dare to use underhanded methods to harm them?! If they did so, they would be tarnishing their reputation internationally!

    When Ishihara Taro dared to appear in front of Gu Nianzhi so openly, he had calcted that as well way beforehand.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi arrived at the library and found a more secluded corner where they could study. After that little incident just now, Gu Nianzhi could not focus. She looked at her notebook and text book, but her mind was revolving around the words that Ishihara Taro had said just now: ¡°chaos mathematics.¡±

    It was really this young chap. Why would he want to do that? Gu Nianzhi could not contain her curiosity any longer. Whipping out her phone, she changed an IP address and entered her hacker program before searching for the name ¡°Ishihara Taro.¡±

    There were only a couple of journal articles that were submitted by him on some highly redited websites and magazines, but there was nothing else. Just like her father, Gu Xiangwen, other than academic things, there was nothing. It was as if anything else had been erased entirely.

 Chapter 929 - DÃ©jÃ  Vu

    <h4>Chapter 929: D¨¦j¨¤ Vu</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly unhappy upon seeing the search results. Ishihara Taro had published articles in those magazines before, and they included a simple biography as well.

    For someone like Gu Nianzhi, who had a photographic memory, the moment she saw such a search result, the d¨¦j¨¤ vu of ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± immediately shed across her mind. No matter at what age her father had attended university, gotten his master¡¯s degree, or began to study for his doctorate, Ishihara Taro seemed to coincidentally be one year younger than those ages...

    Gu Nianzhi could not exin why she had that strange feeling, but it gave her the creeps. She thought about it silently for a while before swiping her fingers on her phone and changing to another method for her search. This time, she utilized rted searches. What she had gotten was not directly linked to the name ¡°Ishihara Taro¡± per se, but everything that had a connection to this name would be shown in the search. In the end, the moment she utilized this method, the top result was ¡°Ishihara Corporation.¡±

    In the beginning, Gu Nianzhi had not felt that the Ishihara Corporation would be rted to Ishihara Taro. In her opinion, it was just the same surname. For example, there was a billionaire whose surname was Ma. However, another person had the same surname as well. Could anyone deduce that they had some form of familial rtionship?

    However, after searching for a while, there was no other information that came up. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi decided to go all out and entered Japan¡¯s government¡¯s website and found their citizenship system. The citizenship system in Japan was the same as the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s. Inparison, it had even more information than the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s. There were pictures of the citizens, dates of birth, residential addresses, gender, and their rtionship to the head of that family.

    ording to Japanesew, before a citizen turned 21 years old, he or she would not have citizenship on his or her own. His or her details could only be listed under the elders of his or her family.

    The security for Japan¡¯s citizenship system was nothing to Gu Nianzhi. It was only five minutes before she managed to crack the website¡¯s code and sessfully entered the back end of their citizenship system. They had mostly used SQL to manage the records, and therefore, if someone was familiar with that software, it would be a breeze for a hacker to search the vast amount of information within a short time.

    Gu Nianzhi had only searched for Ishihara Taro¡¯s Japanese name, ¡°Shinishihara Taro,¡± and the results of the search appeared almost immediately. ¡°Shinishihara Taro¡± was under the name ¡°Ishihara Wakashi.¡± That would mean that Ishihara Wakashi would be the head of the family, and Ishihara Taro would be his... grandson.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the information for a while and even used trantion software before she managed to make sense of the Katakana and Hiragana words. So who was Ishihara Wakashi? Gu Nianzhi looked through Japan¡¯s citizenship system slowly, and a couple of people with the surname ¡°Ishihara¡± popped up again. One of them was Ishihara Shiro, and he was from Chiyo Vige in Chiba Ken.

    There was a well-known identification that was tagged to Ishihara Shiro in the citizenship system. He was a lieutenant general in the Japanese army. He was also the head of the Kwantung Army Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department, which was also the notorious numbered unit in the army.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed. This Ishihara Shiro was the father of Ishihara Wakashi, which would mean that he was Ishihara Taro¡¯s great grandfather. Gu Nianzhi began frantically searching for information on Ishihara Shiro and found out that this person had been doing an experiment while researching a bacterial biological weapon. He even used the data figures of the blood and bacterial biology of the citizens of the Hua Xia Empire and had an under the table deal with America. Using that, they even managed to get away with the trial of leaking information in the international court!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers almost trembled. She immediately remembered that Gu Yanran had a maternal great grandfather whose name was Kasahara. He was one of the main people from this notorious numbered unit as well...

    Would there be a connection between these two families? Her fingers flew across the screen of her phone, changing her IP address and going into search engines again to search for information on Ishihara Shiro and Ishihara Wakashi. This time, the Ishihara Corporation appeared on her search results.

    She opened her trantion software and tranted the Ishihara Corporation¡¯s entire website. She realized, in a state of shock, that Ishihara Shiro was the founder of the Ishihara Corporation!

    However, shortly after founding the corporation, Ishihara Shiro passed on due to cancer. His son, Ishihara Wakashi, took over his position. Ishihara Wakashi had a son. He was Ishihara Taro¡¯s father, who was also a well-known physicist. However, he hadmitted suicide at a young age. Therefore, the Ishihara family that Ishihara Taro was from was the people who had founded the Ishihara Corporation!

    Although Gu Nianzhi did not have much experience in society, she knew that the Ishihara Corporation was a bigpany. A criminal who hadmitted such a hideous war crime in the Hua Xia Empire returned to Japan to found the Ishihara Corporation and then returned to the Hua Xia Empire after the war had ended.

    Sure, it was normal. There was no problem with this. If Gu Nianzhi was to believe that he had turned over a new leaf and wanted to contribute to the development of the Hua Xia Empire, she would rather start to believe that pigs were about to develop wings and fly.

    So what connection would the Ishihara Corporation have with the Kasahara family? No matter what, both of them had contributed to the same army before and could be considered rades...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi searched frantically for more information online, but she was unable to discover anything else. She had even managed to hack into the internal system of the Ishihara Corporation¡¯s official website but still did not manage to find any information about or in rtion to Gu Yanran (Kasahara). Could it be that these two families really did not have a connection?

    Gu Nianzhi pondered it, and her fingers lingered over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number for a long time. Should she tell Huo Shaoheng about it and get him to check? He would definitely have more means and wayspared to her hacking skills. Therefore, his information would be way moreplete. However, the moment she told Huo Shaoheng about it, would he discover what she had been doing?

    Gu Nianzhi was in a dilemma for a long time, until she returned to her dormitory from the library, had her shower, and plopped herself onto her bed. However, she could not make up her mind. Just when she was about to give up, her phone rang. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone and smiled. Alright, she did not have to make a decision anymore. The phone had already made the decision for her. Gu Nianzhi unlocked her phone by sliding her thumb across the screen and sounded rxed and happy. ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had just finished his work and was on a night run with his Bluetooth earpiece. The winter in Di Capital was extremely cold, but Huo Shaoheng was only wearing a short sleeved military T-shirt and sports shorts as he jogged along the narrow pathway. ¡°Not asleep yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng sounded rxed as well. ¡°Haven¡¯t youpleted your thesis?¡±

    ¡°Alreadypleted it. I¡¯m doing my final edit now.¡± Gu Nianzhi held onto her phone as she chatted with him, and the nervousness she had just been feeling evaporated into thin air. ¡°However, I still have some core modules that have exams. I haven¡¯t studied yet.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exams at all. He was only worried about her health. ¡°Are you still in pain? Did you do the physiotherapy exercises?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She hadn¡¯t been feeling pain for a while now. She could do any exercises she wanted! ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m really okay now. Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Gu Nianzhi flipped herself over and moanedfortably as she snuggled into her quilt.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed it. ¡°You¡¯re in bed already?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was about to turn in when you called.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hang up then.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not wish to disturb her resting time, as he knew that she always had to stay upte. It was not good for health.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t hang up. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered that Gu Nianzhi had tricked him the other time and warned her, ¡°Don¡¯t run around. Stay in school all the way until you graduate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and flipped over again. ¡°Huo Shao, can you check if the Ishihara Corporation has any connections with the Kasahara family and if they have any connections with Gu Yanran¡¯s side?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng fell silent. ¡°The Ishihara Corporation?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Can you check it out?¡±

    ¡°Why should we check them out?¡±

 Chapter 930 - Is He Blind?

    <h4>Chapter 930: Is He Blind?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi quickly weighed her options. ording to her understanding of Huo Shaoheng, the moment she started to hesitate, an rm would ring in his mind. ¡°I¡¯ve discovered that the founder of this Ishihara Corporation is Ishihara Shiro. He was therade of Gu Yanran¡¯s maternal great grandfather in the Japanese army,¡± Gu Nianzhi said humbly. ¡°And the Ishihara Corporation has already been in our country for over a decade...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and wasn¡¯t tricked by Gu Nianzhi this time around. Using a tone that was calm but irresistibly stern, he asked, ¡°How would you think to look into the Ishihara Corporation?¡±

    This would be a long story. Gu Nianzhi raised her head to look at the ceiling and said after a while, ¡°There is a new Japanese transfer student in our faculty, and his name is Ishihara Taro.¡±

    ¡°Just because he is called Ishihara Taro, you wanted to look into the Ishihara Corporation?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly, but there was a strong sense of firmness in that calmness. ¡°Nianzhi, when did you learn to not tell me the whole truth when you talk to me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She pursed her lips and stammered, ¡°He harassed Qiqi...¡± This excuse seemed rather reasonable.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t think of a reason to retort just like that. He took out a cigarette from his pocket. Folding his arms, Huo Shaoheng took out the lighter that Gu Nianzhi had given him and lit the cigarette. Taking a deep puff, he released a ring of white smoke, and it spread out into the coldness of the night.

    ¡°Just like that?¡± Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and looked towards the empty training grounds. He found a metal seat and sat down, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. Holding onto his cigarette, his brows furrowed slightly. Thisdy was truly getting out of hand. Huo Shaoheng took another puff of his cigarette.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi did not reply after a long while, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t probe, either. ¡°I will get Big Xiong to check tomorrow. Have an early night.¡± With that, he hung up. It was quick and decisive, as if he didn¡¯t miss her.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and threw her phone aside, feeling slightly unhappy. Then, she covered her head with her quilt and engulfed herself in darkness. Although she didn¡¯t feel good, she had been up the entire day, feeling tense. Finally, she managed to hand her worries to Huo Shaoheng. Therefore, she was only unhappy for a while before falling asleep.

    Huo Shaoheng did not sleep the entire night. The moment he returned to the office, he turned on hisputer and looked into the Ishihara Corporation personally. Gu Nianzhi could only enter the extr, but Huo Shaoheng could enter the intr. However, after looking through the entire intr, although there was a lot of information about the Ishihara Corporation, there was no information regarding the Kasaharas.

    Under such circumstances, there would usually be two reasons for this. First, both of the families really had no connection to each other. Second would be that they had a close connection but did not want anyone else to know, and therefore, they had intentionally hidden it.

    If it was the former, then there would not be much to check. However, if it was thetter, then there would be a lot of hidden meaning. Huo Shaoheng pondered it for a while then instructed Yin Shixiong to send an order to the soldiers that were based in Japan, getting them to look into the Ishihara Corporation when they were avable.

    Since it was a mission that was considered to be overseas, the Special Forces had all the authority they required to achieve their aim and didn¡¯t care about what methods they used, as long as they didn¡¯t harm the people around them. They had even more authority in Japan than any other countries as well. Of course, this was historically understandable, as it was closely rted to how apologetic the Japanese were after the war.

    Since you did not feel that you were in the wrong at the time, then there was a high probability that you would be doing it all over again. Therefore, being one of the biggest victims during the war then, the Hua Xia Empire was extremely wary of war breaking out again. This attitude was logical and legal.

    Huo Shaoheng was lenient with the soldiers who were based in Japan. He had never restricted them regarding the means they could use to obtain information. Due to this leniency, the Special Forces based in Japan could usually get much more information in a much shorter time. In less than two days, there was an extremelyrge amount of information about the Ishihara Corporation that was highly confidential sent over by the Northern Communication Satellite after being encrypted securely.

    Yin Shixiong brought the highly confidential information to Huo Shaoheng. As he looked through it, he understood immediately that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to look into the Ishihara Corporation just because Ishihara Taro ¡°harassed¡± Ma Qiqi.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, how did you know that the eldest son of the Ishihara Corporation¡¯s founder, Ishihara Baisan, was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ssmate!?¡± Yin Shixiong was over the moon. ¡°This could be a new lead for us!¡±

    Due to the ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± that they had brought back being a fake, the mission that the army had given them was still active. They still had to find the real Gu Xiangwen. There was a lot of information that the soldiers of the Special Forces based in Japan had sent them that could not be found on the inte. Very clearly, there was a confidential system in the management of the Ishihara Corporation that was akin to the country¡¯s highly confidential information. It could be concluded that they didn¡¯t trust the inte. The information that was truly important would never be ced on the inte but would be kept on paper.

    ¡°Ishihara Shiro was the founder of Ishihara Corporation. Ishihara Wakashi is the son of Ishihara Shiro. He is currently in our country. Ishihara Baisan is the son of Ishihara Wakashi and was a genius in Japan that time. Along with Gu Xiangwen, the Chinese genius, they were both learning from the most well-known physicist in America. Ishihara Shiro was Ishihara Baisan¡¯s son and was also known as a genius from the time he was young.¡± Yin Shixiong had read this information countless times and had already memorized all of it.

    ¡°Therefore, this genius, Ishihara Baisan, was also the only heir to take over the entire Ishihara Corporation. So why did hemit suicide?¡± Yin Shixiong was extremely curious about this.

    Huo Shaoheng felt that Yin Shixiong¡¯s words were contributing too much to the noise level. ncing at him, he said, ¡°Ishihara Taro is now studyingw at B University. I heard that he is interested in Qiqi.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s proud expression fell instantaneously. He mmed the table with one hand. ¡°Screw him! A**hole wants to snatch my woman away?! Does he still want his life?!¡±

    ¡°Take note of your image and behavior.¡± Huo Shaoheng continued flipping through the information on his table. ¡°Ishihara Taro is an international ally.¡±

    ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± Yin Shixiong was already seeing red. ¡°As long as I am a man, I will not be able to take it! Mr. Huo, how did you know that Ishihara Taro is interested in Qiqi?! Nianzhi is definitely prettier and smarter than Qiqi, so why is he interested in Qiqi instead of Nianzhi? Why must he look for my Qiqi?! Is he blind?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and lowered his voice. ¡°Are you trying to say that you¡¯re blind? If Qiqi heard you say that and didn¡¯t break up with you, I would lose a bet.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was speechless. He immediately realized that he had said something wrong and almost knelt down in front of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo! Sir! You cannot treat your loyal subordinate like this!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and flipped to another page of the information on his desk. There was no other sound except for the flipping of pages. Yin Shixiong bore with it for a long time before saying, ¡°Mr. Huo, I love Qiqi. To me, in my eyes, of course she would be better than anyone else, including Nianzhi. However, objectively, when Qiqi and Nianzhi are standing side by side, people would definitely notice Nianzhi first and not Qiqi. Therefore, if there was anyone who still noticed Qiqi first in such cases, it would never be love at first sight. It would be that the person wanted something bad to befall her. No matter which situation it may be, he should be wiped off the surface of the earth!¡±

    ¡°Good. You are firm. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re my subordinate.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his eyes and looked at Yin Shixiong calmly. ¡°Okay, stand up. Seeing you like that, shouldn¡¯t you be typing your application of marriage?¡±

 Chapter 931 - Instant Knockout (K.O.)

    <h4>Chapter 931: Instant Knockout (K.O.)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Yin Shixiong had indeed entered the rtionship with Ma Qiqi with the intention of marrying her. However, hearing Huo Shaoheng mention marriage, he was stunned for a moment. ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯s going to be Lunar New Year soon.¡± Yin Shixiong held onto the table and stood up slowly. Then, he stammered awkwardly, ¡°Haven¡¯t met parents yet... my parents.¡± To put it more urately, Ma Qiqi had not met Yin Shixiong¡¯s parents yet; only Yin Shixiong had met Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s father was the mayor of one of the cities in the South, and his mother was a lecturer at a university. His family background was slightly higher than Ma Qiqi¡¯s but stillpatible. He had intended to bring Ma Qiqi home during Lunar New Year to meet his parents.

    His parents would definitely not object to her. Putting aside that Ma Qiqi was a master¡¯s student at a prestigious university like B University, even if she were a high school dropout, his parents would still not object. Both of them had been yearning for their son to get married so much so that all their hair had turned white. Their expectations had been lowered too many times, until their current expectations were that as long as she was a female, had no previous criminal record, and her age waspatible with Yin Shixiong¡¯s, that would suffice. They would even consider epting a divorcee with a child.

    1Huo Shaoheng knew about all that. It was because he was Yin Shixiong¡¯s superior. Yin Shixiong¡¯s parents wanted him to get married. When they could not find Yin Shixiong, they would always call Huo Shaoheng, hoping that he, as the person in charge of Yin Shixiong¡¯s workce, would care about the personal matters of his subordinates. They had even tried to find out if Yin Shixiong¡¯s sexual preference was normal...

    Huo Shaoheng used to be single as well, and therefore, did not care too much about requirements like those. He would never force his subordinates to go on blind dates in order to get a wife...

    However, it was different now, of course. That was the reason why he looked at Yin Shixiong with an expression that showed nothing but amusement. ¡°Are you actually worried that your parents will not agree to it? With an amazing girl like Qiqi, your parents will be asking you to get married immediately after seeing her.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to bring her home so as to give them peace of mind. As for the marriage request, I will have to discuss it with her first. No matter what, she has to agree to it before I submit anything. Moreover, I have not even proposed yet...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng began to look uneasy. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Yin Shixiong, seemingly full of thoughts, and lowered his head and continued looking at the documents in front of him. Then, he asked softly, ¡°Propose?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Little girls care about this the most. How can she marry you if you haven¡¯t proposed? Dream on, that¡¯s what I would say!¡± Yin Shixiong told Huo Shaoheng about his n happily and rubbed his hands together eagerly. ¡°That¡¯s why I need to bring Qiqi back to my ce first, then prepare a grand proposal ceremony for her. I have already spoken to Qiqi¡¯s parents. They¡¯ll be spending their Lunar New Year at my ce. I have to give Qiqi a grand proposal, so that she won¡¯t be able to wait to marry me!¡±

    1Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and flipped a page of the document casually. All of a sudden, he sounded cold. ¡°Alright. Go out. Do not let your mind wander when you¡¯re working. You are a soldier of the people in the Hua Xia Empire. Do not forget your responsibility.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was confused by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sudden stern lecture. ¡°Mr. Huo, what have I done? Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted me to submit my marriage request? Or...¡± He looked at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously, and his heart skipped a beat. Had he shown off too much about how sweet and blissful he was, and Mr. Huo couldn¡¯t take it anymore?! No matter what, Nianzhi had been wanting to break up with Mr. Huo all this time...

    That couldn¡¯t be. Hadn¡¯t they already made up that day? He even saw it with his own eyes! If that wasn¡¯t the case, how would he be that insensitive to still rub salt over the wounds of others?!

    Yin Shixiong asked carefully, ¡°Mr. Huo, will it be your and Nianzhi¡¯s turn... soon?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at him and had already returned to normal. He looked at Yin Shixiong, whose face was flushed but quickly drained of color, and asked, ¡°Big Xiong, were you just trying to attempt to get confidential information from your superior? Do you want to enter the detention barracks, or do you want to remove the star you just got during your promotion?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, I was merely asking. I have absolutely no intention of getting confidential information from you!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly shook his hands in an attempt to exin himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely put my all into my job. That Ishihara Taro, should I get someone to keep an eye on him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said calmly, ¡°Why should we? Did he have any past records of being a traitor?¡±

    ¡°How is he not?! He was full of reasons for having eyes on another¡¯s girlfriend!¡± Yin Shixiong was feeling his blood boil. ¡°Who knows what else he will do?! What if his ultimate intention wasn¡¯t what it seemed? For example, getting closer to Nianzhi by getting close to Qiqi?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong rambled everything out to Huo Shaoheng without as much as blinking. He thought, I shall see how much longer you want to pretend for! By not allowing me to keep watch on that jerk, you¡¯re totally using official matters for revenge!

    It seemed like Huo Shaoheng saw through his thoughts. Sternly, he said, ¡°Big Xiong, we have important responsibilities on us. We cannot use them to solve personal problems. You cannot use official methods to take someone down just because that person has his eyes on your girlfriend. Could you get past your conscience if you did that?¡±

    If I don¡¯t do that, then I really wouldn¡¯t be able to get past my conscience... Yin Shixiong thought but did not dare to disobey Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders. Moreover, he knew that Huo Shaoheng was talking sense. If he didn¡¯t have solid evidence that Ishihara Taro was doing things that could threaten the benefits of the country, the Special Forces would never be able to move. If Ishihara Taro was merely interested in Ma Qiqi, it truly didn¡¯t threaten the benefits of the country. It had only threatened the benefits of Yin Shixiong.

    Heaving a long sigh, Yin Shixiong admitted defeat with his head lowered. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, Mr. Huo. Please punish me.¡± His thoughts just now had been really over the limit. As the vice president of the Special Forces, he had thoughts of using official weapons for his personal gain. He really deserved a punishment.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him for a moment before saying slowly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re able to figure things out on your own. Go back and write me a reflection of 5,000 words, and you¡¯re to be suspended from duties for a month. Reflect on yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong was not unhappy upon hearing that. Instead, he was happy. Huo Shaoheng was actually helping him. Yes, they were unable to use what the Special Forces could do just because Ishihara Taro had his eyes on Ma Qiqi. However, as a person, Yin Shixiong could keep an eye on Ishihara Taro and not allow others to get close to his girlfriend.

    The one month of suspension that Huo Shaoheng had given him would end on thest day of the Lunar New Year. He was giving Yin Shixiong a long break in another way! Yin Shixiong left Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office happily and headed off to squeeze out his 5,000-word reflections.

    As for Huo Shaoheng, he had personally gotten in touch with the soldiers who were based in Japan. He got them to look further into whether the Ishihara Corporation had any connections with the Kasahara family.

    Ishihara Baisan was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ssmate. This piece of information was totally new to them, and they hadn¡¯t gotten it from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s side. They had gotten it from the Ishihara side instead. It was because Ishihara Baisan had used a nickname when he attended college in America. It was a western name and had no rtionship to his original Japanese name.

    And it was also pure coincidence for the soldiers who discovered the connection between Ishihara Baisan and Gu Xiangwen. The reason was that the Ishihara family held Gu Xiangwen in extremely high regard. Ishihara Wakashi especially had always used Gu Xiangwen¡¯s academic records to motivate his offspring to work hard and supersede Gu Xiangwen. Therefore, some of the domestic helpers in the Ishihara family knew about this. Had it not been like that, no one would have known about this except for the people within the family.

    Looking at a personal progression chart in front of him, Huo Shaoheng added a new piece of information on it. This was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s progression chart. Huo Shaoheng was working hard to put all the information he knew onto it, so that he would be able to decipher the things that had happened.

    After a day, Huo Shaoheng called Gu Nianzhi and told her about the things that he had discovered. When Gu Nianzhi heard that Ishihara Baisan was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ssmate in college, she suddenly understood why Ishihara Taro¡¯s academic records seemed so eye-catching to her. That feeling was inexplicable before, but she had gotten her answers now.

    ¡°It seems like the Ishihara family had been looking upon my father as their biggestpetitor all this time.¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled, her tone was full of nothing but disgust.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and replied gently, ¡°Only people who can never surpass someone would take that person as apetitor. Ishihara Baisan must have not been better than Mr. Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously as she edited her thesis on herputer and replied to Huo Shaoheng casually, ¡°That is definite. Who knows, he might havemitted suicide because he couldn¡¯t be better than my father academically. Don¡¯t all these Japanese have something about having the qualities of a ¡®Samurai¡¯? Haha, to put it bluntly, they are just a group of cowards who are unable to face any forms of failure.¡±

    COMMENT

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He sat up straight and asked, ¡°What did you say just now again? Repeat.¡±

    1Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands stopped typing. ¡°What did I say?¡±

    ¡°The sentence at the beginning.¡±

    ¡°Hemitted suicide because he couldn¡¯t be better than my father academically?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her beautiful full brows. ¡°It was merely a passing casual remark. There¡¯s no evidence behind it! You¡¯re taking it for real?¡±

    Of course Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t take it for real all because of a mere sentence. He must have had evidence. All they could gather about Gu Xiangwen online was nothing but his academic records. Eventually, he even stopped publishing articles altogether, and therefore, there was no more news of him.

    And in his existing academic records, his first major discovery was the breakthrough in the research of the blue star¡¯s maic field. It was during the same year that Gu Xiangwen had that breakthrough that Ishihara Baisanmitted suicide.

    That year, Gu Xiangwen was only in his twenties. However, Ishihara Baisan was already over 30 years old. Although both of them were ssmates, it was clear that Gu Xiangwen was more of a genius than Ishihara Baisan.

    Huo Shaoheng told Gu Nianzhi about this discovery.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°Ishihara Baisan was really such a sore loser? Was he doing research on the same thing as well?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the information that the soldiers based in Japan had sent back and nodded. ¡°Not only was he doing research on the same thing, he had all the help he wanted from the Japanese government.¡±

    However, Gu Xiangwen was doing the research based solely on his own resources.

    He had much fewer resourcespared to Ishihara Baisan, but his results were a knockoutpared to Ishihara Baisan¡¯s.

    What did this mean? It meant that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s capabilities were also an instant knockoutpared to Ishihara Baisan¡¯s. With all that, there was a possibility that Ishihara Baisan would be so mad that he couldn¡¯t bear to live with that inferiority and just took his own life.

    When Ishihara Baisan died, the research of the blue star¡¯s maic field that was funded by the Japanese army had toe to a halt, because having a breakthrough discovery in physics was different than having a breakthrough discovery in biology.

    In order to achieve a breakthrough discovery in biology, one could utilize the help of many by investing their time and effort so that they could have some progress. However, when it came to high energy physics, it was an area that could only be improved upon by a genius who specialized in that area.

    Each and every major breakthrough in high energy physics was a major contribution from the genius schrs. And to have such geniuses, a country would be considered lucky if they could have one in a period of time.

    Therefore, when Ishihara Baisan took his own life, the experiment on the blue star¡¯s maic field could not be continued. The Japanese army had no choice but to let the entire research go to waste.

    After exining all that, Huo Shaoheng fell silent. He had remembered that there was research that was a coboration between the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s army and the institute of high energy physics. If he remembered correctly, it had something to do with maic fields as well...

 Chapter 932 - A Scheming Mind

    <h4>Chapter 932: A Scheming Mind</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was the maic field again.

    Huo Shaoheng switched hisputer on in silence and managed to locate the dissertation that Gu Xiangwen had written. He paid for the dissertation and had it downloaded onto hisputer. He then started perusing the material in detail. However, he could not understand the dissertation, as it involved a different field of study. He had a good grasp of the theories in theputing field, but the dissertation discussed theoretical aspects of high energy physics.

    He recognized individual words, but when those same words were strung together, he couldn¡¯tprehend what they were saying.

    Helpless, he forwarded the dissertation to his mother, Song Jinning. She was an expert in that area and had been restarting an experiment at that time. He called her up.

    Song Jinning had just returned to her office from theboratory when she saw the iing call from Huo Shaoheng. Surprised, she swiped her phone to answer it. ¡°Shaoheng? I don¡¯t recall the sun rising from the west today,¡± she teased as she walked back into her office and sat down behind her desk.

    His calm voice spoke from her phone. ¡°Ms. Song, I just sent you a dissertation regarding research on maic fields. Could you please take a look at it and summarize the main points for me in a way that I can understand?¡±

    ¡°Research on maic fields? Son, why are you interested in high energy physics?¡± Song Jinning switched on herputer and opened up her email inbox and found his email.

    She opened the attached dissertation, gave it a skim, and said, ¡°This is an old paper that¡¯s considered to haveid the foundation and starting point in the research of Blue in all countries. Why? Is there a problem?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, enunciating every word, ¡°This was written by Kevin-Ku, who is Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Song Jinning stood up in surprise. ¡°Is it really Nianzhi¡¯s father?! Haha. This is wonderful. When will you ask him out? We, as future inws, can hold a good chat together and an academic discussion at the same time! To think that I said only Nianzhi is worthy of you. Now that I know about her father, it looks like you are the one standing to gain. Did you know that Kevin-Ku is a rare talent in the field of physics? I wonder if he will even agree to let his daughter marry you. After all, you do not dabble in the field of physics...¡± Song Jinning expressed some sort of regret at that.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song, let us stay on topic and not side-track too much.¡± Huo Shaoheng knocked on the keyboard in front of him as if nothing had happened.

    He would never let Song Jinning know that he didn¡¯t need any approval from Gu Xiangwen, as he was already married to his daughter. Thus, it had been inurate for Ms. Song to say ¡°future inws.¡± She should have said ¡°inws¡± instead.

    1For confidential reasons, Huo Shaoheng had never told Song Jinning about what had happened to Gu Xiangwen. As a result, Song Jinning only knew about Kevin-Ku. She was unaware that Gu Xiangwen was actually Kevin-Ku.

    Simrly, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t known that the eminent figure in the international academic world, Kevin-Ku, was actually Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, the person who they had been searching for. He had only recently learned the truth about his identity from Xie Dezhao.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s admiration for Gu Xiangwen grew at the thought of it. The man was truly brilliant. Not only was he able to leave his mark in this world, but he was also able to do it in such a way that unless it was by pure coincidence, no one would have gotten wind of any information on him.

    All these matters seemed almost like they urred coincidentally, but could there be some sort of a connection between them? Perhaps it was simr to the person who had managed to use the golden coin to his advantage. Maybe Gu Xiangwen was also an expert in that department.

    The dissertation written by Gu Xiangwen was both foundational and ground-breaking, but viewed in modern times, it was not too technical. Each country had already made progress leaps and bounds ahead of this with the research they had done based on the foundation built upon his dissertation.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly understood what the paper was about after a brief exnation from Song Jinning.

    Ishihara Baisan and Gu Xiangwen must have worked on the same potentially ground-breaking research, as it then was, at the same time. However, Gu Xiangwen had achieved a breakthrough in his research first and had his dissertation published in the most well-known international magazine in physics. Thus, he had be the ¡°Father of Maic Fields.¡±

    Ishihara Baisan, who had been secretlypeting against him, couldn¡¯t stand his sess. Then again, the both of them did physics, so if he could not ept that, could it be that Ishihara Baisan had always been the pioneer, so he couldn¡¯t take it when he was surpassed by Gu Xiangwen?

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and stopped himself from mulling over the reason why Ishihara Baisan hadmitted seppuku.

    Besides, the Huaxia Empire only stood to gain from his death. Why should he care about the reason behind it? The right-wing was only any good without the Japanese in it.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was absorbed in a nerve-wracking final review. She hadpleted her dissertation atst and had printed it out before she sent it over to He Zhichu. As her tutor, he was the one responsible for giving it a final review.

    After dinner, Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi carried their schoolbags along and headed to the library. They nned to do somest-minute revision work.

    They met Ishihara Taro at the library. He didn¡¯t speak to them. He acted as if he didn¡¯t know them, instead conversing andughing intimately with their school counselor, Gui Suyao.

    The two of them brushed past Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi. Gui Suyao was only focused on Ishihara Taro. She waspletely unaware that the students who had just walked past her were Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi. Ishihara Taro, on the other hand, recognized them but didn¡¯t start a conversation with them. With raised brows and a slight smile, he nced at them.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled Ma Qiqi over as something came to her mind. In a soft voice, she asked, ¡°Qiqi, is Ishihara Taro someone that Counselor Gui just got to know recently, or did they already know each other before? Do you know?¡± Ma Qiqi was better acquainted with their ssmates and thus knew thetest gossip.

    Since Gu Nianzhi asked, she whispered to her in a hushed tone, ¡°... I heard that they got to know each other before Christmas, outside of school. Counselor Gui was so thrilled when Ishihara Taro transferred over to our school. It¡¯s rumored that he only transferred to our school because of Counselor Gui.¡±

    A romantic move like that wouldn¡¯t just charm an eighteen or neen-year-old girl; it would have the same effect on a maturedy like Gui Suyao, who was about twenty-six to twenty-seven years old.

    Gu Nianzhi gazed pensively in the direction that Gui Suyao and Ishihara Taro had disappeared in. She had an inkling that what Ishihara Taro did might not be as simple as throwing the golden coin.

    ¡°They knew each other before Christmas?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. A story on everyone¡¯s lips.¡±

    ¡°How did they meet? Did anyone share details about it?¡± Interested, Gu Nianzhi grabbed onto Ma Qiqi as she asked for more details.

    Those who like to gossip find no greater pleasure than sharing juicy details with others.

    Ma Qiqi pulled her into the corridor of the library and whispered, ¡°... Of course there were rumors about it. Did you really think that Counselor Gui would keep mum with a chance like this?¡±

    ¡°And what did they say?¡±

    ¡°I heard that Counselor Gui sprained her ankle when she was shopping at Scion za. Then, she happened to meet a handsome Japanese who lent her a helping hand. He helped take her home, and he brought a physician over to her house the very next day. They got close quickly because of that,¡± Ma Qiqi said excitedly.

    Gu Nianzhi squinted at her. ¡°Really? They already knew each other before Christmas? Then why didn¡¯t he attend the Christmas ball? Counselor Gui was able to bear not showing him off?¡±

    ¡°I heard that Ishihara Taro was invited to the ball, but he couldn¡¯t make it, because he had to apany his grandfather, who had just traveled to China. He even told her not to get angry, because they would have plenty of time together, and they didn¡¯t need to rush into things. After that, as you already know, he transferred to our school. Now he¡¯s hanging out with Counselor Gui again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°But previously, Ishihara Taro seemed like he was interested in our Ma Qiqi!¡±

    Embarrassed, Ma Qiqi gave her a nudge. ¡°Enough of that already. I only spoke a few words to him before, and everyone just kicked up a blind fuss about it. Even Counselor Gui got upset.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So that was when rumors about them knowing each other at an earlier time started to spread, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi analyzed carefully. ¡°Looks like someone got jealous and decided to lead others into her narrative.¡±

    In no time, the whys and wherefores of the ¡°story on everyone¡¯s lips¡± were made abundantly clear.

    Ma Qiqi thought about it for a while, and then broke into augh. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t mentioned this, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed the timing in the sequence of events.¡±

    ¡°It looks like Counselor Gui really got jealous and decided to release details about how she had gotten to know Ishihara Taro at an earlier time.¡±

    Ma Qiqi pursed her lips. ¡°Please. I have a boyfriend. Who wants to be fighting with her over that little Japanese guy? Besides, I¡¯m a few years older than him, and I don¡¯t like guys that are younger than me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯ve got good taste.¡±

    In her mind, though, she pondered if Ishihara Taro could be linked to the incident that had happened to her and He Zhichu on the road after they left Bar Jinling on Christmas night.

    After all, he had attempted to cause her death at least twice. Gu Nianzhi had also experienced an explicable and even more hazardous situation recently, before the two incidents. She was only able to escape from the situation with He Zhichu due to his special car.

    1Initially, she hadn¡¯t drawn a connection between Ishihara Taro and the night train break malfunction incident, because before now, there hadn¡¯t seemed to be a connection between the two.

    After hearing what Ma Qiqi said, she found it suspicious that Gui Suyao and Ishihara Taro had be close with one another just before Christmas.

    Perhaps Gui Suyao was the connection between her ident and Ishihara Taro.

 Chapter 933 - The Last to Turn the Tide (1)

    <h4>Chapter 933: The Last to Turn the Tide (1)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suspicions were certainly warranted.

    She analysed the matter with He Zhichu after the event and came to the conclusion that since the ident was not incidental, someone must have leaked the information or even colluded with someone else.

    Gu Nianzhi had a history with Gui Suyao, and not a minor one. If for some reason Ishihara Taro had enlisted the help of Gui Suyao, it didn¡¯t mean anything difficult. She just had to make a call to him and report Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts to him.

    Could her breakthrough lie with Gui Suyao?

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the library and forced herself to focus on her books instead. She revised and went through the examination materials once more.

    Even if she wanted to do something about Gui Suyao, she would have to wait until after graduation. There were only two weeks left. The first week of the remaining two weeks would be spent revising, and the second week would be the week of examinations. The school¡¯s winter vacation would start after that, and she would have to defend her graduation dissertation on thest day of the examination week.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to think about Gui Suyao for the time being, but it was difficult for her to stop thinking about it.

    ...

    Gui Suyao and Ishihara Taro kissed and embraced each other as they walked into the bedroom.

    1The apartment was one that she rented off-campus. It was a small one-bedroom apartment with a clean and fresh look to it. The linen curtain was of a white and lc decorative design, while the homeware was of a natural wood color. In the middle of the living room stood a wooden teapoy with a Tu Ding vase ced on top of it. The vase was filled with the stalks of winter jasmine that Ishihara Taro had sent her.

    It wasn¡¯t winter jasmine¡¯s blooming season, so they must have been nted in a special garden enclosure. The stalks may have looked unremarkable, but for the winter jasmine to have flourished and been arranged in the way they had was something that ordinary people couldn¡¯t do unless they paid for it.

    Ishihara Taro had just turned eighteen and was eight to nine years younger than Gui Suyao. His face revealed his young age, as he looked like a youth.

    She never expected that the heir to a Japanese Corporation, a handsome Japanese with an aura of nobility, would fancy her. At longst, the heaven had finally bestowed good fortune upon her. This handsome youth was finally her close confidante.

    The two of them rolled onto bed and started making love in no time. After they were done, Ishihara Taro leaned against the headboard and started to smoke. He wore an indifferent expression on his face.

    Gui Suyao wrapped the nket around herself and propped her head on a pillow. She looked at him adoringly and said, ¡°Taro, will you really be able to convince your grandfather?¡±

    Ishihara Taro blew the smoke in her direction, smiled, and said, ¡°Of course. I¡¯m his only grandson. He¡¯ll listen to whatever I say.¡±

    Gui Suyao felt assured and leaned onto his shoulders. At eighteen, Ishihara Taro had a lean frame, a fair and paleplexion, and a prominent vicle. However, he was still powerful in bed, and Gui Suyao was left satisfied. He was not only good-looking and from a reputable family. He was someone who loved her, so it would be strange for her to give him up.

    In that moment, even He Zhichu was thrown to the back of her mind. She could only focus on Ishihara Taro.

    She was a doctoral student of He Zhichu, and she also had to take the final examinations. However, she had been hanging around with Ishihara Taro recently and had not been revising her studies at all. She could potentially fail her examinations, but she didn¡¯t care about that anymore. As long as she could marry Ishihara Taro, it no longer mattered to her whether or not she obtained her doctorate.

    Ishihara Taro finished smoking his cigarette. He turned around and saw how smitten Gui Suyao was with him andughed as he leaned down again...

    After they made out once more, Gui Suyao hugged Ishihara Taro and stopped him from turning over. She whispered in his ear, ¡°... Gu Nianzhi has already returned, and she is fine.¡±

    His body stiffened, and he pushed her away slowly. Then he sat up and said coldly, ¡°Whether she is fine or not, what does that have to do with me?¡±

    Gui Suyao froze. She sat up in haste and said anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t you want her dead?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ishihara Taro raised his voice and thundered, ¡°When did I ever want her dead? Don¡¯t spout such nonsense!¡±

    Gui Suyao was beginning to get the picture and quickly made her fidelity known. ¡°Taro, don¡¯t worry. I will not betray you. Besides, if you can kill her, I¡¯ll be the happier one.¡±

    Ishihara Taro gave her a nce and slowly leaned back against the headboard. He felt like smoking again.

    He felt around the nightstand for cigarettes. After quite some time, he finally found a pack of Yunyan cigarettes. He looked at the pack, took out a cigarette, and held it in the side of his mouth. After some time, he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want her dead. It¡¯s just that the heavens want her dead, and nobody can stop that. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Gui Suyao beamed with happiness. ¡°But of course! It has nothing to do with us at all!¡±

    This was the best answer. It saved her from having to create an alibi.

    The two of them then spoke for a while longer. Before he left her apartment, Gui Suyao promised him to keep an eye on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts.

    ...

    On the weekend, Gu Nianzhi decided to return to the house she had bought in Hepingli.

    Ma Qiqi was thoroughly surprised. ¡°There is only one week left before final examinations. Isn¡¯t it a waste of time for you to be travelling to and fro?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her mischievously and proceeded to make an annoying remark. ¡°I¡¯ve already finished revising what I need to, so next week I n to let myself rx before taking final exams.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Get out!¡± As expected, Ma Qiqi was roused by what she had said. ¡°I am also a high-achieving student! I just pale inparison to high-achieving students of your caliber! I don¡¯t want to see you again!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, dear Qiqi. I will just be staying off-campus. I will bring you breakfast every morning, and I will have dinner with you every night before I leave. Rest assured that I won¡¯t leave you alone,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she winked at Ma Qiqi.

    Captivated by her sudden flirtatious expression, Ma Qiqiughed, and she flicked Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°Okay, I will forgive you this time. Don¡¯t you dare be so arrogant next time. If you do, I¡¯ll make you highlight the main points of our examination for me as punishment!¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem!¡± Gu Nianzhi managed to pacify Ma Qiqi atst. She then went to pack her belongings into a simple suitcase and left B University, dragging it along.

    The moment she stepped out of the school grounds, she felt someone tailing her. She could tell that they were not anyone from the Special Operations Forces. Members of the Special Operations Forces were very skillful. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect them if they didn¡¯t want to be discovered. The people that were tailing her were clearly novices.

    Gu Nianzhi felt confident and reassured the moment she remembered that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men were still protecting her behind the scenes. She was still brave enough to battle it out with Ishihara Taro.

    When the stealthy individuals were out of sight, Gu Nianzhi dragged her suitcase and headed in the direction of Hepingli Precinct. The precinct was actually not far away from B University. If she were to walk by the shortcuts, it would only take her about twenty minutes, which wasn¡¯t that much slower than traveling to the precinct by car. Gu Nianzhi still had her car parked in the underground garage at Hepingli Precinct and nned onmuting to school with it in the future.

    Twenty minutester, she entered the main entrance of Hepinli Precinct. The people who were tailing her loitered around the entrance before they all dispersed and left. The precinct was one that was managed more strictly. Non-owners would have to produce their identification documents and have themselves registered before they would be allowed to enter.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her house with an ess card and saw that it was bathed in warm sunlight. It was only then she felt herself gradually calm down. She then took in a deep breath.

    The game had officially begun between Ishihara Taro and Gu Nianzhi.

    Who would be the one to turn the tide?

 Chapter 934 - The Last to Turn the Tide (2)

    <h4>Chapter 934: The Last to Turn the Tide (2)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    On Saturday morning, Gu Nianzhi arrived at her apartment in the Hepingli Precinct. No one had been to her apartmenttely, and it showed. Although the windows were tightly shut, the windowsills and furniture were still covered with a fineyer of dust. Gu Nianzhi was content with that. The apartment was her little sanctuary, and she did not n on letting just anyone in, even if they were just part-time maids.

    After putting her suitcase andptop bag away, she walked into the kitchen, found a clean piece of cloth, and started cleaning up her apartment meticulously. First, she wiped off theyer of dust with a dry cloth. Then, she wiped it down again with wet wipes and disinfected the area at the same time. By the time she had cleaned up a few rooms and made sure that they were spick and span, three hours had passed.

    She could not even stand up straight. Gu Nianzhi threw herself onto the bouncy corner sofa andid on her back. She covered her eyes with one arm and refused to budge for a long time.

    When she finally caught her breath, her stomach started growling. It was time for lunch. Rubbing her belly, she sat up from the sofa and remembered that she did not quite know how to cook...

    She was going to be alone at the apartment for two days. How should dinner be settled? There were only bottles of water in the fridge and no food at all. There might just be some rice stored in the kitchen cab but besides that, there was nothing else to eat.

    She could go out to buy groceries, order food for delivery, or eat out. After weighing her options for a while, she made the firm decision to eat out. Even if she brought groceries home, she could not quite cook, so why let them go to waste? Ordering food for delivery on the other hand would be cumbersome given the number of uncontroble factors involved and was not a suitable choice for her at the moment. Besides, she would only be able to introduce more variables into Ishihara Taro¡¯s algorithm if she went out more.

    The corner of her lip curled, forming a sly smile. She walked into her bedroom and grabbed her small backpack when she saw herself in the mirror sporting a fox-like smile. She quickly smoothed the corners of her lips, toned down her smile, and sported a more natural looking one.

    Exiting the apartment, Gu Nianzhi entered the elevator, pressed the buttons, and went straight down to the ground level. At the time, there were not many people leaving the apartment. In fact, she was the only one who did so. She zoned out looking into the mirror in the elevator. The elevator was an important variable.

    By the time Gu Nianzhi got out of the elevator, she had already calcted the probability of there being an elevator mishap. If she were Ishihara Taro, she would definitely not let go of the elevator as an opportunity to strike. The elevator made a great tool.

    After exiting from the main entrance of Hepingli Precinct, there was a quiet pathway. If one walked through the pathway, continued straight ahead, turned left, then walked forward for about another 200 meters, there would be amercial street.

    From breakfast congee stalls that operated only in the morning to fine dining restaurants providing sumptuous banquets that operatedte into the night, everything was avable there. The ce was a paradise for people like Gu Nianzhi who possessed terrible culinary skills.

    Gu Nianzhi went into a few stalls at random and found one that was eptable to her. She bought a basket of soup dumplings and a bowl of millet porridge. Then she saw thick, crispy Chinese crullers being sold and could not resist buying a stick of them. She also bought a bowl of salted bean curd and packed everything into food containers as takeout.

    After walking down the street, she realized that what she bought was food for breakfast, but it was already noon. Gu Nianzhi stopped walking and found an expensive looking restaurant. She went in, ordered a few dishes, and sat by the window as she stared nkly at the scenery outside.

    There was a colored pebbled sidewalk outside and nted along the sidewalk were parasol trees. All the leaves on the parasol trees had fallen off as it was winter, leaving only bare branches on the trees. Further ahead was the main road. Although it was winter, the traffic was still heavy, and the streets were still bustling with life.

    A small evergreen shrub was nted underneath the windowsills. It remained verdant and lush despite it being winter. On Christmas, it could double as a mini Christmas tree and be decorated with fairy lights.

    There were not many people in the restaurant. Gu Nianzhi did not gaze outside for long before two people pushed open the doors and came into the restaurant. They looked like a couple. They then sat somewhere near Gu Nianzhi. They sat close to each other with their heads huddled together as they whispered intimately to each other. If they had not nced from the corners of their eyes at Gu Nianzhi so often, she would really have believed that they were a couple...

    Soon, the dishes she ordered were served. There was a te of golden yellow caramelized bananas that she nned to eat for dessert, a dish made up of tender, milky m meat in clear broth, a dish of minced saut¨¦ed soft tofu that had a pale yellow color to it, and a bowl of fragrant Thai rice. They were set down on the table, piping hot. Incredibly famished, Gu Nianzhi focused on the dishes in front of her.

    Everyone in the restaurant noticed her, the girl by the window who looked about 18 or 19. They saw how she ate with gusto, and it really whetted their appetite. They also wondered about the wonderful spread she was having. While there were not many dishes in front of her, they were of sufficient serving size to feed two men, but she managed to clean her te.

    Insatiable, she stared at the empty tes in front of her after she was done eating, itching to lick the tes clean. The chef was so d upon seeing this that he kept rubbing his palms together. That customer really did like his dishes! There was nothing more pleasant to a chef than this.

    In his moment of excitement, the chef got someone to pass Gu Nianzhi a 20 percent discount card and said that as long as she came to his restaurant, she would get a 20 percent discount, which would be effective for life. Gu Nianzhi did not expect that she would get so lucky just by having lunch and smiled at the waiter, her eyes forming the shape of crescent moons.

    COMMENT

    Although she was born beautiful, when she was younger, her looks were more on the cute side. As an adult now, her eyes exuded a more gentle and delicate charm. She smiled innocently at the waiter, and this made his heart pound. Her smile was bright and beautiful like the first snow on plum blossoms in winter. Underneath the pure white snow was a crimson color that peeked out, making it all the more appealing.

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Gu Nianzhi epted the 20 percent discount card. She then wrote a 20 percent tip on the bill, effectively returning almost all of the discounted amount.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head. The waiter could not see her face but still felt dazzled by her. Although they were at the restaurant, he felt like they were at a garden. What he saw was breathtaking and was like a scene out of a dream. He held onto both the card and bill, returned to the checkout counter, and came back to his senses gradually.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely unaware of all that. She packed up and waited for the waiter to return her the card. Her gaze was still fixed on the sidewalk outside. During her meal, she counted that there were about 98 people who walked by the sidewalk outside the window. Of these 98 people, she wondered how many of them were residents of the ce and how many of them were just people in transit. All of this would affect the algorithm.

    The waiter came back and returned the card to Gu Nianzhi, then mustered his courage and said, ¡°Our restaurant has invited a chef from overseas toe by for a food exhibition tomorrow. Miss, if you are free and avable, please doe by.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw how polite and generous the crew of the restaurant was, and since the food was to her liking, she epted the offer unreservedly. ¡°Sure, I will be here again tomorrow. Thank you, handsome.¡±

    The waiter turned red at what she blurted out casually and walked her out personally. He even helped her with the curtain at the entrance and pushed the door open for her.

    When she returned to the apartment, she stored the remnants of her breakfast in the refrigerator and nned to finish them in two sittings. She would have some at supper and some for breakfast the next day.

    Even if she were to stroll the streets every day, she only wanted to get out of the apartment once. She was actually toozy to do otherwise. And so, Saturday passed by just like that.

    The next day was Sunday, and Gu Nianzhi slept in. When she woke up, it was already noon. For lunch, she ate the breakfast leftovers from the day before. Then she showered, changed her clothes, tidied up the apartment, and looked at her schedule for next week.

    She made some changes to her schedule and soon after, came to the realization that it was already four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. She slowly packed her suitcase once again and lifted it downstairs. This time, she made her way to the apartment¡¯s underground parking lot. The shy red custom-made Ferrari gifted to her by Huo Shaoheng was parked there. Gu Nianzhi tossed her suitcase into the backseat, pulled open the door, and sat in the driver¡¯s seat.

    She only felt confident driving the car after checking the condition of the car and making sure that everything was in order. Her car had already been driven out of the Hepingli Precinct for a substantial amount of time when the people who were loitering in front of the main entrance discovered that she had actually driven off!

    Gu Nianzhi drove to the restaurant that she had visited the day before and parked her car by the roadside. It was barely five o¡¯clock in the afternoon and far too early for anyone to have dinner. This was why it was not difficult for her to find a parking spot.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the door open and entered the restaurant. The waiter from the day before came running to her with a smile on his face. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here.¡±

    COMMENT

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m here to try some signature dishes of the chef your restaurant specially invited.¡±

    ¡°Please have a seat here. This is our special menu for today. The kitchen has already started its preparations. If you wish to make any orders, any dishes ordered now will be the freshest.¡± The waiter warmly described the special dishes of the day to her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the menu with concentration and picked a few dishes that she had not tried before and which Ma Qiqi would like. The waiter took the menu back cheerfully and ryed the orders to the kitchen.

    Since there were not many people, and because the chef wanted to try his hand at it first, the four dishes that Gu Nianzhi ordered were well-made and cooked quickly. Gu Nianzhi only had finished eating one dish and requested that the waiter pack the remaining three dishes as takeout.

    The waiter saw that this time she only finished one dish, even though she ordered four of them, and thought that it was because she did not enjoy the dishes. He could not help but ask curiously, ¡°Do the dishes not suit your taste?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled as she said, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. These dishes are delicious. I want to bring them back and share them with a friend of mine because they¡¯re just so good!¡±

    The waiter brightened up again after the situation was made clear. He packed the food away with care and personally showed Gu Nianzhi to the door. However, when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red luxury car parked by the side of the road, he could not help but treat her even more respectfully. Gu Nianzhi got into the car, waved at him, and drove off in no time. Once she left, several others got into their cars and drove off in the same direction.

    Gu Nianzhi drove straight back to University B and parked her car at the school¡¯s parking lot. She was out of practice, as this was one of the few asions that she drove, hence, she did not drive fast. A journey that would take her only 20 minutes by foot took her 30 minutes by car.

    When she returned to the dormitory, Ma Qiqi cheered enthusiastically, which made her feel that her trip back was worth it. ¡°Nianzhi, where did you get all these delicious dishes of food from?! They¡¯re so good, I could finish them all by myself!¡± Ma Qiqi grabbed a small bowl in high spirits and scooped a bowl of rice for herself. She had already eaten dinner, but then again, a delicious meal was right in front of her; having another meal was not impossible.

    Gu Nianzhi waved at her. ¡°Take your time. I¡¯m going to the library.¡±

    After two days of rest, she resumed her daily routine at school. Just like before, she only went to the library, the cafeteria, and her dormitory every single day.

    ...

    A week had passed, and Ishihara Taro was in his high-rise apartment at Sanhuan. He sat with his arms crossed and eyes shut as his subordinate reported the whereabouts of Gu Nianzhi to him.

    ¡°Young master, there have been some changes to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s schedule this week. She didn¡¯t stay in school the entire time and went to her apartment over the weekend. She¡¯s staying there alone. In the morning, she went out for a meal, and the rest of her day was spent in the precinct. The security in that precinct is very tight. As of now, we can¡¯t just sneak in there, lest we alert anyone inadvertently.¡±

    ¡°Young master, there¡¯s a restaurant that Gu Nianzhi frequents. She went there two days in a row now. Someone there even gave her a 20 percent discount card.¡±

    ¡°Young master, Gu Nianzhi returned to school from the apartment. This time, no one was there to pick her up. She walked to the apartment but drove a Ferrari sports car back when she returned.¡±

    Ishihara Taro widened his eyes suddenly. ¡°A Ferrari sports car? Her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an extremely luxurious custom-made Ferrari sports car. ording to the information previously given by Miss Gu Yanran, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Ferrari was a Valentine¡¯s Day gift from her ex-boyfriend, Huo Shaoheng, while they were still together. They broke up after the incident in Germany.¡±

 Chapter 935 - The Last to Turn the Tide (3)

    <h4>Chapter 935: The Last to Turn the Tide (3)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Are you sure that they broke up?¡± Ishihara Taro asked skeptically.

    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true,¡± he said confidently. ¡°In addition to Miss Gu Yanran, we have an anonymous ally confirming it.¡±

    Ishihara Taro knew that, apart from Gu Yanran, the Ishihara Corporation had another ally who had helped them out in the past, a low-key yet formidable ally.

    In terms of his identity, apparently, even his grandfather, Ishihara Wakashi, was not too clear on that.

    It was unfortunate that his whereabouts were a mystery. The ally had never met up with them directly and had always contacted them over the phone.

    However, even their calls would not go through at present.

    When Ishihara found out that the ally had confirmed it, he was no longer doubtful.

    ¡°Haha, he actually got her a Ferrari as a Valentines¡¯ Day gift. No wonder she has no regard for me.¡±

    Ishihara Taro raised his head and pondered in silence for a while. He then returned to his room and started entering the events into his form. First, he worked out the probability and, after calcting feverishly, managed to deduce the various possible consequences.

    .....

    Ishihara Taro was sopletely wrapped up in his calctions that he forgot about his meals and neglected sleep. In the meantime, Gu Nianzhi returned to her dormitory.

    Thest week of studying had ended and the exams would begin the next week.

    Ma Qiqi pushed open the door and saw that Gu Nianzhi had returned. She¡¯d brought breakfast back with her and wasdling a small bowl of congee for her.

    ¡°Nianzhi! My kind and hardworkingdy! Let me take your hand in marriage!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s stomach had been growling all night from hunger so she grinned from ear to ear when she saw the delicious spreadid out on the table. She rushed over to Nianzhi and gave her a tight hug.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed her away hastily and smiled as she said, ¡°It¡¯s all from the store. I¡¯m not the kind and hardworkingdy you speak of. You might as well get married to a chef!¡±

    Ma Qiqi made a face at her. ¡°I¡¯m just saying it, don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and pinched her cheeks. ¡°Quick, have your breakfast, I even made you coffee. Drink it quickly and do well on your exams.¡±

    They would be having their first exams in the morning.

    Since Gu Nianzhi wanted to graduate early, the number of papers that she had to sit for was twice what Ma Qiqi had to sit for.

    Ma Qiqi only had two exams, one in the morning and another in the afternoon.

    On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi had four exams, two in the morning, one in the afternoon and another one in the evening.

    Ma Qiqi knew that Gu Nianzhi was busier than she was. She waved at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be concerned about me, focus on your examinations. How about staying tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll head back straightaway when my exams are over. Are you okay with staying here alone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m only worried about you.¡± Ma Qiqi turned back and looked at Gu Nianzhi. She frowned. ¡°You have so many exams to take, but you still insist on staying off-campus.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just exams.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about them.¡±

    Ma Qiqi was stunned.

    Forget it, she was worried for nothing.

    Ma Qiqi huffed, turned around, and resumed eating her breakfast and drinking coffee.

    Gu Nianzhi made a face at Ma Qiqi¡¯s back, smiled, and walked back to her room.

    She was not at all worried about the exams this week. She was more worried about the sess of her n.

    Once the examinations began, news of her n to graduate in advance had spread across her department, which meant that the Japanese transfer student, Ishihara Taro, knew about it already.

    ...

    The bell rang and Gu Nianzhi walked into the exam hall confidently.

    She got to her seat and saw Ishihara Taro seated right beside her.

    Without shifting her gaze, she sat down, fully prepared for her first exam paper on the Introduction to Law.

    Ishihara Taro did not know much about thew and had not studied the subject before, but he had a good memory, one that was almost eidetic, so he relied onst-minute studying. He¡¯d bought a few copies of notes and study guides and had memorized them all in one night.

    He had chosen to take part in this exam purely to put himself up against Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi sat smiling as she waited for the proctor to pass down the exam scripts.

    Ishihara Taro twirled his pen with an expressionless look on his handsome face. He emitted a cold aura that warned others to keep away from him, attracting the attention of many girls.

    Soon, the proctor entered the exam hall and passed out the exam sheets.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her pen and started scribbling furiously.

    It only took her 45 minutes toplete all of the questions. She gave her answers a check before handing her exam in.

    Astounded, the proctor asked, ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t want to run through your paper once more?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve gone through them already. I still have another exam to take so I have to hand it in now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The proctor nced at her and collected her exam sheet. ¡°You may leave now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly left the exam hall. Then, she dashed towards the venue of her second exam.

    Ishihara Taro had not expected Gu Nianzhi to hand in her exam ahead of time. In the past, he had finished exams early, but to submit an exam script with one and a half hours left to spare was insane!

    He nced moodily at the door, then lowered his head and continued to answer the questions.

    Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, the day had passed.

    Gu Nianzhipleted her fourth exam and handed it in with thirty minutes to spare. She walked out of the ssroom at 8:30 P.M. and headed to the parking lot.

    However, she bumped into Ishihara Taro on the way there.

    He was smoking alone under a tree.

    The sight of Gu Nianzhi walking over was both surprising and unsurprising to him. Aplicated and indescribable feeling stirred inside of him.

    ¡°Miss Gu,¡± he called out to her, a cigarette wedged between his fingers.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and looked at him. ¡°Do I know you?¡±

    ¡°Ishihara.¡± Ishihara Taro walked over and looked at her moodily. ¡°Year 1 students of the Masters of Law program only need to sit for two papers today. Why did you sit for four papers?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brows. ¡°How did you know about the number of papers that I sat for? Are you that interested in the private matters of others?¡±

    ¡°...The examination schedule is posted right on the bulletin board of the department¡¯s office. Can that be considered a private matter?¡± Ishihara Taro rebutted. ¡°Anyone can find out just by looking.¡±

    ¡°Fine, but so what?¡± Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips in disdain. ¡°The papers I¡¯m taking, how are they any of your business?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just asking,¡± Ishihara Taro threw the cigarette butt away with obvious annoyance. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and left without a word.

    This was because she knew that to people like him, information sourced personally was more credible.

    Even if he¡¯d heard information directly, he would not simply take it at face value.

    As expected, Ishihara Taro took this to heart. He gazed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and he whipped out his phone. He rang up Gui Suyao. ¡°Ah Yao, are you free tonight?¡±

    Gui Suyao was studying for a doctorate and her finals consisted of dissertations and open-book exams.

    However, she had not been doing any revision work during this time, so even an open-book exam would pose some difficulty to her.

    Despite that, she nodded without hesitation when answering the call from Ishihara Taro. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m free. What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Well, something¡¯s up.¡± Ishihara Taroughed a little. ¡°I¡¯lle pick you up.¡±

    Gui Suyao agreed happily. She then packed her books and hopped into Ishihara Taro¡¯s car.

    ¡°Ah Yao, that first-year student, Gu Nianzhi, why is she taking four papers?¡± Ishihara Taro asked casually as he drove towards his apartment.

    Gui Suyai was somewhat upset at his mention of another woman in her presence. Still, she said nothing about it because it concerned Gu Nianzhi.

    She knew that Ishihara Taro wanted to deal with Gu Nianzhi. She told him everything she knew. ¡°I only found out about that today. Turns out, she wants to graduate early, which is why she has twice the number of examinable subjectspared to other first-year students.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Ishihara Taro stepped on the brakes all of a sudden.

    The luxurious sportscar screeched from the friction produced by the contact of the wheels and road surface. He came to a halt on the road¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Did you just say that she wants to graduate early?! When?!¡± Ishihara Taro got very nervous.

    Why was he only finding out about this huge news now?!

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s this semester. One week for exams and the weekend for defending the dissertation. I just passed along the message to her today that thest professor on the dissertationmittee has been confirmed.¡± Gui Suyao thought for a moment. ¡°If she graduates and leaves, what will you do? Are you still going to deal with her?¡±

    Ishihara Taro nced at her coldly, turned his head around, and drove back to B University.

    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Gui Suyao asked, surprised. She looked to her side at Ishihara Taro. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you upset?¡±

    Ishihara Taro shook his head. ¡°I just remembered that I forgot to do something. Let me drive you back first. I¡¯ll take you to my grandfather when the exams are over.¡±

    Gui Suyao was initially very upset at how Ishihara Taro was going back and forth with his words. However, upon hearing that she would soon be meeting his grandfather, his only kin, she cheered up immediately...

    If this continued, she would probably be meeting his parents soon!

    Gui Suyao became bashful and asked embarrassedly, ¡°...Isn¡¯t this a little too quick? Will your grandfather mind that I¡¯m older than you are?¡±

    Ishihara Taro might not mind the age difference, but it is unlikely that Gui Suyao felt the same.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. My grandfather is someone who stands to reason,¡± Ishihara Taro said half-heartedly. His expression was as cold as ice.

    Yet, immersed in the sudden feeling of bliss, Gui Suyao could not sense it.

    She thought that Ishihara Taro¡¯s demeanor was just right. She liked the indifference.

    This time, Ishihara Taro sent Gui Suyao straight to the Law Department¡¯s Girls¡¯ Dormitory for postgraduate students.

    This was also unprecedented.

    Gui Suyao was now even more certain that Ishihara Taro nned to bring her to meet his parents and make their rtionship public.

    The car came to a halt. Ishihara Taro did not let Gui Suyao get out of the car immediately. Instead, he held onto her, reluctant to part, and kissed her goodbye.

    The roof of the sportscar was lower than that of normal cars so it was not exactly afortable space for kissing.

    However, Gui Suyao did not feel ufortable at all. On the contrary, she felt even more unwilling to part with him.

    Ishihara Taro raised his arms and looked at his watch while he kissed Gui Suyao.

    It was 9:10 P.M.

    It was almost time.

    Ishihara Taro let go of Gui Suyao, gave her another kiss her on the cheek, and smiled as he said, ¡°Go on in.¡±

    Gui Suyai was reluctant to leave and wanted to stay on a little longer but Ishihara Taro had already released the seatbelt strapped across her. ¡°Go on quick, we still have plenty of time ahead of us.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Ishihara.¡± Gui Suyao got out of the car atst.

    She bowed and waved at the Ishihara Taro, a sweet smile on her face. ¡°Ishihara, see you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Ishihara Taro smiled slightly as he watched Gui Suyao walk into the dormitory.

    Just then, a close ssmate of hers walked out of the library. The two of them stood in the dormitory¡¯s lobby on level one, chatting. They did not get on the elevator immediately.

    Most of the students were still studying by themselves at this time. Gui Suyao and her ssmate were the only ones in the lobby.

    Ishihara Taro smirked.

    Everything was going ording to n. He had decided to use Gui Suyao as target practice.

    That ssmate of hers had the clearest idea of what was going on between him and Gui Suyao...

    He could not guarantee that a tattletale like Gui Suyao would not tell her about his ns to deal with Gu Nianzhi.

    Ishihara Taro started his car with a cold expression on his face. He reversed and drove to the front of the dormitory building. When he was in the blind spot of the surveince camera, he threw a gold coin out of his car in one swift movement.

    The car had just left when the dormitory¡¯s warden, a middle-aged woman, walked out of the boiler room holding a bottle of hot water.

    A streak of golden light on the ground shed before her eyes.

    It was a golden coin!

    She stopped abruptly and wanted to bend over to pick up the gold coin. However, because it was dark, she forgot about the parterre that was right beside her. It stood about one foot tall and was bordered by a cement masonry wall.

    The bottle of hot water knocked against the parterre with a thump. The bottle cracked and broke into pieces, causing the hot water inside to ssh out.

    Since it was winter, the warden had on thickyers of clothes. As a result, she did not sustain any burns to her body and only scalded both of her hands.

    She cried out in pain, no longer thinking about picking up the golden coin. She stretched out her scalded hands and darted to her room.

    Her room on the first floor of the dormitory building was equipped with ointment for burns and scalds.

    Gui Suyao and her ssmate walked towards the elevator after the warden rushed into her room.

    They conversed for precisely 15 minutes, as calcted by Ishihara Taro.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my ointment? Where¡¯s my ointment?¡± The warden was anxious about the pain from the scalds on both her hands. She rushed to where she kept the ointment.

    It was kept in a small built-in cupboard, right beside the main electrical panel of the dormitory building.

    Although the graduate students no longer had to turn off the lights at night by pulling the switch lever, the dormitory was still equipped with this control system because it had originally been built for undergraduate students.

    The warden¡¯s hands were already numbed from the pain at this point, which was inconvenient as she searched the cupboard with limp hands.

    In a moment of anxiousness, she stuck her hands into the cupboard and swept everything out.

    As her hands were injured, she could not control her might or the direction in which she was moving them. Since she was someone with great strength, the built-in cupboard that hung against the wall was almost torn down, affecting the main switch next to it.

    The lights in the building flickered, followed by a power cut to the entire building.

    By that point, Gui Suyao and her ssmate were inside the elevator, which had traveled up to level 12, the topmost floor of the building.

    Since there was a power cut to the entire building, the elevator doors would not open no matter what.

    ¡°How did this happened?!¡±

    ¡°Open the doors! Please open the doors!¡±

    In a panic, Gui Suyao and her ssmate jabbed at the buttons in the elevator and tried to pry open the elevator doors. They were also anxiously dialing up the Security Office.

    It was at this moment that the warden realized that she had pulled the wrong switch. Enduring the pain, she grabbed onto the switch hastily with both hands and pulled it back into ce forcefully!

    The switch that had not been in use for a long time was not able to withstand the repeated push and pull. Before long, the switch emitted streaks of indigo blue sparks and the circuit started to crackle.

    The lights in the entire building lit up all of a sudden, then switched off again, then it lit up again, then switched off.

    This went on until the building plunged intoplete darkness.

    The elevator that Gui Suyao and her ssmate were on malfunctioned due to a short circuit. That, coupled with the random jabbing of buttons inside the elevator by Gui Suyao and her ssmate, caused the elevator to fall from the twelfth floor at a high speed.

    The moment the elevator went out of control, the rapid eleration brought about unthinkable consequences.

    Gui Suyao and her ssmates only had time to let out a shriek before they fell heavily to the ground in the elevator with a loud crash...

 Chapter 936 - The Last to Turn the Tide (4)

    <h4>Chapter 936: The Last to Turn the Tide (4)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The loud crash and vibration caused by the fallen elevator was heard by almost everybody in the building. Everyone was holding their bright phone screens up as they came out of their dorm rooms. They looked at each other in fright along the dark corridors.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I think I heard a loud noiseing from the vicinity of the elevator.¡±

    ¡°I heard that, too. I thought it was an earthquake...¡±

    They chattered on as they raised their phones and walked down the corridor in front of the elevator. The double leaf elevator doors remained shut, unable to open due to the power cut. If anyone wanted to get down, they would have to take the stairs instead.

    The warden suddenly realized what had happened. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± She let out a blood-curdling scream. Panicked, she started making phone calls. She called the School Security Division, the off-campus police, and even the elevator¡¯s maintenance team.

    Five minutester, the ring sound of police sirens was heard approaching the school. Members of the School Security Division were already there.

    The electrician repaired the main switch, but the elevator... The elevator itself was wrecked beyond repair.

    Blood was slowly seeping through the bottom of the elevator, bathing the front of the elevator on the first floor dark red.

    ¡°There are people in the elevator!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear who started shouting first, but everyone suddenly started screaming in fright and running off in different directions. Almost all of the students in the building ran out, some even without their coat on and were thus shivering from the cold in the frosty winter night.

    Ma Qiqi had just returned from her study session and could not help but feel surprised when she saw her ssmates surrounding the front of the dormitory building. She pulled aside a female student who lived on the same floor and asked, ¡°What happened? Why is everybody running out? Is it a fire rm?¡±

    ¡°No... That¡¯s not it...¡± She looked terrified. ¡°There was a problem with the circuit just now, and the elevator malfunctioned. It fell from a great height while there were still people inside...¡± As she spoke, she couldn¡¯t hold herself together anymore, so she found a ce to the side and started vomiting.

    Having heard that, Ma Qiqi turned white and took a few steps back. ¡°Were there really people inside?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I heard. I wouldn¡¯t dare to go downstairs to see it.¡± Another female student approached, pinching her nose. ¡°Qiqi, are you still going upstairs? I¡¯m afraid to stay here. I want to go home...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. The elevator probably malfunctioned. It¡¯ll be fine once it¡¯s been repaired,¡± Ma Qiqi persuaded the female student though she felt perturbed.

    The police came in the blink of an eye and cordoned off the area on the first floor where the elevator had fallen with yellow barricade tape. There was only one working elevator left in the entire building, and the door to the other elevator was closed.

    Everyone stood in a circle in the cold winter night and watched for more than an hour before the faulty elevator waspletely cleaned up.

    The people inside were carried out in body bags.

    None of the students saw what happened. They only heard that of the two female students who died in the elevator, Gui Suyao, their ss counselor, was one of them. Gui Suyao was the counselor of this year¡¯s first-year postgraduate students and had interacted with them fairly frequently. She even coborated with the ssmittee and initiated the recent Christmas ball at Bar Jinling on Christmas Eve. It was hard to swallow that she was no longer there with them when barely half a month had passed.

    Everybody felt a little ufortable.

    Atst, the students were all able to ride the elevator upstairs, but they all chose to take the stairs instead. Until the trauma of the elevator ident dissipated, all of them would probably avoid using it.

    Ma Qiqi followed the rest of the students and returned to her dorm room. She suddenly felt a little scared as she looked around the empty room. She took out her mobile phone, swiped at it for a while, and then called Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Qiqi? It¡¯ste. You¡¯re not asleep yet?¡± Yin Shixiong had been suspended from his duties for a month, so there was no work for him at the moment. He was making arrangements for his marriage proposal back home and intended to bring Ma Qiqi back to his hometown after her exams to meet his parents.

    Trembling, Ma Qiqi sat up in her bed, pulled her quilt close, and said, ¡°There was an elevator ident in our building today. Seems like there were two students inside... They didn¡¯t survive.¡±

    Yin Shixiong froze momentarily, then stood up immediately. ¡°What did you say? Say it again!¡±

    Ma Qiqi felt terrible and was starting to get irritated. She pouted and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said? I said that the elevator in our building broke down, but thankfully I was at the library studying and not in the dorm. If I had been there at the time...¡±

    ¡°Qiqi!¡± Yin Shixiong interrupted her hastily. ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±

    It was only then that Ma Qiqi startedughing. She felt better now. She held her cell phone close to her face, tilted her head, and said, ¡°You¡¯re worried about me.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried about you!¡± Yin Shixiong tut-tutted. ¡°Duh! You stay well and pay attention to safety. Is the dorm still habitable? What about Nianzhi? Did she get a scare from this too?¡±

    Ma Qiqi shook her head and said, ¡°Nianzhi got lucky. She¡¯s been staying at her apartment for thest two weeks, so she didn¡¯t get a scare from this.¡±

    What Yin Shixiong said reminded Ma Qiqi of something. She said, ¡°I need to go. I¡¯m going to call Nianzhi and see if she¡¯s okay with me staying at her ce for a few days.¡±

    Yin Shixiong agreed and hung up the phone. He thought that this was all so unexpected. He paced around his room, scratched his head, and called Huo Shaoheng.

    At that hour, Huo Shaoheng was still in his office working overtime. The period before and after Chinese New Year was the busiest time of the year for senior officials. The lower ranking soldiers could look forward to taking a holiday at the end of the year, but not the senior officials. At this time, those who were on duty were all senior officials of different levels. Huo Shaoheng was not an exception.

    For the past six or seven years, he had been on duty every Chinese New Year. Like the preceding years, he was going to be on duty at his station as well during Chinese New Year this year.

    The switchboard operator connected Yin Shixiong¡¯s call to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng had his Bluetooth earphones on and was performingputer operations. While doing so, he asked, ¡°Big Xiong? What¡¯s the matter? Suspended and unhappy, missing work already?¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed a little. ¡°How could that be?! Master Huo, I¡¯ll get to the point. I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It was 11:30pm. Usually, a matter at that hour would not be something trivial.

    Indeed, Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice deepened as he said softly, ¡°Master Huo, I just heard from Qiqi that the elevator in their dormitory building malfunctioned suddenly. There were still two students in the elevator, and they didn¡¯t survive.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped moving his hands for a moment, then continued typing on the keyboard as if nothing had happened. ¡°Mhm, anything else?¡±

    ¡°Master Huo, are you not worried about Nianzhi at all?!¡± Yin Shixiong almost yelled, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you keep this up, you really won¡¯t have a girlfriend!¡±

    He stopped moving his hands again and proceeded to annihte Yin Shixiong in an unaffected manner. ¡°If you continue to speak to me like that, I¡¯m telling you, you won¡¯t get a wife.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?! I¡¯ll be proposing to her soon!¡± Yin Shixiong rolled his sleeves up in delight. ¡°Even if you¡¯re my superior, it¡¯s impossible for you to break us up.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s said that the poorest garrison in Southwest Africa is shorthanded recently. I¡¯m currently considering whom to deploy...¡±

    Yin Shixiong froze for two seconds, then apologized to Huo Shaoheng, wailing and crying bitterly, ¡°Master Huo, Master Huo, I was wrong! Please don¡¯t send me far away to Africa! At least wait until I get married before you deploy me, please?¡±

    If he got deployed to Africa now, even if Ma Qiqi didn¡¯t mind, Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents would surely object. They would not allow their daughter to follow him to a remote and deste area in Africa, and they would not let her stay apart from her husband at such a young age. Hence, when Huo Shaoheng said that he could be without a wife, he was not exaggerating.

    Huo Shaoheng typed onest word before shutting down hisputer and calmly allowing Yin Shixiong to settle down. ¡°As long as you understand.¡±

    Yin Shixiong sensed that the danger had passed andughed a little. ¡°Master Huo, you possess the grace of a general, indeed. When I received Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone call just now, my heart almost jumped out of my chest.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze turned cold for a second as he rose from behind his desk. He tidied his desk calmly and locked up the items on his desk. Then he said, ¡°The fact that you¡¯re able to call me in high spirits indicates that Nianzhi ispletely fine. To see you getting flustered with something so trivial, Big Xiong, you really let me down.¡±

    ¡°Master Huo, you shouldn¡¯t say that. My behavior is only natural. Qiqi is someone special to me, so even if I know nothing has happened to her, I¡¯d still be worried about her. To be honest, when I think about how dangerous the situation was, how afraid Qiqi must¡¯ve been, and how I couldn¡¯t be by her side, my heart gets restless. I really want to drive over to her now and give her a hug.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt a little sting from his words and interrupted him calmly, ¡°You are currently suspended, so you can visit Qiqi anytime you like. What¡¯s with this public disy of affection? You already have me trampled.¡±

    ¡°Well, I wish, but Qiqi wants to stay at Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. The fact that you¡¯re at ease, you probably sensed it, right? Nianzhi¡¯s lucky she didn¡¯t stay at school this entire week. She¡¯s been staying off-campus at her apartment, driving to and from school every day, living a simple and beautiful life...¡±

    Yin Shixiong was all talk.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°She¡¯s been staying at her apartment?¡± As he spoke, he switched the call to another line and called the Secret Service member who had been protecting Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Master Huo? We are at Miss Gu¡¯s apartment. She has gone back already. Everything is as per usual.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his fist and did not say much. He nodded. ¡°Okay, continue to monitor.¡± After hanging up his call with the Secret Service member, Huo Shaoheng gave Gu Nianzhi a call. However, her phone line was busy. Ma Qiqi happened to be calling Gu Nianzhi at the same time.

    ¡°...Nianzhi! Nianzhi! I¡¯m begging you! Let me stay with you for a few days, please?! There are only four days left until exams are over, then I can go back home!¡± Ma Qiqi held onto her phone as she stomped around the dorm.

    ¡°Huh? Why do you want toe and stay at my ce?¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned against the bed yawning as she hugged her iPad. She rubbed the corners of her eyes and saw that it was almost 12:00am. She wanted to sleep.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you were lucky, so you don¡¯t know about the terrifying ident that happened at our dorm building today!¡± Ma Qiqi gave her a vivid ount of how the elevator fell sharply from the 12th floor and said, ¡°I heard that there were two people inside! One of them was our counselor, Gui Suyao!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat upright at once. Her voice quavered as she asked hoarsely, ¡°What did you say? The elevator... was there really an ident?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Why would I lie to you?! Just now the police, ambnce, fire department, and members of the School Security Division were all here and had the areapletely surrounded. We couldn¡¯t even squeeze our way in to see what was going on!¡± Ma Qiqi shook her fists. ¡°Nianzhi, can I stay at your apartment? I¡¯m really scared!¡±

    For a while, Gu Nianzhi felt rmed. She then shook her head slowly. ¡°Qiqi, I¡¯m sorry, you can¡¯t. You should stay in the dorm. It should be safer.¡± Living with her would be even more unsafe.

 Chapter 937 - The Last to Turn the Tide (5)

    <h4>Chapter 937<strong>: The Last to Turn the Tide (5)</strong></h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Ma Qiqi was stunned. She didn¡¯t expect that Gu Nianzhi would object. She held onto her phone, lost for words, as she sat on her bed. She did not know what to do next.

    The phone was silent on the other end. Gu Nianzhi guessed that Ma Qiqi probably didn¡¯t expect her objection and was in shock. However, the fact of the matter was that she couldn¡¯t allow Ma Qiqi to stay with her for now. She was probably the only one who knew that Ishihara Taro¡¯s actual target was her, Gu Nianzhi.

    The dorm building¡¯s elevator ident must have been a hasty operation carried out by Ishihara Taro after hearing news of her early graduation. Gu Nianzhi also had her own thoughts as to why Gui Suyao was the one in the elevator. But for now, pacifying Ma Qiqi came first, as Gu Nianzhi did not want Ma Qiqi to take it the wrong way.

    Ma Qiqi was her best friend. When she was trapped in Germany with no aid or recourse, Ma Qiqi was the only silly one who desperately thought of ways to help her out of the situation.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself then noticed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s iing call. However, she didn¡¯t answer it. Instead, she held onto her phone and continued to console Ma Qiqi. She said very gently, ¡°Qiqi, don¡¯t overthink it. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you here, it¡¯s just that I ran into a bit of a problem here, and the dorm is actually safer. Just wait a few more days. When exams are over, I¡¯ll pick you up, and you can stay over at my ce, alright?¡±

    Ma Qiqi bit her lips, initially intending to plead with Gu Nianzhi once more, but after listening to what she just said, it really did seem like she had some matters to resolve, so she couldn¡¯t bring it up again. Ultimately, she nodded and said softly, ¡°Alright, I understand. It¡¯ste, let¡¯s go to sleep. Goodnight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kept silent for a while then replied, ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    After hanging up, Ma Qiqi still felt somewhat ufortable. She was not afraid after the incident, but she didn¡¯t understand Gu Nianzhi¡¯s behavior. She yed with her cell phone in low spirits and dialed Yin Shixiong¡¯s number.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, Nianzhi is not letting me stay at her ce.¡± Ma Qiqi sounded moody and was sniffling. It sounded like she was crying.

    When Yin Shixiong heard that, he felt heartbroken. He said hastily, ¡°Qiqi, don¡¯t be afraid. How about I pick you up, and you can stay at my house? I have an apartment outside, too.¡±

    Ma Qiqi snapped out of it and objected immediately. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need for that, Brother Xiong. Maybe Nianzhi really has her own matters to deal with. I¡¯m alright. I¡¯ll talk to you again when exams are over. Bye bye.¡± Ma Qiqi had calmed down atst. She hung up the phone, rolled over, and fell asleep.

    However, Yin Shixiong got worried instead, so he called up Huo Shaoheng quickly andined. ¡°Master Huo, what¡¯s wrong with Nianzhi? She isn¡¯t someone like that! Qiqi told her that she wants to stay at her ce for a few days, but she actually objected to it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not continue to call Gu Nianzhi since her line remained engaged the whole time. He assumed that she would bring Ma Qiqi over to her apartment to stay for a few days. After all, people had just died in the dorm building¡¯s elevator, so it was justifiable for her, ady, to feel afraid. He really didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi would object to Ma Qiqi¡¯s request to stay with her. That was far too unusual.

    Then he thought about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s out-of-the-blue decision to stay off-campus at her own apartment instead of the school dorm. Huo Shaoheng sensed something was amiss. He couldn¡¯t just sit around anymore. He grabbed his coat from the hanger at the door in a hurry, put it on, and left with the car key.

    He did not call his orderly, Fan Jian, to chauffeur him around. Instead, he drove out personally and headed in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Hepingli apartment.

    ...

    Now that Gu Nianzhi knew what happened to the school elevator, she could no longer fall asleep. She got up from her bed and went to the kitchen to warm up some milk. Just then, her cell phone started to ring again.

    Gu Nianzhi checked her phone, and it turned out to be He Zhichu. She answered her phone with a swipe. ¡°Professor He? It¡¯ste. You¡¯re not asleep yet?¡±

    He Zhichu stood in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building as he called her. He was wearing Valentino haute couture. It was an ash-colored, slim-fit, camel fleece, half-length coat. ¡°Nianzhi, are you asleep? You weren¡¯t given a scare today, were you?¡± He had just learned about the elevator ident at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building and went there specially to see her.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head quickly. ¡°I¡¯m alright, Professor He. It¡¯ste. Shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡±

    He Zhichu raised his head and looked in the direction of her dorm room. ¡°I¡¯m at the front of your dorm downstairs. My mind is not at ease. Turn on your lights so that I can see them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. Previously, when she returned from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side, she told He Zhichu that she wanted to stay off-campus at her apartment in Hepingli, and he objected to it at the time. Gu Nianzhi paid lip service to him and secretly stayed off-campus.

    She had adjusted so well in that week that He Zhichu didn¡¯t even realize anything was up. But she could no longer keep this from him now. Gu Nianzhi sighed lightly, took a sip from the ss of milk that she had just taken out of the microwave, and calmly said, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m not staying at the dorm.¡±

    He Zhichu could not respond for a while. Eventually, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in my Hepingli apartment,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied softly. She spoke in a slow and gentle voice as she tried her best in that moment to think of ways to appease He Zhichu.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to go anywhere?¡± He Zhichu raised his voice. He was gripping his cell phone so tightly that it should have been crushed.

    Gu Nianzhiughed a little and said gently, ¡°Professor He, it doesn¡¯t actually matter. You see, my return to the Hepingli apartment caused me to dodge the dorm building¡¯s elevator ident. I missed the danger and also wasn¡¯t frightened by it. Isn¡¯t that great? Besides...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused, stirred the milk with a small silver spoon, and added some cranberry and oatmeal into it. ¡°Besides, since something like that happened in the dorm building, I feel scared. I dare not live there anymore.¡±

    This reason of hers was apt and logical. He Zhichu massaged his temples and was finally willing topromise. ¡°It¡¯s just as well. Then I¡¯ll go pick you up for your exams in the morning and drive you back in the evening when your exams are over. In short, I will have you tied to my side for the next few days.¡±

    Somehow, He Zhichu felt inexplicably uneasy. The elevator mishap in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dorm building was clearly idental, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling that it was a close call for Gu Nianzhi.

    Upon hearing that He Zhichu was going to fetch her to and from school daily, Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. She declined immediately. ¡°Professor He, you don¡¯t have to do that. I¡¯m safe and secure.¡±

    ¡°So what if you¡¯re safe and secure? You don¡¯t want me to pick you up just because you are safe and secure? I¡¯ll only do it for four or five days, anyway.¡± He Zhichu refused to give up.

    Gu Nianzhi got nervous and thought that she might as well bring up Huo Shaoheng to stop him. ¡°Professor He, you really don¡¯t have to. Actually... actually, Master Huo has ns for me. If you get involved, I¡¯m afraid...¡±

    He Zhichu was initially persistent, but after hearing that Huo Shaoheng had his own ns, he hesitated. Then, he asked skeptically, ¡°Huo Shaoheng really made ns?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded profusely. She knew that He Zhichu would not confront Huo Shaoheng, so she made use of that! When things were clearer, she would exin everything to both He Zhichu and Ma Qiqi. Then again, Gu Nianzhi thought of what she wanted to do and dared not tell Ma Qiqi the truth.

    The kitchen was bathed in the soft, yellow glow of the ceiling lights, and the ivory cab stood silently under the warm and gentle illumination. Gu Nianzhi stretched out her hand and gazed at her snow white fingers. They were clean and without a single blemish. Although her hands were small, they still possessed unique strength and energy.

    Gu Nianzhi tightened her fist. Her pretty face wore no expression. She looked like an ice sculpture, elegant yet cold.

    Gu Nianzhi changed the subject in a calm and collected manner. ¡°Professor He, did you know? One of thedies who died in the dorm building¡¯s elevator is our counselor, Gui Suyao. You must be familiar with her? She was also your doctoral student.¡±

    He Zhichu walked towards his car, pulled the door open, and got in. He then drove in the direction of the professor¡¯s building. ¡°Really? It was her?¡± He Zhichu was somewhat surprised.

    Gu Nianzhi drank a mouthful of milk and said, ¡°Professor He, do you still remember the ball our ss held at Bar Jinling on Christmas Eve?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Of course I do. We almost perished at their hands.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I can¡¯t help feeling that there¡¯s a spy among my ssmates who¡¯s been leaking information to the mastermind. It can¡¯t all be so coincidental. We just left the bar¡¯s parking lot and were chased by police cars.¡±

    He Zhichu came to grasp what she was getting at. ¡°Do you mean that Gui Suyao was the person who had been leaking the information?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded silently. ¡°There¡¯s a high probability that it was her.¡± That would exin why Ishihara Taro made her die. The situation could also be worked backwards. Why did Ishihara Taro want Gui Suyao dead? It must be that Gui Suyao knew some unfavorable information about him.

    Aside from the Christmas Ball incident, Gu Nianzhi could not think of any other instances where there was any interaction with Gui Suyao. By the looks of things, the incident where two bags of white powder were tied under He Zhichu¡¯s car was also inextricably linked to Ishihara Taro.

    However, she did not say this out loud. She couldn¡¯t let He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng know who she was suspecting. If they learned about it, then it was likely her n would fall through.

    He Zhichu recalled the events of that night and no longer insisted on picking her up. Instead, he exhorted, ¡°Stick to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ns. Don¡¯t go around outside. I think it¡¯s okay for you to be under his protection here.¡±

    Laughing, Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to the side. ¡°Professor He, you mean you don¡¯t have any prejudice against Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    He Zhichu coughed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any prejudice against him. As long as he treats you well, I have no objections.¡±

    Touched, Gu Nianzhi was choked up. She only managed to hold back her tears by chugging down some hot milk, and she said to him in a soft voice, ¡°Mhm, thanks Professor He. Well then, goodnight.¡±

    Professor He bade her goodnight and hung up the phone.

    In the kitchen, Gu Nianzhi drank the remaining hot milk in silence. When she was done, she washed the cup and headed to the dormitory. Just then, she heard the doorbell ring.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She switched off the lights in the apartment in a hurry, picked up the baseball bat that was at the corner of the wall, and waited, in silence, by the wall that was behind the door.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door. He pushed open the door and said immediately, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s me.¡±

 Chapter 938 - The Last to Turn the Tide (6)

    <h4>Chapter 938: The Last to Turn the Tide (6)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice! Gu Nianzhi sighed deeply before hugging her baseball bat and sliding down against the wall. She wasn¡¯t being sensitive but had truly been too anxious earlier. She thought that Ishihara Taro was all-powerful enough to be able to usemon thieves as well. There were many cases of break-ins, robbery, and murder. As a single woman living there, she feared nothing more than that.

    Huo Shaoheng probably understood her psyche well, so he immediately called out his name when he opened the door.

    Gu Nianzhi called out, ¡°Huo Shao? It¡¯s sote. What are you doing here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pressed the wall switch to turn on the living room lights. The recessed ceiling lights instantly illuminated the dark living room like it was daylight. Sitting against the bedroom wall, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes. When she put her arms down, there was already a pair of long legs before her.

    Huo Shaoheng still wore his military-style uniform coat and stood before her as he looked down from above. His expression was the same as usual¡ªwarm yet distant, calm but solemn. He stared silently at Gu Nianzhi just like that. However, Gu Nianzhi could sense the range rolling off his body. She couldn¡¯t help but hug the baseball bat closer.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at Gu Nianzhi for a while more before reaching out helplessly. ¡°Why are you sitting on the floor? Get up now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully studied his hand. His palm was slightly wide, and there were faint calluses on the center of his palm. A subtle scent of nitrate was on his fingers¡ªthe smell of gunpowder.

    His fingers were slender and strong, the knuckles not visible, yet she could see that the bones of his fingers were very straight. He didn¡¯t grow out his nails. They were trimmed neatly, and when he reached out to her, it was like he could give her the entire world...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to take his hand and stand up to begin with, but somehow she was entranced by his perfectly shaped hands and ced her little hand in his. Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand tightly, and his heart trembled faintly.

    Her small hand was soft as silk yet carried a sense of resilience within the tenderness. Such soft and small hands should be properly protected and kept away so she didn¡¯t suffer battering from the wind and rain. However, this thought only appeared fleetingly in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind before he rejected it. Gu Nianzhi was a not a shivering damsel in distress who only knew how to hide behind him. He also didn¡¯t want to break her wings that longed to take flight. But before her wings were fully grown, she could only dream of flying out of his palms.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly pulled Gu Nianzhi up from the floor and smoothly pushed forward. Unsteady on her feet, Gu Nianzhi hugged the baseball bat and copsed in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. Huo Shaoheng embraced her and smiled faintly. ¡°Darling, you don¡¯t need to be so eager.¡±

    1Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Luckily, she had the baseball bat between them. Otherwise, Gu Nianzhi felt she really couldn¡¯t exin herself. Pressing the baseball bat against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest, she slowly pushed him away and nced at him with a half smile. ¡°What business does Huo Shao haveing to my home sote?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile faded and his expression grew solemn. ¡°I should be asking you that. What are you trying to do?¡±

    She had suddenly stopped living at the dorm and was attending day school by returning to her Hepingli District apartment. In the past, she didn¡¯t like driving the Ferrari because it was too shy. Now she drove it to and from school everyday. All these things indicated something was not normal.

    Huo Shaoheng was very familiar with Gu Nianzhi and also knew she was not someone to suddenly change 180 degrees on a whim one day. She always had her own reasons for doing something, and although Huo Shaoheng thought some of those reasons were too childish, he typically made noments.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. In the half-dark, half-bright bedroom, both she and Huo Shaoheng were standing in half darkness and half light. Huo Shaoheng had his back to the light, so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t clearly see the expression on his face. She only saw that his eyes were very bright, like navigation stars in the darkness illuminating her path ahead.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng could clearly see her face, so she was very careful and vignt about not revealing any strange expressions. She must not let Huo Shaoheng learn about what she needed to do. If he found out, there was no telling whether he would riskmitting an error by going against Ishihara Taro.

    Gu Nianzhi definitely didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to fall into any passive situations because of her. This man protected her, so she must also silently protect him as well. Perhaps she didn¡¯t dare to love him again, but she must still protect him.

    Ishihara Taro was too cunning. Even with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legal literacy, she couldn¡¯t find a singlew that could officially convict Ishihara Taro. Even if they caught him throwing the coin, even if she proved that Ishihara Taro¡¯s throwing of the coin had caused the series of subsequent events, the courts would be unable to convict him. The connection was too weak and could hardly be regarded as ¡°corpus delicti.¡±

    Under these circumstances, it was even more reason to not get Huo Shaoheng dragged into the mess. A person within the system could not do what she was about to¡ªnot even a little bit.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi, and it was no surprise that he saw her stubborn look that he was very familiar with¡ªjust like when she first came under his care when she was only 12 years old, yet was so stubborn she gave people headaches.

    Even though he told her countless times to go back to her room to sleep at night, he would always find her hugging her tiny nket and sleeping at the door of his suite at midnight. He carried her back and often slept there as he watched her all night.

    Later on she grew up a bit, so he couldn¡¯t exactly sleep at her bedside with her. Finally, he had no choice but to move her to the room directly across from his. Both their doors were left open when they slept at night. Gu Nianzhi could not sleep peacefully until she could instantly see the light glowing in the room across from hers.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I know you¡¯re very smart and very brave, too. But I hope that you can understand that people can¡¯t do things on a burst of bravado.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed at his head. ¡°You must carefully think about the cause and effect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it carefully,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered instinctively.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression instantly turned frigid. ¡°So you are scheming about something?¡±

    1Gu Nianzhi frowned. How many times had it been? This person was truly too cunning. He could get her to slip up so easily! Gu Nianzhi turned her head away and refused to look at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had a headache as he pulled her to the bed inside the room and lifted the nkets up. ¡°You¡¯re not wearing enough. Get in now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi set the baseball bat next to the bed and took off her shoes. She crawled into bed and used the nket to cover herself. Huo Shaoheng helped her adjust her nkets and sat on her bedside to look at her. Late at night, his deep voice echoed in the bedroom, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were growing red from listening to it.

    ¡°Nianzhi, your situation is very dangerous.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and whispered quietly, ¡°I know. I can handle it.¡± No one knew about her situation better than she did.

    ¡°You can really handle it?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice grew quiet. ¡°ording to news from Japan, they found out the inside story behind Ishihara Baisan¡¯s suicide all those years ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes instantly lit up as she anxiously asked, ¡°What was the reason?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng enunciated each word. ¡°Ishihara Baisanmitted seppuku as the result of direct provocation by your father, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbstruck. She quickly recovered and said, ¡°Little Japan¡¯s mental capacity was too poor, and he was also envious of merit and ability. How can they me my father?¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted derisively. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡±

    ¡°Your father said this to Ishihara Baisan, in front of many people in the Ishihara family: ¡®Useless! You think you¡¯re worthy ofpeting against my progress?!¡¯ It was this one sentence that humiliated Ishihara Baisan so extremely, he directlymitted seppuku. Nianzhi, do you know what this means?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi began tough and pped her hands. ¡°This means that Little Japan¡¯s maic field research directly regressed by 50 years! Great, that¡¯s indeed my father! He insulted Little Japan to death with one sentence! I am proud of him!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened slightly. He didn¡¯t expect this reason, but as soon as Gu Nianzhi said it, he was also instantly enlightened and couldn¡¯t help but feel great respect for Gu Xiangwen.

    After a period of silence, he replied even more calmly, ¡°Nianzhi, there is no reconciliation for hatred towards the one who ys another¡¯s father. The Ishihara family will never let you go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to be able to predict that the Ishihara family was the mastermind, despite not knowing the connection between Ishihara Taro and the gold coin. Her entire body shivered as she used all her strength to calm her wildly thumping heartbeat. She sneered. ¡°Then let theme at me. Who¡¯s scared of who?!¡±

 Chapter 939 - The Last to Turn the Tide (7)

    <h4>Chapter 939: The Last to Turn the Tide (7)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Who¡¯s scared of who? Miss Gu, do you have lots of confidence?¡± Huo Shaohengughed, his slender fingers reaching over to smooth her bangs and reveal her bare forehead. He bent down to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes, her long eyshes trembling like two tiny fans gently fluttering. ¡°Of course I have confidence. It¡¯s because you give me confidence...¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured. She reached out to embrace Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck.

    Huo Shaoheng focused his eyes on her, the smile gradually fading from his face. ¡°Ok, tell me. What is your n? Don¡¯t think that you can fool me by being coquettish and ttering me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes, the pupils so ck they glowed. Shaking her head slowly, she rejected his threat. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any ns.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t?¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed her arm to pull her elbow off of his neck. Then he used one hand to mp both her wrists and pressed them against the pillow. His strapping figure pressed dangerously low topletely envelope her.

    ¡°You really won¡¯t tell me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. Herrge eyes sparkled briefly, but she refused to speak. If she guessed correctly, the elevator ident in their dorm must have been Ishihara Taro¡¯s handiwork. She had leaked news about her early graduation in order to force Ishihara Taro to take action sooner. Although part of this was due to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s involvement, she never thought that Ishihara Taro would also harm Gui Suyao as well.

    This person was insane and bloodthirsty. No one knew better than Gu Nianzhi how difficult it would be to bring him to justice. Now that she also knew about her father¡¯s quarrel with the Ishihara family, it was all the more reason why she couldn¡¯t stop things halfway.

    This matter was not something Huo Shaoheng could get involved in, nor did she want him to. He had many methods, but the Special Operations Forces had too many constraints domestically. A slightpse in judgement could result in a catastrophic blow to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s future career prospects.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, revealing four pearly teeth. ¡°I really don¡¯t have any ns.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°Even if I had one, it¡¯d be a fail-proof n. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi pointedly, a trace of unease gradually appearing in his calm gaze. Releasing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrists, he straightened his back and sat on the single-seat sofa by the bed. Crossing his legs, his strapping figure cast a shadow as his gaze gradually grew dark.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, look at me. Do you even know what you¡¯re doing? Do you know who the enemy you¡¯re facing actually is? Do you know what methods they have? How much power they hold? If you know all this but are still stubbornly refusing to tell me what you¡¯re going to do, then I really have to doubt if you are the Gu Nianzhi I raised single-handedly!¡± It was the first time in both their memories that he had spoken so harshly to her.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up from the nkets and took a deep breath. She mustered her courage and said, ¡°Huo Shao, I know what situations I¡¯ll face, and I also know you¡¯ll get worried. But can you, just this one time, have some confidence in me?¡±

    ¡°Confidence?¡±

    ¡°Right. Believe me and believe that I can do this properly. I can handle this type of situation.¡± The truth was, she was the only one who could handle it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows began to furrow. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but the more minds at work, the more can be considered. How can I know if I can be assured or not, if you don¡¯t tell me?¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi knew she couldn¡¯t tell him. As soon as she said it, the entire situation would change, and this would also be a ¡°false random.¡± If there were too many variables, the so-called algorithm would be impossible to start up. She would also have no way of fighting against Ishihara Taro.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down, her hand randomly picking at the silk quilt. ¡°You keep talking about it, but at the end of the day, you still don¡¯t believe in me. You don¡¯t believe in my abilities.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in your abilities. I know that you¡¯re very smart and very impressive, but...¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± Gu Nianzhi interrupted Huo Shaoheng, gritting her teeth. ¡°When I was in danger in Germany, I still walked out of the Alps alive¡ªand without you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped abruptly. His gaze gradually darkened, and his expression was ice cold. He watched Gu Nianzhi unmovingly. Danger in Germany. It was the danger in Germany yet again. That incident had threatened their rtionship and was like a giant mountain between the two of them. Sometimes he thought they had already crossed that giant mountain, but after going around in circles, they always ended up discovering they still had a mountain and sea between them.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to say too much. She leaned on one side and half covered herself with the nket as she spoke to Huo Shaoheng with her back facing him. ¡°Huo Shao, you should go. I have a defense this Saturday, and I will be considered graduated after the defense. Before that happens, I hope that you won¡¯te looking for me again. I know what I¡¯m doing. Nothing will happen to me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very determined.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked thoughtfully at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back. It was curvy, slender, and alluring, but there seemed to be a thousand mountains and rivers dividing them.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t reply and only answered him with a long silence.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know whether he should believe Gu Nianzhi, but regardless if he believed her or not, he was always ustomed to controlling the entire situation, even if that meant all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°independence and freedom¡± needed to be within his sight and grasp. They could never leave his control.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re unwilling to tell me, I won¡¯t force you.¡± Huo Shaoheng mused as he stood up, ¡°Then we will have to do our own things and not interfere with each other.¡± Huo Shaoheng left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment as soon as he said this, not lingering for even a moment more.

    He came in the darkness and left in the darkness, so the people from the Ishihara family watching Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even notice someone moving freely right under their noses.

    Returning to his headquarters base, Huo Shaoheng called Zhao Liangze to his office in the middle of the night. Zhao Liangze had just fallen asleep not long ago, so his brain was still groggy when he was awakened in the middle of the night. He yawned as he walked in.

    ¡°Huo Shao, what happened?¡± Zhao Liangze sat across from Huo Shaoheng. Everything was still normal when he had just left the Central Control Room. Could something serious have happened in less than one hour? Zhao Liangze gave Huo Shaoheng a perplexed look.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even know where to begin. His hand on the cursor, he loudly flipped cards on the solitaire card game on theputer. After some time, he finally replied, ¡°Is there a program that can monitor Nianzhi 24 hours a day?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shivered, his drowsiness instantly disappearing. Shaking his head, he asked nkly, ¡°Huo Shao, what are you saying? Who are you monitoring 24 hours a day?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him coolly. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you couldn¡¯t hear me?¡±

    ¡°Why do you need to monitor Nianzhi 24 hours a day?!¡± Zhao Liangze jumped up. ¡°I object! That means the young girl doesn¡¯t have any privacy at all! Huo Shao, this is too much! She¡¯s not ab rat! You can¡¯t treat her like this!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think that Zhao Liangze would be even more agitated than he was himself¡ªthe official boyfriend/husband. He silently nced at him. ¡°I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet. What are you so anxious for? Hurry up and sit down properly.¡±

    1His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but his tone was solemn enough that Zhao Liangze deted as soon as he spoke. He muttered as he sat down and frowned, ¡°Please speak clearly then. You were the one mentioning monitoring her 24 hours a day. My ears aren¡¯t going deaf.¡±

    ¡°I know your ears aren¡¯t deaf.¡± Huo Shaoheng averted his gaze. ¡°I mentioned monitoring her 24 hours a day because I was asking you if this is technically feasible. We can only talk about the other things if 24-hour surveince is possible. Of course, we don¡¯t actually need 24-hour surveince. But I need the function of freely selective monitoring at any time and ce. Can this be done?¡±

    Zhao Liangze sighed in relief. He massaged his still spinning head and replied lethargically, ¡°Of course it¡¯s technically possible. Nianzhi is still wearing our specially made diamond earrings, so it¡¯s entirely possible to selectively monitor her at any time and ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Huo Shaoheng was silent for a brief moment, then turned on hisputer to start the program that linked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s diamond earrings with tracking capabilities. He connected to therge screen in the office.

    ¡°This is Nianzhi¡¯s tracking system. Write an algorithm for me that can connect with all the public surveince cameras in the entire city. Within the next week and at every single public location that Gu Nianzhi appears in, there must be at least four cameras covering her whereabouts from the front, back, left, and right angles.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Zhao Liangze straightened his back and puffed out his chest to ept the order.

    ¡°Launch an idle satellite to cover the public ces that Gu Nianzhi appears in from above. Every trick that appears around her will reveal itself within the next week.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his head and looked at Zhao Liangze grimly. ¡°Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Zhao Liangze answered loudly to express his determination. The truth was, while the initial algorithm was rather troublesome, the subsequent full coverage surveince cameras and birds-eye view satellite was a walk in the park. Zhao Liangze was an expert hacker and a master ofputer technology at the same time. He was also obsessed with algorithms. For Huo Shaoheng¡¯s request, Zhao Liangze had instantly came up with several ideas, but he still needed to verify which one was the most optimized algorithm.

    Perking up as he left Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Zhao Liangze returned to the Central Control Room on the sixth floor of the basement. He began to write the algorithm. He input several algorithms that he had long ago devised into theputer, then input the model of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s positioning device and the coordinates of all the public surveince cameras in the city.

    He checked to see which algorithm produced the quickest and mostprehensive results. This algorithm was actually simr to Vlookup in Excel. One constantly changing variable continuously extracted data from a given database ording to fixed conditions. It would extract from at least four different directions each time.

    At dawn, Zhao Liangze finally put together an algorithm with the highest efficiency, then sent it to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng would perform the final check.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t sleep for another night. When it was almost dawn, he sprawled on the desk and napped for a while. He woke up as soon as theputer¡¯s notification sounded. Taking a closer look, he saw that Zhao Liangze had sent his algorithm over.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly turned on hisputer and performed calction tests on Zhao Liangze¡¯s algorithm. There were some parts of the results that he wasn¡¯t fully satisfied with, so he finally modified it himself before sending it back to Zhao Liangze so he could cross-examine it.

    Zhao Liangze ran the algorithm modified by Huo Shaoheng, then nearly wanted to kneel down. It was now a whole ten times faster than his previous algorithm! The CPU usage saved had basically increased geometrically!

    With this algorithm, Gu Nianzhi really had no privacy at all whenever she went out. Zhao Liangze chuckled as he lit a candle for Gu Nianzhi and also sent Huo Shaoheng back the program he had cross examined. ¡°Huo Shao, I give you the best kiss!¡± He even added a lewd red lips emoji at the end.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored his useless message and quickly received the algorithm. He immediately began to run it. Therge screen in the office instantly lit up to reveal Gu Nianzhi¡¯s figure. She wore an attractive, short style Moncler down jacket in royal blue, blue straight leg jeans, and white sneakers. Her pretty figure was like that of a Victoria¡¯s Secret angel, looking as refreshing as the blue sky above her head on the heavy winter morning.

    Huo Shaoheng sat behind his desk and watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pretty, bright face appear on therge screen in front of him. The corners of his shapely lips couldn¡¯t help smirking.

    At that moment, he saw two men who looked to be passersby appearing on either sides of Gu Nianzhi. The two men held phones and looked down as they walked. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows began to frown. He used one hand to continuously adjust the angle of the surveince cameras and was finally able to clearly discern the two men¡¯s movements. They were monitoring Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts.

    However, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t totally oblivious.

    Huo Shaoheng could clearly see her swiftly ncing at where the two men were, then nonchntly getting into her bright red sports car. She drove off in an instant. The high-definition cameras provided an extremely clear visual experience, but Huo Shaoheng was balling his hands into tight fists.

    This girl was ying with fire...

 Chapter 940 - The Last to Turn the Tide (8)

    <h4>Chapter 940: The Last to Turn the Tide (8)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi drove her custom Ferrari luxury sports car and quickly left the Hepingli district to head to B University. She had already familiarized herself with the route this week because it was so short. If there were no traffic jams, it¡¯d only take her ten minutes to drive to school.

    It was only just past seven in the morning, so there weren¡¯t many cars or pedestrians on the road. However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t take her usual route today but got on the highway instead. Most of the vehicles on the road at this time of day were 18-wheel trucks with the majority being tankers. There were very few private cars.

    Gu Nianzhi looped around the highway once before getting off of it. As expected, the car tailing her was confused and almost lost her a couple times. However, Gu Nianzhi had no intention of getting rid of them, so when her speed slowed down, the bright Ferrari was easily spotted, and the people behind her followed her again.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly exited the highway and entered the university campus to begin her day of exams. For the following three days, her route didn¡¯t change as she continuously maintained this frequency.

    Friday was her final day of written exams, and she would have her graduation thesis defense on Saturday morning at 8am.

    ...

    On Friday evening, Ishihara Taro sat in the study of his apartment on the Third Ring Road of the Imperial Capital. He was conducting his final calctions. Fourrge monitors were arranged in a row before him, and all of them were filled with densely packed algorithms and numbers.

    Ishihara Wakashi slowly made his way inside and leaned on his cane as he stood in front of the desk. He asked solemnly, ¡°Is everything prepared?¡±

    Ishihara Taro didn¡¯t even look up from hisputer screens but merely answered, ¡°Hai. Please sit down, Grandfather. I¡¯ll chat with you once I finish thisst round of calctions.¡±

    ¡°Keep working. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Ishihara Wakashi lifted a hand but didn¡¯t sit down. He stood dazedly in front of a family portrait hanging in Ishihara Taro¡¯s study. There were five people in it: Ishihara Wakashi, Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s wife, their son Ishihara Baisan, and their daughter-inw, as well as a tiny baby in her arms¡ªIshihara Taro. They had originally been a happy family of five, but now grandfather and grandson were all who remained. Ishihara Wakashi looked at the photo and said sternly, ¡°Taro, you must avenge your father. The entire Gu family deserves to die!¡±

    1¡°Hai!¡± Ishihara Taro recalled his father, who hadmitted seppuku, and his heart wrenched. The mouse in his hand was nearly dented by his fingers squeezing it.

    ¡°Although your father was no match for Gu Xiangwen, that doesn¡¯t matter. Gu Xiangwen only lived ten or so years longer than he did.¡± Ishihara Wakashi sneered. ¡°His daughter too, we must kill them at the root. After all, not a single Gu can be left alive!¡±

    1¡°Hai!¡± Ishihara Taro finallypleted the final calctions. Looking at the bestbination of routes and random events on the screen, Ishihara Taro sighed in relief. A smug smile appeared on his handsome face. ¡°Grandfather, I can guarantee that Gu Nianzhi will certainly die horribly in front of us this time.¡± Ishihara Taro clicked on the screen to shut down the program andputer. He lifted his head.

    Ishihara Wakashi quickly turned around, revealing a crazed expression on his face. ¡°You can guarantee it?!¡±

    ¡°I can absolutely guarantee it.¡± Ishihara Taro pped his hands and stood up. ¡°Grandfather, I will not allow Gu Nianzhi to have the opportunity to attend her graduation thesis defense. She will never earn a master¡¯s degree, ever.¡± He needed to surpass Gu Nianzhi in all aspects, including but not limited to academic qualifications, grades, degrees, and prestigious schools.

    Ishihara Wakashi nodded hard. ¡°Good! But you have to remember to keep it clean. Be sure not to attract the attention of the Hua Xia Imperial Special Operations Forces. Although Gu Nianzhi has already broken up with that Huo Shaoheng, they are still certainly protecting her within the Hua Xia Imperial borders. Have you considered this point?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Ishihara Taro nodded. ¡°The elites from Tokyo Tokubestsu Koto Keisatsu gave us much intelligence. There are indeed personnel from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side who are secretly protecting Gu Nianzhi, but so what?¡± He spread his palms. ¡°In the end, won¡¯t he still watch helpless as she dies?¡±

    Ishihara Wakashi could almost see Gu Nianzhi die horrifically in front of him, so he couldn¡¯t help licking his chapped and cracked lips as he said with regret, ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t see it for myself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll record a video, and Grandfather can slowly enjoy it afterwards.¡± Ishihara Taroughed, snapping his fingers and appearing confident and proud.

    Ishihara Wakashi chuckled. ¡°Then you must remember to quickly end the battle. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the airport. Once you finish recording the video,e meet me there!¡±

    After they killed off Gu Nianzhi, they had to leave the Hua Xia Empire immediately. There was no telling how the enemy would take revenge against them, so it was best to be careful. Although Ishihara Taro was sure that the enemy couldn¡¯t present legal evidence to press charges against him, what if they didn¡¯t act as predicted by taking non-legal measures?

    He was in the enemy¡¯s territory. If he really angered Huo Shaoheng, Huo Shaoheng could kill him as easily as squashing an ant. He wasn¡¯t worried at all about the enemy taking legal measures to avenge the people he killed before, but the situation would bepletely different if he killed Gu Nianzhi.

    Ishihara Taro instinctively knew that this would be the final hit he¡¯d make in the Hua Xia Empire. Otherwise, his inconsequential life would probably end there.

    ...

    On Saturday morning, the weather wasn¡¯t too good. The cloudyers were dark yellow and heavy, so it appeared as if it was about to snow. However, the snow didn¡¯te, so theyers of dark clouds seemed to press down on people¡¯s heads.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up at 5am in order to prepare for her thesis defense at 8am. She knew that she had a difficult battleing today.

    She washed up as usual, and once she had breakfast, she sat in front of her vanity and carefully arranged her long, silky hair into a bun. Then she put on sunsses, a scarf, a face mask, and thick safety pads on her knees and wrists. She put on her backpack like that and left her Hepingli apartment in full armor.

    Several men looked at her and whistled as she went down from the elevator to the first level of the underground parking lot. Gu Nianzhi pretended not to hear it and nonchntly arrived at her bright red sports car. She opened the door and got inside. The car lights flickered twice in the dark parking lot, and the two men across from her instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi subtly curled her curvy lips, and her foot fiercely stomped down on the elerator. The customized Ferrari with superb performance bolted forward like lightning. She twisted along the path of the underground parking lot to drive above ground.

    The light hit her face, and Gu Nianzhi squinted. Her eyes behind the sunsses were full of excitement, and her hands were nearly shaking as she gripped the steering wheel.

    She drove the car out of her Hepingli apartmentplex to arrive at the entrance of the neighborhood. Ishihara Taro had already been waiting there for a long time. He was sitting in a ck Mercedes parked on the side of the road. Through the darkly tinted car windows, Ishihara Taro could feel the red sports car speed past him like a gust of wind.

    His eyes were dark as he watched the direction the sports car disappeared in. Ishihara Taro nodded and said quietly, ¡°Follow her!¡±

 Chapter 941 - The Last to Turn the Tide (9)

    <h4>Chapter 941: The Last to Turn the Tide (9)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s custom red Ferrari luxury sports car was like a beautifulndscape against the dreary winter morning. The day was still early, so the majority of the Hua Xia Empire was still deep asleep. There weren¡¯t many cars or pedestrians on the streets. There were only a few breakfast restaurants that had just opened for the day. Gu Nianzhi drove her sports car to the restaurant she was familiar with. As usual, she parked to buy breakfast before quickly eating it in inside the car.

    The Mercedes that Ishihara Taro rode in did not tail Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car. Instead, it quickly took a shortcut to drive directly towards the highway entrance. A small, long-haul truck stop was near the fork to the highway entrance. This was were cheap motels and fast-food restaurants aggregated to especially provide a ce for long-haul truckers to rest and eat. After they ate to their fill, they would drive theirrge 18-wheel trucks and get in line to enter the highway.

    Because most of the drivers worked long distance hauls, nearly all the drivers there were driving in a fatigued state. Their eyes were red from working overnight, so they could only rely on cigarettes, strong brewed tea, or ck coffee, as well as drinks containing banned drugs to energize their heads.

    Ishihara Taro¡¯s Mercedes drove there, and he asked his driver to go buy some fast food for him. In the meantime, he walked around. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had wandered around there, but he drove a different car each time and changed his outfits as well. He also wore sunsses, so no one recognized that he was the same person.

    The driver came back with breakfast, and Ishihara Taro followed him into the car. He only took one nce at the bag of food before throwing it aside. He would never eat the food there. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Get on the highway.¡± Ishihara Taro calmly gave hismand.

    The driver pressed down on the elerator to drive out of the service area, and their car happened to pass through where the long-haul trucks parked for repairs. Not far from them, an 18-wheel tanker seemed to be having tire issues. The driver was using a jack to change the tire. Changing tires was amon sight in areas where long-haul trucks gathered.

    An older woman working in the parking area was hurrying over while carrying a bucket of water. Ishihara Taro nced at his watch and thought, ¡°The time is now.¡± His pale, slim fingers reached outside the Mercedes to flick out a shining, gold coin.

    The olderdy carrying the bucket of water saw a ray of golden light sh across her eyes, so she instinctively took a step backwards, and the bucket in her hand was flung forward! The water inside the bucket instantly rained down, and it all sshed on the driver who was changing tires not too far in front of her!

    Being drenched in a bucket of cold water in winter would chill a person to the bone, so no one would be generous enough to not raise a fuss. The driver¡¯s hand slipped and loosened his grip on the wrench, so the tire wasn¡¯t installed as tightly. However, he didn¡¯t even notice this as he raised his arms to wipe the water off his head and turned around to viciously scream at the olderdy, ¡°Motherf*cker! Why don¡¯t you go to hell! Why are you squirting water early in the morning?! Didn¡¯t your man satisfy youst night?! Why are you acting coy out here?!¡±

    Most people couldn¡¯t take it when they were insulted by a long-haul truck driver. Also, this driver seemed to not be in his right mind, so he got very excited as he shouted. His eyes were bright red and looked almost like a rabbit¡¯s.

    The olderdy jumped up in anger. She pointed to the driver and began to scream back at him. The repair area workers saw that things were bad, so they quickly ran over to maintain order. In the end, they managed to separate the driver from the olderdy.

    The driver threw down his wrench and took the jack back to throw inside the truck. Then he used a towel to wipe off his face and gave the olderdy the middle finger before cursing as he got into the truck. He mmed the truck door shut.

    Taking off his wet jacket, he pulled out a coat from the junk box inside the truck and wrapped it around himself. Then he took out a canned drink containing banned drugs and downed itpletely in one gulp. He instantly felt energized.

    Fiercely mming on the elerator, the 18-wheel tanker rumbled deeply before rushing out of the long-haul truck stop and heading to the fork in the road leading to the highway entrance.

    He didn¡¯t expect the tire to not be installed tightly because he was interrupted as he was putting it on earlier. Suddenly, a bright red and very shy luxury sports car sped before his eyes. The driver got excited as soon as he saw the bright red color. His foot subconsciously stepped hard on the elerator as he followed behind it. The ck Mercedes following this 18-wheel tanker maintained an even speed and got on the highway onramp as well.

    The bright red luxury sports car ahead was naturally Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car. As usual, she had breakfast on the side of the road beforeing over. As soon she got on the highway, she saw an 18-wheel tanker following close behind her. There was also a ck Mercedes that followed behind the tanker.

    Gu Nianzhi curved her lips as she nced at her watch. It was already 6:30am. Opening the GPS in her car, she checked the Imperial Capital¡¯s traffic conditions. She had also put in much effort in her battle against Ishihara Taro. Gu Nianzhi knew that Ishihara Taro had already begun his countdown when she saw the 18-wheel tanker. Then that was also when she would begin her own countdown.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a habit of loitering. She put on her Bluetooth headset and made a call. ¡°Hello, is this Lava Cake Main Shop in East City? Yesterday I ordered 11 miniva cakes with raspberries and vani ice cream from your shop. Can you immediately deliver them to Professor He Zhichu at B University? His phone number is...¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke very quickly then reminded them diligently, ¡°You must deliver them by 7:30am. It¡¯s best if you¡¯re there just on time.¡±

    The 11 miniva cakes with raspberries and vani ice cream cost several hundred RMB each, so 11 cakes had cost her a pretty penny. Although expensive, this was well worth it. Gu Nianzhi gripped her steering wheel and only got on the highway once she received the store¡¯s firm response.

    There weren¡¯t any cars on the highway at 6:30 in the morning. As usual, there were many long-haul trucks around this time and a few asional private cars. They drove very slowly and didn¡¯t cut the trucks off.

    Gu Nianzhi need to go to her thesis defense, so she needed to arrive earlier rather thanter. As a result, she didn¡¯t allow others to pass and drove even faster than the big trucks and tankers.

    Ishihara Taro couldn¡¯t help but smile when he witnessed this scene from a distance. Everything was really happening exactly like his calctions!

    ...

    In East City, the Lava Cake Main Shop sent out a delivery tricycle that also headed towards the highway to deliver 11 cakes to B University. No one typically ordered cake deliveries this early in the day, so when this delivery tricycle suddenly rushed out from the corner, the driver of Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s white BMW frantically mmed on the brakes and brushed right past the delivery tricycle. He even thought that the delivery tricycle had scratched his car. He pressed hard on the elerator to follow the delivery tricycle and shouted at its driver, ¡°Are you blind!? Can you even afford to pay if you scratched my car?!¡±

    The delivery guy on the tricycle knew he hadn¡¯t actually scratched the BMW, so he was angry about being yelled at for no reason. He peddled the tricycle and took up the main drivingne by riding slowly. He didn¡¯t allow Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s BMW to speed up at all.

    ¡°I think this punk wants to die!¡± Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s driver was also Japanese, but he had lived in the Hua Xia Empire for many years, so he spoke Chinese fluently. He had even developed a local¡¯s dialect and ent. ¡°Get the h*ll out of my way!¡±

    COMMENT

    He wanted nothing more but to to m on his elerator and crush the delivery tricycle under his tires. However, Ishihara Wakashi suppressed his anger andmanded, ¡°Don¡¯t get angry at this kind of person. Hurry up and get on the highway to the airport.¡±

    Originally, they didn¡¯t need to get on the highway, but because of the dy caused by the little tricycle, the driver got on a nearby highway in order to make it on time. This highway just so happened to be the two-way highway that Gu Nianzhi and Ishihara Taro were both on.

    Gu Nianzhi made sure everything was timed perfectly and even considered the car¡¯s dy caused by the dispute between the two drivers.

    Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s BMW had just gotten on the two-way highway when something happened to Gu Nianzhi. The 18-wheel tanker close behind her suddenly began to sway. It drove crookedly all over the highway like it was out of control. At times it drove on the white line, then upied the expressne, then after a while it made a 180-degree turn on the road. It was nearly spanning the entire highway,pletely blocking it off.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the traffic behind her had nearly stalled due to that 18-wheel tanker. She lightly removed her foot and did not continue to press down on the elerator.

    At that moment, the 18-wheel tanker finally corrected itself and stopped crossing lines chaotically. But then something happened to one of its tires. As it drove, one tire suddenly flew out from under the car and happened to hit the roof of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright red sports car!

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng was in his office with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. They were anxiously watching the surveince footage. They had been tracking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s movements ever since she got in her car that morning and left the Hepingli District.

    When they saw an 18-wheel tanker suddenly deviate from its normalne on the highway and begin to fish-tail at high speed, all three men immediately stood up together.

    ¡°What is Nianzhi trying to do?! Call her! Hurry up and call her!¡± Yin Shixiong was the first to cry out, so anxious he paced in circles.

    Zhao Liangze appeared very worried as he grabbed his phone and unlocked it to dial the number.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Huo Shaoheng barked at them. ¡°What kind of situation is this?! Why would you call her?! Did you think about what the consequences would be if Nianzhi got distracted?!¡±

    ¡°But Nianzhi...!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze replied in unison as they pointed to the surveince footage on therge screen. ¡°This looks like a bad situation!¡±

    Folding his hands behind his back, Huo Shaoheng sighed discreetly before slowly saying, ¡°Wait some more. We have personnel tailing her.¡± Huo Shaoheng had dispatched his top elite forces to tail her. They were no longer the special field personnel masquerading as passersby. If anything went wrong, these people werepletely able to protect Gu Nianzhi and allow her to safely retreat. From the looks of the situation on the highway, he hadn¡¯t made the wrong decision.

    Huo Shaoheng lifted his hand, so Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong both sat down unwillingly. Propping their chins on both hands, they leaned forward as they anxiously stared at therge screen. It was like they were watching a blockbuster movie as they enjoyed seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°race against death.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi anxiously squeezed the steering wheel, the sweat from her palms soaking her gloves. The 18-wheel tanker behind her finally got into trouble. This wasn¡¯t a typical ident but the death trap of a missing tire. However, she didn¡¯t feel afraid and didn¡¯t retreat. Sitting ramrod straight, she continued squeezing in the gaps between other cars.

    The supherb capabilities of the bright red Ferrari sports car werepletely unleashed.

    As soon as her foot stomped hard on the elerator, the sports car rumbled deeply and shot forward to avoid the tanker that pressed closely behind.

    The tanker wasn¡¯t actually trying to follow her, but because her sports car was red, and the driver knew there was an issue with the tanker, he was facing extreme fatigue and stress. He had also consumed the drink containing banned drugs, so his mind was numb. He was instinctively going ahead and following the red target. Just like a bull in a bull ring, he only recognized the color red.

    Ishihara Taro had obviously considered this point, so he especially arranged such a death trap ording to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car. Gu Nianzhi understood this and sneered. She turned her steering wheel to the side, and the bright red sports car easily changednes.

    As for the 18-wheel tanker, it was missing a tire and had a very long,rge chassis. That meant it couldn¡¯t changenes as easily. However, the frightening and animal-like instinct caused the tanker driver to continuously stare at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright red sports car and forcibly changenes with her.

    Gu Nianzhi was driving more and more smoothly in the front. She continued to speed ahead, brake, changenes, and drive in zig zags.

    A long time seemed to pass, but it had actually been less than ten minutes. The tanker behind her finally couldn¡¯t continue anymore. The driver desperately wanted to brake, but how could a tanker missing a tire brake that easily?

    Also, snowkes were beginning to drift from the sky, so the snow on the ground was quickly pressed down by the vehicles¡¯ tires. However, the snow gradually umted, so it amassed as mud and thin ice on the ground. This made braking even more difficult.

    Gu Nianzhi continued driving forward, her eyes constantly peering at the other side of the highway. When she saw the white BMW finally drive over from the other direction, Gu Nianzhi gently lifted her foot off the brakes and fiercely mmed it on the elerator.

    There was a thin median strip in between the two sides of the highway. The highway on the other side of the median headed toward East City. B University was on the west side of the city, so Gu Nianzhi was on the side heading to West City. Her mind continuously calcted time as she stomped on her brakes.

    Seeing her car gradually slow down, the bright red back end was growing closer and closer to the tanker behind.

    The three men watching the surveince footage on therge screen in the Special Operations Forces headquarters base anxiously stood up again. This time, even Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but pick up his phone to give orders to his elite team members.

    At that moment, everything seemed to be a dream. On the screen, they watched the bright red Ferrari fiercely elerate just as the tanker behind was about to collide with it. With a whoosh, the speed was so fast that it only left a residual image on their retinas.

    In one split second, they watched the 18-wheel tanker finally apply the brakes hard. The entire truck spun out on the highway once again and slid until it was horizontal! Missing a tire, the tanker rumbled as it crashed towards the thin median strip and cut the two-way highway in two halves.

    At the same time, a ck Mercedes that had been closely following behind the tanker on this side of the highway and a white BMW that was speeding from the opposite side of the highway hit the back of the 18-wheel tanker all at once, one in the back and one in the front, one from the left and one from the right!

    There was a deafening boom! ck smoke rose from the tanker and soon after, zing mes filled the entire sky.

    A series of explosion-like sounds burst from the tanker¡¯s back end, and the tanker driver half rolled and half crawled out from the front of the car. He saw that the two cars that collided into the tanker¡¯s back end at the same time had instantly been burned down to their frames by the fierce fire...

 Chapter 942 - I Wonâ€™t Let Them Go Either

    <h4>Chapter 942: I Won¡¯t Let Them Go Either</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The huge 18-wheel tanker was filled with crude oil. Once it ignited, the mes soared into the sky. The thick ck smoke from the fire filled the entire two-way highway.

    Huo Shaoheng put on a Bluetooth headset and connected to the Special Operations Forces elite team member on the highway. He asked in a low voice, ¡°...Protect the scene. Who was inside the ck and white cars? Are there any other casualties?¡±

    The team leader was currently in a private vehicle and on the way. There were also several agents drivingrge trucks and following the cars involved in the ident at a steady pace.

    Today¡¯s ident had been very unexpected for them. They¡¯d had no idea that the enemy had enough power to turn an oil tanker into a weapon!

    ¡°Huo Shao. ording to the license tes, the ck Mercedes and the white BMW both belong to the Ishihara Corporation.¡± The team leader quickly identified the owners of the cars.

    ¡°Everyone in the two vehicles perished. The fire in the tanker was too fierce. It burned both cars down to their frames almost immediately. Aside from those, there were no other casualties at the scene. Traffic on the highway has been stalled and the traffic police should be on their way.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He looked up at therger screen to see traffic police, fire trucks, and ambnces quickly making their way to the scene through the thick ck smoke and huge mes.

    ¡°Leave one agent behind to discreetly monitor the scene. The others are to follow Miss Gu.¡± Huo Shaoheng suddenly paused after he said this. ¡°...Where is Miss Gu?¡±

    His original n had been to monitor Gu Nianzhi from every angle.

    But now he realized that Gu Nianzhi had been missing from his screen for a full minute.

    The team leader immediately replied, ¡°We have personnel following Miss Gu. The scene is very chaotic at the moment. The surveince may be unable to connect at this time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply. His gaze was ice-cold as he watched therge screen.

    Although he didn¡¯t speak, his oppressive yet calm aura seemed to be traveling through the phone line.

    The leader of the elite team suddenly felt a shudder. He quickly connected with his team members.

    Soon after, the disconnected surveince went back online.

    The image of a bright red Ferrari appeared on therge screen in front of Huo Shaoheng. It looked especially eye-catching amidst the swirling fog and smoke-filled highway.

    Gu Nianzhi watched the devastating ident through her rearview mirror.

    The traffic was already aplete mess. While there weren¡¯t many cars in front of her, all the cars behind her werepletely blocked by the 18-wheel tanker that was blocking both sides of the highway.

    The zing mes soared into the air as snow gradually fell from the sky.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped her car in the emergencyne of the highway and opened her car door to step outside.

    She appeared very cool in her short sapphire-blue coat. Her blue, straight leg jeans entuated her straight legs. The spotless white sneakers she wore were a stark contrast against the gray and dreary scenery on the highway.

    She leaned against the door of her bright red Ferrari. She was breathtaking.

    Gu Nianzhi also wore sunsses. Her fair skin and expressionless face make her look as fierce as the mes she was looking at.

    The fire somehow seemed a bit familiar to her.

    When she was 12 years old and had suddenly appeared in downtown C City, had her car burned fiercely like this?

    That car ident had caused serious psychological trauma on her young mind. She still hadn¡¯t recovered her memories to this day.

    But now, these things didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on her.

    Huo Shaoheng was right. The correct way of conquering fear was to face it, not to evade it.

    When she could look directly at the past that had once caused unbearable pain, she would be able to truly leave it all behind.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi could only feel her heart bing more stable than ever.

    This was confidence learned by experience.

    She would never lose to anyone as long as she relied on herself.

    Those people emphasized family background and status, but what did those things matter inparison to her strong abilities?!

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes werepletely enraptured by the on-screen image of Gu Nianzhi leaning on the bright red Ferrari. He couldn¡¯t avert his gaze.

    1Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze cheered loudly as soon as Gu Nianzhi appeared on therge screen.

    After they finished cheering, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze started to worry. ¡°Huo Shao! Nianzhi has psychological trauma from car idents. Should we...¡±

    Before they even finished speaking, they felt a gust of wind rush past them. The office door banged open as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure disappeared.

    1¡°Running so fast! As if he could say he wasn¡¯t worried?!¡± Yin Shixiong cackled as he picked up his car keys and patted Zhao Liangze¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Little Ze, you stay on standby here while I go check Nianzhi¡¯s school.¡±

    Zhao Liangze cried out, ¡°Why do I have to stay on standby here?! I¡¯m going to see Nianzhi at school. You stay on standby!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been suspended for a month.¡± Yin Shixiong put on a stern face. ¡°I can¡¯t interact with work.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Who was dispatching staff so happily just now!?¡± Zhao Liangze kicked him. ¡°Remember to bring your phone. I have to see how Nianzhi is doing!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Yin Shixoong rushed out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office door with a smile and chased after him.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was much faster than him.

    By the time Yin Shixoong sat down in his car, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car was already on the highway.

    The Special Operations Forces headquarters base was on the Third Ring Road, while Gu Nianzhi was on a two-way highway on the Fourth Ring Road.

    But it only took Huo Shaoheng 15 minutes to get to the highway Gu Nianzhi was on.

    The highway entry and exit had been blocked, so Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to present his special identification before being allowed inside.

    He sped his silver Bentley SUV down the highway until he finally saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright red Ferrari.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi stood in front of her car for a while before taking out her phone to record a video.

    The highway was currently closed, so she couldn¡¯t exit the highway until the ident scene was cleared.

    But it was still early in the day, so there weren¡¯t many cars getting off the highway causing congestion.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone screen and suddenly noticed a familiar looking silver Bentley SUV through her camera lens.

    What?

    This car was nearly the same as Huo Shao¡¯s?

    Hmm?

    Even the license te was the same?

    Gu Nianzhi had never even considered that Huo Shaoheng would be able to personally drive over.

    The silver Bentley parked on the emergencyne of the highway not far behind her. Gu Nianzhi instantly understood what was happening, so she helplessly put away her phone and turned around to hide in her car.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng got out of the car.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi!¡± a harsh voice called out behind Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back instantly stiffened as she squeezed the car door. At that moment, she couldn¡¯t go inside or stay outside.

    There was nowhere for her to retreat anyway. She was already the final winner, what was she afraid of?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was set as she slowly turned around.

    Because Huo Shaoheng had hurried here, he was still wearing his dark green, wool military uniform. His weaponry belt was tied around his waist. His long legs were d in tall military boots.

    There was a rare, harsh expression on his face.

    Adjusting his gloves, he walked over at an even pace to stand before Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯ve certainly surprised me.¡± He turned around to point at the car ident scene with its rolling smoke and zing mes. His voice was deep and emotionless. However, it still carried invisible pressure as he said, ¡°Did you know that this was very dangerous? Not only did you put yourself in danger, but you could¡¯ve gotten innocent people involved too!¡±

    ¡°I would never involve innocent people!¡± Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into fists, unable to bear this kind of usation. ¡°I calcted everything!¡±

    ¡°You calcted everything!¡± Huo Shaohengtched onto her words and moved one step closer, forcing her into the corner by the Ferrari¡¯s door. ¡°How did you calcte that? Don¡¯t tell me that you also ounted for that white BMW?! Ishihara Taro was inside the ck Mercedes, but what about the white BMW?¡±

    ¡°Ishihara Wakashi was in there!¡± Gu Nianzhi shouted without holding back, ring at Huo Shaoheng. Her beautiful face was like the huge, zing fire. ¡°I already told you that I wouldn¡¯t allow innocent people to get hurt! But I would also never let off anyone who tried to hurt me! You said that the Ishihara family hates me for the death of their father, so they would never let me off! If that¡¯s the case, let them go ahead!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let them off either!¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi forced herself to remain calm, her emotions finally got out of control and she began screaming madly.

    Huo Shaheng looked down at her. His heart finally gave in and he reached out to envelop her in his arms. Hisrge hands smoothed her back. His deep voice carried traces of tenderness as he consoled her anxiety.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, I¡¯m not ming you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi calmed down before gently pushing Huo Shaoheng away. She whispered, ¡°...We¡¯re outside, it¡¯d be bad if other people saw you like this.¡±

    He was still wearing his military uniform too...

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head but didn¡¯t continue hugging her. He picked up the earlier topic and asked sternly, ¡°Ishihara Wakashi was inside the white BMW. How did you know that?¡±

    He didn¡¯t even know that himself.

    ¡°...Was this something your chaos algorithm calcted?¡±

    If that was true, then this was truly an impressive algorithm...

    A wave of unease rose in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart.

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and snickered. ¡°How could that be? Then I wouldn¡¯t be a human, but a god.¡±

    ¡°So how did you know that?¡± Huo Shaoheng exhaled quietly and rxed.

    With some embarrassment, Gu Nianzhi shoved her hands into her coat pockets and kept her head down as she stepped on the pebbles of the highway¡¯s emergencyne. She replied quietly, ¡°Ishihara Taro had the support of the Ishihara Corporation. He used a lot of resources and manpower to track me and investigate my daily situation. He could only make precise calctions by constantly enriching his database.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that since I don¡¯t have the time or manpower.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t allow anyone else to know about what she wanted to do, so she didn¡¯t ask Huo Shaoheng for help or confide in He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng snorted. ¡°...No manpower? Are you pretending that I¡¯m dead or something?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi averted her gaze. ¡°I said I¡¯d rely on myself, so that¡¯s what I did. I wouldn¡¯t be relying on myself if I asked for Huo Shao¡¯s help.¡±

    ¡°So how did you do it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t track Ishihara Taro, I started with the results to reverse engineer his patterns of behavior.¡±

    ¡°Speak simply.¡± Huo Shaoheng red at her. ¡°Don¡¯t show off your technical jargon at me.¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms with a giggle. ¡°I¡¯ll speak inly then. I hacked into the Ishihara Corporation¡¯sputer and discovered that they were nning topletely withdraw from our country to return to Japan. Also, their head secretary booked two first-ss ANA tickets for 9 A.M. today.¡±

    Ishihara Taro was too vignt, so theputer he used for calctions had no inte connection at all. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t directly hack hisputer.

    Ishihara Taro¡¯s cellphone was a nk te as well.

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi could only hack into the Ishihara Corporations¡¯ official website to enter through their background processes.

    She understood clearly that if Ishihara Taro¡¯s ultimate goal was to kill her, then there was no question that the first thing Ishihara Taro would do upon his sess would be to immediately flee the Huaxia Empire and return to Japan.

    ¡°...Then I took a look around ANA¡¯s flight booking website and, as expected, I discovered the names Ishihara Wakashi and Ishihara Taro. It was then that I knew Ishihara Wakashi was leaving too.¡±

    Once she confirmed that Ishihara Wakashi was also in the Imperial Capital and would be leaving together with Ishihara Taro, her n suddenly changed with the addition of another variable.

    Because she was purposeful and knew that some situations were bound to ur, she needed to make fewer calctions than Ishihara Taro did. However, she needed to be much more urate.

    ¡°So then you took advantage of Ishihara Taro¡¯s n and walked them into their own trap?¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and still didn¡¯t look very approving. ¡°What if the tanker didn¡¯t get into trouble ording to your n? That was too risky.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t something I could decide on.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged her shoulders, pointing her finger at the scene of the car ident down the road. ¡°If Ishihara Taro hadn¡¯t created this twisted n to use against me, then he certainly wouldn¡¯t have died today. I never wanted to kill anyone unless they wanted to kill me, which makes it self defense. Today¡¯s grand spectacle was the funeral they nned for themselves. What do you think? Impressive?¡±

 Chapter 943 - Conceal It If Possible

    <h4>Chapter 943: Conceal It If Possible</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi watched the burning tanker.

    Professional firemen began extinguishing the fire on the tanker as the tanker driver was taken to the side of the road for questioning.

    He waspleted numb with fear and wasn¡¯t as aggressive as he¡¯d been when arguing with the older woman that morning. He fiercely wiped his tears and said, ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t know what happened! I was driving normally when there was suddenly an issue. I only took one nce and it seemed like I¡¯d lost a tire... The road was slippery, so there was nothing I could do!¡±

    Several traffic police officers stood on the side to record the cause of the ident.

    The two cars that had burned down to their frames became the key targets of the investigation.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s already 7:30 in the morning and I have my thesis defense at 8...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned on his Bluetooth headset and said a few things to his personnel before telling Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡±

    He walked back to his car and began driving ahead of her.

    Gu Nianzhi went to her car and followed Huo Shaoheng down the highway.

    Huo Shaoheng had special identification so he faced no obstructions the entire way. They exited the highway soon after and arrived at the entrance of B University.

    He took several calls on the way, all rted to the results of the investigation on the Ishihara Corporation.

    Afterward, he received a call from Yin Shixiong telling him that he had already arrived at Gu Niannzi¡¯s dorm at B University. He asked when Huo Shao would be arriving...

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to see Yin Shixiong¡¯s face.

    That fellow had been working alongside him for so many years, yet he¡¯d lost all his tact as soon as he got a girlfriend.

    Huo Shaoheng parked in front of the entrance to B University but didn¡¯t go in. He called to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Good luck on the defense. Call me once you¡¯re done.¡±

    Gu Niaznhi stopped her car and asked, ¡°...Does Huo Shao still have business to attend to?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°We have the results from the earlier investigation, I need to go back to take a look at them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed, then anxiously drove inside alone.

    ...

    He Zhichu had been waiting for nearly half an hour inside the small conference room where the defense was to ur.

    The desk wasden with theva cake set that Gu Nianzhi had ordered, but she hadn¡¯t arrived yet.

    The thesis defense would begin in half an hour, so He Zhichu had to call Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi had just driven to her dorm building.

    She picked up He Zhichu¡¯s call andughed. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there right away. I just got back to my dorm and I need to pick up some things.¡±

    He Zhichi was finally reassured, then casually turned on the wall-mounted TV in the small conference room for some background noise.

    It was time for the morning news segment, yet all the TV channels were broadcasting the same breaking news.

    ¡°...Around 7 this morning, a traffic ident urred on the two-way highway on the Fourth Ring Road. A tanker collided with two carsing from the east and west directions on the two-way highway, causing a fire. Although the passengers inside both cars perished on the scene, no other casualties urred. The cause of the ident is still under investigation.¡±

    He Zhichu sat behind the long conference table in the conference room and casually nced at the TV.

    The zing mes on the tanker burned until ck smoke covered half the sky.

    It was on such a scene that a bright red Ferrari appeared especially out of ce.

    He Zhichu was just about to look away when he suddenly saw this very familiar looking sports car. The corners of his eyes couldn¡¯t help but begin to twitch.

    Wasn¡¯t that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car?

    As the TV station¡¯s camera changed scenes, he could see a tall, slim figure standing in front of the bright red Ferrari. It looked like Gu Nianzhi...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her dorm and saw Yin Shixiong point the phone at her as soon as she opened the door. He eximed loudly, ¡°Little Ze! Do you see this? Nianzhi just opened the door toe in!¡±

    Ma Qiqi also rushed over and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand to say, ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay? Big Xiong scared me to death with what he was telling me earlier. I kept saying he was exaggerating too much!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Brother Xiong loves to exaggerate.¡± Gu Nianzhi blocked them with her hands andughed. ¡°Brother Xiong, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing a live stream!¡± Yin Shixiong looked up at her with a smile, then said to the phone, ¡°Little Ze, do you want to say something to Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to take a closer look.

    ¡°Brother Ze?¡± Gu Nianzhi cheerfully waved her hand at the phone. ¡°Long time no see!¡±

    Zhao Liangze carefully studied Gu Nianzhi to see that she was wearing a sapphire blue, short style down coat. It didn¡¯t appear bulky like a down coat. It looked very cool.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay?¡± Zhao Liangze greeted her. ¡°We saw the ident this morning and felt so scared that our hearts were going to leap out of our chests!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, sorry to make you guys worry.¡±

    Yin Shixiong ran to the door to poke his head out. ¡°Hmm? Nianzhi, where is Huo Shao?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°He left already. What misconceptions do you have about Huo Shao the workaholic?¡±

    ¡°Oh? He went back?¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head and awkwardly helped Huo Shaoheng salvage his dignity. ¡°It¡¯s almost the end of the year, so it¡¯s certainly very busy.¡±

    Ma Qiqi grabbed Yin Shixiong to stop him from saying anything more.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and went into her room to take off her jeans, then changed into a light grey wool suit. She came out and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out for my thesis defense, it¡¯s going to start in about ten minutes. What about you guys?¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly answered, ¡°Go to your thesis defense, I won¡¯t be able to understand your thesis anyway so I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± As he spoke, he even winked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi knew he wanted to spend a bit more time with Ma Qiqi, so she nodded with a smile. She draped a hand over Ma Qiqi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Qiqi, you have to help me treat Brother Xiong well. I¡¯ll be going now!¡±

    Ma Qiqi quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi, I want to go with you! I want to listen to your thesis defense!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll get very nervous if you go.¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed her back inside with a smile, then grabbed herptop and left the dorm alone. She rushed towards the small conference room where the thesis defense was to be held.

    On the way there, she received a call from He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi answered with a smile, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m on campus and on my way over. I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice contained suppressed anger. ¡°Nianzhi, you got into a car ident this morning?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised to hear this.

    ¡°No, why do you ask?¡± Gu Nianzhi decided to y dumb in front of He Zhichu since he might not know what Huo Shaoheng knew.

    ¡°I saw it on TV.¡± He Zhichu gritted the words out. ¡°Are you okay? Were you scared?¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips turned up with amusement. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m fine! I was peacefully driving over here when the tanker driver probably became fatigued. One of his tires flew off and it hit my car.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned with worry. ¡°Are you really alright? We can postpone the thesis defense if you don¡¯t feel well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, my driving skills are superb and couldpare to F4 form drivers! I¡¯m not just good, but the best!¡± Gu Nianzhi eximed with excitement. She was not exhibiting any symptoms of PTSD, nor could he detect any psychological trauma.

    He Zhichu realized that she was okay, so he was assured and didn¡¯t want to listen to her brag about herself. He hung up the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

    She had managed to fool He Zhichu.

    But how was she supposed to know that the TV news broadcast would then report that the two cars that collided with the tanker belonged to the Japanese Ishihara Corporation!?

    He Zhichu was no stranger to the Ishihara Corporation. Their faculty¡¯s brand new transfer student from Japan, Ishihara Taro, was the heir to this corporation.

    He thought about it and turned off the TV for now so it wouldn¡¯t affect Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thesis defense.

    The professors presiding over the thesis defense began to walk inside and were all chatting about the car ident on the highway that morning.

    One professor said, ¡°I just came from the faculty office and we received a call from the police. They were asking if Ishihara Taro was our faculty¡¯s student. It turns out he was one of the casualties in that car ident.¡±

    ¡°Ishihara Taro?¡± He Zhichu immediately recalled the TV reporting that the two cars belonged to the Ishihara Corporation, so it wasn¡¯t too surprising.

    ¡°Right. What a shame. That was the Ishihara¡¯s only son in three generations. The family line ends with him!¡±

    ¡°Let the family line end!¡± One female professor snickered, ¡°Serves them right! The Ishihara family isn¡¯t an esteemed n. They shouldn¡¯t think that we would forget their war crimes from all those years ago just because they¡¯ve invested a bit in our nation...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that.¡± The male professor expressing pity had once studied abroad in Japan, so he didn¡¯t want to listen to that kind of talk and began to smooth things over.

    He Zhichu ignored the two people bickering and merely said, ¡°ssmate Gu is about to arrive. These are theva cake sets she¡¯s prepared for everyone, please enjoy.¡±

    Just as he was speaking, Gu Nianzhi opened the door toe in. She bowed to all the professors, ¡°Hello everyone, I am Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ...

    As Gu Naiznhi was anxiously going through her thesis defense, Hu Shaoheng was having a meeting.

    Huo Shaoheng predicted that the Ishihara Corporation would fall into chaos as soon as news of Ishihara Taro and Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s deaths reached Japan.

    He was listening to reports from the field personnel.

    ¡°Huo Shao, we discovered that the Ishihara Corporation has connections to the charity Angels in the World.¡±

 Chapter 944 - Gathering Together

    <h4>Chapter 944: Gathering Together</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°You have tangible evidence?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat behind his office desk. He checked his emails from his personnel whilemunicating with them in real-time.

    ¡°We are still looking for direct evidence. However, when the Americanwyer was fighting thewsuit, he disclosed that the Angels in the World charity made arge donation two years ago in support of a research project at the Tokyo Imperial College of Medicine. That research project was conducted by Professor Oda Masao, but when he suddenly died, the project was stopped.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand suddenly paused, his gaze freezing. ¡°Oda Masao?¡±

    He was their old friend...

    ¡°Right, that was the professor in charge of the project. We discovered that his research was actuallymissioned by the Ishihara Corporation.¡±

    ¡°Commissioned? It was probably cooperative research.¡± Huo Shaheng froze for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°The Ishihara Corporation isn¡¯t a simple business organization, I suspect that they are still engaged in their previous industry.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that...?¡± The field personnel in Japan listened very carefully because he was terrified of missing any important instructions.

    Huo Shaheng raised his head to look at the video on the monitor. He replied sternly, ¡°What did Ishihara Shiro use to do? Did you forget about that?¡±

    The highestmander of Japan¡¯s infamous military corp, Colonel Ishihara Shiro, was the one who¡¯d made an offer to the United States using the research results obtained from human experimentation on the Huaxia people to ask the United States for the right to not face trial after the war.

    Ishihara Shiro happened to be the founder of the Ishihara Corporation. He was also the father of Ishihara Wakashi and the grandfather of Ishihara Taro.

    ¡°Roger, Huo Shao. We will follow up on this clue.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered it, then instructed them, ¡°The Ishihara Corporation will turn into a big mess right away. You must remember to make things as chaotic as possible.¡±

    This way, they could unearth even more secrets from the investigation.

    The field personnel in Japan were very shocked. ¡°It will turn into a big mess?! This corporation has a very tight organizational structure, so our investigation has been developing very slowly!¡±

    Fate would truly be in their favor if things turned messy!

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He agreed, ¡°Yes, be prepared.¡±

    Not only would the personnel push things along, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men would also push things along from their home base.

    It was the wisdom of the Huaxia ancestors to give other people a taste of their own medicine.

    ...

    Two hourster, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thesis defense was approaching its end.

    Her thesis topic was on the scope of the application of inheritancew.

    He Zhichu had helped her select this thesis topic to alleviate her academic burdens.

    Because Gu Nianzhi had contended over the Gu family fortune with Gu Yanran, she had already consulted a lot of relevant legal knowledge and cases. She had already umted a lot of information on the topic.

    It was truly very easy to write her master¡¯s thesis using the materials and cases she had applied during herwsuit.

    As a result, Gu Nianzhi was very well prepared. It was unlike a typical master¡¯s graduation thesis which typically remained at the level of state armchair strategies in the academic field.

    As for Gu Nianzhi, she had actually applied this theory to guided practice when she¡¯d used it to debate with others in court.

    Because of this, her graduation thesis defense went very smoothly. The professor presiding over the defense gushed withpliments and even expressed that her methods were very clever and that her thinking was flexible. This could be a poster example for future B University Masters of Law graduate theses!

    Gu Nianzhi was very grateful. Still, she managed to control her own emotions as she politely thanked all the professors for their high praise.

    After the thesis defense concluded, all the professors stood up to shake her hand before leaving the small conference room. Only He Zhicihu and Gu Nianzhi remained.

    He Zhichu wore a smoke-gray suit. He looked very handsome as he walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and bowed. ¡°Congrattions, Nianzhi. You¡¯ve finally graduated.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained in her seat, a dreamy expression on her face as she slowly replied, ¡°Professor He, I really can¡¯t believe that I¡¯ve actually graduated...¡±

    She hadn¡¯t felt this strongly when she¡¯d graduated from her undergraduate studies. Perhaps it was because she¡¯d known at the time that she would continue to advance her studies, so she hadn¡¯t felt like she was stepping away from university studies after graduation.

    But this time was different. She didn¡¯t n to continue to Ph.D. studies, so graduating with her master¡¯s degree signified that her career in the ivory tower was now over.

    From now on, she would be entering society and be like the majority of people, using her skills and abilities to seek her ce in the world.

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help patting her head. There were a few traces of tenderness in his icy and aloof voice as he said, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve graduated. You should go to work in the United States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was his assistant, which also meant she was now an official employee of thergestw firm in the United States.

    He Zhichu paused, then said, ¡°...I¡¯m going to the United States too. The master¡¯s students here will be graduating in six months. After that, I¡¯ll be resigning from my role as aw professor at B University.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi widened her huge eyes and was very shocked. ¡°But Professor He, they all like you a lot! They like going to your sses!¡±

    He Zhichu was quiet.

    He didn¡¯t need these students to like him, he only needed her to like him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach them until their graduation.¡± He Zhichu discreetly changed the topic. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to start working right away, you can take the next six months off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I want to work, but I don¡¯t want to go to work in the United States. Professor He, it¡¯s too early to be talking about these things. I still haven¡¯t wrapped my head around it. I¡¯ll wait until the Lunar New Year is over before I start thinking about where I want to work.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t pressure her. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to go to the United States. I also have aw firm here, so you can work there and I¡¯ll make you partner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    If she became a partner as soon as she graduated, other people would forever stick thebel of ¡°He Zhichu¡± on her, even if she had her own merits.

    Gu Nianzhi had struggled hard to finally break free from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s protection and care, so she didn¡¯t want to immediately carry the weight of someone else¡¯sbel.

    ¡°Professor He, I want to make my own achievements first, then bring my own clients to join yourw firm. What do you think?¡± Gu Nianzhi replied politely as she stood up from her seat.

    He Zhichu understood what she meant as soon as she said it. He replied with a smile, ¡°Do you also worry about what other people think?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worrying about what other people think, but I don¡¯t want to bury my own talents either.¡± Gu Nianzhi confidently put on her backpack and picked up herptop bag with her other hand. ¡°Professor He, is it okay if I do some exploring myself?¡±

    ¡°...I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t allow you to explore, but what¡¯s the point of taking so many other detours? You will be my partner in the end anyway, so if it¡¯s only a matter of time. Why not make it earlier?¡± He Zhichu teased Gu Nianzhi with persuasive reasoning.

    1Gu Nianzhi giggled and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing. Let¡¯s change the perspective and say that the detours are actually experiences. Without taking detours, there is no experience. In this industry, the most important thing is to be able to convince the public. If other people can¡¯t trust my ability, why would they ask me to be theirwyer? Also, I¡¯m not any less skilled than others, so why aren¡¯t you assured about letting go and allowing me to try things out on my own?¡±

    He Zhichu stared at her, the expression on his face turning icy.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu was looking out for her, but just like Huo Shaoheng, he always believed that she couldn¡¯t be independent.

    ¡°But I must thank you for your suggestion, Professor He. Your suggestion has given me more courage to go out and work without being afraid of failure. I know that you won¡¯t turn your back on me, right?¡±

    Now Gu Nianzhi also knew how to express her thoughts in a circuitous way and express her goodwill without hurting other people¡¯s feelings.

    As expected, He Zhichu¡¯s mood improved greatly. Picking up his briefcase, he walked out of the small conference room with Gu Nianzhi and replied dryly, ¡°Oh? But you already refused my suggestion, how can that give you even more courage?¡±

    ¡°Because I know that you¡¯ll always be my strongest supporter! That¡¯s why I have the courage to go forward!¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her arms and smiled at He Zhichu.

    This statement greatly pleased He Zhichu.

    A pleasant arc involuntarily formed at the corners of his lips. It wasn¡¯t until he returned to his suite in the professor¡¯s building and went to the bathroom to wash his hands that he realized he was still smiling faintly.

    No wonder his cheeks were a bit sore...

    He Zhichu ttened the corners of his lips.

    Coming out of the bathroom, he called Gu Nianzhi on the phone. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ll be on break after the exam today. May I treat you to dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just returned to the dorm and was in the middle of telling Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong about the interesting things that had happened during her thesis defense.

    Hearing her ringtone, Gu Nianzhi picked up the phone and said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, I was just about to treat other people to dinner. Do you want toe too?¡±

    ¡°Okay, where?¡± He Zhichu nced at his schedule. Today was especially nked out because he needed to return to the United States for a trip after celebrating with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi told him the location of the restaurant they were going to for dinner, then said to Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong, ¡°You guys cane too. I booked a private room so we can y all afternoon and night.¡±

    After eating two meals, they could also sing karaoke and y mahjong and cards. This ce was an entertainment and dining one-stop-shop.

    Yin Shixiong replied with a smile, ¡°Sounds good, but it¡¯s just a few of us. How about we all invite a few more people?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She recalled Huo Shaoheng telling her to call him after the thesis defense concluded.

    After being berated by Huo Shaoheng on the highway, she was a bit afraid of him.

    Yin Shixiong made a face at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you wouldn¡¯t be that petty, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only smile. ¡°I want to invite a few more people, but it¡¯s the holidays right now. Our ssmates either have to go home or to work, so we won¡¯t be able to get that many people toe on such short notice. How about Brother Xiong asks if Huo Shao and Brother Ze are free?¡±

    The day before was Friday, thest day of finals exams at B University.

    Winter break began after the exams finished.

    It was Saturday, the date for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thesis defense. It had been moved up to this day because she was graduating early.

    As for the graduation ceremony, she would have to wait to be with the group of students who would be graduating normally.

    B University only had one graduation ceremony per year.

    Yin Shixiong pinched his fingers together and snapped them. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask them for you.¡±

    He walked to the balcony to call Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze.

    Of course, Zhao Liangze was happy to agree. He asked a colleague to cover his shift for a few hours and drove over to meet them.

    When Zhao Liangze arrived at the door of the restaurant Gu Nianzhi, he somehow ran into Bai Shuang and Bai Yueran.

    They¡¯d been there to have lunch earlier in the day. When they heard that Gu Nianzhi had graduated early, they smiled and said they wanted to help her celebrate.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t make that decision himself, so he smiled. ¡®I¡¯ll go ask, but there¡¯s nothing I can do if there are too many people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll just go over to say hello.¡± Bai Shuang only wanted an opportunity to spend a bit more time with Zhao Liangze, so she was being very friendly.

    Zhao Liangze brought them inside.

    Gu Nianzhi had booked a ratherrge private room, but there actually weren¡¯t that many people inside.

    Bai Yueran nced around and was slightly reassured when she recognized everyone.

    She went over to greet everyone one by one.

    ¡°Lawyer He, a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Big Xiong, are you shirking your duties?¡± Bai Yueranughed, then shook hands with Ma Qiqi. ¡°Are you Qiqi? I¡¯ve seen you before.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi saw that it was Bai Shuang and Bai Yueran, she winked at Zhao Liangze and invited them in cheerfully. ¡°The two Miss Bais! Do you want to join us if you¡¯re free?¡±

    Bai Yueran looked at Bai Shuang and said, ¡°I can stay for three hours before I have to return to the base. What about you?¡±

    Bai Shuang replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not busy. I¡¯ll join in the fun if Miss Gu doesn¡¯t mind.¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind. She had rather good impressions of these two people and had also heard the bbermouth Yin Shixiong once say that Zhao Liangze was pursuing Bai Yueran, but Bai Shuang liked Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi loved watching these love triangles and gossip. She now had the chance to see it in live-action, so how could she miss out on it?

    Also, she¡¯d graduated today and was feeling light as a feather. She was much more cheerful than normal.

    Bai Yueran and Bai Shuang stayed and had lunch with them.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was in a meeting and couldn¡¯t pick up his phone.

    When his meeting was over, he discovered that it had already been two hours since Yin Shixiong called him.

    He called back and asked, ¡°Big Xiong? What happened?¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly replied, ¡°Hurry up ande over, Huo Shao! I saved food for you! Nianzhi is having her graduation celebration. You can¡¯t be absent!¡±

 Chapter 945 - The One Who Tries Is Not Disappointed

    <h4>Chapter 945:</h4>

    <h4>The One Who Tries Is Not Disappointed</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng heard that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s graduation celebration and paused. He nced at his watch to see it was already 1 P.M.

    ¡°Where are you guys?¡± Huo Shaoheng began to pack up in preparation to leave.

    He had intentionally blocked off thetter half of the day because he wanted to celebrate Gu Nianzhi¡¯spletion of her graduation thesis defense.

    But Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t called him after shepleted her thesis defense.

    As Huo Shaoheng walked outside, he used his Bluetooth headset to call Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    ¡°Offerings, alter, bow and arrow of war. Whose past did they belong to? I love the image of how you only belong to me amidst the crowd...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone began to ring.

    This was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone.

    She instinctively unlocked her phone to ept the call, then said to the people in the private room, ¡°I¡¯m going out to take a call.¡±

    She rushed outside and stood in the hallway to quietly answer, ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°...Is the thesis defense over?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Huo Shao. I...¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked unhappily. ¡°You promised me.¡±

    Awkwardly leaning against the wall, Gu Nianzhi looked at the bright blue passiflora decal on the opposite wall. She murmured, ¡°...I, I asked Brother Xiong to help me call you.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let it go this time. Don¡¯t do it again.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked out of the elevator and arrived at the underground parkade to pick up his car. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi mustered her courage and said, ¡°Huo Shao, Director Bai and her cousin are here. Professor He is here too. Today is only a graduation celebration so we won¡¯t be talking about other things.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. Taking a cigarette out of his pocket, he finally said after a moment, ¡°...Ok.ay¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ended the call and opened the car door to climb inside. After inhaling from his cigarette, he threw the butt into a nearby garbage can before driving his car out of the parkade.

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed her phone and stood alone in the hallway for a while before returning to the private room. He Zhichu offered her a ss of juice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Gu Nianzhi put the phone back into her bag with a smile. She saw Bai Yueran walking over when she looked up.

    ¡°Nianzhi, thank you for treating us today. I still have work to do and need to leave early. Congrattions on graduating early, our genius girl.¡± Bai Yueran leaned over to hug her.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her back. ¡°Thank you, Director Bai.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯ll bring a gift for you next time.¡± Bai Yueran patted her shoulder with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s cooperate in the future if we get the opportunity to.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for Director Bai to be polite.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°If you need my help with anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to let me know. There is no need to get me a gift.¡±

    ¡°How could that be right? We watched you grow up.¡± Bai Yueran gave her a cheerful wink, then waved to everyone else inside the private room. ¡°You guys take your time, I have to go.¡±

    Zhao Liangze followed her over. ¡°Yueran, today is Saturday. Are you working overtime?¡±

    Bai Yueran walked outside with him and adjusted her purse strap. She said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s Lunar New Year in one week and there are quite a few matters in the department to deal with. I haven¡¯t finished assigning the schedule for shifts during the Lunar New Year. Also, the Special Operations Forces¡¯ Legal Department had many of its personnel disciplined because of the incident in Germany, so we are understaffed. I¡¯m currently hiring new staff.¡±

    Zhao Liangze suddenly got an idea. He recalled what Bai Yueran had said to Gu Nianzhi and quickly asked, ¡°You¡¯re hiring? Can you consider Nianzhi? She graduated from a prestigious school and even graduated early. I heard from Professor He that her graduation thesis received the top grade in her ss.¡±

    Bai Yueran looked at him with a smile, herrge eyes rolling for a second. ¡°Since you and Big Xiong care about Nianzhi so much, aren¡¯t you afraid that Huo Shao will get jealous?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Huo Shao isn¡¯t that kind of person. Plus, he already broke up with Nianzhi. Big Xiong and I are just very worried about him as bystanders. I was thinking that if Nianzhi coulde to our Special Operations Forces, maybe the two of them could turn things around.¡±

    ¡°They really broke up?¡± Bai Yueran frowned with surprise. ¡°They haven¡¯t reconciled after all this time?¡±

    She thought that it was only a lover¡¯s quarrel...

    ¡°Did you notice how for Nianzhi¡¯s graduation celebration today, Big Xiong was the one to call Huo Shao and invite him.¡± Zhao Liangze shook his head, his expression very helpless. ¡°Okay then, I was just saying that. Do you think there¡¯s any chance?¡±

    Actually, he had a personal reason for wanting Gu Nianzhi to join the Special Operations Forces.

    Gu Nianzhi was considered his true disciple. If such a skilledputer and inte expert joined the Special Operations Forces, he could find a way to transfer her over to help him.

    Although his current subordinates were all pretty good, Gu Nianzhi was different.

    She was someone who could win three arguments with one statement. She was a genius with unusual ways of thinking.

    Bai Yueran shook her head regretfully. She was very solemn. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work. You know that our Special Operations Forces are too strict with background checks. Anyone with even a slightly hazy background wouldn¡¯t be able to join. As for Gu Nianzhi, her past is still unknown even to this day. She¡¯s like a ticking time bomb and no one knows when it¡¯ll explode. I can¡¯t agree to this.¡±

    Zhao Liangze knew it was very difficult, but that¡¯s why he hoped to ask this of Bai Yueran as a favor.

    It was only reasonable that Bai Yueran refused.

    But Zhao Liangze was still a bit disappointed. Putting his hands in his trouser pockets, the expression on his handsome face turned a bit cold. He nodded to Bai Yueran. ¡°I understand.¡±

    Bai Yueran had never seen such a cold and aloof expression on Zhao Liangze¡¯s face before. Although it was very mild, her heart still thumped. She realized that her refusal had hurt Zhao Liangze¡¯s feelings.

    Since the first time Zhao Liangze hadid eyes on her, his passion had never ebbed. He always looked at her with light in his eyes,

    Bai Yueran averted her gaze, her heart filling with regret.

    Opening the car door, she was about to sit inside when she suddenly turned around to call after Zhao Liangze. ¡°...Little Ze?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was just about to leave when he heard her calling him. He instinctively turned around. ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡±

    The weather was gloomy and snowkes began to dance around them.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s handsome and elegant face carried a different kind of allure under theyer of dancing snowkes.

    He had been pursuing Bai Yueran for over a year now and Bai Yueran had acted differently the entire time. She had neither epted nor rejected him.

    In Bai Yueran¡¯s heart, she couldn¡¯t exactly describe what kind of feeling she had for Zhao Liangze.

    She didn¡¯t dislike him. It could even be said that she liked him. However, she still thought that there was quite a bit of distance between what she felt and actual love.

    But on that snowy Saturday afternoon in the parking lot, Zhao Liangze¡¯s slightly distant expression was like an arrow piercing Bai Yueran directly in the heart.

    Because of her guilt, she somehow felt a budding feeling of love for this man for the very first time.

    ¡°Little Ze,¡± she called after him again, letting go of the car door. Quickly taking a few steps forward, she stood before Zhao Liangze and suddenly reached out to embrace his neck.

    Her slightly plump lips instantly pressed tightly against Zhao Liangze¡¯s slightly thin, finely shaped lips.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s mind suddenly buzzed. The love he had suppressed all this time was like a flood being held back by a dam. It fiercely poured out.

    Tightly embracing Bai Yueran¡¯s slim waist, he lowered his head to passionately kiss her back.

    ...

    As Huo Shaoheng drove in, he saw a tall and good looking couple kissing in the snow.

    The image was very beautiful, but he didn¡¯t pay attention to them for the sake of respecting other peoples¡¯ privacy.

    But as he drove past them, he finally noticed that the man was his personal secretary and the Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Forces, Zhao Liangze.

    From the woman¡¯s side profile and clothing, he recognized that she was none other than the Director of the Legal Department that Zhao Liangze had been pursuing so long, Bai Yueran.

    Was this a pair of lovers getting a happy ending? Or a case of how, when someone tries, they do not end up disappointed?

    Even the air seemed heavy with the smell of love.

    Could it not be snowing, but raining sweet and affectionate feelings?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly as he drove over and parked near them.

 Chapter 946 - She Saw It All

    <h4>Chapter 946: She Saw It All</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and walked past the kissing couple as if he didn¡¯t see them.

    Zhao Liangze and Bai Yueran were so intoxicated by their kiss that they didn¡¯t even notice that the person walking past them was Huo Shaoheng.

    When he arrived at the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s private room, Huo Shaoheng knocked on the door before going inside.

    Arge dining table was in the middle of the private room. It had already been tidied up neatly, so they¡¯d probably eaten already.

    A mahjong table sat by the wall, but no one was ying.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi sat in front of the karaoke table, both holding a microphone as they looked down to choose songs.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu were sitting on the couch by the window. They were ying cards with Bai Shuang.

    Bai Shuang kept looking at the door as she yed cards.

    She was the first to notice that Huo Shaoheng hade in.

    ¡°Huo Shao is here.¡± Bai Shuang waved at him, then asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Can we serve the food for Huo Shao now?¡±

    They had saved food for him, but it hadn¡¯t been served yet.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up to see that Huo Shaoheng had arrived. She nodded at him and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get them to serve the food.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t pretend to be polite either. He sat down by the dining table and greeted He Zhichu. Then he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Is your graduation thesis defense over? Did it go smoothly?¡±

    ¡°It went very smoothly. The professors were all very nice, they didn¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled brightly, then got up to ask someone to serve food to Huo Shaoheng.

    Bai Shuang set down the cards in her hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go help Nianzhi take a look.¡±

    She followed her outside as He Zhichu also threw down the cards in his hands. He picked up the red wine from the coffee table to take a sip.

    Walking out of the private room, Bai Shuang didn¡¯t follow Gu Nianzhi to order food but walked out of the restaurant towards the parking lot.

    She was a bit worried since Bai Yueran and Zhao Liangze hadn¡¯t returned after being gone for so long.

    For some reason, her left eye kept twitching. Her mind was very anxious.

    At the parking lot entrance, Bai Shuang witnessed the scene she least wanted to see.

    Amidst the dancing snowkes, Zhao Liangze and Bai Yueran were embracing each other and kissing.

    Her heart hurt like it had been cut by a knife. She couldn¡¯t even manage to say a single word.

    She knew that Zhao Liangze had feelings for Bai Yueran, but Bai Yueran had never epted Zhao Liangze¡¯s pursuit. Bai Yueran had also told her that she didn¡¯t have feelings of love towards Zhao Liangze...

    If she didn¡¯t have feelings of love, then why were they hugging and kissing?

    Bai Shuang stared nkly at this scene, forcing herself to look, painful as it was.

    She must remember this scene clearly in her heart so that, whenever she thought of Zhao Liangze again, she would recall this scene and warn herself to let go. Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t like her at all.

    Closing her eyes, Bai Shuang¡¯s tears streamed down her face.

    Turning around, she quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand and strode back to the private room.

    She didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer, not for a single second.

    ...

    Bai Yueran and Zhao Liangze kissed for a long time before slowly releasing each other.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s lips were always very pillowy and lush. They were a bit more pillowy now that they were swollen from kissing Zhao Liangze. They appeared even more alluring.

    ¡°...I really want to put you in my pocket and take you out whenever I want to kiss you.¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled and flirted with her.

    Bai Yueran was also 28 or 29 years old, so this wasn¡¯t her first time dating. However, her face still flushed from Zhao Liangze¡¯s teasing words.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a macho man.¡± Bai Yueran hugged Zhao Liangze¡¯s neck andughed. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be the one putting you in my pocket, so I can take you out whenever I want to give you a kiss?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask for more. Put me in, but you don¡¯t need to. Take me with you and I¡¯ll work overtime for you.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s bitter, one-sided love of over a year was finally being reciprocated, so he was very excited. He only wanted her to stay a bit longer. He didn¡¯t want to return to the private room anymore.

    Bai Yueranughed quietly, then tapped a finger to Zhao Liangze¡¯s forehead. ¡°There are times when you are sly too, my deputy chief. That¡¯s not good, is it?¡±

    ¡°Why would I need principles and manners when I¡¯m with the person I like?¡± Zhao Liangze had plenty of flirty lines to use as soon as he started. He lowered his head to nudge Bai Yueran¡¯s forehead. ¡°Do you want me to go with you?¡±

    Bai Yueran was very tempted, so she nearly blurted out, ¡°Yes!¡±

    But her reason still managed to win as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Zhao Liangze¡¯s lips again. She finally said, ¡°No thanks, what would Nianzhi think of you just leaving like that?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t mind. She¡¯d be even happier that I have a girlfriend.¡± Zhao Liangze knew Gu Nianzhi very well. He and Yin Shixiong were like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s older brothers and Gu Nianzhi was like a little sister to them. They didn¡¯t have any stray thoughts.

    ¡°Okay then. But even if Nianzhi doesn¡¯t mind, what about Bai Shuang?¡± Bai Yueran gently pushed Zhao Liangze away. ¡°You should go back. Don¡¯t tell anyone else about this for now, okay?¡±

    Zhao Liangze thought that he had finally waited long enough for his wish to be fulfilled. He was in the midst of wanting nothing more than to share his happiness with the world, but Bai Yueran was requesting him to not go public.

    ¡°What do you mean? Are you ashamed to be with me?¡± Zhao Liangze frowned and was almost unhappy about it. ¡°I¡¯m single and you¡¯re single too. Why can¡¯t we say that we¡¯re together?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t say that we¡¯re together.¡± Bai Yueran sighed. In her eyes, Zhao Liangze was definitely childish at times. She touched his cheek tofort him. ¡°It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t say it right now.¡±

    ¡°Then when can we say it?¡± Zhao Liangze held her hand and said solemnly, ¡°Actually, I do understand your little sister Bai Shuang¡¯s feelings. I¡¯ve also expressed very clearly that she¡¯s not the one I like. I think that it¡¯s not fair to Bai Shuang if we hide our rtionship. I don¡¯t think she would want this kindness spared to her like charity.¡±

    Bai Yueran was stunned speechless by Zhao Liangze, but she still managed to squeeze Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand back and whisper, ¡°I know, but it¡¯s almost Lunar New Year. Do you want Bai Shuang to have a miserable and gloomy Lunar New Year?¡±

    Zhao Liangze paused.

    Fine then, it was true that he wasn¡¯t being considerate enough.

    ¡°Fine then, can we go public after Lunar New Year?¡± Zhao Liangze was very doting and warm towards Bai Yueran. He felt that he loved her more by the minute.

    ¡°Fine, after we go back to work again on the 15th day of the lunar calendar, I¡¯ll treat colleagues from both our department to dinner.¡± Bai Yueran let go of his hand. ¡°I really need to go now, or else I¡¯ll have to work overtime tonight too.¡±

    Zhao Liangze finally watched her leave and didn¡¯t urge her to stay back.

    After he watched Bai Yueran¡¯s car leave the parking lot, he finally turned back to the private room.

    But he had only walked a few steps when he saw Bai Shuanging out, carrying her bag. Her head was down and she was very rushed.

    ¡°Bai Shuang, where are you going?¡± Zhao Liangze instinctively called after her. ¡°There¡¯s still dinner tonight, let¡¯s eat together.¡±

    Bai Shuang heard Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice and shook head without looking up. ¡°No, I have something else to do. I need to leave.¡±

    She kept her head down, so Zhao Liangze was a bit perplexed. He bent down slightly and wanted to look at her expression. He half-joked, ¡°What is it? Bai Shuang? Did Nianzhi bully you? Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll help you teach her a lesson!¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s heart felt like it was being cut by a knife when she heard Zhao Liangze say this. She fiercely looked up. ¡°Zhao Liangze! Stop saying these kinds of things to me if my sister is the one that you like! I¡¯d thank you for that!¡± As she spoke, she pushed him away.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart dropped. He sensed something was wrong and quickly said, ¡°Bai Shuang, what¡¯s with you? You...¡±

    He still had something to say, but Bai Shuang had already turned around to look up at him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything, I already saw everything earlier.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes turned slightly red and swollen.

    Zhao Liangze was silent.

    ¡°I wish you both happiness.¡± Bai Shuang felt even sadder when she saw Zhao Liangze remaining silent. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Bye.¡±

    She mustered her entire body¡¯s strength to say the word ¡°Bye.¡± She felt that, although the world was such a huge ce, there was no ce in it for her.

    Her father had died on a tiny ind in the Caribbean Sea. It was because of him that she couldn¡¯t continue her job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her days were aimless.

    She had liked Zhao Liangze, the only bright light in her dreary life.

    But now this light would be illuminating someone else¡¯s life and would no longer shine on her.

    Bai Shuang rushed into her car and quickly drove away.

    Zhao Liangze sighed. He watched nkly as Bai Shuang¡¯s car left the parking lot, the image of her red and crying eyes filling his mind.

    ...

    Inside the private room, Huo Shaoheng sat at the dining table alone. Gu Nianzhi was already sitting with Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi, watching them sing love songs.

    As Zhao Liangze pushed the door toe in, his spirits were low. He¡¯d originally been ovee with happiness, but half of it had been diluted by Bai Shuang.

    Picking up the remote, he turned on the t-screen TV out of boredom and began to watch it.

    Several TV stations were still broadcasting the car ident from that morning.

    ¡°...ording to results from the police¡¯s DNA test, the victims in the two vehicles from this morning¡¯s car ident were the Chairman of the Ishihara Corporation, Ishihara Waskashi, and his driver, secretary, and bodyguard, as well as Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s grandson, Ishihara Taro, and his driver.¡±

    ¡°They were the sole remaining descendants of the Ishihara family. Their deaths have caused a great impact on the Ishihara Corporation. Manypanies with stocks controlled by the Ishihara Corporation are currently facing exponential drops in their prices...¡±

 Chapter 947 - The Changing Video

    <h4>Chapter 947: The Changing Video</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi sat between Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi, listening to them sing. When Zhao Liangze came in, Gu Nianzhi turned around to nce at him.

    When Zhao Liangze turned on the TV, Gu Nianzhi also listened to the news. It was exactly what she was interested in.

    She couldn¡¯t help but turn around to go over and sit down by Zhao Liangze on the couch. Propping her chin up with both hands, she said with a frown, ¡°...The fire was so powerful at the time, wasn¡¯t everything burned up? How did they test for DNA?¡±

    Zhao Liangze knocked on her head and said with exasperation, ¡°It was only a fire caused by a tanker. Do you think this was a high-temperature furnace at a crematorium?! The human body isn¡¯t burned to ash that easily. Only the external skin was burned.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and felt a bit disgusted. She quickly waved her hands. ¡°Fine, fine. Brother Ze can stop exining. You¡¯re so well educated, okay?¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯m as well educated as you? The genius girl has graduated. Where are you going to make a fortune at?¡± Zhao Liangze was not in a very good mood, so hezily leaned back on the sofa and stretched out his long legs. Picking up a pistachio from the table in front of him, he deshelled it and threw it in his mouth. He only chewed it quickly before spitting it into the garbage can. ¡°What is that? It¡¯spletely bitter!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze with confusion. ¡°Brother Ze, are you not in a good mood?¡±

    ¡°How could he not be in a good mood?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep and maic voice traveled from the dining table. ¡°He¡¯s already won the beauty¡¯s heart, how could he be in a bad mood? Punk, you want to go to heaven too?¡±

    ¡°Oh? He¡¯s won the beauty¡¯s heart?! There is a situation, there is a situation!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes instantly glittered, her inky eyes appeared like sparkling stars. ¡°Which beauty¡¯s heart did you win, Brother Ze? Hurry up and tell us!¡±

    Zhao Liangze stared bbergasted at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao! What are you talking about?!¡±

    ¡°Still trying to deny it?¡± Huo Shaoheng slowly turned around to nce at him. However, he kept the corner of his eye on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes... ck as jade and shiny ascquer.

    ¡°Parking lot.¡± Huo Shaoheng only said those two words.

    Zhao Liangze immediately pursed his lips and chuckled nervously. ¡°Huo Shao really does know everything. I can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng, then at Zhao Liangze. Her glittering eyes kept blinking. ¡°Huo Shao, what adult-rated scene did you see in the parking lot?¡±

    ¡°Right, a young person like you shouldn¡¯t be asking all these kinds of questions.¡± Zhao Liangze bent his finger and flicked it at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°All you care about is gossip!¡±

    ¡°So what if it¡¯s gossip?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as she avoided him. ¡°A life without silly gossip would be as lonely as snow! Brother Ze, hurry up and tell us. Which beauty was it?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze finallyposed himself and stared nkly at Gu Nianzhi. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°...Even you know about it?¡±

    ¡°Know about what?¡±

    ¡°...Which beauty? What do you mean by that?¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s feeling of unease grew even stronger.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprise that other people knew he liked Bai Yueran since he¡¯d never concealed it before.

    But he¡¯d thought that he was the only person who¡¯d noticed Bai Shuang liking him...

    So it turned out that everyone could tell?

    Then... wouldn¡¯t this be very humiliating for Bai Shuang?

    Zhao Liangze had a bit of a headache. Looking at the red wine on the coffee table, he grabbed a wine ss to pour himself some.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely confused. She couldn¡¯t guess which person was with Zhao Liangze.

    But looking at his unhappy expression, could it Bai Shuang?

    He wasn¡¯t able to be with the person he liked, so he¡¯d no choice but to be with the person who liked him.

    Gu Nianzhi inched over to his ear to whisper quietly, ¡°...Brother Ze, Bai Shuang is pretty good too. Don¡¯t be upset...¡±

    He shouldn¡¯t make it so obvious either. How would Bai Shaung feel?

    Zhao Liangze took a sip of red wine and gave her a sidelong nce. ¡°What are you guessing? Don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Could it not be Bai Shuang?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Then how could you not be happy if it¡¯s Director Bai? That doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finished eating and smiled faintly when he heard Gu Nianzhi speaking nonsense to Zhao Liangze.

    He came over carrying a cup of tea and sat down next to Zhao Liangze. He replied dryly, ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t your wishe true already? Punk, you¡¯ve won Director Bai¡¯s heart and you¡¯re still not satisfied? Who are you making this poker face for?¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng, the man who historically never revealed his emotions, actually said that Zhao Liangze was putting on a ¡°poker face,¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but grumble to herself. But Huo Shaoheng still had his authority, so she didn¡¯t dare rebel against him. She quietly stood up and went over to sit by He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu had been quiet the entire time. Holding his phone in one hand and a ss of red wine in the other, he looked down as he sat on the long couch across from Gu Nianzhi. He kept scrolling on his phone. She had no idea what he was looking at. He appeared extremely bored.

    ¡°Professor He, are you feeling tired?¡± Gu Nianzhi thoughtfully brought over a bottle of spring water to He Zhichu. ¡°Please stop drinking wine. How will you driveter?¡±

    He Zhichu looked up, his shimmery, sultry eyes seeming to sparkle like water under the private room¡¯s chandelier lights.

    He squinted as he took the bottle of spring water from Gu Nianzhi and opened it to take a sip. He remarked coolly, ¡°I¡¯m not driving, you¡¯ll drive.¡±

    ¡°Me? My driving skills aren¡¯t that good...¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as she deshelled a few pistachios and ced them on the pure white and gold-rimmed bone china te in front of He Zhichu.

    ¡°You driving skills aren¡¯t that good? I think that your driving skills are very good..¡± He Zhichu passed his phone to Gu Nianzhi. His voice was very quiet like it was emitting from the bottom of his heart and dispelling before it even reached his throat. ¡°Look at how this car was driven. Roller coasters are on about the same level.¡±

    His voice was tinged with some anger, but it was suppressed. However, Gu Nianzhi was so sensitive that she noticed it right away.

    ¡°Professor He, what are you talking about?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him quizzically. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to drive and only got my driver¡¯s licensest year. There are only a scant few times that I¡¯ve driven...¡±

    He Zhichu could feel a vein about to burst in his forehead. His fingers glided over the phone and immediately pressed the button to y a video.

    In the dreary winter morning, a bright red sports car stood out on the highway...

    Gu Nianzhi instantly widened her eyes and looked at He Zhichu¡¯s phone in disbelief.

    Wasn¡¯t... Wasn¡¯t this the surveince video of her driving on the highway that morning?!

    Where had He Zhichu gotten this from!?

    Gu Nianzhi stared at He Zhichu with shock, unable to speak.

    Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been surprised at all if Huo Shaoheng had been the one to produce this surveince footage.

    But He Zhichu... Where did he get it from?!

    Although Huo Shaoheng was still speaking with Zhao Liangze, most of his attention was focussed on Gu Nianzhi.

    When he looked up at that moment, he instantly saw her bbergasted expression.

    His brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Nianzhi, what is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was more panicked than ever, so she didn¡¯t dare to look at Huo Shaoheng. She was terrified he would be able to read the change in her expression.

    But she couldn¡¯t refuse to answer him either. If she didn¡¯t speak, then Huo Shaoheng would immediately notice that something was wrong.

    But Gu Nianzhi instinctively didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to know about the video on He Zhichu¡¯s phone. She already knew this wasn¡¯t something that could be easily exined.

    He Zhichu also watched Gu Nianzhi pointedly. His lips curled slightly into a half-smile, but there was no trace of amusement in his eyes.

    Anger, fear... fear and a bit of reckless self-abandonment.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand this. She instinctively covered He Zhichu¡¯s phone.

    Huo Shaoheng had alreadye over by then. He sat next to Gu Nianzhi and reached out to move aside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist. Gu Nianzhi lost her grip and He Zhichu instinctively grabbed her hand.

    As soon as his palm syed open, his phone quickly hurtled down and was caught by Huo Shaoheng.

    All the color drained from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face at that moment. Her plump, curvy lips were trembling and even her palms were sweating.

    He Zhichu could feel the sweat on her palms, as well her trembling arms. He finally felt a bit better, so he couldn¡¯t help but squeeze her hand to indicate that she didn¡¯t need to be scared.

    But how could Gu Nianzhi not be scared?

    Her mind quickly spun as she contemted how she would help He Zhichu smooth this over. She wanted to im she had done it and then transfer the video to He Zhichu¡¯s phone.

    From the angle of a surveince camera in the video He Zhichu had just shown her, it had obviously been taken on the highway.

    All the surveince cameras on the Imperial Capital¡¯s highways belonged to the government.

    If He Zhichu¡¯s phone contained these videos, didn¡¯t that mean he had hacked the Imperial Capital traffic police¡¯s surveince systems?!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was in a panic. She didn¡¯t even have time to think about when He Zhichu had suddenly developed such high-levelputer skills...

    Quickly casting a look at Huo Shaoheng, she discovered that he appearedpletely unmoved.

    He casually leaned on the sofa, his fingers sliding over He Zhichu¡¯s phone as he replied calmly, ¡°...Nianzhi, were you looking at these things just now?¡± As he spoke, he passed He Zhichu¡¯s phone to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned as soon as she looked at it.

    The webpage that Huo Shaoheng was looking at was actually a website for luxury car sales.

    The pages of luxury cars shed before her, each vehicle equal or superior to the red custom Ferrari Huo Shaoheng had gifted to her...

    He Zhichu had changed the content on his phone without detection.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t seen the highway video that Gu Nianzhi had been watching.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes, clutching both hands to her chest. She almost couldn¡¯t catch her breath.

    ¡°...Is there water? I need to have some water, ice water.¡± She was so anxious she was about to explode.

    He Zhichu passed an unopened bottle of spring water to her and snickered. ¡°If that¡¯s all the guts you have, then I guess it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to drive me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng threw the phone back to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He wants to give Nianzhi a graduation gift?¡±

    He Zhichu caught the phone and nodded with a half-smile. ¡°Right. I asked her to choose one, but she refuses. Actually, am I such an outsider to her? She¡¯s already graduated and I¡¯m no longer her professor. She¡¯s also no longer my student.¡±

    That statement was too provocative.

    Even the distracted Zhao Liangze sensed it too.

    He nced at He Zhichu, then looked at Huo Shaoheng. Finally, he looked at Gu Nianzhi. She was sitting between the two men and looking like an ant on a hot frying pan. Zhao Liangze suddenly broke into a smile.

    He crossed his arms in front of his chest, then saidnguidly, ¡°Right, I love seeing silly gossip! A life without silly gossip would be as lonely as snow!¡±

    Unexpectedly, he returned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teasing words directly back to her.

 Chapter 948 - Little Prince of Love Songs

    <h4>Chapter 948: Little Prince of Love Songs</h4>

    Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong had just finished singing a song. They turned around to invite Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze to join them. Instead, they ended up witnessing a scene that stunned them.

    Yin Shixiong dragged Zhao Liangze to sing with them and kept shooting looks at him. ¡°Little Ze, you must¡¯ve drunk too much! What silly gossip are you watching? Where¡¯s the silly gossip?!¡±

    Although Zhao Liagnze was not as keen-eyed as Yin Shixiong, he was usually smarter than other people.

    However, today he seemed to know everything... except for one thing.

    Stiffening his neck, he said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°How did I drink too much? I only drank this little bit! What did I say wrong? Could it not be true...?¡±

    His arms stretched as he gestured across from him.

    Sitting on the couch across from him, Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, and He Zhichu were all stony-faced as they watched him in silence.

    Yin Shixiong was terrified by the look that Huo Shaoheng was giving him. He used even more strength to pull Zhao Liangze away. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! You¡¯re not drunk! We¡¯ll go sing! All those years ago, didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d sing your girlfriend love songs all night when you finally got one? Our little prince of love songs?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed with a ¡°Pftt¨C!¡±

    As expected by everyone, she finally spat out a mouthful of tea.

    ¡°Why are you making a mess while drinking tea?¡± He Zhichu murmured as he smoothly picked up a tissue to wipe Gu Nainzhi¡¯s face.

    His movements were so fluid and natural, it was like he had done it thousands of times before.

    Gu Nianzhi obediently angled her head upwards to allow He Zhichu to help her wipe her face. Her movements also seemed to be habitual.

    Huo Shaoheng had just been looking at Zhao Liangze thoughtfully. Worried about his situation, he inadvertently slowed down for a second.

    By the time he turned around, he discovered that He Zhichu was already helping Gu Nianzhi wipe her face.

    It wasn¡¯t like he could start a fight with He Zhichu in front of all these people...

    After all, there were several people widening their eyes to watch the ¡°silly gossip,¡± wanting all hell to break loose.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out a tissue to discreetly wipe the coffee table in front of him.

    It had been sttered with water from the mouthful of tea in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth.

    Pursing his lips slightly, his slender, powerful fingers slid over the coffee table to clean up the table¡¯s surface.

    He Zhichu threw the tissue away and cast his eyes towards the three people¡¯s faces to quickly scan them. ¡°You guys go sing.¡±

    His tone was cool, yet it carried an invisible authority.

    Yin Shixiong quickly pulled Ma Qiqi and Zhao Liangze by the hands to take them to the other side of the room to sing.

    Zhao Liangze drank all the red wine in his ss, suddenly excited. He became a microphone hog and sang without stopping.

    ¡°I gently taste/You said you loved me/I¡¯m still reminiscing your past tenderness/Gently taste/This fragrant temptation/You look like everything I love...¡± he sang along to Jay Chou¡¯s ¡°Sweetness.¡±

    ¡°Passing by your entire world/I have lived through the heyday/Please go forward/There is no need to turn back/The person waiting for you at the end, will be me/I hope that you¡¯ll be thest person...¡± he crooned to ¡°Who Listens to You in the World.¡±

    ¡°In the vast sea of stars/Persist in a dream/The warmth in your hands/I want to touch it badly/In the vast sea of people/Who did I meet/The tenderness in your eyes/Is everything all for me...¡± he belted out ¡°To Meet You¡±

    ...

    He kept singing and drinking. Finally, he was so exhausted from singing that his voice turned hoarse.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi could only serve as his background performers, so they kept pouring him more wine.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless from listening to this.

    She had just graduated with a Master¡¯s degree and also gotten rid of her two mortal enemies. Her mood was at an all-time high.

    If someone started ruining her good mood, there was no question that she would walk away without saying anything.

    But this was Zhao Liangze, the Brother Ze who had watched her grow up. So she only propped her head up with a fist as she watched Zhao Liangze with concern.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with Brother Ze?¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly asked Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Who did you see with him in the parking lot?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. He didn¡¯t want to gossip about his subordinate, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was too concerned. He gave it some thought before finally saying, ¡°...Bai Yueran.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the person he was pining for? He finally won the beauty¡¯s heart, so why is he singing these kinds of songs?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very confused.

    He Zhichu leaned back on the couch and half-lowered his eyes as he replied dryly, ¡°...Bai Shuang left too.¡±

    That was a derative statement, not a question.

    Gu Niaznhi nodded. ¡°When I went to order food for Huo Shao, Bai Shuang said she would go with me. But while I was ordering the food, she left...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood.

    ¡°Bai Shuang also went to the parking lot!¡± She covered her mouth with shock and shot a look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Could Bai Shuang have seen it too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng contemted for a second, then nodded slightly. ¡°That¡¯s more than likely.¡±

    ¡°Then it all makes sense.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a sigh. ¡°Brother Ze must¡¯ve been intimate with Director Bai in the parking lot, and then Bai Shuang saw it. Afterward, Brother Ze discovered that Bai Shuang saw them in the parking lot... No wonder Bai Shuang was crying when she came back to grab her bag. I even said that we were having so much fun ying poker and asked why she stopped all of a sudden...¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi was narrating this, Zhao Liangze so happened to finish singing a song.

    In the quiet private room, her crisp and melodious voice suddenly echoed. It was actually quite awkward...

    After Gu Nianzhi said this, she finally noticed everyone staring at her.

    Although none of these people were outsiders, her face still flushed. She smoothed her hair with embarrassment and looked at Zhao Liangze to ask, ¡°Brother Ze, is that it?¡±

    Zhao Liangze snickered. He was already a bit drunk so he wobbled as he stood up to walk over to her. ¡°You are a genius girl, after all. Although you didn¡¯t see it for yourself, you arepletely urate! Come here, Brother Ze will make a toast to you!¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t drink.¡± Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu both said at the same time.

    Yin Shixong and Ma Qiqi sat down on either side of Zhao Liangze. They stared at Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu nking Gu Nianzhi like they were her guardians. They tried so hard to suppress theirughter that it nearly caused internal organ damage.

    Gu Nianzhi felt even more embarrassed. She nervouslyughed as she tried to give herself an exit strategy ¡°...What they mean is that I still need to driveter, so I can¡¯t drink.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not 22 yet, so you can¡¯t drink.¡± He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng said in unison once again.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    Couldn¡¯t these two speak kindly to her!?

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi truly couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. They hugged their stomachs,ughing so hard they copsed on the couch.

    Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu both looked across the room expressionlessly.

    ¡°Qiqi, do you still want to take my ss next semester?¡± He Zhichu asked, berating Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi immediately wiped the smile off her face and straightened her back. She nodded seriously. ¡°Of course I want to. Professor He, you must give me a spot in your ss.¡±

    There were limited spaces in He Zhichu¡¯s sses next semester, so all the B Universityw students from undergraduate students to Ph.D. candidates were fighting hard to earn a spot.

    If you want a spot, be careful with what you say. He Zhichu¡¯s eyes said it all.

    Ma Qiqi understood it clearly.

    She quickly stoppedughing at Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng also nced at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Big Xiong, you¡¯re still suspended from duty. If you make another transgression, it¡¯s a double sentence.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s smile also faded instantly. He earnestly expressed his stance. ¡°Huo Shao, Little Ze is crossing the line. I¡¯ll be sure to educate him properly when we get back.¡±

    However, Zhao Liangze was very drunk. His beautiful eyes seemed to be covered in a hazy mist, making everyone look blurry to him.

    He shouted, ¡°Nianzhi! Have a drink with your Brother Little Ze! My little sister Nianzhi is the best, so obedient and caring! Huo Shao, you don¡¯t treasure her enough! You don¡¯t even know how lucky you are! I worked so hard to pursue my girlfriend, but all you had to do was beckon your finger at Nianzhi for her to go to you! Hmph! It¡¯s not fair!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned silent.

    As if she was that easily tempted!

    Gu Nianzhi became angry and was about to rebuke him.

    Zhao Liangze then giggled as he pointed to Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°...That¡¯s why you deserved to be dumped!¡±

    Yin Shixiong, Ma Qiqi, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s faces all nked instantly.

    Only the corner of He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled higher and higher. His shimmery, sultry eyes squinted as amusement seemed to burst from deep inside his heart.

 Chapter 949 - Concede Defea

    949 Concede Defea

    Zhao Liangze was so drunk that he slumped over. The others saw that he was about to slide down from the sofa.

    Only Huo Shaoheng remained indifferent as he coldly looked at him.

    On the sidelines, Yin Shixiong was breaking out in a cold sweat. He finally punched Zhao Liangze hard on the back of his head to knock him out.

    ¡°Huo Shao, today Little Ze experienced great happiness and sadness. He drank a bit too much, so please don¡¯t take it to heart...¡± Yin Shixiong stuttered in an attempt to help Zhao Liangze defend himself.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to speak up, but Yin Shixiong discreetly waved a hand at her so she would keep quiet.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t appear angry at all. He merely stood up and said, ¡°...It¡¯s already considered malfeasance for him to get so drunk after having so little to drink. I¡¯ll take him back and get him sobered up, then I¡¯ll ask him to submit a 10,000-word report. I will discuss his subsequent punishment after he sobers up.¡± As he spoke, he walked over to Zhao Liangze and picked up him with one hand. He dragged Zhao Liangze outside like he was a bup sack.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    Yin Shixiong wiped the sweat from his forehead, then shot Gu Nianzhi a look to ask her to chase after Huo Shaoheng.

    He could tell that although Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t appear angry at all, he must be enraged on the inside.

    Everyone in their profession was ustomed to concealing their own emotions.

    Suddenly going crazy like Zhao Liangze had was indeed quite unprofessional.

    As Huo Shaoheng had said, this was ¡°malfeasance.¡±

    The punishment probably wouldn¡¯t be very light.

    Yin Shixiong began silently praying for Zhao Liangze.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was still thinking about the video on He Zhichu¡¯s phone.

    She still hadn¡¯t figured out where He Zhichu had gotten his hands on it, so this was very important to her.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, you and Qiqi should go first. I¡¯ll also be leaving after I get the bill.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t go after Huo Shaoheng, but winked at Ma Qiqi instead. ¡°Qiqi, sorry you had to see that.¡±

    Ma Qiqi quickly shook her head with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re happy.¡±

    Yin Shixiong wanted to go back to the base and visit Zhao Liangze. He also wanted to take the opportunity to plead on his behalf.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Yin Shixiong took Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, this year I¡¯ll be taking Qiqi back to my hometown for Lunar New Year. I wish you Happy New Year in advance.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Meeting the parents already?! Congrattions, congrattions!¡± Gu Nianzhi was genuinely happy for Ma Qiqi, then replied, ¡°When is the wedding? Tell me in advance once the date is set, I need to earn enough money for your red envelope!¡±

    ¡°Well, of course. I won¡¯t ept your red envelope if there¡¯s not enough inside! Work hard, Nianzhi!¡± Yin Shixiong chuckled as he patted her shoulder and nodded to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, can I bother you to take Nianzhi back?¡±

    He Zhichu put both hands in his trouser pockets and nodded with elegance. ¡°Nianzhi will be driving my car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said nothing.

    After Yin Shxiong and Ma Qiqi left, Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu also left the private room. They went to the front counter to pay.

    When the staff at the front counter looked at their bill, they smiled and said, ¡°The bill has already been paid for. Have a good day!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already paid for? By who?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very shocked, so she asked the front counter to show her the bill.

    The name ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± was written with great flourish, so messy that people typically wouldn¡¯t be able to read it.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi could read it.

    When she had been most obsessed with Huo Shaoheng, she had even secretly imitated his handwriting.

    After she finished her homework every night, she would read his handwritten notes over and over again. She had felt devout and sweet as she wrote in his handwriting¨Cit was like the entire world was hers.

    But when she saw his signature now, Gu Nianzhi discovered that her heart was still as water.

    Setting the bill down, she memorized the amount on it.

    It wasn¡¯t too much, she could afford it herself.

    She¡¯d make sure to return this favor when she had a chance to.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu left the restaurant together.

    The snow on the ground had already umted into a thickyer, so it creaked when they stepped on it.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her car and said with some hesitation, ¡°Professor He, you should ride in my car. I¡¯ll bring you back here to pick up your car tomorrow.¡±

    He Zhichu rubbed his temples, then nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go in your car.¡±

    The two of them got into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red Ferrari and drove out of the restaurant¡¯s parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi was driving He Zhichu to the B University professor¡¯s building.

    On the way, Gu Nianzhi began to probe carefully and ask He Zhichu about the video.

    ¡°Professor He, where did you get that video from?¡±

    In the beginning, He Zhichu ignored her. Afterward, he got frustrated enough that he replied coolly, ¡°...You hide everything from me anyway, why do I have to tell you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t respond.

    She looked down nervously and squeezed the steering wheel as she got onto the highway.

    That morning¡¯s situation was still vivid in her memory, but somehow she hadn¡¯t experienced any trauma at all.

    She wondered if it meant that her courage had been honed.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed emotionally, then said, ¡°Professor He, I didn¡¯t want to hide it from you. I was afraid that you would get worried...¡±

    ¡°If you knew I would get worried, why did you do that kind of thing anyway?¡± He Zhichu opened the video on his phone. ¡°Just look at you, you were ying with fire!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, silently listening to He Zhichu berate her.

    ¡°And what was going on with that tanker? Why did it keep tailing you? Why were the Ishihara Corporations¡¯ two cars the only ones to collide with the tanker? How did you be so brave that you¡¯d even dare to y hard to get on the highway?¡±

    He Zhichu fired off a series of questions at her, but Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t know which one to answer first.

    Because it was a very long story, she didn¡¯t know where to begin.

    As Gu Nianzhi drove, she decided to turn on the car¡¯s stereo system. The flowing piano melody instantly filled the small cabin of the car. It seemed to carry a calming force that settled her nerves.

    After He Zhichu vented for some time, he noticed that Gu Nianzhi was keeping silent. He grew even angrier. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking? Are you not going to tell me if anything happens to you in the future?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally smiled meekly and replied, ¡°Professor He, you are speaking too seriously. I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it from you. I actually hid it from Huo Shao too.¡±

    He Zhichu was shocked.

    Although he still wasn¡¯t too satisfied with this answer, why was his mood miraculously improving?

    Gu Nianzhi keenly sensed that He Zhichu¡¯s mood had already improved, so she continued. ¡°...I calcted everything. The Ishihara¡¯s wanted me dead, so I couldn¡¯t sit idly by.¡±

    ¡°The Ishihara¡¯s wanted you dead?!¡± He Zhichu turned around to look at her with shock. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also very surprised. ¡°Why would I tell you sooner? Could you have dealt with this family without viting anyws?¡±

    ¡°Scum like them should¡¯ve been wiped out anyway. Why do we need to talk about thew?¡± He Zhichu sneered and turned to look at the night scenery through the car window.

    After some time, he said, ¡°...Did you leave any evidence behind of the things you did? Do you need me to clean up for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and said with exasperation, ¡°Professor He, what on earth are you thinking about? I really didn¡¯t do anything. The only thing I did was call to order delivery. When the tanker was about to hit me, I suddenly elerated to escape being crushed by an 18-wheeler.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned as he watched the video over and over again. The situation was actually exactly as Gu Nianzhi described.

    He didn¡¯t know what Gu Nianzhi meant by ¡°call to order delivery,¡± but the video clearly showed her suddenly elerating.

    Gu Nianzhi certainly didn¡¯t do anything wrong.

    He Zhichu sighed in relief. ¡°You need to know the importance of things, so I believe that you wouldn¡¯t lie to me about this kind of thing.¡± He paused, then asked her, ¡°How did you know the Ishihara¡¯s wanted to harm you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him before replying calmly, ¡°Does Professor He remember how I fell a while ago and was almost half-paralyzed from it?¡±

    ¡°I remember that.¡±

    ¡°That was Ishihara Taro¡¯s doing.¡±

    He Zhichu was silent.

    ¡°Also, Ishihara Taro stalked me for a long time and collected information about my whereabouts. He made up his mind to create a car ident today...¡±

    He Zhichu recalled the car ident Gu Nianzhi experienced when she was 12 years old, so his heart instantly softened. ¡°Are you okay? Do you need to see a psychiatrist?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her steering wheel energetically. ¡°I used my own abilities to get rid of the grandfather and grandson once and for all. I also dealt with my psychological trauma!¡±

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead and felt a bit of a headacheing on. However, he was a bit proud and smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t you would be like this, Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Professor He is too kind.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯tplimenting you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind, so she said to He Zhichu, ¡°I already came clean, so Professor He should also exin where you he that video from!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer your professor.¡± He Zhichu suddenly became very conscious about what she called him. ¡°You can call me something else...¡±

    ¡°Ok, Lawyer He.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she changed his title. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    He Zhichu sighed, his fingers rubbing the phone screen as he finally said, ¡°...Actually, I used to studyputer science. I changed to studyingw afterward.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re that amazing?¡± Gu Nianzhi expressed sincere admiration. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to teach me a few tricks.¡±

    ¡°When we have the chanceter on.¡± He Zhichu draped a hand against the edge of the car window, propping it under his head as he stared nkly at the road ahead.

    The ck night stretched out endlessly ahead. It was like he would never see the end to it.

    But this was only an illusion. The truth was, the sun would rise eventually and the suffering woulde to an end.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood brightened. She hummed quietly as she got off the highway.

    He Zhichu hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll be going back to the United States tomorrow. I¡¯m noting back for Lunar New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed mindlessly, saying, ¡°Professor He also needs to go home for the Lunar New Year? Then I¡¯ll have to wish you Happy New Year in advance!¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. He was originally going to say that he would go back to deal with everything this time around, then return here to stay with her and never leave again. But when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s carefree expression, he stopped himself from saying it.

    He Zhichu decided to stay in the Huaxia Empire from now on.

    He didn¡¯t want to say it and give Gu Nianzhi any psychological stress.

    He wanted her genuine feelings, not love stemming from pity and charity.

    If that didn¡¯t make her love him, then he would concede defeat.

 Chapter 950 - Real man

    950 Real man

    Bubbling sound!

    A bucket of bone-chilling water was poured on Zhao Liangze. Zhao Liangze, who had been confused the whole time, suddenly jumped from the floor. ¡°Who? Who is it? Who the f***...¡±

    He wiped the water off his face and was about to yell back. Suddenly, he saw Huo Shaoheng standing right in front of him, his hands behind his back. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome face and calm posture made it seem like he had never poured the bucket of cold water on him.

    Zhao Liangze felt his legs grow weak. He almost kneeled to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng kicked Zhao Liangze with his thigh-highbat boots. Zhao Liangze fell and rolled back on the ground.

    ¡°Are you awake now? Why do you always be bhanalian when you¡¯re drunk? You know I could just kick you out when you behave like this.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke in an even voice. He neither yelled, nor sounded harsh. However, it still sounded extremely scary to Zhao Liangze.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, Mr. Huo, it¡¯s my bad, my bad!¡± Zhao Liangze almost wanted to kowtow to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have acted like a bhanalian and said those things about you like an a**hole. You can punish me for it. Please don¡¯t kick me out. Don¡¯t kick me out!¡±

    Zhao Liangze cried, and his nose ran. Fear hovered over him. He realized being dumped by his girlfriend wasn¡¯t as painful as being fired by Special Operation Forces. He could take the pain of losing his girlfriend, but the only unbearable thing in life would be being excluded by Special Operation Forces.

    The seven-foot tall man kneeled on the floor and cried like a baby. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯tfort him. He just stood there, looking down at him quietly. He waited for Zhao Liangze to get tired and stop screaming and crying. He took a seat next to him and put one leg over the other. He asked calmly, ¡°Are you done crying?¡±

    Zhao Liangze sniffled and nodded. He stared at the floor, which was wet from the ice water Huo Shaoheng had poured on him. He didn¡¯t dare look up at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°You will definitely be punished. Do you know how I will punish you?¡±

    Zhao Liangze remembered what he had said about Huo Shaoheng in the party room. He really regretted it and wished he could have cut his own tongue off.

    He plucked up his courage to look at Huo Shaoheng. He put his thumb and forefinger together and moved them across his lips from one side of his closed mouth to the other to gesture he would zip his mouth and wouldn¡¯t talk about it in the future. ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t say anything stupid in the future, or anything bad about you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and stood up from the chair. ¡°Do you think I am punishing you because you talked behind my back?¡± He walked to the door as he talked.

    Zhao Liangze became extremely worried. He threw himself at Huo Shaogang¡¯s lower legs and hugged onto hisbat boots. He said worriedly, ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t go. I know I made mistakes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still had his hands behind his back. He didn¡¯t turn around to look at Zhao Liangze. Instead, he looked straight ahead of him. He didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°Xiaoze, you specialized in tech, but you didn¡¯t get many opportunities to go out in the field. You never even stayed abroad for long-term. I don¡¯t think being in the field is good for you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze awkwardly let loose of Huo Shaoheng. He braced himself on the floor and stood up. He murmured, ¡°Am I that bad?¡±

    ¡°Yes, from the way you behaved today, if you were on the field, your enemies could have found your ws. You would have died honorably or been killed.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around to take a look at him.

    ¡°Dying honorably and being killed mean the same, Mr. Huo.¡± Zhao Zeliang waved his hand and said, ¡°I am not scared of death.¡± Death was nothing to him. He hadn¡¯t worried about death ever since he had started working in this profession.

    ¡°Okay. I didn¡¯t want to say that I meant it differently.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around and looked at Zhao Liangze with a cold look. ¡°Did you want me to say you have betrayed us?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Zhao Liangze suddenly looked up withrge eyes. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than betray you.¡±

    ¡°Xiaoze, I think you misunderstand what betrayal means. It is not only betrayal when a person cannot take the torturing and lets the information out. It is also betrayal when the information is leaked out by ident.¡± Huo Shaoheng sounded very cold. ¡°When you were distracted, it could have cost many of our peers¡¯s lives. Have you ever thought of that?¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face started to change, and his voice cracked. ¡°Mr. Huo, I... I understand it now.¡±

    ¡°If you couldn¡¯t control your emotions, you shouldn¡¯t have joined this profession,¡± Huo Shaoheng warned him again. ¡°Otherwise, you are putting others in danger and are causing unrecoverable damages to the country and military.¡±

    Zhao Liangze finally epted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s criticism. He was scared about what he had done and its aftermath. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, I promise you I will not do anything like that again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng coldly watched him for a while. He finally nodded and talked more nicely when he saw him truly feel badly for what he had done. ¡°I know she was your first love. You have the right to feel emotional. Men are only considered real men when they experience true love and lose their loved ones.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted him on his shoulder and said, ¡°You can do it. I¡¯m waiting for the day when you¡¯re dumped.¡± He walked away after he said it.

    Zhao Liangze suddenly realized he had been yed by Huo Shaoheng.

    He watched the back of Huo Shaoheng, grinding his teeth. He wanted to spit at him but didn¡¯t dare do so. It almost killed him to swallow down the words on the tip of his tongue. Big Xiong and him would feel lucky if they weren¡¯t yed so much by their supervisor.

    He thought Huo Shaoheng had nothing personal against him when his critics were so serious and hurtful.

    He cried so much that he wanted to dig his heart out to show him that he was not betraying him. In the end, he still had to pay for the bad things he had said about Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhao Liangzeined about him, but he also remembered well what Huo Shaoheng had told him. He wouldn¡¯t dare act on emotions anymore. Even though he suspected Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t do it at a business level (it was rather a little personal), he did admit that Huo Shaoheng did what was the best for him in general. If he went out on the field now, any smart special agent could have gotten some information out of him.

    Zhao Liangze took a deep breath before he pushed the door open and walked out.

    His orderly knocked on his door just after he went back to his own room and changed his clothes.

    ¡°Sir, Mr. Huo wants you to see him in his office,¡± he said.

    Zhao Liangze immediately patted his clothes and put on his military coat before he walked to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Huo, what¡¯s going on? Are you going to continue to punish me?¡± Zhao Liangze obediently stood in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office desk.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed at the chair on the other side of the desk. ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sat down, his back straight. He closely watched Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng took out a Transfer Requirement paper from a printer and passed it to Zhao Liangze. ¡°Our department has been wanting to build a stronghold in Africa. We hope to test the Nandou Satelite¡¯s global coverage. They need a leader over there. I think you are very professional, brave, and smart. I am going to send you over there to lead them.¡±

    Zhao Liangze pressed his lips together. He didn¡¯t dare say anything back. He took the Transfer Requirement paper from Huo Shaoheng and took a quick look at it. ¡°What? I need to leave tomorrow? Can I leave after the New Year?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer him. He quietly watched Zhao Liangze as he rhythmically tapped his fingers on the desk. The tapping sound wasn¡¯t loud, but it sounded as loud as machine gun shooting to Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze took a look at Huo Shaoheng. His voice got weaker and weaker until he could only weakly say, ¡°Okay.¡±

    He took a deep breath, the Transfer Requirement paper in his hand. He stood at attention and gave Huo Shaoheng a standard solute. ¡°Assistant Commissioner of Special Operation Forces, Zhao Liangze, is taking the assignment offer.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally looked up a bit. He blinked and said calmly, ¡°You do not need to wait to leave after the New Year. You should leave now. You have chased after your girlfriend for a long time. It is her turn to chase you. I think you guys can make a good couple.¡±

    What Huo Shaoheng said to him almost made him cry again, but he could neither respond nor show his emotions.

    He forced an awkward smile onto his face. ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t worry. If it¡¯s meant to be, it¡¯s meant to be. If we aren¡¯t supposed to be together, I will let it go.¡±

    ¡°Great if you have thought it through.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand to signal to him to leave.

    Zhao Liangze turned around to walk out. After he walked only two steps, he turned around to Huo Shangheng again and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, the system Nianzhi sent back from Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany was still in the process of being deciphered. Who will be taking over that project?¡±

    He continued, saying, ¡°I think Nianzhi would be the best person to take over that project, since she got us back the information. No one but her contributed the most to this sess.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at him and said without showing any emotion, ¡°It¡¯s better for you to be in charge of the project.¡±

    ¡°Still me? I thought I was going to Africa,¡± Zhao Liangzeined.

    He wasn¡¯t just being sent to Africa. He was being sent to the most southern part of Africa. He would be stationed on an ind near sea of cape of Good Hope. It was between the South Antic and Indian Ocean. He heard the ce was in such a remote area that there was nothing there. The only transportation would be his own legs, and the only way tomunicate would be yelling at each other without any technology¡¯s help. If the boat stopped along the coast, it could not be docked. The only way to entertain himself would be masturbation. How could he decipher anything in such a remote ce?

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his hands and rested them on the desk. He squinted his eyes and smiled. ¡°That is why we need you to be the pioneer there. You need to set the equipment up there. Then you will have power, a station, and inte. You could totally change the way people live there, who have walking as their only means of transportation and yelling as their only means ofmunication. You could change the situation of docking boats there. However, the only way to entertain yourself will still highly rely in your own hands. I couldn¡¯t help you unless your girlfriend wanted to visit you there.¡±

    The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched. He realized he could finally be calm. Losing his girlfriend was nothing. Being dumped was nothing. He would be an ind owner if he could really set up everything on that ind.

    Zhao Liangzeughed and said, ¡°Sure. I will obey the order to go to Africa. It will still be better than feeding pigs in the culinary department.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t hold in hisughter. He said slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t say I never reminded you that you still have to feed pigs over there.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had thought he could handle anything after being yed by Huo Shaoheng so many times, but his face still changed when he heard the words ¡°feeding pigs on the ind.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Pigs are people¡¯s best friends. Don¡¯t look down upon pigs. If you want any good food on the ind, you have to figure it out yourself.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave him a long look and hooked his finger. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze moved over with caution. ¡°What do you have for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at him to signal to him that he had gotten something for him. He whispered in Zhao Liangze¡¯s ear, ¡°I heard that ind was the ce where MH210 crashed. You will be the pioneer there building us the station, but the most important thing is to find out the truth behind the crash.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused for a second before continuing. ¡°We have to start from that ind if we want to search for Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Zhao Liangze suddenly realized his real assignment. He looked at Huo Shaoheng like he had just woken up from a dream. He thought Huo Shaoheng had made it personal by sending him to the ind. He was too na?ve. Huo Shaoheng was great with turning any disadvantage into his advantage to better serve his county.

    Zhao Liangze sopletely respected Huo Shaoheng in that moment that any slight grudge he held toward Huo Shaoheng totally disappeared. He carefully folded his Transfer Requirement paper and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t worry. I will make them believe I am being punished by being sent to the ind, which will serve our purpose.¡±

    Making them believe that he had been sent to the ind as punishment could hide their purposes for going to the ind.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back in the chair and said, ¡°Okay. Especially don¡¯t tell your two girlfriends. They have to believe you offended me and that you were punished and sent to Africa.¡±

 Chapter 951 - Spend the New Year With Me

    951 Spend the New Year With Me

    ¡°Two girlfriends?!¡± Zhao Liangze only wanted to show how maligned he felt. ¡°I cannot even handle one, so when did I have two girlfriends?! Please do not malign me, Mr. Huo! How can I continue holding my head up high if this ever gets out?!¡±

    A Casanova. With such abel being thrown at him, he could never even think about being together with a girl he fell in love with in the future!

    ¡°Mr. Huo! The wisest, strongest, and most amazing Mr. Huo, please do not do this to me!¡± Zhao Liangze bowed the lowest bow to Huo Shaoheng. He could not wait to show Huo Shaoheng that he truly wanted to change and had already reflected upon himself.

    He had learned his lesson thoroughly and did not dare to have wild thoughts anymore.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled upwards. ¡°Little Ze, it could be that you are unable to see what exactly is going on since you¡¯re looking at it from the first-person perspective. However, I am looking at things as an outsider. I might be able to see the entire picture more clearly than you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze almost wanted to stitch his lips up.

    When he and Yin Shixiong had made fun of Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi in the past, Huo Shaoheng had remembered every single sentence they had ever said. He was looking for an opportunity to let him have a taste of his own medicine!

    ¡°Alright. Go and decide which one you like best. I do not care how many girlfriends you have abroad, but when you are back in the country, you can only have one girlfriend.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Zhao Liangze meaningfully.

    Zhao Liangze felt uneasy all of a sudden. He felt like he had been turned into the bait, or rather, he had been turned into the peach from the story ¡°Killings of the Peaches¡±...

    ¡°Mr. Huo, we have to rify this.¡± Zhao Liangze was suddenly reminded of the tear-stained face of Bai Shuang. ¡°What are you trying to refer to? Work will be work and rtionships will be rtionships. I can still separate them.¡±

    ¡°I do not mean anything much. It will be great if you can separate them. However, if you are unable to, it will be fine as well, since Africa is so far away. You would have ample space to make up for things even if you do something wrong. I will just ignore.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. ¡°Go ahead. You are not required toe in to bid your goodbye tomorrow. I will be waiting for your Lunar New Year greeting from Africa. I will connect your greeting to the Lunar New Year countdown show where they broadcast overseas greetings.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips upwards like he was smiling.

    Zhao Liangze imagined the annual Lunar New Year countdown variety show broadcast showing citizens of the Hua Xia Empire who could note back to spend the Lunar New Year at home and shivered. ¡°Please let me off, Mr. Huo! That would be too embarrassing!¡±

    He wished he knew how many more pitfalls were waiting for him!

    After Zhao Liangze left, Huo Shaoheng sat in the office alone for a while. He stood up and walked around in his office with his arms folded. Looking at the sky outside, he could see that it was alreadyte in the night.

    He took a look at his watch and it showed ten minutes to twelve. He had no idea if Nianzhi had returned yet.

    After contemting it for a while, he put on his Bluetooth earpiece and called Gu Nianzhi on the phone.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi sent He Zhichu to the lobby of the professors¡¯ building. ¡°Are you okay, Professor He? Have some honey to drink when you get back. It will get rid of the alcohol in you.¡± Gu Nianzhi was slightly worried about He Zhichu. She kept having a feeling that he was not clear-headed, but had no idea if it was due to him having too much to drink or being in a bad mood.

    She lowered her head and looked at He Zhichu¡¯s beautiful fingers holding onto the handles of the ck car and mumbled, ¡°Professor He, I did not mean to hide things from you...¡±

    He Zhichu turned around and looked at her, his flirtatious eyes glistening slightly. ¡°Alright, then you will have to tell me everything in the future. I am not the same as Huo Shaoheng. I will never put you down. I will help you to get what you want every single time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bashfully. She lowered her head further. ¡°...Professor He, that¡¯s not what I want either. I will be too spoiled...¡±

    ¡°How could you be?¡± He Zhichu stopped smiling, but his voice was as gentle as the breeze in springtime. ¡°My little Nianzhi will never be too spoiled. I know it.¡± There was such closeness in his tone and his bodynguage, but it all seemed so natural. Gu Nianzhi only felt a sudden numbness in her scalp and that the high walls that she had built within herself in the danger of wavering, or even fallingpletely.

    Closing her eyes, Gu Nianzhi could not understand why, but she felt more familiar with He Zhichu as time passed. Could it be like what He Zhichu had been telling her all along, that he had known her since she was a little girl?

    Gu Nianzhi could not help herself. She wanted to look for the memory that she had lost again. However, the moment she arrived at that restricted area, it seemed to fog up. She tried very hard to go past the fog to get to the truth.

    However, like with all her previous tries, she could not remember anything.

    The fire that she had encountered when she was twelve seemed to have burned all of her memories away, leaving her with nothing, not even a speck.

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi as she closed her eyes. Under the dim glow of the car¡¯s lights, she was as pale as a sheet.

    ¡°...Thinking about what happened in the past again?¡± He Zhichu held on to her hand and realized that her palms were all sweaty. With a wrenching heart, he handed her a tissue to clean herself. ¡°Do not think about it anymore. Let bygones be bygones. If even I don¡¯t mind, why should you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyshes quivered as she opened her eyes slowly. It was not that she did not feel disappointed, but she did not wish to be a burden to He Zhichu.

    She leaned on the steering wheel for a while before saying, ¡°Professor He...¡±

    ¡°I have already said that I am not your professor anymore.¡± He Zhichu could not help himself finally and corrected her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled prettily, her eyes akin to crescent moons. ¡°But I like calling you Professor He. It feels so close to the heart, just like a rtive.¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless.

    He exited the car silently and closed the door. Without as much as a look back, He Zhichu entered the main lobby of the professor¡¯s building.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile and locked her doors before driving towards her apartment.

    It was already almost midnight. Thepound of B University was quiet as most of the students had already gone home to spend their winter break with family. The minority who stayed were there to do revision or work on a part-time basis.

    However, at this point in the day, most people had already turned in. Gu Nianzhi yawned and felt tired.

    The moment she exited the south gate of B University, she heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personalized ringtoneing from her phone. Putting on her Bluetooth earpiece, she answered the call. ¡°...Huo Shao?¡± Her voice was slightly hoarse and had a tinge of lethargy to it.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. ¡°...You are still outside?¡± He seemed to be able to hear the blowing of the winds, but they were just his imagination.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting in her car with the windows rolled up. How could the sound of the wind be present?

    ¡°I just sent Professor He back to the professors¡¯ building.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and intentionally ignored what she¡¯d said. ¡°Did Professor He invite you to his ce to spend the new year this year?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. ¡°...Why would he invite me back to his ce to spend the new year?¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled and said calmly, ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that he wanted to woo you? By bringing you back to his ce to greet his parents during the New Year... Wouldn¡¯t that be just nice?¡± His tone was exceptionally normal. Gu Nianzhi would not have been able to sense a bit of jealousy even if she had wanted to.

    Huo Shaoheng had intentionally not mentioned the New Year with Gu Nianzhi because he had wanted to see what He Zhichu was up to. He wanted to see if He Zhichu would bring Gu Nianzhi home.

    Of course, what had happened was not within his expectations.

    He Zhichu was going away to spend his New Year. However, he was going back alone and not bringing Gu Nianzhi with him.

    ¡°Haha, you are thinking too much, Huo Shao. Professor He is not like Brother Xiong, eagerly waiting to bring his girlfriend home...¡± Gu Nianzhiughed as she steered onto the road in front of the Heping district.

    After driving for a while longer, she managed to enter the Heping district. Huo Shaoheng had initially wanted to continue with the conversation. However, it seemed like he had just remembered something, so he did not mention anything about why He Zhichu was not bringing Gu Nianzhi back to meet his parents. Without a change in his tone, he changed the topic seamlessly. ¡°Nianzhi, how do you n to spend the New Year this year?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had spent her previous New Year holidays with Huo Shaoheng. However, since both of them were still in the stage of a breakup, she could not bring herself to ask Huo Shaoheng to spend the new year with her. Especially when it did not seem like Huo Shaoheng had the intention to invite her.

    Gu Nianzhi parked her car. Upon turning off the engine, she looked around and ensured that there was no one else in the parking lot before opening the door and getting out. Carrying her small bag, she entered the elevator of the parkingplex and said casually, ¡°I will spend it on my own. I have finally graduated and be independent. Of course, I will have to enjoy this new year properly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked out to the balcony and ced his hands on the handrails. After falling silent for a while, he said, ¡°I have to be on duty during the New Year. Would you like toe to the headquarters to spend it with me?¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her card and entered her apartment as she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You have to focus on your duties. I am really alright alone. I am still thinking of going on a short trip during the New Year!¡±

    Upon hearing that she had finally entered the house, Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Okay, we will talk about it again nearer to the date.¡± With that, he hung up.

    Gu Nianzhi threw her bag onto the sofa and plopped down with it. After being out for the entire day, she was both physically and emotionally drained.

    Gu Nianzhi could not even find the energy to wash up before she fell asleep on the sofa.

    By the time she woke up, it was already noon the next day.

    She whipped out her phone and realized that He Zhichu had called her multiple times. Since she had missed them, he had left her a message. He said that he was already on his personal jet, on the way back to America. He asked her to spend the new year well and not run about, and to remember to call his number when she needed him.

    After that, it was Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong. Both of them had returned to Yin Shixiong¡¯s home town to meet Yin Shixiong¡¯s parents for the New Year.

    Seeing the text from the two of them, Gu Nianzhi chuckled. Her mood had improved all of a sudden

    Subsequently, for the next few days, Gu Nianzhi had spent her time well. She cleaned up every corner of her home and headed off to the nursery to get pots of New Year nts to decorate her ce. After that, she went to get many ingredients and ced them in the refrigerator.

    She had intended to cook her reunion dinner on her own this year. However, her n did not seed. On the day of the eve of Lunar New Year, she was woken up by someone knocking on the door.

    Still donned in her nightdress, Gu Nianzhi walked over to themunication system and took a look, realizing with a start that it was Song Jinning at her door.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her door in shock. ¡°Auntie Song, why are you here? It is New Year¡¯s Eve today!¡±

    Song Jinning smiled widely as she looked at Gu Nianzhi and pushed her towards the bathroom. ¡°Quick. Go wash up and have a change of clothes. Come to my new ce with me. Nianzhi, I am alone and I feel lonely. No one apanies me during the New Year anymore. Just take it that you are doing something good by spending the New Year with me, okay?¡±

 Chapter 952 - Girly Taste

    <h4>952Girly Taste</h4>

    ¡°What?¡± Gu Nianzhi was utterly taken aback. ¡°How could you be spending the new year alone? You...¡± Gu Nianzhi had almost said that Song Jinning had a husband and a son when she remembered just in time that she could not say that.

    Huo Shaoheng, the son, had to be on duty during the New Year. Most likely, he would still have to represent the army by sending regards and greetings to all the subordinates.

    As for Huo Guanchen, he was now her ex-husband. They had fallen out with each other a long time ago. They couldn¡¯t spend the new year together. Secondly, Huo Guanchen was a general, and also the director of the military-political department. He would also be required to be at the headquarters during the new year, thus unable to spend time with her.

    As for Song Jinning¡¯s father, he had passed away 18 years ago during that ident.

    Therefore, Song Jinning was somewhat like her, all alone. Gu Nianzhi had not had a family all along, so she did not feel much about it. However, Song Jinning had those things before, but now she was without all of them.

    To think about it properly, Song Jinning was way more sympathetic than her.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi treated Song Jinning much better after that. Moreover, hearing such a beautifuldy say with such a wide smile that she was alone and lonely made Gu Nianzhi almost want to go back to her ce and spend the new year with her immediately.

    Fine, fine, fine, she would agree to everything she said since she was so gorgeous...

    Gu Nianzhi had a quick shower and changed into the set of clothes that she had prepared a long time ago for the new year. It was a skater dress in bright red by Chanel. Gu Nianzhi had matched it with a dark brown long woolen coat by Burberry, and a pair of high-heeled long boots that were also lined with wool. They were one of the fashionable pairs of long boots from UGG.

    After that, she took out the red Hermes bag that Huo Shaoheng had bought for her and put her car keys, house card, and wallet inside. Then, she put in a pair of shades and a packet of tissue papers. Finally, she dropped a piece of chocte inside the bag. With that, she followed Song Jinning out of the door.

    ¡°Auntie Song, did you drive here?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked around but did not see Song Jinning¡¯s car.

    Song Jinning smiled as she shook her head. ¡°I called for a ride. It is so convenient to call for rides nowadays! Let us call again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s take my car then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi brought Song Jinning to the underground car park. ¡°Wow, this is your car? It is so pretty. It matches so well with your outfit today!¡± Song Jinning praised generously.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that Huo Shaoheng was the one who had given her the car and blushed, but she still said, ¡°...This is Huo Shao¡¯s car. If auntie likes it, you can have it.¡±

    She had intentionally left out the fact that it was gifted to her by Huo Shaoheng. Had she said that, Song Jinning would never have wanted it no matter what.

    However, even without saying it, Song Jinning did not want it. Smiling prettily, she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I spend most of my time in theboratory, so I don¡¯t need a car. You have it. Moreover, this car suits you so well. Look! There is even your name on the car door.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed. She had totally forgotten about that...

    Smiling sheepishly, she opened the door and let Song Jinning in before going to the driver¡¯s side and getting in as well.

    The bright red sports car had an all-ck interior. With the contrast of red and ck, it was very eye-catching. The car was obviously extremely expensive.

    Song Jinning looked at the interior of the car carefully and understood that the car was a work of art from her son...

    It was clean and had a low key elegance, and all the designs were based mainly onfort and looking sleek. Realizing that there was nothing feminine about this car, Song Jinning tutted and wondered how she could make up for the things that her soncked. She needed to salvage some of the preferences of a little girl for Gu Nianzhi...

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what Song Jinning had in mind, but she felt slightly nervous.

    Because Song Jinning was in the car, Gu Nianzhi put in extra effort to drive carefully. Thankfully, it was the eve of Lunar New Year. The roads were almost empty, and there was no traffic to speak of.

    Following Song Jinning¡¯s instructions, Gu Nianzhi managed to get to her new ce smoothly. Of course, the location was top notch. It was a condominium apartment, located in a secluded corner with good privacy in Sanhuan, Di Capital. It was also the same condominium where Huo Shaoheng had bought an apartment for Gu Nianzhist time...

    Gu Nianzhi grumbled in her mind about it being a coincidence.

    It seemed like Song Jinning didn¡¯t know about the ¡°nest¡± that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had together here as she showed Gu Nianzhi around the area enthusiastically.

    ¡°Nianzhi, your apartment in Hepingli district is good, but it was better for when you were a student. Now that you are working, won¡¯t it be too inconvenient? Do you want to move here with me?¡± Song Jinning invited Gu Nianzhi warmly.

    ¡°Look. I have so many rooms here.¡± Song Jinning brought Gu Nianzhi to have a look around all the rooms. It was true that this apartment was way bigger than the one they used to have. It was a duplex apartment with six bedrooms, two studies, four bathrooms, two dining rooms, two kitchens, and a huge living room that would be great for parties. A kitchen was situated on each of the two floors. The smaller one on the higher level, and the main kitchen on the ground level.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around, astounded. After she was done, she did not dare to ask about the price of the ce...

    Song Jinning spoke as she brought Gu Nianzhi to a north-facing room upstairs. The moment she opened the door, Gu Nianzhi was almost blinded by a sh of princess pink in front of her.

    ¡°Nianzhi, this is the room that I have reserved especially for you.¡± Song Jinning pulled her by the hand. ¡°Even if you and Shaoheng don¡¯t end up together, it is okay. I like you as a person. If you do end up together with him, then you will be my daughter-inw. If not, you will be my goddaughter. Either way, you will still have to call me your mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes turned red the moment she heard those words. Such concern from an older woman was so precious to Gu Nianzhi. Whenever she was in Ma Qiqi¡¯s home, she was still secretly envious about Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother...

    ¡°Mom?¡± Gu Nianzhi could not help but try it out once. Her plump lips were closed tight at first, with the tip of her tongue pushing at her teeth. Then, they produced a sound. The sound escaped from her lips, and it was as sweet as eating a glutinous rice ball with sesame filling.

    ¡°You are my daughter then!¡± Song Jinning held Gu Nianzhi by her shoulders and felt touched as well. ¡°I have been dreaming of having a daughter all my life. Then I had Shaoheng. After that, when I still wanted to have another baby, I had no more opportunities.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent and held on to Song Jinning¡¯s arms tightly. She ced her head onto Song Jinning¡¯s shoulders, showing how much she loved doing that.

    Song Jinning pulled Gu Nianzhi into the room and looked around. ¡°Nianzhi, you will stay here, okay? Just move your things over after the new year. I¡¯m not here often, as I will stay at the institute. It will be almost like you are still living alone.¡±

    Even though Gu Nianzhi really loved how Song Jinning made her feel, she rejected her kindness. ¡°Please do not worry, auntie. I will look for you once I¡¯ve had my holidays. Gu Nianzhi pulled Song Jinning out of the room. ¡°What shall we eat for reunion dinner tonight?¡±

    Song Jinning smiled and replied, ¡°I will make fried rice and send it to Shaoheng. He used to love the fried rice that I made when he was young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Would it be a good idea to just have fried rice for reunion dinner? Gu Nianzhi realized that this was someone who did not know about socializing more than she did, but did not look down on her. Instead, she felt that Song Jinning was even more adorable.

    This Madam Song was really an amazing person.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Song Jinning and thought about how this beautiful woman was giving her entire life to her research.

    ¡°Nianzhi, will you send it over for me please?¡± Song Jinning turned on the rice cooker to make the rice first, then headed over to prepare the ingredients that she needed for fried rice.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in Song Jinning¡¯s refrigerator and approved of the ingredients inside. At least there were quite a few ingredients. She took out two T-bone steaks, melted some butter onto a pan, and began cooking the steaks.

    The most important factor in having good steaks was the steaks themselves. As long as the ingredients were good, the dish would practically already be a sess. The control of fire was not important. It would be fine as long as it was done to the wellness the person liked.

    Gu Nianzhi made two pieces of T-bone steaks for Huo Shaoheng. She seared them to medium well, then squeezed some lemon and pear juice over them. They smelled amazing.

    Even Song Jinning, who was busy making fried rice beside her, was praising her nonstop. She even asked Gu Nianzhi to make more steakster on.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi agreed readily.

    With both of them working together, they managed to make fried rice and steaks in a short time. Gu Nianzhi even brought a container of washed organic blueberries for him as fruits. After cing them nicely in a meal box, Gu Nianzhi sent it over to Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 953 - Not Letting Go

    <h4>953 Not Letting Go</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi drove to the main gates of the headquarters of the Special Forces and reported her intention of entering. The guard knew her, as Gu Nianzhi had been going to the headquarters regrly in the past. After Huo Shaoheng had married her, he made her a special entry pass as well. However, Gu Nianzhi did not recognize this marriage, and therefore, did not use that entry pass. Although the guards knew her, due to regtions, she still could not enter, as she could not produce an entry pass. Gu Nianzhi had no other choice but to call Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was doing an annual check on the main control room¡¯s security system with two of his most trustedrades at basement six. A humongousputer almost as big as a hill and all the emergency equipment everywhere¡ªalong with a backup power generating device¡ªhad to be checked by only the three of them.

    Just a minute ago, Huo Shaoheng had lost focus for a moment and was electrocuted by a high-voltage shock. Half of his body was still numb. A huge piece of skin was burned off of his right arm, and it was so painful that he almost could not lift his arm anymore.

    The two subordinates attended to the injury for him quickly and tied his arm to a splint.

    Huo Shaoheng watched them carry on with their work while he rested. Just then, his Bluetooth earpiece indicated that there was a call from Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shaoheng was taken aback and answered the call quickly. ¡°What happened, Nianzhi?¡± Calling him on the eve of the Lunar New Year, Huo Shaoheng instinctively guessed what might have happened. Gu Nianzhi was so eager to exin that she was not rted to him in any way, he did not feel that she would be here to spend the New Year with him...

    Pouting, Gu Nianzhi said softly, ¡°Um, Auntie Song made you some fried rice and asked me to take some over to you for dinner.¡± After a while, she used an even softer voice and said, ¡°There are two steaks as well. I cooked them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows. How did Gu Nianzhi end up with Madam Song? He walked towards the elevator and asked, ¡°Madam Song went to your ce?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head as she held onto the lunch box and paced to and fro in front of the gates of the Special Forces. ¡°Auntie Song came to find me and told me that there was no one to spend the New Year with her. So, she pulled me to her ce.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief. It was okay as long as nothing had happened.

    Immediately after, he felt amused. His mother, Madam Song, was a true blue nerd. Although she looked amazing, she did not know how to plot against people. The thing that had interested her the most was herboratory. He really did not expect that Madam Song would think about that sort of thing. Since it was like that, Madam Song really wanted Gu Nianzhi to be her daughter-inw.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He could not control himself. Madam Song was really extremely biased towards a high IQ. Other qualities aside, most likely Madam Song loved Gu Nianzhi so much because she had an amazingly high IQ...

    Huo Shaoheng exited the building, got into a car, and turned the steering wheel towards the main gate with his left hand. The main gate of the Special Forces was still a distance from his living area and office. If he were to walk, he would have to walk for about ten to 20 minutes. However, if he were to drive, it would take less than five minutes.

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and waved towards the guard at the entrance. Taking out his entry pass, he said, ¡°She can enter with me.¡± The entrance pass that Huo Shaoheng held was of the highest level. He was able to bring four people in with him at a time.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s splinted arm, and her already round eyes became even rounder. ¡°Huo Shao, your arm...?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, just a minor injury.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted his right arm casually. The guard at the door saluted him and watched Huo Shaoheng pull Gu Nianzhi into his car.

    Gu Nianzhi actually did not have any intention of getting into the car. She had only wanted to give Huo Shaoheng the lunch box before leaving. However, seeing Huo Shaoheng reach his left arm towards her, Gu Nianzhi realized that she could not bring herself to reject him. Her gaze was fixed on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s injured right arm.

    ¡°Is Brother Chen around? Did he take an x-ray already?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng as he turned the steering wheel with his left hand. It looked extremely inconvenient. She was worried.

    ¡°Chen Lie has gone back to spend the New Year with his family.¡± Huo Shaoheng finally managed to stick the key into the ignition. It looked clumsy.

    ¡°My car is still at the entrance.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked back then turned around to look at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s injured arm.

    ¡°There are guards at the main entrance. You¡¯re still worried that there are people who would dare to steal your car?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi from the corners of his eyes. ¡°Idiots who dare to steal things from the main entrance of the Special Forces have not been born yet, so don¡¯t worry for nothing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at her bright red sports car and turned to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Let me drive.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was waiting for her to say that. He got out of the driver¡¯s seat and allowed Gu Nianzhi to take it while he went over to the passenger¡¯s seat. Gu Nianzhi had been driving to school every day, so her driving skills were already rather good.

    Under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guidance, they arrived at his living quarters shortly. Gu Nianzhi opened the door and let Huo Shaoheng get out of the car. ¡°You¡¯re noting in?¡± Seeing that Gu Nianzhi did not have any intention ofing in, he did not force her. Reaching out to her with his uninjured left arm, he said, ¡°Give me the lunch box, then you may go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked around. ¡°Where are your guards and soldiers? Let them take you in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had injured himself, and it was his right arm. He was going to have problems going about his daily activities. However, Huo Shaoheng had many soldiers around him. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi was not exactly worried.

    However, Huo Shaoheng shook his head and answered calmly, ¡°I have asked them all to take a break. I will be alone this Lunar New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She had initially intended to leave after bringing him his food, but seeing him injured and not even having a soldier around him, she could not even imagine how he was going to endure the next few days. Then, with a softened heart, she asked glumly, ¡°Are you not going to invite me in?¡±

    ¡°More than happy to; just worried that you wouldn¡¯t want toe in.¡± Then, Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, ¡°You¡¯ve rejected me so many times...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless again. She instinctively felt like she was the Monkey Sun that could never get out of Buddha¡¯s hands. With her head bowed, she followed him into the house.

    Huo Shaoheng used to have guards at the entrance of his living quarters. There would be guards and soldiers inside the house as well, and there were many people around.

    However, the moment she entered the house, Gu Nianzhi realized that there was no one around.

    Looking around in surprise, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°Huo Shao, you didn¡¯t let the chef go on a break as well, did you?¡± She had thought that there would at least be someone there to make him some dinner.

    Huo Shaoheng ced the lunch box that Gu Nianzhi had brought on the dining table and smiled lightly. ¡°The chef is also a soldier. I already asked all of them to go on a break and spend the New Year with their families. I¡¯ll be on duty anyway, so I¡¯ll be able to eat at the canteen. There would be no point in keeping them from spending time with their families and loved ones during the New Year.¡± To a soldier, they could only hope that they would be able to have a break during the New Year.

    ¡°Then actually you could¡¯ve asked Auntie Song here to spend the New Year with you.¡± Gu Nianzhi hinted, ¡°Auntie Song is quite lonely on her own.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, suppressing the urge tough. ¡°Nianzhi, you really think that Madam Song is lonely? These people who are into research, thest thing they would be afraid of is loneliness. They are able to do research when they are all alone. That is more than they can ask for.¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi begged to differ. ¡°Even if Auntie Song likes doing research, this is the New Year. It¡¯s not just another festival. Huo Shao, you are really going to leave Auntie Song like that?!¡± She didn¡¯t care how Song Jinning thought, but she knew that spending the New Year alone was different.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t care. However, Madam Song has her own ideas; I¡¯m unable to change that...¡± Huo Shaoheng opened the lunch box and took out the fried rice from inside. There was also a box containing two T-bone steaks and a container of blueberries. He put them on his te and sat down, picking up his knife and fork with his left hand clumsily in an attempt to cut his steak. As expected, cutting a steak with only one hand was just about impossible.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand looking at him anymore and took the cutlery from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. She cut the two T-bone steaks into small pieces and handed the te back to Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Huo Shaoheng did not pick up the fork and eat on his own. Instead, he turned to Gu Nianzhi and smiled widely, showing two rows of perfectly white teeth. Gu Nianzhi understood. Picking up the fork, she picked up a piece of cut meat and fed it to Huo Shaoheng.

    With the first piece of steak in his tummy, Huo Shaoheng felt so good. He had never tasted any steak that delicious. Smiling, he looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°You cooked this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Is it edible?¡± Although Huo Shaoheng was not a picky eater, he was fussy about the taste of food. He knew the good from the bad, but he did not give his opinions lightly.

    ¡°Edible? This is amazing. It¡¯s even better than the top grade stone grilled wagyu beef I had in Japan.¡± Huo Shaoheng opened his mouth again. ¡°...More.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi picked up another piece of cut meat and even smeared some sauce onto it before feeding it to Huo Shaoheng. After swallowing, Huo Shaoheng moved closer to Gu Nianzhi. Focusing all her attention on feeding Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi continued feeding him fried rice with a spoon after he had finished the steaks. After he was done with the two steaks and a box of fried rice, Gu Nianzhi realized that she was almost sitting in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her waist with his uninjured left hand and pulled her as close to him as he could. If Huo Shaoheng were not injured, Gu Nianzhi would be cautious against him and not allow him to get so close to her. However, knowing that Huo Shaoheng could not move his right arm, which meant that he would not be able to do whatever he wanted to do, Gu Nianzhi did not mind the distance that much. She touched the splint on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s right arm lightly. ¡°How did you injure yourself? Tell me so I can let Auntie Song hear about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng used his forehead and jutted at Gu Nianzhi unhappily. ¡°Why would you tell such a thing to Madam Song? It¡¯s the New Year. Can¡¯t you let her have a peaceful one?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense. However, if Auntie Song asks for the reason I took so long to return, how will I exin myself?¡± Gu Nianzhi stuck a finger out and poked Huo Shaoheng on his firm chest, pushing him away.

    Huo Shaoheng moved back a little and said casually, ¡°Just tell her that I felt lonely and asked you to apany me a while longer.¡±

    ¡°Do you think Auntie Song will believe that?¡± Huo Shaoheng feeling lonely?! Couldn¡¯t he look for a more convincing excuse?!

    ¡°Yes. As long as it¡¯s from you, she will believe.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Madam Song likes you a lot.¡±

    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Gu Nianzhi liked Song Jinning a lot as well. She smiled slyly, like a fox that had just stolen some food. ¡°However, I can¡¯t abuse someone¡¯s trust just because Auntie Song likes me. Therefore, I¡¯ll definitely tell Madam Song.¡± She nudged Huo Shaoheng on his right arm.

    Before Huo Shaoheng furrowed his eyebrows, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°However, if you allow me to go back right now, I won¡¯t tell on you¡ªabout anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. Taking the opportunity when she was feeling proud of herself, he bent down and nted a kiss on her face. He was really quick. After being in front of Gu Nianzhi for a while, he moved away. His kiss was more like a breeze in spring blowing over the waters, causing ripples. You couldn¡¯t tell if the breeze had caused the ripples, or if the water already had ripples on its own.

    Gu Nianzhi did not realize she was being kissed at all. She only felt that her vision was blurry for a moment, then Huo Shaoheng had sat up straight. He said tly, ¡°Alright. Go back. Don¡¯t tell Madam Song that I injured myself.¡±

    Of course Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t tell on him; she was merely making use of the opportunity. She didn¡¯t want to spend too much time there and give Madam Song the wrong idea.

    Huo Shaoheng watched Gu Nianzhi until she had gotten in the car and driven off. Then, he whipped his phone out and ordered a full menu of dinner dishes for Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning. By the time Gu Nianzhi had arrived at Song Jinning¡¯s condominium, she opened the door, and the smell of food drifted into her nostrils.

    ¡°Eh? Auntie, you made dinner already?¡± Gu Nianzhi changed into a pair of house slippers and ran into the condo happily.

    Song Jinning was bringing the cutlery out from the kitchen. Smiling, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t make these. Shaoheng had them delivered to us. It¡¯s a full menu of dinner dishes.¡± Then she asked, ¡°Why were you gone for so long? Is there anything the matter? Did Shaoheng not want you to return?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head frantically. ¡°Of course not. Huo Shao and I are merely tonic friends. Why would he not want me toe back?¡±

    Song Jinning raised her head and was stunned for a moment. Then, she looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face suspiciously. ¡°tonic friends?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and was about to take a seat by the dining table. Song Jinning pointed towards the washroom and smiled. ¡°Go and wash your face and hands before we eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi acknowledged and ran to the washroom. Then, she saw her reflection in the mirror in the washroom. There was an oily lip print on her face! Gu Nianzhi covered her face and was speechless for quite a while. She felt embarrassed each time she was in front of Song Jinning!

    Looking at the oily lip print that Huo Shaoheng had left her with, Gu Nianzhi decided to be fierce. ¡°Hmph! I shall tell on you!¡±

    After washing her face, Gu Nianzhi came out from the washroom and looked at Song Jinning calmly. ¡°Auntie Song, actually, I didn¡¯t tell you the truth just now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Song Jinning sat across from Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What happened, then?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at her face. Although she was blushing, Gu Nianzhi tried her best to be calm and said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s like that. Huo Shao injured his right arm. He was unable to use his left arm to eat. Therefore, I helped him with his dinner.¡±

    ¡°Oh... He injured his right arm and could not eat with his left arm? I see... Yes, indeed. You had to help, then.¡± Song Jinning smiled meaningfully at Gu Nianzhi. She knew that her son would not be letting go of Gu Nianzhi!

    What nonsense about injuring his right arm and not being able to eat with his left arm!

    He could only use that on a youngdy like Gu Nianzhi... Other than Song Jinning and his grandmother, Xie Ziyan, almost no one else knew that Huo Shaoheng was actually a left-hander by birth. He had learned how to use his right hand just because he did not want to be differentpared to others...

 Chapter 954 - Old Things

    <h4>954 Old Things</h4>

    ¡°But how did the food get on your face? You were merely helping him with his meal, weren¡¯t you?¡± Song Jinning nudged Gu Nianzhi as she probed and only changed the topic when she saw that Gu Nianzhi was blushing so hard that her ears had turned red. ¡°Nianzhi, do you have any interest in physics by any chance? Why don¡¯t youe to our institute and take the entrance examinations for being a doctoral student with us?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi dipped her nched meat into some sauce and had just put it in her mouth. Upon hearing the suggestion, she almost choked. Quickly taking a sip of coconut juice, she calmed herself and replied, ¡°Auntie, please don¡¯t scare me like that. I¡¯ve been majoring inw since my bachelor¡¯s program and continued on to my master¡¯s. Now you¡¯re suggesting I continue with physics for my doctorate?! I think I¡¯d have to retake my bachelor¡¯s program before that¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°Why not!?¡± Song Jinning held onto her arm excitedly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you retake college altogether!? No matter what, you¡¯re only 19 years old. Even if you were to redo your entire college journey, you would only need two years to graduate. With brains like yours, it¡¯s really such a waste if you don¡¯t take up physics!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°The study of physics is the most precious of all aspects of science.¡± Song Jinning continued trying her luck. ¡°Nianzhi, only the cleverest people are able to handle physics. Come on, get into the physics program in B University, and then...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about how to reply and smiled at Song Jinning as she picked up a piece of braised sea cucumber and ced it in Song Jinning¡¯s bowl. ¡°Auntie, have more food. Sea cucumber is really nutritious.¡±

    Song Jinning understood where Gu Nianzhi wasing from and shook her head. ¡°What a waste, really. Nianzhi, you are so clever; I merely didn¡¯t want to lose a gem in the physics industry...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi expressed her thanks with a smile. ¡°However, Auntie, I¡¯m not as clever as you think I am. I¡¯m merely a tad more hardworking than others.¡±

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s too much. It¡¯s too pretentious, haha...¡± Song Jinning tapped on the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand with her chopsticks. ¡°No need to be humble with Auntie, okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Nianzhi put down her chopsticks and said firmly, ¡°Actually, the truth is that I have no interest in physics. Not one bit.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Song Jinning finally stopped trying to talk Gu Nianzhi into taking up physics upon hearing that. Sighing, she said, ¡°Interest is the best teacher. If you have no interest in physics, then it definitely won¡¯t work.¡±

    Seeing that Song Jinning had stopped trying to bring it up, Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and changed the topic seamlessly. ¡°Auntie, have you liked physics since you were little?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. I followed my father around in theboratory from the time I was little. Seeing his colleagues, students, and him doing experiments and discussing thetest research, I was so envious.¡± Song Jinning allowed her mind to go back in time to reminisce.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered with a start that Song Jinning¡¯s father had passed away due to an ident during an experiment. Suddenly, she felt guilty about her insensitivity. It was the New Year. Why was she so bad at choosing topics to talk about?

    However, Song Jinning didn¡¯t mind one bit. Instead, she headed to her study and took out a thick photo album. She began flipping through it, page by page, for Gu Nianzhi to see. Song Jinning¡¯s father, Song Haichuan, was extremely handsome and looked smart. He emanated a knowledgeable aura, and it was clear that Song Jinning took after her father in that aspect. With respect to looks, perhaps she looked more like her mother.

    Song Jinning had never mentioned her mother. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask further. She was afraid that it might be something sad. It wouldn¡¯t be good if it were. However, it wasn¡¯t long before she realized that she had been thinking too much.

    Song Jinning flipped the photo album to somewhere at the back where it disyed all of their family pictures. Song Jinning¡¯s mother looked average. She did not even look as good as Song Jinning¡¯s father. However, one look at her and you would somehow know that she was someone knowledgeable and full of wisdom.

    Song Jinning caressed her mother¡¯s picture and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, this is my mother. Isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Song Jinning. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. ¡°She looks like a really kind person.¡±

    Song Jinning smiled. ¡°I know that my mother looked only average in the eyes of others. At that time, there were even many female students who had thought that my mother was notpatible with my father, so they went after my father instead. However, in my heart, my mother was extremely beautiful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent for a moment. ¡°...Haha. Students are usually so passionate.¡±

    ¡°Yes, indeed. They were extremely passionate. It was almost difficult to handle. However, my father never faltered. As long as there were female students who were romantically interested in him, my father would just make them quit his sses. He never let my mother worry once.¡± Song Jinning flipped a page of the album and reminisced enthusiastically. ¡°Other than looking average, my mother was impressive in every other aspect.

    ¡°She was extremely smart and was a genius since she was a little girl. She attended youth sses when she was 14 years old and began majoring in physics. When she graduated from her master¡¯s program, she naturally entered the Institute of High Energy Physics. That¡¯s where she met my father. My father had read the research articles that she had published and had been wanting to meet her for a long time...¡±

    Then they must have been a match made in heaven... Gu Nianzhi listened quietly and felt emotional. Such a loving husband and wife, but they did notst long...

    ¡°...My mother was doing research on nuclear energy. There was a leak of that energy once, and she was irradiated. She was gone within a couple of years.¡± Song Jinning sighed and closed the photo album. Turning to Gu Nianzhi, she said apologetically, ¡°It¡¯s the New Year; I shouldn¡¯t have said these things.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was absolutely engrossed in the story and quickly exined to Song Jinning, ¡°Oh no, Auntie, please don¡¯t be so sad...¡±

    ¡°I stopped being sad a long time ago. Now, whenever I think of my parents, there¡¯s nothing but beautiful memories.¡± Song Jinning wiped the corners of her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk anymore. Let¡¯s have dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped dwelling on this sensitive topic and began telling Song Jinning about the interesting happenings from school and during trials. Song Jinningughed so hard that she cried. Although there were only two people around the table, when Gu Nianzhi began talking, she could be as lively as an entire ssroom of girls. Laughter filled the empty dining hall, and it was even livelier than the countdown program that was on the television.

    After they finished dinner, they cleared up the dining room. When they nced at the television, they were already counting down to the New Year. ¡°It¡¯ll be midnight soon.¡± Song Jinning put down whatever she was doing and pulled Gu Nianzhi outside. ¡°Come here. Let¡¯s count down together.¡±

    They stood in front of the television together and shouted along with the emcee on the television, ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the New Year! It¡¯s the New Year!¡±

    The sounds of firecrackers could be hearding both from the television and from outside. There were even fireworks from the top floor of their neighborhood. Gu Nianzhi smiled as she brought the photo album they had been looking through together to Song Jinning and asked, ¡°Auntie, where can I put this photo album please?¡±

    Song Jinning was looking at the fireworks from the neighborhood and pointed casually in the opposite direction. ¡°In the second drawer of the desk in that study.¡±

    That drawer contained some of Song Jinning¡¯s old things. They were things that were not worth much money but that had sentimental value. Gu Nianzhi hugged the thick photo album and entered the study that Song Jinning had pointed toward. She pulled the second drawer open and took a look before putting the photo album in. There were little trinkets in this drawer. For example, there was a beautiful, translucent yuhua stone; a piece of amber with a butterfly in it; and a couple of small, carved wooden boxes with a diffuser that was carved using the trunk of an elephant. They were all rather old.

    Right in the middle of the drawer, there was an old ck smartphone. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she felt that this phone looked rather familiar. Right at that moment, the phone¡¯s ck screen shed, and a text message popped up.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped back in shock. She thought that her eyesight was failing and rubbed her eyes. After looking closely, she realized that there was indeed a text message on the screen of that ck phone! People actually still used such an old phone?!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the message and realized that it was a string of strange numbers. Quickly, she moved her gaze away and took the phone out of the study. She walked to Song Jinning and said, ¡°Auntie. Someone sent you a text message to wish you a happy New Year.¡±

    It was already considered to be the first day of the Lunar New Year. Gu Nianzhi heard her phone ring, and it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personalized ringtone. She shoved the old phone into Song Jinning¡¯s hands and looked for her own phone in her bag.

    Song Jinning had been looking fixedly at the fireworks. They were so eye-catching and bright. The night sky was like a garden, and the fireworks bloomed continuously everywhere. Although it was only for a second, it was so beautiful that the beauty could be eternal.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the fireworks as she answered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call. ¡°Huo Shao, Happy New Year.¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s low voice traveled from the other end of the line. It was slightly hoarse, but it made his voice sound even sexier than before.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears felt hot and feverish. Holding onto her phone, she turned around and looked at Song Jinning¡¯s back. Lowering her voice, she asked, ¡°Is your arm better? Should you go and get it checked by the doctor tomorrow?¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm had stopped hurting quite a while ago, he had to keep it ¡°bandaged¡± for a couple of days more to keep up the show since Gu Nianzhi had seen it. He had initially worried that his mother would expose the fact that he was a left-hander, but hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone, it sounded like she still didn¡¯t know. Therefore, most likely she hadn¡¯t told Song Jinning about his injury. Putting aside her stubbornness, Gu Nianzhi was usually an obedient little girl. ¡°I¡¯m already okay. I¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his right arm that was hanging and said, ¡°It¡¯s just not easy to wash up at night.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear lobes were burning now. Her little ears looked like lychee jellies, pink and cute. Lowering her voice, she said, ¡°Then don¡¯t wash up. You wouldn¡¯t be dirty, even if you didn¡¯t wash for a couple of days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not used to it.¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled softly. Steering the car with his left hand, he had already entered the neighborhood where Song Jinning was staying. ¡°Therefore, I havee to you for help.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped and looked around instinctively. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m off duty. I want toe over for some supper. Do you still have some food left?¡± Huo Shaoheng exited the car and walked into the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°Yes. There¡¯s lots.¡± Bringing the phone to Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Auntie, Huo Shao is here. He said that he¡¯s hungry and wants supper.¡±

    Song Jinning was over the moon. Turning around quickly, she said, ¡°Oh really? Now? That¡¯s great! Let¡¯s bring out our leftovers and heat them up for him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°Let me see what there is in the refrigerator. Or we can make him some dumplings.¡± Gu Nianzhi rejected her suggestion politely. Seeing Song Jinning¡¯s embarrassed expression, Gu Nianzhi changed the topic quickly and pointed at her phone. ¡°Someone sent you a text there just now. You can reply ¡®Happy New Year.¡¯¡±

    Song Jinning lowered her head to take a look and smiled. ¡°Did you get the wrong phone? How could anyone send a text to this phone? This phone doesn¡¯t even have a number. We haven¡¯t used it in more than a decade.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered. Wasn¡¯t this phone the one that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uncle, Huo Guanyuan, had?! She had seen it once before in court. This belonged to Huo Guanyuan. It had actually been with his wife, Luo Xinxue, after he had passed away. However, it was snatched away by Bai Jinyi after that. It cost Luo Xinxue her life...

 Chapter 955 - The Text on the First Day of the Lunar New Year

    <h4>955 The Text on the First Day of the Lunar New Year</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi could still clearly remember that Bai Jinyi had wanted this phone so much that she would take Luo Xinxue¡¯s life for it, because this phone had received a string of digits for a consecutive number of days. Those digits had only appeared on the phone. There were absolutely no records from the telmunicationspanies. Everyone was still suspicious of this during the trial that year. No one could exin how this could happen. They only knew that those digits were coordinates, showing a particr location on earth. Gu Nianzhi could still remember the numbers clearly.

    ¡°228.45892311956, 52.33906674.

    378.89020942583, 27.358020866.

    657.35966837696, 66.335066969.

    980.34969677770, 49.230556660.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was the one who had told them that these digits were the coordinates of a maic field, and they had indicated a particr location. Upon keying in these coordinates into the system and converting the data, what came up was another string of data, and it showed thetitude and longitude of a particr ce in C City. It was right there, seven years ago, that a weird maic energy urred. It was also right there that Huo Shaoheng had saved Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly thought about everything that was rted to that phone. Her memory was extremely good. Therefore, although she had only nced at it, she was already able to remember the new numbers that had appeared on the phone.

    ¡°649.33599305697, 39.56356576.

    342.19235302098, 20.321749302.

    109.23413829178, 12.322556976.

    213.23450000224, 86.298000123.¡±

    Could it be another set of coordinates?! ¡°Auntie, this phone was not like any other. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Gu Nianzhi reminded Song Jinning, agitated. ¡°You had even invented a super battery to use for this phone...¡±

    Song Jinning remembered it in an instant. ¡°You mean that phone has received something again?!¡± Song Jinning pressed the ¡°on¡± button on the phone. The battery was still working...

    After stopping for about two seconds, Gu Nianzhi saw the numbers on the screen again. ¡°Look! I¡¯m not wrong, am I? Someone sent a message to this phone again!¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her hands together and had to control her urge to snatch the phone from Song Jinning¡¯s hands and take it home to experiment on herself.

    Song Jinning looked at the string of numbers and turned towards her study without further prompting from Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi wanted to follow as well, but the doorbell rang. It was most likely Huo Shaoheng.

    Looking at Song Jinning¡¯s back and then at the door, Gu Nianzhi still walked to the door and opened it for Huo Shaoheng first. Huo Shaoheng was still in his uniform, his right arm hanging from the bandage hung around his neck. His face was solemn, looking as suave as always.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Huo Shao.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened the door with a smile and let Huo Shaoheng in. Closing the door behind him, Gu Nianzhi was extremely eager to go upstairs to watch Song Jinning decipher that string of numbers.

    ¡°Please take a seat, Huo Shao.¡± She poured Huo Shaoheng a ss of water and put it on the coffee table in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sensed the eagerness in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes and held onto her arm. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and thought that there was nothing that should be kept from him. Huo Shaoheng was the first to decipher the numbers that time, saying that they might be coordinates of a location. ¡°Huo Shao, remember that amazing phone from your uncle?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and looked slightly lost. ¡°What has it got to do with this?¡± It was the first day of the Lunar New Year. He had rushed there with all his effort, but not toe and discuss that phone.

    Gu Nianzhi said seriously, ¡°Just now, right after midnight, that phone received another string of digits.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. ¡°You mean that phone without a number tagged to it that we stopped using¡ªand such an old phone at that¡ªhas just received another string of digits?¡± Huo Shaoheng also remembered the case that was just over when they realized that the phone they had been checking had received a string of digits. That was seven years ago.

    Seven yearster, this phone had brightened up again. What changes would it bring?

    Huo Shaoheng lost his appetite for supper. ¡°Where is the phone? What are the digits?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed towards the second level. ¡°Auntie brought it to her study, most likely to do a data conversion.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Huo Shaoheng naturally held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and led her to the study on the second level. Gu Nianzhi was anxious to take a look at the phone, so she didn¡¯t push Huo Shaoheng away. They arrived at Song Jinning¡¯s study holding hands.

    Song Jinning¡¯s study was extremely spacious. She utilized a wooden disy shelf to separate the room into two different areas. The front was a small living area. There was an L-shaped sofa, a tea table, and two pots of delicate green Alocasia flowers. The ce where Song Jinning did her work was behind the bookshelf.

    There were bookshelves built against the entire wall, and they were all filled with books.

    There was a huge table beside the window, and there was a high-performanceputer that could be a server on its own. There were three indicators ced side by side on the table as well. Song Jinning was sitting right behind the indicators, and she was already in the midst of doing data conversion.

    Gu Nianzhi knocked lightly on the bookshelf that separated the study to let Song Jinning know that she was here. ¡°Auntie, Huo Shao is here.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s here? Let him have a seat,¡± Song Jinning replied without so much as looking up.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and walked to the front of the table. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and went to the back of the table and stood behind Song Jinning to look at her data conversion. After conversion, the data would be the coordinates of a location. It was easy to discover where that location was.

    ¡°Madam Song, did you manage to find the location?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and looked at the location that was indicated on the screen. ¡°Where is this ce?¡±

    Song Jinning said softly, ¡°America, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. ¡°The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Song Jinning shook her head and looked uneasy. ¡°I want to go to New York and take a look.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent. It was just after midnight on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and Madam Song wanted to go to New York. Gu Nianzhi instinctively felt that it was not a good idea. Raising her head to look at Huo Shaoheng, who was calm and collected, she whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, why don¡¯t we use the satellite to take a look and see if there¡¯s anything strange over there?¡±

    Song Jinning nodded readily. ¡°That sounds like a good idea. Let¡¯s take a look using the satellite. Shaoheng, I know that the satellite you guys have has extremely high uracy. Quick, go and take a look.¡± With that, she stood up and couldn¡¯t wait to make Huo Shaoheng leave right at that instant.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi like she had said something ridiculous. ¡°You and your great idea.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t my idea great?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and winked. Her adorable face looked so lively. Huo Shaoheng took a nce and turned away. He felt his insides beginning to burn up, and it had reached his chest. She had caused it.

    Huo Shaoheng controlled himself and turned on his Bluetooth earpiece to contact the central control room at the headquarters of the Special Forces. Upon being connected to the subordinates who were there on duty, he said, ¡°Check a location for me and see if there has been anything strange recently.¡± He gave the person on the line the coordinates of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The soldier who was on duty swiftly keyed in the coordinates into the central control system and managed to get connected to the Nandou Satellite Communication System immediately. After the satellite received themand, it filtered a week¡¯s worth of footage of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for them.

    The Nandou satellite in New York was not recorded with video. Instead, it was recorded in snapshots. This was nothing unusual. Just like Di Capital also provided their data to America in snapshots only, they were merely doing what everyone was doing.

    Very quickly, the Nandou Satellite Communication System sent the stored information back to earth, and it was received by the central control system of the Special Forces in the Hua Xia Empire.

    While they were waiting for the data, Gu Nianzhi went down to cook Huo Shaoheng some dumplings for supper. Huo Shaoheng stayed in the study to speak to Song Jinning for a while before leaving to look for Gu Nianzhi.

    A bowl filled with yummy little dumplings was brought out of the kitchen. Gu Nianzhi had used chicken stock for the soup and had ced the dumplings into a white ceramic bowl. Then, she sprinkled on some spring onions and some seaweed along with some dried shrimps to taste. She put the entire bowl in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her. Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and scooped a dumpling for Huo Shaoheng. The small bowl, albeit full, only had six dumplings. Huo Shaoheng felt like he could finish all six dumplings in one gulp. They were as small as buttons in his eyes. However, Gu Nianzhi fed them to him one by one.

    He ate the dumplings patiently and heard that he had a phone call from the alert of his Bluetooth earpiece just when he had managed to finish the dumplings. ¡°Huo Shao, why did you want to take a look at the data from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City? There really was a problem.¡±

    ¡°What problem was there?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Send the data over to my mailbox.¡±

    The person agreed and sent it over in a jiffy. Huo Shaoheng returned to Song Jinning¡¯s study. ¡°Madam Song, please allow me to use yourputer.¡±

    Song Jinning handed him aptop. Huo Shaoheng logged into an encrypted website and entered his mailbox, then he clicked the email that his subordinate had just sent him. After looking through it quickly, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze was focused. He tapped a couple of times on the keyboard and forwarded the data to Song Jinning¡¯s mailbox. ¡°Madam Song, take a look. Does this data look familiar to you?¡±

    Song Jinning opened her own mailbox and looked at the data. She too, was taken aback. Only after a while did she ask agitatedly, ¡°Where did this datae from? Where was it?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tapped on theptop casually. ¡°It¡¯s right at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This was data from a couple of days ago. It has already disappeared now.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Song Jinning said, disappointed. ¡°It has already disappeared?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. This is the data that was stored in the satellite. The data that we just received showed that everything is normal in the museum right now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened the whole time and finally asked, ¡°Huo Shao, Auntie, what data were you guys talking about? Was it the text just now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Song Jinning said, agitated. ¡°It¡¯s a maic field. A couple of days ago, a strange maic energy was detected at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City!¡± As it was indoors this time around, the information that was captured by the satellite was really weak. What they were looking at was data that had been magnified. Had it not been magnified, it would have been easy to have overlooked it.

    Previously, when they had discovered such a maic energy field, it had urred outdoors. This was the first time it had happened indoors.

 Chapter 956 - Calm Down

    <h4>956 Calm Down</h4>

    ¡°Strange maic field energy?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng instinctively. This was not the first time she had heard this terminology. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold her curiosity back any longer. Looking at Song Jinning, who was so agitated, she asked, ¡°What exactly is going on? Does this strange maic field energy mean something important?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at Gu Nianzhi and turned to Huo Shaoheng quizzically. ¡°Can I say?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s security level is almost the same as mine. Just speak your mind if you want to.¡±

    Song Jinning was taken aback. ¡°Almost the same as yours? That high?¡±

    Because they were already married... Huo Shaoheng wanted toe clean with Song Jinning, but before he said anything, he quickly nced at Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed. Her hands were sped together and ced in front of her lips. She looked down. Her longshes were quivering, and she was peeking at him through them.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart softened. He gulped and said calmly, ¡°Yes. It was decided by management.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Song Jinning stopped probing. Taking a seat, she opened the notes in herputer and began narrating the entire incident for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°We will have to talk about what had happened 20 years ago.

    ¡°Twenty years ago, the army secretly contacted my father, Doctor Song Haichuan, to ask him about the hypotheses of strange maic field energy, and showed him a set of data of some strange maic field energy that the army had gotten coincidentally. This set of data had practically opened the door to a whole new world for him.

    ¡°My father immediately agreed to work with the army and began doing highly confidential research in maic field energy. However, no one had any idea what had gone wrong. Seventeen years ago, just when the research was about to have a breakthrough discovery, the experiment was met with a severe ident. The energy from the strange maic field suddenly exploded, and it affected every single person who was in theboratory doing the experiment at that point in time.

    ¡°I was the only one... Shaoheng¡¯s eldest uncle, Colonel Huo Guanyuan, pushed me roughly out of theboratory. Every single person who was inside was dead. My father and some other scientists were killed on the spot. The bodies of Huo Guanyuan and four other soldiers could not even be found after.¡± Song Jinning looked at the records on theputer, and her eyes turned red.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her sympathetically and sat beside her. She leaned her head onto Song Jinning¡¯s slender but upright shoulders. Song Jinning patted her on the cheek and took a deep breath before continuing with her story.

    ¡°After that, I... went into a state of mental confusion and don¡¯t remember what happened after. Whatever happened after that was told to me by Shaoheng.¡± Song Jinning looked up at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and continued narrating the story. ¡°After my maternal grandfather and eldest uncle passed away, the army put a halt to this experiment. Firstly, it was due to the passing of the most important researcher for this experiment, and as for the second most important researcher, she had gone into a state of mental confusion. Those who were left behind were not capable enough to shoulder the responsibilities of this experiment. Secondly, due to the huge magnitude of the explosion of this strange maic field energy, the army was not sure if they still wanted to continue with the research in order to open Pandora¡¯s box.

    ¡°It was like that until seven years ago, when Bai Jinyi, who was already the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, reported to the army that she had managed to get information on an instance of strange maic field energy and that it was almost identical to the one that was detected 17 years ago. She even said that C City was the location of the strange maic field energy. That was the reason why we were there and set up equipment to receive the energy.

    ¡°However, the experiment that time did not seed either, because the car Nianzhi was in barged into the radius of the maic field energy and caused a huge ident.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. ¡°So that was the reason why the car I was in exploded into ashes? It was because of the explosion of that strange maic field energy?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slowly. ¡°That was our guess. However, that only remains a guess because we were unable to replicate the experiment to confirm our hypothesis.¡±

    Song Jinning lifted the old phone that had belonged to Huo Guanyuan. ¡°We discovered that Bai Jinyi had not gotten the information on her own. She had gotten it from this phone.¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, someone sent information to this phone and provided the location of the strange maic field energy.¡± Huo Shaoheng took the old, ck smartphone from Song Jinning¡¯s hands and looked it over before returning it to her.

    ¡°Does that mean that whenever the strange maic field energy appears, this phone would have information?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, looking at that phone. ¡°However, it alerted before the maic energy appeared seven years ago. Why did it alert after the energy had gone this time?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning looked at each other and were both impressed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s observation.

    ¡°Our Nianzhi is still the cleverest.¡± Song Jinning liked her even more. She embraced Gu Nianzhi with one arm and caressed her hair. ¡°That¡¯s the issue we¡¯ll have to solve.¡±

    Why would it be a dyed alert this time?

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and walked around Song Jinning¡¯s study and mumbled, ¡°Actually, we shouldn¡¯t be led around by this phone.¡±

    ¡°I agree!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her hand readily, agreeing with what Huo Shaoheng just said. ¡°I feel that we should investigate who sent the information to this phone. Wouldn¡¯t that help more?¡± It would be much better to take the initiative to find out who it was, rather than to go around to the specific location each time the phone had information.

    Huo Shaoheng had more information about that. Turning around, he looked at Gu Nianzhi and said calmly, ¡°We don¡¯t have to deem the person who sent information to this phone as important. That set of data for the strange maic field energy appeared one other time, but the phone did not give any warning.¡±

    ¡°It appeared another time?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°Where?! How did you guys manage to get it?¡±

    ¡°It appeared in the Gulf of Aden, at the Indian Ocean. It was near the Red Sea. Many countries had sent military Naval vessels to take a look at that time.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat on the window ledge and stretched his legs before continuing, ¡°Because we are not the only country who is doing the experiment.

    ¡°America, Germany, and Japan are all doing this experiment as well. We had been leading, but now... We¡¯re falling behind,¡± Song Jinning said gloomily and was not d about this at all.

    ¡°Oh... I see...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful lips opened and closed. The expression on her face was extremely exquisite. ¡°What do we do, then? Are there any ways to surpass them again?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Suddenly, Song Jinning wanted to make fun of Gu Nianzhi again. Hugging Gu Nianzhi by the shoulders, she said, ¡°Nianzhi, if you were to join us, we would definitely be able to surpass them!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless. ¡°Auntie! You¡¯re making fun of me again!¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged Song Jinning and whined as she rubbed her head on Song Jinning¡¯s shoulders.

    Song Jinningughed. ¡°Too bad you have no interest in physics. Otherwise, we would definitely be so happy if you would work together with me!¡±

    ¡°Auntie, you have so many colleagues, you will definitely be able to find some who think along the same wavelength as you.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she gave Song Jinning a hand gesture of a heart. ¡°Good luck!¡±

    Seeing that they were drifting off topic, Huo Shaoheng dragged Gu Nianzhi out from Song Jinning¡¯s embrace. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Madam Song, get some sleep. It¡¯s already the first day of the New Year. I still have to bring Nianzhi to General Ji¡¯s ce for visiting early in the morning. Do you want to go with us?¡±

    ¡°Why would I go?¡± Song Jinning waved her hands. ¡°Alright, alright. I got it. Go and get some rest, both of you. You still have to get up earlyter on. I¡¯ll just start another program to calm the system down.¡± With that, she chased Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng out of the study.

 Chapter 957 - That Is Definite!

    <h4>957 That Is Definite!</h4>

    Pulling Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, Huo Shaoheng smoothly led her out of Song Jinning¡¯s study and walked towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Pink Princess room.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°Huo Shao, you know that I have a room here?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng acknowledged casually with an, ¡°Mmhm. When Madam Song was renovating this ce, she had specially mentioned that she would like to keep a room for you. I did not object to the idea.¡±

    ¡°Would you be able to object anyway?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt proud the moment she became happy and felt lighthearted immediately. ¡°Auntie is your mother. You¡¯re able to object to what your mother says? Moreover, Auntie merely knew how to appreciate a genius. Didn¡¯t you see how much Auntie doted on me!?¡±

    Seeing that she was so proud of herself, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled upwards slightly. That fire burning within him because of her was lit again. Coming to her room, he pushed the door open. Huo Shaoheng did not prepare himself for what he was about to see and was almost blinded by the pink in the room. He remained quiet for a while and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re sure that you would like to live in this room?¡±

    ¡°Why not? You don¡¯t like it?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng and suddenly liked the room. ¡°It was love at first sight for this room in my opinion.¡± As long as she could make Huo Shaoheng be at a loss for words, Gu Nianzhi felt that she had won.

    Closing the door like it didn¡¯t bother him, Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°As long as you like it.¡± He pulled Gu Nianzhi toward the bathroom. ¡°Come on. Help me with my shower.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her calmly and said matter-of-factly, ¡°We will be visiting General Ji in a couple of hours¡¯ time. You wouldn¡¯t want me to visit him looking like this, would you?¡± Under the lights of the bathroom, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead had some perspiration on it. There was just a sheen of iting from his skin, but he looked exceptionally attractive.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away and nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll turn on the water for you.¡± She walked towards the bathtub and turned on the tap. Beneath that ever-so-slender waist was her exceptionally round and full butt that looked so tender and bouncy, and it was moving right beside his body.

    Huo Shaoheng gulped again and undid the topmost hook from his uniform¡¯s cor. When the water was filled to a suitable depth, Gu Nianzhi straightened up and turned around and saw that Huo Shaoheng had managed to undo the cor hook from his uniform and was attempting to remove his outeryers.

    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over and sat Huo Shaoheng down on the chair, and began helping him to remove his clothes. She was extremely careful to avoid his right arm.

    ¡°I need to change the dressing for my wound. You can go out now. I¡¯ll do it on my own.¡± Huo Shaoheng remembered how his wound looked and did not intend to let Gu Nianzhi see it. Although the injury was not serious and didn¡¯t hurt his bones, it did not look good on the outside.

    Gu Nianzhi looked gloomily at him and replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll change it for you.¡± She took a first aid kit from the bathroom and took out some bandages and ointment. Then, she asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Will these do?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Usual medications will do.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her. ¡°You are really not afraid?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen worse.¡± Gu Nianzhi remembered the time when she was being hunted in the Alps in Germany. Her arms were grazed by bullets, and she was even shot in her left leg. Therefore, injuries that were bloody and raw were nothing new to her.

    ¡°When have you seen worse before?¡± Huo Shaoheng was unhappy with that remark. He was sure that he had not let Gu Nianzhi see any of his injuries before.

    Gu Nianzhi undid his bandages and looked at the injured area, which was slightly charred, and used her hand to probe it softly. Then, she took a bandage and dipped it in antiseptic before cleaning the wound. Then she said casually, ¡°When I was in Germany, of course. I didn¡¯t tell you about it before, did I? When I was shot that time, it was not just in one spot. I was shot in the arm and shin. However...¡± Sheughed mockingly at herself. ¡°My body is too special. Look, it recovered so quickly that no signs of injury could be seen after just a couple of days. No one would believe me, even if I were to tell anybody.¡± Therefore, after she had returned, she didn¡¯t bring it up with Huo Shaoheng. In the beginning, she was worried that he might be worried about her. After that, her heart was broken. Therefore, she didn¡¯t think of letting him know.

    Now, she only said something because Huo Shaoheng looked worried about letting her see his injury. She did not want any form of sympathy nor praise. She was merely trying to show him that she was not as weak as he thought she was and wouldn¡¯t pass out at the sight of blood.

    However, Huo Shaoheng held onto her arm and looked at her. His Adam¡¯s apple moved slightly, and he only spoke after a long while. ¡°...Nianzhi.¡± His voice was extremely low and hoarse. ¡°...It was my fault you went through that.¡±

    She had been so spoiled under his care for six years, she barely even had the slightest chance of falling down. Who would have expected that she had gone through such torture when she was in the Alps? Huo Shaoheng felt so bad that he could find no words. He merely pulled her into his embrace and kissed her lips.

    Gu Nianzhi buried her head into his embrace and whispered, ¡°At that time, I really missed you so much... However, I didn¡¯t me you at all. I knew that you had way more important things on hand. I just didn¡¯t expect that the thing that was more important was to apany...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head, stopping Gu Nianzhi with another kiss. They both remained in that position and kissed for a good while. By the time they let go of each other, they were both panting slightly. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were dazed. As she looked at Huo Shaoheng under the lighting in the bathroom, they sparkled like stars. Huo Shaoheng supported the back of her neck and kissed her again, as he couldn¡¯t control himself.

    Seeing that he was nowhere near stopping, Gu Nianzhi had no other option but to push him away,ining, ¡°The water is getting cold. Are you going to bathe or not?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed and stood up as he removed his belt, revealing his strong waist.

    The muscles on his hips were on disy, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed. However, she didn¡¯t look away.

    Huo Shaoheng unfolded his long legs and got in the bathtub. Gu Nianzhithered him up and bathed him quickly. She was shocked that Huo Shaoheng did not take advantage of her. However, she didn¡¯t show it. Very quickly, she took the shower head and washed the bubbles off Huo Shaoheng, then threw him a towel before the bath was over. Gu Nianzhi felt like her back was on the brink of breaking.

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the bathtub with a smile and said, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll give you a massageter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her hands. ¡°No thank you. I¡¯ll be even more tired and worn out if you give me a massage. Just let me have a nap.¡± She walked out and changed into her sleepwear. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t remain in her room. He returned to his own room after giving her a goodnight kiss.

    Of course, Song Jinning had done up a room for Huo Shaoheng in her apartment as well. Huo Shaoheng was unexpected today. Gu Nianzhi felt like the Huo Shaoheng who had been keeping a distance from her in the past had returned. Shey in her bed and realized that she couldn¡¯t sleep. Therefore, she began ying with her phone again.

    She began replying to everyone who had wished her a happy new year one by one.

    There were texts from Ma Qiqi, Yin Shixiong, her ssmates Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao from her days when she was still studying for her bachelor¡¯s degree. There were also colleagues from thew firm in America. Thetest texts were from He Zhichu and Chen Lie.

    Gu Nianzhi replied to He Zhichu¡¯s greetings first before opening Chen Lie¡¯s text. Other than wishing her a happy new year, Chen Lie had given her a huge red packet! Seeing that Chen Lie had sent the text just a minute ago, Gu Nianzhi called him immediately. ¡°Brother Chen? Are you asleep?¡± Gu Nianzhi greeted him with a smile.

    Chen Lie was not asleep. He was sitting in his bed, reading a medical book in English while chatting with Gu Nianzhi on the phone.

    ¡°Brother Chen, what do you think about my body¡¯s recovery system? Why would it recover almost immediately after getting hurt? And there are no scars at all. You couldn¡¯t even tell that I was injured.¡± Gu Nianzhi actually sounded upset.

    Chen Lie was exasperated. ¡°My dear Miss Gu, how many people in the world wish for that, you know? And you¡¯re not content?! How is it not good that you are able to recover immediately? I am still doing research on it, though. When I¡¯m able to have a hypothesis and able to produce medication on that, I¡¯ll be awarded the Nobel Prize!¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not good!¡± Gu Nianzhi flipped over and said angrily, ¡°Do you know? Without injuries, there is no impact. I told Huo Shao that I was injured when I was in Germany, but there¡¯s no proof at all, because there are no scars on me at all!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re angry about that?¡± Chen Lie truly didn¡¯t understand how girls¡¯ minds worked. ¡°Your body is special. From the time you got infected with H3ab7, Mr. Huo already knew about it. Therefore, you don¡¯t have to look too much into it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This had been bothering her for a long time. She began probing, ¡°Really? Brother Chen, do you know a lot about H3ab7?¡±

    ¡°Yes, kind of. With Oda Masao¡¯s death, I¡¯m the one who knows the most about it!¡±

    Chen Lie was proud of himself for a minute. ¡°Ask away, little girl. Your dear brother Chen will answer all your queries!¡±

    ¡°Really? Then can the effects of this aphrodisiac be removed only through doing that with someone?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked casually, her tone light, and Chen Lie did not sense her nervousness at all.

    He actually fell for her trap. Going along with her lightheartedness, he answered, ¡°Of course. Other than having intercourse with someone, there are no other ways to stop the drug from working. However, you were the only one who lived through the aftermath of the intercourse. Others did not.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped. ¡°So someone had intercourse with me then?¡±

    ¡°That is definite!¡± Chen Lie replied quickly and loudly.

 Chapter 958 - Her Immature Self

    <h4>958 Her Immature Self</h4>

    In that moment, Gu Nianzhi could feel her heart about to leap out of her throat. She studiedw and was also most adept at court proceedings. After experiencing several majorwsuits, she had already be a top expert when it came to eliciting the truth. All this time, she had adhered to the three essential elements of eliciting the truth: Timing! Timing! Timing!

    No other essential element was more important than timing. For example, today was just after New Year¡¯s Eve. It was around 1 or 2am on the first day of the Lunar New Year, so it was when a person¡¯s mental will was the weakest out of the entire year.

    Even for Special Operations Forces personnel who had undergone specialized training, on such a night and after being busy and excited the entire day, they were feeling too excited to sleepte at night. This was also when their mental defenses were the most easily broken.

    The most effective way of eliciting the truth was not dependent on the cleverness or confusion of the questions, but required the question to be absolutely simple, direct, straightforward, and directly to the point. The other party would not have enough time to react, so what they blurted out would actually be the facts closest to the truth.

    Just like earlier, shetched onto what Chen Lie said and directly asked her own question. Chen Lie instinctively answered with his most direct response, ¡°Of course!¡±

    What was ¡°of course?!¡± Of course she must have had sex with someone for the antidote?!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately recalled what Ye Zitan said to her right before her execution. ¡°Nianzhi... You¡¯re the one I wronged the most. You¡¯re actually more pitiful than me... I shouldn¡¯t have coborated with others to hurt you... I still remember the time you were raped to that extent, all covered in injuries, and I was so heartbroken to see it... How could I cast salt on your wounds? Greed must¡¯ve blinded my eyes...¡±

    Ever since she was kidnapped by Seth and his gang in Germany, and pretended to be passed out and overheard the nature and effects of H3ab7, this doubt had remained on her mind. It had already rolled like a snowball, growing bigger and bigger.

    She still remembered when she was infected for the first time at her ssmate Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday party by this so-called H3ab7. Afterwards, Chen Lie told her that he had developed an ¡°antidote,¡± so she ended up fine and recovered on her own without needing to copte with a man.

    But when she came back from Germany, Chen Lie¡¯s assistant, Dr. Ye Zitan, had been arrested as a traitor. She betrayed the two Special Operations Forces field personnel just so they could take others there to find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts. And right before Ye Zitan was executed, Gu Nianzhi saw Ye Zitan for the veryst time.

    As soon as she closed her eyes, Gu Nianzhi could see Ye Zitan on the other side of the ss wall. She could see her crying andughing face. The seeds of doubt had begun to germinate back then....

    ¡°Of course I must have had sex with someone for the antidote? Then I really was raped?¡± Gu Nianzhi instantly asked about what Ye Zitan had said. Perhaps the word ¡°rape¡± was too shocking, so the drowsy and nearly sleeping Chen instantly became alert again.

    As if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head, he felt bone-chilling cold inside and out. It gradually made him helpless. His limbs stiffened, and even his tongue seemed to feel so cold, he couldn¡¯t even speak.

    ¡°Oh no, oh no...¡± Chen Lie covered his head and wailed deep inside his heart. He wanted nothing more but to bash his head against the wall. Why couldn¡¯t he ever keep his mouth shut?! Huo Shaoheng had forced him to issue a military order in the beginning! If Gu Nianzhi found out about this, he may have to spend the rest of his life in jail...

    Chen Lie nearly wanted to hide himself under the nkets and pretend he hadn¡¯t heard what Gu Nianzhi said, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t let him off so easily.

    ¡°Brother Chen? Brother Chen? I know you¡¯re listening. Tell me, was I actually raped by someone back then?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was growing lower and lower, the slight tremble could almost be heard in the quiet night.

    Chen Lie was struggling between ¡°exposing Huo Shaoheng¡± and ¡°confirming she had been raped.¡± There seemed to be two little people in his head. The little person with two ck horns on his head kept urging him, ¡°Say it, just tell her she was raped. That way it wouldn¡¯t be disobeying the military order since you won¡¯t be implicating Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    The little person with a shiny halo on his head looked at him anxiously. ¡°You should tell her the truth. This poor girl has suffered enough...¡± Chen Lie wasn¡¯t a bad person. On the contrary, he had a very kind heart and was friendly and generous.

    Generally speaking, those who chose to be doctors all had deep-rooted heroic ambitions of saving and healing people, rescuing the masses while sacrificing themselves. Chen Lie was also the chief doctor in the Special Operations Forces, so his dedication in this regard was even more deep-rooted than typical doctors¡¯.

    But Huo Shaoheng had given him too much fear and pressure, and it wasn¡¯t only just because of the military order. Chen Lie knew Huo Shaoheng was a person who did as he promised. His methods were too bone chilling. He had a feeling that if this truth were to actuallye out of his mouth, being able to spend the rest of his life in prison was probably his very best option. He didn¡¯t dare imagine what kind of things would actually happen to him...

    Zhao Liangze only had a slip of the tongue after getting drunk and briefly teased Huo Shaoheng about getting dumped by Gu Nianzhi. As a result, Huo Shaoheng had ¡°exiled¡± him to a deserted African ind in the Cape of Good Hope.

    And because of Chen Lie¡¯s own slip of the tongue, his best bet was to probably take a rope and hang himself immediately. When he thought about this, Chen Lie crawled out of his nkets. His nose was a bit sniffly as he almost started to cry. ¡°Nianzhi, please stop pressing me. Brother Chen was unlucky enough to be tricked into confessing by your cleverness. It¡¯s all Brother Chen¡¯s fault, but I beg you, please stop asking. Ok? If you ask me anymore, I can only take a rope and hang myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Brother Chen, did Huo Shao prevent you from talking about it?¡± Her heart felt both bitter and sweet, yet it hurt more than ever... She knew it was impossible for her to have been raped by someone. Before she lost consciousness, she knew that she had been with Chen Lie. Chen Lie had taken her to the Special Operations Forces base. And there it would impossible for anyone to rape her in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s territory.

    But Ye Zitan¡¯s words and Chen Lie¡¯s reaction indicated that Ye Zitan wasn¡¯t making up rumors from nothing. What did this mean? This meant that Gu Nianzhi had truly experienced fierce sex at the time. So when Ye Zitan examined her afterwards, she assumed she had been raped...

    So who did she have sex with?! Who became her ¡°antidote?!¡±

    ¡°Brother Chen, tell me if you found someone to have sex with me and be my antidote?!¡± Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into tight fists, her body growing as rigid as her voice. ¡°I¡¯ll assume your silence is confirmation!¡±

    Thinking about how her virginity had been ended just like that, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tensed up painfully. Her face was ashen white, and she was so aggrieved she almost wanted to simply die... So this was why Huo Shaoheng had avoided her in the beginning?

    After she woke up, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t see her for an entire six months. Was it because he would recall how she had sex with someone else whenever he saw her? ¡°Brother Chen, tell me if it¡¯s true or not! Did Huo Shao know about this incident?!¡± Gu Nianzhi began to sob. She was so humiliated and ashamed when she recalled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s determination to avoid her, yet she had shamelessly chased after him, threw temper tantrums, and confessed her feelings in all sorts of ways. She wanted nothing more than to directly jump from the 24th floor and end it all!

    When Chen Lie heard Gu Nianzhi cry, he panicked and quickly replied, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t cry. I did this for your own good!¡±

    ¡°For my own good?! You should¡¯ve at least told me about it!¡± Gu Nianzhi punched the bed, screaming and crying. ¡°Do you know how much I want to die when I think about all the things I did in the beginning, forcing him to ept me! I want nothing more but to jump from the 24th floor!

    ¡°This is the thing no man can ever ept, but I... What have I done?! Brother Chen, you¡¯ve ruined my life. I¡¯m too ashamed to see Huo Shao ever again!¡± Gu Nianzhi was so angry, she threw the phone down.

    She had a feeling that Huo Shaoheng knew about this incident from the beginning. He had also struggled with it and avoided her. She was the one who had forced him to be together with her. Otherwise, what woman couldn¡¯t he find? Why would he settle for someone like her?

    He forbade Chen Lie from telling her because he was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee her feelings of shame? He had always been that kind of person¡ªconstantly thinking about her best interests. Even though he learned about this incident, he still chose to be with her, after all...

    Recalling her first time with Huo Shaoheng, he had sex with her in the bathtub. She had even thought that Huo Shaoheng was too eager, but when she recalled it now, it was probably out of concern about her learning the truth. That¡¯s why he purposely had sex with her in the bathtub?

    He didn¡¯t want her to be sad and feel guilty, nor did he want her to have any psychological stress. He carried all the burdens on his own shoulders and went ahead with the heavy load. He never made a sound no matter how difficult or tiring it was.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears instantly streamed down. She cried for her immature self, and she cried for the Huo Shaoheng who quietly did everything for her.

 Chapter 959 - A Womanâ€™s Logic

    <h4>959 A Woman¡°s Logic</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi felt increasingly aggrieved the more she thought about this. Throwing her phone hard on the ground, she ripped the nkets off the bed and climbed out. With bare feet, she ran out of her room and sprinted down the hallway, looking at all the tightly shut doors, unsure which one belonged to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room.

    Chen Lie was having a psychological struggle as he contemted if he should confess honestly or not... If he confessed honestly, his butt would end up in a jail cell. If he refused to tell the truth, then he could go home for the Lunar New Year!

    His heart was running little calctions when he suddenly heard a deafening boom from his phone. The sound pounded his ear drums and appeared to be the noise from a heavy object dropping.

    Chen Lie was so terrified, he jumped up from the bed. His chubby body nearly copsed the bed frame. ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± But only silence greeted him. The call had already ended.

    Chen Lie panicked. Could this young girl have backed herself into a corner and actually jumped off a building tomit suicide?! Recalling how Gu Nianzhi screamed and cried about ¡°wanting nothing more than to jump down from the 24th floor,¡± his head began to pound hard.

    Chen Lie knew that his death date wasn¡¯t too far away. He didn¡¯t dare y around when it came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life or death, so he didn¡¯t waste a second to ovee Huo Shaoheng¡¯s threat and the authority of the military order. He dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    At that time, Huo Shaoheng had already fallen asleep but was not deeply asleep yet. When he heard the phone suddenly ring, he grabbed it to take a look and saw it was Chen Lie¡¯s number. Sliding the screen to answer the call, he said sleepily, ¡°Chen Lie, Happy New Year.¡±

    Chen Lie was about to cry, so he choked as he stomped his feet inside the bedroom. ¡°Huo Shao, where are you? Do you know where Nianzhi is? She... She seemed to have jumped off a building just now?!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately sat up in bed. ¡°Chen Lie, have you lost your mind? If you say anymore nonsense, be careful or I¡¯ll execute you!¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, if Nianzhi really died from jumping off a building, then I would execute myself without needing you to do it! I do as I say!¡± Chen Lie had already begun to cry. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. When I was on the phone with her earlier, I identally mentioned how she had been infected with H3ab7 a year and a half ago. My tongue slipped, and I told her she had sex with someone as the antidote!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately ripped the nkets off, his face ashen as he got out of bed. Squeezing the phone, he rushed out the door while he gritted the words out to Chen Lie, ¡°Chen Lie! Don¡¯t you forget that you swore to a military order from me!¡±

    ¡°I know that! I wouldn¡¯t have told you if the situation wasn¡¯t a serious emergency!¡± Chen Lie was indignant and sly. ¡°Also, I didn¡¯t vite the military order! I didn¡¯t tell her that the person was you! Nianzhi thought she slept with someone else, so she couldn¡¯t stand it and felt guilty towards you. She immediately said she would jump down from the 24th floor! Then I heard a loud boom...¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s apartment happened to be on the 24th floor. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ears began to buzz. He didn¡¯t know what he was thinking about at all. His mind was aplete nk as he sprinted to the door almost mechanically and violently yanked the door open. His strength was truly too great, and because he was currently absent minded, he somehow ripped the entire door handle off.

    The hallway outside was illuminated in a warm yellow light, and a young girl wearing a ck long-sleeved cotton military T-shirt was walking around the hallway. When she heard the door, she slowly turned around. Her wless skin appeared like translucent lychee jelly under the lights¡ªmilky yet rosy, lush and plump with moisture. The ck long-sleeved T-shirt draped loosely on her body. It subtly revealed her beautiful curves, incredibly slim waist, as well as straight and pale legs.

    Standing in the middle of the hallway, she stared at him nkly, the expression on her face appearing to be sad yet happy. Like a traveler who had traveled for a thousand years, she seemed to have finally found a crossing for the river. She was so beautiful, she didn¡¯t appear to be real, like she could disappear with the breeze at any moment.

    Could she have really jumped off the building? Could this be her soul? In that moment, Huo Shaoheng suddenly had strange thoughts cross his mind, despite typically never believing in the supernatural. He could only feel the blood in his veins suddenly race as his eardrums pounded hard, and his gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body. His eyes were nearly glued onto her, and he was unable to peel them off at all.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to discover the Huo Shaoheng she had been searching for all this time was standing at the doorway of one of the rooms. His eyes were glued to her. ¡°Huo Shao!¡± Gu Nianzhi cried out to him and ran until she tumbled into his arms. Hanging off his neck, she sobbed like a small child.

    Huo Shaoheng easily lifted her up with one hand. Her slender body still carried the warmth of having recently crawled out from her nkets and felt unusually warm and soft when he embraced her. Huo Shaoheng lowered his head to kiss her cheek. ¡°Nianzhi? What is it?¡±

    Over the phone, Chen Lie first overheard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate voice call out, ¡°Huo Shao.¡± Then he heard Huo Shaoheng use a gentle tone for the very first time to cry out, ¡°Nianzhi...¡±

    This romantic affection was dumped over his head without warning, so Chen Lie could feel his heart wrench painfully as if cut by a knife, a thousand arrows piercing through to make his heart break and his head hurt.

    Gu Nianzhi was fine. She hadn¡¯t jumped off the building, so he should sigh in relief. He didn¡¯t need to die now. But when he thought about it, he felt that his impending fate was probably worse than death itself.

    Chen Lie sat nkly on the floor, ending the call and cradling his head as he began to contemte where he should go to flee for his life.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi lifted up her tearful face, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Huo Shaoheng on the lips. Her kiss was so frantic and aggressive that Huo Shaoheng felt happily surprised. Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be himself if he didn¡¯t take advantage of this opportunity.

    Closing the door behind him, he used his left hand to carry Gu Nianzhi into his bedroom. Gu Nianzhi held him back tightly, refusing to let him leave. Huo Shaoheng kissed her deeply, over and over again while murmuring vaguely, ¡°Darling, don¡¯t be so eager...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped. Something in her mind seemed to break past the gates of memories. But Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kisses had already traveled elsewhere. She panted loudly, using one hand to rub Huo Shaoheng¡¯s injured arm while muttering, ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    This was more than Huo Shaoheng could ask for...

    ...

    It was rare for Huo Shaoheng to be in a state of almostplete rxation and nkness. When it came to this matter, he had always been aggressive and overbearing, but he would also asionally allow Gu Nianzhi to take the initiative.

    However, he had never experienced a time that felt as good as this. From head to toe, he was enveloped with the afterglow of a pleasurable explosion. He thought that he would still be able to reminisce endlessly, even if he abstained for the next three months.

    Gu Nianzhi rested in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, using her hand to gently touch his injured arm. Her raspy voice asked softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt your arm just now?¡±

    Huo Shaohengposed himself and leaned down to kiss her temple. ¡°No.¡± Using his left hand to encircle Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist, he lifted his right arm and pursed his lips. He asked purposely, ¡°What happened? Why were you crying earlier?¡±

    Not only was she crying, but she had been extremely passionate and proactive too... As soon as Huo Shaoheng recalled her earlier charm, he couldn¡¯t help but kiss her on the cheek again.

    Gu Nianzhi nuzzled in his embrace, fingers drawing circles on his chest while she murmured, ¡°Huo Shao, if you were even able to ept that kind of thing, then how could I give up on you?¡±

    ¡°What thing?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down at her with a conflicted expression, discreetly sitting up from the bed and pulling the nkets higher to envelope them both.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and said earnestly, ¡°I know about everything now. When I was infected by H3ab7 at Feng Yixi¡¯s house all that time ago, did I have sex with someone else as the antidote?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°You ignored me back then, so I even thought that it was because you didn¡¯t like me. I was very sad...¡± Gu Nianzhi shifted herself against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body and found afortable spot to lie down on. Her tiny face was filled with happiness.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that since she experienced such an incident, Huo Shaoheng must¡¯ve also felt disgusted about it. However, he had struggled, not given up, and finally still ended up with her. That meant he truly loved her.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged Gu Nianzhi as he listened to her try to fill in the gaps about his pattern of behavior. He was quite speechless. Since she knew that he loved her so much, how could he allow another man to taint her? A woman¡¯s logic was truly strange.

    ¡°Who did you hear this from?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s left hand massaged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back as he purposely teased her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about you sleeping with another man?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. Propping herself up from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest, her words were harsh and direct. ¡°Why did you hide from me and refuse to see me for six months, if you didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say.

 Chapter 960 - It Was You!

    <h4>960 It Was You!</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng, hercquer-like, dark eyes appeared so ck they were bottomless.

    Pursing his lips, Huo Shaoheng looked at her thoughtfully for some time. Shifting his left hand upwards, he pressed her inclined head and watching eyes against his chest in order to avoid the discussion. ¡°That¡¯s all in the past now.¡±

    ¡°I knew that you were aware of it.¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing, extremely pleased by her own inferences. Leaning against his chest, she heard his heart seemingly beat harder for just one moment. However, it quickly recovered.

    Hugging Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck, sheid there in silence for some time before asking quietly, ¡°Do you still mind?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. He didn¡¯t answer, patting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair randomly with his left hand.

    ¡°So you actually still mind?¡± Gu Nianzhi seemed totch onto the issue without wanting to let go.

    Closing his eyes, Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that all in the past now? As long as you don¡¯t think about that, it won¡¯t be able to bother you.¡±

    ¡°How could I not think about ti?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°That was my virginity! My very first time! I wanted to give it to you...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice grew quieter and quieter, and finally became inaudible.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help curling the corners of his lips. He shifted Gu Nianzhi higher up in his embrace, hugging her as he began to kiss her carefully. ¡°Just pretend that you gave it to me.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kisses made Gu Nianzhi pant heavily before he finally released her. Pressing his face against hers, he rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°You weren¡¯t conscious during your first time anyway, so it didn¡¯t count.¡±

    It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn to be speechless. Blinking, her feeling of unease was growing even stronger. Moreover, she discovered a long time ago that Huo Shaoheng had a habit of distracting her whenever he didn¡¯t want to tell the truth. For example, he would kiss her senseless or make love to her until she couldn¡¯t get out of bed.

    ¡°How could it not count? I can¡¯t lie to myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi had an idea, so she fiercely struggled out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and braced herself on his powerful shoulders. She said solemnly, ¡°If I gave my first time to someone else, then that¡¯s what happened. You can¡¯t lie to yourself. I understand if you can¡¯t ept this...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt some awkwardness when he heard this. He draped a hand over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist and wanted to pull her closer so he could kiss her until she became speechless. However, Gu Nianzhi used even more strength to fight against him this time.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to hurt Gu Nianzhi, so he could only release her and reply dryly, ¡°The sun will be up in a few hours. Let¡¯s sleep now.¡±

    ¡°I have to go shower. I can¡¯t sleep like this.¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed Huo Shaoheng away and got off the bed to rinse off in the bathroom.

    Looking at herself in the mirror, Gu Nianzhi touched her face and something in her mind seemed to constantly try to take form, surfacing from time to time. She recalled the entire incident from beginning to end once again, but unfortunately, she had lost too much of her memory. Thest conscious memory she had was of Chen Lie¡¯s anxious face as he squeezed his phone...

    Phone?!

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. Chen Lie was on the phone with someone at the time. Before she lost consciousness, Chen Lie was calling someone! She could still recall Chen Lie¡¯s expression. Aside from anxiety, he also appeared harried, respectful, and carried a tinge of awe. He definitely wouldn¡¯t have that kind of expression when calling someone below his rank. He must¡¯ve been calling someone of a higher rank. At the time, what person of a higher rank would Chen Lie have called?

    The answer already leaped out to her...

    So when Chen Lie needed to find a man to have sex with Gu Nianzhi, he had asked Huo Shaoheng for permission?

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the bathroom filled with questions and returned to the bed.

    Huo Shaoheng had already closed his eyes and appeared to be asleep. Reaching out, Gu Nianzhi used her hand to trace the bridge of his handsome nose until she outlined his lips below.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand. ¡°Stop ying. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiid on the pillow beside him. Her dark and shiny eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. ¡°Huo Shao, you know who slept with me. Is that right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s long eyshes fluttered instantly. Luckily, Gu Nianzhi had her head down, so she didn¡¯t notice such a minor eye movement.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t make a sound. He flipped on his slide to wrap Gu Nianzhi in his embrace and got into a position that signified that he was very tired and wanted to go to sleep.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t let him off so easily. ¡°Huo Shao, you were the one to find a man for me. Is that right?¡±

    If Chen Lie had called Huo Shaoheng, then the candidate must¡¯ve been chosen by Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think that someone with such strong desire for control like Huo Shaoheng would allow Chen Lie, who was the greatest doctor of the nation yet was also unreliable, to help her find someone.

    When she learned from Chen Lie that she actually had sex with a man as the antidote, she assumed that Chen Lie was the one to find a man for her. Because she still thought that Huo Shaoheng was working abroad at the time and Chen Lie couldn¡¯t reach him immediately, she assumed that Chen Lie was the one who found a man for her. But in the memories she recalled just now, she remembered that Chen Lie had been calling someone at thest moment before she lost consciousness.

    ¡°Chen Lie called you. So you knew about it, right?¡± This must have been the only reason that could exin why Huo Shaoheng felt especially conflicted afterwards, or perhaps there were other reasons? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s habit of deeply analyzing situations as awyer began to emerge.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breathing was even, like he had already plunged into a deep sleep. Gu Nianzhi used her hand to check his breathing but couldn¡¯t figure out if he was actually asleep or not. Flipping over, sheid t beside him and said quietly, ¡°Who had sex with me? Huo Shao, can you tell me?¡±

    She didn¡¯t actually expect Huo Shaoheng to reply, since he was already ¡°asleep,¡± but Huo Shaoheng suddenly opened his eyes, his voice heavy with displeasure. ¡°Why do you need to know that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her gaze. ¡°I want to know who he is, his name, where he works, what his identity is. He must be a soldier, too? He doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend or wife, is that right?¡±

    Regardless if it had been Chen Lie or Huo Shaoheng who found a man for her, they certainly wouldn¡¯t have found a man with a girlfriend or even a wife to take her virginity, right?

    ¡°Yeah, he doesn¡¯t. So what?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone was calm and even. If Gu Nianzhi had neglected to look at his tightly balled right hand, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything was amiss. Unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi was so worried about hurting Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm since it was injured, she paid close attention to the condition of his right arm. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subtle movement didn¡¯t escape Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°So I have to thank him.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up from the bed. ¡°How about you tell me his name and where he is. I have to go thank him. He saved my life, after all.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need you to thank him. Don¡¯t think about nonsense. Hurry up and go to sleep.¡± Huo Shaoheng flipped over again, turning his back toward Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhiid down and pressed her face against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s broad back. Curling her lips, she said, ¡°How do you know he doesn¡¯t need me to thank him? This kind of thing is considered unforgettable for men, right?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t remember it. You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Huo Shaoheng interrupted her musings. ¡°Chen Lie has a drug that allowed him to lose consciousness.¡±

    ¡°There is such a drug?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow high. ¡°But I seemed to have remembered something. What should I do? Do I need to go see Chen Lie to ask for some drugs, too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest tightened, and his heart began to beat uncontrobly hard. ¡°You remember it? How much do you remember?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up from the bed, turning on the bedside light and digging through the bedside table. He finally recalled that this wasn¡¯t his bedroom at his official residence, so there were no cigarettes here.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart also beat rapidly, but she forced herself to remain calm and smiled. ¡°Then how much does Huo Shao want me to remember?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to look at her, then quickly averted his gaze. ¡°This has nothing to do with me. How much you remember depends on your own ability.¡± Thinking about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special body constitution, he felt a shred of uncertainty. What if she remembered by chance. What should he do?

    ¡°Oh, I really shouldn¡¯t remember it. Why does my memory have to be so good?¡± Gu Nianzhi used a very provocative and coy tone. ¡°His skills were really quite good... I heard that the first time always hurts a lot, but he... makes me reminisce endlessly about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng violently dragged her over to him and pressed her under his body. He kissed her fiercely. ¡°I think you don¡¯t want to sleep at all.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, don¡¯t be like that. I only want to express my gratitude. I don¡¯t even know what he looks like. The person that Huo Shao found for me shouldn¡¯t be bad, right? You know that I am obsessed with faces and voices.¡± Gu Nianzhi kept speaking to provoke Huo Shaoheng. ¡°No matter who that person is, I am thankful to him. I¡¯ll be thankful for the rest of my life.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tried hard to secure her with one hand and panted quietly, ¡°You¡¯ll be thanking him as long as you are obedient for the rest of your life...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood it all. As she wasying down, one leg suddenly kicked upwards, and she took the opportunity to roll out from under his body when he frantically tried to avoid the kick. Her face slowly turned pale. ¡°It was you! You¡¯re the man that Chen Lie said I had sex with as the antidote. Isn¡¯t that right?!¡±

 Chapter 961 - Underage

    <h4>961 Underage</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng braced himself on the bed, kneeling on one leg and looking up solemnly at Gu Nianzhi. He didn¡¯t answer her question directly but replied calmly, ¡°If your leg kicked any faster, you¡¯d be the one suffering.¡± Holding his left hand under his still tense body, he panted lightly, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced at him, unable to remember if she had actually kicked him or not just now. She replied stubbornly, ¡°If I kicked any faster you¡¯d be disabled, so how could I be the one to suffer?¡±

    ¡°If I became disabled, who would you have sex with?¡± Huo Shaoheng inhaled deeply to calm himself down. He turned over to pull on his pajama bottoms and said in a low voice, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be suffering if you stayed a grass widow for the rest of your life?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! If you be disabled, then you¡¯re the one who should be the grass widow! Why do I need to be a grass widow? I¡¯d be so happy to find another man!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed angrily from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude. Her entire body trembled, so she even began to speak rudely.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled before climbing out of the bed without giving an answer. He thought about how he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep tonight and wished he¡¯d brought a pack of cigarettes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?!¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned, putting on the ck long-sleeved T-shirt that Huo Shaoheng had crumpled into a messy ball. She also followed him out of bed. ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me. Was it you or not?!¡±

    ¡°Is that really important?¡± Huo Shaoheng stuck a hand in his pajama bottom pocket, ncing at her coolly. ¡°Your life was in danger at the time. Also, it was only sex.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows raised as she replied stiffly, ¡°Ok, so you saved my life. I thank you.¡±

    ¡°This is the kind of attitude you give to someone who saved your life?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward slightly and said with great interest, ¡°Your thanks was given like you want to kill someone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°I thank you regardless. However, Huo Shao, if we were only friends, I wouldn¡¯t have anyints about what you did. Instead I would be endlessly grateful to you, regardless of whether you had hidden this from me or told me about it. I wouldn¡¯t object either way.

    ¡°But we aren¡¯t normal friends. We used to be in a romantic rtionship, so how could you have done such a thing, then leave for good andpletely ignore me? And then you kept this from me the entire time! What you did is considered lying! I hate being lied to more than anything else!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and replied dryly, ¡°We were ¡®normal friends¡¯ when I had sex with you. So...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Speaking of which, it felt horrible to have her own words used against her! But then she quicklyposed herself and stepped forward. ¡°Normal friends? Who are you kidding!? If another woman had been infected with this kind of aphrodisiac, would you have slept with her?! Would you?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. Herrge eyes were filled with anger and appeared extremely lively. He couldn¡¯t say the word ¡°yes¡± no matter what.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Gu Nianzhi then walked another step closer. ¡°Would you have?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed. If he answered ¡°yes,¡± he would not only be lying to Gu Nianzhi but also to himself. But if he said ¡°no,¡± then Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smugness would reach new heights. This young girl¡¯s arrogance was continuously growing, so he could only stay silent and quietly avert his eyes.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why you didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Gu Nianzhi became aggrieved as she continued speaking. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like you didn¡¯t know how I felt about you...¡± She was like a nk page in front of him, trusting him and relying on him unconditionally with all her mind and body. She treated him like he was her religion.

    But when she suddenly discovered that her own religion had lied to her, this feeling was extremely bitter and painful! Gu Nianzhi could feel her anger reach a tipping point. When she saw the video of Huo Shaoheng and Tan Guiren stepping off the airne that day in Germany, it had destroyed her feelings towards him. Now that she discovered the past he had hidden from her, it nearly destroyed all the trust she had in him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng with wide eyes, wishing for nothing more than for him to say one thing¡ªto say it was because of her that he was willing to have sex with her...

    But Huo Shaoheng remained silent and even refused to look at her. Sitting on the window sill, he stretched his longs legs and cradled his right arm against his chest. His left hand was in his pocket, face slightly tilted to the side so she could only see the wless features of his profile.

    Time passed by slowly, and Gu Nianzhi waited for so long that her legs grew stiff.

    Huo Shaoheng straightened his back by the window sill. ¡°Stop fussing. Go to sleep.¡± He walked past Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Nianzhi refused to ept this and reached out to grab his left hand.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s left hand was extremely dexterous. He countered a few moves against Gu Nianzhi in the blink of an eye and quickly forced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms against her back. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to sleep, do you want me to tie you up to the bed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had learned her little tricks from Huo Shaoheng. She often practiced them, so a typical person couldn¡¯t defeat her. But Huo Shaoheng certainly wasn¡¯t a typical person. However, it was very peculiar that his left arm was still that dexterous despite his right arm being injured.

    ¡°You¡¯re left-handed?!¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly came to an understanding, turning around to re fiercely at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Ok, ok, ok, all you do is treat me like an idiot! You hide whatever you want from me! You lie about whatever you want to me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze, his headache continuing to grow. This young girl was truly too keen now. She was smart to this extent...

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi truly thought she was an idiot. She had even worried about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s right hand being inconvenienced, so she had fed him and even bathed him. In his eyes, was she a true and total idiot?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face grew red, her mind disheartened and no longer wanting to start a fight. ¡°Let go of me, Major General Huo.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t struggle any more. Her eyes looked straight ahead. ¡°You¡¯re strong, and you¡¯re capable, so I only deserve to bepletely fooled by you. Please give me mercy and let me go. I¡¯m really tired now...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let go of her hand but held her shoulders and turned her around. ¡°You¡¯re crying?¡± Huo Shaoheng cocked his head to watch her. ¡°This is something worth crying about?¡±

    It had been fine until Huo Shaoheng mentioned it, but as soon as he did, Gu Nianzhi felt even more aggrieved, her tears streaming down. She didn¡¯t make a sound and merely wept in silence, so she appeared delicate and pitiful.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that the self-control he was so proud of had never been sessful when he faced Gu Nianzhi. Pulling her into his arms, he wiped her tears away. ¡°You knew all the reasons, so why did you still have to ask me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m just an idiot! I don¡¯t know anything at all!¡± Gu Nianzhi paused, then continued to shake her head.

    ¡°I used to think about how I needed to avoid you.¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°But I didn¡¯t seed. Now you want to avoid me, but it won¡¯t be sessful, either. We are destined to be together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°So were you struggling desperately when you had sex with me in the very beginning and then avoided seeing me for six months?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily speechless. ¡°Speaking properly, when did I ever struggle desperately?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned unhappily.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? So why did you avoid seeing me for half a year?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted again. ¡°You don¡¯t know how horrible I felt for those six months...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Huo Shaoheng hugged her. ¡°You were underage at the time. I was afraid I would make a mistake.¡± When he had sex with her for the first time, it had been to save her life, so it wasn¡¯t considered making a mistake, even if she was underage. But after that, Huo Shaoheng was worried that would reminisce about the experience, so he could only forbid himself from seeing her.

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened. She hadn¡¯t considered the issue of being ¡°underage¡± at all. But when she recalled it carefully, she actually wasn¡¯t 18 years old when she was infected with H3ab7.

 Chapter 962 - Not Let Go

    962 Not Let Go

    But so what if she had been underage? He did what he did and hid what he hid. He had also made Chen Lie swear an oath under military orders. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t need to read the military orders to guess what the contents were.

    At the time, he must¡¯ve been very worried that other people would find out about it. After all, he had still been her guardian at the time, and she was indeed a minor. Gu Nianzhi also knew that if Huo Shaoheng¡¯s political enemies learned about this incident, then he really wouldn¡¯t be able to have a career.

    However, she still felt a bit ufortable about it. Struggling out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and turned around to leave.

    ¡°Where are you gong?¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed her arm. ¡°It¡¯s already sote, just sleep here.¡± He was actually worried about Gu Nianzhi backing herself into a corner and doing something silly. After the call from Chen Lie earlier, Huo Shaoheng still had ¡°psychological trauma¡± on his mind.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going back to sleep in my own room.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head stubbornly. ¡°Huo Shaoheng is too impressive. You canpletely fool a weak woman like me whenever and wherever you want. I don¡¯t dare to appear around you anymore. You might just sell me off at any time, and I¡¯d be the one helping you count the money!¡±

    Where was this even going? The rock in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart fell to the ground, then he discovered that this rock had directly dropped on his own feet. Helpless, Huo Shaoheng followed Gu Nianzhi out and to her bedroom.

    ¡°You should go back. I won¡¯t do anything silly.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly got into bed and pulled up her covers.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t act ambiguously, either. He turned around to close the door and turned off the lights. Then he returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside and removed the covers to lie down.

    Gu Nianzhi shoved him. ¡°Go back to your own room. How will I stand it if Auntie sees this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go back to my own room before Ms. Songes out,¡± Huo Shaoheng said without room for negotiation, drawing Gu Nianzhi into his arms. ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep. I¡¯ll wake you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had fussed all night and had also done that physically exhausting thing with Huo Shaoheng, so she was extremely tired. She didn¡¯t have the energy to push Huo Shaoheng again, so she fell into a deep sleep right in his arms.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed that she had finally stopped fussing, and he was finally able to sigh in relief. Taking out his phone to check before going to sleep, he noticed Chen Lie had sent over a series of ¡°hanging¡± emojis to express his sincere regret.

    Huo Shaoheng set down his phone without anyment or reply to Chen Lie.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to have only taken a short nap before seeing that the sun had risen. Huo Shaoheng had indeed disappeared from her side. Stretchingzily, she sat up in bed to see the room filled with sunshine shining through the white gauze curtains.

    After sitting dazedly in bed for a while, Gu Nianzhi removed her nkets and got up. She happened to hear someone knocking on the door. Song Jinning¡¯s voice could be heard from the doorway. Gu Nianzhi quickly went over to open the door. ¡°Good morning, Auntie.¡±

    Song Jinning wore a teal cashmere cardigan and white wool trousers, and looked at her with a refreshing smile. ¡°Breakfast is ready. You and Shaoheng can go eat. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Song Jinning¡¯s arm in surprise. ¡°Auntie, where are you going? Are you going to give New Year¡¯s greetings?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give New Year¡¯s greetings.¡± Song Jinning patted her shoulder. ¡°I need to go to theboratory. I ran several programsst night, and now I have a new idea.¡± She pulled out Huo Guanchen¡¯s phone and waved it. ¡°There¡¯s also this. It¡¯s waiting for me to crack the password.¡±

    Song Jinning left in a whirlwind, and Gu Nianzhi watched her leave with great admiration as she disappeared at the stairs of the hallway.

    After washing up, Gu Nianzhi went to the dining room downstairs and discovered that Huo Shaoheng was already sitting at the dining table and flipping through a newspaper. Seeing Gu Nianzhi walk in, Huo Shaoheng folded the newspaper neatly and ced it on the small table behind him. ¡°Have some breakfast. I went out to buy it. The beef buns and millet porridge are your favorites.¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed a tter of beef buns the size of chicken eggs to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°We¡¯ll go General Ji¡¯s house to give New Year¡¯s greetings after breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished eating breakfast in silence. When she went upstairs to get changed, she expressed her objections. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go. I don¡¯t know them well. Huo Shao, I want to go back to my own house.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng buttoned up the sps on his military uniform and replied calmly, ¡°You should go, anyway. General Ji knows that we¡¯re married.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed red once again. She red angrily at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°How many people know about that?!¡±

    ¡°General Ji is the only one in the military who knows about it, so I must take you to his ce to give New Year¡¯s greetings.¡± Huo Shaoheng buttoned the top sp, then put on his leather belt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one else knows. I asked General Ji, and he promised to keep it a secret.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a small sigh of relief but still asked suspiciously, ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me this time, right? I really don¡¯t want to be fooled like a monkey again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly. ¡°No, the only people who know about our marriage are General Ji and Secretary Cao, as well as Chen Lie and Zhou Qiyuan. Those four people aren¡¯t bbermouths.¡± Even Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t know about it.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Chen Lie isn¡¯t a bbermouth? I seem to know a fake Chen Lie.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure he remembers this time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very disturbed to hear such threatening words. She hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly pleaded Chen Lie¡¯s case. ¡°Brother Chen didn¡¯t do it on purpose. He¡¯s reliable most of the time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to be reliable most of the time.¡± Huo Shaoheng appeared very stern. ¡°He needs to be reliable all the time. Chen Lie clearly falls short.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Fine, she had tried her best. When she recalled how Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng had hidden this from her, Gu Nianzhi began to feel a bit aggrieved.

    Huo Shaoheng then turned around to urge her, saying, ¡°How long do you n to hide our marriage, anyway? How about we take advantage of giving New Year¡¯s greetings and bring some wedding favor candies over as well?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes internally. He thinks giving a few wedding favor candies during Lunar New Year meant they were married? Sorry, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t that cheap. She sat down and refused to leave. ¡°You can go by yourself if you want to bring wedding favor candies. I won¡¯t admit it, anyway.¡±

    ¡°I was only mentioning it. It¡¯s fine if you refuse.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her up. ¡°Hurry up and get changed. We¡¯re running out of time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi inhaled deeply and headed to her room. Luckily, she had brought over a few pieces of presentable clothing. Because it was the Lunar New Year, Gu Nianzhi changed into a bright red boat-neck cashmere sweater and put on a peacock blue seawater pearl pendant. The pearl pendant was the size of her pinky finger and was ttering against the contrast of the bright red cashmere sweater.

    Huo Shaoheng was still in his official military uniform and put on a wool military coat as he stepped out with Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    On the first day of the Lunar New Year, General Ji¡¯s residence in the military housingplex was filled with people and was extremely lively. Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng into the residence¡¯s small courtyard. Before they had even walked inside, they heard bursts ofughtering from inside the house.

    ¡°Shaoheng, what a coincidence. You are also here to give General Ji New Year¡¯s greetings,¡± Speaker Long¡¯s voice could be heard behind them.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng turned around together to see Speaker Long get out of the car with several people. Gu Nianzhi was familiar with one of them; it was Special Assistant Yang.

 Chapter 963 - Little Nurse

    <h4>963 Little Nurse</h4>

    Someone came over to greet them, so Gu Nianzhi certainly wouldn¡¯t be bickering with Huo Shaoheng. Her manners had never failed whenever they were out in public.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and shook hands with Speaker Long with a smile. ¡°Happy New Year, Speaker Long. I haven¡¯t seen you in a while, and you seem to look a few years younger. The busier you are, the more energetic you look!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha... Shaoheng has such a glib tongue! I actually do be more energetic the busier I get!¡± Speaker Long chuckled heartily, his eyes quickly darting towards Gu Nianzhi, who was standing next to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Miss Gu! It¡¯s so wonderful to see you. You¡¯re also here to give General Ji New Year¡¯s greetings?¡± Speaker Long turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and reached his hand out to her. ¡°I was just nning toe speak with you after the New Year. It¡¯s perfect that I ran into you here. Today is truly better than any other day, hahahaha!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit surprised by his ttery and quickly shook his hand. She smiled. ¡°This isn¡¯t a ce I¡¯m worthy ofing to in the first ce, but Huo Shao¡¯s right arm was injured, and Colonel Yin and Colonel Zhao are both away, so I decided to boldly volunteer and act as Huo Shao¡¯s little nurse!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to give such an exnation. He couldn¡¯t help looking at her, but he kept silent and didn¡¯t expose her lie.

    Speaker Long was very shocked and looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°How did your right arm be injured? Is it serious?¡±

    Because Huo Shaoheng hade to give New Year¡¯s greetings, his right arm wasn¡¯t in a cast, so it merely bowed slightly as he left it hanging at his side. If Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t mentioned it, then a typical person wouldn¡¯t have noticed that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm was injured.

    ¡°It¡¯s not serious. I was just identally shocked during the annual inspection.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke truthfully since it wasn¡¯t something he needed to hide.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good to hear.¡± Speaker Long patted his shoulder. ¡°Shaoheng, you still have to take care of yourself, even if you¡¯re young.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. Thank you, Speaker Long.¡± Huo Shaoheng answered politely and turned around to walk with Speaker Long towards the steps to the entrance of the courtyard in General Ji¡¯s home.

    Gu Nianzhi naturally fell a step behind, so she walked together with Special Assistant Yang who was behind Speaker Long. Special Assistant Yang kept his eyes forward, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t take the initiative to greet him, either.

    Speaker Long made some small talk with Huo Shaoheng, and when they walked up the steps, he recalled what he wanted to talk to Gu Nianzhi about. He turned around to ask her, ¡°Miss Gu, I heard that you graduated from your master¡¯s program early?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly. ¡°Please call me Nianzhi. Yes, I just graduated, and it can be considered early.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± Speaker Long beamed happily and even ignored Huo Shaoheng as he spoke from the heart. ¡°Oh Nianzhi, our senate¡¯s secretariat happens to be hiring. Come apply. I¡¯ll write a reference letter for you. I must be the first to stake the im on a good seed like you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea Speaker Long would think so highly of her. ¡°Oh? This is for real?!¡±

    ¡°Of course, why would I joke with a young girl like you?¡± Speaker Long shook her hand without letting go. ¡°Right, Qingying. Do you know Xie Qingying? I heard she¡¯s your rtive?¡±

    ¡°Cousin Xie? I know her.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve even had a meal together.¡±

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi helped Xie Qingying refute the suspicion of having ¡°Japanese ancestry¡± in court, the father and daughter pair, Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying, were extremely kind to Gu Nianzhi. What¡¯s more, they were rtives to begin with. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, was the brother of Xie Qingying¡¯s mother and Xie Qingying¡¯s mother, Gu Tian.

    Speaker Long quickly replied, ¡°Qingying¡¯s mother is my cousin. From the looks of it, we¡¯re also considered rtives, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew about this as well, but she hadn¡¯t wanted to take advantage of Speaker Long¡¯s connections in the first ce. But now that Speaker Long was the one to offer it, she followed his idea andughed. ¡°Oh yeah, then I¡¯ll really be seeking higher connections. Since I have Speaker Long¡¯s support from now on, does that mean I need to walk sideways?¡±

    ¡°Are you born in the year of the crab?¡± Speaker Long smiled politely, thinking that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were especially interesting.

    ¡°No, of course there isn¡¯t anyone born the year of the crab.¡± Gu Nianzhi smoothly supported Speaker Long¡¯s arm and walked up the steps with him.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re not born in the year of the crab, then why would you walk sideways?¡± Speaker Long chuckled out loud and walked with Gu Nianzhi to the foyer of General Ji¡¯s home.

    Huo Shaoheng ended up trailing behind them. However, he didn¡¯t reveal an unhappy expression. On the contrary, Huo Shaoheng had a shared sense of pride and honor from Speaker Long¡¯s appreciation of Gu Nianzhi.

    Special Assistant Yang also fell behind them, so he was now walking with Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Miss Gu truly has good fortune. She used to enjoy Huo Shao¡¯s protection, and now she has Speaker Long¡¯s support. Someone like that started on the finish line of others.¡± Special Assistant Yang sighed emotionally, his eyes quickly flitting towards Huo Shaoheng. However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply and merely smiled faintly as he walked into the foyer.

    As soon as he entered General Ji¡¯s home, he saw General Ji sitting in the living room and chatting with the people who had arrived earlier. Everyone was in a very good mood and bursts ofughter could be heard intermittently from that direction.

    After Speaker Long arrived, he was immediately brought before General Ji. Everyone stood up to shake hands with Speaker Long. General Ji greeted Speaker Long, then quickly saw Gu Nianzhi standing beside him. He asked with surprise, ¡°Nianzhi? You came with Speaker Long? Where¡¯s Shaoheng?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed faintly, but she still managed to answer gracefully, ¡°Huo Shao came, too.¡± She turned around to look at the foyer. ¡°You see, isn¡¯t heing over right now?¡±

    Speaker Long smiled at General Ji and said, ¡°I already knew that Shaoheng is your favorite general, but must you be so partial with your treatment? Old Long is standing right here in front of you, and you didn¡¯t even look at me at all!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, as if! Can¡¯t you see that I was too shocked from seeing you walk in with Nianzhi!¡± As General Ji spoke, he waved at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Oh Nianzhi, why did youe here with Speaker Long?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I came with Huo Shao and ran into Speaker Long at the door, so we ended up walking in together.¡± She knew that all the top Hua Xia Imperial military elites were sitting there, but she wasn¡¯t familiar with them. These people were being polite to her for the sake of respecting Huo Shaoheng.

    When Huo Shaoheng came over as well, she keenly backed away. As expected, General Ji and Speaker Long began speaking with Huo Shaoheng. Everyone sat down on the living room couches and began chatting about their ¡°important national affairs.¡±

    Alone, Gu Nianzhi walked to a small sitting area attached to the living room. The space wasn¡¯t too big and appeared to be around ten square meters. The bay window was covered with soft cushions, and pillows with panda patterns on them were propped up. Gu Nianzhi had a small panda cushion herself, so they seemed very familiar.

    Small groups of people were already seated on the long sofa or the single-seater couches. Everyone appeared to be subordinates of the military elites in the living room. Gu Nianzhi greeted them and naturally sat at the bay window to stare nkly at the winter scenery outside.

    Outside the window was the flower garden in General Ji¡¯s house. In the winter flower garden, there were two wintersweet nts weathering the cold and blooming magnificently.

    A middle-aged woman, who appeared to be a servant, walked over carrying a tea tray. She smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, this is crystal wintersweet cake and pork floss egg rolls. Please have a taste. Do you want to have tea or coffee?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi considered it. ¡°What kind of coffee do you have?¡±

    ¡°We havettes, cappinos, and ck coffees as well as milk teas.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll have a milk tea, then.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought it should taste very delicious paired with crystal wintersweet cake.

    The milk tea was soon brought over, and Gu Nianzhi crossed her legs as she sat at the bay window. Two tes of cakes were ced on the tea tray before her along with a steaming hot cup of milk tea. Gu Nianzhi cradled the milk tea in her palms, taking a deep breath to smell the special aroma of milk tea. She appeared very intoxicated.

    Although Huo Shaoheng sat far away in the living room, at least half his attention was focused on Gu Nianzhi. Seeing her happily sitting cross-legged at the bay window in the small sitting room with cakes in front of her and a milk tea in her hand, he finally felt reassured. His gaze returned to General Ji and Speaker Long as he intently listened to them speak.

    The military elites were taking advantage of giving New Year¡¯s greetings to hold a meeting. General Ji¡¯s entire living room was under the strict surveince of martialw. Special Assistant Yang wasn¡¯t qualified to participate in such ad hoc meetings either, so he was also led by the servant into the sitting room where the military elite¡¯s subordinates were seated. The servant smiled. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, please have a seat. I¡¯ll bring some cakes over for you.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang waved her off. ¡°No thanks. Please just give me a cup of coffee. Atte, no sugar.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡±

    After the servant left, Special Assistant Yang walked to Gu Nianzhi and bowed slightly. ¡°Miss Gu, we meet again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, we certainly met again outside just now.¡± At the time, Special Assistant Yang had pretended she didn¡¯t exist, and it was only when Speaker Long purposely started talking to her that she noticed this Special Assistant Yang¡¯s stare.

    ¡°Haha, Miss Gu is very humorous.¡± Special Assistant Yang sat across from her and nodded with a smile. ¡°Miss Gu is truly very lucky to have been guided by a professor in school to graduate early. As soon as you graduated, a job appeared at your door. Looks like being with Major General has given you many resources. What a good way of taking advantage of the shade under arge tree, hahaha...¡±

 Chapter 964 - Who Gave You the Courage

    <h4>964 Who Gave You the Courage</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows moved slightly, but her facial expression remained unchanged. She had sensed that Special Assistant Yang disliked her long before, so she wasn¡¯t very angry that he said harsh words to provoke her. Although she wasn¡¯t angry, she wouldn¡¯t take this insult lying down. It was one thing to take a loss in front of Huo Shaoheng, but who did this Special Assistant Yang think he was? He dared to seek trouble from her?

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. Lowering her head to take a sip of the sweet fragrant milk tea, she replied calmly, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, you¡¯re also Speaker Long¡¯s capable special assistant. How can you speak so illogically? Which university did you graduate from? The quality of teaching is worrisome, indeed...¡±

    Special Assistant Yang was more proud of his education than anything else. He relied on his own abilities to be admitted into the B University Faculty of Law, then slowly climbed his way up to the head position of the Senate Secretariat. He wasn¡¯t ipetent at all. Somehow he was being used of ¡°speaking illogically¡± by a mere pretty-faced girl he looked down on?!

    ¡°Haha, I already told you that I¡¯m a fellow alumni of the B University Faculty of Law. Looks like your memory isn¡¯t that great, either. If I¡¯m illogical, then I¡¯m afraid that Miss Gu doesn¡¯t even know how to spell the word ¡®illogical.¡¯¡± Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t mince his words with Gu Nianzhi. Since she wasn¡¯t epting his respect, she didn¡¯t deserve any of it, either.

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. Cocking her head slightly, shezily nced at Special Assistant Yang and said, ¡°Fellow B University alumni? Hehe, all sorts of birds appear when the forest grows too big. It¡¯s not unusual for the B University Faculty of Law to have alumni like Special Assistant Yang.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Special Assistant Yang¡¯s face fell. ¡°It¡¯s not honorable to speak with hidden malice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi brought a piece of crystal wintersweet cake to her lips and swallowed it slowly before finally shaking her head. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, I could say the same about you. Could you not be the person to speak with hidden malice in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°I was speaking the truth, so that¡¯s considered hidden malice?¡± Special Assistant Yangughed and felt even more disdain towards Gu Nianzhi. He hadn¡¯t spoken any more harshly than normal, so what on earth did Speaker Long see in her? Could it be because of Xie Qingying?

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled briefly. ¡°You¡¯re speaking the truth? You were clearly being illogical, and you still dare to im that you were speaking the truth?¡±

    She noticed that Special Assistant Yang was about to exin himself again, so she didn¡¯t give him a chance to speak at all. Getting up from the bay window seat, she stood before Special Assistant Yang and said haughtily to him, ¡°Listen to what you said just now. I was indeed guided and protected by a professor in order to graduate early. As for how I have a job lined up outside my door as soon as I graduated, you didn¡¯t say it, but we all know that Speaker Long was the one to mention that job position today. The two parties in question are Professor He at B University and Speaker Long of the Senate. Do you know what kind of person Professor He is? What¡¯s more, you should know what kind of person Speaker Long is. Are these two people who could be directed by Major General Huo?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang almost bit his own tongue as he quickly replied, ¡°Of course not! What kind of person is Speaker Long!? Benign and open-hearted! His character is the best possible! How could he listen to directions from someone else!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gu Nianzhi sped her hands together. ¡°So Speaker Long appreciating me and inviting me to join his secretariat has nothing to do with Major General Huo. How could you say that Major General Huo gave me resources? Hmm?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s expression turned very ugly. The small sitting area wasn¡¯t very big, so the people sitting there all heard what they said. They looked over curiously.

    ¡°And Professor He? Do you even know what kind of person Professor He is? I¡¯ll assume you don¡¯t know since you¡¯re not saying anything. Not only is Professor He a specially appointed professor at B University¡¯s Faculty of Law, but he is also a tenured professor at Harvard Law School. He¡¯s also a partner of thergestw firm in the United States. May I ask how a person like that could be directed by Major General Huo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi picked up a napkin to wipe her hands, then raised her voice even louder. ¡°Professor He and Speaker Long¡ªare these two people who need to act in ordance with the whims of others? If that¡¯s not the case, how could you say that I am enjoying the shade from the big tree? Who gave you the courage? Liang Jingru*?¡±

    The people in the sitting area couldn¡¯t help but copse fromughing so hard, and some people even spat out the coffee in their mouths. The servants waiting at the entrance of the sitting room quickly ordered people toe over for a cleanup.

    There was a ratherrgemotion there, so all the military elite holding a meeting in the living room looked over. At first nce, Huo Shaoheng could see Gu Nianzhi standing in front of Special Assistant Yang. Although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back was to them, Special Assistant Yang was facing them.

    From Special Assistant Yang¡¯s shocked and humiliated expression, Huo Shaoheng knew that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t suffered any losses, so Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything before taking out cigarettes and offering a round to everyone.

    Because they needed to smoke, the door between the living room and the small sitting area was closed. The military elite smoked away in the spacious living room and also took the opportunity to continue their ad hoc meeting.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the door to the living room was closed, so she didn¡¯t need to worry about being overheard by the people in the living room anymore. She replied with even more energy, ¡°So Special Assistant Yang, tell me if you were being illogical? Also, is it because of your inferior skills that you needed to use backdoor connections to enter the senate secretariat and thus, figure other people are like that? But while you enjoy using backdoor connections, that doesn¡¯t mean others would do the same. Professor He decides when I can graduate. Speaker Long decides whether or not I can join the senate secretariat. It¡¯s not something you need to worry about.¡± Gu Nianzhi finished saying this and left the bay window. She found a seat by the door and calmly took out her phone to begin ying a game.

    Special Assistant Yang was furious. But seeing all the people around them, he couldn¡¯t actually start an argument with Gu Nianzhi. After watching her with a dark expression for some time, he didn¡¯t follow her. He also took out his phone to check if he had any important emails. He hadn¡¯t looked at it for very long before receiving a text from Cai Shengnan.

    Miss Cai: Special Assistant Yang, are you at General Ji¡¯s home?

    Special Assistant Yang immediately replied, ¡°Yes.¡± The two of them began chatting for a bit.

    Miss Cai: Who¡¯s there? It¡¯s too bad I didn¡¯t have a chance to go give New Year¡¯s greetings at General Ji¡¯s home. My uncle and aunt aren¡¯t going, so there¡¯s no way I could go. I¡¯m jealous of you!

    Special Assistant Yang: Miss Cai speaks too kindly. This is just like work to me, so Speaker Long giving New Year¡¯s greetings is also considered work.

    Miss Cai: Oh right, it¡¯s just work. Yes, I heard Major General Huo also went. Is that true? He¡¯s also there?

    Special Assistant Yang saw this and looked up to quickly dart his eyes towards Gu Nianzhi sitting at the door. He then sent Cai Shengnan a text.

    Special Assistant Yang: Huo Shao is here. He even brought Gu Nianzhi along, too.

    Cai Shengnan seemed to be in shock for some time after she read this message. She didn¡¯t reply to his text for several minutes.

    Special Assistant Yang curled the corners of lips into a smile. Both of these people were hispetition. Just as Special Assistant Yang thought that Cai Shengnan wouldn¡¯t be replying to him, she sent him another message.

    Miss Cai: Really? That¡¯s so interesting. I heard that they already broke up. Could the news be inurate?

    Special Assistant Yang: Miss Cai, your news was very urate. They certainly broke up already, and today Gu Nianzhi came with Major General Huo to General Ji¡¯s home to give New Year¡¯s greetings as his nurse. Major General Huo was injured.

    Cai Shengnan became even more worried, so she stopped sending text messages and directly gave Special Assistant Yang a call. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, what did you say? Major General Huo was injured? Where did he injure himself? Is it serious?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile. ¡°It looks like it was his arm. It shouldn¡¯t be too serious.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had buried her head in the game, so she didn¡¯t notice Special Assistant Yang¡¯s sly moves at all.

    ¡°If his injury isn¡¯t serious, why is Gu Nianzhi apanying him as his nurse? How could this person be like that? What is she thinking? Also, doesn¡¯t Major General Huo have his own personal secretaries? Why would she be apanying him?¡± Cai Shengnan expressed her confusion.

    Special Assistant Yang agreed wholeheartedly. He shook his head. ¡°Major General Huo¡¯s personal secretaries didn¡¯te today. Miss Cai, you think everyone relies on their abilities to make a living, like you? Also, she is just an orphan girl, and her father passed away early. She¡¯d be an idiot if she didn¡¯t cling onto Major General Huo¡¯s leg!¡±

    *Liang Jingru: Celebrity known for being very bold.

 Chapter 965 - Everyone Knows About I

    <h4>965 Everyone Knows About I</h4>

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they with Major General Huo?¡± Cai Shengnan was very shocked. ¡°It¡¯s Lunar New Year. What are they doing?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯m not within their system, so that information is very difficult to glean.¡±

    The Special Operations Forces was like a solid b of iron. Needles couldn¡¯t pierce through, and water couldn¡¯t spill inside. Special Assistant Yang had previously offered the idea of installing senate personnel in the Special Operations Forces, butter on Huo Shaoheng made a sweeping cleanse. Not a single one of their personnel was spared. They were all sent to the military court. After that, they didn¡¯t dare to install personnel in the Special Operations Forces again.

    Cai Shengnan felt very ufortable listening to Special Assistant Yang¡¯s words. She snickered and replied dryly, ¡°Looks like people really shouldn¡¯t be too thin-skinned. Those with thin-skin are always so timid in whatever they do. My cousin was born to be a match with Major General Huo, but she¡¯s not as thick-skinned as certain people who are shameless enough totch onto other people¡¯s sides. Can¡¯t they even look at their own fortune and check if it¡¯s worthy of a family like the Huos?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang was shocked for two seconds when he heard this unsuppressed jealousy. He quickly changed his tune and smiled like an elder. ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Gu Nianzhi is actually fairly wealthy. Her family estate is an astronomical amount. I attended two hearings in her inheritance dispute, and while my opinion was insignificant, Speaker Long kept gushingpliments and said I must win her over. He ns to rmend her to our special office of the senate secretariat...¡±

    Cai Shengnan was silent for a while. However, her breathing could be heard clearly, so it was obvious she was feeling very emotional. Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t speak, either. He waited quietly for a while before hearing Cai Shengnan say, ¡°Inheritance? That should actually be her older sister Gu Yanran¡¯s fortune, right? Didn¡¯t she take advantage of Major General Huo¡¯s power and forcibly fight awsuit to divide the family fortune with their biological daughter? Also, she can¡¯t protect her family fortune if she only has money but no power. She has no parents or family. If it were me, I would also clutch tightly to a big tree like Major General Huo. That¡¯smon sense.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not right. The Gu family fortune actually belongs to Gu Nianzhi, and Gu Yanran isn¡¯t even Gu¡¯s biological daughter in the first ce. This was already made very clear.¡± Special Assistant Yang exined in detail to Cai Shengnan.

    Because it had been a closed trial, the media didn¡¯t report on it. Only the top-ranking military elite and relevant friends and family attended the entire trial. After thewsuit was over, Gu Yanran had been imprisoned due to suspicions of ¡°murdering for money.¡± Her subordinates all scattered when she fell and ran off without a trace a long time ago. Because of this, Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t know many details about thewsuit at all.

    Actually, Cai Shengnan felt the same way as Special Assistant Yang. They believed that Gu Nianzhi only won the estate dispute by relying on He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng, not because of her own abilities.

    Now that she heard Special Assistant Yang¡¯s confirmation that Gu Nianzhi was actually the heiress of the massive Gu estate, Cai Shengnan raised a brow and said, ¡°Actually, her inheritance doesn¡¯t mean much, either. Inheritances set up abroad like that are all controlled by trust funds. At most, Gu Nianzhi can receive a monthly fixed share of the estate¡¯s ie from the trust fund. There is no way she is eligible or able to control the entire estate.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that I¡¯m not sure about. Miss Cai has worked as awyer in the United States, so you must be more knowledgeable in that regard.¡± Special Assistant Yang appeared particrly modest, and this ttered Cai Shengnan greatly.

    Cai Shengnan also took the opportunity to tell him about how foreign trust funds worked, and they finally ended the conversation happily. Setting down the phone, Cai Shengnan walked around the room several times. Although she didn¡¯t approve of Gu Nianzhi shamelessly following Huo Shaoheng around, she was even more worried about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s physical health. But because it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, she had no way of going to a Hua Xia doctor to ask about how to recuperate in this situation.

    Afterwards, she recalled that the United States didn¡¯t celebrate the Lunar New Year, so she quickly called an American doctor she was close with. The doctor heard that it had only been an electric shock, so he wasn¡¯t too worried about it. Heughed and asked her not to worry. He said it was only skin trauma and would not damage any muscles or bones. Cai Shengnan patted her own face to discover she had been so nervous that her face had grown stiff.

    On the first day of the Lunar New Year, she spent the holiday at Prime Minister Tan¡¯s office of the Prime Minister. Her aunt, Cai Songyin, took her daughter, Tan Guiren, around to greet the guests who hade to give New Year¡¯s greetings. Of course, these were all cab officials and their families.

    Aside from Prime Minister Tan, the highest ranked person toe was probably the Minister of Interior Affairs, Bai Jiancheng. He also brought his daughter, Bai Yueran, with him. Tan Guiren was currently the chief violinist of the Army Cultural Regiment and was also considered enlisted. She belonged in the same system as Bai Yueran. Naturally, she was the one to greet Bai Yueran.

    ¡°Director Bai, please try this. It¡¯s authentic cantaloupe from the northwest and was just air delivered yesterday.¡± Tan Guiren enthusiastically ced a crystal tter in front of Bai Yueran. It wasden with eight slices of cantaloupe.

    Bai Yueran picked up a toothpick to spear a piece of cantaloupe and ced it in her mouth. The sweet, fragrant juice instantly awoke all her taste buds. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty good to have fresh cantaloupe on the first day of the Lunar New Year. And it¡¯s even better that it¡¯s from the northwest, too.¡± Bai Yueran squinted as she ate happily.

    Tan Guiren sat beside her, and they had cantaloupe together. They spoke quietly and the atmosphere was very harmonious. Cai Shengnan walked over and sat next to Tan Guiren. She sat across from Bai Yueran and also reached out to eat a slice of cantaloupe while asking Bai Yueran, ¡°Director Bai, I just heard from someone that Major General Huo went to General Ji¡¯s home to give New Year¡¯s greetings. But for some reason, his personal secretaries didn¡¯t go with him.¡±

    Bai Yueranughed. ¡°That¡¯s our system¡¯s internal affair.¡± She then asked, ¡°Why is Miss Cai asking about this?¡±

    Cai Shengnanughed heartily and answered with grace, ¡°I¡¯m worried about Major General Huo. I heard that his right arm was injured. His day-to-day living must be very inconvenient.¡±

    Bai Yueran was also very shocked. ¡°Major General Huo injured his right arm? When was this? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had injured himself whenpleting the system¡¯s annual inspection thest day of the Lunar New Year, so of course Bai Yueran wasn¡¯t aware. Cai Shengnan had learned about this when she was on the phone with Special Assistant Yang just now. However, she would not reveal her source of information and merely answered vaguely, ¡°I heard about it from a friend. My friend happens to be at General Ji¡¯s home giving New Year¡¯s greetings.¡± The fact that her friend was able to go to General Ji¡¯s home to give New Year¡¯s greetings meant he was not a regr person.

    Bai Yueran nced at her but kept silent. However, Tan Guiren couldn¡¯t sit still when she heard this. Ever since she was asked by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning, to be a couple with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, she had been humiliated and angry for a very long time. She already made up her mind to not contact Huo Shaoheng again.

    Song Jinning was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, and if she disliked Tan Guiren so obviously, Tan Guiren didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to be stuck in between her and his mother. Because of this, she took the initiative to distance herself from Huo Shaoheng. In the past two weeks, she automatically blocked out all news about Huo Shaoheng despite working in the Military Cultural Regiment.

    The Military Cultural Regiment was the gossip hub, so she could glean all sorts of news every day. This was especially the case for someone like Huo Shaoheng. He was a young yet high-ranked, incredibly handsome, bachelor senior general. He was the daily conversational topic for everyone. Although Tan Guiren had endured it painfully in such an environment, she kept enduring nevertheless.

    It wasn¡¯t until the moment she heard about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s injury that she felt the emotions she had painfully suppressed for two weeks burst through like a dam in the springtime, pouring out fiercely. Tan Guiren endured continuously until she finally couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Cousin, why isn¡¯t Major General Huo recuperating if he¡¯s injured? If his personal secretaries aren¡¯t with him, who is taking care of him?¡±

    Cai Shengnan was precisely waiting for her to ask this. She snickered quietly. ¡°Who else could it be? It¡¯s the almighty Gu Nianzhi, of course! She¡¯s now following Major General Huo around as his little nurse. Cousin, it¡¯s not like I want to gossip about you. But you only lost to Gu Nianzhi when ites to the face.¡±

    ¡°Miss Cai, please be careful with your words.¡± Bai Yueran frowned when she heard Cai Shengnan speaking about Gu Nianzhi that way. She felt very displeased. In her heart, she considered Gu Nianzhi as under the scope of the Special Operations Forces. She was a young girl who grew up in their Special Operations Forces, so Bai Yueran couldn¡¯t stand other people talking about her like that. Moreover, Bai Yueran did happen to know quite a bit about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rtionship. It wasn¡¯t like what Cai Shengnan said at all.

    Cai Shengnan needed to elicit the feeling of amon enemy in Tan Guiren¡¯s heart, so she replied scathingly, ¡°Could I be wrong? That Gu Nianzhi clearly broke up with Major General Huo already, yet she¡¯s following him around shamelessly as a little nurse. Major General Huo¡¯s injury isn¡¯t actually too serious, and Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t even have the qualifications of a nurse. As for why Gu Nianzhi is doing this, isn¡¯t it an obvious trick that everyone knows about?¡±

    Cai Shengnan ced a ss of milk tea before Tan Guiren and concluded, ¡°All in all, this woman is too utilitarian. Since she¡¯s so cunning, and cousin is so naive, you¡¯re not even her opponent.¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± Bai Yueran couldn¡¯t stand listening anymore. She quickly stood up and ced both hands in her trouser pockets as she spoke grimly, ¡°Miss Cai is truly an internationally renownedwyer. Your ability to set fire in three nests and four bridges is to be reckoned with.¡±

 Chapter 966 - Lay Things Ou

    <h4>966 Lay Things Ou</h4>

    Cai Shengnan stiffened for a second. ¡°Director Bai, I was merely speaking the truth.¡±

    Tan Guiren quickly smoothed things over. ¡°Director Bai, please don¡¯t be angry. My cousin is straightforward but doesn¡¯t think maliciously. She¡¯s lived abroad for many years and is ustomed to speaking frankly.¡±

    ¡°Miss Tan, ¡®speaking frankly¡¯ has never been this insulting before. If she spoke about Gu Nianzhi like this, yet Miss Tan still believes she was only speaking frankly, then I either have to doubt Miss Tan¡¯s intelligence or doubt Miss Tan¡¯s character. Please decide which one it¡¯ll be. Goodbye.¡±

    Bai Yueran felt that speaking with unlike-minded people was a waste of breath, so she didn¡¯t want to stay there any longer. Also, her father, Bai Jiancheng, had lost the election, so Bai Yueran disliked the Tans to begin with. Coming to their home to give New Year¡¯s greetings was merely out of traditional courtesy. She found her father, Bai Jiancheng, and said quietly, ¡°Dad, let¡¯s go now.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng actually didn¡¯t have much to say to Tan Dongbang, either. The two men held different beliefs in the first ce, so they nearly burned all bridges with each other during the election campaign.

    However, Tan Dongbang required Bai Jiancheng¡¯s power over the cab to help him during the initial transition period. Bai Jiancheng also needed to strengthen his connections within the cab before he stepped down from office, so the men coborated.

    Visiting the Prime Minister¡¯s residence to give New Year¡¯s greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year was merely a norm for the cab officials. It was just like work that must bepleted.

    Seeing Bai Yueran¡¯s unhappy expression, Bai Jiancheng assumed someone present must have offended her. He discreetly said to her, ¡°You go outside first. I¡¯ll sit here for a while more. Don¡¯t reveal all your feelings on your face. How old are you, anyway? You¡¯re still like a child.¡±

    Bai Yueran immediately arranged her face into a professional smile. ¡°Ok, Father.¡±

    She cheerfully walked over to Cai Songyin and said goodbye. ¡°Mrs. Cai, thank you for the cantaloupe today. It was especially delicious. Miss Tan is goodnatured and gets along very well with everyone else at the Military Cultural Regiment. Since you have so many guests here, I won¡¯t be bothering you anymore. I still need to go to several ces to give New Year¡¯s greetings, so I have to leave now.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s face was beaming with happiness as she pulled her back. ¡°Director Bai can¡¯t stay for a bit longer? We haven¡¯t even had lunch yet!¡±

    ¡°No thanks, I still have a lot of work to deal with and am quite busy. My father is still here. Please tolerate him and don¡¯t allow him to drink too much. He¡¯s always a bad drunk when he has too much.¡±

    Bai Yueran shook hands with Cai Songyin before turning to leave. Walking out of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence, Bai Yueran got in her own car and drove around the city before finally deciding to go find Bai Shuang.

    It was New Year¡¯s Eve yesterday, thest day of the Lunar New Year. The entire Bai family had gathered together to enjoy a lively New Year¡¯s Eve dinner. The Bai¡¯s were a huge family in the Hua Xia Empire. Aside from Bai Jiancheng¡¯s main branch consisting of three brothers and one younger sister who were direct descendants, there were also many minor branches and cousins. They were distributed in various political andmercial departments and industries through intertwined marriages, and they were all leaders.

    Every Lunar New Year, at the Bais¡¯ siheyuan* home on the Second Ring Road at the foot of the Imperial Pce was decorated with colorful lights and decorations. It was extremely lively and brimming with Lunar New Year festivity. Everyone left only after they ushered in the New Year.

    Even the Bai family members whose family or business was not in the Imperial Capital had their own residences in the Imperial Capital. There was no need to squeeze in with the main branch of the Bais in one home.

    Bai Shuang was the only daughter in the second branch of the Bai family. The second son of the Bais, Bai Yusheng, had fled to the United States due to treason and had already been secretly executed. Bai Shuang had stayed by herself abroad for a while, then returned.

    Bai Jiancheng was worried that she would have a hard time living alone, so he invited her toe live with them. It also made it easy for them to take care of her. Bai Shuang had always gotten along well with her older cousin, Bai Yueran, so she agreed instead on returning to her own home.

    However, because she discovered Zhao Liangze and Bai Yueran¡¯s romance a while back, she refused to continue staying at the Bai family¡¯s main branch siheyuan home. Whether it be within the Hua Xia Empire or abroad, she had plenty of ces to live. Aside from a luxury apartment on the Third Ring Road and a single-family vi in the suburbs, she also had vacation homes scattered all throughout the Hua Xia Empire and various scenic cities around the world. She could easily choose one and stay there for a long time.

    Bai Shuang had originally nned to pack her suitcase tomorrow and rx abroad. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone else was busy visiting rtives and giving New Year¡¯s greetings. Bai Shuang was the only one feeling bored and staying home alone in her own small apartment.

    Holding a cup of coffee, she sat on a rocking chair on the ss balcony as she quietly stared off into the distant horizon. A book was syed across her knees, but she didn¡¯t register a single word from it at all.

    Soon after, her phone¡¯s ringtone broke the peace and quiet. Bai Shuang didn¡¯t want to pick up the call in the beginning, but the phone kept ringing like it didn¡¯t want to give up. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit curious. Who could be relentlessly looking for her when she was just someone whose life had already hit rock bottom?

    Grabbing her phone to take a nce, her heart thumped to see it was actually Zhao Liangze¡¯s number. She hesitated for a full minute before finally ending the call. Since he had already chosen to be with her cousin, he shouldn¡¯te looking for her again. They couldn¡¯t even be normal friends. Bai Shuang was unable to be normal friends with someone she had a crush on, so she chose to avoid any contact at all.

    He seemed to not believe that she would hang up on him, so he tried calling several times again. However, Bai Shuang ended all the calls. Finally, Zhao Liangze seemed to understand that Bai Shuang actually didn¡¯t want to take his call, so he could only send a text.

    Little Ze: Happy New Year, Shuang. Why aren¡¯t you taking my calls? I only wanted to ask how you¡¯re doing.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s temper rose when she read this. Ask what!? She wasn¡¯t the kind of person to ¡°stay friends after a breakup.¡± Moreover, she hadn¡¯t even qualified to break up with him before she was kicked out of the game.

    Bai Shuang didn¡¯t say anything else before blocking Zhao Liangze¡¯s number. There were no more ringtones or text message alerts ying, so her world finally became quiet...

    Downing all the coffee in her cup, Bai Shuang got up and decided to go to the kitchen and make a few wontons for herself. Suddenly, her phone rang again. Bai Shuang thought it was Zhao Liangze again, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel shocked. How could this person be so impressive? He could call her even after getting blocked?!

    But when she grabbed her phone to take a look, she saw it wasn¡¯t Zhao Liangze but Bai Yueran. She could ignore Zhao Liangze and block him too, but that didn¡¯t work with Bai Yueran. No matter what, she was still her cousin.

    Bai Shuang felt quite ufortable, but she still wanted to see Bai Yueran for thest time and make things clear before she went abroad. Although she didn¡¯t hate them, she didn¡¯t want to see them at all. She felt miserable whenever she saw them together.

    Bai Shuang unlocked the phone to ept the call. ¡°Sister, Happy New Year.¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year.¡± Bai Yueran¡¯s voice sounded a bit listless. It was Lunar New Year and she just got a new boyfriend, so why was she depressed?

    Bai Shuang thought it was strange but didn¡¯t ask about it. Instead, she asked about her uncle, Bai Jiancheng. ¡°How is Uncle doing? Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. I¡¯ve already sent Uncle a text to wish him Happy New Year. He must be very busy today, so I won¡¯t go bother him.¡± She was worried that Bai Yueran was inviting her to spend New Year¡¯s at the Bai family¡¯s main branch home, so she blocked Bai Yueran in advance.

    Bai Yueranughed as she turned her car into the underground parking lot of Bai Shuang¡¯s apartment. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything today, so I came here to see you. Are you willing to let Sister in?¡±

    ¡°What is Sister saying? Of course I wee you. So you didn¡¯t go out to give New Year¡¯s greetings today?¡± Bai Shuang switched hands holding the phone and immediately went to the fridge to check if there was any food. She could scrape together enough for one person, but if Bai Yueran wasing, it would be embarrassing to scrape things together.

    Bai Yueran walked out of the car and got in the elevator. She continued speaking to her over the phone, ¡°I did go. I just left the Office of the Prime Minister. Those people are a waste of time. I really don¡¯t get along well with the Tan family.¡±

    Bai Shuang knew that her uncle had lost the prime minister¡¯s election to Tan Dongbang and also thought that it was quite a shame. In terms of ability or seniority, there was no question her uncle, Bai Jiancheng, could win easily against Tan Dongbang, who had only been in the cab for two years!

    Unfortunately, their Bai family was not as powerful as the Cais in the media world, so they were caught off guard during the election campaign. In the current times, it was true that ¡°winning the media meant winning the world...¡±

    The Bai family members were all in traditional political and business industries, and in terms of business, they were also in the traditional manufacturing industry. When it came to the two territories of the newly emerging inte and the new media derived from and relying on the inte, the Bais¡¯ power had fallen greatly behind.

    The Cais had silently taken up half the world when it came to new media. Also, they were the leaders of traditional media in the first ce. The Cais led state-owned television stations and the Publicity Department.

    In the past, Bai Shuang had worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs and was the youngest spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Bais originally wanted to leverage her qualifications in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once she withdrew from the Ministry of Foreign affairs, she could then break into the media and im a spot for the Bais.

    However, her father, Bai Yusheng, ended up backing himself into a corner andmitted a serious error. Not only did he dig his own grave, but he also buried Bai Shuang¡¯s career along with his own. She could only resign from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had be unemployed since then.

    When Bai Yueran came inside, Bai Shuang finally stopped reminiscing and asked with a smile, ¡°What do you want to drink? I don¡¯t have anything to cook with here. We can go out to eatter.¡±

    Bai Yueran raised a brow. ¡°You dare to live alone without anything to eat? Do you want to turn into a fairy?¡±

    Bai Shuangughed. Opening the fridge, she took out a box of iced coffee for Bai Yueran and set it down before her. ¡°I remember that you like this vani vored iced coffee.¡± Although it was winter, the apartment¡¯s central heating was set to hold at 25 degrees Celsius. It was still veryfortable to drink iced coffee.

    Bai Yueran epted it and opened the box to take a sip. She sighed. ¡°This New Year¡¯s has been so boring, I¡¯m actually looking forward to going back to work.¡±

    ¡°How could it be boring?¡± Bai Shuang sat across from her and looked at her frankly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just start dating Little Ze? Why aren¡¯t you going out with him?¡±

    *siheyuan: residential dwelling built around a courtyard

 Chapter 967 - Recognize Your True Feelings

    <h4>967 Recognize Your True Feelings</h4>

    Bai Yueran¡¯s hands shook for a second. She looked up at Bai Shuang in astonishment and was actually at a bit of a loss in that moment. She muttered, ¡°You... You... You know about it all?¡±

    Bai Shuang nodded. She looked down at the cow-shaped coffee cup in her hand and replied dryly, ¡°I saw you two kissing in the parking lot.¡±

    Bai Yueran closed her eyes and felt incredibly awkward. She had originally wanted to wait until the Lunar New Year was over before telling Bai Shuang everything. That way, Bai Shuang could have a good holiday. She never imagined that Bai Shuang actually noticed it a long time ago.

    So that was the reason why Bai Shuang had been so miserabletely? She had also insisted on moving out of their house. Bai Yueran sighed and nodded seriously. ¡°Yes, we are dating now.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s heart dropped. Although she already knew the answer, she was still incredibly disappointed. Although she had mentally prepared herself for a long time, she truly couldn¡¯t stand it when she heard iting from Bai Yueran¡¯s own mouth.

    Gripping her coffee cup tightly, she waited for a long time to calm herself down before saying, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why did you encourage me to pursue Little Ze?¡± She frowned at Bai Yueran. ¡°If you like him, and he likes you, what¡¯s the meaning behind doing such a thing?¡±

    Bai Yueran had always been firm and decisive, but she clearly wasn¡¯t as upright when it came to emotional matters. But who could speak clearly when it came to emotional matters? Who could recognize their true feelings immediately?

    Bai Yueran sighed deeply. Pursing her lips, she mustered the courage to say, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you. In the beginning, I really didn¡¯t think Little Ze actually suited what I thought I wanted in a boyfriend. I thought I only admired him, but it didn¡¯t mean I loved him.¡±

    Bai Shuang raised a brow. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And after I discovered that you loved Little Ze so much, I thought that I should let you give it a try.¡± Bai Yueran raised her hand. ¡°I swear that I never initiated anything with Little Ze at that time, nor did I give him any obvious or subtle hints.¡±

    Bai Shuang quietly looked at Bai Yueran, and although she repressed herself a lot, her eyes still turned red. She looked up at the small embedded LED lights in the living room ceiling that resembled stars and choked out the words, ¡°Can I believe you? Sister, you¡¯ve always been the person I admired the most ever since I was young. You were always the ¡®other people¡¯s daughters¡¯ that my parents talked about. You were my role model and the goal I strived to be!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Bai Yueran didn¡¯t feel very good about it, either. She sat next to Bai Shuang and hugged her. ¡°Shuang, Sister never thought about stealing your boyfriend. But you are not the one that Little Ze loves. Sister was moved by him and fell in love with him, too. If you want someone to me, you can me Sister for going back on my word.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s body was stiff the entire time. She refused to move closer to Bai Yueran, twisting her head away, stiffening her neck, and allowing her tears to stream down. She cried with reluctance and sorrow.

    Although Bai Yueran could understand Bai Shuang¡¯s feelings very well, she also felt terrible. She truly owed a lot to this younger sister. When her Uncle Bai Yusheng, who was also Bai Shuang¡¯s father, betrayed the country and fled, Bai Yueran never regretted reporting him. Although Bai Yusheng was Bai Yueran¡¯s rtive, anyone would turn their back on someone who hadmitted treason as he did.

    However, it was still because of Bai Yueran¡¯s actions that Bai Shuang lost her father. And now it was also because of her that Bai Shuang also lost the object of her romantic interest. It could be said that both tragedies rted to her family and love life had been due to Bai Yueran. Bai Yueran felt even more guilty.

    ¡°How can you be like that?! I liked him for so long! I know that he does have some feelings for me! If you¡¯re going to refuse him, then you should do it decisively! Sister, I feel so horrible! I¡¯m so sad! Why did you still have toe see me?! I really don¡¯t want to see you ever again...¡± Bai Shuang held it in for a long time and then finally sobbed loudly in Bai Yueran¡¯s arms. She seemed to want to release all the pain and unwillingness through her tears.

    Bai Yueran didn¡¯t make a sound as sheforted and embraced Bai Shuang, allowing her to beat her, resist her, or even scream at her...

    Bai Shuang vented everything out for some time and finally felt a bit better. ncing at Bai Yueran, she saw that her expensive high-necked hooded cashmere sweater waspletely ruined by her tears and snot. ¡°I¡¯ll go get you something to change into.¡± Bai Shuang got up from the sofa and dashed quickly into the bedroom.

    Bai Yueran smiled wryly when she looked at herself. She knew her cashmere sweater was done for. After she had waited in the living room for a while, Bai Shuang emerged carrying a teal cashmere cardigan. ¡°Sister, put this on. It¡¯s your size, but it¡¯s a bit big for me.¡±

    Bai Yueran looked up at Bai Shuang and finally noticed she had lost a lot of weight recently. ¡°Shuang...¡± Bai Yueran epted the cashmere sweater from her. ¡°You¡¯ll meet someone better in the future, someone who only has feelings for you.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s expression was stony as she sneered with disdain. ¡°Save your chicken soup for the soul. I don¡¯t buy that.¡± Rubbing her eyes that were swollen from crying, Bai Shuang sat down on the couch and replied coolly, ¡°I will be traveling abroad tomorrow.¡±

    Bai Yueran stiffened. She held the cashmere sweater and sat across from her. ¡°Tomorrow? Why are you going away again?¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t go abroad, should I stay here and watch you two act affectionate all day? I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to stop myself from grabbing a knife and chopping you guys up!¡± Bai Shuang twisted her head away stubbornly. The anger in her heart refused to subside.

    Bai Yueran smiled wryly and shook her head. ¡°You probably don¡¯t need to do that. Little Ze isn¡¯t even in the Hua Xia Empire right now. How could we act affectionate in front of you?¡±

    Bai Shuang froze. ¡°He¡¯s not in the Hua Xia Empire? I was wondering why you weren¡¯t taking advantage of the Lunar New Year to go on a date, and why you had the spare time toe here and bug me.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s out on a mission, anyway.¡± Bai Yueranid on the sofa and rubbed her temple. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me where he went. I wouldn¡¯t tell you, even if I knew.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask.¡± Bai Shuang cleared away the coffee cups on the coffee table and recalled Zhao Liangze¡¯s call to her earlier. She decided to ask, ¡°Then you could have long chats over the phone or send texts and chat. Why would lovers be worried about running out of things to say?¡±

    Bai Yueran only shook her head. She also didn¡¯t know why Little Ze had been assigned to a tiny ind where even the birds didn¡¯t go toy eggs. It was doubtful there were even telephones there, so how could they have the opportunity to have long chats over the phone, send texts, or even chat online?!

    But these weren¡¯t things she could tell Bai Shuang, so she could only change the topic and say, ¡°After I said goodbye to Little Ze in the parking lot that day, we haven¡¯t seen each other again. I can¡¯t get through to his phone. I asked Big Xiong and finally found out that he went abroad.¡±

    ¡°Kissed goodbye, you two had kissed goodbye.¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s tone still carried a hint of bitterness and jealousy.

    Bai Yueran was also feeling very awkward, so she could only change the topic again. ¡°You are going abroad tomorrow. Did you book your flight yet? Where are you going?¡±

    Bai Shuang pointed to the suitcase in the room. ¡°First I¡¯ll go to Florida for a while, then I¡¯ll go to South America to see the Mayan ruins. I¡¯ve always wanted to go, and it was a shame I couldn¡¯t go when I lived in Central America for so long. This time, I want to go to all the ces I¡¯ve always wanted to see.¡±

    ¡°Ok, remember to send me postcards and also send me a message on WeChat when you arrive at each ce safely. Ok?¡± Bai Yueran didn¡¯t stop her again. She knew that Bai Shuang was in no mood to work, so it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to go rxing abroad. She didn¡¯tck money, anyway.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Bai Shuang nodded glumly. Now that both her parents were dead, and she was traveling abroad by herself, she really did want to keep in touch with Bai Yueran. Of course, it was now impossible to chat without any reservations like before. At the very least, Bai Shuang hadn¡¯tpletely forgiven Bai Yueran just yet.

    Bai Yueran knew that Bai Shuang still had a thorn in her heart, so it was impossible for her to wipe away all her bitterness at once. She could only allow time to fade away all the pain. Bai Yueran sat down for a while and helped Bai Shuang pack the things she needed to go abroad with before saying goodbye.

    Not long after she left, Bai Shuang heard her phone ring again. She used one hand to pick up her suitcase and the other to unlock her phone. As soon as she picked up, she discovered it was none other than Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice! He actually called her again from a different number!

    Bai Shuang was furious and raised the phone directly to her ear as she said angrily, ¡°Zhao Liangze! Don¡¯t take this too far! I already blocked you! Blocked you, get it?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s crisp voice could be heard through the phone. ¡°Shuang, why did you block me? I can¡¯t even wish you Happy New Year?¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t!¡± Bai Shuang rejected him immediately. ¡°Zhao Liangze, don¡¯t even dream of taking advantage of the two of us, or getting between me and my sister!¡±

    ¡°As if I would do something so lowly!¡± Zhao Liangze also became angry. ¡°Bai Shuang! I only called you to ask how you¡¯re doing and also apologize to you. What kind of attitude are you giving me!? Do you know how hard it is for me to make even one call!? Stop arguing with me!¡±

 Chapter 968 - The Person You Miss the Mos

    <h4>968 The Person You Miss the Mos</h4>

    ¡°Now what? Do you still expect me to take it all? To wish you guys all the best and be loving forever and ever?! Let me tell you, I am not able to do it!¡± Bai Shuang tilted her head and held the phone in between her ear and shoulder as she spoke, packing the things from her wardrobe as she quarreled with Zhao Liangze. ¡°Since you have feelings for my cousin and not me, it¡¯s fine. You have all the rights in the world to like anyone you want. I have no objections whatsoever. Anyway, we were only tonic friends all along. However, please do not call me ever again! Do not send me texts either, or use any other means to contact me!¡±

    Zhao Liangze was taken aback. ¡°Why? I thought we were still friends.¡±

    ¡°No. From the moment you made up your mind to choose my cousin, Bai Yueran, we could never be friends ever again. We will not even be tonic friends.¡± Bai Shuang rejected him firmly, her tone conveying nothing but determination.

    Zhao Liangze had not expected Bai Shuang to be so determined. Her gaze had once been just for him. The moment she saw him, her eyes would sparkle. It seemed like her entire being would shine.

    Seeing her like that, Zhao Liangze always ended up in a good mood.

    Perhaps, this was the exact reason why Zhao Liangze felt that, although he did not love Bai Shuang, he was still willing to be friends with her.

    However, when he remembered that it was because of him that her smile would not be as happy anymore, and her gaze would stop sparkling so brightly, Zhao Liangze felt an unexinable sadness and heartache.

    Now that he had finally gotten the person he loved, he should be overjoyed. However, Zhao Liangze knew that ever since he¡¯d kissed Bai Yueran that day and Bai Shuang had seen them, all he could think of was how Bai Shuang had looked when she cried...

    Thankfully, Huo Shaoheng had dispatched him to this secluded ind, putting him through half a month of hard work and wearing him out so much that he had no energy to brood over this personal problem.

    With almost twenty hours of high-intensitybor to do every single day, Zhao Liangze had be a muscr and tanned looking man aspared to the fair andnky person he¡¯d been when he had first arrived at the ind.

    He was still handsome, but he did not look demure like he once had anymore. He looked like a true blue soldier now.

    He doubled his efforts, finally managing toplete the construction of the first signal tower and reception base for mobile phones on the first day of lunar New Year. He had sessfully connected with the Nandou Satellite System. However, the power generation device was still unable to be set up yet. Instead, they were using a temporary diesel-fueled power generator.

    Other than providing power for the base¡¯s reception, mobile devices, and theputer for work, it had almost nothing left.

    Today, as it was the first day of the lunar new year, felt exceptional. Therefore, the navy sent enough resources that they were able to have more power from their temporary diesel-powered generator to contact their families and loved ones back in the Hua Xia Empire.

    Due to having a limited time for each person, everyone only called the person that mattered to them the most. Those who were married would call their wives and children. Those who were not would call their parents and lovers.

    As for Zhao Liangze, his first reaction was to call Bai Shuang.

    He had not expected Bai Shuang to refuse to answer his calls and block his number as well.

    Had he not had enough self-discipline, Zhao Liangze would have hacked into Bai Shuang¡¯s phone and removed his number from the list of blocked numbers.

    However, sadly, he did not dare to do it.

    After that, he borrowed someone else¡¯s phone to call her. Bai Shuang identally epted the call, making them able to talk for a little while.

    However, it was less of a conversation and more of a quarrel!

    Zhao Liangze tried to reason with Bai Shuang in the short amount of time he had. ¡°Bai Shuang, I have already apologized. Must you be this heartless?¡±

    Bai Shuang thought that Zhao Liangze was bothering her. She was already embarrassed enough. Why must he still want to continue embarrassing her?

    ¡°Fine, Zhao Liangze, I ept your apology, okay? Now, let us just walk our separate ways and never speak again in this lifetime. Please, I am begging you. Please let me go. Trust me, you would not be at a loss without me as a friend.¡±

    Bai Shuang was also feeling annoyed. She grabbed some clothes off her wardrobe and dumped them into her luggage before mming its doors shut.

    Zhao Liangze heard the sound of the wardrobe closing and felt that something was wrong. Therefore, he asked, ¡°What are you doing, Bai Shuang?¡±

    ¡°Packing my luggage. I will be heading overseas tomorrow. Do not call me anymore. I will not be using this number again.¡± Bai Shuang put her phone on speaker and threw it onto the bedside table.

    ¡°Going overseas? Where are you going?¡± Zhao Liangze did not know why he was so nervous. ¡°My number will not change. If you meet with any difficulties overseas, you can call me.¡±

    ¡°Call you? I don¡¯t even know where you are. Do you think I¡¯m free enough to call you? If it is something urgent or an emergency, wouldn¡¯t you be dragging me down?¡± Bai Shuang rejected Zhao Liangze¡¯s suggestion tantly.

    Zhao Liangze hesitated for a while, recalling what Huo Shaoheng had reminded him. Eventually, he gathered his courage and told Bai Shuang, ¡°Bai Shuang, do you know how horrible I felt when I saw you crying as you left that day? I ended up too much to drink because I felt so horrible. Then, in a moment of carelessness, I said some things that pissed Mr. Huo off. Then he... dispatched me to this secluded ind. I do not have electricity or water here. I have to wait for the navy to send everything over. I really do not have a lot of time to quarrel with you.¡±

    Bai Shuang was taken aback. Looking towards her phone, she asked suspiciously, ¡°What did you say? You talked back to Mr. Huo and were dispatched to this secluded ind just because you pissed him off? How could that be? I didn¡¯t think that Mr. Huo was like that.¡±

    Hearing Bai Shuang trust Huo Shaoheng with all her heart, Zhao Liangze could not exin what it was that he was feeling, but it felt something like jealousy. Pouting, he said, ¡°...But that¡¯s a fact. You can ask Big Xiong if you don¡¯t believe me. However, forget it. I am not looking for sympathy by telling you all this. I only want to rify that I did not mean to make you sad. I am really sorry.¡±

    Although Bai Shuang did not know what Zhao Liangze was doing exactly, she knew the nature of the organization he was in.

    Since Zhao Liangze had upset Huo Shaoheng, one could imagine the ce he¡¯d been dispatched to. An extremely backward and poor vige was very likely.

    Biting her lips, Bai Shuang stood up, took her phone, and said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Fine, I got it now. Do not feel guilty anymore. Work well. Do not waste precious time on me anymore. Call your parents, or call my cousin. It would be better than you calling me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze got a shock. He thought, ¡°Yeah, that is true. He should have called them first. Why had he called Bai Shuang first?¡±

    Not only had he called, but he also couldn¡¯t bear to put down the phone... Zhao Liangze was also taken aback by his own actions. His breathing hastened and he was at a loss for words for a while.

    After waiting for a while and hearing that Zhao Liangze was not talking anymore, Bai Shuang nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I will hang up now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly said, ¡°Happy New Year.¡±

    Bai Shuang hesitated for a while before replying, ¡°Same to you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze continued, ¡°Be extra careful when you are overseas alone. There are many perverts overseas.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s lips curled upwards a little. ¡°I am not a spoiled little girl who never goes out on her own, but thank you for the reminder.¡±

    After a while, Bai Shuang said quickly, ¡°...You take care too, be careful of your safety.¡± With that, she hung up.

    She pressed hard on her chest and realized that her heart was thumping furiously.

    No. She could not allow this to go on.

    Bai Shuang took the SIM card out of her phone and found a pair of high-heeled shoes. Using the sharp end of the high heels, she smashed the SIM card to pieces.

    Zhao Liangze looked at the phone nkly. It was only a simple sentence, almost superficial, but it had made his mood tons better.

    Just like the skies that had been gloomy for many days, all the dark clouds had suddenly dispersed. In their ce, there was a beautiful and warm sun, its rays brightening the fields below. Zhao Liangze felt energetic all over again. All of a sudden, even the gray pail that they used to collect rainwater looked pleasing to the eyes.

    ...

    On the first day of the lunar new year, in the house of General Ji, it was noon, almost time for lunch.

    General Ji wanted to give everyone a treat on this day every year. There were two long tables ced in the spacious dining hall in his living quarters.

    The seniors brought their wives and children to sit at one table, and their subordinates sat at another table. The food was portioned out.

    Gu Nianzhi had initially intended to sit at the table with the subordinates. However, Huo Shaoheng walked over and pulled her along. ¡°Nianzhi, General Ji wants to speak to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to follow Huo Shaoheng to the other table and take a seat beside him. General Ji took the seat on the other side of Gu Nianzhi. General Ji¡¯s wife sat beside him.

    On the other side of Huo Shaoheng was Senior Speaker Long.

    Senior Speaker Long had not brought his wife nor his children to General Ji¡¯s house for the new year. He¡¯de alone, only bringing Assistant Yang along with him.

    Therefore, at both tables, the rankings were not that clear.

    For Gu Nianzhi to be sitting on the table with the host and the seniors, other subordinates could not make anyments about it. No matter what, everyone was there for their superiors. They didn¡¯t mind this little ranking issue at the dining table.

    Moreover, this meal was a private event hosted solely by General Ji, not an official dinner. General Ji had personally said that he wanted to speak to Gu Nianzhi. Therefore, she got special treatment and was called over to that table. It was alright.

    If anyone was unhappy about it, they had to suck it up.

    However, only Assistant Yang felt that way. Although he was sitting at the subordinate¡¯s table, his gaze never left the host¡¯s table.

    General Ji smiled as he spoke to Gu Nianzhi, eventually getting to the main topic. ¡°Nianzhi, I heard that you havepleted your degree.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled. ¡°I just graduated. However, the graduation ceremony won¡¯t be held until July.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then have you thought about where you will be working after graduation?¡± General Ji looked at Gu Nianzhi enthusiastically and pointed at the taster¡¯s dish in front of her. It was ced in a dish with four columns, and there was a different dish in each column. ¡°Try my chef¡¯s signature dishes. On the top left-hand column are little crisps from heavens. Basically, it¡¯s stir-fried venison and chicken strips. On the top right-hand column will be glowing prawns. On the bottom-left column will be fresh stir-fried bean sprouts, and the bottom right-hand column is dessert. I have especially gotten my chef to make yogurt coated cherries. I heard that it¡¯s a dish with a long history. I hope you will like them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the tes in front of everyone.

    Everyone had a four columned tasting dish in front of them. There was a circr dish in the middle of the four columns containing a sauce.

    The four columned tasting dishes in front of each person were different. Most likely, they¡¯d been cooked ording to the person¡¯s preferences. Very clearly, everyone was enjoying their food. They all smiled contentedly.

    Of course, this could be a pretense as well, since the acting skills of the senior officers had been perfected ages ago. Gu Nianzhi felt like an amateur, as she was not as scheming as those senior officers, and her acting skills were not as good as theirs.

    She stopped looking and nodded her head towards General Ji with a smile. ¡°Thank you so much, General Ji. I really like these dishes a lot.¡± Gu Nianzhi took a bite of the glowing prawns before turning to General Ji. ¡°I have not thought about where I would like to work yet. I will wait until the new year celebrations are over.¡±

    She was still an official employee of thergestw firm in America. However, she did not intend to go to America. Therefore, she would most likely have to quit that job.

    Or, if thatw firm decided to open a branch office in Hua Xia Empire, she would consider staying in thatpany.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t thought about it yet? That is good, that is good!¡± General Ji tapped on the dining table happily. ¡°Come,e. It just so happens that our office requires a legal consultant. If you are willing, I will get Secretary Cao to...¡±

    ¡°What on earth do you think you are talking about, Old Ji?! You cannot headhunt my people anymore!¡± Senior Speaker Long had been controlling himself while listening in on their conversation. He had intended to speak to Gu Nianzhi after General Ji was done talking to her.

    However, he had not expected that before he could talk to her, General Ji would pop the question.

    Senior Speaker Long nudged Huo Shaoheng urgently. ¡°Please move for a while, Shaoheng. I need to speak to Nianzhi for a while.¡±

    Two of the three most powerful people in the Hua Xia Empire were keen to have Gu Nianzhi work for them. Of course, Huo Shaoheng was happy for her. However, he did not show it. He merely stood up politely and let Senior Speaker Long take his seat. ¡°Here you go, Senior Speaker Long.¡±

    Senior Speaker Long took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s seat without ceremony so that he and General Ji were sitting on both sides of Gu Nianzhi.

    Due to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and muscr build, the moment he stood up, he attracted attention. The subordinates noticed the movement at the host table immediately.

    One of the seniors in the army nudged Assistant Yang and smiled. ¡°Look. Your Senior Speaker Long really has a good impression of Miss Gu.¡±

    Assistant Yang returned the smile and said, ¡°Our Mr. Long loves people who are good at what they do. He loves recruiting them. Not only Miss Gu, Miss Cai as well. She is also one of the candidates that Mr. Long is seriously considering.¡±

    ¡°...Understood. Hahaha,e on, let¡¯s have some drinks.¡± The subordinateughed and touched sses with Assistant Yang.

    At the host table, Senior Speaker Long had already told Gu Nianzhi everything.

    ¡°Nianzhi, to be honest, you are a professional when ites tow. It would be a waste of your talent if you were to go into the army. How would they have a good position for awyer? Look at Colonel Bai. She is also an extremely capable person. However, she talks to the administration staff more than anyone else daily and is unable to unt her specialty. You are so made for the courts, you should really consider our office instead.¡±

    General Ji almost wanted to roll his sleeves up and fight Senior Speaker Long upon hearing that.

    ¡°That is enough, Old Long! How is our legal department not good?! It is not like she will be unable to go to trial! Let me tell you, Nianzhi, it is okay that you like going to court. Our department needs a genius like you. Let me tell you, we have countless cases to be brought to court, international courts! However, we do not have enough manpower. That is the reason why we have to dy those cases for years. I have been so stressed out because of those!¡±

    The moment Gu Nianzhi heard that she would be able to defend her client in an international court, she became interested.

    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think I saw any media reports on those cases.¡±

    ¡°How would those cases be reported? They are all highly confidential.¡± Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was beginning to show interest, General Ji smiled widely and kindly, like he was a kind grandfather to Gu Nianzhi.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled up slightly. He silently took a bite of his grilled beef kidneys.

    Senior Speaker Long was agitated. He held onto Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and tried his best to convince her. ¡°Nianzhi, we are all people who studiedw. We have to n our careers on a long term basis. Although going to court is important, the most important thing should be considering how the cases we take could help our career progression in the years toe!¡±

    ¡°That is true as well.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and took a sip of the juice in front of her. It was her favorite, coconut juice. Huo Shaoheng had most likely poured it for her.

    Gu Nianzhi took a nce at Huo Shaoheng and saw that he was drinking alcohol. It was a highly concentrated Chinese wine.

    Chinese wine paired with grilled beef kidney. An Asian drink with a western dish. Fusion! That was rather special.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped looking and went back to listening to Senior Speaker Long talk relentlessly. ¡°Nianzhi, you feel that what I said made sense as well, don¡¯t you? Therefore, those cases in the international court will not be of much help when ites to your career progression in the long run. If you were toe to our secretary¡¯s office to be our main legal consultant, I assure you that you will be able to run for election to be a minister in three years! Based on your ability, in time toe, you will be the one to take over my position!¡±

    When he was done talking, he smiled gleefully at General Ji. His expression implied, ¡°Do you think you are the only one with a sessor? I have one as well!¡±

    Seeing that, General Ji became extremely annoyed. Raising his white eyebrows, he dragged his voice and said, ¡°Old Long, aren¡¯t you going overboard now? Giving a new girl such promises. How could you give her false hope like that!¡±

    ¡°How is that false hope?! Every single word I said came from my heart! They were sincere!¡± Senior Speaker Long iled his arms, his chubby face flushing a bright shade of red. It made him look even more energetic and healthy for his age.

    ¡°Do not listen to him, Nianzhi. Old Long has a lot of experience with elections. Therefore, he is extremely good with his words. Whatever he says does not count. I am different. I am a soldier, and I will never talk about something I cannot promise. Whatever I promise you, I will deliver!¡±

    General Ji had continuously embarrassed Senior Speaker Long, finally managing to get Senior Speaker Long angry. ¡°Old Ji, you are just out to fight with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I am not going against you. It is just that everyone loves capable people, don¡¯t they? What now? Are you the only one who can try to recruit her by giving her false hope, but I am not allowed to head hunt anymore?¡±

    ¡°How am I giving her false hope but you are merely head hunting?! Bullsh*t!¡± Senior Speaker Long was really angry by that point. ¡°I can do up an official army document! As long as Nianzhies to our secretary¡¯s office, I will personally guide her and nurture her as I would my very own sessor!¡±

    With such a loud voice, everyone present for the lunch event heard what Senior Speaker Long had said.

    Everyone turned to look, indicating that they were willing to be witnesses. These people were all senior soldiers in the army. By volunteering to be witnesses, Senior Speaker Long was prepared to make that official army document already.

    General Ji suppressed the happiness in his heart and shot Huo Shaoheng a look, indicating, ¡°We both know.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood everything all of a sudden. Still, his expression remained constant.

    The only person whose face had turned pale was Assistant Yang. He understood that the thing he had feared the most had arrived.

 Chapter 969 - So worried

    <h4>969 So worried</h4>

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Don¡¯t be nervous. Don¡¯t lose your cool...¡±

    Assistant Yang told himself this repeatedly. No matter what, he had been working in the office since he was an assistant with no experience to the personal assistant he was now. He had climbed up the ranks using nothing but his own efforts. No one could snatch all those efforts away.

    Finally, Assistant Yang calmed down.

    He pushed the gold-rimmed sses up the bridge of his nose and smiled, touching sses with the people around him. ¡°Did you see that? That¡¯s the charisma of our Senior Speaker Long.¡±

    ...

    After they were done with lunch, everyone bid their goodbyes and rushed to the next ce that they were supposed to visit. General Ji took the opportunity to get Huo Shaoheng into his study.

    ¡°Shaoheng, has Nianzhi made up her mind about where she would like to work yet?¡± General Ji asked softly. ¡°Do you think she will be willing to go to the Senate?¡±

    General Ji was really worried about Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi. Due to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position, her future in the army would indeed be really limited if she joined them. Moreover, even if she did not join the army, General Ji knew that, as long as Huo Shaoheng was around, and as long as they needed it, Gu Nianzhi would definitely help out. Therefore, he did not have any intention of insisting that Gu Nianzhi work for the army.

    All along, he had hoped for Gu Nianzhi to join the Senate. This would be extremely helpful for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s future.

    The higher positions in the Senate were all elected. They did not sh with the Cab or the army. However, the Cab would not be a good ce for Gu Nianzhi. Due to her rtionship with Gu Yanran, Gu Nianzhi had already most likely offended Prime Minister Tan to the extreme. Prime Minister Tan still had five years of service left. If he seeded in the election and stayed in his position after five years, that would be ten years in total.

    How many years could one afford waste when it came to their career?

    As such, Gu Nianzhi would never enter the Cab. Therefore, she would only have two options to progress her career. One would be to get a job in a professionalw firm and be a goodwyer. Another one would be to enter the Senate and progress towards the higher positions there.

    However, in order to get to the higher positions in the Senate, on top of having the ability to go through elections, she would need a powerful person like Senior Speaker Long to pave the way for her before she could achieve sess more efficiently.

    General Ji got Secretary Cao to openly show interest in recruiting Gu Nianzhi to get Senior Speaker Long to acknowledge her capabilities. Then, he pretended to want topete with Senior Speaker Long to recruit Gu Nianzhi in order to increase her worth.

    Huo Shaoheng knew what General Ji was nning all along. Although he did not help, he¡¯d also done nothing to stop him.

    ¡°General Ji, I respect Nianzhi¡¯s decision on this. You know that she has always been someone with a mind of her own even though she is still very young. I am unable to stop what she wants to do, and am also unable to force her to do anything she does not wish to do.¡±

    ¡°Oh, like that...¡± General Ji looked at him and smiled purposefully. With his arms folded, he said, ¡°Shaoheng, this is so unlike you! You and she are already married. Won¡¯t she listen to you when ites to decision making?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Please do not make fun of me, General Ji. Marriage was the best move for everyone involved. You have to keep it a secret for me.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know.¡± General Ji stretched his hand to the back of his head and rubbed. ¡°I will wait until you guys decide to have a grand wedding. I will definitely give you a huge red packet then!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I will definitely get General Ji to be my witness.¡±

    General Ji only let Huo Shaoheng leave after speaking to him about a couple of things regarding work.

    Taking the opportunity of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s absence, Senior Speaker Long tried to convince Gu Nianzhi again. ¡°Nianzhi, please consider this well. Really, I am really sincerely inviting you. Our Senate¡¯s secretary¡¯s office¡¯s main legal consultant position is currently empty. As long as you are agreeable, I will really nurture you with all I have!¡± Senior Speaker Long was really keen on recruiting Gu Nianzhi to his office and was trying his best to convince her to agree to his invitation.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Senior Speaker Long¡¯s words could not be fully trusted. However, all politicians were the same. As awyer, she also had to hide certain information from her clients. That was why she did not mind it.

    She just could not make up her mind.

    Just as Senior Speaker Long had said, her career options were closely connected to her career nning. This would dictate her career progression for the next five to ten years, sculpting her as a person and a professional.

    In her heart, in her selfish thoughts, she knew that she really wanted to progress to a position that would beparable to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Based on her birth, if she wanted to be in a position that would beparable to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s in Hua Xia Empire, the only options she had were to either enter the army, the Senate, or the Cab.

    She would definitely not be able to get promoted to a position that would beparable to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s in the army. No, she would be nowhere near him. Even reaching a position a few ranks lower than his would be impossible.

    Due to Huo Shaoheng, she would be forever in a position of having to bnce him out. Although she was willing to help the army, for her career aspirations, entering the army to work in General Ji¡¯s office would not be a good path for her.

    She didn¡¯t even have to think about the Cab.

    Tan Dongbang would still be in the office as Prime Minister for the next five years. Even if she was able to get a job in the Cab, she would be left alone for those five years. Therefore, she would definitely have to scrap that option.

    As such, she was only left with the Senate.

    The Senate was not to bepared to the army nor the cab. In the Senate, your birth was not important. The background checks were not as stringentpared to the army or the cab either. As long as you were capable, it was the perfect ce for young people to seed.

    Gu Nianzhi was more inclined towards the Senate since it was led by Senior Speaker Long. However, she would not agree immediately. She would wait until He Zhichu returned from his lunar new year break before consulting him for his opinion.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi faced Senior Speaker Long and said sincerely, ¡°Senior Speaker Long, I am truly thankful for your favor. I promise you that I will definitely consider this properly.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Do not take too long though. Our secretary¡¯s office will be posting a notice to hire after the lunar new year. However, if you make your decision before that, just give me a call. I will fill out the rmendation form and get it sent to you.¡±

    Senior Speaker Long had really nned everything out nicely.

    Gu Nianzhi thanked him profusely and watched as he got into his car.

    Assistant Yang got into the car after Senior Speaker Long. Before he boarded the car, he bowed politely to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, I am so d that we will finally be able to work together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. ¡°Yes, such an honor.¡±

    Assistant Yang said seriously, ¡°Miss Gu must really do your best. Actually, between you and Miss Cai, I would really prefer Miss Gu to get this position. I feel that as a colleague, Miss Gu would make a better onepared to Miss Cai.¡±

    ¡°Miss Cai?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Which one are you referring to?¡±

    ¡°Miss Cai Shengnan of course.¡± Assistant Yangughed. ¡°Senior Speaker Long really likes her as well. He actually wanted her to be our main legal consultant in the secretary¡¯s office. However, Miss Gu came along. Now Miss Cai must work even harder.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It was already decided internally?¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted out already. ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t I just back out?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay actually. We have not decided internally yet. I mean, if Miss Gu wasn¡¯t around, then we would have internally chosen Miss Cai to fill the position. However, it is now clear that Miss Gu is more capablepared to Miss Cai. So, of course, we did not decide internally that Miss Cai would take the position. Both of you will have to participate in the selection. Do your best! You have my support.¡±

    With that, Assistant Yang patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder before turning around and getting into the car.

    Senior Speaker Long waved at Gu Nianzhi from the car. Gu Nianzhi returned the wave with a smile and looked on as the car drove away.

    In the car, Senior Speaker Long smiled and asked Assistant Yang, ¡°Are you close to Gu Nianzhi? It seems like you and she were talking rather happily...¡±

    ¡°We are okay. You have been getting me to listen in on thewsuit she was fighting for her inheritance in since it began. I got to know her then.¡±

    Assistant Yang had always presented himself as being gracious and mature in front of Senior Speaker Long. He gave the impression that he would notpete and was not easily made jealous of others. Therefore, Senior Speaker Long thought highly of him and felt safe enough to allow him to be in charge of many things.

    Actually, everyone thought that he would be the sessor of Senior Speaker Long. Even Assistant Yang himself thought so. However, after Senior Speaker Long had made such a promise in front of everyone today, Assistant Yang realized that he had given it too much thought before.

    Senior Speaker Long had never once considered him to be his sessor.

    ...

    Even after Senior Speaker Long¡¯s car disappeared into the distance, Gu Nianzhi still stood in front of General Ji¡¯s living quarters. She looked wistfully at the road in front of her.

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside Gu Nianzhi for a while before asking, ¡°Did you have a good chat with Senior Speaker Long?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and smiled. ¡°Not bad, Senior Speaker Long was enthusiastic.¡±

    ¡°Senior Speaker Long has been in charge of the higher Senate for more than thirty years. His words can influence people easily.¡± As Huo Shaoheng spoke to her, he noticed that there was a calling in on his Bluetooth earpiece.

    It was from his father, Huo Guanchen.

    Thinking that it was the first day of the lunar new year, Huo Shaoheng answered the call.

    He had noticed that, although he was a senior member in the standingmittee of the military supreme council, his father had not visited General Ji¡¯s home.

    Logically, Huo Guanchen should have been there. He had been there every single year prior. Huo Shaoheng did not know why he¡¯d been absent this year.

 Chapter 970 - Marrying Someone Tall, Rich, and Handsome

    <h4>970 Marrying Someone Tall, Rich, and Handsome</h4>

    ¡°Happy New Year, General Huo.¡± Huo Shaoheng greeted Huo Guanchen politely.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s voice filtered through the Bluetooth earpiece. It sounded slightly weary. ¡°It is the first day of the lunar new year today, Shaoheng. Will you being home?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had initially not intended to go back. However, hearing how Huo Guanchen sounded, he instinctively felt that there was a hidden meaning behind his words.

    ¡°How is grandpa?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked casually.

    ¡°Not very good. On the eve of the lunar new year yesterday, he threw a fit because there was no one at home. Then, we realized that his mouth was cking to one side this morning. The doctor from the military hospital just left. He told us that he had suffered a mild stroke.¡± Huo Guanchen was extremely worried. ¡°The old man is getting on in years. He only wants everyone to gather during the lunar new year. Come back and visit him for a bit.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly. ¡°I wille back immediately. I still have two hours left before going on duty.¡± After Huo Shaoheng hung up the call, he turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I am going to see the Huo family for a lunar new year visit. Will youe with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi actually did not feel like going. However, seeing that little glimmer of hope in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, the words of rejection that were about toe out of her mouth turned into an ¡°okay.¡±

    The furrow between Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrows loosened up all of a sudden. His lips curled upwards into a handsome smile, and his face lit up like a painting filled with colors. He looked extremely handsome in an instant and was so attractive.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away and followed Huo Shaoheng to the car they had driven to General Ji¡¯s living quarters in.

    ¡°Let me drive.¡± Gu Nianzhi stuck her hand out at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Give me the keys.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had drunk alcohol earlier. Gu Nianzhi did not wish to call the chauffeur at this time. Therefore, she decided to be the chauffeur for the day.

    Huo Shaoheng stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly. His deep-set eyes seemed like they could speak. They looked like they were filled with questions.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and answered his queries. ¡°I am your nurse today. Of course, I will have to protect you all the way.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out the car keys and handed them to Gu Nianzhi. They opened the doors and got into the car. Gu Nianzhi took the driver¡¯s seat, while Huo Shaoheng took the passenger¡¯s seat.

    Those who thought that they had broken up had their doubts cleared when they saw this. Everyone thought that the rtionship between these two was abnormal. No one really believed that they had broken up.

    Moreover, everyone could tell that although Huo Shaoheng said that he had injured his arm, he had no problem eating or drinking. Therefore, he would definitely be fine with driving.

    However, Huo Shaoheng let Gu Nianzhi drive this time around. This proved that Huo Shaoheng did not see Gu Nianzhi as an important person in his life. Most likely, she was just a person who was passing by in his life...

    Anyway, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were both single. No matter if they were lovers or flings, it was not a problem and that would vite any rules.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi could not be bothered by these people. She had alsoe to terms with herself about them. It was not important how others saw her. What was important was whether or not she could be strong enough for herself.

    Gu Nianzhi really liked her career nning. She would be able to reach the peak of her career in a short time, then she would be able to marry someone who was tall, rich, and handsome...

    ...

    The living quarters of the Huo family was in the same militarypound as General Ji¡¯s, but it was in the other direction. If they were to walk over, it would take about twenty-odd minutes.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi drove over.

    After driving for about seven minutes, they arrived at the metal gates of the Huo¡¯s mansion. Aspared to General Ji¡¯s traditional-looking mansion, the Huo¡¯s mansion was a western-looking one with artistic floral metal gates out front.

    Huo Shaoheng guided Gu Nianzhi to park the car along thenes near the mansion. After parking, they walked to the entrance of the Huo¡¯s mansion. The soldier on duty at the entrance knew Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi. He saluted Huo Shaoheng immediately. ¡°Happy New Year, sir.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Happy New Year. You have worked hard.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had intentionally fallen a step behind. She would not have to ept the salute that way. She was not in the army and therefore was not qualified to ept any forms of a salute from the soldiers. Gu Nianzhi respected soldiers a lot. No matter if they were generals or recruits, they were the same to her.

    ...

    Entering the house with Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi felt emotional. What had happened atst year¡¯s Lunar New Year Eve felt as though it had just happened yesterday. Now that she had returned here, she felt so distant. Huo Shaoheng looked calm as he walked ahead of Gu Nianzhi in big strides.

    Upon entering the living area, they realized that there were a few guests in the house.

    On the three-seater, pearl-gray sofa was Huo Guanchen, Tan Guiren, Cai Shengnan, and Mrs. Prime Minister Madam Cai Songyin.

    Huo Shaoheng realized that his father tricked him yet again.

    However, since he had already entered, turning around and leaving in front of these people would be extremely impolite. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s professional habit was to not lose his manners in any situation.

    Even if he wanted to make things awkward for a person, he had to make it seem graceful. When he put people down, there should not be any profanity in his speech, as doing so would tarnish his reputation.

    He walked over with a slight smile and greeted everyone in the living area. ¡°Happy New Year, everyone.¡±

    Then, he turned to his father Huo Guanchen. ¡°General Huo, where is grandpa?¡±

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng did not greet him as ¡°father: in front of guests, Huo Guanchen felt embarrassed. With a stern face, he said, ¡°Who were you talking to? Such horrible manners!¡±

    Seeing the situation, Tan Guiren quickly said, ¡°Uncle Huo, please do not say that. By calling you General Huo, Mr. Huo was merely respecting you and showing closeness at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? I can hear the respect, but how did that show closeness? Cousin, you cannot be biased to such an extent, you know?¡± Cai Shengnan pped as she responded to Tan Guiren¡¯s words, acting like she was really keen to know more while winking at Tan Guiren.

    Tan Guiren blushed slightly and said daintily, ¡°Children and youths nowadays like addressing their parents this way. Instead of calling ¡®mom¡¯ or ¡®dad¡¯, they prefer calling them by their names or honorifics. I personally also feel that such addresses are much more intimate.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. There is something to that...¡± Huo Guanchenughed. His impression of Tan Guiren improved.

    He looked simr to Huo Shaoheng. He was also one of the people with the highest rank in the army. Although he was getting on in age, when he was not putting on a straight face, he looked extremely handsome.

    Even Cai Shengnan, who had seen many people, had been stunned by his looks when she¡¯d first set her eyes upon him.

    ¡°Miss Tan is really good with words.¡± Huo Guanchen was extremely polite towards Tan Guiren. Turning to Cai Songyin, he said, ¡°Mrs. Tan really brought her daughter up well!¡±

    Previously, Song Jinning had openly expressed that she did not want Tan Guiren to be her daughter-inw. Cai Songyin was actually fuming over it. She felt that Song Jinning had no manners by saying such things in public. She had only forgiven them after Huo Guanchen apologized over and over again sincerely.

    Of course, she had also forgiven them because she respected Tan Guiren. If Tan Guiren was not interested in Huo Shaoheng, they would be ostracizing the Huos right now.

    Being the Prime Minister of the cab, even after going through the impeachment, Tan Dongbang had stabilized his position back at work.

    Cai Songyin believed that nothing could waver the position of their family, and therefore did not see the point of bootlicking the Huos anymore. Moreover, Cai Songyin¡¯s family controlled the media industry. It would be an easy task to sabotage the reputation of a family.

    They could let the Huos be the topic of discussion just by using them of something bad.

    It was solely because Tan Dongbang had just managed to survive the impeachment. Therefore, Cai Songyin did not wish to rock the boat and create too many enemies as of yet.

    With the factors added up, she did not pursue the matter with the Huos any further. Had it not been for Tan Guiren hearing that Huo Shaoheng was injured and insisting upon visiting, Cai Songyin would never have set foot in the Huo¡¯s home no matter what.

    She had her pride.

    ¡°Alright, I still have things to do at the Prime Minister¡¯s mansion. I shall make a move first.¡± Cai Songyin had sent Tan Guiren to their ce and had intended to go back. Turning to Cai Shengnan, she said, ¡°Shengnan, your cousin is na?ve and kind. She is not a scheming type of person and would not be a match for people like these. Look after her for me and do not let others take advantage of her.¡±

    Tan Guiren blushed furiously and said uneasily while rubbing her hands together, ¡°Please do not say that, Mommy. No one is taking advantage of me here.¡±

    Cai Shengnan agreed readily. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, aunt, I will definitely protect cousin well!¡±

    Huo Guanchen stood up along with her. ¡°Mrs. Tan, do you not wish to leave after the meal?¡±

    ¡°It is alright. The Prime Minister¡¯s work cannot go without me.¡± Cai Songyin smiled politely, her round and fair face exuding an air of mature elegance.

    When she walked past Gu Nianzhi, Cai Songyin stopped in her tracks and smiled. ¡°Miss Gu, isn¡¯t it? If Guiren offends youter, please be forgiving towards her, and do not stoop to her level. She had been spoiled since she was young, and has not gotten in touch with the society yet. She is a na?ve girl and does not have bad intentions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Mrs. Tan¡¯s words are so contradictory. If you say that your dear Miss Guiren is na?ve and does not have bad intentions, then how would she offend me? You know as well that I have no one to depend on. I would never make things difficult for anyone. That is... unless someone stirs things up to make my life difficult.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s expression changed and she snorted. ¡°You are only good with words and nothing else.¡±

 Chapter 971 - Putting Efforts to Waste

    <h4>971 Putting Efforts to Waste</h4>

    ¡°Being good with words is the nature of my job, Mrs. Tan. Isn¡¯t it the same for your husband as well? How did he manage to be prime minister if he is not good with words?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never thought that being able to keep silent was a virtue. In her opinion, if there was something she was not happy about something someone said to her, she should retort immediately. If she was in a good mood that day, she would say more. No matter what, she would not be on the losing end.

    Cai Songyin, however, saw red. She was about to say something along the lines of ¡°how do you think you areparable to Prime Minister Tan?!¡± However, Huo Shaoheng was already looking in their direction. Bowing slightly, with a slight hint of warning in his eyes, he said calmly, ¡°Mrs. Tan, please do not think that everyone should be respectful towards you just because you are older.¡±

    This was tantly a tight p in her face, returning every sarcastic remark she had made right back at her!

    She was older?

    She was older?!

    How dare he say that she was old!

    She was not even fifty years old!

    Cai Songyin was so agitated by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words that her face flushed a deep crimson. Her arms were trembling with anger.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had said it so politely that she could not catch a single mistake in his attitude, tone, or words. She could not even lodge aint against him!

    ¡°Please do not be like that, mommy. Miss Gu is a really nice person. She would never bully me. You go back first, alright...¡± Tan Guiren was so embarrassed that she blushed furiously as she came over to lighten the atmosphere, sending Cai Songyin outside.

    Cai Songyin had only just calmed down by the time she boarded the car. She held onto Tan Guiren¡¯s hand and wanted to say something to her, but decided not to eventually.

    Tan Guiren smiled and assured her, ¡°I know, mommy. Please do not be angry. I have no intentions but to stay for a while before going back.¡±

    Cai Songyin sighed and mumbled, ¡°When one¡¯s child is grown up, she will not listen to her mother anymore. You just be careful on your own.¡± With that, she settled into the limousine from the prime minister¡¯s living quarters and returned to the party at her own ce.

    After Tan Guiren managed to send Cai Songyin off and return to the living room, she realized that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were not there anymore.

    She looked at Cai Shengnan quizzically and took a seat beside her. With a smile, Cai Shengnan said, ¡°Major General Huo went upstairs to visit his grandfather. Miss Gu followed him up.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°Thanks for your concern. Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather has not been feeling his best sincest night. Shaoheng was actually on duty today, but I called him back to visit.¡±

    Tan Guiren and Cai Shengnan sat in the living area of the Huo¡¯s mansion. Although Huo Shaoheng did note back downstairs, they did not dare to go up to look for him.

    Tan Guiren brought the medication she had brought along and handed it to Huo Guanchen. ¡°General Huo, I heard that Major General Huo injured his arm. This is the best medicine for scalds in the world. Please give it to Major General Huo on my behalf.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled as he shook his head. ¡°Miss Tan can ask if Shaoheng needs it.¡±

    However, he thought, ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s been injured? I could not tell by looking at him just now...¡±

    ¡°...My mother said harsh words today. I am worried that Major General Huo will be unhappy.¡± Then, Tan Guiren continued, ¡°Actually I wish to exin it personally to Major General Huo. My mother is actually an extremely nice person. She just worries about me too much. She had no other ill intentions.¡±

    ...

    Upstairs, in the study of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, Huo Xuenong, Huo Jin was talking to Huo Shaoheng about Huo Xuenog¡¯s condition. ¡°...He could not talk all of a suddenst night. We called the doctor for an emergency. The doctor jabbed him and asked us to observe him for a while more. If he is still unable to get better, he might have to go under the knife.¡±

    It seemed rather serious.

    Gu Nianzhi left the room quietly and stood at the entrance of Huo Xuenong¡¯s room. She did not have much of a rtionship with Huo Xuenong, and therefore she did not wish to remain inside and pretend to be filial.

    Had it not been Huo Shaoheng shooting hinting nces for her to follow him upstairs, Gu Nianzhi would have remained downstairs to watch how Tan Guiren and Cai Shengnan were acting...

    Huo Shaoheng understood Huo Xuenong¡¯s medical condition and called the doctor to confirm Huo Jin and Huo Guanchen¡¯s words. He had to check if they were telling the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremely bored. She walked around the corridor and counted the window grills one by one.

    After a while, Huo Guanchen brought Tan Guiren and Cai Shengnan upstairs.

    Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi pacing around along the corridor, Cai Shengnan smiled. It seemed like the couple had indeed broken up, she thought. However, Gu Nianzhi still had not given up and was harassing Huo Shaoheng...

    Tan Guiren, however, sympathized with Gu Nianzhi to a great extent. They were both girls who loved Huo Shaoheng but were neglected by such an amazing man. She must be feeling horrible on the inside, mustn¡¯t she?

    Only Huo Guanchen ignored Gu Nianzhi and pretended as though she did not exist. He only spoke kindly to Tan Guiren. ¡°Miss Tan, Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather is recuperating here. Shaoheng is here as well. Let us talk in the room.¡±

    Huo Guanchen brought Tan Guiren into Huo Xuenong¡¯s room. When they entered, Huo Shaoheng had just gotten off the call. He had confirmed Huo Xuenong¡¯s illness and instructed the doctor to send a copy of Huo Xuenong¡¯s medical record to Chen Lie. He intended to discuss this with Chen Lie when they both returned to the headquarters.

    When he raised his head, however, he saw that Huo Guanchen had brought Tan Guiren into the room. Before Huo Guanchen and Tan Guiren could say anything, Huo Shaoheng began speaking calmly. ¡°General Huo, I have no objections whatsoever if you wish to remarry. You do not have to seek my opinion. As long as the army approves, that would be good enough for me. I still have a lot to do. Goodbye.¡±

    Huo Guanchen blew his top. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?! When did I ever say I want to remarry?!¡±

    ¡°General Huo brought a woman home. Isn¡¯t that clear enough?¡± Huo Shaoheng put both his hands into his pockets and strode out of the door.

    Tan Guiren was so embarrassed that she wanted to hide in a hole in the ground. Hastily, she tried to exin herself. ¡°Please do not misunderstand, Major General Huo. Nothing is going on between your father and myself. I am here today for you. I heard that you got injured, so I brought the best medicine for scalds for you...¡± With that, she showed him the medication.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. He said bluntly, ¡°...I have no idea what you are talking about. Please do not assume.¡±

    ¡°Stay right there! Shaoheng!¡± Huo Guanchen could not control himself any longer. He raised his low voice and called out sternly. ¡°You are really treating guests who came to our home like this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. However, he did not turn back. He replied calmly, ¡°General Huo, this is your guest and your home. Not my guest nor my home.¡± With that, he strode out the door.

    ...

    Cai Shengnan did not follow Tan Guiren into Huo Xuenong¡¯s room when Huo Guanchen brought her in. She merely folded her arms in front of her chest and stood in the corridor, observing Gu Nianzhi with curiosity.

    Did she wish topete over whose eyes were bigger?

    Gu Nianzhi was not fazed. With a smile, she looked Cai Shengnan up and down as well.

    Although Cai Shengnan was about eight to nine years older than Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi had gone through much more than she had. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi was more maturepared to Cai Shengnan.

    Finally, Cai Shengnan could not take it anymore. With her perfectly shaped eyebrows raised, she asked, ¡°Miss Gu, I think it is not very polite to look at others like that, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I was merely doing what you were doing. If you can look at me, why can¡¯t I look back at you?¡± Gu Nianzhi flipped her hair gently as she answered in an extremely rxed tone.

    ¡°Miss Gu, people only build a wall around themselves if they do not feel confident. Whenever someone says a sentence, and the other person retorts back with ten, it really sounds childish and not graceful at all.¡± Cai Shengnan stood in front of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Do you agree with me, Miss Gu? Actually, you were born in a rather good family. As long as you do not think about what is not meant to be yours, you are rather well off. My cousin is prettier than you, is from a better family than you, and more talented than you. Also, don¡¯t you realize that everyone in the Huo family has already epted her but not you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Miss Cai, are you really a partner of the secondrgestw firm in America? Did you get to that position based on your merit?¡±

    Cai Shengnan was dumbfounded by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Weren¡¯t they talking about how Gu Nianzhi was fighting with Tan Guiren over Huo Shaoheng?

    How did it rte to whether she was a partner of thatw firm or not?

    ¡°Of course. Did you think that I had wasted all my years overseas?¡± Cai Shengnan raised her head proudly. Her short, curly hair made her look even more capable and sweet.

    ¡°I really feel that your position as a partner of thatw firm is in name only. I suspect that they gave you that position because of your father.¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke tantly about the issue that had bothered Cai Shengnan the most. ¡°Because you give me the impression that you are too low of a person. It does not suit the identity of a professionalwyer at all.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Cai Shengnan began speaking in English in a fit of anger. ¡°You are humiliating and defaming me! I can sue you for that!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands with a bright smile. ¡°Show your manners as awyer. Do not be like an uneducated woman who likes to spread rumors based on romantic rtionships. Who I am close with, or who your cousin is close with, has got absolutely nothing to do with you. Please get rid of your scheming efforts and fake attitude. They make me want to puke.¡±

    Cai Shengnan had finally had gotten a taste of how her aunt, Cai Songyin, had felt just now.

    She took deep breaths repeatedly and told herself not to get angry and not to stoop to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s level. She wanted to defeat Gu Nianzhi in the area that she felt the most confidence in. She believed that with her many years of experience in America, Gu Nianzhi would not be her match.

    ¡°I heard that Senior Speaker Long intends to get you to apply for the main legal consultant position in their secretary office.¡± Cai Shengnan finally calmed down enough to continue talking. There was a meaningful smile on her face. ¡°Take my advice. Stop putting your efforts to waste. Someone already took that position a long time ago.¡±

 Chapter 972 - Happy Engagement!

    <h4>972 Happy Engagement!</h4>

    ¡°It had already been taken? By who, may I ask? By any chance, is it you?¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡±

    Cai Shengnan had initially wanted to say something, but Huo Shaoheng exited from the other room. He walked away without as much as looking around, and said calmly, ¡°Let us go home, Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed.

    Cai Shengnan was taken aback by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. He was not even attempting to hide the rtionship between Gu Nianzhi and himself. ¡°Go home.¡± Such intimate words. How could he say that to someone whom he had broken up with?!

    Could it be that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s harassment had worked on him?

    Was he someone that liked having a girl going after him relentlessly?!

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s gaze went even darker than before.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi got into the car after leaving the mansion. She drove the car as Huo Shaoheng massaged his temples, a hint of lethargy on his stern face. Gu Nianzhi peeked at Huo Shaoheng for a second and drove away from the mansion without a word.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°What did Cai Shengnan and you talk about just now? You do not seem too happy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Was she that obvious? However, seeing her reflection in the mirror, she was nothing but all smiles. Perhaps only Huo Shaoheng could feel what she was truly feeling.

    She coughed lightly. ¡°Nothing much. She was spouting nonsense and asking for someone to put her in her ce.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not interested in how women quarrel. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°You juste to the headquarters during the new year. Little Ze has gone to South Africa. There are many system tests to conduct. You cane and help out. I do not trust others with the work.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s knowledge ofputers was solid. The key point was that she¡¯d been taught by Zhao Liangze from scratch. If she cooperated with Zhao Liangze, it would take them half the time toplete everything.

    Gu Nianzhi had nothing going on this holiday season. After contemting it for a moment, she agreed.

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a silent sigh of relief and continued. ¡°You can take the time to think about what you would like to do after the new year. It¡¯s okay if you would like to work in aw firm. Don¡¯t force yourself into a job you don¡¯t want.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been facing a dilemma. However, after what Cai Shengnan had said to her just now, she had made up her mind.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I would like to give the job at the Senate a go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not surprised. He acknowledged with an ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Sure. Just give Senior Speaker Long a call after the New Year.¡±

    It was settled. Gu Nianzhi felt that a load had just been lifted from her shoulders, and it felt great.

    She drove on and arrived at the Special Forces Headquarters in no time. She entered thepound with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng brought her back to his living quarters to settle down first. ¡°It has been quite a while since you stayed here. You will be here for about half a month this time around. Look around to see if there is anything you need to get.¡± Huo Shaoheng brought Gu Nianzhi into the mansion. ¡°I have contacted the buyers over in Europe. They will be bringing people to take your measurements. You are about to enter your life as a working adult. The clothes you used to wear will not be suitable anymore. You will have to change your wardrobe.¡±

    ¡°Change everything?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I will be unable to wear too many shy outfits anyway. It will be fine to just prepare a couple of gowns.¡±

    ¡°I will get them to pay attention to the styles. They will be low-key and presentable. Of course, they will have to look good as well.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her on the shoulders. ¡°They will be my present to you for entering working life.¡±

    ¡°Thank you then, Huo Shao.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a face. ¡°To repay you, I will work for free for you for half a month.¡±

    ¡°Did you think you¡¯d be getting a sry?¡± Huo Shaoheng took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. White smoke began surrounding them.

    ¡°Did you not think of paying me?!¡± Gu Nianzhi nudged him. ¡°Wow, Huo Shao is such a professional at taking advantage of his manualborers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng caressed her head. ¡°Enough. Pack quickly and settle down. Get the application for the Senate done up when you have time.¡±

    The Senate would only be open after the fifteenth day of the lunar new year. The process of hiring new staff wouldmence then. Gu Nianzhi still had half a month to prepare properly.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in agreement. Taking a look at her watch, she realized that it was already after two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. She was slightly tired and had intended to go to her room for a nap.

    As she was going up the stairs with Huo Shaoheng, her phone rang again. Huo Shaoheng turned around and looked at her before smiling. ¡°You¡¯re rather busy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who will be busy from now on. We, as normal peasants, will have our own things to do as well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi whipped out her phone and realized that it was Ma Qiqi calling. She slid her finger across the screen and unlocked her phone with a smile. ¡°Happy New Year, Qiqi.¡±

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s voice could be heard through the phone. ¡°Happy New Year, Nianzhi! I am so happy! Nianzhi, let me show you what happened! I will send you a video!¡±

    In no time at all, Ma Qiqi had sent Gu Nianzhi a video clip.

    Gu Nianzhi opened it and realized that it was all dark in the beginning. Nothing could be seen. She thought for a second that there was something wrong with her phone and pouted. ¡°I had just switched to this phone. Why am I not seeing anything now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took two steps back and looked over. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± All of a sudden, the screen lit up. It was the beginning of the video ying. It was not because Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone wasn¡¯t working.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng watched the video together.

    Stars in the beautiful night sky appeared on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone screen. The stars were so bright, just like they were in space. Then, Ma Qiqi appeared wearing a white dress. She looked around in shock as she appeared on the screen looking like an angel.

    The surroundings were so beautiful. The stars looked like you could reach out and touch them. Therefore, Ma Qiqi reached out and tried to touch the brightest star.

    She knew that she should not be able to touch it. Ma Qiqi, who was in the video, and Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, who were watching the video, all had the same thoughts.

    Therefore, when Ma Qiqi reached out and the brightest ¡°star¡± fell into her hand, not only did Ma Qiqi, who was in the video,ugh in surprise, Gu Nianzhi, who was watching the video, felt her heart skip a beat. She felt herself getting excited all of a sudden as well.

    That was nice!

    It was not a star, but a shiny diamond ring!

    The oval-shaped diamond was shiny and gorgeous under the starry night sky. It was so shiny that there were rainbows in it. It was a diamond of an extremely high grade.

    Just when Ma Qiqi was feeling over the moon, Yin Shixiong appeared in a ck suit.

    He seemed to have walked out of the night sky. He knelt in front of Ma Qiqi. Then, he asked emotionally, ¡°Will you marry me, Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes!¡± Ma Qiqi held on to the diamond ring and eximed her willingness three times.

    ¡°She said yes! She said yes!¡±

    All of a sudden, Wedding March could be heard in the background as the stars disappeared andughter could be in the surroundings. Many people emerged from the dark with the stars. There were men and women of all ages. All of them were dressed up, looking amazing.

    When the final middle-aged couple emerged from behind the board, wiping tears from their faces, Gu Nianzhi recognized them immediately. They were Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents!

    So Yin Shixiong had made use of the New Year to n his proposal to Ma Qiqi? And he¡¯d even brought Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents over?

    It was obvious that Ma Qiqi had been kept in the dark throughout. When she saw her parents appear in front of her, she stood rooted to the ground and was stunned for a full three seconds before screaming, ¡°Mommy! Daddy!¡± and running towards them. She hugged them and jumped around,ughing at the same time.

    Yin Shixiong stood by the side, looking at Ma Qiqi with so much love. He only pulled Ma Qiqi away after a while.

    Standing in front of Ma Qiqi¡¯s parents and holding her hand, he said sincerely, ¡°Auntie, Uncle, I hope that you will agree for Qiqi to marry me. I promise to only love her and marry her in this lifetime. Everyone who is here today will be my witness. I promise to be good to Qiqi for the rest of her life.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Big Xiong, you have done so well.¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother was so touched that she couldn¡¯t stop crying.

    Due to Yin Shixiong¡¯s profession, Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother had not supported Ma Qiqi in wanting to marry a soldier, and one from the special forces at that. However, Ma Qiqi and her father loved Yin Shixiong a lot.

    Now, seeing how much effort Yin Shixiong was willing to put in for her daughter, Ma Qiqi¡¯s mother finally decided to ept him.

    The video ended at this point.

    After theughter faded out, the mansion returned to its quiet state.

    Gu Nianzhi was all smiles. She immediately sent Ma Qiqi a huge red packet which contained 8,888 dors and 88 cents, along with a message that said, ¡°Happy Engagement, my darling!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. He thought that she would be emotional about it and pick a fight with him. However, she did not. She was solely happy for Ma Qiqi and headed upstairs while humming a tune.

    From the beginning to the end, she had not looked at Huo Shaoheng once. Huo Shaoheng stuffed both his hands into his pockets and leaned on the railings of the staircase. After pondering for a while, he took out his phone and forwarded Gu Nianzhi a document. It contained the past year¡¯s questions of the written exam for the hiring exercise of the Secretary Office in the Senate.

 Chapter 973 - Passerby A and Passerby B

    <h4>973 Passerby A and Passerby B</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi went into her room and sat on the sofa. She opened the video of Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong¡¯s engagement and watched it a few more times. Putting other scenes aside, Gu Nianzhi was the most envious of how this couple had parents and rtives to share the moment with. Besides his mother, father, and uncles, Yin Shixiong had grandparents from both his paternal and maternal sides too. Ma Qiqi had grandparents from both her paternal and maternal sides as well, but they had not gone to Yin Shixiong¡¯s hometown.

    However, when they got married, they might have to hold a banquet for both their families. That would be... so many rtives!

    That was how a wedding should be...

    Huo Shaoheng followed her upstairs and knocked on the door of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door. Upon seeing that she had not locked her door, he opened the door and entered her room.

    He saw Gu Nianzhi sitting on the sofa, engrossed in whatever she was watching on her phone. Huo Shaoheng sat beside her but it did not take her attention away from the screen. ¡°...What¡¯s so nice about looking at the engagement party of others?¡± Huo Shaoheng took the phone away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands and did not allow her to watch it anymore.

    ¡°Give it back! This is the engagement party of my best friend and best brother. Why can¡¯t I watch it now?¡± Gu Nianzhi could not help but roll her eyes at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I think you¡¯re just jealous.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head speechlessly. ¡°Me? Jealous? I just didn¡¯t expect Big Xiong to use such an extravagant but impractical way to propose.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fumed the moment she heard that. ¡°Extravagant but impractical?! Huo Shao, then what is extravagant and practical to you? Can you provide me with an example?!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so agitated? You want that as well?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned diagonally on the sofa and used one hand to support his head, watching the angry Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What has that got to do with me?¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to be tricked by him. ¡°This is the proposal ceremony that Brother Xiong prepared for Qiqi. He would have achieved his goal as long as Qiqi was happy. As for your opinions, Huo Shao, they are not relevant and would never affect the couple at all. In their eyes, you are nothing but a passerby.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Alright. I am passerby A. That must make you passerby B?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt defeated. All her anger dissipated into the air. With a dejected tone, she said, ¡°Yes. I am passerby B.¡±

    That was why she was fated to be with passerby A...

    Huo Shaoheng added thest sentence in his mind. However, seeing how Gu Nianzhi was feeling down, he changed the topic. ¡°I managed to get you the past year¡¯s questions of the hiring exercise from the Senate. Do you want to look through them?¡±

    To a schr, looking through questions was a daily necessity. They do it when they were in a good mood, and do it when they were not in a good mood. When a schr was in an average mood... It was nice for them to look through a couple of sets of questions to calm themselves down.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was sessfully moved. ¡°There are exam questions as well?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. When the secretary¡¯s office of the Senate runs a hiring exercise, there are two rounds, the written exam and the interview. From past experiences, the exams are made up of the same questions, and they vary based on the positions. The questions will be relevant to the jobs that the applicants are applying for.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately replied, ¡°Send it to me soon. I will sleep after looking through them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gestured for her to go to theputer. ¡°I have already sent it to your email.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got up and went straight into her room, as there was aputer in there that was set up for her. After Gu Nianzhi left, Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and sent Yin Shixiong a text. ¡°Big Xiong, your marriage report did not pass its requirements. I have returned it. Get it redone.¡±

    ...

    From the second day of Lunar New Year to the fourteenth day, Gu Nianzhi spent every day helping Zhao Liangze, who was in Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, to synchronize the connections between him, the Nandou Satellite system, and theputer program in the Hua Xia Empire. When she was free, she looked through the examination questions for the Secretary Office job in the Senate.

    As for Huo Shaoheng, he left Di Capitalpletely during this time. He was truly busy.

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi had returned to stay in his living quarters in the Special Forces Headquarters, Huo Shaoheng did not have to worry about her safety. Therefore, he made use of the opportunity to greet the lower-ranking soldiers who were on duty during the lunar new year with General Ji.

    He was apanying General Ji for this trip this time around as the Assistant Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Military Supreme Council. The area he was in charge of did not include only the secret department of the Special Forces anymore. He had to go around the entire army to visit everyone.

    Since General Ji had been nurturing him as his sessor, he could not allow Huo Shaoheng to remain in the background forever. Therefore, General Ji was letting Huo Shaoheng get familiarized with the work done in other areas of the army.

    This visiting of the lower-ranking soldiers during the lunar new year was the first official trip that Huo Shaoheng had attended as the Assistant Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Military Supreme Council. The trip was not publicized and was heavily protected. Only select media members were allowed to go along with them to document the process and report on it to the public.

    For half of the month, Gu Nianzhi did not contact Huo Shaoheng. asionally, when Huo Shaoheng called her at night, Gu Nianzhi would be talking about work with Zhao Liangze, who was in South Africa, or her phone was turned off while she looked through the examination questions. After a couple of futile attempts to call Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng stopped trying.

    Although Gu Nianzhi did not contact Huo Shaoheng, she could still see him on the news on a daily basis. He was wearing a military hat most of the time, standing beside the old but energetic General Ji. He was low-key and silent most of the time, still exuding the aura of being stable and mature. No one could ignore his presence.

    Although his face was never clearly shown to the public from the media coverage, the aura that he exuded was so attractive that even the most handsome idol could notpare. In no time at all, Huo Shaoheng had be one of the top-searched people on the social media tforms in the Hua Xia Empire.

    Every single day, people gushed over his appearance on the television.

    #Have you watched the news today?

    #Handsomeness

    #I never thought that I would look forward to the news every evening!

    #That soldier is so handsome I want to marry him!

    #The army finally did something right

    #All of a sudden, I dream of protecting my country

    Every single time Huo Shaoheng appeared on the television, he also appeared in the top searches the next day. Not even General Ji had expected such poprity.

    And there was not even a clear image of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face!

    How had this poprity surfaced?

    Huo Shaoheng did not wish to have this much publicity attached to him. Therefore, after discussing this with the media who were following them, it was agreed upon that footage of Huo Shaoheng would only be allowed to show his back view to the public. Therefore, even unclear images of his face were removed.

    However, even when only his back was shown, the clever fans managed to point him out.

    #Totally cannot believe that such a handsome person would have such a handsome back as well!

    #My dear soldier has a gorgeous back that I want to hug him from behind!

    #I only thought that I could fall for people based on their looks or voices. Little did I realize that I could fall in love with someone from their back!

    #My dear soldier, does your mother know that you have such a beautiful back?!

    #Protesting that the media is jealous of good looking people! You are purposely not showing my dear soldier¡¯s front view!!!

    Thement section on the social media tform of the mediapany seemed like it was the lunar new year every single day.

    Those who were gushing, those who were nitpicking, those who were arguing, those who were using all their efforts to make him famous, and there were haters, fans and hackers who created fake ounts to gossip about Huo Shaoheng... They all made official social media ounts so lively and popr that the channel finally got a taste of what it was like to be an influencer.

    It felt toxic because it felt so good!

    It did not feel like giving it up!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had taken the important job of connecting with Zhao Liangze, who was in South Africa. She could finally understand how tough the daily work of Huo Shaoheng and his men was after working in the Special Forces for some time.

    They had to be on full-alert all day, every single day. It was a challenge of the brain, and physical and focal powers, as a high level of each of these were required. Especially when Gu Nianzhi was reminded that what she was doing might affect the lives and deaths of countless people, she felt even more responsible to do it right. She did not dare to hold back any of her energy.

    When she finally returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion at night, she would look through the exam questions. Doing that, to her, was a form of rxation.

    Then, before turning in, she would have a couple of minutes left to look through Weibo and keep herself updated on the news around her. However, the moment she opened the application and saw thosements from the crazy fans of Huo Shaoheng, her head would ache.

    She had already been extremely heartless and cklisted many people. However, the main page still had countless news stories on Huo Shaoheng. To be more urate, they were stories about how people were gushing over Huo Shaoheng.

    Just like that, Huo Shaoheng had be famous overnight. Gu Nianzhi felt that something was amiss.

    True, Huo Shaoheng was handsome, so handsome that anyone would lose themselves and fall for him the moment they set their eyes on him... He could have mesmerized many people with his looks, but the problem was he had never shown his face before!

    How could he have such a huge fan base just based on his side profile and back view? How was it possible for him to get into the top searches multiple times? No matter if you believed it possible or not, Gu Nianzhi did not.

 Chapter 974 - Who On Earth

    <h4>974 Who On Earth</h4>

    In actual fact, Gu Nianzhi had tried more than once to search the entire inte. She was sure that Huo Shaoheng had not even once shown his full face to the media.

    Of course, this was due to the nature of his job. He had been in the background for a long time and been unable to show his face in public.

    After this, General Ji intended to nurture Huo Shaoheng as his sessor and promote him to the Assistant Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Military Supreme Council. He¡¯d only appeared on television a couple of times since then.

    Each time he¡¯d appeared, his time on screen had been extremely short. Moreover, he was in disguise. He was often wearing a huge pair of shades that had covered half of his face. For example, in the news broadcast when he had gone to America to bring Tan Guiren back, he¡¯d been wearing those shades.

    The audience had, at the very most, seen his tall build and the aura he exuded. Even if he did not speak, no one could ignore his presence.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current poprity was almost akin to when a new idol that starred in a new drama became popr. Such poprity that came on so quickly led Gu Nianzhi, who was aizen who was used to stirring problems online, to sense that something was amiss.

    However, she could not find any hard evidence to support her suspicion. She just felt constantly worried and suppressed as if something was about to happen.

    Therefore, when she suffered insomnia from the stress that night, she got up and came up with a program. The program was able to search for information rted to Huo Shaoheng on Weibo, with filters set ording to her preferences.

    To get ahold of thetest news, Gu Nianzhi set this program to run every six hours. Then, it would send emails to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mailbox ording to their relevance.

    For the next fortnight, everything seemed normal. It was so normal that Gu Nianzhi thought that she¡¯d been merely overthinking things. That was the case until the fourteenth day of the first lunar month...

    Gu Nianzhi was finally done helping Zhao Liangze synchronize the satellite and all of its security measures. She returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion and had a nice dinner before taking a bath and heading to bed.

    Huo Shaoheng had sent her a text earlier in the day saying that he would be back the next day. The next day would be the broadcast station¡¯s dinner for the final day of the lunar new year. The three major organizations, the Senate, Cab, and army would all be present. Huo Shaoheng would be attending such a function for the very first time, apanying General Ji.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and saw the news. She nced at it for a while before opening her email. There were a lot of emails in her inbox all of a sudden. It was way more than the amount she had received over the past couple of weeks. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    These emails had all been sent to her based on the program she had created. Every single Weibo post rted to Huo Shaoheng, even if it was slightly rted, was ranked under her filter ording to relevance, then sent to her email.

    As Gu Nianzhi looked through the emails one by one, her attention was attracted by one particr email. Her program had managed to find a novel that was written based on Huo Shaoheng by a Weibo ount.

    This was her first time seeing someone using Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name and writing a novel using his name. In a moment of curiosity, Gu Nianzhi clicked on it.

    As she nced through a short chapter of fewer than 3,000 words, her face turned pale. She was so angry that she found it difficult to breathe. She sat up straight in bed, one of her hands holding her phone tightly. She had the impulse to crawl to wherever that author was and destroy them!

    The story was about a twelve-year-old little girl called Gu Nian. After being rescued by a high ranking soldier, Huo Shao, she began seducing the soldier shamelessly.

    She was only twelve, but she already had the assets that an adult woman would have... That was the reason why Huo Shao was seduced by her. Once, after getting drunk, he was sessfully seduced by Gu Nian and made the biggest mistake of his life.

    Knowing that this was not a good nor right rtionship, Huo Shao tried to find ways to get rid of Gu Nian. However, Gu Nian used the fact that she was an orphan against him. Each time Huo Shao brought up the topic of a breakup, Gu Nian would threaten to take her own life.

    One day, a goddess akin to an angel appeared. She helped Huo Shao to get out of this seemingly incestuous rtionship...

    After skimming through the entire story, Gu Nianzhi was filled with endless questions.

    What in the world?!

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood what people meant by turning words upside down and beingpletely unscrupulous. Logically, even if someone wanted to write a novel, they would have to observe the nature of life. What twelve-year-old girl had assets that a fully developed woman would have?!

    For reference, Gu Nianzhi remembered that she¡¯d been so plump when she was twelve-years-old that her face had been the size of a huge silver te and her waist the size of a barrel. Even if she¡¯d used her body, she would have merely looked like a wobbling barrel. How on earth would that be considered seductive?!

    How deprived must Huo Shaoheng have been to be seduced by the twelve-year-old Gu Nianzhi who looked like a barrel, or any twelve-year-old for that matter?!

    However, this showed something. It showed that the person who had written this novel only knew certain parts of the real story. Therefore, this person must not be from inside the Special Forces. She knew this because those from the Special Forces remembered how Gu Nianzhi looked when she was twelve. Therefore, none of them could havee up with such a ¡°masterpiece¡±...

    Of course, there was a high possibility that this person did not know much about the details. If not, they would never have guessed that Huo Shaoheng had been requested by the army to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian only after rescuing her when she was twelve.

    Although that had happened, seeing that her reputation was being tarnished to this extent by someone else made her feel as though her heart was being thrown into a puddle of mud and stepped on many times. It seemed like this person would not be satisfied until her reputation was tarnished beyond recognition.

    Gu Nianzhi controlled herself and her trembling, biting her lips tightly until it was bleeding. She tasted a hint of blood before she snapped back to reality.

    When she thought about it properly, this author was not only trying to tarnish Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation. More importantly, this person was trying to tarnish Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation!

    As a young, highly-ranked major general with an amazing career ahead of him, and as someone who had just be a highly-ranked major general with a lot of fame online, his reputation was in danger of being tarnished by this online author. It was too much to be true!

    With her fists clenched, Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly andughed coldly.

    Did this person wish to stir nonsense?

    She was more than happy to join the fun.

    She calmed herself and traced the author¡¯s main page to take a look. This author was a new author who had already written a couple of short novels. Looking at the timeline of the person¡¯s Weibo ount, this novel had just been uploaded less than an hour before.

    However, this author had a limited number of followers, and therefore the novel had not been viewed too many times. Although this author had fewer than a hundred followers, there were already a good number ofments on this novel.

    A series of ¡°please write more,¡± ¡°let us share this¡±ments and likes on the post were too abnormally neat and annoying.

    Gu Nianzhiughed coldly again.

    It was only too obvious that this author was trying to bring Huo Shaoheng down!

    Being a highly ranked major general in the army and being mentioned in such a high-profile manner on social media, even having a novel about him... This was neither support nor protection. This was about trying to tarnish his reputation on purpose and putting up obstacles for his future career progression.

    On the surface, the novel¡¯s direction was clear. The person who would have the most impact would be Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shaoheng was a man. Therefore, the author did not tarnish himpletely.

    However, the practical consequences would not be as simple as that. From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s point of view, such a move from the author was beyond stupid. While this novel was tarnishing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation, it was also bringing Huo Shaoheng down to the extent that he would not be able to recover from it.

    Although it was stupid, it was also extremely vicious.

    With such a novel surfacing and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s recent poprity, the moment a popr validated ount holder shared the novel, it would create a major impact on social media. The consequences would be dire.

    Gu Nianzhi continued pondering over it, instinctively feeling that this was linked to the Cais somehow.

    On the first day of the lunar new year, Cai Songyin, Tan Guiren, and Cai Shengnan had been put down in front of Huo Shaoheng. This was them they were trying to take revenge!

    However, if they were only seeking a temporary form of revenge, why were they lessening their chances of getting Huo Shaoheng as their son-inw anymore?

    This was too vicious for that, wasn¡¯t it...?

    If Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation was put down so much that he would be unable to recover from it, would they still be willing to marry their precious daughter off to him?

    Whether Huo Shaoheng would marry her or not aside, Gu Nianzhi was trying to put herself in the shoes of an idiot as she pondered this. She could see from this incident that the Cais, who had been controlling the media ever since Tan Dongbang was cleared of his impeachment, had gone overboard.

    They were too confident that they would be able to control the discussion, reasoning that if they could tarnish someone¡¯s reputation at one moment, they would be able to make someone popr again the next.

    As long as their target behaved...

    Gu Nianzhi was someone who strongly believed in knowing who your opponent was before you could win your battle.¡±

    When it was her who needed to solve the problem, she would have to win against an idiot. To do so, she would have to know how an idiot would think. Had this not been the case, her opponent would be using their strong experience as idiots to defeat her.

    Gu Nianzhi opened herptop and turned on her hacker software. Fine then, since she¡¯d already ended work early for the day, she would see who on earth this author really was.

 Chapter 975 - An Old Friend Appears

    <h4>975 An Old Friend Appears</h4>

    Upon turning on her hacker software, Gu Nianzhi habitually hid her IP address first, then proceeded to use someone else¡¯s IP to return to the author¡¯s main page. She checked out the situation and realized that the author was online!

    Looking at her watch, it was about seven-ish o¡¯clock in the evening. The novel had been posted about an hour ago, at six o¡¯clock. Now, the author was online again at seven odd o¡¯clock. Was this author trying to refresh their novel, or was the author trying to have a chat session with their fans?

    Without hesitating, Gu Nianzhi sent the author a direct message as bait to lure the author into talking to her. The author saw her message almost instantaneously.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direct message from the hacker software masked her identity and made her look like support staff from Weibo, saying that there was an issue with their ount and requesting them to confirm their identity.

    This was the easiest hacking method. Gu Nianzhi intended to give this a try first. If the person did not bite the bait within five minutes, she would use another method.

    However, Gu Nianzhi only had to wait three minutes for the person¡¯s ount and password details to appear in her hacker mailbox. With the information on hand, Gu Nianzhi logged into the author¡¯s ount and downloaded all the contents from their ount.

    She downloaded everything including their direct messages with others from the ount, the author¡¯s login IP, and login address. Then, she deleted the message that she had sent before she clearing out all traces of her having logged in and logged out of the ount. Then, she changed the website of her sending website, making it so that the author could never find the website where they had keyed in their credentials.

    After she had settled everything, Gu Nianzhi quickly looked through all the data in front of her. Then, she downloaded it to analyze. She realized almost immediately that this person had close contact with the owner of another Weibo ount.

    To put it simply, someone had contacted this author a couple of days before and given them a huge sum of money to write a novel. The outline and names of the characters had all been decided upon by this person, and this person had even nned ways to promote the novel.

    The mastermind was also putting a lot of effort into pretending that this novel was bing popr on its own. Because they wanted this novel to look like it had gotten popr on its own, they had prepared a grand n to execute. They intended to let this novel be popr after two to three days. That was why the novel had not been promoted yet. The situation was still within their control.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. However, almost immediately after, she realized that right before this incident, the ount of this author had only three fans! Therefore, the 90 odd fans that this author had on their Weibo ount were bots from inte marketers. But only authors of some quality would have been able to write something like this, wouldn¡¯t they?

    This author was desperate to be famous and rich at the same time. Those who were slightly popr and treasured their own work would never ept bribes to do such dirty tricks as this. They had to know that writing novels to tarnish one¡¯s reputation was illegal in the Hua Xia Empire.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to look at the private messages exchanged between these two ounts.

    The person had confidently assured the author that this would not sabotage the author in any way. They said that the author had ¡°someone behind them¡± to support them. Then, the person reassured the author again that the author would never meet with any legal repercussions.

    Seeing words like ¡°legal repercussions,¡± Gu Nianzhi tapped her slender fingers on her desk. She wolf-whistled, not able to contain her emotions.

    This person knew what legal repercussions were?

    They had a professional behind them?

    Gu Nianzhi felt energetic all of a sudden, not at all tired anymore. She felt her fighting spirit surging through her.

    The author¡¯s true identity was quickly revealed to Gu Nianzhi. He was a mere amateur online author who had all of his mind focused on bing famous. He had just turned into a full-time online author and was working from home. He wanted to write a novel so good that it could make him famous overnight...

    He was not exactly special.

    The more important issue now was to look for the owner of the ount that the author had been conversing with. Gu Nianzhi traced the ount and found the person¡¯s Weibo ount.

    She managed to discover that this person owned an ount in arge-scale private limitedpany that dealt specially with personal rtions! He was the one who had sent a private message to the author and gotten him into this, writing untrue facts to tarnish Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation and give Huo Shaoheng a warning along the way.

    Thispany was only too familiar to Gu Nianzhi.

    When she¡¯d been investigating the affair between Gu Yanran and Tan Dongbang, she had investigated this entertainmentpany. It belonged to the Cai family and was managed by Cai Songyin personally.

    Haha, this was made for a news story!

    However, could the mastermind be found so easily?

    After saving all the information she had uncovered, Gu Nianzhi still felt that something was amiss. If Cai Songyin was really the one who had ordered someone to do this, why would she be so ruthless? Hadn¡¯t she already given in so many times for the sake of Tan Guiren? Didn¡¯t she want to be on good terms with the Huos?

    If this novel spread, Gu Nianzhi would not be the only one whose reputation was tarnished. The person who would receive the most negativity would be Huo Shaoheng.

    Think about it... A highly ranked major general who was still climbing up his careerdder and had an amazing future ahead of him could bepletely tarnished by a short novel of fewer than 3,000 words...

    Under such circumstances, even if Huo Shaoheng was greedy for power and authority, he would never get together with Tan Guiren. Therefore, if Cai Songyin was the mastermind behind this, Gu Nianzhi could only draw two conclusions.

    First, Cai Songyin was reluctant to let Huo Shaoheng be with Tan Guiren. Therefore, she was going all out to destroy Huo Shaoheng¡¯s future. That way, Tan Guiren would never get to be with Huo Shaoheng, no matter how much she wanted it.

    Second, Cai Songyin felt that she could manage to control the media to such an extent. Did she believe that she could tarnish Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation in one minute, then force his reputation back to being positive in the next?

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. Cai Songyin had sessfully used the media to make Tan Dongbang be the Prime Minister. Her knowledge of the media was simply not that shallow.

    What the media could control was the views ofizens. What would that be? If she used an old saying to describe this, she would say that the views ofizens were like water. Water was able to make a boat sail or sink. If a single mistake was made, the boat that had seemed so safe and friendly could capsize immediately, drowning the people who had dared y around with the views of theizens.

    Therefore, even if she had be big-headed due to her ability to use the media to make Tan Dongbang the Prime Minister, she would never be so big-headed that it deteriorated her intelligence. As such, the second conclusion could not be rted to Cai Songyin.

    Gu Nianzhi pondered over this issue carefully and looked through the official ount of the PRpany for a bit. Suddenly, she realized that the ount¡¯s private message mailbox seemed to be too clean. It was so clean that there were no traces of evidence in it at all.

    This meant that when the ount holder of this Weibo ount sent a private message to the author, only the author saved the conversation. This ount holder had deleted all the chat history on their end. They had not only deleted all the messages that were exchanged between them and the author, but they had also deleted all their work-rted private messages.

    Did they have to delete everything so thoroughly...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She hacked into the control system of Weibo and searched for their back up data. This PR officer could only delete the data from his ount, but the backup data of the messages were saved in the control system of Weibo.

    After flipping through their records from the past 10 days, Gu Nianzhi found the records of the person deleting his data on Weibo...

    ¡°Such a good boy. You are really the PR of the entertainmentpany.¡±

    The number of private messages was really crazy! Gu Nianzhi looked through the messages quickly. After a short while, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were fixed on something as she realized that something else was amiss.

    On the first day of the lunar new year, a secret ount had contacted this PR officer. This secret ount holder had instructed the PR officer to look for an author who was not very famous to write a short novel to tarnish the reputation of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng as well.

    This PR officer was reluctant at first, since the instructions he¡¯d received were to get someone to focus on how shameless Gu Nianzhi was and to make Huo Shaoheng appear as someone who did not falter in any circumstance.

    However, this secret ount offered an amount that this PR officer could not refuse. This amount wasrge enough to buy the entirepany he worked for.

    It was 300 times his annual sry of about 30,000 dors.

    It was only due to such an amount being offered that this PR officer was willing to take the risk of going against Cai Songyin¡¯s orders and changing the novel¡¯s requirement to tarnishing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation and secretly tarnishing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation at the same time. The important point was that Huo Shaoheng would be so affected by this usation that he would never be able to progress in his career ever again.

    Gu Nianzhi continued investigating and looked at the secret ount that had contacted this PR officer. However, when she followed the data from the backup data in the system, Gu Nianzhi realized that that the Weibo ount had already been deleted!

    With such a careful covering of tracks, it seemed like this person had really wanted to stir up some nonsense...

    Gu Nianzhi was, however, getting more excited. She had always been someone who liked to face her challenges with equal vigor. She was also strong on her own. The tougher the issue was, the more Gu Nianzhi wanted to try to solve it. Of course, she could even hack into the internal site of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany all on her own, much less a website like Weibo with so many security loopholes!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers flew across her keyboard, keying in string after string ofmands as she hacked into the customer service machine for Weibo.

    Thest time she had been unable to enter Weibo¡¯s customer service system had been because the ount had been deleted. When a user deletes their ount, it did not mean that they have truly deleted the ount. The website would usually just shift the ount from the usual security folder to a folder that wasbeled ¡°inactive.¡±

    The security measures in the ¡°inactive¡± folder were way lower than those in the active one. Likest time, upon opening the software to decode the ount ID and passwords, it only took Gu Nianzhi less than a second before she managed to find the user ID and password of the secret ount.

    Upon decoding the user ID and password, Gu Nianzhi entered an open area. Very soon, she managed to find all the information and conversation histories there. She quickly downloaded them all.

    She used a time sequence as a guide, managing to find the data from the day when the secret ount had contacted the owner of the author. In the records, there was also the login IP of that mystery person.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the IP details and the corners of her eyes twitched.

    It was all too familiar. It was almost like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s old friend...

    Wasn¡¯t that the useless IP that had appeared during the affair between Gu Yanran and Tan Dongbang? Seeing this useless IP, Gu Nianzhi heaved a long sigh, like she had been expecting this, but at the same time, she felt like she had not.

    She felt as though the long sword of Damocles finally had the potential to fall. After beating around the bushes so many times, she had returned to square one again.

    ¡°There was a nice path in heaven for you, but you prefer going to a hell that has no door...¡±

 Chapter 976 - Digging Your Own Grave

    <h4>976 Digging Your Own Grave</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at this empty IP address with her eyes narrowed. The situation was way moreplicated than she had imagined it to be. However, it was notplicated to the extent that she could not get it settled on her own.

    After pondering over it for a while, Gu Nianzhi decided on a n.

    Her intention had initially been to report Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany for having online marketingpanies to create false fan bases for ounts, and for intentionally tarnishing the reputation of a high ranking official of the country¡¯s army. Based on Cai Songyin¡¯s position as the wife of the prime minister, this was something that would be deemed an extremely serious matter.

    However, after reading the novel and finding this empty IP address, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intention and mindset quickly changed.

    Firstly, this novel was going way too overboard. She could not take the risk of allowing any other people to see this. The author¡¯sputer had also been hacked along the way by Gu Nianzhi, and the hard disk that he¡¯d used to save the novel had been thoroughly reformatted by her.

    As for cloud storage, Gu Nianzhi was using her software to search through it to scan for keywords indicating that the author had saved the novel in his cloud storage.

    As of now, that process was already eighty percentplete. There were still no signs of him having saved the novel on the cloud. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi had most likely already destroyed the novel entirely.

    As for the content of the novel that the author could remember, that didn¡¯t matter. The things that Gu Nianzhi would be doing next would allow that author to know the dire consequences of what he had done. Even if he had remembered every single word by heart, this online author would have to keep them in his mind and keep mum about them until he died.

    Gu Nianzhi would not be reporting Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany. She wanted to use a method that was way harsher than that so Cai Songyin would be able to have a good taste of her own medicine. Cai Songyin would understand what it meant to dig her own grave!

    Therefore, the very first thing that Gu Nianzhi would do would be to let Huo Shaoheng¡¯s poprity decrease online first, preventing people from linking to any outside sources about him.

    How could she do that?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes fell onto that empty IP again. She remembered that this empty IP had appeared back when she was investigating the leak of Gu Yanran and Tan Dongbang¡¯s indecent video.

    Didn¡¯t Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang both like to use dirty tricks like this to tarnish the reputations of others? Therefore, the best way to attack them would be to use their own methods on them. However, Gu Nianzhi could not deny that, although they were dirty and low, tricks like these were the most efficient. They worked the same way no matter what you used it on ¨C especially on gossip.

    The majority of people loved news like this. Therefore, the efficiency with which it would spread would be extremely high. Those in the media industry would know about it. Therefore, since Cai Songyin wanted to start this game, she could not me Gu Nianzhi for ying along.

    The high definition videos of Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin that Gu Nianzhi had been saving for so long could finally be put to good use now.

    She took the videos from herputer and looked through them quickly. This time around, she was not satisfied that only Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran had appeared in the video.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled upwards, forming a sly smile.

    She opened the editing software on herputer and searched online for a few things. She found clips online of people talking to Cai Songyin. She cut them up and put them into the video of Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran. Then, she used the song ¡°Lost Rivers¡± as background music.

    The two-person video was immediately transformed into one featuring three-people. While Prime Minister Tan was having a ¡°war in bed¡± with Gu Yanran, Cai Songyin was soon filming it with a video camera off to the side and a smile on her face...

    To let everyone know who the people were in this affair, Gu Nianzhi intentionally added name tags in the video. She used the Hollywood method to achieve this. Afterpleting everything, she realized that it had only taken her thirty minutes.

    When she logged in to Weibo again, she realized that the online author had already gone offline. What a perfect coincidence! She would be able to use this person¡¯s Weibo ount to her heart¡¯s content.

    After this five-minute edited video finished rendering, Gu Nianzhi logged in to the author¡¯s ount again and helped him create a brand new post.

    The post went read: ¡°Shocking secret news. I did not expect this of you, Prime Minister!¡±

    After that, Gu Nianzhi used a program that runs in the background to change the post about the novel to this video, then made it a non-editable post.

    Gu Nianzhi had dealt them a huge blow this time around. She had even edited some of the background programmings of Weibo. Thankfully she had realized it in time. The novel had not been backed up by Weibo. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi did not have to look through the backup data of all the deleted data on Weibo again.

    The novel had been thoroughly destroyed. The link in the post would now direct users to that five-minute video. Unless Weibo turned off their entire website, that video would be at the top of their page for everyone to see!

    The novel had been swapped with a video, but the link that was supposed to promote it had already been sent. This change was undetected, and no other parties noticed the change at all.

    At eight o¡¯clock in the evening, the program to promote the link started working. ording to the original n, three hours after the novel was sent out, the big validated ount called ¡°Sometimes¡± that had been bribed by Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany was tagged in the post.

    The moment he saw it, ¡°he got a shock¡± and reposted it immediately with the caption: ¡°A piece with good content and amazing internal stories.¡± To put it simply, this verified ount would be promoting it as well.

    Just as Gu Nianzhi had expected, the moment the verified ount was added to the story, the online marketing ounts that were tagged to this ount began working as well. All of Weibo was ¡°shocked¡± by this little video in no time.

    To be fair, the owner of this verified ount did not even know what was in the link. He only knew that it was a video. However, the cover of the video was a row of words that looked extremely in. He thought that it was a music video that was made to pair up with the novel, and therefore he reposted it without watching.

    In his opinion, the number of advertisingpanies that wanted him to endorse their products was countless. All he had to was make a couple of clicks and hundreds of thousands of dors would be transferred into his ount, so why not?

    With the promotion of these validated ounts, their online marketing ounts, and Cai Songyin¡¯s online marketing ounts, the video shot to fame within five minutes. Even media representatives from other cities who had been following them silently had gotten their hands on this video.

    No matter what, this was a video that showed their Prime Minister having a ¡°bed war.¡± It was definitely a treasure!

    Therefore, by nine o¡¯clock in the evening on the fourteenth day of the lunar new year, a five-minute video on Weibo had attracted the attention of everyone on the site. Weibo¡¯s entire system was practically paralyzed.

    However, Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany had its eyes on the support staff of Weibo. They were forcing them to maintain the support system and not allow any issues to arise.

    The broadcastingpany that was showing a prentern festival program was also shocked at this piece of news. They stopped the program that they were broadcasting and began broadcasting the video that had captured the attention of everyone on Weibo.

    Those who¡¯d been busy gushing over Huo Shaoheng on television disappeared without a trace. Almost everyone¡¯s attention was on the five-minute video that had just surged to poprity on Weibo.

    Some had already watched this video before, but the man and their surroundings had been blurred out in that version. Only the woman¡¯s image had been shown.

    This time around, not only was the man¡¯s image was clear, but there was also a third party who was holding a video camera! Then, in a blink of an eye, everyone followed the subtitles on the screen and recognized the man in the video as the prime minister that they had voted for ¨C the person who had just gotten away with his impeachment ¨C Prime Minister Tan Dongbang!

    The woman who was in the ¡®bed war¡¯ with him was the person who had been rumored to be his mistress, Gu Yanran! As for the middle-aged woman who was holding the video recording camera off to the side, she was none other than his wife, Cai Songyin!

    Seeing Prime Minister Tan and Mrs. Tan appear in the video at the same time made the meaning behind extremely different!

    By the time this video had be popr throughout the Hua Xia Empire, Cai Songyin¡¯s higher management at the entertainmentpany finally realized that something was amiss. Where was the 3,000-word novel that they had initially agreed upon?!

    What was this video that had gotten the attention of everyone on Weibo?!

    ¡°Who sent it? I will sue this person to death! Also, delete it! Delete it quickly!¡± The higher management was almost having a heart attack due to fear. He held onto his phone, sitting in front of hisputer and contacting every single person he could think of to delete the video.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care how much money we¡¯ll spend! Delete that damn video quickly!¡±

    ¡°What did you say?! Unable to delete it?! What in the world do you mean?! It didn¡¯t get posted on Weibo by itself! Can¡¯t you get the owner of the ount to delete it?!¡±

    The human resource officer who had already contacted the online author quickly replied, ¡°Director, it¡¯s not possible. The author said that he is unable to delete it. He even said that it was not uploaded by him. His ount was hacked!¡±

    The higher management was not convinced. ¡°Bullsh*t! Contact the management of Weibo and say that I am the one who wants the content from that author¡¯s profile deleted! Get them to do it from the back end system!¡±

    This human resource officer was truly responsible. The moment he sensed that something was amiss, he contacted that online author immediately and asked him what was going on.

    That online author had wailed and said that his ount had been hacked. He did not know anything about the video at all...

    The human resource officer had to appease the online author as well. If the author had blurted the truth out, everyone would be in deep trouble. Therefore, the human resource officer spoke up for the online author. ¡°Director, I have contacted the management of Weibo already. However, their management said that they were unable to delete it. It seems like their programming end is faulty! They¡¯ve been hacked as well!¡±

    ¡°There are things that even the back end management cannot delete?! Do you think that I am a fool when ites to technical things?!¡±

    The higher management of Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany red at the pleading eyes of his staff and felt that he was about to have that same look on his face soon enough...

    He had no other choice left anymore. He could only call management personally and try every method possible to delete that video or to shut the website down temporarily.

    It was not the time to push the me right now. The most important issue was getting that video off the website as soon as possible!

    ¡°Director, it is not that we do not wish to delete it. The technical team of Weibo has been trying for the past ten minutes. However, the back end just cannot delete it! We have no idea what has gone wrong either. Moreover, you were the ones who used marketing settings. Can¡¯t you stop it on your end?!¡±

    ¡°Damn it. If I could do it on my end, would I even be asking you?! Seriously! A bunch of good for nothings!¡±

    The higher management of the entertainmentpany ranted for the next fifteen minutes before realizing that the video was still spreading like wildfire. Finally, he copsed on the sofa.

 Chapter 977 - Someone Got in Halfway

    <h4>Chapter 977 Someone Got in Halfway</h4>

    At this point, Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin were still ignorant of what had happened. They were having a scrumptious meal with Tan Guiren, the Tans, and the Cais in a luxurious hotel.

    They were having a reunion dinner because Tan Dongbang had needed to attend the dinner for thentern festival on thest day of the lunar new year at the broadcasting station. The two families only gathered once in a blue moon. The dishes had just been served. They had not even begun eating yet because they were too busy catching up with each other. Just then, Cai Songyin¡¯s phone rang.

    She took a nce at the screen and realized that it was a call from her personal assistant. Her personal assistant was probably worried that she would not pick up her phone, so she¡¯d sent Cai Songyin a text message as well. It read, ¡°Director Cai, go on Weibo immediately! A video about Prime Minister Tan, Gu Yanran, and yourself has leaked...¡±

    What video was that?

    It was of Gu Yanran, Prime Minister Tan, and herself?

    Cai Songyin felt that it was ridiculous, but was also slightly put off. It was total nonsense. She knew there were videos of Gu Yanran and Prime Minister Tan, but which one had ever included her?

    By then, in the VIP room where everyone was having dinner, more people were using their phones. Some of them started looking at her with a strange look in their eyes. Cai Songyin sensed that something was amiss all of a sudden.

    She opened Weibo in a state of panic and looked at the top ten hot searches. They were all about the video of Prime Minister Tan and Mrs. Tan! Those numbers were real and had not been produced by online marketing ounts.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she clicked on a link. The images that appeared on her phone almost made her throw her phone away!

    ¡°Who on earth did this?! I am going to sue this person! I will definitely sue this person! This is too overboard! How can someone tarnish the image of the prime minister like that!? Does this person wish to die?!¡±

    Cai Songyin knew which video it was the moment her eyesnded on it, realizing it immediately that it had been edited. She knew this because she had definitely not been in the original video, yet some daredevil had added shots of her to this dirty video!

    Although she was only holding a video camera off to the side in the edited video, she could not ept it at all. She wanted to puke just from thinking about it! She could not take this lying down!

    Cai Songyin had always had a fiery temper. With Tan Dongbang listening to her and everyone around her trying to kiss up to her, she had be a little too full of herself recently.

    With a m of her fist on the table, Cai Songyin stood up and ran into the small adjoining room beside the dining area and returned the call to her personal assistant. ¡°What do you think you are paid to do?! How can you allow such a video to spread like wildfire online?! Did I offer you such a high sry just so you could be an onlooker like everyone else?! Go get me awyer and send the person who posted that video a cease and desist letter! Get Weibo to remove those hot searches! Take that video down from the entire inte!¡±

    Cai Songyin screamed so loud that her blood vessels appeared all over her skin. She grabbed her phone so tightly that her fingers looked like a chicken¡¯s foot.

    Her personal assistant was almost in tears on the other end of the line. ¡°Director Cai, we are already putting in a lot of effort! We have already called up the management of Weibo to get that video off the inte and contacted the office that is in charge of the inte. But... but... There was something wrong with Weibo¡¯s backend system. Their technical department has already been at it for the past half an hour but they still have not managed to bring it down. They can¡¯t even hide it!¡±

    ¡°Our Creative Director just suffered a heart attack due to this. We have already called an ambnce and sent him to the hospital. I think something is really wrong. This is not something that can be solved by a normalpany. You are the wife of the prime minister. Could you... Could you please seek the help of the secret departments to settle this issue?¡±

    Cai Songyin immediately thought of Huo Shaoheng. However... However... if she went to Huo Shaoheng for help, he would discover the short novel meant to tarnish the reputation of Gu Nianzhi and himself, the one that she had gotten an online author to write!

    Cai Songyin shook her head and threw the thought to the back of her mind. She asked her personal assistant again, ¡°What about that novel? How was it publicized? Bring it down immediately!¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s personal assistant almost wanted to kowtow to her since she still remembered the novel. ¡°Di... Director Cai, we initially intended to publicize that novel. However, we do not know what happened to it. The link that the online author sent us contained this video!¡±

    Cai Songyin felt dizzy. She felt as though someone had hit her on the head with a huge hammer. She began seeing stars and started wavering. She stuck out her hand and supported herself against the wall before she fell. Cai Songyin broke out in cold sweat, feeling a mixture of anger, shame, and the desire to die.

    Who had done this?!

    This person was so clever that he¡¯d managed to discover her ns, then change her publicizing link without anyone knowing!

    Due to her fear of involving the Special Forces, the first thought that came to Cai Songyin¡¯s mind was that Huo Shaoheng had discovered her plot and attacked first!

    However, she thought about it again. If it had really been Huo Shaoheng, wouldn¡¯t he be afraid of making mistakes in the army? He was someone with an extremely bright future ahead of him. Even if he had found out about Cai Songyin getting someone to write a novel to tarnish Gu Nianzhi and his reputation, he could have just gotten it deleted and sent her a warning. He would not have done something so heartless, would he?

    Moreover, Cai Songyin remembered that the outline that she had gotten her trusted subordinate to do up was something that would thoroughly tarnish Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation. As for Huo Shaoheng, she had not intended to bring him downpletely. She had made sure that it would not destroy his future.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s n had been great. However, she had not expected that her ns would be tampered with by someone. Someone had gotten in halfway and used her methods and resources, wanting to bring Huo Shaoheng down.

    That mastermind had not realized that their exquisite n would be destroyed by Gu Nianzhi alone, or that it would be turned around to bring Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin down.

    Cai Songyin felt like she was in a huge maze with mirrors all over it. The person she saw in the reflection looked beyond wretched... She wailed and fell to the ground, grabbing her hair. She was on the brink of breaking down.

    Tan Guiren was already worried about Cai Songyin when she ran to the adjoining room. Hearing Cai Songyin¡¯s wail, Tan Guiren ran towards her. ¡°What happened, mummy?¡±

    Cai Shengnan followed behind Tan Guiren. With a stern face, she passed the phone to Tan Guiren. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Cai Songyin snapped back to her senses the moment she saw Tan Guiren. She snatched the phone from Cai Shengnan¡¯s hands. ¡°How can you show such a dirty thing to Guigui?! Did water seep into your brain just now, Shengnan?!¡±

    Cai Shengnan blew her top upon hearing this. However, seeing that her little aunt¡¯s family had met with something like this and would be in a bad mood, she controlled herself. Suppressing her temper, she said, ¡°What do you intend to do now, aunt? What is going on with this video?¡±

    Of course, Cai Songyin would never tell her the truth. Moreover, the video had been edited, adding Cai Songyin to it. It was already fake news. Therefore, she said angrily, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®what is going on¡¯?! We were maligned! Your uncle is now the prime minister. Do you even know how many people are jealous?! We already fought about this some time back. We did not expect their photoshop skills to have improved so much!¡±

    Cai Shengnan said in shock, ¡°These are all photoshopped? I could not tell at all...¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Cai Songyin rolled her eyes. ¡°You are awyer, Shengnan. I will be engaging you to be my personalwyer from now on. We will sue... We will sue that hacker!¡±

    She did not dare to say that she would sue the online author that had posted the video, because she did not know if her subordinates had done a clean job and left any loopholes for that author. If they had not left anything, she would sue the online author as well. However, if he had something against them...

    A chill ran down Cai Songyin¡¯s spine. She shuddered thinking about the consequences. Right now, she regretted her actions more than anything. Why had she had that stupid idea?!

    Even if she¡¯d wanted to prank Gu Nianzhi, she should have gotten herself out of it properly first...

    She could only me herself for being overlycent. She had not expected that there would still be people who would dare to sabotage her! She could not understand it no matter what. How had such a perfect n been leaked and made use of?!

    ¡°No problem.¡± Cai Shengnan agreed instantaneously. However, she tried to talk to Cai Songyin carefully. ¡°I will sue that online author who posted the link as well. But aunt, shouldn¡¯t such things be handled by a third partywyer engaged by uncle¡¯s cab? Think about it, this video was trying to tarnish the reputation of the cab¡¯s prime minister and the wife of the prime minister. Shouldn¡¯t the legal department of the cab step in?¡±

    Cai Shengnan was scheming to a certain extent.

    Firstly, being the officialwyer engaged by the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s cab¡¯s legal department and being thewyer of a defendant were entirely different things. The former would look amazing in awyer¡¯s portfolio, and thetter would just be a normal case.

    Also, she could only receive her rightfulwyer¡¯s fees if she was to be an officially engagedwyer by the legal department of the cab. If she agreed to be her aunt¡¯swyer just like that, she would most likely not be able to get paid...

 Chapter 978

    <h4>978 Crisis Managemen</h4>

    Cai Songyin felt very distraught and waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Very well, go call the person you know and tell them I said that we were framed. Have him hire you as ourwyer to represent us in thewsuit.¡±

    ¡°Auntie, maybe it¡¯s better for you or uncle to go say it? Will it even matter if I say it?¡± While Cai Shengnan was eager to give it a try, she still wanted to save face and have a better guarantee.

    Cai Songyin rolled her eyes at her. ¡°I have important things to discuss with your uncle, go find this person yourself. He¡¯s your uncle¡¯s former deputy, so he will surely listen.¡±

    ¡°Okay then.¡± Cai Shengnan received the assurance she needed and immediately called Cai Songyin¡¯s acquaintance.

    Cai Songyin had Tan Guiren call Tan Dongbang inside and passed the phone to him. Her face was ashen as she remarked, ¡°Dongbang, have a look at the trouble you¡¯ve caused. I¡¯ll wait and see how you clean it up this time!¡±

    Tan Dongbang had just returned from having a drink outside, so he was very confused to see their two families suddenly looking at him so strangely.

    When he came in for dinner, Ca Songyin told him to get along with their family. She took his phone away so he couldn¡¯t read the news.

    Now that Cai Songyin returned the phone to him, he finally looked down at it. As soon as he looked, he was so shocked that he nearly flung the phone away.

    ¡°What... What on earth is this? Who is this blogger? Why is he framing me?! I¡¯ll send someone to arrest him! I will sue him! I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s in jail for life!¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s heart dropped as she quickly replied, ¡°This blogger was also hacked by someone, so what¡¯s the point of you suing him? And you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s framed you?! He¡¯s clearly framing me!¡±

    Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang were the only people left in the small separate room, so they didn¡¯t have any reservations about closing the door and arguing angrily.

    ¡°Right, right, right, he¡¯s framing you and also smearing me! Wasn¡¯t there no clear image of me in this video before?! Why did it appear again?!¡± Tan Dongbang¡¯s face switched between being red and pale. He looked quite awful.

    He could no longer think about how he would be attending the Lunar New Year g tomorrow and giving a Lunar New Year speech to the entire nation!

    Cai Songyin leaned against the wall and coldly watched Tan Dongbang¡¯s pathetic and defeated expression. She snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about who did such a nasty thing! The most important thing right now is topletely delete this short video from the inte!¡±

    Gu Yanran was already a lost cause since she had already be infamous from the first video.

    But that wasn¡¯t the case for Tan Dongbang. Even though Cai Songyin¡¯s rtionship with him had been damaged, they were still officially husband and wife. Also, what kind of position did Tan Dongbang hold?

    This wasn¡¯t a respectable thing for someone of his position to do.

    The truth was, this current crisis was even more tricky than when Tan Dongbang had been impeached.

    Being impeached could still be regarded as an open and fair battle. As long as Tan Dongbang won thewsuit, there would be no damage to his reputation and prestige. In fact, it could even be a bonus.

    As far as the impeachment process was concerned, the requirements would be much more stringent than the first impeachment if other parties were to initiate a second one.

    Cai Songyin was confident that Tan Dongbang would not be impeached a second time.

    However, the short video hadpletely humiliated Tan Dongbang this time around. It was like cutting his flesh with a dull knife.

    Cai Songyin felt suffocated as soon as she thought about it.

    Who was it?

    Who would be so vicious?!

    In a certain corner of her heart, she somehow knew that this incident had something to do with Huo Shaoheng. But from a logical perspective, she also refused to believe this spection. Huo Shaoheng was obviously traveling in the military with General Ji. Cai Songyin knew their exact daily itinerary.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s personnel had a far reach within the media world. Although the news media apanying the base troops was a part of the military itself, it still belonged in the media industry. As a result, they had a myriad of connections with each other.

    Because of this, Cai Songyin knew that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have a minute or second¡¯s opportunity to do such a thing. In the past 14 days, Huo Shaoheng and General Ji had been followed by the news media from all angles and without any blind spots.

    It was due to this that Cai Songyin had the gall to build online momentum for Huo Shaoheng. She¡¯d given him a taste of what it was like to be inte famous, then used a short essay to knock him back down. Afterward, she would have someone step in to help Huo Shaoheng salvage his reputation.

    And she would give Tan Guiren the credit for all of this. Cai Songyin would make Huo Shaoheng realize that it was because of Tan Guiren¡¯s total devotion to him that she¡¯d convinced Cai Songyin to help him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feelings were bound to change in the process of falling from the peak of fame to rock bottom, then rising from rock bottom back to the peak.

    He would realize that when it came to personal characteristics and family backgrounds, Tan Guiren was the woman best suited for him.

    Unfortunately, her merry n didn¡¯t get a chance to be put into action before she was plunged into this totally passive and desperate situation.

    From the looks of things now, Huo Shaoheng was not the one about to fall from the peak to rock bottom. Instead, it would be their family...

    Cai Songyin¡¯s eyes turned red as she red at Tan Dongbang. ¡°Hurry up and make the call!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call my subordinate right away and have himmand the social mediapany to delete this!¡± Tan Dongbang was reminded by Cai Songyin, so he frantically found his subordinate¡¯s number on his phone.

    As he made the call, the subordinate was also reading the news and awaiting Tan Dongbang¡¯s instructions.

    ¡°...Hurry up andmand them to solve the problem immediately! Regardless if it¡¯s deleting it or covering it up, it needs to be removed no matter what!¡± Tan Dongbang gripped the phone and put a hand on his waist as he stood in the separate area, so angry that his face turned red and his neck puffed out.

    ¡°What?! They can¡¯t delete it?! Then what should we do?!¡±

    When Tan Dongbang heard that the mediapany was experiencing technical difficulties and was unable to delete or block the short video, he finally felt the great disaster approaching for the first time.

    He hadn¡¯t felt this helpless even when he was being impeached.

    Who on earth was the mastermind behind this?!

    Did they want him to die?!

    As soon as Cai Songyin heard this, she immediately grabbed the phone from Tan Dongbang and said gravely, ¡°If they can¡¯t think of a solution for this in five minutes, they shouldn¡¯t dream of getting next year¡¯s license!¡±

    Without a state-approved license, this mediapany would have to shut down.

    This was the cruelest trick she had.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s subordinate immediately forwarded thismand to the management of the mediapany. He told them, ¡°If you can¡¯t solve this problem in five minutes, you can wait for the business to close down and file bankruptcy and go into liquidation!¡±

    The executives finally panicked and, after having an emergency meeting with all the major shareholders, they found the technical director to ask him, ¡°How much longer will it take to solve this problem? You still have three minutes left.¡±

    The technical director was anxious when he heard that theirpany would be shut down immediately if they couldn¡¯t solve this problem. ¡°There is a solution, but I¡¯m afraid that it will cause huge losses!¡±

    ¡°What loss could berger than having thepany shut down? Hurry up and tell me now!¡± The CEO of the social mediapany was livid, brandishing his fists and wanting nothing more than to punch the technical director in the face.

    ¡°We have to shut down all the servers, then restart using the backup data from a few days ago.¡± The technical director awkwardly managed to cough. ¡°But this will cause us to face huge data losses. It may even result in legal issues.¡±

    In the past year, they had somehow angered a powerful person and were constantly hacked. They had already restarted with backup data twice...

    ¡°Nevermind that, we can talk about future things as long as this works!¡± The CEO brandished hisrge hand. ¡°Hurry up and do it! Shut down all the servers and restart using backup data from a few days ago!¡±

    The CEO made the decision, so the technical director immediately informed theirpany¡¯s serverwork administrators around the world to shut down all their servers!

    This instantly caused a huge ruckus.

    Theirpany imed to have hundreds of millions of users, and there were over 100 million active users daily.

    So when they shut down all worldwide servers without any warning, the economic loss was trivial since the key point was the extremely negative impact on users.

    They also had theirpetitors to deal with.

    Taking advantage of this situation, several of theirpetitors rushed to attract new users by offering all sorts of offers to steal many of the users.

    But no matter what, they finally deleted the short video.

    Afterward, someone secretly stepped in to delete all links and content rted to the video.

    Cloud drives, email inboxes, and the servers for all the major forum websites underwent a cleanup.

    However, their reaction had been too slow.

    By the time they reacted by deciding to shut down all the servers, this five-minute video had already spread across the entire globe at lightning-fast speeds before it could be stopped.

    Even foreign users, including foreign intelligence agencies, received a copy of the short video. This was a high-definition video. Gu Yanran had a great body and a beautiful face. She was even more attractive than many Japanese actresses.

    Also, Gu Nianzhi hadbeled Gu Yanran¡¯s name as ¡°Kasahara Naoko.¡± Everyone saw this name and praised the next rising star of the Japanese entertainment industry.

    When the foreign intelligence agencies analyzed this video, they discovered that Mrs. Tan¡¯s image had been inserted into the video. However, Tan Dongbang¡¯s footage had actually been recorded.

    In other words, Tan Dongbang had starred in a fierce drama for all the people of the world...

    This was a big joke!

    And although this five-minute video had been deleted when the rted mediapany finally shut down all global servers, some people had saved copies on their personalputers.

    When the Huaxia Imperial citizens discovered that the woman was actually called ¡°Kasahara Naoko¡± and was obviously Japanese, their fury exploded like a volcano.

    Soon after, searches for ¡°Kasahara Naoko¡± quickly rose to the top of the Qiandu search engine.

    Because Gu Nianzhi had already prepared a Qiandu encyclopedia information page on ¡°Kasahara Naoko,¡± anyone could search for it.

    As every single person from the Kasahara family surfaced, some interested people even searched using other historical data as aparison.

    They were shocked to discover that Kasahara Naoko¡¯s great-grandfather had been a certain Colonel in Japan¡¯s infamous numbered military unit!

    Prime Minister Tan had an affair with such a woman and his wife had been there to record it. That certainly meant he wasn¡¯t being framed by someone else!

 Chapter 979

    <h4>979 Internal Conflic</h4>

    The impulsiveizens had long been ustomed to concluding cases on Weibo and passing sentence on the cloud servers.

    By the time Weibo had recovered its servers, the impatientizens had already discovered that the data had been reverted by a few days and that all the data produced in the interim was gone. They became even more frustrated.

    Everyone¡¯s rage was blindly turned toward Prime Minister Tan¡¯s entire family.

    The active Weibo users who had been waiting all night began to dig up information on all the bloggers rted to this incident.

    The remaining process didn¡¯t need Gu Nianzhi to step in since the truth was being unearthed by theizens.

    ¡°Oh my god! Look at what I discovered?! Nearly all the fans of this blogger are part of the Inte Water Army!¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the screenshot as proof. These ounts only follow the blogger and the official Weibo ount for the First Lady¡¯spany!¡±

    ¡°Could someone be purposely smearing Prime Minister Tan?¡±

    ¡°Smear, as if! I¡¯ll show you how all these fake fans belong to this onepany!¡±

    ¡°See that? It¡¯s Mrs. Tan¡¯spany!¡±

    ¡°Why is Mrs. Tan smearing her own husband? She even revealed herself too...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d have to ask Mrs. Tan about that.¡±

    As a result, Cai Songyin¡¯s Weibo ount gained several million fans in a few hours. Countless questions were posted under hertest Weibo post.

    Everyone was asking why she hadn¡¯t gone ahead and divorced her husband if she hated him so much for cheating.

    Since she had done such a horrible thing online thing, her husband¡¯s political career would obviously be destroyed anyway.

    By this time, the Cai and Tan families were preparing to have dinner in the private room of a restaurant. Everyone¡¯s expression made them look as if they were wooden sculptures. No one spoke and no one moved.

    Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang had been privately chatting in the separate section of the private room for a long time now.

    Tan Guiren and Cai Shengnan were following thetest updates online.

    When they saw that the prime minister¡¯s short video had actually been directly promoted by Cai Songyin¡¯s Inte Water Army, they were bbergasted and nearly speechless.

    Cai Shengnan was the first one to react.

    Just what on earth was going on?!

    Just now, her auntie had vehemently imed that the video was fake and that someone was framing them. She¡¯d even asked Cai Shengnan to be the prime minister¡¯swyer employed by the Ministry of Justice to represent them in thewsuit. But in a blink of an eye, her auntie had be the one who¡¯d tripped up her uncle!

    So, how was she supposed to sue!?

    Would she have to help her uncle sue her auntie?!

    ...

    It only took about an hour and a half¡¯s time for the short video to go viral. As soon as they could, Weibo shut down all its global servers and restarted with backup data copies.

    In that hour and a half¡¯s time, Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin had been in the separate section of the restaurant¡¯s private room, noting out at all.

    From the Weibo activity appearing on phones and the way theizens were revealing all the Inte Water Army¡¯s Weibo ounts one by one, everything pointed to Cai Songyin¡¯s Inte Water Armypany!

    ¡°You! It was actually you!¡± Tan Dongbang was absolutely livid. He raised his hand to p Cai Songyin hard across the face. ¡°You¡¯re too vicious! How could you do something like this to me?¡±

    Cai Songyin held her face, unable to believe her ears. ¡°You¡¯re saying I did this?! Tan Dongbang, you¡¯re brainless! What good does it do me if I hurt you?!¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯ve hated me ever since what happened between me and Gu Yanran! I was even going to ask why you were so kind-hearted enough to forgive me in the end. You were just waiting for things toe to this! You want me to never recover from that scandal, don¡¯t you?¡± Tan Dongbang thought that he could never live with Cai Songyin again.

    Men were like that. Their love would never revert to its past purity once they¡¯d been cheated.

    And love without trust would cause a previously doting husband and wife to be strangers to each other.

    Cai Songyin truly felt disappointed, but she was unable to tell him the truth.

    After all, she was the one who¡¯d created the n to force Gu Nianzhi out and take advantage of Huo Shaoheng. Tan Dongbang certainly didn¡¯t know anything about it.

    Of course, things had already escted to this point. The short essay she¡¯dmissioned hadn¡¯t appeared at all, so she wouldn¡¯t reveal herself and give herself even more trouble.

    ¡°If I¡¯ve hated you since then, then I should¡¯ve just done nothing when you were impeached. Why did I need to do all this?! Didn¡¯t you see that I also appeared in the video of the two of you! If I was the one filming it, then why would I appear on camera?! Do you always think with what¡¯s in your pants?!¡± Cai Songyin refused to back down and rushed over to p Tan Dongbang. ¡°Not even my parents ever lifted a finger against me in my entire life. Tan Dongbang, how dare you hit me!¡±

    Tan Dongbang felt a bit guilty when he was pped by Cai Songyin. Now that she had pped him too, it could be considered canceled out. Covering his face, he sneered, ¡°If that¡¯s not what happened, then how will you clear yourself from this? Cai Songyin, I truly underestimated you! That¡¯s right, you¡¯re the queen of media, the CEO who controls half the media world. You only have to lift a finger to crush someone to death. But I never thought that you would disregard the love between husband and wife by doing such a vicious thing to me!¡±

    ¡°Tan Dongbang, look at your own conscience, then look at your own brain! Are you saying this because the water in your brain has flowed into your heart?¡±

    Cai Songyin red fiercely at Tan Dongbang. ¡°At a time like this, I must be being framed by someone else! You still won¡¯t believe me? I already had Shengnan prepare. We must find the mastermind behind this and sue them to death! This is not the time for us to argue, so please put away your pettiness and ovee this hardship with me!¡±

    This was truly the correct way of handling the situation.

    As angry as Tan Dongbang felt, he needed to suppress it. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go home and have someone investigate this matter. Then we¡¯ll begin thewsuit.¡± Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t want to go crazy anymore.

    Rubbing his gloomy cheek, he quickly walked out of the separate section of the restaurant. Cai Songyin followed after him.

    As soon as the couple walked out of the separate section, they immediately put on calm smiles. Their expressions changed very quickly.

    ¡°Mummy! Daddy! Are you guys okay?¡± The extremely worried Tan Guiren rushed over. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are the things that were posted online true?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s fake. Your daddy and I were framed by someone else. This person wants to harm us,¡± Cai Songyin replied calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, we will handle this matter.¡±

    Standing before the Cai and Tan families, Cai Songyin made a promise to everyone. ¡°Today¡¯s incident was purely an ident. We will now be returning to investigate this matter. Please help yourselves to dinner, we are leaving now.¡±

    Cai Songyin brought Tan Guiren and Cai Shengnan outside.

    Tan Dongbang was the prime minister. He had the national Secret Service personnel protecting them whenever he went, even if it was only a family gathering.

    But as soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, they were immediately surrounded by the reporters who had rushed over.

    All sorts of cameras and phones were pointed in their direction. Microphones of all sizes extended toward them.

    ¡°Prime Minister Tan, may I ask what was going on in the short video that went viral on Weibo today?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Tan, we heard that the links were promoted by yourpany. What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    Under the pitch-ck night sky, the streetmps glowed a dim yellow. As soon as Tan Dongbang saw the reporters, his image on the reporter¡¯s camera equipment looked like it had when he¡¯d been campaigning for the election.

    Standing ramrod straight, he replied with elegance, ¡°I already know about today¡¯s incident and am about to rush over to hold a meeting with the Cab. I can guarantee to everyone that I will find the mastermind behind this incident and bring him to justice!¡±

    The reporters heard the hidden implication and immediately peppered him with questions. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, you¡¯re saying that someone is framing you? But that video has been circted before and you never questioned the video¡¯s authenticity.¡±

    Of course he hadn¡¯t questioned it. Tan Dongbang hadn¡¯t appeared in the video at that time, so why would he deny it? Would he give himself more trouble?

    While Tan Dongbang internally cursed the reporter in question for being a total idiot, he got into his bulletproof car with a smile.

    The Secret Service security personnel immediately pushed the reporters away. ¡°Please move aside everyone, please allow Prime Minister Tan¡¯s car to leave.¡±

    Cai Songyin didn¡¯t say a thing the entire time as she followed Tan Dongbang into the car. Tan Guiren wore huge sunsses and kept her head down as she followed Cai Shengnan.

    The car quickly drove away, leaving the throngs of reporters behind.

    Tan Guiren turned around and removed her sunsses. Rubbing her eyes, she sighed. ¡°Mummy, who could be so terrible? They are too horrible. We must sue them!¡±

    Cai Shengnan snickered and patted Tan Guiren¡¯s head. ¡°Cousin, you really have been protected too well by auntie.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Did I say something wrong?¡±

    ¡°This incident isn¡¯t that simple.¡± Cai Shengnan¡¯s smile faded. ¡°From the information avable online, we don¡¯t even know who the mastermind is. How would we sue them? Who would we sue? The air?¡±

    ¡°Mastermind? Could it not be the blogger who uploaded the video?¡± Tan Gurien asked in confusion.

    Cai Songyin quickly said, ¡°My assistant already investigated this. The blogger said his ount was hacked. This was a hacker¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°Mummy, even you don¡¯t know who framed us?¡± Tan Guiren balled her hands into fists. ¡°These people are too horrible, we can¡¯t let them off!¡±

    Tan Guiren wanted to vomit at the thought of the disgusting video. Luckily, her cousin had covered up half the phone at the time, so she couldn¡¯t see her father clearly. All she¡¯d seen was Gu Yanran¡¯s pale skin...

    In Tan Guiren¡¯s heart, her mom Cai Songyin was fully capable of anything.

    Even when her father had been impeached by the Senate, she had been able to help him ovee the challenge. This certainly wouldn¡¯t be an exception.

    However, Cai Songyin only wanted to cry. Where would she go looking for the mastermind at a time like this?!

    Cai Shengnan understood people and the real world better than Tan Guiren, so she took out her phone and said to Cai Sonyin, ¡°Auntie, aputer expert must be involved in this incident. We should find aputer expert to investigate this.¡±

    ¡°Right, right, right! Aputer expert! We must find aputer expert to help us!¡± Tan Dongbang nodded quickly. ¡°Shengnan, do you know anyone in that field?¡±

    ¡°There must beputer experts in the Cab¡¯s Ministry of Information Technology,¡± Cai Shengnan reminded Cai Songyin subtly. ¡°How about we have uncle speak with the Minister of Information Technology?¡±

    Cai Songyin agreed quickly, ¡°What a great suggestion! Dongbang, go ask the Ministry of Information Technology to bring over a fewputer experts. Have them investigate properly what on earth is going on.¡±

    Tan Dongbang called the Minister of Information Technology once again.

    However, the Minister of Information Technology immediately told him, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you. The problem is that Weibo restarted its data backup copies using data from a few days ago. Even if we haveputer experts investigate this today, they won¡¯t be able to find any information now.¡±

 Chapter 980

    <h4>980 Assess His Love</h4>

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s heart instantly plummeted. ¡°Really? No way? Weibo doesn¡¯t have any other data?¡±

    However, Cai Songyin got an idea, so her anxious expression rxed slightly.

    If the Weibo servers had been restarted using data backup copies from a few days ago, then would the private messages between herpany and that blogger also have been deleted?

    That would mean that there was nothing to use as ckmail against her!

    Cai Songyin quickly calcted on her own while Tan Dongbang spoke with the Minister of Information Technology about borrowingputer experts.

    Tan Guiren propped her head under a hand and quietly looked out the car window, sighing quietly.

    Her family was a total mess. She wished so badly that a powerful man would fall from the sky right now and rescue her from this disaster...

    Where was her hero?

    While the three Tans were all in their own thoughts, Cai Shengnan was searching for a solution.

    She didn¡¯t know much aboutputers, nor did she have a lot of confidence in the personnel from the Ministry of Information Technology. Instead, she found an Americanputer expert she knew well and sent him an email in hopes that he could assess the situation.

    The Americanputer expert also happened to know about the incident and had observed the entire process. He¡¯d even downloaded a copy of the short video...

    When he saw Cai Shengnan¡¯s email of inquiry in his inbox, the Americanputer expert made a phone call to dramatically praise the person behind all this.

    ¡°Julie, this person is a genius! They are 100% a genius! He¡¯s so amazing! Just making Weibo unable to delete or block the video alone is not something a typicalputer expert is capable of! I never knew that such aputer expert existed in the Huaxia Empire!¡±

    ¡°Julie, did you know that I only admired one otherputer expert before? He is called ¡®Little Pink Piggy.¡¯ He suddenly appearedst year and swept across the German Federal Intelligence Service! Now I have a second idol to worship! I shall call him the Angel of Darkness!¡±

    What the hell was Little Pink Piggy?

    And Angel of Darkness?!

    How immature!

    Cai Shengnan sneered as she began speaking with this person.

    ¡°...Doing this is very difficult?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Theoretically speaking, the system admin would have full permissions as long as it¡¯s content on my server. The admin can delete, change, or block whatever they want and there would be no issue. But the person who uploaded this video changed the site admin¡¯s permissions. In other words, he assigned a restriction to the Weibo system admin, making it impossible to delete or block this special file!¡±

    Cai Shengnan waspletely befuddled by what he was saying.

    She stared at the night sky and thought about it for a while before asking, ¡°The system admin permissions cannot be changed?¡±

    ¡°Theoretically speaking, no. Only other ounts have permission restrictions. Think about it, why is it called ¡®system admin¡¯? It means that it dictates the system, so it cannot be changed. However, this person was able to do that. I am very interested in how he was able to achieve this. If I get the chance, I would very much like to speak with him...¡±

    The Americanputer expert kept bbering about his admiration for the person who had uploaded the video. It was very ufortable for Cai Shengnan to listen to.

    ¡°Haha, so there is such an impressive hacker. No wonder you admire him so much. You don¡¯t even know how he was able to do this?¡± Cai Shengna said this purposely in an attempt to goad the Americanputer expert.

    As expected, the Americanputer expert fell for the bait and remarked excitedly, ¡°I was looking at the Weibo systems too. I discovered that the security settings for the blogger¡¯s original Weibo ount were pretty terrible. I easily hacked it and, when I looked at his ount, I noticed that all his private messages were deleted too. Looks like Weibo restarting with the data backup copy has seriously impacted this blogger.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So all the original blogger¡¯s private messages were deleted? They can¡¯t be recovered?¡± Cai Shengnan asked casually as she noted the important points down in her electronic notebook.

    Cai Shengnan overheard this from the front seat and turned around to ask discreetly, ¡°...How did you know that the original blogger¡¯s private messages were deleted?¡±

    Cai Shengnan signaled at Cai Songyin to remain calm. She then said to the Americanputer expert, ¡°I understand, thank you. I¡¯m on the road right now and will chat with youter.¡±

    She¡¯d originally intended to invite this Americanputer expert to be her technical consultant. From the looks of things, when they met the hacker who¡¯d uploaded the video in court, Cai Shengnan was worried that this Americanputer expert would instantly kneel at the feet of that person...

    After ending the call with the Americanputer expert, Cai Shengnan nodded to Cai Songyin. ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed that they were deleted. The person I called is very impressive, he just went into the original blogger¡¯s Weibo ount and took a look.¡±

    Tan Guiren had been listening quietly from the side for a while. She suddenly said quietly, ¡°...I heard from the Military Cultural Regiment that Major General Huo¡¯s department has manyputer experts. How about we ask Major General Huo to help investigate?¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Major General Huo¡¯s department hasputer experts? They are even better than theputer experts from the Ministry of Information Technology?¡± Cai Shengnan immediately expressed keen interest, wanting nothing more but to hold Tan Guiren¡¯s hand and talk to her.

    Cai Songyin coughed quietly to stop Tan Guiren.

    ¡°Little Darling, we will find our ownputer experts. As for Major General Huo, they are a military agency, so we shouldn¡¯t bother them when ites to a Cab rted matter like this.¡±

    Cai Shengnan was a bit disappointed.

    This was such a good opportunity to get closer to Huo Shaoheng, so why was Cai Songyin giving up on it?

    She regarded Cai Songyin quickly, then somehow saw a trace of fear in her eyes that she wasn¡¯t able to hide in time...

    What was the reason for this?

    Cai Shengnan looked away discreetly and nced at her phone. She picked it up to send her father an email.

    Her father probably knew about what had happened in the Huaxia Empire.

    Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t even take the first step.

    How could they find that hacker?

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s father, Cai Sumin, had been following this incident as expected. Because Tan Dongbang was his brother-inw, he was more concerned than most people.

    Seeing Cai Shengnan¡¯s email, Cai Sumin immediately called her.

    ¡°Shengnan, where is your auntie?¡± Cai Sumin asked over the phone.

    Cai Shengnan nced at Cai Songyin in the front seat. ¡°She¡¯s here, do you want to speak to her?¡±

    Cai Shaoxian sat before his desk as he looked at the greatmotion online. He nodded with concern. ¡°Give the phone to her.¡±

    Cai Shengnan immediately said, ¡°Auntie, my father is calling.¡±

    Cai Songyin was very happy. ¡°Your father?!¡±

    She quickly took the phone and the first thing she said was, ¡°Big Brother! You finally called me!¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s father was Cai Sumin. He was Cai Songyin¡¯s biological older brother. They had always gotten along very well since they were young.

    Cai Sumin was one of the most renowned Chinesewyers in the United States, after all, so he only had to ask a few questions to determine that something was wrong from Cai Songyin¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Songyin, tell me the truth. Did you have anything to do with this incident or not?¡± Cai Shaoxian asked slowly.

    Cai Songyin choked for a second. Quickly ncing at Tan Dognbang, she tried very hard to maintain her calm posture. ¡°This is a veryplicated incident. The blogger who uploaded the video kept insisting that his ount had been hacked and that it had nothing to do with him.¡±

    ¡°Nothing to do with him? So it has nothing to do with him just because he said so? The fact is that the video was posted from his ount. His fans were the ones who reposted it as well, so what reason do you have to believe him? Just because he ims that it wasn¡¯t him?¡± Cai Shaoxian cut to the chase, pointing out the unspeakable secret in Cai Songyin¡¯s heart.

    Cai Songyin couldn¡¯t let Tan Dongbang know the truth behind the incident, nor did she want Tan Guiren to know, so she decided to deal with it alone.

    ¡°Big Brother, we already investigated that blogger. He¡¯s just a nobody writer who doesn¡¯t have any background at all, so how could he have done such a thing? What does he stand to gain?¡± Cai Songyin still expressed that she believed the original blogger.

    ¡°What does he stand to gain? Of course, there¡¯s always money. You think it¡¯s for his ambitions or interests?¡± Cai Sumin was now even more certain that this incident had something to do with his younger sister.

    However, he didn¡¯t know why she unlucky enough to have ended up swallowed up by the incident.

    ¡°Big Brother, I don¡¯t know what to do either. He kept insisting it was a hacker, so there¡¯s nothing we can do either.¡± Cai Songyin vaguely expressed her objection.

    Cai Sumin raised his voice. ¡°You don¡¯t know what to do? There¡¯s nothing you can do? Then go ahead and sue him! In this situation, he should be the one to present evidence that he was hacked. We shouldn¡¯t be the ones listening to his exnations and believing that a hacker did this. Songyin, there¡¯s no way you fail to even understand this point!¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s heart began to tremble as she listened. She was about to speak but stopped herself because she could already see Tan Dongbang looking over in the corner of her eyes. She quickly adjusted her facial expression and continue to say inexplicably, ¡°I was frightened badly earlier, so I actually didn¡¯t think of that. But if Big Brother thinks that this will work, how about we video call and discuss it in detail once we get home?¡±

    Cai Sumin was silent for a while. ¡°...You¡¯re not able to speak freely right now?¡±

    ¡°We are in the car and about to return to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence.¡± Cai Songyin said with a smile, her expression nowposed.

    Tan Dongbang had been secretly observing Cai Songyin from the side all this time, so he finally sighed in relief when he saw that she wasn¡¯t ufortable at all.

    Just like his daughter, Tan Guiren, Tan Dongbang had immense trust in Cai Songyin¡¯s abilities.

    But Cai Songyin was the one who knew that she had really hit a brick wall this time.

    She felt barely suppressed terror in her heart. It seemed like her good luck throughout all these years had beenpletely used up at this moment.

    Ending the call, she returned the phone to Cai Shengnan and slumped her head against the car window as she contemted in silence.

    If she confirmed that the original blogger didn¡¯t have any evidence or anything to use as ckmail against them, then perhaps they could choose to sue the original blogger directly...

    But the original poster would be sure to express that they were the ones who¡¯d asked him to smear Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng and that he¡¯d had nothing to do with that video. Then she could tell this information to Huo Shaoheng and see how he would react.

    That way, public opinion would certainly be manipted and her intention to smear Gu Nianzhi would still be achieved.

    As for Huo Shaoheng, she could take this opportunity to see his reaction. She would check if he would step in to rescue Gu Nianzhi, or if... he would stay idle and protect himself.

 Chapter 981

    981 A Little Reunion

    Cai Songyin could also take advantage of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subsequent actions to assess his love for Gu Nianzhi.

    Otherwise, her daughter¡¯s one-sided crush may very well be defeated.

    The more Cai Songyin thought about it, the better the n seemed. She could hit three birds with one stone. She could rescue Tang Dongbang from the crisis, drag Gu Nianzhi into the mess, and tie Huo Shaoheng in too. They wouldn¡¯t even suffer too big of a loss...

    By the time Cai Songyin returned to the Prime Minister¡¯s official residence, she had already thought through everything clearly.

    When she video called Cai Sumin, Cai Songyin was alone in the study. She told him the truth and exined the entire incident from beginning to end, including all the mishaps along the way.

    Across the ocean, Cai Sumin was so livid that his veins were about to burst...

    ¡°Songyin, Songyin, how could you think of such a poor move that hurts others without benefiting yourself!¡±

    If they weren¡¯t the entire Pacific Ocean apart, Cai Sumin would¡¯ve grabbed a stick to cane Cai Songyin across the back.

    How brainless was she!?

    ¡°What¡¯s so great about that Huo Shaoheng?? Is he worth you taking such a huge risk?!¡± Cai Sumin was furious and disappointed as he chastised Cai Songyin over and over again.

    Cai Songyin didn¡¯t argue back. She merely waited silently for Cai Sumin to finish yelling at her before saying quietly, ¡°When ites to a fine character, Little Darling¡¯s taste isn¡¯t bad at all. If Huo Shaoheng could be my son-inw, having him would be enough to maintain our family¡¯s status¨Ceven if Dongbang isn¡¯t the Prime Minister anymore.¡±

    ¡°Even if he¡¯s that great, why did you have to use such a stupid trick?¡± Cai Sumin despised idiots more than anything. He could ept being evil, vicious, and horrible, but never stupid.

    ¡°You think I wanted that?¡± Cai Songyin was unhappy as well. ¡°Your niece fell in love at first sight, but it¡¯s a coincidence that Huo Shaoheng has an ex-girlfriend who is dragging her feet. Although they are supposedly broken up, I can see that there is still something going on between them. If my daughter marries him, she would be gued by this woman for the rest of her life.¡±

    So she¡¯d stepped in as the evil person to help her daughter eliminate this threat.

    Cai Sumin frowned. ¡°So you just asked someone to write something to smear her? You weren¡¯t worried that it would trigger a man¡¯s protective instinct, making it even harder for him to let go of her?¡±

    Cai Songyin froze. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Cai Sumin rubbed his temples with aggravation. ¡°Songyin, you¡¯re not stupid, but you really don¡¯t understand how men think. Just because Dongbang grew up with you and spoiled you, you think you can do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Big Brother, whose side are you on anyway?!¡± Cai Sonyon stood up angrily. ¡°Tan Dongbang cheated on me and fooled around with another woman. I haven¡¯t forgiven him! Understand what men think? That¡¯s garbage!¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, don¡¯t get angry Little Sister. Of course Big Brother will help you and stand on your side.¡± Cai Sumin noticed that Cai Songiyn had grown agitated, so he used her baby name to pacify her.

    Cai Songyin hadn¡¯t heard her brother coax her like this in a long time. Her eyes couldn¡¯t help but turn red.

    Ever since she¡¯d married Tan Dongbang, she¡¯d transformed from the spoiled and much loved youngest daughter of the Cai family into the main backbone of the Tan family. She carried the burden of the entire family.

    It wasn¡¯t easy and it wasn¡¯t sweet.

    But she had nowhere else to retreat. Tan Dongbang had been the man she¡¯d screamed and cried about marrying all those years ago. The entire Cai family had agreed, except for her brother Cai Sumin. He¡¯d said that Tan Dongbang was a petty person offering ttery, only doing things on the surface but not taking any responsibility. He was afraid that Cai Songyin would have a more difficult life in the future.

    But Cai Songyin believed she had the support of the Tan and Cai families. How hard could things get?

    She was also willing to be a strong woman, running her ownpany and making her business flourish.

    But when she felt tiredte at night, she still wished for strong shoulders to lean on. She didn¡¯t want to only be the support for other people.

    That was also the reason why she¡¯d spoiled her daughter Tan Guiren and wanted to satisfy her wish of marrying Huo Shaoheng. Cai Songyin felt that Huo Shaoheng was the kind of man that a woman could rely on for the rest of her life.

    She could only feel assured if her daughter married him. There was no way that her daughter was someone capable of supporting a family by herself.

    Huo Shaoheng was the only one with the status and ability to allow her daughter to continue her spoiled and sweet life.

    So she¡¯d spoiled her daughter into a foolish and naive beauty who didn¡¯t understand how the world worked. She didn¡¯t want her daughter to end up like her and suffer from supporting a family in the future, bing someone else¡¯s backbone...

    ¡°Big Brother... I was wrong,¡± Cai Songyin choked out as she admitted her mistake. ¡°Please help me!¡±

    Cai Sumin¡¯s felt pity in his heart. ¡°I know, of course I will help you. You only have to tell Big Brother and I will help you think of a way out.¡±

    Cai Songyin nodded quickly, instantly telling him the entirety of her previous n in detail.

    Cai Sumin listened calmly. She thought it was rather tricky since Cai Songyin¡¯s n was quite secure and effective.

    Even if he had created a n on his own, it wouldn¡¯t have been much better than this.

    But this essentially imaginative n had hit a brick wall and they had been taken advantage of by someone else. The person behind all this was too frightening.

    Cai Sumin had worked as awyer for over 30 years. He had never seen a criminal that was sly enough to be impossible to track down.

    At a moment like this, he¡¯d somehow forgotten that his younger sister had been the instigator of this entire case. She had only ended up as the victim because her n had failed.

    Cai Songyin noticed Cai Sumin staying quiet for a long time, so she grew a bit anxious and said with unease, ¡°Big Brother, can you not tell Shengnan about some of these things?¡±

    Because this was rather embarrassing, she couldn¡¯t lose her dignity as an elder when it came to Cai Shengnan.

    Cai Sumin nodded. ¡°I understand. This case is quiteplicated and I n toe back to the Huaxia Empire to deal with it myself. I will guide Shengnan on how to fight thiswsuit. I¡¯m telling you that you can¡¯t feel pity. This original blogger cannot find evidence that you are linked to this, so you must sue him. For the sake of cleansing yourself and Dongbang from this, for the sake of your status, this blogger must be the scapegoat, no question.¡±

    ¡°Big Brother ising back to the Huaxia Empire?! That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Cai Songyin sincerely sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to everything you say! We¡¯ll sue whoever you say we should, and we will fight thewsuit however you say we should!¡±

    She knew that even if Cai Sumin returned to the Huaxia Empire, he wouldn¡¯t be the one representing her in thewsuit. He had already naturalized as an American citizen, so they needed to avoid a conflict of interest.

    But Cai Shengnan was different. She¡¯d maintained a Huaxia nationality and waspletely capable of helping them fight thewsuit.

    As for Cai Sumin, he could direct Cai Shengnan from the background.

    With Cai Sumin, they would certainly be able to ovee this challenge!

    ...

    At 1 A.M. on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year, Gu Nianzhi still hadn¡¯t fallen asleep.

    Curled up in her bed, she held her phone and admired the ¡°bloody storm¡± she had single-handedly initiated. She casually used an anonymous ount to Weibo to start up a petition and linked it to the official Weibo ounts of the Senate, Cab, and Military.

    #Prime Minister Tan Dongbang had an affair with a Japanese spy and should resign!

    Although it was alreadyte at night, there were still many people active on Weibo.

    As soon as this petition was initiated, it immediately received the support of countless citizens. Some people even reposted the petition¡¯s link to all other major forums outside of Weibo. The forum moderators pinned the link to easily enable other people to click on it and vote.

    Although the petition had no legally binding power at all. Just like the things that Cai Songyin liked to do, this was about public opinion.

    The prime minister had been elected into office, so he could not afford to ignore public opinion.

    Also, Gu Nianzhi had recovered the short video and uploaded the original version online. How could Tan Dongbang be shameless enough to continue as prime minister?

    If Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t acknowledge his mistake and resign, then Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t mind sending him on his way and forcing him down.

    With thest impeachment case, Gu Nianzhi had held herself back from stepping in. At the time, she¡¯d thought that although she¡¯d had disagreements with the Tans, it had not reached the point of a bitter feud. As long as she achieved the goal of dealing with Gu Yanran, there was no need for Gu Nianzhi to force their family into a corner. It had been enough to teach Tan Dongbang a lesson.

    She never thought that her moment of pity would not be recognized by the other party, or that they would think of such an insidious and humiliatingly low blow to attack her with.

    Truthfully speaking, ever since Gu Nianzhi had first seen Huo Shaoheng escort Tan Guiren off the airne, she¡¯d begun to feel resentment towards the family of Tan Dongbang, Cai Songyin, and Tan Guiren.

    Taking advantage of their lofty positions, they¡¯d used all their means to destroy her love, obliterate her religion, and now to nder her character and dignity!

    A soldier could be killed, but never humiliated.

    They had crossed a line this time. Gu Nianzhi knew there was no other ce for her to retreat.

    From her many years of following and being influenced by Huo Shaoheng, a sense of bloodthirstiness and fierceness had developed in her bones.

    These were the characteristics that a qualified soldier should possess.

    She had spent her entire teenage years living with such iron-blooded soldiers, so she had been unavoidably and instinctively transformed by them.

    She thought about what would happen if Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang still refused to acknowledge their mistake and resign on their own, continuing with their dumb luck mindset of still wanting to fight awsuit and create public opinion. She would be sure to battle them until the end.

    Scrolling through her phone, she saw the voting data for her petition steadily climbing. Gu Nianzhi yawned before putting the phone down by her pillow and nning to go to sleep.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private vehicle parked in front of his official residence.

    ¡°Hello, chief!¡±

    The soldiers standing guard at the official residence¡¯s entrance immediately saluted Huo Shaoheng as he got out of his car.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    He strolled into his official residence.

    His journey had taken two weeks this time. Although he¡¯d often gone out on missions in the past, he¡¯d never felt as homesick as he had this time.

    Huo Shaoheng walked through the door and saw the brightly lit foyer. Crossing through the living room, he walked towards the spiral staircase and up to the second floor where his and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rooms were.

    Standing before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room for a while, he saw that the light inside had already dimmed. He decided to go take a shower first and get changed before visiting her.

    He had been with the base troops for two weeks and, although he showered and changed every day, the long journey still made him feel dirty.

    After going into the bathroom to rapidly take abat shower, Huo Shaoheng changed into a perfectly clean ck long-sleeved T-shirt, camo army pants before going to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    There was always a dim yellow night light glowing in her bedroom.

    Huo Shaoheng stood still at her bedside and didn¡¯t even make a sound before Gu Nianzhi suddenly opened her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng thought she¡¯d woken up, but she only took one look at him. Her eyes didn¡¯t even focus as she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m dreaming again..¡± Then she flipped over to continue sleeping.

    His previously cold and solemn heart suddenly became indescribably soft.

 Chapter 982

    982 International Joke

    Upon careful consideration, there had only been a scant number of times when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart had softened. Every time, it seemed to have something to do with the young girl named Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng bent over, gently helping Gu Nianzhi pull up the nket that had fallen halfway down when she flipped over.

    His cool fingertips identally grazed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck and, like an electric current, the numbness passed through his fingertips to seep into her skin.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up once again.

    This time she had actually awakened.

    Slowly turning around, she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s incredibly handsome features. The dim yellow glow of the night light illuminated him from behind to cast a dark golden light across his features.

    Every single inch of him was wless.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were full of sleep and her voice was groggy as she murmured, ¡°...You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice grew even more maic and deep. He naturally removed the covers to get into bed with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help skipping a beat.

    By the time she reacted, Huo Shaoheng had already wrapped her in his embrace. He slept on his side next to her and got into the mostfortable position.

    One arm naturally extended to her neck to act as her pillow.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was still a bit groggy. She couldn¡¯t tell if it was his left arm or right arm, but she was still worried about his right arm that had been recently injured.

    She quickly lifted her head with great difficulty, refusing to use his arm as a pillow. ¡°...That¡¯ll hurt you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m already better.¡±

    Extending his arm to press her down, he took her head and rested it on his arm.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped struggling because this familiar person and his familiar scent was right by her side. The unprecedented sense of security once again allowed her to put down the vignce that constantly burdened her.

    Sleepiness rushed over her as Gu Nianzhi fell into a deep slumber.

    Huo Shaoheng recalled the day¡¯s events, particrly the greatmotion online and the five-minute HD version of the short video. He originally intended to ask Gu Nianzhi if she had anything to do with it.

    But seeing how tired she was, he didn¡¯t ask her anything.

    After all, why did it matter if she had done it? There would be a reason why she had done it, so he could just ask her about it tomorrow.

    The onlinemotion had grown so huge that the Cab and Senate were not the only ones watching it closely. Even military personnel were also observing.

    Huo Shaoheng and General Ji had already learned of this incident when they were with the base troops. General Ji had talked with Huo Shaoheng about whether the Special Operations Forces would be required to step in to investigate who was responsible for the incident.

    They weren¡¯t trying to give Prime Minister Tan justice, but they couldn¡¯t be kept in the dark either. They had no idea who was responsible.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t agreed at the time. His reason was that this was a domestic affair, so there was no present indication that this incident was rted to foreign forces. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the Special Operations Forces to intervene.

    He also reminded General Ji that the Cab had the Secret Service, which was simr to the Special Operations Forces in terms of authority. The only difference was that the Secret Service was in charge of domestic affairs, unlike the Special Operations Forces which had jurisdiction abroad.

    The huge scandal on Weibo would certainly require the Secret Service to step in and investigate.

    Besides that, the person involved in the incident was the head of the Cab. In consideration of all the factors, private or public, the Secret Service should be one to spearhead the investigation.

    General Ji also thought this was reasonable, so he didn¡¯t mention this issue again.

    The truth was, Huo Shaoheng only had to watch that video to get a general idea of whose handiwork it was...

    When Huo Shaoheng thought about this, a trace of a smile appeared on his face. Touching his lips to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temples, he fell asleep with her.

    ...

    When they woke up, it was already past 10 A.M. on the fifteenth day of the first month of Lunar New Year.

    The official residence was very quiet.

    The butter-yellow and white polka dot soundproof velvet curtains had been lowered to block out all the light and sound from outside.

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up, her brain went nk for a second before she came to her senses.

    Cocking her head to see the deeply asleep man next to her, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to his long, dark eyshes.

    They were like two thrilling arcs that covered his handsome face.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but gently touch Huo Shaoheng¡¯s long eyshes.

    However, as soon she touched them, Huo Shaoheng suddenly opened his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi nervously retracted her hand and instinctively found an excuse. ¡°...I was checking to see if these were false eyshes.¡±

    After saying this, Gu Nianzhi quickly closed her and seriously regretted spouting such nonsense.

    She would have been better off not saying anything at all. What was she trying to do by using such a ridiculous excuse?!

    After some time, Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and ced it in front of his eyshes. ¡°...Feel them yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was quiet.

    Fine. Her fingers curled slightly to quickly tap Huo Shaoheng¡¯s long eyshes.

    The pale pads of her fingertips seemed to be pricked the finest needles. Of course, it didn¡¯t hurt or itch, but there was a physical feeling that could not be ignored. They were just like him, needles hidden in silk.

    ¡°Are they fake?¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled, then kissed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks which had already turned as red as little apples.

    ¡°...No.¡± Gu Nianzhi burrowed into his chest. ¡°I was only saying that randomly, why do you need to take it so seriously?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply. He lifted her head from his arm and supported the back of her neck to give her a long and passionate kiss.

    Perhaps it was because of the dopamine emitted due to the hormonal stimtion that caused people to feel happiness, but lovers don¡¯t notice each other¡¯s morning breath, even when they have just woken up early in the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi was actually very sensitive when it came to this, but she didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with it since she was with Huo Shaoheng.

    Before their kiss even ended, Gu Nianzhi could feel the protrusion from the lower half of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body.

    She was so anxious that she went motionless, deathly afraid of further stimting Huo Shaoheng.

    Luckily, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t insist on taking things further. He hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s warm body some more before getting out of the bed and going back to his room to wash up.

    Gu Nianzhi finally sighed in relief and slowly got up from the bed. She also went to the bathroom to shower and wash up, then changed into a white cashmere sweater embroidered with a blue bear on the back. With her freshly shampooed, half-wet hair hanging loose, she went downstairs for breakfast.

    It was almost 11 AM by then, so the kitchen had prepared brunch for them.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi went downstairs, she saw many orderlies milling around and finally realized that Lunar New Year was already over. The soldiers on vacation hade back to their work posts.

    ¡°Good morning, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, did you have a happy New Year?¡±

    ¡°It was pretty good, I just came back from my hometown. Thank you, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, I brought some pecans from my hometown and already shared some with myrades. There is still a bag left and I especially saved it for you.¡± A younger orderly walked over with a cloth sack and stuttered as he spoke to Gu Nianzhi.

    It always felt nice to be remembered and cared about.

    Gu Nianzhi felt very happy. She epted it with a smile. ¡°Thank you, I love pecans a lot.¡±

    She wanted to pay him, but the soldier had already run off happily. He shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you some more if you like them!¡±

    After some consideration, she brought the pecans back to her room and picked out arge box of Godiva choctes from the mini-fridge. She went downstairs to the orderlies¡¯ duty room and was able to see the young soldier at first nce. He was working on hisputer.

    Gu Nianzhi walked inside and set the box of choctes beside his desk. She smiled. ¡°Thank you for your pecans, please try my choctes. They are very delicious too.¡±

    The young soldier looked up with shock and couldn¡¯t help but blush when he saw the sweetly smiling Gu Nianzhi. He wanted to refuse, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s huge, hopeful eyes staring back at him, he mindlessly epted the exquisite box of choctes and took a quick look.

    ¡°Godiva? These choctes are very expensive! My sister loves them a lot!¡± he said excitedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s great! I still have some more. If she likes them, I can give you another two boxes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded at him with a smile before walking out of the orderlies¡¯ duty room.

    When she sat down in the dining room, Huo Shaoheng set down the newspaper he was holding. He asked calmly, ¡°Where are the pecans?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    ¡°I happened to pass by and see it.¡± Huo Shaohengnguidly poured some milk for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯ll deshell them for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled once using a small hammer to crack pecans when she¡¯d eaten them in the past.

    Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze had sat and divided a pile of pecans between themselves. As if they were training their hand strength, they¡¯d used their bare fingers to crush the pecans¡¯ outer shells...

    Gu Nianzhi somewhat missed the days when Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had also been there.

    ¡°Huo Shao, when is Brother Xionging back?¡± Gu Nianzhi knew Yin Shixiong had returned home for vacation, so she was allowed to ask about it.

    As for Zhao Liangze, he was on a mission. She didn¡¯t ask anything about him.

    ¡°Very soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng curled his lips into a smile, then poured maple syrup over the pancakes. He pushed them towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Today¡¯s breakfast was Western food.

    As per usual, Huo Shaoheng had a steak in front of him. However, today it was cooked with the Chinese method of charcoal grilling.

    Gu Nianzhi had pancakes, milk, and scrambled eggs.

    They¡¯d just begun to eat when they heard Yin Shixiong¡¯s loud voice calling from outside. ¡°Huo Shao! Huo Shao! What on earth is going on?! I was so worried all day and night!¡±

    Yin Shixiong hurriedly rushed into the dining room and froze when he saw that Gu Nianzhi was also there.

    Huo Shaoheng elegantly raised a ss of red wine in his direction. ¡°Big Xiong, did you have lunch yet?¡±

    ¡°No, that sounds perfect. Give me the same thing,¡± Yin Shixiong said to the orderly standing at the door.

    The orderly quickly instructed the kitchen as Yin Shixiong sat down by Gu Nianzhi.

    He¡¯d originally wanted to ask about why his marriage request had been returned and required being rewritten, but when he saw that Gu Nianzhi was there, he instinctively changed the topic.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Huo Shaoheng askednguidly.

    Yin Shixiong swallowed, suppressing the burning unease in his heart as he said, ¡°The thing that¡¯s on Weibo, it¡¯s caused a huge scandal about the prime minister! Hehe, this is truly an international joke!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand shook and the golden syrup on her pancakes spilled onto the white bone china te in front of her.

 Chapter 983

    <h4>983 Must Step Down</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng calmly nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You don¡¯t like eating pancakes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re pretty good, but the maple syrup is a bit too sweet.¡± As she spoke, she picked up the pancake with both hands and took a bite.

    The golden syrup-covered pancakebined with the vor of the scrambled eggs tasted as delicious as a quiche.

    It was truly delicious.

    Picking up a napkin, Huo Shaoheng casually helped her wipe a bit of syrup off the corner of her lips.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes widened so much that they were able to pop out of their sockets. He suddenly asked, ¡°Nianzhi, where did you spend the Lunar New Year?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I spent it here, why?¡±

    Yin Shixiong grunted before quickly ncing at Huo Shaoheng and discreetly giving him a thumbs up.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and replied dryly, ¡°Little Ze is out on a mission and Nianzhi is here to help us with work and contact him. She¡¯s been taught by Little Ze, so they work quite efficiently together.¡±

    So that was why.

    Yin Shixiong instantly felt that he had assessed things the wrong way.

    He had spent Lunar New Year like he was soaking in honey, so his vignce and keenness had greatly diminished.

    When he thought of how Zhao Liangze had ridiculed Huo Shaoheng and been exiled to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa as a result, Yin Shixiong felt a bit guilty.

    He¡¯d had a great time, but hisrades hadpleted all the missions while he was gone. He felt very guilty!

    Quickly sitting up straight, he said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, can I end my vacation ande back?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to rest any longer?¡± Huo Shaoheng set down his cutlery and picked up the ss of red wine topletely drain it. ¡°How about youe back after having a son first?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no... No need...¡± Yin Shixiong quickly waved his hands. ¡°We have to take it step-by-step. Didn¡¯t I just propose...¡± He finished saying this and began to giggle.

    Gu Nianzhi also giggled with him. She felt that the sweet and loving Brother Xiong was very interesting.

    However, Huo Shaoheng felt that Yin Shixiong¡¯s dazzling smile was begging to be punched.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, I saw you and Qiqi¡¯s proposal ceremony. It was really pretty! Qiqi was very touched!¡± Gu Nianzhi sensed that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude towards Yin Shixiong was a bit dismissive, so she quickly changed the topic to smooth things out.

    Yin Shixiong rubbed the back of his head and replied with a dreamy expression, ¡°I also thought it was pretty good. I thought about it for such a long time before I thought of the idea!¡±

    ¡°The diamond ring is very pretty too.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the middle finger of her right hand. ¡°Qiqi must look so beautiful wearing it.¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed. ¡°Qiqi already went back to school. That¡¯s right, you¡¯ve already graduated! Will Qiqi be living alone now?¡±

    ¡°The school should be arranging a new roommate for her.¡± Gu Nianzhi also missed her days of living with Ma Qiqi. After all, she was her best friend.

    As the two of them had a friendly talk about Ma Qiqi¡¯s roommate, Huo Shaoheng was the only person who seemed to not fit in.

    He didn¡¯t mind. As soon as he finished the charcoal-grilled steak he¡¯d been eating, he heard his phone ring.

    Putting on his Bluetooth headset, he connected to the phone. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Chief, General Ji is calling.¡±

    ¡°Connect me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and returned to his suite upstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong were in the middle of an exciting conversation, so no one followed Huo Shaoheng upstairs.

    They also knew he was going to deal with work.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t called for them, so they weren¡¯t allowed to follow.

    ...

    When he returned to the suite on the second floor, Huo Shaoheng walked into his study and shut the door. Turning on theputer, he began a video call with General Ji.

    ¡°General Ji, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, do you know about what happened on Weibost night?¡± General Ji appeared very solemn. He seemed to be making the call alone.

    Huo Shaoehng nodded. ¡°What is it? What is the Secret Service¡¯s statement on this?¡±

    ¡°The Secret Service is still investigating it. Weibo was infiltrated by a hacker yesterday, but the methods they used were too clever and left no traces at all. Weibo also restarted all its global servers with data backup copies, so it directly deleted a lot of direct evidence. They are very frustrated too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused. ¡°Was there any loss of state secrets?¡±

    ¡°...There wasn¡¯t any of that.¡± General Ji happened to smile when he heard Huo Shaoheng say this. He replied humorously, ¡°Of course, this would be considered a leak if the prime minister¡¯s affair was considered a state secret.¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed, leaning back on the tall swivel chair. ¡°So what are you worried about?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the news?¡± General Ji stiffened for a second. ¡°I thought that you would know about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly surprised. He¡¯d slept with Gu Nianzhist night and had felt extremely at ease, so he¡¯d somehow ended up oversleeping.

    However, his facial expression remained calm as he smoothly turned on the wall-mounted TV in the study and took a nce.

    All the TV channels were hotly discussing yesterday¡¯s Weibo incident. Aside from that five-minute short video, there was another incident that was the focus of the day¡¯s intense discussion on all the major TVworks, media outlets, and online forums.

    Someone had initiated a petition asking Prime Minister Tan to acknowledge his mistake and resign. It had already amassed tens of millions of reposts and hundreds of millions of likes and supportivements. The Inte Water Army working under Cai Songyin¡¯spany had beenpletely swamped by the ocean of public opinion. Even their shadows were invisible.

    What was considered public opinion?

    This was the true public opinion.

    Lincoln once said that ¡°you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.¡±

    Tan Dongbang had emerged from the election campaign as an underdog. For such a person to win the election, he¡¯d needed to possess a noble and unblemished character to earn the approval of voters in a short time, while also defeating other political veterans.

    When this character copsed in the voters¡¯ eyes, the recoil had also been very rapid.

    In other words, when the voters discovered that he¡¯d lied to them, they¡¯d hated him as much they¡¯d once loved him.

    People who didn¡¯t work honestly and only wanted to take shortcuts to heaven using unscrupulous means often discovered that the higher they climbed, the further they¡¯d fall.

    Tan Dongbang had an extramarital affair and that wasn¡¯t considered particrly bad for someone in the post of prime minister. But because his partner in the affair was a Japanese person suspected of espionage, the Huaxia citizens couldn¡¯t tolerate this at all.

    And that¡¯s why even the old grandpas and grandmas who didn¡¯t go online often followed their grandsons and granddaughters to cast their votes online.

    ¡°Shaoheng, do you see this? Even our military and Senate cannot ignore the support that these kinds of posts are receiving.¡± General Ji spread his palms. ¡°Old Long already called me this morning and we discussed it for an entire two hours.¡±

    When General Ji said this, Huo Shaoheng knew that these two bosses had certainly already reached a certain agreement.

    ¡°General Ji, please tell me, I¡¯m listening. If you need me to do anything, I¡¯ll be sure to do it right away.¡± Huo Shaoheng expressed his unconditional eptance.

    ¡°Very well.¡± General Ji nodded. ¡°So, Old Long called Tan Dongbang this morning and hoped that the action he could take in the best-case scenario would be to acknowledge his mistake and resign.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised a brow. ¡°And he refused?¡±

    ¡°Ha, you know Tan Dongbang well after all.¡± General Ji smirked. ¡°Yes, he refused. He said he was framed, that the entire video was fake and someone is setting a trap for him. He refuses to resign.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, holding the mouse in his hands to open programs on hisputer one by one. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°Old Long said that since he refused to acknowledge his mistake and resign, they have no other choice. Today, which is right now, the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament will be holding an emergency meeting to vote on the issue of dissolving the Cab and restarting the emergency general election.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a bit taken back. ¡°Dissolve the Cab? Restart elections? Is there enough time?¡±

    ¡°Regardless of whether or not there¡¯s enough time, we cannot allow someone with an image like Tan Dongbang¡¯s to take the position of prime minister. Don¡¯t forget, ording to our nation¡¯s constitution, the prime minister is the actual head of the nation.¡± General Ji¡¯s voice was very solemn. ¡°Has your Special Operations Forces received any information?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had received the news yesterday that Tan Dongbang¡¯s short video had been downloaded by the media and intelligence agencies of countless countries.

    ¡°Just like I mentioned earlier, I don¡¯t believe Prime Minister Tan¡¯s short video is a state secret. Even if it has been obtained by foreign intelligence agencies, it¡¯s not something we consider worth using our field personnel to take action against.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t hide the contempt in his tone.

    General Ji nodded. ¡°Very well, he won¡¯t be our prime minister much longer.¡±

    Just as the two men were speaking, Secretary Cao suddenly walked in. He bent down beside General Ji to quietly say something to him.

    General Ji beamed happily and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Alright then, both houses of Parliament just passed the unanimous decision to dissolve the Cab and restart the elections. I think that Bai Jiangcheng is going to be the prime minister this time!¡±

    Because the election was being unexpectedly restarted, there weren¡¯t many people eligible to run. Bai Jiancheng had just lost to Tan Dongbang, so he was certainly going to be a popr candidate.

 Chapter 984

    <h4>984 You Can Trust Me</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng had no opinion on who became prime minister, as long as they were elected into office. He would support what the voters supported.

    ¡°I understand, General Ji. Since the elections are being restarted, I will have the Special Operations Forces field personnel around the world pay attention to important local people. We will not allow them the possibility of disrupting our nation¡¯s elections.¡±

    This was actually exactly within the scope of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s responsibilities and also the reason why General Ji had especially asked for him. General Ji was very pleased with how he didn¡¯t need to say the words for Huo Shaoheng to understand what he needed to do.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll leave the issues abroad to you. The next thing is, in order to vigntly prevent any idents from urring, the military will mobilize a group of reserve personnel to monitor the election polls in various ces. Last time, they had requisitioned the Special Operations Forces¡¯ Central Control Room to monitor the polls. This time, Old Long¡¯s intention is to ask you to help once again by monitoring one more time.¡±

    General Ji chuckled as he picked up the Kung Fu tea cup on his desk and took a sip of the sweet and fragrant Dahongpao tea.

    Huo Shaoheng raised a brow. ¡°The Central Control Room still needs to be requisitioned? Then I¡¯ll say it straight out. I must be the only one allowed to monitor from the inside. Anyone outside, whether from the senate, cab, or the military¡¯s five military regions cannot intervene.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s certain.¡± General Ji instantly agreed.

    Last time, there were all sorts of inappropriate people entering the Central Control Room. Huo Shaoheng had conducted a massive cleansing upon his return, and there were still lots of people locked up in military detainment even now. They could not be released without exining the entire situation.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Then I ask you and Speaker Long to please jointly sign a specialmand to me, and I will immediately make the arrangements.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew that in order to do any work within the country, he must have transparency. He mustplete all required procedures and have all required certifications.

    General Ji had prepared for this long before. He took the documents out to show Huo Shaoheng andughed. ¡°I¡¯ll have Secretary Cao send this over to you. Can you rest assured now?¡±

    ¡°General Ji is too humorous. I¡¯m only trying to make other people shut up.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and nced at his watch to see it was already 12pm.

    ¡°The news broadcast is about to start. I need to find someone to deploy the reserve forces. Since we have decided to restart the elections, we only have a week¡¯s time to prepare under these emergency circumstances.¡± General Ji picked up his army cap to put on. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ll be relying on you for the matters abroad.¡±

    ¡°Please rest assured, chief!¡± Huo Shaoheng rose to give a standard military salute.

    General Ji¡¯s connection to the video call soon broke off. Huo Shaoheng turned on the wall-mounted TV in the study and so happened to see all the TV channels had interrupted their regr programming to begin a livestream of the senate¡¯s decision.

    He thought about it, then pressed on themunicator to say to the orderly outside, ¡°Ask Colonel Yin and Miss Gu toe to my study.¡± The orderly loudly affirmed, then raced downstairs to the dining room to call Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi upstairs.

    Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi walked in one after another. They were still chatting about something and giggling from time to time, so they appeared to be in very good moods.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at them before saying dryly, ¡°Close the door.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly closed the door to the study and asked in confusion, ¡°Huo Shao, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, watch the TV.¡± Huo Shaoheng sped his hands together before leaning back against the tall, soft back of the chair.

    Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong were speechless. They stared at each other, unsure what Huo Shaoheng was plotting.

    ¡°Sit down. Why are you standing?¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed to the two swivel chairs in front of his desk. ¡°This is important breaking news.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart tightened, and he wiped the giddy expression off his face. ¡°Is this something to do with Prime Minister Tan¡¯s incident?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, but his eyes quickly swept over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Gu Nianzhi appeared very calm. However, if it wasn¡¯t for the barely imperceptible fluttering of her butterfly wing-like eyshes, even Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t have detected the nervousness in the bottom of her heart.

    Yin Shixiong obviously didn¡¯t notice anything amiss at all. With a smile, he sat down on the swivel chair on the left and beckoned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come here, Nianzhi. Sit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she sat down on the swivel chair on the right. At this time, the huge wall-mounted TV on the opposite wall had already begun to air images of the senate.

    The seats were arranged in a fan shape in the splendid senate hall. From low to high, they encircled the small square podium in the front. White-haired yet youthful-faced, Speaker Long wore a formal ck tuxedo and a white bow tie. Standing behind the podium, his expression was grim as he began to speak.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen present, and all the TV audiences across the country, hello. On behalf of the upper and lower house of the Hua Xia Parliament, I would like to begin by wishing all the citizens of our nation a Happy Lunar New Year.¡±

    After a rattle, the senate hall resounded with thunderous apuse. Speaker Long¡¯s expression rxed. He paused to wait for the live audience¡¯s apuse to quiet down before continuing to speak.

    ¡°I believe that everyone already knows about the incident that urred yesterday evening, so I won¡¯t repeat it here. I want to emphasize that we will certainly pursue the initiators of this incident to the end. We will use legal means to protect the interests of the nation and its people. However, the great international and domestic impact caused by this incident and the conclusions drawn from careful technical certification have convinced us that Mr. Tan Dongbang no longer upholds the eligibility and ethics to continue as the prime minister of our nation.¡±

    There was only dead silence both on TV and outside the TV broadcast. Aside from all the people of the country, all the people of the world were probably following the special meeting held by the Hua Xia Imperial Senate.

    ¡°But unfortunately, Mr. Tan Dongbang has refused to resign as Prime Minister of the Hua Xia Empire after discussions. Under these circumstances, in order to protect the dignity of both the leader of our nation and the nation itself, both houses of the parliament held an emergency meeting this morning. We reached the unanimous decision to authorize the dissolution of the cab and the restarting of the election.¡±

    As soon as Speaker Long said this, Yin Shixiong leaped up. He shrieked, ¡°What?! Dissolve the cab?! Doesn¡¯t that mean we no longer have a government after the Lunar New Year?!¡±

    ¡°Only the cab has been dissolved. How can you say we don¡¯t have a government?¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at Yin Shixiong coolly. ¡°Are you excluding the senate and military from the government?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is the administrative departments, alright? Logician!¡± Yin Shixiong red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I was just saying. Can you not take it so seriously?¡±

    ¡°How can you run your mouth about things like that?¡± Gu Nianzhi was feeling a bit guilty, so she was relentless towards Yin Shixiong. ¡°This is the basic principle of national affairs. Don¡¯t say one thing and make the entire government sound paralyzed.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine. I can¡¯t talk around you.¡± Yin Shixiong waved his hand nervously, then turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, what do you need me to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°As the Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Forces, notify all our field personnel around the world. The operation code is ¡®Nighthawk.¡¯ Pay attention to ryed local people and do not allow anyone the possibility of undermining our election.¡±

    ¡°Roger, chief.¡± Yin Shixiong stood up and saluted before striding outside. The door banged shut, and the noise was so deafening it made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tremble.

    Pursing her lips, she slowly got up and smiled. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ll be going too, since you¡¯re busy.¡± As she spoke, she turned around to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stop her. He quietly watched her open the study door and walk outside. Soon after, he heard the door of the suite outside open and close.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes to the keyboard before him and casually typed in twomands to check thework data from the official residence over the past two days. As he expected, thework data from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was a bit abnormal. Huo Shaoheng picked up the cursor and opened the surveince program to take a closer look.

    Gu Nianzhi had connected to an external system from the Special Operations Forces¡¯ intr. Although it was very difficult to check what she did after leaving the intr, he was still able to see her first destination. What did Gu Nianzhi need to do that she was required to log into the server of a library of a certain small European town from the intr?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands quickly hammered on the keyboard as he discreetly wiped away all of Gu Nianzhi¡¯swork traces fromst night. Shutting down theputer, Huo Shaoheng came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    The living room of the small suite was silent. The curtains hung silently, and the sunlight filtered brightly through the white curtains, the tiny particles of dust dancing in the light. The bedroom door was ajar, and Huo Shaoheng walked inside.

    Gu Nianzhi was currently focused on keying in programs one by one. Huo Shaoheng walked behind her and bent over to brace his arms on the desk in front of Gu Nianzhi. Surrounding her in his arms, he asked calmly, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so terrified her entire body shuddered as she was nearly about to jump up. Huo Shaoheng reacted quickly by mping down her shoulders into the seat, preventing her head from mming into his chin.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Gu Nianzhi moved her shoulders with great difort in an attempt to escape from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands.

    ¡°What if I say no?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward, his cheek gently brushing against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobes.

    Half of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body turned numb for a second. She was truly too frightened, so she had no spare energy to think about this unusual contact. ¡°What are you doing here? I still have something to do.¡± Gu Nianzhi tried to speak calmly, but her voice trembled slightly at the end to reveal her true feelings.

    Huo Shaoheng cocked his head to look at her, then sighed quietly. Reaching out with hisrge, warm hands, he held each of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid...¡± Gu Nianzhi purposely feigned rxation and curled the corners of her lips to try her best to smile. Her lush, curvy lips curled up, yet the dimples at the corners of her lips didn¡¯t appear.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to lean his body forward and held both her hands. He looked at her quietly until he could see a transparent bead of sweat fall from her temple. He could only imagine how much mental pressure she was enduring. Huo Shaoheng sighed before kissing her cheek and saying quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Nothing will happen with me here.¡±

    ¡°What... what could happen?¡± Gu Nianzhi was nearly in tears. She waspletely befuddled as to how Huo Shaoheng found out she was responsible for that incident! She had clearly wiped away all tracespletely!

    ¡°Nianzhi, you can trust me.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms tightened, and he enveloped her in his embrace through the back of the chair. ¡°Tell me, what did you do?¡±

 Chapter 985

    <h4>985 Don¡°t Get Too Smug</h4>

    Could she trust him? Gu Nianzhi thought about it with unease. She wasn¡¯t afraid that Huo Shaoheng would yell at her, but she was worried that telling him would make things difficult for him.

    Gu Nianzhi believed that she understood better than anyone else what kind of person Huo Shaoheng was. In his mind, the country and the military came first. Hisrades and colleagues came second, and in the past Gu Nianzhi thought she and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother could share third ce. However, she wasn¡¯t so sure anymore...

    As for what she did yesterday¡ªalthough she had ample reason, and it was very satisfying, she was certain that it had damaged the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s national image. Tan Dongbang was still undoubtedly the Prime Minister of the Hua Xia Empire when his short video had been circted online. In other words, she had smeared the leader of the nation for all to see.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes.

    Also, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s estate dispute had been a closed trial. Besides a small number of people, the public wasn¡¯t aware of Gu Yanran¡¯s Japanese ethnicity.

    For the sake of ensuring that Tan Dongbang would step down, Gu Nianzhi had especiallybeled the name ¡°Kasahara Naoko¡± on the video. She also prepared a Qiandu encyclopedia page to enable others to easily search for it. Now that the public knew about this and was full of indignation, the higher level executives couldn¡¯t cover it up, even if they wanted to.

    So with this incident, Gu Nianzhi had insulted many of the executives friendly with the Tans and Cais. This was especially the case for the senators who voted against Tan Dongbang¡¯s impeachment case and opposed his impeachment. They would hate her to the bone. That was the majority of the people in the senate to begin with. If they were to find out that this incident had something to do with Gu Nianzhi, then they may potentially assign the me to Huo Shaoheng.

    As Gu Nianzhi hesitated, Huo Shaoheng continued to stare at her unblinkingly. He was trying to figure out what she was thinking. ¡°Nianzhi, what are you worrying about?¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her up and sat himself down on her swivel chair. Putting her on hisp, he held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and wanted to click on the cursor, but Gu Nianzhi used all of her delicate strength to mp down on the mouse.

    Clenching her teeth, her pretty little face was rosy. Because of her nervousness, she appeared pink and translucent like a sticky rice dumpling dotted with red¡ªsweet and delicious.

    Huo Shaoheng was worried that she had inadvertently caused a huge mess, but he also knew she wasn¡¯t someone who didn¡¯t understand the importance of things. So what he needed to know was why she had to do that.

    After waiting for a long time, Gu Nianzhi still refused to speak. She twisted her head away to look at the corner of the bedroom. There was a tall, slim-necked plum blossom vase ced on a person-height rosewood floormp stand. It did not hold a flower but merely stood there by itself like a still life painting.

    Huo Shaoheng changed his mode of questioning. ¡°Nianzhi, why did you Photoshop Cai Songyin in there, too?¡± Huo Shaoheng let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t try to click on the mouse again.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief, stretching her wrist that had turned stiff from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hold. Her gaze wavered as she replied, ¡°How would I know? After all...¡±

    ¡°Still arguing with me?¡± Huo Shaoheng pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s elegant and beautiful nose before spinning her around. His lips were slightly curled. ¡°The choice of background music was pretty good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She couldn¡¯t help but curl her lush, curvy lips and secretly want tough.

    ¡°What were you doing, going online here and connecting to the server of a library in a small European town?¡± Huo Shaoheng continued, and he could feel Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire body trembling.

    Supporting her waist, he said, ¡°Can you tell me now? I already erased all traces of you going online.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly jerked her head up. Her huge, ck,cquer-like eyes were full of disbelief and shock. ¡°What? You... you eased traces of me going online?!¡±

    Did he even know what he was doing?!

    Huo Shaoheng almost wanted tough at how shocked Gu Nianzhi was. However, he felt a bit of pain as well. He had truly been strict with her, but he never wanted her to have no choice but to bear the burden alone when she was in trouble. However, he knew that ever since the incident in Germany had urred, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unreserved and intentional trust in him had disappeared.

    If this had been in the past, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t need to spend so much effort questioning her. Gu Nianzhi would chatter as she confessed the entire thing, then smugly demand hugs and kisses from him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was aplete mess. Like a castle ravaged by a tornado at the end of the world, there was debris strewn all over. She would have never thought that this time, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be stony faced as he lectured her before handing her over to the authorities. Instead, he was helping her clean up the mess. Didn¡¯t he know that he would be her aplice by doing that!?

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly and after a while, he replied sternly, ¡°Nianzhi, how about I guess what happened if you¡¯re not going to tell me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was again speechless.

    ¡°Why did you choose to upload the videost night? Was it because something happened yesterday, so you needed to be the first to make a move?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°!!!¡±

    ¡°What happened yesterday? Was it something you could no longer tolerate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°QAQ¡±

    ¡°Does it have something to do with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°o(¨s¡õ¨t)o¡±

    It looked like she couldn¡¯t hide it anymore, but she still vehemently denied it. ¡°No! It had nothing to do with you!¡±

    But when Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s huge, ck, jade-like eyes suddenly squint, he already knew he¡¯d guessed correctly. ¡°It really has something to do with me? Otherwise, why would you be so nervous about denying it?¡±

    At that moment, an indescribably touching feeling and urge surfaced in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart. Hot blood coursed through his veins, and his body swelled in waves. It was like the overwhelming happiness and love could no longer be contained and would seep out endlessly. However, aside from his slightly heavier breathing, he didn¡¯t disy any other behavior.

    Sitting there quietly, he watched the girl in his arms. Even though she kept iming she no longer loved him anymore, she still didn¡¯t hesitate to stand by his side and battle for him whenever something rted to him urred. The young girl who had grown up with him had an unconditional solitary bravery about her. This enraptured him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and murmured, ¡°They are too despicable.¡±

    So it really was for him... Huo Shaoheng instantly kissed her, and his hands frantically removed her clothes as he threw her onto the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi was like a little white fish struggling on the bed, being flipped over and over again by him to tame. She became the food on his te, and he enjoyed the meal to his satisfaction...

    After it was over, Gu Nianzhi felt that her waist was about to snap in half.

    Huo Shaoheng returned after going to the bathroom to clean up, and Gu Nianzhi was still sprawled on the pillows. She berated him helplessly. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to fold me in half next time! My waist is about to snap into two pieces!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng began to feel hot as soon as he heard this, so he inclined his head to sigh softly and replied calmly, ¡°If you talk anymore, I won¡¯t be able to hold myself back again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Squinting as she watched this strapping man take time putting his clothes back on, she enunciated carefully, ¡°Major General Huo, are you ming me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her once before sitting down on the bed. ¡°Where does it hurt? I¡¯ll rub you.¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Gu Nianzhi bundled herself in the nkets and rolled far away. ¡°I¡¯ll fall apart if you rub me anymore.¡± Gu Nianzhi actually only wanted to state the facts and had no intention of teasing him, but Huo Shaoheng felt like she was teasing him with every word she said.

    This young girl¡¯s ability was increasingly more impressive. Huo Shaoheng sat back down on the sofa by the bed and crossed his leg, sighing and suddenly remarking, ¡°How are they despicable?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to continue pretending to be asleep. She was rolled up in the nkets and remained motionless.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his hands together. ¡°Want to get folded in half again? I¡¯ll assume you want it if you don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°!!!¡± Her entire body was unbearably sore, so she turned around to look at Huo Shaoheng and said quietly, ¡°You can¡¯t get mad if I tell you.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯ll be angry?¡± At this time, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t in a rush to ask for the reason. He thought it was even more important to figure out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s psyche.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and shrank her nket-wrapped self back on the bed. She hesitated for a while before feebly saying, ¡°Cai Songyin asked someone to write... write... adult fiction about you and me. I was 12 years old...¡±

    Regardless of how knowledgeable Huo Shaoheng was, he never thought that this would be the reason. He frowned. ¡°It was that blogger?¡± He remembered that after he watched the video yesterday, he also happened to investigate the original blogger. He knew that the blogger was a lowly writer who wrote new media posts, so he had already assumed at the time that this person¡¯s Weibo ount had been hacked. However, Huo Shaoheng never thought that there would be a reason why the blogger¡¯s ount was hacked. So this original blogger wasn¡¯t innocent, either.

    Gu Nianzhi grunted and nodded quickly.

    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly. This was the question he was most concerned about. How did Gu Nianzhi know that Cai Songyin had hired someone to do that kind of thing?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed red and she mumbled, ¡°I thought it was a bit weird how you suddenly became inte famous, so... so... so I created a search program and put it on Weibo to see if there were any... strange phenomenons.¡± Then she discovered the short text that had just been uploaded, and the rest was history.

    Gu Nianzhi continued quietly, ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry. I deleted all the text and also reformatted that person¡¯sputer. I alsopleted an inte-wide search to find that there were no copies in cloud mailboxes, perhaps aside from a few sentences that may still remain in that person¡¯s head. But I still think that Cai Songyin would make him shut up...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was both angry and amused when he heard this. However, this little plot was rather well thought out. He quietly listened to Gu Nianzhi finish exining, then looked up to casually nce at her andpliment, ¡°Well done.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°!!!¡± Her eyes suddenly lit up, and even the bright sunlight that filtered through from the white gauze curtains couldn¡¯tpare in brilliance. Her bright, lively eyes were like the first dash of tender green and pink in the springtime, carrying the aura of spring.

    Not only did he not scold her or me her, but he evenplimented her instead...

    It was very different than what she imagined. Gu Nianzhi sat up rolled in the nkets and nudged a bit closer in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. Her eyes glittered. ¡°Really? You¡¯re reallyplimenting me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his other leg. ¡°But there are areas for improvement. Don¡¯t get too smug.¡±

    ¡°But I really damaged our nation¡¯s image...¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to make a confession, but the beautiful corners of her curvy lips had already curled up automatically. She couldn¡¯t suppress them no matter what.

    Huo Shaohengughed and remarked warmly, ¡°I don¡¯t agree with them on that point. I never believed that Tan Dongbang could represent our nation¡¯s image.¡±

 Chapter 986

    <h4>986 Professional Habi</h4>

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi became suspicious. ¡°You¡¯re not purposely saying that just to make me feel better?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t joke about this kind of thing.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was calm as usual. ¡°From the first time Cai Songyin proactively uploaded the short video of Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran online, I already stopped regarding him as the leader of the nation.¡±

    Although Cai Songyin had blurred out the man and surrounding background in the short video, Huo Shaoheng and his men possessed the original copy. As soon as that kind of thing was uploaded online, the consequences were not something people could handle. Even without Gu Nianzhi, there would be someone else recovering the footage.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s personal image had fallen apart long ago, so it was even more impossible for him to represent the national image. Consequently, before Huo Shaoheng even knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s connection to the incidentst night, he had already refused to help Tan Dongbang clean up the mess.

    He wasn¡¯t a saint. Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin had already tripped him up once and almost caused him to lose the most important person in his life. He would remember that for the rest of his life.

    However, for the sake of respecting the military and the nation, he hadn¡¯t proactively gone after them. Now that Gu Nianzhi helped him vent this frustration, he was more happy than anything. Who cared if Tan Dongbang would bleed from this beating? Even so, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have to know about these situations.

    Huo Shaoheng was still a bit worried that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t intervened appropriately, and it would be bad if she harmed herself in the process. His expression was very solemn, and his gaze was like lighting. His stare made Gu Nianzhi unable to lift her head up again, so she was in a ¡°position of repentance¡± before him.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her silently for a while before hearing Gu Nianzhi say very quietly, ¡°I was already very careful. It¡¯s not even as serious as you¡¯re making it sound, is it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up, folding his hands behind his back and standing before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed. His strapping figure opposed the light, and his authority could not be ignored. ¡°You really think that you werepletely wless?¡±

    ¡°For example?¡± Gu Nianzhi answered smoothly. ¡°I¡¯ve never said that I¡¯m number one in the world.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stuck out his right forefinger. ¡°Firstly, it was pretty good that you knew to use a proxy to go online. But don¡¯t forget that any proxy will still leave a trace behind, as long as you logged in from my ce. So you need to learn how to bypass the local surveince.¡±

    She had truly neglected that point, and that¡¯s why she was exposed by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s investigation. Gu Nianzhi nodded humbly. ¡°I haven¡¯t had many chances to be a hacker, so I¡¯ll be sure to be more careful in the future.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to do it again?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression finally darkened as he berated her sternly. ¡°Do you know how lucky you were this time? When you were in Germanyst time, they underestimated your ability and allowed you to enter their intr and take advantage of it. This time, I was here to help you clean up. But things can¡¯t happen more than three times, so don¡¯t even think of a third time. You won¡¯t be this lucky again!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little mouth gaped in a circle as she was instantly floored by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lecture. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression changed too quickly, so Gu Nianzhi experienced the difference between a professional¡¯s work and amateur¡¯s work for the very first time.

    ¡°I¡¯m not yelling at you because you shouldn¡¯t have done that. I¡¯m yelling at you because you weren¡¯t being careful or secure enough.¡± Huo Shaoheng inclined his body forward. ¡°Also, it¡¯s one thing to not do it, but if you¡¯re going to do it, you must not leave the enemy any room to escape. Don¡¯t assume that Cai Songyin will make the original blogger stay quiet. On the contrary, she will make him spill it and reveal their original n.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes instantly narrowed. ¡°No way! She¡¯s that sick-minded?!¡±

    ¡°Tan Dongbang¡¯s cab has already been dissolved, and the interim general election is being held next week. As soon as Tan Dongbang loses, Cai Songyin will go berserk. She wouldn¡¯t be Cai Songyin if she doesn¡¯t drag us into this mess.¡± Huo Shaoheng stepped forward coldly. ¡°So think about it. How do we stop the original blogger from opening his mouth?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so terrified, she stopped being herself. She quickly lunged forward, sprawling on the bed and hugging Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh to plead, ¡°Huo Shao! Don¡¯t! I¡¯m begging you! Even though that person is horrible, he doesn¡¯t deserve to die! Don¡¯t make a mistake! I can go turn myself in!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was so angry at her, he began tough. Looking down at Gu Nianzhi sprawled on the bed and hugging his thigh, she had already forgotten that she was ¡°exposing herself.¡±

    ¡°What did you think I was going to do?¡±

    ¡°...You ...You were going to make him shut up, right...¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled. What kind of person would shut up? Only a dead person... Didn¡¯t they show that on TV all the time?

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the ceiling and suddenly remarked, ¡°Stop watching those silly TV shows all the time...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up a white wool throw and wrapped Gu Nianzhi in it. He replied calmly, ¡°Am I that kind of person to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi obediently allowed him to wrap her up as she continued to shake her head furiously. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°So what did you mean just now?¡±

    ¡°Water got in my brain just now.¡± Gu Nianzhi confessed honestly and reached her hand out from under the wool throw. She gently tugged at the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hem. ¡°Huo Shao, please teach me... How can I make that original blogger shut up?¡± Of course she didn¡¯t want to destroy his body.

    ¡°Think about it yourself.¡± Huo Shaoheng pried her hand off. ¡°What do you need to do, if you don¡¯t want an even heavier punishment?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got an idea and suddenly understood. She looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I get it now! Huo Shao is truly amazing!¡± Her beautiful curvy lips revealed an angle appropriate for a kiss. However, Huo Shaoheng stopped himself from lowering his head to kiss her. Instead, he turned to walk away and didn¡¯t even say anything else.

    Gu Nianzhiid on the bed to contemte for a while before finally putting on some clothes and sitting in front of herputer. As soon as she opened Weibo, she was shocked to see an ocean of information about ¡°restarting elections.¡±

    The secondary ount she used to initiate the petition had also amassed tens of thousands of fans. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed red. Pursing her lips, she quietly logged into another secondary ount. Hackers loved nothing more but endless sock puppet ounts.

    When she logged into Weibo this time, she continued using a proxy. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reminder, she was very careful about bypassing the local surveince. It went without saying that the Special Operations Forces¡¯ surveince, and especially the online surveince in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, was basically like a spider monster¡¯s cave¡ªit was unbelievablyplex.

    Gu Nianzhi studied it for what seemed like half a day but still couldn¡¯t even focus her eyes. In the end, she chose to go to the source and used the method Zhao Liangze taught her to bypass the local surveince logged onto the proxy. Then she looped back onto Weibo.

    When she was finished, she had spent nearly 20 minutes on the project. ncing at her watch, she used every second to arrive at the original blogger¡¯s Weibo ount and studied his two ¡°real fans.¡± But once she was in, she instantly gave up. Those two fans were none other than the original blogger¡¯s own sock puppet ounts, so they didn¡¯t have to pretend to be ¡°true fans.¡±

    When she took a closer look, she saw the original blogger was online. Gu Nianzhi used a bypasser¡¯s identity to send a private message to the original blogger. ¡°Blogger, I remember reading a very shocking text post that you posted the other day. Why is it gone now?¡±

    The original blogger was currently feeling aggrieved, so he immediately replied, ¡°How would I know?! I was originally posting a short essay, but then I got hacked, and it turned into a video!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied immediately. ¡°Oh? How could that be?! I was thinking about how I didn¡¯t have time and couldn¡¯t finish reading it that day. By the time I wanted to read it, it was already gone.¡±

    The original blogger replied, ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sent another private message. ¡°So did you save a draft? Show it to me. I promise I won¡¯t leak it!¡±

    The original blogger replied immediately, ¡°Myputer was already reformatted by someone. How could I remember what I wrote?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both reassured and worried by what the blogger said. She was reassured, since no one else in this world would remember that disgusting essay, but she was worried that the blogger no longer had any evidence. What if he was tripped up by Cai Songyin and her people?

    Gu Nianzhi was still contemting how to lead the subject to this topic when the blogger somehow already initiated the conversation with her. Perhaps he was facing too much mental pressure and didn¡¯t dare say any of this to the people in his life, so he vented honestly to strangers online.

    Original Blogger: Do you know? I was the one who was contacted by someone, but now there¡¯s trouble, and my ount was hacked. They are actually suing me!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s professional habits started up as soon as she read this.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Sockpuppet ount X: Oh?! You¡¯re getting sued by the Prime Minister and his wife?! So what do you n to do? Do you need to hire awyer?

    Original Blogger: I don¡¯t have money. I can¡¯t afford awyer.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Sockpuppet ount X: No way? You¡¯ll go to jail if they really sue you and you don¡¯t hire awyer. Didn¡¯t you say someone paid you money to write that essay? They didn¡¯t give you enough money to afford awyer?

    Original Blogger: Sneering.jpg, they only paid the initial amount, but didn¡¯t pay the final amount. I¡¯ve already thought things through. We can all go down together in the worst case scenario. No one should think about taking advantage of the other person. They treat me like a fool, and I know that the person whomissioned me to write the text was an employee of the First Lady. They are robbers acting like cops, but I¡¯m not easily bullied!

    Although he didn¡¯t remember what he wrote, he still remembered the summary and instructions that person had given him. From the way Gu Nianzhi saw it, she was secretly impressed with how far-sighted Huo Shaoheng was.

    As expected, Cai Songyin was actually nning to sue the original blogger as a cover and actually attempt to make the situation even muddier. She was still relentless about going after Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Sockpuppet ount X: I pity you, Blogger. But if you expose this incident, won¡¯t you cross the Prime Minister and his wife, as well as people from the military? Is that worth it?

    The original blogger was silent for a while before replying, ¡°I know, but I¡¯m at the end of the road.¡±

    He was going to die anyway, so the original blogger was going to take a gamble no matter what, even if it meant the possibility of ndering two innocent people. After all, he was willing to ept money to write such an essay, so that meant there was no notion of ¡°fairness and justice¡± in his mind.

    Such people were extremely selfish, and the fact that Cai Songyin and her people were able to find such a person meant that like-minded people gravitated towards each other.

 Chapter 987

    <h4>987 Miss Home?</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was keenly aware that as long as Cai Songyin and her people were adamant about suing the original blogger, then the original blogger only had to reveal that someone had paid him to write a story smearing Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. He could say he was a scapegoat and got hacked.

    Even if everyone knew that the story was intended to smear and nder, when this happened, the story¡¯s outline and purpose would still lead the public¡¯s attention astray. Gu Nianzhi was both angry and worried. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to reach her hand across the inte and give the original blogger a vicious beating!

    However, she couldn¡¯t do that, nor could she disregard thew by killing the original blogger. So what could she do to make the original blogger shut up without breaking thew?

    Gu Nianzhi sat in front of theputer with her mind spinning away. Suddenly, she discovered that she had backed herself into a misconception. Why was she insisting on going from the angle of the original blogger? Although this blogger wasn¡¯t innocent, he also wouldn¡¯t purposely make trouble for himself.

    Selfish people knew how to best protect their own interests better than anyone else, so the original blogger wouldn¡¯t reveal the incident of the story unless he absolutely had no choice and was backed into a corner. It would be fine as long as he wasn¡¯t allowed to go to court and appear in public.

    As for whether he would write in the future or privately, it had nothing to do with them. That wouldn¡¯t cause irreparable societal effects, anyway. After all, everyone already knew long ago what kind of status Huo Shaoheng possessed, so her logic had really be wed. If she had to give this blogger an escape route, she should start with Cai Songyin¡¯s angle instead of battling the original blogger...

    Just now, she recalled the original blogger saying that Cai Songyin wanted to sue him. That¡¯s the only reason why he chose to reveal how Cai Songyin¡¯s subordinate contacted him about writing the story. Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang were in so much trouble they didn¡¯t even care, nor were they concerned about image. They wouldn¡¯t care if the original blogger revealed that the incident had something to do with them. In the absence of direct evidence, they would certainly have the legal advantage and would not be held ountable for legal liability in this matter.

    However, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng werepletely different. They were twopletely innocent people who had been dragged into muddy water. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s public image would suffer irreparable damage, and his career would certainly stop at the rank of major general.

    When Gu Nianzhi understood the key to such an evil n to destroy someone¡¯s future, she exhaled sharply. Covering her mouth, she quickly thought about the situation. So the key to the solution must be at Cai Songyin¡¯s end. Gu Nianzhi needed to do something to prevent Cai Songyin from being able to sue this original blogger. Gu Nianzhi not only had to prevent Cai Songyin from suing this blogger, but also had to prevent her from being able to sue ¡°the hacker¡± who uploaded the video!

    This matter had to be resolved outside of court, but what could she do to prevent Cai Songyin from being able to sue them? From a legal perspective, there were only two situations where the other party couldn¡¯t sue. One was to dispel the other party¡¯s desire to sue, which was the root of the solution. The other situation was when the court was unable to file the case, even if the other party actually sued.

    Out of professional habit, Gu Nianzhi began by considering situations where the court would be unable to file the case. ording to Hua Xia Imperialws, for civil and criminal prosecution that met the conditions as stipted byw, theint would always be epted, and the case would be filed on the spot.

    If it could not be immediately determined whether theint was inpliance with thew, then the determination would be made within a time limit prescribed byw. If the case still failed to be judged within the legally prescribed time limit, then it could be filed.

    Furthermore, Cai Songyin would certainly hire the top talent in the industry for theirwsuit. For example, Cai Songyin had a niece named Cai Shengnan who was awyer from the United States. Also, Cai Songyin¡¯s older brother, who also happened to be Cai Shengnan¡¯s father, was one of the few top Chinesewyers in the United States. He had once assisted in the victory against the grand jury in the impeachment case of an American president after he fell into a scandal. If they still couldn¡¯t sessfully file the case with such a luxurious legal team, then those legal elites would all want to die.

    Obviously, the second situation was totally impossible. If Cai Songyin and her people wanted to sue, then they would surely be able to file the case, so that only left the first possibility. Under what circumstance would Cai Songyin and her people not want to sue?

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from theputer and paced around the room with her arms crossed. She racked her brain in contemtion. She thought about it for a long time but to no avail, so she sat down in defeat and slumped on the sofa. Cradling her head, she grimaced and nearly cried out loud.

    At that moment, her phone¡¯s ringtone could be heard. Gu Nianzhi grabbed it to take a look and saw it was none other than He Zhichu! This was wonderful! Her wish really hade true! She could ask He Zhichu!

    Gu Nianzhi thought that He Zhichu was an even more formidablewyer than Cai Shengnan¡¯s father. He was also younger and had already attained such great achievements, so his future was even brighter.

    Gu Nianzhi ecstatically slid the phone to unlock it. ¡°Happy Lunar New Year, Professor He!¡± Her voice was crisp and sweet, filled with the joy of reunion and reliance from the bottom of her heart.

    As soon as He Zhichu heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, he froze for a moment. He seemed to have returned to the past when Gu Nianzhi was by his side¡ªthe Gu Nianzhi who had endlessly relied on and trusted him had finally returned...

    ¡°Professor He?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hear anyone speak from the other end of the line for a long time. She even thought she read the number wrong. ¡°Professor He, is that you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± He Zhichuposed himself and smiled faintly. ¡°What is it? Did you miss me a lot?¡±

    ¡°I missed you! I missed you so much, almost all my hair has fallen out!¡± Gu Nianzhiughed dramatically, curling her legs and rolling around on the couch.

    ¡°An exaggeration.¡± He Zhichu raised a brow. ¡°Tell me, what is it? You must¡¯ve gotten into trouble if you missed me so much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless for a moment. After a while, she giggled. ¡°Professor He is truly amazing. I can¡¯t hide anything from you...¡±

    ¡°So you really got into trouble?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was cold and aloof. Like a ss of iced lemonade in winter, it actually cooled down Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious mood.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Professor He, where are you? Are you back on campus already?¡±

    He Zhichu had just gotten out of the car and looked up at the professor¡¯s building in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived and just got here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then you should settle in first. We can chat when you¡¯re free?¡± Gu Nianzhi replied politely.

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°Tell me. I¡¯m free.¡± For her, He Zhichu was free at any time, anywhere, as long as she was there.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, then suddenly realized she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it at all. How could she ask He Zhichu about this incident? Forget how He Zhichu would feel after hearing about it¡ªjust the fact that there was such a story about her and Huo Shaoheng alone made her want nothing more but to conceal itpletely and prevent anyone else from knowing about it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts raced through her mind as she immediately changed the topic and grumbled, ¡°Your vacation was certainly very long. How is everyone doing back home?¡±

    He Zhichu stiffened instantly. After quite some time, he walked out of the elevator and finally nodded. His cool and aloof voice was slightly raspy. ¡°They are all good. Nianzhi, do you miss... home?¡± There was excitement inside his heart. He felt as if maybe Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memories had recovered.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was currently monopolized by the mess caused by Cai Songyin. She didn¡¯t notice the dramatic shift in He Zhichu¡¯s emotions at all. Sitting up from the sofa, she smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t miss it. Why would I miss home? I spent the Lunar New Year at home.¡±

    ¡°You spent Lunar New Year at home?¡± He Zhichu stoodpletely still. ¡°Which home?¡±¡±

    ¡°The military base,¡± Gu Nianzhi blurted out. ¡°The military base is my home.¡± She actually wanted to say ¡°Huo Shao,¡± but the words still turned back just as they were about to leave her mouth. She felt some embarrassment as well.

    He Zhichu understood now. His expression turned cold as he opened the door and walked into his suite. ¡°You spent Lunar New Year at Huo Shao¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°Well, I actually spent Lunar New Year at Auntie Song¡¯s ce,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered delicately. ¡°On Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve, Auntie Song picked me up for New Year¡¯s dinner at her new home. I went, and Huo Shao was working.¡±

    But ever since Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve, she had been living in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. In the end, she had gotten into a huge mess, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to tell He Zhichu.

    ¡°And then?¡± He Zhichu pushed the luggage into the room before sitting down on the couch and sighing quietly. Long distance traveling was really tiring. Although his body was very healthy, it couldn¡¯t withstand constant exhausting travel. Luckily, he had settled everything at home this time. He would stay here and be with Gu Nianzhi, until they turned old...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect He Zhichu to continue asking her about this. She didn¡¯t want to tell the truth but didn¡¯t want to lie, either. After hemming and hawing for a while, He Zhichu understood clearly. ¡°You¡¯re at Huo Shao¡¯s official residence?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost wanted to kneel down. In her panic, she wasn¡¯t able to make up a good excuse, so she had no choice but to nod and quickly exin herself. ¡°Huo Shao had been with the base troops from the first day of the Lunar New Year and hadn¡¯t returned until early this morning. He¡¯s gone to work now. Do you need him for something?¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Then I¡¯lle pick you up? Nianzhi, didn¡¯t you break up with Huo Shao already? Why are you still living in his house? Do you still have feelings for him? Or did he force you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. This question was truly tooplicated. Gu Nianzhi looked up at the ceiling for a long time and was silent before finally saying, ¡°Then you cane pick me up and take me back to my own house?¡± She had purchased a second-hand home in the Hepingli district, and Huo Shaoheng had installed very stringent surveince there, so it should be safe, too.

    He Zhichu sighed in relief. ¡°Ok, I¡¯lle pick you up right away.¡± He had no time to change out of his traveling outfit before going downstairs with his car keys. He sped the entire way there and soon arrived at the main entrance of the Special Operations Forces headquarters base.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t have a permit, so he obviously couldn¡¯t enter¡ªnor did he want to. He didn¡¯t get out of the car at all and only made a phone call to Gu Nianzhi from the door. ¡°Come out. I¡¯m here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi packed up her things and left a note for Huo Shaoheng before rushing downstairs quickly. When Huo Shaoheng was at the door, he found out she was going to leave. He quickly strode down the stairs and chased her to the door to ask, ¡°Why are you leaving all of a sudden?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°Professor He is here. He¡¯s taking me back to Hepingli.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression remained unperturbed, and he didn¡¯t try to convince her to stay. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you outside.¡± He called for a car and took Gu Nianzhi in it so they could drive to the entrance of the headquarters base.

    He Zhichu spied a car driving over, so he got out of the car and leaned against the car door. However, he saw that Huo Shaoheng was helping Gu Nianzhi out of the car. He Zhichu squinted. With both hands in the pockets of his camel-colored cashmere coat, he straightened his back and nodded rigidly at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Happy Lunar New Year, Huo Shao.¡±

    ¡°Happy Lunar New Year, Professor He.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and rolled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small suitcase with the other hand. ¡°Nianzhi stayed at my ce for Lunar New Year. We are troubling Professor He to take her back.¡±

    ¡°No problem, this is part of my responsibility.¡± He Zhichu coolly nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It¡¯s also good that you stayed at Huo Shao¡¯s. It¡¯s safe, so I am reassured, too.¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi even spoke, Huo Shaoheng hadtched onto the topic. ¡°Well of course. Professor He is a mystical dragon that appears in the beginning but never stays for the end, so Nianzhi could have only stayed here at my ce.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips but somehow didn¡¯t argue with him. Rubbing the phone in his pocket with one hand, he inclined his chin at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi released Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Goodbye, Huo Shao.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Remember the problem I asked you to consider. If you can¡¯t think of a solution, remember to give me a call.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it right now!¡± Gu Nianzhi waved at Hu Shaoheng. ¡°I will think of something!¡±

    He Zhichu was stony faced as he got into the car. After waiting for Gu Nianzhi to put on her seatbelt, he drove the car with a whoosh like an arrow leaving its bow.

    Gu Nianzhi had a look and discovered that He Zhichu had gotten another new car¡ªyet another world ss luxury car. Gu Nianzhi cackled. ¡°Professor He, you shouldn¡¯t spend money like this, even if you¡¯re rich.¡±

    He Zhichu drove without taking his eyes off of the road ahead. He didn¡¯t want to speak with her at all. However, Gu Nianzhi was quite capable of entertaining herself. She sat next to He Zhichu and chattered away about the interesting things that happened during her Lunar New Year. She especially mentioned Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong¡¯s engagement ceremony. ¡°Professor He, you didn¡¯t get to see it in person. It was so beautiful! Right, I have a video. Should I show youter?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression rxed slightly as he nced at her coolly. ¡°What kind of engagement ceremony could possibly make you this happy?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, it didn¡¯t make me happy. It was Brother Xiong who made Qiqi happy,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied in all seriousness. ¡°For a friend¡¯s engagement ceremony, I¡¯ll be happy as long as they¡¯re happy.¡±

    He Zhichu snickered as he skillfully turned the steering wheel to get onto the highway. ¡°Why does that sound so hypocritical?¡±

    ¡°How am I hypocritical?¡± Gu Nianzhi red at He Zhichu briefly. ¡°I really think of it that way. This was someone else¡¯s engagement ceremony, so of course it¡¯s good as long as they¡¯re happy. Why does it matter if I like it or not? I¡¯m only bystander B.¡±

    ¡°Bystander B? Then who¡¯s Bystander A?¡± He Zhichu red at her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused before asking, ¡°What is it? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± He Zhichu was angry now. ¡°Bystander A and Bystander B are a match made in heaven! Are you still unable to let go of Huo Shaoheng?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°!!!¡±

    Why hadn¡¯t she ever considered it from that angle? Is this what Huo Shaoheng meant when he said, ¡°Bystander A and Bystander B?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried very hard to hold it in, but her mood miraculously improved. As soon as she was in a good mood, her mind was especially clever. By the time she got out of the car, she somehow already had the full n in her mind. How to stop Cai Songyin¡¯s desire to sue? Gu Nianzhi thought about it, and she already knew what to do.

 Chapter 988

    <h4>988 Keeping a Close Lookou</h4>

    Based on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s understanding of the Tan family, there was only one person who, as ast resort, would be able to stop the two crazy parent-inws, Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang. It was their precious daughter, Tan Guiren. However, how Gu Nianzhi felt about Tan Guiren wasplicated.

    Up until now, Tan Guiren had not exactly partaken in anything that could exactly be regarded as a misdeed. She wasn¡¯t someone like Gu Yanran and was definitely not someone like Wen Shouyi. Those two people had brought upon her harm that was substantial and irrevocable. It would be impossible for Gu Nianzhi to reconcile with them.

    Tan Guiren, on the other hand, was a little better than Xu Piaohong and Gui Suyao.

    With that being said, the harm that she caused to Gu Nianzhi was actually the most severe. However, Gu Nianzhi knew deep inside her heart that what had happened could not entirely be attributed to and med upon Tan Guiren. After all, she had her whole life nned out by her dear parents, and all she had to do was make sure that she looked pretty and elegant.

    Even though she had a secret crush on Huo Shaoheng, she did not approach Gu Nianzhi brazenly and provoke her like Xu Piaohong did. Most importantly, she was outstanding at ying the violin. Gu Nianzhi had the opportunity to see her violin performance on Christmas Eve. Listening to her music was almost like listening to nature.

    One¡¯s music reflected one¡¯s thoughts. Musicians with errant thoughts would not be able to produce such pure music. Music was just like other kinds of art; in order to reach the highest level of sess, one must possess a clear conscience. It could even be said that for that to be possible, one must see no evil. True artistic sess may only be reached with an exceptionally carefree heart. If an artist was so sophisticated, his works would inevitably be filled with artistry.

    Tan Guiren was very well protected by her parents. She waspletely different from the masses and gave off the feeling that she would be out of tune with them, which was the reason why her violin ying could produce a sound like that. But what if she left her parents¡¯ protection?

    Gu Nianzhi considered as she went to the kitchen to pour He Zhichu a cup of coffee. Tan Guiren probably would not be able to live if that happened. Tan Guiren was truly akin to a Chinese dodder flower, beautiful yet so fragile that it would die without any support. She was destined to walk away from her parents arms into her husband¡¯s arms, then be sheltered by her husband for the rest of her life.

    On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s English name was Cereus, also known as an epiphyllum or ¡°the queen of the night.¡± It could also be regarded as a cactus, since an epiphyllum was a nt ssified as part of caryophyles, which included the cacti. A cereus was pure white and looked delicate but had tenacious vitality.

    She thought about how it was a cactus that bloomed on barrennd and thought that it was appropriate. Gu Nianzhi strongly felt that only it could truly portray her. She had no parents or close rtives, but with Huo Shaoheng by her side, she was able to grow up safe and sound.

    Unlike Tan Guiren, she never thought of living the rest of her life under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s protection and would never want to do that. She belonged with the cereus, the species of cacti nts that grew on barrennds. They possessed not only tenacious vitality but also bore thorns all over them. If anyone wanted to make life difficult for her, she would do the same to that person first. It was just that simple.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herpassion. She walked out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee and ced them on the coffee table. ¡°Professor He, ck coffee, your favorite.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made herself a cup of cappino with some milk and sugar while He Zhichu drank his coffee in one gulp. ¡°I need to adjust to the time difference today. I¡¯m very tired and don¡¯t feel like driving back. Will you let me stay for the night?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at He Zhichu then nodded. ¡°Let me prepare the guest room for you.¡±

    He Zhichu sat on the sofa and watched as Gu Nianzhi moved around diligently like a little bee. He felt warm and fuzzy. He gradually fell asleep as he leaned back on the sofa.

    Gu Nianzhi came out after tidying up the guest room and saw that He Zhichu was already fast asleep on the sofa. The setting sun shone through the small gaps between the curtains, and golden rays appeared on the cherrywood floorboard. It invoked a feeling of peace, calm, andfort.

    Gu Nianzhi took out the nkets and gently spread them over He Zhichu. After that, she walked into her own bedroom, closed the door, took out her cell phone, and called Speaker Long.

    Speaker Long said before that she could call him up if she wanted to take the exam for a position in the secretarial office of the senate. Gu Nianzhi knew that Speaker Long must be swamped and that it wasn¡¯t good timing. However, she couldn¡¯t wait. Despite knowing that Speaker Long was busy, she still had to make the call.

    As expected, Speaker Long was very busy. Gu Nianzhi made a total of ten calls before Speaker Long finally answered. ¡°Nianzhi? I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s especially busy today, and I left my cell phone in the study.¡± Speaker Long¡¯s exhaustion was clearly audible.

    Gu Nianzhi cut to the chase and said, ¡°Speaker Long, I know you¡¯re busy, so this call I¡¯m making is to offer you some help.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You want to help?¡± Speaker Longughed. He sat down, took a breath, and drank some tea. ¡°How do you propose to do that? Have you decided to take the exam?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded profusely. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve decided. But I heard that I will have to wait for a month before the exam. In the meantime, since you¡¯re swamped right now, will you let me work for you as an intern? I can help you withst minute election matters, and at the same time familiarize myself with the workflow so I¡¯ll be able to start work immediately when I pass the examter.¡±

    Speaker Long gave it some thought and felt that it would work. There were plenty of internship positions at the senate, anyway. Gu Nianzhi was a student from B University¡¯s Master of Law program and also an outstanding student who graduated in advance. He even rmended her for the secretarial office of the senate. Hence, her internship at the senate was a matter of course.

    It was also a fact that Speaker Long was low on manpower. He wanted to try it out even more to see if Gu Nianzhi was as outstanding as he thought she was. Special Assistant Yang mentioned to Speaker Long before that Gu Nianzhi was outstanding, but it was because she was standing on the ¡°shoulders of giants¡± and not based on her own merits. Special Assistant Yang did not explicitly state so, but Speaker Long already knew that he was referring to both He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng.

    One was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s postgraduate tutor at college, while the other used to be her guardian and was the youngest major general in the military. He had power and authority, with tens of thousands of subordinates all over the world under hismand.

    ¡°Sure. If you¡¯d like, you cane by tomorrow and follow my lead. I will personally assign work for you.¡± Speaker Long started to ramble. ¡°You know about it, right? The re-election will begin in two weeks¡¯ time, and the senate will be crazy busy then.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know about it. It¡¯s in the headlines these days. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no one in the country who doesn¡¯t know about it.¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go start work tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you cane to my office directly. I¡¯ll let Special Assistant Yang know so that he can make the necessary arrangements.¡± Feeling happy, Speaker Long gave the table a knock. The person that he had his eyes on was not only talented but also had the initiative to look for and volunteer herself for work. In Speaker Long¡¯s eyes, half the battle was already won.

    The remaining half would depend on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actual performance at work. Speaker Long had set his mind on the qualities that his sessor should possess. His sessor must not only be someone with a good attitude but must also be someone who was able to produce quality work. Good attitude with low quality work would not do. Of course, good quality work but a bad attitude would also be hard to ept.

    Both Speaker Long and Gu Nianzhi finalized the matters for the next day, then Speaker Long informed Special Assistant Yang about it. Special Assistant Yang had also been extremely busy these days and was looking for someone to assist him with his work. However, the candidate that he had in mind, and whom he thought of highly, was Rong Mingxing, a female junior from his high school, who was now a fourth year student in B University¡¯s Law Department.

    But that didn¡¯t matter since Speaker Long already told Gu Nianzhi to follow him. There wouldn¡¯t be any conflict with Rong Mingxing this way. Since they were all interns anyway, Special Assistant Yang could still free up an additional internship position.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the call. She saw through the windows that the lights outside were illuminated. It was nightfall. He Zhichu had fallen into a deep slumber. Gu Nianzhi looked back but didn¡¯t wake him up. She was nning to prepare some dishes in the kitchen.

    Just then her cell phone rang again. The ringtone that was ying was one that was customized and assigned to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with a ¡°Mhm¡± and said, ¡°Master Huo, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sounded very calm. ¡°Is Professor He still at your ce? Is there anything else he has to do there?¡±

    He Zhichu had entered her apartment in the afternoon, and it was already night time, but he was still not out yet. Huo Shaoheng must be checking up on her? Gu Nianzhi whispered, ¡°Professor He has fallen asleep. I didn¡¯t want to wake him up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was at a loss for words.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Professor He is a man of honor.¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly dispelled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s concerns and changed the subject ingeniously as she gently said, ¡°Master Huo, I have an idea. Tomorrow, I will be helping out Speaker Long. Give me another three days, and I will make sure that for the rest of her life, Cai Songyin won¡¯t have the courage to start a suit.

 Chapter 989

    <h4>989 Exposed Thoughts</h4>

    It didn¡¯t matter to Huo Shaoheng how Gu Nianzhi intended to deal with Cai Songyin. In any case, he was going to take action if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t. Upon hearing from Gu Nianzhi that it was Cai Songyin who procured a third party to write the outline of the short essay, he was furious. If muddy water was sshed on him, he didn¡¯t care. In his field of work, he was already mentally prepared for that. Not only did he give no thought to matters of life and death, even his own life was tossed to the back of his mind.

    What mattered to Gu Nianzhi did not matter to him. What he really minded was that such a dirty trick was used to discredit Gu Nianzhi, who was only an innocent 12-year-old girl at the time.

    He was indeed strict with Gu Nianzhi. He scolded and lectured her at times, and even made her go through hardships. However, who were Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang to do that, as if they deserved to lecture Gu Nianzhi?!

    Not wearing his heart on his sleeve was something that he was too ustomed to. Even if he was furious, an outsider might only be able to see a hint of coldness projected through his gaze underneath that faint smile he would put on.

    Therefore, the nature of Gu Nianzhi mindfully stopping Cai Songyin from being able to start a suit was not as serious as whaty before him, namely, He Zhichu staying for the night at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. As Gu Nianzhi chattered on, she realized that Huo Shaoheng was silent on the other end. She was puzzled. ¡°Master Huo? Are you still listening?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng responded with a ¡°Mhm.¡± He had a cigarette wedged between his fingers on one hand as he turned on theputer with the other, then started typing with a clickety-ck.

    Gu Nianzhi heard that and asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you still busy?¡±

    Since he was still busy with work, she wanted to hang up so as not to bother Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Huo Shaoheng said unexpectedly, ¡°Little Ze has been unable to decode the signal processing on his side. I¡¯m not sure what went wrong. I¡¯m currently checking up on that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt somewhat nervous. ¡°Was it the signal processing that I did before? I remember that there wasn¡¯t any problem with it.¡±

    ¡°The problem differs each time. You debugged it previously, but whenever Little Ze and others from his side convert the frequency, it¡¯s received on my end,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly as he deconstructed the processed signal and converted it into mojibake.

    Gu Nianzhi fidgeted. ¡°How can that be? How about Ie over and have a look at it tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just get busy tonight. The issue will more or less be resolved.¡± Huo Shaoheng further scrambled the signal codes and treated the matter like a sudden attack drill.

    It was impossible for Gu Nianzhi to let Huo Shaoheng work into the night alone. Besides, it was the mess that she left, so she had the responsibility to clean up the aftermath. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like this, Master Huo. Let me do it, or alternatively, I can work with you to see if we can find a better way of decoding it and make sure that no matter what problem crops up on their side, we will be able to receive and decode it.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked into her bedroom as she spoke and switched on herptop. ¡°I¡¯m online. Send me part of the code. After I¡¯m done decoding, I¡¯ll encrypt it and send it back to you.¡±

    Thework that Gu Nianzhi was using was being monitored by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s department, so he was not worried that secret information would be leaked through ordinarywork operators.

    After thinking about it, Huo Shaoheng sent part of the code for civilian use to Gu Nianzhi. Then he paused and said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, will you turn on the video camera?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°I want to see you,¡± Huo Shaoheng continued.

    Gu Nianzhi inexplicably obliged. She moved her hands unconsciously and turned on the video camera. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face appeared on Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop screen. He smiled at her. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re going to have to work hard today.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Come, let¡¯s work together.¡± Gu Nianzhi switched on the coding program and started to decode the mojibake.

    Huo Shaoheng was also decoding, but he was treating it as a practice drill and did it absentmindedly. His gaze constantly shifted to the room behind Gu Nianzhi. He could tell that it was her bedroom. The bed was made, all neat and tidy. It didn¡¯t seem like someone had slept on it. Looked like He Zhichu was either in the living room or the guest room.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He continued to interact with Gu Nianzhi by giving her decoding tips and sharing with her his decoding experience and the lessons that he learned.

    Gu Nianzhi was not as experienced as Huo Shaoheng was in decoding. Moreover, Zhao Liangze had taught her in this area. It was only now that she realized Huo Shaoheng was better at it than Zhao Liangze was, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel more interested in it.

    She waspletely immersed in the atmosphere of decoding andpletely lost track of time as she experienced the logic and wonder behind theputingnguage. Three hours slipped by without her realizing it, and it was already midnight. Gu Nianzhi yawned quite a few times.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart softened, and he was mulling over whether he should let Gu Nianzhi sleep. Just then, a person appeared in the video, a man standing right behind Gu Nianzhi. It was He Zhichu.

    He just woke up and was feeling a little thirsty, so he got up to get some water but ended up hearing the click-ck of the keyboarding from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. He turned around and saw lighting out from her bedroom and knew at once that Gu Nianzhi was still up, so he walked to the door to have a look.

    It was then that he saw Gu Nianzhi typing on herptop, and it looked as though she was in the middle of a video call with someone. He Zhichu walked in with a calm and collected manner and saw with one look that it was Huo Shaoheng she was speaking to in the video call.

    He Zhichu looked at his watch, the veins on his forehead pulsing. He walked over with an icy expression on his face and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Are you not going to let Nianzhi sleep?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a start. She looked up, saw He Zhichu, and said quickly, ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re awake? Do you want to sleep in the guest room?¡±

    He Zhichu pointed to the screen at Huo Shaoheng and looked at Gu Nianzhi, his peach blossom eyes filled with anger. ¡°Nianzhi, didn¡¯t you say that you broke up with him?! But then you went to his house to celebrate Chinese New Year, and now this...!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lips. She felt a little guilty. In front of others, she could tell them without the slightest hesitation that she had nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng, but in front of He Zhichu, a person who regarded her with utmost importance and who cared for her dearly, she could not utter that.

    It was true that she had broken up with Huo Shaoheng, but he had also forced her into signing a marriage certificate. More importantly, her feelings were clear, and she knew what her heart felt. It was once again, bit by bit, warmed up by Huo Shaoheng. She was climbing towards her goal diligently, but Professor He... She could no longer keep him in the dark.

    Huo Shaoheng saw He Zhichu¡¯s dark, gloomy face through the video and calmly said, ¡°Professor He, since you¡¯re already awake, please leave. Nianzhi is home alone. It¡¯s not appropriate for an outsider like yourself to be staying in her apartment.¡±

    He Zhichuughed grimly as he ignored Huo Shaoheng. He was only looking at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, are you going to chase me out, too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, then turned around and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Master Huo, I still have some matters to attend to. Let¡¯s leave it at that for today.¡± She then ended the call as she spoke and switched off the video camera.

    He Zhichu was feeling relieved until he heard Gu Nianzhi say, ¡°Professor He, I have something to tell you.¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly didn¡¯t feel like listening to it, so he turned around to leave. ¡°I¡¯m tired. If there¡¯s anything you want to tell me, you can tell me tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Professor He,¡± Gu Nianzhi followed suit and stood up. ¡°Please listen to me. I don¡¯t want to hide this from you anymore.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart was beating like a drum. His mind drew a nk in that instant. He didn¡¯t know what he was feeling and didn¡¯t know how he should react. He Zhichu was able to live so many more years because of Gu Nianzhi, and now she was going to take it all away. He would not only be left with nothing, his meaning in life would also be lost.

    He Zhichu stood on the spot, upright, with even his back looking endlessly lonely. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have the heart to say it, but she knew that it was better for her to set things straight for a matter like this, and the sooner the better. She really didn¡¯t want to lose a great mentor and friend like He Zhichu. He was like family to her. Perhaps she just wasn¡¯t destined to have any semnce of family members in her life...

    Gu Nianzhi walked over slowly and stood still about a meter behind He Zhichu. He turned around and looked at her indifferently. The expression on his face made Gu Nianzhi feel extremely guilty.

    She mustered up her courage and said, ¡°Professor He, what I want to tell is that, it¡¯s true that I broke up with Master Huo previously, but afterwards, he... he... he signed a marriage certificate with me.¡±

    He Zhichu was mentally prepared for what was toe. He was aware that he missed out on the most crucial six-year period and that it would not be easy for him to catch up with Huo Shaoheng. However, he did not expect Gu Nianzhi to say that she had already gotten married to Huo Shaoheng!

    ¡°Nianzhi, you can¡¯t joke about something like that!¡± He Zhichu looked worried and angry. He took a step back. ¡°Married? Do you think it¡¯s child¡¯s y?!¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi recalled how she was forced to sign the marriage certificate, she felt aggrieved, too. ¡°I know that a matter like that is not child¡¯s y, but...¡±

    ¡°What about the wedding ceremony? So Huo Shaoheng just married you like that, without a sound and without even a wedding? Are you sure he¡¯s not just toying with you?¡± He Zhichu emitted a deadly cold aura. It felt as though he was ready to kill someone. ¡°Nianzhi, did he force you into it!?¡±

    In the face of He Zhichu¡¯s interrogation, Gu Nianzhi pleaded as she looked up at him. ¡°Professor He, please don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll tell you everything, just please don¡¯t be angry! I haven¡¯t told anyone this yet, because I haven¡¯t acknowledged it myself. But whether or not I acknowledge it, I did sign a marriage certificate with him, and...¡±

    ¡°And what?¡± He Zhichu grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm with an anguished expression on his face. ¡°Tell me, the person that you like, who on earth is he?! Just tell me that you truly like him. I... I... I...¡± As he uttered that ¡°I¡± thrice, He Zhichu could feel his heart break, even as he said those words. It felt as though someone had taken a knife and stabbed it into his ribs. There was now a badly mangled wound and a big hole in his heart, one that would remain there for all eternity, one which he would never recover from.

    ¡°Professor He, I never stopped loving him.¡± Gu Nianzhi confronted He Zhichu and revealed her feelings. ¡°But it¡¯s just that I used to think that the distance between our social standings was too far. I thought that it was impossible for us to be together, so I broke up with him and wanted to leave him. But he never gave up on me. I¡¯m aware of everything he did for me, and he is also making changes for me. I don¡¯t wish for more, I just want to work hard and be someone who is of equal standing with him.¡±

    It was the only way for them to reduce the number of people who were setting them up, and it was the only way for them to lead a happy life without the constant fear of people attempting to break them apart.

    He Zhichu took two steps back and used all of his strength before he managed to steady himself. He understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. Even so, he couldn¡¯t bear to say anything about leaving her. That was because to him, leaving her would be worse than giving up on her, and it would be a life worse than death.

 Chapter 990

    <h4>990 No Other Options</h4>

    He slowly reached his hand out and touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. With his breath held, he asked in a quavering voice, ¡°Do you really love him? Are you sure? There¡¯s someone who can treat you better. Do you really want to give up on that option?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, I¡¯ve thought about it, but I was left with no other options the moment he appeared.¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered his hands away from her head. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re someone that I really respect. Although I don¡¯t remember our past together, I¡¯ve always felt a sense of familiarity with you, and this feeling is getting stronger and stronger, so I don¡¯t want to avoid you. But if you¡¯ll feel ufortable with me around, I can avoid meeting you.¡±

    He Zhichu shut his eyes. This was indeed an oue that he¡¯d envisioned. He could only say that this oue was still a tad bit better than the worst oue he¡¯d predicted.

    ¡°Are you silly? Why would I feel ufortable whenever I see you?¡± He Zhihu took a deep breath, pulled Gi Nianzhi close to him, and hugged her. He said in a choked voice, ¡°Just treat me like family, don¡¯t avoid me.¡± He hugged her tightly and tried his best to hold back the tears that were about to fall.

    Gu Nianzhi felt somewhat ufortable and struggled unconsciously.

    ¡°Nianzhi, let me hug you for a bit, just treat me like your brother. When you were younger you always called me... Brother He,¡± He Zhichu mumbled with a detached voice. It sounded like he was repressing his emotions deliberately.

    The words ¡°Brother He¡± stirred up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotions as well. ¡°Professor He, did I really call you ¡®Brother He¡¯ when I was younger? Did you know my parents?¡±

    He Zhichu kept mum as he continued to embrace Gu Nianzhi. The expression on his face read of both grief and joy. It was like having to surrender a priceless treasure to another person after putting aborious amount of effort into finding and attaining it.

    He Zhichu was immensely unwilling to give up, but he couldn¡¯t insist the moment Gu Nianzhi said what she did, that she was¡±left with no other options the moment he appeared.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped struggling and didn¡¯t ask him about it again. She was somewhat disappointed. However, she could feel how cautious his hug was. It was both gentle and forgiving, and it felt like he would never say ¡°no¡± to her no matter what she did or said.

    It wasn¡¯t clear how much time went by, maybe twenty minutes? Perhaps half an hour?

    It was only when her legs started to ache from all that standing that she whispered to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, my marriage to Huo Shaoheng, please don¡¯t tell anyone else about it, okay? I don¡¯t actually acknowledge the marriage...¡±

    In her heart, loving him was one thing and getting married was another. A marriage like hers was something that she would never acknowledge.

    Zhichu¡¯s response was expected. Heughed bitterly as he said, ¡°Well, of course, you can¡¯t acknowledge it. To marry my... Little Nianzhi so easily, wouldn¡¯t that be too good to be true?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and was about to push He Zhichu away when she heard the sound of someone opening the door from outside. Besides herself, the only other person who had keys to her apartment was Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi tensed up, her head starting to throb.

    He Zhichu looked like he had arrived at some sort of realization. He let go of her swiftly and rushed out of the bedroom like a gust of wind.

    He got to the living room just as Huo Shaoheng was entering the apartment. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you despicable piece of scum! How dare you swindle her into marriage! Are you really doing whatever you want just because she has no one to protect her now?!¡±

    Without even giving him the chance to exin himself, He Zhichu threw a punch right at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face!

    Huo Shaoheng was right, he knew that He Zhichu had not left the apartment.

    In the face of He Zhichu¡¯s iing punch, Huo Shaoheng instinctively tilted his head to one side and avoided it. At the same time, he raised his arm and moved forward.

    All of a sudden, Gu Nianzhi recalled that Huo Shaoheng had injured his right arm. Although it had happened a month ago, she wasn¡¯t sure if he had fully recovered.

    ¡°Professor He, Master Huo¡¯s right arm is injured, you...¡± She realized, even before she could even finish her sentence, that He Zhichu was charging towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s right arm, and even more ferociously than before!

    His kicks and punches were forceful. He even utilized a swinging kick. His long legs greeted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s right arm without a moment¡¯s hesitation!

    Gu Nianzhi covered her face and crouched in a corner. She could not bear to witness such a scene.

    Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu started fighting in the living room. It wasn¡¯t clear whether the two were unting their fighting skills or if they were just being very mindful of not messing up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s living room. Whatever the reason was, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s living room remained as clean and tidy as it had been before during the 45 minutes of brawling between the two of them ensured. Only their faces and bodies were all scratched up. The two of them had been weaving through the open spaces and furniture in the living room.

    Then, pricked by guilt, Huo Shaoheng decreased his strength. With that, the fight between the two evenly-matched opponents was put to rest. The victor emerged. He Zhichu delivered a punch thatnded squarely on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back.

    Huo Shaoheng stumbled from the impact and sprawled right in front of Gu Nianzhi, who was still crouching in the corner. Huo Shaoheng let He Zhichu kick him, enduring the kicks without a word.

    ¡°Stop ying dumb!¡± He Zhichu stopped kicking. He walked towards Huo Shaoheng and gazed at him coldly. At that moment, he wanted to step on Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Do you have no sense of shame?! With your status and position, do you really need to force Nianzhi into a marriage?! Did you really think that being a general would be all that? You¡¯re just ying around with her!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You told him everything?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still covering her face, but she nodded almost imperceptibly.

    ¡°I will not acknowledge it! And Nianzhi will not acknowledge it! Stop dreaming!¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help but to kick Huo Shaoheng once more. ¡°Get up and fight, why don¡¯t you!? Don¡¯t even think about feigning injury to draw sympathy!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rolled over in an instant and avoided He Zhichu¡¯s vicious kick. He was in front of Gu Nianzhi and had one knee on the ground. He turned and looked at He Zhichu, then said in a cold voice, ¡°He Zhichu, I¡¯m trying not to make you look bad here, don¡¯t push it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push it?¡± He Zhichu asked furiously. ¡°You used your status and position to trick an innocent orphan into a marriage! A marriage without a proposal or a wedding ceremony! And now you¡¯re shamelessly saying that you¡¯re trying not to make me look bad? You wanted to marry her, but did you ever ask me about it?!¡±

    ¡°Why would I have to seek your approval on this? Who are you to her?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and grabbed hold of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm at the same time. He pulled her up from the corner.

    ¡°I...¡± He Zhichu stuttered, his Adam¡¯s apple moving. He clenched his fists and continued in a hoarse voice, ¡°She just recognized me as her brother, which means that I¡¯m her only kin in this world. Don¡¯t you think you need my approval on this?¡±

    ¡°Brother?¡± Huo Shaoheng blinked. ¡°The blood-rted kind?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression soured instantly. ¡°My foot! You¡¯re the one that¡¯s blood-rted to Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi was also silent.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of his hand and said, ¡°...What¡¯s the matter with you two? The two of you are making it sound like it¡¯s bad to be rted to me. There¡¯s nothing I want more than to find my loved ones...¡±

    Both Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu looked at her.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her to his side, pointed at He Zhichu, and said, ¡°Are you sure you want him as your brother? The two of you are not even blood-rted, why be each other¡¯s siblings?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt somewhat embarrassed. Although she relied on and respected He Zhichu much like kin, it still felt awkward when He Zhichu said aloud that she had agreed to regard him as her brother.

    He Zhichu hid the wound beneath his eye andughed bitterly. ¡°Do you really think I want us to be siblings? What I want is for us to remain engaged, but is that something that you¡¯ll acknowledge?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±¡±No!¡± Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi responded in unison.

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi, then at Huo Shaoheng, and said in a cold voice, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. From the moment Nianzhi was born, she was my fianc¨¦e. If you¡¯ve got something to say about that, tell it to her parents. Don¡¯t ask me about it.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where her parents are?¡± Huo Shaoheng probed, hoping to get more information out of He Zhichu.

    However, He Zhichu knew better than to spill. ¡°General Huo, if you haven¡¯t found them after all these years, how on earth is it possible for someone like me to seed in that? Besides, even if I did, do you really think I¡¯d be waiting for you to go pick the fruit? Nianzhi would have long ago been married to me!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like what he said didn¡¯t make sense.

    Given his obsession with Gu Nianzhi, if He Zhichu could find her parents and prove that they were engaged, he would¡¯ve done so eons ago.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened. He said calmly, ¡°Alright then, since everything¡¯s out on the table, let me first congratte Nianzhi on gaining an affectionate brother.¡±

    He Zhichu shot him a side nce, crossed his arms, and said, ¡°So you acknowledge that I¡¯m now her brother? That works too. If you want to marry her, you¡¯ll first need to seek my approval. Nianzhi, do you agree to that?¡±

    In her heart, Gu Nianzhi had always thought that it was easier to settle things with He Zhichu, so she nodded obediently. ¡°Professor He... with you checking up on me, I won¡¯t be taken advantage of.¡±

    ¡°You heard that, right?¡± He Zhichu pulled Gu Nianzhi over to his side and said, ¡°You¡¯d better keep this in mind. From now on, you¡¯re nothing more than Nianzhi¡¯s suitor, so before you meet my requirements, you¡¯re not allowed to go around swindling her again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng massaged his temples. ¡°Then stop saying so easily that you want to stay overnight in her apartment. Let¡¯s not talk about how you¡¯re not her actual blood-rted brother. Even if you were her real brother or father, you ought to keep in mind that the grown son avoids his mother, the grown daughter avoids her father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only feel the tension inside her head.

    She was tired and sleepy, and she wanted to chase them out of the apartment so that she could have a good night¡¯s sleep. Her internship at the Senate was starting the next day and she could not bete for that!

    Gu Nianzhi raised both her arms up in defeat. ¡°Okay, okay, okay, you¡¯re both right. Now, please get out of my apartment. I¡¯m going to sleep, I will be working at the Senate tomorrow, and I have neither the strength nor energy to deal with the two of you right now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and thought of what she¡¯d said earlier on, about a way to stop Cai Songyin from suing. Could it be rted to the Senate somehow?

    He wanted to ask her about it but refrained when he saw that it was already past 1:00 A.M. ¡°Go to sleep, I¡¯m leaving.¡± He looked at He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, do you want to leave together? I still have some questions for you.¡±

    He Zhichu was both physically and mentally exhausted and simply didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with the crafty fellow and his interrogation. He grabbed his coat from the sofa and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m exhausted too. If there¡¯s anything you want to talk about, do itter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood in the living room and watched the two of them leave, one after another. She then closed the doors and locked them up. She threw herself onto the bed upon entering her bedroom and cked out almost instantly.

    The issue was finally resolved. She felt the weight lift off her shoulders and slept soundly through the night. It was a night without any dreams.

    The next day, she woke up on time at 7:00 A.M.

    She rushed to report for duty at the Senate. After washing up in a hurry, she changed into her professional attire, whichprised of a Burberry toggle coat paired with Burberry¡¯s ssic check cashmere scarf. She carried her small Hermes Berlin bag with her and left the Hepingli apartment.

    Both the Lower House of Parliament and the Senate were located in the heart of Erhuan.

    Gu Nianzhi arrived at the entrance and spoke to the security guard. ¡°My name is Gu Nianzhi. Speaker Long has agreed to let me intern here.¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment,¡± The security guard said as he contacted the inner personnel and checked the guestlist for the day. After a moment, the security guard said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss Gu, your name is not on the list. Could you be mistaken?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be...¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her phone hastily and called Special Assistant Yang. She remembered that Speaker Long had Special Assistant Yang help her go through the formalities.

    However, Special Assistant Yang could not be reached. The line was either busy or could not be connected.

    Gu Nianzhi was aware that the Senate would be particrly busy these next few days, so she did not think about going elsewhere. Besides, yesterday she had only managed to get through to Speaker Long after almost ten phone calls, so she didn¡¯t mind the wait and simply kept calling.

    She called for nearly twenty minutes before she got through to Special Assistant Yang. The moment he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, he said, ¡°Miss Gu, didn¡¯t you say that you were going to be Speaker Long¡¯s intern? Why are you still not here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here already, I¡¯ve been calling you from the entrance for almost 20 minutes. The security guard says that my name is not on the list. They¡¯re not letting me in.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang said apologetically over the phone, ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯m so sorry, I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to submit both your name and Rong Mingxing¡¯s. Please wait a moment, I¡¯lle bring you in.¡±

 Chapter 991

    <h4>991 Careful Deliberation</h4>

    This time, Gu Nianzhi waited only about five minutes before Special Assistant Yang came bustling out from the main entrance of the towering Senate building.

    The suit on him was unkempt, and the greenish-ck stubble growing out of his mandible was apparent. He really did look like he¡¯d stayed up working all night.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Looks like you guys are swamped, Special Assistant Yang.¡±

    ¡°Very busy indeed. It really couldn¡¯t be a better time for you to be here to help.¡± Special Assistant Yang smiled as he walked her inside. ¡°We have another intern with us today, she is also a student at B University. She¡¯s a fourth-year student named Rong Mingxing. She¡¯s not here yet, but you¡¯re early.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Oh, I see. Since you¡¯re all so busy, I guess it¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯ve taken on a few interns.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang brought her to Speaker Long¡¯s office and started with an apology. ¡°Speaker Long, I did go through with all the necessary formalities yesterday but at the veryst minute, someone came to verify matters rting to the election ballots so I forgot to submit the names of the two interns to the security department. I stayed upst night, and I¡¯m not very clear-headed.¡±

    Speaker Long had been up allst night as well. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you¡¯re swamped with work too. You can go take a shower, I¡¯ll walk Nianzhi through the basic situation and assign some work to her.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang zoned out for a bit but recovered quickly. Heughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. Thank you for being so understanding. I¡¯ll get going now. Nianzhi,e by my officeter, I¡¯ll show you to your seat,¡± he said as he gave Gu Nianzhi a nod, then smiled as he left.

    The smile on his face, however, disappeared once he left Speaker Long¡¯s office. He pushed his gold-rimmed sses up his nose and walked expressionlessly into his office. He looked at the tasks he had to allocate for the next few days.

    One of his subordinates entered andined, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, those from the prime minister¡¯s residence are here. They want to discuss matters rting to the election ballot, do you want to meet them?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang checked his schedule for the day. He was disinterested in dealing with the soon-to-be-reced prime minister and his subordinates. He shook his head. ¡°Let them wait.¡±

    ...

    In Speaker Long¡¯s office, Gu Nianzhi sat upright across from Speaker Long and listened as he exined the state of affairs at the Senate to her. He was speaking at the right pace and was sinct in his words. Very quickly, he briefed her on the entire situation at the Senate. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re still an intern right now so you won¡¯t be assigned any real substantial work. Take this time to observe and think about things. When you¡¯re clear about the workflow and processes around here, I¡¯ll get Special Assistant Yang to assign some real work to you. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll follow your instructions.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and left the office, carrying along with her the files that Speaker Long handed to her.

    Gu Nianzhi made a quick scan around Special Assistant Yang¡¯s office when she got there. It was a huge office indeed. The french windows overlooked the Imperial City. It was a magnificent sight.

    ¡°Nianzhi, please sit.¡± Special Assistant Yang, who had washed up and shaved, looked quite refreshed now. He passed the task list to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Have a look at the list and see if you¡¯re interested in any of these tasks in particr.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi skimmed through the list. The majority of the tasks involved typing, photocopying, making coffee, and organizing notes.

    ¡°Special Assistant Yang, are you sure these are tasks for interns?¡± Gu Nianzhi slid the list back to Special Assistant Yang and chuckled. ¡°They look like things that part-timers do.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu,¡± said Special Assistant Yang, addressing her differently now. He got serious. ¡°Interns here start by doing these tasks for the first few days. Of course, Miss Gu, you¡¯re capable and outstanding, so perhaps they may be a waste of your talent...¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a waste of my talent. It¡¯s just that I spoke to Speaker Long before and came here only because you were all so busy. I thought I could be of assistance. It¡¯s a shame that I¡¯m only going to be doing these tasks. It looks like you¡¯re all not that busy after all. I mean, you even made me wait 20 minutes for you this morning. Really... what a way to put me in my ce!¡±

    Special Assistant Yang pushed his sses up andughed. ¡°Miss Gu, there must be some misunderstanding. These really are tasks assigned to interns. Rong Mingxing, the intern that I mentioned to you before, is here and she¡¯s already gone to make some coffee.¡±

    The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled slowly. ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯ll go bring Speaker Long a cup of coffee.¡±

    She turned around and left. It was only when he saw her reach the door that Special Assistant Yang called out, ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t like doing these tasks. I have here some other tasks. Do you want to try them out instead?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and said calmly, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, if I don¡¯t even mind making coffee, what else would I not be willing to try?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, you have a splendid work attitude. We need more talented people like you in the Senate!¡± Special Assistant Yang said as he brought out another file. ¡°This is the information about the Prime Minister¡¯s residence. Their representatives came by early this morning to discuss election matters. Why don¡¯t you meet with them on our behalf? You just have to ask them what they think about it.¡±

    This task was definitely much more meaningful than serving coffee. Gu Nianzhi epted it without hesitation.

    Special Assistant Yang then got someone to bring her to her seat. Gu Nianzhi was now Speaker Long¡¯s intern and thus considered part of the Senate¡¯s Secretarial Office¡¯s personnel.

    The ce she was brought to was also located somewhere in the Senate¡¯s Secretarial Office.

    Upon her arrival, Gu Nianzhi greeted the people that were there and even chatted with some of them. By the time she sat down, she knew almost all of the names and positions of those in the circle.

    Everyone was still joking around with each other as Gu Nianzhi read up on the folder containing information about the prime minister¡¯s residence. When she saw that Tan Guiren was among those who¡¯de for the meeting, she raised her brows and asked her colleague who was seated beside her, ¡°Does the prime minister¡¯s daughter count as a representative of the prime minister¡¯s residence?¡±

    ¡°How can that be?¡± Her colleague¡¯s lips curled with disdain. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what she¡¯s here for.¡±

    The current prime minister¡¯s family of three had already fallen off their pedestal and was no longer envied by others. They were the perfect examples of people who had gone their separate ways but still got together asionally.

    Tan Guiren, the only daughter of Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang, could be considered an innocent party embroiled in all of this.

    Gu Nianzhi studied the file, then stood up and went to the guest room to meet with the personnel from the prime minister¡¯s residence. However, before she left, Gu Nianzhi had someone show Tan Guiren out. She did not know why Tan Guiren had shown up, but she was sure that she would be at the meeting.

    However, since Tan Guiren was not there as a representative of the prime minister¡¯s residence, it meant that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have to be too civil with her.

    Gu Nianzhi went to meet the three officials from the Prime Minister¡¯s residence only after Tan Guiren left.

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled calmly, presenting herself as someone approachable and affable.

    ¡°Miss Gu, we¡¯ve received information that the re-election is imminent, but we feel that we need to deliberate more at length.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, deliberate more at length. The people are ignorant and so they treat the victim as the perpetrator, but are you all that ignorant? I thought you bunch were of a higher caliber!¡±

 Chapter 992

    <h4>992 A Scheme</h4>

    Although it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first day as an intern at the Senate, she wasn¡¯t like most neers. She was neither a yes-man or a timorous girl as she carried out the tasks assigned to her.

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s intention in letting Gu Nianzhi meet the three officials was to have her experience the level of difficulty involved in their work. Why else would he have shoved her into such an important assignment on her first day as an intern?

    That¡¯s why a few of the high-ranking senior secretaries from the Secretarial Office of the Senate, proficient in smoothing things over, apanied Gu Nianzhi to the meeting.

    They knew what Special Assistant Yang had in mind. While he would not go so far as to personally put Gu Nianzhi in a bind, that wouldn¡¯t stop him from just standing by and doing nothing when trouble came to her.

    That¡¯s how it was in the workce. When you reach the highest level, you don¡¯t deal with tasks, you deal/mess with people. Those who weren¡¯t observant and were unable to observe social cues would never reach a very high position.

    Therefore, when the high-ranking senior secretaries saw Gu Nianzhi being persistently surrounded by the three officials, they shot each other a look and stood behind her wordlessly like they were her attendants.

    Gu Nianzhi had previously interned at the United States Congress where people were far more scheming and maniptive. Furthermore, she had legal training and was also an outstanding advocate. Naturally, she was much more perceptive and sharp than others. She was also more flexible to changing circumstances of such an environment than the average person.

    As such, it didn¡¯t bother her that the high-ranking officials were just standing behind her and watching the situation unfold. It didn¡¯t matter to her what their intentions were. Sheughed in response to the three officials that were hounding her with their unreasonable requests. ¡°Please calm down and speak one at a time. Look, let me first have your names, positions, and ranks.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and got down to business, pen in hand. She exchanged words of bureaucratic jargon with the three officials. She had heard Huo Shaoheng use these perfunctory words in a simr situation before and had learned to do the same. She was emting it quite well, so much so that the high-ranking senior secretaries behind her were surprised. Even the three officials from the Prime Minister¡¯s residence were fooled.

    The three of them looked at each other in dismay, then asked diffidently, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you want us to do what? We¡¯re officials from the Prime Minister¡¯s residence, are you dealing with us without even knowing who we are? Who are you? And what¡¯s your rank?¡±

    Fantastic, Gu Nianzhi knew that she¡¯d been sessful at diverting their subject. She shrugged, palms up, and replied, ¡°This is the Senate¡¯s procedure for handling issues. I¡¯m sure that, as officials of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence, you¡¯re aware of the importance of protocols. Come on, don¡¯t worry, tell me your grievances one at a time. When you¡¯re done, please sign in over here.¡±

    The three officials from the Prime Minister¡¯s residence were members of the Public Rtions Department of the Office of the Prime Minister, also known as the PR Department. Their purpose foring was to put pressure on the Senate and to hinder the Senate¡¯s efforts in starting up the elections. The more loopholes there were, the better. This would open up opportunities for them tounch an attack.

    It¡¯d be all right even if they didn¡¯t seed. Their main goal was to create chaos and confusion. Without a doubt, the more trouble they created, the more they would get on their nerves. It¡¯d be best if it resulted in a huge argument between them, or better yet, a fight.

    A certain Japanese Congress on the Blue had been made famous because of a fight anyway. They could learn a little something from that.

    They¡¯d even brought along Prime Minister Tan¡¯s lovely daughter, Tan Guiren, in hopes of creating some sort of conflict. It¡¯d be great if Miss Tan was ¡°identally injured¡± so the entire affair would be in the headlines. If that happened, even if the elections had already started, Prime Minister Tan, who was used to gaining sympathy from others through his daughter, would surely be able to salvage much of his image in the minds of the voters.

    But no one thought that this familiar-looking female staff member would send Tan Guiren out of the Senate building. This threw them into a state of confusion. They had no choice but to get personally involved in the battle and fight with the youngdy.

    Now, this female staff member was making them register and sign in. Was she taking them for fools? The trio from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister looked at Gu Nianzhi suspiciously. ¡°Who on earth are you? Aren¡¯t matters like these always handled by Special Assistant Yang?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw through to their objectives and refused to take the bait. She smiled pleasantly and said, ¡°This is the Senate, not Special Assistant Yang¡¯s ce of residence. Do you only go looking for Special Assistant Yang when there¡¯s a problem? Are you all foolish?¡±

    She was indeed taking them for fools!

    The trio became angry. They mmed the table and yelled, ¡°Who are you?! A moment ago, you drove Miss Gu out. You¡¯re looking down on us, aren¡¯t you? Let me tell you something! The prime minister is still in office! We will not tolerate this impudence!¡±

    ¡°Impudence? How have I been impudent? As officials of the prime minister¡¯s residence, you are discarding both your own image as well as the image of the prime minister¡¯s residence by creating trouble. Are you saying that this is reasonable?¡± Gu Nianzhi said bluntly.

    Wasn¡¯t picking a fight what they wanted?

    She knew about that stuff too!

    ¡°How are you not impudent?! We¡¯re requesting for the Cab votes to be voided because they¡¯re not legitimate at all! You¡¯re all ying deaf and mute. How dare you use us of causing trouble?!¡± The trio was good with words, regardless of whether they made sense or not. They were adept at saying a bunch of nonsense to get their way.

    It appeared that sometimes in an argument, the party that speaks in a louder voice and has more people with them is the party deemed more reasonable.

    Even if this was the Senate¡¯s home ground, the three officials felt that no one would be able to hold a candle to them in a showdown. The only person speaking to them was a staff member who appeared young and inexperienced. None of the impably dressed, high-ranking secretaries standing behind her were saying a single word.

    Great, she was handling things like Speaker Long¡¯s Secretarial Office and Special Affairs Office would.

    The three of them became even more fearless, secure in the knowledge of their backing. In order to create breaking news, they were going to go all-in. All of this was to enrage a member of the Senate and hopefully end up in a fight with them.

    They¡¯de prepared with their pinhole video cameras, awaiting the start of the fight so that they could have it on a live broadcast. The citizens of the nation would then know who the inferior ones were and who the reasonable ones were...

    If Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what they were nning after seeing the eager expressions on their faces and the high-ranking secretaries¡¯ apathetic attitudes, then she must have mingled with He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng for nothing.

    An idea came to her quickly. She spoke, sharp-tongued, uttering biting words. ¡°You three, may I ask in what ways are the votes illegitimate? Was the quota of voters not met? Or was there an infringement on the voting procedures? Please make it clear, cite the relevant statutory provisions and casew precedents. What¡¯s wrong? Prime Minister Tan was allowed to stage a short film with a Japanese spy, but won¡¯t allow others to crusade against him? Are you sure that the prime minister you serve is really a prime minister and not an emperor? Even if he¡¯s an emperor, an emperor who betrays national interest is one that deserves to be punished by everyone!¡±

    ¡°Who are you saying maintained illicit rtions with a foreign country and betrayed national interests?! Do you know that this is a serious usation?! Say it once more and I¡¯ll sue you for nder!¡± The three officials¡¯ expressions soured instantly. They became aggressive.

    Gu Nianzhi was notcking in how she carried herself. She waved her hands and said, ¡°Well, go on, sue me! Do it now! I¡¯ll await the court summons! You¡¯re saying that Imitted nder, so are you aw student? May I ask which sentence of mine constituted nder? I suggest that you take instructions from the prime minister¡¯s wife before you make any usations. You don¡¯t want to be met with a double whammy!¡±

    ¡°You... you said that our prime minister betrayed national interests, but do you have any evidence of that?!¡± Unwittingly, the officials were slowly getting derailed by Gu Nianzhi. Aside from stirring things up, what was going on no longer had anything to do with the Senate voiding the Cab votes.

    Gu Nianzhi made two usations, one of illicitly co-operating with a foreign country, and the other one being the betrayal of national interests. The usation of maintaining illicit rtions with a foreign country was one that even the three officials were unable to refute, hence, they avoided that particr usation and only zeroed in on the usation that the prime minister had betrayed national interests.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged indifferently and retorted, ¡°Even if I do have evidence, why should I let you know about it? So that you can destroy the evidence immediately? Do you think I¡¯m dumb?¡±

    ¡°You!¡± The three officials hadn¡¯t expected that they would encounter someone better at stirring up trouble than they were. This was not the usual situation when dealing with Speaker Long¡¯s subordinates!

    Speaker Long was the head of both the Senate and the Lower House of Parliament. Due to his high-ranking position, his Secretarial Office and Special Affairs Office were also highly respected in the Huaxia Empire. No one had ever picked a fight with them. No one dared to.

    Thus, his subordinates were typically skilled at intellectual fights and stratagems. They were seldom involved in public confrontations as there wasn¡¯t a need for them to do so. Naturally, they hadn¡¯t improved on handling confrontations because they¡¯d never done it before.

    Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang had analyzed the character traits and ability of the staff members working under Speaker Long beforeing up with this strategy. Know thyself, know thy enemy, and every fight can be won...

    They wouldn¡¯t dare to employ the same strategy with the Lower House of Parliament.

    This was because the people at the Lower House of Parliament had climbed their way to their current positions through countless confrontations. They were all sharp-tongued. It would not be easy to go up against them, but it would be easy to be beaten down by them.

    Moreover, after the Senate was dealt with, taking out the Lower House of Parliament would be a cinch. However, there was another unexpected variable at the Senate in the form of Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Who on earth are you? Why do we not know that you¡¯re with Speaker Long? Are you impersonating someone? Let me tell you this, youngdy, it is a serious offense to impersonate a staff member of the Senate!¡± The officials started trying to scare Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and shed her tag at them. ¡°You see this? I¡¯m a bona fide staff member of the Senate.¡±

    Although she was only an intern, she was favored by Speaker Long, so the work tag that he¡¯d requested for her was the same as those worn by official staff members.

    When one of the officials saw the name ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± on the work tag, he darted away immediately and contacted Cai Songyin.

    When Cai Songyin, who was nursing a personal grievance, found out that Gu Nianzhi was actually working at the Senate, she found herself on the verge of tears.

    ¡°Teach her a lesson!¡± Cai Songyinmanded fiercely. ¡°She has a bad temper. Provoke her. It¡¯ll be best if you can make it seem like she was the first to strike!¡± By the time herwsuit went to court again, she would fall into disrepute. Cai Songyinughed coldly and hung up the phone.

    The official understood the intentions of the Prime Minister¡¯s wife and started implementing their scheme. He walked over to the table in front of Gu Nianzhi, took the notepad on which she required them to sign, and weighed it in his hands. Then, he leaned forward and whispered brazenly, ¡°Littledy, are you really a staff member of the Senate? I hope that you didn¡¯t get here through dishonest means.¡± As he spoke, he leered at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest, scanning her breasts from side to side.

    Gu Nianzhi had on well-fitting professional attire and was dressed ording to professional standards, but when this person leered at her, it made her feel as though she had on nothing at all.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Sir, please mind how you¡¯re presenting yourself. This is the Senate, not the Paramount.¡±

    ¡°Oh! You actually know about the Paramount! You¡¯ve got a great future ahead of you!¡± That official who was looking for trouble leaned his head closer towards her. He said in her ear, ¡°Miss Gu, is it? Can I buy your time and have us leave together? I¡¯m fit...¡±

    He was behaving revoltingly just to tip Gu Nianzhi off her tolerance threshold. He wanted to provoke her into pping him in front of everyone...

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was disgusted by him, it wasn¡¯t enough to make her lose her cool. Furthermore, this was the Senate¡¯s building. Did he think it was some sort of shady ballroom?

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said calmly, ¡°Excuse me, sir, your every word and action is under surveince. With your earlier conduct, you have alreadymitted an offense of indecency under Article 237 of the Criminal Law, punishable with up to 5 years of imprisonment or criminal detention. In cases where the crime ismitted in a group, in a public ce, or if there have been any aggravating circumstances, the offense is punishable with imprisonment of not less than 5 years. Given that this is the Senate¡¯s building, a public ce, and the three of you form a group together, you havemitted the crime as a group in a public ce. The three of you are criminally liable and are punishable with an imprisonment term of no less than 5 years.¡±

    She sounded like she knew her stuff and had the relevant legal provisions ready at the tips of her fingers. The casual way in which she went about it added an air of invibility.

 Chapter 993

    <h4>993 It Backfired</h4>

    The trio from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister shuddered. Darn it! It looked like their n backfired!

    It wasn¡¯t clear if the one at the front was so agitated that he lost his grip, or if he was faking it to create trouble. He raised his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare threaten me! I¡¯ve been here many times and have nevere across anyone who stirs things up like you! To go so far as to use me of indecency... When was I even indecent towards you?! Do you think that you¡¯re drop-dead gorgeous?! Get off your high horse!¡± he said, holding onto the notepad that Gu Nianzhi had handed to him for registration. He mmed it down in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    It was not clear if she did it on purpose, but in response, Gu Nianzhi leaned forward all of a sudden, acting as if she was speaking to the high-ranking secretaries right behind her.

    The man pped the notepad squarely across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face while her head was bent forward! It was equivalent to giving her a tight p in the face!

    Her skin that was as delicate as porcin jade and would redden even if touched lightly. This was especially so when it came to her face. Herplexion was even fairer.

    The moment Gu Nianzhi was hit in the face by the notepad, half of her face reddened and immediately became noticeably swollen.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her face. She then raised her head and red at the person who¡¯d hit her in annoyance. ¡°You¡¯re really putting on airs! Still in office and you dare to assault a staff member of the Senate!? Fine! You want to create breaking news?! I¡¯ll do as you wish!¡±

    She turned to the high-ranking secretaries behind her and said, ¡°You guys, you¡¯re not going to just stand by and watch me get bullied by these outsiders, are you?¡±

    While they did intend to stand by and watch as things unfolded, they weren¡¯t going to go as far as to rejoice at her misfortune after she was struck in the face. The fact that they¡¯d dared to hit her meant that they had no qualms about doing the same to them.

    There were actually no ranking differences between secretaries. The so-called junior secretary and high-ranking senior secretary titles were based on age and experience, not on administrative ranking.

    The looks on their faces changed as well. They were veterans of the Senate, so naturally, they knew how to kick up an even bigger mess. Moreover, in the past few days, it seemed like people had been staying at the Senate to obstruct them left and right.

    Unfortunately, they had the prime minister¡¯s residence¡¯s special permits, meaning that, under normal circumstances, they could not be chased out by the Senate¡¯s police or guards. But now that they¡¯d this, they couldn¡¯t me them for being rude.

    With someone¡¯s quick press of a button, sirens started ring in the Senate building. Upon learning about the disturbances, the security guards in the Senate building came running over.

    With their police batons in hand, they eximed, ¡°What¡¯s the situation? What¡¯s the situation?!¡±

    ¡°The three PR personnel from the prime minister¡¯s residence are being unreasonable. They hit one of our staff members!¡± a high-ranking secretary said as he pointed at the three PR personnel standing across from them and flushing with shame. They then pointed at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°This is the staff member who was hit. I¡¯ve already called for an ambnce. We¡¯re sending her to the hospital for a checkup.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re doing all this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?! It was just a smack with the notepad, and you want to get it checked out?!¡± The expression of the person who¡¯d ¡°identally¡± smacked Gu Nianzhi with the notepad changed. ¡°You guys are setting me up on purpose!¡±

    ¡°Sure! We made youe to the Senate, we made you behave indecently towards me and humiliate me, and we made you p me!¡± Gu Nianzhi started crying instantly, her tears staining her beautiful face like raindrops rolling off pear blossoms. It was a moving sight. She gave off a sweet-tempered aura, her earlier disy of valiance in her face-off with the trio from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Ministerpletely gone.

    Her soft and silky hair covered half of her face, revealing only the side that was red and swollen. Her injury looked even more shocking whenpared to her untouched skin, which was as fair as white jade. This was all being recorded by the surveince cameras.

    It just so happened that Huo Shaoheng had brought along some assigned personnel with him for the impromptu monitoring of the elections. He saw everything clearly through the vehicr monitoring system that connected the in-vehicle infotainment center to the central control room.

    ...

    The security guards in the Senate building surrounded the three troublemakers immediately.

    ¡°Please keep an eye on them, we¡¯ve already called the police. The police and ambnce will be here shortly,¡± one of the high-ranking secretaries from the Senate¡¯s Secretarial Office said as he reported the same to Speaker Long and Special Assistant Yang.

    Special Assistant Yang was the first person to rush over.

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh when he first received the news. However, the moment he walked out of his office, he had a solemn look on his face, quietly angry.

    When Special Assistant Yang got to where Gu Nianzhi and the rest were, he asked in a serious tone, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What happened?¡±

    A high-ranking secretary pointed at Gu Nianzhi and said furiously, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, the PR personnelmitted an assault! We saw him do it with our own eyes!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was wiping her tears away with a piece of tissue. She moved to the side silently, looking pitiful.

    The PR personnel begged for Special Assistant Yang¡¯s forgiveness the moment they saw him. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, it¡¯s all a misunderstanding! It really is! We were forced by your staff member to sign on the notepad, and we identally bumped her face with the notepad as we were returning it to her... We really didn¡¯t intend to hit her! You can ask your secretaries about it!¡±

    The high-ranking secretaries looked at each other but none of them spoke.

    Special Assistant Yang gave Gu Nianzhi a scan, and intending to smooth things over, said, ¡°Seems like it really was all a misunderstanding. I know these people, they¡¯re not like that. Think about it, they are personnel of the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister. They have a lot of working experience and are probably the most reasonable people out there. Why would they hit anyone in the Senate building? It¡¯s inconceivable. I think that this is a misunderstanding. Nianzhi, you¡¯re too careless as well. A little knocking and bumping around is inevitable, how can you call the security guards over from something like this? This is too, too much of a fuss over a minor issue.¡±

    Seeing that there might be hope, their good impression of Special Assistant Yang increased. Besides, they had been familiar with him from the start. This was just them following instructions to stir things up. They had no intention of having a falling-out with Special Assistant Yang.

    They all nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, you¡¯re the sensible one! That¡¯s what I said! How is it possible for Speaker Long¡¯s subordinates to be so unreasonable? She was obviously the one who provoked us, yet she says that we hit her! Preposterous!¡±

    Eloquence was key for PR personnel, they had to be persuasive. Even if the fact of the matter was not what they¡¯d said, it would be alright as long as they were convincing and sounded real.

    Special Assistant Yang looked modest and docile. He smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. I believe that Miss Gu¡¯s provocation was not intentional. She is a new intern and is not familiar with the rules and practices here. It¡¯s all my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have assigned her to such aplicated task. Out of respect for Speaker Long, please don¡¯t hold her responsible for this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bbergasted by how Special Assistant Yang was handling the matter. First, someone ps you on the left side of your face, and now you were letting them p you on your right side!

    Oh wait, that¡¯s not right. This was not Special Assistant Yang letting them p him on the right side of his face after they¡¯d pped the Senate¡¯s on its left. It was him sacrificing someone else¡¯s face for the right p!

    Gu Nianzhi was not going to take this lying down. She was definitely not going to sacrifice her face and be pped again.

    She knew for sure that the three officials from the PR Department hade to create trouble, why was it being spun hat she was the one who¡¯d provoked them?!

    In any case, she had her own goals regarding the prime minister¡¯s residence. How would she achieve those goals without making a big deal out of things?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression turned somber. She raised her voice to say, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, I don¡¯t agree with this. You can¡¯t just take their word for it and say that I was the one who provoked them. Am I a staff member of the Senate or are they? Are you siding with outsiders now?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang scoffed, put his hands in his pockets, and said as he shook his head, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re being childish. We¡¯re all serving themunity, why are you talking about factions now? Siding with the outsiders... tsk tsk, I haven¡¯t heard anything that immature since graduating from high school.¡±

    Unwilling to submit, Gu Nianzhi simply turned her head obstinately and said, ¡°No, if we don¡¯t make things clear today, I¡¯ll quit! I¡¯ll call the police! I was assaulted in the Senate building and I want my injuries examined!¡±

    The trio¡¯s expression changed. They said to Special Assistant Yang nervously, ¡°This is the Senate, a ce outside thew. Even if we did hit her, we have immunity. I mean, haven¡¯t you seen fights in Senate buildings before?!¡±

    Without waiting for Special Assistant Yang to smooth things over with more clich¨¦ phrases, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Even if the Senate is a ce outside thew, and there¡¯s immunity, that applies only to senators. May I know which one of you is a senator? You? Me? None of us are senators! What right do you have to say that there¡¯s immunity?! Let me tell you, no one hits me and gets to walk away with it!¡±

    The three troublemakers from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister grew anxious. They didn¡¯t look too good.

    Of course, they knew that ¡°immunity¡± referred to the senators¡¯ immunity from prosecution if physical conflicts urred between senators. Their purpose for stirring up trouble had been to provoke a senator into hitting them...

    In that case, they would have been able to use what Gu Nianzhi had just pointed out to sue the Senate and the senator. That would decrease the legitimacy of the Senate¡¯s decision. It might even result in the senate¡¯s proposal being overturned.

    How embarrassing it was that Gu Nianzhi had ¡°pped¡± them in their faces first!

    ¡°What do you mean?! We already said that it was all a misunderstanding, what do you still want from us?¡± The leader of the three troublemakers tried to take the high road. ¡°Everyone¡¯s so busy, so we can understand how you feel. Forget it, we¡¯ll take the me. We¡¯ll also pay for your medical bills. When the timees, you can bring your medical invoice to the Prime Minister¡¯s residence to settle ounts. Let¡¯s go, guys!¡±

    As soon as he waved his hand, they all prepared to run off.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Gu Nianzhi got anxious. ¡°You¡¯re now absconding from your crimes! You¡¯ll receive an even heavier sentence!¡±

    She turned back to the Senate¡¯s security guard, ¡°Hurry and chase after them! They hit me, are you just going to let them run off like that?!¡±

    However, the security guards didn¡¯t give chase, acting only on Special Assistant Yang¡¯s instructions.

    The high-ranking secretaries had witnessed with their own eyes how threatening and arrogant the trio had been. They¡¯d also seen them hit Gu Nianzhi. When it happened, it actually hadn¡¯t been entirely clear from their angle whether or not it was an ident or if it had been done on purpose.

    However, there was no doubt that Gu Nianzhi had been struck.

    They looked at Special Assistant Yang uneasily and whispered, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, they really did hit her...¡±

    Special Assistant Yang hadn¡¯t expected that within a few hours of meeting her, those wily old birds would actually be sticking up for Gu Nianzhi. He was irked by this but didn¡¯t let it show. He only sighed and said, ¡°I know how you feel, but things have also been difficult at the Prime Minister¡¯s residence thesest few days. Don¡¯t go overboard, it¡¯s not good to leave a man with no way out...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stomped her foot in anger. ¡°If you don¡¯t chase after him, I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± She yelled, ¡°Catch them! They¡¯re fugitives!¡± After yelling that, she gave chase.

    Special Assistant Yang was dumbfounded.

    Wasn¡¯t this too much of an exaggeration?!

    Was she actually doing this?!

    He¡¯d clearly said that he was not going to look into it!

    The three of them sprinted even faster when they heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice. As they approached the exit, they heard a clomping sounding towards them. It was the sound of footsteps.

    Clomp clomp clomp clomp.

    It sounded like there was a group of people, but also as if there was only one person after them.

    The trio had just run outside when they shuffled to a stop suddenly. One was running too quickly and lost his bnce, almost tumbling over because of the inertia!

    All they saw at the exit was the Riot Squad. They were standing in a row, aiming guns and wearing bullet-proof helmets. They pointed the muzzles of their guns uniformly at the corridor exit, specifically at the three officials!

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± a soldier thundered. ¡°Kneel with your hands behind your heads! Whoever stands will be shot!¡±

    The trio from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister immediately knelt with their hands behind their heads. They didn¡¯t dare to make a single sound.

    A man in ckbat boots came strolling out from behind the soldiers. He was wearing sunsses and a low brimmed military cap that rested right above his eyebrows. He was tall, imposing, and intimidating. He was also a head taller than those huge soldiers.

    It was Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi ran over, huffing and puffing, but she did not see Huo Shaoheng. All she saw was a row of soldiers lined up at the exit of the corridor aiming their guns at the three officials. She pointed at them immediately and said, ¡°They¡¯ve been causing trouble! And they¡¯re trying to escape because they hit me! I¡¯m calling the police! Please don¡¯t let them go!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood there, hands sped behind his back. He gazed through his sunsses at Gu Nianzhi, then saw an unusual swelling on her small face. He pursed his lips and asked calmly, ¡°...Who hit you?¡±

    It was only then that she saw Huo Shaoheng. In that instant, she found herself on the verge of tears from stress. All that crying before had been for show, but now it was heartfelt.

    But she was in public, so she didn¡¯t run to him. Likewise, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t just walk over to console her. Their eyes met for a moment, then they shifted their gaze away.

    Huo Shaoheng walked a few steps forward, took off his sunsses, and nced at Gu Nianzhi. Her injury looked even more shocking now that he was looking at it with his sunsses off.

    Huo Shaoheng threw another nce at the trio of men kneeling with their hands behind their heads and asked, ¡°Who hit her? I won¡¯t ask again.¡±

    Intimidated by his cold and authoritative voice, the troublemaking trio from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister finally relented and revealed the culprit.

    Two of them pointed at the culprit simultaneously, ¡°It was him!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his sunsses back on, sped his hands behind his back, looked straight ahead, and said calmly, ¡°Attacking a female staff member in the Senate¡¯s building, escaping, obstructing members of the Secret Service in carrying out their special assignment... That¡¯s three offenses. Hand him over to the police and put him under close surveince.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± A soldier walked over, apprehended the culprit, then left, dragging the man along with him.

    Huo Shaoheng saw Special Assistant Yang running over with other staff members of the Senate. He said calmly, ¡°I was deployed by General Ji to maintain order during the general election. I really didn¡¯t expect the Senate to be the first ce that I would have to worry about.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang had a strange expression on his face. ¡°You guys... How are you allowed to maintain internal order? General Huo, haven¡¯t you exceeded your authority?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stretched his arm out and pulled a document containing the order signed by both General Ji and Speaker Long. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, do you need to verify their handwriting and fingerprints?¡±

 Chapter 994

    <h4>994 Who Dares To Attack My Staff</h4>

    From Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands, Assistant Yang actually epted themand jointly signed by General Ji and Speaker Long. He read it over carefully.

    It was truly Speaker Long¡¯s signature, stamp, and even his thumbprint too...

    This couldn¡¯t possibly be forged.

    Special Assistant Yang pursed his lips and passed themand back to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, what other instructions do you have for me?¡±

    ¡°I only want to know how such a violent incident could have urred in your Senate.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Do you guys know who those people were? How can the Senate have such low standards that all sorts of people can dip their hands in it?¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, they were... Spokespeople from the PR Department of the Prime Minister¡¯s Office.¡± Special Assistant Yang felt an indescribable sense of anxiety in his heart. Straightening his gold-rimmed sses, he said, ¡°Actually, today¡¯s incident was truly a misunderstanding. Major General Huo, thismand says that you are maintaining order during the interim general elections, so shouldn¡¯t that include the Senate building?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him. ¡°What does the Senate building have anything to do with the interim general election?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang froze and instinctively repeated, ¡°What does the Senate building have anything to do with the interim general election?¡±

    ¡°Assistant Yang, our chief is asking you a question. Do you know how to answer it?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head orderly, Fan Jian, couldn¡¯t stand watching this anymore.

    With how hesitant and slow this Special Assistant Yang was acting, he would¡¯ve died a long ago if he¡¯d been in the military! As if he could still work as a Special Assistant here?!

    Assistant Yang¡¯s face flushed, but he had not yet stooped to themon understanding of a soldier. He pushed his gold-rimmed sses up once again, forcing himself to state calmly, ¡°The Senate will be hosting the interim general elections, so the Senate building will be... the headquarters for the interim general elections.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already the headquarters of the general interim elections, and now you¡¯re telling everyone that maintaining order for the interim general elections does not include the Senate building?¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her face and walked over. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, how about you go ask Speaker Long what on earth is going on. Major General Huo and his men are obeying orders, so why are you obstructing them?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang pursed his lips and replied gravely, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, I know you have a deeper rtionship with Major General Huo.¡±

    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± Gu Nianzhi loathed nothing more than hearing people regard her own effort as an essory to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, this is the Senate, not a gathering ce for gossip. You still have to check the lunar calendar before making up rumors and see if the day is suitable to start rumors and cause trouble. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be arrested.¡±

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feelings to a certain extent. He realized why she resisted marrying him.

    Although he didn¡¯t mind bing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s support, Assistant Yang¡¯s words didn¡¯t sound right as soon as he¡¯d uttered them.

    Huo Shaoheng lifted his chin and inclined his head slightly to reply coolly, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, you im that Gu Nianzhi has a deeper rtionship with me. However, she was beaten to this extent by someone, right under your nose, and in the Senate building. If she truly has a deeper rtionship with me, shouldn¡¯t you have been beaten to death by now?¡±

    Moreover, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship wasn¡¯t intimate. Everyone from the upper echelon of Huaxia society knew that Huo Shaoheng was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian, and Gu Nianzhi had been raised by Huo Shaoheng since she was 12 years old. They had dated, but they¡¯d broken up a few months ago.

    Assistant Yang stiffened, then smiled nervously. ¡°How could that be? Major General Huo is too funny.¡±

    ¡°Funny? I never make jokes while executing missions.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, Miss Gu came to the Senate to work as an intern. She was personally invited here by Speaker Long. Could Speaker Long not have told you about it?¡±

    Assistant Yang was just about to argue when he realized he was in trouble no matter how he answered.

    If he said that Speaker Long had told him, then his treatment of Gu Nianzhi would mean that he was disobeying orders and purposely giving her a hard time...

    If he said Speaker Long had never told him, then it would be even worse. It would mean that Speaker Long had already ceased to trust him, so what would be of his dignity when he had to face all his colleagues?!

    No matter if he answered yes or no, he would fall into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s trap!

    Why didn¡¯t he know that Major General Huo, who was allegedly aloof and more psychically developed than mentally, was capable of saying something that could stun him speechless...

    Special Assistant Yang closed his eyes and his expression looked very ufortable.

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced from the sidelines, her face was burning hot and painful.

    Speaker Long rushed over at that moment and quickly said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re here. I just received General Ji¡¯s call. You finally arrived!¡±

    Speaker Long had also asked General Ji for help because the Office of the Prime Minister had sent people over in thest two days to continually harass them.

    He was worried that the Senators at the Senate would lose their heads and fall to the dirty tricks by the Office of the Prime Minister.

    If that happened, it would escte into a big news headline of ¡°the Senate and Office of the Prime Minister Breaking Down Into a Fight.¡± Their interim general elections would inevitably devolve into a joke.

    He must leave the professional task to the professionals.

    So, the Office of the Prime Minister wanted to cause trouble and create headlines?

    Speaker Long would help them find the natural enemy of the aggressive and uncouth people.

    As the saying goes, when a schr encounters a soldier, even good reason cannot be exined.

    He would also let them get a taste of what it meant to suffer in silence.

    General Ji wasn¡¯t vague at all. He directly asked Huo Shaoheng to take his men to the Senate to organize military forces to maintain order.

    With real soldiers on duty, they were certainly more formidable than police officers and security. Thosewless people had dared to go against the city management and attack the police and security guards. Not a single one of them dared to go against the military.

    Even if they had a death wish, they wouldn¡¯t go seeking trouble with the military.

    Huo Shaoheng shook hands with Speaker Long. His expression was calm as he looked in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. ¡°Luckily, Speaker Long had correct foresight. Those people certainly couldn¡¯t have been handled by typical personnel. However, we still arrived one step toote and one of your subordinates was beaten up.¡±

    Speaker Long was livid. ¡°Who?! Who dared to attack my staff?!¡±

    He turned around, his gaze finally pausing on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    ¡°Nianzhi?! Your face... Did someone beat you?!¡±

    Her right cheek had swollen into a small bump and was so red that it was a bit scary to look at.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with grief, ¡°Speaker Long, I had no idea that working at your Senate also required tolerance of verbal and physical abuse. You thought too highly of me. I can¡¯t ept this kind of toxicity.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by a tolerance of verbal and physical abuse?! Nianzhi, don¡¯t worry. You were beaten and I will surely give you justice! What a joke! Those people hit my staff members and still think they can leave unscathed?!¡±

    The youthful-faced and white-haired Speaker Long looked at Huo Shaoheng with a furious expression. ¡°Major General Huo, who hit Nianzhi earlier? Did you see it happen?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t personally see who hit her, but someone pointed the culprit out to me.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze rested on the two people kneeling on the ground. He continuednguidly, ¡°There were originally three of them, but I¡¯ve already sent the person who raised his hand against her to the police station. The two remaining were involved in causing trouble and disrupting the order of the interim general election. They must be dealt with severely and quickly. Speaker Long, what do you say?¡±

 Chapter 995

    <h4>995 Create A Big Headline</h4>

    Although Huo Shaoheng was using a negotiating tone, there was no room for discussion in his words.

    He had already made it clear how they should be punished: swiftly and severely.

    Of course, Speaker Long was inplete agreement. ¡°No problem! Critical times call for critical measures!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her face and listened from the side for some time. She contemted how punishing ¡°severely and swiftly¡± alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. The bigger a deal she made of this, the better. Otherwise, who knew what Mrs. Cai Songyin, media master of the Office of the Prime Minister, an expert in manipting voter¡¯s psychology, woulde up with next?

    She grumbled quietly, ¡°...Those three people are too shameless. They always insist on creating a major headline. In my opinion, we should grant their wish and call the media over here. All the news channels should put out a wave of rolling broadcasts that allow all the citizens of the nation to know about the intentions of the Office of the Prime Minister!¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! You loathe it when the world isn¡¯t in chaos!¡± Special Assistant Yang was the first to cry out. He straightened out his expression and pretended to be a kind-hearted person who believed that getting taken advantage of means taking advantage of other people. He urgedpassionately, ¡°...We¡¯ve already dealt with the three spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister, so stop making more enemies for our Senate and Speaker Long. I¡¯m begging you, princess! I¡¯ll worship you from now on and you can be my boss, is that okay?!¡±

    As soon as Special Assistant Yang said this, the expressions on the faces of several senior secretaries nearby changed imperceptibly.

    As the saying goes, ¡°colleagues are enemies.¡± How could colleagues in the same office not also be enemies?

    This was especially the case when there were limited promotion positions avable. Who would remember ¡°love between colleagues¡± or ¡°friendships¡± under such circumstances?

    A rare gentleman was someone who doesn¡¯t kick others while they¡¯re down...

    Huo Shaoheng looked down. How could he not detect the hidden implication in Special Assistant Yang¡¯s words?

    He wasn¡¯t a typical soldier who waspletely straightforward and revealed all his thoughts and emotions.

    He was a soldier on a special front. Facing life and death on this special front, he would¡¯ve long ago been eliminated and reincarnated if he hadn¡¯t;t known how to observe others and read between the lines...

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He wanted to help defend Gu Nianzhi, but from the corner of his eyes, he spied the Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right hand shaking slightly at him.

    So Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything else. He raised his chin slightly in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and walked over to stand beside Speaker Long.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood brightened when she saw Huo Shaoheng understanding her intention.

    Shepletely ignored Special Assistant Yang¡¯s ¡°pleading.¡± Pretending that she didn¡¯t hear the hidden intention in Special Assistant Yang¡¯s words at all, she focussed her efforts on Speaker Long.

    ¡°Speaker Long, please listen to me. The Office of the Prime Minister dared to send someone to cause trouble during such a juncture, proving that they have absolutely no regard for the Senate, let alone any regard for Speaker Long. If you im that making a big deal out of this will make enemies, why would our Senate be afraid of a prime minister who will imminently be removed from office?! Moreover, why didn¡¯t the Office of the Prime Minister consider that they would be making enemies when they sent those three spokespeople over to cause trouble? You think so too, right? Why we should be afraid of being unreasonable when we are the ones who are being reasonable?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, what are you saying?! Is your goal to make the Senate and the Office of the Prime Minister enemies? I¡¯m really doubting if you are here to help, or purposefullying here to cause trouble!¡± Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t wait for Speaker Long to speak before scolding her.

    In Special Assistant Yang¡¯s eyes, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions seemed like those of a petty, evil person who was pitting people against each other. Her words sounded even more philosophical in his ears. Each word was like a knife being stabbed through his heart!

    Even though Gu Nianzhi continued to ignore him, each word was a direct response to what he¡¯d used her of just now.

    She showed Speaker Long her face, still swollen from the assault. ¡°You see, they assaulted your staff to this extent, but you still want to minimize the situation and be the good person who smoothes things over. That p in the face was only the beginning. Countless difficulties and troubles will follow. If you don¡¯t pursue this, the Office of the Prime Minister will know your bottom line. They¡¯ll know that you don¡¯t want to make a big deal of it, that you intend to minimize the situation. What will they do then? They¡¯ll certainly escte the incident! The trios of troublemakers will upgrade! They¡¯ll continue to cause trouble until they can achieve their goal.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, what on earth do you want us to do? How could personnel from the Office of the Prime Minister be as uncouth as you im?¡± Special Assistant Yang became even more anxious when he noticed that Speaker Long had been quiet for so long.

    Special Assistant Yang had always appeared to be ¡°mild-mannered, humble, honest, and reliable¡± in front of Speaker Long. He¡¯d always wanted to minimize trouble and not make a big deal of things. He would never cause trouble and make something out of nothing like Gu Nianzhi wanted to.

    Special Assistant Yang had always thought that Speaker Long admired his method of doing things.

    It wasn¡¯t until the appearance of the two women, Gu Nianzhi and Cai Shengnan, and hearing them receive exemry praise from Speaker Long, that he subtly sensed that Speaker Long was not actually that satisfied with him...

    Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. She finally looked at Special Assistant Yang and sneered, ¡°The personnel from the Office of the Prime Minister aren¡¯t as uncouth as I im? Then may I ask Special Assistant Yang, wasn¡¯t it the Prime Minister himself who personally starred in that illicit video?! That¡¯s why those three spokespeople used vulgarnguage towards me and imed that they wanted to buy me by the hour! What do they regard the Senate as? And what do they regard Speaker Long as?!¡±

    ¡°Buying by the hour¡± was amon phrase used to describe the patronizing of brothels.

    ording to its literal meaning, this meant that they saw the Senate as the extremely filthy brothel and Speaker Long as its pimp...

    The three personnel from the Office of the Prime Minister had purposely used such vulgarnguage and acted so disgustingly to infuriate Gu Nianzhi.

    They had said these things assuming that only Gu Nianzhi could hear them. However, they¡¯d had no idea that Gu Nianzhi had a recording pen on her to expedite her work.

    Because it was her first day on the job and she was very careful and serious, she was terrified of making mistakes. With that in mind, she¡¯d followed He Zhichu¡¯s teachings and brought a recording pen with her. She had nned to record all her work dealings to enable herself to check her work and fix any errors when she got home.

    These were also the habits of awyer that He Zhichu had ingrained in her. They enabled her to contact clients at any time by recording all favorable evidence.

    The moment those three spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister stepped into the hall, Gu Nianzhi had turned on the recording pen.

    She hadn¡¯t expected it to y such a significant part in her first day.

    Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t know Gu Nianzhi was carrying a recording pen, so he kept insisting that what she said was impossible.

    He shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, I don¡¯t me you for always wanting to stir up trouble. You were beaten, after all, so you want to get back at them no matter what. But you still have to remember what¡¯s reasonable. I don¡¯t know the three of them very well, but we are still acquaintances. They are spokespeople for the Office of the Prime Minister and have worked for many years as senior media rtions managers at major mediapanies. How could they have used such vulgarnguage? Also, wouldn¡¯t you have pped them right in the face if they¡¯d really said that about you?! Then it wouldn¡¯t be them assaulting you, but you assaulting them!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gu Nianzhi actually pped her hands for Special Assistant Yang. ¡°Special Assistant Yang is correct! That was their motive! They were using such vulgar words precisely to infuriate me into making a move. If I had been the one to make the move, then you¡¯d better believe that the rolling broadcast on the news channels right now would have major headlines reading: ¡®The Senate bullied others with its authority and assaulted the Office of the Prime Minister!¡¯¡±

    Special Assistant Yang choked for a second, his face turning purple. It looked like he was suffering from high blood pressure.

    She¡¯d actually used his own words to p him in the face, even speaking in a praising tone!

    This Gu Nianzhi was certainly crazy! She was just too evil!

    Special Assistant Yang red at Gu Nianzhi and gritted his teeth. He tried hard to maintain his image of being, ¡°gentle, humble, experienced, and reliable.¡± He reiterated, ¡°Those are all your own spections. Why can¡¯t we think of other people in a positive way? Also, you im that they said these things. Aside from you, who else heard it?¡±

    As he spoke, Special Assistant Yang turned around to look at the several senior secretaries who¡¯de with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Did you guys hear it?¡±

    The senior secretaries all shook their heads.

    They truly hadn¡¯t heard it. They¡¯d merely seen the person lean into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear and say something. Gu Nianzhi then said that they had broken ¡°indecencyws.¡± The people were so angered that one of them pped his notebook across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi had happened to stand up at that moment, causing the notebook to p her hard in her face. The sound cracked loudly, then her face swelled red.

    Special Assistant believed that if the other party was vile enough to go to the extent of saying such things, then he would certainly have said it right in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear. He would have never loudly dered it in public.

    Everyone knew that this was the heavily surveilled Senate, not some wet market.

    Gu Nianzhi had happened to record the incident and Special Assistant Yang obviously didn¡¯t know about it. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to ask Gu Nianzhi to let things go.

    ¡°So, how could you create a rift between the Senate and the Office of the Prime Minister with your one-sided ims? Do you want all the citizens of the nation to make fun of us?¡± Special Assistant Yang finally recovered a bit of his confidence and acted even more gentlemanly.

    He hoped that Gu Nianzhi could see that her greatest deficiency was her inability to see the big picture and her inability topromise.

    To work in the Senate, she would need to help each interest group to reach consensus. To do that, the most important thing was the ability topromise.

    Otherwise, how had Speaker Long gained his respected status with all parties?

    Someone like Gu Nianzhi, who couldn¡¯t suffer even the slightest indignation, would only cause endless troubles in her future career.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Special Assistant Yang and squinted her eyes. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, first you said this was a joke, then you said this was a rift. An uninformed person would think that you are a Special Assistant from the Office of the Prime Minister, not a Special Assistant to our Senate!¡±

    Special Assistant Yang was livid. Ignoring that Speaker Long was also present, he replied angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t make false usations! I¡¯m teaching you how to act around others. Not only do you refuse the help, but you want to trip me up instead! You only care about getting attention for yourself and don¡¯t know how topromise or let things go. Where is your team spirit? Where is your consideration for the big picture?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about team spirit to me? And you¡¯re talking about consideration for the big picture to me? Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi produced her recording pen. She said solemnly before ying the recording, ¡°I remembered that a great person once said that if battles require teamwork, then they will survive as a team. Ifpromise requires teamwork, then the team will perish. Also, specific situations and specific analysis cannot be used as standards to cover all situations. Regardless if wepromise, concede, or refuse to back down, we only have the goal of achieving our purpose. That doesn¡¯t mean we shouldpromise for the sake ofpromise, or make meaningless concessions.¡±

    ¡°Ha, better said than sung!¡± Special Assistant Yang snickered. ¡°How is asking you to not escte the situation making apromise for the sake ofpromise?¡±

    ¡°How can the other party appreciate it if we don¡¯t escte the situation? Special Assistant Yang, it¡¯s hard to imagine how you survived in the highest pce of politics with how naive and honest you are.¡±

    While he was kind andpassionate to other people, he¡¯d used all sorts of tricks against her and treated her like moldable y...

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t make personal attacks as soon as you don¡¯t agree with my words. However, you¡¯re still young. I...¡± Just as Special Assistant Yang was about to express his magnanimity, Gu Nianzhi waved her hand like she was driving off mosquitoes and flies with disdain.

    She looked directly at Speaker Long and pressed the yback button on the recording pen at the highest volume.

    ¡°..Miss Gu, is it? Can I buy you by the hour? I¡¯m pretty strong...¡±

    The man¡¯s lewd wordsbined with his greasy voice made everyone want to vomitst night¡¯s dinner.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his gaze, his expression as calm as usual. However, he had one hand in his coat pocket that squeezed his gun so tightly the veins on the back of his hand popped up.

    Speaker Long bellowed angrily, ¡°How dare he! Tan Dongbang, I won¡¯t make your life easy, even after you step down from office!¡±

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s face instantly turned ashen. He didn¡¯t look very well. He¡¯d never imagined that Gu Nianzhi actually possessed a recording as evidence!

    Gu Nianzhi was mildly embarrassed and shut off the recording pen. She reiterated, ¡°Speaker Long, please listen to me this one time and immediately ask the media to expose the poor behavior of the Office of the Prime Minister. Have them do rolling broadcasts on the TV channels and ask all parties toment. I can guarantee that the Office of the Prime Minister will bepletely swamped with dealing with inquiries from the media and all the citizens of the nation. They will not dare to use such despicable means to obstruct the interim general elections again!¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s expression was dark as he nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do as you suggested. I¡¯ll personally escort you into the ambnce!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind began to work as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll apany Speaker Long.¡± As he spoke, he immediately called over Yin Shixiong. ¡°Colonel Yin, you are now fully in charge here.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, chief!¡± Yin Shixiong saluted loudly as Huo Shaoheng apanied Speaker Long and Gu Nianzhi towards the door.

    By the time they arrived at the entrance of the Senate building, the media had already assembled outside.

    They actually didn¡¯t need any special notice. Due to the interim general elections, all the various major news agencies were already stationed at the Senate building to wait and mor for headlines.

    When the police cars and ambnce arrived, they craned their necks in anticipation.

    Gu Nianzhi hung her head halfway down. Her hair covered most of her face, only revealing the side that had been beaten swollen.

    Speaker Long and Huo Shaoheng nked her on either side.

    Speaker Long¡¯s expression was full of anger. Huo Shaoheng had one arm around Gu Nianzhi to shield her as they parted the crowd of media and walked forward.

    ¡°We have a major headline!¡±

    All the media members had sniffed out the aura of a major headline.

    Speaker Long, the highest-ranking leader of the Senate, and Huo Shaoheng, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of the Supreme Military Council, were escorting a woman whose face was beaten swollen.

    Without adding any embellishments, this headline alone would make all the citizens of the nation go crazy!

    Not to mention, this woman was beautiful. Aside from her half swollen face, there wasn¡¯t an inch of her that wasn¡¯t pretty!

    ¡°May I ask Speaker Long what happened here?¡± A reporter from the National Television Channel habitually handed a microphone to Speaker Long.

    He¡¯d originally assumed that Speaker Long wouldn¡¯t answer his question, so he didn¡¯t think that Speaker Long would stop in his tracks. Speaker Long angrily bellowed into the microphone and camera, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, I know that you are currently examining your handiwork in front of the TV. All you people can see that your n seeded! I only want to say one thing... You cane after Old Long if you have any dissatisfaction with the Senate. I¡¯m already in my 60¡¯s and have lived long enough! Don¡¯t attack our staff! Just look at her, she¡¯s not even 20 years old. Today was her first day of work and look at how your personnel assaulted her! I¡¯m telling you, this incident isn¡¯t over!¡±

 Chapter 996

    <h4>996 Dignity is Useless Now</h4>

    Just as Gu Nianzhi had expected, footage of Speaker Long angrily condemning Prime Minister Tan was broadcasting on all the major TV channels. Footage of the three spokespeople from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister was causing trouble was everywhere.

    Of course, these were all taken from surveince videos. With permission from Speaker Long, all the major TVworks had been sent some dynamic screenshots of the video footage.

    The surveince footage of Gu Nianzhi being ¡°assaulted¡± by other personnel had been carefully selected by Yin Shixiong before it was sent to the TV stations.

    In this dynamic screenshot, Gu Nianzhi only revealed the blurry side profile of her face, but the force and aggression of the other person as he swung at her was fully disyed.

    The thick arm swung down and the notebook the size of a palm whistled through the air as it pped on the fair face of the woman standing opposite him.

    Afterward, the fair and delicate face seemed to swell red with a speed nearly visible to the naked eye...

    It went without saying that Yin Shixiong was also a master of creating absolute chaos.

    The dynamic screenshots he¡¯d taken both visually and audibly disyed the aggression of the spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister, as well as the delicate helplessness of the newly hired female Senate personnel member...

    Yin Shixiong had only sent the dynamic screenshot of the actual assault to one news media agency... the national television station.

    Cai Songyin was very well respected in the world of media and had vast connections. However, in the face of news of such magnitude, and with the typically cheerful and amicable Speaker Long so full of indignation, all the major news media outlets chose to report on this incident. Not a single one of them epted Cai Songyin¡¯s emergency PR request.

    She requested that these media outlets forfeit reporting on this piece of news in return for many future benefits.

    But as everyone knew, her husband¡¯s position as prime minister was shaky, so those promises were basically empty.

    Moreover, although the Cais held a strong position in the media world, they hadn¡¯t reached the extent of total control.

    When they saw that Tan Dongbang was about to step down from office and that the Cais and Tans could barely save themselves, all the Cais¡¯ pastpetitors and enemies quickly hurried to the media realm topete for the sphere of influence.

    After some fighting, news of the spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister beating a female Senate personnel member at the Senate building became the major top headline. It garnered nearly as much attention as the news of the interim general elections.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Gu Nianzhi was being apanied by Huo Shaoheng out of the best cosmetic surgeon¡¯s office in the Imperial Capital.

    Speaker Long hadn¡¯t gone inside, choosing to sit on the bench outside the door. He was on his phone and scrolling through the news.

    He looked up and happened to see Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaohenging out, so he quickly put away his phone and stood up.

    Gu Nianzhi was actually a bit worried that her injury would healpletely in one night.

    Luckily, Huo Shaoheng said that they also had a specialist doctor at the military base. After allowing the doctor examined her in detail, Huo Shaoheng asked him to prescribe medication for three days and then transfer the medical records to Chen Lie.

    For the remaining time, she only needed Chen Lie to provide medical proof for her.

    It was her face that was swollen anyway, so Huo Shaoheng prepared a face mask that could cover more than half her face. She would wear the face mask every day and not take it off for two weeks.

    Everyone knew that her face had been beaten badly, so no would go to the extent of ripping her mask off to make fun of her, right?

    If there really were such obnoxious people, Gu Nianzhi would surely argue with them so vehemently that they¡¯d lose their minds.

    As a result, she wasn¡¯t worried at all. She happily put on her face mask and evenined to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get a better-looking face mask? It¡¯s ck and white and looks like a panda when I wear it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°...What, pandas don¡¯t look nice?¡±

    ¡°...Pandas do look nice, but it doesn¡¯t look great on me,¡± Gu Nianzhi answered honestly. She then took out a small makeup mirror to take a look and frowned.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s only for two weeks. Don¡¯t fuss.¡±

    When Speaker Long saw Gu Nianzhi wearing the huge face mask, he felt great pity towards her. ¡°Oh Nianzhi, I¡¯m so sorry. Today was your first day at work and it ended up like this. However, I can promise you that our Senate is a very safe ce. This was an exception! It¡¯s absolutely an exception!¡±

    No one had ever caused trouble in his territory before, so this would be the first time and veryst time.

    Although Speaker Long was always smiling and looked much friendlier than General Ji, no one could ignore him. If Speaker Long had been purely a nice gentleman, how could he have been the speaker of the Senate for over 20 years?!

    However, he¡¯d never imagined that Gu Nianzhi, one of his favorite sessors, would be this ¡°first incident.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t speak. Huo Shaoheng stood by her side and replied coolly to Speaker Long, ¡°Speaker Long, I raised Nianzhi. No one has ever lifted a hand to her in all these years.¡±

    Speaker Long was a bit embarrassed but still tried hard to persuade Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, I already said that today was an exception. I never imagined that Tan Dongbang would be a person to use such a scheme. I really underestimated his level of shamelessness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. It seemed like Speaker Long was still glossing over Special Assistant Yang¡¯s behavior...

    Though pushing all the me for the incident onto the Senate made sense to a certain extent, doing so wasn¡¯tpletely correct.

    The trio of troublemakers from the Office of the Prime Minister had already caused trouble at the Senate for the past two days. In these past two days, Special Assistant Yang had freely allowed them to cause trouble and hadn¡¯t presented any concrete measures to stop it. In the end, he¡¯d even sent her, an intern who had just begun working at the Senate, to handle the matter. Shouldn¡¯t this behavior be investigated? It was either malfeasance or ipetence, he could take his pick.

    She nced bitterly at Huo Shaoheng and wanted nothing more but to speak ill of Special Assistant Yang in front of Speaker long.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s harsh gaze stopped her.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and hung her head. She stared at the little paper bag she carried in her hand. Inside was the medication prescribed by the kindly cosmetic doctor just now.

    Huo Shaoheng finally said to Speaker Long, ¡°Speaker Long was still very far-sighted and wise to ask General Ji for help. That prepares you for the future.¡±

    Speaker Long chuckled. ¡°Shaoheng, I didn¡¯t think you knew how to tter others!¡±

    ¡°I never tter others. I am someone who always says things as they are,¡± Huo Shaoheng said with justice and conviction in his voice. Even Gu Nainzhi was nearly stunned by it.

    Speaker Long was no exception. He lifted his hand and patted hard on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Shaoheng, luckily you came this time. Otherwise, Old Long would be the one being bombarded by the news!¡±

    Thinking about it brought shivers to his heart. If they had continued to deal with problems as per usual, their Senate would have been the ones being crucified by the media...

    If things weren¡¯t taken care of properly, the Cab wouldn¡¯t be the first to dissolve. Instead, their Senate would be the first to dissolve and have to hold their own Senate interim elections.

    Speaker Long could feel his back growing wet with cold sweat.

    ¡°Speaker Long, you¡¯re still here? The National Television Station would like to do a live online interview with you. Please hurry back to the Senate!¡± Special Assistant Yang ran over with a huff to escort Speaker Long back to the Senate building.

    Speaker Long nodded gravely, then turned around to say to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, how about I give you a few days of vacation so you can recuperate from the injury?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang also began apologizing profusely. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m very sorry about what happened today and how you were injured in the process. You being assaulted in the Senate is considered a work injury, so we can reimburse your medical fees. Just give the receipts to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t I have medical insurance of my own? I used my insurance for the doctor today.¡± She then told Speaker Long, ¡°Speaker Long, my injury is healing fine. I¡¯ll go back home to rest for half a day and return to work normally tomorrow. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course that¡¯s okay, it¡¯s more than I can ask for.¡± Speaker Long was very happy and waved at her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble Shaoheng to take you home, is that okay? We¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Okay! See you tomorrow, Speaker Long!¡± Gu Nianzhi also waved goodbye with a smile.

    ¡°Oh... right, you have medical insurance. I almost forgot.¡± Special Assistant Yangughed awkwardly and then nodded at Huo Shaoheng as he escorted Speaker Long away from the hospital.

    Gu Nianzhi watched their backs disappear into the elevator before looking up at Huo Shaoheng to ask, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me speak earlier?¡±

    ¡°What did you want to say? Tell on him?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked towards the elevator at an even pace. ¡°No matter how bad Special Assistant Yang is, he¡¯s worked at the Senate for nearly 10 years. You can¡¯t possibly think you¡¯ll drag him down with only one incident?¡±

 Chapter 997

    <h4>997 Her True Motive</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned speechless.

    She really had thought so. But upon deeper consideration, Huo Shaoheng had spoken the actual reason.

    No matter how useless or useful Special Assistant Yang was, he had been the head of the Secretary of the Senate for many years already. Just like Secretary Cao¡¯s position beside General Ji, and Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze¡¯s positions beside Huo Shaoheng, Special Assistant Yang had an important position beside Speaker Long.

    That was not to say that he was Speaker Long¡¯s only confidante, but he was certainly one of them.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng into the elevator and sighed. Reaching out to press the button to the first floor, she said, ¡°I know now. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave her a sidelong nce. ¡°This is you being careful?¡±

    She had been so careful that she¡¯d ended up getting her face beaten swollen on her first day of work...

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her right cheek somewhat sheepishly and said nervously, ¡°Actually, I was most worried about it healing too quickly.¡±

    ¡°As if you have to worry about that...¡± Huo Shaoheng averted his gaze. ¡°Is that not the truth?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she puffed up her face. ¡°Huo Shao, you just always have to be angry with me, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m an injured patient!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her coquettishness, calming himself down before finally saying, ¡°If I don¡¯t make you feel indignant, then other people can¡¯t do it either. There are many ways to vent your frustration, so why do you have to choose this method?¡±

    From the way Huo Shaoheng saw it, harming her own body to attain a goal waspletely beside the point.

    What was the point of killing 1,000 enemies by injuring 800 of his own soldiers?

    Gu Nianzhi averted her gaze guiltily. ¡°The situation was urgent at the time, and I had no idea that they were nning this kind of thing. I assumed that the spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister would have some shame...¡±

    ¡°You absolutely cannot make that assumption while working at the Senate.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave her a half-smile. ¡°Some people¡¯s lower limits are continuously expanding, so you will never be able to wait for a day when you can reach their bottom line and see them deflect.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng again to ensure that he still didn¡¯t know her true motive for doing this. She finally sighed quietly and took out her phone to y with.

    ...

    He Zhichu had returned after spending Lunar New Year at home. He¡¯d nned to stay in the Huaxia Empire from then on and focus solely on pursuing Gu Nianzhi in order to win back his fianc¨¦e. However, he¡¯d then discovered that Gu Nianzhi was already married.

    This shock came nothing less than out of the blue.

    He¡¯d tried very hard to not lose hisposure in front of Gu Nianzhist night and had fought with Huo Shaoheng afterward in order to slightly assuage the grief in his heart.

    But when he¡¯d returned to his professor¡¯s building, he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and started to burn with a fever.

    After he¡¯d sweated it out and woken up from his deep sleep, he¡¯d discovered that the sky was still dark outside.

    Just how long had he slept for?

    He Zhichu picked up the watch from his nightstand to nce at. ¡°8:00 in the evening?¡±

    It appeared that he¡¯d slept nearly the entire day.

    He remembered that it had been 2:00 in the morning when he¡¯d gone to bed.

    It was now 8:00 in the evening, which meant that he¡¯d slept for an entire 18 hours.

    His entire body waspletely soaked with sweat as he climbed out of his nkets. Rubbing his forehead, he discovered that he didn¡¯t have a fever anymore. However, he was feeling a bit dizzy.

    His stomach was feeling very hungry.

    Actually, he hadn¡¯t eaten for 24 hours.

    He was so hungry that his stomach began to hurt.

    He Zhichu finally got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower. When he came out, he saw that his kitchen waspletely empty. There weren¡¯t even any instant noodles!

    He had no choice but to pick up his phone and order a luxurious delivery for himself.

    Setting down his phone, he sat on the couch and picked up the remote to finally turn on the wall-mounted curved TV on the opposite wall.

    ¡°...Mr. Lin, what do you think of this incident? This morning, spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister¡¯s Office caused trouble at the Senate and even assaulted a female Senate personnel member.¡±

    He had turned on a news channel that had brought on a political scientist guest to discuss the day¡¯s current affairs and politics.

    ¡°...Mr. Niu, what do you think of the incident of the assault at the Senate building today?¡±

    What on earth was going on?

    Both channels were airing this incident.

    Was a fight breaking out at the Senate a strange thing?

    In fact, wasn¡¯t it stranger if no fights urred at the Senate?

    He Zhichu grumbled in his heart as he scrolled like a rolling marble to change all the TV channels.

    Aside from channels airing immature animated programs for children, nearly all the other ones were broadcasting news of the female senate personnel member who¡¯d been assaulted by spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister at the Senate building.

    However, all the news channels had already entered the second stage of their stories... political analysis.

    Various guests and TV hosts were debating furiously, viewpoints from both parties shing hard.

    He Zhichu shook his head, then picked up his phone to scroll through Weibo.

    As he expected, Weibo also had overwhelming coverage of this news.

    The difference was that theizens on Weibo were focussed on different elements of the story than the proper news channels.

    Eight of the top ten searches were rted to this incident.

    The top searches looked something like this.

    #Recover the image of the side profile of the assaulted female Senate personnel member

    #The assaulted female Senate personnel member has legs 2 meters and 8 inches long

    #The assaulted female Senate personnel member is allegedly an intern

    #Topw student from the B university ¨C I know the assaulted female Senate personnel member

    Even though He Zhichu was indifferent after reading the first few top searches, his hand froze when heter saw the two search terms of ¡°intern¡± and ¡°top B University student.¡±

    There was a negative association in his head.

    How many top students from the B University of Law had joined the Senate as interns this year?!

    He Zhichu quickly clicked on all the Weibo posts rted to this incident.

    When he saw the dynamic screenshot of the assault being broadcasted by the national television channel, he instantly recognized that the assaulted female Senate worker in it was none other than Gu Nianzhi!

    They had only been separated for less than a day, how had she been injured already?!

    He Zhichu watched the videos on Weibo and saw that, aside from the number one ranking dynamic screenshot of the assault, the number two ranking photo was of Speaker Long and Huo Shaoheng escorting the swollen faced Gu Nianzhi into an ambnce.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng apanying Gu Nianzhi, He Zhichu finally sighed in relief.

    He leaned back against the corner sofa and draped one arm over his forehead. Gritting his teeth hard, his expression was so repressed that it appeared somewhat twisted.

    He tried hard to calm himself down before picking up his phone to call Gu Nianzhi.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi was resting in the suite at her Hepingli apartment.

    After returning home in the afternoon, she washed up before going to bed.

    She hadn¡¯t been awake for very long yet.

    Huo Shaoheng had made dinner for her and left it in the fridge so she could have it after heating it up.

    She received a phone call from Huo Shaoheng as soon as she woke up. He asked to video chat so he could watch her have dinner.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to agree and chatted with Huo Shaoheng while eating.

    ¡°Huo Shao, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still at the Senate.¡± Huo Shaoheng had already eaten dinner but was worried that Gu Nianzhi would oversleep, so he¡¯d called her.

    He observed her condition was improving. The red and extremely swollen skin on her face had recoveredpletely.

    It appeared fair, delicate, and luminous as ice porcin. Because she¡¯d slept the entire afternoon, her ice porcin-like skin glowed with a light pink hue. It looked like several dashes of delicate pink drawn on ice porcin by brushstrokes, reminiscent of osmanthus in the autumn and ten miles of peach blossoms.

    It didn¡¯t look like she had been beaten that morning at all...

    If the people from the Office of the Prime Minister saw Gu Nianzhi like this, the sky would surely storm...

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her for a while before ending the video chat and putting on his Bluetooth headset to chat with her.

    Gu Nianzhi turned on her speakerphone and chatted intermittently with Huo Shaoheng.

    When He Zhichu called her, she finally said, ¡°I have a calling in, I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    She ended the call with Huo Shaoheng before taking He Zhichu¡¯s call.

    As soon as the call connected, He Zhichu said, ¡°Nianzhi, why were you assaulted at the Senate today? I saw the dynamic screenshot and think that you should have been able to dodge it! What on earth are you plotting?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t respond.

    She could have indeed dodged it, but how could she continue the drama if she had?

    Gu Nianzhi had waited a long time but still hadn¡¯t received a phone call from that person.

    They sure could hold themselves in!

    But she wasn¡¯t worried. The person would call her sooner orter.

    If they didn¡¯t call, she could just push things along once again...

    She¡¯d never forget her true motive for interning at the Senate... She would stop Cai Songyin from suing.

 Chapter 998

    <h4>998 Phishing Interview</h4>

    ¡°Professor He, you overestimate me. How could I have possibly dodged that?¡± Gu Nianzhi discreetly made a funny face and said with a smile, ¡°My face still hurts!¡±

    He Zhichu was silent.

    He wanted to go visit her, but considering how his own fever had just subsided, he may still be contagious if he had a cold virus.

    After stewing over it for a while, he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Turn on the video chat, I want to see your face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled before turning on the video chat on her phone. She said with ill intentions, ¡°You¡¯d better be mentally prepared. Don¡¯t be frightened by me...¡±

    He Zhichu mentally prepared himself fully, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perfect face brimming with youthful vitality, he finally knew realized that he had fallen for her trick.

    ¡°Naughty.¡± He Zhichu dryly chastised her, but he didn¡¯t get angry. Likewise, he was not unhappy or embarrassed by her teasing.

    Just now, he had been overly concerned because he cared about her. He¡¯d forgotten about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special body constitution.

    ¡°But did they actually hit you?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s finger gently brushed over the image of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pretty, oval-shaped face on the phone screen. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°It hurts, of course, it hurts. I¡¯m not made of iron, so how could I be immune to pain?¡± Gu Nianzhi yfully inhaled. ¡°But it didn¡¯t hurt that much. It was much less painful than my injuries from before.¡±

    That statement didn¡¯tfort He Zhichu. It actually made him feel even more aggrieved.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi for a while before finally asking, ¡°Then are you still going back to the Senate?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go, why wouldn¡¯t I? If I resign just like that, then wouldn¡¯t I have been beaten for nothing?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to her right cheek. ¡°Speaker Long said that this incident isn¡¯t over! So I must go and keep an eye on it, just in case someone intentionally decides to gloss it over...¡±

    He Zhichu heard the hidden meaning in her words and keenly asked, ¡°Your colleague purposely set you up?¡±

    Was her intention so obvious?

    That wasn¡¯t good.

    Gu Nianzhiid down on the bed while, holding her phone above her as she changed the topic with a smile. ¡°Professor He, although Speaker Long said this incident wasn¡¯t over and that the Senate would step in to bring me justice, I can¡¯t just sit idle and wait for other people to bring me justice.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± He Zhichu could already read Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind. She wanted to sue someone again...

    ¡°I want to leak the news. Aside from suing the person who hit me, Prime Minister Tan and his wife also needed to make a joint response. I will also be seekingrgepensation from the Office of the Prime Minister.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised a brow.

    He Zhichu always agreed to whatever Gu Nianzhi wanted to do. He didn¡¯t hesitate to nod. ¡°Okay, do you want to dere a statement or do you want me to do it for you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my secret weapon, I must keep you hidden for now,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a giggle. ¡°I¡¯m going to go to work at the Senate tomorrow and make a statement through the media then.¡±

    Not long after she finished the phone call with He Zhichu, Ma Qiqi called her as well.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay?¡± Ma Qiqi had seen Gu Nianzhi on the news and been very worried ever since. Yin Shixiong had asked her to contact Gu Nianzhiter, so she had been patient enough to wait until now.

    Gu Nianzhi almost blurted out that she was okay, but the words changed just as they were about to leave her mouth. She replied vaguely, ¡°I¡¯m alright, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±

    ¡°How can the people from the Office of the Prime Minister be such thugs!¡± Ma Qiqi was full of indignation. ¡°They are so violent! They should never hit someone in the face! They are breaking all the taboos!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded along with her. ¡°Qiqi, you weren¡¯t there at the time, but those people were certainly thugs! Their words were so vulgar that I couldn¡¯t stand listening to them! Prime Minister Tan is gambling it all; he doesn¡¯t care about shame anymore!¡±

    ¡°As if he still cares about shame?!¡± Ma Qiqi snickered. ¡°His video was so embarrassing, what shame does he still have? But truthfully speaking, I¡¯m pretty impressed by these politicians. They are truly more shameless than normal people. If such a thing had happened to a normal person, they probably would¡¯ve been so humiliated that they¡¯d want to die. But look at Prime Minister Tan. Not only is he unwilling tomit suicide, but he refuses to step down as well! He¡¯s as relentless as mud on a wall!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a given. The foremost criterion for being a politician is to be shameless. Normal people want to have shame, so there¡¯s no way they could do such high-difficulty work.¡± Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi joked around for a while more.

    Ma Qiqi saw that Gu Nianzhi was in a fairly good state of mind, so she finally felt relieved. She said, ¡°It¡¯ste now, you should rest. Are you resting at home tomorrow? I¡¯lle to visit you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°I still have to go to work at the Senate tomorrow. I¡¯ll be home on the weekend, do you want toe over then?¡±

    ¡°You still have to work tomorrow? Your injury is alright?¡± Ma Qiqi was extremely worried. ¡°Do you need to apply any medication?¡±

    How could Gu Nianzhi go out with her face covered with ointment?!

    Gu Nianzhi winked cheerfully. ¡°I have a face mask, so I just need to wear it tomorrow.¡±

    Ma Qiqi instantly recalled watching television footage of Gu Nianzhi walking out of the hospital. She¡¯d indeed worn a ck and white panda facemask.

    ¡°Okay then... If there¡¯s nothing seriously wrong, then going out to work is certainly better than overthinking things at home.¡± Ma Qiqi knew that Gu Nianzhi hated doing nothing, so she urged her a bit more and promised to visit her on the weekend before ending the call.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her watch and saw that it was already 10:00 in the evening. It happened to be time for bed.

    She yawned before sinking into sleep.

    She slept more peacefully and deeply than ever before. She didn¡¯t even have any dreams.

    She woke up very early the next morning, but she purposely dragged things out so she didn¡¯t leave until 8:00.

    With her current condition, no one would be taking things seriously enough to care if she waste or not anyway...

    Wearing the ck and white panda face mask from Huo Shaoheng, she took the subway instead of driving and got off near the Senate building. Then she walked the rest of the way there.

    As she walked over, she gave the reporters ample time to recognize her.

    When she¡¯d left the hospital yesterday, she¡¯d been wearing the same kind of ck and white panda face mask. It was very unique!

    When they took another look at her figure and posture, she seemed to be the female Senate personnel member who¡¯d been assaulted the day before.

    When everyone¡¯s eyes drifted to the name tag hanging on her chest, they immediately discovered that she was Gu Nianzhi!

    She was the female Senate personnel member who¡¯d been assaulted!

    The reporters immediately swarmed over with their microphones and cameras pointed directly at Gu Nianzhi to feverishly question her.

    ¡°Are Miss Gu Nianzhi? What thoughts do you have on what urred yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, the Office of the Prime Minister has already begun to bail out their spokespeople. The police station didn¡¯t bring any charges either. May I ask if you have anyments?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and stared straight at the reporter who¡¯d said that the people who¡¯d beaten her had already been bailed out. She stated calmly, ¡°Are you certain? I haven¡¯t heard this news.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certain. Would you like to see the news source?¡± The reporter, who loved nothing more than chaos, excitedly took out his phone and showed the news source to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at it for a while before lifting her head again.

    At that moment, everyone could see that therge, glittering, and honest eyes above the face mask had already turned a bit red. Her voice choked as she asked, ¡°...So nothing will happen even though he hit me? I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t ept such a resolution. I want Prime Minister Tan and his wife to know that although I am a normal citizen, my personal safety cannot be vited. They must pay the price if they hit me. I¡¯ll hire awyer to press charges against the spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Tan, and his wife. They can for the notice from mywyer.¡±

    The reporters instantly grew frenzied as they heard this.

    They¡¯d waited here since early in the morning and gotten headline news as a reward!

    As a result, all the reporters excitedly began to report back to the TV stations and media outlets they belonged to and livestreamed the scene outside the Senate building.

    As for the news of Gu Nianzhi dering that she wouldy charges against the spokespeople who assaulted her, as well as Prime Minister Tan and his wife, it instantly went viral online.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even walked into the Senate building before Special Assistant Yang learned of what had happened in front of the building¡¯s entrance. He couldn¡¯t help but angrily m his fist on his desk.

    ¡°She¡¯s still so relentless! The Office of the Prime Minister already told me we would be negotiating the matter, what is she going crazy for?! Sue, sue, sue! She only knows how to sue! She says it as if she thinks she can win as long as she wants to sue! She only wants to gain attention!¡±

    The personnel in the Senate Secretariat looked at each other, not daring to reply.

    They had very conflicted feelings about Gu Nianzhi being assaulted.

    As normal personnel, they certainly wanted the assaulter to be severely punished. Their own safety could be guaranteed, and no one would have been beaten up for nothing.

    But as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s colleagues, they didn¡¯t quite wish to see a newly hired intern gaining so much attention as soon as she arrived...

    As a result, they all maintained their silence. They neither voiced support nor objection.

    Special Assistant Yang was well-versed in the ways of survival in the office, so he vented his frustrations and expressed his own attitude before saying to his subordinate secretary, ¡°When Miss Gu arrives, ask her toe to my office.¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi arrived at the Secretariat, she was led to Special Assistant Yang¡¯s office.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you are Senate personnel member, but you cannot represent the Senate and say whatever you want to the news reporters outside.¡± Special Assistant Yang tried his best to maintain a kind expression as he spoke to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around in shock. ¡°I didn¡¯t speak on behalf of the Senate outside... Does Special Assistant Yang have some kind of misunderstanding?¡±

    Who was the tattletale?

    Gu Nianzhi had been nning how she would go tell Speaker Long about what had urred outside, but these people already told on her.

    The corners of Special Assistant Yang¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Do you want me to y the video footage? Although you spoke outside the Senate building, there is still video surveince.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded calmly. ¡°Okay, you can y it and I¡¯ll watch it.¡±

    Wasn¡¯t she being totally brazen and shameless?

    Special Assistant Yang gritted his teeth and became very serious.

    He had someone send over the surveince video from earlier and yed it on his ownputer. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, see for yourself. Are you still going to say that you didn¡¯t represent the Senate and speak to the media outside?¡±

    Theputer disyed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face with a mask on, but her voice was very clear. It was the video of her expressing her desire to serve papers to sue the spokesperson, Prime Minister Tan, as well as his wife.

    ¡°And?¡± Gu Nianzhi purposely acted confused. ¡°I want to sue these people, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, but you can¡¯t speak nonsense on behalf of the Senate to the people outside!¡± Special Assistant Yang lost his temper. Wasn¡¯t this girl supposed to be very smart?

    Why was she so confused!?

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and reached out to shake her finger. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. I was representing myself when I said those things to the reporters, I wasn¡¯t representing the Senate.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then you arepletely responsible for the legal fees required for yourwsuit. This is not the Senate¡¯s financial responsibility,¡± Special Assistant Yang immediately dered, looking at her with victory in his eyes.

    Fighting awsuit against the Office of the Prime Minister andpletely footing the bill herself... This girl should anticipate bankruptcy...

    The Senate wasn¡¯t going to spend a penny anyway.

    ¡°I am my ownwyer and can go to court by myself. Special Assistant Yang, do you have a misunderstanding about my abilities?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted her lips with disdain. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be going to work now.¡±

    She left without waiting for Special Assistant Yang to reply.

    The small grumblings in the Senate caused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s speech were soon eased. However, it caused huge waves online and in the Office of the Prime Minister.

    ¡°Mummy! Is Gu Nianzhi really going to sue you and Daddy?!¡± Tan Guiren had been in the Senate for thest few days and had been escorted outside by personnel yesterday. However, she had been waiting outside the Senate building ever since.

    She was very upset that the assault had urred, so she kept trying to find an opportunity to apologize to Gu Nianzhi. But her mother Cai Songyin refused to allow her to go.

    Cai Songyin wasn¡¯t fazed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s threat to sue at all.

    ¡°She wants to sue me and the prime minister? Haha, she needs to clean up her own ¡®gossip¡¯ first.¡± Cai Songyin had been waiting to sue that blogger, then to air out the short essay about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng...

    She would¡¯ve gone to the court to file the case if the assault hadn¡¯t randomly urred yesterday.

    Now the Office of the Prime Minister was busy dealing with the PR crisis of ¡°spokespeople from the Office of the Prime Minister assaulted a female Senate personnel member.¡± They werepletely busy, so Cai Sonyin¡¯s n to sue the original blogger was temporarily put aside.

    Cai Songyin was about to hurry out to meet with the media moguls and seek help from them. She was nning to lobby hard for support, so she had no choice but to hurriedly console Tan Guiren. ¡°Little Darling, it¡¯s fine, let her sue. We have your cousin and we aren¡¯t afraid!¡± She said this before leaving.

    However, Tan Guiren felt that the incident was their fault. Although she¡¯d been outside the building, she had practically been there in person. She¡¯d watched all the videos and seen that it was their fault. They would certainly lose if they had to fight thewsuit.

    Moreover, Cai Songyin¡¯s dismissive attitude made Tan Guiren feel that the situation was even more of an emergency. The entire Office of the Prime Minister had been flipped upside down because of this incident, so they couldn¡¯t even spare the manpower to deal with the most important task of creating momentum for the general interim elections.

    Tan Guiren desperately wanted to shoulder the burden with her parents.

    She hesitated in the Office of the Prime Minister for a while before sneakily leaving the Office of the Prime Minister by herself and heading to the Senate building.

 Chapter 999

    <h4>999 The Justice I Wan</h4>

    Tan Guiren drove her baby blue Bentley sports car and stopped near the Senate building. The Senate building¡¯s entrance was nearly surrounded by all the major news agencies. Getting out of the car, she stared silently for a long time but was still unable to see a way she could sneak inside. If she passed by those people, they would certainly recognize her. If that happened, she wouldn¡¯t be able to find Gu Nianzhi, even if she wanted to.

    Tan Guiren looked down to take out her phone and hesitated for a second before unlocking it and finding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone number. She had never called Gu Nianzhi before, but this time she had no choice but to make an exception.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was reading information at her desk. There was an entire floor of office space in the Secretariat of the Senate building. Interns and junior secretaries were all in the lobby, while senior secretaries and above had their own individual offices.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t sat down for long before she heard her phone ring. Picking up her phone to nce at it, she saw that it was a foreign number. Gu Nianzhi instantlyughed. The person she waited for had finallye.

    However, she didn¡¯t pick up the call right away. Instead, she leisurely shut down herputer and put on her backpack before leaving the office area. Then she went to the break room to take the phone call.

    Tan Guiren made a total of two phone calls before Gu Nianzhi finally picked up. ¡°Hello, may I ask who this is?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked directly.

    Tan Guiren was a bit flustered as she said, ¡°I am Tan Guiren. Miss Gu, do you have a moment? I wanted to talk to you about something.¡±

    ¡°Miss Tan Guiren? What can I help you with? You can tell me over the phone.¡± Gu Nianzhi purposely acted nonchntly and didn¡¯t instantly agree to Tan Guiren¡¯s request¡ªalthough that was her true motive. If Tan Guiren still hadn¡¯t called her today ore to find her, then she had nned to take the initiative to go speak with Tan Guiren.

    As expected, Tan Guiren became even more anxious. ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m truly here to apologize. When will you be free? I can wait for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to look at her phone. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll take a look at my daily work schedule.¡± Why would an intern have any daily work schedule? Her words could only fool a sheltered wallflower like Tan Guiren.

    But Tan Guiren still believed herpletely and immediately said, ¡°Ok, you can check, and I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then waited another five minutes before telling Tan Guiren over the phone, ¡°I have a half an hour lunch break around 11am. Can you wait until then?¡± There was still an hour before 11am.

    Tan Guiren quickly nodded. ¡°No problem. So where should we meet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her phone. There was a restaurant and caf¨¦ in the Senate building. She didn¡¯t want to have this conversation outside because she was worried that she couldn¡¯t control the hidden ears in the walls.

    The Senate building was a different story. It was safe, and the surveince was limited to only the working areas. ces like the caf¨¦ and restaurant weren¡¯t considered work areas, so there was no surveince.

    ¡°How about this? You cane in through the back door around 11am, and I¡¯ll have the guard at the back door open it for you.¡± As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she sent an email to the guard at the building¡¯s back door to ask him to let Tan Guiren inside when the time came.

    After making the arrangements, Gu Nianzhi set down her phone and wrote a few summaries. Soon, it was already 11am. She stood up and put on her backpack before going downstairs to arrive at the caf¨¦ below.

    It was still early in the day before lunch time, but all the breakfast items had already sold out. The entire seating area was quiet. Gu Nianzhi sat by the window of the caf¨¦ and soon afterwards, she saw Tan Guiren walk inside.

    Pulling out a chair and sitting across from Gu Nianzhi, Tan Guiren asked apologetically, ¡°Did you wait for a long time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deeply loathed such idiotic greetings, but she never acted cruelly to kind people. Also, she needed to glean information from Tan Guiren, so she couldn¡¯t yell at her as soon as she was displeased with what she said. Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°We made ns for 11am, so I just came down here.¡±

    Tan Guiren looked at her with admiration and said, ¡°Being timely is the virtue of a king. You are very punctual.¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi knew Tan Guiren didn¡¯t really have any ill intentions, she still thought she deserved a beating for saying such a thing. Miss Guiren, what do you mean by, ¡°I¡¯m very punctual?!¡± Didn¡¯t you ask to meet me!? Didn¡¯t we make ns to meet at 11am at the caf¨¦!? Dare I ask if I was the only one abiding by these words!? Gu Nianzhi suppressed herself before picking up the milk and angel food cake she had ordered for Tan Guiren.

    When the items were served, Tan Guiren was very shocked. ¡°Miss Gu, how did you know I was hungry?¡± She then asked, ¡°Where¡¯s yours?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She hadn¡¯t known but had merely made an inference usingmon sense. It was almost time for lunch, and even if Tan Guiren had breakfast beforeing over, she should be hungry by now.

    Tan Guiren hadn¡¯t even had breakfast today, anyway. So Tan Guiren didn¡¯t hesitate to pick up the cutlery and drink the milk as she ate the angel food cake.

    Gu Nianzhi chatted randomly with her until she finished her milk and cake. Gu Nianzhi then asked, ¡°Miss Tan, why did you ask to meet?¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded. ¡°It¡¯s nothing important, I just wanted to apologize to you.¡±

    ¡°Apologize?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. ¡°Why are you apologizing to me?¡±

    ¡°Well the thing is, you were identally injured yesterday, and I¡¯m very sorry about that. I¡¯m truly very sorry.¡± Tan Guiren stood up to bow in apology to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand gesturing for Tan Guiren to sit. Above the face mask, one could only see the bright and alluring eyes curving into two crescents. ¡°You weren¡¯t the one who did it, so you don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°But I can¡¯t be beaten for nothing.¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s heart wrenched once again. Setting both hands in herp, she nearly twisted them into a ball before murmuring, ¡°But I believe that Mr. Cao didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Can you be gracious enough to let this incident go?¡±

    Mr. Cao was one of the three troublemakers from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister. He had originally been passed off to the police station by Huo Shaoheng, but was bailed out by personnel sent from the Office of the Prime Minister this morning.

    ¡°You believe he didn¡¯t do it on purpose, but I don¡¯t believe that. Tan Guiren, if you went through what I went through, then you¡¯d know that a verbal apology is the most useless thing.¡± Gu Nianzhi touched her face mask. ¡°I was a normal person and was nearly disfigured by him. Tell me how I can swallow that indignation!?¡±

    Tan Guiren widened herrge eyes to stare at Gu Nianzhi, then quickly replied, ¡°I know you are very sad and in a lot of pain, but all of that is in the past now. Even if you make him go to jail, you can¡¯t possibly return the p he gave you?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and looked at Tan Guiren. She exined it in legal terms. ¡°Justice wille sooner orter, but will never be absent. The justice I want is ording to legal regtions. Those who should be jailed will be jailed. Those who should be fined will be fined. Those who should be executed will be executed. I don¡¯t mean anything else.¡±

    Tan Guiren became even more anxious. She bit her lip and thought about it for a while before saying, ¡°Then you should only sue Mr. Cao. Why do you have to drag my daddy and mommy into this? They didn¡¯t beat you.¡±

 Chapter 1000

    <h4>1000 The Only Weakness</h4>

    Looking at Tan Guiren¡¯s clueless and limpid eyes, as well as her na?ve and almost ignorant questions, Gu Nianzhi sighed deeply from the bottom of her heart. She had never been very patient speaking with people like Tan Guiren. Moreover, the scene of Tan Guiren getting off the airne with Huo Shaoheng was still the most unspeakable pain in her heart.

    No one could understand that when she had barely escaped with her life from the Alps, when she had been electrocuted by Als from the German Federal Intelligence Service, when her life had been hanging by a thread, and she was prepared to face death for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sake what psychological impact the serene scene had left on her...

    It was only a gentlemanly gesture that had copsed her entire emotional world. At that moment, she had truly fallen into boundless despair and was unable to continue on with Huo Shaoheng anymore.

    Logically speaking, she understood that Huo Shaoheng was only being polite, and it was an unintentional mistake. So when she made the decision to break up with Huo Shaohengter on, neither Yin Shixiong nor Zhao Liangze could understand it. She never exined to them, either.

    The people who could understand naturally would. The people who didn¡¯t understand would still assume she was ¡°making a mountain out of a molehill¡± by not ¡°forgiving¡± Huo Shaoheng, even if her tongue became parched from exining. So why bother wasting her breath?

    Gu Nianzhi only knew that aside from the cause and effect of the incident, forcibly making herself ¡°logically understand¡± Huo Shaoheng was unfortunately something she couldn¡¯t do.

    The pain gnawed at her. Only by breaking up with Huo Shaoheng andpletely cutting ties with him would she be able to have the possibility of survival. Otherwise, she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to go on in life. She would be in such despair, she would¡¯ve ended her own life with her own hands.

    The truth was, the decision to break up had certainly saved her. When she no longer treated Huo Shaoheng as her only support and religion, she was finally able to re-examine this rtionship and rethink her future path. Not only that, but she was also able to sit calmly in front of Tan Guiren like this and discreetly lead her into her own trap instead of wanting nothing more but to strangle her to death as soon as she saw her.

    Leaning back in the soft chair in the caf¨¦, Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Miss Tan, you think it¡¯s Mr. Cao¡¯s personal problem that he was able to hit me?¡±

    ¡°Could it not be so?¡± Tan Guiren asked quizzically. ¡°My daddy and mommy were at the Office of the Prime Minister at the time, not the Senate building. You¡¯re saying my daddy and mommy have something to do with this?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way,¡± Gu Nianzhi coolly regarded Tan Guiren with the demeanor she would use to patiently exin something to a kindergartner, ¡°Do you know why Mr. Cao hade to the Senate building at the time and with what identity?¡±

    Tan Guiren thought about it before saying, ¡°I do know. He is a spokesperson from the PR Department of the Office of the Prime Minister. He came at the time to discuss something with the Senate in regards to the resolution to dissolve the cab and restart the elections.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then who asked them toe there?¡±

    ¡°It was my daddy and mommy,¡± Tan Guiren blurted out, then her expression immediately changed. She instantly continued, ¡°But my daddy and mommy never asked him to hit anyone!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, right, they didn¡¯t ask the spokespeople to hit anyone and had only asked them to ¡°cause trouble.¡± They would cause trouble until the Senate personnel couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and it would be good if they entered into a ¡°physical altercation¡± with them.

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t possibly say that to Tan Guiren. There was no question that Tan Guiren didn¡¯t know about Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin¡¯s motive. She was only one pawn in her parents¡¯ hands.

    ¡°Mr. Cao came to carry out official duties. So everything that urred during his official duties would be rted to the Office of the Prime Minister, which is also rted to the Prime Minister and his wife,¡± Gu Nianzhi dered firmly. ¡°Just like if he had been the one to be injured at the Senate this time, he would return to the Office of the Prime Minister and treat it as a work injury. Do you understand?¡±

    Tan Guiren bit her lip. She understood thetter part about ¡°work injury,¡± but she still couldn¡¯t understand the former exnation about how Mr. Cao assaulting someone was rted to Prime Minister Tan or Cai Songyin. Or perhaps she refused to understand.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s all rted to the Office of the Prime Minister, then of course I need to sue the people in charge of the Office of the Prime Minister, which is also Prime Minister Tan and his wife.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender and pale fingers flicked the fine porcin edge of the coffee cup. Her eyes curved into crescents and then her tone eased somewhat. ¡°However, Miss Tan is certainly a filial daughter to share her parents¡¯ worries. I can understand that as well.¡±

    Tan Guiren heard the first part of what Gu Nianzhi said and assumed there was no other solution, but her hope rekindled when she heard thetter part of what Gu Nianzhi said. Inclining her body, she said with excitement, ¡°Right, right, my daddy and mommy treat me too well. I truly hope that I can help them! Miss Gu, I¡¯m begging you to not sue my daddy and mommy! What kind ofpensation do you want? I¡¯ll give you any amount of money you ask!¡±

    As Tan Guiren spoke, she took out items from her bright red Celine luggage tote. There were several bank cards, as well as a real estate certificate that she set before Gu Nianzhi. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t sue my daddy and mommy, I¡¯ll give all of this to you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes nced over the ¡°bait¡± set out by Tan Guiren, then returned to her beautiful and innocent face. After a while, she used her hand to push Tan Guiren¡¯s items back towards her and chided, ¡°Miss Tan, what are you doing? I am suing Mr. Cao, and your parents are only included in the process. You don¡¯t need to be like this.¡±

    ¡°But... But... They are in so much trouble right now!¡± Tan Guiren was about to burst into tears when she saw that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want her things. ¡°I don¡¯t want the situation to worsen for them. Miss Gu, I¡¯m begging you, I¡¯m really begging you!¡± Tan Guiren was suddenly anxious and stood up from the seat. She nearly knelt down before Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly got up from her seat to pull her up and scolded, ¡°Miss Tan, do you want the entire caf¨¦ to think I did something to you? My face hasn¡¯t even healed from being beaten by your Office of the Prime Minister!¡±

    Tan Guiren squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly as she wept bitterly. ¡°Miss Gu, you don¡¯t have parents, so you don¡¯t know what extent parents will go to for their children. When I was kidnapped in the United States, they used all their efforts to rescue me. They were able to pay any price for my sake, so I will also do anything for them. I am only kneeling, I don¡¯t care about that.¡±

    What did she mean, she didn¡¯t have parents, so she didn¡¯t know what extent parents would go to for their children?! The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched, and she actually felt despair. Suddenly, she lost any feeling of remorse she had towards Tan Guiren.

    Gu Nianzhi settled Tan Guiren back into her seat, then smoothly retracted her own hand. Sitting across from Tan Guiren, she said quietly, ¡°What Miss Tan is saying does make sense. I had heard about Miss Tan¡¯s disappearance in the United States. So it was your parents who worked very hard to get you back? Aside from parents, no one else would be able to do such a thing!¡±

    This was also the truth. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood calmed down when she felt that Tan Guiren wasn¡¯t wrong, either. She thought about it indifferently. She didn¡¯t have parents, so she deserved to only depend on herself when she fell into danger in the German Alps. No one fell from the sky to her rescue.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up the silver spoon and stirred the already chilled cappino. She began to interrogate Tan Guiren about the details of her disappearance. That was actually her true motive. To capture a king, she must capture the thief. To kill a snake, she must beat seven inches of it. Tan Guiren and Cai Songyin¡¯s seven inches would be Tan Guiren.

    Gu Nianzhi read in the news that Tan Guiren had been kidnapped. Since she was kidnapped, there were details that could be amplified into major headlines. Didn¡¯t Cai Songyin love reading little erotica stories? Gu Nianzhi nned to offer her a piece of erotica featuring the imprisonment of her own daughter in order to satisfy Cai Songyin¡¯s perverted voyeurism. Not only did she have the words, but also the personal statement issued by the daughter of the Prime Minister.

    Gu Nianzhi discreetly turned on her recording pen and pointed it in Tan Guiren¡¯s direction. Tan Guiren wiped her face with a napkin to wipe away her tears and whispered, ¡°Right, my parents were really the ones who asked someone to rescue me when that happened to me in the United States.¡± When she mentioned that incident, she instantly recalled Huo Shaoheng and her mood improved slightly.

    ¡°Can you exin the situation in detail?¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to hear the details about how she had been kidnapped and imprisoned.

    Tan Guiren¡¯s expression was a bit unnatural as she bowed her head. ¡°Should I talk about it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have parents, so I don¡¯t know what extent parents would go to for their children. You have to use your own personal experience to convince me.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger tapped the coffee table gently as she remarked coldly, ¡°Otherwise, I will continue to sue your parents as well!¡±

    Tan Guiren was frightened by Gu Nianzhi, so she quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, I¡¯ll tell you!¡±

    Composing herself, her voice was quiet and a bit erratic. ¡°That day, I had a bit of a headache, so I slept after taking a painkiller. But when I woke up, I somehow discovered I wasn¡¯t in the dorm anymore. I was in... a very dirty room. There were many cages in that room, and there was a person in each cage. Most of them were children, and there were only three adults.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her brow. She had never heard about that situation before, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel more interested. ¡°Cages? You said that there were many cages in the room? What kind of cages?¡±

    ¡°Dog kennels,rge dog kennels.¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s facial expression became even more uneasy.

    ¡°What kind of people were in that building?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    What kind of people? Of course they were all bad people. Tan Guiren couldn¡¯t help but shiver when she recalled the lewd eyes and the days without seeing daylight in the Bronx neighborhood of New York.

    ¡°They were all very bad people and wanted to bully me several times, but one person was very kind. He kept protecting me and didn¡¯t allow others to touch me. Until...¡±

    ¡°Until what?¡± Gu Nianzhi became a bit excited. Details, the details wereing...

    ¡°Until that day, a bad person came over and used a metal ruler to beat a small child. I really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so I begged him to stop beating the child. But the bad person ended up not hitting the child, instead lunging towards me...¡±

    Tan Guiren gripped the folds of her blouse with trembling hands. It was almost like she could still sense the disgusting feeling of that person¡¯srge, hairy, sticky hand slide across her cheek. ¡°...I struggled desperately, but that person still managed to rip my shirt open.¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s head hung even lower.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t great, either. There were several times when she wanted nothing more but to shut off the recording pen and tell herself that Tan Guiren shouldn¡¯t shoulder Cai Songyin¡¯s mistakes. She was a pitiful person as well. However, her logic told her that Cai Songyin¡¯s only weakness was her daughter, Tan Guiren.

    If she didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng¡¯s and her reputation to be destroyed by Cai Songyin, then these were things she must do. Gu Nianzhi strengthened her resolve and continued to ask, ¡°And then what happened?¡±

    ¡°I thought that my virginity would be taken right there, but suddenly the person who had been kind to me appeared. He killed the bad person with one shot.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Your luck is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°It was pretty good.¡± Tan Guiren looked up, a smile appearing amid her tears. ¡°But I knew that he was also a bad person and was in cahoots with the rest of them. He wanted me, too! He wasn¡¯t a good person! The truly good person was Major General Huo! The next day, Major General Huo appeared, and he saved me amid all the bullets raining down! He suffered injuries himself and even fell into someone else¡¯s trap, so he had no choice but to run for his life in the United States!¡±

 Chapter 1001

    1001 Lovesickness Was No Illness

    Gu Nianzhi could feel her heart acting like an old engine. After sputtering violently several times, itpletely stopped beating. She sat across from Tan Guiren, hearing her crisp voice echoing next to her ear, watching her bright red, tiny lips continuously moving before her.

    She could hear every word she said, yet she was unable to put the words she said together toprehend. Like a patient with dyslexia, she could see every word before her, yet she was unable to recognize the meaning of the words. She slowly straightened her back and tightly gripped the silver spoon. She exerted so much strength that she nearly twisted the spoon.

    Tan Guiren was a bit overwhelmed as soon as she mentioned Huo Shaoheng. ¡°That night I wasn¡¯t feeling well and tossed around, unable to sleep. I thought that I was going to die. Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and a man as strapping as a god stood at the entrance. He wore a helmet and bva, with arge pair of sunsses covering half his face. I couldn¡¯t see what he looked like. At that moment I didn¡¯t know who he was, so I instantly sat up and my heart nearly leapt out of my throat. The person broke the lock to my cage with one gunshot, then reached his hand out and said, ¡®Miss Tan? Hurry up ande with me. Your father sent me here to rescue you.¡¯

    ¡°Miss Gu, you don¡¯t understand how ecstatic I felt at that moment. At the moment of life and death, someone fell from the sky and said my daddy had sent him to rescue me. I instantly lunged over without any pride totch onto his leg to beg him to save me... That ce really wasn¡¯t a ce for humans. All those people were beasts! They didn¡¯t show mercy even to the children!¡±

    The scene of Huo Shaoheng rescuing her had reyed countless times in Tan Guiren¡¯s heart. Even now, every action and every word spoken was still vivid in her mind and engraved in her heart.

    Tan Guiren reached out to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand to shake. She said to Gu Nianzhi with emotion, ¡°Miss Gu, do you understand how I feel? All the things my daddy and mommy have done for me?! They were able to ask Major General Huo to save me, so how can I stand idle when my daddy and mommy are in trouble? Miss Gu, I¡¯m begging you. Please don¡¯t sue my daddy and mommy, ok?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally came back to her senses andnguidly removed her hand from Tan Guiren¡¯s. Her entire body trembled slightly. Although there seemed to be countless honey bees flying into her head and buzzing, making her unable to concentrate or think, she still tried hard to clear her thoughts and attempted to ask calmly, ¡°You¡¯re saying that your father was the one who sent Major General Huo to the United States to rescue you? But your father was only the minister of justice at that time and was not yet the prime minister. What right did he have to send a major general to go save someone abroad?¡±

    ¡°Oh? That... I¡¯m not too sure about...¡± Tan Guiren began to stammer. At that moment, she recalled her mommy had reminded her to never tell anyone else about how Huo Shaoheng went to rescue her. Tan Guiren stuck out her tongue guiltily.

    ¡°You¡¯re not sure?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised a brow and suppressed the difort and displeasure in her heart. Spreading her palms, she said to Tan Guiren, ¡°You¡¯re not sure? Then I find it very difficult to believe you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth! I swear to God that I didn¡¯t tell you a single lie!¡± Tan Guiren grew anxious and raised her hand to swear.

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed Tan Guiren¡¯s hand while shaking her head. She replied dryly, ¡°Then you¡¯d better tell me clearly. I¡¯m awyer, so I only believe in evidence and logic. I won¡¯t believe something without logic.¡± It was very obvious that Gu Nianzhi still believed there was something wrong with Tan Guiren¡¯s narration about how Huo Shaoheng said he had been sent by her father.

    From the perspective of jurisdiction, Tan Dongbang had only been the minister of justice in the cab at that time. Huo Shaoheng was a major general in the military and the chief of the Special Operations Forces.

    Aside from them not even belonging to the same system, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position was naturally no higher ranking than Tan Dongbang¡¯s. However, it was certainly no lower than Tan Dongbang¡¯s, either. So who gave Tan Dongbang the authority to send Huo Shaoheng abroad to rescue his daughter?

    Gu Nianzhi left Tan Guiren without any choice. She then recalled how Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng used to be boyfriend and girlfriend, so they couldn¡¯t be considered outsiders if they were that intimate, right? It should be fine to tell her this?

    Tan Guiren gritted her teeth before saying quietly, ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t my father who had the authority to send Major General Huo to rescue me. He begged someone from the military and asked them to step in to rescue me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi discreetly pushed the recording pen a bit closer to Tan Guiren. ¡°There are so many capable people in the military. Why did your father have to go ask for Major General Huo?¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s face flushed. She answered honestly, ¡°My mommy told me that her friend rmended him and said that Major General Huo was the most capable. He would be sure to rescue me as long as he stepped in.¡±

    ¡°Your mommy¡¯s friend? Who? Do you know them?¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her head on her fist, leaning on the coffee table. Her gaze was gentle yet attentive. She regarded Tan Guiren coolly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know them.¡± Tan Guiren shook her head. ¡°My mommy works in media and has many friends, but she never allows me to meet those friends.¡± Tan Guiren¡¯s life was actually very simple. All she did was practice violin, read books, travel from campus to her home, then from her home to campus. Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin had protected her too well, so she was truly a princess in an ivory tower.

    Gu Nianzhi squinted and contemted whether or not she should believe Tan Guiren. She still felt that there was something that didn¡¯t make sense in all of this. And what she understood best was who Huo Shaoheng was as a person. If he was unwilling to do something outside of his area of responsibility, then no one could instruct him to do it.

    Was rescuing Tan Guiren considered within the scope of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s area of responsibility? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe it was. But if this was outside of his area of responsibility, then why did he have to go?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes quickly swept over Tan Guiren, her heart uneasy. Could Huo Shaoheng really have affection towards this innocent little white flower? Was that why he made the exception to go rescue her?

    Or perhaps there was another reason she didn¡¯t know about. Gu Nianzhi remembered clearly what happened at the time. One day, Huo Shaoheng suddenly went abroad. In the beginning, she guessed that Huo Shaoheng went to New York toplete a mission. However, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze refused to give her an answer. They neither said yes or no.

    Soon afterwards, she received a silk scarf Huo Shaoheng sent from Germany. By now she knew that there was something wrong with the silk scarf being sent from Germany. Although Huo Shaoheng really had sent it to her, he had used a French mail forwarding address, not a German one. In short, he wouldn¡¯t let her know that his true location was in the United States. And it was because of this slight coincidence that Gu Nianzhi was attracted to going to Germany.

    Afterwards, she was even deceived by a text, which appeared to have been sent by Huo Shaoheng, into going to the K?nigssee near Munich. She then fell into the enemy¡¯s trap...

    The difference from Tan Guiren¡¯s encounter was that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a high-ranking father who could send the capable Major General Huo toe rescue her. Instead, she had only fallen into a trap because of the silk scarf and text message from ¡°Major General Huo.¡±

    With this thought, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help mocking herself. This was the result of being lovesick... As an orphan girl without parents, she must recognize her own identity and not be too lovesick. Lovesickness was no illness, but the sickness could be lethal... Gu Nianzhi quietly snickered. She thought her past self was pitiful and disappointing.

    Tan Guiren waited for a long time, but Gu Nianzhi still hadn¡¯t replied. She couldn¡¯t help but quietly beg her again, ¡°Miss Gu, can¡¯t you amodate us?! Don¡¯t sue my daddy and mommy! I¡¯m begging you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her gaze to look at thepletely cooled cappino. All the foam had dissipated to reveal the true appearance underneath. It looked like yellow muddy water, so shepletely lost her appetite.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi finally mumbled with hesitance, ¡°Miss Tan, I will promise to not sue your daddy and mommy if you can help me with one thing.¡±

    ¡°Ok! I¡¯ll certainly help you if I¡¯m capable of it!¡± Tan Guiren was very surprised and immediately agreed.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t agree so quickly. I still have a condition.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, tell me!¡± Tan Guiren wasn¡¯t afraid of Gu Nianzhi mentioning a condition. She was worried that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t mention anything at all and only proceed to sue her daddy and mommy...

    ¡°Ok. If you can tell me who gave your mommy the suggestion that Major General go to the United States to rescue you, I won¡¯t sue them.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m only very curious and want to know who had such high regard for Major General Huo.¡±

    Tan Guiren thought about it. ¡°I can go ask my mommy about it.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t let your mommy know that I¡¯m the one asking you to investigate it.¡± Gu Nianzhi offered her condition. ¡°If your mommy and daddy discover that I want to know who that person is, then our agreement will be invalidated. I will continue to sue them.¡±

    ¡°I understand! I will never tell them!¡± Tan Guiren raised her hand again to swear.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t move to stop her. She only nodded coolly. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll trust you this one time,¡± she said, although she didn¡¯t have much confidence in Tan Guiren.

    Gu Nianzhi was certain that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s incident should be considered confidential. All of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s missions, especially the Special Operations Forces¡¯ missions, were confidential to the public.

    When she had desperately tried to glean information from Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze in the beginning, those two had kept their lips mped shut. They didn¡¯t reveal a single word to her at all. They just allowed her to keep guessing...

    But Tan Guiren still revealed this incident to someone who shouldn¡¯t have heard about it, like Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi had actually already given an additional condition by putting in this request.

    If Tan Guiren could keep her promise to help her find that person, then that would certainly be the icing on the cake. It wouldn¡¯t matter if she couldn¡¯t, since Gu Nianzhi already possessed the most critical thing.

    Gu Nianzhi shut off the recording pen and nodded to Tan Guiren. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll give you three days. I will meet you here in three days, at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll go ask. I won¡¯t let them know it¡¯s because of you.¡± Tan Guiren nodded quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi had to be very careful to not leak intelligence this time, since it involved Tan Guiren taking the initiative to act. After Tan Guiren left, Gu Nianzhi also went upstairs. She sat alone in her seat and didn¡¯t do much for the rest of the day. She only sat in dazed silence.

    When the work day was finished, she was the first one to leave the Senate building and returned to her apartment in Hepingli. Turning on herputer, she calmly opened a hacking program to send Cai Songyin¡¯s phone a recording of Tan Guiren from this afternoon. Of course, she edited the part of the recording where Tan Guiren spoke about her kidnapping experience.

    Gu Nianzhi also sent a text. ¡°Mrs. Tan, if you insist on suing the original blogger, your daughter¡¯s imprisonment erotica will quickly go viral online.¡±

 Chapter 1002

    <h4>1002 A Powerful Friend</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi appliedyers of disguise on her IP address and also used a tone thatpletely defended the original blogger. No matter who saw the text, they would assume that this was sent by someone the original blogger sought help from.

    When Cai Songyin saw this text and also heard the recording, she instantly became so angry she nearly had a heart attack. She mmed the phone down and threw a tremendous temper tantrum. Her entire person was like a balloon filled with hot air that was about to explode.

    ¡°Shameless! Indecent! Despicable! Insidious viin! How dare they use my daughter to threaten me!¡± Cai Songyin¡¯s entire body was trembling, the blood in her heartpletely rushing to her brain. Her face turned a frightening shade of red.

    Tan Guiren opened the door to see her in that state. She was shocked and called out nkly, ¡°Mommy! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s face twitched several times as she tried hard to make herself calm down. She put on the kindest smile, and although it was rigid, she still appeared much better than she had just now. She grabbed Tan Guiren¡¯s hand and said with pity, ¡°Little Darling, did I scare you?¡±

    ¡°Mommy, what happened to you? Who were you speaking with just now?¡± Tan Guiren nced at the floor to see the broken phone Cai Songyin had thrown on the ground. ¡°Did someone anger you?¡±

    Cai Songyin couldn¡¯t think of an excuse at that moment. She only recalled watching TV that morning and seeing how Gu Nianzhi had dered she would sue her and Tan Dongbang, so she blurted out, ¡°Right, it¡¯s that Gu Nianzhi. She wants to sue me and your Daddy. How dare she!¡±

    Tan Guiren recalled Cai Songyin telling her to ¡°not worry¡± this morning. Yet she was so angry now, Tan Guiren believed in her decision even more firmly. That meant that Gu Nianzhi wanting to sue them had truly caused her Daddy and Mommy a lot of distress. As a result, she felt that it had been absolutely right of her to go beg Gu Nianzhi today.

    Tan Guiren helped Cai Songyin sit down on the single-seater sofa in the corner of the room, then poured a ss of water for her and watched her drink it.

    ¡°My Little Darling is such a good girl and knows how to take care of Mommy now.¡± Cai Songyin only drank a ss of water, yet it tasted sweeter than honey to her. She patted Tan Guiren¡¯s head and had her squeeze onto the sofa with her.

    Tan Guiren rested her head against Cai Songyin¡¯s shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. Miss Gu isn¡¯t an unrighteous person, so maybe she only said it out of anger when she dered she would sue? Think about how she was assaulted. She must be feeling angry. But once she thinks it through clearly, she¡¯ll understand that this incident doesn¡¯t have anything to do with Mommy and Daddy. She won¡¯t sue you guys.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be good if that¡¯s the case...¡± Cai Songyin smiled wryly as she patted Tan Guiren¡¯s hand. She knew that she had raised her daughter to be so naive, so she didn¡¯t me her.

    Tan Guiren turned around to look at Cai Songyin with a gleeful look and smiled sneakily. ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t have to be afraid. When I was kidnapped in the United States, you and Daddy were powerful enough to find someone to rescue me. What is this little thing inparison?¡±

    Cai Songyin had just been reminded of the incident of Tan Guiren¡¯s kidnapping in the United States, so she didn¡¯t expect Tan Guiren to bring it up again. Her expression fell as she grabbed Tan Guiren¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Little Darling, did you tell anyone else about what happened in the United States? Did you?!¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s eyes flickered briefly. ¡°I think so, or maybe not. I don¡¯t remember anymore...¡±

    Seeing Cai Songyin¡¯s burning gaze, Tan Guiren felt a bit nervous. She instinctively didn¡¯t want Cai Songyin to know about how she spoke with Gu Nianzhi today. Gu Nianzhi said that if Tan Guiren allowed her Daddy or Mommy to find out about this, then she would continue to sue them.

    In her panic, Tan Guiren exhibited her tried and tested ¡°magical coquettish skills.¡± She pushed Cai Songyin¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Mommy, can you not ask me about this incident again? I feel so horrible as soon as I think about it.¡± As she spoke, her eyes turned red.

    Cai Songyin originally thought that if Tan Guiren remembered who she said those things to, then perhaps she could find the person threatening her. But as soon as she heard Tan Guiren act coy and say she couldn¡¯t stand it when she recalled it, she immediately decided to not let Tan Guiren listen to that recording. It would awaken those filthy memories, and Cai Songyin didn¡¯t want her daughter to remember those days at all. That was practically asking her to suffer again and seek out more pain.

    It went without saying that Gu Nianzhi had urately gauged Cai Songyin¡¯s mental state. Gu Nianzhi had also urately gauged the importance of Tan Guiren in Cai Songyin¡¯s heart.

    She determined that Cai Songyin wouldn¡¯t dare to risk her daughter¡¯s future, so she was also certain that Tan Guiren wouldn¡¯t reveal their day¡¯s meeting for the time being. That was why she dared to take a two-pronged approach for the purpose of forcing out the mastermind who had strongly suggested Huo Shaoheng to Cai Songyin.

    Taking Tan Guiren in her arms, Cai Songyin continuously stroked her long hair and said with pity, ¡°Ok, ok, I won¡¯t ask. My Little Darling is the best...¡± She kissed Tan Guiren¡¯s forehead and already made up her mind.

    However, Tan Guiren was pondering how she would ask the question that Gu Nianzhi wanted the answer to. She shifted her position in Cai Songyin¡¯s arms, then pretended to ask nonchntly, ¡°Mommy, you have so many friends. Can¡¯t they help Daddy? Isn¡¯t Daddy in a lot of danger during this interim election?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already tried my best.¡± Cai Songyin¡¯s expression darkened. If Tan Dongbang hadn¡¯t cheated with Gu Yanran and had the affair recorded on video by someone, how could they possibly have fallen into the passive situation they faced today?!

    Cai Songyin deeply hated the adulterers, Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran. Aside from them being very embarrassing, they had also lowered Tan Guiren¡¯s value in the process. Cai Songyin regretted it deeply as soon as she considered it. She really shouldn¡¯t have acted impulsively at that time and posted the video online. She never expected there to be so many experts online who could actually recover the original video she censored!

    ¡°Mommy, your friend was even able to give you advice when I was kidnapped in the United States. Why can¡¯t they do it this time?¡± Tan Guiren had an idea and said voluntarily, ¡°Mommy, which auntie was it? Tell me. I¡¯ll go find her and beg for her help!¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s mind worked. She recalled that person¡¯s identity, and although they couldn¡¯t help with the interim general elections, they should bepletely capable of helping her investigate who sent her this recording. Cai Songyin didn¡¯t want someone using Tan Guiren to ckmail her.

    She contemted in silence as her fingers randomlybed through Tan Guiren¡¯s long hair. She said with a smile, ¡°Little Darling, do you still remember Auntie Sun?¡±

    ¡°Which Auntie Sun?¡± Tan Guiren shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember this person.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my fault. I should allow you to get to know everyone better.¡± Cai Songyin pursed her lips. ¡°But it¡¯s not toote yet.¡± Standing up from the couch, Cai Songyin said to Tan Guiren, ¡°Rest early. I¡¯ll take you to see a friend tomorrow.¡±

    Tan Guiren stood up with delight. ¡°That was the auntie who rmended Major General Huo to Mommy?! I must thank her properly! If it wasn¡¯t for her, I surely wouldn¡¯t havee home alive!¡±

    Cai Songyin nodded slightly and said with a smile, ¡°Little Darling is really smart. That¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°What does Auntie Sun do? She¡¯s so amazing!¡± Tan Guiren was also very excited because she didn¡¯t expect to find out who that person was so easily. Also, she was genuinely grateful towards this Auntie Sun. It was because of her that she had the opportunity to meet Huo Shaoheng. If she could really be with Huo Shaoheng one day, then that Auntie Sun would really be their matchmaker. Tan Guiren¡¯s thoughts ran wild, and her cheeks began to glow rosily.

    Cai Songyin straightened her cor and exined patiently, ¡°Auntie Sun is your Mom¡¯s good friend. Her husband, Hong Kangquan, is the Director of the Secret Service. He used to be your Daddy¡¯s colleague and is now your Daddy¡¯s subordinate.¡±

    Sun Yuerong had to be the one to originally suggest Huo Shaoheng to Cai Songyin. Of course, she was actually helping her husband ry the message to Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin.

    Since the Director of the Secret Service, Hong Kangquan, also said that Huo Shaoheng was very powerful and would be able to safely bring Tan Guiren back to the Hua Xia Empire, Cai Songyin certainly believed it. At the time, she didn¡¯t have any idea who Huo Shaoheng was, nor did she know how powerful he was.

    ¡°The wife of the Director of the Secret Service?!¡± Tan Guiren eximed quietly, ¡°Mommy, your friends are all so powerful!¡±

 Chapter 1003

    <h4>1003 I Did What You Asked</h4>

    In the face of her daughter¡¯s amazed eyes, Cai Songyin forced a smile and patted her shoulder. ¡°Ok then, you should go to bed early and get some beauty sleep. Mommy will take you to meet Auntie Sun tomorrow.¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded obediently and stood up. ¡°Mommy should sleep early tonight too, so you¡¯ll be beautiful tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re a good girl.¡± Cai Songyin kissed Tan Guiren¡¯s forehead and watched her leave.

    When Tan Guiren¡¯s back disappeared outside the door, Cai Songyin¡¯s smile finally copsed from her face. Rubbing her phone, she hesitated for a long time before unlocking it and opening her call log. She found Sun Yuerong¡¯s number and dialed it.

    When Sun Yuerong¡¯s phone rang, she had just been putting on a face mask at her vanity. ncing at the phone¡¯s disy, she discovered Cai Songyin was calling. After hesitating for a while, she didn¡¯t answer. Soon afterwards, Cai Songyin¡¯s call was directed to voicemail.

    Sun Yuerong quickly finished applying the face mask and went to the study. She said to her husband, Hong Kangquan, who was still working overtime, ¡°Old Hong, Cai Songyin just called me.¡±

    Wearing sses, Hong Kangquan looked up from behind theputer screen and asked expressionlessly, ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Why is she calling?¡± Phone calls in the middle of the night were typically either good news or bad news. There was never anything in between.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take it,¡± Sun Yuerong answered carefully. ¡°It won¡¯t cause you trouble, right?¡±

    Hong Kangquan took off his sses and used a cloth to wipe the lenses. He was silent for a long time.

    Sun Yuerong sat down and said uneasily, ¡°I never thought that they could get into such a mess even after being elected prime minister. I¡¯m good friends with Songyin, so I must take her call tomorrow, even if I don¡¯t tonight.¡±

    Hong Kangquan put on his sses and returned his gaze to theputer. After some time, he said, ¡°Lots of people know that Cai Songyin is your good friend, so it is what it is. It¡¯s no good to deliberately distance yourself from them. People will see that and think you are too shrewd.¡±

    ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll return her call tomorrow.¡± Sun Yuerong immediately nodded but asked again, ¡°It won¡¯t cause you any negative influences, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would your business affect me?¡± Hong Kangquan disagreed. ¡°Cai Songyin isn¡¯t a fool, so she won¡¯t take this too far.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Sun Yuerong hesitated and said uneasily, ¡°Prime Minister Tan¡¯s public image is too poor as ofte. He¡¯s not reflecting properly and even sent people to cause trouble at the Senate. He¡¯s offending the Senate and supporting funds as well... Old Hong, is it really ok for us to keep close ties with them?¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s heart instantly warmed when he saw his wife only thinking of his best interests. He looked up at her worried face, and his attitude eased greatly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The more you continue to treat Cai Songyin the same way at a time like this, the more others will respect you. Think about it, the elites aren¡¯t fools. Everyone has their ups and downs. While adding icing to cake is nothing special, those offering help in times of distress will be remembered. Not only will Cai Songyin be grateful for your present gesture, but others will observe it, too.¡±

    Sun Yuerong finally felt relieved and said with a smile, ¡°Old Hong, you¡¯re still the one with the best judgement and gauge of the situation.¡±

    She paused, then continued in a quiet voice, ¡°In fact, you¡¯re the one who is worthy of being the Chief of the Special Operations Forces. It¡¯s only because we don¡¯t have support that you are still only the Director of the Secret Service after all this time. That Huo Shaoheng isn¡¯t even 30 years old yet. Why does he deserve to be the Chief of the Special Operations Forces and also the Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Military Council?¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s expression instantly darkened as he bellowed, ¡°What do you know?! Ignorant woman, no one would think you¡¯re mute even if you kept quiet! Get out!¡± Grabbing a thick Oxford dictionary from the desk, he threw it violently at Sun Yuerong.

    The blow made Sun Yuerong cry out loud and jump up from the sofa. She eximed, ¡°Old Hong! Why¡¯d you hit me?!¡±

    ¡°You still won¡¯t get out?! Do you want to taste the whip?!¡± As Hong Kangquan spoke, he took the belt hanging off the back of the chair and shook it at Sun Yuerong. Sun Yuerong shrieked and hurriedly ran out of the room.

    Shutting the door to Hong Kangquan¡¯s study, Sun Yuerong finally patted her chest in order to swallow the disgust. Hong Kangquan was a veteran. He hadn¡¯t been like this when she first married him.

    As the domestic status of the Special Operations Forces continued to soar, they were not only overtaking the Cab¡¯s Secret Service when it came to matters abroad, but they also got involved in domestic affairs. As a result, Hong Kangquan¡¯s temper became worse, especially when it came to the national monitoring of the uing general elections. General Ji and Speaker Long somehow were both elected to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Operations Forces, instead of the legitimate Secret Service! Hong Kangquan¡¯s belly had been pent up with anger since a long time ago.

    ¡°Hmph! All he knows is how to vent it out on me! He doesn¡¯t have any choice but to pretend when he goes outside!¡± Sun Yuerong pressed her lips in disdain and returned to her room.

    After the study door was closed, Hong Kangquan finally threw away the belt in his hand. ncing at the ceiling, he sighed deeply. He never thought that the Special Operations Forces, which he had low expectations for, would grow to its present scale and sphere of influence.

    Ten years ago, General Ji originally intended for Hong Kangquan to lead a brand new department in the military. This was the Special Operations Forces. This department had been developed and expanded from two previous military departments. It continued with the two previous departments¡¯ manpower and functions, but also had its own unique direction of development.

    At the time, Hong Kangquan looked down on the department¡¯s unforeseeable future. Since there was the existing and powerful Secret Service department acting abroad, he thought that the Special Operations Forces would only be cannon fodder. As a result, he used the excuse of his wife¡¯s poor health at home in order to request General Ji allow him to resign and retire from the forces.

    After he retired from the military, he rightfully entered the Secret Service as a high-ranking official and outside promotion. Seven years ago, he also rose to the position of the Director of the Secret Service.

    After he left, General Ji was considered to be depleted of personnel when it came to military intelligence. That was how Huo Shaoheng was given the opportunity to emerge.

    Over the past ten years, Huo Shaoheng epted dangerous appointments and grew the Special Operations Forces into arge force. He expanded it to its current state that could not be ignored by the Hua Xia Empire and was said to be a single force equivalent to one military legion. Their reputation was famous among the upper echelon of the Hua Xia Empire.

    Hong Kangquan would never admit that he regretted it so much his stomach wrenched. He had only known at the time that the Hua Xia Empire only required one special institution like that¡ªand that would be their long standing Secret Service! Not some Special Operations Forces with little history!

    After sitting dazedly in the chair for a while more, Hong Kangquan took out his personal phone and hesitated for a long time. In the end, he finally dialed a number memorized in his heart. If someone else saw this number, they would surely be shocked by how such a number could be connected to. This was because this number was formattedpletely differently from standard phone numbers on the Blue.

    The phone rang many times, but no one picked up. Hong Kangquan wasn¡¯t surprised but still felt slightly disappointed.

    ....

    After Tan Guiren returned to her room, she paced around excitedly before dialing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone number. She didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to not take her call. However, Tan Guiren didn¡¯t give up and called several more times, only to be directed to voicemail.

    Tan Guiren assumed Gu Nianzhi was unable to take her call at this time, so she decided to send her a text message instead. ¡°Miss Gu, Sun Yuerong was the one to rmend Major General Huo to me. She¡¯s the wife of the Director of the Secret Service. I¡¯ve already done what you asked, so will you withdraw your charges?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi intentionally ignored Tan Guiren¡¯s phone calls. She didn¡¯t want the call to be bugged, but she didn¡¯t expect Tan Guiren to send her a text instead. After casually ncing at it, Gu Nianzhi froze in shock. The wife of the Director of the Secret Service was the one who made the rmendation? Didn¡¯t that mean the true mastermind behind this was the Director of the Secret Service?!

    Because of Bai Yusheng¡¯s history, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have very positive feelings towards the Secret Service. Bai Yusheng was once the Deputy Director of the Secret Service. There was also Deputy Director Feng of the Secret Service, and he was the one who introduced Gu Yanran to Huo Shaoheng...

    It looked like her stars really didn¡¯t align with the Secret Service¡¯s. Gu Nianzhi considered it for a while but still decided to call Huo Shaoheng. At this time, Huo Shaoheng was still performing the monitoring duties of the interim general elections in the Senate building.

    This time he didn¡¯t use the Central Control Room in the Special Operations Forces headquarters base but set up a monitoring center in the Senate building. With Speaker Long at the helm and Yin Shixiong as the deputy, Huo Shaoheng was only a consultant in charge of monitoring from the side.

    Because the timeline of the interim general election was so tight, and the monitoring needed to epass all the constituencies across the country, the Special Operations Forces coborated with the Secret Service. They temporarily borrowed the Secret Service personnel stationed in each province to establish connections.

    Since this involved the coboration of two departments, Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t able to hold down the authority on his own. Consequently, Huo Shaoheng was required to appear and control the situation until all the monitoring waspleted before the voting began.

    There was less than a week before the interim general elections began, so Huo Shaoheng and his men used each second fully and worked around the clock 24 hours a day.

    When Gu Nianzhi called Huo Shaoheng, he had just walked out of the monitoring room.

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special ringtone, Huo Shaoheng was a bit surprised. It had been a long time since Gu Nianzhi had taken the initiative to call him thiste at night.

 Chapter 1004

    <h4>1004 Caught the Essential Meaning</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng answered the call with his Bluetooth earpiece. He walked to the smoking area of the senate¡¯s building and took out a cigarette. Upon lighting it, he inhaled deeply and asked, ¡°You¡¯re still awake thiste?¡± Taking a look at his watch, he saw that it was already half past midnight.

    Gu Nianzhi could hear the inhaling and exhaling while Huo Shaoheng was smoking. It was extremely clear in the quiet night. She could even imagine him smoking. His tall frame was leaning against the wall, his long legs crossed, a cigarette in one hand and his head slightly lowered. That profile of him looked exactly like a perfect screensaver for a phone that made people want to kiss their phones.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for a while, but Gu Nianzhi remained silent. However, he did not rush her and smoked as he waited silently. The white smoke floated around his long, slender fingers as it made its way into the night.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to reality and coughed slightly. ¡°Huo Shao? Is it convenient for you to talk now?¡±

    Nodding, Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s convenient. Go ahead.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice. It was lower than ever and a little hoarse, too. It sounded like the bass notes of a musical instrument as it echoed in her ears, making her heart flutter.

    She rubbed her earlobes and tried her best to be as calm as possible. ¡°Huo Shao, do you know who suggested to Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin that you go to America personally to save Tan Guiren?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shifted to the other leg to support his weight as he furrowed his brows. ¡°What are you talking about, Nianzhi?¡± In terms of procedure, that trip to America to save Tan Guiren was still within his mission scope. The Special Forces had had it recorded in their data. It was not something that Gu Nianzhi could know about¡ªor rather, even if she did, it could not have been from him personally.

    Gu Nianzhi understood this as well. Therefore, she only said, ¡°No matter if you admit it or not, I only want to tell you that the person who suggested to Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin that you to go to America personally to save Tan Guiren was the wife of the Director of the Secret Service, Sun Yuerong. Perhaps you already knew about this, but that is all I can help you with.¡± With that, Gu Nianzhi hung up.

    Alright, it¡¯s okay now, she thought. She could finally put all that behind her. By cing such a huge obstacle between Huo Shaoheng and herself while still being an onlooker on the sidelines, she could not imagine things being any more perfect. Gu Nianzhi threw her phone aside and turned the main light off, falling asleep only with her night light turned on.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know how long she had been asleep, but all of a sudden, she felt a gust of cold wind beside her. Instinctively, she wanted to tuck herself in better, but it seemed like her quilt was stuck. She could not manage to pull her quilt closer no matter how hard she tried. She grumbled in annoyance and kicked a couple of times to express her anger. A low chuckle could be heard beside her. It was so low and attractive, it made her heart flutter.

    Gu Nianzhi was awake in an instant. Opening her eyes, she saw Huo Shaoheng wearing a ck cotton t-shirt from the army like she was. He moved her quilt andid down beside her. Gu Nianzhi moved away in shock and said unhappily, ¡°Can you stop treating this like it¡¯s your home? This is my ce.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. He stretched his long arm out and pulled her into his embrace in one motion. Then, after shifting into afortable position, he asked calmly, ¡°What happened tonight? How did you know that Sun Yuerong was the one who had suggested me to Cai Songyin?¡± He had tried to investigate for a long time after he returned from America, but he had not managed to get any solid evidence. He only knew that the person who had suggested he go was most likely a close friend of Cai Songyin¡¯s.

    He also knew that Sun Yuerong was Cai Songyin¡¯s close friend. However, she was not the only close friend that Cai Songyin had. Cai Songyin was close friends with almost all the wives of the higher ranking officers in the army, senate, and cab. Even checking one by one, he still had not managed to find any solid evidence up until now.

    He had contemted it as well. It could have been a casual chat between two people anywhere. As long as both parties didn¡¯t mention it again, it would be almost impossible to know who had suggested it.

    Huo Shaoheng had had other missions as well. Therefore, he had no other option but to put this on hold for now and just keep watch on the office building in the prime minister¡¯s residence.

    Technically, they were not supposed to fix any security recording devices in the mansion that the prime minister and his family were living in. Doing that would mean an invasion of privacy.

    Huo Shaoheng did not expect that Gu Nianzhi would tell him confidently that this person who had suggested his name was Sun Yuerong, the wife of the director of the secret service, Hong Kangquan.

    Of course Huo Shaoheng was familiar with him. He was from the Hong family and also the granduncle of his childhood ymate, Hong Ziqi. He was previously the highest ranking in the army. Subsequently, upon retirement, he entered the secret service as a high ranking officer. Shortly after, he became the director of the secret service. If it really was this person, then there would be a big problem...

    Therefore, he rushed over immediately and wanted to rify things with Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi also calmed down upon being questioned like that by Huo Shaoheng. She focused and pushed Huo Shaoheng away. ¡°Let¡¯s sit up and talk properly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had wanted to hug her for a while longer. However, he realized that her rejection was firm and strong, and was unlike how she usually whined to him. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng loosened his embrace and felt that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude tonight was slightly different. He sat up without another word and pulled a pillow over. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned on the pillow and covered herself with the quilt, keeping a distance from Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Can you talk now?¡± Huo Shaoheng supported his head with his hand and leaned sideways against the headboard. Looking at Gu Nianzhi fixedly, he asked, ¡°Where did you get this piece of information?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and contemted before pointing at her phone on the headboard. ¡°Pass me my phone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did so, and Gu Nianzhi unlocked her phone with a slide of her thumb. She showed Huo Shaoheng the text that Tan Guiren had sent her. ¡°From here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the name of the sender and looked at Gu Nianzhi, momentarily speechless. ¡°...You believe this person?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I believe her.¡± It was simply because Tan Guiren was not someone who was extremely bright. Therefore, she was not someone scheming, so her words could still be trusted to a great extent because she did not know how to lie. Moreover, she did not know how to talk very well and would tend to offend people unknowingly.

    Huo Shaoheng wiped his face with some strength and thought that he should not have rushed all the way back to ask her the question. He had spent so much effort and could not manage to find out who had suggested his name to Cai Songyin, and it was clear that Cai Songyin had held the origin of this piece of information in high regard. In that case, how could she spill it to Tan Guiren so easily?

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and said, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t she know? Tan Guiren was so, so important, to the extent that you, Huo Shao, had to go to America personally to put your life on the line to rescue her. From that, you could tell how important Tan Guiren was to Cai Songyin.¡±

    Moreover, the incident had already been so long ago. If anyone were to ask now, Cai Songyin would not suspect much of anything anymore¡ªr rather, Cai Songyin had to deal with something that was way harder right now. Therefore, dealing with that particr incident about Tan Guiren was nothing to her now, so it would be way easier to get information from her regarding this. Waiting until now was all to her advantage. Of course Cai Songyin spilled the beans unknowingly to Tan Guiren just like that.

    Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. When he had gone to America to save Tan Guiren, it was considered to be a mission. However, how was Gu Nianzhi so sure that he had gone to America to rescue Tan Guiren and also knew that he had ¡°put his life on the line?¡±

    Moreover, Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and caught the essential meaning in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. ¡°Why did Tan Guiren go to her mother and get information from her for you?¡±

 Chapter 1005

    <h4>1005 It Was Still Better with Selfish Motives</h4>

    ¡°Why did Tan Guiren go to her mother to get information from her for me? Perhaps she knows that I¡¯m a kind soul and wanted to help me?¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled yfully and looked away as the corners of her beautiful lips curled up.

    Seeing that she was fighting her emotions again, Huo Shaoheng stopped probing and analyzed on his own. ¡°You announced to the media this morning that you would be suing the spokesperson with the surname Cao, as well as Prime Minister Tan and Cai Songyin, because they were responsible for all the incidents,¡± Huo Shaoheng mumbled. ¡°Was that why Tan Guiren was so scared and begged you for forgiveness?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at Huo Shaoheng in shock. Under the dim night light, her eyes were as ck as jadezurite, and they seemed to shimmer in the night. However, it was not the light of happiness nor excitement, but anger and rage. Huo Shaoheng moved back a little. ¡°It¡¯s really like that?¡±

    ¡°It seems like you know Tan Guiren very well.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed coldly. ¡°It seems like you were a willing party when you went to America to save her personally.¡± She had thought that there would be a 50 percent chance that Huo Shaoheng had to go rescue Tan Guiren due to other reasons. However, hearing him analyze Tan Guiren¡¯s emotional state and how she would treat people in detail, Gu Nianzhi instantly felt that she was a fool.

    Turning around in anger, Gu Nianzhi hugged her knees and tightened the quilt around her. It was like her suit of armor, protecting her from whatever words Huo Shaoheng could say. If the mastermind had hoped to use such opportunities to separate her and Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi felt that the person had already seeded. That was because there was no one and nothing else in the world that could harm Gu Nianzhi except for Huo Shaoheng. The main mastermind truly knew her well...

    Gu Nianzhi contemted this and felt emotional again. At this point of time, what Gu Nianzhi wanted the most was her family¡ªher mother and father¡ªand to be in their embrace and cry about being wronged. She had even secretly envied Tan Guiren. Although she was not clever, was not dependable, and did not have good social skills, she had parents who loved her the most...

    So what if Gu Nianzhi was clever and capable? She had to bear everything on her own when she was being hunted.

    Huo Shaoheng understood the issues that Gu Nianzhi was unable to let go of. However, he also realized that besides still not being able to let go of them, Gu Nianzhi had sunk even deeper into them. Upon contemtion, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Did Tan Guiren tell you about what happened in America?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent. She pouted and felt worse. How well must he have known Tan Guiren to be able to deduce her actions so urately!? Gu Nianzhi sat wrapped up in her quilt, hugging her knees and the pink feathered quilt in front of her to protect herself.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and got lost in his thoughts. He reached out to her and covered her shoulder, which was slightly uncovered due to her arching forward. The warmth from his hand went past the thin ck t-shirt, and it spread slowly to her heart.

    ¡°Nianzhi.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze darkened. He put more strength in his hand and pulled her over into his embrace and hugged her from the back with the quilt between them. He willed himself to be patient as he exined himself to her. ¡°What are you thinking about? I¡¯m able to deduce her train of thoughts because of my line of work. Not only Tan Guiren, but for almost everyone, as long as I¡¯ve met them in person before, I¡¯m able to remember how they behave.¡± Only through that ability could he be so adaptable.

    Gu Nianzhi acted as if she was not touched by what Huo Shaoheng had said. However, the tips of her tender, fair ears moved. Coincidentally, Huo Shaoheng had looked down and saw her yful ears. They were so soft that they looked like they had no bones. They were so light and tender, they looked like condensed milk of the best quality. It was clear that they would be sweet even before tasting them.

    Huo Shaoheng did not have a liking for sweet treats, but he adored eating her up. She alone wasparable to all the sweet treats in the world. With that thought, Huo Shaoheng really put Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quivering ear into his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi shivered. She didn¡¯t feelfortable with Huo Shaoheng sucking her ear. Pouting, she whined, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Are you having doubts about my professionalism?¡± Huo Shaoheng sucked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear with strength. It was indeed as soft as braised tofu. Of course, it was more like condensed milk, melting the moment it entered the mouth.

    ¡°I am not doubting your professionalism.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and poured her insecurities out. ¡°But why did you go to America to save her? There are so many people in the Special Forces, why you of all people? You¡¯re the major general! You¡¯re the head of the entire Special Forces! How in the world could Tan Guiren need you to rescue her personally?!¡±

    Looking at Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows slightly and replied calmly, ¡°It was slightlyplicated at the time. Moreover, I had some selfish motives.¡±

    ¡°See! I knew it! You said that you weren¡¯t interested in Tan Guiren?! You can even mention selfish motives now!¡± Gu Nianzhi got the answer she was looking for from Huo Shaoheng and was fuming. She only felt that all her love was poured to the wrong person. To think this person still had the cheek to force her to marry him!

    ¡°Let¡¯s...¡± Gu Nianzhi was about to say ¡°divorce,¡± but Huo Shaoheng covered her mouth with a kiss. He kissed her lips and said in a muffled manner, ¡°I did it for your political background check. I used your political background check and marriage report for an exchange with them...¡± That was the reason why he couldn¡¯t order an investigation after the entire incident and had to investigate in private.

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback. This was not the answer she had expected to hear. ¡°What did you say? For my political background check? What happened to my political background check?¡± Gu Nianzhi could hear her heart thumping. ¡°Was there anything wrong?¡±

    This would have to go back to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s familial background again. The ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡± in a vegetative state in the hospital was not her biological father. Therefore, her background was unknown again. For someone like her, if she wanted to marry someone of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status, unless she was extremely lucky like he was... He had the opportunity to bypass a loophole for everything to be approved.

    Of course, he knew now that he was not lucky at all. Although the political background check and marriage report were passed, her heart had left him. If he had no selfish motives then, perhaps everything would be different now, wouldn¡¯t it? However, if he didn¡¯t have selfish motives then, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been able to marry him.

    Therefore, upon careful contemtion, it was still better with selfish motives. Hugging Gu Nianzhi, who was still wrapped in the quilt but not struggling anymore, Huo Shaoheng decided toe clean with her.

    ¡°It was because your background is still unknown, and under normal circumstances, the army would never allow me to marry a woman if her background remained unknown.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi and kissed her eyes that were looking at him, full of life.

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell me before?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Is this not an excuse that you¡¯vee up with at the eleventh hour? Since you know how to analyze others¡¯ thoughts so well, you must have known about mine, right?¡±

    ¡°If I could analyze you so well, I would¡¯ve done so a long time ago. Why should I wait until now?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her with lowered eyes. ¡°Also, what on earth did Tan Guiren tell you?¡±

    ¡°Why should I tell you? Guess it on your own.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally felt happier. Turning around, she covered her mouth as she yawned, getting sleepy again.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me?¡± Huo Shaoheng loosened his embrace and returned to his pillow and mumbled, ¡°I had actually intended to sue her for leaking confidential information. I will just let it slip if you¡¯re not going to cooperate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°!!!¡±

 Chapter 1006

    <h4>1006 Misunderstanding</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi turned and rolled back. She looked at Huo Shaoheng with sparkling eyes. ¡°You were really intending to sue Tan Guiren for leaking confidential information?! But she always looks so fragile and sweet. You can really bear to send her to prison?!¡±

    ¡°She made a mistake. She deserves it,¡± Huo Shaoheng said matter of factly. ¡°I didn¡¯t send her to prison. She did it on her own.¡± Although the incident with Tan Guiren could be severe or minor, as long as it could help Gu Nianzhi feel better, Huo Shaoheng did not mind magnifying this for her.

    To be honest, all Gu Nianzhi wanted was a clear attitude from Huo Shaoheng. Now that he was able to show this attitude to her, Gu Nianzhi already felt content. With a huge smile on her face, Gu Nianzhi buried herself in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace and hugged him by his neck as she kissed him on the cheeks, mumbling, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cruel.¡±

    ¡°I shall take that as apliment.¡± Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like he had managed to cheer this youngdy up. All of a sudden, he was d that he had heeded his heart and rushed back in time. It would be unhealthy to allow misunderstandings to be present for too long between couples. If dyed, even minor issues could be severe.

    After she was cheered up, Gu Nianzhi told Huo Shaoheng everything that had happened that day. She even told him how she got Tan Guiren to tell her the truth and how she recorded the kidnapping that Tan Guiren had gone through in America.

    ¡°Then I sent the file to Cai Songyin after I had encrypted it, warning her to never bring that online author to court. If she did that, I would publicize her daughter¡¯s kidnapping, along with a full set of audio effects.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Gu Nianzhi had done that because she did not want Cai Songyin to have any opportunities to bring that story up ever again. That innocent online author had benefited in a way as well.

    Upon contemting it, Huo Shaoheng realized that albeit cruel and violent, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s method was extremely effective. This was because it had made up for the area that Huo Shaoheng had missed out on when he was analyzing¡ªthe motherly love Cai Songyin had for her daughter, Tan Guiren. Huo Shaoheng never realized that Cai Songyin could go to such lengths for Tan Guiren.

    He patted Gu Nianzhi on the back and acknowledged that he had underestimated the love of a mother but knew that there was a reason for it. However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t remember her mother at all, so why was she so confident about Cai Songyin¡¯s motherly love towards her daughter?

    ¡°Did it ever cross your mind that Cai Songyin might have decided to sacrifice Tan Guiren?¡± Huo Shaoheng reminded Gu Nianzhi gently. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t have been impossible. You took a big risk there.¡±

    When one was at the highest point in politics, personal rtionships were really not worthy of being mentioned. If Cai Songyin didn¡¯t have so much motherly love for Tan Guiren, she would never have given up on this opportunity to investigate the mastermind who was pulling the prank on her. Then, Gu Nianzhi would be exposed. Although Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t afraid of the consequences, he hoped that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have to bear any if possible.

    Gu Nianzhi yawned and began to doze off. ¡°I think that it isn¡¯t possible... In order for Tan Guiren to grow up to be like that, she had to have extreme pampering from her parents. All I had to do was just to reverse analyze to know her parents¡¯ motives.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. Perhaps this was what ¡°reaping what you sow¡± meant...

    With the lead that Gu Nianzhi had provided, Huo Shaoheng could continue his investigation that had previously met with a bottleneck. He took out his phone and sent twomands. Since the person who had suggested his name had been confirmed, then the next step would be to keep an eye on the suspect.

    Huo Shaohengid down on the bed hugging Gu Nianzhi and heard her breathing be slow and deep. She had already fallen deeply asleep. However, Huo Shaoheng felt wide awake. He began contemting. If the idea was really provided by Hong Kangquan, the director of secret services, then what would his motive be, exactly?

    Huo Shaoheng could not imagine that Hong Kangquan was a traitor like Bai Yusheng.

    If he really was one, then the consequences would be so dire that it was worse than when they discovered Bai Yusheng was a traitor...

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t sleep no matter how he tossed and turned. Eventually, he gave up and got out of bed. He drove to General Ji¡¯s living quarters to look for him. He did that because although Hong Kangquan had already retired from the army, he was still a direct contact of General Ji¡¯s. Huo Shaoheng had to rify things with General Ji to know what General Ji thought.

    When he had arrived at General Ji¡¯s living quarters, it was already two o¡¯clock in the morning. General Ji looked at Huo Shaoheng with furrowed brows in his study. ¡°You had better have something urgent at this hour.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said calmly, ¡°You will determine if this issue is urgent or not.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± General Ji was influenced by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude and slowly took a seat. ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember the time when all the senior officers in the army came up and suggested I go to America personally to save Tan Guirenst year?¡±

    General Ji¡¯s expression darkened immediately. ¡°Of course I remember. Hmph! I really want to know who the person was doing nonsense behind my back. They even dare to touch my people!¡±

    It was due to that very mission that Huo Shaoheng had almost lost his life in New York. They were certain that someone had leaked information but could not manage to find out who had done it.

    Huo Shaoheng took a seat opposite General Ji. ¡°ording to a piece of information that I have just received, the person who suggested me to the Tans and the Cais to go to New York to rescue Tan Guiren was none other than the wife of the director of secret services, Sun Yuerong. She had suggested to Cai Songyin that I go and rescue Tan Guiren personally.¡±

    Coming up with the suggestion was not much of a problem, actually. It did not point directly to the leaking of information, if Cai Songyin and Sun Yuerong did not intentionally conceal the fact that they had done that. However, when Huo Shaoheng could not manage to find out who had done that no matter how hard he tried, then things became slightly more interesting.

    It was initially a normal suggestion. With the reputation that Huo Shaoheng had in the army, being his old superior, Hong Kangquan would know better than anyone else about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s abilities. Therefore, it was reasonable that he would rmend Huo Shaoheng. No one would think otherwise.

    Even if Huo Shaoheng had met with mishaps in America, without solid evidence, people would never suspect the person who had openly rmended Huo Shaoheng for the mission. The mistake they had made was that they didn¡¯t admit that they were the ones who had rmended Huo Shaoheng. That made them look suspicious.

    That was the reason Huo Shaoheng felt unsafe after he got the information from Gu Nianzhi and headed off to look for General Ji as soon as he could. General Ji was taken aback as well. Confused, he asked, ¡°Who was it? Who gave Cai Songyin the idea?¡±

    ¡°Sun Yuerong, one of Cai Songyin¡¯s close friends, also the wife of the director of secret services, Hong Kangquan.¡± Huo Shaoheng repeated.

    ¡°It was her?! Why did you not manage to find out previously?¡± General Ji was even more perplexed. ¡°What is there to hide?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Huo Shaoheng threw the question back to General Ji and did not continue talking. Hong Kangquan was also General Ji¡¯s subordinate in the past. One could say that before he retired, General Ji had an equal amount of trust and held him in high regard the same as he did Huo Shaoheng now.

    Towards such a person whom General Ji had favored so much in the past and had good rtionships with even now, if Huo Shaoheng wanted to investigate him further, he had to know what General Ji would be thinking.

    General Ji remained silent for a while as his expression darkened further. Standing up, he walked out from behind his desk with his arms folded as he paced around his study. ¡°How did it be like that?! What on earth does he want?!¡±

    He wants me dead of course, Huo Shaoheng thought. He did not say it out loud. It was best to remain silent. Not saying anything would mean much more than saying anything right at this point in time.

    No matter what, General Ji was someone who had been through a lot. He snapped back to his senses within a short while and turned to Huo Shaoheng sternly. ¡°Since it¡¯s like that, then we¡¯re left with no other options. Go and do a proposal, requesting to ce Hong Kangquan under total surveince.¡±

    To be ced under total surveince meant that Hong Kangquan would not even have his personal privacy. Along with his office, his home would have to be under surveince as well. For such a type of surveince to be carried out on someone who was of a higher position than a minister, the approval of the army, senate, and cab would be required.

    However, the cab was in chaos right now. Moreover, this incident was rted to Prime Minister Tan Dongbang and his wife, Cai Songyin, who were in the cab. General Ji had enough reasons to believe that both of them were suspects as well, and therefore, were not allowed to know about the surveince. Consequently, General Ji and Senior Speaker Long¡¯s approval would suffice.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up and saluted General Ji.

    ¡°We have to be quick about this! I do not wish to have another Bai Yusheng,¡± General Ji said coldly, his haggard face as stern as ever.

 Chapter 1007

    <h4>1007 Get Him to Help</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯ll head back and write up the proposal now, then have you sign it first thing tomorrow morning.¡± Huo Shaoheng already knew what he had to include in the proposal.

    However, General Ji couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He pointed at the desk and chair in his study and said, ¡°Do it up right here and now. I will sign my approval the moment you are done.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not reject the idea. He took out his phone and began typing the proposal.

    Although there was aputer in General Ji¡¯s home, Huo Shaoheng was not allowed to use it unless he was permitted to do so.

    Moreover, in an era where smartphones were somon, it was obvious that aputer would not be necessary toplete something like typing a proposal.

    General Ji had not said that Huo Shaoheng could use hisputer, either. He thought that Huo Shaoheng should write it down by hand.

    However, seeing that Huo Shaoheng was typing rather quickly on his phone, General Ji did not say anything more. He returned to the seat behind his desk in the study, turned on hisputer, and began typing his memo.

    If there was really something up Hong Kangquan¡¯s sleeves, then they would have to be extremely well prepared and not leave anything out.

    Before General Ji could finish typing his memo, Huo Shaoheng was already done with his proposal.

    He sent the proposal to the printer in General Ji¡¯s home before cing it in front of General Ji.

    General Ji put on his sses and looked through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s proposal carefully. Then, he pointed to two spots and said, ¡°Change this. Just be straightforward and say that he was clearly rted to the near failure of the New York mission by the Special Forces and would therefore be required to be put under surveince. Here as well, exin that this issue was rted to Prime Minister Tan and his wife, Cai Songyin. Therefore, we do not have to seek his approval on this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said humbly, ¡°General Ji, you are very detailed.¡±

    He then headed off to edit the two spots that General Ji had pointed out before printing three copies of the proposal and handing them to General Ji to sign.

    General Ji signed all three copies and asked Huo Shaoheng to bring them over to Senior Speaker Long to get his approval.

    After both of them had signed the documents, one copy would be kept with General Ji in the Military Supreme Council, another copy would be kept with Senior Speaker Long in the secretary¡¯s office in the Senate, and Huo Shaoheng would keep the final copy in the Special Forces headquarters.

    By the time General Ji hadpleted signing the documents, it was already three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    ¡°Go ahead. Go and get Senior Speaker Long¡¯s signature quickly.¡± General Ji could not wait any longer. He urged Huo Shaoheng to go and look for Senior Speaker Long as soon as possible.

    Huo Shaoheng was not in a rush any longer. ¡°General Ji, the Senate is not a good ce for secrets. It cannot bepared to the army. I think it would be better if I were to look for Senior Speaker Long tomorrow when I go over to the Senate to check on the progress of the control center.¡±

    General Ji contemted in silence for a while before nodding in agreement. ¡°You are right. The Senate cannot bepared to the army.¡± Then, he snorted. ¡°I already told Old Long a long time ago that he had to instill some form of discipline in the Senate. However, he said that the Senate was a ce for everyone to voice their opinions. He can disagree with your opinion, but he will definitely protect your right to speak. That was the reason why the Senate turned out to be the messiest department of the three organizations.¡±

    One could say that the politicians in the Senate were representing too many beneficiaries. There were even foreign powers looking for ambassadors from the Senate.

    As long as they abided by thew of the Hua Xia Empire, it was something that was eptable.

    The ideal Senate in Senior Speaker Long¡¯s mind was a ce where different people from all walks of life could co-exist.

    In an organization like this, it would showcase what the entire country was like. There was still unity despite the differences.

    They wouldn¡¯t just protect the interests of the majority; they would protect the interests of the minorities as well.

    Due to this belief, the people that he employed were all different.

    There were people who were extremely capable and people who were incapable; there were elites, and there were those who were average. They were all given an equal opportunity to be in charge of important things. The most significant thing that Senior Speaker Long had achieved was that he had made it possible for people of such differences to work together.

    As long as the person was employable, Senior Speaker Long would always manage to find a use for him or her.

    In the three main organizations in the Hua Xia Empire, the army used discipline to convince people, the cab usedw and order to persuade them, and the Senate won the hearts of people by being tolerant.

    However, in an organization like that, it would be tough to keep secrets.

    It would not be impossible, but the level of security could notpare to other organizations.

    The reason why Senior Speaker Long had used tolerance to manage the entire Senate was that every single minister were enemies to a certain extent.

    They had to fight for the interests of their area, and therefore would definitely have to sacrifice the citizens of other locations.

    Knowing that Gu Nianzhi would be working in an environment like this, Huo Shaoheng did not feel too confident.

    Was Gu Nianzhi working in the Senate truly a good opportunity?

    ...

    Upon leaving General Ji¡¯s living quarters, Huo Shaoheng did not return to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment or his headquarters. Instead, he headed directly to the Senate¡¯s building.

    It was already 4 o¡¯clock in the morning by the time he had arrived at the car park of the Senate¡¯s building. It was the darkest time before daybreak.

    Huo Shaoheng took the proposal document in the envelope and got out of the car. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the car park before walking towards the lift.

    It was too early. Therefore, other than those in the makeshift control room used to oversee the election, there was no one else anywhere.

    However, the lights were still on throughout the entire building.

    Huo Shaoheng entered the makeshift control room, and the soldiers from the Special Forces who were on duty at that time stood up and saluted him. ¡°Good morning, Sir.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand in acknowledgment. ¡°Take a seat. Have you gotten any rest?¡±

    The soldiers smiled. ¡°There is still some work left to do. We will be able to sleep after this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng scanned the room and did not see Yin Shixiong. ¡°Where is Big Xiong?¡±

    ¡°Lieutenant Yin went to get us breakfasts.¡± One of the soldiers on duty rubbed his stomach awkwardly.

    His stomach growled embarrassingly at the mention of food.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Get busy. I will go and take a look at the system.¡±

    He entered the small office inside and turned on theputer to test the connection speed and the streaming quality.

    Time flew by as he started working.

    Huo Shaoheng was not even halfway through checking the voting areas in the country when the skies became bright.

    Yin Shixiong had returned with a delicious breakfast and was getting everyone to have some.

    ¡°Big Xiong, Huo Shao is here. He is in the small office inside.¡± One of the soldiers pointed at the small office.

    Yin Shixiong took a bowl of beef porridge, a bag of beef buns, and an egg and entered the small office.

    ¡°Good morning Huo Shao. Please have some breakfast. The breakfast that this beef restaurant serves is not bad. Of course, it is notparable to the chefs in our living quarters.¡± Yin Shixiong ced the breakfast items in front of Huo Shaoheng, smiling.

    Huo Shaoheng was indeed hungry. He opened the food and began eating.

    After he was done, Huo Shaoheng handed the envelope to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Send this to Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office for his signature. Get them to expedite it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had used a standard envelope for this proposal because he did not want anyone to know that the document was special.

    At the same time, he wanted to use this as an opportunity to see if there were any traitors in the Senate.

    Yin Shixiong grabbed the envelope quickly. ¡°I will go over there right now.¡±

    Yin Shixiong took the envelope and headed to Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office. However, he did not see Senior Speaker Long. There were only Special Assistant Yang and a couple of newly appointed Secretaries arranging some documents.

    Seeing that Yin Shixiong was there, Special Assistant Yang weed him with a warm smile. ¡°Lieutenant Yin, are you looking for Senior Speaker Long by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am. I need him to sign this document.¡± Yin Shixiong showed him the envelope. ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°He has gone for a meeting.¡± Special Assistant Yang nodded towards the meeting room. ¡°The election ising up soon. Senior Speaker Long is having online meetings with the staff from the election offices from all different areas to check on their progress.¡±

    ¡°There are so many, though, can he cope?¡± Yin Shixiong was astounded. ¡°Sure, I will wait here for a while.¡±

    He took a seat outside Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office. However, after a while, the control room called him, asking him to head over to mediate a quarrel between them and the Secret Services.

    Yin Shixiong was in a dilemma for a while. He contacted Huo Shaoheng to ask for permission before handing the envelope to Special Assistant Yang. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, please give this to Senior Speaker Long for me. I wille and collect it after I am done with my errands.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Special Assistant Yang checked the envelope and saw that it was sealed tightly before stamping the Senate¡¯s official stamp on it in front of Yin Shixiong.

    That way, when Senior Speaker Long received it, it would confirm that no one had opened the envelope before him.

    After Yin Shixiong had left, Special Assistant Yang looked at the tightly sealed envelope with a smile. He called out to Gu Nianzhi, saying, ¡°This is a document that was sent by the Special Forces. They need it to be signed by Senior Speaker Long. Send it over to him.¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi refused to take on the task. She pointed to her face still with a mask on and said, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, how can I look for Senior Speaker Long when I am like this? Please get someone else to go instead.¡±

    After she had left, Special Assistant Yang sighed and mumbled, ¡°Since everyone is so busy, I have no other options then.¡± With that, he ced the envelope at the bottom of a stack of documents, all awaiting Senior Speaker Long¡¯s signatures when he got back.

    ...

    At the same time, Cai Songyin was just about to bring her daughter, Tan Guiren, out to meet one of her close friends, Sun Yuerong.

    The ce that they had arranged to meet was a restaurant that had gotten three Michelin stars.

    Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren reached the restaurant and saw that Sun Yuerong had already arrived.

    Cai Songyin waved at her and smiled. ¡°It has been quite a long time, Yuerong.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it has.¡± Sun Yuerong looked Tan Guiren over and nodded with a smile. ¡°Guigui is bing prettier.¡±

    ¡°She is still as childish as ever. I told her that I would bring her to learn from you so that after she gets married, she would be able to be like you and help her husband socialize a little.¡± Cai Songyin took the menu and ordered some dishes that Tan Guiren liked.

    ¡°Oh, really? Guigui should be getting engaged soon, shouldn¡¯t she? I remember that you had taken a liking to Major General Huo? How was it? Did major general Huo ask for your hand in marriage already?¡± Sun Yuerong asked with a smile.

    Tan Guiren blushed immediately and said quickly, ¡°Auntie Sun, I do not have anything to do with Major General Huo. How could hee and ask my parents for my hand in marriage just like that? Please do not talk, anyhow.¡±

    Sun Yuerongughed. ¡°Guigui is so shy. Alright then, Auntie Sun shall not say anymore.¡±

    She changed the topic and began gossiping with Cai Songyin. They talked about one of theunches by a big brand first, then moved on to a new celebrity that had just begun his career in the entertainment industry. They talked about everything under the sun.

    After listening in for a while, Tan Guiren felt extremely bored. She looked at the girl who was ying piano in the restaurant and began spacing out.

    Seeing Tan Guiren like that, Cai Songyin brought her to one side. ¡°Guigui, there is a shopping mall beside this restaurant. Go and take a look, see if there are any new arrivals in the men¡¯s section, will you? I need to buy some new clothes for your father. Could you do me this favor?¡±

    ¡°Sure, my pleasure.¡± Tan Guiren left happily and headed off to shop at the mall.

    After Tan Guiren had left, Cai Songyin¡¯s expression became serious. She slipped a thumb drive into the hands of Sun Yuerong and lowered her head to take a small mouth of her porridge as though nothing had happened. ¡°Give this to your husband and get him to help,¡± she whispered.

 Chapter 1008

    1008 Something Major

    Sun Yuerong instinctively held the thumb drive tightly and slipped it into her Chanel handbag when no one was looking.

    Both of them continued to chat happily for a while before Sun Yuerong stood up. ¡°It was great to catch up with you today, Songyin. When we have time, let us get our families together for a meal.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I intend to host a charity dinner in a few days¡¯ time. Please doe and support it.¡± Cai Songyin shook hands with Sun Yuerong and whispered, ¡°You have to give this to your husband as soon as possible.¡±

    Cai Songyin looked anxious.

    Sun Yuerong was slightly taken aback.

    The moment both of them had let go of each other¡¯s hands, they felt that their own hands were mmy and cold.

    ¡°I shall make a move first, then.¡± Sun Yuerong forced a smile and headed home quickly.

    The moment she got home, she headed to the study to look for Hong Kangquan.

    However, at that time, Hong Kangquan had already gone to work.

    Sun Yuerong sat in the study for a while and still felt worried. She thought about how anxious Cai Songyin had sounded and could not wait any longer.

    She took the thumb drive and headed directly to the Secret Service headquarters, asking for Hong Kangquan.

    Hong Kangquan was in a meeting when she got there.

    For this election, the Secret Service was helping the Special Forces with the security for the event.

    With a job involving helping another organization falling upon them, the members of the Secret Service were all unhappy.

    To them, all the credit would be given to the Special Forces, but the manualbor would have to be borne by the Secret Service. It was a job that was tiring but not rewarding at all.

    The meetings of the Secret Service became a time for the members toin.

    Hong Kangquan listened to theirints with a smile andforted them continuously.

    ¡°All of you are overthinking...¡±

    ¡°Everyone is just serving the citizens. Let us not be so calctive.¡±

    ¡°Do not worry. I will report all your hard work to Senior Speaker Long and General Ji.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s endless reassurance finally appeased the moods of his subordinates.

    After the meeting had ended, everyone returned to their positions.

    Hong Kangquan returned to his office and was informed that his wife, Sun Yuerong, was already waiting for him in the holding room.

    ¡°Let her in.¡± Hong Kangquan instructed his people over the phone.

    The guard on duty brought Sun Yuerong into Hong Kangquan¡¯s office and closed the door behind them.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Hong Kangquan asked with a smile on his face but coldness in his eyes.

    ¡°I had breakfast with Mrs. Tan...¡± Sun Yuerong stammered.

    The moment Sun Yuerong mentioned Cai Songyin¡¯s name, Hong Kangquan stopped her. ¡°I have not had breakfast yet. Apany me, will you?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Sun Yuerong agreed immediately and left the office with Hong Kangquan.

    When they had arrived at the restaurant, Hong Kangquan reprimanded Sun Yuerong softly. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that there are cameras everywhere in the Secret Service? Did you leave your brains at home? Why did you choose to talk to me in there?!¡±

    Sun Yuerong looked around cautiously. ¡°Songyin was very anxious. I had to look for you, but I did not dare to call.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. What is it?¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s breakfast was very simple. He only had two hard-boiled eggs and a cup of coffee.

    Sun Yuerong handed the thumb drive that Cai Songyin had given her to Hong Kangquan. ¡°She gave me this and asked you to help.¡±

    ¡°Asked me to help? Do you know what the situation is like right now?¡± Hong Kangquan was furious. ¡°You really are brainless!¡±

    He was so angry that he did not even want to eat breakfast anymore. Putting down his cutlery, he stood up and stormed off, leaving Sun Yuerong alone in the restaurant.

    Sun Yuerong called for the bill after staying there for a little while longer.

    Upon returning to the car, Hong Kangquan thought about it for a while with a darkened expression, then took the thumb drive out. He inserted the thumb drive into his personalptop.

    This was his personalptop. He had never connected it to the inte before, so it was definitely safe.

    Actually, Hong Kangquan did not wish to dabble in the things that were going on over on Cai Songyin¡¯s side but seeing the contents of the thumb drive, his heart skipped a beat.

    It seemed as though he would have to dabble in it after all.

    The thumb drive contained the information of an online author and a letter that Cai Songyin had written to him.

    She told him that it seemed like someone had learned about what had happened to Tan Guiren when she was in New York. She hoped that Hong Kangquan was able to use his authority in the Secret Service to help her in silencing that person.

    At that point in time, the issue with Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng was not on Cai Songyin¡¯s mind anymore. Her priority right then was to save her daughter¡¯s perfect reputation! Her daughter¡¯s perfect reputation could never be tarnished!

    She did not even care about Tan Dongbang¡¯s reputation. However, her daughter, Tan Guiren, was her lifeline. Therefore, nothing could happen to her.

    Hong Kangquan had actually intended to stay out of this.

    That almost perfect n in New York had all gone to waste, and it had caused Hong Kangquan a good number of sleepless nights.

    He had already made up his mind to stay away from the Tan¡¯s and not to have anything else to do with them lest they would get him into trouble.

    However, Cai Songyin had begun to harass him, using this to threaten him.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s motive was clear. If Hong Kangquan refused to help her settle this, she would turn Hong Kangquan in.

    When Huo Shaoheng returned from New York, he had begun investigating who had rmended that he be the one to go to New York personally to save Tan Guiren.

    Cai Songyin, however, pretended that she could not remember, saying that everyone had rmended him. She had used the fact that thew would not be able to punish the masses and managed to get away with it.

    Huo Shaoheng did not have any evidence or target at that time. Cai Songyin was also not a suspect.

    Therefore, although he had many resources on hand, he could not use it on his fellow citizens without reason.

    So, there was no other option than to put the matter aside.

    However, as long as Cai Songyin wished to, she would be able to expose Hong Kangquan at any time.

    ¡°You wish to threaten me?¡± Hong Kangquan chuckled coldly. He took his personal phone and called Cai Songyin directly.

    ¡°Mrs. Tan, your request is too much to handle; your humble servant really is unable to fulfill it.¡± Hong Kangquan said politely as he held the thumb drive that was given to his wife by Cai Songyin in his hand tightly, intending to destroy it.

    Hearing that Hong Kangquan wanted to reject her request, Cai Songyin got anxious. ¡°Minister Hong, how can you say that? I had not turned you in by keeping quiet at the time I was being questioned, and I did it all for your sake, and now you are being ungrateful?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one being ungrateful here?¡± Hong Kangquan chuckled. ¡°Moreover, why did you keep quiet at that time? I suggested Huo Shao because I felt that he was the best candidate. What issue would there be? You could have just said it. Huo Shao was a soldier who followed me in the past. I know his capabilities way better than you.¡± He wanted to hang up after saying that.

    Cai Songyin felt a chill running down her spine.

    Hong Kangquan was now trying to deny everything.

    There was a possibility that she would not be able to threaten him at all. However, if he was to walk out on them now, what would her daughter do?!

    In a moment of anxiety, Cai Songyin had only wanted Hong Kangquan to send some people out to deal with the online blogger who had gotten his or her hands on Tan Guiren¡¯s secrets. Thinking of a way out suddenly, she said, ¡°You are really going to wash your hands of this? You dare say that the attack that Huo Shao had met with when he was in New York trying to save Guigui had absolutely nothing to do with you?¡±

    Hong Kangquan could say that he had rmended Huo Shaoheng due to his capabilities, but how was he going to exin the danger that Huo Shaoheng had encountered when he was in New York?!

    As long as people put two and two together, Hong Kangquan would definitely be in deep trouble.

    Cai Songyin did not actually have any evidence of this. However, she really did not have any other way out. Had she not done this, Hong Kangquan would have never helped her.

    ¡°What has whatever he met with in New York got to do with me?!¡± Hong Kangquan was so furious that the blood vessels in his forehead were twitching. Women did not have logic at all, he thought.

    ¡°How would I know what it would have to do with you? You can go and exin to Huo Shao personally. I think he probably has a lot of ways to find the truth.¡± Cai Songyin had finally gotten her point across and knew that she had sessfully managed to threaten Hong Kangquan.

    If he had really done nothing, he would have said to let them check for all he cared.

    However, Hong Kangquan remained silent for a long while before finally replying. ¡°Wait for my news.¡±

    Cai Songyin finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart skipped a beat as well.

    Goodness, it seemed like she had discovered something significant coincidentally.

    Hong Kangquan was really involved in what happened to Huo Shao in New York?!

 Chapter 1009 - Paying Special Attention

    1009 Paying Special Attention

    Now it would be Cai Songyin¡¯s turn to cut all ties with Hong Kangquan.

    Upon putting down the phone, Cai Songyin folded her arms and paced around in her study.

    What exactly should she do?

    Cai Songyin had heard a little about the dangers that Huo Shaoheng had met with in New York. She had initially thought that it was Huo Shaoheng not being careful enough, thus exposing his identity and allowing the American police to be able to capture him.

    So, the problem did not lie with Huo Shaoheng, but with someone who was in cahoots with the Americans!

    Cai Songyin realized that she had broken out in a cold sweat when she thought about it.

    She really did not dare to imagine what would happen to her daughter if Huo Shaoheng had just died in America like that!

    Did Hong Kangquan want her daughter to die along with Huo Shaoheng?!

    How could he be so ruthless?!

    To think, she had even treated him as a good person and a friend! How blind could she get?!

    However, Tan Dongbang¡¯s position as Prime Minister seemed to have no hope left. Although they were still putting in their final efforts, it seemed like the majority were too affected by that video about Tan Dongbang and Gu Yanran. It was already near impossible for them to be able to get elected.

    Therefore, the most important thing right now would be to clear all obstacles for her daughter Tan Guiren.

    No one must know about what had happened in New York.

    No matter what Hong Kangquan was about to do, she had a hold over him. Therefore, Cai Songyin was confident that she would still be able to ¡®cooperate¡¯ many times with the director of the Secret Services.

    ...

    Hong Kangquan returned to his office in the headquarters of the Secret Service and did his work as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. After he had signed a couple of documents, he asked for his most trusted subordinate toe into his office.

    ¡°This is the information on someone. Go and get him checked, and see whom he has been in close contact with recently. Also, check on his online activities, social media ounts, and whether he had close contact with anyone overseas.¡± Hong Kangquan ced the information on the online author in front of his most trusted subordinate and emphasized, ¡°Do it quickly. Do not dy this.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s subordinate had done work like that many times before. Therefore, he epted the document quickly and began his investigation.

    Using the Secret Service¡¯s inte system, they managed to find out everything that the online blogger had done for the past month, including the strange differences in his bank ount.

    Three hourster, his subordinate was already reporting his findings in Hong Kangquan¡¯s office.

    ¡°Director Hong, this person leads a simple life. He is renting an apartment in Di Capital on his own and stays near the train station in Sihuan district. He does not usually go out and is what people call a nerd.¡± The subordinate chuckled. ¡°However, we found out that a couple of days ago, there was something strange that happened with his bank ount. He epted money to create a post to tarnish someone¡¯s reputation.¡±

    ording to what they had found out, he had tarnished the reputation of the Prime Minister.

    However, Hong Kangquan knew that this online author had information not only about Prime Minister Tan; he had information about the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren, as well. He could not be sure, but the information might be able to be linked to himself too.

    Hong Kangquan was extremely worried.

    He could not exin why, but he felt as though he was being targeted.

    He was the expert in doing things like that actually, but even after exhausting his means, he could not manage to find out who was keeping an eye on him.

    Perhaps he was merely overthinking it.

    Hong Kangquan had been a careful person, and he had ensured that the person who had helped him was definitely not someone that they were able to find out about with current techniques.

    His only mistake was that the person coborated with America¡¯s CIA instead of attacking Huo Shaoheng on his own.

    Had they done it personally, Huo Shaoheng would have been dead a long time ago.

    As long as Huo Shaoheng died, he would be able to take over the Special Forces naturally and then merge the Secret Service with the Special Forces.

    He would be the most important person in the history of the Hua Xia Empire, just like the director of the FBI in America, J. Edgar Hoover. That was his life¡¯s ambition.

    Hoover had been the director of the FBI in America for forty-seven years. Under his leadership, the FBI was extremely powerful. Even the president had to respect Hoover.

    Just a little bit more and he would be able to leave his name in history.

    Hong Kangquan listened quietly to his subordinate¡¯s report, but his thoughts drifted far away.

    That was, until he heard his subordinate say: ¡°This online author was worried that he would be sued by the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, and was asking hiswyer about representing him in court.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°What is his financial status? Does he spend a lot?¡±

    ¡°He is rather frugal. However, it seemed like he had taken on a couple of loans from the inte, and he had used his identification documents as a guarantee.¡± His subordinate looked at his records again. ¡°It was a total of five hundred thousand dors. On top of the three hundred thousand dors that had miraculously appeared in his bank ount, he had eight hundred thousand dors in total.¡±

    Hong Kangquan smiled. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, he had also been checking for flights recently, and the flights that he had checked on were all heading toward South East Asia.¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s subordinate concluded his report and handed all the documents to him.

    Hong Kangquan took them and flipped through them, not forgetting to praise his subordinate. ¡°You have done a good job.¡±

    After his subordinate had left, Hong Kangquan left his office building and bought a pack of cigarettes in a shop outside. He took out a stick and began smoking on the road that had just sprouted new leaves as he called someone with his Bluetooth earpiece.

    After the call, he nced at his watch. It was already four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and time to get off of work and go home.

    He returned to his office and packed his suitcase before returning home.

    ...

    In the makeshift tent for the control room in the Senate¡¯s building, Huo Shaoheng asked Yin Shixiong, ¡°Is the document signed?¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head. ¡°Senior Speaker Long was still in a meeting. I have called them, and Special Assistant Yang said that Senior Speaker Long is still in the meeting room.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. ¡°Alright. Go and do your things.¡±

    After Yin Shixiong had left, Huo Shaoheng sent out a couple of instructions and directed the members of the Special Forces to pay special attention to Hong Kangquan.

    Yes, not to monitor, but merely to pay him special attention.

    That way, they would be able to get away with processes in the future.

    However, since he was unable to monitor Hong Kangquan just yet, what Huo Shaoheng and the guys could do was limited. They could only tail him in person, as they were unable to use technology.

    The soldiers who were paying special attention to Hong Kangquan¡¯s activities were to report his actions to Huo Shaoheng on a daily basis.

    ¡°He went to work in the morning, then headed off for breakfast with his wife. After he returned, he continued working and ended work at four o¡¯clock to leave for home. ¨C End of report, Sir.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng noted that there was nothing out of the ordinary and replied, ¡°Continue to pay attention to him.¡±

    ...

    The soldiers from Special Forces changed shift at eight o¡¯clock at night.

    They sat in a ck Jeep and were taking note of the condominium apartment that Hong Kangquan was staying at.

    Just when they had thought that the day would be ending without anything new, Hong Kangquan appeared in front of the condominium building.

    He was dressed casually in a ck winter jacket and a baseball cap. He wore shades even though it was already dark out.

    However, the soldiers from the special forces were experts when it came to devices like those. They all could tell that those were not just any shades ¨C they were shades that had a night vision function.

    ¡°Where is he going?¡±

    ¡°No idea.¡±

    ¡°Should we follow?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Hong Kangquan waited along the narrow road in front of the building for a while and hopped onto a privately hired vehicle.

    He told the driver the address.

    The Jeep at the back followed.

    Hong Kangquan chuckled coldly in his heart. Someone was indeed following him.

    If he had not guessed wrongly, his former subordinate, Huo Shaoheng, had begun to be suspicious of him.

    It must have definitely been the big-mouthed Cai Songyin who had leaked information.

    The private hire vehicle drove on the road for a while and stopped in front of a gay bar.

    Hong Kangquan exited the car and stuffed both of his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he entered the bar.

    The soldiers from the Special Forces who were following him followed suit.

    However, the moment they entered the bar, a couple of feminine men came up to them.

    ¡°You are new here, aren¡¯t you, handsome?¡±

    ¡°Is it your first time here, handsome? This is a mainstream bar. Come on, let me get you a drink, handsome.¡±

    Both of the soldiers from the Special Forces had undergone training as well, so they did not show any signs of impatience.

    They happily had a couple of drinks with the men and saw Hong Kangquan chatting with the bartender, still wearing the jacket.

    The moment the soldiers from the Special Forces saw this, they began to look down on Hong Kangquan.

    It was alright to be gay. However, if he had hidden his real sexual orientation and gotten married and had kids, that would be going overboard.

    They sat close to the bar and began ying drinking games as they watched Hong Kangquan from the back.

    Five minutester, one of the soldiers from the special forces noticed something was amiss. With a stern expression, he turned to his colleague and said, ¡°Why is he still wearing the jacket?¡±

    He would have been wearing it when he was outside because the weather in early spring in Di capital was still extremely cold.

    However, the bar was warm andfortable. Both of the soldiers had taken their jackets off, but why was Hong Kangquan still wearing his?!

    One of the soldiers from the Special Forces walked up to the bar to order some drinks and stole a quick peek at Hong Kangquan, who was sitting near him.

    The moment he looked, his heart skipped a beat. D*mn! They had been tricked!

    That person was not Hong Kangquan at all!

    He was merely wearing Hong Kangquan¡¯s jacket and drinking in the bar!

    The real Hong Kangquan had already left using the back door of the bar and hopped in another car, moving toward the direction of the train.

 Chapter 1010 - Perfect Scene

    1010 Perfect Scene

    The train station in the Sihuan district of Di Capital was still busyte into the night. People from the south who were traveling towards the north were passing through endlessly, heading towards their destination.

    Hong Kangquan was wearing his baseball cap pulled low and a rather worn out leather jacket as he hastily exited the train. He walked among the crowd and carefully avoided the cameras around the station. For the ones that he was unable to avoid, he waited until there was a crowd before moving forward as he was cramped in between. It only took five minutes to walk from the train station to the online author¡¯s home, but Hong Kangquan took a full 30 minutes before he arrived at that author¡¯s doorstep.

    The doorbell rang for a long while before the author opened the door, looking sleepy and annoyed. ¡°Who the hell is it? Do you even know what time it is already? Don¡¯t you know that I have to sleep?!¡± He had not been able to get a good night¡¯s sleep for a few days now.

    He had finally managed to settle his air tickets today and wanted to leave the country tomorrow to lie low for a bit. That was why he was finally able to sleep well. However, he was woken up half an hour into his sleep.

    ¡°You¡¯re Lu Dayong?¡± Hong Kangquan raised his head to look at this online author and said his real name.

    Lu Dayong did not exactly look young. He was slightly above 30 years old with oily hair and a big face. He was short and overweight. One look and you could tell that he was a couch potato, and his abnormally pale face showed it as well.

    He leaned against the door and looked at this tall guy standing in front of him in shock. The man was wearing shades, even in the middle of the night. ¡°Who are you? Why are you looking for me?¡± This man was very tall, indeed. Lu Dayong felt that he only reached the man¡¯s shoulders.

    Hong Kangquan nodded. ¡°Can we talk inside please? I have something to discuss with you about the loans you have taken out online.¡±

    ¡°Loans? What loans online?! Are you crazy?!¡± Lu Dayong¡¯s expression changed in an instant, and he wanted to m the door shut as he moved backwards.

    ¡°Did you not want to return the money you borrowed?!¡± Hong Kangquan raised his voice slightly. He had used a voice-changing device intentionally so even the people who knew him would not be able to recognize his voice.

    Of course, Lu Dayong would not know if this was Hong Kangquan¡¯s real voice or not. He was merely in shock, because he did intend to leave the country and not return the money.

    ¡°What... What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand...¡± Lu Dayong stammered as he wanted to close the door more than ever.

    ¡°Pay up if you owe money! Don¡¯t even think about running away!¡± Hong Kangquan roared. With that volume, Hong Kangquan managed to wake some neighbors who were already asleep. Doors opened, and heads stuck out from them out of curiosity.

    In a state of panic, Lu Dayong pulled Hong Kangquan into his house in one swift motion and closed the door. ¡°What on earth do you think you¡¯re doing?! That was so loud. You might not care about your pride anymore, but I still do,¡± Lu Dayong whispered.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about pride with me?¡± Hong Kangquan chuckled as he leaned against the door. Looking Lu Dayong over one more time, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re the online author of, ¡®The Garden of Churchill?¡¯¡±

    Lu Dayong was at a loss for words. Wasn¡¯t he someone from the online money lendingpany who was here to collect the debts that Lu Dayong owed? How was it linked to Weibo now? Lu Dayong became wary. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. I think you have the wrong person.¡±

    ¡°Have the wrong person?¡± Hong Kangquan took one step forward, sticking out his long arm. He was holding onto a gun! He pointed the gun at Lu Dayong¡¯s forehead. ¡°You¡¯re good. You can even get your hands on the video of the Prime Minister. Spill. Who gave you the resources? Also, who told you about the information on the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter when she was overseas?¡±

    Lu Dayong finally understood that this person was someone who was with the Prime Minister. In an instant, he knelt down and wailed, ¡°I don¡¯t know! I really don¡¯t know! I was only doing things upon epting money! I also don¡¯t know why it became a video! I¡¯m innocent! I am so maligned!¡±

    As Lu Dayong wailed, he took the opportunity when Hong Kangquan wasn¡¯t paying attention and head-butted him with all his might, knocking Hong Kangquan down to the ground. Lu Dayong stood up and opened the door, intending to escape.

    Hong Kangquan snickered. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of escaping?!¡± He moved forward in a swift motion and strangled Lu Dayong from behind. Hong Kangquan used an adequate amount of strength to cause Lu Dayong to ck out, though he was still alive. Hong Kangquan then ced Lu Dayong on the ground as he put on some rubber gloves. Next, he began rummaging around Lu Dayong¡¯s apartment.

    The apartment that Lu Dayong had rented was a small studio apartment on the fifteenth floor. Based on Hong Kangquan¡¯s searching capabilities, it only took him ten minutes before realizing that there was nothing that he would require in this ce. As for Lu Dayong¡¯sputer, Hong Kangquan used a sh drive that he brought and copied everything from theputer onto that sh drive in no time. This was to make it more convenient for him to bring it back to look for more evidence.

    Looking back at Lu Dayong lying on the ground, Hong Kangquan saw that he seemed to have moved a little. Hong Kangquan made up his mind to finish this up quickly. He put the sh drive back into his jacket and dragged Lu Dayong over. Then, he opened the window and took out a specially made paper bag. He wrapped the paper bag around Lu Dayong¡¯s chest and hung him at the edge of the balcony window. After that, he created a scene to indicate that there had been a fight in the apartment. He messed the living room up before lighting a book on fire and throwing it on the floor in the living room beside the window.

    Upon finishing doing all these things, Hong Kangquan left Lu Dayong¡¯s apartment quickly and went down to the ground level using the elevator. He had already disabled the CCTV in the elevator before he had gone up to find Lu Dayong. Therefore, he was not at all worried about being caught on camera.

    Moreover, even if he was caught on the CCTV, he was not at all worried that anyone would be able to recognize him. This was because he had already put on a thorough disguise. He had covered his shoes with stic bags so that he wouldn¡¯t leave any footprints behind. His shoes were also specially made with inner soles that had a height of seven to eight centimeters, giving him an increase in height.

    On top of that, he had also disguised himself as a buffed up man, looking just like a fighter who had been hired by the money lendingpany to collect debts. In actual fact, Hong Kangquan was extremely skinny. He only had lean muscles all over.

    Upon exiting the elevator, Hong Kangquan turned around and took another look. He could already see mes through the window of Lu Dayong¡¯s apartment. The fire had begun burning.

    He walked into the crowd in the night and boarded the train with everyone else. Then, he found a public washroom that had no CCTV and removed his disguise before calling for a privately hired vehicle and returning home.

    ...

    A gust of wind blew, bringing along with it heat and the smell of smoke. Lu Dayong slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes. It was the night sky! He looked down and realized that he was dangling from something like 1,000 meters up! He screamed and began struggling instinctively.

    The moment he struggled, the paper bag that was tied around his chest snapped! ¡°Ah!¡± Lu Dayong did not even have time to scream for help before falling 15 stories down. Hended on the pedestrian walkway in front of his apartment building with a thud!

    The fire engulfed Lu Dayong¡¯s entire living room shortly after he had fallen to his death. The zing mes spread quickly and lit the paper bag that Hong Kangquan had used to tie Lu Dayong up. In just a blink of an eye, this only piece of evidence was burned to ashes.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Passersby had finally noticed what was going on on the fifteenth floor and began calling the emergency hotline for help.

    Lu Dayong, who had fallen to his death, was also discovered at that moment. All of a sudden, the ring of sirens from the police cars, fire engines, and ambnce could be heard in the neighborhood...

    The quiet and peaceful night now seemed extremely noisy and chaotic.

    ...

    The two soldiers from the Special Forces who were following Hong Kangquan had turned the gay bar upside down, but they could no longer find him. Eventually, there was nothing else they could do. They interrogated the man who had been wearing Hong Kangquan¡¯s winter jacket for a long time and could only discover that the winter jacket was a gift from a stranger, all in exchange for his used leather jacket.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s winter jacket was a luxury brand, and the leather jacket from that man was an unknown brand. Of course, the man traded his jacket for a branded one without a second thought.

    Upon learning that Hong Kangquan had slipped away 30 minutes ago, the two soldiers were fuming, but there was nothing they could do. They knew that there were too many ces that one could go upon exiting the bar. They didn¡¯t even know which direction Hong Kangquan had headed. Finally, they had no other option but to make a call to the headquarters to inform them that they had failed in their mission.

    Yin Shixiong reported the information to Huo Shaoheng immediately upon receiving the call. Huo Shaoheng was still in the temporary control room with them making the final adjustments to the system.

    Upon hearing the news, Huo Shaoheng chuckled like he had expected it. With a nod, he replied, ¡°Okay. Get them toe back. Get them to do a write-up and reflect on the reasons for their failure. Be as detailed as possible. Hong Kangquan was my superior. If he couldn¡¯t even get away from soldiers, I would¡¯ve been surprised.¡±

    Yin Shixiong understood where Huo Shaoheng wasing from and replied, ¡°What do we do, then? Must we begin a 24-hour watch on him? Senior Speaker Long hasn¡¯t signed the document yet.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It was already one o¡¯clock in the morning. Another day had passed. ¡°Give Senior Speaker Long a call right now. Make sure to get the call connected directly to Senior Speaker Long himself. Just say that I need to speak to him, as I have something important to report.¡± With that, he said with a slight smirk, ¡°I really want to see who is trying to be my obstacle this time ¡¯round.¡±

 Chapter 1011 - Beep your *ss

    <h4>1011 Beep your *ss</h4>

    Yin Shixiong was taken aback. ¡°But it is one o¡¯clock in the morning now? Mr. Huo, even though we do not really need to sleep as we are ustomed to working through the night, the same cannot be said for everyone!¡±

    Especially the gentlemen from the Senate. Each and every one of them was extremely spoiled because they felt that they were the most superior amongst the three major organizations in Di Capital, as they had been selected. Therefore, they thought that they had the right to judge people as long as they could not get along with them.

    Only Senior Speaker Long could control the egotistical people in the Senate.

    ¡°Moreover, Senior Speaker Long is getting on in years. I heard that he had been in meetings the entire day.¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head. ¡°You are sure you want to call him at this time?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile disappeared as his gaze turned dark. ¡°What is wrong? Do you want to get in my way now?¡±

    ¡°What? Of course not!¡± Yin Shixiong shook his hands. He was so afraid that he began to stammer. ¡°I-I-I... was merely reminding Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°Then go and make the call.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned on theputer. ¡°Just tell them that it is an emergency. If they are unable to get me through to Senior Speaker Long in ten minutes, I will make my way to his house personally.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    Yin Shixiong did not dare to question Huo Shaoheng anymore as he jogged out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office to make the call to Senior Speaker Long.

    When a call was made to a person with a ranking as high as Senior Speaker Long, one had to call his office if it was work-rted. For Senior Speaker Long, his office would be the secretarial department.

    For example, no matter what time of day or night a person was looking for General Ji, they would have to call his office.

    If they were closer to him, they would look for Secretary Cao directly.

    For General Ji and Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office, there would be people on duty to receive calls every single day of the year at any time.

    The moment the people on duty received a call, they would transfer the call to the person in charge after deciding on the caller¡¯s level of urgency.

    Yin Shixiong called Senior Speaker Long¡¯s secretarial department as usual.

    The call rung a couple of times, but no one picked up. Instead, an automated teller could be heard saying, ¡°Good day. This is the secretarial department of the Senate. Please leave your name, contact number, and reason for calling after the beep. We will return your call as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Beep your head, did I even request the beep?!¡± Yin Shixiong was fuming. It was already at an important juncture; the election wasing, and every single member from the Special Forces wished they could have four hands to be able to do more, but the spoilt brats from the Senate could not even answer a d*mn call?!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office would have people on duty every single day of the year, at any time. They would have people on duty to receive the calls and transfer to the relevant person in charge immediately.

    Every single call would be gotten back to within an hour, and it would be ten minutes for urgent matters.

    But what about the Senate?

    Yin Shixiong felt as though he had finally gotten to know what kind of people the members from the Senate truly were over the past week.

    In a fit of anger, Yin Shixiong took the phone and began to run a program that was able to call numbers automatically. It would call but not leave a message. The phone would continue to ring over there, but no messages would be left.

    Ten minutester, the persistent ringing of the phone seemed to have woken up the person on duty at the secretarial office. He answered the call, saying hello in a sleepy voice, and continued, ¡°Good day, this is...¡± in a dreamy tone.

    Before he could even finish talking, Yin Shixiong had already begun to shout in anger. ¡°We are from the office of Major General Huo from the Special Forces! Mr. Huo has something extremely urgent to speak to Senior Speaker Long about! Please transfer the d*mn call to Senior Speaker Long immediately!¡±

    The person on duty was clearly shocked. After a moment, he asked, ¡°Who are you again? And who would you be looking for?¡±

    ¡°I am looking for your *ss!¡± Yin Shixiong was furious. ¡°Major General Huo from the Special Forces is requesting to see Senior Speaker Long for an extremely urgent matter! ¨C You! Go and inform Senior Speaker Long right now! If you do not get back to me in one minute, I will go to Senior Speaker Long¡¯s house personally to get him!¡±

    The person on duty at the secretarial department had finally woken up. He hastily replied, ¡°Please hold on!¡±

    He put the call on hold and turned to Special Assistant Yang, who was working overtime. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, Major General Huo from the Special Forces is requesting to see Senior Speaker Long for an extremely urgent matter. Should we inform Senior Speaker Long?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang furrowed his eyebrows and looked at his watch. ¡°It is already one o¡¯clock in the morning. What thing could be so urgent that they could not wait until the next day? Senior Speaker Long has been in meetings the entire day and was already worn out. He has only just fallen asleep.¡±¡±Alright then, I will inform them,¡± the person on duty said. They took the phone and answered Yin Shixiong, who was still on the other line. ¡°Hello. Senior Speaker Long has been in meetings the entire day and is already extremely worn out. He has just gone home to rest. Could you please wait until daybreak to speak to him?¡±

    ¡°No. I cannot. If I could wait, do you think I really would have wasted my time calling now?!¡± Yin Shixiong was extremely assertive. ¡°Alright; Senior Speaker Long has gone home, hasn¡¯t he? We will look for him now.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was just about to hang up the call when Special Assistant Yang picked up and began talking to him.

    ¡°Is this Lieutenant Yin?¡± Special Assistant Yang recognized Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice. ¡°What is it that you have to speak about that really cannot wait until tomorrow? You know, Senior Speaker Long is getting on in age, he has been in meetings the entire day and almost threw up just now, too...¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice became stern. ¡°Who are you? Why are you stopping us from seeing Senior Speaker Long?¡±

    ¡°I am Special Assistant Yang.¡± Special Assistant Yang informed Yin Shixiong quickly. ¡°Lieutenant Yin, do you not remember me? We even spoke at the Senate today.¡±

    ¡°We spoke? Why do I not recall that?¡± Yin Shixiong pretended not to remember him on purpose.

    ¡°How could it be? You even handed me a document this morning, you forgot about that?¡± Special Assistant Yang knew that he had said something wrong the moment he said that, but he could not take back his words. It was toote.

    Yin Shixiongughed a loud and clearugh. Eachugh was strong, and it made Special Assistant Yang extremely uneasy.

    ¡°Hahaha... yes, I had given a document to you in the morning and asked you to bring it to Senior Speaker Long to get it signed. I also said that I needed it as quickly as possible. Where is that document, Special Assistant Yang?¡±

    Special Assistant Yangughed good-naturedly and replied, ¡°I have gotten Miss Gu to bring the document to senior speaker long to get it signed. Didn¡¯t she inform you?¡±

    Yin Shixiong asked, ¡°Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The new intern, Miss Gu Nianzhi.¡± Special Assistant Yang looked at the records of the members of the Senate. ¡°I have her contact information. Do you want her number to contact her and ask about the document?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang knew that Gu Nianzhi grew up with Yin Shixiong and Huo Shaoheng, but intentionally pretended that he did. He even pretended to be making an official inquiry to give Yin Shixiong Gu Nianzhi¡¯s contact number.

    Yin Shixiong was extremely disgusted by how pretentious Special Assistant Yang was, but could not say that he was doing it wrong as well.

    Because ording to the standard operating procedures, they had to do it that way.

    Yin Shixiong confirmed the information with Special Assistant Yang darkly, saying, ¡°You really asked Miss Gu to bring that document to Senior Speaker Long to get it signed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. I remember giving the document to her and asking her to bring the document to Senior Speaker Long the moment his meetings ended. Did she notplete the task?¡± Special Assistant Yang pretentiously asked the person on duty, ¡°Where did Miss Gu ce the signed document?¡±

    ¡°Special Assistant Yang, Miss Gu got off work right on time today. She did not bring any document to Senior Speaker Long, did she?¡± The person on duty indicated that he did not know anything about the incident.

    ¡°Oh no, then I am sorry. Most likely, Miss Gu had too many things on hand today and forgot to bring the document to Senior Speaker Long to get it signed. I believe you can understand it as well ¨C she is new. We should not be too strict with a person who has just begun working here. Why don¡¯t we do this? The moment she arrives tomorrow, I will get her to bring the document to Senior Speaker Long to get them signed immediately. What do you say?¡± Special Assistant Yang twirled a pen with his hand and asked lightheartedly.

    ¡°It is okay.¡± Yin Shixiong looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was getting impatient, and replied quickly, ¡°We shall not bother you. I will get the document immediately and bring it to Senior Speaker Long personally.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang was unhappy now. ¡°Lieutenant Yin, I have said that Senior Speaker Long is sleeping. What is so important that you cannot wait until morning?¡±

 Chapter 1012 - Just Like Tha

    <h4>1012 Just Like Tha</h4>

    ¡°What is so important?! ¨C If there was nothing important, why the h*ll would I call you at one-thirty in the middle of the d*mn night?!¡± Yin Shixiong was truly fuming. Rolling up his sleeves, he was tempted to swing a punch right into Special Assistant Yang¡¯s face!

    ¡°Lieutenant Yin, how can you talk like that?¡± Special Assistant Yang¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°We are working overtime every single day, as well. It is already half past one in the morning now, but we are still working in the office. Whose job can be deemed to be of less importance? Moreover, Senior Speaker Long is the most important person here and is akin to the needle of apass to us. From the citizens¡¯ point of view, Senior Speaker Long¡¯s health is of the utmost importance. Forget it; I shall not talk to you further. I still have some more documents to handle. We will talk tomorrow morning.¡± With that, Special Assistant Yang hung up.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes widened, and he almost could not believe what he had just heard.

    Special Assistant Yang had actually hung up on him?!

    Even after he had said so clearly that it was Major General Huo Shaoheng who had wanted to see Senior Speaker Long, Special Assistant Yang still hung up on him?!

    Was this person extremely brave, or had he developed dementia at an early age?

    Yin Shixiong turned around and looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Special Assistant Yang said, no matter how important it is, we would have to wait until tomorrow. That the health of Senior Speaker Long is of the utmost importance,¡± he said in disbelief.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms as he leaned on his desk. Narrowing his eyes, he said, ¡°Oh, really? Is Special Assistant Yang trying to teach us how to behave? Or is he trying to teach us how to get things done?¡±

    ¡°He is trying all.¡± Yin Shixiong nodded feverishly. ¡°Should we teach them back?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Let us go.¡±

    The two of them exited the temporary control room in the Senate building and took an elevator to the area of Senior Speaker Long¡¯s office.

    Senior Speaker Long was unique. Therefore, he had an entire story to himself that was considered to be his office. The whole area on the level was within Senior Speaker Long¡¯s control. The secretarial office was the entrance to the entire story.

    When Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong stepped into the secretarial department, all the people who were working overtime thought that they were hallucinating.

    Two men who were buffed and tall, wearing army uniforms with exceptional auras, had just stepped into their department. The activities of the entire secretarial department froze.

    Only after a while did someone recognize them as Major General Huo, who had been handpicked by General Ji to handle the security for the election. The one who was slightly shorter to his side was his assistant, Lieutenant Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Major General Huo, why have youe personally? You could have just given us a call if there was anything you needed. Why did you make an effort toe personally?¡± Special Assistant Yang walked briskly out of the office inside and stuck out his hand in an attempt to be friendly.

    However, Huo Shaoheng did not shake his hand. He merely looked at Special Assistant Yang sternly and said, ¡°I want to see Senior Speaker Long. We called, but your people said that I am unable to see him, and therefore I am here personally.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Special Assistant Yang smiled as he shook his head and looked around casually. One of his loyal subordinates quickly came up to mediate the situation.

    ¡°Major General Huo, am I correct? Our Special Assistant Yang is also thinking about the health of Senior Speaker Long. You know well that everyone has priorities. Since it will be daybreak soon...¡±

    Before the person could finish talking, Yin Shixiong cut him off with a chuckle. ¡°Where did this wild animale from to act like a movie extra? Did our Major General speak to you just now?¡±

    The person that had stepped forward blushed furiously at Yin Shixiong¡¯s humiliatingment. Trying to maintain his pride, he retorted, ¡°Lieutenant Yin, how can you insult people like that? What did I say wrong?!¡±

    ¡°What did you say wrong? I think ¡®what did you say right¡¯ would be a better question!¡± Yin Shixiong took a step forward and stood in front of Huo Shaoheng as he looked across the entire secretarial office and at every single person who was working overtime. Then, his gaze stopped on Special Assistant Yang as he said sternly, ¡°You dare not to reply when Major General is asking you a question? If you were in the army, you would have been locked up in the detention barracks by now!¡±

    Removing his gold-rimmed sses, Special Assistant Yang wiped them gracefully and snickered. ¡°Lieutenant Yin, you do remember where you are now, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I am in the Senate, aren¡¯t I?¡± Yin Shixiong looked around purposefully and looked some of the female employees over as they lowered their faces, finding Yin Shixiong¡¯s evil smile attractive as their hearts began fluttering.

    ¡°You are right. This is the Senate, not the army. Therefore, you should not try to impose your rules over here, should you?¡± Special Assistant Yang put on his sses and looked at his watch. ¡°It is already almost two o¡¯clock. Senior Speaker Long is getting on in years and does not usually get good sleep. Therefore, he wakes up early every day. He will be awake in another three hours. Would you like to take a rest here, or go back to the temporary control room and I will call you over in three hours, Major General Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said bluntly, ¡°I want to see Senior Speaker Long right now; immediately.¡±

    There was absolutely no room for negotiation.

    Special Assistant Yang was getting annoyed as well.

    It was true that Huo Shaoheng was of an extremely high position. He was two years younger than Special Assistant Yang, but he had already managed to attain such a high position. Special Assistant Yang med it on not having a powerful father and therefore imed he could not have be a young achiever like Huo Shaoheng.

    However, he could not abuse his authority like that!

    Did he think that all the people in the Senate were pushovers?

    With a grim expression, Special Assistant Yang said, ¡°Major General Huo, I have already said that Senior Speaker Long will be awake in another three hours. Can¡¯t you wait for just three hours?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and shook his head sternly. ¡°No, I cannot. I want to see Senior Speaker Long immediately. Right now.¡±

    He had repeated his sentence again, as his expression turned even colder than before. His low voice was pleasant to the ears, but the power in his voice made people shudder.

    Special Assistant Yang ground his teeth out of anger.

    How ridiculous!

    He was treating this ce as if it was his Special Forces!

    Look at him, acting all superior like he is the emperor. He must have forgotten what his surname was as well.

    Special Assistant Yang cursed Huo Shaoheng in his heart, and his expression turned sour.

    He thought for a while, then said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we do this ¨C I will try to call on your behalf? I have already informed you that Senior Speaker Long is sleeping. His home is not the same as it is here, and there would not be someone on duty twenty-four hours a day to answer calls.¡±

    ¡°If Senior Speaker Long can answer calls at any time of the day, why would he need this secretarial department?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Special Assistant Yang the way he would look at someone who had died. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, please do not forget your duty. Neglecting your duty is a serious offense for someone of your position.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, I majored inw as well. Therefore, you can stop using thew to threaten me.¡± Special Assistant Yang began being sarcastic. ¡°I was merely going with the book. You are too used to being in authority, and therefore I can understand that you would not empathize with our difficulties.¡±

    ¡°Special Assistant Yang, every single word that you have said today will be our evidence to lodge an officialint against you.¡± Yin Shixiong pointed at the CCTV in the secretarial department. ¡°I will be taking a copy of the footage from the CCTV here before leaving.¡±

    ¡°Taking a copy away? What rights would you have?¡± Special Assistant Yang was so angry that he snickered. ¡°Let me tell you. Whatever I have said today is based on truth and facts. It is not against anyw!¡±

    ¡°You would not be breaking anyws just because you have the truth and facts? Special Assistant Yang, I can see that your knowledge of thew is simple.¡± Huo Shaoheng moved his gaze away and refused to stoop to Special Assistant Yang¡¯s level anymore. ¡°Big Xiong, bring the document. We will look for Senior Speaker Long on our own.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang gritted his teeth and did not dare attempt to reason with Huo Shaoheng anymore. He got his subordinate to look around in the pile of documents and found the envelope that Yin Shixiong had brought in the morning at the bottom of the pile. ¡°There you go. I do not know who stuffed this here. Look, it is still nicely sealed, and no one has touched it yet.¡±

    ¡°Does Senior Speaker Long know about this?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked before leaving.

    Special Assistant Yang thought for a while before replying, ¡°I will have to ask Miss Gu about that. I only remember tasking her to do it. I would not know if she went to ask Senior Speaker Long.¡±

 Chapter 1013 - Something Big Had Happened

    <h4>1013 Something Big Had Happened</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and nced at Special Assistant Yang. ¡°It seems like it is all Miss Gu¡¯s responsibility now,¡± he said calmly.

    Special Assistant Yang chuckled and opened his hands. ¡°Oh, I did not say anything like that.

    However, justice shall always prevail. No matter what, we can only ask Miss Gu when shees to workter in the morning. Also, I will stand by what I had said. Miss Gu is an intern. She is new here and has justpleted a war for us, the Senate, because of the Prime Minister¡¯s cab. I will definitely not put the me on her. No matter what she has done, I think Senior Speaker Long would not pursue punishment as well. Major General Huo, please be assured that I will definitely take the me for any wrongs she might have done, and she will not have to bear any responsibility simply because she has you as a backer.¡± With that, he even ced his right hand onto his chest and bowed to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°What the h*ll do you mean by that, Special Assistant Yang?!¡± Yin Shixiong could not continue listening anymore. It took all of his discipline not to p the corrupted hands of Special Assistant Yang. ¡°What did Miss Gu do to you to offend you? Why must you try to put words in her mouth?!¡±

    ¡°Lieutenant Yin, please be reasonable. When did I put words in her mouth? Pampering her is not even enough! You have heard what I said just now, and the CCTV had also recorded it. I have said that even if she has made a mistake, I will take the me for her, so you can rest assured! Nothing will ever happen to Miss Gu. Even if something were to happen to me, I would protect her until the end!¡±

    Special Assistant Yang spoke in an extremely sincere tone as if he were treating Gu Nianzhi like a gem.

    Yi Shixiong was also good with words. Seeing that Special Assistant Yang was ying with his words, Yin Shixiong almost wanted to battle it out with him.

    Huo Shaoheng coughed lightly. ¡°Go and meet Senior Speaker Long, first. It is more urgent.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had no other option than to re fiercely at Special Assistant Yang before turning around with Huo Shaoheng and leaving the Senate building.

    When both of them had gotten into the car, Yin Shixiongined about the injustice. ¡°Mr. Huo, why didn¡¯t you allow me to continue talking? Why did you allow him to use Nianzhi like that?!¡±

    When Special Assistant Yang had said that he would take all the me for Gu Nianzhi, it was actually an extremely clever move.

    If Gu Nianzhi had really gotten into trouble and Special Assistant Yang had taken the me for her, Huo Shaoheng or Senior Speaker Long would owe him a favor.

    If Gu Nianzhi was not the one who got into trouble and it was Special Assistant Yang who had sabotaged her on purpose, since he had said that he would take the me for Gu Nianzhi, outsiders would have the impression that Gu Nianzhi had gotten into trouble nheless. It was Special Assistant Yang who was gracious as a superior not to pursue her mistake.

    He had sessfully gotten hold of the best of both worlds. In terms of office politics, his tactics were already god-like.

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°This is Nianzhi¡¯s business. You let her handle it on her own.¡±

    ¡°But, she is just an intern!¡± Yin Shixiong shouted. He could not take it anymore. ¡°Why are you so rxed?! What if she had sessfully been sabotaged by Special Assistant Yang? This issue could be minor, but it could also be major. Do you really want Nianzhi to face it on her own?¡±

    ¡°If she wants to survive in the Senate, let Special Assistant Yang be her first practice run. If she cannot even handle Special Assistant Yang, she would be better off going into private practice as awyer.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not wish to talk about the topic any longer. ¡°Give Senior Speaker Long¡¯s house a call and tell them that we will being to visit Senior Speaker Long.¡±

    As Yin Shixiong was making the call, Special Assistant Yang was making his own call to Senior Speaker Long¡¯s house as well.

    Senior Speaker Long had an office in his home as well, and he had people on duty to answer calls for him around the clock.

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s call managed to connect first.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Major General Huo wishes to see Senior Speaker Long. Look out for him. Do not allow Senior Speaker Long¡¯s rest to be interrupted.¡±

    The person on duty there was also a member of the secretarial department. Hearing Special Assistant Yang¡¯s words, he replied immediately, ¡°Got it, Special Assistant Yang. Please rest assured that we will definitely look after Senior Speaker Long¡¯s rest.¡±

    ...

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s call was only answered after he tried calling a few times, asking him what the matter was.

    Yin Shixiong replied straightforwardly, saying, ¡°Major General Huo, who is in charge of thest-minute election, has something urgent to see Senior Speaker Long for. Please pass the message to him.¡±

    The person on duty was extremely polite. ¡°No problem. When Senior Speaker Long gets up, I will inform him immediately.¡± With that, he hung up the call.

    When Yin Shixiong tried to call again, he could not get through to the number anymore.

    ¡°God d*mn it!¡± Yin Shixiong cursed under his breath. Keeping his phone, he turned to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°The person on duty in on Special Assistant Yang¡¯s side. He said that Senior Speaker Long could only meet us after he gets up.¡±

    Instead of being angry, Huo Shaoheng chuckled as he nodded his head. ¡°Not bad at all. I wonder if Senior Speaker Long knows that his subordinates have already taken control of everything under him.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was taken aback for a while beforeing to a realization. ¡°Is this the reason why Senior Speaker Long had been trying to look for someone to take over his position from outside instead of within the Senate itself? His secretarial department is already fully corrupted, isn¡¯t it!¡±

    ¡°I am not too sure about that,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied casually. He seldom exined situations to any of his subordinates.

    In the opinion of a soldier, it was their job to adhere to orders and instructions.

    So, what if they were given exnations? Would they not carry out orders if they were not given any exnations?

    There was no such thing.

    Both of them stopped talking. They arrived at Senior Speaker Long¡¯s house in no time.

    Senior Speaker Long stayed in a courtyard that was on Second Ring Road in Di Capital. It was a tranquil ce, and it was near Bai Jiancheng¡¯s family home.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong got out of the car and stood in front of Senior Speaker Long¡¯s courtyard. They waited for Fan Jian to press the doorbell.

    A few minutester, someone came to the door with a yawn.

    ¡°What is the matter? It is sote in the middle of the night. Do you even allow people to sleep now?¡± The person grumbled as he opened the door, looking up at the two men in army uniforms standing in front of him under the dim yellow lights of the streetmps. They exuded an aura of power and authority, and it made him panic so much that his legs almost copsed.

    ¡°Who... Who are you looking for?¡± the person asked timidly as he did not recognize the two men for a moment.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had visited Senior Speaker Long¡¯s house before, but it was currently a time where people were not at their best. This person had not had enough rest, and his intelligence and memory were not at peak performance. Therefore, he was scared stiff by Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong¡¯s army uniforms.

    With his arms folded, Huo Shaoheng looked at the steps made of bluestones in front of Senior Speaker Long¡¯s house, not saying a word.

    Yin Shixiong took a step forward and said, ¡°We were sent by the army. This is Major General Huo, and he has an urgent matter to see Senior Speaker Long for.¡±

    The person was on full alert now. He was finally fully awake. He opened the door quickly and ushered them in. ¡°Major General Huo! Pleasee in! Pleasee in!¡±

    This person was an old employee who guarded Senior Speaker Long¡¯s door. He had seen many people before, but since he was only focused on his task of guarding the door, he did not let himself get involved with anything that was going on. To be honest, he knew way more about what was going on in upper management than Special Assistant Yang did.

    The moment he realized that the person at the door was Huo Shaoheng, he allowed him to enter without another word.

    After he let them in, he took the initiative to look for someone in the main house to wake Senior Speaker Long.

    The person charged with answering calls, who was from the secretarial department, remembered Special Assistant Yang¡¯s order and did not wish to wake Senior Speaker Long up. In a careless manner, he replied, ¡°How important can anything be? Don¡¯t you know that Senior Speaker Long is usually unable to get a good rest? Wait for two more hours! The sky will not fall in that time!¡±

    ¡°The sky will not fall in that time?! For something that requires Major General Huo to make a visit personally, who knows? Maybe the sky really would fall!¡± the person who was guarding the door said. He did not agree with the person from the secretarial office. ¡°You are not going to wake him up, are you? Fine! I will go! I have worked for Master Long for more than forty years, he would not do anything to me, even if I did disturb his sleep!¡± With that, he pushed the person on duty away and ran towards Senior Speaker Long¡¯s bedroom.

    Seeing what was happening, the lower-ranked secretary who was on duty, began to panic and called out, ¡°Hey! You cannot be like that! Do you even treat the rules seriously now?!¡±

    However, they were unable to do anything to the guard who was over sixty years old, as he did not intend to get a promotion, nor was he an employee from the Senate. As long as Senior Speaker Long did not me him, he would always be the person who was in charge of standing guard at the door.

    The person from the secretarial department on duty could only watch on as everything unfolded.

    The person who answered the door was Senior Speaker Long¡¯s wife.

    ¡°What is going on? Old Long is still asleep. He was in meetings the entire day yesterday and only got back just now after ten o¡¯clock. He only managed to fall asleep at about one o¡¯clock this morning. What is the matter? Can you please do not be so loud?¡±

    The old man who was guarding the door lowered his voice and said, ¡°Mrs. Long, Major General Huo is here. He said that he has something urgent to see Senior Speaker Long about.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo? Which Major General Huo? ¨C Goodness, did you mean the major general Huo from the army?!¡± Mrs. Long was taken aback. Instinctively, she knew that it must have been something significant. ¡°Bring him to the study. I will wake Old Long up from his sleep.¡±

    Mrs. Long returned to the bedroom hastily and nudged Senior Speaker Long. ¡°Old Long? Old Long? Get up quickly. Major General Huo is here. He says that he has something urgent to speak to you about.¡±

    Senior Speaker Long opened his eyes abruptly. ¡°Who did you say? Shaoheng is here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have asked them to bring him to your study.¡± Mrs. Long brought some clothes over for Senior Speaker Long to put on. ¡°Go quickly. Do not dy anymore.¡±

    Senior Speaker Long looked at his watch with a stern expression and saw that it was two-thirty in the morning.

    If Major General Huo wasing at this hour to see him, something big must have happened.

 Chapter 1014 - Simply of Too Great Importance

    1014 Simply of Too Great Importance

    Hurriedly dressing and rushing to the doorway, Speaker Long caught sight of Yin Shixiong standing there in full-on military garb, like a serviceman on guard.

    The sight made his heart feel heavy.

    Yin Shixiong was already a colonel, was it really appropriate for someone of his rank to be standing guard for them?

    Catching sight of Speaker Long, Yin Shixiong reached out to push the door of the study open. ¡°Please enter, Speaker Long. Our senior official has been humbly awaiting your arrival.¡±

    Speaker Long smiled good-naturedly and patted Yin Shixiong¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Humbly awaiting my arrival?¡± he asked. ¡°Big Xiong, quit messing with me. Barely three minutes have passed between when I received the news of your arrival and when I actually arrived at the study. Don¡¯t you think you are exaggerating a little?¡±

    Yin Shixiong knew that Speaker Long had always been an easy-going person, so he chuckled a little and said, ¡°You started counting from when you first received the news, but our wait started at 1 o¡¯clock in the morning, from the moment we went to the Parliament building to request permission to see you.¡±

    Speaker Long seemed somewhat baffled and stared down at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s two-thirty now. One o¡¯clock? I was still awake at that time; howe nobody briefed me?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was rolling his eyes internally, but he remained outwardly silent and made a gesture inviting Speaker Long to enter the study.

    After Speaker Long entered the study, Yin Shixiong closed the door behind them and remained there, upright, standing guard.

    Inside the study, Speaker Long watched the simrly positioned Huo Shaoheng and asked, confused, ¡°What on earth is all this about? Big Xiong¡¯s speaking bizarrely.¡±

    Since the door of the study hadn¡¯t been shut properly, Huo Shaoheng overheard their conversation, yet he refrained from exining. Instead, he handed Speaker Long a calfskin envelope and said, ¡°This is the request form that General Ji had me write before dawn. I had Big Xiong send it to your secretary in the early morning to request your signature in order for us to proceed with surveince and the investigation. However, this was early yesterday morning. It is now before dawn the next day, and only now have we finally seen you. Now, without further ado, please provide your signature.¡±

    Speaker Long frowned, epting the calfskin envelope from Huo Shaoheng. He walked over to his desk and cut the envelope open with a pair of scissors. His expression changed drastically when he got a closer look at the contents of the documents inside.

    ¡°What?! Surveince... for him?!¡± Speaker Long nearly spit out the name on the document, Hong Kangquan, yet restrained himself just in the nick of time.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Please provide your signature. After, I will initiate the preparations,¡± Huo Shaoheng said in a calm and even tone. Although he spoke calmly, the content of his words expressed a sense of urgency. ¡°We have already wasted a day¡¯s worth of time. We cannot afford to lose any more.¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s frown intensified. ¡°Why? Shaoheng, what gives you the right to request something of this nature from a cab member of ministerial rank? I demand more evidence.¡±

    Unlike General Ji, Speaker Long was more concerned with whether or not Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bureau had been exploiting their authority within domestic borders.

    Within governmental bureaucracies, Speaker Long absolutely would not allow the possibility of monopolization or domination by any individual government agency.

    The Senate was not only responsible for counterbncing the powers and duties of the military and the cab, but also responsible for surveilling both branches to ensure that none of them stepped out of line.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Operation Forces already had too much jurisdiction outside national borders. Therefore, he had to be vignt to prevent such a sweeping authority from extending its reach to the domestic sphere.

    Huo Shaoheng was aware of those concerns as well, and that was precisely the reason why he had also shied away from meddling in domestic affairs.

    In terms of the surveince endeavor, only after requesting permission from Speaker Long, General Ji, and various Cab members of ministerial ranking, and then obtaining consent from all of them in due process, did he finallymence the preparations.

    Simrly, when it came to the surveince of Hong Kangquan, without Speaker Long¡¯s signature, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands were tied in terms of what he could do. He could only order his subordinates to be on close watch instead of conducting official surveince. Because of that, he would only be able to obtain limited amounts of information concerning Hong Kangquan¡¯s whereabouts.

    In actuality, Huo Shaoheng himself was curious as well. Where had Hong Kangquan gone after he had managed to elude the two servicemen that were sent to trail him?

    Deep down inside, Huo Shaoheng believed that Hong Kangquan was after his life, although he was still unwilling to believe that Hong Kangquan was a traitor and guilty of treason.

    The conflict between him and Hong Kangquan was a power struggle that involved ss warfare and different socio-political ideologies. That was drastically different from one that concerned treason against one¡¯s own nation and siding with foreign enemies.

    Yet it didn¡¯t matter whether he believed it or not. Proving precisely what Hong Kangquan had nned in his mind required concrete evidence.

    The reason for conducting round-the-clock surveince on him was to determine whether or not the tip they had received was true.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s position as the Director of Secret Services was simply of too great importance to leave any room for doubt.

    Previously, the Secret Services had a Deputy Minister named Bai Yusheng, who had overseen operations in the North American sphere,mit treason. Consequently, a sleeper agent that had been nted within the CIA for years lost his life, and all the Secret Service¡¯s undercover agents in North America were wiped out.

    Now, suspicion had been cast on the Director of the Secret Service. If he was indeed the rat, then the Huaxia Empire had to change its stratagem at the All Blue Starpletely.

    The amount of loss, whether it be human lives or mary resources, would otherwise simply be immeasurable.

    ¡°Speaker Long, we have received a report. Since we are not permitted to reveal the specifics at the moment, we n on conducting around-the-clock surveince in order to prove his innocence,¡± Huo Shaoheng said ambivalently. His words did not betray his personal suspicions.

    With his newfound understanding, Speaker Long¡¯s face paled. He looked down at the papers and quickly signed his name, stamped the forms, pressed his fingerprints into the ink, and handed them back to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°If circumstances are this grave, why didn¡¯t you contact me at first notice?! From old Ji providing his signature to me doing the same, twenty-two hours have already passed!¡± he said in a frosty tone.

    During that critical period, time meant lives!

    This concerned the lives of all of the Secret Service members in their nation!

    Huo Shaoheng epted the calfskin envelope, thoroughly checking the contents to make sure that all three of the signed documents were there. He then took one of the papers out and ced it in front of Speaker Long, saying softly, ¡°You can keep this one just in case.¡±

    He then continued calmly, ¡°After General Ji had provided his signature, I immediately asked Big Xiong to deliver this envelope to your secretary. I recall this happening yesterday at about six o¡¯clock in the morning. Big Xiong personally delivered it to Special Assistant Yang.

    Speaker Long paused, seeming skeptical. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you handed it over to Special Assistant Yang yesterday at about six o¡¯clock in the morning? Howe he never brought it up?¡±

    ¡°That I really don¡¯t know.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head as he spoke. ¡°I waited an entire day for you to sign it, yet it wasn¡¯t until two-thirty this morning that I finally received your signature. I could hardly keep my patience, and due to the urgent nature of the matter, I decided to visit the secretary¡¯s office personally in order to receive your signature in a timely manner. You must know, the person in question is actually my superior at the Corps, so I don¡¯t want to warrant any unnecessary suspicion without us having all of the facts.¡±

    Speaker Long recalled how earlier at the door, Yin Shixiong had stated that they had been humbly awaiting his arrival. It seemed like they really had been waiting.

    Speaker Long¡¯s pale and puffy face gradually began to flush from boiling rage.

    With a hardened expression, he picked up the phone and dialed the Senate¡¯s secretarial office.

    Huo Shaoheng also connected his Bluetooth headphones, leaving orders for his subordinates tomence operations as soon as permission was obtained.

    In order to conduct full surveince on Hong Kangquan, they needed to make sure they had him covered from all angles.

    Along with immediately assuming control of his office and his home, as well as the wi-fi and phones in all of his residences, they also needed to install surveince devices in all the areas that he was known to frequent.

    Of course, most importantly, they need to be able to extract the data from his microchip tracker remotely from the central control room.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t particrly worried about the fact that those two Secret Service members had lost track of Hong Kangquan while hot on his trail, because he had a secret card up his sleeve.

    Every Secret Service member had a microchip tracker that was controlled by the Special Operations Forces embedded inside their body. Unless the member resigned or died, that microchip tracker could not be removed.

    Removing the tracker on one¡¯s own would indicate treason.

    Yet, the data from the microchip tracker couldn¡¯t be easily deciphered by the Special Operations Forces alone, either.

    In other words, the microchip tracker¡¯s data was encrypted and stored on the Special Operations Forces¡¯ highly advanced supeputer. In order to decrypt the data, one had to first obtain permission.

    As long as he had permission from Speaker Long and General Ji, Huo Shaoheng could freely read the data from Hong Kangquan¡¯s microchip tracker. The data would allow him to track Hong Kangquan¡¯s every move, and would naturally allow him to see where Hong Kangquan went after eluding the two servicemen.

    At the outset of Bai Yusheng¡¯s defection, even though Huo Shaoheng had used Bai Yusheng¡¯s microchip to track him, his endeavors, nevertheless, proved to be futile, and Bai Yusheng escaped unscathed.

    Thinking about what had happened, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed as an ominous feeling fell over him.

    Had they identally tipped off Hong Kangquan already when the two servicemen lost track of him while hot on his trail?

    What if Hong Kangquan had already removed the microchip tracker from his body, just as Bai Yusheng had done before?

    However, on second thought, if he really had removed it, then they wouldn¡¯t need other evidence anymore. The removal in itself would be an admission of guilt.

    Just that alone would be enough to convict Hong Kangquan of treason.

    With another thought rising to mind, Huo Shaoheng issued amand to his subordinates. ¡°Contact all major customs ports in the nation. From here on out, all people leaving domestic borders will be subject to iris scans and fingerprint analysis. Immediately send the target¡¯s iris and fingerprint to all customs ports. Anyone who matches will be barred from leaving.¡±

    He sincerely hoped that he was overthinking it all, yet if Hong Kangquan were indeed just like Bai Yusheng had been, and he had realized that they were surveilling him, then his next move would undoubtedly be to escape the Huaxia Empire.

 Chapter 1015 - All We Lack Is the East Wind

    <h4>1015 All We Lack Is the East Wind</h4>

    In order to conduct surveince on Hong Kangquan, the Special Operations Forces had already established a Special Operations team.

    They were already fully prepared and had only been waiting for permission.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng received permission, the team would be able to carry out their surveince legitimately.

    Hismands were executed in an orderly manner. Within five minutes, all the customs ports within the nation had sessfully received the iris scan and fingerprint data.

    As soon as Hong Kangquan attempted to leave the Huaxia Empire, no matter what port he chose to escape from, the Special Operations Forces would be notified.

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t ordered anyone to check the passport data because he knew that if Hong Kangquan were nning to escape the country, he would have prepared a fake passport to use beforehand.

    What identity he created for a false passport would be impossible to investigate.

    The only thing they could investigate was the data from his iris scan and fingerprints. Those would not change whether he used a forged passport or not.

    All of those in the Special Operations Forces would have ess to the data encrypted in the supeputer.

    Only after ascertaining that the customs database was updated did Huo Shaoheng feel assured that they wouldn¡¯t run into any problems.

    He finished all of this prep work in the span of a mere five minutes.

    On the other hand, for Speaker Long, five minutes was not nearly enough to deal with the people in his secretarial office.

    Suppressing his fury, he first inquired about everyone¡¯s progress and, after expressing his condolences, he asked in as calm of a voice as possible, ¡°Where is Special Assistant Yang? Isn¡¯t he here?¡±

    ¡°Speaker Long, Special Assistant Yang has already pulled two overnighters and has just returned home to get some rest. Do you have something urgent? Do you need me to send word to him physically, or should I just call him instead?¡± the person he was speaking to replied.

    Speaker Long¡¯s voice tensed. ¡°Already pulled two overnighters?¡±

    Had he been putting in hard work without producing results?

    How could he bring himself to interrogate Special Assistant Yang about what on earth he had been doing?!

    Putting down the phone, Speaker Long¡¯s eyes clouded indecisively. Rubbing his knuckles, he nced at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Shaoheng, are you sure this isn¡¯t some sort of misunderstanding? Special Assistant Yang has always beenpetent and diligent, not someone that would make this sort of mistake.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chose not to sugarcoat things and instead courteously yet firmly said, ¡°I¡¯m not well-acquainted with Special Assistant Yang, so I¡¯m unfamiliar with how he usually does things. All I can say is how much time and effort had to be put in to get this document in front of you. If matters hadn¡¯t been this urgent, I would have never interrupted your rest with such ate-night visit.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, you are misinterpreting my words. No need to treat me like an outsider.¡± Speaker Long held his hands up in protest and attempted to console Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I just find it difficult to process and make sense of all of this. There¡¯s simply no logical exnation for Special Assistant Yang to keep such an important matter hidden from me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng refrained from expressing his personal opinion on the topic and instead said, ¡°Only Special Assistant Yang can answer that question for you. When my personal secretary sent this document to your secretarial office, it was stated very clearly that we urgently needed your signature. The sooner, the better. Due to our privacy policy, we couldn¡¯t divulge too much on any of the other specifics.¡±

    Speaker Long opened his mouth, intending to defend Special Assistant Yang.

    Special Assistant Yang was one of his people, and because of that, he couldn¡¯t let others dismiss him so easily, especially since they were outsiders.

    Yet Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words left a bad taste in Speaker Long¡¯s mouth.

    If that document really had been personally delivered by Yin Shixiong along with the message that it be delivered as soon as possible, then that indicated that this was a matter of urgency. So exactly how did Special Assistant Yang overlook something that important?

    Speaker Long suppressed the multitude of questions he was dying to ask, and instead smiled at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I¡¯m aware now. I will get to the bottom of this, and I will ensure that there are consequences for the people responsible. Shaoheng, rest assured.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up, his expression remaining unchanged. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for me to worry about anyway. The secretary¡¯s office is under your jurisdiction, not mine. Special Assistant Yang is your secretary, not mine. Forgive me for bothering you today. And now, I will excuse myself.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng left Speaker Long¡¯s residence alongside Yin Shixiong. They drove towards the Parliament building.

    Yin Shixiong silently pulled out his phone to text Gu Nianzhi and warn her to be wary of Special Assistant Yang.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped him, saying, ¡°Do not contact Nianzhi. She herself should know what the appropriate action to take is.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the first time that Special Assistant Yang had taken an antagonistic stance against Gu Nianzhi; therefore, Huo Shaoheng felt no guilt whatsoever at allowing him to act futilely.

    The more Special Assistant Yang acted, the more the favors he had umted with Speaker Long over the years would diminish.

    In the end, Speaker Long would be the one to kick Special Assistant Yang out of the game for good.

    Knowing how prideful he was and the extent that Speaker Long would go in order to save face, if an outsider attempted to intervene, Speaker Long would probably defend Special Assistant Yang until the very end. Even if he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

    The reason was that Speaker Long could not let his other subordinates see him allow outsiders to act rudely toward Special Assistant Yang because they would lose faith in his support of them.

    Only after he was sure that his image would be preserved would he start to settle the ounts and make sure that Special Assistant Yang paid what was due.

    Like Huo Shaoheng, Speaker Long and General Ji both were of the mind that they were responsible for disciplining their own people, and outsiders better stay out of it.

    Familiarity with Speaker Long¡¯s modus operandi was also the reason Special Assistant Yang felt self-assured enough to butt heads with Gu Nianzhi so boldly without fearing any repercussions.

    ¡°But Gu Nianzhi is out of school, and this is the first time she has encountered the sort of backstabbing that takes ce in the adult. Shouldn¡¯t we look out for her a little?¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head, deeply worried for Gu Nianzhi.

    From his perspective, Gu Nianzhi was smart and well-behaved. Although well-spoken, her eloquence only applied to court affairs. In daily life, she had never shown off her silver tongue and had always been soft-spoken and obedient. She was considered to be an endearing little sister by all.

    Yet her wless mannerisms and naivety was the very reason that Yin Shixiong was worried to death about her, and feared that Special Assistant Yang would take advantage of her.

    Huo Shaoheng silently watched Yin Shixiong scratch his ear and try to reason with him. He merely said, ¡°You look after Ma Qiqi, and don¡¯t worry about the other stuff.¡±

    Yin Shixiong did not answer.

    After a while, heughed, saying, ¡°Huo Shao, are you jealous? I really have no ulterior motives, and I merely see her as a sister. An endearing one at best.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng merely shot him a look and said, ¡°Nianzhi has no brother, so there is all the reason more for you to mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps she does have a brother? I am her big brother, her protector,¡± Yin Shixiong said jokingly, trying to provoke Huo Shaoheng into challenging his statement.

    Huo Shaoheng appeared disinterested in continuing the conversation or in ying games with him.

    Sensing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s disinterest, yet misinterpreting it as his own little win, Yin Shixiong felt a speck of pride swell up inside.

    He did not get to indulge in his proud feelings for long, because soon after, he received a text message from the staff worker¡¯s group chat.

    Seeing his own work schedule during the provisional election, Yin Shixiong could not believe his eyes.

    He rubbed them and looked at it again in disbelief, yet it remained the same.

    For the half month before and after the election, there were fourteen days where he would be standing guard at the temporarymand room.

    In other words, for those fourteen days, he had to spend twenty-four hours a day in the Parliament building, including eating meals and sleeping. He was not allowed to step out of the building for a single moment!

    ¡°Huo Shao...¡± Yin Shixiong feltpelled to ask Huo Shaoheng if there was anyone else in the Special Operations Forces that would be able to take that shift.

    Yet when Huo Shaoheng gazed at him distractedly, Yin Shixiong suddenly sensed the enormous pressure that he must be under and felt too intimidated to ask. Instead, he said sheepishly, ¡°Huo Shao, since you seem to have such high hopes for me, I¡¯ll do my best not to let you down.¡±

    ¡°Alright, do your best, but don¡¯t die trying. That wouldn¡¯t be worth it.¡± Huo Shaoheng began typing away furiously on hisptop, entering rows ofmands, and began examining the data from Hong Kangquan¡¯s microchip tracker.

    The sky outside the car window gradually lightened, and the sun rose up.

    ...

    That day¡¯s weather was great.

    At eight in the morning, the sky was a bright cerulean blue. The sunlight was soft and exuded warmth. From the fluffy clouds to the fresh air, everything seemed to be overflowing with flora and fauna associated with Spring.

    Gu Nianzhi wore her ck and white panda mask and walked into the Parliament¡¯s secretariat office in high spirits.

    She did not even have the chance to sit down before a colleague rushed over to her and said, ¡°Miss Gu, Speaker Long and Special Assistant Yang are requesting to speak with you.¡±

 Chapter 1016 - She Refuses to Comply

    <h4>1016 She Refuses to Comply</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi set her bag down and, without further ado, followed her colleague to Speaker Long¡¯s office.

    The door silently closed behind her, and Gu Nianzhi quickly nced around the office. She had never stepped foot in it before then.

    The entire office was spacious, about one third the size of their whole office.

    Their office filled an entire floor, which showed just how spacious Speaker Long¡¯s office was.

    The office faced south, and the southern wall was made of tempered ss shaped into an arch. It might have been bullet-proof, as well.

    Even from her position at the door, Gu Nianzhi was able to take in a bird¡¯s eye view of the empire¡¯s breathtaking scenery and feel the sense of pride and aplishment that came with being at the top of the food chain.

    After getting used to such scenery, who wouldn¡¯t lose their sense of self?

    Hundreds and thousands of bizarre thoughts shed through her mind.

    Speaker Long sat behind a wide office desk, yet his frosty countenance softened when he saw the masked Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi,e sit over here,¡± he said amicably.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Special Assistant Yang was also seated beside Speaker Long. He was smiling at her.

    Gu Nianzhi was not used to Special Assistant Yang acting so friendly toward her and was somewhat caught off guard.

    She greeted Speaker Long first. ¡°Speaker Long, you wanted to speak with me?¡±

    Speaker Long nodded. He let her sit down, and after some small talk, asked her whether or not the wound on her face still hurt, when it would heal, and whether or not she had gotten used to working there.

    Gu Nianzhi patiently answered all his questions, yet was left feeling somewhat perplexed.

    They were so busy that everyone was working themselves to death. So how was it that Speaker Long had enough spare time to talk to her about such trivial matters?

    She wasn¡¯t confused for long because Speaker Long got to the main point shortly after. He candidly asked her, ¡°Nianzhi, yesterday Special Assistant Yang instructed you to bring an important document over to me. Howe you never did so?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang smiled. ¡°That document in the calfskin envelope, don¡¯t you remember me bringing it up? It¡¯s the one that the Special Operations Forces sent over for Speaker Long to sign, have you really forgotten already?¡± he reminded her.

    Only then did Gu Nianzhi remember.

    She had declined on the spot.

    She remembered how she had been wearing her ck and white panda mask and had said, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, how can I see Speaker Long looking like this? Please find someone else.¡±

    Then she turned around and left. From beginning to end, she never even touched the calfskin envelope.

    So, what on earth was Special Assistant Yang talking about?

    Gu Nianzhi nced towards Speaker Long and asked, ¡°I do not understand why you are asking me this. Yesterday I specifically told Special Assistant Yang that I could not request your signature looking the way I do, and asked him to find someone else instead.¡±

    Speaker Long frowned and nced toward Special Assistant Yang. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang thought for a bit. He lowered his head, then said, ¡°It seems so. Oh, sorry. It¡¯s my fault. Miss Gu indeed said that she didn¡¯t want toe and told me to find someone else. Look at my forgetfulness. At the time, I was preupied with other things, and as soon as I got busy, I pushed that to the back of my mind. Speaker Long, you know as well, that the entire office has been pulling all-nighters for days. Sorry, my apologies. I have caused you great trouble.

    The sincerity of his apology seemed enough to make one doubt that he had been attempting to cast me on Gu Nianzhi and that it was only a misunderstanding on her part.

    Now he¡¯s acting like the good guy.

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremely ufortable and uneasy.

    Speaker Long attempted to speak, but Special Assistant Yang interrupted, saying, ¡°However, Speaker Long, this was my fault. My irresponsibility has caused you great trouble, and I ept the consequences, but...¡±

    He nced at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi is supposed to be interning here, but in reality, since she hase, she spends the majority of her time on her phone without doing anything productive. Everyone is busy at the moment, so we don¡¯t really have time to teach her anything, and other interns are extremely busy as well. Miss Gu is really the only one whoins about the work. Therefore, we find it exceedingly difficult to coordinate work schedules between Miss Gu and the other colleagues.¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi heard this, she felt her initial difort transform to boiling rage.

    So, this was the trap that Special Assistant Yang had set up for her!

    First, ask her to send the document to Speaker Long, then after she declines, purposefully dy the signing of the document.

    One could imagine how important that document was, otherwise Speaker Long wouldn¡¯t be searching for the culprit. The threat of severe consequences lurked beneath the surface of his search, but was never directly specified.

    And, it was likely that the dy in the signature had unforeseen repercussions that they weren¡¯t aware of yet.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled that Special Assistant Yang had stated that the document had been delivered by the Special Operations Forces. That meant that the document had something to do with Huo Shaoheng and his cohorts.

    Realizing that, Gu Nianzhi felt apprehensive.

    She prayed that no severe damage had been done.

    After work, she intended to go to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ce to beg for forgiveness. She wouldn¡¯t shirk responsibility on the matter.

    Yet Special Assistant Yang stating that sheins about the work and how he found it difficult to coordinate work schedules between her and her colleagues was really out of line. On top of that, it was an absurd usation to make against a new intern fresh out of college.

    Huo Shaoheng had once told her that she could not assume that Special Assistant Yang had it out for her just because he criticized her once or twice. But now things had changed. This was much more than one or two criticisms. It was now apparent that Special Assistant Yang loathed her for some reason, and that he was going out of his way to ensure that she did not stay employed there.

    Gu Nianzhi was okay with not working in that office, but she refused to sit idly by while she was being ndered in such a malicious way, nor would she allow her integrity and work ethic to be doubted. Especially by an elder like Speaker Long, who had high hopes for her. All of this made her feel wretched inside.

    For someone like her to diligently work all the way to where she was today, having all of her hard work undone by some borate scheme was uneptable to her.

    Gu Nianzhi cleared her throat and started fighting back against Special Assistant Yang.

    ¡°Speaker Long, was this document really that important?¡± She first needed to gauge the severity of the situation.

    When a mistake happens, there always needs to be somebody to take responsibility for it.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind taking responsibility, but it shouldn¡¯t be her alone.

    Speaker Long narrowed his eyes and said in a displeased tone, ¡°An exceedingly important document indeed, yet it was dyed for more than twenty hours. Shaoheng himself was forced to find me, and it was two in the morning when it finally got signed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt her heart sink, but her mind quickly went over all the documents concerning the secretariat that she had looked over since the day she first arrived, and she proceeded to ask calmly, ¡°Then, I want to ask, how could such arge government branch such as the secretariat not have any regtions concerning the whereabouts of crucial documents?¡±

    As one of the most powerful government bureaucracies, how was it possible for the Senate not to have implemented any regtions or procedures concerning such issues?

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi asked, Special Assistant Yang¡¯s sense of relief instantly vanished.

    Speaker Long had been too busy wallowing in guilt at the thought of potentially causing trouble for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s operation that he hadn¡¯t even considered what Gu Nianzhi had brought up.

    Speaker Long quickly regained his sense and nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Of course. The secretariat is not a newly established branch. How can we not have formal procedures concerning this?¡±

    ¡°As long as there are established procedures, then all is good.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Then let us continue ording to established procedures. The person responsible should be the one taking the me. We can¡¯t let Special Assistant Yang be the scapegoat, now, can we Speaker Long?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s face darkened.

    In all the years that he had worked in that department, no one had dared to bring up the official procedures with him!

    Most of the so-called procedures had been established by him anyway!

    But if they had gone by the established procedures, then ording to the regtions concerning the handling of documents, depending on the importance of the document, different people would deal with it.

    In terms of the importance of the particr document that Huo Shaoheng had sent, it should have been a high-ranking senior member dealing with it.

    In other words, ording to the procedures that he had established, that document of utmost importance should have been personally handled by Special Assistant Yang himself!

 Chapter 1017 - Dire Situations Call for Exceptions

    <h4>1017 Dire Situations Call for Exceptions</h4>

    When Special Assistant Yang thought about how those regtions had been established by himself, he started sweating profusely.

    The mere thought that those documents hade from Huo Shaoheng, and that it had concerned inaction on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s part, had been enough for him to know that Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t press the issue further, and certainly wouldn¡¯t demand that Special Assistant Yang take responsibility for it.

    Since Huo Shaoheng is willing to do anything to protect Gu Nianzhi, Special Assistant Yang thought he could take advantage of that and dere that Huo Shaoheng was abusing his powers. That way, he would paint himself as a martyr being tormented, which would allow him to gain pity and favors from Speaker Long.

    All of the high-ranking senior members of the empire knew that Speaker Long despised people in high positions that exploited their power for personal gain, or for the sole purpose of lording their power over others.

    As long as Huo Shaoheng was seen as exploiting his power by Speaker Long, not only would his future career prospects be ruined, Gu Nianzhi would take the heat as well. She would no longer be trained as an apprentice to seed him eventually.

    How could such a perfect ¡®kill two birds with one stone¡¯ type of scheme be thwarted by something as simple as official procedure?!

    No way. He wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen.

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s eyes gleamed, and he cackled withughter. ¡°Matters like this can¡¯t be defined that easily. After all, procedures are fixed and rigid, while humans are alive and flexible. During a critical period like this, we should all be more flexible and willing to make exceptions.¡±

    As Special Assistant Yang spoke, he kept an eye on Speaker Long¡¯s bodynguage. Seeing that Speaker Long seemed to nod slightly in agreement, Special Assistant Yang¡¯s anxiousness transformed into relief.

    Thinking about Huo Shaoheng, Special Assistant Yang suddenly thought of something else and said, ¡°Just like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Forces Operations, ording to protocol, they are not supposed to meddle with domestic affairs. Yet this provisional election is a time of crisis, and desperate times call for desperate measures. So, an exception has been made, and they were allowed to intervene in the domestic sphere, with surveince for the provisional election. You see, this is a great example of what I¡¯m trying to say.¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze appeared to be nonchntly fixed upon Speaker Long, in reality, she had been watching Special Assistant Yang¡¯s change in expression from the corner of her eye.

    Hearing his arduous attempts to shirk me from himself and back onto her, Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and met Special Assistant Yang¡¯s gaze.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t miss a beat and said, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, please don¡¯t use far-fetched excuses. Let¡¯s focus on the issue at hand, which is the secretariat¡¯s handling of such documents. So, you¡¯re saying that depending on the situation, an exception might be made, and there might not be a standard protocol? Well then, let¡¯s just focus on typical situations that actually do involve protocol. So, ording to the procedures, who should be the one responsible for dealing with a document such as this?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang gulped, finding himself at a loss for words.

    Gu Nianzhi took in all of the nuances of Special Assistant Yang¡¯s facial expression, continuing to say, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, howe you are sweating so much? Unless, ording to standard protocol, you are the one who was supposed to be responsible for dealing with this document?!¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s smile vanished, and he looked at Special Assistant Yang. Seeing his current state, Speaker Long refrained from harshly scolding him.

    Gu Nianzhi shifted her focus away from Speaker Long and happily stated, ¡°If Special Assistant Yang isn¡¯t begging to differ, then I must have guessed correctly. ording to the procedures, the rightful course of action would have been for Special Assistant Yang to deliver those important documents personally. How else should it have been?! Since it truly was such a crucial document delivered personally by Huo Shaoheng from the Special Operations Forces, of course, the most senior member of staff from the secretariat should have been the one handling it. Right?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang shot daggers at Gu Nianzhi but found himself between a rock and a hard ce. He couldn¡¯t speak without implicating himself, yet remaining silent would indicate guilt as well.

    Special Assistant Yang found himself unable toe up with any further excuses. He wished he could just crawl into a hole and hide from his shame.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was not going to let him off the hook that easily. ¡°So, what you mean to say is that it was your fault that the crucial documents didn¡¯t get signed in a timely manner and that the responsibility lies entirely with you?¡± she continued, full of amusement. ¡°And that you certainly haven¡¯t been trying to make a scapegoat out of anyone else, and especially haven¡¯t been trying to make me a scapegoat, is that correct?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang choked out some unintelligible words. He appeared to be fuming with rage, with his cheeks puffed out like a toad.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to speak, saying, ¡°Taking this all back a step, like Special Assistant Yang said, in matters of urgency, it would be for the best not to rigidly adhere to protocol. So, let¡¯s discuss the Special Operations Forces¡¯ surveince on the provisional election.¡±

    ¡°What is there to discuss? Miss Gu, this isn¡¯t a matter someone like you is qualified to speak about, so you better watch your tongue,¡± Special Assistant Yang said.

    Seeing how Gu Nianzhi had circled back to her original argument, Special Assistant Yang began to regain some nerve and felt somewhat emboldened.

    Special Assistant Yang had been contemptuous of Gu Nianzhi right from the beginning, as he believed that she hade this far not by her own efforts, but by depending on favors from men.

    In court, Gu Nianzhi depended on her influential mentor He Zhichu.

    In daily life, of course, Gu Nianzhi relied on her ¡®ex-boyfriend¡¯ Huo Shaoheng.

    Thinking about that made Special Assistant Yang purse his lips in disdain. He felt contempt for Huo Shaoheng as well.

    Gu Nianzhi certainly wasn¡¯t the type of person that would stay silent just because someone ordered her to.

    Even if Huo Shaoheng had been the one issuing the order, she still wouldn¡¯t have obeyed unconditionally.

    Not to mention, the person giving the order was Special Assistant Yang, not someone that mattered to her.

    Gu Nianzhi furtively stole a few nces at Speaker Long and noticed his gradually hardening expression. She decided to press the matter further and show no mercy despite her apparent victory. ¡°Since Special Assistant Yang is using the Special Operations Forces as an example of an exception made during urgent circumstances, then lets thoroughly discuss it.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang regained hisposure and interrupted her, sounding annoyed. ¡°Do you feel like you are qualified to express your opinion on the matter at hand? I¡¯ve reiterated this many times already, do you have trouble understanding human speech?¡±

    ¡°I understand human speech. Non-human ones? Not so much,¡± Gu Nianzhi dered icily with a cold expression.

    Speaker Long hadn¡¯t had the chance to express his opinion yet, but for some reason, Special Assistant Yang felt dignified in repeatedly interrupting her, being downright discourteous.

    Gu Nianzhi saw no further point in keeping up a polite fa?ade. She looked at Speaker Long and said, ¡°Speaker Long, the first day I arrived here, I saw various documents stating how the Special Operations Forces overseeing the surveince of the interim election depended on signature permissions from General Ji, Speaker Long, and a Cab member of ministerial rank. Because of all of that, they are able to break protocol and intervene in domestic affairs, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    Speaker Long nodded and said quietly, ¡°Of course. Otherwise, how could Shaoheng ept such a task?¡±

    If it caused him to overstep his authority or if it was illegal, Huo Shaoheng would have never done it.

    That was also one of the reasons that Speaker Long had left Huo Shaoheng in charge of the Special Operations Forces.

    It was because Speaker Long was confident that Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t abuse his authority, and that he would adhere tow and protocol.

    Receiving an affirmative response from Speaker Long, Gu Nianzhi immediately turned towards Special Assistant Yang, asking him, ¡°How about you, Special Assistant Yang? Such an important document, yet you write off its mishandling as being due to an exception in urgent circumstances. Where did you obtain the permission to make such an exception? Who gave you the right to dere this as such?! Or are you saying that you yourself possess the authority to determine which instances qualify as exceptions without requesting permission from other parties?

    ¡°Do you honestly think you have the authority to make decisions concerning the secretariat without adhering to protocol or consulting Speaker Long? Special Assistant Yang, may I inquire as to whether this is your secretariat or Speaker Long¡¯s?!¡±

    The only thing left was for Gu Nianzhi to physically point her finger at Special Assistant Yang¡¯s nose and use him of overriding Speaker Long¡¯s authority.

    Speaker Long appeared dismayed and turned towards the visibly distressed Special Assistant Yang. ¡°Nianzhi has a valid point. This is the Senate, and as a legitive branch, if we ourselves don¡¯t abide by thew and arbitrarily break protocol, then what would be the meaning of our branch¡¯s existence? We might as well be disestablished,¡± he said quietly.

    The weight of his words couldn¡¯t be understated.

    Special Assistant Yang was rmed by Speaker Long¡¯s words.

    He stood up fearfully and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat from his brow as he stammered, ¡°Spe-Speaker Long, things aren¡¯t how they seem. I-I-I really had been too busy, and had been pulling several all-nighters-¡±

    ¡°Busy? Who isn¡¯t busy? Special Assistant Yang said earlier that all I ever do is y on my phone, so may I request the surveince footage for this office to be retrieved so we all may see exactly how much time I have spent on my phone?¡± Gu Nianzhi smirked as she spoke. ¡°Besides, how can one forgo one¡¯s fundamental responsibilities just because they are busy? Special Assistant Yang, you really have some unusual double standards.

    ¡°When it¡¯s someone else¡¯s fault that the document hasn¡¯t been sent, you call it being picky and uncooperative, yet when it¡¯s discovered that you are at fault, you justify it with being too busy. You forget there is room for forgiveness, and you downy the significance of it all. Anyway, it seems like you are the most powerful one in the secretariat. The ones who obey you stay on your good side, while the ones who dare to cross you suffer the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Special Assistant Yang protested. He could hardly suppress the urge to cover Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®the ones who dare to cross you suffer the consequences¡¯? When has this ever urred?! Stop uttering such nonsense!¡±

    ¡°I never make unfounded assertions.¡± Gu Nianzhi wiggled her fingers dismissively. ¡°Speaker Long is here, every word you say reaches not only my ears but his as well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was unwavering in her reasoning. She saw no further use in keeping up a polite pretense.

    There no longer seemed to be the possibility of an amicablepromise, so they might as well put everything on the table and let Speaker Long decide.

    She would no longer turn a blind eye to Special Assistant Yang¡¯s conspicuous attempts to victimize her. She would fight back hard and let him get a taste of his own medicine!

    Speaker Long had been aware of Special Assistant Yang¡¯s personal ws to a certain extent but had turned the other way due to his belief that nobody was perfect, and had tolerated it.

    As long as no severe damage was done, Speaker Long had been willing to turn the other cheek. Yet today, Special Assistant Yang¡¯s tendency for abusing his power was not only on full disy but also at a heightened severity.

    So, Speaker Long¡¯s kindness and tolerance had overindulged Special Assistant Yang to the point that he felt as though he had free reign over the secretariat?

    Speaker Long¡¯s displeasure with Special Assistant Yang had already reached its limit, but he couldn¡¯te down too hard on Special Assistant Yang in front of Gu Nianzhi. It would cause him to lose all of his credibilitypletely.

    Lifting his hands, Speaker Long said to Gu Nianzhi with a smile, ¡°Nianzhi, you may be excused now. Come drop by my officeter in the day, and we¡¯ll have a little chat.¡±

    ¡°Alright, well, I won¡¯t keep you from your work anymore.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up, nodded at Speaker Long, turned around, and left the office, all without acknowledging Special Assistant Yang.

    Only after he saw Gu Nianzhi leave the room and the door close behind her did Special Assistant Yang suddenly break down into tears and start begging for forgiveness. He expressed his willingness to ept any punishment.

    Watching his pitiful state, Speaker Long merely sighed and said, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, you have been by my side for about ten years now. I have never been a particrly stern boss, but now I see that my leniency has indulged you too much.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang shook inside and hurriedly proimed, ¡°Speaker Long, this is entirely my fault. I have let you down. Punish me however you want. Demote me, decrease my sry ¨C I¡¯m willing to take it. By god, as long as you continue to let me work for you! I¡¯ll even take no pay!¡±

    Speaker Long looked at him with pity and said, ¡°You have been working too much. If this amount of work is enough for you to lose yourself and forget what is truly important, then I think you should take a long time off to get some rest.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Special Assistant Yang stared at Speaker Long for a moment, looking absolutely devastated. ¡°How can I take time off at such a critical point?¡±

    An uneasy look crossed Speaker Long¡¯s face. He smiled a little and said, ¡°I don¡¯t even have the authority to tell my subordinate to take some time off? Special Assistant Yang, it seems like Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t wrong after all.¡±

 Chapter 1018 - I Have Some Offensive Things to Say, Can You Take It?

    <h4>1018 I Have Some Offensive Things to Say, Can You Take It?</h4>

    Speaker Long actually took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side!

    To Special Assistant Yang, it seemed like the end of the world was nearing.

    Staring at Speaker Long, he seemed to bepletely drenched with tears.

    ¡°Speaker Long, Speaker Long, please don¡¯t be like this! I¡¯ve been working at the secretariat for so many years, don¡¯t I at least deserve some credit for my efforts...? I want to reiterate that it was truly an ident, and I really was too busy to remember...¡± Special Assistant Yang pleaded.

    His current appearance was a stark contrast to his usual dignified mannerisms and the graceful way he carried his slender body. Now, he seemed like a toad that had broken its spine. His usual charismatic persona was nowhere to be seen.

    Speaker Long sympathetically patted his back, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t stress yourself out too much. Just go home and take some much-needed time off. After the interim election is over and Cab affairs are settled, then we can discuss your work issues.¡±

    Hearing what Speaker Long said, Special Assistant Yang felt as though Speaker Long still had some faith in him, and he felt a flicker of hope rise up.

    He pulled out his handkerchief to wipe away his tears and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do what you say, Speaker Long. If you want me to take some time off, then that¡¯s how it will be. Although, who do you have in mind as my sessor? I can brief him on the job.¡±

    Speaker Long nced towards hisputer. He seemed to have no intention of furthering the conversation. ¡°You just focus on summarizing your work at hand and give me the memo.¡±

    He refrained from telling him who his sessor was.

    Special Assistant Yang mped his mouth shut, shooting several nces at Speaker Long. However, Speaker Long refused to meet his eye.

    Finally getting the message that Speaker Long was indeed done with him this time, Special Assistant Yang sheepishly left Speaker Long¡¯s office and returned to his own.

    His office was on the same floor. Although not as spacious as Speaker Long¡¯s office, it certainly wasn¡¯t small either.

    Standing before the window in his office and looking out at the beautiful scenery in front of him made the previous events an even harder pill to swallow.

    After graduating from B University¡¯s Undergraduate Law School, Special Assistant Yang had been epted to the secretariat due to his academic excellence. He had worked his way up for ten years, starting as a low-ranking secretary and moving up all the way to where he stood now.

    Yet his current position was not secure.

    Although Speaker Long was satisfied with him, he had no further intention of mentoring him as an apprentice. As if being a Special Assistant at the secretariat was his end career goal and the zenith of his career.

    Of course, for the highly ambitious and opportunistic Special Assistant Yang, this was far from satisfying.

    Therefore, when Speaker Long started scouting for talent outside of the secretariat, Special Assistant Yang had already felt as though his career prospects were being jeopardized.

    When Cai Shengnan and Gu Nianzhi, two people Speaker Long had nothing but praise for, had appeared, Special Assistant Yang felt like he needed to do something about it.

    He knew that unless he acted quickly to eliminate the threat, sooner orter, these two so-called stars would threaten his chances of rising to the top, bing his most potent rivals, and perhaps even rece him one day!

    Moreover, between Cai Shengnan and Gu Nianzhi, Special Assistant Yang had always considered special Gu Nainzhi to be the weaker one and, therefore, an easier target, so he decided to eliminate her first.

    Yet he never imagined that his borate scheme would be dismantled by the hands of Gu Nianzhi.

    With a downcast face, Special Assistant Yang packed his belongings into his briefcase, then wrote a summary of all he had been working on. He sent a memo to Speaker Long¡¯s email. Only after all of this had been done did he take his briefcase and leave, telling some confidants, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well, so I¡¯m taking some time off. You guys better not ck off while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°How could we?!¡±

    ¡°Special Assistant Yang, you need not worry. We will work diligently!¡±

    ¡°Special Assistant Yang, you have been working too hard. You should see a doctor if you feel unwell.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s colleagues said their farewells and saw him out the door.

    Special assistant Yang knew that Speaker Long wouldn¡¯t let him lose the respect of his colleagues. He knew that the real reason he was forced to take time off would not be announced.

    Although, Gu Nianzhi would definitely spread nasty rumors about him to their other colleagues.

    Which was somewhat justified, since if Gu Nianzhi had been the one being forced to take time off, Special Assistant Yang definitely would have taken the opportunity to do as much damage to her reputation as he could.

    Working at the secretariat required being cunning and fierce.

    Without others falling, you won¡¯t rise.

    If you were going to step on others to get ahead, make sure you finished the job because if not, it woulde back to bite you in the end.

    Special Assistant Yang could personally attest to that.

    This incident was the perfect example. He had tried to step on Gu Nianzhi, yet failed miserably due to the fact that he hadn¡¯t made sure to finish the job.

    Passing by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny workspace, Special Assistant Yang paused to smile at her and say, ¡°Miss Gu, let me say this to you out of friendship. Life is a pendulum; nobody will always be lucky, and nobody will always suffer misfortune.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had spoken too much with Speaker Long and Special Assistant Yang while wearing her mask, and while the interior of the mask was pure cotton and, therefore, very soft. However,pared to her skin, it was still far too rough. The corners of her mouth stung from the constant rubbing.

    Earlier, after she left Speaker Long¡¯s office, she headed directly for the bathroom, took off the mask, and examined herself in a smallpact mirror. She discovered that the skin around her mouth was red and swollen, and starkly contrasted with the surrounding porcin skin. It was a hideous and unnatural sight.

    When Special Assistant Yang passed by with his briefcase in hand, she honestly felt no interest in engaging in any sort of interaction with him, let alone participating in a conversation.

    Every time she spoke, she felt a painful rubbing sensation.

    Yet she had never thought that Special Assistant Yang still wouldn¡¯t have learned his lesson, or that he would stop over to do somest-minute damage.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes.

    Suppressing the difort around her mouth, she said calmly, ¡°Right back at you. Don¡¯t keep focusing on other people. Perhaps you should examine yourself some more. Don¡¯t you think this bad blood between us should be settled once and for all and put behind us? I¡¯m getting annoyed with you always being out to get me.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang was simmering with rage inside and snickered, saying, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to listen to my advice, that¡¯s up to you. I guess I should have minded my own business since you obviously don¡¯t appreciate me sharing this piece of wisdom!¡±

    ¡°I have some offensive things to say, can you take it?¡± Gu Nianzhi said.

    The two of them butted heads, and neither one seemed to have the intention of backing down first. At that moment, the intern Special Assistant Yang had recruited, Rong Mingxing, came in and said timidly, ¡°Special Assistant Yang...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hands and turned around to face herrge LCD monitor to indicate that she was busy and had no intention of entertaining any further dialogue.

    Special Assistant Yang sneered as he walked away, bringing Rong Mingxing to the small meeting room outside.

    ¡°Senior Yang, are you ill? Is it severe? Is there someone to take care of you?¡± Seeing that it was just the two of them, Rong Mingxing addressed him more intimately.

    Special Assistant Yang treated Rong Mingxing much better than he treated Gu Nianzhi.

    He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a small fever, it¡¯ll subside after a day or two of rest. You need not worry.¡±

    ...

    While Special Assistant Yang said goodbye to Rong Mingxing in the small meeting room, Huo Shaoheng was at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces, busy reexamining Hong Kangquan¡¯s microchip tracking data in the central control room.

    The data bewildered Huo Shaoheng.

    ording to the microchip tracking data, Hong Kangquan had stayed home all night yesterday and had never stepped foot outside!

    Then who on earth had his subordinates been followingst night?

    Could it be that they tailed the wrong person?

    That seemed unlikely.

    The two Special Operations Forces members he had following Hong Kangquan used a pin-sized camera to record the whole their entire night.

    He saw with his own eyes that Hong Kangquan had left his residence and called a taxi that then headed for the gay bar.

    Hong Kangquan was the one seen on the recording.

    So why wasn¡¯t the microchip data reflecting what they saw with their own eyes?

    Huo Shaoheng rested his chin in his hands. He seemed to be deep in thought.

    ...

    At the same time, in an apartment near the Sihuan district subway station, the police were investigating Lu Dayong¡¯s death.

    Thendlord regretted renting the room to Lu Dayong. Now he had to furiously defend his innocence to the cops and swear that he had nothing to do with Lu Dayong¡¯s death!

    Furthermore, his property had been burnt down, and the cost of the repair was estimated to be an extraordinary amount.

    Not to mention the fact that neighboring property was damaged as well, and he was responsible forpensating them. How truly distressful.

    The police couldn¡¯t care less about thepensation procedures. Their focus was on Lu Dayong¡¯s death the night before.

    After interrogating thendlord, the police started interviewing the neighbors.

    The interviews provided intriguing pieces of information.

    ¡°Sir, there was indeed an incidentst night. Someone was looking for Lu Dayong. They got into a fight so loud that the entire floor could hear.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! I even opened the door to see who it was, and it was a loan shark! Tall and burly, had a booming voice as well, absolutely terrifying!¡±

 Chapter 1019 - You Are the One I Am Hitting

    <h4>1019 You Are the One I Am Hitting</h4>

    ¡°Gu Dayong fought with somebodyst night?¡± The cop was intrigued by that piece of news.

    Although the preliminary investigation had shown that Lu Dayongmitted suicide by jumping off of a building, they had to probe into the underlying reason for the suicide.

    ¡°That¡¯s right; they were fighting really loudly. He saw using out, and only then did he drag that person inside.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just here to collect a debt. We¡¯ve seen tons of these loan sharks collecting debts, and they¡¯re all just like him!¡±

    The police interviewed multiple parties, collected evidence, and then visited the one-bedroom apartment Lu Dayong had lived in to conduct their investigation.

    Unfortunately, it had beenpletely reduced to ashes, including theputer. It had been burned so badly that only the exterior shell remained.

    In the end, the police retrieved the charred hard disk, and that was the only thing they took from the scene of the fire.

    Further examination of the window that Lu Dayong fell from led to the discovery of evidence indicating that he had climbed out the window, then plunged from the windowsill. There were tiny bits of shredded paper and specks of dust, which were probably remnants from the fire.

    From what they had gathered from witnesses and circumstantial evidence, the police came to the preliminary conclusion that after being extorted by loan sharks there to collect a debt, Lu Dayong leaped to his death.

    However, their conclusion was not beyond a reasonable doubt, since there were still some unexined aspects.

    For example, who was the arsonist?

    If the arsonist was Lu Dayong himself, the fire could be interpreted as ast-ditch effort performed by the world-weary Lu Dayong to vent his anger.

    If the arsonist wasn¡¯t Lu Dayong, but the loan shark instead, then there would be reasonable doubt about his death.

    The arsonist must have set off the fire to cover up the evidence of the crime.

    But if the loan shark was indeed the murderer, his motive was inexplicable.

    The loan shark was after the money. If Lu Dayong was dead, who would he extort the money from?

    Looking at it that way, suicide seemed more likely.

    Of course, these were still in the preliminary stages of the investigation.

    Solving the case would require more evidence. The data recovered from Lu Dayong¡¯sputer hard disk would be especially helpful, and would probably prove to be crucial.

    Lu Dayong¡¯s body had already been sent to the funeral home, and his family would be notified so they coulde and identify his body.

    The police work unraveled in an orderly fashion.

    ...

    Special Assistant Yang had left the Parliament building and returned home for his forced vacation. Speaker Long ordered Gu Nianzhi to be brought back to his office for a conversation.

    This time it was only her and Speaker Long present.

    Without the hostile gaze of the antagonistic Special Assistant Yang, Gu Nianzhi felt much more at ease.

    She even helped herself to a cup of tea, making one for Speaker Long as well with his very own tea set.

    Speaker Long downed the tea in the tiny cup in one long chug.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I never knew you had quite the talent for tea-making.¡± Speaker Long handed the teacup back to her with a smile. ¡°Can you make another cup for me to drink?¡± The sweet aroma, the overflowing freshness... it was a lovely tea! Nice tea!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, saying, ¡°These are all your tea leaves, it is as if I have borrowed flowers from your own garden to give to you. I have embarrassed myself.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, you are too modest. There are lots of things that you can do, yet we cannot.¡± Speaker Long took the time to sincerely apologized to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Ourst meeting has opened me up to your ridicule. The senate secretariat was not like this before.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°There are all kinds of fish in the sea, and I am prepared to deal with every type.¡±

    ¡°This matter isn¡¯t your fault. We didn¡¯t do our job properly, and you bore the brunt of the me.¡± Speaker Long patted her shoulders, treating her like someone he was mentoring.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t usually get mistreated because I fire right back. Speaking of unfairness, the other person fared far worse than me,¡± she said.

    Gu Nianzhi was talking about Special Assistant Yang. Seeing the dumbstruck look that had been stered on his face made Gu Nianzhi secretly feel a sick sense of pleasure deep down.

    Speaker Long smiled and nodded, saying, ¡°Nianzhi, I like how upfront you are. Keep it up.¡±

    ¡°OK. I say what¡¯s on my mind, Speaker Long. Please don¡¯t mind if I¡¯m too talkative.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    Speaker Long smiled for a while, then asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, Special Assistant Yang will not be able to return for a while. Who do you should be responsible for the duties of the parliamentary secretary¡¯s job in the future?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Speaker Long in shock. The ck and white panda-colored mask concealed half of her face, further emphasizing her ssy eyes and how they seemed reminiscent of the bright, starry night sky.

    Speaker Long narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any thoughts? I was even considering offering you the position of Parliament Secretary, but I worried that would be too much work. You work around the clock. I¡¯m afraid Huo Shaoheng would be resentful, haha.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She did not want people to continue associating all of her aplishments with Huo Shaoheng, so all she did was sigh lightly and say, ¡°Huo Shaoheng won¡¯t think that way since we are no longer together. Although, don¡¯t you think that entrusting the position of parliamentary secretary to a recent graduate is somewhat rash?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any confidence?¡± Speaker Long asked meaningfully. ¡°When Special Assistant Yang first became my subordinate, he had also recently concluded his undergraduate studies.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t about confidence,¡± Gu Nianzhi said, shaking her head. ¡°Doing this job requires certain qualifications and experiences, and I am aware that I am far from qualified in these aspects. And again, my passion lies inw. I am open to working here as a legal advisor, but in terms of bing a full-time assistant, I am still unprepared.¡±

    Listening to Gu Nianzhi turning down the offer, Speaker Long was not angry. In fact, he even startedughing heartily.

    ¡°All right, I understand. Nianzhi, you may be excused. Assigning you to the secretariat for the moment must have been troubling for you,¡± Speaker Long said while beaming. After he excused Gu Nianzhi, he called in another senior secretary and offered him Special Assistant Yang¡¯s position temporarily.

    The office was full of people, none of them any less qualified than Special Assistant Yang.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brazen refusal to ept the position led Speaker Long to hold her in higher regard.

    Competent yet self-aware. That trait is exceptionally rare.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know that she has passed yet another one of Speaker Long¡¯s tests. Perhaps she did know, yet she didn¡¯t care.

    After all, her goal for participating in that internship was not the pursuit of status and power, but for something else entirely.

    She had already achieved her end goal, and now all she had to do was see how Cai Songyin reacted.

    Over thest couple of days, Cai Songyin had been keeping a low-profile, which didn¡¯t make sense at all.

    She was thinking everything over when she suddenly thought, speak of the devil.

    Of course, it was not the devil itself, but rather its think-tank, Cai Songyin¡¯s niece, madam Cai Shengnan.

    During Prime Minister Tan¡¯s impeachment, Cai Shengnan had been loafing around the Senate for about a month, so she was familiar with the people around there.

    She was not only one of the people Speaker Long publicly expressed his high regard for, but she also possessed a pass that allowed her to go in and out of the Parliament. Therefore, she had free ess to that area.

    Heading straight toward Gu Nianzhi, then stopping right beside her, Cai Shengnan crossed her arms, looked Gu Nianzhi up and down, and suddenly said, ¡°Miss Gu, working while sick is actually not a good habit.¡±

    Hearing Cai Shengnan¡¯s voice, Gu Nianzhi was somewhat amused.

    She was just thinking about how Cai Songyin had been keeping such a low-profiletely, then lo and behold, there she is.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly turned off her monitor, stood up, then turned around to face Cai Shengnan and asked, ¡°Miss Cai, what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°Please, call me Lawyer Cai. Don¡¯t use ¡®miss¡¯ to mock me.¡± She pursed her lips and settled her gaze on Nianzhi¡¯s masked face, which looked out of ce in the office. She reached out to yank the mask off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Miss Gu, has your face really been injured?¡±

    Her strength fit her robustness, and the forcefulness of the yank made Gu Nianzhi feel as if her ears were about to be ripped off.

    The mask was yanked off, and in turn, revealed Nianzhi¡¯s condition.

    Although it did not seem as swollen as the video seemed to indicate, it still appeared extremely inmed, and it seemed as though the swelling had notpletely subsided.

    ¡°It really was bruised,¡± Cai Shengnan muttered to herself.

    In reality, the condition of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face had been made worse by too much talking while wearing the mask. The talking caused the mask to rub against her face, making it even more inmed, swollen, and painful.

    Nevertheless, her facial wound was her own business. Having her mask yanked off her face and exposing her injury for the world to see was beyond humiliating and infuriating, plus it produced a painful burning sensation.

    Without hesitation, the instant Cai Shengnan yanked the mask off her face, Gu Nianzhi struck her across the face with a sharp p.

    ¡°How dare you p me?!¡± Cai Shengnan grasped her face and eximed in astonishment.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m pping you all right! I am acting in self-defense, Lawyer Cai. Perhaps you have some sort of misconception about the nature of self-defense?¡± Gu Nianzhi dered self-righteously as she shook her hands at Cai Shengnan. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite a sturdy face there. Hitting your face hurt my hands.¡±

 Chapter 1020 - How Dare She?

    <h4>1020 How Dare She?</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand was strong. Besides, she had run drills with Huo Shaoheng a few times before. A mere p from her hurt more than usual.

    Cai Shengnan instantly burst into tears. The tears weren¡¯t caused by the pain itself. Rather, they were caused by the fact that Gu Nianzhi had struck her across the nose, which caused it to tingle and, in turn, involuntarily caused tears to flow.

    Gu Nianzhi was caught off guard and stared at her own hands in astonishment. ¡°Did it really hurt that bad? Lawyer Cai, you almost ripped my ears off, and I didn¡¯t even cry. Yet you¡¯re here crying because of a simple p...¡±

    Cai Shengnan also felt ashamed over crying in front of Gu Nianzhi and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. ¡°This is a biological response to a stressor, aren¡¯t you aware?¡± she said, defending herself. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you dare use self-defense to blur the lines and downy the fact that you hit someone. If you can threaten to sue Mr. Cai for an unintentional transgression of his, I can also sue you for this p!¡±

    ¡°Sue me. I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her ears, carefully situating the mask that Cai Shengnan had yanked off.

    Cai Shengnan recalled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s swollen and inmed face from before and began to feel uneasy.

    Why did her auntie want her to confirm whether or not Gu Nianzhi had indeed been injured?

    She really had been injured...

    She had already seen the wound on television two days ago. Seeing it up-close and in-person today, it looked even more severe.

    Her delicate skin was severely damaged, and it appeared inmed and swollen.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s eyes flickered, and she said viciously, ¡°Fine, just you wait for my demand letter.¡±

    ¡°Right back at you,¡± Gu Nianzhi shot back. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m awyer as well.¡±

    Cai Shengnan stuck out her fingers to point at Gu Nianzhi, then stormed away.

    Only then did the other employees of the secretariat surround her and inquire sympathetically, ¡°Little Gu, are you all right? Do you need some rest? The wound on your face seems like it¡¯s gotten worse.¡±

    ¡°Such a fine-looking girl, it would be pitiful for that facial injury to tarnish her beauty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no intention of continuing her work. She packed her belongings, requested a leave of absence from the new person in charge, and then left her work area.

    First, she went to the Special Operations Forces¡¯ temporarymand center to meet with Huo Shaoheng.

    Only after she arrived did she realize that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t there. Only Yin Shixiong was currently there to oversee the members of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ final preparations before the big election.

    ¡°Nianzhi, that Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t do you any harm, did she?¡± Yin Shixiong asked, concerned. He pointed to the dozens of surveince monitors in front of him, saying, ¡°I saw what happened when she yanked off your mask.¡±

    Although Yin Shixiong had also witnessed Gu Nianzhi p Cai Shengnan in return, he didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with that response.

    From his point of view, the person to instigate was always the guilty party, and they deserved whatever act of vengeance would follow.

    Gu Nianzhi touched her ears, still feeling some lingering pain, and muttered, ¡°That woman was acting like a maniac, suddenly ripping my mask off. She almost yanked my ears off with it. Big Xiong look, does my ear look alright to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head so that Yin Shixiong could inspect her ear.

    When Yin Shixiong looked closer, he realized that her ear was indeed scraped, and there was some dried-up blood on the tip of it.

    ¡°Screw her! And she says she¡¯s a prestigiouswyer from the US! Someone with her morals?¡± Yin Shixiong huffed and puffed as he brought out the first aid kit, took the cotton swab and ointment out, and rubbed it on her ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s not unusual.¡± Gu Nianzhi gasped and hissed, the ointment stinging her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t think Americanwyers are all high and mighty. To Americans, other than members of Congress,wyers are about the most despicable beings there are. In this industry, if you don¡¯t have any limits, it is easy to lose all morality. As long as they can escape legal repercussions, there are no limits on what they can do.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled as he packed the first aid kit back up. ¡°Nianzhi, you will never be one of those people. I¡¯ll have to pretend I don¡¯t know you if you do.¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. There are goodwyers, and I¡¯m one of the good guys,¡± she said as she giggled. The ointment had alleviated the pain. She looked around again, then asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Huo Shao?¡±

    She refrained from brazenly calling Huo Shaoheng because this was a busy time, and she didn¡¯t want to bother him. She also didn¡¯t want to stir up any trouble for herself, for that matter.

    If he was on another assignment, that was all the more another reason not to bother him.

    Yin Shixiong hadn¡¯t heard Gu Nianzhi asking after Huo Shaoheng¡¯s whereabouts for a long time, and he promptly smiled. ¡°Huo Shaoheng returned to the station to work. I¡¯m the one in charge here. I just remembered; I have something that needs to be delivered to the station. Can you help me deliver it to him?¡±

    If Yin Shixiong had really needed to have something returned, he would not have needed Gu Nianzhi to do it.

    The actual reason he asked was to give her a valid excuse to visit Huo Shaoheng without her having to forgo her pride.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bashfully, took the piece of paper that Yin Shixiong handed her, and tactfully said, ¡°I coincidentally have the spare time.¡±

    Yin Shixiong watched her leave the Parliament building, feeling amused, and immediately called Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Huo Shao?¡± he said.

    ¡°What?¡± Huo Shaoheng typed away furiously at hisputer.

    Yin Shixiong hurriedly reported, ¡°Huo Shao, Cai Shengnan just came to the Parliament building to see Nianzhi. The two got into some sort of conflict, and now Nianzhi is heading over to the station to see you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was in the Special Operations Forces central control room back at headquarters conducting research on the issues with Hong Kangquan¡¯s microchip tracker.

    They had already initiated full surveince on Hong Kangquan.

    So far, Hong Kangquan hadn¡¯t done anything suspicious.

    As a result, Huo Shaoheng began to wonder whether or not Tan Guiren¡¯s words could be trusted.

    Was Hong Kangquan really the mastermind behind Cai Songyin¡¯s scheme?

    When he heard that there was a heated encounter between Cai Shengnan and Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s typing paused. Wearing his Bluetooth headset, he stood up from hisputer, asking, ¡°There was a fight? What was it about?¡±

    ¡°Cai Shengnan ripped Nianzhi¡¯s mask off and scraped her ear in the process. Nianzhi pped her across the face.¡± While rting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s response, Yin Shixiong snickered maliciously.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Why did she rip Nianzhi¡¯s mask off?¡±

    ¡°Who knows, perhaps out of dislike? That mask was extraordinarily hideous! Why would you give her such a mask?¡± Yin Shixiong smacked the desk. ¡°Panda colors only look cute on pandas, they look absolutely bizarre on people!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him. That mask was custom made for her. Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t need to know all the specifics.

    ¡°Is there anything else? If not, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Huo Shaoheng hung up and resumed working for half an hour. He finished part of what he had been working on. Only then did he dig a piece of a cigarette out of his pocket, walk out of the central control room, and return to his official residence.

    He didn¡¯t go in and quietly smoked his cigarette under a tree by the front door instead.

    Spring in the imperial capital boasted clear skies, tender green leaves, and gentle breezes.

    He didn¡¯t have to wait long for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red sports car to pull up.

    He squinted and readily tossed the cigarette in the garbage can on the corner.

    Gu Nianzhi parked her car in the parking lot in front of his residence. When she stepped out of the car, she found Huo Shaoheng standing in front of his ce, silently eyeing her.

    ¡°Huo Shao.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked towards him with the paper bag that Yin Shixiong gave her. ¡°Big Xiong told me to bring this to you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng epted the paper bag, then redirected his gaze towards the ointment on her ear. He inched closer to straighten out a few strands of hair, and carefully inspected the wound. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± he asked.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°It hurt a lot, but it¡¯s better now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and led her towards Chen Lie¡¯s medical building.

    When Chen Lie saw Gu Nianzhi walk towards him with her panda-colored mask on, he smiled mischievously. ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s the matter? Is your wound causing you difort?¡±

    He made goofy expressions at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi grumpily removed her mask and said, ¡°The old wound has healed, but now there¡¯s a new one. Brother Chen, look at my face. Just because I said a little more than I should, this is what happened. And my ears...¡±

    ¡°Treat her ear first. It has been scratched.¡± Huo Shaoheng said softly from behind her.

    The yful smile instantly vanished from Chen Lie¡¯s face. ¡°Scratched? Who would dare scratch your ear?! Whoever did must have had some nerve!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt warm inside. She was bullied at the Senate, yet when she returns to Special Operations Forces, she received an outpour of affection.

    She moved in front of Chen Lie and pointed at her ear. ¡°Right here. When Cai Shengnan ripped off my mask, she scratched my ear as well.¡±

    ¡°Cai Shengnan ripped off your mask?! Who gave her the right to?!¡± Chen Lie asked, stunned. He exchanged a worried nce with Huo Shaoheng and muttered, ¡°This is really way too dangerous...¡±

 Chapter 1021 - SMS Helper

    <h4>1021 SMS Helper</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°How did you know that she struck suddenly? I reacted quickly and hit her right back.¡±

    ¡°Serves her right!¡± Chen Lie began using a piece of gauze to clean the scrape on her ear, furiously dering, ¡°I can provide you a medical certificate for your injury. You can sue her for personal injury!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and said, ¡°Sure! Cai Shengnan even threatened to sue me for pping her!¡±

    ¡°Then sue her first! Who¡¯s afraid of her, anyway?¡± Chen Lie¡¯s medical expertise trumped Yin Shixiong¡¯s, and he promptly applied some more potent medicine to her wound. ¡°Go home and rest for a few days. Don¡¯t go to the Senate for a while.¡±

    ¡°OK. I was actually considering taking some time off.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. Her ulterior motive for going to the Parliament had already been achieved. If Speaker Long needed her to help out, of course she would lend a hand. However, the general preparations for the interim general election were nearly all set. It wouldn¡¯t really matter whether or not she showed up.

    Chen Lie finished applying ointment to her ear, then examined her face, including the area around her mouth. He then handed her a greenish-hued jelly-like bottle of ointment. ¡°Since you¡¯re not showing up at Parliament for a while, you don¡¯t really need to wear your mask anymore. Here, take this. Apply it on the areas that are giving you difort, and it¡¯ll heal in a few days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi epted it and said, ¡°Thanks, brother Chen.¡±

    However, when she turned around and caught sight of Huo Shaoheng nonchntly standing by the window with his gaze fixed on her, she felt a subconscious urge to put the mask back on.

    She was aware of how ghastly she appeared and therefore felt self-conscious looking like that in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and said to Chen Lie, ¡°Rece this mask with one to wear when she¡¯s outside.¡±

    Chen Lie reced her current when with a more attractive one. The new mask wasposed of a softer and more lightweight fabric.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly felt the difference in terms offort as soon as she put it on. No longer feeling self-conscious, she gleefully eximed, ¡°Thanks, Chen Lie!¡± She then left the medical building along with Huo Shaoheng.

    Returning to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, Gu Nianzhi took advantage of the fact that they were alone and asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, was that document really important? Did the dy in it being signed trouble you in any way?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng personally did not think that it was that big of a deal, especially after he had thoroughly analyzed the data from Hong Kangquan¡¯s microchip tracker. His intuition told him that even if they initiated full surveince, it wouldn¡¯t make that big of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

    For a while then he had been aware of the fact that Hong Kangquan was aware of what they had been doing. After all, he was a pro as well.

    Since he had been Huo Shaoheng¡¯s former mentor after all. A lot of the things Huo Shaoheng knew, Hong Kangquan had taught to him.

    Even though he was discharged from the military after a while, his current affairs were not that different in nature from military affairs.

    If Hong Kangquan was indeed a shady figure, they wouldn¡¯t be able to discover it that simply.

    Besides, Hong Kangquan is a high-ranking ministerial figure. There would be a lot of obstacles along the way if they wanted to investigate him.

    Up until now, the only slip Hong Kangquan had made concerned Cai Songyin.

    If that really was a slip.

    Huo Shaoheng moaned and led Gu Nianzhi to the corner sofa to sit down. ¡°There are some obstacles, but they are not particrly cumbersome, so you need not worry,¡± he said calmly.

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief. ¡°I would have hated to cause you trouble. Even though this matter was not my fault, I still indirectly caused it.¡±

    If she hadn¡¯t been at the Parliament secretariat, Special Assistant Yang wouldn¡¯t have even thought to use that document to get to her.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it,¡± Huo Shaoheng said, objecting to her ming herself. ¡°Special Assistant Yang had malignant intentions from the start. They had nothing to do with you.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had specified that the document needed to be delivered quickly, yet Special Assistant Yang still obstinately chose to lie and neglect to do so, so who was there to me but himself?

    Besides, it is the essence of Parliament to endlessly bicker over trivial matters, as it was pretty much the only way for them to exercise their supreme authorities.

    Huo Shaoheng was aware that Gu Nianzhi had practically zero experience in that field, and therefore still required more first-hand knowledge. Only with more experience would she really understand what it was like to work at the Parliament on an intuitive level.

    IQ could be god-given, yet emotional intelligence could not be naturally derived.

    Suppressing the feelings of guilt inside, Gu Nianzhi let out a deep sigh and said, ¡°If all is well, then it¡¯s fine, though I thought that if I had really caused you trouble, I would beg for your forgiveness.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt like he had consoled her a little too soon.

    Nevertheless, it was toote for regret, since Gu Nianzhi definitely wouldn¡¯t beg for his forgiveness now.

    ¡°Then stay here for a couple of days.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°Wait until your injury healspletely before you leave.¡±

    Lest the Cai family go looking for her to cause trouble again.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s actions today had set off a warning bell inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head.

    Why would someone pay so much attention to the wound on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face? Or were they interested in the healing progress?

    Surveilling Hong Kangquan required so many official procedures. Doing the same with Cai Shengnan did not need such formality.

    The reason was that Cai Shengnan was already under their jurisdiction, since she was a citizen of China that had been living overseas, and it hadn¡¯t even been three months since she had returned.

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll leave you to your own work. You do not need to worry about me.¡± Gu Nianzhi yawned and considered taking a nap.

    She had been on guard for those past few days due to tense circumstances, and as a result, had been suffering from insomnia.

    Returning to this familiar ce enabled her to sleep soundly.

    After Gu Nianzhi fell asleep, Huo Shaoheng began nning a new task. He was going to ce Cai Shengnan under surveince.

    ...

    When she awoke, Gu Nianzhi discovered that it was already past 6:00 pm and that it was dinner time.

    Her stomach grumbled. She had not eaten for an entire day.

    She got up and headed for the restroom to start washing up. When she looked in the mirror, she discovered that her wound had improved significantly.

    After not wearing her mask for an entire afternoon, you could barely see the bruises anymore. Only a tiny red mark remained as evidence that a bruise had once been there.

    Her scraped ear had healed significantly, as well.

    Gu Nianzhi applied the green, jelly-like ointment that Chen Lie had given her and brought her phone with her downstairs for dinner.

    She was the only one in the cafeteria.

    Huo Shaoheng had not returned from the office, Yin Shixiong was stuck at the Parliament building for the time being, and Zhao Liangze was at the Cape of Good Hope experiencing the hardships of the wilderness.

    Gu Nianzhi sat alone in the empty cafeteria, reminiscing about the good old days when meals were times that were filled withughter.

    Since nobody was eating with her, she began to scroll through her phone while she chewed.

    She hadn¡¯t been on Weibo for quite a few days, and after logging into her ount, she began browsing thetest news.

    Suddenly, she discovered that a blogger she used to follow was tagged by police officer Bo.

    What had happened?

    She clicked to find out, yet discovered that it was an obituary!

    The blogger that went by the name Lu Dayong hadmitted suicide by jumping off a building in order to avoid loan sharks?

    What on earth was this?

    Gu Nianzhi felt confused.

    As far as she knew, that blogger was definitely not someone that would easily end his life.

    Even when he faced the threat of being sued by both the Prime Minister and his wife, he didn¡¯t resort to suicide. Howe some mere debt collectors were able to back him far enough into a corner that he decided tomit suicide?

    Besides, Gu Nianzhi also recalled that as a result of epting a short article with a designated outline from Cai Songyin, he had made quite a lot of money.

    Howe he had needed to borrow money from loan sharks?

    He had no wife or children, nor did he have a mortgage to pay, so why had he needed high-interest loans so badly?

    The more she contemted the matter, the sketchier it seemed. She reexamined the content of the official police blog.

    ording to the content, yesterday, a fire had urred at a residentialmunity near the imperial subway station. The scene was the rented room of the very same blogger.

    Then, the blogger¡¯s body was discovered on the sidewalk.

    The coroner concluded that Lu Dayong had died via suicide by jumping.

    All the cops managed to find in the wreckage was a severely burnt hard drive.

    After data repair, it was discovered that various web ounts served as his primary ie, especially the blogging handle ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden.¡¯

    That was his sole ie source.

    ¡°If he was going to jump, then why would he set his home on fire?¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself as she tapped her phone screen.

    Also featured below the official blog content seemed to bements from Lu Dayong¡¯s neighbors. All of them seem to have witnessed, to some extent, the heated argument between Lu Dayong and the loan shark. It was reportedly so loud that almost the entire floor had heard it.

    As a practitioner ofw, when Gu Nianzhi saw the blog, her upational instincts kicked in, and she started drawing conclusions.

    The loan shark tried to collect a debt. In order to avoid the loan shark, hemitted suicide. From an evidential vantage point, it seemed reasonably logical.

    But then why would he burn his house? That aspect was utterly illogical.

    Did he burn it himself? Or did someone else start the fire?

    If it were indeed someone else, then it would be even more dubious to im that he hadmitted suicide.

    When she thought about how the fire hadpletely incinerated everything, she couldn¡¯t help but recall how the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, Cai Songyin, had frequently been in contact with the blogger.

    Cai Songyin reportedly threatened to sue him and was willing to ckmail him into revealing the short essay scandal.

    Now that the blogger was dead, how else could Cai Songyin stir up trouble?

    When she thought about that, she also remembered the text message Cai Songyin had sent her, as well as Tan Guiren¡¯s autobiography video!

    When she had sent the text message, the IP address had been carefully disguised, and her tone had been imitating that of the blogger.

    No matter who read that text message, they would have been deluded into thinking that the blogger had sent it.

    She still remembered the content of that text message. It had said: ¡°Lady Tan, if your mind is still set on suing the blogger, then your daughter¡¯s sex tape will be widely distributed across the web.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi anxiously stood up and began to pace around the cafeteria.

    She wasn¡¯t sure whether or not she was overthinking it, but she couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that perhaps that text message had contributed to the blogger¡¯s death!

 Chapter 1022 - Who Else is Worthy Enough?!

    <h4>1022 Who Else is Worthy Enough?!</h4>

    From her perspective, Gu Nianzhi felt that she knew more about the blogger than the police. Although the police had obtained possession of the hard drive disk, Gu Nianzhi had already reformatted it. Now, the hard drive disk had much less data on it.

    Therefore, besides the knowledge that the true identity of the blogger using the handle ¡°Churchill¡¯s Garden¡± was Lu Dayong, they had no other clues.

    From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s familiarity with this blogger, it seemed unlikely that the very person who¡¯d brazenly approached the prime minister¡¯s wife with an insignificant case could be so easily driven to his death by a mere debt collector.

    This must be an insult to her intelligence.

    The more Gu Nianzhi contemted it, the more she became convinced that the cause of death wasn¡¯t suicide, but forced suicide.

    But who was the culprit?

    From the circumstantial evidence gathered so far, Gu Nianzhi considered Cai Songyin the most likely suspect.

    And the motive could be nothing more than her daughter, Tan Guiren. Because she loved her daughter so dearly, it was only natural that she wouldn¡¯t want the intimate details of her daughter¡¯s kidnapping to be known... Especially if she believed this blogger had possession of her daughter¡¯s confession video, which would harbor far more potential damage than any revenge porn ever would.

    However, even Gu Nianzhi had to admit that, no matter how shrewd she was, she never would have guessed that Cai Songyin would be willing to resort to murder to protect her daughter.

    Originally, she¡¯d thought that the confession tape would merely ckmail Cai Songyin into dropping the legal charges against the blogger. That way, Huo Shaoheng would get to preserve his reputation, and the blogger wouldn¡¯t be forced to ckmail Cai Songyin over her request for him to write that nderous article.

    She never would have thought that instead of letting it go, Cai Songyin would promptly send out an assassin to end ¡°Churchill¡¯s Garden,¡± whose true identity was revealed by the police to be Lu Dayong, and eliminate the threat of ckmail once and for all.

    If she guessed correctly, the alleged ¡°loan shark¡± that the neighbors had all been gossiping about was the true culprit. When her train of thought reached that conclusion, she feltpelled by a sense of urgency that made her stop eating to dial Huo Shaoheng immediately.

    She waited five minutes until Huo Shaoheng finally picked up the phone. ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was reading the inspection report in his office. That morning, he¡¯d taken advantage of his authority to initiate raids on secret service personnel under the premise of the provisional election mandating heightened security measures.

    The investigative targets of this investigation were the microchip locators of their personnel. Investigations of this sort were systematically nned and scheduled about twice every year, with additional raids depending on the circumstance.

    This raid was one of those circumstantial ones.

    Since it was a raid instead of a systematic investigation, there was no room nor time for shenanigans. All the microchip trackers were installed on their personnel one-sidedly. In other words, once removed, they would lose functionality. Unless there was a change in identity, it would require the instation of a new microchip tracker.

    This was also why only resignation or death was enough to warrant the removal of the microchip trackers from secret service members.

    However, the inspection report in front of Huo Shaoheng reported that the microchip tracker on Hong Kangquan¡¯s personnel was not only still in its original position, but it was also in impable condition.

    As he was scrutinizing the report, he heard Gu Nianzhi ask him, ¡°Huo Shao, are you preupied at the moment?¡± I have some matters to discuss with you.¡±

    ¡°Some matters?¡± Huo Shaoheng shifted his gaze from the documents to the view outside the window. The sky had darkened already. When he looked down at his watch, he discovered that it was early evening¡ªtime for dinner.

    He closed hisptop, locked the documents in a safe, and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll return soon. Have you eaten yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt herself loosen up a bit and said, ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of eating right now, but I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice softened. In a husky voice, he said, ¡°Wait for my return.¡± When he left the office, his footsteps seemed to convey a sense of eagerness and anticipation.

    He soon returned to his official residence. Sparing no time for a change in attire, he entered the dining hall, still in his dark green military attire.

    The dining hall was spacious. Seated at the mahogany dining table beneath the crystal chandelier, a daintydy seemed to be in deep contemtion, hand on her chin as she sat there quietly. From his angle, he could get a bird¡¯s eye view of all the delicate lines and contours of her side profile.

    Sensing someone¡¯s gaze upon her, she suddenly looked up and broke out into a dazzling smile when she caught sight of Huo Shaoheng in his military attire.

    ¡°Ah, hum.¡± Huo Shaoheng regained hisposure and seated himself across from her.

    Without further ado, the orderly brought Huo Shaoheng his dinner and deferentially ced it in front of him.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at Gu Nianzhi andmenced eating. Whenever he dined at home, mealtimes were quiet and wordless. He had always instructed Gu Nianzhi to behave simrly.

    The dining hall was silent, only the ttering of utensils and tes interrupting the silence. Still, Gu Nianzhi felt less lonely.

    After finishing dinner, they left the dining hall and arrived at their private rooms. This area of the house had a long hallway, with the left side containing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite, and the right side containing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite. Their suites were virtually right across from each other.

    Huo Shaoheng asked her, ¡°Are you returning to your suite or mine?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated, but thinking that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite probably had better security, she pointed to his suite. ¡°Let¡¯s go to yours to chat.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and turned around to press his palm to the sensor on his door. The door opened. As soon as they walked in together, the door shut automatically.

    Gu Nianzhi paused, and her gaze wandered around the living room of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite. She hadn¡¯t stepped foot in here since returning from Germany. Yet after all the time that had passed, the setting had not changed at all.

    The same old ck drapery, chalky white walls, sturdy mahogany floors... So minimalist and brightly lit. The same old sofa with clear-cut lines stood in the middle of the floor. That same old doll sat on the desk in the corner, the very same doll that had apanied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s childhood years.

    ¡°Why are you still standing? Come over here and sit.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down on the sofa and waved her over.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her thoughts. Her gaze floated from the doll to the seat next to Huo Shaoheng. She was not deliberately keeping her distance.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He slung one arm around the sofa behind Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°Spill it, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone, opened the text message she had once sent to Cai Songyin, and handed it to him. ¡°Huo Shao, do you still recall what I said to you about this incident?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not pick up her phone. He merely looked down at the screen and nodded, then asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? How did Cai Songyin know that you were the sender?¡±

    So what if she knew? Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t care less.

    Lately, he had been so entangled in the affairs of Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin that he really had no spare time for other matters.

    He didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to shake her head and say in a somewhat troubled voice, ¡°...No, she has no idea that I was the one who sent it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng simply looked at her and wondered why she was acting so panicky.

    ¡°...She thinks that the blogger sent it,¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured, opening Weibo to show the content from the blogger ¡°Churchill¡¯s Garden¡± that the police had. This was the blogger who had been found dead from suicide the previous night.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He briefly skimmed over the content on her phone to catch the main points. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, Cai Songyin hired a hitman to eliminate this blogger?¡±

    You have got to be kidding me!

    Gu Nianzhi was so impressed that she considered kneeling...

    He¡¯d reached the same conclusion that she had within a moment instead of half an hour!

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her gaze to meet Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes and said quietly, ¡°...Huo Shao, I¡¯m not only saying this as your girlfriend, but as an average citizen too. I¡¯m happy that our country has a soldier like you...¡±

    Powerful enough to arouse fear from enemies, intelligent enough to interpret poems by ear, professional in formal settings, yet down to earth in intimate ones. He adhered to principles without being inflexible either.

    If she hadn¡¯t been his girlfriend, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been able to find a single w on him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand slid down from the back of the sofa to the nape of her neck as he kissed her lips gently. ¡°...Wee home, my babe.¡± She was like a lost child who, after wandering astray for a while, had finally found her way back home.

    You won¡¯t know how much something means to you until you lose it once. Simrly, only when one is forced to find their way back home alone will one learn the route the hard way.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was only 19, the hardships she¡¯d endured along the way outnumbered even those of 29-year-olds. Such exceptional life experiences, in addition to her sagacity, had made her mature rapidly.

    On the other side, maturity also allows one to understand harsh realities, learn to make prudent life decisions, and make toughpromises.

    Gu Nianzhi no longer felt insecure and helpless when confronted with future aspects of their romantic rtionship. Interacting with those people again and again had gradually made her realize that if she wasn¡¯t worthy of Huo Shaoheng, then who on earth was?!

    Gu Nianzhi inched closer to kiss Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Thank you for waiting for me to return home.¡±

    Had it not been for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s persistence when cracks appeared in their rtionship, their rtionship would not have endured. This reflected the idea that a rtionship depends on mutual input. If a rtionship is supported by only one side, it will not endure.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her on the back. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back.¡± Then he proceeded to ask, ¡°When do you n on announcing our marital status?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned silent.

    She sat up straight, flicked away some stray strands of hair, and shifted her gaze towards the ck drapery. Deliberately changing the subject, she said, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about our affairs some other time. Let¡¯s just stick to talking about Cai Songyin and the blogger for the moment.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and decided not to press the subject. Following her deliberate change in subject, he said, ¡°If this incident really is connected to Cai Songyin in some way, then it won¡¯t be as simple as nder or libel anymore.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gu Nianzhi always became particrly attentive when it concerned her domain. ¡°This is murder. If it was Cai Songyin who ordered the hit, she cannot get away with it. But how are we gonna obtain the evidence?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took her phone and reread the news.

    Gu Nianzhi cried out in anguish, ¡°I never imagined that Cai Songyin would react in such a psychopathic way! She thinks that she can ckmail and nder people all she wants, but all I did was threaten her and her daughter a tiny bit, and she promptly eliminates the threat through murder...¡±

 Chapter 1023 - The Chance for Atonemen

    <h4>1023 The Chance for Atonemen</h4>

    ¡°She is the wife of the prime minister! Her husband is the prime minister! Prime minister! How could she do such a thing?¡± Gu Nianzhi expressed her disbelief, simply unable to follow Cai Songyin¡¯s train of thought or modus operandi.

    Huo Shaoheng silently read all the rted news and handed Gu Nianzhi back her phone. ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions just yet. At this point, you still need evidence before you point any fingers.¡±

    Upon further consideration, he did have a point.

    She was letting her earlier assumptions cloud her judgment. First, she¡¯d automatically assumed that the blogger¡¯s death was somehow connected to that text message she¡¯d sent to Cai Songyin, concluding that Cai Songyin was the culprit.

    From a legal standpoint, what she had done was establish her biased assumptions first, then search for evidence in the context of those assumptions. This was the exact opposite of what she should have done. It would only conceal the truth.

    ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re right. Indeed, we can¡¯t establish Cai Songyin as the guilty party yet. I have no actual evidence. Everything is based on my assumptions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but feel genuine respect for Huo Shaoheng inside. His meticulous and exhaustive thinking process, as well as his ability to consider the circumstances of the case impartially without bias, all inspired her immensely.

    Huo Shaoheng remained impassive and unperturbed, yet the brief flicker of joy in his eyes instantly gave him a less imposing vibe. Maintaining hisposure, he moved towards Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Then what do you n on doing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could tell how guilty Gu Nianzhi felt about the blogger¡¯s death, and that her guilt-ridden conscience wouldpel her to meddle in the case. In her eyes, the blogger¡¯s death was a consequence of that text message she¡¯d sent.

    However, Huo Shaoheng knew that the instant the blogger epted Cai Songyin¡¯s request concerning the short article, his fate was sealed.

    Even if Cai Songyin hadn¡¯t gotten rid of him then, she still would have done it sooner orter. It wasn¡¯t like her to leave such scandalous information with someone and then just sit back and watch it unravel. All that the text message from Gu Nianzhi had done was speed up the inevitable.

    Even though just a moment ago Huo Shaoheng had cautioned Gu Nianzhi against hastily jumping to conclusions without concrete evidence, his intuition told him that Cai Songyin was connected to this case. What still needed to be determined was the exact role that Cai Songyin had yed in all of this.

    Perhaps she was the mastermind, perhaps a mere aplice...

    Gu Nianzhi said with her head downcast, ¡°...I think I¡¯m gonna try to find the real culprit and help this blogger out.¡±

    ¡°He almost made your reputation go down the drain,¡± Huo Shaoheng said impassively. ¡°Don¡¯t you resent him for it?¡±

    ¡°Of course I resent him for what he did. I wouldn¡¯t have hacked into his ount and used it to stream that video of the prime minister on his ount otherwise.¡± Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°But I still don¡¯t believe that he deserved to die for his crimes. I can¡¯t just look the other way while the wife of a high and mighty prime minister resorts to taking the life of another just to protect her daughter. Such a person is a menace to the country, and I would be doing mypatriots a favor by exposing her true colors.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng simply looked at her and smiled. Every single word she said hit home. Their mutualpatibility and understanding seemed to be even greater than they knew.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her forehead. ¡°Alright, do what you need to do, but stay safe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She would not ask for too much help from him. Since this criminal case was under the jurisdiction of the domestic police task force, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands were tied due to his position and location. But Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been counting on using Huo Shaoheng¡¯s authority to ride through the investigation unobstructed. She looked forward to experiencing the thrill and excitement of the process itself. Just having him around to wind down and chat with like this to help her organize her thoughts was enough to satisfy her.

    After finishing that conversation, Gu Nianzhi casually asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Don¡¯t you need to go to the Parliament building to watch over it? The voting registration starts next week, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve handed full responsibility of surveilling the interim election over to Da Xiong. I still have other business to attend to.¡± As he spoke, he stood up and said, ¡°You should get some rest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up as well and started to head back to her suite. ¡°You should get some rest as well, you look thinner.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell to his waist, which was wrapped with a military belt.

    His figure was impable as always, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and a wide back shaped like an inverted triangle. A mere view of his figure from behind would be enough to get a bunch of girls fawning over him.

    Yet in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, he didn¡¯t seem as robust as before.

    Huo Shaoheng went along with her andughed good-naturedly. ¡°...Without you at home, I¡¯ve been missing you all the time and haven¡¯t been able to eat properly, so of course, I¡¯ve gotten thinner.¡±

    There was a pregnant pause, and the air seemed to stiffen. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her ears and noticed a painful sensation. Only then did she murmur to herself, ¡°...I wasn¡¯t dreaming...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head, carefully reattaching the gauze over her earlobe. He gently said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t dreaming, I¡¯m serious.¡±

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi had her near-death experience, and cried and demanded that they break up, he had not wanted to mention how many nights he hadn¡¯t slept. Whenever he closed his eyes, he imagined that he was in the Himyan mountains surrounded by jackals and lions, and that his beloved woman was in the middle of it all, running for her life. All he could do was helplessly watch...

    Words couldn¡¯t even describe the extent of his self-me. Since his guilt couldn¡¯t be vented out in frustration, so all he could do was turn these emotions into patience and watch over her. As a robust soldier with incredible self-discipline, this was the least he could do.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to hug him. ¡°Well now that I¡¯m back, you better eat right and get some rest.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her hairline for a while, then stooped over and whispered something in her ear.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed, but immediately regained herposure and pushed him away, then wordlessly turned around and left.

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the door, both hands in his pockets as he nonchntly watched her open the door to her suite across from his, push it open, and shut the door with a loud ¡®bam.¡¯

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and lightheartedly left his residence to return to the central control room to connect with Zhao Liangze. Huo Shaoheng had an inkling that the incident concerning Hong Kangquan¡¯s microchip tracker had been caused by an error in the surveince software. This was because the recent investigation report stated that the microchip tracker itself was functioning normally. Therefore, there could only be two possibilities. Either the software was malfunctioning, or those two Special Operations Forces members had overlooked something.

    Huo Shaoheng had carefully rewatched the video footage those two had provided. He noted all the details. The man that left Hong Kangquan¡¯s residence had indeed been Hong Kangquan himself. The video footage showed that, up until his arrival at the gay bar, he had been alone. In terms of where he went after changing his clothes, Huo Shaoheng was not so sure. The microchip tracker did not show any corresponding data.

    Arriving at the central control room, Huo Shaoheng took a seat and remotely connected with Zhao Liangze. It was the appointed time.

    ¡°Greetings sir!¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s striking face appeared on theputer monitor in front of Huo Shaoheng. They were engaging in an encrypted video call.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Little Ze, how¡¯s the situation on your side?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation? I¡¯m great!¡± Zhao Liangze was as easy going as usual. ¡°I¡¯m eating fresh seafood, but the shark fin is only the side dish, the main dish is lobster! Huo Shao, I highly rmend that you and Da Xionge for a visit, I¡¯ll treat you guys to enough crabs to ruin your figure!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. ¡°If life for you is so free and unfettered at the moment, then you can just stay there and call it your new home.¡±

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t respond.

    Alright, he had to admit that Huo Shaoheng made a sound point. He shouldn¡¯t have been bragging! Great, now this was his new ¡°home.¡±

    With a stony-face, Zhao Liangze¡¯s gaze wandered over his surroundings¡ªa tiny room around ten square meters in size. To be precise, this wasn¡¯t even a room, but rather a den in a run-down barn... All the facilities were located in this recently constructed room of ferroconcrete. Their residences were still under construction as well, so barns constituted everyone¡¯s temporary housing at the moment.

    Satisfied with Zhao Liangze¡¯s suddenly darkened expression, Huo Shaoheng said impassively, ¡°There¡¯s a conundrum I want to share with you.¡± Then, he detailed the microchip tracking issue concerning the Secret Service.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng left out whose microchip tracker it was, and merely stated that during a raid, they had discovered that the microchip trackers were not correctly corresponding to the activities of their hosts. Their preliminary judgment was that the software is malfunctioning. He asked Zhao Liangze if he had any way of repairing the software.

    Computer geniuses like Zhao Liangze thrive on deciphering challenging technical bugs and errors, so as soon as he heard that the Secret Service¡¯s microchip tracker had been malfunctioning, he promptly dered, ¡°Leave it to me, Huo Shao. Send me the data from the malfunctioning microchip tracker and let me see if I can figure this out.¡±

 Chapter 1024 - The Specialis

    <h4>1024 The Specialis</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng created a data package for Hong Kangquan¡¯s microchip data to send to Zhao Liangze with the message, ¡°Can you check the Special Operation Forces¡¯ software system?¡±

    Zhao Liangze tried it on the other side and shook his head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t log in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Zhao Liangze¡¯s administrator privileges. He was logged in remotely. The central control system had stringent requirements for remote logins due to ount security measures. However, Zhao Liangze¡¯s base had only been recently established so, for the time being, it did not have such strict security yet. As such, they could not guarantee that security measures would be taken after login.

    ¡°I will package and send you a portion of the software data concerning the surveince.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not hesitate. ¡°The Chinese Institute of High Energy Physics should also test safety performance. You should receive it soon.¡±

    The most special feature of quantummunication was its extreme security. Even if someone other than the intended receiver seeded in intercepting it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to decipher the content. It would self-destruct the instant a third party intercepted it.

    Zhao Liangze still had many unfinished tasks at hand on the ind of the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Conducting remote testing for quantummunication on behalf of the Institute of High Energy Physics was also one of the tasks. Of course, his private task was to locate where the MH210 ne had crashed years ago, and to discover the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen.

    Zhao Liangze finished debugging the quantummunication equipment and waited for Huo Shaoheng to send it. It didn¡¯t take long for him to receive the email, and everything looked normal after browsing.

    ¡°Get back to work and send me the results as soon as possible.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced down at his watch. ¡°By tomorrow morning domestic time, it doesn¡¯t matter whether there¡¯s a problem with the software or not, you must send the results to me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze promptly agreed, immediately starting his work. Examining whether or not the performance of software was stable and debugging it required arge number of bipr encoding and operating procedures.

    Zhao Liangze looked at the scbility of the software. Hundreds of thousands of lines ofmand were disyed in front of him. He started to go cross-eyed just by looking at them. It would be impossible for him toplete such an overwhelming amount ofmands by himself.

    Zhao Liangze thought about it and decided to use the debugging software he¡¯d created himself on the entire system to capture erroneousmands. This course of action took him more than an hour. He shrunk the number of erroneous instructions to the thousands, which was tremendous progresspared to the hundreds of thousands ofmands he¡¯d started with.

    But when he further examined these thousands of instructions, he felt that it would be unrealistic to think that he could thoroughly analyze all of them in one night due to limited time and mental capacity.

    After contemting for a while, Zhao Liangze got rid of both ends of the thousands ofmands, then split thosemands in half. He intended to ask Gu Nianzhi for help.

    ording to their protocol, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rank did not give her the corresponding authority to view open-source software of such high-security levels. However, Zhao Liangze reverted themands into their primitive states so he could ask Gu Nianzhi for help.

    Since it was impossible to get a full view of the software simply by looking at fragmented open-source software, not to mention that open-source software had not yet been debugged. Zhao Liangze was not too worried that confidential data would be leaked.

    Furthermore, the Special Operation Forces had precedents set aside for such situations, such as turning to outside experts to evaluate the software, or even re-evaluating the codes of conduct...

    In this case, Gu Nianzhi would be their ¡°outside expert¡±...

    Zhao Liangze thought about it mirthfully and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. Gu Nianzhi had just taken a shower and was scrolling through Weibo while lying in bed, pondering over how to extract more information from the police force¡¯s official blog.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s phone call caught Gu Nianzhi by surprise. Who was calling her at such ate hour?

    But when she looked at the phone number and realized it was Zhao Liangze¡¯s calling, she quickly picked up and teased him gleefully. ¡°Brother Ze, you finally remembered to call me! I thought you forgot about me!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, Brother Ze can forget everyone else, but never you.¡± Zhao Liangze said cheerfully to her, ¡°Open the webcam, I have to tell you something.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly opened her webcam and connected to Zhao Liangze with a video call. On his mobile screen, Zhao Liangze¡¯s striking face, while formerly fair-skinned, was now a light chocte hue. He seemed to have gotten more robust, and therefore more soldier-like.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with pleasure. ¡°Brother Ze, it seems like Africa did you well. You look much more manly now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze grinned. ¡°As if I wasn¡¯t manly before! How offensive!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi simply smirked without saying a word.

    ¡°But Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong with your face? And your ear, why is it covered with bandages?¡± Zhao Liangze had never seen Gu Nianzhi in such an unsightly state.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to her ear and said with displeasure, ¡°...Got bitten by a mad dog. I¡¯m thinking about suing her.¡± The so-called ¡°mad dog¡± was Cai Shengnan, who¡¯d shockingly ripped off her mask.

    What hadpelled Cai Shengnan to rip off her mask? Had she done it on impulse, or had she nned it?

    Gu Nianzhi feltpletely baffled. However, she refrained from disclosing the specifics to Zhao Liangze, merely saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine though, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    The two of them teased each other, finally ending the small talk. Zhao Liangze entered the main topic. ¡°Nianzhi, the reason I called today was to ask you for a favor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll help you with anything I can.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the situation at hand: I have software that needs to be debugged, but I am running out of time, and I need to send in the results by tomorrow morning. I want you to help me debug a portion of it.¡± Zhao Liangze showed Gu Nianzhi the monitor full ofmands.

    Gu Nianzhi genuinely enjoyed the debugging process. When she saw the densely packed lines ofmand, her eyes gleamed with pleasure. She was like a connoisseur spotting good food, or a bag collector seeing a rare sold-out bag. Her heart started beating rapidly.

    ¡°Sure, sure! I¡¯ll check it for you!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but grin like the Cheshire Cat. ¡°You need it tomorrow, right? If you send the data to my mailbox, I¡¯ll check it right away.¡±

    She rolled off her bed and went to in front of the desk. Turning on theputer, she found the open-source software file that Zhao Liangze had sent to her mailbox.

    After unzipping the file, Gu Nianzhi discovered that thesemands were only a tiny portion of the original.

    ¡°Brother Ze, the open-source software file that you sent me is only the tip of the iceberg, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi said teasingly, ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, you don¡¯t have to send it to me. I¡¯ll delete it right in front of you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze desperately wished he could lie on theputer monitor and show Gu Nianzhi how much faith and confidence he had in her. ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, it¡¯s just that I feel like I am overwhelming you with all this work. Besides, it might not fit your inbox anyway. I went ahead and did some prep work beforehand.¡±

    ¡°These are the erroneousmands that I gged down with my personal debugging software. The bugs should be in these files. I saved half of them for myself and sent half of them to you. We will find them separately, and then summarize them together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood what Zhao Liangze meant. She asked, ¡°What is this software for?¡±

    ¡°Data monitoring,¡± Zhao Liangze replied simply. ¡°It corresponds to the signal sent by the microchip tracker, and records the location of the microchip.¡±

    Gu Nian understood. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that this is simply a GPS signal processor?¡±

    ¡°Haha, simr, but with more precise focus.¡± Zhao Liangze was overjoyed that he¡¯d found the right person for the job. Cooperating with Gu Nianzhi meant that they could resolve this software-rted issue in one night.

    After assigning their respective tasks, they each began busying themselves with their individual debugging tasks. Gu Nianzhi had nothing better to do anyway, and since her face and ears were all newly injured, she needed to rehabilitate for a few days and avoid those who were vigntly awaiting the chance to backstab her.

 Chapter 1025 - Just As I Though

    1025 Just As I Though

    With lots of time at hand, you can do whatever you like. With nothing else in mind to do, Gu Nianzhi started working in front of herputer.

    Zhao Liangze might have his debugging software program, but so did Gu Nianzhi. Furthermore, hers was much more flexible and was capable of undergoing timely modifications depending on the software.

    If a worker wants to excel at his work, first he must find the best tools. To debug more thoroughly, Gu Nianzhi first checked the efficiency of her debugging software program. Only after ascertaining that her software program was functioning normally did she feel confident enough to use the software program to run the source code script that Zhao Liangze had sent her.

    Once theputer began to automatically start conducting the tests, Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief.

    Looking up at the time, it was already past midnight. She got up and walked to the door of the suite, then opened the door to check Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room. The light in front of his door wasn¡¯t lit, which meant that he hadn¡¯t returned yet.

    Seemed like Huo Shaoheng was pulling an all-nighter again.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and anxiously rubbed her cellphone with her hands, but put it down in the end. She knew that now was probably Huo Shaoheng¡¯s busiest time and that calling him would only distract him.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her door and nned on sleeping for a few hours. She set her mobile rm for six in the morning. That time seemed like the best time to check the results. Gu Nianzhi returned to her bed and soon fell asleep. She slept soundly without dreaming.

    When her mobile phone rm started to ring at six in the morning the next day, Gu Nianzhi felt the urge to smash her phone.

    She rolled around the bed for a bit, then frowned, got up, rubbed her eyes, and sat in front of theputer to check the results of her inspection. After a long night, she found that her debugging software program had finished running.

    The results indicated that there was nothing wrong with the source code that Zhao Liangze had sent her. Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief and went to the bathroom to wash her face with cold water to wake herself up. She pulled out her mobile phone and video-called him.

    ¡°Brother Ze, are your inspection proceduresplete?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with a smile.

    Yesterday, Zhao Liangze had said that whether or not they found anything, they had to provide results by this morning. Zhao Liangze was still drowsy and had not yet fully awake. He muttered into his Bluetooth headset, ¡°I finished inspecting already. There was nothing wrong. How about you? Was there any problem?¡± Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t expecting an affirmative response.

    Because the monitoring software had been inspected by countless highly skilledputer experts and further tested through practical usage, even after so many years there hadn¡¯t been any malfunctions.

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t even know why Huo Shaoheng feltpelled to inspect the software. Of course, he was also aware that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions were based on reason. Even if she had done it on a whim, he would have sensed that something was wrong.

    Zhao Liangze had not shared too much information and data with Gu Nianzhi. If he had said more, it really would have been a vition of protocol.

    Gu Nianzhi used her right hand to make a peace sign. ¡°Yay! There¡¯s nothing wrong with mine either!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing wrong? You really didn¡¯t ck offst night? Did you sleepst night?¡± Zhao Liangze asked straightforwardly.

    Gu Nianzhi held her hands up in protest and said, ¡°No, no! Although I slept a little, my software program was running the entire time, so I didn¡¯t ck off...¡±

    Zhao Liangze stroked his forehead. ¡°...So you slept after all.¡± His expression suddenly changed. He rebuked her sternly. ¡°Nianzhi! You need to know what our job requires! Do you have any sense of time?¡±

    When conducting military affairs, adhering to deadlines was crucial. It wasn¡¯t like other departments that scheduled something at eight o¡¯clock but held the actual meeting at nine o¡¯clock. This would give everyone an hour of buffer time to ensure that everyone would be able to attend the meeting.

    In the military, a meeting scheduled at eight o¡¯clock meant that you must arrive by eight o¡¯clock, with no exceptions. Even if you werete by a few seconds, you would be subject to military discipline.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t cause any damage...¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured to herself. ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t slept, all I could have done was simply watch the software run its course. Why waste time for rest?¡±

    It sounded fairly reasonable. Zhao Liangze hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to refute Gu Nianzhi¡¯s im. He finally said, ¡°Well then, how¡¯s progress on your side? Is there really nothing wrong at all? Are you sure you don¡¯t want to check the software programming record?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m checking right now.¡± After ten minutes, Gu Nianzhi read all the logs fromst night and said to Zhao Liangze with confidence, ¡°Everything is in ce.¡± Then, she sent him thepleted source code and log. Zhao Liangze would examine them again.

    Afterpleting this task, Gu Nianzhi went downstairs to have breakfast. On her way there, she chatted a little with servicemen and confirmed that Huo Shaoheng never returnedst night. He had worked overnight in the central control room.

    Gu Nianzhi urgently inquired, ¡°What about his supper and breakfast? Did you guys deliver them?¡±

    The serviceman smiled. ¡°Of course we delivered them. We ensure the senior official¡¯s wellbeing. How could we let him starve?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in relief and said with a smile, ¡°Well then, all is taken care of. As long as you guys are here, I don¡¯t need to worry about Huo Shao starving.¡±

    Seeing that she was joking, the servicemenughed as well.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her breakfast in high spirits, then went back to her room to surf the web. She still wanted to find out the truth behind the blogger¡¯s death, but she was running out of time.

    Sitting in front of herputer, Gu Nianzhi began browsing the inte mindlessly. If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t forbidden it, she really would have liked to y around on the dark web...

    ......

    Zhao Liangze finished examining all the source codes. After ascertaining that there were no errors, he finally sent it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Within five minutes, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s video call followed. ¡°Little Ze?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, did you see the file I sent?¡± Zhao Liangze quickly epted the video call and startedmunicating with Huo Shaoheng using a BlueTooth headset.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly. ¡°I looked over it, but I¡¯m dissatisfied.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was surprised.

    ¡°...Because I¡¯m convinced that there is something wrong with the monitoring software,¡± Huo Shaoheng said. ¡°Perhaps, there is something wrong with theputer itself.¡±

    Zhao Liangze suddenly shivered.

    As a highly experiencedputer expert and the world¡¯s top hacker, Zhao Liangze understood the underlying meaning behind Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I won¡¯t hide from you the fact that I asked Gu Nianzhi for help. Of course, I didn¡¯t give her ess to all the data. I have adhered to the Special Operation Forces¡¯ official protocol concerning usage of third party expertise and merely assigned her half of the fragmented source codes to examine. Go to the end of the source code for inspection.¡± Zhao Liangze sullenly confessed everything to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped at theputer desk withoutmenting further. ¡°She didn¡¯t find any abnormalities?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shook his head resignedly. ¡°No. She verified the source code I sent her with her debugging software program and ascertained that there were no issues. So, Huo Shao, are you sure that it is the monitoring software¡¯s problem and not theputer itself?¡±

    If there was a problem with theputer itself, that would truly be disastrous...

    Since theputer running this monitoring software was one of the supeputers located in the central control room. This supeputer stored nearly 30% of all Huaxia Empire¡¯s confidential files.

    Zhao Liangze suddenly recalled how in Germany, Gu Nianzhi had used a software called ¡°Egger.exe¡± to single-handedly wipe out all the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany¡¯s data files...

    If this sort of thing happened to someone else, he would simply be an amused bystander. If it had happened to him though, Zhao Liangze could only imagine how enraged he would feel...

    Huo Shaoheng was trying to extract more information than Zhao Liangze¡¯s words let on.

    If this source code had been examined by Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi, two of the world¡¯s topputer experts and hacking experts, and they failed to find any issues, could it be possible that the problem didn¡¯t lie within the monitoring software, but in theputer itself!?

    Huo Shaoheng groaned for a while, almost giving in to the urge to unplug the power cord of the supeputer. But during this critical period with the provisional electioning up, every supeputer was running at full capacity. If he rashly unplugged the cord at this time, would he be able to bear the consequences? Could the Huaxia Empire bear the consequences?

    His hand hesitantly wavered over the mouse. He finally decided to store a real-time monitoring security measure inside theputer. This program wasn¡¯t monitoring software, but surveince on theputer itself. Just like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s debugging software, it could record all the activities of theputer during the debugging process and generate a log record forter inspection.

    ...

    Time flew by so fast that, in the blink of an eye, it was noon already. Time to have lunch!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch and finally gave in to the desire to call Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, are youing back for lunch?¡±

    To ensure that the supeputer would properly surveince the provisional elections, Huo Shaoheng would have to go to the parliament building to check how theirputers were connected. This coincidental discovery alerted Huo Shaoheng to the fact that something might be wrong.

    For both elections, each side had requested that the Special Operation Forces be in charge of surveince because it would be fairer. However, was that really the true reason?

    Huo Shaoheng had a grave expression on his face as he calmly said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I have some errands to run, so you¡¯ll have to eat yourself.¡± After a brief pause, he said, ¡°I will be very busy these next few days and won¡¯t be returning.¡± This was his version of briefing her on his whereabouts.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a multitude ofplex emotions. She gently agreed, but could not bear to put down the phone, or resist the urge to say, ¡°If there is anything you need me to do, just ask.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a while. ¡°If necessary, I will request special permission from General Ji.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s felt invigorated. ¡°So I really get to help?!¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Huo Shaoheng got into the car and said, ¡°Little Ze already told me about what he asked you to do. I still believe that there are issues we overlooked.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hung up the phone and asked Fan Jian to drive to the parliament building. Gu Nianzhi red at her cell phone, unable to ept what Huo Shaoheng had said.

    Wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng indirectly insinuating that he didn¡¯t trust her software program!? Or was there another reason?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She contacted Zhao Liangze again to ask him what was going on.

    Hearing that Huo Shaoheng had already spilled the beans and asked General Ji for special permission to let Gu Nianzhi join in, Zhao Liangze felt safe to feed her more information. ¡°...That¡¯s it. Huo Shao said that either the monitoring software was malfunctioning or it was theputer¡¯s problem.¡±

    Ever sincest night, Gu Nianzhi had been thinking about the source code that Zhao Liangze asked her to examine. However, she¡¯d never imagined that this was the true reason Huo Shaoheng had asked them to investigate the bug.

    ¡°If it¡¯s proven that it¡¯s theputer¡¯s problem, then all hell will break loose...¡± Gu Nianzhi urgently felt the need to do something about it. At this point, even the blogger¡¯s death ranked second in importance.

    ¡°I know! That¡¯s why I¡¯m so stressed out!¡± Zhao Liangze banged on theputer desk. ¡°If I find out which idiot set us up, I will make him pay dearly!¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze, watch yourself! Stay calm!¡± Gu Nianzhi checked him, but then added, ¡°...If that dayes, I¡¯ll help you make that person pay!¡±

    The twoughed, dissipating the tension in the air.

    After hanging up on Zhao Liangze, Gu Nianzhi returned to theputer and started to re-examine her debugging programming software. After looking at just a few lines of code, her cell phone rang again.

    Gu Nianzhi had just started skimming through a few lines of source codes when her phone started ringing again. Quickly snatching her phone to see who was calling, Gu Nianzhi was surprised to see that it was He Zhichu. Gu Nianzhi hurriedly put on her Bluetooth headset and spoke to He Zhichu while typing. ¡°Greetings Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu was also wearing a Bluetooth headset. With his hands in his trouser pockets, he stood in his apartment, gazing up at the blue sky and fluffy white clouds outside the window. He asked, ¡°Nianzhi, have you not been showing up to work in the Senate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°I have been injured. I¡¯m taking some time off...¡±

    ¡°...You were injured again?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was gentle, but there was a sense of impatience lurking underneath that was discernable even over the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands froze and she said with a smile, ¡°...You knew?¡±

    He Zhichu knew about what had happened in the Secretariat. Gu Nianzhi thought about how, for her safety, He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t do any less than Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Of course. By the way, as your legal representative, I have already sent an attorney¡¯s letter to Cai Shengnan dering her liability for your personal injuries.¡± He asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Is your wound getting any better?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Have you contacted Brother Chen?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded silently, but he stated reluctantly, ¡°Yes. I found out from Daxiong that you were there. I expected Huo Shaoheng to take you to the doctor.¡±

    Chen Lie was the only doctor that Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu feltfortable enough to entrust Gu Nianzhi with.

    Gu Nianzhi was grateful and joyful. Twirling the pen in her hand, she said cheerfully, ¡°But Professor He, I also pped her... What if she decides to sue me as well?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s only been a few days since graduation and you have forgotten already?¡± He Zhichu chuckled. ¡°Personal injury cases need medical examinations and proof to be filed. The wounds on your ears can be considered a minor injury. But pping? Tell me, what doctor on earth would be willing to examine a p as a personal injury? The most she could do is file a civil action.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°Thank you for the advice, Professor He. Without Professor He, I would have been bullied relentlessly by Cai Shengnan...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tter me.¡± He Zhichu smiled and shook his head. ¡°Alright, so are you busy today? How about some dinner together? I haven¡¯t seen you for days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at herputer and said with disappointment, ¡°Professor He, I actually do have something that I have to do.¡± With such an intriguingputer problem at hand not yet resolved, Gu Nian had no intention of doing anything else.

    ¡°What¡¯s keeping you so busy? And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s about the shenanigans of the Parliamentary Secretariat.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t see eye to eye with the Senate. Due to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s obstinate persistence, He Chu decided not to object to her desire to join the Senate.

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi busily shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s aputer program. I ran it all nightst night and found no bugs, but others told me that if it was not a programming issue. They then discovered that theputer itself was malfunctioning, but I just don¡¯t understand. Aputer issue should mean a hardware problem, and a programming issue is a software problem. How can the two get mixed up?!¡±

    After a while, he rubbed his forehead and asked nonchntly, ¡°...Is this important to you?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important. As a self-proimedputer geek, I can¡¯t stand not knowing!¡± Gu Nianzhi eximed passionately. She mmed the keyboard hard.

    He Zhichu was amused by her childish reaction and asked, ¡°What kind of program is worrying you so much? Can you show me?¡±

    ¡°Professor He Zhichi, do you understand as well?¡± Of course, Gu Nianzhi knew she could not show it to He Zhichu due to the highly secretive nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special operation forces¡¯ task.

    ¡°Are you doubting me?¡± He Zhichu raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the window sill. He said gently, ¡°Alright then, you don¡¯t need to send me the program. Just tell me what the problem is. Perhaps I can help you reach the right solution to resolving the issue.¡±

    ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how it is?¡± Gu Nianzhi pondered over it in her head for a moment, reorganized her thoughts, and told He Zhichu the issues and inexplicable aspects of the software.

    After listening to her, He Zhichu thought, ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought...¡±

 Chapter 1026 - It Was Just Too Impressive

    <h4>1026 It Was Just Too Impressive</h4>

    ¡°Professor He, the situation at hand is... It took myputer all nightst night, but I still couldn¡¯t find anything...¡± Gu Nianzhi was getting a little frustrated. She had never encountered such a situation before.

    He Zhichu coughed lightly, then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, I want to ask you, are you familiar with the programmingnguage Prolog?¡±

    ¡°Prolog? Programming-In-Logic?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°I am, in fact. However, this programmingnguage is not widely used, and is still in its experimental stages.¡±

    ¡°And do you know why it is not widely used?¡± He Zhichu was like a professor trying to facilitate creative thinking for Gu Nianzhi. He spoke as if this was a lecture in a ssroom.

    ¡°Prolog, also known as Programming-In-Logic, as its name implies, is a programmingnguage based on logical reasoning, which is also a form of programming that uses artificial intelligence. The current level ofputer hardware is fairly restricted and therefore cannot support wide-scale usage of such programmingnguages. Therefore, its practical usage is basically zero.¡±

    ¡°Correct. Now how does it differ from ordinary programmingnguages?¡± He Zhichu looked up at the bright sun outside the window and squinted.

    ¡°Uh, is this some sort of test?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a self-proimed geniusputer geek? Let me see how well you have mastered the basics.¡± He Zhichu teased, pulling the curtains down with his delicate, elongated fingers. He walked to his desk, sat down, and opened hisputer.

    Gu Nianzhi grinned and said, ¡°Well, this is how I interpret it... In usual programmingnguages, programmers have the dominant position. All their lines of code are clear-cutmands for theputer. But a derative programmingnguage such as Prolog merely sets logical rules for theputer, and then lets theputer determine how to proceed ording to the logic of theputation.¡±

    ¡°For example, when using amon programmingnguage to let aputer calcte a logarithm, the programmer first teaches theputer how to multiply, divide, and then add and subtract. Then, theputer performs calctions strictly based upon the calction order set by the programmer. From this perspective, theputer executes the programmer¡¯smands, and therefore never makes a mistake. If there is a mistake, it can only be the fault of the programmer writing the wrong program.¡±

    ¡°But logical programmingnguages like Prolog processes data ording to logical rules, not by simply adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.¡±

    ¡°The simplest logical rtionship is such. The first example is that Xiaohong is a person, Xiaoli is also a person, and the two like each other. Then you set the rules for judgment. People who like each other are friends. Then, when you enter that Xiaohong likes Xiaoli and that Xiaoli also likes Xiaohong, theputer will automatically conclude that they are friends. Then, any proceeding logical mechanisms will be based on the premise that they are friends.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Not bad! Reducingplex matters into simpler ones is how it operates. But this is the most fundamental description. Have you ever used Prolog for programming before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a while and shook her head, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve tried a few times, but have never done so on arge scale.¡±

    The most practical skill set she¡¯d gained from Zhao Liangze was hacking expertise, and this meant that she had a thorough understanding of the functioning of existing widely-used software programs. This was because, in most basic terms, the nature of a hacker¡¯s job is cracking codes.

    The most potent hacker was capable of cracking all programs. Yet artificial intelligence programmingnguage was not based on practice usage and therefore did not need to be cracked. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi had a rtively limited understanding concerning this domain of study.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a pity. If you have the chance, try using Prolog programming more. Some issues may be easier to resolve,¡± He Chu reminded her meaningfully.

    Gu Nianzhi initially did not hear the implied meaning behind He Zhichu¡¯s words. She merely shrugged and said, ¡°But intelligent programming is closely rted to the artificial intelligence ofputers. Until there can be a breakthrough discovery in terms of artificial intelligence, these intelligent programmingnguages ??can only be niche yers in the programming world, so why waste time on this? After artificial intelligence bes more popr, I¡¯ll still have time to study how to crack it.¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head in disapproval. ¡°Nianzhi, as far as I know, this artificial intelligence programmingnguage is already a semi-finished product in militaryboratories in some countries. A semi-finished military product. Do you understand the meaning of this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt at loss for words. Due to He Zhichi¡¯s identity and status, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t dismiss any word he said. Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood.

    She thought about the programmingnguage that He Zhichu had mentioned earlier. Although she only had a superficial understanding of it, this superficial understanding included the fundamentals of this intelligent programmingnguage.

    He Zhuchi¡¯s hints opened the door to a new world in front of Gu Nianzhi. She stared at the source codes on herputer that she had been analyzing all morning, and suddenly felt that she understood something.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± He Zhichu hadn¡¯t heard from Gu Nianzhi for a while. He called out to her with some concern.

    Gu Nianzhi was snapped back to reality and eximed with joy, ¡°Professor He, you are truly a wonder! I think I have identified the problem! Sorry, but I¡¯m going to start looking for the bug now. When I finally do find the bug, I will invite Professor He for dinner!¡±

    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t humor me.¡± There was a faint smile on He Zhichu¡¯s calm face. That casual smile was like the sporadic rain trickling down and causing small ripples on the surface of cerulean blueke water during spring.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded profusely. ¡°I never break my promises! Breaking promises makes for a bad person!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re too hard on yourself, even I¡¯m intimidated.¡± He Zhichu teased her before hanging up the phone. Looking at theputer in front of him, He Zhichu contemted for a while, then opened a program he used infrequently...

    ...

    After hanging up the phone, Gu Nianzhi stared at theputer monitor for half an hour, sitting there motionlessly, like a y sculpture. Her mind was jumping in all sorts of directions, pondering over how to use a logic programmingnguage such as Prolog, and how to crack this intelligent logic programmingnguage.

    The first step in cracking a code is probing. He Zhichu¡¯s words at the beginning of their conversation gave Gu Nianzhi a new idea.

    If a frequently used software program had Prolog mixed up with it, what would that look like? She and Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t find any bugs, but could this be rted to Prolog, the artificial intelligence-based programmingnguage!?

    After another half an hour, Gu Nianzhi had thought about it thoroughly. She then picked up the mouse, opened her programming notepad, and started encoding software programs. This time, she reformatted her debugging software program to perceive the programmingnguages ??as potential bugs as well.

    The inspection criteria were that any source code that runs on a logical programming paradigm was a bug. Ordinary programmingnguages would ??never use logic-based programming to run source codes. After reformatting, she re-inspected the source code that Zhao Liangze had given her. Gu Nianzhi did not sleep this time. She sat in front of theputer the whole time, attentively watching her program run.

    She had to admit that the source codes from the monitoring software that Zhao Liangze had given to her were indeed extremely potent.

    Fortunately for her, theputer at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence was even more potent, enabling her to perform such a heavy load of calctions and inspections. Nevertheless, it still took her almost twelve hours toplete the entire inspection.

    She had her lunch and dinner in her bedroom. For twelve hours straight, Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t stepped foot outside the house. Except to retrieve the lunch and dinner delivered by the servicemen at the door, she hardly looked away from theputer monitor.

    At eleven o¡¯clock in the evening, the program finally started ringing a victorious chime to signify that all operations had been aplished. She had never felt so overjoyed to finally see the gigantic disy of the word ¡°Done¡± on herputer monitor.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a long breath of relief.

    Clicking on the program¡¯s error-report, she saw a few lines ofmand in the previously empty error-checking report and immediately broke out into a smile. Her debugging program had been running all night, yet no mistake had been identified. Although nothing had appeared in that error-report, Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been pleased at all.

    Now, seeing the incorrect instructions appearing in the error-report, she was so ecstatic that she felt like she was on cloud nine. Gu Nianzhi could hardly contain her excitement as she read the error report. The more she read, the more excited she got.

    ¡°Dang! That¡¯s how they did it?!¡±

    ¡°You can actually implement a recursion program based on the Prolog artificial intelligence-based logic programmingnguage within an ordinary programmingnguage!¡±

    ¡°...This is like secretly inserting a sleeper agent within a crowd of fools and covertly issuingmands for these single-minded dimwits to follow!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt so ted that she could hardly avert her gaze. It was as if, in the pige of source codes that could only rigidly obey straightforward instructions, a maverick code had appeared and told them to stay put when ¡°one¡± appears, and to circle back to ¡°one¡± when ¡°two¡± appears.

    If neither ¡°one¡± or ¡°two¡± appeared, then they would obey the originalmand. This was practically a dead loop between themands of ¡°one¡± and ¡°two¡±.

    The unique aspect of it was its use of artificial intelligence-based logic programming as its basis. It meant that his sort of dead-loop viral programming couldn¡¯t be easily detected by people using this software.

    ¡°How impressive! Who¡¯s the genius who came up with this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not wait anymore. She excitedly dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number. ¡°Professor He! I have finally identified the bug! Sure enough, someone has hidden a few lines of Prologmands within amon programmingnguage! Professor He, you are truly a genius! A trueputer expert!¡±

    He Zhichu had just been awakened by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone call, but he wasn¡¯t irked. He simply smiled and said, ¡°I feel proud to receive such praise from a geniusputer expert herself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed with joy. ¡°Professor He is too modest. This issue has stumped many people, but you identified the nature of the problem right away. I¡¯m been curious, how did you know that this was the underlying issue? You seem to be veryputer savvy yourself!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes flickered. He said calmly, ¡°I too have a great burden upon my shoulders. I once sponsored the establishment of a national militaryboratory for a country, and I saw them conduct an inspection of this sort.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I see!¡± Gu Nianzhi knew which country He Zhichu was referring to, and she unconsciously closed her eyes. ¡°It seems that we have a long way to go before catching up...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re gaining momentum.¡± He Zhichu sat down leisurely on the bed. ¡°Actually, you said that some people suggested that it was either theputer¡¯s problem or a software issue. The core of the problem has been pointed out. I believe that the person just needs a little more time to discover the key aspect underlying the issue.¡±

    Only artificial intelligence-based programmingnguages ??could really drive the hardware to serve the software. Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt aplished as well. It was just too impressive!

 Chapter 1027 - High Level Contes

    <h4>1027 High Level Contes</h4>

    However, Gu Nianzhi also had to admit that since Huo Shaoheng was the one who¡¯d immediately identified the core issue after a brief description, he was a little bit more impressive...

    Gu Nianzhi finished mentallyplimenting Huo Shaoheng and said to He Zhichu, ¡°But I have to admit, Professor He, you are still the most capable person in this area. If you¡¯re soputer savvy, why did you studyw? You should be aputer programming entrepreneur! With you around, Google, Qiandu, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, and Weibo would all be put to shame!¡±

    Augh escaped He Zhichu¡¯s lips. ¡°You certainly have a lot of confidence in me.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are my mentor! If I don¡¯t have confidence in my mentor, wouldn¡¯t that be ungrateful and shameless of me?!¡±

    Perhaps Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t realized, but He Zhichu noticed that Gu Nianzhi had be more and morefortable and at ease when speaking to him. More and more... like she had been when she was a child.

    Only He Zhichu knew how Gu Nainzhi had evolved from an autistic little girl into the emboldened, genuine, and, forthright youngdy she was today. Although it had only been six years, those six years were immensely influential in contributing to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal growth and the way she perceived the world around her.

    The way Gu Nianzhi was acting in front of him at the moment jolted him back in time to seven years prior, back when she had just left him. That was his Nianzhi. The old her would never be forgotten.

    He Zhichu clenched his hand tightly into a fist and let it drop to his side. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. If he did, he would never let go of her again.

    She wouldn¡¯t like that... and she wouldn¡¯t be happy... she wouldn¡¯t ept that...

    Only by mentally repeating these three phrases over and over again was he able to calm himself down.

    ¡°Thank you for your confidence in me, but my interest does not lie with theputer. And as I said, I am merely standing on the shoulders of the giant. The militaryboratory of a certain country has already reached the stage of a semi-finished product. I think some of you will be interested in this piece of information.¡± He Zhichu said this nonchntly as if he didn¡¯t know the weight of this piece of information.

    Yet Gu Nianzhi was perceptive enough and grateful for the piece of information. ¡°Professor He, I understand. We will try our hardest. But Professor He, won¡¯t divulging such a confidential piece of information bring you unwanted trouble?¡±

    He Zhichi had many nationalities, and American was only one of them. He Zhichu¡¯s mood rxed. Sprawling on the bedzily, he said, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it too much. I didn¡¯t say anything. As for the programmingnguage I just mentioned, Prolog, there will be a lot of relevant information about it on the Inte. A lot of basic stuff.¡±

    The master only gives the instructions and teachers the techniques, but the apprentice herself is responsible for mastering them. The intelligent one will be an insightful visionary whoprehends and innovates.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled perceptively. ¡°Thank you, Professor He, for your pieces of wisdom. Alright then, I won¡¯t disturb you any further. Wait for my contact, I will invite you to dinner sooner orter!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be eagerly waiting.¡± He Zhichu hung up the phone, turned off the light, and fell into a deep sleep.

    .......

    After hanging up on He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi called Zhao Liangze immediately. ¡°Brother Ze! What are you doing?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was overflowing with joy. Even across the telephone line, Zhao Liangze could still hear it clearly.

    ¡°I¡¯m working, what else could I be doing?¡± Zhao Liangze looked at the time. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in bed already?¡±

    There was a six-hour time difference between Zhao Liangze¡¯s location and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s time zone, it was now one o¡¯clock in the morning, while in Zhao Liangze¡¯s time zone, it was seven o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled a little and suddenly said, ¡°Brother Ze, I found the bug in the source code. I¡¯m going to report to Huo Shao now. Bye!¡± As soon as she finished, she blocked Zhao Liangze¡¯s number and called Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhao Liangze was dumbstruck.

    Gu Nianzhi had found a bug! Gu Nianzhi had found a bug in that source code! He¡¯d spent an entire day searching for bugs yet still couldn¡¯t find anything!

    ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi?¡± Zhao Liangze was so anxious that he urgently called Gu Nianzhi again right away to ask what on earth she meant, but he could no longer connect to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°She did this on purpose! That little brat definitely did this on purpose!¡± Zhao Liangze jumped up and down with frustration in his tiny run-down barn in the small ind off the Cape of Good Hope, but he was unable to prevent Gu Nianzhi frommunicating with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was still in the temporarymand room of the Parliament building and was personally inspecting the in-line system between all theworks and the central control room. Ever since doubts concerning the surveince software had surfaced, Huo Shaoheng had also started to harbor doubts about the central control room¡¯s election monitoring process.

    He couldn¡¯t put his finger on exactly what it was, but his intuition told him that something was wrong. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exceptional sixth-sense was not god-given, it had developed over ten years of countless near-death experiences.

    He had already been checking for twelve hours straight with no results.

    The general election wasing up soon. How could he guarantee that the voting process in this election would be fair and just?

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. He began insertingmands to conduct random checks on the monitoring system. So far, everything seemed in ce. But he also had the sense that he was overlooking something right before his eyes, and that it was grimacing at him...

    Just when Huo Shaoheng felt like he was walking into a dead-end, Gu Nianzhi called. The sound of the phone ringing jerked him back to alertness. Suddenly, Huo Shaoheng was wide awake.

    He connected the line to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call and spoke to her with a Bluetooth headset. ¡°Gu Nianzhi? It¡¯s sote, why haven¡¯t you slept yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly said, ¡°Huo Shao, where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still at the Parliament building, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked while maintaining hisposure. Yin Shixiong and the staff of the Special Operation Forces were right beside him. He looked very somber.

    ¡°Are you free to speak right now?¡± Although Gu Nianzhi tried to remain calm, Huo Shaoheng knew her so well that he instantly sensed the urgency in her tone.

    ¡°Yeah, spill it.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m wearing a headset.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a breath before saying hurriedly, ¡°Huo Shao, I identified the issue with that source code. Someone mixed an AI logic programmingnguage into your ordinary programmingnguage. It can analyze existing programs and even start a new programming process!¡± Her voice was crisp and clear, and she spoke rapidly with urgency. It was like a bunch of beans spilling on the floor.

    Whether it was her voice or merely the content of her speech, to Huo Shaoheng, what she said was melodiously pleasant to the ears.

    His fingers paused on the keyboard and remained motionless for a full minute. He then asked hoarsely, ¡°Nianzhi, you can repeat what you just said and speak slowly this time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cleared her throat and repeated word for word, ¡°That source code in question, someone mixed an AI logic programmingnguage in your ordinary programmingnguage. It can analyze existing programs and even start a new programming process!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes. Everything that hadn¡¯t made sense suddenly seemed so clear.

    So this was why the monitoring software had given him such a bizarre feeling... If she was right, then all the contradictions made sense now.

    Huo Shaoheng groaned for a second but immediately made a decision. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯lle and pick you up immediately to take you to the central control room.¡±

    Although it was early morning, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t sleep at all. She was dying for the chance to confirm her findings. ¡°Oh! Come back soon, Huo Shao! I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone and immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower.

    Just as she finished taking a shower and pushed the bedroom door open, she saw Huo Shaoheng entering in with his military uniform on. Seeing her, he reached out his hand to her and said, ¡°Come, follow me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not hesitate to put her hand into his palm and walk with him towards the central control room.

    This was the core of the entire empire. Countless pieces of confidential information were stored here. Gu Nianzhi was so nervous that her palms were sweating. Huo Shaoheng¡¯srge palm was warm and dry as he held her firmly, taking her into his world.

    ...

    In the central control room, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say much. Instead of letting Gu Nianzhi sit in front of the console, he said, ¡°Tell me how you found out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi collected herself, pulled out her debugging program, and then directly started scanning and inspecting all of the monitoring software. Theputer in the central control room was a super system, and although Gu Nianzhi used to think that theputer in her bedroom was potent enough, it was put to shame by the supeputer in front of her.

    Within the span of five minutes, she had finished scanning all of the monitoring software. When Gu Nianzhi had been scanning monitoring software with herputer, it had taken her twelve hours to scan just half of the software.

    This was a brutalparison.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the error-report that was generated after the scan waspleted. Surprised, she said, ¡°Two more erroneousmands have been identified!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng printed out the error-checking report, read the report, and said calmly, ¡°You only inspected one-third of this monitoring software¡¯s source code. Naturally, you found fewer errors.¡±

    Only after scanning all of the monitoring software was she able to identify two more erroneousmands.

    ¡°...Huo Shao, you don¡¯t have to worry so much. You see, the embedded artificial intelligence program has only four lines, so it can only do so much damage,¡± Gu Nianzhi tried to assure Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down beside her and said sullenly, ¡°That¡¯s because our hardware has a limited capacity. Otherwise, these fourmands could have generated countlessmands. Look at this line¡ª¡± Huo Shaoheng drew a circle with a marker.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it and suddenly felt relief. It had never crossed her mind that these four lines ofmands were more than enough to cause severe damage. Since they were able to reprogram, it meant that it had the potential to cause unimaginable damage at an unspeakable extent.

    To be honest, it was truly relieving that human-developed hardware was still fairly limited. Further AI development in the future would harbor uncontroble destructive power.

    ¡°...Huo Shao, what do we do now? Has it affected you in any negative way?¡± Gu Nian inquired nervously, ¡°Will deleting those fourmands affect how your monitoring software operates?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to sit down and said, ¡°I¡¯ll try... counter-programming. I want to find out where the real monitoring data has been hidden.¡±

 Chapter 1028 - The Grand Master Resurfaces

    <h4>1028 The Grand Master Resurfaces</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in front of the supeputer console in the central control room, attentively typing his highest authoritymand. Only this kind ofmand could provide him the ability to perform counter-programming.

    In the brightly-lit control room, the recessed lighting in the ceiling gradually dimmed. The monitor that upied the four walls beamed with blue light as countlessmands shed by, stirring up blue waves.

    But Huo Shaoheng alone performing counter-programming wasn¡¯t nearly enough power against such a huge system. Because the central control room had such a heavy workload, it was unrealistic to halt its operations just because of a tiny incident. While he was busy counter-programming, other staff members in the central control room went into a state of high alert.

    ¡°District 1 alertplete, no abnormalities detected.¡±

    ¡°District 2 alertplete, no abnormalities detected.¡±

    ¡°Disruptive noise detected in District 3, the source has been identified.¡±

    ¡°District 4 alertplete, no abnormalities detected.¡±

    ...

    ¡°District 27 alertplete, no abnormalities detected.¡±

    The Huaxia Empire was divided into 27 districts. Now and then, reports came in from the central control room.

    Everyone was somber as they sat in front of theirputers, focused on their respective duties. Even Gu Nianzhi was influenced by the apprehensive vibe. She dared not do anything conspicuous. She sat upright like a soldier beside Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was fully immersed in this formidable challenge. This was the second time since joining the army that a challenge had caused his heart to race this rapidly. Soon, the match would end, and the victor and loser would each be revealed.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi had already caught the ¡°culprit¡± in the monitoring software. Huo Shaoheng thoroughly analyzed those four lines ofmands, then began counter-programming. Counter-programming meant restoring the current executionnguage to a source code, much like stripping away the mask of a carefully-disguised imposter to reveal his true face.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure if this was the first time Huo Shaoheng had performed counter-programming on the AI logguage Prolog, but judging from the rapidness and expertise he exhibited during the process, he must have had prior experience. She breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes followed the lines ofmand issued by Huo Shaoheng on the monitor.

    Watching Huo Shaoheng performing highly advanced restoration step-by-step on those four lines ofmand and slowly killing the seeds of evil nted by the unknown enemy made Gu Nianzhi tense up again. Since those four lines ofmands were AI-based programming, the enemy seemed to have anticipated this kind of counter-programming.

    Every time a step was cracked and a line of source code restored, the AI program immediately reissued anothermand. It was almost as if it was ying hide and seek, slipping away again and again when just on the verge of capture.

    Huo Shaoheng was not discouraged and remained calm. The seductive contours of his lips disyed resolve and determination flickered in his eyes. He was even more breathtaking than the blue light on the monitor.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes fell to Huo Shaoheng unconsciously. She had seen Huo Shaoheng in many different roles. She¡¯d seen him as the war hero who forced the enemy to retreat from the battlefield while taking a bullet in the process. There was a version of him that was a valiant warrior on the battlefield. There was also the civilian version of him that was the dotting boyfriend who spoiled and indulged her with his nourishing love. Yet she had never seen this Huo Shaoheng, theputer genius!

    His excellence and expertise inspired Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ambition. She wanted to rise to his level. Only then could she feel worthy enough and assured that she wouldn¡¯t drag him down.

    True love inspires us to transform into the best version of ourselves. Regardless of whether or not the rtionship is evesting, we must be grateful for all the heartfelt and genuine rtionships that we encounter in our lives.

    At this moment, Gu Nianzhi was certain that her resolution wouldn¡¯t waver, that she would not shrink back.

    She merely watched Huo Shaoheng without letting any nuance in his facial expression escape her eyes. Before long, she noticed that beads of sweat had started trickling down Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead. Gu Nianzhi was somewhat caught off guard.

    Could it be that the counter-programming wasn¡¯t going as well as expected?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze shifted to the monitor. The lines ofmand that had been there just a moment before were now all garbled!

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt her heart do a nervous leap inside her chest. She asked gently, ¡°Have you encountered some trouble?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said ¡°uh-huh.¡± He then said in a low voice, ¡°...The enemy can do more than reprogram... This is a phishing program.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt her eyes go dark. She nearly fainted!

    ¡°Phishing?! Did we fall into a trap?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt burdened with guilt. Had she caused this mess?

    Seeming to read her mind, Huo Shaoheng said immediately, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You helped us tremendously by catching the culprit in time. If not for you, our losses would have been inestimable.¡± Perhaps a loss on the same scale as the one the German Federal Intelligence Agency had suffered when they encountered Gu Nianzhi...

    What was differentst time was that the culprit had been Gu Nianzhi, an animate and intelligent human being. This time, their opponent was merely four lines of AI-basedmands, which should be easier to handle. But this did not seem to appease Gu Nianzhi, only making her even edgier.

    ¡°What on earth is happening?¡±

    ¡°...The enemy seems to have anticipated that I would perform counter-programming. Therefore, as soon I started counter-programming, the AImands they imnted issued a warning to its owner.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, inside a covert US militaryboratory on the other side of the ocean, an rm suddenly started ring, indicating that a foreign enemy had invaded. Mayhem broke out in the base.

    Dozens of military personnel put down their work and rushed to their guarding positions.

    In the secretboratory of the central base, experimenters wearing whiteb coats over their military uniforms were anxiously staring at theputer. With hands and mouths busy, they began continuously issuingmands.

    ¡°Son-of-b*tch! Our cover has been blown!¡±

    ¡°Mayday-Mayday!¡±

    ¡°Quick! Initiate the offense!¡±

    ¡°The enemy is counter-programming! The covert program we imnted seized the opportunity to open the back door! This is our only chance!¡±

    ¡°Counter-programming will upy most of the other host¡¯s performance capacity, so this is when the security system is in its most vulnerable state!¡±

    ¡°F*ck! This is the chance of a lifetime! Finally, I can surf around the Huaxia Empire¡¯s elusive intr!¡±

    Inside the secretboratory, an elite group of military gear attired experimenters seemed as if they had been injected with adrenaline. They began maniacallyunching attacks on the Huaxia Empire¡¯s intr.

    The main target of their attack was the central control room within the headquarters of the Special Operation Forces, which was the endpoint of all theworks and electronic control systems in the Huaxia Empire.

    ...

    ¡°Report! State of emergency dered in District 1!¡±

    ¡°Report! State of emergency dered in District 2!¡±

    ¡°Report! District 3 has fallen to the enemy!¡±

    ¡°Report! District Four...¡±

    ...

    In the central control room of the Huaxia Empire, the atmosphere changed from calm to tense, and finally to chaotic. This was the first time that they have encountered such arge-scale cyber attack.

    Because they had already nted a ¡°tour guide¡± within the system to lead the way, the enemy¡¯s attack was especially fierce. The protective walls were torn open as the enemy made a beeline for the heart of the system!

    ¡°Chief! We can¡¯t hold up any longer!¡±

    The central control room¡¯s staff all appeared ashen and crestfallen. Although they had vowed to fight till the very end, even if they were fighting a losing battle, seeing the areas they were responsible for being taken down one by one made them feel exasperated and desperately wish that they could end this madness once and for all!

    ¡°Do not panic!¡± Huo Shaoheng said in a deep voice. ¡°Stabilize your positions and maintain yourposure.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the halfpleted counter-programming that Huo Shaoheng had performed, then nced up at the walls covered inrge monitors. So many tiny blue dots saturated the monitors that it almost looked like a modern piece of art.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that the blue dots represented the enemy and the red dots represented them. The blue side had nearly surrounded the red side in a position simr to a blockade, thwarting their every line of defense...

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let them break in like this!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi herself had broken through the German Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s line of defense. She knew exactly how far-reaching and catastrophic the potential damage was.

    Now that the victim of such an attack was her own country, she got a chance to feel what it was like to be on the other end. She couldn¡¯t ept it at all. If they were sessfully breached, then that would mean that their abilities were inferior!

    She watched as the blue dots continued to sh across the monitor. The red dots were gradually surrounded and decimated. Blood boiled in her chest. She finally got up and asked to volunteer. ¡°Huo Shao, let me help you stop them!¡±

    With her fists tightly clenched, her delicate features had a sense of calmness and solemnity that had rarely appeared on them before. With her imposing countenance and emboldened, fearless demeanor, she seemed indistinguishable from the soldiers in the central control room. Huo Shaoheng had no other choice at this time.

    If Zhao Liangze had still been here, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s help wouldn¡¯t have been needed. But with so many shocking turns of events today, he had no other choice but to turn to her for help.

    ¡°Alright, Gu Nianzhi, your code...¡± Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t even finished before Gu Nianzhi interrupted.

    ¡°Pink Piggy. Pink Piggy will be my code.¡±

    Even in the tense and suffocating atmosphere of the central control room, everyone went quiet for a moment and the atmosphere stiffened a little when they heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. Then a burst of warm apuse and cheers exploded throughout the room!

    ¡°Pink Piggy!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is the Pink Piggy?!¡±

    ¡°The high and mighty Pink Piggy! Let me kneel before you!¡±

    Someone even whistled.

    The Pink Piggy!

    If you worked in theputer industry, how could you not be aware of the ¡°little pink pig¡± phenomenon? After single-handedly defeating the entire German Federal Intelligence Agency, she became a legend in the hacker world!

    Even within the Chinese Empire, only a handful of people knew that Gu Nianzhi was the person behind Pink Piggy. Since she was a lowkey person, she knew that revealing her identity would mean glory, but also trouble apanied by unwarranted attention.

    But at the moment, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t revealing herself for the sake of attention, but to give everyone confidence! To remind the rest of the staff of their strength! They hadn¡¯t lost yet!

    The atmosphere in the central control room changed for the better. No one stared at the blue dots that were gaining momentum with terror and apprehension, but with calmness.

    Looking at these blue dots with a different mindset, they looked like prey voluntarily jumping into a trap! Come on, we¡¯re here waiting for you!

    Gu Nianzhi sat in front of the console next to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng immediately gave her the highest authority. Neither of them said anything to the other, they merely shot encouraging looks at each other.

    Huo Shaoheng grasped her hands. ¡°Fight on!¡±

 Chapter 1029 - The Ones Who Can Stir Up Trouble Are All Winners

    <h4>1029 The Ones Who Can Stir Up Trouble Are All Winners</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and replied calmly, ¡°You just need to worry about counter-programming and I¡¯ll block these attacks for you. I¡¯ll block you for as long as you need.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gazed intently at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Together?¡±

    ¡°Together!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on a Bluetooth headset and greeted the personnel in the Central Control Room before taking over themand.

    ¡°All parties are to listen to mymand. Continue battling against the Blue Party, I will break into the externalwork andpete with them as a civilian hacker.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on a voice-changing Bluetooth headset and quickly entered thework system.

    As she keyed a series ofmands into the system, Gu Nianzhi gradually saw another world, the inte world of data and logic.

    In this world, one could not perceive if their enemy was human or machine.

    It no longer mattered if eachmand was sent out by humans or machines.

    The important thing was knowing who themands serviced, and which direction themands would take them in.

    While the Blue Party furiously attacked the Huaxia Imperialwork and captured one node after another, a powerful force discreetly rose from within their conquered areas.

    Gu Nianzhi first entered Area Three, which had already been captured by the Blue Party. She identally discovered that, in addition to the resistant strength from the Cab and Military, there was also a hacker alliance organized by civilians!

    These people may have only been normal people in the real world¡ªprogrammers, students, managers, or entry-level employees¡ªbut because of their interest in the inte, their familiarity withputers, and their passion for their nation, they¡¯d created an organization on their own to fight against external attacks when they discovered that their nation¡¯s intework was being invaded by external forces!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately recognized their strength.

    Ants may be small, but their advantage was in numbers. Together, they could topple an elephant.

    Gu Nianzhi had an idea in her head.

    Her hands flew as she hammered on the keyboard to key in a series ofmands. She made thework her tool and began by selecting to battle against the Blue Party¡¯s most arrogant Skull and Bones Society!

    She needed to im the first victory and also issue a warning!

    The Skull and Bones Society¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t very sophisticated since their method of repeated mass mailing was very primitive.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly beat down the attacks from the Skull and Bones Society. She then took advantage of the momentum by also pursuing them back over the enemy¡¯s line of attack. With one motion, she broke through the background processes of the Skull and Bones Society!

    Finally, she released her logo target... a round, soft, pink piggy with a tiny curly tail!

    ¡°Pink Piggy!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Pink Piggy!¡±

    ¡°The Pink Piggy is here!¡±

    ¡°Heed quickly! The Pink Piggy has arrived! Evil spirits, retreat!¡±

    Theughter and cheers rising online could almost be heard out loud!

    The civilian hacker alliance that relentlessly held strong despite being repeatedly defeated by the Blue Party immediately noticed the signal form Gu Nianzhi. They broke into the Skull and Bones Society¡¯s intr system.

    The Skull and Bones Society was one of the code names used by the US military¡¯s Secret Laboratory, akin to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s code name of ¡°Pink Piggy.¡±

    The difference was that while everyone knew that the Skull and Bones Society was one of the code names used by the US Military, there was no conclusive evidence to suggest that Pink Piggy was one of the code names used by the Huaxia military.

    It had flicked into the night sky six months ago, then disappeared without a trace.

    Although many people suspected that this person was internal personnel from the Huaxia Military, no one possessed conclusive evidence.

    Now that the Pink Piggy has resurfaced once again, she was still battling for the Huaxia Empire. However, she was battling alongside the civilian hacker alliance and seemed to have distanced herself from the military personnel. They didn¡¯t seem to be cooperating.

    The truth was, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s operation was better paired with the civilian hacker alliance.

    When she appeared online, she used a civilian IP. Unless someone was inside the Central Control Room, it would be impossible to check if she was truly using a civilian IP.

    At this point, the United States had not yet broken through the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Central Control Room, so they could only wonder.

    When Gu Nianzhi revealed her trademark ¡°Pink Piggy¡± logo, all the hackers in the world were thrilled!

    They all rushed to share the news that the Pink Piggy had resurfaced after disappearing for six months!

    All eyes were on the smoke-free war taking ce on the Huaxia Imperialwork.

    ¡°Hackers in Area Three, no need to feel defeated, I will give you a set of code and you can initiate attacks on the enemy¡¯s terminal. Send it out every five minutes and forcefully upy all their bandwidth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used her voice changing microphone to beginmunication with the hackers in the civilian alliance from Area Three.

    Gradually, the number of people fighting on their side increased. It didn¡¯t matter if they were hackers or not, everyone who knew how to useputers and how to send DOSmands joined.

    The strength in their numbers was very powerful. At that moment, the power of the group finally materialized!

    While a myriad of volunteer hackers helped attack the terminalwork of the US Secret Laboratory, Gu Nianzhi hid herself away. She attempted to use Prolog to imitate the enemy¡¯s four-linedmands. She wrote a series of codes and snuck in through the back door of the Skull and Bones Society, then took a look around.

    Her program wasn¡¯t mature. The enemy had a better understanding of AI programming.

    She was discovered soon afterward.

    Before Gu Nianzhi was osted, she calmly released her ¡°Pink Piggy¡± logo once again and also took a screenshot as a memento. She posted it on a forum frequented by hackers.

    ¡°Fellow hackers, do you want to take a look around the American Skull and Bones Society?¡± Gu Nianzhi posted the enemy¡¯s backdoor terminal and cracked code on the forum.

    This news caused huge waves on the international hacking forums.

    The backdoor terminal and cracked code of the American Skull and Bones Society!

    Countless people were willing to pay big money to obtain those!

    Now, it was being offered up freely by ¡°Pink Piggy!¡±

    This opportunity was too rare!

    Everyone knew that since the backdoor terminal and cracked code had been published, the Skull and Bones Society would immediately change the password as soon as they found out.

    They only had a very short time frame to take advantage of it.

    As a result, no one hesitated to begin a concentrated attack against the end terminal of the US military¡¯s Skull and Bones Society!

    The size and quality of this attack could notpare against the civilian hacker¡¯s alliance in Area Three.

    The United States was constantly attacking other countries¡¯ inteworks and searching for loopholes. By the same token, other countries also had a great interest in the United States¡¯ intework and its loopholes.

    This battle never ceased.

    When the personnel from the US military¡¯s Secret Laboratory discovered that their intework was suddenly so congested that even a simplemand could not be easily sent off, they finally realized what the problem was.

    ¡°The Pink Piggy appeared again?!¡±

    ¡°So he¡¯s actually in the Huaxia Empire?!¡±

    ¡°Last time, I said that the Pink Piggy is probably internal personnel from the Huaxia Empire. You guys still don¡¯t believe me?! Did you see who reaped the biggest benefits?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no doubt this Pink Piggy is internal Huaxia Imperial personnel, but the question is whether he¡¯s a government official, military personnel member, or civilian. That¡¯s the key.¡±

    ¡°So what? You want to recruit him if he¡¯s a civilian?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The head of the US military¡¯s Secret Laboratory looked very proud. ¡°I¡¯m not targeting anyone, but everyone here is trashpared to Pink Piggy!¡±

    Everyone was openly shocked as they looked at their boss.

    How could he say that about his subordinates?!

    ¡°F**k! I can¡¯t take it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill him!¡±

    The aggrieved militaryboratory staff once again engaged in a crazy attack against the Huaxia Empire.

    But this time, Gu Nianzhi had already earned precious time for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng finally cut off the logic link within the four-linedmand. He switched it from an AI program capable of automatically performing logic analysis and performing secondary programming intomon source code.

    Stripping the AI system from the program, he could see what actions the source code behind it was performing.

    Huo Shaoheng anxiously browsed through the source code. At the same time, he began searching for what the four-linedmand had done before, data that it had hidden, as well as the direction it was going ording to the source code.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi returned after looping around all 27 areas of the Huaxia Empire.

    After understanding the Blue Party¡¯s attacks on each area, as well as the logistics of the attacks, Gu Nianzhi had an idea.

    Her slender fingers danced like butterfly wings as she quickly typed out a series ofmands. From Area One, she began setting up obstacles for the invading blue dots.

    Wiping them off one by one and not hesitating to erase all traces they left behind, this program felt just like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Devourer.exe. Each invader would only be the fuel that increased her power!

    What doesn¡¯t kill me can only make me stronger!

    ....

    The secretboratory on the other side of the world changed the Bone and Skull Society¡¯s terminal and reset the password before fighting off the first wave of cyberattacks.

    But soon afterward, they discovered that after the first wave, there were even heavier blows from the second wave of attacks to deal with!

    ¡°Reporting! We have a serious loss of data!¡±

    ¡°Reporting! A devouring program has appeared in Area One of the Huaxia Empire!¡±

    ¡°Reporting! Requesting evacuation!¡±

    ¡°Reporting! Requesting evacuation!¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to take the data on hand if we don¡¯t evacuate right now!¡±

    The head of the US Military Secret Laboratory kicked the desk hard. ¡°F**k! Pull back! Pull back!¡±

    Just as the US military was evacuating, Gu Nianzhi bundled up a Troy.exe she¡¯d disguised using an AI program. She ced it in the data amassed by the Blue Party¡¯s retreating personnel.

    The little program called the Trojan horse program. It was merely a small virus program that Gu Nianzhi randomly pulled from the inte.

    It wasn¡¯t very useful, but it would wipe out all the information the US military had captured from the Huaxia Imperialwork. It would also wipe away all the data on the enemy¡¯s hard drives as well!

    One hourter, the crazed cyberattacks finally stopped.

    Inside the Central Control Room of the Special Operations Forces headquarters base, the personnel did not dare to let their guards down. They continued to eye their territories anxiously, continuously using software to scan thework. They were worried that the enemy had left behind some ticking time bombs.

    Gu Nianzhi believed that the best defense was to attack, so her strategy had perfectly implemented this principle.

    When one raised a butchering knife at another person, they would also reveal the vulnerable position of their own heart.

    Inside the US military¡¯s Secret Laboratory, the personnel wearing whiteb coats over their military uniforms used tissues to wipe their sweat off. Their hearts still pounded as they remarked, ¡°Luckily, we retreated quickly enough. We have quite a bounty this time. Here, let¡¯s enjoy the Huaxia Empire¡¯s most mysterious intr system!¡±

 Chapter 1030 - Take Your Life While Youâ€™re Ill

    <h4>1030 Take Your Life While You¡°re Ill</h4>

    Inside the very postmodern secretboratory, the personnel members who had been anxiously working for an hour gradually rxed.

    They slumped sideways in the seats as almost everyone had a can of soda as they enjoyed the aftermath of the great battle.

    Although they hadn¡¯t managed to break through thest bastion of the Special Operations Forces, they had breached many nodes in the Huaxia Empire. Their sesses included parts of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ website, as well as the Cab¡¯s and Senate¡¯s websites.

    It was now time to appreciate the loot from their raid!

    The head of the US Military Secret Laboratory giddily pressed the start button.

    A series of yellow flowers appeared on the giant screen inside the secretboratory. As the graphics flipped and dpressed, files revealed themselves one by one.

    Just as they were about to open the first dpressed file, it suddenly exploded like a bomb!

    Fireworks exploded on their screens as all the data turned into horizontal and vertical lines!

    The edges of the lines glowed a pale gold. Like taunting eyes, they shed, rotated, rolled, andbined into all sorts of patterns. It looked exactly like their firework disys on the Fourth of July!

    Everyone was stunned silly by this sudden change of events. In one instant, everyone inside the secretboratory froze. No one spoke for a long time. The entire room was as quiet as if it was the end of the world.

    In the end, the head of theboratory was the first one to react.

    ¡°What the f*ck!? What happened?¡± he bellowed. ¡°Who epted this folder?!¡±

    ¡°...Stop right there! Don¡¯t open up any more files! We have to send all the data we retrieved to the test inbox and filter for viruses!¡±

    An experienced engineer suddenly realized something as he fearfully stared at the Troy.exe program inside the folder. ¡°There¡¯s a Trojan! Trojan virus!¡±

    In ancient Greek mythology, the Greeks never won the city of Troy.

    Afterward, a Greekmander thought of an idea.

    He had his people construct a huge wooden horse with a hollow belly so people could hide inside.

    He hid Greek warriors inside the wooden horse¡¯s belly and left it outside the gates of Troy with their soldiers hidden inside.

    The long besieged city of Troy did not see any Greeks, so they assumed the Greek soldiers had retreated. The wooden horse left outside the city were rolled inside as spoils of war.

    At night, the Trojans fell asleep. The Greeks hidden inside the bellies of the wooden horses came out under the cover of night andpletely ughtered all the Trojans and seized the city.

    As a result, the Trojan horse symbolized letting the enemy in and leading to one¡¯s own demise.

    Gu Nianzhi had frantically selected a modified Trojan virus using the same principle.

    As the Americans¡¯ cyber attacks began to retreat, they¡¯d attempted to download as much of the Huaxia Imperial intework¡¯s data and content as possible. Gu Nianzhi had taken the opportunity to disguise her Trojan virus as critical system data and insert it into their download package.

    ¡°What? There¡¯s a Trojan virus?!¡±

    The warning hade one step toote.

    When the realization dawned on everyone, Troy.exe had already begun executing.

    It wasn¡¯t an AI program, so it couldn¡¯t be reprogrammed or hide in waiting. It only knew how to loyally execute themand given by its programmer to wipe out all data!

    When the personnel in the secretboratory retreated, they hadn¡¯t realized that they had let in a huge Trojan horse!

    Theputer used to open the system files was connected to the hostputer. At the moment the screen disyed countless fireworks, their system crashed and their hard drives were wiped!

    In less than one minute¡¯s time, all the file packages downloaded from the Huaxia Empire¡¯swork werepletely deleted. It then expanded to all theputers connected to the hostputer!

    ¡°Shut it off! Shut it down!¡±

    ¡°Oh no! Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!¡±

    The head of the US Military Secret Laboratory pulled on the few hairs remaining on his head and mourned angrily. ¡°Shut down all theputers! Cut off the power supply if you can¡¯t shut them off! Cut the power! I¡¯d rather smash all theputers than let this thing continue to wreak havoc! Have you all forgotten about the German Federal Intelligence Service?!¡±

    The department head¡¯s crazed rant awakened all the nkly-staring personnel.

    They quickly moved to delegate tasks. They were shutting downputers, cutting power, and pulling out Ethe cables and using hammers to furiously smash the mainputer!

    The Troy.exe was too powerful. It wasn¡¯tplex at all or built with AI. It only had one function?¡ªto delete everything!

    When a very simple program went into a powerfulputer, it¡¯s speed was no less than a fish in the water. It deleted data in no time and perfectly exemplified the meaning of ¡°virus.¡± It infected and breached data at lightning speeds.

    All programs were the same, so aputer¡¯s CPU was the most critical data benchmark that determined aputer¡¯s quality.

    But at a time like this, the faster the CPU, the higher the speed of the Troy.exe¡¯s deletion.

    When their shut off speed couldn¡¯t surpass the speed ofputer infection, they could only use brute force. By smashing the hostputer and causing physical destruction, they attempted to prevent the program from breaching the cloud drives through the hard drive. That would actually be disastrous!

    The electrical system in theboratory was affected, so the lights flickered and illuminated the entire postmodern secretboratory like it was a doomsday catastrophe movie.

    Countless expensive pieces of equipment were destroyed, and years of data gleaned from hard work was alsopletely deleted without a trace.

    It would be fine if there were backup copies, but the issue was that their secretboratory was the most confidential ce in the entire United States. This was the database for many of the US Military server¡¯s backup copies!

    They could only watch as all the databases for the backup copies were destroyed and all data was lost!

    Just as they¡¯d fully exhausted themselves from smashing and assumed that they had stopped the Trojan virus from executing further attacks, a bright circle of light appeared on the gigantic screen on the wall.

    A cute pink piggy walked out of the circle of light. It rolled towards them twice before turning around, turning its back at them. A short tail was revealed on its round bottom as it wiggled at them.

    The circle of light gradually shrunk until the cute, pink piggy disappeared into the circle of light.

    ¡°WTF! It¡¯s the Pink Piggy again!¡±

    The head of the US Military Secret Laboratory cried out furiously. Hepletely lost the good mood and authority he¡¯d had when he¡¯d mentioned wanting to recruit the Pink Piggy.

    Storming out of theboratory, he grabbed the base¡¯s phone and didn¡¯t hesitate before calling the CIA.

    ¡°I want the Pink Piggy¡¯s head! I need him to be brought to the United States! Bring him to justice! I need to execute him myself! I need to y his skin off and make it intompshades! One will sit in each of your offices!¡±

    He wailed madly, yelling, ¡°I don¡¯t care what methods you use, I need you to arrest Pink Piggy! Extradite him to the United States! I don¡¯t care what nationality he is! I don¡¯t care where he is! No one has ever taken advantage of me without paying the price!¡±

    The head of the US Military Secret Laboratory was also a great genius. He¡¯d led a number of top-secret US Military experiments that could never be made public. He had provided invaluable technical support to the US military, CIA, and FBI.

    He was so arrogant that he didn¡¯t even deign to use a name. He called himself Mr. X and didn¡¯t use a first orst name¨Conly a code name.

    He loved the United States passionately and had vowed from the day he joined the US military that he would devote all his life to the United States and the US military.

    In this world, the United States was the biggest superpower on the. He would make sure that the United States would always be the number one country in the world.

    While he could abuse others, other people couldn¡¯t abuse him.

    If someone else abused him, then that person didn¡¯t deserve to exist in this world.

    He wouldn¡¯t tolerate the existence of such a person!

    The person on the other end of the line was the Director of the CIA, one of the most powerful people in the United States.

    He was furious when he heard that the Military Secret Laboratory had suffered a devastating attack.

    He angrily mmed the desk with his fist and stood up. ¡°The Huaxia Empire took this too far! How dare they initiate cyber attacks against our nation! How shameless! Shame on them!¡±

    When he said this, he waspletely disregarding the fact that this cyberwar had been initiated by his own Military Secret Laboratory.

    To him, the US Military Secret Laboratory invading another country¡¯swork was a normal day. They couldn¡¯t be med, so they required other countries to respect what they did on a normal day.

    However, being attacked themselves was considered treason!

    A vition of internationalw!

    A vition of international morals and regtions!

    He mustunch a public opinion war around the world to condemn the shameless and hegemonist Huaxia Empire!

    The Director of the CIA set down the phone and immediately called his assistant over. ¡°Contact our personnel right now and ask them to get started. Also, call the White House now and tell the President that I need to see him right now. Ask him to refrain from using Twitter for 24 hours!¡±

 Chapter 1031 - What a Coincidence, Just Righ

    <h4>1031 What a Coincidence, Just Righ</h4>

    It was 2:00 PM on the east coast of the United States.

    The President of the United States was arguing vehemently with the media on Twitter.

    ¡°Dear US citizens, our media is a wholesale center for fake news. Please don¡¯t believe the fake news, you must trust me. PS: Those who don¡¯t retweet this aren¡¯t Americans...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m proud to be American!¡±

    ¡°Believe me! I will make America great again!¡±

    He was just about to send out a few more tweets when he heard thendline on his office desk ring. This was the President¡¯s direct line, so it was typically an important matter when calls came in.

    The President of the United States unwillingly put away his cellphone and picked up thendline. Hezily answered, ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Mr. President, this is Hillent, are you free? I need half an hour to report to you about a recent cyber attack against our nation!¡± The person calling was the Major General Hillent of the CIA.

    The President of the United States was instantly so furious that his breath shuddered. ¡°What?! Say that again!! Someone dared to attack my great intework?! Do they want to force my hand?¡±

    Without the inte and Twitter, how could he continue as the President?

    Major General Hillent had long ago be ustomed to the President¡¯s image as a ¡°chronic patient of inte addiction.¡± He didn¡¯t take it to heart and continued to use a business tone. ¡°Mr. President is very wise. We will take a series of follow-up measures tobat the person who dared to vite US cybersecurity.¡±

    ¡°Good! I support that!¡± The President of the United States sighed in relief. ¡°Major General Hillent, I know that you will make another great contribution to our country!¡±

    At that moment, Major General Hillent was repeating in his heart the phrase, ¡°Motherf***er, I¡¯ll just ignore him.¡±

    He arrived at the Oval Office,

    ¡°Mr. President, this is a report on the recent cyberattack. Please take a look.¡± Major General Hillent ced a 500-word report before the President.

    The President of the United States frowned while he read it, then pointed to the report and said, ¡°I can see from this that we had a cyberattack, but what was the damage caused? Have you evaluated it?¡±

    Major General Hillent nodded, then took out a 1,000-word report. ¡°This is the fixed asset loss assessment report, as well as the intangible asset assessment report.¡±

    Both reports were filled with numbers, so typical people had a hard time reading them. However, the President of the United States was a very sessful businessman, so he had a keen sense for numbers.

    When he read both reports, he became even angrier and mmed the table as he shouted, ¡°How dare they! Didn¡¯t you say it was a cyberattack?! How could we have lost so manyputers?! You think I¡¯m a fool?!¡±

    Could the enemy have crawled over from the inte and smashed up theirputers?!

    Major General Hillent was silent.

    The vein on his forehead pulsed as he pushed the sunsses up his nose and said expressionlessly, ¡°That¡¯s because this location is thergest database of our nation¡¯s backup copies. All the data in the world, some of it created even before the birth of the inte, had backup copies there. Of course, that¡¯s excluding data from encrypted intrs in various countries.¡±

    The encrypted intrs were difficult ces for their automatically downloaded programs to enter. This was also one of the reasons why they had started experimenting with AI programmingnguages.

    If AI programmingnguages could be optimized, then they could assign the tasks of downloading data from encrypted intrs to AI programs.

    This time, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s intr had been invaded by their AI programs. Unfortunately, their AI program development hadn¡¯t been optimized before they¡¯d noticed it was already deleted...

    ¡°So what?¡± The President of the United States red at the Director of the CIA. ¡°Why would worldwide inte data be backed up here? Did you have them pay for usage fees? Are they using our backup database for nothing?¡±

    Major General Hillent bit his tongue.

    Whatever... He¡¯d already given up on treatment.

    Major General Hillent didn¡¯t exin more security content to the President, but directly said, ¡°Mr. President¡¯s suggestion is very good, we will consider it. But the problem we face now is recovering from the massive losses caused by the invasion of Huaxia Imperial hackers.¡±

    ¡°...You still haven¡¯t exined why the invasion of ourwork caused such a big loss in hardware.¡± The President of the United States was a very shrewd businessman, so he was hard to fool.

    Major General Hillent exined once again, ¡°It¡¯s because the backup database was extremely secure. From electrical to fire protection, we had directed it all for centuries of uninterrupted storage time. So when the cyberattack from the Huaxia Empire suddenly happened, our personnel had no choice but to physically destroy theputers infected by the Trojan virus.¡±

    Because of the unique nature of the backup database, they had no way of shutting down the facilities. They could only physically destroy all the infected equipment.

    Of course, the biggest reason was that the head of the Secret Laboratory had never expected the Pink Piggy to emerge again after disappearing for six months. He had also joined the Huaxia Imperial hacker alliance to initiate a cyber attack against the United States!

    The most insidious part was that the Pink Piggy had used a Trojan virus disguised as a system file that their personnel brought home...

    He wanted to vomit blood at the thought of it.

    Mr. X, the head of theboratory, kept whining about how the Pink Piggy was too crafty. He wanted to find him and battle him once and for all!

    However, Major General Hillent believed that if the Pink Piggy wouldn¡¯t join them, then he should disappear. That meant he should die.

    The President of the United States understood what Major General Hillent was implying. After considering it in silence for a while, he said, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

    They were finally getting on track...

    Major General Hillent nearly cried with happiness.

    He quickly replied, ¡°Mr, President, if our efforts do not work, then we are hoping that you can directly pressure the Huaxia Imperial government into handing over the Pink Piggy!¡±

    The President lifted his hand and didn¡¯t hesitate to agree. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. As the President of the United States, this is something I should do for the sake of American cybersecurity. If you can¡¯t find out who the Pink Piggy is, I¡¯ll pressure the Huaxia Imperial government into handing over this individual.¡±

    Major General Hillent was both surprised and a bit flushed.

    He hadn¡¯t expected the unreliable president to somehow instantly understand what he was implying.

    He had been thinking about how if he was unable to unearth this Pink Piggy¡¯s true identity, he would do it by force. He would ask the US Foreign Ministry to pressure the Huaxia Empire into handing over this individual.

    But by doing so, it would imply that the CIA was so ipetent that they were unable to find a mere hacker. They needed the government to step in and use diplomatic pressure to force the other nation to hand over this person, so it would certainly be a bit embarrassing.

    Typical people couldn¡¯t understand this convoluted thinking.

    Yet their Mr. President had been able to understand clearly it in one instant.

    Their seemingly very unreliable president had been elected as an underdog. Aside from the voters who elected him, the President himself was probably the most surprised that he¡¯d been elected into office!

    But since he was now the country¡¯s leader, he had to do the work associated with the job. He would stillplete his work as President and work hard to make America great again!

    After Major General Hillent finished discussing the n of action with the President, he expressed great gratitude for his support of their work. This was the first time he¡¯d sincerely saluted the President.

    The President of the United States detected a change in the Director of the CIA¡¯s attitude. He was also bursting with happiness and couldn¡¯t hold back his tongue from saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if they don¡¯t hand over this person, I¡¯ll make sure to yell at them on Twitter! I¡¯ll embarrass them in front of the entire world!¡±

    Major General Hillent wanted to retract all the positive feelings he¡¯d just felt...

    Closing his eyes, he urged the President, ¡°Mr. President, before we exert diplomatic pressure on this incident, we must keep itpletely confidential. I hope that you can refrain from tweeting for the next 24 hours.¡±

    To prevent the President from leaking the news, he had to ask him to not use Twitter at all.

    If possible, Major General Hillent very much wanted to take away the President¡¯s phone.

    Of course, that was only a thought.

    How could he take away the President¡¯s phone?!

    ¡°I know what to do.¡± The President of the United States waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ...

    While it was 2:00 P.M. in the United States, it was 2:00 A.M. in the Huaxia Empire.

    Inside the Huaxia Imperial Central Control Room, everyone had just experienced a tense cyber battle.

    Aside from the personnel who were still scanning thework for traces left by the cyberattack from the United States, most of them were resting.

    Gu Nianzhi sat next to Huo Shaoheng and chatted with him from time to time. They analyzed the source code they¡¯d recovered from the four-lined AI program.

    ¡°From the looks of things, this four-linedmand was nted into this surveince software six months ago.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the Secret Service¡¯s exclusive surveince software disyed on the screen.

    ¡°Yes, it must¡¯ve been nted because of the Prime Minister elections.¡± Huo Shaoheng was much more farsighted.

    He would never forget how that person had seemingly cast an invisible.

    First, they¡¯d transferred him abroad, then they¡¯d tricked Gu Nianzhi into leaving, and finally, they¡¯d taken control of the Central Control Room to ¡°monitor¡± the elections.

    Coincidentally, the Secret Service and the Special Operations Forces had been monitoring the elections from the Central Control Room together at the time.

 Chapter 1032 - Suddenly Becoming a Hot Commodity

    <h4>1032 Suddenly Bing a Hot Commodity</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s search program. ¡°Are you still looking for the original data?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡±

    ¡°As if...¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her nose in embarrassment. ¡°I was only guessing. Data from the past six months should mainly concern the elections and voting, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t make anyments. He wouldn¡¯t tell Gu Nianzhi that tracking Hong Kangquan¡¯s whereabouts was also one of the important reasons he was searching.

    As for involving the monitoring of the elections in the process, they were merely bringing dirt up while pulling up the radish or following the vine to find the melon.

    Gu Nianzhi also felt anxious because of all her mentalbor. When she suddenly stopped, she felt all the energy in her body disappear. She badly wanted to find a ce to sit down.

    But seeing the other personnel in the Central Control Room sitting ramrod straight at their desks, she was too ashamed to sit slumped over with bad posture.

    She had no choice but to force herself to bear it.

    Huo Shaoheng observed her tired face from the corner of his eye, so he told her gently, ¡°Go to bed now, it¡¯s almost three in the morning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, unable to stop herself from yawning.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips. ¡°Sure you¡¯re not sleepy?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to see how you¡¯ll be using this program.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very interested in AI programming.

    It looked like Huo Shaoheng was able to apply it very skillfully.

    It was better to ask him for advice than to ask He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was restrained by his identity, so it probably wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to teach her.

    Huo Shaoheng also understood that Gu Nianzhi had a strong thirst for knowledge. He didn¡¯t usher her to go to sleep. Instead, he began searching for the data from thest six months even more quickly.

    ......

    At 3:00 EST in the United States, the President had just concluded an economic conference and picked up his phone.

    Recalling how his country had just suffered a cyber attack from another country, he suddenly felt indignant. He wanted tomunicate to his citizens that they would be safe as long as he was there!

    Five minutester, a tweet appeared online.

    The President of the United States: The spirit of the inte is free and shared. It¡¯s a space built on peacefulmunication. However, some countries are too aggressive. One even dared to collude with the infamous hacker ¡°Pink Piggy¡± and invade our country¡¯s inte! I won¡¯t name the country, but I will wait and see what they do! Please continue to follow my Twitter.¡±

    ...

    On the other side of the world, Hong Kangquan, the Director of the Huaxia Imperial Secret Service, was awakened from his dreams by an urgent ringtone.

    He groggily grabbed the phone to look at it, then instantly jolted awake.

    The inactive number was calling!

    He hadn¡¯t been in contact with that phone number in several months.

    Hong Kangquan took the phone and rushed into the bathroom. After closing the door tightly, he pressed the phone to his ear and asked quietly, ¡°Is it you? May I ask what instructions you have for me?¡±

    The person on the other end of the line paused. They were obviously using a voice changer as the spoke, so their voice sounded metallic and soft to his ears.

    Although this person¡¯s voice had been changed, their tone was unmistakable

    They spoke in a proud, simple, and straightforward manner. It was obvious they were a tough-minded person who could easily persuade others.

    ¡°Hong Kangquan, I¡¯m very displeased with you. I didn¡¯t want to contact you again, but a very good opportunity has appeared. I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d want to give it a try.¡± The person spoke very slowly, but each word carried with it a heavy meaning that affected him deeply.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing!¡± Hong Kangquan quickly expressed his loyalty. He also expressed that he wanted advice from this person regarding an important question.

    This person was like a living saint to him. They didn¡¯t care about fame or fortune, so Hong Kangquan had once been suspicious of their intentions. But after all their years of contact, he was able topletely trust this person.

    Although he¡¯d never met them before, they had established a rtionship of trust.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you a final chance. If you still can¡¯t take advantage of this opportunity, then you deserve to never surpass your disciple.¡± The person suddenly spoke harshly, taking Hong Kangquan by surprise.

    He quicklyposed himself. ¡°Please tell me. As long as I can do it... I¡¯ll create the circumstances if I have to, even if there are no circumstances in ce.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± The other person was very pleased. ¡°I received news that there seems to be a problem with your Central Control Room. Your chief has takenplete control, so the entire incident is being covered up. They just waged cyberwarfare with the United States, so I think there is a problem with his motive.¡±

    Hong Kangquan was shocked.

    He wasn¡¯t aware of this at all!

    ¡°There really was a cyberwar? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡± Hong Kangquan scratched his head in confusion. ¡°...What do you need my help with?¡±

    ¡°Of course there was.¡±

    Their voices became hushed as they discussed the matter at hand. After a short time, Hong Kangquan finally ended the call.

    ncing at his watch, he saw that it was three in the morning.

    If this person was telling the truth, then he really could make something out of this situation and gain some momentum...

    Hong Kangquan was already in the bathroom, so he washed up and showered before changing into his work uniform of a ck shirt and ck pants.

    Picking up his phone, he called his confidants one by one.

    ¡°Return to the Secret Service¡¯s small conference room immediately, we have an important meeting to hold!¡±

    ...

    At 4:00 A.M. in the Huaxia Empire, the lights were brightly lit in the Secret Service¡¯s small conference room. A fierce meeting was taking ce there.

    ¡°Director Hong, this is the authorization jointly signed by Speaker Long and Prime Minister Tan. We retrieved it overnight. Because this is rted to the military, General Ji¡¯s authorization isn¡¯t important.¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s secretary ced the authorization before him.

    Hong Kangquan looked at the authorization through squinted eyes. He stood up and said, ¡°Bring the authorization to the Special Operations Forces!¡±

    He appeared expressionless as he issued themand.

    ¡°All teams are to carry guns. Go sign out ammunitions before departing.¡±

    ¡°Five men are to be in each team. We will work collectively when the timees.¡±

    ¡°We require special permits when entering the Special Operations Forces headquarters base, so you¡¯d all better prepare them quickly. The more we get, the better.¡±

    The Secret Service and the Special Operations Forces were agencies that were considered mutually monitored, restrained, and bnced by each other within the Huaxia Empire.

    As a result, the Special Operations Forces were the ones to catch the moles in the Secret Service. Secret Operations Forces personnel viting conduct were under the charge of the Secret Service.

    ...

    As the first team departed, Huo Shaoheng received an emergency call.

    The call was from the informant Huo Shaoheng had nted in the Secret Service.

    There were also such people within his Special Operations Forces, but they weren¡¯t hidden well. Huo Shaoheng never assigned important jobs to these informants from other departments.

    However Special Operations Forces personnel were groomed as professionals, so they were easily hidden within other departments and would not reveal their identity until doing so became critical.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch and saw that it was nearly four in the morning.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this short. Target A is bringing personnel to the Special Operations Forces and is prepared to act unfavorably against you. They are currently investigating the true identity of Pink Piggy.¡±

    The person hung up after speaking. The number wouldn¡¯t connect again.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips as he looked at Gu Nianzhi. She was sitting beside him with both hands propped under her chin. His mind quickly considered this.

    At this point, he, General Ji, Zhao Liangze, and the 27 personnel inside the room were the only ones who knew that Gu Nianzhi was Pink Piggy.

    These people were all his confidants, so he trusted that they wouldn¡¯t leak this piece of intelligence.

    It would be detrimental if they shed with the personnel from the Secret Service.

    Huo Shaoheng had already increased Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security clearance long ago. He¡¯d also hired Gu Nianzhi as a consultant for the Special Operations Forces, so it wasn¡¯t a problem for her to be helping out in the Central Control Room.

    But this was the critical moment when the Pink Piggy had magically appeared once again. If others saw that Gu Nianzhi was also in the Central Control Room, the Pink Piggy¡¯s secret identity would be difficult to contain.

    Many people had spected that the Pink Piggy was a woman and a very young one at that. Gu Nianzhi was also the only woman in the Central Control Room that day.

    She always used a voice changer and a civilian IP whenmunicating with external hackers, but such methods could only fool normal people. It wouldn¡¯t work on the sly, experienced Secret Service personnel.

    So for the sake of security and preventing endless trouble in the future, Huo Shaoheng decided to hide the Pink Piggy¡¯s identity. He certainly wouldn¡¯t allow those people to see Gu Nianzhi in the Central Control Room at a moment like this.

    Huo Shaoheng sternly grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and rose. ¡°Leave here immediately and go back to my official residence.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng with shock. Just as she was about to ask him more, she noticed that her phone was vibrating.

    Taking it out to have a nce, she saw that it was He Zhichu calling.

    He was calling her four in the morning?

    What had happened?

    Sliding the screen to connect the call, He Zhichu¡¯s first words to her were, ¡°Nianzhi, the CIA is currently searching for the Pink Piggy...¡±

 Chapter 1033 - Assembly

    <h4>1033 Assembly</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped. She thought to herself about how it wasn¡¯t a surprise that the CIA wanted to find the Pink Piggy. With the things she¡¯d done, there were probably groups of people from Germany and the United States who hated the Pink Piggy to the bone.

    But she was surprised as to how He Zhichu knew about intelligence from the CIA.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng, who was currently staring at her without blinking. She quietly said into the phone, ¡°...How did you know about that?¡±

    He Zhichu irritably stood up from his desk and headed towards the door. He said gravely, ¡°With the big ruckus happening tonight, you couldn¡¯t have assumed I¡¯d be sleeping the entire time!¡±

    He had just reminded Gu Nianzhi about Prolog earlier that day, then Gu Nianzhi had called him in the middle of the night to tell him that she¡¯d found the bug. How could he fall asleep?

    After tossing and turning on the bed many times, he finally got up and went online to see the subsequent development.

    In other words, He Zhichu had been observing the night¡¯s cyberwar.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t respond for a moment.

    There were actually many night owls that didn¡¯t sleepte at night.

    ¡°But even if you knew about this incident, how on earth did you know about... the news?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say the word ¡°CIA¡± in front of everyone else because she didn¡¯t want to cause He Zhichu any trouble.

    ¡°This incident has be very serious, so while typical people may not know about it, all the specialized departments that should know about it do know about it.¡± He Zhichu coughed. ¡°As for how I knew about information from the CIA, you should already know that I have a fairly good rtionship with the US Military. Okay then, where are you right now? This is a very serious situation and you can¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not even afraid of them. They can arrest me if they want to!¡±

    He Zhcihu inhaled painfully. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be childish. I¡¯m telling you that there is no Reinitz to let you off in the CIA. Angering Americans will surely cause more trouble than you¡¯re used to.¡±

    ¡°What did I do wrong? They were obviously the ones to initiate it!¡± Gu Nianzhi became angry. ¡°I was using self-defense! Do you understand self-defense?!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, the Americans won¡¯t care if you were using self-defense. If you endanger their national security and interests, they offer courtesy followed by war.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered as she shook her head. ¡°Americans? Courtesy followed by war? As if they understand that?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu paced around the room in frustration. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the United States do this all the time? First, they¡¯ll have the CIA work in secret. If they can¡¯t achieve their goals in secret, they will pass it off to the Department of State to exert more pressure. If the Department of State can¡¯t achieve the goal either, then the Department of Defense will step in... This is their courtesy followed by war.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had nothing to say to that. ncing at Huo Shaoheng once again, she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have Huo Shao speak with you.¡± She then passed the phone to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng epted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. Before he could even speak, he heard He Zhichu¡¯s cold and aloof voice over the phone. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, how many times have you dragged Nianzhi into danger already?¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t asked Gu Nainzhi for help with his problem, how could the Pink Piggy possibly have offended the CIA?

    At a time like this, Huo Shaoheng was unable to debate with He Zhichu about who posed arger threat to Gu Nianzhi.

    He attempted to stay calm as he replied steadily, ¡°I need your help right now. Hurry ande pick Nianzhi up.¡± As he spoke, he nced at his watch and estimated the speed at which Hong Kangquan¡¯s men from the Secret Service would be arriving. He asked, ¡°Can you rush here in 15 minutes?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave him an address near the Special Operations Forces headquarters base and asked He Zhichu to pick Gu Nianzhi up there.

    He Zhichu stiffened. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have that much time left. If you say anything more, we will only have 14 minutes.¡±

    ording to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calctions, Hong Kangqyan¡¯s Secret Service personnel would need at least 20 minutes to arrive at their base.

    So He Zhichu needed to pick up Gu Nianzhi before those people arrived. He Zhichu understood this, so he didn¡¯t ask anything more. He immediately picked up his car keys. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in 14 minutes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew that He Zhichu¡¯s car wasn¡¯t a normal one. Such a speed was possible, but unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t yet found the opportunity to test it...

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Nianzhi wait for you there.¡± As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he walked to the door to call Fan Jian over. ¡°Take Miss Gu outside and watch her get in the other car beforeing back to report to me. If...¡± Huo Shaoheng paused for a moment. ¡°If you don¡¯t see her getting in the car, you must bring her back. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Roger, chief!¡± Fan Jian saluted before grabbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and walking out.

    Gu Nianzhi kept looking back at Huo Shaoheng, but she could only see his strapping figure in the hallway bing more distant...

    ¡°Miss Gu, the elevator is here. We¡¯re going up.¡± Fan Jian¡¯s expression was very solemn.

    The Central Control Room was on the 6th floor of the basement, so they needed to take an elevator going up to leave.

    By the time Gu Nianzhi followed Fan Jian into the elevator, Huo Shaoheng had already closed the main entrance to the Central Control Room. He remarked sternly to the other 27 personnel inside the room, ¡°This is an emergency situation. Miss Gu never came here tonight, nor do any of you know who the Pink Piggy is.¡±

    Everyone nodded in silence. Although they didn¡¯t know what had happened, it didn¡¯t appear to be anything good.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity as the Pink Piggy had truly given everyone unlimited hope in their moment of despair. It allowed everyone to regain their confidence, so they weren¡¯t defeated by the United States and managed to hold theirst line of defense.

    But now that they¡¯d calmed down, they knew that this young girl would face catastrophe if news about her being the Pink Piggy leaked out.

    They had all watched Gu Nanzhi grow up.

    This orphaned girl had lived with the Special Operations Forces for six years. From a 12-year-old girl who had been involved in a serious car ident and was so frightened that she nearly lost her mind, to the talented and beautiful woman she¡¯d grown up to be, they¡¯d witnessed it all. They cared about her and treasured her like they were family.

    After battling with her side by side though, Gu Nianzhi was now not only family to them, but also arade they must do everything to protect!

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Huo Shao. We understand the gravity of the situation.¡± The 27 personnel all expressed their determination. No one considered betraying arade for their own fame and fortune.

    Everyone despised people who stabbed theirrades in the back.

    Huo Shaoheng had established the Special Operations Forces single-handedly, so he naturally had his own team.

    He couldn¡¯t have possibly battled alone to achieve their current sess.

    At his side were manyrades who were willing to sacrifice their lives for him. By the same token, he would sacrifice his life for theirs.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, his expression rxing slightly. ¡°Very well. I believe you, so don¡¯t disappoint me or disappoint Nianzhi, who made a great contribution to our nation. After this situation is over, I will personally report your work to General Ji and the Senate to give everyone the military merit and rewards you deserve. That includes Nianzhi as well.¡±

    All 27 personnel in the room nodded in unison and replied, ¡°...We will absolutely not disappoint ourrades!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his seat and waved his hand. ¡°Do what you need to do. Finish up the work on hand immediately and write a report.¡±

    ording to He Zhichu¡¯s exnation, many forces were already aware of what had urred that night. They had no choice but to defend themselves.

    Huo Shaheng discreetly entered the surveince system of the Central Control Room. He secretly cut off an hour of the entire building¡¯s surveince and saved all the footage of Gu Nianzhi in an encrypted file. He would wait for the incident to conclude before decoding it.

    ...

    Fan Jian drove Gu Nianzhi out of the Special Operations Forces headquarters base and headed directly to the address given to him by Huo Shaoheng.

    It was a night market in a busy business area. Although it was early in the morning, there were still busy crowds and it was extremely lively.

    He Zhichu drove his silver Maserati to the meeting ce and instantly saw Gu Nianzhi standing on the side of the road and looking around.

    He slowly stopped the car in front of her and lowered the window. ¡°Nianzhi, get in the car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything before opening the door to get in. She quickly drove off with He Zhichu.

    Fan Jian sat in the car until he saw Gu Nianzhi get into He Zhichu¡¯s car and drive off before he turned around to return to the base.

    He arrived only three minutes before Hong Kangquan and his men.

    When the Secret Service vehicles Hong Kangquan brought with him had their permits examined at the entrance, Fan Jian¡¯s car had just driven from the entrance to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Hong Kangquan sat in his car and watched the pitch-ck night sky expressionlessly.

    This was the darkest moment before dawn. Soon after, he would make this ce shine brilliantly!

    He had possessed the evidence for so long and finally had an opportunity to bring it out.

    Huo Shaoheng... I¡¯ll see how you try to weasel your way out of it this time!

    Hong Kangquan stretched his fingers, his knuckles cracking loudly.

    He¡¯d released news that they were investigating the Pink Piggy, but he was actually hitting two birds with one stone.

    At the Special Operations Forces entrance, the guard was currently examining their permits. After confirming that there were no errors, they were finally let in.

    But the guard was unable to call the personnel inside in time. Hong Kangquan had alreadymanded his men to watch over this guard. ¡°Don¡¯t let him call the people inside.¡±

    The guard saw Hong Kangquan present the authorization jointly signed by the Prime Minister and the Speaker, so he quickly stood ramrod straight and didn¡¯t move again at all. But just as he fiercely snapped his heels together, he kicked the internal rm system on the table leg...

    This internal rm system was unlike other loud and ring rms. It would only notify the core within the base¨Cfor example, Huo Shoheng, Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Zhou Qiyuan.

    ...

    Hong Kangquan rushed all his Secret Service confidantes inside.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Stand there! Password!¡±

    From the darkness, several of the Special Operations Forces standing guard came out, fully armed. They aimed their guns at Hong Kangquan and his men.

    Hong Kangquan slowly raised his arms to disy in his hands and the authorization jointly signed by Speaker Long and Prime Minister Tan. He said gravely, ¡°The Secret Service is acting on themand given by the Senate and Cab to conduct a random check on the Special Operations Forces. You may not obstruct official business!¡±

    The soldiers were shocked for a second, then looked at each other to say, ¡°Wait here, we will report it to our superiors.¡±

    The guns they carried were thetest model of domestic semi-automatic submachine guns. These were much more powerful than the revolvers Hong Kangquan and his men brought.

    The Secret Service personnel didn¡¯t appear very happy.

    ¡°Captain, personnel from the Secret Service are here with an authorization jointly signed by the Speaker and the Prime Minister. Should we let them in? They don¡¯t know the password.¡±

    ¡°I know, let them in.¡±

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng¡¯smands had already been passed down to all the various units in the Special Operations Forces headquarters base.

    Zhou Qiyuan was also assembling his Military Police team and was preparing to rush over.

 Chapter 1034 - The Confrontatio

    <h4>1034 The Confrontatio</h4>

    Hong Kangquan, with his Secret Service staff, rode through each sentry point of the Special Operation Forces¡¯ headquarters one by one, finally arriving at the door of the Central Control Room.

    The sentinel soldiers in the Special Operation Forces were all intimidated by his paper authority. After all, the jurisdiction of the Special Operations Forces within domestic borders was extremely restricted, and bypassing authority was not tolerated.

    These measures were implemented to counterbnce the practically free-reign the Special Operation Forces held overseas. Otherwise, uncontrobly omnipotent bureaucracy would have ultimately be a menace.

    Huo Shaoheng has stipted that his soldiers obey their supervisors in China unconditionally. As long as the warrant originated from the Senate and the Military, they must obey it unconditionally.

    They didn¡¯t necessarily have to obey the orders of the Cab, meaning Prime Minister Tan¡¯s signature did not hold that much weight, but this particr authorization paper had Speaker Long¡¯s signature on it. This aspect alone was enough to hold over the heads of everyone in the Special Operations Forces.

    ...

    The Central Control Room of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ headquarters was situated on the sixth floor of the office building. Standing at the doorway of the nuclear radiation-proof ck doorway, Hong Kangquan felt emotion stir up inside him.

    He had finallye to this ce ...

    Last time, when Huo Shaoheng was transferred to the United States to rescue Tan Guiren, he¡¯d seized the opportunity to imnt the four remotely controlled monitoringmands he¡¯d been instructed to install. That mystery person had assured him that their AI program was very advanced, at least fifty years ahead of their current programmingnguage, and would never be discovered...

    Who would have thought that not half a year would pass before it was discovered by Huo Shaoheng?

    When Hong Kang had received the news about this from that person half an hour ago, his whole body had gone cold, rendering him utterly speechless.

    If Huo Shaoheng found out that these four lines of AI programmingnguage were imnted by him, the consequences would be catastrophic!

    Hong Kang was totally dissatisfied, totally dissatisfied! But since the unthinkable has already happened, Hong Kang wouldn¡¯t sit still crying over spilled milk.

    Huo Shaoheng really had nothing to lose? Hehe, too naive!

    Hong Kangquan held the authorization paper in his hand. Thinking back to that look Speaker Long had given him when he saw the evidence he had, he couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved.

    ...

    In front of him was the Central Control Room of the headquarters of the Special Operation Forces. Henceforth, he, Hong Kangquan, would be the one in control.

    The tightly enclosed door was covered with a thickyer of cowhide, giving it excellent sound instion ability and radiation protection. This door alone was enough to put the Secret Service to shame.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s eyes flickered as he shouted into the inte at the door, ¡°Major Huo Shaoheng, I was ordered to conduct an unscheduled inspection on your department. Pleasee out for the inspection.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng has a very cautious modus operandi.

    Although he did not know what had provoked Hong Kangquan¡¯s sudden aggression, he knew very well that Hong Kangquan was not someone who gave up on his prey, and certainly not someone who did anything half-heartedly. Since he¡¯d had the audacity to raise such arge army against him, naturally he¡¯d alsoe prepared.

    Huo Shaoheng had not been worried at all initially, but when he heard from the guards that Hong Kangquan possessed the signature and authorization of Speaker Long, he felt a little faint and intuitively sensed that something was very wrong.

    Speaker Long knew how Huo Shaoheng suspected that Hong Kangquan had dubious alliances, and therefore he¡¯d signed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s request to ce full surveince on Hong Kangquan. But in the blink of an eye, Speaker Long had agreed to Hong Kangquan¡¯s request to investigate Huo Shaoheng...

    Unless there was something sketchy about Speaker Long himself, it meant that Hong Kangquan has some damaging evidence on his hands.

    The evidential basis for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suspicions about Hong Kangquan was not yetpletely established.

    In terms of time, he was one step slower.

    So did this mean that Speaker Long was starting to suspect him now? For the sake of security, Huo Shaoheng decided to take the initiative to re-encrypt the entire building¡¯s system. All the main control systems in the central control room had extra security measures and encryptions implemented, and the backup data waspletely locked down. Better safe than sorry.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the 27 staff members in the room, nodded to them, then got up and walked to the door. He ced his palm on the sensor on the wall. The door scanned his palm print and, after confirming his identity, initiated the automatic door opening program.

    The heavy gate slowly opened in the middle, yet it did not openpletely, only revealing enough of the passageway to allow one person to pass through. Huo Shaoheng stood with his hands behind his back at the door of the aisle, blocking the gate.

    ¡°Director Hong, what brings you to the Special Operations Forces so early in the day?¡±

    Hong Kangquan was at least a full head shorter than Huo Shaoheng, but the intimidating vibe he gave offpensated for it.

    He nced up at Huo Shaoheng. He pulled out the authorization letter signed by Speaker Long and Prime Minister Tan and shook it before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Major Huo Shaoheng, tonight, no, I should say it happened before dawn on the empire¡¯s intr... I¡¯m going to have to ask you to have a conversation with your team about this. By the way, which one of you is the Pink Piggy? Please show yourself.¡±

    Hong Kangquan was not aware of the Pink Piggy¡¯s true identity, yet he tried to make it appear to Huo Shaoheng that he at least had a vague idea who it might be.

    If he had been a little less cautious, he would have fallen into the trap. However, since he was up against the Major General of the Special Operations Forces, Huo Shaoheng, his baiting failed to elicit its intended effect.

    Huo Shaoheng feigned bewilderment. ¡°Have a conversation? A conversation about what? This country is aw-abiding nation. The Special Operations Forces are only under the jurisdiction of the Senate and the Military. The Secret Service belongs to the Senate. We have no obligation whatsoever to report to you. Besides, what is Pink Piggy anyway? Is Director Hong referring to that notorious hacker? I also want to know their true identity. If Director Hong knows who they are, can you introduce us to each other? I really want to recruit them.¡±

    ¡°You really have no idea who Pink Piggy is?!¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s eyes shed with surprise. He looked Huo Shaoheng up and down carefully, yet could find no sign of deceit.

    Did he really have no clue who the Pink Piggy was?

    ¡°We really would like to know who the Pink Piggy truly is as well. If Director Hong knows anything, please let us know.¡± Huo Shaoheng tried his best to feign ignorance and desperation. ¡°Our country is in desperate need of such aputer genius!¡±

    ¡°So you guys have absolutely no idea who the Pink Piggy is? Forget it then, I¡¯ll discuss thatter. But then again, you guys have no obligation to report to me anyway.¡± Hong Kangquan changed the topic and said impatiently, ¡°But don¡¯t you guys forget, we, the Secret Service, have the power and authority to monitor the Special Operation Forces.¡±

    ¡°Of course you can supervise us. What happened over the Inte this morning before dawn, didn¡¯t you monitor the whole process? If you hadn¡¯t been watching, then you wouldn¡¯t have been doing your job.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not budge at all. Just like Gu Nianzhi, he wasn¡¯t willing to back down and let Hong Kangquan take advantage of his silence.

    Hong Kangquan chuckled andughed. ¡°Why would we be on the sidelines? We put ourselves out on the frontlines of the battle, and tried our hardest to defend our country¡¯s cybersecurity and did our best to turn the tide. But you...!¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s voice suddenly took a harsh turn. He pointed a finger at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and scolded him, saying, ¡°Major Huo! Do you know why such arge-scale foreign invasion urred over the inte this morning? It was caused by the recklessness of the Special Operations Forces! Rashly taking the initiative! Even boldly provoking the enemy! Worse yet, leading the wolf right through the door! You not only vited the fundamental values of this country but also allowed hostile foreign powers to exploit our vulnerability and gravely endangered our country¡¯swork security!¡±

    ¡°I have reported to President Long and Prime Minister Tan about this matter. Someone in the Special Operations Forces must take responsibility.¡±

    As soon as Hong Kangquan finished speaking, the 27 staff members in the central control room became enraged. They all gathered around, stood behind Huo Shaoheng, and shouted in the direction of the door, ¡°The Americans were the ones who attacked us! They started it, not us! And you¡¯re saying that we were the aggressors?! How utterly shameless!¡±

    ¡°Stop it this instant. Be polite to Director Hong.¡± Huo Shaoheng scowled at them. ¡°You can¡¯t me Minister Hong for something he doesn¡¯t have.¡±

    Was he insinuating that Hong Kangquan had no shame? The 27 staff members couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Their boss was even more brutal than them, so they couldn¡¯t help but be impressed with the vicious blow he had given.

    Yet Hong Kangquan couldn¡¯t care less about these petty verbal exchanges. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the Americans were the aggressors? I have an inside source from the United States saying that this cyberwar was initiated by our side. The United States has merely been defending themselves from aggressors and suffering heavy losses. It¡¯s on your heads.¡±

    Hong Kangquan looked at Huo Shaoheng gravely, then asked sullenly, ¡°May I ask what Major General Huo would like to say in his own defense?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tensed up inside, groaning for a moment without speaking. The staff inside the room could not remain as calm and collected as he did.

    Hearing him speak in the Americans¡¯ defense infuriated them greatly. ¡°The Americans were clearly the aggressors that started this whole thing in the first ce! Director Hong, are you the Secret Service Director of our country, or America¡¯s. Howe I don¡¯t feel like we are seeing eye to eye here?¡± A staff member of the Special Operation Forces was very displeased with Hong Kangquan.

    Whole-heartedly taking the words of the Americans at face value, treating American news like the bible, was this how this country¡¯s Secret Service Director was?!

    Hong Kangquan smugly watched the members of the Special Operations Forces getting all worked up with fury before finally saying, ¡°... Were the Americans really the aggressors? I don¡¯t believe it, I need evidence.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows slightly.

    Hong Kangquan said straightforwardly, ¡°Under the orders of the Senate and the Cab, the Secret Service will assume control over the Central Control Coom and the server. As for who the true aggressor was, after we have fully investigated the data in the server, we will decide impartially.¡±

    Now Huo Shaoheng finally understood why Hong Kangquan had caused such a ruckus.

    Hong Kangquan already knew that they had identified the issue with the monitoring software, so he knew he had to act fast and be one step ahead. The purpose of themotion today was to obtain the monitoring software on the server.

    Give the server to Hong Kangquan? Wouldn¡¯t that basically be handing him evidence of his own fraud!?

    It didn¡¯t take a genius to guess that as soon as Hong Kangquan assumedmand over the Central Control Room that he would immediately wipe out all the incriminating evidence against himself.

    ¡°Sorry, Director Hong, but this request cannot be fulfilled.¡± Huo Shaoheng pointedly looked at Hong Kangquan with his arms crossed. ¡°This is one of the most crucial ces in our country. Director Hong¡¯s rank does not provide enough authority to even bypass this gate.¡±

 Chapter 1035 - You Think This Is Some Cheesy Movie?!

    <h4>1035 You Think This Is Some Cheesy Movie?!</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng blocked the heavy gate of the central control room. He calmly met Hong Kangquan¡¯s eyes while refusing to budge an inch.

    The bottom corners of Hong Kangquan¡¯s mouth quivered with rage, and he desperately wished he could denounce his actions.

    Although he could obtain the proper authorization overnight, raising his rank to the security level necessary to gain ess to the central control room was not something that could be aplished overnight.

    Huo Shaoheng using his security level to prevent him from entering was indeed effective, but Hong Kangquan would not be deterred that easily.

    ¡°Unauthorized? Well then, I think we have a problem here.¡± Hong Kangquan spread his hands with a calm expression on his face. ¡°Then you really leave us no choice!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the Secret Servicemen drew their pistols and aimed them at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest.

    The central control room¡¯s staff were further enraged by this turn of events and were tripping over each other, trying to rush in front of Huo Shaoheng and take the bullet for him.

    Huo Shaoheng was not one to let his followers take a bullet for him. He raised his right hand and made a ¡®stop¡¯ gesture.

    The crowd of staff members behind him stopped dead in their tracks. No one dared disobey his orders.

    Huo Shaoheng shielded his subordinates behind him like a calm and sturdy mountain, and said steadily, ¡°Don¡¯t move. They wouldn¡¯t dare shoot me, but as for all of you, I can¡¯t say the same.¡±

    The people in the Secret Service were no ordinary people. They had shot people to death in the past, and they were willing to again now if they were forced to.

    For this group of experienced veterans, although they might not have had the nerve to shoot Huo Shaoheng, as for the staff of the Special Operations Forces, they might have impulsively wounded or killed a few in a fit of passion.

    Hong Kangquan chuckled. ¡°Major Huo, are you sure that my people wouldn¡¯t dare touch a single hair on your head?¡± Then, his expression changed drastically as he said, ¡°If you are a traitorous mole feeding someone information from within, then I don¡¯t care if you are a Major General or a soldier! The punishment is the same, regardless!¡±

    He also raised his hand and was on the verge of bringing it down tomand his subordinates to fire. Yet he hadn¡¯t yet uttered the word shoot before a loud and thunderous roar came from behind him and his people.

    ¡°Stop right this instant! Secret Servicemen, throw away your guns immediately! I will count to three, and whoever still has a gun in his hand by then will have their hands shot!¡± As soon as the voice ceased, a shot was fired into the air as a warning.

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a slight sigh of relief.

    Zhou Qiyuan has finally arrived with a heavily armed force.

    They wore dark ck military uniforms unique to the Special Operations Forces and had abyrinth made up of a dark gold dragon hovering in the clouds tattooed across their arms.

    Rows of dark semi-automatic submachine gun muzzles were aimed at the group of Secret Service personnel, and, coupled with the intimidating expressions they wore on their faces, they were on a whole other level in terms of formidability.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s eyes started twitching uncontrobly.

    Who was the S.O.B. who reported him?!!

    He had already bypassed the guards at the gates of the station unimpeded, and had ordered the numerous sentries he encountered along the road to stay put!

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and nodded to Zhou Qiyuan and the team on the other side of the crowd. ¡°This is a critical ce for the country, and it is also the Special Operations Forces¡¯ headquarters. Those who do not possess the proper security rank and authorization, please leave immediately. Otherwise, ording to militaryw, we can kill you all on the spot!¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s facial expression changed. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you are out of your mind! I have authorization from Speaker Long! Or do Speaker Long¡¯s words bear no weight in the eyes of your Special Operations Forces department?

    Whoever dares to try to kill them will be ountable to Speaker Long!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood with his back to the light source. The central control room¡¯s light was bright, and when it shone from behind him, the ze was too bright to look toward it directly.

    His expression was hidden in the darkness, and even the Secret Service personnel directly in front of him had trouble seeing his face.

    In actuality, it didn¡¯t really matter whether or not they could see his expression clearly since it had not changed. He still had that same calm and inscrutable look stered on his face.

    Huo Shaoheng was also weighing his options.

    Although there was indeed a military code thatid out the terms of kill-on-sight situations, it did not mean that those conditions could be applied to this particr group of people.

    First of all, there were countless precursors that were necessary to use that particr military code, such as during states of emergency or natural or man-made disasters. It could even be used during times of war.

    None of those conditions included authorization to kill-on-sight because of some minor disagreements about someone overstepping their jurisdiction.

    After all, they were within national boundaries, and the Special Operations Forces were in the process of cautiously exercising checks and bnces on their authority. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t operate as they had overseas, where as long as it had helped themplete the task, there were practically no limits to their jurisdiction.

    At the time, both sides were positioned in the wide corridor at the entrance of the central control room, and neither seemed to have the intention of budging an inch.

    Huo Shaoheng refused to handmand of the central control room over, and Hong Kangquan refused to leave empty-handed.

    Zhou Qiyuan had a different idea, and he began to order the team to surround and barricade the Secret Servicemen.

    He raised his hand up and down repeatedly,manding each of the personnel one by one.

    The type of hand gestures he was using was also unique to the Special Operations Forces.

    He told Huo Shaoheng that he had already informed General Ji when he had arrived. As long as he was willing to hold up for another half an hour and wait for General Ji to speak to Speaker Long, this crisis would be resolved.

    Huo Shaoheng impassively deciphered Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s hand gestures, nodding his head slightly, but had his eyes focused on what was in front of him, not showing the slightest sign of retreat.

    ...

    General Ji was woken from his sleep. When he received Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s call, it happened to be a little past four in the morning.

    While initially still drowsy, the sound from Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s message suddenly jolted him to wakefulness. He sat straight up in bed, nowpletely alert.

    With a deeply aggravated expression, he yanked off his covers as he spoke to Zhou Qiyuan over the phone. ¡°You guys hold up just a little bit longer!¡± he said, sounding furious. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Old Long right away!¡±

    Hurriedly dressing himself, he called Speaker Long¡¯s home phone and said aloud, ¡°I am Old Ji from the military! I have something urgent to discuss! I need to see Old Long right away! Ask him to get up and wait for me in the reception room. I will head there immediately!¡±

    ...

    At 4:30 in the morning, General Ji arrived at the guest room of Speaker Long¡¯s house.

    Speaker Long sat there waiting for him, frowning. He wore an expression of weariness and exhaustion written on his face.

    ¡°Old Long! What on earth do you mean by this?!¡± As soon as General Ji closed the door of the meeting room, he began relentlessly interrogating Speaker Long. ¡°I told Shaoheng to monitor that Hong guy, and you provided your signature as permission, too! Yet now you give that same guy your signature on permission to search our premises, the central control room? Are you totally out of your mind?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one out of your mind!¡± Speaker Long said, enraged by the usations. He stood up from the sofa with his fists clenched tight. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you something instead. You and Huo Shaoheng want to surveince Hong Kangquan on suspicion that he is a mole working for the enemy, but where¡¯s the evidence to suggest so?! None of you provided any evidence regarding your suspicions in order to warrant surveince on him, yet I signed the authorization anyway because I trusted you and Huo Shaoheng! If I misjudged, do you know how much this potential mistake could have cost the nation?!¡±

    General Ji blinked in confusion. He did not understand what Speaker Long was trying to say. ¡°Old Long, can you please borate further? What on earth do you mean when you say if you misjudged this?¡±

    He was definitely insinuating something!

    Speaker Long held back his rage and pointed to the opposite sofa. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk.¡±

    Seeing how Speaker Long¡¯s face had twisted and turned purple with rage, Admiral Ji decided that he should sit down. After taking a seat, he asked furiously, ¡°Can you finally tell me what you mean now?¡±

    Speaker Long printed a photocopy of the evidence that Hong Kangquan had shown him and then thrust it towards General Ji for him to read. ¡°Look at it! This is the evidence that Hong Kangquan gave me! He used Huo Shaoheng of being held as a P.O.W. by the Americans before he eventually switched sides and defected to them!! He also has the evidence to back up his im as well. Now, after seeing something like this, how could I not sign the search warrant?!¡±

    ¡°Old Ji, I want you to answer me honestly. What really happened when Huo Shaoheng went to the United States to rescue Tan Guiren?! Has our side ever lostmunication with him? Was he captured by the C.I.A. after we lost touch with him?¡±

    General Ji had originally intended to have a closer look at the documents handed to him. However, after hearing Speaker Long bring up the crisis Huo Shaoheng had experienced when in the United States, he suddenly felt like he didn¡¯t need to look at them at all. He shook the documents mockingly, then sneered and said, ¡°Old Long, since you are in the Senate, staying impartial is of the utmost importance. I respect your professional attitude concerning this matter. But how can you jump so quickly to the conclusion that my subordinate was captured and then defected just from reading this crap?! I¡¯d like to see if that S.O.B. would dare to spin such lies in front of me!¡±

    ¡°All you are doing is threatening everyone,¡± Speaker Long said, sounding even more dismayed. ¡°All Huo Shaoheng told me was that he had some suspicions concerning Hong Kangquan and that he would like to request permission to surveil Hong Kangquan in order to obtain evidence that confirmed his suspicions. Yet Hong Kangquan made a direct im stating that Huo Shaoheng had been captured and defected afterward. Who do you think I would believe? Of course I would believe the one with concrete evidence to back up his ims!

    ¡°I understand how hard this must be for you to take in, Old Ji. After all, Huo Shaoheng was like a son to you. You have trained him from the very beginning. But Hong Kangquan had also been your trusted right hand back in the day as well. It seems as though you are holding a grudge against Hong Kangquan for refusing to take over the Special Operations Forces that you had established and choosing to retire instead. He was right. You do indeed bear personal grievances against him, and you are using this as a chance to get even!¡± Speaker Long shook his head.

    General Ji clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth. ¡°Using this as a chance to get even?! How absurd! As if I would go to such lengths for him!¡±

    Speaker Long was profoundly furious. ¡°Wow, you are a true piece of work, Old Ji,¡± he guffawed. ¡°You are saying that he is too insignificant even to deserve you putting any effort into retaliation? How demeaning!¡±

    ¡°Then what would you say?!¡± General Ji stood up from the sofa and paced around Speaker Long¡¯s parlor room, clearly agitated. ¡°You really can¡¯t do something like this. The thing is, even if Huo Shaoheng really is sketchy, Hong Kangquan isn¡¯t innocent either. You asked him to take over the central control room? Aren¡¯t you afraid that you would be leading the mouse right to the cheese?!¡±

    Did General Ji really need to emphasize how crucial the central control room was?

    Speaker Long let out a deep sigh. ¡°My hands are tied. Old Ji, the situation at hand is that both sides have used the other of being a mole that is secretly damaging national interests, but neither has any clear-cut evidence to prove it.

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng said that he found out from the Tan family that Hong Kangquan had orchestrated his rescue mission in the United States in order to carry out his nefarious agenda. Hong Kangquan ims that the cyberwarfare that urred this morning was not coincidental, but rather an borate scheme nned by Huo Shaoheng and the United States! It was Huo Shaoheng who seized this opportunity to stir up themotion, and we have no idea how much of our nation¡¯s confidential information has been leaked to the enemy during the process!¡± Speaker Long exined.

    ¡°We absolutely cannot let someone who has joined the enemy¡¯s camp continue to sit in such a high ranking and crucial position!¡± he continued.

    ¡°Old Ji, Hong Kangquan provided the documents concerning the United States. He imed that as long as he obtained control of the monitoring software in the central control room, he could prove what Huo Shaoheng did it.¡±

    Speaker Long wearily tried to reason with General Ji, saying, ¡°Do you know how conflicted I feel and how distressed I am? Hong Kangquan said that the information obtained by the Secret Services shows that Huo Shaoheng was captured by the Americans, and was only let free and allowed to return after reaching apromise with them. Otherwise, considering what the Americans are capable of, did you really think that Huo Shaoheng has the Herculean ability to single-handedly fend them off in their own territory and escape unscathed? You think this is some cheesy movie?!¡±

 Chapter 1036 - Tougher Than in Movies

    <h4>1036 Tougher Than in Movies</h4>

    Speaker Long¡¯s words filled General Ji with fury. ¡°A cheesy movie?! Let me tell you, the soldiers in films do not reflect nearly how tough real-life soldiers are! Our Shaoheng is a one-man army that can hold his own when up against the Americans! It¡¯s too bad if you can¡¯t ept that!

    ¡°How ridiculous! The Americans are not invincible! Why are you so convinced that our soldiers cannot possibly beat their soldiers?! Nothing can convince someone who is so bent on being doubtful!¡± General Ji said.

    General Ji was so enraged and indignant that all that was left was for him to point directly at Speaker Long¡¯s nose and call him a coward!

    Speaker Long had never been condemned in such a disparaging way. ¡°Old Ji, you are crossing the line here. I already exined myself to you! I have faithfully served this country for decades, and I can say with my conscience fully-intact: I swear on my life and those of my family that I will never betray my beloved country in any way!!¡± he said with a solemn face.

    General Ji had been so enraged that he had hurled some impulsive insults at Speaker Long.

    Seeing how upset Speaker Long had gotten, he raised his hand and nodded. ¡°Okay, I apologize. I got too worked up and crossed the line just now. But where did Hong Kangquan get this document? Did the Americans give it to him, or did he obtain it himself?¡±

    ¡°I asked that question right away,¡± Chairman Long said, trying to be a little more considerate toward General Ji¡¯s feelings. He did not mention anything about Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°Hong Kangquan said that his Secret Service¡¯s field staff are based in the United States.¡±

    General Ji shook his head. ¡°I still don¡¯t believe a single word he says. Old Long, think about it carefully. What was happening at that time? A nationwide effort to deal with a single person? Wouldn¡¯t the Americans basically be searching for a needle in a haystack? Or did they check every single one of the 200 million people living across the country, one by one? It is precisely because Shaoheng had been alone at the time that he was able to effectively negotiate with the Americans and sessfully rescue Prime Minister Tan¡¯s daughter. It was also why he was able to escape unscathed.¡±

    Speaker Long frowned. ¡°But he was in danger at the time, and encountered an ambush.¡±

    Although the video from the American broadcasting station had not been released in the Huaxia Empire at the time, it had nevertheless been seen by all of the high-ranking officials.

    General Ji pped his thighs in frustration. ¡°That¡¯s right! Shaoheng was framed by someone! Think about it. We all witnessed the ambush, but why was there an ambush in the first ce? Isn¡¯t it because someone within our ranks sold us out? How else could the Americans have learned about him? And who was the one who did everything possible to ensure that Shaoheng was the person sent on that rescue mission? When you think about it that way, don¡¯t all the mysteries somehow connect?¡±

    Speaker Long looked at General Ji warily. ¡°So you mean to say that all of this is part of a conspiracy?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± General Ji gave Speaker Long an enthusiastic thumbs up. ¡°Old Long, how could you out of all people not see this before? It¡¯s as if you know nothing about our capabilities and how critical the central control room is. If Shaoheng really had questionable loyalties, I can tell you that he wouldn¡¯t need to employ so clumsy of a method as cyber warfare if he needed to deliver a message. If he really wanted to defect and sell out his country, not only would he have the means and ability to do so, but you can bet that we would be forced to be subordinate. It wouldn¡¯t take someone like Hong Kangquan to condemn him at that point. Not to mention, Hong Kangquan taking over the central control room? How would that change anything?!¡±

    Speaker Long thought it over for a moment, then after a while, he asked, ¡°Shaoheng, was he captured or not? You can tell me the truth! I promise, even if he were really captured, I wouldn¡¯t spread word about it. I¡¯ll find a way for him to voluntarily resign while saving face at the same time. ¡±

    ¡°No!¡± General Ji spat out. ¡°I told you the truth. At that time, Shaoheng suspected that someone within our country was after his life, so after he escaped the ambush, he only contacted me on a private line. No one except for me knew where he was. He was never captured, and I am willing to vouch for this with my reputation and rank!¡±

    After a pause, seeing that Speaker Long was still silent, he gritted his teeth and threw out another witness. ¡°In fact, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Prime Minister Tan¡¯s daughter, Tan Guiren. As far as I know, when Shaoheng was in the United States, he remained in contact with Tan Guiren.¡± General Ji himself was supposed to be the key witness, but since he had been passionately vouching for Huo Shaoheng and had therefore shown his inability to remain impartial, Speaker Long had to be especially cautious to ensure that General Ji wasn¡¯t being blinded his bias.

    Speaker Long breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, and said, ¡°Of course, I will ask Tan Guiren. But today, I will partially trust you for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Only partially?!¡± General Ji could barely resist the urge to grab Speaker Long by the cor and shake him hard to knock some sense into him. ¡°How on earth can I make you trust my words?! Let me tell you, it doesn¡¯t even matter whether you believe me or not. The central control room must not fall into Hong Kangquan¡¯s hands!¡±

    Speaker Long felt distressed. If Hong Kangquan could not be trusted either, then who should take over?

    ¡°I rmend that Zhou Qiyuan, the leader of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ disciplinary team, lead his team to takemand of the central control room. What do you say? Let¡¯s both take a step back,¡± General Ji proposed. Seeing that he was unable to persuade Speaker Longpletely, he knew that he needed topromise.

    That way, Hong Kangquan wouldn¡¯t be able to take over the central control room, even though it meant that Huo Shaoheng would be excluded as well.

    Speaker Long thought long and hard about it, then said, ¡°That would be for the best. But Huo Shaoheng must be investigated by the Secret Service. You know as well as I do that the Secret Service and the Special Operations Forces act as bnces for each other. That is the rule we implemented when we established the Special Operations Forces.¡±

    General Ji sneered and rejected the proposal. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work, either. Shaoheng is still investigating Hong Kangquan, and you¡¯re suggesting that he be handed over to Hong Kangquan for interrogation? You are basically signing his death warrant. Or do you ironically want to prove that we are more capable than the Americans by killing the hero that stood up against them by himself? That we¡¯re more capable in terms of persecuting our own people?¡±

    Speaker Long was especially embarrassed by General Ji¡¯s words. ¡°Old Ji, you are misinterpreting my words. You have to know, Hong Kangquan is in charge of the Secret Service. He will not betray our country¡¯s interests for the same reasons you vouched for Huo Shaoheng just now. If Hong Kangquan wished to defect, he would have done so long ago, around the same time that Bai Yusheng defected. But you see, has he leaked all our country¡¯s secrets? If he had even the slightest inclination to do so, he would have done it already without having to request my permission to assumemand of the central control room. For many years he has been the Director of the Secret Service department. His annual assessment is always excellent. There really is nothing out of the ordinary,¡± he said.

    Other than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s allegations against him, Speaker Long had no reason to doubt Hong Kangquan.

    He still hadn¡¯t changed his mind. What he truly wanted to see was evidence, solid evidence, not two people making baseless usations against each other.

    General Ji nodded. ¡°I understand what you mean. But, even if you want to interrogate Shaoheng, you don¡¯t want the Secret Service to be the ones doing it. Yes, I know that the Secret Service and the Special Operations Forces are meant as bnces for each other, but the situation is different now. Since the Director of the Secret Service is also on our list of suspects, I have a valid reason to refuse to hand Shaoheng over to them.¡±

    Speaker Long sat there, sulking, and did not speak.

    ¡°Old Long, since you are so impartial, then I must also ask ¨C if you hand Shaoheng over to Hong Kangquan, can you guarantee that Shaoheng will emerge with all of his limbs still intact?¡± General Ji asked. ¡°Think hard about this. If we really handed Shaoheng over to the Secret Service, whether he is innocent or not, that move alone would be enough to ruin his future career within the military. I¡¯m afraid he would be forced to retire.¡±

    Speaker Long was caught off guard. ¡°If he is innocent, I will vouch for him,¡± he said.

    ¡°Old Long, you have been in the Senate all your life. You are facing the people, the masses, unlike us. We face soldiers, our own team. Within the team, the most crucial thing is for subordinates to truly trust and obey their superiors because they sincerely have faith in them and are loyal. Yet a person who has been suspected of treason, even if the rumor were proven to be false afterward, would have difficulty staying in the army, since nobody would know whether or not they should trust him. The number one taboo in the military is unverified suspicions.¡±

    General Ji did his best to try to persuade Speaker Long to have more faith in Huo Shaoheng rather than Hong Kangquan.

    Speaker Long sat in silence for a full five minutes, thinking, before finally nodding, seemingly distressed. ¡°Alright, then. Zhou Qiyuan will lead his team and assumemand over the central control room. But Huo Shaoheng will also be locked out. I entrust you, Old Ji, with the task of being the one to quarantine Shaoheng. How does that sound?¡±

    That was as far as Speaker Long was willing to go in thepromise.

    General Ji¡¯s anger subsided somewhat, and he patted Speaker Long¡¯s back with vigor. ¡°Now that¡¯s more like it! Well then, rest assured, I will thoroughly interrogate Shaoheng and see to it that he divulges all the details concerning the incident in the US. That way, there will be absolutely no more room for doubt!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good,¡± Speaker Long muttered, wiping away the beads of sweat on his forehead with a tissue.

    His heart felt heavy.

    He didn¡¯t know whether or not he had made the right decision.

    At that point, Huo Shaoheng used Hong Kangquan of being a traitor, while Hong Kangquan used Huo Shaoheng of the same, and the two of them were almost evenly matched in terms of rank and authority.

    However, regardless of who the true mole turned out to be, betrayal by either one of them would cause the country to suffer huge losses.

    Of course, Hong Kangquan¡¯s betrayal could not cause nearly as much harm as the catastrophic damage Huo Shaoheng¡¯s treachery had the potential of producing.

    When considering that aspect, Speaker Long was slightly more biased towards Huo Shaoheng, and sincerely hoped that he was not the mole.

 Chapter 1037 - Did He Conceal the Truth?

    <h4>Chapter 1037: Did He Conceal the Truth?</h4>

    Speaker Long had now started to hope that Huo Shaoheng turned out to be the loyal one.

    Of course, if that were the case, Hong Kangquan, the Secret Service Director who Huo Shaoheng had been monitoring and investigating, would obviously be the one who had dubious intentions.

    But they couldn¡¯t just arrest officials of the ministerial rank at will. They needed hard proof.

    General Ji could no longer remain patient. He couldn¡¯t constantly bend over backward in order to amodate Speaker Long¡¯s conflicting emotions anymore, and he picked up the phone with a smile. ¡°Old Long, call Hong Kangquan quickly and order him to leave the Special Operation Forces. I¡¯ll call Shaoheng and tell him to handmand of the central control room over to Zhou Qiyuan and then report to me. Then, I will quarantine and interrogate him. How does that sound? ¡±

    Speaker Long nodded, saying in a grave tone, ¡°Continue conducting the surveince on Hong Kangquan.¡±

    General Ji beamed, anxiously wanting to give Speaker Long a thumbs up.

    He felt ecstatic as he dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    ¡°Shaoheng, regarding the incident that happened today, I have reached apromise with Speaker Long. You will hand over control of the central control room to Zhou Qiyuan. Then, you wille to me. I need to interrogate you in istion,¡± General Ji said.

    General Ji¡¯s smile reached his eyes as he spoke, lighting them up.

    Speaker Long, speechless and frustrated, shot him a sideways look. He turned around and dialed Hong Kangquan¡¯s number. He spoke in an even tone, saying, ¡°Director Hong, you are simply not high enough of a rank to receive the security authorization level required to gain ess to the central control room. OK. The authorization form was an overreach in terms of what is within our jurisdiction and is, therefore, illegal. As of this moment, it is officially abolished. Please leave the Special Operation Force¡¯s central control room immediately. Until you obtain the necessary authorization level, don¡¯t even think about entering that room. ¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s face contorted in shock. He couldn¡¯t believe that his meticulously forged documents hadn¡¯t been enough to convince President Long to trust his words against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng put the phone down, and, seeing how Hong Kangquan¡¯s face had turned ashen, he pursed his lips, slightly lifting his head. ¡°I will ce you in charge of the central control room, and everyone here will be under your supervision. If anyone who is not authorized tries to step anywhere close to this door, kill them on sight! Don¡¯t make the mistake I did of showing the enemy too much benevolence,¡± he said to Zhou Qiyuan.

    Although his words were addressed to Zhou Qiyuan, his piercing eyes scanned the faces of each Secret Service agent, as if he was trying to imprint their faces firmly in his mind.

    Zhou Qiyuan immediately stood up to salute him. ¡°Please rest assured!¡± he said. ¡°Any suspicious personnel who attempt to enter the central control room will only do so over my dead body!¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan spoke as though he were giving an order. His determination to defend the central control room was clear.

    Hong Kangquan put his phone down and nced over at the Special Operation Force members, then shifted his focus towards the small pistols in the hands of his people. Finally, he stomped his foot, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    He led the Secret Servicemen away in the same manner they had arrived. They left the headquarters of the Special Operation Forces as swiftly as a breeze.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded to Zhou Qiyuan, then turned around to face the 27 staff in the central control room. ¡°I have some matters to sort out with General Ji and will be staying there for a few days,¡± he said. ¡°I will be transferringmand over to Colonel Zhou Qiyuan, and you all must obey his orders.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± All of the staff members in the room saluted in unison, watching Huo Shaoheng leave.

    Zhou Qiyuan waved to the team he had brought with him, saying, ¡°Go check and see if the Secret Service has taken anything away. I¡¯ll go to the central control room to deal with the procedures.¡±

    ...

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t find out about that night¡¯s incident until the next morning.

    He was anxious and concerned. However, his hands were tied since he couldn¡¯t abandon his post to investigate the details concerning the crisis Huo Shaoheng had been entangled in.

    Huo Shaoheng had sent Zhao Liangze to an ind off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Even if he wanted to return, he couldn¡¯t without a direct order authorizing him to do so.

    After thinking for a while about what he should do, the only thing that came to Yin Shixiong¡¯s mind was to call Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where are you?¡± Yin Shixiong asked as soon as she picked up the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi had been brought to a suite by He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu knew that the suite was heavily fortified by the Special Operation Forces. Because of this, it was much safer for Gu Nianzhi to stay there than it would have been for her to stay with him at school.

    Gu Nianzhi had just woken up, and in her still drowsy state, asked Yin Shixiong groggily, ¡°I¡¯m at home, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Yin Shixiong cleared his throat loudly, and with his Bluetooth headset on, he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What did you do yesterday?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    She thought about it for a while, but decided that she didn¡¯t want to cause Huo Shaoheng any trouble, so she merely said, ¡°I was asleep at home all day, what about it?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yin Shixiong replied. He wondered whether or not he should tell Gu Nianzhi about the trouble Huo Shaoheng had been mixed up in.

    After all, he shouldn¡¯t discuss Huo Shaoheng¡¯s affairs with outsiders.

    Yin Shixiong felt the words at the tip of his tongue but managed to suppress the urge to spill the entire story, albeit with great difficulty.

    Yin Shixiong exchanged some good-natured banter with Gu Nianzhi for a while, then made up an excuse about being busy and hung up the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t surprised by his behavior. After all, such circumstances were quitemon. She immediately nodded with understanding. ¡°That¡¯s alright. Remember to get a good night¡¯s sleep and eat well, big brother Xiong. Don¡¯t make Qiqi worry about you,¡± she said.

    When Yin Shixiong thought about how Gu Nianzhi was still thinking about Ma Qiqi at a time like this, he softened up inside and said in a gentle voice, ¡°I know. Same to you.¡±

    To be entirely honest, Yin Shixiong¡¯s phone call had actually woken Gu Nianzhi up.

    Since she was unable to fall back asleep even if she had wanted to, she picked up the phone from her bedside and started scrolling through it.

    ...

    Hong Kangquan returned to the Secret Service, locked himself in his office, and started smoking while he brooded.

    Those in the Secret Service knew the reason behind their Director¡¯s distressed mental state and refrained from disturbing him.

    Hong Kangquan had chain-smoked three cigarettes in a row before he finally exhaled a long, stale breath of air.

    Picking up his phone, he tried calling that unreachable number again. He found that it was the same as before. No matter how many times he tried, the call wouldn¡¯t connect.

    Hong Kangquan pondered over the meaning of the call that wouldn¡¯t connect while ying with the phone in his hands. The person on the other end was probably trying to send a message to Hong Kangquan. It was as if the person was saying Hong Kangquan should not try to reach out to him, but instead passively wait to be contacted by him.

    Fair enough.

    Hong Kangquan nced at the documents on his desk and mmed his hands down onto the desk hard.

    He couldn¡¯t believe that he still couldn¡¯t take down Huo Shaoheng after all of his efforts!

    However, the document had already been reviewed by Speaker Long. Speaker Long was someone who ced great emphasis on impartiality. He certainly would not look at Huo Shaoheng the same way General Ji did.

    Hong Kangquan sneered and locked the file in a safe.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng arrived at general Ji¡¯s office. He stood up straight.

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng, Special Operation Forces General, is here to report!¡± Huo Shaoheng said.

    General Ji nced up at him and said, ¡°Come on in and close the door.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed General Ji¡¯s office door, walked straight to General Ji¡¯s desk, and continued to stand at attention.

    General Ji beckoned to him. ¡°Sit, don¡¯t be nervous,¡± he said.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent.

    He didn¡¯t tell General Ji that the truth was, he wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit nervous.

    After he had sat down on a chair in front of General Ji¡¯s desk, General Ji pulled out the after-action report Huo Shaoheng had written after returning from the United States and flung it towards him. ¡°Exin yourself,¡± General Ji said.

    Although General Ji had ardently defended Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions in front of Speaker Long, the nature of the documents presented by Hong Kangquan had prompted General Ji to reread Huo Shaoheng¡¯s after-action report more carefully.

    After he had reviewed the after-action report again, he also saw that it was clear that Huo Shaoheng had been hiding something and had out essential details.

    In some areas, he had been deliberately vague and suspiciously neglected to borate on those instances.

    Although that wasn¡¯t absolute proof of treachery or betrayal, General Ji didn¡¯t want his subordinates hiding anything from him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s crisis in the United States truly was too painful to think about.

    Yet it was an undeniable fact that he had concealed part of what had really urred during that crisis.

    For example, he hadn¡¯t mentioned one word about the agreement he had struck with James, the CIA¡¯s station chief in the Asia region.

    That was their highest-ranked mole within the CIA, even higher ranked than the agent Bai Yusheng had betrayed.

    Huo Shaoheng had promised James that the agreement was strictly between the two of them and that they would not betray each other.

    In their profession, some things simply could not be public knowledge.

    Many had taken their secrets with them to the grave.

    For example, legends within their profession refused to write memoirs in theirter years. They also refrained from implementing anything political that would still function after their death.

    Some spymasters had developed carefully woven spy rings, and the spymasters¡¯ death meant the death of its connection to the Huaxia Empire as well.

    Because, in the end, those people weren¡¯t people of Huaxia. They only acknowledged a connection with the ring, and their loyaltiesid solely with the spy ring and its master, not the Huaxia Empire.

    The rtionship between Huo Shaoheng and James seemed reminiscent of that of a spymaster and his spy, like back in the old days.

    He sat up straight in front of General Ji, and calmly exercised his right to silence.

 Chapter 1038 - Enemies Are Bound to Meet on a Narrow Road

    <h4>Chapter 1038: Enemies Are Bound to Meet on a Narrow Road</h4>

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± General Ji mmed his hands on the table. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Hong Kangquan is actually telling the truth in this report!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent.

    ¡°Shaoheng, are you experiencing any hardships?¡± General Ji frowned as he looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°At that time, our nation¡¯s intelligence agency only consisted of the Secret Service. It dealt with double agents at home and handled counterintelligence abroad. They dealt with both aspects.

    ¡°Yet the Secret Service, by its very nature, was limiting. The fact that it is a national agency on the surface is enough to restrict its counterintelligence operations abroad, and in many cases, it had limited ability to respond in a timely manner. Because of that, it could not adequately safeguard national interests.

    ¡°That¡¯s precisely why I proposed to President Long that another ndestine intelligence agency be established, but this time under the jurisdiction of the military, and focusing exclusively on overseas counterintelligence. It would have much higher authority than the Secret Service in terms of foreign counterintelligence operations. In exchange, we would not allow the Special Operations Forces to intervene in any domestic intelligence affairs at home. ¡±

    In other words, the Huaxia Empire actually had two counterintelligence agencies.

    They had to cooperate, and each served as a form of checks and bnces for the other. At the same time, they had to ensure that the people had ess to multiple sources of information, and minimize the potential damage of only receiving information from biased sources.

    Furthermore, since counterintelligence was of such monumental importance, having both of the organizations was the most effective way to organize it.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, saying, ¡°If we want to meddle in domestic affairs, we must request permission and authorization from the military and the Senate.¡±

    Like the special cases that had urred during the two elections.

    A cynical look shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t escape General Ji¡¯s notice, and he said a little awkwardly, ¡°I just wanted to make sure that you knew. So, after hearing all of that, is there really nothing else you want me to know? After all, we are on the same side here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment, and then said carefully, ¡°General Ji, I have written everything I can in the report without concealing anything.¡±

    General Ji nced at him and instantly understood the hidden meaning in his words. In other words, anything else that remained to be said was unable to be included in the report.

    So there really was something he didn¡¯t know?

    General Ji felt his heart grow heavy. ¡°Shaoheng, you have to think about this clearly. If you have really concealed or excluded important details, then you are putting me in a difficult position as well,¡± he said to Huo Shaoheng in a grave tone.

    Although General Ji had vowed to put his reputation and status on the line to protect Huo Shaoheng when he had spoken to Speaker Long, that did not mean that he was going to ignore what was happening if there was, in fact, something suspect lurking beneath the surface.

    The trust and protection he had ced on Huo Shaoheng was not an act ofpassion towards his beloved subordinate, but it was because he believed in his character. General Ji had faith in the idea that Huo Shaoheng was not someone who would ever betray his country and its military.

    If Huo Shaoheng really was guilty of treason, General Ji would not continue to shelter and protect him, and would certainly turn him in regardless of how much it would pain him to do so.

    If even Zhuge Liang, the famed military strategist and inventor, could bear the pain of parting with his beloved horse, then General Ji surely could take the pain of parting with Huo Shaoheng.

    For men like them, the most important thing at hand was the interests of their country and its military. General Ji knew his priorities.

    Huo Shaoheng also understood that Hong Kangquan wouldn¡¯t cause such a mess without good reason, and had likely been pressed by the Americans.

    He didn¡¯t know whether or not the information obtained by the Secret Service¡¯s field staff meant that James¡¯ cover was blown, or if it was merely one of the CIA¡¯s tactics.

    They would often mix in some facts with their lies and then blow them up together to give the appearance of a grand scheme.

    Those who fell into their traps weren¡¯t necessarily spies or traitors. Sometimes they were just dimwitted individuals.

    Yet, the fact was, when stupid people unintentionally did terrible things, the damage they caused wasn¡¯t any less than those who did so with malicious intent.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly thought of someone.

    ¡°General Ji, are you sure you want me to write everything in the report?¡± he asked calmly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of potentially jeopardizing diplomatic rtions between countries?¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious?¡± General Ji asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say this, and please listen carefully. If you think that it is ok to write it in the report, I will add the extra details,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°I killed a person during my time in the United States. That person was Sean, the CIA¡¯s former station chief in the Asia region.¡±

    General Ji gasped, then quickly collected himself again. He smacked the table in astonishment. ¡°Sean? As in the legendary Sean that the CIA had praised relentlessly as a counterintelligence genius? He really died by your hands?!¡± he asked.

    After further examination, the timeline of that agent¡¯s death happened to coincide with the period where they had lost contact with Huo Shaoheng while he was in the United States.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly, with the slightest hint of a smile in his eyes. ¡°If you are not afraid of the potential trouble that could be caused by publicizing this, then I will include it in the after-action report.¡±

    From how he hadid out his ns and how he approached the whole process to how he finally carried it all out, he was willing to describe every detail word for word in the report.

    But the real question was, at the national level, could they really ept that reality?

    Once it was written in the after-action report, it meant that more than one General would read what had happened along with many other people in the future.

    The more people that knew, the more likely it was to reach the ears of the enemy.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that very well, which was why he never thought twice about concealing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s real identity as The Pink Piggy either.

    He had hidden the information in order to wait for the storm to pass. That way, he could reveal it to his higher-ups at the right time.

    However, his one-way contact with James would never be revealed.

    Sure enough, General Ji thought for a long time before putting his hands up in defeat. ¡°I see. Shaoheng, I have faith in you. Concerning the death of Sean; it exins the ambiguities surrounding the matter that you neglected to include in the action report, and also indirectly shows how it is highly likely that the information Hong Kangquan provided is actually the enemy¡¯s attempt stir up conflict among us. ¡±

    ¡°General Ji, you are as wise as always,¡± Huo Shaoheng said, nodding. ¡°But how do you n on exining this to Speaker Long? I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not you want to tell him the truth about Sean¡¯s death. If the news does get leaked to the United States in the future, I am willing to sacrifice myself for my country. I will pay any cost necessary.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you speaking?¡± General Ji asked. ¡°You two fought fair and square, yet Sean couldn¡¯t beat you. He deserved it. So many of our counterintelligence personnel have wound up dead by the hands of the Americans. Haven¡¯t we been fair enough to them? In the past, we have swallowed our pride and suffered humiliating defeat because our skills were no match for theirs. Yet now the tide has turned, and it is they who will endure the pain and humiliation that we have felt in the past. ¡±

    General Ji felt himself realizing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s importance more and more. ¡°You can rest assured and just rx over these next couple of days. When the election is over, I will talk to Speaker Long,¡± he said.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I still have a lot of unfinished business. General Ji, can you provide me aputer that can be connected to Wi-Fi?¡±

    Hong Kangquan had only erased the AI program that had been hidden in the monitoring software, and Huo Shaoheng had not yetpletely restored the data concealed by it.

    He nned on seizing the chance to use this interrogation and forced istion to focus on finding the hidden data.

    ...

    At that point, Hong Kangquan¡¯s carefully nned scheme had practically been flushed down the toilet.

    Not only had he failed to obtain control of the central control room, but he had also failed to find the opportunity to erase the AImands hidden within the software.

    Huo Shaoheng had probably already identified the issue with the monitoring software. But fortunately for Hong Kangquan, the United States had responded promptly and initiated a cyberwar that had significantly reduced the possibility of Huo Shaoheng sessfully restoring the data.

    Now Huo Shaoheng had been taken away by General Ji. Not that Hong Kangquan knew the specifics of what they were doing.

    However, as long as Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t anywhere near the central control room, he should be safe for the moment.

    Hong Kangquan touched the microchip tracker on the back of his neck, his face appearing withdrawn and sullen.

    He had never thought about betraying his country. All he had truly wanted was to be restored to his former days of glory.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t contacted Huo Shaoheng for the past two days. But after listening to what Yin Shixiong had said, she thought that Huo Shaoheng might have been on yet another mission, and was slightlyforted by the idea.

    Since it was getting boring staying at home and doing nothing all day, she decided to return to the Senate and continue interning at the office to gain some work experience.

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t let word slip about that night¡¯s events surrounding Gu Nianzhi and that the Americans still couldn¡¯t wrap their heads around what had happened, He Zhichu didn¡¯t object to Gu Nianzhi returning to work.

    Since she had been resting at home for two days, the wound on her face should have healed. Because of that, she did not need to wear a mask to work.

    Special Assistant Yang was still on his forced sick leave. The new Special Assistant who was acting in Special Assistant Yang¡¯s absence was Zhuang. They all called him Special Assistant Zhuang.

    He was two years older than Special Assistant Yang, had long been married, and his child was already in elementary school.

    Special Assistant Zhuang was modest andid-back and got along with everyone in the Senate.

    He and Special Assistant Yang had actuallye to the Senate¡¯s secretariat in the same year, but Special Assistant Yang was much morepetent than him, and therefore rose through the ranks much faster.

    Yet within the secretariat, after Special Assistant Yang, he was a close second in terms of capabilities.

    When Gu Nianzhi arrived at work, Special Assistant Zhuang had rushed out to wee her back and asked with concern, ¡°Little Gu, have the wounds on your face gotten better?¡±

    He nced at Gu Nianzhi and saw how her delicate, porcin cheeks were flushed with color, and there was virtually no sign of the swollenness and inmmation from the day she had been beaten.

    It seemed as though her wounds had healed.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m alright now. Thank you, Special Assistant Zhuang, for your concern.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear.¡± Special Assistant Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°If a girl like you had been disfigured because of that incident, none of us would have let that Cao person get away with it!¡±

    ¡°You saying that really makes me feel better, Special Assistant Zhuang. I¡¯m just an intern, so I can¡¯t really do anything about people bullying me.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Special Assistant Zhuang as she spoke.

    After exchanging a few more lines of yful banter, Gu Nianzhi was led to a small, semi-detached office.

    The entire exterior wall of the office was made of ss, and you could see the small cubicles in the hall.

    Gu Nianzhi felt dizzy with joy. Does this mean that she had her own private office?!!

    ¡°Speaker Long entrusted you with me and said that you are a legal expert. I thought about how our secretariat does have some legal matters that need to be handled by someone. But these legal documents are all highly confidential and cannot be ced in the hall. Although you are an intern and interns usually don¡¯t have their own private offices, since your job is special, I asked Speaker Long to arrange this small office for you as an exception. Those legal documents will be ced here for you to take care of,¡± Special Assist Zhuang exined with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi thanked Special Assistant Zhuang profusely. She was surprised by how modest he was. Although he had obviously done her a great favor, he had thought it necessary to defend his actions so he wouldn¡¯t be used of favoritism.

    Furthermore, legal affairs were indeed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s area of expertise, and also an area that interested her deeply.

    She had no intention of staying a secretary for life.

    At the door of Speaker Long¡¯s office, she caught sight of a few tall men wearing dark blue suits. They were surrounding a slightly shorter and stockier man. The beautiful woman standing beside the man was Tan Guiren.

    Special Assistant Zhuang stepped forward and spoke to the shorter man, saying, ¡°Director Hong, how may I assist you?¡±

    The man looked back at Special Assistant Zhuang and said impatiently, ¡°Miss Tan and I were both invited here by Speaker Long, and it¡¯s almost the appointed time, but it seems like Speaker Long is still in a meeting.¡±

    He nced at his watch and appeared agitated.

    His time was just as precious.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes gleamed with recognition. Director Hong?

    The names of all the Directors in the cab shed before her eyes, and she remembered that the only Director with thest name of Hong was Hong Kangquan of the Secret Service.

    He was the one who Tan Guiren said had advised her to send Huo Shaoheng to the United States on a rescue mission.

    Yet, why was Hong Kangquan there at the Senate with Tan Guiren? And he said that they were invited by Speaker Long?

 Chapter 1039 - Rubbing off Other Peoples Luck

    <h4>Chapter 1039: Rubbing off Other People¡¯s Luck</h4>

    The thought of how Huo Shaoheng had asked Fan Jian to send her away just two nights before, right after the cyberwar had ended, and then ceased contact with her made Gu Nianzhi feel uneasy.

    However, this time, she did not start relentlessly inquiring about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s whereabouts as she had during the German crisis.

    She was trying to learn from past mistakes.

    Nevertheless, before she even realized what she was doing, Gu Nianzhi stepped forward and asked, ¡°Are these two people here waiting for Speaker Long? Please, stay in the meeting room over there for a while. When Speaker Long¡¯s meeting is over, he will attend to you two right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi intended to get the two of them out of the way first, and then she was going to find a way to force some information out of Tan Guiren.

    Hong Kangquan nced at Gu Nianzhi with disinterest. Ignoring her, he turned toward Special Assistant Zhuang with a frown and said, ¡°Give me a specific time.¡±

    Miss Tan thought that Hong Kangquan had acted too rudely, and, feeling somewhat embarrassed, said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, are you here to see Speaker Long as well?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m just an intern here, and I¡¯m in charge of attending to you two.¡± Then she turned to Special Assistant Zhuang and said, ¡°Chief Secretary Zhuang, how about we invite Director Hong and Miss Tan to have a seat in the reception room over there. How does that sound? ¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang was just a Special Assistant. His current rank was far below that of a Chief Secretary.

    But Gu Nianzhi referring to him as Chief Secretary somehow felt very endearing.

    After all, Chief Secretary was the highest rank in the Secretarial Office.

    Special Assistant Yang had been a Special Assistant for five years, yet failed to achieve the rank of Chief Secretary.

    Special Assistant Zhuang nodded while beaming. ¡°Nianzhi, see to it that Director Hong and Miss Tan are attended to. I¡¯ll see what¡¯s going on with Speaker Long.¡±

    Hong Kangquan had no choice. Seeing that Tan Guiren had already started to walk with Gu Nianzhi toward the reception room, all he could do was follow them.

    Speaking with Tan Guiren as if they were already well-acquainted, Gu Nianzhi whispered while smiling, ¡°Miss Tan, what time is your appointment with Speaker Long?¡±

    ¡°Nine o¡¯clock.¡± Tan Guiren frowned slightly. ¡°To be entirely honest, there¡¯s still ten minutes to go until the appointment time. I have no idea why Director Hong is in such a hurry.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Nianzhi uttered. She didn¡¯t know what to say in terms of what his impatience showed about Director Hong¡¯s character.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and led Tan Guiren into the reception room. She originally wanted to coax some information out of Miss Tan, but Hong Kangquan had followed them in. Hong Kangquan said to her disdainfully, ¡°Miss Gu, check to see if Speaker Long¡¯s conference is over. Is he really nning on making an appointment with us, yet not abiding by the promised time? We also have other business to attend to as well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not so polite to Hong Kangquan, either. She turned around and asked withposure, ¡°Director Hong, what time did President Long agree to meet with you?¡±

    Hong Kangquan was caught off guard and froze for a moment, then said, ¡°Nine o¡¯clock.¡± He raised his wrist and pointed at his watch. ¡°Look, it¡¯s time!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still ten minutes until nine,¡± Gu Nianzhi said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why Director Hong isining about Speaker Long¡¯sck of punctuality when the appointed time has not even arrived yet.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only ten minutes anyway.¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s face grew sullen. He was surprised by the fact that an insignificant intern had dared to talk back to him so brazenly and contemptuously.

    He raised his hand with displeasure. ¡°When did I everin about Speaker Long¡¯sck of punctuality? Don¡¯t take words out of context and twist them around,¡± he said.

    Gu Nianzhi merely shrugged. ¡°You just used him of making an appointment yet not abiding by the promised time. Is this not aint against Speaker Long¡¯sck of punctuality? In fact, you are the one not abiding by the promised time,¡± she said.

    Hong Kangquan suddenly remembered who she was, and squinted at her. ¡°You¡¯re that girl under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s custody, aren¡¯t you? Why are you interning at the Senate? I remember you studiedw, right?¡±

    ¡°Director Hong certainly has an exceptional memory,¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°Huo Shao hasn¡¯t been my guardian for a long time, or did your memory stop working seven years ago? Besides, I have graduated with a master¡¯s degree. Interning at the Senate is a good opportunity.¡±

    Hong Kangquan was taken aback by the harshness of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone and was extremely displeased. He pursed his lips and decided to ignore her for the rest of the time they were there. He sat on the sofa by himself and picked up the newspaper that was on the coffee table in front of him.

    Miss Tan found the stuffy and tense atmosphere unnerving. She stood up to ask Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, may I use the bathroom here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart leaped at the golden opportunity to get some information, and said quickly, ¡°It¡¯s not far from here. I¡¯ll show Miss Tan the way.¡±

    Tai Guiren nodded. ¡°Thank you for your kind offer.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s entire face was hidden behind the newspaper, so his expression couldn¡¯t be read.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care about Hong Kangquan¡¯s attitude, though, and led Tan Guiren out. They turned left then walked straight, and after turning two corners, they finally arrived at the women¡¯s restroom.

    After entering and closing the door, there would be no surveince.

    After they got to the restroom, Gu Nianzhi waited for Tan Guiren to enter then opened each of the stalls in the bathroom to make sure that they werepletely alone. She then smiled and asked, ¡°Miss Tan, did Speaker Long make an appointment with you alone, or with Director Hong?¡±

    Tan Guiren entered a stall and locked the door. After she finished, she came out. While washing her hands, she said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I don¡¯t know about Director Hong, but Speaker Long called me personally and told me toe to see him at nine this morning because he had something to ask me. ¡±

    ¡°Then, Director Hong wasn¡¯t asked toe to the appointment with you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in surprise.

    So, Tan Guiren was saying that Speaker Long made an appointment with her alone.

    Tan Guiren didn¡¯t understand what was happening, either. She groaned and said, ¡°I bumped into Director Hong at the gates of the Parliament building. He said that he was coincidentally here to see Speaker Long as well, so he came in with me.¡±

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that Speaker Long actually only made an appointment with you.¡± Gu Nianzhi was amused.

    Hong Kangquan really was a piece of work. He even had the audacity to ride Tan Guiren¡¯s coattails into the meeting.

    From his righteous tone just earlier, Gu Nianzhi had thought he was the one Speaker Long had made an appointment with!

    She was even confused about why the two of them had shown up together.

    Her intuition hadn¡¯t been wrong after all. He was leeching off of other people for his own personal gain.

    Gu Nianzhi handed a paper towel to Tan Guiren and asked in a coaxing manner, ¡°Did Speaker Long ask you toe here because he wants you to work in the Senate Secretariat? That¡¯s how I was pulled in to this position by him.¡±

    Tan Guirenughed, took the paper towel and wiped her hands with it, then threw it into the trash can. ¡°I¡¯m nowhere near as capable as you, Miss Gu. All I can do is y the violin,¡± she said. ¡°Speaker Long will not want me to work here. He invited me toe in today to ask me about the details surrounding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rescue mission in the United States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s felt herself tense up inside but maintained the facade of innocent curiosity on her face. ¡°Ah, really? Why is Speaker Long asking about that? Huo Shao¡¯s mission was highly confidential. Moreover, didn¡¯t Huo Shao write about it in the report he made after returning?¡± she asked.

    Hearing this, Tan Guiren also frowned.

    She remembered how Huo Shaoheng had said the exact same thing to her in the United States, especially when he had met that American.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it either. In fact, I don¡¯t really know much about Major General Huo¡¯s mission in the United States. In short, I will answer whatever Speaker Long asks. If I cannot answer, I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut.¡± Tan Guiren was a simple person.

    Gu Nianzhi thought over what had been said for a moment. As long as Hong Kangquan wasn¡¯t present, she should be able to apany Speaker Long and listen in on what Tan Guiren had to say about the incident in the United States.

    Who knew what badly timed things could spill out of that naive woman¡¯s mouth?

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t willing to take the risk.

    At that moment, she was d she had gone in to work.

    Otherwise, who knew what mistakes could have been made.

    Gu Nianzhi nced down at her watch. Only two minutes left until nine o¡¯clock.

    She linked Tan Guiren¡¯s arm in hers. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. I¡¯ll take you to see Speaker Long,¡± she said.

    Tan Guiren was caught off guard. Being led by the arm, she asked in confusion, ¡°But what about Director Hong? He¡¯s still in the reception room.¡±

    ¡°Speaker Long didn¡¯t invite Director Hong, so I¡¯ll take you to see Speaker Long first.¡± Gu Nianzhi insisted that Hong Kangquan did not have an appointment with Speaker Long, and did not give Tan Guiren any chance to say anything else on the matter.

    As Hong Kangquan began to grow impatient and agitated in the reception room, he finally realized that it was ten minutes past nine o¡¯clock. Gu Nianzhi had already brought Tan Guiren into Speaker Long¡¯s office.

 Chapter 1040 - Huo Shaos Fangirl

    <h4>Chapter 1040: Huo Shao¡¯s Fangirl</h4>

    Speaker Long was indeed very punctual.

    His first meeting had started at 8:30 in the morning andsted for half an hour. After that, it was time for him to see Tan Guiren and ask her about what had happened in the United States.

    However, seeing Gu Nianzhi apanying Tan Guiren caught him off guard.

    His eyes unconsciously went to Gu Nianzhi, who had been hit by the Prime Minister¡¯s spokesman.

    Her skin is as smooth as jade and free of any blemishes. There were also no signs of redness or inmmation to be seen anywhere.

    Speaker Long nodded with relief and said in a kind voice, ¡°Nianzhi, are your injuries all right?¡±

    Tan Guiren felt anxious and concerned. She looked at Gu Nianzhi with a pleading expression in her eyes.

    In order to stop Gu Nianzhi from suing her father and mother, she had told Gu Nianzhi her most shameful secret.

    Gu Nianzhi intuitively grasped what was going through Tan Guiren¡¯s mind and winked at her. She looked at Speaker Long and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Speaker Long. My injury is all right now. I was treated by Dr. Chen of the military department. What else is there to worry about?¡±

    She mentioned Chen Lie in order to prove that it was due to him that her wound had healed so quickly.

    Speaker Long nodded with understanding. ¡°Yeah, that kid Chen Lie is really good. Nianzhi, I¡¯m relieved to hear that you¡¯re doing fine.¡±

    He, too, thought that it would be unfortunate for a beautiful girl to have her appearance ruined over this.

    Even if she had sued sessfully and the person that assaulted her was punished by thew, her looks still would have been permanently altered.

    It was truly great to hear that all was well.

    Speaker Long felt as though that was the only good news he had heard in a few days.

    He had been growing weary from all of the incidents and scandals that were coincidentally urring at the same time.

    Speaker Long nced at Tan Guiren and smiled kindly. ¡°Miss Tan, thank you for agreeing to meet me.¡±

    He had asked Tan Guiren toe because he genuinely wanted to ask her something, not to pressure her.

    Because Tan Guiren looked somewhat uneasy, Speaker Long was worried that he was scaring her.

    However, Tan Guiren¡¯s uneasiness was not caused by Speaker Long¡¯s phone call but was due to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her hand firmly on Tan Guiren¡¯s shoulders and led her toward the front of Speaker Long¡¯s desk to sit down on one of the soft stools. ¡°Speaker Long, Miss Tan said you asked to speak with her. I saw that it was almost time, so I sent her in,¡± she said. Gu Nianzhi pretended that she was going to start taking notes and said to Speaker Long as naturally as she could, ¡°You ask, I will record everything for you.¡±

    If Speaker Long were going to ask questions, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be asking them alone.

    Every time he worked, there had to be a record of it, even if it was something as simple as interrogating Tan Guiren.

    Speaker Long originally wanted to find Special Assistant Zhuang and have him take notes, but seeing the enthusiastic expression on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and thinking again about how she was a legal intern, it seemed more appropriate to let her handle it.

    Since Speaker Long wasn¡¯t sure whether or not the matter at hand had the potential of causing any legal issues in the future, it was better to n ahead.

    Speaker Long reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Remember to record in ordance with legal procedures. The documents I have here are all legally valid.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. She knew this would happen, and it was precisely the reason why she had volunteered herself this way.

    Seeing how understanding Gu Nianzhi was, Speaker Long didn¡¯t feel as though he had to say much more. He turned to look at Tan Guiren and began to ask her, ¡°Miss Tan, I specifically requested youe here today to ask you about your disappearance in the United States.¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s heart sank. She didn¡¯t want to talk about it at all.

    She looked at Nianzhi with pleading eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look at Tan Guiren. She took notes with her head down, but from the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Tan Guiren¡¯s expression. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered, and she looked up after writing a few words. ¡°Speaker Long, regarding information about Miss Tan¡¯s disappearance in the United States, I have read about it on the Inte. I remember that Prime Minister Tan was still running in the election at that time, and due to Miss Tan¡¯s disappearance, he received a lot of sympathy.¡±

    Tan Guiren was too ashamed to lift her head.

    Speaker Long was caught off guard by her reaction, and said in a gentler voice, ¡°Miss Tan, you need not feel burdened. I¡¯m not asking to tell me everything that happened to you. That is your secret. I fully understand.¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly impressed by Tan Guiren.

    If that statement had been made to awyer, then thewyer probably would have torn such an innocent creature as Tan Guiren to shreds.

    But such appeals worked very well with Speaker Long.

    Because Speaker Long had campaigned for his office and was elected, he paid great attention to privacy and human rights.

    If Tan Guiren stated that she didn¡¯t want to talk about the specifics of her disappearance, then Speaker Long had to respect her wishes.

    Not to mention how Gu Nianzhi was secretly adding gas to the fire. ¡°Miss Tan, rest assured, Speaker Long is not the kind of person who likes to gossip or probe into other people¡¯s secrets. All he wants to do is to ask you a few questions, and since he is a principled person, none of those questions will intrude upon your private matters.¡±

    Speaker Long almost burst outughing after hearing what Gu Nianzhi had said.

    His intuition told him he was right. Gu Nianzhi kept talking and promising things, and every word that came out of her mouth was part of a set-up. She wanted to make sure that he did not ask something that he shouldn¡¯t.

    He didn¡¯t think poorly of her because of it. If anything, it made Gu Nianzhi seem more impressive.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Tan, all I will ask are dignified questions. I am not like those unscrupulous reporters who abandon their morals for the sake of more view.¡± Speaker Long thought of Cai Songyin, and could not help but feel the truth of his own words even more profoundly.

    Although Cai Songyin wasn¡¯t a highly principled media reporter herself, the daughter she raised was indeed very different from her.

    Although Speaker Long bore no ill will for Tan Guiren, he despised how Cai Songyin manipted the media.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Cai Songyin as well, but Tan Guiren didn¡¯t seem to understand what was being implied.

    She had a solemn expression and kept nodding. ¡°Speaker Long, you are right. I rarely bother with the news because my mom says that most news sources are questionable anyway, so it¡¯s better not to watch.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Are those Mrs. Tan¡¯s own words?¡± Speaker Long crossed his hands on his desk, asking with great interest.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and tacitly brought the conversation back to the original topic. ¡°Mrs. Tan did a good job and was very smart about keeping private matters out of the media. So, when I read the news, I only knew that Miss Tan was missing in the United States and that she waster found by our people. At that time, wasn¡¯t there also news on TV that Miss Tan was sent back on a private ne?¡±

    It was that particr piece of news that had overwhelmed Gu Nianzhi.

    She recalled herself crying so much that she became hysterical.

    However, on the surface, she mentioned that news report so casually and indifferently that it seemed like it had nothing to do with her.

    In fact, neither of the two here knew how much that piece of news mattered to her personally.

    Tan Guiren had a bashful expression on her face, and she summoned the courage to whisper, ¡°Yes, I would like to thank Major General Huo. If it were not for him, I would have died in the hands of my kidnappers in the United States.¡±

    Speaker Long also became serious as well. He furthered the conversation on Huo Shaoheng by asking, ¡°Miss Tan, what happened after you were rescued by Major General Huo? Do you remember? To be honest, I saw the American police rescuing you live on American TV. Was Major General Huo among those who saved you?¡±

    Tan Guiren remembered that scene very clearly. She thought about it, then bit her lower lip and asked, ¡°Do I have to answer that? At that time, Major General Huo requested that I keep that information confidential.¡±

    Speaker Long thought for a moment, then said, ¡°You can speak freely here. Anything you say will be treated as though it is highly ssified.¡± Then, he nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, your security rank...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said immediately, ¡°Speaker Long, my security rank is high enough. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can check it right now. If I am lying, you can shoot me on the spot.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had told her that one of the primary motives of him marrying her was to improve her security level quickly.

    She remembered that very well and believed that Huo Shaoheng would not lie to her about something like that.

    Speaker Long nodded and said, ¡°Of course, I will check.¡±

    But he didn¡¯t press the matter further. He turned to look at Tan Guiren, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll ask you a few questions. If you can answer, you can answer. If you can¡¯t answer, then you won¡¯t need to speak. Is that alright with you?¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded. ¡°Okay, Speaker Long.¡±

    Speaker Long thought for a moment before he asked, ¡°The night you were rescued by the American police, was Major General Huo there? Was he with you, or...?¡±

    Miss Tan Guiren had thought that since the incident was televised, Speaker Long likely had already seen it on the news, so it would be alright for her to tell the truth.

    But before she said anything, she carefully nced at Gu Nianzhi.

    Speaker Long caught this, and he also stared at Gu Nianzhi thoughtfully.

    Gu Nianzhi felt bitter inside. People as innocent as Tan Guiren were like double-edged swords. Although you could consider exploiting her naivety and using it against others, others were thinking the same about you.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi knew how Tan Guiren would act pretty well and prepared several ways to deal with her. She said calmly, ¡°Miss Tan, don¡¯t be afraid. Who do you think Speaker Long is? He won¡¯t spill your secret to anyone.¡±

    She had calmly twisted it around and made it seem as though Tan Guiren was ncing at her because she was worried about her private matters being exposed.

    Tan Guiren was relieved. Her gaze shifted to Speaker Long, and she whispered, ¡°If Speaker Long watches TV, then he would know that the instant Major General Huo rescued me, he was taken by the US police. They thought he was the kidnapper.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth curled, and she quickly recorded what was said.

    ¡°What happened next?¡± Speaker Long was most concerned about whether or not Huo Shaoheng had been detained.

    ¡°The US police were very annoying. I tried to exin everything to them, but they didn¡¯t listen and arrested Major General Huo. However, Major General Huo was impressive, and he fled quickly.¡± Tan Guiren stated again that Huo Shaoheng was very impressive, and then added, ¡°And he visited me at my home in Long Ind the next day.¡±

    ¡°He came to you the very next day? With so many American police officers there that night, it seemed like there were even soldiers amongst them. Didn¡¯t he get caught? What about his mental state and physical condition?¡± Speaker Long asked.

    ¡°No. Major General Huo is so impressive. How could those US military people catch him?! They¡¯re not on the same level at all!¡± Tan Guiren spread out her hands and blurted out excitedly, ¡°But he suffered some minor injuries. Scrapes and scratches. Nothing serious.¡±

    Tan Guiren had suddenly turned into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fangirl, full of admiration and awe for his impressive abilities.

    Speaker Long didn¡¯t respond.

    Why did he suddenly feel like his faith in Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t evenpare with this silly little girl¡¯s faith in him?!!

 Chapter 1041 - Memory Reorganization

    <h4>Chapter 1041: Memory Reorganization</h4>

    President Long touched his right hand somewhat shamefully, and then asked with a smile, ¡°Was it one month or two months in between the time you were rescued and when you finally returned home? During that period, did Major General Huo consistently maintain contact with you? ¡±

    ¡°Yes. He visited me very frequently,¡± Tan Guiren blurted out, then furtively nced at Gu Nianzhi, looking somewhat guiltily.

    Speaker Long finally understood why she had been acting so strangely. His realization had also dispelled his previous suspicions about Gu Nianzhi.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Miss Tan, don¡¯t worry. Miss Gu has already broken up with Major General Huo, am I right? Nianzhi?¡±

    Because Gu Nianzhi had reminded her, Tan Guiren did not mention the real reason Huo Shaoheng had gone to her Long Ind home, nor did she mention James.

    To be honest, she didn¡¯t actually know the name of the person who had met with Huo Shaoheng, but although Speaker Long was satisfied, Gu Nianzhi felt a little sour inside.

    Yet she also knew that this was not the time to be feeling bitter or jealous. Besides, Huo Shaoheng had gone to the United States to rescue Tan Guiren. She really didn¡¯t believe with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s professional attitude that he would be treating women like James Bond did in the movies.

    Furthermore, as far as Speaker Long knew, she was supposedly ¡°broken up¡± with Huo Shaoheng, so she absolutely could not show any signs of jealousy.

    Because of that, Gu Nianzhi attempted to appear as calm as she could. She tried hard to focus on what mattered at the moment instead of focusing on trivial things such as petty jealousy between the two women.

    After all, she was dealing with Tan Guiren, a ticking time bomb that could go off at any second.

    As soon as she remembered that, Gu Nianzhi felt her head begin to pound.

    She could see now that Tan Guiren was obviously not a person who could keep a secret for long.

    If she could coax confidential information out of her today, then tomorrow, others would be able to coax it out of her as well.

    And Tan Guiren was not the type of person who understood the weight of her words, nor did she know her priorities.

    Today, with Gu Nianzhi by her side, she might have been able to filter what came out of her mouth.

    But in the future, without Gu Nianzhi there, would she still be able to think before she spoke and make sure that she didn¡¯t say the wrong thing to the wrong person?

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t possibly follow Tan Guiren around 24 hours a day. She had her own life to lead.

    So, what should she do to once and for all eliminate the threat of Tan Guiren identally blurting out damaging information that had to do with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rescue mission?

    So that, even if someone else tried to coax information out of Tan Guiren in the near future, she didn¡¯t have to worry about Tan Guiren saying what she shouldn¡¯t be saying?

    In that short span of time, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced with conflicting thoughts.

    She followed Speaker Long¡¯s gaze, then suddenly remembered that the most impressive aspect of Senators was their ability to brainwash people.

    Each one of their speeches was basically like a brainwashing session.

    Whoever had the ability to brainwash their targets the best would get the most votes.

    Could she also use this method on Tan Guiren?

    To be honest, calling it brainwashing was stretching it a little bit.

    The true academic description was to adjust the target¡¯s memory until they fully epted falsely contrived memories that had been introduced to them, then starts to treat the imnted memory as the truth, while unconsciously suppressing what actually did happen.

    Privately and professionally, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want Tan Guiren to remember the truth of that incident. She wanted to try to adjust her memory.

    Gu Nianzhi began brainstorming good ways to do so.

    It would require rtively advanced knowledge in the realm of psychology. Gu Nianzhi had taken a few psychology courses as an undergrad and had read some relevant materials as well.

    Yet she had never tried it on others before.

    She didn¡¯t know how favorable the oue would be, but she knew that if she didn¡¯t at least try, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be sessful.

    Gu Nianzhi made up her mind, returned Speaker Long¡¯s smile, and said, ¡°Yes, we are no longer romantically involved.¡±

    She distinctly felt Tan Guiren breathe a sigh of relief.

    Tan Guiren should have been in a state of rxation and ease at that moment. Gu Nianzhi seized the opportunity, since there was a change that Tan Guiren had her guard down, and asked her, ¡°But Miss Tan, those police officers once saw you being held hostage by the kidnapper. In order to arrest the kidnapper, wouldn¡¯t they need to ask you questions? ¡±

    ¡°Of course they did!¡± Tan Guiren remembered how the American police had frequented her house from time to time, and the CIA as well, then pursed her lips. ¡°They were annoying. When I didn¡¯t tell them who the kidnapper was, they used me of having some sort of Stockholm syndrome. As if I would be willing to protect my kidnapper! General Huo was not the person who kidnapped me. I told them so many times, but they just didn¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯swyer habits kicked in and she couldn¡¯t help but ask Tan Guiren before Speaker Long had a chance to say anything, ¡°You told the American police and the CIA that the person who rescued you was General Huo?!¡±

    If it were true, that would be a huge deal!!

    Speaker Long also became serious. ¡°Tan Guiren, did you really tell them that?¡±

    Tan Guiren waved her hands and said with a smile, ¡°No, you both misunderstood me. At that time, I didn¡¯t know it was General Huo. When he rushed to the small building to rescue me, he had only told me that my father had sent him to find me. Before that, I didn¡¯t know him at all. Afterward, he came to visit me but still didn¡¯t say who he was. How could I know? I just repeatedly told the US military and police that the person who came to rescue me that night was not my kidnapper.¡±

    Recalling what had happened, Tan Guiren began to feel very offended as she spoke. ¡°But they just wouldn¡¯t believe me. They kept saying that I had this ¡®Stockholm Syndrome,¡¯ and that I had gone mad. After that, I wouldn¡¯t talk to them anymore when they came to see me. It¡¯s not like they could have forced me to, anyway.¡±

    Tan Guiren curled her lips in self-satisfaction.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a thumbs up to praise her. ¡°Miss Tan, you dealt with the situation so coolly!¡± she said.

    She then proceeded to ask, ¡°So many American police and even the CIA went to your house to interrogate you. Did you happen to encounter General Huo?¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi said this, she carefully observed Speaker Long¡¯s facial expression. Sure enough, Speaker Long raised his ears and was listening attentively.

    Judging from his bodynguage, Speaker Long was deeply interested in the topic!

    This was the most interest he had shown in any of the topics they had discussed that day.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes rolled as she realized something. She suddenly understood the real reason why Speaker Long had asked Tan Guiren toe in for questioning.

    Had Speaker Long perhaps suspected that when Huo Shaoheng was in the United States, he had established dubious ties with the enemy?

    After confirming that, the required focus of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brainwashing ¨C er, memory adjustment operation became even more apparent.

    ¡°Miss Tan, when you returned to your home in the United States, did the US military, police, or the CIAe looking for you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tan Guiren replied.

    ¡°What did you say to them?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    ¡°I told them that he wasn¡¯t the kidnapper, and told them not to ask again. The real kidnapper had been killed by the man that rescued me,¡± she said.

    ¡°Did you know who that person was then?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued.

    Tai Guiren thought for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she finally replied.

    Gu Nianzhi did not stop and instead continued relentlessly. ¡°The US military and the CIA really came to you in search of the kidnapper?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tan Guiren said.

    ¡°Did you tell them who the kidnapper was?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t know who he was.¡± Tan Guiren had answered much faster than before.

    Gu Nianzhi then changed her approach and asked, ¡°When the US military and the CIA came to you, did you happen to encounter the person who saved you?¡±

    ¡°No. That person was impressively elusive and managed to evade them every time they came,¡± Tan Guiren answered bluntly.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, his activities weren¡¯t restricted, he had his own living quarters, and he stayed hidden in the dark while protecting you. Am I right?¡± Gu Nianzhi concluded.

    ¡°Yes. He was able to move about freely. He had lived somewhere by himself and had remained in the dark to protect me.¡± Tan Guiren repeated what Gu Nianzhi had said, like a robot givenmands.

    Speaker Long saw how Gu Nianzhi had been probing the situation from various angles, and couldn¡¯t help admiring her even more.

    She was a seed with a great potential for growth!

    She could assess the situation from various angles without even needing his guidance!

    Speaker Long felt that even if he himself had asked, he couldn¡¯t have done so in such aprehensive manner.

    She truly was a silver-tongued prodigy!

    Under the watchful eye of Speaker Long, Tan Guiren felt more and more nervous and started to focus on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions and answers more and more.

    After fifteen minutes, Gu Nianzhi stopped finding new ways to ask the same question.

    For the past fifteen minutes, she had kept pushing the same story deeper into their minds. Although the US military and the CIA had kept interrogating Tan Guiren, Tan Guiren never disclosed any confidential information because she did not know Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true identity at that time.

    Huo Shaoheng, due to his professional expertise and vignce, had never encountered the US military or the CIA in person, let alone gotten himself captured.

    Under the repeated hypnotic questioning and misleading guidance of Gu Nianzhi, Tan Guiren¡¯s memory began to subconsciously adjust itself and start to believe what Gu Nianzhi had been stating over and over again.

 Chapter 1042 - Double-Crossed

    <h4>Chapter 1042: Double-Crossed</h4>

    Tan Guiren was an innocent and naive person by nature. Naturally, she would believe whatever others said, and had a very dogged determination when it came to abiding by her own set of standards.

    Due to her harsh experience in the United States, and because of Huo Shaoheng, she remembered that particr incident much more vividly than other things that had happened in her past.

    However, it had been a long time since the incident had taken ce, and therefore her memory of the event was naturally beginning to be fuzzy.

    Because of that, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reconstruction of the truth had firmly imprinted itself in Tan Guiren¡¯s mind and subconsciously made her perceive Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions and answers as her own line of reasoning, therefore reinforcing it all in her mind.

    Not only Tan Guiren but even Speaker Long, who was merely watching, had unwittingly fallen victim to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s episode of hypnosis. He had also subconsciously begun to regard Tan Guiren¡¯s responses to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions as the truth of what had happened during the hostage crisis in the US.

    He was under the impression that when Huo Shaoheng rescued Tan Guiren in the United States, he really did hold his own against the US military and the CIA, and that he had remained hidden while protecting Tan Guiren from the shadows.

    He believed that Tan Guiren hadn¡¯t identally exposed anyone or anything because she hadn¡¯t even known Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true identity at the time.

    As for the alleged captivity, he believed it wasplete nonsense.

    Speaker Long pondered over Tan Guiren¡¯s answers for a while, then pulled Hong Kangquan¡¯s documents from the United States out of his drawer. He seemed lost in thought.

    The spacious office sunk into deep silence and sunlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the walls. You could see flying dust dancing in the light, and a sense of tranquility and peace took over the room.

    Tan Guiren wiped the sweat from her forehead and said jokingly, ¡°Miss Gu, you were so serious just now and really almost scared me into forgetting my words.¡±

    ¡°How could that be?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Miss Tan, you have such a clear line of reasoning, a silver tongue, and an excellent memory. No wonder you are a violin virtuoso.¡±

    Tan Guiren grinned and finally rxed.

    She pulled a paper towel out of her small bag and wiped the sweat from her hands. She was about to continue chatting with Gu Nianzhi when she heard banging on the door of Speaker Long¡¯s office.

    Gu Nianzhi was also caught off guard. ¡°Who is it? Why aren¡¯t you using the inte?¡± she called.

    Who would punch the door with his fist?

    Speaker Long looked up with displeasure and pressed the inte speaker on his office desk. ¡°What¡¯s going on outside?¡± he asked.

    Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯s helpless voice rang through the inte, saying, ¡°Speaker Long, it¡¯s Director Hong. He wants to ask if Miss Tan is still in your office. He said he came with Miss Tan and would like to meet with you along with her.¡±

    Speaker Long frowned. ¡°I invited Miss Tan. I have no appointment with Director Hong. If Director Hong wants to see me, you will have to schedule another appointment time slot for him.¡±

    In other words, Special Assistant Zhuang was supposed to reschedule Director Hong ording to Speaker Long¡¯s schedule.

    Generally speaking, Hong Kangquan would have to wait nearly half a month to see Speaker Long due to how busy he was.

    Hong Kangquan became agitated upon hearing this. From the moment he discovered that Tan Guiren had suddenly disappeared, he had felt more and more anxious. His heart was pounding and he couldn¡¯t restrain himself from screaming loudly into the inte, saying, ¡°Speaker Long! I really need to meet with you urgently! It is a matter concerning national interest, and must be addressed now without further ado!¡±

    Hearing what he said, the corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She thought disdainfully about how big of a spectacle he was making of himself. How could he still not give up...?

    Alright then, let¡¯s see who is really the one obstructing national interests!

    Gu Nianzhi wrote a few words in her notebook and showed it to Speaker Long. It said that they should let him in and hear what he had to say.

    Speaker Long¡¯s eyes went back and forth from Gu Nianzhi to Tan Guiren, then he turned off the inte and asked, ¡°Miss Tan, why did Director Hong say he came with you? Did you ask him toe with you?¡±

    Tai Guiren waved her hand quickly, saying, ¡°No, no. When I arrived at the Parliament building in the morning, I encountered Director Hong at the door. When he heard that I was here to meet you, he said that he was too, and insisted that wee together.¡±

    So that¡¯s how it was.

    Speaker Long nced down again at the note Gu Nianzhi had written to him. After thinking it over for a while, he nodded and said, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly got up to open the door.

    At that moment, Hong Kangquan was scowling at Special Assistant Zhuang in front of the door. ¡°So you¡¯re not going to open the door, huh? Are you willing to take responsibility if the nation suffers damage because of your obstinance?!¡± he said.

    Although Special Assistant Zhuang was usually mild-tempered, Hong Kangquan¡¯s attitude infuriated him. He angrily said, ¡°This is the office of Speaker Long from the Senate! Every single thing here is of great national interest! Director Hong, if you continue to cause chaos, I will have to call the guards!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out and said quickly, ¡°Calm yourself, Special Assistant Zhuang. There is no need to lose your temper over someone like him.¡±

    Hong Kangquan turned back violently, and upon seeing that the person speaking was Gu Nianzhi, he instantly felt even more enraged. ¡°What do you mean by someone like me? How dare you stop me from seeing Speaker Long! It seems as though standing in front of the King is easy enough, but it is youckeys that cause the most trouble!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked back at Speaker Long in the office. She said, ¡°Speaker Long, Director Hong said that you are the King, while we are theckeys. So, what is this ce? The Pce?¡±

    Tan Guiren giggled at this.

    Special Assistant Zhuang and Speaker Long were highly amused as well, but both quickly looked away and coughed to suppress theirughter.

    ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be naughty. Ask Director Hong toe in,¡± Speaker Long said jokingly.

    His gentle mentorlike tone towards Gu Nianzhi cowed Hong Kangquan into silence. He did not dare to yell at her again.

    After giving Gu Nianzhi a brief look, Hong Kangquan took a couple of long strides into the office.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a while before saying to Special Assistant Zhuang, ¡°Special Assistant Zhuang,e in and help record. I have been recording for Speaker Long for a while now, and my hands are getting sore. I don¡¯t think I can handle the lord that just came in.¡±

    She turned towards Hong Kangquan¡¯s back and pursed her lips. She did not want to record anything to do with that man.

    Special Assistant Zhuang nodded and followed them in.

    When Speaker Long saw him enter, he pointed at the notes taken by Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Little Zhuang, you record now.¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang hurried over and sat where Gu Nianzhi had just been sitting.

    Seeing this, Tan Guiren stood up and said to Speaker Long, ¡°Speaker Long, if there is nothing else for me anymore, I will get going.¡±

    She originally had a good impression of Hong Kangquan. After all, he was the husband of her mom¡¯s best friend and was considered a close family friend.

    But today, Hong Kangquan¡¯s discourtesy toward Speaker Long not once, but twice, made Tan Guiren a little unhappy.

    She was especially upset because of how Gu Nianzhi had repeatedly stressed to her that Hong Kangquan had been using her name to cause trouble. This further deepened Tan Guiren¡¯s displeasure with Hong Kangquan.

    Therefore, all of her previous warmth toward him had vanished, and when she saw him again, all she did was nod courteously. ¡°You get on with your business. I will be going,¡± she told him.

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Hong Kangquan stretched out his arm to stop Tan Guiren. ¡°I haven¡¯t even asked you anything yet, how can you leave?¡±

    Tan Guiren was caught off guard. ¡°You have things to ask me?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes, so you can¡¯t leave yet,¡± he said.

    In Hong Kangquan¡¯s scheme, Tan Guiren was the key to framing Huo Shaoheng for the crime.

    He thought that since she was so naive, it would be easy to set her up and coax information out of her about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s circumstances during the crisis in the US.

    Hong Kangquan did not believe for a second that Huo Shaoheng had really escaped from the United States without any outside help!

    His field staff obtained evidence from the US that they had captured the Huaxia Empire soldier who had rescued Tan Guiren. He was confident that the soldier mentioned was Huo Shaoheng.

    The only thing he needed now was Tan Guiren¡¯s testimony. She, a truly objective third party, was the only one who could confirm that Huo Shaoheng had been captured by the enemy while trying to rescue her.

    He did not expect Tan Guiren to be so uncooperative.

    Although she was a naive and good-tempered girl, she wasn¡¯t willing to take orders from just anyone.

    She had been raised like a princess and showered with love by her parents. Although she could be deferential toward Speaker Long, it did not mean she would do the same for Director Hong. Did he deserve it?

    That man was her father¡¯s subordinate. How dare he treat her with such an attitude?

    Tai Guiren raised her head haughtily and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you. I want to go home!¡±

    Hong Kangquan was shocked.

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed herughter and helped defend Tan Guiren, saying, ¡°Have you heard her, Mr. Hong? Miss Tan said that she didn¡¯t want to talk to you. You can¡¯t force her! This is the Senate, not your Secret Service¡¯s execution room. You cannot extort a confession from Miss Tan through torture!¡±

    Miss Tan grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in terror, asking, ¡°Will he arrest me and torture me?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Director Hong and feigned terror as well. ¡°Director Hong, will you torture Miss Tan because you didn¡¯t get what you wanted? Please don¡¯t do so. Miss Tan is aw-abiding citizen that has never done anything wrong. How could you do something so cruel? So ruthless? So heartless?!¡±

    The series of parallel usations made Speaker Long and Special Assistant Zhuang feel goosebumps rising.

    The two of them exchanged nces and shrugged in unison.

    Hong Kangquan felt so disgusted that he was on the verge of vomiting.

    Only Tan Guiren innocently thought that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words made any sense.

    She hurriedly moved closer, and said tearfully, ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me, Director Hong! You are the husband of my mom¡¯s best friend. I have always thought of you as an uncle. If it weren¡¯t for you, my mom wouldn¡¯t have gone to General Huo to rescue me, and I might not havee back alive. I¡¯m grateful to you, but you can¡¯t ckmail me with this!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi silently gave Tan Guiren two thumbs up in her head.

 Chapter 1043 - Catch-22, Choose an Option

    <h4>Chapter 1043: Catch-22, Choose an Option</h4>

    It was actually Hong Kangquan who hade up with the idea for Huo Shaoheng to go to the United States to rescue Tan Guiren personally?!!

    Then, Huo Shaoheng encountered an ambush in the United States and almost lost his life in the hands of the enemy!!

    Wasn¡¯t that a little too much of a coincidence?

    When Huo Shaoheng had requested permission to conduct full surveince on Hong Kangquan, he had said it was because they received a report, but the specifics regarding the matter could not be disclosed. Was it rted to this matter?

    Speaker Long¡¯s eyes grew sullen. Although his face remained impassive on the surface, he secretly clenched his fists tightly.

    Hong Kangquan had never imagined that Tan Guiren knew that he had secretly arranged Huo Shaoheng to be the one to go to the United States behind the scenes, not to mention that she would blurt it out at such a time!

    That girl truly had no brains, and had no idea whatsoever what should or should not be said!

    How could she just blurt something like that out?!!

    How did Cai Songyin raise her daughter?

    Didn¡¯t he tell Cai Songyin not to tell any outsiders about that?!!

    Or perhaps in Cai Songyin¡¯s mind, her daughter wasn¡¯t considered an outsider?

    But in that case, she should have had more awareness. After all, how could she not know her own daughter and that she was likely to repeat what she had been told in secrecy?!!

    Hong Kangquan was flustered and quickly nced at Speaker Long to ensure that his facial expression hadn¡¯t taken a turn for the worse. After looking at Speaker Long, Hong Kangquan believed that he hadn¡¯t seemed to catch what had just happened, so he rxed a little and tried his best to remain as calm as he could. He shifted his focus, saying, ¡°Miss Tan, what are you talking about? When did I ever ckmail you? I have only treated you with the utmost kindness.¡±

    ¡°Utmost kindness?¡± Gu Nianzhi stepped forward and seized the opportunity to hold Hong Kangquan to his words. She focused on the main issue at hand. ¡°Director Hong, did you volunteer General Huo to leave for the United States personally to rescue Miss Tan with the utmost kindness?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Huo Shaoheng is one of the best military men in the army. Who else would be more qualified to go?¡± Hong Kangquan replied ambivalently. He secretly cursed Gu Nianzhi for not minding her own business. He didn¡¯t want to bring Speaker Long¡¯s attention to what had been said.

    However, Gu Nianzhi stressing it again and again made Hong Kangquan smirk and said, ¡°I personally saw how anxious and stressed Mrs. Tan was, and knowing how deeply they loved their daughter, I merely made a suggestion. What¡¯s wrong with that? Huo Shao had been my subordinate in the military, so no one knows his capabilities better than me. I knew he was the most qualified person for the mission.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t miss a beat and said meaningfully, ¡°Is that so? You know the best how capable General Huo is? So, in your eyes, only he could ensure a satisfactory oue?!¡±

    ¡°Of course! And doesn¡¯t the result prove that my intuition was right?¡± Hong Kangquan pointed to Tan Guiren, saying, ¡°How does that sound? Miss Tan, am I right?¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s snow-white teeth bit onto her lower lip. She slowly nodded, then said hesitantly, ¡°General Huo saved me, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can take me to your execution room.¡±

    At the moment, her mind was preupied with thoughts of the execution room that Gu Nianzhi had mentioned, and it sounded absolutely terrifying.

    Hong Kangquan couldn¡¯t help but re at Gu Nianzhi, and said to Tan Guiren, ¡°Miss Tan, this is totally a misunderstanding. How could I arrest you? As you said, your mom is my wife¡¯s best friend, and you see me as an uncle. How could I harm you? Speak from your heart, have I harmed you before? Didn¡¯t my suggestion allow you to return safely from the hands of the kidnappers? Isn¡¯t that enough proof?¡±

    What he was saying all made sense to Tan Guiren, and she didn¡¯t know what to say. She couldn¡¯t help but look to Gu Nianzhi for help once more as if Gu Nianzhi was her savior.

    Gu Nianzhi paid no attention to Tan Guiren. Her attention was focused wholly on Hong Kangquan, and she was starting to get a little excited.

    That man was the person that had caused her and Huo Shaoheng to grow apart. She wouldn¡¯t let him off the hook that easily!

    Earlier, Huo Shaoheng had told her about Hong Kangquan, and she didn¡¯t know whether Huo Shaoheng had taken any countermeasures since then. But she could not believe that he was still allowing that man to continue wreak havoc.

    Gu Nianzhi had already made up her mind about teaching Hong Kangquan a hard lesson in front of Speaker Long.

    ¡°Director Hong, these are twopletely different things. You had something to ask Miss Tan earlier, yet Miss Tan didn¡¯t want to answer. But from your stance, doesn¡¯t what you¡¯re doing show that you mean to bring her to the execution room?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke rapidly without giving Hong Kangquan a chance to refute, then continued, ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t explicitly say so, but your tone and body movements reflect this. Of course, after I¡¯ve pointed it out, you won¡¯t admit it either way. Is it true or not?¡±

    Hong Kangquan was on the verge of screaming no, but just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, he realized that saying no would mean admitting that he wanted to arrest Tan Guiren and take her to the execution room. He then wanted to change what he was going to say to yes, but if he said yes, then it implied that he intended to arrest Tan Guiren and take her to the execution room, but that he would not admit it!

    Whether he said yes or no, he would fall directly into the trap that Gu Nianzhi hadid out!

    Hong Kangquan swallowed his words and his face turned purple with rage, yet he managed to suppress it. His nostrils red as he huffed and puffed. He could barely conceal how fury had contorted his features.

    Tan Guiren only nced at him, yet was frightened by the sheer rage on his face and instinctively hid behind Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi patted Tan Guiren¡¯s back to reassure her, then turned her head towards Hong Kangquan and said in an amused tone, ¡°Well, well. You are certainly terrorizing Miss Tan with the look on your face, and she is on the verge of finding a hole to hide in. Yet you insist that you won¡¯t harm Miss Tan? I can¡¯t tell from the way you¡¯re acting right now. ¡±

    ¡°How could I harm her? It was because of my proposal that General Huo went to the United States to rescue her. I did it so that Miss Tan could return safely. Why don¡¯t you tell us, how have I harmed her?¡± Hong Kangquan asked.

    He was desperately dering that he essentially saved Tan Guiren to divert everyone¡¯s attention from what Tan Guiren had said earlier.

    Gu Nianzhi certainly wouldn¡¯t let him get his way.

    She held her face in one hand and said thoughtfully, ¡°If that¡¯s so, what else do you have to ask? Miss Tan has returned safely, yet you still won¡¯t let her go. If this isn¡¯t ckmail, then what is? ¡±

    ¡°ckmail?!¡± Hong Kangquan stared down his nose at Gu Nianzhi and barked with rage. ¡°To think that I would need to do that! Me, of all people! You are too contemptuous!¡±

    ¡°Then what is the purpose of you holding on to Miss Tan?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out helplessly. ¡°I can¡¯t think of any other reason except to harm her.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, you are just an insignificant intern!¡± Hong Kangquan finally said, mocking Gu Nianzhi ruthlessly. ¡°What I wanted to ask Miss Tan concerns national security interests. How could the likes of you know the importance of such matters?¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Suddenly shifting to the side, Gu Nianzhi revealed Tan Guiren, who had been hiding behind her, and pushed her out, saying encouragingly, ¡°Miss Tan, since it is a matter of national security, I don¡¯t think you can refuse anymore. But don¡¯t be afraid, Speaker Long is here, and I am here too. Director Hong will ask whatever he needs to right here, so Miss Tan can answer in front of all of us.¡±

    Tan Guiren instinctively grasped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Director Hong, if you have something to ask, please do so quickly. My mom is still waiting for me to return.¡±

    Hong Kangquan saw that at this point, he had no choice but to ask right then and there. What Tan Guiren had just said made him feel somewhat regretful as well.

    He should have known that since she was slow-witted, he needed to think everything through extra carefully before manipting her.

    Now it was obvious that she had spilled the beans about everything before even being asked!

    But since he had already suffered such huge losses, if he didn¡¯t continue to ask, wouldn¡¯t that just cause him to suffer even more?

    Well, the arrow was already knocked, so he had no choice but to fire.

    Hong Kangquan coughed and said calmly, ¡°Then I will ask you, was General Huo ambushed by the US military and the CIA when he rescued you in New York?¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded, ¡°Yes, but-¡±

    Hong Kangquan interrupted her and continued to ask, ¡°Did he escape after being ambushed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but-¡± she began again.

    Hong Kangquan interrupted her once again, saying, ¡°After he fled, did the US military and the CIA visit your home several times to inquire about his whereabouts?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but-¡±

    ¡°Did you tell the US military and the CIA that the person who came to your rescue was General Huo, and not a kidnapper?¡± he pushed.

    ¡°No!¡± The question he had just asked coincided with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hypnotic memory reconstruction from earlier. Tan Guiren felt a sense of familiarity with the question and quickly recovered her rhythm. ¡°I didn¡¯t know at that time that he was General Huo, so how could I tell the Americans who he was?¡±

    Hong Kang was stunned for a moment. He cursed Huo Shaoheng for being so cunning, hiding his identity from Tan Guiren even though he went to rescue her.

    He had no choice but to try from a different angle and asked, ¡°When the US military and the CIA visited you, did they encounter General Huo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had asked the same question, but she had worded it a little differently.

    Tan Guiren was like a student who had gained ess to the answer key before a big test. She answered quickly and right on point, saying, ¡°No, he was so elusive that they never caught him!¡± She then added what she remembered the best. ¡°He was free to move around as he pleased, had his own residence, and he hid in the shadows to protect me!¡±

    This sentence effectively answered all the questions Hong Kangquan had wanted to ask.

    He could no longer contain his fury and roared, ¡°How could that be?! You¡¯re lying! The US military and the CIA are so powerful, and with so many people and such advanced weapons, how could he have possibly escaped on his own?! You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re lying!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I never lied!¡± Tan Guiren was so furious that she actually started crying. ¡°You said you wanted to ask me questions, and I told you the truth. How dare you use me of lying?!¡±

    Between the calcting Hong Kangquan and the naive Tan Guiren, no matter who had been listening, they would believe that Tan Guiren was telling the truth and that Hong Kangquan was getting worked up over not being able to trick her into saying what he wants her to say.

    Gu Nianzhi took a step toward Tan Guiren protectively and said to Hong Kangquan, ¡°Director Hong, I don¡¯t understand you. What do you mean by that? What are you trying to prove?¡±

    Hong Kangquan was furious and pointed at the crying Tan Guiren. ¡°Of course I want to prove that she is lying!¡± he said.

    ¡°Miss Tan lied? What did she lie about? Why can¡¯t I hear the lie?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. She turned to the stunned Special Assistant Zhuang standing beside her and asked, ¡°Special Assistant Zhuang, did you hear the lie?¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang shook his head slowly. ¡°I¡¯m too stupid to discern the lie in Miss Tan¡¯s words,¡± he said.

    ¡°Right?¡± Gu Nianzhi deliberately made a contemptuous expression, then crossing her arms and looking up at the sky, she snorted, ¡°Some people just enjoy making something out of nothing.¡±

    ¡°Making something out of nothing?¡± Hong Kang was so angry that he clenched his fists and spat out what he had to say word by word. ¡°I know Tan Guiren lied because Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t have possibly escaped from the Americans by his own ord this time! He was once captured in the United States!¡±

    Aha!

    He finally said it.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her arms and looked him up and down. Then, with her gazending on Hong Kangquan¡¯s wrathful face, she said coldly, ¡°Huh? Did I hear wrong? Who said just a moment ago that he knew General Huo¡¯s capabilities the best, and that only he was able to settle the matter favorably?! ¡±

    Hong Kangquan couldn¡¯t help but take a step back with his mouth agape. He didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    Gu Nianzhi took another step forward, her eyes gleaming, and without letting up for a second, she said, ¡°You said you knew best howpetent General Huo is, and that only he could resolve the crisis by going to the front line himself! Yet, on the other hand, here you are saying that he couldn¡¯t possibly have handled the Americans single-handedly! Director Hong, you are contradicting yourself!

    ¡°So you knew how experienced and capable General Huo was, and you knew that he could resolve the crisis favorably, yet you didn¡¯t want him to resolve the crisis, and now you stand here ndering him?

    ¡°Or was it that you knew the limitations of General Huo¡¯s abilities, and knew that he couldn¡¯t possibly escape the Americans on his own, so you knowingly sent him there to his doom?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were so potent that she blocked any chance Hong Kangquan had of arguing against what she had said by making it a catch-22 situation.

    ¡°Director Hong, are you trying to frame a highly esteemed general for treason? Or are you trying to murder this highly esteemed general? Both of those are felonies, so choose carefully!¡±

 Chapter 1044 - Couldnt Take It Anymore

    <h4>Chapter 1044: Couldn¡¯t Take It Anymore</h4>

    Pick one?

    He either framed a Major General for treason?

    Or he attempted to murder a Major General?!

    She was asking him to choose one?

    Motherf**ker! What an imagination!

    Hong Kangquan hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to actually block his exit path with his very own words...

    But he wouldn¡¯t yield!

    His eyes widened, and his face turned purple. Teeth chattering loudly, he appeared to be on the edge of fury, yet he managed to use his strongest restraint to repress it in the end.

    Hong Kangquan slowly looked up. ¡°What a joke! Why do I need to choose one? You really are great at ming people. You¡¯re absolutely making something from nothing and spewing nonsense!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t choose?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head. ¡°Very well then. I think both paths are suitable for you.¡±

    Hong Kangquan was shocked. Hadn¡¯t she just asked him to choose one from the two? What was the meaning of suddenly throwing both charges on his head?!

    Speaker Long and Special Assistant Yang were lost for words. Wasn¡¯t this girl taking this a bit too far? It was a choice between two, so how could both be suitable?

    Tan Guiren was wide-eyed. Although she understood the meaning of each word, she didn¡¯t have any idea what Gu Nianzhi was talking about when the words were strung together, but she sounded very profound.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes locked on Hong Kangquan¡¯s face, so she wouldn¡¯t miss a single change in his expression. She made a ¡°V¡± with her fingers andughed yfully. ¡°What is it? You don¡¯t believe that both paths are suitable for you?¡±

    After Gu Nianzhi said this, she wiped the smile off her face and said sternly, ¡°In the beginning, you had the intention of killing off Major General Huo and secretly plotted to make him go personally to the United States to rescue Miss Tan. Because ording to what you said, you understood Major General Huo¡¯s abilities better than anyone else. From the way you saw it, the American Military Police and CIA were undefeatable, so Major General Huo would have certainly died in the hands of the Americans if he went to the United States. That way, you would¡¯ve achieved your goal of murdering Major General Huo.¡±

    ¡°Oh?! How cunning! How could you be so evil!¡± Tan Guiren was very indignant and even forgot her own fears. Walking over from behind Gu Nianzhi, she pointed to Hong Kangquan and shouted loudly, ¡°You¡¯re a bad person! I¡¯ll tell my Daddy and Mommy to strip you of your title!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smirked and held Tan Guiren back. She really wanted to tell this girl to wake up¡ªher Daddy wasn¡¯t the Prime Minister anymore...

    Hong Kangquan sneered, ¡°Is that so? But Major General Huo returned alive, so are you trying to dump false charges on me?!¡±

    ¡°Right, Major General Huo did return alive. Your first n failed, so you created another one. This time, you wanted Major General Huo¡¯s reputation to be destroyed by making him suffer a fate crueler than death.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly analyzed the situation. ¡°...So afterward, you chose the second path and falsely used the nation¡¯s Major General of being captured and betraying his nation.¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s heart sank as he suddenly felt so horrible he couldn¡¯t find any words to say.

    Special Assistant Zhuang widened his eyes in shock as he looked at Gu Nianzhi and intended to remind her not to reveal everything right then. This wasn¡¯t a courtroom after all.

    Yet Gu Nianzhi smiled subtly at him and seemed very confident.

    Hong Kanquan¡¯s heart thumped loudly. Ever since he learned the AI program he nted in the Special Operations Forces¡¯ surveince software had been discovered, he had an impending sense of doom that hovered over him.

    But while he imagined many scenarios of the truth being exposed¨Cthere wasn¡¯t a single one where he was tripped up by two random little girls...

    He couldn¡¯t ept this!

    Hong Kangquan continued to sneer coldly as he maintained his fearless front. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, I hear that you¡¯re a model student from the B University Faculty of Law. Is this how you work as awyer? Convicting suspects without any evidence?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, no evidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to curl her lips into a faint smile. ¡°Then you mean that my logical reasoning is justified, but there¡¯s no evidence to prove my logical reasoning for the time being? Very well then, thanks for the reminder. Next, we will go search for evidence.¡±

    At that moment, Hong Kangquan already couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°What nonsense! Do I have nothing better to do than listen to nonsense from a little girl who just graduated?!¡± Hong Kangqyan appeared very angry and turned around to leave.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Speaker Long finally stopped him at that moment. ¡°Director Hong, please stop!¡±

    Hong Kangquan stopped his tracks and seemed to be struggling internally. After a while, he finally turned around and stered a rigid smile on his face. He asked nervously, ¡°Speaker Long, was there something else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a question I should be asking you.¡± Speaker Long stood there authoritatively. ¡°You came to my office and wanted to see me without making an appointment. You even purposely dragged Miss Tan here to question her, so what are you trying to do?¡±

    What was he trying to do?

    Of course, he wanted to bring down Huo Shaoheng in one fell swoop...

    But he was currently terrified after beingpletely dismantled by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attacks, so he no longer had the aggression he had first possessed when arriving there.

    Hong Kangquan stuttered a few times before saying, ¡°...I just wanted to ask what happened when Major General Huo was in New York. It¡¯d be fine if Miss Tan could exin it clearly...¡±

    ¡°Fine? Major General Huo is fine, but there is something wrong with you, Director Hong.¡± Speaker Long spoke as he pressed on a button on his desk.

    ¡°Speaker Long, what do you mean?¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s expression immediately changed when he saw Speaker Long¡¯s movement.

    That button alerted the Senate Building to bring out the Military Police in charge of executions!

    ¡°What I mean is very simple. Hong Kangquan, you are temporarily stripped of all your duties. Exin the problem at the assigned location and time and wait for the organization to investigate.¡± Speaker Long was very decisive. Because he wanted to make up for his previous mistake, he decided to implement this immediately.

    ¡°No! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± Hong Kangquan had never expected a day when the always amicable Speaker Long would act so fiercely. ¡°I¡¯m a director of the Cab! You have no right to detain me!¡±

    ¡°No, the Cab has already been dissolved. You¡¯re only a temporary interim director.¡± Speaker Long understood the government procedures much better than Hong Kangquan. ¡°Before the new Cab is assembled, you¡¯re only acting as interim Cab authority. So, Hong Kangquan, Old Long has the authority to detain you.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s teeth cked as his gaze calmly swept over the faces of the several people inside the office.

    Speaker Long was elderly, and Special Assistant Zhuang had weak health. There were also two delicate little girls he didn¡¯t even need to worry about.

    If he made a move to hold Speaker Long hostage...

    But he repressed this idea as soon as it formed.

    No, this wasn¡¯t yet the time to struggle for life or death.

    He still had a chance.

    Hong Kangquan remembered the expert who could help him and recalled hismitment to him. His heart rxed as he temporarily gave up resistance.

    Of course, the most important thing was that he also knew that even if he could hold Speaker Long hostage, he wouldn¡¯t be able to walk out of the Senate building.

    He¡¯d probably be shot in the head by snipers before he even walked out of the doors.

    He stood inside Speaker Long¡¯s office and didn¡¯t move. Hanging his head, he expressed his eptance and obedience.

    Soon afterward, the Military Police from the Senate arrived. ording to Speaker Long¡¯smands, they frisked Hong Kangquan and were actually able to find a pistol and military-issued dagger on him!

    These weapons were clearly not prohibited in the Senate building.

    Speaker Long, Special Assistant Zhuang, and Gu Nianzhi had all broken into cold sweats as they exchanged looks with each other.

    Tan Guiren was the only one who didn¡¯t understand the earlier danger and patted her chest to say, ¡°How wonderful. Can I leave now?¡±

    She was in a rush to tell her Daddy and Mommy what had happened there.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Speaker Long and, upon seeing him incline his chin slightly, she turned to Tan Guiren to say, ¡°Miss Tan, I¡¯ll escort you outside.¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s favorable feelings towards Gu Nianzhi multiplied at that moment, since she had protected her from Hong Kangquan.

    When Gu Nianzhi escorted Tan Gurien out of the Senate building, Speaker Long called General Ji.

    He simply exined what had urred that day, then said sincerely, ¡°Old Ji, please apologize to Shaoheng on my behalf. I¡¯ve really wronged him this time.¡±

    However, General Ji merely grinned ear to ear when he heard Speaker Long talk about everything Gu Nianzhi had done.

    He casually humored Speaker Long for a while before he arrived at the ¡°istion room¡± that Huo Shaoheng was staying in. He said with a smile, ¡°Shaoheng, you don¡¯t need to be detained anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up from theputer and raised a brow. ¡°...I¡¯m being detained right now?¡±

    He nced casually at the room that wasparable to a luxurious suite in a five-star hotel.

    General Ji was a bit embarrassed and angry. ¡°I say you are being detained, so you are being detained! Even if you were living in a five-star hotel, that¡¯s still detainment!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and nodded slowly. ¡°Very well then. I¡¯m being detained.¡±

    ¡°You dare to brush me off?¡± General Ji became unhappy. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that you found a good wife so you don¡¯t have to be detained anymore. But you just showed a leader an improper attitude, so I¡¯ve decided to continue your detainment.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand?¡± As General Ji spoke, he dramatically repeated what Speaker Logan had just told him and also exined, ¡°I¡¯m going to the Senate building to watch their surveince video right now. I want to see how Nianzhi was able to take down Hong Kangquan without blood on her de! You can just stay here and continue your detainment!¡±

 Chapter 1045 - Its Too Dusty and Windy

    <h4>Chapter 1045: It¡¯s Too Dusty and Windy</h4>

    Nianzhi had taken down Hong Kangquan without any blood on her de?

    Huo Shaoheng could only feel his heart skip a beat. The hand gripping the mouse suddenly froze as he looked up at General Ji.

    Before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, General Ji excitedly called an orderly inside and purposelymanded in a loud voice, ¡°Hurry up and prepare a vehicle! I need to go to the Senate building right now!¡±

    He was already so old, but he still wanted to y this game...

    Huo Shaoheng said a few scornful words in his own heart, but still had no choice but to bow down under someone else¡¯s roof.

    He exited theputer program and shut down theputer. He stood up ramrod straight and replied calmly, ¡°General Ji, I will escort you to the Senate building.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± General Ji pouted, a look of disbelief on his face, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. To what do I owe the honor? How could I ask the great Major General Huo to take me to the Senate building?!¡±

    ¡°You are very honorable, indeed.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, nor did his heartbeat as he walked to the coat rack to take off General Ji¡¯s military cap and offered it to him with both hands. ¡°I¡¯ll be your driver. Think about it: things are chaotic right now, and you¡¯re the backbone of our country, as well the backbone of the military. If something were to happen to you, how could I answer to the generals of the three armed forces?¡±

    The orderly watching from the side almost felt his eyes pop out of their sockets.

    He had seen Huo Shaoheng appear aloof, cold, and murderous. He had also seen Huo Shaoheng calm and confident, yet he had never seen Huo Shaoheng tter anyone so discreetly before!

    However, General Ji¡¯s eyes crinkled in amusement. He patted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Shaoheng, I like nothing more than seeing you have no choice but to tter me, even if you loathe to do it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was left speechless.

    The orderly was sad. ¡®I¡¯m blind and deaf, so I have no idea what these two chiefs are talking about...¡¯

    Of course, General Ji wouldn¡¯t ask Huo Shaoheng to be his driver.

    After walking out of the military housingplex, Huo Shaoheng and General Ji climbed into the backseat of his private vehicle. The driver was General Ji¡¯s orderly of many years and already held a rank of lieutenant colonel.

    Once the two men were in the vehicle, their expressions became solemn.

    ¡°Shaoheng, what on earth do you think is going on with Hong Kangquan?¡± General Ji expressed his worries. ¡°Old Long was also asking the same thing. Although he has a motive, there¡¯s no evidence at all, so we can¡¯t convict him of any charges.¡±

    Even regarding the incident of Hong Kangquan encouraging Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang to ask Huo Shaoheng to personally step in and go to the United States, they had no actual evidence to prove that Hong Kangquan had anything to do with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s experience in the United States.

    ¡°Tell me, where should we go to find evidence?¡± General Ji mumbled to himself with great concern.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that the evidence would be inside the surveince software.

    But he had been too busy thest few days, so he was still trying to unearth the hidden data. Theputer inside the ¡°confinement room¡± in General Ji¡¯s home wasn¡¯t powerful enough.

    If he didn¡¯t need to continue detaining him, he would return to the Central Control Room inside the Special Operations Forces headquarters base where it would be much faster.

    Of course, he was currently most interested in how Gu Nianzhi had been able to take down Hong Kangquan ¡°without any blood on her de.¡±

    So when General Ji asked the question, Huo Shaoheng merely replied with ease, ¡°There will certainly be evidence as long as we go searching for it. Keeping him under surveince for now and forbidding him from moving around freely was also the right decision.¡±

    It was a rare asion for General Ji to act so decisively, so Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t spare any effort praising him.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s the only one allowed to detain you, but we can¡¯t detain him?¡± General Ji was still very displeased. ¡°Tell me what Hong Kangquan is actually thinking? He was also a prominent military talent back when he was in the army. Shaoheng, I¡¯ll tell you something you don¡¯t want to hear. There wouldn¡¯t be much for you here if he had agreed to establish the Special Operations Forces.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, ¡°That¡¯s a given. Back then, I was still one of his soldiers. Of course I would have followed my leader.¡±

    Then he would probably have only been in the same position as Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were currently, and his military rank would likely only be colonel at most. There was no way he¡¯d have been a major general at such a young age.

    But there was no such thing as ¡°what if¡± in this world.

    The truth was, he had single-handedly established the Special Operations Forces and fulfilled his goals. It had also guarded the interests of the nation and military.

    General Ji sighed emotionally before ordering Huo Shaoheng to find evidence as soon as possible to bring Hong Kangquan to justice.

    General Ji onlymented the fact that Hong Kangquan was already a veteran. Otherwise, he would be directly tried in a military court. That was the fate he actually deserved!

    ...

    The two men arrived at the Senate building, and Speaker Long was already waiting for them outside his office.

    Upon seeing General Ji and Shaohenge in one after another, Speaker Long was astonished yet happy. He reached out to General Ji. ¡°Old Ji, you finally came. We¡¯ve been waiting for half a day now.¡±

    General Ji confidently shook hands with Speaker Long and said with a smile, ¡°Old Long, wasn¡¯t I right? Shaoheng would certainly never do anything to harm the nation or its citizens.¡±

    ¡°Right, Old Ji. You certainly have a better eye than me.¡± Speaker Long waspletely convinced this time. ¡°However, you shouldn¡¯t be too smug, since I¡¯ve found an even better sessor. I¡¯ll train her carefully, and when the timees, we willpete and see whose sessor is stronger!¡±

    General Ji seemed surprised. ¡°...Sessor? Who?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi!¡± Speaker Long happily pushed open his office doors to wee them inside. ¡°Here,e sit down. We¡¯ll watch the surveince footage together.¡±

    After looking for a long time, he finally chose footage from the best angle and yed it on a curved screen that covered half the wall.

    Speaker Long had selected surveince footage that began with his questioning of Tan Guiren.

    Of course, this was also mainly because Gu Nianzhi was the one who was asking the questions.

    When Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi repeatedly ¡°brainwash¡± to Tan Guiren without growing impatient, the great unease in his heart finally settled down.

    Tan Guiren did know a bit about what had happened in the United States, so Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t beenpletely worry-free.

    That was probably his own loophole in case Tan Guiren revealed anything about James, since then he would really be in a lot of trouble...

    He hadn¡¯t thought that Gu Nianzhi would be able to permanently block this weakness for him.

    That way, anyone who attempted to glean information from Tan Guiren in order to frame Huo Shaoheng would be humiliating themselves. They would find that they¡¯d picked up a big boulder only to drop it on their own feet.

    Huo Shaoheng watched therge curved disy intently, his expression almost obsessive.

    He didn¡¯t listen to General Ji and Speaker Long¡¯s whispering beside him, nor did he see the furtive nces they exchanged. The only thing in his ears was the fluid words of the girl who almost seemed to glow on the screen.

    This was his girl, his Nianzhi.

    As soon as he thought of her name, his cold and hard expression instantly became incredibly gentle.

    General Ji and Speaker Long eventually stopped speaking, because therge curved screen was starting to y Gu Nianzhi¡¯s concluding remarks on Hong Kangquan.

    ¡°Right, Major General Huo did return alive. So your first n failed, and you created another n. This time, you wanted Major General Huo¡¯s reputation to be destroyed by making him suffer a fate crueler than death.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly analyzed the situation. ¡°...So afterward, you chose the second path and falsely used the nation¡¯s Major General of being captured and a traitor.¡±

    ¡°Well said!¡± General Ji began to p. ¡°Very well said! This Nianzhi is bing more incredible by the day! Old Long, I regret it now. I want to fight you for this rare talent!¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? Fight for what? How is Shaoheng supposed to feel about what you just said?!¡± Speaker Long purposely brought Huo Shaoheng into the conversation. ¡°Look at him! His eyes are turning red from hearing what you said!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± General Ji quickly turned around to only see Huo Shaoheng looking at him nonchntly.

    ¡°What are the two chiefs talking about? It¡¯s so dusty and windy here that sand got into my eyes just now.¡±

 Chapter 1046 - Youve Lost Weight

    <h4>Chapter 1046: You¡¯ve Lost Weight</h4>

    Dust and wind?

    They were inside an office!

    This was also thergest office on the top floor of the most luxurious senate building in the entire Imperial Capital.

    Where would the dust and wind havee from?!

    However, Speaker Long and General Ji instantly understood what Huo Shaoheng was implying, so the two sympathetic elders didn¡¯t wish to expose him.

    Speaker Long even said giddily, ¡°Dust and wind? Wasn¡¯t the dust and wind in the Imperial Capital taken care of a long time ago? There are no more dust storms now, so you¡¯re better off saying the smog is too strong... Shaoheng, I¡¯m not trying to scold you, but you can¡¯t even lie properly...¡±

    General Ji would never allow his beloved soldier to be ridiculed by someone else, so he immediately shouted back protectively, ¡°That¡¯s because my soldier is honest! He doesn¡¯t know how to lie! You think he¡¯s anything like your senators? They wouldn¡¯t even know how to speak if they weren¡¯t lying every day!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Careful with what you¡¯re saying! When did we ever lie every day?!¡± Speaker Long¡¯s expression darkened, and at that moment, he wanted nothing more but to call Gu Nianzhi in so she could teach General Ji a lesson...

    ¡°No, of course, you¡¯re not lying every day... Hahahaha....¡± General Ji was in high spirits after winning, so he took the opportunity to make jabs at Speaker Long. The two men joked around in order to gloss over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s situation and avoid embarrassing him.

    However, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all. The truth was, his mood had calmed down quickly, so he congratted Speaker Long with a smile. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, but you¡¯ve finally found a qualified sessor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Speaker Long was extremely pleased. ¡°She¡¯s too young though, so she needs experience, but I¡¯ll educate her well while she¡¯s by my side, so she can be sessful very soon!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be troubling you then,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied very earnestly, causing him to sound just like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s parent...

    Speaker Long squinted his eyes. ¡°Shaoheng, tell me the truth. Did you break up with Nianzhi, or are you still lovers?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused. ¡°We did break up and are no longer lovers. But...¡±

    He quickly replied, ¡°I am nning to pursue her once again.¡±

    Speaker Long had no words.

    Jesus!

    Speaker Long suddenly felt as if the little fox he had worked hard to lure here was about to be carried off by a wolf.

    Speaker Long replied impatiently, ¡°Nianzhi is only 19 years old and just graduated from her master¡¯s program recently. She should focus on her career. Major General Huo holds a high rank and great power, plus he¡¯s a lot older than Nianzhi. I think you¡¯d better find another match for yourself.¡± He then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t hold back our Nianzhi.¡±

    General Ji was stunned while listening to this, his mouth gaping open several times before he finally swallowed the words back down his throat. He changed his tune and smiled. ¡°Old Long, this is their own business. Why are you controlling everything, even whether someone else is dating or having babies? Even if Nianzhi was your own daughter, you couldn¡¯t keep her from marrying. Also, you¡¯re only her superior¡ªcareful or Nianzhi will scold you for being a busybody!¡±

    With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s silver tongue, she would certainly scold him until he went mad.

    General Ji chuckled very happily.

    Speaker Long¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°...I¡¯ll reason with Nianzhi; you don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± As he said this, he regarded Huo Shaoheng like he was terrified that he would immediately kidnap Nianzhi and began to shoo him away. ¡°Do you people have nothing to do? There are only four days before voting for the interim general elections begin and your Special Operations Forces are in charge of the surveince, so you can¡¯t let your guards down. Okay then, I won¡¯t keep you any longer. Hurry up and get to work. The nation needs your protection, so don¡¯te running to the senate to watch videos whenever you please.¡±

    General Ji didn¡¯t deign him with a response.

    Huo Shaoheng put both hands into his pants pockets, his posture rxed and his strapping figure ramrod straight. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the surveince room to monitor the progress.¡± As he spoke, he turned to leave.

    Watching Huo Shaoheng leave, Speaker Long finally sighed in relief and said to General Ji, ¡°You need to keep a better eye on your beloved soldier. It makes me sweat to see him look at my apprentice with his wolf-like eyes.¡±

    In the blink of an eye, Gu Nianzhi had already been promoted to an ¡°apprentice.¡± She hadn¡¯t even been asked if she was willing to be his apprentice.

    General Ji thought of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actual rtionship, but he hadn¡¯t been able to bring that up to p Speaker Long¡¯s smug face. He suddenly felt very helpless, but what could he do?

    He had already promised Huo Shaoheng he would keep it a secret, so he could only choose to forgive Speaker Long...

    General Ji nodded at him dismissively. ¡°Fine, keep an eye on Hong Kangquan. I¡¯m going back now. The previous cab is still in power during the interim general elections, so you¡¯ll be working very hard as the senator for the next few days. When the new prime minister is elected and forms a new cab, you¡¯ll be able to rx.¡±

    Speaker Long agreed and asked Special Assistant Zhuang to escort General Ji outside.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng arrived at the temporary surveince room where Yin Shixiong was located.

    The Special Operations Forces personnel inside immediately came over to salute him.

    ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and asked them to return to their jobs. He slowly walked to the surveince screens alone and said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Where is the monitoring within the senate building?¡±

    Yin Shixiong pointed to several screens. ¡°These are all internal monitoring.¡±

    ¡°Download the surveince footage from Speaker Long¡¯s office this morning and send it to the Special Operations Forces email to archive.¡± Huo Shaoheng put on white gloves and nced at his watch. He asked nonchntly, ¡°Which floor is Nianzhi on?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is in the Secretariat, so she should be on the sixth floor.¡± As Yin Shixiong spoke, he switched the surveince to the Secretariat floor and began checking the lobby cubicles where Gu Nianzhi had been. However, it was empty and appeared devoid of people.

    ¡°Hmm? Could she have moved somewhere else?¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head in confusion and turned on his Bluetooth headset to contact the personnel in the Senate Secretariat and asked, ¡°Were there any personnel changes in the Secretariat? For example, a change of offices...¡±

    The personnel on the other side asked about the arrangements, then replied to Yin Shixiong, ¡°There was a change. The new intern, Miss Gu, has been moved to a small office near the south side of the building. It¡¯s an individual office because she has to handle legal matters and it¡¯s inconvenient for her to work in a lobby cubicle.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Yin Shixiong hung up the phone and replied to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Nianzhi has her own office now.¡±

    As he spoke, Yin Shixiong found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s office ording to the location the personnel had told him.

    The office wasn¡¯t actually that small, and half the wall was ss, so everyone outside could see what the person inside was doing. It wasn¡¯t very private.

    The surveince screen indicated that Gu Nianzhi currently had her head down and was tidying up things on her desk.

    From their angle, they could only see the top of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. Her soft, smooth, and long ck hair hung down her back, so silky it resembled a ck waterfall.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a long time before saying, ¡°...She¡¯s lost weight.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was shocked.

    Oh my god!

    Huo Shao was really something!

    He could determine if she had gained or lost weight just by looking at the top of her head!

    Although Yin Shixiong thought a thousand things in his head, he didn¡¯t dare utter a word out loud. He chuckled and quickly replied, ¡°She¡¯s lost weight, she has indeed lost weight... Even the top of her head is smaller...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng coolly nced at him. ¡°...Did you rewrite your marriage report yet?¡±

    Yin Shixiong stayed silent.

    That had been aimed right at his heart.

    ¡®Huo Shao, your butcher¡¯s knife really stabs wherever it hurts the most.¡¯

    Yin Shixiong wiped the smile off his face and sat down quietly. ¡°Huo Shao, I need to work now. I¡¯ll rewrite my marriage report after the interim general elections conclude.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded his head and patted Yin Shixiong on the shoulder. ¡°Work hard. Once the interim general elections conclude, I¡¯ll request work awards for all of you.¡±

    Jesus!

    Monitoring the elections could earn them awards!

    Yin Shixiong immediately perked up, and even his voice became more cheerful. ¡°Please be assured, Chief! We will certainlyplete the task sessfully!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips before going to other locations to check them one by one before leaving the temporary surveince room. Then he walked steadily to the Secretariat on the sixth floor.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if Speaker Long had done this intentionally or not.

    Huo Shaoheng had just arrived at the door of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s private office on the Secretariat floor when Gu Nianzhi received a call from Speaker Long¡¯s direct line. She was told she had important work arrangements and been asked to go to his office.

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly put together a folder, and as soon as she turned around, she saw Huo Shaoheng through the ss wall that was as transparent as crystal.

    Wearing a finely pressed light army green wool military uniform, he stood ramrod straight in front of her office. His military cap sat low on his head.

    He quietly peered at her from under the brim of the cap, his gaze intent. As soon as he saw her turn around, a faint smile appeared on his incredibly handsome face. Like sunshine breaking through the clouds, it basked her entire person in warmth.

    Through the ss wall, Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi standing elegantly inside the office.

    She wore a simple and elegant white silk skirt and slim, tailored ck pants, paired with pointed ck high heels, and her shirt hem was tucked inside her belt, entuating her incredibly thin waist.

    Yin Shixiong had been right. She really had lost weight.

 Chapter 1047 - Very Familiar

    <h4>Chapter 1047: Very Familiar</h4>

    When Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw Huo Shaoheng, her first reaction was that she had missed him so much she was hallucinating...

    After all, Huo Shaoheng shouldn¡¯t have appeared there at a time and ce like this, right?

    Wasn¡¯t he on a mission?

    Or had he alreadye back from it?

    Gu Nianzhi had never thought that Huo Shaoheng would have already been imprisoned in detainment because of Hong Kangquan.

    If General Ji hadn¡¯t desperately protected him, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s career would have stopped there, even if he had eventually been cleared of the false charges.

    As for what Gu Nianzhi had done for him, this had cut off any possibility of future trouble. He would never have to worry about someone using the incident in the United States to discredit him or force him to retire.

    As Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, the smile on his face gradually grew bigger.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her eyes and opened the door to move outside. She cocked her head and looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao? You¡¯re really back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°You came to see me as soon as you came back from your mission?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes glittered, her entire face beaming.

    At a moment like this, Huo Shaoheng deeply regretted the monitoring in the room. Otherwise, he would surely embrace her in his arms and be very affectionate towards her.

    He sighed from the bottom of his heart and maintained a safe distance from Gu Nianzhi as he replied calmly, ¡°You¡¯re very busy with work here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m not busy though? I just started working so they haven¡¯t given me much to do yet. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Has your injury healed yet?¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to ask questions. ¡°...You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost weight?¡± Gu Nianzhi touched her cheek, her face full of joy. ¡°How wonderful! I don¡¯t need to lose weight anymore!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had nothing to say to that.

    His brows began to furrow unhappily. ¡°Lose weight? Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°If you want to lose weight, then I think you can start by doing three-mile weight-bearing cross-country runs every morning.¡± This wasn¡¯t the right ce to chat, so Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch. ¡°I¡¯lle find you tonight and discuss more ways to ¡®lose weight.¡¯¡± As he said this, he slightly inclined his chin at her before turning to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strapping figure leave. Clutching her hand to her chest, she discreetly curled her lips into a smile.

    Hugging the folder, she headed to Speaker Long¡¯s office in a better mood than ever.

    The tension and anxiety from the past few days dissipated at that moment.

    She knew Huo Shaoheng spent most of his energy and thoughts on the military personnel, so it was very rare for him to make the gesture he had that day and be so conscious.

    Gu Nianzhi was almost humming when she arrived at Speaker Long¡¯s office.

    Special Assistant Zhuang was frowning at the door. When he heard she was still humming a strange melody, he couldn¡¯t help but rx his brows and ask with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re singing? What song is it? It sounds pretty nice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with a smile, ¡°¡®Fireflies Fly,¡¯ a children¡¯s song.¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang didn¡¯t have much to say to that.

    Opening the doors to Speaker Long¡¯s office, Special Assistant Zhuang inclined his chin at the room. ¡°Go inside.¡±

    He entered Speaker Long¡¯s office with Gu Nianzhi before casually shutting the door.

    They walked to Speaker Long¡¯s desk and stood still before it. ¡°Speaker Long, what instructions did you have?¡±

    Speaker Long pointed to the two chairs in front of him. ¡°Sit down, there actually is something.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Special Assistant Zhuang sat down. They both saw a printed email on Speaker Long¡¯s desk.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were keen, so she could already see that it was an email in English. The header appeared very familiar¡ªit was the logo of the US Congress.

    She had interned at the US Congress for six months, so she remembered the official document temtes very well.

    Speaker Long nced at her. ¡°Nianzhi, do you know what this is?¡±

    Since Gu Nianzhi had been an intern at the Senate Secretariat, she had certainly gone through a background check. Speaker Long also knew about her interning experience at the US Congress.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly. ¡°This is an email from the US Congress?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Speaker Long nodded with approval. ¡°Nianzhi, I know that you interned at the US Congress, so that is a great advantage for our own work. You must make full use of this advantage and help us.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi expressed it was no problem. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Speaker Long had printed two copies of the email, so he gave one copy to Gu Nianzhi and the other to Special Assistant Zhuang. ¡°The Speaker of the US Congress has sent me an email in protest and ims that our nation waged cyber warfare against the United States and caused significant losses in United States property.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nk.

    This was still going on?!

    She frowned discreetly.

    Special Assistant Zhuang also expressed confusion. ¡°What on earth is going on? Since they said it¡¯s cyber warfare, that means it was a confrontation between two armed forces. They should realize that it was their own bad luck to have lost the war, so what are they trying to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was someone who had experienced the entire cyber war that night. She had also hacked into the server of the American Skull and Bones Society and taken a look around, then inserted a Trojan virus in the Americans¡¯ download folder.

    No one knew better than Gu Nianzhi what losses the United States had suffered this time.

    But while she knew this well, did that mean she had to fall into their and admit to her crimes?!

    Gu Nianzhi flicked the email and raised her brow. ¡°Let them protest then. We don¡¯t need to pay any attention to them.¡±

    Merely reading their email was already showing respect.

    How could a defeated general be considered brave?

    Speaker Long and Special Assistant Zhuangughed in amusement, then shook their hands and used their hands to cover their coughs. ¡°I could certainly ignore it if the US Congress was the only one to send me a letter. Not only did they involve the US Senate, but also the US Department of Justice and the US Military.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words.

    Special Assistant Zhuang was bursting with questions.

    ¡°This is an email from the Speaker of the US Senate in protest of the huge losses to their national interests from our nation¡¯s cyber warfare. They reserve the right to make ims,¡± Speaker Long said suggestively. ¡°Also, I just received notice that the US Military has also sent an email of protest to our Supreme Military Commander, General Ji. He¡¯s demanding for us topensate the United States for their losses and also promise to never wage any future cyber warfare against the United States, under any circumstances.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely speechless. ¡°They were shameless enough to make such a ridiculous request?!¡±

    Speaker Longughed.

    Nations never considered each other¡¯s shame, only interests.

    ¡°Compensate for their losses?!¡± Special Assistant Zhuang also grew agitated, since he was rather keen on numbers. ¡°How are they defining the value of losses?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an astronomical figure, of course.¡± Speaker Long sped his hands atop the email from the US Congress, his expression growing stern. ¡°In addition, the US Department of Justice has sent an email to our nation¡¯s interim cab. On behalf of the United States as a nation, they have explicitly named 27 of our nation¡¯s military personnel and filed awsuit. They are using these people of stealing important technical information from the US Military and demand for our nation to extradite these 27 soldiers to the United States for trial.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely floored.

    Twenty-seven soldiers?!

    That number seemed very familiar.

    Wasn¡¯t that the exact number of Special Operations Forces Personnel that had been in the cyber counterattack alongside Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng in the central control room that night?!

    If these were really the same 27 Special Operations Forces personnel from that night, then how had the United States obtained this intelligence?!

 Chapter 1048 - Seize the Commanding Height of News

    <h4>Chapter 1048: Seize the Commanding Height of News</h4>

    As soon as Speaker Long finished speaking, Gu Nianzhi and Special Assistant Zhuang asked in unison, ¡°Where did the Americans obtain this intelligence from?!¡±

    How could they know the names of their nation¡¯s 27 soldiers?!

    Speaker Long¡¯s expression was glum as he balled his hands into fists. ¡°That was also the same question we asked.¡± As he spoke, he ced the list of the 27 soldiers before Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Take a look. Do we need to fight thiswsuit?¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi read the list, she instantly understood these were precisely the 27 Special Operations Forces personnel in the central control room that day!

    She knew all of them, since these were her brothers and uncles who had watched her grow up.

    Seeing these familiar names being named defendants in the American courts, Gu Nianzhi felt an unrealistic sense of absurdity.

    Sheposed herself before taking the indictment from the US Department of Justice and reading it over.

    The indictment was very thick, so Gu Nianzhi only read the summary on the first page.

    The US Department of Justice¡¯s indictment indicated that they were charging the 27 soldiers with 31 counts, including using phishing software to obtain passwords, hacking into US Secret Laboreaotory¡¯sputer systems to nt viruses, stealing advanced technical data, using virusmands to damageputer software and hardware, and viting personal privacy, theft of business and trade secrets and more. They demanded astronomicalpensation.

    The indictment was from the Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The 27 Chinese soldiers were also wanted immediately.

    The indictment was apanied by an arrest warrant issued by the FBI and included clear photos of the 27 military officers.

    Gu Nianzhi read the summary and smiled bitterly. ¡°The United States has employed a politically correct person as the Attorney General, so his professionalism can only be relegated as secondary in importance. How could they have written such a ridiculous indictment otherwise? The US Department of Justice has probably yed deaf and mute for too long. This is truly too embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°You mean that they shouldn¡¯t be suing us?¡±

    ¡°Of course they shouldn¡¯t be. First, ording to the procedural justice of USw, the means of obtaining evidence must be legal and made public in order to be legal. Look at these soldiers¡¯ information. This is all ssified top secret in our own nation. How did the Americans get their hands on it? Do they dare to reveal their methods and modes of obtaining this information?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knocked on the thick indictment. ¡°They certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to tell us. Anyone with eyes could tell that they must have obtained this information illegally. They either had a spy obtain it, or just as they have used us of cyber warfare, they also used hackers to steal from our system.¡±

    ¡°You mean that the case is simply untenable since their evidence was obtained illegally.¡± Speaker Long also came from a legal background, so he had a very deep understanding of the courts.

    ¡°Right, the American courts shouldn¡¯t have filed this case in the first ce. But as we can all see, the American courts actually did so.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°We must forgive their ignorance and arrogance. You have to understand that under the guise of political correctness, the United States has already gone too far. For the sake of political correctness, they can sacrifice fairness, efficiency, quality, and conscience. Thest US government failed, since it was full of intelligent people who only relied on political correctness to get into office.¡±

    As for the current US government, the Twitter-addicted President hadn¡¯t yet finished recing all the government officials. Many of the senior government positions were still held by the same officials from the previous term.

    The Attorney General suing the Huaxia soldiers had been appointed by the previous president.

    Speaker Long nodded. ¡°Nianzhi said it well. Draft a refusal email and send it to me. I¡¯ll forward it to the interim cab as well as the Ministry of Foreign affairs, plus General Ji.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in agreement before returning to her office to draft the refusal email.

    She was very familiar with writing such emails, so she was able to quickly criticize the other party¡¯s indictment in a reasonable and well-grounded manner. From jurisprudence to legal articles, and logic tomon sense, everything waspletely rebuked by her.

    The email was less than 300 words in length in English but was already a wonderful court defense paper.

    Speaker Long read the email and pped his hands in delight. He immediately forwarded the email to General Ji, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their reference.

    General Ji and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarded this like it was a treasure. Using Gu Nianzhi¡¯s refusal email written by a legal professional as basis, they replied to the unreasonable request made by the United States.

    The Huaxia Imperial Ministry of Justice was the only one that didn¡¯t pay much attention to the email forwarded by Speaker Long.

    Since the Minister of Justice was single-handedly brought into power by Prime Minister Tan Dongbang, he had always regarded Tan Dongbang as his leader.

    Even though Tan Dongbang¡¯s status as Prime Minister was at stake, this Minister of Justice still refused to give up on him. He still maintained his position as the Prime Minister¡¯s dog.

    He was shocked as soon as he received the indictment from the US Department of Justice and immediately went to Tan Dongbang for advice.

    Tan Dongbang called Cai Songyin over, and together, they sat in the Office of the Prime Minister to listen to the report by the Minister of Justice. They then read the summary of the indictment with excitement rising in their hearts.

    Wasn¡¯t this incident extremely promising?!

    Tan Dongbang looked eagerly at Cai Songyin. ¡°Songyin, what do you think we should do about this?¡±

    As soon as Tan Dongbang spoke, Cai Songyin already understood his intentions.

    She flipped through the indictment and mused silently¡ªcould there be a glimmer of hope for Tan Dongbang¡¯s fate as Prime Minister?!

    If they publicized this incident, perhaps they could still manage to reap some benefits during the interim general elections...

    Cai Songyin held the thick stack of indictment papers and replied, ¡°I need to go back and carefully consider what to do.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, hurry up and go think about it!¡± Tan Dongbang actually had his own ideas that he was eager to try out, but Cai Songyin had been prestigious for so long. Tan Dongbang always instinctively sought her opinion first, especially when it came to major matters.

    Cai Songyin left Tan Dongbang¡¯s Office of the Prime Minister with the indictment and returned to her own building.

    After Tan Guiren returned from the senate building that afternoon, she discovered her father, Tan Dongbang, was in a meeting. Her mother was also attending the conference, so she didn¡¯t see anyone at all and took a nap immediately after returning. When she woke up, the servants told her that Cai Songyin had already returned home.

    She hurriedly changed and went to the door to stop her.

    Upon seeing Cai Songyin, Tan Guiren fluttered over like a butterfly. ¡°Mommy.¡±

    Cai Songyin stopped in her tracks and smiled as she watched Tan Guiren fall in her embrace.

    Hugging Tan Guiren, Cai Songyin replied kindly, ¡°Little darling, why don¡¯t you sleep some more?¡±

    ¡°Mommy, I already slept a lot.¡± Tan Guiren hugged Cai Songiyn¡¯s arm. ¡°Mommy, I need to tell you something. Director Hong is apletely horrible person.¡±

    Cai Songyin wasn¡¯t sure what to respond to this.

    ¡°Little darling, you don¡¯t need to pay attention to outside things. You only need to practice your violin.¡± Cai Songyin brushed away a strand of Tan Guiren¡¯s long, ck hair. ¡°How are you doing in the Army Cultural Regiment?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good.¡± Tan Guiren felt very relieved after delivering her message. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll be going to the regiment to practice violin this afternoon and won¡¯t be back until nighttime.¡±

    ¡°Go on then, I¡¯ll have Old Chang drive you.¡±

    Old Chang was Cai Songyin¡¯s family driver.

    Tan Guiren happily left in the car, and Cai Songyin finally had a chance to take a closer look at the US Department of Justice¡¯s indictment.

    She viewed the indictment from a different angle from Gu Nianzhi. Cai Songyin looked at the indictment from the perspective that attempted to create major headlines and entertainment.

    As expected, there were almost too many things in the indictment for her to use to create drama.

    There were only four days until Tan Dongbang ran in another election.

    They had to seizemand of the news!

 Chapter 1049 - Your Nation Is Done For

    <h4>Chapter 1049: Your Nation Is Done For</h4>

    ¡°Shengnan, I need you to help me with something.¡± Cai Songyin called Cai Shengnan over and showed her the indictment from a certain country. ¡°Trante this into Chinese for me, then ask your father what we should do about it.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s older brother, who was Cai Shengnan¡¯s father, Cai Sumin, had recently returned to the Hua Xia Empire from abroad. He was a legendary character in the foreign legal realm years ago. He had once helped a foreign president win an impeachment case presided over by a parliamentary grand jury. However, because he was a naturalized American citizen and no longer a Hua Xia citizen, Cai Shengnan was unable to directly show him the indictment or seek advice from him. On the other hand, Cai Shengnan was still a Hua Xia national, so there was no issue with her helping to ask a question as legal counsel.

    Cai Shengnan epted it and took a look to her utter shock. ¡°Is this a real indictment from a certain country?! The court is filing a case like that?¡±

    Cai Songyin smiled suggestively. ¡°Not only that, the case has already been filed.¡±

    Cai Shengnan was speechless.

    ¡°Start by helping me trante this and remember to do it ording to legal terms customary to Hua Xia people. Then go ask your father for his opinion.¡± Cai Songyin reminded Cai Shengnan about several important points before allowing her to leave.

    Cai Shengnan immediately brought the photocopied legal document and indictment back to her own vi. Their family vi was located on the mountainside near the Xiaotang Mountain Hot Springs, so it was rather far away from the Imperial Capital.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s father, Cai Sumin, returned to the country in order to help his sister and brother-inw, but he couldn¡¯t allow others to notice he was helping them. As a result, he wanted to stay discreet by living far away and only keeping in contact with his daughter.

    Since he had returned to the Hua Xia Empire, he had only had one reunion dinner with the entire Cai family at the Cais¡¯ siheyuan family home. With so many Cai family members apanying him, he was finally able to see his younger sister, Cai Songyin, and his niece, Tan Guiren. As for Tan Dongbang, Cai Songyin was too embarrassed to bring him back to her house.

    The Cais were a n with a hundred years of history and had once strongly sponsored the founding fathers of the Hua Xia Empire. As a result, the current senior officials still had much respect for their family. They would always lend a helping hand if the situation allowed.

    So when Tan Guiren ran into trouble in New York, Hong Kangquan urged Cai Songyin to explicitly request that Huo Shaoheng go rescue her in the United States. Many of the senior officials helped persuade or applied pressure.

    Huo Shaoheng knew he was unable to reject the request, so he went along with it and alsopleted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check along with their marriage request. However, the senior officials never thought that Tang Dongbang would turn out to be such a ridiculous person. There were indeed senior officials who fooled around with women, but there was definitely no one else who ended up the male lead in a short video because of the fooling around.

    Due to Tan Dongbang causing this incident, none of the senior officials spoke up for him again. Nobody was a fool, and the ones who rose to the top were all shrewd people. Anyone who paled even slightly inparison, such as Tan Dongbang, would be immediately pulled out. Additionally, he didn¡¯t even know who had actually tripped him up.

    However, Cai Songyin still used the Cais¡¯ social connections, her own position in the media world, and her good luck that shocked even herself to finally allow Tan Dongbang to be prime minister. Although it was for a rather short period of time, he was still someone who was once prime minister, and he hadn¡¯t left office due to impeachment.

    Cai Sumin returned to the Hua Xia Empire this time because he saw that his younger sister was truly so pitiful. His brother-inw was too ridiculous and made it so they couldn¡¯t even utilize their social connections, so he finally agreed toe back and help her frantically turn the tide.

    Eyeing the copy of the indictment that Cai Shengnan was holding, as well as the subpoena from the United States, Cai Sumin was momentarily speechless. ¡°What are these foreigners trying to do nowadays? They really think they¡¯re little princesses, so the entire world has to coddle them and y a game of political correctness with them?!¡±

    Cai Sumin pushed his sses up. ¡°Just look at this minister. His grades were so bad duringw school that he almost couldn¡¯t graduate! Even he wants to y with thew like it¡¯s a game of politics?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t impossible to y thew like a game of politics, but the person wanting to do so must foremost be very well versed in thew, as well as politics. They couldn¡¯t y skillfully if they were only adept in one aspect of the game.

    This minister was obviously adequate at gauging politics and ying it like a game, but he was grabbing blindly when it came to the realm ofw. That was why he created such a thing that the entire world would interpret as a pot calling the kettle ck.

    Cai Shengnan was very disappointed to hear that. ¡°Oh? Does that mean we can¡¯t do anything with it?¡± ording to Cai Sumin¡¯s perspective, such a silly thing only deserved to be read once and then ignored.

    Actually, Gu Nianzhi saw it the same way¡ªor perhaps normalwyers would see it that way. However,wyers who wanted to stir up trouble were an exception. For example, Cai Shengnan. Just like Cai Songyin, she believed there was an opportunity.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cai Sumin nced at her. ¡°Or is this your Auntie¡¯s idea?¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled quietly. Cai Sumin understood now and mused, ¡°Leave this here. I¡¯ll give it some more thought.¡± Cai Sumin didn¡¯t wrack his brain but decided to call a few people abroad. He had a vastwork in the foreign legal realm, so he asked several people about a foreign country suing Hua Xia Imperial soldiers for initiating a cyber war.

    As Cai Sumin read the mistake-ridden indictment that caused others to feel secondhand embarrassment, he kept thinking there was something amiss. Aside from everything else, although the government of a certain country had been downgraded in terms of ss and ability due to political correctness, there were still world ss elites in the United States.

    These elites congregated in several departments that were not affected by political correctness. For example, the State Administration of Taxation and the financial giants on Wall Street, as well as the CIA. The foreign media dared to even poke fun at the president, but not a single media entity dared to mock the CIA. This was an unspoken mutual understanding within the foreign media. And with Cai Sumin¡¯s understanding of the foreign government, he was willing to suspend his own legal license in a wager if this foreign indictment didn¡¯t receive the CIA¡¯s support.

    So why would the elites in the CIA tolerate such nonsense to be filed in the court and sent to the Hua Xia senior officials? As expected, Cai Sumin found some clues after making a round of calls.

    ...

    During breakfast the next day, Cai Sumin and Cai Shengnan sat in the bright, open, American-style kitchen. Facing the lush green spring scenery of Xiaotang Mountain, Cai Sumin poured maple syrup on his pancakes as he personally gave instructions. Cai Sumin passed the tranted legal document to her. ¡°Take a look and correct any typos.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nced over it and was immediately impressed. The cleverly tranted documentpletely tuned up the foreign country¡¯s awkward position and unprofessional legal suggestions. It could be said that if the United States used Cai Sumin¡¯s indictment to submit to court for filing, it would be much more professional and reasonable than the original text.

    In Cai Sumin¡¯s Chinese tranted version, he hadpletely edited the United States¡¯ rigid allegations. Although it was the same 31 charges, he emphasized that the United States had no intention of opposing the Hua Xia Imperial government. They would continue to solve the issue from a peaceful position, so resorting tow was an attempt to attract the Hua Xia Empire¡¯s attention.

    It could be said that the indictment was very in line with the reading habits of the Hua Xia Empire. From senior officials to themon folk, all the Hua Xia people had an extraordinary temperament of epting gentleness and rejecting harshness.

    Cai Shengnan cradled it like a treasure and took the indictment tranted and polished by her father to the residence of the prime minister to give it to Cai Songyin. ¡°Auntie, this was tranted by my father himself. Have a look. Can you work with it?¡± Cai Shengnan took out her phone and found American news about the incident. ¡°You see? Can we work with this and garner publicity.¡±

    Cai Songyin was ecstatic to see that and couldn¡¯t help but hug Cai Shengnan. ¡°Thank you, Shengnan! Thank your father on my behalf! I always knew my brother was the best!¡±

    Cai Songyin took the tranted indictment and went to Tan Dongbang¡¯s Office of the Prime Minister. They didn¡¯t have much time left there now, so they were just living there for as long as they could.

    Tan Dongbang was extremely reluctant to leave. He sat in his office, looking around as he told himself that he would do anything as long as he could continue sitting there, even if it meant selling his soul to the devil.

    ...

    Almost overnight, all the Hua Xia major media headlines were publishing news of the United States suing Hua Xia Imperial soldiers. From the news angle thatmanded attention to the value of perspective of the entire incident, there were a lot of opportunities. The media not only published a summary of the original English indictment but also a carefully tranted Chinese indictment as reference. Compared to the harshness of the original English version, the carefully tranted Chinese indictment was as fluid as an angel.

    Corresponding to this was also a suddenrge-scale reposting in the foreign media of major headlines regarding this incident. There was more foreign news concerning this incident than contents of the indictment, so it could be considered ament on this strange indictment.

    It turned out that the Americans were so aggressive in prosecuting these 27 soldiers because the hacker ¡°Pink Piggy¡± had breached a certain important secret foreignboratory a few days ago.

    The Americans imed that this ¡°Pink Piggy¡± used the 27 soldiers as a cover that evening tounch a cyber attack against their country without regard for national morality. This caused huge losses for them. In that regard, the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± was the main offender and the 27 soldiers were aplices.

    At the same time, the first nation to be hit hard by the ¡°Pink Piggy,¡± spoke up. The prime minister of this nation suddenly announced she would be visiting the Hua Xia Empire at this time. Major General Reinitz of the Federal Intelligence Service would also be visiting the Hua Xia Empire at the same time for the purpose of conducting important negotiations regarding the ¡°Pink Piggy¡¯s¡± devastating blow to their Federal Intelligence Service.

    The two countries quickly revealed their bottom line: they were willing to drop charges against the Hua Xia soldiers, but the Hua Xia Empire must hand over the ¡°Pink Piggy.¡± They requested the extradition of the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± in order to go abroad for trial.

    As soon as that country made this announcement, domestic public influencers created a new climax of excitement. They bitterly scolded the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± for disregarding internationalws, damaging international rtions for the sake of personal gain, causing losses to the interests of other nations, and not being in line with the noble spirit of their country.

    They all expressed that if this went on further, ¡°your nation is done for.¡± In the name of the people, they strongly demanded that the nation hand over the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± to the foreign countries in order to quell the anger of powerful nations.

 Chapter 1050 - Atone for Ones Crime with Good Deeds

    <h4>Chapter 1050: Atone for One¡¯s Crime with Good Deeds</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi had been pressed down by Huo Shaoheng all night to ¡°lose weight,¡± so she really thought she had slimmed down when she nearly passed out in slumber. Because the two of them had engaged in intense physical activityst night, they had only slept for a little while by the time the sun was nearly up.

    However, Huo Shaoheng still woke up at 7am. As soon his eyes opened, he instantly saw Gu Nianzhi sleeping soundly in the crook of his arm. Her fair, luminous face was as translucent as a freshly peeled lychee after their intimate night together. She appeared fresh and tender, so when he lightly brushed his lips against hers, he could almost suck out the sweet juice within.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t hold himself back as soon as he kissed her. His throbbing body was getting riled up, and it awakened the extremely out of control memories fromst night. In her drowsiness, Gu Nianzhi began another round of ¡°losing weight.¡±

    When it was over an hourter, Gu Nianzhi nned to never lose weight again for the rest of her life! Losing weight was making her lose her life!

    ¡°Awake?¡± Huo Shaoheng spied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyshes continuously trembling, but she refused to open her eyes.

    ¡°Can I stay asleep?¡± Gu Nianzhi grumbled. He had almost shaken apart the bed.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled quietly against her ear, and as an audiophile, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but blush sheepishly. Closing her eyes, she reached out to push Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face away and said with impatience, ¡°Go elsewhere if you want tough. Don¡¯tugh into my ear.¡±

    ¡°Ok,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied smoothly and didn¡¯tugh again. However, heid next to Gu Nianzhi and began to gently blow into her ear.

    Gu Nianzhi could feel the lower half of her body begin to throb. Wrapped in nkets, she quickly rolled far away and grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll attack you back if you keep this up!¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurt each other.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out his long arm to drag her back. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here for you to abuse me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She slowly opened her eyes, and they sparkled as she watched Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Really?!¡± Her mind was instantly filled with 108 ways to ¡°eat up¡± Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng felt unlimited satisfaction when he looked into her eyes. He had justid down and wanted to hold Gu Nianzhi on top of his body, when her phone rang inconveniently at that moment. She quickly moved over and grabbed it to take a nce. Aside from the missed calls, there were several text messages as well. Special Assistant Zhuang and He Zhichu had sent her texts. The phone call was from He Zhichu as well. He probably couldn¡¯t help calling her when he saw she wasn¡¯t replying to his texts.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly slid the phone to unlock and take the call. ¡°Professor He?¡±

    He Zhichu sat in front of his desk as he read the news online. He replied coolly, ¡°Nianzhi, are you at work?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to scream as soon as she saw the time. It was already 8:10am! She quickly pushed Huo Shaoheng away and frantically got out of bed. She headed towards the bathroom as she replied with embarrassment, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t left the house yet...¡±

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead and said exasperatedly, ¡°Don¡¯t fret, I¡¯m just giving you a heads up. The United States and Germany have officially requested the extradition of the ¡®Pink Piggy.¡¯ You need to be mentally prepared.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly froze. ¡°Extradite the ¡®Pink Piggy?¡¯ When did that happen?!¡± She had merely slept for a night. How had she turned into a wanted criminal?! Weren¡¯t the American courts suing the 27 soldiers? Could they also be suing the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± at the same time? Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightened her squeeze on the phone.

    He Zhichuughed. ¡°Sounds like you really just woke up, so you haven¡¯t looked at the news on Weibo? Go have a look. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    After He Zhichu ended the call, Gu Nianzhi quickly opened Weibo. Suddenly, all sorts of news about arrogant countries demanding the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± was on the top searches. It made her feel like she was suffocating. When did ¡°your nation is done for,¡± be mainstream? Was the silence of the majority considered agreement? Gu Nianzhi almost wanted to log into her secondary ount and wage war against these public influencers.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s knocking on the door stopped her in time. ¡°Nianzhi? What is it?¡± Huo Shaoheng knocked on the bathroom door. ¡°Can Ie in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi casually opened the door and passed the phone to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You take a look.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng epted the phone and quickly nced at all the news on it. He smiled wryly with a shake of his head. ¡°Are these people¡¯s words worth getting angry over? Is this the first time you realized the power of the ¡®your nation is done for¡¯ n?¡±

    ¡°Who asked them to anger me?¡± Gu Nianzhi puffed up her face. ¡°I am the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ and they want to hand me over and sell out the nation for personal glory. How could I not be angry?¡±

    ¡°How could I allow others to hand you over?¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°Unless they walk over my dead body.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up with surprise. ¡°It makes me so happy to hear that.¡± She grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and shook it as she replied firmly, ¡°But I won¡¯t let other people have the opportunity to walk over your dead body. I won¡¯t give anyone the chance to kill you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart warmed as he hugged her with a smile. ¡°I know. Me, too.¡±

    The two of them didn¡¯t have a chance to snuggle for very long before they were forced to separate. Gu Nianzhi had to hurry back to the Senate since Special Assistant Zhuang had sent several texts to her that said Speaker Long needed to see her. Gu Nianzhi nced at her watch and hoped that she could arrive at the Senate building by 8:30am.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped bugging her and went to the main bathroom to wash up. When he came out in a clean change of clothes, Gu Nianzhi had already left. In the past, when Huo Shaoheng came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite, they worked separately so they never appeared as a couple while in the precinct.

    Huo Shaoheng took his car keys down to the underground parking garage and drove back to the headquarters base.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi arrived at the door to Speaker Long¡¯s office one minute past 8:30am. Special Assistant Zhuang had already been waiting there and quickly pushed open the door to Speaker Long¡¯s office. ¡°Nianzhi, hurry up and go inside. Speaker Long has been waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Special Assistant Zhuang.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked inside and sat down before Speaker Long¡¯s desk. ¡°Speaker Long, what can I do for you?¡±

    Speaker Long threw the morning¡¯s news summary before Gu Nianzhi, then said, ¡°The German chancellor is bringing the director of her Federal Intelligence Service to visit the Huaxia Empire. I must go wee her at the airport, and you¡¯ll being with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so shocked, she widened her already huge eyes. ¡°She¡¯sing so soon? But why are you the one weing her?¡±

    Speaker Long smiled wryly. ¡°Because the Cab has already been dissolved, so it¡¯s currently an interim Cab. The personnel from the Department of Foreign Affairs will be greeting her at the airport, but we still need a government leader there. Tan Dongbang can certainly never represent our nation again, and General Ji is from the military, so he is unable to appear. That only leaves an old man like myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly smiled. ¡°You are wise and strong. You don¡¯t look old at all.¡±

    ¡°Little tterer!¡± Speaker Long chided her yfully. ¡°Go back and prepare. The flight from Germany will arrive at 5pm, so you¡¯ll being with me to the airport to greet them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt very conflicted as soon as she considered Reinitz would also be one of the people visiting this time around. She had only learned that Reinitz was the director of the Federal Intelligence Service after she came back from Germany. Als, who had tortured and electrocuted her, turned out to be merely Reinitz¡¯s subordinate.

    ¡°Speaker Long, can I not go?¡± Gu Nianzhi stuttered reluctantly, her eyes shifting down.

    ¡°Not go?¡± Speaker Long raised a brow as he turned on theputer to check the weing ceremony at the airport that afternoon. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m shy with strangers.¡± Gu Nianzhi confidently found a reason. ¡°I¡¯m not used to meeting strangers.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Speaker Long could detect that she was putting him off, so he waved his hand dismissively. ¡°If you¡¯re not used to meeting strangers, you just need to meet them more. Ok, we¡¯re done here. Go home and get ready.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice, so she had to go back to her office to get ready before going back home. She really had to pick a good outfit since they were going to the airport to greet important guests from abroad.

    ...

    Hong Kangquan was being detained by Speaker Long¡¯s personnel in a gray building. When he had gotten up that morning, he had read the newspaper for a while. He savored all the various headlines from the major newspapers.

    Afterwards, he read the indictment from the American courts and also read the Chinese trantion. Not only that, but he read all the major American headlines being reposted by all the major media outlets.

    The ¡°Pink Piggy?¡± Hong Kongquan¡¯s eyes narrowed quickly, then he read the summary of the English indictment once again. Suddenly, he discovered something wasn¡¯t right. If he read it using a special sequence of words, this indictment was actually a message being transmitted to him!

    This was a method the person with the invalid number had once taught him. Could this indictment¡¯s true purpose be an attempt to send him a message? Hong Kangquan¡¯s expression quickly shifted as he finally looked up and said to the person detaining him, ¡°I have important information to report to my superior. I want to atone for my crime with good deeds.¡±

 Chapter 1051 - Your Chances Have Increased Greatly

    <h4>Chapter 1051: Your Chances Have Increased Greatly</h4>

    ¡°You have important news to report to your superior?¡± The employee detaining Hong Kangquan looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Director Kang, why didn¡¯t you mention anything before?¡±

    Hong Kangquan replied calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know the importance of the news previously, so I didn¡¯t say anything about it. When I saw the newspaper headlines today, I finally realized that I could have missed important information, so I am hoping to atone for my crimes with good deeds.¡±

    ¡°What information?¡± The employee squinted and refused to make the trip all the way to the Senate building based on only Hong Kangquan¡¯s word.

    ¡°Here.¡± Hong Kangquan pointed to the reposted major American headlines in the newspaper. ¡°The Americans want us to hand over the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ and I might know where to find the ¡®Pink Piggy.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± The employee became interested. If Hong Kangquan really knew where to find the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ then it would really be an important aplishment. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go inform my superior.¡± The employee needed to call the Senate.

    Hong Kangquan shook his head. ¡°Call Prime Minister Tan. I will only tell him this information.¡± Tan Dongbang was only the interim prime minister at this time. The Senate had attempted to impeach him previously but failed. ording to thew, the Senate was required to undergo even more stringent procedures if they wanted to try to impeach him once again. There waspletely no chance of sess. Since Speaker Long had no option of impeaching him once again, he chose to dissolve the Cab and restart the interim general elections.

    However, before the general interim elections began and the new prime minister was elected, Tan Dongbang was still the interim prime minister and his Cab was still the interim Cab. This was a government agency during the transition period as they awaited the new prime minister¡¯s election. So at a time like this, Tan Dongbang still wielded quite a bit of power. Of course, it was still much less than when he was the official prime minister.

    Speaker Long thought that Tan Dongbang¡¯s image was no longer suitable for the role of prime minister, so he didn¡¯t want him to attend any national-level events. He didn¡¯t want others to see Tan Dongbang embarrass the entire Huaxia Empire. However, from a legal perspective, Tan Dongbang¡¯s position as the interim prime minister was still very stable.

    Hong Kangquan insisted on seeing Tang Dongbang, but the employee thought about it and still chose to call the Senate first. But at that moment, Speaker Long and Special Assistant Zhuang were frantically arranging the important task of greeting the German chancellor and the director of the Federal Intelligence Service, so they didn¡¯t have spare time to answer the phone.

    The employee watching over Hong Kangquan was intercepted only after connecting to a phone operator at the Senate Secretariat. The employee watching over Hong Kangquan saw that neither Speaker Long nor Special Assistant Zhuang had time to take his calls, but he couldn¡¯t carelessly spread news about such important information, either. He had no choice but to leave a voicemail asking Special Assistant Zhuang to call him back when he had a chance.

    Afterwards, he finally followed Tan Dongbang¡¯s request and called Prime Minister Tan at the Cab. Tan Dongbang happened to be in his office, so he took the call himself after his secretary transferred it over. Tang Dongbang immediately stood up as soon as he heard the employee say that Hong Kangquan had a way to find the ¡°Pink Piggy.¡±¡±What?! Is he telling the truth?!¡±

    ¡°Director Hong says it¡¯spletely true.¡± The employee was much more polite to Hong Kangquan now, since he had a chance of redeeming himself.

    Tan Dongbang considered it and asked suspiciously, ¡°Why is he asking for me if he can find that person? I¡¯m not the ¡®Pink Piggy.¡¯¡±

    The employee passed on Tan Dongbang¡¯s message to Hong Kangquan. Hong Kangquan secretly cursed Tan Dongbang for not knowing what was good for him but still replied patiently, ¡°Ask Prime Minister Tan toe over when he has some time. I have something important to tell him face to face.¡±

    Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t want to get involved in the mess, but considering how his own position was dangling by a thread, he still chose to gamble it all. What if he hit the jackpot without even knowing it? This kind of thing had indeed happened before.

    Tan Dongbang thought about this as he packed his briefcase and asked his employee to prepare a vehicle. He headed over to where Hong Kangquan was being held to visit him. As the interim Prime Minister, Tan Dongbang was the symbolic national leader and still wielded great power. The employee detaining Hong Kangquan checked the relevant regtions but finally had no choice but to let Tan Dongbang inside.

    When he arrived at the visitation room, Tan Dongbang saw that Hong Kangquan was already waiting there. He sat across from the other man and remarked calmly, ¡°Director Hong, you¡¯d better actually have something to say to me. Otherwise, don¡¯t waste our time.¡±

    Hong Kangquan nodded. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, I only have one thing to say to you. As long as you support me in finding the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ your role as prime minister will change from interim to official.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Tan Dongbang¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°Hong Kangquan, don¡¯t speak nonsense!¡± His heart hammered madly, yet he hoped that Hong Kangquan would rebuke him and tell him he had a way to allow him to continue as prime minister!

    Hong Kangquanughed loudly when he saw Tan Dongbang¡¯s reaction. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, we have to see if you¡¯ll give me the opportunity to prove I¡¯m not speaking nonsense.¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s expression shifted for a long time before he finally made up his mind and asked Hong Kangquan, ¡°What opportunity do you need from me?¡±

    ¡°Use your special authority as prime minister to release me first. Then give me authorization to go to the Special Operations Forces to find the 27 personnel involved in the cyber war that night and bring them to my Secret Service for questioning.¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s eyes revealed his bloodthirsty excitement.

    That was exactly what he had wanted to do that night, but all his efforts were in vain because of Speaker Long¡¯s indecisiveness. However, he hadn¡¯t judged the situation incorrectly. The expert guiding him all this time certainly had a way of turning things around!

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s special authorization as prime minister could only be used once. However, it was typically only used when he was removed from office. It would not be difficult to release Hong Kangquan from detainment, and perhaps he didn¡¯t even need to use his special authorization as prime minister, but taking Special Operations Forces personnel to the Secret Service for questioning was not going to be so easy. It would probably require him to use his special authorization as prime minister.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°The prime minister¡¯s special authorization can only be used once in a term. Director Hong, your request is a bit too much...¡±

    ¡°Too much or not depends on the return. If the return profits are high, why does it even matter?¡± Hong Kangquan replied confidently. He didn¡¯t appear to be someone in detainment at all.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t imagine what this incident has to do with me running the elections,¡± Tan Dongbang asked slyly and appeared as if he were an eagle that wouldn¡¯t leave until he found a rabbit to hunt. ¡°In a few days, I won¡¯t even be the interim prime minister anymore, and it will be even more impossible to help you.¡±

    Hong Kangquan smiled. Tan Dongbang was obviously interested in his offer, yet he was still being stubborn and fighting until the end. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, if you canplete this task sessfully, perhaps you¡¯ll be reelected!¡± Hong Kangquan replied very excitedly. ¡°Think about it, if I can find the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ you¡¯ll earn the support of the United States and Germany. That can only help you in the elections!¡±

    Tan Dongbang squinted almost imperceptibly as he replied, ¡°But there seem to be opposing voices domestically.¡± Currently, all the major social mediaworks were being controlled by the public influencers, so the silent majority were repressed from their desire to voice any opinion. But that hadn¡¯t stopped some stubborn people from expressing opposing opinions from the very beginning.

    ¡°It¡¯s only normal that there are opposing voices. It would be abnormal if there were only supporting voices.¡± Hong Kangquan could read the situation clearly. ¡°But as long as I can find the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ and hand her over to the Americans and Germans, then thiswsuit will be canceled. We won¡¯t need to pay astronomicalpensation, so that will save the nation and the military a huge sum of money. Everyone will thank us.

    ¡°With such merit¡ªand if the media adds momentum when it happens¡ªwouldn¡¯t you say that your chances have increased greatly?¡±

 Chapter 1052 - Give It a Gamble

    <h4>Chapter 1052: Give It a Gamble</h4>

    ¡°It really will?¡± Tan Dongbang was a bit suspicious. ¡°Will the Huaxia citizens really thank me if I listen to the Americans¡¯ demands and hand the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ over to them? Then they will vote for me?¡± Were the voters that easily fooled?

    Hong Kangquan looked at Tan Dongbang with grave disappointment. He would actually throw a punch at this man¡¯s face if there wasn¡¯t a guard watching. Did Tan Dongbang really think he won thest election purely because of his wife Cai Songyin¡¯s meddling in the media!?

    However, Hong Kangquan couldn¡¯t tell him the truth about this, so he found some mindless reasons to fool Tan Dongbang with. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, did you ever hear of the saying, ¡®You may get people to follow you, but you can¡¯t make them all understand?¡¯¡± Hong Kangquan revealed a sly glint in his eyes.

    Tan Dongbang frowned as he looked down at the newspaper headlines in front of him and missed the change in Hong Kangquan¡¯s expression. He nodded. ¡°Of course I know. You mean that...¡±

    ¡°Right, what I mean is that all the citizens follow blindly. They don¡¯t have autonomous thinking capabilities and are like a bunch of mindless, unintelligent sheep. For people like that, you don¡¯t need to wrack your brain thinking of a way to gain their support. You only need to receive support from the senior officials and especially from foreign powers.¡±

    Hong Kangquan excitedly espoused the benefits of relying on powerful forces and also promised, ¡°As long as you allow me to find the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ I can basically guarantee that you will be reelected!¡±

    When Hong Kangquan inched closer to Tan Dongbang¡¯s ear to say this, Tan Dongbang couldn¡¯t help but shiver excitedly.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me the truth?! You can guarantee that?! What are you using as coteral?!¡± Tan Dongbang revealed a glint of madness in his eyes, and the pupils behind his crystal sses had shrunk into tiny dots. This entuated the far toorge amount of the whites of his eyespared to the dark.

    Hong Kangquan cast his eyes down in deep thought as he replied carefully, ¡°Guarantee? I can only say that I will take all responsibility if this fails. Also, you can go ask your wife, Cai Songyin, if I¡¯m worthy of being trusted or not.¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s gaze shifted. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go back and ask her.¡±

    ...

    Tan Dongbang returned to his Official Residence of the Prime Minister and immediately found Cai Songyin to ask about Hong Kangquan. ¡°Songyin, Hong Kangquan says he has a solution. Do you believe him?¡± Tan Dongbang originally thought he was going to lose for sure, so he never imagined the tide would turn and there might be a chance for him to change his fortune.

    His hope was so weak, he didn¡¯t even believe Hong Kangquan¡¯s words all that much. However, even if he didn¡¯t believe it, he still nned to give it a try after careful consideration. Even if he didn¡¯t seed, the situation would still be a failure for him, regardless. He wouldn¡¯t suffer any more losses¡ªbut if he happened to seed, then he could truly turn the tide.

    It was an ideal gamble. If he lost, he didn¡¯t have to suffer any consequences. If he won, then he would really win the jackpot without risking anything. Who would forfeit a gamble like that?

    Cai Songyin was very impressed with Hong Kangquan¡¯s abilities. She even knew that Hong Kangquan was being supported by a powerful force behind the scenes. She didn¡¯t know who that person was, but in the several instances she ran into trouble, Hong Kangquan¡¯s suggested solutions truly helped her resolve the pressing emergencies. Also, she shared the same thoughts as Tan Dongbang. This was a great opportunity, so they shouldn¡¯t pass it by so easily.

    As a result, she believed she could trust Hong Kangquan this one time. ¡°Dongbang, I want to ask you, if you can be elected once again, have you learned your lesson?¡± Cai Songyin pressed Tan Dongbang. She no longer had any trust in him, so it was merely power and interest that bound the two of them together. If Tan Dongbang was elected prime minister once again, she would stay married to him. If he lost the election, then she was going to say farewell and ask for a divorce.

    It had to be said that even though Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin¡¯s rtionship hadpletely severed, their methods of thought were exactly the same. They were genuine soulmates.

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t do anything else to disappoint you again. Songyin, you have no idea how ashamed I feel. When I think of how I was fooled by an evil and superficial woman like Gu Yanran, I¡¯mpletely ashamed and humiliated. Also, I¡¯ve learned my lesson. Your husband is not a fool, right? How could I not have learned my lesson?¡±

    Tan Dongbang vehemently swore before Cai Songyin, ¡°If I make that kind of mistake again and betray you, then I shall lose the election!¡±

    Cai Songyin rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to swear to me. It¡¯s good enough for you to know this in your own heart. Go tell Hong Kangquan that we can help him, but he must find the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ before voting in the election begins and hand her over to the Americans. He also needs to guarantee that you will win the election!¡±

    Tan Dongbang chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s what he said anyway, but I also want to know how he will reverse my negative position.¡± Tan Dongbang wasn¡¯t the only one who was curious. Even Cai Songyin wanted to know.

    After their discussion, Tan Dongbang ignored his advisors¡¯ urgings and stubbornly decided to use his highest executive order to release Hong Kangquan from detainment and reinstate his position as Director of the Secret Service. He then used his special authorization as prime minister to allow Hong Kangquan to go to the Special Operations Forces to demand that the 27 soldiers be transferred to the Secret Service and assist with investigations.

    ....

    Hong Kangquan left his detention quarters and immediately returned to the Secret Service to find Deputy Director Feng of the Secret Service. He showed him the prime minister¡¯s special authorization and said, ¡°Old Feng, go to the Special Operations Forces and bring the 27promised Special Operations Forces personnel back to the Secret Service to assist with the investigation. ording to procedures, our Secret Service is in charge if the Special Operations Forcesmits internal errors.¡± This was indeed one of the mandates granted to the Secret Service.

    Deputy Minister Feng was already investigating this incident to begin with, so he didn¡¯t doubt Hong Kangquan and immediately said, ¡°Ok, Director Hong. I¡¯ll go to the Special Operations Forces now and bring back the personnel.¡± He then asked, ¡°Director Hong, are you ok?¡±

    Hong Kangquan waved his hand. ¡°I was fine to begin with. It¡¯s not the first time that the Special Operations Forces has disliked us, but Huo Shaoheng doesn¡¯t have the mettle to bring me down. Don¡¯t worry, they don¡¯t have any evidence and are merely using hearsay and spection in an attempt to wipe away my years of merit. Not only will I refuse to stand for it, but our Secret Service won¡¯t stand for it, either.¡±

    Deputy Minister Feng sighed in relief. ¡°We were all very worried about you. Everyone will be very happy to hear that you¡¯re ok.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, guys.¡± Hong Kangquan smiled kindly. ¡°I¡¯ll treat everyone after work, and we can go have dinner at Fulinmen.¡±

    Deputy Director Feng broke into a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to work now.¡±

    Hong Kangquan called after him, ¡°Take Prime Minister Tan¡¯s special authorization to the Special Operations Forces and bring these 27 soldiers back to assist with the investigation. You don¡¯t need to tell them I¡¯ve returned. We need to take them by surprise.¡±

    Deputy Director Feng smiled. ¡°Director Hong is really going to give them a scare!¡± It had to be said that Hong Kangquan¡¯s return to the Secret Service was a great encouragement to the entire Secret Service. If their Director of the Secret Service had actually been knocked down by the chief of the Special Operations Forces, then the entire Secret Service would always be ashamed before the Special Operations Forces. Fortunately, their director was truly powerful and was able to sessfully return from the Senate detainment center despite the circumstances.

    ...

    At the same time, Song Jinning suddenly called Huo Shaoheng with excitement. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ve already observed this for two days! The surveince by our Institute of High Energy Physics has discovered that the strange maic field that appeared where Gu Nianzhi had her car ident is appearing once again! I need to go to C City immediately and inspect on-site!¡±

    This was the first time Song Jinning had encountered such a situation after she regained consciousness. This also had important connections to their secret experiment 17 years ago. The opportunity was fleeting, and she absolutely couldn¡¯t give up!

    In the past seven years, the Institute of High Energy Physics had conducted field research on this type of maic field, and the Special Operations forces had always provided special security detail.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately decided to allow Song Jinning to take her instruments and personnel on a military aircraft. He would go to C City with them. He also badly wanted to know what would happen at that ce and if the appearance of this maic field had an important link to Gu Nianzhi...

    ...

    With Secret Service personnel in tow, Deputy Director Feng took the prime minister¡¯s special authorization to the Special Operations Forces and demanded the 27 soldiers be brought back to the Secret Service to assist with the investigation. At that moment, Huo Shaoheng was currently on a military aircraft flying to C City. The aircraft was unable to take calls at the time, so the operator left a message for Huo Shaoheng before notifying the chief officer currently at the base, Zhou Qiyuan.

    Although Zhou Qiyuan was not very willing, he couldn¡¯t refuse the special authorization of the prime minister. Also, the Americans actually had evidence against the 27 soldiers, so ording to procedures, the Secret Service should rightfully be investigating.

    Zhou Qiyuan didn¡¯t know that Hong Kangquan had been released, so after he called General Ji asking for instructions, he agreed to Deputy Director Feng¡¯s request and allowed the 27 soldiers to follow Deputy Director Feng back to the Secret Service to assist in the investigation.

    They all assumed it was for work purposes and assistance with the investigation was to be conducted ording to procedure. Even Deputy Director Feng of the Secret Service assumed this was so. However, as soon as these 27 soldiers arrived at the Secret Service, Hong Kangquan immediatelymanded them to be detained separately in execution rooms. They also cut off all externalmunication channels from the Secret Service and raised the security levels to the highest grade.

    ...

    At this time, Gu Nianzhi had just changed into a professional suit and arrived at the Senate. She was prepared to go to the airport with Speaker Long to wee the delegation visiting the Huaxia Empire, which included the German chancellor and Major General Reinitz of the Federal Intelligence Service.

 Chapter 1053 - Release Them Immediately

    <h4>Chapter 1053: Release Them Immediately</h4>

    The Secret Service execution room upied three entire basement levels of the Secret Service building. Although this didn¡¯t appear to be any different from any of the other rooms, there were unlimited possibilities as soon as the lights were shut off.

    Hong Kangquan was fully decked out in his Secret Service uniform and also wore special sunsses with tall leather boots as he took his confidantes to the floors where the execution rooms were located.

    One Special Operations Forces soldier was being held separately in each of the 27 individual execution rooms. These were all personnel who had their real names and photos exposed in the indictment by the US Department of Justice.

    Hong Kangquan sat in the surveince room andmunicated with the Special Operations Forces personnel through the microphone. ¡°To all the colleagues from the Special Operations Forces, I am very sorry for the random catastrophe you are facing. I know it¡¯s not your fault, but because of the errors made by your chief-inmand, your system was breached, and your data was obtained by the US Department of Justice and is being used to sue you.¡±

    The Special Operations Forces personnel quietly listened to him speak, their expressions nk. Hong Kangquan was a bit irritated, so he frowned and continued, ¡°This incident has caused extremely negative consequences. You all know the results even if I don¡¯t need to tell you. In other words, you will definitely be dismissed from the military!¡±

    At that moment, there was some movement among the Special Operations Forces personnel. Someone twisted their neck anxiously, while others crossed their legs tightly. Although there wasn¡¯t much change in their expressions, their micro-expressions still indicated changes in their mood. Hong Kangquan sighed in relief. He originally thought that these Special Operations Forces personnel all had bones of iron and hearts of stone, so they wouldn¡¯t be affected by him.

    ¡°But I know that all of you are intelligent and powerful soldiers! Even if you are dismissed from the military and have to suffer for someone else¡¯s mistakes, you won¡¯t retreat!¡± Hong Kangquan suddenly changed his trajectory and began to passionatelypliment these Special Operations Forces personnel. ¡°So it breaks my heart, since you shouldn¡¯t need to suffer this kind of fate at all. You all originally had bright futures, so you shouldn¡¯t destroy your future for an infamous hacker who disregardsw and order and does as she pleases!¡±

    As soon as Hong Kangquan said this, he keenly discovered that the pulses and heart rates of these Special Operations Forces personnel had rapidly increased for a moment! All the chairs in the execution rooms wererge instruments with lie detecting functions. The Special Operations Forces personnel were sitting on the chairs, so they were able to detect changes in their blood pressure, pulse, and heart rate, even if they slightly turned their bodies. Lie detectors were used to discern truth from falsehood by measuring changes in the base data for these human bodies.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s eyes narrowed quickly as he thought, ¡°So these people actually know who the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is!¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s palms began to sweat when he connected this to the message transmitted by that person. His gamble had actually seeded!

    As long as he found the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± and handed her over, only then would that other person truly exert all efforts in helping himpletely eliminate Huo Shaoheng! And as long as Huo Shaoheng waspletely eliminated, then the entire Huaxia Imperial intelligence agency would be within his control!

    He would certainly never betray any national interests, but who the hell was this ¡°Pink Piggy?¡± Did a hacker deserve to be considered a national interest?! In Hong Kangquan¡¯s knowledge, he never considered handing over the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± as a big issue in the first ce. If a civilian hacker saw the big picture and understood all the trouble she caused for her nation, then she should rightfully turn herself in. She shouldn¡¯t be waiting for the nation to help her clean up her mess! Hong Kangquan never treated such foolish people with much patience. He became excited at the thought of the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± being so close within his reach.

    ¡°All Special Operations Forces personnel, since you know who this ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is, I don¡¯t need to say much more. Write down her real name, identity, upation, home address, and phone number. Write down as much as you know. After you finish writing this, you may leave the Secret Service. I can guarantee that even if you are dismissed from the military, our Secret Service will always wee you through our doors! As long as youe here, I will endeavor to get the position of director for each of you at minimum!¡±

    The Special Operations Forces belonged to the military, so its personnel were all proper soldiers. The Secret Service belonged to the Cab, so its personnel were all normal civilians and of course, there were also many veterans. Hong Kangquan was also a veteran himself.

    His move of ¡°equal parts of generosity and authority¡± with ¡°disintegration and separation¡± was very convincing. The confidantes at his side had tears brimming in their eyes after listening to his words. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t know who the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± was. Otherwise, they could have ended up being directors as well.

    With red eyes, they watched the 27 small monitors in the surveince room and waited for the Special Operations Forces personnel to pick up the pens and write down the ¡°Pink Piggy¡¯s¡± whereabouts. However, they waited for a full 30 minutes, and the 27 Special Operations Forces personnel remained sitting motionless in the chairs. Not a single person touched their pens!

    Also, their heart rates and pulses were steady, like they had unanimouslye to a decision. Each of them sat in the execution rooms with calm expressions, and no one spoke a word. The 27 execution rooms were as quiet as a deste field, so even the sounds of breathing were barely audible.

    Hong Kangquan instantly appeared very aggrieved. There wasn¡¯t a single person talking?!

    ¡°Boss, these people don¡¯t even know what¡¯s good for them!¡± Hong Kangquan¡¯s confidantes began to point at the monitors. ¡°If I knew who this person was, I¡¯d certainly write it down!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! If we knew, we could also end up as directors!¡± Everyone smiled very happily, as if they had already be directors.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s mind began to work as he looked at these people. ¡°You also want to be directors?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Boss, we were only joking around...¡±

    ¡°...Boss, are you being serious?¡±

    ¡°Is this something we can discuss?¡±

    The eyes of the people surrounding Hong Kangquan almost glowed green, as they were unable to hide the greed inside them. Hong Kangquan smiled quietly and waited another half an hour. One hour passed, but nobody had even touched the pens, nor did anyone speak.

    Hong Kangquan created a new n when the first one failed, so he said into the microphone, ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? Actually, someone among you has already confessed to me. If you don¡¯t want to lose everything, you should just say it. Someone else already said it, anyway...¡±

    At that moment, one Special Operations Forces personnel in the execution room began to speak. ¡°Is this Director Hong? If someone already confessed, can you release me then? You already know who it is anyway, so why are you still keeping me locked up?¡±

    ¡°Director Hong? Someone confessed? That¡¯s great, you should release me then. This incident has nothing to do with me anyway, nor do I know who the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is. Aren¡¯t you worried aboutmitting an error by locking me up like this?¡±

    ¡°Congrattions, Director Hong. You¡¯ve sessfullypleted the task the United States assigned to you. Can you let me go now? I don¡¯t even know who the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is anyway, so you don¡¯t need to waste any effort on me.¡±

    From all 27 execution rooms, identical jeers began to be continuously heard through the microphones. Hong Kangquan¡¯s expression instantly darkened. He didn¡¯t expect these Special Operations Forces personnel to be smart. They were simply disregarding his generosity!

    He had merely wanted to fool them, but not only did he fail, he also allowed them totch onto the source and immediately request that he release them!

 Chapter 1054 - Outfoxing the Fox

    <h4>Chapter 1054: Outfoxing the Fox</h4>

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s confidants looked at each other. They were all thinking about how the fox had been outfoxed.

    After being outmaneuvered by the Special Operations Forces, how could they be in a good mood?

    Hong Kangquan lit a cigarette and smoked it forcefully, then pointed at the disy and said, ¡°You guys go, and no matter the means, whoever gets them to talk, I will give you the position of Chief!¡±

    The rank of Chief was a whole level higher than that of Commissioner.

    The eyes of Hong Kangquan¡¯s confidants were gleaming.

    ¡°Boss, are you serious?!¡±

    ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t Chief, the Commissioner position is good enough!¡±

    Watching the disy of loyalty from his followers, Hong Kangquan finally felt the pride that had been stomped on by the Special Operations Forces being healed little by little.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s up to you guys, then!¡± Hong Kangquan said, then walked out of the surveince room. He then went upstairs.

    After returning to his office in the Secret Service¡¯s Operations Building, Hong Kangquan still held the cigarette in his hand. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked out the window.

    He knew that his time was running out. He might not have even had one day left.

    Soon, Huo Shaoheng, General Ji, and Speaker Long would discover that the Special Operations Forces were in deep waters. Tan Dongbang was basically no longer a viable threat, so when those three joined forces to defeat him, if he still hadn¡¯t found The Pink Piggy by then, his future would pretty much be over.

    Hong Kangquan stood in front of the window in a kind of trance. After a while, he suddenly heard his cell phone ringing.

    Taking it out, he was stunned to see a blocked number shing across the screen!

    A tiny light of hope appeared in his previously dark heart.

    He hurriedly picked it up, saying, ¡°Hello, I need your help now!¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s voice shook with excitement.

    The voice on the other line still had the same old machine-like quality to it. ¡°I have done my best to help you as much as possible. You only have 24 hours. Can you find the whereabouts of Pink Piggy in 24 hours?¡±

    Although Hong Kangquan knew that the voice was likely being manipted by a voice changer, to him, it didn¡¯t sound robotic and unfeeling, but rather endearing and intimate. Especially in his current state of desperation.

    ¡°I will try my best!¡± Hong Kangquan assured the person on the other end. ¡°But if I can¡¯t find him, I want you to help get my family out of here.¡±

    The person on the other line was silent for a while, then said, ¡°I will contact you again after 24 hours have passed. You were taken into custody by the people from the Senate earlier, and I was unable to call you directly, so I used other methods tomunicate with you. Did you see them?¡±

    If he hadn¡¯t seen them, he wouldn¡¯t have done what he did today.

    Hong Kangquan nodded his head, saying, ¡°I saw them. I tried my best to do as I was told!¡±

    The man praised him. ¡°I have cooperated with you for so many years, and although there hasn¡¯t been much interaction, I know that you are a responsible person. Rest assured. I will not let anyone who has cooperated so readily with me die for a lost cause.¡±

    So, the man was saying that he nned to save Hong Kangquan¡¯s life regardless of the result.

    What a surprise!

    Hong Kangquan had no further worries and felt encouraged to do whatever he dared.

    After the person hung up, Hong Kangquan immediately returned to the surveince room on the execution room floor.

    He saw that the 27 monitors in the surveince room were all dark!

    He narrowed his eyes, walked up to the door of the execution room, and pressed his ears against it to listen.

    From time to time, there were muffled cries of torturous pain that rang out from the other side.

    Also mixed in with the torturous cries were the sounds of punchesnding, something being stomped on, and electric batons ringing out. Although very subtle, Hong Kangquan could hear everything clearly.

    The Secret Service has its own methods of dealing with people.

    After enduring interrogational torture, even if no physical wounds or scars could be seen on, they would be mentally scarred for life.

    ...

    Shortly after the military jet had taken off, Huo Shaoheng started taking care of several documents. However, when he tried to send them back, he discovered that there was no Wi-fi avable on the ne. He sent the orderly to ask for help from the flight attendant.

    The flight attendant rushed over to apologize while stammering, ¡°S-Sir, themunication system on the ne has been experiencing issues since takeoff. We are currently in the process of repairing it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent.

    Song Jinning, who was sitting next to him, said quickly, ¡°Do you have something urgent tomunicate with someone? Do you want to borrow my phone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had his own phone with him. He had wanted to use the Inte initially, but now it seemed as though he would have to use his phone to send the instructions.

    He didn¡¯t take Song Jinning up on the offer but pulled out his own phone instead. ¡°Thank you, Miss Song, but I have my phone.¡±

    He took out his cell phone, but saw the flight attendant still standing in front of him waiting for something.

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t tell me that I can¡¯t even use my cell phone.¡±

    ¡°Sir, actually, the real issue is that after the aircraft ascended to higher altitudes, there were some serious issues with electromaic interference. Not only has the aircraft¡¯smunication system been disrupted, but even the mobile signals seem to be blocked.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and eximed, ¡°What are you talking about?! Electromaic interference?! Take me to see!¡±

    He was the most distinguished fighter pilot in the Huaxia Empire, and he had an extensive knowledge of military aircraft systems.

    Aircrafts encountering electromaic interference at high altitudes could be serious or trivial, depending on the situation.

    Since most military aircrafts didn¡¯t need to maintainmunication with the ground as frequently as civilian nes did, electromaic interference had less of an impact on military aircrafts than it did on civilian.

    But on a grand scale, regardless of what kind of aircraft they were flying in, substantial electromaic interference had the potential to increase the risk of aircraft damage.

    As soon as Song Jinning heard electromaic interference, she immediately stood up. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ll go with you!¡±

    She was a physicist with a concentration in high-energy research and was an expert on topics rting to electromaic interference.

    Huo Shaoheng merely looked at her, then broke out into a smile. ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best since the person who caused the electromaic interference would never have imagined that there was an expert on the ne. Come, follow me and bring your equipment with you.¡±

    Song Jinning turned around and picked up her small briefcase, then followed Huo Shaoheng to the cockpit.

    The pilot, co-pilot, and several flight attendants were in the cockpit. They were all covered in sweat and trying to fix the issue.

    Only then did Huo Shaoheng realize the severity of the electromaic interference. It had gotten stronger and stronger, to the point that their aircraft was on the verge of losing its sense of direction.

    In other words, they didn¡¯t know where the aircraft was heading!

    ¡°Sir!¡±

    ¡°Sir! We are trying our best to fix it.¡±

    The pilot and co-pilot showed calm resolve in the face of potential danger.

    Huo Shaoheng calmed down quickly and raised his hand to the pilot. ¡°You step aside, I¡¯ll try fixing it,¡± he said. Then he turned to look at Song Jinning. ¡°Miss Song, how long will it take you to determine the source and frequency of the electromaic interference, then block and eliminate it?¡±

    Song Jinning saw how calm Huo Shaoheng was and felt herself calm down as well. She opened her briefcase and took out an instrument.

    The instrument was initially meant to be taken to C City to measure the uncanny maic field, but it had unexpectedlye in handy now.

    ¡°You stay at the helm. I¡¯ll escort you.¡± Song Jinning smiled and connected the power supply to the instrument, tapping away on the keyboard with both hands, then started issuing instructions one by one.

 Chapter 1055 - The Revolt

    <h4>Chapter 1055: The Revolt</h4>

    The pilot and aircrew on the military ne nervously watched Song Jinning search for electromaic frequencies. One of the crew members asked, ¡°Director Song, can you determine where the interference is originating from?¡±

    When an aircraft was in flight, it was constantly being exposed to different levels and types of electromaic interference.

    Therefore, in the beginning, they had not realized that the situation was serious or that there was anything out of the ordinary. They had thought that the aircraft would filter and block it on its own.

    Who would have thought that as the aircraft ascended higher and higher, that the electromaic interference they had encountered would strengthen?

    By the time they realized that the substantial electromaic interference was not something that they were capable of dealing with on their own and had nned to report the situation to Huo Shaoheng, he had already taken the initiative and came to them asking about the poorwork connection.

    Song Jinning attentively watched the data that was appearing on her monitor and exined to them like a teacher exining new material to her students.

    ¡°Usually, there are two primary sources of electromaic interference. Those are natural interference and human interference.

    ¡°Electrical static from the atmosphere or cosmic noise from outer space are examples of natural interference. They are the basicponents of the Blue¡¯s electromaic environment, but they can also interfere with radiomunications,¡± Song Jinning exined.

    She continued, saying, ¡°Human interference, as the name implies, is electromaic interference generated by artificial devices.

    ¡°But human interference can be either passive or active.

    ¡°Passive interference urs when some electronic devices, such as high-voltage wires or household appliances, unintentionally release a small amount of electromaic interference when they perform their regr functions.

    ¡°Active human interferencees from devices specifically used to generate electromaic interference. For aircrafts, the worst type of electromaic interference is usually caused by active human interference,¡± she said.

    The pilot and the aircrew gasped. ¡°Active human interference?! Aimed toward this aircraft?! How is that possible?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military aircraft belonged to the E-01mander. It was a highly advanced type of aircraft that integrated ground surveince, airmand, andbat control functions. It was like amanding bastion for flight. It also had the ability to carry andunch interstate missiles and could deploy small nuclear bombs. How could such an aircraft not have strong anti-radiation and anti-jamming capabilities?!!

    Of course, it was only a first-generationmand aircraft developed by the Huaxia Empire. It was not as mature as other military aircraft in terms of technology, and its anti-jamming capabilities had yet to be tested in actualbat. Therefore, it was possible for such oversights to have happened.

    Song Jinning nodded and said calmly, ¡°Active human interference is only the worst-case scenario. As far as I know, there is not yet a device so advanced that it can interfere with aircraft from a distance of 10,000 meters. Besides, this is a military aircraft, and based on the tests I just ran, it is a highly advanced one with an exceptional anti-interference coating. Logically, it should not be so strongly affected by electromaic interference at this level.¡±

    In reality, it was suffering from severe electromaic interference. So severe that it had almost lost its sense of direction.

    Losing its navigation capabilities was one of the worst things that could happen to a ne.

    It not only meant that it might not be possible to reach their destination but also meant that it might collide with another aircraft at any moment because they could not tell if they were veering into another ne¡¯s path.

    Song Jinning looked up at Huo Shaoheng and saw that he was standing at the front, concentrated on watching the snowy white clouds rolling in front of him against the clear blue sky.

    He was entirely relying on his intuition and the direction of the sun to determine their position.

    Just as Song Jinning looked up, she noticed a bright little dot from a distance rapidly moving in the direction of their ne!

    ¡°Be careful!¡± she said.

    ¡°A ne ising!¡± someone shouted.

    Everyone in the cockpit felt their heart leap into their throats as they watched the aircraft rush towards them.

    The pilot of the other ne almost passed out at the sight.

    Why on earth was another ne on his route and making a beeline toward him!

    He repeatedly attempted to call them on the radio, but the other party wouldn¡¯t answer!

    He felt a deep sense of despair and was on the verge of reporting to air traffic control that he had encountered a terrorist ne about to attack!

    Just as he was about to make the call, the other party¡¯s huge, silvery-white ne raised up into the sky like a white swan, then hurled itself upward!

    The clouds were shing by quickly, and the blue sky was so close that it seemed within reach.

    The elegant and beautiful swan-like aircraft rose vertically at almost a 90-degree angle, leaving a vast vortex of swirling clouds in its wake as a loud explosion could be heard!

    This was the first time that themand and control military aircraft E-01 had sessfully achieved supersonic flight!

    In the cockpit, a thunderous apuse came from the pilots and aircrew, and it was so loud that it almost rivaled the sonic boom that had just been heard moments before.

    The aircraft soared elegantly through the huge cloud vortex it had created.

    ¡°The crisis is resolved! The crisis is resolved!¡± the pilot of themercial ne shouted into the loudspeaker.

    The pilot almost copsed in the cockpit after sending the reassuring message to the passengers on the ne.

    Those passengers, who had feared for their lives, immediately broke out into cheers!

    After cheering, everyone copsed in their seat, anxious to tell their family about the dangerous situation they had just narrowly avoided.

    When the captain of themercial airliner nced out through the window, he saw only a silver-white swan-like projection. The ne itself had disappeared.

    He calmed himself down and reported what he had just experienced to air traffic control. He said, ¡°That ne was not showing on the radar at all. If I hadn¡¯t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have even known that it was in my path.¡±

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng was releasing the handbrake, checking the aircraft¡¯s data, and working hard to bring the ne back to the correct route as fast as he could.

    Seeing this, Song Jinning was stunned.

    During thatst moment, she had the urge to rush over and hug her son as tightly as she could, and protect him from the impending danger!

    But her son was morepetent and capable than she could have ever imagined.

    At thest moment, he did his best to lift the ne upwards, sessfully avoiding having the two nes collide.

    Song Jinning collected herself and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, increasing the pace at which she issued instructions.

    ¡°The equipment we have is iplete, and the interference cannot be eliminated or blocked. All I can do is conduct some anti-interference measures, which would cancel out the other party¡¯s interference,¡± she said in a thick, nasally voice.

    Anti-interference would not only cancel the effects of the other party¡¯s electromaic interference on them, but it could also potentially cause the other party¡¯s equipment to break.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look back and simply nodded, saying, ¡°Miss Song, please perform the anti-interference measures as soon as possible. I¡¯m worried that more aircraft will appear on this route.¡±

    He had already realized that this was yet another attempt on his life.

    Someone wanted to end his life but didn¡¯t have the audacity to do so personally. So, that person was instead employing highly advanced technology to eliminate him without lifting a finger.

    ¡°No problem, I have already investigated their electromaic frequency and immediately started the anti-jamming process,¡± Song Jinning said, her voice full of resentment.

    Who would dare try to kill her son?!!

    Song Jinning adjusted the power of her instrument to its maximum and released electromaic signals with the same frequency, but that was more powerful by 10,000 times.

    This frequency would only interfere with the equipment that was releasing the electromaic interference toward them, and would not affect other aircrafts.

    As time ticked by, minute by slow minute, everyone anxiously held their breath. The only noise that could be heard came from various instruments in the cockpit.

    Very quickly, Huo Shaoheng discovered that Song Jinning¡¯s method had worked.

    The electromaic sound in his headphones gradually began to louden, and he knew that this meant that their connection with the ground console was in the process of being restored.

    The radiomunications andworks were also gradually recovering.

    ¡°You guys try signaling, and try to get into contact with air control on the ground,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°Verify our position and see where we are.¡±

    ncing at his watch, he saw that it was already one o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    At that point, four full hours had passed since they initially took off.

    That meant that they had been hovering in the air for almost four hours, and the ne¡¯s fuel was running out.

    However, as long as ground contact was restored, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Huo Shaoheng returned control of the ne to the pilot and asked him to contact the military. After determining his position, he called the air tanker to refuel.

    ...

    Hong Kangquan sat in the surveince room, which was situated on the same floor as the Secret Service¡¯s execution room, and looked at the time.

    When he asked Assistant Minister Feng to invite the members of the Special Operations Forces there, it had been nine in the morning.

    He had interrogated them for two hours, then used a torture technique he referred to as ¡®ck light¡¯/ From when he had started until then, another two hours had passed. It was almost one o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    It should have been almost time.

    Hong Kangquan thought for a moment.

    He was trying to force a confession on the whereabouts of The Pink Piggy out of those people, not kill them.

    If any of those people were killed during the interrogation process, no matter how much valuable information was extracted, the consequences would outweigh the rewards he would have reaped from the information.

    ¡°The operation is over. You cane out now,¡± Hong Kangquan calmly said into the microphone. He then turned on the execution room¡¯s lights.

    The surveince resumed, and Hong Kangquan looked toward the execution room, anticipating his subordinates¡¯ masterpiece.

    His eyes grew wide. When he realized what had happened in the execution room, his blood boiled with rage.

    Hadn¡¯t he explicitly instructed them to be careful not to leave any external scars during the process?!!

    Why do these Special Operations Forces members have swollen faces with bruises and blood on their bodies?!!

    There were 27 execution rooms in total, and, without exception, each and every member of the Special Operations Forces had conspicuous injuries on their bodies. They might as well have had ¡®I was tortured by the Secret Service!¡¯ written on their faces.

    Hong Kangquan was enraged. His nostrils red, and his face started to twitch.

    A bunch of useless idiots!

    They don¡¯t even know how to properly beat someone without leaving marks behind!

    Hong Kangquan rushed toward the execution room nearest to him, yanked the door open, and roared, ¡°What are you doing?! What did I teach you?¡±

    His subordinate sat in the execution room¡¯s chair and merely stared at him,pletely motionless. The smile on his face was stiff and unnatural.

    Hong Kang was startled and suddenly thought back to the 27 execution rooms that he had seen on the surveince monitors just then.

    All of his men were sitting in chairs, while the members of the Special Operations Forces were all over the ce and in all sorts of positions.

    ¡°Crap,¡± Hong Kangquan muttered to himself. He was about to leave quickly, but the Special Operations Forces member that had been covered in blood and lying still on the ground sprang up and lunged toward him!

    Hong Kangquan managed to dodge him just in time, but the Special Operations Forces member had actually been aiming for the door. While Hong Kangquan had been busy dodging, the man had seized the opportunity to rush out the door.

    In a state of panic, Hong Kangquan pulled out his gun and fired two shots toward the man¡¯s back!

    However, the man gracefully dropped to the ground and rolled about, sessfully dodging the bullets that had been fired at him, then quickly sounded the floor¡¯s rm!

    The buzzing rm immediately started ring throughout the Secret Service building, and even several Assistant Ministers were startled.

 Chapter 1056 - A Hot Mess

    <h4>Chapter 1056: A Hot Mess</h4>

    ¡°What happened?!¡± someone shouted over the rm.

    Someone else cried, ¡°Was there a foreign invasion?!¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? We are the Secret Service of the imperial capital! If foreign enemies have already infiltrated the Secret Services, we are all doomed!¡± someone yelled back.

    Everyoneined, but they still picked their weapons up per protocol, went to their assigned posts, and prepared to deal with the crisis.

    The crisis action team formed in advance put on bulletproof vests, armed themselves with guns, and ran downstairs toward the execution room floor where the rm had sounded.

    Assistant Minister Feng led his people toward the front.

    His eyelids had been twitching all morning, and his intuition told him that something would happen today. Something really had happened.

    He murmured about it to himself, then quickly led his people toward the execution room floor located down in the third basement.

    ¡°Stop right there! Who is it?¡± a voice called.

    Assistant Minister Feng rushed out of the elevator and looked up only to see Hong Kangquan running over with his gun drawn and aimed toward them.

    ¡°Old Hong, what happened?¡± Assistant Minister Feng asked anxiously. He thought that Hong Kangquan had located the target.

    Hong Kangquan pointed behind him and shouted, ¡°There!¡± Then he rushed into the elevator alone.

    Assistant Minister Feng was speechless.

    The people he brought along with him nced at each other in bewilderment.

    In the hallway, the rm was still ring. The door of one of the execution rooms was still open, and Assistant Minister Feng thought that Hong Kangquan might have been pointing at the door just then.

    Assistant Minister Feng made a gesture telling his team to cover him.

    He stealthily moved toward the execution room step by step, holding his gun at his waist.

    He was just halfway there when a man suddenly rushed through the door and lunged at Assistant Minister Feng. Clenching the Assistant Minister Feng¡¯s neck in one hand and grabbing his gun with the other, the man warned him, ¡°Order them to put down their gun! If any one of you dares to make another move, I¡¯ll snap his neck!¡±

    The man¡¯s hands were covered in blood. Assistant Minister Feng was disgusted and terrified by the metallic smell of blood, but since he was the Assistant Minister of the Secret Service and a high ranking figure of authority, he pulled himself together and barked, ¡°Kill me if you have the nerve! But don¡¯t you dare try putting words in my mouth! You don¡¯t speak for me.¡±

    The man froze and was seemingly caught off guard, but then let out a taunting fit ofughter. ¡°Well, well. Who do we have here? Assistant Minister Feng? So, you and that despicable Hong Kangquan are the ones that tricked my brothers and me into entering the Secret Service¡¯s torture chamber? Did you two really think that we have been training all of these years for nothing?! ¡±

    Assistant Minister Feng was speechless and asked meekly, ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±

    What torture chamber?!!

    Was the Secret Service doing this to their own people?!!

    Assistant Minister Feng had simply thought that Hong Kangquan asked him to bring these 27 people here to assist in the investigation!

    ¡°Who are you? Are you really a member of the Special Operations Forces that came with me today?¡± Assistant Minister Feng regained hisposure and began to reason with the man. ¡°You must restrain yourself. Don¡¯t make things even worse than they already are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d much rather keep on making mistakes than to be killed by you and then have to trouble Huo Shao with avenging my death!¡± The man pulled out his gun and held it to Assistant Minister Feng¡¯s head. ¡°I will give you until the count of three to order your people to put their guns down. Those who don¡¯t, well, they won¡¯t be able to hold a gun ever again. Whichever hand is holding the gun will be shot!¡±

    The crisis action team brought by Assistant Minister Feng only consisted of a total of ten people. Although his men were heavily armed, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that they would fire. Even if they did fire, they weren¡¯tpetent enough to kill the man in one shot. They were no match against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rigorously H*ll-style trained forces.

    Seeing the man hold a gun and point it at the back of Assistant Minister Feng¡¯s head with murderous intent had already intimidated most of the Secret Servicemen. The few who held their own were experienced war veterans, and they refused to let their guards down, even for a second.

    When Assistant Minister Feng heard that man¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. It was no wonder that Huo Shaoheng had been able to rise up to such a high-ranking position at a young age. They really were not even on the same level.

    Being in such a high position required one to not only be highlypetent themselves but, more importantly, they had to be able to train a group of simrly capable and loyal subordinates. Otherwise, they would not be able to carry out what they needed to do.

    A one-man army made a great hero, but a lone wolf could never be an outstanding leader.

    Only with a team ofpetent subordinates, loyal enough to be the trusted right hand, would a leader gain esteem.

    Dozens of thoughts raced through Assistant Minister Feng¡¯s mind, and he finally managed to say, ¡°All of you, put down your guns.¡±

    He was speaking to his own people.

    ¡°Assistant Minister Feng!¡±

    Several veterans in the Secret Service¡¯s crisis action team cried out indignantly and refused to drop their weapons.

    The other members had thrown away the guns in their hands after the first warning.

    ¡°One, two...¡± The man hadn¡¯t even counted to three before several of the veterans finally threw away the guns in their hands.

    It was not out of cowardice, but because the murderous vibe the man gave off was simply too menacing. He pointed his gun at the back of Assistant Minister Feng¡¯s head with a look that showed he was willing to pull the trigger at any second!

    The man from the Special Operations Forces saw that they had all thrown their guns away and did not bother them any further. However, his gun was still pointed at the back of Assistant Minister Feng¡¯s head. ¡°Go and open the gates of the torture chambers and let out my 26 brothers!¡± he directed the others.

    Assistant Minister Feng himself also wanted to know if this man¡¯s words were true, so he ordered, ¡°Go open the doors!¡±

    The members of the Secret Service¡¯s crisis action team silently opened the doors of the execution rooms¡¯ torture chambers.

    The entire floor was made up of execution rooms. There were hundreds of square huts, each approximately three square meters in size.

    No one had been held here for a long time. Yet today, more than 20 torture chambers had been filled with people.

    After the chamber doors had been open, everyone was taken aback by what they saw.

    In each of the 20 plus execution rooms, there was a bloody man with a badly beaten swollen face, and a man sitting in a chair wearing an uncanny smile.

    They realized that the men sitting in the chairs wearing the bizarre smiles were all their fellow Secret Service colleagues.

    So those covered in blood must have been the people from the Special Operations Forces.

    As soon as the people from the Special Operations Forces saw that the door was finally opened, one by one, they stood up from the ground and walked out of their rooms in silence.

    They were all tall, burly, and robust, and they all had the same intimidating, piercing look in their eyes.

    None of them bothered to hide their murderous vibes.

    As soon as they saw guns on the ground, they all rushed to pick them up. Working as a team, they quickly captured all the Secret Servicemen that had opened the doors for them.

    During the entire process, no one had uttered a word. Everything was done in a tacit and seamless fashion.

    To Assistant Minister Feng, the sight before him was like holding a red rag in front of a bull. He managed to stammer, ¡°Huo Shaoheng... Huo Shaoheng... you d*mn b*stard! Next time, I will send my people to you for special training! If you dare hide talent like this again, I will report you to General Ji!¡±

    When everyone heard Assistant Minister Feng mention Huo Shaoheng, they merely nced at each other. They still did not let their guards down.

    ¡°Assistant Minister Feng, sorry for the offense. But what went down today isn¡¯t over yet.¡± A member of the Special Operation Forces pointed a gun at them. ¡°We will report to our chief and request him to brief us on what crimes we havemitted to deserve such treatment from the Secret Service!¡±

    ¡°Torturing your ownrades so ruthlessly! Assistant Minister Feng, you and Director Hong really must be heroes to the Americans!¡± another member said.

    ¡°And you, Assistant Minister Feng, tricking us intoing here to the Secret Service. We won¡¯t let you off the hook that easily!¡±

    Although the 27 Special Operations Forces members in front of them mainly worked in data analysis and surveince and were allputer experts, under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rigorous training that he applied to both field agents and intelligence analysts alike, they were all highly trained inbat.

    How could Hong Kangquan¡¯s confidants be worthy opponents when up against them?

    After themps went out, Hong Kangquan¡¯s team had tried to beat the Special Operations Forces agents up in the dark, but instead were overpowered by them. In a shocking turn of events, the Secret Servicemen themselves were beaten and had their own weapons used against them.

    However, the people from the Special Operations Forces were wise enough not to make it too obvious that they had the upper hand. They beat themselves up a little so they would have some visible wounds, but made it so that the injuries they left on Hong Kangquan¡¯s followers were inconspicuous.

    ...

    An hourter, both Prime Minister Tan and General Ji had gotten word that 27 Special Operations Forces members had been tricked into being tortured at the hands of the Secret Service. Those tortured members had no choice but to start a mutiny and were holding the Secret Service agents and several Assistant Ministers hostage. They were demanding a redress of grievances from the Cab.

 Chapter 1057 - The Outstanding Tradition of Protecting Ones Own

    <h4>Chapter 1057: The Outstanding Tradition of Protecting One¡¯s Own</h4>

    ¡°What? What the h*ll are you saying?! I¡¯m old, so I¡¯m having a hard time hearing what you just said! If you SOBs dare to utter the word ¡®mutiny¡¯ again, I will shoot you!¡± General Ji roared when he heard what Tan Dongbang had said on the phone.

    Tan Dongbang was so startled that, with a shiver, he almost dropped the phone in his hand.

    After a while, after calming himself down and carefully holding the phone about a foot away from himself, Tan Dongbang switched to hands-free mode and said into the microphone, ¡°I am not making this up, General Ji. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s 27 soldiers have upied our Secret Service building! I have already ordered the police headquarters to mobilize all police forces to surround¨C¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll do so over my dead body!¡± General Ji¡¯s voice interrupted suddenly. His voice deepened as he said, ¡°If you dare send the police to besiege my soldiers, I will end you!¡±

    ¡°General Ji, you can¡¯t do this. This is aw-abiding society, and none of us are above thew.¡± Tan Dongbang was growing impatient with General Ji¡¯s tant partiality. ¡°The fact is, what your soldiers are doing is illegal. Not only are they refusing to cooperate with the investigation, but they have alsoid siege to the Secret Service¡¯s headquarters! They should be handed over to the Americans to teach them a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± General Ji was not a particrly sharp-tongued person, and it was unlike him to fight with someone like Tan Dongbang. He obviously was not on the same level. He was so anxious that he blurted out, ¡°Illegal? You guys are the ones extorting confessions through torture. Now, how can they act rationally andwfully under such cruel interrogation methods?¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng had been giving his Special Operations Forces members specialized training, he had taught them not to give up on their lives until the veryst minute. So, they would do everything they could in order to survive.

    One Special Operations Forces member was enough to open an underground tunnel in Eastern Europe.

    Two Special Operations Forces members were enough to illicit conflict between two domestic political parties in a Western European country, and make them fight to the death amongst themselves.

    Four Special Operations Forces members were already in control of the economic lifeline of a South American country.

    Coincidentally, those 27 members of the Special Operations Forces happened to be the elite of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinates, both in terms of mental and physical prowess!

    An unfortunate coincidence for the other party!

    How could upying a Secret Service building not be a piece of cake for them?

    In other smaller nations, if 27 members of the Special Operations Forces joined forces to wreak havoc, then a nation itself might be put out of existence.

    General Ji knew very well that with thebat skills and experience of the Special Operations Forces, upying the Secret Service building was a piece of cake.

    So, he wasn¡¯t surprised when he received word of what had happened, and he didn¡¯t want to hold them ountable for it.

    He must protect them.

    It was bad enough already that the Americans had gotten hold of their confidential data and put their people on the most wanted list.

    Now, they even had to deal with the plots and ns of their own people. If he had been in their position, no doubt he would have also upied the Secret Service building, and given those spoiled brats a hard lesson!

    General Ji reprimanded Tan Dongbang as eloquently as he could. ¡°Prime Minister Tan, don¡¯t think just because you are the Prime Minister now that I wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to you. If you touch a single hair on my soldiers¡¯ heads, I... I will make the Legal Department sue you and ce you in jail!¡±

    Tan Dongbang sneered, ¡°General Ji, as long as I am the Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire, I will serve the people of Huaxia. Your soldiers are human, yet aren¡¯t the Secret Servicemen human as well? General Ji, you are the head of this nation¡¯s military. How can you say such a thing?¡±

    ¡°You know that I am the supreme leader of the military, so of course I will have to put in a word or two for my people. Is that a problem?¡± General Ji did not want to pay Tan Dongbang any more attention and said, ¡°I will head toward the Secret Service at once, and you order your people to keep their guns away. I don¡¯t want a single weapon in sight. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you; don¡¯t test the marksmanship of my soldiers! You will regret it!¡±

    General Ji suppressed his anger and hung up on Tan Dongbang. He looked up to see Secretary Cao and asked, ¡°What the h*ll is going on? Why were my people at the Secret Service in the first ce? Didn¡¯t Old Long and I already refuse to help with the shenanigans surrounding their US investigation?¡±

    During the time General Ji and Tan Dongbang had been preupied bickering amongst themselves, General Ji¡¯s private secretary, Secretary Cao, had found someone to look into the ins and outs of the matter.

    Only when General Ji saw hime in did he hang up on Tan Dongbang.

    Secretary Cao sighed and said, ¡°They didn¡¯t go there by their own ord. The Secret Service used Prime Minister Tan¡¯s authorization form and asked them to go back to assist the investigation. Yet when they got there, Hong Kangquan took them to the execution room¡¯s torture chamber.¡±

    He sighed and shook his head ruefully.

    Those 27 members were the backbone of the Special Operations Forces.

    Although they had once had their confidential information publicized by the United States and were consequently condemned around the world, in the eyes of General Ji and Speaker Long, their skills and ethics spoke for themselves.

    They had no intention of yielding to the unreasonable demands of the United States.

    Besides, these 27 men weren¡¯t field agents, but intelligence analysts that provided technical support within the Special Operations Forces. So even if the United States knew their identities, there wasn¡¯t much harm in it.

    They could continue on with their technical support as long as they didn¡¯t go abroad.

    ¡°So, it does have something to do with that idiot Tan Dongbang after all!¡± General Ji pped his desk. ¡°He just pretended to have no idea when speaking to me! And what about Hong Kangquan?! Wasn¡¯t he locked up by Speaker Long? Old Long is so unreliable!¡±

    ¡°It was also Prime Minister Tan who personally released him.¡± Secretary Cao shook his head. ¡°You have to hurry over there. I am worried that Prime Minister Tan is really going to do the unthinkable.¡±

    Worry shed across General Ji¡¯s face. He hurriedly picked up his military cap and put it on, saying, ¡°Quickly, notify Huo Shaoheng, and tell him that his soldiers are about to demolish the Secret Services!¡±

    ¡°Should I really word it like that?¡± Secretary Caoughed. ¡°If Huo Shao thought that was the case, he would definitelye back to lead them in their demolition efforts!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not a narrow-minded person. Even if he felt offended, he usually chose to let it go and rarely held people ountable for it.

    But if anyone offended his soldiers or his women, he definitely wouldn¡¯t let them off the hook so easily.

    Regardless of whether it was reasonable or not, he would knock the wind out of them before getting to the bottom of it.

    If they told Huo Shaoheng, he would definitelye and deal with those fools in the Secret Service and the Cab!

    ¡°He can take the lead in the dismantling process! I will help as well!¡± General Ji red at Secretary Cao and said, ¡°Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve called before, but Huo Shao didn¡¯t pick up. Should I call again?¡± Secretary Cao asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Yes, hurry up. If you can¡¯t get through, go directly to the Special Operations Forces...¡± General Ji suddenly paused and turned to look at Secretary Cao. ¡°No. If Shaoheng was present in the Special Operations Forces building, then could those 27 people have been tricked out of there?! I won¡¯t believe it for a second!¡±

    Secretary Cao began tough bitterly. ¡°Yes, Huo Shao is indeed not in the Special Operations Forces office.¡±

    ¡°Where is he? Hurry up and go find him!¡± General Ji hurried out of the office door with an anxious look on his face.

    Secretary Cao struggled to keep up and whispered, ¡°I heard Zhou Qiyuan say that Huo Shao and Director Song left for C City on a military ne to monitor the maic field early in the morning. That is why we lostmunication with him for four hours in the middle. The ne itself had even disappeared from the radar, so we were worried that something might have gone wrong.¡±

    General Ji stopped abruptly. He stopped too fast, and Secretary Cao nearly bumped into his back.

    ¡°What are you talking about?!!! Lostmunication with him for four hours?¡± General Ji turned around suddenly and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone report this to me?!¡±

    As soon as his voice fell, his cell phone rang.

    He frowned and pulled it out. It was Huo Shaoheng calling him!

    General Ji breathed a sigh of relief, then red daggers at Secretary Cao while answering Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call.

 Chapter 1058 - Your People, My People

    <h4>Chapter 1058: Your People, My People</h4>

    ¡°Shaoheng, are you okay?¡± Ironically, General Ji had a better impression of Huo Shaoheng after that day¡¯s events surrounding the 27 Special Operations Forces members.

    Competent generals had no weak soldiers, and the situation at hand proved that.

    Whether or not his sessor was qualified not only depended on his own capabilities, but also on his ability to trainpetent followers.

    Huo Shaoheng was the sharpest weapon he had ever built.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s soldiers were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sharpest weapons.

    If a soldier saw no blood, could he really call himself a soldier?

    The most crucial skill to the soldiers in the Special Operations Forces was the ability to adapt to all sorts of situations.

    As soon as he picked up, Huo Shaoheng sensed that General Ji was already aware of their situation. He pursed his lips, saying, ¡°Fortunately, we just conducted a round of anti-electromaic interference, and our ne is in stable condition at the moment.¡±

    General Ji was stunned for a moment. ¡°Anti-electromaic interference?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept his long story short. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Our ne was targeted shortly after takeoff and subjected to strong electromaic interference. The aircraft lost directional capabilities at one point, and it took around three to four hours to fix the situation. However, our ne was almost out of fuel, so I had to request an air tanker from the military. I¡¯m worried that it will not arrive in time, so I wanted to give you a heads-up beforehand.¡±

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng having to personally call General Ji to remind him that they were running out of fuel signaled the urgency of the situation.

    Although the pilot of the aircraft had called air traffic control to request someone arrive with more fuel, their request still hadn¡¯t been met yet.

    Although Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t explicitly said so, knowing him so well, how could General Ji not realize what he was insinuating?

    ¡°You¡¯re still on the ne? The ne is almost out of fuel?¡± General Ji¡¯s expression changed as he realized the gravity of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s situation. For the time being, he decided not to tell him about the crisis involving the Secret Service. He immediately picked up the phone and called the Air Force, saying aloud, ¡°General Huo is stranded in the air in dire need of fuel. You will take off and provide him fuel immediately! I will give you five minutes! If you don¡¯t take off within five minutes, you will be subject to military discipline!¡±

    The airman was frightened. They had been considering holding off handling the issue, thinking it was not a big deal, but they had not expected General Ji to call himself!

    ¡°Yes sir, Chief! We will deal with it immediately!¡± the airman responded.

    The people who had originally wanted to wait saw that the situation had gotten out of hand and snuck away.

    Twenty minutester, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military aircraft finally received fuel.

    At that point, their ne had almost reached the aircraft¡¯s low fuel alert threshold.

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the cabin, and although he was actually in deep thought, on the outside, he appeared to be simply watching the aircraft getting refueled along with everyone else.

    Song Jinning watched for a while, then sat beside Huo Shaoheng and anxiously patted his hand. ¡°Shaoheng, this time, it has gotten too dangerous. The way I see it, the sudden appearance of a maic field in City C seems sketchy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had also thought about that possibility as well, but since they had already risked so much to get to City C, he personally felt the need to see what tricks the enemy had up his sleeve.

    ¡°Miss Song, how did you find out that a maic field had appeared in City C?¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his head, opened hisptop, and started a data inquiry.

    Song Jinning nced around. ¡°Should I say it here?¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bother to look up.

    This was his private ne, and the aircraft had been specially built for him.

    At the moment, there were no outsiders in the area, only Song Jinning and him.

    Yet Song Jinning still felt uneasy. She took hisputer from him and typed a few lines on hisputer¡¯s notepad.

    It said: ¡°All of our high-energy physics maometers were left by my father. That is, your grandfather. I didn¡¯t stay in the experimental base that year, but instead stayed in the office of the Institute of High Energy Physics, and was, therefore, able to escape unscathed. C City was constantly under surveince in search of its connection to our maometer from back in the day. Starting a few days ago, the instrument started intermittently showing signs, and today, the maic field had beenpletely formed.¡± Song Jinning also pulled out her own maic field data map for Huo Shaoheng to see.

    Huo Shaoheng looked for a while and determined that the maic field really had appeared.

    He bowed his head slightly, thinking after so many years that his enemy had finally emerged from the shadows and showed himself.

    In fact, if the other party had remained dormant and done nothing, Huo Shaoheng really would have had no clue how to catch him.

    But the other party seemed stubbornly determined not to give up, especially over thest two years. Not only had he himself been targeted, but Gu Nianzhi had been a target as well.

    This was interesting.

    Huo Shaoheng had never thought about making a connection between that weird maic field and Gu Nianzhi before. Everyone simply thought that seven years ago, Gu Nianzhi had the misfortune of being in the wrong ce at the wrong time.

    After all, it had been 17 years ago that the uncanny maic field had first appeared in the Huaxia Empire, much earlier than when Gu Nianzhi had firste into the picture.

    But now, he had enough evidence and reason to link the two together.

    He had to thank the enemy¡¯s persistence in trying to eliminate Gu Nianzhi and himself. The more he tried, the more potential mistakes he made, and the more he revealed about himself.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go to City C.¡± Huo Shaoheng decided. ¡°It¡¯s closer, and it was our intended destination as well.¡±

    He turned off theputer. The aerial refueling that had been going on outside was now finished.

    General Ji called him again.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his Bluetooth headset and switched it on, then calmly said, ¡°Greetings, sir.¡±

    Song Jinning overheard Huo Shaoheng calling the other person sir, and, knowing that he only addressed a select few people by sir, she quietly left the room.

    Soon he was the only one left in the spacious cockpit.

    General Ji was already at the gate of the Secret Service¡¯s headquarters. The 27 Special Operations Forces members that led the confrontation were standing in front of him. He looked at the blood on their bodies, then at their broken noses and swollen faces, and his heart ached. Suppressing his anger, he first asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Have you refueled yet?¡±

    ¡°Just finished refueling.¡± Huo Shaoheng heard the pilot telling them that they would be arriving at City C in a few moments, so he told General Ji as well.

    General Ji was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Shaoheng, I have something to tell you.¡±

    General Ji told him about how the 27 agents from the Special Operations Forces had upied the Secret Service headquarters.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face fell. ¡°Are there any photos of the site? Let me see some of them.¡±

    General Ji nodded. ¡°I¡¯m on the scene.¡± Then, he started to video call Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng epted the call to see the video General Ji was livecasting.

    Soon, the Secret Service¡¯s iron-gray building, the lushwn in front of it, the armed police on the scene, the police cars shing lights, and several armored vehicles in front of the police car all appeared on the phone¡¯s screen.

    As soon as General Ji changed the angle of the phone¡¯s lens, Tan Dongbang¡¯s face appeared on the screen.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrows twitched.

    General Ji¡¯s phone was lifted upward once again. This time, those who appeared on the phone screen were the Special Operations Forces members who had been invited by Assistant Minister Feng to assist in the investigation.

    Huo Shaoheng eyes skimmed through the crowd. There were only about a dozen people, yet there were probably about a dozen more hiding in various fortresses. The snipers must have had rifles aimed at his people, and were waiting to shoot anyone who moved.

    His eyes fell on the wounds on his soldier, and the corners of his mouth twitched once again.

    He could tell that their injuries were probably self-inflicted and that it was most likely ast resort. Otherwise, they might not have been able toe out alive.

    Huo Shaoheng knew his subordinates very well. Withoutplete faith, they would not have gone this far.

    ¡°General Ji, this is how the Secret Service treats our soldiers?! What did they do wrong to deserve such severe torture?!¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. His voice was extremely harsh. ¡°Who ordered the military police to be here? Treating their own people like this? I demand that they all evacuate immediately!¡±

    General Ji agreed, but Tan Dongbang was so eloquent that General Ji had run out of things to say.

    General Ji did not want to fight with Tan Dongbang again under the public eye and lose credibility in front of all those people, so he put the phone on hands-free mode, then secretly connected it to the broadcast speaker over the courtyard. He handed it to Tan Dongbang while saying coldly, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, Huo Shaoheng wants to talk to you.¡±

    Tan Dongbang grinned, then took the phone from General Ji without realizing that General Ji had already connected the phone to the live broadcast speaker.

    He proudly asked, ¡°General Huo, what¡¯s your advice? Your soldiers are¨C¡±

    Huo Shaoheng interrupted Tan Dongbang harshly, saying, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, I beseech you to remove all military police personnel and non-rted personnel this instant! Immediately!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice came out through the loudspeaker like a thunderbolt, and everyone at the scene was startled.

    The members of the Special Operations Forces that were still in the Secret Service building overheard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, and immediately became exuberant, shouting together, ¡°Greetings, sir!¡±

    Their booming voices came like thunder over the broadcast speaker. Although there were only 27 of them, they had the energy of a troop consisting of hundreds of soldiers.

    Huo Shaoheng heard his people¡¯s voices through his phone, and his heart rate calmed slightly. ¡°Hello, all. General Ji is already aware that the people in the Secret Service have been torturing you. Rest assured that justice will be served,¡± he said solemnly.

    As soon as Tan Dongbang heard what Huo Shaoheng said, he went absolutely mad.

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng! What do you mean?! Your soldiers are the ones attacking my people! upying my building! How dare you spin it around and make it seem like I¡¯m in the wrong when your people havemitted a serious crime! How dare you?!¡±

    How serious was mutiny?!!

    In ancient times, such a crime meant death for the mutineer and his family. Did Huo Shaoheng really have no idea?

    Tan Dongbang was indignant.

    Huo Shaoheng refuted his words, saying, ¡°Your people? You mean Hong Kangquan is one of your people? So Prime Minister Tan is now on the same side as a traitor who has betrayed our senior general and is guilty of repeated attempts on his life?¡±

    When the military policemen present at the scene heard what he said, amotion broke out. They despised traitors more than anything. No matter who they were or where they came from, traitors were their enemies.

    Even the armored vehicle¡¯s muzzle was aimed at Prime Minister Tan and his people.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s face turned a ghostly white, and he tried to collect himself. ¡°What are you talking about? When did Hong Kangquan try to murder our senior general? Stop spewing such nonsense!¡± he said stubbornly.

    ¡°Of course, I have evidence. Prime Minister Tan, please refrain from further troubling my people. As for the Secret Service, due to what happened today, we need to refer to military protocol. General Ji, my people, and I will all obey your orders unconditionally.¡± Huo Shaoheng finished speaking, then returnedmand back to General Ji.

 Chapter 1059 - Military Control

    <h4>Chapter 1059: Military Control</h4>

    General Ji eyed Tan Dongbang¡¯s rigid expression with smug satisfaction, and after a while, he said aloud, ¡°Prime Minister Tan, there are only two days until its time to vote. I think you¡¯re jeopardizing yourself. In order to protect your life, I will propose to Speaker Long that the military take over as your security personnel. You can rest assured that we¡¯ll give you the tightest security measures!¡±

    The corners of Tan Dongbang¡¯s eyes twitched. He gritted his teeth and spat out word by word, ¡°No. Thank. You!¡± Then he turned around and climbed into his special prime minister car.

    The secret service was supposed to be responsible for his protection, but now that the Secret Service itself waspromised, ording to protocol, the Special Operation Forces were supposed to take over the job.

    They looked at each other and didn¡¯t know who to listen to.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s personal car was parked there awkwardly, so no one dared to drive away.

    General Ji sneered and nced at the Prime Minister¡¯s personalized vehicle, then returned to his own car and called Speaker Long.

    ¡°Old Long? I need to tell you something, though I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re aware of it or not.¡± General Ji told him how Prime Minister Tan had been abusing his powers to order Hong Kangquan and his Secret Service personnel to torture the Special Operation Forces.

    Speaker Long was sitting in his personalized vehicle on his way to the airport, yet he was nearly on the verge of copsing from high blood pressure when he heard General Ji¡¯s words. ¡°What did you say?! Tan Dongbang pardoned Hong Kangquan personally and gave him permission to take away and torture the 27 members of the Special Operation Forces?!¡±

    He put down his phone and turned back to look at Special Assistant Zhuang with a furious expression. He asked, ¡°Tan Dongbang personally pardoned Hong Kangquan. Do you know anything about this?¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang was caught off guard for a moment, then said hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯ve been preupied with attending to people, along with you. No one told me.¡±

    As he was speaking, he called the Secretariat to ask about the matter.

    The Secretariat was in a state of confusion and chaos for a while before finally, someone came to answer the phone.

    That person was the intern, Rong Mingxing, whom Special Assistant Yang had brought in and mentored.

    She said cautiously, ¡°Special Assistant Zhuang, this is what happened: there was a call early in the morning when Director Hong was still detained, and Director Hong said he wanted to speak with you. I said that you and Speaker Long were in a meeting and asked him what he needed, but then he said nevermind, so I just briefly noted it.

    ¡°Then it didn¡¯t take long before they called again and said that Prime Minister Tan was going to employ his power to release Minister Hong. At that time, you and Speaker Long were busy dealing with other things and couldn¡¯t answer the phone, so I called Special Assistant Yang, who was on leave at home. He said that Prime Minister Tan had this authority so he didn¡¯t need to request permission from Speaker Long for the other party to pardon him, so I...¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯s eyes started twitching, and he couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Special Assistant Yang is on vacation, so why on earth did you ask him?¡± Then he hung up the phone and said to Speaker Long sheepishly, ¡°Speaker Long, they indeed called us, but it seems like the Secretariat didn¡¯t take it seriously, so...¡±

    Speaker Long suppressed his anger and looked at his watch. It was already four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and the German delegate to China would arrive in an hour.

    He had no choice but to say to General Ji, ¡°Old Ji, I¡¯m on my way to the airport, and it¡¯s toote for me to turn around. You have full authority to handle this matter, and you have my permission. After you finish handling it, I ask you to brief me on the situation.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll deal with it right away.¡± General Ji had been waiting for Speaker Long to say this.

    He was a military man and therefore had dealt with things in a militaristic style. He never procrastinated. As soon as he received permission from Speaker Long, he immediately dispatched troops on-site and sent a team of military personnel to take over Tan Dongbang¡¯s security and rece the Secret Servicemen that had originally been in charge.

    His real purpose for doing so was actually to watch Tan Dongbang, lest he used his prime minister status to make a final dying struggle.

    General Ji and Speaker Long thought that Tan Dongbang had reached the point where he had to be as silent as a mouse, yet he was putting up quite a fight.

    It was an extremely fierce struggle indeed.

    Tan Dongbang watched his security personnel being reced with soldiers in the military with had deep displeasure on his face, but he didn¡¯t dare object. When he had been waiting in the car just now, he had made several calls to Hong Kangquan only to find out that his phone number had been disconnected!

    The very person who had promised to take the me if the n went wrong had now vanished, and Tan Dongbang instantly realized howpromising his current position was...

    He sat restlessly in the car with sweat streaming down his forehead and back. After General Ji made sure the situation in the Secret Service was under control, the military police team took over the entire department and resumed security operations.

    General Ji also took back the 27 men from the Special Operation Forces that had been detained there.

    ¡°You guys wait in the Special Operation Forces. Don¡¯t go anywhere, just wait for Shao Heng toe back and decide what to do next, got it?¡± General Ji personally sent them back to the headquarters of the Special Operation Forces and immediately called the field medic to inspect their injuries.

    Chen Lie and Zhou Qiyuan greeted them together and were shocked to see the injuries on their bodies.

    After Zhou Qiyuan heard General Ji ry the ins and outs concerning the matter, he was ashamed and said quickly, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. If I had asked more questions, they wouldn¡¯t have been taken away so easily.¡±

    General Ji patted him on the shoulder. ¡°You can¡¯t me yourselfpletely. That idiot Tan Dongbang is now exploiting his privileges as the prime minister to do all sorts of crazy stuff. Even Old Long and I hadn¡¯t realized, so how can you me yourself?¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan had encountered no problems in terms of procedure, and the Secret Service had used Assistant Minister Feng to invite people, so even if Huo Shaoheng had been there, they still would have been let go.

    If he had been there, Hong Kangquan wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to abduct them...

    Although Zhou Qiyuan had some prestige, he certainly couldn¡¯t bepared to Huo Shaoheng.

    Therefore, General Ji was very tolerant of him.

    ¡°Chief, rest assured, I¡¯ll guard this area and await Huo Shao¡¯s return!¡± Zhou Qiyuan paid a standard military salute to General Ji.

    General Ji nodded. ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t need to say anymore. When Huo Shaoes back, let him see me right away.¡±

    Due to General Ji¡¯s position, this matter didn¡¯t require him personally to take matters into his own hands, but because it involved the Special Operation Forces, as well as Tan Dongbang and Hong Kangquan, he attached great importance to the matter and felt somewhat uneasy letting others handle it.

    From the headquarters of the Special Operation Forces, General Ji called to Speaker Long, ¡°Everything is handled, but what about Hong Kangquan? He seems to have escaped.¡±

    The Secret Service was now under military control, and all personnel had to register for a second review, yet Hong Kangquan was not among the registered personnel.

    General Ji left someone to search for Hong Kangquan in the Secret Service, but the 27 people in the Special Operation Forces revealed that Hong Kang had already escaped back when they first took over the Secret Service.

    At that time, they didn¡¯t chase him, since they had a valid reason to stay in the Secret Service headquarters and justify their actions.

    However, they had no real justification for chasing after Hong Kangquan.

    Huo Shaoheng had emphasized to them, again and again, the fact that they couldn¡¯t interfere in domestic affairs without a valid reason. In the case of intervention, they had to have authorization from an official.

    They all kept this in mind and knew where they stood and what they had jurisdiction over.

    Speaker Long had already arrived at the airport by this time, and he had arranged a ceremonial wee for the German representative.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who wasn¡¯t far from him, and whispered to General Ji, ¡°...Hong Kang can¡¯t escape. Let¡¯s issue a warrant for his arrest.¡±

 Chapter 1060 - Encountering The Familiar Stranger

    <h4>Chapter 1060: Encountering The Familiar Stranger</h4>

    General Ji didn¡¯t hesitate after Speaker Long finally granted him permission and immediately asked the police to issue a warrant for Hong Kangquan¡¯s arrest.

    Speaker Long put down the phone and sighed secretly.

    Special Assistant Zhuang stood next to him and asked uneasily, ¡°Speaker Long, what can I do?¡±

    Hong Kangquan was the Cab Director, while General Ji was part of the military. If the military directly intervened when it wasn¡¯t within their jurisdiction, this woulde back and bite them after the whole thing blew over.

    Speaker Long thought about it for a moment. ¡°Little Zhuang, can you please go back and assist General Ji with handling this matter? On my behalf, if someone in the cab is dissatisfied, you can be there to shut them up.¡±

    Considering the extent of Tan Dongbang¡¯s involvement in this matter, Speaker Long also felt that he shouldn¡¯t let his guard down regarding the cab¡¯s involvement either.

    Special Assistant Zhuang said, ¡°Speaker Long, you¡¯ve spoken too seriously. It isn¡¯t burdensome. I¡¯ll return now, but here...¡±

    He looked at the guard of honor at the airport. Not far away, a silver-white Lufthansa specialized aircraft was soaring above the blue sky.

    At five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the Imperial Capital International Airport finally weed the German delegate to China.

    Since this time, it was the head of the German government, the Huaxia Empire had rolled out a red carpet on the tarmac to demonstrate national courtesy.

    Speaker Long shook his head. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll let Nianzhi help me attend to them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell her, then I¡¯ll be going.¡± Special Assistant Zhuang was a responsible person, and he himself also anxiously wanted to handle the Secretariat¡¯s affairs.

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s actions that day had greatly annoyed Special Assistant Zhuang.

    Who couldn¡¯t see the situation Special Assistant Yang was in?

    Although on the outside, she was ¡°on leave,¡± in reality, he was more or less fired, yet she still regarded him as the backbone of the Secretariat? Was shecking in terms of intelligence? Or was she doing this deliberately?

    After Speaker Long nodded, Special Assistant Zhuang came to Gu Nianzhi and said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll have to leave this to you. I have an urgent matter to get back to, and Speaker Long, can you help us attend to the foreign guests?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise. ¡°Of course, but Special Assistant Zhuang, are you sure it¡¯s a good idea for someone as low-ranking as me to attend to such powerful figures?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Speaker Long will be there to ensure that nothing goes wrong.¡± Seeing how considerate Gu Nianzhi was, Special Assistant Zhuang was very satisfied with her. ¡°You stand next to Speaker Long. There are people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs next to him, and they¡¯re the ones who will be greeting the German chancellor directly. We¡¯re merely backup to show how much we respect the delegate.¡±

    He pointed to where he was standing.

    For the wee ceremony, their positions were based on their rank, from high to low. This was basic diplomatic etiquette and reflected their attitude towards this diplomatic exchange.

    Diplomatic etiquette was no small matter, otherwise, one risked humiliating themselves and offending the other party.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Special Assistant Zhuang had other arrangements, so she decided not to bother him any longer and simply said, ¡°I won¡¯t keep you from your work anymore. I¡¯ll be heading over.¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang left in a hurry, and Gu Nianzhi stood where he had been standing, which was right next to Speaker Long.

    Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi heading towards him, Speaker Long gave her a slight nod. ¡°Nianzhi, we¡¯re relying on you today. Don¡¯t be afraid, just stand by my side.¡± Then he said, ¡°There¡¯s simultaneous trantion going on over there. Did you bring your headset?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my headset, but I understand German.¡±

    After all, she had stayed in Germany for two months, and to her credit, those two months were not spent in vain. She had learned a newnguage!

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a navy blue Chanel suit and standing next to Speaker Long.

    In the eyes of the men there, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s vivacious appearance was very eye-catching.

    Her huge eyes were as bright as the stars, and with a faint smile on her face, she gave off an air of serene grace.

    Watching how calmly and professionally she presented herself, Speaker Long couldn¡¯t help but grow even more satisfied with her.

    Yet underneath Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calm exterior, she was actually feeling extremely anxious, the palms of her hands sweating.

    After the distant ne stopped on the tarmac, it took another quarter of an hour before the door to the cabin finally opened.

    The slightly chubby middle-aged woman often seen in the media appeared at the door of the cabin, then smiled and waved at everyone.

    This was the German Chancellor.

    Gu Nianzhi stered a smile on her face and watched her slowly walk down the red carpet.

    Behind the Chancellor were high ranking German officials, all dressed in formal ck attire. The impable tailoring emphasized their extraordinary physiques.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze swept lightly across these people¡¯s faces, but she didn¡¯t see Reinitz, and she gradually calmed herself.

    However, just when she was thinking about how Reinitz might not show himself in public after all, a tall man with a model-like physique appeared at the cabin door.

    Wearing a German Ground Force Army Cap, he had deep-set eyes, buttery blond hair, and cerulean eyes, and his eyebrows were so impably shaped that it seemed like they had been drawn on with a ruler.

    He walked down thedder nonchntly, and his rxed bodynguagebined with his aloofness made him seem as distant like the mountains, yet his casualness made him seem within reach.

    Raising his head and exposing his fine Germanic features, he was a sight many women would fall head over heels for, yet his solemn expression and stately manner contrasted strikingly with his bodynguage.

    When he walked down thedder, several young female attendants were fawning over him.

    ¡°Who is he?!¡±

    ¡°My goodness! He¡¯s so ridiculously handsome!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still wearing his German military uniform!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s too gorgeous!¡±

    Although their voices were quiet, everyone still heard them.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth quivered in amusement, and she thought that if she wasn¡¯t actually the¡±pink piggy,¡± she probably would¡¯ve been fawning over him like all those girls...

    However, she had a sour and uneasy feeling inside, and observing Reinitz¡¯s reaction when he saw her merely made her want to run as away far as she could, because she knew very well, Reinitz knew of her true identity as the ¡°pink piggy.¡±

    Yet for some inexplicable reason, it seemed like he hadn¡¯t told anyone.

    If he had, the German chancellor certainly wouldn¡¯t have requested an urgent visit to China, but probably would have demanded that the Huaxia Empire hand over Gu Nianzhi so they could do as they saw fit.

    At the same time as thousands of thoughts raced through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, the smiling and amiable female chancellor of Germany had walked in front of Speaker Long and was shaking hands with him pleasantly, whispering in German.

    Gu Nianzhi could understand the wordsing out of the German chancellor¡¯s mouth even without the headset that gave simultaneous trantions.

    She was saying hello to Speaker Long and asking why their prime minister hadn¡¯te...

    Speaker Long wanted to exin, but the simultaneous trantion on their side seemed to be a little slow. Speaker Long held the German Chancellor¡¯s hand, yet couldn¡¯t conceal the awkwardness of his smile.

    Gu Nianzhi started in standard dialect German, ¡°His excellency the Prime Minister, you should know, since our general election is going to be held in two days, the current prime minister is only acting prime minister in name. Attending such a ceremony is not part of an acting Prime Minister¡¯s duties, but perhaps your people haven¡¯t yet briefed you on this?¡±

    Basically, Gu Nianzhi was insinuating that their visit hadn¡¯te at a convenient time and that they were wrapped up in domestic issues.

    Furthermore, she was also implying that unless the chancellor was feigning ignorance, when in reality she knew why the prime minister was absent, then perhaps her people hadn¡¯t been entirely honest with her and were keeping her in the dark about certain things.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s responses made the chancellor¡¯s subordinates feel uneasy and defensive, and they began murmuring excuses with aggrieved looks on their faces.

    Speaker Long felt content inside and let out augh. ¡°The ignorant can¡¯t be held ountable for their actions!¡±

    Now it was the German chancellor¡¯s turn to smile awkwardly.

    The German chancellor was surprised that her subtle snub was seen through by such a young woman.

    The German chancellor couldn¡¯t help but give Gu Nianzhi a double-take, since this made such a deep impression on her.

    At this time, Reinitz finally came towards them.

    He didn¡¯t have any expression on his face, and his soulfulke-blue eyes flickered and swept across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face indifferently.

    He had overheard Gu Nianzhi speaking German just then, and it sounded as melodious as he vividly recalled.

    Hearing her voice alone was enough to stir up waves of passion inside him, yet when he followed the German chancellor and quietly passed by Gu Nianzhi, he didn¡¯t turn his head or say anything and merely acted as if she was aplete stranger.

 Chapter 1061 - Reunion

    <h4>1061 Reunion</h4>

    The German Chancellor had brought along arge number of delegates, although staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Parliament Secretariat from the Huaxia Empire whom Speaker Long brought along contributed to therge numbers as well.

    A group of people gathered together and strode across the red carpet.

    Gu Nianzhi stood by the red carpet and took a small step back politely.

    Reinitz walked right past her on the red carpet.

    Although Gu Nianzhi stared straight ahead and maintained her poker face, there was the slightest hint of a smile on her lips.

    Reinitz also had a hard to read expression on his face and marched right past her, his strides calm and steady. His borately embellished German Army uniform consisted of silver epaulets, a red cor, and a copper buckle on his waist. Bright leather belts with buckles were tied around his waist, and they entuated his broad shoulders and long legs. Although he was in standard militaryposure, the outfit had a sense of solemn yet forbidden beauty about it, making him seem all the more tempting to those watching.

    There was a slight gust of wind as he passed by her. He smelled of ¡°Cool Water¡± cologne, and his scent was like a refreshing ocean breeze¡ªmusky, seductive, intoxicating, and utterly oozing with masculinity.

    As Gu Nianzhi saw him, she thought about how unrealistic his beauty was and how unattainable he seemed and reminisced about the time he was in the Alps, cutting wood in front of the cabin with sweat streaming down his sturdy bronze back.

    What was Reinitz¡¯s true identity?

    When she was in the Alps, Gu Nianzhi had never doubted him for a second, until she was captured by Als...

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and stared at the red carpet on the ground in front of her.

    She then started thinking about how since Reinitz was the ace of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany, his true identity wasn¡¯t that different from that of Huo Shaoheng, and somehow, this made her feel relieved.

    Reinitz and Huo Shaoheng, they were essentially the same kind of people...

    They would assume whatever identity was required of them, because that was their profession, their job.

    Even professional actors weren¡¯t as professional as them, because actors didn¡¯t need to be afraid of making mistakes. There were directors, there were lines, and even if they did make mistakes, they always had the chance to make things right again and fix their mistakes. But for Reinitz and Huo Shaoheng, mistakes could cost them their lives.

    Therefore, since the stakes were much higher, their acting skills were constantly being sharpened...

    Gu Nianzhi felt her anxiety gradually begin to dwindle.

    Perhaps she had been overthinking. Reinitz probably hadn¡¯t exposed her because he saw more value in keeping her secret than exposing her.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly raised her head with contentment, and the smile on her lips gradually widened.

    At this moment, Reinitz, who had been carefully watching her out of the corner of his eye, noticed the shift in her mood and expression and suddenly turned towards her.

    Although it had only been momentary, his piercing gaze felt like fire burning on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi froze, then looked up, but Reinitz had already turned back and was facing forwards once again.

    All this time, the German Chancellor had been walking side by side with Speaker Long and leading her team of delegates proudly while waving her arms to the honor guards with a smile on her face.

    The music started ring even louder.

    The camera turned towards them, and everyone smiled.

    Real life was like a movie. ¡°Movies reflect real life,¡± thought Gu Nianzhi as she followed the military out of the airport.

    A group of people headed towards their personal vehicles.

    Speaker Long was surrounded by the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as he climbed into the car in front, while Gu Nianzhi followed the people in the Secretariat to the car in the back.

    As for Reinitz and the others, they would be sitting in a special car that was sent by the German Embassy.

    Soon after, the police cars cleared the road in front of them, and the passing vehicles all made way as row after row of bulletproof cars sped through the spacious highway of the imperial city.

    The personalized vehicles took them to the banquet hall in the parliament building. By that time, it was already around seven in the evening.

    A wee reception was going to be held there, along with a small press conference that would announce to the world the friendly negotiation that was to happen between the Huaxia Empire and Germany.

    This was the first time Gu Nianzhi had attended such a formal and solemn banquet.

    When she followed Speaker Long into the banquet hall, the Minister of Foreign Affairs came over to have an intimate conversation with Speaker Long, so she had to step back.

    Then, a secretary that had previously worked in the Secretariat but was now working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the German Embassy came over to talk to Speaker Long.

    Gu Nianzhi had to step back yet again.

    Later, several trantors from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also came forward and surrounded Speaker Long, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Huaxia Empire¡¯s ambassador to Germany. Gu Nianzhi waspletely squeezed out of the circle.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a professional trantor at all. Her German was merely at a conversational level, nowhere near good enough for formal asions.

    Following Speaker Long were his secretary, assistant, and security personnel that had been with him for many years. Gu Nianzhi stayed behind them and kept a low profile.

    On asions like these, she didn¡¯t want to be in the limelight at all.

    If she hadn¡¯t practically forced herself toe for the sake of getting used to such asions as a part of her job, she wouldn¡¯t have wanted to attend at all.

    All she wanted to do was rx at home while scrolling through Weibo.

    She was starting to regret forcing herself to attend such an event where she was constantly in a state of anxiety due to fear that any faux pas could embarrass herself and her country.

    Gu Nianzhi mocked herself inwardly and found a ce to stand.

    Although she was still standing next to the banquet table, from her concealed position, it was hard for others to notice her.

    The banquet hall was scallop-shaped and had a one-foot-high podium. Now, there were two high tables, and behind the tables stood Speaker Long and the German Prime Minister.

    There was a microphone in front of them, and they were both speaking.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze looked over, and she suddenly discovered that this time, they stood side by side.

    Instead of one person on the Huaxia side, and the other person on the German side, there were no divisions based on country.

    Was this an attempt to reflect the friendly diplomacy of ¡°you have me¡± and ¡°I have you¡±?

    Gu Nianzhi almostughed out loud, thinking that the people who had arranged this were being absurd.

    But after a while, she ceased herughter.

    Because of this positioning, Reinitz stood next to her.

    Gu Nianzhi was by no means short. At the age of 19, she had reached a height of four feet and ten inches, and with the help of elegant heels, she stood over five feet and eight inches tall.

    Yet when Reinitz, who was as tall as Huo Shaoheng, stood next to her, she seemed at least a head shorter.

    Gu Nianzhi awkwardly moved towards the corner and intentionally distanced herself from Reinitz.

    Another person could fit in the distance between them.

    Compared to other arranged pairs, the gap between them was muchrger.

    At that moment, there were many people on the stage, which had fairly limited space. When they finally had to stand for photos, everyone gathered together and crowded the ce.

    The more people, the more variety there was in body scents.

    The scents of colognes on the men weren¡¯t all as refreshing yet musky as Cool Water, just like the perfume on the women didn¡¯t all smell rosy and floral.

    A variety of intense and light, musky and fresh odors were all mixed together like a chemical reaction in the air.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a high maintenance princess, but she couldn¡¯t help but sniff from the overwhelmingly powerful scent, and she had the urge to grab the fan in front of her to rid herself of the nauseating fumes.

    Reinitz stood beside her with his hands behind his back, still not looking at her, though he was standing in front of her like a rock, separating her from the increasingly dense crowd on the other side, leaving her with a rtively spacious area all to herself.

    However, to her, it was already pretty spacious in the corner.

    Now that he was standing closer, the Cool Water cologne scent emanating from his body was even more obvious, slightly offsetting the scent of various colognes and perfumes on the other side.

    Gu Nianzhi felt somewhat overwhelmed by his intoxicating scent.

    She couldn¡¯t ignore him anymore after what he was clearly doing and said ¡°Danke (thank you)¡± softly in standard dialect German.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t say anything and acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard her words of appreciation, and he still wore that same impassive poker face, but the slender fingers hidden behind his back tingled a little.

    ¡°...We are honored to visit his Excellency the Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire. I hope the two countries can develop international rtions in ordance with the principles of friendship and mutual assistance...¡±

    The German Chancellor finished her speech, and now it was Speaker Long¡¯s turn to speak. He spoke eloquently and with a solemn air.

    The German Chancellor stood next to him in a slightly hunched position, but her sharp and bright blue eyes gleamed as she listened to Speaker Long¡¯s speech and nodded along with a smile on her face.

    After both leaders had finished speaking, it was now time to take pictures.

    Personnel from both sides had already lined up and stood on both sides of the table in the banquet hall.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to conceal herself in the corner as much as possible, and had the urge to pull the curtains over herself to hide from the cameras.

    Reinitz caught sight of this and was secretly bewildered. If she disliked such asions so intensely, why had shee?

    He took a step forward calmly and ced himself in front of her, his tall and imposing body effectively blocking Gu Nianzhi from public view.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. She didn¡¯t want anyone to see her awkward self in that photo.

    She stretched back as far as possible, hiding behind Reinitz.

    The professional photographers in front of them were holding high-performing cameras and clicking the camera shutters rapidly.

    After a few snaps, they snapped their fingers. ¡°All done! Thank you all for your cooperation!¡±

    Speaker Long smiled and shook hands with the German Chancellor, then said, ¡°Thank you for your visit, and there will also be a small banquetter on. I hope you enjoy our Chinese food.¡±

    The German Chancellor smiled when she heard what he said. ¡°All else aside, the Huaxia Empire has the best food, hands down. I have been here a few times, and I never fail to be amazed by the delicious food.¡±

    When she said this, the microphone on her was still open, so her words were broadcast through the loudspeaker for the entire crowd to hear.

    There was a moment of silence in the bustling banquet hall.

    The reception staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately said with a smile, ¡°The chancellor is too ttering. Germany also has amazingly delicious food, such as Bavarian white sausage. Every time I go to Germany, I can only eat that if I can¡¯t make it to a Chinese restaurant. Hahaha...¡±

    Both the Germans and the Chinese in the banquet hallughed heartily.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing, as the people in this foreign ministry were really silver-tongued and clever with words.

    From ¡°all else aside,¡± the German Chancellor had basically been insinuating that food was basically the only good thing the Huaxia Empire had.

    However, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Foreign Ministry¡¯s immediately refuted this and insinuated that the famous Bavarian white sausages were just substitutes for Chinese restaurants, meaning that Germany didn¡¯t even have food as an indicator of their cultural greatness.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s own impression of the Bavarian white sausage was very positive, and she couldn¡¯t help but swallow in hunger.

    Only then did Reinitz curl the corner of his lips, take a step back, and stand side by side next to Gu Nianzhi.

    In the noisy hall, he stared straight ahead without meeting her gaze, yet the corner of his mouth showed a faint smile, and his voice was soft and gentle, so low that only Gu Nianzhi could hear it.

    He said, ¡°I brought you Bavarian white sausage that was made by Mother Hanna herself.¡±

 Chapter 1062 - You Were Badmouthing Us

    <h4>1062 You Were Badmouthing Us</h4>

    Mother Hannah?

    Bavarian white sausage?

    At first, hearing of these two things felt so bizarre yet familiar that Gu Nianzhi felt like she had been hallucinating.

    She raised her eyes reflexively and nced at Reinitz, yet this time her eyes met Reinitz¡¯s, and their eyes locked together.

    What came to mind was the time they had spent together in the Alps...

    Reinitz still had no idea when Gu Nianzhi had realized his true identity and started to be wary of him.

    Gu Nianzhi also had no idea why Reinitz had approached her, but nheless, in the Alps, if it hadn¡¯t been for the scheme Reinz had set up, she never would have made it out of there alive...

    Thinking of this made Gu Nianzhi feel ambivalent towards him but also left a sour taste in her mouth.

    She took a deep breath and decided to say ¡°Danke,¡± which was thank you in German.

    She was near yet distant, courteous yet aloof.

    He had even brought her a gift from all this way, which she really should have been grateful for.

    But did this really mean he cared?

    Gu Nianzhi felt bitter inside and realized that Reinitz was probably there at this time because he had yet another purpose.

    If he really cared about her, then shouldn¡¯t he have pretended that he didn¡¯t know her and kept up his act all the way to the end?

    What game was he ying now, bringing up Mother Hanna and Bavarian white sausage?

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t naive. Since Reinitz was the director of the German Federal Intelligence Agency, Mother Hanna had to be one of them as well and probably had been in cahoots with Reinitz the entire time.

    Reinitz¡¯s eyes glimmered with joy for a second, but he quickly calmed himself down and restored the impassive expression on his face to stare forward. There was the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

    Reinitz had confirmed his intuitions about Gu Nianzhi. This little girl was indeed as shrewd as he thought.

    All it took was for him to utter one sentence for her to change her perception of him. He didn¡¯t know if he should praise her wisdom or feel distressed by her keen instinct.

    Since she was this perceptive, Reinitz didn¡¯t feel the need to say anything anymore, since anything else would just be redundant.

    After a while, the photo session was over, and the people on the stage spread out throughout the banquet hall.

    The long tables in the banquet hall were covered in Chinese food, every table handled by a professional chef. This was a high-end buffet-style, but with professional chefs present instead of having the guests serve themselves.

    Gu Nianzhi nced down at her watch. It was already past eight in the evening. She hadn¡¯t eaten since one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and she was absolutely ravenous by then.

    Holding a white porcin te in her hands, she picked some food that appeared appetizing to her from the long table.

    A red piece of braised pork about the size of a mahjong piece that was three-percent fat and seven-percent lean meat with the right amount of vor and texture, not too oily or greasy, not too dry and tender yet chewy, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help indulging in this absolutely delicious delicacy.

    Gu Nianzhi finished one piece of braised pork but yearned for another one.

    However, there was only a limited amount of this special kind of braised pork. Each piece was carefully ced in a delicate blue cup with a wide base and narrow opening.

    Basically, they were allowed one piece per person, so one person overindulging meant another person losing the chance to indulge.

    Of course, not necessarily everyone would eat one piece.

    Yet the banquet had just started. ¡®No one will know if I just had another piece, right?¡¯ she thought.

    Gu Nianzhi felt conflicted. Those pieces of braised pork looked so tempting, like a lover attempting to seduce her...

    Reinitz didn¡¯t eat much. He had a ss of red wine in his hand, and the bone china dish in his other hand had only a few slices of Hunan¡¯s lean meat sausage on it. He tasted it, and it was dry, but nheless, the taste was very good, even rivaling their Bavarian ones. They were particrly chewy and had an endless aftertaste.

    If one was ustomed to this kind of food, how could one miss Germany¡¯s white sausages?

    Maybe it was just because to her, at that time and ce, the white sausage represented hope?

    Reinitz shook his head and caught sight of Gu Nianzhi looking at the long table. He walked towards her slowly.

    He stood beside her and asked the entertaining professional chef, ¡°What¡¯s in these little jars?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tranted for the chef.

    ¡°Braised pork.¡± The chef didn¡¯t speak English and had to ask Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Can you help me trante?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, calmly said a French noun, ¡°Bouilli,¡± and then exined in English, ¡°Pork with barbecue sauce.¡±

    Heinitz raised an eyebrow. ¡°Bouilli? It¡¯s a pity, I don¡¯t like to eat that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no words.

    The professional chef eagerly asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What did he say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated before saying, ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t like to eat it.¡±

    The professional chef¡¯s face fell, and he crossed his arms in displeasure while saying, ¡°He hasn¡¯t even tasted it yet, so how can he say he doesn¡¯t like it? Look at the sugar, smell the sauce! It¡¯s three-percent fat and seven-percent lean meat, standard Southern-style braised pork!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I know, right?! How delicious is this! This German has no taste, so why don¡¯t you give me another cup? I already ate one, but I want another!¡±

    This professional chef was stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and felt like his bruised ego at Reinitz¡¯s hands was healed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. He simply gave her two cups of braised pork. ¡°You eat!¡± He rolled his eyes in Reinitz¡¯s direction.

    Gu Nianzhi spoke in Chinese with the professional chef, and since she assumed Reinitz would have no idea what they were saying, Gu Nianzhi made up all sorts of excuses and showered the chef with praises in order to earn herself more cups of that delicious braised pork. ¡°Our national delicacies should go to those who truly appreciate them, people with taste. If they weren¡¯t our guests, we wouldn¡¯t give them a second look!¡±

    The professional chef was ttered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t help but give her yet another cup of braised pork.

    Reinitz had been standing to the side with a smile stered on his face, his eyes swiveling back and forth between the professional chef and Gu Nianzhi. He had an intrigued and curious expression on his face, and it seemed like he couldn¡¯t understand what they were talking about.

    However, when the professional chef ced a third cup of braised pork in front of Gu Nianzhi, Reinitz reached out to block the professional chef from giving her another portion of the delicacy. His voice was soft and gentle. ¡°That will be enough for her. She¡¯ll get a stomachache if she keeps on eating this.¡±

    Heinitz spoke in Hannover German.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered the night when she had first met Reinitz, when she had eaten way too many white sausages due to extreme hunger and soon after experienced a severe stomachache. Her face flushed with embarrassment at the memory.

    She hurriedly bid goodbye to the professional chef, turned around, and left with a te of braised pork in her hands, then found a ce to sit down.

    Reinitz followed her with a smile and sat across from her, saying, ¡°...You should eat less oily food like this.¡±

    He said this in perfect Chinese without an ent!

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she had been struck by lightning. She looked up at Reinitz in shock, then finally asked him, ¡°... You can understand Chinese?! When did you learn Chinese? How much did you learn?¡±

    Just now she and that professional chef had been recklessly mocking the German delegation to China; had Reinitz heard and actually understood every single word?!

    This was a diplomatic faux pas!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to dig a hole to hide in out of shame...

    Reinitz smirked at the embarrassment written on her face and said nonchntly, ¡°Not much. Just enough to understand what you were just saying to the chef.¡± And then he switched back to Chinese. ¡°You were badmouthing us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbstruck.

    In the banquet hall, there were friendly conversations happening all around the room between members of the German delegation to China and the Huaxia Empire¡¯s reception team.

    Therefore, Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi weren¡¯t being paid any attention.

    However, as the two most attractive people in the room, they were an eye-catching sight.

    Many people were actually secretly eyeing them.

    A beautiful blond woman in the German delegation nced in Reinitz¡¯s direction but didn¡¯t have the courage to go over.

    Someone with Speaker Long also saw Gu Nianzhi sitting with Reinitz.

    Some people started to condemn Gu Nianzhi in front of Speaker Long. ¡°Speaker Long, look at that silly little girl busy drooling over a man instead of helping us entertain the German Chancellor.¡±

    Speaker Long simply grinned and said, ¡°She may be young, but she knows her priorities. The man over there is the director of the German Federal Intelligence Agency, right? Let her attend to him then. She knows a little German, and she¡¯s smart, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    The most important thing was that Gu Nianzhi had grown up with Huo Shaoheng and had a much stronger sense of confidentiality than the other people in the Senate.

    Speaker Long thought that since Huo Shaoheng himself wasn¡¯t there to personally deal with his German counterpart, the director of the German Federal Intelligence Agency, Reinitz, then Gu Nianzhi, who had grown up with Huo Shaoheng, was the next best qualified.

    Of course, Speaker Long still thought it necessary to personally have a chat with Reinitz.

    He looked back at the German Chancellor and saw that she was having a pleasant talk with her own German diplomats, so he stood up and headed towards Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 1063 - Nonexisten

    <h4>1063 Nonexisten</h4>

    Although Speaker Long had been busy attending to the German Chancellor just moments before, now, the German Chancellor was surrounded by her own diplomats at the German Embassy in China. At the moment, there was no need to attend to them anymore.

    Upon seeing Speaker Long head towards them, Gu Nianzhi abruptly stood up, and giving up her seat, she motioned for him to sit. ¡°Speaker Long, please sit down.¡±

    Speaker Long took Gu Nianzhi up on her offer and sat where Gu Nianzhi had been sitting, then turned to Reinitz to say, ¡°Major General Reinitz, does our Chinese food suit your tastes?¡±

    Since Speaker Long had asked him the question in Chinese, Reinitz simply stared at him with a confused smile on his face and pretended not to understand what he was asking.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly scolded him inwardly for being so sly and feigning ignorance but decided not to expose him and y along, so she helped trante what Speaker Long had asked him to German.

    After listening to her trantion, Reinitz smiled and replied in English, ¡°It was delicious. I genuinely liked it. Thisdy had been entertaining me just now. I wanted to thank her so I gave her some Bavarian white sausage I specially brought from Germany, but thisdy simply refuses to ept it. Are you her boss? Can you please ask her to ept it as a sign of my gratitude?¡±

    Speaker Long understood his English, and he started grinning like a Cheshire cat. ¡°Bavarian white sausage? Sounds great. I want to try it as well. Why not bring it for everyone to share?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi secretly praised President Long for his quick wit.

    Reinitz looked at Gu Nianzhi inquiringly, once again pretending not to understand Speaker Long¡¯s words.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to continue to trante. ¡°Speaker Long asked if you could bring it for everyone to share?¡±

    Reinitz immediately nodded and replied in English, ¡°Of course you can. Once I go back and get to my suitcase, I¡¯ll bring it to you at the meeting tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... Then I¡¯ll have to thank you then!¡± Speaker Long was grinning from ear to ear now. He continued, ¡°Major General Reinitz, is this your first time in our country?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s visit was truly groundbreaking.

    There were so many countries on the blue, yet rarely did the heads of intelligence agencies visit other countries.

    Therefore, Reinitz visiting China was of paramount significance, and considering their motive for this visit, Speaker Long knew he had to be even more cautious.

    Their motive for visiting China was to find out the true identity of the pink piggy.

    But in Speaker Long¡¯s point of view, the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± was merely an urban legend of the Huaxia Empire, yet they wanted them to surrender this figure?

    Since it was nonexistent, it was better not to think about it.

    Heinitz grasped what Speaker Long was insinuating and seized this as the golden opportunity to extract some information from Speaker Long.

    So, after Gu Nianzhi tranted what Speaker Long had said, Reinitz said in German, ¡°This is indeed the first time I havee to your country. Since Pink Piggy is simply too important to me, I wanted to try and see if I could convince you all to let me bring her back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    How could she trante this?!

    Speaker Long waited for a while and misunderstood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s silence, thinking that she simply didn¡¯t know how to trante, so he said quickly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you need me to find a simultaneous trantor to help you trante?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was snapped back to the present situation, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Reinitz curling his lips into a devious smirk. She regained herposure and simply said calmly, ¡°Major General Reinitz said that this was indeed the first time he has visited our country. Since the Pink Piggy is of such importance to their country, he wanted to give it a try and see if he could convince us to let him bring the Pink Piggy back.¡±

    Reinitz raised an eyebrow.

    He had clearly said that the Pink Piggy was very important to him specifically, but Gu Nianzhi had intentionally tranted it as his country. This was obviously an implicit attempt to rify the boundaries of their rtionship...

    The expression on Speaker Long¡¯s face immediately grew somber. ¡°We have already stated to your countrymen that if you think that the Pink Piggy is one of our countrymen, you must bring evidence before using us. As for concrete evidence, please use concrete evidence instead of simply assuming that whoever reaps the greatest benefits is the culprit. Such rationale is naive, simple-minded, unfounded, and could greatly damage diplomatic rtions between allied nations. We will not ept such unreasonable usations without evidence.¡±

    Reinitz hadn¡¯t expected Speaker Long to reject his request in such a harsh and aggressive manner and was somewhat caught off guard.

    He nced at Gu Nian and asked her in German, ¡°What is your country¡¯s speaker saying? Does this mean I get to bring the Pink Piggy home with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Howe she had never known that Reinitz had such a shameless side too?!

    Speaker Long looked at Gu Nianzhi with a sullen expression and asserted, ¡°Trante it for him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to put on a calm expression and trante Speaker Long¡¯s words into German.

    Although Reinitz could understand what Speaker Long had said in Chinese, he didn¡¯t want others to know, so he let Gu Nianzhi keep tranting for him.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t resist the urge to reveal how deep his understanding of Chinese was, but every time Reinitz nced at her, she felt pressured to help him keep this secret.

    She also worried that if she exposed Reinitz, perhaps Reinitz would expose her true identity as the Pink Piggy.

    From the moment they met, it seemed as if Reinitz had been testing and evaluating her, yet she was still kept in the dark about what his real ns were.

    Gu Nianzhi became more and more upset and irritated, and this mixture of frustration gradually began to manifest itself in her facial expressions.

    However, Speaker Long couldn¡¯t see the subtle changes in her face.

    He was the only one who saw that Gu Nianzhi was growing more and more serious, as if she was in a faceoff against her worst enemy. For some reason, he felt relieved at the sight.

    He knew that he had indeed nted a seed with much potential for growth.

    On the other hand, Speaker Long was growing more and more pleased with Gu Nianzhi as a prospective sessor, but he wasn¡¯t willing to put too much pressure on her.

    He stood up and refrained from pushing the topic any further.

    He nodded to Reinitz. ¡°Okay, We¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow when we have formal talks. Today, since you¡¯ve just arrived, get some good rest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tranted for him, and Reinitz said goodbye to Speaker Long in English.

    Speaker Long waved his hand at him and said to Gu Nianzhi: ¡°Attend to Major Reinitz and treat him well. You will also be attending the bteral negotiations tomorrow. I hope you¡¯ll be willing to act as my legal adviser.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said quickly, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be there. Thank you, Speaker Long.¡±

    This was a golden opportunity for her.

    As a legal intern, being able to participate in the bteral negotiations between countries was a tremendous opportunity, and she knew she was extremely lucky.

    Speaker Long smiled and patted her on the shoulder, then returned to his seat.

    Only Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi remained in the corner.

    ¡°...Your country is unwilling to surrender the Pink Piggy,¡± Reinz whispered into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear in Chinese, which he spoke in a softer tone than he did in German.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around but came eye to eye with his chiseled features and felt his masculine aura.

    His soft and gentle voice was a striking contrast to his masculine and robust appearance, yet these contradictory qualities made him seem all the more mysterious and unattainable, because only strong men were willing to show their gentle side.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi also understood that everything that Reinitz had shown her was what he wanted her to see and wasn¡¯t necessarily true.

    Just like their seemingly fateful encounter in the Alps was actually an borate arrangement that Reinitz had carefully nned out.

    His modus operandi and his vibe were extremely simr to those of Huo Shaoheng, maybe because he had investigated Gu Nianzhi and therefore knew that this was the only way Gu Nianzhi would let her guard down and be in her most vulnerable state.

 Chapter 1064 - Stay Away From You

    <h4>1064 Stay Away From You</h4>

    ¡°Why should our country hand over the Pink Piggy?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Normal people wouldn¡¯t think so.¡±

    Of course, crooked people would definitely be willing to do so.

    Across the inte,izens were demanding that the Pink Piggy be turned in, as if the country¡¯s allies would turn their backs on it and the country itself wouldn¡¯t be able to return to normality otherwise.

    Reinitz gazed at her, then after silently contemting for a while, he finally nodded. ¡°I see how it is.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised by his response.

    What on earth was Reinitz thinking?!

    They were sworn enemies on opposing sides!

    But Reinitz simply continued to stare at her with a faint smile on his face and decided to change the subject to something more lighthearted.

    He asked, ¡°Why did you give me back my money? You don¡¯t want the gifts I gave you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent.

    After a while, she remembered that it was Reinitz who had bought her the Herm¨¨s bag, but Huo Shaoheng had wired the money back to Reinitz.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered.

    Reinitz leaned back in his seat and said aloofly, ¡°...Mr. Huo actually knew my bank ount number, which really shocked me.¡±

    Shock was an understatement. When he had seen the extraordinary amount of extra money in his bank ount, he had felt like he swallowed a whale.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Why would that be surprising to you? Major General Reinitz knowing that I would be in the Alps is way more shocking to me.¡±

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was finally ready to talk about what truly happened at that time, Reinitzughed at himself, looked at the red wine ss in his hand, and whispered, ¡°...Doing ites naturally to me, so I don¡¯t need to be praised for it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nk.

    Perhaps it was because they were spending more and more time speaking to each other, or perhaps it was because the smile on Reinitz¡¯s face was growing more and more dazzling, but finally, someone couldn¡¯t sit still any longer.

    A member of the German delegation to China came over, smiled, and said to Reinitz in German, ¡°Major General Reinitz, Her Excellency the Chancellor wants to speak to you.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s eyes wandered to where the German Chancellor was standing and caught sight of her nodding at him.

    Reinitz stood up, and the expression in his eyes tacitly told Gu Nianzhi that he would be leaving.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slightly. ¡°Please, feel free to do so.¡±

    After Reinitz left, the beautiful blonde woman that had been eyeing them the entire time came over, and, standing opposite of Gu Nianzhi in the ce where Reinitz had just been sitting, she asked courteously, ¡°Can I sit down?¡±

    She spoke American English, which was rare among Germans.

    Since Germany was in Europe, when Germans spoke English, British ents were mostmonly heard.

    On a broad scale, most people in continental Europe spoke English with a British ent.

    And this woman is a rare beauty.

    There were not many beauties in Germany, but the rare gems never failed to take one¡¯s breath away, so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but stare at the woman a few more seconds and say politely, ¡°That seat is not mine to give away.¡±

    The woman said nothing.

    Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unwillingness to feign sincerity, she saw no further point in maintaining her facade and decided to drop the act. She sat down and said with a smirk, ¡°Major Reinitz will not mind because he is always taking care of me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    How was she meant to reply?

    Regardless of how Reinitz felt, it was none of her business.

    She tacitly changed the subject, and narrowing her eyes, she asked, ¡°You came with the German Chancellor?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The beautiful blonde woman sat up straighter. ¡°I¡¯m the public rtions secretary for the Chancellor¡¯s office, and I¡¯m responsible for helping the chancellor coordinatemunication between various departments.¡±

    Before then, she hadn¡¯t had the chance toe in personal contact with Major General Reinitz, the distinguished and mysterious head of Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Service.

    However, this time, Reinitz unexpectedly came along with the German Chancellor on her visit to China. She saw this as a golden opportunity to get to know him better and thought of various ways to approach Reinitz on the way there. From her point of view, the only thing left was for someone to formally introduce them to break the ice.

    But who would have thought that the normally reticent Reinitz would be such a chatterbox to that ck-haired, dark-eyed girl, not to mention him smiling so gently towards her?!

    Gu Nianzhi could sense this woman¡¯s extreme jealousy, but she thought this woman had the wrong person.

    It wasn¡¯t like she was anyone important to Reinitz, so why on earth was this woman acting so jealous and bitter over someone like her?

    Gu Nianzhi held her cheeks in her hands and drew her eyebrows tightly together as she looked at the beautiful blonde woman in front of her. She wondered if she, too, had been in the same position as this woman during that time but with Huo Shaoheng. When she saw other women approaching Huo Shaoheng, she became annoyed and jealous as well.

    But now that she thought of it, Huo Shaoheng had probably been confused by her jealousy, and she hadn¡¯t really deserved to feel jealous, either.

    Seeing as Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t responding, the woman thought she had stunned Gu Nianzhi into speechlessness, and her eyes gleamed with pride and arrogance. She smiled and said, ¡°My name is Marthy Paromeo.¡±

    After she finished, she stared at Gu Nianzhi motionlessly, as if waiting for her to kneel and kiss her feet.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t respond.

    She felt a little irritated. So what if she came with the German Chancellor? Did she really have to be so condescending and arrogant?

    ¡°Wake up, it¡¯s been more than a hundred years since the G-8 dissolved...¡± she thought.

    Since the woman¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t very friendly, Gu Nianzhi nned to give her the diplomatic ¡°equal treatment,¡± so she put a smile on her face, lifted her jaw slightly to forty-five degrees, and proudly said, ¡°My name is Nianzhi Gu.¡±

    She said it mockingly, as if no one should have had to ask.

    Marthy froze. This woman¡¯s reaction was not what she had expected...

    Who in Europe, upon hearing her name, didn¡¯t want to kneel down and kiss her feet?

    Even the current German chancellor knew it wasn¡¯t wise to neglect her, and everyone knew she wasn¡¯t to be messed with, but was that indifference she sensed from the woman with ck hair and dark eyes opposite her?

    Marthy frowned, but then soon realized that this wasn¡¯t Europe. The Chinese woman across from her had probably never traveled abroad in her lifetime and certainly didn¡¯t know their family¡¯s status in Europe, so she let it go quickly and said with a smile, ¡°I have an older sister married to the Count of Italy, and I have a younger sister who is dating the Prince of Moro.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still looked just as apathetic and unimpressed. ¡°Well then, congrattions.¡±

    This still wasn¡¯t the reaction the blonde woman wanted.

    Marthy finally couldn¡¯t restrain herself anymore and asked straightforwardly, ¡°Do you even know who Major General Reinitz is? Don¡¯t be delusional and get your hopes too high. His family would never let him marry a dark-haired dark-eyed oriental woman.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned into silence.

    The absurdity of the very thought!

    Although Gu Nianzhi was extremely impatient and annoyed inside, her face remained calm, and she said, ¡°Who are you to Major General Reinitz? His girlfriend or fiancee?¡±

    Marthy stayed silent.

    ¡°Tell me. Who are you to him?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Marthy¡¯s sheepish expression, and from how speechless she looked, she knew that this was yet another one of Reinitz¡¯s female fans...

    Compared to Marthy, Gu Nianzhi felt a little more dignified andposed. When she had been jealous of Huo Shaoheng interacting with other women, sure, she might have thrown a few tantrums, but she would have never thought of actually facing off with those other women and gloating in front of them.

    From how petty and despicable this woman¡¯s actions made her appear despite her physical beauty, Gu Nianzhi was d that she hadn¡¯t stooped so low.

    Marthy was irritated by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apathy and refusal to admit inferiority.

    ¡°You are too ignorant, too narrow-minded, too repulsive!¡± Marthy¡¯s chest heaved up and down with emotion. ¡°How is it any of your business what I am to Reinitz?¡±

    That was more like it. Now they were bickering on the same level.

    s, had she really thought that she was superior just because her family was nobility?

    It wasn¡¯t that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know beforehand¡ªshe had only been feigning ignorance about the Paromeo family¡¯s vast influence over Europe...

    Gu Nianzhi leaned back in her soft high-backed chair and saidzily and indifferently, ¡°Miss Marthy Paromeo, your family started a small business. Shakespeare¡¯s y, ¡®The Merchant of Venice,¡¯ was based on your ancestors, right? Oh, no, wait, or was it ¡®Eug¨¦nie Grandet¡¯? Your ancestors made that much money so that you could live a happy and privileged life in the present, so you should cherish it.¡±

    Since her aristocratic life was so good, why did she need to ask for it right there in front of Gu Nianzhi?

    Marthy trembled with rage, her face turning red and white.

    She hadn¡¯t expected this dark-haired dark-eyed woman to be so knowledgeable about her family¡¯s background!

    Although her family had indeed started out humbly as members of the merchant ss in Italy, now they had the title of nobility, and they were no lowly businessmen but powerful aristocrats, part of the elite!

    So her previous ignorance had all just been an act?

    Marthy stood up indignantly and spat some words at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Major Reinitz belongs to the House of Hohenzollern. Please check the House of Hohenzollern¡¯s royal history before acting so brazen-faced towards me!¡± Then she left in a fury.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. The House of Hohenzollern?

    Thatst name sounded very familiar.

    When she had followed He Zhichu to Germany for hiswsuit at that time, she meticulously read much information about the European continent, especially European history, contemporary news, and gossip.

    There were two types of news in Europe: one concerned the entertainment industry, and the other concerned the legendary royal families, so she had heard of Paromeo¡¯s surname and also remembered reading about the House of Hohenzollern.

    The House of Hohenzollern was a royal dynasty that had once ruled the German Empire with an iron fist, but their rule, like the G-8, was overthrown over a hundred years before...

    So why had this woman still felt the need to keep throwing big names at her to gloat relentlessly?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but feel aggrieved. ¡°Did those aristocrats really think that they were innately superior to plebeians such as herself because of their so-called ¡®blue blood¡¯? Did they really think that they were born to have supremacy over others?¡± she wondered.

    Gu Nianzhi sneered inside, but when she looked up, she saw Reinitz heading towards her. He asked her, ¡°Were you speaking to Marthy just now?¡±

    Gu Nian smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah, that little princess warned me to stay away from you.¡±

    Reinitz moved closer andughed at her, his voice soft and tender. ¡°...In that case, I¡¯ll have to move closer to you, lest you run so far away that I can¡¯t catch up.¡±

 Chapter 1065 - Top Headline

    <h4>1065 Top Headline</h4>

    Hearing Reinitz passionately dere that he would chase after her made Gu Nianzhi smirk. Yes, chase her, not in a romantic sense, but more like chasing after a fugitive. Gu Nianzhi knew very clearly where she stood in Reinitz¡¯s mind. Since Reinitz had deceived her too many times during that time in the Alps, she couldn¡¯t fool herself into thinking that Reinitz had done all of this because he was in love with her. What a joke!

    If Reinitz was the type of guy who would fall head over heels in love with someone, how could he have attained the position of Director of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany? Since he was about the same age as Huo Shaoheng and also had the rank of Major General, this indicated he was likely highlypetent and an expert in his field. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to rise to such a high position at such a young age.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly stirred the tiny silver spoon in the small stew pot and said evenly, ¡°Major General Reinitz, I¡¯ll use your words for future reference, though I¡¯m not sure if I can take them to heart. But you should console that little princess. That woman from the Paromeo family, she really is a household name in Europe... ¡±

    In terms of fortune, the House of Hohenzollern had been left way behind and was nowhere as affluent as it used to be. Except for the British royal family, all the royal families in the whole of continental Europe had to pay tribute to the little princess of the Paromeo family. Indeed, her noble roots gave her the self-assurance to feel superior, yet this self-assurance meant nothing to Gu Nianzhi.

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t tell if she was disappointed or satisfied. He stared at Gu Nianzhi with a smile and whispered, ¡°Are you actually mad? Why don¡¯t you trust my words? I mean everything I say from the bottom of my heart.¡± His voice was a baritone, and along with the passionate look in his soulful eyes, he had the appearance of lovesick sincerity.

    However, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be fooled so easily. She slowly raised her head and with a nk expression on her face she said, ¡°Trust your words? If I trusted your words, then by your words you should be an orphan raised by Mother Hannah, not a member of the House of Hohenzollern.¡±

    Reinitz froze. ¡°You knew?¡± His true identity wasn¡¯t widely known, even in Germany. ¡°Marthy told you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Princess Marthy said that you¡¯re from the House of Hohenzollern, then told me to know my ce and to stay away from you.¡±

    So that¡¯s what happened, Reinitz thought as he rubbed his forehead. He didn¡¯t feel particrly upset but was just pondering how to exin it to Gu Nianzhi. After a while, he put his hand down and said frankly, ¡°I am from the House of Hohenzollern, but I¡¯m also an orphan. I didn¡¯t lie to you. Mother Hannah was indeed the one who raised me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to Reinitz and instantly identified the contradictions in his story. ¡°Major General Reinitz, did you know that partial truths and white lies are also deception?¡±

    Reinitz narrowed hiske blue eyes and stared at her fixedly. His eyes were like the famous ¡°Midnight Heart¡± sapphire, so translucent and intensely blue that she could see the dark flecks in his irises. His eyes were so deep and expressive that whenever Gu Nianzhi stared into them, she felt herself sucked into the story those soulful eyes were telling.

    Feeling herself getting sucked in further and further by those cerulean eyes, she averted her gaze with great difficulty. Only then did Reinitz break his stare and ask, ¡°Partial truth? White lie? Be more specific.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at him, and her dark-eyes were mysterious and enticing. ¡°Do you really want to hear what I have to say?¡±

    ¡°You can say anything in front of me. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Reinitz nodded slightly and raised his hand, signaling her to continue.

    Since Reinitz didn¡¯t care, Gu Nianzhi decided not to care, either. She curled her lips and said with a mirthful expression on her face, ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about the partial truth. You say that you¡¯re from the House of Hohenzollern and that you are also an orphan. If that were true, then that means both of your parents are dead. And you¡¯re saying that you were raised by Mother Hannah, but how did she support you? She doesn¡¯t seem particrly wealthy¡ªof course, unless I have misjudged, and she is actually a low profile millionaire.¡±

    Reinitzughed. Hisughter was maic and very pleasing to the ear.

    Gu Nianzhi unconsciously fiddled with her earlobe and said, ¡°Judging from your reaction, Mother Hannah is not a wealthy woman. Although you are saying that she raised you, you certainly don¡¯t look like you grew up in poverty. Don¡¯t you see how your story has too many contradictions?¡±

    The grounded proletarian mother who raised a son with the air of nobility... Not just in terms of his vibe, but the Reinitz before her now seemed very different from the Reinitz cutting firewood in the Alps. They were like two entirely different people. From his elegant and sophisticated mannerisms, it was conspicuous that these manners had definitely been cultivated from an early age. The Reinitz in the Alps was a role he was ying; the Reinitz before her at the moment was the real him.

    As Reinitz listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s analysis, the smile on his face gradually vanished. This woman had frighteningly urate observation and analytical skills, and she was shrewd and worldly as well. The former was not particrly surprising. After all, many people could gain keen observational skills and critical analysis abilities merely by training. Thetter was extremely unusual, since worldliness was not an innate ability and required aplex variety of factors to develop. If someone of high intelligence, keen observation skills, and developed critical analysis abilities also had shrewdness and worldliness to back them up, then that individual would truly be a frightening genius, indeed. Reinitz calmly raised his ss of red wine to Gu Nianzhi, took a sip, and felt his heart beating irregrly.

    Gu Nianzhi had also been watching Reinitz, and the subtle changes in his expression did not escape her eyes. As a result, Gu Nianzhi became more confident in the uracy of her analysis. She continued to expand upon her previous notions. ¡°If you really are an orphan and had indeed been raised by Mother Hannah, based on your current achievements and high status, I can infer that Mother Hannah is actually only one of your adoptive mothers? Or one of your many adoptive parents?¡± Gu Nianzhi made a far fetched guess.

    Reinitz was caught off guard and blinked in surprise. He had no idea her train of thought could expand that far.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips in a satisfied smirk. ¡°Bingo.¡±

    Reinitz was momentarily speechless.

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°That is to say, as you were growing up, there was more than one person in charge of educating and training you. Let¡¯s expand further. Under what circumstances would an orphan have various different ¡®educators¡¯ to raise him to have cultivated mannerisms and exceptional capabilities, so he could rise through the military ranks at rocket speed?¡±

    Reinitz narrowed his eyes and interrupted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spections with a smile. ¡°What on earth are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°I suspect that you¡¯re the beneficiary of a Gestapo project, and you grew up as a Lebensborn child.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. She had learned about this while she was helping Zhao Liangze organize documents on Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency. Gu Nianzhi recalled, ¡°Racially valuable Aryan children that exhibited desirable traits were raised in facilities and taught various skills that would help turn Germany into an Aryan stateposed of the master race. Only this reasoning can exin how you have grown up to be like this.¡±

    Reinitz didn¡¯t speak for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi finally asked, ¡°I guessed right?¡±

    Reinitz simply stared at her and was about to speak when he caught sight of the camera from the TV station slowly turning towards them. Reinitz suddenlyughed, raised his ss of wine, and said, ¡°Drink a ss with me, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t drink. So, instead of wine, I¡¯ll substitute juice and have a drink with you.¡±

    Regardless of Reinitz¡¯s true intentions, to his credit he had helped her conceal her true identity as the ¡°Pink Piggy.¡± Gu Nianzhi was not the type of person who didn¡¯t give credit where it was due. She lifted the long and narrow ss filled with grape juice and touched Reinitz¡¯s ss with it.

    They both stered on their most winning and dazzling smiles. Gu Nianzhi mustered all the acting skills she had to make that expression. Reinitz¡¯s smile, however, had some tinges of sincerity to it. In the eyes of outsiders, it simply appeared like a golden couple chatting merrily andughing heartily.

    The TV directors who captured this shot were ecstatic over obtaining such a treasure. This was probably the best shot out of all the shots they had taken tonight. As a result, when the Huaxia Empire began broadcasting the news at nine o¡¯clock in the evening, the shot of Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz toasting and drinking together was seen as a symbol of friendship between the two countries, and therefore, they became the top headline in the news.

    ...

    At nine o¡¯clock in the evening, the intersection in downtown C City was still bustling. There was a small square there that originally had had a musical fountain, but since it was still spring, and it was cold during the night, the musical fountain was only disyed to the public during the summer. Now it was only a dry concrete pit.

    They were surrounded by skyscrapers, and arge LCD screen was located on the outer wall of a building near the square. Advertising, music, films, and variety shows were broadcast 24 hours a day.

    A yellow SUV with a military license te was parked not far from the building. Huo Shaoheng, wearing a lightweight uniform, was leaning on the door of the SUV, fiddling with the lighter that Gu Nianzhi had given him. He held a cigarette in his hand while on vignt watch.

    Song Jinning was debugging an instrument meant to measure maic field data while inside arge van. At the crossroads, there were many inclothes officers from the Special Operation Forces scattered around, watching the crowd closely.

    At this time, the evening news began, and the big TV on the opposite wall of the building began to broadcast the capital¡¯s evening news ¡°The German delegation to China held the first round of informal meetings with the Speaker of the Chinese Parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 7pm tonight, and the two sides exchanged opinions in a friendly atmosphere...¡± The sound of the anchor speaking was heard through the square¡¯s loudspeaker.

    Huo Shaoheng puffed out a cloud of smoke from his cigarette nonchntly, raised his eyes to look at the screen, and suddenly stopped. On the huge screen there was a breathtakingly beautiful girl with dark hair and porcin skin, and a handsome man with soulful blue eyes and buttery blond hair. They were smiling and toasting each other.

    From his point of view, it almost seemed like there were sparks flying from the passionate way they stared into each other¡¯s eyes...

 Chapter 1066 - How Blind Are They

    <h4>1066 How Blind Are They</h4>

    How was Gu Nianzhi able to attend such a monumental event? Judging from her position in the photo, which certainly did not seem low, it way exceeded the usual treatment for interns.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the door without any expression. Holding a cigarette in his hand and watching the butt of the cigarette burn, he felt his heart burn inside as well. However, on the surface he still had the same impassive expression.

    With his Bluetooth headset on, he listened to the staff doing dispatches and scheduling, still in a tense state of high alert. At this time, no matter how what he saw made him feel inside, all he could do was to suppress his anger and patientlyplete his work at hand before getting to the bottom of it.

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes, slowly exhaled a breath of cigarette smoke, and stopped his train of thought from further diverging in order to focus his attention on the downtown area.

    He stared at the ground in front of him impassively. It was seven years ago when Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car suddenly caught fire and caught his attention. When he rushed in, tore off the stuck seat belt, and rescued Gu Nianzhi, the car exploded right here. The force of the explosion was so momentous that it sted a deep pit in its ce, and there had even been a mushroom cloud rising into the sky after the explosion. The zing fire was so incredibly strong that the car was engulfed and burned into ashes in the blink of an eye without even leaving any residue behind.

    Huo Shaoheng recalled what happened seven years ago to calm his mood at the moment, but the evening news on the big screen kept relentlessly tormenting him. A German delegation to China broadcast it for a full five minutes. Huo Shaoheng asionally raised his eyes, but every time he did, he saw the snapshot of Gu Nianzhi and that German man called Reinitz.

    The director must have really liked presenting them as a couple. At this rate, what was next¡ªamercial featuring them as the golden couple? Huo Shaoheng put one hand in his pocket and had the urge to take out another cigarette.

    Right at that time, pedestrians on the street also noticed that unlike other days, today¡¯s news had such an extraordinarily good-looking couple being featured, and they all stopped to stand and watch with intrigue.

    ¡°Wow! I never knew that us Chinese girls and handsome German guys could look that good together!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head towards them silently. He felt sour and jealous inside, and couldn¡¯t help but feel irked by theirments. ¡°How blind are they?¡± he thought jealousy.

    ¡°Yeah yeah! Look at that handsome German guy! How can someone be so handsome, right?¡±

    ¡°Look at his military uniform! His epaulets! And his hands!¡±

    ¡°And his eyes! Ugh! I¡¯m so jealous of that girl across from him! Although I¡¯m not nearly as pretty as her, I have to say, I¡¯d do anything for that handsome German guy!¡±

    A few little girls were fawning over him andughing not far from Huo Shaoheng, and their voices gradually became louder and louder, making more passersby stop and watch.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrows drew tighter and tighter together, and by that point, he could barely suppress his anger and irritation. He collected himself, stepped into his car, and took hisptop from the passenger¡¯s seat. He typed a few lines quickly and connected hisputer to the electronic screen system for the building opposite. After a minute, the huge screen on the building suddenly shed for a second, then went ck. The screen remained pitch dark.

    ¡°Huh? Where¡¯s the news?¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°This is so annoying! I haven¡¯t even filmed the hot guy with my phone yet!¡±

    A few little girls groaned andined to express their displeasure.

    ¡°Whatever! There¡¯s a live broadcast on your phone. Go and take a screenshot!¡± They quickly found a new way to watch on their phones and continued to watch the evening news.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    The ratings for evening news that night must have been bursting with high numbers. The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth pulled down with discontent, and he threw theptop aside in annoyance.

    He leaned on the driver¡¯s seat and wanted to close his eyes to rest for a while, but it didn¡¯t take long for Song Jinning¡¯s voice to ring through the Bluetooth headset. ¡°Shaoheng? Shaoheng? Come here for a sec!¡± Song Jinning¡¯s voice sounded anxious and was even trembling, making her voice sound about an octave higher than usual.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately opened his eyes, pushed open the door, and got out of the car, speeding towards the van where Song Jinning was. He walked past the little girls who were watching the evening news being broadcast on their phones. One of the little girls looked up to see who was passing by but was instantly stunned into silence when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. Without a word she watched him enter the van, then she started screaming in excitement. She was even more excited than when she had seen the handsome German man on TV.

    She started gushing to her friends saying, ¡°Oh my God! I just saw the hottest guy I have ever seen, and he is even more handsome than the guy on this screen! He¡¯s so good looking, he puts this German guy to shame!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s really dark outside. How could you tell? Did you even get a good look at his face?¡± Her friends teased and mocked her, none of them believing her.

    Huo Shaoheng actually wore a low, wide-brimmed military cap that concealed his entire forehead, and since it was dark outside, few people could see his face clearly. However, even the darkness couldn¡¯t hide his handsome features and striking figure.

    Huo Shaoheng entered Song Jinning¡¯s car and saw her in the middle of two rows ofrge shing instruments. She was quickly typing away on the keyboard and recording data on theputer.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly and came over to get a closer look at the data on Song Jinning¡¯sptop.

    Pointing to the rising data, Song Jinning said excitedly, ¡°Shaoheng! Look at this data! This means that the maic field is bing more and more conspicuous and getting stronger! I don¡¯t know how strong it will be at its maximum, but I can tell you this; the strength of the maic field at this moment is the strongest it has ever been since we first started doing observations and recording them! It has already broken the record!¡±

    The first observation record the Huaxia Empire had taken of this maic field was over 20 years ago. It was this set of maic field data that prompted the military to cooperate with the Chinese Institute of High Energy Physics. Song Haichuan, the director of the Chinese Institute of High Energy Physics at that time, conducted secret experiments to perfectly replicate this set of naturally urring maic field data in aboratory setting.

    In the end, they had no idea what went wrong, but their attempts failed miserably, and a strong maic storm that urred in the maic field not only caused all the electronic equipment in theboratory to malfunction, but it also unexpectedly sparked a huge explosion.

    ¡°The emergence of a strong maic field will allow us to improve our observation data, which will be critical in order for us to continue the test that was interrupted 17 years ago,¡± Song Jinning said rapidly, and the movement of her hands on the keyboard became faster and faster.

    The data on both sides of the instruments beside her started appearing faster and faster, and was appearing so rapidly that in the end it became hard to distinguish one from another.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the data for a while, then said, ¡°There should be a surveince video here, right? Let¡¯s take a look at the surveince footageter and check frame by frame. That way, we can ensure that the data can be better repaired.¡±

    Song Jinning nodded. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m doing a brief preliminary analysis now. For a more detailed analysis, I will have to go back and re-enter the data based on the surveince footage.¡±

    While she was speaking, she nced back at the data analysis on theputer but gradually began to realize that there was something wrong with the data she had recorded. ¡°Shaoheng...¡± Song Jinning¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Something is wrong.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately grasped Song Jinning¡¯s arm and was ready to drag her out of the car any second.

 Chapter 1067 - Breaking News

    <h4>1067 Breaking News</h4>

    ¡°The data is rising too fast, and it¡¯s almost reaching its peak,¡± Song Jinning said anxiously.

    ¡°Let me go! I¡¯ll turn off the instrument!¡± Huo Shaoheng turned back and saw red lights suddenly start shing on the two rows of instruments. The data rose rapidly and quickly crossed the red line at the top!

    The data actually exploded! A crisp popping sound immediately followed. The two rows of instruments emitted blue-violet electric sparks and began cracking chaotically in the tiny enclosed space of the van.

    Huo Shaoheng reflexively pulled Song Jinning over, then turned around and pushed her out the door. This movement made him turn his back on the instruments that had been sparking. Fortunately, under his thin military uniform he was wearing the high-performing No. 5 soft body armor, which could block even semi-automatic sub-machine gun bullets, so he was not worried about being injured by the electric sparks.

    Besides, the lethality of these electric sparks was nothingpared to bullets. Before those hot sparks could hit his back, Huo Shaoheng did a somersault and leaped out of the van¡¯s door.

    Cracking and popping sounds continued behind him. At times it sounded like firecrackers and asionally like fried beans. The crackling quickly attracted the attention of passersby.

    Huo Shaoheng took Song Jinning by the arms, and they both quickly left the van. At the same time, Huo Shaoheng immediately issued orders to his subordinates through his Bluetooth headset. ¡°An ident has urred! Block the scene! Call fire trucks and ambnces!¡±

    ¡°Orders received! Area 1 blockade isplete!¡±

    ¡°Orders received! Area 2 blockade isplete!¡±

    ¡°Orders received! Area 3 blockade isplete!¡±

    This continued through several sectors until thest report came in. ¡°Orders received! Area 7 blockade isplete!¡±

    The Special Operation Forces personnel divided the entire area into seven sectors for heightened security. In less than a minute, all seven areas were closed and cleared, and they were waiting for the ambnces and fire trucks to arrive.

    Those little girls who were still watching the news broadcast on their cell phones were also asked to step outside the enclosed area. They were extremely discontented andined, ¡°What happened? Why is there no cell phone reception?!¡±

    However, not only was there no cell phone reception, the entire area started to sessively experience a power shortage. One by one the skyscrapers started experiencing ckouts, and even the street lights on the road eventually went out. The downtown area that had been brightly lit and bustling just a moment ago was now engulfed in darkness.

    ¡°A power outage? Why is there a power outage at this time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is so weird, right? There¡¯s no wind or rain, so why on earth is a power outage happening? I¡¯m going to file aint!¡±

    Everyone was busy expressing their dissatisfaction, when at that moment, the crowd suddenly started eximing even louder. ¡°Look at the sky! Look at the sky!!¡±

    In the dark blue sky set against the high-rise buildings, an iridescent halo suddenly appeared and started swaying in the night sky. It seemed like someone had tipped over a fluorescent paint bucket, and using the sky as a mural and the light as a brush, was painting a thick kaleidoscopic abstract painting.

    Song Jinning held up herptop and gazed up at the halo ribbon in the sky, her mouth agape with shock. ¡°An aurora has even appeared!¡± she murmured, even rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, worried that she was hallucinating.

    During such chaos, not only was there no phone reception and Wifi, even the electricity went out, but for some reason, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mood was much improved. He kept Song Jinning behind him protectively, smiled calmly, and asked, ¡°How can there be an aurora here? Ms. Song, you must be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances.¡±

    Song Jinning rolled her eyes at Huo Shaoheng and reprimanded him with confidence. ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t know how to adapt to changing circumstances. I will give you a free lesson. The aurora appeared because we just had a high-energy maic storm here. You see, allmunication is paralyzed. The circuit system has also been greatly impaired, and we have experienced a power outage. Yet there is still higher maic storm energy, so it got released in the form of an aurora. So you tell me why it¡¯s so impossible to have an aurora here!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was rendered speechless. Well, professional people were experts in their professions. Of course, Huo Shaoheng was cognizant that he was not as knowledgeable as Ms. Song on the subject of high-energy physics.

    At this time, the middle of the intersection in the downtown area and the small square next to it were being blockaded and quarantined. Arge number of people were on the road across the street, holding phones in their hands and taking pictures of the astronomical wonders that just appeared against the sky.

    Huo Shaoheng looked back at therge van equipped with instruments and discovered that although there were electric sparks and even a small fire, the entire situation at hand was not that severe.

    He watched the car calmly until the fire truck finally came over. Firefighters held fire extinguishers in their hands and sprayed at the van. The electric sparks were extinguished quickly, but the van had been burned to the ground. The two rows of instruments obviously could not be used anymore, although the data should have been secure, because these instruments were synchronized to the cloud. Although the data in the instruments themselves was gone, the cloud system still had stored backup data. Furthermore, Huo Shaoheng also had the option of taking the hard drive in the instruments to experts in their organization, and they could try to recover the data.

    He stood in front of the van with his hands behind his back and eyebrows tightly scrunched together. It was the same circumstance: fire erupting in an uncanny maic field. Yet why didn¡¯t this van explode into a mushroom cloud like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car hadst time this happened? And the fire was so robust that it didn¡¯t even leave residue behind? The van¡¯s interior had been burned to the ground, yet its outer shell was still in decent condition.

    Could it be said that the source of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car explosion was not in the maic field but in the car she was in? If that were the case, then the ident she experienced was not an ident at all but actually attempted murder!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fists were clenched tightly. His jaw hardened, his eyes were as sharp as a hawk¡¯s in the dark, and his handsome face had a unique and striking charm due to his fierce expression. He even dwarfed the aurora above his head.

    Song Jinning kept sighing beside him. ¡°Why is this happening? How is this happening? Why is the maic field so powerful this time? This makes no sense!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked without looking back, ¡°What will happen to the maic field after the maic storm?¡±

    ¡°After a maic storm, the maic field disappears.¡± Song Jinning looked at Huo Shaoheng as if it weremon knowledge. ¡°The maic field is made up of energy. So after the maic storm consumes all the energy, of course the maic field will no longer exist. Shaoheng, didn¡¯t you graduate from college?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored Song Jinning¡¯s teasing and asked, ¡°Are you sure all the energy was released? Are there any instruments to measure it?¡±

    Song Jinning said with regret, ¡°There is one more, but it¡¯s not as efficient or urate as the two instruments that were in that van. However, measuring the maic field energy is still possible.¡±

    ¡°Where is the machine?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inside the branch office here.¡± Song Jinning pointed in the direction they came from. ¡°Over there.¡±

    Through his Bluetooth headset, Huo Shaoheng immediately ordered his subordinates to bring the instrument over to him. Ten minutester, that simple-functioning maic field measuring instrument was brought over. Song Jinning quickly began operating it, and after ten minutes, she was convinced. ¡°No, the maic field haspletely disappeared, and all the energy has been released.¡±

    Then, the enchanting aurora in the night sky began to fade away. The skyscrapers nearby started to light up again one by one, and soon the street lights began to light up as well. The power was restored, along with cell phone reception and Wifi as well.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the night sky, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Ms. Song, I¡¯m returning to the imperial capital soon. Will youe along with me?¡±

    ...

    At this time, almost all the TV stations across the country were broadcasting this breaking news: ¡°Auroras that normally only appear at the north and south poles suddenly appeared over the city...¡±

 Chapter 1068 - Familiar Sigh

    <h4>1068 Familiar Sigh</h4>

    At the same time, not only was the breaking news being broadcast on the Huaxia Empire¡¯s TVworks, but all of Blue Star¡¯s TV stations had halted normal programming and inserted this news broadcast about the astronomical wonder that appeared in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s skies.

    The United States, European Union, South America, and even Africa, Oceania, and other countries in Asia started broadcasting this breaking news, and soon all of their TV stations were beingpletely dominated by the story.

    This breaking news shocked the world. Numerous astronomers grabbed their phones and immediately booked flights to C City of the Huaxia Empire, eager to investigate this phenomenon. Why on earth was there an aurora in this ce?!

    Intelligence agencies in various countries started getting active as well. Out of all of them, the CIA of the United States was the most stunned and was the most caught off guard. ¡°...Why would such a high-energy maic storm appear in the Huaxia Empire?! You people are useless garbage! Thebor and managementmittees have spent so much money on your activities in the Huaxia Empire. Where did you spend all your money? What did you all squander it on?!¡± Major General Hillent, director of the CIA, was furious and was swearing up and down at his subordinates in the office. He smashed his keyboard and coffee cup in his fury but still didn¡¯t feel like his rage was quenched. He red at his men, then pointed at them usingly and asked, ¡°Spill it! Where did all the funds go?! What did you imbeciles spend them on?!¡±

    His men looked at each other awkwardly and said anxiously, ¡°Since the establishment of the Special Operation Forces of the Huaxia Empire, their intelligence agency became divided. Our previous moles are having trouble infiltrating their intelligence agency...¡±

    ¡°Even so, we have spent so much money! Billions of dors have been spent over so many years, yet still no results?!¡± Major General Hillent glowered at them furiously, his face contorted with rage. ¡°Even if you couldn¡¯t infiltrate the Special Operation Forces, you still could¡¯ve spent the money somewhere useful! Don¡¯t you dare let me find out that any of you embezzled the money!¡±

    ¡°Sir! There has been no embezzlement whatsoever!¡± His men anxiously reputed the notion. ¡°Look at the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Weibo! Many of the turncoats on there are receiving funding from us! It costs us a lot of money every month!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah! The cost ofbor in the Huaxia Empire has been rapidly rising recently, so the expenditure is also rapidly rising!¡±

    Major General Hillent frowned. ¡°You mean, you guys spent all the money on these Weibo bloggers from the Huaxia Empire? The turncoats you guys developed are all on Weibo?¡±

    The subordinate raised his hands. ¡°Most of them are here. They make easier informants.¡±

    Major General Hillent was momentarily speechless. After a while, he stood up rapidly, flipped over his desk, and kicked it. Then he gritted his teeth and scolded them. ¡°You all are a bunch of useless sh*t! Those informants on Weibo are all full of bullsh*t! Stop wasting our funds on them, and spend the money on people who actually have ess to confidential data! I want to know exactly why the aurora appeared in the Huaxia Empire! If you all still have no clue after three days, then you will all be fired and reced!¡±

    A few of his subordinates were cowed into nodding and hurriedly left his office in a nervous sweat. After they left, Major General Hillent wiped his face and tried his best to suppress his anger and calm himself. He looked at the old-fashioned telephone on the desk, groaned for a while, then reached for the phone and dialed the secretboratory¡¯s phone number.

    Last time, theboratory from the secret base had almost beenpletely destroyed by the ¡°Pink Piggy.¡± Now, he wanted to know how the restoration process was going. The phone rang three times before someone finally answered it. It was Mr. X, the head of the secretboratory. ¡°Hillent?¡±

    Major General Hillent nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± His voice sounded gentle and calm. The fury he had been experiencing moments before had seemingly vanished from his voice without leaving a single trace, as if he were another person.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear the news about an aurora appearing in the Huaxia Empire?¡±

    Mr. X, the person in charge, remained silent for a long time before finally saying, ¡°I have heard. How could I not have heard?¡± Thest sentence sounded sour and bitter.

    Major General Hillent sneered. ¡°Mr. X, do you have any exnation for this? As far as I know, auroras don¡¯t appear outside the North and South Poles.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Mr. X, the head of the secretboratory, answered nkly, ¡°but there are exceptions. In theory, as long as the maic storm reaches a certain threshold, auroras can appear pretty much anywhere.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that? Did a high-energy maic storm really appear in the Huaxia Empire?¡±

    ¡°Of course, what else do you think? Did you think it was a movie or something?¡± Mr. X, the person in charge of the secretboratory, was irritated and displeased. ¡°But I don¡¯t believe they have the necessary skills! They must have stolen from us! As soon as our system for recording experiment data is breached by the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ the Huaxia Empire experiences such a high-energy maic storm? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much of a coincidence?¡±

    Major General Hillent was both overjoyed and stunned. ¡°You mean, we have this technology as well?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s so hard about it...¡± Mr. X dragged on, then started to gloat. ¡°We have a lot of advanced technologies that are way ahead of the Blue¡¯s, but we choose not to disclose them to the public.¡±

    ¡°Mr. X, you are truly impressive!¡± Major General Hillentughed and was now in an exuberant mood. ¡°That¡¯s very reassuring! As for the Huaxia Empire, you¡¯re meaning to say that theyck the ability and technological advancement to develop such innovative technologies?¡±

    Due to the maic storm data that he obtained, he was very worried that the Huaxia Empire would make some sort of technological breakthrough that would eliminate the final obstacles preventing them from creating the ultimate maic storm weapon, such as a maic storm gun that could paralyze a city¡¯s power system. In the United States, this high-performance maic storm gun was still only in its experimental stage in theboratory and was not ready for use by the US army¡¯s special forces.

    Mr. X shook his head haughtily. ¡°That would be impossible! If we don¡¯t even have the ability to rely on our own technology, how could they do it?!¡± America was the greatest nation on the Blue. If they couldn¡¯t do something, other countries certainly would not be able to. If other countries were indeed able to do so, it must have been because they had stolen America¡¯s technology!

    The CIA¡¯s Major General Hillent nodded with satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that. As long as I have your word, I will make sure that the Huaxia Empire pays for their theft!¡±

    ...

    In the banquet hall of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s parliament building, the banquet had finallye to an end. At this time, therge screen on the wall suddenly turned on, broadcasting this breaking news concerning City C¡¯s aurora. ¡°Auroras that normally only appear in the North and South Poles suddenly appeared over the city...¡±

    Half an hour had passed between the initial appearance of the aurora and the current news broadcast, so now the ins and outs of the matter had be more specific. News reporters from major TV stations came to the scene carrying heavy equipment, and they busily snapped pictures of the aurora in the night sky while interviewing the people at the scene.

    In the live broadcast room of the TV station, an anchor was on the line with well-dressed professors and listened to them exin how this phenomenon urred. Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz also watched the big screen together. When she saw that same familiar intersection in City C appear on the big screen, Gu Nianzhi felt her heart leap in her chest. She had lived in City C for six years and knew that intersection by heart. That intersection was the starting point of her memory, and her entire life seemed to have started at that ce. She had no memory of anything before that.

    On the big screen, reporters were interviewing pedestrians at the scene. ¡°We saw a car suddenly catch fire there, and then someone came and blocked the entire ce. Then there was a power outage, and there was no cell phone reception. We also couldn¡¯t connect to the inte. At that time, nobody knew what exactly had happened until we saw the aurora in the sky.¡± A few girls animatedly told the reporters about what they saw with their own eyes and were ecstatic to be interviewed by reporters on live TV.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes gradually widened. She slowly stood up with a nk expression in her eyes. Her fists were clenched so tightly that the blue veins on the back of her hands bulged.

    Reinitz noticed the ghastly expression on her face. He saw how she tensed up, how her face paled, and how she started trembling. He was greatly worried now, and he gently patted her on her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you frightened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whole body shook, and it took all of her energy to restrain herself from losing it. But how could she remain calm after seeing that!? When she saw the burning van appear on the big screen, she almost screamed! The ce the van was parked was almost the exact same ce her car was parked seven years ago!

    She still remembered when the explosion happened, how Huo Shaoheng held her tightly against his chest, and how she caught sight of those same skyscrapers and skyline behind him.

    The sight was too disturbing for her. Her memory of the event was as clear as a picture since it had been deeply imprinted in her mind, and it manifested itself in the form of nightmares. Seeing the sight on the screen was like her biggest nightmare being yed out all over again right in front of her.

    Fear swept across her body. She couldn¡¯t help but tremble, her teeth rattling. Reinitz saw how the blood in her face faded away and how she was ghostly pale. He touched her hand with the back of his hand and discovered that her hand was as cold as a corpse¡¯s. However, he merely thought she felt cold due to the weather, so he took off his military jacket and put it on Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 1069 - Deliberate Approach

    <h4>1069 Deliberate Approach</h4>

    [Nez]: He is not here. The implication is that he went on a mission...

    When He Zhichu saw the text message at first, he secretly scowled and thought, ¡°Sh*t,¡± as he got out of the elevator.

    ... ...

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to leave early. She looked around and saw that Speaker Long was not far away from her. She took off Reinitz¡¯s military jacket and gave it back to him. Then she walked over and said to Speaker Long, ¡°I¡¯m a little ufortable, so I¡¯ll be heading home for the night.¡±

    Speaker long had originally nned to have a meeting with his subordinates to discuss today¡¯s events after the banquet had ended, and he had intended for her to participate as well. But when he looked up and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pale and bloodless face, Speaker Long changed his mind immediately and asked with concern, ¡°Are you ufortable? Is it too cold here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded reluctantly. Her voice was weak and low as she said, ¡°It¡¯s a little cold right now during the night, but if I go home and get some rest, I¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, go home and get some rest. If you¡¯re still feeling unwell tomorrow, feel free to take a day off and rest at home.¡± President Long expressed some regret at the fact that she might not be able to participate in tomorrow¡¯s bteral talks, but for him, her physical wellbeing was more important. He never advocated working while sick.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°If I feel better tomorrow, I wille to work. If I¡¯m still feeling unwell, I think I really might have to take a few days of sick leave.¡±

    Speaker Long expressed concern and understanding, and offered to help her find someone to give her a ride home. Gu Nianzhi declined Speaker Long¡¯s offer and said with a smile, ¡°I called a taxi already, so someone will be here to pick me up soon.¡±

    Reinitz had been standing next to her the entire time and had heard what she said. He looked at her with a slightly puzzled expression. Gu Nianzhi felt Reinitz¡¯s eyes on her and figured he was probably confused by what she had said, but she refrained from making eye contact with him. Gu Nianzhi calmly bid farewell to Speaker Long and the other members of the Parliament Secretariat, then she turned around and left the banquet hall.

    Reinitz thought about it for a moment, then grabbed a fellow German who was passing by and said in German, ¡°I have something urgent tonight to attend to. You guys don¡¯t have to wait for me.¡±

    The German nodded in understanding. In theory, the German delegation to China was supposed to be centered upon the German chancellor. But even the German chancellor sometimes deferred to Reinitz for important matters, and most of the time he was the one calling the shots. Therefore, all the German personnel heeded Reinitz deferentially. The German Reinitz had stopped quickly said, ¡°Okay, I will pass word on to the Chancellor.¡±

    ...

    Reinitz caught up with Gu Nianzhi in the hallway outside the banquet hall of the parliament building and said with a grin, ¡°Miss Gu, you ran off too soon and abandoned your bodyguard in the banquet hall.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back in surprise. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t bring a bodyguard.¡± At first, she had a confused look in her eyes, but her bewilderment vanished the instant she discovered who the speaker was.

    Reinitz felt the same excitement a chess yer felt when up against a worthy opponent. He pointed to himself with a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s me. Miss Gu, may I have the honor of being your protector?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. I¡¯ll give you my coat to put on, and you can give it back to me when you get in the car,¡± Reinitz said and put his military uniform coat on Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    After 15 minutes, He Zhichu¡¯s sports car stopped in front of the parliament building, and he saw Gu Nianzhi through the window while sitting in the car. In the tall white corridor, she was wearing a German Army major general uniform coat, which on her was oversized and made her whole person seem even smaller. He Zhichu also caught sight of Reinitz standing beside Gu Nianzhi, and he noticed how close they were standing next to each other.

    Even though He Zhichu¡¯s angle of view was blocked, he sensed that Reinitz¡¯s unseen hand must have been on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist. He Zhichu felt rage boil up inside him. He got out of the car with a calm expression on his face, walked over to Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz, then smashed his fist into Reinitz¡¯s face!

    He said in German coldly, ¡°You stay away from her. Don¡¯t let me see you approaching her again.¡±

 Chapter 1070 - At My Place

    <h4>1070 At My ce</h4>

    Reinitz had grown up receiving special training from a young age and was one of the most highly skilledbatants in the German special forces, but even he could not escape He Zhichu¡¯s punch. He only had time to turn his head sideways, avoiding the sharpest part of He Zhichu¡¯s fist to protect his head from being hit.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She remembered the time when He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng had a brutal fight in her house. Reinitz was not as strong abatant as Huo Shaoheng, so of course, it didn¡¯t take He Zhichu much effort to fight him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes swiveled between He Zhichu and Reinitz. He Zhichu¡¯s tone and choice of words made it seem like the two of them knew each other. He Zhichu¡¯s tone especially suggested that they were acquainted. All sorts of thoughts were forming in her head, but before they could expand, He Zhichu had already pulled her towards him, torn off the German military jacket she wore, and thrown it back to Reinitz. Then, he took off his own cashmere coat and put it on Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi instantly felt warmer. She smiled apologetically at Reinitz. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m leaving now. Good night Major General Reinitz.¡±

    Reinitz had his military coat in his arms. He looked at He Zhichu with his eyebrows drawn together and had a gloomy expression on his face. Since he had been punched for no reason at all, he appeared sullen and aggrieved. The guard standing at the gate of the building was motionless and had an impassive expression on his face, as if he had not witnessed the entire situation.

    Initially, He Zhichu pointed his finger in Reinitz¡¯s direction and opened his mouth as if to say something, but he stopped himself and mped his mouth shut. Then he snorted indifferently and holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, they walked down the steps of the building together.

    ¡°My car is parked outside. Tonight, you will go with me to my ce.¡± He Zhichu did not even bother to look at Gu Nianzhi when he spoke, and he was obviously in a very sulky mood as well.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless, but at that moment, she just wanted to go home. She said in a gentle tone, ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s already past ten o¡¯clock. I want to go back to my own ce.¡± After worrying that he still wouldn¡¯t agree, she hurriedly added, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little sick. Really, I left the premises early today because I felt unwell.¡±

    He Zhichu put his hand to her forehead to check her temperature, and he discovered that her forehead was hot to the touch. This discovery made him even more insistent. ¡°Go to my house. If you continue to have a fever into the night, someone needs to take care of you.¡±

    ¡°I can go to Brother Chen,¡± Gu Nianzhi blurted out, but immediately thought of how Chen Lie was likely at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces, and then thought about how the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces had recently been heavily inspected, and no outsiders were allowed to enter. Since Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t there, it would be difficult for her to go there.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even finished thinking of excuses when He Zhichu stopped her midway. ¡°Chen Lie? Enough of this nonsense. Stay at my house for one night. Are you afraid of making Huo Shaoheng unhappy? Then let him stop working!¡± He raised his pitch at the end of the sentence, and Gu Nianzhi could tell how terrible his mood was.

    She didn¡¯t dare to continue arguing with him, so she merely replied sheepishly, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried that Huo Shao will not be happy, but I¡¯m just worried about troubling Professor He...¡±

    ¡°How can you trouble me when you don¡¯t even feel ufortable wearing a stranger¡¯s jacket?¡± When he was in a bad mood, his tone could be sardonic and biting. Gu Nianzhi decided to stop talking lest she add fuel to the fire and further enrage him. She obediently followed He Zhichu into the car, and he drove in the direction of B University¡¯s Professor¡¯s Building. He Zhichu¡¯s car was a high-performance vehicle as well as being fast and steady, yet it didn¡¯t have the roaring sound unique to sports cars.

    They soon arrived at B University. Gu Nianzhi saw the female graduate student dormitory in thew department where she had lived. She squeezed the cell phone in her hand and had the urge to call Ma Qiqi. However, when she looked at the clock and discovered that it was already 11 o¡¯clock, she changed her mind and decided not to bother her sote in the evening.

    She followed He Zhichu into his suite in the Professor¡¯s Building. He Zhichu pointed to the guest room. ¡°You will sleep there. The toiletries in the bathroom are new. I have some of your clothing here, so you can change your clothes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She was silent for a while, then she asked, ¡°Professor He, why do you have my clothes here?¡±

    He Zhichu turned his head a little ufortably at first. ¡°I bought them earlier, but I didn¡¯t know if I should¡¯ve given them to you or not...¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and didn¡¯t make any excuses to refuse. She rubbed her increasingly hot forehead and said almost incoherently, ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡± She knew this ce well, since she had beening in and out over the previous year, although as a student assistant. She went to the bathroom to wash.

    After she walked out, she discovered that He Zhichu had already put her robe and change of clothes on the bed in the guest room. Gu Nianzhi yawned, put on her robe, and tried to fall asleep. However, because of all the chaotic events that had gone down that day, she suffered insomnia and twisted and turned while trying to sleep.

    When He Zhichu came over to check on her condition in the middle of the night, he found her face flushed, as if she were experiencing a nightmare. She was raving and murmuring incoherently. He Zhichu reached out to touch her forehead and found that it was scorching hot.

    He took out his first aid kit, removed the electronic thermometer from it, and pressed it to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. The high temperature on the thermometer stunned He Zhichu. He calmly reset the thermometer¡¯s temperature and pulled the quilted covers over Gu Nianzhi. Then he put an ice pack on her forehead to cool her down for a while.

    As he stayed by her side, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows started furrowing even more. ¡°Daddy... Daddy... I want Daddy...¡± She made a humming sound as she wept, and her hands kept poking out of the quilt to thrash into the air.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart trembled, and he grabbed her hand and ced it back under the quilt. Gu Nianzhi wept and sobbed for a while as she dreamed, perhaps sensing He Zhichu¡¯s presence, and after a while, she started stammering ¡°Brother...¡± Her tone and voice sounded exactly like they had when she was a little girl.

    He felt his nose twitch and mood sour. His hands trembled, and touching Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, he spoke to her in a gentle tone that he had never used before. ¡°He is here, he¡¯s not going anywhere, he will always be with you.¡±

    His appeasement gradually began to work, and Gu Nianzhi eventually ceased crying while dreaming. Although she was still clenching her teeth, and her brows were tightly drawn together, she was no longer crying hysterically like she previously had been. It seemed as if she had gained dominance over her dream and no longer found its contents unbearable.

    He Zhichu stayed by her side watching her, and from time to time he changed the ice pack on her forehead. After a while, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone suddenly started ringing. ¡°Who used a bow and arrow to fight in the priest temple? I like how you only belong to me in the crowd...¡± He Zhichu had heard this ringtone before. It was the ringtone Gu Nianzhi set for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone calls.

    He Zhichu nced around the room before finally locating the phone. Seeing that the caller ID disyed on the mobile screen was ¡°A,¡± He Zhichu pursed his lips and answered the call.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where are you?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep maic voice came from the phone, but there was a slightly anxious edge to his voice.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes flickered, and he said slowly, ¡°At my ce.¡±

 Chapter 1071 - I Could Make Her Leave You at Any Second

    <h4>1071 I Could Make Her Leave You at Any Second</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng said slowly, ¡°At your ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, on the bed next to me.¡± He Zhichu was in a bad mood and didn¡¯t bother speaking courteously.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. As soon as He Zhichu had finished speaking, theputer in front of Huo Shaoheng had justpleted GPS positioning. The coordinates of the address appearing on the monitor was the Professors Building in B University where He Zhichu lived.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch nkly. It was already half past three in the morning. He walked to his personalized vehicle and drove over to the Hepingli Precinct where Gu Nianzhi lived. At the same time, he turned on the satellite positioning system on his personalized vehicle to find where Gu Nianzhi was.

    Even though he knew that she was probably sleeping at this time, nevertheless, he still kept calling her phone while searching for her. He was still hesitant about calling her at that hour and worried that it would scare her. He never thought that he himself would be the one in shock.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his forehead and restrained his voice as he said, ¡°He Zhichu, don¡¯t mess around. Nianzhi sees you as family.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m messing around?¡± He Zhichu sneered while putting a fresh ice pack on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°What if I want to mess around? It¡¯s better than every time she¡¯s in danger, you¡¯re not around to help her. Huo Shaoheng, let me tell you this, do you really think you have her wrapped around your finger? If I wanted to, I could make her leave you at any second!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t restrain his emotions anymore and roared with rage, ¡°I dare you to!¡± His right hand clenched into a fist, his bones rattled, and a brutal expression shed across his face.

    Fan Jian, the orderly driving the car, was startled and identally stepped on the brakes. The wheels of the bulletproof car made a loud screeching noise on the highway.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and calmed himself down. He calmed himself down so quickly that his momentary loss of control seemed like an illusion. Fan Jian felt that he must have been hallucinating and seeing things.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng react so fiercely made He Zhichu feel satisfaction inside. He was actually sort of relieved, since it showed that Huo Shaoheng cared about Gu Nianzhi. If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t cared, He Zhichu would have taken back his ¡°treasure¡± in a heartbeat.

    He Zhichu hung up and looked at Gu Nianzhi with a conflicted expression. Her temperature had dropped and was only 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) now. For ordinary people, it was still an extremely high fever, but for her, it meant that she was already out of danger and in a normal state.

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and kissed it with affection. She was his responsibility, and he would do anything for her. She was a ¡°treasure¡± that he would cherish all his life. As long as she was happy, he was willing to sacrifice everything. As long as she was doing well, he didn¡¯t care about anything else.

    He Zhichu knew that he was by no means a generous person, let alone a noble and selfless person. He was maniptive and ruthless, and used all means to get what he wanted. Yet before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, he became a ¡°saint.¡± If the people in his hometown saw him like this, they would definitely be taken aback. He Zhichu smiled bitterly and ced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand back under the quilt.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s elbow rested by the window, and he nced at the bright lights outside the window with a cold expression. It was early spring in the capital, and the night lights were still shining brightly outside, as if the city itself couldn¡¯t sleep.

    Huo Shaoheng was secretly deeply anxious, but his face remained impassive as he waited for his personalized vehicle to drive onto B University¡¯s campus. After receiving instructions, Fan Jian exited the highway towards the Hepingli Precinct, turned towards the Fourth Ring Road, and drove for another half an hour. Then he saw the South Gate of B University not far away.

    In the night sky, the South Gate of B University appeared to exude an air of simple solemnity. The bright iron gates could not be entered directly. Fan Jian started honking at the gate.

    The night guard at the South Gate raised his head in rm and squinted at the shing headlights. Looking at the license te of the honking vehicle and finally realizing who it was, the guardsman was suddenly wide awake. He shed the lights twice, then pushed the button to open the iron gate, letting Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car in.

    A convoy of seven to eight vehicles followed Huo Shaoheng in, but only his bulletproof car was allowed into the school, and the other cars quietly parked on the side of the road. The ck military vehicles exuded an air of imposing solemnity, so much so that the other vehicles on the road could not help but slow down and make way in deference.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng arrived at the building where He Zhichu lived and once again called Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone. With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone in his hand, He Zhichu walked towards the window, opened the curtains, and looked down. Under the illumination from the street lights in front of the building, a modified ck Hummer military vehicle, which appeared longer and wider than a typical Hummer SUV, was parked. It was rumored that it had the same steel te normally reserved for armored tanks.

    He Zhichu answered the phone and decided not to further enrage Huo Shaoheng. He simply said coldly, ¡°Nianzhi is sick and has a fever.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply at first. He thought about it for a moment, then pushed open the door and got out of the car. ¡°I¡¯lle and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Is Major General Huo sure he doesn¡¯t have any mission to aplish?¡± He Zhichu then said, ¡°If Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t make it this time, I¡¯ll visit her grave on your behalf.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression grew dark and sinister, and he kicked the door shut with a loud banging noise. He walked briskly to the lobby of the Professors Building without looking back.

    He Zhichu pursed the corners of his mouth, lowered the curtains, and went to the kitchen to make coffee. When the doorbell rang, He Zhichu had just put the ground coffee into the coffee maker. He turned on the coffee maker and went to open the door for Huo Shaoheng.

    As soon as the door opened, there was a whistling sound as a fist forcibly smashed into He Zhichu¡¯s face! He Zhichu had actually been prepared for something like that happening, yet he still did not escape the punch. The corner of his left eye was gashed, and in an instant, his eye was swollen with purple bruises.

    It was the sheer brute force of this punch that made He Zhichu realize that thest time they fought each other, Huo Shaoheng had been holding back. He Zhichu turned sharply to the right while simultaneously forcibly kicking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. Huo Shaoheng would have to step back if he wanted to avoid being kicked, then He Zhichu could seize the opportunity to lock him out and teach him a lesson!

    Yet he did not expect Huo Shaoheng to hold his bnce as steady as a mountain, then quickly deliver a powerful flying kick towards him. In an unexpected twist, He Zhichu was the one who had to take a step back so he didn¡¯t lose his bnce. Taking advantage of He Zhichu¡¯s retreat, Huo Shaoheng entered He Zhichu¡¯s residence and rushed to the room where Gu Nianzhi was.

    When He Zhichu finally regained his bnce, Huo Shaoheng had already entered the guest room. He Zhichu sneered and wiped the blood from his mouth, then closed the door and went into his bedroom to check the injuries he had sustained from the physical alteration just now.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng came to the room where Gu Nianzhi was, and as soon as he entered, he saw that she was sleeping serenely on the bed, wrapped in a quilt, and had a small ice pack across her forehead. Her breathing was even and steady, her brows were rxed, and her lips appeared plump. Except for the fact that her face was too pale, he couldn¡¯t tell that she was sick simply from her appearance.

    Huo Shaoheng watched her from the door for a while, then slowly walked towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed. Huo Shaoheng bent down and took off the ice pack, then he touched her forehead with the back of his hand. Even though her forehead had been covered with an ice pack all that time, her forehead was still scorching hot.

    Huo Shaoheng looked around the room and saw a small first-aid kit ced not far away from the bed. The pill box was half open, so Huo Shaoheng figured He Zhichu had probably used it. Huo Shaoheng walked over, found the electronic thermometer, and took it from the box to use on Gu Nianzhi.

    The thermometer read 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Huo Shaoheng was relieved, as her fever was not as severe as he had anticipated. He had seen Gu Nianzhi burning with more ¡°explosive¡± temperatures during fevers in the past, so 40 degrees was indeed not that ¡°severe¡± for her. Yet fevers could catastrophically damage a person¡¯s vitality. Even if 40 degrees was not the highest temperature for Gu Nianzhi, the torturous burning sensation experienced by her body was no different from what other people experienced.

    He stared at her lips. Her lips appeared so tender and delicate, like petals in appearance yet fluffy as a feather, as if they would be blown away by the slightest gust of wind. When he thought of He Zhichu¡¯s harsh words of ¡°visiting her grave on his behalf,¡± Huo Shaoheng felt bitter and sour. He pursed his lips tightly, put the ice pack back on her forehead, and then reached into the quilt and touched her back. It was still hot, but there was no sweat. The fever wouldn¡¯t subside if she wasn¡¯t sweating. Huo Shaoheng originally wanted to take Gu Nianzhi back with him, but when he saw her like that, he knew he couldn¡¯t just take her away in that condition.

    He Zhichu came over, knocked on the door, and said, ¡°I made coffee. Would you like to drink a little?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not sleepy at all, and it was unlike him to eat and drink food prepared by others without caution. He waved his hand and said, ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    He Zhichu was not surprised by his reaction. He Zhichu carried the cup of ck coffee, sat down on the other side, and asked Huo Shaoheng courteously, ¡°Did you ask her to go with the German delegation to China today?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily speechless. He stared at Gu Nianzhi without blinking, then slowly shook his head as he said, ¡°If I said no, would you believe it?¡±

    ¡°I believe it. Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± He Zhichu shrugged. ¡°Reinitz was there. If you asked her to go to the banquet knowing that he would be there, then I really misjudged you.¡±

    Both He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng knew very well what Reinitz was capable of. Neither of them believed for a second that he had any sincere feelings for Gu Nianzhi.

    They were all men, so they all knew how to feign interest. If Gu Nianzhi had been a naive little girl, then Reinitz would have seized the opportunity to take advantage of her.

    Huo Shaoheng remembered the scene he witnessed on the big screen in C City, and that sullen feeling in his heart he had first felt was still lingering inside him. However, he didn¡¯t bring it up with He Zhichu and merely asked, ¡°Why did Professor He go to the Senate to pick up Gu Nianzhi?¡± His question was shrewd and straight to the point, and it momentarily left He Zhichu at a loss for words.

    After a while, He Zhichu spit out, ¡°I just couldn¡¯t stand Reinitz¡¯s pretension. If I hadn¡¯t gone, then it would be Reinitz instead of me taking care of her here today.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up sharply, and while looking at He Zhichu, his voice went t. ¡°What are you talking about? What happened?¡±

    All Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi did was have a light toast at the banquet. How did things progress and escte to the extent that he was on the verge of taking care of her while she was sick?! Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t figure out what he had missed.

    ¡°Nianzhi saw the aurora in C City, and it greatly disturbed her,¡± He Zhichu said in a matter-of-fact manner. ¡°She had a nightmare in the middle of the night and was persistently calling for her father.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 1072 - Unbearable to Look A

    <h4>1072 Unbearable to Look A</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng silently looked away from He Zhichu. His eyes fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleepy face and stayed there for a long time. What happened the previous night was enough to deeply disturb Gu Nianzhi, let alone even Huo Shaoheng, who had much more mental strength and was also secretly shocked. However, the shock that he felt from the way the car was burned was somewhat different from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. What had stunned Gu Nianzhi?

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a while, remembering how bizarrely He Zhichu had acted. Huo Shaoheng nced at He Zhichu and suddenly asked, ¡°Professor He, how did you know that Nianzhi was deeply disturbed when she saw the aurora?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head calmly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know beforehand. I watched the TV and saw that Nianzhi had attended the banquetst night, so I rushed to pick her up.¡± As he said that, He Zhichu raised his jaw, and his eyes flickered with slight anger. ¡°When I arrived, I saw Reinitzing out of the building with Nianzhi and put his coat on her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his fist tighter, yet his face still appeared calm and unperturbed. He Zhichu¡¯s eyes went from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clenched fist to his face. He Zhichu curled his lips and continued to stab Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart using his words as the knife. ¡°At that time, his arm was wrapped around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist. Just like how you punched me when you first came in, I also punched Reinitz.¡±

    That harmonious picture of Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi toasting each other merrily shed before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes once again. He lowered his eyes impassively, then started chuckling. ¡°Thank you for informing me, Professor He. When she wakes up, I will ask her what truly happened. Reinitz will lose his position if he did what you said.¡±

    He Zhichu sneered. Sitting cross-legged on the sofazily, he said in an icy and indifferent voice, ¡°Position? As the Director of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany, Reinitz, like you, Huo Shao, is suited for his position like no other.¡±

    ¡°Professor He knows Reinitz that well?¡± Huo Shaoheng took the opportunity to draw out information about Reinitz.

    However, He Zhichu was not such a gullible and simple-minded person, and he saw through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intentions. He didn¡¯t want to give Huo Shaoheng the information he wanted that easily. ¡°No, I¡¯m not well-acquainted with Reinitz.¡± He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°But I know the modus operandus of people like you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew from his response that He Zhichu already had his guard up and therefore, saw no further point in asking. Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and pulled out his mobile phone. Huo Shaoheng sent a text to Song Jinning asking if she had arrived home safely.

    After the two of them had gotten off the ne, Huo Shaoheng had ordered his subordinate to take Song Jinning back to her dormitory at the Institute of High Energy Physics. Only then did hee looking for Gu Nianzhi.

    After a while, his phone started vibrating. How coincidental that the call came from Song Jinning. Huo Shaoheng stood up and said to He Zhichu, ¡°I¡¯m going out to take a call.¡±

    He Zhichu sneered without even looking at him. ¡°Major General Huo really seems to have his hands full.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him, put on his Bluetooth headset, and walked out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room to the balcony. Looking at his watch, he discovered that it was almost 4:30 in the morning. The sky appeared foggy, and the darkness was too suffocating, since it was the darkest period before dawn.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath, connected the phone call, and asked, ¡°Ms. Song, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    After Song Jinning returned to the dormitory, she had initially tried to sleep, but after several futile attempts tobat her insomnia, she simply stopped wasting time trying to fall asleep and decided to go to theboratory. When Huo Shaoheng had sent her the text message, she had just finished performing the first round of initial analysis on the data she had downloaded from the cloud.

    ¡°Shaoheng! This time, even if it is a trap, it¡¯ll be worth it!¡± Song Jinning¡¯s cheerful voice rang through the Bluetooth headset and was so upbeat that her joyful spirit even affected those she interacted with.

    Hearing her cheery voice after a day of exhausting events, Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt himself at ease. ¡°Really? What did Ms. Song find?¡± he asked with a tiny smile on his face.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you that the maic field that appeared this time was stronger than any of the previous maic fields?¡± Song Jinning looked back at the analysis results on the monitor and was so on cloud nine that she appeared to be on the verge of dancing around the room.

    ¡°Well, you have mentioned that this maic field was stronger than any previous maic fields.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! One of the benefits of a strong maic field is that the data is more clear and coherent!¡± Song Jinning had already printed out the data sheet. ¡°The maic fields we detected before were much weaker than this one, so they simply can¡¯t bepared at all. This means that the data we got before, in fact, is actually imperfect and incoherent. Now we have to find the missing data.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pants pockets and quietly listened to Song Jinning go on and on about her discovery.

    ¡°...This sort of calction is veryplicated, and due to the rtionship between software and hardware, we have not been able to urately calcte the missing data. The data used in the experiments before was all blurry, not to mention some data was not even calcted, and was substituted with inferential data instead of scientific data, and this caused a lot of errors and omissions in our experimental data. I think I understand now why the experiment from 17 years ago failed!¡±

    The hardware Song Jinning was talking about governed the functions of the supeputers, and they couldn¡¯t achieve the precision and speed of calctions required. The software was basically a specified algorithm, and they had not yet found the optimal algorithm for calcting the missing data in the maic field. However, at least for now, they could use the data measured in the field this time to ovee the shorings of the software and hardware. In other words, due to the strength of the maic field this time, the iplete data caused by the previous weak maic fields waspensated for.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about this, and his heart leaped into his throat. ¡°Ms. Song, do you mean that we can restart the experiment right away?¡±

    ¡°General Huo, you¡¯re getting ahead of yourself.¡± Song Jinning¡¯s voice had calmed down. ¡°Do you know how long it will take to process all the data?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°I will tell you that even with the most efficient supeputer in your department, it will take two years to process all the data.¡± Song Jinning shook her head with regret. ¡°But that is the nature of research work, after all. It takes repeated calctions and analysis over the years to yield results.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little disappointed, but this was not part of his job, so he was only slightly dismayed. ¡°This must be a huge burden to Ms. Song. If you need to use our department¡¯s supeputer, you can report to the military, and we will approve it. Thank you so much for your hard work.¡±

    He also hoped to restart the experiment as soon as possible. Only then could he be worthy of his grandfather Song Haichuan and uncle Huo Guanyuan, who gave their lives for this experiment.

    And only after Song Jinning had spoken with Huo Shaoheng did she feel that she could finally calm down. After so many years of hard work, today there was finally a major breakthrough. Anyone would want to share this with others.

    She wiped her face and started to integrate analysis of all the data based on the initial results. But before that, she needed to design a model to analyze the data first.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to talk to Song Jinning again, but found that she could no longer be reached. Ms. Song was extremely dedicated to her scientific research, so her head was probably buried in her work again. Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and turned off his phone. He returned to the room where Gu Nianzhi was and took a nap.

    By the time he woke up, it was already dawn. As soon as Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes, he discovered he was staring into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mirthful dark eyes.

    ¡°Huo Shao, there is dark stubble on your chin.¡± Gu Nianzhi held out her hand yfully and gently scratched the tips of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stubble.

    However, He Zhichu found her unbearable to look at. With an indifferent expression on his face, he calmly stood up and stiffly walked out.

 Chapter 1073 - Play Games

    <h4>1073 y Games</h4>

    All of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s despondence and anger, as well as his bitterness and sourness, were gently swept away by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tender little hand, and those unpleasant emotions vanished without a trace.

    Holding her hand against his jaw, Huo Shaoheng kissed her soft, slender fingers one by one. Gu Nianzhi never let her nails grow, and they were always neatly trimmed. The fullness of her fingernails and their pinkish-beige color were all alluring in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes.

    His stubble had just barely started to grow, yet it further entuated Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsomeness by adding a more masculine aura to him. The stiff stubble hurt and itched a little, but Gu Nianzhiughed softly while thinking about it. Theughter instantly died down when Gu Nianzhi caught sight of He Zhichu walking out of the room from the corner of her eye, and a flush of redness appeared on her delicate face.

    Embarrassed, she retracted her hand from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s and whispered, ¡°Professor He is here, too. How indecent of me.¡± When she had just woken up and caught sight of Huo Shaoheng by her bedside, the terrors of her nightmare instantly vanished. In her dreams and in reality, Huo Shaoheng was always the savior rescuing her.

    When she saw Huo Shaoheng, it was hard for anyone else to cross her sight. Actually, He Zhichu had been sitting on the corner sofa the entire time. However, if she and Huo Shaoheng had been alone together, their behavior just now wouldn¡¯t have been a problem at all. Since there were others in the room, it seemed a little indecent.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled up the quilt to cover her face and said sheepishly, ¡°Huo Shao, you go out now. I¡¯m going to get up and change.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was in vigorous spirits, so he forcibly yanked away her quilt. ¡°The sun is rising, and the air is fresh. Time to get up. Let me make breakfast for you, and then we¡¯ll go home together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°Okay,¡± and obediently got up from the bed.

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the guest room and into He Zhichu¡¯s kitchen with a contented smile on his face. He Zhichu had been making coffee again. When he heard someoneing in, he nced back but said nothing when he saw that it was Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the refrigerator then nced at He Zhichu and asked, ¡°You don¡¯t even have eggs in here?¡± Huo Shaoheng wondered to himself, ¡°What do you eat every day? Don¡¯t tell me you survive on coffee alone?¡±

    He Zhichu was in no mood for any friendly banter and merely said coldly, ¡°If you want eggs, then go to the hen. Why are you asking me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless for a moment, then asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you eat breakfast?¡± Huo Shaoheng closed the refrigerator and wondered if he should take Gu Nianzhi back to his own ce for breakfast.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered breakfast, and it should arrive any second now.¡± He Zhichu turned around. ¡°Is Nianzhi up yet?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s up.¡± Since Huo Shaoheng found out that He Zhichu had already ordered food, he was no longer in a hurry to leave. He took out his cell phone, then sat at the table and started watching the news. Meanwhile, He Zhichu made ck Colombian coffee for himself, heated milk for Gu Nianzhi, and prepared nothing for Huo Shaoheng.

    It didn¡¯t take long for breakfast to arrive. Huo Shaoheng took a look. There were fluffy pancakes, golden waffles, blueberry muffins, maple syrup imported from Canada, buttery scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, South American nuts, raisins, and cranberries, raspberries, and finally two huge beef burgers that were half a foot tall. He Zhichu pointed to the two humongous beef burgers and said impatiently, ¡°Those are yours. Do you want to eat or not?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say. He was really not used to eating food he had not prepared himself. However, from yesterday afternoon to the present, he had hardly eaten anything or had anything to drink. He was indeed feeling famished.

    Gu Nianzhi washed up and walked over, then smiling, she said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, good morning!¡± Looking at the rich breakfast on the table, Gu Nianzhi eximed, ¡°So many delicious things! All my favorite foods! Thank you so much, Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu merely pursed his lips, and although there was no noticeable smile on his face, his tone was much softer as he said, ¡°Sit. Eat as much as you like.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a bite of a beef burger and swallowed it before telling Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Your favorite foods? Aren¡¯t steamed buns and shrimp wontons your favorite foods?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. What was Huo Shao thinking? The expression popped into her head: p people without beating them, and scold others without exposing them. Couldn¡¯t he tell that she was merely saying that to appease He Zhichu and express her gratitude?

    Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng and said to He Zhichu with a smile, ¡°I like it all. Actually, I love it all.¡± She had originally meant that in terms of traditional Chinese breakfast foods, her favorite foods were steamed buns and shrimp wontons, and in terms of Western breakfast foods, her favorites were pancakes and bacon. However, it sounded strange to both He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ears. The two of them said nothing and started to eat breakfast.

    The three of them ate heartily and soon devoured everything on the table. Gu Nianzhi hugged her stomach and leaned back in her seat. ¡°Professor He is feeding us like pigs. After such a meal, I don¡¯t think I can eat anymore for at least three days.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng teased her. ¡°With your tiny belly, can you really go without eating for three days? Eating is like snacking to you. You practically eat five to six meals a day.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with eating?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes rolled up to the sky. ¡°I eat food I paid for myself.¡±

    Although they were bickering, to He Zhichu, it was simply painful to watch. He waved his hand impatiently. ¡°If you two want to flirt, go do it somewhere else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was abashed. It seemed like today, for some reason, no matter what she said or did, it all came out wrong. Therefore, she decided it would be wise for her to simply stop speaking. Gu Nianzhi did not utter a word for the next ten minutes. It was only when she left with Huo Shaoheng that she whispered to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, thank you so much for taking care of me yesterday.¡±

    Last night she had been at her most vulnerable. She was grateful for He Zhichu bringing her back and taking care of her in that state. He Zhichu was about to close the door, but hearing her thank him so sincerely tugged at his heart. He couldn¡¯t help but pat her on the head and say, ¡°Go home and rest for a couple of days. Don¡¯te back to work until after the election resultse out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had originally nned on participating in the bteral talks with the German delegation to China, but Reinitz¡¯s presence made her feel ufortable. She nodded. ¡°Okay, I will listen to Professor He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never agreed to He Zhichu¡¯s words that quickly before. He Zhichu felt a little unustomed to such obedience at first. He said in a low voice, ¡°But if you want to go, it¡¯s not a big deal. Reinitz won¡¯t dare do anything to you.¡± His only fear was that Reinitz would make Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart stir. That would be the worst thing he could possibly do. It was already toote for him, but Huo Shaoheng might still have a chance. The timing of Reinitz¡¯s appearance was just right. The little girl was only 19, an age of blossoming love. She had a full life ahead of her. Who could guarantee that she would definitely stay beside Huo Shaoheng?

    He Zhichu looked up at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°General Huo is always so busy, yet Reinitz is not, so he will have lots of time to y games with a beautiful woman.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly wrapped his hands around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist and said indifferently, ¡°Gu Nianzhi is also very busy, so she has no time to entertain others by ying games with them.¡±

 Chapter 1074 - Happily Drank a Lo

    <h4>1074 Happily Drank a Lo</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said, ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯ve fallen into his trap. Professor He said that Reinitz liked to y games with beautiful women, but he never specifically referred to me, so why did you mention me?¡± She was a master of word traps, so he couldn¡¯t have fooled her. Huo Shaoheng was probably the only one who would fall victim to such a trap.

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng both looked at her, then averted their gazes and turned away. With a defeated expression on his face, Huo Shaoheng said lightly, ¡°Well, seems like I have misinterpreted his words. Professor He is of the legal profession, so I¡¯m no match for him in this word game.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless. As far as Gu Nianzhi knew, Huo Shaoheng was no less eloquent than He Zhichu. He Zhichu lowered his eyes, and without saying anything further, mmed the door in both of their faces.

    Gu Nianzhi touched her nose and yawned, then murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and sleep some more.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to take Gu Nianzhi to his official residence, but thinking of Reinitz, changed his mind. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Huo Shaoheng went downstairs with Gu Nianzhi.

    When the two came downstairs, Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s modified Hummer SUV with the extended military specifications and smiled at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°How can you just park such a car out in the open like that? Aren¡¯t you afraid that others will gossip about you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer this hypothetical question. He nonchntly pulled open the car door for her and then got in as well. ¡°Go to the Hepingli Precinct,¡± Huo Shaoheng instructed the orderly Fan Jian from the back seat.

    The Hepingli Precinct was the second-hand housing district Gu Nianzhi had bought her house in. She had originally thought that Huo Shaoheng was taking her to the official residence of his headquarters and was thinking of making up an excuse to refuse. Now seeing him take the initiative by bringing her back to her own residence, she was relieved. Sitting in the back seat, she soon fell asleep.

    The fever from the previous night had really exhausted her and depleted her energy. Since sleeping was one of the ways for the human body to heal itself, people who were frail or recovering from serious illnesses often felt drowsy.

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up, she found herself in her own bedroom in her apartment in the Hepinglimunity neighborhood. Sunlight beamed through the partially closed curtains and sprinkled ayer of beautiful gold dust on the bay window sills iid with cherry wood.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes while mumbling and sat up. Raising her eyes, she saw a figure in an upright position sitting at her desk, furiously typing away on the keyboard of hisptop. Theputer monitor was packed with dense green data.

    She raised her wrist and looked at her watch. It was already past five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. When they hade back from Professor He¡¯s ce, it was about nine o¡¯clock in the morning. She had fallen asleep soon after returning, so did that mean Huo Shaoheng had stayed there with her the entire time? That had never happened before.

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the bed with her knees folded and looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back with a mirthful expression on her face. Huo Shaoheng had indeed stayed there all day to apany her.

    Although her fever had already subsided, Huo Shaoheng was still not assured, and he had called to have Chen Lie bring him a medical kitparable to the ones that field hospitals used. After using the advanced medical equipment to ensure that she no longer had a fever or any other physical problems, only then did he permit Chen Lie to leave.

    After Chen Lie left, Huo Shaoheng turned on hisptopputer and connected it to the central control system to start working. He had been tracing where the AI programmingnguage had hidden the true data. In theplex and murky world of programmingnguages, it was a heavy workload to find the hidden data among the masses of codes, and since the sudden appearance of an uncanny maic field in C City interrupted his work, his work had been dyed for a while. However, it wasn¡¯t toote for him to get back on track now.

    Hong Kangquan had be a wanted fugitive, yet he still had not been located. Huo Shaoheng was sure Hong Kangquan had not crossed the border yet and was still in the Huaxia Empire.

    After working attentively for four to five hours, he suddenly felt that his neck was a little sore, so he stretched out his hands to rub it. As if suddenly remembering something, he turned his head sharply.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hands at him with a smile on her face. ¡°I am awake, Huo Shao!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily speechless. After turning around to turn off theputer, he got up and walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed, reached out, and touched her forehead. Her temperature seemed normal. Huo Shaoheng patted her sleepy face. ¡°Are you hungry? What do you want to eat tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and replied honestly, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Starving, actually.¡± Even though He Zhichu had provided a decadent breakfast for her in the morning, and Gu Nianzhi had dered that she would feel stuffed for at least three days, in reality, she couldn¡¯t survive a day without eating.

    Huo Shaoheng also remembered what Gu Nianzhi said in the morning and touched her head. ¡°Fan Jian bought two groupers and some sea cucumber. I¡¯ve also made some scallop and grouper porridge in the saucepan, along with some stew with red dates and sea cucumbers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t even finished speaking, yet Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stop herself from drooling. Swallowing hard, she ran out of bed and towards the bathroom and shouted, ¡°Huo Shao, set the food on the table. I¡¯ll wash my face quickly!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grinned and headed towards the kitchen to bring out the soup and porridge and set them on the table. As soon as he finished setting the dishes, he heard the doorbell ring. He was bewildered. Who would visit Gu Nianzhi at such an hour? If the visitor was a friend, they¡¯d definitely call beforehand. If the visitor was an unfamiliar person, then they would not have been able to enter themunity. The doorman at the front always called to confirm the identity of visitors before letting them in. Who was this person?

    Huo Shaoheng went to the door and looked out through the peephole. Standing outside was a handsome blond man in a well-tailored suit. It was actually Reinitz. Huo Shaoheng blinked and opened the door, then said calmly to the surprised Reinitz, ¡°Major General Reinitz, I¡¯m d we finally get to meet.¡± Huo Shaoheng had spoken in English.

    A look of surprise shed across Reinitz¡¯s face, but he soon regained hisposure. He nodded courteously to Huo Shaoheng, and pretending not to know him, he said in German, ¡°Hello, may I ask if Cereus is at home?¡± He intentionally used Gu Nianzhi¡¯s English name to imply intimacy.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at him and switched to German. ¡°She is. Pleasee in.¡± This was his territory, and Huo Shaoheng had been waiting for Reinitz to walk right into his trap.

    Sure enough, when Huo Shaoheng generously invited Reinitz to enter, Reinitz hesitated. However, he quickly nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Sounds great. I¡¯m here to visit Cereus and see if she is feeling better. Yesterday, I was overjoyed to see my old friend again. I drank a little during dinner at the parliament building. Yetter on she said she had a headache, which worried me greatly. Today she did not attend the bteral talks between the two countries, and I heard it was because she was sick.¡± As Reinitz said this, Huo Shaoheng thought of that scene on TV he had witnessed on C City¡¯srge outdoor screenst night. The two sat and toasted each other with dazzling smiles and sparks seemed to fly in the air.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t let his displeasure show on his face, and he asked Reinitz toe in with a smile. ¡°Nianzhi did have a fever after returningst night, and the fever only subsided this morning, so she slept all day today and has just woken up. We are just about to eat dinner. Has Major General Reinitz had dinner yet?¡±

    Reinitz immediately said, ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s great. I haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, thinking that he was just being courteous and had no intention of sharing a meal with his rival. However, since the words were already out, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t refuse him. ¡°Then let¡¯s eat together. It¡¯s nothing fancy.¡±

    Reinitz had a paper bag in his hand which he handed to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°This is a white sausage that Mother Hannah had made. She used Bavarian domestic pork. Cereus liked it very much when she was in Germany, so I specially brought it for her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the paper bag and looked at it. ¡°Major General Reinitz is too generous.¡± He asked him, ¡°How do you make this white sausage?¡±

    Reinitz reached out his hand and said, ¡°Give it to me, I¡¯ll make it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply.

    Gu Nianzhi washed her face, changed into casual andfortable clothes, and walked out of the bedroom briskly while shouting, ¡°Huo Shao! Where¡¯s my dinner?! I¡¯m so hungry I could eat a cow!¡±

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t help but smile when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice. Before Huo Shaoheng could answer, he went past Huo Shaoheng, and holding the paper bag in his hand, he said in German, ¡°Cereus, I brought you Mother Hannah¡¯s DIY white sausage! Would you like to eat it tonight? I¡¯ll make it for you right away!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly came eye to eye with Reinitz¡¯s crinkly blue eyes, and she mped her mouth shut in surprise. ¡°Reinitz?! Why are you in my house?!¡±

    ¡°Major General Reinitz is here to visit you.¡± Huo Shaoheng came over with a smile and said in a light voice, ¡°He said that you two drank togetherst night, and that you happily drank a lot with him.¡±

 Chapter 1075 - That Is My Stance

    <h4>1075 That Is My Stance</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi feltpletely and utterly confused. What did he mean by ¡°drinking?¡± She had only been drinking grape juice! Although it did look like wine... Gu Nianzhi giggled sheepishly and said to Reinitz with a smile, ¡°Major Reinitz, don¡¯t make trouble for me. I only drank grape juice yesterday, so where have I been drinking?¡± She was underage, so technically she couldn¡¯t drink alcoholic beverages, and what¡¯s more, she had never even drunk wine before, anyway!

    Reinitz looked at Huo Shaoheng and saw that he had an expressionmonly seen on male fashion magazine models. Reinitz¡¯s voice grew softer. ¡°Cereus, I didn¡¯t make myself clear, so this man misunderstood. In fact, I just said that we drank too much yesterday. I didn¡¯t say we were actually drinking alcohol.¡± He put his hands up in the air helplessly, and his apology sounded very sincere.

    As the old saying went, p people with a smile on your face. Reinitz took the initiative to voluntarily humble himself, but did that really mean Gu Nianzhi should take advantage of it? She couldn¡¯t help but smirk and say, ¡°So the misunderstanding has been resolved, right?¡± Even though she was talking to Reinitz, she was actually ncing at Huo Shaoheng from the corners of her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets, and he still had that male fashion model expression on his face. He appeared cold yet beautiful, and sullen yet sexy. He nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it.¡± After looking at Reinitz, he said, ¡°Then ask Major General Reinitz to make some white sausages.¡±

    Reinitz agreed with a smile and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Cereus, where¡¯s the kitchen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt somewhat embarrassed as she decided to show him the way. ¡°Follow me.¡± Then she added, ¡°The kitchen is very small.¡± It actually wasn¡¯t small by normal standards, butpared to Reinitz¡¯s castle in Germany, of course it would seem small.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Making white sausages in Cereus¡¯s kitchen is a memorable experience that I can cherish for an entire year.¡± Reinitz¡¯s crinkly blue eyes lit up in a smile, and he appeared so overjoyed that he seemed drunk at first nce. Gu Nianzhi looked away and turned to walk to the kitchen.

    However, Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand to prevent her from leading the way. ¡°The kitchen is right over there. It¡¯s not a maze. Major General Reinitz has conquered the Alps. Can he really not find his way in a tiny kitchen? Come to the dining room with me and wait for Major General Reinitz¡¯s white sausage to be ready to eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t free herself from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grasp, so all she could do was look at Reinitz and point towards the kitchen with a bitter smile on her face. ¡°The kitchen is that way. The kitchenware is all German. You should know how to use everything.¡±

    Reinitz ignored Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hostile attitude. From beginning to end, his attention was only on Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it myself. You wait for me in the dining room, and I¡¯ll bring it to you when I¡¯m done,¡± Reinitz said, then headed towards the kitchen to get started.

    Huo Shaoheng led Gu Nianzhi to the dining room. Once they were out of Reinitz¡¯s sight and earshot, Gu Nianzhi lowered her voice and said, ¡°Huo Shao, why are you acting like this? Reinitz is cooking for us. Don¡¯t you want to watch him lest he do something to the food?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s profession depended upon not judging a book by its cover, not making a faux pas, and not eating food prepared by just anyone. Huo Shaoheng blinked then replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I won¡¯t eat it, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Well, remember what you said!¡± Gu Nianzhiughed.

    The crystalmp above her head was so dazzling, it entuated the passion and warmth in her crystal clear eyes. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He swallowed hard and kept his eyes averted.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was upied by the food on the table. There was an antique stew pot in the middle of the table, and inside the pot was clear soup with small petals floating on the surface. Therge jujubes were soaking in the soup, and the whole thing appeared utterly delicious. The simmering sea cucumber was glutinous, and when chewed with tender chicken, was absolutely mouthwatering.

    Gu Nianzhi took a bite of the sea cucumber, then took a bite of the chicken. Next she sucked on a red date, which was so vorful that she couldn¡¯t help but savor the taste.

    She used a spoon to let Huo Shaoheng taste some of what he made and said with a smile, ¡°You try some as well, Huo Shao. It¡¯s really delicious!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Thank you,¡± then picked up the spoon and ate some. Gu Nianzhi then scooped herself a bowl of scallop and grouper porridge. The soup appeared creamy white, and the scallops were fresh. The tender grouper fillets had a natural sweet taste, which was soothing to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s taste buds after the fever.

    She was eating so heartily, had it not been for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instruction over so many years, Gu Nianzhi probably would have started devouring the food with her hands. Eating delicious food could soothe people¡¯s nerves and serve as emotional therapy. Ma Qiqi once told Gu Nianzhi that there was nothing in this world that couldn¡¯t be solved by a delicious meal. If there was, then eat two meals. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh when thinking about how funny Ma Qiqi was when she said that.

    Huo Shaoheng actually had no appetite, but seeing how heartily Gu Nianzhi ate, he also decided to eat something.

    When Reinitz finally brought out the white sausages, which were sliced into thin pieces, and served them, Gu Nianzhi had finished the first round of dinner. Holding her head with her hands, she smiled at Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting opposite her.

    The stew pot and congee pot on the table appeared to have been devoured. When Gu Nianzhi saw Reinitzing out, she stood up and said guiltily, ¡°Sorry, Reinitz. We ate a bit already.¡±

    Reinitz wasn¡¯t angry. He simply came over and put the long, bone-shaped porcin te filled with white sausages in front of Gu Nianzhi and said gently, ¡°Of course I won¡¯t me you for eating when you¡¯re hungry. Why apologize? You don¡¯t owe anyone an apology.¡± Although he said this with heartfelt sincerity, his gaze floated towards Huo Shaoheng, as if to me him.

    Huo Shaoheng pretended not to sense Reinitz¡¯s condemnation. He smiled and asked Reinitz toe sit down and made Gu Nianzhi take out the bread to serve Reinitz with the white sausages.

    After Gu Nianzhi went to the kitchen, the two men ceased shing their faux smiles. They sat under the crystal lights in the dining room, one with his arms crossed while the other had his long legs thrust out nonchntly. They stared at each other nkly, and the dining room was so quiet, one could have heard a pin drop.

    After a while, Reinitz spoke first to break the silence. ¡°Major General Huo, your Huaxia Empire possesses all the intelligence and system data of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany. Don¡¯t you owe us an exnation?¡± His tone was no longer gentle, and he sounded so harsh and domineering that he appeared to be on the verge of flipping the table over at any second.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, lifted his hands up, and said, ¡°What makes Major General Reinitz say that? What evidence do you have that suggests we have all your data? Also, isn¡¯t this something you should discuss during the bteral parliamentary talks with China today? I¡¯m off work now, so aren¡¯t you looking in the wrong ce for the wrong person?¡±

    Reinitz stared at Huo Shaoheng aggressively, and his deep blue eyes gleamed. ¡°Looking in the wrong ce for the wrong person? Major General Huo, you¡¯re a first-ss yer.¡± Reinitz appeared to be restraining himself, as if he were going to dere that war was about to break out. Only he knew that all the tenderness and gentleness he was capable of had been exhausted in the month he had spent with Gu Nianzhi. He had had no use for gentleness before encountering her. After she left, his gentleness had nowhere to be used.

    Huo Shaoheng did not feel threatened. He leaned forward slightly and stared at Reinitz with a provocative look in his eyes. ¡°Is that so? Who is truly the first-ss yer? Major General Reinitz, can you tell me what your boss¡¯s nationality is?¡±

    For a moment, Reinitz¡¯s eyes darkened so much that his deep blue eyes almost appeared ck. After a while, he calmly pushed back his blond hair and said nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what Major General Huo is asking. I am negotiating with you in sincerity. If you don¡¯t want to negotiate, then forget it.¡± This time, one of the main purposes of Reinitz following the German prime minister to China was to see Huo Shaoheng. Of course, he had intended to meet in private where they didn¡¯t need public facades.

    ¡°I¡¯m not unwilling to negotiate,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied sharply. ¡°But some things are really non-negotiable, especially concerning matters of principle.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡± Reinitz raised an eyebrow. ¡°What matters are non-negotiable? Can Major General Huo be more specific?¡±

    ¡°For example, the ¡®Pink Piggy.¡¯¡± Huo Shaoheng looked resolute. ¡°We don¡¯t know the true identity of the ¡®Pink Piggy,¡¯ but if we do find out one day, we certainly will not hand that person over to you. You can go back and tell that to your top bosses. That is my stance.¡±

 Chapter 1076 - Appointment for a Date

    <h4>1076 Appointment for a Date</h4>

    In fact, they both knew who the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± was, but often some things were better left unspoken. Even if you knew, it would be wiser to pretend not to. Neither Huo Shaoheng nor Reinitz broke the unspoken agreement. Due to Reinitz keeping his knowledge that Gu Nianzhi was the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± a secret, Huo Shaoheng returned the favor by not retaliating against Reinitz as he had with Als.

    Reinitz¡¯s eyes grew dark, and he sat there motionlessly for a while before he finally sighed and said indifferently, ¡°What can we do now? Nobody truly knows who the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is. Have you searched for her footprints in the All Blue Star¡¯swork?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tensed up and understood what he was implying. ¡°Nowadays there is a heavy amount of data flow throughout thework¡¯s data system. In which country do you think there would be such a powerful supeputer that would allow you to search through the entirework for the whereabouts of the ¡®Pink Piggy?¡¯¡±

    Reinitz and Huo Shaoheng were usingputer terminology. In the online world, you could use a method of recourse to find a person¡¯s inte footprint. Even if they used a fake IP, you would still be able to trace the fake IP.

    Tracing the fake IP, you might not find the real user, but you could see the trajectories of that person¡¯swork activity and then analyze the logical rtionship between those trajectories. From there, you could perhaps identify the real user.

    Reinitz smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Even the U.S. militaryboratory probably doesn¡¯t have such a powerful supeputer. However, when hardware innovation progresses to a more advanced state, then it will be time to test the limits of human intelligence. However, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to create an optimized application program for big data analysis from a logarithm under the existing hardware conditions.¡± At that time, it would be the moment for an intelligence war between all nations.

    Huo Shaoheng pondered Reinitz¡¯s words. Of course, he wasn¡¯t actually thinking about how to find the ¡°Pink Piggy,¡± but he wondered if by using that method, whether or not he could locate the data hidden by those four lines of AI programmingnguage.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng had something to discuss with Reinitz, so she stalled for time in the kitchen. She took out some French baguette dough from the refrigerator, kneaded it into a long loaf, and put it in the oven to bake.

    She preheated the oven for five minutes, baked the dough for another 15 minutes, then sliced it like she would slice white sausages before putting it in a basket covered with a small white cloth.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and put the basket by Reinitz. ¡°Reinitz, try our French baguette.¡±

    Reinitz had now regained hisposure and nodded to Gu Nianzhi with a gentle smile. ¡°Thank you, Cereus.¡±

    He took a bite of the French baguette slice, chewed it carefully, and then paired it with a slice of white sausage. The taste was unexpectedly fragrant. It was better than eating authentic German bread with white sausage in Germany. Reinitz couldn¡¯t help praising, ¡°Cereus, did you bake this bread right now or did you buy it? It¡¯s so delicious, especially when eaten with Mother Hannah¡¯s white sausage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed proudly, and she pointed at the crust on the baguette while saying, ¡°I brushed a little bit of scallion oil on the top, and then when it baked, the scallion oil added vor to it. I think it¡¯s just about the right amount of seasoning when paired with the white sausage.¡±

    Scallion oil neutralized the bitter taste of cardamom in white sausages, while cardamom also suppressed the smelly aftertaste of scallion oil, which made them a perfect pairing. Not to mention, it also gave one¡¯s taste buds a new vor sensation.

    Reinitz loved the vor so much that he almost ate the whole loaf. He also ate most of the white sausage he brought. However, Gu Nianzhi only got to eat a few slices. She looked at the empty te sadly and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I ate it all.¡±

    Reinitz seemed embarrassed and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I brought you gifts, but I ate most of them myself.¡± But then he immediatelyforted Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I will bring you some more tomorrow. Mother Hannah made a lot. I was worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to find your home today, so I only brought a little.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who had been thinking about something else, looked at them sharply. Did the two of them just make an appointment for a date tomorrow? Huo Shaoheng nced at him and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Major General Reinitz is an important figure in the German delegation to China. Nianzhi, don¡¯t bother Major General Reinitz and get in the way of his work with such trivial matters.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°Reinitz, I just mentioned it casually. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°How can I not take it to heart? Every word you say, I take to heart. Would you like me to repeat it?¡± Reinitz said in a half-joking and half-serious tone. Even he himself couldn¡¯t tell if he meant it, but he only had Gu Nianzhi in his sights.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Reinitz was deliberately acting this way to irk him, but he still let it get to him and couldn¡¯t help feeling enraged. For god¡¯s sake, he was standing right there!

    Gu Nianzhi could feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rage boiling up, so she smiled at Reinitz and said, ¡°Reinitz, you must be joking. Things are different now from how they were in Germany!¡±

    Reinitz could hear the warning in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone, and understanding her intent, he touched his nose, stood up to clean up the chopsticks, and said, ¡°I ate the most, so I¡¯ll clean.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t let the guest clean up, so she went to the kitchen to help.

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the dining room alone, thinking about two different things. He was thinking about how the four lines of AI programmingnguage produced data while he was also paying attention to what was going on between the two of them in the kitchen.

    He noticed that whenever Reinitz talked to Gu Nianzhi, his tone was extremely soft and slow. Even the normally harsh-sounding Germannguage, when spoken from Reinitz¡¯s mouth, actually had a much gentler quality to it.

    Gu Nianzhi, though wary of Reinitz, smiled at him and was obviously amused by what he was saying. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened, and he decided to take Gu Nianzhi back to his official residence tonight, since now he certainly couldn¡¯t let her stay here alone.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi put the dishes in the dishwasher with Reinitz in the kitchen. In order to find something to talk about, she first asked him how he had gotten into their neighborhood, since after all, the guards were strict.

    Reinitz smiled and pretended to be confused. ¡°It¡¯s easy to get in. I said I was looking for you, and the doorman let me in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that it couldn¡¯t have been that simple, since the guards never called her to confirm. Reinitz must have done something, but she knew that it was probably only a little easier to coax the truth from his mouth than it would be from Huo Shaoheng or He Zhichu¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to change the subject and asked about the bteral talks going on between the two countries. Reinitz shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just going to watch and see how intense their quarrel is going to get.¡±

    ¡°Intense? What do you mean by that?¡± Gu Nianzhi was curious. She had actually wanted to attend the talks.

    ¡°Your country¡¯s diplomats and parliamentary representatives are very tough. First, they¡¯re dering that they don¡¯t know who the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is, then they¡¯re saying that even if they found outter, they would never hand her over because she has not vited any of the Huaxia Empire¡¯sws.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought, ¡°I have vited foreignws at most, but in that case, foreign governments must have evidence, and if they want to arrest people without evidence, that would be injustice.¡±

    Reinitzughed as he said, ¡°But that is not the case for your country¡¯s cyberworks. I see many people petitioning the government to hand over the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ to the United States and Germany.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and said with a scornful expression, ¡°I bet the joint petition is either the work of the Marines or little minions employed by their governments. If their opinions count, then Hiry Clinton is the President of the United States.¡±

    Reinitz was so amused by her that he was grinning from ear to ear. Seeing Reinitzughing this heartily and thinking about what he had done to her, Gu Nianzhi secretly sighed inside. The so-called angel face with the heart of a devil¡ªwasn¡¯t that describing Reinitz? The two continued their banter while cleaning up the kitchen, and also made coffee and tea.

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng had some inkling about how he would conduct the data analysis on therge amount of data, and he anxiously wanted to return to the central control room in the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces in order to test his methods.

    However, he couldn¡¯t let Reinitz apany Gu Nianzhi here alone. Of course, he couldn¡¯t just kick him out, either. Fortunately, Reinitz seemed to get the message, and after drinking a cup of coffee, he left.

    As soon as he left, Huo Shaoheng immediately said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, I think I have an idea about how to find the data hidden in those four lines of AI programming codes. Can you help me check the algorithm I just figured out over the past two days?¡±

    Those four AI procedures were crucial evidence signifying Hong Kangquan¡¯s guilt as a traitor. Gu Nianzhi knew that Hong Kangquan had already be a wanted criminal and that he despised her deeply. She was very eager to help bring him to justice, so she nodded without hesitation. ¡°Okay, no problem. Should I use myputer or yourputer?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to my ce.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 1077 - Not One Less

    <h4>1077 Not One Less</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi packed her belongings andptop, then returned with Huo Shaoheng to the official residence in the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces to stay overnight.

    After putting their things down, the two of them didn¡¯t even bother taking a sip of water and went directly to the central control room located on the sixth floor of the office building.

    At the entrance of the central control room, Zhou Qiyuan and the gendarmerie were fully armed and awaiting their arrival. Seeing Huo Shaoheng, they stepped forward and then stood up. ¡°Everyone stand up! Salute!¡± Zhou Qiyuanmanded loudly and suddenly raised his right hand. Everyone obeyed the order and gave Huo Shaoheng a military salute.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and did not follow him. Instead, she stood in the corner and waited for Huo Shaoheng to deal with them. Huo Shaoheng raised his hand, walked over, and nced around. ¡°How is the situation? Where are the 27 staff members who were taken away by the Secret Service?¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan replied, ¡°General Ji has sent them back, and they are now writing reports in the dormitory.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily speechless. ¡°Writing reports?¡± As he spoke, Huo Shaoheng put his hand on the fingerprint sensor in the central control room to unlock it.

    ¡°General Ji said that their actions were not decisive enough, and they should have had the entire Secret Service under control, but they only obtained control of the Secret Service¡¯s office building.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was dumbstruck and paused for a bit before turning back to Zhou Qiyuan and saying, ¡°Go tell them that they have special tasks.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Zhou Qiyuan nodded but then whispered to Huo Shaoheng timidly, ¡°But is it safe to let them enter this central control room when the United States possesses their personal data?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to stare at Zhou Qiyuan impassively, then said calmly, ¡°The United States also possesses my personal data. Are you implying that I can¡¯t enter this central control room as well?¡±

    That would have been crossing the line. After Zhou Qiyuan quivered inside, he shook his head profusely while saying, ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t mean that, but the military has military discipline. Since we are confidential units, the discipline requirements are more strict. If I have said something wrong, please punish me.¡±

    With his hands behind his back, Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and pondered before saying, ¡°You are merely acting ording to regtions, so I can¡¯t say that you¡¯re wrong. But these 27 individuals were in special situations, and they were betrayed by traitors before they were sold out to the Americans. So ording to your standards, we not only punish traitors, but alsorades who were framed by traitors?¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan replied quickly, ¡°After the field agents lost their jobs, they were all transferred from the Special Operations Forces, so I merely applied the old rules.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I know, so I want to make other arrangements for these 27 people. Since they have heavy responsibilities, and they aren¡¯t ordinary servicemen, you go and ask them if they are willing to never step outside the country again, no matter what the reason, and to never leave their job or ever retire. If so, then they can return to their previous positions. If they do not want to, go through the procedures to have them transferred to another department.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s eyes lit up in approval, and he quickly said, ¡°That sounds good. I will prepare a voluntary form. If they¡¯re willing to agree to the conditions and sign a legally authorized voluntary form, then they will be able to return. If they don¡¯t want to, they won¡¯t need to sign it.¡±

    ¡°You have thought about this thoroughly.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s shoulder in approval. ¡°Come on, I have lots of work waiting for people to do.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan left half of the gendarmerie to provide security for Huo Shaoheng and took the other half to the quarantine quarters where those 27 servicemen had been living. When he was around the corner, Zhou Qiyuan saw Gu Nianzhi and nodded to her. ¡°I see expert Gu is here as well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was now a specially-appointed expert of the Special Operations Forces, especially for theputer division, and had been rmended by Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what had happened since those 27 people were taken away by Assistant Minister Feng. Then due to the whole chaotic ordeal surrounding the hostage situation and the Secret Service ending up under the control of the military, media reports were suppressed, and there was no mention of the crisis on the inte, either. She had been so busy preparing for the reception of the German delegation to China that she had missed the crisis altogether.

    Zhou Qiyuan thought about it for a while and felt that this matter was directly rted to Gu Nianzhi, so he said to her, ¡°Because of the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ incident, 27 of our personnel were taken away by Hong Kangquan¡¯s people in the Secret Service. They tortured those 27 men to find out who the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ was.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was horrified. Her big eyes widened at once as she blurted out, ¡°What?! How could Hong Kangquan even do such a thing?¡±

    She despised Hong Kangquan because he pressured Huo Shaoheng to go to the United States to rescue Tan Guiren, not only putting Huo Shaoheng in danger and almost costing him his life, but he also endangered her in Germany and almost ended her romantic rtionship with Huo Shaoheng.

    She had always thought that she had been the only one in danger and never realized that there were so many other people in danger because of her. She winced when she tried to imagine the torture they endured. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew red.

    Zhou Qiyuan had to console her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can rest assured that ourrades in the Special Operations Forces have undergone countless tests. Those in the secret service were no match for them. But you¡¯re right. Hong Kangquan is indeed a treacherous viin that is a ve to the Americans.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was on the verge of crying, but Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s words couldn¡¯t help but make her want tough. Wiping the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Then I will not keep you from your work any longer.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan nodded to her and took the gendarmerie to execute Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders. Gu Nianzhi came to the door of the central control room and put her hand on the sensor at the door. The gate soon opened, which meant that she had authorized ess. The gendarme who was hiding in the corner saw this and retreated.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped into the central control room, which she was not unfamiliar with. The same old silver-gray stainless steel appliances, white walls, ck topyer, and solid wood floors with instionyers that were clean enough to be used as a mirror were all there. The post-modern style central control room was minimalist yet magnificent, and reminiscent of the vast universe, the deep sea, and the endless starry sky. Standing there even made her soul feel cleansed.

    There were three floors and a control room that spanned hundreds of square meters, yet in the entire room only Huo Shaoheng was sitting there alone. There were several huge monitors in front of him, and the monitors were filled with densely-packed data.

    Gu Nianzhi felt anxious inside. She came over to Huo Shaoheng, and sitting down beside him she whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s my fault.¡± When she found out that 27 people had been tortured because of her, she felt overwhelmed with guilt.

    Huo Shaoheng turned back to see her guilty and wretched expression, and he raised his hand and touched her head. ¡°It had nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡± He knew how Gu Nianzhi was. If others treated her well, she couldn¡¯t bear not treating them at least ten times better. If she hadn¡¯t felt extreme guilt over someone being tortured because of her, then that would be unlike her.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°How can it have nothing to do with me? If I had known that this would happen, then I shouldn¡¯t have done it that day...¡± If she hadn¡¯t revealed her identity that day, then perhaps these people wouldn¡¯t have endured torture, right? But if she hadn¡¯t revealed her identity that day, how could she have encouraged and cheered everyone on while they faced menacing cyber attacks from the United States? When you¡¯re fighting, morale is of utmost importance.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up at that moment and had revealed herself as the legendary hacker, the ¡°Pink Piggy,¡± which raised everyone¡¯s morale, and the damage they inflicted on the enemy wasparable to the nuclear bombs that fell on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan during World War II.

    As a seniormander, Huo Shaoheng fully understood what she meant to do, but that understanding made it all the more distressing. He held Gu Nianzhi in his arms, told her to lean against his wide and sturdy chest, then told her firmly, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Hong Kangquan is the one at fault. Those traitors who have betrayed the interests of the country are the guilty ones. If those 27 people can¡¯t withstand such tests, then how can they qualify as soldiers? Nianzhi, you have done a good job, way better than I expected. You¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears flowed quietly. Not only were those tears of guilt and anguish, but also of gratitude for being understood by someone she loved so dearly. She hugged Huo Shaoheng tightly. He not only loved her but also understood her better than anyone else in the world. The two hugged each other quietly in therge central control room and drew strength from each other¡¯s embrace. They provided warmth and fulfillment to each other.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi asked in a muffled voice, ¡°Huo Shao, how many people do you think will return here?¡± Gu Nianzhi had overheard the conditions that Huo Shaoheng hadid out for those 27 people. The price to pay for their return was not small, and definitely not a price ordinary people were willing to pay.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her back and said in a low voice, ¡°Of course the more the better, but I won¡¯t force them. If you force people to do a job of this nature, there will be big problems in the future.¡±

    They would receive the honor they deserved in due time, but they also must be willing to put everything on the line for this job. The best state of affairs was when the military and the country stayed true to each other.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°They are all the elites in your Special Operations Forces. This time, they truly are merely the victims.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Huo Shaoheng released her, grabbed the napkin on the table, and wiped her tears. ¡°We have been prepared for circumstances like this. This is not the first time, nor will it be thest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips without refuting Huo Shaoheng. She personally hoped that such crises would ur as infrequently as possible.

    ¡°This matter won¡¯t be resolved in a short while, so let¡¯s work now.¡± Huo Shaoheng said and gave her authorized permission to enter the central control system and help him check the algorithm.

    Gu Nianzhi also felt that those people would definitely need a few days to think it over, but before that, the Special Operations Forces could only rely on her and Huo Shaoheng. After all, there were only a few people who not only were authorized to enter the central control room but could also operate theputers and instruments as well.

    This time, the United States had deprived them of their elite. It would be impossible for Huo Shaoheng not to feel upset. However, he didn¡¯t say anything and silently shouldered all the burden alone. Even if the sky fell, he would stand between the heavens and the earth to help everyone stand up.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped her racing thoughts, and after secretly ncing at Huo Shaoheng quietly, she got to work as well. They didn¡¯t know how much time passed before the induction video in front of Huo Shaoheng finally turned on. Zhou Qiyuan appeared on the video. ¡°Sir, everything has been taken care of. Please open the door.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch. Only half an hour had passed. ¡°Everyone signed the volunteer form?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they all signed,¡± Zhou Qiyuan said solemnly. ¡°They are also all here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door button and walked towards the door with Gu Nianzhi. The gate opened, and tall soldiers wearing the Special Operations Forces ck uniform appeared in front of them.

    ¡°Everyone stand up! Salute!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi counted their numbers discreetly. There were 27 of them, not one less.

 Chapter 1078 - Support and Oppose

    <h4>1078 Support and Oppose</h4>

    So fast?!

    All 27 of them actually came, not one less! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled fiercely, like a cello that had been struck on the heaviest string and started ying a melodious symphony. The corners of her eyes quietly grew wet again.

    They marched in one by one, and the door of the central control room slowly closed behind them. Gu Nianzhi bowed humbly to these 27 people and said in a low voice, ¡°You all have suffered because of me. Thank you all, thank you all so much for not revealing my identity as the ¡®Pink Piggy.¡¯¡±

    Gu Nianzhi found out from Zhou Qiyuan that despite the fact that these 27 people faced ¡°severe torture,¡± none of them uttered a word about the ¡°Pink Piggy¡±¡ªeven though they all knew who the ¡°Pink Piggy¡± really was.

    Those 27 people hesitated for a moment, then one of them said hurriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Nianzhi. We¡¯ve watched you grow up over the years, so why be so courteous and distant?¡±

    Another chimed in, ¡°Everyone here is family, so there¡¯s no need to be so formal.¡±

    Yet another added, ¡°Why on earth would we reveal who the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯ is? We wouldn¡¯t because we are the ¡®Pink Piggy!¡¯ We¡¯re not so stupid that we would betray ourselves, right?!¡±

    Everyone smiled and snickered at the notion.

    Huo Shaoheng walked towards Gu Nianzhi with a proud smile on his face and stood beside her, then said to his soldiers, ¡°You guys don¡¯t need to feel so restrained, either. You all have earned this. Thank you all for everything you guys have done.¡± As he said this, Huo Shaoheng also bowed deeply to them, and then standing upright, he paid a military salute to his subordinates, which was even more precise and powerful than Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s textbook military salute.

    The initial bow expressed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gratitude towards them as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s loving husband, while the military salute afterwards expressed amander¡¯s gratitude towards his loyal and faithful subordinates.

    Everyone froze for a moment as they took in the scene before them. They felt as if their hearts had been deeply moved, and a warm current was sweeping through their bodies. Each serviceman stood there dumbfounded for a moment by the humility demonstrated by their leader, then those 27 soldiers once again said as one, ¡°All stand upright! Salute!¡± They saluted Huo Shaoheng again in order to express their heartfelt gratitude and unwavering loyalty through their most sacred military salute.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s piercing eyes swept across these soldiers¡¯ faces. There were 27 people in front of him, not one less. It seemed like he really did have the talent to see the potential in people. The elites he cultivated did not disappoint him.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, and his tone was full of satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s nice that you have alle back. I already have a critical task waiting for you all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± These 27 soldiers were also very excited to hear that they already had work to do. They loved their job dearly with all their heart, but in this case, after being brought to court by a foreign nation in possession of all of their personal data, they all thought forlornly that this time they would be forced to bid farewell to their beloved job. They never expected Huo Shaoheng and General Ji to ignore the US¡¯ allegations and still entrust them with such critical responsibilities!

    So what if they couldn¡¯t go abroad for the rest of their lives? Their country was broad enough, vast enough, and had more than enough breathtaking scenery that they could enjoy for their entire lives. It would take a lifetime to thoroughly explore China alone.

    What¡¯s more, they wereputer-obsessed ¡°otakus.¡± Give them aputer and awork cable, and they already had the world... as if they were dying to go abroad!

    ¡°Huo Shao, we really, really didn¡¯t expect that you and General Ji would still agree to let use back to work.¡± A serviceman burst into tears. ¡°The United States has put so much pressure on the country...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted his shoulder andughed. ¡°If that¡¯s what you really think, then we must oppose what the enemy supports. Simrly, what the enemy opposes, we must support! So if they are pointing fingers at you all in condemnation, this more than anything proves all your loyalty and hard work!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood what Huo Shaoheng meant, so she quickly added, ¡°Yeah, yeah, see how Mand from South Africa received unanimous praise from foreign media? But what did he do? He turned a highly developed country into a developing country where poverty, backwardness, and war are rampant. So what¡¯s the use of praise from foreigners? Foreigners aren¡¯t stupid. If you dare topete with them for global resources and be their rivals, see how they¡¯ll react then!¡±

    ¡°That makes sense!¡± The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved up even more. ¡°That¡¯s what I mean.¡±

    The 27 staff members nodded with relief. The first person rushed to his workbench immediately, kissed the monitor dramatically, then said with a smile, ¡°Baby, I¡¯m back. Did you miss me?¡± Everyoneughed, and the atmosphere was very lively.

    Gu Nianzhi also waltzed over and said with a smile, ¡°What do you all want to drink? I¡¯ll go make it in the kitchen.¡± They had a simple kitchen there, which was usually a ce where everyone could eat and rx.

    However, they all had been quarantined in the dormitory for a day. They had more than enough time to eat and drink, so they waved to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°No, thank you. We have a lot of unfinished work to keep us busy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked with concern, ¡°Please just give me a chance to make it up to you all. I want to do something for all of you. I heard that you were all tortured. Is everyone alright now?¡±

    They looked from one to another, then suddenly they all burst outughing and started beating the table. A serviceman frowned and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao! We were ¡®severely tortured.¡¯ Does it count as a work injury? Is there marypensation?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. ¡°Work injury? Marypensation? If those in the Secret Service can inflict work injuries on you guys, then that means you all need more training.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned towards Huo Shaoheng sharply. What did he mean?! Did the so-called ¡°severe torture¡± mean something different?

    A serviceman near her smiled and waved at her. ¡°You can help us to decipher a few documents. That would truly be a great help to us! As for ¡®severe torture,¡¯ what do you mean? No such thing happened.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I can help. Otherwise, what would I be doing here?¡± Gu Nianzhi grimaced at them as if she had suddenly understood something, and was thus in high spirits. When she was in a good mood, her productivity increased. In addition, not only was there Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, but now there were also 27 more people involved in the big data analysis.

    After two nights and a day of hard work, when dawn arrived, the program written by Huo Shaoheng finally captured the ¡°culprit¡± hidden inside the data! Everyone had worked for 36 hours straight and finally seeded in finding the data hidden by those four lines of AI code before the election!

    Gu Nianzhi made cups of ck coffee for everyone and carried them from the kitchen to the control room.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ve worked so long, aren¡¯t you tired?¡± A serviceman looked at Nianzhi and saw how she was still so energetic, and he couldn¡¯t help but give her a thumbs up. ¡°This is indeed a girl who grew up with our Special Operations Forces, to be able to withstand such tedious and arduous work!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted andughed. ¡°asionally, I can withstand it. But you guys do this often, so you all have to take care of your bodies.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all in robust health, and this time it was a matter of urgency.¡±

    Everyone had finally found the evidence, so they all felt rxed, and sitting together in pairs, they waited for the election polls to begin. They also nned to vote as well. At that time, the supeputer in the central control room would be used to monitor the electoral process.

    Clearing away all the remaining after-effects of those four lines of AI code before they voted in the general election also served as protection for this general election. It ensured that the results of the election would be fairer.

    The main focus of their work fell on the shoulders of Yin Shixiong and his people, while Huo Shaoheng and his subordinates were responsible for monitoring and doing backup support in the central control room.

    Gu Nianzhi chatted with the servicemen for a while, and when she returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side to see what he was up to, she saw that he was still busy on theputer. ¡°Huo Shao, haven¡¯t you found them all already? Get some rest.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just downloading stuff right now. These supeputers will be inessible for a while.¡± Huo Shaoheng really wanted to find out what was in the data hidden by those four lines of AI programming code as soon as possible. Therefore, he didn¡¯t have the patience to wait for the election to end to find out, so he needed to download the hidden data to be stored on hisptop for immediate analysis.

    Gu Nianzhi had nothing else to do besides watch Huo Shaoheng run the program for a while, so she soon fell asleep in her chair. Huo Shaoheng carried her to the sofa and covered her with a nket that had been lying on the sofa before returning to his work.

    ...

    At nine o¡¯clock in the morning, the polling areas across the country opened, and people could finally start voting. There was also a polling station at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces. The servicemen went out to vote in the polls, and the central control room grew quiet after they all left.

    The sofa was a little too soft for Gu Nianzhi to sleep on, so she woke up due to difort after sleeping for only an hour. When she woke up, she saw that everyone had already returned from the polls, and they were all sitting in front of their respective workbenches while concentrating on their work. Huo Shaoheng still maintained his original posture, frowning from time to time as he scrutinized the data.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes, lifted the thin nket, and got up from the sofa. She stood beside Huo Shaoheng and asked with curiosity, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look distressed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed to the monitor. ¡°Take a look. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned forward and saw a road map appear on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s monitor.

    ¡°ording to the span of time, the most recent data was analyzed first.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up the mouse and marked the red dots on the monitor. ¡°The road map here is based on Hong Kangquan¡¯s route of activity that night.¡±

    Hong Kangquan had gone out to a gay bar that night. Later, two field agents from the Special Operations Forces that were hot on his trail lost track of him. After checking the microchip tracker, it showed that Hong Kangquan didn¡¯t go out that night, when ording to the field agents, he had!

    It was from that moment on that Huo Shaoheng discovered there was a problem with their monitoring program, and then he employed Gu Nianzhi to help them identify the four AI lines of code ??that had been discreetly mixed within the monitoring program.

    Gu Nianzhi carefully examined the road map, then asked curiously, ¡°He sneaked out through the bar¡¯s back door, and then he took the subway? But where did he go afterwards?¡±

    ¡°Look here. From the Sihuan District subway station to the apartmentplex he finally arrived at, it took him almost half an hour when in reality, it should have only taken him five minutes.¡± Huo Shaoheng used the mouse to draw a line between the subway station and the apartment building. ¡°If my intuition is right, then he was avoiding the surveince cameras along the way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the name and location of the apartment where Hong Kangquan hadst been seen and couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of familiarity¡ªbut where had she seen it before?

 Chapter 1079 - Knew About That as Well

    <h4>1079 Knew About That as Well</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was not very concerned about what Hong Kangquan had done while he was at that condominium. What he was concerned about was how much information had been hidden within the recorded footage of Hong Kangquan.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her own desk but didn¡¯t turn on theputer. This was because the central control room was already in use, and they would not be able to do their work by entering the system.

    Gu Nianzhi felt bored already, so she took out her phone to y with. The moment she unlocked her phone, she remembered something. Weibo! She had seen that condominium¡¯s name and location on Weibo before! Gu Nianzhi opened Weibo on her phone and searched for that condominium, and a series of news reports about that ce popped up.

    The hottest one trending was the case that had happened just a little while ago. Seeing that the victim was ¡°Lu Dayong¡± and that the Weibo ount the police had tagged, ¡°The Garden of Churchill¡± belonged to him, Gu Nianzhi gasped.

    She had known him for what seemed like a good amount of time already... It was the online author who lived in that condominium! She looked at the day the online author hadmitted suicide, and it was the exact same day and time that the data had shown Hong Kangquan going to that condominium!

    Wasn¡¯t that too coincidental?

    Linking up the rtionship between Hong Kangquan and Cai Songyin, and the deal about the ¡°short novel¡± between Cai Songyin and this online author had made it possible for Gu Nianzhi to interrupt the episode. If she hadn¡¯t, Huo Shaoheng might have been affected so badly by the rumors, he might even have had to leave the army.

    Gu Nianzhi intuitively felt that there was a connection between these two incidents and that they were not purely coincidences. She went to read the news about the online author¡¯s death again, including the notice that the police force had put up.

    It was clear that upon investigation, the police did not believe that the online author hadmitted suicide, either. However, they had no other evidence to guide them in any other direction, so they had publicized the case, perhaps in the hopes of finding more clues.

    Gu Nianzhi went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side with her phone and whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, what is the uracy of the clues that can be calcted by the data?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You noticed something amiss?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi dragged a chair over and sat beside Huo Shaoheng. With her brows furrowed, she said, ¡°It¡¯s just my guess. That was why I asked if you would be able to find more clues.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the data that had been analyzed in hisputer. ¡°There are too many clues. I don¡¯t know which ones you¡¯re referring to.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi massaged her temples. ¡°Oh? Can you see what time he went to the condominium that night, which floor he went to, and how long he had stayed in the apartment?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Of course that¡¯s all here. A directional chip specially records the dailymutes of the people in the Secret Service. Things like where he went and how long he stayed there are all within the content of the security data.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was suddenly ted. ¡°Then can you help me check? Which floor did he go to in that condominium, how long did he spend there, and what time did he leave?¡±

    That was nothing difficult. Since they had managed to solve it, all they had to do was to zoom in on the details before they were able to see what was going on. Five minutester, Huo Shaoheng had managed to find the things that Gu Nianzhi had requested.

    Gu Nianzhi moved over and looked at the data with him. ¡°So he went to the 15th floor of that building. Oh? You can even get the unit number? Was that analyzed as well?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng began exining to her patiently. ¡°They had used the location he was standing at and then matched it with the floor n of the 15th floor of that condominium.¡±

    ¡°Amazing!¡± Gu Nianzhi gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. After that, she looked closely at the hidden data that Huo Shaoheng had gotten for her. The more she looked, the more afraid she felt.

    ¡°Look here, Huo Shao. He stayed in the apartment for about 15 minutes. Comparing the time that he left and the time of the fire, it¡¯s almost a match.¡± Gu Nianzhi showed Huo Shaoheng the case about the online author.

    ¡°That would be correct, then. I suspected that Hong Kangquan was rted to this online author¡¯s death.¡± Huo Shaoheng had an amazing memory as well. He only needed a nce at the name of that online author, ¡°The Garden of Churchill,¡± and he had linked everything together. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the online author that you had taught a lesson to previously? I remember you saying that he hadmitted suicide.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I said that he had mitted suicide.¡¯¡± Gu Nianzhi emphasized the air quotes around mitted suicide¡± and then took out her phone again. ¡°I intend to tag the police to inform them.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to inform them of?¡± Huo Shaoheng took her phone away. ¡°Do not alert the enemy unnecessarily.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that he might be the murderer! Although I don¡¯t like the online author either, he did not deserve to die.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he took a piece of chocte from his desk. He observed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face had turned pale again, so he stuffed the chocte into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth and continued, ¡°But what do you want to put across by tagging the police force? You really wish for them to solve the case using Weibo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless at that remark.

    ¡°I will get the people there to contact the police force and provide us with the information and footage that they¡¯ve gotten,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he made a call using thendline and sent some instructions over.

    Usually, the Special Forces did not interfere with things that were going on in the country. However, this time around, it was rted to arresting Hong Kangquan. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng had more than enough reasons to cross paths with the police force.

    Of course, when they went to request the information, they did not reveal the fact that it was rted to Hong Kangquan. They merely said that it was rted to the case that the Special Forces had been handling at that time.

    The police station in charge of looking after that area was just a small branch. The moment they received a call from higher management, they agreed to release the information and footage to them. They organized the relevant information that had been requested and sent it over in no time.

    In less than two hours, Gu Nianzhi had gotten her hands on all the information that was rted to the case. She looked it over piece by piece and examined it thoroughly before watching the security footage.

    When a tall man wearing a cap appeared in the footage, Gu Nianzhi quickly called out to Huo Shaoheng to get him to take a look. ¡°Huo Shao, look. Who is that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked closely before mumbling, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like Hong Kangquan.¡±

    ¡°But the time that he appeared is almost identical to the time that you analyzed!¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at the time on the security footage. ¡°Look! It¡¯s so urate, even to the second!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so anxious? I merely said that he didn¡¯t look like Hong Kangquan. I didn¡¯t say that he wasn¡¯t Hong Kangquan.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, feeling amused. He patted her on the arm and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure he would¡¯ve disguised himselfpletely.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was again speechless. ¡°You knew about that as well?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°He knew that, too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not hard to figure out. In our line of work, that skill set is mandatory.¡± Huo Shaoheng exined to Gu Nianzhi patiently, ¡°Before Hong Kangquan left the army, he was doing my job. Although the Special Forces was not officially set up at that time, it was a department under some other department in the army.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt confused again. ¡°But if he waspletely disguised, how can we prove that the person in the security footage is Hong Kangquan?¡±

 Chapter 1080 - Caught Red-Handed

    <h4>1080 Caught Red-Handed</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng felt even more amused. ¡°Why should we have to prove that the person on the camera footage is Hong Kangquan? Hong Kangquan himself should be proving that he¡¯s not the person that was captured on the camera footage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nothing but confused. ¡°You¡¯re able to operate that way as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course. The most important thing now is to capture Hong Kangquan first.¡± Huo Shaoheng was slightly disappointed. ¡°If we¡¯re unable to capture him, nothing we can say will make any difference.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to her senses and remembered that Hong Kangquan had done more things than just this, and she managed to find some peace. ¡°Then do you guys have evidence already?¡±

    ¡°The entire country will be voting today.¡± Huo Shaoheng opened one of the programs on hisptop. ¡°If my guess is correct, he will take today as hisst chance to get out of the country.¡± He had instructed all the counters that were in charge of international flights to turn on the CCTV surveince program that was linked to the Special Forces. All the photographs of every single person that would be leaving the country today would be sent to their central control room, and each person would only be allowed to leave upon their confirmation.

    Although they had already logged Hong Kangquan¡¯s picture, retinal scan, and fingerprints to all immigration officers, Huo Shaoheng was still worried. If Hong Kangquan had bribed anyone to let him slip past, then the level of difficulty of capturing him would greatly increase.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was extremely confident in Huo Shaoheng. Since he had said that it would be today, then today it would be. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t help but allow herself to focus on the rtionship between Hong Kangquan and that online author. ¡°Huo Shao, if the police and the neighbors think that this person on the CCTV footage was someone who was with the debt collector, but it was actually Hong Kangquan, what was he doing there?¡±

    ¡°He was there to kill, of course.¡± Huo Shaoheng had already looked through the information about Lu Dayong¡¯s death that the police had made public, including the conclusion and clues about the case that the police had not released to the public. ¡°I can tell you that this Lu Dayong was definitely murdered, and it was not a suicide.¡± Huo Shaoheng could say that with confidence because the way Lu Dayong was killed was something Huo Shaoheng had seen many times before. The police would never find clues, but the people who were in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s line of work would know what happened the moment they looked at it. However, if Huo Shaoheng had done it personally, it would have been way cleaner than this.

    Even so, he would never do that to a normal citizen like Lu Dayong. Those he would need to kill personally would definitely be someone of a certain status. Considering Bai Yusheng, who had died in the Caribbean sea, the previous director of the Asian branch of the American CIA, and Lieutenant Als from Germany¡¯s Federal Intelligence Agency, which of them had a low status?

    Gu Nianzhi was even more curious now. ¡°Then why did he kill Lu Dayong? Lu Dayong¡¯s only upation was being an online author, ¡®The Garden of Churchill,¡¯ and this author was actually a street author who was writing modern romance novels. To me, his only crime was to ept money and ruin someone¡¯s reputation. However, how is that linked to Hong Kangquan? It cannot be linked in any way, can it?¡±

    Hong Kangquan was the director of the Secret Service. The Secret Service was also a department that was looking after confidential information. Did Lu Dayong have any connections to such organizations? Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe it could be so, no matter what, because she was the only one who had gone through every single detail of Lu Dayong¡¯sputer¡¯s hard disk. If there were any suspicions of Lu Dayong being a spy, there was no way that Gu Nianzhi would have missed it.

    To be honest, Lu Dayong¡¯s hard disk was full of pirated videos and documents. They were all from Europe, America, Japan, and Southeast Asia. They were all intended for those with ¡°stronger tastes.¡± If such a person were a ¡°spy,¡± then this incident would put every single other person who was suspected of being a spy in a precarious position.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand it anymore. She took out a piece of paper and scribbled down every single detail and connection between Hong Kangquan and online author Lu Dayong, better known as ¡°The Garden of Churchill,¡± and began linking them up. In this way, she discovered a new simr connection, and that was Cai Songyin.

    On her chart, Cai Songyin was the only simrity between the two. Lu Dayong had followed Cai Songyin¡¯s instructions to write a novel about Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi. Hong Kangquan had suggested to Cai Songyin that she request Huo Shaoheng to go to America personally to rescue her daughter, Tan Guiren. And, Gu Nianzhi realized with a slight pang of guilt, after she had managed to get the real information about why Huo Shaoheng had gone to America from Tan Guiren, she had sent a text anonymously to Cai Songyin, asking her to not sue Lu Dayong, and sent Cai Songyin the voice recording of Tan Guiren talking about the kidnapping in America. This had caused Cai Songyin to think that Lu Dayong had managed to get his hands on the dark history of her daughter, Tan Guiren. Therefore, she wanted him gone. That was why she had thought that Lu Dayong¡¯s death was rted to Cai Songyin.

    However, that was merely her logical deduction. She didn¡¯t have any solid evidence to back her deduction up. Now the clues had shown that it was Hong Kangquan¡¯s work that had killed Lu Dayong. Could she therefore deduce that it was Cai Songyin who had wanted to kill this online author, but she had asked Hong Kangquan to do it for her? That logic seemed correct on the surface, but it would not make sense if Gu Nianzhi were to think deeper into it.

    As the director of the Secret Service, why would Hong Kangquan listen to Cai Songyin and go and murder someone? Also, was Cai Songyin really the one who had wanted the life of this online author? If it was really Cai Songyin, then what reason did she have to convince Hong Kangquan to murder him personally? Or rather, what did Cai Songyin have over Hong Kangquan that she would be able to coerce him into killing for her?

    The series of questions was repeating over and over again in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, but she couldn¡¯t manage to rify them. There were definitely details that she did not know about, but she didn¡¯t know where to start looking.

    Gu Nianzhi scribbled her thoughts down onto a piece of paper as she pondered it and showed them to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look here, Huo Shao. Do you think it happened this way?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. He had not added Cai Songyin into the equation yet. Once he did, the entire logic would be perfect, as Huo Shaoheng knew more than Gu Nianzhi. He immediately replied, ¡°There should be other deals between these two people that we still don¡¯t know about. Or rather, put it this way: Cai Songyin knows more about Hong Kangquan than we do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat back in her seat and shrugged. ¡°Can we say then that our Mrs. Prime Minister knows about someone who is suspected of being a traitor but didn¡¯t report him? Hoho... That would be interesting.¡±

    ¡°Did you have any misconceptions about their morals?¡± Huo Shaoheng thought it was normal for those people to behave like that. ¡°They¡¯re all merely a bunch of people who are even willing to sell their souls to the devil as long as they¡¯re able to get elected.¡±

    Among all those candidates, no matter how Huo Shaohengpared them, he still felt that Bai Jiancheng was more trustworthy. Although Huo Shaoheng did not agree with the directions of his policies, which Bai Jiancheng had finalized, Bai Jiancheng knew his limits when he did things. He abided by his values and did not stoop low just to win the election. Bai Jiancheng was someone who could handle losses.

    Huo Shaoheng had gone to vote just now as well. He had voted for Bai Jiancheng. Gu Nianzhi had not voted yet, because she had fallen asleep. Now that she remembered Cai Songyin, she felt that it would be better if she had gone to cast her vote.

    Although it sounded like there were more supporters for Bai Jianchengpared to Tan Dongbang, who would be able to guarantee that the rumors would be urate? If all those rumors were so urate and useful, then the current president of the United States of America should be a female and not that wealthy businessman addicted to posting nonsense on Twitter on a daily basis. Gu Nianzhi stood up. ¡°I will go and cast my vote, then.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and allowed her to go as she wished. Shortly after Gu Nianzhi had left the central control room, the rm that Huo Shaoheng had gotten the people from the Special Forces to set up at the airport immigration counters began beeping.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his head and looked at the security camera. The person in charge of that particr immigration security camera zoomed in on the data and said agitatedly, ¡°Hong Kangquan has appeared! He¡¯s at the C City international airport! He¡¯s disguised himself as a middle-aged woman and is just about to cross immigration!¡±

    He had given himself away at the retinal scan. Hong Kangquan had already damaged all his fingerprints. Therefore, the fingerprint sensor would not be able to track who he was. He would not be able to change his retinas though, unless he dug his own eyes out.

    Huo Shaoheng instantlymanded, ¡°Arrest him immediately and keep him in the lockup! I¡¯ll head to C City right away.¡± He wanted to bring Hong Kangquan back to Di Capital personally and not give him any more opportunities to escape.

    Huo Shaoheng was in too much of a rush to wait for Gu Nianzhi to return from voting. He brought a couple of subordinates who had gone on missions with him before and headed directly towards C City¡¯s international airport. He even used his private jet. It was fast, and they could take off anytime. They didn¡¯t have to wait for any other passengers.

    When Gu Nianzhi had returned from casting her vote, she realized that Huo Shaoheng had already left. She asked the people who were on duty in the central control room where Huo Shaoheng was. The moment they told her that it was an urgent mission, Gu Nianzhi stopped asking. This was their daily routine. She had already gotten used to it.

    Gu Nianzhi intended to stay there before Huo Shaoheng came back. What if he needed help?

    All the supeputers in the central control room were being used for the election. Although they had been busy working on this for the past month, there were still glitches here and there. For example, something happened to a voting machine all of a sudden. The citizen had voted for A, but the machine read it as though the citizen had voted for B. There were also ces that were openly cheating, and all of this was captured on CCTV.

    The Special Forces and the police force had truly shown the citizens their importance this time around. Even the Secret Service had sent people to help out. It seemed like they wanted to make up for what they had done.

    With such a big country and countless voting locations, it was a gift that Gu Nianzhi had decided to stay and help out the people on duty with the operations there. She had helped a decent amount and solved the issues in an orderly manner when they surfaced.

    Yin Shixiong, who was nearly going crazy due to the workload at the Senate, almost wanted to give Gu Nianzhi a call, just to thank her for helping out.

    ...

    Currently at C City¡¯s international airport, Hong Kangquan, who had disguised himself as a middle-aged woman, was taken to a dark, little room by the staff at the airport. The airport police were keeping watch over him and waited for people from the Special Forces in C City toe over and take him away.

    Hong Kangquan already had his makeup removed. However, he was still wearing the flowery dress that looked like it had belonged to a real middle-aged woman. Hong Kangquan was not tall and was slightly plump. Therefore, his body shape from the back did look like a woman¡¯s. However, when you looked at him from the front, it was as creepy as it could get.

    The airport police who were watching him snickered andughed, and some even whipped out their phones to snap pictures of him. Hong Kangquan¡¯s face turned red, pale, red, and pale again. He was so embarrassed that he almost wanted to look for a hole in the ground and bury himself inside it.

    However, even if he was truly angry, he did not give up on the thought of being able to escape. He sat in the dark, little room for a while with a solemn expression before saying, ¡°I wish to make a phone call to mywyer.¡±

    The police officers looked at each other. ¡°You want to talk to awyer?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I am a citizen of the Hua Xia Empire. No matter what I¡¯ve done, I have the right to call awyer!¡± Hong Kangquan said loudly. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I can use your phones.¡±

 Chapter 1081 - Arrived at an Agreemen

    <h4>1081 Arrived at an Agreemen</h4>

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s request caused the police officers to exchange looks of doubt, and they did not dare to make a decision on their own. If they didn¡¯t allow him to call, and if he were to sue them for ¡°police officers abusing their powers,¡± it would not even have to go through court. His mere words would be enough to drown them. Then what would happen to their future? However, if they allowed him to call, what if he got an extremely capablewyer who managed to bail him out? Then they would not be able to exin it to the Special Forces.

    The police officers thought about it repeatedly and eventually decided to seek the opinion of their supervisor. The moment the call got connected, the supervisor immediately agreed to let Hong Kangquan make the call, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. He even said things like, ¡°No matter how severe the crime was, you are not allowed to not let someone hire awyer! This is a human right! A human right! Understand?¡±

    Since their supervisor had given them the green light, the police officers had to carry out the order no matter how unsure they were feeling. The police officers took the cordlessndline they were using for their shift into the little dark room and waited at the door.

    Hong Kangquan breathed a sigh of relief and began dialing a series of numbers that was not in use and that would look ridiculous to any citizens of the Huaxia empire. For the past few days when he was on the run, he was in contact with this number that was ¡°not in use.¡±

    Initially, he had not wanted to take this track from the airport to escape. However, that person had told him that all the supeputers from the Special Forces would be used to keep an eye on the election, and they would not have the spare manpower to check on his whereabouts. He had also guaranteed that he had already altered all of Hong Kangquan¡¯s details in the central control system, and that those people from the Special Forces would never be able to find him. That was how he was convinced to take this route to escape.

    That was why, when he was stopped at the screening and they asked to scan his eyes over and over again, he knew that he was in deep trouble. After all the spection, had that person forgotten about eye screening?!

    That shouldn¡¯t be possible at all. That person would definitely have anticipated that. He was extremely intelligent when it came to technology. Huaxia Empire aside, even if he were in America, no one would be able to find out about him!

    However, he was indeed captured. What had actually happened in between? Hong Kangquan was not convinced. He had to contact that person and find out what had happened. Therefore, the moment he got the phone, he didn¡¯t even care about the security cameras in the room, he just dialed that number.

    ¡°Please dial aplete telephone number.¡±

    ¡°Please dial aplete telephone number.¡±

    ¡°Please dial aplete telephone number.¡±

    ...

    The voice from the auto response system could be heard over and over again from the telephone, telling him that the number he had dialed was not correct and that he had to dial again. Beads of perspiration rolled down Hong Kangquan¡¯s forehead. The shimmer of oil could be also seen as the seconds passed. He didn¡¯t believe it. He did not believe it. He...

    He had dialed continuously for ten minutes, and even the police officers who were looking at the security camera could not bear to watch anymore. They pushed the door open and raised their voices. ¡°Mr. Hong, do you even know how to make a phone call? Telephone numbers are either seven or eight digits. What nonsense are you trying to dial?!¡± Four or five digits? Was he trying to call an internal number?

    Hong Kangquan fell back onto his seat, and all his calmness from a moment ago disappeared. He mumbled as he held onto the phone and stammered, ¡°I... I... Let me call... Let me call again...¡±

    He didn¡¯t care who was around him, and he dialed the number again. He got the same response: ¡°Please dial aplete telephone number.¡± The gentle, urate voice did not calm Hong Kangquan¡¯s nerves, but instead acted like a bomb, destroying his emotions and self control. He was done for. He was done for this time! That person had given up on him.

    The thing that Hong Kangquan had been falling back on all along was how easily this person was able to prate everything. He was always able to pull Hong Kangquan out of extremely difficult situations just in the nick of time. However, right now he was having the hardest time of his entire life. How could he not be around?!

    With trembling hands, Hong Kangquan gritted his teeth and thought, ¡°If the call is still unable to get through in five minutes, I¡¯ll be left with no other option but to look for the Americans.¡± He had never intended to be a traitor to his own country. He was being pushed to his limits by these people!

    Hong Kangquan held onto the phone and dialed the number again for the next five minutes. After being sure that the number was indeed unable to get through, he dialed another number. ¡°Little Tang? This is Hong Kangquan. I need awyer. I need your help now.¡±

    The person was taken aback for a while before replying swiftly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think you¡¯ve got the wrong number.¡±

    ¡°I do not!¡± Hong Kangquan shouted before the person could hang up on him. ¡°You either get me awyer, or we will stop coborating immediately! Since I¡¯m already having bad luck, you shall not have any peace on your end, either!¡±

    The person seemed to have been scared by Hong Kangquan. He changed his tone and beganforting him. ¡°Rx, calm down. Let me see if I have any contact numbers forwyers.¡±

    Five minutes after the phone call, a man wearing a suit and a pair of gold-rimmed sses appeared in front of the little dark room that Hong Kangquan was locked up in. He faced the police officers calmly and said, ¡°I am Mr. Hong¡¯swyer, and I wish to speak to him.¡± With that, he handed them his business card.

    Seeing that he was awyer from the biggestw firm in C City, the police officers opened the door promptly and allowed him in, and even closed the door behind him.

    ording to the rules, they were unable to listen in when thewyer was seeing his client. Even so, they didn¡¯t mind much because there were security cameras in the room.

    However, the moment thewyer entered the room, he took a device that was almost the same size as an iPad and ced it on the table in front of Hong Kangquan. At the same time, he raised his hand and stopped Hong Kangquan from talking. The moment Hong Kangquan saw that device, he shut his mouth. Thirty secondster, that device emitted a light blue sh and stopped all the security cameras in the room from recording. The scene was stopped at when thewyer had just entered the room.

    The people who were watching the room from outside only noticed that something was amiss after a good while. During the five minutes before they realized that something was amiss, the person who looked like awyer opened his mouth to speak. ¡°I have already paused all the security cameras in this room. We have five minutes. Let¡¯s make it quick. Minister Hong Kangquan? We, the Japanese, all look up to people like you. If you¡¯re able to work with us, we will be able to guarantee your safety out of this country. We will get you safely to Japan, and you¡¯ll be able to spend the rest of your life in luxury in either Tokyo or Kyoto.¡±

    That person had spoken in Chinese with a heavy Japanese ent. After he was done, he looked at Hong Kangquan and continued, ¡°You may choose to live in Hokkaido as well. There are many beautiful ces there.¡±

    Hong Kangquan felt like he had been punched in the face, and his face scrunched up. He had never expected that when he called a secret number for the American CIA in the Huaxia Empire, that the person who woulde would be Japanese!

    What could he do? Must he lean towards the Japanese now? If he were to coborate with the Americans, Hong Kangquan could still defend himself and say that he was being backed into a corner. However, if he had to go with the Japanese, Hong Kangquan really could not bring himself to cross that hurdle in his heart.

    He wanted power and authority, but he had never ever intended to betray the benefits of his own country. He knew that the person whom he had been in constant contact with¡ªthe one with the number that was ¡°not in use¡±¡ªwas not an American. Even though he was extremely familiar with what was going on in America, he was really not rted to them in any manner.

    Of course, Hong Kangquan was also extremely sure that that person was not Japanese, either. This was because that person had never looked out for anything about Japan and never encouraged him to have any beneficial rtionships with Japan. He had always thought that that person was also a citizen of the Huaxia Empire. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have worked with him for such a long time.

    However, this time around he had called America, but a Japanese person hade. He was indeed curious. Hong Kangquan pondered for a moment before asking in a low voice, ¡°How did you know about this number? I know I...¡±

    ¡°You knew you had dialed the American CIA¡¯s contact number but did not know why it was me who came here. Is that correct, Minister Hong?¡± That person pushed up his gold-rimmed sses and had a look of pride on his demure face. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know how we knew about it. We just did. We might be interested in what you have with you, and therefore, we are here.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s eyes narrowed. It was true that he had brought along some highly confidential secrets with him when he went on the run. Had he not done that, how could he get in touch with different countries? What leverage would he have in order for them to rescue him?

    He was only shocked that the Americans knew what he had taken. Now that he thought about it, he felt a shiver running down his spine. Only the owner of that ¡°not in use¡± number knew what he had brought along with him.

    Now, the Japanese had found out about it. Could that person really be Japanese? Had he been wrong about that person all along?! However, that person had skills that superseded what the Huaxia Empire had by many orders of magnitude. If he was Japanese, then why didn¡¯t he just give those technologies and knowledge to Japan?

    That was not possible at all! Hong Kangquan rejected this thought. This person who looked like awyer saw that Hong Kangquan was not talking and looked at his watch. ¡°We are left with one minute, Minister Hong. If you¡¯re not going to talk, our deal ends here. The moment their security camera resumes working, I will take my leave.¡±

    With that, the man reminded Hong Kangquan again, ¡± ording to our information, the Special Forces from your country seems to have invested a great deal to arrest you this time. If you truly wish to escape, please make up your mind quickly. If you¡¯re still being fickle, even the elites from America¡¯s CIA will not be able to save you, much less us.¡±

    With that, Hong Kangquan didn¡¯t think anymore. He faced the man immediately and replied, ¡°Technology of the quantumwork satellite phase one. In return for it, you have to guarantee my safety getting away from here. When we arrive in Japan, I¡¯ll give you the technology for phase two.¡±

    The other man¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°You really have phase one and two of the experiment of the quantumwork satellite?!¡± He was ted and surprised. That was the exact experiment that they, the Japanese, had put in so much time and effort researching but hadn¡¯t been able toplete sessfully for a really long time!

 Chapter 1082 - Tracking and Pursuing 1

    <h4>1082 Tracking and Pursuing 1</h4>

    Hong Kangquan had just nodded when someone opened the door and entered the room. He stood to one side and looked at them. ¡°Time¡¯s up. If you would like to be released on bail, you¡¯ll have to appeal to the court first.¡±

    Hong Kangquan and the Japanese man who looked like awyer were both taken aback. They did not expect that the people at the airport had be alert already. Had they used that excuse just now, the Japanese man would never have been able to enter the little dark room. Of course, if he hadn¡¯t been able to enter, he¡¯d have other methods to get in. Based on how much Japan had prated the Huaxia Empire, entering a dark room to see a suspect was easy enough.

    Seeing that Hong Kangquan had already nodded, the Japanese man nodded back at him in acknowledgement and answered in English, ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll be yourwyer and defend you.¡±

    The police officer who had entered the room could not help but look at this person in puzzlement. He couldn¡¯t understand why thewyer was speaking in English. He looked like he was of the same descent as they were, so wasn¡¯t he?

    ¡°I hope that I¡¯ll be able to be released on bail right away,¡± Hong Kangquan said nervously. He could never allow himself to fall into the hands of the Special Forces. He knew that if that were to happen, he would definitely be killed.

    The Japanese wyer¡± signaled to Hong Kangquan with a hand gesture, asking him to rx, before taking out his phone and calling a department in C City. One minuteter, the person in charge of a department in C City called C City¡¯s international airport. Hemanded the police officers to release Hong Kangquan immediately, and even said that thewyer was someone who was really famous. As long as he was there to set bail, the person would never escape.

    The airport police officers were in a dilemma. They had been ordered to watch Hong Kangquan until the people from the Special Forces could arrive and take him away. The officer couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you shouldmunicate with the people from the Special Forces? Because they had instructed us first...¡±

    At that, the person in charge on the other end of the call raged. ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?! So what if they¡¯re from the Special Forces?! Disregarding all rules and regtions overseas aside, do they think that they¡¯re able to call the shots in the country now?! Let me tell you, they¡¯ve got their calctions wrong! Release the Hong Kangquan! Release him immediately! This is bail with a legitimatewyer! Do you even know thew?!¡±

    The airport police officer thought about it over and over again. He had seen the arrest warrant and was even holding it in his hands. However, the call from the person in charge had specifically asked him to release Hong Kangquan. He really couldn¡¯t take it lying down. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do this? You write a note and send it over, and I¡¯ll get them to wait for a couple of minutes. Moreover, I¡¯ve already informed the Special Forces in C City. You can give them the note when they get here, and they will release Hong Kangquan if they see fit.¡±

    The person in charge on the other end of the call fumed. mming his fist on the table, he shouted, ¡°Who are you? What is your name? I want to look for the in-charge at the airport! I will revoke your position immediately!¡±

    The airport police officer was extremely alert. The moment he realized that the in-charge didn¡¯t know who he was, he replied swiftly, ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll hang up for now. We¡¯re getting busy over here.¡± He would never report his name. What if the in-charge was right? He would be in deep trouble, then!

    Just as he hung up the call, the wyer¡± took out a pen, pressed it against the airport police officer¡¯s waist, and shot him! The specially-made gun had a silencer fixed on it. Other than a dull ¡°poof,¡± nothing else could be heard. The airport police officer immediately lost consciousness.

    After that, the wyer¡± used the device that emitted blue light again and interrupted the security cameras in the room. Then, he turned to Hong Kangquan. ¡°Exchange clothes with him, quickly!¡±

    Hong Kangquan understood. He removed his floral print dress and changed into the police officer¡¯s uniform, then put his floral dress on that police officer. Coincidentally, that police officer had a simr build to Hong Kangquan. They were both slightly overweight. Therefore, after the exchange of clothes, if no one looked at their faces, no one would be able to tell the difference!

    Hong Kangquan ced the unconscious police officer onto his seat and positioned him to be resting his head on the table. The wyer¡± walked over and shot the police officer in the heart with the specially-made gun, killing him.

    Hong Kangquan was taken aback. ¡°Why did you kill him?! Couldn¡¯t you just make him lose consciousness?!¡±

    ¡°He saw me. Therefore, he cannot live.¡± The wyer¡± put away his ¡°pen¡± then continued, ¡°We have no more time left. Let¡¯s get out immediately.¡± With that, he walked briskly towards the door.

    Wearing the police officer¡¯s uniform, Hong Kangquan pulled the police cap low to hide his face and followed the wyer¡± out of the room. The two police officers waiting outside took a nce at them.

    The wyer¡± turned to them and said, ¡°Please do not disturb my client. I¡¯ll be going back to speak to my boss about how we will appeal this case.¡±

    That two police officers looked into the little dark room. They saw a middle-aged man still wearing that hrious floral print dress resting his head on the table. He looked depressed. With that, they closed the door to the little dark room and left him alone.

    The wyer¡± walked in the direction of the airport¡¯s exit while Hong Kangquan, disguised as a police officer, followed him all the way out.

    Just as he got into a car with the Japanese man, he heard the rm ring from the airport. ¡°Oh no! They¡¯ve seen through us!¡± Hong Kangquan felt a shiver down his spine and was so worried that he couldn¡¯t sit still in the back seat of the car.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve already gotten into our car. They won¡¯t be able to catch us now.¡± The moment the wyer¡± finished talking, he stepped hard on the elerator and sped towards the Japanese embassy in C City.

    ...

    ¡°Mr. Huo! Bad news, Mr. Huo! Hong Kangquan has escaped!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was still on the ne when he received the phone call from the Special Forces branch office in C City. ¡°What happened?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly as though he were not at all surprised. He knew this trip wouldn¡¯t be smooth. If Hong Kangquan didn¡¯t have his ways of doing things, how would he be able to remain at that position until now?

    That person reported what had happened at the airport. ¡°...He was actually already locked up in the interrogation room. However, Hong Kangquan said that he wanted to get awyer, and they allowed him to call for one. In the end, a fakewyer came and killed an airport police officer, taking Hong Kangquan away with him.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly. ¡°He made a call? They actually let him make a call at this juncture?! Didn¡¯t you tell the airport that he¡¯s the most wanted man right now?!¡±

    ¡°We did.¡± The person¡¯s voice became meek. ¡°However, that fakewyer managed to find a person in charge in a department. That person, on top of allowing Hong Kangquan to make a call, even allowed him to be released on bail...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his fists. ¡°Which in-charge? Take him away for investigation immediately!¡± Huo Shaoheng had permission from Senior Speaker Long and General Ji stating that as long as something was rted to Hong Kangquan¡¯s case, it could be fully taken care of by the Special Forces.

    That in-charge had dared to do the direct opposite, and therefore, he would have to suffer the consequences. Being arrested was the lightest punishment. As for whether to sentence him for being a traitor, that would have to be determined after they sessfully managed to recapture Hong Kangquan.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up themunication device and asked the pilot, ¡°Can we go faster?¡±

    The pilot contacted the air traffic control tower immediately and increased his speed afterwards. When they had arrived at the international airport in C City, they had taken 30 minutes less than the usual amount of time. However, they were still toote to take Hong Kangquan with them.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his shades as he exited from the ne and headed quickly to the control room in the airport to look at the surveince footage. Right at that moment, he received a call from General Ji. The news about Hong Kangquan escaping from the airport had also reached General Ji at that point.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. ¡°Sir?¡±

    It was clear that General Ji was fuming on the other end of the call. Word by word, he said as clearly as possible, ¡°Shaoheng, arrest Hong Kangquan. You have to arrest him alive! He brought the first and second phases of the quantumwork satellite experiment results with him! This is the emergency information from the Aviation Department!¡±

    They needed Hong Kangquan alive because they still didn¡¯t know who he had given the technology to or how far he had spread the information. Therefore, he had to be captured alive so they could ensure that the technology could be salvaged. If he died, there could be unimaginable damage.

    However, under such circumstances, it would be way tougher to capture him alive. Hong Kangquan had removed his tracking device long ago when he had decided to go on the run. Therefore, they could no longer trace his location. They could only set traps everywhere and wait for him to fall into them.

    However, there would always be people who would decide to be traitors to the nation simply because of selfish gains and help Hong Kangquan escape from the country. Huo Shaoheng had predicted this, and that was why he had made up his mind toe personally. He wanted to remind those who had the intention of speaking up for Hong Kangquan or helping him get away with this that it would be a grave mistake to do so.

    He arrived at the airport¡¯s control room in a short time and looked through the surveince footage. The strange thing was that there wasn¡¯t a single shot that managed to capture the fakewyer¡¯s face up front. This person was clearly well-trained to operate while staying away from surveince cameras. Huo Shaoheng concluded in his mind that this fakewyer was in the same line of work as they were.

 Chapter 1083 - Tracking and Pursuing 2

    <h4>1083 Tracking and Pursuing 2</h4>

    ¡°When did you realize that they had escaped?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around calmly and looked over the soldiers from the Special Operations Forces branch in C City with his deeply set eyes. ¡°Did I not get you guys to the airport immediately to take over everything from the airport police?¡±

    The soldiers lowered their heads in shame and one of them said, ¡°We were already on our way the very moment we received your order, sir. However, we found cars tailgating us when we were halfway down the road. Dealing with that dyed us.¡±

    That dy was only a mere ten minutes, but Huo Shaoheng mmed his fist heavily on the desk and chuckled coldly. ¡°They were good. They had actually set traps all around for us.¡± He looked at the soldiers and said with a straight face, ¡°Did you guys not expect that there would be people to distract you? When we¡¯re done with everything here, go back and write up a report and submit it to your in-charge. He will deal with your mistakes as he wishes.¡±

    The group of soldiers nodded but looked extremely angry. One of them braced himself and said boldly, ¡°Sir, please allow us to make up for our mistake!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir! Hong Kangquan escaped through our hands. We hope to be able to arrest him now!¡±

    ¡°I agree! We want to be the ones to arrest him!¡±

    Each and every single one of the soldiers was full of fighting spirit, like they truly wanted to make up for that mistake.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his head, his eyes showing that he was proud of them. ¡°Alright. If you are able to arrest Hong Kangquan this time and make up for your mistake, I will exin the entire situation to your in-charge.¡±

    It was not important that there was an issue. What was important was whether they had the adaptability to solve the issue. This was the ultimate aim of the training that Huo Shaoheng had put every single one of the Special Operations Forces soldiers through. It would be impossible for their missions to be smooth sailing every single time, as there would be obstacles like these appearing more often than not. What would set them apart from ordinary soldiers would be how they handled these obstacles when they were faced with them.

    ¡°Thank you sir!¡± The soldiers felt hopeful immediately and saluted Huo Shaoheng formally.

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s stop talking about things that won¡¯t help. When did the airport realize that Hong Kangquan had escaped?¡±

    The soldier who was in charge took a step forward and yed the CCTV recording for Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It was about five minutes before we arrived. They had noticed that the ¡®Hong Kangquan¡¯ wearing the dress was not moving at all. He was merely lying face down on the table. Therefore, they entered the room to probe him and checked on him. It was only then they had realized he was dead. At that point, they realized the dead person wasn¡¯t Hong Kangquan at all, but rather one of their fellow police officers in the airport.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and looked at the CCTV recording with his sharp eyes. Suddenly, he pointed at a car and said, ¡°Stop. Zoom in on that car.¡±

    The soldiers operated theputer from the side and zoomed in on the car that Huo Shaoheng had wanted to take a closer look at. It was a seemingly normal ck Passat. However, its windows were tinted a dark shade of brown, and they even had a specialyer of coating on them. Therefore, even if they were to zoom in, they would not be able to see the people in the car clearly.

    However, since they had managed to find the car, it would be easy to find the footage from before they had gotten into the vehicle. In no time at all, they had found the footage of the person who looked like awyer. He was getting into the car, but only his back could be seen.

    There was also another man getting into the car. He was wearing an airport police officer¡¯s uniform and sat in the car¡¯s back seat. This man was slightly overweight and had to be Hong Kangquan. The police officer that they had killed and Hong Kangquan had such simr builds, so that was why they were able to switch so easily. Hong Kangquan and that fakewyer had killed an airport police officer, swapped clothes with him, and then escaped from the airport while the airport was in a frenzy.

    ¡°Use the car¡¯s registration and license te and put it on the national wanted list,¡± Huo Shaoheng issued themand calmly. ¡°Inform all the soldiers on standby at the Special Operations Forces to turn on all the cameras along the road and do a search immediately and check which direction the car is heading in.¡± With that, Huo Shaoheng walked towards the door.

    He got into a bulletproof SUV with the people he had brought from the Special Operations Forces headquarters and left the airport. The soldiers from the Special Operations Forces branch in C City took their own transport and returned to the branch to await further instructions.

    Before they even entered the expressway, the technicians from the Special Operations Forces had already called them to report their findings. ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve found the car!¡± The tech sent a screenshot of the cameras to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at that road. ¡°Where would they be heading?¡± It didn¡¯t look right. It looked like they were traveling in the direction of the embassies.

    The tech confirmed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suspicions in a second. ¡°Sir, if we¡¯ve guessed correctly, this car is currently moving toward the embassies. To be more specific, they are traveling towards Japan¡¯s embassy in C City.¡±

    It seemed like the Japanese spies hade into the picture this time around, after all. A cold blooded expression shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    In order to get to the Japanese embassy in C City from the airport, the shortest distance would be a 51.9-kilometer drive. If they were to take the Huaxia and Zhong Huan Expressway, they would need 57 minutes at least. Due to the fact that the Japanese embassy in C City was located in a more upscale district, they couldn¡¯t speed, even if they wanted to. The ck Passat had already left half an hour ago, which meant that they were half an hour ahead.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and issued an order. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you guys do, do not allow them to get anywhere near the embassy area!¡± They had intended to hide at the Japanese embassy to escape punishments on foreign soil?! Dream on!

    The moment Huo Shaoheng¡¯s order was issued, the Special Operations Forces branch there kicked into high gear. After many years of extreme training and real life missions overseas, the elites of the Special Operations Forces were more cruel and decisivepared to thebat police in the country.

    With such a big issue happening in the embassy area in the country, the nation had to definitely do something to ¡°show their utmost concern.¡± Therefore, countless police vehicles were deployed. One team stopped outside the entrance of C City¡¯s embassy area and ensured that not even mice could slip past them.

    The other team set up countless road blocks before the entrance and ced more than enough manpower at each station so as to interrogate every single vehicle that was moving toward the embassies. Every single car had to go through body searches, fingerprint collection, and even had to have hair and blood samples taken in order to do a DNA test in the system.

    Due to the ¡°negative¡± impact of this incident happening during the election, the most important leaders, Senior Speaker Long and General Ji, were going to call for an ¡°emergency meeting.¡±

    In order to protect the people who were in charge of foreign affairs, Senior Speaker Long and General Ji hoped that they would remain wherever they were and just cooperate with the nation¡¯s police force so that they would be able to contribute to arresting the people who were the ck sheep.

    Senior Speaker Long had even gone on air and showed his strong support for the punishment of those who abused the policy of having embassies of other countries in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s cities. He also requested that the police force do everything they could to arrest those who tried to im diplomatic immunity while hiding in their country¡¯s embassies in foreignnds and re-emphasized that the Huaxia Empire was a country that had been promoting peace and harmony since basically forever. They were also a country that was kind to its neighbors.

    ¡°...However, we will never allow our neighboring countries to make use of our kindness and overturn the friendly policies we officially have. The people of the Huaxia Empire do not create trouble, but we are never afraid of trouble, either!¡± This announcement by Senior Speaker Long confused the reporters.

    A CNN reporter asked carefully, ¡°Senior Speaker Long, sir, the news we have gotten was that someone is trying to create trouble with the Japanese, American, Australian, and Indian embassies. They did not want to create trouble with the Huaxia Empire¡¯s...¡±

    Senior Speaker Long looked at him like he was looking at a fool and said, ¡°Trying to create trouble in a foreign embassy that is set up in our country means they are going against the Huaxia Empire! May I ask what misunderstandings you have about that, please? Did you truly think that we are still able to shamelessly announce that we are not biased when we allow the Americans and Japanese to have embassies here?!¡± These words were extremely strong. The CNN reporter was breaking out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and left to do his report back to America.

    On social media tforms, the sudden mishap at the embassy area in C City had also caught the attention ofizens. Under the intentional influence of the marketing department of the Special Operations Forces, the ounts unintentionally moved in the direction the marketing department of the Special Operations Forces wanted them to go. They were crazilymenting on how the local government did not protect the embassies well, scaring the officials with high social status at the embassies so badly.

    Since there were so manyizens voicing the opinion that the police force in C City was incapable, the District Commander of Police stood up to apologize immediately. He also exined that they did not have enough manpower. Therefore, they requested military assistance in order to provide the best safety to the embassy area in C City.

    Therefore, in ten minutes¡¯ time, about ten vehicles appeared at the ¡°majority¡¯s¡± request, drove to the embassy area, and officially surrounded the entire area. So right at that moment, forget mice, even a housefly would not have been able to squeeze its way through into the embassy area.

    Hong Kangquan and the fakewyer sat in the ck Passat, both as pale as sheets, and were in a daze as they looked at the military vehicles close by. The moment they had exited from the airport, they had gone onto Zhonghuan Road to make a detour. They didn¡¯t expect that after sessfully getting rid of the people tailgating them, they had missed the opportunity in front of them.

    Now they could not even get close to the embassy area, much less enter the Japanese embassy in C City! That fakewyer tried to contact the Japanese embassy from the front seat. ¡°Hirahara-san, can you get people to bring us in?!¡±

    ¡°Ito-san, the situation on our end is extremely bad as well. After discussing it with the ambassadors, we have alle to amon agreement that you had better note in for the time being.¡± The in-charge of the Japanese embassy in C City used a secret device andmunicated with the fakewyer from an underground room.

    ¡°What do we do then?!¡± The fakewyer fumed. ¡°The thing that I have on hand is way more important than the entire Japanese embassy! If you allow anything to happen to us, be prepared to cut open your bellies and sacrifice your lives to make up for your mistakes!¡±

 Chapter 1084 - Tracking and Pursuing 3

    <h4>1084 Tracking and Pursuing 3</h4>

    The person in charge of the Japanese embassy in C City, Hirahara-san, was taken aback. How could he have the guts to speak to a person in charge like that? Did he think that he would get away unscathed when he did that?!

    If Ito-san¡¯s brains hadn¡¯t malfunctioned, then the only other reason he could speak to Hirahara-san like that would definitely be because the thing he had on his hands was that important! It was even more important than the entire Japanese embassy, so what exactly could it be?!

    Hirahara-san¡¯s eyes were already seeing green. All of a sudden, he began speaking in a series of seemingly meaningless katakana and hiragana, just like how little children learned how to pronounce the Chinesenguage phically when they first went to school.

    However, this fakewyer, Ito-san, knew what it was the moment he heard it. Hirahara-san was speaking to him in code. Ito-san nodded and replied Hirahara-san in the same code.

    In trantion, what they were talking about was something along the lines of, ¡°...Yes. It¡¯s extremely important. It is so important that every single one of us can sacrifice ourselves, except for him. He has the first and second phase experiment results for the technology of the quantumwork satellite.¡±

    Hirahara-san was so shocked that he went silent for a couple of seconds. Then, his breathing became heavy, like a lecher who had just seen the most beautiful woman in the world. He could not even breathe properly anymore. ¡°You... You... Is what you¡¯re saying true?! Are you sure you haven¡¯t been cheated?! People from the Huaxia Empire can be scheming! Beware of scams!¡±

    Although he had said to ¡°beware of scams,¡± Hirahara-san already believed what Ito-san had said. He was merely issuing the warning out of habit.

    Ito-san replied proudly, ¡°Of course I know how to differentiate between truth and lies. He has already sent me part of the technology of phase one. I¡¯ve already forwarded it to the Secret Service in Tokyo. They are currently testing it to see if it¡¯s the real deal. The moment they have confirmed its authenticity, they will immediately utilize all their powers that they have been hiding in the Huaxia Empire to get this man to Japan no matter what!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes!¡± Hirahara-san replied, and his t face shined with an oily gleam. ¡°For the prosperity of Japan! We will get him to Japan even if we are to die here!¡±

    ¡°For the prosperity of Japan!¡± Ito-san was getting agitated as he felt like the Huaxia Empire¡¯sw enforcement and government was closing in on them, fast. ¡°Quickly, think of a way for us to escape!¡±

    ¡°What way do you want me to think of right now?!¡± Hirahara-san gritted his teeth. ¡°Look at what the people of the Huaxia Empire are doing. They already knew that you wereing to the embassy! That is why you must note! The moment youe near the ce, you¡¯ll be giving up your life to them!¡±

    Ito-san¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Your decision makes sense.¡± He had only been focused on getting into the embassy just now, because ording to thews on foreign affairs, the Japanese embassy would be equivalent to Japanesend. No matter how aggressive the police force of the Huaxia Empire could be, they would not be able to enter the embassy to arrest them. Therefore, seeing all the military and police vehicles outside, as well as the armed soldiers and police officers, he realized they were there because of the man beside him.

    When he thought about it like that, Ito-san had already fully believed Hong Kangquan¡¯s words. If he did not have the real information, why would the Huaxia Empire go through so much just to arrest him?!

    But now there were obstacles both in front of and behind him. How in the world could they get away? Ito-san was still contemting this on his own when his phone rang again. He unlocked his phone and saw that it was a coded text message from Japan¡¯s Secret Service!

    [When the sun rises in Peni]: Information received. Authenticated. Command has been issued to use all resources to return to our country.

    Then he was sent a series of addresses.

    Ito-san was over the moon. Although he had already thought it through just now and knew that the information in Hong Kangquan¡¯s hands was real, receiving the official confirmation from the Secret Service made him feel way more at ease.

    He heaved a sigh of relief as he scrolled down his phone and finished looking at the n that had been sent to him. He turned around to look at Hong Kangquan, who was still nervous, and thought, ¡°For this small thing, they, the Japanese, will really be utilizing all their powers...¡±

    All these years of lying low, plotting in the Huaxia Empire, and leaving so many elites there was all for today! Ito-san had an amazing memory, almost a photographic memory. He had only taken one look but had already memorized the entire n in his heart. Turning to Hong Kangquan, he said, ¡°Are you prepared? We will go to Japan right now!¡±

    Hong Kangquan was taken aback. ¡°Now? How? Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯ll be taking an airne! It¡¯s already impossible for us to return to the airport! They are definitely waiting for us back there!¡±

    Ito-san chuckled as if Hong Kangquan was a fool. ¡°Who said anything about going back to the airport? From here to Japan, we are able to go by sea as well.¡± The ce where they were in C City was located near a sea port. If you were to travel east, you would be able to get to Japan.

    Going by sea would be slightly farther. However, the moment they managed to travel 12 nautical miles, the Huaxia Empire would not be able to give them trouble anymore. However, ording to the international nautical agreement, on top of the 12 nautical miles, there would be an additional 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone before they reached open waters. This meant that they would need to be 212 nautical miles away from the coast of the Huaxia Empire in open waters before they could be safe.

    From C City to the nearest port in Japan in Nagasaki, the fastest route would be 466 nautical miles. This would mean that they would need to travel about half the journey before they would be able to arrive at the technically open waters. However, given how prepared Japan was this time around, Ito-san firmly believed that the distance would not be a problem. No matter how far it might be, even if the Navy from the Huaxia Empire wanted to give chase, they would also have to seek the approval of the Japanese Navy!

    Right at that moment, the Tokyo Secret Service had already given him a heads up. Every single hidden agent in the Huaxia Empire would be activated to ensure their smooth journey until they were 212 nautical miles away from C City¡¯s coast, where the Japanese Navy would then take over.

    Ito-san felt full of vigor now. He opened the door, exited from the car, and disappeared into the crowd with Hong Kangquan, who had already changed into a diver¡¯s uniform.

    By the time the Special Operations Forces discovered the car, one hour had already passed. ¡°Sir, we have found the suspect¡¯s car. However, no one¡¯s in it. Our initial deduction is that they abandoned the car about an hour ago.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng received the report and sat in his personal car. He looked coldly in the direction of the embassy area and said, ¡°Continue to surround the entire embassy area. Do not rx until we have found Hong Kangquan.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    However, the embassy area had already been surrounded by the army. Hong Kangquan and that fakewyer would never be able to get through. That was the reason why they had abandoned the car, wasn¡¯t it? So where would they escape to?

    All the roads that could lead to neighboring cities had been blocked. Technically, they were unable to get out of the city. However, there were 24 million people in C City. When they tried to hide among the crowd, how would anyone be able to find them?

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it quietly for a while and looked in the direction of the beach. He took out his phone and called General Ji. ¡°I need your help, sir.¡±

    General Ji was also waiting nervously for news from Huo Shaoheng in his office. The moment he heard Huo Shaoheng say that, he replied, ¡°Speak. What do you need, just tell me!¡±

    ¡°I request a special arrest warrant. I want all broadcasting stations in C City to repeatedly show this arrest warrant for the next 24 hours.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused before continuing, ¡°Also, I request the Navy¡¯s help.¡±

    ...

    Just when all television and radio stations were broadcasting Hong Kangquan¡¯s picture and the back view of that fakewyer for the next 24 hours, in the German embassy in Di Capital, an old person with reddish skin stood in Reinitz¡¯s room, one hand holding onto a walking stick and the other holding a cigarette to his mouth. The old person smiled as he looked at Hong Kangquan on television and said with praise, ¡°This picture was well taken. Don¡¯t you think so, Reinitz?¡±

    Reinitz smiled. A cigarette in his hand, he sat in a rxed posture with his legs stretched straight out and said calmly, ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, did we just sell Hong Kangquan to the Japanese like that?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Li Dexi nodded as he looked for a ce opposite the television and sat down. He took a puff off his cigarette and said, ¡°We¡¯re not interested in what he has on hand. America would be even less interested. However, the Japanese would definitely be interested. You know as well as I do that Hong Kangquan is of no value to us anymore. It would not be worth it to save him. Therefore, why don¡¯t we use him as bait for a bigger fish?¡±

 Chapter 1085 - Tracking And Pursuing IV

    <h4>1085 Tracking And Pursuing IV</h4>

    Reinitz was silent for a while before finally asking, ¡°...Where did you get the news? How do you know for sure that Hong Kangquan betrayed his country?¡±

    ¡°The Americans told me. Son, don¡¯t forget that I have another identity.¡± Li Dexi blinked at him. ¡°You do as well.¡±

    Reinitz said, ¡°...But where did the Americans get the news? Do they really have such advanced dark technology?¡±

    ¡°The Americans have their mysterious and elusive informants.¡± Li Dexi sighed. ¡°Why else would I work with them?¡±

    Not only did he work for them, but he¡¯d joined the CIA...

    Reinitz thought about it cynically, then he shrugged and said, ¡°So the Americans haven¡¯t revealed their source yet?¡±

    ¡°No, but I believe what they tell me. How could I have asked you to warn Huo Shaoheng if the United States hadn¡¯t told me to cooperate?¡± Li Dexi smiled kindly and gently said, ¡°...Do you know how many deals and negotiations he has ruined for the United States? As long as he is around, we can¡¯t get rid of Gu Nianzhi. So, if we were to swap the now useless Hong Kangquan for Huo Shaoheng, who is the ace of the Huaxia Empire, both we and the United States would benefit massively.¡±

    Reinitz secretly sighed inside, then lowered his head and puffed out his cigarette smoke, slowly exhaling a faint ring of smoke. His blond hair and blue eyes appeared particrly hazy through the rising white smoke.

    ¡°Son, don¡¯t think so much. When Huo Shaoheng dies, that beautiful girl you are lusting after, Gu Nianzhi, will be all yours. You will marry her, have children, and be together forever.¡±

    There was a gleam of light in Li Dexi¡¯s eyes when he talked about having a child. Reinitz had his head lowered from start to finish, so did not see the gleaming look in Li Dexi¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°But I always feel that using such a method against Huo Shaoheng would be too insulting to him.¡± Reinitz shook his head disapprovingly. ¡°No matter how many of our deals and negotiations have gone down the drain because of him, he is undeniably a true hero.¡±

    ¡°The International Special Forces Association still has an unbeatable record set by him. He was the proudest disciple of the founder of Israel¡¯s Mossad. I want to defeat Huo Shaoheng by my own hands, not only to strip him of his career, but to rob him of his woman, regardless of whether or not I have to resort to conspiracy or other deceptive means. That said, doing so through the hands of the Japanese seems dirty and immoral.¡±

    As he said this, he threw the cigarette in his hand into the trash can under the window. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling like I have filth on my handstely, this is probably the reason why.¡±

    Although Germany and Japan were allies during the World War, the Germans had always looked down on their Asian ally. Reinitz knew more about the history behind that war, and as a result, was even more disdainful of the Japanese.

    ¡°Son, don¡¯t think about it too much. In our profession, as long as you can win, it doesn¡¯t matter what means you employ to achieve your goal.¡± Li Dexi shook his head regretfully. ¡°If you be too attached to the means you employ, you will never be ruthless enough to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s opponent.¡±

    Reinitz was unconvinced, but he refrained from continuing to argue with Li Dexi.

    ...

    Ito took Hong Kangquan to exchange seven strongholds in City C over the course of five hours. They were all Japanese moles who had been undercover in China for many years. But thanks to C City TV and the nonstop media broadcasts, there were eyes on them from almost every direction.

    ¡°Is this the police station? My neighbor¡¯s house had two guests today. They looked like the wanted criminals on TV! Hurry up ande arrest him!¡±

    ¡°Is the police station? There are two men in our convenience store. I can tell at a nce that they are the two wanted criminals on TV! I also took a photo of that fakewyer!¡±

    ¡°Is the police station? I saw the two men you wanted! They look exactly the same as the men in the pictures on TV! Arrest them now! My address is...¡±

    ...

    After mobilizing the people, Hong Kangquan and Ito got some firsthand experience of what the ¡°big sea of ??the people¡¯s war¡± meant.

    They¡¯d originally thought that they would be well concealed among the 24 million civilians in City C. No matter how desperately the Special Operations Forces wanted to find them or how capable they were, it would be nearly impossible to find them.

    24 million people, even if you check everyone one by one, how many years would you need to investigate thoroughly!?

    But they hadn¡¯t realized that Huo Shaoheng would have the audacity to brazenly broadcast the whole thing through the media!

    Although he had not specified what Hong Kangquan¡¯s exact crimes were, as the chief of the Special Operations Forces, his position and upation were more than enough for the intelligent Huaxia Empire citizens to guess and fill in with their imaginations the missing crime scene stories and plots.

    In this case, the entirety of City C was a little too excited. Everyone had their eyes wide open and were adamant about not letting the traitors escape from their country!

    Because of public reports about suspicious personnel, many undercover Japanese moles in C City were being exposed one by one. The fake identities of these moles ranged from convenience store clerks to high ranking officials in government positions. Many were impressed by their diversity and how deeply they had infiltrated into foreign territory.

    Huo Shaoheng declined toment on this.

    The people they arrested were all handed over to the Secret Service because the Special Operations Forces were not allowed to intervene in domestic affairs. But since the chief of the Secret Service was their suspect under arrest, it could be said that the servicemen in the Secret Service felt quite conflicted about their tasks. Despite their ambivalence, they knew that it was something that could only be done by them.

    The Secret Service department was now under direct military control and was being directly supervised by the Supreme Military Commander. These procedures made Huo Shaoheng feel very assured and relieved.

    ...

    ¡°... Ito-kun, what¡¯s the matter with you ?!¡± The Japanese Consul General in C City sounded like he was on the verge of crying on the phone. ¡°Our elites in Greater Japan have been exposed by your recklessness! Can¡¯t you be more careful?!¡±

    Ito felt aggrieved and enraged.

    How would he have known that the people of the Huaxia Empire would be so willing to go out of their way and y detective!

    They must have loads of spare time!

    How was a guest at their neighbor¡¯s house any of their business?

    How was someone shopping at a convenience store any of their business?

    And then there was the C City TV station constantly broadcasting their photos. It was repulsive and disturbing!

    Furthermore, due to the public¡¯s vignce, Ito had had a picture of his face taken and sent to the police station. After confirmation, the previous picture that had been broadcasting on the TV station was reced by this news candid shot.

    He and Hong Kangquan were living like infamous celebrities now that their pictures were shing everywhere...

    ¡°Hirahara-kun, think of a way to get us out of this! We are close to the sea. There are many secret agents around us. I can¡¯t say anything else.¡±

    Ito hung up the phone. He was wearing big sunsses over his eyes and a fake mustache under his nose. He also wore a padded suit under his clothes. Under this disguise, it would be difficult to recognize him from the picture on TV...

    Although Hong Kangquan had disguised himself carefully too, it was still somewhat unsafe for them to appear together in public. They were now acting separately and using the telephone to remain in contact.

    Their phone also had a dedicated satellite system provided by the Intelligence Department of Tokyo. This enabled them to bypass themunication lines of the mobile operators in the Huaxia Empire, ensuring that their phone calls would not be intercepted.

    ¡°...Wait for another two hours. After dark, we¡¯ll change into wetsuits and swim 12 nautical miles. There will be a speedboat waiting for us.¡±

    Ito looked at the coastline in the distance with optimism in his eyes.

    Not only the speedboats, but the elite members of Japan¡¯s most exclusive SAT special response force was also waiting for them.

    This time, they¡¯d sent 200 SAT Special Forces members, meaning that most of the SAT members would be there to receive them. It was said that 200 members of the Japanese SAT Special Forces were equivalent to a full regiment from the Huaxia Empire in terms of strength.

    ¡°For you, our Great Japanese Empire has put in a lot of time and effort,¡± Ito reminded Hong Kangquan over the phone. ¡°You¡¯d better not y any tricks. We can save you, but we¡¯ll kill you if you lie to us.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Ito, please rest assured that as long as I arrive in Japan safely, I will hand over the entire first phase of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s technology to you. But if you guys y tricks on me, my aplice will not send you the technological data. He will ask to see me, and only after seeing a video confirmation of my safe arrival will he contact you.¡±

    Hong Kangquan was also very cunning. All the cards were in his hands, but he¡¯d lied and made it seem like they were in the hands of his aplice. This was because he needed insurance in case the Japanese decided to betray him and kill him as soon as they got what they wanted.

    Although he and Ito had fled together, they nevertheless did not trust each other.

    They ceased their running for a moment, sitting down at a snack bar in C City to eat something. The two did not sit at the same table, sitting back to back as if they were strangers.

    After they had disguised their appearances, no more sightings of them were reported. They still didn¡¯t dare to stay in one ce for too long. It probably wouldn¡¯t take long for those nosy Huaxia Empire citizens to start looking for them again...

    ...

    After two hours, it was finally dark outside.

    Hong Kangquan and Ito found a quiet ce to put on their diving suits. Seizing the chance when no one was in the area, they snuck into the sea.

    However, they¡¯d yet again underestimated the poption density of City C. Coincidentally enough, as they were putting on their diving suits and slipping into the sea, they were photographed by an amateur photographer who happened to be sitting on the beach taking pictures.

    When the young photographer examined the picture more closely, he noticed the two ghostly figures sneaking into the sea. The more he stared at those two mysterious figures, the more suspicious they seemed, so he finally decided to send the picture to the police.

    Fifteen minutester, the photo fell into Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp. He only needed to nce at the photo to instantly recognize the two men wearing diving suits.

    Standing up, he immediately shouted, ¡°Everyone, gather! Send speedboats out to sea at this instant!¡±

 Chapter 1086 - Tracking And Pursuit

    <h4>1086 Tracking And Pursuit 5</h4>

    The moonlight reflected the subtle ripples of water on the sea¡¯s surface. The tide was beating against the beach, and the full moon cast ayer of silver on the surface of the deep blue sea.

    Hong Kangquan wore the diving mask that Ito had given him as he descended into the sea. As he sunk underwater, he looked up at the bright moonlight in the dark blue sky.

    No matter how many miles apart people were, every person in the world shared this one moon.

    He wondered about the first person who¡¯d ever seen the moon. How much had humans progressed since then?

    Every person in every generation lived a different life, yet from a viewpoint so high up in the sky, everything must appear to stay the same from decade to decade.

    He would probably never again see the blue sky or the moon above this part of the world, right? Hong Kangquan sighed. With a heavy heart, he gradually sank below the sea¡¯s surface.

    Since it waste at night, the bottom of the sea was dark. asionally, he saw shing lightsing from the surface. It was the moonlight shining on the rippling waves.

    Ito made some final confirmations with the Intelligence Department of Tokyo, Japan.

    Before going into sea with Hong Kangquan, Ito had persuaded him to hand over the first phase of the quantummunication satellite technology. He sent it to the Intelligence Department of Tokyo, which then transmitted it to scientists specializing in quantummunication satellites. After multiple verifications, they confirmed that it was indeed the first phase of the quantummunication satellite technology they wanted. This allowed them to resolve the technical difficulties they had been experiencing for many years as a result of theirck of ess to advanced technology.

    Only after obtaining the highly coveted first phase of the quantummunication satellite technology did the Japanese decide that they must rescue Hong Kangquan at all costs.

    Seeing that Hong Kangquan had sunk below sea level, Ito hung up the phone, put on his diving mask, and sank into the water as well.

    They were wearing thetest military diving suits developed by Japan. They not only had a variety of weapons to defend themselves with, but they also had advanced scuba equipment with enough oxygen tost them two days and two nights. The most crucial aspect of the apparatus was the small booster on the back.

    This booster allowed them to quickly sneak under the water and swim 12 nautical miles into the ocean to the exclusive economic zone.

    After the two descended into the water, they activated the booster. A series of bubbles and ripples appeared above the water¡¯s surface as they swam forward like fish.

    Ito had a tracking device on his body. It guided them forward and provided a convenient way for the Japanese SAT Special Task Force to contact them.

    Using the booster, the two could indeed swim very fast. Since both of them were already well-trained agents, they swam even faster than professional athletes.

    No matter how fast they swam, humans swimming in the water could not outpace the cars speeding along onnd.

    12 nautical miles was approximately equal to 22 kilometers onnd. With the help of the booster, they could reach a speed of four kilometers per hour. That is to say, unless something went wrong along the way, they would need several hours to swim 12 nautical miles.

    By that time, it would be nearly dawn.

    Although their hope and optimism were beautiful, their reality was harsh and cruel. The two of them could not bear being underwater after only half an hour. Even with their oxygen supply, the pressure on the bottom of the sea was too much for their bodies to tolerate. They desperately wanted to ascend to the surface to breathe.

    They dove back into the water, then floated to the surface after another half an hour.

    Hong Kangquan emerged from beneath the surface and saw the vast ocean ahead of him. He had no idea where he was. All he could do was follow Ito mindlessly.

    Two hourster, they surfaced again. Ito received a signal from the Japanese SAT Special Task Force.

    ¡°Ito, verify your position. Do not dive into the water again, we will send a boat to pick you up.¡±

    Ito was shocked. ¡°You guys drove Japanese warships into Chinese territorial waters?! You¡¯re crazy!¡± Although Ito was by no means a coward, he was stunned by the stupidity of the Japanese SAT Special Task Force. ¡°Go back! Go back right now! You guys are waging a war!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡± The Japanese SAT Special Task Force¡¯s Colonel Naganobu Sada burst outughing through the headset. ¡°Why would we possiblye over with a warship? Ito-kun you are so funny!¡±

    After confirming that it was not a Japanese warshiping to pick them up, Ito felt relieved. ¡°Well, where are you guys? I¡¯m marking my position now.¡±

    Ito turned on the locator so that Naganobu Sada and the others could find them.

    For fifteen minutes, they heard the rumbling roar of motor engines getting closer and closer to them. Ito squinted. Using infrared night vision goggles, he spotted a fishing boat from the Huaxia Empire.

    It was a very quiet diesel-powered fishing boat, no different from the fishing boats that went in and out of the C Citymercial port every day. The side of the ship had the word ¡°Fuxing¡± engraved on it...

    Naganobu Sada confirmed Ito¡¯s position from the fishing boat he was on and slowly ordered the boat to slow down.

    Ito waited for them to drop a ropedder. When they did, Ito and Hong Kangquan pulled the ropedder closer, then grasped it to climb up into the boat.

    As soon as they were on the boat, the two of them copsed on the deck from extreme exhaustion. They couldn¡¯t get up for a long time.

    Hong Kangquan rested for a while. Eventually, feeling that his strength was slowly returning, he propped himself up. As soon as he turned his head to look around, he saw a few people hidden in the ship¡¯s shadows, tied up in ropes and positioned strangely in the corner.

    Ito sat up and saw the bizarre figures as well. Frowning, he asked SAT¡¯s Naganobu Sada in Japanese, ¡°...Who are those people?¡±

    ¡°Those? The crewmen of this ship.¡± Naganobu Sada pursed his lips in disdain. ¡°I meant to give them money and have them let us take the boats to save you. We would have been saved and they would have made a fortune. Unfortunately, those ungrateful idiots tried to call the police, so we had no choice but to get rid of them.¡±

    He made a shing motion across his throat.

    Ito nodded and said contemptuously, ¡°Those godd*mn nosy idiots! You know, if it hadn¡¯t been for these abnormally nosy Huaxia civilians, we wouldn¡¯t have had to run around like fugitives or dive into the sea to escape!¡±

    ¡°I heard that already. Ito-Kun worked hard!¡± SAT Special Task Force¡¯s Naganobu Sada patted Ito¡¯s shoulders. ¡°But it¡¯s all over now and you have returned to the arms of our Great Japanese Empire! The Emperor will give you the highest reward!¡±

    Ito tried his best to suppress a proud and eager smile.

    Naganobu Sada walked towards Hong Kangquan, squatted down, smiled, and said in standard Chinese, ¡°Wee, Mr. Hong, into the arms of our Great Japanese Empire! The Emperor will give you the highest reward!¡±

    Hong Kangquan finally sat up with a conflicted expression on his face. He uttered a sound of contempt before saying, ¡°Sir, if I am not mistaken, you are still in the territorial waters of the Huaxia Empire, right?¡±

    ¡°Wrong!¡± Naganobu Sada stood up with his hands on his hips and proudly said, ¡°Everywhere the Japanese SAT Special Task Force steps foot is thend of the Great Japanese Imperial Empire! With us by your side, you will have all the security you will ever need!¡±

    Hong Kangquan looked Naganobu Sada up and down. He saw that he was wearing a special military uniform unique to the special forces. His bulging chest and back showed that this was a military uniform suitable for amphibious operations.

    His helmet was shaped like a scuba mask, making his appearancepletely indiscernible. The MP5SD submachine gun strapped diagonally across his arm was a reduced miniature submachine gun, but it had the same amount of lethality as a full-sized gun.

    With the Carlo PB whistle pistol and silencer on his waist, any prey he hunted could be killed silently and efficiently.

    The military boots on his feet were also unique. They were thick and long and could be extended or shrunk when necessary. There were also several knives tied to his leg. The knives were so precise that they could cut through steel tes on tanks like they were made of mud.

    These were the regr outfits of the special task force, and it was obvious that this was all American equipment.

    Hong Kangquan looked at the soldiers standing behind Naganobu Sada, all in the same military uniforms, all armed with deadly guns, all wearing a telescope-like device on their heads, and all on high alert.

    Hong Kangquan averted his gaze, feeling ambivalent inside.

    He didn¡¯t know the military strength of the Japanese, but he knew how strong Huo Shaoheng was... When Huo Shaoheng had initially joined the army, he¡¯d stood out in the first year¡¯s recruitment exercise by sessfully defeating many veterans who had been enlisted in the army for many years. His military achievements were outstanding and almost all the military generals were excited by this talented star that harbored such great potential.

    Yet such an outstanding soldier had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

    He was selected by General Ji and given the chance to train as an apprentice under someone in Israel¡¯s Mossad. When he returned to the army, he became a lieutenant colonel under Hong Kangquan. This was so invincible a man that he could single-handedly take down an enemy¡¯s toon. If you gave him two helpers to form a battle team, the three of them could wipe out entire squadrons.

    But looking at the dozen or so Japanese, Hong Kangquan felt faint-hearted. He lightly coughed before asking, ¡°What makes you so self-assured when there are merely a few dozen of you here?¡±

    ¡°A few dozen of us?¡± Hong Kangquanughed and waved his hands. Dozens of heads popped out of the boat. From the few lights on the boat, a thick crowd of people could suddenly be seen. They had all been hiding.

    ¡°I have half of my servicemen here, more than 100 people, more than enough to kill half a regiment. You didn¡¯t really think that the Huaxia Empire would send out an entire regiment just to catch you, right?¡± Naganobu Sada waved again and all the people went back into hiding.

    Hong Kangquan nodded. ¡°Alright then, it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Naganobu Sada burst outughing. ¡°Unfortunately, they won¡¯t have time to catch up! Preparations on their part woulde in handy! Your Huaxia Empire... if we¡¯re talking about the army, there might be somepetition. But the navy... hahaha... Do you guys even have a navy? Don¡¯t think that having an aircraft carrier is all that great. Will you fight in naval battles? Have you ever even yed in naval battles?¡±

    ¡°After the Sino-Japanese War, there will be no navy in China!¡±

    Naganobu Sada cackled more and more madly. Even the vignt SAT task force members behind him started tough as well.

    In terms of the Huaxia Empire, the Japanese had the utmost confidence that their navy reigned supreme over theirs.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s face started twitching. He had no idea what expression to ster on his face. He knew that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s navy was no match against Japan¡¯s. He should be happy because it meant that he would be saved instead of dying as a traitor.

    But why did he still feel bitter inside?

    Hong Kangquan lowered his head and went to sit alone in a corner, not paying further attention to the other people.

    Naganobu Sada paid no further attention to him either, chatting with Ito in Japanese.

    ...

    The moonlight was soft and the waves rippled on the sea.

    Through the misty haze, Huo Shaoheng rode on a ck speed boat, speeding along like an arrow just off the string.

    ¡°Sir! A fisherman called the police! He said that he and others were being taken held hostage by the Japanese! If we heard right, the fishermen who called the police... have been killed!¡±

    The anxious voices of his intelligence analysts rang through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Bluetooth headset.

 Chapter 1087 - Tracking And Pursuit

    <h4>1087 Tracking And Pursuit 6</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression did not change when he heard that the fishermen who¡¯d called the police had been killed. He didn¡¯t even flinch. However, the hand holding the telescope trembled slightly.

    He asked calmly, ¡°Has the coordinate position of the fishing boat been determined yet?¡±

    As long as the telephone on the fishing boat had been dialed here, the Nandou Satellite Navigation System had the tracking capability to easily locate them.

    The intelligence analyst at the other end of the call said, ¡°Yes, it has been sent to you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out a specialized sea navigation device and examined it, thenpared it to their current position. Hemanded, ¡°Full rudder to the right in the nine o¡¯clock position, 20 nautical miles, full speed ahead.¡±

    Although he¡¯d given hismand in confidence, he also knew that it was not easy to locate a fishing boat on the vast sea. Situations at sea can change rapidly. Even if the position of the other party had been determined only a second ago, the position of the other party could change drastically in only a short time.

    Furthermore, since that fishermen¡¯s boat had been hijacked, there was no doubt that the other party had already removed the positioning device on the fishing boat, meaning they would be unable to track them again.

    But until then, every second still counted. They had to take advantage of every second that they still had ess to the boat¡¯s location.

    General Ji issued a warrant mandating that Hong Kangquan must be captured alive... Otherwise, they could haveunched shore-based missiles directly from the naval base on the seaside of City C. They could have annihted the fishing boat remotely.

    It wouldn¡¯t have mattered anyway because the fishermen had already been murdered by the enemy. Therefore in a sense, killing the Japanese onboard would also avenge the deaths of the fishermen.

    ...

    Twenty-four speedboats carrying members of the heavily armed Special Operations Forces followed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s boat. It was speeding forward rapidly, osciting forward along with the tides, getting closer and closer to its target.

    It was a pity that their speed boat had been moving in the wrong direction before. Originally, they were only seven or eight nautical miles away from their target, but now the distance had increased to about 20 nautical miles.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t toote to turn around and catch up. After all, their speed boats were much faster than fishing boats. Nevertheless, by the time they saw the white fishing boat under the moonlight, it had sailed outside of the 12-nautical-mile territorial range of ??the Huaxia Empire.

    Colonel Naganobu Sada of the Japanese SAT Special Task Force watched the four speedboats speeding up amid the osciting waves andughed. He waved at them as he shouted through a speaker on the fishing boat.

    ¡°Goodbye to you all! It¡¯s been 12 nautical miles, you¡¯re too far behind us now!¡±

    The members of the Special Operations Forces on their speedboats were furious. They raised their fists at the little white boat in the distance!

    Colonel Naganobu Sada was no coward. He certainly felt no need to hide, so he also raised his MP5SD submachine gun and waved it towards them menacingly. ¡°We¡¯re off now! Sayonara!¡± As he said this, he suddenly whistled.

    Huo Shaoheng felt himself tense up. He looked up.

    He saw dozens of Japanese speedboats quickly speeding through the vast sea and head towards the fishing boat where the members of the Japanese special task force, Ito, and Hong Kangquan were.

    When he looked at the equipment, he instantly recognized that they were not ordinary speedboats. They were are all highly advanced military speed boats equipped with torpedoes.

    Colonel Naganobu Sada used his men¡¯s speed boats as a cover. Disembarking from the fishing boat, he jumped into the speedboat.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men only had four speedboats. They were no match for the firepower of the Japanese speedboats! A Japanese speedboat close to them evenunched a torpedo at them!

    The water beneath them suddenly started billowing, and the next thing Huo Shaoheng knew, their speedboat was forcefully knocked over!

    The three Special Operations Forces members on the speedboat were not injured, they merely fell overboard and into the water. They quickly swam away and climbed into the other three speedboats.

    Colonel Naganobu Sada mirthfully watched them being thrown overboard with a telescope on the speedboat, and he couldn¡¯t help butugh gleefully.

    ¡°I knew the Huaxia Empire¡¯s navy was garbage!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you guys can do beyond 12 nautical miles! Why don¡¯t you drive your aircraft carrier over here!¡±

    Members of the Japanese SAT Special Task Force also guffawed with mockery.

    ¡°None of you are a match against us in terms of naval battles!¡± Naganobu Sada pointed towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction, then pointed to himself. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ve had enough fun with you for the moment. I¡¯ll be getting going now! Sayonara!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s speedboat didn¡¯t have a torpedo function installed because the designers wanted to increase its speed. They never thought that this woulde back and bite them. But since the Japanese were already here, did they really think they could escape from them that easily?

    Huo Shaoheng was well prepared for something like this.

    He sneered and said, ¡°Who said we were going to have a naval battle? You havee into my territory, so I am the one calling the shots. I say that this battle doesn¡¯t end until you are dead!¡± Then, slowly raising his hand and speaking into his walkie talkie, he said sullenly, ¡°Drone troops! Prepare! Listen as I report the enemy¡¯s coordinate positions!¡±

    The dozens of Japanese speedboats in front of them had already turned around and were speeding towards Japanese territorial waters. At this moment, they suddenly felt the atmosphere tensing up. Something sinister and murderous was approaching them.

    Several hypervignt men held the guns in their hands and kept urging theirrades, ¡°Go! Go!¡±

    They looked up at the sky, instantly petrified by what they saw!

    ¡°Drone!¡±

    ¡°Drones from the Huaxia Empire!¡±

    No matter how fast their speed boats were, how could they escape from drones flying in the air!? Ten minutester, a densely packed cluster of drones appeared above them!

    Autopilot military drones had always been dominated by high-altitude photography, target detection, and photo transmission, but they also had the ability tounch attacks at their targets.

    At present, the strongest military drone on the Blue Star was the United States¡¯ MQ-9 ¡°Grim Reaper.¡±

    This drone was equipped with electronic optics, an infrared system, low-light television, and a synthetic aperture radar system. It could carry a multi-spectral sighting system, as well as aser-guidedser rangefinder and pointer. It has six weapon racks and could also fire the deadly ¡°Hellfire¡± missile, which was known as the most destructive military drone ever developed by mankind.

    This drone from the Huaxia Empire, known as the ¡°Flying Dragon¡±, did not have as many fancy reconnaissance and mapping functions as the United States¡¯ deadly ¡°Grim Reaper¡± drone. It focused on airstrikes and could carry lightweight machine guns and ammunition, as well as various types of missiles. Its navigation system was interconnected and had highly precise airstrike capabilities.

    However, in terms of dealing with these Japanese torpedo speed boats, Huo Shaoheng did not n on directly destroying them with missiles. Instead, the drone¡¯s precise navigation functions would be used to eliminate the SAT special task force members on the Japanese speedboat one by one.

    ¡°Flying Dragon No. 1 is preparing. The target is at the 11 o¡¯clock position. Coordinates...¡±

    ¡°Flying Dragon No. 2 is preparing. The target is at the 2 o¡¯clock position. Coordinates...¡±

    Themanders of the group of autopilot drones were all very busy monitoring, confirming, and correcting the drone¡¯s airstrike aim ording to the footage captured by the drone. Once they knew that they had a clear target, they pushed the button and fired!

    Precise navigation and pinpoint elimination could ensure that Hong Kangquan was not killed, but they could eliminate the other enemies one by one. This was the main reason why Huo Shaoheng wanted to use autopiloted drones.

    The continuous popping sounds on the sea¡¯s surface sounded just like the grim reaper relentlessly waving his sickle as he snatched lives away!

    The members of the SAT Special Task Force on the Japanese speedboat hadn¡¯t expected that the Huaxia Empire would send dozens of autopiloted drones to attack them. They were so shocked and enraged that they kept cursing their enemy profusely, but they knew there wasn¡¯t much they could do about the situation.

    The silver drone shed by their speedboat. With every pass the drone made, a bullet hit an enemy agent in the chest!

    The members of the SAT Special Forces on the Japanese speedboat couldn¡¯t lift their heads due to heavy rain of bullets. Plus, the Japanese needed to protect Hong Kangquan and keep him safe. They had specific orders to capture him alive, so the casualties they suffered while protecting him were even more severe.

    Still, the Japanese did everything they could to bring Hong Kangquan back to Japan. More than a hundred of Japan¡¯s most elite SAT Special Task Force members died instantly, but they still fought back hard in the face of death and kept rushing towards their enemy as if on suicide missions.

    The drone chased after them closely. Every time a shot was fired, a member of the Japanese Special Task Force fell into the water.

    Huo Shaoheng followed closely with their speedboats, firing their sniper rifles and drones in concert.

    For a moment, the sea was transformed into a scary red massacre that reeked of blood and had a murderous vibe to it.

    The members of the Special Operation Forces were relentless and showed no mercy. Despite the fact that autopilot drones were already firing highly precise airstrikes on the individual Japanese naval soldiers, the Special Operation Forces all fired even more shots to ensure that the enemy was truly dead.

    The Japanese SAT Special Task Force was stupefied by the deadly precision of the drones. Only after recovering from their state of shock did they startunching their counterattack.

    They also had superb sniper skills. With the cooperation of their teammates, they quickly struck back at the drones.

    The remaining drones quickly took off. Huo Shaoheng immediately directed his teammates to cast electromaic interference to help the drone disrupt the aim of the sniper rifles. The autopilot drones swooped down from the clouds andunched even more destructive attacks on the enemy below.

    A rain of gunfire once again showered down on the Japanese Special Task Forces¡¯ speedboats.

    Both sides were busyunching heavy attacks on their enemy.

    ¡°Sir! The 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone is ahead. When we reach it, we will be in ??Japanese territory. Do you want to pursue them all the way there?¡±

    To be precise, just 10 nautical miles ahead of them was the exclusive economic zone in Japanese waters.

    Based on the speed of their speedboat, they would break into Japan¡¯s exclusive economic zone in just a few minutes.

 Chapter 1088 - Tracking And Pursuit

    <h4>1088 Tracking And Pursuit 7</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng stared straight ahead and shouted without hesitation, ¡°Continue the pursuit!¡±

    For the Special Operation Forces, foreign territories were their main battlefield! With his order, the groups of autopiloted drones pursued them closely, flying straight into the air directly above Japan¡¯s exclusive economic zone.

    Moments before, there had been more than 100 of the so-called elite SAT Special Task Force agents before them. After being struck down by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s army of autopilot drones, only a few dozen remained.

    Ito, Colonel Naganobu Sada, and a few of their confidants were encircling Hong Kangquan, guarding him with their bodies and anxiously speeding towards the territorial waters of Japan.

    The drones were now engaged in a single-sided ughter!

    Colonel Naganobu Sada resentfully nced at the drones that were still chasing them in the sky. He couldn¡¯t suppress the urge to fire a shot up into the air at the drones!

    As soon as he fired his shot, he exposed his position and immediately became the target of the drone strikes.

    Since the infrared imaging and targeting precision of the drones at night required a thermal source, the more intense the heat of the thermal source, the easier it was to focus and aim.

    As soon as he fired, his position was exposed. Since the speedboat was narrow and confined, he could not move around freely to conceal himself. He was forced to stay put.

    Within mere seconds, a bullet pierced through his body from behind. Naganobu Sada¡¯s body stiffened and fell forward.

    ¡°Sada-kun!¡± hisrades called out together, starting to cry as they raised their guns to fire at the drones in the sky.

    The drones aimed precisely again, firing another shower of bullets at them!

    Bodies copsed all over the deck. Before long, this started to affect the stability and speed of the speedboat. With tears in his eyes, Ito threw the corpses of the dead Special Task Force agents into the sea.

    As soon as he raised his head, another round of bullets fired at him from behind, forcing him to sprawl across the deck of the speedboat. He still didn¡¯t forget to shield Hong Kangquan beneath him.

    Hong Kangquan knew of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military prowess. However, he¡¯d never expected Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military prowess to have increased this much over the years!

    Watching the Japanese SAT Special Task Force soldiers drop dead one by one, Hong Kangquan was trembling inside. His previous sorrow and ambivalence towards leaving his homnd forever were now gonepletely. All he could do was press himself to the deck and pray that they would soon arrive at the territorial waters of Japan.

    The wind started blowing over the sea¡¯s surface. Mist was rising from the surface as well.

    Huo Shaoheng and his team of speedboats had nearly arrived at the border of Japan¡¯s exclusive economic zone.

    ¡°Follow me at full speed! I will take five of you to the sea, and six of you will cover us,¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he took off his military uniform and revealed the diving suit underneath.

    The members of the Special Operations Forces around him did the same thing. They swapped their weapons for underwater sniper rifles. They wore water spurs at their waists, and they carried their scuba equipment on their backs. When ready, they stealthily swam towards the nearby speedboat.

    ...

    Hong Kangquan and Ito pressed themselves t on their speed boat¡¯s deck, covering their heads with a steel te shield. The drone still hovered overhead but had ceased firing.

    Because Hong Kangquan and Ito were almostpletely on top of each other, the operator of the drone didn¡¯t dare to take another shot. He didn¡¯t want to kill Hong Kangquan by ident.

    The two of them waited for a while, eventually realizing that the sky had suddenly grown quiet. Even the drone¡¯s buzzing and roaring had suddenly disappeared.

    Ito looked up first and observed the dark night sky. The murderous drones had disappeared...

    He took a big sigh of relief. Did that mean they were gone for good? Had they already arrived at the territorial waters of Japan? Did the drones of the Huaxia Empire dare not to continue pursuing them!?

    After all, if drones from the Huaxia Empire dared to shoot them while in the territorial waters of Japan, it would not only mean dering war on Japan, but it would also mean dering war on the United States!

    Since there was a military alliance between the United States and Japan, there were U.S. troops stationed in Japan. However, their base was a little far from here...

    Ito waited for a while. After confirming that the sound of the drones hovering above them had disappeared, he felt emboldened enough to get up and sit cross-legged on the speedboat.

    The Special Task Force member who had been driving the speedboat was slumped over beside the rudder, dead. The speedboat was set to autopilot and was still moving forward toward its preset destination.

    Ito nced back at the sea behind him and discovered that the three speedboats from the Huaxia Empire had disappeared as well.

    Did they retreat? Did something go wrong?

    Ito had been pursued by the Huaxia Empire nonstop for one day and one night. After such an ordeal, he was physically and mentally exhausted. He leaned on the deck, swaying as he stood up.

    Just then, he heard a tiny squeaking from the stern of the boat. Ito and Hong Kangquan both turned around together.

    At that moment, a dark figure holding a gun suddenly stealthily leaped from the stern. Raising his hand, he shot Ito in the face at point-nk range without any hesitation!

    Ito¡¯s face burst open as blood sttered everywhere. He fell to the deck with a loud bang.

    Even at the moment of his death, Ito probably never imagined that, after spending one day and one night trying to evade the of the Huaxia Empire as a fugitive, he would be killed right when it appeared that he was on the verge of escaping its grasp.

    Hong Kangquan quivered with fear.

    As soon as he saw the figure¡¯s swift and deft movements, especially how he¡¯d shot Ito at point-nk range without even batting an eye, Hong Kangquan knew that this man was none other than Huo Shaoheng himself!

    He backed away fearfully, watching the man approach him, a gun in one hand and a rope in the other.

    ¡°Huo... Huo Shaoheng! Don¡¯t you dare! If you daree any closer, I will jump!¡± Hong Kangquan moved to the side of the ship and tried to jump over the railing.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and said calmly, ¡°Jump then, I¡¯ll collect your body.¡±

    Hong Kangquan was stunned.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you jumping?¡± Huo Shaoheng took another step forward. Hong Kangquan stared at him and his eyes gleamed with greed as he covetously eyed the weapons on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suit, anxious to grab them for himself.

    He was in dire need of a life-saving weapon!

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Hong Kangquan was hysterical now, seeing that Huo Shaoheng was moving the rope in his hand.

    As he screeched, he suddenly rolled aside, revealed a small pistol, and fired a shot directly at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest!

    Since he had fired so close, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have time to dodge the shot. The bullet hit him in the chest. The force of the impact almost knocked the wind out of him.

    Surprisingly, he wasn¡¯t wounded in any way. Hee was wearing thetest polymer material bulletproof vest developed by the army. It was not only thin and lightweight, but it was also very strong and sturdy. Nevermind mere bullets, it could block the impact of a submachine gun.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng fall to the ground as the shot rang out, Hong Kangquan felt joy and relief. He thought that as long as Huo Shaoheng was dead, he still had a chance of returning to his own country without bearing the crime of treason. Heck, he could even ce the me on Huo Shaoheng...

    Unfortunately for his ns, despite the fact that Huo Shaoheng had been shot, he suddenly seemed to be in perfect condition. Hong Kangquan suddenly remembered that Huaxia agents all wore bulletproof vests. At this realization, his expression changed to one of fear and rm.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t walk towards him again. He took a step back as five more soldiers jumped onto the speedboat. Those five soldiers despised Hong Kangquan deeply. They immediately cuffed him, then tied him up and dropped him in the corner of the deck.

    Huo Shaoheng cleared the boat and headed back towards the helm.

    They had not only captured Hong Kangquan alive, but they¡¯d also wiped out half of their enemy¡¯s elite squad. Everyone was proud and in high spirits. Despite not sleeping in more than a day, none of them felt tired or sleepy at all.

    Huo Shaoheng stood next to the rudder of the speedboat, contemting whether or not he should just pilot the speedboat back or call for a helicopter.

    While he was thinking, arge destroyer and a number of small ships appeared on the near horizon, blocking Huo Shaoheng¡¯s way.

    They couldn¡¯t go that way!

    Seeing that they were on the brink of being surrounded, Huo Shaoheng knew that he had to act decisively. He ordered, ¡°Jump into the sea and swim back to our speedboat.¡±

    The members of the six Special Operations Divisions behind them were not aware of them, but Huo Shaoheng knew that they were positioned behind him. The Japanese destroyer was ahead, so they would see itter than Huo Shaoheng.

    The five Special Operation Forces members he¡¯d brought into the sea with him leaped into the ocean without any questions.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed Hong Kangquan¡¯s arm with one hand and jumped into the sea with him. Hong Kangquan opened his mouth to protest that he did not have a diving suit. Before he could even utter the words, Huo Shaoheng blocked his mouth and ced a scuba apparatus on his back, saying, ¡°We¡¯re not diving, we¡¯re swimming, and we have to swim fast!¡±

    Hong Kangquan was overwhelmed with anger, but he was unable to free himself from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grasp.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly pulled on the rope, dragging Hong Kangquan into the water as he dove into the sea.

 Chapter 1089 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 1

    <h4>1089 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 1</h4>

    The temperature of the seawater in early spring made them shiver, and although they were wearing dry suits, they still couldn¡¯t keep out the biting cold that reached their core.

    As soon as they entered the water, they heard a loud roar!

    The stormy waves were churning on the surface of the sea that had been calm and serene just moments before.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up while wearing his waterproof night vision goggles and saw that the speedboat just a short distance away from them had been blown to pieces by an explosion.

    The Japanese warship had fired on them!

    Did they no longer care whether Hong Kangquan lived or died?

    There had also been soldiers from the Japanese special task force there as well. Did they not care about them, either?

    What if someone on the speedboat was still alive?

    By choosing to fire, they were ensuring that there would be no chance that anyone on the speedboat would survive.

    Huo Shaoheng intuitively felt that something was wrong, but at such a time, he didn¡¯t have a spare moment to let his imagination run wild.

    What he had to do now was to quickly get himself and his people out of Japan¡¯s exclusive economic zone. As long as he returned to the open seas, the drone could take over and cover for them.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t believe that those warships had the audacity to chase them into the open seas. If they actually were that bold, then that could be a chance for them to test the precision of the crosshairs in their autopilot and could serve as an exercise for them.

    Huo Shaoheng pondered it and then contacted his people through the walkie talkie in his mask. He ordered the five Special Operations Forces members he had brought with him to form groups of three and then form twobat forces that would surround Hong Kangquan¡ªbecause now he was the target they needed to protect. Even if the death penalty awaited him back home, at this moment, it was their mission and duty to protect him.

    Soldiers were obliged to obey orders unconditionally. No matter how much they despised the man and what he had done, they still had to protect him.

    ...

    The explosion at the sea¡¯s surface reflected the smoke and me rising up into the sky and in contrast, it also entuated the water¡¯s translucence.

    Huo Shaoheng and the six Special Operations Forces members who were on board the speedboat also joined in the battle against the Japanese. Without counting Hong Kangquan, they now had 12 people. Three of them formed onebat team and formed the character ¡°ping¡± under the water while relying on the watches on their wrists as navigation guides. Then they swam towards the Huaxia Empire¡¯s coastline.

    The waves above their heads on the water¡¯s surface were still breaking, and the mes shined through the water as a refracted ray. They paddled silently yet vigntly, and paid close attention to any movement behind them.

    At that moment, a long rope suddenly shot towards them from the back. The top of the long rope had a long, thin, sharp triangr cone that was dark and shiny, and it caused ripples through the water as it moved.

    ¡°Move to the right!¡± Huo Shaoheng was coincidentally swimming on the right side, and from the corner of his eyes he glimpsed the long rope and the gleam from the sharp tip of its head. At the same time, he quickly pulled out the double-edged dagger that was sheathed at his waist and reached out to chop the long rope!

    The dagger was heavy and seemed unremarkable, and as soon as he got close to the long rope, he felt the resistance of steel. Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. Who would¡¯ve thought that the ¡°rope¡± was actually made of thin iron!? Fortunately, his double-edged dagger was also made out of special materials and could even cut into the steel te of tanks, so of course such a thin iron rope would not be a problem. The long rope was instantly severed into two pieces and fell softly into the water and towards the bottom of the sea.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately informed all hispanions of this hidden danger and warned them to be careful. Sure enough, another rope with sharp des slithered towards them silently like a snake.

    Since the explosion had just urred, and the sea¡¯s surface was still turbulent, these thin iron ropes wandering below the sea¡¯s surface would have been difficult to discern. However, since Huo Shaoheng was more vignt and highly trained than the average soldier, and because his personnel had thetest highly-developed weapons, such thinly disguised dangers were no threat to them.

    The only aspect of concern was that while they were busy dodging and evading the ropes, they had deviated from their route. By the time Huo Shaoheng discovered this, they had already trespassed into Japan¡¯s territorial waters! This meant that they were getting farther and farther away from the territorial waters of the Huaxia Empire!

    Huo Shaoheng felt his heart grow heavy as he began to realize the trap the Japanese were setting for them. They were trying to force them into Japan¡¯s territorial waters, so they could get rid of them in one fell swoop! As soon as Huo Shaoheng realized that this was likely their goal, he immediately contacted the ground. ¡°Requesting drone support! Requesting drone support! The other party has a warship!¡±

    The news of his request for drone reinforcements was quickly reported to the Supreme Committee of the Imperial Army. An emergency meeting was scheduled to be held immediately in the next quarter hour, and Speaker Long was notified to attend.

    Speaker Long received a call from the parliament building in the middle of the night, only to learn that Huo Shaoheng was in danger! ¡°The situation now is that they are already within Japan¡¯s maritime exclusive economic zone! If we send a drone, will the Japanese interpret that as us invading their territorial waters?¡±

    An admiral in the Supreme Committee of the Imperial Army said with great anxiety, ¡°We often see others protesting against the United States when they do this, but we cannot be the kind of people who protest!¡±

    Seven members from the Supreme Committee of the Imperial Army and three others agreed and believed that drones should not be sent over someone else¡¯s exclusive economic zone lest they interpret it as a deration of war.

    General Ji was absolutely enraged by their responses. ¡°What nonsense are you all spouting?! We¡¯re talking about our soldiers! Our soldiers! Born to die for this country! Who cares if the Japanese protest?! Anyway, if they dispatch a warship first, then weunch a drone! But it¡¯s merely an exclusive economic zone, not their territorial waters! Why should we be afraid?!¡±

    When he thought about how Huo Shaoheng was in danger because of his orders to capture Hong Kangquan, a traitor, the general felt guilt-ridden. If his specially trained army elites lost their lives in the Sea of ??Japan, he would never forgive himself!

    Speaker Long was pale but still standing beside General Ji. He said sullenly, ¡°I agree with General Ji. Right now, who cares what other people think? Saving liveses first! Anyway, in the future, don¡¯t worry about any diplomaticplications whatsoever. Leave it all to me. You guys just focus on using drones to save people!¡±

    He knew of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position in the army, as well as his contributions to the country. No matter what, even if it meant losing face internationally and risking deteriorating diplomatic rtions, none of that would be worse than losing your most valuable talent!

    General Ji breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Speaker Long agreed with him. In this vote, Speaker Long counted two votes for one person and one vote belonged to the incumbent prime minister, who was still counting the votes. So they had five votes on their side, more than the four votes that belonged to the other side.

    After deciding by voting, they sent drones across Japan¡¯s maritime exclusive economic zone to rescue their people. Immediately after the decision was made, he called C City¡¯s garrison base. By that time, almost half an hour had passed since Huo Shaoheng had initially requested drone reinforcements.

    Those thin iron ropes with knives on the ends had been reced with ropes with iron spiked barbs, which were especially resilient underwater. The thin iron ropes crisscrossing the sea floor formed a sort of maze. Including Hong Kangquan, they had 13 people beneath the sea surface. Three of them had been scratched by the spiked barbs on the thin iron rope, and the scent of their blood was attracting bloodthirsty fish.

    Fortunately, there were no sharks there. Otherwise, they would have been in an even worse situation.

    The Japanese warships on the surface didn¡¯t have the patience to wait and started firing torpedoes again and again. However, they didn¡¯t fire them in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction, but only in the direction they wanted them to swim towards. A round of artillery blocked their way, so it seemed like the only ce they could go was into Japan¡¯s territorial waters. However, they all knew that once they entered those waters, they were in the enemy¡¯s grasp, and there would be no escaping.

    As they were on the verge of being forced to swim towards Japan¡¯s territorial waters, the drone from the Huaxia Empire finally arrived! Like the speedboats that hunted down the Japanese special task force in the maritime exclusive economic zone of the Huaxia Empire, this time, they aimed at the Japanese light destroyers!

    ¡°Drone!¡±

    ¡°How can drones from the Huaxia Empire be here?! Are they trying to dere war?!¡±

    The officers and the crew on the Japanese destroyer were furious. How dare they use a stealth drone!? It was especially infuriating because nothing showed up on the radar! Even when the drone was already visible to the naked eye, there was still nothing on the radar!

    The drone started dumping ammunition. This time, since they needed to deal with Japanese warships, the Flying Dragon drone also carried a small air-to-ground cruise missile and a highly precise dualser guidance mode that had an error of less than 0.1 meters! Small air-to-ground cruise missiles aimed at thergest Japanese destroyer and fired!

    BAM! BAM! BAM!

    The Japanese destroyer instantly exploded into a boiling sea of ??fire! Themander of the toon, the Major General of the Japanese Navy, was killed on the spot! Several of his subordinates were also killed along with him.

    A drone could only carry six cruise missiles, so it turned back immediately after one round of firing, and the ones behind it immediately took over. After several bombardments, all the targets in sight had been all sessfully decimated, and only then did they return in satisfaction. A new drone arrived to escort Huo Shaoheng home. Huo Shaoheng immediately felt relieved of the great stress and burden he had been carrying.

    Everyone floated up to the surface. They looked over the demolished aircraft, speed boats, and the floating corpses of the Japanese soldiers that had leaped into water in a futile attempt to save themselves. They felt satisfaction and pride at the damage they had wrecked upon their enemy. If they hadn¡¯t been in such a hurry to return, they would¡¯ve dly inflicted even more damage!

    With the drone escorting them, Huo Shaoheng and his subordinates could finally take Hong Kangquan to their ship.

    While they had been waiting in the water, Hong Kangquan tried to take advantage of their underwater position and escape by quietly swimming away, but Huo Shaoheng knocked him out with the butt of his gun. At the moment, he was still unconscious.

    It was actually more convenient to carry him like that since they didn¡¯t need to dive anymore. They only needed to swim a little longer to get out of Japan¡¯s maritime exclusive economic zone.

    At the moment, a member of the Special Operations Forces, who was swimming in front, suddenly shrieked, then a gush of ??blood rose up from the sea, and his body floated up quietly.

    However, the drone had not found any targets at sea attacking them.

    How was this happening?!!

    When a second member of the Special Operations Forces also started screaming, Huo Shaoheng immediately ordered, ¡°Dive underwater!¡±

    When they dove under the water, they discovered the danger!

    Frogman troops!

    Because the surface of the sea was blockaded by the Huaxia Empire¡¯s drones, Japan simply dispatched their most elite underwater frogmen unit!

    ...

 Chapter 1090 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 2

    <h4>1090 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 2</h4>

    The Japanese frogman unit was the elite of the Marine Corps. They were alleged to be the cr¨¨me de cr¨¨me, because they not only had to be proficient in amphibious operations, but also had to have more special skills than the special task force that focused onnd training.

    Of course, as the name suggested, they mainly specialized in underwater surprise attacks and reconnaissance.

    Carrying specialized scuba gear on their backs, they aimed their APS underwater assault rifles at Huo Shaoheng and his men.

    The APS underwater assault rifle was specifically reserved for underwater use. The trajectory of the bullet relied upon fluid mechanics, so there was no rifling in the gun. Also, the bullet¡¯s shape was more slender, which maximized the speed without causing bubbles in the water.

    One Special Operations Forces member had been killed and the other injured by this rifle.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around in the water to fully grasp his situation.

    In all directions, there were frogmen carrying APS underwater assault rifles. The frogmen stared at them menacingly, as if looking at a group of dead people. Huo Shaoheng knew he was in grave danger and immediately ordered, ¡°Spread out and beat the water! Make the sshes as big as possible!¡±

    The members of the Special Operations Forces were also highly trained in underwater operations. As soon as they received his order, they immediately dispersed. They started wielding their guns in the water, and using their hands and feet to flop around under the water.

    Their sudden movements made the water¡¯s surface turbulent, and the big oscitions of the waves blocked the frogmen¡¯s sight. Poor visibility underwater meant that their sight was obstructed, and they couldn¡¯t aim precisely. What¡¯s more, underwaterbat was different from groundbat since the consequences of inurate aiming meant that you were likely to hit your own people! This was especially the case at the moment because there were way more frogmen than Special Operations Forces members!

    There were now more than 200 heavily armed frogmen surrounding the 13 Huaxia Empire soldiers. Although they were beneath the surface, nevertheless it was still a grand battle. They were convinced that these people would not escape their grasp!

    Huo Shaoheng swung his legs around and churned the water as much as possible while looking for a ce on the seafloor where he could set his feet. The sea level wasn¡¯t deep, yet they weren¡¯t in shallow waters, either. There were many brightly-colored coral reefs standing upright on the bottom. Colorful fish swam through the crevices of the coral reefs, yet they were driven away by the turbulence caused by the Special Operations Forces team members wildly pping around in the water.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly found a coral reef near the sea bottom and informed his subordinates through the walkie talkie in his mask, ¡°Five o¡¯clock position, the coral reef at 20 meters range. Hide in groups of four.¡±

    They were dealing with frogmen at the bottom of the sea. Since they didn¡¯t have the same sort of appropriate, high-tech equipment, they could only retreat for the moment and wait for the right time to strike. Huo Shaoheng kicked his legs and thrust his arms wildly in the water while instructing everyone to retreat.

    At that moment, a few frogmen couldn¡¯t resist the urge to help the great Japanese empire achieve their mightiest victory since the armistice, and they rushed towards Huo Shaoheng with aggression!

    Because Huo Shaoheng and his men had stirred up too much water and their view was obscured, those frogmen were afraid of identally hurting their own people if they fired. They just surrounded them and did not continue firing for the moment. But when these frogmen rushed over intending to fight them in a battle, when they actually approached, they discovered that the Huaxia Empire soldiers that had been right in front of them moments before had suddenly disappeared from their sight! It was like they had seen a ghost, or their eyes were ying tricks on them! Where could they possibly hide on the bottom of the sea?!!

    The frogmen suddenly raised their APS underwater assault rifles in alert, but it was already toote for them to do anything. The frogmen suddenly felt their legs sinking, as if wrapped in something, and they frantically tried to shoot at whatever it was that was tying them down.

    Huo Shaoheng used his strong, iron-like arm, and his hands twisted around the frogman¡¯s neck as he turned it 360 degrees quickly and snapped it. It was silent under the water. The frogman¡¯s head lolled softly, and he died instantly.

    Huo Shaoheng unplugged the dead frogman¡¯s scuba gear then removed his equipment, put it on his own back, and took his APS underwater assault rifle and bullet clip. Then he propelled his body out with one kick.

    The frogman¡¯s body floated to the surface, drifting in the direction of the Japanese territorial waters. The bodies of several other frogmen quickly surfaced as well. The frogman killed by Huo Shaoheng still had his clothes on, but several frogmen killed by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men had been stripped clean and thrown to the surface. All their equipment and clothing had been taken away by the Special Operations Forces.

    After a brief episode of ughter, the waters grew heavy with the scent of blood. The frogmen behind them dared note forward, but instead formed a line and slowly approached them with caution.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men had seven to eight sets of frogman equipment in their hands. Although it was not enough to equip everyone, it was more than enough for their needs. Besides, they hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to attack, they merely hid in the cave by the coral reef and decided to stay put for the moment.

    A few people happily swam behind the coral reef bunkers they found and started to divide the gear. Huo Shaoheng only took the APS underwater assault rifle. He leaned on the coral reef and continued tomunicate with the ground.

    ¡°The other party sent frogmen to block our retreat. We can¡¯t get out¡ª¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t finish his sentence because a rustling sound came from the headset. His heart sank. If he had heard it right, that was the sound of electromaic interference! After waiting for a few minutes silently, Huo Shaoheng opened themunication line with the station again and found that there was still that same rustling sound! It sounded like spring silkworms spinning in the rainy night, which should have had hopeful connotations, but now it just signified cold despair!

    Huo Shaoheng held the APS underwater assault rifle and contemted how to save himself. No matter what, even if all 12 of them were killed, Hong Kangquan would be safely returned to the territorial waters of the Chinese Empire!

    He raised his gun expressionlessly, then aimed at a frogman sneaking up on him and pulled the trigger! The slender bullet spun out of the barrel of the gun like an arrow, cut through the seawater, and plunged into the frogman¡¯s heart. The frogman spasmed twice in the water, his hands and feet twitched, then his whole body lost bnce and started to fall. Huo Shaoheng swam over and dragged the man towards him, removed all his equipment, and cast him aside. Now they had another set of frogman equipment.

    From night to day, they had been battling each other for eight hours, and the seawater had changed from dark to bright. They could see the situation around them better now. They also had more and more frogman equipment in their hands. Now they had more than 20 sets. This meant that they had killed more than 20 frogmen. That is, they had killed one tenth of their toon. Although this number wasn¡¯t that impressive, it definitely wasn¡¯t bad, either.

    The Japanese frogman troops were shocked by thebat prowess of these 12 Huaxia Empire soldiers and were too frightened to sneak in, let alone stand near the coral reef. Twenty-eight hourster, Huo Shaoheng had tried countless times, yet the electromaic interference was still too strong to be ovee. They could not get in touch with the station.

    ...

    Twenty-eight hours ago, as soon as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s contact with the station was interrupted, Gu Nianzhi had taken notice. Since she was in the central control room, it had the best supeputer monitoring system in the entire Huaxia Empire and even the All Blue Star.

    The voting period of the general election had ended, and the counting had ended as well, so they could start using their central control system again. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t leave, and with those 27 people, she took on the task of helping Huo Shaoheng restoremunication with them.

    This time, Huo Shaoheng and his men were able to track Hong Kangquan and mobilize the drones out to the sea all because Gu Nianzhi had been working on it behind the scenes to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Even the impressive precision of the drones, down to the 0.01 meter, was due to her ingenuous optimization and modification efforts.

    She had been highly anxious ever since she found out that Huo Shaoheng¡¯smunication line with the station was broken. This had never happened before. Since Gu Nianzhi checked the fixed connection signal between Huo Shaoheng¡¯s device and the Nandou Satellite System, he did not necessarily have to initiate contact with the station personally just to indicate that themunication system was running smoothly.

    She used a small program to ping every ten seconds. If there was no problem with the connection, the ping would run smoothly.

    So when her applet suddenly started reporting frequent errors, and the ping wasn¡¯t running as smoothly as it should have, Gu Nianzhi knew that something must have gone wrong.

    She quickly turned on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s frequency and started calling him directly, but there was only a rustling sound over the connection that sounded like a silkworm spinning.

    However, Gu Nianzhi knew that this distinctive rustling sound was not a spring silkworm spinning on a rainy night but electromaic interference!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯smunication line was blocked by the Japanese.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and went out to call General Ji.

 Chapter 1091 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 3

    <h4>1091 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 3</h4>

    ¡°General Ji! Huo Shao might be in some trouble!¡± Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and said it in as steady a tone as possible, but the rapidness of her speech and the panic in her tone still exposed her anxiety and worry.

    As soon as General Ji walked into his office, he received the call. Thinking of the emergency meeting concerning the employment of drones in the middle of the night, General Ji felt his heart grow heavy. Was there a problem more difficult to deal with than drones?!

    ¡°Nianzhi, calm down and speak slowly. What do you think happened?¡± General Ji asked kindly and sat down to take a sip of tea.

    Gu Nianzhi settled down and whispered, ¡°I just discovered that Huo Shao¡¯smunication may be experiencing electromaic interference. Poormunication naturally means that the enemy is doing something.¡±

    General Ji was momentarily speechless. So she was merely guessing. He really didn¡¯t know what to do with her. General Ji¡¯s mood improved. He smiled and said, ¡°There are many reasons for the poormunication. Besides, they are now at sea.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly asked, ¡°They¡¯re still at sea? Isn¡¯t there a ship to bring them back?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± General Ji chuckled, picked up the military briefing on his desk, and nced at it. The top of the brief had a summary of the situation Huo Shaoheng and his men were in. This was what he had requested be reported to him in a timely manner. ¡°...encountered Japanese frogmen underwater.¡± It was only a simple line of words, yet General Ji felt himself immediately start sweating with anxiety.

    He abruptly interrupted Gu Nianzhi on the phone, who was still arguing on the other end, and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you guessed right. Shaoheng might be in deep trouble.¡±

    At that instant, Gu Nianzhi felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe normally. Her face turned red, and after a while, she finally asked in a trembling voice, ¡°It¡¯s just electromaic interference, right? That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean huge trouble, right?¡±

    Just moments before she had been worried about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s situation, yet General Ji felt that she was being overly paranoid. Now General Ji thought that something terrible must have happened to Huo Shaoheng, yet Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t willing to believe it. She thought, ¡°Nothing bad happened, nothing bad happened, there must be nothing bad, there must be nothing bad!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll ask around about what¡¯s going on,¡± General Ji said, dialing the inte on the other line. This time he went directly to the local Special Operations Division in City C. ¡°What¡¯s going on with your chief? Have you received any more news?¡±

    The operator over there was busy connecting the line to the person in charge of the branch. ¡°I have a report sir! General Huo was suddenly disconnected duringmunication with the station just now. After further analysis, we have concluded that there is electromaic interference on the sea surface.¡±

    ¡°Suddenly disconnected duringmunication? What did he say?¡± General Ji asked in a grave tone. ¡°Have you taken any followup measures?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re working hard. We have sent ships to the area for anti-jamming countermeasures.¡± The person in charge there was also very nervous. ¡°General Huo¡¯sst words were that the other party sent frogmen to blockade their retreat and that they couldn¡¯t get out...¡±

    General Ji only knew that Huo Shaoheng had encountered frogmen, but he did not expect followup reports! Connecting the information from the reports and followups, he realized Gu Nianzhi did have a valid reason for her concern.

    ¡°Okay, you report to me every half an hour, even if nothing happens!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The person in charge of the C City station readily heeded his demand. The personnel there already knew how important Huo Shaoheng was to the military. This was their greatest general. If something happened, then the Special Operations Forces would have their power and strength greatly reduced. No matter what, nothing could happen to Huo Shaoheng!

    General Ji put down the inte phone and discovered that Gu Nianzhi was still holding her breath and waiting on the other line. He couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t worry. This is the situation...¡± General Ji didn¡¯t choose to hide the situation and told Gu Nianzhi what he knew.

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi was already Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wife and was therefore a soldier¡¯s wife. As the wife of a military soldier, she must bear more things than ordinary women and not only put up with long-term separation, but also bear the pain of having your loved one on the front line and constantly looking death in the eye. Gu Nianzhi was still young. General Ji didn¡¯t even know if Huo Shaoheng had made the right choice. Can this girl under 20 truly be able to bear the burdens that even mature women can hardly bear?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think of it that way at all. When she heard from General Ji that Huo Shaoheng¡¯sst sentence was, ¡°frogmen blockaded the retreat route,¡± she immediately asked, ¡°I understand that the army has developed a new type of anti-frogmen weapon. Why can¡¯t we use it right away?¡±

    That was a military secret. General Ji hesitated then said ambivalently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re already organizing a rescue operation there.¡±

    ¡°How can I not worry about it?¡± Gu Nianzhi was really anxious. ¡°Please just tell me, will you or will you not use your secret weapon!?¡± For Gu Nianzhi, she couldn¡¯t care much about anything else now. She just wanted Huo Shaoheng toe back safe and sound.

    ¡°Secret weapon? What are you talking about?¡± General Ji stubbornly feigned ignorance in an attempt to fend off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s prying.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t take the bait and said brazenly, ¡°Don¡¯t you have an underwater drone, code-named the Flood Dragon? Why not send it out to deal with the frogmen?¡± She knew about this underwater drone, and of course it was because she overheard Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong mentioning it at the dining table.

    General Ji sighed. ¡°Nianzhi, please be reasonable. That ce is already an exclusive zone for Japan¡¯s maritime economy. Before, we made an exception and sent aerial drones there. If we have to send underwater drones, then things will getplicated and tricky. I can honestly tell you that underwater drone technology is still immature, and the underwater situation is ever-changing, which makes it much more difficult than operating an aerial drone.

    ¡°In case the range on the seafloor is not controlled, there is a high possibility that it will hit Japanese territorial waters. Nianzhi, do you know what the consequences would be if our shells hit Japanese territorial waters?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi certainly knew the consequences. It would be equivalent to dering war on Japan. But so what if they dered war on Japan? She just wanted Huo Shaoheng toe back alive. However, the thought only stayed in her mind for a while before she dismissed it, because she knew that Huo Shaoheng would not be happy if they really did so.

    He worked hard to help the military headquarters defend his country and certainly wouldn¡¯t want to provoke war for his own personal gain. At that point, Huo Shaoheng would definitely prefer being dead than putting his country at risk for his sake.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and took a step back. ¡°Then may I go to City C to help with the rescue?¡± She made this request to participate in military rescue operations in particr.

    General Ji felt even more uneasy. After a long while, he said, ¡°Nianzhi, this military operation is a secret operation, and your security qualifications...¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao said that my security is the same as yours and Speaker Long¡¯s.¡± Gu Nianzhi insisted, ¡°Let me go, I can operateputers better than they can, and I am an excellent swimmer. I¡¯m stronger than Huo Shao!¡±

    She had once rescued Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze by herself in the blue hole of the Caribbean. This time, she wouldn¡¯t be intimidated when she faced the Japanese frogman troops.

    General Ji still refused. ¡°Nianzhi. In terms of swimming, there are so many excellent swimmers in our army. You just stay put for the moment and wait to hear back.¡±

    Nianzhi still refused. ¡°General Ji, if you don¡¯t agree, I will keep asking until you agree!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talkter. I¡¯m going to a meeting.¡± General Ji put down the phone and ignored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unreasonable request.

    Gu Nianzhi did not give up. She returned to the central control room and started researching the situation concerning the Japanese frogmen. She was busy researching for two hours.

    Two hourster, she was informed that the military¡¯s first rescue attempt was aplete and utter failure. There were no casualties, but the strong electromaic interference on Japan¡¯s seas caused every ship to deviate from its intended course and nobody could figure out where they were. Since nobody could even locate them or figure out where they were, how could they even rescue them? They had no choice but to withdraw all rescuers from the water.

    After General Ji got word of the news, he immediately notified Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s think of another way.¡±

    ¡°What other way are you still trying to think of?! Two hours have passed already!¡± Gu Nianzhi was anxious and desperate. ¡°They¡¯re at the bottom of the sea! They have been surrounded by the frogmen all this time, and they soon will be too exhausted and fatigued to fight back!¡±

    General Ji¡¯s eyes darkened, and he started contemting whether or not that was the real intention of the Japanese. Something must have happened that made the Japanese throw Hong Kangquan to the back of their minds and treat Huo Shaoheng as their new target, and start single-mindedly focusing on eliminating Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you have to have faith in Shaoheng, believe in...¡± General Ji did not get to finish before Gu Nianzhi interrupted him and said, ¡°General Ji, I just remembered that if the military can¡¯t conduct anti-electromaic interference countermeasures, we can find an expert to help us.¡±

    ¡°An expert?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ms. Song Jinning, Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics. She is highly distinguished for her remarkable anti-electromaic interference abilities. I remember Huo Shao once said that when they encountered strong electromaic interference in the air, Ms. Song was the one who sessfully implemented anti-interference countermeasures.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi said this, General Ji also remembered as well and patted the table excitedly. ¡°Great idea! I will contact Director Song immediately!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already put down the phone, and she returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s residence to pack her belongings. Then, she called someone to take her to Song Jinning¡¯sboratory.

    ...

 Chapter 1092 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 4

    <h4>1092 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 4</h4>

    It was five o¡¯clock in the morning, and the early spring morning in the imperial capital still felt chilly. The sky was a pastel blue, and in the distance, it seemed like an oil painting palette, full of vibrant hues and colors¡ªorange, light blue, bright purple, scarlet, all kinds of plump colors mixed together. It was like M¡¯s abstract painting, waiting for the rising sun in the east toe out and sprinkle thousands of golden lights upon it.

    Gu Nianzhi wore a pair of ck LV short military boots, tailored ck wool cropped trousers, an oversized cored white Egyptian cotton shirt, and a distressed dark army green bomber jacket. She looked edgy and ready forbat. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing her forehead, and she was wearing arge pair of aviator sunsses.

    She dragged an old LV suitcase to the gates of the Institute of High Energy Physics, pushed her aviator sunsses over her head, and said to the gatekeeper, ¡°Please tell Director Song that Gu Nianzhi is requesting to see her.¡±

    Song Jinning, as the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, usually never saw anyone without an appointment, but the doorman looked at Gu Nianzhi and was somewhat touched by the sincere begging expression in her big eyes. He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, ¡°Wait a minute.¡± He picked up the phone and called Song Jinning¡¯s office. ¡°Is this Director Song¡¯s office? There is ady here named Gu Nianzhi who wants to see Director Song. May she?¡±

    The person who picked up the phone call was Song Jinning¡¯s secretary. She knew Gu Nianzhi, and she knew that she was Song Jinning¡¯s son¡¯s girlfriend. She put down the phone and knocked on Song Jinning¡¯s office door. ¡°Director Song, Miss Gu Nianzhi is here and is requesting to see you.¡±

    Song Jinning had just put down the phone after a call with General Ji, and her face had a very grave expression. She nodded and said, ¡°Let her in.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi came to Song Jinning¡¯s office, closed the door, and walked to Song Jinning¡¯s desk. She said eagerly, ¡°Director Song, are you going to C City to participate in the military¡¯s rescue activities? Can you bring me along with you?¡±

    Song Jinning had indeed agreed to the military¡¯s request for her to be there. Even if her only son wasn¡¯t the one endangered, since she was the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, at a time like this, it was her duty to rescue the soldiers in her country.

    However, since her son was in distress, of course her mood would be affected, so she did not appear as calm and collected as she usually did. Now seeing a person more panic-stricken than she was, Song Jinning¡¯s anxiety felt somewhat less severe. She looked Gu Nianzhi up and down and said with a smile, ¡°Seeing you like this, even if I hadn¡¯t agreed, you probably still would¡¯ve found another way to sneak in, right?¡±

    The clothes and shoes on her body were all travel gear, let alone the small suitcase in her hand. Gu Nianzhi smiled with a guilty expression on her face and defended herself. ¡°So don¡¯t give me the opportunity to sneak in, just take me there officially! I can be your assistant! When you do your anti-electromaic interference, I can help you hack into the Japanese electromaic interference system to see what programs they use.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Can you do that?¡± Song Jinning¡¯s eyes gleamed, and she also thought it was a good idea. ¡°To tell you the truth, thest time we went to City C, although the sudden appearance of a maic field over there was a trap, the other party was too careless and leaked a lot of their data to us. Much of that data helped me make a breakthrough in the study of electromaic induction, so I really want to try it.¡±

    ¡°Ah?! Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She was a go-getter who loved to do things by hand. She rushed next to Song Jinning, holding her arms out appealingly. ¡°Ms. Song! Aunty Song! Take me! Take me please! Let me help you experiment with yourtest achievements! Believe me, you will not be disappointed!¡±

    Song Jinning was very satisfied with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intelligent young mind and had hoped Gu Nianzhi would follow her and learn high-energy physics from her. Now, when Gu Nianzhi herself was taking the initiative to ask to help, she naturally couldn¡¯t help but hold her hand and say, ¡°Then you remember, just listen to me and don¡¯t run around. If Shaoheng found out that you were not obedient, he would not be happy.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched, and she realized that in Ms. Song¡¯s eyes, she probably seemed like a child. However, at this time, it would not be wise to argue with Ms. Song over whether or not she was an adult. No matter what she asked, Gu Nianzhi told herself that she would only nod and agree, let alone just simply stay by her side obediently. Gu Nianzhi said hurriedly, ¡°That¡¯s for certain. I¡¯m your attendant, your assistant. Come, where is your luggage? I¡¯ll carry it for you!¡±

    Song Jinning said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m going to pack up the equipment. You can help me go to my dormitory to bring back some clothes, shoes, and socks. We¡¯ll meet at the door in 15 minutes. The military¡¯s aircraft will arrive then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately saluted. ¡°Yes, director!¡±

    ¡°Naughty little girl!¡± Song Jinning smiled and pinched her little nose, then gave Gu Nianzhi the key to her dormitory and quickly got back to work in theboratory. She would take hertest research results to C City this time. She wanted to see to what extent she could develop electromaic induction this time. When she had sorted out her research results a few days ago, she sighed from pity that she couldn¡¯t do real application tests. Now her wish could finally be granted.

    She tried to distract herself with these thoughts and ideas instead of focusing on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s distress. She felt herself growing hysterical as soon as she thought about it and felt as if her heart had been dug out. However, she couldn¡¯t fall apart now. There were still many people depending on her, waiting for her toe to their rescue.

    ...

    Half an hourter, Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning had boarded the special military ne. The ne took off and flew towards City C. When General Ji found out that Gu Nianzhi had followed Song Jinning on board the military aircraft, they had alreadynded. As soon as Gu Nianzhi got off the ne, she received a call from General Ji.

    ¡°Look at you! Just itching to cause trouble? You don¡¯t even listen to my words anymore!¡± General Ji scolded her on the phone, but in fact his voice was more full of worry than anger. He really didn¡¯t want to worry about idents right now. If Huo Shaoheng knew that while he was putting his life on the line for his country, his favorite person would be in danger again, that might be too much for him to bear.

    Because a soldier¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t bear that much distress, protecting Gu Nianzhi would probably be the biggest favor one could do for Huo Shaoheng. That¡¯s exactly what General Ji would try his very best to do. Gu Nianzhi was already familiar with General Ji, but now was not the time to joke around casually.

    She was embarrassed about being yelled at by General Ji, so she said sheepishly, ¡°General Ji, don¡¯t me me. It¡¯s... yes... it¡¯s Ms. Song who asked me to go with her.¡± Then, she handed her phone to Song Jinning and sped her hands together at her chest. Gu Nianzhi looked at her pleadingly and mouthed repeatedly, ¡°Please, please... Please, please...¡±

    Song Jinning patted her head with amusement, took the cell phone, and said calmly, ¡°General Ji, I¡¯m Song Jinning. Yes, I asked Nianzhi to go with me. There are some instruments that I don¡¯t feel safe letting others use. Nianzhi is clever and a fast learner. She¡¯s not an outsider, so her helping me ensures confidentiality.¡±

    Saying ¡°ensures confidentiality¡±pletely shut General Ji¡¯s mouth. He knew that Song Jinning¡¯stest research results were national-level secrets. Right now, they were using that research to save people and were also using it against the Japanese, who loved to steal the Huaxia Empire¡¯s secrets, so you couldn¡¯t be too careful.

    That reason would have to suffice. General Ji had nothing else to say, so he changed the subject. ¡°Well then, she is a youngdy, and she¡¯s not sensible at times. Take care of her and don¡¯t let her cause trouble. When Shaoheng returns, he will thank you.¡± He said this as if he were one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s elders and was on the verge of bowing to Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning was amused and thought, ¡°This is my son¡¯s beloved girl. Wouldn¡¯t I understand my son¡¯s heart better than you? What a joke...¡± However, General Ji¡¯s ability to treat Gu Nianzhi like his own daughter was enough to show that Gu Nianzhi was well-liked. Not everyone could make those high-ranking people let their guard down.

    Song Jinning assured him, ¡°You can rest assured, I will look after her, and when Shaoheng returns, she will be the first person he sees!¡±

    General Ji chuckled, put down the phone, and his face resumed a serious expression as he said to Secretary Cao, ¡°What happened to the election? Have the resultse out yet?¡±

    Secretary Cao replied hurriedly, ¡°The staff at the parliament building is still counting votes across the country and is already in the stage of review and final verification. The results shoulde out before 5pm today.¡±

    General Ji nodded. ¡°You pay close attention to the results. I¡¯m going to a meeting. ¡°Huo Shaoheng and his men were in distress, so the Supreme Military Commission was paying close attention and dared not rx for even a moment.

    ...

    At eight in the morning, Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning arrived at City C¡¯s seaside and were preparing to board the ship. This time, in order to get as close as possible to the ce where Huo Shaoheng was besieged by the Japanese frogmen, they did not use warships but used scientific research boats from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

    Of course, although in name this ship was a scientific research ship, it was actually a modified warship. Just like the fishing boat from the Huaxia Empire, it had a side function that enabled it to open up territories.

    As soon as she boarded the scientific research ship, which had the same functions as a destroyer, Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning anxiously started to get to work. The instrument that Song Jinning brought this time was indeed very advanced, so advanced that she did not even feel the need to bring one of her usual assistants, so she really used Gu Nianzhi as an assistant.

    While installing the instrument, she exined various usage methods to Gu Nianzhi. When the instruments were finally installed, Gu Nianzhi had already memorized the functions. The scientific research ship sailed towards the coordinates of Huo Shaoheng¡¯sst signal, and the ship¡¯s radar continuously scanned the sea signals.

    Sure enough, as soon as they entered the territorial sea of ??12 nautical miles out and entered the maritime exclusive economic zone of the Huaxia Empire, they detected strong electromaic interference. The ship¡¯s radar instantly failed.

    ¡°Director Song, electromaic interference starts here.¡± Soldiers who had previously served in military rescue missions briefed Song Jinning. ¡°All the ships passing through here could not navigate urately, so they all returned. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s abnormally quiet on this route today?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at the vast sea. Indeed, it was usually the busiest shippingne. C City¡¯s port was thergest container port in All Blue Star, but today there were very few ships there.

    Gu Nianzhi overheard and smiled while she tapped her fingers on theputer monitor. ¡°The Japanese are really killing two birds with one stone. It seems that in addition to our highly-advanced technology, they are also envious of our country¡¯srgest container port!¡±

    Due to the electromaic interference, not only had they besieged the soldiers, but they had also obstructed the navigation channels. Even if it was only for one day, such a blockade caused sky-high losses.

    ...

 Chapter 1093 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 5

    <h4>1093 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 5</h4>

    Strong electromaic interference had not only besieged our soldiers, but also blocked our navigation channels?

    What Gu Nianzhi had said at the end was something the military had never thought about.

    They nced at each other and silently added it to their mental list of Japanese grievances against them.

    Song Jinning ignored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s insinuations, as her attention waspletely absorbed by the strong electromaic interference frequency that she saw appearing on the instrument.

    ¡°Nianzhi, clear the field. We can start to work.¡± Song Jinning buried her head in the data records and really started treating Gu Nianzhi as her assistant.

    Gu Nianzhi was so desperate to help anyway, and she hurriedly said to several officers in the room, ¡°You guys go out and warn the others. We will try to conduct countermeasures against the electromaic interference.¡±

    The officers said, ¡°We tried them all before, but none of them worked at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Song Jinning, but Song Jinning¡¯s eyes werepletely fixed on the instrument¡¯s monitor screen, and she seemed to have no intention of answering. Gu Nianzhi had to turn around and smile with an apology. ¡°If we are sessful this time, Director Song will teach you guys how to counter electromaic interference.¡±

    These officers understood what Gu Nianzhi meant and left the room. A few people pushed out the door and went to the deck to be on watch. Song Jinning heard the sound of the door closing and frowned, then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°When did Japan be so specialized in electromaic interference?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to answer.

    However, Song Jinning answered her own question and continued, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think this level of electromaic interference is something the Japanese are capable of at this stage.¡± Song Jinning shook her head and began to perform a variety of data analyses on the keyboard.

    Gu Nianzhi watched her for a while, and although she couldn¡¯t grasp what Song Jinning was doing, she could see that the data numbers were really high. She whispered into Song Jinning¡¯s ear, ¡°The electromaic interference might not necessarily be the work of the Japanese. You know, the United States has a garrison in Japan. I think their station is not far from here.¡±

    Song Jinning replied, ¡°Oh, that makes more sense. I was thinking that if Japan had such electromaic interference technology, they would¡¯ve defeated us a long time ago, so why would they need to send so many of their elite special forces soldiers just to protect someone as insignificant as Hong Kangquan?¡±

    It seemed that General Ji really had told Song Jinning everything. Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, yet tactfully refrained from furthermenting and quietly waited for Song Jinning to analyze the electromaic interference data. Only after determining the intensity could anti-interference be performed ording to the frequency.

    Gu Nianzhi was bored. She turned on theputer next to her and attempted to use the signal from the Nandou Communication Satellite to ess the inte and locate the US military base stationed in Japan. However, the Nandou Communication Satellite system¡¯s signal could not be located at all, probably since the electromaic shielding was simply too strong.

    Gu Nianzhi had to give up surfing the inte for the moment and again turned to watch Song Jinning working on the instrument. She asked quietly, ¡°Ms. Song, what can I do for you?¡±

    Song Jinning did not look up and was downloading someplicated calction data to her sh drive as she said, ¡°Help me with calcting this data.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the sh drive, inserted it into herptop, and looked at the data. She quickly wrote a small program for calction, entered the data, then the program started to calcte by itself. After less than three minutes, the results came out. Gu Nianzhi showed Song Jinning the results from the calction. ¡°Ms. Song, do you think this is correct?¡±

    ¡°So fast?¡± Song Jinning was surprised. In theboratory, she had also used theputer to calcte, but it had taken 15 to 20 minutes toplete the calction.

    After Gu Nianzhi returned the sh drive, Song Jinning opened it on herputer and looked at it. Her eyes gleamed, and she was deeply impressed. ¡°Nianzhi, you really figured it out in three minutes!¡± With Nianzhi¡¯s help, Song Jinning felt much more productive.

    Countless bits of data were quickly analyzed and restored on her instrument, and step by step they analyzed the electromaic interference the other party had imposed on them. The most effective way to counter electromaic interference was to fight them by turning their own weapons against them. However, you had to know what ¡°model¡± and what ¡°material¡± the opponent¡¯s weapons were made of. That was the most difficult part of the whole anti-electromaic interference process.

    At that point, it was safe to say that none of the existing instruments and algorithms in All Blue Star had the ability to effectively analyze the strong electromaic interference that the Japanese were currently using. Unfortunately, they had Song Jinning as their nemesis. The strong electromaic interference at the moment was only a little weaker than the interference Song Jinning had encountered on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal aircraft.

    However, at that time, they had been on an airne. It couldn¡¯t reach the sky, yet it couldn¡¯tnd, either. Also, they had to locate the source of an electromaic interference with much greater difficulty and intensity in a much morepromising situation.

    Yet this time at sea, Song Jinning found the situation and circumstances much more easy to cope with and easily identified the source of the strong electromaic interference they were experiencing now.

    ¡°The source of the strong electromaic interference is at this position: 126.110081 degrees east longitude and 31.650807 degrees northtitude,¡± Song Jinning said with a serious expression and pointed to a coordinate on the locator. ¡°Give this data to the Navy and let them target that fixed point and clear the source.¡±

    As soon as the other party¡¯s strong electromaic interference source was cleared, Song Jinning nned on quicklyunching their strong electromaic interference and taking the other party by surprise.

    Gu Nianzhi happily agreed to her n and went out to find the officers who had just been in the room moments before. The officers were scattered around the deck in several concealed hiding ces in the rearpartment where they did covert surveince. Gu Nianzhi remembered that the highest-ranked among them was the colonel, and after finding him she said, ¡°This is the coordinate position of the strong electromaic interference source that Director Song found. Can you clear it at a fixed point?¡±

    The colonel looked at the data and frowned. ¡°This data looks familiar to me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. So they had once located the source of the strong electromaic interference?! Then howe they returned without sess?!

    The colonel took out his e-notepad, tapped it a few times, pulled up the data, and said, ¡°I remember now. This is thest location where we had contact with General Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tensed up inside and thought, ¡°The Japanese are too cunning!¡± What an ingenuous way to cause them trouble! The Japanese were probably confident they couldn¡¯t deal with this kind of strong electromaic interference, so they deliberately installed it somewhere not far from Huo Shaoheng.

    Even if there was a 1-in-10,000 chance that they could locate the source of electromaic interference, since the source was so close to Huo Shaoheng and the others, they would be forced to refrain from taking action for fear of hurting them, and hence wouldn¡¯t be able to freely perform fixed-point elimination.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the coordinate data in the hands of the Navy colonel, then looked at the data in her own hands and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°I remember that you guys sent drones there previously. Why didn¡¯t you guys eliminate the threat then? With such strong electromaic interference, even the drones would have been affected by the interference and would have had trouble aiming at their target, right?¡±

    The Navy colonelughed bitterly. ¡°At that time we were fortunate enough to catch the Japanese off guard with our drones, but we really didn¡¯t have time to use strong electromaic interference. Later, only after we withdrew the drones did the Japanese install their strong electromaic interference.¡±

    ¡°So, not only were they attempting to block General Huo¡¯smunication line and cause trouble for the iing ships, but they were also using it as a countermeasure against our drones!¡± Gu Nianzhi said in realization, ¡°They really are killing three birds with one stone! I underestimated them.¡±

    The colonel smiled awkwardly. He only wanted to counteract the electromaic interference, then get into contact with Huo Shaoheng and save them. He never thought of the other aspects asprehensively as Gu Nianzhi did.

    The Japanese had always regarded the Huaxia Empire as their rival, and they had been anxious to destroy the Huaxia Empire every chance they got in the past, so no matter what damage they attempted to inflict upon the Huaxia Empire, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t surprised and remained unfazed.

    This was a country that had never deeply reflected upon its own war crimes, so they didn¡¯t have any room for doubt, and they had to be prepared for the worst. ¡°Ok, what should I do?¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her fist. ¡°Would you like me to go for you instead? Give me a diving suit, and I can swim to wherever that is...¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± The colonel was startled and looked at her bizarrely. ¡°Why do you want to go? Don¡¯t you know that the other party consists of the most elite frogmen in the Japanese Marine Corps, and there are more than a hundred SAT special task force men as well? These people are highly trained!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily speechless. ¡°Can¡¯t I just try?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°How long have our soldiers been besieged?¡±

    The colonel looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s been almost six hours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart grew heavy, and she asked anxiously, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you issued an order yet? Let me go, then. I¡¯m a fast swimmer! And I¡¯m smart...¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, why are you so eager to risk your life?¡± The colonel suddenly became suspicious of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions. After all, rarely did people volunteer things, especially their lives, without demanding something in return. In this colonel¡¯s eyes, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current position was merely Song Jinning¡¯s assistant. Did she really need such enthusiasm, so much so that she was willing to risk going into the water herself in order to save them?!

    ¡°I am doing this for General Huo!¡± Gu Nianzhi hurriedly defended herself to the colonel as if reading his mind.

    The colonel narrowed his eyes and asked her with suspicion, ¡°I understand why Director Song is personally participating in the rescue operation. After all, General Huo is her son, but what about you? What is General Huo¡¯s personal rtion to you?¡±

 Chapter 1094 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 6

    <h4>Chapter 1094 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 6</h4>

    What was General Huo¡¯s personal rtion to her?

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi heard this, a million thoughts raced through her mind in an instant. She opened her mouth and blurted out, ¡°He¡¯s my hero!¡± Huo Shaoheng was indeed a hero in her mind. He had been in the past, was in the present, and forever would be.

    The colonel was unconvinced. He pursed his lips and shook his head with a derisive smile and said, ¡°Little girl, do you think you¡¯re in a Hollywood movie or something? Don¡¯t mess around and go do what you¡¯re supposed to do, which is be Director Song¡¯s assistant. We are the ones responsible for saving people. Why would we use a little girl like you!? Our soldiers are highly trained and highlypetent, and we also have our own frogman army!¡± After he finished, he went out to discuss countermeasures with several other naval officers.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at his back from a distance feeling annoyed and belittled. She was on the verge of saying that she was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wife, yet the instant she opened her mouth, she found herself unable to bring herself to say so. Well, then... Gu Nianzhi shrugged. Although deep down she already knew that the other party was unlikely to agree to her wild request, she didn¡¯t see any harm in trying. At least now she knew for sure. There was always value in trying. What if he had agreed?

    She returned to where Song Jinning was still busy debugging the instrument and told her what the colonel had just said. At the end, she concluded with regret, ¡°...but I really wanted to try it myself. That ce is exactly where Huo Shao was first besieged.¡±

    Song Jinning paused for a moment. ¡°Shaoheng and the others are besieged there? That¡¯s horrible. In that case, clearing the source will be very tricky and dangerous.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very dangerous indeed, so the colonel said that he would send someone, and that we also have our very own frogman unit.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned back on the couch in the room, looked up at the ceiling of the cabin, and mumbled, ¡°But I really wanted to go myself...¡±

    After hearing that they also had their very own frogman unit as well, and they would be sent in for the rescue mission, Song Jinning was relieved and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s deploy our anti-electromaic interference as well, so they won¡¯t get lost again.¡±

    Theirst rescue attempt had been a total failure due to the strong electromaic interference from the other party, and the ships and frogmen who were sent on the rescue mission had gotten lost in the sea.

    Gu Nianzhi cheered up. ¡°Okay. What can I do for Ms. Song?¡±

    ¡°You can help me operate this instrument.¡± Song Jinning demonstrated its usage to her. ¡°I will operate that one. To be entirely honest, one would suffice, but this time I wanted to try running two at the same time¡ªone for imposing anti-interference on the enemy¡¯s electromaic frequency and one for emitting our own strong electromaic interference.

    ¡°Remember, we should be twice as strong as them, and we can cover a muchrger area. If it seeds, and if it gradually expands, then I want to experiment and see what the maximum reach of this instrument is.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I got it. So when will we start?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at her watch and said, ¡°In five minutes. ording to the test results I received just now, the strong electromaic interference from the other party is converted every five minutes. This is also the time when it¡¯s the most vulnerable. This will be the prime moment to conduct our anti-interference.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was fully convinced by Song Jinning¡¯s reasoning. Twenty-five minutester, the Navy¡¯s frogman trio quietly submerged into the water. At the same time, Song Jinning started deploying their own strong electromaic interference while Gu Nianzhi started deploying anti-electromaic interference on the enemy¡¯s electromaic interference.

    In the air, invisible electromaic waves converged, collided, constantly offset each other, and continued to regenerate over and over again. This sort of warfare on a battlefield invisible to the naked eye made it difficult to separate the victories and defeats in an instant.

    Even so, Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi fought side by side. The opponent¡¯s strong electromaic interference resisted their countermeasures for a time, but after a while their resistance finally began to weaken.

    Their frogmen soldiers in the sea discovered that their locators were ready for use again, and they were instantly encouraged. They quickly swam in the direction of the location where Huo Shaoheng wasst heard from and also where the other party had installed their strong electromaic interference source.

    Their three-man team scuba dived quickly for half an hour and soon approached the coordinates Song Jinning had provided them with. It was quiet there, with exotic-looking rocks and a plethora of vibrantly-hued coral reefs. The colorful marine fish swam between the coral reefs, and the sight of the rainbow-like fish swimming among the kaleidoscopic reefs was so breathtaking that they felt like they were in an aquarium.

    However, the three frogmen were not in the mood to admire the beautiful scenery before them. Instead, they were busy using their detectors to find the source of the strong electromaic interference emission. The three of them wandered on the seafloor for half an hour before pinpointing the location of the strong electromaic interference source. They were particrly excited and immediately sent a message to the scientific research boat.

    ¡°The source has been located! Clear it now!¡±

    ¡°The source has been located! Clear it now!¡±

    The three frogmen happily swam towards the source of strong electromaic interference. It was a small, ck, cube-shaped box. They couldn¡¯t discern the material, but it felt sturdy and heavy.

    ¡°The strong electromaic interference is being emitted by this thing. You really can¡¯t tell.¡± The three frogman soldiers swam around the box for a while and discovered that it was firmly stuck to the reef and could not be pried off.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it. We should just blow up the entire thing.¡± A frogman soldier pulled out his underwater assault rifle. ¡°Move to the side. I¡¯ll shoot.¡± As soon as he raised his gun to aim at the box, a thin iron rope with a knife tied to it suddenly swept up silently from behind.

    The three frogmen felt the turbulence of the water and instantly knew something was up. They quickly swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack of the thin iron rope with a knife attached to it!

    The three of them broke into a cold sweat at the attempt on their lives and quickly swam away. When they attempted to swim over again, the Japanese frogmen had already discovered them, and more than a dozen of them lunged towards them.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s side only had three frogmen warriors, and they suddenly found themselves outnumbered by enemies. However, they were not intimidated, and picking up theirtest QBS06 underwater assault rifles developed by the Huaxia Empire, they aimed at the Japanese frogmen.

    Compared to the Russian-made APS underwater assault rifle used by the Japanese frogmen, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s newly developed QBS06 underwater rifle was faster, more urate, and much more lethal. The lethality of its special bullet far outstripped that of the APS underwater assault rifle.

    Although there were only three of them, even dozens of enemies were no match against them while they were carrying their QBS06 underwater rifles. Before their enemies even had a chance to open fire, their bullets had already prated the enemies¡¯ diving suits and masks. A dozen or so Japanese frogmen thus met their demise at the hands of the frogmen soldiers from the Huaxia Empire.

    After the three of them eliminated the Japanese frogmen, they made victory signs to each other and went on to inspect the source of the potent electromaic interference. Likewise, the interference source was still unable to be cleared, and more aggressive Japanese frogmen pounced on them again. This time there were more than 30 of them, which was twice as many as there had been in the previous attack.

    ¡°Let¡¯s scatter.¡± The three frogmenmunicated with each other through the walkie talkies in their masks. ¡°Scattering in three directions can disperse the enemy¡¯s pursuit.¡± They could no longer stay together in one ce, lest they be caught alive by the enemy.

    The three of them had made up their minds, when one of them suddenly turned around and shot at the strong electromaic interference source! The other two seized the chance to swim out like arrows in opposite directions at the same time!

    The Japanese frogmen surrounding them werepletely taken by surprise and were about to chase after them when suddenly they heard a loud noiseing from above their heads!

    When they looked up, they saw more and more Japanese ships appearing on the surface! At the same time, a thin, iron, tube-like buoy was dropped from the boat, encircling Huo Shaoheng and his people!

    This kind of circr electromaic interference greatly amplified the magnitude of the interference source! After the buoy with strong electromaic interference was thrown down, the three frogmen escaped, although one of them was injured.

    An hourter, they finally returned to the scientific research boat. They were all exhausted and said to Song Jinning, who had been anxiously awaiting their return, ¡°Director Song, the other party had a big boate over, and they threw a lot of buoys at us. Our navigation system failed, so we had to swim back by ourselves.¡±

    They swam for an hour covering a distance that should have taken only half an hour while they were chased by Japanese frogmen and fired upon countless times. Unfortunately, one of the frogmen soldiers was shot and had been taken back to shore by speedboat for surgery.

    ...

    The coral reefs stood just below the coordinate position Song Jinning had calcted. Huo Shaoheng and the others had been hiding in a cave next to the coral reefs for eight hours straight. Theirmunication line had recovered for a while, and Huo Shaoheng immediately seized the chance to contact the station, and then they were transferred to the scientific research vessel.

    After finding out that Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi were there, his heart felt strangely stirred. Although he had always been calm, when he spoke to them this time, his low, maic voice trembled slightly.

    They didn¡¯t get to say much before theirmunication was interrupted again, and there wasn¡¯t even time to acknowledge the three frogmen soldiers who destroyed the strong electromaic interference source.

    Song Jinning¡¯s n was to destroy the strong electromaic interference source first, then deal with the Japanese frogmen soldiers who besieged Huo Shaoheng afterwards, because only then could they get them out. Unfortunately, because of the sudden arrival of Japanese warships, this npletely failed.

    Looking at the huge shadow that suddenly appeared on the surface above and watching the thin, intricate iron ropes hanging from the sea buoy, Huo Shaoheng clenched the gun in his hand. The oxygen in their scuba tanks couldst them up to three more hours. If they could not be rescued within three hours, then they had no choice but to fight the Japanese!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi felt agitated after listening to the three frogmen on the scientific boat, especially when she heard that the Japanese warships had dropped several buoys that floated around the sea like huge mosquito coils. She felt even more rmed to hear that there were many long strings under the buoys, all the way down to the bottom of the sea. They were all high-quality iron, just like electromaic amplifiers. Did Song Jinning have the expertise to cope with electromaic interference of this intensity?

    Gu Nianzhi stood on the bow of the boat with her arms crossed and looked in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. Over the boundless sea, the clouds and water appeared vast and expansive, and she could even spot the Japanese warships. But so what if she saw them? She was only on a scientific research ship, not a mighty warship.

    Gu Nianzhi groaned inwardly andined to herself secretly to relieve her anxiety. What could she do to help Huo Shaoheng? She picked up the binocrs and spotted a string of fine iron buoys dropped from the Japanese warships, and she was suddenly ovee by a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    Slowly, a name sprang to mind¡ªthe blue hole waters!

    Didn¡¯t this scene seem eerily simr to the blue hole waters she had once experienced?!

    ...

 Chapter 1095 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 7

    <h4>Chapter 1095 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 7</h4>

    With her thoughts focused on the Blue Hole¡¯s waters, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind envisioned arge expansive area of blue-violet electric light so vast that you couldn¡¯t see where it ended. Under the blue sky, the electric light was like a wildly dancing golden snake.

    The sky and the sea appeared to be upside down. The blue-violet electric light was the sky shining with electric light, and the blue sky was like a calm ocean.

    Gu Nianzhi felt dizzy and blinked a few times, and the view before her became the same expansive sea. It still had the same high sky and pale clouds, and the seawater was still a deep blue. The blue-violet electric light that appeared in her mind just now seemed like a hallucination.

    The blue-violet electro-optical light in the Blue Hole¡¯s waters was a wild and perverse form of an electric fence.

    Song Jinning informed her that the buoys in front of her were used to generate electromaic interference.

    Was there any connection between the two?

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes, turned around, and walked into Song Jinning¡¯s cabin. She stood quietly beside her for a while, and seeing that Song Jinning¡¯s forehead was covered in cold sweat, she knew that she was having a hard time.

    Gu Nianzhi asked softly, ¡°Ms. Song, is the electromaic interference more powerful this time?¡±

    Song Jinning smiled bitterly without looking up and said nkly, ¡°This time, Japan has really put all their effort into it. Have you seen the figures made from those buoys?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Like a circle of mosquito coils but also a closed ring.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that shape can maximize electromaic interference.¡± Song Jinning¡¯s face was sullen. ¡°It¡¯s more powerful than the electromaic interference I encountered on the ne.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart leaped to her throat, and she tensed up. She coughed gently, covered her throat, then said softly, ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s more difficult to counter-interfere now?¡± She didn¡¯t say ¡°impossible,¡± she just said ¡°more difficult.¡± She didn¡¯t want to put too much pressure on Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning breathed deeply and said, ¡°I will try my best.¡± She had been engaged in scientific research all her life, and treating everything seriously had already been deeply ingrained within her. Even if her only son was facing a life-and-death situation, she still hadn¡¯t yet lost her calmness and rationality.

    Gu Nianzhi nced around, then eyeing the densely packed data on Song Jinning¡¯s instrument, she whispered, ¡°Ms. Song, I would like to ask you, can electromaic waves be freely converted to another form? If so, how efficient is the conversion process?¡±

    Song Jinning asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Her attention had been engrossed in how to counter the electromaic interference, and for a moment she didn¡¯t quite catch what she was being asked.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind waspletely upied by the Blue Hole¡¯s waters with the shing blue-violet electric light, and she asked, ¡°We are now facing a terribly powerful maic field, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the electromaic interference being emitted is terribly strong. It may take some time for me to sessfully conduct anti-interference, but...¡± Song Jinning closed her eyes in exhaustion. ¡°But Shaoheng is running out of time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, and she opened her mouth several times before she finally found the voice to ask, ¡°How long will it...?¡±

    ¡°From what the military is saying, the oxygen in their scuba tanks canst them up to three more hours.¡± Song Jinning sat back again. ¡°We have no time to waste, Nianzhi. Help me calcte this data.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put one hand on Song Jinning¡¯s thin shoulder. ¡°Ms. Song, in terms of the most optimistic estimate, how long do you think it¡¯ll take us to calcte all the data?¡± Because the strength of the other party¡¯s maic field had increased by multiple geometric progressions at once, their calction amount had also increased in terms of geometric progression.

    Song Jinning¡¯s voice sounded a little choked. ¡°Even if we used Shaoheng¡¯s supeputer, it would take us at least five hours.¡±

    Using their current smallptop, it would take them about five times that long, about 25 hours. So even if they finished the calctions, what use would it be by then? It would be toote for them to take action.

    If Huo Shaoheng had encountered misfortune in a ce she couldn¡¯t see, Gu Nianzhi could resist the temptation to rescue him. However, now he was not far from her, and she was less than half an hour away. She absolutely would not watch Huo Shaoheng die in front of her!

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Ms. Song, this method isn¡¯t working. We have to think of another way.¡±

    ¡°Another way? It may take up to three hours just to think of it.¡± Song Jinning snorted. ¡°Hurry up and calcte what is at hand. Using your program to do the calctions might take up less time.¡±

    However, the sheer amount of calction made it an arduous task. No matter how fast her program was, the speed depended on theputer¡¯s hardware. The hardware was the bottleneck of technological development in this situation.

    Gu Nianzhi held out her hand and ced it on Song Jinning¡¯s keyboard. There was enthusiasm and excitement in her voice. ¡°Ms. Song, since it¡¯s toote anyway, we might as well use a new method!¡±

    Song Jinning looked back at her and wanted to reprimand her for being so reckless and whimsical at such a time. However, when she saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were red and full of tears, yet she herself hadn¡¯t even realized it and looked with hope gleaming in her eyes, Song Jinning¡¯s heart softened. She stood up, put her hands on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small, round shoulders, and said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, I know you feel bad, but...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Song Jinning¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Ms. Song, I have a great idea! Really, believe me!¡± The Blue Hole¡¯s shing blue-violet electric light had been circling in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, and she finally found a chance to pour out those ideas. Gu Nianzhi asked Song Jinning, ¡°Ms. Song, tell me, can the electric and maic fields be transformed into each other?¡±

    What she had been thinking of just now was the blue-violet electro-optical light in the Blue Hole¡¯s waters, which was an extreme form of electric fence. The current had almost no resistance and was extraordinarily powerful. Song Jinning also said that this buoy in front of them was capable of generating a strong maic field. In other words, this buoy was basically generating powerful electromaic interference. Electromaism¡ªelectricity and maism¡ªwere two kinds of energy that were practically interchangeable.

    After being asked by Gu Nianzhi, Song Jinning paused for a moment, then nodded with certainty, saying, ¡°Of course. A changing maic field can generate an electric field, and a changing electric field can also generate a maic field. The electric field and maic field can theoretically be transformed into each other.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face suddenly lit up. ¡°You mean to say, the maic field and the electric field can be transformed into each other? So, can we transform this maic field into an electric field?!¡±

    Song Jinning looked at Gu Nianzhi with an astonished expression on her face. Her first reaction was that this girl was mad... Yet her second reaction was that this girl was indeed a genius! There was only a thin line between lunatics and geniuses. However, this outrageous idea was indeed actually feasible.

    If the strong maic field in front of them could be converted into an electric field, then the electromaic interference could be cleared, and not only would their dronese in handy again, but the opponent¡¯s warship would be under the attack of their drones as well! And they could send more frogmen to rescue Huo Shaoheng¡¯s group of trapped Special Operations Forces members.

    Song Jinning¡¯s hand clenched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, and in her mind she began to contemte the various requirements for the transformation of a maic field into an electric field. ording to thew of conservation of energy, under optimal conditions, the maic field and the electric field would be converted into each other without loss of energy.

    However, there was no perfect transformation condition in reality, so this transformation would definitely generate a huge energy loss, which would most certainly offset most of the strong maic field¡¯s energy, and the electric field generated by this transformation would no longer be very strong. But that was just a theoretical derivation in Song Jinning¡¯s mind. Since the situation in this case was special, the conversion of a strong maic field into an electric field would not necessarily have the same amount of energy loss they imagined, and the resulting electric field might be frighteningly powerful.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you know what the consequences will be? Even if it¡¯s only 1-in-10,000, I will tell you...¡± Song Jinning told Gu Nianzhi the worst possible oue.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care, and she nodded firmly. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve seen...¡± Then, she told Song Jinning the scene she saw in the Caribbean Blue Hole¡¯s waters. Of course, she didn¡¯t say that she and Huo Shaoheng were once deeply endangered there.

    After listening to Gu Nianzhi, Song Jinning frowned for about ten minutes before she finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened. I don¡¯t know who set up the electronic fence there, but I will definitely have to check it outter.¡± She touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and continued, ¡°You have a point. This is indeed feasible. It may be faster than our recalction of the data. However, to make the conversion possible, you need to go to the buoy and make various changes to it, and you need topare them. There will be someplex technical work involved, and we don¡¯t have any technicians or experts at hand. I worry that we won¡¯t be able to do it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thumped her chest. ¡°Ms. Song, I am your technician! Let me go! I can swim, and I know how your instrument operates, so I am the most suitable person!¡±

    Song Jinning was still very hesitant. She paced around in the cabin with her hands on her back. ¡°Nianzhi. This experiment has never been done before. This is just an idea in my head at the moment, and there¡¯s a high possibility of failure. You have to think about it. If you go, you might not be able toe back.¡±

    ¡°No! It will seed! I have seen someone seed at doing it! I know what it should look like!¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to her head. Her eyes were glittering, as if a torch were burning inside. It was astonishingly bright, and her whole being was bursting with enthusiasm and full of vitality. At that moment, her beauty was fresh and alive, and her breathtaking appearance couldn¡¯t be described by mere words. No matter who saw her at that moment, they couldn¡¯t help but feel deeply moved inside.

    Song Jinning fully understood why her son, with such a detached and aloof temperament, had fallen for this little girl. But she alsopletely dispelled the idea of ??letting Gu Nianzhi follow in her footsteps to study high-energy physics and be a scientist who would inherit her mantle one day. Since this little girl was too enthusiastic and too impulsive, she didn¡¯t have the rationality and calmness unique to scientific researchers.

    Song Jinning paused, set aside these cranky thoughts, and began to consider the real-world problems at hand. ¡°However, even if you go and achieve the transformation, since you have to enter the scope of those buoys, how do you n on getting out?¡±

    The conversion process from the maic field to an electric field was not difficult for Song Jinning. She often conducted such experiments, but if the strong maic field there really turned into an electric field, it would generate ultra-high voltage. In turn, the seawater would conduct electricity, and they would be electrocuted in minutes.

    Gu Nianzhi had already thought about that, and she raised her eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the military to see if they have a wetsuit made of instor material.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s brow waspletely stretched out. ¡°Okay, you go and ask them. I¡¯ll prepare the materials and instruments.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll ask, but Ms. Song, you know and I know, before we seed, we can¡¯t let too many people know about our n.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Song Jinning had suffered a lot in previous years, and thus had learned the hard way, so now she was much more cautious. ¡°I will tell the military that I¡¯ll be sending you to destroy the strong electromaic interference emitted by the enemy.¡±

    Actually, her real purpose was to allow Gu Nianzhi to bring people over there to install special instruments to convert the maic field into an electric field.

    ...

 Chapter 1096 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 8

    <h4>Chapter 1096 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 8</h4>

    After heading out of Song Jinning¡¯s cabin, Gu Nianzhi went directly to the naval colonel with the highest rank on the scientific research ship.

    ¡°Colonel Liu, Director Song wants to ask you if there are any wetsuits made of special materials, especially insting material,¡± Gu Nianzhi asked carefully, trying not to appear suspiciously eager.

    Colonel Liu nced at her, then frowned and said, ¡°Diving suits made of insting material? What do you want to do with them?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask Director Song. I don¡¯t know.¡± Gu Nianzhi deferred to Song Jinning to make it appear that she was only making a request on her behalf. She could tell that this colonel was very cautious and didn¡¯t trust others easily. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current status was merely that of being Song Jinning¡¯s assistant. Song Jinning was the only one who had decision-making authority in such matters. Gu Nianzhi was only acting as the messenger, and she knew her position very well.

    Colonel Liu was part of the Marine Corps and consequently, was unfamiliar with the people in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s division. He didn¡¯t even know that Huo Shaoheng was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guardian. Therefore, he had always been wary of Gu Nianzhi and felt that she was not acting like how an assistant should act.

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that he was very suspicious of her. Since she didn¡¯t want to disclose her marriage with Huo Shaoheng to the colonel, she could only do her best to act as an assistant.

    Colonel Liu nodded and went to Song Jinning to question her. Gu Nianzhi was then left alone. She stood at the bow of the ship and stared into the distant sea.

    The Japanese light destroyers and the Huaxia Empire¡¯s scientific research ship faced each other across the sea. She didn¡¯t know if she was hallucinating or not, but Gu Nianzhi felt the warship¡¯s condescending gaze upon her.

    Gu Nianzhi hated the warship¡¯s guts with all her might and gave it a thumbs-down gesture with disdain. She secretly vowed that she would make them pay as soon as she got her wetsuit!

    Colonel Liu came out of Song Jinning¡¯s cabin and caught sight of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s childish and immature gesture, and the suspicion he had been harboring about her for a while dissipated. She was merely a kid. He chided himself for doubting a child. When he spoke to Gu Nianzhi again, Colonel Liu had a much gentler and kinder tone. ¡°Little Comrade Gu?¡± Colonel Liu stood behind Gu Nianzhi and teased her with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi wiggled the corners of her mouth andughed, then turned to Colonel Liu and said, ¡°Colonel Liu, just call me Comrade Gu, no need to add ¡®little¡¯ to it.¡±

    ¡°In my eyes, you are a child.¡± Colonel Liu said somewhat impressively, ¡°How old are you anyway, 18?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯m 19! I¡¯m turning 20 in October this year!¡±

    Colonel Liu replied, ¡°It¡¯s only March now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. Well, she decided not to waste time discussing her age with Colonel Liu any further, so she redid her bun that had been undone by the wind and asked, ¡°Director Song told you, right? Is there an insting wetsuit?¡±

    Colonel Liu nodded. ¡°Director Song said that we must send people over there to destroy the strong electromaic interference, but she worries that the equipment will leak electricity, so we need diving suits made of insting material to avoid electrocution.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Do you have one?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked anxiously. ¡°At least 17 of them, actually! I want one, and four others will go with me. There need to be 12 others for those who are trapped at the bottom of the sea.¡±

    The four soldiers who followed her had to ce the maic field converters in four directions from southeast to northwest, while Gu Nianzhi went to the maic field center to ce the converters. Although Huo Shaoheng originally had 13 people follow him there, Huo Shaoheng reported that one team member had died in action.

    Colonel Liu looked her up and down with a pitiful expression in his eyes, and seeing that while she was not that short, she was fragile and thin, so he asked her dubiously, ¡°Can you do it? Diving requires a lot of physical strength, and performing tasks while diving requires even more physical strength.¡±

    ¡°I can do it fine. Don¡¯t look at me and automatically conclude that I¡¯m a thin weakling. In fact, I¡¯m much stronger than you think!¡± Gu Nianzhi bent her small arm, anxious to show off her pitifully small bicep to Colonel Liu.

    Although Colonel Liu had been worried, he couldn¡¯t help butugh at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attempt at a joke. He said calmly, ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll send you four frogman soldiers, and they will listen to your orders.¡± He patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re counting on you now, so be careful. We wait for your triumph!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Gu Nianzhi could barely contain her excitement. Her feet mmed together as she aligned her feet together side by side and paid a uniform military salute to Colonel Liu. Although she was not a soldier, she had grown up with the soldiers in the Special Operations Forces. Due to her upbringing, many of her mannerisms were very militaristic and soldier-like.

    Colonel Liu pursed his lips. ¡°My daughter is only two years younger than you, and she acts rather childish at home. I should let her learn from you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged indifferently and said with a smile, ¡°A child that actually has parents is truly fortunate. You should take good care of your daughter. Don¡¯tpare her to other children in front of her. She will most certainly resent you for it!¡±

    Colonel Liuughed. ¡°I¡¯ll get you an insting diving suit and gather here in five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Gu Nianzhi answered loudly, then returned to Song Jinning¡¯s cabin and said, ¡°Director Song, we are about to leave in five minutes. We expect to reach our destination in about 30 minutes. You can start debugging the synchronized instrument in about half an hour.¡±

    After they installed the maic field converter on the buoys, Song Jinning would send a synchronized maic field signal so they could start the converter andmence the process of converting the maic field into an electric field.

    The speed of the process depended on the strength of the maic field that needed to be converted, as well as the energy loss during the conversion, so they didn¡¯t know how much time it would take them. All they could do was observe and operate at the same time, so Gu Nianzhi served a crucial role.

    Unbeknownst to Gu Nianzhi, Colonel Liu had had a dispute with Song Jinning just now. He also thought that Gu Nianzhi was way too young and had not undergone the rigorous military training that would have qualified her to enter the waters to perform such a difficult and risky task¡ªnot to mention the fact that she also had to face the ferocious Japanese frogmen army. It was unbearably dangerous for an untrained young girl of her age.

    Song Jinning had also attempted to dissuade Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Nianzhi was more obstinate and bold than she ever imagined. And since it was likely that she would have secretly found a way to sneak into the water even without her permission, Song Jinning had to give in and at least offer her some protection.

    All she could say to Colonel Liu was, ¡°Nianzhi grew up with Shaoheng in the Special Operations Forces, so she has a sense of what she should and shouldn¡¯t be doing.¡±

    Colonel Liu now finally understood the connection between the two of them, and therefore refrained from continuing to oppose. Although there were still some concerns, this was the only way, so he agreed to Song Jinning¡¯s proposal.

    Song Jinning caught sight of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheerful expression, and she adjusted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cor. ¡°Remember to be careful. In case there are any problems, we would much rather you abandon the operation than sacrifice your life for its sess. Nianzhi, I am deeply thankful that you¡¯re willing to go this far to save Shaoheng, but I definitely do not want you to sacrifice your life because of him. Do you understand what I mean?¡±

    Scientists spoke candidly and got straight to the point. Gu Nianzhi liked this frank way ofmunication very much. She assured Song Jinning. ¡°I will definitely bring Huo Shao back, Ms. Song. Please rest assured!¡±

    Song Jinning closed her eyes and raised her hand. ¡°When youe back, you will call me ¡®mother¡¯ instead, alright?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°Or call me ¡®mother¡¯ now. Regardless of whether or not you end up with Shaoheng in the future, I will treat you like my own daughter.¡± Song Jinning hugged her and said, ¡°I was never a good mother. Shaoheng was brought up by his grandmother when he was a child, but I can learn to be a good mother now. No matter who you marry in the future, I will treat you as my daughter.¡±

    Even if she married Huo Shaoheng and became Song Jinning¡¯s daughter-inw, she would call her ¡°mom.¡± Gu Nianzhi was so touched yet excited that she couldn¡¯t help herself. She hugged Song Jinning tightly and whispered gently in her ear, ¡°Mom...¡± When the word came out of her mouth, her pronunciation sounded a bit strange. It seemed as if she didn¡¯t have the word ¡°mother¡± in her vocabry, and it had just been added in by Song Jinning. The way she said ¡°mom¡± made her sound just like a baby who had just started talking and was making sounds for the first time.

    Song Jinning was even more sorrowful. ¡°You have to take care of yourself.¡±

    After the two said goodbye, Gu Nianzhi came out of Song Jinning¡¯s cabin and went to collect the diving suits made of insting materials. She took one for herself, then neatly packed the 12 other diving suits. The other four frogmen each carried three with them. Gu Nianzhi carried five maic field converters but told the others that they were merely ¡°maic field interference meters.¡± There was actually a real high-power maic field interference meter as well, which Song Jinning temporarily brought out to help them navigate.

    After the inspection process was concluded, they set off from the back side of the ship. The seawater was very icy, but fortunately, the diving suit was made of insting material, and it allowed them to be insted from the cold. Since Gu Nianzhi was wrapped from head to toe, she didn¡¯t feel cold at all.

    After the five of them entered the water, they dove deep down, then quickly swam towards Huo Shaoheng. Since they had the help of the high-power anti-electromaic interference instrument Gu Nianzhi brought with them, they were not affected by the strong electromaic interference on their way there, and they elerated all the way to the ce where the buoy was located in the span of less than half an hour.

    Looking at the thin ferromaic tubes dangling from the buoy, Gu Nianzhi was astonished and finally understood why Song Jinning said, ¡°Japan has put a lot of effort into this.¡± These materials were obviously quality materials of extraordinary value.

    Near the location of the buoy, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anti-electromaic interference instrument started shaking. It seemed like it was on the verge of bursting. After arriving at the ce, Gu Nianzhi increased the resistance to electromaic interference and was able to get them five minutes ofmunication time. She asked a frogman to contact Huo Shaoheng and tell him their n.

    Since the n was already in motion, Huo Shaoheng and the others needed to divert the attention of those Japanese frogmen. Otherwise, hundreds of frogmen would be swarming the area, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to install anything.

    Gu Nianzhi intentionally let the frogman be the one to inform Huo Shaoheng instead of herself because she did not want Huo Shaoheng to know that she was there lest he feel more pressure and distress.

    Huo Shaoheng truly had no idea that Gu Nianzhi hade. He knew she was on the scientific research boat, but considering that Song Jinning hadn¡¯t brought other assistants, Huo Shaoheng thought that Gu Nianzhi would be helping Song Jinning in a safe area.

    He calmly said to the frogman, ¡°Okay, I will immediately start distracting the Japanese frogman, and you must install the jammer as quickly as possible. Is ten minutes enough? Up to 15 minutes maximum, no more.¡±

    The frogman looked towards Gu Nianzhi and contacted Gu Nianzhi with hismunicator. ¡°How long will it take?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered him, ¡°Ten minutes will be enough.¡±

    The frogman then told Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Just distract the Japanese frogmen for ten minutes, then we can install the maic field interference meter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng agreed and soon got to work.

    After a while, waves started rising beneath the buoys, and the previously calm sea floor was suddenly turbulent.

 Chapter 1097 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 9

    <h4>Chapter 1097 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 9</h4>

    The strength of the maic field suddenly exploded! The buoy started swaying ferociously, and the thin dangling iron pipes were rippling along with the waves.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s high-power maic field interference meter was no longer working. She and the four frogmen soldiers hid in a cave next to a gorgeous cluster of coral reefs, and from the shadows they observed the situation with their periscopes.

    They didn¡¯t know what operation Huo Shaoheng and the others had initiated, but the Japanese frogmen near them couldn¡¯t hold out anymore. They swam towards the center of the turbulence, so whatever Huo Shaoheng was doing must have been working.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately started instructing the four frogmen through themunicator in her diving suit. ¡°We have ten minutes to prepare.¡± She sketched the buoy circle above her head and continued, ¡°The diameter of the circle formed by the buoy here should be about 500 meters. The ce we are staying is to the east. Starting from here, you swim 392.5 meters north of the buoy; you, swim 392.5 meters south of the buoy; and you, swim 500 meters directly westwards in the opposite direction.¡± Such a circle would have four people located in the northeast, southwest, and northwest of China.

    Gu Nianzhi took the most powerful maic field converter to the center of the maic field interference source to install it so it could achieve its maximum potential.

    This task was easy in theory but was difficult to apply in a real-life setting. If not for Huo Shaoheng, who had sessfully diverted the attention of the Japanese frogmen troops, such a task would be nearly impossible toplete.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had more ideas on her mind. She also had another goal, which was to encircle the Japanese frogmen within the buoy circle while their attention was diverted.

    Twenty-four of those Huaxia Empire frogmen were carefully-selected elite soldiers, and they were highly efficient at underwater operations. Gu Nianzhi looked around for a while and found that while the four men were already in their respective ces, it seemed that the frogman troops lurking on the bottom of the sea still had not noticed them at all. Of course, Huo Shaoheng was causing too much of a ruckus on the other side, so almost none of them noticed that they were skulking around the waters.

    Ten minutester, the four frogmen had finished installing the maic field converter under the buoy as instructed by Gu Nianzhi, then they dove to the ocean floor. Gu Nianzhi swam to the center of the circle of the buoy by herself and found the source of the maic field emission. This emission source was different from any maic field emission source that Gu Nianzhi had previously encountered. It had a disc shape and looked like a boomerang that people would throw around. Even the inward edge appeared simr to a boomerang. Such an innocent-appearing thing emitting such a powerful maic field amplified by the buoy circle was what was truly frightening about it.

    Gu Nianzhi took a closer look at the maic field emission source and tried to pry open the closed disc with the engineering knife that she had brought with her, but even the engineering knife that was sharp enough to cut a tank¡¯s steel te was unable to pry open the disc the slightest bit.

    This meant her previous inkling had been right. It was impossible to destroy the maic field emission source there. Energy conversion was the only way to destroy the strong electromaic interference on the spot.

    Gu Nianzhi put away the engineering knife, took out the maximum power maic field converter, opened it for frequency modtion, and adjusted it to the maic field frequency there before carefully buckling it to the bottom of the disc. Then, she used ck insting tape to seal it from the outside, ensuring that only the inside was attached to the source of the maic field.

    At a synchronized maic field frequency, the energy conversion began. If they only relied on this maic field converter, it would probably take hundreds of years to convert such a high-intensity maic field into an electric field, so they couldn¡¯t just merely rely on these instruments alone. In addition to the maic field converter installed on the buoy, Song Jinning was busy using the data obtained from the strange maic field to break through the hardware limit and was using the new electromaic induction method to replenish energy remotely from the scientific research ship.

    The energy supplemented in this way was geometrically multiple times more potent than the energy provided by the five maic field converters, so arge-scale maic field could be converted into an electric field within a short span of time. However, in terms of how much time it would take, Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning had no idea.

    Gu Nianzhi was alone, hovering just below the center of the circle of the submarine buoy, staring at the maic field converter above her head and holding a remote control in her hand to view the data. The data flew by so fast that it was practically impossible for the naked eye to see what the numbers were. However, she could feel that the maic field interference was gradually decreasing, since a clear voice gradually started to be heard from her Bluetooth headset, and she began to recognize that it was Song Jinning¡¯s voice speaking to her.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Can you hear me?¡± Song Jinning¡¯s voice was only intermittently heard, but she could still hear it clearly nevertheless.

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed her excitement. ¡°I can hear you. Ms. Song, is there any problem?¡±

    Song Jinning became so excited that her voice even sounded different. ¡°Nianzhi, I can¡¯t believe my eyes! Do you know how much energy was lost when the maic field here was converted to an electric field?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the remote control in her hand, and then shook her head and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The data here is on the verge of exploding.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already exploded here!¡± Song Jinningughed. ¡°Nianzhi, I don¡¯t know where the Japanese obtained this kind of buoy material, but during the energy conversion process, the energy loss was zero! It was zero! Do you understand?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed first, then she froze.

    Yikes!

    If there was no energy loss when the maic field was converted into an electric field, then how potent would the ¡°electric fence¡± there be after the conversion process!? Thinking of the blue-violet electric light in the Blue Hole¡¯s waters, Gu Nianzhi turned back and swam towards Huo Shaoheng, anxiously informing them, ¡°Quickly, put on an insting diving suit! Quickly! Put it on within five minutes! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be electrocuted!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was holding a QBS06 underwater assault rifle aimed at a colonel in the Japanese frogman unit. When he heard the voiceing from the headset, his heart sank. ¡°Nianzhi?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, pretending not to hear, and continued to announce into themunicator, ¡°Have you all heard me? Hurry up and change into an insting diving suit! If you don¡¯t change within five minutes, just wait to turn into a corpse!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi was ignoring him, yet knew that it was not the time to reprimand her, so he also started issuingmands through his Bluetooth headset. ¡°Hurry up and put on an insting diving suit brought by the frogmen! Quick!¡±

    The members of the Special Operations Forces who were fighting the Japanese frogmen immediately retreated, retracted into the reef cave where they had previously hidden, and quickly changed into their wetsuits. The four frogmen who had already put on their insting suits were on guard with their QBS06 underwater assault rifles.

    Huo Shaoheng changed into an insting diving suit and put one on Hong Kangquan as well. Hong Kangquan hadn¡¯t yet awakened during the past few hours. As soon as he started showing signs of awakening, Huo Shaoheng nned on knocking him out again so he wouldn¡¯t be able to cause any more trouble.

    Twenty-five minutester, all of Huaxia Empire¡¯s personnel had changed into the insting diving suits Gu Nianzhi had brought for them. Song Jinning received the news from Gu Nianzhi, and after confirming that all personnel on their side had changed into insting diving suits, she immediately increased the energy supply of electromaic induction. The strong maic field there instantly transformed into a powerful electric field and began to burst out extraordinary amounts of energy.

    A team of scientists on the Japanese light destroyer was observing the maic field on the buoy there. When they suddenly discovered that their strong maic field interference signal vanished from the monitoring instrument without a trace, they started panicking. What on earth was going on?

    They checked all the instruments on the ship and confirmed that there were no abnormalities, which meant that the problem was with the maic field emission source in the sea.

    The chief scientist of the team of Japanese scientists put on a diving suit and said, ¡°I¡¯ll check and see what¡¯s going on.¡± He was a highly influential high-energy physicist in Japan. The Japanese military valued him so much that they even sent two of the most powerful Marine Major General Frogmen elites to apany him into the sea.

    The three of them sneaked towards the maic field emission source in the center of the buoy and discovered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s maic field converter installed here. However, they didn¡¯t know what kind of instrument it was. They only knew that the instrument was undoubtedly the reason behind the malfunctioning of their maic field emission source.

    ¡°What is this?¡± The chief scientist curiously pulled at it with his hand. ¡°It¡¯s sealed with adhesive tape.¡±

    At that moment, none of them had any idea that this thing was used for maic field conversion. Therefore, he didn¡¯t hesitate to tear the edge of the tape with his hand. He had just torn open a small opening when high-voltage electricity no less potent than a thunderstorm suddenly poured out! The chief scientist didn¡¯t even have the chance to utter a word before he was burned to ashes in an instant.

    The two Major General Frogmen of the Japanese Marine Corps who were right next to him and witnessed the entire thing were horror-struck, and swimming back quickly, they urgently notified the warship. ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the emission source! The people from the Huaxia Empire must have done something! The chief scientist has been killed in action!¡±

    Themander on the warship was furious when he heard the news and immediately issued orders. ¡°We won¡¯t wait any longer! I want all the Huaxia Empire¡¯s soldiers to be wiped out! Do not leave a single one of them alive!¡±

    The Japanese frogmen unit received the orders to attack and immediately rushed into the buoy circle. At that moment, Song Jinning turned the supplementary energy of electromaic induction to its maximum value, which almost reached the threshold of the strange maic field appearing in City C. This was a set of critical data that was about to break through the sky, and it instantly stimted all the remaining maic field energy to be converted into an electric field.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi checked the data on the remote control and determined that the conversion wasplete before heading towards the cave in the buoy circle near the coral reef where Huo Shaoheng and the others were hiding. She calmly directed everyone to evacuate. ¡°You go out first. There are no Japanese out there. Go out here. The buoys are all charged, so do not take off your diving suit at any point, because our diving suits are instors that enable us to move around the electric field without being electrocuted. The electromaic interference is gone, so you guys can leave. You all can contact the scientific research boat and let them send a speedboat to receive you guys.¡±

    The electromaic interference outside was now gone, but the electric field in the buoy circle was so incredibly strong, it formed a built-in electromaic field that blocked themunication signal, so they couldn¡¯t get into contact with Song Jinning. However, themunication signal would be fine after they left the buoy.

    While Gu Nianzhi watched them evacuate, Huo Shaoheng was standing outside the cave on guard. Everyone made a n for evacuation, then started rushing out after confirming with each other.

    The unconscious Hong Kangquan was the first to be carried out. The members of the Special Operations Forces behind rushed out in groups of three. The dead body of the Special Operations Forces member who had been previously killed in action was also carried out, and they nned to give him a proper soldier¡¯s burial.

    As they rushed out in groups of twos and threes, they were finally discovered by some of the Japanese frogmen.

    They rushed over with their guns, but Huo Shaoheng took the QBS06 underwater sniper rifle that had been hidden by the entrance of the cave and instantly shot a Japanese frogman dead. The remaining frogmen pulled back in fear.

    ...

 Chapter 1098 - Mother Natureâ€™s Uncanny Workmanship 10

    <h4>Chapter 1098 Mother Nature¡°s Uncanny Workmanship 10</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was thest one toe out of the coral reef cave. She wanted to make sure that all personnel were safely evacuated, but there was also onest thing she wanted to do.

    She didn¡¯t discuss it with Song Jinning, because she didn¡¯t know if Song Jinning would agree or disagree, but nevertheless, she had her mind set on doing it.

    The Japanese had been so vicious during this attack that she couldn¡¯t swallow it down that easily!

    If she didn¡¯t give those petty Japanese a little taste of their own medicine, they would continue thinking that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s people were all submissive cowards who were afraid to fight back with their butcher knives.

    Swimming out while holding the remote control in her hands, Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and checked the voltage data on the remote control¡¯s LCD disy. At that moment, a Japanese frogman quietly crept up from behind Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position was out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s angle of view, so Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t catch sight of the enemy stealthily swimming up from behind and approaching Gu Nianzhi.

    The Japanese frogman was holding an APS underwater assault rifle attached to an azure coral cluster, and he aimed it at Gu Nianzhi. From the corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, she saw a cold light shing, which was reflecting off of the cknce of the underwater sniper rifle¡¯s scope!

    A warning bell started ringing in her mind, and her legs pumped back and forth quickly, but she was not really a vigorously-trained military elite, after all. Although her movements were swift, she still wasn¡¯t fast enough. A slender underwater bullet with a pointed cone swept past her, causing a ripple of white waves. It didn¡¯t hurt her, but the insting wetsuit was shed open by that slender underwater bullet.

    The cold seawater immediately poured in. At that point, their surroundings had already been transformed into a huge electric field. Although the energy had not yetpletely erupted, the electric shocks were like woolen needles pricking at her skin. Gu Nianzhi was in so much pain that she felt like she was on the verge of cking out, so she quickly hid behind the reefs andy on her back while panting and gasping for breath.

    Huo Shaoheng finally noticed that something seemed wrong with Gu Nianzhi. He quickly turned the muzzle and raised his gun to aim at the enemy! His rifle¡¯s underwater bullets out-rivaled his opponent¡¯s firepower. Huaxia¡¯stest QBS06 underwater sniper rifle was indeed a ¡°frogman¡¯s nemesis,¡± and it had the advantage. In the face of the APS underwater assault rifle used by the Japanese frogmen, it was much more potent and deadly.

    Huo Shaoheng had been very careful about saving bullets before¡ªone bullet per enemy, and no bullet shall be wasted. But when he saw the enemy fire a shot towards Gu Nianzhi and saw her swaying in the water, his eyes reddened. He tossed his bullet-saving principle out the window, and holding the trigger with both hands, he started using his sniper rifle as a semi-automatic sub-machine gun and started firing relentlessly!

    Countless bullets were catapulted at the enemy, and the water was dyed red like a sea of blood. His QBS06 underwater sniper rifle instantly turned the enemy¡¯s body into a sieve. The seawater poured into the holes in the Japanese frogman¡¯s body and flowed out from behind him. The strong water pressure prated his body and instantly split it apart in a process simr to an explosion.

    Before that man had finished blowing up, Huo Shaoheng had already swum to Gu Nianzhi, hugged her, and put her head in his arms, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t look.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi struggled. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Don¡¯t stop me from doing my job!¡± She was in a hurry and was itching to use the remote control. She hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to finish him off before she had the chance to.

    Huo Shaoheng loosened his arms, and Gu Nianzhi turned around and discovered that more and more Japanese frogmen were rushing out of the buoy circle. It seemed like they had finally realized that something was wrong. The electric field in the buoy circle was getting stronger and stronger, and the electric shock underwater was getting more and more unbearable!

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth, and her fingers rubbed the remote control. Should she press it, or should she not?!! She hade up with this n, but now the insting diving suit she wore was scratched. If she pressed the ¡°active¡± button on the remote control, she would risk experiencing the same electric shock as she had in the Blue Hole.

    During that moment, a memory of the deep, excruciating pain down to her bones came to mind, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whole body trembled in fear of the memory. Huo Shaoheng stood by her and was looking for a chance to pull her out, but as soon as he pulled her arm, Huo Shaoheng immediately noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whole body was trembling nonstop in an irregr manner. He recognized that kind of trembling. It was not fear nor a panic response, but rather a natural bodily stress response.

    What had happened?

    Huo Shaoheng quickly pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and spun her around. He immediately looked sideways and then to the front, back, left, and right, and saw the tear in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s insting wetsuit. He then remembered that Gu Nianzhi had told him that the seawater was now electrically charged, and those without an insting diving suit would suffer a high-voltage shock.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank, and he tensed up. He had received countless electric shocks during his vigorous special forces training. He knew how painful they were. He could bear it, but how could Gu Nianzhi bear such excruciating pain?

    He couldn¡¯t erase his memory of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appearance after she had been shocked by the electric fence in the Blue Hole¡¯s waters in the Caribbean¡ªthe ghastly pale and bloodless countenance, the ming red and swollen lower lip, and the sight of her limp body that had been paralyzed by the electric shock...

    As all these thoughts shed through his mind, Huo Shaoheng swiftly untied his insting diving suit and took it off, revealing a normal diving suit underneath. Gu Nianzhi was aghast, and through themunicator in her mask, she kept repeating, ¡°You must be crazy! Quickly, put it on this instant! This is an electric field! Do you know how much voltage there is?! Do you want to die?! Ms. Song and I are trying so hard to save you! We won¡¯t let you die by your own hands!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt a plethora of conflicting emotions inside but said nothing. He grabbed her hands firmly, took off her torn insting diving suit, and put his insting diving suit on her, then tightly zipped up all the openings, effectively blocking out the sensation of the icy seawater. The prickling and painful bodily sensation of being stuck by a thousand fine needles instantly disappeared. Huo Shaoheng put Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ripped insting diving suit on his own body, hugged her tightly in his arms, and shielded her with his entire body.

    The voltage of the electric field in the seawater was still gradually increasing. The more powerful the previous maic field was, the more potent this transformation was going to be. As the seawater prated through the gap in the torn insting diving suit, Huo Shaoheng felt the pain of being shocked, and his face started twitching uncontrobly. However, it was just the physical pain his body was experiencing. His heart was actually extremely joyful at the moment. Because of his sacrifice, his lover did not have to suffer such unbearable pain.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Huo Shaoheng roared, and kicking his feet against the reef, he held on to Gu Nianzhi as he swam towards the edge of the buoy circle and rushed forward like a speeding arrow!

    As soon as the two rushed out of the buoy circle, Gu Nianzhi immediately pressed the ¡°active¡± button on the remote control. The sea calmed down, the waves calmed down, and for a moment, it seemed as if time had stopped.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and looked over his shoulder, just like she did when she was 12 years old and had looked over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder while in his arms to see that the car had exploded into a mushroom cloud.

    For a moment, it seemed like the illusion of a halo appeared around the buoy circle. Then suddenly, those mosquito coil-like buoys started bouncing and popping like fried beans in a pan, and a thunderous roar could be heard!

    In the meantime, the blue-violet electric light rose into the sky, and in an instant, it brightly illuminated the entire buoy! All the thin ferromaic tubes hanging below the buoy were also converted into electric field emission sources. The mosquito coil-like electromaic buoy ring quickly transformed into a huge electric field, bing a veritable electric fence.

    The blue-violet electric light twisted and danced around from the surface to beneath the sea and surrounded this 500-meter-diameter undersea area from up to down and left to right, forming an alternative ¡°Blue Hole.¡±

    At this time, if an airne had flown by, the view below wouldn¡¯t be that of a clear blue sea but rather an uncanny bluish-purplish body of water appearing almost exactly like the Blue Hole in the Caribbean. However, this was not actually a Blue Hole, but actually a three-dimensional electric fence that literally enclosed hundreds of Japanese frogmen within the vicinity of the buoy circle.

    Several clueless Japanese frogmen still had no idea what was going on and recklessly tried to break out of the buoy ring, but they were instantly electrocuted the moment they touched the blue-violet electric arc. The corpses quickly turned into ashes that floated towards the water¡¯s surface and out of the buoy circle.

    The other Japanese frogmen who witnessed the ghastly scene dared not take any further action and could only retreat for the moment. The range of this blue-violet electric aperture was so expansive, and its electric light was so potent that it even blocked out the Japanese light destroyers not far away.

    ¡°Goddamn it! What is this?! Where¡¯s the electric lighting from?!¡± This ce should have been the emission source of the strong maic field they had arranged with the help of their chief scientist!

    The Japanese Marines on the warships were furious and began recklessly issuing orders out of desperation. Even if their bombs hit the territorial waters of the Huaxia Empire, they no longer cared about the consequences as long as it meant that they killed those Huaxia Empire¡¯s soldiers that fled!

    They had contributed so much manpower,bor, material resources, and all the spy rings that had been intency in the Huaxia Empire for so many years, yet all of that had practically been wiped out in one fell swoop. As a result, not only had they lost their valuable mole, Hong Kangquan, but their biggest goal, Huo Shaoheng, had also retreated into safety!

    The Major General of the Japanese Marine Corps whomanded the battle had decided to kill himself to atone for his shameful failure, but before that, he would take as many of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s soldiers as he could with him!

    ¡°Launch!¡±

    Under his orders, warships fired torpedoes in the direction Gu Nianzhi and the others were traveling in, which was the Huaxia Empire¡¯s maritime exclusive economic zone. However, the torpedo needed to pass through the front of the electric fence, which was shining with blue-violet light, before it could do any damage to Gu Nianzhi and the others. As a result, as soon as the torpedo broke through, due to the high voltage in the buoy circle, it suddenly detonated!

    The loud, rumbling boom stirred up an enormous wave that was huge enough to trigger a second-level hurricane, and almost all the Japanese warships got wrapped up in the blue-violet electric light!

    Meanwhile, on the scientific research boat, Song Jinning discovered something strange. She didn¡¯t know what caused the emergence of the uncanny blue-violet electric light, but now that the Japanese had be desperate and hysterical enough to initiate a full-on war with them, how could she stand idly by?

    Song Jinning immediately deployed strong electromaic interference toward the Japanese warships. Seeing thatunching torpedoes didn¡¯t work, the Japanese warships decided to start firing missiles into the air. However, the navigation systems of the cruise missiles had been thrown into chaos by the strong electromaic interference. They swiveled 180 degrees in the air and hit their own frigates.

    In the case ofplete malfunctioning of the radar and navigation systems, causing damage to the enemy aside, whether or not you could leave the vicinity of the shing blue-violet electric light alive was a problem!

    Postmodern warfare was no longer an era of sea-to-sea tactics. Song Jinning¡¯s strong electromaic interference was the result of discoveries and data from the uncanny maic field in City C. No single individual on the Blue was so powerful that he could single-handedly decimate a regiment,pletely dismantle the Japanese radar system, and destroy its ability to track its targets. That was because previously, they were limited by the capabilities of their hardware.

    Yet this time, with the energy from a distant, powerful maic field to remotely supplement the conversion process, the strong electromaic interference formed 360-degreeplete coverage of the area without having any space unounted for. Although such intensity could not be replicated and might not appear again in the future, at this moment, it yed an indispensable role in helping them paralyze all the Japanese warships and weapons that requiredser guidance to function.

    ¡°Withdraw! Withdraw!¡± This time Japan¡¯s suprememander was a naval general. Seeing that his subordinates hadmitted suicide and all weapons failed, all he could do was issue orders for retreat.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng popped his head above the surface with Gu Nianzhi and looked back at the blue-violet electric light that seemed eerily simr to the Blue Hole¡¯s waters they had seen in the Caribbean. The corners of his lips curled up in a smile. He lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mask, lowered his head, and gently nted a passionate kiss on her chapped lips.

    Then he asked her softly, ¡°What happened? Did you do this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned into his arms and smiled coyly. ¡°My dear Major General, that is obviously mother nature¡¯s uncanny workmanship. How would I know anything about it?¡±

 Chapter 1099 - If You Can Strike It Down, Then Itâ€™s Our Loss

    <h4>Chapter 1099 If You Can Strike It Down, Then It¡¯s Our Loss</h4>

    The weather was great, the seawater was a clear blue, and the sky was azure. The blue-violet electric light in the distance became the most enchanting smear of color between the sea and sky.

    After all the gun smoke that had been in the air, this rare tranquility was even more precious.

    Huo Shaoheng bowed his head and kissed Gu Nianzhi, then held on to her as he swam towards the scientific research boat.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled how Huo Shaoheng had trembled as he received electric shocks in the seawater and touched his arms while whispering, ¡°Are you still hurting?¡±

    Her voice was barely audible, and it was so slight that it appeared on the verge of being blown away with the wind, yet it struck at the center of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart, and for some reason it made Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes water. He was at loss for words, but he held Gu Nianzhi tighter and swam faster.

    Gu Nianzhi only asked once then refrained from asking any further. She thought that a tough man like Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be above admitting his pain in front of others, but no matter how much pain he felt, he would just bear the burden and suffer silently inside.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng swam in the sea with Gu Nianzhi for a while, and not long after, they encountered the speedboat from the scientific research boat on their way to meet them.

    ¡°Huo Shao! We¡¯ve finally found you!¡± The man on the speedboat was a member of the Special Operations Forces who had followed Huo Shaoheng. He seemed so emotional at finally seeing Huo Shaoheng that he appeared on the verge of crying.

    Huo Shaoheng clung to the side of the boat, pushed Gu Nianzhi up first, then calmly asked, ¡°What about everyone else? Have they all returned?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve all returned already! Only you and Miss Gu are left! We saw the blue-violet electric light from afar. It was so scary!¡±

    They were afraid that Huo Shao and Miss Gu would be buried inside of the buoy circle, and as soon as they saw the blue-violet electric lights, several members from the Special Operations Forces jumped from the scientific research boat, intending to save Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    The man wiped the tears leaking from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, helped drag Huo Shaoheng on board, and then contacted the scientific research ship to inform them that they had located Huo Shao and Miss Gu. Over themunicator, they could also hear the cheersing from the scientific research ship.

    Huo Shaoheng remained impassive and picked up themunicator to tell Colonel Liu, who was on the expedition ship, ¡°You have all worked hard. We will return immediately.¡±

    ...

    The speedboat soon carried them back to the scientific research ship. Song Jinning greeted them anxiously, holding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand in one hand and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in the other. She looked them up and down with emotion, then asked worriedly, ¡°Did either of you get injured?¡±

    The people who came back earlier all had some sort of minor injury, and since Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng came backst, Song Jinning was worried that they would be more severely injured.

    Gu Nianzhi said quickly, ¡°I wasn¡¯t injured, not at all. Huo Shao protected me very well. But Huo Shao received some electric shocks, so he has to be taken back to the local hospital for a thorough examination.¡±

    ¡°Did he receive them inside the buoy circle?¡± Song Jinning¡¯s heart sank. That was where the high-voltage electric field was concentrated!

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, knowing what Song Jinning was worried about, then she exined quickly, ¡°But we were lucky. We escaped before the blue-violet electric light emerged, so Huo Shao¡¯s electric shocks were not as serious as they could have been.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng added nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. That electric shock was nothing.¡±

    Song Jinning breathed a sigh of relief and patted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, but be careful. We¡¯ll take you back to the station by speedboat.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go right away.¡± He nced at Gu Nianzhi without saying anything, then went back to the cabin to change clothes.

    Because these people all received injuries to varying degrees, they would not stay on the scientific research ship but would be sent back to the Special Operations Forces¡¯ City C station by speedboat along with Hong Kangquan.

    Song Jinning held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and asked with worry, ¡°Are you really okay? Why don¡¯t you go along with them and get examined?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and then asked, ¡°Will you go back with us?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t be leaving for the time being.¡± She looked at the blue-violet light between the water and the sky, then frowned and said, ¡°I still haven¡¯t figured out what the blue-violet light is. Mother nature is amazing. Our researchers might never truly understand the wonders of nature in a lifetime.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. She really didn¡¯t believe that Song Jinning had no idea what was going on! However, Song Jinning looked genuinely confused, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything else and went back to the cabin to change her clothes.

    Song Jinning continued to stay there with the scientific research ship to observe the blue-violet electric light while sending back information to the capital, saying that a magical blue hole had suddenly appeared between the sea of ??City C and the sea of ??Japan, and that the blue hole also had electric light. It was truly a mystery...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng back to the Special Operations Forces¡¯ station in City C. This was the ce where she had lived for six years. When she went back there, she felt at home and at ease.

    She had a full 24-hour rest in the bedroom she had lived in from the time she was 12 years old until she was 18. When she woke up, she felt like she was bursting with energy and hadpletely recovered her physical strength. Huo Shaoheng also slept for nearly 20 hours. The trip to and from the buoy circle had exhausted much of their energy.

    While Gu Nianzhi sat in the dining room, the spring light shining outside appeared just right, and the sun was shining brightly. It was lunch time, and she was slowly eating a bowl of sea cucumber and red date millet porridge.

    Huo Shaoheng came in, turned on the wall-mounted TV in the dining room, sat down opposite her, and nodded to her. ¡°Did you sleep well? Was there any difort?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I was just tired, and now I feel replenished after a good night¡¯s rest,¡± she said, then asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°What do you want to eat? All the dishes here are ones I love.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the tableware from her. ¡°I¡¯ll eat whatever you eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled a little sheepishly, then lowered her head and continued eating the porridge while tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear. She had just washed her hair, so it was still a little damp. She ate her porridge heartily while ncing at the TV. The noon news was on. Suddenly, a female anchor said in a serious tone, ¡°We have an important piece of news that has just been received. Japan¡¯s government has protested against our government, iming that the recently electrically charged blue hole in the area between the City C and the Sea of Japan was a conspiracy by our country in order to frame 200 elite frogmen from Japan¡¯s Marine Corps.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ate his lunch, then said after a while, ¡°General Ji called and asked me what was going on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tensed up. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not look at her as he said calmly, ¡°Of course I told him the truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt bitter inside. She silently lowered her bowl of porridge, stood up, and started to leave. As she walked by Huo Shaoheng, Huo Shaoheng grabbed her by the wrist and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°To pack up my stuff and turn myself in,¡± Gu Nianzhi said unpleasantly. ¡°I have caused such a big fuss...¡±

    ¡°Turn yourself in for what?¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled hard and pulled her over to sit on hisp. ¡°This is obviously mother nature¡¯s uncanny workmanship. How would you know anything about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that her whole being was alive again, and she asked in surprise, ¡°You really said that to General Ji?!¡±

    ¡°Well, I made it very clear to General Ji that I don¡¯t know what happened. I almost died there. If we had been the victims, would General Ji also protest against Japan?¡± Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bowl of porridge and put a spoonful by her mouth. ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth without thinking and let him feed her. After swallowing a bite of porridge, she asked, ¡°What did General Ji say?¡±

    ¡°General understood, so he didn¡¯t ask again.¡± Huo Shaoheng wiped her mouth with a napkin.

    Gu Nianzhi came to her senses. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a child!¡± She sat beside Huo Shaoheng and grabbed the porridge bowl to feed herself.

    At that moment, a spokeswoman appeared on TV and was answering questions from reporters from Japan. The spokeswoman on the monitor pointed at the bluish-purplish electrical buoy circle at the scene and said, ¡°Japan¡¯s government is really overestimating us. This is clearly mother nature¡¯s uncanny workmanship. Our scientific research boat has already gone to the site for scientific research. If you have to im that this was a man-made incident instead of a natural phenomenon, then we really have nothing else to say. This is too heavy a im against us.¡±

    The reporter from Japan was of course dissatisfied and continued asking, ¡°How can you say something like that? We still have more than 200 frogmen soldiers trapped there!¡±

    The spokeswoman was now tantly poking fun at him. She spread her hands out helplessly and said, ¡°In the past, India has also imed that the Venus appearing over the country was one of our drones, imed that we were monitoring them, and have repeatedly protested against our country.

    ¡°We exined many times but they still didn¡¯t listen. In the end, we had to say, if you think it¡¯s a drone, you can strike it down. If you can strike it down, then it¡¯s our loss. In the end, India spent tremendous effort only to discover that the alleged drone was actually a star in the sky, and that the our people had been calling ¡®Venus¡¯ was actually not a drone...

    ¡°The same thing goes for you, Japan. Don¡¯t me a natural phenomenon on us. You¡¯re responsible for the soldiers in your own country. Think about why they appeared there. As far as I know, it¡¯s not Japan¡¯s territorial waters.¡± The spokesperson rendered the reporter speechless with her silver tongue.

 Chapter 1100 - You Are My Lucky Soldier

    <h4>Chapter 1100 You Are My Lucky Soldier</h4>

    The Japanese reporter still wanted to continue asking questions, but the spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already looked past him and stared directly at the other reporters. ¡°...Next.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi propped her head on her hand and sat in the dining room of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. She smiled giddily as she watched the spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs answer the reporters¡¯ questions on the afternoon news. She remarked glibly, ¡°What a shame, Bai Shuang also used to be the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I wonder where she is now...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng recalled the Zhao Laingze he had ¡°exiled,¡± so his hand froze for a moment as he said, ¡°I heard she went abroad.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She was only remarking casually since she wasn¡¯t close with Bai Shuang. She had merely revealed that she had actually crossed paths with her initially. Bai Shuang¡¯s verbiage was even sharper than this current spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so Gu Nianzhi preferred Bai Shuang¡¯s style more.

    After having lunch together, Huo Shaoheng stood up and said, ¡°Pack up your things. We¡¯ll take a flight back to the Imperial Capital this afternoon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed, then asked, ¡°What about Ms. Song?¡±

    ¡°She will stay here for a while more and do research.¡± Huo Shaoheng curled his lips into a smile before turning to leave the dining room.

    ...

    Their flightnded at the Imperial Capital Airport at 6pm. As soon as they got off the ne, General Ji was there to personally wee them. Of course, Hong Kangquan was also escorted back. He had been in an unconscious state the entire time to expedite easy transport and prevent him from ying any tricks.

    As soon as General Ji saw Huo Shaoheng, he quickly nced at him to ensure he was actually ok before sighing emotionally and saying, ¡°You were able to escape the wonders of nature. You¡¯re truly my lucky soldier!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say while Gu Nianzhi almost had a muscle spasm from her attempt to hold back herughter. With her head down, she wanted to quickly rush off. However, she didn¡¯t expect General Ji would see her too and cough. ¡°Nianzhi, you didn¡¯t listen to me and secretly ran off to C City. Shaoheng, you must punish her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was dumbstruck. Gu Nianzhi finally stopped in her tracks and corrected General Ji with embarrassment. ¡°How did I run off? I went there openly.¡±

    ¡°Openly? So why did Director Song continue staying in C City to study ¡®the wonders of nature,¡¯ but you¡¯ve run back here alone?¡± General Ji purposely argued with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi replied confidently, ¡°I was only working as Director Song¡¯s temporary assistant! The wonders of nature is a deep andplex subject, so I didn¡¯t understand it as a mere temporary worker. Consequently, Director Song asked me toe back and also called over her doctorate students and post-doctorates from her institute to C City to work as her official assistants.¡±

    General Ji red at Gu Nianzhi for a while beforeughing. ¡°Fine, fine, fine. I can¡¯t win. But I can finally understand why Speaker Long insists on having you go to the Senate now. Your glib tongue can only be fully utilized in the Senate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands with all seriousness and said, ¡°General Ji, I like thew. As for the Senate, I am working as legal counsel, but I don¡¯t understand politics.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand them, either,¡± General Ji said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should head back. Both of you need toe to the Senate with me. Tonight Speaker Long will be announcing the name of the elected prime minister.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very shocked. ¡°The results aren¡¯t out yet?!¡± It had already been two days since the interim general elections ended!

    Huo Shaoheng was also a bit shocked, but he didn¡¯t express all his emotions like Gu Nianzhi did. Following General Ji to their vehicle, he asked calmly, ¡°Was there a problem when the votes were counted?¡±

    General Ji pointed to the car discreetly. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the car.¡± The three of them got into the car, and Gu Nianzhi conscientiously sat beside the driver. General Ji and Huo Shaoheng sat in the back together to speak.

    ¡°Your Special Operations Forces has made another great achievement!¡± General Ji began to chuckle. ¡°When Yin Shixiong was monitoring the elections, he discovered areas of fraudulent activity. Then he ripped the parsnip out and brought up the soil! He discovered that there were also areas of fraudulent activity in the count for thest election. Whenpared, Speaker Long decided to dy the announcement of the winning candidate and instructed that both rounds of voting be calcted again before dering anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard this from the front, but she wasn¡¯t very affected by it. After all, she didn¡¯t get along well with either of the two previous prime ministers. If Tan Dongbang still managed to win this time, then she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the Senate. However, she didn¡¯t want to get in even if she was able to. It was pointless to fight head on with people like that.

    Huo Shaoheng knew there was fraudulent activity because they had unearthed the four lines of AI programming code. During thest election, Hong Kangquan took advantage of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s absence from the Huaxia Empire and used the elections as a reason to send personnel over to take over the central control room. He then used the opportunity to insert the four lines of AI programming code into their surveince system. Consequently, there must have been areas of fraudulent activity thest time.

    General Ji pped a rhythm on his knee and was very curious. ¡°I wonder who won this time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted when she looked at the distressed dark army green bomber jacket she wore. She didn¡¯t really want to attend such an important event at the Senate dressed like that. She shuffled in her seat in the front and was a bit anxious.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and asked General Ji, ¡°Chief, what time will the elected candidate be announced tonight?¡±

    General Ji looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s scheduled for 8pm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s in two hours.¡± Huo Shaoheng stretched his long legs. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the official headquarters first and pass Hong Kangquan off to Zhou Qiyuan before going to the Senate. Otherwise, I can¡¯t feel assured.¡±

    General Ji nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. I didn¡¯t consider thatpletely. Remember to not let Hong Kangquan run off again.¡±

    A slight smile appeared on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. ¡°He hasn¡¯t regained consciousness since he fell into my hands. How can he run off?¡± He didn¡¯t need to break Hong Kangquan¡¯s legs since he just needed to keep him lying there.

    General Ji chuckled out loud. ¡°Hong Kangquan is in such poor health? He couldn¡¯t even withstand a mere long haul flight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and smiled. She was secretly ted to be able to go home and change her outfit~~~

    ...

    The vehicle drove onto the Special Operations Forces¡¯ Imperial Capital headquarters base. The soldier at the door excitedly saluted to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng had only been gone for a few days, everyone missed him dearly. He was their backbone.

    Huo Shaoheng lifted his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    The car entered the Special Operations Forces base, and Huo Shaoheng began by delivering Hong Kangquan into Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s custody. He reminded him, ¡°We lost onerade when we arrested Hong Kangquan this time. Remember to not let him escape again. There are many mysteries surrounding him, so it¡¯s not time for him to die yet.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chief. I will personally watch over him!¡± Zhou Qiyuan saluted with great enthusiasm.

    Huo Shaoheng patted his shoulder and expressed his confidence in him.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence alone and went to her own room. She began by quickly taking a shower, and after she came out, she dried her hair as she went to the closet to find suitable clothes. Considering how today would be the announcement of the elected prime minister, Gu Nianzhi chose a more mature yet girly Chanel suit.

    The pale cherry blossom-pink, round-cored jacket with tapered waist was paired with a matching wool tweed skirt. Underneath her jacket, she chose a silk and cotton blend Victorian-style, high-necked white shirt. She wore a pair of ck calfskin Christian Louboutin high heels with red bottoms, so she appeared mature, proper, and passionate. This was very suitable for her position.

    After drying her hair, she didn¡¯t put her hair into a high bun. Instead, her hair hung loosely behind her back, and she used a diamond hair pin to secure it behind her head. She applied a lightyer of blush on her cheeks and dotted her lips with lipstick. With natural makeup applied, she was properly dressed up for this sort of asion.

    Huo Shaoheng changed into his major general¡¯s uniform and escorted her to the Senate building, but once they arrived, they began to work separately. Huo Shaoheng was speaking with General Ji outside, while Gu Nianzhi first went to find Special Assistant Zhuang and then sat down with the other Senate personnel.

    Gu Nianzhi nced over at therge, shell-shaped conference hall. She discovered Tan Guiren dressed like a little princess as she sat between Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang.

    The father-daughter pair of Bai Jiangcheng and Bai Yueran sat on the other side of the Tans.

    There was only a narrow walkway between the two families.

    Tan Dongbang continued to reveal a confident and victorious smile on his face. However, it changed drastically when he saw Huo Shaoheng and General Ji walk in together.

    ...

 Chapter 1101 - Marry Someone Better

    <h4>Chapter 1101 Marry Someone Better</h4>

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s expression suddenly changed. In an instant, he resumed his triumphant expression and nodded politely at General Ji and Huo Shaoheng.

    General Ji and Huo Shaoheng both nodded back. They didn¡¯t appear displeased at all.

    Tan Dongbang sighed in relief and warned himself to stay calm. He couldn¡¯t panic and shoot himself in the foot.

    Cai Songyin saw that Huo Shaoheng had arrived, so she quickly pushed Tan Guiren and pouted in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. She whispered, ¡°You see, it looks like he actually broke up with that little orphan girl...¡±

    Tan Guiren turned around to take a nce, but her face immediately flushed red when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes seemed to look in her direction. She cast her eyes down and whispered, ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t talk about Miss Gu like that. Although Miss Gu doesn¡¯t have a mom or dad, she... She is very impressive herself.¡±

    When she recalled how Gu Nianzhi had let her Daddy and Mommy off by not suing them, Tan Guiren¡¯s impression of her became fairly positive. Also, Gu Nianzhi had already broken up with Huo Shaoheng, so Tan Guiren didn¡¯t have any negative feelings towards her at all. On the contrary, she actually sympathized with her quite a bit.

    Tan Guiren had grown up with her parents¡¯ love, so she was much luckier than Gu Nianzhi, who had grown up depending on others. When a person felt that they were lucky while others were less fortunate, they would be much more forgiving towards people and situations.

    Cai Songyin gently patted Tan Guiren¡¯s head. ¡°Little Darling, you¡¯re too good and kindhearted. Are there no bad people in your eyes?¡±

    Tan Guiren considered it carefully before replying, ¡°There actually are.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Who does our Little Darling think is a bad person?!¡± Cai Songyin was both curious and amused. ¡°What kind of person would be considered bad in our Little Darling¡¯s eyes?¡±

    Tan Guiren was silent for a while before replying quietly, ¡°The people who kidnapped me in New York.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but shiver when she recalled the days of not being able to see the sun.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s smile gradually faded away. She squeezed Tan Guiren¡¯s hand with pity and whispered quietly to her, ¡°Little Darling, don¡¯t think about it anymore. No one else in the world knows about what happened to you in New York. Anyone who knew about it doesn¡¯t exist in this world anymore.¡±

    Tan Guiren was shocked. ¡°Oh? But don¡¯t Major General Huo and his personnel know? They personally rescued me!¡±

    Cai Songyin was shocked into silence. Casting her eyes downwards, she snorted derisively. ¡°That¡¯s not the same. He merely brought personnel to rescue you, so he doesn¡¯t know what happened during the month you were kidnapped.¡±

    Cai Songyin paused, then inched closer to Tan Guiren¡¯s ear and said in a voice so quiet that they were the only ones to hear it, ¡°Mommy wasn¡¯t able to discuss this earlier, but you must remember that even though you were kidnapped for a month, no one touched you. You¡¯re still a virgin, got that?¡±

    Cai Songyin was concerned about agitating Tan Guiren, so she had always avoided this subject, but now she had no choice but to talk to her about it. They wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid this once Tan Guiren was married.

    Tan Guiren was about to reply, ¡°I am one, to begin with!¡± but Cai Songyin continued, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯ve lost your virginity. Mommy knows a very amazing doctor who can perform hymenosty. She can help repair you perfectly and even perform tightening surgery. When you get married, your husband is guaranteed to not feel any difference.¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s face immediately flushed scarlet. She grimaced at Cai Songyin and said, ¡°Mommy, so you were worried about that? I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m actually still a virgin. Although I was kidnapped for a month, one of the kidnappers was fairly kind to me.¡±

    Cai Songyin didn¡¯t dare to believe her own ears. ¡°What?! You¡¯re actually still...?!¡± In her eyes, her daughter was beautiful and voluptuous. The kidnappers must have been blind if they hadn¡¯t touched her.

    Most people believed that kidnapped women couldn¡¯t escape rape unless they were especially ugly. Even if there were the asional lucky ones, it was usually because they were rescued in the nick of time. So regardless if a woman was actually assaulted or not, some people believed she was already impure.

    Tan Guiren obviously didn¡¯t understand how those people perceived this situation, so she replied stubbornly, ¡°I really didn¡¯t. I¡¯m still a virgin. We can go to the hospital and check tomorrow if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Cai Songyin finally believed her then. She was absolutely overjoyed and grabbed Tan Guiren¡¯s hand to say, ¡°Our Little Darling is so lucky! You must have good fortune if you escaped a bad fate! You¡¯ll certainly marry well! Huo Shaoheng may be blind, but other people aren¡¯t!¡±

    Tan Guiren shyly hung her head, but her heart was still feeling a bit lost. Was that true? Would she really have the fortune and opportunity to marry someone better than Major General Huo?

    As the mother and daughter whispered to each other with their heads close together, they didn¡¯t notice the small beads of sweat seeping out of Tan Dongbang¡¯s forehead. Tan Dongbang had used a handkerchief to wipe several times already, but he sweat continuously, and his heart hammered hard¡ªas if something was about to happen.

    He originally thought that he would still be able to turn the tide and emerge victorious this time, but when he saw that Huo Shaoheng had actually returned safely, he suddenly didn¡¯t feel so certain anymore.

    Soon, it was 8 p.m. It was time. The conference hall quieted down. Several cameras were pointed at the speaker¡¯s podium as they waited for Speaker Long to announce the results of the election.

    The results of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s interim general elections were not only live-streamed throughout the entire nation, but they would also be broadcast on many major televisionworks from abroad.

    Speaker Long wore a navy tuxedo with a small bow tie as he energetically walked up to the podium. He held two envelopes in his hand and began by nodding to everyone present.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, television audiences, hello. Today we will be unveiling the results of our Huaxia Empire¡¯s interim general elections. I want to thank all our personnel for all the energy and hard work they have exerted for this interim general election.

    ¡°The results of this election were actually ready two days ago. But because we discovered there were certain areas of fraudulent activity, we conducted many recounts in order to guarantee the uracy in the counting of votes.¡±

    As soon as he said this, everyone began to chatter. Election fraud?! The Speaker of the Senate was admitting there had been election fraud! So who was the one guilty ofmitting fraud?!

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on Bai Jiancheng and Tan Dongbang. During thisst interim general election, these were the only two men who were eligible to receive votes. Bai Jiangcheng¡¯s expression remained unchanged. Calm and steadfast, he was obviously a very reliable person who had weathered great storms in the past.

    However, this wasn¡¯t the case for Tan Dongbang. Although he tried hard to maintain a smile on his face, it was incredibly rigid. Through the HD cameras, everyone could see his forehead glisten with grease and tiny beads of sweat seeping through.

    This was quite interesting.

    On the podium, Speaker Long¡¯s eyes also paused on Tan Dongbang and Bai Jiancheng¡¯s faces. He looked down to take out the results of the first election from the envelope. Speaker Long said into the microphone, ¡°Because there was an appearance of fraudulent activity in the second round of elections, we also became suspicious of the results from the first round. In both elections, the initial curves of the number of votes were exactly the same. Because of this, we recounted the results of the first election.¡±

    Everyone was instantly in an uproar. It turned out that the results of the interim general election had been dyed by two days because the votes of the first election from a few months ago had also been recounted! Huo Shaoheng and General Ji knew about this a long time ago, but this was the first time the public had learned of it.

    At that moment, the Huaxia televisionworks and inte instantly exploded. Countless people were scrolling through topics with #whatonearthhappenedduringthefirstelection.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s heart felt incredibly weak, so weak he was about to float up in the air. This couldn¡¯t be?! The first time... How could they know about it?!

    Even Cai Songyin was shocked. She quickly nced at Tan Dongbang and saw that he was looking her way as well. The husband and wife pair quickly looked away like nothing had happened, but they were making their own calctions in their hearts.

    Tan Dongbang thought about how Cai Songiyn had told him an expert had helped them with the first election, so they were certain to win it. This expert personally reached out to him during the second election, yet the results didn¡¯t count anymore?

    Cai Songyin was thinking about how Hong Kangquan had guaranteed that Tan Dongbang was certain to be elected. He had an expert assisting them, so had this expert also been exposed along with Hong Kangquan¡¯s arrest?

    During the second round of elections, Cai Songyin had no idea that ¡°the expert¡± had personally contacted Tan Dongbang. She had no hope for the second election at all, so she didn¡¯t understand why Tan Dongbang was so confident.

    Speaker Long began to read the results of the first election. ¡°ording to the electionws, the elected prime minister must win more than half of the votes and also win more than half the provinces. We have a total of 34 provinces in the Huaxia Empire, which means the elected prime minister must win at least 18 provinces and then win more than half the individual votes.

    ¡°As we all know, there were a total of 97,563,421 votes cast in thest election. Tan Dongbang won in 18 provinces and won a total of 48,782,021 votes. He defeated the runner up, Bai Jiancheng, by only 2,021 votes and was elected Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire.

    ¡°But in the recount, we found that there were problems with the vote count in two provinces. Votes that obviously belonged to Mr. Bai Jiancheng were counted as votes for Mr. Tan Dongbang. This resulted in a ratherrge error.

    ¡°After recounting the votes, the results of the first general election were as follows: a total of 97,563,421 votes were cast. Mr. Bai Jiancheng won a total of 18 provinces and won a total of 48,782,021 votes. He defeated Mr. Tan Dongbang by only 2,021 votes, so Mr. Bai Jiancheng should have been the rightfully elected Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire in thest election.¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s rage and anxiety rose as he heard this, so he couldn¡¯t help but interrupt. ¡°Speaker Long, what do you mean by this? The first election happened so long ago, and now you¡¯re saying there was an issue with the vote count? Who can prove whether there was a problem with the votes, or if you people changed the results of the vote?!¡± Tan Dongbang¡¯s usations received support from much of the audience who didn¡¯t know the truth.

    It was true that Speaker Long had only announced the results of the recount and made the one statement that ¡°votes belonging to Mr. Bai Jiancheng were recorded as votes for Mr. Tan Dongbang.¡± This did not convince the masses.

    Speaker Long stood at the podium in silence and merely looked at Tan Dongbang quietly. The entire conference hall became dead silent. Even the faint buzzing from the central air conditioning system seemed to have disappeared.

 Chapter 1102 - Iâ€œll Go Fight Him

    <h4>Chapter 1102 I¡°ll Go Fight Him</h4>

    Speaker Long¡¯s gaze was rxed and within his calm expression there was even a trace of pity for all the people before him. It made Tan Dongbang shake with fear to see this.

    Tan Dongbang had never been so terrified since he first stepped into politics. He has always been confident and calm, gentle and elegant. But before he realized it, he had already lost his image. The only image he had now in the eyes of all the citizens in the nation and the world was his embarrassing image in bed.

    If he lost his position as prime minister, he would never be able to hold his head up again. So aside from throwing all caution to the wind and risking it all, there was no other path for him. Tan Dongbang began to sneer. ¡°Speaker Long, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Did you not yet think of an excuse to nder my reputation?¡±

    Speaker Long didn¡¯t expect Tan Dongbang to burn all bridges by calling him out in full public view and during a live television broadcast. Special Assistant Zhuang saw this from under the stage, so his expression also darkened. Speaker Long was being publicly humiliated by Tan Dongbang¡¯s questioning. Even if there was evidence, how could he reveal it in a time and ce like this?

    He panicked in the moment and wanted to help Speaker Long get out of trouble. However, with the public eyes and so many cameras pointed at them, it didn¡¯t matter what method Special Assistant Zhuang used to remind Tan Dongbang. Tan Dongbang would utilize anything to shift the me towards Speaker Long for attempting to ¡°manipte things behind the scenes.¡±

    He thought about it over and over again, but he could only use thew to shut Tan Dongbang¡¯s mouth. He would also shut the mouths of other people who attempted to create drama. Special Assistant Zhuang quickly said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Stay here and keep an eye on things. Call me if something happens. I need to go out for a second.¡±

    He arrived at the small conference room beside the conference hall and opened his phone¡¯s contact list to call all the legal personnel one by one. From the experienced legal counsel to the rookies, no one wanted to step up. Everyone gave various reasons, but the results were unanimous¡ªthey all politely declined Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯s pleas for help.

    Several of thewyers even said, ¡°As a citizen, Tan Dongbang has the right to know. If Speaker Long doesn¡¯t want to lose his reputation before all the citizens of the nation, he must answer Prime Minister Tan¡¯s question.¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang was aggrieved and helpless. After considering it for a very long time, he finally recalled Cai Shengnan. She was the candidate for the future Chief Legal Counsel as selected by Speaker Long, but she was also Tan Dongbang¡¯s niece. With this kind of family tie, she should have an easier time speaking with him, shouldn¡¯t she?

    Special Assistant Zhuang considered this as he immediately called Cai Shengnan. ¡°Lawyer Cai, can I ask you to step in and urge Mr. Tan to discuss this tomorrow? I think you¡¯re probably watching TV right now and are aware of what¡¯s happening?¡±

    Cai Shengnan was certainly watching TV. She was in fact watching with her father, Cai Sumin. She and Cai Sumin were both d to see this sort of thing happen in the Senate building. So they wanted her to shut Tan Dongbang up? That was impossible, he was her uncle. They must give her corresponding benefits in order to make her fight her own uncle. But she couldn¡¯t cross Speaker Long, either. How could she continue to work in the Huaxia Empire if she crossed Speaker Long? She needed to be the Chief Legal Counsel for the Senate.

    As a result, her mind worked as she replied vaguely, ¡°Special Assistant Zhuang, I do want to help you. But I haven¡¯t concluded my rtionship as personal legal advisor with Mr. Tan, so I still have a contractual rtionship with him as stipted byw. I cannot betray my own client.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Special Assistant Zhuang became even more anxious. ¡°Lawyer Cai, didn¡¯t you say that you wanted toe to our Senate to work as legal counsel? Speaker Long admires you a lot, you...¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled triumphantly, but she answered kindly, ¡°I¡¯ve always hoped to work at the Senate and be the Chief Legal Counsel for Speaker Long, but I have yet to see any documents appointing me to the Senate. How about this: as long as Special Assistant Zhuang can promise me that you will send the appointment letter as Chief Legal Counsel to me after today¡¯s live broadcast ends, I wille to the Senate immediately and help Speaker Long resolve the issue.¡±

    She was taking the opportunity to ¡°raise the price sky high.¡± He was only asking her to help say something, and she dared to ask for the appointment letter as ¡°Chief Legal Counsel!¡± If she was so capable, why didn¡¯t she go to heaven?! Special Assistant Zhuang hung up the phone in anger, and his expression was as dark as the bottom of a burned pot. In a huff, he sat down next to Gu Nianzhi again.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Special Assistant Zhuang go outside to make a phone call ande back so angry he had puffed up like a frog. She quickly grabbed a cup of coffee for him. ¡°Have a bit of coffee and calm your temper.¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang looked up at Gu Nianzhi and couldn¡¯t helpining to her. ¡°Nianzhi, do all youw students love robbing people during a fire?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. How was she supposed to answer that question? She could onlyugh nervously. ¡°That¡¯s not the case. There are manyw students who don¡¯t rob people during fires. They only want to uphold the justice in their hearts.¡±

    ¡°Justice? I¡¯m afraid that justice is not as important as personal fame and benefits!¡± Special Assistant Zhuang sighed as he pointed at the stage. ¡°Nianzhi, you can see that Speaker Long has been attacked speechless by Tan Dongbang. If we ignore this topic without discussing it, then Tan Dongbang will certainly not let things go.¡±

    On the podium, Speaker Long looked at Tan Dongbang for some time before replying, ¡°If Mr. Tan has any opinions, we can discuss them in detail after the election results are announced today.¡±

    ¡°No! You must rify it right now!¡± Tan Dongbang stood up angrily. ¡°I can¡¯t allow you people to bury the truth! Nor will I ept any results manipted behind the scenes!¡±

    Of course, Special Assistant Zhuang didn¡¯t even need to go ¡°remind¡± Tan Dongbang before he mentioned ¡°maniption behind the scenes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and replied quietly, ¡°Then we have to make him shut up. Where is the Senate legal counsel? Don¡¯t tell me we don¡¯t have a single one...¡± She knew that Speaker Long was hiring legal counsel, but the Senate should already have legal counsel to begin with. It was impossible for them to not have any.

    ¡°Of course we have them,¡± Special Assistant Zhuang replied bitterly. ¡°I went out just now to ask them toe, but after making a round of calls, none of them epted the task...¡±

    They certainly had their own worries. Tan Dongbang had previously hinted to them that he would win this election as well. And these people had gleaned the information through various sources indicating that Tan Dongbang was leading in the polls. How could they have ever known that the tides had already changed? It could only be said that Yin Shixiong¡¯s secrecy work and ¡°concealment methods¡± worked too well. He epted Speaker Long and General Ji¡¯s orders and released fake news. He wanted to observe which people would be wavering and attempting to ride on both sides. Such people had no principles or bottom lines, so they were exactly the ones that Speaker Long needed to remove from the Senate.

    Gu Nianzhi overheard Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯sints and hesitated before volunteering with a blushing face. ¡°Special Assistant Zhuang, if you think it¡¯s ok, do you need me to get on stage and help Speaker Long resolve the issue?¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Special Assistant Zhuang regarded Gu Nianzhi with surprise. ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on you, but this matter requires someone with very high levels of legal knowledge and political experience to resolve. Someone who only understands thew or only understands politics will be unable to help Speaker Long resolve the issue.¡±

    The Senate-employed legal counsel should have been able to take on this task, but they were all concerned with their own interests and refused to offend the future prime minister. This left Special Assistant Zhuang with no other option. Special Assistant Zhuang hadn¡¯t studiedw. At that moment, he even considered calling Special Assistant Yang from his ¡°vacation¡± at home to help Speaker Long.

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that Speaker Long didn¡¯t need someone to help him resolve the issue, since he was clearly very confident. However, she also had to admit that Tan Dongbang was making an embarrassing fuss, so Speaker Long was stuck on stage and unable toe down. This made Gu Nianzhi feel pity in her heart. Also, she was worried that Tan Dongbang might somehow manage to ¡°rise again.¡± Although that was a very slim possibility, who knew what could happen?

    There was no point guessing the psyche of the voters, since she wouldn¡¯t understand regardless how much she guessed. Gu Nianzhi felt even more uneasy when she recalled the results of thest American election. No, she couldn¡¯t allow Tan Dongbang to have the opportunity to rise again. Even if he had it, she must suppress him!

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯s arm. ¡°Let me go up there. Even if I say something wrong, you cane up and solve the issue by saying I¡¯m an intern. It doesn¡¯t matter if I say the wrong thing!¡±

    ¡°You can really do this?¡± Special Assistant Zhuang was tempted since he truly had no other choice. Perhaps Speaker Long sincerely admired Gu Nianzhi, and she truly had the ability as the sessor he was grooming?

    Special Assistant Zhuang swore that as long as Gu Nianzhi couldpletely suppress Tan Dongbang this time, he would certainly go to Speaker Long and request that he promote her to Chief Legal Counsel! As for the old, sly legal counsel, as well as Cai Shengnan, the Americanwyer who refused to do anything without personal gain, they would all step aside!

    Gu Nianzhi rose up, her expression stern. ¡°We can¡¯t let him continue behaving with such arrogance. I¡¯ll go fight him.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1103 - Spoiled Rotten

    <h4>Chapter 1103 Spoiled Rotten</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi hung her Senate personnel name tag around her neck and adjusted her cor before walking up from the Senate personnel seating area.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Operations Forces personnel were working as the military police in charge of maintaining order.

    When they saw Gu Nianzhi, they were slightly shocked but didn¡¯t act as if they were very familiar with her. They blocked her way in a businesslike manner and said, ¡°You cannot freely ess the podium.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lifted up her name tag to show them and said with a smile, ¡°I work for Speaker Long and have something to say to him.¡±

    The person walked a step closer to check Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name tag, and his lips moved very subtly to say in a quiet voice, ¡°Don¡¯t go up there. This will be very troublesome...¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at that person and indicated that there would be no problem. The person stepped aside and watched with worry as Gu Nianzhi went up on stage.

    Gu Nianzhi came to Speaker Long¡¯s side and keenly sensed that Speaker Long was in fact very nervous as well. When she carefully considered it, she also understood that today¡¯s situation was basically being broadcast around the world. While Tan Dongbang was being shameless, and it didn¡¯t matter what kind of fuss he made, Speaker Long could lose his entire political career if he wasn¡¯t careful. Even if Huo Shaoheng was the one standing there, he¡¯d probably be nervous, too? The thought quickly went through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind as she finished nning her strategy.

    She discovered that she wasn¡¯t nervous at all under such circumstances. It was as if she naturally belonged there and belonged on that stage. But upon further thought, perhaps she wanted Tan Dongbang to bepletely removed from office so badly, so that¡¯s why she didn¡¯t have the energy to feel anxious.

    Speaker Long saw that Gu Nianzhi was there, so he nced at her inquisitively. Gu Nianzhi nodded at him and pointed to the first envelope in Speaker Long¡¯s hand. As announced by Speaker Long previously, those were the recalcted results from the first election. There had been errors with Tan Dongbang¡¯s votes.

    Speaker Long instantly understood and smiled subtly. He winked at her as indication she had free reign to fight Tan Dongbang. It had to be said that Speaker Long¡¯s stress was instantly alleviated when Gu Nianzhi arrived. For today¡¯s asion, he had prepared to reveal the fraudulent activity from both elections. However, he hadn¡¯t prepared to publicly argue with someone. Or perhaps regardless if he won the argument or not during such an asion today, it would still damage his image. As for Tan Dongbang, he was willing to injure himself in the process of bringing down Speaker Long. He wouldn¡¯t care if he damaged his image at all.

    The audience was extremely shocked to see a beautiful and charming young girl suddenly walk on stage. General Ji and Huo Shaoheng exchanged a nce and saw the confusion and worry in each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t know what she¡¯s doing there, either?¡± General Ji frowned. ¡°Today isn¡¯t a typical asion. How did she be so brazen?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and revealed a faint smile on his face. He repliednguidly, ¡°She¡¯s spoiled rotten.¡±

    General Ji, ¡°!!!¡± Couldn¡¯t he speak properly!? Why did he have to suffer their sweet romance at his old age! He was so weary! General Ji turned his eyes away from Huo Shaoheng and only stared nkly at Gu Nianzhi on stage.

    When Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren saw Gu Nianzhi walk to the podium, they both widened their eyes and had no idea what she was going to do. Tan Dongbang¡¯s neck was puffed up and red from agitation, but his hands nearly cramped up with excitement when he spied Gu Nianzhi walking to the podium.

    There were even more people who didn¡¯t know Gu Nianzhi, so they all whispered to each other trying to figure out who this incredibly pretty young girl was. Aside from the audience watching television, everyone from the Huaxia Empire to people abroad and anyone watching the livestream all developed great interest in her. Online searches about her were quickly climbing. Countless people were searching the same name, ¡°Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea she was causing such great onlinemotion. She never attended such events, nor did she know what the globally anticipated livestream meant for her. She certainly walked up to the podium like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger and appeared before everyone in the world.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Tan Dongbang, who stood up in front of the stage, and replied calmly, ¡°Mr. Tan, please be careful with your verbiage. If you need toin, please use legal procedures and do not obstruct the normal proceedings of today¡¯s conference.¡±

    Tan Dongbang had been waiting for someone to debate with him. He believed his debate skills were unparalleled, and during the first election, it was thanks to his sharp tongue that he was able to render Bai Jiancheng speechless. He also gained many fans in the process.

    He originally intended to argue with Speaker Long today and make the entire world see that Speaker Long was an old man now, so he should retire instead of holding his position without doing any actual work. It would also remove an obstacle for his own future work. However, Speaker Long refused to take the bait and didn¡¯t argue with him.

    Luckily, the brazen Gu Nianzhi had arrived now, so she shouldn¡¯t me him for not showing mercy. With his tenure as awyer and as Minister of Justice, he had ample skills to snuff out Gu Nianzhi. Tan Dongbang sneered as he crossed his arms and replied calmly, ¡°Careful with my verbiage? May I ask who you are? What right do you have to speak with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes curved into crescents, and her tender voice was slightly soft like malt candy made during Lunar New Year. It was so sweet and soft, yet it stuck to one¡¯s teeth. She replied calmly, ¡°I am Senate personnel and am in charge of maintaining normal proceedings of the conference. Mr. Tan, all are equal before thew. You are a prime minister elected by the citizens in order to service the citizens. Yet you are taking a holier than thou position before personnel like myself, and even refuse to speak properly with me. I think those who voted for you would certainly be very disappointed to see you like this.¡±

    She calmly changed the topic to Tan Dongbang¡¯s greatest concern, the voters. Her intention was topletely quell Tan Dongbang¡¯s arrogance. If she didn¡¯t do that, then Tan Dongbang would refuse to treat her as an equal to speak with.

    If Tan Dongbang continued to uphold his holier than thou attitude, then it would cause the audience to automatically perceive that Tan Dongbang was more qualified than Gu Nianzhi and thus more reasonable. As the saying goes, reason does not side with the louder voice. But in politics, sometimes using a louder voice could cause others to believe one is correct. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t give Tan Dongbang that initial opportunity.

    Tan Dongbang immediately reacted and smoothed over his expression. He coughed before saying, ¡°Very well then, I¡¯m not going to argue over trivial matters with you. I am asking for Speaker Long¡¯s stance, and this has nothing to do with you, so you should get down from there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a polite smile. ¡°Mr. Tan, you are not my superior and have no right tomand me to do or not do something. I¡¯ve already reminded you twice now, and this is the third time I am reminding you. Please pay attention to your verbiage, and do not break thew or obstruct the established procedures of the General Assembly.¡±

    Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi would refuse toe down from the podium, so he also became angry. She was asking him to pay attention to his verbiage? So he should ask which of his words were illegal?!

    Tan Dongbang uncrossed his arms and walked up from his seat to arrive in front of the podium. He looked up at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°You keep iming that I should pay attention to my verbiage. Then may I ask which of my words were inappropriate? Or did I break thew somehow?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the smile from her face and sternly looked down at him. ¡°You¡¯ve already forgotten the words you said yourself? If your memory is that terrible, how will you be able to take on the busy andplex task of being prime minister?¡±

    Tan Dongbang was so angered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words he could scarcely catch his breath. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he waited for a long moment before saying, ¡°Of course I remember everything I said! But I don¡¯t know which one of my words vited thew! Am I not a citizen? Do I not have the right to know? Is Speaker Long really going to do as he pleases for this entire election?! So I can only ept being ughtered by others?!¡± It had to be said that Tan Dongbang¡¯s speech had a certain incendiary quality, so it was no wonder he had achieved the position of prime minister.

    Gu Nianzhi subtly smiled as she listened to Tan Dongbang spout a series of parallelisms and replied keenly, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you, then. Your first statement that vited thew was when you said that Speaker Long had yet to think of a reason to smear your reputation. This statement is sufficient to be considered nderous, so isn¡¯t that illegal?¡±

    Tan Dongbang carefully considered it and thought he had truly been too impulsive. From a legal perspective, such subjective assertions could not be said outright. As soon as it was said, he certainly had to bear the legal consequences.

    He immediately replied, ¡°That¡¯s because I was too angry. There are many people ndering me today, so I was merely warning the people who were attempting to nder me.¡±

    ¡°So you admit that in a moment of anger, you publicly ndered Speaker Long?¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed him step by step and set the trap.

    Tan Dongbang instantly felt very awkward. If he admitted it, then he had previously yed ¡°victim¡± for nothing. But if he denied it, then he must present evidence to prove that Speaker Long was attempting to nder him. Either choice would push him down a deep pit. Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t want to choose either one, so he could only angrily re at Gu Nianzhi with gritted teeth.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly nced throughout the entire conference hall before continuing, ¡°The second statement was when you said that you wouldn¡¯t allow us to bury the truth! You wouldn¡¯t ept any results ¡®manipted from behind the scenes!¡¯ Under the circumstances of no evidence whatsoever, you deemed the entire election as ¡®maniption from behind the scenes.¡¯ The truth is, you want to overturn the results of the entire election? Not to mention, we certainly can¡¯t only take your word to make this kind of conclusion on such serious allegations. May I ask if you have evidence to prove your perspective that this was ¡®maniption from behind the scenes?¡¯¡±

    Tan Dongbang was anxious to draw everyone¡¯s attention away from the first question, so he quickly said, ¡°The first statement was a warning. I already made it very clear that I can¡¯t ept results ¡®manipted from behind the scenes,¡¯ but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t ept the results of the election. Why wouldn¡¯t I ept them, if the election was fair, open, and just?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded subtly, then quickly asked him, ¡°So you would also ept the election results, even if you hadn¡¯t won?¡±

    ¡°Impossible! If I¡¯m not the winning candidate in the results, then it must be...!¡± Tan Dongbang nearly blurted out the words in his mind, but managed to m on the brakes at the final and critical moment.

    Gu Nianzhi followed up with another attack. ¡°Then those must be the results of our ¡®maniption from behind the scenes,¡¯ is that right? So from the way Mr. Tan sees it, it is only considered fair, open, and just if you are the one to win election. Otherwise, it¡¯s all ¡®maniption from behind the scenes,¡¯ right?¡±

    Laughter erupted from the audience in the conference hall, and the audience watching the livestream on TV also began tough. It turned out the ¡°maniption from behind the scenes¡± so imed by Prime Minister Tan was any result aside from his own victory?!

    What a joke!

 Chapter 1104 - There Must Be Collusion

    <h4>Chapter 1104 There Must Be Collusion</h4>

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s expression changed instantly, and his hands balled into fists. If she wasn¡¯t standing on stage, and he wasn¡¯t in front of the stage, then it would have appeared as if he were about to throw a punch...

    Since Gu Nianzhi could make someone who proimed himself to be ¡°gentle and elegant¡± actually want to swing his fist, it was obvious how badly she had riled Tan Dongbang up.

    Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren were both floored as they sat in the audience. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s going on with Daddy? Can¡¯t he allow Speaker Long to finish speaking?¡± Tan Guiren was totally lost and helpless, but she still thought what her Daddy said made sense. How could he have cheated just because someone said so? Shouldn¡¯t they at least give a reason to exin it?

    However, Cai Songyin was feeling guilty. She knew that they had cheated in the first election, but she still thought the numbers were about the same. After all, she had ample experience from creating publicity in the media. She hadn¡¯t been called ¡°the female devil¡± by the media for so many years for nothing.

    ¡°Right, this is so embarrassing.¡± Cai Songyin pursed her lips and genuinely nned to divorce Tan Dongbang once this drama was over and she confirmed he would never rise again. They had grown up together and loved each other for years, but it allpletely evaporated when she saw the video of Tan Dongbang fooling around with Gu Yanran.

    Cai Songyin watched Tan Dongbang¡¯s back in front of the stage and was feeling very impatient. She couldn¡¯t understand why Tan Dongbang still refused to give up. However, Tan Dongbang red at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing on the podium next to Speaker Long. He deeply regretted the verbal mistakes he had made earlier.

    Luckily, he hadn¡¯t said it out loud, so although Gu Nianzhi took advantage of the situation, Tan Dongbang continued to vehemently deny it and also seized the loophole in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s own words. ¡°Haha, Miss Gu, you¡¯re awyer, too? At school, didn¡¯t you learn to not put words in people¡¯s mouths when they didn¡¯t actually say them?¡±

    Tan Dongbang was being sly since he hadn¡¯t even said thest statement. Gu Nianzhi had said it all. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that there are ample ims to make when you intend on giving someone false charges?¡± He was essentially saying that Gu Nianzhi was purposely fabricating a reason in order to frame him.

    Gu Nianzhi had originally intended to fight back against Tan Dongbang and make him stay as quiet as a mouse so he wouldn¡¯t publicly argue with Speaker Long anymore. This would also save the nation some embarrassment in front of all the world¡¯s citizens.

    Tan Dongbang was probably taking advantage of the live broadcast and felt certain that the Senate and Speaker Long would want to save face by not using violence to shut him up before a world-wide audience. Thus, he became increasingly fearless.

    Gu Nianzhi was pent up with anger at the thought of this. She had already curbed her tongue but didn¡¯t think Tan Dongbang would still be relentless and even pick a fight with her. Since that was the case, he shouldn¡¯t me her for taking drastic measures.

    All Senate personnel wore Bluetooth headsets during major events for ease ofmunication. Gu Nianzhi adjusted the Bluetooth speaker in her ear. Putting her hand down, her eyes quickly darted. ¡°When did I ever frame you? You¡¯ve already forgotten what I¡¯ve said. I said, ¡®Then those must be the results of our maniption from behind the scenes.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that right? So from the way Mr. Tan sees it, it¡¯s only considered fair, open, and just if you¡¯re the one to win election. Otherwise, it¡¯s all maniption from behind the scenes, right?

    ¡°Every statement was posed as a question, so you were able to answer yes or no. In that case, how was I framing you? Mr. Tan, you also studiedw yourself and even worked as the Minister of Justice for so many years. With your legalpetency, how did you ever end up in the position of Minister of Justice?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone was subtly mocking, yet the expression on her face was incredibly sweet and natural. People were unable to feel malice just by looking at her face alone, but Tan Dongbang truly thought it was too ridiculous to be reprimanded by a little girl who was even younger than his own daughter.

    The corners of Tan Dongbang¡¯s lips twitched. He then recalled that Gu Nianzhi was someone with courtroom experience¡ªthewsuit against Bai Jinyi regarding Song Jinning¡¯s incident, going to the German courts for thewsuit of the German female exchange student, the estate dispute against Gu Yanran¡ªand she had never lost a case. In the face of someone like that, he truly couldn¡¯t underestimate her because of her young age.

    Tan Dongbangposed himself and began to truly pay attention to Gu Nianzhi. Straightening his necktie, his expression became much more natural as he immediately returned to the topic Gu Nianzhi had diverged from. He said sternly, ¡°Since Miss Gu has made things clear, then I¡¯ll do so as well. Earlier, I meant to say that if Speaker Long stated that there was an issue with the voting in thest election, then he should present evidence. If there is no evidence, he shouldn¡¯t say there was fraudulent activity in thest election!¡±

    Tan Dongbang needed to rify the so-called previous ¡°fraudulent activity,¡± because he was already feeling a bit uneasy. Although ording to the information he gleaned and the results ¡°the expert¡± told him about, he should¡¯ve won the second interim general election. But why would Speaker Long mention the previous ¡°fraudulent activity?¡± This was truly perplexing.

    Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t want to be a sitting duck, so he chose to stand up and fight back. Unfortunately, Speaker Long didn¡¯t take his bait, and the person arguing with him right now was a mere Senate staff member. Even if he won the argument, it wasn¡¯t much to be proud of.

    Tan Dongbang watched Gu Nianzhi grimly and had already secretly made up his mind that she would be the first person he would squash once the drama was over and he returned to the position of prime minister! By removing her, he would not only create an opening for his daughter but also show others the consequences of going against him!

    Gu Nianzhi rushed up on stage so she could choose to verbally quell Tan Dongbang¡¯s aggression. However, she really didn¡¯t know much about the actual situation of ¡°election fraud.¡± She only knew that Hong Kangquan had inserted four lines of extremely advanced and difficult to detect AI programming code into the central control room¡¯s system. These four lines of AI programming code had meddled in the system program and had hidden certain important information.

    However, she wasn¡¯tpletely clueless, either. If the fraudulent activity in thest election was only detected after they extracted the four lines of AI programming code, then couldn¡¯t she infer that the evidence of fraud was inside the central control system¡¯s surveince software?

    Gu Nianzhi began to ponder this.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong sat in the temporary surveince room inside the Senate building, and his eyes didn¡¯t blink as he watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tall, slim back on the surveince monitor. He couldn¡¯t help but want to give her a hand. First, he contacted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, do we need to give Nianzhi a hint? She¡¯s unaware of some situations.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the audience and nodded subtly as he gave quiet agreement. Yin Shixiong received authorization and immediately connected to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Bluetooth headset. ¡°Nianzhi, the evidence is inside the central control system.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was currently thinking about how she would answer Tan Dongbang¡¯s incredibly sharp question. The Bluetooth speaker in her ear suddenly connected, and Yin Shixiong¡¯s voice spoke to her. Although the statement was short, it happened to confirm Gu Nianzhi¡¯s inference.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard Yin Shixiong¡¯s words, she slowly looked up, and her eyes glittered like stars as she looked at Tan Dongbang. Her plump, curvy lips curled into a happy arc, and she appeared even more alluring. She smiled at Tan Dongbang and asked once again, ¡°Mr. Tan, you insist on seeing evidence? Right now? Immediately?¡±

    ¡°Right, I need to see evidence. Right now! Immediately!¡± Tan Dongbang insisted vehemently and appeared as if he was aggrieved and adamant about ¡°clearing his name.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Speaker Long and asked quietly, ¡°Speaker Long, what do you think?¡±

    Speaker Long nodded expressionlessly. ¡°You can show him the evidence, since he wants to see it.¡± He then opened the multimedia system on the podium and gestured for Gu Nianzhi to step in.

    Gu Nianzhi felt very calm after receiving Speaker Long¡¯s authorization. She typed on the keyboard and entered the Senate¡¯sputer systems to connect with Yin Shixiong¡¯s surveince system. Then a huge, white monitor slowly lowered from the wall behind their backs. The entire conference hall appeared like a screening room in a movie theater. Gu Nianzhi found theputer program evidence Yin Shixiong had sent to her, and it disyed on the monitor.

    ¡°Everyone, this is the evidence of fraudulent activity that we discovered from thest election. Please look. After conducting a system search, the entire situation of thest systematic vote is disyed here. Everyone can see the raw data from all the voting provinces, then look at the original vote count data. Obviously, there were issues with the data from two provinces. A portion of the data was lost. Under such circumstances, the surveince system would typically issue an early warning and have everyone recount the votes.

    ¡°Butst time, someone nted AI programming code in the surveince system and caused the early warning mechanism to be disabled. This resulted in the error in the results.

    ¡°This time, we removed the AI code from the surveince system and discovered that the same error was also appearing in this election. But because the nted AI code was removed, the system sessfully warned us early enough, and the surveince personnel took notice. This has also caused the surveince personnel to have reasonable doubts about the results of thest election.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held aser pointer in her hand as she pointed at the screen and eloquently exined, ¡°After a recount, we discovered that the winner of thest election should have been Mr. Bai Jiancheng, not Mr. Tan Dongbang¡ªwho received a freebie from the system.¡± As soon as she said this, everyone burst intoughter.

    The tense atmosphere in the conference hall gradually rxed, but many others didn¡¯t agree with what she said. Tan Dongbang was the first person to cross his arms in disdain. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s it? That¡¯s your evidence? How dare you say it¡¯s not a case of ¡®ample ims can be made when you intend on giving someone false charges?!¡¯ This was clearly a system error! How can that be considered my fault?! Also, how could you say the early warning mechanism was disabled by that whatever code?! Are you taking advantage of us not understanding, so you have the final say on everything?!¡±

    ¡°So Mr. Tan means that this was merely a system error that had nothing to do with you?¡± Gu Nianzhi easily rebuked him. ¡°But why did both system errors only hide Mr. Bai¡¯s votes and only count your votes? Are you saying there¡¯s nothing wrong with such an intelligent system? Are you assuming that we have nomon sense or that we have no intelligence?¡±

    ¡°How would I know? That¡¯s why it¡¯s called a system error.¡± Tan Dongbang smiled gleefully at Gu Nianzhi, his eyes reminiscent of a cat catching a mouse.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes dimmed as she looked at Tan Dongbang, and she couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by him. Tan Dongbang¡¯s simple statement of ¡°system error¡± had easily wiped out the evidence they worked so hard to unearth. That was because everyone really didn¡¯t understand that kind of thing. They would have doubts if they didn¡¯t understand something and could be led by the nose by Tan Dongbang.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit frantic, so tiny beads of sweat began to form on her delicate and tiny nose. Such fraud was truly considered a system error, so even Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t deny this point. It had to be said, the enemy hadid a huge trap for them. If they weren¡¯t careful, they would fall into that trap, and that was probably the reason why Tan Dongbang dared to stand up and openly fight with Speaker Long. He seemed to be certain that Speaker Long would be unable to present evidence that convinced everyone, so he put on a pitiful face of, ¡°being framed and being manipted behind the scenes.¡±

    But how could Tan Dongbang be so certain?! Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind quickly worked. Hong Kangquan was obviously the one who inserted the four lines of AI programming code, so why did Tan Dongbang seem to know about it as well?! Could Hong Kangquan have also colluded with Tan Dongbang?! Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt blessed to the soul when she thought of this.

    There must be collusion!

    Hong Kangquan had direct contact with Cai Songyin, and Tan Dongbang was Cai Songyin¡¯s husband. This connection all made sense now. She had it! Evidence, which was an actual witness!

    She didn¡¯t need to ramble on about high tech AI programming code with these people. They clearly had a great piece of evidence in their hands. Not only could they prove that Tan Dongbang cheated in thest election, but it would also kill him in one shot!

    A smile slowly appeared on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and she was nowpletely rxed. She cocked her head at Tan Dongbang with a smile. ¡°Mr. Tan, this was indeed a system error. However, this system error was not created by the system, it was man-made. We have tangible evidence indicating that thisst system error was due to meddling by the wanted Director of the Secret Service, Hong Kangquan.¡±

    The audience inside the conference hall and the tens of thousands of people watching on TV were all in an uproar as soon as Hong Kanquan¡¯s name was mentioned. They really didn¡¯t understand the ¡°high tech evidence¡± Gu Nianzhi presented earlier and were slightly siding with Tan Dongbang, since everyone had pity in their hearts and would side with the weaker party.

    However, Hong Kangquan was different. Huo Shaoheng and his men had issued a nationwide arrest warrant in order to arrest Hong Kangquan and that Japanese spy! Nearly every Huaxia citizen sitting in front of the TV knew that Hong Kangquan had escaped with a Japanese spy.

    ¡°So Mr. Tan, why would a traitor like Hong Kangquan meddle in the system for your sake? Did you collude with a Japanese spy and order Hong Kangquan to meddle because you want to be prime minister?!¡± Gu Nianzhi finished it off and directly linked Tan Dongbang and Hong Kangquan together. With the usation of ¡°traitor¡± over his head, how could he ever run for prime minister!?

    Tan Dongbang was shocked as soon as he heard the name, ¡°Hong Kangquan.¡± Hadn¡¯t Hong Kangquan escaped sessfully? He then thought about how Huo Shaoheng had walked in unscathed earlier. A rush of cold air rose up his back, and he shivered. His entire body was about to copse, and his face was eerily pale. He still wanted to deny it, but no sound came out when he opened his mouth. An overwhelming fear of the looming enemy made him unable to speak or deny this.

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and immediatelymanded a Special Operations Forces soldier to walk over and disy his identification. He said to Speaker Long, ¡°Speaker Long, due to the close ties between Tan Dongbang and the Hong Kangquan case, as well as the serious threat to national security, we must take him away for investigation. Please give us the authorization.¡±

 Chapter 1105 - Leaving and Returning Home

    <h4>Chapter 1105 Leaving and Returning Home</h4>

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s vision went ck as he fell down directly onto the ground.

    The Special Operations Forces personnel immediately supported him and also pressed down on his arms as he nodded to the military police maintaining order in the conference. The police escorted Tan Dongbang away from the Senate¡¯s conference hall.

    Cai Songyin witnessed this scene with an ashen face and suddenly grabbed Tan Guiren¡¯s arm. ¡°Little Darling, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Mommy! What¡¯s happening to Daddy? Why are they arresting Daddy?!¡± Tan Guiren stood up with Cai Songyin in confusion.

    Huo Shaoheng coolly watched them leave as hemanded his subordinates to go keep an eye on Cai Songyin. Cai Songyin¡¯s mind was in shambles, so she didn¡¯t notice anyone following them at all. She only knew that Hong Kangquan had been arrested, and now Tan Dongbang was also being taken away. She might be in even more danger now.

    ¡°Little Darling, hurry up and pack your things. We will be staying in the United States for a while.¡± Cai Songyin was a bit frantic as she called her older brother, Cai Sumin, on the way.

    Cai Sumin didn¡¯t take her call, but he immediately purchased airfare back to the United States. He would be leaving the very same day. Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t understand why Cai Sumin was in such a rush to leave.

    Cai Sumin kept looking at his watch and said uneasily, ¡°How about youe back to the United States with me? Your uncle¡¯s situation is quiteplex, so you won¡¯t have much of a future if you stay here.¡±

    Cai Shengnan had originally also wanted to return. It would be a lie if she said she didn¡¯t feel regret when she saw Gu Nianzhi appear at Speaker Long¡¯s side today and fight against Tan Dongbang.

    It had been such a great opportunity to make herself known¡ªnot merely to Speaker Long, but also to all Huaxia citizens, as well as citizens in the world. How could she have given that up for a mere appointment letter?! She was very aggrieved.

    This was a habit developed from her many years of working in the United States, where hard copy contracts must be signed before any work was done at all. And when work was done, it would never exceed the services as stipted within the contract.

    However, things were different in the Huaxia Empire. There, everything was contingent on initially exerting effort before anything else. The person being helped would naturally return the favor. Most deals would fall apart if the terms were negotiated first.

    Cai Shengnan finally realized this difference, so she was very bitter when she understood that she had given away a great opportunity to someone else. She thought that she was better than Gu Nianzhi in every aspect. The only area where she was weaker was because she hadn¡¯t lived in the Huaxia Empire for many years, and thus was no longer well acquainted with the social customs of the Huaxia Empire.

    But that was nothing. She had learned a valuable lesson and would quickly catch up. Thus, she refused to leave. She still yearned to climb to the top of the Huaxia Imperial political circle, and this was something she couldn¡¯t achieve from afar, even if she became a partner of a major Americanw firm.

    Cai Sumin understood her intentions, so he didn¡¯t bother urging her otherwise. He was in the United States anyway, so Cai Shengnan would naturally return if she couldn¡¯t make a living in the Huaxia Empire.

    ...

    When Cai Songyin received Cai Sumin¡¯s text, she couldn¡¯t do anything else since she hadn¡¯t been able to reach his phone at all. After returning home, she quickly grabbed her passport and packed a few simple items before purchasing flights online.

    She sessfully purchased flights for the same day, but the flight didn¡¯t leave until midnight. There were still a few hours left. Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren sat in the airport¡¯s VIP lounge and watched TV as they yed on their phones.

    Cai Sumin had also purchased tickets for the same flight. Cai Sumin sighed when he saw Cai Songyin bring Tan Guiren inside the VIP lounge, but he still greeted them. ¡°Songyin, Little Darling, you guys are going to the United States as well?¡± Cai Sumin came over carrying his briefcase.

    Cai Songyin nearly burst into tears at the sight of Cai Sumin. ¡°Brother, so you¡¯re actually going back to the United States.¡±

    Cai Sumin nodded. ¡°I saw that Dongbang had gotten into trouble, but I¡¯m not too familiar with the details. When I return to the United States, I¡¯ll rmend a fewwyers who are familiar with matters of national security.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, brother.¡± Cai Songyin smiled bitterly. ¡°But I¡¯ll be requesting a divorce, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±

    Cai Sumin thought about it. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea as well. Tan Dongbang will probably never see the light of day again. You also need to n for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, Mommy, what are you guys talking about?¡± Tan Guiren fidgeted in her seat. She couldn¡¯t sit idle and watch her father go to jail for the rest of his life. She didn¡¯t want to go abroad with her mother.

    ¡°Mommy you can¡¯t do that. What will happen to Daddy if you leave like this?¡± Tan Guiren stood up with her luggage in tow. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Mommy can go alone if you want to leave.¡± She carried her suitcase and decisively turned to leave.

    ¡°Little Darling!¡± Cai Songyin was anxious and quickly chased after her.

    ...

    Inside the Senate conference hall, the earlier episode ended with Tan Dongbang being taken away for investigation by the Special Operations Forces. Speaker Long smiled thankfully at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hard work and full exertion of subjective initiative.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly answered him politely before stepping off the podium and returning to her seat with the other Senate personnel. At the podium, Speaker Long had already nonchntly begun to speak about the voting results from the second election.

    ¡°The results of the second interim election show that there were a total of 86,376,545 votes. Bai Jiancheng won in all 34 provinces and won a total of 75,267,763 votes. He defeated the second candidate, Mr. Tan Dongbang, by 64,158,981 votes and has absolutely won as the newly elected Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire. Let¡¯s wee Bai Jiancheng toe speak on stage!¡± Speaker Long initiated a round of apuse.

    Bai Jiancheng was the actual winner of both elections, but he had been cheated by someone else in the first election and truly won the second round. Bai Jiancheng had worked in the Cab for over 30 years and started as an entry-level staff member. He naturally felt very emotional to have reached today¡¯s position. His eyes nearly turned red when he learned that he had also won the first election.

    He had worked so hard for his only life goal of bing prime minister, and now he had realized his political ambitions. When he ran for the office the first time, he capsized in the gutter and lost without any reasonable exnation. He was the only one to understand how he survived through those days.

    Bai Yueran was ecstatic, and a smile beamed on her normally stoic face. She straightened Bai Jiancheng¡¯s necktie and smiled. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re up now!¡±

    Bai Jiancheng smiled thankfully at her before getting up to walk over to the podium. He gave Speaker Long a firm handshake and said, ¡°Speaker Long, I will certainly not fail the expectations of the citizens, nation, and yourself.¡±

    ¡°Ok, we look forward to it.¡± Speaker Long encouraged him as they shook hands. He patted Bai Jiancheng¡¯s back. ¡°Our nation has already wasted much time, so we can¡¯t waste any more.¡±

    Neither thest Prime Minister Dou, nor Tan Dongbang after him had been strong characters, but Prime Minister Tan and Tan Dongbang were both the same. They had connections with Japanese spies, so they would probably end up in neighboring jail cells.

    ...

    At the same moment, He Zhichu wasn¡¯t watching the telecast of the prime minister election results at the Senate but was staring nkly at another piece of news on TV. This news was about the sudden appearance of a sea cave with blue light between C City and the Japan Sea.

    However, that news was soon interrupted. ¡°...We are now broadcasting breaking news. Mr. Bai Jiancheng has been elected as the new prime minister. The Prime Minister of Japan took the lead in sending a message of congrattions to Mr. Bai Jiancheng, the new Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire. He also urges Mr. Bai Jiancheng to exert his humanitarian spirit and help the 200 plus Japanese frogmen troops trapped in the violet light ocean floor return home.¡±

 Chapter 1106 - Couldnâ€™t Hide from I

    <h4>1106 Couldn¡°t Hide from I</h4>

    he zhichu sneered when he heard this. picking up the ss of red wine, he took a light sniff and then downed it all in one gulp.

    japanese people always acted the same way, no matter where they were...

    humanitarian spirit?

    why didn¡¯t they exert their humanitarian spirit towards the huaxia citizens when they invaded the huaxia empire during the war?

    could time really wash away all scars? no, some mistakes could not be forgiven. some scars would never disappear.

    he zhichu set down his wine ss and also changed the tv channel to the news. this time, he saw a live broadcast of the senate announcing the election results.

    the newly elected prime minister, bai jiancheng, was currently giving a passionate speech to the people. he encouraged everyone to unite and fight for the revitalization of the huaxia empire!

    he zhichu¡¯s shimmery, sultry eyes flickered. he suddenly wanted to know how this highly experienced politician would react once he heard the japanese prime minister¡¯s urge to exert his ¡°humanitarian spirit.¡±

    ...

    the senate¡¯s conference for the interim general election had been very sessful. although there was a small episode when tan dongbang jumped up to fight with speaker long, it had been resolved perfectly. tan dongbang was taken away by the special operations forces for investigation, and gu nianzhi also managed to achieve an important aplishment in front of speaker long.

    after the conference concluded, the newly elected prime minister was surrounded by arge crowd of people. these were all his colleagues from the cab, and they would also be going out to celebrate his victory afterwards. because the cab had already been dissolved, the first thing bai jiancheng needed to do was to reassemble the cab as soon as possible.

    gu nianzhi smiled when she saw the group usher bai jiancheng outside. her gaze drifted through the throngs of people for a while, but she didn¡¯t see any trace of huo shaoheng. of course, she didn¡¯t see general ji, either. they had probably left already. gu nianzhi hade in huo shaoheng¡¯s car, so how was she supposed to get back? gu nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but feel perplexed.

    speaker long specially called her over and said to her very kindly, ¡°nianzhi, you performed very well tonight. i already spoke to special assistant zhuang. when youe to work tomorrow, we will officially appoint you as legal counsel.¡±

    did that mean she didn¡¯t have to take the exam?! gu nianzhi¡¯s eyes glittered, and then she asked the question on her mind. ¡°really? so i don¡¯t need to take the exam?¡±

    speaker long burst out inughter. ¡°you still need to take the exam, but it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for you at all. the exam is next week. good luck to you!¡±

    gu nianzhi shrugged her shoulders. ¡°ok then, i¡¯ll try my best.¡± she then chatted with speaker long some more before he turned to leave.

    gu nianzhi was fretting over how to get home when yin shixiong¡¯s voice could be heard in her bluetooth headset. ¡°nianzhi, i¡¯ll be going back to the baseter. huo shao asked me to take you back. nianzhi, you really were so amazing today!¡± yin shixiong didn¡¯t hesitate topliment gu nianzhi. he had merely given her a starting point, and gu nianzhi had actually performed so well. this was truly much to his pleasant surprise.

    gu nianzhiughed. ¡°brother xiong, you¡¯re being superficial! do we really need to be so polite with each other?¡±

    ¡°of course, of course. if i wasn¡¯t polite, then huo shao would teach brother xiong a lesson!¡± yin shixiong¡¯s exaggerated tone made gu nianzhi giggle.

    she quickly packed her things before walking to the senate entrance to wait for yin shixiong. gu nianzhi was secretly thinking about where huo shaoheng had gone, but she quickly felt relieved when she thought of the nature of his work.

    at that moment, huo shaoheng took personnel in tow as he rushed to the terminal 3 building of the imperial capital international airport. the soldier tracking cai songyin discovered that she had purchased tickets to the united states and was heading there overnight. she and tan guiren possessed ten-year, two-way b1 american visas, so they could travel there anytime they pleased.

    of course, huo shaoheng and his personnel would not allow her to go abroad.

    ...

    in the vip lounge of terminal 3 inside the imperial capital international airport, cai songyin had just managed to grab onto tan guiren before she reached the entrance. she chided her. ¡°silly child, you don¡¯t need to worry about daddy and mommy¡¯s matters. you only need to take care of yourself. what¡¯s the use of you going back? you still don¡¯t understand what crimes your daddymitted.¡±

    ¡°mommy knows, so you can tell me,¡± tan guiren replied calmly. ¡°but i can¡¯t sit idle and let daddy fend for himself.¡± she paused, then continued, ¡°if mommy was the one to be arrested, then i would also run away for you.¡±

    the words angered songyin so much she almost copsed onto the floor. how dare this child say such things! what kind of child would curse her own mommy like that?! being arrested wasn¡¯t a good thing. did she want to join him for fun?

    for the very first time, cai songyin felt aggrieved by tan guiren¡¯s naivety and kindness. sometimes, her naivety and kindness could truly attack people around her without any discrimination. she gently patted tan guiren and said, ¡°don¡¯t speak nonsense. mommy didn¡¯t do bad things like your daddy. i won¡¯t get arrested.¡±

    but less than five minutes after she said that, she was pped in the face by it. a group of men dressed in ck special operations forces uniforms surrounded the vip lounge of terminal 3 inside the imperial capital international airport. the first person to arrive immediately recognized cai songyin. she was standing with her daughter near the door, and her daughter was carrying a suitcase. were they nning to go abroad? to the united states? the special operations forces soldier sneered as he slowly made his way over and regarded cai songyin. ¡°you are cai songyin, the previous firstdy?¡±

    cai songyin nodded and answered with vignce, ¡°who are you people?¡±

    the soldier disyed his identification, then said, ¡°mrs. cai songyin, you are suspected of bribery, using yourpany tounder money, and colluding with hong kangquan in an attempt to steal state secrets. ording to regtions, people such as you cannot go abroad. pleasee with me.¡±

    cai songyin¡¯s heart sank violently. they¡¯d still managed to find her? she really couldn¡¯t hide from it. she shook her head frantically and said, ¡°you can¡¯t threaten me with such abuse of power! i didn¡¯t do those things, and mypany is operating normally. i never did anything against thew.¡±

    ¡°mrs. cai, whether or not youundered money,mitted bribery, or stole state secrets has nothing to do with us. we¡¯re merelymissioned by the court toe here and arrest the fugitive.¡± the special operations forces soldier responded politely and was only targeting cai songyin. they didn¡¯t seem to want to trouble anyone else.

    ¡°the court?! how could this end up in court? it¡¯s night time right now!¡± cai songyin frowned. ¡°if you want to invite me back to assist with the investigation, please be more polite to me. your behavior is very annoying.¡±

    the special operations forces soldier smiled. ¡°we don¡¯t intend for you to like us. we are a violent agency, as well as aw enforcement agency. we have the right to expose any illegal activity. mrs. cai, pleasee back with us.¡± the soldier disyed a warrant signed by the court. it wasn¡¯t an arrest warrant but a warrant restricting travel.

    cai songyin¡¯s face was instantly devoid of any color. her hands trembled as she epted the warrant from the soldier¡¯s hand and flipped through it for a long time.

    ¡°pleasee back with us.¡± the special operations forces soldier disyed a shiny pair of handcuffs.

    cai songyin¡¯s vision went ck, and she passed out. tan guiren lunged over and kept crying ¡°mommy!¡± all the onlookers felt heartbroken to hear her and cried when they witnessed it.

    the special operations forces soldier paid no attention to it. he grabbed cai songyin with one arm and got her upright before escorting her away. tan guiren covered her face as she sat on the sofa inside the vip lounge and cried like a child.

 Chapter 1107 - Are You Surprised?

    <h4>Chapter 1107 Are You Surprised?</h4>

    when cai songyin was taken away, cai sumin stood nearby and watched coldly from the sidelines. he also took out his phone and discreetly recorded it.even with his ample years of working as an experiencedwyer in the united states, he could tell that there was no vition of thew by the soldier during the entire process of escorting her away.

    if he couldn¡¯t find any vition of thew by the soldier, then it would be nearly impossible to create any arguments about it.

    cai sumin calmly looked at his phone and reyed it over and over again. when he finally couldn¡¯t watch it anymore, he sighed and put his phone away.

    ...

    at the same moment, huo shaoheng was sitting in his bulletproof vehicle and staring at the surveince footage inside the car. he watched the process of his subordinates¡¯ actions.

    when his special operations forces subordinates went to the vip lounge inside terminal 3 of the imperial capital international airport to make the arrest, they were equipped with a special type of video camera. aside from recording video, this also recorded on file everything that urred within ten meters of their surroundings.

    inevitably, huo shaoheng noticed cai sumin. a burly, strapping, and serious-looking man stood in the corner and kept looking at his phone the entire time. the man appeared somewhat familiar. huo shaoheng initialized the facial recognition system within the surveince footage and ran a search. soon afterwards, that person¡¯s information appeared on his screen.

    rows of beautifully written song-style characters appeared next to cai sumin¡¯s head shot. ¡°cai sumin, male, 55-years-old, american nationality, experiencedwyer. former chief legal counsel of the previous president of the united states. he once helped the prime minister win the ** case, impeachment case. older brother of cai songyin, father of cai shengnan.¡±

    huo shaoheng raised a brow. so he was actually here? was he sending cai songyin abroad? or was he taking cai songyin abroad with him? he then searched through the system again and discovered that cai sumin was also on tonight¡¯s flight back to the united states.

    huo shaoheng couldn¡¯t deal with someone like cai sumin as he had with cai songyin. cai sumin was american, and not of huaxia nationality.

    ...

    cai sumin no longer wanted to return to the united states. if tan dongbang had been the only one arrested, then cai sumin would certainly refuse to get involved in the mess. it wasn¡¯t worth the effort to help scum like tan dongbang, so he had chosen to return to the united states immediately to avoid his younger sister asking him for help. would he then have decided to help or not help tan dongbang?

    however, now his own younger sister was arrested, so he couldn¡¯t sit idle. watching tan guiren sit there all alone and cry, he realized she was still as naive as a child, even though she was already in her 20s. cai sumin sighed once again. his younger sister excelled at everything and always wanted to be strong her entire life. however, when it came to her daughter, she had spoiled her far too much.

    of course, tan guiren was well worth being spoiled. she had been a musical prodigy since she was young and possessed the strong family backgrounds of both the cais and tans. she was destined to be able to grow up in an ivory tower with those around herpletely protecting her heart of innocence. but now, both her parents had been arrested, and her ivory tower hadpletely copsed. who would be the one to protect her from now on?

    cai sumin had no choice. since she was his younger sister¡¯s daughter, he could only take care of her from now on. he knew that no matter what happened to cai songyin after this, her biggest worry would be her daughter.

    after hesitating for a long time, cai sumin finally grabbed his suitcase and walked towards tan guiren. just as he stopped in front of her, cai sumin suddenly discovered another pair of shiny military boots entering his field of view. cai sumin slowly raised his head, and his gaze drifted upwards to see a strapping man in a ck uniform standing across from him.

    this man appeared mature and reliable, possessing a profound aura. his eyes were as dark as the sea, and his nose was finely chiseled. his features were so handsome, no one could find any w in them, and on his shoulders gleamed a golden epaulet of an ear of wheat and one gold star. he held the rank of major general.

    cai sumin looked at him with a bit of surprise. ¡°may i ask who you are? what can i do for you?¡± actually, cai sumin recognized who this person was, but it was better to pretend he didn¡¯t know at a time like this.

    this person was none other than huo shaoheng. he stared pointedly at cai sumin and replied, ¡°are you mr. cai sumin?¡±

    ¡°yes, may i ask who you are¡ª¡±

    before cai sumin even finished his sentence, tan guiren jerked her head up and stood up in delighted surprise. ¡°major general huo? is that really you, major general huo?! i¡¯m begging you, please release my daddy and mommy. they are old, so they can¡¯t stand up to this treatment. arrest me! can you arrest me instead?!¡±

    huo shaoheng was speechless. the corners of cai sumin¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help but twitch. he grabbed tan guiren and squeezed her shoulder as he nodded at huo shaoheng. ¡°so this is major general huo. please forgive us. my niece suffered a great shock today and is speaking nonsense.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m not speaking nonsense!¡± tan guiren wanted to struggle out of cai sumin¡¯s grasp. ¡°i sincerely want to go in exchange for my mommy and daddy! uncle, you¡¯re awyer. you can convince major general huo to release my mommy and daddy, right?¡±

    cai sumin¡¯s brow raised as he replied sternly, ¡°little darling! don¡¯t cause a scene! uncle will help you rescue your mommy and daddy. don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±

    ¡°fine, fine, i won¡¯t cause trouble. but uncle, you must rescue them! you were just about to return to the united states. how would you be able to rescue mommy and daddy, then?¡± tan guiren¡¯s cries grew even louder. she wouldn¡¯t have been this frightened and distressed if she were the one in danger. when she was kidnapped in new york, she didn¡¯t allow herself to cry at all. but now her own parents were in trouble, so she wasn¡¯t able to control herself anymore, and her tears surged out like a river overflowing its banks.

    huo shaoheng curled his lips as he answered tan guiren¡¯s question. he replied slowly, wyer cai ns to return to the united states? isn¡¯t it hical to leave your younger sister and brother-inw behind at a time like this?¡±

    a hint of embarrassment flickered in cai sumin¡¯s eyes, but he still replied calmly, ¡°how am i leaving my younger sister? i was originally nning to leave, but i just witnessed my younger sister being taken away and imprisoned, so i¡¯ve decided to stay.¡± as he spoke, cai sumin patted tan guiren¡¯s shoulder. ¡°little darling, don¡¯t cry. we¡¯ll go back together and think of a solution.¡±

    ¡°ok, uncle.¡± tan guiren sobbed and clung onto cai sumin¡¯s shirt tail.

    cai sumin wanted to take tan guiren out of the vip lounge, but huo shaoheng continued to stand there without moving, blocking their way. ¡°major general huo, shouldn¡¯t you move aside?¡± cai sumin said calmly. ¡°we have to go home now.¡±

    wyer cai, shouldn¡¯t you delete the footage of our personnel performing their duty that was secretly recorded on your phone?¡± huo shaoheng repliednguidly, his right hand curling up to point at the pocket holding cai sumin¡¯s phone.

    cai sumin was momentarily speechless but quickly recovered. ¡°no! you can¡¯t vite my privacy!¡± cai sumin rebuked him. ¡°you can¡¯t check my phone!¡±

    huo shaohengughed. ¡°oh? why can¡¯t i check it?¡±

    ¡°because you¡¯d be viting a citizen¡¯s right to privacy, obviously!¡± cai sumin replied stubbornly and couldn¡¯t believe that someone in this world would dare to make the unreasonable request of checking his phone!

    ¡°but you aren¡¯t a citizen of our nation, so a huaxia citizen¡¯s right to privacy is not valid for you. as a foreignering to our nation, you must abide by all the regtions of our country. we have the right to believe that your mobile phone contains content that will damage our national security,¡± huo shaoheng remarked coolly and stepped forward with his hand extended towards cai sumin. his shiny military boots made a heavy sound on the carpet inside the vip lounge. each step seemed to stomp inside a person¡¯s heart. tan guiren could feel her own heartbeat rising and falling along with huo shaoheng¡¯s footsteps. she looked down with her hands sped to her chest.

    cai sumin¡¯s eyes instantly narrowed. it appeared that this major general huo was truly different from a soldier who was physically developed but simple-minded! he actually understood thew... and the most remarkable thing was that his statement was absolutely equivalent to the practice of us customs.

    us customs was given the highest authorization by the us supreme court to conduct searches of all luggage and electronics carried by travelers to the united states. in the past, some huaxia citizens had been directly repatriated on the spot when they entered us customs, because us customs found inappropriate content on their mobile phones.

    as an experiencedwyer, cai sumin was very familiar with such regtions. there was nothing inappropriate on his phone, since he knew that there were elements of insecurity with anything rted to the inte. however, the video he had just taken was truly a bit inappropriate.

    cai sumin squinted to study huo shaoheng. after hesitating for a while, he finally took his phone out and unlocked it before passing it to huo shaoheng. he smiled at huo shaoheng. as long as huo shaoheng dared to ept his phone, then huo shaoheng would have fallen into his trap... because that regtion only authorized customs personnel. it didn¡¯t mean anyone else had the right to check a foreigner¡¯s phone. however, huo shaoheng didn¡¯t take it. he got the attention of someone wearing a customs uniform standing beside him and said, ¡°little li, this is within your jurisdiction.¡±

    the customs inspector named little li wore white gloves and took cai sumin¡¯s phone to begin conducting a check. little li was a well-trained customs inspector. he quickly found that video and sent it to his own email before physically deleting it from cai sumin¡¯s phone. at the same time, he also checked the cloud drive on his phone to confirm it hadn¡¯t been enabled before being assured enough to hand the phone back to him.

    ¡°it¡¯s fine now. don¡¯t take videos in here again.¡± little li pointed to arge sign inside the vip lounge which read, ¡°unless authorized, recording of audio or video is prohibited.¡±

    cai sumin¡¯s n had not seeded, so he smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°i¡¯m sorry, that was my mistake. i didn¡¯t see the warning sign there.¡±

    huo shaoheng nodded. wyer cai should remember this from now on. since this was your first infraction, this will be considered a warning. if you make a second infraction, you will be punished for both infractions.¡±

    ¡°i didn¡¯t think major general huo would be so proficient inw, despite being a soldier.¡± cai suminposed himself and half smiled as he began chatting with huo shaoheng. when he took his phone back, he sent a text to his daughter, cai shengnan, asking for her to pick him up from the airport.

    cai shengnan hadn¡¯t gone too far by that time. when she received cai sumin¡¯s text, she quickly called him. ¡°daddy, what happened? your flight was cancelled?¡±

    ¡°no, i don¡¯t n on going back for the time being,¡± cai sumin replied slowly. e pick us up first, and we¡¯ll chatter.¡±

    cai sumin ended the call and spread his hands at huo shaoheng. ¡°major general huo, was there anything else?¡±

    huo shaoheng nced at tan guiren. ¡°miss tan, ording to thew, you¡¯re the immediate family of tan dongbang and cai songyin, so you cannot go abroad until their cases conclude.¡±

    tan guiren instantly shook her head. ¡°i won¡¯t run away. major general huo doesn¡¯t need to worry. if you¡¯re concerned that i¡¯ll run away, you can lock me up! i can guarantee that my mommy and daddy won¡¯t run away, either!¡±

    huo shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say.

    cai sumin knew that his own younger sister and brother-inw once yearned badly for huo shaoheng to be their son-inw, so he had an idea when he saw his own niece listen obediently to everything he said. ¡°i¡¯ll be troubling major general huo in that case. my niece has been protected too well by her family all this time, so she hasn¡¯t had much social experience. now that you¡¯ve arrested both her parents, and you¡¯re also the only person she trusts, how about you take her with you, so she can be close to her mommy and daddy?¡±

 Chapter 1108 - Are You Shocked?

    <h4>Chapter 1108 Are You Shocked?</h4>

    Cai Sumin smiled cheerfully at Huo Shaoheng and assumed the expression of a kind elder.From his many years of fightingwsuits in the United States, he was well aware of how he could cause the prosecutor of the other party to be disqualified, so that the other party¡¯s evidence could be overshadowed. Even if the evidence was taken to court, Cai Sumin could reasonably pose a question to the jury and question if the prosecution was seeking power for personal gain, had a conflict of interest, or used illegal procedure.Those were the top three reasons Americanwyers chose when they fought inwsuits.

    Because Americanw was based on questioning public power, the defendant¡¯s rights were protected by variousws. On the other hand, the intiff had their own parties protecting themselves, so picking a fight with the prosecution carried the least amount of consequences and provided the maximum benefit.

    If Huo Shaoheng fell into the tap, then Cai Sumin could immediately rescue Cai Songyin from detainment. However, it didn¡¯t really matter whether Huo Shaoheng agreed or not. Cai Sumin wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses, either way. But what if Huo Shaoheng agreed? Wouldn¡¯t Cai Sumin hit the jackpot then? Only fools would refuse to take a potentially rewarding chance that posed no risks.

    Cai Sumin patted Tan Guiren¡¯s shoulder and replied kindly, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Little Darling. Major General Huo won¡¯t sit idle. Didn¡¯t he personally go to the United States to bring you back to the Huaxia Empire? I think that you should follow Major General Huo back there, so at least you can see your Mommy and Daddy everyday. If they have any needs, you can also help take care of them.¡±

    Tan Guiren had been holding onto a shred of hope to begin with, so she became even more eager when she heard Cai Sumin say that she could help take care of her parents¡¯ needs. She sped her hands before her chest, and she stared at Huo Shaoheng with huge, glittering eyes as she continuously pleaded, ¡°Major General Huo! I¡¯m begging you! I¡¯m begging you! Can you take me back, too? The only thing I care about is if I can just see my Mommy and Daddy everyday!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was aloof. With one hand balled into a fist, he pressed it next to his lips as he coughed quietly. ¡°Lawyer Cai, is there a precedent in the United States for what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    Cai Sumin had worked as awyer for so many years, he didn¡¯t mind even if he was being openly insulted by someone else. He chuckled. ¡°Why does it matter if there¡¯s a precedent in the United States? As long as you¡¯re willing to do this favor, it¡¯s just a matter of lending a helping hand. Little Darling admires you more than anything, so she will certainly be obedient if she says so. Little Darling, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Tan Guiren quickly nodded. ¡°I would never run away! You can even lock me up with my Daddy and Mommy!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Tan Guiren and Cai Sumin both refused to give up on this idea, so he didn¡¯t care anymore. Dropping his white-gloved hands, Huo Shaoheng calmly asked Tan Guiren, ¡°Do you know what charges Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin were arrested on?¡±

    Tan Guiren bit her bottom lip as she contemted. ¡°Was it because my Daddymitted election fraud? As for my Mommy... I don¡¯t know what my Mommy did, but I don¡¯t think what you¡¯re saying can be true. My Mommy didn¡¯tunder money, bribe, or steal state secrets. She¡¯s a good person and would absolutely never do those things.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to stop Tan Guiren from continuing. ¡°Miss Tan, we must allow the courts to judge whether your parents have actually done those things. But right now they are being held on those charges. It¡¯s fine if you want to be locked up with them. You must sign and confess you are your parents¡¯ aplice, that you knew about everything they did. The natures of your crimes are consistent, so you¡¯re also an aplice. Only then would I be able to lock you up on the same floor as them.¡±

    Tan Guiren¡¯s eyes glittered but quickly dimmed. She was about to speak when Cai Sumin was already interrupting her with a huff and pointing at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, I really thought too highly of you! How could you lead an innocent and weak woman into a confession?! I will report you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng broke into a smile. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Lawyer Cai the one to actually make the suggestion just now? Could you also be leading a confession? Hehe, is coaxing your very own niece into going to jail any more noble a deed?¡±

    ¡°When did I ever coax Little Darling into going to jail!?¡± Cai Sumin could feel his blood pressure instantly rise, and his eardrums began to buzz. ¡°Don¡¯t make false usations!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed to the person beside him. ¡°Every action we¡¯ve made here has been entirely recorded by the recording device. That includes every word you said and every move you made. If you are still dissatisfied and need to lodge aint, I will provide you with theint hotline.¡±

    Cai Sumin¡¯s expression was instantly darker than the bottom of a pot. He had been awyer in the United States for over 30 years and had always been known for his good temper. Oftentimes he would anger the other party so badly, they wanted to stomp their feet, but he could still manage to chuckle. As a result, he earned the moniker of ¡°the smiling tiger.¡± But a few statements by Huo Shaoheng was actually enough to make him so angry he wanted to stomp his feet. Cai Sumin increased his vignce towards Huo Shaoheng once again. He didn¡¯t dare to underestimate him anymore.

    Tan Guiren finally mumbled, ¡°But I didn¡¯t conspire with my Mommy and Daddy, nor do I know what they did. How could I sign that? Wouldn¡¯t that be lying?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly, and he began to feel some impatience. However, he still managed to reply calmly, ¡°This was your Uncle¡¯s suggestion, so you should ask your Uncle. Goodbye,¡± he said and turned to walk away.

    He hadn¡¯t walked more than a few steps when Cai Shengnan rushed in through the doors of the VIP lounge. She jerked her head up to see Huo Shaoheng and froze for a second before instinctively saying, ¡°Major General Huo? Why are you here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and repliednguidly, ¡°Because your father is trying to coax your cousin into going to jail. I was trying to persuade him otherwise. You should also persuade your father when you have the chance. Although Miss Tan has nomon sense, it¡¯s impossible for your father to not have any. For him to dig a trap for his very own niece, that is truly...¡± He shook his head in disgust and appeared deeply regretful.

    Even Tan Guiren¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t help but swoon at those words. Did her Uncle really mean that? She discreetly sneaked a nce at Cai Sumin and was terrified by the furious expression on his face, so she quickly averted her eyes. After a little while, she couldn¡¯t help but look over at him again.

    Cai Sumin¡¯s anger red because of Tan Guiren¡¯s furtive and fearful nces. However, his sense of patience honed from years of working as awyer still prevailed. He suddenly chuckled out loud and said, ¡°Major General Huo is truly interesting. You have a great sense of humor. I admire it! There are very few people with your sense of humor in the Huaxia Empire nowadays!¡±

    ¡°Dad, what on earth is going on?¡± Cai Shengnan was even more confused, but the rms in her heart red when she looked at Huo Shaoheng, then looked at the delicate and shy expression on Tan Guiren¡¯s face.

    Cai Sumin said with a smile, ¡°I was merely making a joke earlier about asking Major General Huo to take Little Darling home, so that way she would be close to your Auntie and Uncle, haha. But Major General Huo misunderstood me and imed that I was coaxing your cousin into going to jail. Hahaha, that is too funny!¡± Although heughed happily, there wasn¡¯t a trace of amusement in his eyes.

    Cai Shengnan nearly passed out as soon as she heard this. Have Tan Guiren follow Huo Shaoheng home?! Wasn¡¯t that giving Tan Guiren the opportunity to be with Huo Shaoheng?! Was he actually her biological father or not!? How could he push the man she loved toward another woman...

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s rage rose from the depths of her heart, yet the smile on her face was soft. ¡°How could that be possible? Dad, you¡¯ve been practicing abroad for many years now, so you don¡¯t understand the rules of the Huaxia Empire. Auntie and Uncle must be held separately because of the crimes theymitted, so how could Cousin go there? Also, Auntie and Uncle are being detained by the Special Operations Forces. That¡¯s not a ce that just anyone can go to. Cousin doesn¡¯t have a permit, right?¡±

    Tan Guiren nodded, then said in an aggrieved tone, ¡°I don¡¯t have a permit and was originally hoping to beg Major General Huo to make an exception by allowing me to go in. Major General Huo asked me to sign before I was allowed to go in...¡±

    ¡°Sign what?! I won¡¯t agree to it, even if he allows you to go there!¡± Cai Shengnan suddenly panicked, so she quickly embraced Tan Guiren. ¡°Here,e stay with Cousin. Ignore these scumbag men!¡±

 Chapter 1109 - Motherf**ing Idio

    <h4>Chapter 1109 Motherf**ing Idio</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stop walking as he quickly left the Terminal 3 building inside the Imperial International Airport. Getting into his own vehicle, Huo Shaoheng rubbed his forehead andmanded, ¡°Return to the base.¡±They had made this trip for Cai Songyin. Huo Shaoheng could already sense that there was a subtle connection between these three people: Hong Kangquan, Tan Dongbang, and Cai Songyin. He connected them together, but he still couldn¡¯t figure out what this connection was, exactly. However, he instinctively knew that he must control these three people before he could continue digging any further.

    Huo Shaoheng became very vignt after Hong Kangquan had fled thest time. Tan Dongbang was taken away and detained by his own confidantes, right before his eyes. He had personally brought soldiers with him to arrest and detain Cai Songyin. The losses would be inestimable if even one of those three people disappeared. Fortunately, those three were being detained in the Special Operations Forces, so this connection could be drawn to shore now.

    ...

    It was already two in the morning when he returned to the base, and another day had passed. Huo Shaoheng walked up the stairs toward his bedroom. He and Gu Nianzhi lived on the second floor of his official residence. Their suites faced each other directly across the opposite ends of the hallway. When Huo Shaoheng opened the door to his suite, he turned to nce at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and discovered that he could still see a faint light from the crack under the door. She still hadn¡¯t gone to bed yet?

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it but chose to use his palm print to open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and walk inside. The light was from the branch-shaped floormp in the living room. Like a clump of reeds, it arched over the corner sofa. Gu Nianzhi was slumped on the sofa and hugged her panda pillow while sleeping peacefully.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly admired her sleeping face and after a while, he finally bent over to lift his hand and brush aside her long, tousled hair. Then he picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi still wore a ck military cotton T-shirt that was long enough to cover her legs as her pajamas. Her fair, rosy skin contrasted against the ck T-shirt in a uniquely beautiful way and was like a cactus flower blooming magnificently in the quiet night.

    After setting her down on the bed and covering her with a thin quilt, Huo Shaoheng pressed a kiss on her forehead. He was just about to leave when Gu Nianzhi groggily woke up. She had been waiting for Huo Shaoheng in the living room but didn¡¯t expect to fall asleep as she waited and waited.

    In her dream, she felt someonee in. She was about to be vignt, but she knew it was Huo Shaoheng when she felt the reassuring atmosphere in the air. Aside from him, no one else could give her this incredible sense of ease, even while she was dreaming.

    After he pressed a kiss on her forehead, she finally opened her eyes to take a look and grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Hurry up and go to bed. It¡¯s not good for your health to stay up every night...¡± As she spoke, she naturally embraced Huo Shaoheng and found afortable position in the crook of his arm before curling her legs and falling asleep again. Huo Shaoheng discreetly shifted his body outwards but didn¡¯t move his arm. He allowed her to sleep on him like that for half the night.

    Huo Shaoheng woke up as soon as it was 6am the next day. This was determined by his circadian rhythm. Quietly getting up from bed, he went out to exercise beforeing back at 7am to shower and have breakfast. Breakfast was served at 7:30am, and Gu Nianzhi was actually awake as well. She sat in the dining room to wait for Huo Shaoheng.

    When Huo Shaoheng arrived, Yin Shixiong was with him. He also had his own room inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, so he typically lived there whenever he wasn¡¯t on a mission. ¡°Nianzhi, good morning.¡± Yin Shixiong greeted her cheerfully.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Good morning, Brother Xiong. Good morning, Huo Shao.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted before taking a seat across from her and asking, ¡°Did you rest wellst night?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I slept more peacefully than ever before.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Huo Shaoheng with a smile. It was rare that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t toss her around when they slept together, so she had tomend him!

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and cut his steak without acknowledging her unspokenment. ¡°When do you n on going back to work at the Senate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi counted on her fingers as she said, ¡°There are still a few things I haven¡¯t finished, and I was also injured thest time. I have to rest for a few more days, since I don¡¯t want to deviate from the masses.¡±

    Pfft¨C! Yin Shixiong nearly sprayed coffee out of his mouth. ¡°You... deviate from the masses?!¡± Yin Shixiong was about to die fromughter.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at herself smugly. ¡°Of course. The masses typically need ten days to two weeks to recover from an injury, so of course I can¡¯t be too dramatic. Even if I don¡¯t take ten days to two weeks, I should at least take a week or so.¡± She didn¡¯t want other people to regard her as a freak, so she tried her best to align with the physiques of regr people.

    Huo Shaoheng used a fork to pick up another piece of cut steak and ate it. He only replied after swallowing it. ¡°Of course it¡¯s good for you to rest for a few more days. But Nianzhi, have you really decided to work at the Senate?¡± When he heard that Gu Nianzhi was going back to the Senate, that meant she would be signing a contract.

    Gu Nianzhi propped her head up on her hand and said with a frustrated expression, ¡°I really don¡¯t even know what I can do aside from that. I can also go work at aw firm, but I¡¯ve never really submitted any resumes. I don¡¯t want to give certain people the opportunity to insult me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°You can go work at the Senate for a while more, since you¡¯re only signing a contract, anyway. It¡¯s best if it¡¯s no longer than two years. You can always renegotiate the contract after two years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I understand now. I¡¯ll go tell Speaker Long that.¡±

    Yin Shixiong gave her a thumbs up from the side and used his other hand to casually switch on the TV. The morning news was actually broadcasting news about Japan. The Japanese Prime Minister and Emperor of Japan were imploring the newly elected Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire, Bai Jiancheng, to take action on their behalf. ¡°Prime Minister Bai, can you really bear to watch our frogmen soldiers perish at the bottom of the ocean like that?¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Bai, you are a noble and righteous hero withpassion and kindness in your heart. Saving just one life is more important than any other good deed, not to mention this would be the lives of over 200 people.¡±

    ¡°As a responsible, major nation, Prime Minister Bai must not want to leave an international impression that ¡®the Huaxia Empire is cruel, cold blooded, and ruthless.¡¯¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard that, she only wanted to say one thing¡ª¡±MDZZ!¡± (An acronym for ¡°motherf**ing idiot!¡±)

    ¡°If Prime Minister Bai actually answers the calls from Japan, I will feel despair for this world.¡± Gu Nianzhi stuffed a spoonful of congee into her mouth with great indignation.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stern gaze shed towards her. ¡°Don¡¯t open your mouth to speak while you¡¯re eating.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shut her mouth and finished the spoonful of congee before replyingzily, ¡°But speaking of which, those frogmen soldiers have pretty good endurance. Shouldn¡¯t their scuba tanks almost be depleted by now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch and replied calmly, ¡°Their scuba tanks can still hold out for another 18 hours, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    The violet electric arcs marked by the circle buoys had formed an electric fence. Since this was a fence, only the perimeter was important. It became even more powerful after receiving a charge, but this was only where the buoys were located. The voltage on the seafloor in the center of the circle of buoys was still slightly lower.

    Gu Nianzhi had once experienced electric shock in seawater. It was obviously painful¡ªlike tens of thousands of tiny needles as fine as hairs continuously pricking at her. However, they were still ¡°needles as fine as hairs¡± after all, so it wasn¡¯tpletely intolerable. Of course, the Japanese frogmen were truly impressive for refusing to die despite hiding on the seafloor under the circle of buoys for over 36 hours!

    ¡°Huo Shao, what do you want to do?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with curiosity. She originally assumed that Huo Shaoheng wouldmand his subordinates to kill off those Japanese frogmen.

    Huo Shaoheng finished eating his steak and gave her a half smile. ¡°What could I even do? The wonders of nature are so amazing, so I was even trapped there myself. Wouldn¡¯t they bring shame to theirmanding officer if they didn¡¯t get trapped there?¡±

    Yin Shixiong remarked strangely from the side, ¡°Yes, yes. Are their lives more precious than ours? If we were the ones in trouble, then they would only bow at a 90-degree angle to express their regret at most.¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s words were like a prophecy.

    Soon afterwards, Bai Jiancheng appeared on TV. This was the first time he was making a televised speech as the elected prime minister. ¡°Hello,dies and gentlemen, as well as the audiences watching on television. As everyone knows, Japan has implored me several times to help rescue their frogmen soldiers. This has caused me serious distress. My attitude towards Japan has been very obvious from beginning to end.

    ¡°In order to receive our help, I have three conditions. One, they must acknowledge their war crimes, apologize, and repent for the tens of millions of innocent citizens killed in the war. Formally give a written apology to our nation. The letter of apology must have the signatures of the current prime minister and the Emperor of Japan.

    ¡°Two, demolish the ****kuni Shrine. War criminals do not deserve to be worshiped, and bad people are still bad people even after they die. They won¡¯t be gods. Death cannot make a despicable person be noble.

    ¡°Three, return allnd and cultural relics stolen from the Huaxia Empire and make reparations for the losses suffered from the war.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng finished stating the three points before continuing, ¡°As for the experience faced by the Japanese frogmen troops, this is the Japanese government¡¯s own responsibility. They are trapped in Japan¡¯s maritime exclusive economic zone. The entire incident has no connection to our Huaxia Empire whatsoever, so these demands are inexplicable and bewildering.

    ¡°Our nation has been technically blocked by the internationalmunity for many years now, so we are a backwards, developing country. We do not have such advanced technological conditions to help your frogmen soldiers escape from the dangers of the wonders of nature. The only thing I can offer is my sincere condolences. I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±

    As Bai Jiancheng said this, he actually bowed. No one could find any fault in him.

 Chapter 1110 - Finally Ou

    <h4>Chapter 1110 Finally Ou</h4>

    When the news broke, it immediately caused an uproar as the first televised speech made by the newly elected Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire. His speech appeared to be aimed at one country in particr.The Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Prime Minister were informed that their cry for help had managed to elicit a reaction, so the two men had sat in the same room to watch the live broadcasted news.

    Both of the men looked awkward after having watching it.

    The Emperor of Japan was a rather short and small man. He appeared very kind and amiable, like an old, honest farmer you might find in Hokkaido. With a frown, he asked in a greatly aggrieved tone, ¡°Baisan-Kun, didn¡¯t you say that the Huaxia Empire could rescue our men from the violet electric sparks? Are you sure that they are capable of it? I think their Prime Minister¡¯s statements just now seemed to be made in earnest. The Huaxia Empire doesn¡¯t look to have the capability.¡±

    Baisan, the Prime Minister of Japan, looked doubtful. He squinted his eyes, then bowed as he replied, ¡°The Admiral of the Marine Corps was the one to say that the Huaxia Empire could do it. He was present at the time and witnessed the extremely powerful electric sparks appear near those buoys as soon as the Huaxia soldiers left the area where the buoys were floating. That is when our men were trapped in there...¡±

    The Emperor of Japan sighed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a shame our Chief Scientist passed away, or we would have been able to ask him the reason for this phenomenon.¡±

    Baisan nodded in agreement. ¡°As your Majesty says, it is unfortunate. The Chief Scientist only put out the buoys after seeking the advice of an expert, but somehow we still don¡¯t know where things went wrong. I am still leaning towards the possibility that the Huaxia Empire may bear some responsibility for the incident.

    ¡°...I remembered you telling me that our frogmen were equipped with underwater cameras to record the trespassing of Huaxia soldiers into the exclusive economic zone of our nation¡¯s waters. If you could get your hands on that recorded evidence, then we might directly forward it to the new Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire. Shouldn¡¯t that suffice to change his mind?¡±

    The Emperor of Japan was willing to seek help out of empathy for the situation his elite frogmen soldiers were in, and also because he heard what the Prime Minister and the Admiral of the Marine Corps had said. He knew that his men carried underwater cameras that could provide proof the Huaxia soldiers had a connection to the violet sparks.

    ¡°But they have not escaped from the ocean yet. How are we to get hold of the recordings?¡± Baisan replied in embarrassment, ¡°I still think we should rescue them from there before considering anything else.¡±

    ¡°Are their underwater cameras not capable of connecting to the inte? Even if the frogmen can¡¯t escape, why can they not directly send us the recorded clips, or upload them to a cloud drive?¡± The Emperor of Japan asked sharply.

    Baisan, the Prime Minister of Japan, grew even more embarrassed. After muttering under his breath for some time, he finally replied, ¡°...That ce was initially the site of a powerful maic field, and now it is the site of a powerful electrical field. Nowork signals can connect from under the water...¡±

    They had brought underwater cameras in there, taking the initiative to obtain undeniable evidence of the trespass. They had wanted to record the presence of Huaxian soldiers into their exclusive zone ¨C the Sea of Japan. However, they hadn¡¯t remembered to ount for the powerful maic and electrical field which then blocked theirwork signals...

    Now the elite frogmen soldiers were trapped in a circle of deadly electricity, making it such that they couldn¡¯t even present the evidence they had gone there to record.

    ¡°We can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± The Emperor of Japan replied calmly, ¡°Go back and discuss this with them, then send personnel there to try and a break-in. As long as there is a chance we might get our hands on the video evidence, the Huaxia Empire will step in. They care about appearances more than anything, and they can¡¯t afford to lose any face.¡±

    ¡°Hai! Your Majesty is wise!¡± Baisan bowed deeply to his emperor.

    After leaving the Imperial Pce, Prime Minister Baisan immediately went to the Admiral of the Marine Corps to discuss sending personnel to break into the circle of violet electric sparks.

    He thought they ought to be able to break through the circle as long as they wore insted diving suits.

    The two men discussed the situation well into the wee hours of the night. They finally selected several soldiers who were the best at swimming, and who possessed the most powerful bodies. Equipped with the best insting diving suits in the world, they put on huge scuba packs to dive into the bottom of the ocean, to attempt to break through the circle of violet electric sparks.

    It was a beautifully sunny spring day.

    The turquoise blue sea reflected the sparks of electricity that glimmered like brilliant lighting and truly appeared to be a wondrous phenomenon of nature.

    If they hadn¡¯t witnessed the Huaxia soldiers escaping from here, they would have likely believed the lies being circted by the Huaxia Empire.

    However, the Japanese were the only ones to be skeptical of the Huaxia Empire. All the other countries on Blue had believed that it was a naturally urring phenomenon, and were all rather baffled by the Japanese government¡¯s insistent pleas for assistance to the Huaxia government.

    However, the entire Blue would no longer believe that the sparks were a ¡°wonder of nature,¡± if the Japanese were able to get their hands on the evidence that they had secretly recorded under the water.

    ¡°Go forth. His Majesty has vested in you his high expectations and hopes that you can ovee the current difficulties to bypass the electric vortex to retrieve the cameras. If you are sessful, we might be able to save ourselves.¡±

    The Admiral of the Marine Corps stood with his giant belly protruding and bowed as he shook hands with each soldier who was about to go into the water.

    Everyone looked highly nervous as they stood on the warship, and waved their hands to send off all the soldiers who had already gone into the water.

    Song Jinning was on a research ship on the other side of the electric circle. Dispassionately, she watched as the Japanese divers jumped into the water. She wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest.

    The truth was the sparks could notst forever because there were no existing energy resources to support it. Once the energy transformed by the powerful maic field waspletely spent, the powerful electric field would naturally wane as well.

    Still, this waning period wouldst for a long time. From the initial estimates, there were still about 500 years to go.

    These frogmen could do nothing. If they asked the heavens for another 500 years, perhaps they might emerge alive.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t feel an ounce of guilt. The Japanese had no one but themselves to me. In their attempt to harm others they had brought harm upon themselves.

    If they hadn¡¯t created the super-powerful maic field there to trap Huo Shaoheng and his men, then Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi would have never have thought of the idea to transform the maic field into an electric field, to attack the Japanese with their own weapon.

    If the maic field had not been as powerful as it had been, then the electric field wouldn¡¯t take 500 years to wane.

    Song Jinning wore sunsses as she stood inside the cabin and looked in a daze out at the waters where the violet sparks were running rampant.

    Song Jinning badly wanted to know how the Japanese were able to create such a powerful maic field.

    Energy cannot appear out of thin air ¨C it could only be transformed from one form to another. Yet the powerful maic field truly seemed to have appeared out of thin air in this instance.

    Song Jinning was extremely curious, however, after observing the area for several days, she observed that the Japanese weren¡¯t working methodically at all. It had not seemed to her like they had truly mastered the source of the energy.

    It seemed far more likely that someone had helped them create the super-powerful maic field, but they had not yet mastered the handling of it. So after the maic field was transformed into an electric field, they didn¡¯t know how to deal with it at all. This was why they continued to shamelessly plead to the Huaxia Empire for their help and assistance.

    Although Song Jinning understood the theory, she didn¡¯t know how to eliminate such a powerful electric field either.

    Further, it was easy to transform a maic field into an electric field, but it was conversely very difficult to transform an electric field to a maic field. Electric shocks would be lethal, although maic fields did not kill.

    This was the key point.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s move truly left no room for escape...

    A subtle smile appeared on the corner of Song Jinning¡¯s lips.

    She didn¡¯t think that Gu Nianzhi had been too harsh. On the contrary, Song Jinning found it wasn¡¯t too extreme to watch the deaths of the Japanese people who had attempted to murder her son.

    Watching the Japanese soldiers in their insting suits as they jumped into the water, Song Jinning took out her binocrs to observe them more closely.

    She was curious to learn if wearing insting suits would be an effective defense against the violet electric sparks.

    After all, Huo Shaoheng his men had left the buoyed area before the violet electric arcs had appeared.

    The calm ocean waves gently bobbed up and down as the grey silhouettes of the divers stretched out their limbs. Swimming like fishes, they got deeper and closer to the violet electric circle.

    The Admiral of the Marine Corps watched the surface of the water keenly, on edge.

    Suddenly, bursts of electricity erupted from the violet electric circle and a ckened corpse floated away. It was pushed outside the violet electric circle by the ocean currents.

    Soon afterward, another series of electric shocks exploded from a different spot within the violet electric circle and another burnt corpse floated to the surface.

    The Admiral of the Marine Corps¡¯ expression fell, and he immediatelymanded personnel to retrieve the corpses from the water.

    After a quick inspection of the bodies, they confirmed that the two corpses were two of the personnel who had just gone into the water. The insted suits on their bodies had appeared to have instantly melted from the high electrical voltage.

    It was truly a horrifying sight to see.

    Not long after, all ten of the Japanese Marine Corps soldiers they had sent in, d in insted diving suits, had all perished to a man.

    The Japanese on the warship cried out in pain and thumped their chests hard, crying hard. Their hearts had been broken.

    Song Jinning set down her binocrs in satisfaction before recording her observations in a notebook.

    ¡°The electric fence was exactly as powerful as we predicted. Currently, insted diving suits are unable to break through the electrical barrier at all. This type of electricity appears to have a defense rating and a reliability rating of AAA+.¡±

    ¡°Notify the captain that we may return now.¡± Song Jinning put away her science equipment and hummed a cheery tune. There was no need to conduct further observation in the area, as she was confident that the Japanese would be unable to enter. In a few more hours, the oxygen in the frogmen¡¯s scuba equipment would be depleted.

    If she continued to look on, she would be scolded for watching the tragedy unfold.

    Ten hourster, all the TV nations on Blue were broadcasting the breaking news updates, reported first on Japanese TV stations. The Japanese elite frogmen soldiers had finally escaped the violet electric circle.

    However, they all floated away from it as ckened corpses. Over two hundred men had been killed in action.

    Of course, such shocking footage had been censored. Everyone could only see images on their TV screens that were censored by mosaics, and they allmented the loss of life.

    The newly elected Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire, Bai Jiancheng was the first to call in to express his sincere condolences. Although in truth, he had already expressed his condolences before his call...

    ...

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Yin Shining were having dinner in the dining room.

    They also had a wall-mounted TV on the opposite wall, and Gu Nianzhi frowned, ¡°Are they trying to make me lose my appetite or something?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong kept silent, but they both set down their cutlery to watch the TV report intently.

    Soon afterward, the TV camera panned to the Japanese Imperial Pce, the residence of the Emperor.

    The Emperor of Japan had a sad expression on his face and was in the middle of giving a speech to console his citizens. In particr, he expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased frogmen.

    ¡°The Emperor of Japan looks quite serene.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally dared to look at the TV and couldn¡¯t help but remark upon it.

    Huo Shaoheng kept his head down, as he calmly cut up his steak, and replied, ¡°The current Emperor of Japan is quite interesting, he once said that there are only four dates that he would absolutely not forget in his heart, June 23rd, August 6th, August 9th, and August 15th.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Do these four dates have some special meanings?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, curious.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t respond, so Yin Shixiong chimed in.

    He replied gruffly, ¡°June 23rd was when the battle of Okinawa ended, which also signified the end of the Pacific War.¡±

    ¡°August 6th was the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.¡±

    ¡°August 9th was the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.¡±

    ¡°August 15th was the day Japan was defeated and surrendered. However, the Japanese don¡¯t consider themselves as having been defeated. They simply view it as the day the war ended. This ispletely different from how we understand defeat and surrender.¡±

    ¡°You see, none of these dates signify an anniversary of the immense pain the Japanese inflicted on the people of other countries, these are all anniversaries of the pain suffered by the Japanese themselves.¡±

    ¡°And these painful memories were allpletely brought on upon themselves.¡± Yin Shixiong fists thudded into the table heavily, ¡°They don¡¯t have a desire to repent, that¡¯s exactly how the Japanese are.¡±

    ¡°Which country did they cause any less pain than the pain they suffered themselves in turn? As expected, if you don¡¯t treat the people of other countries as human, you start to believe that only your countrymen¡¯s lives hold value.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°I take back what I said, there is something wrong with the Emperor of Japan. It¡¯s no wonder their citizens ended up fish food.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t need to pay heed to what they say.¡± Huo Shaoheng finished eating thest piece of steak on his te and continued calmly, ¡°We need only do what we have to do. We should rather die than do things that we don¡¯t have a moral justification to do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shining nodded together, ¡°Understood, Huo Shao.¡±

    After dinner, Huo Shaoehng and Yin Shixiong went to watch Hong Kangquan¡¯s interrogation video, while Gu Nianzhi returned to her room. No sooner has she started to read over the Senate exam questions Huo Shaoheng had given her when she heard her phone ring.

    When she grabbed her phone to take a look, she saw it was He Zhichu who was calling her.

 Chapter 1111 - Too Much Money

    <h4>Chapter 1111 Too Much Money</h4>

    ¡°Professor He, have you eaten dinner yet? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re just drinking red wine again...¡± Gu Nianzhi held the phone up as she loungedzily on the couch.She was feeling a little stuffed, right after dinner.

    All her blood was in her stomach digesting food, so she was feeling rather lethargic.

    He Zhichu looked at the ss of red wine in his hand and set it down gently, ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten. Have you had dinner yet?¡±

    ¡°I just ate, I¡¯m feeling so sleepy.¡± Gu Nianzhi yawned. ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡±

    He Zhichu paused as he looked out into the night through his window, and asked, ¡°Where are you right now?¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi knew perfectly well it was none of his business whether she was with Huo Shaoheng or not, still, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of guilt at the unexpected question.

    Uneasily, she adjusted herself on the couch and answered softly. ¡°...I¡¯m ...I¡¯m at Huo Shao¡¯s official residence.¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes as he suppressed his feelings, consigning them to the back of his mind before continuing, ¡°Alright. Do you know where the violet electric sparks between the Japanese Sea and Huaxia waters originated from?¡±

    Gu Nianzi said nothing.

    She had not expected that He Zhichu would question her about the matter.

    After hesitating for a while she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Does Professor He know?¡±

    ¡°Do you not think that the violet electric sparks are rather simr to the blue hole¡¯s waters on the Caribbean Sea?¡±

    He Zhichu turned on hisputer to pull up a photo of the violet electric sparks seen on the blue hole¡¯s waters within the Caribbean Sea. He took a screenshot of a picture showing the violet electrical sparks between the Japan Sea and the Huaxia waters.

    He put the two photos side by side on hisputer monitor. If one didn¡¯t pay attention to the surrounding details in each photo, they might well assume that these were simply photos of the same location, taken from different angles.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up from the couch and tried to recall the violet electric sparks at the waters of the blue hole on the Caribbean Sea. She mused out loud, ¡°It does seem pretty simr in appearance, but doesn¡¯t all lightning look the same?¡±

    ¡°That would be lightning thates from the sky. Do you know how much energy is required to create this many violet electric sparks on the ocean¡¯s surface?¡± He Zhichu scoffed. He shut off hisputer.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart jolted.

    Professor He was somehow able to immediately deduce that the generation of the violet electric sparks required massive amounts of energy.

    Song Jinning had been the one to tell her about the powerful energy present in the maic field. It was only then that Gu Nianzhi hade up with the idea of transforming the maic field into an electrical one.

    If it weren¡¯t for that immensely strong maic field that had been there to begin with, there was no way Gu Nianzhi would have been able to transform it into an electric field that was powerful enough to generate violet electric sparks.

    So at the crux of the matter was a question. Where had the Japanese gotten a hold of such a powerful maic field?

    Gu Nianzhi considered this before questioning He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, do you know what kind of energy could generate an electric field as potent as this? Where could such immense energye from?¡±

    Her words went straight to the point.

    He Zhichu rubbed at his temples before replying quietly, ¡°You¡¯d have to ask the Japanese to answer that question.¡± He paused, then finally gave voice his worries, ¡°Nianzhi, you have to be on your guard regarding your safety for the next little while. If something happens and you have to leave Huo Shaoheng, you can give me a call. I¡¯lle to stay with you.¡±

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were probably the only people who could guarantee Gu Nainzhi¡¯s safety.

    Gu Nianzhi grew anxious, ¡°Professor He, do you know something? You shouldn¡¯t hide things at a time like this, you know? If you don¡¯t let me in on the truth and I¡¯m left in the dark, it might lead to the kind of situation, where idents are most likely to happen.¡±

    Gu Nainzhi would never force He Zhichu to say anything he didn¡¯t want to say, but this time He Zhichu had clearly hinted that Gu Nianzhi could be facing mortal danger. Gu Nianzhi felt like she had the right to know everything that might cause her life to be endangered.

    If He Zhichu continued to beat around the bush, he would be putting her life at risk.

    He could very well have chosen to say nothing at all. What could his intentions be, why had he only told her half the truth?

    Gu Nianzhi began to grow unhappy.

    She got up from the couch and held her phone sitting in front of theputer, ¡°Professor He, you must have some clues if you are mention such things?¡±

    He grew silent before continuing, ¡°Have you been paying any attention to the progress of yourmissionedwsuit in Japan?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened for a second, ¡°Whatwsuit?¡± As she spoke, she suddenly recalled it. ¡°Oh, I back when I got my Americanw firm to go to Japan and file my suit regarding the illegal gifting of funds and tracing of my fortune!¡±

    ¡°Right, you still remember that? I was thinking that you were such an airhead that you managed to forget about a fortune of 15 billion USD.¡± He Zhichu snickered, ¡°Smith and his legal team have been in Japan for almost two months now, but you¡¯ve already forgotten them sopletely?¡±

    ¡°How could I forget!¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a giggle, ¡°I remember, but I haven¡¯t gotten any updates from them ofte. I just assumed everything was normal. No news is good news.¡±

    He Zhichu sighed. ¡°They told me that the case will be ending soon. They think they have a very high chance of winning the case, so they are thinking of asking you to bring them to dinner after thewsuit is concluded.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem!¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed quickly, ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll have to treat them if they win the case!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes werepletely serious, ¡°This is what I wanted you to be careful about.¡±

    ¡°...Professor He, are you joking?¡± Gu Nianzhi grew upset, ¡°You¡¯re asking me to be careful about something as trivial as that? You¡¯re worried that I¡¯ll be crushed having too much money?¡±

    He Zhichu paused. He could detect the anger in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone, and had no choice but to continue gently, ¡°Humans will die for money. Do you understand? Think about it, wouldn¡¯t it be an easy thing for them to request the case be overturn and refuse to return the money in the eventuality of your death? These people will be prepared to do anything for the sake of 15 billion USD.¡±

    So that was what he was talking about. Gu Nianzhi sighed, relieved. ¡°I¡¯m not scared, if the Angels on Earth charity dares to make a move against me, I¡¯ll make sure they will regret it!¡±

    He Zhichu smiled slightly. ¡°I believe that you have the ability to make them regret it, but while it may be easy to dodge a spear in the light, it¡¯s harder to avoid an arrow that¡¯s shot in the dark. Who knows how far they will go? It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Professor He. Thank you for your warning.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. She began browsing the inte and ended the call with He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu quietly sighed as he looked at the disconnected call on his phone.

    He didn¡¯t know how long more he couldst, but as long as he was around for even one more day... He refused to allow Gu Nianzhi to repeat the same fate she had experienced in the past.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had watched the entirety of the taped interrogation of Hong Kangquan. When it finished, they both shook their head in unison.

    Even though Hong Kangquan had already fallen into such straits, his lips were kept tightly shut. As expected of someone with a military background, not to mention the Director of the Secret Service.

    He was more adept than the interrogation personnel at ying games of reverse interrogation and reverse reconnaissance.

    He either pretended to be deaf and mute to all the questions or shook his head and pled ignorance. He insisted he was being framed since he had never done anything to harm the nation or its citizens.

    Even when the interrogator brought out video evidence of Hong Kangquan meeting with Japanese spies, as well as footage of the location that the Special Operations Forces personnel had gone to in order to retrieve him from the Japanese, he kept insisting he had been held hostage by the Japanese.

    ¡°What about this person, was he also murdered by the Japanese?¡± In the recording, the young Special Operations Forces personnel put a photo of the murdered airport policeman in front of Hong Kangquan. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, there are surveince cameras in here too!¡±

    Hong Kangquannguidly eyed the interrogation personnel, and replied in a calm voice, ¡°He was indeed murdered by a Japanese person. I was taken hostage by the Japanese and kept attempting to escape from them. But then I was rescued by Major General Huo afterward. I think the misunderstandings between us cannot be resolved in so short a period of time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that the evidence ispelling so you won¡¯t be able to just weasel your way out of it.¡± The personnel concluded the first round of interrogations and ordered someone to bring Hong Kangquan back to detention.

    The interrogation footage ended and Huo Shaoheng thought for a while, before deciding to try another method to get Hong Kangquan to talk.

    He found information about the murdered Weibo blogger on hisputer and printed out a few photos, personally taking them downstairs to the interrogation room. He sat down and said, ¡°Bring Hong Kangquan in here.¡±

    Hong Kangquan had just fallen asleep when he was dragged out for the second interrogation, so his body and mind were still recalibrating.

    Such a sudden interrogation was a true test of someone¡¯s mental strength.

    When most people were sleep-deprived, so they would confess to anything if asked, ¡®Yes, yes, yes... Ok, ok, ok, ... Let me sleep some more,¡¯ they would say.

    However, Hong Kangquan seemed to be able to fully wake up from the moment he followed his handlers to the interrogation room.

    Hong Kangquan finally cracked a grin when he saw Huo Shaoheng sitting in the interrogation seat, ¡°Shaoheng, you finally came here yourself. I¡¯ve already said it so many times before, I have not betrayed my country. I was being taken hostage, so why won¡¯t your people believe me?¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed the photo of the corpse of Lu Dayong, the Weibo blogger who wrote ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden¡¯ toward Hong Kangquan. ¡°Tell me, do you recognize this person?¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1112 - Confess Himself

    <h4>Chapter 1112 Confess Himself</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng remained expressionless as he sat in front of Hong Kangquan, staring at him in silence.Hong Kangquan had anticipated and prepared for all sorts of possible scenarios. So much so that even in the event of his being arrested in person by Huo Shaoheng, he was still unwilling to ept his detention, and would not surrender. Hong Kangquan was nning tounch his own attack, to drag Huo Shaoheng down with him.

    To that end, he had saved an ace up his sleeve.

    Even so, he almost lost control of his heartbeat when he saw the photos of the corpse of Lu Dayong, the Weibo blogger who had written ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden¡¯.

    In order to keep hisposure, he bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. The piercing pain was enough to get him lucid enough to stay calm. In truth, however, he felt like he had seen a ghost and waspletely shocked.

    He had never expected that Huo Shaoheng would somehow have the photos of that man, or that he would have brought them there in order to interrogate him.

    Hong Kangquan rapidly called to mind what had happened, but he was positive that he had pulled it off wlessly. It was impossible for Huo Shaoheng to prove that he was linked to that incident.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s heart rate soon slowed back into normalcy, and his eyes moved away from the photo. He frowned, ¡°Who is this person? Why are you showing it to me? Is he dead?¡±

    Of course, he was dead.

    This was probably the very photo ever taken of the Weibo blogger who had written ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden¡¯.

    His limbs syed in strange angles as hey prone on the surface of a red brick pathway. A puddle of blood was pooled by the top of his head and his wide-open staring eyes were extremely disconcerting.

    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize him?¡± Huo Shaoheng rapped on the table with his slender and well-manicured hands. ¡°Think it over again.¡±

    ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t know who this man is, even if I thought about it a hundred times more.¡± Hong Kangquan spread his hands, ¡°You won¡¯t beat me into confessing, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lips curled, ¡°If you don¡¯t know who he is, then why did you go looking for him?¡± As he spoke, Huo Shaoheng brought over a report that had recorded Hong Kangquan¡¯s whereabouts on that day. He set it before Hong Kangquan, ¡°Does this look familiar?¡±

    Hong Kangquan looked down and concealed a sh of panic in his eyes. He read the timestamps printed on the report and shook his head nkly, feigningpletely cluelessness. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with this, what is it? Why are you showing this to me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back against the chair, folding his hands together. He rested his elbows on the armrests of the chair as he looked on silently at Hong Kangquan, the intensity of his gaze gradually increasing, ¡°Not familiar? This is aplete record of your whereabouts on that day, as transmitted by the tracking chip in your body. Hong Kangquan, are you saying you doubt the uracy of your tracking chip?¡±

    ¡°Look at your route. When you left home, you went to the gay bar. You then left the gay bar from the back door, taking the subway to an apartmentplex near the Fourth Ring Rod where you then finally stopped at the door of this person¡¯s apartment. And then you went into the apartment...¡±

    Hong Kangquan jerked his head up finally and red fiercely at Huo Shaoheng. He could no longer hide the shock he was experiencing.

    How could this be?

    His tracking chip had been modified by the four-lined AI programmingnguage a long time ago, by a certain someone.

    Every time he did something of dubious legality, he had only needed to send amand to the Central Control System and the four-lined AI programming code would automatically hide his whereabouts.

    He had used it multiple times without ever running into trouble.

    Had Huo Shaoheng somehow been able to expose the interference of the four-lined AI programming code?

    This was absolutely impossible.

    Even if it were Zhao Liangze, theputer genius of the Special Operations Forces, he would have been unable to unearth the perfectly hidden four-lined AI programming code.

    Hong Kangquan also knew that Zhao Liangze had been ¡°exiled¡± abroad by Huo Shaoheng after he had offended him.

    How could Huo Shaoheng possibly know about something that even Zhao Liangze had failed to detect?

    Or was there another expert in the Special Operations Forces he had failed to take into ount?

    It could be said that finding the four-lined AI programmingnguage within the Central Control System¡¯s programs was akin to searching for four droplets of distilled water that had been ced into the vast ocean.

    Who could separate four drops of distilled water from the sea itself?

    Upon considering the probability of such a feat, it was absolutely impossible!

    No, he could not really believe that Huo Shaoheng and his men were capable of discovering such an advanced four-lined AI programming code. Hong Kangquan naturally assumed Huo Shaoheng was simply bluffing. So he denied everything vehemently.

    ¡°Major General Huo, you shouldn¡¯t waste your efforts. Your methods of bluffing were taught by me, do you think I¡¯d fall for it?¡±

    ¡°You want to frame me for murder by the mere fabrication of a schedule? You¡¯d better check to see if the Military Court will agree with your actions!¡±

    Hong Kangquan angrily pounded on the table, ¡°I demand to see General Ji! I demand to see Speaker Long! Don¡¯t you dare use your official power to settle our private matters!¡±

    The amusement grew in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, as he leaned forward slightly in order to reply calmly, ¡°Hong Kangquan, I haven¡¯t even said anything yet. How do you know that this was a murder?¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s expression instantly fell. His entire body shook uncontrobly, such that even his teeth chattered loudly as he immediately lost his ability to speak.

    His pupils were erged, breath quickening as his face turned purple, his eyeballs almost seeming to pop out of their sockets. It was exactly the appearance of someone who was exceedingly nervous.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to cross his leg slowly and taking the time to enjoy the rapid change in Hong Kangquan¡¯s expression, ¡°Even the police had not said that he was murdered, so why are you so certain that this was a murder case? Hmm? Could you know more about it than the police do? Could you share your knowledge with the police?¡±

    Hong Kangquan was nearly provoked into madness by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s unhurried questioning.

    He was far too anxious.

    Huo Shaoheng was truly an expert at taking full advantage of someone¡¯s weakened mental state.

    He personally captured Huo Kangquan alive, an act that had already broken through the man¡¯s firstyer of psychological defense.

    After a day of exhausting interrogations, Huo Shaoheng then suddenly threw out a photo of the corpse of Lu Dayong, the Weibo blogger who had written ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden,¡¯ even though his death appeared unconnected to Hong Kangquan.

    The tactic had taken Hong Kangquan by surprise, and so Huo Shaoheng had rapidly broken past the secondyer of Hong Kangquan¡¯s psychological defense.

    He then threw out the record of Hong Kangquan¡¯s whereabouts from that day and hinted that there was something wrong with the four-lined AI programming code that Hong Kangquan was most reliant on.

    This final blow not only breached thestyer of Hong Kangquan¡¯s psychological defenses but also made him fall headfirst into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s carefullyid psychological trap. Hong Kangquan¡¯s had long nned to use his own fabricated truth as a counterattack to Huo Shaoheng.

    When he called Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hidden bluff, however, he had ended up exposing himself.

    Huo Shaoheng sneered at Hong Kangquan, disdainful as a cat hunting a mouse. He was even more cunning than a cat hunting a mouse!

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even need to say anything before Hong Kangquan had blurted out the truth himself!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Hong Kangquan struggled desperately to regain ground, ¡°I was only making a logical inference! Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t think you can rece me just like this! You¡¯ve done all of this because you want to get rid of me, but I shan¡¯t give you the chance to rece me!¡±

    ¡°Hong Kangquan, you should know that today¡¯s interrogation is also being recorded in audio and video formats. If you continue to contradict yourself, you will only expose even more holes in your story.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face turned stony and he ceased his banter with Hong Kangquan, ¡°The murder of this Weibo blogger is just one of the many crimes you havemitted.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know this person. This was the first day I¡¯ve ever seen him.¡± Hong Kangquan denied vehemently, ¡°You brought out this gory photo of his corpse, then you imed I went to his apartment. Were you not implying that I had murdered him? This was clearly a logical inference, how can you pin it on me like this?!¡±

    ¡°Logical inference? How many people would see a photo of the corpse of someone they don¡¯t know then naturally assume they were getting framed for murder? Hong Kangquan, you have been defeated by your own cunning.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around in his chair expressionlessly before facing therge screen disy in the interrogation room, ¡°You see there the surveince footage sent in by the police. See it? That person standing at the door of Lu Dayong¡¯s apartment was you.¡±

    Hong Kangquan immediately shot back, ¡°It was me? Do you have any evidence? Did you measure that person¡¯s height? Do you even have eyes? As I expected, you are indeed plotting to frame me!¡±

    The person in the video was obviously muchrger and taller than Hong Kangquan himself. If someone saw the person in the video, they would never link him to Hong Kangquan.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm and steady gaze shifted before finally falling on Hong Kangquan¡¯s body ¨C he was already so anxious he had started to tremble faintly.

    ...

 Chapter 1113 - Canâ€™t Hide It Anymore

    <h4>Chapter 1113 Can¡°t Hide It Anymore</h4>

    From reports generated by the official police investigation, the man who appeared at Lu Dayong¡¯s apartment door was about 1.8 meters in height. This man got into a dispute with Lu Dayong at the entrance. The man was initially suspected to likely be a debt collector from an online loanpany.However, the police had conducted a thorough investigation of all the creditors who had made online loans to Lu Dayong and it was determined no debt collectors from them were sent to Lu Dayong¡¯s home on that day.

    So they had ruled out the man being sent by an online loanpany.

    Yet this did not rule out debt collectors from private loanpanies.

    That kind of lending business was illegal, so they certainly wouldn¡¯te up to the police and confess they had sent someone there.

    The case had eventuallye to the point that it was already considered by most to be a ¡°cold case,¡± by then. It would likely have lost any chance of a follow up within a few years.

    However the appearance of Hong Kangquan had served as a clue, and the case had resurfaced along with a fresh possibility of solving it.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Hong Kangquan with a smile. He appeared highly confident as he asked evenly, ¡°Height? Body? Hong Kangquan, you disappoint me. Are such indications able to determine someone¡¯s identity?¡±

    Hong Kangquan appeared perplexed. ¡°You only have to look at the height and body of this person to know it wasn¡¯t me. I¡¯m not gay either, so I¡¯ve never been to this gay bar as you are iming. With so many discrepancies, how can you go on insisting that it¡¯s me? Huo Shaoheng, I know that I¡¯ve never treated you poorly, so why do you persist in targeting me? Do you even know what you¡¯re doing? You really think that you can rest easy in a high position just by dragging me down?¡±

    He pointed to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s seat and appeared increasingly agitated like he hade across a lost sheep and was earnestly seeking to correct it from its wayward path.

    Huo Shaoheng lifted his hand in a nonchnt gesture, ¡°Hong Kangquan, there is no need for you to change the topic. We are discussing whether it is possible to prove whether or not the man in the surveince footage is you. We are not discussing our personal rtionship.¡±

    ¡°It was never me, to begin with! I have never even been to this ce before!¡± Hong Kangquan protested, continuing to swear that he had never been there.

    Huo Shaoheng took back the report detailing Hong Kangquan¡¯splete whereabouts that day and responded, as calmly as before, ¡°The surveince footage indicates that you did, in fact, visit those ces. It doesn¡¯t matter if you deny it, the court will only look at the evidence. All murderers may im that they are innocent, and if their one-sided testimonies can earn the court¡¯s credulity, why would there be a need for thew?¡±

    ¡°Even if you have this evidence, it¡¯s nothing but circumstantial evidence!¡± Hong Kangquan red viciously and spitefully at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°So what if I went to those ces? The man who appeared at the apartment wasn¡¯t me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you we¡¯re going to need to prove whether or not that person was you.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand behind him, ¡°Come in.¡±

    A technician in a whiteb coat and surgical face mask walked into the interrogation room, carrying a medical kit.

    Huo Shaoheng tilted his chin in Hong Kangquan¡¯s direction. ¡°This is him. Take his blood sample for a DNA test.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do?!¡± Hong Kangquan was so frightened that he stood up and raised his arms to prevent the technician froming any closer. ¡°Why are you testing my DNA?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m verifying your identity.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up at Hong Kangquan with amusement in his eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t think that we will merely use our eyes to assess the video surveince in order to determine whether that person was you or not?¡±

    ¡°In modern society, ¡®seeing is believing¡¯ has already be pass¨¦.¡± Huo Shaoheng also stood up. ¡°The eyes can lie, the ears can lie, and even the consciousness can lie. Your DNA is the only thing that will never lie.¡±

    ¡°You actually have that person¡¯s DNA?¡± Hong Kangquan looked at Huo Shaoheng in surprise. ¡°You can¡¯t use tricks like this to misdirect and shift the me.¡¯¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back, his figure ramrod straight as he replied easily, ¡°Of course. The police have all the records.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Hong Kangquan shot back, ¡°That person¡¯s apartment was burnt to the ground on the same day, so where would all the clues have been found? Even if there was DNA, it would have been burned away a long time ago.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Another clue. Thank you for providing it to us. It seems like you are very familiar with the crime scene.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°I watched it on the news. The case was also on Weibo...¡±

    ¡°Oh? You were following this case so intently? And you carefully read all the facts of the case that the police announced?¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly continued,ying a trap for Hong Kangquan.

    Hong Kangquan had no choice but to continue with this line of questioning, and he spat out an admission, ¡°Of course, the case was very sensational...¡±

    ¡°Really? But just earlier youpletely denied knowing anything about this case and also said that you didn¡¯t know who Lu Dayong was at all.¡± Huo Shaoheng curled his lips ¡°Actually if you had mentioned that you knew who this person from the very beginning and that you had learned of the case from the inte, everything would have made sense. It¡¯s a shame, such a shame...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head with a pitying expression as if they weren¡¯t discussing a murder case but instead, in the middle ofpeting in a television game show where Hong Kangquan had just lost the top prize because of a slip of the tongue.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s face drained of all color before flushing again, the corners of lips twitched and he was unable to utter a single word in response.

    Huo Shaoheng waved at the technician. ¡°Take his blood.¡±

    The person in the whiteb coat walked over holding arge needle.

    Two other Special Operations Forces personnel came in and secured Hong Kangquan to the chair, and then rolled up his shirt sleeve, allowing the doctor to take one full vial of blood.

    Hong Kangquan screamed at the top of his lungs, ¡°Huo Shaoheng! You framed me! All this evidence doesn¡¯t prove anything!¡±

    ¡°This is material evidence.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the needle in the doctor¡¯s hand. ¡°I must go interrogate the witness now.¡±

    ¡°Witness? Who?¡± Hong Kangquan froze. He thought frantically about the impossibility, how there could be a witness ¨C for wasn¡¯t Lu Dayong already dead?

    ¡°Cai Songyin.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around as the corners of his lips curled up, out of Hong Kangquan¡¯s sight.

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s vision turned to static, as he finally realized the entirety of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s abilities.

    Like an expert animal trainer, the coiled rope he held dangling in the air as he lured the captured animals into jumping through it, one by one.

    ...

    After Huo Shaoheng left Hong Kangquan¡¯s interrogation room, he sat down in another interrogation room that was right next door. He ordered, ¡°Bring Cai Songyin in.¡±

    Lu Dayong, the dead Weibo blogger who had written ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden¡¯ was the link connecting Cai Songyin to Hong Kangquan.

    Cai Songyin walked inside with pursed lips, and a face bare of makeup. She looked much older than she did when wearing cosmetics.

    Huo Shaoheng coldly stared at her for a while. Then pointing to the seat across from him, he said, ¡°Mrs. Tan, please have a seat.¡±

    ¡°I do not im that name. Please call me Cai Songyin instead.¡± Cai Songyin tilted her head as she sat across from Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I have already decided to divorce Tan Dongbang. I will no longer be Mrs. Tan.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no interest in Cai Songyin or Tan Dongbang¡¯s marriage. He looked down at the report on Cai Songyin¡¯s interrogation that day. Then he replied, ¡°Cai Songyin, the issues with yourpany¡¯s books are not within our jurisdiction. We are only intending to investigate your collusion with the Japanese your betrayal of the nation.¡±

    The previously calm Cai Songyin instantly exploded. She pushed her hands against the table and her entire body leaped up like a spring. ¡°What?! Get your facts straight! When have I ever colluded with the Japanese?!¡±

    There was some truth to her colluding with the Americans.

    The Japanese on the other hand?

    As if they were worthy of her collusion!

    The ancestors of the Cai family had fought many battles with the Japanese in the war, and many of the members of the family had died. It was no exaggeration to say that her family felt a nationalistic enmity towards the Japanese.

    That Huo Shaoheng was using her of having colluded with the Japanese?

    He might as well have stabbed her with a knife and killed her.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t collude with them? Your partner, Hong Kangquan was cooperating happily with the Japanese...¡± Huo Shaoheng put his elbows on the table, folded his hands together, and then rested his chin on them. He gave Cai Songyin a suggestive look as he goaded, ¡°From thest election to this current election, you have worked very well with him.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s face was flushed red and she replied angrily, ¡°How is it any of my business if Hong Kangquan colluded with the Japanese? I have nothing to do with him.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to do with him?¡± Huo Shaoheng once more brought out the photo of Lu Dayong¡¯s corpse, the once unfortunate Weibo blogger who had written ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden.¡¯ He narrowed his eyes and suddenly used her in a harsh tone, ¡°Then why did he kill for you and murder this Weibo blogger?¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s heart dropped as she quickly cleared herself from suspicion, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him to kill this person! I never did any such thing!¡± As soon as she said this, she realized she had slipped up and quickly tried to cover it. ¡°I don¡¯t know this person at all. How should I know why Hong Kangquan wanted to kill him?¡±

    ¡°I just finished interrogating Hong Kangquan, and he says you ordered him to kill this man, but you won¡¯t admit to it.¡± Huo Shaoheng said, lying with a straight face to Cai Songyin. ¡°The police have uncovered a record of financial transactions between your personal assistant and this Weibo blogger, and yet you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t know who he is?¡±

    Cai Songyin pursed her lips as she realized her chances of hiding her connections to the case were gone.

    From the time she had learned that Lu Dayong was dead, she had been anxious each and every following day.

    She felt truly aggrieved from the start. She had never wanted to take this blogger¡¯s life, nor had she imagined Hong Kangquan would be ruthless enough to just murder him. It was causing her no end of trouble now!

    Cai Songyin¡¯s face was stony as she spoke.

    ¡°I did not ask him to kill this person. The entire affair was all Hong Kangquan¡¯s idea, and I had nothing to do with it.¡±

 Chapter 1114 - Grass Growing on His Head

    <h4>Chapter 1114 Grass Growing on His Head</h4>

    ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re saying you had only wanted to teach this blogger a lesson, but Hong Kangquan went off on his own and ended up killing him?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s line of questioning was all based on the information he had received from Gu Nianzhi.

    In all likelihood, if Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t discovered themunication between the Weibo blogger and Cai Songyin, then they would never have known about the close rtionship between Hong Kangquan and Cai Songyin.

    A rtionship was so close that they would murder for one another.

    Cai Songyin was unable to say anything in response.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes glimmered as he went on. ¡°Hong Kangquan was truly and deeply devoted to you and your husband. He helped you murder someone and also helped Tan Dongbangmit election fraud. Why was that? What did you use to entice Hong Kangquan? A prestigious title and high sry? Or perhaps beautiful women and money?¡±

    The corner of Cai Songyin¡¯s mouth twitched with disdain. ¡°Major General Huo, your words are rather crass. Have you not considered that it was out personalities that attracted Hong Kangquan, and caused him to work for us of his own ord? We never stoop to things like bribing people.¡±

    Of course, she had done such things before. Even so, from the way she saw it, it was hardly what you would call ¡°bribing.¡± Rather, it was considered a fair exchange of interests.

    Weren¡¯t elections legally sanctionedrge scale exchanges of interests themselves?

    Not to mention, they hadn¡¯t even been able to get around to sharing benefits with Hong Kangquan just yet.

    So Cai Songyin felt no shame in denying Huo Shaoheng¡¯s charges at all.

    Why would she feel the need to admit to something she had never done?

    ¡°You think I¡¯ll believe such tripe from you?¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but sneer, ¡°If you and Tan Dongbang had the kind of charismatic personality to persuade Hong Kangquan, then all the citizens of the nation would have equally been ¡°persuaded¡± by you as well. You wouldn¡¯t have needed tomit election fraud and instead ran a fair campaign.¡±

    Cai Songyin was so angered by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words that she was left speechless.

    ¡°Not going to say anything further? Very well then. I¡¯ll go ask Tan Dongbang. Tan Dongbang is someone who has aplished great achievements, so he is fully aware that ¡®he who seeks great sess, must not dwell on trivialities.¡¯ When he confesses, you know that yourst chance of getting a reduced sentence will be gone.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Think about it carefully. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll go interrogate Tan Dongbang again.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing that name. ¡°Tan Dongbang.¡± A look of disdain, hate, and darkness shed across her eyes.

    ...

    The interrogation room for Tan Dongbang was just across from Cai Songyin¡¯s.

    When Huo Shaoheng went inside, Tan Dongbang had already been brought in and was sitting there.

    Tan Dongbang hastily straightened up when he saw Huo Shaoheng walk in the room in his military uniform. ¡°Major General Huo, I honestly have notmitted any acts of bribery during the election, nor election fraud. There was an issue within your system. You can¡¯t possibly push the me for that on me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Tan Dongbang.

    Despite having been imprisoned only a few days, the typically elegant and refined Tan Dongbang was as wrinkled and smelly as a pickled vegetable in the winter.

    His hair was so greasy that it clumped in tangles on his shiny head.

    He probably had not eaten or slept well over thest few days, so he had huge dark circles under his eyes, and his face appeared gaunt and drawn. The changes on his face in addition to his high cheekbones caused him to resemble greatly the shrewd older women who worked at the vegetable markets.

    Huo Shaoheng sat across from him and quickly came straight to the point.

    ¡°Tan Dongbang, why did Hong Kangquan help youmit election fraud? What promises did you make him?¡±

    Tan Dongbang froze or a second. His gaze drifted as he was too afraid to meet Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. He muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re talking about. I had no idea what was going on in the least.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Hong Kangquan asked for nothing, but he helped youmit election fraud? Twice? That he wanted nothing except to help you be the Prime Minister?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Could he have a crush on you?¡±

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets as he sputtered, ¡°Major General Huo, you can¡¯t throw such usations around so carelessly! I have no connection with Hong Kangquan, whatsoever! The first time I¡¯ll admit to, and that was because he has a rtionship with my wife. No, rather the rtionship is because his wife and my wife are best friends. He probably helped us out with this favor for the sake of his wife.¡±

    There was a not even a remote possibility this exnation was the truth, or that the odds of its veracity was any higher than one in a thousand.

    Huo Shaoheng had never seen someone abuse public power for personal gains and not desire personal benefits.

    Only people with a strong sense of right and wrong would be inspired by charismatic figures, so it was hardly applicable to sinister and base characters like Hong Kangquan.

    Also, it was not as if Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin projected charismatic personalities.

    Such a feat was far beyond their capacity.

    Not to mention they had investigated both Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang to discover that they had no traceable financial links to Hong Kangquan.

    Not only had they never gifted him with money or presents, but they also only went to public ces and restaurants for dinner when the two families treated each other. They never went to dinner at each other¡¯s homes.

    On the surface, it seemed as though the two families weren¡¯t especially close.

    Truly tight-knit friends meant such bonds where the adults and children from each family would not have bothered hiding their rtionships at all.

    In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, Hong Kangquan truly had not received any benefits.

    Still, that made no sense.

    Huo Shaoheng mused as he thought there might be a simple reason to exin it all. What Hong Kangquan was after, were probably things that Tan Dongbang could only do for him once he was elected.

    If Tan Dongbang was elected, he would hold the most powerful title in the country ¨C he would be the leader of the nation. In truth, he had already been one of the top three leaders of the nation.

    Once Tan Dongbang was installed as Prime Minister, Hong Kangquan could reap many benefits indeed.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Tan Dongbang with a smile. ¡°From the way I see it, Hong Kangquan helped youmit election fraud and murdered someone for your wife. This is far from the realm of such motivations as helping his wife¡¯s best friend and her best friend¡¯s husband.

    Tan Dongbang frowned in thought for some time, before he finally understood what Huo Shaoheng was saying. He immediately felt that his scalp itch, like a patch of grass was growing on it.

    ¡°Major General Huo, what do you mean by that?! Hong Kangquan may have helped me in a minor way, but what does that have to do with my wife? He murdered someone for her? Are you mixing her up with someone else?¡±

    Although Tan Dongbang had been delighted to cheat on his wife, he would not tolerate his wife humiliating him by cheating on him.

    Huo Shaoheng once again took out the photo of the corpse belonging to Lu Dayong. He pushed it towards Tan Dongbang. ¡°See for yourself. This is the person who offended your wife. Hong Kangquan was the one to murder him.¡±

    Tan Dongbang stared at the photo so angrily his hands began to shake. He stuttered, ¡°Th-th-th-this person. Who on earth was he? How did he offend my wife? Why did Hong Kangquan murder him?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng coolly assessed Tan Dongbang¡¯s agitated movements and expressions, and couldn¡¯t find any hint of deception at all.

    He thought that Tan Dongbang was being genuine and so he probably didn¡¯t know anything about Cai Songyin¡¯s transaction with Hong Kangquan.

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°This person was using your daughter to threaten your wife, so your wife was so angry that she...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng only spoke half the truth.

    Cai Songyin was truly angered by her daughter getting kidnapped in New York, but after she read that text, she assumed the Weibo blogger had turned on her and was threatening her. That¡¯s why she begged Hong Kangquan for help, in hopes that he could use personnel from the Secret Service to help her vent her anger upon the blogger.

    Tan Dongbang exhaled sharply and grew increasingly enraged. ¡°This was because of Little Darling?! Then he deserved to die!¡±

    Tan Dongbang didn¡¯t hold much love for Cai Songyin anymore but he still loved his daughter, Tan Guiren, very dearly.

    ¡°He threatened you, so you could¡¯ve sued him,¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed out, as calm as ever. ¡°Why did you insist on taking his life? Now you and your wife have another crime on your hands.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for him to die. I didn¡¯t even know about this until you told me about it.¡± Tan Dongbang wasn¡¯t lying this time.

    He truly was ignorant about the Lu Dayong incident.

    ¡°Ok. Nheless, even if you hadn¡¯t known about this incident, Hong Kangquan still attempted to help youmit election fraud in this temporary interim election. Tell me, what was the reason for that?¡±

    Tan Dongbang replied harshly, ¡°When did he attempt to help memit election fraud? He didn¡¯t help me this time!¡±

    ¡°...But the surveince system still shows traces of election fraud, and the situation was nearly identical to thest time.¡± Huo Shaoheng stared intently at Tan Dongbang and tried his best to remain calm, to prevent his emotions from being read.

    He directly put his suspicions to Tan Dongbang. ¡°So Hong Kangquan wasn¡¯t the one to help you this time? there was someone else instead?¡±

    This was the true reason why Huo Shaoheng had gone to interrogate the three people separately.

    He had always instinctively felt that these three people were not the main culprits. He suspected that they were only agents of a mastermind hidden in the shadows.

 Chapter 1115 - Donâ€™t Reject the Favour When Itâ€™s Presented to You

    <h4>Chapter 1115 Don¡°t Reject the Favour When It¡°s Presented to You</h4>

    Tan Dongbang was obviously not as adept as the professionally trained Hong Kangquan when it came to controlling his expressions and concealing his emotions. So of course, he couldn¡¯t hide his reactions when he was questioned.Huo Shaoheng probed, ¡°Was it not Hong Kangquan who helped you this time? Or perhaps it was someone else.¡± Upon hearing that, Tan Dongbang looked at Huo Shaoheng with a face like he had just seen a ghost and had to suppress a scream.

    ¡°What... What... What are you saying?! I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying at all!¡± Tan Dongbang brandished his fists angrily, ¡°I already stated that Imitted no election fraud, so that means I didn¡¯t do it! Who the hell knows why your dumb system would act like that! In fact, no, there¡¯s nothing wrong with the system! You were the ones who deliberately framed me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Were you taught by the same teacher as Hong Kangquan? Or were you trained by the same agency? You both use the same excuses.¡±

    Both of them continued to im to have been framed, maintainingplete innocence, acting like righteous people who knew nothing thing about the crimes they were used of.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken the truth.¡± In his fear, Tan Dongbang was so tense that his leg was starting to cramp. He never imagined that Huo Shaoheng would somehow hit upon the fact that there was an incredibly powerful mastermind behind everything.

    If Huo Shaoheng knew about the mastermind, then could there possibly be anything in the world that he didn¡¯t know about?!

    Tan Dongbang felt despair fill his world and his emotions were on the brink of copse.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to observe Tan Dongbang¡¯s reactions to adjust his approach.

    When he realized that Tan Dongbang was on the cusp of breaking down, Huo Shaoheng pushed harder. ¡°This person was the same one who helped you thest time. Except for the previous time they used Hong Kangquan to help you.¡±

    Tan Dongbang was utterly bbergasted and his eyes stared nkly at Huo Shaoheng. The red veins in his eyes were visible.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone grew stern. ¡°There is no salvation for Hong Kangquan, he worked with the Japanese. He has disrupted the national order, intervened in the election tomit fraud, murdered a civil servant, and betrayed our national secrets. Any of the crimes he hasmitted would be enough to earn him several death sentences! Tan Dongbang, you continue to work with someone like that? To protect him? Do you want to die with him?!¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Hong Kangquan, the worst oue would be a charge of election fraud. That does not merit a death sentence. However, if you work with Hong Kangquan to betray this nation to other countries, then that will undoubtedly earn you an execution!¡±

    In any country, treason was a death sentence.

    Tan Dongbang finally broke down and a small sound emerged from deep in his throat. He abruptly wrapped his arms around his head shouting, ¡°No! No! I didn¡¯tmit treason! I didn¡¯t collude with other countries! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quietly observed Tan Dongbang as he screamed out to the room. After waiting for a while, he swiftly changed tack, speaking in a far softer tone.

    ¡°As long as you tell me the truth andpletely distance yourself from Hong Kangquan, I will plead to the military court on your behalf to allow you to turn state¡¯s evidence.¡± Huo Shaoheng inclined his body forward, and said quietly, ¡°You can avoid the death sentence.¡±

    He didn¡¯t add that he would, however, not escape other forms of punishment.

    With the crimesmitted by Tan Dongbang, he would be locked up for life even if he was spared from execution.

    Right then, however, Tan Dongbang only cared about avoiding capital punishment. Whether or not Hong Kangquan lived or died, it was hardly his problem.

    He would rather the other man die instead of himself. Tan Dongbang was going to act out of self-preservation!

    Tan Dongbang gulped for air in short, rapid intakes. ¡°Are you telling me the truth? You can make this guarantee this to me? You¡¯ll save me from death, as long as I tell you the truth?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed to the camera¡¯s location, ¡°Everything has been recorded in here, both the audio and visual. If I go back on my word, you can expose me to a military court. We don¡¯t allow lying here.¡±

    Tan Dongbang slowly came back to his senses after being given assurances he would not have to die. Bracing his arms against the table, he straightened his back, nodding as he spoke. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll tell you. But you muste through on your promise to me!¡±

    He then spat out angrily, ¡°Little Darling ispletely devoted to you, how can you treat her parents like this?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng absorbed this silently.

    Was he trying to goad Huo Shaoheng in revenge, for his earlier implication that Hong Kangquan was infatuated with Tan Dongbang?

    Even with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s excellent manners and self-restraint, he had cracked from being associated with their idiot daughter over and again.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression grew stony.

    His gaze shot over to the other ma like an arrow dipped in poison.

    Sitting straight in his chair, he enunciated each word carefully. ¡°Don¡¯t reject a favor when it¡¯s presented to you. Do you have any idea what kind of person one would have to be to like someone like your daughter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had to forcibly restrain his rage to stop himself from swearing out loud.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s face instantly flushed red, and he looked even worse than when he broke down earlier.

    He looked at Huo Shaoheng inplete shock and stuttered, ¡°You... You... You don¡¯t like my daughter? Then why did you personally go rescue her in New York?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng inhaled deeply, but his expression quickly calmed down, ¡°I¡¯m a soldier. Rescuing the nation¡¯s citizens is my responsibility. However, that does not go so far as to include marriage. If you persist in bringing her up, your daughter might have toe here to assist us in this investigation.

    After hearing that, Tan Dongbang finally ended the topic once and for all. He didn¡¯t dare to mention Tan Guiren again.

    He knew that perhaps Cai Songyin and himself had reaped what they had sown, but their daughter Tan Guiren waspletely innocent.

    Tan Dongbang sobbed with both hands syed on the desk as he replied weakly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you. But are you going to plead to the court on my behalf? Swear on it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng refused to do so. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t trust me. If vows meant anything, you wouldn¡¯t have cheated on your wife.¡±

    How many cheaters ever thought about the holy vows made during the marriage ceremonies?

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s face ckened when he realized that Huo Shaoheng was someone that could never be forced into doing anything.

    With Huo Shaoheng, Tan Dongbang could do nothing more than confess all truthfully to gain some measure of clemency.

    ¡°A person is helping Hong Kangquan. This is a person who has a lot of power. His coboration with Hong Kangquan began seven years ago.¡± Tan Dongbang spoke very quickly in a hushed voice.

    To gain Tan Dongban¡¯s trust, that person had revealed things about Hong Kangquan to him.

    However, the mastermind probably had never expected someone with the ambition to be Prime Minister to have such a weak psychological defense.

    All cheaply packaged products possessed these same ws.

    Huo Shaoheng attention was caught by the words ¡®seven years ago.¡¯

    From the given timeline, it coincided with Gu Nianzhi suddenly appearing in a car ident in C City seven years ago.

    ¡°What does that person look like? How did they get in contact with Hong Kangquan?¡± Any information about the mastermind was what Huo Shaoheng was most interested in.

    Logically speaking, Hong Kangquan was the Director of the Secret Service. Every move he made came under intense scrutiny.

    There were countless means of surveince on him, both obvious and discrete.

    How could someone ovee all the barriers, break away from his surveince, and keep in contact with Hong Kangquan for seven years without being discovered?

    Tan Dongang shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he looks like, I¡¯ve never seen him before. I believe that Hong Kangquan has never seen him either. I always contacted him over the phone.¡±

    ¡°The phone?!¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned deeply, as he realized something was amiss.

    Tan Dongbang and Hong Kangquan¡¯sndlines were both being monitored by him.

    If such a phone call had gone through, and if that person had only contacted Hong Kangquan and Tan Dongbang through the phone, surely it was impossible for him not to know about it?

    Might there be an issue with the phone monitoring technology?

    Perhaps there was a problem with the personnel monitoring the phone?

    Huo Shaoheng was only able toe up with two possibilities, as he couldn¡¯t yet imagine any alternative exnations.

    The phone surveince system was a program attached to the Central Control System. He remembered having gone in to check it in the past, and confirming the four-lined AI programmingnguage had failed to breach it.

    As for who was monitoring the phone lines, it was a randomly assigned rotating task to conduct said monitoring. If the leak hade from the staff who monitored the calls, then the enemy needed to buy out an entire group of people to subvert the surveince.

    Was either of these options possible?

    Of course not.

    Huo Shaoheng thus logically ruled out both options.

    Of course, he would nevertheless send someone to investigate again.

    He would also use Gu Nianzhi¡¯s program to verify the phone monitoring set up one more time.

    Her program had been able to detect the AI programmingnguage that had breached the Central Control System. A simple phone monitoring program should be no challenge at all.

    Huo Shaoheng would also have to send someone to conduct another round of background checks on the personnel monitoring the phones. All the same, before he could confirm they were innocent, he was inclined to believe they had nothing to do with it.

    There must be other factors that had allowed the mastermind to evade his variousyers of monitoring.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Tan Dongbang and asked coldly, ¡°How were you able to contact him over the phone? Exin it clearly.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1116 - The Results of Making Up Stories

    <h4>Chapter 1116 The Results of Making Up Stories</h4>

    Tan Dongbang wore a shifty expression on his face. He looked at Huo Shaoheng and said helplessly, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t understand how he¡¯s able to do it either.¡±Huo Shaoheng said nothing.

    ¡°Truthfully speaking, I thought someone was ying a prank on me when I received his call that first time.¡± Tan Dongbang sighed deeply.

    The incident had been on his mind for almost a month now. Ever since the day he had received the mysterious call, it was like he had been in a fog or some dream state.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed a pen and paper towards Tan Dongbang. ¡°What was the phone number? Write it down.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t hold out high hopes that it would be a genuine phone number.

    His Special Operations Forces also knew how to use fake numbers to call people, and how to make it seempletely authentic besides.

    As long as he got a phone number, he could trace its use, even if it was a fake number.

    Huo Shaoheng had already begun nning the steps to investigate the fake number.

    His mind wentpletely nk for a second when he saw the number that Tan Dongbang had written down.

    ¡°A four-digit phone number? Is this an extension?¡± Huo Shaohengposed himself and tapped the piece of paper with his phone, expression icy as he questioned Tan Dongbang.

    A four-digit phone line meant it was most likely an extension.

    It couldn¡¯t possibly be a real phone number otherwise.

    Tan Dongbang replied awkwardly, ¡°I had assumed so in the beginning, but all the extensions for the Cab, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the military are five digits numbers. There are no four-digit extensions.¡±

    Also, he had been able to use his cell phone to call that number.

    The phone disy indicated it wasn¡¯t an extension, but an international number.

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened. ¡°An international number?¡±

    Tan Dongbang spread his palms. ¡°You must have examined my phone already. There should be records of iing and outgoing calls.¡±

    When they had been arrested, all their belongings ¨C phones, watches, jewelry, wallets, everything that had been on their person had been confiscated.

    Furthermore, as physical evidence, his phone had undergone a thorough forensic investigation.

    Generally speaking, there would be a call log entry for all iing and outgoing calls.

    Yet Huo Shaoheng was very certain that he had not seen this strange number listed on the investigation report for Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone.

    If the four-digit international phone number truly had appeared on Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone, then his subordinates would certainly never miss such an obvious clue.

    There wasn¡¯t any mention of these four digits on the report at all.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time while he shot off a text to his subordinates asking them to deliver Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone to him. He prompted Tan Dongbang to continue speaking.

    ¡°And then what happened? What did the owner of this phone number tell you?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust his subordinates, but if the enemy was a skilled hacker it was possible that he could have hacked Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone and concealed the call logs.

    To be on the safe side, he needed to examine it himself one more time.

    During the few minutes he waited for his subordinates to deliver Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone to the interrogation room, Huo Shaoheng listened to Tan Dongbang excitedly go on about his interactions with the caller.

    ¡°The person must be a man ¨C the voice was so low and gruff. He spoke very slowly, and when we were on the phone it seemed like he was quite a distance away, because the cell signal wasn¡¯t very good. Sometimes the call dropped, but I could still hear what he was saying.¡±

    Tan Dongbang reminisced about the incredible experiences he had over the past month.

    ¡°At the time I was already feeling despair, and I nned to give up. I was going to forfeit the election, allowing Bai Jiangcheng to be the Prime Minister. But just when I was at my lowest point, a call came. He told me that as long as I promised to help him do one thing after winning, he would help me get elected.¡±

    ¡°I was infuriated when I heard this, I thought it was some bored prankster wasting my time. So I yelled at him.¡±

    ¡°But that person didn¡¯t get angry. When I finished shouting at him, he finally told me that he had been the one to help Hong Kangquan in his behind the scenes interference during my first election. He had been the one to control the voting surveince system.¡±

    ¡°And then he gave me specific information about the votes, as well as the data for the actual votes cast. It tallied with my records. After all that proof, I finally believed him.¡± Tan Dongbang sighed with deep regret, ¡°Truthfully speaking, I hadn¡¯t even dared to believe it when I won the first election. I mostly believed it was because Songyin had worked very hard for me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly.

    This lined up with his investigations, so he figured Tan Dongbang was probably telling the truth.

    ¡°And then what happened? You started working with him?¡±

    Tan Dongbang closed his eyes. ¡°Of course. As long as I could win the election, it didn¡¯t matter what methods I used. Results are the most important thing.¡±

    He had told himself even if he had used ndestine methods to win the election, wouldn¡¯t it have been justifiable if he made national interests his number one priority upon taking office?

    He had forgotten that someone who uses ndestine methods to win an election could never ovee the selfishness and greed in their hearts. Once elected into office, they would only grow more obsessed with attaining personal gain. They would never make national interests their number one priority.

    He had persuaded himself with that justification, to numb himself and to silence thest shred of conscientiousness he possessed.

    ¡°And then that person told you his conditions?¡± Huo Shaoheng circled the phone number, just as his subordinate opened the door, pushing a stic bag containing Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone into his hands.

    Huo Shaoheng wore specially made sensing gloves. Opening the evidence bag, he took out Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone and began to search rapidly for information about iing calls on Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone.

    Tan Dongbang¡¯s face turned a bit red when he saw his phone. He muttered, ¡°That person didn¡¯t tell me what it was. He only said that he would contact me once I was elected.¡±

    It was also because that person hadn¡¯t given any conditions before Tan Dongbang won the election that he increasingly began to believe that person truly wished to help him win the election.

    If he was a swindler, he would have been sure to make all sorts of demands before Tan Dongbang won the election.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped speaking as he focussed all his attention on Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone.

    He spent the next half an hour searching, but he couldn¡¯t find any records of a four-digit phone number in Tan Dongbang¡¯s mobile call log.

    There were no records of any iing or outgoing calls.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned.

    Was Tan Dongbang telling the truth?

    Had there ever been such a phone number, or had he already lost his mind because of the election? To the extent where he had imagined a mysterious phone number, along with an enigmatic contact?

    Huo Shaoheng shot a nce at Tan Dongbang and threw his phone back on the desk. He stated calmly, ¡°There is no record on your phone to prove the number you¡¯ve given ever called you. Why is that? Are you still refusing to tell the truth? Terrible things happen to people here when they make up stories.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t makeup stories!¡± Tan Dongbang began to panic as he grabbed his phone and opened the call log. ¡°A few days ago ¨C up to the day of the election, I was still calling this person continuously!¡±

    He could still clearly recall calling that number so many times, of course, there must be a record of iing and outgoing calls on his phone.

    However, as he scrolled through his call log, he couldn¡¯t find any records of the phone number no matter how hard he looked.

    It was as if it had all been a dream.

    ¡°How could this be? How could this be?! I know I called it ¨C so many times! I remember...¡± Tan Dongbang cradled his head in his hands and began to scream.

    When he couldn¡¯t find the expected evidence for the events he remembered taking ce, he started to doubt his own memories.

    ¡°I swear! I really called this number! That person also told me many things about Hong Kangquan! Could I have possibly imagined all that too?¡± Tan Dongbang anxiously grabbed at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. ¡°You have to believe me! You can go ask Hong Kangquan if you don¡¯t believe me! I refuse to believe he would have the same dreams I¡¯ve had!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could see that Tan Dongbang was beginning to spout nonsense in his fit of agitation, so he took back Tan Dongbang¡¯s phone. He stood up and said, ¡°Go get some rest. I¡¯ll go question Hong Kangquan again.¡±

    ¡°You must ask him! Then you¡¯ll know if I¡¯m telling the truth or not!¡± Tan Dongbang continued shouting at him, even as he was taken away.

    Despite what he said, when Huo Shaoheng left Tan Dongbang¡¯s interrogation room, he didn¡¯t go to see Hong Kangquan. Instead, he headed for Cai Songyin¡¯s interrogation room.

    When a female Special Operations Forces personnel brought Cai Songyin inside, she was as nervous as a bird that had spotted a bow and arrow.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s heart sank when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s confident appearance. She assumed the spineless bastard Tan Dongbang must have confessed.

    So she immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll tell you everything. I maintain that I never asked Hong Kangquan to kill anyone, I only told him to teach that Weibo blogger a lesson since he threatened my daughter.¡±

    ¡°That Weibo blogger was only minding his own business, why did he need to threaten your daughter?¡± Huo Shaoheng was expressionless as he looked down to make a note on some paper.

    Cai Songyin was stunned into silence. Should she say anything more?

    If she spoke the truth, would that only cause her yet more trouble?

    At that moment, Cai Songyin didn¡¯t know that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had already discovered her intent to nder them. So she was still trying to conceal the fact from them.

    Huo Shaoheng became impatient and prepared to confront her with evidence. ¡°Was it because of this?¡±

    He showed her an article about unspeakable things that transpired between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi had randomly discovered it on the blog of the Weibo ount called ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden.¡¯

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t the originalposition but a summary.

    Cai Songyin¡¯s face flushed red as she nced at it. She quickly grabbed the piece of paper and skimmed it before looking at Huo Shaoheng and demanding, ¡°Where did you get this from?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly answered, ¡°Where did I get this from? This is, of course, an article posted by the Weibo blogger on ¡®Churchill¡¯s Garden.¡¯ Could you possibly have been unaware of this?¡±

    ¡°But this wasn¡¯t what I asked him to write!¡± Cai Songyin was caught between being angry and happy, and the resulting mixed expression on her face was somewhat frightening.

    ...

 Chapter 1117 - Because She Loves Him

    <h4>Chapter 1117 Because She Loves Him</h4>

    ¡°Oh really? This isn¡¯t what you asked him to write?¡± Huo Shaoheng was unphased by her im. He didn¡¯t appear to believe her at all.He got to the point. ¡°Do you have proof that you didn¡¯t tell him to write this? What did you ask him to write, precisely?¡±

    Cai Songyin considered her answer. The post she had requested the Weibo blogger to write was one mostly targeting Gu Nianzi¡¯s shamelessness. In the nned article, Huo Shaoheng would have been portrayed in a positive light ¨C a man who¡¯d resisted temptation. It would have ndered Gu Nianzhi, but been even-handed in its portrayal of him.

    Cai Songyin wanted to have her daughter marry Huo Shaoheng, so she certainly wasn¡¯t aiming to ruin his reputation.

    Yet Huo Shaoheng had presented her with a summary of an article that clearly smeared Gu Nianzhi and discreetly ndered Huo Shaoheng. It was meant to hurt Huo Shaoheng even more, destroying his reputationpletely to make it impossible for him to ever build up a career again.

    Cai Singyin would never think of doing such a thing.

    She smiled wryly as she said, ¡°I know that Major General Huo has selective tastes, and I originally had high hopes for you. That¡¯s why I wracked my brain in hopes that you would marry my Little Darling. I treated you like my potential son-inw. Why on earth would I use such things against you? What would then happen to my daughter if your reputation was destroyed?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought it over quietly. It sounded fairly usible.

    Cai Songyin was more confident, and more collected in her mannerisms than Tan Dongbang. Her words seemed far more rational.

    She thought about how Huo Shaoheng had already broken up with Gu Nianzhi. Would it matter if she revealed the other thing as well?

    Cai Songyin felt somewhat cold with fright at the sight of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mask of calm.

    She fearfully revealed the name of the PR manager in her entertainmentpany, as she told Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Go find him and ask him for the summary I gave him. I asked him to find an author of online articles to write such an article for me and to then make sure it was well-publicized. You know that I don¡¯t like Gu Nianzhi, and I didn¡¯t want her to continue dragging you down. So I¡¯ve continuously targeted her all this time. But the article you just handed to me is targeting you, as well as her. In fact, it looks like it might even hurt you more. I¡¯m not fool enough to harm my interests in the process of attacking an enemy. I¡¯m a businesswoman, and businesswomen are careful about maintaining harmony to create a fortune.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°This is what you call maintaining harmony to create fortune?¡±

    He didn¡¯t feel any better knowing Cai Songyin hadn¡¯t intended to target him and was only after Gu Nianzhi.

    In contrast, he was sent into a worse mood than before.

    Due to the unique nature of his work, he had never cared about what other people thought of him.

    As long as he believed an action was right, he wouldmit to doing it.

    If Cai Songyin had looked down on him and targeted him as a result, he would certainly not have minded it at all.

    Instead, Cai Songyin targeted Gu Nianzhi. Plus aside from Cai Songyin, it was very likely that many others in her social circle had thought of the same thing as well.

    They all believed that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t worthy of him. Even if they now knew she wasn¡¯t an orphaned girl, and that she had an incredible father and family background, that first false impression meant they would still instinctively look down on her. They believed that Huo Shaoheng was out of her league.

    Gu Nianzhi was so intelligent and perceptive, she must have known more about the likelihood of such oues than he had?

    She had still chosen to be with him.

    For the first time ever, Huo Shaoheng felt that he had wronged Gu Nianzhi.

    He was domineering and decisive, not allowing any hesitation. He controlled his feelings and was able to remain calm, only because of the knowledge that she loved him.

    Huo Shaoheng remained seated, and although his face did not move, the corner of his heart that belonged to Gu Nianzhi had already fallen intoplete chaos.

    Cai Songyin had revealed everything in hopes she would earn Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forgiveness. She hoped that he would understand that she had not colluded with Hong Kangquan. As for Tan Dongbang, she had long cut off all ties to him.

    ¡°Major General Huo, I truly had no knowledge that Hong Kangquan was colluding with the Japanese.¡± Cai Songyin said, beginning to plead her case. ¡°I¡¯ve already confessed everything that I could to you, will you be merciful enough to go light on my punishment?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the name of Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany¡¯s PR manager. He mused aloud, ¡°I¡¯ll investigate your PR manager. If you haven¡¯t lied, then there must be something wrong with your PR manager.¡±

    Cai Songyin¡¯s mouth dropped open and didn¡¯t close for a long time.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of Cai Songyin¡¯s interrogation room and immediately requested an arrest warrant for the PR manager of Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany.

    Yin Shixiong andw enforcement agents arrived at Cai Songyin¡¯spany, only to learn that the PR manager had resigned just the day before and that his whereabouts were unknown.

    Of course, ¡®whereabouts unknown¡¯ tended to apply only to normal people. For people like Huo Shaoheng and his men, no one¡¯s whereabouts were truly considered unknown unless they were dead.

    ¡°Huo Shao, that person resigned yesterday. It¡¯s starting to look as if there¡¯s a problem,¡± Yin Shixiong said, reporting to Huo Shaoheng over the phone. ¡°Do we need a national arrest warrant?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered it. ¡°Directly freeze his bank and credit cards. We¡¯ll see how long he can run without any money.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong grinned, acknowledging his new orders. He immediately headed to the bank to request a freeze.

    They brought the court warrants directly to the bank.

    ¡°You want us to freeze his ounts?¡± The bank¡¯s senior ounts manager looked at the search warrant and arrest warrant presented to him. He hesitated, and asked, ¡°But he is our bank¡¯s major client. Is it possible there¡¯s been some kind of a mistake?¡±

    Yin Shixiong knocked on the desk and followed up on the new information smoothly. ¡°Major client? How major could he be?¡±

    Yin Shixiong had already conducted an investigation. The PR manager of Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany was a university graduate from a tiny city. He was intelligent and had been capable, so he was swiftly promoted. He was earning about 300 000 RMB a year.

    How wealthy could such a person be?

    Knowing that, when the bank¡¯s major ount manager showed Yin Shixiong the man¡¯s ount bnce, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at thest transfer.

    ¡°How many zeroes are there? I almost can¡¯t count them all,¡± Yin Shixiong joked. ¡°9 million and how much?¡±

    The amount was actually three times the size of Yin Shixiong¡¯s own sry.

    This was a prime example of being guilty of having an immense wealth of unknown origin.

    ¡°Right, it¡¯s almost 10 billion.¡± The bank¡¯s major ount manager grinned brightly. ¡°So do you want to check again? Maybe you¡¯ve got the wrong person?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get it wrong, it¡¯s him. Give me a copy of his detailed bank ount statement, starting from the day the 9 million was transferred into his bank ount.¡± Yin Shixiong pped the search warrant and arrest warrant into the hands of the bank¡¯s major ounts manager. ¡°Hurry up and freeze his bank ount and credit cards. Do not get in the way of our arrest.¡±

    Yin Shixiong spoke with finality and gravity. The bank¡¯s major ounts manager didn¡¯t dare to joke around with him anymore. He quickly waved his hand to direct his subordinates to freeze the man¡¯s bank ount and credit cards.

    In less than half an hour after the freeze waspleted, an ATM at a bank branch in the Imperial Capital sounded an rm.

    Someone was attempting to withdraw funds from the newly frozen bank ount at that ATM!

    Yin Shixiong quickly pulled up the surveince camera for the ATM, discovering that it was indeed the PR manager who was trying to withdraw money.

    ¡°XX Branch? This is the Special Operations Forces, I need your assistance on my operation right now.¡± Yin Shixiong quickly dispatched police officers making rounds near the ATM to make the arrest.

    Seeing as Yin Shixiong held the arrest warrant, he asked those police officers to make the arrest while he gathered his own men and then drove to the rendezvous point.

    ...

 Chapter 1118 - There Is Only One Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 1118 There Is Only One Enemy</h4>

    The PR manager of Cai Songyin¡¯s entertainmentpany was already in the process of fleeing, but because of a moment¡¯s hesitation, he didn¡¯t leave the Imperial Capital in time. When he was withdrawing money, he was escorted into a cruiser by a horde of police officers.Yin Shixiong brought his personnel to the scene and immediately took over by escorting him into the military vehicle. He was sent into the detention center for suspects at the Special Operations Forces base.

    Huo Shaoheng heard that Yin Shixiong was able to arrest the PR manager very quickly and patted his shoulder, ¡°Great work, Big Xiong! I¡¯ll get you an extra chicken drumstick tonight!¡±

    Yin Shixiong giggled, ¡°Huo Shao, there¡¯s no need for an extra chicken drumstick. But can you give me another bonus? For example, pass my marriage request...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng instantly became selectively deaf.

    He replied about somethingpletely different, ¡°Prepare the interrogation room so Cai Songyin and her PR manager can confront each other.¡±

    But before that happens, he must interrogate the PR manager himself.

    When Huo Shaoheng arrived at the PR manager¡¯s interrogation room, he calmly sat down before him and said, ¡°...What were you running away for?¡±

    The PR manager forced himself to remain calm as he pushed the sses up his nose bridge, ¡°I wasn¡¯t running, I resigned normally. Officer, there is now that forbids resignation.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his leg and listened to the PR manager speak nonsense while flipping through the bank details Yin Shixiong brought back. He replied calmly, ¡°There is now forbidding resignation, but thew stiptes that illegal funds will be confiscated and result in fines and sentences.¡±

    ¡°What?! When did I ever get illegal funds? I worked hard to earn every penny myself. You can ask around to see who the ¡®hardest working man¡¯ in the Cai family¡¯s entertainmentpany is!¡±

    The PR manager lived up to his name and was very adept at changing the topic.

    However, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t part of the ignorant masses so he wasn¡¯t that easily fooled.

    ¡°You worked hard to earn each penny yourself? Does that include buying out loser writers to publish these kinds of articles for money?¡± Huo Shaoheng mmed the article summary on the desk in front of the PR manager, ¡°Read it for yourself. Is this kind of thing worth 90 million RMB?¡±

    The PR manager¡¯s face nched with fear as he stuttered, ¡°What nonsense are you saying? Who did I buy off? You can¡¯t make false usations!¡±

    The PR managerposed himself. He recalled that Lu Dayong, the Weibo blogger ¡°Churchill¡¯s Garden¡± was already dead, so no one knew about his connection to the incident. As a result, he quickly put up his guard.

    ¡°I never say things I don¡¯t have evidence to support.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°Start by telling me where the 90 million RMB came from. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve paid taxes on it.¡±

    Only an idiot would pay taxes on a random fortune of 90 million RMB...

    The PR manager grumbled to himself and became even more unscrupulous as he crossed his arms, ¡°Someone gifted it to me, so what? Is it illegal to give gifts? I¡¯m not a government official, how is this any of your business?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised a brow, ¡°Who gifted this to you? This 90 million RMB will be confiscated if you can¡¯t exin its origins.¡±

    Actually, even if he exined its origins, it would still be confiscated.

    The PR manager red at him, ¡°Whichw stiptes I can¡¯t ept the gift of arge sum of money? Can you speak reasonably to me?¡±

    ¡°...Do you know what moneyundering means?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at this legally ipetent person, ¡°How can you rest easy knowing such arge sum of money was sent to your ount?¡±

    The truth was, there was also an issue with the bank surveinces. The Special Operations Forces was somehow not alerted that such arge sum of money was transferred to a normal bank ount.

    But when Huo Shaoheng thought about it more, he realized that domestic anti-moneyundering was reported by the Secret Service and the Director of the Secret Service, which had always been Hong Kangquan...

    So, clues that didn¡¯t appear to be rted to each other somehow intersected into a knot.

    If the bank had reported such arge sum of money, then Hong Kangquan would have certainly heard about it.

    But instead of ordering the bank to conduct an investigation, he concealed this piece of news.

    This was somewhat interesting.

    What role did Hong Kangquan y in this?

    The PR manager panicked when the words ¡°moneyundering¡± were mentioned. He grumbled, ¡°You¡¯re saying Iundered money? Where is the evidence for that?¡±

    ¡°In the case of moneyundering, people like you are the ones who will need to present evidence that you haven¡¯tmitted it.¡± Huo Shaoheng stared at him once again, with eyes like daggers, ¡°Tell me, who gave you this money? Was it Cai Songyin?¡±

    The PR manager¡¯s expression fluctuated and after a while, his neck stiffened, ¡°So what if she did? So what if she didn¡¯t?!¡±

    ¡°If she did it, you¡¯ll have toe with me to see someone.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled subtly as he stood up.

    He brought the PR manager to Cai Songyin¡¯s interrogation room.

    The PR manager looked like he saw a ghost as soon as he saw Cai Songyin and instantly wanted to kneel down.

    ¡°Director... Director Cai!¡± The PR manager¡¯s forehead glittered with beads of sweat.

    Cai Songyin nced at him before telling Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Right, he¡¯s the one. I asked him to contact that Weibo blogger.¡±

    The PR manager¡¯s face nched and he almost couldn¡¯t stay standing.

    Huo Shaoheng set down the banking details of the PR manager before Cai Songyin, ¡°He just told me that you gave him the 90 million RMB.¡±

    Cai Songyin was instantly furious when she saw this, ¡°Nonsense! When did I ever give you this much money? I was generous enough to give you a 30000 RMB sry at the beginning of the year, but you...¡±

    Suddenly, Cai Songyin realized something.

    She lunged over to aim a kick at the PR manager who had already slumped to the ground.

    ¡°You backstabbing bastard! You really want to get me killed! Tell me! Who gave you this money? What did they ask you to do?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the article summary to the PR manager, ¡°See it for yourself, what is this exactly?¡±

    The PR manager took a nce at it but still tried to defend himself, ¡°Director Cai asked me to find a writer to do it. Then, she paid me 90 million RMB to keep my mouth shut.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Why would I need to keep your mouth shut? You¡¯re going to get yourself killed sooner orter!¡± Cai Songyin shook her head in disgust, ¡°My entire family fortune is less than 90 million RMB, so where would I find 90 million RMB in cash for you? Major General Huo, he¡¯s lying. Please don¡¯t believe what he¡¯s saying.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°We¡¯ve already sent a search warrant to his house, so we should have results very soon.¡±

    By this point, the PR manager hadpletely broken down.

    He sprawled on the ground and sobbed, ¡°I was blinded at the moment! Someone contacted me to change Director Cai¡¯s article and promised to pay me 90 million RMB for it. I¡¯ve never seen so much money before so... So... I epted it. After all, Director Cai wanted to nder Miss Gu and Major General Huo...¡±

    ¡°nder what?¡± Cai Songyin was enraged, ¡°I was clearly only targeting Gu Nianzhi. When did I ever ask you to nder Major General Huo?! Where¡¯s the email I sent you?¡±

    ¡°...I deleted it.¡± The PR manager replied sheepishly.

    Huo Shaoheng replied casually, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, we can recover anything as long as the hard drive is still there.¡±

    The PR manager, ¡°!!!¡±

    It was already toote for him to try weaseling out of it.

    An hourter, Huo Shaoheng recovered all the deleted data on the PR manager¡¯sptop hard drive and found the original document containing the summary Cai Songyin had sent him.

    Just as Cai Songyin had imed, she wanted an article written to nder Gu Nianzhi but it actually supported Huo Shaoheng...

    But Huo Shaoheng was endlessly disgusted by this substitute article.

    He really didn¡¯t know if the mastermind hated Huo Shaoheng or Gu Nianzhi more, or maybe he hated them equally.

    Huo Shaoheng thought that it was no surprise for someone to hate him since his enemies would certainly hate him to the bone.

    But he was truly confused by how someone could hate Gu Nianzhi so passionately.

    Gu Nianzhi was only 19 years old and had never done any bad things. Who would hate her so much that they wanted her reputation to be destroyed and have her wish for death?

    These methods somehow caused Huo Shaheng to recall the dangerous H2aB7 incident from two years ago. It was the same kind of underhanded and vicious trick.

    As Huo Shaoehng contemted this, he found another email in the PR manager¡¯s inbox sent by someone else. It was the summary of the substitute article and even provided some very detailed descriptions.

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He calmly read it for a while before permanently deleting the documents and using the program he had written to reformat the hard drive into a portion of the hard drive.

    That way, even if the deleted data was recovered in the hard drive, the data that he had specially reformatted would never be recovered.

    Since he found the email sent to the PR manager, he would be able to find the IP address that it came from.

    When Huo Shaoheng saw the invalid IP address that he and Gu Nianzhi were all too familiar with, he finally understood it perfectly.

    Their enemy had been the same person the entire time.

    ...

 Chapter 1119 - Worship Him Like A God

    <h4>Chapter 1119 Worship Him Like A God</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng ced the PR manager¡¯sptop back into the evidence bag before gesturing for someone to take it away.As he stood, he said to the hysterically sobbing PR manager and the furious Cai Songyin standing on the side, ¡°Every word you said today has been recorded in audio and visual formats for the archives. I willmunicate with the court to have Cai Songyin turn state¡¯s evidence.¡±

    ...

    When Huo Shaoheng walked out of the Special Operations Forces building, his deep-set eyes began to squint.

    The sun had already risen.

    The grape purple sky was illuminated with a milky white glow that embellished the edges of the clouds. The sun hid behind cloudyers, in preparation to emerge.

    Huo Shaoheng had stayed up all night again, but he wasn¡¯t feeling sleepy at all. Contrarily, he was still very excited.

    However, this couldn¡¯t be observed at all.

    His steady footsteps calmly left the building as he returned to his official residence.

    It wasn¡¯t 6am yet, so Huo Shaoheng changed into his casual clothes and went to the training center toplete his daily mandatory morning exercise, a 10-kilometer cross-country obstacle run.

    By the time he came back, he was drenched in sweat and it was already 7am.

    He walked through the door carrying the warmth of sunshine with him. Taking off his casual jacket, he had a ck T-shirt on as he turned to begin removing his shoes. Suddenly, he saw a lithe body crouch down and set afortable pair of shoes at his feet.

    It was Gu Nianzhi.

    He looked down to see her inky and smooth hair flow like silk down her back. He suddenly felt a bit warm.

    It was probably because he needed to run an extra 10 kilometers earlier...

    He vaguely thought about this as he picked Gu Nianzhi up from the ground and set her on the shoe rack by the door. With one hand supporting the back of her head and the other holding her waist, he leaned down to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi gripped the hem of his T-shirt with one hand and gently responded to his kiss. Her other hand rested on his incredibly muscr shoulders.

    They were kissing passionately when a great thump sounded from the living room, like someone had fallen over.

    Huo Shaoheng let go of Gu Nianzhi before burying his face in the crook of his neck to pant quietly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lively eyes swept past Huo Shaoheng¡¯s broad shoulders as she watched Yin Shixiong crawl up from the floor with a wide grin on his face. He straightened the coffee table he knocked askew.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes turned into crescents as she smiled.

    Inhaling deeply, she was intoxicated by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s scent.

    He must have just finished exercising, so he still had a faint sweatiness on him. It didn¡¯t smell bad but carried the explosiveness of male hormones.

    Like a summer sea breeze caressing her face, it was balmy and carried the unique saltiness from the ocean.

    Huo Shaoheng detected her little movements and his heart turned into jelly¨Dhe loved her dearly. He gently moved her off the shoe rack and kissed her forehead, ¡°Did you have breakfast yet?¡±

    ¡°I just got up, so I haven¡¯t eaten yet. I was waiting to have breakfast with you.¡± Gu Nianzhi held his hand while they walked to the living room.

    ¡°Good girl. I¡¯ll go take a shower. You can go to the dining room first and wait for me to have breakfast.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gently patted her shoulder before heading to the spiral staircase.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t even hide the smile on her face when she walked into the living room.

    Yin Shixiong was already sitting in the dining room and raised an open morning newspaper to block his face.

    When Gu Nianzhi recalled Yin Shixiong¡¯s earlier embarrassment in the living room, she couldn¡¯t help but ask breezily, ¡°Brother Xiong, why did you forget how to walk earlier? You even tripped in the living room.¡±

    She clearly knew that Yin Shixiong had likely witnessed her being intimate with Huo Shaoheng, so he was frightened into falling over. However, she pretended to not know anything at all.

    Yin Shixiong revealed a corner of his eye as he snuck a nce from behind the top corner of the morning paper. He finally sighed in relief when he saw Gu Nianzhi was alone and set down the morning paper to grumble sullenly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that you¡¯ve vited conduct by openly disying public affection so early in the morning?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes, ¡°This is Huo Shao¡¯s official residence, so it¡¯s not a public ce. I didn¡¯t even me you for peeping on us, and you¡¯re trying to use me?!¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed, leaning his body forward and whispering quietly, ¡°...Didn¡¯t you guys break up already? Are you two back together now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her cutlery to spread peanut butter on her toast. She replied casually, ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m still thinking about it...¡±

    Yin Shixiong thumped the table, ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me! Just look at you two. The two of you were kissing so much that your lips were going to merge! And you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re still thinking about it? You almost melted in Huo Shao¡¯s arms already!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks turned pink as she red at Yin Shixiong, ¡°Why are you talking to me like that? Didn¡¯t Qiqi teach you to pretend not to see these kinds of things, even if you actually saw them?¡±

    Yin Shixiong turned to jelly as soon as he heard Ma Qiqi¡¯s name. He didn¡¯t bother arguing with Gu Nianzhi anymore and replied tiredly, ¡°I haven¡¯t been seeing Qiqitely.¡±

    Because of the interim elections, Yin Shixiong had been staying in the Senate building for nearly two weeks now. He hadn¡¯t even left the Senate building for a minute.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly consoled him, ¡°Are you feeling alright today? Go see her soon, then you can study, eat, and shop with her.¡±

    The only thing on Yin Shixiong¡¯s mind was the issue of his marriage request.

    Huo Shaoheng had interrupted him and kept making him rewrite it so much that his hands were nearly cramping from all the writing...

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes turned as he sneakily sat down beside Gu Nianzhi to whisper, ¡°Nianzhi, is Huo Shao pursuing you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi discreetly shifted away from him, ¡°Speak properly if you have something to say, don¡¯t try to sneak around.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled, ¡°I have a favor to ask you. No, Qiqi and I have a favor to ask you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poured herself a ss of milk, ¡°What is it? Something to do with you and Qiqi? I will help as long as I can help.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was overjoyed and quickly replied, ¡°Well here¡¯s the thing¡ªI¡¯ve submitted our marriage request several times already, but Huo Shao hasn¡¯t approved it yet. He keeps asking me to rewrite it and I¡¯ve already rewritten it many times!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was unperturbed, ¡°I might not be able to help you with this. Marriage requests are very solemn matters, so I don¡¯t want to get involved. This is also rted to Qiqi¡¯s lifelong happiness, so Huo Shao must be rejecting it because you haven¡¯t it written well enough. Good luck, Brother Xiong! I¡¯ll be supporting you!¡±

    Her words were sweet-sounding but had no intention of helping him at all.

    Yin Shixiong red at her, ¡°Brother Xiong doted on you for nothing!¡±

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng finished his shower and walked downstairs in a clean military uniform. He asked energetically, ¡°...What do you mean you doted on her for nothing? What is Big Xiong talking about?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s face turned pale with fear as he quickly stood up to pull the chair out for Huo Shaoheng. He respectfully asked him to sit down and said, ¡°What do you mean, I was only joking around with Nianzhi. Isn¡¯t that right, Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a giggle, ¡°Right, Brother Xiong was saying his marriage report was difficult to write, so he asked me to help him write it. I didn¡¯t agree to it, so Brother Xiong said he doted on me for nothing.¡±

    She found a random excuse, so Yin Shixiong was able to sigh in relief and discreetly gave her a thumbs up from under the table.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down beside Gu Nianzhi and said with a smile, ¡°Big Xiong, I was already nning on approving your marriage request. What is it? You still think it¡¯s not good enough and want to rewrite it a few more times?¡±

    ¡°Oh?! Really?!¡± Yin Shixiong was so happy he was about to jump up from his seat, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you still needed to consider it some more?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong had assumed he was going to be rejected and needed to rewrite it again.

    Huo Shaoheng was thinking about how it was going to happen sooner orter anyway...

    However, he didn¡¯t bother exining before grabbing his own breakfast, ¡°I¡¯ve already considered it for a few days and saw how sincere you were. I nned to approve it so you would stop bothering me about it.¡±

    Yin Shixiong sped his hands together and was about to worship Huo Shaoheng like a god.

    He didn¡¯t even bother eating breakfast. He only grabbed a beef bun before telling Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ll take the day off and tell Qiqi the good news!¡±

    ¡°Go on. Bring Qiqi home for dinner when she is free.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand behind him.

    Yin Shixiong ran outside without seeing his gesture.

    Gu Nianzhiughed so hard she nearly sprawled on the table.

    Huo Shaohengdled a bowl of millet porridge for her, then served a golden, crispy fried donut and two delicate little fish shrimp soup dumplings in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi ate two pieces of toast, drank porridge, had the donut, then cleared away all the shrimp soup dumplings on the dining table.

    After devouring all her food, sheid on the chair andmented, ¡°I gained at least two pounds just from eating breakfast.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    His gaze discreetly swept across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s increasing perky chest as he naturally changed the topic, ¡°Are you busy today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°Not really, but I n to go back to work at the Senate tomorrow.¡±

    She nned to take a week or so off, but by the fourth or fifth day, she was already sick of it.

    It really felt terrible to not have anything to do.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Come to the Central Control Room with meter. I need to tell you about a certain situation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡°Is this rted to Hong Kangquan, Tan Dongbang, and Cai Songyin?¡±

    She had always wanted to know what ended up happening to them.

    However, this was within the jurisdiction of Huo Shaoheng and his men¡¯s work, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to ask if they didn¡¯t take the initiative to mention it to her.

    Huo Shaohengughed, ¡°I guess you could say that.¡±

    ...

    After having breakfast, Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng to the Central Control Room.

    She was now familiar with everyone there, since they had shared experience and ¡°fought a war together.¡±

    Although it was on a smokeless battlefield, the fear and intensity were no less than that of a traditional battlefield.

    The bond between fellow soldiers was stronger than friendship since they had experienced life and death together.

    Gu Nianzhi walked inside, waving and greeting everyone before finally walking into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private office.

    Huo Shaoheng had his own office in the Central Control Room.

    He typically didn¡¯t go inside since he worked in the lobby with everyone.

    He would only go into his own office when he had to deal with a confidential assignment or needed to hold one-on-one meetings with his subordinates.

    Gu Nianzhi walked inside and closed the office door. She sat across from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk as she patted her chest with curiosity, ¡°What is it, Huo Shao? You are being too serious and I¡¯m feeling very scared...¡±

    Although she imed she was ¡°scared,¡± her expression didn¡¯t reveal any fear at all.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her and turned on theputer, ¡°Come here, I want to show you something.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got up to stand beside Huo Shaoheng so she could look at theputer monitor with him.

    There were three wide-screen monitors on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk. The middle monitor disyed an invalid IP address.

    A four-digit, invalid phone number that imed to be an ¡°international number.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very familiar with that particr IP address. She pointed to it and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this our old friend? What is it? Are they also Hong Kangquan¡¯srade?¡±

 Chapter 1120 - Whoâ€™s Your Daddy

    <h4>Chapter 1120 Who¡°s Your Daddy</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng nodded while he moved the cursor to the invalid phone number under the invalid IP address, ¡°This phone number is supposedly an international number, but a four-digit phone number cannot possibly be an international number. It can¡¯t even be a domestic number. But some extensions can be four digits.¡±As everyone knew, extensions could only be connected within a unit¡¯s phone line, so it was impossible to directly connect a call using an extension.

    Gu Nianzhi had never seen this phone number before, so she was very shocked, ¡°Really? So what¡¯s going on then? Who used this phone number?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng told Gu Nianzhi about Hong Kangquan and Tan Dongbang¡¯s connections to this phone number. Then he said, ¡°Both clearly stated that they had received many calls from that number and also called that number many times. But the strange thing was, I couldn¡¯t find any call records rted to this number on their phones. There are no records of any callsing in or being made. I even asked someone to investigate the telmunicationpany¡¯s records, but there was nothing there either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought this sounded somewhat familiar.

    She quietly thought about it for a second, then quietly said, ¡°Huo Shao, do you think that we¡¯vee across this situation before?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi said this, Huo Shaoheng also thought it sounded a bit familiar, ¡°...You¡¯re talking about my uncle¡¯s phone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile, ¡°I remembered that we found text messages on his phone, but we couldn¡¯t find any sources. It was like they appeared out of thin air and onto a phone that hadn¡¯t been connected for over ten years. The telmunicationspany couldn¡¯t find any records of it either.¡±

    Hypothetically speaking, the telmunicationspany should always have a record when cellphones received or sent out any text messages.

    There was typically no reason to investigate, but it would take no time toplete if it was required.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows knitted into a deep frown as he looked at the two numbers in deep thought for a while. He asked, ¡°Nianzhi, can you check where this invalid IP is from?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head regretfully, ¡°No, I tried for a long time but had no luck at all. It would be possible to trace this if it was a fake IP but an invalid IP would be impossible since it¡¯s invalid to begin with. That means it doesn¡¯t even exist online and can¡¯t be tracked at all.¡±

    There was some basis to a fake IP, but an invalid IP broke inte IP protocols. In other words, this was something that existed outside protocols and was impossible to trace.

    However, Huo Shaoheng got another idea when he heard what Gu Nianzhi said.

    He praised her, ¡°...Does that mean if we also knew how to go online using an invalid IP, then we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about our own IP being discovered? Is this the true way of protecting the privacy of online users.?

    Gu Nianzhi was also used to being a hacker, so she understood right away.

    Her dark, jade-like eyes sparkled with great surprise, ¡°That¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t I think of that? If we can actualize and master this invalid IP technology, then it would truly be the strongest weapon for hackers! Hahahaha, my daddy doesn¡¯t need to worry about me getting caught as a hacker!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...Who¡¯s your daddy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you actually say that my mommy doesn¡¯t need to worry about me getting caught as a hacker?¡± Huo Shaoheng replied leisurely, ¡°Or maybe you could say that Huo Shao doesn¡¯t need to worry about...¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned red while she grumbled quietly at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Why would you tease me about something like that?¡±

    ¡°Fine then, but I wasn¡¯t actually joking.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her down to her seat, ¡°But think about it carefully, you blurted out the word, ¡®daddy,¡¯ so does it mean you don¡¯t have any memory of your mommy at all?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head in thought for some time before spreading her palms and saying, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have any memory of my daddy either. I only subconsciously blurted it out earlier. As to why I didn¡¯t say mommy, I have no idea either.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly for a while. He smoothed her long hair, ¡°Fine then, you don¡¯t need to think about this if you can¡¯t remember it. Go home and get some rest, you¡¯ll be preparing to go back to work at the Senate tomorrow.¡±

    He didn¡¯t think he could allow Gu Nianzhi to be alone with her thoughts, so it was better for her to go to work and do things.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll be going back to work tomorrow, so I¡¯m nning to move back to my apartment in Hepingli.¡±

    That was the apartment she bought.

    Although Huo Shaoheng would miss her, he didn¡¯t stop her either. He only said, ¡°...I¡¯ll go over and spend time with you on the weekends.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips, ¡°You should call me before youe over.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

    Gu Nianzhi left the Central Control Room then went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to pack her things.

    Early the next morning, Huo Shaoheng drove a normal-looking ck Mercedes SUV to take Gu Nianzhi to the Senate. She was there to end her vacation and get back to work.

    When they arrived at the entrance of the Senate building, Gu Nianzhi got out of the car alone. Huo Shaoheng brought her things to Hepingli.

    As a result, no one saw Huo Shaoheng bring her there.

    Gu Nianzhi took the elevator to the Secretariat floor of the Senate building. She greeted everyone with a smile and finally arrived at Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯s office before knocking on the door, ¡°Special Assistant Zhuang, I am fine now and am ready to work.¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang looked up to see Gu Nianzhie in, so he happily got up from behind the desk. He stood at the door to shake her hand, ¡°Wee back, Miss Gu. We can sign your contract today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile, ¡°Actually, I still need to take an exam after signing the contract, so I don¡¯t even know the point of signing it. What if I don¡¯t pass the exam? Wouldn¡¯t you be stuck between a rock and a hard ce?¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang put both hands in his pockets andughed so hard he nearly buckled, ¡°Actually, there is no need for you to worry. Even if you don¡¯t pass, we are certainly going to be hiring you. Documents are only legally binding if they are signed, so exam results are only for reference.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was actually only joking as well.

    As a top student, she feared nothing less than exams.

    What was too difficult to understand for someone who could nce at a book and earn top scores?

    After Gu Nianzhi greeted him, she turned and immediately saw Rong Mingxing hugging an envelope and standing adjacent to her.

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea how long Rong Mingxing had been sitting there for, so she nodded as a hello.

    She didn¡¯t think that Rong Mingxing would force a smile at her and although it was very rigid, it was still considered a smile. She appeared somewhat timid and even took the initiative to greet Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, have your injuries healed?¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi was feeling very shocked, she didn¡¯t reveal it in her expression at all. She nodded with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine now, thanks for asking.¡±

    She walked away without turning. Rong Mingxing gaped her mouth but didn¡¯t manage to call out after her.

    Gu Nianzhi had only arrived at her tiny office for a short time before Reinitz came to visit her.

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t go upstairs, so he called her from the main floor.

    ¡°Cereus, I¡¯m going back to Germany tomorrow. Before I go, I want to treat you to dinner and thank you for taking care of me over thest few days.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s voice was a ssic male baritone, but his tone was so gentle that the rigid sounding Germannguage was transformed into vivid and passionate sounds.

    It was like a feather brushing over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were starting to burn from listening to him and even though she had originally nned on rejecting his offer, Reinitz continued to say, ¡°...Did your people arrest Hong Kangquan? I heard that he had not only contacted the Japanese but had also reached out to the Americans.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1121 - Help Me With Something

    <h4>Chapter 1121 Help Me With Something</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was vaguely aware that when Hong Kangquan escaped, he had possessed solid evidence. However, she had no idea what it actually was.

    That had been the only reason why he could make the Japanese risk everything and be willing to sacrifice all the espionage connections they had built in the Huaxia Empire to help him escape.

    Their n had failed in the end and the Huaxia Empire had nearly lost many elite personnel from the Special Operations Forces.

    If it wasn¡¯t thanks to Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning¡¯s amazing abilities, Huo Shaoheng and his men would be the ones drowned in the Japan Sea instead of the Japanese elite frogman squad.

    Now that Reinitz was telling her Hong Kangquan had contacted the Americans before contacting the Japanese, she thought it finally made sense.

    Gu Nianzhi had always known that the Americans were supporting Hong Kangquan, so she had been slightly shocked when she had learned that the Japanese were the ones who had intercepted him.

    She immediately asked, ¡°He contacted the Americans? Who did you hear this from?¡±

    Reinitz chuckled maically, ¡°...I¡¯ll pick you up after work tonight. Then, I¡¯ll make you dinner and tell you about the details.¡± He ended the call.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at her phone while she secretly loathed Reinitz for being so rude.

    He had got her appetite worked up and forced her to eat the dinner he was going to make...

    Gu Nianzhi looked miserable when she turned on herputer. Suppressing her feelings of unease, she began to work.

    She hadn¡¯t been there for several days, but there wasn¡¯t much in her inbox. However, Special Assistant Zhuang sent her contract over.

    Gu Nianzhi printed the contract and carefully read it. She saw it was only for a period of two years and provided a decent sry. She signed it with confidence before personally delivering it to Special Assistant Zhuang.

    Special Assistant Zhuang was now working on the same floor as Speaker Long, so his office was directly across Speaker Long¡¯s office.

    ¡°Special Assistant Zhuang, I still need Speaker Long¡¯s signature here. Do you want to deliver this to him, or should I ask Speaker Long for a signature?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she set the printed and signed contract on Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯s desk.

    Special Assistant Zhuang quickly nced over at the contract and signed his name before saying, ¡°Leave it here, I¡¯ll bring it to Speaker Long and ask for his signature after he is finished with his meeting.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Special Assistant Zhuang.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled respectfully at him and chatted some more before opening the door to go outside.

    When Gu Nianzhi went to her office, she saw Rong Mingxing again. She was standing at her door and poking her head around.

    Gu Nianzhi coughed behind her and said, ¡°Miss Rong, is there something I can help you with?¡±

    Rong Mingxing instantly turned and saw Gu Nianzhi standing behind her. Her tiny, fair face instantly flushed as she mumbled, ¡°Miss Gu, do you have a moment? There is something I need to talk to you about.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Pleasee inside.¡±

    She walked inside first.

    Rong Mingxing followed her and closed the door.

    Half the walls in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny office were ss, so people outside could see inside the office.

    There was only a bit of privacy when the blinds were closed.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Rong Mingxing wanted to say something, so she politely asked, ¡°Do you want me to close the blinds?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. This is ok.¡± Rong Mingxing carefully sat in front of her.

    Both girls had their sides facing the ss wall.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up an unopened bottle of spring water from the desk and passed it to Rong Mingxing, ¡°...I took this from the kitchte in the Secretariat.¡±

    Rong Mingxing epted it and thanked Gu Nianzhi before looking at her. She bit her lip without saying anything.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything either as she looked at her with a kind smile.

    Who would oust the other in the silence?

    Gu Nianzhi had only ever lost to Huo Shaoheng in the past, so Rong Mingxing¡¯s little antics were not up to measure.

    The two girls stared at each other for a full two minutes before Rong Mingxing lost the battle.

    She averted her gaze as she looked down at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s office desk. She mumbled, ¡°Miss Gu, aren¡¯t you curious about what I have to say?¡±

    ¡°What do I have to be curious about? I wasn¡¯t the one who invited you for a conversation.¡± Gu Nianzhi answered her calmly in an even tone. Her voice waspletely devoid of emotions and carried an obvious business-like manner.

    Rong Mingxing suddenly couldn¡¯t breathe from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s powerful aura.

    It was like she wasn¡¯t facing a 19-year-old girl who had just finished her Master¡¯s degree, but a calcting and cunning old man who had been working in the political realm for over a decade...

    But this obviously wasn¡¯t the case with Gu Nianzhi...

    Rong Mingxing couldn¡¯t exactly exin what she was feeling. Her legs shook so badly that she wanted nothing more than to make a run for it. But when she thought about how she would be left with nothing if she ran, she quickly found courage.

    She balled her hands into fists under the table to cheer herself on while she looked up at Gu Nianzhi to say quietly, ¡°Miss Gu, I heard you already signed a contract.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Didn¡¯t she just drop the contract off?

    But she also knew that there were no such things as secrets when working here.

    A work contract was not really confidential. Once Speaker Long signed it, it would be posted on a public bulletin board for everyone to see for a month, to ensure no one had any objections. Only then would she be officially hired.

    Everyone had ways of knowing who was hired, who quit, or who offended someone.

    Rong Mingxing was soon able to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s work contract on the public bulletin board. Even her sry was fully disclosed.

    This was because the sry information for the Senate and government institutions were not considered confidential information, so it must be made public.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly understood that point and nodded, ¡°Right, I just signed it. What about it?¡±

    Rong Mingxing squeezed her shirt hem, her thin lips trembling slightly. After hemming and hawing for a long time, she finally said, ¡°...Then can I ask you to help me with a favor, since we are schoolmates...?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She really wanted to say, why should I help her? Just because they were schoolmates?

    But she didn¡¯t even know about Rong Mingxing¡¯s name when she was in school. One of them was a graduate student, while the other was an undergraduate student¡ªit was like asking aplete stranger for a favor.

    While Gu Nianzhi grumbled internally about it, she didn¡¯t say anything out loud.

    Fine, she would help if it¡¯s something she could do.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed that Rong Xingxing was dressed very inly. Even though her clothes were in thetest style, they were obviously bootlegs¡ªthe unfinished hems were visible, the cloth and cutting were very generic. While the shape was correct, it didn¡¯t look right and it was obvious that her family wasn¡¯t very wealthy.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed to herself and adopted a much softer tone, ¡°What do you need help with? Tell me about it.¡±

    Rong Mingxing could instantly tell that she had a chance and perked up.

    She immediately answered, ¡°Do you promise to help me? I¡¯ll tell you if you promise to help me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Did people actually ask for favors like that?

    She didn¡¯t tell Gu Nianzhi what she needed but was already demanding for her to agree to it and refused to say what it was until she agreed.

    Gu Nianzhi lost her patience in dealing with Rong Mingxing, so she replied coolly, ¡°Then you don¡¯t need to tell me. I won¡¯t be seeing you out, please remember to close the door.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi said this, her eyes drifted toward theputer and she began to ignore Rong Mingxing.

    Rong Mingxing didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to turn her back on her immediately. She was humiliated but didn¡¯t want to leave yet.

    She originally had the support of Special Assistant Yang, but she heard that he had lost his job because he had offended Gu Nianzhi.

    Rong Mingxing couldn¡¯t rely on Special Assistant Yang anymore, so she could only set her sights on Gu Nianzhi.

    She thought about it again and finally said, ¡°Miss Gu, the thing is... I was thinking that since you¡¯ve already signed a contract, can you not take the exam? Or can you not take it seriously, as long as you don¡¯t pass...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her again, then shook her head, ¡°No, isn¡¯t that cheating? I won¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°But Miss Gu, you¡¯ve already signed the contract. I also heard from Special Assistant Zhuang that even if you fail the exam, it won¡¯t stop you from getting the job. Why do you still have to be so ruthless?¡±

    Rong Mingxing was extremely confused.

    It was clearly just a simple favor, so why couldn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi help her as a fellow schoolmate?

    ¡°...As long as you fail the exam, I will be able to get the position.¡± Rong Mingxing replied anxiously, ¡°I don¡¯te from a strong family background and don¡¯t have any connections, so I really need this job. Miss Gu, I know you know lots of people and many of them are high-ranking officials. You don¡¯t need to squeeze into themuter line like the rest of us regr citizens. You¡¯ve already signed your contract anyway, so the exam is just a procedure. Why can¡¯t you give up showing up for a procedure?¡±

    Rong Mingxing already inquired with Special Assistant Yang about it.

    The Senate was only hiring for one position this time.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was considered a special hire so it meant that even if she failed the exam, her position was an added one, which wouldn¡¯t count toward the official position for hire.

    With the exam questions Special Assistant Yang leaked, Rong Mingxing was very confident that she would be in the first ce and officially earn the position.

    Of course, this depended on the top student Gu Nianzhi not doing so well on the exam.

    If Gu Nianzhi was also first ce for the written exam, then there would not be an additional position. Rong Mingxing could not possibly be an official employee.

    Gu Nianzhi let Rong Mingxing finish speaking beforeprehending why she needed her help.

    She began to hesitate.

    It was true that Rong Mingxing had a point.

    Gu Nianzhi had already signed her contract, so she already had her position regardless of how well she did on the exam. Why should shepete with someone else?

    But what did Rong Mingxing mean?

    ording to what Gu Nianzhi knew, Rong Mingxing wasn¡¯t the only student taking the exam aside from herself.

    But Rong Mingxing was acting very confidently, like she was certain to be in the first ce as long as Gu Nianzhi failed the exam...

    Gu Nianzhi squinted her eyes and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t give you an answer about this right now, I need to think about it thoroughly.¡±

 Chapter 1122 - Slap Her Back, Quickly, Accurately and Fiercely

    <h4>Chapter 1122 p Her Back, Quickly, urately and Fiercely</h4>

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes instantly lit up.Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t reject her right away?!

    To Rong Mingxing, this was already a pleasant surprise...

    She immediately stood up respectfully and with her back facing the bright and open ss walls, she continuously bowed at Gu Nianzhi. She was bowing so dramatically that it was basically the polite 90-degree bow given by Japanese people.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Gu! Thank you, Miss Gu! I know that Miss Gu is a beautiful and kind person, so you¡¯ll be sure to help me!¡±

    Rong Mingxing gushed withpliments, her expression extremely thankful.

    Gu Nianzhi faced the ss wall, so she unavoidably saw the people from the Secretariat outside her office practically spectating what was going on.

    In the eyes of the experienced Secretariat staff, Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing were the same kind of people¡ªthey were brand new interns hired this year.

    But now one was already sitting in a private office, while the other was bowing humbly to the former...

    This contrast was truly too sharp, so most people began to judge the situation for themselves.

    At that moment, everyone was siding with Rong Mingxing.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind began to work as she calmly watched Rong Mingxing bow. When she was done, Gu Nianzhi finally smiled and pointed to a camera in the corner of the office, ¡°I forgot to tell you that everything here is under surveince. You can¡¯t me me if the words you said just now so happen to travel to Special Assistant Zhuang¡¯s or Speaker Long¡¯s ears.¡±

    Rong Mingxing jerked her head up, her face instantly turned pale.

    ¡°Sur... Surveince?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes crinkled into crescents when she smiled. She nodded gently, ¡°Of course there is surveince. Where do you think we are? This is the Senate. There is surveince in every corner, so if you need to make a private phone call, you should remember to leave the Senate and go to a public ce. Or you can make phone calls in a bathroom since there is no surveince there...¡±

    ¡°Oh... Thank you Miss Gu... For the reminder... Well, I wasn¡¯t really thinking when I said that just now. Miss Gu, please don¡¯t mind me, I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t have intentions of asking you to cheat for me... I really don¡¯t!¡± Rong Mingxing frantically exined herself and was terrified.

    How could she have known that there was surveince in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s private office?!

    If there was surveince in here, what benefits could she reap even if Gu Nianzhi helped her cheat?!

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s face was contorted when she left Gu Nainzhi¡¯s office.

    Pushing the door open, she looked up to see several of her colleagues in the Secretariat standing at the door and peering curiously at her.

    When they saw the bitter expression on Rong Mingxing¡¯s face, they quickly came over to console her, ¡°Mingxing, what happened? Did someone give you a hard time?¡±

    ¡°Mingxing, you can tell us if you¡¯re having difficulties. Don¡¯t be like this.¡± A middle-aged woman took Rong Mingxing¡¯s hand while she pursed her lips in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s office.

    Because Gu Nianzhi had the support of Speaker Long and was beaten when she defended the Senate, everyone was very impressed by her.

    But when they saw Gu Nianzhi boss around a fellow colleague of the same tenure even before she was officially employed, everyone instantly lost respect for her.

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of her office and crossed her arms as she leaned against the door. She smiled, ¡°That¡¯s right, Mingxing. You should tell everyone how I was giving you a hard time. If you can¡¯t say your share, we can watch the surveince videos since my office ispletely recorded at all times. We can clearly see what you¡¯ve said and done, so there will definitely be no intentional video editing to cause misunderstandings.¡±

    Rong Mingxing originally nned to mumble vaguely in order to mislead her colleagues, but she couldn¡¯t help but shudder with fear when she heard the malice hidden in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi said this, the other colleagues at the Secretariat became sheepish. They mumbled, ¡°Miss Gu, we saw Rong Mingxing bow at you just now, so we had no idea what happened and wanted to ask her. Please be gracious enough to forgive us if we¡¯ve offended you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled cheerfully, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to use you of anything. The ignorant are not guilty, you haven¡¯t offended me. As long as Rong Mingxing exins this clearly, I believe that no one will misunderstand. Isn¡¯t that right, Rong Mingxing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi originally nned to entertain Rong Mingxing briefly so she could investigate why she was so confident she would rank first ce if Gu Nianzhi was gone.

    Everyone knew that Special Assistant Yang had single-handedly introduced Rong Mingxing as an intern for the Senate.

    Special Assistant Yang was still on vacation at home because he had a conflict with Gu Nianzhi...

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to allow Rong Mingxing to continue getting her way after seeing her creep her way up.

    This wasn¡¯t someone who could control herself.

    Gu Nianzhi would be the one to suffer if she acted too vaguely with someone who couldn¡¯t control herself.

    Because such a person would interrupt her ns and certainly cause trouble.

    To deal with such a person, Gu Nianzhi could only p her back quickly and fiercely in order to prevent her from continuing to cause trouble.

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s face turned bright red, then pale as a sheet. She wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ground as she bitterly cursed Special Assistant Yang for giving her such a terrible idea.

    He had already given her so many ideas, so why hadn¡¯t he warned her about the surveince cameras in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s office?!

    If she had known there were cameras in the office, then she wouldn¡¯t have chosen to ask Gu Nianzhi there. She would¡¯ve intercepted Gu Nianzhi in the bathroom to beg for her help...

    Rong Mingxing stuttered for a long time, so the other people in the Secretariat could already detect there was something fishy going on. They instantly detached themselves from Rong Mingxing.

    Everyone chatted andughed for a while before returning to their workstations.

    Rong Mingxing was left alone there, staring woefully at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile also faded from her face, ¡°Rong Mingxing, is there a point of you doing all that? You really think that I¡¯d fall for your little trick?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, please don¡¯t say anymore!¡± Rong Mingxing gritted her teeth, ¡°I will exin to our colleagues, you didn¡¯t need to... Be so aggressive!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised a brow before uncrossing her arms, ¡°I was being aggressive? I didn¡¯t even say a word¡ªI was only listening to you talk and watching you y dumb. And you dare say I was the one being aggressive? So you think I should lie t on the ground and let you stomp all over me, so you¡¯d think I was kind and friendly?¡±

    Rong Mingxing actually possessed a sharp tongue of her own, and as a graduate student of the B University Faculty of Law, how could she not be sharp-witted?

    But she waspiler disadvantaged when facing Gu Nianzhi.

    A few choice words from Gu Nianzhi was enough to make tears swirl in Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes. She was still worried about what would happen if someone saw the surveince videos from earlier, so she was in no mood to argue at all. She spat out at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ve apologized already, but you¡¯re still refusing to let go. So do what you want?¡± She quickly walked away from the entrance of the Secretariat and headed to the elevator.

    When she was far away from the Senate building, she finally found a quiet spot to take out her phone to call Special Assistant Yang.

    The first thing she said was, ¡°Brother Yang, you set me up! Gu Nianzhi has surveince cameras in her office, so everything I said was recorded!¡±

    Special Assistant Yang was also taken back, ¡°Surveince cameras?! Her tiny office has surveince cameras?!¡±

    The cameras were there because Huo Shaoheng had especially requested someone to install them for Gu Nianzhi.

    Rong Mingxing nodded fiercely, ¡°She said there were cameras, and she could even ess the videos at any time and y them for everyone!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s too sly!¡± Special Assistant Yang was so angry he banged the desk with his fists, ¡°Nevermind that. I think you should resign. How can you continue working there now that she¡¯s got something on you?¡±

    ¡°Resign?¡± Rong Mingxing cried out, ¡°But... But... You promised me that...¡±

    He promised her that as long as she received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s help, he could guarantee that she would be able to remain in the Senate Secretariat.

    Special Assistant Yang smiled wryly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were surveince cameras in her office when I promised you that. If that¡¯s the case, then there is no point in continuing to work there. You should resign. I¡¯ll be honest with you, I have been in contact with some acquaintances at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They are in desperate need of new hires, so I¡¯ve already sent my resume over. I passed the first interview and when I meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the second interview, I¡¯ll basically be hired. How about you resign first and when I get into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I¡¯ll bring you with me?¡±

    Rong Mingxing finally sighed in relief and her tone was much sweeter than before, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! Congrattions, Brother Yang! I knew that you were amazing! Actually, now that I think about it, it¡¯s also a good idea to leave the Senate since Gu Nianzhi is calling all the shots now. She¡¯s always correct and she¡¯s the best, so there are no hopes for me even if I stay. Brother Yang, please remember to get me into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Special Assistant Yang chuckled, then insinuated, ¡°My stomach hasn¡¯t been feeling welltely, do you wannae over tonight and make something nice for me?¡±

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes rolled while she declined indirectly, ¡°But I need to work overtime tonight. I need to finish up all the work on hand before I resign, that way no one can use it against me. What do you think?¡±

    This was a girl who refused to give out favors until she reaped benefits of her own.

    Special Assistant Yang was fully aware of this, but he wasn¡¯t too upset by it.

    It was good she had a sharp mind. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t dare to help a hare-brained person...

    ¡°That¡¯s fine then. You should get back to work. I¡¯ll call you once things are settled with me. Get ready to send your resume in.¡± Special Assistant Yang took a drag of his cigarette and didn¡¯t hang up until Rong Mingxing agreed.

    Rong Mingxing was already in a much better mood by the time she returned to the Senate.

    She bought a tray of milk tea and egg tarts for her colleagues at the Secretariat and exined cheerfully when she brought them upstairs, ¡°Everyone misunderstood what happened earlier. Miss Gu actually helped me out with a big favor, so I was thanking her.¡±

    Everyone drank her milk tea and ate her egg tarts, so the previous awkwardness was forgotten.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t eat since Speaker Long so happened to call her upstairs for a meeting. She put her share of the treats in themon area of the kitchte so everyone could help themselves to it.

    Gu Nianzhi spent an entire day at a meeting with Speaker Long because he would be taking some Senators with him on a state visit.

    It turned out that Nadu, the speaker of the federal branch of the Rajya Sabha had personally sent a letter inviting Speaker Long to bring several members of the Huaxia Imperial Senate to visit India.

    The letter from India had arrived on somewhat short notice. When the invitation was delivered to Speaker Long¡¯s desk, the proposed visit date was for April 1.

    It was already March 21, so they only had about 10 days to make preparations.

    Speaker Long needed to confirm the personnel arrangements if he was going to make a visit.

    Gu Nianzhi must attend as well.

    Gu Nianzhi was clever and witty. Her English was fluent and she possessed formidable legal knowledge. With her sharp tongue, she could also act as an interpreter when necessary to help argue with the unscrupulous journalists in India.

    Special Assistant Zhuang was a cautious person and made no mistakes, so he would remain in the Senate while Speaker Long was away. He couldn¡¯t go with them.

    Speaker Long still needed to bring along one more Special Assistant.

    Someone tried suggesting Special Assistant Yang, but Speaker Long pretended he didn¡¯t hear it and continued to smile as he asked everyone, ¡°...Which other Special Assistant would like to go?¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s attitude was made very clear, so no one dared to mention Special Assistant Yang again. Finally, he decided on another experienced secretary and prompted him to be a Special Assistant. He would be apanying Speaker Long on this visit.

    Everyone stayed at the meeting until 6pm, so Reinitz grew impatient with waiting. He gave Gu Nianzhi a call and she finally sent him a text, ¡°The meeting ended just now, I¡¯ll being downstairs right away.¡±

 Chapter 1123 - Chocolate Flavored

    <h4>Chapter 1123 Chocte vored</h4>

    The sky was already dark by the time Gu Nianzhi left the Senate.Rows of sparkling streetmps stood ramrod straight before the building, illuminating the expansive road ahead.

    The road to the Senate building was considered an internal path for the Senate since it was nked by Senate offices on both sides.

    Reinitz leaned against a sturdy-looking ck Cadic. He looked down to light a cigarette.

    His blonde hair appeared to be surrounded by a faint halo under the glow of the streetmps, and his deep-set Germanic features were nothing short of perfect.

    He nced at his watch to see that it was already almost 6:30pm, so he became a bit agitated.

    He frowned while looking ahead and when he saw that Gu Nianzhi was finally walking over, a smile appeared on his solemnly beautiful face.

    He strode over and arrived in front of Gu Nianzhi, then naturally bent over to help her with herptop bag.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped his arm and said with a smile, ¡°No thanks, this bag isn¡¯t that heavy.¡±

    Reinitz didn¡¯t insist, but nodded politely, ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s already sote, are you guys always working overtime?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the situation.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Reinitz¡¯s car as she answered him vaguely.

    Huo Shaoheng dropped her off this morning, so she didn¡¯t drive her own car.

    She originally nned to hail a cab home, but it looked like she didn¡¯t need to anymore.

    Reinitz opened the car door, ¡°I¡¯ll take you home. You live in Hepingli, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°Haven¡¯t you been there before?¡±

    ¡°Right, but I can¡¯t go if you are going back to Major General Huo¡¯s.¡± Reinitz gave a dazzling smile.

    When he got into the car, there was a moment of darkness. However, Reinitz¡¯s eyes were as blue as a clear stream, so he looked at people with deep affection.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed helplessly, ¡°Reinitz, do you have a gf?¡±

    ¡°...Gf?¡± Although Reinitz was very fluent in Chinese, he couldn¡¯t immediately understand such modern inte ng.

    ¡°It means girlfriend.¡± Gu Nianzhi exined to him in English, ¡°You probably aren¡¯t married yet.¡±

    Reinitz didn¡¯t wear a ring on his finger.

    He started the car and soon drove off the road that cut across the Senate buildings before merging onto the highway.

    He said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not married and I don¡¯t have a gf. But I do like someone, so I¡¯m currently pursuing her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, good luck!¡± Gu Nianzhi slyly indicated her support while establishing herself as an outsider. Finally, she keenly changed the topic, ¡°You said something about Hong Kangquan this morning. How did you know about that?¡±

    Reinitz cocked his head, shooting a nce at Gu Nianzhi and smiling, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you get home. What do you want to have for dinner? I brought myst few Bavarian Weisswurst sausages, as well as the famous German smoked pork hocks. I went to the supermarket to get Japanese Kobe steaks, the freshest bamboo shoots and sashimi-grade salmon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but salivate while smiling, ¡°I like everything except for the sashimi-grade salmon.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like to eat salmon?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s too unsanitary to eat raw salmon, I heard that there are a lot of parasites.¡±

    Sashimi-grade salmon was actually very rare now and even fish caught deep in the ocean needed to be sh-frozen several times to kill parasites.

    But no matter what, sh freezing probably couldn¡¯t kill the parasites since they had tenacious survival capabilities.

    So while Gu Nianzhi chose to not eat salmon sashimi, she would be willing to eat cooked salmon.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t like sashimi himself, but he did some research to learn that Gu Nianzhi loved sashimi the most when she was a child. She especially loved Norwegian salmon sashimi, so he didn¡¯t expect her tastes to change already...

    Reinitz pursed his lips. After some time, he replied, ¡°...Huo Shaoheng doesn¡¯t let you eat it?¡±

    He thought about it over and over again¡ªHuo Shaoheng was the only person who could have such a strong influence on Gu Nianzhi and make her change her eating habits.

    Gu Nianzhi broke into a smile, ¡°I think so. I was a very picky eater when I was younger and back then, I was very selective about what I liked and disliked. But Huo Shao didn¡¯t let me get my way. I can¡¯t even remember when I stopped being a picky eater.¡±

    In short, Huo Shaoheng actually trained her like a soldier ever since she fell under his care.

    If she was picky and refused to eat dinner, she would starve. There would also be intense training afterward, so she was exhausted and hungry to the point that she had no energy to be picky about food.

    But she didn¡¯t remember liking salmon when she was young.

    Perhaps this was part of her memories...

    Gu Yanran once mentioned she liked all food prepared with lotus root, like steamed spareribs with lotus root, fried lotus root cakes, lotus root slices with sticky rice and Osmanthus. She couldn¡¯t recall that either, so it was like she never ate those things before.

    But when she actually tried it one time, she realized it really suited her tastes.

    But she had no appetite for salmon, nor did she want to try it at all.

    When she thought about it, it was quite interesting.

    Gu Nianzhi became a chatterbox as soon as she started talking.

    Reinitz listened to her in silence.

    He had always disliked using fragrances inside the car, so his car only ever carried the natural scent of leather. But this time, he actually smelled the scent of chocte in his car. It was sweet and fragrant, yet contained a trace of bitterness. It was this bitternessbined with sweetness that amplified the sweetness, making it even harder for him to let go of such a beautiful scent.

    Love must taste like chocte.

    Whenever he listened to her speak or watched her move, he always felt a trace of bitterness amidst the sweet charm.

    Every word she said was enough to make his heart tremble madly, the aftershocks echoing inside for a long time.

    Reinitz¡¯s mind drifted for a moment, so his car also began to elerate as well.

    Someone was able to detect this slight change in speed.

    With a roar, two trucks suddenly sped up from behind them. nking Reintiz from both sides, they quickly caught up to hisne.

    Reinitz quickly focused himself and shouted at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Put your seatbelt on! Lay down!¡±

    As he said this, he freed one hand to press down Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder to force her toy down.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked for a second and before she even reacted, she was pressed t on the seat by Reinitz.

    As soon as sheid down, she heard shots being fired at their windows!

    The car windows instantly cracked, like a dense spiderweb had suddenly appeared on the ss.

    Reinitz quickly mmed his foot on the elerator and his car bellowed as it instantly sped up. Like an arrow being released from its bow, it lurched forward and instantly left the two trucks far behind!

    He elerated too quickly and Gu Nianzhi was being pressed t on the seat. Her body leaned between their two seats so she almost sprawled onto Reinitz¡¯sp.

    Although Gu Nianzhi tried her best to hold it in, she almost threw up from the violent movements of the car.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Her face was ashen as she asked. She was still lying still on the seat.

    She heard the gunshots just now, but she didn¡¯t dare to look up at all since she didn¡¯t know what direction the shots were fired from.

    Reinitz replied gruffly, ¡°Someone is trying to kill you, but you¡¯re ok now.¡±

    From the rearview mirror, they could see the two trucks had already exited the highway.

    Gu Nianzhi supported herself up from the seat before turning to see the dense ¡°spiderwebs¡± on her window. She was shocked, ¡°Your car has bulletproof windows?¡±

    Reinitz curled his lips into a smile, ¡°You know your stuff.¡±

    If Gu Nianzhi and her colleagues hadn¡¯t happened to work overtime till sote, Reinzit believed they could perfectly avoid the enemy¡¯s assassination attempt.

    There were many cars on the road when people came off work, so it would be too congested for them to even squeeze their car from both sides. Also, with that many other cars, the enemy wouldn¡¯t be able to escape even if they could fire shots.

    So Reinitz originally had everything nned perfectly. He was going to take advantage of the congested Imperial Capital roads at rush hour to avoid the enemy, but he didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to coincidentally be working overtime. In the end, they ended up perfectly avoiding rush hour.

    It could be said that the enemy failed because Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz were lucky enough and he was able to think quickly on his feet.

    If Gu Nianzhi had been driving her own car or in a cab, Reinitz didn¡¯t dare to imagine the consequences...

    It was nearly 7pm. The number of cars on the highway was decreasing, so Reinitz drove even faster and quickly exited the viaduct. He drove into Hepingli, where Gu Nianzhi lived.

    This was a densely popted area since both sides had residentialmunities.

    Rows of shops lined the streets¡ªrestaurants, cafes, hair salons, beauty salons, bookstores, video stores, as well as all sorts of barbecue stalls wereid out on the path. They sparkled with multicolored signs and overflowed with the liveliness of humans.

    After experiencing the sudden scare on the highway, Gu Nianzhi especially appreciated the liveliness of the area.

    Inhaling deeply, she felt even more hungry and her stomach grumbled twice.

 Chapter 1124 - You Know What I Wan

    <h4>Chapter 1124 You Know What I Wan</h4>

    Reinitz looked at her with a smile before continuing to smoothly drive to the entrance of Hepinglimunity where Gu Nianzhi resided.Gu Nianzhi disyed her entry pass to themunity security guard and he opened the gate to allow their car in.

    Reinitz drove a visitor¡¯s car, so he was able to park at the visitor parking spots in front of the building.

    Gu Nianzhi got into the elevator with him.

    Reinitz was carrying several paper bags, all of which were the groceries he bought from the supermarket.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh when she saw the solemn German man look so domestic. She said, ¡°This is really damaging your image, Major General Reinitz.¡±

    Reinitz looked at her with tenderness, ¡°I¡¯d rather not have an image to upkeep when I¡¯m with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°Reinitz, you will be aesthetically fatigued if you keep acting like this.¡±

    Reinitz chuckled as he got out of the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi unlocked the door and weed Reinitz inside.

    She had to admit that Reinitz knew her quite well.

    Gu Nianzhi would certainly find an excuse to decline Reinitz if he invited her out to dinner at a restaurant.

    How could someone who refused to take the first bite of food when she was fleeing, easily fall into someone else¡¯s trap?

    Reinitz was both ted and furious by this trait of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    So in order to make Gu Nianzhipletely let her guard down, he chose to cook a full meal for her at her own home.

    Gu Nianzhi changed her shoes while bringing Reinitz a pair of men¡¯s slippers to wear.

    Reinitz had visited her home once before. So this time, he was able to ess her kitchen with familiarity.

    He set the things down and began to make preparations.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit speechless to see him wear a bespoke Armani suit while washing vegetables at the sink. She found an apron and said with a smile, ¡°This is my apron, are you willing to put it on for now?¡±

    Reinitz turned to look at it before nodding his head.

    Wiping his hands clean, he removed his suit jacket to reveal the white striped shirt inside. With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s baby bear apron around his body, his elegant demeanor now somehow contained a trace of cuteness.

    Gu Nianzhi squinted her eyes at him for sometime before saying, ¡°If you take a photo looking like this and post it on Weibo, I¡¯m sure you will attract many fans...¡±

    Reinitz nced at her, ¡°I¡¯m not taking any photos or attracting any fans.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Reinitz was just about to say something to her when he heard the tinymunicator in his ear ring. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Go get some rest, I¡¯ll call you out for dinner when I¡¯m done cooking.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also thought she looked pretty silly standing on the sidelines, but she didn¡¯t want to help Reinitz cook dinner either.

    ¡°Ok then, I¡¯ll tidy up the house.¡± As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she returned to her bedroom. She locked the door before going to the bathroom to shower.

    She was ustomed to immediately taking a shower after going home. That way, she could fully enjoy dinner infort.

    Reinitz heard Gu Nianzhi close the door and knew it was the perfect opportunity.

    He epted the call on hismunicator and asked in German, ¡°Was there something, Mr. Li Dexi?¡±

    Li Dexi¡¯s voice sounded somewhat exhausted, ¡°Reinitz, are you doing well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very well.¡± Reinitz nodded. His voice was so quiet that no one could hear what he was saying unless they stood very close to him.

    ¡°I heard someone tried to kill you tonight?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell what actually happened. I¡¯m very confused too.¡± Reinitz replied emotionlessly, ¡°I called Gu Nianzhi this afternoon inviting her to dinner and we decided on a time. But I ended up waiting from 5pm to past 6pm before she got off work. Afterwards, two cars suddenly sandwiched me on the highway and even cracked the ss on my windows, but luckily enough I was driving a bulletproof car.¡±

    Li Dexi thought this made sense and the series of events matched up as well, so his tone softened, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should be careful. We are going back to Germany soon, so don¡¯t go causing any trouble.¡±

    ¡°But Mr. Li Dexi, aren¡¯t I fulfilling your request?¡± Reinitz replied humbly, ¡°Don¡¯t you want Gu Nianzhi anymore?¡±

    A smile slowly appeared on Li Dexi¡¯s face, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll give you a big reward if you can make her return to Germany with you!¡±

    ¡°You know that I¡¯m not interested in a big reward. You know what I actually want.¡± Reinitz ended the call, then shut off the tinymunicator.

    ...

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng received the news about Reinitz taking Gu Nianzhi home and their car being randomly shot at.

    ¡°Gunshots? Is she ok?¡± As Huo Shaoheng asked this, he opened Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tracking information.

    When he saw that her location was at Hepingli, he knew she must have gotten home safely.

    ¡°She¡¯s ok. Reinitz was driving a bulletproof car and the enemy didn¡¯t seem to anticipate this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was only somewhat reassured, ¡°Investigate where the attacking trucks are right now. I suspect the license tes are fake.¡±

    The Special Operations Forces personnel in charge of protecting Gu Nianzhi was calling Huo Shaoheng.

    He scratched his head awkwardly, ¡°Huo Shao, how did you know the license tes were fake?¡±

    They were actually fake. He had just investigated the two license tes with the traffic police and confirmed the two trucks were driving with fake tes.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly turned on hisputer, ¡°Did you take any photos? Send them over to me.¡±

    The personnel immediately sent his photos over.

    Huo Shaoheng took a look to see it was two normal-looking Ford trucks. The license tes looked like they may be fake tes attached on top of the real ones. This meant the incident was deliberate and premeditated.

    Who else was targeting Gu Nianzhi before Hong Kangquan, Tan Dongbang and Cai Songyin were sessively arrested?

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his chin with one hand, his eyes gradually bing harsh and tenacious.

    So they think they could escape using fake tes?

    Huo Shaoheng picked up his phone andmanded his personnel, ¡°Go to the head of the traffic police and ask them to investigate all Ford trucks that appeared in the Imperial Capital today. I don¡¯t think there are too many of these kinds of vehicles, so we should be able to find them if we look one by one.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi finished showering and came out humming a melody. Just as she changed into her loungewear, she heard the phone ring with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately took the phone and slid the screen to unlock. She asked with a smile, ¡°Huo Shao, what is it?

    Was he checking on her again?

    At the moment, Gu Nianzhi actually felt her head begin to hurt.

    In the past, she wanted nothing more than to have Huo Shaoheng check on her. But now, everything had reversed.

    Huo Shaoheng asked calmly, ¡°...Did Reinitz take you home today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Just as she expected.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, he said he wanted to treat me to dinner and cook for me. He¡¯s in the kitchen right now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back against the chair and answered emotionlessly, ¡°You agreed just because he invited you to dinner?¡±

    ¡°...He mentioned something rted to Hong Kangquan. I was thinking that I should talk to him about it.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t avoid the topic, ¡°I still think that there is more to Hong Kangquan¡¯s situation¡ªwe only know what he was willing to confess, but we have no way of knowing anything he refuses to talk about.¡±

    ¡°I will thoroughly investigate the Hong Kangquan situation.¡± Huo Shaoheng coughed, ¡°You can¡¯t deal with someone like Reinitz in private. This will vite your code of conduct with the Senate. How about I ask Big Xiong to bring Qiqi to your house, so they can try Reinitz¡¯s cooking?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1125 - The Moonlight is Very Beautiful Tonigh

    <h4>Chapter 1125 The Moonlight is Very Beautiful Tonigh</h4>

    ¡°...Huo Shao, Big Xiong waited so long to finally have a day off and enjoy some time with Qiqi. Isn¡¯t it wrong of you to interrupt their date like this?¡±Gu Nianzi¡¯s eyes turned into crescents when she smiled and her soft tone was very coy. She was gently expressing her refusal, yet didn¡¯t make her point very clear.

    Huo Shaoheng discovered that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s coquettish skills had improved once again and if this continues, she would transform into a little fairy any day now...

    But they are in a serious military family, so how could they allow a disharmonious creature like a ¡°little fairy?¡±

    He must keep her locked up at home...

    Huo Shaoheng coughed while he tried hard to maintain his authority, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t worry about unnecessary things. You don¡¯t need to worry about Big Xiong, you should worry about yourself instead. You must be careful with your influences. You were attacked on the highway today, so why didn¡¯t you tell me about it? Even if you didn¡¯t tell me, shouldn¡¯t you have called the police? Don¡¯t you understand that you were in a lot of danger?¡±

    Why did he have to be serious about it?

    Holding the phone, Gu Nianzhi sat on the window sill and opened the curtains to see the moonlight outside the window. She giggled quietly, ¡°...Huo Shao, are you concerned about me, or are you concerned about official business?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a long time, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t give her a reply. She didn¡¯t force him either and repliednguidly, ¡°That means you were concerned with official business. Don¡¯t worry about it, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Huo Shaoheng scoffed as he turned in his chair. Like they were reading each other¡¯s minds, he pressed the remote control by his hand to open the blinds on his office window.

    The moonlight outside the window was very beautiful. On the canvas of the dark blue sky, the moon was missing a piece but still shone brilliantly. Because of the imperfection, it appeared even more shockingly beautiful.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her Bluetooth headset and hugged her arms around her knees as she rested her chin on her knees. She answered confidently, ¡°That¡¯s right. Firstly, you were afraid that I would vite the Senate¡¯s code of conduct if I had any private interactions with Reinitz. I wanted to tell you that I only signed and submitted the contract today, so Speaker Long hasn¡¯t even signed it yet. The thirty days of public notice hasn¡¯t begun either, so strictly speaking I¡¯m not yet an official employee of the Senate. I am not subject to the Senate¡¯s code of conduct.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart thumped, he secretly thought this young girl had truly grown up now...

    She was bing increasingly mature and intelligent. She was slowly entering his world and was even more familiar with the rules than him.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know if he should feel happy or sad because of it.

    Outside the window, the moonlight flowed like it was molten. In the far corner of the horizon, a shooting star streaked across the sky and beguiled one¡¯s heart with its beauty.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the window to slightly allow the chilly wind to caress his face. He gradually calmed down.

    Silently looking out the window, he also wore his Bluetooth headset as he put both hands in his trouser pockets.

    Under the moonlight, his features were handsome and elegant. His tenacious expression was unparalleled¨Cakin to a ck panther lurking in the dark night. His finely muscled body contained unlimited explosive power, yet hispletely buttoned up military uniform sealed away all his passion and fierceness.

    In the face of the enthusiasm disyed by the women he loved, he chose to act with vignce.

    ¡°Oh really? What¡¯s the second point?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was deep and steady, incredibly low but raising slightly at the ending notes to elicit a wave of maic charm.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat.

    Looking away, she also pushed the window open to look at the moonlight that shone as brilliantly as Queen of the Night blossoms. Raising her head with close eyes, she bathed herself in the moonlight and giggled quietly ¡°Secondly, although today¡¯s attack on the highway sounded very dangerous, this is really nothing worth worrying aboutpared to all the things I¡¯ve experienced already.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...You¡¯re being stubborn.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really not being stubborn.¡± Gu Nianzhi reached out to cup the moonlight outside the window and yed with its flow. Her mood also began to improve, ¡°Compared to beingpletely helpless and alone in the Alps when I was in Germany,pared to surviving in the nick of time amidst the dangers of chaos mathematics, I really didn¡¯t pay much attention to what happened this time. Also, I¡¯m in my own country right now and am by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. If I make a big deal by calling the police and asking for Huo Shao¡¯s help, wouldn¡¯t this insult all theyers of security you¡¯ve arranged for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart thudded for a second, but he still wasn¡¯t fooled by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s glib tongue.

    He chuckled quietly, ¡°...Oh really? So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s not because you were with Reinitz? So if you called the police, then the two of you would make headlines?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°!!!¡±

    Motherf*cker!

    He even knew about this! If she was even a bit dumber, she would be grounded into bits by such a smart boyfriend!

    Removing her hand, Gu Nianzhi revealed an even sweeter smile and her tiny lips seemed to be coated in honey, ¡°Huo Shao, actually the most important reason is that I know that you are right by my side. That¡¯s why I was so bold! This is all because you¡¯ve spoiled me rotten...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ming me?¡± Huo Shaoheng sounded as if he was ming himself, but the pride in his tone was about to explode into the heavens.

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t me you. You can spoil me as much as you want, and you can say I¡¯ve lost if I ever dare toin at all.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled along while she teased him.

    A gust of cool wind blew over, so Gu Nianzhi felt a bit cold. She quickly closed the windows before drawing the thick curtains.

    When Huo Shaoheng heard the sound of Gu Nianzhi closing the curtains, he suddenly paused, ¡°You opened the window just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I opened it. The moonlight is beautiful tonight.¡± Gu Nianzhi casually remarked, but her face suddenly turned red all the way down to her neck.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled deeply, his tone so raspy she could feel it in her bones, ¡°Right, the moonlight is beautiful tonight.¡±

    This statement held a special meaning for lovers.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if Huo Shaoheng understood the hidden meaning in this statement, but her heart pounded hard as she frantically said, ¡°...I¡¯m going to go now if you don¡¯t need anything else. I have to get changed, it¡¯s too cold.¡±

    Huo Shaohengposed himself and answered, ¡°Remember to wear enoughyers, don¡¯t get chilled at night.¡± He ended the call before dialing Yin Shixiong¡¯s number.

    At that moment, Yin Shixiong just ate an extravagant meal with Ma Qiqi. They walked out of the five-star restaurant and taking advantage of the moonlight, they took a walk on the forest path to head to a movie.

    They were originally walking side by side, but soon after, Ma Qiqi discovered that her hand had somehow be encased in Yin Shixiong¡¯s broad andrge palm.

    She secretly smiled and discreetly syed her palm open against Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand. She wasparing their size difference.

    Yin Shixiong noticed it when he felt the itch in his hand. This itch went deep into his heart, making it impossible for him to let go. He wanted to continue holding her hand just like this, so she would alwayspare the sizes of their palms against each other for the rest of their lives. He wanted her to onlypare hers with his.

    Endless thoughts suddenly shed across Yin Shixiong¡¯s mind and he could nearly envision the two of them with grey hair as they took their grandson and granddaughter for a walk under the moonlight...

    But unfortunately, an annoying ringtone began to sound, dashing the peaceful quiet between the couple.

    Yin Shixiong took the call gingerly and answered it, ¡°Huo Shao, what is it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked him first, ¡°Big Xiong, are you with Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t understand why Huo Shaoheng would be asking about Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi suddenly looked up and stared at Yin Shixiong quizzically.

    Her brows were magnificent with veryrge eyes, but they appeared very different from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anime girl-like eyes. Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes wererge and lively, so she appeared very energetic.

    Yin Shixiong felt refreshed whenever he saw her.

    He held her hand with a smile as he continued to speak with Huo Shaoheng ¡°We just had dinner and are going to watch a movie.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused, then forced himself to say, ¡°...Do you want to eat a second meal? Reinitz is making dinner at Nianzhi¡¯s house. I heard that he prepared many German delicacies...¡±

    Yin Shixiong furrowed his brows and whined, ¡°Huo Shao, but we ate already...¡±

    Ma Qiqi looked at him with great interest while mouthing the words, ¡°...Is this Huo Shao?¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded unwillingly.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that he was unable to convince Yin Shixiong, so he changed targets, ¡°That¡¯s fine then.¡±

    He hung up on Yin Shixiong and called Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone.

    Ma Qiqi was very surprised to hear her phone ring. She picked it up to see it was none other than Huo Shaoheng calling her.

    She quickly epted the call and asked, ¡°Good evening, Huo Shao. What can I do for you?¡±

    She was much more polite than Yin Shixiong.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mood improved a bit, so he asked with a smile, ¡°Qiqi, Nianzhi told me that you love delicious food very much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! She always says that I¡¯m a big foodie...¡± Ma Qiqiughed heartily, ¡°So I always tell her that there is nothing in the world that cannot be solved by eating a delicious meal. If there is such an unsolvable problem, then you should have two meals!¡±

    ¡°Well said.¡± Huo Shaoheng praised her with a smile, ¡°I heard you also appreciate beauty?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m always exchanging ideas about beautiful men with Nianzhi!¡± Ma Qiqi evidently didn¡¯t understand Huo Shaoheng as well as Gu Nianzhi and Yin Shixiong did.

    Yin Shixiong could tell something was wrong as soon as he heard Ma Qiqi begin to gush about ¡°delicious food and beautiful men¡± with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°...Oh? Really?! There are German delicacies and a handsome German man?!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes widened in delight, ¡°Is it Reinitz?! Oh my, I was even telling Nianzhi how great it would be if I could meet him in person! ¡ªReally? There is such an opportunity? I can eat dinner made by this handsome man?!¡±

    This was a rare opportunity!

    Ma Qiqi was very excited, ¡°I¡¯ll go, I¡¯ll go!¡±

    ¡°...I heard you guys already had dinner.¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to put on a regretful expression, his tone hesitant.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m not even full yet.¡± Ma Qiqi exined she had a great appetite, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to eat a second dinner.

    ¡°But you guys still want to go watch a movie. Would this interrupt your ns?¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to ask purposely, like he was personally witnessing Yin Shixiong pressing his ear against Ma Qiqi¡¯s phone to eavesdrop on them.

    Ma Qiqi shot a look at Yin Shixiong before gesturing for him to calm down. She then replied even louder, ¡°It¡¯s no interruption! The movie isn¡¯t real, but I can now see a handsome man in real life. So why would I see a fake one instead?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile became rigid.

    Yin Shixiong was rmed and immediately grabbed the phone from Ma Qiqi. He replied to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, Qiqi speaks her mind and had no ill intentions. Don¡¯t be mad, don¡¯t be mad!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and calmly changed the topic, ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense, I¡¯m asking you to monitor Reinitz as official business. He and Nianzhi¡¯s car was attacked on the highway tonight, so you should look at the cracks in his car. Take a photo and send it back to our colleagues, so they can analyze the bullet trajectory.¡±

    Using the bullet trajectory, they could analyze what model of firearm was used by the enemy and this would greatly reduce the scope of investigation.

 Chapter 1126 - I Was Right Again

    <h4>Chapter 1126 I Was Right Again</h4>

    Since Huo Shaoheng said it was official business, Yin Shixiong stopped joking around with him.He answered gruffly, ¡°Roger, Chief.¡±

    After ending the call, Yin Shixiong saw Ma Qiqi staring at him with glowing eyes. He was very perplexed, ¡°What is it? Is something wrong?¡±

    It was like there was something odd or unlucky on him.

    Ma Qiqi sped her hands together and little stars seemed to sparkle in her huge eyes, ¡°Big Xiong, you were so manly and handsome just now!¡±

    Yin Shixiong used to be very dejected because his girlfriend was obsessed with beautiful faces, but he felt very wonderful when the object of her aesthetic attraction was none other than himself.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s brain began to heat up as he dragged Ma Qiqi to him and lowered his head to give her a kiss.

    Through the branches, the soft moonlight shone on the shadows of the lovers in embrace. The image was so beautiful, it was like a painting.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone and felt a bit cold, so she found a sapphire blue Juicy Couture hoodie to put on.

    She came out of her bedroom and immediately smelled the delicious aroma of food.

    After starving all day, Gu Nianzhi followed the scent to her kitchen.

    The butter was melted and mixed with the fresh smell of steak. The sizzling sound of the pan was enough to make her salivate.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly swallowed.

    Reinitz¡¯s ears were very keen. He was able to detect such a quiet sound, so he turned to nce at her.

    His heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat when he saw Gu Nianzhi in her casual loungewear.

    At that moment, he imagineding home after work every night to see Gu Nianzhi jumping into his arms. They would kiss and make dinner together...

    After dinner, they would take walks on the Alps trails. A myriad of wildflowers grew densely along the path, so he could easily pick a bunch and bring them home to fill their vase...

    ¡°Reinitz, isn¡¯t your steak going to burn?¡± Gu Nianzhi came beside Reinitz with her tiny nose scrunched up.

    Reinitz snapped out of his thoughts and gave her a soft smile, ¡°It¡¯s ok, I will eat it if it¡¯s burnt. I¡¯ll cook yours perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess this one isn¡¯t really burnt either...¡± Gu Nianzhi poked her head closer, ¡°It¡¯s medium... How do you typically like to have your steak?¡±

    ¡°I used to eat it rare, andter on I preferred medium-rare.¡± Reinitz smiled as he ted the Kobe steak, ¡°But Kobe steak can be eaten rare.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t eat rare steaks, make it well done for me.¡±

    Huaxia people could be considered the best cooks.

    Foreigners could only think of eating rare meat if they sought tenderness...

    The rarer the meat, the more tender it was. ording to their methods, cooked meat couldn¡¯t be tender.

    But Huaxia cuisine contained countless ways of cooking the meat yet keeping it tender enough to be juicy.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t intend on making Reinitz feel dejected. Reinitz was a pretty good cook to begin with, and he was even considered a five-star chef by the German standards.

    ¡°I have Weisswurst sausages and German smoked pork hocks in the steamer. We can slice them up for dinner once they are cooked.¡± Reinitz pointed to therge steamer beside him that yet to heat up, ¡°Since you don¡¯t like sashimi, we can leave the salmon for now. I will use the pan gravy to cook the fresh bamboo shoots.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally gave Reinitz a thumbs up, ¡°Reinitz, you¡¯re so amazing! Do German soldiers need to learn how to cook too?¡±

    Reinitz pursed his lips, the smile disappearing from his face.

    Turning, he looked at the induction frying pan in silence before finally replying, ¡°...When I was young, I would starve if I couldn¡¯t cook. That¡¯s why I learned how to cook.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Did she identally provoke his sore point?

    But she still couldn¡¯t fully trust Reinitz yet. She looked at him with suspicion, ¡°Oh really? Didn¡¯t Mother Hana raise you?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only one raised by Mother Hana.¡± Reinitz didn¡¯t bother turning, his tone remaining t, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me about this before? Aren¡¯t you fully aware of where I grew up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped.

    So Reinitz¡¯s past was exactly as she imagined?

    The Germans had adopted orphans with strong qualities and taught them various skills¡ªonly to make them serve their country?

    Reinitz hadn¡¯t directly answered her conjecture the other night, so this was the first time she thought her theory was correct.

    She didn¡¯t think that a man descended from the royal German Hohenzollern family would have that kind of childhood.

    It seems that boys had to be raised strictly. Instead of giving them a life of luxury or poverty, they needed to experience hardship.

    Those who could ovee hardships are the ones who could prevail.

    ¡°See, aren¡¯t you doing fine now?¡± Gu Nianzhi patted Reinitz¡¯s shoulder and quickly changed the topic to something she was more interested in, ¡°You are the director of the German Federal Intelligence Service, but you also seem to have lots of intelligence about the United States and Japan as well... Are all of you allies?¡±

    Reinitzposed himself before ncing at Gu Nianzhi.

    In the face of her glossy eyes that were reminiscent ofcquer, he found himself unable to express denial.

    Averting her eyes, he pursed his lips and his solemnly handsome face was extremely stern-looking.

    When he used such an expression, all the people around him, from his superiors to his subordinates, would typically shy away. No one dared to provoke him.

    Evidently, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t scared of him at all.

    Twisting her body, she stubbornly stared back at him, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering? Did I guess right again?¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    After a period of silence, he finally answered, ¡°...Hong Kangquan actually contacted the Americans before reaching out to the Japanese. You don¡¯t need me to tell you which agency this was.¡±

    Gu Nainzhi nodded quickly, ¡°Of course, of course. Everyone on Blue would know.¡±

    Although Reinitz really wanted to appear indifferent and angry, it was very difficult to put on a in poker face when he was with Gu Nianzhi.

    His lips barely curled as he continued to say, ¡°Our service is coborating with the Americans.¡± Then he snorted derisively, ¡°Actually, I shouldn¡¯t even say that. We are not actually coborating with the Americans. I should say that they are a sovereign state while we are a dependent country. A country who had to surrender their defense rights is not worthy of being in sovereign cooperation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to continue the conversation.

    The Germans had lost the war and had been subsequently disarmed. The entire European continent was now under the protection of the US-led NATO military alliance.

    There was no question that Germany didn¡¯t need to keep many troops.

    Also, their existing military hadrgely been infiltrated by the United States.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect the German Federal Intelligence Service to also be a branch of the American CIA.

    ¡°The Americans shared intelligence with you?¡± Gu Nianzhi pondered this, ¡°But why do they need to share it with you? Logically speaking, shouldn¡¯t they contact Japan directly? There are also American troops stationed in Japan, so they should be under the protection of the United States. Don¡¯t they hold a simr rank as Germany?¡±

    Japan and Germany had both lost the war. However, Germany had seriously reflected on its war crimes, while Japan had never reflected. The Japanese school textbooks had always avoided the topic of the monstrous crimesmitted against other Asian citizens.

    Reinitz was stunned speechless by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions. He should¡¯ve long realized that Gu Nianzhi was extremely intelligent, so she was also very keen as well.

    She had such a keen sense of danger and good versus bad that it was almost frightening.

    Reinitz had only mentioned briefly that Hong Kangquan was making contact with both the United States and Japan, yet she was able to use this fact to immediately question the role the German Federal Intelligence Service yed in this incident.

    It was a loophole to begin with.

    Reinitz was feeling some regret. He decided not to speak to Gu Nianzhi until he figured out his bearings.

    This girl also had an amazing ability of speaking to herself.

    Luckily her voice was very pleasant. Otherwise, it would be a great nuisance to his ears.

    But Gu Nianzhi only epted Reinitz¡¯s invitation to cook dinner at her house because she wanted to glean information about Hong Kangquan. How could she let Reintiz easily slip away?

    Crossing her arms, she leaned against therge, double-door stainless steel fridge and smiled as she continued to ask, ¡°...Don¡¯t tell me you were an agent of the Americans in this incident?¡±

    Since it was nearly impossible for CIA agents to operate in the Huaxia Empire, Reinitz and his personnel could easily use their official visit to the Huaxia Empire as an excuse to get involved.

    ¡°Is this what happened? Hong Kangquan contacted the Americans first because he wanted to use the evidence he possessed to win over the Americans and get them to get him out of the Huaxia Empire. But the Americans were not very interested in his evidence since he wasn¡¯t as valuable as Bai Yusheng and wasn¡¯t worth the risk.¡±

    ¡°But the Americans didn¡¯t want to lose an opportunity to hurt our nation, so they decided to go along with the n by telling you to help contact the Japanese spies in the Huaxia Empire. You would give them the clues and see if they were interested or not.¡±

    ¡°But in the end, the Japanese not only came looking for Hong Kangquan, but also deployed all the elite Japanese Marine Corps frogmen troops to escort him. That¡¯s because the Japanese were very interested in what Hong Kangquan possessed, right?¡±

    Reinitz jerked his head around and looked at Gu Nianzhi with disbelief.

    He couldn¡¯t believe that she was able to deduce the entire situation from the few words he said!

 Chapter 1127 - She Was What He Wanted the Mos

    <h4>Chapter 1127 She Was What He Wanted the Mos</h4>

    ¡°Hmm? You look so shocked, so that must mean I guessed right again.¡± Gu Nianzhi inclined her chin slightly and smiled like a little fox, ¡°Thanks for thepliments.¡±

    Reinitzposed himself, bursting intoughter and shaking his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t even say anything. This was all your own conjecture.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything to me. Your eyes are telling me enough.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she looked at Reinitz¡¯s diforted gaze while he continued to fry the steak.

    ¡°It¡¯s immoral and illegal for you to do such things in our country. This also caused casualties to our personnel, so how should we settle this debt?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi folded her hands behind her and walked behind Reinitz to look at his tall and broad back. She measured him with her hands and was disappointed to discover that she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to physically ovee him...

    Reinitz didn¡¯t even turn before replying, ¡°So what will you do? Arrest me and hand me over to the police, or hand me over to your Major General Huo?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to do that, but I can¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. You are very confident that I don¡¯t have any evidence on me. My deductions alone aren¡¯t enough to get you convicted.¡±

    Also, Reinitz was making a national visit to the Huaxia Empire as the Director of the German Federal Intelligence Service...

    His title alone would certainly guarantee immunity.

    Of course, the more important matter was that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s biggest enemy was none other than Japan.

    Germany and the United States had no desire to fight the Huaxia Empire to death, but Japan was apletely different case.

    So Gu Nianzhi decided to abide by the principle of losing some and winning some and let Reinitz off the hook this time.

    She stood on the other side of Reinitz and smiled, ¡°But I¡¯m not a very old-fashioned person, so I know what is good for me. Although you crafted such a big lie to fool me in Germany...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi drew arge circle with her hand.

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t help but nce at her from the corner of his eyes, then want to nearly burst intoughter.

    But he still managed to control himself and expressionlessly look straight ahead. He stared nkly at the sizzling steak.

    ¡°...But I am a generous and forgiving person, so I won¡¯t be petty with you. Truthfully speaking, you helped me lots too. Your merits outweigh your sins, so should we call it a tie?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head at Reinitz and offered her soft, pale hand, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Although Reinitz knew Gu Nianzhi was ying coy with him because she didn¡¯t have any physical evidence to prove his connection to the Hong Kangquan cause, he couldn¡¯t help but feel excited.

    Reinitz had done exactly the same thing Gu Nianzhi was doing, countless times before.

    Although he was fully aware that these honeyed words flowed easily from her lips and didn¡¯t have any truth in them, he couldn¡¯t help but feel overjoyed by her lies...

    Reinitz was frightened to the bone.

    Could he have fallen so deeply without even realizing it?

    ¡°Hello? Reinitz? Do you agree or are you nning something else now?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head at Reinitz, only to discover that his thin lips were trembling slightly. Although the motion was barely detectable, such a disy was too obvious for Gu Nianzhi who was ustomed to reading Huo Shaoheng¡¯s facial expression daily.

    ¡°...What¡¯s with you? Did I say something wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. Was Reinitz going to cry or something?

    What would she do then?

    She panicked for a second and stumbled backward.

    Reinitz saw her leave, so he instinctively reached out to grab her by the arm. However, he quickly let go like he was burned by fire.

    Gu Nianzhi carefully peered at Reinitz to see he didn¡¯t look like he was going to cry. She finally sighed in relief and giggled, ¡°Thanks for that, I almost tripped.¡±

    Reinitz snorted. He replied expressionlessly, ¡°You are very good at talking to yourself. I didn¡¯t even say anything and you already made so many conclusions about me.¡±

    ¡°I was seeking your opinion.¡± Gu Nianzhi syed her palms, ¡°Also, what was Hong Kangquan trying to barter with the United States and Japan? Do you know?¡±

    ¡°You actually don¡¯t know?¡± Reinitz turned to look at her with surprise, ¡°So you¡¯re not their core personnel?¡±

    Although his words were a bit hurtful, it was still the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi was a bit unhappy to hear it, ¡°What do you mean by core personnel? How am I not core personnel? Are you looking down on me?¡±

    She can¡¯t possibly be core personnel if she answered like that.

    Reinitz sighed in relief, his entire mood brightened.

    He lost his poker face and his eyes squinted as he smiled at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Why would I ever dare to look down on you? My girl, you flipped my entire house upside down and I didn¡¯t even say a word about it.¡±

    He was referring to how Gu Nianzhi was ¡°the Pink Piggy¡± who destroyed the German Federal Intelligence Service¡¯s central control system and all their files in one fell swoop...

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slyly, ¡°When did I ever do that? I¡¯m not some silly child, so what does your house being flipped upside down have anything to do with me?¡±

    Neither of them admitted to these usations, so they have basically met their match.

    ¡°Actually, Hong Kangquan is not that important. Their target changed a long time ago.¡± Reinitz smiled faintly as he served the cooked steak and drizzled a bit of sauce to enhance the vor. Finally, he embellished the te with a piece of broli as a decoration.

    Gu Nianzhi furrowed her brows in contemtion, ¡°That¡¯s right. They changed their tactic after and don¡¯t care about Hong Kangquan¡¯s survival at all.¡±

    All they cared about was trapping and drawing Huo Shaoheng and his men at the bottom of the ocean.

    They also used such a powerful maic field...

    A thought crossed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head: why did these people insist on taking Huo Shaoheng¡¯s life?

    In order to kill off Huo Shaoheng, they would rather give up Hong Kangquan when they almost had him.

    Was this purely because Huo Shaoheng was the chief of the Huaxia Imperial Special Operations Forces?

    That he held the same rank as Reinitz?

    But there were such people in every country.

    If Huo Shaoheng died on duty, the Huaxia Empire would appoint a new chief.

    The Special Ops wouldn¡¯t be dismantled due to the death of one person.

    That means Huo Shaoheng must possess some intrinsic value the Japanese and American couldn¡¯t tolerate, and this was the reason they used all efforts to kill him off.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t immediately think of what special value Huo Shaoheng could possess to cause the Japanese and Americans to hate him to the bone. She decided to leave this aside for now and changed the topic to the maic field used by the Japanese.

    ¡°Reinitz, did you see the wonder of nature on the Japan Sea?¡± Gu Nianzhi helped Reinitz bring the cooked food to the dining room outside, ¡°Do you know how it was created?¡±

    He answered sullenly, ¡°I know the Americans have very advanced maic field technology. But I never realized they could create such a powerful electric field.¡±

    ¡°Was this actually created by the Americans¡¯ technology?¡± Gu Nianzhi could sense something was amiss in what Reinitz was saying, ¡°But what was the energy source? As far as I know, there are no devices in the world that can produce such a powerful electromaic field.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so conclusive with your words.¡± Reinitz disagreed, ¡°Every country has its own advanced technology and that is especially the case for the United States. Their technological capabilities are actually very powerful, so there are many things you¡¯ve never even seen or heard about.¡±

    ¡°But I still think that the United States wouldn¡¯t have been in this state for a long time if they actually had such amazing energy sources.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very insistent, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it at all.¡±

    Reinitz looked at her again. He thought that no matter how powerful that energy source was, could it evenpare to her when she stood in front of him?

    She was what they wanted the most.

    Her father was truly a genius.

 Chapter 1128 - Worship You Everyday

    <h4>Chapter 1128 Worship You Everyday</h4>

    Reinitz looked at Gu Nianzhi with an increasingly fascinated gaze.Gu Nianzhi nced at him before turning to say, ¡°Are you getting hungry? Let¡¯s eat if you¡¯re hungry.¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Do I look very hungry?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, your eyes look like someone who has starved for a long time and finally saw delicious food. It¡¯s a bit harrowing.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she sat down in the dining room.

    Reinitz rubbed his nose before bringing out thest te of steak and putting on his ce setting.

    Gu Nianzhi took out the red wine Reinitz broughtst time and filled a ss for him. She served herself a ss of grape juice symbolically.

    She would never drink in front of Reinitz.

    Reinitz seemed to know about her habit as well, so he didn¡¯t force her to drink. He raised his ss with a smile, ¡°Cheers.¡±

    ¡°Cheers.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her ss of grape juice.

    Just as she took a sip, her phone began to ring.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed it to take a look and saw that it was Ma Qiqi calling. She hadn¡¯t been in contact with Ma Qiqi for a long time now, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to answer. She smiled as she asked, ¡°Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi! Are you at home? I¡¯m at the entrance of your building. Tell your property manager to let me inside!¡± Ma Qiqi¡¯s bubbly voice sounded from her phone.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly answered, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll call the property management.¡±

    She called thendline to themunity¡¯s security center and told them, ¡°Qiqi is my good friend, please let her inside.¡±

    Thendline of themunity¡¯s security center disyed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s address. The security guard saw that Gu Nianzhi was a resident of themunity and was giving him permission, so he finally let Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong in.

    Yin Shixiong drove to the underground parkade of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment building. He said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°You can go upstairs first, I¡¯m going to take a few photos.¡±

    Ma Qiqi nodded, ¡°You shoulde upstairs soon, I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    After Ma Qiqi left, Yin Shixiong found Reinitz¡¯s car and walked over to carefully examine the windows.

    It was actually bulletproof ss.

    This was also an extraordinarily sturdy car and was obviously bulletproof too...

    When Yin Shixiong considered it some more, he realized that the Director of the German Federal Intelligence Service must drive a bulletproof car.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t think it was strange anymore, so he took out his high-definition professional camera and took several hundred photos of the ballistics on the windows. He sent them back to his colleagues.

    ...

    Ma Qiqi went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and rang the doorbell.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly swung the door open and cracked a huge grin, ¡°Qiqi! I finally get to see you!¡±

    The two girls embraced each other happily.

    Reinitz stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked over from behind Gu Nianzhi. He asked with a smile, ¡°...May I ask who this is?¡±

    He spoke English with a British ent.

    Ma Qiqi stiffened. She looked up to see a blonde-haired, blue-eyed handsome man with exquisite features that were akin to ancient Greek sculptures. Although he was smiling, he had a faint aura of elegance and elevated distance that could never be traversed. It felt like he pushed everyone away and kept them at an arm¡¯s length.

    But a god should rightfully be worshipped and enshrined high above the people.

    Ma Qiqi¡¯s eyes instantly sparkled and she grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. She looked at Reinitz while saying to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re too amazing! Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were hiding a beautiful man in your house?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi feltpletely embarrassed.

    Sheughed awkwardly before introducing them to each other, ¡°This is Ma Qiqi, my roommate during graduate studies. This is Major General Reinitz. You saw him before on TV.¡±

    Ma Qiqiq offered her hand excitedly, ¡°Major General Reinitz, what a pleasure to meet you!¡±

    Reinitz gave her a tight-lipped smile before bowing slightly, ¡°Hello.¡±

    He didn¡¯t shake hands with her and appeared to be somewhat of a germaphobe.

    This only made Ma Qiqi think he was even more mysterious and alluring.

    Reinitz went back first, so Ma Qiqi and Gu Nianzhi excitedly whispered in each other¡¯s ears, ¡°Oh my, Nianzhi! This guy is too handsome! Where did you find such an insanely handsome guy?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted before pinching Ma Qiqi and whispering, ¡°He¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve met even more handsome men. You need to be more careful, Brother Xiong will give you a hard time if he finds out about this!¡±

    Ma Qiqi immediately answered, ¡°Big Xiong ising too. He¡¯sing upstairs in a bit. Just let me enjoy Reinitz¡¯s beauty before Big Xionges. I promise I won¡¯t even look at Reinitz once Big Xiong gets here.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine! Go on and enjoy his beauty.¡± Gu Nianzhi was amused, ¡°What do you want to eat? Today we have Weisswurst sausages, German smoked pork hock, pan-fried Kobe steaks, and sauced bamboo shoots. All these were made by the guy whom you think is so handsome.¡±

    ¡°All these are so good! And it¡¯s even better that the handsome guy made it!¡± Ma Qiqi was nearly drooling, ¡°I must try these Weisswurst sausages. I heard you talking about them many times.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she took Ma Qiqi to the dining room. Then, she went to the kitchen to make some toast and bring them out on a te.

    In the dining room, Ma Qiqi looked at Reinitz with sparkling eyes while she asked him all sorts of curious questions.

    For example, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, when did you first meet Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Reinitz, did you make all these dishes by yourself? How did youe up with the idea ofing to Nianzhi¡¯s home and cooking for her? Why didn¡¯t you invite her out for dinner?¡±

    Reinitz sat elegantly on the seat. His was back ramrod straight and he had a faint smile on his face. However, his expression wasn¡¯t very friendly since he was just being polite and refused to answer any questions. He continued to sip red wine from the ss.

    Gu Nianzhi had never witnessed Reinitz behave in such a polite yet distant manner to push people away. She frowned slightly.

    From the first time she saw Reinitz, he had always been friendly, gentle, and treated her especially well. She even assumed that was his normal personality.

    But by the looks of things now, it was all because she was ¡°his assignment and target¡±.

    His treatment of Ma Qiqi was how he actually behaved as a person.

    He didn¡¯t even waste a smile on someone who was of no value to him.

    Ma Qiqi asked a whole slew of questions but didn¡¯t get any responses from Reinitz, so she quickly lost interest as well.

    Although this handsome man was very good looking, his poor attitude seriously decreased his attractiveness.

    Ma Qiqi had no self-harm tendencies, so her friendliness quickly evaporated.

    Gu Nianzhi brought out a tray of fresh toast and set it in front of Ma Qiqi. She said cheerfully, ¡°Have this with the Weisswurst sausages. It¡¯s very tasty.¡±

    Ma Qiqi grabbed a piece of warm toast and tried it with a piece of Weisswurst sausage.

    ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s really so delicious! This bread has a special favor and matches perfectly with the Weisswurst sausage! Oh no, my diet n is down the drain! Nianzhi, I¡¯m telling you that my entire month of dieting is wasted now. You need to take responsibility for this!¡±

    Even though Ma Qiqi wasining, she didn¡¯t stop to catch her breath before gobbling down several pieces of toast and Weisswurst sausages.

    Reinitz watched Ma Qiqi eating voraciously. He indifferently lowered his head to take another sip of red wine. He got up and told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, I need to go now. Thank you for treating me, you must tell me if you evere back to Germany.¡±

    Reinitz and his men had been in the Huaxia Empire for several days now but it was now time to go home.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask him to stay. She stood up with a smile, ¡°You prepared all the food, so I didn¡¯t actually treat you. I¡¯ll take you out for a roast duck when youe back next time.¡±

    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s a promise.¡± Reinitz politely replied as he reached out to shake Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Gu Nianzhi shook his hand, then discovered he was discreetly pushing a balled-up note in her palm.

    Gu Nianzhi held onto it without giving any signal, ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on her coat then said to Ma Qiqi, ¡°Help yourself, Qiqi. I¡¯ll be back right away.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all good, I¡¯m not going to pretend to be polite with you.¡± Ma Qiqi grinned since she was already thinking about how she would unt her excellent performance to Huo Shaoheng...

    Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz had just stepped outside of the apartment when Ma Qiqi dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately answered, ¡°Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯d better thank me and Big Xiong. We just arrived and Reinitz decided to leave.¡± Ma Qiqi giggled, then turned on the video call on her phone to show Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Look, Reinitz made all this food but he only ate a little bit before leaving.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the dinner disyed on his phone screen and memorized the types of dishes, ¡°Thank you, Qiqi. Where did Big Xiong go?¡±

    He didn¡¯t see Yin Shixiong in the camera¡¯s frame.

    ¡°Big Xiong is still in the parking lot.¡± Ma Qiqi ended the video call, ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to wait for Nianzhi and Big Xiong toe back.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz went into the elevator together.

    As she watched the elevator floor numbers continue to decrease, Gu Nianzhi asked quietly, ¡°...What did you give me?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s what you need the most.¡± Reinitz stuffed his hands inside his coat pockets.

    He was very tall, so he only needed to look forward when standing beside Gu Nianzhi to see the swirl of hair on the top of her head.

    Her hair was extremely dark and provided a stark contrast to the paleness of the skin under the swirl of hair.

    Gu Nianzhiughed, ¡°I need many things, so how do you know this is what I need the most?¡±

    ¡°Oh really? If you don¡¯t actually need it, it¡¯s fine for you to throw away.¡± Reinitz didn¡¯t seem to have the energy to chat anymore; his expression was a bit dejected.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly confused but didn¡¯t say anything again.

    She walked Reinitz all the way to the underground parkade and ran into Yin Shixiong as soon as they walked out of the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi eximed with surprise, ¡°Brother Xiong! Why did youe sote? Qiqi was waiting for you for so long!¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly replied, ¡°Hahahaha, what a coincidence!¡±

    He grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand before waving at Reinitz with his free hand, ¡°Major General Reinitz, what a pleasure to meet you. However, you really can¡¯t be meeting Nianzhi privately like this again. Otherwise, she will get into trouble.¡±

    ¡°Really? Am I that attractive? I¡¯ll make her get into trouble?¡± Reinitz smiled wryly at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I thought Cereus didn¡¯t find me attractive enough.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very embarrassed.

    Did Reinitz hear her whispering to Ma Qiqi earlier?

    No wonder he acted aloof and ignored themter on. He was so haughty and distant that he was almost like a god high above them...

    But would he actually be so petty?

    As the head of the German Federal Intelligence Service, wasn¡¯t Reinitz putting up an act?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes internally, but still kept a smile on her face as she said, ¡°As if... Major General Reinitz is shockingly attractive, just like Apollo! Women want to worship you as soon as theyy their eyes on you!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Reinitz smiled, ¡°Do you want to worship me too?¡±

    ¡°I want to.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and smiled slyly, ¡°I¡¯ll burn incense for you three times a day, and worship you with fresh flowers, water, and fruits!¡±

    Pfft!

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He thrust his head into the elevator and his entire body shook as he tried to hold back hisughter.

    ...

 Chapter 1129 - A Little Girl Needs Daddy

    <h4>Chapter 1129 A Little Girl Needs Daddy</h4>

    Reinitz hadn¡¯t been studying Chinese for very long, so he waspletely clueless about the hidden meaning in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.But when he saw the sly smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, he already knew this girl was likely secretly teasing him with a double entendre again...

    This probably wasn¡¯t anything good.

    Even though Reinitz knew he was being teased, her words still made him feel ted and happier than ever.

    Reinitz nodded, ¡°Do you like fresh flowers and fruits? When youe to Germany, I¡¯ll give them to you every day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Yin Shixiong helped Gu Nianzhi end the conversation from inside the elevator,¡± Nianzhi, are youing in or not?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frantically waved at Reinitz, ¡°Goodbye, Major General Reinitz! I won¡¯t be seeing you off, but I wish you a safe trip!¡±

    She intended to let him know that she was sad to see him go, but the smile on her face was too sweet and happy. This made Reinitz feel heartbroken instead.

    He sat in the car while watching the elevator doors slowly close.

    The lights in the parkade gradually dimmed but Reinitz didn¡¯t start his car right away. He merely sat inside the car and looked ahead in silence.

    The empty parkade grew even darker.

    There was only onemp that continued to glow in the corner.

    Creatures that lived in the darkness knew better than anyone else just how attractive the only light amidst darkness was...

    Even though they knew there was ampshade blocking them, even though they knew they werepletely different entities, they were still desperately attracted the light¡ªlike a moth to a me.

    If a moth flew towards thempshade, it would overheat to death.

    If there was nompshade, the moth would burn to death.

    So, no matter what, it was destined to die.

    Reinitz squinted his brilliant blue eyes and listlessly looked down. His desires and hopes for Gu Nianzhi were just like a moth flying right into thempshade...

    Reinitz sat in the parkade for a long time before his phone rang and finally snapped him out of his thoughts. Hezily started the car and put on his Bluetooth headset to ept the call.

    ¡°Reinitz, where are you? It¡¯s already sote. I went to your room but I couldn¡¯t find you.¡±

    It was Marthy the Paromeo family¡¯s third daughter.

    Reinitz snapped coldly, ¡°...You¡¯re in my room? Who gave you my room key?¡±

    Marthy was a bit guilted by his questions but still managed to stiffen her slender, swan-like neck and muster, ¡°I was worried about you, so I asked someone to open the door to your room. What is it? Am I not allowed to do that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to do that.¡± Reinitz smiled harshly, ¡°Miss Paromeo, you¡¯ve vited our agency¡¯s regtions. You are suspected of leaking national secrets, trespassing onto agency premises, and stalking intelligence personnel. Each of these is a major crime.¡±

    Marthy was shocked, ¡°Reinitz, don¡¯t scare me like that! I only asked someone to let me into your room and then I only sat there for a while! I swear I didn¡¯t touch anything!¡±

    Reinitz smoothly ended the call and immediately called someone else. His tone was icy, ¡°Take personnel to my room and arrest Marthy Paromeo. We will be charging her and asking her family to pay money and bail her out as soon as we return to Germany.¡±

    Their agency¡¯s annual expenses wouldrgely depend on the Paromeo n paying money to bail out their third daughter...

    ¡°Roger, Major General Reinitz!¡±

    Before Reinitz arrived at the five-star hotel they were staying at, news of Miss Marthy Paromeo¡¯s arrest had already be a trending headline on German social media.

    ...

    Yin Shixiong went upstairs with Gu Nianzhi. When he went to her apartment and saw all the delicious food on the dining table, he couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°This was worth the trip. Everything looks very good. Did Reinitz make it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°He was in charge of everything from getting ingredients to cooking. It actually tastes pretty good. Of course, this is noparison to the five-star chefs from the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    Yin Shixiong cut up a small piece of steak to try and hummed happily with his eyes closed, ¡°Delicious! Delicious! It¡¯s so incredibly delicious!¡±

    He gushed withpliments, so he suddenly had a lot inmon with Ma Qiqi.

    They fed each other bite after bite and was able to clear the entire table of food in no time.

    Gu Nianzhi only had half a steak so Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong divided the rest of the food.

    After Yin Shixiong finished eating, he patted his belly with satisfaction, ¡°That was authentic wagyu. It was actually so good!¡±

    Ma Qiqi also had some red wine and was a bit drunk. She eximed with a giggle, ¡°Of course that was good. Reinitz would only buy real wagyu. You know that most wagyu at typical restaurants are not real wagyu. I tried real wagyu once when I went to Japan but it wasn¡¯t as good as this. The quality of this wagyu is top-notch, even for Japanese standards!¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded as well, ¡°I also had wagyu when I went to Japan. It was very good, but it wasn¡¯t as good as this pan-fried steak.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed helplessly while making them a pot of tea to aid digestion after the rich meal.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi finished a second dinner, so they sat around for a while before saying goodbye to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°We want to make it in time for ate movie at the theatre. Nianzhi, we¡¯re going to get going now!¡± Ma Qiqi put her hands on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders and gave her a wink.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to push her away angrily, ¡°Go, go! You better hurry if you want to make it in time! Don¡¯t be an eyesore here!¡±

    The two girls giggled and teased each other for a while before Gu Nianzhi finally sent Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong to the door.

    Ma Qiqi drank wine, but Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t have any.

    He needed to drive.

    Before they left, he whispered quietly to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Stay at home and don¡¯t go out before the sun rises.¡±

    ¡°Why would I want to go out? I¡¯m not on a date like you guys... Go on now, stop showing off to me here.¡± Gu Nianzhi giddily pushed the couple out of the door.

    After sending off the happy couple, Gu Nianzhi finally wiped the smile from her face. Closing the door and leaning her back against it, she sighed deeply.

    Tonight had been a terrifying endeavor.

    Maybe other people presumed she only enjoyed a fancy dinner, but her banter with Reinitz was no less intense than when she was being hunted down in Germany...

    Her nerves were incredibly tense since she had to make Reinitz slip up while preventing herself from saying too much.

    People who experienced this sort of thing would be the only ones to understand what it felt like.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Huo Shaoheng¡ªwasn¡¯t this a daily urrence for him and his men?

    After inhaling deeply, Gu Nianzhi finally took out the thing Reinitz had given her.

    It was a small, balled-up note thatid in her tender and pale hand.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the note for a while before finally smoothing it out.

    Two poems were written in flourishing, blue-inked handwriting. It carried a vintage aura of a time long lost.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes glimmered.

    The first poem read:

    ¡°A little girl needs Daddy,

    For many, many things:

    ...

    Like giving her the love,

    That is her sea and air,

    So diving deep or soaring high,

    She¡¯ll always find him there.¡±

    The second poem only consisted of one sentence:

    ¡°Only let this one teardrop glisten pure upon the cheek of time.¡±

    The first was familiar to many Westerners as a poem that praised fatherly love. It was written by Nichs Gordon.

    The second one looked somewhat familiar but at the moment, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t remember who wrote it.

    Frowning, she quickly walked over to herputer and turned it on. She typed the sentence into the Google search box.

    The results appeared as soon as she pressed enter.

    It turned out that the second poem was written by the Indian poet, Tagore, in dedication to the Taj Mahal. This was thest line of a famous poem.

    Why would Reinitz give her this sort of thing?

    Gu Nianzhi raised her beautiful and elegant eyebrows.

    She wasn¡¯t a cultured, literary girl, so she was much more interested inputers and thew than poetry.

    Did Reinitz make a mistake?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but pick up her phone and call Reinitz.

    Reinitz had just stepped into the lobby of the five-star hotel he was currently staying at.

    He hesitated for a moment when he saw Gu Nianzhi calling but still answered.

    ¡°Cereus, I just left and you¡¯re already missing me?¡± Reinitz teased her happily.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...Speak properly. You suddenly became so cultured. I felt very scared.¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waited a while before continuing to say, ¡°What is the meaning of this? You know I don¡¯t like poetry.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Emotion faded from Reinitz¡¯s voice, ¡°But it¡¯s too bad that I like it very much. Alright then, it¡¯s veryte now, I need to hang up. Goodnight, baby.¡±

    He didn¡¯t hesitate to end the call, his expression resolute.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed to herself. After clearing the dining table and taking a shower, she finished cleaning up beforeying on the bed. She continued to stare at the note.

    She quietly read the first poem out loud, but still couldn¡¯t decipher it.

    If this was a clue rted to her father, Reinitz was being too childish.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. Picking up the phone, she scanned the note and sent it to Huo Shaoheng with a message, ¡°...Reinitz gave this to me, I don¡¯t know what it means.¡±

 Chapter 1130 - Im Not Very Close With Her

    <h4>Chapter 1130 I¡°m Not Very Close With Her</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng happened to bepleting his final inquiry inside the central control room.Ever since he discovered the four-lined AI programmingnguage, he had raised his guard against all the programs in the Central Control System and decided to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire mainframe.

    It took nearly an entire month toplete a thorough check of the mainframe to ensure it hadn¡¯t been interfered with or attacked by the AI programmingnguage.

    He heard his phone ring and took a nce to see it was a text from Gu Nianzhi. He then received a scanned file from her.

    With just one look, Huo Shaoheng was immediately able to deduce that the poems must have contained clues about Gu Xiangwen!

    Huo Shaoheng worked in the field of intelligence and had undergone enough professional training to see instantly that there was something different about those two poems.

    Additionally, the Special Operations Forces employed a decryption specialist who was an expert in this field. He was even able to thoroughly analyze a misshapen and half blurred word.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately called Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao... Did you get my text?¡± Gu Nianzhi squeezed her phone while lying in bed. She was in the middle of browsing Weibo.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll have someone investigate it. You have nothing to worry about.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused, then said, ¡°...Did Reinitz scare you?¡±

    ¡°Scare me? He did...¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled quietly. ¡°I was so scared when he suddenly became so poetic and cultured.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Remember to avoid dealing with him alone from now on. If you have to see him again, there must be someone else there with you.¡± Huo Shaoheng recapped the Senate¡¯s rules with Gu Nianzhi, saying, ¡°Once you be an official employee of the Senate, these are mistakes you can¡¯t afford to make even once.¡±

    ¡°I know that.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently and said, ¡°Reinitz will be returning to Germany, so I¡¯m pretty sure we won¡¯t see each other again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, good girl.¡± It was a rare asion when Gu Nianzhi did not talk back to Huo Shaoheng, so he somehow felt very relieved.

    This girl was bing bolder by the day...

    Huo Shaoheng still wanted to y down thew¡¯ with Gu Nianzhi. If this had been the past, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to scold her.

    But now, he somehow couldn¡¯t bring himself to scold her...

    Spoiled children were not born that way, but they were raised by parents who doted on them too much.

    Huo Shaoheng set down his phone with a wry smile before trying to get ahold of the decryption specialist to set up a meeting for tomorrow.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling sleepy before, but her energy returned after the phone call with Huo Shaoheng.

    Sitting up from the bed, she read the note again and picked up the phone to give He Zhichu a call.

    He Zhichu hadn¡¯t slept either. He was on theputer working on business from South America.

    The family business was huge, and although it wasn¡¯t necessary for He Zhichu to personally take care of each transaction, there was still a lot of work he needed to do.

    His intense concentration on his work was interrupted by the ringing phone.

    He Zhichu heard it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ringtone, so he immediately grabbed the phone to take the call. ¡°Nianzhi, why haven¡¯t you slept already?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Professor He awake too?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as sheid against therge pillow, saying, ¡°I wanted to show you something, can I send it to you?¡±

    ¡°Sure, send it over.¡± As soon as He Zhichu spoke those words, he saw his phone had received a text message.

    He opened the attachment to see it was a scanned note.

    The paper was a bit wrinkly like it had been crumpled up and ttened out again.

    English handwritten in blue ink covered the note.

    The paper looked rather old, or perhaps it was purposely worn out to make it appear as though it was a relic from a time past.

    When He Zhichu looked at the English handwriting again, he could see it was twomon English poems.

    The first was called, ¡°A Little Girl Needs Daddy.¡±

    He Zhichu, ¡°...¡±

    With a frown, he began to ask Gu Nianzhi, ¡°What is it? Isn¡¯t this a verymon poem? ¨CYou¡¯re missing your dad?¡±

    Every Father¡¯s Day, little girls from Western countries would write this poem on a card and give it to their fathers.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly and said, ¡°I also thought it was a verymon poem. Can this even have anything to do with my father? That means all the men in the world are my fathers...¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help but snicker as he said, ¡°You sure have an optimistic outlook.¡±

    ¡°I have no choice but to be optimistic.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head, and with a smile, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve looked for him all these years now. Even though Huo Shao and Professor He are so capable, we haven¡¯t found any clues at all. I lost hope a long time ago.¡±

    There could be no disappointment if she didn¡¯t hold out any hope.

    He Zhichu rubbed his temple, hesitant to speak.

    ¡°...Wasn¡¯t your father on flight MH210?¡±

    That flight had crashed.

    Gu Nianzhi could tell she was getting somewhere with He Zhichu, so she instantly said, ¡°Gu Yanran said the ne crashed onto a small ind, and then she cast my father¡¯s ashes into the ocean. Do you think I can even believe her?¡±

    ¡°...How would I know? I¡¯m not very close with her.¡± He Zhichu chose his words very carefully, but his expression appeared a bit uneasy. ¡°Where did you get this note from?¡± he asked.

    Thankfully, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t with him, so she couldn¡¯t read his facial expression.

    ¡°Someone gave it to me, of course. He also said this was what I needed the most. But I don¡¯t even know what I need the most.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very confused. ¡°I really wanted to find my father before, but now... I will keep looking for him, but I no longer see him as my entire support system. I am my own support system, so finding my father will only be the icing on the cake.¡±

    He Zhichu pressed his lips into a tight line. He felt bittersweet, yet horrible¨Clike a fire burned inside him and was about to explode at any time. However, he still made himself console her, saying, ¡°I am also your support system, and so is Huo Shao. Nianzhi, don¡¯t push yourself so hard, you¡¯ve already done a very good job.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t done a good enough job yet...¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled. She was finally feeling a bit sleepy and let out a yawn as she said, ¡°Professor He, I need to sleep now. You should go to bed early too.¡±

    He Zhichu answered her before reluctantly ending the call.

    After their call, he sat alone in his office for a very long time before finally sighing deeply and continuing to work.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi let Huo Shaoheng handle deciphering the two poems and gave herplete attention to work.

    They were currently preparing for Speaker Long¡¯s national visit to India, and because they only had ten days¡¯ time, it was all very rushed.

    This was the first time Gu Nianzhi was helping with preparations for a Senate national trip, so she waspletely swamped.

    In the past, she assumed national visits only consisted of waving back to the weing citizens while descending a ne¡¯sdder and then going to dinners and meetings while making polite small talk.

    But when she actually participated in the preparation work, she discovered that there were endless mundane tasks.

    Everyone only saw the fancy-looking politician appearing from the ne, but that one image was the result of endless employees working for extended nights.

    There were many things to n and prepare for.

    Simply put, they had to confirm each other¡¯s itineraries, which included flights, flight ns, car routes, security detail at hotels, sanitation, as well as arranging personnel, food and drink, manners, gifts, and the main topics of meetings. They even had to collect and take away the excrement of the visiting politician, as they could not leave anything in the country they visited.

    It was no easy task to n andmunicate all these things in a mere ten days¡¯ time.

    This was especially the case since the Indians had varying productivity levels and, like the missiles they liked to manufacture, they moved in Brownian motion. Everything was all over the ce and a mess, and everyone acted the same way.

    Gu Nianzhi worked three days and three nights at the Senate before going home and immediately copsing on her bed.

    When she woke up, the delicious aroma of food from the kitchen emanated into her partially open bedroom door.

    Gu Nianzhi was actually awakened by the delicious smell.

    She removed the nkets and got up to creep into the kitchen for a look.

    Huo Shaoheng wore a finely pressed summer outfit as he fried steaks on the induction stove.

    ...

 Chapter 1131 - Cook Food in the Shape You Love

    <h4>Chapter 1131 Cook Food in the Shape You Love</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes began to twitch.He was making steak that early in the morning?

    But it did smell very good...

    She hadn¡¯t eaten a proper meal for days now, so she was in just the mood to gorge on food.

    ¡°Huo Shao, when did youe over?¡± Gu Nianzhi cried out excitedly as she walked towards Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bother turning around to reply dryly, ¡°You¡¯re awake? Go wash up and brush your teeth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly muffled her mouth and dashed back to her room to wash up in the bathroom.

    After cleaning herself up, she returned to the kitchen and walked over to Huo Shaoheng with a grin. Tilting her head up at him, she said, ¡°Huo Shao, I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days and just noticed you¡¯re bing even more handsome.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t seem to hear her ¨C his hands were steady as he flipped the steak on the frying pan.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded hard and said, ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯m about to pass out from hunger.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued to ignore her.

    Gu Nianzhi walked around to the other side of Huo Shaoheng and watched him with her head cocked. ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m speaking to you very sincerely. Why are you ignoring me?¡± she asked.

    Huo Shaoheng finally turned around to give her an aloof look. He didn¡¯t say anything. He merely stared at her.

    Gradually, his gaze drifted down from her eyes to her pretty, curved lips before pausing.

    He then looked up at her again, the emotions intense and passionate in his eyes. With his brow slightly arched, he seemed to be asking if this was her so-called sincerity?

    Afterward, his eyelids lowered to reveal his dense and dark eyshes while his gaze swept slowly across every inch of her lips.

    After circling her exquisitely shaped mouth, his eyes finally locked onto her plump lower lip. His gaze seemed to physically manifest like a lover¡¯s hand to caress her lips gently.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were curved, like plump petals.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body didn¡¯t move, yet his eyes seemed to have hooks or mas that attracted her slowly towards him and made her move closer.

    He only used his eyes to sweep over her lips and kept his bodypletely still. However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth felt burning hot, like she had already been kissed until the end of time.

    As if she was possessed, Gu Nianzhi stood up on her tiptoes and embraced Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck. Pulling her head down, she delivered her lips to him and reclined her head to kiss him deeply.

    Huo Shaoheng immediatelytched onto her and didn¡¯t hesitate to bite her lips, leaving a neat bite mark.

    He bit a bit too hard, so Gu Nianzhi felt a slight prick of pain. However, this pain wasn¡¯t enough to turn her away but somehow excited her body into even higher temperatures. Her heart also began to tremble.

    Huo Shaoheng released her after one kiss, then looked up slightly and said, ¡°Let go, the steaks are going to burn.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reluctantly let go of him. She sucked on and licked her tiny lips to taste him again.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed, but he finally restrained himself and scooped out the steaks from the frying pan, cing them onto the tes.

    Gu Nianzhi finally saw that there were several other dishes on the marble countertop.

    There was asparagus pan-fried with truffle sauce, a dish of sliced up Hunan-style cured sausages, as well as jellied pig trotters with dipping sauce and a small bowl of buttered mash potatoes that was still steaming hot.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach couldn¡¯t help but start grumbling.

    Huo Shaohengdled some previously prepared sauce on the fried steaks to enhance the vor before setting it in front of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°...Give it a try,¡± he said.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes bulged.

    The freshly cooked steak on the fine bone china te was actually heart-shaped!

    Gu Nianzhi thought she should kneel while eating this breakfast.

    Her head was spinning as she carried the te out of the kitchen and sat down in the dining room.

    She rubbed her face since her cheeks were getting sore from all the smiling, but she still couldn¡¯t stop herself from wanting to grin.

    Huo Shao made steaks. Heart-shaped steaks...

    She couldn¡¯t help but take out her phone and take nine whole pictures to post on WeChat.

    She wrote the caption: ¡°He cooks in the shape of love...¡±

    Soon after, her friends began toin about her post.

    Ma Qiqi wrote, ¡°You broke the rules by showing off all this lovey-dovey stuff so early in the morning! I¡¯m blocking you guys!¡±

    Brother Xiongmented, ¡°Thumbs up to the first poster, I love you Qiqi!¡±

    Brother Ze said, ¡°Thumbs up to the first poster, but the first two posters also broke the rules. I¡¯m blocking you guys! I¡¯m blocking all you guys! Angry face.¡±

    Professor He had written, ¡°Childish. Sneering face.¡±

    Ms. Song replied, ¡°Little Nianzhi has a new lover? My son would never be able to make such a fancy and stereotypical steak...¡±

    Tan Guiren said, ¡°It¡¯s so good to see someone so happy in this world... Best wishes to you guys! Does Miss Gu have a new boyfriend?¡±

    Special Assistant Zhuang said, ¡°Nianzhi, your vacation has ended already. Come to work after breakfast. Make sure to remember to bring any leftover steak to share with the office. Joking face.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi stifled herughter as she read all thements, her shoulders shaking. She didn¡¯t notice that Huo Shaoheng was already sitting next to her.

    Reaching out with hisrge hand, he took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone from her and calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t y with your phone when you¡¯re eating.¡±

    Then he saw what Gu Nianzhi was looking at.

    His brows began to furrow as he scrolled through the phone to see thements.

    Ha, how lively.

    Huo Shaoheng read it for a while before taking out his own phone and going to Gu Ninahzi¡¯s post to reply to Song Jinning only.

    Mr. A, in reply to Ms. Song, wrote, ¡°...Your son was the one to make such a fancy and stereotypical steak.¡±

    After sending the reply, he immediately shut off his phone and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s alongside with it, saying, ¡°Time to have breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was coated in honey as she replied sweetly, ¡°Huo Shao, what should we do? This steak is too pretty, I can¡¯t bear to eat it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her before dragging her te away and making a few slices with his knife. He cut the heart-shaped steak into several smaller pieces, and each of them happened to be heart-shaped as well.

    He then picked one up with a fork and brought it to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips. ¡°Open up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly opened her mouth and nearly mewled when she bit down. She was practically a spoiled, hungry kitten.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head and said, ¡°Do you need me to feed you some more?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s enough for you to feed me one bite, I can eat the rest myself. I can do it myself...¡± she replied.

    She then took her te back and began to savor the food with her eyes squinted shut.

    Heart-shaped steaks were especially delicious so early in the morning, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cooking was impable. He was even better than Reinitz.

    Gu Nianzhi grinned widely as she ate, and she could tell that she had gained another two pounds after finishing breakfast.

    Huo Shaoheng finished the remaining food and collected all the tes in the dishwasher before cutting up two dragon fruits and sprinkling honey powder on them. He brought it out to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was unable to eat anymore in the beginning, but she immediately perked up when she saw the neatly arranged dragon fruit covered in honey powder.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m going to be very fat if you keep feeding me like this.¡± Gu Nianzhi was worried about her weight, yet she was eating very happily.

    Huo Shaoheng draped an arm on the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chair as he watched her eat. He replied calmly, ¡°You¡¯re overworkedtely, so you need some nourishing.¡±

    ¡°I am pretty tired,¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded as she answered, her brows knitting together. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know there was so much work at the Senate Secretariat. Although I am a legal advisor, I have no choice but to go since Speaker Long specifically asked me toe with him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to see Gu Nianzhi leave him and travel elsewhere.

    But he didn¡¯t want to keep her locked up at home either.

    She had abilities and was extremely capable, so she should explore the world and make use of her talents.

    ¡°...If you really can¡¯t get used to the work, you can resign aftering back from India,¡± Huo Shaoheng said to her. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea to work at aw firm, and it¡¯s where you worked before. It¡¯ll be easy to get the hang of things.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was unable to decide at the moment and replied, ¡°Yeah, we can talk about it again once Ie back from India.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t give up halfway on something she alreadymitted to.

    While the couple enjoyed a sweet breakfast together, Tan Guiren and her cousin were waiting outside the military court.

    As soon as Tan Guirenmented on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s WeChat post, her cousin Cai Shengnan nudged her, saying, ¡°Court is in session, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Today was Cai Songyin¡¯s trial date.

    Because the trial was being held in the military court, all media was forbidden from entering, and unrted people were unable to attend.

    The defensewyer and immediate rtives of the defendants were the only ones allowed inside.

    Cai Shengnan was Cai Songyin¡¯s defensewyer and Tan Guiren was her daughter, so they were both allowed in.

    They arrived rather early.

    After waiting a while, Cai Songyin was finally taken inside by the bailiff and stood at the intiff¡¯s stand.

    Cai Songyin aged more than ten years after being locked up for about two weeks.

    ¡°Mummy...¡± Tan Guiren instantly burst into tears upon seeing her mother looking like that.

    Cai Songyin finally looked up to see Tan Guiren sitting in the gallery.

    ¡°Little Darling, don¡¯t cry...¡± She turned around and anxiously greeted her daughter.

    ¡°The defendant is not to speak unless asked to. The family member is asked to control her emotions. Otherwise, she will be asked to leave,¡± the judge said, sternly warning Cai Songyin and Tan Guiren.

    Tan Guiren quickly wiped away her tears and didn¡¯t say another word.

    Soon afterward, the prosecutor and his two assistants walked in.

    Bai Yueran, the Director of the Special Operations Forces Legal Department, was acting as the prosecutor for this military trial.

    Tan Guiren cast a shifty look at Bai Yueran.

    She had already been removed from the Military Art Ensemble.

    She originally intended to resign on her own, since she was too ashamed to continue working in the Military Art Ensemble after her parents hadmitted such serious crimes.

    But before Tan Guiren could even make a move, her regiment leader had already gently informed her that her contract had been voided. She no longer needed toe to work.

    Tan Guiren was very shocked at the time. Hadn¡¯t she enlisted? How did she have a contract?

    The regiment leader told her that she used to be a non-enlisted staff and had previously signed a normal business-employee contract.

    She also said that her background check had been stopped and never passed, so she never formally enlisted. The leader told her to inquire with the Special Operations Forces Legal Department if she had any other questions.

    Tan Guiren had studied and lived abroad for many years, so it was nearly impossible for someone like her to enlist.

    The Supreme Military Council had granted special approval because she was the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter at the time. They also asked the Special Operations Forces to conduct a background check on her history abroad.

    But it was no surprise that her background check wouldn¡¯t pass if Bai Yueran didn¡¯t sign off on it.

    Tan Guiren went to ask Bai Yueran about it one time, but she was humiliated.

    ¡°Miss Tan, you shoulde back to ask about your background check after your parents¡¯ trials have concluded,¡± he had said.

    ¡°...Why?¡±

    ¡°Those with immediate family members who are convicted of serious crimes cannot enlist. This is especially the case since your father is being charged with treason.¡±

    After the humiliation from that day, Tan Guiren was very embarrassed over seeing Bai Yueran again. She was even a bit frightened.

    Ever since both her parentsnded in jail, Tan Guiren truly experienced the harshness and warmth of the world.

    Luckily, the Tan and Cai families still treated her as well as they had before. This was especially the case with her uncle Cai Sumin and her cousin Cai Shengnan. They stayed home with her and enabled her to survive all those tough days.

    At 9:00 am sharp, the Military Court was in session.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang. The Special Operations Forces personnel attending the trial as a witness had sent him a text. He reminded Huo Shaoheng that there were three trials today.

 Chapter 1132 - Mean What You Say

    <h4>Chapter 1132 Mean What You Say</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was sharing the courtroom video stream with Gu Nianzhi. He had been specially granted permission for this, so other people did not have such rights.¡°Today is the trial for Cai Songyin, Tan Dongbang, and Hong Kangquan.¡± Huo Shaoheng hugged Gu Nianzhi as they curled up on the sofa and connected the video stream to therge screened TV mounted on the opposite wall.

    Gu Nianzhi finished a hearty breakfast and was actually feeling drowsy at the moment. With the severeck of sleep from the past few days and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace providing her with her incredible warmth and security, she quickly fell asleep in his arms.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered the volume on the TV and adjusted his body to allow Gu Nianzhi to sleep morefortably.

    On the TV, Cai Shengnan was currently arguing with Bai Yueran.

    ¡°Your Honor ¨C although my client is still Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife, everyone knows that Tan Dongbang openly had an extramarital affair and their marriage is already broken beyond repair. My client hadn¡¯t yet divorced him because she values their rtionship as husband and wife, so she didn¡¯t want to see Tan Dongbang¡¯s career be destroyed.¡±

    ¡°As for Tan Dongbang¡¯s actions, he has long excluded my client from his inner circle. My client had no knowledge of Tan Dongbang¡¯s treasonous actions, so she cannot bear joint responsibility with him.¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, my client has also contributed meritorious behavior. I hope that the court will grant some leniency.¡±

    Cai Shengnan finished speaking and gave Cai Songyin a reassuring look.

    Cai Songyin breathed a slight sigh of relief.

    She certainly didn¡¯t want to be charged with treason like Tan Dongbang.

    This kind of crime would only result in the death penalty or a life sentence. There was no third possibility.

    Also, she really had no idea that Tan Dongbang was in contact with the Japanese.

    If she had known that before, she would¡¯ve divorced him much earlier and reported him as well...

    Although Cai Songyin loved to y with power, she still had her own bottom line.

    This shameless man who didn¡¯t care about his own life or death was not worth any more of her effort.

    Looking up, Cai Songyin saw Bai Yueran stand up and began to question her.

    ¡°Your Honor, the defendant Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang have always been married and this is a legally recognized fact. As for the defendant¡¯swyer making ims that Cai Songyin had no connection with Tan Dongbang¡¯s treason, this was also free testimony. She is unable to provide any evidence to prove that there is no connection between the two. Conversely, I have an abundance of material to prove that Cai Songyin was inplete control of Tan Dongbang during the election. It is a tant lie to im she was not in Tan Dongbang¡¯s inner circle.¡±

    Bai Yueran didn¡¯t even look at Cai Shengnan as she handed all the information to the court.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s face was a bit red. However, she still stood up to say, ¡°Cai Songyin belonged in the inner circle in the past election, but their marriage has been broken and in formality only after Tan Dongbang¡¯s affair with Gu Yanran was exposed.¡±

    ¡°But the marriage was still in formality. If it was in formality, then it is supported by thew. As for whether it was broken or not, this is not something for the court to research,¡± Bai Yueran retorted. Hetched onto the loophole in Cai Shengnan¡¯s words and continued to beat her down, saying, ¡°Lawyer Cai, you can¡¯t do this. I am discussing thew with you while you are discussing emotions. How can you verify the truth this way?¡±

    ¡°I also have evidence here to prove that my client has been separated from Tan Dongbang ever since he had the affair.¡± Cai Shengnan turned around with a smile to look at the stern-faced Bai Yueran and said, ¡°The divorce court recognizes such states of separation. Are you telling me that the military court wouldn¡¯t recognize it? This is what I meant by broken and in formality only.¡±

    Bai Yueran smiled slightly and said, ¡°Oh, really? But even if Cai Songyin and Tan Dongbang¡¯s marriage was broken and in formality only, they could still have maintained a close coborative rtionship. Furthermore, Hong Kangquan was the biggest culprit in this treason case. Lawyer Cai, can you exin why your client was in very close contact with Hong Kangquan?¡±

    This was truly the most difficult point to fight.

    Cai Songyin looked up slightly at Bai Yueran.

    Huo Shaoheng promised Cai Songyin that he would try to get her the opportunity to be a coborative witness if she revealed the truth. He also promised that they wouldn¡¯t charge her for this in court.

    If Bai Yueran was bringing up this point, did that mean she forgot about their agreement?

    Huo Shaoheng also stiffened slightly as he sat in front of the TV. He immediately called Bai Yueran on her Bluetooth headset and said, ¡°Director Bai, Cai Songyin has already reached an agreement with us and has be a coborative witness.¡±

    This meant that Bai Yueran should stop pursuing Hong Kangquan and Cai Songyin¡¯s rtionship.

    Bai Yueran knew this too, but she felt that she should shake up Cai Songyin a little. If she silently allowed this incident to get wiped away, then Cai Songyin would really believe she got off because of her own greatness...

    As expected, Cai Shengnan was in a difficult spot.

    This was the hardest point to defend since she knew that Cai Songyin hadn¡¯t told her about her rtionship with Hong Kangquan until they arrived at the courtroom. The entire time prior to this, Cai Songyin had only said he was her best friend¡¯s husband.

    As a result, Cai Shengnan gritted her teeth and forced the words out, saying, ¡°Hong Kangquan is the husband of my client¡¯s best friend. May I ask what the prosecutor means by iming that my client was in very close contact with Hong Kangquan?¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Her best friend¡¯s husband?¡± Bai Yueran sneered but didn¡¯t pursue the subject any further. ¡°Very well then, we will put aside this topic for now...¡±

    She had already used her tone and gestures to make her attitude clear.

    Sweat ran down Cai Songyin¡¯s back as she finally felt like she was alive again.

    Wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, she listened to the judge announce his verdict.

    ¡°The defendant, Cai Songyin, is found not guilty of treason. She is found guilty of election bribery and manipting the election. The court will seize the assets of herpanies that were involved in election bribery and maniption. As she has disyed meritorious service during the waiting period, she is especially sentenced to five years imprisonment with one year suspended.¡±

    If her sentence was suspended, that meant Cai Shengnan could help Cai Songyin ask for a further sentence reduction. As long as she didn¡¯t break thew again, Cai Songyin may not need to go to jail.

    This was the best possible oue that Cai Shengnan could achieve.

    Cai Songyin smiled bitterly, her head hanging low.

    Although she didn¡¯t¡¯ need to go to jail, her future waspletely destroyed now.

    The only thing she was grateful for right now was that she was able to set up a trust fund for Tan Guiren in time.

    It can be said that as long as Tan Guiren remained alive, she could withdraw money from the trust fund for her entire life.

    Bai Yueran and Cai Shengnan both thanked the judge.

    Both women were very happy with the sentencing.

    After the trial concluded, Cai Songyin was released from court and went home with Cai Shengnan and Tan Guiren.

    She squeezed Tan Guiren¡¯s hand with worry and said, ¡°Little Darling, you don¡¯t need to worry about this. Mummy is ok.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡± Tan Guiren held back her tears as she said, ¡°Everything is good as long as Mummy cane home.¡±

    Cia Songyin sighed and said, ¡°...I didn¡¯t mistrust Huo Shaoheng. He really did grant me leniency and didn¡¯t pursue things any further.¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng hadtched onto Cai Songyin¡¯s rtionship with Hong Kangquan, then the blogger¡¯s murder case would certainly be dug up as well.

    Hong Kangquan had killed the blogger for another reason, while Cai Songyin was only a scapegoat dragged down by his machination.

    Tan Guiren was very touched as she wiped her tears away. ¡°Mummy is a good person, and Huo Shao is a good person too. The good help the good.¡±

    Cai Songyin patted her shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s already gettingte. Did you make lunch for me?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Make lunch?¡± Tan Guiren was helpless since she only knew how to cook instant noodles.

    Cai Songyin remembered that her daughter didn¡¯t know how to cook, so she immediately took her phone to order two sets of takeout from a nearby restaurant.

    ...

    Immediately after noon, Tan Dongbang¡¯s trial began.

    His case proceeded much quicker.

    Because he was unable to hire awyer of Cai Shengnan¡¯s caliber, he certainly was no match for Bai Yueran, the Director of the Legal Department.

    Soon afterward, the judge passed his sentence. ¡°Tan Dongbang colluded with foreign powers and used unscrupulous means to interfere with both elections. He is found to be guilty of disrupting the elections and election bribery, as well as treason. The initial trial sentences him to life imprisonment.¡±

    Tan Dongbang instantly exploded when he heard this, shouting, ¡°Why the hell did Cai Songyin only get five years, and I get life?! This is too unfair! I want to appeal!¡±

    The judge peered down at him from over his reading sses and retorted gruffly, ¡°The Constitution grants you the power to appeal, but the result of the first trial will never be overturned.¡±

    ...

    Tan Dongbang was taken away by the bailiff.

    ...

    Soon afterward, Hong Kangquan was also brought in.

    His eyes were zed and he needed to be supported by two bailiffs as he walked up to the dock.

    He hired a newly graduated andpletely naivewyer since no otherwyer would touch his case and refused it as soon as they were even offered.

    Only a foolish and fearless newwyer would ignore his superior¡¯s wishes and attempt to flip the case upside down.

    But this case involved the Special Operations Forces and national interests, so how could he expose it publicly?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were darker than ink as he watched the results emerge on the TV. He counted down in his heart.

    ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.¡±

    As soon as he finished counting down from ten, Hong Kangquan¡¯swyer had been stunned speechless by Bai Yueran¡¯s attacks.

    Hong Kangquan continued to sit dumbly in the dock.

    Huo Shaoheng counted down from five once again and the judge was already reading the sentence.

    ¡°Hong Kangquan is found guilty of treason. He caused hisrades to perish at sea and for many others to sustain injuries, and he sold high-level state secrets. His crimes are heinous, and he is sentenced to death to be immediately executed.¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s dull eyes finally flickered slightly at that moment.

    Then he seemed to wake up from a very long dream.

    He listened to the sentence in silence before making one single request. ¡°I want to see Huo Shaoheng once, before my execution,¡± he said.

    ¡°Why?¡± The judge remained expressionless as he said, ¡°We require a valid reason.¡±

    Hong Kangquan considered it for a moment then answered, ¡°Let¡¯s say it has something to do with what he cares about the most.¡±

    This was also why Hong Kangquan had been arrested alive.

 Chapter 1133 - His Efforts Were Worth Something After All

    <h4>Chapter 1133 His Efforts Were Worth Something After All</h4>

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s crimes were unforgivable and non-negotiable, but after some consideration, the military court still agreed to grant his final wish of seeing Huo Shaoheng onest time.His sentence was death to be executed immediately.

    Hong Kangquan had no intention of appealing, so Huo Shaoheng went to the execution ground to see him that afternoon.

    Hong Kangquan wore a prisoner¡¯s uniform and shackles. His eyes were blindfolded as the prison guard took him to the visitation room.

    After Hong Kangquan¡¯s blindfold was removed, he squinted his eyes from the bright incandescent lighting in the room.

    In the haziness, he saw the back of a strapping man in military uniform.

    Then the man turned around to look at him expressionlessly.

    It was Huo Shaoheng.

    Hong Kangquan revealed a trace of longing when he saw Huo Shaoheng in his Major General¡¯s uniform.

    He was also once someone who wore the same uniform...

    Although his military rank never reached Major General, he had only been one step away.

    He had felt sad when he was discharged from the military since he had been there for so many years.

    When Hong Kangquan remembered this, a trace of regret surged up his heart.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed to the chair on the other side of the table in the center of the meeting room and said, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Hong Kangquan dragged his shackled feet over to take a seat, and Huo Shaoheng sat across from him. The younger man looked at him calmly, then said, ¡°What did you want to see me for?¡±

    Hong Kangquan¡¯s lips trembled terribly, his face turned gray, and his eyes were listless and dull.

    After a while, he finally choked out, ¡°Shaoheng ¨C I disappointed the nation, the military, and the citizens. I was foolish at the moment and was blinded by greed.¡±

    He had taken one wrong turn after the next to create today¡¯s bitter ending.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly and said, ¡°Hong Kangquan, your moment of foolishness not only harmed yourself but also caused our warriors to perish in the Sea of Japan. You also caused our national secrets to leak. Don¡¯t bother wasting your breath if you want to repent and ask for a reduced sentence. I will certainly never agree to it.¡±

    Hong Kangquan shook his head, his eyes growing even redder.

    ¡°...I wasn¡¯t thinking about asking for a reduced sentence, just like how I never truly wanted to collude with other countries andmit treason.¡± He held back his tears and looked up, saying, ¡°I am very sorry about that soldier¡¯s death. Please apologize to his family on my behalf. I also asked my family to providepensation to the soldier¡¯s family.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Our nation has pensions and special policies that are sufficient to support the lives of his family.¡±

    ¡°I know that, but this is my small contribution,¡± Hong Kangquan continued as he smiled bitterly, ¡°Shaoheng, do you detest me right now?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any spare energy for that.¡± Huo Shaoheng was getting impatient. ¡°Hong Kangquan, you¡¯re not a child, so you can¡¯t start to regret things when the situation is already unfixable.¡±

    Hong Kangquan closed his eyes. ¡°Ok then, I¡¯m sorry to have wasted your time. I wanted to tell you that I only gave the Japanese the first phase technology for the quantum satellite, but it was actually fake. I modified the keyponents, so the Japanese will not seed if they build a satellite using the information I provided.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze. ¡°You only gave it to the Japanese? Was there anyone else?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m about to die anyway, so I have no reason to make up that sort of lie.¡± Hong Kangquan stood up and raised his cuffed hands to say, ¡°I can¡¯t give you a salute.¡±

    After saying this, he bowed down deeply to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Hong Kangquan quickly turned away and the prison guard took him to the execution grounds.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his sunsses and stood at the window.

    After three gunshots sounded, Hong Kangquan copsed in a pool of his own blood.

    Although most death penalties were now done through intravenous injections, death sentences carried out by the military court were still direct execution by shooting.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to confirm it was Hong Kangquan¡¯s corpse before signing the death certificate.

    After walking out of the execution grounds, Huo Shaoheng went to see General Ji and showed him the video surveince of his visit with Hong Kangquan.

    General Ji was shocked to hear Hong Kangquan say that he had given the Japanese false information on quantum satellite technology. He turned to Huo Shaoheng and asked, ¡°Do you think he was telling you the truth?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was ustomed to doubting others, so he didn¡¯t give a clear answer. ¡°This depends on what the Japanese do.¡±

    The Japanese didn¡¯t disappoint them.

    The day after Hong Kangquan was executed, they announced a breakthrough in a previous bottleneck in quantum satellite technology. They imed to have perfected the first phase of technology and alsounched a small quantum satellite.

    But they also announced that quantum satellite technology contained inherent limitations and was thus unworthy of strong efforts for development. They decided to cease national support for quantummunication technology.

    The small satelliteunched was also unable to enter established orbit, so it became a piece of space garbage that earned the admonishment of environmentalists.

    General Ji finished watching the Japanese press conference then called Huo Shaoheng to say, ¡°...Maybe Hong Kangquan was telling us the entire truth.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t rebuke, but replied, ¡°But Hong Kangquan is not a technician after all, so the Japanese were able to break through their technical bottleneck even though he assumed he reced the key information. No one would know if the Japanese suddenly get an epiphany one day, discover the power of quantummunication technology, and continue experimenting.¡±

    This was an irrefutable fact.

    General Ji sighed deeply before ending the call.

    ...

    There were only two days left before Speaker Long was due to make his state visit to India.

    The preparatory work had finallye to an end.

    Special Assistant Zhuang announced half the day off for the entire Secretariat to enable everyone to go home and rx before continuing work the next day.

    At the same moment, a tall, lean man was standing in Speaker Long¡¯s office. It was none other than Special Assistant Yang, who had been put on extended leave by Speaker Long.

    Speaker Long sat behind his desk. With a small sigh, he watched Special Assistant Yang ce a resignation letter and application form in front of him.

    Special Assistant Yang appeared regretful as he said, ¡°Speaker Long, I know that I made a serious mistake, and I don¡¯t dare to ask for your forgiveness. I can only hope that you will consider my ten plus years of working for you and give me mercy. I will resign from the Secretariat since this is the consequence I must bear for my mistake.¡±

    He had worked under Speaker Long for over ten years, so his efforts were worth something after all.

    Furthermore, he was truly a capable person. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have sessfully passed both rounds of interviews with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    However, Special Assistant Zhuang still required Speaker Long¡¯s permission in order to be sessfully hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    If Speaker Long didn¡¯t sign his application, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wouldn¡¯t pass his background check.

    Speaker Long didn¡¯t really want to allow Special Assistant Yang to continue working in the government system.

    But he was also aware that, inly speaking, Special Assistant Yang¡¯s issue was that he was a petty person who caused trouble for his subordinates. It wasn¡¯t an extremely serious problem.

    No one was perfect, so why should he want to ruin Special Assistant Yang¡¯s future?

    What¡¯s more, Special Assistant Yang¡¯s future career prospects would be extremely restricted after leaving the Secretariat and going to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Speaker Long knew that as long as he continued to be the head of the Senate, he would not allow Special Assistant Yang to advance very far.

    Speaker Long had always been an amicable person, so he didn¡¯t force people into corners.

    So, he merely warned Special Assistant Yang. ¡°You must remember this lesson well. Don¡¯t be petty and remember to have a proper attitude. You need to depend on your own ability topete, and you are a capable person, so please don¡¯t take an errant path,¡± he said.

    ¡°I certainly won¡¯t! I certainly won¡¯t!¡± Special Assistant Yang cried bitterly as he apologized. ¡°If you don¡¯t oppose it, I will go to Gu Nianzhi now and apologize to her! I¡¯ll issue a public apology! I really lost my mind back then! She is so capable that I was scared she would rece me...¡±

    He was actually speaking from his heart.

    Speaker Long¡¯s attitude softened, so he signed the application. ¡°It¡¯s fine, a public apology isn¡¯t necessary. I don¡¯t need your resignation either. I will have someone post a public notice about your negotiated resignation.¡±

    A negotiated resignation was only slightly better than being terminated, so it was certainly worse than Special Assistant Yang resigning on his own.

    Because of this, Special Assistant Yang would now have dim prospects of ever getting promoted within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s heart dropped, but he didn¡¯t put up a fight. He nodded and said, ¡°Ok, thank you for your mercy. I will always remember your generosity and kindness.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang took the application signed by Speaker Long to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    The Asia Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was an older fellow alumnus, so he didn¡¯t make anyments before reading his application and notice of negotiated resignation before signing it. He then asked someone to help Special Assistant Yangplete the application.

    After Special Assistant Yang left, the Director¡¯s secretary whispered, ¡°Director, I hear his resignation was negotiated after he had a conflict with his colleague at the Senate...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know that.¡± The Director nodded slightly and said, ¡°But I have no choice since we need more personnel. No one is willing to go to the Conste in India, but at least he is willing to do it.¡±

    Any new employees of the Ministry of Foreign affairs were required to be posted abroad for a period of time.

    Everyone aspired to go to developed countries since other countries had lower standards of living than the Huaxia Empire. Many people were unwilling to be posted, so they would rather someone else get the bad luck of receiving a poor post.

    At that time, the Conste in India actuallycked quite a few positions, so the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no choice but to hire and fill the slots quickly. This was especially the case since Speaker Long was making a state visit.

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. He also worked under Speaker Long for so many years, so it should be a productive choice to send him to the Conste in India to make arrangements for the Senate¡¯s visit.¡± The secretary nodded in agreement.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not an agency that held any true power, so they didn¡¯t have much funding or pull, and the benefits were much lower than the Senate.

    The Asia Director said, ¡°We have no time to make any other arrangements, so let¡¯s have him stay at the Conste in India for some time before sending him back for training.¡±

    ...

    The day passed, and tomorrow would be when Speaker Ling and his team would leave for India.

    Gu Nianzhi drove her red car to the Senate for work.

    During lunchtime, her extension line began to ring.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, several Japanese people are looking for you. They are waiting in the lobby on the first floor of the Senate building.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied in annoyance, ¡°Did they make appointments? They will need to wait in the queue if they don¡¯t have appointments.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, I already asked that and they said they don¡¯t have appointments. But they im to be from the Japanese charity called ¡®Angels on Earth,¡¯ and are here to apologize and give something to you in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed as she said, ¡°There is no need for them to apologize. I am in awsuit with them, so it would be inappropriate to meet them. Please ask them to leave.¡±

    The receptionist put down the phone and said to the group of bowing Japanese people, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lawyer Gu is unable to meet you.¡±

    One Japanese person spoke in heavily ented Chinese, saying, ¡°Please tell Lawyer Gu, we must see her! There is a box of items Lawyer Gu¡¯s father left behind. I need to give it to her in person.¡±

    The receptionist had no choice but to call Gu Nianzhi again.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, these Japanese people said they have something that belongs to your father and needs to give it to you in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind began to work. After some consideration, she decided she shouldn¡¯t be afraid they would do anything since they were in the Senate building.

    She nodded and said, ¡°Have them wait a bit. I¡¯lle have a look after I finish up some work.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1134 - From Her Father

    <h4>Chapter 1134 From Her Father</h4>

    The receptionist agreed with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request and then went on to ask the Japanese people, ¡°Do you still want to wait? Lawyer Gu won¡¯t be able toe downstairs for a while.¡±¡°That¡¯s ok, we wait.¡± As they replied, they walked to the side of the lobby and sat down on a corner sofa.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi worked even more quickly and was soon able toplete all the work on hand.

    After submitting herpleted work to Special Assistant Zhuang, she nced at her watch to see half an hour had already passed.

    Would they still be waiting for her?

    As Gu Nianzhi contemted this, she called the reception downstairs.

    ¡°Hello, is this Lawyer Gu?¡± The receptionist in the lobby was able to see the caller ID disying the internal extension line.

    Gu Nianzhi confirmed this and apologized, saying, ¡°I just finished my work. Do you still need me toe downstairs?¡±

    The receptionist at the lobby nodded happily and said, ¡°Pleasee down if you have a moment. They¡¯ve been waiting in the side lobby all this time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was aware that the Senate building was not openly essible to just anyone.

    There were at least threeyers of security to pass through before someone could travel from theplex entrance to the building lobby entrance.

    All phones being carried needed to go through an X-ray scanner to ensure they were not modified.

    The Japanese people also brought a box with them...

    Gu Nianzhi was actually a bit curious.

    The Angels on Earth charity had very close ties with Gu Yanran. Based on Gu Yanran¡¯s action of frantically emptying out the Gu fortune over the past seven years, perhaps this charity really had something that belonged to Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up as she realized this and replied to the female receptionist, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to be delivering something to Special Assistant Zhuang. I¡¯lle downstairs on the way.¡±

    ¡°Ok then, I will pass this along to them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t need to say anything. I¡¯m going toe downstairs and have a look first.¡± Gu Nianzhi ended the call and grabbed a pair of sunsses from her desk to put on before leaving her office in the Secretariat. She then took the elevator downstairs.

    When she stepped out of the elevator on the second floor, she intended to take the stairs from the second floor to the main floor lobby to take a look at the Japanese people.

    After turning around the corner on the second-floor stairs, there happened to be a spot where she could see everything in the meeting room beside the main lobby.

    She stood there and crossed her arms as she quietly observed them for some time. She discovered that there was nothing peculiar about these Japanese people.

    There was a total of five of them and they were all older in age. They were probably all over 60 years old and had short, cropped white hair on their heads. Their bodies were short, thin, and weak looking as they sat perfectly straight on the corner sofa without looking around the lobby.

    The person sitting in the middle had an opaque acrylic Muji box by his feet. Gu Nianzhi could vaguely make out the contents to be papers or books.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a short daze before slowlying downstairs.

    She went around the tall, white pir in the lobby and walked up to where the five Japanese people were sitting. Taking off her sunsses, she gave them a faint smile as she said, ¡°Hello, I am Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    The old man sitting in the middle jerked his head up and stared at Gu Nianzhi with wide eyes. After carefully studying her for some time, he replied with disappointment. ¡°...Gu Nianzhi? You, your father, Gu Xiangwen, unlike.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Was he implying that she didn¡¯t look like her father Gu Xiangwen?

    But she had seen a photo of her father from Ye Xuan, and her nose was obviously the same as her father¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to her nose and asked, ¡°Are you serious? Did you actually see my father before?¡±

    Another Japanese person replied, ¡°Nose, alike.¡±

    Then the other three Japanese people also began to nod, saying, ¡°Nose, alike.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    The man who imed Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look like Gu Xiangwen took another nce at her, then nodded reluctantly. ¡°Nose is alike. Other parts, not alike.¡±

    It was true that Gu Nianzhi only had a slim and delicate nose that was very simr to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s. Of course, her nose had the feminine shape that belonged to women, unlike Gu Xiangwen¡¯s handsome masculinity. However, the shape and appearance were exactly the same.

    Aside from her nose, the other parts of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face didn¡¯t really look like Gu Xiangwen¡¯s.

    For example, Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t have veryrge eyes, yet Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were surprisingly huge. Aside from their size, her irises wererge, round, and pitch ck, like she was born with circle lenses on.

    If someone¡¯s first nce was at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s eyes, then they could easily presume the father and daughter looked nothing alike.

    But with a second nce, one would discover that the shape of their noses was exactly the same. Also, they both had simrities in their auras and carried the same allure that washed away people¡¯s worries like a spring breeze.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned speechless by the Japanese people¡¯s broken Chinese.

    She rolled her eyes to herself, yet maintained a polite expression as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll request for an interpreter toe here, please wait momentarily.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel like she would be able to have any deep discussions with these Japanese people since theirnguage skills were so poor.

    The old man in the middle raised a hand to stop her and said, ¡°No. Note, give you.¡±

    He dug out a neatly folded note from his coat pocket and presented it with both hands to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was a full head¡¯s height taller than him.

    In the face of such polite behavior from an elderly person with a full head of white hair, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but be even more polite even though he was a Japanese person.

    However, she didn¡¯t ept the note but merely smiled and replied slowly, ¡°I am very sorry. We have regtions here, so I cannot be in direct contact with foreigners. I must request for someone to apany me. If you don¡¯t agree to that, then there is nothing left to discuss. I must get back to work.¡±

    The Japanese people clearly didn¡¯t know about this regtion, so they nced at each other with suspicious expressions.

    Gu Nianzhi stuffed both hands in the pockets of her perfectly pressed ankle-length trousers, then smiled calmly and bowed. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t agree to that. I¡¯ll be going now.¡±

    She turned to leave.

    ¡°Please stay!¡± One of them quickly cried out, ¡°Interpreter, you find.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks, then nodded with a smile.

    She didn¡¯t turn around and took out her phone to call Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I need a Japanese interpreter. Can you send one to me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng just finished a meeting and knew something was happening as soon as Gu Nianzhi made the call. He agreed right away, saying, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll send a Japanese interpreter to you right away. He¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡±

    As he spoke, Huo Shaoheng immediately gave themand and dispatched a member of the Special Operations Forces personnel fluent in Japanese who was stationed near the Senate building. Hemanded him to arrive at the Senate building within ten minutes.

    The personnel only took eight minutes to arrive at the Senate lobby.

    He looked up to see Gu Nianzhi standing in front of a group of elderly Japanese people, so he quickly went over to greet them in Japanese.

    The Japanese people finally sighed in relief when they heard their ownnguage being spoken. They openly discussed the entire situation with the personnel.

    It turned out that because Gu Nianzhi¡¯swsuit with the Angels on Earth charity was approaching a conclusion and the charity was losing, they were required to begin returning all the Gu family assets that Gu Yanran had illegally gifted all those years.

    The assets consisted not only of the billion USD but of many physical objects as well.

    The visitors were not actually members of the Angels on Earth charity, but rather, they were scientists conducting research sponsored by the charity.

    The box in front of them contained Gu Xiangwen¡¯s transcripts and letters from all those years ago. Angels on Earth had gifted them to the scientists, and it was allegedly donated by the Gu family to charity.

    In order to maximize its potential, they gifted the transcripts and letters to the scientists they sponsored.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped wildly when she heard this.

    The acrylic box actually contained her father¡¯s transcripts and letters!

    This was an amazing discovery!

    Huo Shaoheng had searched for him for so long but was unable to find anything left behind by Gu Xiangwen. But now she had an entire box of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s transcripts and letters!

    The Special Operations Forces personnel acting as an interpreter was also very shocked. However, he didn¡¯t give any indication of this and continued to professionally interpret the conversation between Gu Nianzhi and the five Japanese people.

    Gu Nianzhi asked with great surprise, ¡°...These are really my father¡¯s transcripts and letters? What are they about?¡±

    The Japanese people were a bit embarrassed.

    After looking at each other for a bit, they finally replied, ¡°...This was a part of his scientific research, maic fields and biotechnology.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened immediately.

    She replied robotically, ¡°Put it down, you can leave now.¡±

    She no longer smiled politely at them, nor did she even bother to make any eye contact.

    The Japanese people knew they were in the wrong, so they sheepishly left after bowing at her. They left the acrylic box in front of the couch.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly made her way over and was about to bend down to open the box when the Special Operations Forces personnel acting as the interpreter quickly stopped her. ¡°Miss Gu, please don¡¯t touch it yet.¡± As he spoke, he took out a pair of stic gloves and passed them to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Put these on before opening it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi forced a smile before epting the stic gloves from him and picking up the box.

    Although the box wasn¡¯t very big, it was heavy because it was full of transcripts and letters.

    These must be from many years ago.

    In present times, everyone stored files electronically. Who would still be using paper?

    Gu Nianzhi carefully touched the box as she turned around to ask the interpreter, ¡°Were you sent here by Huo Shao?¡±

    The interpreter nodded.

    ¡°Take me to Huo Shao.¡± She picked up her phone and called Special Assistant Zhuang to ask for half the day off.

    Special Assistant Zhuang was in the midst of making final confirmations for Speaker Long¡¯s itinerary when he replied to her. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Go home and take half the day off. Remember toe here and meet us early in the morning tomorrow,¡± he said.

    They would be leaving for India tomorrow.

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and cradled the box as she followed the interpreter sent by Huo Shaoheng to the Special Operations Forces headquarters.

    ...

    ¡°Huo Shao, am I bothering you?¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged the acrylic box as she stood in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk. Her tiny face was red and her eyes glittered brilliantly, so she didn¡¯t appear to be in a stable mood.

    Huo Shaoheng walked out from behind the desk to pat her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t fret.¡± As he spoke, he pointed to the coffee table in the office. ¡°Put it there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to set the box down but didn¡¯t remove her hand from it. ¡°Huo Shao, I still haven¡¯t opened it. They said these were my father¡¯s transcripts and letters.¡±

    She spoke excitedly as she continuously caressed the box.

    Gu Nianzhi had called Huo Shaoheng on the way there, so he was already aware.

    Although he was also feeling very excited, he was much calmer than Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng put on stic gloves and pushed aside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand before using both hands to lift the acrylic box lid from its frame.

    The opaque box opened to reveal the yellowed transcripts and letters inside.

    ...

 Chapter 1135 - A Familiar Handwriting

    <h4>Chapter 1135 A Familiar Handwriting</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi stared nkly at the box of transcripts and letters, tears suddenly streaming down her face.Covering her face, she sat on the couch and began to sob.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He sat beside her while pulling her into his arms and allowing her to cry in his embrace.

    His arms were as warm and solid as ever, like the sunshine. Like she had just stepped out into a scorching sunny day, the excitement was enough to warm snow and ice.

    Gu Nianzhi felt very safe, so she cried her heart out in his embrace...

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stop her from crying, nor did he begin to look through the contents of the box.

    He merely patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back as he looked at the box. His brows were furrowed and his eyes seemed to be enshrouded in mist, so all the intense turmoil inside was hidden in the fog, making his emotionspletely unreadable.

    Gu Nianzhi cried for some time and finally felt a bit better.

    Tears were a great way to reduce stress since holding back crying could easily cause depression.

    After she finished crying, she began by opening the letter the Japanese people had given her along with the box.

    They had written a very sincere apology and exined that they used Gu Xiangwen¡¯s research results without knowing the entire truth. They imed to feel extremely guilty and hoped that Gu Nianzhi could forgive them.

    Generally speaking, technical transcripts donated to charitable organizations were theoretically property belonging to the charity.

    The charity could utilize these transcripts within a reasonable scope, which allowed gifting to scientists for research.

    The ignorant are not guilty, so the Japanese scientists wouldn¡¯t have made any serious mistakes if they really didn¡¯t know where the information came from.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was feeling very displeased. With a pout, she threw the apology letter from the Japanese on the coffee table and spat, ¡°...Thieves, they are thieves who stole things from others and are now pretending to be innocent.¡±

    She refused to believe that the Japanese restaurants didn¡¯t know where this information came from.

    They were all thousand-year-old sly foxes, why were they pretending to be saints?!

    Who would donate their family¡¯s confidential technology? Not only did the Japanese scientists believe it, but they also enjoyed the fruits of someone else¡¯s hard work without any qualms. They were both stupid and evil.

    Gu Nianzhi cried too hard, so she continued to sob even though she stopped now. After reading the letter, she managed to choke out, ¡°...Huo Shao, why don¡¯t you check to see what¡¯s in the box?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears away and shook his head. ¡°This belongs to you. How can I look at it before you even do?¡±

    At the very least, Gu Nianzhi had to give him permission before he could look.

    His answer made Gu Nianzhi want to cry again.

    She grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt hem and looked at him tearfully. ¡°...But Little Japan already saw everything in the box!¡±

    Not only did they see everything, but they must have researched it thoroughly as well.

    After all, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident urred seven years ago, and that meant the Japanese scientists had possessed the transcripts and letters for at least four or five years already.

    ¡°...Not only did they look at it, but they must have entered it into permanentputer records!¡± Gu Nianzhi kicked the coffee table angrily. ¡°And now they¡¯re pretending to return it to me and think I will be showing them tears of gratitude? What garbage¨C!¡±

    ¡°How can they not spit out everything they stole from me?¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed at the air. ¡°I want to dig their brains out!¡± she said.

    Any Japanese person who stole her father¡¯s research should deserve a fate worse than death!

    Huo Shaoheng watched her tremble hard, so he put her on hisp and tightly encircled her torso with both arms. He tried to console her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so upset either. From what I can tell, the Japanese scientists were unable to produce any actual research results even though they had your father¡¯s transcripts and letters.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately quieted down. ¡°...Really? No way. My father... My father... He was so amazing; he was basically considered a top genius! How could they not produce any actual results?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the truth.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°If the Japanese actually produced results, then they would¡¯ve bragged about it a long time ago. The truth is, Japan hasn¡¯t made any serious scientific breakthroughs over thest ten years.¡±

    The recent breakthrough in quantummunication satellites was yet again a result of research that was actually stolen from the Huaxia Empire.

    However, they didn¡¯t seed on either asion, so it was enough to show that even if those whocked intelligence were able to steal highly developed technology, they wouldn¡¯t be able to use it anyway...

    Gu Nianzhi carefully considered it and realized that it actually seemed to be the case.

    Her mood improved somewhat, and she blew her nose with a tissue before whispering, ¡°But I don¡¯t want my father¡¯s research to be used to arm the Japanese...¡±

    History had long proven that Japan would not hesitate tounch an invasive attack over the Huaxia Empire as soon as they had a technological advantage.

    So, they couldn¡¯t rx their guard for even one moment.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her shoulder as he said, ¡°That won¡¯t happen. We have our independent research advantages and an expansive talent pool. As for Japan, their number of talented people has dwindled, and the new generation of youth are not eager to move ahead. They¡¯ve be Heisei recluses that don¡¯t contribute anything except for ying videos and watching anime.¡±

    A faint smile appeared on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face as she replied obediently, ¡°Ok, I believe you.¡±

    She was so obedient and easily appeased, yet she had her own ideas without being too stubborn and egocentric to listen to other people¡¯s opinions.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions instantly softened Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hardened heart.

    If they weren¡¯t under the surveince in the office, he would hug her and kiss her passionately.

    Unfortunately, he could only kiss her cheek now.

    ¡°You can check to see if there are any clues in the box.¡± Huo Shaoheng reluctantly let go of her, then got up to get very well-fittingtex gloves for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi took off her baggy stic gloves and exchanged them for a creamy white pair oftex gloves that were so thin and naturally fitting they felt like a secondyer of skin. She began to look through the box.

    The contents inside were organized neatly, and from first nce, it appeared to be divided into handwritten transcripts and letters.

    The handwritten notes were rather messy and consisted of forms and diagrams she couldn¡¯t understand. However, they were neatly bound and numbered in order.

    The letters were divided into two main categories. The first category was stored in arge brown envelope, and the other type was ced in a regr envelope with stamps on them.

    The letters in the brown envelope were all copies of ones Gu Xiangwen had written to Ishihara Baisan.

    The letters in the regr envelope were ones Ishihara Baisan wrote for Gu Xiangwen. These are all originals with stamps on them.

    Gu Nianzhi predicted that Gu Xiangwen probably had a habit of keeping everything on file. He made copies of letters he sent to other people.

    This was probably one of the strange habits that scientists had.

    From the dates written on the letters, this should¡¯ve been from before they went to college in the United States.

    In other words, these two men knew each other before they went to college.

    Gu Xiangwen randomly took out two of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s letters from the brown envelope.

    The contents of the letters consisted of academic discussions about maic fields.

    They were written in English, and even though Gu Nianzhi knew every word, she had no idea what it meant when all the terms were linked together.

    Various physical terms emerged one after another, yet she didn¡¯t know what to make of it.

    However, the English handwriting seemed to look very familiar...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was piqued, so she took out all the letters inside and opened them one by one.

    All the letters were in English. Not a single one was in Chinese.

    The handwriting flowed beautifully.

    ¡°...Huo Shao, don¡¯t you think this handwriting looks a bit familiar?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt very curious as she ced one of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s letters in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands.

    Huo Shaoheng also wore opaquetex gloves.

    He epted it and took a look, his eyes focusing. ¡°Nianzhi, you remember the note Reinitz gave youst time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cried out, pping her head. ¡°I remember now! This handwriting looks just like the one on Reinitz¡¯s note.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1136 - I Know What to Do Now

    <h4>Chapter 1136 I Know What to Do Now</h4>

    As soon as she said the words, they nced at each other.The same question appeared in their heads at the same time.

    Why did Reinitz have a note with the same handwriting as Gu Xiangwen¡¯s?

    Could he actually want to help Gu Nianzhi find her father?

    Gu Nianzhi originally thought that Reinitz wanted to y with her head, but now it seemed that he knew much more than she could ever imagine.

    ¡°Huo Shao, where do you think Reinitz got that note from?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied slowly, ¡°We have to investigate that thoroughly.¡±

    They possessed all the system files from the German Federal Intelligence Service, so they should be able to search through all of them to find clues.

    Gu Nianzhi had the urge to call Reinitz and question him directly, but when she thought about it, she realized that he was already taking a risk by handing it to her. If she randomly called Reinitz, she might identally expose him.

    She considered it again and finally stopped herself from calling Reinitz.

    Starting at the acrylic box in front of her, Gu Nianzhi told Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, I can¡¯t understand the things in this box, but it should be helpful to the nation. I will donate it to Ms. Song¡¯s Institute of High Physics.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze and automatically replied, ¡°But this belongs to your father. Aren¡¯t you going to keep it as a memento?¡±

    ¡°I think that my father would hope that these items would be used to their full potential. What¡¯s the point of me keeping them and worshipping them with incense three times a day?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged as she said, ¡°I will cherish the memory of my father, but I don¡¯t need to worship a box blindly.¡±

    She was more interested in what the Japanese had discerned from the contents of the box.

    Song Jinning was the only one who could figure this out since she was the professional.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it, then said, ¡°How about this? The information about maic fields will be given to Ms. Song, and the information about biology will be given to Chen Lie. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Ok, I have no problem with that.¡± Gu Nianzhi instantly agreed. ¡°Do you want me to sign a donation agreement?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t be sloppy when ites to the procedure.¡± As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he went over to the desk and dialed General Ji¡¯s extension. He gave a simple exnation of the current situation.

    General Ji exhaled sharply, saying, ¡°...This was given to the Japanese?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. Although they¡¯ve returned some of the items now, we still don¡¯t know what use we can make of the contents.¡±

    This could only depend on the opinions of professionals.

    General Ji immediately nodded his head in agreement, saying, ¡°Have Nianzhi sign an agreement and then make a copy of the contents for our records. Send copies to Director Song and Dr. Chen.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up ramrod straight, in perfect military posture.

    Since everything was now taken care of, Gu Nianzhi also stood up. ¡°Huo Shao, you can keep working now. I should go home to pack; I¡¯ll be making a state visit to India with Speaker Long tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to look at her. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home,¡± he said.

    ¡°No, thanks, I can drive myself back.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave him a wave. ¡°You can keep working.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll drive you. I needed to go to the area anyway.¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed his car keys, then called Yin Shixiong over and pointed to the box as he said, ¡°Make three copies ¨C one for the records and give me the other two. I will distribute themter.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly gave a salute, his expression solemn.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him without making any of her usual jokes. She quietly followed Huo Shaoheng outside.

    Huo Shaoheng took her back to her apartment in Hepingli and kissed her cheek, saying, ¡°Have a safe trip and be careful. Don¡¯t go anywhere alone when you¡¯re in India. I will keep in touch with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in a rush to go home to read the note from Reinitz, so she nodded quickly and said, ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    India was notorious for sexual assault. As a young girl, she certainly wasn¡¯t stupid enough to run around in a foreign environment.

    Watching Gu Nianzhi walk into the apartment building¡¯s elevator, Huo Shaoheng lowered his car window and took out a cigarette to smoke for some time.

    He was sitting in a ce where Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t see, his eyebrows furrowed as he silently contemted the recent events.

    He always had a feeling that the truth was surfacing somewhere, beckoning at them from a close distance.

    But his intuition also told him that the situation wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed.

    The temptation was too great, and even though he knew it might be a trap, he couldn¡¯t help but want to try leaping into the abyss to see just how deep it was...

    After smoking for some time, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s surveince system indicated that Gu Nianzhi had already entered her home.

    Throwing away his cigarette, he sent Gu Nianzhi a text saying, ¡°Are you home?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied immediately, ¡°Yes, you have such perfect timing!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips into a smile as he started the car. Driving out of the Hepingli parking lot, he headed towards B University.

    As he approached the B University professor¡¯s building, he gave He Zhichu a call.

    He Zhichu had just finished grading several thesis papers written by his doctorate students.

    He frowned when he saw Huo Shaoheng calling, but still picked up.

    ¡°Huo Shao? I just looked out the window to see the sky is still dark, and the sun hasn¡¯t risen from the west yet,¡± He Zhichu answered sarcastically.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored the jab and replied calmly, ¡°Professor He, I want to show you a few things. Are you free?¡±

    He Zhichuzily stretched his long legs as he asked, ¡°What kind of things? I am not a very curious person, so I am not interested in seeing everything.¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s about Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°...Come upstairs.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng sat before He Zhichu and passed his phone to him. ¡°The first photo is a note Nianzhi received. The next photo is of items some Japanese took the time to return to her today,¡± he said.

    He had photo records of the information saved on his phone.

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows knitted closely together as soon as he saw the note. ¡°Nianzhi showed me this note already. She said it was rted to her father, but she didn¡¯t tell me who gave it to her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng considered his options. All he could do was to be honest with He Zhichu if he needed his help.

    Reinitz and He Zhichu were both friend and foe to their cause, but at least it was certain that He Zhichu was always on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°This is something Reinitz gave Nianzhi. Of course, he was very discreet about it.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened as he replied coldly, ¡°What is Reinitz trying to do? He still hasn¡¯t given up yet?¡±

    ¡°No matter what his motives are, look at his note. Isn¡¯t this the same handwriting on the items returned by the Japanese?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked.

    Huo Shaoheng discussed this with He Zhichu, but they still obviously needed to have a handwriting expert to determine whether or not it was truly one and the same.

    They received a new clue before they even deciphered the meaning of the poems.

    ¡°Professor He, why do you think the Japanese wanted to return this box?¡± Huo Shaoheng pointed to the photo on his phone.

    He Zhichu snorted and said, ¡°It¡¯s obviously because ourwsuit traced back its origins. You think that they would find the conscience to return items that were stolen from the owner?¡±

    They could only either use thew or brute force when it came to dealing with those kinds of people.

    ¡°Nianzhi is winning herwsuit?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just about done.¡± He Zhichu handed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone back. It didn¡¯t appear as though he cared very much. ¡°I already warned Nianzhi about being careful around the Japanese. They are about to lose everything they stole, so they wouldn¡¯t be true to their nature if they didn¡¯t go crazy.¡±

    They only had to recall the kamikaze suicide squads from the war to understand that, when the Japanese lost their minds, they were even willing to kill themselves...

    Huo Shaoheng was not surprised, so he replied calmly, ¡°I was thinking the same thing. Now that I have received Professor He¡¯s affirmation, I know what to do.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up, shaking He Zhichu¡¯s hand with a smile.

    He Zhichu walked him to the door, then suddenly asked, ¡°When is Nianzhi leaving for India?¡±

    ¡°Her flight is tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled at him before turning to leave.

    That night, He Zhichu didn¡¯t sleep at all. He finished up all the work on hand and also passed on the simple tasks to his fellow professors in the department.

    Then he went to the faculty to request for two weeks¡¯ vacation, iming he was ill and needed to go back to the United States for treatment.

    He boarded his private jet before dawn and left the Huaxia Empire.

    The next morning, Gu Nianzhi also arrived at the airport and boarded a private Huaxia Imperial ne to India with Speaker Long and her colleagues.

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng was assigned by General Ji to lead the most elite special forces unit of the Huaxia Empire and take them to Russia to participate in the Annual Warrior Competition. It was scheduled to take ce in two weeks.

    This was the eighth year the Huaxia Empire had participated in this type ofpetition. The first year, Huo Shaoheng had been the all-around champion.

    He didn¡¯t appear in theter years because he didn¡¯t participate again.

    Now that he was reappearing in thepetition as the Chief of the military, he instantly attracted all kinds of attention.

 Chapter 1137 - Appearance in Moscow

    <h4>Chapter 1137 Appearance in Moscow</h4>

    Moscow in early April, at five o¡¯clock in the morning. The entire city was like a lethargic and sickly tiger still deep in slumber.A veil of milky white light appeared on the corner of the sky to signal the arrival of dawn.

    Oqinsha Military Airport was located on the western outskirts of Moscow and solemnly awaited a military aircraft arriving from the Huaxia Empire.

    Korchagin, a senior Russian official was present to wee them.

    ¡°Minister Korchagin, why is the Huaxia Imperial Special Forces arriving so early this time?¡± Korchagin¡¯s female secretary, Natasha, covered her mouth and yawned. ¡°Thepetition won¡¯t begin for another two weeks,¡± she said in confusion.

    When that day came, the opening ceremony for the Annual Warrior Competition would be held in Katyusha Park, located on the outskirts of Moscow.

    It was a bit early for them to arrive right now.

    Other countries were probably still forming their teams at the moment...

    Since the leader of the Huaxia Imperial team was the highly acimed and crowd favorite Major General Huo Shaoheng, the Russian government provided a very high-level reception to greet them.

    They woke up at three in the morning in order to wait for the iing flight and personally came there to greet the military aircraft arriving from the Huaxia Empire.

    Korchagin nced at his watch while replying expressionlessly, ¡°Comrade Natasha, I¡¯ll have no choice but to dismiss you if youin again.¡±

    Natasha was scared silly,pletely waking up from her grogginess and not daring to utter another word.

    After waiting another half an hour, the sound of rustling footsteps appeared behind them.

    Natasha turned around and was stunned by the sight. She quickly poked the back of senior official Korchagin and said, ¡°Minister, the Prime Minister is here.¡±

    Korchagin turned around in shock when he saw their Prime Minister Gerald striding over.

    ¡°Minister Korchagin, you arrived so early.¡± Prime Minister Gerald of Russia was a tall and strapping man, yet he possessed a very gentle personality.

    ¡°Mr. Prime Minister, why are you here?¡± Korchagin quickly reached out to shake his hand with a smile, saying, ¡°I was certainly going to report to you after I weed the Huaxia Imperial visitors.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem. The President requested for me to greet his old friend.¡± Prime Minister Gerald chuckled as he said, ¡°After all, the Major General from the Huaxia Empire is basically a fellow alumnus of our President.¡±

    The current President of Russia was a famous and fearsome KGB warrior in his younger years, so it was no wonder that he especially favored Huo Shaoheng, who also started out in the special forces¡¯ battlefront.

    Korchagin didn¡¯t dare to take the Huaxia Imperial Major General lightly when he learned that even the President was paying special attention to him.

    He nodded with a sigh and replied humbly, ¡°I met him briefly during the Annual Warrior Competition in Jordan many years ago. At the time, he had just graduated from training with Mossad of Israel, and when he made his first appearance, he was able to win first ce in all the individual events, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. However, he disappeared without a trace afterward.¡±

    ¡°At the time, our President said that that man could not possibly be a normal soldier.¡± Prime Minister Gerald smiled brightly. ¡°I also told the President that since Huo Shaoheng was such a handsome special forces soldier, he only needed to wear his military uniform, even if he wasn¡¯t physically capable at all. I bet all the female enemy soldiers would automatically kneel down to him as soon as he appeared, hahahaha...¡±

    Gerald thought he was being humorous, but Korchagin, the senior official, came from a military background, and his face flushed with anger.

    It was an absolute insult to use an inte celebrity tone to ridicule soldiers who battled using their flesh and blood!

    Korchagin turned around, ignoring the amicable looking Prime Minister and casting his gaze towards the hint of dawn appearing on the horizon.

    At that moment, arge military aircraft with fiverge red stars emzoned on its side was already hurtling towards them at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

    The rumble of engines instantly filled the airspace over the military airport.

    Prime Minister Gerald frowned almost imperceptibly.

    But when the aircraft steadilynded on the military tarmac and the cabin doors opened, the friendliest smile had appeared on Gerald¡¯s face. He walked in front of Korchagin.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and strapping body emerged from the cabin door. He wore a military cap sitting low on his head, yet it was unable to conceal his handsome aura.

    He was a dominating presence when he donned his olive green, thin fleece general officer¡¯s uniform. The weapon belt on his waist was secured tightly, entuating his broad shoulders, slim waist, and unbelievably long legs.

    Looking up slightly, he revealed his handsome face. It was enough to make the dawn of early summer pale inparison. His masculine warmth was hot-blooded, yet cruel, instantly attracting everyone¡¯s attention.

    All the female Russian soldiers who had arrived at the airport to greet the visitors couldn¡¯t help but exim.

    Standing beside Korchagin was his female secretary, Natasha. She already shook off all traces of sleepiness and took the beret off her head as she happily waved it at Huo Shaoheng. She even put her other hand in her mouth and began to whistle shrilly.

    Korchagin jerked his head around in anger as he red at Natasha and said, ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Natasha quickly put her beret back on, a solemn expression instantly appearing on her round and chubby face. ¡°...Minister, I am weing our friend... Ourrade from a distantnd.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Korchagin turned around in a huff to see that Prime Minister Gerald had already walked over, so he quickly strode after the other man.

    Huo Shaoheng descended from the steps and shook hands with the Russian Prime Minister Gerald with a smile. He greeted them in fluent Russian, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Prime Minister to grace us with his presence. This is my great honor.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, you¡¯re too kind! Major General Huo truly creates an exceptional reaction as soon as he appears...¡± The Russian Prime Minister Geraldughed heartily, then smoothly grabbed Huo Shaoheng as he positioned his body into a pose to allow the reporters to take photos.

    Gerald had a rather fat face, so he slyly took a step back and pushed Huo Shaoheng closer to the camera.

    After the photos were taken, he happily asked the reporters to show them to him. To his dismay, he discovered that his face was two thirdsrger even if he stood behind Huo Shaoheng...

    Korchagin peered over, unable to wipe the smile from his face. He took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s other hand to give it a shake. ¡°Major General Huo, I¡¯ve heard so much about you! What a pleasure to meet you!¡± he said.

    Huo Shaoheng replied politely in Russian, ¡°Minister Korchagin, you were the military expert I admired in my youth.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Wow! Hahahaha....¡±

    The saying goes that ttery could get you anywhere.

    This held true whether it was in ancient times or modern times, in the Huaxia Empire or beyond.

    Korchagin¡¯s heart exploded with happiness from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, so he immediately saw him as a good friend and didn¡¯t bother hiding his affection.

    At that moment, the special forces soldiers Huo Shaoheng brought for thepetition also stepped out of the ne.

    They automatically lined up behind Huo Shaoheng, one by one. They formed a straight line from any angle.

    With their heads held high, their dominating aura was immediately apparent.

    They all had the same long legs and handsome faces, yet werepletely different from the pretty boy actors who solely depended on their faces.

    Korchagin and Gerald were both stunned.

    They looked at the Huaxia Imperial soldiers. They were then very unhappy to see their own domestic soldiers who were either fat or short.

    Korchagin even used his elbow to poke Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°Major General Huo, did you make a mistake? We are holding the Annual Warrior Competition, not a guard of honorpetition. Are you going to perform Katyusha again and make our special forces soldiers look like dwarves and orcs?¡±

    Pfftt¨C!

    Korchagin¡¯s female secretary, Natasha, stood beside him and stifled herughter.

    Korchagin was feeling very resentful about the military parade in the Grand zast year.

    The long-legged guard of honor from the Huaxia Empire sang ¡°Katyusha¡± during evening practice and instantly made the other countries¡¯ guards of honor look like nothing.

    As for the original video that was still widely circted online, the inte hadbeled the Huaxia Imperial guard of honor as the elves who were participating alongside orcs and dwarves...

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his soldiers without offering an opinion. He replied in an even tone, ¡°Unfortunately, I already removed the soldiers who were too good looking.¡±

    Korchagin thought, Oh my God! He does whatever he wants because he is too handsome!

    ...An invisible presence is the deadliest! Mr. President misjudged him... Gerald thought to himself.

    The female secretary Natasha quickly diffused the situation, saying, ¡°Pleasee this way, Major General Huo. I prepared amodation for you near Katyusha Park on the outskirts of Moscow.¡±

    Korchaginposed himself and erased away the resentment in his heart. He walked alongside Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°...We have a recently renovated military camp there. You arrived early, so you get to pick the best ce to camp.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded as he said, ¡°Thank you, Minister. But I do have one request that I¡¯m hoping you will agree to.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Korchagin¡¯s female secretary, Natasha, was entranced by Huo Shaoheng, so she quickly replied before Korchagin could even say anything.

    Korchagin red at her, then repeated the same words to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Of course, of course!¡±

    Prime Minister Gerald, ¡°...¡±

    They acted like he wasn¡¯t there!

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at Natasha.

    She suddenly felt like she didn¡¯t have enough blood circting in her body, and her heart nearly stopped.

    ¡°Thank you, Comrade Natasha.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied politely.

    ¡°You even know my name?!¡± Natasha was pleasantly surprised, her impression of Huo Shaoheng improving even more.

    ¡°Minister Korchagin is someone I admire, and Minister Korchagin¡¯s secretary is not just anybody.¡± Huo Shaoheng refused to underestimate anyone there.

    Although Russia hadn¡¯t made any big waves in recent years, their military strength and intelligence agency was still considered top ranking on Blue.

    Huo Shaoheng was much more focused on Russia than he was Ukraine.

    His statement ttered Natasha while alsoplimenting Korchagin.

    Then he turned around to look at Prime Minister Gerald and smiled subtly, saying, ¡°It would be even better if the Prime Minister could grant me this favor.¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem. The President tasked me with satisfying any of Major General Huo¡¯s requests.¡± Gerald immediately agreed when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile and nearly patted his chest to make a guarantee.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He followed them into the private vehicle before continuing to say, ¡°Because we arrived too early and came a whole week before thepetition, I am worried that my soldiers¡¯ fighting spirit will ck. Because of this, I must give thempletely enclosed training over the next two weeks. I hope the camp you¡¯ve arranged can satisfy this request.¡±

    Completely enclosed military training was consideredplete istion.

    Those inside the camp werepletely cut off from all outside interactions.

    The people outside would absolutely not trespass into apletely enclosed training ground.

    As soon as the sign for enclosed military training ground was installed, the area would be a restricted military zone.

    ...

 Chapter 1138 - Taking It Seriously

    <h4>Chapter 1138 Taking It Seriously</h4>

    In order to win the Annual Warrior Competition, Huo Shaoheng made a perfectly eptable request. There were also precedents for it.Senior official Korchagin immediately answered, ¡°That is not a problem. You can tell Natashater about any necessary procedures. She will help you with them.¡±

    Prime Minister Gerald crossed his arms as he sat in the back seat and asked quizzically, ¡°...Completely enclosed training camp? Do you need Wi-Fi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°...That won¡¯t be necessary; I need them to train without any distractions. All the domestic Huaxia Imperial training camps do not have Wi-Fi connectivity.¡±

    ¡°Amazing!¡± Korchagin gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. ¡°You guys are much better than the soldiers from India! A few days ago, I heard that an Indian soldier shot and killed his superior officer just because he wasn¡¯t allowed to be on his phone and y games during his shift!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You have to believe us, this actually happened.¡± Natasha, Korchagin¡¯s secretary, immediately tried to help her superior save face by saying, ¡°It was reported on the news!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and asked, ¡°Oh really? So will India be attending this year¡¯s Annual Warrior Competition?¡±

    ¡°They will attend, of course they will. They will also be holding a joint military exercise with us as well.¡± Natasha pouted her lips and revealed a coy expression. She clearly looked down on India and dramatically retold many jokes about the Indian special forces¡¯ soldiers. For example, they carried yoga mats everywhere with them, they made curry rice outdoors during a mission to attract the enemy, etc....

    Huo Shaoheng listened with keen interest and automatically asked numerous thoughtful questions.

    Prime Minister Gerald suddenly recalled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s previous identity, and he felt as though Natasha was leaking secrets.

    He quickly coughed to interrupt Natasha. ¡°There are many countries attending thepetition this time. Aside from the Huaxia Empire and India, the other countries include the United States, Japan, Korea, Israel, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy.¡±

    ¡°That many? Then we will really need to find the best location to camp.¡± Huo Shaoheng discreetly changed the topic and didn¡¯t mention the other countries again.

    Their car drove past the Moscow Grand za with the red brick Kremlin nking either side of it. From a distance, it looked like a sea of red.

    The massive size of the za was needed toplement the bright red walls of the Kremlin.

    If it were the pitifully small Times Square in the United States that was surrounded by a wall of red buildings, it would be aplete eyesore.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car as he squinted at the distant blue skies above the red walls and white shingles. The iconic,rge church across from the Kremlin looked just like a fairytale cottage.

    He guessed that Gu Nianzhi would probably like these kinds of things a lot.

    In the car, Korchagin¡¯s secretary Natasha kept rambling about the history of Moscow¡¯s Grand za.

    ¡°...The military parade was held here during the world war. After the military parade ended, everyone went straight to the frontlines and fought bloody battles. They emerged victorious and protected Moscow, directly turning the oue of the war around.¡±

    Although this wasn¡¯t the first time that Huo Shaoheng had visited Moscow, it was the first time he officially visited Moscow as a Huaxia Imperial Major General.

    He knew much more about the Grand za of Moscow¡¯s history than even Natasha, but he was still inspired by her proud and passionate retelling.

    He stared at the quiet and majestic Grand za outside the window as he imagined that exciting military parade.

    Countless strong young men had sung ¡°Katyusha¡± as they raced towards the battlefield.

    Most of them were unable to return alive, nor were they able to witness the victory after the war.

    No one knew their names, yet their achievements wouldst for eternity.

    But after so many years, most people had already forgotten the high price paid for peace.

    Huo Shaoheng fluidly raised his right hand and gave a perfect military salute towards the Grand za of Moscow.

    Natasha stopped her passionate narration, her eyes suddenly growing watery.

    Using her hand to casually wipe at her eyes like it was nothing, she silently watched Huo Shaoheng set down the right hand he had used to salute before nodding at him with a smile.

    Minister Korchagin couldn¡¯t help but see Huo Shaoheng in an even better light.

    Even Prime Minister Gerald grew quiet, although he had some negative opinions towards Huo Shaoheng.

    He must admit that only soldiers who respected deceased unsung heroes could be truly considered a soldier worthy of respect from others.

    A country with this kind of soldier was one that must be terribly powerful.

    The car quickly sped past the Grand za and headed towards the city outskirts.

    Korchagin¡¯s secretary Natasha became cheerful once again.

    They listened to her chatter and giggle the entire trip.

    Huo Shaoheng was gradually able to glean a lot of information from Natasha¡¯s casual conversation.

    For example, he learned that the Japanese special forces soldiers would be arriving in Moscow tomorrow. This was only one day after their own arrival.

    Also, the American and Israeli soldiers would be camping together so they could battle each other first.

    Additionally, India was yet unable to amass enough soldiers to build a team for thepetition...

    Another two hours passed before they finally arrived at the military camp near Katyusha Park on the outskirts of Moscow.

    Huo Shaoheng climbed out of the car, first shaking hands with Minister Korchagin and Prime Minister Gerald. He bid them farewell and thanked them for their hospitality.

    Korchagin and Gerald had provided Huo Shaoheng with the highest level of treatment.

    When subsequent special forces from other countries arrived in Russia, Natasha wasn¡¯t even present to greet them. Instead, the junior secretaries working under Natasha were assigned to meet them.

    After Korchagin and Gerald left, Huo Shaoheng and Natasha walked around the entire military camp together.

    ¡°Let us camp here.¡± Huo Shaoheng circled an enclosed barrack.

    There were various training venues in the open space belonging to the barracks ¨C prairies, swamps, trenches, hillsides, pools, obstacles, and shooting ranges. They could train for any event at thepetition there.

    Natasha readily agreed. ¡°No problem. Was there anything else you needed?¡± she asked.

    ¡°There is a wall surrounding the barracks, but I want a wire fence that can be electrified.¡± Huo Shaoheng began listing off and requesting items from Natasha.

    Natasha nced at the list for a while, then looked up at Huo Shaoheng with a smile. ¡°Major General Huo, are you sure you want these things? Sometimes, the more mysterious you are, the more you will attract curiosity...¡±

    ¡°Curiosity kills the cat.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled subtly as he folded his hands behind his back and stared at the wall that was as tall as a man. ¡°If the cat were killed, it wouldn¡¯t be so curious anymore.¡±

    Although he only made a casual remark, Natasha could sense lethality hidden in his words.

    However, she wasn¡¯t afraid at all because she was a bit excited.

    A nation of warriors liked people with hot blood in their veins.

    ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you know that.¡± Natasha took out her electronic notebook and jotted down all of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s requests. ¡°I will deliver them to you this afternoon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, then walked Natasha out.

    Natasha kept her word and delivered all of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s items that afternoon.

    She didn¡¯t have much to do that day, so she stayed with Huo Shaoheng and his men to see how they would set up the barracks.

    Soon afterward, the tall walls surrounding the barracks werepletely covered by ayer of electric wires.

    As soon as it was electrified, no one could enter from the outside, and no one could exit from the inside.

    Sensors were also buried under the wall, so alerts would sound as soon as someone trespassed onto the grounds.

    Aside from this, there were also countless surveince systems.

    The barracks were basicallypletely monitored at all angles and without any blind spots.

    When Natasha saw the eight monitors she had delivered had been used in such aplicated setup, she exhaled sharply.

    ¡°You guys are serious!¡±

    ¡°Of course we are serious.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly adjusted the monitors. ¡°Did I suggest I wasn¡¯t going to be serious?¡±

    Natasha was reassured. ¡°Looks like you guys really want to win...¡±

    ¡°Well, of course. Why would we attend thepetition if we didn¡¯t want to win?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up while he looked at the surveince monitors in front of him. ¡°...I hope that they can withstand the tests ahead.¡±

    The special forces soldiers spent their first day in Moscow repairing and setting up the camp.

    At noon the next day, the special forces soldiers from Japan also arrived in Moscow.

 Chapter 1139 - Beat the Dog Before the Lion

    <h4>Chapter 1139 Beat the Dog Before the Lion</h4>

    As expected, the Japanese special forces soldiers were not weed by the Russian Minister of Defense or the Prime Minister when they arrived at the airport.They were hitched by severalrge trucks and taken to the military camp outside of Moscow and close to the barracks of the Huaxia Imperial special forces soldiers.

    ...

    ¡°Reporting! Chief, people are moving into the barracks next door. They are Japanese,¡± a special forces scout in charge of guarding the camp reported to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng already knew about this when Natasha mentioned it the day before.

    He nodded without any surprise and said, ¡°Vigntly keep guard. This is a restricted military zone, so any trespassers will be killed without question or exception.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng harshly eyed the special forces soldiers standing before him and continued in an icy tone, saying, ¡°You are representing our nation and military bying here to attend thispetition. Since you¡¯vee here, we need to fight for first ce! Militarypetitions do not begin when you arrive at thepetition grounds and wait for someone to blow the whistle. Thepetition has begun from the moment you came to this ce and disembarked from the flight! Remember this!¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡±

    The voices of the special forces¡¯ soldiers shook the room, so even the others in the nearby base could hear them.

    However, the Japanese base was as silent as if no one was even there.

    After Huo Shaoheng finished his speech, he went to a small building that was used as a guard tower in the base. He observed the Japanese special forces soldiers across from them.

    Although they were not very tall with an average height of 5¡¯6¡å, they had resolute and vignt expressions on their faces. They watched others with intent eyes like they were looking to see if there was anything happening around them at all times...

    Huo Shaoheng looked ahead with a deadpan expression for some time, then said to the soldier in charge of the guard tower, ¡°Pay attention to what is happening over there. We are in apletely enclosed training camp, and I will have to give you military punishment if anyone trespasses in here.¡±

    ¡°Roger, Chief!¡± The special forces soldier in charge of sentry duty squeezed the gun in his hand.

    Although this was a militarypetition simr to practice, there were sometimes casualties. This was not always an act.

    Huo Shaoheng looked back at the Japanese special forces¡¯ soldiers, squinting his eyes slightly as he quietly came down from the guard tower.

    ...

    On the second night after the Huaxia Imperial special forces soldiers arrived in Moscow, they finished a day full of training and were so exhausted they immediately copsed on their beds.

    When it was almost midnight, the entire camp was silent. Dozens of strong and fit young men were quietly sleeping.

    April nights in Moscow were very cold. The wind howled past the glowing moon in the sky, with trees swaying gently below. The tall fence was silently bathed in the moonlight while the barbed wire on it gleamed harshly.

    Large trees grew next to the fence, and they were finally growing new leaves after the previous ones had fallen in the winter. Although the foliage wasn¡¯t dense, it was enough to conceal someone in the branches.

    A man in a camo suit quietly climbed up the tree.

    These trees grew next to the fence that encircled the Huaxia Imperial special forces camp. When someone climbed up these trees, they could directly look into the entire training camp.

    The man observed with binocrs for a while but didn¡¯t notice anything amiss. He had already taken a few photos in the daytime, so he was able to confirm that Huo Shaoheng was theirmanding officer.

    The news had already been reported, but he was still adamant about conducting further observations.

    It was also nighttime, so the other party was asleep.

    If he could sneak into the base and take the opportunity to kill off Huo Shaoheng, then they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about failing the mission in India...

    As long as Huo Shaoheng was eliminated, Gu Nianzhi would be helpless to their attacks. They could kill her off whenever they wanted to.

    The soldier grew excited when he imagined this, his hand beginning to tremble.

    He waved downwards to signal at the men he had brought along with him. He nned to get them to climb up the tree as well, then jump from the trees and into the Huaxia Imperial special forces camp. That way, they could bypass the barbed wire on the enclosing fence.

    When he picked up his binocrs again, he was shocked to see a pitch-ck muzzle appearing in the crosshairs of the lenses!

    Oh no! He had been discovered!

    However, this man didn¡¯t have a chance to think twice before the other party had pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    The dull sound of a gunshot broke the peaceful silence of the night.

    Boom!

    Someone fell down from the tree and into thepletely enclosed Huaxia Imperial camp.

    ¡°Alert! Everyone must gather!¡±

    The special forces soldiers in the Huaxia Imperial camp were awakened by the guards, so they quickly grabbed the guns by their bedsides and got into battle mode.

    They rushed toward and hid in various positions, quietly keeping watch until the sun rose, but no one dared to spy on them again.

    The sky was bright, sunlight reflecting on the tender green leaves on the trees. White clouds floated in the blue sky, and the air was refreshing as birds sang amongst the branches.

    ¡°Dismissed. Continue with the scheduled training.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked around and walked toward the corpse that fell from the treest night. ¡°Notify the Russian authorities that someone trespassed into ourpletely enclosed camp yesterday. We took the necessary actions.¡±

    Soon afterward, a Russian representative notified by both Japan and the Huaxia Empire showed up.

    The personnel arriving to take care of the situation was Korchagin¡¯s secretary, Natasha.

    ¡°What happened here?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Natasha, one of our special forces soldiers disappearedst night. We request the right to search the Huaxia Imperial camp!¡± The Japanese representative was indignant and had scrawled the words, ¡®must kill¡¯ and ¡®kill¡¯ on a piece of cloth tied around his forehead.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and replied casually, ¡°Why are you searching our camp if you are missing a soldier? Didn¡¯t you see the sign over there?¡±

    The sign was ck and written in Russian, Chinese, and English. It said, ¡°Completely enclosed camp, restricted military zone.¡± There was even an eye-catching white skull drawn on it.

    The leader of the Japanese Special Forces choked, but he refused to back down. Brandishing his fists, he said, ¡°...But this is a matter of life and death! You can¡¯t detain our men before thepetition has even begun.¡±

    ¡°Detain? We never detain anyone who attempts to trespass into ourpletely enclosed camp.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up at the sky, saying calmly, ¡°Anyone who trespasses into ourpletely enclosed camp is already a dead man.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?!¡± The Japanese leader was shocked. ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng red at him, then said to the cheerful Natasha, ¡°Comrade Natasha, pleasee over here.¡±

    He took her and the Japanese military leader into the camp.

    The corpse was still lying in the grass under the fence.

    ¡°Showa-kun! What happened to you?!¡± The Japanese leader lunged over and kneeled down at the corpse of his best soldier who had now perished abroad. He wailed with great grievance.

    Huo Shaoheng and Natasha shared a look, feeling speechless.

    ¡°Which one of you killed him?!¡± The Japanese leader turned around and red viciously at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°We will sue you! We will take you to the International Military Tribunal!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled as he said, ¡°The International Military Tribunal only deals with the most heinous war criminals. For example, the ones from Japan... One man died here, so that¡¯s not enough to warrant going to the International Military Tribunal.¡±

    ¡°You¨C!¡± The Japanese leader was enraged by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and thought his smile was aplete eyesore.

    Natasha decided to y the peacemaker, saying, ¡°This is all a misunderstanding, I think this is a misunderstanding. It¡¯s normal to have casualties during military practice.¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have an issue if this were actually during thepetition, but it hasn¡¯t even begun yet! This is murder!¡± The Japanese leader furiously stabbed a finger at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng spread his palms and said sarcastically, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, we didn¡¯t know it was a Japanese special forces soldier. This is apletely enclosed camp and a restricted military zone. Any trespassers will be shot without question or exception, so our soldiers were only following orders. If you want to me someone, you can just me me.¡±

    If Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were present, they would¡¯ve noticed that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone and expression at the moment was eerily simr to Gu Nianzhi when she wanted to make someone feel like hell...

    ¡°How could this be?! This was premeditated!¡± The Japanese leader stomped his feet and red angrily at Natasha. ¡°This isn¡¯t over yet! You must give us a proper exnation!¡±

    ¡°Exin what?¡± Huo Shaoheng vocally defended Natasha, saying, ¡°Your soldier trespassed into ourpletely enclosed military camp and got what he deserved. Besides, this would be considered friendly fire in battle even if he was mistakenly killed. This often happens within the US Military, where they always end up mistakenly killing their own soldiers or allies. If you have any contrary opinion about it, you can go ask the US Military how they deal with incidents of friendly fire.¡±

    The Japanese leader immediately shut up when the US Military was mentioned.

    Stifling herughter, Natasha nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. ording to international practice, as established by the Americans, incidents of friendly fire only require verbal apologies.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng instantly followed up by saying, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok. He¡¯s already apologized, so you should hurry up and move the body away. Do you need any cremation services? This is the phone number and address for the crematorium.¡± Natasha instantly disyed her skills as an able secretary by providing help for the ident, cremation, and burial.

    The Japanese leader could tell that the Russians were siding with the Huaxia Empire, so he viciously red at Huo Shaoheng before ordering the corpse of the Japanese special forces soldier to be moved away.

    After they left, Huo Shaoheng said to Natasha, ¡°Comrade Natasha, please help by reporting this incident to all the special forces teams who areing to participate in the Annual Warrior Competition. Since ancient times, the Huaxia Empire has been a very peaceful nation. We don¡¯t want to see another incident of friendly fire happen.¡±

    Natasha smirked and was even more impressed with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ability to lie with his eyes wide open.

    This was the Russians¡¯ weakness ¨C although they typically chose to fight when they refused to back down, they were stillcking when it came to verbal arguments. As a result, they were always being beaten down by Western public opinion.

    ¡°Very well, then. I will notify all the teams attending thepetition. I hope that we can re-establish a peaceful training camp for you.¡± Natasha quickly gave Huo Shaoheng a wink.

    After this incident, all the other participating teams knew that the Huaxia Imperial camp waspletely enclosed. It was truly a restricted military zone, with the Japanese special forces soldier setting the prime example for everyone.

    No one else dared to spy on the Huaxia Imperial special forces camp again.

    The following evening, Huo Shaoheng gave another speech to his soldiers.

    He announced icily, ¡°There are two methods of frightening the enemy ¨C either by demanding money or threatening to take their lives. Since we are soldiers, we cannot demand money from them. We can only threaten their lives. You must remember that we need to kill our enemies whenever possible, so don¡¯t show any mercy!¡±

    After giving this lesson, he returned to his camp and began to pack up.

    He thought to himself, what was Gu Nianzhi doing in India right now?

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi, Speaker Long, and his team had arrived at the New Delhi International Airport two days ago.

    The Speaker of the Federal Upper House of the Indian Parliament was the only one to greet them. He was also the Vice President of India.

    Everyone was fully aware that the Indian Vice President was just a puppet. The Prime Minister was the one who wielded actual power.

    The airport was very quiet, as there was no honor guard to receive the foreign guests. There were no nationals of Huaxia descent present to wee them, either.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned when she followed Speaker Long down the steps.

    The Vice President of India came forward with a bright smile as he said, ¡°We are very sorry, but the Prime Minister of Japan is also visiting India today. He didn¡¯te to our capital city but went to our President¡¯s hometown in Gujarat. Our President and honor guard went there to greet them.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1140 - Pride & Integrity

    <h4>Chapter 1140 Pride & Integrity</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how Speaker Long achieved his level of refinement. However, it was quite remarkable that he could still smile amiably after listening to such offensive and perfunctory excuses.But just because Speaker Long couldn¡¯t object didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t.

    When dealing with jerks like Yin Du, they wouldn¡¯t understand if you were too polite...

    Gu Nianzhi coughed softly and started speaking English with a British ent as sheughed. ¡°...Your Excellency, Yin Du is also considered a great country, so how could it only have one guard of honor...? Tsk, seems like you guys haven¡¯t learned proper etiquette from the British Empire.¡±

    She passive-aggressively threw shade at Yin Du.

    After all, it was a British colony.

    It was the owner¡¯s fault if the dog didn¡¯t learn well.

    The vice president of Yin Du understood her insinuations, and his facial expression immediately changed as he said angrily, ¡°Of course we have more than one guard of honor! Every state in Yin Du has its own guard of honor! The title of the world¡¯s third most powerful country isn¡¯t a bluff!¡±

    ¡°Really? Then all of your honor guards went to Gujarat to wee the Prime Minister of Japan?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she spoke and cocked her head with a look of curiosity.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± The Vice President of Yin Du was bewildered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile, and he blurted out, ¡°No.¡±

    Only after he finished speaking did he realize what he had said. He smiled awkwardly as he said, ¡°But this time since you came so abruptly, we had no time to prepare hahaha...¡±

    He was the one who invited them over so urgently, and Speaker Long didn¡¯t want him to lose face, so he agreed.

    Yet they didn¡¯t expect to be screwed over as a result.

    Gu Nianzhi was fuming with rage.

    Speaker Long smiled slightly and said, ¡°Really? Since you didn¡¯t have time to prepare, we will go back first. We wille back when you are ready.¡± With that, Speaker Long turned and headed back into the helicopter.

    This was the Huaxia Empire¡¯s special ne. Speaker Long could leave whenever he wanted to. There was simply nothing Yin Du could do about it.

    The vice president of Yin Du suddenly started sweating when he realized that his bluff had been called.

    He initially only wanted to act slightly intimidating toward the Huaxia Empire in order to please the Prime Minister of Japan, but the Huaxia Empire simply canceled the visit...

    He couldn¡¯t tell that although that old man seemed so submissive when he spoke, he was resolute when he dealt with matters!

    The Vice President of Yin Du quickly apologized upon seeing this. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, my fault. The guards of honor will be here soon! They will be here soon!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi secretly gave Speaker Long a thumbs up inside. She walked back to the pilot cabin and asked Speaker Long quietly, ¡°...You really want to go back?¡±

    Speaker Long sat on a chair, closed his eyes, and said, ¡°You can¡¯t embarrass your family when you¡¯re out.¡±

    It is said that Huaxia people valued pride, but if there was no pride, nothing mattered.

    Even if one lost his pride outside, he could still keep his integrity inside.

    If there was, it must be a lie.

    Gu Nianzhi admired Speaker Long even more. ¡°Then what shall we do? The vice president said he would prepare for the guards of honor...¡±

    ¡°ording to the highest specification, if there is no preparation within half an hour, you will notify the crew members and return immediately.¡±

    What a joke. Speaker Long had never suffered a loss in politics for decades.

    Diplomatic visits had always been afforded the highest courtesy.

    This time, Yin Du allied itself with Japan and tried to humiliate the Huaxia Empire to please the Japanese. This was absolutely intolerable.

    Gu Nianzhi stood next to him for a while and whispered, ¡°...this kind of matter, wouldn¡¯t our embassy in Yin Du know in advance?¡±

    But she remembered that she hadmunicated with the China Embassy in Yin Du many times before she confirmed the details of the visit.

    But she didn¡¯tmunicate with the person responsible for the pick-up, so she didn¡¯t know what the situation was.

    Speaker Long opened his eyes and nodded slowly. ¡°You are right. Call our country¡¯s ambassador to Yin Du.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi went out to make the call.

    She stood in the hatch of the ne and looked outside. She didn¡¯t actually see the ambassador of the Huaxia Empire embassy in Yin Du. There were only some Chinese people who seemed to be of low rank and were probably embassy staff.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a while, then found several other assistants and secretaries, and the number of the embassy, so she immediately called.

    There was an automatic message on the other end.

    ¡°Hello, this is the Embassy of Huaxia Empire in Yin Du, please leave your name and message after the beep, thank you for your cooperation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Who knows the phone number of my country¡¯s ambassador to Yin Du? On that is not the public number for the embassy.¡± Gu Nianzhi asked her colleague while looking up the information.

    One of the special assistants who followed Speaker Long found the number and called it himself.

    They quickly answered the phone and asked, ¡°Are you a special assistant to Speaker Long? I¡¯m sorry. When our ambassador rushed to the airport to wee the Speaker, there was a car ident on the road and several people were injured. They have gone to the hospital, and are still in emergency operation for the time being. Now the embassy is very short of manpower. We have already sent the recement. The first and second secretaries will meet Speaker Long. They will be there soon!¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s special assistant looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise, and said, ¡°...Our ambassador fleet has just encountered a car ident, and they have all been sent to the hospital. They are not out of danger yet. Now the first and second secretary will be arriving.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also very speechless. ¡°This is too despicable. Please exin the situation to Speaker Long.¡±

    Now that their country¡¯s ambassadors were all involved in a car ident, Speaker Long certainly couldn¡¯t leave just because of bad etiquette protocol.

    Gu Nianzhi and the special assistant entered Speaker Long¡¯s cabin together and exined the situation to him.

    Speaker Long, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Are they okay?¡± Speaker Long was still very concerned about the safety of his ambassadors and nned to bite the bullet.

    At that time, there was the sudden sound of ceremonious military music outside, and it was their familiar Chinese national anthem!

    Gu Nianzhi looked out the window and was surprised to find that it took less than 20 minutes. The guards of honor, the weing crowd, the red carpet, and flowers were all prepared!

    There were also several people in dark suits with serious expressions standing in front of the vice president of Yin Du, but she couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about.

    The vice president of Yin Du was crouching over his chubby body and holding a handkerchief as he constantly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Howe that person in a dark suit looked so familiar?

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and took a closer look. Yes, it was indeed their old acquaintance. It was Special Assistant Yang.

    Howe he hade to Yin Du?

    Gu Nianzhi did not know where Special Assistant Yang went after leaving the parliament, nor did she care.

    She looked back at Speaker Long and the special assistant, then murmured, ¡°...I saw Special Assistant Yang, right down below.¡±

    Speaker Long also heard the military music of the guards of honor. He raised his eyes slightly and said with a smile, ¡°Oh. After Special Assistant Yang left the parliament, he went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It seems that they sent him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office here.¡± He stood up and walked to the cabin door.

    This time, the reception standards had improved a lot, and it fitted Speaker Long¡¯s status as one of the heads of state.

    The airport, which had been empty just now, suddenly became clustered with red carpets.

    The Yin Du Military Bands on both sides were wrapped in headscarves and yed the national anthems of the two countries passionately.

    Now, the Vice President of Yin Du, who had tried giving them a hard time earlier, appeared obsequious and stood aside respectfully as he waited for Speaker Long to get off the ne.

    His sycophantic mannerism was truly mind-blowing.

    Speaker Long smiled and waved to everyone, then slowly walked down thedder of the ne.

    Gu Nianzhi followed behind the special assistants and did not follow Speaker Long.

    Speaker Long simply stood on the red carpet. The vice president rushed forward, held his hand, and said with emotion, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I was so anxious before that I forgot to adjust the guards of honor for another state. Fortunately, Mr. Yang, the head secretary of your embassy, helped me with this. You must praise him well. He has contributed greatly to facilitate the friendship between our two countries.¡±

    Speaker Long smiled and nodded. ¡°Since he is a staff member of the embassy, it is his job to maintain the friendship between our two countries. Your Excellency, the Vice President, is sounding absurd.¡±

    Vice President Yin Du smiled and nodded, then turned and invited Speaker Long into the car.

    At this time, Special Assistant Yang came over and bowed to Speaker Long. He was very apologetic and said, ¡°Chairman Long, you have been aggrieved today because of our embassy¡¯s failure to do its job. I made a mistake, and I will submit to punishment. But the ambassador of the Huaxia Empire had an ident, and I want to rify the entire situation to you.¡±

    Speaker Long patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, you have done a good job. I see now that it was fortunate that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent you over. Otherwise, if something really serious happened this time, without someone in charge of mediation, there really would have been an issue.¡±

    It was not that there wasn¡¯t someone in charge of mediation, but that there wasn¡¯t a person who understood Speaker Long¡¯s mind who could also mediate.

    And Special Assistant Yang fit both conditions.

    Gu Nianzhi also felt very lucky.

    She admitted that if it weren¡¯t for Special Assistant Yang¡¯s intervention, today¡¯s matter might not have been resolved satisfactorily.

    She was a very objective person. Although she had personal grievances with Special Assistant Yang, she was willing to let go of past grudges in front of foreigners and work with Special Assistant Yang to safeguard the dignity and interests of her country.

    This time, Special Assistant Yang did a good job. When Gu Nianzhi walked to him, she nodded very gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Special Assistant Yang.¡±

    Upon seeing her, Special Assistant Yang said with the same smile on his face, ¡°This is my job. Miss Gu, I didn¡¯t expect us to meet again so soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, and from the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a young woman in a ck suit and skirt approaching. She stood behind Special Assistant Yang and smiled.

    It was actually Rong Mingxing.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted tough a little.

    It seemed like those two really were going to be a couple.

    Special Assistant Yang hade to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Rong Mingxing also appeared to be working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

    Gu Nianzhi nodded at Rong Mingxing. ¡°Miss Rong, nice to meet you again.¡±

    She appeared a little embarrassed when she first saw Gu Nianzhi.

    She was not as slick as Special Assistant Yang, so she couldn¡¯t bring herself to pretend that nothing happened, and simply said awkwardly, ¡°Hello, Miss Gu.¡±

    After the military music of the guards of honor was yed, they went into the car sent by the embassy and followed the vice president of Yin Du to the Federal Assembly of Yin Du.

    The buildings in New Delhi, the capital of Yin Du, was actually rtively shabby, and about fifty years behind the imperial capital of the Huaxia Empire.

    However, the architectural style was very characteristic of Yin Du, so it was quite interesting to treat this as a sightseeing experience in an exotic ce.

    There were also some huge billboards and big screens along the road.

    Without exception, the weing ceremony for the visit of Prime Minister Beisan of Japan to Gujarat, the hometown of Prime Minister Dimo, was being broadcast.

    It was indeed much livelier there.

    The group of circus performers that stretched on for eight kilometers were really eye-opening for Gu Nianzhi.

    Rong Mingxing sat next to Gu Nianzhi. She initially didn¡¯t want to talk to Gu Nianzhi, but Special Assistant Yang nced at her several times. She finally gathered up the courage and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, for the days you will be in Yin Du, I will apany you as your personal guide.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1141 - I Would Feel Resentful

    <strong>Chapter 1141 I Would Feel Resentful</strong>

    Gu Nianzhi had been looking at the scenery outside the car window, so when Rong Mingxing suddenly spoke, she was taken by surprise.

    She looked back at Rong Mingxing for a few moments before smiling. ¡°Thank you, Miss Rong, but there will be no need. I will follow Speaker Long during my entire stay here. I will go wherever Speaker Long goes. Nopany or guide is needed.¡±

    She still needed to be Speaker Long¡¯s escort and guide, so why would she have that spare time for others to be her guide?

    Rong Mingxing felt relieved. Her mouth twitched as she looked at Special Assistant Yang and thought, that¡¯s great because I don¡¯t want to apany you either...

    She was the one who gave Gu Nianzhi trouble and was publicly humiliated by her. She still held a grudge against Gu Nianzhi, and she couldn¡¯t act like nothing had happened.

    Special Assistant Yang smiled and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu has finallye to India, so you have to at least see the attractions here... Let Xiao Rong apany you around. She is the only woman in the embassy here. The rest are all men. If you have any needs, it would be more convenient to go to her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows, nced at Rong Mingxing, and said, ¡°How long has Miss Rong been in New Delhi, India?¡±

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes wandered, and she said awkwardly, ¡°...not long.¡±

    ¡°How long is it not long?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression calmed down, and her cold eyes moved to look at Special Assistant Yang. ¡°Special Assistant Yang, for how long have you been in India?¡±

    Special Assistant Yangughed and said, ¡°I have been here for a week or two, and Xiao Rong has also been here for a week.¡±

    ¡°You are also a neer, so how can I shamelessly let you be my apanying guide?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out helplessly, and said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, ¡°Furthermore, I am apanying Speaker Long for work, not traveling at the public¡¯s expense. Special Assistant Yang, I appreciate your kindness, but I really don¡¯t need it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered over Rong Mingxing¡¯s flustered face without concealing the contempt and disdain in her eyes.

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s face flushed, and she couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, so she turned her head abruptly and stared at the scenery outside.

    Special Assistant Yang smiled and shook his head. ¡°Fortunately, we are not in the same car as Speaker Long. If Speaker Long heard you say that, Xiao Rong and I really wouldn¡¯t have a way out.¡±

    As the saying goes, killing a person¡¯s way of making money was like killing his parents.

    If she caused trouble again, and Special Assistant Yang lost his job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gu Nianzhi would feel a little guilty.

    So, when Special Assistant Yang said this, Gu Nianzhi stopped talking, then smiled and looked out the window.

    ...

    Speaker Long followed the Vice President of India to the Indian Federal Parliament Building.

    Today, he and the Vice President of India were here to issue a joint statement.

    After getting out of the car, Gu Nianzhi, another special assistant, and an interpreter followed Speaker Long.

    When Speaker Long went on stage to give a speech, Gu Nianzhi and the special assistant both stood behind Speaker Long.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Gu Nianzhi looked too delicate and the special assistant looked too gentle, everyone would have thought that they were the security personnel of the Huaxia Empire.

    In reality, one was a legal adviser, and the other was a versatile assistant.

    The real security personnel was mixed in with the crowd, and very few of them appeared publicly.

    After the announcement of the joint statement, Gu Nianzhi took a look at the itinerary for the next few days.

    This included talks with the Indian Prime Minister Dimo, talks with the upper and lower parliament chambers of India, visits to public hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and residentialmunities in New Delhi, the capital of India, and visits to India¡¯s historical sites, especially the most famous Taj Mahal.

    Nothing else caught her eyes, but when she saw the Taj Mahal listed, she felt moved.

    She was willing to pay herself to check out this ce.

    So, she was actually traveling on public expense?

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little ufortable, but the temptation of the Taj Mahal was too great.

    Ever since Reinitz had given her the note and she saw the poem about the Taj Mahal, she had researched it a lot on the Inte. She had even hacked into the website to find out about the Taj Mahal¡¯s academic works.

    After reading many materials, Gu Nianzhi felt that she knew more about the Taj Mahal than the guides themselves...

    Rong Mingxing had said that she would be her escort and guide?

    Hehe, she was acting too big for her britches.

    Gu Nianzhi twitched the corners of her mouth, put the itinerary into the calendar in her mobile phone, then added a reminder so that she wouldn¡¯t have to be in a hurry.

    ording to the itinerary, there would be a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dimo in the afternoon.

    However, the Vice President of India told Speaker Long apologetically, ¡°I just received the news that our Prime Minister has been very busy these days. The meeting with you might have to be postponed.¡±

    ¡°Very busy...?¡± Speaker Long said slowly, nodding.

    Gu Nianzhi fiddled with the remote control in her hand.

    She had just heard about the news from a female staff member of the Indian Federal Assembly. She knew that the reason the Indian Prime Minister Dimo went back and changed the pre-arranged itinerary was so he could greet the Japanese Prime Minister.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help asking the female staff member of the Indian Parliament in the gorgeous sari, ¡°...Since your Prime Minister invited the Prime Minister of Japan to visit India, why did you guys suddenly invite us at the same time?¡±

    Because both nations were visiting at the same time, India was busy. They seemed to have forgotten basic diplomatic etiquette, and everything became superfluous. Of course, a prime minister couldn¡¯t appear in two ces at the same time.

    So, the Huaxia Empire had to suffer the grievances.

    The female staff member blinked her big eyes and said with admiration, ¡°We did not invite the Prime Minister of Japan. The Prime Minister of Japan himself asked to visit us because our Prime Minister Dimo is so kind. He has received the love of all the heads of state and the people!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    There were really many fans of Prime Minister Dimo...

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to shake the young and beautiful Indian girl. She could fawn over anyone, but she chose to fawn over a gray-haired prime minister?

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi dared not say this out loud.

    The words that left her mouth sounded more like this.

    ¡°So, the Japanese Prime Minister suddenly asked to visit you guys, you all agreed, and even forgot to greet our leader, Speaker Long, properly? Am I too nit-picky, or do you guys have no sense of reason?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had dulled her words by not saying that they were brainless.

    The Indian girl grew teary when she heard her say this and covered her mouth with her hands. Her big eyes had on heavy eyeshadow, so her makeup was smeared like a panda.

    ¡°...It¡¯s... we weren¡¯t careful,¡± the female staff member finally choked out, and then she ran out of the banquet hall.

    The other staff next to her desperately began to make excuses to maintain their dignity.

    ¡°In reality, we value your Huaxia Empire more. You see, you all have our invitations. It¡¯s just that our Prime Minister couldn¡¯t choose, so we changed our mind and thought it would be better to ask Speaker Long toe over.¡±

    Yeah right!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help cursing them out inside.

    Who abandons the VIP they invite at the airport?

    Not to mention that there were no guards of honor...

    In the end, didn¡¯t they have to depend on their own country¡¯s special ne to send them off, and their own fighter nes as an escort?

    All these grievances were taking a toll on Gu Nianzhi inside, and her face grew dark.

    ¡°Hehe, if you really paid more attention to us, your Prime Minister wouldn¡¯t be greeting the Prime Minister of Japan instead.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said this right in front of them.

    Speaker Long smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. Since Prime Minister Dimo is busy, it doesn¡¯t matter. We don¡¯t have to see him. What¡¯s next on the schedule?¡±

    Did this mean they were canceling the highest meeting between the two heads of state?!

    The vice president of India felt that he could no longer persuade him, so out of desperation, he had to call their prime minister to get him toe back to New Delhi...

    But the Prime Minister Dimo, known as the Light of India, turned a deaf ear and continued to host the Japanese Prime Minister Beisan in his hometown, Gujarat.

    The Vice President of India had no choice but to discuss with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Can you postpone the meeting with the Prime Minister? It can also be the finale...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Speaker Long¡¯s words, so she smiled and waved her hand as she said, ¡°No more trouble, no more trouble. Just let your prime minister and the Japanese prime minister have a friendly and affectionate rtionship, and don¡¯t worry about us. After all, it is the Parliament who invited Speaker Long, not the prime minister. ¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, thank you for that.¡± After the vice president chuckled somewhat, he ran out to make the phone call personally.

    When Prime Minister Dimo heard that the Huaxia Empire was actually going to cancel the meeting with him, he said with a resolute expression on his face, ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by them. They are just trying to make themselves seem more important. India is on par with them, so why should we be afraid of them? Don¡¯t pay attention to them. When my work is finished, I will return to New Delhi and talk to them.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Prime Minister.¡± The vice president looked at his phone and knew that there was no other way.

    On their first day in India, Gu Nianzhi followed Speaker Long from the airport to the Federal Parliament and had a full day of meetings with members of the Parliament.

    When they returned to the five-star hotel where they stayed, Gu Nianzhi was on the verge of copsing from exhaustion.

    However, she couldn¡¯t sleep for the time being. She had to familiarize herself with the information because she had to visit the public hospital there with Speaker Long tomorrow.

    ...

    In the Huaxia Embassy, Special Assistant Yang was giving Rong Mingxing instructions. ¡°Xiao Rong, can you really bear to watch Gu Nianzhi sitting in the parliament with her career going up like a rocket?¡±

    Rong Mingxing chuckled. ¡°So what? Since she has the capabilities, I am willing to admit defeat.¡±

    ¡°Admit defeat? Haha...¡± Special Assistant Yang chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know the meaning of admitting defeat.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What else can I do besides admit defeat?¡± Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Should I kill her instead?¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t need to kill her, but don¡¯t you want her to wish she were dead?¡± Special Assistant Yang¡¯s voice was very airy, but the expression on his face was determined.

    Rong Mingxing hesitated for a while. ¡°Uh, why do we have to do that? We gave her trouble before, but now it¡¯s all over, and she¡¯s willing to let bygones be bygones, so let¡¯s just... forget it...¡±

    She really didn¡¯t want to deal with Gu Nianzhi, because it always made her feel like she was making a fool out of herself.

    Special Assistant Yang tugged the corners of his mouth, and immediately changed his wording. ¡°Actually, I was just kidding. After all, if we both end up in ruin at the same time because of her, I would feel resentful...¡±

 Chapter 1142 - Keep Smiling

    <h4>Chapter 1142 Keep Smiling</h4>

    Rong Mingxing bit her lower lip.Yes, how could she not feel resentful?

    She had worked hard to get into the best university in the Huaxia Empire, and she had chosen a good major, but she struggled to find a job.

    She wanted to stay in the imperial capital. Still, she didn¡¯t have the imperial capital registered as her permanent residence, so she couldn¡¯t even deliver her resume to where she truly wanted to go...

    As for the jobs at state agencies that could resolve her permanent residence issue, she almost couldn¡¯t get in there either because Gu Nianzhi butted heads with her everywhere.

    Of course she felt resentful.

    Why did everything go so smoothly for Gu Nianzhi?

    Was it just because she had a good patron?

    She nced at Special Assistant Yang quickly and thought about how he was also her patron...

    But he didn¡¯t seem to be very effective.

    Special Assistant Yang saw Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes flicker, and her expression changed, so he knew he had struck a nerve.

    He crossed his arms and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just making an offhandedment, so don¡¯t take it to heart. Besides, I just want her to get a taste of her own medicine, and I won¡¯t really hold a grudge against her. After all, we belong to the same country, so why be aughing stock in front of foreigners? Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Rong Mingxing nodded profusely. ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s what I think too.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Rong is a really good person.¡± Special Assistant Yang ceased to smile, and after staring at her dazedly for a while, he touched her head, then got up and left.

    Even a while after he left, Rong Mingxing still felt the lingering sensation of his touch on her head.

    ...

    When she woke up the next morning, Gu Nianzhi felt that her body was sticky and sweaty.

    The room was as hot as a steamer.

    It was only April, so why was it so hot?

    Gu Nianzhi got up and looked at the temperature controller on the wall.

    She was dumbfounded when she saw the number disyed on it.

    31 degrees!

    Why was it so hot?

    Was the air conditioner in the room broken?

    This was a five-star hotel...

    Gu Nianzhi walked into the bathroom and reached out to press the switch on the wall.

    There was no response.

    There was probably a power outage.

    She did a lot of research on India beforeing, so she knew that power outages were also one of the norms in India.

    Regardless of whether it was a rural area or in a big city, there was always an insufficient supply of electricity when people needed to use it.

    But she remembered that the research information said that these big hotels andrge institutions had their own generators.

    Perhaps the hotel¡¯s own generator was also broken?

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the sweat from her forehead with her hand and had the urge to take a shower.

    Without thinking, she knew that hot water wouldn¡¯t be avable.

    But fortunately, it was hot, so it was okay to take a bath without hot water.

    Gu Nianzhi turned on the cold water and tested the temperature with her hands. The temperature was okay. It was quite warm.

    She quickly took a shower and wiped her hair with arge bath towel as she came out of the bathroom.

    Without electricity, she couldn¡¯t even use a hairdryer.

    But it was extremely hot in the room, so she thought her hair would dry out after a while.

    After sitting for a while, her hair was dry, but her body was sweaty again.

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth, then went to the bathroom to rinse her body with cold water again, and felt much better afterward.

    Right after she finished packing, the electricity returned.

    The air conditioner in the room started to work again, and the temperature soon dropped.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly and shook her head, then she changed her clothes and went downstairs to have breakfast.

    She could order room service, or she could eat at the buffet downstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi chose to go to the buffet downstairs because there were more choices.

    But when she came downstairs and looked around, she knew she was overly optimistic.

    The hotel breakfast buffet area didn¡¯t have various choices like those in her country.

    There were only three types of food in the breakfast area there.

    There was a variety of crepes, baked, fried, or smoked, and with sauce or without sauce.

    There were also all kinds of meat. There was goat meat, chicken, and sardines, but they weren¡¯t finely cut. It was as if they were torn off by hand...

    There were also a variety of bowls of curry paste of unappetizing colors.

    The earthy yellow color gave her a bad first impression, and shepletely lost her appetite.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and looked around, then finally took a small piece of a pie with filling, a cup of authentic Indian tea, and a bottle of milk, and sat in the corner to eat.

    She only took a bite, then reluctantly gave up.

    It didn¡¯t taste bad, but it didn¡¯t suit her taste.

    Gu Nianzhi left a small tip on the table and left the breakfast buffet area as she wondered whether she should go outside to find a Chinese restaurant to eat something.

    At that moment, she heard someone call her name, and when she looked back, it was Rong Mingxing.

    She looked at her while holding a paper bag, and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Gu, this is the breakfast our embassy prepared. Would you like to try it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed, and quickly walked over to ask, ¡°Did the chefs from our country make it?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite simple if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Rong Mingxing said with a smile. Her attitude today was much better than yesterday.

    Gu Nianzhi reached out and took the paper bag, then went upstairs with her while asking, ¡°Where is Speaker Long? Does he have breakfast prepared by our own people too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, both of you do. Speaker Long doesn¡¯t like to eat food from other countries in the morning, so our embassy prepared his breakfast carefully.¡±

    Rong Mingxing was there to deliver breakfast.

    She was followed by several Indian waiters pushing food carts. Rong Mingxing brought the food from the embassy, and they went upstairs with them.

    Gu Nianzhi took the paper bag, bid farewell to Rong Mingxing, then went back to her room to eat.

    Rong Mingxing went to see Speaker Long along with others to deliver breakfast.

    After eating the delicious Chinese breakfast, Gu Nianzhi felt like she had been revitalized again.

    It seemed true that hunger breeds discontentment!

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and joined Speaker Long and the others to start the day¡¯s activities.

    The Vice President of India led the convoy and waited for them at the entrance of the hotel.

    After they got in the car, they ordered the convoy to drive to thergest public hospital in New Delhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had long heard of the free public hospitals in India and personally wanted to take a look.

    However, when she saw the hospital building that looked like one from a rural city in the Huaxia Empire 20 years ago, she felt speechless.

    It seemed true that seeing something was better than hearing about it.

    But she still had to keep smiling.

    When Gu Nianzhi looked at Speaker Long and saw that they all had expressions of surprise and praise, she quickly adjusted her expression as well.

    After all, the cameras were on them.

    As soon as she walked into the hospital, she noticed that, instead of the smell of hospital disinfectant that everyone was used to in the Huaxia Empire, there was the smell of curry.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around silently, then held up the back of her hand to cover her nose.

    There were a lot of people in the hospital, and the queues were very long. Most of the people wore traditional Indian clothes.

    She could tell that the sari the women were wearing were probably vividly colored at first, but after several washes, the color had faded, and the decorations had fallen off as well.

    It was like a beautiful woman that still had remnants of makeup left on her face.

    Most of the men were in traditional Indian garb as well. Their long tops hung down to the knees. The legs of their trousers were wide and long, and since they weren¡¯t that tall in the first ce, the clothes made them appear even shorter.

    And regardless of whether they were men or women, most of the people had stony expressions on their faces.

    They were like people from different worlds whenpared with the staff of the Indian Parliament who apanied Speaker Long on their visit in suits and ties.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s height wasn¡¯t particrly tall in the Huaxia Empire, but here, it was a bit out of the ordinary.

    She followed Speaker Long closely step by step, but she could still feel the gazes of the Indian men on the side, and their stares made her very ufortable.

    In fact, not only was she ufortable but Rong Mingxing, who apanied her, also felt very ufortable.

    But, for the sake of her job, for the sake of permanent residency in the imperial capital, she had to bear it.

    The group of them observed their surroundings as they walked, and soon they arrived at the pediatric ward of the hospital.

    Just as they walked over, the light bulbs in the corridor made a popping sound, and the power went out again.

    ...

 Chapter 1143 - Stark Contras

    <h4>Chapter 1143 Stark Contras</h4>

    Although it was broad daylight, the corridors dimmed immediately.Gu Nianzhi calmly moved closer to Speaker Long, then stood directly to his left.

    Speaker Long was surrounded by many staff members, and most of those staff members were military and police bodyguards sent from the Huaxia Empire.

    They were extremely capable, whether it was in terms ofbat abilities or expertise with firearms. They were the creme de creme especially appointed as security guards for visiting leaders.

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside Speaker Long. The guards and security changed their positions and upied several important locations in the corridor. They surrounded her and Speaker Long.

    With such tight protection, as long as one wasn¡¯t a fool or an absolute raving lunatic, one wouldn¡¯t even think about attacking such a tightly protected circle.

    Since the ambassador, consul, and other key personnel of the embassy in India were involved in a car ident, the only embassy staff who apanied Speaker Long this time were Special Assistant Yang and his several assistants.

    But because he was not a person of ambassador-level rank, after all, he wasn¡¯t qualified to follow Speaker Long.

    So even he was excluded from the circle of protection.

    Speaker Long also took great care of Gu Nianzhi. He stretched out his arm to help her, and whispered, ¡°You stay by my side, and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. Of course, she knew that things wouldn¡¯t be too peaceful this time, but just because things wouldn¡¯t be too quiet, did that mean she had to hide at home without going anywhere?

    Hehe, how thick-skinned would that be?

    She knew that as long as she was close to Speaker Long, she would be safe.

    Sure enough, when she and Speaker Long were firmly protected together, several people who were about to head in her direction quietly retreated.

    At a hidden ce on the building across from them, several snipers found that no matter how they aimed, they couldn¡¯t get a good aim at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know that someone was aiming at her. Still, after following Huo Shaoheng for many years, she also understood where she should stand in order to avoid the aim of a sniper rifle when the situation became chaotic.

    For her, this was not about adapting to changes, but aboutmon sense that was ingrained in her.

    The Vice President of India did not expect that they would encounter a power outage when they visited the hospital. He was very embarrassed and shouted at his entourage, ¡°What¡¯s the issue? The power is out. Is there no backup power here?!¡±

    There should have been a backup power supply in the hospital.

    The entourage immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll call and ask.¡±

    Not long after a call was made, a sudden rush of footsteps sounded from behind.

    They looked back and saw that medical staff in white coats wereing over.

    Someone said loudly, ¡°Please make way! There has been an ident in the pediatric ward! Please make way. Let us pass!¡±

    Speaker Long and the rest of them quickly moved to a ce against the wall and watched the group of medical staff in white coats run past them.

    Gu Nianzhi held on to Speaker Long and stood against the inner wall, intentionally avoiding the outer wall.

    Because she knew that the outer wall was not as safe as the inner wall.

    She didn¡¯t know how thick the walls of this hospital were, but she knew that if she stood close to the outer wall, a sniper could blow her brains out.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s judgment was indeed very urate.

    The sniper hiding in the high-rise on the opposite building tried several times but found that the target was getting farther and farther away from the outer wall, and then simply walked to the inner wall.

    Through the outer wall, there were many other obstacles between them and the target.

    In that case, unless they used a missile to destroy the entire floor, the target couldn¡¯t be eliminated.

    Snipers weren¡¯t useful at that time.

    Time passed. Every minute and every second ticked by. That floor couldn¡¯t stay out of power forever, and their people couldn¡¯t lead the target person into a ce where the sniper could aim at them.

    Just as the electricity in the hospital building was finally restored, there was also a low voice heard giving amand.

    ¡°Pull back.¡±

    The snipers finally received the order to retreat. They quickly put away their sniper rifles, then evacuated from the opposite building.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi blinked.

    The electricity was back. The corridor was bright again, and everyone almost cheered.

    The Vice President of India walked over and said proudly, ¡°Our power system is very efficient. You see, the power has been restored after only 15 minutes of power failure.¡±

    Speaker Long nodded politely. ¡°It¡¯s really quite efficient. But is there an operating room here? Is there a backup power supply in the operating room?¡±

    ¡°There probably is. How is it possible for there to be no backup power supply in the operating room?¡± The Vice President of India said with a smile and walked forward with Speaker Long.

    At that moment, someone suddenly opened the front doors, and out came the medical staff that had rushed in earlier.

    Their faces were very sullen.

    Speaker Long, ¡°...¡±

    The expression on the face of the Vice President of India grew dark. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? This is the visiting speaker of the upper house of the Huaxia Empire Assembly, and he made this special trip to see your superb medical skills.¡±

    The medical staff blushed.

    The doctor-like man standing in the front said dejectedly, ¡°Your Excellency Vice President, because of the power outage just now, there was a problem with the oxygen supply in several pediatric intensive care units...¡±

    ¡°Something went wrong?¡± The Vice President of India frowned. ¡°If something goes wrong, solve the problem. What¡¯s the point of telling me?!¡±

    Speaker Longughed, then turned around and said, ¡°That¡¯ll be enough for today. Let¡¯s go and see ces elsewhere.¡±

    It was obvious that there had been a medical ident, and Speaker Long did not want to get involved with other countries¡¯ messy affairs.

    He originally nned to seize the opportunity to see the ambassador and embassy staff injured in the car ident, but now he had to change his ns.

    Before they left, they heard the doctor-like person say sadly, ¡°...We just discovered that forty-six severely ill babies have died due to ack of oxygen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered but dared not look back. She walked faster as she followed behind Speaker Long.

    The Vice President of India didn¡¯t expect that he himself would encounter this sort of incident. To shirk responsibility, he immediately said, ¡°Hurry up and call the head of the hospital to deal with this matter. We still have distinguished guests apanying us. We are leaving.¡±

    ...

    After leaving the public hospital, the Vice President of India caught up to them without mentioning what happened inside the hospital and took them to the public school.

    The public school in New Delhi, the capital of India, should be the best facility for them to visit, right?

    But upon seeing the gray outer wall of the school building, as well as the trash scattered everywhere on the yground, and the children running around wearing dirty clothes, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s view of India became even more negative.

    But Speaker Long didn¡¯t appear contemptuous at all.

    He chatted with those children patiently, gave them stationery and books produced from the Huaxia Empire, and finally took photos with the teachers and students there.

    Since Gu Nianzhi had been following Speaker Long closely and was standing beside him, she also took a picture with the teachers and students of that public elementary school in India.

    Special Assistant Yang led the embassy staff and stood outside to take pictures of them.

    When Rong Mingxing saw Gu Nianzhi smiling brightly in front of the camera, she sighed a little inside.

    This appeared to be the first time the Vice President of India came to this public school. The dirtiness there was beyond his imagination, and he couldn¡¯t help butin to his entourage, ¡°...Why didn¡¯t you find a better school? How can such a school be on public disy?¡±

    His entourage said awkwardly, ¡°...This is already the best public elementary school in New Delhi. Other public schools are even worse.¡±

    The vice president red at him. ¡°Then take them to a private school!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t let these people from the Huaxia Empire look down upon them.

    Soon after they left the public school, they were taken to a ce where there was the fragrance of birds and flowers, and a school as clean as the top private schools in Europe and America.

    The school buildings here were snow-white, tall, and of a European-style. Thewns were green, and there were flower beds. In early summer, the flowers were vivid, and bees, as well as butterflies, swarmed.

    The male and female students were all dressed in British-style school uniforms. There were handsome men and beautiful women. In appearance, they didn¡¯t look like typical Indians, but more like white people.

    The Vice President of India said airily, ¡°We Indians are mainly Aryans, who were originally white. As for the darker people, most of them are Dravidians. They are not white.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and smirked without saying anything.

    In reality, the Dravidian people were the true ancient Indians. They created the ancient Indian civilization that made India one of the four greatest ancient civilizations.

    But they were conquered by the Aryans. As a result, their civilization was not only destroyed, but their descendants also became ves and untouchables.

    A staff member asked curiously, ¡°This is also a public school? It¡¯s not easy to get in here, right?¡±

    After all, this was a different world from the public school they had just seen.

    In the eyes of the people of the Huaxia Empire, they probably thought this was a prestigious middle school, and the one they saw earlier had been an ordinary school.

    The Vice President of India was embarrassed by the question, and after mumbling a few words, he changed the topic.

    Seeing that he didn¡¯t say whether it was public or private, they knew that this was definitely not a public school...

    The staff from the Indian school had already rushed over and spent the afternoon with the Vice President and Speaker Long.

    When it was getting dark, the Indian Vice President apologized to Speaker Long profusely. ¡°Your Excellency, I am going to Gujarat to attend the state banquet hosted by the Prime Minister for the Prime Minister of Japan. I will not be able to apany you for the time being. I will try my best to rush over here tomorrow morning and apany you as you continue the tour.¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and he said calmly, ¡°Please feel free to do whatever you like, and we would also like to visit our country¡¯s ambassador and staff. I heard that they had a car ident. I hope the Indian police can do more to deal with the ident as soon as possible.¡±

    The standard vehicles of diplomatic institutions had consr immunity in other countries, let alone the ambassador¡¯s convoy.

    Speaker Long originally nned to visit the hospital today to see the injured ambassador and embassy staff. Unexpectedly, there was a power outage and a medical ident in the pediatric ward, so he had to leave the hospital.

    Seeing that the Indians were obviously giving them the cold treatment, Speaker Long felt faint-hearted, and he intended to go home immediately after handling the embassy ident.

    The Vice President of India was taken aback and gave Special Assistant Yang a quick nce.

    Special Assistant Yang came over and said to Speaker Long, ¡°Speaker Long, I can take you to see the ambassador. I stayed with the ambassador all nightst night and left this morning.¡±

 Chapter 1144 - Mustnâ€™t Be Delayed

    <h4>Chapter 1144 Mustn¡°t Be Dyed</h4>

    ¡°Well, able people should do more work.¡± Speaker Long nodded slightly and watched the Indian Vice President leave.Special Assistant Yang had been with Speaker Long for many years, so he had a thorough understanding of Speaker Long¡¯s temperament and way of dealing with things. It was only after the appearance of Gu Nianzhi that everything had changed.

    His dislike for this woman could no longer be described in words.

    But no matter how he hated her in his heart, Special Assistant Yang did not show any sign of his hatred on his face.

    On the contrary, his attitude towards her was much better than when he was in the country.

    He was polite to her, even respectful.

    Gu Nianzhi was originally angry with Special Assistant Yang and Rong Mingxing.

    But after spending two days in India and understanding the conditions here, she had some sympathy for them.

    Going from the prosperous, advanced and developed imperial capital to the Indian capital New Delhi, which was fifty years behind their imperial capital was not a promotion, but rather, a demotion.

    Upon seeing people who had wronged her suffer such misfortune, Gu Nianzhi no longer felt resentful.

    She felt that there were no unforgivable grudges between them, so she should let bygones be bygones.

    So, her attitude towards Rong Mingxing was much better.

    After returning to the hotel for dinner in the evening, she no longer put on a sulky face with Rong Mingxing.

    However, Rong Mingxing still avoided her, and neither made eye contact nor talked to her.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to reconcile the embarrassing situation between the two, but if Rong Mingxing refused to ept the white g, she would let it go.

    ...

    After dinner, Speaker Long took his people to the hospital to visit the ambassador and embassy staff who were hospitalized due to the car ident.

    ¡°Speaker Long, this way, please. The ambassador had surgery this afternoon and is already awake. He¡¯s fine; it¡¯s just a broken rib.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang held open the door and invited Speaker Long in.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Speaker Long into the ward.

    Several bodyguards wore Bluetooth headsets and stood vigntly at the door.

    Rong Mingxing didn¡¯t go in either. She stood alone in front of the corridor window and looked at the stars in the night sky.

    The people inside did note out for quite a while. The person at the door stood there motionlessly and did not speak. She felt bored, so she stood at the window for a while, then went down the corridor and towards the elevator.

    She saw a rtively hidden bathroom and opened the door.

    This bathroom¡¯s left side was for women, and the men¡¯s room was on the right. It was in the corner between the corridor and the elevator.

    If one didn¡¯t look carefully, one wouldn¡¯t have seen the bathroom there.

    She looked in the mirror in the bathroom, put some lipstick on, then turned and left.

    As soon as she opened the door a little, she heard the sound of someone talking outside the door.

    It was the voice of Special Assistant Yang. A voice she was familiar with.

    Rong Mingxing felt embarrassed for a while and nned to wait ande out after Special Assistant Yang had left.

    When she was about to close the door lightly, she heard Special Assistant Yang mention her name, and her hands immediately stopped as she perked up her ears to listen carefully.

    ¡°...What happened today? Why did you guys give up such a good opportunity?¡±

    ¡°What? The other party is too cunning? How cunning? Didn¡¯t they all stand in the hallway? What about your snipers? Didn¡¯t you brag about there being ¡®no stray bullets¡¯ to me?¡±

    ¡°...Well then, that will be enough for today. Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, you must hurry up. I¡¯m afraid they will return to the Huaxia Empire if you¡¯re toote.¡±

    ¡°You want me to help? I have already helped you so much, so what else can I do?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Okay, I will ask my assistant Xiao Rong to help when the timees.¡±

    ...

    After talking on the phone, Special Assistant Yang left in a hurry.

    Rong Mingxing waited for a while before she opened the bathroom door and walked out.

    No one was outside, so it was likely that no one knew she was there.

    Rong Mingxing didn¡¯t understand what Special Assistant Yang was talking about and didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to help with, but she understood the term ¡®no stray bullets,¡¯ and she felt chills rise on her back.

    After wandering in front of the bathroom for a while, Rong Mingxing decided to take the elevator downstairs and walk around again. She didn¡¯t want Special Assistant Yang to know that she had heard him talking on the phone.

    ...

    Twenty minutester, Rong Mingxing came out of the elevator and saw Speaker Long and his people walking across the corridor.

    She stopped in her tracks and smiled politely at them by the elevator entrance as she waited for everyone toe.

    Special Assistant Yang saw her and asked with a smile, ¡°Where have you been, Xiao Rong?¡±

    ¡°I went for a walk. I got a little hungry, so I bought some snacks.¡± Rong Mingxing shook the bag of dried squid that she held at him.

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve exhausted you all too much today. We will be going back, and you should also go back to the embassy to get some rest. Wait for the vice president toe over tomorrow morning, and then I will talk to him about severely punishing the party responsible for the car ident.¡±

    Speaker Long wanted to help his embassy staff seek justice.

    Gu Nianzhi admired Speaker Long even more.

    She used to think that Speaker Long was pedantic, soft-hearted, and kind of a spineless man.

    However, after following him on this visit, she realized that he had always been contending every inch ofnd in front of foreigners.

    Gu Nianzhi was very impressed with how unrelenting he was with foreigners, and she also understood why Speaker Long was always tolerant regarding domestic affairs.

    Speaker Long obviously drew a clear line between outsiders and his own people.

    She smiled and stood beside Speaker Long. The way she was holding Speaker Long¡¯s arm was more considerate and thoughtful than that of an assistant.

    Special Assistant Yang nodded at her with a smile, and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, I will need your assistance tomorrow to help our embassy negotiate with the Indian police.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an urgent matter that mustn¡¯t be dyed.¡± Gu Nianzhi responded with an airy smile, and Speaker Long smiled too.

    He patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Nianzhi, that¡¯s why I brought you here.¡±

    Although she was young, she had the courage to take responsibility and wasn¡¯t afraid of making mistakes.

    As long as she was in the right, she had the audacity to stand up against anyone, and that sort of courage was beyond her years.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the hotel, took out herptop, and started searching for relevantws in India.

    India¡¯sw was based onmonw, but in reality, for this car ident, it wasn¡¯t thatplicated.

    Because the car involved in the car ident was the embassy car, ording to diplomatic practice and the principle of reciprocity, if it was their responsibility, they could be pardoned.

    If it was the responsibility of the other party, they had to be severely punished.

    Gu Nianzhi heard their people talk about the ident in the ward today.

    It was really strange.

    The convoy of their embassy had a total of three vehicles, and they were going to the airport to pick up Speaker Long and his group.

    There were even policemen riding motorcycles ahead.

    But at a turning point, the policeman riding the motorcycle went another way.

    At that time, a very sturdy Hummer SUV suddenly rushed out of a narrow alley and rammed into the side of the ambassador¡¯s car.

    The car in the back couldn¡¯t hit the brakes in time, and it rear-ended the vehicle in front.

    The car in the front happened to see a motorcycle with five or six people on it going the wrong way. In order to avoid it, the car hit the guardrail on the road and flipped over.

    Fortunately, no one died. Otherwise, the matter would have been even more serious.

    It took a long time for the Indian police to arrive. At that time, the ambnce had already rescued the victims. The embassy was short of manpower, and the scene was destroyed.

    Gu Nianzhi held the recording pen and listened to the clip of what the ambassador and embassy staff had said.

    ¡°...The Indian policeter said that, because they had no witnesses and the ident scene was chaotic, they couldn¡¯t judge who was responsible, so there was nothing they could do.¡±

    ¡°The Hummer SUV that hit us had escaped. One of us wrote down the license te number, but the police said that the license te number was stolen and that it wasn¡¯t real.¡±

    ¡°There was also a Retrograde motorcycle. This road was obviously one-way. But that motorcycle had five or six people on it, and it suddenly came towards us while it was going in the wrong direction. It scared us into quickly turning the steering wheel. We couldn¡¯t just crash into it head-on, right? There were five or six people on it after all...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to it over and over again and wrote down all the important points.

    Looking at the police¡¯s preliminary report again, she easily found seven to eight vitions.

    She wasn¡¯t interested in litigation in India, but they had to let the Indian police know that they werewful people, and they couldn¡¯t just use diplomatic conventions to force them toply.

    The Indian police report suggested that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Embassy was using diplomatic immunity to oppress them, and forcing them to judge the case against their conscience.

    ...

    The Indian Vice President seemed to realize that he was going too far this time. He went to Gujarat, the hometown of Prime Minister Dimo, to attend a state banquet, then rushed back overnight.

    Early the next morning, he came to the five-star hotel where Speaker Long was staying and waited for him toe down.

    Even after Speaker Long had heard that the Vice President of India had arrived early in the morning, he did not say anything.

    After handling the affairs ording to the usual protocol, he went downstairs and smiled as he shook hands with the vice president. ¡°Thanks for your hard work. You¡¯ve been busy running around all night. Are you tired?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not tired, not tired!¡± The vice president smiled. ¡°Our Prime Minister said I must forget about him and give you a warm wee. When the Japanese Prime Minister leaves, our Prime Minister wille to see you in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and rolled her eyes as she stood behind Speaker Long.

    Following Speaker Long¡¯s instructions, she coughed a little, then stood up and said, ¡°Your Excellency Vice President, we have some questions about the New Delhi police¡¯s handling of the embassy ident. I wonder if we can go to the police station today and have a talk with the police regarding the illegal issues with their report?¡±

 Chapter 1145 - Sudden Unres

    <h4>Chapter 1145 Sudden Unres</h4>

    The Vice President of India was taken aback for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re going to the police station? But... this is not part of our schedule...¡±He seemed to beining about Gu Nianzhi disregarding protocol.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°...But, our ambassador was in a car ident, and that was not part of the itinerary either... The Japanese Prime Minister¡¯s sudden visit to India was not part of the itinerary that we agreed upon as well...¡±

    ¡°Are you ming us for weing the Japanese Prime Minister?¡± The Vice President of India changed his expression. ¡°How could you try to interfere with our country¡¯s internal affairs?!¡±

    ¡°We have no intention of interfering in your country¡¯s internal affairs, I¡¯m just reasoning,¡± Gu Nianzhi said calmly. Wanting to see Speaker Long¡¯s reaction, she quickly nced at him out of the corner of her eye.

    Speaker Long¡¯s expression did not change at all, and he continued to look at the vice president with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved.

    All was well as long as Speaker Long didn¡¯t think she had done something wrong.

    She continued, saying, ¡°...Should we take out the itinerary agreed upon by both parties andpare it? How many things have you done that weren¡¯t in the itinerary?¡±

    Seeing that the Indian Vice President¡¯s face was bing more and more sour, Gu Nianzhi withdrew the request and stopped mentioning theparison of the itineraries. After changing the topic, she continued and said, ¡°And we are not being unreasonable. Even if the Japanese Prime Minister didn¡¯t visit India, we still must get to the bottom of the car ident and seek justice for our embassy staff. They represent our country, and our country will not let them suffer grievances.¡±

    Speaker Long nodded with satisfaction, and said with a smile, ¡°This iswyer Gu from the upper house of our parliament. What she said is what I mean.¡±

    Since Speaker Long said so himself, the Vice President of India could not refuse.

    He frowned and said, ¡°You all, please wait a moment, and I¡¯ll arrange today¡¯s itinerary.¡± Then, he quickly took out his cell phone and walked aside to call the police station and asked them to arrange someone to receive Speaker Long and his people.

    ...

    When they arrived at the police station that handled the traffic ident involving the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Embassy in New Delhi, President Gu Nianzhi and Speaker Long were invited to sit down in the police station¡¯s conference room.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°...The police station here is pretty good.¡±

    The entire capital was fifty years behind the entirety of the Huaxia Empire, but the police station was probably only twenty years behind.

    Speaker Long nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay. There is no harm withoutparison.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. ¡°...¡±

    Speaker Long had such a sharp tongue!

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widen in surprise, Speaker Long smiled and blinked at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Not used to it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head quickly. ¡°No, no! I like this side of you!¡±

    She liked people with sharp tongues.

    Not long after, the vice president walked in with the chief of police and a few policemen.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and nodded at them.

    Speaker Long sat still and stretched out his hand. ¡°Sit.¡±

    He acted just like he was in his own country. Gu Nianzhi secretly gave Speaker Long a thumbs up.

    The Vice President of India smiled awkwardly and sat next to Speaker Long.

    The chief of police and the other officers both stood respectfully and said sincerely, ¡°Dear distinguished guest, we are already investigating this matter, but you are also at fault...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted him and smiled as she took out the police report. ¡°We are also at fault? How so?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t take advantage of the fact that your people were in the embassy car, so you have diplomatic immunity and can vite trafficws at will!¡± an Indian policeman said solemnly without paying any attention to Gu Nianzhi.

    In reality, the status of women was quite low in Indian society.

    Although there were also women in India that were high-ranking officials, these were extremely special cases. They were basically promoted as a facade to please Western feminists.

    The reality that the overall status of women was low couldn¡¯t be concealed.

    Gu Nianzhi knew this, so she didn¡¯t get angry. She countered the man calmly, saying, ¡°Breaching trafficws? Which trafficw did they vite? Don¡¯t use us of taking advantage of diplomatic immunity just because our car is an embassy car and rashly take the side of the other party.¡±

    ¡°...Which one?¡± The police officer was stunned, and as if he had just seen Gu Nianzhi, asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it written down there? Are you illiterate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s because I can read that I can¡¯t understand your logic.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked through the ident handling report. ¡°Look at this one. Our car was driving straight on a one-way road and was hit by another car in reverse. How could we have vited the right of way? The car going straight has the right of way, and other cars have to make way. Are your country¡¯s trafficws different?¡±

    The Indian police were silent.

    ¡°...A straight one-way road?¡± the other party countered, feeling a little flustered.

    ¡°Yes. Are your country¡¯s paths one-way or two-way? You don¡¯t know by heart?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but mock him, saying, ¡°Are you a traffic policeman? How did you be a traffic policeman when you¡¯re so unqualified?¡±

    ¡°Also, where did the vehicle that caused the ident escape to? Don¡¯t you care that the license te is false? Not to mention that the injured person, in this case, is our ambassador. Even if it were just an ordinary citizen, we would not let this go!¡±

    ¡°But, your car was speeding!¡± Seeing that the situation wasn¡¯t in their favor, the other policeman helped speak up for the former policeman.

    ¡°Speeding? Where is the evidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Is there a speedometer that recorded it? Is there a camera?¡±

    The Indian police nced at each other, and a trace of panic shed in their eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart lifted. ¡°Is there really a camera? Or is there a speedometer recording?¡±

    ¡°...Don¡¯t be aggressive. We are saving you people the public humiliation!¡± the chief of police suddenly said sternly, trying to diffuse the matter.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile fell, and she felt more and more ill at ease.

    If even the ambassador of a country suffered grievances here, who knew what other skeletons they had in the closet?

    India was very unfriendly to the Huaxia Empire...

    In that case, she didn¡¯t have to be polite to them.

    ¡°What do you mean? Do you have camera surveince that captured the car ident? That would be great. I will hand it in right away and use it as evidence in court.¡± Gu Nianzhi closed the ident handling report and said calmly, ¡°We won¡¯t bother reasoning with you anymore, and we will see each other in court to speak.¡±

    After that, she followed by saying, ¡°If the Indian courts aren¡¯t reasonable, we will go to the international courts to speak. ndering other ambassadors is worthy of an international dispute.

    Speaker Long interjected appropriately, saying, ¡°If you really nder us, then we will sever diplomatic ties. Our people cannot be humiliated in your country for nothing.¡±

    Upon hearing that there would be awsuit, the Indian police could no longer remain calm.

    The chief of police wiped his sweat with his hand and stammered, ¡°Calm down! Calm down! It¡¯s just a simple traffic ident. Does it need to go to court and evolve into an international dispute?¡±

    He stared at his vice president nkly. ¡°Please help us say something...¡±

    The vice president¡¯s eyelids twitched. ¡°What can I say for you?! If even a traffic ident can¡¯t be handled well, how did you be the chief of this police station in the first ce?!¡±

    The tables had turned, and the Indian police really couldn¡¯t handle it.

    After remaining silent for a while, he knew that he couldn¡¯t afford to undermine the diplomatic rtion between the two countries.

    The chief of police finally said, ¡°Let¡¯s start investigating again, and the two of you, please calm down. The result will be satisfactory for both of you.¡±

    ¡°Wrong.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her finger. ¡°You have to act ording to thew. If it is our fault, we will definitely not cover it up and will take them back to China to be tried. But if it is the other party¡¯s fault, please issue a warrant to punish the culprit severely. If not, we¡¯ll see you in court.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! We will issue a warrant right away!¡± The chief of the police station was moved by Gu Nianzhi, and he was led by the nose without knowing it.

    The vice president of India was furious, but he still had to keep smiling!

    He red at the police angrily. ¡°What are you all still standing there for instead of handling the case, huh?!¡±

    By the time Speaker Long and Gu Nianzhi came out of the police station, the police had already issued the warrants for tracing the vehicle in question.

    Although the Indians did not expect to find the car, they showed their stance, so they couldn¡¯t keep being held ountable for the issue.

    Law was only a means to an end; politics was the cause.

    Speaker Long sighed and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, you see, our national power is already strong, but we are still being targeted and receive a lot of unfair treatment abroad.¡±

    ¡°...They haven¡¯t wrapped their heads around it yet.¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly nced around. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t have the mentality of ¡®to lose is to gain an advantage,¡¯ their attitudes will change.¡±

    To put it simply, their actions must be based on reason.

    Talking about morality and courtesy with foreigners was like ying the piano for a cow.

    People were willing to say anything to defend their faith and couldn¡¯t care less about reason.

    When you are reasonable, you have to give in. Not only will the other party not yield an inch, but even the onlookers will think you are actually irrational...

    The perception in Western countries was still that the strong ate the weak.

    After the two of them finished speaking, the Indian vice president asked with a dry smile, ¡°Do you two want to continue the visit? Today, ording to the itinerary, we are going to thergest mall in New Delhi.¡±

    This mall was the pride of New Delhi, and the Vice President of India felt that he could finally gloat.

    Speaker Long nodded. ¡°There is still some time, so let¡¯s check it out.¡±

    The group got in the car and went to thergest shopping mall in New Delhi.

    ...

    After getting out of the car, Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes to gaze at thergest shopping mall in New Delhi and curled her lips.

    It was a typical western building yet again, just like the shopping malls that could be seen anywhere in the United States.

    Next to this shopping center was a tall building with a huge ¡®XX Bank¡¯ sign hung on it.

    The Vice President of India happily pointed to the shopping mall and said, ¡°This is our number one shopping mall in New Delhi. Would you like to go shopping?¡±

    As soon as his voice fell, countless ordinary-dressed, dark-faced Indians suddenly rushed out from all directions, and everyone was caught off guard.

    The crowd suddenly filled the open space in front of the shopping center, and it looked like there were hundreds or even thousands of people.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The security personnel quickly surrounded Speaker Long and the others.

    Gu Nianzhi held Speaker Long¡¯s arm tightly. Her eyes surveyed the crowd, and she constantly changed her position, trying not to stay in the same ce for more than a minute.

 Chapter 1146 - Bored With Their Lives

    <h4>Chapter 1146 Bored With Their Lives</h4>

    The Vice President of India also looked around in surprise. ¡°What is going on? A rebellion?!¡±He waved his arms angrily. He wanted the military police to drive the crowd away, but several of the military police beside him couldn¡¯t help but join the group and line up in front of the bank next to him.

    ¡°What exactly is going on?!¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency Vice President, the Prime Minister has just issued a banknote abandonment order today! If we don¡¯t go to the bank to exchange banknotes, the money in our hands will be waste!¡± One of the vice president¡¯s entourage anxiously showed the vice president the news on his phone.

    It turned out that Indian Prime Minister Dimo had just announced that in order to cut off the chain of criminal organizations¡¯ funds and tobat counterfeit currency and moneyundering, he decided to abolish the tworgest denominations of 500 rupees and 1,000 rupees and rece them with newly issued banknotes of 500 rupees and 2,000 rupees.

    It would take effect immediately from the moment of the announcement.

    Everyone could go to the bank to exchange the old currency into new currency, but the exchange period was only for one month.

    After a month, the old currency wouldpletely expire.

    In other words, if you couldn¡¯t exchange your old banknotes for new banknotes within a month, your cash would be worthless.

    This was devastating for Indians who were still used torge-scale use of banknotes.

    So, everyone stopped working and made a beeline for the bank to exchange their banknotes.

    ¡°...I¡¯m going to line up, too!¡± The vice president¡¯s associate ran away after he finished speaking.

    The military and police personnel next to the Vice President all ran away, leaving only the Vice President and a few officials, as well as a group of people from the Huaxia Empire.

    More and more Indians flocked to the door of the bank near them and used all their strength to squeeze inside the door.

    The bank¡¯s new cash reserves simply weren¡¯t enough, and only a certain number of people couldplete the exchange for a certain amount of new currency.

    Everyone fought in order to get a position in front, and some even took out knives...

    India was a country with arge poption. It had even surpassed the Huaxia Empire and became the country with thergest poption on the Blue Star.

    At that time, the rejection order revealed the power of a huge poption.

    In front of the astonishinglyrge Indian poption, Speaker Long and Gu Nianzhi, along with the group of visitors from the Huaxia Empire, were like fragile boats swaying in the ocean.

    ¡°How dare Dimo do this to our money! Is he trying to kill our livelihood?!¡±

    ¡°You can only exchange two thousand rupees a day! How can we survive?!¡±

    Someone was roaring loudly in the crowd, and soon, the angry and irrational mob began to attack the bank.

    The bank wasn¡¯t intimidated either. They called the police while letting their own security guards, armed with guns,e out to maintain order.

    Someone suddenly picked up a brick and bashed it into the head of a security guard with a gun!

    The man fell to the ground unconscious without even saying a word. His gun was snatched from him amid the chaos. Someone fired several shots into the sky.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The scene was suddenly chaotic.

    ¡°The Vice President is over there!¡±

    ¡°Find him! Get him!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Grab it and ask Dimo! Why the hell did he make our money worthless?!¡±

    A group of people suddenly noticed that the Vice President of India was there and rushed towards him while shouting.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Seeing that the situation was bad, Speaker Long quickly asked his bodyguard to grab the Vice President of India.

    He couldn¡¯t just watch the angry mob bludgeon the Indian Vice President to death with bricks...

    At that moment, there was a sudden burst of gunfire from the crowd, and bullets were fired toward where they were standing.

    ¡°Stay down!¡±

    ¡°Stay down!¡±

    ¡°Stay down!¡±

    The security guard yelled as he pulled out a gun to fight back while lying down.

    At that time, Special Assistant Yang rushed in from behind and using his body as a physical shield to protect Speaker Long. He pressed Speaker Long to the ground.

    A bullet flew by, and blood spurted out. He groaned but continued to shield Speaker Long with his body.

    When Special Assistant Yang rushed in and threw Speaker Long down, he naturally pushed Gu Nianzhi aside.

    Rong Mingxing gritted her teeth as she followed the instructions given by Special Assistant Yang, and, following his example, she threw Gu Nianzhi down from behind to shield her with her body.

    It¡¯s not that she wasn¡¯t afraid, but that Special Assistant Yang had instructed her to do it. In this unfamiliar ce, she had no choice...

    Gu Nianzhi felt that Rong Mingxing, who was pressed on her back, was trembling, and said, ¡°Xiao Rong, don¡¯t worry about me, protect yourself. I¡¯m not afraid...¡±

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s nose twitched, and she said in a choked voice, ¡°Don¡¯t move! I¡¯m fine!¡±

    A group of Indians, who were seemingly unafraid of death and only wanted money, rushed over again and seeing that they were about to step on them, the security guards beside them had no choice but to fire their shots at the sky again to prevent the crowd that was about to rush over.

    In order to avoid being stepped on, Rong Mingxing hugged Gu Nianzhi and quickly rolled to the side of the square.

    At that moment, the intensive gunfire sounded again, and Special Assistant Yang raised his head to shout, ¡°Protect Speaker Long! Protect the Vice President!¡±

    Seeing that the situation was not good, the security personnel quickly formed a human wall to protect the important figures and ran towards the mall.

    Rong Mingxing jumped up from the ground and followed those people into the mall.

    Gu Nianzhi felt the force on her back lighten and looked up. Before she could move, several people in the crowd started rushing towards her.

    Oops!

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she was in danger, so she immediately got up from the ground, then sprinted towards the mall.

    She ran in a zigzag-shaped route through the crowd to prevent herself from being targeted by the people or a sniper.

    But just when she was about to run into the gate of the shopping center, the gate closed in front of her!

    ¡°Open the door! Open the door! I am Gu Nianzhi!¡± Her heart sank, and she rushed to pat the door desperately as she shouted hoarsely, ¡°Speaker Long! I am Nianzhi! Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Perhaps it was because the soundproofing on the door was too good, or maybe that the people inside had moved too far in, but, at that time, no one opened the door to let her in.

    The people behind her were getting closer, and there was the sound of gunshots.

    She gritted her teeth, turned, and continued to run to the other door of the shopping center.

    But the other door closed with a bang before she got there.

    Because the people there were agitated by the gunfire, in addition to attacking the bank, they also began to attack the shopping center.

    So, the shopping center chose to close all its doors.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to turn around and run again.

    Those dark faces swayed around her, and when they found that she was a single woman running alone, they pulled her arm and tore her clothes. Soon, her clothing was being pulled by someone. One sleeve was torn off, revealing her fair and delicate skin.

    Severalscivious Indian men¡¯s eyes lit up, and they immediately became excited.

    The people chasing her slowed down and giggled as they watched Gu Nianzhi being chased by the group of ravenous Indian men.

    On top of a small building not far away, a tall and handsome man had been calmly holding a telescope while observing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation.

    When he saw that she was separated from Speaker Long and was being chased by a group of Indian men, he suddenly flew into a rage. ¡°Shit! They must be bored with their lives!¡±

    He waved his hand. ¡°Sniper, get ready! Kill all of the men chasing the target over there!¡±

    Then he put on a mask, picked up a semi-automatic machine gun, and jumped down from the third-floor window.

    ¡°Boss!¡± The group of people in the room were startled. ¡°If you are gone, who will be in charge?!¡±

    ¡°Carry out the mission as nned!¡± The man waved his hand and issued themand into his Bluetooth headset.

    Rushing through the crowd, he ran to Gu Nianzhi like Moses, trying to lead his people out of Egypt through the separated Red Sea.

    Soon, the Indian men who were chasing Gu Nianzhi fell to the ground one by one after being shot in the head.

    ...

    Before long, the entirety of New Delhi was filled with riots.

    Countless people rushed through the streets, setting fires, looting, and smashing cars as they shouted and vented their anger.

    Thick ck smoke fumed, burnt cars and motorcycles blocked the road, and the streets were full of blood.

    When Indian Prime Minister Dimo learned about the chaos in New Delhi, he immediately issued a strict order: the entire city of New Delhi would have its power,work, andmunications cut off!

    That wouldst until the riot ended and order was restored.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi ran through the streets of New Delhi aimlessly. Just as she was about to copse to the ground out of breath, a hand stretched out and pulled her into an abandoned warehouse.

    Gu Nianzhi was a nervous wreck on the verge of losing it, and thinking that it was a thug again, she couldn¡¯t stop screaming.

    But the man¡¯s hand blocked her mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes filled with tears when she got a whiff of the person¡¯s familiar scent.

    ¡°Professor He!¡± Almost crying, she rushed over and hugged the man.

    This person was He Zhichu.

    He kissed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Nianzhi. We have been protecting you. Take this, stay here, and don¡¯t run around.¡±

    He Zhichu handed a pistol to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Kill whoeveres in, and don¡¯t show mercy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly and held the gun tightly.

    ¡°Professor He, why are you here?¡± Gu Nianzhi wiped a tear away and nced up at He Zhichu. His big eyes were wet, like those of a deer. He appeared panicked but harmless.

    He Zhichu caressed her head, gritted his teeth, then told Gu Nianzhi his and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s n.

    ¡°...Someone wants to harm you, and we want to catch him red-handed. Nianzhi, can you bear it?¡±

    After hearing what He Zhichu said, Gu Nianzhi sighed deeply and started crying again out of joy. ¡°Really? Professor He and Huo Shao wille to protect me?! It¡¯s alright! I¡¯m not afraid! Why would I be afraid when you guys are here?! You should¡¯ve told me earlier, so I could be mentally prepared!¡±

    ¡°If I told you earlier, and you identally revealed your knowledge, the other party wouldn¡¯t have shown up.¡± He Zhichu grimaced. ¡°We wanted to end it once and for all, so we didn¡¯t want to get stabbed in the back.¡±

    But getting it done once and for all came at a price.

    This price depended on whether or not Gu Nianzhi was willing to bear it.

    Following this journey, He Zhichu had decided that as long as Gu Nianzhi showed the slightest hesitation, he would take her away immediately and end his cooperation with Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

 Chapter 1147 - Deep Love

    <h4>Chapter 1147 Deep Love</h4>

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you really not afraid?¡± He Zhichu was still worried, and he gazed at her with a conflicted expression. ¡°For example, a situation like today¡¯s could happen again at any time. Next time, I may not be able to find you so easily...¡±Today, because of the chaos outside, even the people who were really after Gu Nianzhi had lost their way. That was how He Zhichu had discreetly dragged Gu Nianzhi away.

    But who knew if there wasn¡¯t someone calmly watching her?

    It¡¯s not like they hadn¡¯t encountered such a situation before.

    He Zhichu knew that he had been too impulsive and too reckless today.

    He did not have Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calmposure.

    But he didn¡¯t want to be as calm as Huo Shaoheng.

    He always believed that Gu Nianzhi meant different things to him and Huo Shaoheng.

    The only difference between him and Huo Shaoheng was that Gu Nianzhi did not love him.

    She only loved Huo Shaoheng.

    Gleaming in the ckness, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were as bright as stars in the dark night.

    She shook her head firmly. ¡°No, I am not afraid. I really am not afraid.¡±

    After a pause, she said, ¡°In fact, even if you hadn¡¯te, I wouldn¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    She would escape again by depending on her own abilities.

    If the person who brought her into the room hadn¡¯t been He Zhichu, but someone else, Gu Nianzhi could guarantee that person would have be a eunuch by then...

    She wasn¡¯t bare-handed, and she also had weapons to defend herself.

    She was able to kill a person even if she only had a small knife.

    He Zhichu felt sorrowful. He embraced her with his arms. With his jaw resting on the top of her head, he hugged her quietly for a while.

    He lowered his eyes and, unable to see her face, he no longer concealed his love for her in his eyes.

    He slowly lowered his head and kissed the top of hers. His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. It took all his strength to restrain himself from saying what he shouldn¡¯t.

    He couldn¡¯t let her know that he still loved her and loved her deeply.

    He Zhichu abruptly pushed Gu Nianzhi away and, holding her shoulders with both hands, his eyes shed. His face resumed its usual indifference.

    ¡°Okay. Remember, wait here for the time being, and don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll find someone to send a letter to Speaker Long, and let them send someone to pick you up.¡± He Zhichu took out his cell phone and nced at it, but he suddenly appeared shocked. ¡°...My phone is out of signal.¡±

    Not only could he not ess the Inte, but he couldn¡¯t even make a call.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took out her own phone and looked at it. ¡°Huh? Mine can connect to the Inte, and can make phone calls...¡±

    He Zhichu, ¡°...¡±

    He took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and looked at it, then curled his lips. ¡°...Is this the phone that Huo Shao modified for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    ¡°Really?¡± She leaned over and scrutinized it suspiciously.

    ¡°You are connected to Huaxia¡¯s Mobile signal here, and using Huaxia¡¯s Nandou Satellite System.¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone again, then shook his head and opened an app on it. Using Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone as a server, he connected her mobile phone to the Inte, then used Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone to send a text message with their location to Speaker Long.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. You have to be careful.¡± He Zhichu took off his coat and put it on Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi took back her phone and longingly watched He Zhichu walk away.

    As soon as the door was opened, she heard rumbling noises along with footsteps, gunshots, and the sound of looting outside.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly closed the door.

    In reality, thetch on the door had been broken a long time ago, and the inside was also very worn out. It obviously had been unupied for a long time.

    In normal times, Gu Nianzhi would definitely avoid that sort of ce.

    But at that time, she felt that it was much safer there than it was outside.

    She nced around the room and found an iron rod that was a foot long and inserted it behind the door as atch.

    She wiped the table clean and sat down on it.

    She wrapped He Zhichu¡¯s coat around herself, and slowly, her teeth no longer rattled, and her body stopped trembling.

    She waited quietly in the house for others to meet her.

    ...

    In the management office of the shopping center, the Vice President of India led everyone into the conference room, then he sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve finallye in.¡±

    The situation moments before was truly terrifying. He was almost trampled to death by the mobs...

    Fortunately, Speaker Long had his back!

    By that time, the Vice President of India truly believed in Speaker Long.

    He looked at him with respect in his eyes, and he no longer was dismissive of him as he had been in the beginning.

    Speaker Long knew this very well, but he didn¡¯t say anything. His eyes surveyed the crowd of his own people, and he quietly counted the number of people inside.

    After looking around, he suddenly found that one person was missing.

    He stood up abruptly, and his facial expression changed suddenly as he asked sharply, ¡°Where is Lawyer Gu? Did any of you see Lawyer Gu?!¡±

    Everyone looked around and realized that Gu Nianzhi was missing.

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s back was still bleeding, and he was sitting aside as someone bandaged him with the first aid kit in the conference room.

    Upon hearing Speaker Long mention Gu Nianzhi, he quickly raised his head and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Lawyer Gu follow you in? Is she still outside? Speaker Long, hurry up and send two people out to find her.¡±

    Speaker Long nodded, picked the two most powerful security guards, and said, ¡°Go out quickly and bring Lawyer Gu back.¡±

    The two of them nodded and left the shopping center together.

    But the situation outside was truly chaotic.

    Although those two men were men, they could hardly walk after being pushed by the crazy Indian mob outside.

    They searched for her outside, but they didn¡¯t see Gu Nianzhi, so they had to go back and report to Speaker Long. Along the way, they asked their superiors if they wanted to look for Gu Nianzhi on arger scale.

    Gu Nianzhi came with the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Imperial Diplomatic delegation.

    If something happened to her in India, they wouldn¡¯t let it go!

    Back at the shopping center, the two men reported to Speaker Long, saying, ¡°Speaker Long, there is no sign of Lawyer Gu outside for the time being. Maybe she found a ce to hide. Do you want us to look for her on arger scale?¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s eyebrows furrowed more tightly. ¡°Where could she go in just over ten minutes?¡±

    He checked his watch. It turned out that half an hour had passed.

    It turns out that when people are nervous, they feel that time flies by faster...

    As they were worrying over what to do, Speaker Long¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang.

    He quickly took out his phone, opened it, and saw that it was a text message from Gu Nianzhi along with her location. Suddenly, he burst outughing. ¡°It¡¯s alright! It¡¯s alright! Lawyer Gu sent me a message. You guys can find herter.¡±

    The Vice President of India was very surprised. ¡°...Your Excellency Speaker Long, does your phone still have a signal?!¡±

    He looked at his mobile phone moments before and had found that not only was there no Wi-Fi, but there was also no cell phone reception!

    ¡°Of course we have a signal.¡± Speaker Long said with a smile. Their mobile phones were specially made by the Huaxia Empire Military Department. They were directly connected to the Nandou Satellite Communication System independently developed by the Huaxia Empire for their visit, and did not have any oveps with thework system of the country they were visiting in order to avoid leaks.

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s mouth twitched twice, and his eyes flickered.

    He looked down at his mobile phone and saw that there was also a signal, but his mobile phonework was neither provided by India¡¯s Mobilework, nor by the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Mobilework.

    The wound on his shoulder was bandaged, so Special Assistant Yang gave a few instructions to the people around him and said he would go out and buy some clothes to change into.

    He was now covered in dirt, mud, and blood.

    Speaker Long had a much better impression of him after today¡¯s events, and he waved his hand considerately and permitted him to change his clothes.

    Special Assistant Yang made eye contact with Rong Mingxing.

    Rong Mingxing gritted her teeth and followed Special Assistant Yang outside.

    Special Assistant Yang took her to buy some clothes.

    Fortunately, they were in the shopping mall, and it was the best shopping mall in New Delhi.

    Special Assistant Yang found a shop selling the best menswear in the world, and casually bought a Hugo Boss suit and shirt, then took it into the dressing room to try it on.

    Rong Mingxing did not follow him and stood outside the fitting room.

    As soon as Special Assistant Yang entered, he switched on the Bluetooth headset as he changed his clothes.

    ¡°... You lost track of her?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi sent her location. There are two people on our side looking for her, so you can simply follow those two. Yes, they are easy to recognize. The bodyguards brought by Speaker Long are of military and police background. They both have buzzed haircuts, wear sunsses, have Bluetooth headsets in their ears, and are in ck uniforms. I will point them out to you when I go out.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s voice was very low, but he forgot that the small room in the fitting room wasn¡¯t sealed. The top and bottom were open, so it wasn¡¯t soundproof at all.

    Rong Mingxing could hear him clearly outside.

    She tensed up and felt even more guilty.

    ¡°...How many people did you look for? Are they all from Japan? Or are you the elite field service of the Tokyo Super High-tech squadron? You sure you didn¡¯t try to deceive me? If you guys can do it, then do it, because if you guys fail to kill her, there will be a huge mess waiting!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay? You have a lot of people? You want to have fun? Whatever... But Gu Nianzhi is indeed quite attractive, and the most important thing is that she has a good figure...¡±

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s somewhat pervertedughter rang out.

    Rong Mingxing could not stand it anymore when she heard this!

    She red at the half-closed door of the dressing room and clenched her fists tightly.

    Special Assistant Yang was... cooperating with the Japanese!

    This was beyond her imagination!

    Rong Mingxing didn¡¯t want to cross paths with Gu Nianzhi anymore.

    But Special Assistant Yang tried to persuade her, again and again, to distract and stall Gu Nianzhi for a period of time, so that she couldn¡¯t get in and would suffer a little outside.

    She never imagined that Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t just want her to suffer, but that he actually wanted to kill her!

    No, she couldn¡¯t continue to help him...

    Rong Mingxing turned and left the fitting room. She quickly returned to the conference room where Speaker Long and the others were located, and quickly said, ¡°Speaker Long, I have something to tell you!¡±

    Speaker Long looked up at her and was about to ask something, but Special Assistant Yang¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Xiao Rong, why did you run back alone? I thought you got lost too, and that scared me.¡±

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s face immediately paled. With quick wits, she quickly changed the subject and said, ¡°Special Assistant Yang, I want to go home. I wanted to tell Speaker Long to bring me back this time. I don¡¯t want to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs anymore.¡±

 Chapter 1148 - Rendezvous With Her

    <h4>Chapter 1148 Rendezvous With Her</h4>

    Special Assistant Yang stared at her with a smile on his face, and said with a threatening tone in his voice that only Rong Mingxing could hear, ¡°Were you terrified? It¡¯s okay. If you want to go back, after we¡¯re done with this, I will help you send the request to return home to the ambassador.¡±¡°Thank you, Special Assistant Yang.¡± Rong Mingxing nodded anxiously, then quickly walked to Special Assistant Yang¡¯s side, and dared not speak to Speaker Long any further.

    Special Assistant Yang stared at her suspiciously for a second, then turned around and saw that the other two security personnel seemed to be gone. He felt nervous and asked, ¡°Speaker Long, have you sent someone to look for Lawyer Gu? It seems that it has be even more chaotic outside.¡±

    ¡°Yes, they just left.¡± Speaker Long nodded kindly. His impression of Rong Mingxing worsened a little.

    They were all about the same age, but Gu Nianzhi was obviously more willing to endure hardships, and Rong Mingxing... was slightly worse.

    Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t have the time to get to the bottom of Rong Mingxing¡¯s abnormal behavior. He quickly thought of an excuse and said to Speaker Long, ¡°I will go out and see if I can help. I hope that Lawyer Gu will stay safe, and nothing will happen.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you can go. Report to me if the situation changes.¡± Speaker Long looked out the door and appeared very worried.

    The shopping mall had lost power, and after a while, it was as hot as a steamer.

    Although the shopping mall had its own generators, it was obviously unable to support such a high-power central air conditioner, so the air conditioner still hadn¡¯t switched on. Only the lights were still on.

    Special Assistant Yang ran out of the meeting room and towards the shopping center gate.

    Rong Mingxing followed him from a distance, then turned on the camera on her phone and started recording.

    She saw him catch up with the two security guards in front of him.

    The two security personnel were looking at the location sent by Gu Nianzhi on their phones.

    Special Assistant Yang walked over and patted one of them on the shoulder and smiled calmly as he asked, ¡°Please wait a little. Do you two know that ce? I am familiar with that ce, so should I go with you?¡±

    The man turned around and smiled at him, then said, ¡°This ce isn¡¯t that far away, right?¡± Then, he showed the location on his phone to Special Assistant Yang.

    Special Assistant Yang remembered the location in a nce. He nodded quickly and said, ¡°The direct distance isn¡¯t that far, but because these streets are blocked by the mob, you can¡¯t go straight there. You have to go around and pass through several streets.¡± As he said this, he also gave specific directions on how to get there.

    He gave them the correct route, but it was the longer route.

    The two security personnel took notes, then shook their heads and said, ¡°It¡¯s still quite far away.¡±

    Special Assistant Yang was also shocked that Gu Nianzhi had managed to run that far in ten minutes, but he quickly dismissed the idea and followed the two security personnel out a small door, then said, ¡°It should be closer from here. There are fewer people here.¡±

    It waspletely chaotic outside.

    Smoke billowed everywhere, and fire zed in the sky.

    The sirens of fire trucks and police cars rang one after another, and the military police began to dispatch.

    Special Assistant Yang narrowed his eyes and watched the two security personnel walk away with his hands behind his back.

    Rong Mingxing heard him clearly from behind and knew that Special Assistant Yang had given them the long route.

    Her heart trembled, and she quietly hid to avoid Special Assistant Yang¡¯s sight.

    Although Rong Mingxing hadn¡¯t been in New Delhi for a long time, she still remembered the area because there was an Indian DMV nearby, and she had gone through the driver¡¯s license procedures with the embassy staff.

    Special Assistant Yang was very nervous. He stood in front of the small door and called again, saying, ¡°The location has been sent to you. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone still has cell reception, so you must be careful. I already gave the two security personnel the detour route, so you guys better not involve people other than the target. After all, they are military police from my country. If they die here, the domestic military will go berserk...¡±

    ¡°...How would I know why it can still be used?! Can¡¯t you block the signal?! What a bunch of imbeciles! Are you really the elite of the super high-tech Japanese? You¡¯re not an imposter?!¡±

    Special Assistant Yang angrily yelled, ¡°sh*t,¡± before closing the small door and turning around to leave.

    After he left, Rong Mingxing ran out of her hiding ce and opened the small door to take a look.

    The situation outside overwhelmed her. She had grown up in a peaceful environment and had never witnessed such a chaotic scene.

    It wasn¡¯t that she had never thought of stepping back, but she couldn¡¯t stand by indifferently when she thought of the fate that awaited Gu Nianzhi.

    Rong Mingxing knew that she was not a good person with perfect morals, and at times she was quite calcting.

    But those were trivial and petty grievances against others.

    She never thought of killing anyone, let alone taking the life of her countrymen by teaming up with outsiders.

    What Special Assistant Yang did not only overwhelmed her conscience with guilt, but it also exceeded her personal line in the sand.

    Rong Mingxing recalled the route she had just heard, then gritted her teeth and rushed out.

    When the inspectors in the shopping center found a small door open, they cursed as they walked over and locked it.

    ...

    The streets of New Delhi were full of burning buses and cars, as well as Indians lying motionless on the ground, perhaps dead or simply unconscious.

    Fire trucks and police cars were obviously insufficient at this time, and they could handle the east side but not the west side.

    Rong Mingxing ran with all her strength. She hoped that Gu Nianzhi would remain safe before she arrived, and hoped that she could make it there in time.

    In order to save time, she ran into an alley.

    The alley was dark and dirty, and there was trash everywhere, but the people usually there seemed to have gone out into the street and weren¡¯t around, so it was actually less congested than the streets.

    Finally, she saw the ce where Gu Nianzhi was positioned.

    It turned out to be a dpidated house that should have been abandoned. The roof looked as though it was about to breakpletely, and the house was crumbling.

    Rong Mingxing looked around and saw that those people hadn¡¯t caught up yet, so she pounded on the door and whispered, ¡°Gu Nianzhi? Gu Nianzhi? Are you inside?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat on a small table in the middle of the room with her knees folded.

    She suddenly heard someone knocking on the door and calling her name, and upon realizing that it was Rong Mingxing¡¯s voice, she was very surprised. She got off the table and went to the window to take a look.

    There was only Rong Mingxing outside the door, and she looked terrified, but she still pounded the door relentlessly.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    She quickly walked over, yanked off the iron bar doortch, then pulled Rong Mingxing in. She ced the doortch back in position and leaned back against the door as she red at Rong Mingxing suspiciously. ¡°What are you here for?¡±

    Rong Mingxing had rescued her earlier, but she also left her behind and abandoned her.

    Not knowing what to say for a while, Rong Mingxing tugged the corners of her mouth.

    In the quiet abandoned house, with the dust dancing in the light, the two young women standing opposite each other seemed very out of ce with their environment.

    Boom!

    There was a loud noise outside, and someone was either cheering or yelling. Noisy mor sounded, and the silence vanished.

    Gu Nianzhi became more confused, and raising one hand quickly, she pointed her gun at Rong Mingxing, asking, ¡°...it was you who led them here?!¡±

    Rong Mingxing snapped back to reality, and knowing that Gu Nianzhi had misunderstood, she waved her hand and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I¡¯m here to tell you that someone is out for your life!¡±

    ¡°As if I don¡¯t already know?¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted coldly without lowering the muzzle. ¡°You pressed me under your body, and it appeared as though you were saving me on the surface but in reality... you were purposely stalling so that I wouldn¡¯t get through the door in time, right?¡±

    Rong Mingxing felt extremely bitter inside, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

    She decided to bite the bullet and said bluntly, ¡°Yes! I wanted to stall so that I could teach you a lesson! I despised you for being so arrogant every day! But, I, I never thought of killing you! It was Special Assistant Yang that wanted to kill you!¡±

    After that, she told her about eavesdropping on Special Assistant Yang¡¯s phone conversation, then said, ¡°...I know I have done many harmful things towards you, but I still want to say, I never have, nor would I ever dare try to kill you!¡±

    After listening to her quietly, Gu Nianzhi was secretly stunned.

    Although she knew that He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were secretly protecting her, ording to Rong Mingxing¡¯s words, the enemy put in a lot of effort and even involved the Tokyo Secret Service¡¯s elites.

    Why did they only want her dead?

    Even if Special Assistant Yang hated her so much that he wanted her dead, why did the Tokyo Secret Service dispatch elites to help Special Assistant Yang?

    ording tomon sense, with the help of a high-ranking insider such as Special Assistant Yang, shouldn¡¯t they try to assassinate Speaker Long in order to achieve greater results?

    But they gave up Speaker Long and targeted her, a young woman who had just entered the parliament...

    Could it be that they could get something more from killing her?

    Thinking of what He Zhichu had revealed, Gu Nianzhi immediately understood.

    These people were probably tied to the charity foundation Angel in the World, right?

    Because when she thought about it, that charity foundation probably wanted her dead the most.

    As long as she died, the course of herwsuit could be reversed, and the other party wouldn¡¯t have to lose money.

    There would be no need to return everything that belonged to her father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Thinking of the materials and manuscripts that the old Japanese men had sent back to her, Gu Nianzhi felt boiling rage inside.

    At that time, she simplymented why He Zhichu didn¡¯t leave her with a semi-automatic submachine gun instead!

    The pistol was not enough to vent her anger.

    Gu Nianzhi took a step closer and pressed the muzzle against Rong Mingxing¡¯s forehead. ¡°Why should I trust you? How can you prove that what you just said is true?¡±

    Rong Mingxing angrily took out the phone she had just recorded Special Assistant Yang with. ¡°See for yourself!¡±

 Chapter 1149 - True Identity

    <h4>Chapter 1149 True Identity</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t take the phone from Rong Mingxing. Instead, she simply raised her chin at Rong Mingxing.Rong Mingxing rolled her eyes and clicked on the video to y it.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and watched for a while.

    Special Assistant Yang¡¯s figure appeared on the phone screen.

    Soon, his voice sounded. ¡°The location has been sent to you. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone still has cell reception, so you must be careful. I already gave the two security personnel the detour route, so you guys better not involve people other than the target. After all, they are military police from my country. If they die here, the domestic military will go berserk...¡±

    ¡°...How would I know why it can still be used?! Can¡¯t you block the signal?! What a bunch of imbeciles! You¡¯re really the elite of the super high-tech Japanese? You¡¯re not an imposter?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightened and almost pulled the trigger.

    Rong Mingxing trembled and said angrily, ¡°...Are you going to shoot?! Don¡¯t point it at my head! What if it goes off?! Don¡¯t make me regret saving you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to reality and narrowing her eyes she nced at Rong Mingxing briefly before putting it away.

    The barrel finally left Rong Mingxing¡¯s head.

    Rong Mingxing sighed heavily. She felt as though her heart had leaped into her throat.

    She squatted down slowly and, clutching her chest as she stared at the dust on the ground, she started to weep.

    ¡°...wah wah wah... I really never thought of killing you... I wouldn¡¯t dare... I¡¯m afraid... I¡¯m not a traitor... I¡¯d rather die than conspire with the Japanese...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    D*mn it! She¡¯s actually crying!

    Perhaps she was going to thank her for her merciful grace?!

    Holding the gun in one hand, Gu Nianzhi paced around the table in the middle of the room in irritation.

    Rong Mingxing was extremely ill at ease and felt that her future seemed dreary and hopeless.

    She almost became a convict.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to console her either.

    She could understand her anxiety and trepidation. At that time, crying was the best way to vent it out.

    After crying, she would feel relieved.

    It was useless to console her.

    Gu Nianzhi simply walked to the window and secretly observed the movement outside it through the cracks in the wooden boards nailed over the opening.

    The curtains on the windows had long been torn into strips of dirty cloth that hung over the frame. The original color was no longer visible, and they looked like the ragged clothes a witch would wear.

    She stared outside the window vigntly and noticed that the noise outside was even louder.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    She thought that if her surroundings remained quiet, then it would soon be noticed if something happened to her there.

    But if the surrounding area was already very noisy, even if she screamed at the top of her lungs, she probably wouldn¡¯t be heard.

    Were those peopleing?

    Gu Nianzhi blew the muzzle, and she actually kind of looked forward to it.

    After Rong Mingxing cried her heart out, she was no longer so ufortable.

    She wiped her tears and stood up from the ground. She saw Gu Nianzhi holding the gun in both hands as she leaned against the wall next to the window, looking sideways through the gaps.

    The window had actually been sealed with wooden bars, and the room was dark, so the inside wasn¡¯t visible from the outside.

    But standing inside, through the cracks in the wooden ts, one could still see the outside.

    There wasn¡¯t much furniture in the room. In the center was a square table, like the Eight Immortals table from the Huaxia Empire.

    There was a tall closet in the corner of the room, and it looked heavy.

    On the other side of the room was a bed, but it had copsed.

    Gu Nianzhi stood sideways by the window. She kept her head a distance from the wall and stood straight. Her long legs were separated, and the trousers of her pants were tied into Martin boots.

    The coat on her body was a men¡¯s biker jacket with long sleeves, which were cuffed up to her elbows, and the outfit gave her a military vibe.

    Rong Mingxing watched, then snorted disdainfully, asking angrily, ¡°...You really can shoot? Where did you get the gun? Is it a real gun?¡±

    Without looking back, Gu Nianzhi said in a t voice, ¡°Of course it is a real gun. As for where it came from, since it¡¯s so chaotic outside, couldn¡¯t I have picked it up?¡±

    Rong Mingxing, ¡°...¡±

    She walked to the window and looked out, then said worriedly, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Our location is already known, and they are looking for you.¡±

    Rong Mingxing had taken a shortcut, and even Special Assistant Yang was not as familiar with this path as she was.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little uneasy.

    He Zhichu had told her to wait there for Speaker Long¡¯s people toe to pick her up, then follow them.

    But now Rong Mingxing said that the people on Speaker Long¡¯s side had been led away, and the people who wereing were the Tokyo Secret Service.

    These people were conspiring with Special Assistant Yang to kill her.

    She didn¡¯t believe it at first, but after watching the video and hearing what Special Assistant Yang said, she was shaken.

    After thinking about it carefully, did Special Assistant Yang still hold a grudge?

    Ten years of hard work was willfully destroyed by Gu Nianzhi. It was probably hard to get over, so he joined the dark side.

    If she returned to Speaker Long, she had to face Special Assistant Yang.

    Gu Nianzhi was unsure whether or not she should go to Speaker Long and report Special Assistant Yang.

    After hesitating for a while, she wanted to call Speaker Long and ask what was going on.

    But in case Special Assistant Yang was indeed a traitor, if she called Speaker Long, would Speaker Long be in danger?

    What if Special Assistant Yang found out that the conspiracy was exposed and, out of desperation, he held Speaker Long hostage?

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Special Assistant Yang had never thought about burning bridges with Speaker Long, so Speaker Long should be safe there.

    But without calling Speaker Long to verify, could she trust Rong Mingxing?

    Although Rong Mingxing had shown her the video, who knew whether or not it was a fake?

    What if there was no problem with Special Assistant Yang, but there was with Rong Mingxing, instead?

    Before there was conclusive evidence, Gu Nianzhi decided that neither party could be trusted.

    After all, her life was her own, and everyone had only one.

    She rubbed the phone and thought of He Zhichu.

    However, she thought about how He Zhichu had used her mobile phone to go online. She didn¡¯t know whether or not she could still receive calls now.

    And thinking about the conspiracy, if she always contacted them, would the bad guys see through their n?

    The more she thought about it, the more Gu Nianzhi hesitated.

    After a while, she put the gun away, went back to the small table, and sat down. She then said calmly, ¡°I am not going. If you have to go, you go.¡±

    ¡°You¨C!¡± Rong Mingxing hadn¡¯t suspected that Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t believe her!

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and whispered, ¡°I have to think about it. Do you have any other evidence besides the video?¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t believe me.¡± Rong Mingxing shook with rage. ¡°Okay, if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll go!¡± That said, she moved to rush out the door. However, at that moment, there was a banging sound on the door.

    Rong Mingxing stopped immediately.

    Gu Nianzhi also straightened up. She cocked her head at Rong Mingxing vigntly and asked her to move away.

    Rong Mingxing quickly moved and stood near the wall between the door and the window.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t speak either. She simply held the gun with both hands and pointed it in the direction of the door.

    The people outside pounded on the door for a while and began to call Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name, saying, ¡°Miss Gu? Is it Miss Gu? We were sent by Speaker Long to pick you up. Open the door quickly. Speaker Long had received your location via text message.¡±

    The person who pounded on the door spoke perfectly fluent Chinese. She couldn¡¯t tell where he was from simply by listening...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t speak, and, furrowing her eyebrows, she quietly listened to what was being said outside the door. She tried to find ws, either to prove that the people outside were fake or to prove that Rong Mingxing had bad intentions.

    The room was quiet, and the two of them deliberately slowed down their breathing.

    The people outside waited for a while, and, seeing that no one was inside, they couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious.

    He took a step back and exchanged a look with the person next to him.

    The other person understood and stepped forward to pound on the door. ¡°Miss Gu? We were sent by Speaker Long to pick you up. Are you inside? If you are inside, can you pleasee out quickly? The mob ising towards us here, and we don¡¯t know what crazy things they will do... We only have two people and can¡¯t stop so many people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips remained closed. She almost spoke, but suddenly remembered that Speaker Long had always told the security personnel that she was Lawyer Gu, and those security personnel were also used to referring to her that way.

    The two of them kept calling her Miss Gu...

    That was very suspicious.

    So she restrained herself, pursed her lips tightly, and did not speak.

    Rong Mingxing was frightened. She was worried that Gu Nianzhi would not believe her. She wanted to open the door and rush out.

    In that case, the two of them would have died together.

    Time flew by, and soon fifteen minutes passed.

    Looking at the time, the two real security personnel who had taken the longer route were probably almost there.

    As soon as they arrive, the two fakes would be exposed.

    At that time, the people outside grew impatient and whispered, ¡°...Forget it, I just looked through the window, and it¡¯s dark inside. I don¡¯t know if anyone is in there, but let¡¯s do it. I think there is no one inside. After making sure no one¡¯s there, let¡¯s look for her again. I don¡¯t believe the girl could have run that far!¡±

    The other person nodded. ¡°Do it. Then we¡¯ll go after her!¡±

    They raised their guns and fired several shots at the door lock.

    Rong Mingxing hugged her head in terror. She squatted down by the door while covering her ears.

    Gu Nianzhi was convinced that the people outside were fake security guards. She believed Rong Mingxing¡¯s words and gestured to her with the gun, then motioned for her to get down. Using the table as a cover, she hid behind it, then raised her gun and pointed it in the direction of the door.

    Boom!

    A small round hole was formed by the two men shooting at the door lock.

    The people outside squatted down and peeked inside from the hole.

    Gu Nianzhi was quick, and she shot in the direction of the door!

    The bullet soared through the man¡¯s eye and went straight into his brain.

    The man didn¡¯t say a word. He immediately fell back dead in front of the door.

    The other person was frightened and angry. He had never expected that the woman in the room would have a gun in her hand!

    After bbering some angry words in Japanese, hepletely exposed their true identities.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped hesitating and was ready to fight.

    She rolled back, quickly moved away from the table, then pushed over the heavy cab in the corner of the house, and hid behind the cab.

    When the closet fell to the ground, there was a loud bang in the room, and even the ground shook.

    The person outside was taken aback. He was holding a semi-automatic submachine gun, and he manically started firing into the doorway. Firing shots into the table, he soon made it look like a honeb. The wooden tabletop was riddled with holes in an instant, and sawdust flew around. The table copsed immediately.

    ...

 Chapter 1150 - Letâ€™s Go Together

    <h4>Chapter 1150 Let¡°s Go Together</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi hid in the narrow space between the closet and the inner wall. She couldn¡¯t lift her head because of the submachine gun.Rong Mingxing was lying on the ground and did not dare to move. She felt like she was about to faint.

    After a while, the sounds of gunshots in front of the house stopped, or perhaps their guns might have been jammed. In short, there was no noise, and their eardrums weren¡¯t used to silence.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly poked her head out from behind the fallen cab, took a quick nce, and then retreated.

    The door had a fist-sized round hole in it, but it had still not been pushed open.

    That was because the iron rod that Gu Nianzhi inserted into thetch behind the door was too powerful.

    The people outside seemed to be confused as to why the beaten-down door had not already copsed.

    But they did not dare to rush in.

    The people inside had guns and were also good marksmen.

    One of the men had already died just then, so the second person was afraid to make a wrong move.

    After a round of bullets, he turned around and leaned against the door to reload the gun.

    Bam¨C!

    A shot sounded from a distance.

    A bloody bullet hole suddenly appeared in the man¡¯s forehead.

    He fell down with his eyes open.

    Both of those men were elite Tokyo Secret Servicemen from Japan. They were proficient in Chinese, but they lost their lives in New Delhi, India.

    Their aplices in the dark were dumbfounded, and after quickly shooting around, they crawled over and dragged the two bodies away.

    Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing waited in the room for a while and found that there was no movement outside.

    Of course, themotion on the streets not that far away and could still be heard, but there was no longer anyone continuing to harass them in front of the door...

    Gu Nianzhi crawled out from behind the fallen cab and moved to the window.

    Looking out through the cracks in the wooden ts of the window, she saw people crawling on the ground and dragging them away.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that one person was shot by her, but how had the other died?

    After thinking about it, she concluded that Huo Shaoheng or He Zhichu had done it.

    Because they would protect her in the dark.

    Just thinking about it made her feel revitalized and fearless.

    She stood up from the ground, patted the dust from her body, and then stretched out her hand and said to Rong Mingxing, ¡°Get up.¡±

    Her voice was much softer.

    Rong Mingxing originally didn¡¯t want to ept Gu Nianzhi¡¯s help, but she was so frightened that she lost her wits, and she couldn¡¯t stand up on her own.

    She had to hold Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and slowly get up from the ground.

    Her legs were sore, so Gu Nianzhi had to half-hold and half-hug her, and she brought her to sit behind the closet in the corner of the room.

    That was currently the safest ce in the whole warehouse.

    But Gu Nianzhi also knew that they couldn¡¯t stay there for long.

    The other party already knew that she was there, and they had powerful firepower. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what He Zhichu had nned, or whether the people they were waiting for would show up.

    Sitting side by side on the ground behind the closet with Rong Mingxing, Gu Nianzhi rubbed the pistol. Her expression was gentle, and one wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell that she was a person that had just killed with that gun.

    Rong Mingxing tried to speak up several times before she said hoarsely, ¡°...you believe me now, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I was wrong just now. My attitude wasn¡¯t very good. But I can¡¯t just rely on your words alone, and a video isn¡¯t enough to make mepletely believe what you say.¡±

    Rong Mingxing was originally quite angry, but after hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, she didn¡¯t feel mad anymore.

    She smiled bitterly. ¡°You doubted me, but it¡¯s simply human nature. If Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t show up to stop me at that time, and I had said this to Speaker Long, Speaker Long would have doubted me like you. And at that time, I didn¡¯t even have this video.¡±

    To make such an usation without evidence, everyone would be suspicious.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and gazed at her in bewilderment. ¡°...Actually, you didn¡¯t need toe. Those people are not a threat.¡±

    Rong Mingxing, ¡°...¡±

    Suddenly, she felt that Gu Nianzhi was still the same unbeatable Gu Nianzhi.

    She red at her. ¡°How would I know that you had a gun in your hands! If I knew, I wouldn¡¯t...¡±

    She wouldn¡¯t?

    In reality, she still would have.

    Because she didn¡¯t know that Gu Nianzhi was already suspicious of the current situation.

    Only when one is suspicious will one be cautious.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what Rong Mingxing meant, and she felt warm inside.

    She stretched out her hand to hold Rong Mingxing¡¯s and found that she was still shaking, so she shook it hard. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I will protect you.¡±

    Rong Mingxing, ¡°...¡±

    Silently withdrawing her hand, she leaned back against the wall to breathe slowly.

    ...

    The group of Japanese Tokyo Secret Service elites outside just finished a phone call with Special Assistant Yang.

    Special Assistant Yang was also surprised.

    Why would Gu Nianzhi have a gun in her hands?!

    And they couldn¡¯t open the door...

    How could this be?

    Didn¡¯t she want toe back?

    Special Assistant Yang narrowed his eyes, looked around, and suddenly found that one of them seemed to be missing.

    ¡°Xiao Rong? Do any of you see Xiao Rong?¡±

    Special Assistant Yang calmly asked about Rong Mingxing¡¯s whereabouts, appearing very concerned about her.

    Everyone was worried about their own safety or the safety of Speaker Long. No one cared about the life or death of a mere staff member in the embassy.

    At that time, Special Assistant Yang grew anxious.

    Could it be that Rong Mingxing had gone to find Gu Nianzhi?

    If so, he would have no choice but to show no mercy.

    Since Rong Mingxing refused to get on his boat, she would have to sink and drown herself...

    With a sneer, Special Assistant Yang sent another text message to the elites of Tokyo¡¯s Secret Service.

    ¡°There should be two people in the room. Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing. Don¡¯t let either of them leave there alive.¡±

    ...

    People started to gather at the door of the abandoned hut where Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing were.

    Time was running out, and they had to end the battle there before the two security personnel arrived.

    Since they weren¡¯ting out, they might as well die inside.

    A Tokyo Secret Servicemenid on the ground and shouted towards the broken door, ¡°People inside,e out! I¡¯ll give you three minutes to think about it. If you don¡¯te out in three minutes, we will immediately use a methrower!¡±

    In order to prove that he wasn¡¯t bluffing, the man beckoned to the people behind him.

    Someone appeared with a methrower on his back and sprayed at a crooked-necked tree in front of the house. The big tree was immediately scorched, and smoke rose off the ashes.

    But at that moment, the streets of New Delhi were full of smoke and fire, so it didn¡¯t appear out of ce.

    When Rong Mingxing heard the word methrower, she felt so scared that she couldn¡¯t say anything.

    She leaned against the wall in a daze, her eyes ssy. She waspletely stunned.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid, because she knew that He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were secretly protecting her.

    They had already killed one person just earlier. If they really dared to use a methrower, Gu Nianzhi was certain that the person himself would be buried in the mes before he got the chance to spray her hut.

    ¡°One minute left!¡±

    They really started counting down outside.

    Rong Mingxing snapped back to reality, and her pupils suddenly dted.

    She suddenly pushed Gu Nianzhi away, stumbled out from behind the fallen closet, and walked to the window.

    Gu Nianzhi dared not raise her voice, so she lowered her voice and called her, saying, ¡°Rong Mingxing! What are you doing?! Come back!¡±

    Rong Mingxing leaned against the window and looked out just in time to see the man spraying trees with a methrower...

    The raging fire and ck smoke had a huge visual and psychological impact.

    Rong Mingxing, who had never experienced something like this in her entire life, almost had a meltdown.

    She looked back at Gu Nianzhi with a bitter smile. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, this is what I owe you. If I go out, they will treat me like you. You hide here and wait for them to leave before going out.¡± Then, she walked to the door.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She quickly jumped out from behind the closet and hugged Rong Mingxing tightly. ¡°You idiot! Do you know the consequences of going out? You don¡¯t have any idea at all!¡±

    ¡°I know! That¡¯s what I owe you!¡± Rong Mingxing insisted on going out to die. It was as if she were bewitched.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t let her go out, but she also knew that what Rong Mingxing said made sense.

    The other party was willing to use a methrower, so if she stubbornly stayed here, she would be an idiot.

    Since they were so far apart, there was no guarantee that He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng woulde to rescue her in time.

    He Zhichu also reminded her before that this might happen.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, pulled at Rong Mingxing, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you insist on going out, then let¡¯s go out together.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Go out together?! But they want you dead!¡±

    ¡°I think they seem to want you dead now, too.¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at her. ¡°You are now an important witness to Special Assistant Yang¡¯s treason. They will kill you to silence you.¡±

    Rong Mingxing trembled. ¡°Really... really?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded very seriously. ¡°How can this sort of thing be a joke?¡±

    She was about to make new ns when she felt her phone suddenly vibrate.

    She quickly pulled out her phone and opened it, then saw a text message.

    ¡°Get out of the cabin quickly. At nine o¡¯clock position, there will be a Hummer SUV waiting to drive to the Taj Mahal.¡±

    It was a message from He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spirit lifted. ¡°You don¡¯t have to run out by yourself. Let¡¯s go together!¡±

 Chapter 1151 - Their Purpose

    <h4>Chapter 1151 Their Purpose</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together? But those people outside have methrowers! And guns!¡± Rong Mingxing stared at Gu Nianzhi in disbelief. ¡°Isn¡¯t going out together a death sentence?!¡±¡°The two of us dying together is better than dying alone...¡± Gu Nianzhi was still in the mood to joke at that time, and patting Rong Mingxing on the shoulder. She blinked at her. ¡°Just wait and pray that a miracle will happen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that since He Zhichu sent her that text message, he would definitely create a chance for them to escape.

    She took Rong Mingxing to the broken door, looked out, then carefully and gently twitched the iron rod with thetch.

    Trying not to make any sound, she did so softly.

    Boom!

    Soon after the iron rod was pulled out from the door bolt, there was a sudden boom outside, and a burst of ck smoke and dust rose up.

    The smoke was so great that it floated in through the hole in the door.

    Holding the gun, Gu Nianzhi covered her nose with one hand and closed the door with her feet.

    She saw a burnt bus blocking the open space at the door!

    It was as if it fell from the sky and fell apart on the ground.

    The bus coincidentally blocked the door of the hut and blocked the sight of the elite Japanese servicemen.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her nose with her hand, grabbed Rong Mingxing¡¯s arm, then whispered, ¡°Go!¡±

    The two sprang out of the hut and rushed towards the nine o¡¯clock position.

    They ran extremely fast, much faster than usual.

    At that moment, a thought shed through their minds. It turns out that in life-or-death situations, people really burst out with greater energy than usual...

    There was a small intersection to their nine o¡¯clock, and, pulling Rong Mingxing, Gu Nianzhi ran towards that direction.

    Rong Mingxing grew anxious and repeatedly asked, ¡°Where are you going? What should we do if there¡¯s a dead-end over there?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to her. She ran like a maniac. She quickly ran out of the intersection and saw a small road ahead.

    A greyish-ck Hummer SUV was parked on the side of the road!

    Without saying anything, Gu Nianzhi opened the passenger door and stuffed Rong Mingxing in.

    She walked around to the driver¡¯s seat and got into the car.

    With the car key hanging there, Gu Nianzhi immediately started the car. When she stepped on the gas pedal, the car elerated forward.

    When she encountered an obstacle in front of her, she suddenly mmed on the brakes.

    Rong Mingxing almost hit the front windshield.

    ¡°Seat belt!¡± Gu Nianzhi fastened her seat belt and ordered Rong Mingxing to do the same.

    Rong Mingxing fumbled and fastened her seat belt, then stared at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This car is yours?!¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi grinned at her, revealing a few small white teeth as she said, ¡°I stole it.¡±

    How could she be so smug when she stole it?!

    Rong Mingxing felt the urge to roll her eyes.

    But for now, the most important matter was escaping. She stopped quarreling with Gu Nianzhi, looked ahead nervously, and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Judging from the direction, where they were going was neither the way back to the shopping center, nor was it the way back to the embassy.

    Gu Nianzhi tugged the corners of her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±

    Not long after she started driving, a car caught up behind them.

    Gu Nianzhi nced in the rearview mirror. At least three Ford vehicles of the same model were aggressively approaching.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to drive out of the city.

    This road, ording to her mobile phone¡¯s GPS disy, was exactly the right way to the Taj Mahal.

    Gu Nianzhi was going there.

    She connected her mobile phone¡¯s GPS, put on her Bluetooth headset, found the way to the Taj Mahal, and started to follow the navigation.

    The traffic on the road was congested, but the further you were from the center of New Delhi, the fewer rioters and obstacles there were in the way.

    After Gu Nianzhi drove the car for a while, she felt much more at ease.

    She drove the Hummer SUV skillfully around people and roadblocks, increased the speed, and drove towards the Taj Mahal.

    The three Ford vehicles chasing after her tried to overtake her and drive her off the highway.

    Gu Nianzhi held the steering wheel and said calmly to Rong Mingxing, ¡°Sit still.¡±

    With that, she mmed on the elerator, elerated again, and drove the Hummer SUV that was never known for speed as though it was her small Ferrari sports car.

    The scenery in front of them kept changing, and there were more cars on the road.

    Gu Nianzhi changednes, sped up, overtook them, then changednes, sped up, and overtook them again.

    She drove so fast and so recklessly that the drivers of the cars she overtook all broke into a cold sweat and kept honking at her.

    Gu Nianzhi drove away as if she hadn¡¯t heard.

    Rong Mingxing felt that her heart was about to leap out of her throat. She couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Can¡¯t you drive slower?! You¡¯re over the speed limit!¡±

    ¡°Speed limit? There¡¯s no such thing.¡± Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Catch me if you can!¡±

    Rong Mingxing, ¡°...¡±

    She¡¯s still so smug!

    She gritted her teeth and pulled the lever on the roof of the car with one hand.

    Bam!

    There was a loud noise behind the car, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    They started shooting.

    She quickly changednes again. She changed almost fournes on the highway within a minute, then switched back again in the blink of an eye.

    It was as if she was drifting on an empty road.

    Rong Mingxing couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She closed her eyes and started screaming.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was wearing a Bluetooth headset, she could still hear Rong Mingxing¡¯s scream.

    At that time, she couldn¡¯t simply make her shut up.

    Because this was her instinctive reaction, nothing could be done to stop her short of knocking her out or gagging her.

    It was a pity that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were tied. Otherwise, she really wanted to try.

    After many obstacles along the way, they finally arrived at Agra, where the Taj Mahal was located.

    Traffic jams weremon on that road, and a two-hour drive could be congested enough to make the trip take up to eight hours.

    But today there were very few cars on the highway. Gu Nianzhi guessed that since everyone had gone to exchange their money, there were no cars on the road...

    They elerated again, and it only took an hour before they saw the white dome of the Taj Mahal.

    ording to the route on the GPS, Gu Nianzhi got off the highway and was heading towards the Taj Mahal.

    In the three Ford vehicles behind her, the elites of Japan¡¯s Secret Service were befuddled.

    ¡°Where are they going?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they return to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s embassy?¡±

    ¡°This is the direction to the Taj Mahal. How could they be in the mood to go sightseeing at such a time?¡±

    The people in the car werepletely bewildered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apparent destination.

    Halfway there, they tried to shoot to block their way, but the driver was too cunning. She was literally drifting parallel across the highway, so they couldn¡¯t even hit them.

    They thought that the mission was a piece of cake, yet they never expected to encounter such an obstacle!

    These elites of Japan¡¯s Secret Service were a little reluctant to admit that they were outwitted, but they had no choice.

    They hadn¡¯t even managed toy a finger on her, yet she had already killed two of the elites on their side!

    They felt that at that time, they no longer lived up to their reputation as elites.

    Seeing the Hummer in front of them slow down and get off the highway, they quickly took out their guns, aimed at them, and continued shooting.

    At that time, changingnes was no longer so convenient. Gu Nianzhi felt the rearpartment of the car get hit, and the vehicle shook a little, but it wasn¡¯t obvious.

    She also felt a little uneasy.

    For the entire chase, they seemed to be trying to prevent her from going to the Taj Mahal.

    Could it be that the purpose of these Japanese elites wasn¡¯t to go to the Taj Mahal?

    Could it be that He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng weren¡¯t targeting these Japanese Secret Service elites?!

 Chapter 1152 - Your Sis Isnâ€™t a Legend

    <h4>Chapter 1152 Your Sis Isn¡°t a Legend</h4>

    It was noon, and the sun in South Asia was like an orange cake in the hot sky.The pure white circr roof of the Taj Mahal was very eye-catching from a distance.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes as she gazed at it, and she marveled over the fact that she had actually arrived there before Speaker Long.

    For India, the Taj Mahal was extremely famous.

    It was more than two hundred kilometers away from New Delhi and located in the city of Agra. The Yamuna River flowed on its right side, and the streaming water nourished the Taj Mahal.

    The tall white pce, the quaint bell tower, four white minarets, and a rectangr pool were in front of the mausoleum. It sat on a four-story white marble base. It appeared elegant, solemn, and indeed had the architectural style of an Indian emperor¡¯s favorite concubine.

    In reality, the Taj Mahal was the emperor¡¯s favorite concubine¡¯s tomb, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan after the death of his beloved concubine Taj Mahal.

    This mausoleum was not so much the highest cultural embodiment of Mughal architecture or a model of perfect architectural art as it was an emblement of epic love.

    The emperor, who doted on his favorite concubine, spent a lot of money to build this tomb that nearly cost him his own dynasty.

    As soon as the Taj Mahal had beenpleted, the emperor was overthrown by his son and imprisoned until his death.

    It was said that after being imprisoned, he only did one thing every day, which was to look at the reflection of the Taj Mahal outside the window.

    Gu Nianzhi had fully understood this history of the Taj Mahal beforeing to India.

    However, she learned about the history of the Taj Mahal not to prepare for the visit to India with Speaker Long, but purely because of a poem on the piece of paper that Reinitz had given her.

    ¡°Only let this one teardrop, glisten pure upon the cheek of time.¡±

    This poem signaled the love between the Mughal Emperor and his favorite concubine, but it was somewhat ipatible with the previous poem, A Little Girl Needs Daddy.

    Gu Nianzhi had her doubts, but then she saw Gu Xiangwen¡¯s manuscripts and letters that were sent back by the old Japanese man and discovered that the handwriting on it was exactly the same as the handwriting on this note, and her interest was revived.

    Now He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng also instructed her to go to the Taj Mahal. Perhaps the truth was really there?

    As she thought of this, Gu Nianzhi aggressively turned the steering wheel.

    With a sudden roar, the Hummer SUV made a 180-degree turn on the road along the river and sped away towards the other direction.

    The three Ford SUVs following behind were not so lucky.

    Such a sharp turn required not only excellent driving skills but also required high car performance.

    Although the Ford vehicle was higher performing than the average Japanese car, it was still far behind the Hummer.

    Gu Nianzhi sped all the way to the Taj Mahal, but when the three Ford vehicles turned around, they nearly flipped.

    Two of the cars also scratched each other¡¯s bodies, but thanks to the driver¡¯s excellent driving skills, they drove away quickly to avoid identally taking each other out.

    The Taj Mahal was a famous tourist attraction in India.

    But at that time, because of India¡¯s sudden banknote issue, nearly all Indians had rushed to the bank to exchange banknotes, so there were only foreign tourists.

    Gu Nianzhi drove off the highway and parked the car in the parking lot outside the Taj Mahal.

    She looked around and found that the three Ford vehicles driven by Japanese Secret Service elites had not arrived yet, so they should be safe for the time being.

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s face was ghastly pale the entire way, and she was so dumbstruck that she couldn¡¯t speak.

    When Gu Nianzhi stopped the car and opened the door to let her get out of the car, she pointed to her stiff leg, signaling that she waspletely unable to walk.

    ¡°Get out! Are you waiting for the Japanese to blow up the car?¡± Gu Nianzhi red at her. ¡°Get out, even if you have to climb out!¡±

    Rong Mingxing was startled by her, and she jumped out of the car.

    When shended, her legs went ck, and she barely knelt on the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi caught her in time, closed the car door with one hand, locked the car remotely, and then, supporting Rong Mingxing, she ran to hide at the other end of the Taj Mahal¡¯s parking lot.

    Because one had to walk into the Taj Mahal to visit, not drive in.

    The corridors inside were all cultural relics, and in some ces, you had to take off your shoes to enter.

    The floor was covered with thick carpets, the pattern of ancient Persian Dali, and they appeared byzantine and magnificent.

    It was a sharp contrast to the clean and white lines of the Taj Mahal.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Rong Mingxing and tried to cheer her up by saying, ¡°You quickly stand up and walk on your own. If you continue to drag on like this, we will both be caught by them. Do you want to fall into the hands of the Japanese?¡±

    Rong Mingxing shuddered and felt that her legs had regained some strength.

    Supported by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, she tentatively ced her foot on the ground, then started taking steady steps.

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. If Rong Mingxing really couldn¡¯t even walk, Gu Nianzhi would have to think of something else.

    Rong Mingxing heaved, nced at Gu Nianzhi awkwardly, and whispered, ¡°...You are truly impressive. Thank you for not abandoning me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She turned her head to nce at Rong Mingxing in amusement. ¡°Now you¡¯re no longer saying that I rely on men? You see, it¡¯s not easy to be me!¡±

    Rong Mingxing, ¡°...¡±

    It was the first time she found that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smugness actually wasn¡¯t annoying at all!

    Instead, it gave her more confidence.

    Under such harsh environments and dangerous conditions, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t panic but was full of confidence.

    Not only could she use thew to fight in court, but she also knew how to use weapons to kill.

    Such a girl deserved to get more opportunities than others, right?

    Although Rong Mingxing was somewhat envious, she had no choice but to admit how impressive someone like Gu Nianzhi was.

    ¡°Alright now, don¡¯t fawn over your older sis too much. I¡¯m not a legend, but an actual person.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Rong Mingxing.

    Rong Mingxing tugged the corners of her mouth and said, ¡°...You are three years younger than me, so what do you mean older sis? You¡¯re a little brat!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, is it really alright to use age to determine things? Your older sis has experienced more hardships than you.¡± Gu Nianzhi beamed.

    Rong Mingxing stared at her nkly, then asked her, ¡°What are you going to do here? Are you going to visit the Taj Mahal?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Not yet. We have to wait for a few people.¡±

    The two of them sat under the shade of trees at the other end of the parking lot. A row of cars in front concealed the two of them.

    Before long, the three Ford SUVs also arrived at the parking lot of the Taj Mahal.

    Gu Nianzhi became vignt. She pulled Rong Mingxing aside, stuffed her behind a car, and whispered, ¡°...stay here and don¡¯t move. I will lead them away.¡±

    In reality, her hands were itching for the chance to kill these Tokyo Secret Service elites. It was best to take one prisoner so that she could catch Special Assistant Yang red-handed.

    Besides, there were people who had her back, so she was feeling especially bold.

    Rong Mingxing was very nervous, and holding her hand, she trembled as she said, ¡°...You¡¯re crazy! They have a lot of people! They also have many other weapons, but you only have a small pistol!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi secretly thought, although I only have a small pistol, there are people who have my back!

    She smiled slightly, pulled her hand out of Rong Mingxing¡¯s grip, and patted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    This simple move actually made Rong Mingxing feel as if she were her boyfriend!

    Rong Mingxing shook her head quickly and threw this wild hallucination to the back of her mind.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was entirely on the Japanese. Holding the small pistol in both hands, she dashed into the cluster of cars.

    It was already afternoon, so the sun was scorching hot, and the temperature was blistering.

    The gate of the parking lot was closed so that no more cars coulde in.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart lifted. Could it be that Professor He or Huo Shaoheng¡¯s people did so strategically so they could block the enemy¡¯s retreat and then eliminate them?

    She turned her head and looked around, but there was no one in sight.

    The three Ford vehicles were parked side by side within the yellow lines, not that far away. The people inside had not gotten out of the car, and she didn¡¯t know what they were doing.

    Gu Nianzhi waited quietly for a while and silently counted to five. Then she took a deep breath, quickly turned around, pointed her gun at the wheels of the three Ford vehicles, and fired three shots!

    Poof¨C!

    The front wheel immediately deted.

    After Gu Nianzhi fired the shot, she immediately turned around and hid.

    The person in the Ford quickly drew his gun and fired back, shooting a few bullets towards the direction Gu Nianzhi had shot from.

    Gu Nianzhi ran away in time, but the few cars in the area were unlucky. The windows were shattered, and the entire vehicle looked like a honeb.

    Most of the cars there were luxury cars.

    When the cars were shot, the automatic rms on the cars sounded immediately one after another.

    There were the chirping sounds of car rms in the parking lot, and it was so loud it covered the sounds of gunfire.

    The Japanese Secret Service elites in the Ford vehicles came out of their cars. A dozen people holding guns moved in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    Gu Nianzhi aimed at the person the furthest to the side in the parking lot and fired, hitting that person in the shoulder.

    The man¡¯s hand shook, and he couldn¡¯t hold the gun anymore, so it fell to the ground.

    He was also tough, and without bothering to check the wound on his shoulder, he quickly lowered his head to pick up the gun with his other hand.

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi fired another shot at his head.

    Boom!

    One more Japanese had fallen.

    Seeing this, several other Japanese elites in the Secret Service immediately fired back at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current position.

    Their movements were fast, and the bullets nearly hit her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned around, and with her body tightly pressed against a car, she narrowly escaped the bullets.

    Following the snipers¡¯ principle of changing ces with each shot, Gu Nianzhi ran from the back of the car to the other side.

    In the huge parking lot, she was alone with more than a dozen elite Japanese Secret Servicemen.

    Her pistol was a GLOCK18 pistol given to her by He Zhichu. It could hold 33 bullets and could fire continuously. It had deadly lethality and precise shooting. It was generally used by the special forces.

    So, she felt self-assured enough to fight back against the Japanese with ammunition.

    It was a pity that she didn¡¯t have a magazine to reload, and each shot meant one less bullet, so she had to use them sparingly, or else she could¡¯ve killed them all long ago.

    He Zhichu, who from not that far away was observing the parking lot with a telescope, felt enraged and amused when he saw the scene.

    ¡°How naughty.¡± There was a hint of affection in his indifferent tone, and his almond-shaped eyes were full of adoration. His eyes followed Gu Nianzhi. After a while, he raised his hand and said, ¡°Send in some bullets for her.¡±

 Chapter 1153 - The Sparrow Appears

    <h4>Chapter 1153 The Sparrow Appears</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi slid down and hid between the vehicles. She was agile and ran and jumped through the parking lot like a deer.Rong Mingxing quietly poked her head out from the car she was hiding behind and watched Gu Nianzhi with secret admiration.

    She had always thought that she was a woman who climbed up by depending on her looks and men, but now she finally changed her view.

    Gu Nianzhi was more beautiful than her, smarter than her, worked harder than her, and was willing to risk more than her. What right did she have toin?

    Rong Mingxing clenched her fists and secretly thought after she goes back, she must find a job, be a down-to-earth person, and stop trying to cut corners...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s figure dashed across the two red luxury cars and immediately attracted the attention of the Japanese Secret Service elites.

    ¡°Over there!¡± They exchanged nces with each other, then spread out tacitly, and, relying on theirrge numbers, they were nning to outnk her from four directions.

    When Gu Nianzhi suddenly discovered that several people in front were missing, she immediately realized that something was amiss.

    They were scattered and nning to surround her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly looked around but saw no other people.

    She thought for a moment and immediately made a quick decision. Lying by the door of a blue car and holding her GLOCK18 pistol in her hand, she pointed it at the four gunmen in front of her, then narrowed her eyes and tapped her fingers.

    After a few gunshots rang out, three of the four gunmen in front of her suddenly fell.

    The remaining one immediately raised a gun to fire back, but Gu Nianzhi had already squatted down and used the car as a cover to avoid the opponent¡¯s counterattack.

    The car¡¯s automatic rm went off.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as though she was going to go deaf.

    She squatted down, nced around, and suddenly saw a few legs approaching her through the cars!

    D*mn!

    So, they were waiting for her here!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately rolled to the ground,id down, raised her GLOCK18 pistol, and shot at the approaching legs from the bottom of the car!

    ¡°Ah¨C!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard cries of pain from all directions.

    Gu Nianzhi shot the Japanese Secret Service elites who tried to outnk her from all directions several times in the leg. They immediately lost their ability to move and fell to the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but smugly curl her lips.

    Holding a gun in both hands and arching her body, she moved forward stealthily and approached a few Japanese Secret Service elites from behind who had been hit in the leg by her.

    She was very careful, lest those people copy her and shoot her leg from the bottom of the car. So, she walked where they couldn¡¯t see her.

    But when she was approaching those people, Gu Nianzhi suddenly found that her gun had no more bullets...

    D*mn!

    How inconvenient...

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth

    She nced at the gate of the parking lot andmented at the prospect that she couldn¡¯t kill these people all at once.

    If she had another round of ammunition, she could take them all!

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by her own imagination and took a step back, but suddenly tripped over something.

    When she looked back, she was stunned.

    There was a small square wooden box lying there!

    She could immediately tell from the sign on the box that it was ammunition.

    My goodness, it¡¯s like a gift from God!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly picked up the wooden box, and there was indeed a neatly packed row of magazines inside!

    After counting them, she discovered that there were actually six magazines.

    This meant she had one hundred and ny-eight bullets to use.

    Afterparing it with her own gun, she discovered it was a perfect match, so she was immediately certain that He Zhichu had sent it to her.

    She happily waved to a ce in the distance, and made no sound as she mouthed with her lips, ¡°Thank you, Professor He!¡±

    When He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi waving in the air through the binocrs and saw her mouthing words, he curled the corners of her lips, his almond-eyes gleamed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

    ...

    With the magazines, Gu Nianzhi was even more powerful.

    She took the six magazines out of the wooden box and found that they were connected in series with a belt, which was obviously a standard magazine that could either be tied to the waist or worn across the chest.

    She immediately tied the six magazines loosely around her waist, strapped them across her hips, then drew one out and reloaded the pistol.

    Just as she was about to get up, suddenly, a hot barrel touched her head.

    Gu Nianzhi was caught off guard and was surprised that she had been actually caught up by someone...

    She had killed many secret service elites, and only one of them couldn¡¯t be finished off, but in the end, she was caught by this person.

    Gu Nianzhi froze, but felt like screaming inside, ¡®Professor He, Huo Shaoheng! The time for you guys to save me hase!¡¯

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi?¡± The person asked aloud, sounding a little uncertain.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t answer but simply snorted inside. If they wanted to kill her, they should hurry up and get it done. If Huo Shaoheng arrived, a hundred heads wouldn¡¯t be enough forpensation!

    But after a moment she didn¡¯t hear a gunshot, and instead, she heard Rong Mingxing¡¯s voice echoing in the parking lot, saying, ¡°You let go of her! She is Rong Mingxing! I am Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    The Japanese man also couldn¡¯t quite believe that the woman in front of him who could fight and run so ably andpetently was the invincible femalewyer Gu Nianzhi.

    Because the photos and videos he had seen of Gu Nianzhi were all where she was dressed in formal clothes and smiling sweetly. Now she was wearing a baggy khaki safari jacket, rugged Martin boots, sunsses, and holding a weapon like a female bodyguard...

    Upon suddenly hearing someone say that she wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi, he was taken aback and reflexively raised his head to look in the direction Rong Mingxing was speaking from.

    With this distraction, Gu Nianzhi immediately rolled to the ground and quickly raised her hand to pull the trigger.

    At almost the exact same instant, a sniper bullet flew over and hit the back of the man¡¯s head.

    Blood squirted in front of her eyes, and as though she were watching in slow motion, the man¡¯s head burst, spewing out blood!

    Gu Nianzhi had never witnessed a sniper bullet kill a person up close, and she quickly closed her eyes, then rolled into the chassis of the car beside her.

    After quickly running from there, she got up and sprinted over to the Japanese Secret Service elites who had been shot in the legs. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t continue to run from them, so she fired a dozen bullets into their shoulders and arms to make sure she hit them and that they had no more power to fight back against her.

    But it wasn¡¯t easy to hit their arms and shoulders at such a close range, and it was much harder than simply shooting them in the chest.

    Gu Nianzhi missed a few shots and shot two people directly in the chest. Those two people immediately fell dead.

    The remaining three people were hit in the arms and shoulders, so it was impossible for them to shoot back with their guns.

    She breathed a long sigh of relief and raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, then made an OK gesture towards the distance.

    He Zhichu put down the binocrs and smiled a little. He was just about to contact Huo Shaoheng to find out where he was now when he suddenly heard a gunshot from behind.

    He did not look back, nor did he hesitate. He immediately jumped down from the window!

    A few white gunmen with sniper rifles came in and murmured, ¡°Sh*t! He got away! This is the third floor!¡±

    A tall man dressed in ck rushed in with a small pistol in his hand. He had blond hair, blue eyes, a chilly aura, and a handsome face with an aloof expression.

    He squinted at the parking lot not that far away, waved his hand, andmanded indifferently, ¡°Surround the parking lot.¡±

    That man was Reinitz.

    ...

 Chapter 1154 - Clearing the Space

    <h4>Chapter 1154 Clearing the Space</h4>

    Check yourself before you wreck yourself.He Zhichu brought a lot of people, but some of them were in that small building.

    As a result, as soon as the bait, Reinitz, appeared, some of He Zhichu¡¯s people were trapped there.

    After leaping down from the third floor, He Zhichu quickly contacted his people through his Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Each team shall report the number of casualties. The team in the parking lot shall evacuate to the main hall of the Taj Mahal.¡±

    Soon, he heard the voices of each team leader reporting through the Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Received. The second team has nine people and no casualties.¡±

    ¡°Received. There are nine people in the third team, with zero casualties.¡±

    ¡°Received. The fourth team has nine people, no casualties.¡±

    After a while, there was a weak voice from the Bluetooth headset saying, ¡°Yes. A small team... nine people, five dead and two injured.¡±

    This squad, the people who followed He Zhichu into that small building, originally consisted of the international mercenary elites he found for this mission.

    The enemy had caught He Zhichu off guard by striking when he was unprepared.

    He Zhichu bared his teeth, but continued to say in an indifferent tone, ¡°Does the small team have a video of the ambush?¡±

    ¡°...No.¡±

    He Zhichu decided not to dwell on it any further. ¡°The remaining two of you cope with the aftermath, and then go back to the New Delhi hotel to wait for us.¡±

    Although the remaining two survived Reinitz¡¯s ambush attack, it wasn¡¯t wise to continue following them at that moment because of the casualties of their teammates.

    After making preparations, He Zhichu ran to the parking lot alone.

    But halfway there, bullets started to fly at him from behind.

    Although he moved swiftly and kept using the zigzag route to avoid the opponent¡¯s shots, he was almost hit by bullets several times.

    He Zhichu quickly changed his mind, and instead of running in the direction of the parking lot, he ran in the opposite direction whilemunicating with Gu Nianzhi through the Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°There was an ambush. Leave the parking lot quickly and go to the main hall of the Taj Mahal to meet me.¡±

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi was questioning the Japanese Secret Service elites whose arms and legs she had shot. Rong Mingxing was trembling and filming the video, which would serve as evidence.

    ¡°Who sent you here?¡±

    The few peopley on the ground with their eyes closed and refused to speak.

    Gu Nianzhi raised the gun in her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t want to tell me, do you? Pretending to be a tough guy, huh?¡±

    After speaking, she shot one of the men in the middle of his chest and said coldly, ¡°If you continue to refuse to speak, this will be your fate.¡±

    Most people feared death more than anything in such situations.

    Among those few Japanese Secret Service elites, there was one person who wasn¡¯t afraid of death. But, unfortunately, he had just been shot to death by Gu Nianzhi.

    The rest of the people were scared to death by her, and suddenly opened their eyes to ask her, ¡°...if we speak, will you let us go?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not a murderous lunatic like you.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°Don¡¯t try to figure me out with your nasty imagination.¡±

    The Japanese hummed and looked at each other, then finally pushed someone forward and said, ¡°You ask him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held the gun in one hand and pulled out her phone to record with the other. ¡°Spill it,¡± she spat out.

    The man hesitated for a while, then said, ¡°...our information came from Special Assistant Yang.¡±

    ¡°Him? Why him? What information did he give you? What were the terms of your exchange?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked shrewdly, hitting the nail on the head.

    The Japanese man still hesitated. Gu Nianzhi was worried that he was stalling and kicked him. ¡°Say it! Do you wanna get shot at again?¡±

    Since he had already let it slip anyway, the man decided to spill it all, and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be him?! How could he simply swallow the fact that he got kicked out of the parliament? Think about it with your head! As for what information was given, you can just ask him. Got it? As for the terms of the exchange, for a person like him, money is naturally the most important thing.¡±

    It seemed that those who are dissatisfied with their profession and superiors are often the targets of foreign spy agencies...

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. She had already recorded it with her phone, but as soon as she finished recording, she saw He Zhichu¡¯s text message telling her to leave the parking lot.

    It seems there is danger here...

    Gu Nianzhi regretted that she couldn¡¯t take hostages back alive.

    But after thinking about it, she didn¡¯t think there was any great loss either. She already had the video recording, and that alone was enough to catch Special Assistant Yang.

    Moreover, since he was bribed with money, there would be traces, and there was no need for these Japanese intelligence personnel to serve as witnesses.

    Gu Nianzhi put her phone away and fired a shot into the ground. ¡°Okay, I will let you go for the time being. As for whether you live or die, God will decide. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Rong Mingxing stumbled as Gu Nianzhi dragged her along. She followed Gu Nianzhi to the Hummer SUV.

    When Gu Nianzhi got into the car, she realized that the car tires had been punctured by the Japanese.

    The car couldn¡¯t be driven anymore, so she had to continue running on foot.

    The two of them flipped over the railing at the gates and ran towards the corridor of the Taj Mahal.

    ...

    The Japanese Secret Service elites with broken arms and legs looked at each other in a daze, as if they couldn¡¯t believe that they had escaped death.

    But their relief didn¡¯tst long.

    A few tall and burly white gunmen appeared in front of them, and taking out theirrge-caliber M1911A with impassive expressions. They killed the Japanese men one by one.

    ...

    Reinitz rushed to the parking lot only to see the bodies of the Japanese Secret Service elites.

    ¡°Where is she?¡± he asked the white gunman, who had arrived first. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the woman in the khaki safari suit?¡±

    The white gunman shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t find them. Only found these East Asians. We thought they seemed miserable, so we put them out of their misery.¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    It took no more than fifteen minutes to run from that small building.

    Where could Gu Nianzhi have gone in those fifteen minutes?

    ¡°Have you searched here?¡± Reinitz looked around warily.

    ¡°I have searched with the vital signs device, but there is no one.¡±

    In other words, there were no living people.

    Reinitz frowned. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill her by ident, did you?¡±

    ¡°No, we only killed these people. The others were already dead. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can check the wound ballistics.¡±

    The bullets they used were special-standard bullets, which were different from what others used.

    Reinitz looked back in the direction where He Zhichu disappeared and snorted coldly.

    Just now, they were led astray by He Zhichu. They had chased after him for a while, only to realize that they were not heading in the direction of the parking lot.

    Although they had turned back quickly, it was obvious that the ten-minute gap had been used to stall them so Gu Nianzhi could run away.

    ¡°Boss, what shall we do now?¡±

    Reinitz held a pistol in one hand and looked around. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Taj Mahal.¡±

    He used that sentence from Tagore¡¯s poem and showed it to Gu Nianzhi just for this day.

    Not long after they evacuated, the situation in the parking lot was discovered by foreign tourists who came back to their cars.

    The Indians who guarded the entrance and exit of the parking lot had been killed by several elites from Japan¡¯s Secret Service, and the railing at the entrance could no longer be lifted.

    ¡°Call the police! Call the police!¡±

    ¡°My car! My car!¡±

    The foreign tourists held their heads and screamed, but even that couldn¡¯t alleviate their fear and outrage.

    But at that time, most of the police in New Delhi were at the bank exchanging money, so no one was there to help.

    The entire city of New Delhi was in unprecedented chaos, and various criminal cases were emerging one after another. At that time, there were few police officers who were on duty.

    ¡°Warning for the main hall of the Taj Mahal, please leave the main hall quickly.¡±

    ¡°Warning for the main hall of the Taj Mahal, please leave the main hall quickly.¡±

    At that time, a honking noise sounded from the square of the Taj Mahal.

    The voice was extremely cold and t-toned, but with a pure American ent. It was Reinitz who was ordering his men to clear out the Taj Mahal.

    Arge group of foreign tourists ran out of the main hall of the Taj Mahal immediately. Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing were almost trampled by the crowd.

 Chapter 1155 - Destined to Mee

    <strong>Chapter 1155 Destined to Mee</strong>

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! What¡¯s going on? Why are you still heading in there when it¡¯s getting cleared out?¡± Rong Mingxing asked while trembling. Grabbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, she refused to let her go any further.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated and looked at the mob of tourists running out of the main hall of the Taj Mahal.

    Should she go or not?

    He Zhichu asked her to go, but the announcement ordering the Taj Mahal to be cleared out made her feel uneasy.

    She felt that He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t have issued such an announcement at that time.

    But if it wasn¡¯t He Zhichu, who could it be?

    She should be careful...

    Gu Nianzhi only hesitated for a second, then immediately turned around to run out with the tourists.

    But as soon as she turned around, a tall figure had passed through the crowd, and standing in front of her, he blocked her way.

    Before Gu Nianzhi had time to reach for her gun, the man grabbed her wrist and said affectionately, ¡°Cereus, who would¡¯ve thought we were destined to meet again in such a poor country?¡±

    He spoke in perfect Hanoverian German and sounded powerful yet gentle.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise to see Reinitz. Standing in front of her with a familiar gentle smile on his face, he gazed at her affectionately. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to the Taj Mahal.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Something was wrong.

    But she couldn¡¯t tell what was wrong.

    There was a voice inside telling her: Don¡¯t go, don¡¯t follow him...

    Gu Nianzhi stood in ce, refusing to follow Reinitz.

    When Reinitz found that Gu Nianzhi was unwilling to move forward, he looked back at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Cereus, why don¡¯t you want to go?¡±

    Rong Mingxing stood aside in a daze. At that moment, she realized that Reinitz seemed familiar, and said in surprise, ¡°You... aren¡¯t you that guy from Germany...?¡±

    Reinitz seemed to have only then noticed Rong Mingxing and smiled gently at her. ¡°...another little friend.¡±

    He raised his chin, and Rong Mingxing had no chance to say another word before she was knocked out from behind.

    A white man dressed as a tourist squatted, and picking up the unconscious Rong Mingxing, he led her forward as if they were a couple.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    This was bad. Rong Mingxing was being taken away by them, so how could she not follow along?

    Not wanting Reinitz to see the expression in her eyes, Gu Nianzhi quickly lowered her head and stared at the ground.

    Reinitz squeezed her hand, got closer to her ear, and said softly, ¡°...Cereus, I like obedient girls. Your little friend has already left obediently, so why don¡¯t youe as well? Are you going to abandon your little friend?¡±

    Intending to garner sympathy by ying the damsel in distress, Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    She believed that Reinitz was a person who could be swayed by pity but could not be cowed by force.

    After blinking her eyes twice, tears rolled down Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    She raised her head and gazing at Reinitz with teary eyes, and she said in a choked-up voice, ¡°Reinitz, please let her go. She has nothing to do with this matter, so please just involve me.¡±

    ¡°Good girl, don¡¯t cry.¡± Reinitz took out a small pack of beautifully wrapped tissues from his pocket, took out a wet tissue that was as soft as silk, then gently wiped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears as he said patiently, ¡°As long as you are obedient, your little friend will be fine.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m so scared. Please let her go, okay? I promise you I will be obedient.¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed Reinitz¡¯s hand and begged softly. There was a pitiful look in her doe-eyes.

    No one could resist Gu Nianzhi when she was like that, right?

    Unfortunately, she was wrong.

    Reinitz tilted his head and gazed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teary countenance with awe. He chuckled and said, ¡°Okay, Cereus, who are you trying to fool with this act? Just earlier, our good girl was there in the parking lot killing people, so do you think that by showing weakness and shedding some crocodile tears, I will believe you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    D*mn, she cried for nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately stopped sobbing, took the entire pack of tissues from Reinitz¡¯s hand unceremoniously, wiped her face, and said nkly, ¡°I¡¯ve amused Chief Hohenzollern. But since you took my little friend and won¡¯t listen to my advice, then don¡¯t me me for being unceremonious.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    Reinitz suddenly pulled at Gu Nianzhi with great force.

    Gu Nianzhi staggered a few steps, and couldn¡¯t stop, so she involuntarily plunged into his arms.

    Reinitz wrapped his other hand around her and, embracing her waist, he whispered softly, ¡°...This is what you mean by being unceremonious? I don¡¯t mind. You¡¯re wee...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. Pushing Reinitz away, she frowned and said, ¡°Reinitz, what is wrong with you? I feel like your persona has suddenly changed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s German wasn¡¯t very good. She said the term ¡®persona has suddenly changed¡¯ in English.

    ¡°Persona has suddenly changed? Perhaps you never really bothered to get to know me?¡± Reinitz chuckled. Then, folding his hands, he hugged her tighter and whispered in her ears, ¡°With me being so intimate with you, won¡¯t the people backing you be enraged and jump out immediately?¡±

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi only felt that her heartbeat had stopped, and her eardrums were filled with the sound of rushing blood, making her feel dizzy.

    How did Reinitz know?!

    However, although she was anxious inside, she still maintained calm on the surface. She frowned and looked impatient. She twisted her neck and said coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I will count to three. If you don¡¯t let go, I really won¡¯t hold back!¡±

    Reinitz simply felt that Gu Nianzhi was like a little African hedgehog with only teeth and dancing ws. She looked like she had thorns all over her body, but in reality, every thorn was soft. She didn¡¯t know how breathtaking she appeared when she got angry.

    He gazed at her in his arms and as if he was intoxicated, and muttered, ¡°You can count to a hundred. I don¡¯t mind...¡±

    As soon as his voice fell, Gu Nianzhi suddenly lowered her head and mmed it into Reinitz¡¯s chest.

    Reinitz bowed back in time to avoid the collision.

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi could move again, so she immediately raised her long legs and kicked Reinitz¡¯s crotch fiercely!

    Reinitz¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and in the nick of time, he quickly pushed Gu Nianzhi away to avoid being hit by her.

    ¡°Boss!¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s men had been standing aside for the entire time. At that time, upon seeing Reinitz being attacked by Gu Nianzhi, they immediately rushed forward and grabbed both of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm.

    ¡°This girl can shoot, and her marksmanship is pretty good. Boss, take off her arm, lest she grabs a gun again.¡± Reinitz¡¯s had no affection for Gu Nianzhi and was more merciless towards her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face immediately paled, but she didn¡¯t pretend to cry like before, and simply gazed at Reinitz coldly while saying, ¡°Bring it on. But if you can, you might as well kill me instead of simply taking off my arm. As long as I want to die, even if you knock me out, I will kill myself!¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s men were amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big talk, and they all pped their thighs as theyughed.

    One of his subordinates chuckled and asked, ¡°How can you kill yourself if you¡¯re unconscious?

    ¡°Bah!¡± Gu Nianzhi red at him. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, try it! Knock me out and see if I can still kill myself!¡±

    Although Reinitz¡¯s men didn¡¯t take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s threat seriously, Reinitz was dubious.

    Because he knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s physique was different from that of an ordinary person.

    Perhaps she can really kill herself even if she¡¯s knocked out?

    Reinitz ced his hands behind his back. The look in his eyes was unreadable, but there were signs of a fierce struggle inside.

    It was as if he was seeing the same resilient Gu Nianzhi who was electro-shocked in the Alps.

    But when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s video, she immediately broke down...

    At that moment, Reinitz was extremely jealous of Huo Shaoheng.

    Only that man could truly move the prideful woman with an iron will...

    He didn¡¯t want to self-introspect, let alone find out how much he truly cared about her, how much he... loved her.

    He even refused to think about when he started to have special feelings for her.

    In their profession, false feelings weremonce, and the saying was that you couldn¡¯t even distinguish your true feelings yourself.

    In reality, how could one not be able to distinguish between one¡¯s true feelings and when they were acting?

    It was simply due to the fact that one¡¯s self-control was strong enough to deceive others and oneself.

    When one really meets someone who one cares about, one will be able to differentiate between true and false feelings ¡ª even people in their profession.

    Thousands of thoughts raced through Reinitz¡¯s mind in an instant.

    Upon seeing that he remained silent, his men thought he had consented and was about to remove Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder joints. Reinitz suddenly raised his hand and pushed the man aside. He spoke with a menacing expression on his face, saying, ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken yet, so how dare you be so presumptuous?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, boss.¡± The man was intimidated by Reinitz¡¯s expression. His heart pounded, and he quickly lowered his head in guilt.

    Reinitz had always been very gentle, but gentlemen who were usually mild-tempered were the most intimidating when they lost their temper once in a blue moon.

    His subordinates knew how capable he was and had immense faith in him, so they all readily and unconditionally followed his instructions.

    After pulling Gu Nianzhi away from the grasp of his two men, Reinitz took her hand again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were soft and flexible, but the palms of her hands were full of sweat and were a stark contrast to her calm,posed, and aloof demeanor.

    It turned out that she wasn¡¯t unafraid, but was simply putting on a tough facade.

    Reinitz breathed a sigh of relief, then he smiled and stretched out his hand to lift her chin. ¡°Little liar, I was almost fooled by you.¡± As he spoke, he took her hand and used some strength to force her to move forward.

    With an impassive expression on her face, Gu Nianzhi restrained her emotions as much as possible. She didn¡¯t allow herself to look around, nor did she dare let Reinitz find out who she was waiting for...

    Although Reinitz already seemed to have a hunch, and he was using her to force the people behind her toe out from hiding.

    At that time, she couldn¡¯t afford to mess up because she couldn¡¯t let Professor He and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ns go down the drain.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly calmed her nerves down, and her attention shifted to Reinitz.

    Why had Reinitze here?

    What was his purpose?

    As Gu Nianzhi pondered over this, she nced at Reinitz quickly.

    Reinitz was just turning back to look at her, and when they made eye contact, Reinitz¡¯s breathing nearly came to a stop.

    Her eyes were so entrancing that he immediately felt himself drawn in by her intense gaze.

    What an alluring pair of eyes. They were so utterly bewitching.

    Reinitz looked away calmly, and his voice remained gentle. ¡°Cereus, don¡¯t be afraid. I will show you around the Taj Mahal and see if there is anything interesting here.¡±

 Chapter 1156 - I Have One Condition

    <h4>Chapter 1156 I Have One Condition</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Reinitz, then sighed and secretlymented inside: Isn¡¯t Reinitz a perfect example of the devil with an angel¡¯s face?

    She silently followed Reinitz¡¯s lead and walked forward one step at a time.

    There were fewer and fewer tourists rushing out of the Taj Mahal, and most of them had gone to the parking lot.

    And in the parking lot...

    Gu Nianzhi dared not think about it further.

    Although she had been killing quite viciously, that was because her life was being threatened.

    Looking back now, she felt that scene was... tsk, it was a bit too bloody.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t regret killing the elites of Japan¡¯s Secret Service, but she regretted not cleaning up the scene. How frightened would those children be?

    After all, there were minors among the tourists who came there.

    While thinking of this, Gu Nianzhi nced back at the parking lot.

    Reinitz seems to have read her mind, and said softly, ¡°...the bodies there have been removed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Where were they moved to?¡±

    Reinitz smiled, and his gaze swept across her face quickly. ¡°They were, of course, thrown into the small river ditch outside the parking lot. We didn¡¯t have time to bury them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Regardless, she felt relieved.

    But soon, upon seeing Reinitz¡¯s hand clinging to hers, Gu Nianzhi knew that he wouldn¡¯t give up this time.

    In the German Alps, Reinitz hade up with an borate scheme to counter hers, and it had nearly seeded.

    In reality, Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t understand why Reinitz had let her go in the end...

    So, this time he set up a trap and led her into it because he regretted letting her gost time?

    Did he really need to use such a cumbersome method?

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and poked through the window¡¯s paper panel.

    ¡°Reinitz, if you want to deal with me, you don¡¯t have to use such a ceremonious method.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? What should I have done?¡± Reinitz nced back at her with a smile, and his eyes gleamed lightly. His azure blue eyes were slightly raised, and they looked bewitching.

    Gu Nianzhi also gazed at him with a smile.

    Were theypeting to see who had the most electrifying eyes?

    She was a pro in terms of that!

    She narrowed her lustrous dark eyes and said coquettishly, ¡°All you have to do is spread the word about what I did to your country¡¯s inte system.¡±

    Reinitz knew that Gu Nianzhi was the famous mysterious hacker Pink Piggy, but he never told anyone about it.

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that what she did in Reinitz¡¯s department was extremely harmful, and she could¡¯ve gotten shot because of it.

    But the passion in Reinitz¡¯s eyes disappeared instantly, like a night sky without stars or moon, like darkness without any light.

    ¡°Hehe, do you think I wanted to deal with you?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t you?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged and raised her hand. ¡°Look, you are still holding my hand. You¡¯re afraid that I will run away, right? You can do what your men said just now, hack off my arm, or break my leg...¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. If you hack off my leg, you will have to carry me away, which would be inconvenient.¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned and rejected this proposal.

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good suggestion. If I hack off your leg, you can only rely on me. It would be up to me to carry you on my back or in my arms!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    There was something ambiguous about his words, and Gu Nianzhi never thought about flirting with Reinitz.

    In her eyes, he was as deadly as a poisonous ck widow spider!

    Whoever fell in love with him would end up being devoured by him.

    ¡°So why did you use that poem to lure me to the Taj Mahal?¡± Gu Nianzhi coughed and changed the subject. ¡°Also, was that written by my father? Or did you forge the handwriting?¡±

    Reinitz gave her a sideways nce. ¡°Now you know it¡¯s a trap? You don¡¯t seem to be very scared.¡± Then, he got closer to Gu Nianzhi and said in her ear, ¡°...or you are certain that, no matter how you throw a tantrum, I won¡¯t hurt you for sure?¡±

    The German word for tantrum wasn¡¯t the same as the word do, so Gu Nianzhi understood it very clearly. Reinitz was trying to unnerve her.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly stepped aside and said, ¡°How could I be sure? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to die. It would be better if you just get it over with and kill me, instead of torturing me every day. I must say that I am particrly afraid of pain.¡±

    ¡°Are you scared?¡± Reinitz looked her up and down, then said with a teasing look in his eyes, said, ¡°Why can¡¯t I see the fear at all?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! What use does fear have? Will you let me go because I showed fear?¡±

    Reinitz replied, ¡°...Of course not.¡± But he would treat her better...

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled. ¡°So, why should I look scared? Besides, you won¡¯t make it easy for me no matter what. It¡¯s better to appear happy. If it¡¯s an eyesore for you, I¡¯ll be even happier.¡±

    Reinitz looked away nkly. He wanted to take back what he thought of just now. This girl didn¡¯t need others to treat her well...

    Her sharp tongue was enough to make one fly into a fit of rage.

    He stopped talking, and, grabbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, he strode from the corridor to the main hall of the Taj Mahal.

    The rectangr pool in front of the Taj Mahal reflected the magnificent figure of the building itself, and the water in the sun pool was marvelous.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the sky, the ground, and the reflection in the pool. She admired it for a while, then tried to persuade Reinitz, saying, ¡°... Director Hohenzollern, you must strike a bnce between work and fun. For example, if you came to the beautiful Taj Mahal while on a mission, wouldn¡¯t you want to take a selfie and post it on socialworking sites to attract fans? With my camera, I have various photoshop apps that can make you appear even more handsome than a Hollywood star.¡±

    Feeling speechless, Reinitz looked up at the sky. ¡°No thank you, I don¡¯t need to take a selfie, and I don¡¯t need fans. But...¡± He suddenly looked back at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°We can take a picture together. Come here...¡±

    He took out his phone, then faced it towards himself and Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come on, say cheers.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused and frantically turned her head away from the camera. ¡°You don¡¯t even have any photoshop apps, and you don¡¯t have a selfie stick. I¡¯ll look ugly, so I don¡¯t want to take a selfie with you.¡±

    ¡°Cereus, stop causing such a fuss. Come, let¡¯s take a photo.¡± Reinitz suddenly wanted to take a photo with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi just wouldn¡¯t cooperate.

    At that time, she was being extremely mischievous.

    First, she turned her head and refused to take the photo. When Reinitz held her head and forced her to turn back, Gu Nianzhi grinned and grimaced to make sure that even if a photo was taken, no one would recognize that it was her!

    The two of them struggled the entire way, and in order to take the selfie, Reinitz resorted to all sorts of tactics, but he couldn¡¯t sway Gu Nianzhi.

    After all, Reinitz wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng. He didn¡¯t know that when Gu Nianzhi was being mischievous, he couldn¡¯t coax her to get her to give in, but had to ignore her and stay away from her...

    Gu Nianzhi was only willing to relent to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°...What on earth will convince you to take a selfie with me?¡± Reinitz held Gu Nianzhi in one hand and looked at the photos he had just snapped on the phone in his other hand, but none of them were satisfactory.

    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked as she rolled her eyes. ¡°I have a condition.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°You let my little friend go, and I¡¯ll take a selfie with you.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she stated her conditions. ¡°She is innocent, and she is a staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Major General Reinitz, you don¡¯t want to cause a diplomatic dispute between our two countries now, do you?¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Are you concerned about me?¡± Reinitz smiled suddenly and reached out to pat her face. ¡°Okay, you take a nice selfie with me, and I will let your little friend go.¡±

    ¡°No, you let her go first. After she is out of danger, I will take one with you.¡± Unwilling topromise, Gu Nianzhi shook her head.

    ¡°That won¡¯t work. If I let her go now, won¡¯t your army immediately surround the Taj Mahal?¡±

    Although Reinitz really wanted to take a photo with Gu Nianzhi, he hadn¡¯t lost his senses yet.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded sincerely and said, ¡°I¡¯ll believe you, I¡¯ll believe you. Okay, if you don¡¯t let her go, then we won¡¯t hold back.¡±

    ¡°If you won¡¯t hold back, then don¡¯t.¡± Reinitz put the phone back into his trouser pocket. ¡°Don¡¯t try to think of any schemes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even have my personal freedom anymore, so what scheme would I try toe up with?¡± Gu Nianzhi curled her lips in disdain. ¡°Yawning would be more like it.¡± She yawned as she said this.

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    The two of them finally arrived at the base steps of the Taj Mahal.

    The white marble base was as bright and beautiful as a lotus.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes to gaze at the Taj Mahal in front of her, then asked him for the second time, ¡°Reinitz, why did you use verses singing about the Taj Mahal to lure me here? Is that piece of paper really in my father¡¯s handwriting? And the first poem, what does it mean?¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1157 - Fruit Knife & Nail Clippers

    <h4>Chapter 1157 Fruit Knife & Nail Clippers</h4>

    Reinitz didn¡¯t speak for a while.

    The Taj Mahal stood in front of them.

    Under the blue sky and white clouds, the white buildings appeared spotless, like a heavenly garden of extraordinary beauty.

    Five hundred years ago, an emperor¡¯s passion for his lover was all poured out into this mausoleum.

    Unlike other well-known buildings in the world, the Taj Mahal was created out of love, and the pain and regret of not being able to be together were embodied in its quiet beauty.

    Reinitz sighed a little and tugging the corners of his mouth, he smiled. ¡°...Why? What do you think?¡±

    He gave Gu Nianzhi a side nce and saw that her alluring eyes were full of rm and suspicion. He couldn¡¯t help feeling bitter inside, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    He had his responsibilities, ideals, and ambitions.

    As he said on the day he was sworn into office, he would be loyal to his country and his position, and if it went against his heart, he would choose to give it up.

    ¡°The beauty of life, the pain of death, the responsibility is on me, there is no turning back.

    The enemy is in front, thepanion is behind, heaven is on the left, and hell is on the right.

    Faith is forever, strength is immortal, no regrets, no love or hatred. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes swept across Reinitz¡¯s face, but she didn¡¯t ignore the conflicted look in his soulful blue eyes.

    No way? Did he really have feelings for her?

    Frowning, Gu Nianzhi shook off the thought that had suddenly arisen.

    How could that be possible?

    Even if he did, it didn¡¯t prevent him from lying to her, scheming against her, and hurting her.

    So, what was the meaning of these feelings?

    They might as well bepletely hostile to each other and leave no room for ambiguity.

    Gu Nianzhi retracted her gaze and said calmly, ¡°If you won¡¯t tell me, then that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just guess.¡±

    She raised her head and slowly followed Reinitz up the steps of the marble base of the Taj Mahal.

    ¡°As for the reason you brought me to the Taj Mahal, I will first exclude personal factors.¡±

    ¡°...Why do you want to exclude personal factors?¡± Reinitz smiled. ¡°Maybe it was personal factors? Maybe it was my private desire?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him calmly. ¡°Because personal factors are insignificant here. Even if they existed, they wouldn¡¯t be enough to shake your will, right?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s smile faded, and he chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°Yep, fair enough.¡±

    The two of them went up the steps and walked into the arch of the Taj Mahal.

    It was a typical Persian architectural style, full of byzantine and borate strip patterns.

    The tall colonnades were tapered, each entrance was an arch made of bricks, and the door frames were striped leaves that flowed down from the top.

    But to Gu Nianzhi, the patterns there were too overwhelming and made her feel dizzy.

    She silently followed Reinitz to the hall where the coffin was ced.

    It was said that the concubine and the emperor were also buried there.

    Reinitz stood in front of the coffin and stared at it quietly for a while, then asked, ¡°You said that the emperor abdicated the throne for his woman, but was it worth it or not?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°You¡¯d have to ask him about that. Feelings are like people drinking water, where the only one who knows whether it is warm or cold is yourself.¡±

    There was another saying, where only one¡¯s feet knows whether the shoes fit.

    Reinitz walked around the coffin with his hands behind his back and said slowly, ¡°...Don¡¯t you want to know if that piece of paper is real or fake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up her ears and looked over. ¡°Alright, spill it.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t ask me where I got the note.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback, and immediately asked, ¡°If I¡¯m not even sure whether it¡¯s real or fake, why would I ask you where you got the note?¡±

    Reinitz: ¡°...¡±

    What sort of response was this? But it sounded reasonable...

    ¡°If I ask you where you got the note, won¡¯t I basically be assuming that the note is real? If it is real, then why would I ask about its authenticity? Don¡¯t you feel it¡¯s contradictory?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Reinitz, I have taken all your information. Although I can¡¯t read all the content, I know that your department has top-secret data about me.¡±

    Reinitz was very surprised. He nced back at her and thought that since she had found their hidden top-secret material from the system so quickly, it seemed as though they had underestimated her.

    For the first time, Reinitz felt conflicted about hisst decision.

    He reflexively chose to hide the fact that Gu Nianzhi was the famous hacker the Pink Piggy. Was he right or wrong?

    He originally thought that with their encryption technology, even if those documents were stolen, they would never be deciphered, and they wouldn¡¯t even be seen at all.

    How could you decipher something you couldn¡¯t see?

    Perhaps he was too careless?

    Gu Nianzhi was also watching Reinitz.

    Yes, they had discovered the hidden materials in the system. But, even with the cooperation of two experts, Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng, they had found the protected content, but they couldn¡¯t open it.

    They used the decryption program of the advanced control system to try to calcte and unlock the password, but with theputing power of their currentputer system, it might take five hundred years.

    Upon seeing that Reinitz finally showed some dismay, Gu Nianzhi knew that she was right.

    Her heart lurched, but at the same time, she felt rxed.

    ¡°Your target, from start to finish, had been me, right?¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what was written in the top-secret data material about her, from Reinitz¡¯s expression, she knew that it must be something they wished they had.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of her physique, the kind of physique that made her feel both proud and embarrassed at the same time.

    Suddenly, she flipped her wrists, and a sharp knife appeared in her hand.

    Reinitz¡¯s hand suddenly shot forward, and he grabbed her wrist with lightning speed, then roared in a deep voice, ¡°What are you going to do? Do you want tomit suicide? You think you can hurt yourself in front of me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi broke out in a mysterious smile. She lowered her voice and said, ¡°...Huh? Why don¡¯t you think that I am going to attack you instead? Perhaps I took out the knife to stab you!¡±

    Reinitz nced at Gu Nianzhi speechlessly and at the tiny knife in her hand. Although it was sharp and the de had a cold gleam, would a grown man like him be afraid of a fruit knife like this?

    ¡°Cut me? Using your fruit knife? You might as well take out your nail clippers. I¡¯d be more afraid of that.¡± Reinitz sneered at her and let go of her wrist. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try if you say so.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s de turned, and she slit the back of her hand.

    Reinitz shot forward again, but this time instead of holding her wrist, he made a fist with one hand, his joints flexed, and he hit a spot on her wrist.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt her fingers go numb, and the knife dropped to the ground.

    Reinitz stretched out his other hand and caught the knife.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s movements were also very fast, and she rubbed the de of the knife with the back of her hand.

    A line of blood suddenly trickled down on the back of her delicate pale hand, and blood slowly oozed out.

    ¡°Do you want to see how I heal myself?¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her right hand, and crossed her arms as she showed her wound to Reinitz, then said nkly, ¡°Thest time I came out from the Alps, you took me to Berlin, so don¡¯t you already know?¡±

 Chapter 1158 - Completely Differen

    <h4>Chapter 1158 Completely Differen</h4>

    ¡°Are you crazy?!¡± Reinitz quickly grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist and stared at the blood oozing from the back of her porcin hand. His heart ached as if it had been pierced with a needle.Without hesitation, he lowered his head and kissed the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s scratched hand. The tip of his tongue licked the back of her hand back and forth, and quickly licked all the blood from the wound.

    Gu Nianzhi felt disgusted, and she quickly pushed his head away. She then put her hand behind her back and frowned. ¡°What are you doing? Are you crazy?!¡±

    Reinitz pursed his lips ufortably, then took out a packet of paper towels from his pocket, and handed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This kind of paper towel can sterilize and stop the bleeding.¡±

    After a pause, he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I just wanted to stop the bleeding from your wound.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the tissue from his hand. She tried to suppress the urge to ask but still couldn¡¯t help it, so she said angrily, ¡°...You could¡¯ve given me the tissue to stop the bleeding. What did you mean by licking the wound?¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    How could she speak of him as if he were a dog...?

    But when Gu Nianzhi pressed the wound with a tissue, she found that there was no longer any blood in the wound.

    Reinitz looked down and smiled as he said, ¡°Look, saliva can really stop the bleeding. If it weren¡¯t for me, would your bleeding have stopped so quickly?¡±

    He didn¡¯t mean to expose her.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She didn¡¯t raise her head. She covered the back of her injured hand with the other, and the expression on her face appeared conflicted.

    In the empty hall of the Taj Mahal, only the two of them stood facing each other, with two white coffins next to them. The situation appeared a little eerie.

    Reinitz¡¯s men were on guard outside, so no one could get close to the hall where the coffin was ced.

    The hall was too quiet. So quiet that it was as if you could hear the passage of time.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed softly, and her voice actually echoed in the hall.

    The faint sound shocked even herself.

    Reinitz put his hands in his trouser pockets and turned around. He no longer looked at Gu Nianzhi, but at the two coffins of the Taj Mahal, then he suddenly said, ¡°...The verse on the note was indeed written by your father, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the evidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to ept any ims without supporting evidence. ¡°You say so, but why do you keep on spreading such rumors?¡±

    ¡°Spreading such rumors?¡± Reinitz chuckled and shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve already received your father¡¯s manuscripts and letters sent to you by scientists in Japan, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know.¡± Reinitz turned his head and gazed at her meaningfully. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how many people around the world are paying attention to thewsuit between you and the Angels on Earth Foundation?¡±

    ¡°I really have no idea.¡± Gu Nianzhi ced her injured hand into her trouser pocket and facing the coffin of the emperor and concubine of the Taj Mahal in the same position as Reinitz. She said in an apathetic tone, ¡°I¡¯m busy, so how could I pay attention to stuff like that? Besides, I¡¯ve already entrusted thewsuit to a foreignw firm anyway.¡±

    Reinitz remained silent for a while, then he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know how I got this note?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered a little. ¡°Do you want to test my intelligence, or do you want to test my reasoning abilities?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡± Reinitz shook his head helplessly. ¡°Cereus, you have to believe me, although I... have done a lot of things I¡¯m not proud of, I don¡¯t mean to hurt you.¡±

    She was perfect, the one and only.

    He wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to hurt her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look at him and took two steps forward. Then, staring at the beautifully crafted coffin in front of her, she said airily, ¡°It¡¯s actually very easy to analyze. You¡¯ve already given me a lot of clues.¡±

    ¡°First of all, you said that the verse on the note was written by my father, and then you asked me how you got this note. This shows that the handwriting may be real, but the note itself might be fabricated.¡±

    Although Reinitz had been mentally prepared for a long time, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s extraordinary intelligence and even more extraordinary logical reasoning abilities never failed to amaze him.

    He couldn¡¯t help but gaze at Gu Nianzhi in awe and wonder. He felt himself grow even more attracted to her.

    When she spoke, she seemed to shine in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°What? Was I wrong? And, you knew that scientists from Japan sent me back my father¡¯s manuscripts and letters. This shows that you¡¯ve known where my father¡¯s manuscripts and letters had been all along. Perhaps you¡¯ve already read them?¡±

    ¡°After reading it, you found these two poems and pieced them together onto a piece of paper. With the abilities of your bureau, it is even possible to remake paper, not to mention deliberately crumple it, so I didn¡¯t feel suspicious when I saw it at first.¡±

    Reinitz chuckled. ¡°Well, well, you really are quite clever, and you¡¯ve pretty much hit the nail on the head.¡±

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t deny it?¡±

    ¡°I will admit that when I found out that your father¡¯s manuscripts and letters were given to Japan¡¯s foundation by your sister, I seized the opportunity to work for that foundation for a few years.¡±

    Reinitz crossed his arms. His tall figure was very eye-catching in the white hall.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I was wondering why you had that piece of paper in your possession.¡±

    ¡°I read all the manuscripts and letters that your father left behind, and I made a copy. If you are lucky and manage to unlock the codes, you will be able to see all the manuscripts and letters.¡± Reinitz pointed out to her meaningfully and gazed back at Gu Nianzhi as he chuckled.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°We don¡¯t need to decrypt the password at the moment, because they have already returned the manuscripts to us.¡±

    Reinitz curled his lips. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be so naive as to actually think that those Japanese scientists would return every single manuscript and letter to you, right?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they?! How dare they hide anything?! We¡¯ll make them pay if they dare do such a thing! We have a list!¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her fist in the air, and her facial expression appeared aggravated and lively. ¡°I will go back andpare our lists carefully! If they dare hide anything, we will fine them ten thousand yuan! Not ten thousand yen!¡±

    ¡°Your list isn¡¯tplete at all.¡± Reinitz seemed to be even cognizant about the list Gu Nianzhi prepared. ¡°Ye Xuan, your sister Gu Yanran¡¯s assistant, did it for you, right? Some things were sent out before he went to the Gu family¡¯s house, so...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood what he meant. ¡°So, the list that Ye Xuan gave us definitely doesn¡¯t include the things that were transferred out before him.¡±

    So how much useful material did Gu Yanran send away before he came?!

    Gu Nianzhi had the urge to return to the Huaxia Empire immediately to interrogate Gu Yanran!

    Reinitz nodded and said with a smile, ¡°You actually already have all the materials, but those materials are locked in the safe, and since you don¡¯t have the key, you can¡¯t open the safe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard him clearly and understood that Reinitz was talking about the encrypted folders.

    Using their existing supeputers, it would take five hundred years to decipher the codes.

    Gu Nianzhi tugged the corners of her mouth, and refusing to take the bait, she shook her head and said, ¡°Never mind, then. Besides, those scientists from Japan didn¡¯t manage to make anything of my father¡¯s manuscripts, so it¡¯s obvious they aren¡¯t that intelligent and couldn¡¯t decipher it.¡±

    Reinitzughed again. ¡°Cereus, don¡¯t be so foolhardy and arrogant. Do you really think the scientists in Japan are that ipetent? That they really couldn¡¯t recreate the experiment even when they had someone else¡¯s experiment log in their possession?!¡±

    ¡°...What do you mean?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt that Reinitz was insinuating something beneath the surface. A lightbulb went off inside her head, and she immediately asked, ¡°Are you saying that the data Gu Yanran transferred out didn¡¯t contain anything important?!¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    D*mn, he wanted to curse.

    How could she react so fast?!

    Why couldn¡¯t she just let him bluff for once?!

    Gu Nianzhi saw how Reinitz¡¯s expression had suddenly grown stiff, and she pped her hands as sheughed merrily. ¡°I guess I¡¯m right? Let me just say, with my father¡¯s abilities and Gu Yanran¡¯s IQ, even if my father is gone, it would be unthinkable for her to give away my father¡¯s prized possession to other people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know much about Gu Xiangwen, but from the few incidents, such as the airne engine drawing, and the electronic fence in the Blue Hole of the Caribbean, all of them were jaw-dropping achievements.

    Since Gu Xiangwen was so excellent, how could scientists in Japan get nowhere with his manuscript even after seven years?

    Although Gu Nianzhi verbally belittled Japan¡¯s scientists, she also knew that those people weren¡¯t ipetent. In reality, many people were quite impressive.

    But since so manypetent people couldn¡¯t do anything with other people¡¯s experimental manuscripts, the only conclusion is that those experimental manuscripts didn¡¯t contain important data.

    Reinitz snapped back to reality after a while, but he didn¡¯t conceal his admiration, and simply nodded as he said, ¡°You are right. ording to the data I have seen during my work in that foundation for those few years, the manuscript data doesn¡¯t contain your father¡¯s real core research data, but rather early experimental data from more than 20 years ago.¡±

    ¡°It may have been considered very advanced 20 years ago, but after 20 years, technological research and advancement in other countries around the world have also been booming, so those findings were no longer considered to be groundbreaking.¡±

    ¡°Japan¡¯s scientists searched in vain for seven years as they tried to find data from which the experiment could be continued, but in the end, they managed to find nothing.¡±

    It was better to fully rely on one¡¯s own research data.

    Gu Nianzhiughed heartily, and she was full of respect for her father as she said, ¡°My father truly was amazing. Even without being there, he still managed to y those Japanese for fools!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s such a pity...¡± Reinitz let out a deep sigh. ¡°Your father was a genius who died young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart immediately sank, and her expression changed drastically. ¡°What did you just say?! How do you know for sure that my father really passed away?!¡±

    Upon seeing her ability to change her facial expression in an instant, Reinitz was quite impressed by her. He said with an enigmatic smile on his face, ¡°Cereus, you are really quite interesting. I personally thought I knew you and your father quite well, but I realized that you and the dear little girl whom your father mentioned in his letter seem to bepletely different people.¡±

 Chapter 1159 - The Door to a New World Was Opened

    <h4>Chapter 1159 The Door to a New World Was Opened</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face changed, and her heart almost skipped a beat.¡°I was mentioned in my father¡¯s letter?!¡± Despite knowing it was a trap, she couldn¡¯t help but take the bait.

    She was too eager for news of her father. Even if it was only a small bit of information, she was impatient to hear about it.

    Stirred by the sudden look of hope on her face, Reinitz couldn¡¯t help but stretch out his hand, stroke her cheek, and ask softly, ¡°...You really don¡¯t remember what happened when you were a kid?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°How could you lose your memory?¡± Reinitz murmured to himself as if it was a rhetorical question. ¡°That can¡¯t be...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed Reinitz¡¯s hand away with disgust, then stepped aside. ¡°Don¡¯t make any physical contact with me when you speak.¡±

    Reinitz retracted his hand, and his alluring blue eyes narrowed. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Huaxia Empire give you any treatment? Don¡¯t they have good psychologists?¡±

    ¡°What treatment?¡± Gu Nianzhi became rmed. ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the topic. What did my father say about me in his letter?¡±

    Reinitz looked away and gazed at the two white coffins in front of him. He said airily, ¡°Of course it¡¯s amnesia. If you had recovered your memory, would you still need to ask others about your father¡¯s situation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew teary when she heard what he said, and, suppressing the tears that were about to ooze out of her eyes, she yelled hysterically, ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that you won¡¯t tell me, so stop talking about my amnesia! Don¡¯t you think I want to regain my memory too? Do you think I haven¡¯t seen a psychologist?! The Huaxia Empire has the best psychologist in the world, but he has seen me for several years without making any progress!¡±

    The most exasperating thing was that he knew her father¡¯s situation yet refused to tell her. These kinds of people were the most despicable!

    Gu Nianzhi decided to hate Reinitz and do so unconditionally!

    Reinitz was taken aback when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotional breakdown.

    This was apletely different reaction from her pretending to cry.

    When she was pretending to cry, although there were tears, her eyebrows were rxed and calm, so he could tell that she wasn¡¯t truly sad.

    But now, with her red nose, dazed eyes, intermittent sobbing, and her face full of disappointment and fury, she appeared distressed and in agony, and it was heartbreaking for him.

    This was her true countenance of sadness...

    Reinitz gazed at her quietly for a while, walked over and stroked her somewhat tangled hair, then pulled her into his arms.

    Gu Nianzhi struggled, but Reinitz¡¯s arms stiffened, and one hand pressed her head against his chest while his other hand patted her back. His mellow baritone soothed her emotional woes.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I didn¡¯t say I won¡¯t tell you. Aren¡¯t you very calm? Howe you can¡¯t stay calm anymore after hearing about your father?¡±

    He coaxed her softly and whispered in her ear, ¡°...Don¡¯t be like this, others will know your weakness, and then threaten you with your weakness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt very ufortable and couldn¡¯t help but fire back, ¡°You don¡¯t need to pretend to be a good person. My weakness? Don¡¯t you know my weakness very well? Yes, my father is my weakness, but he is also my greatest strength!¡±

    ¡°If my father knew that you bullied and hurt me like this, he definitely wouldn¡¯t let you guys get away with it!¡± Gu Nianzhi struggled vehemently and shouted, ¡°Even if he is gone, he must have his own way of safeguarding me! ¡±

    She was yelling at Reinitz and to the people behind her.

    She didn¡¯t know what He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng had arranged.

    But since He Zhichu asked her toe to the Taj Mahal, he must have made preparations earlier.

    Perhaps in some inconspicuous ce, there was a pinhole camera that could be synchronized with thework installed.

    Reinitz hadn¡¯t anticipated how strong Gu Nianzhi was when she struggled.

    He finally had to let her go, and he said helplessly, ¡°Cereus, don¡¯t be like this. I won¡¯t hurt you; I swear...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Just stay away from me.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally got rid of Reinitz and backed away vigntly. ¡°What do you want? Haven¡¯t you gone through all of my father¡¯s things?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only realized Reinitz¡¯s true purpose after she spoke.

    Could it be the results of her father¡¯s research?

    But it should be thetest results, not the old ones from more than 20 years ago.

    Not knowing what to say, Reinitz sighed and looked up at the high, vaulted ceiling of the Taj Mahal.

    For the first time, he realized how difficult it was to pretend to be nonchnt after his heart had been imed.

    Not to mention the need to perform the mission, so every minute was like torture to him.

    Now was the time to test his acting skills.

    Reinitz exhausted all the training and hard work of his career to be able to appear calm and say nonchntly, ¡°Yes, because I saw it all before, I want to see more.¡±

    ¡°Sure enough, just as I expected.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to Reinitz and said, ¡°You also want my father¡¯s newest research data.¡±

    ¡°Yep, why else would I put so much effort into this?¡± Reinitz spread out his hands, and although there was an aloof and charming smile on his face on the surface, underneath, he felt as if his heart was bleeding.

    When you really fall in love with someone and have no choice but to lie to her, the feeling is worse than death.

    Reinitz smiled and gazed at Gu Nianzhi, but he was thinking: The Oscars owed him a golden trophy...

    He was uttering nonsense in front of his beloved woman without batting an eye, such seamless acting. Would God forgive him for this?

    ¡°But unfortunately, I know even less than you do.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said with regret.

    She also wanted to get some real information from Reinitz, but she expected that Reinitz knew no more than her.

    ¡°Cereus, did you know that in his letter, your father repeatedly mentioned that his greatest achievement in his life was you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart immediately sank, and she began to swear at him, ¡°Reinitz, what the hell do you mean by this?!¡±

    If he dared to say that she was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s through IVF, she would definitely blow his head off!

    Reinitz knew that Gu Nianzhi had misunderstood, so he shook his head in amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Your father meant that as a metaphor, meaning that the person he loved most and the person he valued most was you, instead of those achievements in scientific research.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and red at Reinitz in suspicion. ¡°You really didn¡¯t lie to me? You know that if you lie to me at this time, it won¡¯t end well for you.¡±

    Reinitz shrugged his shoulders with indifference. ¡°In our line, it doesn¡¯t end well for anyone. What you are saying we all know already, so it¡¯s not a threat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart ached for a moment, and she couldn¡¯t help but think of Huo Shaoheng. He and Reinitz had the same kind of job, so could it be that it wouldn¡¯t end well for him, either?

    Upon thinking of that possibility, Gu Nianzhi felt agony in her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. With a distressed expression on her face, she held her chest as she bent over and squatted down.

    ¡°...You don¡¯t need to be so sad.¡± Upon seeing her, Reinitz mistakenly thought that Gu Nianzhi was feeling sad over what would happen to him, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel all his gloominess vanish. He even heard a bird chirping merrily outside the mausoleum.

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling sorry for you. I¡¯m feeling sorry for myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi tugged at the corners of Reinitz¡¯s clothes. ¡°Are you sure that what my father said wasn¡¯t literal?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Reinitz shook his head. ¡°You listen to me. Your father¡¯s manuscript contains a lot of info about your mother¡¯s pregnancy. Your father even kept a maternity journal for your mother himself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°???¡±

    ...mother? Maternity journal?

    She stared at Reinitz and felt as if the door to a new world had opened.

 Chapter 1160 - Band-Aid Solution

    <h4>Chapter 1160 Band-Aid Solution</h4>

    ¡°Your father must really love you. Of course, he must have also really loved your mother as well.¡± Reinitz hesitated before asking, ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything from your childhood at all?¡±Gu Nianzhi began to grow impatient as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Do you think you would¡¯ve been able to trick me intoing here if I remembered?¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    Fine then, her exnation really did make sense.

    ¡°I went over the pregnancy and childbirth diary written by your father but didn¡¯t find anything amiss. You were a very normal and healthy baby.¡±

    This was also the fact that had confused Reinitz all this time.

    She obviously wasn¡¯t special in any way, so why was she different from other people?

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion, like he was trying to find some trace of uniqueness on her face.

    The truth was, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but sigh in genuine relief.

    The question had been lodged on her mind for a long time now. Like the sword of Damocles, it hung over her head.

    Now that Reinitz was telling her that her mother carried her to term like any other baby, she wanted to burst into tears.

    She really didn¡¯t want to be different at all.

    She was a normal human being, and as for her special constitution...

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to be normal and healthy? Why do you sound so disappointed?¡±

    Reinitz shook his head slightly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t disappointed back then, but now I am very confused.¡±

    ¡°...What are you confused about?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    Reinitz put his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perfectly shaped chin once again. With a slight pinch of his fingertips, he gently raised her face.

    Gu Nianzhi was forced to look up at Reinitz, who was a full head¡¯s height taller than her.

    ¡°You should have been as normal as any other child. Also, your family has a history of gic defects that should have made you innately disadvantaged.¡± Reinitz heavily emphasized the word should.

    He studied Gu Nianzhi from above ¨C but just where was she innately disadvantaged?!

    Gu Tian¡¯s situation was actually normal and expected!

    Gu Nianzhi was so healthy, so what part of her genes was defective?

    Gu Nianzhi began to tense up again as she said, ¡°Then why did you bring up my mother? What about her? What... What kind of person was she?¡±

    This was the first time she had asked a question about her own mother.

    Gu Nianzhi had never expected that she would actually be able to ask Reinitz about her past.

    She had always assumed that Professor He was the only person to know about her past, but he obviously didn¡¯t want to talk about it at all. He always changed the subject, so Gu Nianzhi stopped asking after she had tried probing him a few times.

    But Reinitz was apletely different story.

    The way Gu Nianzhi saw it, Reinitz obviously had a purpose that was closely tied to her father.

    Because of this, he was willing to use any means necessary and craft an borate lie to fool her into trusting him.

    As the saying goes ¨C someone with a desire can always be taken advantage of.

    Conversely, Gu Nianzhi was also taking advantage of Reinitz¡¯s motives in order to make him reveal so much.

    Although he was reluctant to say anything, the amount of information revealed was already shocking.

    ¡°Your mother was... A very intelligent person. She was also very beautiful and healthy. There were no issues on her side at all.¡± Reinitz raised his hand out of habit to check the time. ¡°Your father noted at the beginning of your pregnancy diary that the Gu family has a history of hereditary disease caused by a congenital deficiency. Additionally, this faulty gene is on the male X chromosome, so it is only passed to daughters from fathers.

    ¡°Typically speaking, hereditary diseases caused by congenital deficiencies are usually dominant in men and recessive in women.

    ¡°But your family¡¯s situation was very peculiar. Your father made special note of the fact that this hereditary disease is recessive in men and dominant in women.

    ¡°Because of this, your mother was specially selected by your father in hopes that she would be a woman without any issues. But the results were very unfortunate, and you have the same congenital deficiency as your aunt,¡± Reinitz concluded.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Reinitz, but she wasn¡¯t very surprised.

    She already knew about all this from when she was in the legal battle with Gu Yanran over the family fortune. Chen Lie deduced from Gu Tian¡¯s medical chart that she was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aunt and her father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s one and only biological sister...

    At the time, Gu Nianzhi had been a bit worried that her own child would have a hereditary disease like her aunt...

    ¡°It¡¯s true you already knew about all this.¡± Reinitz also nodded and said, ¡°I watched the court footage of your legal battle against Gu Yanran, it was very exciting. You were able to deduce almost the entire truth from pure inference.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But there was still one question remaining, and I think you¡¯ve already considered it too.¡± Reinitz suddenly changed the topic. ¡°When we traced the origins of your family¡¯s hereditary illness, we found that it did not begin too long ago. It only started with your aunt¡¯s generation. So, in other words, your grandfather passed it to her.¡±

    ¡°...Grandfather?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    If the word mother didn¡¯t hold a very important spot in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memories, then the term grandfather had no ce in it at all.

    Reinitz hesitated for a moment when he mentioned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather.

    This information was never mentioned in Gu Xiangwen¡¯s transcripts or letters.

    However, Reinitz only knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather from clues given by his own superior and godfather, Li Dexi.

    Reinitz actually had an inkling about how Li Dexi knew this information, but he didn¡¯t dare try to prove it, nor did he have the means to.

    So, should he mention something he couldn¡¯t possibly prove or not?

    Reinitz¡¯s mind quicklypared the advantages and disadvantages, and finally, he gave her one hint. ¡°I am not really sure about what happened to your grandfather exactly, but it¡¯s certain that something happened to his genes. This is what caused you and your aunt to have gic deficiencies.¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation was different from Gu Tian¡¯s.

    Li Dexi had observed Gu Nianzhi after she left the Alps. He determined that she was nearly perfect, so she didn¡¯t exhibit any gic defects from a hereditary illness.

    So Reinitz and Li Dexi both firmly believed that Gu Xiangwen had already ovee the problem of the gic deficiency to cure his daughter sessfully.

    Furthermore, his cure wasn¡¯t a band-aid solution like attempting to give Gu Tian a blood marrow transfusion from Gu Jing ¨C it was truly a cure from the gic level.

    In terms of human physiology, this method was a truly permanent solution and so-called divine skill that countless technicians could only dream of attaining.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly had a hypothesis when she recalled her aunt Gu Tian¡¯s cause of death and her own abnormal constitution.

    She nced at Reinitz.

    Reinitz was also staring back at her.

    He didn¡¯t attempt to mask the shock in his eyes. It wasbined with calm concern, as well as an inexplicable emotion that was much tooplicated and dark for her even to understand.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly averted her gaze, then looked at the arches of the Taj Mahal. She replied coldly, ¡°...So you people are so relentless about chasing after me because you believe that my father sessfully cured my illness? You want to capture me and take me back for experimentation like ab rat?¡±

    Naturally, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts drifted back to Huo Shaoheng.

    He was probably the very first person to learn about her special condition but had chosen to carefully protect her secret all this time. He would absolutely never allow anyone to use her as ab rat.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi was incredibly grateful that she met Huo Shaoheng when she was 12, and not anyone else.

    ...

 Chapter 1161 - Hoping to Return the Item to Its Owner

    <h4>Chapter 1161 Hoping to Return the Item to Its Owner</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but reveal a gentle and loving look when she thought about Huo Shaoheng.Reinitz was unable to look away after catching one glimpse of her.

    He had witnessed a stubborn Gu Nianzhi, strong Gu Nianzhi, and sly Gu Nianzhi, as well as a gracious Gu Nianzhi, bold Gu Nianzhi, and cute Gu Nianzhi. Yet he had never seen her appear so affectionate before.

    The deep affection in her eyes nearly overflowed.

    Reinitz couldn¡¯t find any words for a moment. Walking over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, he stood right next to her and suddenly raised his phone. Pressing his head close to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, he took a selfie.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her thoughts and red at Reinitz, asking, ¡°Are you still taking pictures?¡±

    She was lost in a reverie just then, so she thought she looked very dull. There¡¯s no way that picture could even turn out well.

    So, she didn¡¯t mind and raised her hand to tuck long strands of hair behind her head. She replied nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t think you should waste any more effort or even think about turning me into ab rat. I¡¯d rather die bravely than live in shame.¡±

    ncing at his phone, Reinitz saw that the photo had turned out beautifully.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were gorgeous. When she looked so affectionate, her bright eyes seemed to glisten like water and looked as though they were covered by a thin veil, appearing ethereal and beautiful.

    Reinitz loved this more than anything else.

    Heughed at himself, then put away his phone and replied gently, ¡°Cereus, you have the wrong idea. How could I ever bear to take you back and turn you into ab rat?¡±

    They didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi toe unwillingly, so they had created a foolproof n to allow Reinitz to approach her once again.

    ¡°You don¡¯t? So then, what¡¯s your motive for luring me here?¡± Gu Nianzhi was actually getting a bit nervous.

    She had already been here for half an hour now, so she had no idea what happened to Rong Mingxing, or what He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were doing.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if Reinitz¡¯s sudden appearance was something that He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng had expected or not.

    She always felt that He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng fully anticipated the appearance of the Tokko, Japanese Tokubetsu Koto Keisatsu. However, they might not have expected Reinitz.

    If Reinitz¡¯s appearance was truly unexpected...

    Gu Nianzhi was honestly a bit agitated.

    She didn¡¯t want to repeat her experience in the Alps again.

    If this were going to happen again, she probably wouldn¡¯t have the same good luck as before.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly walked around the Taj Mahal, slowly approaching the arches.

    Reinitz seemed to understand her intentions, so he casually stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets and stoodnguidly in front of the white railing inside the hall. He said with a smile, ¡°Cereus, are you nning to sneak outside? I¡¯ll tell you now that there are many of my men outside. I won¡¯t do anything to you, but I can¡¯t guarantee that they won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You are threatening me?¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks, then suddenly turned around to sneer at Reinitz, saying, ¡°You just said you wouldn¡¯t hurt me, so are you going back on your own words?¡±

    ¡°I said I couldn¡¯t bear to hurt you, but I wasn¡¯t talking about anyone else.¡± Reinitz shrugged like Gu Nianzhi waspletely powerless.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes began to twitch as she said, ¡°You¡¯re ying with semantics? Didn¡¯t you just say those were your men outside?

    ¡°If youmand them to not hurt me, wouldn¡¯t they obey your orders?

    ¡°Ha, you¡¯re speechless now? If you honestly admit to threatening me, maybe I will see you in a more positive light. Don¡¯t tell me that yourmands as the Director are nothing in the eyes of your subordinates!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words truly left Reinitz speechless.

    He helplessly poked his finely sculpted nose, his tone starting to soften as he said, ¡°Cereus, let¡¯s not fight. I¡¯m here to help you. Your father passed away at a young age...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s missing. I firmly believe my father is missing.¡± Gu Nianzhi corrected Reinitz. ¡°If you keep saying he passed away at a young age, then I am really going to get angry.¡±

    Reinitz was quiet for a moment, then said, ¡°I thought you were already angry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...I can get much angrier.¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes.

    Reinitz gave her a kind reminder, saying, ¡°Your eyes are huge, and the irises are especially dark and shiny. When you roll your eyes, it¡¯s like you¡¯re giving me a sultry look... Don¡¯t roll your eyes ever again. Otherwise, I will assume you have a crush on me.¡±

    Oh my god! What kind of nonsense was that?!

    Gu Nianzhi sneered to herself and wanted nothing more but to curse right in Reinitz¡¯s face!

    This was the very first time that Reinitz had ever won against Gu Nianzhi in an argument.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to talk anymore, so she walked out with a stony expression.

    If someone was going to shoot her as soon as she stepped out the door, she was ready for it. It was better than dying inside due to her anger.

    Reinitz saw that she was actually anxious, so he walked up to grab her hand. ¡°Cereus, I was joking just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

    Reinitz nodded when he saw the way she was acting. ¡°But when you act like this, you really are very simr to what your father described in his letters.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bother turning towards him as she said, ¡°What do you mean by that? You keep iming that I am so different from what my father wrote in his letters, so what are you suggesting now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting anything; I was only expressing a tiny thought.¡± Reinitz decided to take her hand as they stood before the arches of the Taj Mahal. ¡°Your father loved you very much. Every time he wrote to someone, regardless of if it was the editor-in-chief of a scientific journal or a university professor, no matter what academic issue was being discussed, he would always end up writing about you. From the first time you cried to the first time you crawled, the first time you stood up, the first time you spoke, and the first time you threw a tantrum to the first time you got in a fight ¨C he remembered it all very clearly and often reminisced.¡±

    If there were WeChat posts back then, Gu Xiangwen would probably have been the ssic father who was obsessed with showing off his baby. He probably would never have gotten tired of showing off his ugly baby day in and day out.

    He would dismiss anyone speaking the truth as having poor taste or being jealous fiends.

    Then he would befriend those people who blindly ttered others and went against their conscience by praising his daughter for being obedient and pretty.

    Reinitz had an excellent memory, so he repeated what Gu Xiangwen said word by word.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but be entranced. She nkly turned around and said, ¡°...I really wasn¡¯t pretty when I was younger, and I probably wasn¡¯t too smart either.¡±

    There was photographic evidence of her being ugly. She had a fat, round face, and her eyes were so small they barely could be seen. She was a slightly overweight, chubby little girl.

    But when it came to her own temper, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t remember what it was like when she was younger. From her earliest memories, she always thought she was quite well tempered, so she didn¡¯t give Huo Shaoheng too much trouble at all.

    Although she was asionallyzy, that was the norm for all 12 or 13-year-old children. This wasn¡¯t something that Gu Nianzhi exclusively did.

    But she couldn¡¯t ignore one thing, and that was how Ye Xuan and Gu Yanran both said she had a bad temper when she was little...

    Gu Nianzhi guiltily realized that her bad temper seemed to coincide with what Gu Xiangwen wrote in his letters.

    Then did that mean she was officially recognized as bad-tempered?

    ¡°...So, when I met you for the first time in the Alps, I really didn¡¯t dare to believe that you were the same Cereus, the same ¡®Little Nianzhi,¡¯ that your father wrote about in the letters.¡± Reinitz leaned against the frame of the arches, elegantly bending one long leg and resting the back of his heel against the wall behind.

    The casual looking position actually contained immense explosive power.

    As soon as something was amiss, he would immediately move and attack others to beat down any approaching enemies.

    From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perspective, she could see his powerful and beautiful physique. He was like a slightly tensed bow, or a sail unfurling to face the wind rushing up from the ocean surface.

    Gu Nianzhi squinted, then averted her gaze. She replied nonchntly, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Girls changepletely when they grow up. What questions do you have? Is there anyone who is exactly the same as they were when they were kids?¡±

    Even her alleged bad temper can¡¯t possibly be exactly the same as when she grew up?

    For example, children cried whenever they wanted. They never considered whether they cried prettily or not, or if it was too embarrassing to cry in front of others.

    All people eventually learned to hold back and to behave.

    But it can¡¯t be right to im someone had changed just because they acted differently as an adult.

    Reinitz was quiet for a moment, then nodded and said, ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded her head. ¡°Was there anything else? I¡¯ll be going now if you¡¯re done. It¡¯s gettingte, and I¡¯m very hungry. Where¡¯s my friend? Can you give her back to me?¡±

    ¡°You want to leave?¡± Reinitz¡¯s hand shot out to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, a half-smile on his face. ¡°I worked so hard for a chance to meet you alone, how can you be so cruel and heartless?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never had a rtionship to begin with.¡± Gu Nianzhi forcefully pushed Reinitz¡¯s hand away. ¡°I already told youst time that I dealt with you after you lied to me. So, we called it a tie, but this time you owe me another one,¡± she said.

    ¡°Obviously, you¡¯re the one who owes me one.¡± Reinitz smoothly took the credit for dealing with the Tokko. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, you would¡¯ve died in the hands of the Japanese already.¡±

    ¡°How could that be?!¡± Gu Nianzhi red at Reinitz and asked, ¡°How were you the one to save me?!¡±

    ¡°Who else would it be?¡± Reinitztched onto it and purposely questioned her, ¡°Are you saying that someone else rescued you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth gaped open, but she found herself unable to think of a rebuttal against Reinitz.

    Their n would be exposed if she argued back.

    Gu Nianzhi also had no idea if Reinitz knew anything about He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s n at the moment.

    She red angrily at him, then jerked her head away. She grumbled, ¡°...I can call the police. How could someone note rescue me?¡±

    ¡°Call the police in a ce like this?¡± Reinitz shook his head with a sneer, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a joke. Fine then, let¡¯s cut to chase. I came here because I have a mission, so it was only by chance that I rescued you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Reinitz had no choice but to keep talking when he saw that Gu Nianzhi was not replying. ¡°My mission is also rted to you. So, I am hoping that you will cooperate with us inpleting this mission.¡±

    ¡°And what if I refuse?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms to indicate her reluctance.

    ¡°This mission is directly rted to your father.¡± Reinitz withdrew his hands from his pockets and folded them behind his back. His legs were slightly parted as he stood ramrod straight before Gu Nianzhi.

    He peered down at her with an aura of immense authority and dominance.

    ¡°Then you can go look for my father. Why does that have anything to do with me? You want me to pay for his debts?¡± Gu Nianzhi also cocked her head proudly, unwilling to bend down.

    ¡°...Your grandfather took something that belonged to the Federal Intelligence Service many years ago, then passed it down to your father. Now we are hoping to return the item to its owner.¡± Reinitz enunciated the words slowly, then took out the phone from his pocket and unlocked it to show Gu Nianzhi some information.

    ...

 Chapter 1162 - You Must Believe Me

    <h4>Chapter 1162 You Must Believe Me</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression disyed her confusion.¡°My grandfather took something from the Federal Intelligence Service? You want me to return it to you?¡±

    Hahaha...

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to stick her tongue out with great disdain.

    ¡°You seemed to have forgotten that everything in the Federal Intelligence Service was already stolen anyway...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Reinitz with amusement as she said, ¡°How am I supposed to return anything to you? I don¡¯t have what you¡¯re looking for, but you can have my life if you want to.¡±

    Reinitzughed and said, ¡°To tell you the truth, we actually had backup copies of everything that was stolenst time. All we had to do was change the passkey, and the data could be shared as long as those people could crack our passwords. However, your grandfather took something different. There was no inte orputers during the war all those years ago, so all data was preserved as hard copies. He took the original copies and destroyed the duplicates, too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Job well done!

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a happy wink, then replied coyly, ¡°Oh my, I am terribly sorry about that. It looks like there is something wrong with the feng shui in the Federal Intelligence Service since these incidents keep happening!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t ashamed at all and felt very proud of her grandfather.

    Reinitz became slightly angry, his brows furrowed, and his tone grew harsh as he said, ¡°Cereus, this was a very important matter. Don¡¯t joke around with me.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms as she made up her mind to reject Reinitz¡¯s request.

    From what Reinitz was saying, her grandfather stole the item during the war many years ago. Based on her grandfather¡¯s age, it was probably during World War II.

    Only a very incredible person would be able to take an original copy of something from the Gestapo during World War II and destroy the copies as well.

    If the Gestapo has been chasing after it for half a century, it must be something amazing.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered subtly, then she replied in a serious tone, ¡°Fine then. Since this is something very important, we can discuss it properly.¡±

    Reinitz sighed in relief, his voice rxing. ¡°Cereus, I am happy that you can understand that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly changed the topic, saying, ¡°...You said that my grandfather stole something that belonged to the Federal Intelligence Service, so you must prove it belongs to them. Otherwise, how can we discuss the right of ownership for the item?¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    He could understand each individual word Gu Nianzhi was saying, but he somehow couldn¡¯t understand them when linked together in a sentence.

    ¡°...Right of ownership?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms and said, ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to believe you just because you said that my grandfather stole something that belonged to the Federal Intelligence Service. You know that I am awyer, so the legal right of ownership is very important to me.¡±

    ¡°You want me to prove that this item belongs to the Federal Intelligence Service?¡± Reinitz raised a brow as he suppressed the shock in his heart.

    After all, Gu Nianzhi was truly someone who got to the point without wasting any time.

    They had pursued this for so many years, but they couldn¡¯t reveal it to the public.

    The item was involved with many secrets from World War II, so it couldn¡¯t be publicly disclosed.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded earnestly and said, ¡°I am able to help you, but you must prove that this item belongs to the Federal Intelligence Service. If you can¡¯t prove it, then you will have to understand I am unable to help. I am anguished enough about not being able to defend my own grandfather, so how can I still be considered a human if I use him alongside you people?¡±

    Reinitz had anticipated many scenarios before creating this n. He had even predicted many reasons why Gu Nianzhi would refuse to cooperate and created solutions for each one.

    But he ever imagined that Gu Nianzhi would make him present evidence that the item truly belonged to them.

    Reinitz was silent for a moment, then said reluctantly, ¡°...Of course I have evidence for it. But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not something I can easily show you.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t help you.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned against the arch with her arms crossed. ¡°If you can¡¯t show me the evidence, then please don¡¯t use my grandfather of stealing from the Federal Intelligence Service.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Reinitz looked up at her, his brilliant blue eyes gleaming cold as ice. They werepletely devoid of emotion.

    ¡°My thoughts are very simple. I believe in my grandfather¡¯s character, so I don¡¯t think he would steal something that belongs to the Federal Intelligence Service. If he really did take it, then it means that the item doesn¡¯t actually belong to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke with confidence and refused to admit her grandfather was once a thief.

    ¡°Haha, now I finally understand what it means to be used while being the actual victim.¡± Reinitz sneered as he looked at the empty space outside the door. The ground was iid with marble that gleamed with the brilliance of white jade under the Southeast Asian sun.

    ¡°used while being the actual victim?¡± Gu Nianzhi also snickered back at him, ¡°Now I know what it means for a thief to use someone else of being a thief.¡±

    Reinitz suddenly jerked his head in her direction and said, ¡°Cereus, you never listen when I ask nicely. Why do you always have to force my hand?¡±

    ¡°Force your hand?¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered disdainfully, ¡°So who said they wouldn¡¯t hurt me earlier...?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I won¡¯t hurt you, and my subordinates won¡¯t hurt you either. But I can¡¯t make any guarantees about your little friend.¡± With a wave of his hand, Reinitz grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms with an irond grip. He pulled her away from the arches and harshly barked at his subordinates, ¡°Bring her little friend over here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly looked up at him.

    Reinitz had an aloof and extremely handsome face, yet his expression was extremely cruel and cold-blooded.

    Soon afterward, two masked men carrying guns pushed a girl over to them. Gu Nianzhi saw the girl¡¯s hands and legs were bound, and that there was tape over her mouth as she stumbled closer.

    Rong Mingxing was already awake but seemed to have suffered a bit. Her hair was messy, and the parts of her face not covered by tape appeared a bit red and swollen like she had been beaten.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced over Rong Mingxing¡¯s body.

    Thankfully, her clothes were still neat, albeit a bit dirty. She probably hadn¡¯t been assaulted...

    She looked at Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes to see there was only rage and fear, no sadness or pain.

    Gu Nianzhi rxed a bit, then turned to look at Reinitz and asked, ¡°Are you using her to threaten me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use an ugly word like ¡®threaten.¡¯¡± Reinitz bowed down slightly and resumed his typical mode of having an angelic face despite his devil¡¯s heart. ¡°I was only hoping for Lawyer Gu to give us a chance and help us solve the difficult problem of finding the long-lost item.¡±

    ¡°Let her go first.¡± Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth. Although she was extremely unwilling, it was impossible for her to disregard Rong Mingxing¡¯s safety and wellbeing.

    ¡°I can promise that I won¡¯t hurt her.¡± Reinitz raised a brow. ¡°I will release her as soon as you help find the item.¡±

    The tears immediately flowed down Rong Mingxing¡¯s face when she heard this.

    She gave a muffled scream and frantically shook her head at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand seeing this, so she balled her hands into tight fists and began to negotiate with Reinitz. ¡°Let her go first. Otherwise, I¡¯d rather die with her.¡±

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyelid twitched violently, and she suddenly couldn¡¯t cry anymore.

    Reinitz squinted his eyes as he assessed Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Are you trying to negotiate with me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s in your best interest to agree to my demands since you have something that only I can help with. Otherwise, you¡¯re wasting all the effort you already put in.¡± Gu Nianzhi spat each word out, but she was actually feeling very nervous.

    The most important matter right now was to get Rong Mingxing out of there.

    If Reinitz was really using Rong Mingxing¡¯s life to threaten Gu Nianzhi, then she didn¡¯t know how much she would be forced to relent...

    ¡°Oh, really? What if I say no?¡± Reinitz slowly walked up to Gu Nianzhi and looked down at her with a cold expression. ¡°There is a limit to my patience, so I won¡¯t use an ounce of it on people I don¡¯t care about.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi threw all caution to the wind and said, ¡°Do as you please. If you really want me to help you, then you should let her go first. You¡¯ll have to find someone else to help you if you don¡¯t let her go.¡±

    ¡°...Can I even trust you?¡± Reinitz grumbled, but he also despised himself at the moment. Things had already soured, yet he still couldn¡¯t bear to hurt her.

    ¡°You must believe me since you have no other choice,¡± Gu Nianzhi said, then quickly walked over to Rong Mingxing expressionlessly. She reached out to rip the tape off Rong Mingxing¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 1163 - The Inventor

    <h4>Chapter 1163 The Inventor</h4>

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±The two masked gunmen standing next to Rong Mingxing immediately pointed their guns at Gu Nianzhi.

    The pitch-ck muzzles were aimed straight at Gu Nianzhi, and she immediately sensed the lethality. She stiffly removed her hand, then turned around to look at Reinitz standing beside her. ¡°Don¡¯t take this too far. You think you can keep her here to threaten me? You don¡¯t think I will end this now and take all of you down with me?¡±

    Reinitz folded his hands behind his back as he stared at Gu Nianzhi, his expression unreadable.

    They had alreadypleted 99 steps out of 100, so would he be able to destroy it all?

    Rong Mingxing was an idental factor, after all, so he never intended to kidnap her in the first ce.

    Gu Nianzhi was making a lot of sense.

    Rong Mingxing was a diplomat from the Huaxia Imperial Embassy in India. If something were to happen to her, dealing with it would be aplicated mess.

    But what if he looked at it differently?

    Reinitz walked up to Gu Nianzhi and smiled as he said, ¡°I¡¯m actually helping you. I heard that there is a rule in the Huaxia Empire that forbids people with your jobs from meeting foreigners in private. So, having the two of you together will allow you to vouch for each other to avoid any issues.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She had actually forgotten about that, but both her and Rong Mingxing were being taken hostage...

    Could the situation even be considered the same?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but turn around and nce at Rong Mingxing.

    The other girl had a vivid expression on her face that changed from rage to shock and was now a mask of horror mixed with disbelief.

    Gu Nianzhi then looked at Reinitz, and she somehow sensed lethality from the man.

    She didn¡¯t know how to describe her feelings at that moment ¨C like a small animal that was born to sense dangers in the environment. She had a strong feeling that Rong Mingxing was probably never going to be able to leave if she didn¡¯t go right now...

    In an act of desperation, Gu Nianzhi reached out to grab Reinitz¡¯s dangling hand. She begged him and shook her head, her lips moving in silence as she let him read them, ¡°Don¡¯t kill her... I¡¯m begging you!¡±

    Her expression was so animated and alluring that Reinitz couldn¡¯t look away.

    He slowly raised the hand Gu Nianzhi had not grabbed onto.

    He held a gun in that hand.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body trembled imperceptibly.

    Reinitz raised his gun and aimed it at Rong Mingxing. ¡°You¡¯re asking me to let her go? But what if she tells someone about us? As far as I know, she doesn¡¯t get along with you.¡±

    ¡°About us? What about us?! Reinitz, stop speaking nonsense!¡± Gu Nianzhi was about to lose her mind and could only pray that Rong Mingxing didn¡¯t speak German so she couldn¡¯t understand what Reinitz was saying.

    However, Reinitz was pointing a gun at Rong Mingxing, so how could she not know what he was saying?

    It was true that Rong Mingxing didn¡¯t speak German. Still, from Reinitz¡¯s movements and Gu Nianzhi desperately holding onto Reinitz¡¯s arm in an attempt to stop him, she could figure out that Reinitz was trying to kill her and that Gu Nianzhi was trying her best to stop him...

    Rong Mingxing was aware that Gu Nianzhi was unable to save even herself right now.

    This director of a foreign Federal Intelligence Service was obviously hellbent on iming Gu Nianzhi, so a little nobody like Rong Mingxing was probably going to end up being coteral damage.

    A bitter smile and helpless look appeared on her face. She had guessed that this was the case long ago, but, luckily, she had already made up her mind to exchange her life for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    This mess was all her own doing, so she should be one to pay the price for it.

    Rong Mingxing was terrified of death, but she was even more afraid of living with guilt for the rest of her life.

    Gu Nianzhi turned back in a panic and happened to lock eyes with Rong Mingxing.

    From Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes, she could see that the other girl was calm and ready to ept death. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped violently.

    She didn¡¯t want to see another person die for her sake...

    The two Special Operations Forces field personnel who died in Germany would already haunt her for life. If Rong Mingxing was added to the list, then Gu Nianzhi truly thought she would deserve to die for her own sins.

    The two field personnel had been working at the time, so they were considered to have died in the line of duty.

    But Rong Mingxing only chased after Gu Nianzhi for her sake...

    ¡°I promise. Let her go. I¡¯m begging you! Let her go!¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly spoke in German and made up her mind.

    Would He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng appear right now?

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she wasn¡¯t in mortal danger since Reinitz would not kill her. He was still able to use her for a certain purpose.

    But as for Rong Mingxing...

    Gu Nianzhi really had no idea what He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng would do.

    What if they couldn¡¯t make it here in time?

    But she didn¡¯t dare take a gamble, since she didn¡¯t have time to wait for them to make a move anymore.

    She didn¡¯t want another person¡¯s blood on her hands.

    Reinitz also sighed in relief.

    Who would want to harm a diplomat of the Huaxia Empire unless the situation was dire?

    But their n could absolutely not fail because of such an insignificant person.

    Reinitz squeezed the gun, then cocked his head and said, ¡°Come inside.¡±

    He turned around and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as they walked inside the Taj Mahal where they had been standing before.

    The two other masked gunmen walked in with Rong Mingxing as well.

    After Gu Nianzhi followed him inside, she quickly nced at the position they were standing in.

    Reinitz was a true expert ¨C he had chosen to stand in a perfect blind spot.

    If a sniper were outside, he would be unable to focus and shoot.

    Gu Nianzhi tensed up.

    Reinitz was a very cautious person, and sly to boot. Unfortunately, she was only dreaming if she thought that he would act emotionally...

    Reinitz let go of her hand, then raised his gun as he walked towards Rong Mingxing. Pressing it against her forehead, he quietly said something to her.

    Rong Mingxing looked up at him with great surprise.

    Suddenly, Reinitz let go of his other hand to reveal a very old looking pocket watch that dangled in midair.

    The pocket watch was probably crafted from pure gold, so it still gleamed bright yellow despite being faded from time. It was not as eye-catching and brilliant as new gold.

    Rong Mingxing¡¯s eyes were automatically enraptured by the pocket watch dangling in front of her.

    ¡°One, two, three, four...¡±

    Reinitz murmured his hypnosis, slowly leading Rong Mingxing¡¯s mind.

    Gu Nianzhi felt dizzy after only catching one glimpse, so she immediately looked away.

    The two masked gunmen next to Rong Mingxing also seemed to be hypnotized as well.

    They remained in their original standing positions, but they no longer had strength in their hands.

    Rong Mingxing was released from their tight grip, yet she didn¡¯t bolt away.

    She nkly stared back at Reinitz while he guided her into the world of hypnosis.

    ¡°...Rx your body now, rx your brain. You don¡¯t need to think about anything, don¡¯t look, don¡¯t listen.¡±

    ¡°When you wake up, it will already bete night. The entire world is dark.

    ¡°You just stopped from running around all day, and you¡¯re hungry, you need to go back for food.

    ¡°Miss Gu separated from you, and you go back to tell them that you went looking for her everywhere. You couldn¡¯t find her.¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t looking at Reinitz, she could still understand what he was saying.

    She was extremely shocked that he was actually hypnotizing Rong Mingxing in a ce like this.

    If this was actually sessful, then she could thankfully confirm that Reinitz wouldn¡¯t try killing Rong Mingxing.

    Gu Nianzhi had used such hypnotic brainwashing techniques on Tan Guiren in the past.

    However, inparison to Reinitz, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skills were extremely poor...

    Also, Reinitz was hypnotizing three people at once. Even the two masked gunmen were being hypnotized by him.

    The two men quickly put away their guns and grabbed Rong Mingxing¡¯s arms with nk expressions before taking her away.

    ¡°...Bring her by the Huaxia Imperial Embassy in New Delhi before dark,¡± Reinitz calmly ordered.

    This was a hypnotizer¡¯smand, so it took root in the deepest recesses of human consciousness.

    When themand was being carried out, it would be an instinct instilled by the hypnotizer.

    There was no fear of them suddenly changing their minds.

    Soon afterward, the two men took Rong Mingxing away. Gu Nianzhi finally realized what had happened and found her entire body covered in sweat. She felt like she had lived through a nightmare and saw Reinitz upon waking up from the dream.

    Reinitz looked around to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ashen face. Her eyes showedplete fatigue, yet she stopped herself from copsing to the ground.

    Reinitz sighed from the bottom of his heart.

    It appeared that Li Dexi understood the Gu family far better than he did.

    As expected, hypnosis didn¡¯t work very well on them.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s father, Gu Haoze, was said to be the inventor of this type of hypnosis.

    The hypnosis was allegedly based on a method found in ancient Indian literature. It could be considered a type of mental process derived from yoga, then optimized by Gu Haoze, a genius spiritual master. Reinitz was one of the very few professionals who could sessfully perform this type of hypnosis.

    However, it didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on Gu Nianzhi.

    Of course, he could never attain the level of inner peace required by the hypnosis whenever he was with Gu Nianzhi.

    So, it only made sense that it failed.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the sweat from her forehead, whispering, ¡°You really n to let my friend go?¡±

    ¡°What? You think that hypnosis can happen just like that?¡± Reinitz peered at her with his hands folded behind his back. He didn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi see that his hand holding the gun was actually spasming.

    Performing this type of hypnotism required immense mental strength.

    Reinitz was currently exhausted, so even a young child could beat him down right then.

    However, he couldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi know this. He forced himself to appear strong and spoke like nothing was amiss.

    Gu Nianzhi gave a reluctant nod and probed Reinitz, asking, ¡°...Those men took her back to the embassy, so does that mean you don¡¯t have any helpers around anymore?¡±

    ¡°Cereus, are you worried about me?¡± Reinitz¡¯s eyes sparkled, and he suddenly felt all the energy return to his body. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, baby. I still have many men ambushed in ces you can¡¯t even see.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked shocked.

    ¡°Here, don¡¯t forget what you promised me.¡± Reinitz waved at her again. ¡°Help me find this, and maybe you can also figure out where your father is ¨C whether he is dead or alive.¡±

 Chapter 1164 - The Girl Wearing a Crown

    <h4>Chapter 1164 The Girl Wearing a Crown</h4>

    Since Reinitz had just lost the help of his subordinates, Gu Nianzhi was nning to contact He Zhichu as soon as possible and ask him to rescue her.She instantly deted when Reinitz told her there were other men hidden in different ces.

    That made sense. How could Reinitz only have two underlings when he held such a high role and used such cruel methods?

    Reinitz noticed Gu Nianzhi suddenly losing all her energy, so he smiled subtly and took out his phone to open an encrypted document. He passed it to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Cereus, I know that you¡¯re the smartest person around. I don¡¯t think anyone besides you will be able to guess the meaning behind this poem.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really want to bother with Reinitz, but she read the poem out of the corner of her eye. It was the beginning of the poem on the note that Reinitz had handed herst time.

    Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi finally epted the phone from Reinitz.

    She was honestly curious about the item her grandfather Gu Haoze had stolen from the Gestapo. What was this item, and why did the Gestapo have to pursue it relentlessly for half a century...?

    Also, Reinitz even knew the name of her grandfather, and this was information that Huo Shaoheng and his personnel were unable to find out.

    She had no idea if He Zhichu knew her grandfather either...

    The thoughts ran wild in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head as she began to read intently.

    Reinitz was showing her a high-resolution photo of a letter.

    From the look of the paper, the letter must be very old. The page was slightly yellowed, but the writing was very crisp. This was written by her father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s irritated mood was alleviated when she saw the neatly flowing English handwriting on the page.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at it.

    ¡°...Father ¨C I have thought about this for a long time, but I still don¡¯t agree with your perspective.

    ¡°This item is far too important. Germany and Japan still haven¡¯t stopped pursuing it to this day, so we must consider this very carefully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want this to cause trouble for my child in the future, nor do I want to see the thing you risked your life for all those years ago be meaningless. Because of this, I put it in a ce far away from my home.

    ¡°If someone decides to look for it one day, they must pass my test.

    ¡°This item can absolutely never fall into the wrong hands.¡±

    ...

    The letter ended with a poem that Gu Nianzhi was all too familiar with.

    It was ¡°The Eternal Teardrop: The Taj Mahal¡± by the Indian poet Tagore.

    ...

    ¡°This was the hope in your heart,

    Built of gems, diamonds, and pearls,

    Like the magic shimmering of rainbows in empty horizons,

    let it be hidden,

    Only let this one teardrop,

    Glisten pure upon the cheek of time,

    This Taj Mahal.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scrolled through to the second page and saw it was another poem written by Tagore, entitled, ¡°The Most Distant Way in the World.¡±

    ¡°The most distant way in the world,

    is not the way from birth to the end,

    it is when I sit near you,

    that you don¡¯t understand I love you.¡±

    It was only the first four lines of the poem and written in apletely different handwriting from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s. The paper also appeared much newer, so it was not a yellowed letter.

    This photo shouldn¡¯t have any connection to Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even need to think about who this was rted to.

    She only took one nce before nonchntly scrolling back to the previous page. She then passed the phone back to Reinitz and asked, ¡°Is this poem your only clue?¡±

    Reinitz felt very conflicted when he took his phone back. He wanted to ask Gu Nianzhi if she saw the poem on the second page, but he swallowed the words down when he noticed the look on her face.

    Shutting off his phone, he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already seen all your father¡¯s earliest letters and transcripts. This item is the closest thing to what we are investigating. We concluded that the location of the item is rted to this letter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi considered this in silence, then asked, ¡°...Can you even tell me anything about what the item is?¡±

    Aside from the Gestapo chasing after it for half a century, her father also wrote a letter to her grandfather discussing whether or not to keep the item. He also mentioned that he didn¡¯t want it to cause trouble for his child...

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure if she had been born by the time Gu Xiangwen wrote that letter.

    Reinitz hesitated for a very long time, so Gu Nianzhi snapped impatiently, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, how am I supposed to help you find it without any clues at all? I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re wasting your own time, but don¡¯t waste my time. Also, I need to remind you again that this item belongs to my family! My family!¡±

    Reinitz chuckled, then shook his head. He quietly replied, ¡°...It is a set of data.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped; she already knew it had something to do with data...

    ¡°Was it scientific research? What kind of scientific research was it?¡± Gu Nianzhi feigned curiosity.

    ¡°I am not very sure about that.¡± Reinitz immediately rejected her request. ¡°It¡¯s not a veryrge set of data. It¡¯s about a hundred or so letter pages.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not considered a lot?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Are the pages A4 or letter size?¡±

    A4 was the standard paper size in the Huaxia Empire, while letter size was the American standard.

    Reinitz considered it. ¡°It should be letter size,¡± he said.

    ¡°Why would all those things be hidden in a ce like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head began to throb painfully. She looked around the Taj Mahal, then made a request. ¡°I haven¡¯t walked here before; can I take a look around?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Of course you can.¡± Reinitz walked over to her, then grabbed her hand. ¡°But you must listen to me and stay together. Otherwise, all my little friends hidden everywhere won¡¯t be very happy to see you wandering around alone.¡±

    He was warning Gu Nianzhi against sneaking away with the excuse of sightseeing.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She had already given up on that idea a long time ago!

    However, Reinitz didn¡¯t believe her and insisted on holding her hand. They began wandering around the empty Taj Mahal together.

    Once they left the main hall, they had already explored more than half of the Taj Mahal.

    They then looked at the small halls and clock tower, as well as the beautiful architecture of the Taj Mahal. It didn¡¯t take them very much time at all.

    However, Reinitz held her hand the entire time. So, from a far distance, they looked like a young couple doing some sightseeing.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were still on the poem as she contemted how she would crack it, yet Reinitz was purposely being intimate with her.

    He was aware of someone spying them.

    He was waiting for them to lose their patience.

    ...

    The truth was, He Zhichu was just about to explode in anger.

    First, he was ambushed from behind by Reinitz and had nearly lost his entire team.

    Now, he watched Reinitz boldly take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walk around the Taj Mahal like they were lovers.

    He Zhichu peered through his binocrs and wanted nothing more but to take a knife and cut Reinitz¡¯s hands off.

    After watching some more, he threw down the binocrs with anger and took out his phone. He dialed a number given to him by Huo Shaoheng.

    This was not the number that Huo Shaoheng typically used, but a temporary number generated for the mission.

    Themunications signal waspletely reliant on the Huaxia Imperial developed Nandou Satellite Communication and Navigation System, so they didn¡¯t need to worry about foreigners spying on them or leaking information.

    The phone rang three times before it was picked up.

    The answering voice must have been altered by a voice changer since it didn¡¯t sound like Huo Shaoheng at all.

    ¡°...Professor He, was there something you needed?¡± The tone was still Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    He Zhichu suppressed his rage and asked in a quiet voice, ¡°...Just how long are you nning to wait?! Have you arrived in India yet?!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m here,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied evenly. ¡°I can see everything that you see.¡±

    He Zhichu was quiet for a minute. ¡°...So, you¡¯re not angry?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell that he¡¯s doing this on purpose? Also, the target is not in any danger. They should be looking for clues right now, so don¡¯t go making trouble.¡±

    ¡°All you care about is the mission! The mission! So, does that mean you won¡¯t react to anything as long as it¡¯s for your mission?!¡±

    He Zhichu waspletely infuriated by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s self-assuredposure. ¡°I better not be wrong about you! I¡¯m telling you that I can change my mind at any minute!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He was currently hiding amongst the branches of a huge tree, so the thick foliage concealed the bodies of him and his soldiers.

    He vigntly looked ahead and was fully aware of everything that happened inside the Taj Mahal.

    ¡°Professor He, please don¡¯t worry. We already prepared so long for this, so why should we ruin it at thest moment?¡± Huo Shaoheng rummaged for a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He wanted to smoke but remembered that he was in a tree and decided not to. He kept the cigarette in his mouth to quell his craving.

    He Zhichu heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and sneered, ¡°Fine then, you are the great general who is strategizing from a tent thousands of miles away, while I am just an unsightly little soldier. But I still need to tell you that if the target is in danger, our agreement will be nullified!¡±

    This meant that if Gu Nianzhi was in any danger, He Zhichu would abandon his partnership with Huo Shaoheng and engage directly with Reinitz.

    Huo Shaoheng took the cigarette out of his mouth, crushing it into powder. Jumping off the tree, he scattered it in the water.

    ...

    Inside the Taj Mahal, Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz walked hand in hand to the front corridor.

    It was already evening time. The sun set in the west, and thest remnants of the light scattered before the Taj Mahal to bathe it in a sea of red.

    Gu Nianzhi walked a few steps along the corridor before setting her eyes on the reflection of the pool beside the corridor.

    From this angle, the reflecting pool happened to disy the entire Taj Mahal and the gold border emzoned by the setting sun.

    When she looked at the reflecting pool, the afterglow of the sun was like a gorgeous jeweled crown glowing iridescently.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was incredibly beautiful, so she quickly took her phone out with her other hand and said to Reinitz, ¡°Can you let go of my hand? I want to take a picture of the Taj Mahal.¡±

    Reinitz let go of her hand, so Gu Nianzhi used both hands to hold the phone and found the right angle. The camera shutter sounded as it took several photos.

    After taking the photos, she opened the album and scrolled through each one. Suddenly, she let out a quiet gasp.

    Backing up a few steps, she looked at the Taj Mahal, then the reflecting pool again. She also looked at the photos on her phone and showed them to Reinitz in amusement. ¡°Look for yourself. Doesn¡¯t the reflection of the Taj Mahal in the pool look like the head of a young girl wearing a crown?¡±

 Chapter 1165 - Passing Level One

    <h4>Chapter 1165 Passing Level One</h4>

    Reinitz leaned over to rest his head on top of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, then looked at the photos she had just taken on her phone.The photos were beautiful, and the angle happened to capture the top half of the Taj Mahal¡¯s reflection in the pool.

    The pool water was so clear it glowed blue, while the Taj Mahal¡¯s reflection was nothing short of magical.

    The pure white Taj Mahal was bathed in red-orange by the setting sun, yet it waspletely overturned in the reflecting pool.

    The tapered pagoda on the roof became the girl¡¯s chin, while the rounded roof was the girl¡¯s full cheeks.

    The ornate vine shaped floral patterns along the cross-section of the roof were the girl¡¯s narrow eyes. They were shut and seemingly asleep.

    From the perspective of the photo, one of the stone pirs before the Taj Mahal appeared to be the bridge of the girl¡¯s nose.

    As for the two small roofs and onerger roof of the Taj Mahal ¨C they formed a crown in the pool¡¯s reflection.

    Gu Nianzhi carefully analyzed the girl¡¯s face in the reflection of the Taj Mahal, then noticed it seemed somewhat familiar.

    The snow-white skin, round cheeks, narrow eyes, and tiny lips seemed a bit reminiscent of the photo of a younger Gu Nianzhi.

    Or in other words, it was very simr to the doll she had as a child. Of course, it was even more simr to Wen Shouyi¡¯s face.

    Wen Shouyi was older and more mature.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current looks werepletely different from when she was younger.

    With this thought, she wondered if she had a simr face to Wen Shouyi when she was a child.

    This was a new breakthrough for Gu Nianzhi.

    She disliked Wen Shouyi from the very beginning, and she appearedpletely different once she grew up, so she had never thought about things this way.

    The girl¡¯s face in the reflection of the Taj Mahal¡¯s pool seemed to remind her of this simrity.

    Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi pushed this unpleasant thought to the back of her mind. She focused her attention on the Taj Mahal and poem.

    She walked around the front corridor of the Taj Mahal several times again.

    Yet her eyes remained attracted to the girl¡¯s face reflecting in the pool of the Taj Mahal.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but think of two lines from the poem.

    ¡°This was the hope in your heart,

    built of gems, diamonds, and pearls...¡±

    The pirs of the Taj Mahal were once encrusted with many jewels, but it had all been pried away during the world war.

    For example, the shorter pir in front of the Taj Mahal that resembled the girl¡¯s nose bridge in the reflection of the pool was one of them.

    When Gu Nianzhi walked closer, she could see the pits and holes left behind after the once encrusted jewels were pried off.

    The pir wasn¡¯t very tall but was topped by a small umbre-shaped entature.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind began to work as she walked over and took another look around the pir.

    The pir wasn¡¯t very remarkable amongst the rest of the architecture in the Taj Mahal, but it was positioned in the very center of the girl¡¯s face in the pool reflection.

    Could this somehow have a special meaning?

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively thought it might appear normal, but it actually concealed something more.

    She carefully examined the pir inch by inch.

    Soon afterward, she noticed a Sanskrit engraving amongst the flourishing patterns near the very top of the pir.

    While Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t read Sanskrit, she could look up the meaning online.

    She scanned the Sanskrit engraving and used graphic recognition software to extract the writing. Then she used a Sanskrit trantion website and inputted the words.

    The trantion disying on the website was, ¡°...This was the hope in your heart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Oh my god, this was something huge!

    Her expression was a bit shocked, and her hands began to tremble.

    ¡°What is it? You think there¡¯s something wrong with this pir?¡± Reinitz walked over and stood next to her. He also looked up to examine the pir.

    The pir wasn¡¯t very tall. Because Reinitz was about 5¡¯9¡å, he only needed to raise his hand when standing in front of it to be able to touch the entature.

    ¡°...The hope in your heart, built of gems, diamonds, and pearls...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi murmured, ¡°Look here, doesn¡¯t this look like the line from the poem? This pir was once encrusted with many jewels.¡±

    Reinitz examined it a bit more. ¡°...Many parts of the Taj Mahal were once encrusted with jewels, so this wasn¡¯t the only pir. What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°But this is the only pir that read, ¡®the hope in your heart!¡¯¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the Sanskrit writing near the top of the pir. ¡°Look here. This is in Sanskrit, so I tranted it.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s heart thumped violently. ¡°...It¡¯s right here?!¡±

    He had been walking around the Taj Mahal for two weeks now, but never noticed this pir. So, of course he hadn¡¯t noticed the Sanskrit engraving on the top of the pir either!

    But this wasn¡¯t really his fault.

    There were roughly only ten thousand people on the Blue who spoke Sanskrit, and most of them were Brahmins in India.

    Furthermore, there were only about one thousand people who could actually read Sanskrit.

    Reinitz¡¯s specialty wasn¡¯t linguistics, so it was very understandable that he couldn¡¯t read Sanskrit.

    His focus was never on this nondescript pir, either.

    Anyone who came to the Taj Mahal would only look at the main hall.

    Gu Nianzhi had onlye out to take a look after she failed to find any clues in the main hall.

    She took photos, following her instincts as a tourist.

    To Gu Nianzhi, one of the greatest joys of traveling was being able to take photos.

    Reinitz¡¯s attention was also shifted to the pir.

    ¡°It¡¯s even stranger if it¡¯s actually here. Can this pir possibly hide the data?¡± Reinitz muttered to himself as he walked around the pir in circles.

    Finally, he raised his hand and stood on his tiptoes to reach towards the small umbre-shaped entature on the top of the pir.

    The small entature was hollow, so it was just enough space for him to put his hand into.

    Reinitz¡¯s hand rummaged around inside, circling around the entire inside of the pir. Finally, his expression was stiff when he felt a small, lighter sized box that had been secured inside the pir.

    He then felt around it again to realize it was probably taped on the surface inside.

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    Taking out his army knife, he ced one hand against the pir and reached his other hand inside. Using the army knife, he cut away the tape and forcefully pried the small lighter sized item out of the pir.

    ¡°There¡¯s actually something inside?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was also very shocked, but smiled happily and said, ¡°Hurry up and check what¡¯s inside!¡±

    Reinitz looked at what he had thought was the lighter in his hand. Precisely speaking, it was not a lighter, but a small tin box the size of a lighter.

    The tin box was secured by an even more exquisite little lock.

    Reinitz checked all sides of the box before removing a tiny tool from his army knife. He inserted it into the keyhole of the lock.

    His hand cautiously made small movements inside the keyhole as he attempted to find where it met.

    Finally, the tiny lock clicked open.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    He actually knew how to pick locks...

    Reinitz turned around to see her shocked look. He was feeling overjoyed and couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, so he leaned over to give her forehead a quick peck. ¡°Thank you, Cereus.¡±

    He Zhichu was still hiding close by and witnessed this from his binocrs. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°Motherf*cker!¡± He Zhichu threw down the binocrs once again. He grabbed his gun with one hand and mmed the window sill with the other as he jumped down.

    ¡°Attention everyone! Attention everyone! The target is in the corridor square! The target is in the corridor square!¡±

    He Zhichu gathered his bloodthirsty subordinates and rushed towards where Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi were standing.

 Chapter 1166 - He Came

    <h4>Chapter 1166 He Came</h4>

    Reinitz was finally able to kiss Gu Nianzhi. Although it was only on the forehead, and it was at a moment where he couldn¡¯t hold back from repressing his surprise and joyfulness, he was still able to kiss her.At that moment, he felt that his life waspleted and he had no more regrets...

    She was really messing with his heart!

    Even the skin on her forehead was soft and silky.

    When his lips pressed against her, he felt them grow so hot they were nearly feverish.

    As soon as contact was made, the heat coursed through his entire body and made Reinitz suddenly feel very warm.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t able to move away before Reinitz kissed her on the forehead.

    The spot on her forehead where Reinitz kissed suddenly felt burning hot. Her heart thumped wildly as she quickly darted away and said with a frown, ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? Don¡¯t be so physical with me. Why won¡¯t you listen? I won¡¯t be able to cooperate with you any further if you keep acting like this.¡±

    Reinitz closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. ¡°I am sorry, Cereus. That wasn¡¯t on purpose. I was really too excited!¡±

    How could Reinitz not be excited about seeing some progress on finding the item that had eluded him for so long?

    When The Pink Piggy breached the Federal Intelligence Service thest time, she nearly robbed them of everything.

    As the Director, Reinitz was supposed to be the one to take full responsibility.

    However, the veteran of their bureau, Li Dexi, stepped forward to protect him, and Reinitz was able to survive unscathed. He didn¡¯t get demoted or punished for the incident.

    He felt very guilty about making his country suffer such a huge loss, yet he still didn¡¯t reveal the true identity of The Pink Piggy. This already betrayed the religion and beliefs he had upheld for so many years.

    Yet this was his instinctive choice since he didn¡¯t regret hiding the real truth about The Pink Piggy at all. Nevertheless, he still felt guilty.

    If he were able to sessfully retrieve important data that had been lost for half a century this time around, he would be able to redeem himself with the merit he gained.

    Gu Nianzhi red at him, speechless. She pointed to the small tin box in his hands and asked, ¡°Do you think this is what you¡¯re looking for? You think over a hundred letter-size pages are sitting in that small tin box?¡±

    Reinitz scanned the rusty tin box and murmured, ¡°...Perhaps your father took photos of the pages andpressed it all on microfilm? Or maybe... a sh drive?¡±

    That was the only possible method ofpression that he could think of.

    Microfilms and sh drives hadn¡¯t yet existed on the Blue when Gu Haoze stole the data all those years ago.

    But when the data fell into Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hands, perhaps microfilm and sh drives were already in existence.

    However, the small tin box was too t, so Reinitz was wondering what kind of microfilm or sh drive could be physically small enough to fit inside it.

    His fingers rubbed the small tin box, and with a press of his thumb, he opened it with a click.

    Gu Nianzhi also peered over with widened eyes.

    There was no microfilm or sh drive inside the tin box, as Reinitz had anticipated. He was slightly disappointed.

    Gu Nianzhi never thought it would be microfilm or a sh drive because she didn¡¯t even believe that this would be the data they were searching for.

    There was only a neatly folded note inside the small tin box.

    The notepaper was already yellowed and looked quite old. It looked as old as the photo that Reinitz had shown Gu Nianzhi on his phone.

    ¡°...How could there only be a note in there?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, shocked. ¡°Is this a new clue?¡±

    Reinitz nced at Gu Nianzhi before taking out the note with irritation. He opened it to read.

    As expected, it was a message written by Gu Xiangwen.

    ¡°...Congrattions on passing the first level. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re looking for the whereabouts of this item. Before I tell you where it is, you can go check the following ces.¡±

    The note then listed the names of several clinics.

    ¡°...Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center, the Parents¡¯ Clinic in the Labado Project, Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic, Lajiawan Infertility Treatment Center...¡±

    Without exception, the locations listed were all specialized clinics rted to fertility.

    Gu Nianzhi was perplexed. ¡°...Just what kind of data are you looking for?¡±

    Why was all this rted to having children?

    The corner of Reinitz¡¯s eye twitched imperceptibly. Just as when he was about to make up a reason to fool Gu Nianzhi, he suddenly heard the crack of a gunshot right by his ear.

    The sound was all too familiar to him. Without a second thought, he immediately pulled Gu Nianzhi over to him and embraced her as they rolled to the ground. He used his body to shield her.

    A bullet scraped past them and smashed bits of rock in the corridor beside them.

    ¡°Let her go! I¡¯ll count to three! If you don¡¯t let her go, I¡¯ll let you people meet your God!¡± He Zhichu¡¯s extremely icy tone sounded. He spoke in fluent Hannover German, his harsh tone perfectly expressing his deep rage and resentment.

    Reinitz sneered. With one hand holding Gu Nianzhi against his arm, he raised his other and fired a shot in He Zhichu¡¯s direction.

    ¡°...Watch out!¡± Gu Nianzhi panicked and struggled desperately. She attempted to disrupt Reinitz¡¯s bnce so he wouldn¡¯t be able to aim his shot correctly.

    However, Reinitz¡¯s arms were like iron shackles that rendered Gu Nianzhi immobile with just the grip of one hand.

    He Zhichu saw red when he witnessed this.

    He pointed a suppressed submachine gun at Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi, yet he didn¡¯t dare shoot again.

    Bullets could misfire.

    Reinitz was holding Gu Nianzhi hostage against his body and, although he didn¡¯t make her a human shield, who knew if he would suddenly change his mind?

    In a struggle for life and death, how many people would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others?

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t dare to take this gamble. He slung the suppressed submachine gun behind his back and took out a pistol with his other hand. He aimed at Reinitz¡¯s leg and shot three times!

    Reinitz hugged Gu Nianzhi and rolled across the ground once again.

    The bullets hit where they had just been lying, kicking up a storm of dust and shards of rock to leave tiny pits.

    He Zhichu¡¯s men were standing guard beside him. They were all armed with suppressed submachine guns that covered every single angle.

    Reinitz quickly gave orders over his Bluetooth headset.

    Soon afterward, many masked gunmen emerged from the holly trees around the corridor of the Taj Mahal. They fired at He Zhichu and his subordinates.

    He Zhichu¡¯s subordinates all wore bulletproof vests and helmets, so they immediately adjusted their aim and began shooting at the gunmen.

    Bang, bang, bang!

    The fierce gunfire resounded in the air above the Taj Mahal to indicate the gun battle breaking out.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eardrums were about to burst from the noise, yet Reinitz kept his arms so tightly around her that she could scarcely raise her hands to cover her ears.

    Reinitz¡¯s subordinates had ambushed them from behind while staying in their own bunkers.

    Although He Zhichu¡¯s subordinates all wore bulletproof vests and helmets, such gear only protected the vital parts of the torso. Non-vital body parts, like the arms and legs, had no protection.

    Soon afterward, Reinitz¡¯s masked gunmen brought down He Zhichu¡¯s subordinates one by one.

    They were shot in the arms or legs, then wailed as they fell to the ground.

    He Zhichu alsoid down on the ground and rolled, approaching Reinitz¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Reinitz bellowed angrily. ¡°My bullets can prate bulletproof vests! Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t shoot you!¡±

    Reinitz was still somewhat wary of He Zhichu since Li Dexi had reminded him to avoid directly engaging with him...

    But there could only be one survivor at that point, so Reinitz thought he had no choice but to heed Li Dexi¡¯s instructions.

    He Zhichu stiffened. He watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face flush red as she desperately shook her head at him while being held hostage by Reinitz.

    In the brief moment of hesitation, Reinitz¡¯s masked gunmen jumped up from their bunkers and carried suppressed submachine guns as they lunged towards He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi finally broke down and screamed, ¡°...No! Professor He, run now! Run now!¡±

    While being immobilized by Reinitz, Gu Nianzhi used all the strength she could muster to kick, bite, and scratch Reinitz. She wanted nothing more but to tear his flesh off.

    The masked gunmen pointed their guns at He Zhichu¡¯s head, quickly approaching.

    The fierce gunfire inside the Taj Mahal was suddenly silenced, and the tension grew even more unbearable.

    The setting sun emitted its final afterglow before disappearing under the horizon in the west.

    That moment was when dark approached but had not yet arrived. It was the witching hour where darkness and light interchanged.

    Gu Nianzhi stared wide-eyed at the masked gunmen gradually approaching He Zhichu, their footsteps heavy and powerful.

    Thump, thump, thump, thump.

    They were like iron hooves trampling over her chest. Her eyes felt like they would burst. Her heart screamed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name, yet she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say a single word.

    Huo Shaoheng, are you going to let me down this time too?

    As though the sentiments in her heart were being answered, the sky gradually grew dark, and everyone¡¯s vision turned to ck.

    It was dark now.

    At that moment, a dozen bullets suddenly sailed through the darkness and sent off glowing sparks that pierced through the night. They were sent out silently in the blink of an eye. They hit all of Reinitz¡¯s masked gunmen at nearly the same moment.

    They were all shot in the back of their heads, and a look of disbelief crossed their eyes for the split second it took them to tumble to the ground. Like everything happened in slow motion, they fell facedown, one by one.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled while her face was covered in dust like a little calico kitten.

    In the darkness of the night, she saw ten strapping figures silently approach from all directions. She didn¡¯t sense any ill intentions, but it was more frightening than any feeling of unease!

    Although she couldn¡¯t make out their faces, Gu Nianzhi recognized them right away.

    The tall man approaching them at the front must be Huo Shaoheng!

    He finally came.

    He didn¡¯t disappoint her this time.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears surged once again, but she didn¡¯t notice at all. She smiled, happier than ever.

 Chapter 1167 - The Safest Momen

    <h4>Chapter 1167 The Safest Momen</h4>

    They came by night, yet brought light with them to dispel the thick darkness.

    The moon revealed itself in the sky and cast pure light upon the ground to elongate the shadows of the dozen men.

    Just as the gunfire sounded, Reinitz knew something was very wrong. They were already surrounded.

    He decisively stuffed the note found in the pir into his mouth. Chewing thoroughly, he swallowed it.

    After destroying the note, he looked up and saw a sh of red light right before his eyes. A tiny red dot was aimed directly at the center of his forehead.

    Although he couldn¡¯t see the red dot, the wavering red light in his eyes made him instantly understand that he was already within range of a sniper rifle.

    As soon as he moved, he would be instantly shot in the head by the sniper.

    Reinitz¡¯s body froze immediately, so he didn¡¯t even have time to do anything to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi began to fiercely struggle against him once again.

    This time, she was easily able to free herself from Reinitz¡¯s grasp and crawled up from the ground.

    When she looked back, Reinitz was still lying on the ground in the same position as before. With his head cocked, his eyes fell upon the men in front of him.

    Gu Nianzhi could clearly see the red dot on Reinitz¡¯s forehead. It was like the kind of light emitted from aser printer.

    Of course, she was fully aware that the red dot was actually from the scope of a sniper rifle.

    No wonder Reinitz was lying motionless on the ground. He remained in his previous position.

    His eyes drifted towards Gu Nianzhi. They were so blue that under the moonlight, they almost appeared ck, like the ocean at night.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips at him before turning around and breaking into a smile.

    The dozen or so strapping figures were alreadying closer and surrounded thempletely.

    Gu Nianzhi was very familiar with the figure in the front because she immediately recognized him to be Huo Shaoheng.

    She was shocked for a second when she saw the man¡¯s face covered in a beard and bearing an unfamiliar hooked nose.

    The person didn¡¯t even look at her. He was looking straight ahead, holding a gun, and walked to He Zhichu¡¯s side. He reached his hand out and said, ¡°Boss, we came toote.¡±

    His voice was low and raspy, so every word he said seemed to be buffed out by sandpaper.

    It wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, either.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment, then immediately understood.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men were in disguise.

    Just like how they put on disguises for every Special Operations Forces operation abroad so they wouldn¡¯t be easily exposed.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the happiness off her face and stood silently at the sidelines.

    The moonlight was like water washing on the pure white Taj Mahal, illuminating it like a moon ce.

    Under the moonlight, the Taj Mahal exuded a different kind of attractiveness. Like a woman possessing unparalleled beauty, her most beautiful moment was captured for all eternity.

    He Zhichu looked at the hand being offered to him, his eyes traveling up the hand, along the strong shoulder, and finally stopping on an unfamiliar face covered with a beard.

    He was actually in disguise...

    He was way too sly!

    He Zhichu snorted, refusing to ept Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. He stood himself up before sneering, ¡°Thanks to you, I didn¡¯t die yet. You people really came at the right moment!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t reply, he used his eyes to warn He Zhichu not to take things too far.

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched twice.

    If Gu Nianzhi weren¡¯t there right now, he would have already pped Huo Shaoheng in the face a long time ago!

    Who the hell did he think he was!

    How dare he disregard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life or death! He used her as bait and allowed that Reinitz to grope her freely!

    He Zhichu raised his chin and walked to Reinitz. He gave a sudden kick and viciously mmed Reinitz directly in the chest.

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered in fear. With both hands muffling her mouth, she stopped herself from almost screaming out loud.

    Huo Shaoheng coughed in difort, then said in his raspy voice, ¡°...Boss, let¡¯s hurry up and go.¡±

    There were corpses all over the ce, along with He Zhichu¡¯s mercenaries who were immobilized from their injuries.

    It wouldn¡¯t be easy for them to get away when the country¡¯s military and police came at dawn.

    Besides, He Zhichu¡¯s recklessness resulted in them failing to lure out the person directing Reinitz. They were only able to capture Reinitz.

    He Zhichu vented the anger in his heart, balling his hands into fists and brandishing them, saying, ¡°Tie him up and take him with us.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave a look to his subordinates to ask them to heed He Zhichu¡¯smands.

    In silence, the two soldiers brought over a special rope to tie up Reinitz.

    They used international sailor¡¯s knots since these were supposed to be tighter as the person struggled against it. It was very reliable.

    He Zhichu finally walked over to Gu Nianzhi and looked down at her dirty face. He took a wet wipe from his pocket to carefully wipe it clean.

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the excitement in her heart and obediently allowed He Zhichu to help her wipe her face. As she stood next to He Zhichu, she stopped herself from looking in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything, either. He wore a dark camouge suit, night vision goggles with infrared functions, and B Brand military boots often worn by mercenaries. They were known to be able to kick a cow to death in one shot.

    He and other colleagues disguised as mercenaries standing together behind He Zhichu. They appeared to be protecting their boss, and, of course, Gu Nianzhi was also within their sphere of protection when she stood next to He Zhichu.

    All the other men were disposing of the bodies of Reinitz¡¯s men.

    The corpses were taken away one by one, then thrown into a river beside the Taj Mahal.

    All the mercenaries He Zhichu brought over initially had been injured in the legs or arms, so they weren¡¯t in mortal peril.

    These men were supported and carried, walking into the dark night and towards the Jeeps they came in with.

    In the blink of an eye, only a few people remained in the corridor in front of the Taj Mahal.

    He Zhichu grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and coldly questioned Reinitz, ¡°...What kind of thing did you find on the pir earlier?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t even want to ask such a ridiculous question.

    However, Huo Shaoheng relentlessly sent him messages over his Bluetooth headset to ask Reinitz about the clue he had found.

    Reinitz chuckled. He had just been violently kicked by He Zhichu, so his organs were shaken up, and the corners of his lips were bleeding.

    However, his arms were tied back and rendered him unable to wipe his mouth clean. Under the moonlight, he looked very harrowing.

    Gu Nianzhi turned away with some difort, casting her eyes on the Taj Mahal in the distance.

    Reinitz¡¯s smile broadened. He had already chewed up and swallowed the note from earlier, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to find it even if they killed him and cut open his stomach.

    ¡°...My apologies, it¡¯s already gone.¡± Reinitz raised a brow and spoke like a true gentleman.

    He Zhichu began to frown. ¡°It¡¯s already gone? What do you mean it¡¯s already gone?¡±

    ¡°It means it¡¯s already gone. You came one step toote, so I ate it already...¡± Reinitz replied with perfect politeness. Although he waspletely tied up, he still stood ramrod straight like he was about to attend a ball at the castle.

    He Zhichu pressed his lips together and was just about to tell Huo Shaoheng he couldn¡¯t do anything about this when Gu Nianzhi began to recite the note she had just read smoothly.

    ¡°...Congrattions on passing the first level. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re looking for the whereabouts of this item. Before I tell you where it is, you can go check at the following ces.¡±

    ¡°...Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center, the Parents¡¯ Clinic in the Labado Project, Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic, Lajiawan Infertility Treatment Center...¡±

    With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photographic memory, the short note of fewer than two hundred letters was a walk in the park.

    He Zhichu, ¡°...¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    Both men were thinking, oh my god! How could they have forgotten about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s genius...?

    Huo Shaoheng was the only one who began to burst intoughter.

    He Zhichu turned around and red viciously at him. ¡°...You have the guts tough at your boss?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately wiped the grin off his face and raised his chin. ¡°No!¡± he said.

    Reinitz¡¯s suspicious gazended on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face for one second, but he didn¡¯t recognize who this person was at all.

    Somehow, he wasn¡¯t able to look at their movements and tell which mercenary group they belonged to...

    Because of Reinitz¡¯s work, he had a very thorough understanding of the mercenary groups on Blue.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down quietly and had a very hard time containing herughter.

    He Zhichu squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand to feel the slight trembling of her body and knew that she wasughing. The anguish in his heart grew even more.

    Gritting his teeth, he pulled Gu Nianzhi in by the shoulder and embraced her. Then he turned around and barked, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    He was nearly dragging Gu Nianzhi as they strode outside.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes flickered slightly. His eyes scanned across He Zhichu¡¯s back, and his burning gaze finally paused on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back, nearly burning a hole with his look.

    He then turned around to wave and ordered his men to bring Reinitz along.

    The soldiers holding Reinitz put a piece of tape over his mouth, then brought a furry hat to cover his face before pushing him along.

    The group got into the vehicles, and with a loud boom, they left the Taj Mahal with roaring engines.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu were in the car in the middle, and they sat in the backseat.

    Huo Shaoheng brought Reinitz over andmanded his underlings to take him to the first car. He then walked to the middle car, where He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were sitting, and opened the door.

    With a loud click, He Zhichu locked the door from the inside.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a speechless look, then discreetly unlocked the back door on her side. She cast Huo Shaoheng a look.

    Huo Shaoheng revealed a subtle smile before walking over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and pulling the door open. He elegantly climbed into the car.

    Gu Nianzhi shifted from her seat on the right side of the back row to the middle of the back row.

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng nked either side of her.

    This was the safest Gu Nianzhi had been in the past few days.

    She smiled as she looked at Huo Shaoheng on her right side, then at He Zhichu on the left side. She nodded in satisfaction.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was icy as he ordered the driver in the front, ¡°Start the car,¡±

    The driver was one of the Special Forces Operations personnel Huo Shaoheng had brought along.

    He only listened to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng also nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The driver finally started the car and drove away from the Taj Mahal.

    They got onto the highway to head towards He Zhichu¡¯s apartment in New Delhi.

    Gu Nianzhi rified their destination before remembering Rong Mingxing. She panicked and asked, ¡°Right, and what about Rong Mingxing? Did you guys get in touch with her?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look at her before retorting coldly, ¡°You couldn¡¯t even protect yourself, so why are you worried about other people? She¡¯s fine, she already went back to the embassy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in relief.

    She gave He Zhichu a ttering smile. ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu snorted but didn¡¯t hear Gu Nianzhi say anything else for a very long time.

    He was a bit surprised, so he couldn¡¯t help but turn around to look at her. He discovered that Gu Nianzhi was already fast asleep.

    Her head was resting against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder, and she was in a deep slumber.

 Chapter 1168 - Completely Take Advantage

    <h4>Chapter 1168 Completely Take Advantage</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was 5¡¯9¡å and a soldier, so he was always in perfect military stance regardless of whether he was sitting or standing. It was the kind of posture taught in textbooks.But this time, he bent his long legs in the spacious backseat of the Jeep and leaned his shoulder towards Gu Nianzhi. He didn¡¯t sit straight so that she could sleep in the mostfortable way.

    Huo Shaoheng was so powerfully built that his body was hard as a rock even when he rxed. It wasn¡¯t veryfortable to sleep against.

    But to Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulders were the safest ce for her peace of mind.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng merely looked ahead calmly without any expression on his face.

    However, He Zhichu could clearly tell that one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms already encircled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist to gently support her back.

    Huo Shaoheng was only doing this so that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have to sleep uneasily inside the shaking car.

    He Zhichu shot them an icy look before pursing his lips and casting his eyes outside the window.

    Because of the power outage, there were no streetmps on the highway of New Delhi. They could only rely on the Jeep¡¯s heamps.

    The windows on either side of the car were pitch ck, and when the asional heamps of passing vehicles sped by, they left a trail of light on their retinas.

    But at that time of day, there were not many cars on the highway.

    Everyone hurried to withdraw cash from the bank during the day, so they must be counting their money at home right now.

    He Zhichu braced one elbow against the car window and supported his chin with the back of his hand. After a period of silence, he asked quietly, ¡°...What do you n to do with Reinitz? Are you going to kill him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave He Zhichu a curious look. ¡°He is not a mercenary; how could I kill him so easily?¡±

    After all, he was the director of the Gestapo of a certain powerful country.

    ¡°Haha, I really didn¡¯t think you would be so gracious.¡± He Zhichu crossed his arms and sneered, ¡°That¡¯s right. You will pay any price as long as it helps youplete your mission, right? That includes your girlfriend or wife?¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng heard this, he became angry despite his impable manners.

    But even though he felt angry, no one could even dream of seeing a hint of any reaction on his face.

    ¡°Professor He, I will just assume you spoke without thinking today because of what happened to Nianzhi. Nianzhi and I both forgive you. But I do not want to hear this kind of thing a second time.¡± He replied icily before turning his eyes to He Zhichu. His dark eyes werepletely void of any emotion. They were so cold it elicited shivers.

    Of course, He Zhichu wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all. He was, in fact, very pleased with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude.

    He snorted quietly, ¡°You think I wanted to say those things? I don¡¯t want Nianzhi to fall in love with a scumbag!¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes began to twitch. His fingers trembled, and felt the urge to draw his gun automatically...

    He tried his best to contain himself from saying things he should never say.

    The brown camouge Jeep sped madly along the highway, and about ten minutester, the tension between the two men finally alleviated somewhat.

    He Zhichu nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeping face and asked Huo Shaoheng quietly, ¡°...How do you n on exining this situation to Speaker Long?¡±

    This was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private business, so he didn¡¯t n on telling He Zhichu anything. He discreetly changed the subject to Reinitz instead, saying, ¡°...I¡¯ve already arranged everything over there. But we still failed our objective because of Reinitz this time.¡±

    ¡°Failed your objective? What more did you want?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed together tighter, his shimmery sultry eyes sparkling with disdain. ¡°You put Nianzhi in that kind of unbearable situation because of your n! I¡¯m telling you ¨C if it weren¡¯t for Nianzhi, I would rather die than get involved with your stupid n.¡±

    ¡°Stupid n?¡± Huo Shaoheng was slightly surprised, his sharp gaze trained onto He Zhichu. ¡°Is this how you saw this n? I assumed you wanted to help Nianzhi.¡±

    He Zhichu, ¡°...¡±

    He slowly averted his gaze and didn¡¯t look at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeping face again.

    He secretly balled his hands into tight fists to suppress the coursing rage in his heart. He replied coolly, ¡°Right then, I only wanted to help Nianzhi. That was all.¡±

    That didn¡¯t include helping Huo Shaoheng seed and earn merit.

    Huo Shaoheng could hear the hidden meaning in He Zhichu¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t ask any further.

    He had already had this feeling for a long time, and if he really intended to ask the question, He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t answer him anyway, even if it was for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sake.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed imperceptibly before quickly rxing. He answered in a calm tone, ¡°Very well then, our goal can be considered the same. Speaking of Reinitz, why did he need Nianzhi to help him look for something? What was the note about?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°You would have to ask Nianzhi about that. I wasn¡¯t there at the time, so I don¡¯t know anything about it at all.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at He Zhichu and saw his frank expression, so he knew the other man wasn¡¯t being deceitful or carrying any psychological burden. Huo Shaoheng thought it was very strange.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to ask He Zhichu some more questions, but Gu Nianzhi began muttering in her sleep.

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng both shut their mouths and didn¡¯t speak again.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her back to allow her to slowly calm down and continued sleeping.

    Gu Nianzhi remained asleep the whole way to He Zhichu¡¯s apartment.

    It was afternoon now, and Huo Shaoheng paused for a second. However, He Zhichu didn¡¯t hesitate to pick Gu Nianzhi up in his arms and head towards the steps of his apartment.

    He Zhichu¡¯s vi was located in the wealthiest part of India¡¯s capital city. The pure white European-style buildings were surrounded securely by a tall fence, with two ornate iron-wrought gates at the entrances.

    Their cars drove through the iron gates and parked before the four-story-high main house in the courtyard.

    Reinitz climbed out of the car behind them, then squinted his eyes to assess the house.

    He would have whistled if it wasn¡¯t for the tape covering his mouth.

    He looked at He Zhichu carrying Gu Nianzhi into the entrance of the vi and felt slightly taken back.

    Could Gu Nianzhi have gotten hurt?

    He couldn¡¯t help but follow everyone inside with the two mercenaries holding onto him.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to remain by He Zhichu¡¯s side as a mercenary.

    He Zhichu carried Gu Nianzhi to the master bedroom on the third floor, then said to Huo Shaoheng with his back turned, ¡°I don¡¯t care about what happens to Reinitz. You can do whatever you want.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°..¡±

    He crossed his arms and thought for a while, then nodded. ¡°Ok then, I will take over. But you can¡¯t stay here.¡±

    He Zhichu sneered, pulling both hands from his coat pocket. ¡°Huo Shao, you need to understand that this is my territory, not yours. What gives you the right to boss me around?¡± he asked.

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s wishes give me the right. She won¡¯t be happy to see you in the same bedroom as her when she wakes up.¡±

    ¡°You¨C!¡± He Zhichu waspletely enraged by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, yet he couldn¡¯t find an argument for it.

    Because Gu Nianzhi actually disyed that kind of attitude towards him...

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng! I¡¯m warning you! Don¡¯t think that you canpletely take advantage of Nianzhi just because she is head over heels for you! I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t you even dream of taking advantage of her as long as I am still alive!¡± He Zhichu stabbed a finger at Huo Shaoheng and pointed angrily at the air several times before storming off.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the bedroom for some time while Gu Nianzhi slept. Inhaling deeply, he left the room.

    He Zhichu was already resting in the guest room on the side, so he hadn¡¯t even had dinner.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t waste another breath talking to him, so he arranged for his subordinates to make dinner and went to the room where Reinitz was being held.

    Reinitz was being kept in a small guest room on the first basement floor.

    There were no windows in the guest room, only a single door.

    The room was also sparsely furnished with only a bed, a desk, a chair, and a simple bathroom with a shower.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped inside as Reinitz was stretching out his legs while sitting in a chair.

    He had already been untied, and the tape had also been ripped off of his mouth. But he still wore shackles on his hands and feet.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t dare to underestimate Reinitz for a second.

    Reinitz had just gone to the bathroom to relieve himself and stayed there for only a few minutes. He assessed his surroundings before discovering that it was basically impossible to escape at that moment.

    He was just thinking of a way to establish contact with the outside world when he heard the door open. He turned around to see the mercenary leader with a beard and eagle nose walking in.

    He nodded at the man with a smile, then asked in Chinese, ¡°Which mercenary group are you from? Why haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng knew from Gu Nianzhi a long time ago that Reinitz spoke Chinese, he still feigned surprise and pretended to be very shocked.

    He stood there dumbly for some time before replying in Chinese with a Southeast Asian ent, ¡°I got my own littlepany. I work for Mr. He.¡±

    He purposely mixed a Southeast Asian ent into his tone, since that was where most Huaxia mercenaries were located.

    Reinitz discreetly gleaned information about the mercenary leader¡¯s life, but Huo Shaoheng already came prepared. He naturally rambled along and wasn¡¯t afraid that Reinitz would investigate further since everything he said could be verified.

    However, Reinitz wasn¡¯t fooled so easily. He listened for some time and was still half dubious when he finally asked, ¡°...What does your boss even n to do?¡±

    This was precisely what Huo Shaoheng was hoping for.

    He immediately said, ¡°You kidnapped our boss¡¯ girl, so of course he¡¯s not going to let you go. Our boss had me ask you, why were you after Miss Gu? How did Miss Gu ever offend you?¡±

    ¡°Offend me?¡± Reinitz shrugged. ¡°She offended me in many ways, but I didn¡¯t cause her any harm. You can go ask her yourself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Our boss also wants to know, why did you go looking for stuff in the Taj Mahal? Were you looking for something to do with Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°Have your bosse question me. I¡¯m not going to talk to a nobody like you about this kind of thing.¡± Reinitz became haughty and ignored Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was actually trying to feel out the rtionship between He Zhichu and Reinitz by pretending to be He Zhichu¡¯s subordinate and questioning Reinitz.

    With Gu Nianzhi present, he really didn¡¯t need for Reinitz to confirm what they were doing in the Taj Mahal.

    But now he had discovered there was something more to the rtionship between the two men, so Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything else before leaving.

    When he walked out of the room, he dead bolted Reinitz¡¯s room himself and kept the key on him. He then reminded the two field personnel disguised as mercenaries to refrain from speaking to Reinitz at all.

    After making security arrangements in the basement, Huo Shaoheng finally returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room upstairs.

    As soon as he went inside, he saw Gu Nianzhi opening her eyes and looking at him from the bed.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake now?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over with a smile. ¡°Are you hungry? I asked someone to make dinner.¡±

 Chapter 1169 - The Truth Surfaces

    <h4>Chapter 1169 The Truth Surfaces</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi climbed up from the bed and stretchedzily, her torn sleeve falling down her arm.She pouted as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep very well because I still need to shower.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    His heart wrenched before he turned away in silence and said in a somewhat anxious tone, ¡°Go wash up then, I will wait for you toe back.¡± After he spoke, he quickly strode out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s master bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at his strapping back with shock and confusion, then looked down at herself. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong with her, right?

    She wore a hunting jacket that originally belonged to He Zhichu, but it was very dirty. She had already taken it off and only wore a white silk shirt and ck slim-cut pants.

    Her silk shirt had been torn, but it was only the sleeve that was ripped off. The other parts of the shirt were fine, so she was still presentable.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her exposed arm before getting up to take a shower in the bathroom.

    Huo Shaoheng went into the guest room next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s master bedroom and locked the door. He also went to the bathroom to clean up quickly.

    Removing the disguise on his face, he then changed into a clean ck t-shirt and camouge pants before entering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room once again.

    Gu Nianzhi had already finished showering, so she was drying her hair with the dryer.

    When Huo Shaoheng came in, she turned off the hairdryer and smiled. ¡°Huo Shao, I almost couldn¡¯t recognize you when you looked like that just now.¡±

    Yet she was still able to lock her eyes on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure at first nce, even if his voice and appearance had changed.

    Huo Shaoheng walked up to her and bent over to embrace her from behind. He smiled. ¡°...But you still recognized me.¡±

    At that moment, he had actually been a bit worried that Gu Nianzhi would call out his name. He walked to He Zhichu as quickly as possible and reached out to the other man to pull him up, making it clear that he was his hired mercenary and subordinate.

    With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intelligence, she naturally understood his intentions right away.

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t make any eye contact with him once her excitement had settled down.

    Huo Shaoheng squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder as he said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi curled the corners of her full lips and pressed her hand against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. ¡°You think you still need to thank me for anything?¡± she replied.

    Although Huo Shaoheng refuted He Zhichu¡¯s words earlier, they still stabbed into his chest like needles.

    He had no choice but to constantly reflect on if he was truly as despicable as He Zhichu used him of being.

    But his resolve strengthened when he saw Gu Nianzhi now.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, leaning down to kiss her and sitting next to her. He happened to face the opposite direction of her as he began to talk about Reinitz.

    ¡°...Do you know what he was looking for?¡± he asked.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him first. ¡°Huo Shao, did you know that Reinitz would being here all along? You knew that they were looking for something to do with me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, ¡°...I only knew the rough idea, and that there is actually someone directing Reinitz. But because Reinitz was too sly and continued to test Professor He¡¯s and my bottom line, we weren¡¯t able to lure out that person in the end after all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi picked up a hairbrush to smooth her hair. She felt a little happy, so she purposely sounded nonchnt as she said, ¡°...Reinitz won¡¯t hurt me. I copied all their system files as The Pink Piggyst time, but he let me go. And this time, he is the one who needs my help.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grew silent for a while, then sighed with a nod. ¡°Reinitz is too sly, you¡¯ve worked hard this time.¡± He paused, then continued to say, ¡°My sniper had him and his subordinates in their sight the entire time. We wouldn¡¯t have gone easy on them if he did anything strange.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t the first time they had killed someone anyway.

    As long as Reinitz threatened Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life, Huo Shaoheng would not hesitate to pull the trigger no matter how important and powerful Reinitz was.

    Of course, Reinitz no longer posed a threat once he was taken captive. Killing him at this point would only be shooting themselves in the foot and taking things one step too far.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng was subtly showing his attention and concern for her...

    She felt very happy but didn¡¯t express it at all. She mimicked Huo Shaoheng and said nonchntly, ¡°I knew it, I knew that you woulde no matter what.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help it anymore, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

    The couple kissed for a while before Gu Nianzhi told him about the note Reinitz found.

    ¡°...My father, Gu Xiangwen, was the one who left it there.¡± Gu Nianzhi paused before continuing, saying, ¡°Reinitz even mentioned my grandfather, Gu Haoze.¡±

    As she spoke, she retold Reinitz¡¯s story of how her grandfather Gu Haoze had stolen something from the Gestapo.

    ¡°...The Gestapo has been pursuing this for over half a century, and they finally saw some progress today.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng mused thoughtfully, ¡°So the item is actually rted to your grandfather. We didn¡¯t know this information before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stiffened and said, ¡°You knew that they were looking for something? Then do you know what that thing...?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a set of data.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her steadily, his voice within arm¡¯s reach, deep and maic. ¡°ording to the information we received, this set of data is from the secretboratory that the infamous Japanese numbered troop, stationed in the northwestern part of the Huaxia Empire, had gathered. The day before World War II ended, the data was sent to the Gestapo headquarters in Europe, which is also Reinitz¡¯s Federal Intelligence Service.

    ¡°Just how important is this set of data? Think about it. The Japanese military officers from those numbered units didn¡¯t even dare to submit it to the winning Allies but chose to give it to the European Gestapo instead.

    ¡°Afterwards, the set of data was lost due to unknown reasons. The Federal Intelligence Service announced to the public that the archive building had caught on fire, and many important documents were burned. But we never believed this.

    ¡°Aside from Reinitz, Japan has been tracking down the whereabouts of this set of data the entire time.¡±

    Everyone knew that the infamous Japanese numbered unit had once handed all their experimental data to America, the most powerful and victorious Ally country, in exchange for immunity against their charges.

    As it turned out, there was something they didn¡¯t dare to give in exchange for benefits.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°This has something to do with Japan again? So then, how did my grandfather get involved with this situation? Reinitz said that my grandfather was a great psychologist who helped them optimize a hypnotism technique. But I never heard of a Chinese psychologist during World War II before...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, his expression growing solemn. ¡°We never took our attention away from anything to do with Japan. However, your grandfather¡¯s situation is actually new information to us, since we didn¡¯t know about it at all.¡±

    ¡°I checked all the clinics you said were written on the note.¡± As he spoke, he handed his phone to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Take a look...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone and looked down at it.

    ¡°...Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center, the Parents¡¯ Clinic in the Labado Project, Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic, Lajiawan Infertility Treatment Center. These are actually clinics here? That¡¯s very convenient. We can go take a look.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes smiled faintly when he nodded. ¡°We will go tomorrow. I still think there is something that doesn¡¯t make sense about the situation. I just hope that the results won¡¯t be outside our expectations,¡± he said.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the names of the clinics again and then took out her phone to look them up. Then she opened her own hacker app and was able to breach the official websites¡¯ background systems.

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He shook his head in amusement, asking, ¡°You¡¯re addicted to hacking now?¡±

    ¡°I have no choice, Huo Shao should just pretend not to see anything. These were all clinics my father mentioned, so I couldn¡¯t help it...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look up as her fingers flew over the keyboard and enteredmands to search within the background data and information.

    The official websites contained all sorts of personal information belonging to patients, so Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t very interested in it. She didn¡¯t discover any meaningful content at all.

    She was about to log off when she saw a link for the backend financial system of the official website.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind began to work when she clicked the link.

    When she entered the clinic¡¯s financial system, she was immediately able to see that the clinic epted huge amounts of charitable donations.

    As a clinic that specialized in treating infertility, shouldn¡¯t they be raking in the cash already? Why did they need charitable donations?!

    And when Gu Nianzhi took a quick look at the clinic¡¯s general financial situation, she noticed that the clinic generated very good profits, even if it didn¡¯t have the help of the enormous donations.

    It was very interesting that such a profitable clinic would ept suchrge amounts of donations every year.

    Gu Nianzhi began to dig deeper.

    She discovered that the clinic¡¯s financial system held the personal documents concerning the donors.

    Typical people probably wouldn¡¯t discover this, but they had unfortunately met their match in Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi only needed five minutes to crack the passwords on the hidden files. She discovered that the secret donor was the Angels on Earth charity.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped as she immediately hacked into the websites of the other clinics.

    The results were exactly the same. She discovered that all the clinics had epted huge charitable donations.

    The donations to the clinics were all from the same charitable foundation, Angels on Earth.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth curled. No wonder Angles on Earth decided to target the Gu family fortune.

    The charity had dumped all of their money into huge donations towards these clinics, so they had set their greedy sights on the Gu fortune.

    ¡°Huo Shao, take a look at this.¡± Gu Nianzhi showed Huo Shaoheng what she had discovered.

 Chapter 1170 - Unconditional Suppor

    <h4>Chapter 1170 Unconditional Suppor</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked and saw that all the clinics had received donations from the Angels on Earth¡¯ charity. He also stiffened, as he couldn¡¯t help but recall some information.After thinking for a while, his eyes gradually grew dark. He slowly said, ¡°...That charity is Japanese, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I hired aw firm to fight awsuit against this foundation. I heard that I won the case, so this charitable foundation will have no choice but to give me back everything, even if they go bankrupt.¡±

    If they were unable to repay Gu Nianzhi, then they would have to forfeit all their assets to her.

    In other words, it wasn¡¯t free funding if the charity signed any donation agreements with the clinics they donated to. If that were the case, the clinics would have to service Gu Nianzhi.

    Not all money from charities were considered free funds.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed closer together, and he appeared to recall something. His brows trembled slightly as his eyes rapidly scanned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, then fell on the clinic information disyed on the phone.

    ¡°Looks like we have no choice but to go there and take a look tomorrow,¡± Huo Shaoheng muttered.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll go too, those kinds of ces are strange. These are supposed to be regr clinics, but they somehow got involved with such a horrible charity. It seems very unusual.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair and asked, ¡°Are you hungry? Let¡¯s go downstairs for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed happily before changing out of her bathrobe in the bathroom. She put on the shirt with a torn sleeve, then draped He Zhichu¡¯s hunting jacket over her shoulders beforeing out of the bathroom.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her by the arm unhappily, his expression slightly dark as he said, ¡°Why are you still wearing this? It¡¯s already dirty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head nonchntly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t exactly wear a torn shirt downstairs, can I?¡±

    She pulled back the hunting jacket to reveal her luminous shoulder and said, ¡°Look, my shirt got torn, but I don¡¯t have any other clothes to change into.¡±

    This was He Zhichu¡¯s temporary residence in India, and Gu Nianzhi had been brought inside while she was asleep. She didn¡¯t have a change of clothes with her.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    He opened the master bedroom closet and rummaged through for a long time, but didn¡¯t find any women¡¯s clothes. There were only men¡¯s T-shirts and dress shirts.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed the shirts still had their tags on and were brand new, so he chose the smallest size for Gu Nianzhi and draped a white shirt over her.

    Gu Nianzhi tucked the shirt in the waistband of her pants, wearing it unbuttoned like a jacket. The sleeves were rolled high up her elbows, so she looked especially interesting.

    Huo Shaoheng brought her downstairs and said, ¡°We will go buy a few outfits tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°When will I have time to go shopping? How about you go to the hotel that Speaker Long and I are staying at, and bring my suitcase over here?¡±

    Her words reminded Huo Shaoheng of something, so he took out his phone and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You go eat first. I need to make a call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng probably needed to report for work, so she nodded obediently and went to the dining room to eat alone.

    The Special Operations Forces field personnel that Huo Shaoheng brought along were also in the dining room. Two dozen men were happily watching local television.

    Regardless of if it was the news, a standard television show, or an entertainment show, the broadcasts all looked like huge jokes to the men. They slumped over inughter,ying on their stomachs and screaming that their stomachs hurt.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over with a smile and greeted them, asking, ¡°Hmm? What kind of show is that funny?¡±

    The field personnel acting as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s driver recognized Gu Nianzhi, so he quickly pulled out a chair for her to sit on. He replied with a smile, ¡°We were just watching a series airing on the TV. The woman was shot in the head by a sniper and had a huge, gaping, ck bullet hole in the middle of her forehead. She didn¡¯t die for a long time, and spent at least 20 minutes in the male lead¡¯s arms saying herst words...¡±

    Pftt¨C!

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at therge TV to see the huge bullet hole in the woman¡¯s forehead. She was tearfully grabbing the male lead¡¯s hand and nagging nonstop.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, smiling as she grabbed her spoon to knock at the bowl. ¡°Where¡¯s dinner? I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng carried his phone as he walked to the grassy field behind the vi. He looked up to see the stars in the sky.

    This was the wealthy district, so even the night sky seemed much brighter. The fresh air, myriad of stars dotting the sky, and the curve of the luminous moon greeted him.

    Every home had its one garden filled with a variety of fresh flowers.

    It waste spring, so the sparse shadows spilled onto the ground while the faint scent of flowers permeated the air. This truly seemed like heaven on earth.

    Inhaling deeply, Huo Shaoheng dialed General Ji¡¯s number.

    It was about midnight at the Imperial Capital right now, so he wasn¡¯t sure if General Ji was working overtime or asleep already.

    He originally intended to leave a voicemail, but surprisingly, General Ji picked up after only one ring.

    ¡°Shaoheng? What is the situation over there?¡± General Ji nced at the time. Huo Shaoheng should have left Russia and the ongoing Annual Warrior Competition by now.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression eased slightly as he replied withposure, ¡°Everything is normal, but something had disrupted our ns. I wanted to ask for your advice.¡±

    General Ji did not hesitate to reply, ¡°Shaoheng, I trust you, so you can make your own decisions based on the situation. You do not need to ask for my permission. You know that the situation aboard can change in a split second. You only need to remember that any decision you make must be made with the interest of the nation and its citizens at the very forefront.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart was filled with warmth when he received his superior¡¯s unconditional support. He immediately answered, ¡°I understand.¡±

    He then exined Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situationpletely and finished by remarking, ¡°I want to allow Nianzhi to operate with us. I will give Speaker Long a call to notify him. I will tell him that you are aware and give permission for them to cooperate with our unit.¡±

    General Ji agreed without a moment of hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. If Old Long has any questions or concerns, you can send him straight to me,¡± he said.

    He then reminded Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Don¡¯t let Old Long know that you are the one to call him, got it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled. Just what kind of line of work was he in? Why would hemit such an entry-level error?

    Speaker Long had always maintained a cautious, wait and see attitude when monitoring the Special Operations Forces, so Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t stupid enough to get himself in trouble.

    After reporting business to General Ji, Huo Shaoheng used a voice changer to call Speaker Long.

    The phone rang several times before someone picked up.

    It was one of Speaker Long¡¯s special assistants, but it wasn¡¯t Special Assistant Yang.

    The personnel looked at the number to see it was unknown, so he assumed it was a misdial. ¡°May I ask who this is?¡± he asked suspiciously.

    Huo Shaoheng used the Special Operations Forces custom created, high-quality voice changer to make the call. The other person would never detect it, even if they used audio analysis.

    This time he used a high-pitched baritone male voice to conduct the call. He coughed and said, ¡°I am looking for Speaker Long; I am from Department Six.¡±

    Special Operations Forces would typically introduce themselves as someone from Department Six when they contacted colleagues from abroad.

    The special assistant heard this was a call from Department Six, so he immediately became very courteous. ¡°Please wait momentarily, and I will go look for Speaker Long right away.¡±

    Speaker Long was currently having a meeting with his apanying staff in his room.

    The personnel knocked on the door with an anxious look and said, ¡°Speaker Long, there is an urgent call for you.¡±

    Speaker Long immediately stopped the meeting and strode outside to take the call.

    When he heard the call came from Department Six, he immediately asked, ¡°Was there something I could help you with?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied quietly, ¡°We have orders from above to ask for Miss Gu¡¯s assistance in a secret mission.¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu? Are you talking about Gu Nianzhi? But she¡¯s currently missing!¡± Speaker Long said, aggravated. ¡°I am currently arranging personnel to go look for her. Don¡¯t worry, I will find her, even if I need to help turn this city upside down.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°...That¡¯s not necessary. Miss Gu is currently with us. I wanted to notify you myself.¡±

    Speaker Long was delighted to receive this news. The dark mood that had been haunting him the entire day was finally dispelled. ¡°Are you telling the truth?! She¡¯s really with your personnel?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, she is currently having dinner. I will ask her to call you when she is done eating, and I will also transfer her luggage from the hotel. Also, there is a serious issue with Special Assistant Yang. We are currently investigating him. Please assist in our investigation and detain him immediately,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied.

    ¡°Ok, ok! That¡¯s not a problem! I will immediately order someone to arrest him!¡± Speaker Long¡¯s attention waspletely taken over by the news of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts. He chuckled happily and said, ¡°Good, good! Sorry to give you trouble, Nianzhi hasn¡¯t traveled so far before and is young, so you must bear with her and take good care of her.¡±

    Speaker Long was truly happy to know that Gu Nianzhi was safe and with her own people.

    His mood transformed from extreme frustration and sadness to extreme happiness and excitement, so his brain wasn¡¯t able to circte enough blood.

    After ending the call with Huo Shaoheng, Speaker Longid limp on the bed and almost couldn¡¯t move at all.

    Luckily, his special assistants noticed this quickly and called over the apanying special health doctor to give Speaker Long oxygen and injections in order to alleviate his condition.

    Once Speaker Log¡¯s condition improved, he immediately gave orders to put Special Assistant Yang in custody.

    ...

    Special Assistant Yang wasn¡¯t able to get in touch with the Tokko elite agents the entire day, so he was on edge.

    When he learned that Rong Mingxing had returned unscathed, he felt destructive and lingering fear ovee him.

    He tried to probe Rong Mingxing several times, but she was much slyer than before. She stayed with the other Embassy personnel at all times, so she didn¡¯t take any of his calls.

    He visited the Embassy once, but Rong Mingxing ignored himpletely.

    Without the help from the Tokko elite agents, Special Assistant Yang found himself immobilized He was unable to do anything, let alone silence Rong Mingxing...

    However, Rong Mingxing didn¡¯t make any moves either. She didn¡¯t even try to meet Speaker Long, so Special Assistant Yang thought he still had some luck on his side as he remained close by Speaker Long.

    When he heard Speaker Long on the phone with someone and learned that Gu Nianzhi was also safe, he finally sensed the danger and wanted to run off without taking anything with him.

    Before he could even run outside the hotel, he was arrested by two of Speaker Long¡¯s apanying bodyguards.

    ¡°What are you doing?! I am the number one secretary in the Embassy! You can¡¯t treat me like this!¡± Special Assistant Yang didn¡¯t stopining, so the bodyguards making the arrest sealed his mouth with a piece of tape. They then tied him up and detained him in a hotel room.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi had dinner, Huo Shaoheng asked her to give Speaker Long a call.

    When Speaker Long heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice over the phone, his heart finally settled back into his chest.

    ¡°Ok, ok, you can help yourrades from Department Six. Don¡¯t worry about us here; we will be returning to the Huaxia Empire very soon.¡± Speaker Long missed Gu Nianzhi terribly. ¡°You need to be careful about your safety. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard out here. Protecting yourself is the most important thing, got it? I will wait for you toe back to continue your training!¡±

 Chapter 1171 - Pretend to Be Husband and Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1171 Pretend to Be Husband and Wife</h4>

    ¡°Thank you, Speaker Long.¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely grateful and was a bit excited as she squeezed the phone, so her voice trembled slightly as she said, ¡°Please do not worry. I will return home and go back to work as soon as I help themplete the mission. You have to keep this confidential!¡±¡°No problem, no problem! I understand!¡± Speaker Long nodded quickly. ¡°You are serving the country, so the Senate will surely give you total support. I will have someone note this in your personnel file.¡±Gu Nianzhi was a bit flustered and quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. This is confidential, so there shouldn¡¯t be any record of it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how things work.¡± Speaker Long smilednguidly and said, ¡°You are making the Senate proud by working with Department Six. I will remember this, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    Speaker Long was already older and had great difficulty finding a good sessor, so he treasured Gu Nianzhi very much.

    Since Gu Nianzhi was very young, Speaker Long had thought that she had very strong abilities but not enoughposure. He was intentionally allowing her to travel and gain more experience.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks burned red from Speaker Long¡¯s praise, so she identally mentioned Rong Mingxing¡¯s situation in her excitement. ¡°...Speaker Long, there was something else too. Rong Mingxing helped us a lot this time; you have to record her merit too,¡± she said.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but recall Special Assistant Yang when she mentioned Rong Mingxing. She knew that Rong Mingxing was alone and helpless in the Embassy, so her life might be in danger if Special Assistant Yang wanted to hurt her.

    So, Gu Nianzhi thought about it and finally decided to expose how Special Assistant Yang colluded with the Japanese Tokko elite agents in an attempt to harm her and Rong Mingxing. She even exined that Department Six happened to rescue her and Rong Mingxing when they were pursuing the elite agents.

    With this exnation, she was able to cover up her and Rong Mingxing¡¯s experience while also creating a reason for why the Special Operations Forces appeared in India.

    Finally, she added, ¡°Speaker Long, Rong Mingxing has evidence of Special Assistant Yang colluding with the Japanese Tokko elite agents. I have evidence as well, but I can¡¯te back to you just now. Please be careful. He might get desperate and harm you.¡±

    Speaker Long originally thought that Special Assistant Yang envied Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abilities, so he never imagined Special Assistant Yang would have the guts to be a traitor, collude with foreign powers, and harm hisrades and fellow Huaxia citizens!

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry; I won¡¯t let any one of these traitors escape!¡± Speaker Long¡¯s tone grew harsh.

    He always had a great temper and was considered the kind old man in political circles. But when he was young, his moniker was Smiling Tiger.

    He hadn¡¯t lost his temper for many years, so perhaps his subordinates thought he was just a sick house cat now?!

    ¡°I know that Speaker Long will certainly bring those traitors to justice!¡± Gu Nianzhi eximed with her fists clenched.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I already ordered for Special Assistant Yang to be taken into custody.¡± Speaker Long controlled his temper, then continued happily, saying, ¡°We will be returning to the Huaxia Empire as soon as youe to pick up your luggage. Nianzhi, you will have to fend for yourself from now on and need to be more careful. You don¡¯t belong to Department Six, so you don¡¯t need to rush to the frontlines. Do you understand?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly and said, ¡°I know, I know.¡± She wanted to help Rong Mingxing too. ¡°Speaker Long, Rong Mingxing¡¯s position within the Embassy will be very awkward now that Special Assistant Yang got into trouble. She was a big help and maintained her own principles and bottom line in the face of great adversity, so I hope that you will give some consideration and take her back to the Senate Secretariat. I think that she has great potential as Senate personnel.¡±

    Speaker Long did not agree immediately but only said, ¡°I will talk with her. Rong Mingxing will be required to assist in the investigation on Special Assistant Yang¡¯s case, so she was going to return to the Huaxia Empire with us anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally felt assured andughed, saying, ¡°Speaker Long, I trust you. I will leave Rong Mingxing in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Silly child, you still need to be taken care of too. Why are you always thinking about other people?¡±

    Although Speaker Long hadn¡¯t worked with Gu Nianzhi for very long, he could already tell that she was a very kind girl who treasured friendships.

    She was eager to return any kindness and do so tenfold.

    Of course, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to retaliate if someone hurt her.

    She was generous, yet possessed a tenacious spirit. Speaker Long admired this very much.

    He had been part of the political circle for so long, so he knew that she was the type of person that allowed people to rx the most.

    He didn¡¯t have to worry about her being incapable and causing trouble for him, nor did he need to worry that she would stab him in the back one day.

    This was the only type of person that he could train without concerns...

    ...

    After ending the call with Speaker Long, Gu Nianzhi thought that her face was a bit feverish.

    Putting away her phone, she touched her face to discover that it was actually hot.

    Huo Shaoheng called her from the other end of the hallway. ¡°Nianzhi,e inside if you¡¯re finished with the call. Don¡¯t catch a chill at night.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and gave him a small smile. Under the moonlight, her face was luminous like a cactus flower in the night; extremely subtle, yet iparably morous.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s throat bobbed as he suppressed the fire rising up in his chest. He beckoned for her toe over.

    Gu Nianzhi walked up the steps to the hallway and smiled. ¡°When will my luggage arrive?¡±

    ¡°I already sent someone to go pick it up. It should be here very soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand, pressing it against his lips to kiss it and whispering very quietly, ¡°...I¡¯ll go over to your room tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled without giving a clear answer, gently pushed him away, and went inside.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms as he watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

    The little girl had really grown up now. Not only had she grown up, but she also knew how to seduce him...

    ...

    The next morning, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng woke up at nearly the same time.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    They shared a look and ended it with a long morning kiss.

    ¡°We need to visit those clinics today. Which one do you want to check out first?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng climbed out of bed and dressed first. He put on a loose-fitting pair of brown camouge pants and a camouge T-shirt that concealed his toned and slightly tan torso.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged the nkets and sat up to ask, ¡°Where is my luggage? All my clothes and toiletries are in there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up his phone and called his subordinate. ¡°Where did you put Miss Gu¡¯s luggage?¡±

    ¡°Chief, we put it outside Miss Gu¡¯s bedroom.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ended the call and went outside to open the door. He brought Gu Nianzhi¡¯s luggage inside then turned to leave.

    As soon as he closed the door, he saw He Zhichu standing at the entrance of the room across from them. The other man red icily at him.

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Professor He, did you sleep well?¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly, greeting him as though nothing was amiss.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and replied coolly, ¡°I heard that you wanted to bring Nianzhi on the mission?¡¯

    ¡°Not me, but us.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms. ¡°Me, you, and our mercenaries.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at him expressionlessly, hands stuffed in his trouser pockets and tone growing colder as he said, ¡°...Why? Didn¡¯t you arrest Reinitz already? What more do you want?¡±

    ¡°There has been a change in the situation.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a simple exnation of their findings on the clinics, then said, ¡°We need to go check those clinics ourselves today.¡±

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead in annoyance when he heard that it was rted to the Angels on Earth charity again. ¡°...Don¡¯t you people know when to stop? That charity is about to lose thewsuit, so everything they own will then belong to Nianzhi anyway. Must you go look at the clinics right now?¡±

    ¡°...But this is rted to Nianzhi¡¯s father.¡± Huo Shaoheng stared at He Zhichu, not missing a single reaction. He squinted his eyes and asked, ¡°Could Professor He not want Nianzhi to find her father soon?¡±

    He Zhichu became even more annoyed but didn¡¯t reply. He merely waved his hand and said, ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± He then turned around and walked towards the staircase.

    Huo Shaoheng was in no rush to go down but leaned against the wall by the door to wait for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi finished washing up and changed into a pale greence dress with three-quarter length sleeves. There were two pockets on the sides of the dress, so Gu Nianzhi liked it very much.

    Opening the bedroom door, she saw Huo Shaoheng leaning against the wall and eximed, ¡°Huo Shao, you didn¡¯t go downstairs yet?¡±

    ¡°You should be calling me Alex,¡± Huo Shaoheng reminded her. ¡°You can¡¯t slip up in front of Reinitz.¡±

    Of course, Alex was the name of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mercenary alter ego. It was not his real English name.

    He didn¡¯t have a real English name.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded and immediately changed her greeting, saying, ¡°Alex, do you want to get some breakfast? When are we leaving?¡±

    They chatted as they made their way to the dining room on the main floor.

    The Special Operations Forces field personnel finished breakfast a long time ago, so they were working out in the gym.

    He Zhichu sat alone in the dining room.

    He snapped his fingers to ask for food to be served when he saw theme in, then said, ¡°You can make all the arrangements from this point on. I won¡¯t interfere.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat across from He Zhichu and smiled. ¡°Professor He, we want to visit the clinics today. You don¡¯t want toe with us?¡± she asked.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look up as he replied dryly, ¡°No. I am very busy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat down next to Gu Nianzhi and smiled. ¡°...I n to pretend to be husband and wife with Nianzhi. That way, we can go to the clinic for a consultation.¡±

    He Zhichu immediately looked up at him, his eyes flickering like lightning, and he automatically objected, saying, ¡°You¡¯re pretending to be husband and wife with Nianzhi? Absolutely not!¡±

 Chapter 1172 - Spoke Up For Me

    <h4>Chapter 1172 Spoke Up For Me</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi also choked when she heard Huo Shaoheng say they would be pretending to be a married couple trying to get pregnant.She was drinking milk and almost spat it out when she heard Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng reached out to pat her back. He smiled and said, ¡°...Drink slowly. No one is trying to take away your milk here.¡±

    His voice and expression were gentler than ever before.

    However, Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Huo Shaoheng.

    Was she worried about someone stealing the milk?!

    She had obviously choked because of what he said...

    She was sure that Huo Shaoheng knew the real reason, yet he purposefully twisted the truth because he had ulterior motives.

    He Zhichu squeezed his cutlery harder, the veins on the back of his hands popping out.

    He had lost control the moment he heard Huo Shaoheng say the words husband and wife.

    He used to think that he could let go and be fine watching her living happily. But he finally realized that it wasn¡¯t that easy to ept reality when he heard the words husband and wife.

    She should have been his wife, yet she was smiling demurely and being so gentle as she sat next to someone else.

    Endurance came with pain, so he had to stab the des into his heart if he was really going to continue enduring.

    Inhaling deeply, He Zhichu tried to use the calmest tone possible as he said, ¡°Your current identity is the leader of the mercenary group I hired, so don¡¯t you think that your identity will be revealed if you go out like this and pretend to be Nianzhi¡¯s husband?¡±

    ¡°I can change my disguise.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied nonchntly as he stared at the tall fish burger in front of him. He slowly picked it up, pressing it t and taking a big bite.

    ¡°Also, the clinics must be under heavy surveince if they are as problematic as you im and have close ties to the Japanese Angels on Earth charity. What identity do you n to use if you are going to waltz in like that suddenly?¡±

    He Zhichu expressed concern while also quickly ncing at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi across from him.

    Gu Nianzhi wore a pale greence dress that painfullyplemented Huo Shaoheng¡¯s camouge outfit.

    Huo Shaoheng finished half his fish burger before replyingnguidly, ¡°We are obviously going to pretend to be Japanese since I speak a bit of theirnguage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head immediately. ¡°Oh? But I don¡¯t speak any Japanese... Why do we have to pretend to be Japanese? Can¡¯t we use Huaxia identities?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a thoughtful expression andughed as he said, ¡°Believe me, we will get an unexpected result by pretending to be Japanese.¡±

    It sounded like a double entendre.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng possessed more information than they did, so there must be a reason why he was saying this. She stopped speaking and agreed to the n with her silence.

    He Zhichu parted his lips, then swallowed the words back down his throat. He finally decided not to meddle in their business. He replied dryly, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are using all this effort to investigate this charity if they paid so much money and worked for so many years without producing any results. Is it meaningful to do things without any results?¡±

    His voice was like a bucket of cold water, sshing them over the head, cold and cruel. It sounded like the ringing noise of ice cubes colliding with jade.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Professor He has a point as well. Alex, are we making too big of a deal about this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°We need to go see if it¡¯s actually a big deal or not.¡±

    His eyes swept over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face briefly. ¡°They are not sessful right now, but that doesn¡¯t mean they haven¡¯t seeded in the past. As long as they keep working, they will solve the problem one day and be continuously sessful. We can¡¯t wait for that day toe before making a move,¡± he said.

    He still insisted on his perspective.

    Technological advancement was unstoppable when humans put their minds to it.

    But, for a country, crucial personnel were much too important.

    Outstanding disciplines relied heavily on important scientists.

    The loss of one scientist could cause a country¡¯s technological advantages to regress at least ten years, and in serious cases, it could even regress 50 years.

    Gu Nianzhi also thought that Huo Shaoheng had a good point.

    She replied thoughtfully, ¡°I remember that the United States, on the other side of Blue, was able to send an astronaut to the moon and bring him back half a century ago. But now, they have issues with merelyunching a spacecraft to the moon, let alone sending another astronaut into space and bringing them back to Earth again.¡±

    If the moonnding was real and not fabricated, then that proved that technological losses werepletely real.

    Technological advancements were not reversible, but technological advances did not progress in a linear fashion. Instead, they rose in a spiral.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about how Reinitz represented the Gestapo. Why was he pursuing a set of data lost half a century ago?

    Gu Nianzhi felt an epiphany, then nodded earnestly and said, ¡°We have to go see it ourselves.¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a long time before saying, ¡°Then I will go with you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled in satisfaction. ¡°...Professor He isn¡¯t¡¯ busy anymore?¡± he asked.

    He Zhichu had used the excuse of being too busy to reject Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlier suggestion.

    He Zhichu smirked, then viciously scraped his knife on the te before saying, ¡°You¡¯ve made it sound so serious, so of course I need to go make time to look, even if I am very busy...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was about to provoke He Zhichu some more when Gu Nianzhi discreetly kicked his foot. She frowned at him and made a dissatisfied face.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her, raising his chin and purposely saying, ¡°Why did you kick me? You want me to shut up? Fine, then I will shut up and stop fighting with Professor He. Are you happy now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face instantly flushed red. She waspletely humiliated, and her naturally huge eyes widened even more.

    What was wrong with this person?!

    He was purposely arguing with her in front of other people, and even provoking Professor He.

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t stand listening to this anymore, so he threw down his cutlery.

    The knifended on the half-empty te and nked loudly.

    He stiffly retorted, ¡°...Notify me what time are you leaving?¡± He left without looking back at the dining room.

    When Gu Nianzhi turned around to see He Zhichu¡¯s sad and lonely back disappear at the entrance of the dining room, she felt somewhat terrible.

    She had no romantic feelings towards He Zhichu, but that didn¡¯t mean that she could ignore He Zhichu and his feelings for her as if he were invisible.

    When someone truly loved her, she would never tease or insult him, even if she couldn¡¯t ept his feelings.

    She thought that Huo Shaoheng took things too far, so she red viciously at him and also set down her cutlery before getting up.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed, then quickly grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist and whispered, ¡°...Are you angry? I will go apologize to Professor He, then.¡±

    He only intended to probe He Zhichu and find out how much information he was hiding from them. However, He Zhichu was a very aloof person when it came to other people or matters, so it didn¡¯t matter how much Huo Shaoheng provoked him. Gu Nianzhi was his only weakness.

    They were both men, but Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t fully convinced that He Zhichu had already given up his feelings for Gu Nianzhi.

    This love seemed to be his only weakness.

    For someone in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s line of work, they must be experts in using someone¡¯s weaknesses to provoke them in order to achieve goals. That was basically their instinct.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even turn around and replied dryly, ¡°Professor He helped us so much, so I hope that you will stop giving him trouble.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I understand.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and let it go. Gu Nianzhi immediately strode out.

    As soon as she walked out of the dining room, she saw that He Zhichu hadn¡¯t walked very far. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall of the dining room with a subtle smile on his face.

    His shimmery, sultry eyes flickered briefly when he saw here outside. ¡°Nianzhi, I am very happy that you spoke up for me.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched briefly when he overheard this from the dining room.

    He hadn¡¯t suspected that He Zhichu had be so sly...

 Chapter 1173 - I Need to Repay My Wish

    <h4>Chapter 1173 I Need to Repay My Wish</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think that He Zhichu would still be so close. Her face turned red once again. Wringing her hands in front of her, she said awkwardly, ¡°...Professor He, I was speaking from the heart. I know that you¡¯ve helped me too much already.¡±¡°I¡¯m just d you know that.¡± He Zhichu patted her head and noticed she looked very nervous with her hands wrung together.

    Sighing briefly, he replied quietly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. These are all things I should do for you.¡±

    Compared to the things you¡¯ve done for me, it¡¯s only right that I do everything else for you, He Zhichu silently thought to himself.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up, her brilliant dark eyes casting He Zhichu an embarrassed look. ¡°Professor He, please don¡¯t say that. We are not rted at all, but you¡¯ve done so much for me, and I really don¡¯t know how to repay you. How can these be things that you should do for me?¡±

    He Zhichu had risked his life to rescue Gu Nianzhi several times when she was in grave danger.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand stopped before he removed it from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. His lips curled as he looked down and said, ¡°...Then you¡¯ll have to work hard in the future. That will be considered the repayment.¡±

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi had lost all memories of her childhood.

    He Zhichu thought to himself that it didn¡¯t matter if she had forgotten it. He could remember for her...

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and said, ¡°I will certainly work hard and be sessful since you were such a great mentor. I won¡¯t damage your reputation!¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Go get changed. What time are we leaving?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s still early right now. We n to visit the clinics around ten.¡±

    She also needed to discuss with Huo Shaoheng what kind of married couple they would be disguising themselves as.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t speak any Japanese, so that was another unsolved issue.

    He Zhichuforted her once again, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be too nervous. Just pretend you¡¯re going out for fun. Don¡¯t take it so seriously. It has nothing to do with either of us, regardless of the results.¡±

    He noticed that Gu Nianzhi was very invested in the Gu family affairs, so he felt slightly uneasy. However, the Gu family was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s support, after all. She couldn¡¯t be someone without any roots.

    The Gu family were the best natural roots for her.

    They walked upstairs together.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the dining room. With his dark eyes, he watched the backs of the two people depart before he slowly stood up and also followed them outside the dining room.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi just got to the second-floor stairs when He Zhichu¡¯s phone rang.

    He didn¡¯t want to take the call, but he heard the ringtone and took a look at the phone. He decided to take the call. ¡°Nianzhi, go discuss this with Alex. I need to take a call.¡±

    He Zhichu took his phone and headed towards his room.

    He shut the door securely as soon as he walked inside and locked the door to ask, ¡°What is it? Why are you calling this number all of a sudden?¡±

    The caller sounded a bit scared as they said, ¡°Mr. He, someone ims to be your rtive and came from the countryside to see you. She even... she even said some crazy things.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, his voice colder than ice as he asked, ¡°What did she say? What rtive? What¡¯s her name?¡±

    The caller seemed to be calling from a very noisy ce.

    He silenced the phone and went to a quieter spot to continue saying, ¡°Mr. He, she says that she is your great aunt.¡±

    ¡°Great aunt? Is there such a rtive in the He family? Why don¡¯t I know about it?¡± He Zhichu asked unhappily. ¡°Did you confirm her identity? Don¡¯t just ept any random person as a rtive.¡±

    The He family only rose to power in South America about seven or eight years ago.

    He Zhichu was very certain that he knew all the rtives of the He family.

    But when the He family became rich, it was understandable that many random people would attempt toe and try to get a piece of the fortune.

    This woman was quite bold if she was pretending to be his great aunt.

    ¡°...I already asked, and the general situation matched up. She even said that you were sick as a child and recuperated in her home. When you turned 16, your father moved you from the countryside to get treatment and never went back again.¡± The man continued to recount the supposed great aunt¡¯s words, ¡°She even said... Even said... There are not many children in the He family, so she was very happy to know that you are still alive. She only wanted to see you and know what you look like as an adult. She doesn¡¯t want anything else.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s head began to hurt, so he rubbed his forehead as he said, ¡°Send me a photo of her.¡±

    ¡°...Is this alright?¡± The person seemed to be very hesitant. ¡°Your great aunt is also Chinese, so she says she wants to retire in the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    He Zhichu, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Then you can give her some money to help her retire infort.¡± He Zhichu was in no mood to entertain some rtive that was many generations removed from him.

    He knew very well that his grandfather and grandmother had no siblings, so where would any great uncles or great aunts havee from?

    Of course, it was possible that he had great uncles or great aunts from distant branches of the family.

    The He family used to be a big n, but their ancestors suffered a hereditary disease. This was passed along the generations, so the entire family almost perished.

    He Zhichu sighed with a conflicted expression.

    He would leave everything in the He family to Nianzhi¡¯s child. He would never allow anyone from the He family to get a piece of the cake.

    He Zhichu was the one to bring the fortune in, so he also had the right to take it all away and leave it for anyone he wished.

    The man asked He Zhichu to wait briefly while he spoke with the great aunt.

    ¡°Hello. Mr. He just returned the call and asked to show you this.¡± The man was He Zhichu¡¯s very capable assistant in South America, so he helped take care of the South American business. He Zhichu trusted him a lot.

    This man was very capable and especially loyal.

    He opened a recent photo of He Zhichu from his phone¡¯s photo album and showed it to the great aunt.

    The great aunt looked to be in her 60¡¯s or 70¡¯s, so there were enough wrinkles on her face to squish mosquitoes. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t had a great quality of life.

    Her shirt was very clean, but it looked like it had been washed many times, and the colors were faded.

    She was a thin and short woman, but her eyes were still very bright. She must be a fairly clever person.

    She didn¡¯t disy any symptoms of Alzheimer¡¯s disease despite her old age and looked very alert.

    The great aunt epted the phone from the man and smiled as she took a look. Suddenly, she froze.

    The tears flowed uncontrobly as she covered her mouth, crying andughing at the same time. ¡°This is our Zhichu! This is really our Zhichu! So, our Zhichu grew up to look like this! He didn¡¯t die! He¡¯s still alive! I need to repay my wish! I need to go...¡±

    She continued to mutter, then threw away the man¡¯s phone. Without asking for anything, she turned around and ran outside one of He Zhichu¡¯s mansions in South America.

    The man was bbergasted. He quickly asked a few men to follow her, then called He Zhichu and sent the secretly recorded footage to him. He said in confusion, ¡°Mr. He, take a look. Does she have mental issues? She said she wants to see you, then started to cry andugh when she saw your photo. She didn¡¯t even take any money.¡±

    He Zhichu received the video and only took a quick look before closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

    Right. He had survived and was still alive.

    How lucky...

    After a period of silence, He Zhichu called the man again. ¡°This is my great aunt. Have someone take care of her. Find a house for her to live in and provide daily necessities. I don¡¯t need to teach you what to do, right?¡±

    ¡°I understand, I understand.¡± The man nodded quickly.

    Since He Zhichu had epted this woman as his rtive and great aunt, he would naturally take good care of her.

    After taking care of this sudden incident, He Zhichu got up and went to the closet to find a grey suit to put on. He prepared to visit the clinics with Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi returned to her room, she didn¡¯t change right away and instead waited for Huo Shaoheng toe to discuss the n with her.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door to see Gu Nianzhi sitting on the couch and ying on her phone.

    He knocked on the door. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get changed?¡± he asked.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and replied calmly, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me what to wear yet, so how am I supposed to get changed?¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down next to her, a trace of a smile appearing on his lips. ¡°We are pretending to be a married couple trying to get a consultation about pregnancy...¡±

    ¡°You said we would be disguised as people from Japan. But I don¡¯t speak Japanese.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed out the w in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    ¡°Right. You don¡¯t need to speak and can pretend to be mute. I can speak for us.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head and said, ¡°Go change into a simple dress suit now, and I¡¯ll have someone put on makeup for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally became interested. ¡°I still need to put on makeup?!¡± she asked.

    ¡°Of course. Did you think you¡¯re going to walk into the clinic with your own face?¡± Huo Shaoheng was amused as he said, ¡°There are surveince cameras.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. I will be sure to hack into their surveince and erase our footage.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a cutting gesture with her hands.

    ¡°Fine, fine. You¡¯re the hacker, and everything you say goes,¡± Huo Shaoheng teased her with a half-smile. ¡°Go get changed. I will have someonee over to put on your disguise.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very pleased and excitedly went to her bedroom to look through her luggage for a pure white dress suit. It was a very conservative style paired with a tapered waist jacket, so she looked like a housewife from the wealthy areas of Tokyo.

    The person Huo Shaoheng asked to put on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s makeup was an expert within the Special Operations Forces.

    He brought a small vanity case and was able toplete Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disguise in a short period of time.

    ¡°Look at the mirror. Are you happy with it?¡± The manughed and pped his hands.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes, she saw a paper-white face in the mirror. There was only a small dab of lip balm on the center of her lips.

    Her eyebrows were drawn very thin, further entuating her huge eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi was unhappy and pouted as she said, ¡°...This looks so ugly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done if you put on sunsses. Miss Gu¡¯s eyes are too big; it¡¯s not easy to put on makeup.¡± The manughed as he took out a pair of sunsses for Gu Nianzhi to put on. She immediately looked much better.

    Huo Shaoheng also put on sunsses and wore a very well-fitted suit. His face was disguised with a fake hooked nose and was clean-shaven. He didn¡¯t look like himself, even upon close scrutiny.

    After all, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s real face was too handsome. He was too good looking, so typical people would have a hard time mixing him up with someone else.

    Even if the body shape were simr, they would immediately refute the possibility upon looking at the face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We will go for fertility treatment at the clinics.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he extended his arm to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looped her hand around his arm and replied demurely in Japanese, ¡°Hai!¡±

 Chapter 1174 - The Price of Being His Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 1174 The Price of Being His Enemy</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi disguised themselves as a married Japanese couple looking for help getting pregnant. They got into the car and sat in the back seat.Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinate drove an ordinary-looking BMW 7 series, with He Zhichu sitting in the front passenger side disguised as their assistant.

    Gu Nianzhi brought out the information she had gleaned and summarized it for everyone in the car.

    ¡°...My father listed the names of four clinics on the note. They are Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center, the Parents¡¯ Clinic in the Labado Project, Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic, and Lajiawan Infertility Treatment Center.

    ¡°Last night, I hacked into their websites and looked at their financial systems to find that Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center is thergest operation out of the four clinics. However, they only received a modest amount of donations.

    ¡°The Parents¡¯ Clinic in the Labado Project is the secondrgest operation, so they received more donations than Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center. However, they still received less than the other two clinics.

    ¡°Lajiawan Infertility Treatment Center is the smallest operation and received the smallest number of donations.

    ¡°Of all the clinics, the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic ranks third in size and profit. However, it received thergest amount of donations from the Angels on Earth charity. Their clinic received two-thirds of the total donations that this charity gave out.

    ¡°So, we need to go to the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic today.

    ¡°I want to go and check why this clinic is special and effective enough to receive the most donations from the charity, despite only being average in size and profit,¡± Gu Nianzhi said.

    Gu Nianzhi sent the information from her research to He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phones separately, then said, ¡°You can look at this yourself and check if I missed anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even take his phone out and replied calmly, ¡°I believe you. There is no need to check.¡±

    He Zhichu had already taken out his phone, but the corners of his mouth turned down when he heard Huo Shaoheng speak. He secretly cursed Huo Shaoheng for being despicable, then put away his phone as if nothing had happened. He replied dryly, ¡°I am not interested in the clinic. I am only worried about your safety.¡±

    He was indicating that he wasn¡¯t going to check if there was something fishy about the clinic, but rather ensuring Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly and said, ¡°Okay, okay. I know that Professor He is only looking out for me.¡±

    He Zhichu turned around and smiled at her, his shining and sultry eyes flickering slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, then pressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head against his shoulder and replied dryly, ¡°Go to sleep. You were so tired all night. Aren¡¯t you feeling sleepy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng in utter shock. ¡°But I did actually sleepst night. When did I...?¡±

    ¡°No?¡± Huo Shaoheng gave her a half-smile as he watched her, then leaned over. ¡°...Hmm?¡±

    Thest word was said in a low and maic tone. As an audiophile, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stop blushing from her attraction to his beautiful voice. She shifted backward and stammered, ¡°There... there was nothing.¡±

    She then closed her eyes and attempted to gloss things over by saying, ¡°I¡¯m feeling sleepy. I will take a nap now.¡±

    She only wanted to shut Huo Shaoheng up and stop him from saying those kinds of things in front of He Zhichu. However, that was exactly what Huo Shaoheng wanted.

    He snaked one arm across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back to hold herpletely against his body. He replied coolly, ¡°Go to sleep. I will wake you when we get there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shut her eyes, since trouble unseen was no trouble at all.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze suddenly sharpened like a dagger as he coldly red at Huo Shaoheng. He then turned around to look ahead, not saying anything again.

    Everyone remained silent the entire way until they arrived at the parking lot of the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic.

    Huo Shaoheng nudged Gu Nianzhi awake, saying, ¡°We¡¯re here now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and took out a pair of sunsses to put on. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be mute from now on!¡±

    He Zhichu also put on sunsses, but he didn¡¯t leave the car.

    He waved his phone at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°There is a pinhole camera built into your sunsses, and I have already linked it to my phone¡¯s inte connection. I will be able to see everything that you guys see.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the sunsses up the bridge of her nose and nodded with a smile. She took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and headed towards the clinic entrance.

    The clinic was in the typical style of the local architecture¡ªsquare, t buildings, with gray-toned marble material as outer walls. It appeared clean, yet simple.

    It was higher ss than the rundown ghettos but just a shred more cultured than the gaudy bourgeois areas.

    There was a lush greenwn in front of the clinic.

    The South Asian sun of early summer shone on the grass and revealed a strong sense of vitality.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and kept a demure smile on her face. They crossed the path on thewn, and she gritted the words through her teeth as they walked. ¡°...What did you mean by what you said in the car earlier?!¡±

    ¡°The literal meaning.¡± Huo Shaoheng continued to smile subtly as he walked forward at an elegant and even pace, yet the words he said were not very elegant at all. ¡°Mrs. Huo, it¡¯s best that you only have eyes for Mr. Huo. If you look at someone else, Mr. Huo will be very angry.¡±

    ¡°When did I ever have eyes for someone else!?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted in dissatisfaction. ¡°Can you stop constantly harassing Professor He? Professor He has only helped us the whole time, but you keep targeting him. Are you trying to hurt his feelings? Are you really forcing him to be our enemy? Do you know how powerful he is?¡±

    The smile slowly faded from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. After a moment of silence, he finally said, ¡°If you are the price I need to pay for having him on our side, then I would rather he be our enemy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded.

    She should have been somewhat dissatisfied with this response, but why on earth was she feeling a bit happy about it instead?!

    She rarely heard any ssic romantic lines from Huo Shaoheng, but she indicated that she was willing to listen to more of what he had to say today.

    Gu Nianzhi pinched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and said in encouragement, ¡°...And what else?¡±

    Her huge eyes stared innocently at him in anticipation of even more affection.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t need to look to know what kind of expression was on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    He didn¡¯t even turn around and replied calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t try to take a mile when I give you an inch.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nk.

    They chatted andughed happily as they finally arrived at the entrance of the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic.

    They quickly noticed that most of the patients wereprised of two kinds of people.

    Some of the patients were Caucasians from Europe and America, so the men were tall and handsome, and the women were morous and alluring.

    There was also a group of patients who appeared Asian, and they were most likely ethnically Japanese.

    Both the men and women were very short and not very good looking, either.

    Their faces looked like they had been shaped carelessly by God¡ªfaces with such t features that a hand could swipe over them and make them disappearpletely.

    These two groups made up the majority of the people in the clinic.

    There were very few Asian couples where both the man and woman were tall and good looking like Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    So, when they entered, the eyes of the medical personnel in white coats immediately lit up.

    They exchanged knowing looks before a middle-aged Asian woman at the reception desk walked over. She smiled and weed them, saying, ¡°Hello. Was there something I could help you with?

    She actually spoke Chinese, but it sounded rather stiff. She was obviously not a Chinese person.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if the woman could tell they were Chinese at first nce, but their n couldn¡¯t exactly change because of one thing the other party said.

    Huo Shaoheng made a perplexed expression, then bowed respectfully and said in Japanese, ¡°Nice to meet you. Please take care of us.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You are not from the Huaxia Empire?¡± The middle-aged Asian woman was shocked and delighted. Her attitude towards them warmed up as well.

    She bowed deeply to them and naturally replied in fluent Japanese, ¡°Wee. Pleasee inside.¡±

 Chapter 1175 - Looking at Faces

    <h4>Chapter 1175 Looking at Faces</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng smoothly took out the props he prepared beforehand. He waved two Japanese passports at the middle-aged woman as he exined the reason for his visit in Japanese.The middle-aged women bowed continuously, saying, ¡°Very well, pleasee with me. You are VIPs, so you don¡¯t need to squeeze in with the rest of the people.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi smiled as they followed the middle-aged woman to the VIP room inside the clinic.

    They had to admit that the clinic¡¯s VIP room was furnished in a manner that waspletely worthy of the title.

    The floors were natural red cherrywood, with a fine grain and very high-quality material. It was obviously very expensive.

    The French windows were framed with blue and white striped drapes, and the fabric was made of an unknown material. It flowed as smoothly and luminously as water.

    Several ergonomically designed chairs were arranged in the middle of the room and paired with dark grey L-shaped sofas.

    A potted hydrangea in full bloom sat on the coffee table in the middle of the room, with a small golden Buddha statue next to the flowers.

    An English poem was framed and hung on the wall across from the entrance of the VIP room.

    ¡°A little girl needs Daddy,

    For many, many things:

    Like giving her the love,

    That is her sea and air,

    So diving deep or soaring high,

    She¡¯ll always find him there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils constricted instantly.

    This was the poem her father had written on the note, so why was it in a ce like this?!

    Of course, this children¡¯s poem about a father¡¯s love was very suitable for a clinic specializing in infertility treatment.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand calmly when he saw the poem as well. He wanted to stop her from exposing their identities.

    The sunsses they wore concealed the change in their expressions.

    The middle-aged woman offered Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng a seat, then brought over a tter filled with cakes and snacks. She also offered fresh-squeezed orange juice, cappinos, as well as two types of tea for them to choose from.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t eat anything prepared by unknown sources when they were outside, so they merely gave a polite thanks to the middle-aged woman forying out the food. They did not show any intention of eating it.

    The middle-aged woman didn¡¯t force them to eat it either since she respected them very much. She brought out the tablet used in the clinic and patiently inquired about their situation.

    ¡°May I ask how long you have been married for? Have you never gotten pregnant before?¡± She looked at Gu Nianzhi curiously as she asked the questions.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied on her behalf, saying, ¡°My wife is hard of hearing and mute, so she only understands signnguage and reading lips.¡±

    The middle-aged woman revealed a sudden look of understanding on her face, along with a trace of deep relief.

    She nodded quickly, replying with earnest, ¡°I see, I understand now. You were worried that your child might have hearing problems in the future, so that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t want to have children until now? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s perfect that you came to our clinic.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    That¡¯s not right!

    I just don¡¯t want to talk to you!

    Gu Nianzhi kept cursing internally, but she was truly impressed with this woman who had great potential as a salesperson. She was able to talk endlessly, even to herself.

    Huo Shaoheng pretended to listen earnestly and asked at an appropriate moment, ¡°My wife was born with hearing issues, so I will ept it if my child also has it too. But it sounds like you¡¯re saying that you can help us solve this problem?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course.¡± The middle-aged woman was very proud as she said, ¡°I can tell you that we are the only clinic on Blue that is able to provide you with this type of service. You won¡¯t be able to find a tailor-made child anywhere else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Oh my god, this woman was so full of herself! If she imed to provide tailor-made children, she might as well say she was a God and could shape people from y!

    Huo Shaoheng was evidently shocked as well.

    He gasped loudly, and his beautiful baritone voice nearly made Gu Nianzhi feel intoxicated as it reached her ears.

    The middle-aged woman also blushed. She had just been bbering on now, but couldn¡¯t help but pause when she heard Huo Shaoheng gasp. She then continued to speak.

    ¡°Please believe us, my dear. We have first-ss reproductive experts at the clinic who will help you screen reproductive cells forbination. We will also cultivate multiple fertilized eggs, then select the healthiest fertilized eggs to imnt into your uterus.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about identally having twins or triplets. Of course, we can also help if you actually want that...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kept the sunsses on and smiled slightly. She had been listening for a very long time and finally began to understand the situation.

    This clinic probably provided artificial insemination.

    As to the woman¡¯s ims of first-ss reproductive experts screening reproductive cells to create fertilized eggs ¨C that was probably just marketing. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe a single word of it.

    This was merely a normal artificial insemination clinic, so how did it receive so much funding from the Angels on Earth charity?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think this made a lot of sense at all.

    Huo Shaoheng probably thought the same thing, so he replied gravely, ¡°Your clinic provides artificial insemination, and can even screen fertilized eggs? As far as I know, that is not possible with typical artificial insemination.¡±

    ¡°Then you are not yet aware. Others may not be able to do it, but we certainly can.¡± The middle-aged woman saw that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were Japanese too, so perhaps that was why she gave more detailed exnations to them.

    ¡°We are all Japanese people, so I would never trick to you,¡± she passionately espoused, then grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°We will provide all the support necessary to create more offspring of such tall, good looking, and outstanding people like yourselves!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°..¡±

    Something didn¡¯t seem right.

    The middle-aged women¡¯s level of enthusiasm made Gu Nianzhi feel that she shouldered the heavy burden of improving her race.

    Huo Shaoheng shielded Gu Nianzhi with one hand and removed her hand from the middle-aged woman¡¯s. He replied unhappily, ¡°My wife doesn¡¯t like to be touched by other people.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I am very sorry.¡± The middle-aged women kept apologizing, then got up to bow. She then brought over a very high-end SLR camera and smiled as she said, ¡°Since you came to consult at our clinic, do you mind if I take a photo for our records?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk behind Huo Shaoheng, while he also used his hand to block the camera and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Is this how your clinic protects patient confidentiality?¡±

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s face flushed from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s berating, so she timidly put away the camera and said, ¡°I am sorry, I saw you are so good looking and wanted tomemorate the asion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, pulling at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt to indicate that she wanted to leave.

    She had a bone-chilling feeling that she was being watched by many people who were studying her and Huo Shaoheng like they were products.

    Huo Shaoheng also had the same strange feeling.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intuition was honed from escaping death many times before. This wasn¡¯t something he was born with.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s was a pure instinct derived at birth.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Hand, then said to the middle-aged women, ¡°Thank you for speaking with us, we will consider this carefully. There are a few other clinics, so we need to go research in person before deciding on where we will have the surgery.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re still going to other clinics?¡± The middle-aged woman was a bit frantic now as she said, ¡°No other clinicspare to us. You don¡¯t need to waste time going to other ces.¡±

    ¡°This is for our child, so of course, we need to be very careful.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied politely. He then grabbed Gu Nyanzi¡¯s waist and said, ¡°We will be leaving now.

    ¡°Hey, please wait a minute!¡± The middle-aged woman also seemed to be wearing an earpiece or Bluetooth headset as she obviously tilted her head to listen. She finally called after Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and asked with irritation, ¡°...What else can we do for you?¡±

    The middle-aged woman grinned widely and said, ¡°Congrattions, you¡¯ve won our prize! Our experts are very interested in your case and are willing to provide this surgery free of charge to you. They will also guarantee the imntation of the fertilized egg, and that you will have a healthy and beautiful baby. Once the child is born, we will also provide him with a stipend for a year¡¯s supply of baby form. Are you willing to ept this? If you ept this, you can sign a contract with our clinic.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi controlled her urge to exchange a look with Huo Shaoheng and merely stared straight ahead.

    She was currently pretending to be mute, so although she was supposed to know how to read lips, it was still inappropriate to reveal any obvious expressions.

    She was also thinking to herself the experts were very strange here since they actually provided funds for patients to do surgeries.

    Did these fundse from subsidies provided by the Angels on Earth charity?

    Speaking of which, what kind of standards are they using to assess patients?

    Gu Nianzhi contemted this with amusement. If the clinic hadn¡¯t seen through her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s disguise, then the only usible standard would be they did so just by looking at their faces.

 Chapter 1176 - Really Looking at Faces

    <h4>Chapter 1176 Really Looking at Faces</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi secretly came to this conclusion because she was basically trying to make a bad situation better.

    Numerousments rapidly scrolled through her head, with the words ¡®looking at faces¡¯ endlessly passing through. She was about to burst out inughter.

    At the moment, Huo Shaoheng seemed to read her mind and asked, ¡°...Why are you giving us such good treatment? Our case isn¡¯t even special in any way.¡±

    Everyone who came to the infertility clinic seeking help with getting pregnant were married couples with issues getting pregnant naturally.

    Within these patients, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had only pretended to be the kind of patients with the most basic symptoms. There was nothing medically interesting about their case at all.

    The middle-aged woman did not expect this married couple to be so cautious and careful that they would not ept such a great offer...

    But then she quickly recalled that they were of the same culture and ethnicity as herself, so they were intrinsically more virtuous and cultured than the neighbors from the self-proimed Heavenly Kingdom, the Huaxia Empire. They didn¡¯t always think about taking advantage of everything.

    The women became even more courteous towards Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, folding her hands in front of her body and bowing deeply as she said, ¡°You are a couple with very special talents and abilities. Such great genes should be passed on for generations toe... Our experts aremitted to endorsing the best genes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost passed out when she heard this.

    Oh my god, she was actually doing all this because simply because of their faces?!

    So, this woman offered them such a great opportunity simply because she and Huo Shaoheng had excellent physical attributes?!

    Huo Shaoheng was quiet for a very long time, so Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure if he was shocked or if it was for a different reason.

    The truth was, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart was beating faster than ever at that very moment.

    He would never have imagined that the clinic would have such a philosophy...

    This basically matched up with history itself.

    If all these clinics behaved this way, they could basically conclude what kind of data Reinitz and his men were pursuing this time.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were darker than ever right now. Luckily, they were hidden behind sunsses, so the extremely enthusiastic receptionist had no idea at all.

    ¡°Of course, we will even test your IQ so we can better confirm your future child¡¯s IQ baseline. Then we will help you optimize the reproductive cells in order to birth the smartest baby. Perhaps they will be a top studentter on! Hahaha!¡±

    The middle-aged woman muffled her giggles.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression and tone didn¡¯t change very much, so he still behaved impably polite yet very distant.

    ¡°Thank you for seeing us today, but we still want to take another look at the other clinics. Money is not a problem for us. Goodbye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood behind Huo Shaoheng and discreetly took out a phone to take a high-resolution photo of the English handwritten poem, ¡°A Little Girl Needs Daddy,¡± framed on the wall.

    Of course, the pinhole camera on her sunsses was also aimed at the handwritten English poem to capture photos from various angles.

    Huo Shaoheng was still dealing with that woman anyway, but he insisted on rejecting the clinic¡¯s special offer and wanted to leave.

    The middle-aged woman was very distraught. She noticed that this married couple was very special and unlike ordinary people, so she didn¡¯t dare to use any other methods. She had no choice but to helplessly watch them leave through the clinic¡¯s doors and head towards the parking lot.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kako. Don¡¯t force them if they are unwilling.¡± Someone said to the middle-aged woman through her Bluetooth headset.

    The receptionist shook her head regretfully and said, ¡°I understand, Director. Kako just thinks this is a great shame. This couple has such great physical attributes and is Japanese like us, so their reproductive cells should be even more helpful for us.¡±

    ¡°They are not considered as having the very best physical attributes anyway. It¡¯s fine if they leave.¡±

    There were tens of thousands of patients who came to consult at their clinic. From the way the clinic director saw it, this couple wasn¡¯t very good-looking despite having great figures. The director didn¡¯t mind them leaving at all.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi disguised their appearances, so it was certainly iparable to their original faces. It was expected that they would be insulted.

    If the clinic was so relentless even though they appeared as they did in their disguise and refused to let them go, that meant they were not only looking at their faces but had actually discovered they were in disguise.

    Then it was all the more reason to run away.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi got into the car in the parking lot without saying anything.

    The car drove all the way out of the clinic parking lot and towards the main road.

    The situation on the streets was still dire, as there were long lines of people withdrawing cash everywhere. All the bank entrances were a mess as people mored and pushed each other around.

    Gu Nianzhi finally sighed in relief and said with a smile, ¡°Can I speak now? I was dying back there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng passed a bottle of water to her, asking, ¡°Are you thirsty?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t had a drop of water to drink at the clinic.

    Gu Nianzhi epted the water and inhaled almost half the bottle with one gulp.

    ¡°I never expected that the clinic would focus so heavily on physically attractive patients.¡± Gu Nianzhi had her head down as she screwed the cap back onto the bottle. She shook her head and said, ¡°They are only performing artificial insemination, but they actually think that they are lifesaving gods?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t turn around from the front seat as he replied dryly, ¡°I already said that there was nothing worth investigating, but you insisted on going...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng draped a hand behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seat and rested his other elbow against the car window. He replied thoughtfully, ¡°At least we confirmed the standards they rely on when admitting patients. Speaking of which, they were extremely eager to give all sorts of offers and incentives to physically attractive people. They were even willing to give out free surgeries. What kind of game do you think they are trying to y by giving out such big freebies?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi considered it, then leaned back against the seat. From He Zhichu¡¯s perspective, Gu Nianzhi seemed to be resting against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm.

    This was truly a diforting site in the middle of the day.

    He Zhichu pushed the rearview mirror up in order to avoid seeing the situation in the backseat.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never believed there are such things as free lunches. Of course, there is no way to get something this big for free.¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms in front of her chest, her expression serious and solemn. ¡°If they are able to offer conditions that a typical patient couldn¡¯t refuse, that means they must be able to earn an evenrger benefit from it.¡±

    Artificial insemination was a very expensive surgery. The better clinics offering gender selections were even more expensive inparison.

    The receptionist kept upselling and imed their experts could even optimize, screen, and cultivate the eggs, so this was extremely impressive.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said, ¡°Right, there must be an even bigger benefit. That¡¯s why the Angels on Earth charity was using all their funds to support these clinics.¡±

    ¡°There was also one more thing...¡± He Zhichu said from the front seat. ¡°Did you ever think about why they set up the clinics here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng exchanged a nce before each looking away.

    Huo Shaoheng mused, ¡°...Maybe because there is arge poption here?¡±

    Aside from the Huaxia Empire, the country of India with the Taj Mahal was the most populous country on the Blue.

    Or perhaps India¡¯s poption already surpassed the Huaxia Empire, making this the most populous country on the Blue.

    Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu¡¯s train of thought and considered it. ¡°...There is a high poption, so there are more gic mutations?¡±

    ¡°Thergest poption in this country is still Caucasian,¡± Huo Shaoheng informed her calmly. ¡°But we mainly saw two types of patients in the clinic today, Caucasians and Japanese.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°But we still need to check the other clinics before determining the overall situation.¡±

    As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he directed the driver to go to another infertility clinic, Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center.

    Batti¡¯s was thergest clinic out of the four, and the most profitable as well. However, it only received a modest amount of donations from the charity and ranked third.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng continued using the same disguises as before and went into the clinic.

    The patients in this clinic were much more typical, with the majority of them being locals. It was very noisy and boisterous inside, and asionally a more prestigious caste member would walk out of the VIP room. From their appearances, it was obvious that these people were much paler than the other patients.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng waited for half an hour before being called in.

 Chapter 1177 - Trouble Unseen Was No Trouble at All

    <h4>Chapter 1177 Trouble Unseen Was No Trouble at All</h4>

    The clinic did not give Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng special treatment like the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic but still treated them a bit better than the other patients.The difference in attitude was still noticeable.

    After Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng experienced the enthusiasm of the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic, they mentally prepared themselves for the next visit. They were calm andposed as they followed a local nurse to a consultation room.

    ¡°Please wait momentarily. The doctor will be here to see you right away.¡± The nurse was a local, so she spoke to them directly in English.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment, then asked, ¡°Can you speak Japanese?¡±

    The nurse froze, then replied with embarrassment, ¡°I only know a little bit of basic Japanese, so I can¡¯t converse with you. But...¡± She thought about it then said, ¡°I can ask a Japanese doctor to see you.¡±

    ¡°That would be the best.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded in agreement.

    Gu Nianzhi continually smiled cheerfully at them and nodded at the nurse.

    A real-time trantion program was running in her Bluetooth headset, so everything she heard was being instantly tranted into Chinese or English.

    Although it wasn¡¯t as urate as in-person real-time interpretation, she was able to understand the gist of the conversation.

    Gu Nianzhi was able to understand the Japanese speaking middle-aged women at the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic because of this program.

    The nurse strode out of the consultation room.

    A short whileter, a Japanese doctor entered the room wearing ab coat with a toothbrush mustache and medium build. He brought in two Japanese nurses with thin eyebrows and delicate lips.

    He greeted Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi in Japanese as soon as he walked through the door.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng repeated everything he said at the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic once again.

    The male doctor stared at Gu Nianzhi for a while, then asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Can you please ask your wife to remove her sunsses?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised a brow and asked, ¡°Why? My wife is rather shy, so she isn¡¯t ustomed to dealing with strangers. Her psychiatrist especially reminded me to let her wear sunsses when we visit clinics, so she can feel more secure and not get anxious.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng even used a psychiatrist as an excuse, so the Japanese male doctor couldn¡¯t continue asking Gu Nianzhi to take off her sunsses.

    But he turned around and looked up at Huo Shaoheng as he said, ¡°And yourself? Did the psychiatrist ask you to keep your sunsses on, too?¡±

    He was hoping that Huo Shaoheng would remove his sunsses.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said, ¡°This is my personal preference because I hurt my eyes before and have weak vision. My eyes hurt as soon as I see sunlight.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spoke so confidently that even Gu Nianzhi was starting to believe him...

    The male Japanese doctor became very excited and pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°She is your wife and was born deaf and mute. You are her husband, but your eyes were injured, and you have weak vision... Haha, how did you two end up together? This is against gene optimization conditions, so I don¡¯t think the children you will have will be very healthy...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was very displeased, as his expression darkened immediately. He said, ¡°What are you saying? Why would wee to consult at this kind of clinic if we were both normal people? I am sorry, you are making me very ufortable, so we will be leaving now. We don¡¯t want to seek treatment at a clinic that doesn¡¯t respect their patients.¡± As he spoke, he grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and began to walk out.

    The male Japanese doctor was an outstanding figure in his field of research, so he had always been revered like a god by all his patients.

    He was very ufortable to be spoken to like that by a random patient, so he instantly frowned and replied in a strange tone, ¡°You are patients consulting with me, so you must listen to everything I say. Why are you acting like this? If everyone acted like you, why would anyone need to see a doctor?! Go back to where you came from!¡±

    The male doctor only intended to intimidate them a bit so the two patients would obey.

    Unexpectedly, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t take kindly to this at all.

    Pushing the sunsses up his face, he turned around and spoke to Gu Nianzhi very gently in Japanese, saying, ¡°...Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard the tranted voice over her Bluetooth headset and nodded automatically. She put her hand on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm.

    The couple walked out of Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center just like that.

    The male Japanese doctor had never met patients with a bigger ego than a doctor¡¯s, so he looked very sour.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to see such smug patients from now on! I am very busy!¡± He frantically ran his hands through his hair, then turned to leave the consultation room. When he got to the door, he even kicked it very hard to vent his rage and frustration.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng got back into the car. He Zhichu smiled at them as he looked at the watch and said sarcastically, ¡°Aside from the half an hour you waited to get a consultation, you returned victorious after seeing the doctor for a whole five minutes? I already told you many times before; these ces are shabby and not worth going at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also very angry. Her eyebrows furrowed as she retorted in dissatisfaction, ¡°What is wrong with their attitudes? I have never seen such a smug doctor, even when I went to the world¡¯s top-ranking Johns Hopkins Hospital!¡±

    Not only did he disrespect his patients, but he didn¡¯t treat them like humans either. All he did wasmand them and treat the patients like ves.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the back seat as he ordered the driver to leave. He replied nonchntly, ¡°Looks like he is very confident about his research and sills. That is why he is so fearless.¡±

    ¡°Confident? Haha...¡± He Zhichu smirked in silence.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes as she leaned towards He Zhichu¡¯s front seat and asked cheerfully, ¡°Professor He, do you know what¡¯s going on with them? Can you tell us if you know anything? Even if it¡¯s just a tiny bit of information?¡±

    He Zhichu turned around to look at her, then shrugged and said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know what those people are doing. But I do know that technological advancement shouldn¡¯t require such methods. They will never achieve true technological advancement if they use these methods.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her huge, dark eyes as she tried hard to digest what He Zhichu was saying.

    After contemting for a while, she asked in confusion, ¡°So you mean that they are actually doing scientific research?¡±

    ¡°Research?? Perhaps. Science? Unlikely.¡± He Zhichu continued to act sarcastic and holier than thou as he said, ¡°Just look at how they¡¯ve struggled. Have they even achieved any results? That idiot doctor with the toothbrush mustache acted like he possessed universal wisdom just now, but I bet that he hasn¡¯t even learned the number of base pairs in human genes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slowly widened her eyes with a look of admiration. ¡°...Professor He, so do you know the number of base pairs in human genes? But what are base pairs, exactly?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was like a question mark full of curiosity.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and was a bit frustrated.

    The saying was true. The more you speak, the more trouble you get into.

    Huo Shaoheng casually observed this from the side, then replied calmly, ¡°Nianzhi, Professor He studies thew. How would he know about base pairs in human genes? If you really want to know, it¡¯ll probably be faster for you to look it up online.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? I forgot that Professor He studies thew.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around to give Huo Shaoheng a sweet smile, then took out her phone to conduct a search.

    The couple sang their merry tune in an attempt to goad He Zhichu in revealing more information. But this time, He Zhichu didn¡¯t speak again no matter how much they provoked him.

    ...

    It was nearly noon by the time they left Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center. Huo Shaoheng looked at the information from their research and consulted with Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu. ¡°There are still two more clinics, do we need to take a look?¡± he asked.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu first and made a bold suggestion when she saw He Zhichu acting as though this had nothing to do with him. ¡°...How about we go back now? I think that all the clinics have simr business scopes and models, so the other two won¡¯t be very meaningful now that we¡¯ve already visited two. It won¡¯t be a loss if we don¡¯t go.¡±

    They might also alert the enemy if they showed up at all four clinics.

    Since they had already gone to two of the more representative clinics and had an argument with the male Japanese doctor at Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center, it made sense that they didn¡¯t continue going to the other clinics.

    This wouldn¡¯t alert the enemy by causing them to think their appearance and disappearance were too sudden.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly and said, ¡°...This is exactly what I was thinking.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile. They were so in sync that it was nauseating.

    He Zhichu silently balled his hands into fists in the front seat and closed his eyes.

    Trouble unseen was no trouble at all.

    ...

    That afternoon, the four of them returned to He Zhichu¡¯s apartment in the affluent area of New Delhi.

    The South Asian sun had already reached scorching summer levels.

    Gu Nianzhi was soaking in sweat in the time it took for her to leave the air-conditioned car and walk the short distance to the steps of the manor.

    She fanned herself and mumbled, ¡°This is only early summer, but it¡¯s already so hot. Won¡¯t people die from the heat by the time it¡¯s actually summer?¡±

    ¡°Many people die of heat in New Delhi and Mumbai every year. This isn¡¯t anything new.¡± He Zhichu turned around and replied dryly, ¡°Go inside quickly. There is air conditioning in the house.¡±

    A gust of cool air hit them as soon as they walked in the centrally air-conditioned manor.

    Inhaling deeply, Gu Nianzhi walked to the kitchen and poured a ss of ice water then quickly downed it.

    She then went to the fridge to get a Haagen-Dazs raisin ice cream bar and ate it as she walked around.

    During the car ride, Huo Shaoheng had already gone through all the information they gleaned from the visits andpleted a simple analysis.

    He asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I have some ideas now, do you want to hear my analysis?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly and said, ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    She noticed He Zhichu quietly standing alone in the corner with his head down and looking sad. She couldn¡¯t bear seeing him like this, so she wanted to give He Zhichu something to work on instead of being lost in his thoughts. She smoothly asked, ¡°...Can Professor He listen to the analysis with me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at He Zhichu, then smiled and said, ¡°That can work if Professor He is willing to listen.¡±

    He Zhichu had no intention of listening since this had nothing to do with him. He didn¡¯t want to give it any of his attention at all.

    But Gu Nianzhi was concerned about this, so he must focus his attention and join in for her sake.

    He Zhichu nodded subtly. ¡°I can listen from the sidelines if Alex doesn¡¯t mind.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch. ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch first, and then we will need to borrow Professor He¡¯s study. Also, bring Reinitz out here. I have something to ask him.¡±

 Chapter 1178 - Reveal Your Trump Card

    <h4>1178 Reveal Your Trump Card</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi heard that Reinitz was being brought in, so she was a bit nervous and asked Huo Shaoheng hesitantly, ¡°Alex, what identity will you be meeting him with?¡±

    Ever since arriving here, Huo Shaoheng had not met Reinitz with his natural appearance.

    Huo Shaoheng was quiet for a moment, then said, ¡°...This time it has something to do with him as well, so I will use my real identity.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rted to him?¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°He worked at the charity for several years in the past, but he said it was because he needed to look for my father¡¯s transcripts and letters and find the whereabouts of the data. How can these clinics have anything to do with him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her, curling his lips into a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. You will know right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi noticed that Huo Shaoheng was full of confidence, so she also felt reassured. She returned to her room to wash off all the makeup and changed into a simple T-shirt and mini skirt beforeing downstairs.

    He Zhichu ran into her at the stairwell and asked nonchntly, ¡°Do you think that Huo Shao seems to know more details about the situation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and wasn¡¯t hesitant to reply, ¡°Well, what does Huo Shao do for work? It¡¯s only understandable that he would know more than us.¡±

    If Huo Shao knew less than them, that would mean there was an issue with his abilities.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was already very confident about her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng, she was even more assured about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s day job.

    She may suspect that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t pay enough attention to her sometimes or treat her with enough importance, but she would never doubt Huo Shaoheng¡¯smitment to his job.

    Huo Shaoheng so happened to walk around the corner carrying a super-thin notebook. He overheard what Gu Nianzhi said, and a trace of a smile appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°Nianzhi, Professor He, pleasee over here.¡± Huo Shaoheng opened the doors to the study.

    He already had his subordinates conduct a thorough investigation of the room to eliminate pinhole cameras, invisible audio recorders, and all other sorts of surveince equipment. He also had them set up counter-espionage equipment to make the entire study waspletely secure and private.

    Huo Shaoheng could only feel assured enough to show his real face in a ce like this.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu also followed him into the study.

    Although it was in the middle of the day, the curtains inside the study were already drawn.

    As soon as the noise-canceling and light-blocking drapes were drawn, the entire room was pitch ck and void of light. They turned on the ceiling light.

    The ceiling light in the study used LED light bulbs that were easy on the eyes. They were set into the ceiling and illuminated the room as bright as day.

    A huge curved screen TV hung on the east wall of the study, nearly taking up half the wall.

    The curved screen TV could connect to theputer, so Huo Shaoheng connected hisptop to the TV and gestured to Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu. ¡°Sit,¡± he said.

    ¡°This is my study.¡± He Zhichu frowned as he corrected Huo Shaoheng, then turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Sit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She and He Zhichu sat on two medieval-style carved chairs before the desk.

    Soon afterward, Reinitz was brought in blindfolded.

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand to ask the man to leave. ¡°Close the door.¡±

    The personnel saluted Huo Shaoheng before turning to leave and closing the door. He then stood guard outside.

    Huo Shaoheng said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, can you please remove the blindfold from Reinitz¡¯s eyes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was worried that He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t want to listen to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders, so she quickly replied, ¡°Let me take it off.¡±

    As she stood up, He Zhichu quickly grabbed onto her and said, ¡°You can sit down, I will remove it.¡±

    His expression was icy as he made his way before Reinitz and removed the blindfold around his eyes.

    Reinitz rubbed his eyes and took some time getting ustomed to the lighting in the room.

    He squinted his eyes and peered around.

    Reinitz was still in disbelief because he heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice first.

    Wasn¡¯t he attending the Annual Warrior Competition in a certain country right now?!

    How did he suddenly appear in this country instead?

    When Reinitz¡¯s blindfold was removed, and he was able to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome and impable face for himself, he finally confirmed that the entire world, not just him, had been fooled by Huo Shaoheng...

    Although he was feeling very indignant, he didn¡¯t express it physically at all.

    He pretended to not even see Huo Shaoheng and swept his eyes over him, allowing them tond on Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting diagonally from Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi wore a well-fitting and simple navy cotton T-shirt, paired with a low-waisted blue and white striped skirt.

    Navy was a color that suited her extremely well, entuating the fairness of her skin and exquisite features.

    Her eyes were a stark contrast of ck and white. Because the white was too white and the ck was too ck, it made her eyes reflect a slight hint of dark blue.

    Reinitz smiled at her and said gently, ¡°Cereus, I haven¡¯t seen you for a day, and you¡¯ve already be even prettier.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Director Reinitz is too kind.¡± Huo Shaoheng acted like Reinitz wasplimenting him, instead of Gu Nianzhi.

    Sitting on the tall-backed chair behind the desk, Huo Shaoheng sped his hands and rested them on the desk as he smiled, then reached out and said, ¡°Please, have a seat.¡±

    He pointed to a single person sofa in the corner of the room.

    Reinitz still had shackles on his feet and hands, so it was difficult for him to move around.

    He nced at the sofa in the corner, then looked at where Gu Nianzhi was sitting andughed. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m fine sitting here.¡± As he spoke, he walked towards Gu Nianzhi. Folding his legs, he sat on the floorboards by her feet.

    A thick Persian rugid on top of the floorboards. It was simply designed with a geometric pattern and was very pleasing to the eye.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind at all since He Zhichu was sitting next to Gu Nianzhi. If Reinitz dared to do anything funny, Huo Shaoheng was willing to bet that He Zhichu would shoot Reinitz in the head...

    As expected, He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look up as he retorted dryly, ¡°Hurry up and get started. I still need to go rest after you¡¯re done talking.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, then yed the footage that their pinhole cameras had captured that day.

    Because theputer was connected to the curved screen TV, it was also ying the footage at the same time.

    Compared to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s super-thin notebook, the TV was obviously a higher resolution.

    Gu Nianzhi exined to Reinitz, ¡°This was one of the clinics that my father mentioned. We went to two of them today. One was the Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic, which was the one that received the most donations from the charity. The other is thergest operation out of the four, Batti¡¯s Fertility Aid Center.¡±

    Reinitz had no idea what these people were nning to do, but he instantly perked up as soon as he heard that they went to two of the four mentioned clinics.

    If he hadn¡¯t been tricked by the two men in front of him, he would probably be in disguise and investigating the clinics himself right now.

    The curved screen TV on the wall began ying the footage of what Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng heard and saw there this afternoon.

    The video wasn¡¯t very long, so Reinitz got confused from watching. He asked quizzically, ¡°...That¡¯s it? Why didn¡¯t you continue investigating?¡±

    Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

    Didn¡¯t these people like this idiom?

    Could they mean to encourage other people to venture into a tiger¡¯s den, so they could get a tiger cub captured for them?

    Reinitz had only studied Chinese for six months, so he thought thisnguage was far too difficult to master!

    Huo Shaoheng used his mouse to pause the video and switched over to a different screen.

    A folder appeared on the screen, entitled, ¡°ount of Japan¡¯s Secret Operation During World War II.¡±

    Reinitz finally mped his mouth shut when he saw this. He nervously watched the curved screen TV and waited for a long time, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t move. He asked without turning around, ¡°...Why aren¡¯t you opening this folder?¡±

    ¡°Before I open this folder, I want to ask you if you have any idea what kind of data you are pursuing?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t forget to squeeze any intelligence out of Reinitz at this point.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t even spare him a look as he stared at the screen and replied coolly, ¡°Why are you asking me? Don¡¯t you already know anyway?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded earnestly and said, ¡°I understand now. It looks like my predictions werepletely correct.¡±

    The folder¡¯s name indicated the contents he predicted.

    Reinitz was prejudiced and assumed Huo Shaoheng already knew everything when he saw the folder. He inadvertently revealed his own trump card.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to make a heart sign with her fingers at Huo Shaoheng.

    Reinitz looked up in shock and asked, ¡°What did you say? This was only your prediction?!¡±

    He turned around and pointed at the folder on the curved screen TV, asking, ¡°...Don¡¯t you have evidence right here?! How can you say it was only a prediction?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°When did I ever say I had evidence? This is only a folder, and the contents inside have yet to be filled.¡±

    As he spoke, he opened the folder. There really wasn¡¯t anything inside. It waspletely empty.

    He had been tricked!

    Reinitz jerked his head around, ring viciously at Huo Shaoheng. Although he wore handcuffs, he managed to give Huo Shaoheng the middle finger.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smile faded as he used the mouse to open another folder and replied, ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry, Director Reinitz. What will you doter if you¡¯re already so angry right now? Will you be so angry that you¡¯ll jump off a building, or into a river?¡±

 Chapter 1179 - Operation Borrowed Seed

    <h4>Chapter 1179 Operation Borrowed Seed</h4>

    Reinitz inhaled deeply several times in order to force himself to calm down. He replied disdainfully, ¡°Of course everything you say now is correct. It¡¯s only my fault that I lost against you.¡±¡°...Did you merely lose against me? Are you sure you haven¡¯t lost your conscience as well?¡± Huo Shaoheng coldly repeated his words as he opened a picture slideshow inside the other folder.

    Numerous ck and white photos appeared on the huge curved screen OLED HD TV mounted on the wall.

    It was obvious that the ck and white photos had undergone digital restoration in order to return the images back to their original states.

    But photography and film technology from half a century ago was destined to be nopetition with modern high definition photography technology, despite being restored.

    Regardless of this, the slightly blurred ck and white photos shocked the people in the study to their very cores.

    Aside from Huo Shaoheng, who had already viewed the photos many times but still felt ufortable every time he saw them, the other three people kept their eyes glued to the screen.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s initial reaction upon seeing these photos was to shut her eyes. It was truly too horrific to look at.

    But she instinctively knew that Huo Shaoheng would never y unrted photos, so she forced herself to open her eyes and look.

    The photos were all taken during World War II.

    The numb faces appearing on the ck and white photos seemed to no longer belong to people. Instead, they had already lost any human feelings and consciousness.

    They were only a tree branch or de of grass, so they couldn¡¯t cry out like humans despite being destroyed, crushed, seized, or killed.

    Or perhaps they did scream, but their cries were already wiped into oblivion under the extreme torture.

    Most Huaxia citizens had tears in their eyes every time they looked at this part of history. They warned themselves and felt indignant once again.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s emotionless voice was like the narration to a documentary as he calmly began to speak in the study.

    ¡°...This was part of secret data gleaned in the Northeastern part of the Huaxia Empire after winning the war. These were all research photos taken by that infamous Japanese numerical unit.

    ¡°They used live humans to conduct countless, cruel experiments. They used data taken from experiments done on Huaxia citizens and published this in all sorts of scientific papers. For example, this unit was responsible for determining the percentage of water in the human body.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand instinctively grabbed onto her T-shirt; she could scarcely catch her breath.

    Reinitz watched the TV expressionlessly and also replied with calm, ¡°...Japan has truly done many disgusting and horrible things. The atrocities theymitted had exceeded the original purpose of the war. The destruction of humanity was purely the result of unbridled human evil. We are very sorry that we cooperated with a country like that.¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed and looked down. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit toote for you to say this kind of thing now?¡±

    ¡°Regardless of whether it¡¯s toote or not, this is my sincere sentiment,¡± Reinitz said as he cast his eyes towards Gu Nianzhi. He nced at her typically pretty and lively face that was now frightened pale as a sheet and said, ¡°...Sorry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice trembled as she said, ¡°Those are not your sins, they belong to other people. You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡±

    ¡°Not his sins? Ha...¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly as he shook his head, his fingers gently clicking on the cursor to y another set of photos and data.

    ¡°The photos and data you saw just now are also mentioned in history books. I don¡¯t need to exin their important connection to the situation we are investigating.

    ¡°Next, I will show you another set of secret data. This was the most confidential operation that the infamous Japanese numerical troop created. It was also their most horrible operation. It was so secretive that they still refuse to relinquish it even to this day and terrible enough that they didn¡¯t dare to present it after they lost the war and use it to be pardoned of charges after the war.

    ¡°Earlier, I yed the horrible experimental data created by those sick minded people. The leaders of the numerical unit dared to use this and gave it to the winning countries in exchange for the freedom of not being charged.

    ¡°As for these operations, they concealed it with their lives and didn¡¯t reveal anything at all.

    ¡°But good prevails over evil after all. When Japan pulled out of their bases in the Northeastern part of the Huaxia Empire, they failed topletely destroy a set of data. In other words, our own Huaxia people didn¡¯t want to see these Japanese people destroy evidence of their crimes. They sacrificed their own lives to preserve the data from the fire.

    ¡°Although this is just an extremely small portion of it, seeing one spot enables us to know it¡¯s a leopard. From these tiny bits of top-secret data,bined with our country¡¯s historical records, we are able to piece together Japan¡¯s crazed and evil n,¡± Huo Shaoheng said.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly stopped breathing. She turned around to look at Huo Shaoheng in anticipation of him revealing the riddle.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her calmly before revealing a consoling smile. He then opened another folder.

    The folder was titled ¡°Operation Gic Transfer.¡±

    A sentence appeared on the TV screen.

    ¡°This came from a written record dating back to the Song dynasty, ¡®Qingbo Notes.¡¯ The Wakoku[1] ship sailed to the Song borders, carrying twenty or thirty people. The Wakoku women would meet Huaxia men and choose the best-looking ones to sleep with. This was called borrowed seed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued to exin calmly, saying, ¡°This sentence means that beginning from the Song dynasty, Japan had been sendingrge groups of women to the Huaxia Empire to borrow our genes. Whenever they saw tall, strong, and handsome Huaxia men, they would offer to sleep with them until they were impregnated.

    ¡°These pregnant Japanese women would be sent back to Japan like they were treasures. They were treated extremely well by all sorts of noble families and taken as wives. As for the children born from these women, their sons became heirs of great families, and the daughters were considered even more terrible. The noble families would fight to have her marry into their families and improve their genes.

    ¡°So, the Japanese aristocrats were known as the Huaxia people.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s lips trembled as he sighed emotionally. ¡°...So, their ambitions began from ancient times,¡± he said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We could only say they acted like thieves back then. But during the First and Second World Wars, their ambitions grew exponentially when they saw the weak and poverty-stricken Huaxia Empire.

    ¡°They were no longer satisfied with stealing like thieves, so they began tomitpulsive,rge scale plunder.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened the second tost file inside the folder, his expression growing even darker.

    ¡°Beginning in World War I, Japan had already set up concentration camps in the Northeastern region of the Huaxia Empire.

    ¡°By the time World War II began, the infamous numerical unit expanded the size of the concentration camp and especially tracked down tall and handsome men from all over the Huaxia Empire to be sent there.

    ¡°In this ce, these men were literally stallions. Their only purpose was to copte with Japanese women and impregnate them to birth countless babies.

    ¡°There was no modern artificial insemination at the time, so pregnancy required the most primitive method.

    ¡°This type of coption did not allow for worldly pleasures but was daily and endless forcedbor. This caused the men to age very quickly and die young.

    ¡°When the war ended, everyone there was killed off. But a few of them were smart and bold enough to use their lives to reserve part of the data. However, these people were also killed off as well. By the time our people took over the concentration camp, the conditions were as we saw in those horrific photos.¡±

    If the concentration camp hadn¡¯t been carefullybed through, this precious data would have never been discovered. The evidence of these crimes would probably be buried in the river of time.

    This was indeed a very tragic part of history, but what did it have to do with Gu Xiangwen? What did it have to do with Gu Nianzhi?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was about to leap out of her throat as she said anxiously, ¡°...But I don¡¯t have any Japanese genes or blood at all. This was already proven before.¡±

    During her estate feud against Gu Yanran, Gu Nianzhi had used this information to defeat Gu Yanran in court.

    ¡°Right.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have any Japanese genes, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have nothing to do with this.

    ¡°It¡¯s worth pointing out that during World War II, the numerical unit discovered that the children born from decades of using Huaxia men to breed with Japanese women were not extraordinary in any way. There was very limited evidence of improved genes.

    ¡°So, the leader of the numerical troop changed his n and decided to cease using Huaxia men to mate with Japanese women. Instead, he used Huaxia men to mate with Huaxia women and screened the offspring.¡±

    [1]: The Wakoku are the Japanese.

 Chapter 1180 - He Must Know I

    <h4>Chapter 1180 He Must Know I</h4>

    ¡°What... What... What are you talking about?¡± Gu Nianzhi stammered as her heart was about to leap out of her throat.¡°What I mean is that the infamous Japanese numerical unitter changed their practices. They stopped mating Huaxia men with Japanese women and instead used Huaxia men and Huaxia women of the same culture and ethnicity to mate and produce offspring. They were actually inspired by the Nazi eugenics program ¨C isn¡¯t that right, Director Reinitz?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s speech was evenly paced. His extremely maic male baritone voice emanated from his chest cavity and seemed to have a natural echo to it. This forced Gu Nianzhi to feel immense pressure.

    Her face became increasingly paler, her hands clutching the hem of her T-shirt so hard that she almost tore it into pieces.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were not on Gu Nianzhi but coldly looked towards Reinitz¡¯s direction. His voice was slightly threatening as he continued, saying, ¡°...Director Reinitz ¨C the other people may not understand what I¡¯m saying, but you must understand, right?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s face was even paler than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    He was a Caucasian man, so his skin was pale to begin with. Now he was so pale his face waspletely devoid of any rosiness. He appeared white as a ghost.

    Reinitz¡¯s deep-set features were reminiscent of a fine jade carving. His eyes were always gentle, and from any possible angle, he always appeared like an elegant and handsome angel in a medieval religious painting.

    But now his dark expression was without a single shred of kindness. Instead, he looked like an angel fallen from heaven to be a devil. The thick haze in his eyes was terrifying to look at.

    ¡°What aren¡¯t you saying anything? Aren¡¯t you already very familiar with everything that I am talking about?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked out from behind the desk, no expression on his face, and stood before Reinitz to look down at him.

    ¡°...During World War II, didn¡¯t your Nazi predecessors pursue the exact same ¡®human optimization¡¯ eugenics program?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s face twitched once before he braced himself against the chair to stand up. He looked at Huo Shaoheng with an even icier gaze and spoke to him directly in German, saying, ¡°...What do you mean by that? The crimesmitted by the Nazis have beenpletely cleared, why do you have to push their sins on us?¡±

    They had repented and apologized for their war crimes, which was much better than the Japanese response.

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and gave a mysterious half-smile. ¡°No, I am not trying to use you of any Nazi war crimes. What I mean is to ask if you know if your predecessor¡¯s race optimization eugenics program truly ended when they lost the war and surrendered?

    ¡°Anyone who has ever studied history would know that the Nazi eugenics program forbade any purebred Germans from marrying and producing offspring with anyone of other ethnicities.

    ¡°They believed that the marriage of purebred Germans was the only way of producing the best German offspring.

    ¡°...Director Reinitz, as the highestmanding officer of the Gestapo, do you know where your country¡¯s program is still being conducted?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Reinitz with a half-smile, like he was watching a bug flying straight into a spider¡¯s web.

    No matter how the bug struggled, it would never escape the fate of being captured.

    Reinitz¡¯s face became even paler when he heard Huo Shaoheng say this. He coldly retorted, ¡°...You make this sound prettier than a song. It¡¯s a shame you don¡¯t write stories for a living.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wore a Bluetooth headset with a real-time interpretation program, so he was able to understand what Reinitz said and replied in English, ¡°I am not trying to make up a story. This can be proven with historical sources.¡±

    ¡°Historical sources?¡± Reinitz¡¯s heart stopped. ¡°You have our country¡¯s historical sources?! Historical sources that I haven¡¯t even seen before?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave a small smile and walked back to his desk. He then opened a new folder to view several other research photos.

    ¡°These were historical records discovered around the same time as when the Japanese Borrowed Seed Program was being conducted and at the concentration camp located in the Northeastern region of the Huaxia Empire.¡± Huo Shaoheng used his cursor to point at the text in the file and said, ¡°This was all written in Japanese, but we have already tranted it. This record says that it wasn¡¯t actually a Japanese program, but the Nazi race optimization eugenics program.¡±

    As the photos appeared one by one on the curved screen TV, the English and Chinese trantion also yed on the screen and plunged the entire study into a dead silence.

    ¡°...The top Nazimanding officers decided to modify the n into a secret underground mission. On the XX day of XX month in the year of XXXX, they selected the best German men and women to be transferred into the mountain ranges of the Alps. Their children were raised as orphans from time of birth and sent to a high-level private school near Munich.

    ¡°ording to our sources, the Nazis demonstrated extraordinary efforts for their race optimization eugenics program. The subjects selected for the eugenics program included elite representatives from all levels of German society. This included theirst noble family, which consisted of several male descendants from the House of Hohenzollern.¡±

    When the English trantion on the screen disyed the family name, Hohenzollern, Reinitz covered his face and cried out in quiet anguish. Hepletely broke down andid still on the ground.

    The information video wasn¡¯t very long, but it was already enough for Reinitz since too many of these clues matched up with his own life experiences.

    He finally understood why he had no parents at birth, despite being thest member of the royal House of Hohenzollern. Instead, he was raised like an orphan in a high-level private school in the outskirts of Munich.

    The school was fully equipped and raised children from newborns to daycare age, and finally, their high school years. Any one of the children born as orphans could be educated until their high school graduation without experiencing any interference from the outside world.

    The campus itself was a hundred-year-old castle that had been carefully restored and furnished to the greatestforts.

    Although the children were orphans, each of them would treat their teachers as their own mothers and fathers.

    As Reinitz grew up, he didn¡¯t receive the unconditional love of only one father or mother.

    Mother Hana and Father Li Dexi were both people who had tremendous influences on his life.

    However, the materials being disyed by Huo Shaoheng seemed to instantly transform these people from morally perfect and kind angels into hideous demons.

    What on earth were they thinking about when they taught these children who had been bred through animal-like mating?

    Did they treat them like the hope and future of their people, or like mereb rats?

    Reinitz¡¯s entire body shuddered horribly. It was like he was convulsing, shaking like someone inflicted with mria.

    On the curved screen TV, the video narration began to speak once again.

    ¡°...After a very long period of time, the executors of the Japanese Operation Borrowed Seed discovered that the results were not as optimal as expected. In other words, their results were extremely inconclusive. Or perhaps they didn¡¯t even see any results at all.

    ¡°Just as their operation fell into deep troubles, World War II erupted. The Nazis became theirrades battling on the same front.

    ¡°As a result, the Nazi race optimization eugenics program quickly caught the attention of Japan and was adopted by their numerical units.

    ¡°However, the Japanese used slightly different methods than the Nazis.

    ¡°They were not looking at possibilities of optimizing within their own race.

    ¡°Because history has proven that when the Japanese married within their own race and produced offspring, each generation degenerated more than thest, they werepletely unable to support the progression of their very own race.

    ¡°As for the Huaxia people they observed across the ocean ¨C they grew stronger and stronger with each generation to create a brilliant and outstanding civilization. This was the target they admired and coveted, and this was also the basis and origin of Operation Borrowed Seed.

    ¡°But the operation did not seed when Huaxia blood mixed within the Japanese race.

    ¡°Thebination of these two races could barely prevent the Japanese from degenerating but did not allow them to truly optimize and develop. Nor did it allow them to produce true geniuses who could actually influence human evolution.¡±

    ...

    Reinitz covered his ears and continuously rolled on the ground. He didn¡¯t want to listen to the video narration anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi was very heartbroken to see him like this, so she knelt down to gently nudge Reinitz¡¯s shoulder with one hand and whispered, ¡°Reinitz? Do you want to drink some coffee to calm your nerves?¡±

    Reinitz suddenly reached forward to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, his brilliant blue eyes nowpletely bloodshot.

    ¡°Cereus, you don¡¯t need to tryforting me! You are not any better than me!¡± Reinitz gritted the words through his teeth.

    He red at Gu Nianzhi. He wanted to see her cry and break down. When he saw other people break down and cry, his own suffering seemed to be shared, and he wouldn¡¯t feel so sad anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi bit down on her lip hard and shook her head quickly as she said, ¡°No, I am not the same as you. I...¡±

    ¡°How are you any different from me?!¡± Reinitz was provoked into a state of speaking nonsense by the revtion of his own origins.

    Although handcuffs still bound his hands, it merely restricted the motion of his wrists. His hands were still freely moveable.

    He squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly, standing up from the door and inching closer to her with a twisted expression.

    ¡°Cereus, do you know what kind of data we¡¯ve been pursuing for half a century? It¡¯s data from Operation Borrowed Seed performed by that Japanese numerical unit!

    ¡°After using Huaxia men and Huaxia women to mate countless times, they produced results of offspring optimization! They had seeded! They seeded once before!¡±

    Reinitz screamed as though he hadpletely lost his mind.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart plummeted violently as she used all her body¡¯s strength to push Reinitz¡¯s hand away and shouted loudly, ¡°That can¡¯t be! They will never seed! They will never ever seed! You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re lying!¡±

    She turned away and looked at Huo Shaoheng tearfully. Her lips trembled as she desperately sought a bit of sce from him.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was aloof andpletely unperturbed.

    His eyes were as sharp as a hawk¡¯s as he observed Reinitz¡¯s every move. His eyes would asionally sweep over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s terrified and helpless face, yet he didn¡¯t make any motion to console her. He didn¡¯t even spare her a single nce.

    This sort of attitude not only made Gu Nianzhi feel dejected but also infuriated someone else ¨C He Zhichu.

    He pulled Gu Nianzhi out of Reinitz¡¯s grasp and embraced her in his arms as he gritted the words out from between his teeth, ¡°That¡¯s enough! You need to stop speaking nonsense! Nianzhi¡¯s past has nothing to do with this filthy n! Nothing at all!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng forbade himself from looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pleading eyes. His heart had been hardened for so long, just because he was waiting for He Zhichu to say this.

    In his n to hit two birds with one stone, he began by targeting Reinitz and then implicated Gu Nianzhi. The truth was, his true and final target was actually He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t sure what the truth actually was, but he was very certain that He Zhichu must know it.

 Chapter 1181 - In Their Blood

    <h4>Chapter 1181 In Their Blood</h4>

    As soon as He Zhichu¡¯s harsh voice began to speak, Huo Shaoheng immediately cut him off to ask, ¡°So does Professor He know exactly what¡¯s going on?¡±He looked at He Zhichu inquisitively, and, from the corner of his eye, he saw Gu Nianzhi also look up and earnestly grab He Zhichu¡¯s arm. She asked hopefully, ¡°Professor He, you know! You know! Isn¡¯t that right? They never seeded... That sort of evil n can never possibly seed!¡±

    He Zhichu instantly realized he had fallen into another trap when he heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s question.

    Huo Shaoheng was really willing to use any methods necessary to pursue Gu Nianzhi¡¯s origin...

    A subtle sneer appeared on the corner of his lips as he instantlyposed himself to coldly ask, ¡°Why do you even need to ask that? Just look at Nianzhi¡¯s age and think about the timeline for Operation Borrowed Seed. How can Nianzhi possibly have anything to do with it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was going to turn 20 years old in six months, so she was only 19 and a half.

    ¡°She was raised by you from the age of 12 on and before that she... She lived with her father in South America. Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan can both testify to that. So Huo Shao and Reinitz, did you both agree to act out this big show together?¡±

    He Zhichu calmly exposed the ws in what Huo Shaoheng and Reinitz were saying.

    He used the angle of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s age and actually presented a very strong piece of evidence.

    Huo Shaoheng keenly noticed that He Zhichu paused briefly when he said that Gu Nianzhi lived with her father before the age of 12.

    Squinting his eyes, his fingers subconsciously tapped on the desk as he calmly replied, ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s very obvious. If Nianzhi is rted to Operation Borrowed Seed...¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to do with it! I can¡¯t have anything to do with it!¡± Gu Nianzhi nervously interrupted Huo Shaoheng and pointed at Reinitz as she said, ¡°Reinitz told me that my father even wrote a pregnancy diary for my mother when she carried me in her womb! They didn¡¯t give birth to me in a concentration camp!¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    He exchanged a nce with Huo Shaoheng.

    They were both considered to be from the same line of work, but Reinitz discovered that he wasn¡¯t in the same ss as Huo Shaoheng when it came to the ability to conceal his emotions.

    The woman Huo Shaoheng loved most was about to have a mental breakdown right in front of him, but he was still able to control the situation emotionlessly. This kind of restraint and self-control made Reinitz feel very inferior.

    If he was the one that Gu Nianzhi loved or if he was Huo Shaoheng, he would not hesitate to wipe this all away.

    He would not give Gu Nianzhi any cause for concern and would only hope that she would continue to live happily.

    Unfortunately, this was merely a beautiful aspiration.

    Reinitz knew that he wasn¡¯t actually able to do this, either.

    Perhaps people with roles like himself and Huo Shaoheng were not destined to put love as their first priority...

    ¡°Pregnancy diary? What is that about?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°Did Reinitz tell you about this?¡±

    He then turned to look at Reinitz. ¡°Can you exin this? How did you know about Gu Xiangwen writing a pregnancy diary?¡±

    Reinitz had only revealed the pregnancy diary because he wanted to make Gu Nianzhi interested enough to help him find the data.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even had a chance to tell Huo Shaoheng about it yet.

    Reinitz had already calmed himself down by then and although the depression was growing in his heart, concealing this emotion wasn¡¯t a very hard thing for him to do.

    Reinitz struggled to stand up once again and supported the chair to pull up his numb leg. His voice resumed its normally gentle and polite tone.

    ¡°...I saw it in Gu Xiangwen¡¯s transcripts, which were the transcripts and letters that Gu Yanran gifted to the Angels on Earth charity. I worked at that charity for several years before.¡±

    He looked at Huo Shaoheng calmly and knew that the other man must understand what he truly meant when he said he worked at the charity for several years.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men were certainly familiar with that sort of thing.

    Averting his gaze, Huo Shaoheng looked down to type on theputer before him, calmly replying, ¡°Yeah. Even if that¡¯s the case and Nianzhi has nothing to do with that concentration camp, what about her grandfather, Gu Haoze? Could he have nothing to do with that concentration camp, either?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s heart plummeted as he instinctively looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    He was the one to tell Gu Nianzhi about her grandfather, who was also the father of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi had already told Huo Shaoheng about Gu Haoze in the short period of time between then and the night before?

    It looked like she truly trusted Huo Shaoheng down to her very core.

    Reinitz supported himself against the back of the chair to slowly sit down. Rubbing his kneecaps with his hands, he nodded and answered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s questions.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Gu Haoze, who is Cereus¡¯ grandfather, was sent from that concentration camp to our bureau.¡± Reinitz¡¯s expression was solemn as he said, ¡°Gu Haoze was truly a master of psychology. He took all rted data with him. The only things left behind were bits and pieces of information in the memories of our bureau¡¯s predecessors, as well as conclusions drawn from physical interactions with him.

    ¡°Our bureau¡¯s predecessors clearly recalled that Gu Haoze was a genius produced by Operation Borrowed Seed. His intelligence was off the charts, and he had an unbelievable memory. He only had to read a book once to memorize it forever. He could earn perfect scores on any academic subject by just reading through information about them once. There was nothing he couldn¡¯t learn, only things he refused to learn.

    ¡°Afterwards, he became obsessed with psychology, and we assumed it was due to the inherent nature of a genius that he looked to challenge unknown academic subjects and fields. But we never expected that... After he studied psychology for six months, he was able to invent a very powerful type of hypnotism and single-handedly defeated everyone in our bureau. From the top-ranking officers down, from the Director to sentries, they all fell victim to him.¡±

    When Reinitz said this, he looked at Gu Nianzhi with a gentle yet conflicted gaze.

    How could he ever forget that Gu Haoze¡¯s granddaughter Gu Nianzhi had also performed a great hypnosis on their entire bureau¡¯s online system?

    That time, she hadpletely wiped out all the data in their online system and was even crueler than her grandfather, Gu Haoze...

    Could this be the legendary learning that ran in their blood?!

    At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu also both recalled what Gu Nianzhi had done.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were full of unbridled admiration and affection.

    However, He Zhichu¡¯s eyes reflected shock and confusion...

    But this suspicion only flickered in his eyes for a moment, so no one noticed it.

    Gu Nianzhi also recalled what she did to the Gestapo thest time and revealed a small smile. However, she insisted on stubbornly refuting him, saying, ¡°Even if my grandfather came from that concentration camp and was also a genius, that can¡¯t prove the Japanese Operation Borrowed Seed actually seeded. Moreover, that can¡¯t prove that my grandfather was the result of Operation Borrowed Seed.

    ¡°Also, why didn¡¯t they mass produce geniuses if they had really seeded? Why would they send such an excellent product to the Gestapo for nothing?

    ¡°You think that Japan would put in all that effort just to help make the Germans look good?¡±

    Reinitz froze when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rebuttal.

    He automatically argued with her, saying, ¡°...Actually, it wasn¡¯t the Japanese who gave him to us for nothing. At that time, World War II wasing to an end, and the Japanese were about to lose the war imminently.

    ¡°If they hadn¡¯t sent him to us then, the Huaxia Empire and the other victorious countries would have taken him away along with all the data. They didn¡¯t want anyone else to benefit, and this type of thing involved an ethical taboo. Even scientists who pursue this type of study today are working very hard to find the bnce between ethics and scientific progress.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows furrowed tighter as he listened to this.

    He always had a certain suspicion but didn¡¯t have any evidence to prove it, so he would never reveal it easily.

    When he recalled this, Huo Shaoheng nced at He Zhichu again and asked discreetly, ¡°Professor He, you are very close with the Gu family. May I ask if you knew Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather? Where is he right now? Is he still alive, or has he already...?¡±

    He Zhichu answered this question especially quickly.

    ¡°Gu Haoze? He... He passed away a very long time ago.¡± He Zhichu seemed to recall something in his memories, or perhaps he was trying very hard to remember.

    ¡°He passed away even before Nianzhi was born. Nianzhi¡¯s grandmother passed away even earlier than that.¡± He Zhichu thought about the Gu family¡¯s situation and said, ¡°Gu Xiangwen and Gu Tian lost both their parents at a young age. Gu Tian and Gu Jing were both raised by Gu Xiangwen.¡±

 Chapter 1182 - She Thought of I

    <h4>Chapter 1182 She Thought of I</h4>

    ¡°...Professor He, are you actually close with Nianzhi¡¯s family? Why haven¡¯t I ever heard you mention this before? Then do you know where the Gu family is right now?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he said, ¡°If you had told us this long before, we would¡¯ve wasted a lot less time.¡±Once again, He Zhichu waspletely infuriated by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s callous and irresponsible words.

    Although he warned himself against losing his temper and knew he had to keep it under control, Huo Shaoheng still continued to provoke him into revealing the truth. When He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi curled up in his arms and looking at him with tearful yet hopeful eyes, he couldn¡¯t restrain himself anymore.

    He Zhichu coldly jeered, ¡°That¡¯s right, I am very close with Nianzhi¡¯s family. Haven¡¯t you already known about this for quite a while? I already told you, but did you even believe me back then?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe you?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked honestly. ¡°How would you know we wouldn¡¯t believe you if you didn¡¯t even tell us anything?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d believe me if I told you? Fine then, I will tell you once again ¨C Nianzhi is my fianc¨¦e, and our marriage has been arranged since we were young. Can you give her back to me?¡±

    He Zhichu already knew that Gu Nianzhi was married to Huo Shaoheng, but she didn¡¯t want other people to know yet. They were still hiding their marriage from others.

    Because of Reinitz¡¯s presence, He Zhichu wanted to spare Gu Nianzhi the embarrassment and didn¡¯t directly reveal that she was already married to Huo Shaoheng. He merely found a subtle way to express his desire to be with Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu was able to immobilize Gu Nianzhi with only one hand as he used the other to point at Huo Shaoheng.

    He Zhichu felt iparable pleasure when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face turn as pale as a sheet.

    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t believe me now? See for yourself, when do you ever tell me the truth? You are only choosing to selectively believe the things that benefit yourself, but ignore or even refuse to admit the things that don¡¯t. Huo Shaoheng, you created this trap to fool me into telling you the truth. Do you think you can actually ept the whole truth?¡±

    He Zhichuughed as he made sure to take out a small packet of wet wipes from his pocket. Tearing the package open, he removed a tissue to wipe the tears streaming down Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    Huo Shaoheng balled his hands into tight fists behind his back and used irond will to restrain himself.

    He couldn¡¯t risk saying things that he would regret.

    He Zhichu carefully wiped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face clean and didn¡¯t even look up as he continued to sneer at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°...Why aren¡¯t you talking now? Aren¡¯t you all-powerful? I will tell you straight right now. I am willing to tell you everything. But the condition is that you give Nianzhi back to me! I will be able to tell you everything if you can do this for me! I¡¯ve lived all my life without ever being afraid of any threat made towards me!¡±

    Aside from threats concerning Gu Nianzhi.

    But Huo Shaoheng likely shared the same weakness.

    So, He Zhichu felt very confident saying such things to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fist tightened and rxed again behind his back. If the others were any closer, they would be able to hear his bones cracking.

    Reinitz had no idea that He Zhichu was actually Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦. If this had happened in the past, he would not hesitate to take the opportunity to mock him and cause trouble, but now he wasn¡¯t in the mood to do any of those things.

    As someone who had grown up throughout his entire life under the strict control of others, how was he in any position to drag another person into his life?

    When his godfather Li Dexi gave him the secret order to bring Gu Nianzhi back to Germany and marry her, Reinitz¡¯s heart had been filled with unspeakable joy despite not vocally expressing any opinions.

    He didn¡¯t know how deep his love for Gu Nianzhi even went, but he couldn¡¯t help but imagine their day to day life as soon as Li Dexi had said they were going to get married.

    They would cook together, doundry, have children, argue about their children¡¯s education, worry about their children¡¯s future marriages, then grow old together. When their hair turned white, they would watch the sunset on the balcony together...

    But the truth Huo Shaoheng revealed today made him too frightened to ever imagine such a future again.

    The true tragedy would be if Gu Nianzhi actually ended up with him, right?

    He was a product of the Nazi race optimization eugenics program, and Gu Nianzhi probably was too, since she was Gu Haoze¡¯s granddaughter.

    So that was the reason why Li Dexi wished for them to get married? Was it to produce even more optimal offspring?

    Reinitz¡¯s lips curled into an icy sneer when he thought of this.

    Originally, the Germans were only allowed to marry and have children within their own race.

    But now Li Dexi was allowing Reinitz to marry and have children with a woman of pure Chinese descent. It was obvious just how badly they coveted Gu Haoze¡¯s genes.

    Reinitz inhaled deeply, the sensation finally returning to his legs.

    Although his feet were still shackled, and he was unable to escape, his regr movements were not affected at all.

    Rubbing his kneecaps, his expression darkened.

    An otherworldly beauty suddenly appeared on his angelic and handsome face.

    ...

    In the face of He Zhichu¡¯s ridicule, the corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched once. Pursing his lips, his voice sounded a bit hoarse when speaking.

    He was still unable to shoulder the burden of He Zhichu¡¯s request.

    Though he was someone insistent on sticking to his principles, he had no choice but to retreat now.

    He said, ¡°...Fine, you don¡¯t need to answer my questions. But are you going to tell Nianzhi what she wants to know? Was her grandfather Gu Haoze the sessful result of Operation Borrowed Seed, just as Reinitz imed?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng recalled that Reinitz had shouted, ¡°They had seeded, they seeded once before,¡± when he was having a near mental breakdown earlier...

    He Zhichu coldly retorted, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s genes do not contain genes characteristic of Japanese people. She is not Japanese, but of pure Chinese descent. This proves that her grandfather was also a pure-blooded Huaxia man without any Japanese lineage. I don¡¯t know what you are trying to do by insisting that Gu Haoze had any connection to that disgusting Operation Borrowed Seed.¡±

    ¡°...ording to our data, thest phase of Operation Borrowed Seed was conducted using pure-blooded Huaxia people to mate and produce offspring,¡± Huo Shaoheng said. He was very concerned about that particr point.

    If this was the actual truth, that meant the data being pursued by Reknits belongedpletely to the Huaxia people.

    That type of data could absolutely never fall into the hands of foreigners.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself gradually as she listened to the conversation continue.

    She almost had a breakdown when she heard Reinitz say Operation Borrowed Seed had seeded once before because she immediately thought about her grandfather, Gu Haoze, who was a master of psychology.

    But after the initial shock passed, she began to analyze the situation on her own and considered every word Reinitz had said along with all the data Huo Shaoheng presented.

    Pushing away He Zhichu¡¯s hand, she stood next to him and asked Reinitz thoughtfully, ¡°Reinitz, going by what you know, did Operation Borrowed Seed only seed once before?¡±

    Reinitz nodded subtly. His pleasing baritone voice conveyed a trustworthy and gentle tone as he said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Our bureau¡¯s predecessors examined the data, and the answer to this question was very apparent. The operation only seeded once before, and they said that your grandfather, Gu Haoze, was the only result.¡±

    That was why they couldn¡¯t bear to subject him to any abuse or even use him in any experiments.

    The biologists in the Japanese numerical unit viewed Gu Haoze as a perfect piece of artwork, so they believed that he must be perfectly preserved and passed along.

    This mentality allowed Gu Haoze to emerge from the concentration camp in the Northeastern region of the Huaxia Empire unscathed and arrive at the Gestapo headquarters in Europe.

    At the Gestapo headquarters, he underwent aplete series of analyses and observations.

    Reinitz finally finished by saying, ¡°But it was very unfortunate that all the analyses and observational data from that time were all taken by your grandfather. Otherwise, I would be able to tell you even more information.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head in amusement as she said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. This is good.¡±

    Reinitz hesitated, but still managed to say, ¡°Your grandfather was only 19 years old when he left, so he was about the same age as you are right now.¡±

    He actually didn¡¯t need to go into such detail, since he only had to say he didn¡¯t know anything else.

    After all, all the data had indeed been stolen by Gu Haoze.

    But when he saw Gu Nianzhi suffering so badly earlier and almost breaking down, perhaps he had a desire to repent for his earlier evil attitude. He still elected to tell her everything he knew about Gu Haoze.

    He Zhichu added from the sidelines, ¡°After your grandfather left the control of those people, he finally got married and had children. Your father was born in France. Your grandparents passed away a long time ago, but I really don¡¯t know where your father is right now. Nor do I know if he¡¯s actually dead or alive.¡±

    These were all the things that He Zhichu knew about the Gu family.

    But the information he possessed did not indicate that Gu Haoze was a genius at all.

    Perhaps after Gu Haoze escaped from the clutches of the Gestapo and Japanese, he chose to live in anonymity as a normal person.

    While it was very difficult to get away with pretending to be a genius, it was incredibly easy for a genius to masquerade as a normal person.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, then looked at Huo Shaoheng to calmly say, ¡°I understand now. After thinking about what both Professor He and Reinitz said, I am still certain that Operation Borrowed Seed never actually seeded, not even once. Huo Shao, what do you think?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes flickered momentarily. ¡°And why do you say that?¡± he asked.

    He absolutely didn¡¯t want the Japanese to have seeded with Operation Borrowed Seed either, but he had to remain impartial and cautious. He couldn¡¯t immediately exclude any possibilities of their sess. He couldn¡¯t act emotionally like Gu Nianzhi.

    He could understand why Gu Nianzhi felt that way, but he required evidence to convince him of the conclusion she was drawing.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind began to quickly remember the inspiration she had momentarily felt before.

    After a while, she looked up with a smile and said, ¡°I thought of it.¡±

 Chapter 1183 - The Real Reason

    <h4>Chapter 1183 The Real Reason</h4>

    She thought of it so quickly...That was as expected. As far as Huo Shaoheng was concerned, she really was the bestwyer.

    Huo Shaoheng tilted his chin slightly, the unconcealed admiration and praise reflecting in his eyes.

    He nodded and spoke in an even tone as he said, ¡°...Go ahead.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi began by organizing the thoughts in her head.

    She looked at Reinitz and said, ¡°Reinitz, you said that the Japanese clearly wrote in their experimental data that their Operation Borrowed Seed, or their race optimization eugenics experiment, actually seeded?¡±

    Reinitz carefully recalled the memoirs written by his predecessors in the bureau and said, ¡°That should be right, but they also wrote in the records that the Japanese used countless Huaxia people to conduct experiments. However, they only seeded one time.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched.

    They used countless Huaxia people to conduct experiments...

    That meant that countless Huaxia people were forced to mate like livestock, just to produce one offspring to the Japanese¡¯s satisfaction?

    They had really worked so hard.

    Before Gu Nianzhi realized it, a subtle sneer gradually appeared on her face. ¡°Haha, these Japanese people really exerted all their efforts just for the sake of optimizing our Huaxia race.¡±

    Reinitz, ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu also snickered before shaking his head.

    Huo Shaoheng remainedposed and said, ¡°...Keep talking.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked behind Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk to look at the informational video ying on the screen of his super-thin, lightweightptop.

    The information that was disyed indicated that the Japanese set up concentration camps in the Northeastern region of the Huaxia Empire to conduct such secret experiments even before World War I erupted.

    There was a hundred-year period between World War I and World War II, which implicated the birth and growth of at least two or three generations.

    Gu Nianzhi was very regretful and heartbroken as she continued to say, ¡°This was such a huge concentration camp that was operated for a very long time. So many Huaxia citizens were captured and subjected to all sorts of inhumane torture and experiments.

    ¡°The Japanese actually dreamed of creating a superman in this kind of hell on Earth?! Haha, they really daydreamed too much and believed they were strong, and that others must be weak. Does that mean it was survival of the fittest? Did they even stop to look at the times the Huaxia people truly sumbed over the thousands of years?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said, ¡°I am not trying to insult them, but I have always thought that there were deep-rooted paranoia and morbid genes embedded within the Japanese race itself. Is this kind of morbidity inherent in nature, or developed after birth? I will leave it to our scientists to continue researching the answer to this question.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that this entire race is mentally ill?¡± Reinitz pursed his lips. ¡°Someone has made this statement before,¡± he said.

    The crimesmitted by the Japanese people during World War II were uneptable, even to the Nazis, who were burdened with countless war crimes themselves.

    But the Japanese were obviously even more cruel, evil, and unforgivable than the Nazis.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately dismissed his question, saying, ¡°No, they were not mentally ill. Please don¡¯t use mental illness as an excuse for their cruelty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in agreement with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exnation and added, ¡°Mentally ill people cannot control their own behaviors, so they can escape legal punishment no matter what crimes theymit.

    ¡°So, my view is the same as Huo Shao¡¯s in that I absolutely object this kind of statement. They obviouslymitted these war crimes in an organized, conscious, and systematic manner. The international court has already tried the relevant criminals, and, although there were many people who escaped punishment, I still believe that justice will ultimately prevail one day. They will certainly pay the rightful price for their war crimes and crimesmitted against humanity.

    ¡°However, this problem has nothing to do with my conclusion at all.¡± Gu Nianzhi discreetly changed the topic, saying, ¡°My perspective is very clear. The Japanese have never seeded with Operation Borrowed Seed despite continuing it for over a hundred or even a thousand years.¡±

    ¡°But how do you exin Gu Haoze¡¯s existence then? How do you exin his son, Gu Xiangwen? And also, yourself, Gu Nianzhi? Are you all errors that slipped through when God created humans? Of course, I will definitely believe you even if you said you are a living cheat code,¡± Reinitz said with a smile.

    He was already able to speak calmly to Gu Nianzhi at this point. Perhaps it was because he believed that she was the same kind of person as him, so he was able to let go of his contradictory and hostile mentality.

    Reinitz had already given up on analyzing his feelings for her.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips into a smile, her eyes quickly scanning over Reinitz¡¯s face.

    Reinitz was a bit ufortably since he also noticed a trace of contempt and disdain in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. He instantly felt very ill.

    Gu Nianzhipletely calmed down and said evenly, ¡°We are not errors, nor are we results of the Japanese¡¯s Operation Borrowed Seed.

    ¡°Before I can tell you why the appearance of my grandfather Gu Haoze was not an experimental result of the Japanese Operation Borrowed Seed, I need to first rify a conceptual issue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender fingers quickly danced over Huo Shaoheng¡¯sptop keyboard as she brought up the standards for sessful scientific experiments.

    ¡°Look for yourselves. There are fixed standards that determine if a scientific experiment has seeded. It¡¯s not like you can prove you predicted the pattern of humans bing ill, just because the weather cooled down and a person sneezed once.

    ¡°The most basic standards proving the sess of a scientific experiment is to obtain results that do not exceed the experimental margin of error under the same experimental conditions by following the same standards.

    ¡°The experimental method must be replicable, and not only replicable in one¡¯s ownboratory but replicable for others.

    ¡°Finally, the results cannot exceed a certain margin of error. Only then can the experiment be considered sessful.

    ¡°Think about all the articles in international scientific journals that have been exposed as being fabricated in recent years. These experiments were concluded as such because otherboratories repeated the experiments under the same conditions, but were unable to achieve the results imed by the journals.

    ¡°We do not have the experimental data from the Japanese Operation Borrowed Seed right now, but we have their methods of experimentation. This is what Reinitz mentioned about the memoirs written by the directors of his bureau who had actually seen experimental data.

    ¡°Perhaps it would be very difficult to remember exact data, but the experimental procedure was actually very simple. They didn¡¯t have any more advanced techniques in that era. Isn¡¯t¡¯ that right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused after she said this, her luminous and huge eyes looking at Reinitz. ¡°Reinitz, can you recall the experimental methods mentioned by your predecessors?¡± she asked.

    Reinitz was a bit embarrassed.

    Basically, race optimization experiments in that era were conducted by mating real humans.

    In that concentration camp, people lost their basic human dignity. Likeb rats, they were used for variousparison studies under different situations until the women were impregnated.

    However, the men would be forced to impregnate even more women, so the growth and development of their offspring could be observed.

    After Reinitz said this, the room plunged into dead silence.

    Gu Nianzhi was a woman, but she could sympathize as well.

    The three men could feel a faint pain in their groins...

    This was the literal meaning of the concept.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was the first person topose herself, and she continued calmly, saying, ¡°This was about the same as I postted. This was their experiment, but using this method and all those people. Yet they were only able to produce Gu Haoze as their sole sessful sample, yet it could be considered a sessful experiment?

    ¡°If a scientific experiment cannot be repeated or verified, then it cannot be proven to be sessful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came to her first conclusion. ¡°The production of a genius requires arge number of random factors.

    ¡°Even without Operation Borrowed Seed, geniuses of the world would have continued to be born.

    ¡°So as to Gu Haoze¡¯s appearance, I believe that he was a genius born in a normal way. Perhaps he was just coincidentally born at that concentration camp. This had nothing to do with Operation Borrowed Seed.

    ¡°You must understand that even more geniuses would have been born amongst these Huaxia people if the Japanese had not captured all these excellent Huaxia men and Huaxia women to be studied like livestock.

    ¡°From this perspective, Operation Borrowed Seed actually destroyed countless possibilities of the birth of Huaxia geniuses. As for Gu Haoze, he was only an uncontroble ident urring within the experiment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very solemn as she came to her second conclusion.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why I believe that the final phase of the Japanese Operation Borrowed Seed had already achieved its first goal ¨C to research how to optimize the Japanese race. They had already transitioned to the second goal, studying how to exterminate the Huaxia Empire. This was the true reason why they changed experimental subjects.¡±

 Chapter 1184 - Could It Be a Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 1184 Could It Be a Coincidence</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes almost lit up after he heard Gu Nianzhiplete her analysis.However, he quickly calmed down and discreetly shook his head, replying gruffly, ¡°That makes sense. It can exin many puzzling questions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Which questions made you feel puzzled, exactly?¡± He Zhichu smirked and asked sarcastically, ¡°Or do you still need Nianzhi to exin any further for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down, pursing her lips, and said quietly, ¡°...Actually, I¡¯ve never believed that human race improvement and optimization can actually be realized using such destructive and invasive means.¡±

    When she heard Huo Shaoheng talk about Operation Borrowed Seed, from the very beginning, these suspicions began to grow in her mind.

    From the way she saw it, using this type of research method would no doubt lead to a dead end.

    ¡°I agree with your perspective.¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise and said, ¡°You actually grasped the key to this issue if you are able to think about it that way. This type of method would absolutely never result in true technological advancement.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have memories from before she was 12 years old, yet she still had this kind of intuition.

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help but think optimistically. Didn¡¯t that mean that he should have somewhat of a position in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart?

    Huo Shaoheng balled one hand into a fist to rest his chin on. He thought for a moment, then said, ¡°...This exnation does make sense. After that Japanese numerical unit lost the war, they handed over nearly all their human experimental data to the winning countries. This was the only set of data that was never handed over.

    ¡°This was because the data didn¡¯t involve typical human experiments. If it were actually handed over, the winning countries would never be able to ept this kind of pure evil sin, even if they had their own ulterior motives.

    ¡°This also exins how Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather, Gu Haoze, wouldter on use all sorts of ways to remove the experimental data from the Gestapo headquarters.¡±

    Reinitz also thought it over and replied sinctly in German, saying, ¡°The data was not about the optimization of the Huaxia race, but... Data targeting weaknesses in the Huaxia gic makeup? If that¡¯s the case, now I also understand why our bureau¡¯s predecessors would write such contradictory things in their memoirs.¡±

    Perhaps they could also tell what the data was actually about, but this was the kind of thing that still challenged the people¡¯s ethical perspective at the time. So, the bureau chose to reveal selective things, or t out stay quiet about others.

    The Nazi race optimization eugenics program was also very evil, but its main purpose was to optimize their own race.

    As for what the Japanese did, they actively chose to drag down another race when they discovered that it would be impossible to optimize their own race.

    In other words, they would be number one if they killed the person running ahead of them...

    That kind of perverse and shameless mentality would forever prevent them from being the ultimate winner.

    ¡°But if your grandfather Gu Haoze was only an ident and an uncontroble factor that urred within the experiment, why didn¡¯t they simply kill him off? Why did they send him to the Gestapo headquarters in Europe, instead?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought that there had to be something else they didn¡¯t yet understand.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°I am still thinking about this point. Huo Shao, do you remember why the Gu family had adopted gu Yanran and her mother, Gu Jing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stiffened slightly as he replied, ¡°You are saying that the Gu family¡¯s gic disease was rooted in Gu Haoze? And that Gu Haoze¡¯s gic illness was a consequence of the race optimization operation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi began tough. ¡°Huo Shao, your brain works even faster than mine does. Right, this is exactly what I meant,¡± she said.

    So, there must be a reason why they had no choice but to do this.

    However, this point was not rted to the topic of discussion at the moment.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Afterwards, the data went missing. Because our country won the war, Japan could no longer capture our citizens on arge scale in concentration camps to conduct experiments as they did during the war years. So, they have returned to the first goal of Operation Borrowed Seed, which was to optimize their own race. Coupled with the development of science and technology, it was unnecessary for them to continue using that kind of stupid method to conduct race optimization experiments.

    ¡°...That¡¯s why they set up all these clinics treating infertility. They are now able to steal the reproductive cells directly from the patients seeking treatment, and conduct artificial insemination and reproduction to observe the results of optimization.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked back over to hisptop to open another folder.

    Gu Nianzhi agreedpletely, saying, ¡°My father must have also discovered their intentions, so he chose to use this method to warn the people trying to look for the data.¡±

    ¡°However, why didn¡¯t your father report these clinics directly to the authorities if he discovered that they were conducting simr experiments?¡± Reinitz asked curiously. ¡°I thought he hated this kind of thing more than anything.¡±

    ¡°Of course he hates it, but do you think my father alone can fight against the power of an entire country?¡± Gu Nianzhi red at Reinitz as she said, ¡°After all, I investigated these clinics myself. They are genuinely researching how to optimize Japanese genes, but are not involving any Huaxia genes. So, I think that my father was strictly monitoring these clinics to prevent them from doing anything that would harm the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    Reinitz shook his head. With a smile, he said, ¡°Cereus, you¡¯ve never even seen your father before. How are you so certain that he¡¯s actually a good person?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was resolute as she said, ¡°I know. I know it for a fact. My father is absolutely not a bad person. Not only is he a good person, but he is a rare and capable good person.

    He Zhichu averted his eyes in silence, no longer able to stand looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to add a fewments to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s idea when he looked up and saw He Zhichu look away. He thought that something didn¡¯t feel right.

    But He Zhichu always spoke vaguely and changed the topic. Now he was even using Gu Nianzhi¡¯s presence as a condition of telling the truth.

    Huo Shaoheng decided to stop trying to get any information out of He Zhichu. He was also wary about taking the few things He Zhichu had already said as facts.

    He needed to resume his previous work method. Just like Reinitz, he would doubt everything and rely on himself to prove everything.

    ...

    ¡°Earlier, I demonstrated my conclusion using the three perspectives of premise, history, and follow up. In other words, Operation Borrowed Seed did not seed. The operation to exterminate the Huaxia race did not seed, either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up with a smile and stared at the curved screen TV in front of her.

    Huo Shaoheng had just opened a new folder, which was the handwritten English poem that Gu Nianzhi took a photo of in the Dass clinic¡¯s consultation room ¨C¡±A Little Girl Needs Daddy.¡±

    When the framed and wall-mounted poem was erged on the curved screen TV, Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought the poem¡¯s shape looked a bit familiar.

    The swirling handwriting of the English poem was filled with curves and lines that spun together to create each word. Each word actually looked like a flower.

    The framed handwritten English poem consisted of short and long lines intersecting like flowering vines that seemed to form aplex picture.

    If someone who didn¡¯t read English saw this poem, they would probably think it was a picture as opposed to a poem.

    An abstract drawing made up of ck and white intersecting lines.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind suddenly felt enlightened when she thought that this was actually a picture.

    She pointed to the TV screen and said, ¡°...Look at this. Doesn¡¯t this handwritten English poem look like a picture when you observe the shape?¡±

    ¡°What picture?¡± He Zhichu nced at it and said, ¡°I can¡¯t tell.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind the desk and stretched forward. With both hands bracing against the desk, he looked up at the erged handwritten English poem disying on the TV screen. He nodded thoughtfully. ¡°It does look a bit familiar,¡± he said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Gu Nianzhi grew excited as she said, ¡°Tell me, doesn¡¯t this handwritten English poem look like a map of Africa?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng squinted his eyes and slowly straightened his body. His eyes stared at the picture unblinkingly.

    Gradually, he stopped trying to decipher the handwritten English words and purely examined it as though it was a picture.

    As expected, the picture appeared increasingly simr to the map of Africa in his memory!

    Huo Shaoheng bent over and immediately opened a map of Africa on hisputer. He put it beside the handwritten English poem.

    Everyone could now see it with theparison.

    The handwritten English poem wasid out in a method that was nearly a mirror image of the general shape of Africa.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but grab the mouse from Huo Shaoheng and take things into her own hands.

    She opened a photo editing software and first copied the map of Africa on it. Then she also copied the handwritten English poem to allow the photo editing software to find the ovep between the two.

    With the help of the photo editing software, Gu Nianzhi quickly discovered a very obvious bright spot in the bottom corner of the two images.

    It was where the English word ¡®there¡¯ was located.

    Thest two lines of the poem read, ¡°So diving deep or soaring high, she¡¯ll always find him there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart plummeted.

    She quickly marked down the point where the word ¡®there¡¯ ovepped with the map of Africa, then opened the marked-up image of Africa and inputted it into GPS software to look for the coordinates.

    Huo Shaoheng, He Zhichu, and Reinitz all quietly watched Gu Nianzhi quickly use theputer and discover the message her father had left behind.

    The map software took less than one second to bring up the coordinate data.

    ¡°33.9249¡ã South, 18.4241¡ã East.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°It¡¯s 33 degrees 55 minutes southtitude, 18 degrees 25 minutes east longitude. The location thistitude and longitude points to is the secondrgest city in the southernmost country in Africa ¨C Cape Town.

    ¡°It¡¯s there. My father must have left something in that ce.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng saw thetitude and longitude and the name of Cape Town, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

    How could it be such a coincidence?

    In order to find the true whereabouts of the flight MH210 that Gu Xiangwen had been on, he sent Zhao Liangze to a station on a small ind in the Cape of Good Hope to facilitate the search of the nearby waters.

    The Cape of Good Hope was thendmark of Cape Town. It was only two kilometers away from the city, which ispletely within walking distance.

 Chapter 1185 - Why Are You Here

    <h4>Chapter 1185 Why Are You Here</h4>

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to listen anymore. With both hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, he went to stand by the window.The drapes were still drawn, so he stood beside the ivory-white veiled curtains. He stood tall and proud in his light grey suit, appearing forlorn.

    Gu Nianzhi could sense He Zhichu¡¯s movements. Her eyes flickered quickly.

    She could feel that He Zhichu was unperturbed. Could she be wrong about this?

    But when she thought about it again, He Zhichu had already said many times that he didn¡¯t know where Gu Xiangwen was currently located.

    Also, he had always expressed that he only knew about the portion of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past concerning the years before she was 12 years old. Gu Nianzhi left the Gu family when she was 12, so He Zhichu didn¡¯t know anything about what happened after Huo Shaoheng rescued her.

    From this perspective, there should be a reason why He Zhichu didn¡¯t know about the Gu family¡¯s situation.

    As Gu Nianzhi discreetly contemted He Zhichu¡¯s behavior, she used the cursor to click on the pin for Cape Town and said, ¡°...I want to go take a look there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I will make the preparations and fly us from here to Cape Town in Africa.¡±

    Reinitz raised a shackled wrist, his expression aloof as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any interest in this anymore. Can you let me go now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him, waving a hand at him to ask him to shut up. He nced toward He Zhichu standing beside the window, then looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi understood his intentions and smiled at He Zhichu¡¯s back. ¡°Professor He, do you want toe along with us?¡± she asked.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t turn around. He only shook his head slightly as he said, ¡°No thanks. I only took a few days off, and there are still things for me to take care of at school. I cannot be gone for too long.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t pressure him any further. ¡°Ok, then. In that case, Professor He will go back first. I wille speak to you after wee back from Cape Town.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± He Zhichu answered after a moment of silence.

    Huo Shaoheng had long prepared for He Zhichu¡¯s reaction, so he didn¡¯t make anyments. He only made sure to remind Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Cape Town is in Africa, and the situation isplicated there. Public safety is not guaranteed, so we will have to be extra careful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly agreed, saying, ¡°I understand. I will go make preparation right now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was willing to risk everything in order to find her father¡¯s whereabouts and figure out her past.

    She left the study first and returned to her bedroom to pack up.

    He Zhichu heard Gu Nianzhi leave, so he also turned around. He left in silence without sparing Huo Shaoheng or Reinitz a single nce.

    Reinitz and Huo Shaoheng were the only two people left in the study.

    The study¡¯s doors were quietly closed by someone outside, and the room waspletely quiet.

    Reinitz raised his hands at Huo Shaoheng once again and said sternly, ¡°Major General Huo, can you let me leave here? I want to go back to Germany.¡±

    ¡°You want to leave? Reinitz, did you forget that you are my captive now?¡± Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and looked expressionlessly at Reinitz. He used English to answer Reinitz¡¯s question.

    Reinitz also quickly switched back to using English as he said, ¡°No, no, no. I didn¡¯t forget. I lost to you, and you captured me, so I hold no grudges. But since we both work for different organizations, that means there is no deep hatred between us. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave him a mysterious smile and crossed his arms to say, ¡°Oh, really? There is no deep hatred between us? That¡¯s not what I think.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put down his arms and approached Reinitz to grab him by the cor, icily retorting, ¡°Reinitz, did you forget how you set a trap in the Alps and made Nianzhi nearly break down? I didn¡¯t forget it, though.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to clear old debts.

    Reinitz¡¯s head began to hurt.

    At the time, he had been full of confidence and was driven by the sole purpose of bing the chief of his country¡¯s Gestapo, the Director of the Federal Intelligence Service.

    Although he became attracted to Gu Nianzhi as time passed, his heart had always been with the interests of his nation.

    Unlike now, where Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words alone could almost obliterate his faith.

    Reinitz was now pretending to act strong, but his mind was already in shambles.

    Like he was standing in the wastnds of time, he discovered that he was just a floating tumbleweed.

    ¡°...Fine then, you can dispose of me as you please.¡± Reinitz closed his eyes as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t regret anything I¡¯ve done. If I could do it over again, I still wouldn¡¯t change anything.¡±

    This was until he learned about the truth.

    Huo Shaoheng released his cor and retreated a step. He considered it for a while, then seemed to make a difficult decision. ¡°Reinitz, you know that we operate by discipline. I cannot easily let you go,¡± he said.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Reinitz was a bit perplexed and asked in disappointment, ¡°Don¡¯t you have special authority? As someone in our line of work, so many things can happen over the course of a mission. How can we even report every single thing that takes ce to our country?¡±

    ¡°My country isn¡¯t the same as yours.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at him calmly with an extremely solemn expression. ¡°However, I can make an exception on the ount that you protected Nianzhi from what she did.¡±

    Reinitz originally thought his situation was helpless, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone changed, so his position immediately improved.

    Reinitz looked at Huo Shaoheng and smiled. ¡°...You are making an exception, so that means there has to be some condition?¡± he asked.

    He was all too familiar with how their kind of people operated.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t smile back, but said in a serious tone, ¡°I hope that you can keep a close eye on any movements rted to the Japanese from the bureau and tell me anytime.¡± As he spoke, he pushed a sh drive into Reinitz¡¯s hand. ¡°There is a password and phone number inside. You only need to call this number and enter the password in order to leave a voicemail. Don¡¯t worry. I am the only person who can check the voicemail.¡±

    Reinitz looked at Huo Shaoheng in shock.

    This man truly never made a bad deal in his life...

    He was actually trying to develop Reinitz as his informant!

    Reinitz!

    Huo Shaoheng felt a bit excited when he knew that he was making the leader of a country¡¯s intelligence agency into his own informant...

    Reinitz frowned, then tried to push this strange thought of his head. His brows furrowed as he said, ¡°...You want me to betray my own country? No, I will never do that kind of thing. Just kill me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his hands behind his back and said calmly, ¡°No, I¡¯m not asking you to betray your own country, because I don¡¯t need any intelligence rted to your country. However, if your bureau receives any information about the Japanese making strange movements, especially if it¡¯s rted to their Operation Borrowed Seed, I hope that you will contact me as soon as possible. This operation is very important to us and especially significant to Nianzhi. This has nothing to do with our country¡¯s interests.¡±

    Reinitz understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s request now. ¡°You only want information rted to the Japanese Operation Borrowed Seed?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down and opened a file on hisputer. He showed it to Reinitz, saying, ¡°If you agree, you can sign your name on this memorandum of understanding outlining the cooperative nature of our agreement.¡±

    There was a printer in the study. Huo Shaoheng printed out the English version of the memorandum of understanding in duplicate for Reinitz to sign.

    Reinitz looked at it in a hurry and immediately signed his name.

    The memorandum of understanding was mutually beneficial.

    With this memorandum of understanding, their contacts were semi-official.

    Of course, only Reinitz¡¯s obligations were stipted in it, while Huo Shaoheng was not obligated to do anything in return for the Gestapo.

    Reinitz was just anxious to get out of that situation, so he didn¡¯t think about this problem at all.

    It was not until he returned to his country and took out the memorandum of understanding to take a closer look that he discovered what Huo Shaoheng had done to it.

    By then, Huo Shaoheng had already taken Gu Nianzhi to Cape Town, the secondrgest city in the southernmost country in Africa.

    When Gu Nianzhi came out of the airport, she was faced with a heatwave that almost made her pass out.

    Huo Shaoheng supported her with one hand and carried two suitcases with the other as he stood at the gate of the airport and took a look.

    ¡°Nianzhi, over here! Over here!¡± someone called.

    In this country full of ck people, Gu Nianzhi was surprised to hear someone randomly call her name in Chinese.

    Following the voice, she turned her head and saw a handsome tanned face smiling widely.

    ¡°Brother Ze?! Why are you here?!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the man carefully before realizing who he was.

    It was Zhao Liangze!

 Chapter 1186 - Speak of the Devil

    <h4>Chapter 1186</h4>

    <h4>Speak of the Devil</h4>

    Zhao Liangze broke into a wide grin and winked at her. Then, he nodded at Huo Shaoheng to respectfully say, ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯ve arrived.¡±He was on a mission, so he didn¡¯t give Huo Shaoheng a military salute.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled back at him.

    His physique was much more muscr and tanner than before. From the way Huo Shaoheng saw it, Zhao Liangze looked much better and manlier than he had previously.

    All men should look like him.

    Huo Shaoheng patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°...You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    That one sentence was enough to make Zhao Liangze nearly burst into tears.

    He quickly blinked to quell the sudden moisture in his eyes.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard, it¡¯s... it¡¯s my job.¡± Zhao Liangze choked up a little as he took a suitcase from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and turned to leave. ¡°Come with me. The car is over there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t actually wanted Zhao Liangze to pick them up from the airport.

    But when he told Zhao Liangze that they were visiting Cape Town, Zhao Liangze insisted on picking them up.

    Huo Shaoheng saw how pitiful Zhao Liangze looked in the video call, nearly bursting into tears, so he had no choice but to agree.

    He had always concealed his emotions as a person, so he would never express himself so openly. But when someone else felt such strong emotions, he would still give them the appropriate amount of respect in return.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t seen Zhao Liangze for a very long time now. She knew he had left for a mission, but she had no idea that his mission was in Cape Town.

    Could this have something to do with her father¡¯s situation?

    But Zhao Liangze had already been on his mission for several months now, so had Huo Shaoheng known all this time that her father¡¯s whereabouts had something to do with Cape Town?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but nce at Huo Shaoheng. She badly wanted to speak with him.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand and looked at her with his deep-set eyes. His voice was low and maic as he asked, ¡°...Would you believe me if I said it was only a coincidence?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes rolled as she coldly replied, ¡°Then it¡¯s too much of a coincidence...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips into a smile before sweeping his eyes over her plump, curvy lips. He didn¡¯t speak again.

    He would have to investigate and find out for sure before determining if it was really a coincidence.

    However, Huo Shaoheng honestly felt that the chance of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s survival was dwindling as they continued the investigation.

    But Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t bear to rain on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hopes when he saw her that excited.

    They got into the car and sped towards the hotel Zhao Liangze had booked for them.

    Cape Town was also an international metropolis that faced the Antic Ocean. The ocean views were stunning, and many five-star hotels were located there.

    This time, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were disguised as an engaged couple traveling to Africa. Zhao Liangze helped them select an extremely luxurious apartment-style hotel.

    The apartment-style hotel was named Lowhill, and it was located near Victoria Beach. Each apartment had its one mini outdoor swimming pool, and the interior was furnished in a modern minimalist style. It was lowkey yet luxurious, with details exuding exquisite features.

    Huo Shaoheng already knew that Gu Nianzhi would like this style very much.

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly widened when Zhao Liangze dropped them off at the apartment.

    ¡°This apartment is so beautiful!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her arms and closed her eyes as she lifted her face towards the sky to inhale deeply. Even the air carried the faint saltiness of the ocean breeze.

    The sky was a brilliant blue andpletely devoid of any clouds. Where the sea and sky intersected, it was so blue that they couldn¡¯t see any boundaries between the two at all.

    The entire apartmentplex was built on the bay. Looking up, they saw the blue sky, and looking down they saw the deep blue water. Tropical banana trees grew by the door and were nted into the fine white sand.

    Even more extraordinary was that the outdoor pools did not have the sharp smell of chlorine.

    Zhao Liangze saw Gu Nianzhi stare wide-eyed at the mini private pool in the courtyard andughed. ¡°The pool water is supposed to be imported directly from the Antic Ocean and is changed once a day, so it is already very hygienic without requiring chlorine purification,¡± he said.

    Often used door jambs did not see infestations, and running water never rotted. Gu Nianzhi was well aware of this principle.

    She nodded and was a bit disappointed amidst her excitement. ¡°...Too bad the swimming pool is a bit too small. Is this even a swimming pool? I think it looks more like a spa tub.¡±

    ¡°You can use it like a spa tub, too. There is a button to heat up the water. When you want to take a hot bath tonight, you just need to preheat it,¡± Zhao Liangze replied.

    He had especially chosen this apartment-style hotel for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Because the hotel charges were higher than the allotted budget, Zhao Liangze had even paid the difference himself.

    Zhao Liangze emotionally patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head while Huo Shaoheng went to the room to put down the luggage. ¡°Have fun with Huo Shao here, and this can be considered Brother Ze¡¯s early wedding present for you. You can use this ce like it¡¯s your honeymoon.¡±

    He winked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s¡¯ face instantly flushed bright red as she smiled openly and said, ¡°We are very busy. How are we going to find time to have a honeymoon? Brother Ze shouldn¡¯t speak nonsense about things that don¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll stop talking now.¡± Zhao Liangze squinted happily and nodded his head like he knew what she was trying to imply. ¡°Get lots of rest tonight. I will take you to my ind for vacation tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Your ind?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice quietly sounded from behind Zhao Liangze. ¡°Does that mean I should call you an ind owner?¡±

    Zhao Liangze chuckled heartily, then turned around to tell Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, I was just telling Nianzhi to have lots of fun here and treat it as an early honeymoon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart throbbed, but he saw Gu Nianzhi look away. He also suppressed his own feelings and snapped at Zhao Liangze, ¡°What are you talking about? We are here for a mission.¡±

    When the mission was mentioned, Zhao Liangze immediately wiped the cheeky grin off his face and almost saluted at Huo Shaoheng.

    He replied sternly, ¡°I understand. Huo Sha, please instruct me.¡±

    ¡°Just wait. I wille to the base and tell you tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted his shoulder with a meaningful nce and asked, ¡°Are you staying here tonight?¡±

    Although he was verbally inviting him to stay, his eyes clearly indicated that Zhao Liangze was dead meat if he dared to do so.

    The three-bedroom apartment-style hotel Zhao Liangze rented for them was able to fit another two or three people.

    But how could Zhao Liangze not understand Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression?

    He immediately resumed his cheeky grin and quickly shook his head, saying, ¡°No, no, no. I am used to living on the ind. It¡¯s toofortable here, and I am afraid it will be too noisy here for me to sleep properly...¡±

    As he said this, he ran away happily so Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t raise a brow and kick him in time.

    As he ran, he didn¡¯t even look back. He waved his arms in the air and shouted, ¡°Nianzhi! Get lots of rest! I will pick you up and take you shopping tomorrow!¡±

    He ran out of the apartmentplex and walked along the narrow sea bridge to the parking lot.

    After getting into the car, he quickly started it and drove off.

    Just as he pulled onto the main road, Zhao Liangze saw a tall woman wearing a red dress in his rearview mirror.

    The fiery red dress was very eye-catching amidst the brilliant blue sky and sea.

    In his moment of shock, he caught a glimpse of the woman¡¯s face. She wore huge sunsses that only revealed her sculpted nose bridge and bright red lips that seemed too full to be Asian.

    This physique and facial structure seemed very familiar!

    Shock ran through Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart as he quickly brought the car to a screeching halt. When he looked in the rearview mirror again, the woman in red had already disappeared.

    His heart hammered wildly in his chest, and he was so nervous that sweat covered his hands and feet. All the strength left his legs instantly, and he almost couldn¡¯t drive.

    Why did that woman look so much like Bai Shuang, who haunted his dreams?

    Could he be seeing things from his dreams?

    Zhao Liangze quickly calmed down before pressing on the elerator to continue driving.

    The apartment-style hotel was in the area by the sea, so it was considered the wealthy district.

    But the city was noparison to the more affluent area.

    The roads were pitted and caved in, and the houses were dpidated. There were a few tall convention centers that appeared asionally to improve the surrounding area.

    Cape Town¡¯s current appearance was like a reflection of the country itself.

    It had once been a developed country, but now it was considered lesser than a third-rate nation.

    Zhao Liangze felt very distracted as he continued driving to the main road leading into the city from the harbor.

    He had only driven a little bit more when he saw the woman in the red dress stepping out of a taxi, carrying a delicate Chanel bag. She stood on the side of the road while looking at her phone.

    At that moment, a ck man on a skateboard suddenly rushed toward her from behind. When he passed by the woman in the red dress, he quickly reached out and snatched her mobile phone!

    ¡°Give it back to me!¡± the woman blurted out in Chinese, and then switched to English to shout, ¡°Help!¡±

    Most of the passersby were ck people. Everyone looked at her indifferently, and no one went after the robber who escaped on a skateboard.

    Zhao Liangze watched the woman wearing high heels chase the robber, and couldn¡¯t control himself anymore. Stepped on the gas pedal, he chased after them with a bang!

 Chapter 1187 - What the Heart Wants

    <h4>Chapter 1187 What the Heart Wants</h4>

    The ck man on the skateboard grabbed the phone from the woman in the red dress before escaping quickly along the sidewalk.But he could not beat a car, no matter how quick he was.Especially when faced by someone with the nerve of Zhao Liangze, who had undergone Special Operations Forces training.

    Although his physical achievements were not as impressive as hisputer achievements, he was still much stronger than a typical civilian.

    Although he was considered weak inparison, he was only a little weaker when ranked amongst a group of special forces soldiers with uncanny strength.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s driving skills could be considered only secondary to his impressiveputer skills.

    The roads of Cape Town were very wide, but there are many cars on them as well. Many of the drivers did not like to drive ording to traffic rules.

    They often went ahead at red lights or stopped randomly at green lights. Huge 18-wheeler trucks often stopped in the middle of the road to unload.

    The drivers were so unskilled that they were unable to neatly park an 18-wheeler truck along the side of the road.

    In other words, most people drove their cars in Cape Town as carelessly as riding a bike.

    So, the ones often affected were the drivers who actually followed trafficws.

    Zhao Liangze had lived there for several months now, so he had already changed from feeling the initial fright to being able to navigate amongst the other cars without batting an eye. When he thundered past an 18-wheeler parked in the middle of the road and brought up a cloud of yellow dust, Zhao Liangze could wave his hand without a single speck of dustnding on him.

    He had already driven to the entrance of a small alley, with rows of aloe vera nts with de-shaped, thick, and sturdy leaves nking either side. They bloomed with brilliant white blossoms.

    The ck man on the skateboard continued to urge the skateboard forward.

    Just as he was able to ride into the alley, a yellow Jeep suddenly emerged from nowhere. The ear-splitting shriek of brakes sounded, and the Jeep suddenly turned 90 degrees to directly block the alley entrance.

    The ck man on the skateboard never expected a car toe out of nowhere suddenly and block the road.

    As he turned around, he didn¡¯t see the alley he was so familiar with ¨C but instead, he saw a Jeep that was as sturdy as a tank!

    ¡°Ah¨C!¡± The ck man who stole the phone suddenly cried out in pain as his entire body careened into the side of the Jeep!

    At that moment, Zhao Liangze shifted his body and rapidly kicked the door open!

    The car door suddenly sprang open and happened to crash directly into the body of the ck man as he lunged forward.

    The ck man was stunned dizzy by his own inertia and the force of the car door opening into him, then fell on his back with a plop. He saw stars in front of his eyes and was unable to get up for a long time.

    Zhao Liangze got out of the car, walked over to the ck man, and half kneeled with one leg in front of him. He reached out his hand to take away the phone that was still tight in the ck man¡¯s grip, got up, and kicked him, before saying viciously, ¡°Trash! Do you want to die?!¡±

    As he said this, he nced at the phone.

    With one look, he was stunned.

    Although the phone was still locked, the lock screen was a picture he was all too familiar with.

    It was none other than himself, back when he was still fair and handsome.

    The photo must have been taken at a reception. He was wearing an autumn uniform with a ss of red wine in his hand. Leaning on the railing of the terrace, his side profile smiled with the person next to him.

    He didn¡¯t know who the person next to him was, but this photo was taken at an excellent angle. The straight bridge of the nose, angr lips, and thick, dark eyshes were clearly visible. This was obviously taken with a zoomed-in lens.

    On the screen, his fair skin was photographed from a close distance, but there were still no visible blemishes at all. After staring at the image for a long time, he almost didn¡¯t recognize the person on the screensaver.

    Was that really him?

    D*mn it!

    Would he ever be so fair and handsome again?!

    Zhao Liangze felt extremely conflicted when looking at this photo. He was just about to put the phone away and find the woman in the red dress when he heard a very familiar voice speaking behind him.

    ¡°Thank you for helping me catch the thief.¡±

    It was an authentic British English ent.

    He could recognize that voice even with his eyes closed. It was Bai Shuang¡¯s.

    Zhao Liangze suddenly turned around and made eye contact with Bai Shuang.

    Under the blue sky of Cape City, the sun was scorching, and green aloes bloomed quietly on the street.

    Two people who hadn¡¯t met since Gu Nianzhi¡¯s graduation ceremony just before the Spring Festival met again on the streets of a foreign country.

    When Bai Shuang saw that it was Zhao Liangze, she also seemed to be taken aback. Seeing that he was holding her phone in his hand, she suddenly seemed to recall something and her face immediately flushed red. She quickly reached out and said, ¡°Give me back my phone!¡±

    Zhao Liangze held the phone as he finally saw the woman who so often appeared in his dreams.

    He fixedly looked at Bai Shuang for a few minutes before cing the phone on her open palm and asked, ¡°...What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°How is that any of your business?!¡± As soon as Bai Shuang saw him, she remembered the scene of him kissing Bai Yueran. It felt like her heart was being cut by a knife again.

    She had originally thought she could let it go. She chased after a man who liked her cousin rather than her. After she found out, she resolutely broke all contact with him and decided to travel and volunteer abroad. She did everything she could to remove him from the bottom of her heart.

    But as soon as she saw him and his indecipherable eyes again, she immediately lost all her armor and had nowhere else to hide.

    It turned out that he had never left her heart. She had just merely locked him tightly behind a door, pretending that she had lost the key and could no longer open it.

    She never thought about what she would do if Zhao Liangze opened the door himself and walked out.

    Countless thoughts shed through Zhao Liangze¡¯s mind in that one instant.

    But at that moment, his body reacted more directly and rapidly than his brain.

    He had just put the phone back in Bai Shuang¡¯s hand when he suddenly took her hand in his arms. Hugging her tightly, he lowered his lips to kiss her.

    In the beginning, Bai Shuang wanted to struggle against him. However, Zhao Liangze seemed to be on drugs. His entire body was much stronger than before, so the arm holding her seemed to be full of great power that made her surrender.

    He was no longer the handsome and fair man from before, but she still liked him or loved him no matter what he became. She realized that she could never let go of him.

    Before long, Bai Shuang¡¯s struggle gradually weakened, and her arms involuntarily squeezed Zhao Liangze¡¯s waist. Her lips finally responded to his kiss.

    The ck man that had been knocked to the ground watched the scene unfold speechlessly while cursing his own bad luck...

    As he began sneaking up from the ground, he limped onto the skateboard and tried to escape.

    Zhao Liangze immediately stopped the kiss and held Bai Shuang tightly in his arms with one hand, before suddenly taking out a pistol with the other. He pointed it at the ck man and said coldly, ¡°Stop! Hands up!¡±

    The ck man shivered with fright. His knees were so sore and weak that he knelt on the ground instantly with raised hands.

    Bai Shuang was fascinated by Zhao Liangze¡¯s sudden domineering and heroic posture, so she stared at him intently and couldn¡¯t help but snuggle towards him.

    Zhao Liangze smiled. He pointed his gun at the ck man¡¯s head and said in a cold voice, ¡°...Don¡¯t let me see you grab someone else¡¯s stuff again. My gun is fully loaded!¡±

 Chapter 1188 - Choice

    <h4>Chapter 1188 Choice</h4>

    The ck man who had grabbed Bai Shuang¡¯s phone was so frightened that he urinated himself. Cradling his head, he crawled along the street and begged for mercy.

    Bai Shuang thought he was very pitiful now, so she pulled at Zhao Liangze¡¯s clothes and whispered, ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s fine that I got my phone back.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at her before putting away the gun. He was still holding her hand as he said, ¡°...Get in the car.¡±

    He pulled the car door open and practically stuffed Bai Shuang inside. He then closed the door and got into the driver¡¯s seat from the other side.

    The Jeep suddenly made a noise and quickly sped away.

    After the initial excitement of their encounter, the two of them began to feel embarrassed in the car. Neither of them said a word.

    Zhao Liangze drove quickly onto the main road. As he was about to turn to the pier leading back to the ind, he suddenly remembered that he could not take Bai Shuang there.

    Turning the steering wheel, he drove to the hotel in the center of Cape City.

    The hotels on the outskirts of the city are actually more upscale and luxurious, but Zhao Liangze did not n to stay there since Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were also there.

    He couldn¡¯t let Bai Shuang know that Huo Shaoheng was also in Cape City.

    Huo Shaoheng was on a secret mission, while Bai Shuang was an acquaintance who was very familiar with Huo Shaoheng. This would be considered a leak of intelligence for Zhao Liangze, even if they met and nothing actually happened.

    Although his heart was full of excitement when he first saw Bai Shuang again, the years of rigorous training still made his mind as tight as a pulled cord.

    Bai Shuang couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed when they initially encountered each other. But now that she hadposed herself, she felt not only embarrassed but also very angry.

    She remained silent and sullen the entire trip. Suddenly, she saw that the road ahead changed before Zhao Liangze turned back again.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Bai Shuang couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    Zhao Liangze nced at her and asked, ¡°Where are you staying? Did youe to Cape Town for a trip?¡±

    Bai Shuang curled her lips. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, let me get out of the car!¡± she replied.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to the hotel.¡± Zhao Liangze remembered that he had met Bai Shuang in the city just now, so he naturally thought that Bai Shuang should be staying in a hotel in the city center.

    Bai Shuang frowned and said, ¡°If you want to send me back to the hotel, please turn around again. I¡¯m not staying here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not staying here?¡± Zhao Liangze stepped on the brakes in surprise. ¡°Then why did you get out of the taxi in the city center?¡±

    Bai Shuang was taken aback. ¡°Did you see me?¡±

    ¡°...I thought it looked like you...¡± Zhao Liangze smiled wryly as he said, ¡°I was afraid of calling your name since you were wearing sunsses. I was worried about being embarrassed if it wasn¡¯t actually you.¡±

    But now he said it as if he was not embarrassed.

    Bai Shuang rolled her eyes as she said, ¡°I went to the exhibition center in the city to participate in activities, but I am not staying there. Who could stand living in the city center? Was it fun to listen to gunfights every night?¡±

    She then asked Zhao Liangze again, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Zhao Liangze smiled but did not answer Bai Shuang¡¯s question. He merely said, ¡°Where do you live? I will take you there.¡±

    ¡°Just let me out here, I want to participate in the convention.¡± Bai Shuang didn¡¯t say where she was staying. Seeing that Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t even answer her questions, she felt it was even more pointless and patted the car door, saying, ¡°As for where I am staying, you don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Zhao Liangze drove the car to the side of the road while holding the steering wheel with one hand. He put the other hand around to rest on the back of Bai Shuang¡¯s passenger seat, then frowned. ¡°Bai Shuang, let¡¯s talk,¡± he said.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about?!¡± Bai Shuang turned her head away, refusing to look at him. ¡°My cousin is your girlfriend, but you are here to provoke me again. Do you think that I¡¯m so cheap that I would deliver myself to your door and let you bully me?!¡±

    ¡°Bai Shuang!¡± Zhao Liangze shouted sternly. ¡°It was my fault before! You don¡¯t need to say that about yourself! I¡¯m the cheap one! I¡¯m cheap! Alright?!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®alright?!¡¯¡± Bai Shuang turned her head to look at him angrily. ¡°You are obviously the cheap one!¡±

    When she used to like him, he acted so distantly.

    When she was about to let go, he approached her again!

    ¡°It was me...¡± Zhao Liangze pursed his lips before saying, ¡°...Who hurt your cousin.¡±

    ¡°Haha, and now you¡¯re finally realizing that you hurt your girlfriend? Zhao Liangze, you are unbelievable!¡± Bai Shuangughed at Zhao Liangze¡¯s words. ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re the one who wants to betray her. Don¡¯t ask me to cooperate with you. I won¡¯t be a terrible person with you!¡±

    ¡°Is that all you want to say?!¡± Zhao Liangze was irritated by Bai Shuang¡¯s words. He let go of the steering wheel to lunge in front of Bai Shuang and grab her shoulder. He angrily said, ¡°Ever since you saw me... With your cousin that day, I never saw her again! I...¡±

    Only then did he recall that he was also on a mission.

    It was a major taboo run into an acquaintance while conducting a mission.

    He either had to think of a reasonable reason right away, or he had to report it to his superior.

    Zhao Liangze looked extremely conflicted for a while.

    But in Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes, she felt that Zhao Liangze was still swaying between her and her cousin. She waspletely furious.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I will pretend that nothing happened. You don¡¯t have to struggle with it, nor will I y along with you! Scram!¡±

    She pushed Zhao Liangze away, then turned around to find the handle on the car door. She pushed it out, and the door opened.

    Breathing a sigh of relief, she quickly got out of the car and immediately hailed a taxi to the exhibition center.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t give her an exnation, but he couldn¡¯t ignore it either. After pondering for a long time, he finally called Huo Shaoheng.

    ...

    ¡°Huo Shao...¡±

    The phone rang for a while before Huo Shaoheng answered the call. ¡°Little Ze? What¡¯s wrong? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Zhao Liangze gritted his teeth. ¡°On the way back, I saw someone getting their phone stolen, so I went to help and retrieved her mobile phone. But... But... That person turned out to be Bai Shuang.¡±

    As soon as Zhao Liangze said this, Huo Shaoheng understood the situation.

    Would Zhao Liangze be so nosy if he had merely seen a random person getting their phone stolen?

    He must have only decided to help get the phone back because he had seen that it was Bai Shuang, or at least someone who looked like Bai Shuang.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled twice before saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t it a good thing to meet old friends in another country? Why do you sound unhappy?¡±

    ¡°...I kissed her,¡± Zhao Liangze said sullenly. ¡°Then she scolded me, and we separated bitterly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt as though he should be sympathetic towards Zhao Liangze, but the smile couldn¡¯t help but spread uncontrolled across his face. He was wearing a Bluetooth headset while making seafood fried rice for Gu Nianzhi on the induction cooker in the kitchen, and he casually said, ¡°I should scold you. In fact, I should p you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that!¡± Zhao Liangze began to speak incoherently in his frustration. ¡°Actually, what I meant was that she knew that I was leaving for a mission, and then she saw me here...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand stopped. Putting down the spat, he walked to the door to look at the vast blue Antic Ocean. The thoughts ran quickly in his mind as he said, ¡°Tell me honestly and exactly what you said to her. Don¡¯t miss even a single sentence, do you understand me?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    Zhao Liangze was taken aback and hurriedly recalled the conversation between him and Bai Shuang without missing a single word.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless when Zhao Liangze even talked about the debate between him and Bai Shuang concerning who was cheap.

    ¡°...You two are so immature.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned back calmly to turn off the stove. He put the seafood fried rice out as he made a decision and said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Then what do you think? You want to choose between two girlfriends? Don¡¯t try dating them both at the same time.¡±

    Zhao Liangze retorted automatically, ¡°Bai Yueran and I are not yet boyfriend and girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Not yet? I thought you two already decided on it.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out the steak he had just bought to fry it in the pan with butter.

    The sound of sizzling could be heard throughout the kitchen, apanied by the aroma of butter that permeated into the hall.

    Gu Nianzhi went to the room to tidy up and took a shower before changing into a summer T-shirt and hot pants. She walked out of the room with her long legs bared.

    She had followed the smell of food to find the kitchen.

    ¡°Huo Shao is dinner ready?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was happy to see a bowl of delicious seafood fried rice on the dining table.

    This dining room and kitchen were actually one room, with the kitchen inside and the dining room outside.

    Through therge, open French windows, she could even see the white sails speckled on the ocean, the afterglow of the setting sun reflected on the sparkling seawater that jumped like bits of gold under her eyes.

    asionally, she could even see a dolphin or two jumping high from the bottom of the sea, chasing each other yfully on the water¡¯s surface.

    ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful here,¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed. She was so mesmerized by the sight that even her favorite seafood fried rice was being ignored.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the movement and turned around to see that Gu Nianzhi had arrived. His eyes paused on her long, naked legs for a moment.

    Zhao Liangze continued to yell over the phone, ¡°...We are not dating yet! Just when I kissed her, you sent me to this ind in the middle of nowhere. We didn¡¯t have time to sort anything out!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng retracted his gaze and turned his head to tell Zhao Liangze over the phone, ¡°Little Ze, you have to solve the matter concerning Bai Shuang and Bai Yueran very soon. Real men don¡¯t procrastinate. You bettere clean and forget your little tricks, careful not to run into any ethical problems ¨C no one can save you if that happens.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart trembled when he heard Huo Shaoheng say this, so he hurriedly replied, ¡°Huo Shao, I don¡¯t have the guts to do that. I... I... I really like Bai Shuang. I will make sure to tell Bai Yueran after my mission.¡±

    Zhao Liangze froze as soon as he blurted this out.

    It turned out that this was what his heart really wanted, and what his true feelings were.

    After chasing love for so long, he had never recognized his own heart.

    Logically speaking, he knew that Bai Yueran was a better woman for him. But emotionally, he couldn¡¯t help but favor Bai Shuang. He couldn¡¯t control himself.

    Huo Shaoheng flipped the steak in the pan and fried it until it was medium rare before saying, ¡°Do you only want to date Bai Shuang by being with her? Or do you intend to marry her?¡±

    Zhao Liangze asked, ¡°...Is there a difference?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke bluntly as he said, ¡°Did you forget what kind of crime Bai Shuang¡¯s fathermitted? A person like that cannot pass the background check. Do you know the extent of the background check for Big Xiong¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Ma Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°To what extent?¡± Zhao Liangze became nervous and felt out of breath.

    How could he ever forget about the background check...?

    ¡°It was for four generations past and present, all rtives within five removals,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart sank.

    If he decided to be with Bai Shuang and marry her, there was no way that she would ever pass the background check...

    Then that meant he had no choice but to be discharged from the military...

    He could easily find another job if he were discharged from the military. He could even start his ownpany rather than look for a job somewhere else.

    With hisputer skills, he could be very sessful no matter what he chose to do.

    But he didn¡¯t want to be discharged. He liked his current job very much. He liked it so much that it was truly the most important thing in his life.

    If anything conflicted with this job, he would give it all up to keep his position.

    But Bai Shuang was now the one who conflicted with his work. She was the first woman he truly loved for the first time in his entire life.

    On the one hand, he had the important task of defending his country and its citizens, and on the other hand, was the lover who he wanted to give his heart to. How was he supposed to choose?

 Chapter 1189 - You Really Know How to Waste Time

    <h4>Chapter 1189 You Really Know How to Waste Time</h4>

    Zhao Liangze sat in silence, squeezing the phone for a long time.Huo Shaoheng did not bother urging him, either, as he continued to fry the steaks.

    When the steaks were fried and set on the te, Zhao Liangze finally muttered over the phone, ¡°...I have to think about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and said emotionlessly, ¡°You still want to think about it? I don¡¯t believe that you should think about it anymore. If you think about it too much, you will get dizzy as soon as you see Bai Shuang. If this were during ancient times, you would be considered a dim-witted ruler.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was already feeling depressed. He immediately exploded when Huo Shaoheng said this and replied angrily, ¡°How can I be a dim-witted ruler?! At most, I am just an evil minister!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed menacingly as he asked, ¡°...You mean that I am the dim-witted ruler?¡±

    Zhao Liangze chuckled. ¡°The person who said it is who thinks that. I didn¡¯t say anything. Huo Shao, how could you be a dim-witted ruler if this was the ancient times? You are an unparalleled ruler who is brave and ingenious ¨C like the Prince Regent! And I am the strongest soldier amongst all your men!¡±

    If he could crack a joke, he should be fine.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want his subordinates to work when they were emotional.

    He smiled slightly and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just wait for my strongest soldier to open up new territory for me. It¡¯s already gettingte. You should go home now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was about to agree, when he suddenly remembered something and said, ¡°Huo Shao, I think Bai Shuang is also staying in a hotel in the affluent part of the city. I am worried that you will run into each other...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    There were only two areas with high-end hotels in Cape Town. Some were in the city center, and the rest are in the affluent suburbs.

    Earlier today, Zhao Liangze had tried to find out where Bai Shuang was staying. However, Bai Shuang made it clear that she wasn¡¯t staying in the city center, which meant the only ce she could be staying in was the same area as Huo Shaoheng.

    Although this area was veryrge, who knew if they would meet again?

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a while. ¡°You can go back to the ind first and make arrangements for the working up for the next few days. Come see me tomorrow morning and bring your luggage. We will discuss the next step.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± Zhao Liangze hurriedly agreed before driving to the harbor and boarding his yacht to sail back to the ind.

    After spending a few months in the area, Zhao Liangze had not only increased his driving skills dramatically but was also now a sailing expert.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng turned off the Bluetooth headset and went to the dining room with his dinner te.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seafood fried rice was still sitting untouched on the dining table. She had propped her head up with her hands and was focused on the ocean view outside the French windows.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down across from her. He smiled and knocked on the table as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first and look at the view after dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her forehead along her temples, then looked back at Huo Shaoheng. She smiled and asked, ¡°You¡¯re done with the phone call? Was it Brother Ze? Did he run into Bai Shuang?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no intention of keeping this from her, so he nodded. While cutting himself a piece of steak, he shook his head and said, ¡°Little Ze is not as decisive as Big Xiong. He drags his heels when ites to rtionships.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very taken back by this.

    Is this what he considered dragging one¡¯s heels when it came to rtionships?

    Pouting, she filled a small bowl of fried rice for herself with a spoon and said, ¡°Brother Ze is falling in love for the first time. It is normal for him not to realize who he likes yet. How is this dragging his heels?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and thought of her first love and ss Representative, Mei Xiawen. His eyes shed as he decided to continue arguing about this with her and calmly changed the subject. ¡°...Actually, I don¡¯t really care who he chooses to fall in love with. But as a boss, I have an obligation to remind them of the conditions of marriage,¡± he said.

    ¡°Conditions?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°What conditions?¡±

    ¡°The background check. When soldiers like us want to get married, we have to submit a marriage report, and our superior must approve it before we can go through with the formalities.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her and smiled as he said, ¡°Big Xiong¡¯s marriage application is still sitting in my office.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Was there something wrong with Qiqi¡¯s background check? That can¡¯t be right.¡±

    ¡°Well, she is okay. We checked her family¡¯sst four generations, as well as distant rtives up to five times removed. If her immediate family members had a criminal record, her background check would be rejected immediately. If the non-immediate family members had a criminal record, that would need to be reported but would not affect the approval,¡± Huo Shaoheng exined.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly remarked, ¡°I understand now. Bai Shuang definitely can¡¯t pass the background check because her father...mitted treason. Haha, Brother Ze really likes to take on the most difficult tasks. Bai Yueran wouldn¡¯t be so much trouble. She is now the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter...¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s father was only Bai Yueran¡¯s uncle, so he was a non-immediate rtive. Bai Yusheng¡¯s crimes would not affect Bai Yueran.

    During the eradication of Bai Yusheng, Bai Yueran personally reported the crime. That was a major act of merit, and it also awarded bonus points to her.

    Bai Shuang was apletely different case. She was aware that her father hadmitted treason, but she did not report him. Instead, she joined her father and lived abroad with him for a period of time. This would almost make her an aplice.

    In short, although immediate family members were the only real decisive factors in a political review, all the circumstances of non-immediate family members also needed to be thoroughly investigated and recorded.

    Huo Shaoheng patiently educated Gu Nianzhi about the content and standards of the background check.

    They normally abided by the principle of keeping quiet during meals and bedtime, so they usually didn¡¯t chat.

    However, since they were staying in this apartment-style hotel, the scenery outside was so beautiful, and the atmosphere was so harmonious that Huo Shaoheng decided not to be as strict about it.

    After Gu Nianzhi asked her question, she stopped talkingpletely.

    Herrge eyes flickered as she silently ate her favorite seafood fried rice.

    The apartment-style hotel they were staying in featured a working kitchen. There was also a supermarket nearby where they could buy fresh ingredients and cooking spices.

    After Zhao Liangze left, the two of them went to the supermarket to buy daily necessities for a few days, as well as drinking water, semi-prepared food, and rice.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cooking skills were impable. Gu Nianzhi ate three bowls in one breath before reluctantly putting down the cutlery.

    ¡°I¡¯m full now. Shao Huo, would you like coffee or tea?¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up and went to the kitchen to make some drinks.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch. It was not six o¡¯clock yet, so it was still too early to go to bed.

    ¡°Give me a mocha without added sugar.¡± Huo Shaoheng loaded the tes into the dishwasher in the kitchen, then turned on the automatic mode to let the machine do all the work.

    He went to sit down on the balcony outside the door and picked up a local English newspaper that had been provided by the apartment to read.

    Gu Nianzhi found the coffee machine and studied it for a while before making a mocha and a cappino.

    She set the two coffee cups on the tray and put the mocha in front of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, give this a try. I made it myself,¡± she said.

    Mocha was a drink made by mixing coffee and cocoa powder. It was not pure ck coffee, so he would still be able to sleep after drinking it.

    Huo Shaoheng took it and had a sip, nodding in satisfaction as he said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi drank the cappino as she kept her eyes on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face in front of her.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the newspaper indifferently, then calmly said, ¡°...Do you have something to say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She wanted to deny it at first, but when she realized that she really had something to say, she had no choice but to touch her nose and whisper, ¡°Huo Shao, you were even able to handle my background check. Can¡¯t you help Brother Ze out?¡±

    She had signed a marriage certificate with Huo Shaoheng, which meant that all the rules and stiptions should have been satisfied already.

    The most importantponent of those rules and stiptions was the background check.

    Gu Nianzhi was well aware of her own situation. Merely writing that her father was missing could already cause the background check to fail immediately.

    If her background check had failed, she and Huo Shaoheng could never even dream of getting married.

    But Gu Nianzhi vehemently disapproved of her wedding in the first ce, so she had never really thought about this issue before.

    Back then, Huo Shaoheng used Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background check as a condition to bargain with the military leaders before agreeing to leave for New York to rescue Tan Guiren.

    Faced with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request for help, Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and said calmly, ¡°No one in your family had a criminal record, so your situation was not difficult to investigate. But Bai Shuang¡¯s situation is different. Her and her father¡¯s situation is moreplicated. This is not something I can guarantee.¡±

    The only person with a criminal record was Gu Yanran, but she didn¡¯t even have actual adoption papers. Huo Shaoheng did not recognize Gu Yanran as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s immediate family member.

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered with some regret. ¡°But Bai Shuang is actually a pretty good person.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°I am sitting right here with you, but you only care about others. Nianzhi, you really know how to waste time...¡±

 Chapter 1190 - What A Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 1190 What A Coincidence</h4>

    Wasting time?Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng with a quizzical look on her face.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her shoulder with one hand and pulled her over, leaning down to kiss her lips. His deep voice was slightly hoarse, ¡°...I guess this is what cappinos taste like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly realized that she couldn¡¯t keep up with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thought processes at all.

    ¡°...Is there a difference? ...Doesn¡¯t it taste about the same as your mocha?¡± Gu Nianzhi stammered as a tingling sensation appeared on her plump and curvy lips.

    ¡°Taste about the same? I think there is a huge difference.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke with his lips pressed against hers, ¡°You can taste mine if you don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bewitched by his deep and raspy voice, so she couldn¡¯t help but stick out the tip of her tiny tongue to lick Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips, and then quickly retracting.

    ¡°Cappino is coffee mixed with vani, mocha is coffee mixed with ck cocoa...¡± Gu Nianzhi murmured. She couldn¡¯t stop Huo Shaoheng from devouring her lips again, to tasting the vor of ¡°vani coffee.¡±

    As Huo Shaoheng sucked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tongue, her scalp suddenly became numb. She tried to push him away and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±

    ¡°Not enough...¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled quietly against her ear, ¡°It¡¯s not enough for me to eat... We can go into the room and continue to eat.¡±

    It was actually a very normal sentence to begin with, but Huo Shaoheng said it in a way and tone that made it sound very seductive.

    That evening, Huo Shaoheng repeatedly tasted the vor of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°vani coffee¡± until dawn.

    ...

    On the ind, Zhao Liangze barely slept all night.

    Whenever he closed his eyes, he would remember the kiss with Bai Shuang during the day.

    It was like he had been waiting for a long time and finally got his wish granted, but it was also as if he had been caught off guard and she trespassed into his heart. He couldn¡¯t tell when his feelings for Bai Shuang even began.

    He only knew that he didn¡¯t even feel slightly excited at all on the day that Bai Yueran suddenly kissed him in the parking lot. Instead, it felt like he had finally put an end to his romantic pursuit of over a year.

    Just like a traveler on a long journey to a pilgrimage, he discovered that it was nothing like the holy ce he had hoped for when he reached the end.

    But the kiss with Bai Shuang during the daytime made him feel unfulfilled. Not only was he overly excited, but he also wanted to continue.

    Maybe love is like this. It appeared to require certain conditions to build up, but this waspletely irrelevant and illogical when it came to the actual situation.

    A body¡¯s feelings cannot deceive anyone.

    And love was the essential attraction of hormones from the very beginning.

    But it would be extremely difficult for him to be with Bai Shuang forever.

    For a moment, Zhao Liangze hated Bai Shuang¡¯s father Bai Yusheng very much.

    When he desperately ran off to another country, did he even think that he would not only harm the innocent field personnel, but also his only daughter?

    Bai Shuang lost her job because of him, and now she was forced to give up her love life too.

    But then again, she was in a much better position than the field personnel since she did not lose her life.

    For a human being, what was more important than life itself?

    When Zhao Liangze thought about it this way, he felt the unstoppable excitement fade slightly. The education and training he received in the military for all these years, made him unable to remain indifferent to this kind of situation.

    Standing on the balcony connecting the room and facing the vast coastline, he smoked all night long.

    Early the next morning, the round red sun emerged from the sea level and illuminated the entire ocean in an instant.

    The dark clouds that had enshrouded the sky all night dispersed. The blue sky and white clouds, the clear water and the red sun¨Ccountless intense colors rushed forward and nearly made people colourblind when they saw the myriad of colors and lights.

    Zhao Liangze had already seen this many times, but couldn¡¯t help but marvel every time he saw it again.

    But today, his mind is taken over by Bai Shuang. He felt absent minded as he looked at the beautiful sunrise on the sea before him.

    A few seagulls flew by, cutting through the sky before his eyes.

    Zhao Liangze returned to his senses and threw the cigarette butt in his hand into the trash can at the corner of the balcony. He brandished his fists against the sky.

    Smelling the stink of cigarette smoke all over his body, he curled his lips in disgust and went back to the room to take a shower. He then changed his clothes and went to visit Huo Shaoheng with the suitcase he packedst night.

    ...

    At 7am in the morning, Gu Nianzhi slept deeply in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    He exhausted her yesterday once again...

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and kissed her on the cheek with love and pity.

    ¡°...I want to sleep, don¡¯t make so much noise...¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed him with her hand in an attempt to turn over, but Huo Shaoheng immobilized her.

    She struggled for a bit and found that she couldn¡¯t break free, then gave up.

    Huo Shaoheng let out a throaty chuckle¨Chis voice was full of maism that plucked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heartstrings, so that she wasforted even in her sleep.

    She gradually calmed down and rxed her furrowed brows in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng massaged her legs and waist, then finally squeezed her shoulders too.

    Over exertion required proper rxation afterwards, and his physical strength was still somewhat unbearable for her.

    Gu Nianzhi slept deeper, her breathing soft and deep. Her long eyshes were like two small fans that covered the faint bruises under her eyes.

    An unstoppable part of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart softened. Leaning over, he kissed her eyelids with gentle and meticulous movements that mirrored a dragonfly touching the water briefly.

    He did not wake her up.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath before lifting the nket and getting out of bed. He went to the outdoor swimming pool toplete fiftyps and vent his early morning energy.

    Climbing up from the swimming pool dripping wet, the sun just happened to shine on him and shrouded his body in the golden light.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the swimming pool and went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

    As soon as he finished making breakfast, Gu Nianzhi came out after washing up and Zhao Liangze also arrived with his suitcase.

    Huo Shaoheng put three sets of breakfast on the table and remarked dryly, ¡°You two sure have perfect timing.¡±

    Zhao Liangze gave Gu Nianzhi an innocent look and said inexplicably, ¡°...Doesn¡¯t everyone eat breakfast around this time? Why would I need perfect timing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, all breakfast restaurants in the Huaxia Empire are open around this time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at them, ¡°You two are quite harmonious and know how to put up a good act.¡±

    ¡°Naturally. Did you forget who taught her everything?¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled heartily and looked like he was in a good mood.

    Gu Nianzhi also stifled a giggle as she took a sip of milk and identally left ayer of white milk foam on her upper lip.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the paper napkin on the dining table and smoothly wiped the milk foam from her lips.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t resist him either, tilting her head casually to let him wipe.

    The movements of the two had an indescribable sense of harmony and love...

    Zhao Liangze threw down his cutlery and replied angrily, ¡°It makes me sick to see you two acting all lovey dovey so early in the morning. I¡¯ve lost my appetite, I¡¯m going for a morning run.¡±

    He only took one bite of his piece of freshly prepared toast before leaving it on his te.

    Coming out of the small courtyard of the apartment-style hotel where Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were staying at, Zhao Liang noticed the air was fresh and the temperature was neither too hot nor cold¨Cso he decided to run for a while in the morning.

    He stretched his long legs and began running around the sidewalk surrounding the hotel area.

    Soon afterwards, a woman in red workout clothes ran over to him from the opposite sidewalk.

    They passed by each other on the road and stopped at the same time.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence, we meet again.¡± Zhao Liangze said quietly, looking at Bai Shuang in front of him and narrowing his eyes.

 Chapter 1191 - Choked To Death By Lovey Dovey Behavior

    <h4>Chapter 1191 Choked To Death By Lovey Dovey Behavior</h4>

    Bai Shuang originally wanted to say hello, but when she saw Zhao Liangze¡¯s poor attitude¨Cshe didn¡¯t bother saying anything before turning her head and ran ahead like she didn¡¯t see him.Zhao Liangze noticed this and began to run backwards to move side by side with Bai Shuang. He smiled, ¡°...Are you annoyed? I was just expressing my surprise. Cape Town is such arge ce, but we managed to run into each other twice within two days. Isn¡¯t it fate?¡±

    Bai Shuang frowned and didn¡¯t even look at him. She replied coldly, ¡°You are way out of my league. You better get away from me and let me have a peaceful morning run.¡± As she spoke, she elerated her running speed.

    Zhao Liangze was running backwards, so of course he was not as fast as Bai Shuang. He was quickly left behind.

    He didn¡¯t intend to catch up with her either, so he turned around and slowed down to a walk as he dazedly looked at the red figure in front of him for some time.

    When Bai Shuang ran out of his sight, Zhao Liangze suddenly stopped in his tracks and his eyes seemed to dart around subtly.

    The weather was getting warmer in Cape Town around mid-April.

    The greenery in the wealthy hotel district was well done, so there were lush trees everywhere.

    The scorching sun burned in the sky, and the ground was thick and shaded with nts. However there were no cicadas chirping, but only the rare bird chirping that could be heard asionally. This made the surroundings even quieter.

    asionally, a few Caucasian men in tank tops and shorts ran past and waved their bottles of spring water at him as a greeting.

    Zhao Liangze smiled faintly and nodded, then turned around to go back.

    ...

    There was still breakfast left on the table in the dining room of the apartment-style hotel where Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi stayed at.

    Zhao Liangze only took a bite of toast when he went out in the morning. Now he couldn¡¯t help but salivate when he saw the bright yellow scrambled eggs and the golden bacon.

    Everything was delicious when he was starving.

    He sat at the dining table, and cleared all the breakfast off the dining table like a gust of wind before going to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were sitting on the sofa in the living room.

    These two people insisted on squeezing together even though it was such a long L-shaped sofa, so it was a big eyesore.

    Huo Shaoheng embraced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire body in his arms and cocked his head as he watched her hold her phone and y games.

    The corner of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched as he sat down opposite to them. He reached out and knocked on the coffee table in front of him, ¡°Hey, do I have to remind you to act respectfully in broad daylight?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and nced at him, ¡°...Didn¡¯t you go for a morning run? You can¡¯t move after only running for a few minutes? ...Shameful.¡±

    ¡°I got into a special situation!¡± Zhao Liangze banged the coffee table with a fist, frowning angrily, ¡°Guess who I saw again just now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you saw Bai Shuang again.¡± Gu Nianzhi was still ying games on her phone and snickered at Zhao Liangze without looking up.

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...Prophet, please ept my humble bow!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up from the mobile game and said with surprise: ¡°It was really Bai Shuang?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also nced at Zhao Liangze, ¡°What a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what a coincidence! ¨CTell me, am I destined to be with her instead?!¡± Zhao Liangze sighed, ¡°So I hurried back here to let you know. Huo Shao, you still haven¡¯t told us what we should do?¡±

    Bai Shuang ran into Zhao Liangze. In order to prevent Bai Shuang from realizing that Zhao Liangze was on a secret mission on the ind, Huo Shaoheng asked Zhao Liangze to move in with them.

    This way, they could say that he came to apany them on vacation if Bai Shuang ran into them again,

    But Huo Shaoheng had been disguised, so he didn¡¯t use his true appearance.

    If Bai Shuang found out, Huo Shaoheng would be exposed as well.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to continue ying games anymore. She quit the program and turned off her phone before ncing at Huo Shaoheng, and then Zhao Liangze, ¡°What should we do then? How about the three of us split up?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng objected in unison.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed Huo Shaoheng away from her and sat down on the corner of the sofa. Bracing her arms on the soft sofa cushions, she crossed her long legs and said disapprovingly, ¡°Then what should we do? Should we let Bai Shuang find out? I don¡¯t think she is a bad person, she should be fine.¡±

    Bai Shuang once served as a rtively high-level official in an Huaxia Imperial government agency, so she still had a basic sense of confidentiality.

    Although her father Bai Yushengmitted a crime, she did not.

    ¡°... But what if she identally leaks information?¡± Zhao Liangze was also frustrated, and he kept feeling that their encounter was too much of a coincidence...

    They both went abroad without knowing each other¡¯s whereabouts, yet they managed to meet twice in a row in a foreign country thousands of miles away from home.

    If this was really fate, Zhao Liangze believed he should go buy lottery tickets now.

    Huo Shaoheng fully supported Zhao Liangze¡¯s cautiousness towards the situation.

    ¡°Little Ze, at this time, it¡¯s very fortunate that you haven¡¯t been dazzled by Bai Shuang¡¯s beauty at a moment like this.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded at him and gave him a praising smile, ¡°Your years of development and nurturing in the military was not in vain.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, you are just bragging about your own good judgement...¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she demolished Huo Shaoheng¡¯s excuse, ¡°Who would be so boastful?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back on the sofa, hugged his arms in front of his chest and slightly curled the corners of his lips into a smile, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. If Little Ze continues with this good behavior, I can be rest assured letting him operate independently.¡±

    The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help twitching, ¡°...Huo Shao, I thought I had been operating independently for months now!¡±

    That uninhabited ind was developed bit by bit under his leadership!

    It was thanks to Zhao Liangze setting up a base station on the ind, that they were able to use the Nandou Satellite Communication and Navigation System to connect to the Inte here without worrying about information leakage.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at him without agreeing or refuting. He turned his eyes to Gu Nianzhi, and said thoughtfully: ¡°Little Ze¨Cif you run into Bai Shuang for the third time, just tell her that you are on vacation with Nianzhi here and acting as her bodyguard. Ask her to keep this secret and not tell anyone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng would conceal himself and hide in the shadows. By observing in secret, he would find the specific ce referred to by Gu Xiangwen¡¯s poem in the meanwhile.

    If Bai Shuang really had ulterior motives, he would be able to know who her target was.

    Maybe her target was Huo Shaoheng, so he automatically solved the problem when he hid in the shadows.

    Maybe her target was Gu Nianzhi, so it was very probable that Bai Shuang would leak Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts.

    But Huo Shaoheng was also an expert at counter-tracking.

    If there were really people working behind the scenes with Bai Shuang, then Huo Shaoheng could guarantee to keep them in Cape Town forever...

    He has always been very bold.

    When Huo Shaoheng told them his n, Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression became stiff.

    ¡°There is... someone working behind the scenes with Bai Shuang?!¡± He was acting emotionally and refused to ept this conclusion.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up to nce at him, ¡°I only said that it was possible. As for whether this guess is true or not, it will all depend on how Bai Shuang acts.¡±

    It would be ideal if they were merely worrying for nothing, but if there was even a ten millionth chance of this possibility that Bai Shuang had ulterior motives behind approaching Zhao Liangze this time¨CHuo Shaoheng and the others will not passively wait to be attacked.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, ¡°Do you really want to do this? Then does that mean Huo Shao will be moving out?¡±

    Since he was retreating into the shadows and going into hiding, he couldn¡¯t stay with them anymore?

    However, Huo Shaoheng chuckled and shook his head, ¡°No, I won¡¯t move away.¡±

    ¡°But you said to tell Bai Shuang that Little Ze is the one apanying me on vacation. How will this work if you don¡¯t move away?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked in confusion.

    In addition to the living room, dining room, and small living room, this apartment-style hotel also has a master bedroom with two guest rooms.

    One guest room was arranged as a study and audio-visual room, so there were actually only two bedrooms that can be lived in.

    If Zhao Liangze¡¯s reason for being there was because he was on vacation with Gu Nianzhi, then Huo Shaoheng could not continue living here.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to be separated from Huo Shaoheng.

    They finally had the opportunity to be alone together. Even if they were operating a mission together, Gu Nianzhi cherished this time together with Huo Shaoheng very much.

    Huo Shaoheng highly enjoyed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attachment and reluctance to leave him.

    He was not afraid of her raising a fuss, nor was he afraid of her causing trouble. He was most afraid of her not raising a fuss, not causing trouble, not relying on him, and no longer being reluctant about leaving him anymore.

    He smiled and flirted with Gu Nianzhi with his eyes, ¡°...Little Ze will stay in the guest room, so I will stay with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°???¡±

    Didn¡¯t you already stay with mest night? Was it necessary to say this in front of Zhao Liangze?!

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°!!!¡±

    Huo Shao was very treacherous!

    He was using Zhao Liangze as an excuse and the theoretical basis for a valid reason for why he was staying in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom!

    Huo Shaohengpletely ignored the dumbfounded expressions of the other two people as he stood up from the sofa and said, ¡°So it¡¯s decided then. My luggage has been in Nianzhi¡¯s room sincest night anyway, so I don¡¯t have to bother with taking it out.¡±

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes and fell on his back to lie on the sofa with wide, haunting eyes, ¡°I¡¯m dead now, you canmunicate to me through sacrifices from now on.¡±

    He then added, ¡°...I was choked to death by your lovey dovey behavior.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny and fair face instantly blushed. She couldn¡¯t help but re at Huo Shaoheng, but in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, her gaze was electrice and charming, so he couldn¡¯t help but lose control once again...

    ¡°Come on, help me unpack my luggage.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked over to Gu Nianzhi, pulled her up and almost dragged her back to the bedroom.

    Zhao Liangze finally crawled up from the sofa, carried his suitcase and settled in the only bedroom left for him to stay in.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s n had a natural benefit¨Cthis apartment-style hotel was originally booked under Zhao Liangze¡¯s name anyway.

    Zhao Liangze also came to help them check in when they arrived.

    He used some tricks, so the hotel staff in charge of checking in at the front desk did not even check Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identification.

    So even if there was a problem with Bai Shuang, the people working behind the scenes with her would not know that Huo Shaoheng was staying here if they checked this hotel.

    Of course, it was ideal if there was no problem with Bai Shuang.

    Otherwise...

    Huo Shaoheng also had some deep concerns.

    If this matter was not handled properly, he would lose one of his most powerful men.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi staggered as Huo Shaoheng dragged her all the way back to the master bedroom. She finally struggled away from his grasp when they got into the room and said angrily, ¡°You don¡¯t think others will know if you stay in here with me?¡±

    ¡°When we checked in yesterday, not many people saw us. I will pretend to be a driver today and leave here first. Then I¡¯ll sneak back in the dead of night.¡± Huo Shaoheng hugged Gu Nianzhi as they sat down on the bed, ¡°Leave the window open for me.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to climb the window to get in?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked, so she didn¡¯t even notice what Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand was doing...

    ...

 Chapter 1192 - Swim Together

    <h4>Chapter 1192 Swim Together</h4>

    Zhao Liangze quickly unpacked his luggage in the guest room. After everything was arranged as if this was his real home, he carefully thought about everything that had happened since he ran into Bai Shuang and her actual temperament as a person. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Huo Shaoheng was being overly concerned.Bai Shuang was not that kind of person; she would never do the kind of things her father did.

    Zhao Liangze felt that his judgment was correct.

    He raked his fingers through his hair vigorously, then went outside to find Huo Shaoheng to discuss it again.

    But when he pushed on the master bedroom door, he found that it was closed firmly even though it was daytime. He could only imagine what was happening inside.

    Zhao Liangze snickered and thought to himself that Huo Shao was intoxicated with a woman. So why did he forbid Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang¡¯s fate of being together?!

    Of course, he rationally admitted that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s approach was the correct way to do it.

    With their line of work, they really did not have the effort and time to spend on women.

    While romances appeared iparably beautiful, every moment of it could be lurking with lethal danger.

    His mind was a mess, but Huo Shao was busy now and probably didn¡¯t have the time to worry about him.

    He went back to the guest room to change his swimming trunks so he could swim in the pool in the courtyard.

    As soon as he arrived at the courtyard, he didn¡¯t even have time to get into the water before seeing a woman in a red dress sauntering over.

    This time, her red dress was a different style than before. The front was modest, but the back had a deep and revealing plunge. Her long hair flowed behind her to conceal some of the seductive sight.

    But whenever the wind lifted her long hair, he could see the alluring expanse of her back.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart sank, yet there was no change in expression on his face.

    He first sent a text message to Huo Shaoheng, telling him that Bai Shuang had already arrived. Then, he walked slowly over to the short, white courtyard gates and whistled at the woman in the red dress gliding over. ¡°Gorgeous, do you want toe in for a cup of tea?¡±

    The woman in the red dress turned around. It was none other than Bai Shuang.

    She frowned and looked unhappy as she said, ¡°Zhao Liangze, be honest with me. Are you following me?¡±

    Zhao Liangze asked, ¡°...I¡¯m following you?¡±

    He looked back at his courtyard and smiledzily with his arms crossed as he said, ¡°I¡¯m staying here, and you came up to my door. Now you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m following you?¡±

    The ring sunlight from the southern hemisphere illuminated Zhao Liangze¡¯s tanned and shiny skin. His skin exuded powerful masculinity and seemed as if it was greased with oil.

    It was strange when she thought about it since the first thing about Zhao Liangze that had attracted Bai Shuang was his fair skin and handsome bookishness. Now that he was much tougher looking, Bai Shuang did not feel that her attraction faded at all, but grew stronger instead.

    Bai Shuang squinted her eyes at him. ¡°...Didn¡¯t you know that I¡¯m staying here, and that was why you decided to book a hotel suite here and be close to me?¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°!!!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actually staying here? When did you check in? I booked a room here a long time ago!¡± Zhao Liangze said dubiously.

    Bai Shuang sneered and pointed at him, saying, ¡°Go and investigate for yourself when I checked in. Don¡¯t look at me with that expression; it¡¯s obvious from your face that you want to y around with my cousin and me at the same time. Don¡¯t try deceiving yourself or other people.¡±

    Zhao Liangze leaned on the short, white courtyard door and smiled as he moved his head closer to Bai Shuang. ¡°...You really don¡¯t want toe in and sit? I have coffee. I can make some for you,¡± he said.

    Bai Shuang thought for a while, putting her hand on her forehead and looking at the road ahead. She muttered to herself, ¡°It¡¯s still early, and nothing is going on today anyway...¡±

    ¡°Come on in.¡± Zhao Liangze grabbed Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and pushed open the short, white courtyard door. ¡°Did you bring a swimsuit? Should we swim together?¡±

    Bai Shuang rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Swim together? Don¡¯t you know how tiny the swimming pools are here? You can swim by yourself. I have other things to do. Goodbye.¡± She raised her chin and walked away.

    Zhao Liangze did not stop her, nor did he point out the contradictions in her words.

    He merely leaned on the short, white courtyard door as he smiled and watched Bai Shuang walk off.

    The smile on Zhao Liangze¡¯s face gradually faded when he saw Bai Shuang walking through the gates of the apartment next door.

    At that moment, he felt an even stronger urge to swim.

    Walking back with shoulders slumped, Zhao Liangze jumped into the swimming pool and swam recklessly.

    ...

    Inside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, Huo Shaoheng saw Zhao Liangze¡¯s text message before he even finished.

    From that moment on, he decided never to put his phone on the nightstand ever again...

    Because Bai Shuang wasing, Huo Shaoheng had to leave immediately. However, he found it extremely difficult to go at a time like this.

    Everything about Gu Nianzhi intoxicated him, but their time together was always too fleeting. So, he turned to his most physical instincts to express his reluctance to leave his beloved.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng left in a hurry, so Gu Nianzhi quickly packed away Huo Shaoheng¡¯s things into the suitcase and put it into a locked closet before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

    After washing up, she came outside to choose an outfit to change into.

    This time, Huo Shaoheng had left too many marks on her body. The short-sleeved T-shirt and short shorts she had worn that morning were out of the question now. Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to select a long halter dress with a small, short-sleeved silk cardigan to cover her arms and back.

    This long dress went down to her ankles and was also called a maxi dress. Paired with flip-flops, this outfit was perfect for taking stylish photos on the beach.

    Gu Nianzhi spun around in front of the mirror happily, then opened the bedroom door with still-wet hair.

    There was no one in the silent living room.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was a little strange.

    Huo Shaoheng had shown her his phone just now. There was a text message from Zhao Liangze.

    Where did Bai Shuang go?

    Did she go to the guest room where Zhao Liangze was staying tomunicate their feelings?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about this as she knocked on the door of the guest room. ¡°Brother Ze?¡±

    That room waspletely quiet as well.

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled and turned the door handle.

    The door opened unexpectedly with a click.

    Zhao Liangze hadn¡¯t even locked the door.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the guest room to see that there was no one inside.

    Where did they go?

    Gu Nianzhi closed the guest room door before walking out of the living room and standing at the front door.

    In the yard, she could only hear the sound of rushing water. There was a shiny ck figure floating among the blue waves. It appeared very beautiful.

    But there was only one person.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly walked out, holding her skirt up, and came to the edge of the pool. She saw that only one person was swimming in the pool ¨C it was Zhao Liangze.

    She nced around but did not see anyone else.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down on the rattan lounge chair by the pool and called out to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, where is she?¡±

    Zhao Liangze felt ufortable, so he had swum a dozenps in one go.

    Hearing someone call out to him, he looked up to see Gu Nianzhi standing by the pool and nodded at her. ¡°Who is here? Who are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Bai Shuang. Didn¡¯t you send a text saying that she was here?¡±

 Chapter 1193 - Three Strikes and Youâ€™re Ou

    <h4>Chapter 1193 Three Strikes and You¡°re Ou</h4>

    Bai Shuang?Zhao Liangze miserably plunged to the bottom of the pool, then floated up again. He thrashed his arms around to ssh water.

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back to avoid getting wet.

    Zhao Liangze wiped his face before getting out of the pool. He sat on the edge and looked at the bright blue water with a frown as he said, ¡°...She didn¡¯te in; she left already.¡±

    ¡°She left already? Where did she go?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression and delicately consoled him, saying, ¡°Brother Ze, maybe you two are really fated to be together...¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded with a bitter expression. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fate.¡±

    A tragic fate.

    Seeing that Zhao Liangze was in a bad mood, Gu Nianzhi quickly changed the topic. ¡°Brother Ze, are you going to go out today? Are there any fun ces you want to take me to?¡±

    Zhao Liangze perked up and told Gu Nianzhi about the tourist attractions of Cape Town.

    ¡°...The city is close to the ocean, so most of the attractions are rted to the bay¡ªfor example, the well-known Cape of Good Hope, Penguin Bay, and Seal Ind. Oh yes, the Stellenbosch wine estate here is also very famous, and the wines in the cer are worth a taste. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened carefully but didn¡¯t think these sights were anything special.

    Although they hade to the ce indicated on the map, Cape Town was not a small city. Finding the data that Gu Xiangwen had hidden here was really like looking for a needle in a haystack.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down in defeat.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you upset?¡± Zhao Liangze cocked his head at her. ¡°I¡¯m not even upset. Why are you upset?¡±

    He then continued to tease her by asking, ¡°Because... Alex left?¡±

    If the situation was not going well, they would not call each other by their real names.

    Alex was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s alias when he was on missions abroad.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a sullen look and said, ¡°Please, we are here on official business here. Can you stop smiling so lewdly?¡±

    ¡°When did I ever smile lewdly? I wasughing heartily, alright?¡± Zhao Liangze sat on the edge of the pool with a smile, dipping his muscr legs in the water to kick up sshes as he kept teasing Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled, and her depressed mood quickly improved.

    She stood up and waved her arms in the air, saying, ¡°Okay, no matter what the situation is, we should go for a walk first. Maybe things aren¡¯t as bad as they seem, and it¡¯s better than thinking about it here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s go and get changed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay wearing this.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at herself. Her maxi dresspletely covered her legs, and the short-sleeved cardigan concealed half of her arms. It was very good, and it blocked the sun so well she didn¡¯t even need to put on sunscreen.

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi only put sunscreen on her exposed face, neck, lower arms, and hands. She put on big sunsses and a morous wide-brimmed mesh hat, then applied Dior Addict lipstick in the shade IT Pink. The delicate red lip color immediately lit up her fair and rosy face.

    Zhao Liangze changed into a tropical style short sleeve shirt and cargo shorts. He wore a pair of running shoes and sunsses as well. His previous handsomeness disappeared, making him look like a bodyguard or a driver.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted tough again and said, ¡°Brother Ze, you don¡¯t match with me when you dress like this!¡±

    ¡°A certain someone would be anxious if I matched with you.¡± Zhao Liangze winked at her. ¡°I need to rify my status.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and pinched Zhao Liangze¡¯s arm hard. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! It¡¯s not what you think!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t tease you.¡± Zhao Liangze chuckled loudly as he walked out with Gu Nianzhi.

    He took Gu Nianzhi to the tan colored Jeep from yesterday that was as strong as a tank, then drove toward the city.

    They were staying in an artificial bay that had been developed. It waspletely different from the ces where the natural bays were preserved for ecological purposes. They needed to drive through the urban area to reach such a scenic spot.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the front passenger seat of the Jeep and looked around the entire way. As she peered out the window, the roadside scenery changed from neat, orderly, clean, and beautiful to chaotic, dirty, and ugly.

    The deeper they went into the city, the more obvious this was.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed emotionally. ¡°...Who knows what this country has gone through in thest ten years,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Zhao Liangze calmly pressed on the car horn and avoided an African man crossing the road. ¡°This was once a developed country. After that famous saint came to power as president, he voluntarily disarmed the country¡¯s nuclear weapons and forcibly asked the Caucasians to give up positions to the Africans. He won praise internationally, but transformed a first-world developed country into a messy, practically third-world developing country.¡±

    It may take decades or even hundreds of generations of effort to build a country.

    But it only takes a few years to destroy one.

    ¡°Hehe, he lived up to the whole world, but he disappointed the citizens of his own country.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head as she said, ¡°Sure enough, being praised by the enemy is never a good thing.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Zhao Liangzeughed. ¡°Alex used to say often that as long as we continue to be condemned by enemy counties, it meant that we were on the right path. If we are praised by enemy countries one day, then we must seriously reflect. We must have gone down the wrong path.¡±

    Pftt¨C!

    Gu Nianzhiughed so hard that she began to tear up. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s thanks to our peers that we have a clear direction to walk in!¡±

    The two talked andughed, and soon they came to the city center.

    There were still fairly good buildings and attractions in downtown Cape Town. Of course, it didn¡¯tpare with the wealthy hotel district they hade from.

    If someone insisted onparing the two, then the wealthy hotel district was like the central business district in arge Huaxia city. On the other hand, the city center was like a tiny county town from 20 years ago.

    ¡°The buildings here are still very distinctive.¡± Zhao Liangze pointed out two rows of red buildings beside the road to Gu Nianzhi. He was about to turn on the road to the harbor when the corner of his eyes flickered. He saw a woman in a red dress again, this time she got out of a yellow taxi.

    Zhao Liangze mmed on the brakes so hard that Gu Nianzhi almost fell forward.

    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked.

    ¡°...You¡¯re right; I am really fated to be with her. This is the third encounter,¡± Zhao Liangze replied quietly as he raised his chin.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Zhao Liangze¡¯s gaze, and the woman in the red dress happened to turn around to face them.

    ¡°Is this Miss Bai?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Brother Ze, how can you keep running into her wherever you go?!¡±

    ¡°I want to know how, too.¡± Zhao Liangze stepped on the gas pedal to drive to the road in front of Bai Shuang. He lowered the window, and Gu Nianzhi waved to Bai Shuang, shouting, ¡°Miss Bai!¡±

    It was a familiar voice.

    Bai Shuang looked up in surprise to see a woman wearing a mesh wide-brimmed hat that only revealed an exquisite jawline and charming, plump lips, greeting her.

    Zhao Liangze also leaned over from the car window and smiled as he said to Bai Shuang, ¡°Bai Shuang, we meet again. Since it¡¯s fate, shall we go for a cup of coffee?¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°This is... Nianzhi? It¡¯s just the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I came to vacation here with Nianzhi. What¡¯s wrong? You seem disappointed. Who else were you expecting to see?¡± Zhao Liangze raised his eyebrows as he said, ¡°We have met three times now. Three strikes and you¡¯re out, so this is worth celebrating. Get in the car. There is a nice cafe up ahead.¡±

 Chapter 1194 - Itâ€™s Exhausting to Chase After Someone

    <h4>Chapter 1194 It¡°s Exhausting to Chase After Someone</h4>

    Bai Shuang squeezed the Chanel Boy bag tightly in her hand and hesitated for a moment before pulling the door open to get into the car.With a stony expression, Zhao Liangze drove to a fairly famous cafe on a nearby street.

    Coffee was still considered a new type of hot beverage in this city.

    People here were ustomed to drinking tea. Of course, it was English afternoon or morning tea.

    Now there are all kinds of coffee avable and not simple instant or instant coffee, but coffee withplicated procedures starting from coffee beans.

    When Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, she saw a post-modern cafe with unique decor.

    The entire storefront was built with transparent ss panes, and the structure inside was supported by meticulously ced steel beams and columns. Although intricate, it was neat and orderly to provide an open view.

    The name of the shop was even more unique; it was called Truth Coffee.

    Zhao Liangze apanying two beautiful women into the cafe without blinking his eyes immediately attracted the attention of everyone inside.

    He found seats by the window.

    Gu Nianzhi sat with Zhao Liangze next to the window.

    Bai Shuang sat across from them.

    When they walked to the window, they realized that the cafe was actually built by the sea.

    Stretches of rocky reefs could be seen outside the window, and the coastline was a little further away.

    There was no sandy beach, so when the sea pped against the reef and sshed coils of white mist, the waves crashed.

    ¡°...The rocks pierced through the sky, the stormy waves hit the shore, and a thousand piles of snow were cast into the air.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the scenery outside the window with a smile and said, ¡°Our ancient poems described this scene perfectly, so did the ancient Huaxia people evere here before?¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at her and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re a genius, after all, memorizing poetry perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Shucks, all you care about is teasing me.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Hurry up and tell me what kind of coffee is good here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze did not even look at the menu, but directly said to the waiter, ¡°She will have a natural cappino, I want a mocha, and thedy on the other side will have atte. Make the natural cappino with double sugar and double milk, the mocha ck, and thette with milk, no sugar, and a little bit of hot cocoa.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s expression became more conflicted. She looked at Zhao Liangze peculiarly and said, ¡°...You remembered what I like.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to several concerts with you, so I know everything about what you like.¡± Zhao Liangze replied casually as he leaned back on the seat and asked Bai Shuang, ¡°When did youe to Cape Town? We just arrived not too long ago. Do you know any good ces to visit?¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Bai Shuang looked down somewhat frantically, balling her hands together with her arms trembling slightly. After a while, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a few days, and came with a marine animal protection organization. We are here to do some scientific publicity for a while.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± Gu Nianzhi saw that Bai Shuang was acting nervously, so she quickly changed the subject, asking, ¡°What kind of protected marine animals are there? I can only see seafood...¡± She was even licking her lips.

    Bai Shuang was amused by Gu Nianzhi andughed. ¡°All you care about is eating seafood. We can¡¯t let our team leader hear that; he won¡¯t say a word to you if he ever found out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°...Eating seafood is wrong too? That¡¯s food! That¡¯s food!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I know you like seafood the best. Today, I will take you to the best restaurant for seafood here, okay?¡± Zhao Liangze red at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded as she said, ¡°I must eat until I ampletely full.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like I don¡¯t feed you enough. Yesterday you had three bowls of rice!¡± Zhao Liangze raised his hand and called the waiter over to order two pieces of cake for Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang.

    The waiter brought all the coffee over then.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s ck mocha didn¡¯t have any additions. It was so ck that it appeared solemn and strong.

    Bai Shuang¡¯stte was dark yellow, like the color of the salted egg yolk inside a mooncake. An ear of wheat was drawn on the surface in white milk foam.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and took her natural cappino.

    A heart shape drawn with white milk foam floated on top of the pale-yellow drink.

    Looking at the heart, Gu Nianzhi remembered the heart-shaped steak Huo Shaoheng had made. Her heart throbbed, and she caught a glimpse of a tall figure from the corner of her eyes, so she immediately nced over calmly.

    The man was wearing the same uniform as the other waiters here, and he kept his head down at the coffee bar as he made various kinds of coffee ording to customer requests.

    His fingers were straight and clean, but his knuckles were not visible. He almost seemed to be making art when making coffee.

    As if sensing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze, the person looked up and smiled at her.

    It was apletely unfamiliar face, but Gu Nianzhi seemed to be in a trance as she stared at him before quickly looking down, her heart pounding.

    No matter who this person pretended to be, Gu Nianzhi could recognize him ¨C it was Huo Shaoheng.

    He said he wanted to hide in the shadows, but he was actually hiding like this...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts ran wild in her heart. She was both happy and worried, but there was a faint feeling of swelling as if she was too full of happiness, and it would overflow soon.

    She clutched her chest and patted it, her eyes squinting into a smile when she looked at the coffee cup in front of her.

    Zhao Liangze took a few sips of ck mocha and couldn¡¯t help but frown when he saw Gu Nianzhi grinning dumbly at the coffee cup. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter? Why are you smiling at a coffee cup so happily?¡± he asked.

    Bai Shuang nced at her and smiled understandingly. ¡°Little Ze, you don¡¯t understand this. Nianzhi must be thinking about her lover, isn¡¯t that right?¡± she said.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Am I wrong?¡± Bai Shuang raised her eyebrows, her plump lips pouting slightly into a seductive shape.

    ¡°I want to have a lover too, but I don¡¯t have one. What should I do?¡± Gu Nianzhiposed herself and spread her palms helplessly.

    ¡°How could that be? Nianzhi, aren¡¯t you Huo Shao¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Bai Shuang asked in surprise. ¡°Huo Shao has no girlfriends except for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to sense the person at the coffee bar looking over.

    She smiled calmly and said, ¡°Really? But we broke up already.¡±

    The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched as he stayed quiet.

    Bai Shuang quickly asked with concern, ¡°Huo Shao is so good to you, why did you break up? Nianzhi, you must reconsider carefully and work harder to pursue Huo Shao!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s exhausting to chase after someone. I n to be pursued by others from now on, so I won¡¯t chase after anyone anymore,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile.

    She actually didn¡¯t mean anything else and was just talking about her own situation.

    But to Bai Shuang¡¯s ears, it sounded like she was talking about her. Her face flushed red involuntarily as she lowered her head and muttered. Taking a sip of thette, she stopped talking.

    Upon seeing Bai Shuang¡¯s reaction, Gu Nianzhi realized that Bai Shuang probably misunderstood her words and quickly looked down as well.

    The three of them sat at the table with the best view, but not one of them looked at the ocean outside the window. Instead, they immersed themselves in the coffee, which also created a strange sight in the cafe.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head behind the counter and was speechless, seeing all three like this. The three of them together were like a group of fools.

    He called over a waiter and asked him to deliver the snacks Zhao Liangze had ordered to dispel the awkward silence at the table.

    When the food arrived, Gu Nianzhi became lively again and said to Bai Shuang, ¡°Miss Bai, are you still going to return to the Huaxia Empire? How long will you stay abroad? I actually didn¡¯t know where to go to have fun for this trip. I just randomly pointed to the map and came to this ce.¡±

    Bai Shuang was very envious of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rxed and carefree attitude. She excitedly replied, ¡°If you want to go somewhere fun, you should return to the Huaxia Empire. The food in our country is world-ss. But for the scenery, there are many options to visit in foreign countries. After all, the scenery is different from what is in the Huaxia Empire, so sightseeing is quite interesting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly and said, ¡°Actually, I mainly chose Cape Town because of the very fresh seafood...¡±

    ¡°You really can¡¯t talk about anything except for food. If I didn¡¯t know you, I would think you are not awyer, but a food consultant from a restaurant.¡± Zhao Liangze pushed the small snack in front of him towards Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°You eat it. Will this stop you from talking?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t talk anymore.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a zipping gesture over her mouth and then ate the cake.

    Only then did Zhao Liangze talk to Bai Shuang.

    ¡°...You are alone, so don¡¯t stay here for too long. It¡¯s about time you went back.¡± Zhao Liangze glumly persuaded her, saying, ¡°Nianzhi will only travel abroad for a few weeks, and then I will take her back to the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Bai Shuang was a bit curt to Zhao Liangze and kept her eyes on Gu Nianzhi the entire time. She seemed to have an easier time chatting with Gu Nianzhi, so she changed the topic, saying to Gu Nianzhi with a smile, ¡°Nianzhi, you asked me to rmend some fun ces to go. I remember some now.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? I would really like to hear the details.¡± Gu Nianzhi put down her cake and sat ramrod straight with an eager expression.

    Bai Shuang was truly a national spokesperson. She spoke melodically and introduced Gu Nianzhi to the fun ces in Cape Town like she was introducing the treasures in her own home.

    ¡°The natural scenic spots of Cape Town are located near the suburban coastline. You are staying there anyway, so it is enough for you to go out every morning and evening. You¡¯ll be sick of the ocean view after staying here for two weeks.¡±

    ¡°There are some very unique museums in Cape Town. If you have enough time, you should take a few days to visit the museums, and I guarantee you won¡¯t get bored.¡±

    As Bai Shuang spoke, she took out her phone enthusiastically and opened the photo album. ¡°Look, these are a few photos I took in a museum in the city center the other day. Aren¡¯t they interesting?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked them over one by one and smiled nomittally.

    The only museums she liked were history museums, preferably very old ones.

    Most of the museums there had not been there for even a hundred years, so she was not very interested.

    But she still looked at the photos politely and asionally expressed some admiration.

    As she was about to finish looking at all the photos, Gu Nianzhi was ready to decline seeing any more when she saw another image.

    In this photo, Bai Shuang stood in front of a mosaic wall with a victory sign in her hands. On the wall not far behind her, there was the handwritten English poem, ¡°A Little Girl Needs Daddy,¡± that Gu Nianzhi was very familiar with...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze froze, and she immediately pointed to the photo to ask, ¡°Where is this? Is it also a museum? It doesn¡¯t look like the previous photos.¡±

 Chapter 1195 - Strolling at the Bank

    <h4>Chapter 1195 Strolling at the Bank</h4>

    Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes shed as she cocked her head to look at it. ¡°Which photo? Oh, this one? It was not taken in a museum,¡± she said.¡°I was thinking the same thing. How could this kind of wall appear in a museum?¡± Gu Nianzhi suppressed her excitement and, still not giving up pursuing the question, replied casually, ¡°So Miss Bai, where did you take this picture? I think it looks so special... I might as well go there to have some fun...¡±

    Bai Shuang looked at her in surprise. ¡°There? That is not a ce to y in.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a ce to y in? So, where is this ce?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the photo carefully and wanted nothing more than to upload it to her phone.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was so interested, Zhao Liangze also poked his head over and took a look.

    He thought the ce looked familiar, so maybe he had been there before. But at this time, he was supposed to be someone who had just arrived in Cape Town and shouldn¡¯t be so familiar with the ce.

    So, he kept silent.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was very interested, Bai Shuang smiled and said, ¡°This was taken at the financial street in the city center.¡±

    ¡°Financial street?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more puzzled. ¡°You mean that your picture was taken in a financial institution?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi studied the photo carefully as she said, ¡°This ce seems to be a lobby. Normal funding institutions don¡¯t need such arge lobby, and there are faint reflections on the mosaic, so you can see the opposite side. It should be facing the street.¡±

    Bai Shuang was dumbfounded.

    Gu Nianzhi was actually able to analyze it perfectly with just one photo!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention waspletely focused on this photo, so she did not notice the change in Bai Shuang¡¯s expression.

    However, both Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng had their eyes on Bai Shuang¡¯s reaction.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the picture and said thoughtfully, ¡°...Then it can only be a bank. Only a bank would have an entrance facing the street and arge lobby.¡±

    Bai Shuangughed. She pped for Gu Nianzhi and said with a smile, ¡°I used to hear Little Ze say that you are very smart, so I thought you were only good at studying. Now I know that your intelligence is all-epassing with no blind spots!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...There are also a lot of things that I don¡¯t understand.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head as she said, ¡°I am not being modest, but I only understand thew andputers. Law is considered to be my academic background, butputers arepletely an amateur hobby. I learned from Brother Ze and did a little self-studying. Other than that, I really don¡¯t understand anything else.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing enough to understandputers and thew.¡± Bai Shuang patted the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and took her phone away.

    ¡°You¡¯re right; this photo was indeed taken in the lobby of a bank.¡± Bai Shuang opened the location of the photo and took a look. ¡°It¡¯s the French Societe Generale, which is what we call the Industrial Bank branch.¡±

    ¡°Industrial Bank? This is a big bank...¡± Gu Nianzhi was thoughtful as she considered how it was still a branch of the Bank of France.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing strange.¡± Bai Shuang turned off her phone and said with a smile, ¡°Cape Town is the country¡¯srgest financial center. Have you ever been to the financial street in the city center? The streets are full of branches from major banks from all over the world. The tall and avant-garde architecture ispletely different from the rest of Cape Town.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Really? Then I have to go and see it,¡± she said.

    Then, she turned to look at Zhao Liangze and said, ¡°Brother Ze, I want to go to this Industrial Bank to withdraw some money.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was almost speechless. He frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s enough for you to say you want to visit the bank. Why are you iming that it¡¯s your hobby...?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also found it funny.

    Right, she was clearly supposed to be traveling. Why would she need to go to the bank?

    Zhao Liangze frowned and objected, saying, ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about the bank? You don¡¯t have to go to the bank directly to withdraw money nowadays, just use your mobile phone to transfer money.¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled and didn¡¯t try persuading him anymore. She said, ¡°Little Ze is right, what¡¯s so interesting about going to the bank? Don¡¯t go out and run around if you can use the Inte to do something instead.¡±

    The more she said this, the more Gu Nianzhi wanted to go to the bank to take a look.

    She also knew that the timing was too coincidental when Bai Shuang showed her this photo.

    But this handwritten English poem would not appear there for no reason.

    Besides, she and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know where to start, so Bai Shuang had delivered this clue directly to them.

    If she didn¡¯t take advantage of this opportunity, she wouldn¡¯t be Gu Nianzhi...

    Even if it was a trap, she had to challenge it.

    The old saying goes, you can never im a tiger cub if you don¡¯t enter the tiger¡¯sir.

    Likewise, she would not forfeit any information rted to her father.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned backzily in the seat. The natural cappino in front of her was already finished. The cake in the small dish was half-eaten, but she was not in the mood to continue eating.

    ¡°I am a country bumpkin who has never seen anything in the world. This kind of French bank is still very interesting to me. I also want to take a photo there with my hand on a victory sign and fool people after I return to the Huaxia Empire,¡± she said.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled as she spoke and nearly emzoned the word liar on her forehead.

    Bai Shuang pretended to dissuade her some more before changing her tune, saying, ¡°Since you want to go, I will pledge my life and apany you there. Do you want to go now or tomorrow?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to go now, but Zhao Liangze felt that it was too hasty. He didn¡¯t know what the bank had to do with their current mission.

    The two discussed it. Zhao Liangze tried to tempt Gu Nianzhi with the most delicious seafood before he finally convinced her to change her mind and agree to visit the French Industrial Bank in the afternoon.

    Bai Shuang looked at them, smiled, and said, ¡°Where do you want to have lunch? I¡¯ll treat you.¡±

    ¡°No, we still have something to do when we go back.¡± Zhao Liangze was eager to find Huo Shaoheng and discuss the next steps.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had not had time to exin the whole matter to Zhao Liangze.

    When she realized this, Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the bank after lunch.¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    Bai Shuang stood up and slung the Chanel Boy bag over her shoulder. ¡°How about I meet you at the bank entrance in the afternoon? I need to go back and see how our marine animal protection organization is doing,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°Miss Bai, you don¡¯t actually need to apany us. You should get to work if you have something to attend to.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to waste too much of Bai Shuang¡¯s time.

    Bai Shuang smiled lightly and put a hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I am a volunteer, so I can quit my job at any time. I think it¡¯s more interesting to hang out with you.¡±

    She didn¡¯t mean to hang out with Gu Nianzhi, but rather with Brother Ze...

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°If Miss Bai doesn¡¯t mind the trouble, then pleasee with us.¡±

    Having finalized the time to meet in the afternoon, Bai Shuang seemed relieved and hurriedly left Truth Coffee.

    After Bai Shuang left, she hailed a taxi directly in front of the cafe and said, ¡°Take me back to Camps Beach Apartment Hotels.¡±

    She returned to the apartment-style hotel a moment earlier than Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze.

    As soon as she entered the door, she saw a Caucasian man with a silver beard and hair sitting in the middle of her living room with a cane.

    Bai Shuang immediately smiled as she said, ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, you are here.¡±

 Chapter 1196 - The Best Candidate

    <h4>Chapter 1196 The Best Candidate</h4>

    Li Dexi smiled kindly at Bai Shuang.

    He acted as though he was the host and pointed to the position opposite to him, saying, ¡°My dear, you finally came back. Have a seat.¡±

    Bai Shuang sat down opposite him calmly and exchanged a few polite words with him.

    ¡°Have you had lunch yet? Do you want to order take out?¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem surprised to see Li Dexi appear in his hotel room.

    Li Dexi was very satisfied with Bai Shuang¡¯s calm in the face of shock.

    He smiled and shook his head as he said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not hungry. We don¡¯t need to talk about food now. I wanted to ask you how it¡¯s going.¡±

    ¡°Everything went well,¡± Bai Shuang replied seriously, her eyes bing hard and solemn. ¡°I only saw Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze, not Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    After a pause, Bai Shuang gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Huo Shaoheng would being here with Gu Nianzhi?! I told you from the beginning that I just want to kill Huo Shaoheng and avenge my father! I don¡¯t want any extra trouble!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, calm down, my dear.¡± Li Dexi stretched out his hand and pressed down to soothe Bai Shuang. ¡°I know that you have a saying in the Huaxia Empire that a person would never let their father¡¯s killer live, but you can¡¯t be too anxious either. It would be no good if you acted rashly and startled the enemy. That Mr. Huo is too cunning.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care how powerful he is. He must die for killing my father, no matter what!¡±

    After speaking those harsh words, tears began to fall from Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes.

    She wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand and whispered, ¡°...But you have never given me any real evidence. In case... I mean in case... What if he wasn¡¯t the one to kill my father? I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not that easy to push around!¡±

    ¡°My dear, no one has ever questioned anything I said before. You are the first one,¡± Li Dexi said with a smile.

    In the face of Bai Shuang¡¯s question, he didn¡¯t seem to be angry, and he thought it was reasonable.

    If Bai Shuang believed in him too quickly, either she was not capable, or she was too inexperienced to see the bigger picture.

    Li Dexi wouldn¡¯t bother cooperating with Bai Shuang if she was the kind of person who seeded less than she failed.

    Therefore, he was quite understanding of Bai Shuang¡¯s repeated requests for evidence.

    Bai Shuang looked resolute and insisted, ¡°I have done what you asked me to do. I deliberately created several chance encounters with Zhao Liangze. He not only has feelings for me but also told me that the person he loves is me, not my cousin!

    ¡°I have already won Gu Nianzhi and his basic trust. As long as Huo Shaoheng is really in Cape Town, he will definitely show up and look for Gu Nianzhi. But before I make a move, I still have to see the evidence.¡±

    Li Dexi was very satisfied.

    After taking so long to set this trap, it was finally about to spring.

    ¡°Well, I already promised that I would give you the evidence when you lead them to the French Societe Generale bank.¡±

    As Li Dexi spoke, he took out a sh drive. ¡°This is a list of names provided by Hong Kangquan, the head of your Secret Service department when he contacted our CIA,¡± he said.

    Hearing the sh drive contained the information provided by Hong Kangquan, Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ¡°It was really him?!¡±

    It was indeed possible that this was real information.

    Bai Shuang dubiously took the sh drive from Li Dexi, then got up to get herptop and plugged it in.

    An audio recording and top-secret document were stored on the sh drive, but the material was iplete and only contained a few pages.

    She clicked the y button on the audio recording, and Bai Yueran¡¯s calm voice yed over theptop speakers.

    ¡°General Ji, Speaker Long, I think the opportunity cannot be missed. We will never have this chance again. It just so happens that Major General Huo is near that area, so he should be authorized to do it immediately.

    ¡°As far as we know, Bai Yusheng has not revealed all the information he knows. That is not because he still has a sense of shame, but simply because he wants to maximize the benefits he can receive from having the information in his hands. He will be of no value once he reveals everything, and the Americans are the best at turning their backs ruthlessly and experts at betrayal.¡±

    As soon as Bai Shuang heard her say that Major General Huo should do it immediately, her tears flowed freely.

    She would never forget that day for the rest of her life.

    She had been sitting on the balcony, enjoying the sea breeze, drinking red wine, texting her cousin, making phone calls, and waiting for her father to return from diving in the ocean. She hadn¡¯t expected to receive tragic news...

    Bai Shuang muffled her mouth and sobbed painfully.

    Li Dexi was even more satisfied upon seeing Bai Shuang¡¯s reaction.

    He stood up and said, ¡°I will leave you with these things. Think about what you should do. I don¡¯t think I need to tell you.¡±

    Bai Shuang nodded silently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Li Dexi stood up with the help of his cane. ¡°Lure them to the Societe Generale Bank and let them find the evidence for themselves. You don¡¯t need to worry about the rest of the n,¡± he said.

    ¡°No, I want to avenge my father personally.¡± Bai Shuang shook her head as she said, ¡°You can¡¯t deprive me of this opportunity, or I will no longer cooperate with you.¡±

    ¡°You will no longer cooperate?¡± Li Dexi narrowed his eyes. ¡°Do you think you can get out of the situation at this stage?¡±

    ¡°Why not? The worse you can do is kill me.¡± Bai Shuang raised her chin slightly, her eyes full of despair as she said, ¡°I live to avenge my father.¡±

    Li Dexi looked at her fixedly for a few minutes and attempted to probe her with hypnotism.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s emotions were too agitated. Li Dexi used a lot of effort and had just gotten it to work when the ringing cell phone woke Bai Shuang up from her hypnotized state.

    Li Dexi¡¯s eyes were dark as he averted his gaze and said calmly, ¡°Okay. I will contact you again.¡±

    Bai Shuang blinked and looked down at the phone to see it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    She showed her phone to Li Dexi and raised her eyebrows. ¡°Look, they trust mepletely. What are you still worried about? I don¡¯t want to work so hard to get them to fall for the bait, only to be robbed of my rightful credit in the end,¡± she said.

    Her reason was toopelling, so Li Dexi found himself unable to refuse her. He also felt approval in his heart.

    In their line of work, performance and status were paramount.

    Money was only second ce.

    Li Dexi had investigated Bai Shuang and knew that she was not short of money.

    ¡°Okay, keep up the good work. I will let you participate personally.¡± Li Dexi nodded and left Bai Shuang¡¯s room with the support of his cane.

    He got into his ck bulletproof car and ordered his men to drive away immediately.

    In the car, his personal assistant asked him worriedly, ¡°Do you really trust Bai Shuang?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Li Dexi replied tly. ¡°People like her are the focus of our development and the best candidates for this operation.¡±

    ¡°Her family betrayed her, her lover was stolen from her, and her father was killed. Who would she cooperate with, if she didn¡¯t cooperate with us?¡±

    ¡°A wise assessment.¡± The personal assistant swiftly ttered Li Dexi and then didn¡¯t hesitate to criticize Reinitz in front of Li Dexi.

    ¡°Actually, if Major General Reinitz had done a better job on this matter, you wouldn¡¯t have toe here personally to win over Bai Shuang. Although Bai Shuang has a method, she is no longer a member of the Huaxia Imperial government. I think she is limited in what she can contribute.¡±

    Li Dexi sighed deeply. ¡°It¡¯s not that Reinitz didn¡¯t do a good job, but there is someone we cannot fight against... You don¡¯t understand,¡± he said.

    He already told Reinitz that, if he encountered a conflict with He Zhichu, he must not face him head-on.

    Li Dexi had not expected He Zhichu to actually go to the Taj Mahal to rescue Gu Nianzhi.

    Reinitz returned empty-handed and, in the report he wrote, bluntly admitted that He Zhichu possessed too much power, and the mercenaries under him were powerful as well, so all Reinitz¡¯s men put together were still no match against them.

    Reinitz was only able to escape because he threatened He Zhichu with Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu was still very careful around Nianzhi, so he was afraid of harming her when attacking Reinitz. Reinitz took advantage of the situation and managed to escape.

    Li Dexi had always believed that Reinitz was as powerful as Huo Shaoheng, and only a little weaker than He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was not a powerful person himself, but rather, he was due to the forces behind him being far too strong.

    Even with Li Dexi¡¯s position in the CIA, it was impossible to ascertain He Zhichu¡¯s true background.

    Therefore, the typically cautious Li Dexi did not act rashly or punish Reinitz.

    But Reinitz didn¡¯tpletely miss the mark, since he managed to lead them to Cape Town.

    This time Li Dexi carefully gathered intelligence to confirm that He Zhichu would note to Cape Town. Instead, he returned to the Huaxia Empire.

    He was currently teaching his doctoral students at B University in the Imperial Capital.

    Li Dexi sent personnel to closely monitor He Zhichu¡¯s activities and prevent him from secretly assisting Gu Nianzhi to disrupt his ns once again.

    Reinitz had already been exposed here, so he would not send Reinitz again. Instead, he was going to use one of the candidates he has been developing for a long time ¨C Bai Shuang.

    ...

    After Li Dexi left, Bai Shuang stood in front of the hotel room window with a ss of red wine. She stared at the scenery outside the window for a while, sipping the red wine in her hand, and then changed into another red dress. She was getting ready to stroll around the bank with Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze left the Truth Cafe and found a very high-end seafood restaurant.

    The pair sat by the window, where there was still a vast ocean view outside.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi took a seat, she found a man sitting behind her. His aura felt very familiar to her, and it was none other than Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 1197 - I Know That She Still Loves Me

    <h4>1197 I Know That She Still Loves Me</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng changed his appearance once again. He was no longer a waiter in an African cafe, but a Caucasian with a high nose and deep-set eyes.

    Wearing a khaki-colored hunting outfit with light camouge, his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows to reveal the tattoos on his arms.

    The khaki overalls paired with a set of brown mountain boots from the legacy military boot brand ck Hawk made him lookpletely unlike a Huaxian man.

    He sat leisurely in his seat at the restaurant, sitting back to back with Gu Nianzhi. The steaming heat from his body nearly enveloped Gu Nianzhi behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face gradually turned red.

    Zhao Liangze sat opposite her and noticed her ufortable face. He looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting behind her, then gave an understanding smile before picking up the menu to order.

    This was the season to eat lobster.

    Zhao Liangze ordered a steamed lobster for Gu Nianzhi. The lobster was freshly caught from the sea and weighed several pounds.

    It was served with small cmari rings coated in egg powder and fried to a golden yellow, then sprinkled with salt and pepper and paired with shredded Basque green peppers, topped with a little mayonnaise. It was truly delicious.

    The unique sweetness of fresh lobster had not been overpowered by any other vors. Followed by a bite of fried squid rings sprinkled with salt and pepper, and finally finished with the slightly sweet and sour Basque green peppers, it was just like a superb perfume. Even the vors were divided into initial, middle, and aftertaste.

    After eating a few bites, the vor gave Gu Nianzhi tantalizing joy.

    Gu Nianzhi happily ate some more and no longer paid attention to the situation around her.

    Zhao Liangze took this opportunity to discuss today¡¯s affairs with Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting behind Gu Nianzhi.

    The two men were both wearing Bluetooth headsets and held phones in their hands.

    Zhao Liangze sent a message regarding Bai Shuang¡¯s situation.

    Little Ze: ¡°Bai Shuang took the initiative to take us to the bank and asked about you many times.¡±

    Mr. A: ¡°It looks like there is actually a problem. You can go with her. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Little Ze: ¡°...I am not worried about going; I am worried about your Honey.¡±

    Mr. A: ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng always used Alex as his outside alias, so everyone referred to him as Mr. A.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless when he saw Zhao Liangze¡¯s text messages, but he did not reply again. He got up to pay the bill before leaving.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi finished eating the steamed lobster, she finally realized that Huo Shaoheng was no longer sitting behind her.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression was very bitter because he still couldn¡¯t ept that Bai Shuang was betraying him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked behind her without asking Zhao Liangze anything, then quietly ate the dessert.

    She ordered a smallva cake, which was fresh out of the oven and melted in her mouth. There was a bit of coffee inside that provided a little bitterness to neutralize the excessive sweetness.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood improved after eating.

    Seeing Zhao Liangze¡¯s frown, she smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What are you upset about? Lights, cameras, action!¡±

    As she said this, she picked up a spoon and handed it to Zhao Liangze like it was a microphone. Using the tone of ate-night radio talk show host, she tried to coax him into revealing what was on his mind, saying, ¡°Tell your story!¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    He grabbed the spoon that Gu Nianzhi held in front of him and threw it away before pulling her to a standing position and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Get in the car, and I¡¯ll take you for a drive along the embankment.¡±

    It was still too early to leave for the appointment they had set with Bai Shuang, so Zhao Liangze was really aggrieved and needed to vent.

    He and Gu Nianzhi got into the Jeep. mming on the gas pedal, they quickly arrived at the coastal embankment of Cape Town.

    At that time, the sky above the embankment was empty, and their car was the only one that sped under the blue sky.

    Next to the embankment was the turquoise Antic Ocean. The water pped against the rocks and asionally sshed on the embankment.

    While looking at the magnificent scene outside the car, Gu Nianzhi quietly listened to Zhao Liangze vent his thoughts.

    She knew that, at a time like this, Zhao Liangze just needed someone to listen to him without expressing any opinions.

    Zhao Liangze turned the steering wheel and stepped on the brakes. Several seagulls quickly flew past their car window and almost hit the front windshield.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but Bai Shuang ispletely different from before.¡±

    ¡°How is she different?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    ¡°...She didn¡¯t like to wear red clothes before. She said that she was morous looking to begin with and would appear vulgar if she wore red,¡± he replied.

    Gu Nianzhi resisted augh and nodded, asking, ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°But now she always wears red dresses, and it¡¯s a different look every time. I don¡¯t know what has gotten into her,¡± Zhao Liangze said as he pped the steering wheel angrily to let out the ring sound of the horn. Another flock of seagulls was so startled that they fluttered loudly towards the boundary between the sea and the sky.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t really mean much...¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head. ¡°Women are fickle with clothes to begin with. I didn¡¯t like wearing skirts when I was a child, but now I like them very much.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at her with a sneer and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t like to wear skirts when you were a kid because you were fat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned purple in anger. ¡°...It¡¯s not noble to hit people in their sore spots!¡±

    Zhao Liangze pursed his lips and gave a perfunctory apology. Now he felt even more confused than before.

    He hated himself even more because he was clearly aware that Bai Shuang had a problem. It may be a big problem, but he still loved her so much. He was hopelessly in love with her...

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Zhao Liangze¡¯s mood was even more depressed and stopped arguing with him. She thought for a while and finally said, ¡°Bai Shuang has experienced a lot of things in life, and she never had anyone to trust and rely on. Thest straw was when she saw you kissing Director Bai that day...¡±

    She lost her lover, her father, and her job. Her father was reviled by everyone for his crime of treason. Bai Shuang was once a proud and admired daughter, so all of these events were probably unbearable pains in her life.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to put herself in Bai Shuang¡¯s shoes and was able to appreciate the change in her mindset.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not want to excuse Bai Shuang if she really made an unforgivable mistake.

    She didn¡¯t care about the tragic psychological journeys of criminals.

    There were more than enough miserable ordinary people, but not everyone who experienced misfortunes wouldmit crimes.

    When most people encountered difficulties, they chose to face and ovee them.

    Only a very small number of cowards and people with inherently dark minds would retaliate against society and harm others.

    Everyone must have their own bottom line in life, and this was the principle that Gu Nianzhi had always adhered to.

    She was only analyzing the change of Bai Shuang¡¯s behavior for Zhao Liangze¡¯s sake.

    She didn¡¯t want to see Zhao Liangze sad.

    Zhao Liangze said with a gloomy expression, ¡°I thought that might be the reason...¡±

    After a while, Zhao Liangze took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Is it toote if I goy everything on the table with her and ask her to give up her entire n now?¡±

    Zhao Liangze still thought Bai Shuang had a slim chance of redemption, as long as she had notmitted a serious mistake.

    Gu Nianzhi shook his head and replied dryly, ¡°Brother Ze, I think that would be inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°Firstly, we don¡¯t have any evidence, and all our opinions are based on inferences. I studyw, and thew emphasizes evidence. Logic alone without evidence is not enough to convict someone.

    ¡°Secondly, what if Bai Shuang actually just wants to change her mindset and be a new person? For example, many girls will choose to cut off their long hair and start again after getting their hearts broken.

    ¡°Thirdly, let¡¯s take this back to the first step. If Bai Shuang is really... colluding with others in order to harm us, I am not willing to give up this opportunity,¡± she finished.

    ¡°Opportunity?¡± Zhao Liangze was shocked. ¡°How can there be any opportunity? Isn¡¯t it a trap? Think back to everything she has wanted to do, wasn¡¯t it just to get us hooked?¡± he asked.

    To be honest, Bai Shuang did a very clumsy job. Not only did she fail to deceive espionage experts like Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng, but even an amateur like Gu Nianzhi could see that something was wrong.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perspective was different from Zhao Liangze¡¯s.

    ¡°Brother Ze, do you know why Alex and I came to Cape Town?¡± she replied quietly.

    ¡°I heard from Alex that you are looking for something?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°We actually have no clues at all. We only know that the item is in Cape Town. But Cape Town is such a big ce, so how would we find it? Are we looking for a needle in a haystack? How long would we need to search for? Bai Shuang took the initiative toe to me with clues, and I can¡¯t give up this opportunity, even if I know that she may have ulterior motives. Do you understand?¡± she said.

    Even if it was a trap, she still had to take a look.

    The person working behind the scenes clearly understood her mentality and threw a bargaining chip that she could not resist.

    Even if this was a fire pit, she had to jump in.

    ¡°...In other words, you have to go no matter what,¡± Zhao Liangze said.

    ¡°Yes, I must go no matter what.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°That¡¯s a clue from my father, I can¡¯t give up on it,¡± she exined.

    Zhao Liangze did not say anything more.

    Since they had to go, it was useless to think about it.

    This was his task and responsibility.

    Regardless of if he had to face life and death or threats to his safety, he had to go through water and fire at the sound of onemand.

    ...

    The two of them drove for a while on the vast coastal embankment. After seeing that it was almost time, Zhao Liangze turned the steering wheel towards the financial street in the city center.

    The French bank was in the middle of the financial street. It used to be thergest foreign bank in Cape City, but now it was only considered second-rate.

    From a distance, they could see a figure wearing a red dress standing in front of the bank. She was as easy to recognize as andmark.

    In truth, Bai Shuang had a graceful figure and looked very good in a red dress.

    She had always looked crisp and bright in the past, so she might have appeared a bit tacky in a red dress.

    But now she possessed a sharpness like the finest de. It miraculously cut through the vulgarity to make her be gorgeous and not tacky, with a very strong aura.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes were a little blurred when he looked at Bai Shuang like this.

    ¡°...Bai Shuang was never very confident in the past. Every time we went out to eat or attend a concert, she had to go to the bathroom to tidy up her makeup several times. Not even a single strand of hair could be out of ce,¡± he said.

    But now Bai Shuang stood in front of the bank building with her long, shoulder-length hair tousled in the wind. However, she didn¡¯t care at all, and herrge bright eyes seemed to glow. The expression on her face was extremely excited.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°She was pursuing you back then, so of course she was not confident in herself. Now she...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was afraid that Bai Shuang had already given up on Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi instead said it silently in her heart.

    She had experienced the stages of a secret crush and a public rtionship, so she knew how a woman¡¯s mood changed during those two stages.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Zhao Liangze automatically objected. ¡°I know that she still loves me. Her eyes can¡¯t deceive me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1198 - Important Clue

    <h4>1198 Important Clue</h4>

    When Zhao Liangze said this, his tone was extremely firm. His hands squeezed the steering wheel so hard that blue veins popped out on the back of them.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Zhao Liangze silently, understanding that this man obviously loved Bai Shuang but didn¡¯t even know it himself. He had already given up any treatment for this mdy...

    She didn¡¯t directly refute Zhao Liangze¡¯s remarks, but merely smiled at him, saying, ¡°I hope Brother Ze will get what he wants.¡± Then she pushed the car door open and jumped out, beckoning to Bai Shuang. ¡°Miss Bai, we¡¯re over here!¡±

    When Bai Shuang saw Gu Nianzhi, her eyes lit up. She then looked at the Jeep behind her to see Zhao Liangzee out by himself. She seemed a little disappointed. ¡°...It¡¯s really only the two of you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as if she didn¡¯t understand what she meant and fanned herself with her hand. ¡°It¡¯s so hot. How can it be so hot in May?¡±

    Cape Town was in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons were opposite to those in the northern hemisphere.

    It was the end of April and the beginning of May. Summer had just passed, and Cape Town was now entering autumn.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a scorching autumn since everyone is still wearing summer clothes,¡± Bai Shuang replied absentmindedly, then looked behind Zhao Liangze before retracting her gaze. She smiled and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Which bank do you want to visit first?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered crisply, ¡°It¡¯s the one you showed me. I think it¡¯s quite unique, so I want to see theyout.¡±

    ¡°Okay,e with me.¡± Bai Shuang grabbed her hand, and they walked into the lobby of the bank together.

    Zhao Liangze carried a small travel bag that contained water, snacks, ointment oil, some band-aids, medicine, and a foldable umbre.

    He was wearing a khaki hunting jacket with a pistol in the pocket of the jacket lining.

    Guns were allowed to be carried in Cape Town. For the sake of safety, Zhao Liangze must carry a weapon on him.

    He followed Bai Shuang and Gu Nianzhi into the bank lobby.

    It was mid-afternoon, so there were not many customers in the bank. As soon as the three of them walked in, they attracted the attention of everyone inside.

    Bai Shuang was morous, Gu Nianzhi was charming and cute, while Zhao Liangze was handsome. It was impossible for them not to attract attention.

    The bank¡¯s ount manager came over immediately and, with a big smile, asked in English, ¡°Good afternoon, everyone. What can I do for you?¡±

    Bai Shuang immediately looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°Do you want to open an ount, or do you already have one here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I just came here to visit. There is no need to open an ount, and I don¡¯t have one either,¡± she replied.

    Bai Shuang thought it was a shame and said, ¡°Okay then. Maybe you can open an ount in the future.¡±

    She politely declined the bank¡¯s ount manager offer, saying, ¡°We were attracted by the buildings here, so we just wanted toe and take a look.¡±

    So, they were not clients of the bank.

    The smile on the ount manager¡¯s face faded a little as he nodded to them and said, ¡°Please help yourself.¡± As he said this, he turned around and went back to his office.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around the lobby and quickly found the ce where the handwritten English poem was hung.

    Without bothering to hide her emotions, she hurried over and stood in front of the poem and studied it carefully with a frown.

    Bai Shuang seemed to have only discovered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions, so she asked curiously, ¡°...You like this poem? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything special...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and crossed her arms in front of her chest with her jaw raised. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this poem is not only very nice when read out, but is also written in beautiful handwriting?¡± she asked.

    Bai Shuang nced at it. ¡°Handwriting is always pretty looking.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but this is not something that ordinary people can write.¡± Gu Nianzhi squinted her eyes. ¡°Do you know who the poet is?¡±

    Bai Shuang shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why would I know?¡±

    After a while, she couldn¡¯t seem to help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is this poem important?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked casually, her eyes staying practically glued to the poem as she tried to find something out of the ordinary about it.

    Bai Shuang smiled and said, ¡°Look at you, studying it so intently. Don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s just a moment of curiosity?¡±

    Only then did Gu Nianzhi look back at her and reply with a smile, ¡°This poem is actually very interesting. But I can¡¯t tell you if it¡¯s important or not right now.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you tell me? Two minds are better than one. If you tell me, we will analyze it together,¡± Bai Shuang suggested with a smile. ¡°Three amateurs working together are smarter than one genius!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her exceptionallyrge eyes and wondered out loud, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know what is special about it either. Maybe this question is too difficult. I might not be able to find the answer even if I spend a lifetime thinking about it.¡±

    Bai Shuang seemed a little disappointed. She looked down and was silent for a while before finally saying, ¡°How can I help you analyze it if you don¡¯t tell me more specifically?¡±

    So, she was forcing Gu Nianzhi to tell her?

    If Bai Shuang really had nothing to do with this matter, Gu Nianzhi would not reveal a word to her.

    But it was now clear that the people working behind the scenes with Bai Shuang knew that the poem was very important to Gu Nianzhi. This might mean it was the same people who hade after her in the Taj Mahal.

    So, there is no need for her to hide this from Bai Shuang.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Actually, here¡¯s the thing. My father once left me a poem, and it was this one. I think that there is a special connection between the two, which is hinting at something.¡±

    She spoke half the truth, so no one would doubt it for the time being.

    The highest quality lies were 10% false and 90% true.

    Bai Shuang was taken aback and asked, ¡°Huh? Your father? Have you found his whereabouts?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She shook her head slowly and answered, ¡°No, I¡¯m still looking for him. This poem is one of the clues.¡±

    In fact, Gu Nianzhi had learned from Reinitz that the poem did not predict Gu Xiang¡¯s whereabouts, but something else such as data.

    Her grandfather Gu Haoze had stolen the data from the Gestapo headquarters.

    It was Reinitz who said that the Gestapo had been pursuing it for nearly half a century.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s mighty important,¡± Bai Shuang suddenly blurted out in a Northeastern Huaxia dialect, which caused Zhao Liangze to frown.

    He remembered that Bai Shuang actually hated the Northeastern Huaxia dialect, so she never spoke it before.

    Although she was born in the Imperial Capital, her parents sent her to live with her grandparents in the Northeast for several years as a child, and she learned the authentic Northeastern Huaxia dialect.

    When she returned to the Imperial Capital to go to middle schoolter on, she was teased by her ssmates for a long time because of her Northeastern dialect.

    Then she refused to speak in a Northeastern dialect ever again.

    This time, she openly spoke it in front of him and Gu Nianzhi.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help but cast a sidelong nce at her.

    Bai Shuang seemed to want to speak incessantly, then continued as though nothing was amiss, asking, ¡°If this poem is a clue, does it hint at a ce or an object?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but nce at Bai Shuang. ¡°It may be a ce or an object. In fact, we don¡¯t have any clues other than this,¡± she replied.

    ¡°So...¡± Bai Shuang frowned and nodded. ¡°Then we will have to look for it again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled without saying a word. Taking out her phone, she took a photo of the handwritten English poem.

    Bai Shuang looked at Gu Nianzhi with gleaming eyes and suddenly said, ¡°Nianzhi, do you know how many words and letters are in this poem?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°I do know. There are 86 words, 365 letters. What about it?¡± she asked.

 Chapter 1199 - Canâ€™t Accep

    <h4>Chapter 1199 Can¡°t ep</h4>

    ¡°You know that too?!¡± Bai Shuang acted very surprised but looked so fake that Gu Nianzhi almost rolled her eyes.¡°Haha. Is that very difficult?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted at the handwritten English poem. ¡°I knew it after reading it once...¡±

    The corners of Bai Shuang¡¯s lips twitched.

    Who would be bored enough to read an English poem and deliberately count how many letters and words were in it?!

    Maybe academic geniuses were actually a different species from ordinary people like them.

    Bai Shuang stopped humoring Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I see. That¡¯s really interesting.¡±

    ¡°How is it interesting?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t react at the moment, since she was too busy thinking about the two numbers in her head.

    Was there any special meaning to them?

    Her mind began to work as she remembered the address of the bank. It seemed to be number 86?

    Precisely speaking, it was 86 Banking Street.

    This kind of clue...

    Gu Nianzhi was about to kneel down.

    Who would think about it that way?!

    But perhaps this kind of information would reveal itself when the handwritten English poem was analyzed usingrge amounts of data.

    Gu Nianzhi turned away and looked at Bai Shuang as she said, ¡°I just seemed to remember something.¡±

    ¡°What did you think of?¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes lit up, and she grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hurry up and tell me what you thought of!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless as she nced at Bai Shuang¡¯s hand grabbing her shoulder. What was she so excited about?

    She slowly replied, ¡°...I think the address of this ce was also number 86, right? 86 Banking Street.¡±

    She had caught a glimpse on the online map when she searched for this ce on her phone.

    86 Banking Street.

    This was the address.

    ¡°Oh?! That¡¯s right! What a coincidence! You are so smart!¡±

    Bai Shuang released Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders and patted her back so hard that she almost pushed Gu Nianzhi over with her great strength.

    Zhao Liangze hurriedly came over to support Gu Nianzhi and asked Bai Shuang unhappily, ¡°Bai Shuang, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mplimenting her. Do you have a problem with that?¡± Bai Shuang raised her eyebrows. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean that just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. But Miss Bai, I still can¡¯t figure out what is going on, so I want to go back and think about it carefully.¡±

    Zhao Liangze red at Bai Shuang. ¡°I would have an easier time believing you if you apologized with more sincerity!¡± he said.

    Bai Shuang got upset and rolled her eyes. ¡°Forget it. Everything I do is wrong if you have prejudice against me. I was too nosy today, so I will leave now. Take your time looking around.¡± She turned around and walked away.

    Zhao Liangze frowned and nced at her back, feeling very ufortable.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dark eyes tracked the movements of Bai Shuang¡¯s back until she had walked out of sight. Gu Nianzhi then finally patted Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s ok, Brother Ze. I¡¯m ok.¡±

    Zhao Liangze averted his eyes and let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm as he murmured, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re ok. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re ok.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at the handwritten English poem again. She already had an idea in her mind, so she suggested going back for now.

    She wanted to filter her thoughts again since there were too many mysteries. She couldn¡¯t believe it herself...

    Dejected, Zhao Liangze escorted her away and went straight back to the apartment-style hotel suite they were renting.

    ...

    As soon as Bai Shuang came out of the bank¡¯s gate, a taxi stopped on the side of the road.

    Bai Shuang opened the door and realized that Li Dexi was sitting in the back seat.

    She quickly got in and nodded at Li Dexi, saying, ¡°You are here too.¡±

    ¡°Drive,¡± Li Deximanded, then asked Bai Shuang, ¡°How was it? Did they find the clue?¡±

    Bai Shuang replied confidently, ¡°Although it was rather difficult, I guided them step by step.¡±

    ¡°...Did you see any signs of Huo Shaoheng?¡± Li Dexi asked calmly. ¡°If you can¡¯t get rid of him, your trip will be in vain.¡±

    Bai Shuang frowned while she twisted the straps of her small backpack with both hands. ¡°You haven¡¯t discovered his whereabouts, either?¡±

    ¡°We only found out that Gu Nianzhi came here with someone. There was a man who came with her.¡± Li Dexi¡¯s gaze was heavy, and he was a little unhappy himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is him or not.¡±

    ¡°...It must be Zhao Liangze apanying Gu Nianzhi, right?¡± Bai Shuang blinked. ¡°He said he came here to vacation with her, but he didn¡¯t mention Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the airport here doesn¡¯t have many surveince cameras installed. It is impossible for us to check every single personing through,¡± the driver sitting in the front row interjected.

    Bai Shuang was not surprised by any of this.

    Li Dexi came prepared this time, so of course, everything was arranged.

    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. If this wasn¡¯t the case, how could this be an arena of battle for multiple countries?¡± Bai Shuang smiled. ¡°The government agencies in Cape Town are basically useless. Everyone employs their own armed forces to protect their own interests.¡±

    From shops to residents, the wealthy people hired securitypanies to guard their territory.

    Those who had no money must resign to fate.

    Although there was no racial discrimination against ck people here, the economy and public security had fallen behind too much.

    Li Dexi nodded in satisfaction. He thought Bai Shuang was a very good candidate. If she seeded in helping them set up the scene this time around and lure Huo Shaoheng into the trap, he would really consider training her to work under him.

    ¡°But if Huo Shaoheng really came with them, the number of men you brought is probably not enough to deal with him,¡± Bai Shuang replied softly. ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, I hope that you can oversee this in person. You have no idea how terrifyingly strong Huo Shaoheng is. My target is him. If I fail, I won¡¯t have a second chance.¡±

    For this level of mission, Li Dexi would not typically be present. Instead, he would wait and see nearby as the dispatchingmander.

    But this time, things were different.

    This time, their trap was closing in. After spending so much time, manpower, and material resources, Li Dexi didn¡¯t want to see all his efforts be in vain in the end.

    Moreover, Huo Shaoheng was actually very powerful. Reinitz could not participate, so Li Dexi would truly be worried if anyone elsemanded this mission.

    He considered it for a while and repliednguidly, ¡°As long as I can confirm that Huo Shaoheng will show up, I will personally bring men there to assist you.

    ¡°Bai Shuang, you will be there to see him fall under your feet, and you can even shoot him a few times,¡± Li Dexi said with a smile, a hint of excitement on his typically benevolent face.

    ¡°Really?¡± Bai Shuang frowned suspiciously. ¡°I doubt it. You don¡¯t know anything about his abilities...¡±

    ¡°I know nothing?¡± Li Dexi snorted. ¡°Girl, we know a lot more than you could ever imagine.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? What are they?¡± Bai Shuang asked curiously.

    Li Dexiughed without saying anything.

    Bai Shuang waited for a while but didn¡¯t ask anything else when Li Dexi didn¡¯t speak again. She changed the subject and said, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know if this mission will be sessful. I can only do my best. The point is, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve hidden in that bank and why it attracts them.¡±

    ¡°That thing was not hidden by us; we only discovered it identally.¡± Li Dexiughed. ¡°If they need further clues, you might as well suggest that it is a set of data,¡± he said.

    ¡°Data? Hidden in the bank?¡± Bai Shuang asked in confusion. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t all data be hidden onputers?¡±

    Li Dexi nced at her and said with a smile, ¡°If you give them this hint, they will believe you even more.¡±

    Judging from Li Dexi¡¯s observation, Zhao Liangze actually had feelings for Bai Shuang. This made things much easier.

    A man loses his mind when he falls in love, so Bai Shuang had a real chance of sess.

    Bai Shuang was not so optimistic. She asked with gleaming eyes, ¡°...Is this rted to my father?¡±

    ¡°Your father? Oh no, that thing is much more important than what your father provided.¡±

    Bai Shuang, ¡°...¡±

    Seeing Bai Shuang¡¯s obviously dejected expression, Li Dexi said with a smile, ¡°However, the data provided by your father was not bad either. With the clues he provided, our CIA destroyed many of your country¡¯s contact points in North America. We nearly wiped them all out.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s expression was not very happy after hearing this information, either.

    ¡°My dear, are you not happy to hear about that?¡± Li Dexi asked keenly as he narrowed his scheming eyes.

    Bai Shuang quickly shook her head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of being unhappy. I was just thinking that my father¡¯s crimes didn¡¯t warrant death. I can¡¯t ept the fact that they executed him in private.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you don¡¯t understand at all. At that time, your father was under the strict protection of our people. Aside from a private execution, they had no chance of getting your father back to the country.¡±

    This was their only method of dealing with traitors, too.

    However, Li Dexi did not say this since Bai Shuang would definitely lose her temper if he mentioned such a thing...

    The girl had a deep affection for her father, so Li Dexi felt as though he could understand Bai Shuang¡¯s choices and actions.

    ¡°But, your protective measures still failed.¡± Bai Shuang stared at Li Dexi and asked suspiciously, ¡°You really have a way of getting rid of Huo Shaoheng? I still doubt that it will work.¡±

    ¡°Then you should just wait and see.¡± Li Dexiughed as he dispelled hisst trace of doubt towards Bai Shuang.

    In order to make Bai Shuang pledge her life to them, Li Dexi had to give her more incentive. ¡°This is for you. From now on, you will be one of us. This badge is your namete,¡± he said.

    Li Dexi handed Bai Shuang an envelope and said with a smile, ¡°It contains your user name and password. Use this ount and password to log in to the CIA website and go to your personnel page to update your information. See if you are satisfied with your sry.

    ¡°Agent Bai, wee aboard.¡±

 Chapter 1200 - The Top Figure

    <h4>Chapter 1200 The Top Figure</h4>

    Bai Shuang exhaled in deep relief as she held the envelope containing her CIA username and password.¡°Mr. Li Dexi, I don¡¯t have to worry about you suddenly abandoning me anymore.¡± Bai Shuang appeared grateful and raised the envelope in her hand. ¡°I finally have a job again. It wasn¡¯t easy getting it...¡±

    ¡°You used to be a spokesperson for your country, but now you have been wronged by that job. It¡¯s their loss that they don¡¯t want you. Sooner orter, you will astound them and make them deeply regret dismissing you.¡±

    Li Dexi was bing increasingly more satisfied with Bai Shuang.

    Most importantly, Bai Shuang was the niece of the new prime minister of the Huaxia Empire.

    There was no need for him to borate any further on this rtionship since she would be able to ess high-level state secrets in the future.

    Even if Bai Shuang could not serve in a government agency herself, it would only take mere minutes to gather information with her uncle¡¯s connections.

    Li Dexi was very emotional as he spoke to Bai Shuang about her father, Bai Yusheng.

    ¡°...I am an old friend of your father¡¯s. We have cherished each other for so many years and knew each other very well. I helped you and him sessfully escape from the Huaxia Empire and begin a beautiful and liberated life. It was a pity that Huo Shaoheng was so cruel ¨C your father had obviously gone abroad already, but he still insisted on hunting your father down and taking Bai Yusheng¡¯s life with his own hands.¡±

    Bai Shuang was silent, and the expression on her face was even more heartbroken than before.

    Li Dexi carefully watched her reaction and patted her hand. ¡°My dear, don¡¯t be sad, don¡¯t be sad. Your father didn¡¯t die in vain. With the intelligence he provided, we destroyed nearly sixty-three branches of the Huaxia Empire system implemented in North America and eliminated almost a hundred people. This was a rare victory for our CIA in recent years,¡± he said.

    It was this victory that led him to get promoted to the secret second-inmand of the CIA. He was mainly in charge of Europe and Asia.

    ¡°... You wiped out so many people?¡± Bai Shuang looked surprised, her fingers trembling slightly as she asked, ¡°Did you... arrest them all?¡±

    ¡°Haha, arrest them? Our CIA has a limited number of prison cells. We wouldn¡¯t have enough prison cells to lock up that many people...¡± Li Dexi revealed a mysterious smile.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s heart was pounding, but she tried her best to contain the surprise and fear. She replied as calmly as possible, saying, ¡°...Understood.¡±

    ¡°Take care.¡± Li Dexi patted her on the shoulder and grinned to reveal his pearly white dentures. ¡°A dog is never born from a tiger. I will wait to see your achievements surpass your father.¡±

    ¡°Surpass my father¡¯s achievements?¡± Bai Shuang felt very conflicted. ¡°I think that would be difficult...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult, it¡¯s not difficult.¡± Li Dexi was also very excited. ¡°As long as you can get rid of Huo Shaoheng, your achievements will definitely surpass your father¡¯s! When the timees, I will give you credit and, at the very least, offer you the position of Director of the Asian Liaison Office.¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled and started bargaining with him. ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, do you think I am a fool? Although I am going to kill Huo Shaoheng to avenge my father, would killing him only be worth the position as the Director of the Asian Liaison Office? Hehe, I think I should consider your offer carefully...¡±

    Li Dexi was rendered speechless by Bai Shuang, but he recovered quickly and said with a smile, ¡°You are right. If Huo Shaoheng is really taken out, then the position of Director would truly be a disservice to you. Don¡¯t worry, the position of the Director of the Asian Intelligence Department is the one that best coincides with your identity and achievements!¡±

    Bai Shuang finally nodded slightly and said with a calm expression, ¡°Although there is still a certain distance from my expectations, we have already had an excellent start.¡± Then, she reached out to Li Dexi and said, ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, I look forward to working with you.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to working with you, too.¡± Li Dexi shook her hand.

    They continued to discuss the problem of passing the baton in the car.

    They were finally about to arrive at the hotel where Bai Shuang was staying, as Li Dexi said, ¡°After you help them find that object, remember to find a chance to take a photo and send it back to us.¡±

    ¡°I will try my best.¡± Bai Shuang nodded. ¡°And I don¡¯t know how big the thing is, or if it will make them suspicious when I take pictures,¡± she answered.

    ¡°Trust me; this thing shouldn¡¯t be big. It¡¯s only the size of a few stacks of A4 papers.¡± Li Dexi seemed to be very familiar with it.

    Bai Shuang said curiously, ¡°You speak as if you have seen that thing before...¡±

    ¡°I did see it the year I first went to Europe,¡± Li Dexi recalled emotionally. He became lost in his memories for a moment.

    But at that time, he had just been a rookie within the CIA and had no idea that he would be the secret mastermind in the years toe...

    When he was cleaning the room one time, he identally saw the data ssified as top secret by the Gestapo.

    It was only the size of a few thin pages and had some data graphics on it.

    Later, he would learn that those were several sets of graphic figures illustrating human DNA and ribonucleic acid, followed by densely packed lines of data.

    Their scientists regarded it as a treasure, so they spent several days and nights reading the information on those pages without stopping to eat or sleep.

    Because it was highly confidential, the Gestapo headquarters prohibited the materials from being taken out of the closely guarded data vault.

    Even the copies of the data had to be ced in the room next door, making it impossible to take out of the military base.

    Scientists who came to borrow it exhausted all ideas but failed to take the data away.

    Some of them tried to memorize the entirety of the data, but with so many numbers, only one-quarter of the content was memorized.

    With a quarter of the content memorized, they cooperated with the CIA¡¯s secretboratory decadester to create a viral gic weapon specifically targeting the Huaxia people. It spread through the air and nearly plunged arge country into hysteria and panic...

    Li Dexi recalled this and shook his head regretfully.

    It was a pity. If they had theplete set of data, that viral pandemic would not have been resolved by the Chinese Empire in the end.

    The pandemic onlysted for half a year before it waspletely controlled. Allegedly, a vine was developed...

    Li Dexiposed himself as he thought of the top-secret data he would soon possess. Huo Shaoheng was about to be history, and Gu Nianzhi was going to fall into Li Dexi¡¯s hands as well. His wrinkled face revealed a subtle but unnatural flush from the excitement.

    Even an espionage leader who had been scheming for many years could not remain calm in the face of such a huge temptation.

    As long as he seeded, he would be the top figure in the history of international spies. When the time came, it would be his turn to take the position as the head of the CIA.

    ¡°Mr. Li Dexi?¡± Bai Shuang saw Li Dexi suddenly stop speaking and reminded him, ¡°I heard that they have limited time in Cape Town. You must prepare early.¡±

    Li Dexi snapped back to reality. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We will alert you of the specific time of action once you confirm Huo Shaoheng¡¯s whereabouts,¡± he said.

    Bai Shuang agreed, saying, ¡°You¡¯d better be present when the timees. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s level of ability and cunning, I don¡¯t think anyone else among your organization can preside over this operation.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I will try my best to show up. Don¡¯t be doubtful if I can¡¯t be present, because I will make sure that this mission will seed.¡± Li Dexi smiled mysteriously and signaled for Bai Shuang to get out of the car.

    Bai Shuang shrugged indifferently. ¡°I already told you everything I should have told you, and I have done everything I should have done. If I cannot seed this time around, can you guarantee that I will safely escape?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have made ample arrangements,¡± Li Dexi promised. He immediately sent the contacts of some of the personnel he had arranged in the shadows to Bai Shuang¡¯s phone, saying, ¡°You can see for yourself. If I can¡¯te by then and if they can¡¯t stop Huo Shaoheng, you can also retreat with these people.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Bai Shuang looked at her phone and sent the information to her inbox. ¡°I will wait for your good news.¡±

    ...

    When Bai Shuang returned to her hotel room, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze had also returned to the courtyard of the apartment-style hotel they were renting.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t spoken the whole way back because she had only those two numbers on her mind.

    ¡°The 86 words ¨C if this clue points to the address, 86 Financial Street, then what do the 365 letters represent?¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself, pushing the door open and walking in.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the dining room. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± he asked.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°When did youe?!¡±

    ¡°I came back a bit earlier than you.¡± Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and watched Gu Nianzhi rush into his arms like a bird soaring toward a forest.

    Opening his arms to catch her, Huo Shaoheng smiled and asked, ¡°...Little Ze is still here, aren¡¯t you shy?¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze is not an outsider.¡± Gu Nianzhi nuzzled her body in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms without hesitation. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t mind. Brother Ze, isn¡¯t that right??¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at Zhao Liangze with a smile.

    Zhao Liangze covered his eyes with his hands, fumbling as he walked to his room. ¡°Go on! Go on! Just pretend that I don¡¯t exist!¡± he said.

    ¡°Okay,e back here. I have something to say.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned and walked toward the master bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    The two still followed him.

    After they entered the room, Huo Shaoheng closed the door and walked to the bed. Sitting down as usual, he patted the ce beside him and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly sat down next to him.

    Zhao Liangze sat on the single-seater sofa by the bed.

    Huo Shaoheng began to talk about the results of the secret investigation he had been performing over thest two days.

    ¡°Someone has indeed contacted Bai Shuang in thest few days, and the situation is not optimistic.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°And I also found out that a shipment of guns and ammunition mysteriously changed hands on the ck market in Cape Town recently. Based on past experience, this is another case indicating mercenary activity.¡±

    Generally, mercenaries did not bring their weapons into the country by directly carrying it on their persons. After arriving in the country, they would find the local gun market or the illegal gun market to purchase weapons.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s frown was so deep he could trap mosquitoes in the wrinkles on his forehead.

    He kicked angrily, waved his fists, and said, ¡°No way! I can¡¯t let Bai Shuang continue making mistakes!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and replied sternly, ¡°Little Ze, it¡¯s better if you worry more about your own safety. If there is actually a problem with Bai Shuang, then, ording to the results of the investigation, we are truly trapped without any way to escape.¡±

 Chapter 1201 - The Taboo in This Line of Work

    <h4>Chapter 1201 The Taboo in This Line of Work</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s that serious? This can¡¯t be...¡± Zhao Liangze still held on to a glimmer of hope, hoping to save Bai Shuang before things got out of hand.Huo Shaoheng nced at him indifferently and said, ¡°...You are on the brink of being wiped out by the enemy, and you still have the energy to save your wayward girlfriend? Little Ze, are you stupid?¡±Zhao Liangze was shocked speechless by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    After ring at him for a while, Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes gradually turned red, and he sniffled. He opened his mouth many times but couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Zhao Liangze was broken into pieces after having only experiencing smooth sailing all his life, so his confidence as a man was nearly destroyed as well. Gu Nianzhi felt very sympathetic when she saw this, so she couldn¡¯t help but tug at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt and whisper, ¡°...Why are you speaking so absolutely? Maybe the situation is not as bad as we think.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Nianzhi is right. Maybe it¡¯s not so bad?!¡± Zhao Liangze looked at Gu Nianzhi as if he was crying for help, hoping that she could help convince Huo Shaoheng otherwise.

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head, and her eyes drifted to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s impably handsome side profile. ¡°Alex, please listen to me. I can¡¯t help but sense that there are many things suspicious about Bai Shuang ¨C not just from the way she has been probing us, but also the way she has been speaking and behaving after running into us again. It is far too different from how she was before.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked ahead without answering. Crossing his arms, he stretched out one long leg and put up the other. Like a nocked bow, his powerful body was ready to leap into action.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze again and said, ¡°Brother Ze told me that Bai Shuang didn¡¯t like to wear red dresses before, but this time around, they are all she has worn. Bai Shuang usually paid a lot of attention to her appearance and especially her hair, but now she doesn¡¯t seem to care about the wind messing her hair up at all. Also...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused. ¡°She was only interested in Brother Ze before, but now she is more interested in you than Brother Ze.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face also turned pale with jealousy. ¡°This is not what I said!¡±

    He would never admit that Bai Shuang was setting her sights on another man!

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips as she said, ¡°Yes, this is not what Brother Ze said. Thisst point was based on the summary of my observations.¡±

    ¡°...Bai Shuang won¡¯t be interested in Alex.¡± Zhao Liangze refused to relent and nearly blurted out, ¡°I am the only person in her heart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi declined toment on Zhao Liangze¡¯s self-confidence since she was merely analyzing the actual situation.

    ¡°I think it is an obvious sign since Bai Shuang has shown so many different behaviors and personality traits differing from how she was in the past over such a short period of time. She is clearly signaling to us that she is in trouble.¡±

    After Gu Nianzhi finished speaking, she looked at Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°Alex, are you...?¡±

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s line of work, could Bai Shuang be working for him? Was she an undercover agent for the Special Operations Forces?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but let her mind run wild.

    Zhao Liangze immediately denied this, saying, ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible! Our Special Operations Forces would never use an amateur as an undercover agent for such a dangerous task.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was very satisfied with Zhao Liangze¡¯s answer. His expression rxed a little, but he still looked at Gu Nianzhi and said quietly, ¡°I have never made personal contact with Bai Shuang, and I couldn¡¯t possibly let her go undercover.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed but still mumbled, ¡°...You could have killed two birds with one stone, so why not?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng corrected Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thought, saying, ¡°The sense of professionalism in our line of work is very strong. We have our own organizational discipline. People who are qualified to do fieldwork have undergone a very strict selection process and training. Without several years of training at the military base, they would never be sent out to the field.

    ¡°Bai Shuang has not received any relevant training. The enemy would see through it right away if we let someone as inexperienced as her be an undercover agent. The enemy could possibly trace her back to us to find us and wipe us out in one shot. It would be very harmful to her and the organization.

    ¡°Moreover, we will never disregard human lives just because of the mission. Bai Shuang is a national of our country, and we are responsible for ensuring her safety overseas. However, we have no right to ask her to risk her life by working for us,¡± Zhao Liangze replied gruffly and appeared very solemn.

    Gu Nianzhi was shamed by the two men scolding her.

    She pursed her lips and asked, ¡°But why did you let me... Contact Bai Shuang? Isn¡¯t this asking me to work for you?¡±

    ¡°Did we let you go alone?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked as he patted her head. ¡°If this was all part of our n, would we have left you unapanied at any time? Little Ze, Big Xiong, and I have never let you stand alone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was singled out in Germany because they had been lured away from protecting her. It wasn¡¯t because they took the initiative to attack and failed.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully and realized that was truly the case.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng with aplicated expression, then nced at Zhao Liangze. She hesitantly asked, ¡°Are you really not going to consider asking Bai Shuang to work for you? If she is deliberately acting so differently, then she is purposely warning you, or perhaps she is being controlled by someone else and has no choice in what is happening. Yet you refuse to believe her, so won¡¯t this... Make her feel despair and disappointment?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was expressionless now. He merely grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, which was tugging at his shirt, and replied in a deep voice, ¡°Nianzhi, we cannot afford to act on any whim this time around. I know that you are aw student, so you try to look for evidence before making any judgments. But we can only look for evidence before making judgments when we¡¯re in the courtroom...

    ¡°...In our line of work, anyone who looks for evidence before making any judgments has already perished.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was icy and firm, and his tone was solemn beyond doubt. ¡°What you said are only possibilities and your personal inferences. We don¡¯t know what the truth is. At this time, we can only take all the necessary measures to ensure our safety and protect our interests to the greatest extent.¡±

    Zhao Liangze understood what Huo Shaoheng meant. As a professional, he could not refute the reasoning, but he was so heartbroken that he could barely look up.

    ¡°But do you think that Bai Shuang cannot be won over?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it repeatedly and felt that her analysis was reasonable. ¡°If she could work for us, we could achieve so much more with less effort...¡±

    Of course, she had to admit that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s statement was more reasonable.

    When the enemy is inseparable from their people, wishful thinking that the other party was not the enemy was a sure way of sending themselves into a trap.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi reproachfully and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you can¡¯t act like this. You can¡¯t do whatever you want to achieve your goal.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tender, white face finally turned flushed, and she was so ashamed that she wanted to find a hole in the ground to burrow into.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s embarrassment, Zhao Liangze felt pity. He coughed and gave Huo Shaoheng a look to suggest he stop talking.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at him but continued to correct Gu Nianzhi¡¯s misconception about trying to take shortcuts.

    ¡°I have been secretly investigating her over the past two days and found that the person in contact with Bai Shuang is most likely the godfather of the Gestapo, Li Dexi.¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned, asking, ¡°Do you know who Li Dexi is? He¡¯s an old espionage boss that even I fear.¡±

    ¡°This person is very powerful?¡± Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed for some time, then finally figured it out.

    Being scolded by Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze was nothing to be ashamed of.

    One of the advantages of growing up with them was that she learned to endure sarcasm and withstand criticism.

    ¡°Let me tell you about something he once did. Back when the oil countries in the desert region fought against other countries, Li Dexi wandered through the oil-producing countries alone and provoked wars in them. All the current chaos in those countries can be traced back to Li Dexi¡¯s achievements.

    ¡°Also, he is a high-ranking person in the CIA. His position at the Gestapo is only a cover.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no other thoughts about Li Dexi. After all, Li Dexi¡¯s professional jurisdiction did not ovep with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, so the two of them avoided each other. There had been no need to treat each other as enemies.

    But when Gu Nianzhi experienced danger in Germany, Huo Shaoheng went through numerous investigations and discovered that Li Dexi was the figure behind Reinitz¡¯s actions. It was then that Huo Shaoheng began to regard Li Dexi seriously and even began to hate him.

    Li Dexi had bad intentions towards Gu Nianzhi, but Huo Shaoheng also kept a close eye on Li Dexi.

    The saying of knowing oneself and knowing the enemy was absolutely mutual between these two men.

    ¡°...With a person as powerful as Li Dexi, how could an inexperienced person like Bai Shuang ever pass his scrutiny? If I wanted to send an undercover agent, how could I send an amateur like Bai Shuang? If Li Dexi actually investigated her after she was sent as an undercover agent, she would be dead by now.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at Zhao Liangze and said, ¡°Especially since she is still entangled with Little Ze. A lovesick person like her is taboo in our line of work.¡±

    Love was blind and the easiest way to confuse someone.

 Chapter 1202 - Not Pointing It Ou

    <h4>Chapter 1202 Not Pointing It Ou</h4>

    ¡°So, Bai Shuang never contacted you?¡± Although Gu Nianzhi understood what Huo Shaoheng meant, she was still a little confused and asked, ¡°So is she a friend or foe?¡±Huo Shaoheng interrupted her and said, ¡°You can treat her as someone who can either be a friend or foe. But to me, I will only be considering her an enemy in order to formte an action n without ws. We can¡¯t afford to have any idents.¡±

    Any idents would result in their own personnel losing their lives.

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to be cautious.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll listen to you. I really don¡¯t understand any of this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally had another harsh realization that she should leave the professional tasks to the professionals.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up, saying, ¡°I¡¯m already arranging the operation. A batch of light weapons will be transported from the sea tonight, and I will pick them up.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly stopped him. ¡°I am more familiar with this area. Let me go,¡± he said.

    ¡°No need. You will stay here with Nianzhi, and maybe Bai Shuang wille find you tonight. You can talk to her.¡± Huo Shaoheng exined the situation and then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I put a gun in the safe inside the master bedroom. It is loaded with bullets, and the safety is on. If something goes wrong, remember to take the gun out and protect yourself.¡±

    Formal hotel rooms generally had safes for guests to store their valuables.

    ¡°Safe?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes instantly lit up.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were like a beam of light, illuminating her foggy mind.

    The problem she had been thinking about was suddenly solved.

    She quickly took out her phone and looked something up. It was exactly what she thought.

    She replied excitedly, ¡°I know what the 365 letters in the poem stand for!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze exchanged nces. ¡°What is she talking about?¡±

    ¡°Bai Shuang gave us a hint! That poem has 86 words and 365 letters. I know that the bank¡¯s address is 86 Bank Street, and I have been wondering what the 365 letters represented.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very excited. Her tiny face glowed, firmly attracting Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes to it.

    He stretched out his hand to stroke Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair falling beside her cheeks and said with a smile, ¡°Calm down. Speak slowly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi squinted at him and smiledfortably like a spoiled cat getting petted.

    Zhao Liangze closed his eyes. ¡°Just say it if you have something to say. Don¡¯t act all lovey-dovey in front of me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced back at him, then squinted her eyes in a smile. ¡°The number 365 should represent the number of a bank safety deposit box!¡±

    ¡°Bank safety deposit box?¡±

    ¡°Yes! A safety deposit box!¡± Gu Nianzhi showed Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze the information she had looked up on her phone. ¡°Look, I looked up how to rent a safety deposit box on the bank¡¯s website. These numbers start from one to show the options they provide. Of course, many numbers have been upied already. This means that the safe has been rented!¡±

    Like hotel rooms, banks also provided safety deposit boxes for customers to rent and store valuables in.

    If Gu Nianzhi guessed correctly, maybe the item they needed was in the bank¡¯s safety deposit box number 365!

    Huo Shaoheng rxed his expression and slowly smiled. ¡°That makes sense. It seems that it is in this safe.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms and said frankly, ¡°We don¡¯t have any credentials, so how can we ask to open this safety deposit box?¡±

    Zhao Liangze whistled and said with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. Would we need to get involved if we had the credentials?¡±

    He winked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, then asked, ¡°Huh? You can open the bank safety deposit box without credentials or a key? Are you saying what I think you¡¯re saying?¡±

    ¡°We can still be good friends if you can understand this without it being pointed out.¡± Zhao Liangze snickered and shook his finger at her. ¡°Alex is an expert at opening bank safety deposit boxes!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up casually and said calmly, ¡°It seems that I must be there for this matter.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately objected. ¡°They may be waiting for you to show up. What if it¡¯s a trap?¡±

    ¡°How did the trap appear? I shouldn¡¯t go if this is a trap?¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°When Bai Shuanges to lead you into the trap, you can leak this piece of information. Don¡¯t worry about anything else.¡±

    Since he was the enemy¡¯s actual target, he didn¡¯t mind ying with them.

    Huo Shaoheng liked this kind of excitement and uncertainty because every minute and every second of the game made his heart beat wildly.

    Huo Shaoheng left in a hurry, but Gu Nianzhi was extremely worried. She paced around inside the bedroom with her arms crossed.

    Zhao Liangze was dizzy from watching at her and remarked sharply, ¡°Sit down! You will make me faint if you walk around one more time!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She sat down beside Zhao Liangze and looked at him in confusion. ¡°Are you not worried at all?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Those people are no match for Alex.¡± Zhao Liangze was very confident in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s abilities.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about Alex; I¡¯m talking about Bai Shuang.¡±

    Zhao Liangze lowered his head, and, after a while, he whispered, ¡°I hope we all guessed wrong. I hope it¡¯s not toote for her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put a hand on his shoulder and said encouragingly, ¡°Don¡¯t give up. It¡¯ll be ok!¡±

    ...

    During dinner, Bai Shuang came over as expected.

    She brought over a bottle of red wine and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m here to help myself to dinner. Am I wee?¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at her. She was wearing a red dress that resembled fire. Her face was beautiful and, when their eyes met, it was like a sledgehammer struck Zhao Liangze hard on the heart.

    His eyes began to feel strained, but his expression looked as if nothing happened as he smiled and said, ¡°Wee, wee! Come sit down.¡±

    He took the initiative to bring Bai Shuang a knife, fork, and other tableware and asked her what she needed.

    Bai Shuang looked at the dining table to see fried yellow croakers, steamed prawns and scallops, and a fewrge lobsters. She couldn¡¯t help but smile and replied, ¡°You guys really know how to enjoy yourselves. I came at the right time.¡±

    She sat down next to Gu Nianzhi, bringing over a wine ss and offering to fill it.

    Gu Nianzhi put her hand on the wine ss and said with a smile, ¡°I can¡¯t drink. You drink with Brother Ze.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Bai Shuang was a little embarrassed, so she had no choice but to pour another ss for Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze rubbed his wine ss and said happily, ¡°I have something to do tomorrow, so I can¡¯t drink tonight.¡±

    ¡°You have something to do tomorrow? What¡¯s the matter? Do you need my help?¡± Bai Shuang asked with great interest. ¡°I am not very busy over the next few days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Zhao Liangze and confirmed he was subtly hinting his permission before turning her eyes to Bai Shuang. She whispered, ¡°...I think I know what the 365 letters mean.¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s amazing!¡± Bai Shuang blinked; her face flushed with giddiness. ¡°What do you mean?! I¡¯ve been thinking about it all day, but I couldn¡¯t figure it out at all!¡±

    Her expression was much too exaggerated...

    The corner of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched before she replied nonchntly, ¡°It should be the number of a bank safety deposit box rented to customers.¡±

    ¡°You mean the number of the safety deposit box?!¡± Bai Shuang violently patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder as she said, ¡°You are too smart! I think that must be right!¡±

    ¡°That must be it.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes crinkled into half-moons when she smiled. ¡°Brother Ze said so, too. He already sent a message to Huo Shao.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded calmly and said, ¡°Huo Shao will be here tomorrow. He will definitely be here in person for such a big event.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s pupils instantly constricted in excitement, and she stammered, ¡°Huo... Huo Shao will reallye tomorrow?!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zhao Liangze looked directly at her. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you were hoping for?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I... I... I was just asking a random question.¡± The smile on Bai Shuang¡¯s face faded. She no longer had an appetite for dinner and stood up to say, ¡°I just remembered that there was something else I needed to do, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    Hurrying to the door, she seemed to think of something. She turned around and said, ¡°See you tomorrow!¡±

    A long time after she disappeared, Zhao Liangze finally withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened. He turned his head and saw that therge lobster in front of him was peeled with only the shell remaining. He was furious. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! You can eat your own! Why do you want to eat mine too?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and quickly ran out of the dining room.

    ...

    Bai Shuang returned to her room, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

    After a long silence, she dialed Li Dexi¡¯s phone number and left a voicemail for him.

    ¡°The target has taken the bait; he will arrive at Cape Town tomorrow.¡±

    After receiving this news, Li Dexi also discovered that a boat had inconspicuously arrived at the port that night. He was convinced that Huo Shaoheng was on it and trying to sneak into the city.

    Hemanded his personnel, ¡°n A has begun. I will personally direct it.¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter if Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t show up in the end; he would kidnap Gu Nianzhi anyway. That meant he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Huo Shaoheng not following him.

 Chapter 1203 - Her Beauty Was Unparalled at That Momen

    <h4>Chapter 1203 Her Beauty Was Unparalled at That Momen</h4>

    As soon as the sun rose the next day, Zhao Liangze got up and went out for a morning jog.Just as he expected, he encountered Bai Shuang wearing red gym clothes again.

    Facing the newly-risen sun, the two jogged side by side on the sidewalk in the hotel area.

    Zhao Liangze felt terribly ufortable, but he still had to pretend that nothing was wrong and giggle with Bai Shuang.

    ¡°...Bai Shuang, when did you suddenly begin to like wearing red clothes? I remember that you used to hate red clothes,¡± he said.

    Bai Shuang squinted her eyes with a smile and said, ¡°Really? I don¡¯t remember what happened before. I think I look good in red now, so I just wear it...¡±

    As she spoke, she ran around Zhao Liangze. ¡°Does it look good? Do I look good in red?¡± she asked.

    She ran out of breath, so her fair face had been tanned into a light honey shade. Her lips were slightly open and plump, unlike most Asians, and her big eyes were brighter and more alluring than the newly risen sun.

    In Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes, her beauty was unparalleled at that moment.

    But the more beautiful she was, the more heartbroken Zhao Liangze felt.

    Finally, he couldn¡¯t run anymore and gradually slowed down. He said, ¡°I have to go back now. Nianzhi is alone in her room right now, and she will be scared when she wakes up.¡±

    Bai Shuang was slightly jealous. ¡°She is already an adult now. Why do you still treat her like a child?¡±

    ¡°She is not even twenty years old. In my eyes, she is still a little girl who needs to be taken care of.¡± Zhao Liangze replied coldly, ¡°Unlike you, she can¡¯t stand on her own yet.¡±

    Bai Shuang was stunned speechless.

    Her chest rose and fell violently, and after a while, she reluctantly apologized. ¡°That was my fault. I shouldn¡¯t be targeting Gu Nianzhi...¡± she said.

    ¡°You were wrong to begin with. What are you targeting her for?¡± Zhao Liangze red at Bai Shuang but couldn¡¯t chastise her anymore when he looked at her sweaty cheeks and listless eyes.

    The two stood on the tree-lined path in the hotel area and looked at each other in silence. The sea breeze was blowing from close by, bringing the cool currents from the Antic Ocean and blowing away the anxiety in their hearts.

    ¡°Have you had breakfast yet?¡± Zhao Liangze asked after ncing at his watch to break the silence between the two.

    Bai Shuang shook her head. ¡°I ran out in a hurry this morning and didn¡¯t eat anything.¡±

    ¡°Come to my ce to eat.¡± Zhao Liangze turned around and began to leave. ¡°I¡¯m going to make breakfast for Gu Nianzhi anyway. The two of us won¡¯t be able to finish the food by ourselves.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s heart warmed, and she followed him with a smile.

    When they were halfway back to the hotel, she quietly reached out and took Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, but he did not shake off Bai Shuang¡¯s hand. He let her hold his and looked straight ahead as he continued to walk forward.

    However, Zhao Liangze held Bai Shuang¡¯s hand in return by the time they reached the entrance to the apartment-style hotel¡¯s courtyard where he and Gu Nianzhi stayed.

    The two didn¡¯t let go of each other¡¯s hands until they walked into the kitchen.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was awakened by the strong, delicious scent of rice porridge.

    Removing the nkets, she went to the bathroom to quickly wash up before changing into gym clothes and going to the dining room.

    The hotel suite was the so-called open concept style kitchen. The dining room and the kitchen were almost integrated and merely separated by a set of sofas.

    Standing at the dining room entrance, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but blink when she saw two busy figures in the kitchen.

    She recognized Zhao Liangze¡¯s figure, and the woman who was busying herself beside him and wearing red gym clothes seemed to be Bai Shuang.

    What was she doing in their kitchen so early in the morning?

    Gu Nianzhi walked in suspiciously and knocked on the kitchen counter. ¡°Good morning, Brother Ze,¡± she said.

    Zhao Liangze looked around. ¡°Are you up now? Did you wash your face and brush your teeth yet?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked at the woman in red gym clothes standing next to him.

    It really was Bai Shuang.

    Bai Shuang turned her head and gave a ttering smile as she said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re up? Why didn¡¯t you sleep a little longer? Breakfast will be ready soon.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Good morning, Miss Bai.¡±

    She walked to the dining room and sat down. Rubbing her phone, she tried to figure out when Huo Shaoheng would being.

    But after waiting all morning, there was no news from Huo Shaoheng.

    After eating breakfast, Bai Shuang stayed with them for a while and kept looking in the direction of the door with great anticipation. However, no one came in.

    Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze both knew what she was looking forward to, so they were feeling very conflicted.

    Gu Nianzhi still felt some hope for Bai Shuang.

    Zhao Liangze had almostpletely given up on her.

    Being able to be with Bai Shuang for one more second right now meant that he would have one more second of memories in the future.

    He knew that he truly had no future with her now...

    The three of them were talking endlessly about mundane things in the living room. It was almost noon, but Huo Shaoheng still had not arrived.

    Bai Shuang was just contemting if she should find a reason to stay a while longer when her phone rang.

    She picked it up to see that it was Li Dexi¡¯s secret number.

    Bai Shuang stood up calmly and said with a smile, ¡°My team captain needs me for something. I will get going now.¡±

    After walking a few steps, she asked again, ¡°When do you n to go to the bank? Just let me know if you need any help.¡±

    Zhao Liangze also stood up and replied calmly, ¡°Since a guest was here the whole time, we were unable to say anything and try to leave. Now that the guest is leaving, we can go out to the bank.¡±

    He was using a very strange tone and treating Bai Shuang like a guest.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s face paled, and her lips trembled fiercely. The tears in her eyes nearly fell.

    Instead, she took a deep breath and looked up at the crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling.

    Suppressing her tears, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about wasting your time.¡±

    She turned and left in a hurry, so Zhao Liangze also went out with Gu Nianzhi.

    ...

    By the time Bai Shuang returned to her hotel room, she had already recovered.

    She smiled and opened the door to see Li Dexi sitting on the sofa in her living room. Four muscr men in ck suits stood in a line behind him.

    These four muscr men wore sunsses and obviously looked like Germans.

    Bai Shuang nodded. ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Li Dexi smiled and said, ¡°I should ask you this. You have a very good rtionship with Gu Nianzhi and have stayed with them all morning.¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled and replied, ¡°Of course. I already told you in the beginning that the two of them are easy to deal with, but Huo Shaoheng is a lot harder.¡±

    After saying this, her expression sank. ¡°Huo Shaoheng hasn¡¯te yet. He is so cunning; will he not fall for the bait?¡±

    Li Dexi had been paying close attention to Bai Shuang¡¯s expression, so no movement escaped his scrutiny.

    He could see that Bai Shuang had no professional training, so she was not very skilled in many areas.

    But because of what happened with her father, she was destined not to stand with the Huaxia Empire again.

    Li Dexi was very reassured in terms of this about Bai Shuang, but he was just worried that she was not experienced enough. Things would be bad if Zhao Liangze and the others saw through her.

    After repeatedly asking Bai Shuang about Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi, he was convinced that she had not exposed herself. Li Dexi nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about Huo Shaoheng. He has already arrived at Cape Town.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Really? He came already?!¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Dexi stood up. ¡°Do you know when they will do it? You have to follow them.¡±

    The corners of Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes twitched, and she whispered, ¡°They are going to the bank now. I will let them go first, and if you need help, I will take action when the timees.¡±

    Li Dexi was even more satisfied now. ¡°Well, don¡¯t appear too eager. It¡¯s best if theye to you, begging you for help.¡±

    From Li Dexi¡¯s perspective, the other party might be suspicious if Bai Shuang took the initiative to go with them.

    But if the other party was helpless, Bai Shuang could gain their trust again by lending them a hand.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes flickered as she said, ¡°...But how can I help them? How about you give me the key to that bank safety deposit box, and I will look for a chance to pretend that I got it from the bank?¡±

    Li Dexi sighed and shook his head. ¡°If I had the key, I wouldn¡¯t have spent all this effort to lure them here.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t have the key? That... Then... It would be pointless if they can¡¯t open the bank safe!¡± Bai Shuang blurted out. She felt very nervous.

    She never guessed that Li Dexi didn¡¯t have the key either...

    But in Li Dexi¡¯s eyes, even though the items in the bank safe were very valuable, Gu Nianzhi was still the most important thing.

    If he could kidnap Gu Nianzhi and use her for research, the data might as well be scrap paper.

    Could data from more than half a century ago evenpare to having a living person and specimen?

    Gu Nianzhi had everything they wanted.

    But he would not tell Bai Shuang all this.

    Li Dexi and Bai Shuang also had amon enemy ¨C Huo Shaoheng.

    Bai Shuang wanted to kill Huo Shaoheng because she had to avenge her father¡¯s death.

    Li Dexi wanted to kill Huo Shaoheng purely because of Gu Nianzhi.

    He understood clearly that he had to kill Huo Shaoheng first in order to fully possess Gu Nianzhi.

    Otherwise, he would face Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ubiquitous pursuit to the ends of the earth.

    He would spend the rest of his life hiding away.

    If that was the case, then what was the point of taking Gu Nianzhi?

    He would never be able to sit down to do research, let alone produce any results.

    Truthfully speaking, Li Dexi was not confident that he could survive a fight with Huo Shaoheng.

    He felt that the most important thing for him was to hide in the shadows and use various traitors to kill Huo Shaoheng.

    From the previous Hong Kangquan to the current Bai Shuang, they were all lethal weapons Li Dexi was prepared to use to kill Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was luckyst time, so he was able to escape even the logic-defying maic field on the ocean.

    This time, they were thousands of miles away from the Huaxia Empire. Li Dexi was anxious to see who else would be rescuing him and Gu Nianzhi.

    With an eager smile on his face, he walked to Bai Shuang and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Gu Nianzhi is very smart. I am sure that she will be able to find a way to open the safe.¡±

    Bai Shuang pursed her lips and asked dubiously, ¡°...But they have no credentials or identification. How can they find that safe?¡±

    She was afraid that they wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter the basement where the safes were located.

    ¡°Hahahaha... That¡¯s up to you, my dear,¡± Li Dexi said with a snap of his fingers.

    One of the four bodyguards behind the sofa took off his sunsses, and came to Li Dexi¡¯s side.

    Li Dexi pointed to him and said to Bai Shuang, ¡°This is an executive of that French bank, but he actually works for me. He has the credentials to the safes and a topographic map of the basement. What do you think? Find a chance to leak this information to Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze. When theye back from the bank, it will be the moment you take action.¡±

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze had already arrived at the bank.

    The two of them walked around in the lobby without asking a word about the safes. Instead, they only asked about opening an ount and then sat down in the lounge area with the excuse that they were waiting for someone.

    They took out their phones and sat on opposite ends of the sofa as they started ying on their phones.

    They actually connected to the free WiFi that the bank provided to their customers and hacked into theirwork.

 Chapter 1204 - Safety Deposit Box No. 365

    <h4>Chapter 1204 Safety Deposit Box No. 365</h4>

    Perhaps it was because this bank located on the African continent was influenced by the arrogance of European colonists that it clearly looked down on the IQ of the locals. As a result, the bank system¡¯s security was perfunctory and just barely better than nothing at all.Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze had nned to act together and concentrate their superior forces to attack one port together. By doing this, they could achieve their goals within a fixed time.

    However, they did not even have a chance to work together. Gu Nianzhi quickly tried on her own and found that the port was only protected by a very simple password consisting of four random letters.

    After some trial and error, she realized that the passwordposition here was rtively backward. It could only beposed of letters, but numbers and other arbitrary symbols could not be used.

    The total possiblebinations of four random letters would be 26*26*26*26, a total of 456,976binations.

    Of course, it was very cumbersome to test over 400,000binations by hand. But if she used the proof of exhaustion mini-program, it would take less than a second to find out.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the password. ¡®ABCD¡¯ appeared on her phone, and she shook her head in shock.

    How careless would they have to be to use such a stupid passwordbination on the external port of a major bank?

    She sent a text message to Zhao Liangze saying she had found the password.

    Zhao Liangze was not surprised to see that the password was ABCD.

    He had been living in that ce for several months now and was all too familiar with the quality of work and attitude of the people there.

    This was indeed something that the local ITwork managers would have done.

    First of all, this was because it was very difficult for them to recruit truly capable programmers to work as a database admin.

    After finding the password to enter the intr port, Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze were able to ess the system.

    After entering, they went in different directions.

    Zhao Liangze was more professional. He focused on checking the overall system, figuring out the bank¡¯s software and hardware, and nting a Trojan horse backdoor program inside.

    Gu Nianzhi mainly searched for information rted to the safety deposit box.

    That information should be inside the operation module or business partition.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger quickly tapped on the phone, and within a few minutes, she was able to find the bank¡¯s branch system for handling safety deposit boxes.

    This was a very simple SQL database.

    The detailed information of each safety deposit box was recorded inside.

    The number of the safety deposit box also served as the primary key of the database. Each one was unique.

    After Gu Nianzhi figured out the SQL primary key, she immediately searched for number 365 and immediately found the safety deposit box they were looking for.

    The feeling of happiness came on so fast that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t even believe her eyes.

    ncing at their watches, they saw that it had taken them less than five minutes from when they sat down on the sofa and took out their phones to find the information.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this way too easy?¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered as she worried that it was a trap. She then used her robot.exe program to go inside and stroll around.

    This was a simple program she had written for fun. Like a mine-detecting robot, it would first troll around the system. If there was a prospecting program within the other party¡¯s system, her robot.exe program would be regarded as an intrusion and treated as an intruding hacker.

    By doing this, she was able to understand the other party¡¯s security measures and emergency strategies against hackers through the information transmitted by the robot.exe.

    Her robot.exe was invisible inside the banking system and quickly wandered around without triggering any rms.

    This proved one of two things. It was possible that the other party¡¯s system security was too weak, so it didn¡¯t detect any foreign invasion.

    Or it could mean that the other party had not set up any system security at all because they assumed that the system¡¯s intr would not bepromised.

    Gu Nianzhi tried for a long time and was convinced that the other party was truly unaware before she safely entered the banking system¡¯s internal structure.

    After looking around for a while, she understood why the security system was so weak.

    This bank only treated itsputerwork system as additional content rted to their business work.

    This was unlike other ces, where the Inte had be an inseparable part of everyone¡¯s work.

    Within this banking system, it was impossible for you to transfer funds directly over the Inte.

    So, they don¡¯t care how strong the system¡¯s security was since these systems were not mainly used for work but are used to store historical data like hard drives.

    This kind of performance was exactly what Gu Nianzhi hoped for.

    What she needed to find was historical data.

    Quickly browsing through the system history, Gu Nianzhi opened all the information rted to the safety deposit box number 365 and sent it to her cloud mailbox for storage.

    She worked quickly and discreetly. Before the other party noticed anything was amiss, Gu Nianzhi had already walked away and even secretly erased the login records for the port.

    After logging out of the bank¡¯s internal systemwork, Gu Nianzhi opened her cloud mailbox to check the content rted to the safety deposit box number 365.

    She stared at it for a long time, but her eyes only saw one sentence within the bank¡¯s record.

    Safety deposit box number: No. 365.

    Rental date: XXXX, XX, XX.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped.

    That was the day she was born.

    In other words, this safe had been rented for 19 years.

    The annual rent was $50 US, and the prepayment amount was for one hundred years.

    Gu Nianzhi snickered.

    It was actually rented for so long.

    From what Reinitz was saying, the data rted to the gic weakness of the Huaxia people was stored there.

    They had been investigating for so long. Why hadn¡¯t they discovered it yet?

    Gu Nianzhi frowned.

    From the moment that Reinitz gave the letter to her, their goal must have always led up to this point.

    What was the purpose of drawing her in, step by step?

    Was everything here just a game?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it but finally ruled out that possibility.

    The enemy worked step by step to draw her over, so it was definitely not for a simple game.

    If this were only a game, it would have been their style to abduct her a long time ago, as they had done in the Alps.

    But they hadn¡¯t done anything until now, and they put in all this effort in hopes she woulde to this bank. Gu Nianzhi was fairly certain that the safety deposit box was real when she looked at it.

    The reality was the imaginary, the imaginary was the reality, true or false, and soldiers were never tired from deceit.

    This was the way that Reinitz and Huo Shaoheng operated.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and continued to look down.

    Going to the tenant column, Gu Nianzhi saw the English name written in flourishing handwriting. Kevin Ku.

    That was her father¡¯s English name.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears poured out all at once.

    She rubbed the high-resolution signature on the phone and had a more intuitive feeling for her father.

    Reading the terms and conditions for opening the safe again, Gu Nianzhi shook her head in surprise.

    The safe was located on the sixth floor of the bank¡¯s underground warehouse, which was also the bottom floor. Aplete proof of identification and other identifying documents were required to enter the basement room where the safe was located.

    A key was not required to open this safe.

    Gu Nianzhi was helpless at that moment as she sat on the sofa with her face propped up in her hands. It seemed like the enemy really couldn¡¯t go down to the sixth floor of the basement to approach the safe.

    It would be great if they had Harry Potter¡¯s invisibility cloak...

    Gu Nianzhi tried to cheer herself up as she cocked her head to look at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Brother Ze, everything is good on my side. How about you?¡± she asked.

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t look up as he said, ¡°I¡¯m almost done, too. The download will end immediately, and we will go home.¡±

    The two quickly packed their things and left the bank to return to their apartment-style hotel.

    ...

    When she got out of the car at the hotel entrance, Gu Nianzhi saw a ck Hummer SUV parked along the street by their suite.

    A tall man wearing a ck T-shirt and ck jeans leaned against the tree in front of the door. He was waiting for them to return.

    Sensing that she wasing over, the person raised his head and smiled at them.

    He had a familiar hawk nose, full beard,rge sunsses, and a unique way of walking.

    It was none other than Huo Shaoheng in disguise.

    He had finally appeared again.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes lit up, and as he rushed up, eximed in surprise, ¡°Huo Shao, you are finally here!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted Zhao Liangze on the shoulder, his voice calm. ¡°Yes, here I am.¡±

    In a small building close by, Li Dexi was observing the situation with a set of binocrs. He nodded and said with a smile, ¡°It is Huo Shaoheng. This is what he looks like in disguise. He thought that no one knew, but Hong Kangquan had already revealed all of his information to us a long time ago.

    ¡°Order the men to go downstairs and follow these people. When they make a move, we will follow suit.¡±

 Chapter 1205 - Because Iâ€™m Beautiful

    <h4>Chapter 1205 Because I¡°m Beautiful</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi happily took Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and entered the hotel-style apartment they were staying in.It was already afternoon, and the sun around 2pm was viciously hot. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face was red from sunburn and her forehead was also peeling a bit.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her face, ¡°...You didn¡¯t use sunscreen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    With so many things happening and so many clues found¨CHuo Shao, did it make sense for you to only focus on sunscreen?!

    But she still felt very happy.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and rolled her eyes, ¡°I will definitely use some tomorrow.¡±

    Zhao Liangze followed them inside and overheard them talking about sunscreen. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s useless and doesn¡¯t actually matter. When I first came here, I was sure that I couldn¡¯t get a tan. Now you can see for yourself...¡±

    He pointed to his bronze colored skin.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She covered her face and ran to the master bedroom: ¡°I¡¯m going to apply a face mask!¡±

    Hopefully it wasn¡¯t toote to fix her burn.

    After steering Gu Nianzhi away, Huo Shaoheng talked to Zhao Liangze about their arrangements in hushed tones.

    ¡°... They have lots of men and it has been confirmed that Li Dexi will be leading the team. This time will probably be more difficult to deal with than thest time with Reinitz.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart was full of despair, but he was not nervous at all.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We are going to the sixth floor of the bank¡¯s basement anyway. It¡¯s not like they can all go down there, regardless of how many people they have.¡±

    Today, he and Gu Nianzhi carefully studied the topographic map of the basement and found that there was only one way to go to the basement from the ground floor.

    This meant that they had to take control of the elevator first.

    Moreover, the elevator was very small and the load capacity was not enough. It could only carry four people at most at a time, since it would be over capacity and automatically stop working as soon as more people got on.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head solemnly, ¡°They have been nning for a long time, so they must all be going down.¡±

    Zhao Liangze opened his mouth and remarked sullenly, ¡°What can we do then?¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to perish before he could even take action against the enemy. He must find that object and send Gu Nianzhi out safely before considering anything else.

    ¡°Is it because of Bai Shuang?¡± Zhao Liangze gritted his teeth, ¡°Or should we... First... Control her...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head again and replied calmly, ¡°Bai Shuang is the bait they put out. What if we alert the enemy by removing Bai Shuang?

    ¡°Should we just let them do it then?¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression became even darker. ¡°They have so many people. If worstes to worst, we will suffer severely even if we don¡¯t die.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted his shoulder and curled the corners of his lips, ¡°That won¡¯t be possible, don¡¯t be so pessimistic.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi just put on the mask and walked outside. She only needed to hear thest sentence to know that this operation was very dangerous.

    But because Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were by her side, she didn¡¯t really sense much of the danger.

    For her, danger was always rtive.

    Sitting next to Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi said calmly, ¡°Aside from the contents of the safe, their target is probably me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze looked at her together, with nk expressions on their faces.

    Zhao Liangze snickered, ¡°Nanzhi, how can you be so smug? The target is you? Are you sure? Do you think you are the gold reserve or thergest diamond on the entire Blue?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was worried about increasing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s psychological burden, so heforted her, ¡°Their main target this time is not you, but me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°!!!¡±

    Was that supposed to beforting?!

    That made her even more nervous!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt hem and her naturally dark eyebrows knitted together, ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you leaving right now?! Are you waiting for them to ughter you?!¡±

    ¡°The person who can ughter me hasn¡¯t appeared in this world yet.¡± Seeing Gu Nianzhi became more nervous, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t even tell what he was really feeling.

    In this girl¡¯s heart, he was always more important than herself.

    He squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder was hurting a bit from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pinching, but she didn¡¯t care. She looked at Huo Shaoheng with devotion and said in distress, ¡°It looks like they have nned this for a long time, Huo Shao, let¡¯s avoid the battle...¡±

    They were unfamiliar with this ce, and even if Huo Shaoheng and the others were prepared¨CGu Nianzhi still felt it was too dangerous.

    Who could guarantee that there would be no idents in a situation like this?

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and leaned over and kissed the back of her hand, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Little Ze and I know how to sense danger. Don¡¯t worry, go get some rest. You may not be able to sleep at all tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze and saw him also nod slightly. Knowing that they were going to talk about business, it wasn¡¯t suitable for her to hear too much.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go take a nap for a while. Remember not to be too careless.¡± Gu Nianzhi touched the mask on her face, regretting that she could not kiss Huo Shaoheng.

    She went back to the master bedroom, of course tossed about without getting any sleep.

    She took out her phone and opened the topographic map of the bank to carefully study the basementyout.

    From the vertical cross-section, the bank basement had six floors and was a perfectly straight rectangle.

    The safe her father had rented was ced in an inconspicuous corner on the basement floor.

    If the enemy had been prepared, where would they lie in ambush?

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes to find a hiding ce, but yawned and fell asleep soon after.

    Gu Nianzhi was really not interested in looking at topographic maps.

    ...

    In the living room outside, the doorbell rang. Huo Shaoheng stood up, ¡°Someone is here to deliver the food I ordered. I will blend in with them and leave now, we can meet at the bankter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng never thought of using a body double this time around.

    He used himself as bait to trick the cunning Li Dexi into presiding over the mission himself.

    If he used a body double, it would be too dangerous since there was almost a 99% chance that the other man would note back alive.

    He was not the kind of boss who pushed his subordinates into danger and took the glory for himself. He was unable to do such a cold hearted thing.

    Moreover, Li Dexi was a suspicious man by nature. He had previously changed his ns during previous missions, so Huo Shaoheng was determined not to use a body double.

    He needed to create an ¡°out of sight¡± effect, so that Li Dexi would be certain of his arrival.

    Because Li Dexi definitely believed that Huo Shaoheng was the only person who could break away from his surveince from time to time.

    If Huo Shaoheng can¡¯t get rid of even his surveince, then Li Dexi would doubt whether that was actually Huo Shaoheng.

    Zhao Liangze never doubted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bold and pioneering ways. He was the kind of chief who asked his soldiers to ¡°follow me¡± on the battlefield, not the kind of chief who drove others to ¡°march ahead of me.¡±

    He nodded and allowed Huo Shaoheng to go to the back room to change his clothes, before going to open the door.

    Outside the courtyard, a group of ck people pushed the dining car inside. They wearing white uniforms and smiled as they said to Zhao Liangze in English, ¡°Hello, the meal you ordered has arrived.¡±

    Zhao Liangze opened the courtyard door and said with a smile, ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    After all the ck people came in, Zhao Liangze saw a woman in a red dress standing behind them. It was Bai Shuang.

    She looked at Zhao Liangze with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m here again, do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need your help with eating, and you can¡¯t help with anything else either.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes sparkled slightly as he joked around with Bai Shuang.

    ¡°How do you know that I can¡¯t help if you don¡¯t give me a chance?¡± Bai Shuang came uninvited and took the initiative to take his arm affectionately, ¡°Let¡¯s go, we can go inside the house and then chat.¡±

    Zhao Liangze stood motionlessly with his hands in his trouser pockets. He stared fixedly at Bai Shuang¡¯s delicate and morous face, then suddenly lowered his face to peck her lips. He whispered in her ear, ¡°Are you sure you want toe in?¡±

    Bai Shuang was so flustered by this kiss that she almost lost herposure.

    It took her a lot of effort to calm down. Bai Shuang stroked her hair with her hands, her eyes sparkling brilliantly as she looked at Zhao Liangze with a smile, ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure. Why else would I run over here?¡±

    Zhao Liangze stopped talking and turned around to go inside.

    Bai Shuang followed him in.

    The dining room was quiterge to begin with, but the spacious dining room suddenly became smaller since there were seven or eight tall ck waiters squished in there.

    Bai Shuang watched these people bustle around the dining room before cing all the food on the long table.

    ¡°You are going to have a buffet!¡± Bai Shuang was shocked, ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to help you dig in.¡±

    Zhao Liangze smiled, ¡°Of course, we are all foodies and eat lots.¡±

    After arranging the tes, a few ck waiters remained behind to serve the food.

    The other ones pushed the dining car outside.

    Huo Shaoheng had hidden himself amongst them for a long time by transforming himself into a ck man, so he left with them.

    Because this group of people was so dark skinned, barely anyone paid attention to what their facial features looked like.

    Huo Shaoheng left the hotel area quietly without disturbing anyone.

    ...

    Bai Shuang pushed a beer towards Zhao Liangze and asked casually, ¡°Have you found the bank safety deposit box yet?¡±

    ¡°I found it, but it¡¯s useless.¡± Zhao Liangze did not hesitate to reply, ¡°We don¡¯t have any credentials, so there is no way for the bank to open the safe for us.¡±

    Aside from being unable to open it, they didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to get close.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes flickered before she whispered, ¡°I know the bank executive, why don¡¯t I ask him for you?¡±

    ¡°The bank executive is on call for you?¡± Zhao Liangze sneered, ¡°Bai Shuang, I haven¡¯t seen you for only a few months, but you¡¯ve already be such an eloquent speaker.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Bai Shuang smiled and took out her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll make a call and we can see if hees.¡±

    ¡°Why would hee here? Because you¡¯re so beautiful and have a nice figure?¡± Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Yeah, because I am beautiful. He is pursuing me and lives nearby.¡± Bai Shuang was unwilling to show weakness and stabbed Zhao Liangze with her words.

    Not long after the phone was dialed, the doorbell outside rang once again.

    Bai Shuang smiled and got up, ¡°He¡¯s here, I¡¯ll wee him inside.¡±

    She gracefully walked out like she was the hostess.

    The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched as he punched the table hard.

 Chapter 1206 - The Arrow on the Bow

    <h4>1206 The Arrow on the Bow</h4>

    Soon afterward, Bai Shuang walked in with a tall Caucasian man wearing a suit and leather shoes.

    She smiled and introduced him to Little Ze. ¡°This is my friend, Big Ben.¡±

    She then introduced Zhao Liangze to the Caucasian man, saying, ¡°This is my friend, Mr. Zhao.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Zhao.¡± The man offered his hand politely.

    Although Zhao Liangze felt very ufortable, he still reached out to shake hands with the man.

    ¡°Big Ben, pleasee and sit down. You came just in time; we are about to have a great dinner.¡± Bai Shuang warmly invited the man to sit down.

    ¡°Hmm! This looks really good!¡± The man quickly got acquainted with his surroundings and began to chat with Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t speak as eloquently as Yin Shixiong did. He was also in a bad mood, so he didn¡¯t talk too much and merely exchanged a few polite words.

    Bai Shuang smiled and drank her wine for a while before putting her hand on the man¡¯s shoulder and saying, ¡°My dear, I have something to ask you. I was wondering if you could do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°Honey ¨C as long as you ask me, and as long as I am able to, I will definitely help.¡± The man took Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and kissed the back of it.

    There was fire shooting out of Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes.

    He raised his ss and emptied it bitterly.

    Bai Shuang pretended not to notice Zhao Liangze¡¯s reaction and leaned into the man¡¯s ear to whisper in a very quiet voice, ¡°...My friend¡¯s rtives rented a safety deposit box in the basement of your bank, but they forgot to bring their credentials. Can you help them open the safe and let them take a look at the contents inside?¡±

    The man shook his head regretfully and said, ¡°No. Even if you have the credentials, you can¡¯t open the safe without the key. We don¡¯t have the key here.¡±

    For the sake of security, they implemented aplete destruction policy for the safety deposit boxes in the sixth-floor basement. In other words, if the customer did note to redeem the contents at the expiry of the rental period, the contents of the safety deposit box would be destroyed rather than being imed by the bank.

    This was also one of the reasons why the rent in the basement was more expensive than that of the upper floors.

    ¡°No keys? We don¡¯t have them either.¡± Bai Shuang blinked. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you let us go in and take a look at the safety deposit box? We¡¯ll just look at the box, take a photo of the contents, and then verify it with her rtives? Maybe he will remember where the keys are?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll consider it. But...¡± The Caucasian man nced at Zhao Liangze and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have the authority to make this decision on my own. I have to notify several colleagues...¡±

    He was tantly asking for bribes.

    Zhao Liangze sneered inwardly and put on a false look of understanding. He looked at Bai Shuang with a smile.

    Didn¡¯t she say that he was pursuing her? Why was he still asking for money?

    Bai Shuang¡¯s expression was a little ufortable, so she pouted her lips and said, ¡°A friend is a friend, and business is business. These are two different things.¡± She then handed over a cheque she had prepared in advance, saying, ¡°This is a small gesture of our appreciation. Thank you for helping us.¡±

    The Caucasian man gracefully put the cheque into a secret pocket in his suit. He smiled casually and still appeared personable as he continued chatting andughing with them.

    Only the voices of Bai Shuang and the Caucasian man could be heard consistently talking andughing during the dinner.

    At first, Zhao Liangze would interject briefly, but eventually, he stopped talkingpletely and just downed one drink after another.

    It was a pity that there was only beer since he couldn¡¯t get drunk no matter how much he drank. All he managed to do was make his stomach hurt, and he ran to the bathroom several times.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi awoke from her sleep, she saw that it was already around six in the evening.

    She got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face, then changed her clothes and went outside to find something to eat.

    She was surprised to see Bai Shuang flirting with a random Caucasian man in the dining room. Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and looked at them with a surprised expression before ncing around.

    That¡¯s right; she was still in her hotel room. This wasn¡¯t a dream?

    Gu Nianzhi blinked vigorously once again.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reaction, Bai Shuangughed and waved to her, saying, ¡°Nianzhi,e over for dinner. I didn¡¯t see you earlier and thought you were away.¡±

    A spark of excitement shed in the eyes of the Caucasian man sitting next to Bai Shuang.

    This was the Gu Nianzhi that their big boss wanted to kidnap?!

    The knife and fork he was holding trembled slightly, gently nging against the dinner te.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at his hand calmly before coolly shifting her eyes to Bai Shuang.

    She pursed her lips and asked quietly, ¡°Where is Brother Ze? Why are you sitting in our dining room and eating dinner?¡±

    ¡°Little Ze drank too much just now and had to go to the bathroom. It¡¯s not convenient for me...¡± Before Bai Shuang even finished speaking, she saw Gu Nianzhi turn and head towards the bathroom.

    Bai Shuang stared at her back. After a while, she withdrew her gaze nonchntly and took a sip of beer.

    The Caucasian man remarked quietly, ¡°...Bai, it seems that Mr. Zhao loves you very much. He was looking at me like he wanted to break my body into a million pieces...¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled. Wiping her mouth gracefully with a napkin, she replied almost inaudibly, ¡°Did you think that I was lying to you? I told you, Little Ze loves me. That¡¯s how I was able to break into their circle.¡±

    The Caucasian manpletely believed it now.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s painful and jealous nces had beenpletely instinctive and could not deceive other people.

    If he could deceive people with such an act, then those Oscar-winning actors would die of shame.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll tell our boss the news. I¡¯ll leave now and send you the topographic mapter. Take them to the basement floor after 9:00 pm. Remember, it has to be after 9:00 pm.¡±

    ¡°Why must it be after 9:00 pm?¡±

    ¡°Because arge-scaleworking event is being held at our bank today. There is a speech and a cocktail reception from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. After 9:00 pm, there is a dance and rock music performance...¡±

    Bai Shuang understood.

    He was saying that the security on the basement floor would be rxed after 9:00 pm that night.

    Until then, security would be extremely tight.

    ¡°Actually, can¡¯t we change the time?¡± Bai Shuang hesitated for a moment.

    If the bank was holding aworking event, then the local police would also be sending officers to maintain order.

    The Caucasian man shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°Bai, that¡¯s what you don¡¯t understand. This is a good time to blend in and take advantage. You see that there are many guards on duty, but it is actually because there are many people present. No one would think that something will happen, so they will be more rxed than usual.

    ¡°Besides, the heavy traffic tonight is the best camouge. There is usually no one there at night. Do you think you could even get close normally?¡±

    The Caucasian man tapped Bai Shuang¡¯s nose and called her cute before kissing her on the cheek. He stood up and said, ¡°I have to go now. Theworking event will be starting soon, so I must attend. This will be my alibi.¡±

    He winked at Bai Shuang and took out his mobile phone. He waved at her before leaving the courtyard of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hotel suite.

    Not long after he left, a topographic map showing the locations of the bank¡¯s security guards for the night was sent to Bai Shuang¡¯s phone.

    It contained the location and equipment list of all security, military, and police personnel and notes on the security facilities of the building itself and the basement. Additionally, he included the elevator password to get to the basement floor and the basement entrance code.

    With this information, they could avoid the security personnel and facilities and sessfully enter the sixth-floor basement where the bank stored its safety deposit boxes.

    ...

    In the bathroom, Zhao Liangze sshed water on his face to calm his boiling anger.

    Gu Nianzhi stood at the door and looked at him with worry as she softly asked, ¡°Brother Ze, are you feeling better?¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s frowning face from the mirror and smiled, saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me, Nianzhi.¡±

    He turned around and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m still waiting to show off my skills tonight. How could something happen to me?¡±

    ¡°Who was that man?¡± Gu Nianzhi bit her lip quickly before asking.

    She didn¡¯t want to be nosy at first, but she only had to look at Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression to know that there were countless thoughts going through his head. He would suffocate if he didn¡¯t vent.

    As expected, Zhao Liangze stopped in his tracks. He was silent for a long time before finally saying, ¡°...Bai Shuang¡¯s boyfriend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Well, these two really knew how to create lots of drama.

    One had a girlfriend, and the other had a boyfriend ¨C yet they were deeply attracted to each other.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi felt as though the rtionship between herself and Huo Shaoheng was much simpler.

    She patted Zhao Liangze on the shoulder sympathetically and bitterly remarked, ¡°Was it Bai Shuang who told you that he was her boyfriend? She is too rude. How can she be shameless enough to bring her boyfriend to have dinner with us?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so filled with righteous indignation that she seemed to be as ready to fight as Zhao Liangze, so he couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    He patted her head and asked, ¡°What would a little girl like you even know?¡± After a pause, he chuckled and said, ¡°Actually, Bai Shuang said that he was pursuing her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    When she followed Zhao Liangze back to the dining room, she saw that the Caucasian man was no longer there.

    Bai Shuang sat alone under the crystal chandelier inside the dining room. Her red dress was like fire, and she was so beautiful, yet there was an indescribable shroud of solitude on her face. It was a sharp contrast to her red dress.

    Even Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but take a second nce when she saw this. When did Bai Shuang be so beautiful? she asked herself.

    It could be seen that her beauty was not in physical appearance, but aura.

    Genuinely beautiful people could seduce other people unconsciously. No one could ever describe how beautiful he or she appeared, and by the time they realized what was happening, they would have already fallen head over heels...

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression was extremely pained, as expected.

    The woman he loved was bing more and more beautiful, yet she was getting farther and farther away from him.

    Bai Shuang looked up slightly to see Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi standing at the dining room entrance and looking at her.

    She immediatelyposed herself and sat up straight with a smile. ¡°Little Ze, are you feeling better? Nianzhi,e get some dinner. Where is Huo Shao? Is he here? I have something to tell you.¡± Then she raised her hand and nced at her watch, saying, ¡°We still have two hours to make preparations.¡±

 Chapter 1207 - Must Send

    <h4>Chapter 1207 Must Send</h4>

    ¡°Two hours to make preparations? Prepare for what?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Did I miss something while I was sleeping?¡± she asked.Zhao Liangze led her to the table and sat down. ¡°Have some dinner first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down in silence and looked at the dinner on the table. There were steamed lobster tails. This had be her favorite dish aftering to Cape Town.

    The sweet and tender lobster meat was perfectly expressed in the thick lobster tail.

    The best part of the entire lobster was probably the tail meat.

    There were four lobster tails on the dinner te in front of Gu Nianzhi, and they were arranged in the shape of a cross.

    She cut the lobster tail with a knife and extracted the tender meat from inside the shell, cing it into her mouth, then closed her eyes to squeal in delight.

    It was so delicious!

    Every single one of her taste buds wereforted. Although she had only ced a tiny piece of lobster meat in her mouth, it was already a feast of vor. She couldn¡¯t bear to swallow it.

    While Gu Nianzhi was leisurely enjoying her dinner, Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang were practically battling each other.

    The two stared at each other so hard that their eyes seemed to burst into mes.

    After a while, Zhao Liangze asked stiffly, ¡°Where is your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a boyfriend,¡± Bai Shuang replied without any hesitation. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have one? I thought Big Ben was pursuing you.¡± Zhao Liangze tapped his finger on the table and asked, ¡°Why won¡¯t you admit it?¡±

    ¡°Huh. So, anyone pursuing me is my boyfriend? Zhao Liangze, I chased you ¨C so am I your girlfriend?¡± Bai Shuang sneered.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhao Liangze shouted suddenly. ¡°You pursued me, so you are my girlfriend! Are you trying to cheat on me?!¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough, cough, cough...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked by Zhao Liangze¡¯s jump in logic and almost choked.

    Bai Shuang smiled and said, ¡°Look at how you¡¯ve scared Nianzhi. It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re spewing absurd nonsense.¡±

    Zhao Liangze pursed his lips and dragged over a te of steak before viciously stabbing it with a knife.

    As the knife scraped across the te, it made screeching and grinding sounds so horrible that Gu Nianzhi almost had a heart attack.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her ears with her hands and shook her head at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Brother Ze, that¡¯s enough! You are about to cut the dinner te in half,¡± she said.

    Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes at her but slowed down the movements of his hands. He no longer scratched the knife against the dinner te.

    Bai Shuang snickered before taking out her phone and forwarding the message she had just received to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. She said, ¡°Nianzhi, I just spoke with my bank executive friend and asked him how we can take a look at the safe without providing credentials. This was his suggestion to me. Here is some information you can read for yourself, along with a map.¡±

    Bai Shuang should have sent this information to Zhao Liangze, but she felt her anger boil over after just once nce at him. In her moment of rage, she sent it directly to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi hummed as she pulled out her phone to take a look.

    Sure enough, Bai Shuang had sent a map of the bank¡¯s security to her phone. It contained the positions of all security, military, and police personnel present tonight and all the equipment they possessed, as well as notes on the security facilities of the building and basement floor. He also provided the passwords for the elevator leading to the basement and the basement door.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled as she looked over the information. ¡°Not bad, not bad. Tonight is truly a good opportunity. But when will Huo Shaoe?¡± she asked.

    They no longer had to avoid talking about Huo Shaoheng in front of Bai Shuang since they had already told her that he woulde to them to look at the safety deposit box.

    Zhao Liangze said without looking up, ¡°He should be here soon.¡±

    As expected, Huo Shaoheng arrived soon after.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi finished eating the four steamed lobster tails that had been in front of her, Huo Shaoheng walked in with the sea breeze behind him.

    He wore a baseball cap low over his head, a yuppie-style hunting outfit, and a pair of ck Eagle military boots on his long legs.

    Aftering inside, he took off his sunsses and looked at Bai Shuang with a subtle smile. ¡°Miss Bai, we meet again,¡± he said.

    Bai Shuang nodded at him, her voice trembling as she said, ¡°Huo Shao is here. Did you have a safe trip?¡±

    ¡°I found two people following me, but I have already thrown them off.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down beside Gu Nianzhi without hesitation and grabbed a te of steak from the table to eat.

    Bai Shuang nodded, then repeated what she said earlier. She emphasized that they had to go to the bank¡¯s basement floor after 9:00m pm since they wouldn¡¯t be able to get in before then.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the topographic map on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile phone and said calmly, ¡°It depends on the situation. I think we still have to infiltrate the main building and then go to the basement at 9:00 pm. What if you get stuck outside?¡±

    It was true that experts knew everything about their fields.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately agreed, saying, ¡°I think that is the safest way. Everyone is entering the venue before 7:00 pm, so that¡¯ll be a good time for us to mix in with the crowd and sneak inside.¡±

    After getting inside, they could act separately and meet at the basement entrance.

    Bai Shuang thought for a while then agreed, saying, ¡°Then I will get you some invitations. How many of you are going?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and replied lightly, ¡°Just the three of us.¡±

    Bai Shuang, ¡°...¡±

    Bai Shuang left the dining table and walked towards the door. She couldn¡¯t help but turn around after she had gotten halfway. ¡°Just the three of you? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too few people?¡± she asked.

    ¡°We are not stealing anything and are only taking a look at the safe, so why should we need more people?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said, ¡°Yes. Three people are really enough.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s gaze swept over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face, but she couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking.

    Turning her eyes to look at Zhao Liangze, she saw that he was still as angry as if Bai Shuang owed him millions of dors.

    Her eyes darkened as she said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll get three invitations.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for helping,¡± Huo Shaoheng said.

    ¡°No problem.¡± Bai Shuang nodded and left their suite.

    After Bai Shuang left, Gu Nianzhi quickly asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°It¡¯s really only the three of us going?¡±

    ¡°That was a lie.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly speared a piece of cut steak and put it into his mouth. ¡°I have already made arrangements, so the three of us will be thest to arrive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly forwarded the security map Bai Shuang had sent her to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mobile phone and added, ¡°Bai Shuang obtained this from her friend. He is a bank executive.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the phone and studied it attentively for a while, before saying, ¡°...Her friend is pretty nice, and the map is really detailed.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sneered when he heard this and replied, ¡°Of course he¡¯s pretty nice. He intends on pursuing her romantically, so he will not hesitate to abuse his powers for personal gains or ept bribes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He turned his head to look at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°...Did Little Ze take the wrong medication?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take any medicine!¡± Zhao Liangze stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to get ready and leave right away.¡±

    He went back to the room and changed into a tuxedo with a small bow tie around his neck.

    When he came out, Bai Shuang had already returned. She was holding four invitations and was exining to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I asked a friend for four because it includes family members. This way, you will be with Nianzhi, and I will be with Little Ze when we go in. There will be no problems at all.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled subtly and said, ¡°Thank you, Miss Bai.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very wee.¡± Bai Shuang didn¡¯t dare look at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, her gaze flickering in Zhao Liangze¡¯s direction.

    However, he stared at her like she was his prey. It was as though he wanted nothing more but to swallow her whole.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed this and quickly tried to lighten the atmosphere, saying, ¡°Do I need to change clothes? But I think I am veryfortable!¡±

    She was wearing a light grey suit, and the waist of the short suit jacket was perfectly tailored. She appeared exceptionally dazzling each time she wore it.

    It was a rare blessing that she had such nice curves since she weighed less than 100 kilograms.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and said, ¡°No need to change. This outfit is very good.¡±

    Bai Shuang nced at Zhao Liangze and said with a smile, ¡°Little Ze, let¡¯s go as dance partners.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was about to refuse when Huo Shaoheng, standing beside him, dryly interjected, ¡°Please cooperate with the invitation that Miss Bai brought. This is an order.¡±

 Chapter 1208 - I Will Keep an Eye on Her

    <h4>Chapter 1208 I Will Keep an Eye on Her</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were an order.Zhao Liangze had no choice but to obey.

    Although he felt ufortable, he still nodded and said, ¡°Okay. I will cooperate with Miss Bai.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng briefly looked at the bank security map that Gu Nianzhi had forwarded to him.

    He also had a simr security map, but it was a different angle from the one Gu Nianzhi had sent him.

    Hepared it with his operational arrangements and actually discovered two inconspicuous but crucial points.

    If a sniper hid in those positions, their situation would be very difficult.

    Huo Shaoheng tapped his finger on the phone screen a few times and adjusted his previousmands.

    Two field personnel who had been lurking in advance were moved away by him. Another one was ced in an elevated position that perfectly overlooked the two positions and could provide an overview of the entire basement.

    ...

    After dinner, the four of them got into the car and drove to the downtown financial district.

    They didn¡¯t speak much along the way, so Gu Nianzhi asionally broke the silence and teased Zhao Liangze to inject some liveliness into the atmosphere.

    Bai Shuang was much too silentpared to earlier. Maybe it was because she felt that she had nothing to say to Zhao Liangze, or perhaps it was because Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the car. She could no longer act openly like before.

    Huo Shaoheng was still in disguise, and his appearance was quite different from how he usually looked.

    But his body was as tall as normal, so he looked perfect with Gu Nianzhi when they stood together.

    When Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, she held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm with a sweet smile on her face. It seemed as if she was actually attending a banquet with Huo Shaoheng rather than preparing for a secret operation.

    Bai Shuang also took Zhao Liangze¡¯s arm.

    She smiled and pinched Zhao Liangze, whispering softly, ¡°...Pay attention to your expression. From the way you¡¯re acting, other people might think I am holding you hostage...¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    He sighed in his heart but still managed to form a decent smile on his face.

    He walked forward with Bai Shuang, and every step felt like walking on des.

    They all showed their invitations at the bank entrance and were sessfully let in by the guards at the door.

    One of Li Dexi¡¯s assistants was hiding on a floor of the building opposite to the bank. He was holding a pair of high-powered binocrs and looking at the traffic at the entrance.

    Seeing Bai Shuang lead two men and a woman into the bank entrance, the man immediately sent a message to Li Dexi saying, ¡°The target has entered the area. The target has entered the area.¡±

    Li Dexi looked at the video sent to him and nodded with a smile. ¡°We will go inside too.¡±

    Their men sessfully entered with their own invitations.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, Zhao Liangze, and Bai Shuang entered the bank¡¯s lobby and immediately realized it was extremely crowded.

    It seemed as though the entire upper echelon of Cape Town was gathering here.

    The men were all dressed in fancy tuxedos and had sses of red wine in their hands as they chatted in small groups.

    The women were all in evening dresses and were eager to show off all parts of their bodies.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s red dress and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smoky gray trousers made them two outliers. They stood out like sore thumbs amongst all the morous and shy evening gowns.

    Fortunately, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze were both tall and muscr. They seemed to block Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang from view intentionally and prevented others from paying attention to them.

    Bai Shuang had a better understanding of the situation than the rest of them.

    Her eyes quickly swept across the faces of everyone in the lobby, then she squeezed Zhao Liangze¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go over there. There is a secret door that leads to the elevator that will take us to the basement.¡±

    At that moment, no one was waiting for the elevator.

    But there was still surveince in the area.

    Zhao Liangze still needed to hack into the surveince system and alter the security footage.

    Zhao Liangze felt even more uneasy when Bai Shuang urged him.

    Was she that eager to push them into a trap?

    He shook his head silently and said, ¡°Wait a minute. I need to go to the bathroom.¡±

    He pulled Bai Shuang¡¯s arm away and walked quickly to the bathroom.

    Bai Shuang squinted her eyes at Zhao Liangze¡¯s back, then quickly looked away like nothing was amiss.

    The Bluetooth headset in her ear was suddenly connected, and Li Dexi¡¯s voice began to speak.

    ¡°Agent Bai, well done!¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled and replied softly, ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, we have arrived. Are you here too?¡±

    ¡°Of course. How else could I see you?¡± Li Dexi chuckled quietly. ¡°Now, you are going to take them into the basement. There¡¯s still two hours before 9:00 pm. Don¡¯t get exposed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s gaze flickered around the lobby and suddenly noticed Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    She wasn¡¯t sure if they were trying to blend into the crowd or if it was because they simply couldn¡¯t help themselves.

    Bai Shuang saw Huo Shaoheng standing in a dark corner with his back facing everyone. He pressed Gu Nianzhi up against the wall and lowered his face to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and stood on her tiptoes. She appeared very engaged.

    There were not many people in that area in the first ce. When the asional person wandered over and saw two people kissing, they just smiled and walked away, assuming they were lovers. No one really looked into who those people actually were.

    This was actually one of their techniques for hiding their identities.

    Bai Shuang was not very familiar with this approach, so she justughed. At that moment, she still had a lot of romantic thoughts in her head. She really didn¡¯t know if she should praise Huo Shaoheng for his demeanor as a great military general or if his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi was actually that sweet.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze went to the bathroom to find an empty stall. Closing the door, he took out his phone and quickly hacked into the building¡¯s security surveince system.

    He had left the back-door program there that morning, so he was able to find the surveince locations very easily.

    It took three minutes for the elevator to go down to the sixth-floor basement from there.

    Zhao Liangze set the timer to disrupt the surveince video and switch the footage, then turned his phone into the remote control for the surveince system.

    He could see all the surrounding guards from the other bank¡¯s surveince system.

    He came out of the bathroom and saw Bai Shuang her arms crossed, leaning back against the wall. She looked lonely.

    When she turned around and saw himing out, she immediately put on a bright smile and said, ¡°Are you okay? Let¡¯s go to the reception.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart dropped, and he stretched his arm out towards her as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Bai.¡±

    Bai Shuang took his arm and walked into the reception lobby from earlier.

    The two of them found Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng chatting in the corner.

    They were not kissing anymore, but their cold attitude towards everyone else prevented anyone from trying toe up and strike a conversation with them.

    Zhao Liangze walked over with Bai Shuang, saying with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m all set. What do I do for the next two hours?¡±

    ¡°Participate in the reception, listen to the speech, and drink red wine.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his ss at Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi also raised the wine ss in her hand and nced at Huo Shaoheng with some bitterness.

    Other people had their sses full of red wine, while hers was grape juice ¨C the natural and freshly squeezed kind.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and greeted Zhao Liangze, chatting like they were real bankers.

    Bai Shuang listened to Huo Shaoheng. She had no choice but to admire him.

    He was truly able to appear exactly like whoever he pretended to be. He must have studied the banking industry very carefully.

    Otherwise, he might have been exposed at any second if an expert came over to chat with him.

    It didn¡¯t take long for a banker toe over.

    He was not a very tall man. He had gray hair and fine wrinkles on his face, but his eyes were very wise.

    It was obvious from first nce that he was a seasoned banker.

    Huo Shaoheng was vignt but still used a fluent English ent to speak with the old man.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled vacantly the entire time and acted like the prettiest doll.

    ...

    At 7:00 pm, the doors were closed, and the lights in the lobby dimmed. It didn¡¯t take long for them to light up again.

    A potbellied man stood on the stage in front of everyone and began to give a speech.

    Within the five minutes it had taken from the lights to go bright, to dark, then bright again, all of Li Dexi¡¯s people slipped out of the lobby and went to the hallway.

    Their equipment had been shipped in a long time ago.

    A dozen people carried boxes with guns out from a small room in the hallway and took the elevator down to the sixth-floor basement to hide the boxes in four or five key ces.

    At that moment, the bank¡¯s surveince team was actually being held hostage by two parties.

    Zhao Liangze secretly invaded the system, but Li Dexi had reced the bank security personnel on duty that day with his own men.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze stood behind Huo Shaoheng with a wine ss in one hand and his phone in the other. He looked down from time to time to make sure that nothing unexpected happened.

    The surveince footage did not show when Li Dexi and his men left the lobby.

    Zhao Liangze only thought that the surveince footage was a bit strange for a few minutes.

    But he didn¡¯t care too much.

    He knew that Li Dexi would definitely send someone in. But, as long as the personnel arranged by Huo Shaoheng were the first to arrive, the opponent would only be exposed within their shooting range.

    ...

    One hour had passed, then one hour and thirty minutes, and finally, one hour and forty-five minutes.

    There were only fifteen minutes left until 9:00 pm.

    It took five minutes to get from there to the elevator entrance by the secret door.

    The elevator ride was three minutes.

    The entire process of entering and exiting would take about five minutes.

    That left another five minutes of maneuvering time, so they couldn¡¯t waste another second.

    Zhao Liangze tapped the monitoring software on his phone and said softly, ¡°...We can go now.¡±

    He released Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and gave her a thoughtful look as he said, ¡°You should stay here and wait for us toe back.¡±

    Bai Shuang was a bit shocked, then quickly shook her head and said, ¡°I will apany you. If something unexpected happens, I can help you out.¡±

    Was she really going to help them out?

    Unfortunately, she was probably there to elerate their deaths...

    Zhao Liangze sneered coldly, his eyes sweeping across Bai Shuang¡¯s graceful neck.

    How could this person be so cruel?

    Did she really want him to break her beautiful neck with his own hands?

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t think about it anymore. He felt so ufortable that he thought he was about to explode.

    All he could do was maintain a polite smile on his face and shake his head persistently as he said, ¡°No, no. You don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Bai Shuang was a little anxious¨C if she couldn¡¯t follow them, then all her efforts would be for nothing.

    She pushed Zhao Liangze away and called after Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, can I go with you? I want to lend you a helping hand!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Zhao Liangze whispered harshly and stared at her with angry eyes. ¡°Bai Shuang, you have done enough!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head and looked at her with dark eyes.

    He clearly understood that Li Dexi had been paying attention to every move their group made. If he wasn¡¯t careful, the suspicious and innately cunning Li Dexi would shrink away.

    He pretended to look embarrassed and said with a frown, ¡°Miss Bai, thank you for your help today. It may not be safe there, so it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°You are not familiar with this ce. I know the location of the basement better than you,¡± Bai Shuang gritted through her teeth.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng had always been very vignt, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be this serious.

    She had helped them obtain top-secret internal information, yet he was still so indifferent towards her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her, then at Zhao Liangze. Her eyes paused on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    ¡°It¡¯s better to let her follow us. I am the only woman, so I am also afraid... I will feel more at ease with Miss Bai there,¡± she whispered.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and said nothing for a long time.

    Bai Shuang was already holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand by then and smiled at Huo Shaoheng as she said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s not drag this out.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.

    If he allowed Bai Shuang and Gu Nianzhi to go together, then Bai Shuang would bepletely indistinguishable from the enemy, and their lives would be at stake.

    Did this really require such arge sacrifice?

    The blue veins on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead suddenly protruded. In that moment, he could even hear the sound of blood rushing through his veins.

    At that moment, Zhao Liangze¡¯s monotone voice could be heard as he said, ¡°Since Miss Bai insists oning, we will not reject her eagerness to help. How about we let her follow us, and I will keep an eye on her.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression was normal. Huo Shaoheng could see from the look in Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes that he had already lost the will to live and was in immense pain.

    His subordinate¡¯s heart was bleeding.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him quietly, then raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder for a moment. Without saying anything, he turned and walked towards the secret door.

 Chapter 1209 - Are You Falling for Someone Else?

    <h4>Chapter 1209Are You Falling for Someone Else?</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng calmly pushed open the secret door and walked towards the elevator.Zhao Liangze turned his head, looked at Bai Shuang coldly, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Didn¡¯t you want to go with us?¡±

    Bai Shuang had been holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. Hearing Zhao Liangze say this, she sneered to herself and let go. Taking a step forward, she reached out to Zhao Liangze and said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll follow you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was expressionless, but Gu Nianzhi could tell that he was already enraged.

    She felt that Zhao Liangze¡¯s state was not suitable for working with someone like Bai Shuang, especially when they couldn¡¯t tell if she was a friend or a foe.

    If anything unexpected happened, then both of them would end up dead...

    Gu Nianzhi felt that Bai Shuang might have another reason, but she still listened to what Huo Shaoheng said.

    She couldn¡¯t put the lives of three people into Bai Shuang¡¯s hands just because she had a feeling that Bai Shuang might be acting like this for another reason.

    What if her feelings were wrong?

    What if Bai Shuang was the bait that Li Dexi released to lure them into the trap?

    Bai Shuang didn¡¯t say anything, so that meant anything could happen.

    Since Gu Nianzhi was the one to make the proposal, she should be the only one toe forward and watch over Bai Shuang now.

    Although Zhao Liangze said he would keep an eye on Bai Shuang, what if he got distracted at some point? The consequences could be disastrous.

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood, so she took a step forward and gently but firmly pulled Bai Shuang¡¯s hand back. She said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Brother Ze, we will follow you.¡±

    She smiled and said to Bai Shuang, ¡°Sister Bai, you said you want to be with me. How can you leave me and run off with Brother Ze?¡±

    She even winked at Bai Shuang.

    Bai Shuang was taken aback for a moment, her eyes quickly scanning over Zhao Liangze¡¯s face. Noticing that there was a trace of disappointment in his expression, she immediately changed her mind.

    She squeezed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Alright. I want to apany Nianzhi. Little Ze, you lead the way.¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately objected, saying, ¡°Nianzhi, stop causing trouble!¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze, let¡¯s go now. Time is running out.¡± Gu Nianzhi saw that Zhao Liangze was still motionless, so she took Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and walked to the secret door.

    She was the one who had asked for Bai Shuang to stay, so she would naturally be the one to keep an eye on her.

    She had no special feelings for Bai Shuang and was much calmer than Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze saw that Gu Nianzhi had already taken Bai Shuang through the secret door, so he had no choice but to chase after them.

    The three of them walked into the elevator, and the entire process took exactly five minutes.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was already waiting in the elevator, gave Zhao Liangze a stern re.

    Zhao Liangze rubbed his nose and lowered his head in shame.

    He had really procrastinated and wasted precious time outside just then.

    No one spoke again.

    Huo Shaoheng used the elevator code that Bai Shuang had acquired for them and pressed the button for the sixth-floor basement.

    The elevator rumbled down below.

    Inside the brightly lit elevator, no one in the group of four spoke.

    Gu Nianzhi held Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and stood in front of the elevator door.

    Behind them stood Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze.

    Aside from the rumbling of the elevator, the sound of clothes rustling and the four of them breathing could be heard asionally.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing was quiet and elegant, which served as a sharp contrast to Bai Shuang¡¯s slightly rapid breaths.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s breathing was the loudest.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breathing was almostpletely inaudible, so it almost seemed like there were only three people in the elevator...

    Bai Shuang always kept a smile on her face, but her heart was feeling uneasy.

    She didn¡¯t know if Li Dexi¡¯s men had seen them now or if things were developing as she nned. She was bing more and more nervous.

    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t worry for long before hearing the elevator chime. They had reached the sixth-floor basement.

    The elevator doors slid open.

    The moment they stepped out of the elevator door, the bank¡¯s surveince video for the room stopped briefly.

    The guards that Li Dexi had positioned in the security room did not realize that the footage for the surveince camera in front of the elevator door on the sixth floor of the basement was already frozen.

    Because the footage hadn¡¯t changed from the first second to the next, the image deceived him even though he hadn¡¯t blinked at all.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the elevator and squinted before quickly analyzing the space.

    The room was constructed entirely with strong steel pipes, so all the beams and columns were supported by them.

    The steel pipes and electric wires were arranged neatly to pass over their heads and almost formed a huge and orderly spider web.

    These steel pipes are the main support of the basement and were very wide to act in the ce of ceiling beams.

    The entire basement was like a post-modern warehouse. There was a huge hemisphericalmp in front of the basement door, which was attached there to illuminate the entry. It lit it up as bright as daylight.

    There were no lights on the ceiling, so it appeared even darker against the contrast of therge light illuminating the entrance.

    The horizontal and vertical steel pipes hovered above their heads like an unknown prehistoric monster biding its time.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng stepped out of the elevator door, Zhao Liangze winked at Huo Shaoheng to signal that the mission had begun ¨C the surveince footage was frozen.

    Zhao Liangze immediately took off his tuxedo jacket, revealing a camouge suit inside, and began assembling a pistol at the same time.

    Huo Shaoheng took off his hunting jacket and wore it inside out. When he changed his clothes, he revealed the body armor that clung tightly to him.

    The reverse side of his hunting suit jacket was also camouged. He took out a dozen ck gunponents from the many pockets of the hunting suit at the same time and quickly assembled them.

    In less than ten seconds, a suppressed submachine and heavy-weight sniperpound weapon was assembled.

    He pulled a hat from his pocket and put it on, the hat covering his face. He then nodded to Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze knowingly pointed to the horizontal steel pipe beams above his head.

    Huo Shaoheng took out a length of thin steel cable, with gray-ck steel ws that could be opened and closed at the front. He threw it over the steel pipe beams above his head.

    Click!

    The steel ws made a quiet sound and were already affixed to the steel pipe beam.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately grabbed onto the steel cable, and his entire body shot upwards. He kicked off the wall next to the elevator and jumped up like he was on a swing!

    By the time Bai Shuang heard the sound and looked back curiously, Huo Shaoheng had already climbed up the steel pipe beam to hide from view.

    Bai Shuang nced around in surprise and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Huo Shao? Little Ze, why are you alone?¡±

    He had obviously been standing behind them just now!

    Zhao Liangze shook his head without a smile, saying, ¡°Huo Shao needed to leave for some other business. What¡¯s the matter? You care about Huo Shao so much. Are you falling for someone else?¡±

    ¡°Brother Ze!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand listening to such things and frowned at Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s mind was agitated for a while, so he hadn¡¯t considered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feelings. He nodded apologetically to her when she verbally berated him just then and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. This is the sixth-floor basement.¡±

    The three of them stood in front of the sixth floor of the bank¡¯s basement and examined the lock on the door to figure out how to get inside.

    ...

    At that moment, the surveince monitors in the bank¡¯s security room had returned to normal.

    The security guard that Li Dexi nted suddenly discovered that the four people who had entered the elevator somehow became three after they exited!

    Where did one of them go?!

    He was so terrified that a cold sweat covered his body as he hurriedly found the surveince footage and yed it back.

    From the timestamps, he did not find any ws.

    When Zhao Liangze froze the surveince footage for that period of time, he had made sure that the time stamp was still moving, but the video was reced by a still image.

    Such a small operation sounded simple, but urate execution required very advancedputer skills.

    Although Li Dexi¡¯s guard was also aputer expert, he was still a step behind Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi.

    He watched the footage several times but couldn¡¯t find the reason behind what had happened.

    On the surveince screen, he clearly saw four people entering the elevator and standing inside. Five minutester, they exited the elevator.

    But just like a montage in a movie, the number of people who came out had been suddenly reduced to three.

    The tallest and most powerful person had disappeared into thin air.

    The guard stayed quiet for a while before finally deciding to report to Li Dexi.

    ¡°Boss, we lost someone.¡±

    Li Dexi¡¯s heart sank as he asked, ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The most powerful one out of them all and your current target, Huo Shaoheng,¡± the man said with a trembling voice. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how he did it. My surveince footage indicated that he clearly entered the elevator, but there were only three people who came out! He disappeared into thin air!¡±

    ¡°He disappeared into thin air? That¡¯s impossible.¡± Li Dexi squinted and looked at the surveince footage that the man had sent to him.

    The surveince footage seemed to be fine, but Li Dexi was still sure that there must have been some problems with the cameras. However, he didn¡¯t have time to find out where the problem was.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for people to disappear into thin air, and it¡¯s even more impossible for them to fly away without wings,¡± Li Dexi stated, contemting the situation deeply. ¡°Contact the people ambushed on the sixth-floor basement and ask them to find out if there have been any additional targets that have appeared.¡±

    Li Dexi¡¯s judgment was very urate. It didn¡¯t take long for people who had gone to the sixth floor of the basement in advance to report that they saw a figure waiting on a beam.

    The video and high-definition photos were sent to Li Dexi¡¯s phone.

    He saw a figure very simr to Huo Shaoheng lying prone on the dimly lit beam. He was lying behind a sniper rifle with its scope aimed directly towards the basement.

    Li Dexi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as he said, ¡°That¡¯s what I was expecting. Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t let me down.¡±

    He gave an order, ¡°Keep your guns aimed at his target, but don¡¯t act rashly for the time being. Follow my orders.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi and the others entered the gate of the sixth floor of the basement, it would be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s time of death.

    Li Dexi didn¡¯t want to face off against Huo Shaoheng directly.

    As long as there is a chance to eliminate him, he would never forfeit the opportunity to do so.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi, Bai Shuang, and Zhao Liangze stood in front of the gate on the sixth floor of the basement for a while before finally opening the lock with the code they had gotten from Bai Shuang.

    As soon as the door opened, a white gas emitted from the inside. It felt very chilly.

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered and said in surprise, ¡°Is this a basement or a freezer?¡±

    Bai Shuang became excited.

    She wore only a thin red dress and was the least covered of the three. However, she didn¡¯t feel cold at all.

    Pushing open the oak door covered with cowhide, Bai Shuang smiled and said, ¡°The temperature here is just slightly lower than the temperature above ground.¡±

    Because the bank customers liked to keep many strange objects in the safety deposit boxes, the basement had to be kept at zero degrees all year round in order to preserve the items.

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed Bai Shuang¡¯s hand tightly and stepped through the door with her.

    Zhao Liangze looked around before walking in.

    He also held a newly assembled pistol in his hand. It was not as powerful as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suppressed submachine gun, but no one within a ten-foot radius could escape his pistol.

 Chapter 1210 - Try Your Luck

    <h4>Chapter 1210 Try Your Luck</h4>

    After Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang entered, Zhao Liangze looked around vigntly. He nced at the surveince camera¡¯s location before walking inside.After he entered the room, he immediately closed the door to the sixth floor of the basement.

    Gu Nianzhi took Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and stood by the door as she looked up at the row full of tall cabs before her with great surprise.

    The cabs rose high up from the ground and were about two to three meters tall.

    The matte ck texture was simr to thepartments of medicine cabs specially used to store Chinese medicine in traditional pharmacies.

    Each grid was made up of perfect, square safety deposit boxes.

    Densely arranged grids sat in front of them like honebs. The pattern was almost enough to trigger someone¡¯s trypophobia.

    But Gu Nianzhi had a very strong psyche.

    She took Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and approached the tall cabs. Curling her right index finger, she tapped on the cabs curiously.

    A clear and crisp sound immediately sounded throughout the basement.

    ¡°These are made of iron,¡± Gu Nianzhi concluded.

    Looking up, she could see that there were about ten such cabs standing side by side.

    The backs of the safety deposit boxes were securely welded to the wall.

    If someone wanted to remove the safe by brute force, they would probably have to cut away the entire wall with a chainsaw.

    This was an impossible task.

    Gu Nianzhi snickered and said, ¡°The security here is quite well thought out. One powerful soldier can defeat ten theoretical experts, so this is stronger than any security measures or anti-virus software.¡±

    Bai Shuang looked at Gu Nianzhi with surprise and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in a rush to look for the safety deposit box? You still have time to check out the bank¡¯s security features?¡±

    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t forget that I can multitask very well.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she held onto Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and looked at the tall ck iron cabs.

    Each safety deposit box was affixed with a number. They should be able to find it very quickly as long as they looked for it in numerical order.

    However, Gu Nianzhi nced around, and her expression suddenly darkened.

    The safety deposit boxes there were not ced in numerical order at all.

    For example, there were ten safes from top to bottom on the ck iron cabs they faced.

    The top number was 278, but the safe number below it was 123, and the bottom was number 596 ¨C this was not arranged numerically at all!

    ¡°What can I do? Don¡¯t these people know how to count? The safety deposit boxes are all over the ce!¡± Gu Nianzhi became a little anxious, stomping her feet and losing her temper.

    Although Bai Shuang was also feeling nervous, she was amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reaction. She grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, there are three of us here. Let¡¯s split up and find them separately. What number was it?¡±

    ¡°Number 365,¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed. They had no choice but to split up and look for it.

    She reluctantly released Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and looked at her to say, ¡°You stay in the middle. I will go to the left, and Brother Ze will go to the right. Afterward, we will meet at your position.¡±

    The position where Bai Shuang stood was directly under the overhead light in the middle of the basement.

    Gu Nianzhi figured that if Bai Shuang was standing in that location, it would allow the people hiding in the shadows to monitor her movements.

    Huo Shaoheng and the others should have arrived long ago. Now it was time to see if the people working behind the scenes with Bai Shuang had taken the bait and gotten reeled in...

    Bai Shuang revealed a mysterious smile.

    Under the white light, her red dress looked like a ball of fire thatplemented her unparalleled beauty.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her and exchanged a look with Zhao Liangze before they diverged into opposite directions to look for bank safety deposit box number 365.

    Bai Shuang stood alone in the middle of the row of ck iron cabs, her eyes sweeping over the numbers affixed to the boxes.

    ...

    Li Dexi had brought his most elite subordinates to a small room on the first floor of the basement. Sitting at the desk, full of anticipation, he watched the video in front of him.

    Everything happening on the sixth floor of the basement waspletely within range of their surveince cameras.

    As long as the surveince camera could record the footage, they would be able to see everything.

    ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, why don¡¯t we do it now?¡± One of his men asked impatiently, standing behind Li Dexi with his arms crossed.

    They had been waiting there for a few hours already, so they were not really in the mood to wait any longer.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s not time yet,¡± Li Dexi replied with a smile. ¡°Son, don¡¯t worry. The best part is yet toe¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi was his main target and intended to kill Huo Shaoheng, Li Dexi was still curious about the safety deposit box¡¯s contents.

    He had heard his predecessors talk about the wonder of the gic data many times before, so he had been trying to track it down for most of his life.

    It was time to put an end to the investigation he had devoted most of his life to pursuing.

    If Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t open the safety deposit today, Li Dexi knew that there was probably no one else in the world who could.

    It was just a pity that he couldn¡¯t use other methods to try to open safety deposit box number 365.

    There was a self-destructing device inside.

    As soon as the box was opened by brute force, the self-destructing device inside would immediately be activated.

    The device contained a few pages of highly mmable and destructible paper inside. Even if it contained gold and silver treasures, it would immediately burn into a pile of ashes.

    A few years ago, they finally found the whereabouts of the data from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s manuscripts.

    After repeated investigations, it was discovered that the data was likely stored in a bank safety deposit box by Gu Xiangwen 19 years ago.

    Theyter discovered that the safety deposit box was located at Societe Generale de Bank in Cape Town.

    After Li Dexi received the news, he was overjoyed at the discovery and personally led a team to Cape Town in an attempt to open the safety deposit box.

    They bribed the bank¡¯s internal executive to obtain official information about the safety deposit box, including the time and time limit of its lease. They were able to see the contract signed by Gu Xiangwen as well.

    It was a pity that he couldn¡¯t open the safe even if he employed the most skilled craftsman they could find.

    After consulting the records dated from over ten years ago, the bank executive told him that the safe¡¯s lock had been modified by the person who was renting the safe at that time.

    He secured the safe with a lock he made himself and said that only his special key could open it.

    However, he also said that if no one could open the safe after a hundred years, then the safety deposit box¡¯s lock would be automatically opened, and the contents inside would be destroyed.

    Li Dexi was currently desperate.

    A hundred years? He had to wait a hundred years before the safety deposit box would automatically open? Then the contents would be destroyed?!

    What if Gu Xiangwen¡¯s descendants found the key to open the safe within that hundred years and took the contents for themselves?!

    Li Dexi didn¡¯t want to, was unwilling to, and couldn¡¯t wait.

    Just when he was at a loss, news of Gu Nianzhi, who had been missing for seven years, was found by one of his Japanese informants. This information was sent to his desk.

    The appearance of Gu Nianzhi temporarily distracted Li Dexi from this data.

    But after going around in circles many times, Li Dexi discovered that the final clues were still held in the safe.

    Li Dexi was incredibly excited.

    Perhaps God had seen that Li Dexi was extremely pious, so he delivered this heaven-sent opportunity right into Li Dexi¡¯sp.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi started from the left end of the long row of ck iron cabs and walked toward the right, her eyes quickly scanning over thebeled numbers.

    ¡°198, 256, 757, 496... 903, 845, 309, 539, 420, 566...¡±

    When she looked at the numbers one by one, her eyes almost crossed, bright starbursts obscuring her vision.

    Suddenly, a safety deposit box with a certain three-digitbel shed before her eyes. The color of the identification te was a little lighter than the others, but it was also white text on a ck background. The positioning of the numbers on this one was lower than that of the other safety deposit boxes.

    ¡°365!¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth and cried out in surprise, ¡°I found it!¡±

    Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze looked over at the same time.

    ¡°Did you find it?¡± Bai Shuang lifted up her skirt and ran over.

    Inside the 32-degree Fahrenheit basement, Bai Shuang¡¯s face turned pale from the cold. She was also wearing a bright red dress and looked a bit eerie.

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at her and asked with concern, ¡°Sister Bai, are you cold?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡± Bai Shuang didn¡¯t care and poked her head over to look at the safe that Gu Nianzhi had found.

    Zhao Liangze saw this and pursed his lips. He brought over the tuxedo jacket he had taken off and put it over Bai Shuang¡¯s shoulders.

    He didn¡¯t speak to or look at Bai Shuang as he draped his tuxedo jacket over her. He then walked straight to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What is it? You found it?¡± he asked.

    His eyes scanned over the boxes, and he also noticed the safety deposit box nearbybeled number 365. It happened to be about the height of Zhao Liangze¡¯s chest, not far in front of him, and roughly one and a half meters away from the ground.

    This safety deposit box was set apart from other boxes in that the position of the lock was different.

    The locks on the other safes were located in the middle of the left side, and the position of the keyholes was flush with the safety deposit box¡¯s surface.

    However, the lock of the safebeled 365 was in the middle of the safe, and the small protruding disk had a long, narrow keyhole in the middle.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze and asked, ¡°Brother Ze, do you have a way to open this safety deposit box?¡±

    They had no credentials and no keys, so they were only there to try their luck.

    Zhao Liangze shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not good at breaking into locks. Maybe we should ask Huo Shao to try?¡±

    But they didn¡¯t know where Huo Shaoheng was at the moment.

    Zhao Liangze also didn¡¯t want to contact him now.

    The person working behind the scenes with Bai Shuang had not yet appeared, so this was not the time for Huo Shaoheng to appear.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said, ¡°Forget it. A distant hose cannot rescue a close fire. Let¡¯s try it by ourselves.¡±

    She bent her knees and squatted down to squint at the keyhole, muttering, ¡°...This is such a t keyhole. What kind of key could be so t? It¡¯s the thickness of a piece of paper...¡±

    Zhao Liangze tilted his head to study it for a while, then took out a slender and strong piece of metal wire from his pocket. ¡°Let me try this...¡±

    Special Operations Forces personnel carried all kinds of necessary equipment whenever they worked in the field ¨C from guns and ammunition to ropes that could be tied with fishermen knots and all sorts of drugs and wires.

    Zhao Liangze slowly inserted the metal wire into the elongated keyhole to feel out the shape and depth of the keyhole inside. He suddenly said, ¡°...There is no lock cylinder in this keyhole...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Was a lock without a cylinder still considered a lock?!

 Chapter 1211 - Kneel Down and Say Daddy

    <h4>Chapter 1211 Kneel Down and Say Daddy</h4>

    ¡°No lock cylinder?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t quite understand the rtionship between keyholes and lock cylinders.Because of her nature as an academic genius, she wiggled her fingers a few times, wanting nothing more than to take out her phone to search for information about the structure of a lock...

    Of course, in that sixth-floor basement, there was no time to search for something online.

    Zhao Liangze nodded and carefully pulled out the small piece of iron wire. ¡°There should be various grooves and perforations in the lock cylinder. After the key is inserted, it can be aligned with the grooves to unlock the lock. Normally, all locks are like this.¡±

    Then this was definitely not an ordinary lock.

    ...

    Inside a small room on the first floor of the basement, Li Dexi was also feeling a little nervous.

    He leaned forward slightly, and his eyes were nearly glued to the monitor.

    He was eager to know if Gu Nianzhi could open the lock.

    Did she really not have the key?!

    Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t leave the key to his only daughter?!

    This didn¡¯t make any sense.

    ...

    Bai Shuang¡¯s expression was a bit conflicted as she asked, ¡°Is there really no way to unlock it? What should we do?¡±

    Zhao Liangze took a step back and patted the safety deposit box with his hand.

    The box sounded hollow.

    ¡°...It¡¯s empty. Are you sure that there is something inside?¡± he asked.

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and turned around to lean against the row of tall ck iron cabs.

    The icy cab surface pressed against her back, and a chill suddenly overcame her.

    Her anxious mind gradually calmed down.

    If this was not a normal lock, then she must carefully think about what kind of lock it was.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Zhao Liangze and asked thoughtfully, ¡°Brother Ze, why do you think my father put such an important thing here? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep it at home?¡±

    Zhao Liangze mused, ¡°If it were me, I would probably do the same thing, too.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°To spread out the risk.¡± Zhao Liangze nced at Bai Shuang before saying, ¡°People who invest in venture capital generally abide by one principle ¨C all their eggs cannot be ced in the same basket.¡±

    ¡°I see! In order to spread out the risk, we must store things separately, so we do not lose it all in one go!¡± Gu Nianzhi replied.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she turned to face the keyhole, her heart beating wildly.

    Since these people had used Bai Shuang to set a trap and bring them here, it meant that they should have also known that Gu Xiangwen had ced the data there.

    But why didn¡¯t they take the data out themselves since they already knew it was there?

    Why did they have to put in all this effort to design a trap and invite them in to open the safety deposit box?

    Gu Nianzhi blinked.

    All these clues probably pointed to a certain reason.

    Those people couldn¡¯t open the safe that Gu Xiangwen had rented.

    ¡°...There are many people who can open safety deposit boxes in the world. If even the most professional locksmiths could open this safe without brute force, it means that...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi mumbled to herself, and a vague conclusion formed inside her mind.

    That meant that a particr person was required to open the lock, not a specific key.

    Who was this particr person?

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the safe.

    The answer was already calling out to her.

    ¡°This lock should be... tailor-made for me,¡± she said. Gu Nianzhi thought to herself silently for a moment and then put her hand on the round, protruding keyhole.

    The keyhole was icy cold, so her finger twitched by reflex.

    There were probably only three ways that a lock could be tailored for someone.

    That would require a fingerprint, retina scan, or DNA.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers gently rubbed the keyhole.

    If it was a fingerprint reader, then this long keyhole, as t as a piece of paper, was obviously not wide enough to read fingerprints.

    So, this probably wasn¡¯t a fingerprint lock.

    Retina...

    Gu Nianzhi squatted slightly and looked directly at the keyhole.

    If there was a small camera inside, then it should be able to scan her retina.

    She waited for a while, but the keyhole remained unchanged.

    So, it wasn¡¯t a retina scanner?

    There was only onest possibility; DNA.

    But would this small keyhole test DNA?!

    Was this a joke?

    Although Gu Nianzhi had considered the possibility of DNA, she never actually thought that would be the reality.

    But now they had no other solution. They had to try anything they could at a desperate time like this.

    After confirming that it was most likely DNA, Gu Nianzhi looked at the long keyhole shaped like a piece of paper and suddenly realized something.

    Wasn¡¯t this long, strip shape simr to the shape of the test papersmonly used in chemistry and biology?!

    Her eyes suddenly brightened as she looked at Zhao Liangze standing next to her and said, ¡°Almighty Doraemon, can you give me a strip of chemical testing paper?¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Doraemon?¡± Bai Shuang looked at Zhao Liangze curiously, then looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Are you talking about something that I don¡¯t understand?¡±

    Zhao Liangze red at Gu Nianzhi because he knew that she was talking about the equipment that Special Operations Forces personnel carried with them when out in the field.

    He flipped through his pockets and found a sticky note and a pair of scissors. Of course, this was not a chemical testing strip.

    He quickly cut out a long strip of chemical test paper from the sticky note with nimble fingers and handed it to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhipared it to the keyhole, then took small scissors from Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand and cut another side off the paper.

    Looking at the appearance of the makeshift chemical testing strip, it looked about the same length and width as the keyhole.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a sigh of relief and said, ¡°This is thest resort. If this still doesn¡¯t work, then I give up.¡±

    She didn¡¯t need to open this safety deposit box.

    If it couldn¡¯t be opened this time, she intended to set it aside temporarily.

    Holding on to onest glimmer of hope, Gu Nianzhi put the makeshift chemical testing strip into her mouth to moisten it with saliva, then slowly inserted it into the long keyhole.

    The test paper was a little soft after she wet it with her saliva, so it was not easy to get in.

    Gu Nianzhi patiently pushed it in little by little.

    Bai Shuang, Zhao Liangze, and even Li Dexi, who was sitting far away on the first floor of the basement, couldn¡¯t dare look away or breathe too loudly.

    Finally, the entire strip of paper had been pushed in.

    Gu Nianzhi snickered and said, ¡°If this actually works, I will kneel down and say ¡®Daddy¡¯...¡±

    Before she finished her sentence, there was a sudden clicking sound from the round and raised keyhole.

    Afterward, there seemed to be something rumbling and turning inside.

    Gu Nianzhi shut her mouth immediately.

    D*mn it. Her own father had pped her in the face.

    She really wanted to kneel down and say ¡®Daddy¡¯...

    After a while, the sound of rumbling inside the safety deposit box stopped, and the round, raised keyhole separated into two pieces with a click. It revealed a ck camera!

    The camera was not very big and was only about the size of a penny. It silently aimed towards them.

    This... This was going to scan her retina?

    Gu Nianzhi squatted down again with trembling legs and positioned her eyes in front of the camera.

    A little red light shed inside the camera, and then the keyhole closed tightly once again.

    This time, even the long keyhole has disappeared and was reced by a smooth, oval ne.

    Looking at the multiple curved lines drawn on it, Gu Nianzhi immediately realized that this was a fingerprint reader.

    She pressed all ten of her fingers onto it, one by one like she was dreaming.

    After another short wait ¨C in their shock, they were unsure if it was only one minute or ten ¨C they were all still dumbfounded as the door of the safety deposit box automatically opened with a whoosh.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for Zhao Liangze¡¯s keen eyesight and quick reflexes to support her, Gu Nianzhi would have really fallen to her knees because of how wobbly she was.

    It turned out that this safe was indeed tailor-made for her!

    Her DNA, retina, and fingerprints were the three factors required to determine her identity and open the safety deposit box ¨C not a single one could be missing!

    ...

    In the small room on the first floor of the basement, Li Dexi¡¯s eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets as he watched this all unfold.

    He had lost his previous calm andposure, so his hands were shaking with excitement.

    Smart, smart, she was so smart!

    She was almost as smart as Gu Haoze was, as written in his predecessors¡¯ memoirs!

    Li Dexi had never dealt with Gu Xiangwen. By the time he took over the Gestapo, Gu Xiangwen had already disappeared.

    They could not find any trace of him until they had finally learned about his ne crash seven years ago...

    As a result, he had a better understanding of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s father and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather, Gu Haoze.

    Watching Gu Nianzhi now, the excitement in his heart couldn¡¯t be suppressed as he intuitively experienced her eclectic intelligence for himself.

    By now, he realized that Reinitz must have hidden many things from him.

    At that moment, he even suspected that Gu Nianzhi was the famous hacker, the Pink Piggy, who had breached the Gestapo¡¯s entire intr!

    When Li Dexi considered how the genius hacker the Pink Piggy might have been Gu Nianzhi, he was not only furious but also extremely excited.

    Such a perfect person and such perfect genes were gifts from God to the Germans!

    If she could reproduce with Reinitz, who possessed the most perfect genes amongst the Germans, just what amazing offspring could she give birth to?!

    The lowly Huaxia people don¡¯t deserve to have such good genes.

    It should be said that, aside from the noble Germans, no other races were worthy of possessing such perfect genes!

 Chapter 1212 - The Mountains and Rivers Remain

    <h4>Chapter 1212 The Mountains and Rivers Remain</h4>

    Li Dexi stood up swiftly and gave an icymand. ¡°Kill Huo Shaoheng! Immediately! Right now!¡±As soon as he gave the order, the sniper who had kept his crosshairs trained on Huo Shaoheng from the ceiling of the sixth-floor basement the entire time aimed his rifle at the figure lying on the beam and pulled the trigger.

    Li Dexi¡¯s subordinate used a VSK-94 suppressed sniper rifle, which was equipped with a world-ss high-efficiency silencer.

    When the trigger was pulled, there was no sound at all. The scant sparks that burst out from the gun¡¯s muzzle were also eliminated.

    This type of silent sniper rifle was actually not suitable for long-rangebat since it provided no vision at all if the target¡¯s distance exceeded 400 meters.

    But within fifty meters, it was the king of the sniper world!

    The 9x39mm subsonic bullet sliced through the air like a demon and only emitted the hint of a sound. It was like the low-pitched sigh of a sleepless person at midnight or the series of ripples created when pebbles were thrown into the bottom of ake.

    This type of bullet had a greater explosive and prating power than a submachine gun¡¯s bullet, so its lethality rank was even higher.

    It could be said that, within fifty meters, no one could possibly escape a VSK-94 suppressed sniper rifle!

    As for Li Dexi¡¯s sniper, his direct distance from the figure lying on the roof beam of the sixth floor of the basement was exactly 49 meters.

    This was the best performing sniper rifle, the fastest bullet, and the perfect distance!

    On top of thepletely suppressed sound, there wasn¡¯t a single spark that escaped the muzzle. With a thump, the subsonic bullet sliced straight into the head of the figure lying on the ground!

    In the highly magnified video sent back from his sniper, Li Dexi clearly saw a cloud of blood burst out of the man¡¯s head before he slumped down andid motionless on the roof beam.

    He finally killed Huo Shaoheng!

    The blood in Li Dexi¡¯s entire body was coursing wildly, pooling towards his brain and heart.

    No one in this world could stop him now!

    Li Dexi had always been very cautious and never did anything with uncertainty. But this time, he had no time to personally check whether the person the sniper had killed was actually Huo Shaoheng. He merely asked him to inspect the body and said, ¡°Keep his body for me. I still need to use it for something!¡±

    ¡°Go!¡± Li Dexi took the lead and rushed out of the small room on the basement¡¯s first floor. He ran into the elevator and took his men down to the sixth-floor basement.

    ...

    Li Dexi¡¯s sniper broke into a wide grin and leaped from the beam on the other side with a sniper rifle carried on his back.

    He had long hands and long legs that climbed between countless steel poles like Spider-Man.

    Leaping forward, he climbed onto the opposite beam.

    He had killed Huo Shaoheng, and the body was there. He wanted to check if the person he had shot was really Huo Shaoheng.

    But before he could even find his bnce, the brilliant shine of a sharp de shed in front of his eyes. A dagger swiped out silently from the darkness and cut his throat ruthlessly.

    Li Dexi¡¯s sniper perished without making a single sound.

    The blood from the sniper¡¯s throat spurted onto the person who had just been shot, so it looked like that person was the one who was bleeding.

    Huo Shaoheng emerged from the darkness, no expression on his face, and kicked away the person who was lying motionless after having been shot.

    The person rolled aside. It turned out to be just a dummy.

    Li Dexi¡¯s sniper had hit a pack of blood on the dummy¡¯s head when he shot, which had provided a realistic headshot effect.

    Huo Shaoheng skillfully arranged Li Dexi¡¯s sniper in the same position the dummy had been lying in earlier. With ck-gloved hands, he took the VSK-94 suppressed sniper rifle from the sniper and fired another shot at his head!

    Pop¨C!

    Like the sound of a small fish quietly blowing bubbles at the bottom of the sea, and like the sound of water boiling in the winter night to make a new pot of tea ¨C he could almost see tiny bubbles appear.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly surprised.

    In order to deal with him, Li Dexi had actually used a VSK-94 suppressed sniper rifle.

    It was a really good gun and better than his own equipment.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled slightly as he seized this world-ss, high performance VSK-94 silent sniper rifle.

    His newly built suppressed submachine and heavy-weight sniperpound weapon was still slung over his arm as he added on the VSK-94 that Li Dexi offered.

    That was right.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    There were also bullet clips.

    He leaned down and tore off the clip of ammunition that was wrapped around the sniper¡¯s waist and casually slung it over his arm.

    After taking care of the sniper, Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch to see that it had only taken him two minutes.

    Li Dexi¡¯s elevator hadn¡¯t yet reached the sixth floor of the basement.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately issued an order, saying, ¡°...Move it.¡±

    His personnel had hidden there earlier than Li Dexi¡¯s men had arrived.

    When Li Dexi¡¯s men had checked the locations for an ambush, they were already within range of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s full firepower.

    But this time, Li Dexi had brought his most elite team along, so Huo Shaoheng did not dare to underestimate them.

    He tapped his headphones in Morse code to issuemands.

    The field staff of the Special Operations Forces who received his order immediately acted as nned. In groups of two people covering each other, they felt their way towards the positions of Li Dexi¡¯s snipers.

    They came from behind, swift as the wind.

    In the darkness, the two-person spotter team from Li Dexi¡¯s side had just noticed something was wrong as a rope violently strangled their necks.

    The sniper next to him was about to turn his head when a strong arm stretched out to twist his head one hundred and eighty degrees ¨C this made him turn far too much!

    In order not to make any noise, the Special Operations Forces field personnel did not use any weapons that made sounds. By only strangling them with their arms or ropes, they were able to clear away all of Li Dexi¡¯s snipers with only a few movements.

    These snipers had followed Li Dexi around the Blue for many years without ever encountering any worthy opponents.

    They never imagined that they would all perish in the hands of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personnel in the basement of a random bank in Cape Town!

    ...

    Standing in front of the ck iron cabs on the sixth floor of the basement, Gu Nianzhi, Bai Shuang, and Zhao Liangze looked at safety deposit box number 365 that had opened automatically. They were all frozen with shock.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhiposed herself and put on a pair of gloves, then slowly opened the door of the safe.

    At first nce, it looked as though there was nothing inside!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart dropped, but her gaze shifted down until she finally saw a lonely envelope lying at the bottom of the otherwise empty safe.

    She reached in and grabbed the envelope.

    The lights on the basement¡¯s sixth floor were as white as snow, making the envelope in her hand appear yellow and old.

    The words on the envelope had even been written with a calligraphy brush!

    Fortunately, they were written in regr script. Otherwise, Gu Nianzhi really wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand the handwriting.

    The envelope was addressed to the descendants of the Gu family.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Zhao Liangze was going to take the letter, but he rubbed his nose and folded his hands behind his back when he saw how the envelope was addressed.

    Bai Shuang also nced at it and frowned slightly, asking, ¡°Is this what you are looking for?¡±

    Why was it a very old letter?

    What about the so-called gic data?

    As Gu Nianzhi held onto the almost weightless letter, it felt so heavy to her that she was almost unable to lift it up.

    She inhaled deeply as she thought about how she must see what this was. She couldn¡¯t turn around and leave right now. What if she had the wrong thing?

    Although the method required to open safety deposit box number 365 seemed to be tailor-made for her, what if this was only Li Dexi¡¯s trap?

    After all, they had spared no effort or expense while setting up a huge trap for her in the Alps.

    Gu Nianzhi had suffered a big loss because of Li Dexi, so she had no choice but to be cautious.

    She looked at the seal on the envelope and saw that it was simply dotted with red paint.

    The red paint seemed to have faded after all those years and leave only a light, scarlet-colored round spot on the pale, yellow envelope.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed the envelope a few times, then resolutely tore through the red paint and opened it.

    Looking down, she saw that there were five sheets of paper inside.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart kept sinking, but she still gritted her teeth and pulled the five pages out of the envelope.

    The first page read:

    ¡°To the descendants of the Gu family: When you read this letter, I won¡¯t know which generation of the Gu family you belong to.

    ¡°But if you begin counting from me, Gu Haoze ¨C then you cannot exceed the third generation. That is to say; you are my grandson or granddaughter.

    ¡°If you are not a descendant of the Gu family, please publish this letter.

    ¡°I, Gu Haoze, was born in a concentration camp the Japanese had set up in the northeastern region of the Huaxia Empire.

    ¡°Everyone says that I am a genius. In fact, the Yamato ¡®scientists¡¯ who created me and I are the only ones who know that I am a genuine tragedy.

    ¡°In a concentration camp where human dignity and morality were obliterated, every life was born under the beautiful promise of pursuing technological progress. But in fact, every new life born here was a sin.¡±

    In the thousand words that followed, Gu Nianzhi almost witnessed the most shameless, evil, and vicious disaster in all of human history.

    But in such a harsh environment, her ancestors had still refused to give up hope.

    Theyunched numerous counterattacks and riots in the concentration camp and made multiple attempts to break through the fortresses set up by those so-called scientists.

    There were countless sacrifices and destruction, endless hope and disappointments ¨C but finally, light dawned.

    ¡°...News came that the enemy¡¯s nest had been bombed by the Great American nuclear bomb, so the Yamato scientists were like defeated dogs. They nned to temporarily transfer part of the data to the European Gestapo for safekeeping.

    ¡°As their most sessful and most failed piece of data, I was also transferred to Europe as cargo.

    ¡°While I was making the journey, I learned that my fellow inmates hadunched a final counterattack.

    ¡°... During that counterattack, my good friend He Shouwang bombed the enemy¡¯s arsenal. The huge fire burned for ten days and ten nights, so the results from nearly a hundred years of research by the Yamato ¡®scientists¡¯ that had not been sent to Europe werepletely destroyed.

    ¡°The enemy¡¯s leader was furious and killed my friend, He Shouwang.

    ¡°My friend He Shouwang¡¯s son, He Chengjian, followed me to Europe. On the way there, he learned of his father¡¯s horrific end and vowed to avenge him before leaving without a trace.

    ¡°I have searched for him for ten years now, yet I could not find his whereabouts.

    ¡°At the time of writing this letter, I do not have many days left. Before I pass away, I will record this forgotten battle and record the names of the Huaxia men and women who rallied together against the concentration camp. I hope that future generations will remember their names.

    ¡°Every individual who sacrificed themselves for the benefit of the group is worthy of respect and remembrance.

    ¡°Their names were: He Shouwang, Zhang Aliang, Zhao Tongxin, Wang Qi, Yang Yiqin, Duan Yongbo, Qian Man, Shu Huan, Wei Xiangyun...¡±

    On the third and fourth pages of the letter, Gu Haoze had written the names in tiny, densely packed characters.

    The people who once had those names had passed away a long time ago ¨C but when Gu Nianzhi looked at this letter, the Huaxia men and women who had never forgotten to resist, even under the worst and most inhumane environment, seemed to havee back to life once again.

    Their gaze prated through the passage of time to gently watch over the people living in modern times.

    ¡°...I hope that anyone who reads this letter can proudly tell them that the mountains and rivers remain in the Huaxia Empire, and our country is peaceful.¡±

 Chapter 1213 - That Phrase Doesnâ€™t Exist in Her Dictionary

    <h4>Chapter 1213 That Phrase Doesn¡¯t Exist in Her Dictionary</h4>

    Before Gu Nianzhi could even read all the names on the fourth page, tears already blurred her eyes.She wiped her face with the back of her hand again and again, but she couldn¡¯t stop her sobbing.

    Zhao Liangze clenched his jaw and sped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders gently in an attempt tofort her. But when he opened his mouth, he found that he could not speak.

    His eyes were red, but he held himself together instead of crying like a little girl.

    Bai Shuang hadn¡¯t expected it to be such a letter. She looked away expressionlessly, so her trembling lower lip was the only indicator of her agitated mood.

    When Gu Nianzhi flipped past the fourth page of the letter to see the fifth and final page, she was immediately stunned.

    On the fifth page, Gu Haoze had used a fine charcoal pencil to draw five double helix DNA molecr structures!

    There were not many figures, but there were detailed data exnations below each diagram.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know much about biological sciences, so she took a quick nce and read what Gu Haoze wrote at the end of the graphs, which said, ¡°...There are a total of nine drawings for this set of data, outlining the major weakness in the DNA structure of the main ethnic group in the Huaxia Empire. By attacking the weakest link, it would require little effort to destroy our race.

    ¡°These nine drawings have fallen into my hands. In consideration for the sake of the Huaxia Empire, I have destroyed the four most crucial molecr structure diagrams. There are five DNA molecr structure diagrams remaining for future generations to study.

    ¡°Chance exists in the world ¨C there are dangers and opportunities. These five molecr diagrams of DNA structure can support the research on repairing gic defects within our race. I hope that future generations will cherish it....¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed deeply.

    Yes, these were the five diagrams that Reinitz and the Gestapo had been pursuing for half a century in order to find opportunities to repair gic defects...

    Her grandfather was so amazing, but from the looks of this letter, it seemed that he had passed away very early on.

    Gu Nianzhi soon thought about his aunt Gu Tian, who died shortly after giving birth to his daughter Xie Qingying because of a gic defect.

    Then she recalled how Gu Yanran and Gu Yanran¡¯s mother, Gu Jing, were able to exist as special bone marrow donors. They must be rted to the research of those Yamato scientists...

    She snickered and stuffed the five pages of the letter back into the envelope. Just as she was about to put it in her pocket, the door to the sixth floor of the basement was kicked open with a bang.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. Had the people working behind the scenes with Bai Shuang finally appeared?

    She subconsciously stood in front of Zhao Liangze to protect him.

    Li Dexi and his men rushed in from the door to the sixth floor of the basement.

    At the same moment, the snipers that Li Dexi positioned on the ceiling leaped down to grab the letter from Gu Nianzhi. They ran to the door to respectfully hand it to Li Dexi.

    Bai Shuang suddenly jerked her head up and saw Li Dexi and the others rush in, but her expression was unreadable.

    Li Dexi epted the letter with a smile. The first thing he saw when he looked up was Bai Shuang, who was standing at the very front. Because she was wearing a red dress, she was much more eye-catching than Zhao Liangze¡¯s indoor camouge suit and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gray suit.

    ¡°Agent Bai, well done!¡±

    Li Dexi raised his hands and apuded her.

    Zhao Liangze red at Bai Shuang and said coldly, ¡°Bai Shuang, I never thought that you would reallymit treason!¡±

    Before Bai Shuang could speak, Li Dexi had already raised his hand and calmly gave the order, ¡°...Kill him.¡±

    He was referring to Zhao Liangze.

    He was facing three people ¨C Bai Shuang was his agent, and Gu Nianzhi was the target he wanted, so Zhao Liangze was the only obstacle.

    Since Zhao Liangze was an obstacle, Li Dexi had to get rid of him quickly.

    The sniper beside Li Dexi immediately raised his gun and aimed at Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi had been standing in front of Zhao Liangze the entire time. At that moment, she panicked and lunged to cover Zhao Liangze¡¯s face without a second thought.

    She was betting that Li Dexi had invested so much time and effort to set up such a huge trap to get both the letter and her!

    Since she was the one that Li Dexi wanted, he definitely would not allow his men to hurt her.

    Gu Nianzhi was indeed a very lucky gambler ¨C in other words, she was able to analyze Li Dexi¡¯s motivation and purpose thoroughly.

    Li Dexi really didn¡¯t want to hurt her.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire body lunge over to embrace Zhao Liangze, Li Dexi quickly reached out and raised the VSK-94 suppressed sniper rifle that the sniper was holding by a few centimeters.

    When the shot was fired, it actually missed them by a hair.

    Li Dexi merely lifted the barrel, and the bullet flew into the ceiling.

    Li Dexi red at the gunman and growled, ¡°Did you forget what I told you?!¡±

    His original words were, ¡°You can kill anyone except Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang.¡±

    If necessary, even Bai Shuang could be killed, as Gu Nianzhi was the only exception.

    Regardless of the circumstances, Li Dexi would not allow anyone to hurt Gu Nianzhi.

    She was a perfect work of art that God had given them, and he would not allow anyone to tarnish it.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze was thrown to the ground by Gu Nianzhi. He was very nervous, but his heart ached even more.

    Knowing that the person he loved had truly done something insidious, he was so heartbroken that he didn¡¯t even want to live anymore.

    Zhao Liangze hugged Gu Nianzhi and rolled across the ground to hide in the shadows beside the ck iron cabs. Raising his gun, he fired several shots at Li Dexi and the group standing outside!

    However, the group calmly stood under the huge lights on the sixth floor of the basement, seemingly unafraid of Zhao Liangze¡¯s gunshots.

    Gu Nianzhi examined them silently and found that Li Dexi¡¯s people were wearing bulletproof vests. She couldn¡¯t help but curl her lips and think that she should have also asked Huo Shaoheng for a bulletproof vest.

    Bai Shuang stood under the light; her face whiter than snow.

    She stared nkly at Li Dexi and said, ¡°...You came too early. I didn¡¯t get my hands on the data yet.¡±

    Li Dexi chuckled heartily and held up the letter he had just received, saying, ¡°Agent Bai, I don¡¯t need your help. It¡¯s safer for me to get the data myself.¡±

    With his typically suspicious personality, how could he ever let others handle such important data?

    He had toe and pick it up in person to feel assured.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s face turned even paler as she stood motionless in front of the ck iron cab where Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze were hiding. She hesitated, then said, ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not the data...¡±

    ¡°No? Hehe. I have to read it for myself before I can draw a conclusion.¡± Li Dexi kissed the envelope, waving his hand as he said, ¡°Get out of the way.¡±

    Bai Shuang remained motionless and stood there as if her feet had taken root.

    She gritted her teeth and said to Li Dexi, ¡°Huo Shao hasn¡¯t shown up yet. Isn¡¯t it too early for you toe out? Aren¡¯t you afraid of alerting him?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng? Hahahaha...¡± Li Dexi thought it was the funniest joke in the world. ¡°He was killed by me! If I hadn¡¯t killed him, why would I show up?¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s heart sank as she said, ¡°You killed Huo Shaoheng?! That¡¯s a lie!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie?¡± Li Dexi sneered and pointed in the direction of the beams across the ceiling. ¡°He is lying over the top of your head. Didn¡¯t you know?¡±

    As if in response to what he said, only a very quiet dripping sound could be heard. A drop of thick, bright red liquid fell from the beam,nding just between Bai Shuang and Li Dexi.

    Bai Shuang took a step back in great surprise and asked, ¡°You really killed Huo Shaoheng?!¡±

    Li Dexi used one finger to smear the blood that had just dripped down as he said, ¡°Look for yourself. Is he dead or not? Isn¡¯t that just a ceiling beam? As if that could stop us? Do you want to see his body?¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this and saw the drops of blood falling from the ceiling, her heart felt empty, and she only saw red.

    She impulsively drew out the small pistol Huo Shaoheng had given her and pushed Zhao Liangze out of the way. She rushed out from behind the ck iron cab to fire three shots at Li Dexi¡¯s head!

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The powerful air current caused by the gunshot passed by and missed Li Dexi by a hair. However, he instinctively stepped back and lost allposure.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t force my hand!¡± Li Dexi shouted as he drew a gun and shot at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feet.

    Clouds of dust were kicked up from the floor, and small pits appeared on the surface.

    The bullets seemed to explode at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feet, but she was not afraid.

    She was not certain of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s survival, so she must not buckle!

    ¡°That¡¯s my letter! I¡¯ll kill you, you b*stard!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi screamed at Li Dexi and fired several shots again that scraped past his body.

    Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao Liangze rushed out from behind the ck iron cab and hugged Gu Nianzhi, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive! This old man is not Huo Shao¡¯s opponent! Don¡¯t listen to his lies!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her senses, looked up at the ceiling beam, and then back at the blood umting on the ground. ¡°He took my letter! He is blocking our door! Even if he is lying and failed to kill Huo Shao, I can¡¯t let him escape!¡± she spat.

    Wait to die?

    Oh, there was no such phrase in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dictionary!

 Chapter 1214 - Obliterated

    <h4>Chapter 1214 Obliterated</h4>

    Realizing that he could not dissuade Gu Nianzhi, Zhao Liangze¡¯s mood was as chaotic as a roller coaster. Acting on impulse, he also drew his gun and fought alongside Gu Nianzhi.The gunfire resounded throughout the sixth floor of the bank basement, like small explosions.

    The men apanying Li Dexi were his most elite personnel, so they were even more powerful than the snipers who had previously ambushed them from the roof beams.

    They reacted quickly and immediately drew their guns to fire back.

    However, Li Dexi had strictly ordered them not to hurt Gu Nianzhi, and, in order to avoid her, they were a little more restrained and did not exert their full strength.

    Thanks to Gu Nianzhi, Zhao Liangze was able to roll across the ground and avoid being shot several times.

    Gu Nianzhi also discovered that she made the correct bet. The other party was determined to kidnap her, so they didn¡¯t want to hurt her.

    Now she finally understood why Li Dexi had put in so much effort and set up such aplicated trap in order to draw her into his game.

    Unfortunately, he must know about her special gic make-up.

    How did he know about it?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain worked quickly, but her fingers did not stop pulling the trigger.

    However, the opponents were wearing bulletproof vests, so they only staggered back to regain their bnce, even when she hit them in the chest several times.

    She also wanted to be like Huo Shaoheng and his men, who could shoot at any target with great uracy. Although her marksmanship was good, she still couldn¡¯tpare to real soldiers.

    With face to face shooting, it was easier to hitrger parts of the opponent¡¯s body such as the chest and the back.

    It was actually very difficult to shoot at smaller areas such as the opponent¡¯s arms, legs, and head during a face-to-face battle.

    Even Zhao Liangze was only able to shoot two of Li Dexi¡¯s most elite men in the head.

    He was shot in the shoulder by the enemy!

    The firepower of the VSK-94 suppressed sniper rifle was fully disyed. Although the powerful prating force did not go through Zhao Liangze¡¯s body armor, it still hit him so hard that he mmed back into the ck iron cabs!

    The huge force from the reaction made Zhao Liangze spit out a mouthful of blood. For a moment, he seemed to lose connection to his memories, and his vision turned ck.

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly rushed over to stand in front of Zhao Liangze.

    Standing amidst the raining bullets, Bai Shuang looked very sorrowful, yet her eyes sparkled brightly.

    She carefully stared at Li Dexi and suddenly walked over.

    Li Dexi¡¯s people held their guns and stood protectively in front of Li Dexi. One by one, they aimed directly at Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze, who were lying on the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi was able to shield most of Zhao Liangze, so only half of his head was exposed.

    In order to kill Zhao Liangze, their only option was to shoot at half his exposed head and risk hurting Gu Nianzhi if they were not careful.

    Although these people were extremely impatient and wanted nothing more than to shoot both Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze together, they didn¡¯t dare disobey Li Dexi.

    They knew better than anyone else exactly how terrifying this man was.

    Under Li Dexi¡¯s iron fist, no one dared to disobey his orders.

    The elite snipers only need a few seconds to lock onto the target.

    Gu Nianzhi was fearless.

    Zhao Liangze tried to get up and keep Gu Nianzhi hidden behind him.

    Bai Shuang looked back at Zhao Liangze and Gu Nianzhi, then suddenly rushed towards Li Dexi. Grabbing his arm, she said with a raspy voice, ¡°You have all the data already. Why aren¡¯t you leaving?!¡±

    ¡°I must take Gu Nianzhi with us.¡± Li Dexi pushed Bai Shuang away, then raised a finger to point to Gu Nianzhi, who was trying to shield Zhao Liangze. ¡°Someone go over there. Gag her and drag her away!¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s eyelids twitched.

    She stared intently at the letter in Li Dexi¡¯s hand, and countless memories suddenly shed through her mind.

    She was a young child, babbling as she sat with her parents.

    When she was six years old, she carried her school bag and went to school for the first time under the bright autumn sunshine of the Imperial Capital.

    When she was 14 years old, she received a love letter from a ssmate for the first time. At the age of 18, she was admitted to the China Foreign Affairs University, and then her rtives and friends popped champagne to celebrate with her.

    She became a national spokesperson at the age of 26 and had a bright future...

    She closed her eyes, and the letter that she had read with Gu Nianzhi just now shed through her mind. The names written on it were like the life force of all those individuals supporting her beliefs.

    That letter must not fall into Li Dexi¡¯s hands!

    At that moment, a series of gunshots suddenly sounded from the steel ceiling beams on the sixth floor of the basement.

    The gunshots muffled with silencers were short and arrogant, passing through the air like meteors briefly shing by.

    Huo Shaoheng led his team of Special Operations Forces field personnel and jumped down from the ceiling beam. He pulled on the chain while holding his submachine gun in midair to shoot at the standing bodyguards!

    They were professional soldiers. In this life-and-death situation, their marksmanship was much more urate than that of ordinary men.

    Men paid attention when locking onto targets, while these soldiers paid attention to killing the enemy!

    Each enemy was killed by one bullet. Not a single one was missed, and they never retreated!

    ¡°Ah¨C!¡±

    The elite personnel surrounding Li Dexi widened their eyes in surprise. As they looked at the soldiers in camouge uniforms who descended from the ceiling beam like holy soldiers, they forgot even to fight back.

    They thought that the soldiers were on their side!

    But before they had time to question where their own men went, they fell to the ground as corpses.

    Li Dexi was shocked, but he dodged and backed up quickly to smoothly twist the nearby Bai Shuang¡¯s hands behind her back. He shielded himself with her body.

    A reinforced concrete wall was behind him, and his human shield, Bai Shuang, was in front of him. Bai Shuang was even taller than him, so it was truly difficult to shoot him.

    Huo Shaohengnded on one leg right beside Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze.

    He pulled Gu Nianzhi up to protect her in his embrace while looking at Zhao Liangze. He asked with concern, ¡°...Are you okay?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shook his head, his expression heartbroken. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he replied.

    He didn¡¯t have any gunshot wounds, but the shot from the bullet was so powerful that he knew his shoulder must be severely bruised, and the pain wed at his heart.

    But while physical pain could be tolerated, heartache cannot be suppressed.

    Zhao Liangze slowly stood up while propping himself against the ck iron cabs.

    Li Dexi and Bai Shuang were the only ones still standing in front of them since all the others had been killed.

    Huo Shaoheng was surrounded by his own men, each emitting their own murderous aura. Their ck submachine guns were tilted slightly outwards in anticipation of shooting holes into Li Dexi and Bai Shuang.

    The situation changed too quickly, so Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was still in a sluggish state for a short moment.

    She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm firmly, refusing to let go no matter what.

    Across from them, hiding behind Bai Shuang, Li Dexi sneered, ¡°You don¡¯t want the data anymore? You worked so hard toe here and even held yourself out as bait ¨C was it not all for this data?! Huo Shaoheng, you are too cunning!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng squinted his eyes. He didn¡¯t even bother to talk to Li Dexi and merely stated, ¡°Give the letter back to us, and I will promise to leave your corpse intact.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re lying even at a time like this!¡± Li Dexi suddenly pushed Bai Shuang away and pulled at his tuxedo to reveal his bulletproof vest and a circle of grenades tied around his waist!

    ¡°MK8A9 ¨C thetest US military-grade attack grenade. One will be enough to send you to your god. What do you think? Do you want to die with me?¡± Li Dexi gave Huo Shaoheng a wide grin as he patted the grenades on his body.

    This type of grenade was very sturdy, with each containing at least three hundred grams ofpressed TNT. The fuse had to be lit in order to cause the explosion, and it was extremely powerful.

    Some grenades also had steel balls inside. After the explosives detonated, the steel balls would cause a second wave of devastating blows to the human body!

    Almost instantly, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s advantage was obliterated.

    Li Dexi alone could send them all to hell together!

    Huo Shaoheng remained motionless, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle.

    He slowly raised his gun and asked coldly, ¡°...Do you think I¡¯m afraid?¡±

    At that moment, Bai Shuang bit her lip and turned around to hug Li Dexi with her left hand.

    Her body blocked him, as well as the grenades around his waist. An rm instantly went off inside Li Dexi¡¯s head.

    Before Li Dexi even reacted, Bai Shuang had raised her right hand. Somehow, she already had a pistol in her hand.

    The exquisite silver pistol gleamed brightly as she pressed it directly against Li Dexi¡¯s aorta.

    There was no bulletproof vest protecting him there. Aside from the brain, the aorta was the weakest and most deadly target.

    Bai Shuang was taller than him and had been dragged in front of him to be used as a shield. Huo Shaoheng and the others couldn¡¯t aim at Li Dexi¡¯s aorta.

    But now Bai Shuang¡¯s loyalties had shifted and she pointed her gun at him, so the situation had reversed once again!

    Li Dexi was heartbroken. His eyes bored holes into Bai Shuang as he pointed at Huo Shaoheng and demanded angrily, ¡°What are you going to do?! Are you crazy?! He was the one who murdered your father!¡±

    As he said this, he used one hand to hold a gun against Bai Shuang¡¯s waist while trying to push her away.

    Bai Shuang did not hesitate to pull the trigger and said with a sneer, ¡°Give the letter back to us!!¡±

    Li Dexi instinctively moved the hand that was holding the gun.

    Bai Shuang¡¯s body shuddered slightly, and her expression suddenly stiffened, but she still gritted her teeth and grabbed the letter from Li Dexi.

    Li Dexi¡¯s leg went soft, and he fell to the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men jumped up at this time, pulling Bai Shuang away and firing several shots at Li Dexi¡¯s head as heid on the ground. After confirming that he was actually dead, they removed the grenades from around his waist.

    After checking carefully, they reported, ¡°The grenades were not timed!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said, ¡°Clean up the battlefield and retreat!¡±

    He strode over and nced at Bai Shuang with sudden shock. ¡°Are you injured?¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s face was pale as a ghost, and her lips werepletely devoid of color.

    She slowly raised the letter in her hand. ¡°The letter...¡±

 Chapter 1215 - The Longest Nigh

    <h4>Chapter 1215 The Longest Nigh</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng calmly took the letter from Bai Shuang before ncing at her again, ¡°Are you really alright?¡±She was still wearing that very eye catching red dress. Zhao Liangze had draped his tuxedo over her just now, but it fell to the ground when she was running and fighting.

    The red dress made her face appear even paler, but her pupils were especially shiny like the brightest stars in the night sky.

    Bai Shuang shook her head and replied in a deeper voice than usual, but she still sounded like she had strength,¡±...I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Bai Shuang!¡± Zhao Liangze finally rushed over and anxiously pushed away Huo Shaoheng with an anxious look. He quickly went to Bai Shuang and asking nervously, ¡°Bai Shuang, are you okay? You almost scared me to death, why did you have to act so brave? What if... What if...¡±

    What if Li Dexi reacted quickly and detonated the grenades around his waist? Bai Shuang would have been dead meat since she was closest to him!

    Recalling the situation just now, Zhao Liangze felt so nervous that he didn¡¯t even feel the pain in his shoulder.

    He desperately grabbed Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and nced over her to check for injuries.

    Fortunately, even though her dress was wrinkled and her hair that was pulled into a bun was a little messy, there was no sign of injury anywhere else.

    Yet her face was too pale and her hands were very cold, just like cold ice.

    ¡°...Why are your hands so cold?¡± Zhao Liangze instinctively asked.

    A faint blush appeared on Bai Shuang¡¯s face, ¡°Brother Ze, it¡¯s zero degrees in here and I am only wearing a dress. How can I not be cold?¡±

    ¡°Where is my tuxedo jacket?¡± Zhao Liangze remembered the tuxedo jacket he gave to Bai Shuang just now. Looking around, he saw it in a corner and hurriedly walked over to pick it up and drape it on Bai Shuang again, ¡°Wear more clothes if you are cold!¡± Stupid! Why are you so stupid!¡±

    Zhao Liangze gently took her hand with great concern.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at them again and frowned before briefly scanning his eyes around the sixth floor of the basement. ¡°Close the safety deposit box and wipe off the fingerprints. Leave the corpses of Li Dexi and his men here, let¡¯s wait for their own people toe im them.¡±

    After Huo Shaoheng gave the order, the field personnel who arrived with him quickly cleaned up the battlefield.

    Five minutester, the work waspleted.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly gestured towards them, ¡°Withdraw!¡±

    Everyone walked to the door together.

    Gu Nianzhi only took a few steps, then turned around to see Bai Shuang still standing alone under the light. She was standing motionlessly as she looked at Zhao Liangze.

    Zhao Liangze took her hand and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s go, why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±

    Bai Shuang looked at him with a faint smile on her lips. Tilting her head, she asked yfully, ¡°I can¡¯t walk anymore. I need you to carry me out of here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was amused by Bai Shuang¡¯s tired andzy appearance, yet there was also a touch of sweet warmth that continually vibrated and expanded in his chest, making him take her in with each breath.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Zhao Liangze had been shot in the shoulder just now. Although he wore body armor, he was still injured.

    But when Bai Shuang asked this of him, Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t want to care about his injury at all.

    As long as she was still alive, as long as she was still with him¨Che would do anything she asked.

    Besides, she was just asking him to carry her?

    He gave his arms a small shake before lifting Bai Shuang up and quickly walked towards the door.

    Zhao Liangze was a little surprised when he held Bai Shuang in his arms.

    She only weighed this little...

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She looked up at Huo Shaoheng, the expression in her eyes was in: Look at her boyfriend...

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed Gu Nianzhi, ¡°We can walk faster than them.¡±

    As he said this, he took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and strode past Zhao Liangze who was carrying Bai Shuang.

    As they passed by, Huo Shaoheng looked back at Zhao Liangze quickly and said, ¡°Time is running out, we don¡¯t want anymore trouble.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can handle carrying her.¡±

    Zhao Liangze carefully carried Bai Shuang like he was holding a treasure he had newly recovered.

    Carrying Bai Shuang in his arms the entire way, he quickly walked into the elevator.

    The elevator went up to the floor of the parking lot and he got out of the elevator while still holding Bai Shuang.

    It was already 10pm.

    It took them less than an hour to sneak into the basement, find the data and then quickly end the battle.

    There were no other casualties except for two field staff who were bruised by bullets on their arms and Zhao Liangze¡¯s bruised shoulders.

    This could be considered a major victory.

    Although Gu Nianzhi wanted Huo Shaoheng to carry her like a princess, she still did not dare to be as bold as Bai Shuang upon seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s solemn and stern expression

    With a smile on her face, she squeezed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand tightly and did not leave his side for even a moment.

    ...

    Their group arrived at the parking lot.

    ¡°Get in the car, go back to the port first and get ready to sail.¡± Huo Shaoheng made a gesture and let the field personnel get in the car first.

    News of the incident would probably spread throughout Cape Town by daybreak.

    They must leave Cape Town before the police arrived here and realize what was happening.

    ¡°Nianzhi, get in the car.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled up in Zhao Liangze¡¯s Jeep and let Gu Nianzhi sit in the front passenger seat.

    Zhao Liangze came out of the elevator door with Bai Shuang in his arms and quickly shouted, ¡°Wait for us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slumped against the window as she watched Zhao Liangze carry Bai Shuang like a princess as he ran. Staring with wide eyes, she said, ¡°I never knew that Brother Ze was so strong?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at these two people approaching closer to the car and ignored Gu Nianzhi, but his brows gradually furrowed.

    ¡°Huo Shao, let me drive.¡± Zhao Liangze pulled the car door open to put Bai Shuang in the back seat, then went to sit in the driver¡¯s seat.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed him away, ¡°You go to the back seat and I will drive.¡±

    He nced at Bai Shuang again.

    Under the starry night sky, Bai Shuang was still smiling.

    Her lips were unusually plump for an Asian woman, so she was especially alluring when she smiled.

    She kept looking at Zhao Liangze and beckoning at him, ¡°Little Ze, sit down with me. Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Zhao Liangze got on the back seat like he was in a trance. He sat beside Bai Shuang, closed the back door and said, ¡°We can talk once we get back. We need to go back to the base right away.¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled and put her head on his shoulder before murmuring, ¡°But I want to hear you talk.¡±

    In the driver¡¯s seat, Huo Shaoheng looked up at the rearview mirror to see that there seemed to be blood on the corner of Bai Shuang¡¯s lips. He turned around and sternly asked, ¡°Bai Shuang, are you injured?¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled subtly and replied like nothing was wrong, ¡°A slight injury is nothing to get worried about.¡±

    Zhao Liangze seemed to finally understand something was wrong, so his expression darkened immediately changed, ¡°A slight injury? Where? Where?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s on my arm, why are you shouting over a little scratch?!¡± Bai Shuang grumbled and tried to push Zhao Liangze, but she didn¡¯t have much strength. After making the push, she almost fell off the seat.

    Zhao Liangze took Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and noticed that her hands were colder than when they were in the basement.

    His heart suddenly dropped inside his chest.

    It seemed that the most terrifying thing in his life was finally bing a reality.

    But he didn¡¯t dare to face it, so he keptforting himself mentally, ¡°This can¡¯t be... This can¡¯t be... This definitely won¡¯t happen...¡±

    The voice in his head screamed uncontrobly, ¡°Drive! Drive! Go to the hospital! Go to the hospital now!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened as he mmed on the elerator to race out of the parking lot, ¡°I will call the conste first, since the doctors there are more reliable than the local doctors here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi noticed Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s anxious expressions. She also seemed to understand something was wrong, but they didn¡¯t dare to breathe too loudly as she sank down in her seat.

    ¡°Bai Shuang, Bai Shuang, didn¡¯t you want to talk to me? Say...¡± Zhao Liangze carefully hugged Bai Shuang against his body, ¡°Talk to me!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Little Ze, aren¡¯t you an expert at making conversation? But every time you went out on a date with me, I always had to make conversations. I will punish you today and get you to make the conversation.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s smile was elegant like silk that tightly bounded Zhao Liangze in her web of love.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help butugh. Seeing that she could still crack jokes, he felt a little more rxed. He pulled the cor of his camouge uniform and said with some residual fear in his voice, ¡°You really scared me over the past few days. I really thought you... ¡±

    ¡°You really thought that I wouldmit treason?¡± Bai Shuang replied slowly and did not seem to shy away from this topic.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and interrupted them with a smile now, ¡°I knew Sister Bai wouldn¡¯t do it! You were acting so strange that it seems that you are almostbeled, ¡®I have a problem¡¯ on your forehead.¡±

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know Sister Bai very well, such an obvious difference in behavior was still noticeable when you acted like that in front of your closest friends. It was impossible to not be suspicious about it...¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, I did not misunderstand you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re amazing! You even fooled Li Dexi!¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled indifferently. She watched Huo Shaoheng drive and replied weakly, ¡°Actually, I am not that great of a person. When Li Dexi revealed the true cause of my father¡¯s death, I was full of anger and hatred. I also thought about taking revenge and making you all pay the price.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shut her mouth.

    Zhao Liangze hugged Bai Shuang tightly, not knowing how tofort her.

    Bai Shuang sighed and continued, ¡°But when Li Dexi showed me the intelligence my father offered to them and I saw how all those field personnel died because of him, I knew that my father deserved a fate worse than death... ...¡±

    She thought that her father had only been suppressed because he disagreed with others.

    What happened to the North American branch of the Secret Service was top secret. After she left her position as the country¡¯s spokesperson, she never had ess to such information again.

    So this misunderstanding had been buried in her heart all along.

    Until Li Dexi appeared¨Che first used the true cause of her father¡¯s death to ignite the anger in her heart and provoke all resentment.

    Then he used her father¡¯s ¡°offerings¡± to foreign intelligence agencies topletely extinguish her anger and resentment.

    She could no longer ignore her conscience and say that her father did not deserve to die...

    She was the only one who knew how she survived that period of time.

    ¡°I just want to do something to atone for my father¡¯s crimes...¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s vision gradually cked. She looked at a nk space as if her father and mother were there, ¡°My father did something wrong, and I am his only daughter. I must pay for his crimes.¡±

    ¡°You did a great job...¡± Zhao Liangze hugged her tightly and pressed his face to her forehead that was getting colder and colder. Although he tried his best to hold it in, he couldn¡¯t help but choke, ¡°Bai Shuang, I am proud of you!¡±

    ¡°You saved all of our lives, you helped us retrieve important data, and you killed the bitch Li Dexi! I¡¯ll go back to Senate to ask them to grant you honor!¡± He said with a hoarse voice.

    Bai Shuang signed deeply, her voice bing increasingly erratic, ¡°No, don¡¯t ask them for that... I am too ashamed... Apologize to them for me...¡±

    She raised a trembling hand to touch Zhao Liangze¡¯s chin and whispered, ¡°Little Ze, I will ask you onest question and you must answer it honestly answer.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded his head.

    ¡°Do you really love me? Don¡¯t lie to me, don¡¯t sympathize with me, don¡¯t feel grateful for me, don¡¯t tell me anything polite, just because I pursued you. Tell me honestly, do you really love me?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t love me, I just need to hear the truth.¡± Bai Shuang stared at Zhao Liangze with wide eyes. In fact, her vision was blurred, and she almost couldn¡¯t see clearly anymore...

    Zhao Liangze hugged Bai Shuang¡¯s increasingly colder body. His lips trembled fiercely, but he still managed to give a resolute answer, ¡°I love you, of course I love you, I have always loved you, and there has never been anyone else!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot! I couldn¡¯t even figure out who I truly love.¡±

    ¡°Bai Shuang¨Chold on for a bit longer, don¡¯t sleep! We¡¯ll be at the hospital soon...¡±

    ¡°When you get better, we¡¯ll get married right away! I¡¯ll discharge from the army and you don¡¯t need to work again. Just stay with me.¡±

    ¡°I will start apany to earn money for you. Let¡¯s have two children, one boy and one girl. The older brother must love his younger sister, or I¡¯ll break his legs..¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s buy a house in the school district together, no matter how expensive it is. We may fight over our children¡¯s education, but don¡¯t ignore me. Even if we quarrel, pleasee talk to me after the fight...¡±

    Bai Shuang listened quietly as sheid in his arms. She smiled and said, ¡°...How wonderful¡±.

    Then she took herst breath and closed her eyes forever.

 Chapter 1216 - The Highest Honor

    <h4>Chapter 1216 The Highest Honor</h4>

    Zhao Liangze held Bai Shuang the entire time, embracing her tightly in his arms. He was pressing his face against hers as if he still wanted to warm her already cold forehead.But no matter how hard he tried, Bai Shuang couldn¡¯t feel warmth anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng pressed hard on the elerator and sped the whole way before finally pulling into the parking lot of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s conste in Cape Town.

    He made several calls along the way, contacting the conste, military attach¨¦, and first secretary to request they quickly prepare a stretcher and medical supplies. The doctors and nurses were all in ce, so they would attempt an emergency rescue as soon as they got out of the car.

    When they arrived, several people in whiteb coats were already standing in the parking lot of the conste. They had a stretcher, first-aid kit, and a transfusion stand in anticipation of the patient¡¯s arrival.

    The car screeched to a stop in front of the people in whiteb coats.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and jumped down, then walked to the back door and said with a frown, ¡°Little Ze, let the doctors save Bai Shuang.¡±

    Zhao Liangze raised his head and looked at Huo Shaoheng with trembling lips. After a while, he replied, ¡°I will carry her inside.¡±

    Bending over, he climbed out of the car while holding Bai Shuang.

    The tuxedo jacket draped over Bai Shuang slowly fell to the ground.

    Her red dress was like a waterfall suddenly cascading down from between Zhao Liangze¡¯s arms.

    Zhao Liangze carried Bai Shuang as if he was holding a bouquet of gorgeous red spider lilies and solemnly ced her on the stretcher.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and nced at Bai Shuang.

    Under the bright lights in the parking lot, she could see that the red fabric at Bai Shuang¡¯s waist was noticeably darker than it was elsewhere.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s dark gray camouge uniform had also been stained blood red.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly a few times.

    Doctors and nurses in white coats quickly pushed the stretcher into the conste¡¯s operating room.

    Without saying a word, Zhao Liangze immediately followed them to the door of the operating room. Sitting on the bench, he stared at the door without moving.

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and followed him to the operating room. He nced at Zhao Liangze and asked, ¡°Is your shoulder okay?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shook his head. He could not feel the pain of his shoulders at all at that moment.

    At that time, the bright red operating light at the top of the room was illuminated.

    Gu Nianzhi asked with concern, ¡°...Will Sister Bai get better?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak, merely squeezing her hand. He turned his head to look out the window at the night sky.

    He could see that Bai Shuang had passed away a long time ago...

    ...

    Inside the operating room, a doctor in a whiteb coat held a stethoscope and bent over to ce it on Bai Shuang¡¯s chest.

    He could not hear any heartbeat.

    The doctor was stunned, then lifted Bai Shuang¡¯s eyelids and looked at her pupils again.

    Shaking his head, he said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s toote. She has already passed away.¡± As he spoke, he cut apart Bai Shuang¡¯s red dress and was shocked to see a dark red bullet hole in her waist.

    That was the cause of death.

    ...

    In less than five minutes, the red operating light on the top of the operating room door had been turned off.

    The door of the operating room opened, and Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart began to beat wildly.

    Given the severity of Bai Shuang¡¯s injury, it was definitely not a good thing to see the operation end after such a short time.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and asked the doctor who hade out, ¡°How is the patient¡¯s injury?¡±

    ¡°Injury? The gunshot wound was lethal. She had already passed on the way here. I am sorry for your loss. ¡± The doctor shook his head but did not ask how Bai Shuang had gotten injured.

    He was now a doctor in the conste, and the patients delivered him were under the banner of the Special Operations Forces, so he wisely chose to avoid asking questions.

    ¡°Dead?! Are you blind?! You didn¡¯t even check her! You just look at her eyes and say that she is dead?! I think you have a death wish!¡±

    When Zhao Liangze heard the doctor¡¯s words, he suddenly lost his temper. He stood up abruptly to shout questions right in the doctor¡¯s face.

    Although the doctor sympathized with them, he was always unhappy to hear his professional ability being questioned.

    Holding up Bai Shuang¡¯s hand with a cold expression, he said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Her symptoms are typical of excessive blood loss. You were with her the entire way here; didn¡¯t you realize that she lost too much blood?!¡±

    ¡°How would I know?!¡± Zhao Liangze was furious, saying, ¡°We came out of the basement. It was so cold in there...¡±

    ¡°Little Ze!¡± Huo Shaoheng yelled sharply. His expression darkened as he stopped Zhao Liangze from continuing to say anything else. ¡°Since this is already the reality, we will prepare a coffin and take her back to the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    A coffin?

    The word was like a sledgehammer that mmed directly into Zhao Liangze¡¯s chest.

    His vision went ck, and the injury to his shoulder was like a dam bursting. He finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. The double blow to his body and spirit caused him to lose consciousness in front of the operating room.

    Several doctors and nurses hurriedly pushed Zhao Liangze into the operating room.

    Outside the operating room, Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng with a serious expression and said softly, ¡°Huo Shao, you must take care of yourself...¡±

    Witnessing Bai Shuang¡¯s death and seeing Huo Shaoheng and his men engage in their daily battles made Gu Nianzhi begin to panic.

    In the past, she knew that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work was secret and dangerous, but she didn¡¯t have a solid impression since she had never really seen it.

    Moreover, she blindly worshipped and believed in Huo Shaoheng, so she firmly believed that no one and nothing could defeat him or win against him.

    Although she sometimes thought about how he may sacrifice himself in battle one day, that kind of imagined scenario waspletely different from actually witnessing someone else¡¯s sacrifice.

    She realized that she could not face it if he died on the battlefield one day, just like hisrade in arms, Bai Shuang, or how He Shouwang had perished ording to the letter that her grandfather, Gu Haoze, wrote...

    She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist tightly and buried her head in his chest to suppress her choking cries.

    Huo Shaoheng understood how she was feeling, but he had seen this type of situation many times. Although it was sad, things were not out of control, and he was not on the verge of copse like Zhao Liangze.

    He had always been a powerful, calm, indestructible, and invincible war machine.

    He had always been proud of it.

    He understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s concerns, but he didn¡¯t care.

    As a family member of military personnel, she had to be mindful of that fact.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed the top of her head and said, ¡°I will be careful.¡±

    After saying that, Huo Shaoheng switched on his Bluetooth headset and began to arrange follow-up tasks.

    ...

    Before long, Zhao Liangze was also pushed out of the operating room.

    His shoulder was seriously injured. He was bruised very badly after being shot, and carrying Bai Shuang to the car had caused his shoulder joints to be swollen.

    Fortunately, no bones were injured, and it was just muscle damage.

    After getting his shoulder bandaged, it would be fine for a few days.

    ¡°Are you fine now? Let¡¯s leave.¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t stay for a moment longer. ¡°I have contacted the navy and the air force. The navy will take us to the nearest military base, and we will immediately return to the Huaxia Empire on an air force aircraft,¡± he said.

    Zhao Liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng expressionlessly, asking, ¡°What about Bai Shuang? You said we would take her back.¡±

    ¡°Of course. We will go back together.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded his head solemnly at Zhao Liangze. ¡°I always mean what I say.¡±

    ...

    Twenty-four hourster, a military aircraft from the southern hemisphere slowlynded at the T3 terminal of Imperial Capital International Airport.

    It was already five in the morning, so dawn had just arrived. The sun was yet to rise, but itid in wait.

    Although the weather in early May was heading towards summer in the northern hemisphere, the early morning temperature was still somewhat cool.

    The tarmac at the airport was crowded with people.

    Almost all the high-level officials from the Imperial Capital gathered to give the martyr Bai Shuang the highest honor.

    Prime Minister Bai Jiancheng, the chief executive of the Military Supreme Council General Ji, and Speaker Long of the upper house of the parliament, all wore ck suits with white flowers on their chests as they stood at the front of the procession with solemn expressions.

    ¡°Stand at attention! Salute!¡±

    The guard of honor on the tarmac gave an order, and the tall guards all looked in the direction of the cabin in unison.

    The cabin door slowly opened, and four soldiers in Special Operations Forces uniforms carried a coffin made of cherry wood as they slowly stepped down from the ne.

    The coffin was covered with a bright red national g.

 Chapter 1217 - Iâ€œll Go With You

    <h4>Chapter 1217 I¡°ll Go With You</h4>

    Bai Shuang lost her mother at a young age and her father was dead. Among all her rtives in the Huaxia Empire, her uncles Bai Jiancheng and Bai Changhui were the closest rtives.Her cousin Bai Yueran came over with a bouquet of lilies on the behalf of her rtives and gently ced them on the coffin.

    Bowing her head to kiss the coffin, Bai Yueran choked out the words, ¡°Little sister, I am here to take you home.¡±

    The military music quickly began to y and the majestic melody resounded over the airspace above the Imperial Capital International Airport.

    The world was solemn, time traversed, white clouds morphed into different shapes, and life was impermanent.

    At that moment, the red sun burst into the sky and the golden light spilled onto the cherry wood coffin to surround the bouquet of lilies and the bright red national g with a dazzling golden halo.

    The dignified atmosphere was very touching.

    Although there were sacrifices, it was precisely these sacrifices that we brought real hope!

    Bai Yueran sighed quietly when she saw Zhao Liangze carrying the right front side of the coffin and standing motionlessly.

    She had no idea where his mission had taken him over the past few months, but his face waspletely ashened even though his skin looked darker than usual.

    He looked straight ahead,pletely turning a blind eye to Bai Yueran who came to offer flowers.

    Bai Yueran could only sigh when thinking about the rtionship between Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze.

    She walked away in silence and watched the four tall and burly Special Operations Forces soldiers carry the coffin farther and farther away. Just like Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart, it also drifted further and further away from her.

    She knew that things between them would never go back to the way they were before.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng got off the ne after the crowd who came to attend the funeral finally left.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t show up, while Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to show up.

    Today was Bai Shuang¡¯s big day, so no one should take away her limelight.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned her head on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder and murmured, ¡°Huo Shao, Bai Shuang... She basicallymitted suicide...¡±

    If she told them that she had been shot a little earlier, if she didn¡¯t wear the eye-catching red dress¨Cthe consequences might be different, right?

    The gunshot wound was not immediately fatal, but the excessive bleeding killed her in a very short period of time.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak, but the line of his jaw was tight like an arched bow.

    He touched her head, turned around and kissed her on the forehead.

    Huo Shaoheng paused when his warm lips touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slightly cool skin.

    The sensation was so pleasant that he couldn¡¯t bear to let go.

    So when his lips drifted down her forehead and passed her straight, delicate nose, he kissed her adorable and plump lips once again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were tingling after being kissed, and her vision spun so much that her heart thumped rapidly.

    It was just a kiss, how could she feel so breathless?

    The weather must be too hot, the ne was too stuffy, that must be it...

    ...

    It was already 8 in the morning by the time they got off the ne.

    The future was on the horizon and it stretched limitlessly ahead.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s driver picked him up and went straight to thepound where the Supreme Military Council was located.

    Gu Nianzhi also went with him, at General Ji¡¯s request.

    They arrived at the highest security level meeting room within the militarypound, with Gu Nianzhi walking in behind Huo Shaoheng.

    There were seven people in the conference room¨Cfive standingmittee members, Speaker Long and Prime Minister Bai Jiancheng. Everyone present was from the highest leadership of the empire.

    If a cannonball hit this room at this moment, it could wipe out the three generations of elites from the upper echelon of the Huaxia Empire. The Huaxia Empire would regress at least 50 years.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi walked in with the letter from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather Gu Haoze in their hands.

    Huo Shaoheng was the first to walk to the podium in the conference room and said solemnly, ¡°Dear chiefs, I am Huo Shaoheng, themander of the Special Operations Forces and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme Military Council. This time, our unit implemented a secret operation codenamed Fox Hunt. The briefing has already been sent to you.¡±

    He had already reported the entire situation to General Ji.

    Li Dexi, the famous ¡°underground Tsar¡± of the CIA, had been killed at the hands of Bai Shuang. He also gave a simple exnation of the data on the genome of the main ethnic group of the Huaxia Empire.

    Of course, thetter was top-secret information that was only mentioned in the briefing without many details.

    ¡°What I want to say is that, Comrade Bai Shuang made the greatest contribution within this mission. She chose to die with Li Dexi in order to save all of us. For such a person, I request to reward her with her exemry honor. Record her name in the annals of history and let her be respected by thousands.¡±

    The conference room was silent. General Ji looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing silently and raised his hand, ¡°Nianzhi, that letter belongs to your family. Please read it to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Chief.¡± Gu Nianzhi stepped up to the podium while Huo Shaoheng stood by in straight military posture.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the letter and began to read the words of her grandfather, Gu Haoze.

    ¡°At the time of writing this letter, I do not have many days left. Before I pass away, I will record this forgotten battle and record the names of the Huaxia men and women who rallied together against the concentration camp. I hope that future generations will remember their names.¡±

    ¡°Every individual who sacrificed themselves for the benefit of the group is worthy of respect and remembrance.¡±

    ¡°Their names were: He Shouwang, Zhang Aliang, Zhao Tongxin, Wang Qi, Yang Yiqin, Duan Yongbo, Qian Man, Shu Huan, Wei Xiangyun...¡±

    Her normally youthful and melodic voice sounded a bit fatigued because of her sadness, but it better reflected the feelings of the person who wrote this letter.

    The hardened hearts of the military leaders were extremely shaken by the words, ¡°...I hope that anyone who reads this letter can proudly tell them that the mountains and rivers remain in the Huaxia Empire, and our country is peaceful.¡±

    The five gray-haired standing members of the Supreme Council of the Army stood up together.

    ¡°Stand at attention, salute!¡±

    They made a standard military salute in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    Huo Shaoheng also saluted beside Gu Nianzhi.

    Speaker Bai Jiancheng and Speaker Long were not soldiers, but they also stood up and bowed deeply in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    Of course, they were not saluting and bowing to Gu Nianzhi.

    They were showing their respect to the Huaxia men and women who rebelled against enemy forces in the letter.

    General Ji said in a deep voice, ¡°This list must be preserved in our museum for future generations to remember.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slowly and said, ¡°Although this letter is for my family, the information in it has long exceeded the scope of one family. There is also a page of priceless data that belongs to our entire Chinese nation. I will donate this letter to the country, and I hope that you can preserve it properly. Please don¡¯t disappoint the martyrs from the letter.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, put the letter back into the envelope. Holding it with both hands, she walked down from the podium and handed it to General Ji.

    General Ji suddenly felt the extreme weight of this very thin letter.

    They all knew about the concentration camps in the Northeastern region of the Huaxia Empire, but they didn¡¯t expect that there would actually be such a set of data that could shake the foundation of the entire nation¡¯s existence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will let Shaoheng preserve this data. The Special Operations Forces have the highest security level, so this is the most appropriate solution.¡± General Ji said as he handed the letter to Huo Shaoheng, and said, ¡± The data page must be properly preserved at the highest security level. Scientists who can ess this data must undergo the most stringent political review by the Special Operations Forces.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hands to ept it and replied in a deep voice, ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    ...

    At the end of the meeting, Huo Shaoheng wanted to depart and appear at the Annual Warrior Competition.

    However, that wasn¡¯t actually part of his official work requirements. He had only led the team there as a cover.

    After he left, an official special forces military instructor came to take over the training.

    He was merely showing up now to conclude this event.

    He would return after taking a group photo with everyone at the opening ceremony.

    Gu Nianzhi was very reluctant to see him go, so she held onto his waist and refused to let him leave.

    Huo Shaoheng was a little helpless, but he knew that Gu Nianzhi was in low spirits because of what happened to Bai Shuang. She needed someone tofort her.

    But he still had a task in his hands, so it was impossible to dy too much.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi so miserable, he couldn¡¯t bear to leave immediately.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with me?¡± Huo Shaoheng had an idea, ¡°I will call Speaker Long and request a vacation from the Senate for you?¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and broke into a wide grin, ¡°Hurry up and call him! I¡¯ll go with you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t ask for more than to continue spending time with Huo Shaoheng.

 Chapter 1218 - Special Communication Skills

    <h4>Chapter 1218 Special Communication Skills</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brilliant ck eyes flickered and stared at Huo Shaoheng with a look of expectation.It had been a long time since he saw Gu Nianzhi look so happy, so Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cold heart warmed a little bit once again.

    He smiled and switched on the Bluetooth headset to call Speaker Long.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi came out of the militarypound and had just returned to his official residence at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces.

    His personal secretary, Yin Shixiong, booked him a ticket that would be taking off two hourster ¨C a first-ss Aeroflot seat destined for Moscow.

    As usual, he would immediately board the ne after going back to the official residence to pack a suitcase.

    But this time, his routine changed.

    ...

    When Speaker Long received the phone call from Huo Shaoheng, he was still in his private vehicle on its way back to the Senate.

    ¡°Shaoheng? What¡¯s the matter? Is Nianzhi with you?¡± Speaker Long answered the phone and immediately asked when Gu Nianzhi would be returning to work at the Senate.

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He subconsciously nced at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils were like two top-grade flecks of obsidians, and the sunlight reflected in her eyes to resemble a prized rainbow reflecting in them.

    She obviously wanted to go to Moscow with him.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and immediately changed his mind. Without mentioning the word vacation, he calmly replied, ¡°Speaker Long, we are still working on the mission, and Nianzhi needs toplete some final tasks with us. She should be done in about two more weeks.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything with much certainty. After all, many things could be out of his control when they went abroad.

    He actually had no specific agenda for this trip to Moscow. The most important task was to attend the opening ceremony with the military special forces delegation to prove that he had been there.

    This was only used as a cover.

    Outsiders did not know that he had not been in Moscow all this time.

    The foreigners who knew that he was not in Moscow, such as the elites of the Japanese Tokko, as well as the Gestapo and their mercenaries led by Li Dexi, were all dead.

    The rest were their own people,rades-in-arms who faced life and death with him.

    Speaker Long was slightly disappointed but still expressed his understanding, saying, ¡°Well, you have to protect her at all costs. She is a girl, so it¡¯s really not easy for her to run around with you guys. Don¡¯t let her get into any danger.¡±

    He was still unhappy after saying this, so he calmly warned Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you now ¨C it is not easy for me to find a sessor. If anything happens to her, I won¡¯t let you off easily!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    What a joke.

    How could anything happen to Nianzhi when she was with him?

    Huo Shaoheng declined toment, but smiled perfunctorily, and said, ¡°We are departing now. Take care, Speaker Long. I will invite you to dinner when I return.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Speaker Long agreed without making any realmitment and hung up the phone.

    After listening to the call, Gu Nianzhi smiled and gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up, saying, ¡°Huo Shao, you are so amazing. I¡¯ve only discovered that you lie without batting an eye, so your lies are even more convincing than the truth.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her calmly and said, ¡°I never lie.¡±

    ¡°...Where is your shame?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t tell the truth sometimes.¡± Huo Shaoheng curled his lips, reached out, and pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny face. ¡°My face is right here. Go wash up. I¡¯ll book a ticket for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the ceiling speechlessly.

    Being able to lie through their teeth about was probably a specialmunication skill all Special Operations Forces personnel had to master.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi hurried back to the bedroom, grabbed a few facial masks from the dressing table, and put them in her small purse. She did not even open the suitcase before dragging it outside again.

    This time, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderly, Fan Jian, and personal secretary, Yin Shixiong, drove them to the airport.

    Yin Shixiong was reluctant to see them go and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm as he winked and said, ¡°Nianzhi, Brother Xiong hasn¡¯t seen you for a long time and misses you so badly. What do you think? Will you sit with Brother Xiong on the way to the airport? Brother Xiong has a lot of caring reminders to give you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but get goosebumps when she saw the typically happy and handsome Yin Shixiong suddenly give her smoldering looks.

    She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, so she shrunk to the side and said, ¡°Brother Xiong, speak properly. Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re scaring me right now?¡±

    Just as Huo Shaoheng nced at them, General Ji called. He still had some work to report, so he inclined his chin at Fan Jian and said, ¡°You can drive the car behind here, and I will go with you. Nianzhi, you and Big Xiong take this one, and I will see you at the airport.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay! The Chief is considerate and understands the sentiments of the people. You are truly the blessing of my generation!¡± Yin Shixiong hurriedly bowed to Huo Shaoheng and then pulled Gu Nianzhi into the car.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng and nodded when she saw him wave to her casually. ¡°Then I will go with Brother Xiong.¡±

    She was going to spend two weeks with Huo Shaoheng this time anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter if they were apart for the short drive.

    With a smile, Gu Nianzhi sat in the front passenger seat of Yin Shixiong¡¯s car.

    After the car started, Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and asked Yin Shixiong, ¡°Brother Xiong, what¡¯s the matter with you? Why did you have to talk to me in such a hurry, and why can¡¯t you tell Huo Shao about it?¡±

    It appeared as though Yin Shixiong wanted to question her about something.

    After Yin Shixiong got in the car, the silly smile on his face faded.

    He drove the car intently and waited to get on the highway before asking Gu Nianzhi in a solemn voice, ¡°Bai Shuang... and Little Ze, what happened between them?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t Huo Shao tell you everything?¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be confused as she replied to him with a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense with me.¡± Yin Shixiong stretched out a hand and turned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face towards him. ¡°Tell me honestly, what happened over there?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow, saying, ¡°It¡¯s top secret. Noment.¡±

    ¡°Stop being so smug.¡± Yin Shixiong curled his lips in disdain. ¡°Little Ze and Bai Shuang¡¯s rtionship cannot be considered at all. If you don¡¯t tell me, I won¡¯t tell you about what happened after the Bai family picked up Bai Shuang¡¯s coffin.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s coffin had arrived at the Imperial Capital International Airport with the highest honor, but neither Gu Nianzhi nor Huo Shaoheng had gotten off the ne when it happened.

    The two of them discreetly left the airport after everyone was gone, then went to the militarypound for a meeting.

    Three or four hours had passed in the meantime, so Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t know what happened.

    She looked at Yin Shixiong suspiciously and asked, ¡°...What can happen? Wasn¡¯t it just a memorial service, then a funeral? Those kinds of things?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Yin Shixiong patted the steering wheel and nodded twice, saying, ¡°And then Little Ze also followed the Bai family back there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Brother Ze went to the Bai¡¯s house?! What... What... What did he do at the Bai¡¯s house?!¡±

    Could it be that he fell back in love with Bai Yueran when he saw her again?! Why did she think this would happen again?!

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched as she marveled at Zhao Liangze¡¯s ability to sway undecided.

    ¡°What did you think he was going to do?¡± Yin Shixiong gave her a funny look. ¡°Don¡¯t think so badly of our Little Ze. He is a little confused about his emotions, but who would immediately know who they truly love when they fall in love for the first time? Do you know who you really like? I didn¡¯t...¡±

    Suddenly feeling bad, Yin Shixiong coughed and swallowed the words he hadn¡¯t finished saying.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes menacingly and said, ¡°Brother Xiong, what do you mean by that? Be careful, or I¡¯ll tell Qiqi!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay! Forgive me, Princess Nianzhi!¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was driving, Yin Shixiong would have had to bow his head in apology. ¡°Huo Shao finally agreed to approve my marriage application once he returns from Moscow. If you stir something up, I won¡¯t be able to handle Qiqi, even if I can handle Huo Shao!¡±

    ¡°I will forgive you since you know enough to be afraid.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted Yin Shixiong on the shoulder very tolerantly and said, ¡°Go on. What did Brother Ze do at the Bai¡¯s house? I won¡¯t tell Qiqi if you tell me.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, who was very eloquent, found that he had been unwittingly defeated by Gu Nianzhi.

    Not only had he failed to find out what he wanted to know from her, but he also ended up revealing all the information he had as well.

    ¡°...You are ruthless.¡± Yin Shixiong snorted and said, ¡°Little Ze has really surprised me! He wore the family mourning shroud and thanked the funeral attendees as a family member when the Bai¡¯s held a funeral for Bai Shuang!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°!!!¡±

    ¡°You mean that Brother Ze presided over Bai Shuang¡¯s funeral as her family?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened with surprise as she asked, ¡°Who was he supposed to be to her?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong nced at her and wanted to pinch her huge eyes a little smaller. He sighed and said, ¡°He acted as Bai Shuang¡¯s fianc¨¦. He told the Bai family that he was engaged to Bai Shuang when they were abroad and nned to submit his marriage report when they returned. But Bai Shuang sacrificed herself before they returned to the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You know that Little Ze and Bai Yueran had just confirmed that they were dating right before he went abroad on his mission. How can hee back and suddenly be engaged to Bai Shuang again in a blink of an eye?!¡± Yin Shixiong kept clicking his tongue. ¡°What kind of spell was he under?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi murmured, ¡°Brother Ze not only went to Bai¡¯s house but also thanked the guests at the funeral as Bai Shuang¡¯s fianc¨¦? This, this...¡±

    ¡°You have nothing to say, right?¡± Yin Shixiong nodded his head solemnly. ¡°He ignored me when I grabbed him. Do you understand? Because he did such a thing, everyone in the Imperial capital will assume that they were actually married,¡± he said.

    Although there was no legally recognized rtionship, their factual rtionship as husband and wife was firmly established.

    By doing this, hepletely cut off any possibilities with Bai Yueran...

    Yin Shixiong sighed but didn¡¯t find a chance to say another word to Zhao Liangze.

    He originally thought about waiting for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s return since it would be toote to ask herter.

    However, Huo Shao had randomly booked a first-ss Aeroflot ticket to Moscow for Gu Nianzhi.

    Yin Shixiong had no other options, so he needed to forcibly borrow Gu Nianzhi during the drive to the airport.

    He knew that Huo Shaoheng understood what he wanted to ask her, so he wouldn¡¯t mind.

    Gu Nianzhi grew up with them, so Yin Shixiong knew that she was not someone who liked to keep things from other people.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t speak for a long time.

    After a while, she asked quietly, ¡°What about Director Bai? Bai Yueran ¨C how did she react?¡±

 Chapter 1219 - Supported By Peers

    <h4>Chapter 1219 Supported By Peers</h4>

    Yin Shixiong was silent for a while, then said, ¡°She seemed to recuse herself, so I didn¡¯t see her speak to Little Ze at all. But...¡±Yin Shixiong paused, then looked ahead ufortably, saying, ¡°When she thought no one was noticing, I saw her looking at Little Ze in a daze.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Since everyone was noticing, how did you notice her?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s focus was rather strange.

    Yin Shixiong was stumped by her and couldn¡¯t help but re. ¡°You¡¯re amazing! You even dare to tease Brother Xiong!¡±

    ¡°When did I ever dare to do that...?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and held her hands out, saying, ¡°Pure logical analysis, pure logical analysis. Brother Xiong shouldn¡¯t get angry.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled. ¡°Actually, our line of work requires us to look in all directions and listen to any sound. Others may think we haven¡¯t noticed anything, but we have already seen right through them, inside and out.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and said, ¡°But Brother Ze is not as smart as Brother Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Well, I admit that myputer skills are not as good as Little Ze. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so that¡¯s why they have their own duties and specialties,¡± Yin Shixiong said disapprovingly. ¡°I mean that while we are not all experts on everything, I¡¯m a little more skilled than Little Ze when ites to social rtions.¡±

    Therefore, out of all four of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretaries, Yin Shixiong was always the one tomunicate with others.

    Technical support was always left to Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned on the car window and said thoughtfully, ¡°Yes, you are good at social rtions, and Little Ze is good withputers. But I think Huo Shao is good at both things...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a given. How else would he be a major general, while I¡¯m just his personal secretary? Nianzhi ¨C I¡¯ll tell you that I rarely give anyone my full respect. But Huo Shao is the only person that I can fully give my respect to.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was not only loyal to Huo Shaoheng but also worshipped him.

    People like him believed most strongly in relying on speaking with strength.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as she calmly changed the topic to Huo Shaoheng. She was hoping that Yin Shixiong would stop asking about Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze.

    However, her strategy was soon discovered by Yin Shixiong.

    He red at her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything; now it¡¯s your turn to tell me. What happened between Bai Shuang and Little Ze? If the two are so in love and engaged, why would Bai Shuang... sacrifice herself??¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly thought about a way to answer Yin Shixiong¡¯s question without revealing confidential information.

    Although Yin Shixiong was also a member of the Special Operations Forces and a Deputy-Chief, he had not participated in this operation.

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea how much he was allowed to know or how much he should know.

    But just as Yin Shixiong said, she could still tell him a little bit about the rtionship between Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze.

    But this bit of information was closely rted to their operation.

    It was rare that Gu Nianzhi had a hard time thinking about something.

    She sighed and slowly enunciated her words as she said, ¡°...Actually, you can consider Brother Ze¡¯s actions as... Someone whose true love had suddenly passed away, so his actions are the result of a spontaneous reaction due to severe psychological trauma.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°...¡±

    He understood each individual word, be he didn¡¯t know what Gu Nianzhi was talking about when she strung them together.

    ¡°...Speak like a human.¡± Yin Shixiong stepped on the gas pedal expressionlessly.

    The car suddenly elerated with a roar, overtaking a few cars in the fastne.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed the lever over her head and said helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s true. Think about it yourself, if...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yin Shixiong cast a re at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t use Little Ze and Bai Shuang¡¯s situation on Qiqi and me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± Gu Nianzhi closed her palms and breathed a sigh of relief.

    She finally managed to fool him.

    Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t know if she would be leaking intelligence if Yin Shixiong questioned her any further.

    Fortunately, Yin Shixiong did not ask any more questions.

    He didn¡¯t actually want to know the details of their operation. He just wanted to learn more about Zhao Liangze¡¯s situation so he could help him.

    They had a strong rtionship as colleagues and brothers for so many years, so they had long be a family even though they weren¡¯t rted.

    Yin Shixiong felt terrible seeing Zhao Liangze lose his purpose in life.

    Yin Shixiong was even more sympathetic to Zhao Liangze since he had a happy rtionship and would soon have a happy marriage.

    Now that Yin Shixiong understood that it was indeed a rtionship problem from the little bit Gu Nianzhi revealed, he was relieved to learn that there was nothing else involved.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed that Yin Shixiong had stopped mentioning Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang, so she was also relieved and turned to the topic of Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi¡¯s marriage.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, when do you n to hold the wedding after your marriage report is approved?¡±

    Yin Shixiong turned the steering wheel to get on the highway to the airport and calmly replied, ¡°Actually, I wanted it to be as soon as possible. But now that something happened to Little Ze, I can¡¯t enjoy the happiness on my own. I n to wait a year, so the matter between Little Ze and Bai Shuang fades before we will discuss our marriage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in agreement. ¡°Brother Xiong, I¡¯m relieved you said that. Anyway, Qiqi is still young, and there is no hurry.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not in a hurry, but I¡¯m in a hurry!¡± Yin Shixiong red at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Who is closer to you, anyway? Why do I feel that you¡¯ve betrayed me for her?¡±

    ¡°But Qiqi is my good friend.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her palms. ¡°You are my brother. Friends are like siblings, and brothers are like clothes. Which one do you think is important?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t want to be clothes.¡± Yin Shixiong reached his hand out to ruffle her hair as he said, ¡°I will be your friend, a friend as close as a sibling.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and squinted her eyes. ¡°Friends are like siblings, and brothers are like brachial muscles. Are you happy with that?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, you are bing more and more amazing. I can¡¯t win against you anymore.¡± Yin Shixiong was happy, proud, and also felt a little warm from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. ¡°You must know that I am widely recognized as a glib tongue.¡±

    ¡°No, no.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be humble. ¡°I am just supported by my peers.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You gloat over a few words of praise, and that¡¯s not okay. We have to be humble. Do you understand that?¡± Yin Shixiongughed and teased her as he pulled into the airport parking lot.

    ...

    Inside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, he wore a Bluetooth headset while he drove to discuss business with General Ji.

    Huo Shaoheng had only given an official briefing at the meeting today, so there were many specific things that he certainly could not say during it.

    General Ji read the briefing and thought of the letter from Gu¡¯s family that she had read out loud. He couldn¡¯t help but feel more curious about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen.

    He called Huo Shaoheng and asked, ¡°Shaoheng, did you find the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused.

    He had stationed Zhao Liangze at the waters of Cape of Good Hope near Cape Town to search for information about flight MH210.

    However, Bai Shuang had perished while the whereabouts of the ne was still being investigated. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know how long it would take Zhao Liangze tomit to work again.

    He rubbed his eyebrows gingerly but calmly replied to General Ji, ¡°General Ji, we are still investigating. At present, many clues indicate that the situation is not optimistic.¡±

    Li Dexi was considered to be a master of intelligence agencies across Europe and America. Since he personally came forward to pursue items rted to the Gu family, that meant Gu Xiangwen had probably perished already.

 Chapter 1220 - You Are Not Telling the Truth Again

    <h4>Chapter 1220 You Are Not Telling the Truth Again</h4>

    ¡°The situation is not optimistic?¡± General Ji frowned. ¡°From your perspective, was it intentional or an ident?¡±Huo Shaoheng replied cautiously, ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell since this happened so many years ago. The whole world has searched for that ne for so many years, Gu Yanran is the only one who imed that she had seen the wreckage. Yet the father she ¡®rescued¡¯ was not Gu Xiangwen. So, we still need more clues to prove and recover the truth about the original ident.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡± General Ji slowly nodded. After a while, his expression rxed and he smiled to say, ¡°But Nianzhi¡¯ has made an even greater contribution this time. She even donated the Gu¡¯s family letter to the country. Are you nning to give her some credit?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°No, this time the credit is still given to Bai Shuang. She indeed deserves the greatest credit.¡±

    ¡°Either of them can request for credit.¡± General Ji thought about it for a while, ¡°I¡¯ll request credit for Nianzhi. She is not a member of your Special Operations Forces, but she has helped you a lot. It is not too much to request for a one time credit.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued to reply modestly, ¡°If General Ji must request for credit, then second-ss credit will do. First-ss credit is too shy, and we should keep it secret for now. She shouldn¡¯t get too much attention before our marriage is announced.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand that, I will have someone record it in her personnel profile.¡± General Jiughed and said, ¡°When you take her to Moscow this time, are you really going to end it?¡±

    ¡°...Of course, everything needs a beginning and an end.¡± Huo Shaoheng hooked curled his lips and gave a vague reply.

    General Ji understood him well, so he rubbed his head andughed, ¡°Alright, take her out for some rxation. There are many ces in Moscow that have beautiful scenery. It will be May 1st, so there will be a grand ceremony at the Red Square in Moscow. This is the first time in decades!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ...

    When they arrived at the airport parking lot, Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and saw that Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi were already waiting for them in front of the elevator in the parking lot.

    At this time of day, there were not many people at the airport. However the elevator was still in heavy use as it took passengers to their various destinations.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to Gu Nianzhi, then looked at her and Yin Shixiong, ¡°...Have you finished with your kind reminders?¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°...¡±

    He sensed an unidentifiable type of jealousy hurtling towards him.

    But Huo Shao obviously knew what he wanted to ask?!

    He trembled on his feet and still managed to reply with a smile, ¡°I was just a bit concerned about Little Ze¡¯s situation. Huo Shao, I think Little Ze needs to go see a psychologist.¡±

    ¡°Well, let him talk to Chen Lie.¡± Huo Shaoheng walked into the elevator without looking back. ¡°Give him a two week vacation.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Chief!¡± Yin Shixiong happily saluted.

    Before the elevator door closed, Huo Shaoheng continued to say, ¡°I will give you a task. When wee back, we want to see Little Ze who cheered up again.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°!!!¡±

    Damn it!

    He thanked him too early!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng boarded the ne early from the VIP lounge.

    Their tickets were first-ss seats, so of course they enjoyed the best treatment and service.

    Huo Shaoheng used a genuine ¡°fake passport¡±, and the photo on the passport was exactly the same as his current disguised appearance.

    Gu Nianzhi used her own passport.

    The two entered first ss cabin and sat down in their respective seats.

    Although Huo Shaoheng had just booked a ticket for Gu Nianzhi, he was easily able to pick a seat next to him because it was not the peak travel season. There were many empty seats in the first ss.

    Aeroflot¡¯s first-ss cabin was simr to the first-ss cabins of other airlines. They are both spacious and luxurious, and especially provided passengers withrge space, spaciousness andfort. The seat can be put down as a single bed for long-distance flights.

    Compared with the stiffness and difort in economy ss where a person¡¯s legs can only be curled up, first ss was really ¡°other people¡¯s airne.¡±

    But Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t give a big reaction. Although this first-ss cabin was good, it was still much worse than He Zhichu¡¯s private ne, and not even in the same ss.

    She calmly walked to her seat and waited for the ne to take off.

    Aeroflot flight attendants were all older, but there were also a few beautiful female flight attendants and handsome male flight attendants.

    Perhaps because Gu Nianzhi was a young woman, the one who came to serve her was a rtively young male flight attendant.

    ¡°Miss, would you like a drink? We have freshly squeezed wild berry juice that is rich in vitamin C and beautifies skin. It is especially suitable for drinking when traveling.¡±

    The blond male flight attendant spoke English with a Russian ent and was very courteous.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm and nced up at him.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded, ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±

    At Gu Nianzhi¡¯s encouragement, the male flight attendant brought her a ss of freshly squeezed wild berry juice.

    Gu Nianzhi took a sip and found it was delicious. The vor was tart and sweet, but there was no artificial voring. There was a little bit of bitterness within the sweetness, but it was surprisingly pleasant to drink. On the contrary, it neutralized the sourness and sweetness, leaving a delicious and endless aftertaste that lingered without making her feel thirsty.

    Just like a fine tea, she didn¡¯t feel parched after drinking it.

    When Gu Nianzhi drank other beverages such as c, she needed to drink a lot of water afterwards.

    The male flight attendant was even more happy to see that Gu Nianzhi liked it.

    After the ne took off and stabilized, he came to Gu Nianzhi and introduced several other vors of freshly squeezed wild berry juice.

    On Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side, a young and beautiful female flight attendant came over to talk to him from time to time. She asked him what he needed, then offered him a ss of beer and a nket. She was very attentive and thoughtful.

    When Gu Nianzhi saw it, she was slightly jealous. She turned her head to look over at the scenery outside the window.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed her little tantrum and reached out and shook her hand.

    When the male flight attendant came back next time, Huo Shaoheng replied calmly in Russian, ¡°Thank you for taking care of my fiancee.¡±

    The male flight attendant, ¡°...¡±

    He didn¡¯te over as much after that.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to tten the smile appearing on her face and said calmly, ¡°...You¡¯re not telling the truth again.¡±

    She actually meant that Huo Shaoheng was lying.

    ¡°Well, do you want me to tell the truth? I can dere right away... I...¡±

    Before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice could even form a word, Gu Nianzhi gagged his mouth with a small berry.

    ¡°Eat your fruit and stop talking nonsense.¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at him, remembering what Yin Shixiong had just said to her in the car. She whispered, ¡°Brother Xiong said that he would postpone his wedding because he wanted to wait for Brother Ze to recover before announcing it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Big Xiong¡¯s marriage report hasn¡¯t even been approved yet, he is overthinking too much.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head disapprovingly.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips, ¡°At least he is nning, there will be a grand wedding after the grand proposal ceremony. Brother Xiong will not let Qiqi down.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    They stopped talking, and looked at their own tablets to y games or research information.

    A few hours passed without any incident. The flight was very stable, unlike the typical flights piloted by a fighting nation.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up after a night of sleep, and was about to tease Huo Shaoheng when suddenly felt the ne shake rapidly.

    ¡°What is happening?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it should just be some turbulence.¡±

    Before long, the voice of the flight attendant broadcasted in the ne tofort and ask everyone not to panic. It was just some turbulence.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and said with a smile, ¡°This an airne that can take off andnd normally in windy and hazy weather, after all. It should be fine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and was about to speak. A female flight attendant stood nervously in front of the first ss cabin and said to the passengers in the cabin, ¡°Our captain has suddenly be very ill. Are there any passengers who can fly the ne?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Sheesh, she should be renamed Gu¡¤Cursed Tongue¡¤Nianzhi!

    She had just praised the pilots from fighting nations for their extraordinary piloting skills the words came back to p her in the face.

    There were only four or five passengers in the first ss, and everyone looked at each other.

    Huo Shaoheng said slowly, ¡°...You have no co-pilot or observers on your ne?¡±

    In addition to the captain and co-pilot, there is also an observer on board such arge international flight. The observer was a substitute for the co-pilot.

    However, observers generally do not have the qualifications to fly nes, so they only observed.

    But in special circumstances such as this situation, observers could also be used as co-pilots.

    The female flight attendant replied nervously, ¡°The observer passed out in shock.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Why would such a timid person learn to fly a ne?!

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes internally and wanted to push up the window cover to see the situation outside.

    She was sleeping just now, so she put down the window cover.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned when she pulled up the window cover.

    It was pitch ck outside, yet it didn¡¯t look ck. It was like a thick fog tumbling with teeth and ws as it surrounded the airne.

    It was a bit terrifying to see.

    What kind of turbulence was this?

    Huo Shaoheng looked down for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°I know how to fly a private jet. I haven¡¯t flown this kind ofrge airne before, but I can help.¡±

    He stood up, but picked up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm as well, ¡°She is my assistant, so I want to take her to the cockpit.¡±

 Chapter 1221 - The Flight Routine of a Fighting Nation

    <h4>Chapter 1221 The Flight Routine of a Fighting Nation</h4>

    In Europe and America, there were many people who could fly airnes. Generally, a typical middle-ss family could afford to attend pilot school and learn how to fly airnes.Even if someone didn¡¯t have money but had good potential, they could go take a loan and go to pilot school on a loan as long as they wanted to learn.

    As long as they graduated, earning money in the future would not be a problem.

    Of course, the proportion of wealthy people who can fly nes was even greater and many had their own pilot licenses.

    However, most people flew small private jets which were fundamentally different from suchrge passenger jets.

    The female flight attendant came to first ss to ask if there were any passengers who could pilot the airne, because this was a normal operation and response.

    Because most of the first-ss passengers were rich people, the proportion of people who could fly nes was also higher.

    Huo Shaoheng also picked up Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting next to him. He wanted to go to the cockpit together. The female flight attendant didn¡¯t think much about it, since she thought that Gu Nianzhi might also know how to fly a ne, or at least assisted the male passenger fly a ne in the past. Without saying anything else, she agreed and took them to the cockpit.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned by Huo Shaoheng as he dragged her over there. After a while, she whispered, ¡°What can I even do?!¡±

    ¡°You just sit next to me and not do anything.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly and looked around the cabin as he walked up.

    Because the ne was a closed space, ordinary criminals would not choose tomit crimes on the ne mid-flight unless they wanted to hijack it.

    Huo Shaoheng was just being habitually vignt, even in a closed space.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was a good idea to go see as well. She cheered up again when she realized that could go see Huo Shaoheng fly the ne. She raised her head high and walked into the cockpit with him.

    The cockpit was rtivelyrge and there was a simple camp bed in one corner. The person lying on it must be the captain who fainted.

    The person sitting in the captain¡¯s position now must be the co-pilot.

    The female flight attendant invited Huo Shaoheng over to serve as the co-pilot.

    Large passenger nes werepletely different from small private nes, so they cannot be piloted by one person.

    Huo Shaoheng unceremoniously sat down in the co-pilot seat and gave Gu Nianzhi one of the spare co-pilot sunsses. Then he put on the captain¡¯s flying sunsses, fastened his seat belt, put on headphones and looked at the dashboard.

    The pilot next to him hurriedly said, ¡°There are some problems here. One of the engines seems to be blocked and shut down. I am thinking about restarting.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and looked at the data on the dashboard.

    There were dense rows of flight instruments shing with various lights in front of them.

    The mode control panel was responsible for setting the route, altitude and speed, the main flight disy was responsible for disying flight data, the navigation disy was responsible for disying the navigation direction, and there was also the engine management system and the backup instrument panel.

    Standing behind Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi looked at the front row of dashboards that resembled science fiction movies. She then looked at the ck clouds rolling outside the front window and felt a sense of unreal absurdity.

    ¡°...Alex, what¡¯s the matter with those clouds?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help asking.

    Although Huo Shaoheng was wearing headphones, he still heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions.

    Without looking back, he said, ¡°Turbulence. All kinds of turbulence are possible in the air and such turbulence is likely to be thunder clouds.¡±

    As soon as his voice sounded, the thick ck cloud was suddenly torn apart by a lightning bolt that pierced the sky for as far as he could see!

    Then there was a shrill sound and the entire airne quaked uncontrobly.

    The ne had been struck by lightning!

    ¡°Holy Shit!¡± The co-pilot sitting in the captain¡¯s seat began to fume, ¡°How dare you strike my ne?! You son of bitch! I¡¯ll knock you out and show you who¡¯s the Daddy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not surprised at all. He turned around and quickly replied, ¡°Sit down and fasten your seat belt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly went back to the two stationary seats in the corner with the female flight attendant from earlier, and fastened the seat belt with a snap.

    The co-pilot took a wrench and struck the dashboard desperately as he screamed, ¡°I¡¯m your Daddy! I¡¯m your Daddy!¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched, as she was speechless and turned to look at the female flight attendant.

    The female flight attendant looked at her with a smile and said, ¡°He is always like this. He is very manly, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not answer, but thought to herself, your understanding of man ispletely different from mine...

    Gu Nianzhi retracted his gaze and suddenly felt a wave of inertia hit her as the ne suddenly elerated and sped forward!

    ¡°Hahahaha! I have repaired the engine!¡± The co-pilot nearly started to dance.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more speechless, so she covered forehead with her hand and started to feel a headache.

    How could there be a pilot like this?

    How could he m his wrench on the dashboard to restart the engine without any warning?

    Gu Nianzhi felt that she never wanted to take an Aeroflot flight again...

    ¡°Nianzhi, put on the sunsses.¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he steered his left hand with his powerful arm. He slowly lifted the several hundred ton airliner upwards.

    Ten meters, twenty meters, one hundred meters, two hundred meters, and when they reached 500 meters¨Ctheir eyes lit up. They finally escaped from the ck cloud!

    The sunlight spilled in from thousands of miles above. Thanks to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reminder, Gu Nianzhi had put on sunsses and was not blinded by the powerful sunlight.

    The female flight attendant next to her reacted a moment slower and only had time to close her eyes, but her eyes still throbbed instantly and tears escaped from her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi took out a pack of tissue and handed it to her.

    The flight attendant thanked her and wiped the tears from her face with a tissue.

    The ne emerged from the dark clouds. After calibrating its direction, it reset its flight mode to the intended destination.

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°You have really bad luck. How can you encounter high-altitude lightning at a time like this?¡±

    ¡°Haha, do you think it was a natural phenomenon?¡± The co-pilot sneered and turned his head to nce at Huo Shaoheng. He looked at him up and down, ¡°Your pilot quite well? Are you a fighter jet pilot?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Your movements are very steady, especially when pulling up. I have never seen civil aviation pilots with your movements and techniques at lift up, but I know that fighter pilots often practice this skill.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still yed dumb, ¡°Is it? It was an instinctive reaction at the moment, just coincidence.¡±

    ¡°You still won¡¯t admit?¡± The man raised an eyebrow, his facepletely covered by a beard. His eyebrows and hair were thick, so he was very hairy.

    He shook his fist at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I was a fighter pilot instructor!¡±

    They once heard that most Aeroflot pilots started out as fighter pilots, and now it seems that it was all true.

    Gu Nianzhi muttered internally as she watched Huo Shaoheng keep silent. She knew that he was trying to y stupid, so she interrupted him and said with a smile, ¡°Mister, you are very amazing. You restarted the engine with a wrench. Oh, what did you mean when you said that the ck cloud was not a natural phenomenon?¡±

    She had a sweet smile and a crisp voice, and the question she asked was what the co-pilot wanted to talk about. This seemed to divert his attention immediately.

    The man turned around and smiled at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Little girl, have you ever heard the concept of a ¡®weather warfare?¡¯¡±

    ¡°weather warfare?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°No, but it sounds like it¡¯s very advanced!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very advanced, it¡¯s sci-fi!¡± The co-pilotughed, But most of it is actually sci-fi¡ªSci-fi, so it¡¯s not yet realized.¡±

    Pftt¨C!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing, ¡°So what is weather warfare?¡±

    ¡°Weather warfare, in simple terms refers to man-made means to create natural disasters to achieve thebative goal of eliminating the enemy. This includes earthquakes, tsunamis, heavy rains, mountain torrents, heavy snow, and lightning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood and said, ¡°Oh, so artificial rainfall is almost the same thing. Tight?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Artificial rainfall was the primary method of weather warfare. Of course, artificial rainfall can also be a great benefit to help arid areas¨Cbut if you use artificial rainfall to causendslides or copsing soil when fighting an enemy, it is weather warfare.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that there were such things as weather warfare, but she didn¡¯t believe that the ck cloud just now was a weather weapon at all. She still apuded the co-pilot and said,¡±That¡¯s great! Mister, you¡¯re really amazing!¡±

    Complimented by a beautiful oriental girl, the hairy co-pilot¡¯s eyes squinted as he smiled and were so hidden in his thick eyshes and beard that they were barely visible.

    ¡°However, there must be an enemy if it is weather warfare. Do you have any idea who wanted to do such a thing to your aircraft?¡± Gu Nianzhi peppered him with questions.

    ¡°Who else?! There is only one country that targets our Great Russia!¡± The co-pilot gritted his teeth, ¡°It¡¯s that damned America!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked cautiously.

    ¡°No. But I just know it, it must be them.¡± The co-pilot replied confidently.

    ¡°There are only two countries in the world that have the ability to manipte weather weapons of this scale. One is our previous Soviet Union and the other is Great America. Even Russia in present times cannot do it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and wanted to say that her Huaxia Empire was also capable!

    But looking at Huo Shaoheng sitting next to her, she still didn¡¯t dare to run her mouth. She merely said, ¡°But I don¡¯t think the weather warfare just now was veryrge scale?¡±

    Because they were quickly able to escape from the dark clouds to leave behind the thunder clouds.

    ¡°Hmph, how can they have the technology to carry outrge-scale weather warfare now? Why not go straight to heaven?¡± The co-pilot sneered without noticing that he already revealed too much. ¡°The lightning cloud just now was thergest that America could create. They don¡¯t have the energy to create anything bigger than that..¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could tell something was amiss. She was silent for a while, then asked quietly, ¡°Sir, are you not a pilot? How do you know about the American aplishments and resources in the field of weather warfare? Are you just making things up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m making things up? Do I need to make things up?!¡± The man pped the dashboard in front of him making it shake so hard that the wrench jumped up and ttered to the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck back and muttered, ¡°I believe that you¡¯re not making things up, but you need to pilot the ne properly! What if you mess up your engine control program again by mming on it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally spoke then, and used Russian this time.

    ¡°How can it be messed up? Mr. dimir, the current second-inmand of the great KGB, is actually piloting the flight for us personally. It is an honor to be here.¡±

 Chapter 1222 - Be Good, Open Your Mouth

    <h4>1222 Be Good, Open Your Mouth</h4>

    In an instant, the captain who had ¡°fallen ill¡± and was lying on the single camp bed in the corner of the cockpit woke up. He sat up from the bed with a wide grin.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She didn¡¯t bring instant trantion software on her, so she didn¡¯t know what Huo Shaoheng was talking about. However when she looked at the situation in the cockpit, she roughly understood that they had been tricked intoing in.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little nervous.

    Huo Shaoheng unfastened his seat belt, stood up from the co-pilot seat and calmly said, ¡°Mr. dimir, you can speak with me whenever you want, have I ever said no? Why are you putting hundreds of lives at stake?¡±

    ¡°You are wrong.¡± The co-pilot named dimir, who is also the second-inmand of the KGB, stood up from the captain¡¯s seat.

    He replied in a solemn tone, ¡°I put the lives of innocent people at stake.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± dimir walked up to him and the captain who had just ¡°awakened,¡± returned to his original position as well.

    ¡°I followed you onto the ne, but we also did encounter American weather warfare earlier. ¨CThey wereing for you. If it weren¡¯t for me, we would have all died on this flight today.¡±

    dimir stood in front of Huo Shaoheng with his chin held high, but still a head shorter.

    However, his aura was very domineering despite his shorter height.

    Huo Shaoheng sped his hands and replied quietly, ¡°Really? Do you think I would believe you?¡±

    How can anyone with a working mouth not know how to lie?

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s your choice to believe me or not. But Li Dexi died in your hands and the CIA already knows, so this is their revenge. It¡¯s a pity that their spies in the Huaxia Empire had beenrgely taken out, otherwise you two would have been killed off in the Huaixa Empire before you could even board the ne.¡±

    dimir made a throat cutting gesture with his hands.

    Huo Shaoheng was finally slightly convinced.

    This man truly deserved to be the second-inmand of the KGB, he even knew about Li Dexi...

    Huo Shaoheng was not curious about how he knew, since dmir wouldn¡¯t tell the truth even if he asked.

    But he understood very well that this news would never be leaked by his own people.

    The only possible exnation was that Li Dexi left behind a contingency in Cape Town, so they were aware that Li Dexi was setting up a trap for Huo Shaoheng.

    However, they received news of Li Dexi¡¯s death and hence spected that got murdered instead of sessfully killing his own target.

    Of course, Li Dexi¡¯s colleagues and friends would never think that Li Dexi reaped what he sowed. Instead they would put all the me on Huo Shaoheng.

    They were hostile enemies anyway, so it made sense to hate Huo Shaoheng anyway.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows, ¡°Then their actions can be considered quite swift. They knew that we are on the ne and were also able tounch ¡®weather warfare¡¯ mid-flight to murder us without leaving a trace.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought that it didn¡¯t sound right as soon as he finished speaking.

    If he was the only one on the flight, then it made sense for the enemy to do such a thing.

    But the key point was that Huo Shaoheng brought Gu Nianzhi along with him.

    Li Dexi¡¯s group was so confident that they would capture Gu Nianzhi that Li Dexi forbade his men from Gu Nianzhi even during the extremely critical and dangerous moment in the bank basement in Cape Town.

    Why did they want to take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life now?

    Didn¡¯t they know that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng boarded the flight together?

    That was even more impossible.

    Huo Shaoheng got on the ne with a disguised face, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t disguise herself and appeared just as she was.

    So the CIA knew that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had boarded the ne and tried to kill all the passengers with ¡°weather warfare¡±?

    It made no sense at all.

    If this is the case, then Li Dexi died for nothing back there...

    In a brief second, Huo Shaoheng had already analyzed the entire situation and even noted some contradictions.

    dimir smiled and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s natural. Li Dexi was the most powerful spy that the CIA nted in Europe. He was known as the ¡°underground Tsar¡± of Europe, and was a mortal enemy to the KGB. I hated that strange and disturbing old man and had always prayed for his death. I only wished that he was sent to his God even sooner!¡±

    As he spoke, he patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder vigorously, ¡°Thank you for helping us get rid of him!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, a little confused about the change in situation.

    But she was finally relieved. It seemed that these people were not hostile towards them. What happened today was an ident within the inevitable.

    She sighed quietly, tugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m hungry and sleepy...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook her hand and smiled at dimir, ¡°Well, are you just going to express it verbally if you really want to thank me? ¡±

    ¡°Huh? Are you asking for bribes?¡± dimir deliberately dug at his ears to indicate that he hadn¡¯t heard clearly. ¡°Say that again? What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want to...¡± Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Hurry up to serve us dinner now, mypanion is about to copse from hunger.. When we get to Moscow, we can take out time talking about some other benefits.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡± dimirughed with hands on his waist, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! But I will make sure to give you all the food you want.¡±

    He beckoned at the female flight attendant and said kindly, ¡°You can serve them dinner. Today¡¯s incident has ended, so you can tell the passengers everything is ok and ask them not to be afraid.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mr. dimir.¡± The female flight attendant replied very sweetly, turning around and taking Gu Nianzhi away from the cockpit.

    Back in her first-ss seat, Gu Nianzhi felt like everything had been a dream.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over and whispered in her ear, ¡°...Forget everything just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in embarrassment. She was an academic genius who instantly memorized everything she saw. It was not difficult for her to remember something, but it was too difficult for her to forget things. She cautiously replied, ¡°...I will try my best. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair and smiled, ¡°I was joking, you don¡¯t be too nervous. Everything is okay.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over and hugged her, ¡°Eat well, then get sleep. We will arrive tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were immediately fascinated by the food served on Aeroflot. ¡°What kind of good food do they have?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough.¡±

    Soon afterwards, the female flight attendant pushed a dining car for the two of them and put the exquisite food on the small table in front of them.

    The first course was a small te of pre-dinner dim sum¨Can exquisite steamed shrimp dumpling and a small fried chicken wonton dipped in egg powder.

    Gu Nianzhi was hungry, and ate these two small and exquisite snacks in two quick bites. Then she watched the female flight attendant continue to serve her food.

    Next came the cold dishes¨Ctender smoked salmon, two boiled prawns dipped in caviar paired with two slices of pickled duck breast, a piece of lotus root with osmanthus and glutinous rice, as well as a small bowl of vermicelli, lettuce and sweet bell pepper.

    Gu Nianzhiughed, thinking that the fighting nation had finally changed its typically brash nature and turned out to be so generous...

    She picked up the knife and fork, and began to enjoy the delicious boiled shrimp dipped in caviar, served with pickled duck breast. It was especially delicious.

    The lotus root with osmanthus and glutinous rice wasckluster inparison, but perhaps it was because this was an airne meal. It was not as delicious as ones served at restaurants, but it was not bad.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t like salmon, so she put it all onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s te.

    Huo Shaoheng doesn¡¯t care and epted it all.

    After eating the cold dishes, the flight attendant served them arge te of grilled chicken breast mixed with lettuce sd, along the shredded carrot that Gu Nianzhi hated.

    She subconsciously wanted to pick out the shredded carrot and give them to Huo Shaoheng, but his gaze swept over her and she forcibly swallowed the carrot with silent tears.

    After eating thisrge te of grilled chicken breast, lettuce and shredded carrot sd, Gu Nianzhi was already full and couldn eat anymore. However, the flight attendant gave her a bowl of corn and seafood chowder.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    After a slight sniff, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help drinking another half bowl of the corn soup that had the sweetness of a natural milkshake.

    Huo Shaoheng silently poured her remaining half bowl of corn seafood soup into his own bowl.

    This tiny bit of food was not enough for his appetite,

    Gu Nianzhi wasid limp in her seat and was about to say that she was going to sleep. The female flight attendant then put another te in front of her like she was performing a magic trick and said with a smile: ¡°This is the main course, please take your time enjoying it. After you finish it, I will serve you dessert.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Damn it!

    She ate so much before, but they were all snacks?!

    She looked down at the so-called main food. It didn¡¯t look like a big portion, but there were many kinds of dishes.

    There was a small bowl of egg fried rice with grilled swordfish slices. The vegetable dish was eggnt with colorful peppers, and served with a slightly sweet and sour sauce. It tasted a bit like Chinese spicy eggnt.

    Gu Nianzhi liked the Russian version of spicy eggnt very much and couldn¡¯t help but eat all the eggnt before giving the rest to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, ¡°You didn¡¯t eat the rice.¡±

    She only ate all the side dishes.

    ¡°I am saving my stomach for dessert.¡± Gu Nianzhi took a sip of the juice and beckoned at the female flight attendant for dessert.

    The flight attendant smiled and put a ss of mango, vani and raisin ice cream in front of her, then carefully poured wildberry jam over it, ¡°Today¡¯s dinner has been served, please enjoy.¡±

    At the end, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t finish the cup of ice cream.

    She almost fell asleep on the dining table halfway through eating dessert.

    Huo Shaoheng put her dining tray away, put down her seat and let her lie down to sleepfortably.

    Turning on hisputer, he started sorting out today¡¯s situation.

    He worked all night and only took a short nap as the flight was approaching Moscow.

    Gu Nianzhi had slept the entire way and only woke up when they were about to reach Moscow. She was in a very good spirit.

    ¡°Alex, wake up. We are almost there.¡± Gu Nianzhi nudged Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You have to get up and fasten your seat belt.¡±

    Passengers must wear seat belts when the ne is taking off ornding.

    Huo Shaoheng sat up with his eyes closed. As soon as he buckled his seat belt, he felt the ne suddenly descend.

    The speed of descent was so fast that he almost felt weightless.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears buzzed and the pain was so intense she couldn¡¯t even speak.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed her difort, so pulled her into his arms and reached. out his hand to pinch her jaw. He coaxed her in a quiet voice, ¡°...Be good, open your mouth. Yes, open your mouth to breathe.¡±

    This way, the air pressure inside and outside her ears was bnced and reduced the pain in her ears.

 Chapter 1223 - Add a Friend

    <h4>1223 Add a Friend</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng with tearful eyes. She thought that this was indeed a flight piloted by the fighting nation¨Cit was far more nerve wracking than the other aircraft she had been on!

    The takeoff andnding were so ¡°exciting!¡±

    It felt like someone was drilling a hole with an electric drill in her ears and the pain made her unable to think.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was actually very loud, but it sounded like it wasing from a distant ce in her ears and only left a little bit of empty reverberation.

    Her mind was upied by the sound of the rumbling airne engines.

    Huo Shaoheng put Gu Nianzhi¡¯s upper body in his arms and stroked her back until the nended fiercely with a bang, then slid quickly on the airport runway before finally releasing her.

    Gu Nianzhi was so ufortable that her face waspletely devoid of color.

    After the airne stopped, the two of them sat for a while before unbuckling their seat belts and standing up.

    They dragged their suitcases out of the ne. When they were about to go to the customs, the co-pilot who was actually second-inmand the KGB named dimir, came up to them.

    ¡°Major General Huo, we have an important person who wants to see you. Pleasee with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was aware that these people already knew his identity, so he did not refuse the offer. He took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Okay, she wille with me, is that ok with you?¡±

    ¡°But he didn¡¯t ask to see her.¡± dimir gently exined, ¡°She can wait outside the door when you meet him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was subtle, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows,and instantly understood that Li Dexi had kept the news of Gu Nianzhi even until his death. It appeared that his surviving personnel didn¡¯t seem to know about Gu Nianzhi.

    So these KGB agents obviously didn¡¯t know the importance of Gu Nianzhi to Li Dexi..

    Of course, this is fine too. That meant he didn¡¯t need to waste his time dealing with the KGB.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and gave a mild reply, ¡°That¡¯s ok. She has no sense of direction, so now I don¡¯t worry about going to the barracks alone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°???¡±

    Who has no sense of direction? Who has no sense of direction? Who has no sense of direction?

    Does he want to go outside andpare their sense of direction?

    However, she also knew she had to cooperate with Huo Shaoheng at this time. Her expression was appropriately nk and confused.

    dimir, ¡°...¡±

    He just saw a shrewd look on this little girl¡¯s face, how could she instantly put on an ¡°idiotic¡± smile?

    He didn¡¯t understand these Huaxia people either.

    dimir smiled happily, ¡°Pleasee with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi boarded an extremely inconspicuous car sent by the KGB and drove towards the city.

    Gu Nianzhi was visiting Moscow for the first time.

    On the entire way, she tilted his head to look at the scenery outside the car.

    Moscow has been the capital of Russia since the time of Tsarist Russia. It had a history of over 800 years and was a famous historical city on the Blue.

    After leaving the airport, there wererge swathes of birch forests. The sky soared with white clouds floating in the distance, the forests stretched out for as far as the eye could see. The colors ovepped from far to near and resembled like an oil painting.

    The quiet Moscow River ran through the entire city and apanied them all the way.

    In the urban area, there are more buildings with bright colors and ethnic characteristics, but there were also very modern skyscrapers.

    The entire city of Moscow seemed to be torn in two¨Chalf was still immersed in the glory of the past, while the other half wanted to abandon the past and diligently work towards the future. Yet there was a feeling of regret as it constantly looked back at the glory of the past.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed continuously, so she simply took out her mobile phone and kept taking pictures of the scenery outside.

    It wasn¡¯t until the Kremlin and Red Square suddenly appeared on her camera when Gu Nianzhi eximed, ¡°That¡¯s the famous Red Square!¡±

    Since she was raised by Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi was intimately familiar with the history of World War II.

    The Soviet strongman Stalin once held a grand military parade here. After the parade ended, the group of strong young men in their prime years who had never been to the battlefield or even received much military training, sang songs as they rushed from the Red Square to the battlefield.

    The former Soviet Union made great sacrifices and contributions for the victory of World War II.

    Gu Nianzhi snickered and said, ¡°The defense of Stalingrad was the real major turning point in the European battlefront! The former Soviet Union suffered more than one million casualties, but unfortunately Europe and the United States do not consider that the defense of Stalingrad was a major turning point in the European battlefront. Instead, they im that ¡®the great escape,¡¯ ¨CBattle of Dunkirk was the turning point in the European battlefront... That¡¯s the biggest joke in the world!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words sessfully echoed dimir¡¯s sentiments about amon enemy.

    He was talking to Huo Shaoheng in a low voice, but was immediately angered when he heard Gu Nianzhi mentioning this, ¡°These little brats! They treat us like we are dead!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips: ¡°...The former Soviet Union had already died.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied in a solemn voice, ¡°When your country disappears, your history will be tampered with without hesitation. Mr. dimir, I am very sorry for what happened to your people.¡±

    Their merits were obliterated, the truth was buried, they were forced to take the me for everything, but none of their achievements were ever mentioned.

    This was the rtive.

    While their own citizen wept, other nations were already rejoicing.

    What is so terrifying about death, when it merely means returning one¡¯s body to the mountains. (Quoted from Tao Yuanming¡¯s ¡°Elegy¡±)

    dimir had a very good impression of Huo Shaoheng to begin with, but he felt even more in tune with him now as he listened to him say this. N

    He tapped one hand on his knee and hummed a very beautiful melody.

    ¡°Stillness in the grove

    Not a rustling sound

    Softly shines the moon clear and bright

    Dear, if you could know

    How I treasure so

    This most beautiful Moscow Night

    Lazily the brook like a silvery stream

    Ripples in the light of the moon

    And a song afar fades as in a dream

    In this night that will end too soon

    Yes a song afar fades as in a dream

    In this night that will end too soon

    Dearest, why so sad, why the downcast eyes

    And your lovely head bent so low

    Oh, I mustn¡¯t speak, though I¡¯d love to say

    That you¡¯ve stolen my heart away

    Promise me my love, as the dawn appears

    And the darkness turns into light

    That you¡¯ll cherish dear, through the passing years

    This most beautiful Moscow Night

    Say you¡¯ll cherish dear through the passing years

    This most beautiful Moscow Night¡±

    ¡°I can sing this song too!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and hummed along to dimir.

    The two voices harmonized perfectly, so even the driver couldn¡¯t help but join at the chorus.

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seeded in adding excitement to the atmosphere and instantly got closer to dmir. She also exchanged social media ounts with the driver and dimir.

    She casually mentioned, ¡°It¡¯d be nice if you have Awepay, I use that app more.¡±

    The other men replied immediately, ¡°Then add me as a friend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked to learn that they actually used Awepay.

    The three of them took out their phones and scanned the QR codes to add each other as friends. Gu Nianzhi immediately sent an emoji and added a red envelope.

    ¡°Hahahaha, I got a red envelope! I got a red envelope!¡± dimir happily looked at the red envelope worth ¡°6.66¡± and smiled.

    ¡°What about me? How about me?¡± The middle-aged driver turned around and asked Gu Nianzhi anxiously, ¡°How much will my red envelopes be?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but say to the driver who kept turning around to look at them, ¡°...Please stay focussed on the road. The red envelope is valid for 24 hours, you don¡¯t need to open it immediately.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    When they got out of the car in front of the Kremlin, the KGB driver and dimir, the second-inmand of the KGB regretted not meeting Gu Nianzhi earlier so that they could swear her as a sister from different parents.

    The three ¡°brothers and sisters¡± smiled as they stood on the Red Square with their backs to the magnificent and colorful Kremlin to take a group photo.

    Among the two sturdy ¡°human bears,¡± stood a fairy-like, beautiful girl. They posed together with victory signs and yelled, ¡°Cheers.¡± This was a perfect interpretation of ¡°Beauty and the Beast¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and mindlessly took photos of the three of them. He felt both sadness, as well as indescribable pride in his heart.

    His field staff had spent so long in Moscow, but they were unable to find the online social ounts of dimir, the second-inmand of the KGB. Yet it was so easily obtained by Gu Nianzhi...

 Chapter 1224 - Impressive Circle of Friends

    <h4>Chapter 1224 Impressive Circle of Friends</h4>

    The three of them happily took several photos, then huddled together to choose the best one and even asked Huo Shaoheng to send it to their phones using Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.¡°Cereus, it¡¯s so nice to meet you. How many days are you staying in Moscow for? I can take you out when I have time.¡± The middle-aged driver enthusiastically suggested as he opened his red envelope and found ¡°8.88 RMB.¡± It was more than two yuan more than dimir¡¯s red envelope, so his mood instantly improved.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng and said with a smile, ¡°I will be busy, since I need to apany the Chief.¡±

    She blinked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Oh! Understood! Understood!¡± The middle-aged driver nodded repeatedly, ¡°Then I won¡¯t get in your way. Anyway, you have my phone number, and QQ Pay and social media ounts. Send me a message if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s connect online if you ever need anything.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved to him, ¡°I just added you on WeChat, hurry up and ept it! I will read your posts and like them!¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi added the two mobile numbers to her phone just now, she realized that they both had WeChat and immediately added them as friends.

    Adding a WeChat ID was much easier than adding a QQ Pay ount. She could add it as long as she had the phone number.

    Of course, most requests still required the person¡¯s eptance.

    The middle-aged driver quickly epted her request and their rtionship became even closer.

    dimir, the second inmand of the KGB overheard this and quietly looked at his phone. He saw that Gu Nianzhi had also sent him a friend request on WeChat, so heughed and tapped ¡°ept.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced quietly at dimir¡¯s WeChat ount, but the other man immediately noticed, turned over his phone and put it back in his pocket. He smiled and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Cereus and I can be friends, but you can¡¯t add me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    After taking the photo and liking it on the app, the middle-aged driver gestured for them to get into the car and continue to drive.

    The car drove in between the fortified red wall and the pointed tower, then stopped directly in front of a small, inconspicuous door beside the main entrance of the Kremlin.

    dimir got out of the car first. He opened the door for Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, the smile wiped from his face as he said solemnly, ¡°Our President is waiting for your arrival.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng knew the car was heading in the direction of the Kremlin, he was already mentally prepared for this.

    The Kremlin was the office building of the President of Russia.

    If someone wanted to see him and was referred to as an ¡°important person¡± by dimir, the second-inmander of the KGB, then Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t think of anyone else besides the President.

    But he was still slightly shocked when dimir personally confirmed his guess.

    Of course, he was always calm on the surface and even his gaze was controlled so properly that no one could notice any turbulence in his mood.

    Although dimir appeared carefree, he was very detail oriented despite his rough hewn looks. He was ustomed to using this look to confuse others into letting down their guard.

    After all, he was the second inmand of the KGB. It would be impossible for him to climb to this position without a clever mind.

    He was even more impressed that Huo Shaoheng remained so calm despite his rtively young age. He waved him forward, ¡°Pleasee this way.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and followed him through the small door.

    Gu Nianzhi followed closely behind Huo Shaoheng.

    As soon as they entered the small door, there was a small winding path paved with colorful stones.

    Both sides of the trail were filled with beautifully shaped and colorful flower beds.

    They were in the most beautiful season of the year in Moscow, so the flowers bloomed and bees surrounded the butterflies.

    Gu Nianzhi kept her head down, so her eyes were involuntarily attracted by the colorful stone patterns on the winding path.

    However, she only looked at the pattern for a while before feeling dizzy and quickly looking away.

    Huo Shaoheng kept his eyes straight ahead as he followed dimir into the presidential office building.

    Guards with loaded guns waited at the door.

    As soon as dimir walked over, these guards immediately raised their right arms to salute him with their feet snapped together and loudly said, ¡°§³§Þ§Ú§â§ß§à! §ã§Ñ§Ý§ð§ä!¡± (Stand at attention! Salute!)

    dimir nodded and led Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi through the door of the office building.

    Security within the presidential office building was even tighter.

    After Gu Nianzhi entered the building, she was taken by a Russian female soldier and sat on a couch in the reception area.

    dimir was calling the secretary of the president to arrange for Huo Shaoheng to go in to see the president.

    The hall waspletely silent. dimir went to a small room on the side of the hall and closed the door before making the phone call.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to look around too much and was contemting whether or not she should take out the phone and y some games, when she heard a woman¡¯s melodicughter suddenlye down the stairs to the second floor.

    Some people spoke Russian very quickly, the sounds reminiscent of frying beans.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand Russian, but she was entranced by the woman¡¯s voice.

    The voice was approaching closer and closer and seemed to have alreadye down from the upper floor. Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of the Russian female soldier staring at the stairs, so she hurriedly turned her head and looked over as well.

    She saw a plump, short Russian young womaning down from the second floor.

    She had an alluring gait as she walked, so it was obvious she trained professionally as a dancer. Her neck was raised up forty-five degrees and it seemed that she never forgot to pose even when she went down the stairs.

    She turned a corner and stopped to say a word upstairs before a man replied from upstairs.

    The woman immediately waved her hand and let out a peal ofughter that sounded like silver bells, before turning around.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the front of her face. It was indeed very beautiful¨Ca very morous face belonging to a typical vic beauty. She hadrge and deep set eyes, a tall nose, a slightly big mouth, but with very full lips that were painted orange red. Her lipstick perfectly matched with her leopard-print bodysuit.

    She was just like an enchanting leoparddy.

    Although she was not very tall, she had good proportions and her legs are rtively long, though a little stout. She had obviously been training.

    The woman walked out of the presidential office building like a gust of wind.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t retract before she heard someone speaking by the stairs. The voice belonged to the man who had just spoken to the leoparddy just now, but this time he did not speak Russian. Instead, he spoke English with a Russian ent.

    ¡°Are you Major General Huo from the Huaxia Empire? Hello, I am Pushin.¡± The man offered his hand to Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi trembled when she heard this.

    So this man was the President of Russia?!

    The leoparddy just now...

    She may have witnessed an incredible secret!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned her head away and nervously looked at the coffee table in front of her.

    After a while, she could no longer hear the voices once Huo Shaoheng and the others went upstairs. Gu Nianzhi quietly looked at the Russian female soldier who apanied her and quietly asked in English, ¡°Do you speak English?¡±

    As a person who would die if she doesn¡¯t gossip, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but try to get some information...

    The female soldier withdrew her envious eyes from the back of the leoparddy who had just left through the door.

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She smiled and nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up straight and waved to the female soldier, ¡°Come sit down and talk to me. By the way, do you use QQ Waller? What¡¯s your ount number? I¡¯ll send you a red envelope to thank you for your hard work today. ¡±

    ¡°Red envelope?!¡± The female soldier¡¯s eyes lit up and quickly took out her phone, ¡°I have a QQ Waller ount! I just started using it, so I don¡¯t know how to use many functions at all. But I know how to use red envelopes!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly as she tapped her finger and quickly scanned friends codes with the female soldier to add her as a friend. Then she offered a red envelope and sent a ¡°66.66RMB.¡±

    The Russian female soldier grinned widely when she saw such arge red envelope and she said, ¡°Oh! I have only gotten a few kopeyki when I tried opening red envelopes before! I have never received such a big red envelope!¡±

    One RMB exchanged for 8.6 rubles, so Gu Nianzhi sent her a red envelope of 66.66 RMB which was worth over five hundred rubles. This was a small, random fortune.

    She couldn¡¯t help being more affectionate towards Gu Nianzhi.

    After the two got acquainted, Gu Nianzhi asked quietly, ¡°Who was that girl just now? She is so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know about her?¡± The Russian female soldier also appeared like she was eager to share gossip with others. She did not dare to tell these things to her family or her colleagues in the army, but Gu Nianzhi was a foreign tourist, so it should be fine to tell her.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and asked with great interest, ¡°I think she came from upstairs. Is she a staff member of your president?¡±

    ¡°Yeah right! She¡¯s not!¡± The Russian female soldier lowered her voice and leaned into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, ¡°She is a world-famous gymnastics champion! But is now our president¡¯s girlfriend...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your president have a wife?!¡±

    ¡°They divorced a long time ago.¡± The Russian female soldier quickly put her finger to her lips, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone... They have a son together, but have not announced it to the public yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped wildly.

    She nodded stiffly, ¡°Well, I will definitely not tell anyone.¡±

    ...

    In the office of the Russian president, Huo Shaoheng was standing at attention and saluting the extremely powerful looking Russian president.

    Russian President Pushin was only 1.7 meters tall, but his aura made him appear 2.8 meters tall. This was one meter taller than the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir.

    Pushin did not appear any weaker when standing in front of the 1.8 meter tall Huo Shaoheng.

    Folding his hands behind his back, he looked at Huo Shaoheng and said with a smile, ¡°I was your age when I first stepped into politics.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately lowered his head and replied, ¡°Mr. President is too kind, I am just an insignificant soldier and not worthy of beingpared with the President.¡±

    ¡°You are humble.¡± Pushin smiled and invited him to sit down. ¡°I heard that you came over a week ago. I wanted to see you, but I didn¡¯t expect you to leave again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, his eyes quickly flickering over dimir¡¯s face as he stood behind Pushin.

    When the hairy dimir remained silent, his entire face was buried within his beard and his expression was not visible at all.

    Upon seeing this situation, dimir gave him an excuse, ¡°Our president heard that you killed Li Dexi and asked to meet you specially.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and replied nomittally, ¡°I really wasn¡¯t the one to kill Li Dexi. I cannot take this credit with good conscience.¡±

    He did not do it himself, since Bai Shuang killed him first.

    ¡°Oh? Who would be powerful enough to kill Li Dexi?¡± The Russian president started his career with the KGB and still attached great importance to the intelligence from various countries.

    ¡°It was a woman, but both Li Dexi and she perished together.¡± Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a while before revealing a little bit about Bai Shuang. Of course, he didn¡¯t mention Bai Shuang¡¯s name, but just spoke about her contribution to the country.

    ¡°Oh? What a pity, what a pity.¡± Pushin and dimir shook their heads together to express regret.

    After asking about this, Pushin expressed that he was ready for Huo Shaoheng to leave. He stood up and said, ¡°The day after tomorrow is the opening ceremony of the Annual Warrior Competition, we will meet again at that time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just here for the opening ceremony.¡±

    ...

    After meeting the Russian president, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were taken by dimir to a four-star hotel next to the military camp where their delegation was located.

    Now that the Huaxia Imperial Special Forces Delegation had its own official instructors, it is no longer appropriate for Huo Shaoheng, to live and enter the military camp when he was just an instructor in name.

    Besides, he wanted to spend more time with Gu Nianzhi and agreed to stay in the hotel.

    The delegation booked two rooms for them.

    Huo Shaoheng got a suite, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was a bit smaller.

    She has nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng anymore, so she couldn¡¯t openly stay in the same room as him.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care at all and happily put down her luggage. After sending dimir away, she came to talk to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was inspecting the suite to see if there was anything like pinhole cameras or secret recording equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and sat on the sofa with a big smile, ¡°Huo Shao,e and see my circle of friends! It¡¯s so impressive!¡±

    She was friends with all three¨Cthe Special Operations Forces , the KGB, and the Gestapo!

 Chapter 1225 - I Have the Privacy!

    <h4>Chapter 1225 I Have the Privacy!</h4>

    She was friends with all three¨Cthe Special Operations Forces , the KGB, and the Gestapo! It¡¯s a pity that there are no people from the CIA in mywork. ¡± Gu Nianzhi was happy, but also a little regretful.Huo Shaoheng snorted coldly. ¡°What about Mossad? Do you want to be a friend with them? I have their contact information. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She ran over and sped her hands together. She ced them under her chin and looked at Huo Shaoheng with longing.

    Herrge eyes, which had the effect of a pair of contact lenses, fluttered continuously. Her long eyshes fluttered like two rows of small fans, making Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth dry.

    He turned around and gulped. He took a bottle of ice mineral water from the fridge and drank it. He said inly, ¡°Stop that now. I am just joking. Don¡¯t take it seriously. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡± ... You¡¯re all elites. I can¡¯t afford to offend them. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked around the house again and said, ¡°I¡¯ve checked everything here. There¡¯s nothing wrong, but I¡¯m still worried. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°Since you have checked everything, why are you still worried? ¡±

    ¡°This House is so big that not easy to search. Even though I¡¯ve search it once, I still feel that I¡¯ve missed something. ¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he put the mineral water back into the fridge. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back to your room. It¡¯s gettingte. Rest early. ¡±

    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t suspect him and followed the serious-looking Huo Shaoheng to her room.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was a very ordinary room with a big bed, meaning that there was only one bed.

    The room wasn¡¯t big with a sofa group inside. Behind the sofa, there was a russian-style screen.

    Behind the screen was the big bed.

    On the other side of the big bed was a bright French window, and outside the French window was a small balcony.

    There were two rattan chairs on the balcony. If it wasn¡¯t cold at night, they could sit on the Rattan chairs and look at the stars.

    Gu Nianzhi had only brought her suitcase in, and hadn¡¯t packed it yet.

    As soon as the two of them entered the room, Huo Shaoheng turned off the lights.

    Thick Golden Velvet curtains hung in front of the French window, blocking out the light and making no noise.

    Once the lights were turned off, the room immediately plunged into darkness.

    Huo Shaoheng held a device that specialized in night-time infrared equipment and carefully surveyed the room.

    Perhaps it was because Gu Nianzhi was a in small potato in those people¡¯s eyes, or because she and the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, had hit it off at first sight and had be good friends over a long period of time, Huo Shaoheng actually did not find any recording or eavesdropping equipment in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hotel room.

    He had found two pinhole cameras and a mini tape recorder in his room, both remotely controlled by the Inte.

    Huo Shaoheng had deliberately said that he didn¡¯t found anything in his room.

    He was certain that someone was monitoring his room remotely from the other side.

    His words could drop their guard.

    Otherwise, they would find another way to install new recording devices for him. It would be impossible to guard against.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the wall by the door with her phone in her hand. As she looked at her moments, she asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Have you found it? Can I turn on the lights now? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng used the device to check every corner of the room, then the bathroom, the ceiling, and even the safe.

    There was no camera device or recording device indeed.

    Huo Shaoheng took the device back and put it in his pocket.

    He looked up and saw Gu nianzhi leaning against the wall with her phone in her hand. The phone screen was glowing faintly, making her face shine in the dark. It was even brighter than the phone screen.

    Huo Shaoheng gulped again and walked over to take the phone away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. He took the opportunity to put one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her head. He let her raise her head and leaned over to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi hummed. She wanted to push Huo Shaoheng away.

    However, when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s warm lips touched hers, she instantly give up rejecting him. She was only willing to hug him and cling to him.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi did not know when Huo Shaoheng had left at night.

    She was so tired that she fell asleep immediately. It was Huo Shaoheng that fetched water and wiped her body.

    She had woken up once in the middle of the night, but there was no one around her.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng had probably left, but she didn¡¯t mind and turned over to go back to sleep.

    So when she was wide awake the next day and saw Huo Shaoheng sitting by the bed looking at her phone, she thought she was dreaming.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes, sat up and yawned. ¡°where exactly did you sleep yesterday? ¡±

    ¡°My room, of course. Or should I sleep in your room? ¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he turned around and handed her the phone. ¡°Your two new friends enjoy sharing on moments indeed. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snatched the phone away and pouted. ¡°How did you turn on my phone? ¡±

    She had already secretly deleted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingerprints...

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and tapped her left thumb. ¡°I used your thumb¡¯s fingerprints to turn on the phone while you were sleeping. ¡±

    Oops. Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Okay, that¡¯s fine.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was still unhappy. ¡°Don¡¯t peep through my phone unscrupulously. I HAVE MY PRIVACY TOO! ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled without any words.

    Gu Nianzhi felt short of breath just by looking at him.

    That¡¯s right, talking about privacy in front of Huo Shaoheng?

    This was the new era of ¡°Showing off in front of an expert¡±, wasn¡¯t it?

    Or should it be called ¡± Talking about privacy in front of Huo Shaoheng¡±...

    Gu Nianzhi braced herself and said, ¡°even if you have the authority, you can¡¯t use it recklessly. Besides, if you look at my phone, can I look at your phone as well? If not, you... ¡±

    She had originally thought that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone wouldn¡¯t be easily seen by anyone, including her.

    In her mind, Huo Shaoheng had too many secrets, and his phone was probably the only thing that could rival the high-endputer in the special operations forces¡¯ central control room. He would never show it to anyone.

    However, before she could finish her sentence, Huo Shaoheng had already said ¡°okay. ¡± He took out his phone and gave it to Gu Nianzhi without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll show it to you. ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really going to show me anything? ! ¡± Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised and emphasized the word ¡°anything. ¡°.

    ¡°Uh huh. ¡± Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°anything. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily took the phone from Huo Shaoheng and pressed it. She found out that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone actually had her fingerprints on it, and that he could use her fingerprints to turn it on.

    She immediately smiled.

    He was quite self-aware, in that case it was easy for her to check his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi had never checked huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone before. This time, Huo Shaoheng had offered himself to her, and she would not let the chance pass by.

    After Huo Shaoheng handed over his phone, he asked Gu Nianzhi for her phone again. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange it equally. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put her phone back into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand with smile. She focused on looking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone.

    However, as soon as she swiped open Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone, she knew that she had suffered a great loss.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone only had text messages and wechat messages, and there were no other social media APPS beyond that.

    She opened his wechat and saw that there were only four people in it: Ms. Song, Gu Nianzhi, Zhao Liangze, and Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled.

    ¡°Huo Shao, don¡¯t you feel guilty for messing with me with such an empty phone? ¡± Gu Nianzhi poked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder with her finger.

    Huo Shaoheng did not look back. He grabbed her finger and pressed it again on her phone.

    ¡°What are you doing? ¡± Gu Nianzhi was curious. She had already turned on her phone!

    ¡°I am charging money to your ount. Give me more red packets, and I can reimburse you for your expenses. ¡± Huo Shaoheng looked back at her.

    Gu Nianzhi had just woken up, but she did not seem to have a good sleep. There was a faint shadow under her eyes, but her skin was as moist as freshly peeled lychee meat It looked like full of juice and would slip out when poking it lightly with hands .

    Huo Shaoheng thought ofst night¡¯s scene, and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. His voice suddenly became deep. ¡°Wash up now, and then we¡¯ll go down for breakfast. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with ¡°Ok. ¡± She slowly lifted the nket and got up. She got out of bed in a strange position.

    ¡± Are your legs still not feeling well? ¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out to give her a hand.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You know why. ¡±

    She was about to turn off her phone when she saw another red dot appear on her wechat moments.

    Someone had just posted on her Wechat moments?

    Gu Nianzhi quickly clicked on it.

    It was actually Leonz, who had never posted on her WeChat moments before!

    ¡°What the f * ck, What day is it today? ! Is it the wedding anniversary of the KGB and the Gestapo? ¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled as she looked at it, then stunned.

    Reinz¡¯s profile picture was still a photo of him in his military uniform with blond hair and blue eyes. His religious-like abstinence was revealed in the small, buzz-cut portrait, which added to his allure.

    This was the first post he had posted on his WeChat moments this morning.

    ¡°Lead a team to Moscow to participate in the opening ceremony of the International Special Forces Competition. ¡±

    The apanying picture was of the military airport on the outskirts of Moscow.

    Under the ne, there was a faintly tall Germanic special forces soldier.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped with surprise and pushed Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, Reinitz is also here for the opening ceremony of the International Special Forces Competition. Do you think he¡¯s really here for the opening ceremony, or... is he targeting us? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Reinitz is here too? He doesn¡¯t belong to the Special Forces. ¡±

    Was He here for the same reason as he was? Was He trying to cover up some ulterior motive?

    While they were talking, Gu Nianzhi had already gone to Reinz¡¯s moments to like it and left a message: Wee to Moscow! It is beautiful here and the food is delicious.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers. She was so fast in action.

    He was about to remind Gu Nianzhi not to interact with Reinitz, but..

    Before Huo Shaoheng could say anything, Gu Nianzi¡¯s WeChat had a few additional voicemail from reinz¡¯s profile picture.

 Chapter 1226 - During This Lifetime

    <h4>Chapter 1226 During This Lifetime</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi felt speechless upon seeing the voicemail Reinitz left for her.She had just left a voicemail..

    Huo Shaoheng smiled when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s awkward expression. ¡°Listen to the voicemail to see what he wants. ¡±

    ¡°Okay. ¡± Since Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind, Gu Nianzhi opened Reinitz¡¯s voicemail.

    Reinitz¡¯s clear throaty voice sounded from her phone.

    He spoke in German, and got straight to the point. ¡°Cereus, you¡¯re in Moscow too? ¡±

    ¡°When did you get here? Come dine with me when you have spare time. ¡±

    The voicemail had been sent a while ago, and was immediately withdrawn right after it was sent.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have time to open it, ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and asked, ¡°Are you going to dine with him? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Forget it. I won¡¯t know what to say when I see him. Whenever I see him, I think of Li Dexi, and then I think of Bai Shuang. ¡±

    This was a terrible memory, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to relive it.

    Huo Shaoheng was relieved. ¡°d that you understand. Get up. I¡¯ll take you out to have some fun after breakfast. ¡±

    ¡°Huh? Have fun? Where are we going? ¡± Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. ¡°Are you free? Can you go out? It won¡¯t affect your work, right? ¡±

    She was still concerned about his work even at such a time.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart warmed slightly. He patted her head and his voice subconsciously softened. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can apany you all day today. ¡±

    The opening ceremony of the National Special Forces Competition was tomorrow. Everyone was resting today, and the military camps did not have training today. Everyone had the day off.

    Many of the Special Forces soldiers also went out to have some fun together.

    Gu Nianzhi happily washed up and changed into an outfit suited for having fun outside. She and Huo Shaoheng went downstairs to have breakfast.

    In this hotel, breakfast was served buffet-style.

    The row of cabs against the wall was filled with a splendid array of food.

    A variety of fruits were disyed beside the cabs at the entrance of the hotel. There were also quite a number of tropical fruits. This was a rare sight in Moscow, a hightitude city.

    Therge yellow bananas skewers were so sweet that they were nauseating. The bright red cherries tasted sweet and juicy. The green apples did not taste as sour as they looked. Instead, they tasted sweet but with a smack of sourness, just enough to arouse one¡¯s appetite.

    The strawberries and peaches appeared to be the same size when they were ced together.

    There were also watermelons, pineapples, mangoes, and melons. They were all cut into slices and neatly ced on a shiny silver te.

    Gu Nianzhi nced around as she walked. She picked up a buffet tray and filled it with cherries and mangoes. She ced them on top of organic yogurt, then mixed them together and ate them.

    After passing the fruit section, she saw a variety of nuts and dried fruits. Of course, there were also raisins and dried cranberries.

    Then there were all sorts of drinks, including the famous sparkling mineral water, all sorts of freshly-squeezed natural fruit juices, as well as beer, red wine, and even vodka.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but tug her lips when she saw the vodka. ¡°People actually drink vodka this early in the morning? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Was there some sort of misunderstanding about the Fighting Tribe?

    The men here would rather have no women than no vodka.

    And the women here can drink industrial alcohol like it¡¯s vodka.

    Gu Nianzhi walked past the drinks section and looked right past at the sd and cheese sections, then she stopped at the meat section.

    As expected of meat, she got a whiff of the overpowering delicious smell.

    Gu Nianzhi did a rough count, and discovered that there were at least a dozen different types of ham, red sausages, and smoked salmon.

    Next to the meat section was the bread section.

    There were more than 20 types of bread to choose from.

    People who suffered from choice overload would probably suffer a meltdown upon seeing so much food.

    Gu Nianzhi was very picky about meat. Her favorite seafood wasn¡¯t offered there, so she chose smoked salmon and mixed-grain bread.

    She halved the mixed-grain bread and ced the smoked salmon in the middle, the same way she ate pork buns at home.

    Gu Nianzhi feasted merrily.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for her to finish eating, then brought her a small bowl of something that looked like honey jelly. He said, ¡°Try this. It¡¯s very rare toe across at home. ¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this? ¡± Gu Nianzhi took a bite out of curiosity. Slightly soft and tender, it tasted a little like wood ears, but it was overwhelmingly sweet.

    ¡°Beehive. ¡± Huo Shaoheng said mirthfully.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    Just as she was about to spit out the beehive, Huo Shaoheng added, ¡± ... It has cosmetic effects. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Then she had to swallow it even with her eyes closed!

    After finishing the sickeningly sweet beehive, Huo Shaoheng brought Gu Nianzhi a cup of Russian ck tea to relieve her nausea.

    Gu Nianzhi scrutinized the cup that the hotel provided ck tea in.

    It appeared like an ordinary cup with a handle, but there was a medieval copper mural on the body of the cup, so it immediately appeared more valuable.

    It looked like a work of art.

    ¡°I have to say, the artistic taste of the Russians is unrivaled. ¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°In terms of literature, they have Tolstoy; in terms of painters, they have Repin, and in terms of music, they have Tchaikovsky. Every one of them are distinguished talents of this world. ¡±

    ¡°Yes... ¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he said, ¡°The design and painting of their TU-160 nuclear bomber appear so beautiful that one can hardly believe it¡¯s a long-range nuclear strategic bomber since it¡¯s as beautiful as a white swan soaring in the sky. Although its real name is the pirate g, everyone who has seen it calls it the White Swan. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had an ambiguous expression.

    She was gushing about beautiful things like literature, art, and music, while Huo Shaoheng¡¯s focus was on the ¡°nuclear strategic long-range bomber that was so beautiful it appeared like a white swan¡±..

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and couldn¡¯t help retorting, ¡°Are you sure that a nuclear strategic bomber isparable to the likes of literature and art? ¡±

    One created beauty, while the other destroyed beauty.

    How were they simr in any way?

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? ¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled out his phone and found a few pictures of the TU-160 on the Inte. ¡°Take a look yourself. If it doesn¡¯t appeal to your eyes, then my bad. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the pictures incredulously. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the ne that was soaring like a white swan.

    Amidst the blue sky and white clouds, arge ne with smooth lines was flying among the clouds.

    The sleek front end of the aircraft made it appear like a beautiful and proud white swan.

    The white paint did not refract light at all despite being under the sun¡¯s rays. It did not have the harsh blinding light, and Instead, it appeared more gentle and endearing under the sunlight. Arousing a sense of intimacy, it appeared like the fair face of one¡¯s lover.

    Gu Nianzhi was so wonderstruck she could hardly breathe.

    After a long while, she finally let out a long sigh, and said, ¡± ... Are you sure this is a nuclear strategic bomber? ! The color is so breathtakingly beautiful! It¡¯s extremely white, but it¡¯s not ring at all even under the sun¡¯s rays! ¡±

    How could such a sublime thing be associated with a strategic deterrent weapon?

    Was there something grotesque mixed in?

    Gu Nianzhi had only seen America¡¯s U-2 stealth aircraft, which appeared as evil and devilish as ck bats, but had never seen such a noble and beautiful bomber n.

    She couldn¡¯t help having the impression that such a sublime thing had absolutely no connection to the words ¡°nuclear bombing¡±.

    ¡°This is Russia¡¯s most advanced lusterless white airframe camouge paint. It can also reflect and interfere with radar detection signals to transform into a stealth ne. ¡± Huo Shaoheng sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Russia can¡¯t even build such a good ne herself. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ? ? ? ¡±

    ¡°The prototype crashed during the test flight, and much valuable data was lost. The engineers from back in the day had already passed away, so their blueprints were exceedingly esoteric. After the copse of the Soviet Union, the data regarding the Tu-160 was iplete so it couldn¡¯t be used to build new white swans. Nowaday, there are only eight white swans in service, and each one destroyed means one less permanently. ¡±

    Upon seeing that seemed to know Huo Shaoheng everything regarding the Tu-160 by heart. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but wonder how long he had been coveting this thing.

    ..

    After breakfast, the two of them left the hotel and headed for St. Vasily¡¯s Ascension Cathedral in Moscow.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked when she saw the tall building that looked like nine onions in the distance. ¡°Aren¡¯t those the Kremlin and Red Square we were at yesterday? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, the cathedral is right next to the Red Square. ¡±

    ¡°Since when do you like churches? ¡± Gu Nianzhi was baffled.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and led her away.

    His fingers caressed the ring box he had bought a while ago in his pocket. Huo Shaoheng, who had always been calm andposed, felt a little excited.

    However, he did not say anything as he led her into the Cathedral.

    In the morning, there was no one in the cathedral.

    Gu Nianzhi was attracted by the colorful murals around her and hardly knew what to focus her eyes on.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to speak when he suddenly heard the muffled sound of conversationing from a corner of the confessional.

    He looked up and immediately froze.

    The Archbishop of the Church was dressed in ck priestly attire while talking to a tall man standing in front of him.

    The man had his back to them and was also dressed simrly like a priest.

    Soon after, the man drew a cross on his chest and turned around to leave.

    He turned around to see Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi in front of him. He stopped dead in his tracks.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze went to the man in the ck priestly outfit.

    Unexpectedly, the man turned out to be Reinitz.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes immediately widened.

    Why was Reinitz dressed like a priest?!

 Chapter 1227 - Because He Targeted You

    <h4>1227 Because He Targeted You</h4>

    Reinitz was about the same height as Huo Shaoheng. His height was probably about 188 cm and the measurement error wouldn¡¯t be more than one centimeter.

    Furthermore, because of his diet, the nature of his work, and years of physical training, Reinitz was also very strong and fit, just like Huo Shaoheng was.

    But this time, upon seeing him in his ck, gold-rimmed priest uniform, Gu Nianzhi saw that Reinitz had lost a lot of weight.

    His features were even more chiseled and striking, while his slightly sunken blue eyes, under his brows, appeared like the calm surface of the sea.

    However, his expression changed slightly when he suddenly saw Gu Nianzhi.

    He walked over to Gu Nianzhi and ignored Huo Shaoheng.

    Standing in front of Gu Nianzhi, he lowered his head and smiled faintly. ¡°Cereus, I didn¡¯t expect us to be such soul mates. ¡±

    They had met here without any appointment.

    Gu Nianzhi gazed at Reinitz with an ambivalent expression. She was keenly aware that his vibe had changed.

    In the past, no matter how much he pretended to be gentle or cold, he always gave off a passionate vibe that was unique to Reinitz.

    But when she saw Reinitz standing in front of her now, she could no longer sense his unique vibe and passion. It was as if he had already seen everything in this world, and there was nothing else that could ignite his passion towards life.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze moved down inch by inch as she looked at the shiny brass buttons on Reinitz¡¯s priestly attire, all the way from his neck to the hem of the clothing at his knees.

    The well-tailored priestly attire made Reinitz¡¯s shoulders appear wider his waist narrower, and his figure taller and more slender.

    A ray of sunlight shone through the stained ss windows of the church, and shined right on Reinitz¡¯s golden hair. It was as if he had been crowned with a golden crown.

    His untouchable beauty was even more otherworldly, as if he was about to ascend to immortality in the next moment.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled, abd she smiled as she said, ¡°Reinitz, what are you up to this time? Last time I saw you, you were pretending to be a woodcutter from an Alpine farm, and now you¡¯re... cosying as an Orthodox priest? Oh, no, you¡¯re a Christian priest, aren¡¯t you? ¡±

    ¡°A Catholic priest. But, I¡¯m not cosying. ¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teasing didn¡¯t anger Reinitz. His smile was very gentle, yet this gentleness seemed different from what he had shown in the past.

    In the past, his gentleness was like a ball of fire enveloped in ice.

    In the present, his gentleness was like gentle warm water, where one could clearly see the bottom in a nce.

    Even Huo Shaoheng frowned in surprise.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue and waved her hand. ¡°No? If you¡¯re really a Catholic priest now, then I¡¯ll broadcast me pole dancing live. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng caught his breathe for a moment.

    For a moment, Reinitz wavered in his decision to be a priest.

    But they quickly snapped back to reality.

    Reinitzughed heartily this time. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting. When are you going to show me? I¡¯ll find a ce for you to pole dance. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    No Way!

    What is this? !

    Her feet hurt.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had always been good at throwing other people under the bus, now got a taste of her own medicine.

    ¡°Major General Hillent, please don¡¯t tease Nianzhi. She¡¯s an impressionable person who¡¯ll believe whatever other people say. It¡¯s best not to make such jokes. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spoke up for Gu Nianzhi.

    What a joke.

    Even he hadn¡¯t ever seen Gu Nianzhi pole dance before, so who the hell did Reinitz think he was?

    Reinitz¡¯s smile fell and he gazed at Huo Shaoheng calmly. ¡°I¡¯m not joking. ¡±

    ¡± ... Are you really a priest? ¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in surprise, ¡°But this morning you had just posted on social media saying that you¡¯re leading a team to participate in the opening ceremony of the International Special Forces Competition... I never knew that priests could also be military leaders of your country¡¯s special forces... ¡±

    Reinitz drew a cross on his chest, then said lightly, ¡°Mr. Li Dexi was supposed to lead the team, but he unfortunately dued in Cape City, so our bureau called me back from the monastery. I¡¯m only temporarily recing Mr. Li Dexi. When they find a suitable candidate, I¡¯ll return to the monastery. ¡±

    So it was still for Li Dexi¡¯s sake.

    Gu Nianzhi calmed her nerves and shrugged. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Then I haven¡¯t lost yet because you¡¯re not a priest at the moment yet, right?¡±

    She emphasized ¡°at the moment ¡± .

    Reinitz stared at her for a while, then smiled slowly as he said, ¡°Cereus is still as unreasonable as ever. Well, this time, you owe me a pole dance. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fell. ¡°How so? You were a priest before, and you were called back to be the team leader, so of course you¡¯re not a priest anymore. How can you be so unreasonable? ¡±

    Reinitz wanted to say that his role as the team leader was part-time. Even if he hade to Moscow, he had been ordered to do so by the church in order to discuss a future cooperation with the Archbishop of the eastern Orthodox Church.

    However, upon seeing that Gu Nianzhi was unwilling to back down and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s countenance was as calm as water, Reinitz did not insist.

    He smiled a little. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯re done with that conversation, I have something to discuss with Major General Huo. Should we discuss it here or somewhere else? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed a little inside. He pulled his hand out of his trouser pocket and ced it on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m off work today. I don¡¯t want to talk about business.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not business. I want to discuss a private affair with you.¡± Reinitz paused, and his expression became less animated again. ¡°I have something to ask you about Li Dexi. And about Gu Nianzhi. There¡¯s something I need to tell you. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder.

    Gu Nianzhi thought Huo Shaoheng was interested and quickly said, ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go out and find a restaurant to eat at. We can talk while we eat, okay? You even sent me a Wechat message this morning saying you wanted to treat me to a meal! ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and stared at Gu Nianzhi with a nk expression. ¡± ... You just had breakfast. ¡±

    ¡°We can find a restaurant and slowly walk there. Just treat it as something good for digestion... ¡± Gu Nianzhi felt that she was very understanding and didn¡¯t need Huo Shaoheng to exin further to understand what he meant.

    ¡°When I came here, I checked the restaurant ratings. There are a few nice Russian restaurants not far from here. Of course, it¡¯ll take at least half an hour to walk there. ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine too. Let¡¯s walk slowly and talk slowly. ¡± Reinitz immediately agreed. ¡°I know a nice restaurant about a mile from here. It¡¯s less than half an hour¡¯s walk. We can listen to music while we dine. The ce is allegedly where Tchaikovskyposed music. ¡±

    Tchaikovsky was the most famous musician in Russia. His balletspositions ¡°Swan Lake, ¡°¡±Sleeping Beauty, ¡± and ¡°The Nutcracker¡± were world-renowned.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately nodded. ¡°Okay, okay. Shall we go over and take a look? ¡±

    She was asking for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s approval when she asked this.

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets and said nonchntly, ¡°Since both of you have agreed, I have no objections. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately realized that there was an uncharacteristic resentful tone in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    This was too uncharacteristic. Wasn¡¯t this all because he wanted to talk to Reinitz?

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt a little aggrieved.

    She had always prioritized Huo Shaoheng¡¯s needs first. She thought of what he had wanted, and had gone through all sorts of hardships for him, but he had acted as if he did not appreciate her kindness..

    The two of them avoided eye contact for a while.

    Reinitz looked at the two of them with amusement and said humorously, ¡± ... If you two get into a fight, I won¡¯t be a monk anymore. I can immediately renounce asceticism. ¡±

    Catholic priests weren¡¯t allowed to marry.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and chuckled. ¡°Major General Reinitz must be joking. We didn¡¯t get into a fight. This way, please. ¡±

    He stepped aside and let Reinitz lead the way.

    Reinitz nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Cereus, are you okay? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look at Huo Shaoheng. She said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m great. Reinitz, let¡¯s go to the restaurant you mentioned. I won¡¯t pay if it¡¯s not delicious! ¡±

    ¡°I said it¡¯s my treat, so of course you don¡¯t have to pay for it. ¡± Reinitz walked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s other side nonchntly. He and Huo Shaoheng walked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left and right sides respectively like her two bodyguards.

    Huo Shaoheng followed them quietly.

    Along the way, Reinitz sized Gu Nianzhi up a few times and said, ¡°Are you okay? I heard that Li Dexi went to Cape City because of you. You didn¡¯t fall for the trap did you? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was fuming, but upon hearing that Reinitz was asking a serious question, not knowing how to answer him, she nced at Huo Shaoheng warily.

    As if he wasn¡¯t looking at Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze was fixed straight ahead, but he had already noticed her small movements from the corner of his eye.

    After a moment of silence, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°We¡¯re very sorry for what happened to Li Dexi. Father Reinitz, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to be disappointed today. ¡±

    This meant that Huo Shaoheng will notment on the matter at all.

    Even if Reinitz had evidence that Li Dexi had gone to Cape City to kill Huo Shaoheng and kidnap Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng would not be so stupid as to confess.

    In their line of work, there were many things that could be done but could not be discussed out in the open.

    Even if they were caught on the spot, they could never admit their doings.

    Gu Nianzhi understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position and remained silent. She did not tell Reinitz about what had happened in Cape City.

    Upon seeing that the two of them still had their guards up, Reinitz sighed and said, ¡°I have no intention of pursuing the matter. I had no idea that Li Dexi had gone to Cape City. I had already entered the monastery by then. ¡±

    Feeling a little down, Gu Nianzhi walked silently.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed a little. He understood that it wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fault; she had good intentions.

    He thought about it for a moment, then pulled out the small ring box from his other pocket and ced it in the pocket next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    He reached out and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand gently. He interlocked his fingers with hers and put her hand into his pocket. Hand in hand, they walked in Moscow¡¯s Red Square.

    The wind blew gently, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ck hair fluttered in the wind.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand entered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pocket, she felt Huo Shaoheng holding her hand to feel a small square box in his pocket.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave her a meaningful smile.

    Although Gu Nianzhi did not know what the small box was, her mood miraculously improved.

    It was because she knew that Huo Shaoheng was implicitly exining the change in his mood. It was all because of this little box.

    In the past, Huo Shaoheng would never have done such a thing.

    Gu Nianzhi squeezed the hand in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pocket to show that she understood. She pulled her hand out to clutch Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm, and turned to ask Reinitz, ¡°Reinitz, I believe you. But why did Li Dexi experience misfortune when he went to Cape City this time? ¡±

    ¡°Because he targeted you, ¡± Reinitz said bluntly.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t surprised. To alleviate her fear, he patted Gu Nianzhi on the back of her hand, then looked up at Reinitz and said, ¡°Did Li Dexi target Nianzhi because of the Daiwa scientists¡¯ DNA data from during the war? But how does that data have anything to do with Nianzhi? ¡±

    Since Gu Haize, Gu Nianzhi is a third generation descendant already. It had been almost a hundred years.

    Could it be that Reinitz also knew about the unique qualities of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s physique?

 Chapter 1228 - Turns Out It Wasnâ€™t You

    <h4>Chapter 1228 Turns Out It Wasn¡°t You</h4>

    Because they were still on the streets, Reinitz did not answer.He smiled and pointed to a restaurant not far ahead. ¡°That¡¯s a very good Russian steakhouse. You can eat steaks while Cereus and I can try the authentic Russian food over there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and narrowed his eyes.

    The steakhouse looked like a castle. It had red walls, ck tiles, and its windows were like those of a church. There were also colorful paintings on the walls.

    It looked even more impressive after they walked inside. It was decorated with gold and jade, like the Kremlin.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression appeared a little ambivalent. She nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression did not change. He followed Reinitz into the restaurant.

    Inside the restaurant, a handsome Russian waiter wearing a white shirt, ck suit pants, and a small bow tie walked over to greet them.

    Reinitz spoke in fluent Russian, ¡°Give us a private dining room with a big window. ¡± He then stuffed the tip into the waiter¡¯s hands.

    ¡°This way, please.¡± The waiter greeted them warmly and brought them to the best private dining room in the restaurant.

    Since it wasn¡¯t noon yet, there weren¡¯t many people there, so when the waiter gave them the best private dining room, no one in the restaurant objected.

    As they walked towards the private dining room, Gu Nianzhi was looked at her phone as she walked. She was chatting with Qiqi, so she fell behind.

    At that moment, a familiar-looking hostess in a leopard print outfit walked past her. She joked with the receptionist before striding away in her high heels.

    She was the ¡°girlfriend¡± of the president whom they had met in the Kremlin yesterday..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but ask the waiter, ¡± ... Who was that? Is she acquainted with you all? ¡±

    The waiter replied in English, ¡°She¡¯s our boss. This steakhouse belongs to her and has many branches across the country. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood.

    No wonder the decor here could rival that of the Kremlin. She is the future queen of the pce..

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she winked at the waiter, then walked into the private dining room.

    After sitting down, Gu Nianzhi picked up the menu and nced at it. She immediately startedughing.

    Reinitz really had a way of picking restaurants.

    Although this steakhouse was famous for its steaks and beef burgers, it also served a variety of famous Russian dishes and had a variety of seafood dishes to choose from!

    ¡°What seafood dish here is the best? ¡± Gu Nianzhi asked the waiter who served the dishes.

    The waiter smiled and introduced them to her. ¡°We have king crab fresh from the Bering Strait here. Its meat is delicious and plump. Would you like to try one, Miss? ¡±

    ¡°King Crab? That¡¯s an impressive name. Sure, I¡¯d like one. ¡± Gu Nianzhi then asked Huo Shaoheng and Reinitz, ¡°Would you two like one king crab for each of you? ¡±

    Before Huo Shaoheng and Reinitz could say anything, the waiter beside them twitched his lips and reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss, the King Crab we have here is very big. One King Crab weighs about five kilograms. One King Crab will be enough for the three of you. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost trmbled with joy.

    Oh dear, eating a crab weighing five kilograms will definitely be a feast today!

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t order anything else after ordering the king crab.

    Reinitz gestured for Huo Shaoheng to order.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the menu and nced at it. He saw that Gu Nianzhi had already ordered the steamed king crab, so he ordered a medium-rare steak and a bottle of 1982fite red wine.

    Reinitz said, ¡°When drinking Rapha?l, have some white seared prawns along with it. They¡¯re made from Mantis shrimp. It¡¯s said that the Mantis shrimp here are wild caught instead of farmed. ¡±

    The mantis shrimp was also known as the shrimp crawler. It was a creature that lived in the deep sea, and its meat was especially delicious.

    The boiled shrimp was served with red wine. A Gestapo priest was indeed quite particr about food.

    After the dishes were ordered, the waiter brought them cheese desserts and lettuce sds as appetizers.

    When the dishes were served, Huo Shaoheng asked Reinitz again, ¡°What do you want to discuss? How much do outsiders know about what you and Li Dexi know? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s question was very implicit, but Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi understood.

    His expression as cold as ice, Reinitz leaned back in his chair. His words were even colder than ice.

    ¡°Li Dexi knows things that even I don¡¯t know. ¡± He gave Gu Nianzhi a meaningful look. ¡°But I believe that if even I don¡¯t know, no one else could possibly know either. ¡±

    It basically confirmed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suspicions, but this did not eliminate his doubts. Instead, his heart sank.

    The fact that Li Dexi had personally led his men to Cape City to set up a trap showed his covetous interest in Gu Nianzhi .

    But why?

    Could it be that Li Dexi knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unique physique was because of eugenics?

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather, Gu Haize, had clearly stated in the letter that the Daiwa Scientists¡¯ experiments had all failed. She was not a product of sess, but a product of failure..

    Or had he himself misunderstood and Gu Haize was simply being modest?

    However, when he thought of the deeply moving and passionate letter, Huo Shaoheng rejected the idea.

    He believed that at that time, Gu Haize did not have spare energy to be courteous.

    What he said must have been the truth.

    Therefore, the Gu family¡¯s genes probably had not developed further.

    Huo Shaoheng remembered the reason Gu Yanran and her mother, Gu Jing, had been adopted. It was to treat Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aunt, Gu Tian¡¯s illness..

    Her illness developed after she had given birth to a child. The gic defect had finally broken out, and caused her immune system to shut down. She had died not long after giving birth.

    Therefore, it was very likely that Gu Nianzhi had this sort of gic defect as well.

    However, she hadn¡¯t shown any symptomns yet.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze was fixed, and his expression became even more serious. He said in a low voice, ¡°I think you already know about Li Dexi. Actually, it¡¯s not just you. The Russian KGB and our special operations forces have also received news. ¡±

    Reinitz smiled. ¡°Major General Huo, there¡¯s no longer any need to hide it from me by now. I¡¯ve already said that I¡¯m no longer a member of the Federal Intelligence Agency. I¡¯m only temporarily taking over some of Mr. Li Dexi¡¯s duties. Also... ¡±

    Reinitz nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If I wanted to tell, I would have done so long ago. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pondered it over for a few seconds. He felt that Reinitz was somewhat trustworthy.

    He did not beat around the bush and said, ¡°Li Dexi really died at the hands of a woman. That woman died with him. ¡±

    Reinitz was a little surprised. ¡± ... It wasn¡¯t you? ¡±

    He had always thought that if there existed someone in the world who could take care of Li Dexi, it would be Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head as well. She said unhappily, ¡°Reinitz, are you looking down on women or something? Does the notion of Li Dexi dying in the hands of a woman so farfetched? Besides, she died along with him. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes reddened at the thought of Bai Shuang.

    Reinitz gazed at her for a while then handed her a piece of tissue. ¡°Okay, I believe you. But Li Dexi isn¡¯t interested in women at all... ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not his own woman, it¡¯s the woman he was trying to win over, ¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s the person he was trying to turn. ¡±

    Reinitz immediately understood. ¡°So his own trap backfired on him. ¡±

    Then he gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. ¡°It seems like my suspicions were correct. Li Dexi was going to lose to you in the end no matter what. ¡±

    He thought that Huo Shaoheng had set a double trap.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled but did not exin further.

    Li Dexi was already dead anyway. There was nothing wrong with letting these Gestapo men fear him.

    He might as well take some of the credit for himself.

    However, Bai Shuang really wasn¡¯t a double trap set by him.

    ¡°Li Dexi died very quickly. He was shot in the carotid artery. ¡± Huo Shaoheng gestured. ¡°Is there anything else you want to ask? ¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s enough. ¡± Reinitz raised his wine ss. ¡°My feelings regarding him are very ambivalent. He was my godfather, but after I found out about their ns, I couldn¡¯t face them anymore. ¡±

    ¡± ... Reinitz, did you be a priest to escape? ¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. ¡°But you¡¯re not that kind of person! ¡±

    ¡°I am that kind of person. ¡± Reinitz lowered his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be torn between my country and you. I don¡¯t want to be an enemy for both sides. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything either.

    The three of them were quiet for a while. The waiter knocked on the door and pushed the dining car in.

    In the middle of the room was arge silver hemispherical te with a lid. It was the king crab that weighed five kilograms!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to the king crab.

    As soon as it was ced on the dining table and the semicircr lid was removed, Gu Nianzhi immediately took out her phone and took photos of the king crab from various angles.

    She immediately posted the caption on her Wechat moments: ¡°This is my first time eating a king crab from the Bering Strait. I hope it¡¯s really delicious!¡±

    The KGB driver was the first to like it. He evenmented: ¡°It is very delicious, but it¡¯s also extremely expensive! ¡°!

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Not long after, the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, became the second person to like it. He alsomented, ¡°I agree + 1! ¡°!

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    Ma Qiqi also liked the post very quickly andmented, ¡°Looks fresh, I want to eat it! ¡°!

    Yin Shixiong followed, ¡°Brother Xiong will not only take you to feast on king crab but also out for fun ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡±

    With a nk expression on her face, Gu Nianzhi replied with a string of ellipses..

    While she was busy posting her Wechat moments, the waiter had finished serving the dishes.

    Only the three of them were left in the room with a table full of seafood, steak, and Borscht.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up his knife and fork, then cut the steak as he asked Reinitz, ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything about Li Dexi. Are you going to tell me about Nianzhi now? ¡°

 Chapter 1229 - Bad-Tempered Little Girl

    <h4>Chapter 1229 Bad-Tempered Little Girl</h4>

    Reinitz cut a crab leg from the king crab and took out arge piece of fresh crab meat using a special tool for eating crabs. He ced it on the te in front of him and ate it slowly by dipping it in warm butter.One was supposed to eat the crab leg and pincers when eating king crabs because there was no meat on the crab¡¯s body.

    Gu Nianzhi unceremoniously cut a pincer and ced it in front of her. She used the tool for eating crabs to crush it before she could remove the meat from the pincers.

    Huo Shaoheng held a knife and fork in his hand as he quietly waited for Reinitz.

    Reinitz took two bites of the crab meat and wiped the corner of his mouth with a Napkin before saying, ¡°It¡¯s a long story. ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear the details. ¡± Unwilling to give up on the topic, Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly. The expression in his eyes was very persistent.

    Reinitz gazed at Gu Nianzhi with an ambivalent expression.

    ¡± ... The person we were looking for was actually Cereus¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, not her. ¡±

    ¡°Because our data indicated that the daughter of the Gu family had a serious gic defect that was difficult to cure. ¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this, the shiny silver tool for eating crabs in her hand dropped onto her silver te with a clink.

    She looked towards Reinitz airily and asked, ¡± ... difficult to cure? ¡±

    Her heart couldn¡¯t help beating wildly.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi sat together across from Reinitz.

    Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi on the back to calm her nerves.

    Reinitz¡¯s gaze was fixated on Gu Nianzhi.

    He gazed at her silently, then said, ¡°I used to think so too. I¡¯ve told you two before that I worked for the ¡°Angel in the World¡± charity foundation for a period of time and used that opportunity to look through all of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s manuscripts and data. In reality, Gu Xiangwen turned to the biomedical field because he wanted to cure his beloved daughter, Cereus. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She wondered if her unique physique was due to her identity as the daughter of the Gu family or due to personal reasons?

    Huo Shaoheng immediately pulled out his phone and found Xie Dezhao¡¯s contact information. He sent him an encrypted text message asking, ¡°Was there anything abnormal about Gu Tian¡¯s physique?¡±

    Reinitz nced at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone and quietly added, ¡± ... But ording to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s manuscripts and letters, something happened before he could find a way to cure Cereus. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bewildered again.

    Xie Dezhao had already replied to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s text message: Anything abnormal? Her body was weaker than the average person¡¯s. I knew from the beginning, but does that count as something abnormal?

    Huo Shaoheng froze slightly, and the expression in his eyes grew more and more serious.

    ¡°Mr. Li Dexi only became interested in Cereus after Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident. Before that, his knowledge of Cereuspletely came from me. ¡± This aspect was also what confused Reinitz.

    He frowned, and his beautiful blue eyes narrowed. ¡°One night four or five years ago, he suddenly ordered me to focus on Cereus, and said that Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t need to be investigated anymore. He also said, said... ¡±

    Reinitz gazed at Gu Nianzhi as he spoke in a gentle voice, ¡°He said Cereus is perfect, so perfect that everyone else was envious. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi connected the dots based on Reinitz¡¯s words and asked sharply, ¡°You mean, Li Dexi suddenly had another information source? ¡±

    Reinitz nodded. ¡°I guess so, because I¡¯ve never found evidence of her ¡®perfection¡¯ . At least in your father¡¯s manuscript, he was still trying to find a way to cure you, but he also said that hope was very slim. Therefore he doted on you, pampered you, and didn¡¯t want you to be unhappy in the slightest bit.

    ¡°He said that Cereus didn¡¯t have much time left, and he only hoped that she could indulge herself while she was alive. The meaning of living wasn¡¯t in its length, but its quality.

    ¡°So he spoiled you into an unruly and rebellious little princess, and didn¡¯t allow anyone to criticize you. Whoever dared to do so was fired.

    ¡°Judging from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s manuscript, your temper was indeed very bad. Although he was very biased and recorded many things that he personally thought were ¡®very interesting¡¯, in my opinion, you seemedpletely unruly, willful, and annoying. But everyone around you knew that it was because of your poor health, so they all forgave you and tried their best to indulge you.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, the ¡®angel-like daughter¡¯ in Gu Xiangwen¡¯s manuscript is not my cup of tea. I only truly became interested in you after I met you in the Alps.

    ¡°You were bubbly, adorable, easy-going and generous. You were kind, but also cautious. When others treated you withpassion, you wished you could return the favor tenfold. However, if others treated you badly, you would immediately put your guard up and return with an eye for an eye. How could a girl with such a personality be a ¡®spoiled¡¯ little girl? ¡±

    Reinitz gazed at Gu Nianzhi with fascination. ¡°You¡¯repletely different from how the data I found describes you, but you¡¯re more vivacious and charming. I was subconsciously attracted to you until I couldn¡¯t pull myself away. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. He knocked on the table and warned Reinitz, ¡°Father Reinitz, be mindful of your identity. I¡¯m asking you to tell me what you know about Nianzhi. I¡¯m not asking you to tell me what¡¯s going on in your heart, nor am I asking you to confess your love. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng in surprise.

    Was Huo Shaoheng... jealous?

    How uncharacteristic.

    Sheughed and patted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh under the table to reassure him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh muscles immediately tensed and became as hard as steel.

    Reinitz spoke as he continued to unwrap the crab legs. He quickly unwrapped a small te of sharp crab meat, but he did not eat it himself. Instead, he pushed it in front of Gu Nianzhi and said gently, ¡°Here you go. ¡±

    Then he nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I¡¯m not confessing. I¡¯ve already confessed. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡± ... I¡¯m just saying that Li Dexi received news that I didn¡¯t know about. He thought that Cereus¡¯s gic defect had been cured so he believed her to be even more gically perfect. It was even said that Cereus had self-healing abilities. That was why he changed his target and resorted to all sorts of means to get his hands on Cereus, so that he could continue the research our ancestors started. ¡±

    Reinitz smiled wryly. ¡°Our ancestors¡¯ gic optimization n didn¡¯t seed. They were still brooding over it. It wasn¡¯t until Li Dexi found out about Cereus¡¯s existance that it became possible that humans had found a solution to the problem. ¡±

    ¡°This conjecture was too outrageous, so he didn¡¯t tell anyone. Even towards his most trusted aide, me, he merely brushed it over because he needed me to marry Cereus and have children with her. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt extremely ufortable upon hearing the words ¡°have children¡±e out of Reinitz¡¯s mouth. He felt like vomiting, but more than that, he could hardly suppress his anger.

    It took all the self restraint he could muster to not stab Reinitz in the throat with the knife and fork in his hand..

    Gu Nianzhi also felt a little embarrassed, but she felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She asked with a smile, ¡°Then do you know where Reinitz got the news that I had been cured? It really wasn¡¯t from my father? ¡±

    Thinking about her unique physique and the fact that she had once cured Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi felt that it was possible her gic defect had already been cured.

    Reinitz was even more confused, and said, ¡°It¡¯s not impossible. After all, Gu Yanran didn¡¯t inherit many of your father¡¯s prized possessions, so it¡¯s possible that the information on the ¡®Angel in the world¡¯ foundation is iplete.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more confident now. She looked at the time disyed on her phone, and said, ¡°In two weeks, the court will announce to the world that my father, Gu Xiangwen, is legally dead, and the six-month statute of limitations will be up. In two weeks, if no one objects, I¡¯ll be able to inherit all of my father¡¯s assets. When that timees, let¡¯s see if we can uncover anything else.¡±

    If anyone objects, that person must prove that Gu Xiangwen isn¡¯t dead.

    So no matter what, the truth was probably waiting for them somewhere not that far away.

 Chapter 1230 - Will You Marry Me?

    <h4>1230 Will You Marry Me?</h4>

    Reinitz¡¯s expression remained calm and gentle.

    The expression in his clear blue eyes appeared tranquil.

    He lgazed at Gu Nianzhi as he drew a cross sign on his chest. He said gently, ¡°May God bless you with everything your heart desires.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled brightly. ¡°I hope so. ¡±

    Without batting an eye, Huo Shaoheng raised his ss of wine for a toast. ¡°To Mr. Gu. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought to himself that he actually should have called him ¡°father-inw¡±.

    Reinitz also raised his ss of wine and smiled as he clinked sses with him. ¡°To Mr. Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also raised her ss of juice and toasted as her eyes sparkled. ¡°To my father and my grandfather. ¡±

    She was proud of her father and grandfather!

    Reinitz lowered his ss of wine and said to Gu Nianzhi in concern, ¡°Cereus, if you receive new of your father in two weeks, please let me know. I won¡¯t tell anyone. I have many questions of my own and would like to consult your father. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gazed at Reinitz as she nodded at him earnestly. ¡°If my father is still alive, I will definitely tell him your wish, but... ¡±

    She did not have the heart to continue what she wanted to say.

    If her father really was no longer alive, then there was nothing she could do.

    ¡°I understand. If your father really is no longer alive, I will ask the archbishop to make a memorial mass for him. ¡± Reinitz¡¯s expression was very serious.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s was also in emotional turmoil, but she still managed to suppress her feelings of uneasiness. She smiled and said, ¡°Thank you very much. In any case, I will let you know when I take over the Gu family¡¯s business in two weeks. ¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Huo, you won¡¯t mind, right? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Of course I won¡¯t mind a normal friendship. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    After lunch, Reinitz¡¯s paid the bill and left. He didn¡¯t hang around any longer.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh upon seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm face. ¡°Major General Huo, today I found out for the first time that you also experience... jealousy... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her indifferently and stroked her head. ¡°Are you stupid? I¡¯m your man, so if I don¡¯t even react when I see other men lusting for you, you should be doubting whether I¡¯m truly in love with you. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°I didn¡¯t know could Major General Huo understand women¡¯s thoughts so well. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Of course he understood. This was one of thepulsory lessons for members of the Special Operations forces..

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t need to know about this.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Where do you want to go today? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held his hand as they walked out together. ¡°I remember that someizens said that the Alexandria Garden in Moscow is quite beautiful. Do you want to go take a look? It doesn¡¯t seem that far from here. We can walk over and treat it as a leisurely walk after a meal. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He nodded as he said, ¡°Okay. ¡±

    The two of them left the restaurant together and walked along the boulevard.

    Early summer was Moscow¡¯s best season in the entire year.

    The weather was neither hot nor cold, and the air was fresh.

    Moscow was the greenest city in the world. There were 11 natural forests, 98 parks, and more than 700 Street Gardens in downtown.

    Alexander Garden was one of thergest street gardens.

    The garden was rectangr in shape. Not far from the Kremlin, the garden was divided into upper, middle, and lower sections.

    After walking into the garden, Gu Nianzhi was immediately drawn to the the intricate and colorful flowers in the garden.

    The bright blue irises spread out like butterfly wings, and the delicate roses gave off a fragrant aroma. Giving the garden a vibrant hue, colorful carnations bloomed at the edge of the garden.

    There were also pure white lilies, purple violets, and pink and white peonies clustered together as they bloomed splendidly.

    There were no particrly rare flowers there, but it was precisely ordinary things that showed their true color.

    The most beautiful things were always the mostmon things around us.

    Gu Nianzhi eximed in admiration as she followed Huo Shaoheng the entire way. She didn¡¯t even know what to focus one, and didn¡¯t know where Huo Shaoheng was leading her.

    This continued until Huo Shaoheng suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away from the colorful flowers on both sides and saw that there were almost no people around. It was rare to find this ce so quiet.

    Right across from her was a low, dark red building. It was square shaped and looked like a huge box.

    Huo Shaoheng said in a sullen voice, ¡°This is the tomb of an unnamed Russian warrior, an unknown soldier who died on the outskirts of Moscow when victory was about to be achieved in World War II. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly let go of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and her expression grew serious.

    On the west side of the tomb of the unknown national warrior, there was a shabby steel helmet with a military g underneath the helmet.

    There was no sentimental description. The design of the helmet and the military g was simple yet symbolic. It had already embodied all the ideals of a soldier.

    There was arge pentagram carved into the ground in front of the tomb, and mes shot out from the center of the Pentagram.

    The mes allegedly had never been extinguished since the tomb of the unknown warrior was built.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that there were a few words in Russian carved in front of the Pentagram, so she asked, ¡°What is written on the tombstone? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng read it in Russian and then tranted it to Mandarin, ¡°No one knows your name, but your achievements will live on forever.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi let out a quiet ¡°ah¡±. ¡°So was this where the saying originated from? ¡±

    She knew this saying because the special operations forces had engraved it in their own internal hall of history.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood why Huo Shaoheng had brought her here.

    She held his hand gently and said in a low voice, ¡°No one will know your name. I will always remember all of you. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath to suppress his excitement. He turned to gaze at Gu Nianzhi and suddenly knelt down on one knee. He took out the ring he had prepared from his pocket and asked calmly, ¡± ... Nianzhi, will you marry me? ¡±

    You know what I¡¯ve done and what I¡¯ve worked hard for.

    I also know your true thoughts and your feelings.

    In this world, only you can stand by my side during all the hardships without ever forgetting your feelings.

    In front of the tomb of an unknown warrior, Huo Shaoheng made the most solemn promise of his life.

    If it had been any other woman, she would have been so angry that she would have broken up and left immediately upon being proposed to in front of a tomb.

    But he knew that Gu Nianzhi would understand him.

    Gu Nianzhi did understand him.

    Her tears immediately flowed out.

    Because she knew that in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart, his country, his army, and his career were more important than anything else.

    But he had made a promise in front of this unnamed warrior¡¯s grave, which meant that in his heart, she was as important as his career and his country!

    She had never expected to have such an important position in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart.

    What Huo Shaoheng had given her had far exceeded her expectations.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a choked smile. ¡°I do, of course I do! ¡°

 Chapter 1231 - The Diamond Ring Named Cereus

    <h4>Chapter 1231 The Diamond Ring Named Cereus</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi refused to ept the marriage contract because Huo Shaoheng had forced her to sign the marriage certificate.She had fantasized countless times that if Huo Shaoheng proposed to her again, she would make him suffer.

    How could she immediately agree to marry him?

    She had to reject him at least three times!

    However, she didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to propose to her at such a solemn, dignified, sacred, and beautiful ce.

    Surrounded by tall red walls and trees, the dark red tomb of the unknown warrior stood there quietly.

    On the grassywn, a squirrel scurried over there with a pine cone in its arms. It stood on thewn as it looked at them curiously.

    There were soldiers standing guard in the ss booths on both sides of the tomb of the unknown warrior.

    But at that time, it seemed like the soldiers had just switched shifts for their lunch break, so there was no one there except for the two of them.

    Only the blue sky, the white clouds, the sunlight, the green trees, and a little squirrel apanied them.

    Gu Nianzhi could not brig herself to reject Huo Shaoheng like this, nor could she reject his deep love.

    He loved her. Finally, just as she loved him, they had be the source of each other¡¯s faith and dependency.

    Gu Nianzhi reflexively said ¡°I do¡± , but she did not regret saying so.

    His eyes slightly moist, Huo Shaoheng looked up at the girl he loved.

    He knew that he had let her down. There were many times when he couldn¡¯t stand by her side like an ordinary man could.

    To be married to a soldier, she would have to sacrifice much more than an ordinary military soldier¡¯s wife, especially a soldier on the front linee.

    Fortunately, she had grown up with him. She understood everything about him and the price she would have to pay. Besides, she was someone who had the ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. She was not fragile girl waiting to be protected by him.

    Gu Nianzhi did not hesitate at all. The words ¡°I do¡± that came out of her mouth were authentic reflections of her heart¡¯s desires.

    Gu Nianzhi also gazed at Huo Shaoheng. She saw rare affection in his deep, dark eyes. She stared at his straight nose, which even cast a shadow under the sunlight. She gazed at his strong chiseled jaw, which had perfect contours, then she gazed at his seductive lips, which seemed especially kissable..

    Huo Shaoheng opened the lid of the ring box in his hand.

    It was like a bright moon had suddenly appeared under the setting sun. Even the dazzling sunlight could not overshine the silvery glow of the Moon!

    In the top-quality Mahogany ring box, there was a diamond ring lying in there quietly. The diamond wasrge and eye-catching. Its entire body was crystal clear, but under the sunlight, the reflected light was dazzling but not too ring. Like the fog under the moonlight, the light inside was even gentler, and it appeared especially breathtaking.

    Gu Nianzhi was mesmerized by the sight.

    How could such a beautiful diamond exist? Although it appeared expensive at first nce, it wasn¡¯t ostentatious at all.

    ¡°This is the ssic Van Cleef u0026 Arpels¡¯ boundless iy. ¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes gleamed. Like Ma Qiqi, she had studied the iy of the diamond ring in detail before..

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled, then took out the diamond ring from the box and gave it to Gu Nianzhi to wear on her left middle finger.

    The size of the ring was just right. Gu Nianzhi wore it on her smooth and straight finger. As the saying went, if it was a little loose, it would be too loose. If it was a little tight, it would be too tight. It was just right for her to wear it like this.

    However, the diamond was too big. It looked a little out of ce on her hand. It was truly the size of a quail¡¯s egg.

    People would usually say that a diamond ring was as big as a ¡°pigeon¡¯s egg¡± , but it was actually an exaggeration. It was a visual illusion from many small diamonds gathered together.

    On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s diamond ring was a whole diamond without any impurities. It was the size of a quail egg.

    It was literally a quail egg.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger. He smiled softly and said, ¡°This diamond was an heirloom my grandmother left me when she passed away. She said she wanted to see this diamond set on the ring as a gift to my fianc¨¦e.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and said, ¡°Since it was left by your grandmother, let¡¯s keep it in the safe as a souvenir. Isn¡¯t it too ostentatious to make it into a ring?¡±

    It was so big that she felt too self-conscious to wear it in public..

    ¡°The engagement ring is for this. When we have our wedding in the future, I¡¯ll give you a wedding ring that you can wear every day.¡± Huo Shaohengforted her in a low voice, ¡°This diamond belongs to you. I¡¯ve already written to the International Diamond Association to change the name of this diamond to ¡®Cereus Gu¡¯. From now on, it¡¯s yours. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°... You actually want to change its name? Could it be that this diamond used to have a name? ¡±

    Upon seeing the curiousity in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, Huo Shaoheng thought about it and decided to tell her the truth.

    ¡± ... This diamond was originally called the Grand Duke Joseph¡¯s diamond. It weighs 76 carats. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thergest and most perfect diamond in the world. ¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°When my grandmother bought it at the auction house, it allegedly costed tens of millions of dors. Of course, it¡¯s not worth just that little anymore. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt the heavy burden of its weight in her hand.

    ¡°Thest person who owned this diamond before my grandmother was the wife of Grand Duke Joseph, Princess Mary. ¡±

    ¡°And Princess Mary was the granddaughter of Princess Xixi, who you were familiar with. I feel that only a diamond ring like this is worthy of you.¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly as he held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders. Gazing at her slightly parted lips, he wanted to lean in and kiss her.

    Just then, a childish voice rang out not that far away from them.

    ¡°You can kiss the bride now.¡± speaking Russian, the little boy said with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng turned around together. They saw a little boy with makeup on standing on thewn with a smile on his face. He was pping his hands as he watched them.

    Huo Shaoheng had wanted to kiss Gu Nianzhi, but upon seeing a five to six-year-old boy standing by and watching, he couldn¡¯t do so anymore.

    He couldn¡¯t let a child witness such an ¡°age-inappropriate¡± scene.

    ¡°What did he say? ¡± Since she didn¡¯t understand Russian, Gu Nianzhi asked Huo Shaoheng curiously.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and whispered in her ear, ¡°He said, you may kiss the bride now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and smiled. ¡°Kids these days are so mischievous.¡±

    ¡°Who are you? Why are you here alone?¡± Gu Nianzhi saw how adorable the little boy was, so she couldn¡¯t help walking over and bending down to talk to him.

    The little boy smiled and said, ¡°Mommy and I are here toy flowers for the tomb of the unknown warrior.¡± As he spoke, he turned around and shouted, ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked in English, ¡°What are you saying? Do you speak English?¡±

    Not understanding what she was saying, the little boy cocked his head and looked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to turn around and look at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets and tranted for her, ¡°He said that he and his mommy are here toy flowers and he¡¯s calling for his mommy.¡±

    However, even after a while, his mommy did not appear.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to ask where his mommy was when a caucasian couple wearing ck-rimmed sses appeared.

    Both of them looked and behaved very much like Englishmen. Trying their best to maintain their pretentious countenance, they appeared stiff and awkward. Even their walking posture appeared so elegant it bordered on snobbery.

    The middle-aged woman walked towards Gu Nianzhi and spoke in Russian rudely, ¡°Please stay away from my son! ¡± As she spoke, she picked up the little boy and turned around to leave.

    The little boy froze for a moment, then started to panick. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and said a few words in Russian. His eyes were filled with fear, and his entire body was trembling.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what the woman and the little boy were talking about, but her instincts told her that something was wrong. She immediately shouted, ¡°Stop! Put the child down! ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also caught up and said, ¡°The child is crying for help. I¡¯m afraid those two people aren¡¯t his parents. ¡±

    There were human traffickers even at such a ce?!

    Gu Nianzhi was filled with righteous indignation at the moment, so she rushed forward without hesitation and yanked at the middle-aged woman who was holding the child.

    The man next to the middle-aged woman also grew anxious. He suddenly pulled out a gun and aimed it at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Get lost! I¡¯m going to shoot you if you don¡¯t mind your own business!¡±

    They were in Alexander Garden, where the guards were stationed. The tomb of the unknown warrior was not that far away, and the Kremlin was behind the red wall.

    This man wouldn¡¯t dare shoot unless it was absolutely necessary.

    However, he dared to point a gun at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head in front of Huo Shaoheng. This man¡¯s luck had run out.

    Before Gu Nianzhi could react, Huo Shaoheng had already snuck up from behind. He threw a heavy punch at the man, causing his head to swerve and he spit out several teeth from his mouth!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strength was overpowering, and his angle was tricky. He had actually knocked out all the teeth in the man¡¯s mouth with one punch!

    Most people who had experienced tooth pain before knew exactly how painful it was.

    Not many people had experienced the pain of having their teeth pulled out without anesthesia.

    Nearly all of the man¡¯s teeth had been knocked out with a single punch from Huo Shaoheng. He didn¡¯t even manage to make an utter before fainting from the pain.

    However, before he could fall to the ground, a few gunshots suddenly rang out from the small forest beside him. All of them hit the man precisely.

    By the time he fell to the ground, he was already dead.

    A group of people emerged from the small forest. They all appeared shrewd and capable. Each of them held a gun in their hands that were aimed at the middle-aged woman who was carrying the child. Of course, they also aimed at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw that the KGB driver who had sent them over and the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, were among them!

    She raised her eyebrows and immediately realized that the child the middle-aged woman was carrying probably had a special status.

    However, the reason she wanted to save the child wasn¡¯t his special status.

    Even if he was a child from an ordinary family, she wouldn¡¯t have beared to see him kidnapped by a human trafficker.

    Since she had encountered it, it was the trafficker¡¯s bad luck.

    The middle-aged woman was furious. It was all this annoying couple¡¯s fault. If it weren¡¯t for them, she and her partner would have sessfully kidnapped the child long ago!

    She flipped her wrist and pulled out a gun as well.

    Huo Shaoheng reached his hand out at lightning speed and grabbed the woman¡¯s wrist that was holding the gun. He twisted it, and the woman screamed in pain. The gun in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, and her hand hung down at a strange angle. Huo Shaoheng had broken her hand..

    Gu Nianzhi quickly snatched the child from her arms and kicked her.

    The middle-aged woman was kicked to the ground. Just as shended on the ground, the sound of gunshots fired with silencers sounded like fried beans. She was immediately shot to death by the KGB.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly covered the little boy¡¯s eyes with her hand.

    The little boy was trembling all over. He clutched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders tightly and buried his head in her neck. He was so scared that he couldn¡¯t even cry.

    ¡°Dimi! My Dimi! Where are you? !¡± Along with the sound of desperate running and panting, a woman¡¯s heart-wrenching cries could be heard. Soon, she appeared right in front of them.

    Gu Nianzhi took a closer look. It was the hostess in the leopard-print clothing from before!

    She had seen her once in the Kremlin yesterday, and again today in the restaurant decorated like a pce.

    How unexpected that this boy was her son.

    Then isn¡¯t this child the legendary..

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced at the little boy.

    When the little boy heard his mommy¡¯s voice, he finally turned around and cried out ¡°Mommy! ¡± As he bbered some words as he sobbed.

    Gu Nianzhi handed the child to her, and the mother and son immediately hugged each other as they wept.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss. Thank you for saving my Dimi! ¡± The hostess in the leopard-print clothing finally wiped her tears and looked up to thank Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 1232 - Return the Favor

    <h4>Chapter 1232 Return the Favor</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi did not understand Russian, but she should roughly grasp that she was thanking her, shouldn¡¯t she?Huo Shaoheng continued to be her trantor.

    He put his arm around her shoulders and said gently, ¡°Thisdy is thanking you for saving her child, Little Dimi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that the child is fine. Don¡¯t leave the child alone in the future. Many people will covet such an adorable child!¡±

    After Huo Shaoheng tranted her words, the hostess in leopard-print clothing alsoughed and hugged her son as she gave him a kiss, and said ¡°My little Dimi really is super adorable!¡±

    Any mother would be happy upon hearing someone praise their child for being adorable.

    The rtionship between the two of them immediately became more intimate.

    After leaning into his mother¡¯s arms, the little boy Dimi felt safe. He was no longer afraid and began to babble on about what had just happened.

    ¡± ... They were getting married! The groom was kissing the bride!¡±

    ¡°Someone kidnapped me!¡±

    ¡°The bride came to save me, and the groom beat up the bad guys! He was as impressive as my daddy!¡±

    In Dimi¡¯s eyes, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were the bride and the groom.

    Earlier, some of the KGB members were suspicious about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng appearing there at such a time. Upon hearing Dimi¡¯s words, they all looked towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left middle finger.

    There was indeed a huge diamond ring!

    The middle-aged KGB driver immediately covered his eyes and shouted in English, ¡°My eyes! My Eyes!¡±

    A sh of envy also shed across the eyes of the hostess in leopard-print clothing when she saw the ring.

    She knew that the ring on her middle finger was probably an engagement ring. It seemed like the couple had just proposed at the tomb of the unknown warrior, and they just happened to bump into each other.

    She turned around and said to the people behind her, ¡°Bring me my flowers.¡±

    A chubby woman panted as she walked over with arge bouquet of flowers in her arms.

    The hostess in leopard-print clothing picked out a bright red rose from the bouquet and handed it to Gu Nianzhi, then said, ¡°Thank you for rescuing my son. This rose is for you. I wish you sess in your engagement!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi received the flowers and smiled sweetly. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She watched as a group of people escorted the the hostess in leopard-print clothing and the little boy, Dimi, to the tomb of the unknown warrior.

    It appeared like they really had brought the child to present flowers, but for some reason, the little boy ran over there first, and got targeted, so today¡¯s incident urred.

    The two men and women, who had been beaten to death, were immediately carried away to be gotten rid of. Someone brought a shovel and a bucket to clean the floor.

    Huo Shaoheng said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and left with him.

    Just as the two of them turned around the corner, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang.

    She picked it up and nced at it. It was an unfamiliar Russian number.

    She thought about it and answered the call in English. ¡°Hello.¡±

    The person on the other end paused and said in English, ¡°Thank you for saving Dimi,¡± he then added, ¡°I heard that you two got engaged today. I will give you a big engagement present tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Who was this?

    How generous!

    The call ended quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng and said in confusion, ¡°Someone thanked me for rescuing that little boy.¡± She then added, ¡°A man.¡±

    Actually, the two of them had rescued him together, but these people only thanked her without thanking Huo Shaoheng, so Gu Nianzhi felt a little unhappy.

    She tugged at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand sulkily. ¡°You clearly contributed the most. If it was just me, that child couldn¡¯t have been rescued today...¡±

    What was the meaning of deliberately ignoring Huo Shaoheng¡¯s contributionss?

    Gu Nianzhi felt indignant for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng felt warm inside. He kissed her on the cheek. ¡°It¡¯s alright as long as my wife remembers. Who cares about the others?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to appear assured and aloof, but she couldn¡¯t conceal the smile on the corners of her lips.

    The two of them walked a few more steps before dimir, the second-inmand of the KGB, and the KGB driver, caught up.

    ¡°Cereus! Cereus!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to see them and asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there anything else?¡±

    dimir stopped and panted slightly. ¡°It¡¯s like this, you¡¯ve done us a huge favor today!¡±

    Indicating that she really had done them a ¡°huge¡± favor, he gestured with his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by him. ¡°It¡¯s a piece of cake. No matter who the kid is, I wouldn¡¯t have sat by doing nothing.¡±

    ¡°I hate human traffickers the most!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her fist to show her hatred.

    ¡°Human traffickers?!¡± dimir was bbergasted, but he quickly regained hisposure and said with a big smile, ¡°They are human traffickers! They are human traffickers! ¡±

    The KGB driver chuckled to himself as he thought about how the two elite MI5 agents who had tried to kidnap little Dimi were used of being human traffickers!

    If they were still alive, they would have been just as amused..

    But he took a liking to Gu Nianzhi!

    The KGB driver got excited, so he beat dimir to it. ¡°Oh Cereus, you¡¯re so good at catching human traffickers! You¡¯ve contributed so much, and today is your engagement day. We¡¯re going to give you a gift! Tell us, what gift do you want? As long as we can, we¡¯ll definitely grant your wish!¡±

    dimir red at the driver. Stealing the show?! Drama Queen!

    These were clearly his lines!

    dimir pushed the middle-aged driver away as he nodded. ¡°Yes, what gift do you want? What is your wish? As long as you mention it, we will definitely think of a way to grant it!¡± After saying that, he winked and emphasized, ¡°Really, you know how we are. There is nothing in this world that we can not achieve!¡±

    His promise was backed by the entire KGB, or even Russia!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted tough. She finally realized who was really thanking her..

    However, the person they should be thanking the most was Huo Shaoheng, not her.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said with a smile, ¡°Really? You¡¯re not bluffing, are you? You really can fulfill any wish?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re so nice, so you definitely won¡¯t make any unreasonable requests. ¡± dimir smiled brightly. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll promise simply anyone? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled even more innocently. ¡°Really? I do have a wish, and only you guys can fulfill it.¡±

    ¡°Say it! Just say it! If we can¡¯t do it, we¡¯ll admit defeat! ¡± Ready to go all out, the KGB driver rolled up his sleeves.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng and smiled. ¡°I really like your Tu-160 White Swan bomber. My wish is for my fianc¨¦ to fly me around in the TU-160. Is that okay?¡±

    Actually, the person who really liked this bomber was Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart jumped.

    If he had the chance to personally fly the TU-160, he, whose soul belonged to a fighter pilot, would die without any regrets!

    ¡°Huh? You want this?¡± dimir and the driver were very surprised.

    They had originally thought that this little girl would want a designer bag or even an upscale apartment in Moscow. They had already prepared everything.

    Unexpectedly, what she really wanted was for her fianc¨¦ to take her on a flight ¡ª 160!

    It was something they expected and yet didn¡¯t foresee at the same time.

    The two of them nced at each other, then took out their phones together. They dialed a special number and immediately began to bber unintelligibly.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng stood beside each other quietly.

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her and asked with his eyes, ¡°Why?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and raised the big diamond ring in her hand. She mouthed silently, ¡°It¡¯s a gift to return the favor.¡±

    He had given her a one-of-a-kind big diamond ring, and she had also granted him what he wished for the most.

    ..

    Not long after, dimir hung up the phone and said with a big smile, ¡°Yes, they agreed! We can let you fly the most advanced map-160160m2, which is the upgraded version of the MAP-160!¡±

    Actually, it was an upgrade in terms of the GPS system and engine of the best performing old Tu-160s, so it wasn¡¯t really considered a brand new aircraft.

    They can¡¯t build a brand new tu-160 from scratch at the moment.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart was pounding, but he maintained hisposure on the surface. However, his voice sounded a little shaky as he said politely, ¡°I hope it won¡¯t be too much trouble for you. ¡±

    ¡°Of course not! Just treat it as a test flight for us!¡± The middle-aged KGB driver said quickly.

    ¡°Will it kill you to stay quiet?!¡± dimir roared at him.

    The two of them bickered with each other the entire way. They got into the car with Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, then headed towards the secret airfield of the military base.

    ..

    On the tarmac in the distance, Beautiful White Swan strategic nuclear bombers were lined up in neat formations, and appeared ready to fly into the sky at any moment.

    Gu Nianzhi was awestruck.

    ¡°The Russians really have reached the pinnacle of their violent aesthetics.¡± She muttered in awe as she got out of dimir¡¯s jeep.

    ¡°Of course.¡± The middle-aged driver poked his head out of the jeep and whistled. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it? When it drops its bombs, boom! Its beauty is second to none!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    dimir winked at Huo Shaoheng mirthfully. ¡°Your fianc¨¦e is really impressive. She helped you fulfill your wish. This is her engagement gift to you, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡°

 Chapter 1233 - Secret Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 1233 Secret Weapon</h4>

    dimir, the second-inmand of the KGB,ughed even more heartily when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s poker face.He patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and change. ¡±

    Besides changing into a full set of pilot¡¯s clothing and equipment, of course they couldn¡¯t avoid a full body metal inspection, which was even more stringent than the security check before boarding the ne.

    Even though they had agreed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s conditions, these people knew exactly what Huo Shaoheng did, so they still had to be wary.

    It would be fine for him to personally operate and fly the MAP-160, but he absolutely couldn¡¯t bring onto the ne any equipment that could secretly photograph or record.

    After all, in terms of copying, these Huaxia Empire people were second to none on the entire blue.

    After Gu Nianzhi came out of the metal inspection door, she also changed into a female pilot¡¯s uniform.

    It was a very handsome pilot¡¯s jacket. The helmet appeared like an astronaut¡¯s helmet, and there was a special pair of aviator sunsses on it.

    She had a small face to begin with, so wearing the pilot¡¯s helmet made her face appear even smaller than the size of a palm.

    When the KGB driver saw here out, he couldn¡¯t help reaching out his palm to gesture in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. It really wasn¡¯t as big as his palm!

    Upon seeing this, dimir angrily pped his palm away and said, ¡°Your palm is like a bear¡¯s paw, so of course it¡¯s bigger than Cereus¡¯s face! Why are you messing around?! ¡±

    The chauffeur: ¡°... ¡±

    This bruised his ego!

    He huffed and puffed as he climbed into the cabin of tu-160 first.

    Huo Shaoheng followed behind him when boarding the ne.

    dimir smiled as he turned around to lead Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Cereus,e, you go in first, and I¡¯ll best. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. ¡°Thank you, sir. ¡±

    Her voice was soft and sweet, especially when she was talking to someone she knew. She didn¡¯t sound pretentious, but her voice made it hard for people to get mad at her. She was a natural fire extinguishing system..

    dimir smiled kindly as he looked at her.

    Where did these people hail from?

    Their methods were even more ruthless than those of the Special Operations forces.

    They didn¡¯t even bat an eye when they indifferently killed the two elite MI5 agents.

    But he was bing more and more soft-hearted towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi climbed into the cabin before him.

    This was her first time seeing the world in such arge nuclear strategic bomber.

    It was much more spacious than the fighter nes she had seen before.

    A typical fighter ne could only seat one person, and a slightlyrger one could seat two.

    But this tu-160 could seat four people.

    The first two seats in the cockpit were for the pilot and the co-pilot, and thest two seats were for two navigators and co-operators.

    One of the navigators was responsible for the operation of offensive weapons, such asunching various cruise missiles and, if necessary, dropping nuclear bombs.

    The other navigation system was mainly responsible for electronic warfare, high-altitudemunications, or jamming the enemy¡¯s radar and electronic systems.

    Each of the four had their own red star K-36L7000 ejection seat, which allowed them to eject from the escape hatch upward and parachute out.

    Huo Shaoheng and dimir Sat in the two seats in front of them respectively.

    Huo Shaoheng was the pilot, while dimir was the co-pilot.

    Gu Nianzhi sat directly behind Huo Shaoheng. It was usually the seat of one of the navigation systems, so many of the dashboard controls in front of her were cruise missile control systems.

    In the second seat of the navigation system, the middle-aged driver sat next to Gu Nianzhi. The console in front of him was responsible for electronic warfare and high-altitudemunication systems.

    However, this was only a test flight. The console in front of Gu Nianzhi and the middle-aged driver waspletely useless. Only the one in front of the pilot¡¯s seat was effective.

    After dimir sat down in the cockpit, the canopy slowly closed.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately felt her breathing grow more rapid. She didn¡¯t have enough oxygen.

    Imitating the other three people in the cockpit, she put on the oxygen mask and seat belt.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the console in front of him first, then skillfully ced his right hand on the center lever.

    dimir had originally wanted to exin in English, but then he rubbed his nose silently and narrowed his eyes as he said¡± ... Major General Huo, you¡¯re familiar with all of this already aren¡¯t you? Then I won¡¯t exin... ¡±

    Upon thinking about it further, he really felt ambivalent.

    The console, which was all in Russian, had no cognitive barriers in front of this major general from the Huaxia Empire. Not only was its movements standard enough to be textbook-level, but he maneuvered it also very naturally,as if he had worked maneuvered it under such conditions countless times..

    How much did he covet the White Swan!

    dimir felt both prideful and sad.

    It was a pity that they couldn¡¯t even build such a good ne themselves..

    dimir pursed his lips, and from the corner of his eye, he quickly nced at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting right behind Huo Shaoheng. She was sitting diagonally behind him, but saw that she was tilting her body. Her eyes gleamed as she watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s every move, and the expression in her eyes made her appear like a typical ¡°fangirl¡±..

    This girl was too easy to read!

    dimir¡¯s affection for Gu Nianzhi immediately magnified!

    Not only wasn¡¯t she disdainful of men in their industry, she was virtuous and considerate, as well as used her own abilities to help him realize his dreams!

    Did another girl like this exist? !

    If there were, then he¡¯d like a dozen!

    As dimir¡¯s thoughts ran wild, Huo Shaoheng had already familiarized himself with all the operating procedures and started tomunicate with the ground control desk.

    ¡± ... Road, clear. ¡±

    ¡± ... Wind, clear. ¡±

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep and steady voice reverberated in the cockpit as he went through the pre-takeoff checks one by one.

    On the runway in front, a few ground crew members in gaudy bright yellow clothing made a ¡°let¡¯s go¡± hand gesture.

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand decisively and pushed the joystick forward with his right hand.

    Boom!

    Two balls of raging mes shot out from the engine. The white swan-like figure-160 was quickly activated and sped up on the runway.

    Gu Nianzhi simply felt her seat belt suddenly tighten around her chest, and she couldn¡¯t breathe due to the eleration.

    The speed was so fast that it took less than three minutes for the ne to go from zero to supersonic speed. Gu Nianzhi began to feel dizzy.

    At that moment, the KGB driver next to her suddenly waved his arms excitedly, and was practically dancing in the cockpit.

    ¡°Yow, Yow, Yow, Yow, Yow, Yow, yow, yow! ¡±

    ¡°Shut up! ¡± dimir turned around and yelled at him, ¡°Shout again and I¡¯ll eject you right now! I mean it! ¡±

    The middle-aged driver quickly covered his mouth with his mask and stopped shouting. However, his animated eyes flickered left and right, then finally fell on Gu Nianzhi.

    After opening theirmunication channel, the middle-aged driver whispered into her earpiece, ¡°Cereus, are you airsick? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Her entire face was buried in her helmet and mask. How did the middle-aged driver figure out that she was airsick?

    But at this point, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t tell the truth even if she was feeling dizzy.

    She said calmly, ¡°No, I¡¯m just observing the weather. ¡± As she spoke, she looked out the window.

    The middle-aged driver: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who was in the front row, was tensely preupied with piloting.

    He gradually exerted strength in his arms and pushed the joystick forward little by little, then pulling it up. Finally, the White Swan flew up into the air along with the airflow and soared into the sky!

    Thergest long-range bomber, the most powerful horsepower, the best cruise missile system, the most flexible fusge, and the smoothest operating system.

    It wasn¡¯tpletely controlled by the electronic system, but by the semi-mechanical console, so the pilot could exert greater subjective initiative.

    He was truly piloting a ne, instead of operating a ne on a disy screen like when ying video games.

    Unfortunately, most airnes now had fully automatic flight systems, so pilots piloted airnes almost exactly the same as in video games.

    In reality, many flight schools used flight simtion systems in the form of video games.

    A gaming master was also likely to be a capable pilot.

    But an upper limit existed, and that was the upper limit of the autopilot system.

    As for the semi-mechanized operating system, there was no limit in terms of flying.

    The better the piloting skills of the pilot are, the more he would be able to perform anything with the aircraft in his hands.

    Of course, when people of mediocre piloting skills are piloting, the autopilot system would be able to improve the pilot¡¯s piloting skills.

    However, when faced with a true human genius, the autpilot system would still be greatly inferior.

    At this moment, Huo Shaoheng disyed the blueprint of a flying genius flying freely in the blue sky.

    Every turn he made, every technical aplishment, was the realization of countless flying instructors¡¯ dreams!

    Vertical 90-degree pull-up, dive, 360-degree turn spiral, the beautiful figure-160 was like a white swan dancing in the blue sky after waking up from a deep sleep.

    The entire Air Force secret base was stunned by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s piloting skills.

    Countless cameras and cell phones aimed at the little white dot in the sky that appeared far or near from time to time.

    ¡°Oh my God! Oh my God! It¡¯s a series that willst a lifetime! ¡±

    ¡°Turns out you can actually pilot that way! ¡±

    ¡°Has he really never operated the tu-160 before? ! ¡±

    ¡°This is his first time?! His first time?! ¡±

    ¡°Jeez! I¡¯m on my kness! If we¡¯re going to fight against their country in the future, don¡¯t call me! I refuse to be his enemy! ¡±

    ..

    A series of exmations came from the mouths of ace pilots, and the meaning of this was even more symbolic.

    Huo Shaoheng had no idea about the kind of sensation and attention he had attracted.

    He was simply fully immersed in piloting, immersed in piloting the white swan long-range nuclear strategic bomber!

    Because he might never get a second chance!

    Her eyes fixed towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction, Gu Nianzhi tilted her body.

    In the eyes of dimir and the driver, Gu Nianzhi was staring at her fianc¨¦ lovingly.

    In reality, her attention waspletely focused on the scrolling data disyed on the dashboard in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Rows of numbers shed through her eyes, and she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off them.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand Russian, but she could still recognize the Arabic numerals.

    With so many parameters, she memorized them all with her amazing photographic memory.

    She had carefully looked at every corner of the cockpit and stored them in her camera-like brain.

    This was the secret weapon that the metal detection door could never detect!

 Chapter 1234 - A Surprise For You

    <h4>Chapter 1234 A Surprise For You</h4>

    Its speed as fast as lightning and almost leaving a trail of afterimages across the human retina, the white swan soared through the blue sky.When it slowlynded at the secret airport of the military base, countless ground crew and pilots swarmed over. They lifted Huo Shaoheng up as if he was a hero returning victorious, and they threw him into the air again and again!

    ¡°W! W! ¡±

    The sound of cheering reverberated throughout.

    At this moment, everyone had temporarily forgotten the boundaries of their country.

    Everyone was sunply expressing their admiration for the hero, as well as their joy and admiration for the human race¡¯s ability to push new limits.

    Struck with pride, Gu Nianzhi stood proudly in the middle of the two KGB officers. ¡°This is my Major General Huo, extremely impressive! ¡±

    The two KGB officers nced at each other and became even more amiable towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Cereus, since today is such a joyous day, shall we all go out for drinks together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched her face and shook her head regretfully. ¡°I¡¯m still dizzy. I nearly vomited moments before. I¡¯m going back to rest for a while. Can we go out to have fun tomorrow?¡± She then added, ¡°I can¡¯t drink yet. I¡¯m not even 22.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± The middle-aged driver jumped up. ¡°You¡¯re not even 22?! Didn¡¯t you graduate from Graduate School?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... to be precise, I¡¯m not even 20.¡±

    The middle-aged driver pursed his lips and pounded his chest heavily. He howled like an ape, ¡°I can¡¯t live anymore! I can¡¯t live anymore! You¡¯re only half my age, but your rank is twice as high as mine!¡±

    dimir sneered at the side. ¡°Only half your age? Do you know how to count? Are you really only 40? Do you have any sense of shame? ¡±

    As if someone had grabbed his throat, the driver abruptly stopped howling.

    He coughed awkwardly and said in a serious tone, ¡°Alright now, it¡¯s impolite to discuss age in front of ady. dimir, let¡¯s not talk about such a delicate topic.¡±

    He was the one who had brought it up first, and now he was ming it on dimir.

    dimir was so angry that he couldn¡¯t speak.

    Gu Nianzhi stood by the side with a smile on her face. She tried to console dimir first. ¡°I don¡¯t mind so it¡¯s fine. Just say whatever you want.¡±

    Then she asked the driver, ¡°... How old are you exactly?¡±

    Young girls under the age of 20 didn¡¯t mind discussing age.

    The ones who did mind were mature women over the age of 30.

    As for men, those who do mind discussing age are at least over the age of 40.

    The driver¡¯s eyes appeared dodgey, but he did not answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. After muttering a few words, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll drive the car over and take you back to the hotel.¡± With that said, he ran off and disappeared.

    dimir was very pleased with Gu Nianzhi. He lowered his head, pulled out his phone, and sent a Wechat message. He then pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm. ¡± ... Go and click like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took out her phone and saw a red dot on her moments page.

    She clicked it open and saw that she had added a new post on her moments page under the name ¡°dimir-KGB No. 2.¡±.

    [dimir-KGB No. 2] : Today, I sat in the most thrilling tu-160 ever. I even saw the cutest little fairy, Cereus. I like it. JPG.

    The apanying picture was one of Gu Nianzhi gazing towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction from the cockpit.

    However, in the picture, the dashboard in front of Huo Shaoheng had beenpletely blurred, and only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful profile was clearly visible.

    From the angle that dimir had taken the picture, Gu Nianzhi appeared enamored, and her eyes appeared glued to Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile.

    This was a good photo. Although the dashboard had been blurred, dimir must not have known that Gu Nianzhi was aputer expert..

    If she couldn¡¯t do it, there was still Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze.

    With the three of them, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to restore the blurred background..

    Gu Nianzhi clicked open the photo and happily chose to ¡°save it to my phone¡±.

    She liked the photo below andmented, ¡°Uncle dimir, you tter me. Thank you for your gift. I really like it!¡±

    dimir replied immediately.

    [dimir-kgb No. 2] : When are you getting married? You must invite me to the wedding!

    Gu Nianzhi nced at dimir, who was right beside her, and felt tongue-tied.

    After a while, the middle-aged driver drove the jeep to their side, honked the horn, and said, ¡°What are you guys doing? Get in the car.¡±

    dimir didn¡¯t even look up as he said, ¡°I¡¯m replying to Cereus¡¯s Wechat moment. Don¡¯t make a scene.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you!¡± The middle-aged driver honked the horn frantically. ¡°Cereus is standing right next to you, and you¡¯re not talking to her, but chatting with her on Wechat?!¡±

    Out of humiliation, dimir flew into a rage. He swiftly stuffed his phone back into his pocket and red at the middle-aged driver. ¡°Just you wait! I¡¯m sending you to Siberia to dig up ck soil!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re using your official position to avenge your personal grudge!¡± The middle-aged driver was also angry. He was always being scolded. Even y Bodhisattva has a temper.

    ¡°How am I using my official position to avenge my personal grudge? You¡¯re being disrespectful to your boss!¡± dimir knocked on the car window. ¡°Who talks to their boss like that?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous of me! ¡± The middle-aged driver put on a long face. ¡°You¡¯re jealous that I¡¯m more likable than you are!¡±

    So what if they were all immature!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter.

    dimir: ¡°... ¡±

    She really had no idea how to deal with him.

    It would be unfortunate to have such a happy-go-lucky subordinate!

    Forget it, forget it.

    Upon seeing that Huo Shaoheng had arrived, dimir stopped bickering with the middle-aged driver. They got into the car to send Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi back to their hotel.

    Huo Shaoheng was still in a state of excitement. His handsome face was filled with an indescribable vigor and suaveness.

    Although he still appeared calm andposed, when he got into the car and saw the beaming Gu Nianzhi, he couldn¡¯t help but hugg her and kiss her.

    ¡°Ah AH AH AH AH AH, my eyes are really going blind from all the PDA!¡± When the chauffeur saw themn from the rear view mirror, he turned his head to shout again.

    This time, dimir didn¡¯t scold him. He followed up by saying, ¡°... I¡¯ve be blind long ago!¡± Then he calmly took out a pair of sunsses and put them on.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kiss was long and passionate. It was as if he wanted to vent all his excitement through this kiss.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips grew numb from his kiss, and she finally pushed him away.

    She wanted to say something to him, but when she saw the passion in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s usually calm deep eyes, she suppressed the urge.

    She rolled her eyes and red at him.

    Huo Shaoheng felt that his life wasplete.

    The woman he loved the most had finally agreed to marry him and was no longer angry at him. She had even given him a gift that he would never forget for his entire life!

    ..

    Back at the hotel entrance, Huo Shaoheng wanted to express his gratitude to the two KGB men. The two of them waved their hands and left without saying anything.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in a hurry to go back to her room to organize her memory.

    ¡°Major General Huo, I have a headache. I need to go back and sleep for a while.¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at him.

    Huo Shaoheng snapped back to reality and became a little worried. ¡°Airsick? It¡¯s my fault. I got carried away today. I didn¡¯t expect you to not be used to the speed of a fighter jet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her forehead with her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be fine after I go back and sleep for a while.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you up and sleep with you. ¡± Huo Shaoheng put his arm around her shoulder and walked towards the lobby elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly rejected him. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll sleep alone. Don¡¯t you have other work to do?¡±

    She was implying that she didn¡¯t need Huo Shaoheng to apany her. Although Huo Shaoheng was worried, he saw how insistent Gu Nianzhi was, so he didn¡¯t insist. He only said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just sit in your living room and take care of some mail. We¡¯ll order dinner when you wake up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to refuse. ¡°It¡¯s really not necessary. We just got engaged today, but you¡¯re already staying over in my room. Isn¡¯t that bad?¡±

    This reminded Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Oh right, we¡¯re engaged. You can stay at my ce.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything else. He pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm into the elevator and walked to the door of her room. ¡°Pack your things and stay at my ce.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room was bigger and more luxurious. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was a standard room.

    They hadn¡¯t announced their rtionship publicly before. It was simr to the rtionship between a superior and a subordinate, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to live together openly.

    But now that they were engaged, who would dare object?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care about these gossips to begin with. He didn¡¯t force her to stay with him only because he was concerned about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood.

    Now that they were engaged, they had a sword of their own.

    Anyone who dared to act recklessly would be stabbed in the back.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect her excuses to backfire on her. In a moment of desperation, she said, ¡°There is surveince on your room, yet you want me to stay there?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmed down after hearing what Gu Nianzhi said.

    He had forgotten about the surveince and recording equipment in his room because he was distracted by how he could be together with Gu Nianzhi in the open now.

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll stay in your room.¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he returned to his room to pack up his things. At the same time, he checked out of his luxurious suite.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°... ¡±

    ..

    ¡°Go to sleep. Why are you still standing?¡± Huo Shaoheng came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, and after putting his things away, he looked up to see that Gu Nianzhi had no intention of sleeping.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and said honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t actually want to sleep.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is your body feeling unwell? Or are you feeling mentally unwell? ¡± Huo Shaoheng was a little anxious, but it didn¡¯t appear so on the surface. His expression was calm, and his voice sounded as low and mellow as usual.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over with her head lowered. She stretched out a finger and hooked it around the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt. She said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve memorized all the data from your flight moments before. I wanted to write it down and give you a surprise... ¡±

    Now that Huo Shaoheng was insisting on spending the night with her, how could she give him a surprise?!

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned.

    Moved and overjoyed, he was gradually ovee with a wave of emotions.

    He slowly pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and ced it on his chest. He couldn¡¯t say a word. He simply let her feel the beating of his heart, which beated even more rapidly than usual.

    It beated so powerfully and so intensely that it was as if his heart was going to jump out of his chest any moment.

    Upon feeling his strong heartbeat, Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise. In his eyes, she saw his unconcealed love that seemed as deep as the sea.

    She wanted the sea, and he could finally give it to her.

    It was as if a traveler on a long journey had finally seen the bright light of home quietly beaming warm light in the night sky.

    She should be smiling with satisfaction, but when she smiled, tears fell.

    ¡°You¡¯re too old to be crying andughing.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he shook his head, then he took out a tissue to wipe away her tears.

    ..

    That night, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t sleep for the entire night.

    The both of them used theirptops and worked together to restore the data on the white swan ne.

    Gu Nianzhi recorded all the flight parameters first and showed them to Huo Shaoheng for him to confirm and correct.

    Huo Shaoheng restored the background of the photo dimir had posted on his Wechat moments.

    Next, Gu Nianzhi used her memory to draw the entire cockpit using mapping software.

    She didn¡¯t have any special artistic talent. The blueprint of the cockpit using the mapping software could only be considered decent in terms of its general direction and specific markings, but the drawing was much more uglier than the original cockpit.

    When Huo Shaoheng looked at the flight parameters, he was impressed by Gu Nianzhi again.

    She actually remembered all those flight parameters, that appeared like rolling wheels, so clearly!

    Based on his experience, there wasn¡¯t a single mistake.

    However, when he saw the cockpit blueprint that Gu Nianzhi had drawn with the mapping software, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    Gu Nianzhi asked quickly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that the drawing doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled as he stroked her head.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and looked unhappy.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned in and rested his head on top of hers, then said calmly, ¡°... I don¡¯t want you to be too smart.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi appeared to be too smart for her own good, Huo Shaoheng felt insecure sometimes. He was afraid that she would disappear one day.

    Now that he saw that she also had ws, instead of feeling regretful, he felt that her ws made her even more perfect.

    Her ws made her perfect, and only then would she be with him forever.

 Chapter 1235 - Infinite Glory

    <h4>Chapter 1235 Infinite Glory</h4>

    He doesn¡¯t want her to be intelligent?What was that supposed to mean?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think much of it, but her mood improved.

    She wrapped her arms around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and said with a smile, ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll love me regardless of whether I¡¯m intelligent or stupid?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pretended to think about it for a moment, and said, ¡± ... of course you can¡¯t be too stupid or too intelligent. Just be like a normal person.¡±

    Hmph! Who would believe you!¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed him away and continued to review her data.

    The two of them worked hard all night and finally finished recovering all the data and mapping. They sent it back to the Special Operations Forces¡¯ cloud ount.

    Because they had used their own country¡¯s Nandou satellitemunication and navigation system to ess the Inte andmunicate, they didn¡¯t have to worry about their secrets being leaked when they were on the inte or on the phone. Indeed, the security measures improved greatly.

    Huo Shaoheng adjusted the position of his long legs and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Are you tired? Why don¡¯t you rest in the hotel today?¡±

    Today was the opening day of the International Special Forces Competition.

    Huo Shaoheng hade to Moscow mainly for this reason.

    After showing his face at the opening ceremony, he could retire with sess.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sleepy. Although she had been busy all night, she was still in high spirits from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s proposal the day before.

    She shook her head reluctantly. ¡°But I want to see your glorious moment in front of the huge crowd. ¡±

    As the saying went, ¡°You feel the glory of being in the center of thousands of people. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had never cared about these superficial courtesies, but when he thought of Gu Nianzhi gazing at him from below the stage, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction and pleasure.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t sleep for the entire night... ¡± Huo Shaoheng was worried that her body couldn¡¯t take it.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and walked around the room. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Look at me. Do I look sleepy?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes as he studied her.

    It had been a busy night, but her little face appeared rosy pink, like a boiled egg that had just been peeled.

    Herrge eyes sparkled, and she didn¡¯t look tired at all.

    The corners of her lips appeared red and moist, and the rosy tint on her cheeks made her appear like she was glowing from the inside out.

    How could she look like someone who had had stayed up all night?

    Huo Shaoheng was puzzled. It was normal for him to stay up all night, but Gu Nianzhi had grown up with him, so staying up all night had be the norm for her.

    Whenever it was bedtime, as long as he was at home, he would urge her to go to bed. Her daily schedule was as orderly as that of the military camp.

    ¡°Are you really not tired? ¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°You didn¡¯t drink any caffeinated beverages, did you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. ¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched.

    Can¡¯t he take her for her word?

    Or can¡¯t he just take it for granted that she¡¯s in a good mood so she was feeling especially energetic and in cheerful?

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced. Just as she was about to continue trying to persuade Huo Shaoheng, her phone started ringing on the coffee table.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to it and unlocked it. It was that same special Russian phone number that belonged t the man who had personally called to thank her for saving little Dimi and had offered to give her a big present.

    ¡°Hello ¡±

    ¡°Hello, our president would like to invite you to attend today¡¯s opening ceremony of the International Special Forces Competition. Are you free to attend?¡± The person on the other end asked politely.

    The person who had spoken was not the man fromst time, but probably his subordinate.

    Gu Nianzhi froze for a moment, then said quickly, ¡°I have time! I have time!¡±

    Sigh!

    The Russian President had personally invited her to attend the opening ceremony of the International Special Forces Competition. How could she say no?!

    How could Huo Shaoheng refuse?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled proudly and handed the phone to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look, he personally called to invite me to attend the opening ceremony of the International Special Forces Competition.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ..

    The two of them packed up and left the hotel. They nned to go to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s special forces military camp first.

    Huo Shaoheng was considered the highest-ranking official among the leaders of the team this time. Although he wasn¡¯t in charge, he was officially the highest-ranking leader.

    He had to enter with his own country¡¯s special forces.

    However, as soon as they exited the hotel, they saw the familiar jeep.

    The second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, was leaning against the door of the jeep with his arms crossed. He was smoking a cigarwith his other hand.

    When he saw Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhie out, he quickly threw the cigar into the trash can and walked over with a smile on his face. ¡°Cereus, I¡¯ve been ordered to pick you up for the opening ceremony of the International Special Forces Competition.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°... Why are you guys here? How long have you all been waiting?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t surprised.

    If the head of the Russian KGB was on a diplomatic trip in the Huaxia Empire, he would also have to send someone to keep an eye on him day and night. This was internationally ubiquitous diplomatic protocol..

    However, Huo Shaoheng felt a little displeased that the two of them had been watching Gu Nianzhi.

    He said calmly, ¡°She¡¯ll go with me.¡±

    ¡°Go with you? Does she have a military rank in your army, or does she have a proper job?¡± dimir rolled its eyes. ¡°How can you let such a nice girl sneak around with you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! ¡± The middle-aged driver stuck his head out of the car window and said excitedly, ¡°It¡¯ll be different if shees with us! We¡¯ll send her in openly, and don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t do anything to her.¡±

    dimir already had nothing more to say about the middle-aged driver¡¯s habit of stealing the show.

    With a nk expression on his face, he reached out and pressed his hand against the middle-aged driver¡¯s forehead, then shoved him back into the car window.

    ¡°Cereus, we have an ID from the Internal Affairs Department and an invitation from the president. Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine.¡± dimir showed her the ID and the invitation.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised to see her name on the invitation.

    She took the invitation and nced at it. She said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go with them?¡±

    As long as she could get in, she didn¡¯t mind the method.

    But these two people hade to her with the invitation in broad daylight, so it was better than sneaking in with Huo Shaoheng, wasn¡¯t it?

    Huo Shaoheng naturally had a way to get Gu Nianzhi in, but now that the KGB had their eyes on her, it would be difficult to sneak in.

    But would he be at ease?

    However, at this moment, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want these people to see how important Gu Nianzhi was to him.

    He would let them think that he valued her and loved her, but not to the point that she was his weakness.

    If the KGB saw this, Huo Shaoheng knew that it would be disaster instead of blessing for Gu Nianzhi..

    He nodded lightly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you can go with them.¡±

    He didn¡¯t even look back as he got into the military camp¡¯s car that came to pick him up, and the car drove off.

    dimir¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°He, he, he, he... he just left like that! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very certain of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intentions now. She was no longer as worried about gains and losses as she was before, so she wasn¡¯t unhappy.

    She spread out her hands dismissively and said with a smile, ¡°Yeah, he left, so I¡¯ll just have to go with you guys.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it! Cereus,e on up. There will be a surprise during today¡¯s opening ceremony!¡± The middle-aged driver finally stuck his head out again.

    dimir sneered. ¡°Now that you spoiled it, it isn¡¯t a surprise anymore! ¡±

    ¡°Oh... ¡± the middle-aged driver finally shut his mouth and stepped on the gas pedal to drive away.

    The three of them had breakfast on the way.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi had already eaten, she couldn¡¯t resist dimir¡¯s warm invitation, and the variety of mixed grain porridges appeared very appetizing to her, so she couldn¡¯t help but have another bowl.

    When she arrived at the park for the opening ceremony, she was about to bete.

    The three of them showed their invitations and were quickly led in through the fastne.

    When they arrived at the venue, Gu Nianzhi could only gasp in surprise.

    In the grassy venue, there were teams of Special Forces troops from all over the world. As if they could break someone¡¯s neck with their bare hands any moment, all of them had fierce expressions on their faces.

    She nced over and immediately saw the special forces troops from the Huaxia Empire because they had the best military posture, vitality, and good looks!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced over, but didnt see Huo Shaoheng sitting in the middle of the Special Forces soldiers.

    Just as she was feeling puzzled, dimir pulled her arm and motioned for her to look at the podium.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and indeed saw the Russian President Putin sitting in the center of the podium next to Huo Shaoheng!

    The empty seat on the other side of the president made Huo Shaoheng stand out even more.

    The leaders of other countries¡¯ Special Forces also sat on the podium, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s seat was the most eye-catching!

    Among all the leaders with fierce expressions on their faces, Huo Shaoheng, who was already very good-looking, stood out even more. He made the people around him look like beasts.

    Only the president rivaled Huo Shaoheng with his 2.8-meter imposing height.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help bt smile and even waved at the podium.

    Just then, a staff member walked over and smiled at Gu Nianzhi as he said in English. ¡°Miss Gu? Please follow me. Our president has reserved a seat for you as well.¡±

    dimir and the chauffeur smiled as they pushed Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Go, go, we¡¯LL protect you from behind! ¡±

    The middle-aged driver gestured with his fingers as if he was pointing a gun.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Feeling as if she was sleepwalking, she followed the staff member backstage, then took the steps towards the podium.

    The president turned around and saw her. He waved at her with a smile on his face and said in an extremely friendly manner, ¡°Cereus,e, sit beside me. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure if he had left the microphone on identally or intentionally.

    His deep and mellow voice sounded through the microphone and reverberated in the air above the venue.

    The venue, which had been somewhat noisy, immediately fell silent. Thousands of pairs of eyes stared at her as she walked step by step to the other side of the president.

 Chapter 1236 - A Witness To A Historical Momen

    <h4>Chapter 1236 A Witness To A Historical Momen</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a timid girl. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to speak so fluently and confidently in front of so many people in court.But this time, she felt caught off guard.

    She waspletely unprepared. She had been singled out by the president and became the focus of everyone¡¯s attention.

    She didn¡¯t know how she had managed to finally approach the president.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting on the other side of the president, stood up as well. His gentle and calm gaze fell on her. It was due to his tacit encouragement andfort that she finally managed to calm her nerves.

    Her wildly beating heart finally med down. She no longer felt dazed.

    Her gaze gradually focused on the president in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s self-assurance andposure had returned. She curiously gazed at the famous president.

    He wasn¡¯t that tall indeed, and he even seemed to be a little shorter than Gu Nianzhi when she was wearing high heels.

    But his majestic aura was indeed unrivaled.

    In front of such a person, physical appearance and other superficial things weren¡¯t worth mentioning.

    One could feel his imposing aura that was as steady as a mountain, and it was as if the world was just a globe in his hands.

    Even a casual twirl of his fingers would have an immeasurable impact on the entire world.

    He wasn¡¯t very handsome, but when one looked at him, one couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to him.

    This sort of mysterious charm was also present on Huo Shaoheng.

    Was this vibe particr to military men on the special front like them?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were running wild, so she was no longer nervous.

    She politely shook the President¡¯s outstretched hand and smiled as she said, ¡°Thank you, president, for your kind words.¡±

    ¡°Cereus, you¡¯re wee. ¡± The Russian President, Pushin, held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, but had no intention of letting go.

    Pulling her in to stand beside him, Pushin smiled at the crowd of the most powerful special forces soldiers from all over the world. ¡°Before today¡¯s opening ceremony, I would like to share some good news.¡±

    The simultaneous interpreter tranted President Pushin¡¯s words into English, German, French, and Chinese for everyone to hear.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes widened as she looked at Huo Shaoheng in surprise and delight.

    Huo Shaoheng was also slightly taken aback, but he quickly felt relieved.

    Since President Pushin had such good intentions, he would ept his goodwill.

    He nodded at Gu Nianzhi without batting an eye to assure her.

    As long as Huo Shaoheng was by her side, Gu Nianzhi had nothing to be afraid of.

    She smiled as she looked at President Pushin.

    On thewn below the podium, everyone seemed to have snapped back to reality and started whispering to each other as they discussed what good news the president was going to share that day.

    ¡± ... Is the president going to get married again?¡±

    ¡°No way! Or is he going to announce that he has a son?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna get into huge trouble! Our president only has two daughters!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, only two daughters. It¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t have a son...¡±

    Everyoneughed with tacit understanding. Someone also asked, ¡°What¡¯s the background of that young Asian girl? Although she¡¯s also very beautiful, I don¡¯t think Pushin would fancy such a young girl...¡±

    Just as everyone was specting, President Pushin continued, ¡°Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to witness the most beautiful and epic marriage proposal.¡±

    ¡°Right in front of the tomb of our unknown warrior, Major General Huo Shaoheng, fromthe Huaxia Empire, proposed to his beloved woman, Cereus.¡±

    ¡°While Cereus was very moved and immediately agreed to his proposal without any hesitation.¡±

    The simultaneous interpreter had just finished, and the venue, which had been bustling moments before, suddenly fell into a dead silence. It seemed as if even the air had frozen.

    The expressions of the Special Forces soldiers went nk for a moment, then they looked at Gu Nianzhi again.

    How could this fragile little girl, who seemed so frail, actually agree to a marriage proposal by a soldier in front of the Tomb of the unknown warrior?!

    They all knew what the tomb of the unknown warrior in Moscow symbolized to military men.

    Although most of them weren¡¯t Russian soldiers, the tomb of the unknown warrior was extremely sacred to soldiers from all over the world.

    Almost every soldier who knew about the tomb of the unknown warrior treated it with the respect and respect it deserved.

    Because to respect it was to respect themselves.

    Everyone looked at Gu Nianzhi with less ridicule and mockery, but more respect and affection in their eyes.

    Towards Huo Shaoheng, these soldiers were practically gnashing their teeth in anger!

    He had extremely high-level military skills, and he had also beat other Foreign Special Forces soldier at an International Special Forces Tournament once.

    He was already in a position of power now, and he also had a beautiful and understanding girl as his fianc¨¦e to boast as well!

    This didn¡¯t make any sense at all!

    Don¡¯t people say that you can¡¯t have your cake and eat it too?!

    People who have it all are simply too annoying! ! !

    No Way! No Way!

    With a poker face, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t react to the envious and spiteful audience. He didn¡¯t appear cold, but rather calm and collected as he focused his attention on Gu Nianzhi.

    He didn¡¯t know how President Poussin¡¯s actions would affect Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mental state, but he knew that at this moment, the whole world was watching.

    If Gu Nianzhi lost herposure even the slightest bit, it would be magnified infinitely. In the years toe, it would be a topic of conversation and a source of psychological trauma for her.

    Therefore, hoping that she would understand that with him by her side, she had nothing to worry about and nothing to be afraid of, he had been staring at her with a never-before-seen gentle countenance.

    Gu Nianzhi had indeed already calmed down some time ago.

    When President Pushin held her hand and said his first sentence, she already grasped what Pushin was going to say.

    She didn¡¯t flinch, nor did she appear ill at ease, awkward or shy.

    She stood next to President Pushin withposure. Her gaze would meet Huo Shaoheng¡¯s from time to time, and she would also asionally gaze at President Pushin, who was speaking with self-assurance and confidence. She carried herself with such grace and sophistication that it was as if this scene had been rehearsed thousands of times beforehand.

    Meanwhile, on Russian television stations and Inte broadcasts, the KGB driver and his boss, dimir, were watching the recordings and broadcast videos very closely.

    The two of them were getting too personal and biased with the details of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s on-screen appearance.

    ¡°Hey, your shot isn¡¯t good. It¡¯s too far away. Cereus¡¯s side profile looks the best at a 45-degree angle. What do you mean by taking a picture of her chin from the bottom up?¡± The KGB driver was always fooling around in front of Gu Nianzhi, but in front of his staff, he was actuallyy very authoritative.

    These people were all afraid of the KGB.

    ¡°You! Yes, I¡¯m talking about you! Cereus looked somewhat intimidated when she went on stage moments before. Cut that scene off! Don¡¯t broadcast it! If you dare broadcast it, I¡¯ll have your family thoroughly investigated!¡±

    ¡°And you, when you film our president, you have to include Cereus in it too! Didn¡¯t you see how much our president showered praises upon Cereus? How dare you go against our president¡¯s wishes?!¡±

    ¡°And for the BGM, use a masterposer, understand? This footage needs to be properly edited. The president wants to give it to Cereus as a souvenir. If you dare embarass us, watch how I¡¯ll teach you little brats a lesson!¡±

    At this time, dimir stood on the side without saying a word. He had the habit of intentionally feigning deafness from time to time.

    The staff members responsible for the broadcast were exasperated at the middle-aged driver, but they dared not protest to him. They had no choice but to turn to his superior, dimir, toin.

    However, they found that this didn¡¯t work at all. dimir looked as if he was in a daze and wasn¡¯t paying any attention to what they were saying at all.

    As time went on, everyone came to understand his intentions.

    They dared not continue to cause a ruckus, so they obediently filmed Gu Nianzhi as beautifully as they could.

    Although she was only on stage temporarily, the angle, lighting, and various backgrounds ¡ª even the BGM ¡ª were done with world-ss level expertise.

    And the Russians were indeed very artistically talented. They braced themselves and shot the scene on the podium on an ambitious level that rivaled that of Hollywood blockbusters.

    ..

    President Pushin fell silent for a moment, then he smiled and looked at the audience as he said, ¡°I was very delighted to witness their engagement ceremony. I hope that if there is the chance, I can also attend their wedding and be their witness.¡±

    As soon as the simultaneous interpretation was finished, the audience went wild!

    The entire venue erupted in an uproar!

    What kind of high-ss wedding was this?!

    And the Russian president would also be there to serve as a witness?!

    Damn!

    They had to step up their game and start building good diplomatic rtions with the Huaxia Empire in the future, just so they can get a wedding invitation to join in the fun and celebrate.

    At this moment, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were both a little surprised.

    They met each other¡¯s eyes silently.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately said in Russian, ¡°Thank you, president, for your kindness. Thank you, president. You witnessed our engagement and will witness our wedding again. This is the best wedding gift I can possibly give my fianc¨¦e. I hope you will take the time toe.¡±

    President Pushin nodded in satisfaction as he stared at Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and said in English, ¡°What about you, Cereus? Are you willing to let me be a witness to your wedding?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was already blushing, and she nodded vigorously. ¡°Of course, it would be our pleasure.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°You really areing, right? Don¡¯t get our hopes up for nothing... ¡±

    She almost bit her own tongue out of regret as soon as she finished her words.

    How could she say such a thing in public?!

    This was practically an insult to President Pushin..

    However, it was toote for he to regret her faux pas. Her voice sounded through the microphone and reached the audience.

    The Special Forces soldiers, who felt shocked just moments before, burst intoughter. They pped their thighs, whistled, and threw their hats into the air. The venue immediately erupted into a scene of mayhem.

    However, no one stopped them. Everyoneughed so hard until tears fell. Even the instructors and team leaders burst intoughter.

    President Poshinughed haertily.

    He turned to Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°I finally understand why you chosed to propose in front of the tomb of the unknown warrior. Without our ancestors to hold the fort, I don¡¯t think you would have been able to take down this sharp and clever youngdy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. She felt extremely bitter yet gratified inside.

    In the broadcast area below the podium, the KGB driver and his boss, dimir, stared at the small control screen in astonishment.

    The driver pinched dimir painfully.

    ¡°Why did you pinch me?!¡± dimir kicked the driver in retribution.

    ¡°Cereus actually dissed our president to his face!¡± The driver said in a trembling voice, ¡°I want to know whether or not I¡¯m dreaming...¡±

    ¡°Bah! How can you not know yourself whether or not you¡¯re dreaming? Can¡¯t you just pinch yourself?!¡± dimir was so angry that he kicked him a few more times. Then, he took out his phone and posted on his Wechat moments.

    [ dimir-KGB2] : The president was dissed to his face.¡ª¡ª I am a witness to a historical moment.

 Chapter 1237 - Winners In Life

    <h4>Chapter 1237 Winners In Life</h4>

    On thewn not that far away, Reinitz was sitting in his country¡¯s special forces area but wasn¡¯t on the podium as the leader.He hadn¡¯t wanted to show his face initially because he had already decided to live for his faith for the rest of his life.

    He hadn¡¯t expected to see Gu Nianzhi walk onto the podium.

    He was surprised to see the charming young girl blushing on the podium and couldn¡¯t help but draw a cross on his chest.

    ¡°May God bless you, my girl.¡±

    He silently prayed inside.

    ..

    On the podium, President Pushin held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in one hand and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand in the other. They ced their hands together and smiled at the thousands of elite Special Forces soldiers present. ¡°May God bless you all with bliss and happiness.¡±

    The sun shone through the dense treetops and onto the podium.

    The huge diamond ring on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand finally revealed its true dazzle.

    Whether it was the experienced special forces soldiers present or the audience in front of their televisions, every one of them gasped.

    This was probably the biggest diamond ring they had ever seen!

    It was a veritable quail egg!

    At the same time, the video being broadcast on the Russian television station¡¯s official website and on the Inte simultaneously was quickly uploaded to the Inte by viewers in Europe and the United States.

    The International Special Forces Competition wasn¡¯t a popr topic amongizens.

    In the West, this news was much less sensational than of Justin Bieber finding a new girlfriend.

    Therefore, the video was only witnessed by a small group of military fans at first.

    But soon, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s good looks, the engagement ceremony with the Russian president, and the huge diamond ring on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger that made the wedding rings of all the celebrities in Europe and the United States pale inparison, quickly became trending topics.

    On twitter, many designers and creative directors of luxury jewelry brands began discussing the origins of the giant diamond on the ring.

    The designer and creative director of Van Cleef u0026 Arpels personally posted on twitter to im the diamond ring on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger.

    She wrote: ¡± ...We have custom-made diamond rings from raw stones customers. It¡¯s a great honor for Van Cleef u0026 Arpels to be able to personally iy this Grand Duke Josephine diamond and bequeath it to the newlyweds. Oh, that¡¯s right, this diamond has been renamed ¡®Cereus Gu¡¯, which is the name of this bride-to-be. Congrattions, happy engagement!¡±

    Iimmediately breaking the twitter record and even causing the server to crash twice, her tweet was retweeted by millions of people within an hour. It became one of the most popr searches.

    This trend reached the Huaxia Empire, and it also started from the forums of small military fan groups.

    One of President Pushin¡¯s military fans uploaded this video to Weibo, and posted on a few big fashion media outlets and military media outlets at the same time, the topics were:

    #winners in life#

    #other people¡¯s engagement ceremony#

    It was soon discovered by everyone, who all began to repost.

    #My prince charming Emperor Pushin!#

    #Holy Shit! These two are going to have a heavenly wedding!#

    # Major General Huo is my prince charming! Rally for my prince charming!#

    # Am I the only one moved that they engaged at the tomb of the unknown warrior?#

    # You¡¯re not alone #

    ..

    At first, the craze wasn¡¯t obvious.

    But when a fashion guru and military blogger personally called attention to it, the retweets,ments, and likes immediately increased exponentially.

    Weibo¡¯s server was much stronger than twitter¡¯s, but it still couldn¡¯t withstand such poprity.

    This was because in the video, not only were there handsome and tough soldiers, but there was also a highly influential and well-known president, as well as a breathtakingly gorgeousdy. There was also a huge diamond ring that people couldn¡¯t help but admire!

    Almost every popr elemens could be found in this video.

    Huo Shaoheng himself had always been well-known among citizens of the Huaxia Empire.

    This time, since he wasn¡¯t wearing his tailored military uniform, his handsome face stood out even more whenpared to the beastly leaders of other countries. He was like a celestial being.

    Whether it was in terms of his physical appearance or capabilities, he seemed to symbolize someone ¡°bringing glory to the mothend¡±.

    Therefore, within a few hours, the Huaxia Empire¡¯sizens went crazy for this couple.

    Ma Qiqi had been browsing Weibo at school when she saw this scene. She was both surprised and delighted. She was so amused that she was nearly kicked out of the library by the teacher.

    She bombarded Gu Nianzhi with a string of messages on WeChat, and anxiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have time to reply in detail. She simply typed, ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Ma Qiqi had to wait until the next day to be able to speak to Gu Nianzhi.

    At that moment, the news quickly spread from the Inte to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s 7 p.m. news television station.

    The video was featured on the news program that was watched by hundreds of millions of people.

    General Ji and Speaker Long, who didn¡¯t surf online that often but were used to watching the news at 7 p.m. on a daily basis, were both in front of the television at that moment.

    After the news was broadcast, General Ji and Speaker Long both picked up their phones at the same time and called each other.

    In the end, both sides were told that the line was busy.

    The two of them: ¡± ... ¡±

    General Ji hesitated for a moment afterwards, and Speaker Long, who was the more anxious of the two, finally managed to call in.

    ¡°Old Ji! What¡¯s going on?! What¡¯s going on between the two of them? ! How can they be engaged? The Russian president even wants to serve as a witness to their wedding?! ¡±

    Speaker Long was extremely frustrated.

    He had finally found a suitable sessor, but was it easy for him?!

    He hadn¡¯t even gloated about it in front of General Ji before he was scouted away by General Ji¡¯s people again..

    At this moment, General Ji snapped back to reality and touched the back of his head with his hand. He wasughing so hard that his eyes were narrowed into slits. ¡°Ah, Old Long, don¡¯t be so agitated. You might have a heart attack. Um, do you have your Nitroglycerin tablet with you? I advise you to take a Nitroglycerin tablet first before you talk to me.¡±

    Nitroglycerin tablets were good for heart disease patients because its effects were quick and obvious.

    Speaker Long was so angry that he almost jumped up from the couch.

    ¡°Damn you Old Ji! Tell me, what else have you been hiding from me? ! Did you already know about the two of them?!¡±

    General Ji yed dumb as he spoke in a diplomatic tone, ¡°Ah, why do you think I¡¯m hiding something? This is a private affair between them. As their superior, I can be in charge of any official affairs but I can¡¯t possibly be in charge of their private affairs, don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Speaker Long didn¡¯t believe a single word he said.

    He snorted coldly and had the urge to smash the phone.

    However, when he thought about how the Russian president had expressed his desires to personally attend the wedding, it didn¡¯t seem appropriate for them to just sit by and do nothing..

    However, Speaker Long said as ast ditch effort, ¡°Old Ji, Nianzhi is still young. She¡¯s not even 20 years old yet. There¡¯s no need for her to get married so early, right?¡±

    ¡°Our country¡¯s maritalws stipte that men and women can get married when they reach the age of 18. Nianzhi is already 19, so she will turn 20 in thetter half of this year.¡± As he thought to himself that she had already gotten married a long time ago, General Ji secretly felt ted. Now that she was arranging an engagement, it was probably simply in preparation of the actual wedding.

    Speaker Long was at his wit¡¯s end. He mumbled, ¡°I will have to discuss this affair with Old Bai. Do you have free time tomorrow? Come to the parliament for a closed-door meeting between the three of us.¡±

    Since the Russian president was going to attend Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding and was also going to serve as a witness, this was no longer a private affair between the two of them, but rather a diplomatic matter.

    General Ji happily agreed, and he anticipated having a meeting with Speaker Long and Prime Minister Bai tomorrow.

    After Speaker Long¡¯s phone call ended, both of them called Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng at the same time.

    However, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were currently attending President Pushin¡¯s dinner party, so they didn¡¯t have the time to pick up the phone.

    ..

    In the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the militarypound, Huo Guanchen and Huo Xuelong were among the few people who didn¡¯t surf the inte or watch television.

    Huo Guanchen wasn¡¯t interested in any of this. He would much rather read his own specialized books.

    On the other hand, Huo Xuelong felt dejected after being forcibly discharged from the military. He didn¡¯t care about doing anything besides surfing the Inte and watching television dramas.

    During dinner time, Huo Xuenong asked Huo Guanchen, ¡°Do you really care about Shaoheng¡¯s marriage? He¡¯s getting older, so what if he really ns to be together with that young orphan with no background for the rest of his life? You¡¯re his father, so are you really not going to interfere at all?¡±

    Huo Guanchen frowned and said, ¡°There¡¯s no one else at the moment.¡±

    He had thought highly of Tan Guiren originally, but with Tan Dongbang in prison and Cai Songyin¡¯s fall from grace, Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t want anything to do with Tan Guiren anymore.

    If Huo Shaoheng were to marry Tan Guiren at such a time, it wouldn¡¯t be a blessing, but an obstacle.

    As his father, how can he not look out for his son?

 Chapter 1238 - How Was She Better Than Her

    <h4>1238 How Was She Better Than Her</h4>

    ¡°There¡¯s still no one else suitable for him? ¡± His tone changing, Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyes shed as he said regretfully, ¡°Actually, I can understand Shaoheng. The Huo family¡¯s men are all hopeless romantics. Since he wants to be together with that young orphan with an unknown background, he won¡¯t let her go that easily.¡±

    At this moment, he thought of the head nurse Zhang Feng, who had followed him for many years.

    Huo Jin nced at Huo Xuenong and nodded slightly.

    Huo Xuenong sighed and patted her hand as he said, ¡± ... then I¡¯ll have to trouble Jin.¡±

    Huo Jin said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s my honor to be able to help you and Uncle Huo solve your problems.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was very surprised to hear Huo Jin call him ¡°Uncle Huo¡± instead of simply ¡°Uncle¡±.

    Ever since Huo Xuenong¡¯s ident, Huo Jin had been by his side for more than a year now. He had be more and more fond of this ¡°granddaughter¡± who wasn¡¯t rted to him.

    He said kindly, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Shaoheng and that young orphan can¡¯t be separated, but we don¡¯t want this to affect Shaoheng¡¯s future career. Jin suggested that she can regain her status and marry Shaoheng. ¡±

    Huo Guanchen: ¡± ... ¡±

    Was he retarded or was his father retarded?

    Why couldn¡¯t he understand what he was saying?

    Huo Xuenong saw Huo Guanchen¡¯s nk expression and continued, ¡°Actually, Jin has already changed her name. She now uses her mother¡¯s surname, Luo, instead of Huo. She has also been removed from the Family Register. ¡±

    Huo Jin wasn¡¯t the biological daughter of Huo Guanyuan, Huo Xuenong¡¯s eldest son, but the youngest child of one of his warrades.

    At that time, Huo Guanyuan was entrusted to take care of his fallenrade¡¯s fiancee, Luo Xinxue.

    He didn¡¯t expect that Luo Xinxue was pregnant at that time.

    In that era, women who got pregnant out of wedlock were ostracized by socieety.

    For the sake of her reputation, as well as so hisrade¡¯s orphan to be able to grow up with dignity, along with the fact that Huo Guanyuan had no intention of finding another woman to date and marry, he proposed to Luo Xinxue that the two of them fake marriage to kill two birds with one stone.

    Luo Xinxue would have a home to protect her and her child.

    He would also have an excuse not to be pressured into marriage by his parents.

    Huo Jin, no, Luo Jin, thought of what her mother, Luo Xinxue, had once told her, and she felt upset inside.

    She really didn¡¯t expect that although her father, Huo Guanyuan, had been married to her gorgeous mother, Luo Xinxue, for decades, he hadn¡¯t touched her once. It was a genuine fake marriage.

    Of course, from Huo Guanyuan¡¯s point of view, there was nothing wrong with this.

    Luo Xinxue was the widow of his warrade. He had married her to cover up the fact that she got pregnant out of wedlock. He wouldn¡¯t get involved with her unless he was trying to take advantage of the situation.

    Luo Jin¡¯s biological father was an orphan. Both of his parents died and grew up with distant rtives.

    After he got killed in action, his distant rtives took all of his pension and inheritance. No one cared about Luo Xinxue at all.

    Luo Xinxue was only his fianc¨¦e in name at that time. Legally, she had no rights to the inheritance unless she gave birth to the child and used the child to fight for the right to inheritance.

    However, Luo Xinxue wasn¡¯t so strong-willed and tough.

    If Huo Guanyuan hadn¡¯t proposed to have a fake marriage with Luo Xinxue to save her reputation, Huo Jin might not have been born, or she might have been living at the bottom of society after she was born.

    Luo Jin knew that her mother was quite useless.

    Her greatest luck in life is to be able to marry Huo Guanyuan.

    Huo Guanyuan was such a good man with a distinguished family background and good looks. From his photos, he was extraordinarily handsome, only slightly less handsome than Huo Shaoheng, and much better than her biological father.

    No wonder her mother, Luo Xinxue, couldn¡¯t help falling in love with Huo Guanyuan in the end..

    It was a pity that both of them had died early.

    Luo Jin lowered her eyes, and said softly, ¡°The Huo family has raised me for so many years, so I have a responsibility to lessen the burden for Uncle Huo and grandfather Huo. Even though Brother Huo loves Gu Nianzhi so much, it¡¯s alright. He can be with her. As long as they don¡¯t get married, no one will gossip about it.¡±

    Huo Guanchen still didn¡¯t understand.

    Huo Xuenong rolled his eyes at him. ¡°What Jin means is that she only wants status. If she gets married to Shaoheng in name only as a fake marriage, Shaoheng can still be with Gu Nianzhi, even for the rest of his life. He just needs to be discreet about it so no one will find out. That way, he can be with the person he likes without affecting his career. Wouldn¡¯t that be the best of both worlds?¡±

    Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t help but frown when he finally understood.

    The words ¡°fake marriage¡± reminded him of his eldest brother, Huo Guanyuan.

    As expected.., Luo Jin continued, ¡°For my sake, Uncle Huo was willing to fake lifelong happiness with my mother in a fake marriage with my mother. I am also willing to have a fake marriage with brother Huo for the sake of Brother Huo¡¯s and the Huo family¡¯s reputation. ¡°Brother Huo doesn¡¯t need to actually care about me or treat me as his wife. We only need to get a marriage certificate, and it won¡¯t affect his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi in the slightest.¡±

    So many high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen had mistresses on the side. So won¡¯t they be moved to tears by her indifference?

    Gu Nianzhi was an arrogant, brazen, and uncivilized woman that didn¡¯t deserve to marry into the Huo family.

    Luo Jin¡¯s gaze grew slightly chilly. Before Huo Guanchen¡¯s contemtive gaze met her eyes, she quickly lowered her head and took a sip of the soup.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just a marriage certificate. This way, it will look better on Shaoheng¡¯s resume for a future promotion. He¡¯s already getting old, so if it still says ¡®unmarried¡¯ on his resume, people will think he has a problem.¡± Huo Xuenong waved his hand in discontent.

    Huo Guanchen remained silent for a long time before he said, ¡°This is no small matter. I still have to think about it.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t a fool. Needless to say, who would benefit the most with Luo Jin doing this?

    His own son, Huo Shaoheng, was going to take over General Ji¡¯s position in the future. Why would he get himself a wife who was as ungrateful and passionless as Luo Jin?

    Even if it was a fake marriage, with his son¡¯s identity and status, as long as she was his wife, she would receive the same benefits all the same!

    Upon seeing that Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t immediately agree, Luo Jin was a little caught off guard and anxiously looked to Huo Xuenong.

    Huo Xuenong felt somewhat dissatisfied as well. He said to Huo Guanchen, ¡°What¡¯s more to think about? It¡¯s just a marriage certificate. We¡¯re not asking him to really marry Jin, right? If we¡¯re talking about losing out, it¡¯s our Jin who will suffer from this disservice.¡±

    The veins on Huo Guanchen¡¯s forehead throbbed.

    How dare he say that marrying his son would be a disservice to Luo Jin. This old man was getting old, so was this an early onset of dementia?

    He could no longer differentiate between family and outsiders, acquiantances and strangers, and now he can¡¯t even differentiate between right and wrong!

    Huo Guanchen suppressed his anger and said bluntly, ¡°This is not a trivial matter. We need to see this in the long-term. Although I¡¯m not too pleased with Gu Nianzhi, Jin¡¯s situation is not much better than Nianzhi¡¯s. In fact, it¡¯s far worse than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.¡±

    Besides Luo Jin¡¯s biological father being a war hero killed in action, there was nothing about her family background that could help Huo Shaoheng.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background was unknown, she was at least independent and capable.

    Even Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t deny or dismiss this point.

    What talents and capabilities did Luo Jin have?

    She probably only had the ability to spend money..

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s lips twitched, but he didn¡¯t refute him.

    Luo Jin grasped what Huo Guanchen¡¯s insinuations, and she grew so angry that her chest heaved up and down while her hands trembled as they held her chopsticks.

    This was outrageous!

    They actually thought that Gu Nianzhi was better than her?!

    How was Gu Nianzhi better than her?

    The only thing she did better than her was get better grades.

    But what did Gu Nianzhi, who had grown up in the military, know about the ways of the world and socializing with the upper ss?!

    Luo Jin felt indignant, but Huo Xuenong appeared indifferent.

    Huo Guanchen got up and was about to leave the dining room when he suddenly heard his phone ring.

    He took out his phone and looked at it. Seeing that it was a call from General Ji, he quickly picked it up and asked, ¡°General Ji, have you had dinner yet?¡±

    General Ji chuckled and said, ¡°I just finished. By the way, Guanchen, what are your ns for Shaoheng¡¯s wedding?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was bewildered.¡± ... Wedding? Shaoheng doesn¡¯t even have a fiancee. How can there be a wedding?¡±

    ¡°He just got a fiancee.¡± General Jiughed heartily. ¡°Guanchen, you haven¡¯t watched TV or went online yet, right? You can¡¯t be like this. You¡¯re out of touch with the times and it¡¯s not good for your career. Hurry up and turn on the TV to watch the news. You¡¯ll know what I mean.¡±

    There was a wall-mounted TV in the Huo family¡¯s dining room.

    In bewilderment, Huo Guanchen picked up the remote control and turned on the TV.

    It was already past the news hour, but all the major television stations were still broadcasting this breaking news.

    Major General Huo Shaoheng and his fianc¨¦e, Gu Nianzhi, got engaged at the tomb of an unknown warrior in Moscow, Russia. Not only was Russian President Pushin a witness to their engagement, but he is also going to serve as a witness at their wedding!

    ng!

    The wine ss in Luo Jin¡¯s hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

    Red wine sshed all over her body.

    However, she waspletely in a daze. She stared fixedly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair-skinned and delicate-featured wless face on the television screen. She could hardly resist the urge to pull out a knife and sh it!

 Chapter 1239 - If It Werenâ€™t For You

    <h4>Chapter 1239 If It Weren¡¯t For You</h4>

    Huo Guanchen stared at the television screen that was broadcasting the viral video. His jaw dropped, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets from shock.Standing next to the internationally renowned Russian president, Pushin was a man dressed in a neat and fitting major general¡¯s uniform. It was his son, Huo Shaoheng, whom he had always been proud of!

    And with a sweet smile and graceful mannerisms, the elegant woman standing on the other side of the president ¡ª could she be Gu Nianzhi? !

    Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t help but blink and take a closer look. It was indeed Gu Nianzhi...

    Could it be that he was seeing her in a different light after not seeing her for a while?

    In his mind, Gu Nianzhi was still the same young girl who Huo Shaoheng had brought home during new years. She was eloquent, sharp-tongued, and pushy.

    He really didn¡¯t like this kind of woman. Furthermore, she had a questionable family background, so he had always been firmly opposed to his son getting involved with her.

    He didn¡¯t expect his son to not take him, his father, seriously. He directly proposed to her outside of home and even caused a ruckus over it.

    He wanted to see how Huo Shaoheng would marry Gu Nianzhi if he, his father, didn¡¯t agree to it!

    Just as Huo Guanchen was secretly fuming with anger, the viral video that was being broadcast on television was already broadcasting President Pushin¡¯s speech.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s television station used the simultaneous interpretation in Mandarin.

    The president smiled and said, ¡± ... I¡¯m very happy to witness their engagement ceremony. I hope that if there¡¯s a chance, I can also attend their wedding and be a witness to it.¡±

    Boom!

    President Pushin¡¯s words were like a nuclear bomb hitting Huo Guanchen in the head.

    Just a moment ago, he had vowed to teach Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi a lesson by not letting Gu Nianzhi marry into the family. Now, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he was fuming with rage.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s vision went dark, and his head felt a little dizzy. His entire body was swaying, and his legs could barely support his body.

    He clung to the dining table and finally regained his bnce. He panted heavily, and his chest felt like it was about to explode.

    The dining room was unusually quiet.

    Huo Guanchen finally remembered to turn and nce around. He realized that Huo Xuenong¡¯s condition was worse than his.

    Huo Xuenong was already over 70 years old, and his hair was white.

    At this time, his eyes were fixated on the television. His face grew redder and redder, and gradually turned into the color of a pig¡¯s liver.

    His eyes were bloodshot, and one of his hands trembled mid-air. Finally, he mmed the dining table hard. ¡°Nonsense! Such nonsense! This farce has gone international! Tell that brat toe back now! I¡¯ll teach him a lesson!¡±

    The corners of Huo Guanchen¡¯s mouth twitched, and his eyes grew cold.

    He put his hands behind his back and looked at Huo Xuenong. He asked again slowly, ¡°Dad, what did you just say? I didn¡¯t hear what you said just now. Can you say it again?¡±

    Huo Xuenong was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage. He pointed at Huo Guanchen¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°I said he was messing around! What¡¯s wrong with that? Can¡¯t I say so? ! Without the consent of the elders, I¡¯ll see if he dares to marry that woman!¡±

    ¡°The Russian president will personally be a witness to their marriage. Father, do you think your words are still valid?¡± Huo Guanchen was so angry that he startedughing. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not even objecting even though I¡¯m his father. You¡¯re already separated from him by a generation. Yet you intend to interfere with Shaoheng¡¯s marital affairs?¡±

    ¡°How dare you disobey me! Youunfilial son! ¡± Huo Xuenong picked up the teacup on the dining table and threw it at Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen quickly stepped aside, but the tea sshed all over him nheless.

    ¡°If my eldest son was still alive, you wouldn¡¯t dare be so brazen! ¡± Huo Xuenong recalled his eldest son, Huo Guanyuan, who had died in the line of duty more than ten years ago when his body was torn into pieces, and tears streamed down his face, ¡°You¡¯ve never been as good as your big brother ever since you were young! Why weren¡¯t you the one who died back then?!¡±

    ¡°Ah-ha, you¡¯ve finally spoke your mind. Yes, I feel sorry too. Why wasn¡¯t I the one who died back then?! ¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes grew red.

    If it was possible, he sincerely hoped that the person who had died back then was him, so that he wouldn¡¯t have to endure the never ending feelings of anger, embarrassment, humiliation, and regret that had tormented him over the past decade.

    Although his older brother had always been more capable than him, he had never been envious of his older brother. Instead, he admired and respected his older brother from the bottom of his heart. It wasn¡¯t untilter that he found out that all along, his older brother had been coveting his wife, the woman he loved the most.

    This sort of humiliation was something that no man could tolerate.

    Huo Guanchen and Huo Xuenong, father and son, were rubbing salt on each other¡¯s wounds to attack each other. No one dared continue to watch TV anymore.

    Luo Jin turned a blind eye towards them and simply stared straight at the television screen.

    At that moment, the camera on the television screen shed and gave Gu Nianzhi¡¯s engagement ring a huge high definition close-up!

    The moon under the sun..

    This was Luo Jin¡¯s immediate reaction.

    Then she felt blood rush to her head. She stood up and covered her mouth with her hand in shock. Her facial features were distorted in a grimace.

    She had seen the diamond on that ring before!

    Even though she had only seen it once, it was when his grandmother was still alive. She had taken it out and showed it to Huo Shaoheng.

    At that time, she had been standing at the door and peeking through the crack.

    She had heard her grandmother say to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, grandmother will leave this stone to you. In the future, give it to your sweetheart, the wife who you truly want to spend the rest of your life with... ¡±

    The diamond was so big and shiny that even after so many years, Luo Jin could still remember every aspect of it clearly.

    It was gentle and subtle, yet also dazzling. Anyone who had seen it would never be able to forget it!

    She hadn¡¯t expected the Huo family¡¯s heirloom to fall into the hands of a woman like Gu Nianzhi.

    This diamond belonged to her. Everything that Gu Nianzhi had was snatched away from her!

    Luo Jin¡¯s face twitched. Her jealousy and hatred felt like a poisonous snake that was coiled in the bottom of her heart.

    She and Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t get along.

    Luo Jin gradually calmed down, and a vicious look shed through her eyes.

    If Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t exist in this world, how wonderful would her life be..

    In that instant, Luo Jin had the vague feeling that Gu Nianzhi shouldn¡¯t even exist in this world.

    It was all because of her!

    She stole the man she had a crush on ever since she was a child, robbed her of status, and now she was going to steal her marriage.

    How could such a shameless person exist in this world?

    Why can¡¯t she go die?

    Luo Jin tightly gripped the edge of the dining table with both hands so vigorously that it was as if she wanted to drive a hole in the firm rosewood dining table.

    Deeper down, there was fear in her heart.

    She knew that if she couldn¡¯t marry Huo Shaoheng, she would be done for..

    The trust fund that her grandmother had left for her father was originally in her hands, but Gu Nianzhi had already threatened to make her hand it in.

    Also, she had only wanted to teach that mentally deranged Song Jinning a lesson. After all, her mother had died because of her, so what if she made her suffer a little?

    Huo Shaoheng was known in the military as someone unbiased, but when it came to his own family¡¯s domestic affairs, he couldn¡¯t remain partial at all.

    He was extremely biased because Song Jinning is his mother.

    He didn¡¯t even think about how because Song Jinning got between her father and mother, her mother had been depressed for more than a decade, and as their daughter, she knew this very well!

    So what if she got a little revenge for her mother?

    Why couldn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng understand her?

    If it hadn¡¯t been for Song Jinning, her father, Huo Guanyuan, would have been married to his mother, Luo Xinxue, for real a long time ago. She wouldn¡¯t have needed to rack her brain for ways to please Huo Xuenong, just to find support for herself.

    She had thought about it for so long, and the only solution she hade up with was to marry Huo Shaoheng.

    As long as she married Huo Shaoheng, all her problems would be solved.

    She had worked hard for more than a year, and had finally convinced Huo Xuenong. When Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to get married, she would ask Huo Xuenong to convince Huo Guanchen, and the marriage certificate would be in her hands.

    To her, everything else was fake, but a marriage certificate was real.

    As long as she had the marriage certificate, she would be able to pull Huo Shaoheng from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grasp little by little.

    She never thought that the goal she had worked so hard on for almost a year would bepletely destroyed simply because Gu Nianzhi had be acquianted with the Russian president.

    Her dreams were shattered into pieces. She knew that she would never be happy again..

    But what was the use?

    With Gu Nianzhi around, Huo Shaoheng never gave her a second nce.

    In reality, she had long forgotten that even before Gu Nianzhi appeared, Huo Shaoheng had never given her a second nce.

    The two of them had grown up in the same family, and Huo Shaoheng never treated her differently than how a brother treated a sister.

    However, Luo Jin had long known that she wasn¡¯t huo Guanyuan¡¯s biological daughter. That was why she had allowed herself to have a crush on Huo Shaoheng for so many years.

    In the end, the man she had been lusting after for so many years had been snatched away by a young orphan who had appeared out of nowhere.

    She was truly unbelievably shameless.

    Luo Jin cursed Gu Nianzhi inside. She clenched her fists and turned to leave the dining room.

    Her good days woulde to an end when Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng returned to their country.

    She couldn¡¯t wait any longer. She couldn¡¯t wait a moment longer.

    Whether it was the trust fund or thewsuit for her ¡°abuse¡± of Song Jinning, they were thest straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.

    She had no choice but to go all out or die fighting.

    ..

    Luo Jin wasn¡¯t the only one who was shocked when Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blinding diamond ring appeared on the television screen in the viral video broadcasted by Huaxia Empire¡¯s television station.

    He Zhichu was also so shocked that he practically pounced in front of the television. He stared at the diamond ring on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand with a crazed look. He stroked the screen with his hand to feel the ring.

    He had dreamed about it countless times in the middle of the night. He wondered what Gu Nianzhi would look like if she wore a ring iid with Grand Duke Joseph¡¯s diamond...

    The diamond belonged to her, and so did the ring.

    He was so familiar with the appearance of the ring that he could describe every aspect of it.

    He had thought that he would never see Gu Nianzhi wearing this ring in his lifetime.

    He didn¡¯t expect to actually see her wearing it.

    Even though he didn¡¯t personally put it on her.

    He Zhichu clenched his fists and pressed them against his chest.

    Deep down, he felt as if someone had stabbed him with a sharp knife.

    The pain was so unbearable that he couldn¡¯t breathe.

    Convulsing, he fell to the ground.

    Since the four years he had been there, this was the first time he had a seizure.

    There was no one in the house, and no one could step into his house without his consent.

    But so what if they could?

    His life was a burden.

    Unable to move, He Zhichu smiled bitterly as heid on the cold floor stiffly.

    Just as he was about to give up trying to save himself, his phone rang.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t have the strength to swipe it open to answer the call.

    However, he could tell that it was his father¡¯s ringtone.

    Echoing in the empty apartment, the ringtone yed for a long time.

    He Zhichu slowly closed his eyes.

    At that moment, the phone that had been ringing for a long time without being picked up shed a few times, and the camera on the phone turned on automatically.

    The face of He Zhichu¡¯s father, He Chengjian, appeared on the phone screen.

    He shouted anxiously, ¡°Zhichu? Zhichu? What¡¯s the matter? Say something, where are you?!¡±

    This number was an agreement between He Chengjian and He Zhichu.

    No matter where he was, no matter what he was doing, as long as He Chengjian called this number, He Zhichu had to answer within five minutes, or it meant something bad had happened to him.

    He Zhichu heard his father¡¯s voice, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. Thest moment before he lost consciousness, he said, ¡°Dad...¡±

    Then his world turnedpletely dark as he slipped into aa.

 Chapter 1240 - Huge Gifts

    <h4>Chapter 1240 Huge Gifts</h4>

    ¡°Zhichu! Zhichu! Wake up! Zhichu!¡±He Chengjian, who had always been imposing, dignified, and reserved, suddenly had tears in his eyes.

    Watching his son copse to the ground unconscious was a nightmare for every father that cared about his child.

    He watched him like he had watched his mother copse to the ground the same way that year..

    If he had returned home earlier, if he had called him earlier, perhaps everything would have been different.

    He Chengjian¡¯s life experience could be could be made into a history textbook. He had persevered through every imaginable hardship.

    He was strong-willed and resilient. He was iron-fisted and ruthless. Moreover, he was also shrewd and calcting. He always nned meticulously before he acted.

    He rarely ever made a move. Once he made a move, he had to kill his opponent.

    After all these years, everyone who knew him came to an understanding ¡ª if you weren¡¯t prepared to die with him, then don¡¯t make yourself an enemy of Old He.

    But at that moment, seeing his son lying on the ground, he feltpletely helpless.

    All years of wielding tremendous power, he still couldn¡¯t save his wife or son. It was such a joke.

    He Chengjian clenched his jaw. He finally picked up another phone and found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number. He called her.

    At this time, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were attending a banquet specially held for them by President Pushin.

    In the Kremlin¡¯s main hall, crystal chandeliers appeared crystal clear and gave off a soft glow.

    The men and women were all dressed in formal evening gowns and holding wine sses. They stood in groups of two or three in the main hall as they spoke.

    In a corner of the hall, there was an orchestra band ying musical instruments, and a jazz singer singing in a low voice.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a chance to drink, so Huo Shaoheng gave her a ss of grape juice to fake as red wine to brush off those who came to toast.

    After a while, dimir walked over and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Major General Huo, our president has invited you over to talk.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You stay here and don¡¯t wander around.¡±

    ¡°I know, you can go.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile and winked at him as she raised the ss of grape juice.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Good girl.¡±

    He patted her head and turned to leave.

    dimir clicked his tongue and asked, ¡°What were you guys talking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were speaking in Mandarin.

    Gu Nianzhi swirled the ss of grape juice in her hand and said with a smile, ¡°He told me to be obedient and not to do anything mischievous.¡±

    ¡°You know how to do mischievous things?¡± dimir snickered. He looked around and said in a low voice, ¡°Little Dimi wants to talk to you. Can youe with me to the side hall over there?¡±

    He then promised, ¡°It¡¯s not a shady ce, it¡¯s just the Side Hall with the curtains hanging over it. Little Dimi and his mother aren¡¯t allowed to attend such an asion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediatly felt sympathy for little Dimi, but Huo Shaoheng had instructed her not to wander around here.

    Just as she was hesitating, from the corner of her eye, she saw that a corner of the side hall¡¯s curtain had lifted up to reveal little Dimi¡¯s rosy cheeked face. He beamed at her and waved at her desperately.

    He was just too adorable.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that since they were in the main hall anyway, if someone wanted to harm her, why would they have to do it now?

    She couldn¡¯t be too paranoid.

    She nodded and said, ¡°dimir, I trust you.¡± She then followed him to the side hall.

    dimir suddenly turned around halfway and said with a nk expression, ¡°Cereus, I¡¯m not that trustworthy. Don¡¯t trust others too easily.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°But you can trust me right now. I¡¯m not lying to you. ¡± dimir winked again, thenughed and soon returned to his old self.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly missed the middle-aged driver who always gave dimir a headache.

    She said with a smile, ¡°Then from now on, I¡¯ll have to verify everything you say with the driver, and then I¡¯ll have a good idea of whether or not I can trust you.¡±

    No, no, no, no

    Nicee back..

    That subordinate of his is the bane of his existence.

    He had kicked him out of the department several times already, but he went around and ended up right back in his department.

    Then dimir resigned himself to his fate.

    The driver was a big mouth that liked to bber nonsense and overly dramatic, but he had no other shorings.

    It was better than having someone who looked obedient but would suddenly stab you in the back.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about this to herself. Hoping to add the middle-aged driver and dimir into a small group, she immediately took out her phone and opened Wechat.

    In the end, she found that there was no inte signal at all, not even a cell phone signal.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and walked around dimir with her phone in her hand as she looked for a signal.

    She was very confused.

    Her phone was connected to the Nandou satellitemunication system developed by the Huaxia Empire. How could she not get a signal?

    dimir was speechless and said snappily, ¡°Don¡¯t even bother. All signals are blocked here, not to mention the wifi. If you want to make a call, you have to use andline. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and put her phone back into her pocket resentfully. ¡°Do you guys have to be so cautious? Just install a wifi connection and you guys will know who uses the inte, okay ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the rule. If there¡¯s wifi at the banquet, everyone will look down at their phones. Who will be having conversations? ¡± dimir seemed to understand, but he moved his finger and admitted to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Actually, I want to use wifi too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She followed dimir to the side hall and lifted the curtain to enter. Sure enough, she saw little Dimi and his mother inside.

    His mother was wearing a wine-red dress with a fishtail hem. Her body figure was extremely voluptuous, and she appeared as alluring as a ripe peach.

    Gu Nianzhi was a woman, and her own figure was also quite impressive. However, she couldn¡¯t help ncing at little Dimi¡¯s mother a few more times.

    Little Dimi¡¯s mother secretly enjoyed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s envious gaze. She smiled and said in broken English, ¡°Your name is Cereus, right? I haven¡¯t specifically thanked you yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°It was nothing. You¡¯re wee.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t nothing.¡± Little Dimi¡¯s mother said seriously, ¡°You saved my little Dimi by risking your own life. Don¡¯t you know who those two people were? They could have killed you any second.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know the true identities of those two people while she was rescuing him.

    She thought they were ¡°human traffickers¡± ..

    However, she didn¡¯t want to exin any further. She smiled and said, ¡°All is well as long as little Dimi is fine.¡±

    When little Dimi heard his name mentioned, he smiled as he looked up at her. He tugged at the hem of her skirt.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She bent down and spoke slowly in English, ¡°Little Dimi, do you have something to say?¡±

    Little Dimi mumbled a few words in Russian before running behind the couch. He took out a small puppy and handed it to Gu Nianzhi from his hands.

    dimir tranted for him, ¡°Little Dimi said thank you for rescuing him. He wants to give you this little Cogi.¡± He added, ¡°It¡¯s his family¡¯s Big Kogi¡¯s newborn puppy. It¡¯s only a week old.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened before dimir even tranted.

    Corgi!

    It was the famous Corgi. Even its five-centimeter-long short legs were so adorable.

    It had a big head, a chubby little body, and a ck and white color like a panda. With its four short legs, it could easily cosy as a panda cub with dark circles under its eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi received it endearingly and said, ¡°Thank you! Thank you, little Dimi! I like it very much!¡±

    She held the puppy in her arms and rubbed her face against its soft fur. Her affection for it was obvious.

    Little Dimi smiled when he saw how much Gu Nianzhi liked the present he had given her.

    He tugged at the hem of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skirt and mumbled some words to her in Russian.

    dimir stood on the side as he tranted to her

    So he was telling Gu Nianzhi how to raise the Corgi..

    Gu Nianzhi listened very carefully and would even ask some questions from time to time.

    The two of them chatted animatedly. Little Dimi grew happier and happier. In the end, he even hugged Gu Nianzhi before his mother led him away.

    They couldn¡¯t stay there for long.

    As she watched the mother and son leave together, Gu Nianzhi suddenly asked dimir, ¡± ... was tonight¡¯s banquet held simply to give little Dimi a chance to give the Corgi to me?¡±

    dimir raised his eyebrows. ¡°Cereus, you¡¯re too smart. If you keep getting smarter, I think I¡¯ll feel reluctant to let you leave us.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, sure. As long as you give me gifts every day, I¡¯ll stay here forever.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced, and she pretended that she wanted to stay.

    dimir was actually just joking.

    Upon seeing that Gu Nianzhi was so tactfully understanding, he smiled and didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further.

    At that moment, his walkie-talkie rang. Someone had called him over to deal with an emergency.

    He was concerned about Gu Nianzhi, so he called over the middle-aged driver to apany her specifically.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    After dimir left, Gu Nianzhi asked the middle-aged driver in a somewhat troubled manner, ¡°...Where were you just now? I wanted to talk to you, but I couldn¡¯t find you anywhere.¡±

    The middle-aged driver held a bottle of vodka and a piece of bread smeared with caviar in his hand. He said cheerfully, ¡°I was on duty outside. Did you miss me, my Cereus?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I missed you. I missed your gift. ¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile as she caressed the little Corgi in her arms.

    The middle-aged driver grimaced. ¡°Talking about gifts will hurt our rtions. Let¡¯s talk about rtions.

    ¡°What do you mean talking about gifts will hurt our rtions, I¡¯m not falling for your tricks.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled and followed up with the chauffeur.

    The two of them chatted and sat down in the side hall.

    The chauffeur looked at the puppy in her arms and sized it up for a while before saying, ¡°It¡¯s a famous breed. Take good care of it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what breed the puppy was, but the little Corgi was so adorable that she was willing to take good care of it whether it was a famous breed or not.

    The puppy in her arms stayed quiet for a while before it began to bark softly. The furry paws on its short legs scratched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palm a few times before it looked up at her and barked softly again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head as she stared at the little Corgi. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hungry.¡± The middle-aged driver took a bite of the caviar bread. ¡°There¡¯s milk over there. I¡¯ll go get it a few bottles of goat¡¯s milk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long after middle-aged driver had left.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone started to vibrate.

    Her heart skipped a beat.

    There was a calling in.

    Because she was attending the banquet, she had set her phone on vibrate so it wouldn¡¯t be rude if her phone suddenly rang.

    But she clearly remembered that her phone had no signal at all moments before. It was like being on a ne 10,000 meters in the air.

    And dimir had also said that all signals were blocked here.

    How was she receiving a call now?

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pulled out her phone and swiped it open. It was as unfamiliar number.

    She stared at it for a while, but picked up the call nheless.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    The person on the other end paused for a moment, then standard dialect mandarin sounded from the phone.

    ¡°Excuse me, are you Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    His voice sounded deep and dignified. He also sounded a little old.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately grew serious, and quickly asked, ¡°Yes, who is this?¡±

    The person quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯m He Zhichu¡¯s father. I need your help with an emergency.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°Who are you?!¡±

    Professor He¡¯s father?!

    ¡°You can turn on the video camera if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± The man on the other side seemed impatient. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste with you. He Zhichu has suddenly fallen ill and is in critical condition. Can you help save him this time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up abruptly. ¡°What did you say? Professor He has fallen ill? In critical condition? Where is he?!¡±

 Chapter 1241 - Good Luck

    <h4>Chapter 1241 Good Luck</h4>

    ¡°He¡¯s in the faculty building at Imperial City University. ¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice sounded steady and powerful, so Gu Nianzhi felt much calmer.Some people¡¯s words were of enormous weight.

    ¡°Huh? But I¡¯m in Russia. Even if I fly back right now, it won¡¯t do any good.¡± When Gu Nianzhi heard this, she felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her, and she felt cold from head to toe.

    ¡°You¡¯re in Russia? ¡± He Chengjian also froze for a moment. He started to get anxious and his face darkened. ¡°Why are you in Russia? Weren¡¯t you with Zhichu?¡±

    But now wasn¡¯t the time to me her.

    He Chengjian¡¯s mind raced and he immediately asked, ¡°Then can you help find someone to send Zhichu to the hospital? Find that doctor who treated you. I remember that Zhichu said...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of Chen Lie. In her moment of desperation, she didn¡¯t contemte why He Chengjian insisted that the doctor who had treated her save He Zhichu. She simply felt that his idea was good.

    He Zhichu was a cautious person and paid attention to his privacy. Chen Lie was tight-lipped and doesn¡¯t easily divulge secrets.

    She quickly said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call Dr. Chen right away. Please wait a moment. ¡± She then started dialing Chen Lie¡¯s cell phone number.

    But even after waiting a long time, she couldn¡¯t get the call through.

    Thinking back to what dimir had said earlier about all signals being blocked, she felt that something wasn¡¯t right.

    She switched back to He Chengjian¡¯s number and found that he was still on the line. The call hadn¡¯t been hung up yet.

    ¡°Mr. He, I can¡¯t get through. May I ask how you...¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could finish asking, He Chengjian seemed to understand the source of her confusion. He immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll connect you. You dial first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Although she was still baffled, she dialed Chen Lie¡¯s number for He Zhichu¡¯s sake.

    After a while, Chen Lie picked up the call. Gu Nianzhi sighed a little.

    ¡°Huh? Nianzhi? Why are you calling me at such a time?¡±

    Chen Lie looked at his watch. It was midnight.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t thought about jetg before that moment, so she said sheepishly, ¡°Sorry to bother you, Brother Chen. It¡¯s like this. I just found out that Professor He is suffering a medical emergency. I heard that he¡¯s unconscious. Can you immediately go to the academic building at B University and take him to the hospital for treatment?¡±

    Chen Lie was a doctor who cared about his parents. He immediately asked, ¡°Is it serious? Should we send an ambnce?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know exactly how serious it is. Hoping that I could save him, Professor He¡¯s father just called me.¡± She then told Chen Lie the address of Professor He Zhichu¡¯s building and the password to open the door.

    She used to frequent He Zhichu¡¯s suite, and she was hoping that He Zhichu¡¯s password hadn¡¯t changed.

    Chen Lie immediately called his medical team and rode the ambnce to the professor¡¯s building at lightning speed.

    Because it was an ambnce and it waste at night in the imperial capital, their journey was unimpeded. From the Special Operations Forces headquarters, it only took them 15 minutes to arrive at B University¡¯s Academic Building.

    However, for Gu Nianzhi and He Chengjian, it was the longest 15 minutes.

    Gu Nianzhi had been holding her phone the entire time, and didn¡¯t even notice that dimir and the driver had gotten there.

    The little puppy Corgi looked at the bottle in the driver¡¯s hand and wailed. It kept trying to reach for it with its short legs.

    The driver reached out with hisrge, fan-like hand and pulled Corgi out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms. She hadn¡¯t noticed at all.

    Her attention waspletely focused on the phone call.

    When dimir saw this, he stood guard in front of the curtain in the side hall without letting anyone in.

    Fifteen minutester, Chen Lie¡¯s voice sounded from the phone.

    ¡°Professor He? Professor He?¡± He opened He Zhichu¡¯s door with the password Gu Nianzhi had given him. He looked around and found him lying on the floor of the dining room. His teeth were tightly gritted as heid there unconscious.

    He immediately went for a routine check.

    Chen Lie noticed that his heartbeat was getting weaker and weaker. Without hesitation, Chen Lie took out a device and started performing CPR strongly on He Zhichu.

    If Chen Lie hade a minuteter, He Zhichu would have suffered irreversible damage to his brain because his heart had stopped beating.

    At that time, even if he was saved, he would still be demented.

    To the prideful He Zhichu, that fate would be worse than death.

    As time passed, Chen Lie¡¯s superb medical skills, advanced equipment, and timely treatment finally ressurected He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and he soon opened his eyes.

    Chen Lie breathed a huge sigh of relief. He ordered someone to lift He Zhichu up and said, ¡°Professor He, you fainted moments before. Let¡¯s go to the hospital and have a thorough check-up.¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. His voice sounded as cold and mellow as usual, even though he was still a little weak.

    He said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll go to bed and lie down for a while. I¡¯ll be fine after taking a nap.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and He Chengjian both breathed a sigh of relief when they heard his words.

    ¡°Brother Chen, let me talk to Professor He.¡± Gu Nianzhi anxiously wanted to persuade He Zhichu to go to the hospital.

    He had to see a doctor if he was ill. He shouldn¡¯t try to avoid the doctor.

    Chen Lie had been talking to Gu Nianzhi through his Bluetooth headset the entire time.

    Upon hearing this, he pulled out his phone and handed it to He Zhichu. ¡°Professor He, it¡¯s all thanks to Nianzhi today. She called me to rescue you.¡±

    He Zhichu snapped back to reality and remembered what had happened before he fainted. He had even seen his father before he lost consciousness, so why was Gu Nianzhi calling?

    Gu Nianzhi was in Moscow, Russia...

    He Zhichu put the phone to his ear and heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious voice. ¡°Professor He, you can go to the hospital with brother Chen. If you don¡¯t want to go to a normal hospital, you can go to brother Chen¡¯s ce.¡±

    Professor He had a tender look in his eyes.

    Perhaps it was because sick people were usually in a fragile state, but his front had cracked a little.

    He Zhichu said softly, ¡°Actually, I feel quite fine after waking up. That was just an ident.¡±

    ¡°Of course ilnesses are idents, does that make it normal?¡± Gu Nianzhi grew impatient. ¡°You should go to the hospital quickly. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to find someone to rescue you. Don¡¯t make me regret rescuing you.¡±

    Her tone...

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help butugh. After a while, he replied gently, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go to the hospital with Chen Lie.¡± He then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, and enjoy your time in Moscow. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t call, I¡¯ll call you back.¡±

    Chen Lie ordered a stretcher to be brought over, and He Zhichu was ced on it.

    ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s get in the car.¡± Chen Lie continued to talk to Gu Nianzhi. He wanted to tease her about her grand engagement with Huo Shaoheng, but realized that the phone call couldn¡¯t connect anymore.

    ¡°Huh! This chick is so quick to burn bridges!¡± Chen Lie pouted and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number again. The caller ID showed ¡°the number you have dialed is not in service¡±.

    Chen Lie: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also realized that her phone had been disconnected. She dialed back again, but just like before, she couldn¡¯t get through.

    She dialed He Chengjian¡¯s number again, only to find that his phone had also been disconnected.

    She dialed again, but again, she couldn¡¯t get through.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    At this moment, dimir walked over and looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion. ¡°You were on the phone just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡± Trying to check her phone records with He Chengjian, Gu Nianzhi repeatedly pressed the numbers on the phone. ¡°A friend of mine had been critically ill and I just found a doctor to save him.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The middle-aged driver hugged the short-legged little Corgi with one hand and fed it goat¡¯s milk with the other. He asked in confusion, ¡°... But how did you manage to make the call?¡±

    They all knew that the signal was blocked here today, so they would have to use andline to make a call.

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out helplessly and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. All of a sudden, I could make phone calls again. Maybe your shielding technology isn¡¯t good enough, or maybe my friend just has good luck.¡±

    This exnation wasn¡¯t impossible, but it was too much of a coincidence.

    dimir suspected that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s special operations forces had some special method to bypass the signal shielding.

    The KGB also had this technology, but only a few people at the highest level could use it.

    This was because the phone needed to do this was specially made, and a team needed to work together to make the phone bypass the signal blocking.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a member of the special operations forces, so how would she know how to use it?

    However, when he remembered that she had just gotten engaged to Huo Shaoheng, he understood.

    She was the fiancee of themander-in-chief of the special forces, so it wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise that she used such a method.

    dimir realized the motive behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions and smiled. ¡°Your friend really has good luck. He should go buy lottery tickets now.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to buy lottery tickets. He already has plenty of money.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and winked. She took the little Corgi puppy and bottle from the driver, then continued to feed it.

    When Huo Shaoheng opened the curtain and walked in, he saw that Gu Nianzhi was holding something in her arms. She was holding the bottle with her other hand and feeding it like a baby.

    Her expression was focused and her posture was gentle. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help imagining that it was their baby..

    He smiled and walked over cheerfully. When he saw that it was only a puppy in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms, he frowned disdainfully.

    ¡°Where did the puppye from? Is it a Corgi? ¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately saw its short, iconic legs.

    ¡°Yes, it was a gift from someone. Isn¡¯t it adorable?¡± Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu had been rescued so she was in a great mood. She raised the Little Corgi to show it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°... ¡±

 Chapter 1242 - So Stuck Up!

    <h4>Chapter 1242 So Stuck Up!</h4>

    ¡°A gift for you? ¡± Huo Shaoheng surveyed his surroundings quickly. ¡°Who gave it to you?¡±So someone had given Gu Nianzhi a Corgi puppy in the Kremlin less than half an hour after he had left?

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes.

    A person who was able to ¡°use¡± President Pushin to distract Huo Shaoheng in order to get close to Gu Nianzhi and give her a Corgi puppy was probably of extraordinary status.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Take a guess.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately replied, ¡± ... It¡¯s little Dimi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°? ? ? ¡±

    No Way!

    When Huo Shaoheng came over, little Dimi and his mother had already left?

    How did he guess that it was someone who he didn¡¯t even know was there?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stiff expression immediately confirmed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guess.

    He reached out a hand and picked up the puppy that had just opened its eyes. Without batting an eye, he looked at it and said, ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days since it was born, right?¡±

    ¡°I heard it¡¯s been over a week already.¡± Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and was still very confused. ¡°How did you know that little Dimi gave it to me? Did someone tell you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on dimir, who was standing beside Huo Shaoheng.

    The second-inmand of the KGB quickly shook his head. ¡°No, no, I swear I didn¡¯t say anything to Major General Huo.¡±

    The middle-aged driver also waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeding the puppy to you here. I didn¡¯t have the time nor was I at the location tomit the crime.¡±

    Commit the crime..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said nonchntly, ¡°it¡¯s not hard to guess. Who has the influence to ask President Pushin to help distract me? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She quickly smiled and shook Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm. ¡°I knew my Huo Shao was the smartest! Mwa!¡±

    She pursed her lips and gave Huo Shaoheng a peck in the air before reaching out to get the little Corgi back.

    Huo Shaoheng was still holding the poor puppy in his hand. He swung it around in the air and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t trained such a small dog before, have you? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Little Dimi said that we have to wait for it to grow up a little more. We can only start training after it bes one month old.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pinched little Corgi¡¯s chubby little legs and said calmly, ¡°Okay, leave it to me. I¡¯ll get someone to train it for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You want to help me train Ah-Ke? ! ¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡± Huo Shaoheng replied and nced sideways at Gu Nianzhi.¡± ... Ah-Ke? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I gave it a name.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°If it¡¯s a little female puppy, it¡¯ll be called Ah-Ke, the ke as in jade. But it¡¯s a little male puppy, so let¡¯s call it Ah-Ke! Ke as in Corgi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°You really know how to y around with words.¡±

    ¡°Okay, give it back to me first. I¡¯ll keep it for a few days and send it to you for training when I get back home.¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to let go of the cute, short-legged Ah-Ke.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression remained calm as he continued to hold onto the Little Corgi puppy. He said, ¡°I¡¯m free for the next two weeks and I want to take you out for some fun. It¡¯s not convenient to take the puppy with us.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! You want to take me out to for some fun?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was excited. She held onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and wanted to jump on him. ¡°Really? Really? You really want to take me out for some fun?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡± Huo Shaoheng led the puppy towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Do you still want to take it? We¡¯re going on a trip to Siberia.¡±

    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s only a little over a week old, so it¡¯s not yet ready for travel.¡± Gu Nianzhi still felt bad for her little Ah-Ke nontheless, so she quickly said, ¡°Then what should we do about it? Who¡¯s going to watch over it? ¡±

    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll get someone to send it back to our country ahead of time.¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned a little. ¡°This puppy is too young and needs to be vinated. Don¡¯t keep it in your arms all the time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, yes! No problem! ¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed her palms together at Little Corgi and said endearingly, ¡°Daddy and Mommy need to go out for some business. Ah-Ke, you have to be good! ¡±

    The Little Corgi puppy barked loudly at that moment, as if it felt very angry.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart ached terribly. She quickly reassured herself and watched as Huo Shaoheng carried the puppy away.

    The chauffeur watched them with a smile on his face. After Huo Shaoheng left, he nudged dimir, who was standing beside him, and said, ¡°... How impressive. You took out your enemy without lifting a single finger. ¡±

    ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve heard of Major General Huo¡¯s way of doing things? ¡± dimir gave him a disdainful kick. ¡°Hurry up and go back to get ready. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to go on a trip with them for the next two weeks.¡±

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng carried the Little Corgi outside of the Kremlin and made a call.

    Not long after, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Embassy in Moscow sent a military officer over and took the little Corgi from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands.

    ¡± ... Are any of you going to return to our country soon? If you are, help me send this Corgi back, and send it to Colonel Yin Shixiong of the special forces.¡± Huo Shaoheng gave the order.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The man was actually Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinate. He quickly saluted and respectfully took the puppy from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. He used his hands to smooth its fur, and even softly purred at the puppy, as if he was doting on it delightfully. He happily hugged the puppy and turned around to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    How un-masculine of a man to show such a girly expression towards a puppy.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately decided that if he ever had a son in the future, he would never let him raisea puppy.

    Even if he had to, he had to have a majestic German shepherd.

    ..

    A dayter, staring at the little Corgi in a small cardboard box, Yin Shixiong stood in his office with his hands behind his back.

    The poor little Corgi¡¯s legs were too short. It had to use all its strength just to stand up.

    Trying to look up to see who the person in front of it was, it struggled to stand up.

    Yin Shixiong used a finger to easily press down the Little Corgi that had just stood up. He then called Huo Shaoheng and said with distress, ¡°Young Marshal Huo, what do you mean by this?¡±

    He had suddenly received a puppy from Moscow, Russia.

    Even though it was a very cute Corgi, it was still a dog!

    Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly, ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s not for you.¡± He then said, ¡°I have a mission for you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, chief! ¡± Yin Shixiong immediately straightened up his posture and grew more serious. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Send this Corgi to the dog training department and train it like a military dog.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Yin Shixiong cried out, ¡°Train this short-legged Corgi like a military dog?! Major General Huo, what did this Corgi do to offend you?¡±

    Why did he want to torture it?!

    Huo Shaoheng was impatient. ¡°If I ask you to do it, then do it. Stop bbering on about so much nonsense. Are international calls free now? Stop nagging and wasting the department¡¯s funds.¡± He hung up the phone after he finished speaking.

    Yin Shixiong stared at the ringing phone and looked at the Corgi puppy who didn¡¯t yet know what its ¡°fate¡± was. He wiped away his tears and carried the cardboard box to his colleague that trained dogs.

    This was probably the first Corgi puppy in the world to be trained as a military dog in its childhood..

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi was also on the phone at this time.

    The first call she made after waking up in the morning was to Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    ¡°May I know if brother Chen is there?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with a smile after the call was connected.

    Chen Lie picked up the phone and scoffed, ¡°Nianzhi, didn¡¯t you already burn the bridge?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°You asked me to save your friend yesterday and immediately hung up. Yet you¡¯re now saying you didn¡¯t burn the bridge after crossing the river?¡± Chen Lie pretended to be angry. ¡°I¡¯m very angry. The consequences are very serious!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t hang up on you yesterday. The cellphone reception there wasn¡¯t good yesterday. I finally managed to get through to you, but it didn¡¯t take long before I couldn¡¯t get through to youagain.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded. ¡°I was just joking. Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and continued to ask, ¡°Brother Chen, how¡¯s Professor He¡¯s condition?¡±

    Chen Lie knew that Gu Nianzhi had called him at this hour to ask about He Zhichu¡¯s condition.

    He looked at the medical records, then said, ¡°Everything appears normal, but his mood swings are a little high. This is what it¡¯s like to be angry and anxious. His heart is still a little weak, but it¡¯s not that big a deal. He just needs to recuperate. I heard that he has medicine with him, but he hasn¡¯t eaten much recently.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s great news! I was really scared yesterday. Thank God I have you, Brother Chen! Brother Chen, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner when I get back!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by dinner? I saved your friend, but you¡¯re only treating me to dinner? ¡± Chen Lie scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re so famous in Moscow, so you have to treat me to at least two meals!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°No problem, I can treat you to three meals!¡±

    Chen Lieughed as well. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. ¡°Congrattions, Nianzhi. You and Major General Huo are finally an official couple. Congrattions!¡±

    Chen Lie was one of the few people who knew that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were actually already married.

    However, because Gu Nianzhi hated Huo Shaoheng so much at the time, she was basically forced to sign the marriage contract with him.

    As a result, Chen Lie could only imagine how much hard work and effort Huo Shaoheng had put in.

    The rtionship between the two of them had to be the result of both parties¡¯ hard work.

    Only one party¡¯s hard work couldn¡¯t have gone so far.

    For example, Gu Nianzhi had insisted on breaking up at that time, so if Huo Shaoheng had relented, then the two of them would definitely have grown further and further away and eventually be strangers.

    Gu Nianzhi also felt very emotional. She looked at the big diamond ring on her finger and smiled. ¡°Yes, thank you, Brother Chen. I also want to thank you on behalf of Major General Huo.¡±

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re already showing off your status as Mrs. Huo so quickly... ¡± Chen Lieughed at her and asked, ¡°Do you want to talk to Professor He?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly. ¡°Is it a convenient time? It¡¯s fine if Professor He is resting. ¡±

    ¡°No. He¡¯s standing in front of me right now and staring at my phone.¡± Chen Lie said airily and handed the phone to He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was wearing Chen Lie¡¯s hospital gown. He was still as handsome as ever.

    He didn¡¯t answer the phone. His almond-shaped eyes shed as he said coldly, ¡°Have Nianzhi call me on my cell phone. ¡± Then he turned around and went back to his own ward.

    Chen Lie: ¡± ... ¡±

    Damn!

    How unapproachable!

    He is so stuck up!

 Chapter 1243 - Iâ€™m Going To Walk You Down The Red Carpe

    <h4>Chapter 1243 I¡¯m Going To Walk You Down The Red Carpe</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi heard He Zhichu¡¯s voice on her phone. She finally confirmed that he was fine and in a great mood. She immediately dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    Before He Zhichu had even walked back to his room, his phone started to ring.

    ¡± ... you can¡¯t hear my voice. You¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll blurt out your name. It¡¯s like I¡¯m going to meet you. It¡¯s like we¡¯ve made eye contact before. I think I¡¯ve seen you somewhere before... ¡±

    A long and slightly sorrowful prelude sounded. Like fate was knocking on the door, the man¡¯s voice was low and mellow.

    Chen Lie heard He Zhichu¡¯s ringtone and couldn¡¯t help but nce up at him.

    Was this Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ringtone?

    He Zhichu swiped open his phone and closed the door behind him.

    With one hand in his trouser pocket and the other holding his phone, He Zhichu walked to the window and gazed at the sunlight outside. ¡°Nianzhi, thank you for saving me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Professor He, are you feeling better? You¡¯re too courteous. You¡¯ve saved me so many times, but I only saved you once. I want to thank you for giving me the chance to save you.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. By the way, how did you know I was ill? ¡± He Zhichu pulled down the curtains and leaned against the window as he asked with a smile.

    ¡°Your father called me.¡± Gu Nianzhi said without hesitation. ¡°Professor He, your father cares about you so much. I can feel that he really dotes on you. He was so worried when he saw that you were ill that he even found my number. ¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart sank. ¡°My father called you?!¡±

    So what he saw before he cked out was actually a video of his father, and not a hallucination.

    He had been confused right after he woke up yesterday.

    He had clearly remembered seeing his father, but why had Gu Nianzhi called Chen Lie to save him.

    He had been too anxious yesterday so they hadn¡¯t had the chance to speak.

    He had to find out today.

    He Zhichu coughed lightly and asked, ¡°My father? Are you sure it was my father?¡±

    ¡°He said he was. He also wanted me to see the video of you fainting. He really wanted me to help save you.¡± Gu Nianzhi said firmly, ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t see what he looks like, I don¡¯t think his voice was fake. It was your father¡¯s voice. There¡¯s no way he could lie.¡±

    If he was a liar, then he was a liar with his own reasons.

    Gu Nianzhi thought magnanimously.

    That person had saved Professor He and given her a chance to save Professor He. Gu Nianzhi was very grateful to him.

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead speechlessly. ¡°Okay, I got it. Nianzhi... congrattions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    After a while, she smiled. ¡°Thank you, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng is quite thoughtful.¡± He Zhichu said nkly. ¡°The engagement ceremony he gave you was worthy of your status. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have let him get away with it so easily.¡±

    ¡± ...Major General Huo must have gone out of his way to get Professor He¡¯s approval.¡± Gu Nianzhi followed He Zhichu¡¯s tone since she didn¡¯t want him to get angry.

    Chen Lie said that this time, He Zhichu¡¯s illness was caused by anxiety and anger. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want him to get ¡°anxious and angry¡± again.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°When do you n to get married?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never thought about this question.

    She and Huo Shaoheng had already gotten their marriage licenses. He was probably asking when the wedding would be held.

    Because Russian President Pushin had already said that he would be the witness, they probably couldn¡¯t make their own decisions about the wedding.

    Gu Nianzhi said tactfully, ¡°That depends on what Major General Huo says. I have to discuss it with him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll listen to him?¡± He Zhichu scoffed disapprovingly. ¡°Nianzhi, this is your wedding. There¡¯s only one main character at the wedding, and that¡¯s the bride. Don¡¯t put the cart before the Horse.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little guilty. She chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to, but considering our ¡®witness¡¯, I guess I can only be one out of the many main characters.¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head and walked back to his bed to sit down. He poured himself a ss of water and said, ¡°No matter how high the status of the wedding witness is, it can¡¯t surpass the bride¡¯s limelight. Nianzhi, when the timees, I¡¯ll walk you down the red carpet, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a father, so He Zhichu wanted to be her family. He would walk her down the red carpet and then hand her over to Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi was so touched that her voice choked up. ¡°Professor He, are you really willing to walk me down the red carpet?¡±

    Although there were still no ns of the wedding, she felt no regret at all when she thought about Professor He, who she respected the most and was like a family member to her, would walk her down the red carpet.

    His almond-shaped eyes devoid of any emotion, He Zhichu looked ahead indifferently. ¡°Of course. Why else would I bring it up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. Professor He, don¡¯t go back on your word when the timees. ¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she made an agreement with He Zhichu.

    The two of them chatted for a while more before Chen Lie knocked on the door. ¡°He Zhichu, it¡¯s time to take your medicine. Go to sleep after eating. I¡¯m going to close the wifi.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard Chen Lie¡¯s voice and quickly said, ¡°Then I¡¯m going to hang up. Professor He, rest well and get out of the hospital as soon as possible. I¡¯ll be back in two weeks. I still have a lot to discuss with Professor He.¡±

    The case for the Angel in the Human World Foundation was about to be closed, and the date of her father¡¯s death was also about to be announced.

    In two weeks, she would receive all of the Gu family¡¯s assets. When that time came, she would see if there are any new clues about her father.

    After calling He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi dialed Ma Qiqi¡¯s number again.

    Ma Qiqi was just about to take a nap.

    Upon seeing that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call, she immediately picked it up and shouted, ¡°Nianzhi! You finally called! Tsk Tsk, you¡¯re status is so much different from before, so it¡¯s much more difficult to talk to you easily now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spat. ¡°Qiqi, you did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I did it on purpose.¡± Ma Qiqi giggled. ¡°Tell me the truth. What exactly happened with Major General Huo¡¯s proposal? Did he really propose at the tomb of that unknown warrior?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s where he proposed.¡±

    ¡°Damn! That¡¯s so cool! ¡± Ma Qiqi paced around the room excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid only someone like Major General Huo would have such an idea! All the marriage proposal gimmicks with stars, beaches, and a drone ring are nothingpared to this!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst intoughter. ¡°Qiqi, don¡¯t make enemies for me. What did the drone do to you?¡±

    Ma Qiqi chuckled. ¡°Actually, I was mocking Big Xiong. When he proposed to me, it was indeed very romantic, but because it was too romantic, it was a little frivolous, and it wasn¡¯t heartfelt enough.¡±

    ¡°Qiqi, don¡¯t push your luck.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°This is really like a siege. Everyone in the city wants to get out, and everyone outside wants to get in.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s how you describe a marriage. How can you use it like that?¡± Ma Qiqi corrected her and asked, ¡°When are youing back? When do you n to hold the wedding? I¡¯ve already said that if I¡¯m not married by then, I¡¯ll be your maid of honor.¡±

    Usually, unmarried women would be the bridesmaids. Of course, married women could also be bridesmaids, depending on the situation.

    ¡°No problem. You must be my maid of honor.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought to herself. She then contacted a few of her undergrad roommates to see if they would be willing to be her bridesmaids. That was it.

    Ma Qiqi blew her a satisfied kiss. ¡°When are youing back? I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time. I miss you.¡±

    ¡°Soon, soon. Two more weeks.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled and exchanged a few more words with Ma Qiqi, and was finally relieved.

    Just as she was about to rest for a while, her phone started to ring instead.

    She looked at the caller ID. It was Song Jinning. She quickly unlocked her phone and blushed. ¡°Miss Song, you haven¡¯t had your afternoon nap yet? ¡±

    Song Jinning smiled brightly as she said gently, ¡°Nianzhi, congrattions on your engagement. My son seems quite capable to be able to tie the knot with such an intelligent girl. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re already engaged, the wedding schedule has to be put on the table. ¡± Song Jinning reminded her. ¡°I¡¯ll remind Shaoheng about this. Nianzhi, you just have to dress up nicely and be in charge of being beautiful on your wedding day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart felt warm and she nodded vigorously. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to Ms. Song.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you still call me Ms. Song like Shaoheng does. ¡± Song Jinning chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s time to change the way you address me, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Ms. Song, how could you be so unkind as to fool Gu Nianzhi, who doesn¡¯t understand traditional etiquette.

    Gu Nianzhi almost fell for her trick.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and walked in. Gu Nianzhi swallowed the words ¡°mom¡±.

    ¡°Who are you calling?¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he took out his suitcase and started to organize his things.

    ¡°Ms. Song, do you want to talk to her?¡±

    ¡°No need, we will see her very soon. Why are you calling her?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think much of it and put a few sets of his everyday clothes into his suitcase.

    ¡± ... We will see her very soon? So Ms. Song is also in Moscow right now?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very surprised. ¡°Where is she staying? Why don¡¯t we pay her a visit?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Ms. Song isn¡¯t in Moscow.¡±

    ¡°Then where is she? How would we be able to see her?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more confused.

    ¡°Ms. Song is doing a scientific experiment in Tunguska, Siberia. We¡¯re going on a trip to Siberia, so we can see her along the way.¡±

    ¡°Tunguska, Siberia? ¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Why does this ce sound so familiar?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The Tunguska explosion more than 100 years ago. Are you familiar with it?¡± Huo Shaoheng exined it to her as he helped her pack her suitcase.

 Chapter 1244 - Our own Bedstories.

    <h4>Chapter 1244 Our own Bedstories.</h4>

    ¡°The Tunguska Explosion? Gosh, I was wondering why the name sounded so familiar. So that¡¯s the reason ¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and searched for it.There were many news articles and exnations online, but many of them had been reproduced from the same article, so they all looked the same.

    ¡°An explosion more than a hundred years ago was as powerful as 20 million tons of TNT. Wow, was too powerful. There hadn¡¯t been an atomic bomb back then, so how could there have been such a powerful explosion? ¡± Gu Nianzhi astonished.

    ¡°Tens of millions of trees within more than 2,000 square kilometers were burned and charred. The way they fell was very strange. They all pointed to a center, just like the crop circles ofter generations. ¡±

    When seeing that Gu Nianzhi was surprised, ¡°Haven¡¯t the crop circles been proved to be man-made, not a natural phenomenon? ¡±

    The ancestors of counterfeiting in the modern sense were actually the people of Great Britain. because they had been faking it for a long time since they were the first countries to industrialize. With the advent of industrialization, counterfeiting also appeared on arge scale. For example, the crop circle, which is closely rted to the first industrial revolution, first appeared at that time.

    But unfortunately, under the malicious propaganda of the West countries, the Chinese Empire, which had fallen from its peak and risen again, became the birthce of counterfeiting.

    Huo Shaoheng put all his clothes back into the box and locked it as he said, ¡°What would the situation have been if the Tunguska explosion was man-made.¡±

    ¡°That... was improssible, right? ¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to read, she said in surprise, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that the whole of Europe, and even parts of Asia, were feeling the explosion at the time. Thankfully, it was in the uninhabited Tunguska region of Siberia. If it had been in a ce with more people, it would have been much worse.¡±

    ¡°There are so many hypothesises about the exact cause? ¡± Gu Nianzhi read the information she was seeing to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Some people think it was aet impact. Well, that¡¯s the prevailing view in the academic world now. Some people still think it was an alien spaceship impact, and some hold the view that it was a small ck hole that was passing through the Blue at that time... Tsk, such imagination. Are they really scientists? Not science fiction writers? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and turned around, ¡°You can discuss the topic with Ms. Song. ¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song is so professional. I¡¯m only qualified to read popr science books. ¡± Gu Nianzhiughed, ¡°Well, there¡¯s even a fanciful exnation here. It says it¡¯s antimatter. With the collisions of protons and antiprotons, Bang! Everything melted into air. It¡¯s just like the words in the Bible, ¡®Dust to dusts, dirt to dirts, ash to ashes¡¯ ! ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and turned around. ¡°See, that¡¯s rted to high-energy physics.¡±

    ¡± ... Do you mean antimatter? ¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°If it really was because of antimatter, then it¡¯s really possible to cause this much damage. ¡±

    It was said that when half a gram of iron and half a gram of ¡°anti-iron¡± collided, the power of the explosion was equivalent to the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

    ¡°Yes, if that¡¯s the case, then the power of the Tunguska explosion is equivalent to 1,000 atomic bombs, which is the power of 500 grams of ¡°anti-iron¡± collision. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned again. ¡°But, antimatter can not exist in nature at all. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, antimatter can¡¯t exist in nature, unless it¡¯s in a specificboratory environment, or there¡¯s radioactive decay during nuclear research, or there¡¯s an faint, fleeting antimatter detected in cosmic rays. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to be familiar with this point. He said, ¡°Even if antimatter is produced in theboratory, it can only appear in a very short period of time because it will inevitably collide with theboratory utensils and be annihted. ¡±

    ¡°When antimatter collides, the energy it will release is beyond your imagination. ¡±

    ¡°In front of it, even a nuclear weapon is just a piece of cake. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously. ¡°Why do you seem to know a lot about the sort of things? Don¡¯t tell me they were the bedtime stories that Mrs. Song told you to coax you to sleep when you were young.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Mrs. Song¡¯s son is called ¡®scientific research¡¯ , and I was just a gift from her to pay for her phone bill. ¡± Huo Shaoheng was rarely humorous.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart ached when she heard this.

    She put down her phone and walked over to hug huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist. She leaned her head against his chest and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you bedtime stories from now on. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips. He said hoarsely, ¡°Are you innocent? If you sleep with me, will I give you time to tell stories? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    He hadpletely destroyed all the heartache and tenderness in her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed him away expressionlessly and tried to hold back the topic. ¡± ... Are you so concerned about antimatter research because it¡¯s rted to weapons research in the military department? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. He picked up their luggage and said, ¡°I need to buy you some overcoats against the cold before we go to Siberia. ¡±

    Siberia was a vast area of northwest Russia. It spanned more than 10 million square kilometers, from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, from the Arctic Ocean to Huck, and even part of the border with China.

    Siberia had a Subfrigid coniferous climate. It was very cold, and there were at least seven months below freezing every year.

    It was early May now, and it was slightly warmer. However, for Gu Nianzhi, who had grown up in C city in the south, it was still a very cold.

    The only kind of clothing she had brought with her was just windbreaker, which was not enough to resist the cold winds of Siberia.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng out of the hotel and saw the familiar jeep parked ostentatiously at the entrance of the hotel.

    dimir, the furry second-inmand of the KGB, leaned against the car door.

    The driver poked his head out of the car window and greeted them with a smile. ¡°Cereus, where are you going? dimir and I will be your drivers and tour guides for free. We¡¯ll send you anywhere you want to go! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t surprised at all.

    That was why he didn¡¯t even call for a car. He was just waiting for the two of them toe to him.

    In Russia, with the KGB¡¯s escort, he didn¡¯t have to worry about security.

    It was so lucky to be hosted by KGB and President.

    Huo Shaoheng unceremoniously opened the back door and said, ¡°Sorry for disturbing you. Thank you for your hospitality. ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Cereus and I are friends! ¡± The driver made a face at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come, get in the car. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and followed Huo Shaoheng into the car.

    dimir¡¯s face darkened.

    Da*n it!

    Why did he feel like he was being used by Huo Shaoheng? !

    After getting into the car, dimir¡¯s face remained sullen and he did not say a word.

    The chauffeur did not notice anything and happily chatted with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Cereus, where are you going? ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to buy some overcoats to keep warm before going on a trip to Siberia. Is that right, Huo Shao? ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng replied with an ¡°mm¡± and his expression was very calm and natural.

    ¡°To buy overcoats, ¡± dimir said sarcastically. ¡°Then go to Gu Mu. ¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? ! ¡± The driver¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s the most luxurious ce in Russia! ¡±

    ¡°Gu Mu? ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked down at her phone and checked. ¡°Its full name is Gu Mu National department store. Tsk, that¡¯s actually a terrible name. ¡±

    Although the name was tacky and terrible, it was the most luxurious shopping mall in Moscow, and even in the whole of Russia. There was a need for security checks before entering.

    All the luxury brands of all blue star had gship stores here, which truely reflected its grand scale.

    When Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng got off the car, seeing the security check at the entrance,they were still struck by the surroundings.

    dimirughed strangely as he watched Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi walk into goom. ¡°Hmph, let Major General Huo pay the bill, he deserves it. How dare he takes advantage of me.¡±

    ¡°Does he? Aren¡¯t we watching them?¡± The driver was puzzled.

    dimir felt depressedin his heart.

    How did he have such thoughtless subordinates? !

 Chapter 1245 - I Like Who You Are Inside

    <h4>Chapter 1245 I Like Who You Are Inside</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng brought Gu Nianzhi to the security check at the entrance of the Gu Mu National department store.It was simr to the security check at the Huaxia Empire¡¯s train station, where they mainly checked the variousrge and small bags that were brought in.

    Gu Nianzhi only carried a small red Herm¨¨s Berline bag that she always carried with her. Inside it were her wallet, phone, sunscreen, some change, and a bag of disinfectant wipes.

    There were many people waiting in line for security checks, and the line went around the entrance several rounds.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to wait in line for security checks.

    He thought about it for a moment, then pulled out his phone from his pocket and called a certain boss of a Swiss Bank.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng curiously. She didn¡¯t know what he had said to that person over the phone but not long after, a tall and elegant woman rushed out of the Gu Mu department store.

    She didn¡¯t look young anymore, but she had an elegant aura about her that made it impossible for anyone to notice her age.

    She nced around the entrance, then approached Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi. She smiled and spoke in English, ¡°May I ask if you two are friends of Lucas?¡±

    The Swiss banker who Huo Shaoheng had called was named Lucas.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and replied in English, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Alex and this is Cereus. Do you know Lucas?¡±

    The woman waved her hand gracefully. ¡°This way, please. I¡¯m Anna, Lucas¡¯s former assistant. I got homesick and returned home to work in Russia.¡±

    She led Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi around the long security line and walked to the side door of the department store.

    ..

    With their eyes and mouths wide, dimir and the driver had been waiting in the jeep to watch the show. They were so shocked by the turn of events that their faces turned pale.

    ¡°This, this, this... they went in just like that?! They didn¡¯t need security checks? And they were picked up by someone? ¡± The driver was so emotional that he almost jumped out of his seat. ¡°That woman looks so familiar!¡±

    dimir took out his phone with a sullen expression. After connecting with the KGB intelligence system, he searched for information about the Gu Mu national department store.

    Soon, he saw photos of the tall and elegant woman from moments before.

    Anna Ivanova, the CEO of Gu Mu National Department Store.

    dimir sucked in a breath and punched the car window. ¡°When did Huo Shaoheng meet the CEO of Gu Mu National Department Store?! ¡±

    ..

    Standing at the side door of Gu Mu national department store was a guard with a gun. He wore a ck beret and ck ray-ban sunsses. He was very tall, at least two meters tall, and his bulging arm muscles made him look like a giant.

    Anna showed her business card to the guard.

    The guard was shocked. He quickly stood up and saluted her as he said, ¡°So you¡¯re the CEO. Why did youe down personally? If you had given us a call directly, we would¡¯ve found someone to invite your two friends in.¡±

    Anna nodded bashfully. ¡°You have your own jobs. How can I trouble you? ¡ª¡ªWork hard, and lunch is on me.¡± As she said that, she gave the guard a lunch voucher. It was a lunch voucher for the management¡¯s exclusive restaurant. The value of the voucher wasrge enough for a meal for four to five people.

    The guard, who was as tall as a giant, looked at the lunch voucher with a satisfied smile on his face.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched.

    Huo Shaoheng took out a credit card that had been charged beforehand and stuffed it into the guard¡¯s hand. He smiled and said, ¡°Then dinner is on me. ¡±

    The guard looked at the amount on the credit card and immediately felt a sense of respect. He saluted Huo Shaoheng and said respectfully, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, sir, but we can¡¯t ept it... ¡±

    Anna was watching from the side. The CEO was here, so would he dare ept a ¡°bribe¡±? He would lose his job.

    However, Anna raised her head and said, ¡°Take it. Mr. Alex means well. Remember to take good care of him and his friends.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. ¡± The guard immediately picked up his walkie-talkie and mumbled into it. Soon, he called over four tall and burly guards armed with guns, then he said, ¡°These two are our department store¡¯s distinguished guests. Their safety will be in your hands today.¡±

    Anna nodded with a smile and exined to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Our department store is like this for important customers. We have dedicated service staff and bodyguards to apany them throughout the entire shopping process. You can shop without worrying about anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked by Anna¡¯s ¡°thoughtful¡± service. That meant she didn¡¯t have to worry about thieves or carelessly dropping things. She also didn¡¯t have to worry about being targeted by criminal gangs and bing a victim to these people.

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed by this ¡°thoughtful¡± service.

    She had thought this service was unique to them.

    However, when she entered the store, she saw quite a few people receiving the same service. Many Middle Eastern men in white or ck robes were apanied by armed guards.

    The Middle Eastern oil barons were rich, of course, but they also valued their lives the most.

    Immediately after, a blonde Russian saleswoman walked over with a very polite smile, and she said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯m Lika. I¡¯ll be taking you shopping today. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. We¡¯ll definitely try our best to satisfy your needs.¡±

    Anna said with satisfaction, ¡°Lika, these two are my good friends. You must treat them well and show them the best quality of service Gu Mu department store has to offer. ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, president. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± Lika made a promise to Anna.

    Anna was the CEO of this big department store. It was impossible for her to apany Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi shopping for the entire time.

    It was already a huge favor for her to personallye down and lead them in.

    After Huo Shaoheng shook her hand and said goodbye, he took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and leisurely strolled around Gu Mu department store.

    He said to the salesgirl, Lika, ¡°We¡¯d like to buy overcoats to keep warm in the cold. They¡¯re for women. What do you rmend?¡±

    Lika asked carefully, ¡°May I ask what weather do you need it for? We have all sorts of brands and all sorts of winter coats. Although it¡¯s almost summer, there are still some stores that are selling winter clothes. Let me check for you.¡±

    Lika took out her tablet and started to click on it.

    After a while, she said, ¡°Burberry¡¯s winter clothes are on disy for thest week. The season will change next week. Would you like to take a look? I¡¯ll have to contact the other brands to see if they still have winter collections in stock. In addition, our own Russian brands also have some winter collections of good quality and design. However, I think thisdy¡¯s figure is too good, so I don¡¯t think our own Russian brands have her size.¡±

    She pursed her lips into a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi also understood and thought that this salesgirl was really amusing.

    All she had to say was that Russian privatebel brands hadrger sizes. With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s petite figure, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to wear them..

    Huo Shaoheng actually didn¡¯t have much time to shop for clothes. He looked at his watch and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to Burberry. We¡¯ll buy whatever¡¯s fitting. We¡¯re in a hurry.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I understand.¡± The salesgirl, Lika, didn¡¯t look for other brands and took them directly to Burberry¡¯s gship store.

    Upon entering Burberry¡¯s gship store, Gu Nianzhi was immediately attracted to Burberry¡¯s signature cashmere id scarf.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that her gaze kept drifting towards the cashmere id scarf, and thought about how Gu Nianzhi had a lot of scarves, but not many thick cashmere scarves.

    Of course, that was because Gu Nianzhi had never been in a truly cold environment. There was heating at home and at school in the winter, and she got around in a car, so she didn¡¯t need many thick cashmere scarves.

    But since they were in Moscow, in the future, he might take Gu Nianzhi on trips to various ces on Blue. Huo Shaoheng felt that it was better to stock up on thicker cashmere scarves for her.

    What if she needed them?

    She could wear them differently every day for the entire winter.

    Besides, in Moscow, Burberry¡¯s cashmere scarves and even cashmere overcoats were thicker than those from other ces because Moscow was colder than other ces, so it was worth stocking up on them.

    The products sold by a brand had to meet the needs of the local residents in order to be sustainable.

    ¡°Go check out the cashmere scarves over there. You¡¯ll need them when we go to Siberia as well.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled Gu Nianzhi over to the counter where the cashmere scarves were kept.

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately ted. She happily thought about how Huo Shao had probably seen her peeking at the cashmere scarves over there just now..

    Therefore, women had different standards in terms of romantic words from men, but one sort of romantic word had the same effect on all women.

    That was, buy, buy, buy.

    Choosing the appearance and pattern that she liked, Gu Nianzhi smiled as she looked at the scarves.

    The pink and blue checked scarf with light gray stripes appeared clean and refreshing, like the Siberian winter sky. The light blue sky with light gray clouds that showed it could rain at any moment.

    Looking valiant and heroic, the scarf with the pink and white checked pattern and big red stripes was also like a g fluttering in the heavy snow.

    The light green checked scarf had snow-white stripes. When she caressed it with her hand, it felt as soft as water, but was also extremely warm.

    There were also seven to eight other colorbinations. Gu Nianzhi was dazzled by them all and couldn¡¯t help but ask Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Which color is the best? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at them and said to the salesgirl beside him, ¡°Which ones just came out this year?¡±

    ¡°These are all the new ones. ¡± The salesgirl pointed at the seven to eight different styles of cashmere scarves in front of her. ¡°The old ones fromst year have already been sent to outlets, and the gship store has all the new ones. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Wrap all these up, two of each.¡±

    This way, if Gu Nianzhi¡¯s friends liked them, they could also give one as a gift.

    Gu Nianzhi: ... ¡±

    ¡°Why do you need so many? ¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face blushed. She tugged at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and shook her head. ¡°One is enough... ¡±

    ¡°If you like them, then I can buy them all. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t afford it. ¡± Huo Shaoheng reminded her. ¡°You traveled abroad, but you¡¯re not bringing gifts for your friends? I think Ma Qiqi will like this scarf too. Just think of it as picking out a few for her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt ashamed by his words.

    She really hadn¡¯t thought of Ma Qiqi earlier.

    She waspletely immersed in the joy of spending a holiday alone with Huo Shaoheng.

    She quickly said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll pick out some small things. ¡± As she spoke, she picked out some leather gloves, wallets, and belts for men and women, then paid with her own card.

    Huo Shaoheng paid for the scarf.

    The sales associate happily wrapped two of each of the scarves in different shapes and carried them as she followed behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng then took Gu Nianzhi to look at winter coats.

    He immediately took a liking to a long maroon wool coat. It was a slim military style coat up to the knees. The quality of the wool inside was very good. It was warm to the touch, just like a natural gas temperature regtor.

    Even minus fifty degrees celsius wouldn¡¯t be a problem, not to mention zero degrees celsius.

    The coat also had a wide military belt.

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the fitting room while wearing the coat. Her waist was slim, the belt was high, and her long hair draped over her shoulders. She was beautiful, but also had the fierceness and toughness of a soldier.

    Huo Shaoheng felt his heart grow warm as he looked at her. Some inappropriate thoughts shed through his mind..

    For example, Gu Nianzhi was lying on the bed in the coat. She was only wearing the coat, and when she took off the coat, she was wearing nothing inside...

 Chapter 1246 - Unrealistic Fantasies

    <h4>Chapter 1246 Unrealistic Fantasies</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea what Huo Shaoheng was thinking.

    She smiled and twirled around Huo Shaoheng a few times. ¡°How is it? Does it look nice? ¡±

    It was warm, of course, but she was concerned about whether it looked nice or not.

    If it didn¡¯t look good, she wouldn¡¯t care no matter how warm it was.

    Huo Shaoheng came back to his senses and calmly said, ¡°Yes, it looks nice. ¡±

    He took out his ck card and immediately paid for it.

    The sales associate who helped him check out smiled like a Chrysanthemum and followed Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi around with the salesgirl, Lika.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Major General Huo, you should buy one too. Won¡¯t you get cold?¡±

    The sales associate at Burberry quickly said, ¡°We also have a coat of the same style for men. You two will look like a couple in them.¡± She then took a coat of the same style for men.

    Gu Nianzhi liked it very much.

    Her eyes lit up as she gestured Huo Shaoheng towards the coat.

    Huo Shaoheng had a feeling that the thoughts in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little head at the moment were probably indescribable..

    He just had ¡°indescribable¡± thoughts himself, so now that Gu Nianzhi had ¡°indescribable¡± thoughts about him, Huo Shaoheng was a little speechless.

    He calmly nodded and agreed to buy the coat, but refused to try it on for Gu Nianzhi to see.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted as she followed behind him. Huo Shaoheng pretended not to see her. He turned around and bought two glossy ck mink fur hats that would cover half of their heads. They looked almost identical to the ck mink fur hats worn by the Manchurian warlord governor from the old era.

    He then bought leather pants with cashmere lining for maximum protection against the cold.

    Finally, she picked out two pairs of long leather boots. The inner lining was made of soft, snow-white wool, and the outside was made of sturdy calfskin. They looked fashionable, high-end, and were veryfortable to wear. It would be no problem for her to travel long distance in them.

    Seeing that it was almost time, without further ado, Huo Shaoheng said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Do you still want to buy anything else?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the shopping guide and the few guards carrying all their bags, then smiled very contentedly.

    Only a woman who had walked the streets would know how fulfilling a shopping spree was.

    The two of them spent an hour buying everything, and Anna personally apanied them to the department store.

    ..

    dimir looked at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s various-sized Burberry bags and couldn¡¯t help pulling a long face. He snorted and looked away.

    Gu Nianzhi took out a pair of leather gloves and a box of leather belts that she had just bought and stuffed them into dimir¡¯s hands. She smiled and said, ¡°You have a present too! Come on, smile for me! ¡±

    dimir looked down at the Burberry gift box in his hands. Although he wanted to pretend that he didn¡¯t care, the corners of his lips curled up and revealed his true feelings.

    ¡°Thank you, Cereus. ¡± He pretended to keep his cool, then quietly took out his phone to take a photo and post it on his Wechat moments.

    [ dimir-KGB2] : A present from a friend. Smile.JPG.

    When the chauffeur received the same gift, he expressed his gratitude in a much more straightforward manner.

    He let out an shrill scream, thenughed wildly. ¡°I have Burberry gloves and a belt! Hahahaha... When we get back, those kids will be so jealous! ¡ª¡ªCereus, thank you! ¡±

    As the chauffeur spoke, hisrge body struggled to get up from the front seat, and he turned to kiss Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face from the back of the seat. ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reached out and pushed him back without hesitation. ¡°Focus on driving will be the best expression of gratitude.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The chauffeur couldn¡¯t overpower the strength of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. He retracted his head resentfully, then turned around, started the car, and drove away from the entrance of Gu Mu department store.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she took out her phone and began interacting with dimir on Wechat.

    She gave him a ¡°like¡± andmented, ¡°dimir will have to work hard for the next few days.¡±

    dimir immediately replied, ¡°It¡¯s not hard since it¡¯s to serve the people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... How did you know that saying?¡±

    dimir rolled his eyes in the front seat and replied, ¡°That is the purpose of the KGB.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and replied, ¡°Is that so? Regardless of whether you believe it or not, I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced around inside the car and saw that Gu Nianzhi was interacting with dimir.

    He ignored them.

    The driver asked him, ¡°Major General Huo, where are you going this time?¡±

    ¡°To Tunguska city in Siberia. ¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around. ¡°You know the way, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know.¡± the driver replied honestly. ¡°But I have a GPS, so I¡¯ll just follow the directions. ¡±

    Tunguska city in Siberia was directly east of Moscow, so they had to drive towards the east.

    Although there were no highways along the way, these ordinary roads were built during the former Soviet Union. The quality was very good and wasn¡¯t inferior to current highways.

    Moreover, because there were few people along the way, these ordinary highways were simr to the highways in Europe and the United States.

    What was even more interesting was that there were many ces where there was no speed limit, so they could drive very fast.

    The four of them were soon out of Moscow.

    They hadn¡¯t driven far when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone suddenly started ringing.

    He picked up the phone and looked at it. It was his father, Huo Guanchen.

    He frowned but picked up the call anyway. ¡°What can I do for you? I¡¯m on the road.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was worried that it would affect his driving, so he quickly said, ¡°General Ji told me about you and Nianzhi. He also asked when we¡¯re nning to hold the wedding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    He thought that General Ji told him about how he and Gu Nianzhi already got their marriage certificate, but in the end, General Ji kept his mouth shut.

    He asked when the wedding would be held and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister. I¡¯m on the road now.¡±

    ¡°On the road? Where are you going?¡± Huo Guanchen froze for a moment. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leading a team to participate in the International Special Forces Tournament in Moscow?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done with that matter now. I¡¯m not from this area anyway, so I won¡¯t steal other people¡¯s limelight and credit. ¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you return home earlier?¡± Huo Guanchen was very emotional. ¡°President Pushin is going to be your witness, so you have to n your wedding well. General Ji and Speaker Long both said that your marriage has be an international affair and that they will contribute to it.¡±

    He didn¡¯t even raise a single word of objection.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled up.

    It seemed that his father wasn¡¯t aplete lost cause. At the very least, he was a ¡°tactful person¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking Nianzhi to Siberia now.¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t go back to our country for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Guanchen, is that Shaoheng on the phone? Give me your phone.¡± Huo Xuenong leaned on his cane and came down with Luo Jin¡¯s help. He happened to hear Huo Guanchen calling Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Guanchen wanted to object to Huo Xuenong, but Huo Shaoheng was listening on the other end of the phone. Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t want Huo Xuenong to be embarrrased in front of a junior, so he reluctantly said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Your grandfather is here. He wants to talk to you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and thought about getting things straight so that his grandfather and father wouldn¡¯t think that he was acting first and reportingter. Although he was indeed acting first and reportingter.

    Huo Xuenong took the phone from Huo Guanchen and asked angrily, ¡°Shaoheng, why did you get engaged outside without the consent of your family? You have to know that without the blessing of your family, your marriage will never be happy!¡±

    ¡°So what if the Russian president is the witness? He will leave after being the witness and leave you alone to face the ill-fated marriage. Do you really think he was simply being kind?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Xuenong felt even more assured when he saw that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t refute him. He tapped the ground with his crutch in his hand twice, and he said confidently, ¡°Fortunately, you only got engaged in private, so it doesn¡¯t count. Hurry back and get married to Jin. When you prepare for the wedding, just let Jin be the bride.¡±

    ¡°The Russian president can¡¯t differentiate between Asian faces. When the timees, she will wear a wedding dress with a veil, and this matter will be over. ¡±

    Huo Xuenong had also helped Huo Shaoheng think of a way to fool the Russian president, Pushin.

    Huo Guanchen, who was listening on the side, waspletely baffled!

    He thought that after he had objectedst time, the old man would give up on the unrealistic dream of ¡°letting Luo Jin and Huo Shaoheng fake their marriage ¡± He didn¡¯t expect that he still refused to give up the idea.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched.

    The more he spoke, the more ridiculous he sounded. ¡°Get married to Jin? Who is Jin?¡±

    ¡°Huo Jin is your former cousin, but she¡¯s no longer a member of the Huo family. You know, she was never your uncle¡¯s biological daughter to begin with, and now she has been removed from the Huo family¡¯s household register and she changed her surname to her mother¡¯s maiden name, Luo. She now goes by the name Luo Jin.¡±

    Huo Xuenong exined this to him impatiently.

 Chapter 1247 - Mother-In-Law And Daughter-In-Law Can Conquer The World Together

    <h4>1247 Mother-In-Law And Daughter-In-Law Can Conquer The World Together</h4>

    Luo Jin held Huo Xuenong¡¯s hand as she lowered her head. She looked shy and bashful on the surface, but in reality her heart was beating wildly.

    Although Huo Shaoheng was a stubborn person who often acted his own way and never listened to his parents and family¡¯s opinions regarding work, marriage was different.

    No matter how powerful a person was, they had to obtain the consent of their elders first for marriage.

    Huo Shaoheng was a soldier, so this was especially important to him.

    Luo Jin was certain of this, and this was why she put all her hopes and efforts on Huo Xuenong. She finally beguiled him into bing very dissatisfied with Gu Nianzhi and agreed to act as a ¡°cover¡± for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fake marriage.

    Furthermore, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been married for so many years and didn¡¯t have a girlfriend. Luo Jin felt that Huo Shaoheng was very concerned about the opinions of his family.

    This was all because his family had set their sights too high. Ordinary people and ordinary families never interested his family, and that was why Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t had a girlfriend for so many years.

    Huo Shaoheng was at a loss for words. He supported his head with one hand and leaned his elbow against the car window. He said calmly, ¡°Grandfather, if you want her to marry me, she has to go through a strict political review first. Do you think she can pass the political review?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t she pass it?¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know what a political review is? I¡¯ve been on the military¡¯s Supreme Council for so many years and have my own connections. I¡¯ll make sure she passes the political review.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t pass the political review.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to waste any more time arguing with him. He hung up the phone and turned to send a message to Yin Shixiong.

    [ Major General Huo ] : Investigate Luo Jin¡¯s identity and background. From the moment she was born until now, there must be no omissions.

    Yin Shixiong saw the message and was baffled for a long time before he finally remembered that ¡°Huo Jin¡± was Major General Huo¡¯s cousin!

    She was the daughter of Major General Huo¡¯s uncle. Of course, she was only his adopted daughter instead of his biological daughter.

    Yin Shixiong had known Luo Jin¡¯s conduct during Song Jinning¡¯swsuit, so naturally he felt disdainful towards her.

    She was ungratefully biting the hand that fed her. That person was her own elder, and she had been unable to protect herself because she was sick.

    A person like her with such low morals was despised by many people back then.

    Yin Shixiong immediately replied: Yes, Chief.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard Huo Shaoheng on the phone, she asked in confusion,¡± ... Major General Huo, does this Luo Jin person want to marry you? Who¡¯s Luo Jin?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to hide it from Gu Nianzhi, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have been so direct with her over the phone.

    He said indifferently, ¡°Huo Jin changed her name. She removed herself from my uncle¡¯s household register and took her mother¡¯s surname. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to reality. Her entire body froze, and her eyes widened in anger. ¡°She wants to marry you?! What right does she have?!¡±

    How dare she covet her man? ! Was she trying to pick a fight?!

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists. Her little face grew tense as she said with a nk expression, ¡°I think she forgot that Ms. Song¡¯swsuit isn¡¯t over yet.¡±

    After Song Jinning sued Bai Jinyi, the case of Song Jinning being abused by Huo Jin will be reviewed.

    However, Huo Jin was quick-witted and immediately followed Grandfather Huo to the Xie family in Europe to ¡°rx¡±. After more than a year, the case was temporarily put on hold.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head and smiled. ¡± ... We will have to troublewyer Gu to handle thewsuit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved.

    Otherwise, everyone would think they can manipte his family¡¯s dim-witted demented elders to ckmail him. Do they really think that Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t darey hands onGrandfather Huo?

    After Gu Nianzhi received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s permission, she immediately said, ¡°There are two intiffs in this case. One is grandmother¡¯s estate fund, and they want to sue Luo Jin for illegally upying the Huo family¡¯s property. The other is Ms. Song.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused and said word by word, ¡°I want to sue Luo Jin for attempted murder on Ms. Song¡¯s behalf!¡±

    Abuse?

    Haha, that charge was too light. It wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough to teach her a lesson that will be unforgettable for the rest of her life.

    Objectively speaking, Luo Jin¡¯s abuse of Song Jinning belonged to the category of domestic violence. ording to the extent of the case, she can only be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison. Moreover, because Song Jinning wasn¡¯t tortured to death, it was considered mental abuse; therefore, it was very likely that she would not even serve jailtime. All she would receive is an official warning.

    However, things will be different if she was charged with attempted murder. The maximum penalty could be the death penalty.

    Gu Nianzhi had previously felt that sueing Luo Jin for abuse was going too easy on her. Since Luo Jin was still being unrepentant and even had the delusional desire to marry Huo Shaoheng to avoid being sued and pursued for money, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be med for mercilessly destroying her starry-eyed delusion.

    Although suing Luo Jin for ¡°attempted murder¡± was more difficult than suing her for ¡°abuse¡±, if it wasn¡¯t difficult, how could it show that Gu Nianzhi had deep understanding of thew?

    Gu Nianzhi smirked wickedly.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and looked at her sparkling eyes.

    He loved it when Gu Nianzhi ambitiously showed off her talents. No matter how she was on the inside, she would be his most beloved darling...

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get the executor of the Estate Fund to sign the permit for you. As for Ms. Song, can you handle it yourself?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked her, then he sent a text message to Song Jinning to see if she could make calls over the wifi.

    As far as he knew, Song Jinning was already in the isted Birch forest in Tunguska, Siberia.

    Song Jinning immediately replied to his message: What is it?

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief and replied: Nianzhi will send you a message.

    Because dimir was listening attentively to their conversation, Huo Shaoheng did not want to reveal too much about his family matters in front of outsiders.

    Gu Nianzhi also opened Song Jinning¡¯s chat box on Wechat and sent her a message.

    [ Nianzi Zaizi ] : Ms. Song, I have something to discuss with you. I hope you¡¯ll agree to it.

    Song Jinning was shocked by her courteous and diplomatic tone, and quickly replied.

    [ Ms. Song ] : What¡¯s wrong? Is it really little Nianzhi? Has her ount been hacked?

    [ Nianzi Zaizi ] : ..

    [ Nianzi Zaizi ] : It¡¯s like this. Luo Jin, who used to go by the name Huo Jin, convinced Grandfather Huo to marry Major General Huo in my ce.

    Song Jinning: Furious.JPG. What did you say?! That old dim-witted two-timing jackass who cheated on his wife and contributed to her death wants Huo Jin to marry my son?! Nianzhi, wait a minute, I can¡¯t take this!

    Song Jinning switched out of and opened her contact list on her phone. She found Huo Guanchen¡¯s number and called him.

    She thought that Huo Xuenong dared to bring it up because that jerk Huo Guanchen came up with the idea.

    Huo Guanchen was ring at Huo Xuenong. ¡°How could you say that to Shaoheng?! I already said I don¡¯t agree!¡±

    Huo Guanchen heard his phone ring again. He thought it was Huo Shaoheng calling, but when he looked down, it was actually Song Jinning. He immediately connected the call.

    Before he could say anything, Song Jinning¡¯s angry voicesounded from the phone. ¡°Huo Guanchen! If you interfere with my son¡¯s marriage again, I¡¯ll make Shaoheng leave the Huo family too! ¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled wryly. ¡± ... I didn¡¯t agree. Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t be able to get past me.¡±

    Song Jinning: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t agree? The old man acted on his own?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m not even satisfied with Nianzhi. Do you think I¡¯ll be satisfied with Luo Jin?¡± Huo Guanchen lowered his voice tofort Song Jinning. ¡°Jinning, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll never let Luo Jin marry Shaoheng.¡±

    Song Jinning pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Is the old man here? Let me talk to the old man.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Luo Jin is here too.¡± Huo Guanchen saw that Luo Jin and Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyes were gleaming as if they wanted to leave, so he simply pressed the speakerphone and handed the phone to Huo Xuenong, ¡°Speak, it¡¯s Jinning. I¡¯ve turned on the speakerphone, so everyone can hear.¡±

    Huo Xuenong saw that he couldn¡¯t dodge the bullet anymore, so he coughed and said, ¡°Jinning, the thing is, you...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that, Grandfather Huo. We¡¯re not close.¡± Song Jinning was furious. ¡°Head nurse Zhang is waiting for you in prison. Do you want to reunite with her in prison?!¡±

    These words rubbed salt on Huo Xuenong¡¯s wound, so he was furious. ¡± ... How dare you talk to me like that?!¡±

    Knowing that Huo Guanchen had turned on the speakerphone, Song Jinning ignored him and spoke to Luo Jin, ¡°And you, Luo Jin. We haven¡¯t settled the score yet. Do you think that I¡¯m as senile as Grandfather Huo? Have you forgotten what you¡¯ve done to me?!¡±

    Luo Jin was so scared that she started to tremble. She stood next to Huo Xuenong as she said in a trembling voice, ¡°Grandfather, I didn¡¯t mean to do that. I did it to avenge my mother...¡±

    ¡°How can a person who doesn¡¯t even save her own mother avenge her own mother? Luo Jin, not everyone is your mother, who still has to spoil and coax you no matter how outrageous you are.¡± Song Jinning said coldly, ¡°I won¡¯t say anything further. Just wait for mywyer¡¯s letter.¡±

    Song Jinning hung up the phone and immediately sent a message to Gu Nianzhi.

    [ Ms. Song ] : Little Nianzhi, I have full authority to entrust you as mywyer. You can sue Luo Jin however you want.

    Is there anything in this world that they can¡¯t do? Awsuit that they can¡¯t fight?

 Chapter 1248 - Kicked Out The Door

    <h4>Chapter 1248 Kicked Out The Door</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger that was building up was finally vented after obtaining Song Jinning¡¯s permission.She immediately found a temte for awyer¡¯s attorney contract from her cloud folder and sent it to Song Jinning.[ Nez Here ] : Ms. Song, sign the attorney contract, scan it, and send it to my email. The rest is up to me. Wait for mywyer letter and court summon.

    Song Jinning was very confident in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s professionalism.

    She replied immediately.

    [ Ms. Song ] : Okay, I¡¯ll sign it right away. Are youing to Tunguska with Shaoheng? I can give it to you in person.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Damn it, she was so excited moments before that she forgot that Song Jinning was in Tunguska, Siberia, Russia, and not in the High Energy Physics Institute, in Huaxia Empire¡¯s imperial capital.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly typed in a series of small emojis with the words ¡°happy.JPG¡± and sent them over.

    ..

    In the Huaxia Empire, the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the imperial capital¡¯s militarypound, Huo Guanchen coldly red at Huo Xuenong, who was about to copse, and said bluntly, ¡°If you interfere with Shaoheng¡¯s personal affairs again, I won¡¯t go easy on you anymore.¡±

    Huo Xuenong had just been reprimanded by Song Jinning because of head nurse Zhang, so he was already fuming with rage. He threw his crutch to the ground, ¡°You won¡¯t go easy on me? What are you going to do about it?! I¡¯m your father! Do you think you can have a future after throwing your own father under the bus? ! I think you, the director of the political department, will also be back-stabbed by others as well! ¡±

    ¡°Haha... ¡± Huo Guanchenughed. ¡°You¡¯re my biological father, but I still have my biological mother. For the sake of my biological father, I¡¯ve kept many things from the Xie family all these years. You didn¡¯t think that just because I didn¡¯t tell them all these years, I wasn¡¯t aware, right? ¡±

    Huo Xuenong shuddered at the mention of the Xie family. He actually didn¡¯t dare use the excuse of being his father on Huo Guanchen anymore.

    His eyes wandered, and he stammered, ¡°Keep... Keep what secret? I¡¯ve already told the Xie family that I¡¯ve wronged your mother. What else do they want?¡±

    ¡°Do you think a simple apology is enough?¡± Huo Guanchen snorted, and Luo Jin¡¯s eyes darted around quickly. Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t want her to eavesdrop, so he didn¡¯t continue, and simply said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what they want, but I know that a few of my uncles are still alive. They had great rtionships with my mother. When my mother passed away, they were so angry that they all fell sick. You know that.¡±

    Huo Xuenong: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°I still have the same stance. You¡¯ve already retired, so enjoy your retirement at home. No one will make things difficult for you.¡± Huo Guanchen said coldly. ¡°But if you want to meddle in other people¡¯s affairs, think about whether you have the right or not.¡±

    His words were already very serious. Huo Xuenong was so angry that his face turned livid.

    Luo Jin quickly held his arm and said worriedly, ¡°Grandfather, are you feeling unwell? Let¡¯s go back to your room and call the doctor to check on you.¡±

    Huo Xuenong nodded weakly and closed his eyes.

    Huo Guanchen stopped them. ¡°Luo Jin, you¡¯re no longer a member of the Huo family. Besides, you have awsuit with my ex-wife. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to stay here. Please pack your things and leave our house immediately.¡±

    She was living in his house and eating his food yet spending his family¡¯s money to abuse his ex-wife and even wants to marry his son... Hehe, did she really think that he, Huo Guanchen, was that much of a dim-witted pushover?

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t expect that Huo Guanchen, who had always doted on her, would be so merciless and disdainful of ger.

    She couldn¡¯t hold back her tears and said in a choked voice, ¡°Uncle, aren¡¯t you afraid of what my father from Heaven will think of you treating me like this?¡±

    ¡°Your father? Your father has nothing to do with me. ¡± Huo Guanchen had always doted on Luo Jin because he thought she was his dead brother¡¯s only child.

    He doted on her because he was doing his brother a favor.

    It was also because of thewsuitst year that he realized that Luo Jin, whom he had doted on for so many years, wasn¡¯t his brother¡¯s daughter at all.

    Only then did Luo Jin realize that in order to sessfully marry Huo Shaoheng, she had to remove herself from the Huo family¡¯s household register and dissociate herself from Huo Guanyuan. She even changed her name to Luo Jin, following her mother¡¯s surname.

    She thought that these efforts would clear the obstacles perventing her from marrying Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Huo Guanchen¡¯s reaction was unexpected.

    Luo Jin looked at Huo Guanchen with a conflicted expression, and asked him again, ¡°Are you really that heartless? I¡¯ve been a part of this family for more than 20 years. I was born a member of the Huo family. Are you really going to kick me out?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was even more disgusted by these words.

    ¡± ... You say that you were born a member of the Huo family and have always thought of yourself as a member of the Huo family, but how could youe up with such a shady idea such as marrying your own cousin? ... Tell me, how do you think of yourself as a member of the Huo family ... ¡ª¡ª Keep you here?... if we keep you here, our family wouldn¡¯t be at peace. You¡¯ll drive a wedge between our father and son rtionship, and our family will be separated... ! ¡±

    Huo Guanchen rarely said such harsh words, but Luo Jin¡¯s actions had stepped on his bottom line.

    If only Song Jinning and Huo Guanyuan were involved, Huo Guanchen could still bite the bullet. However, since Luo Jin dared to involve his son in her scheme and tried to put his son in a disadvantageous position, he absolutely couldn¡¯t tolerate it.

    At Huo Guanchen¡¯s age, love and affection weren¡¯t as important as the rtionship between father and son.

    Besides, he had already lost Song Jinning. How could he lose Huo Shaoheng too?

    Luo Jin was so embarrassed by Huo Guanchen¡¯s words that she burst into tears, and said, ¡°Are you trying to make fun of me? When I said I was a member of the Huo family, I meant that I had always thought of myself as a member of the Huo family. But I¡¯m not rted to Shaoheng by blood. Why can¡¯t I marry him? If my father was still alive, he would definitely agree! You¡¯re bullying me because I don¡¯t have parents!¡±

    ¡°Hehe... ¡± Huo Guanchen kicked the coffee table in the middle of the living room in frustration. ¡°If my big brother was still alive and knew that you were abusing... Song Jinning,don¡¯t you think he would beat you to death? ! ¡±

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t know how hot-tempered his big brother was and how sturdy he was, but Huo Guanchen knew it all too well.

    His brother, Huo Guanyuan, had been the champion of the Army¡¯s grand tournament when he was 20 years old. He had carried gs for the army multiple times.

    Not only was his marksmanship urate, but he could operate all kinds of weapons. He also knew how to fly fighter jets and tanks. He also excelled in hand-to-handbat.

    In one of the Army¡¯s grand tournaments, he had fought with a national martial arts champion in the ring and nearly strangled him to death during a grapple.

    Huo Guanchen had always looked up to this big brother.

    Later, he gave birth to his own son, Huo Shaoheng. He realized that his son¡¯s talent rivaled that of his big brother¡¯s, and even surpassed him. Putting meticulous effort into raising him strictly, he had ced all his hopes on Huo Shaoheng, and he had never been as kind and pleasant to him like an ordinary father would. He wanted nothing more than for him to surpass his big brother as soon as possible..

    However, before his son could grow up, his older brother passed away.

    From the day his older brother died, Huo Guanchen truly started to mature to bear the burden of his family. He also took good care of his older brother¡¯s wife and daughter.

    ¡°No way! My father cares about me the most! He would never hit me because of another woman! ¡± Deep inside, Luo Jin also yearned for her father¡¯s love.

    However, when she was young, always on missions, Huo Guanyuan was away from home all year round.

    Luo Jin¡¯s impression of him was very vague, but that didn¡¯t stop her from treating Huo Guanyuan as her father.

    Moreover, Huo Guanyuan was really good to her. His will stated that half of his assets would go to her mother, Luo Xinxue.

    After Luo Xinxue passed away, all of this fell into Luo Jin¡¯s hands.

    After so many years, the proceeds had long since be a considerable fortune.

    Last year, Song Jinning had suddenly recovered from her illness and sued Bai Jinyi into getting jailtime.

    It was also revealed that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t Huo Guanyuan¡¯s biological daughter. At that time, she initially wanted to leave the Huo family with her own funds and start her own family to live on her own.

    Gu Nianzhi had said that she would be held ountable for her mistreatment of Song Jinning and for taking back the funds left behind by the grandmother of the Xie family. That was why she had been so desparate.

    She couldn¡¯t lose the funds, nor could she afford to get involved in awsuit..

    It was fortunate that the Zhang family had caused trouble at that time, and Grandfather Huo had been heartbroken, so she had the opportunity to take care of him and cajole him into going to Europe with her. She wanted to apologize to the Xie family and at the same time rx..

    She had been preparing for almost a year. She didn¡¯t expect that not only would Song Jinning object, but Huo Guanchen, who had always treated her like his daughter, would also object!

    ¡°Hehe, whether my big brother will hit you or not depends on what you¡¯ve done. My big brother is a person who keeps his work and his personal life separate.¡± Huo Guanchen curled his lips in disdain, then he waved his hand and ordered, ¡°Guards! Go up and collect all of Luo Jin¡¯s belongings and let her take them away. After five minutes, I don¡¯t want to see this person or this person¡¯s belongings in my house anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir! ¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s guards, of course, only listened to Huo Guanchen¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Uncle Huo, are you serious?¡± Luo Jin¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. Are you really going to kick me out for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t answer her at all. He sat down on the sofa and didn¡¯t even look up from the newspaper.

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t regret what you said today, ¡± Luo Jin said harshly and ran up to pack her things.

    Huo Xuenong wanted to stop Luo Jin, but when he saw Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression and thought about the Xie family, he was cowered so he simply retreated upstairs with his cane.

    ..

    Five minutester, five to six luggages of various sizes were thrown out of the Huo family¡¯s door.

    A guard drove over in a pickup truck and sent her and her boxes out of the militarypound.

    ¡°Miss Luo, where are you going? ¡± The guard was still very polite to Luo Jin.

    Luo Jin also had her own residence in the capital, but she didn¡¯t want to go back now. She said stiffly, ¡°Drop me off at the hotel nearby.¡±

    She arrogantly had the guard send all her luggage to the hotel room before saying, ¡°Go back and tell your chief that I¡¯ll still return to see my grandfather if I have the chance.¡±

    The guard scoffed and turned to leave without saying another word.

    Luo Jin was so infuriated by the guard that she almost fainted.

    She had just left the Huo family home, but these lowly soldiers were already giving her a hard time!

    Gritting her teeth as she watched the guard leave, Luo Jin snorted coldly and mmed the door shut with a loud bang.

    ..

    The scenery on the highway from Moscow to Siberia was beautiful.

    In early summer, everything grew and flowers bloomed.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and looked at the scenery outside the window. She was in a great mood.

    The car drove day and night until they arrived at Yekaterina Castle. This was a city named after Empress Yekaterina.

    The surroundings were full of lush white birch forests. The sky was as blue as a transparent sapphire. In the distance, the forest was like a natural oil painting.

    Gu Nianzhi stretched and said to Huo Shaoheng, who had just opened his eyes, ¡°Good Morning.¡±

    The driver was snoring loudly in the front row. dimir, who was driving, red at him in disgust. He was about to shake him to wake up when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a person in the Birch forest by the roadside.

    With his years of professional KGB experience, dimir¡¯s intuition told him that something was wrong.

    But then he remembered that this was the KGB¡¯s car. There were probably only a few people in Russia who dared to openly oppose the KGB?

    Still considering whether to stop and find a ce to eat breakfast or continue driving, Huo Shaoheng noticed the situation in the Birch forest by the roadside.

    He was more vignt than dimir.

    He turned to take a look, then his pupils suddenly dted. He quickly said in Russian, ¡°Speed up! Get down!¡±

    As a natural reflex, dimir stepped on the elerator and slid down the car seat.

    Huo Shaoheng rushed over and hugged Gu Nianzhi at the same time. They bothid down in the back seat.

    Just then, a few dull gunshots came from the Birch forest.

    The bullet was like a rapidly rotating probe. It instantly broke the bulletproof ss on the left side of the jeep, then flew out of the right window and pierced the entire jeep!

 Chapter 1249 - Meeting The Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 1249 Meeting The Enemy</h4>

    ¡°What happened?! What happened?!¡±The middle-aged driver, who had been sleeping a moment ago, woke up from his dream and raised his head to shout.

    ¡°Get down! You useless thing! Get down! ¡± dimir was trying to turn the steering wheel while hiding under the seat, so he couldn¡¯t see the road ahead clearly.

    Fortunately, this was a one-wayne, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about carsing from the front.

    Intending to slide to the empty space in front of the car seat to hide, the driver immediately turned his body to the side and unbuckled his seat belt.

    But the other party seemed to have locked onto the person in the car.

    The moment he moved, a bullet suddenly pierced through the front window, almost flying over the head of dimir, who was cowering, and hit the driver right in his back!

    The middle-aged driver screamed and fell forward with a thud.

    He was so big that the entire jeep shook with him.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard the sound of the bullet piercing through the window and the middle-aged driver¡¯s scream, her heart sank. Afraid that he would also be hit by the bullet, she quickly hugged Huo Shaoheng tightly and pulled him down with all her might.

    If possible, she wished that she could take the bullet for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had been covering for others and taking the bullet for others for so many years.

    This time, he was protected by the girl he loved.

    He felt warm inside. Although he was in a life-and-death situation where he was being hunted by a mysterious adversary, he didn¡¯t panic at all.

    He lowered his head and kissed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious face. He smiled and asked, ¡°Do you want to see me perform a magic trick?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Was Huo Shaoheng scared out of his wits?

    Gu Nianzhi cursed him inside. She was about to tell him not to joke around when she heard Huo Shaoheng say to dimir, ¡°Give me the pistol. ¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    He still wanted to put up a fight, ¡± ... I don¡¯t have a pistol. I drove you guys out to have fun, so why would I bring a pistol?¡±

    ¡°Your partner has been shot. If you don¡¯t want us to die together, you¡¯d better give me a gun right now.¡± Huo Shaoheng said bluntly.

    dimir red at the middle-aged driver next to him. Reluctantly, he took out a gun, then threw it towards the back seat and into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. He said stubbornly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have a gun with you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°It¡¯s in my suitcase. I need to assemble it, so I don¡¯t have it with me.¡±

    With that, he pressed Gu Nianzhi down with one hand and made her lie on the car seat without being able to move. He quietly got up, raised his gun, and aimed it at the bullet hole in the car window. He narrowed his eyes and pulled the trigger without hesitation!

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    He fired all twelve bullets from his pistol in one go.

    His marksmanship was indeed amazing.

    In the blink of an eye, there was no more movement in the Birch forest by the side of the road.

    The bullets that had been shooting out a moment ago suddenly disappeared.

    dimir took advantage of this moment to step on the elerator and drive the jeep as fast as a race car.

    They drove for the entire day in one go. The car was almost out of gas, so they slowed down and started to look for a gas station.

    Huo Shaoheng finally let go.

    Gu Nianzhi was pinned to the seat by him, and her arm was almost broken.

    Later, the jeep drove like crazy. The bumpy ride felt like a cradle, and she fell asleep without realizing it.

    When she woke up, it was dusk. The cold air poured in through the broken window, and Gu Nianzhi shivered.

    She looked down and saw that Huo Shaoheng was still wearing his jacket.

    She looked up and saw that Huo Shaoheng was only wearing a ck tailored shirt. His close-fitting shirt made his body look chiseled and well-defined.

    He was looking out the car window vigntly.

    ¡°... Are you alright?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked as she struggled to sit up.

    The driver was still dimir.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that the driver was shot in the morning. She quickly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Uncle Ivan?¡±

    Ivan was the driver¡¯s name.

    ¡°Here, he¡¯s still here.¡± dimir pouted at the seat next to him.

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head forward and saw the driver lying motionless against the seat. There was a visible hole in the back of his clothing. It must have been a bullet hole. She was stunned, and she asked anxiously, ¡°He was shot, wasn¡¯t he? He was shot, wasn¡¯t he? Why didn¡¯t he go to the hospital? How long has it been?! ¡±

    He wasn¡¯t dead, was he?!

    dimir and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t make a sound.

    The middle-aged driver was still lying on the ground motionlessly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears were about to fall. She said to dimir, ¡°What are you waiting for? Where¡¯s the hospital here? We have to send him there right away! ¡±

    dimir snickered, then punched the middle-aged driver who was lying next to him and pretending to be dead. ¡°That¡¯s enough, get up! ¡±

    The middle-aged driver roared withughter. He sat up straight and turned around proudly. ¡°Cereus, I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But you were shot!¡±

    The middle-aged driver pulled his clothes to the sides and revealed the bulletproof vest inside. ¡°Look, with this baby, those bullets won¡¯t work on me!¡±

    ¡°Stop bragging, ¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°The other person used armor-piercing bullets. If it wasn¡¯t for the bulletproof ss blocking the way, it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem for them to pierce through your bulletproof vest.¡±

    dimir was still smiling at first, but his smile faded and he said gloomily, ¡°They actually dared to attack us. Whoever did it is digging his own grave!¡±

    When there was no need to hide their identities, they would use public license tes. They were all KGB, and everyone in Russia knew that.

    If they drove such a car, it meant that they were from the KGB.

    How dare they provoke them?!

    The driver was also very angry and roared, ¡°They shot me! I¡¯m injured! ¡±

    He then nagged at dimir, ¡± ... I was injured on the job, right? You¡¯ll have to reimburse me for my medical expenses when we get back. Also, I¡¯m going to the hospital for treatment, and I¡¯m going to a scenic area to recuperate from my injuries. You will have to subsidize this therapeutic retreat. Since I got injured on the job, my sry, including my bonus, will have to remain the same while I recuperate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Where was the injury?

    Was it the brain?

    dimir caught a glimpse of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stunned expression from the corner of his eye. It was very embarrassing, but he couldn¡¯t refute the driver¡¯s words. He could only say impatiently, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when we get back.¡±

    After a while, he asked again, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    He was still very worried about the driver.

    Although he had a bulletproof vest, just as Huo Shaoheng had said, the other person had used armor-piercing bullets. What if he was injured?

    The driver rubbed his shoulder and grimaced. ¡°The bulletproof vest didn¡¯t prate, but the force of pration was too strong. I think my bones may have been fractured.¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s very likely that his bones were injured. dimir, why don¡¯t we bring him here to find a hospital to have a checkup?¡±

    dimir snapped back to reality and spat at the driver, ¡°You¡¯re just trying to cheat a paid vacation out of us!¡±

    The driver chuckled, ¡± ... I¡¯m injured anyway. ¡±

    The two of them joked with each other and continued on their journey. They still couldn¡¯t find a ce to refuel before the sky turned dark.

    They had been on the road for two days and one night, and had already entered Siberia.

    The temperature had dropped considerably at night. The car window had been broken, so it didn¡¯t keep out the cold at all. The air conditioner couldn¡¯t be used anymore either.

    The key was that there wasn¡¯t much gas left. Before they found a gas station, even if the air conditioner wasn¡¯t broken, it couldn¡¯t be used.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we find a ce and rest here for the night? ¡± dimir was at a loss. He took out his cell phone and began to search for nearby gas stations.

    However, this ce was too remote, and the cellphone reception wasn¡¯t good. dimir couldn¡¯t find anything.

    Upon seeing this, Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and started to search.

    The Nandou satellitemunication system was too powerful. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone had no problem connecting to the Inte and making calls.

    She searched around and found a gas station two miles away.

    ¡°This way. We¡¯ll be able to fill up after another two miles.¡± Gu Nianzhi showed dimir the route.

    dimir breathed a sigh of relief and quickly drove over to the gas station.

    It was alreadypletely dark, and there was a half moon hanging in the sky above Siberia.

    In the open field, the wind blew against the Birch trees.

    The brightly lit gas station ahead was very eye-catching in the dark night. The tall 7-eleven sign was waiting for them to approach.

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck and mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s so cold.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get your coat when we fill up the gaster.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the cheek as he used his warm body to warm her up.

    The driver and dimir were caught off guard by the sudden PDA out of the blue.

    The two of them wrinkled their noses and pushed open the door to get out of the car.

    One of them went to refuel, while the other stood guard.

    Their suitcases were piled up in the back of the jeep. Huo Shaoheng stretched his arm into the trunk and took out the Burberry military coat he had bought for Gu Nianzhi. He also brought over the leather boots to help her change into it.

    Gu Nianzhi put on the coat with the wool lining and instantly felt her body warm up.

    She rubbed her hands together and smiled. ¡°It would be perfect if there was a cup of hot chocte as well.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also wanted to get out of the car to take a look at their surroundings. He nodded. ¡°Wait here, and I¡¯ll go get it.¡±

    There were also convenience stores at gas stations that sold some food, drinks, and tobo.

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and walked under the moonlight to the brightly lit convenience store. However, just as he was about to reach the door, he stopped dead in his tracks.

    Outside the door, he saw some few figures sh by under the moonlight.

    He could see clearly that one of them was carrying a gun on his back. Judging by its shape, it was probably a semi-automatic sub-machine gun.

 Chapter 1250 - The Enemyâ€™s Targe

    <h4>Chapter 1250 The Enemy¡°s Targe</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated for a second, then silently changed the direction of his footsteps and darted into the shadows of the pirs in front of the convenience store.The gangster who had been hiding in the convenience store and waiting for him to enter suddenly realized that there was no one outside.

    He rubbed his eyes and looked out the door. It was still quiet underneath the moonlight. Not far away, the jeep was refueling, but the tall man who had just walked towards them had disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions were too fast. He was so fast that he had already disappeared before these people could react. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

    ¡°What should we do? That person is too sly. Did he discover us? ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, right? We didn¡¯t go out at all.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try... ¡±

    The people in the room whispered to each other through the automated walkie-talkie in small voices.

    Huo Shaoheng observed for a while but saw that the other party still wasn¡¯t making any movements. He was about to leave quietly.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The sound of a sniper rifle equipped with a silencer rang out at his feet.

    Then, it stirred up dust everywhere on the ground in front of the convenience store.

    The other party was baiting him.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly stopped dead in his tracks and continued to observe from behind the colonnade.

    He was in a small corridor in front of the convenience store. There were a few thick, wavy beams at the top of the corridor, and there was an open roof.

    Leaving a mottled mark on the ground, the moonlight shone through the gaps between the beams.

    Huo Shaoheng tried his best to not let the other party discover his location.

    However, the dull gunshots were especially jarring in the quiet Siberian night.

    When dimir and the driver, who were refueling, heard the gunshots, they immediately pulled out their guns and fired back.

    There was a gunfight at the gas station, and the danger could be big or small.

    So the two of them only fired a few shots, and upon seeing that the other side didn¡¯t make any movements, they stopped firing. They simply hid and watched their movements from the convenience store.

    The driver said quietly, ¡°Is it the same group of people from the road this morning? ¡±

    dimir nodded. ¡°I think it¡¯s the same group of people.¡±

    They had been escaping all day, and thought that they had gotten rid of those people, but they were actually waiting to ambush them here.

    The middle-aged driver murmured, ¡°These people are pretty smart... They knew that we needed gas, so they calcted the distance and waited for us at the gas station here.¡± Suddenly remembering Gu Nianzhi, who was still in the car, he quickly stuck his head out and knocked on the window.

    In confusion, Gu Nianzhi looked at him from inside the car.

    ¡°Get down quickly! They¡¯re chasing us again! It¡¯s even more unsafe in the car if there¡¯s a gunfight at a gas station! ¡± The middle-aged driver desperately gestured at Gu Nianzhi and mouthed.

    If there was an explosion at the gas station, their jeep would definitely be engulfed in mes.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood and remembered Huo Shaoheng, who had gone to the convenience store because she wanted hot chocte.

    Her heart skipped a beat, and Gu Nianzhi almost jumped out of the car. ¡°Where¡¯s Major General Huo?!¡±

    The middle-aged driver silently pointed in the direction of the convenience store.

    Gu Nianzhi turned and looked around the outside of the convenience store under the mottled moonlight. The store was brightly lit, but where were the people?

    ¡°They¡¯re hiding, but don¡¯t worry, Major General Huo is fine. ¡± The middle-aged driver gentlyforted her and pulled her to hide behind him.

    The middle-aged driver, who was short and broad like a bear, was able to block three people of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s size. Of course, it was safe to hide behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi was worried about Huo Shaoheng, so she said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯ll call him back. Let¡¯s go quickly! Is the car¡¯s fuel tank full yet?¡±

    ¡°Almost, almost. ¡± dimir whispered, ¡°But even if we leave, they won¡¯t let us go.¡±

    ¡°We escaped this morning. We¡¯ve been escaping for a day and night, but they¡¯ve been chasing us all this time. So do you think continuing to escape will work? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless, but she couldn¡¯t remain indifferent and watch Huo Shaoheng fall in danger.

    Her mind raced as her gaze fell on the luggage in the back of the jeep.

    She and Huo Shaoheng each had a gun.

    Huo Shaoheng had said that he had a gun, but it was in the luggage and he hadn¡¯t brought it with him.

    But she remembered that she hadn¡¯t seen anything that looked like a gun in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suitcase.

    If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t lied, then he probably brought spare parts that could be used to assemble the gun!

    Gu Nianzhi gestured to the driver to open the back door.

    The driver didn¡¯t understand and simply looked at her in confusion.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to exin, but Huo Shaoheng had already backed away.

    Sounding like beans being fried, a series of gunshots rang out in the quiet night sky.

    Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out and saw Huo Shaoheng, zig-zagging like lightning under the moonlight, running at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he was beside her and the chauffeur.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He pulled open the trunk with one hand and took his luggage down.

    With the bullet-proof jeep blocking the way, Huo Shaoheng opened his luggage and took out the parts he had put in the luggage. He quickly assembled them.

    In less than ten seconds, a miniature sub-machine gun with an infrared night vision scope was born in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands.

    dimir saw it and held it in for a long time before saying, ¡°It¡¯s illegal for foreigners to carry guns in our country. ¡±

    ¡°Stop It. Just pretend you didn¡¯t see it.¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted curtly, ¡°Do you have these guns?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze swept past the small pistols in the hands of the two KGB officers.

    They were both semi-automatic weapons, and their firepower was definitely superior to their small pistols.

    The driver closed his eyes and muttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything... I didn¡¯t see anything... ¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°If Huo Shao didn¡¯t have a gun, would we have been able to defeat those bandits? ¡±

    The driver widened his eyes. ¡°How do you know they¡¯re bandits?¡±

    ¡°Since they dared to attack the KGB¡¯s car, how could they be regr soldiers?¡± Gu Nianzhi scoffed.

    dimir rubbed his nose and red at the driver.

    Huo Shaoheng held a gun in one hand and a bullet in the other. He had picked it up in front of the convenience store earlier. He said to the two KGB officers, ¡°Pay attention their tactics and strategies, as well as the weapons and bullets they used. They are probably members of the Russian Mafia. ¡±

    dimir and the driver¡¯s expressions changed drastically at the same time. ¡°Are you sure?!¡±

    The Russian mafia was a special gang that was notorious throughout the Blue.

    After the copse of the Soviet Union, the government¡¯s control over the country fell to its lowest point.

    It was at this time that the Russian mafia came into being and filled the power gap.

    At the beginning of their development, they were different from the small-scale gangs of other countries.

    Their starting point was very high.

    Because they started by smuggling weapons.

    When the Soviet Union copsed, many satellite nations lost their governments to anarchy overnight.

    Who knows how many weapons ended up in their hands.

    From small AK-47 assault rifles, RGP-7 Bazookas, torge T-34 tanks, mig-15 fighters, to strategic weapons Katyusha Bazookas, even nuclear materials and small nuclear bombs were taken out by them and sold all over the Blue.

    The weapons of the former Soviet Union were excellent, resistant, and especially lethal.

    It could be said that after the Russian mafia entered the modern stage of history, the firepower of the entire Blue¡¯s Mafia had risen to a unrpecedented level.

    Relying on the powerful Soviet weapons that could rival the regr army, many of the mafia bosses in small countries had even entered the political scene and be national leaders.

    However, all of this had be history after President Pushin came to power.

    President Pushin was a famous iron-fisted ruthless politician, and he was once themander-in-chief of the KGB.

    With his help and the backing of the strongest KGB in history, the Russian mafia was smashed into pieces overnight, and they were no longer as influential as before.

    Not long ago, Russia had confiscated all the weapons of the Russian Mafia. The guns and ammunition that had piled up into a small hill had awed the Russian poption.

    ¡°How dare they attack the KGB?! Are they hoping that we¡¯ll surround them again?¡± dimir cursed in a low voice.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t reply. He turned around and leaned against the body of the jeep. He raised his gun and aimed at the convenience store. With a bang, he shot out the incandescent light at the entrance of the convenience store!

    Then he aimed at the wires that had been pulled out from the roof of the convenience store.

    Bang!

    With a gunshot, a few sparks flew from the wires, and the entire convenience store fell into darkness.

    Huo Shaoheng had shot out the wires.

    The driver was so shocked that his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

    He stammered, ¡°This, this, this... This is a gas station! You¡¯re going to cause a big explosion!¡±

    If even the slightest sparknded in the tank, they would all be finished!

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even raise his head. He looked through the infrared night vision scope. In the cross-shaped scope, a few figures gradually appeared.

    ¡°They¡¯re out. Get in the car and get ready to leave.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. He had be the leader of the four of them.

    Even dimir couldn¡¯t help but obey his orders.

    The driver went around the back of the car and quickly pulled the gas gun out of the jeep¡¯s refueling hole. He put it back in ce, sealed it, and hung it up.

    Just as he backed into the car and was about to open the door to get in, there was a loud bang. The jeep in front of them jumped, and then the entire car tilted down.

    One of the tires had been blown out.

    The car with only three wheels left obviously couldn¡¯t drive away.

    Huo Shaoheng made a prompt decision. He took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s luggage out of the car and stuffed both suitcases into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. He said calmly, ¡°Drag them. Use them as shields if necessary.¡±

    With one suitcase in each hand, Gu Nianzhi nodded and stood behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng said to dimir and the driver in Russian, ¡°Let¡¯s split up and meet up at the three o¡¯clock direction of the Birch forest ahead. We¡¯ll see who they¡¯re going after.¡±

    If they were going after the KGB, then they wouldn¡¯t follow Huo Shaoheng and the others.

    If they were going after Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, then dimir and the driver would be able to escape and find reinforcements.

 Chapter 1251 - Despise You For 10,000 Years

    <h4>Chapter 1251 Despise You For 10,000 Years</h4>

    Of course, there was another ¡°if¡± that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mention.

    He looked ahead again. Huo Shaoheng held a gun in one hand and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm in the other. He quickly retreated north, far away from the jeep that had been used as a cover.

    Gu Nianzhi dragged her suitcase with both hands as she stumbled behind Huo Shaoheng.

    The sudden darkness in front of the gas station probably wasn¡¯t anticipated by the other party either.

    Seeing that those four people had disappeared from their sight, these people panicked and rushed out of the convenience store.

    After they came out, they realized that they had been too reckless and quickly hid behind the colonnade in front of the door to observe the situation in front of them.

    After their eyes adapted to the darkness, they quickly saw the situation in front of them through the moonlight.

    The jeep was still parked in the gas station.

    Their sniper had blown out the tires just now, so the four of them definitely couldn¡¯t have driven away.

    But now, only the jeep was parked there, so where was the four of them?

    Did they disappear into thin air again?

    These people got anxious and began to call for air support.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys going to make a move? ! The target has escaped! If you don¡¯t make a move now, we¡¯ll all die together!¡±

    Soon, there was a buzzing sound in the air. Small drones flew up from the back of the convenience store and flew towards the gas station.

    These small drones were obviously used for reconnaissance, but from the looks of it, they weren¡¯t military products. They were probably civilian drones equipped with high-definition cameras and perhaps far-infrared devices. It wasn¡¯t certain how far they could see in the dark.

    Huo Shaoheng had already led Gu Nianzhi into the Birch forest to the north of the gas station.

    It was early summer, and the leaves in the Birch forest were thick. When the wind blew, the trees rustled. It was impossible for the enemy¡¯s drones to fly here.

    Once they arrived, they would be caught by the branches that were as dense as a spider¡¯s Web.

    Gu Nianzhi panted as she stood next to Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡± ... Major General Huo, why do we have to split up with dimir and the driver? ¡±

    They had fewer people than the enemy to begin with, and they had split up into two teams. It was easy for the enemy to hunt them down one by one.

    Huo Shaoheng looked ahead warily. He didn¡¯t lower his head and whispered, ¡°Why do you think? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°I went to the convenience store to buy hot chocte for you just now. Before I even entered the door, I realized that there were people lying in ambush there.¡± Huo Shaoheng reached back and caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, ¡°Perhaps they didn¡¯t expect me to walk over directly, so they didn¡¯t hide carefully and exposed themselves in advance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°You mean there was an ambush waiting for us? ¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡± Huo Shaoheng changed his location and continued to observe the movements of the gas station across from him. ¡°They had a lot of people and were well-armed. They were also at the gas station. We can¡¯t fight them head-to-head.¡±

    If they forced the other party into a corner and made them try to die together with them, none of them would be able to escape the fire and explosion at the gas station.

    Therefore, the most important thing now was to get out of the gas station.

    ¡± ... But we don¡¯t have enough people to begin with. If we stay with dimir and the others...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still unwilling to give up. She felt that at this time, they were all in the same boat and should help each other through this difficult situation.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°You trust them that much? What if this is has something to do with them?¡±

    He had said that they would split up to distract and divert the enemy¡¯s attention. He hadn¡¯t said anything about wanting to get away from the two KGB officials¡¯ surveince.

    What if this was a situation in which the ¡°thief was yelling to catch the thief¡±?

    Huo Shaoheng had been in this field for so many years, so hadn¡¯t he seen everything already?

    The phrase ¡°all is fair in war¡± wasn¡¯t just a literal metaphor.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was closer to dimir and the driver, so she reflexively objected. ¡°No way, can it be? This is too dangerous. Do they have to resort to suchplicated means to deal with us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Perhaps not, or perhaps they will. I know you¡¯re talking about evidence, but my experience tells me that at this point, we can¡¯t trust anyone. We can only trust each other.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position was different from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, and their starting point was also different. ¡°Also, think about it carefully. Why didn¡¯t the criminals simply shoot the gas tank instead of the tires?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°... ¡±

    ¡± ... Because they don¡¯t want dimir and Ivan to be implicated. Hitting the tires would give them a chance to escape, ¡± Huo Shaoheng enunciated each word.

    Thinking that she had been too emotionally biased, Gu Nianzhi was silent for a moment.

    Although she had gotten along well with the two KGB officers, they were still KGB officers.

    She couldn¡¯t treat tigers like pet cats just because they were cute..

    But deep down, Gu Nianzhi still hoped that dimir and the driver weren¡¯t so shady. After all, she didn¡¯t think there was a real conflict of interest between them.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in a good mood, so he didn¡¯t continue the topic.

    He raised his gun and looked through the scope at the dozen or so small drones flying above the gas station opposite them. He turned around and ced the two suitcases with a lot of clothes next to each other, one in front of the other, and leaned them against a soft haystack. He then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You stay behind this suitcase and don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll go over there and see if I can shoot down these drones.¡±

    Although these drones weren¡¯t as powerful as military drones, it was still quite annoying for them to follow them around like shadows.

    It was pitch dark everywhere, and Gu Nianzhi felt a little afraid. However, she was even more afraid that Huo Shaoheng would fight ten of them alone and nevere back..

    She grabbed his hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Can¡¯t you just shoot down the drones from here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw her concern and pulled her over. He lowered his head and nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Be good, and I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t shoot from here. They would know where they were once they hit them.

    Therefore, if he wanted to shoot at the drones, he definitely couldn¡¯t do it from where he and Gu Nianzhi were currently hiding.

    Gu Nianzhi understood, and her hands started sweating. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go shoot them from somewhere else? Aren¡¯t you afraid that they¡¯ll know where you are?¡±

    ¡± ... It will be more convenient for me to switch positions alone.¡± Huo Shaoheng switched the magazine to the micro-charge and said in a low voice, ¡°The enemy is a Russian gang. They have enough weapons to fight the militia. I have to go and see what kind of weapons they have.¡±

    Because they were facing a Russian gang, anything could be possible. Their weapons were most likely very powerful.

    The worst case scenario was that the enemy had an RPG-7 rocketuncher. If that thing fired towards the white birch forest, every shot would be urate, and would cause a sea of fire...

    For fear of scaring her, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t tell Gu Nianzhi about it in detail.

    Under the moonlight, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was so pale that it was shining.

    He could tell that she was actually very scared, but in order to not make him worry, she forced herself to remain calm on the surface.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a little sad inside. He had always acted without hesitation, and for a moment, he felt reluctant to part with her.

    But very quickly, his natural instinct to destroy his enemy made him leave without hesitation.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure, as strong as a ck Panther, quickly disappeared into the dense forest of the white birch forest.

    Gu Nianzhi silently watched him disappear in the direction he had disappeared in. She covered her pounding heart and slowly hid behind her suitcase. Trying to minimize her presence, she curled up into a ball.

    ..

    The second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, and the middle-aged driver took advantage of the night to quickly escape from the gas station in the darkness.

    Their usually overweight and slow bodies were now bursting with extraordinary mobility.

    It was theplete opposite direction from where Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had left from.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi headed north directly into the Birch forest opposite the highway. dimir and the driver headed south, bypassing the gas station and convenience store, and crossed the highway from the other side before entering the Birch forest in the north.

    Doing so would indeed distract the enemy¡¯s attention and firepower.

    However, there was a prerequisite to doing so. All four of them had to be the enemy¡¯s targets.

    If only the two of them were the enemy¡¯s targets, they would be distracting their own manpower and efficiency by doing so.

    By the time the enemy¡¯s small drones hovered above the gas station, dimir and the driver had already circled to the forest behind the convenience store.

    When the two of them circled to the back of the convenience store, they found four or five people operating the small drone in the back yard of the convenience store!

    The driver stuck his head out to take a look. His eyes widened in surprise, and he muttered, ¡± ... The preparations are quiteplete.¡±

    dimir¡¯s face was gloomy, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He kicked him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound. Let¡¯s hurry up and leave!¡±

    ¡°Go where?¡± The driver stared at him suspiciously. ¡°Cereus and the him deliberately separated from us. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to join them, are you?¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    He looked up and smirked. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be clever enough to know that Major General Huo left us on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! ¡± The driver revealed his true colors. ¡°They¡¯re suspecting you! Tell me, did you recruit these people?¡±

    dimir was so angry that his nose wrinkled. ¡°Damn Your Grandmother! What makes you think that I have anything to do with those people?!¡±

    The driver still looked dubious. ¡°Not only do Cereus and the him suspect you, but even I can¡¯t help but suspect you. You¡¯re always full of shady ideas. Besides, if you really have something to do with those people, how would I be able to tell?¡±

    dimir was furious and grabbed the driver¡¯s neck. ¡°Damn your mother! If I really had something to do with those people, would I let them start a gunfight at a gas station?! I could easily get killed myself if they aren¡¯t careful enough! Do you have anymon sense at all?!¡±

    The middle-aged driver rolled his eyes and apologized, ¡°I know, I know! I¡¯ve wronged you. Can¡¯t you just let it go?!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! ¡± dimir decided to let it go but he kicked the middle-aged driver again. ¡°Your intelligence has never been used in the right ce!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not smart. ¡± The middle-aged driver rubbed his throat. ¡°I¡¯m just a little more observant than others.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re a careless person, and you still have the confidence to say you¡¯re more observant than others! ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± The middle-aged driver nced at dimir. ¡°You always secretlypare your likes with mine in your Wechat moments. Do you think I don¡¯t know?¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    After a while, he started to grow angry from embarrassment. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m going to contact the KGB headquarters in Moscow now. You¡¯re in charge of keeping watch!¡±

    The driver was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re only contacting them now?! How dare you say that this has nothing to do with you?! I must say, boss, you can¡¯t do something like this. Cereus has been so kind to us! How could you have the heart to set a trap for her?! I¡¯ll despise you for 10,000 years for doing something like this!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! ¡± dimir was toozy to exin. He just wanted to see how many more tricks Huo Shaoheng had up his sleeve.

 Chapter 1252 - Itâ€™s Ok

    <h4>1252 It¡°s Ok</h4>

    dimir didn¡¯t believe that Huo Shaoheng would dare to follow the two KGB officers without bringing anyone with him..

    He didn¡¯t care about the few thieves who were hiding in the Birch forest and shooting. It was not until the other party set up an ambush at the gas station convenience store that dimir realized that he had underestimated them.

    Did Huo Shaoheng really not bring anyone with him?

    dimir mumbled to himself as he took out his KGB cell phone and contacted the headquarters in Moscow.

    ¡°Comrade Eugene, we¡¯ve run into some trouble. Can you help us check if the gangs we have been monitoring have taken up any business of sniping foreigners recently? Yes, especially the Tomahawk Gang. They¡¯re the most daring.¡±

    dimir didn¡¯t want to cause a big fuss and alert all parties.

    This wasn¡¯t the KGB¡¯s modus operandus.

    Moreover, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have an ordinary identity. If other people found out that he was in danger in Russia, and that he was in danger with the KGB, then they really wouldn¡¯t be able to clear their names no matter what.

    That would be a major scandal that would cause serious international diplomatic disputes.

    Therefore, dimir chose to secretly investigate the background of the gang that was hunting them down, and then directly look for their boss to deal with the underlings.

    This was also an alternative method where they could subjugate the enemy without actually fighting..

    After he finished the phone call, dimir sent a text message to the operation team he was leading to set up the mission.

    ¡°Activate Emergency Operation A. The location is Novosibirsk. The specific coordinates are as follow. You will need to bring both light and heavy weapons in case of an emergency.¡±

    dimir put away his phone and let out a deep sigh.

    He turned around and saw his partner was still craning his neck. He couldn¡¯t help but pat him on the head. ¡°What are you looking at? Be careful, the other party will shoot you!¡±

    ¡°Boss, look over there? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right... ¡± The middle-aged driver looked in the direction of the small drones at the gas station in confusion. ¡°They¡¯ve left the gas station and are heading towards the Birch forest across from us.¡±

    That seemed to be the ce where they had agreed to meet up with Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhiter on.

    Although they really didn¡¯t want to go over at that moment, they couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch as these people find the ce where Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were.

    dimir snorted and came out of its hiding ce, muttering, ¡°So that¡¯s it... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was at his wit¡¯s end against these drones?

    He didn¡¯t live up to his high expectations for him.

    He took out his pistol nonchntly and aimed it at the drones. Just as he was about to shoot, a muffled gunshot rang out not far from them.

    Bang!

    The drone that was about to fly over the gas station not far away from the White Birch forest crashed into the ground. It fell from the sky and shattered into pieces on the empty ground not far from the gas station.

    The driver¡¯s eyes widened and he gave dimir a thumbs up. ¡°Boss, nice shot! You destroyed a drone with one shot?!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even fired yet!¡± dimir gritted his teeth and spat out word by word, ¡°This Major General Huo is really cunning!¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, there were a few more gunshots from their side. They weren¡¯t from the same location as the previous gunshots. They seemed to have moved closer to them.

    The middle-aged driver¡¯s head simply followed the gunshots as heughed and counted, ¡°Two! Another one has fallen!¡±

    ¡°Three! Another one!¡±

    ¡°Four, five, six, seven! Damn! They¡¯re shooting at a moving target!¡±

    ¡°Eight, nine, ten! All of them are destroyed!¡±

    As the middle-aged driver counted, the gunman circled around them and left them behind.

    dimir¡¯s expression changed. He pulled the middle-aged driver to the ground and fell to the ground. Then, he rolled over quickly and said, ¡°Get down! They¡¯ve locked in on us!¡±

    It was almost as if he was annotating dimir¡¯s words. Bang! Bang! The gunshots rained down on them!

    On the other side, the bandits discovered that their drones had been destroyed one by one. The direction of the gunshots came from behind them. They didn¡¯t hesitate to determine that the gunmen, who were the people they were chasing, were hiding behind them!

    So without a word, snipers picked up their guns, others picked up their semi-automatic submachine guns!

    Fortunately, dimir quickly reacted before the other side and rolled on the ground with the driver, then left the small woods where they had been hiding.

    Only after they ¡°rolled¡± out of the small forest did they dare to get up and desperately run away.

    The gunshots behind them were sparse. Soon, a few gunshots sounded in the direction across from them. They directly engaged the pursuers behind them!

    The driver suddenly understood. He grabbed dimir, who was running desperately, and said, ¡°Boss, the one who shot just now was Major General Huo, right? He¡¯s covering our back now. Shouldn¡¯t we go back and support him?¡±

    ¡°Support him? Yeah right! Those criminals were chasing after him with the gunshots! How do you think these gunmen who were shooting at us found our direction?!¡± dimir was extremely exasperated.

    ¡°Huh? No Way! ¡± The driver was shocked. ¡°You mean, Major General Huo came to our side from the other side to shoot down the drones?!¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± dimir rolled his eyes.

    He felt that with such a subordinate, his eyelids would age faster.

    ¡± ... This is indeed... oh, how should I put it? I think it¡¯s qiute understandable. ¡± The driver stammered for a long time before finally getting to the point.

    ¡°What did you say? Understandable? Exactly what is understandable? Exin it to me clearly!¡± dimir couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pointed towards the direction of the gunshots. ¡°Can you not see? ! He wants us dead!¡±

    ¡°But, if he hadn¡¯te here to shoot the drones and instead stayed in the Birch forest across from us, Cereus would have been exposed... those gangster gunmen are so vicious and evil, so they would¡¯ve scared Cereus. So I think it¡¯s okay that he lured those gangster gunmen over here... ¡±

    The driver was really thinking about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety. Even if Huo Shaoheng lured the gangster gunmen to their side, he didn¡¯t think it was that big of a deal.

    ¡± ... and we are men, so of course we have to protect women. So boss, let us not run anymore. Let¡¯s fight shoulder to shoulder with Major General Huo.¡± The middle-aged driver pulled out his pistol and ran back.

    ¡°You get back here! Ivan! I order you toe back!¡± dimir was so angry that he had the urge to stomp his feet. ¡°I will leave by myself! Are youing back or not?!¡±

    However, the middle-aged driver didn¡¯t even look back as he ran forward. He came to a ce not far from Huo Shaoheng and found a ce to take cover. He then poked his head out and fired four to five shots in a row. Four or five gangster gunmen immediately fell dead to the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at them in surprise.

    He didn¡¯t expect this guy to have the guts toe back and participate in the gunfight.

    He turned back and hid behind the dark tree trunk. The micro-burst equipped with the far infrared night vision scope was even more effective at this time.

    The sound of gunshots rang out in the quiet forest.

    The bright red fire was the only light in the dark forest. It attracted moths to continuously pounce on it, even if they got burned to ashes.

    Although the gangster gunmen also had infrared night-vision goggles, they werepletely inferior to Huo Shaoheng in terms of their performance.

    Huo Shaoheng was born in the military. He had been a special forces soldier and had also been a fighter pilot. No matter which army he was in, he was always unrivaled.

    Even the two KGB officers didn¡¯t have as good marksmanship as he did.

    This was because they weren¡¯t born in the military and hadn¡¯t practiced their marksmanship systematically.

    However, the two KGB officers still had decent marksmanship.

    Moreover, although the bullets in their pistols were of an older model, and because of the design deviation, the precision of their marksmanship wasn¡¯t great.

    However, the special bullets of the KGB had a very special characteristic, which was that the pration of these bullets was very strong.

    Even the bulletproof vests were pierced through when they were facing each other.

    When dimir returned with a nk expression, the middle-aged driver had already killed three to four gangster gunmen.

    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you leave? Why are you back?¡± Thinking that dimir was here to take the credit, the middle-aged driver said so without thinking too much about it..

    ¡°You¡¯re not dead, so how could I leave?¡± dimir rolled his eyes again and kicked him at the same time. ¡°Make way over there, and let me do it.¡±

    dimir took out a very long pistol from his pocket and aimed it at the gangster gunmen who were swarming over.

    ¡°Watch carefully.¡± dimir had a nk expression. He raised his arm horizontally, and as if he was in a shooting range, he shot all the bullets at the gangster in an instant!

 Chapter 1253 - Can Not Stop

    <h4>Chapter 1253 Can Not Stop</h4>

    The sounds of the bullets was just like the sound of a dull blower, which were hided in the rustling of the Birch forest.Seven or eight gunmen of gangster who had rushed over were knocked down, and soon there were only six or seven people left.

    They were obviously stunned for a moment, since it seemed there was more than one person shooting from the opposite side.

    The sounds came from three ces at the same time.

    In other words, there were three people shooting at the same time while four people in total from the other side, which meant that at least one of the two KGB members had participated in the battle.

    The gunmen nervouslymunicated with each other, reluctant to have a head-on collision with the KGB.

    When they was still in a daze, Huo Shaoheng took advantage to calmly drew the micro-gun and aimed at the gang gunmen in the cross-shaped field of vision in the infrared night vision scope.

    After a few gunshots, the rest six or seven gunmen also fell to the ground as well.

    The driver was so amused that he couldn¡¯t stop giving him a thumb up. Sometimes he gestured at Huo Shaoheng and sometime at dimir.

    dimir couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He grabbed his thumb and pulled it down with all his might!

    The middle-aged driver fought back the scream that almost sliping off his mouth. He struggled to push dimir away andfort his thumb at the corner, which had almost been broken.

    Huo Shaoheng motioned to them and disappeared into the darkness.

    dimir nodded. Instead of follow Huo Shaoheng, he pushed the middle-aged driver and said, ¡°We need to find a ce to spend the night. The action team probably won¡¯t be here until tomorrow.¡±

    Actually, dimir did not n to stay with Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzh for the time being.

    Huo Shaoheng was always on the guard against him, and dimir had notpletely trusted Huo Shaoheng.

    Perhaps only Cereus and Ivan trusted each other. dimir thought to himself bitterly.

    ..

    Relying on his urate memory and sense of direction, Huo Shaoheng quickly returned to the Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hiding ce in the birch forest north of the gas station.

    His eyes had already adapted to the darkness, and he saw Gu Nianzhi huddled behind two suitcases pressed against each other behind the dark haystack.

    She sat on the ground, bent her legs, and buried her head between her knees, like a little ostrich, believing if she buried her head in the sand, no one would be able to see her.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over quietly and went down one knee in front of her.

    Sensing that someone wasing. Gu Nianzhi suddenly raised her head and found that it was actually Huo Shaoheng!

    For an instant, her expression changed from fear to surprise. Without hesitation, she threw herself into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng caught her with one hand, sped it to his chest, and lowered his head to kiss her.

    Her lips were cold and chilly, but because of the coldness, he could feel her lips more, which were soft and fragrant, and he couldn¡¯t get enough of them.

    Men, usually had a surge of adrenaline after a battle. They were full of wildness and aggression.

    And men, on the other hand, always filled up with after wildness and aggression after a battle.

    Meanwhile, he was facing the woman he loved the most. Holding her in his arms, Huo Shaoheng, who had always been calm and self-controlled, had a reaction and couldn¡¯t wait to have Gu Nianzhi right there.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely unaware. She just hugged Huo Shaoheng with all her strength and kissed him hard.

    She could not tell him about the nervousness, fear, and worry she had felt in the past ten minutes. All she could do was pour all her emotions into her kiss.

    With cold wind blowing, Huo Shaoheng calmed down from his excitement. He could feel Gu Nianzhi¡¯s extraordinary passion and could understood what she was thinking as well.

    His girl must have been scared.

    Even though Nian Xi had known Huo Shaoheng¡¯s upation, it was the first time she had directly experienced the dangers of his daily missions.

    He had really earned every credit with his life.

    Gu Nianzhi kissed him fiercely, like a little wild beast, tearing and venturing on his lips.

    While the movements of Huo Shaoheng was slowing down.

    Huo shaoheng¡¯s strong arms were wrapped around her waist, and the other hand, which was not holding a gun, kept touching her back softly. He rxed his lips to let her bit it, and sometimes he stuck out the tip of his tongue and caught hers. He seemed tofort her, but inspired her even more.

    After a while, his big hand moved behind her neck and fixed her head. Huo Shaoheng parted his lips from hers, but they were still close enough that they could both feel each other¡¯s zing nostrils.

    Gu Nianzhi was very dissatisfied. She still wanted to kiss her, so how could he refuse?

    A hoarse mumble came from her throat as she tried to disengage herself from Shaoheng¡¯s grip that was holding the back of her neck.

    Huo Shaoheng touched her forehead with a lowugh. His deep, maic voice which came from his chest was bout to hook her heart.

    It was really tempting!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng in fascination.

    The moonlight pierced through the clouds and shone into the Birch forest, bathing it a silver light.

    The smell of smoke still lingered on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body, marking his presence in the birch forest at night, which was brave and unstoppable!

    Under the moonlight, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright ck pupils emitted a soft light as if through ayer of light gauze. She was pure as a jade, bright as the moon.

    ¡± ... Still want more? ¡± Huo Shaoheng moved closer to her lips, touched her lightly, and then moved up to kiss the tip of her delicate nose, the high and straight bridge of her nose, and then moved up to her forehead for a moment.

    The clear and shallow kisses continued to peck on her face. They glided across her delicate cheeks like a dragonfly skimming the water. They were light and swift.

    Cradled in his arms, Gu Nianzhi could only feel that moment was so quiet and peaceful.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gentle kiss, she got over her excitement gradually. She panted slightly, holding his arm, and buried her head in his arms.

    Hearing his beating heart, Gu Nianzhi curled her lips.

    It turned out she¡¯s not the only one who was ovee with emotion. .

    She raised her head to kiss Huo Shaoheng¡¯s well-defined jaw.

    There were a bit whiskers sprouting from her chin. Gu Nianzhi smiled, steping back, and whispered, ¡± ... So prickly. ¡±

    ¡°So you refused to kiss me just because mustache was prickly? No, I don¡¯t allow that. ¡± Huo Shaoheng deliberately touched her little tender face with his jaw. When he heard her gurgling, he entirely rxed.

    Gu Nianzhi was trapped in his arms and couldn¡¯t move.

    After a short-time tenderness, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to stay. ¡±

    As soon as they got up, they heard the barking of dogs from the gas station opposite them.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression changed slightly. He raised an arm to Gu Nianzhi to tell her not to move.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately keep her body unmoved and gazed at Huo Shaoheng.

    She also heard the dog barking.

    After the incessant gunshots, the sudden barking didn¡¯t let her heart back to the ground. Instead, she became nervous.

    Huo Shaoheng listened attentively.

    It wasn¡¯t a normal barking sound, but the sound of a well-trained police dog.

    The wind across the Birch forest was howling in the branches with the leaves rustled. The sound from outside seemed to be indistinct.

    However, it gradually became clearer, and then it slowly moved away, as if it was heading south.

    It was also the ce where Huo Shaoheng had juste around to dimir and the driver to shoot.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly relieved, but his brows were still furrowed.

    So the Russian mafia had a backup n.

    Could it be that the gunmen they had killed just now were only their first try?

    Now they¡¯re using police dogs to search the area around the gas station convenience store.

 Chapter 1254 - I Will Never Leave You Again

    <h4>Chapter 1254 I Will Never Leave You Again</h4>

    A few burly men in bulletproof vests, helmets, and night-vision goggles got out of a ck truck with a couple of tough dobermans.They came in groups of three, guns in one hand, dogs in the other, and back-to-back, they looked around cautiously.

    If there was any sign of trouble, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to shoot.

    Compared to the previous gunmen, these people were more experienced and more urate.

    They led the Dobermans and kept patrolling around the gas station.

    They first went to the jeep and sniffed for a while. After familiarizing themselves with the smell, they let the Dobermans, who were good at tracking, chase after the four people who had escaped.

    ¡°Third brother, why don¡¯t we get the things of those two people from the Huaxia Empire and let the Dobermans smell them? ¡± A gunman asked in confusion. ¡°The other two KGB agents aren¡¯t our target!¡±

    ¡°Do you think we don¡¯t want to? But we don¡¯t have time! We don¡¯t have time to get the clothes of those two people.¡± Another gunman shrugged. ¡°Otherwise, would we have used group A, B, and C to deal with them?¡±

    The gunman called third brother fell silent for a while, then said, ¡°In fact, this mission is so difficult andst-minute that we didn¡¯t have time to make proper preparations. I don¡¯t understand why we have to ept this mission.¡±

    ¡± ... Do you even need to ask? The price the other party offered is high enough! It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t eptedst-minute missions before! Only those who can afford it can make us, the elites of our Tomahawk Gang work, for them!¡±

    ¡°No matter how high the price is, how can it be higher than a person¡¯s life? I don¡¯t want to have to risk my life for money I might not be alive to spend... ¡± The gunmen muttered but didn¡¯t dare openly object.

    ..

    Early May. It was still very cold in Siberia in the middle of the night.

    Fortunately, these dobermans were well-trained. They could track the scent of the four people in the gas station even though the smell was mixed.

    They circled around the front of the jeep a few times, then ran toward the Birch forest north of the gas station.

    The gunmen felt energized, and they ran wildly behind it.

    dimir and the driver, who were hiding behind the convenience store, were a little nervous when they saw this scene.

    They didn¡¯t expect the gang members to be so well-equipped this time!

    Not only were there drones, but there were also police dogs!

    There was no need to mention the various gunmen and snipers. Each of them was more urate than thest, and each of them was more ruthless than thest!

    ¡± ... Aren¡¯t Cereus and him hiding in the Birch forest across the road?¡± The driver asked dimir uneasily.

    dimir nodded. ¡°Yeah, Haha, Major General Huo¡¯s n backfired on him, didn¡¯t it? Serves him right for leaving us behind... ¡±

    He said so nonchntly, but he still crawled out of his hiding ce quietly. He found a big rock on the ground and threw it toward the west direction.

    The Dobermans who were about to run to the Birch forest across the street immediately heard the sound of the rock. Without thinking, they turned around and ran in the direction where the rock fell.

    dimir proudly returned to the ce where he and the driver were hiding. With a smug expression, he curled the corners of his mouth and said, ¡°Oh, I forgot to take a photo of the stone just now and post it to my Wechat moments... ¡±

    The driver: ¡± ... ¡±

    He stuck his head out and observed for a while. The night was dark, so he couldn¡¯t see where the dogs and the gunmen were.

    However, he could hear the asional barking of dogs in the night sky. They seemed to be heading north again.

    Gu Nianzhi and the others were hiding in the Birch forest to the north...

    The driver clenched his fists and suddenly jumped out of his hiding ce. He ran towards the East direction for dear life!

    He was already big, so he deliberately slowed down when he ran. The ground seemed to shake as he ran!

    The dobermans sensed such a big movement again.

    They turned their heads at the same time, looked to the east, then suddenly increased their speed and sped towards the east!

    Their explosive power was so strong that the gunmen were caught off guard. They tripped and fell to the ground, and got dragged along.

    They quickly released the ropes.

    The dobermans were no longer bound and ran even faster.

    In shock, dimir watched as the driver suddenly ran off into the distance, and quickly chased after him.

    ¡°What are you running for?! The more you run, the more these dogs chase after you!¡± dimir ran as fast as a windmill.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I have to lure these dogs away! Otherwise, they¡¯ll find Cereus sooner orter!¡± The driver said without even turning his head.

    ¡°Holy Shit! You really are obsessed with her! How much did she bribe you to make you risk your life?!¡± dimir was suddenly jealous of Gu Nianzhi.

    Why didn¡¯t he have such good luck...

    The middle-aged driver pretended to be deaf and yed dumb as he sprinted all the way to the side of a tributary near the Volga River. With a whoosh, he quickly climbed up the tree.

    His sturdy and robust body was as agile as a King Kong gori.

    When the Dobermans caught up with him, without hesitation, he fired a few shots from the tree, hitting the Dobermans¡¯ legs.

    Once the legs of the police dogs used for tracking were broken, they were basically useless.

    Upon hearing the gunshot, the gangster gunmen who were chasing the dogs dared note over.

    They knew that their targets for this mission were from the Huaxia Empire, not the two KGB officials from their own country.

    Although they weren¡¯t afraid of the KGB, once their organization was counterattacked, the consequences would be too terrifying. Therefore, they wouldn¡¯t provoke them if they could avoid it.

    The person running in front of them didn¡¯t look like the two people from the Huaxia Empire.

    Moreover, he was so impressive that he could run faster than dogs, and could even shoot and break the legs of police dogs. They guessed that he must be one of the two KGB..

    After the gunmen used walkie-talkies tomunicate, they abandoned the few dogs whose legs had been broken and left in a hurry to carry out n C.

    The driver squatted in the tree for a while and afraid that those people were hiding in the dark and ready to snipe him, he dared not move.

    It wasn¡¯t until he lowered his head and saw his boss¡¯s hairy, bearded face under the tree that he beamed with joy and said, ¡°Boss! It¡¯s so good that you¡¯re here!¡±

    It was the first time dimir had seen his stupid subordinate show genuine joy. His heart was filled with joy, but the next second..

    Plop!

    The middle-aged driver jumped down from the tree andnded right on dimir.

    dimir¡¯s vision went dark, and he fell backward. The middle-aged driver almost knocked him out.

    ..

    He could hear the intermittent barking of the dogs at the gas station across the street. Sometimes west, sometimes east, sometimes north.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little uneasy.

    Telling her to calm down, Huo Shaoheng ¡°shushed¡± her.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and quietly hid behind the haystack in the Birch forest motionlessly. As if she were holding onto two life-saving straws, she clung to her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s two suitcases.

    Huo Shaoheng maintained his alert posture and looked around. Finally, he reached out to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Follow me up the tree.¡±

    The tree should be safer than the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the tall birch tree in the Birch forest. She suddenly remembered the time when she had been on the run alone in the Alps. She had been so scared by a bear that she had climbed up the tree and spent the night on top of it..

    At the same time, she remembered the little ck bear that had turned into a spirit. She didn¡¯t know how it was doing now.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood lightened up. She smiled and held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, then climbed up the tree with him with a gun.

    The view from the tree was wider, so they could prepare for battle in advance.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have binocrs, but the far infrared night vision scope that was slightly lowered could be used as a telescope for the time being.

    In the dark night sky, he could see the Dobermans jumping around the gas station. They almost crossed the road and ran over to their side several times.

    However, there was always a sounding from the convenience store across the street.

    First, someone threw a rock. Then, someone ran out towards the east.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cross-hairs caught a glimpse of the burly figure. He was slightly taken aback.

    Was that Ivan? The driver?

    Wasn¡¯t he hiding? Why was he running all of a sudden?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong ¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly asked when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s stunned expression.

    Huo Shaoheng showed her the scope. ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked out of the scope.

    In the cross-shaped field of vision, she saw the back of a man running. He was broad, thick, and stocky like a bear.

    ¡°It¡¯s the chauffeur?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Why is he running? Does he have a dog phobia?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡± ... Even if he had a dog phobia, it would¡¯ve had to be cured for him to get into the KGB. ¡± Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head lightly. ¡°Think again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and asked tentatively, ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s trying to lure the police dogs away?¡±

    She immediately felt that it was a good idea and nodded vigorously. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, I think that¡¯s it! Oh my, how kind of the driver to help us out! I must give him a red packet immediately!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned on her phone and realized that she could still surf the Inte. She immediately unbuttoned her phone and pulled dimir and the driver into a message group called the KGB trio. She then sent the driver a designated red packet with the name ¡°888.88¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    It seemed that he had really underestimated the friendship built on red packets.

    They waited on the tree for a while longer and realized that the gunmen and police dogs were gone for good

    However, Huo Shaoheng dare not be careless.

    He jumped down from the tree and used the grass on the haystack to hide the two suitcases before climbing up the tree again.

    On the tree, Gu Nianzhi held a pistol in her hand and acted like she was on guard.

    Seeing that he had climbed up, with the gun, she snuggled into his arms.

    Huo Shaoheng put the pistol back into its holster for her and hung it on her arm. He lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I¡¯ve done to you tonight. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to spend the night in the tree. ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it if I¡¯m with you?¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged his neck, then smiled and said, ¡°When I was in the Alps, I was chased up the tree by a bear and spent the night in the tree. Not only the trees, but also the grass by the river, the caves on the mountains. Where have I not slept in the wilderness? And I was the only one!¡±

    That time Gu Nianzhi fell into danger in the Alps was the most painful memory of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s life.

    He hugged her tightly, ¡± ... It¡¯s all in the past. I will never leave you alone again.¡±

 Chapter 1255 - A Thousand Likes

    <h4>Chapter 1255 A Thousand Likes</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was already in a good mood, but after hearing what Huo Shaoheng had to say, naturally she was in an even better mood.However, as she smiled, her nose suddenly started to wrinkle, and tears welled up.

    No, she couldn¡¯t cry. She had cried too many times in front of Huo Shaoheng, so she definitely couldn¡¯t cry this time.

    Under the moonlight, she raised her head and smiled. Although she tried her best to endure it, her nose wrinkled slightly, and her eyes gradually turned red. The corners of her eyes and brows were flushed.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her and said calmly, ¡± ... Why are you holding back your tears? In front of me, you can cry if you want to, andugh if you want to.¡±

    This sentence was like an order.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears instantly flowed out.

    Brighter than the moonlight, crystal-clear tears hung on her fair cheeks.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak. He simply held her head in his arms and embraced her.

    His embrace was warm and strong, yet was also something so irresistibly gentle that she couldn¡¯t refuse.

    Even though they were up on a tree, and they were out in the wilderness, he held up the entire sky for her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that she loved him even more now than before she went to the Alps.

    Back then, her love for him was intuitive, and a sort of worship towards her idol.

    Now, love had settled in the depths of her heart. Even though she had gone through so much, and her heart had gone through so much emotional turmoil, when she looked back on the road she hade from, the only person she wanted to be with for the rest of her life was him.

    Leaning in his arms, she couldn¡¯t feel even the slightest bit of the cold Siberian wind.

    Gu Nianzhi was quiet for a while, and gradually became sleepy. Her head was like a chicken pecking at rice.

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her passionately and lowered his head to kiss her lips.

    The kiss was tender and sweet.

    ¡± ... Are you going to sleep?¡±

    Unable to keep her eyes open, Gu Nianzhi grunted.

    Huo Shaoheng took off the Burberry woolen lined overcoat she was wearing and took off his overcoat to wrap Gu Nianzhi inside.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s woolen lined overcoat was like a nket over the two of them.

    ..

    After a long night, the first rays of the morning sun appeared.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long eyshes fluttered as she slowly opened them.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body was warm. His mature manly aura was like a mountain that could withstand wind, frost, rain, and snow.

    She looked at herself. She was only wearing a wool cardigan and thin wool pants.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was holding her tightly in his arms. The two of them were wrapped together in his overcoat. Besides the overcoat, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wool-lined Burberry military uniform overcoat was also there.

    No wonder it was so warmst night. She almost broke out in a sweat.

    Gu Nianzhi gently blew on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chin and smiled mischievously.

    Huo Shaoheng woke up as soon as Gu Nianzhi moved.

    However, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to open his eyes and continued to close them to rest.

    It wasn¡¯t until Gu Nianzhi started to y tricks in his arms that out of awkwardness, he lowered his head, and with his eyes closed, he leaned over to bite her round and delicate earlobe, then said hesitantly, ¡± ... Good morning. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Her ears felt a piercing itch.

    She shrank her neck and chuckled as she said, ¡°What? Are you hungry? Are you eating my earlobe for breakfast?¡±

    ¡± ... Can¡¯t I? ¡±

    ¡°Sure, but you have to ask for its permission. ¡± Gu Nianzhi cock her head and said with a smile, ¡°You can ask my earlobe. If it agrees to it, then it¡¯ll be my lost.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    He leaned on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and took a deep breath. His hot breath made Gu Nianzhi shiver.

    She smiled as she dodged between the narrow branches, but she didn¡¯t fall from the tree.

    Huo Shaoheng held her waist tightly.

    Huo Shaoheng felt like her waist was so slim that he could wrap one hand around it.

    It was so thin and so flexible.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help thinking about the ¡°fold¡± he had once had..

    Gu Nianzhi sensed that something was wrong and didn¡¯t dare move again. She obediently snuggled in his arms and started bbering nonsense to divert Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Major General Huo, how far away is Tunguska? Can you get someone to pick us up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suppressed the thoughts inside and calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s not far. If we drive, we¡¯ll definitely be there in another five or six hours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°We still have to drive for another five or six hours, yet you don¡¯t think it¡¯s far? ! ¡± Gu Nianzhi red at him and tapped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s firm chest with her finger. ¡°Can you be more realistic about time and distance?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand. ¡°What do you want for breakfast?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    He spoke as if she could eat whatever she wanted!

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°I want preserved egg and lean meat congee, soup dumplings, soy milk, fried dough sticks... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her and put her coat on. He adjusted his clothes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. We¡¯ll talk about it when we get down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stretched. ¡± ... Then why are you still asking?¡±

    The two of them jumped down from the tree, and Gu Nianzhi finally saw the birch forest clearly.

    It was indeed very dense. Even though it was dawn, the forest was still as dark as it was at dusk.

    Only the morning light that shone through the gaps between the leaves added a touch of light to the dense forest.

    ¡°Will the gangsterse?¡± Gu Nianzhi dragged her two suitcases and followed behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng held a gun in both hands as he led the way. One of his hands rushed forward slightly, while the other held a long pistol.

    Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly, ¡°They are probably still being. As long as these people aren¡¯t working with the KGB, we don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head confidently. ¡°Uncle Ivan and dimir won¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡±

    The sight of the driver¡¯s back through the scope yesterday had confirmed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s belief.

    Huo Shaoheng was now suspecting that dimir and the driver weren¡¯t the masterminds behind the scenes and that the two of them had been caught in the crossfire.

    But who was the mastermind behind the scenes?

    This question was very important because it concerned the extent to which the Russian mafia were willing to go.

    In essence, there was still a big difference between the Russian mafia and terrorist organizations.

    The people of the terrorist organizations were unreasonable. To them, there were only two paths. One was to join them, and the other was a dead end.

    But to the general public, these two paths were dead ends.

    But the Russian mafia was different. Their goal was very clear. They wanted money.

    As long as nobody got in the way of their riches, they wouldn¡¯t do crazy things.

    Simrly, as long as someone paid them handsomely, they would be willing to get rid of their own boss as well.

    So, exactly how much money did the mastermind behind the scenes spend to hire the most powerful Russian mafia to do their dirty work

    Many candidates appeared in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind in an instant, but he rejected them one by one.

    This was because these people either did not have enough money or were not powerful enough. They weren¡¯t worth the capital that the Russian mafia had invested in the assassination attempt.

    After analyzing it for a long time, Huo Shaoheng could not believe that there was anyone in this world who could afford to buy his and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s assasination.

    This was a huge sum of money.

    The price would beparable to the highest security aircraft carrier manufacturing nt or the research and Development Center for new fighter jets.

    Huo Shaoheng came to the edge of the Birch forest and looked at the jeep that was still at the gas station.

    It was already dawn, but the ce was still deste. It might have been too early, but there wasn¡¯t even a passing car.

    Huo Shaoheng muttered, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go change the tires on that car?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out to take a look. Just as she was about to agree, she saw the middle-aged driver and dimir approaching.

    She and Huo Shaoheng stopped dead in their tracks and hid behind a huge birch tree.

    At the gas station, the driver opened the trunk and pulled out his toolbox, spare tires, and jack. He ced them on the ground.

    dimir crossed his arms as he stood at the side and said sarcastically, ¡°We¡¯ll have carsing soon. What¡¯s the point of changing the tires?¡±

    ¡°Who knows how many cars they¡¯ll drive? I¡¯ve been driving this car for years. Just like my wife, I can¡¯t bear to abandon it here alone.¡± The driver smiled and said to dimir, ¡°Call Cereus and have theme over.¡±

    ¡°Why should I call?!¡± dimir red at him, but still took out his phone.

    But when he opened the phone, he quietly opened WeChat and took a look at his moments.

    Last night, Gu Nianzhi had posted a status on her moments page.

    [ Nez Here ] : Gratitude.JPG, Uncle Ivan¡¯s deep friendship can only be repaid with a red envelope!

    Then there is a screenshot of the 888.88 Big Red Envelope.

    He quickly clicked on it and found himself pulled into a chat group called ¡°KGB trio¡±.

    When he clicked on it, he immediately saw the 888.88 exclusive big red envelope!

    dimir instantly felt as if he had received 10,000 likes!

 Chapter 1256 - Thr Red Packet is Addictive!

    <h4>Chapter 1256 Thr Red Packet is Addictive!</h4>

    dimir nkly stared at the chat group for a while before he scoffed discreetly and without any expression on his face, he sent a text message to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.Gu Nianzhi felt her phone vibrate and immediately took it out to take a look.

    [ dimir] : We¡¯re repairing the car,e over here. Smile.JPG.

    His tone was cold, and something felt off about the emoji.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She showed her phone to Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°Do you want to go over? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The mafia did not seem to have the guts to go against the KGB..

    It would be easier to follow these two.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walked out of the Birch forest and walked over to the gas station.

    ¡°Cereus! You¡¯re okay! That¡¯s great!¡± The driver squatted on the ground as he changed his tires. He looked up and saw them walking over, then immediately burst intoughter.

    dimir kicked him impatiently and growled, ¡°Change your tires! Are you shouting so loudly to draw the enemy back?!¡±

    The driver immediately lowered his voice and gave Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng a big smile. He then lowered his head and huffed as he quickly changed his tires.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over gratefully and said, ¡°Uncle Ivan, thank you so much for yesterday! Did you see the special red packet I sent you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a red packet?! It¡¯s a special red packet?!¡± The driver was surprised and delighted. ¡°Wait until I¡¯m done changing the tires! I can¡¯t stay here for long.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, is there anything I can help you with?¡± She half-squatted beside the driver.

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s no big deal to change a tire.¡± The driver turned around to take a look. Huo Shaoheng and dimir were standing quite far away from each other, and their expressions were indifferent. No one knew what they were talking about, he lowered his voice and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Cereus, we¡¯ve already requested reinforcements from headquarters. dimir¡¯s team should be arriving soon... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and dimir were standing side by side and exchanging information.

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Have you found out which mafia it is?¡±

    ¡°How can we be that fast?¡± dimir pouted as he toyed with his pistol and spoke in a bureaucratic tone, ¡°We can¡¯t rush things like this...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him, ¡± ... So this is the efficiency of the KGB. Seems like seeing is better than hearing.¡±

    dimir knew that Huo Shaoheng was deliberately provoking him and rolled his eyes. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. There are too many people in the bureau, so that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    ¡°Haha... ¡± Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Do you really think they won¡¯t dare to do anything to you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. What misunderstanding do you have about the Russian mafia? Do you do charity work?¡± dimir turned his head and pointed at the middle-aged driver who was squatting on the ground while changing a tire. ¡°He was almost crippled by a few dogsst night.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said calmly, ¡°We all saw it. Cereus is very grateful to him.¡±

    dimir¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and the tip of his ears twitched involuntarily.

    Was it because of this that Cereus had given Ivan a red packet?

    Thinking about it, he felt a little better.

    At least these two people from the Huaxia Empire weren¡¯t ungrateful people.

    Not long after, Ivan changed the tyre. They got into the car and took to the road again.

    dimir was in a bad mood and didn¡¯t say much. He was ying with his phone in the front row.

    While Ivan was in a good mood. He said a few words to Gu Nianzhi and started singing loudly.

    The atmosphere in the car was active.

    dimir waited for more than an hour. When he realized that his team hadn¡¯t arrived yet, he sent a message: ¡°Where are you? You¡¯re taking so long! ¡±

    The other side quickly sent a message: ¡°Boss! Traffic jam! ¡±

    Traffic Jam in the middle of nowhere? !

    Are You fu*king kidding me? !

    ¡°Where is the traffic jam? ! Are the Siberian ck bears and tigers out? ¡± dimir scoffed.

    ¡°No, boss, there was an ident here. A couple of big trucks were in the middle of the road and the police were handling it. ¡±

    dimir immediately understood and took on a ghastly expression.

    He called them and said fiercely, ¡°You f*cking flew over here! When has the KGB ever been afraid of the police? ! ¡±

    After ending the call, dimir said expressionlessly, ¡± ... It must someone in the KGB leaked the secret. ¡±

    Otherwise, it is impossible that no one hasn¡¯te up until now.

    The voice of the Ivan stopped abruptly.

    He turned his head and cast a nce at dimir,forting him sympathetically, ¡± Take it easy... This kind of thing is inevitable. ¡±

    F * CK! Who wouldfort someone like that? !

    dimir red at him fiercely. ¡°What do you mean about ¡®inevitable¡¯?! My man won¡¯t do the sort of thing! It must be someone else! The KGB operator? Secretary? Or even a cleaner! There won¡¯t be such a person in my operation team! ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood dimir¡¯s current state of mind.

    They are friends though life and death. How could they ept a traitor among them?

    However, what Ivan said made sense indeed.

    Infiltration and counter-infiltration weremon in their line of work.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and patted dimir on the shoulder, he said in Russian, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Now think carefully about which gang has so much power. To use the people in the KGB, the price they have to pay is extraordinarily high. ¡±

    To a gang, the secret service hidden in the government was their most precious asset. They would not use this line unless they had no other choice or when they had significant interests.

    The moment they did, it meant that this line could no longer be used.

    Many of the secret service was a one-time-use luxury item.

    dimir came back to his senses and nodded. He picked up his phone and was about to issue an order when he saw the red packet message that appeared on his button.

    He quietly clicked on it and saw that Gu Nianzhi had also sent him a red packet. It was 666.66.

    Although it wasn¡¯t as much as 888.88, it instantly soothed dimir¡¯s unexinable anxiety and unease.

    ¡°This red packet is addictive! ¡± dimir cursed in his heart. It was just like Pavlov¡¯s dog-training principle, giving a few dog bones if done well..

    However, he and Ivan actually fell for it. It couldn¡¯t be cured..

    dimir brightened into alert attention. He dialed the number of his action team. ¡°Where are you guys? ¡±

    ¡°Near the train station? ¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you two hours. In less than two hours, you guys will disband on the spot. ¡± dimir gave his order.

    They really looked down on me!

    He also had an insider!

    dimir also sent a deeply encrypted message to their KGB insider in the gang.

    ¡°Find out the client who killed the high-level Chinese as soon as possible. ¡°

 Chapter 1257 - Much Self-Assurance

    <h4>Chapter 1257 Much Self-Assurance</h4>

    dimir wasn¡¯t entirely sure which mafia had done it, but it was definitely rted to the Tomahawk Gang, thergest mafia in Russia.Even if the Tomahawk Gang hadn¡¯t done it directly, they were at least somewhat involved.

    The reason was very simple. As Huo Shaoheng had said, other mafia organizations probably didn¡¯t have as much power.

    Even if they were lucky enough toe across such a lucrative task, it was impossible for them toplete the task on their own.

    They had to find help. Usually, they would find the Tomahawk Gang, thergest mafia in Russia, to work together.

    The KGB had their own spies in all the major mafias in Russia, but this time, considering that the level of involvement should be rtively high, dimir contacted one of their sleeper agents who had been undercover in the Tomahawk mafia for many years.

    After the news was sent, dimir looked at his watch again.

    Fifteen minutes had passed, and he had given his team a deadline of two hours.

    In less than two hours, his team would all be disbanded.

    Because this proved that these people were either ipetent or moles that had be double agents.

    No matter which scenario it was, he wouldn¡¯t use these useless people anymore.

    ..

    dimir¡¯s action team was a temporary team made up of inte experts, snipers, observers, explosives experts, and mechanical experts. They also had a medical staff. It was a configuration that could be used on the battlefield.

    Mechanical experts were also experts in operating and repairing various machines, such as various cars, nes, ships, and even tanks.

    Once they started racing on the road, even Form One¡¯s first-ss drivers were no match against them.

    At this moment, the three Hummer SUVs modified by their action team were blocked by tworge trucks with 18 overturned wheels on the road. There were also about a dozen police cars with shing lights blocking the road.

    There was also arge crane that was trying to lift the overturned 18-wheeled SUV up and straighten it so that it could drive away.

    The three people driving the KGB action team were secretly all mechanical experts.

    There was once a person who used a false identity to participate in a European Form 1 race and won a world championship.

    Looking at the two ¡°roadblocks¡± in front of them with nk expressions, They propped their heads with their hands and leaned against the open window.

    ¡°What should we do? Our boss has given us a death order. He wants us to catch up to them within two hours ¡± This time, the leader of the operation team was Peter, was a man in his thirties. He wasn¡¯t tall, nor was he very burly. As if he had not woken up yet, he kept squinting his eyes.

    However, only hispanions knew that his actions when he drew his gun were shockingly fast.

    The fastest person in terms of the speed of drawing a gun on the entire blue, and from drawing a gun to aiming to shooting, took 0.21 seconds.

    However, their team leader could do it in 0.18 seconds, 0.03 seconds faster than the world record. It was already beyond the limits of human movement.

    Of course, even though the KGB agents had unique skills, they wouldn¡¯t publicize it.

    ¡°Two hours shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Their deputy team leader, Lina, was a woman. She appeared to be between 25 and 35 years old, so it was difficult to tell her exact age.

    She had an ordinary appearance. Her face was sallow, and her cheekbones were high. She had short hair and wore a pair ofrge ck-rimmed sses.

    Her hair and eyes were ck. She had the typical appearance of a Asian.

    A young woman who could be the second-inmand of the KGB operation team was undoubtedly extremely capable.

    She could participate in this operation because dimir had specially chosen her.

    Other than her, all the other members of the operation team were men.

    ¡°No problem? The road ahead is blocked. We have to take a long detour. Even if we race at the speed of a Form 1 car, we won¡¯t be able to arrive in two hours!¡±

    A middle-aged man in his forties grumbled unhappily.

    He was extremely dissatisfied with Lina, a woman, being the deputy team leader of the operation team. Moreover, she was much younger than him..

    ¡°What do you think? ¡± The team leader Peter looked at Lina. ¡°You always have some ideas.¡±

    Lina didn¡¯t smile. She adjusted the ck-rimmed sses on the bridge of her nose and said seriously, ¡°Drive straight over.¡±

    Everyone: ¡± ... ¡±

    This was a joke, right?!

    There were two overturned 18-wheelers in front of them!

    However, on second thought, they had the best robot hands, and they were no worse than any first-rate racers in the European continent!

    And the most important thing for a racer, besides speed, was the ability to control their own cars. Simply put, they could also perform the actions that a stunt driver could do!

    The drivers of the three cars snapped back to reality, and their faces were full of excitement.

    ¡°Get in the car! Let¡¯s give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t work, we will disband on the spot!¡±

    Most of the people got in the car withughter, then sat in their own seats, and fastened their seat belts.

    A few of them stayed behind and slowly blended into the crowd.

    They all knew that this car ident was definitely not a coincidence, but someone¡¯s meddling.

    To have the audacity to meddle in front of the KGB, seems like the mastermind behind the scenes have much self-assurance...

    When had the KGB ever suffered such a loss in their own country?

    Naturally, they had to return the favor.

    Lina waited for everyone to get in the car. With a straight face, she found the police officers who were on duty and showed them their documents. With a deadpan expression, she said, ¡°KGB. ¡ª¡ª It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Then, leaving the police officers behind and looking at each other in dismay, she turned around and got in the car.

    Some of the police officers secretly went to make phone calls. Not allowing them to do anything illegal, some of the police officers loudly berated them.

    However, most of the policemen just stood by and ignored the three Hummer hybrid cars that were roaring.

    The leader of the operations team, Peter, walked to the front of the car-carrying trailer, then climbed up the door like an ape, and kicked driver out of the trailer by threatening him with a gun. He then sat in the trailer.

    While chewing gum, he maneuvered the trailer¡¯s huge crane and smashed it into one of the eighteen-wheeled carriages that had overturned!

    The crane was used for bearing heavy loads, and it weighed more than a thousand pounds.

    Now that it had smashed into the thin iron sheet of the eighteen-wheeled car, it immediately pressed the car into a slope.

    He smashed it a few more times, tamping down the ¡°slope¡±.

    The people outside the car were dumbfounded. Even the eighteen-wheeled driver¡¯s mouth was agape. Upon seeing this amusing yet scary scene, no one dared to protest. They werepletely stunned by Peter¡¯s nonchnce as he did the ¡°smashing¡±.

    After smashing the overturned 18-wheeler into a slope with the metal ring, the leader of the action team, Peter, jumped down from the crane and quickly got into his hybrid car. He ordered, ¡°Go!¡±

    THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

    A huge roar sounded.

    The Hummer hybrid car at the back suddenly elerated. Like a gust of wind, it flew past everyone¡¯s eyes and rushed up the ¡°slope¡± of the 18-wheeler car!

    Using the momentum of the rush, it flew forward for a while before crashing to the ground with a bang.

    The vehicle was unscathed. It only made a jarring noise before continuing to elerate.

    The two Hummer hybrid vehicles at the back followed suit. Very quickly, they ¡°flipped¡± over the 18-wheeler that was blocking the road and rushed out.

    The person who caused the ident felt a wave of panic inside. He quickly sent a message to someone, ¡°The target has left! The target has left!¡±

    Before the message was sent out, several KGB officers had already covered his mouth with one hand and strangled his neck with the other, then dragged the person who sent the message away from the crowd.

    Before the police officer who had called to inform them had put down the phone, a smiling KGB officer who looked like a tiger had already walked over and showed him his ID, ¡°Are you going by yourself, or are we going to have to take you away?¡±

    The police officer¡¯s expression changed abruptly, and he turned around to run.

    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to leave by yourself... ¡± the KGB officer shook his head, took a quick step forward, and knocked the police officer unconscious before taking him away.

    ..

    dimir and the others had just driven into the central Siberian highway.

    Their surroundings were even more deserted. There was nothing besides tall birch trees standing upright. The branches had light green leaves all over, and the grass was green. There green scenery seemed to be boundless.

    There wererge tracts of farms on both sides of the road, but most of them were abandoned. Only a few farms were still being cultivated.

    The blue sky was filled with light white clouds. The sun rose very high, but it wasn¡¯t hot. The temperature was moderate, and the breeze blew in through the hole in the car window. It was veryfortable and pleasant.

    If she hadn¡¯t been worried that the other party would continue to pursue her, Gu Nianzhi really felt that the journey could have been longer.

    She simplyid in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s armszily. She didn¡¯t do anything, didn¡¯t think about anything, and her mind was nk. It was asfortable as when she had gone out with Huo Shaoheng and the members of the special forces to train in the wild when she was young.

    Because at that time, it had been a spring outing for her, not a training session...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention, however, was extremely focused. He observed the movements around him from time to time.

    The middle-aged driver stopped singing. dimir seemed to be ying a game and was asionally punching his phone and cursing.

    Just then, the sound of a propeller came from the sky.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and suddenly saw several small nes circling towards them.

    ¡°Why are there such small nes here? ¡± Huo Shaoheng asked in Russian.

    dimir looked up and said, ¡°it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a pesticide-spraying agricultural ne. It can¡¯t fly very high or very far.¡±

    This agricultural ne was called air tractor in English. It was literally a Tractor in the Air. One could see how useless it was.

    It could only fly at 150 miles per hour and could fly up to 8,000 feet. Other than spraying pesticides, it really didn¡¯t have any other uses.

    There were so many farms on both sides of the road. Although it was already summer in the Huaxia Empire, the Siberian region had just entered spring. It was the season when all living things grew, so it was only right to use pesticides at this time.

    Huo Shaoheng took a look. For the sake of caution, he turned on the small radar program on his phone.

    His phone had already activated the emergency device. With the help of the Nandou navigation satellitemunication system that covered the entire blue, a small radar screen appeared on the phone.

    From the radar screen, he could see the situation in the air within a ten-mile radius.

    At first nce, something was a little off.

    If these nes were just random aerial tractors that were shooting pesticides, then why were they flying in an orderly formation in the air?

 Chapter 1258 - Really Think Iâ€™m Just A Figurehead

    <h4>1258 Really Think I¡¯m Just A Figurehead</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the sky again.

    He didn¡¯t know if it was because he had seen the radar first, but Huo Shaoheng felt that there were EVEN more agricultural nes flying in formation..

    However, as far as his eyes could see, there were only two or three agricultural nes with yellow and white paint flying in the sky.

    The rumbling sound of the engine was deafening.

    Huo Shaoheng took another look and suddenly realized that the nes detected on the radar were already flying over!

    Right above their heads, a dozen or so yellow and white agricultural nes formed a V-shape and swooped down.

    Huo Shaoheng gave the front seat a swift kick and roared in a low voice, ¡°Speed up!¡±

    Almost reflexively, the driver in front stepped hard on the elerator.

    The hybrid KGB jeep made a sound that was just as loud as the rumbling of the farm ne above them, and it immediately sped up on the road.

    Gu Nianzhi was so shaken that she almost fell to the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng held her by the waist and ced the micro-drive on the bullet hole in the car window. He aimed at the farm ne that was swooping down from the sky and fired a series of bullets!

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The sudden sound of gunshots rang out in the wilderness. The sound of the engine of the agricultural ne could be heard, and their murderous intentions were evident.

    The agricultural ne that had dived to the front was instantly hit by the engine!

    With a loud thud, the agricultural ne spun in mid-air and fell headfirst into the farnd next to the road!

    Boom!

    A burst of ck smoke rose up and the ne was instantly engulfed by fire. The pilot didn¡¯t even have time to climb out of the ne..

    The agricultural nes behind immediately started firing at the jeep that was speeding on the road!

    After all, it was a fighter ne modified from an agricultural ne. It was very simple and primitive, so the machine guns it carried didn¡¯t have enough horsepower.

    The sturdy construction of the KGB¡¯s hybrid jeep was demonstrated at this time.

    So many bullets had hit the roof of the jeep, but only a few dents had been made.

    WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

    A farm ne suddenly flew over the jeep and almost brushed past it.

    The driver was shocked and immediately stepped on the elerator, pushing the speed of the jeep to a whole new level.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had never been carsick, felt a little dizzy. However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gun-wielding posture was so manly and handsome that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him. All she needed to do was apud him!

    dimir, who was sitting in the front row, was also shocked to realize that these agricultural nes weren¡¯t ordinary agricultural nes. He was instantly enraged.

    ¡°HOLY SH * T! A tiger in distress is really being bullied like a dog! Do they really think that the KGB are just figureheads?! ¡± dimir took out his small pistol, then aimed at the agricultural nes in the sky and at their key parts. Instantly taking down four or five agricultural nes, he shot almost every one of them.

    Huo Shaoheng shot down even more.

    Both sides of the field were littered with agricultural nes.

    Some of them immediately burst into mes and exploded, while others only emitted a puff of ck smoke. The pilots were still able to crawl out of them to save their own lives.

    But dimir wasn¡¯t a pushover.

    With a cold expression, he used his small pistol to instantly kill the mafia pilots who were lucky enough to survive.

    The pilots of the remaining agricultural nes in the sky were scared out of their wits and quickly returned the way they came.

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief. He dragged his suitcase from the trunk, took out the magazine, and reced the magazine with a new one for the micro-charge.

    Gu Nianzhi touched the barrel of his gun and said enviously, ¡°Major General Huo, your marksmanship is really good.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    With such a big target at such a close distance, was this apliment or a taunt?

    However, seeing how excited Gu Nianzhi was that her little face was practically glowing, he didn¡¯t argue with her.

    He patted her head and reminded her, ¡°Remember to hideter and don¡¯t get hit by stray bullets. ¡±

    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°Major General Huo, how can I help you?¡±

    ¡°You can help me by protecting yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed. ¡°I can help too!¡±

    As if to prove what she had said, the farm ne flew over after its rest.

    This time, a new farm ne had been added, and its equipment had obviously been upgraded.

    The bullets fired from the farm ne became more and more powerful. Soon, the dents on the roof of the car were like beehives, and many ces had been punctured. Illuminating the interior of the car like a Picasso abstract painting, rays of light shone down from the roof.

    One on the left and one on the right, Huo Shaoheng and dimir, dealt with the agricultural aircrafting from both sides of the jeep.

    However, no one cared about the back of the jeep.

    The agricultural aircraft seemed to have sensed that there was no one behind the jeep. One of them immediately swooped down and shot at the back of the jeep!

    At that moment, agricultural nes were also shooting at them from the left and right sides of the jeep. Huo Shaoheng only had time to press Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head down.

    Out of desparation, Gu Nianzhi took out a smallpact mirror from her small bag and shone it at the agricultural ne that was following closely behind the jeep!

    She kept changing her angle and finally found the right angle. She aimed a strong beam of light at the agricultural ne and shot it!

    The pilot on the ne was suddenly swayed by an astonishingly bright beam of light and reflexively closed his eyes.

    The ne lost control at that moment and crashed into the jeep in front of them!

    The driver tried his best to hold the steering wheel and stabilize the jeep that was constantly leaning forward. At the same time, he vehemently stepped on the elerator and elerated again to avoid the situation where the ne crashed into them and made them lose control.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°Your car has been modified well. It has the style of an armored car.¡±

    In one word, it was stable.

    dimir rolled his eyes. ¡°You just realized that now? This car was originally the chassis of an armored car. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    The agricultural ne behind them had lost control and crashed towards the ground. It had already flipped to the side of the road and was now in a field.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°mirror trick¡± woulde into y if another ne tried to shoot from the back of the jeep.

    She cooperated well with Huo Shaoheng, dimir, and the driver. The jeep moved in a serpentine pattern on the road, but it was still riddled with dents from the agricultural ne.

    Although no more bullets came, Gu Nianzhi was still at a loss for words regarding the shining ceiling that looked like a beehive.

    It was impossible to live in a car like this at night.

    The car was already riddled with bullets, so Gu Nianzhi was really worried that the car would fall apart by itself if they drove a little more..

    Her thoughts ran wild. Just as she was about to ask the other people in the car if the car was sturdy enough, she suddenly smelled something fishy and sweet.

    Her nose immediately itched, and she started sneezing again and again, as if she had an allergy.

    Those who were prone to ¡°pollen allergies¡± in spring understood her symptoms the best.

    ¡± ... The air has changed. Are there many flowers here?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked sullenly. ¡°ACHOO! ¡±

    In the blink of an eye, she sneezed more than a dozen times.

    Huo Shaoheng took out a packet of wet tissues and gave it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Wipe your face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her nose and said hesitantly, ¡°It¡¯s so ufortable. Don¡¯t you guys smell something fishy and sweet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Gu Nianzhi had never been allergic to pollen before, but her symptoms were clearly triggered by some kind of smell.

    What could give off a fishy and sweet smell?

    But he didn¡¯t smell anything, and neither did dimir nor the driver in the front row.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°You guys really don¡¯t smell anything?¡±

    Just as dimir was about to mock Gu Nianzhi for being so fragile, the sweet and fishy smell gradually wafted over.

    His expression changed abruptly, and he immediately covered his nose. He said angrily, ¡°They¡¯re using biological weapons!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... Biological weapons? Using agricultural airnes to release biological weapons?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly exined, ¡°dimir probably meant that they were spraying pesticides.¡±

    Some pesticides were highly toxic, so they were usually diluted before being sprayed.

    If the pesticides sprayed by the aircraft wasn¡¯t diluted, they would be poisoned just by breathing in the air!

 Chapter 1259 - The Tiger Flaunts Its Power

    <h4>Chapter 1259 The Tiger unts Its Power</h4>

    As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he had already reached behind the seat and brought over his suitcase. He took out a box of N95 masks from inside and tore open the packaging to put them on Gu Nianzhi.Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. She took out another mask and put it on Huo Shaoheng. She then took out two more masks and handed them to dimir and the driver in the front row, she smiled and said, ¡°This is a specialty mask from the Huaxia Empire. It¡¯s a necessity for domestic travel.¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    The driver happily received them and put them on. He even turned around and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Why do you guys carry masks around?¡± dimir asked suspiciously.

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Cereus is allergic to pollen. This is for her.¡±

    Of course not..

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself: When did I be allergic to pollen?

    However, since Huo Shaoheng was pretending to be telling the truth, she wouldn¡¯t expose him, because she believed that Huo Shaoheng must have a reason.

    Gu Nianzhi sneezed at the right time and said ambivalently, ¡± ... What a coincidence.¡±

    A lot of foreigners were allergic to pollen, so the two KGB officers would believe this reason.

    However, this mask wasn¡¯t designed to protect against highly toxic pesticides in the air. It could only withstand them for a while.

    However, highly toxic pesticides that were sprayed into the air without being diluted would still be poisonous if they stuck to the skin.

    Their jeep had been riddled with holes from the agricultural airnes. They were already full of holes.

    Although the holes weren¡¯t big enough for bullets to enter, the air could still seep in!

    ¡°How despicable! How vicious! ¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists. ¡°Is there no way to deal with them?!¡±

    If the enemy had only been shooting, they could have just shot down the agricultural ne.

    But the enemy was spraying highly toxic pesticides now. If the ne was shot down, the entire areand would definitely be in trouble...

    dimir said fiercely, ¡°Of course there¡¯s a way. Do you really think we have no way to deal with these petty people?!¡±

    He picked up his phone and sent a message to his action team. ¡°Agricultural airnes are spraying highly toxic pesticides. Do you guys have your RPG-7 Bazookas? ¡±

    This was a rtivelyrge weapon. When the KGB went on missions, they usually didn¡¯t bring heavy weapons.

    But this time, the situation called for an exception.

    After receiving the message, the head of the action team, Peter, silently replied, ¡°Yes, we have them. We¡¯ll be there right away.¡±

    Raising their speed to the highest gear, the three of them drove faster and faster. They were almost flying on the road.

    Not long after, they could vaguely see the yellow and white agricultural aircraft in the sky!

    ¡°RPG-7, get ready ¡± As if he had not woken up, the leader of the action team, Peter, narrowed his eyes and calmly gave the order.

    The roof of the three Hummer hybrid vehicles suddenly opened. Wearing gas masks and bulletproof helmets, all of them were fully armed. The members of the action team wearing bulletproof vests carried the most sophisticated RPG-7 rocketunchers from Russia and stood out from the roof open skylight.

    ¡°Fox-1, target, three o¡¯clock, vertical altitude 700 feet, straight line distance 1,100 feet, fire. ¡±

    The rocketunchers who stood up from the skylight of the first car aimed at the agricultural aircraft at the lowest altitude in front.

    Their RPG-7 shoulder-mounted rocketunchers could be equipped with a variety of warheads, but for the agricultural ne that was spraying highly toxic pesticides in the sky, they chose to use high explosive incendiary bombs that were propelled by small rockets. These incendiary bombs had fast firepower and burned very well, they would not leave any pesticide residue to pollute thend.

    ¡°Fox-1, ready, clear, Shoot!¡±

    The person carrying the RPG-7 rocketuncher on the shoulder of the first car was actually the only woman in their action team, Lina.

    Although she looked frail, she had much physical strength. She can even operate this type of shoulder-carried rocketuncher.

    With a whoosh, the dark RPG-7 rocketuncher on her shoulder spewed out a powerful me!

    The first-stage ammunition tube quickly exploded. Heading straight for the target, the high explosive incendiary bomb shot out of theunch tube like an arrow leaving a bow!

    Immediately after, the second-stage solid rocket was ignited, and the high-explosive incendiary bomb instantly reached the maximum flying speed of 300 meters per second.

    This firing method didn¡¯t produce any recoil, nor did it withstand the bore pressure of conventional artillery which often exploded. Therefore, it was very light and thin, and could be carried by a single soldier.

    However, the gunpowder gas that spewed out from the rear of the rocket barrel was very dangerous, and it couldn¡¯t be used in an enclosed space.

    Therefore, they needed to open the skylight and stand up from the car tounch.

    This was also a very dangerous behavior in air-to-airbat.

    Because a rocketuncher that stood up was the equivalent of a moving target.

    Lina was quite brave to be the first to stand up.

    Her arm was very steady, and her firing uracy was also among the best.

    Soon, the first high explosive incendiary bomb whistled and hit the agricultural ne that flew the lowest, the one closest to the front!

    With an earth-shattering boom!

    The ne was instantly engulfed by a huge fireball. Highly toxic pesticides were originally mmable and explosive. Coupled with the power of the high-explosive incendiary bomb, in less than a minute, the ne whistled and fell into a field not that far away.

    The fireball was still burning. The visual impact was too shocking. The pilots piloting the agricultural ne were all scared out of their wits. They could not even hold the joystick in front of them.

    They wanted to turn back, but the KGB team that had caught up with them wouldn¡¯t let them go.

    In the three Hummer hybrid vehicles that wereing from behind, the rocketunchers were calm andposed. Almost every firebomb had hit a agricultural aircraft that was spraying pesticide!

    The jeep driven by the middle-aged driver in front was also trying its best to speed up, and soon they were far away from the area where the highly toxic pesticide was being sprayed.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the dignified andposed KGB driver at the front of the Hummer. She was extremely envious and chuckled as she said, ¡°She¡¯s so cool!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    dimir¡¯s face was full of pride. ¡°She is my subordinate! Her name is Lina, and she¡¯s only 29 years old. I was the one who promoted her to the rank of major!¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s a woman? ! ¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised. She pped her hands and said, ¡°Oh my, that youngdy is so impressive! I must get her autographter!¡±

    The KGB members were almost as strong as the regr Russian militia.

    And no matter how brave the mafia was, they were no match against the regr militia.

    In front of the KGB team, whosebat power was off the charts, they were practically beaten to a pulp!

    More than 20 agricultural nes weren¡¯t spared. They were all shot down with high-explosive incendiary bombs!

    More than a dozen fireballs were burning in the fields. It was a spectacr sight!

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t seen enough yet. A few more people in white chemical suits jumped out of the three Hummers and took fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire in the field.

    The highly toxic pesticides had been burned clean, but the fire couldn¡¯t be immediately extinguished. It would burn in the field. Depending on the wind , there was the possibility of a forest fire.

    Fortunately, the KGB team had all the necessary equipment.

    Since they had brought high-explosive incendiary bombs, they had to bring their own fire extinguishing devices.

    They had to kill, Burn, bury, and extinguish the fire all in one go!

    dimir¡¯s jeep stopped not that far away. The smell of highly toxic pesticides was no longer in the air.

    Bringing with it the smell of burnt flesh, a gust of wind blew.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped out of the jeep. She was still wearing her mask, but herrge dark pupils seemed to shine. She watched as the people in the Hummer behind them walked towards them step by step.

    dimir stood beside her and said proudly, ¡°Cereus, it¡¯s impressive, isn¡¯t it?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also got out of the car. With his hands behind his back, he stood calmly beside Gu Nianzhi. His gaze was at times intense and at times aloof. His gaze swept past Lina, who was at the front, andnded on Peter, who was diagonally behind her.

    Peter still looked as if he hadn¡¯t woken up. Behind Lina, He walked towards dimir. Suddenly, he raised his right hand and saluted. ¡°Mr. dimir, team one is reporting for duty! The time spent was one hour, 58 minutes, and 49 seconds!

 Chapter 1260 - Major General Huo, Thatâ€™s Enough!

    <h4>1260 Major General Huo, That¡¯s Enough!</h4>

    dimirughed heartily and patted Peter on the shoulder. ¡°Good, good, good! As expected of our first operation time! You didn¡¯t embarrass me!¡±

    This time, he had maintained his pride in front of Huo Shaoheng, so it was even more significant.

    His eyelids drooping, Peter still had the same sleepy expression, and his voice was calm as he said, ¡°It was all thanks to Major Lina this time. She was the one who reminded us to bring RPG rockets, incendiary bombs, and when we were besieged, she boldly suggested we leap over the 18-wheeler truck.¡±

    dimir was ted when he heard this. With an extremely pleased expression, he said to Lina in Russian, ¡°Major Lina, you¡¯ve made a great contribution this time. When you go back, you¡¯ll be promoted to a lieutenant colonel.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Lieutenant General dimir, ¡± Lina said calmly. She stood upright and saluted him without any expression on her face. She had the demeanor of a general who didn¡¯t care about materialism.

    Huh? Although this woman had in appearance, she had a really pleasant voice.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had a voice fetish, couldn¡¯t help taking a liking this calm andposed youngdy even more.

    She also looked very simr to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s people, so her sense of intimacy with her increased exponentially.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know Russian, but from the way dimir and the two KGB members in front of her reacted, she knew that they were reporting on their work. They must have done a good job, and had received dimir¡¯s full praise.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly took a step back and moved to the driver¡¯s side. She asked softly, ¡°Uncle Ivan, what are they talking about?¡±

    The driver whispered what he said in English.

    Gu Nianzhi was ted to hear this. She couldn¡¯t help nodding and saying, ¡± ... so it¡¯s all because of this youngdy! She¡¯s really impressive!¡±

    It was rare for Gu Nianzhi to be so utterly impressed by someone.

    Aside from Huo Shaoheng, this was probably the second person she was so utterly impressed by.

    As a woman, it wasn¡¯t easy for her to thrive in an organization like the KGB entirely on her own ord.

    Gu Nianzhi excitedly and vehemently praised her inside!

    dimir looked at Huo Shaoheng proudly. ¡°How is it, Major General Huo? You still like our people, don¡¯t you? ¡±

    Everyone said that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Special Operations forces were powerful, and that they had risen to international fame in the past few years. They were on the verge of overshadowing the old KGB.

    Although they weren¡¯t in directpetition, everyone in this line of work was determined to be number one. No one was willing to submit to anyone, and no one was willing to be number two.

    But there was only one number one.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said politely, ¡°Of course, if the famous KGB can¡¯t even take care of a few mafia members, people willugh their heads off.¡±

    dimir was happy at first, but the more he thought about it, the more unpleasant he felt.

    Was this apliment or an insult?

    He wasn¡¯t even as pleasant to his subordinates anymore.

    She stopped smiling and said with a straight face, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get in the car. She asked again, ¡°Has the follow-up work been arranged?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in progress.¡± Peter said cautiously without going into further detail in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Lina, on the other hand, had on a poker face the entire time. Her expression made it seem as if her face had frozen, as if they didn¡¯t deserve a sycophantic smile.

    dimir looked at her, then at Gu Nianzhi, who was whispering to the driver with a cheerful smile on her face. He turned around and said, ¡°Major Lina, the woman over there from the Huaxia Empire is called Cereus. She¡¯s our honored guest. From today onward, you¡¯ll be in charge of her security. I want you to stay close to her and ensure her safety!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant General dimir! ¡± Lina stood upright again and epted the mission.

    Like a bodyguard, she walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side with a poker face and stood still.

    Gu Nianzhi was so excited that she didn¡¯t even know where to put her hands when she saw the youngdy she admired walk to her side.

    She couldn¡¯t help but straighten her clothes before reaching out to Lina and greeted her warmly in English, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Cereus. Nice to meet you! I admire you so much! You looked so handsome while carrying a rocketuncher on your shoulder moments before! May I have your autograph, please?¡±

    Lina looked down, as if she thought she was being too noisy, but she didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she shake her hand. She only said a few words in Russian.

    Asking for help, Gu Nianzhi looked at the driver next to her, ¡°What did she say?¡±

    The driverughed and punched Lina yfully. ¡°Lina, don¡¯t you speak English? You have a standard Oxford ent. Our Ceereus also speaks English with an Oxford ent!¡±

    Lina looked at Gu Nianzhi and replied in English, ¡± ... I can sign my name, but there¡¯s no need to thank me. I¡¯m a woman, so I¡¯m not handsome, but thank you.¡±

    It was indeed a standard Oxford ent. It was concise and to the point. Although her attitude was a little indifferent, it wasn¡¯t cold. Instead, she seemed naturallyyposed.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that even if she lived for another hundred years, she wouldn¡¯t be as calm andposed as her.

    No wonder she had be a core member of the KGB at the age of 29!

    The only person who was better than her was Major General Huo, right?

    Gu Nianzhi felt even more proud of Huo Shaoheng.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Miss Lina speaks English really well. I¡¯ll go look for my Proidter. Let¡¯s take a photo together and you can sign the back of the photo for me. Is that okay?¡±

    The middle-aged driver asked curiously, ¡°You still use Proid now?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Can¡¯t I?¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone. ¡°My phone has its shorings too, so I¡¯ll have to make up for them with proid.¡±

    In reality, the Proid was something Huo Shaoheng had brought with him. It definitely wasn¡¯t intended to be used to print disposable photos.

    However, it also had this function, so Gu Nianzhi will borrow it.

    The middle-aged driver saw that Gu Nianzhi had gone to the car to flip out the Proid. He quickly stood over and took the initiative to say, ¡°Cereus, take a photo for me, and I¡¯ll sign it for you.¡± He even made a gesture with his hand to write.

    Gu Nianzhi had taken a few photos with the middle-aged driver and dimir at Red Square, but those photos were all on her phone, so she couldn¡¯t print them out for the time being.

    Seeing that the driver had volunteered, Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d love to, Uncle Ivan! Come, let¡¯s take a photo together!¡±

    She stuffed the Proid into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. ¡°Major General Huo, take a few photos for us!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quietly picked up the Proid and aimed it at Gu Nianzhi and the driver. With a click, he snapped a photo of the two of them smiling.

    Gu Nianzhi had a small face, fair skin, long eyshes, big eyes, and a straight nose. Her lips were naturally well-defined, and she looked especially photogenic.

    Making a ¡°V¡± sign with his hands and smiling charmingly, the middle-aged driver stood next to her.

    Gu Nianzhi then walked over to Lina¡¯s side and looked at her with envy. She was almost 1.75 meters tall, five centimeters taller than herself.

    ¡°Miss Lina, shall we take a photo together?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked enthusiastically.

    Lina nodded. ¡°Just call me Lina.¡±

    When she got called ¡°Miss Lina¡±, she felt goosebumps.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded awkwardly. ¡°Okay, Lina.¡±

    She stood beside Lina warily and quietly made a ¡°V¡± sign. She smiled contentedly and proudly.

    Huo Shaoheng took a few photos of her and Lina, too, then quickly printed them out through the Proid.

    Gu Nianzhi picked out the best photo she had taken with Lina, and with both hands, she handed it to her to be signed. Her smile was borderline obsequious. ¡°Lina, I have a pen here.¡±

    For a while, Lina stared at the photo carefully.

    This little girl was so beautiful that it was hard to breathe just by looking at the photo. She looked even better in person than in the photo.

    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful, ¡± Lina said in a t voice. Her tone didn¡¯t sound like she was exaggerating, and her praise seemed very sincere. It was obvious that she meant it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face blushed from thepliment. She mumbled to herself as she watched Lina sign her autograph one stroke at a time before putting the photo into her bag.

    The driver had been waiting by the side for a long time. When he saw that Lina had finished signing her autograph, he quickly reached out and said, ¡°it¡¯s my turn.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and handed the pen to the chauffeur.

    When the chauffeur signed his autograph, looking especially pleased, he wriggled his eyebrows.

    After signing her autograph, Gu Nianzhi put the driver¡¯s autographed photo into her small bag and waved, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s get in the car!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    dimir¡¯s face appeaared especially drawn.

    He called out to Lina. ¡°Sit with Cereus.¡±

    Lina had wanted to go back to her hummer.

    But dimir had asked her to follow this little girl from the Huaxia Empire, so she had to obey.

    This time, there were five people in their jeep.

    The driver and dimir sat in the front row again.

    Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lina sat in the back row.

    In order to show her desire to be closer, Gu Nianzhi sat in the middle. next to Lina.

    She watched her and asked all sorts of questions, especially about how she used the shoulder rocketuncher. The questions she asked were so in-depth that it was as if she couldn¡¯t wait to have a go at it herself!

    dimir asked with a sullen face, ¡± ... Cereus, you¡¯ve never yed with an RPG rocketuncher with Major General Huo, have you?¡±

    What in the world!

    What did he mean by ¡°y with RPG¡±?!

    That wasn¡¯t a toy, okay?!

    Gu Nianzhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes inside. She didn¡¯t show it because she wanted to maintain herposure in front of the youngdy she admired.

    ¡°dimir, you seem to have a misunderstanding about our country.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and corrected his misconception. ¡°I¡¯m not a soldier, so how would I know how to y with a RPG?¡±

    Even if she were a soldier, there were different types of soldiers, okay?

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re not a soldier?¡± Lina suddenly asked.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her, then looked away as if it was nothing. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Are you hungry? There¡¯s cake in the suitcase.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to say ¡°not hungry, ¡± but in reality, she hadn¡¯t eaten anything since yesterday evening until noon today.

    Resigning herself to her fate, she rubbed her stomach and nodded. ¡°Yes, I want to eat. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out his suitcase and took out the cake from the snack box.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to eat it when she remembered that she couldn¡¯t eat it all by herself. She quickly used the knife in the snack box to cut the cake into five small pieces and held them in a napkin. She gave one to the driver, dimir, and another to Lina.

    Lina nced at Gu Nianzhi and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like sweets.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll take you at your word.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t like sweets either.

    However, Gu Nianzhi asked him nevertheless for courtesy¡¯s sake, ¡°Major General Huo, do you want one?¡±

    She asked as she stuffed the cake into her mouth.

    Soon, two of the three pieces of cake in her hand had entered her stomach.

    There was only one piece left, and Huo Shaoheng suddenly said, ¡± ... Yes. ¡± Then he leaned over and ate the cake in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    He bit deeply, and the tip of his tongue brushed past Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers, making them feel numb.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face blushed.

    Her fingers flew out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth, and thinking that she had done it without leaving a trace, she wiped them on the napkin.

    In reality, the other three people in the jeep had all seen it.

    ... They didn¡¯t forget the PDA while everyone was starving!

    Major General Huo, that¡¯s enough!

 Chapter 1261 - Angry As A Pufferfish

    <h4>Chapter 1261 Angry As A Pufferfish</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi used a wet tissue to wipe her fingers. Her face was as red as rouge.She stole a nce at Lina, who was standing beside her. She noticed that Lina¡¯s expression was calm. Her poker face appeared so calm it was as if she were dead.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly relieved.

    She was actually a very sensitive person, and Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t someone who liked to show PDA in public.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand why Huo Shaoheng would suddenly do such a thing.

    She nced sideways at Huo Shaoheng. Her beautiful and expressive big eyes seemed to show her bewilderment.

    On the other hand, Huo Shaoheng, appeared even calmer than Lina.

    After all, Lina¡¯s calmness was a form of restraint, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calmness had already seeped into his bones and be a part of his personality.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t continue to dwell on this issue.

    After all, this was someone else¡¯s territory. Even if she was a little displeased, she had to restrain it.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up straight and again wanted to speak to Lina, who was next to her.

    At this moment, Lina¡¯s phone vibrated.

    She took out her phone and swiped it open to take a look. An expression of surprise suddenly appeared on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi thought she was already used to Lina¡¯s emotionless, poker face, so when she saw Lina¡¯s surprised expression, she was even more surprised than Lina.

    Raising an eyebrow, Gu Nianzhi asked reflexively, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±

    Lina quickly regained herposure and said to dimir, ¡°Boss, the headquarters have found the client of this mafia operation.¡±

    dimir turned to look behind him. ¡°What did you say?! They found him so quickly?¡±

    Lina said calmly, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that hard to find out. If you can¡¯t find out directly, you can check the bank ounts of the mafia. Unless the clients pay in cash, you can discover their client through the bank.¡±

    After a pause, Lina said, ¡°We were lucky this time. For this exchange, the other party didn¡¯t use cash, but transferred money through the bank.¡±

    ¡± ... Where did the moneye from?¡± Afraid that he would miss a word, dimir held his breath and listened intently.

    They were talking in Russian.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was the only one in the jeep who didn¡¯t understand Russian.

    The other four people in the jeep not only spoke Russian, but were also very proficient in it.

    Huo Shaoheng also pricked up his ears to listen to dimir and Lina.

    They had spoken directly in front of Huo Shaoheng, so they must have done him a favor on purpose.

    After all, this person had attempted to kill Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shaoheng was also very curious about the client behind the scenes.

    Lina raised her phone and showed it to dimir. ¡°This is other evidence transferred from our people. This means that apart from indirect evidence, we also have directly incriminating evidence.¡±

    dimir took the phone and nced at it. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He pointed at Lina¡¯s phone and stammered, ¡°Such arge sum of money?!¡± It was practically enough to buy arge ne!

    ¡°You¡¯re that valuable?¡± dimir said sourly. He nced at Huo Shaoheng and mumbled, ¡°The bounty on your head is even higher than mine.¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°I can transfer this high priced bounty to you without taking a single cent.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, what do you want to transfer to our boss ¡± The middle-aged driver in the front turned around and interrupted at the right time to diffuse the tension between Huo Shaoheng and dimir.

    dimir snorted and red at the middle-aged driver. ¡°Focus on driving. How does the transfer have anything to do with you?¡±

    The middle-aged driver shrunk his neck. ¡°I was just asking.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said gently, ¡°The bounty on his head. Your boss thinks his head is worthless, so he wants to trade with me.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Did I say I wanted to trade? ! You¡¯re more capable than me, so I ept that the bounty for your head is higher than mine.¡± dimir lowered his head to continue reading the ounts, and his eyes gradually narrowed.

    ¡°Major General Huo, are you rted to the Xie family who moved to Europe in their early years? ¡±

    ¡°The Xie family from Europe? You mean the Xie family from the Huaxia Empire? ¡± Huo Shaoheng was also a little surprised. His heart sank slightly, and his eyes dimmed.

    ¡°Yes, this Xie family is also famous in the KGB. ¡± dimir frowned. ¡°If it was them, many things would make sense.¡±

    For example, other than the Xie family, he couldn¡¯t think of anyone who could afford to hire the mafia and use different tactics to deal with them in Europe.

    For the Xie family, they could easily help an ordinary middle-ss family to rise to a higher level.

    But how could it be the Xie family?

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly and reached out to dimir. ¡°Let me see the message on your phone.¡±

    dimir shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, do you?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He took Lina¡¯s phone from dimir and tapped it a few times before logging in. He saw the news from the KGB headquarters.

    Based on the avable and historical information, the KGB¡¯s intelligence and analysis department had already determined that the client behind the mafia gunmen was the Xie family.

    Huo Shaoheng read the text quietly and said in English, ¡± ... The client¡¯s fees were channeled into a trust fund controlled by the Xie family.¡±

    They probably didn¡¯t even know about the Xie family¡¯s property.

    In order to treat the Xie family¡¯s descendants equally, and to familiarize the Xie family¡¯s descendants with the rules of society, the Xie family¡¯s older generation of parents set up a lot of trust funds and reached an agreement with the school. Through the trust fund, a batch of sports equipment was donated to the school every year, so that the students here would no longer be locked up in the ivory tower, deaf to the outside world, and only thinking about the sage.

    ¡°Tthat¡¯s right! The fact that the trust fund controlled by the Xie family was channeled to this mafia is enough to prove that they are the masterminds behind the attempted assasination!¡±

    dimir pped his hands and concluded in English.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    She knew about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rtionship with the Xie family.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother, Xie Ziyan, who had passed away more than a decade ago, was the biological sister of the most senior members of the Xie family.

    Xie Ziyan had kept a low profile throughout her life and rarely appeared in public. Therefore, only a few of her family members knew about her family background.

    However, it was impossible for the KGB not to know about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rtionship with the Xie family. If they didn¡¯t even know about it, it could only be said that the KGB had declined over the years..

    Because Gu Nianzhi knew about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rtionship with the Xie family, she definitely didn¡¯t think that the people who were after her and Huo Shaoheng were members of the Xie family.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No way, is that the only reason?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®that¡¯s the only reason¡¯?¡± dimir retorted. ¡°That¡¯s the most direct motive. Whether you value a person or not depends on the direction of the bank ount.¡±

    ¡°Because only money doesn¡¯t lie. The more you spend, the more emotionally attached you will be for the target you¡¯re spending it on. In the end, even if you spend all your money, you won¡¯t be able to bear to part with the things you¡¯ve already spent money on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi simply wanted to chuckle when she heard that.

    Her slender neck looking like a White Swan, she raised her head.

    ¡°dimir, money can lie too, like fake money.¡± Rejecting dimir¡¯s analogy, Gu Nianzhi retorted first.

    dimir¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re arguing with me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with you. I¡¯m just trying to reason with you. ¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and leaned against the back of dimir¡¯s car seat. She smiled and said, ¡°Also, the only evidence you guys found is that the money came from the Xie family¡¯s trust fund, right? Can you prove that the person who transferred the money from the Xie family¡¯s trust fund to the Mafia is definitely a member of the Xie family?¡±

    ¡°Even if he isn¡¯t a member of the Xie family, he at least has to be their closest rtive or a trusted subordinate. This kind of person is no different from a member of the Xie family, right?¡± Trying to argue with Gu Nianzhi, dimir was still stubbornly refusing to back down.

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned back into her seat and shrugged. ¡°dimir, once a trust fund is established, it will only be controlled by the terms of the trust fund and not by the person who established the trust fund. This is the basic legal basis for a trust fund. ¡°So you¡¯re going to insist that because the money was transferred from the Xie family¡¯s trust fund, the person behind the scenes must be a member of the Xie family. There are too many loopholes in this statement, and it¡¯s also blind to thew.¡±

    dimir was so angry at Gu Nianzhi that the hair on his face rose up.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not a member of the Xie family, it¡¯s someone rted to them! Find out when the Xie family¡¯s trust fund was established, and who the financiers and beneficiaries are.¡± dimir immediately gave the order.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Lina¡¯s phone without saying a word. After a long while, he returned the phone to Lina. He then took out his own phone and called his uncle in the Xie family.

 Chapter 1262 - Unexpected Gains

    <h4>Chapter 1262 Unexpected Gains</h4>

    No one answered the phone for a long time.Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. He couldn¡¯t figure out where the Xie family¡¯s uncle was at the moment, or if it was inconvenient for him to pick up the phone due to the time difference.

    He knew that even though the Xie family had settled down in Europe, the Xie family had arge business. All members from Xie family had their own businesses and often traveled all over Bluestar on business.

    So he sent a text message: ¡°This is Shaoheng. Call me when you are avable. I need your advice. ¡°.

    Putting his phone away, Huo Shaoheng heard that Gu Nianzhi was still arguing with dimir about the control of the trust fund. He calmly stopped Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, dimir is professional. You have to be modest. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and stopped arguing with dimir.

    She saw that dimir was so angry at her that he was puffing out his chest. She was also amused.

    She lowered her head and thought for a moment. She took out the proid that she had just put away and sweetly said to dimir, ¡°Mr. dimir, let me take a picture of you. Can you give me your autograph? ¡±

    Only then did dimir turn around. Although his face was still expressionless, his heart was already bursting with joy.

    My dear! You finally remembered to ask for my autographed photo!

    She had even asked for Ivan¡¯s autographed photo before, but didn¡¯t ask for his!

    Gu Nianzhi used the proid to take a few photos of dimir. She then printed them out and picked the one with the best angle to let him sign.

    After signing, Gu Nianzhi put away the proid and gifted them another red packet. She then looked at Lina, who was sitting beside her and asked with a big smile, ¡°Lina, what¡¯s your phone number? Do you have a WeChat out? Add me as a friend and I¡¯ll give you a red packet. ¡±

    Lina looked at her calmly and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have a wechat ount. ording to the rules, we can¡¯t have such social media ounts. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised and nced at dimir and Ivan.

    Both of them lowered their heads, as if they hadn¡¯t heard what Lina had said.

    Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Is that so? All the KGB can¡¯t have social media ounts? They must have phone numbers, right? ¡±

    Lina lowered her eyes and gave a phone number, she added, ¡°This is the bureau¡¯s number. It¡¯s monitored 24 hours a day. Not everyone in the KGB can¡¯t have social media ounts. High-ranking officials and insignificant people who don¡¯t hold positions in the key operations group can have their own private social media ounts. ¡±

    Ivan felt stifled.

    He was one of those ¡°Insignificant people who don¡¯t hold positions in the key operations group¡± ..

    dimir was, of course, a ¡°high-ranking member¡± of the KGB. The corners of his lips curled up, and he was in a good mood.

    Gu Nianzhi replied with an ¡°Oh, ¡± but did not say anything else.

    The jeep fell silent for a moment, and the KGB motorcade ran wildly on the sparsely popted highway.

    They were only two hours away from their destination, Tunguska, Siberia.

    Not long after, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone vibrated.

    He took it out to take a look. It was a text message from Uncle Xie.

    It seemed that it was inconvenient to call.

    Huo Shaoheng used the text message to exchange information with him.

    When learning that the Xie family¡¯s trust fund had paid for the murder of Huo Shaoheng from the Russian mafia, Uncle Xie was shocked and sent a lot of exmation marks.

    He finally couldn¡¯t help but find a ce to call Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Shaoheng, it is absolutely impossible. Why would we hire the Russian mafia to kill you? Even if we want to deal with you, do we need to hire the Russian mafia? ¡± Uncle Xie¡¯s voice was clear and bright, just from his voice, it was impossible to imagine that he was almost 50.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I know. I just want to know what¡¯s going on with this trust fund. ¡±

    He sent Uncle Xie the bank ount number of the trust fund.

    ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll let someone to check it out. ¡±

    The call ended. Huo Shaoheng fiddled with his phone, thinkinng about possible candidates.

    Without a doubt, Luo Jin¡¯s name entered his field of vision once again.

    Huo Shaoheng sent another text to Yin Shixiong: [ Big Xiong, how did you go with the background check on Luo Jin? ]

    Yin Shixiong replied instantly: There¡¯s something odd about Luo Jin¡¯s experience in Europest year. She¡¯s still investigating.

    That would be the time when Luo jin would apany grandfather huo to the Xie family in Europe to ¡°rx¡± .

    Was there something else going on at that time?

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and continued to ask: [ Is there anything strange? ]

    Yin Shixiong replied: [ She had transferred money to a Swiss bank ount. That ount was the bank ount of a police chief in the Lotw region. The police chief¡¯s name Was York, and his stepson was seth. ]

    He didn¡¯t expect to see this name here.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm. His fingers rubbed against the phone¡¯s screen as he typed a reply: ¡°Continue to investigate. Don¡¯t miss a single clue. At the same time, put Luo Jin under 24-hour surveince. Find a court warrant and search all her assets.¡±

    The police chief in the Lotu area, York, was almost directly rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ident in Germany.

    Seth had already been killed. Although York had been removed from his post, he was immediately transferred to be the principal of the police academy in Rosse. He had only been removed from his post after he had been exposed for taking bribes.

    Only after He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi jointly filed awsuit against him was he finally sent to the detention center.

    However, before he could be sentenced, he was killed in the detainment center.

    It turned out that from that moment on, Luo Jin had been involved in the scheme against Gu Nianzhi.

    After York¡¯s Swiss bank ount bnce was exposed, the astronomical number left a deep impression on many people.

    There was actually money from the Xie family¡¯s trust fund?!

    Although he knew that it wasn¡¯t the Xie family¡¯s fault, Huo Shaoheng still felt a chill rise from the depths of his heart.

    How much did the person who had targeted Gu Nianzhi hate her?

    All these conspiracies against Gu Nianzhi not only had the goal of physically destroying her, but also psychologically destroying her.

    After all, Huo Shaoheng was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pir of support. If the conspiracy had seeded, that person would definitely let Gu Nianzhi know that the ¡°Xie Family¡¯s Trust Fund¡± had also contributed money and manpower. This way, she would inevitably think of Huo Shaoheng.

    This was so that she wouldn¡¯t be at peace even if she died.

    What sort of outrageous thing had Gu Nianzhi done for someone to have such a huge grudge against her?

    She had been with Huo Shaoheng since she was 12 years old. Huo Shaoheng could guarantee that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t done anything unspeakable in the past seven or eight years.

    Perhaps something happened before she was 12 years old?

    But before she was 12 years old, Gu Nianzhi was only a child. And judging from her personality, she wasn¡¯t the kind of mischievous child that was born to be a troublemaker.

    What could such an upright and decent little girl do to cause someone to hold a grudge for seven to eight years, or perhaps even more than ten years?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t believe that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s problem at all.

    He only came to one conclusion: someone was envious of Gu Nianzhi and had be so envious that he or she had lost his or her mind and gone insane.

 Chapter 1263 - Itâ€™s Difficult To Like Someone

    <h4>Chapter 1263 It¡°s Difficult To Like Someone</h4>

    After sending Yin Shixiong a text message, Huo Shaoheng put away his phone and nced at Gu Nianzhi silently.ying with her phone, Gu Nianzhi was unaware of it.

    She checked Lina¡¯s phone number, and sure enough, she didn¡¯t have Wechat.

    She felt a little regretful, but didn¡¯t press the issue.

    This youngdy was so aloof that Gu Nianzhi felt that if she continued to ask, it would turn into harassment..

    Why would she do such a tacky thing?

    Since the other party wasn¡¯t interested, she stopped nagging.

    The only person she had ever pestered was Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind went back to the time when she tried to test Huo Shaoheng before the two of them started dating.

    She couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    The beauty of romance is that when you reminisce about it, you can¡¯t help but smile.

    At the moment, exuding a seductive sweetness that people couldn¡¯t help but want to savor, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile was so sweet it was like honey.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed as he took in her smile. He closed his eyes. Although his mind was still racing nervously, the corners of his lips were already curved into a smile.

    At the same time, he reached out and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him. Seeing that his eyes were closed, she asked, ¡°Are you tired? If you¡¯re tired, then sleep for a while. I¡¯ll wake you up when we get there. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled her hand out and patted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. Then she remembered what Lina had said just now. The driver must have been severely injured.

    Her heart skipped a beat. Without even thinking, she moved her fingers and sent another exclusive red packet to the driver.

    There wasn¡¯t much money left in her digital wallet, so she only sent a red packet of 66.66 with the words ¡°whether it¡¯s important or not, the red packet will decide¡±.

    The driver was driving, so he didn¡¯t know that Gu Nianzhi had sent him another exclusive red packet.

    However, dimir was looking at his phone and couldn¡¯t help seeing another red packet appear in the button-down discussion group.

    He quickly switched over.

    It was another exclusive red packet!

    Staring at the words ¡°whether it¡¯s important or not, it¡¯s up to the red packet¡± written on the red packet, dimir¡¯s good mood instantly sank to rock bottom.

    He nced sideways at the middle-aged driver, snorted, and put his phone away. What was out of sight was out of mind.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she put her phone away. She said, ¡°my phone is about to run out of battery. I¡¯m not going to y with it anymore for the moment. I must charge it as soon as I get off the bus and arrive at my destination.¡±

    There was no one in the car to answer her.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed.

    People who liked to talk were most afraid of sudden silence in the air.

    It was like a conversation killer had suddenly appeared in a lively group chat, and then everyone stopped talking.

    The driver quickly said, ¡°Is your battery dead? I can charge it here. Cereus, give me your phone, I¡¯ll charge it for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really? Thank you, Uncle Ivan! ¡± Her eyes narrowing, Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°It was worth it for me to give you a red packet just now! ¡±

    ¡°Another red packet? And an exclusive packet?!¡± The driver¡¯s spirits were lifted, and his mood, which had been down in the dumps after he was deemed as ¡°insignificant¡±, instantly lifted. Heughed heartily.

    Such a cheerful person wouldn¡¯t suffer no matter where he went.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself with a smile.

    Lina did not speak as she sat next to Gu Nianzhi.

    Her presence was now at its lowest, so much so that people could barely hear the sound of her breathing.

    Although she was sitting there, she didn¡¯t seem to have any emotional fluctuations as a human being. She was like a piece of furniture or car essorie.

    Gu Nianzhi was theplete opposite. Wherever she went, her presence could not be ignored.

    The chauffeur happened to be the same sort of person, so the two of them were naturallypatible.

    In the jeep, Gu Nianzhi and the chauffeur chatted happily.

    ¡°Uncle Ivan, how many children do you have?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I have two. One is a son, and the other is a daughter. dimir isn¡¯t as good as me in this regard. ¡± The chauffeur was very proud of himself, and didn¡¯t forget to mention his superior everywhere.

    But who would want to be mentioned in such a manner!

    dimir was infuriated.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the back so she couldn¡¯t see dimir¡¯s sulky expression. She continued to smile as she said, ¡°Huh? Is that so? dimir only has one child, so he¡¯s not as good as you in this regard? ¡±

    in terms of the number of children, one definitely wasn¡¯t as good as two.

    ¡°Hahahaha! He doesn¡¯t have any! ¡± The driver was so excited that he honked a few times.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She seemed to have asked something she shouldn¡¯t have.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to discuss other people¡¯s privacy, so she quickly tried to change the topic.

    But the middle-aged driver wouldn¡¯t let go of this topic. He giggled and said, ¡°damir has high standards! He still doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend! How is he going to have a baby?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    This was bad. The demon of gossip was burning. Gu Nianzhi quickly asked, ¡°dimir doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend?! It can¡¯t be. He¡¯s so manly and handsome. Why doesn¡¯t he even have a girlfriend?¡± She cocked her head and looked at dimir, then asked, ¡°Are your standards especially high? You don¡¯t actually have to be like this. Just find someone you like.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent on the side. He only pursed his lips when he heard the words ¡°manly and handsome¡±.

    It seemed like he had to increase Nianzhi¡¯s vocabry. Huo Shaoheng thought to himself silently. She had to praise everyone with the words ¡°manly and handsome.¡± Can¡¯t she be a little more creative?

    dimir was initially very disheartened by this topic and had the urge to shut the two of them up a few times. However, when he heard Gu Nianzhi say that he was ¡°manly and handsome¡±, he felt like he was on cloud nine.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to find someone you like. But it¡¯s too difficult to find someone you like... ¡±

    As he spoke, he deliberately turned to nce at Huo Shaoheng, then said to Gu Nianzhi earnestly, ¡°Cereus, do you know that men in our line of work are almost immune to women? It¡¯s not easy to fall in love with someone.¡±

    ¡°Ah? How can you be immune? ¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Have you never fallen in love with another woman? Never?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been in this line of work for a long time, and sometimes¡ª¡ªI can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m earnestly in love or if I¡¯m faking it. ¡± dimir emphasized, then he chuckled teasingly. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Major General Huo. Back when he was on missions, he probably had seen many beautiful women and handsome men. It¡¯s too easy to fall in love for real while faking it. Also, anti-beauty training is also a standard part of our line of work... ¡±

    His words of advice were indeed from personal experience. He trusted Gu Nianzhi with all his heart, but at the same time, he was also badmouthing Huo Shaoheng in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly grasped his insinuations. She wouldn¡¯t let him seed.

    She patted dimir on the shoulder, then said sympathetically, ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged. This means that your level of expertise isn¡¯t good enough. You need to practice more before you can differentiate between real love and fake love. For example, Major General Huo would never be like you, unable to differentiate between true feelings and fake acting. ¡±

    She then added, ¡°No wonder the KGB¡¯s reputation has changed so much recently. It¡¯s been surpassed by our country¡¯s special operations forces. ¡ª¡ªLike the saying goes, fish begins to stink at the head.¡±

    dimir¡¯s smirk froze on his face.

    How could Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words be so hurtful? !

    She had even deliberately stabbed him in the heart!

    On the other hand, the middle-aged driver, snickered andughed so hard in front of them that he almost drove the car into the ditch.

    dimir¡¯s embarrassment turned into anger, and he turned around in fury. He waved his fist at the driver and said fiercely, ¡°Drive properly! How dare youugh! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow.

    Ha, how dare he speak ill of Major General Huo in front of her. Did he think she was that dim-witted or that much of a pushover?

    Huo Shaoheng still had his eyes closed, but the smile on his face gradually widened.

    Lina finally gave Gu Nianzhi a serious look and contemted it for a while, then she said stiffly, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir is very popr, and there are many women who like him. Lieutenant General dimir is willing to devote all his attention to his job, so he has no spare time to think about personal matters.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    She didn¡¯t expect that such an aloof youngdy also knew how to be obsequious!

    Although the ttery was rather stiff, as long as it worked, it was good.

    At least dimir liked it.

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that dimir¡¯s ears were blushing and were twitching secretly..

    The driver hadn¡¯t expected Lina, who was usually a quiet assasin, to actually speak up for dimir!

    As far as he knew, dimir was a little interested in Lina..

    Emmmmmm... interesting..

    Gu Nianzhi looked at dimir and then at Lina. She seemed to have sensed that something was off as well.

    However, it would be a bit too much to gossip further.

    Gu Nianzhi would rather die than admit it, but she was actually afraid that the youngdy who couldunch the RGP-7 rocketuncher on her shoulder would get angry and give her a shot as well. What should she do?!

    Of course, she had to quickly change the topic.....

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze shifted to the scenary outside the car window. Looking at the scenery outside, she suddenly nudged Huo Shaoheng, who was resting with his eyes closed, and said in surprise, ¡°Major General Huo! Look! Thatke is so beautiful! It¡¯s so blue that it¡¯s shining! It¡¯s even bigger than theke I saw in the Alps, and even more beautiful! ¡±

    The driver also looked out of the window and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s Baikal Lake. ¡±

    Baikal Lake was thergest freshwaterke on the entire Blue. Naturally, the smallkes in the Alps could not bepared to it.

    The scenery was picturesque, and the green springs were verdant. The blue sky was reflected in theke, and it was even more intense and clear than the blue color of the sea.

    In fact, this was only the northernmost corner of Baikal Lake. After crossing the northernmost tip of Baikal Lake, they entered the Tungusi area.

    It was only a fleeting nce, but it had already left a deep impression.

    It was like a peerless beauty shrouded in a veil. The gentle breeze blew the veil up, revealing the wless jawline of her jaw. It¡¯s sublimity was enough to awe people.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°If we have the chance, let¡¯s go for a walk by theke. ¡±

    The middle-aged driver quickly said, ¡°Qhy don¡¯t we go now? ¡±

    ¡°Go where? Do you really think you¡¯re here for a sightseeing trip? ¡± dimir said snappily, ¡°Our country¡¯s physicists, as well as those from the Huaxia Empire, have already met up in the Tunguska area. Yet we, who are supposed to protect them, are still wasting time on the road! Won¡¯t your conscience feel guilty?!¡±

 Chapter 1264 - Stars Shining Above Vast Plain Fields

    <h4>Chapter 1264 Stars Shining Above Vast in Fields</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed and she reflexively turned to look at Huo Shaoheng.She knew that Song Jinning was in Tunguska, but she didn¡¯t know that Russian physicists were also in Tunguska.

    What exactly were they going to do?

    They even needed the KGB¡¯s personal protection...

    The matter probably wasn¡¯t that simple.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. He took the opportunity to embrace her. As if he sensed her confusion, he calmly said, ¡°They will research their own stuff while we will research our own stuff. There¡¯s no conflict of interest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t telling the truth. She pursed her lips and rubbed her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest, but she didn¡¯t continue to ask.

    Song Jinning was apanied by many of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ field agents. Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t worried about Song Jinning¡¯s safety.

    However, the Russian scientists¡¯ interference was indeed unexpected.

    However, he was used to staying calm andposed, so although he was surprised, he didn¡¯t show it. He acted as if he had known this all along.

    dimir¡¯s expression soured a little.

    He had suppressed the news for so long, so could it be that Huo Shaoheng already found out beforehand?

    In reality, not only were Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi surprised, even the chauffeur and Lina were surprised.

    ¡± ... Are you saying that we still have a mission besides protecting her... ¡± Lina pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°But we also have to protect the scientists in our country?¡±

    dimir¡¯s expression changed as soon as he spoke to Lina. He nodded. ¡°Protect them all. You¡¯re mainly responsible for protecting Cereus, and the people in the action team are responsible for protecting the scientists from both countries.¡±

    As he spoke, dimir nced at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Of course, Major General Huo should have already made arrangements, so we¡¯re mainly responsible for protecting the scientists of our own country.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head calmly. ¡°The scientists of our country are doing field surveys in your country. Don¡¯t you have to protect their personal safety as well?¡±

    dimir didn¡¯t believe Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, but he still had to make a gesture for appearances.

    He nodded solemnly. ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll protect the scientists in your country.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

    He had brought Gu Nianzhi to Tunguska because he wanted to take her out for a visit. Of course, he also wanted her to spend more time with Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning had always been fond of Gu Nianzhi. After the two got to know each other, they would get along even better in the future.

    Because dimir wasn¡¯t too happy, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mention going to Lake Baikal anymore.

    However, she took out her phone and texted Huo Shaoheng: [You have to go to Lake Baikal alone with me in the future.]

    Huo Shaoheng felt his phone vibrate. He took it out to take a look and was speechless upon seeing it.

    He looked down at Gu Nianzhi, who was still in his arms and texting him energetically. Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and typed ¡°Okay¡± on his phone with his left hand.

    It was a simple word, but Gu Nianzhi was instantly delighted.

    She sent Huo Shaoheng a ¡°kiss¡± emoji.

    As if nothing had happened, Huo Shaoheng put his phone away and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll wake you up when we get there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little baffled when she heard this. She was the one who had said what Huo Shaoheng just said earlier, so why did he return her words to her so quickly?

    However, she didn¡¯t object.

    The chauffeur in the front heard them, and the car drove steadily. There weren¡¯t any bumps at all.

    Gu Nianzhi felt drowsy and gradually fell asleep with the long, natural rhythm of the jeep.

    After she fell asleep, no one in the car spoke.

    Every now and then, dimir would cough, and the chauffeur would nce at him and remind him in a low voice, ¡°Cereus is sleeping. Don¡¯t wake her up.¡±

    dimir had no intention of waking Gu Nianzhi up, but he had merely cleared his throat. Could he not even satisfy such basic physiological needs?!

    He felt so angry that looked like a puffer fish again!

    ..

    The jeep sped along with the three Hummer vehicles and finally arrived at the location of the Tunguska area explosion before sunset.

    Lina jumped out of the jeep first and took a simple instrument to measure it. She said with a nk expression, ¡°Thetitude is 60.55 degrees north, the longitude is 101.57 degrees east, and the Tunguska river is right in front of us. This is where the big explosion happened.¡±

    The epicenter of the big explosion more than a hundred years ago happened here.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and whispered in her ear, ¡°... We¡¯re here.¡±

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and looked around nkly.

    She wasn¡¯t used to the jeep stopping.

    ¡°We¡¯re here?¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and sat up straight.

    She peeked outside and saw the golden glow of the setting sun shining on the hills in the distance.

    The hills in the distance were undting, and there were towering trees everywhere. Their branches and leaves were thick, and the setting sun looked like a bewitching red blood stone jewel that fell among the mountains.

    However, a circr in was nearby. Encircling the area tightly, the trees ranged from high to low.

    Their car stopped at the entrance to the circr in.

    Feeling very curious, Gu Nianzhi looked around. ¡°This is where the Tunguska explosion happened?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡± Huo Shaoheng opened the door and got out of the car. Gu Nianzhi followed him.

    The two of them stood in front of the car. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on them from behind. Their two figures ovepped and stretched out.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and breathed in the fresh air in the forest. She asked softly, ¡± ... Didn¡¯t you say that the physicists from both countries are here? Why aren¡¯t we seeing anyone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at dimir, who was beside him, and asked with a smile, ¡°Do you know where the camp is?¡±

    dimir took out his phone and contacted his own people, then pointing to the south, he said, ¡°There¡¯s a resort over there. Physicists from both countries and their entourage live there. However, in order not to miss the observation period, the scientists have decided to camp here for a month.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Is it a camping trip?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was ted.

    This was more like a field trip!

    Moreover, there was a resort here. It couldn¡¯t be better.

    They could sleep in tents and barbecue in the wild, but they still had to bathe and wash their hair in the resort vi.

    Huo Shaoheng knew what Gu Nianzhi was thinking when he saw her expression.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to book a few rooms at the resort vi.¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°We¡¯re only staying here for two weeks. We can¡¯t go in and out with the physicists.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Leave the security here to us. You can rest assured.¡± dimir immediately agreed and called the resort vi to book a few rooms.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and thought about it for a moment. Asking him not to mention the incident on the highway to the Chinese physicists, he sent a text message to dimir.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I won¡¯t say anything! I won¡¯t say anything!¡± dimir nodded vigorously and finally booked a room.

    At this time, there were a lot of physicists and entourage. Although the resort wasn¡¯t in peak season, it was still upied by them.

    Only after dimir assumed the identity of the second-inmand of the KGB did they manage to book thest three rooms.

    After receiving the call, dimir said with a straight face, ¡°There are only three rooms left. I¡¯ll share a room with Ivan, Cereus will share a room Major General Huo, and Lina will get her own.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked.

    This dimir was quite impressive..

    He decided on their amodation without consulting them first.

    However, the arrangement wasn¡¯t bad, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t object.

    However, Lina looked at her and said to dimir, ¡°Then do I still need to protect Miss Cereus? ¡±

    dimir came back to his senses and smiled. ¡°Oh no! This is not a good time. What should we do? Major General Huo, do you agree? Let your precious fianc¨¦e share a room with Lina, and you can have a room to yourself.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head calmly, ¡°Of course not. What you said before was pretty good. Cereus and I will share a room, and you and Ivan will share a room. Major Lina can have a room to herself, or if she doesn¡¯t want to have a room to herself, she can share a room with you, dimir.¡±

    dimir¡¯s face immediately flushed red. He flicked his sleeves and left while saying, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Hurry up and go to the vi so we can wash up and have dinner. Why don¡¯t we stay at the vi for the night?¡±

    It was a littlete to pitch a tent now.

    As soon as it got dark in this area, the temperature dropped rapidly.

    Without a warm tent, it was basically impossible to get through the night here.

    Huo Shaoheng was a little worried about Song Jinning. He did not want to stay at the resort, not even for the night.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to stay at the resort either.

    She was more interested in camping out and sleeping.

    HHoping to find a better ce to camp, she walked on with great enthusiasm.

    Like a wilderness of t ground gradually exposed in front, the forest became wider and wider as they walked forward.

 Chapter 1265 - Difference In Areas Of Expertise

    <h4>Chapter 1265: Difference In Areas Of Expertise</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi slowly walked down from the low hillside and stood in the middle of the hillside. She found that from this angle, she could see the entire circr in.

    This ce was an irregr circle, but was roughly simr to a circle.

    On the in, there were obvious traces of the shock wave caused by the huge explosion. The trees had once fallen in one direction.

    More than a hundred years had passed, but this ce still couldn¡¯t grow tall trees. There were only low shrubs and grassywns.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes as the setting sun shone on her. She noticed that there was a huge circr crater in the middle of the slightly sunken basin in.

    This must have been the area directly affected by the Tunguska explosion.

    The force of the explosion was equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT, and it directly created a crater in the forest.

    The sky gradually darkened, and the setting sun grew redder. From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s angle, she couldn¡¯t see what was inside the circr crater at all.

    The crater wasn¡¯t ck, but blue. Its dark blue color seemed to be able to emit light, and converging on this almost forgottennd, it also seemed like the ultimate rays of the universe.

    Gu Nianzhi was fascinated by it. She only snapped back to reality when Huo Shaoheng patted her on the shoulder.

    She turned her head and smiled. She pointed at the giant circr crater and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Look, that ce is where the Tunguska explosion happened, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the ce. The meteorite fell from the sky and crashed into the ground after the explosion.¡±

    It seemed that Huo Shaoheng believed in the et meteorite impact theory¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the circr crater and asked curiously, ¡°Why do you think the crater isn¡¯t ck, but blue?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s blue because there¡¯s water in the crater. The water vapor evaporated, and under the setting sun, the water vapor refracted the color of the sky. That gave it a dark blue color.¡±

    The person who answered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng, but Song Jinning, who had just walked over from behind them!

    Overjoyed, Gu Nianzhi turned around. ¡°Miss Song! I¡¯ve finally met you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little surprised to see Song Jinning. ¡°I heard that you and the other scientists went there to investigate Lake Qike.¡±

    Lake Qike was ake about eight kilometers away from here. It was said that the meteorite fragments had fallen into theke, but that was only a myth. They still needed to look for evidence from theke.

    Song Jinning chuckled. ¡°I went to investigate Lake Cheko, but there were a lot of things going on there, and a lot of people. I didn¡¯t think there was any evidence there, so I came back.¡±

    It was obvious that Song Jinning didn¡¯t believe in the ¡°meteor impact theory¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi held Song Jinning¡¯s arm affectionately. ¡°Ms. Song, you¡¯re just in time. I was just wondering why the circr crater was blue¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not because the crater is blue, but because there¡¯s arge amount of water in the crater. The water vapor that evaporated during the day is now frozen in mid-air and reflected by the setting sun. It¡¯s like the color of the sea in everyone¡¯s eyes¡±.

    It was too beautiful to be true.

    Song Jinning patiently exined to Gu Nianzhi in a very friendly manner.

    She already knew that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were engaged. She had always been fond of Gu Nianzhi, but now she waspletely treating her like her own daughter.

    Huo Shaoheng carefully observed Song Jinning¡¯s expression and knew that she probably didn¡¯t know what had happened on the road.

    Because Huo Shaoheng had already warned dimir not to mention the ident on the road to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s physicists.

    Now, it seemed like dimir had kept his promise.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard Song Jinning say that it was ¡°the same color as the sea¡±, she suddenly let out an ¡°Ah¡± and said in surprise, ¡°Major General Huo, look at this circr crater. It¡¯s such a deep blue color. Doesn¡¯t it look like the blue hole we saw in the Caribbean sea?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He focused his gaze and saw that the huge round blue hole really did look like the Blue Hole in the Caribbean Sea!

    ¡°Blue Hole? Is that the blue hole with electric arcs that you saw in the Caribbean Sea?¡±

    Song Jinning also remembered the ¡°divine workmanship of nature¡± they had seen in the east China Sea a while ago, and an alluring smile appeared on her face.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng simultaneously thought of the ¡°Blue Hole¡± in the east China Sea that was shing with bluish-purple lightning.

    It was different..

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself.

    The Blue Hole in the Caribbean Sea had probably been formed naturally. Gu Xiangwen had used it to install an electric fence to encircle the area.

    The ¡°miraculous workmanship of nature¡± of the East China Sea had been artificially created by Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning using the high-energy maic field that the Japanese scientists had gotten from God knows where to convert the maic field into electricity.

    The giant circr crater that had appeared in the Tunguska explosion, which resembled the blue hole, must have been created for a different reason.

    But why was it so simr in appearance to the blue hole that had formed naturally in the Caribbean sea?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t resist the urge to tale out her phone and snap photos of the giant circr crater.

    She then pulled up the imageparison APP and ced the photos there side by side with the images of the Blue Hole in the Caribbean Sea.

    This way, the two ces looked even more simr.

    Of course, there were also differences.

    The biggest difference was that the two ces appeared in different ces.

    One appeared in the boundless forest, and the other appeared in the vast sea.

    Hoping that her expert eyes would be able to see more, Gu Nianzhi showed theparison to Song Jinning.

    ¡°Ms. Song, look, don¡¯t they look very simr?¡±

    ¡°This is the Blue Hole of the Caribbean sea?!¡± Song Jinning was excited. ¡°This is a real work of nature!¡±

    She silently looked at it for a while and sighed. They are very simr indeed. However, only you, little Nianzhi, can think of the simrities between the two. How can a normal person link the sea and the in together?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that.¡± Gu Nianzhi felt that she should be modest in front of Mrs. Song. ¡°It¡¯s possible for the vast sea to turn into mulberry fields, for things on the sea to appear onnd, and for things onnd to appear at the bottom of the sea ¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s possible, but it takes billions of years of crustal movement for the vast sea to turn into mulberry fields. Do you think a hundred years is enough to turn the vast sea into mulberry fields?¡±

    When it came to science, Song Jinning was especially stringent and sharp.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled awkwardly and shook Song Jinning¡¯s arm. ¡°Mrs. Song, you¡¯re a great person! I¡¯m impressed!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to tter me! ¡± Song Jinning liked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personality. It was rare for a young girl to have such a background but be so carefree. She also wasn¡¯t so sensitive that when others spoke, they had to be mindful of their words lest they hurt her fragile feelings¡­

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent on the side, but his mood was exceptionally good.

    The forest in front of him was like a clear blue sky after a rain. The color was green and tender, and the blue circr pit looked very pleasing to the eye.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips parted slightly, and she said endearingly, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I¡¯m not trying to tter you, am I? Besides, there are specialties in the industry. I¡¯mpletely convinced that you beat me in this aspect.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, you tter me too much! ¡± Song Jinningughed. ¡°What did you grow up on? Honey?¡±

    ¡°Yes, pure natural wild honey from nature. It has the special effect of prolonging one¡¯s life, beautifying one¡¯s appearance, nourishing one¡¯s Yin and nourishing one¡¯s kidney. Miss Song, do you want to eat it together?¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at Song Jinning and moved her little face closer to her. She looked as if she was waiting for her to taste it.

    Song Jinning nced at Huo Shaoheng, who was beside her, and poked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tender cheek with her finger. She said kindly, ¡°I¡¯m not eating. I¡¯ll leave you for Shaoheng to eat¡­ ¡± she winked as well.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face instantly blushed.

    How could Miss Song say something like that? !

    Where had the serious and sharp-witted Miss Song from moments before go? !

 Chapter 1266 - Miss Songâ€™s Wild Imagination

    <h4>Chapter 1266 Miss Song¡¯s Wild Imagination</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was a little taken aback, but he was used to being as calm andposed as a mountain. As if he hadn¡¯t heard anything, he didn¡¯t say anything.Song Jinning had wanted to tease Huo Shaoheng a little more, but when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright red face, she couldn¡¯t bear to embarrass the nice little girl any further.

    She patted her hand and have her a motherly smile. Song Jinning said earnestly, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m finally relieved that you¡¯ve agreed to marry Shaoheng. I¡¯ve always been worried that my son would spend the rest of his life with his special forces... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said awkwardlyly, ¡°How is that possible? You¡¯re worrying too much... ¡±

    With me around, how could I let Major General Huo spend the rest of his life with the special forces?

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself proudly and stole a nce at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was calm and indifferent as he stared at the huge circr crater not that far away. He had no intention of getting involved in Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s conversation.

    Song Jinning was actually very busy. It was because Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were engaged that she wanted to see Gu Nianzhi immediately.

    She took out a small red brocade bag from her purse.

    She opened the bag and took out a thin ne from inside.

    It was about the same length as the VCA¡¯s ten-flower ne, but more delicate and elegant.

    At first nce, the ne was as thin as a strand of hair, but anyone with good eyesight could see that there were at least three different patterns of twisted threads carved into the thin strand of hair.

    Every once in a while, a small diamond-carved stamen bloomed.

    The tinum chain and the diamond were wless in terms of brightness and vibrancy. They were almost transparent, and Song Jinning felt as if she was holding the first drop of snow in early winter in her snow-white palm.

    She held it tighter, as if it could melt away any moment.

    With Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi had seen many beautiful pieces of jewelry, but to her, this simple ne wasparable to any piece of jewelry with a history.

    At least when she saw this ne, her breath stopped.

    Song Jinning unbuckled the ne and put it on Gu Nianzhi. She said with awe, ¡°I knew you¡¯d look great in this ne. You look even better than I did when I wore it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched the ne and felt its extraordinary finesse and delicacy. She looked at Huo Shaoheng excitedly. ¡°Really? I really look great in this ne? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback.

    He recognized the ne. It was a birthday gift from his maternal grandfather, Song Haichuan, to his mother, Song Jinning, when she was 18 years old.

    Song Jinning had no particr interest in jewelry, but apart from her wedding ring, this ne was her favorite piece of jewelry.

    This was also the most precious thing his maternal grandfather had left behind for his mother.

    ording to her mother, this ne had been made by her grandfather.

    Song Jinning was indeed telling Gu Nianzhi about this ne.

    ¡± ... My father, Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, made this with his own hands using a machine. That was the most advanced nanotechnology back then. Look at the level of this micro-sculpture. It would have been impossible to make it without special equipment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°It¡¯s a nano-sculpture? I¡¯ll have to take a good look at it then... I¡¯m too embarrassed to ept such a precious gift... ¡±

    Since Major General Huo¡¯s grandfather had made this for Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi knew how precious this ne was and didn¡¯t want to take it away.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve long thought of giving this ne to Shaoheng¡¯s wife.¡± Song Jinning held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t let her take it off. She smiled as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t have as much money as Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother, so I can¡¯t afford a diamond ring the size of a quail egg. This ne is the only one I can afford. It was especially made, so there¡¯s no other one in the world.¡±

    But the value of this ne could no longer be measured by money.

    Gu Nianzhi no longer declined. She nodded and said softly, ¡°You¡¯re too kind. It¡¯s such a precious thing, so what¡¯s wrong with it? I like it very much. I like it very much!¡±

    She nodded heavily. The hair-thin ne fitted perfectly on her porcin skin.

    Thest rays of the setting sun shone on the ne¡¯s diamond pistils.

    Song Jinning turned Gu Nianzhi towards the direction of the setting sun.

    Because of the refraction and angle of the light, Huo Shaoheng could clearly see the three-dimensional flower petals on the ne. It looked like a three-dimensional projection visible to the naked eye.

    Three-dimensional flowers appeared on her exquisite corbone. They were about half the size of a fingernail. The white and plump petals stretched freely in the shape of the night queen¡¯s lotus flower.

    The hollowed-out chain reflected the three-dimensional projection of the lotus flower on her neck. It ovepped with the chain itself and looked surprisingly harmonious.

    Huo Shaoheng had never noticed this detail in the ne before. No wonder his mother had cherished it for so many years.

    However, how uncharacteristic of his maternal grandfather to have such romantic intentions.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind, his maternal grandfather, Song Haichuan, was a scientist who was even more by the books and dedicated than his mother, Song Jinning.

    His maternal grandmother had died young, and his maternal grandfather had devoted himself to scientific research.

    His mother, Song Jinning, had followed her maternal grandfather, Song Haichuan, to theboratory ever since she was a baby.

    It was probably inevitable that Song Jinning wouldn¡¯t know how to get along with her son since she had grown up in such a family.

    Huo Shaoheng had long forgotten about his childhood, but now that he had a better understanding of his mother and the environment in which she had grown up, he put his resentment behind.

    He smiled as he took out his phone and took a photo of Gu Nianzhi. He showed it to her and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very beautiful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the photo on her phone. Her little face seemed to be surrounded by ten beautiful epiphyllums the size of half a pinky nail. She was stunned.

    ¡°Oh my God! I finally understand what it means to be a genius! ¡± Gu Nianzhi gushed praises. ¡°No, I can¡¯t wear this ne. I think if I wear it back, my neck will be in danger... ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, kid.¡± With a smile on her face, Song Jinning gave her a gentle nudge. ¡°Do you think you can see the beauty of the ¡®ten flowers appearing¡¯ every day? The intensity of the light, the orientation, and your body temperature all have to be under certain conditions to be able to produce such an optical image.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised. ¡°It¡¯s not strange that the optical intensity and orientation are conditions, but why is your body temperature also a condition?¡±

    ¡°Of course, because this is an optical image triggered by the thermal control principle.¡± Song Jinning opened her mouth to blurt out a string of physics nouns.

    She understood every word, but when put together, she didn¡¯t understand the meaning at all.

    Gu Nianzhi could only smile with confusion. ¡°@@@. ¡°.

    However, Song Jinning also frowned after she finished speaking, then said in confusion, ¡°That¡¯s true. The thermal control parameters of this ne are allegedly set ording to my body temperature, but even if I wear it, it¡¯s not so easy to see the ¡®ten flowers appear¡¯ scene. Since it happened the first time you wore it, I guess this ne should be given to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°@@@¡± .

    Huo Shaoheng reached out to block the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck. The light was blocked, and the tiny three-dimensional projection of the epiphyllum on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck immediately disappeared.

    Song Jinning breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, ¡°...It¡¯s so beautiful. ¡±

    She hugged Gu Nianzhi as she spoke, then whispered in her ear, ¡°Nianzhi, I know you¡¯re not even 20 years old, but science has shown that women enter the reproductive maturation stage after the age of 18. Children born at that time are the smartest, healthiest, and most beautiful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes.

    Mrs. Song, are you in that much of a hurry to get a third generation?

    Are you ready for a little carrot to call you grandma?

    But even if Miss Song became a grandma, she would still be the most stylish, beautiful, and smart one.

    As Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts ran wild, she suddenly realized how she had been led astray by Miss Song!

    Stop, stop!

    She wasn¡¯t even 20 years old yet, so she couldn¡¯t have a baby so early!

    Gu Nianzhi still wanted to work hard on her career. Besides, she still had a lot of things to do, including find her father¡¯s whereabouts, the Gu family¡¯s assets, and various bitches waiting to be dealt with..

    When Song Jinning saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shocked expression, she patted her face in amusement. ¡°Oh, is our little Nianzhi feeling shy now? What¡¯s there to be shy about?¡±

    As Song Jinning said this, she turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Shaoheng, since you¡¯re both engaged, shouldn¡¯t the wedding be on the agenda? Especially when ites to giving birth. From now on, you have to quit smoking and drinking. You have to stop smoking and drinking for at least a year before you can start preparing for the birth of your child.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and when you¡¯re ready to have children, you must go for a sperm test to see the quality of the sperm. If the quality of the sperm isn¡¯t good... ¡±

    It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s turn to be shocked.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had finally lost hisposure and was almost bending over with a smile.

    She quickly put her arm around Song Jinning¡¯s shoulder and changed the topic. ¡°Ms. Song, where are you staying today? We¡¯d like to set up our tent next to yours, is that okay?¡±

    Song Jinning paused and pointed to a spot at the foot of the mountain. ¡°It¡¯s right over there. You can set up your tent next to mine.¡±

    She smiled and tapped Gu Nianzhi on the nose. ¡°Little Nianzhi, don¡¯t be annoyed that I¡¯m being too nagging. When I see you guys, I can¡¯t help thinking that my grandson and granddaughter must be smart and pretty. I¡¯ve already found someone to custom-make equipment and furniture for the children¡¯s physics experiments. You can learn from me in the future...¡±

    ¡°Miss Song, you¡¯re overthinking things. You can only have one imagination at a time. ¡± Huo Shaoheng finally interrupted Song Jinning¡¯s ¡°wild imagination¡± and said unhurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go have dinner first, then we¡¯ll set up the tent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was hungry again.

    In the jeep, she only ate two pieces of cake, which weren¡¯t filling at all.

    Song Jinning nodded and stopped teasing the couple. In satisfaction, She extended her arms to them. ¡°Come, help me down. I¡¯m too old to walk. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    The two of them looked at each other. They held Song Jinning¡¯s arms and turned around to walk back.

    Song Jinning walked as fast as she could, even faster than Huo Shaoheng.

    Although Gu Nianzhi had a pair of long legs, she couldn¡¯t walk as fast as Song Jinning. She was dragged around like a puppy, and was practically carried by Song Jinning in the end.

    Was this Song Jinning, who was ¡°too old to walk¡±? !

    She just wanted to know how it would feel like to be supported by her son and daughter-inw!

 Chapter 1267 - Brainwashed

    <h4>1267 Brainwashed</h4>

    Back at the resort, everyone was eating in the cafeteria.At this time, the ce was almost fully upied by scientists and entourage from both countries.

    When dimir arrived, he officially took over the security of the ce, and was so busy that no one saw him.

    Even the driver was engaged in intense work.

    Only Lina and Peter were wandering around the cafeteria.

    As the team leaders and deputy team leaders of dimir¡¯s operation team, they were the backbone of the team.

    Lina had been sent to protect Gu Nianzhi, and Peter had been acting in dimir¡¯s ce.

    Now that the cafeteria was full of scientists from both countries, he had to ensure everyone¡¯s safety.

    Even after seeing that Huo Shaoheng, Song Jinning, and Gu Nianzhi hade over, Peter still couldn¡¯t open his eyes. He nodded at them then took out arge cigar and went outside the cafeteria to smoke under the big tree.

    Lina looked at Gu Nianzhi with a nk expression and said in standard Oxford English, ¡°Where are you staying tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    At this moment, she didn¡¯t really want to talk to Lina.

    Gu Nianzhi had been embarrassed by Song Jinning¡¯s teasing earlier.

    She forced a smile at Lina and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me when we get to this ce. I have my own ce to stay tonight.¡±

    Unwilling to give up, Lina said seriously, ¡°But Lieutenant General dimir asked me to stay close to you to protect you.¡± She continued to ask, ¡°Where are you staying tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said, ¡°Are you being serious? dimir asked you to protect me, but he was talking about the time we were on the road. Now that we¡¯ve reached our destination, we don¡¯t need your protection anymore. Thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked into the restaurant.

    It was a buffet.

    There was a long table by the wall with food on it.

    There were all kinds of bread, cheese, fish, smoked meat, and some seafood and fruits that weren¡¯tmonly seen here.

    Gu Nianzhi was famished. Upon seeing all these delicious food, she immediately threw her earlier emotional distress out of her mind and with her te, she went to pick out food for herself.

    Lina was stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rebuke and immediately followed up. ¡°dimir¡¯s original words were, ¡°From today onward, you will be responsible for her security. I want you to stay close to her and ensure her safety.¡¯¡±

    ¡°I think you know what the phrase ¡°from today onward¡± means, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows, then calmly said, ¡°the phrase ¡°from today onward¡± is an empty reference, not an actual reference, because it doesn¡¯t indicate when it will end. In public rtions, every activity has its own starting and ending time, so that an enforceable contractual rtionship can be formed.¡±

    ¡°dimir only said ¡°from today¡± and did not say which day it would end. This means that he was just saying it verbally and wouldn¡¯t form any contractual rtionship. Simrly, there is no pressure on me or him.¡±

    When dimir said in the car that she was going to protect Gu Nianzhi, it was unclear whether he was referring to the time on the road or until Gu Nianzhi had left Russia.

    Unclear instructions couldn¡¯t form a contractual rtionship that was eptable to both parties.

    Lina¡¯s poker face finally showed a trace of emotion.

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi as if she had never met her before. After a while, she nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go ask dimir.¡±

    There was no doubt that Lina was a person who liked to take things seriously.

    She separated the crowd and walked out of the cafeteria. She picked up her phone and called dimir.

    At that moment, she heard a deep and mellow voice. She quickly hid behind the pir in the corridor.

    That mellow voice belonged to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng stood face to face with Song Jinning. There was a hint of nervousness hidden in his nonchnt expression.

    Song Jinning looked at him with amusement. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What can¡¯t you say in front of Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly pulled out a cigar from his pocket and said indifferently, ¡°... If it¡¯s a son, he has to join the army. If it¡¯s my daughter, I don¡¯t care. She can do whatever she wants.¡±

    Song Jinning was trying to refute what Song Jinning had just said to Gu Nianzhi.

    He didn¡¯t want his son to be running around with a walker in the high-energy physicsb starting from childhood.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to care about this.

    She asked in puzzlement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Why can¡¯t he learn physics from me? I can be his teacher and teach him all the way until he gets a doctorate degree.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything anymore. He held a cigar in his hand and yed with it as if he was threatening her, then said, ¡°If you insist, I don¡¯t think any of my grandchildren will show up.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re threatening me?!¡± Song Jinning was stunned for a moment, and her hair stood on end. ¡°What do you mean? What do you mean no grandchildren will show up?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held the cigar in his hand and ced it on his lips. He looked at Song Jinning quietly.

    Song Jinning was so angry that she startedughing. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Whether or not you have children, when you have children, and how many children you have has nothing to do with you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    Was that something a scientist like she would say?

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but curse in his heart.

    She was simply filled with the blind confidence of a pseudo-feminist and shamelessly boasting while ignoring thews of science.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cold expression pleased Song Jinning.

    ¡°Are you angry? You should be angry.¡± Song Jinning patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell Nianzhi. She¡¯s the deciding factor in when the child is born.¡±

    ¡°Haha, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard that a woman can give birth by herself.¡± His hands behind his back as he stood up straight, Huo Shaoheng said expressionlessly.

    ¡°Of course a woman can give birth by herself. Can a man help a woman give birth?¡±

    When it came to science, Song Jinning was as sharp and direct as if she became a different person.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say is that there is no such thing as a man providing sperm. A woman alone can not produce a fertilized egg.¡± Song Jinning was only one step away from teaching Huo Shaoheng about reproductive science.

    In front of his own mother, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    He nodded stiffly. ¡°Please take your time to think about it. I¡¯m a man of my word.¡± Heading to the restaurant to look for Gu Nianzhi, he turned and left.

    Gu Nianzhi had just sat down with arge te of food and a ss of milk.

    Huo Shaoheng sat across from her and nced at the te full of food. ¡°Eat less. You¡¯re too hungry. You need some porridge to warm your stomach first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her left eye. ¡°I can eat them all. I¡¯m starving.¡±

    As she drank the milk, she asked curiously, ¡°What were you whispering to Mrs. Song about?¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to hear it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± Gu Nianzhi put down the milk and was full of praise for the rich, natural aroma of the milk. ¡°This milk tastes really good. Is it really organic?¡±

    ¡°I think so. ¡± Huo Shaoheng looked down and thought for a moment, then simply said, ¡°Mrs. Song just said that she wants to take our child to theboratory and cultivate her interest in science starting from young. Saying that our son will be sent to the military camp from a young age, I objected. Our daughter can have her own interests and hobbies.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect Song Jinning to think so far ahead. The corners of her mouth twitched twice, and she said weakly, ¡°I object as well.¡±

    ¡°Okay. ¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head.

    ¡°Major General Huo, can we have a child a few yearster?¡± Gu Nianzhi discussed with Huo Shaoheng in a low voice. ¡°But I also feel that it¡¯s better to have one first when we¡¯re still young.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°I heard that it¡¯s hard to recover when you¡¯re old enough to have a child.¡± Gu Nianzhi said mysteriously, as if she was already pregnant...

    Feeling his head ache, Huo Shaoheng rubbed his temples. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Eat, eat, eat. No one is forcing you to have a child.¡±

    ¡± ... But I think it¡¯s better for the child to follow Ms. Song. With her personality and character, she¡¯ll definitely take care of the child as her own.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was once again led astray by Song Jinning, and began to yearn for a happy time with her children.

    Huo Shaoheng objected calmly, ¡°We can¡¯t give the child to Ms. Song. She doesn¡¯t even eat herself when she¡¯s busy.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this, she immediately said, ¡°Then let¡¯s set up the nursery first.¡±

    She covered her mouth with her hand and thought in horror and despair, what¡¯s wrong with her? Was she possessed? !

    Madam Song¡¯s extraordinary ability to brainwash people was really terrifying!

 Chapter 1268 - Still Fine Without Me

    <h4>Chapter 1268 Still Fine Without Me</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a half-smile.¡°Hmm? The nursery? Are you sure? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately shook her head. ¡°No, no, no! I am just speaking casually, how can it be so early? We can wait a couple of years more! ¡±

    What a joke!

    They hadn¡¯t even had a wedding yet?

    How could she have the nerve to be pregnant!

    Although they had already gotten their marriage certificate, they hadn¡¯t had a wedding yet. Who would have known that she was already married?

    ..

    Lina left the restaurant of the resort vi. She took out her phone and looked around before walking towards a forest near the resort vi.

    dimir had brought people here for a meeting to arrange security matters.

    Ivan crossed his arms with a grass root in his mouth as hezily leaned against the door of the jeep.

    When he saw Lina walking over, Ivan smiled and greeted her, ¡°Major Lina, have you had dinner? ¡±

    Lina: ¡± ... ¡±

    dimir immediately stopped talking and raised his head to take a look. His face was filled with smiles as he asked, ¡°Lina, why are you here? ¡±

    Lina kept a straight face and asked very seriously, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, I would like to ask, do you want me to stay close to Cereus and protect her only on the road, or do you want me to protect her until she leaves our country? ¡±

    dimir frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Cereus make things difficult for you? ¡±

    Otherwise, why would Lina, who was honest, ingenuous and carried out orders as powerful as a robot, specifically ask him this question?

    I knew that this mischievous girl, Cereus, would not be obedient.

    Ivan stopped by the side and was unhappy, he dragged out his voice and said, ¡°Hey! Boss, you can¡¯t say that. Is Cereus an unreasonable person? Since they¡¯re already at this ce, why do you still try to arrange a stranger to disturb the newly engaged couple? What is you intention? If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t be pleased either.

    dimir red at him, but admitted that what he said made sense.

    ¡°Alright, since Cereus isn¡¯t willing, then forget it. Major Huo will probably be personally responsible for her security, ¡± dimir said with a wink, ¡°We¡¯re currently arranging security for the scientists here. Major Lina, are you willing to be the security for the scientists of our country, or the scientists of the Huaxia Empire? ¡±

    ¡°Of course for our country.¡± Lina said without hesitation.

    ¡°Ah? You want to be the security for the scientists of our country? ¡± dimir scratched the back of his head and chuckled. ¡°But you¡¯rete. The scientists of our country have just been assigned. ¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll apply to be transferred back, ¡± Lina said indifferently. ¡°There are so many people here and fine without me.¡±

    ¡°How can that be? Each of us is very important. ¡± dimir quicklyforted Lina, ¡°Besides, I thought you were happy to be here, and you were very willing to make contact with the people here. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, because our Lieutenant, General dimir, are here. Of course Lina likes toe here to make contact with you, Lieutenant General dimir... ! ¡±

    Ivanughed ambiguously.

    ¡°Get lost! All the vehicles here are under your responsibility! If one of them goes wrong, you are dead meat! ¡± dimir was so angry that he was cursing with his hands on his waist. He was even more like a puffer fish.

    ¡°Hahahaha, someone is angry from embarrassment! I¡¯m leaving! ¡± Ivan saw that the situation was not good and turned around to leave.

    However, as he walked, he sang loudly.

    ¡°Just as the pear blossoms have bloomed all over the world, the river is flowing with soft gauze!¡±

    Katyusha stood on the precipitous shore, singing like a bright spring.

    The girl was singing a beautiful song, she was singing the Eagle of the prairie,

    she was singing about the person she loved, Katyusha¡¯s love will always belong to him. ¡±

    A pleasant ¡°Katyusha¡± made dimir¡¯s anger disappear instantly.

    ¡°This bast*rd! He always takes advantage of loopholes! ¡± dimirughed and turned to Lina. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Ivan¡¯s nonsense. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about. ¡±

    Lina nodded slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°Well, I likeing here and interacting with the people here. ¡± With that, she looked boldly at dimir. Her dark brown pupils were like clear amber.

    dimir was reminded of the amber wrapped around a small butterfly that he found ying in the birch forest when he was a child.

    The soft butterfly was wrapped in solid amber. After tens of millions of years, leaving only the remnants of time.

    It was just like Lina¡¯s gaze at this moment.

    dimir turned his head and smiled slightly, saying, ¡°Alright, then you go and protect the scientists of the Huaxia Empire, especially their chief high energy physicist, Madam Song. ¡±

    Lina was very surprised. ¡°She? But she has someone protecting her. ¡±

    Lina straightforwardly said, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, I don¡¯t believe you haven¡¯t found that there are actually many security personnel in the Huaxia Empire. ¡±

    Most of the people apanying them were not scientific researchers, but security personnel.

    dimir nodded. ¡°I know, but on the surface, this is our responsibility. They are just apanying scientific researchers, understand? ¡±

    Lina stared at him for a while, then lowered her eyes and said, ¡± ...Got it. ¡±

    dimir did not know whether he should be happy for Lina¡¯s obedience or feel frustrated.

    He watched Lina leave with aplicated expression. Then, he waved at the person who was in the meeting earlier. ¡°Let¡¯s continue... ¡±

    ..

    It was naturally notmon that the scientists from two countries suddenly appeared in the Tunguska region of Siberia in Russia for an inspection.

    All of a sudden, the intelligence agencies of all the big countries on blue received this news.

    What on earth were they trying to do?

    Was it really just a simple scientific inspection?

    There was more than a hundred years after the Tunguska explosion, scientists from all countries hade to this ce for an inspection.

    However, it seemed to be the first time that the Huaxia Empire hade.

    And the scientists from Russia had almost turned this ce upside down. Why did they stille?

    Lots of questions hung over the heads of the intelligence agencies of the various countries on blue, but they did not pay much attention to it.

    Because this is not a matter of such importance that it requires special attention.

    ..

    After dinner, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walked out of the restaurant. There was a real niping upon them.

    It was alreadypletely dark outside.The moon is like a disc hanging on the dark sky, which casts its light on everything.

    Gu Nianzhi could not help but get a shiver.

    Huo Shaoheng took off his coat quietly and put it on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go back and put on your coat. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wore the coatst night. After getting into the car, she took it off and put it back into her suitcase.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Okay. ¡± She went with Huo Shaoheng to the room dimir had booked for them to pick up their clothes.

    The luggage had already been delivered.

    The two of them took the key card and entered the suite.

    The furnishings in the room were exquisitely decorated with a noble air that was unique to Russian art.

    The room is decorated with dark gold floor-to-ceiling gold velvet curtains. The golden oil painting on the wall is framed by a beautiful young woman rising in the morning, with no clothes on.

    The Large Beige Sofa was draped with arge Pashmina nket, which could also be used as a shawl to keep out the cold.

    The Persian hand-woven carpet was as soft as fur that they could never heard the steps as they walked

    The four-poster bed by the window was the most luxurious ce. It was piled up like gold and jade, making it difficult for anyone to sleep.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched, feeling grateful that they wouldn¡¯t sleep here.

    She bypassed the group of sofas in the living room and walked to the few suitcases ced in the corner.

    Gu Nianzhi bent over to open a suitcase. She was suddenly stunned.

    ¡± ... Huo Shao, someone has touched my things. ¡°

 Chapter 1269 - Do You Need An Autograph?

    <h4>1269 Do You Need An Autograph?</h4>

    Signaling her to stop talking, Huo Shaoheng pointed a finger at Gu Nianzhi.When they entered the room, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men had already checked the room for tapping and recording devices as normal protocol.

    Huo Shaoheng had also checked the room for tapping and recording devices himself when he entered.

    He hadn¡¯t detected any tapping or recording devices, but when Gu Nianzhi said that her suitcase had been tampered with, Huo Shaoheng immediately thought that someone hade to their room and tampered with it.

    If even Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suitcase had been tampered with, how could there not be a bug?

    Huo Shaoheng straightened his back, then took out his phone and texted Gu Nianzhi.

    [MR.A] : How did you know that something had been moved?

    [Nez Here] : I remember exactly where I put my things. The other party had put them back, but there was still a slight deviation from where I had originally put them.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed to the few Herm¨¨s scarves in her luggage and continued to exin on her phone.

    [Nez Here] : I brought seven scarves of different colors. When I folded them, I realized that if I put them in a certain order, they could form a pattern. The other party took out my silk scarves and put them back. If there was a slight deviation, the pattern formed by the seven silk scarves would be distorted.

    [MR.A] : ..

    That works too.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a little speechless. He rubbed his phone with his fingers and replied, ¡°Did you lose anything?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi checked it again carefully, then shook her head to indicate that she didn¡¯t lose anything.

    Huo Shaoheng replied with an ¡°okay¡± and pulled up an app on his phone. He then turned on the shlight function and looked inside and out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suitcase.

    His app could check for fingerprints. Using the shlight function on his phone, he saw traces of fingerprints.

    However, after checking for a long time, he could only see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingerprints inside and outside the suitcase, as well as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingerprints. There were also two fingerprints on the luggage handle. They were probably the fingerprints of the staff who helped them carry the luggage.

    In the special luggage, there were only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingerprints.

    This meant that if the other party had really touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s luggage, they must have been wearing stic gloves.

    This could be said to be professional... espionage.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and turned off the shlight function on his phone. As if nothing had happened, he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nothing was stolen, right?¡±

    ¡°No. ¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Maybe you were mistaken.¡± Huo Shaoheng winked at Gu Nianzhi as he spoke.

    Gu Nianzhi understood and smiled. ¡°Okay, maybe I was overthinking things. We¡¯ve been chased by people for the past two days so I¡¯ve be paranoid. ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. ¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°Put on your coat and go out to set up the tent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on her full set of clothes.

    The knee-length Burberry military-style woolen coat warmed her up immediately.

    Her warm woolen trousers were tucked into knee-high woolen boots, making her figure look even taller.

    She put on a scarf and the mink warm hat that Huo Shaoheng had bought, which was the same vintage style as that of the bygone warlords. She looked valiant and beautiful.

    Huo Shaoheng gazed at her without blinking. He reached out a hand and grabbed the back of her neck. He pushed her against the wall and lowered his head to kiss her.

    From yesterday until today, his body had been lusting for Gu Nianzhi, but he never had the chance to touch her.

    He finally had the chance. Kissing her passionately and fiercely, he no longer restrained himself.

    His lips pressed hard against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips, causing her to feel some pain. However, the pain wasn¡¯t unbearable. Instead, it aroused hery and made her want more.

    Huo Shaoheng even bit her lips with his teeth. Without hesitation, he pried open her lips and stuck his tongue in. He lovingly wrapped his tongue around the tip of her tongue, so she had nowhere to hide.

    He held it against her and rubbed it slowly, bit by bit, as if he was savoring a supreme delicacy. He couldn¡¯t resist her.

    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, he bit the tip of her tongue with his teeth and pulled it out into his own lips.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to fight back. She wanted to entangle the tip of his tongue like he did and bite his lips, but under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strong sucking, all her strength was sucked away by him. Her entire body was limp, and she had to rely on the support of his arm to not fall down. She had no choice but to hang on to his arm.

    Almost suffocating them, the kiss made both of them gasp for breath.

    Gu Nianzhi had never thought that kissing could make people forget themselves and feel so happy. The sensation was to die for....

    Huo Shaoheng moved his lips away and pressed her into his arms.

    Gu Nianzhi listened to his heart beat faster and faster. She was lost in thought. If she still wanted topete with Huo Shaoheng in terms of physical strength on this, wouldn¡¯t she an idiot?

    ¡± ... Major General Huo... ¡± Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth to speak, but was shocked by her own voice. Her voice was so sultry that it sounded a little sexy.

    When did she start to be able to speak in such a mature and sexy voice?

    Huo Shaoheng pressed his face against her head and rubbed it. ¡°Uh-huh. ¡± His voice was also nasal, and so deep that it made one¡¯s heart swoon.

    Gu Nianzhi cleared her throat and tried to find her original voice. She lowered her voice and said, ¡± ... Why? Aren¡¯t you worried about being seen?¡±

    Since someone had been to her room and moved her luggage, wouldn¡¯t they have installed tapping equipment?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    He had checked carefully just now and found that there was no tapping equipment here. To be precise, there was no tapping equipment that required power.

    Huo Shaoheng only thought of this possibility after Gu Nianzhi discovered that someone had moved her suitcase.

    This was because the special operations forces used a power source to detect tapping equipment.

    Tapping equipment that required power to control would emit weak electromaic waves. Their detection equipment was also used to detect abnormal electromaic waves.

    It was impossible for a camera to operate without power, so a pinhole camera could bepletely ruled out.

    However, tapping equipment was different. There was a type of tapping equipment that didn¡¯t require power.

    This type of equipment was already rare, but in the Soviet era, this type of equipment was said to be unexpectedly ¡°intelligent¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked around the room. Finally, his gaze fell on the exquisite oil painting hanging on the wall.

    The oil painting depicted a young girl who had woken up in the morning. She sat by the bedzily and stretched against the morning light that shone in through the window.

    The young girl was naked and the painting depicted her silhouette. Her undting body was tender, plump, and especially moving.

    The frame of the oil painting itself was a work of art. The delicate wood carvings were of twining branches of flowers, which wrapped the entire painting in circles. The girl looked like she was sitting among the flowers.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the frame of the oil painting for a while, then walked closer and began to search carefully inch by inch.

    When Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng was staring at the oil painting, she was a little jealous. She said, ¡°...What are you looking at? Why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±

    Telling her not to speak, Huo Shaoheng raised a finger again.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng took out a Swiss army knife from his pocket. He aimed it at a sunken flower branch on the painting frame and gently cut it.

    A dark gold button-like object that was the same color as the painting frame fell into his palm.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened.

    There was such a thing?!

    What on earth was that?!

    Huo Shaoheng continued to fiddle with the dark gold button with the small knife until the object inside was destroyed. He then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡± ... This is a bug that doesn¡¯t require power.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°... ¡±

    There was actually a bug that could operate without power in this day and age?

    What kind of ck technology was this?

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°This isn¡¯t a high-tech bug, but it¡¯s very useful because normal detection equipment can¡¯t detect it.¡±

    He pried open the button and showed Gu Nianzhi the structure inside. ¡°Look, there¡¯s no need for a battery here, because there¡¯s a resonating chamber inside. Its active front wall mimics the diaphragm of the human chest.¡±

    ¡°When you speak in the room, the air vibrates, and the resonating chamber vibrates as the sound waves change in size. This vibration will be picked up by a receiver not far away.¡±

    ¡°That receiver is like a human ear. The eardrum restores the resonance to sound waves, so you know what the person in the room is talking about.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi showed a confused smile again. ¡°@@@. ¡°.

    He was indeed an expert.

    Huo Shaoheng had destroyed the resonance chamber, so the reception device not that far away couldn¡¯t hear them.

    This was also the only tapping device that those people could think of that would work.

    After all, they were going to tap Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rooms, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expertise in this area were much more profound than theirs.

    Of course, they did not expect that with Gu Nianzhi as a human-shaped intelligence amplifier, Huo Shaoheng would be able to reach a higher level than they had imagined.

    ¡°Major General Huo, you¡¯re so amazing! ¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were full of awe when she heard that. She tiptoed and kissed Huo Shaoheng on the cheek.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a half-hearted smile. ¡± ... That¡¯s amazing? Do you want an autograph?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Well, she finally understood that Huo Shaoheng was too good at hiding his true feelings.

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea that her asking Miss Lina for an autograph had also offended Huo Shaoheng..

    ¡°Of course I need an autograph... ¡± Trying to ¡°make up¡± for her thoughtlessness, Gu Nianzhi smiled and winked at Huo Shaoheng. She gently pulled open her coat to reveal the turtleneck cashmere sweater she was wearing underneath.

    She pointed to her chest. ¡°Sign here... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes instantly darkened. They were like the pitch-ck night sky, but also like a ck hole that wanted to devour her and tear her apart.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her legs go weak as he gazed at her like this, but unwilling to show weakness, she continued to hold her ground.

    His adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s extraordinary self-control worked at this moment.

    He reached out and bundled up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s coat, then fastened her belt and said quietly, ¡°... I¡¯ll sign it tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ..

    That night, Gu Nianzhi regretteding up with such a foolish idea.

    In the warm and soundproof ten and in the thick and soft sleeping bag, she was almost torn apart by Huo Shaoheng. He ¡°signed¡± her from head to toe...

    So much so that in the future, whenever Huo Shaoheng asked her, ¡± ... do you want an autograph?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi would blush from head to toe, and her heart would beat so fast that she couldn¡¯t be able to see anyone.

 Chapter 1270 - Revenge Memorable For A Lifetime

    <h4>Chapter 1270 Revenge Memorable For A Lifetime</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t sleep much that night.She wondered why Huo Shaoheng was so energetic. He was like a ¡°machine in perpetual motion¡± ..

    So when Huo Shaoheng woke her up at four in the morning, she was about to go crazy.

    She hid her head in her sleeping bag and refused toe out. She kept shouting, ¡± ... let me sleep... let me sleep... let me sleep a little longer... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng found it amusing and ¡°dug¡± her out of her sleeping bag. He said with a half-hearted smile, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you sleep with me in the future, but you have to get up today.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this sentence in her sleep-deprived state, she suddenly got goosebumps.

    She opened her big, hazy eyes and repeated reflexively, ¡± ... You want me to sleep with you in the future?¡±

    It sounded like something was wrong.

    ¡°Yes. ¡± He knew that would wake her up.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly turned around and brought over her clothes. ¡°Put them on quickly. Don¡¯t you want to go see Lake Baikal? I¡¯ll take you to Lake Baikal to watch the sunrise.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly invigorated, and her hazy eyes lit up. ¡°Watch the sunrise at Lake Baikal?! Are you serious?!¡±

    Lake Baikal was about 400 to 500 kilometers away from here, right?!

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone beside her sleeping bag and looked at it. ¡± ... It¡¯s four o¡¯clock now. What time is the sunrise?¡±

    ¡°About 5:30.¡± When Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t moving, he started to help her put on her clothes. ¡°If you dawdle a little longer, you¡¯ll only be able to watch the tail of the sunrise.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pushed Huo Shaoheng away. ¡°I¡¯ll put them on myself. You go and drive. I¡¯ll be dressed when you get here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and got out of the tent.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly put on her underwear and cashmere sweater, then put on her coat, boots, and mink fur warm hat. As soon as she got out of the tent, she saw Huo Shaoheng standing in front of a jeep and waving at her.

    Gu Nianzhi ran over and said in surprise, ¡± ... This is Uncle Ivan¡¯s car.¡±

    It was also the car of the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir.

    They hade all the way from Moscow in this car.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the door of the passenger seat. ¡°Get in. Ivan lent me his car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up reflexively and saw the driver, Uncle Ivan, waving at her under a big tree and motioning for her not to speak.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and raised her phone to express her gratitude.

    After getting into the car, she readily sent the driver a big red envelope with 1888.88 yuan.

    Of course, since she was borrowing someone else¡¯s car, she had to pay for the ride.

    After Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red envelope was sent out, she put on her seat belt with peace of mind.

    Huo Shaoheng started the car and said in a low voice, ¡°Sit tight and hold onto the handrail.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just grabbed the handrail above her head when the car shot out like an arrow.

    The rumbling sound of the engine shook the ground, and stirred up a cloud of dust. The birds that were perched in the forest were startled and flew into the night sky in unison.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped and asked awkwardly, ¡°Will the sound wake people up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a smile. ¡°The scientists have already gone to work at the crater. Those who are still sleeping in the tent are allzy people. It doesn¡¯t matter if we wake them up.¡±

    Wasn¡¯t he basically insinuating that she¡¯s azy person?

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and mumbled, ¡± ... If it wasn¡¯t for you, why wouldn¡¯t I have woken up energized?¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on the edge of the car window. ¡°I just signed an autograph.¡±

    ¡°Just signed an autograph?!¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and red at him.¡± ... You ¡®signed it¡¯ so many times!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t resist the urge tough.

    However, seeing how angry Gu Nianzhi was, he patted her head and coaxed her. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be angry anymore. I¡¯ll let you to sign on me next time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    bbergasted!

    ¡°An autograph? How perverted!

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she would never get another autograph in her life.

    Revenge from Major General Huo was always so unexpected and unforgettable.

    Upon hoearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deepughter, Gu Nianzhi felt a twinge of shame again.

    She put down her hand and didn¡¯t even have the time to sneak a nce at Huo Shaoheng when she suddenly realized that the scenery outside the car window was moving so fast that it almost left an afterimage on her retina.

    ¡°Major Genera Huo, how fast are you going?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was pale. She nced at the speedometer in front of Huo Shaoheng and was instantly speechless.

    That speed had already reached the far right of the dashboard, and it was off the charts!

    That meant that he was driving at least 200 miles per hour, which was more than 300 kilometers per hour..

    No wonder he dared to wake her up at four in the morning to watch the sunrise at 5:30 in the morning.

    The distance of 400 to 500 kilometers was less than an hour and a half at this speed.

    But only a top-notch racing car could drive such a fast speed.

    The KGB¡¯s seemingly ordinary jeep was actually so powerful?!

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said slowly, ¡°This car had been modified quite well. The Russian engine is indeed superb.¡±

    However, it was still a far cry from the small nuclear engine blueprints that Gu Nianzhi had brought to them.

    It had been seven years since the blueprints had been produced, but there hadn¡¯t been any news about any country sessfully developing a small nuclear engine that could be used in a car or an airne.

    That was because the nuclear power currently known was built on the basis of arge nuclear reactor.

    It was impossible for a car or an airne to carry arge nuclear reactor, so a nuclear engine that could be used in a car or an airne was only a scientist¡¯s idea, and no country had ever sessfully developed one.

    On the other hand, the blueprint that Gu Xiangwen had brought with him had used a clever structure to realize the application of a miniature nuclear reactor, and could be integrated with the engine to be a real nuclear engine.

    In view of the scientific research conditions of the Huaxia Empire, the blueprint could be said to be far beyond their current level.

    For the sake of confidentiality, the blueprint had already be a state level top secret. The nuclear engine used for the aircraft was still in the test flight stage and hadn¡¯t yet been mass-produced.

    Now, it seemed that the blueprint not only exceeded the current scientific and technological level of the Huaxia Empire, but also surpassed the scientific research level of all the countries on blue.

    Other than the United States, even Russia, the leader of the engine technology, didn¡¯t have this kind of technology.

    Gu Xiangwen was also allegedly involved in the United States¡¯ acquisition of this kind of technology.

    Huo Shaoheng was deep in thought. Before he knew it, he had arrived in the vicinity of Lake Baikal.

    The sky gradually brightened. It felt like in the blink of an eye, the sky turned from dark to light.

    Without blinking, Gu Nianzhi stared at the blue sky in the distance.

    At the intersection of the light blue sky and the green mountaintop, red clouds slowly seeped out. It was as if someone had knocked over paint and it seeped into the sky.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped the car and led her out of the car. They walked quickly to a small hill.

    The view was expansive, and it was the best ce to admire Lake Baikal.

    In front of them was a clear blue Lake that stretched as far as one¡¯s eyes could see. At the border between theke and the sky, the red glow was getting more and more brilliant. Not only was there a red glow, but there was also a bright golden light, a dazzling blue, and a gentle light yellow glow in the sky. All kinds of colors were interwoven together, and it was like a painting on a canvas.

    It was like a master painting as his heart contented. When thest stroke of the red glow was drawn, a red sun broke through the sky, and the boundless golden light instantly scattered across the earth.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head, then embraced her tenderly and kissed her gently.

 Chapter 1271 - Inseparable

    <h4>1271 Inseparable</h4>

    The rising sun on Lake Baikal shone on thend and casted a golden light on the two people embracing each other by theke.Gu Nianzhi had no other thoughts at the moment. She only wanted to be immersed in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace and never wake up...

    The gentle kiss felt like the best time in their lives.

    The sun gradually rose above their heads. Huo Shaoheng finally pulled away from their long kiss. Thest kissnded on her forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi buried herself in his arms and asked reluctantly, ¡± ... Are you going back?¡±

    ¡°How long do you want to stay here? ¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach growled just in time. She couldn¡¯t deny it even if she wanted to.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you somewhere else to watch the sunrise. It¡¯s even more beautiful than here.¡± Huo Shaoheng held her hand and took the reluctant Gu Nianzhi back to the jeep.

    He looked at his watch. It was only 5:30 in the morning.

    It was probably the longest day of the year in this area, so the sun rose early.

    If it was winter, the sun would only rise at around 8:00 in the morning here.

    Gu Nianzhi fell into a deep slumber as soon as she got back into the car.

    She had been exhausted fromst night until early dawn. She was both excited and exhausted in the morning, and had exhausted all her energy so she immediately had enough sleep to make up for it.

    ..

    The jeep quietly parked in the parking lot of the Tunguska resort.

    Huo Shaoheng carried the sleeping Gu Nianzhi out of the jeep and all the way to the tent before putting her down.

    She, whose stomach had been growling with hunger moments before, was unable to resist the magic of sleep.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the tent and covered the tent. When he got up, he saw dimir leaning against a big tree not far from the tent, and smiling at him as he said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you return my car keys to me now? I didn¡¯t expect Major General Huo to be so romantic. You¡¯re really adept at chasing women!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and threw the jeep¡¯s car keys over. He said, ¡°It¡¯s my duty towards my wife.¡±

    How could he say that he was using romance to chase a woman?

    He made him sound like a yboy.

    dimir reached out to take the car keys. He seemed jealous and envious. ¡°Major General Huo is so lucky. We aren¡¯t lucky enough to meet such a good girl like Cereus.¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, the middle-aged driver, who had rushed over to ask for the car keys, blurted out, ¡°Boss, do you know how sad Lina will feel if she hears your words? ¡±

    dimir froze for a moment. When he saw Lina walking behind the middle-aged driver with her head lowered, he immediately flew into a rage out of humiliation. He scolded the middle-aged driver, ¡°Why did youe here instead of going to work?! You borrowed a car from the police station without permission. Do you think I won¡¯t hit you?!¡±

    With his hands on his head, the middle-aged driver hid behind Lina and shouted, ¡°Haven¡¯t you hit me enough? ! How dare you say such words. Don¡¯t you have a conscience?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re rebelling! You¡¯re rebelling! I¡¯m going back! ¡± dimir rolled up his sleeves and pounced on him.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said calmly, ¡°Cereus is still sleeping. Can¡¯t you guys go fight somewhere else? If you wake her up, I won¡¯t stop her from venting her rage on you guys.¡±

    Avoiding her gaze and not daring to look at her, dimir rushed in front of Lina. He only red at the chauffeur, who was hiding behind Lina, and said fiercely, ¡°Just you wait! ¡± Then he left without looking back.

    While covering his head, the middle-aged driver jumped out and asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Where are my car keys?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his chin at dimir¡¯s receding figure. ¡°Your boss took them away.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! How cunning! He didn¡¯t even tell me!¡± The middle-aged driver angrily turned around to chase after dimir, and the two of them bickered as they left.

    Only Lina and Huo Shaoheng were left in front of the tent.

    Lina looked up at Huo Shaoheng. She still had that same lifeless poker face, and there was no expression on her face.

    She spoke in Standard Oxford English, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir asked me to protect scientist Song.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was very gentle, and he said politely, ¡°Then thank you for your trouble, Major Lina.¡±

    Lina nodded. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my duty.¡± As she spoke, she also turned around and left.

    Huo Shaoheng walked around the tent area alone. There were about 20 tents of various sizes. On the left were scientists from the Huaxia Empire, and on the right were scientists from Russia.

    Of course, they had rooms at the resort, but they were closer to the ce where they were going to investigate. Some tests had to be done in the middle of the night, so they set up tents and slept in them when they were tired.

    It was still early, but the tent area was almost empty.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi slept until 10 am.

    She opened her eyes and stared at the tent roof in front of her for a moment.

    She had a momentary illusion that following Huo Shaoheng to Lake Baikal to watch the sunrise in the early morning was just a dream.

    She hadn¡¯t actually gone anywhere; she had been sleeping here the whole time.

    She stretched and sat up from her sleeping bag. She looked at the clothes scattered around her and thought about the ¡°signature¡± fromst night. Gu Nianzhi quickly covered her face with her hand.

    Oh my oh my!

    Huo Shaoheng opened the tent and said with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t it time to get up? It¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock.¡±

    With her face still covered, Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get up right away. You can go out first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng covered the tent and put away the tablet in his hands.

    Huo Shaoheng had been busy for the past few hours waiting for Gu Nianzhi to wake up. He had used the tablet to deal with many things.

    The most important matter was that Yin Shixiong had sent him a message saying that Zhao Liangze had returned to work. However, he didn¡¯t stay in the imperial capital. Instead, he returned to the small ind in the Cape of Good Hope to continue working.

    Huo Shaoheng had been mulling over this for the entire morning. In the end, he only sent Zhao Liangze a message saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss¡±.

    Zhao Liangze replied: ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡±.

    After all, they were his soldiers. He hadn¡¯t been disappointed.

    With an ambivalent expression on his face, Huo Shaoheng sighed.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her clothes and tidied up the tent before opening the curtains anding out.

    Breathing in the fresh air outside, she felt a little hot.

    ¡°This coat won¡¯t hold.¡± Gu Nianzhiined. ¡°I need to change.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something first. If we don¡¯t eat soon, we¡¯ll starve.¡± Huo Shaoheng held her hand as they went to the resort¡¯s restaurant for brunch.

    It would take more than an hour to walk from the tent area to the resort. It would take more than half an hour if they walked fast.

    Of course, it would only take about 10 minutes to get to the car.

    They arrived at the parking lot and saw the middle-aged driver ying video games on his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh. She walked over and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Uncle Ivan, thank you for the car.¡±

    The middle-aged driver turned his head and smiled at her. He blinked. ¡°Thank you for the big red packet!¡±

    When he saw the big red packet of 1888.88 in the morning, he instantly felt invigorated.

    Of course dimir had been sighing since he woke up.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored the red packet interaction between the two of them. He patted the driver on the other shoulder and said, ¡°Cereus hasn¡¯t eaten yet. Send us to the restaurant.¡±

    ¡°Okay! ¡± The driver put away his phone and opened the car door for them to get into the car.

    When the few of them got into the car, dimir jumped out of nowhere and briskly got into the car. He smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! Send me to the giant pit quickly! I heard that the scientists have made a new discovery!¡±

    The middle-aged driver: ¡± ... ¡±

    No way?

    His boss was really going all out to stop Cereus from eating!

    Just as he was about to mock him, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang.

    He picked it up and saw that it was Song Jinning calling.

    As soon as the call was connected, Song Jinning¡¯s excited voice came from the phone. ¡°Shaoheng! You muste and see this! You can bring Nianzhi too! This is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle!¡±

 Chapter 1272 - A Once-In-A-Lifetime Spectacle

    <h4>Chapter 1272: A Once-In-A-Lifetime Spectacle</h4>

    ¡°Do you want to go over right away, or can we wait another ten minutes?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach wasn¡¯t feeling very feel, and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want her to go see the ¡°miraculous scientific discovery¡± on an empty stomach.

    To Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s health was more important than seeing a ¡°once-in-a-lifetime spectacle¡±.

    But Song Jinning obviously didn¡¯t think that much of it.

    She probably didn¡¯t know that Gu Nianzhi had slept until 10:00 a.m, so on the other end of the phone, she said excitedly in anticipation, ¡°Hurry up! Time is fleeting. If you wait another 10 minutes, you might not see it! What a pity!¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s excitement also piqued Huo Shaoheng¡¯s interest in seeing it.

    He held the phone in his hand and pondered over it for only a second before making a decision.

    He looked up at the driver and asked, ¡°Can you help buy breakfast for Cereus from the restaurant and deliver it to the crater¡¯s address? I¡¯ll drive Cereus over there.¡±

    He pointed at the car brought by the Huaxia Empire¡¯s researchers.

    Although he didn¡¯t know those people, he could see that they were busy bbering and about to drive away. They were probably going to see the ¡°once-in-a-lifetime spectacle¡±.

    The driver smiled and said yes. He quickly got in the car, started the jeep, and drove to the restaurant.

    dimir, who was sitting in the car, was dumbfounded. He stared at the driver and said, ¡°I¡¯m still in the car! Why are you driving away?!¡±

    He also wanted to see the scientists¡¯ breakthrough discovery!

    The driver said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯re going to the restaurant to buy breakfast first. You can¡¯t even wait for ten more minutes?¡±

    ¡°Ha! Why didn¡¯t you say that to those two people just now! ¡± dimir was so angry that he pounded on the window. ¡°Drive over there! Drive over there right now!¡±

    ¡°What are you yelling about? If you keep yelling, I¡¯ll throw you out.¡± The driver nced sideways at dimir. ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re my boss, I don¡¯t have the guts to throw you out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the best! I¡¯m not the first boss that you¡¯ve thrown out of the car! ¡± Out of humiliation, dimir flew into a fit of rage.

    The middle-aged driver couldn¡¯t stay in other departments because with his carefree personality, he had offended many people.

    However, although he made many minor mistakes, he never made any big mistakes. Even if his higher ups wanted to make a big deal out of it, they couldn¡¯t find anything damaging about him. So in the end, he was sent back to dimir.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡± The middle-aged driver winked proudly. dimir was so angry that he almost had a heart attack.

    He was about to forcefully take control of the steering wheel from the middle-aged driver when he suddenly heard his cell phone ring.

    He took it out and saw that it was actually a call from the political department of the KGB headquarters.

    dimir red at the middle-aged driver and gestured for him to ¡°shut up¡±. Then he picked up the phone.

    ¡°Comrade Wassily, what can I do for you?¡± dimir¡¯s voice could be said to be very obsequious.

    When the middle-aged driver heard ¡°Wassily¡± he immediately thought of the head of the secret service of the KGB headquarters, who always smiled at people creepily when he looked at them. He immediately quieted down.

    Vassili, who was on the other end of the phone, said in an diplomatic voice, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, our department has recently reviewed your application for Lieutenant Colonel Promotion to Major Lina.¡±

    So it was about this matter.

    dimir sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He said with a smile, ¡°Oh, yes, I did submit the application. How is it? When will she be approved?¡±

    ¡°Well... ¡± Wassily dragged on. ¡°The political department has decided to continue with the assessment.¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°She still needs to be assessed? Isn¡¯t it enough that we have assessed her for seven or eight years? ¡± dimir was furious. ¡°Her achievements are obvious to everyone. What else is there for the political department to be worried about?! She is our most loyal soldier! Aren¡¯t you afraid of your soldiers¡¯ getting disheartened if you guys keep rejecting her?!¡±

    On the other end of the phone, as if he wasn¡¯t affected by dimir¡¯s anger at all, Wassily was still grinning.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Of course, we are aware of her achievements. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have epted your application and examined it for her.¡±

    The KGB Headquarters¡¯ political review was as strict as the political review in the Huaxia Empire. It also conducted thorough background checks on rtives as well.

    It could be said that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s political review procedure and system had been learned from Russia...

    When dimir thought of their strict and meticulous political review, he temporarily calmed down and said, ¡°I know. You all think highly of her, so I don¡¯t understand. What do you mean by calling me? Is there something wrong with her family background? But if there¡¯s something wrong with her family background, she won¡¯t be able to enter the KGB.¡±

    Wassily sighed and said, ¡°This is where we are in trouble. Her family situation is indeed fine, but when we examined it, we found that during the years when she entered the KGB, all her rtives had died...¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡± ... And they all died normal deaths, not unnatural deaths. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange? How did her family members all die within a few years?¡± Wassily felt that it was extremely suspicious.

    Although facts proved that most of his suspicions were unfounded and groundless, so he had wronged a lot of people, there were also a few instances where his suspicions had indeed helped them to fill in the gaps and prevent meaningless actions.

    That was why Wassily, who did not have any background, was able to sit firmly in the number one position in the political department.

    dimir sneered. ¡°Comrade Wassily, if you say that about others, I might believe you, but if you say about to Lina, don¡¯t you feel ashamed? She only had a mother as her direct rtive. She didn¡¯t have any other rtives. Her mother died three years ago, and I know about this too. I even apanied her home to attend the funeral. So don¡¯t you think you¡¯re deliberately misleading others when you say that all her rtives are ¡®dead¡¯?¡±

    Wassilyughed dryly and said slowly, ¡°This is another problem. Her data file previously said that she only had one mother, but weter found out that her father was actually still alive and working as a bartender in a bar in Sochi.¡±

    dimir was stunned. ¡°Really? You guyys know this too? How did you guys find out? ¡±

    ¡± ... one year after her mother passed away, her father came home and found that his wife had passed away. Only then did we know that Lina had a father... ¡±

    dimir was speechless again.

    ¡°Then we checked the DNA of Lina and her father and confirmed that they weren¡¯t rted by blood. ¡± After Wassily said that, he deliberately paused for a moment.

    dimir¡¯s face paled. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°Haha, and then nothing happened! That man said that Lina was not his biological daughter in the first ce, but her mother¡¯s child. He only married her mother after Lina was born.¡±

    ¡°Damn you! Isn¡¯t he just her stepfather then?! Why do you have to beat around the bush so much?!¡± Such suspense was torturing dimir to death.

    Wassily giggled. ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, since you pay so much attention to her, perhaps you have feelings for Lina? Have you fallen in love with her?¡±

    dimir had just been in extreme emotional turmoil, and was about to pass out. Now, Wassily just dropped another bomb on him.

    Feeling that he might have to die here today, he held onto the handle of the car door.

    ¡°Comrade Wassily, if you have something to say, just say it. If you keep me guessing, I¡¯ll curse you from being promoted!¡± dimir was the second-inmand of the KGB. The people of the political department had gone too far by tormenting him.

    Wassily coughed awkwardly and stopped teasing dimir, then said, ¡°Aalright, I¡¯ll make it short. This time, I¡¯m calling you because the Political Department feels that since Lina has be Lieutenant General dimir¡¯s favorite person, for the sake of stricter security, we¡¯ve decided to raise the standards for the examination of Comrade Major Lina.¡±

    ¡°You can interrogate her however you want.¡± dimir said in a daze. He didn¡¯t deny his feelings for Lina.

    Wassily felt more assured and nodded, then said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ve already recorded and archived this call as one of the materials for the examination. We¡¯ll conduct a further examination of Comrade Lina in the next few days. We hope that you can cooperate with us in carrying out the operation.¡±

    dimir¡¯s face wrinkled when he heard this. ¡°Operation? What operation? Don¡¯t act rashly, we are carrying out a mission! ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we know what to do. This time, we¡¯ll kill two birds with one stone. You can cooperate with the headquarters in carrying out the operation.¡± After Wassily finished speaking, he then sent dimir to another phone call that was even more confidential.

    From that phone call, someone told dimir about the method and content of the review of Lina.

    After listening for a long time, dimir negotiated a few more steps and finally settled on the final review.

    As long as Lina could pass the final review, not only could she be promoted to lieutenant colonel, but dimir could also marry her without further review.

    This was killing two birds with one stone. Of course, dimir would not refuse.

    After hanging up the phone, he whistled and followed the driver to the resort¡¯s restaurant. He bought two of the best breakfasts and took them there.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng rode in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s researchers¡¯ car and arrived at the giant circr pit first.

    Yesterday, Gu Nianzhi had only looked down at the giant circr pit from a nearby hillside. She had felt that it looked very much like the blue hole of the Caribbean Sea.

    Now that she was closer, she couldn¡¯t see the simrities anymore.

    There was only a giant, bottomless pit in front of her.

    There seemed to be liquid at the bottom of the pit, because when she looked down, she could only see a dark blue mist lingering around it. She couldn¡¯t see anything under the mist.

    However, she couldn¡¯t see it with the naked eye, but she could see it with the instruments.

    Song Jinning and the others worked with the Russian scientists and lowered several long ropes that were hundreds of meters long along the edge of the giant circr pit.

    The long ropes were tied with cameras and sensors, so they could check the situation down there.

    Song Jinning and the others brought their own small drone, which happened to carry four cameras and a sensor, and flew down from the center of the giant circr pit.

    In this way, the entire interior of the giant circr pit was taken care of in all directions.

    They had been observing the situation under the giant circr pit for several days.

    There had been no movement in the past few days.

    The giant pit was shrouded in clouds and mist. There were no living animals or nts, not even microbes. It was dead quiet, even quieter than a tomb would be.

    Time seemed to have stopped here since the explosion more than a hundred years ago.

    It wasn¡¯t until this morning that movement suddenly appeared in the giant pit.

    The movement was slight and wasn¡¯t obvious at first, but it was captured by the sensors on the long rope and the drone, then transmitted back to the receiving instruments on the ground.

    When the scientists noticed the movement, the receiving instruments on the ground were already operating frantically, almost exceeding the load they should have been carrying.

    Song Jinning pointed to the regr pulsating curves on the big screen in front of her and said excitedly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you know what this is?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡± ... This is a movement curve?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a normal movement curve. It¡¯s almost exactly the same as the one observed by all blue scientistsst year when two neutron stars collided! ¡± Song Jinning showed another curve in surprise, ¡°Look at this wave curve. Doesn¡¯t it almost match the curve here?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Well, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to scientific news. She had only heard about it and hadn¡¯t done any in-depth research on it...

    Of course, even if she did ¡°in-depth research¡±, she wouldn¡¯t be able to understand it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle?¡± Song Jinning exined to her eagerly, ¡°The wave curve of the neutron star collision that everyone observedst year was observed with arge telescope. But the wave curve that we got here was observed in this huge circr crater. No telescope was used!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood. She asked curiously, ¡°Yes, this is really strange. I remember the news saying that the collision of the two neutron stars actually happened 130 million years ago. So we also observed an astronomical phenomenon 130 million years ago from here?¡±

 Chapter 1273 - Out Of The Blue

    <h4>Chapter 1273: Out Of The Blue</h4>

    Song Jinning nodded with a smile. ¡°You could say that. The collision of the two neutron stars did happen 130 million years ago, but we still don¡¯t know why we can detect the same wave curve in this circr crater.¡±

    A year ago, all the scientists on the blue used high-power telescopes to observe this cosmic spectacle. What was bizarre was that they could detect the same wave with a small sensor in the Tunguska crater in Siberia. This was too bizarre.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have much expertise in this field. What she imagined didn¡¯t align with those of the scientists.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard this. She smiled and said, ¡°This is so interesting. Does this mean that in the future, we can use this theory and technology to observe what really happened in history?! For example, we can see the age of the dinosaurs?!¡±

    Song Jinning: ¡± ... ¡± This girl¡¯s imagination was way too wild!

    The two of them were speaking in Mandarin, so they didn¡¯t expect that the Russian scientist next to them understood Mandarin.

    He had listened for a while and couldn¡¯t helpughing at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t expect Miss Song to have such an ignorant person under her tutge.¡±

    He then pointed at the wave diagram on the instrument, then said in English without any reservation, ¡°We¡¯ve only observed the energy field fluctuations caused by the collision of Neutron Stars more than 100 million years ago. You want to see the real scene in history as if you¡¯re watching TV! You want to see the age of the dinosaurs? If you¡¯re so capable, why are you still on thisnd? Why don¡¯t you rise up to the sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun?!¡±

    As expected of a scientist, he didn¡¯t use any dirty words when he cursed..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face blushed, and she was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole to hide in.

    However, she wasn¡¯t willing to be ridiculed by the Russian scientist.

    She felt that her imagination was a little too wild, but it wasn¡¯t just a figment of her imagination.

    Gu Nianzhi recollected herposure and looked at the Russian scientist in confusion. She asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys use these fluctuations to determine the direction of observation and then use an astronomical telescope to see the process of the collision of Neutron Stars more than 100 million years ago?¡±

    ¡°Of course. What¡¯s the matter? Do you have any questions?¡± The Russian scientist pushed up the sses on his nose and didn¡¯t hide the disdainful expression at the corners of his mouth.

    ¡°That¡¯s why the collision of two neutron stars happened around the beginning of the universe. Because the distance was very far, the fluctuations and light emitted from the collision had to travel a distance of 100 million years before it was captured by your astronomical telescopes. Is that so?¡± Her attitude very serious, Gu Nianzhi confirmed again.

    It was true that she didn¡¯t understand the profundities of physics, but thanks to the Inte, she still had some understanding of physics and astronomy.

    With her photographic memory, Gu Nianzhi quickly recalled in her mind all the relevant reports she had read, and with an unrelenting attitude, she challenged the Russian scientist who had ridiculed her for being delusional.

    The Russian scientist nodded reluctantly. ¡°You could say that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. What I said just now wasn¡¯t a problem at all.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands together, then said firmly, ¡°Since you can observe the neutron star collision that happened more than 100 million years ago, then in the future, why wouldn¡¯t we be able to observe other things that have happened in history?! Why can¡¯t we see the dinosaur era? The fluctuations and light emitted by that era might be captured by us one day?¡±

    Logically speaking, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reasoning wasn¡¯t wrong.

    But being logically correct didn¡¯t mean that they were factually correct.

    The Russian scientist was almost fuming. He waved his fists as he sneered. ¡°I knew you had read too much of those useless science fiction novels! Don¡¯t you know that we can observe the neutron star collision not because it has happened in history, but because its collision has arge enough energy field! Only this kind of energy field has the ability to prate billions of light years and allow future generations to capture the fluctuations and light emitted at that time! ¡±

    ¡°Historical event, the era of the dinosaurs?Tell me, which historical event, which era of the dinosaurs could emit such an energy field that could prate the universe ande to the future generations for us to admire? Tell me, which one?! Was it the stone age primitive fighting, or the medieval inquisition burning Bruno to death? Or the two World Wars?! ¡±

    The Russian scientist was indeed very knowledgeable. He had caught a loophole in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seemingly wless logic ¡ª energy.

    Without enough energy, nothing could be immortal.

    This was indeed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s weakness. She was tongue-tied and had no idea how to refute him.

    The expression on the Russian scientist¡¯s face became even more mocking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t speak? Haha... ¡±

    But before he could finishughing, Song Jinning coughed lightly and interrupted his insolent mockery.

    Song Jinning also thought that Gu Nianzhi was being delusional, but she was also an extremely protective person.

    If Gu Nianzhi was in the wrong, she could say it, but no one else could!

    Moreover, although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question was a little ignorant, it wasn¡¯t to the extent of being ridiculous.

    Song Jinning was extremely meticulous about science, but she was also not a pedantic person.

    The field of science was boundless, and the more profound one¡¯s research, the more one dared not say things like ¡°absolutely impossible¡±.

    Song Jinning took a step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Gu Nianzhi, then said to the Russian scientist who had mocked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Mr. Andrey, my young friend actually has a point. Theoretically speaking, using the same principles and corresponding technological methods, we should be able to see what happened during the dinosaur era.¡±

    The Russian scientist was stunned by Song Jinning¡¯s words. ¡°Ms. Ssong! You¡¯re A scientist! A Physicist! How can you say such a ridiculous thing?! You know it¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s impossible, but it¡¯s impossible with modern technology.¡± Song Jinning smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible in the future.¡±

    ¡°Technological progress makes the impossible possible. Back then, we didn¡¯t have a high-power telescope. Although we knew there were such movements, we couldn¡¯t capture them. That was until we built a high-power telescope. Who¡¯s to say that there won¡¯t be a higher-power, more sensitive telescope in the future that can see through billions of light-years and see the age of the dinosaurs?¡±

    Song Jinning continued to talk, and Lina, who was standing guard behind her, listened attentively.

    At that moment, dimir and the driver also arrived. However, dimir was very interested in the heated discussion there. He stood on the other side of Song Jinning and has his arms folded as he listened with great interest.

    The chauffeur called Huo Shaoheng to the side and handed him the breakfast he had bought for Gu Nianzhi. He also said, ¡°It¡¯s best to heat up the food here. The bread needs to be crispy to taste good.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and took the breakfast box from the chauffeur.

    He looked up and saw that his mother, Song Jinning, had been protecting Gu Nianzhi the entire time and was engaged in a heated argument with the Russian scientist.

    dimir looked like he was enjoying watching the drama, and Lina was the only one with a grave expression on her face, as if she waspletely uninterested in the drama.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled into a smile. He was just about to grab the breakfast box and call Gu Nianzhi over for breakfast.

    At that moment, an abnormal smell suddenly wafted over from the front.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression froze.

    The instrument that Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi, dimir, and the Russian scientist were surrounding suddenly emitted crackling sparks!

    The next moment, there was an earth-shattering loud explosion!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he lunged forward!

    His mother and his wife had encountered explosives right under his nose!

    How was this possible?!

    There were so many people who had checked all the instruments here!

    In a sh, Lina, who had been standing behind Song Jinning and dimir, took a step back and kicked Gu Nianzhi, who was standing on the other side of Song Jinning, away. At the same time, she hugged Song Jinning and fell to the ground with her.

    She used her body topletely cover Song Jinning, and became Song Jinning¡¯s human shield.

    Gu Nianzhi fell to the ground from the kick, just in time to avoid the electric sparks from the explosion.

    dimir watched as the electric sparks ignited in front of him, and his beard was charred by the fire...

    He looked deeply at Lina, then rolled to the ground with the Russian scientist beside him, who was already scared out of his wits.

    By this time, Huo Shaoheng had already arrived. He tore off the wires of the equipment and used the instion box next to him to wrap them all up.

    Without power and air istion, the electric sparks were quickly extinguished.

    Lina¡¯s back was burned by the electric sparks, leaving a few holes.

    Fortunately, she was wearing a KGB uniform, which was thick, so she wasn¡¯t injured.

    Huo Shaoheng ordered sternly, ¡°Be on high alert! There¡¯s been an ident here. No one is allowed to leave!¡±

    He helped Song Jinning up from the ground and checked to make sure she wasn¡¯t injured. Then he walked over to Gu Nianzhi and picked her up from the ground.

 Chapter 1274 - I Wonâ€™t Let You Guys Off The Hook!

    <h4>Chapter 1274: I Won¡¯t Let You Guys Off The Hook!</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t hurt either. She was just a little dazed from being kicked to the ground all of a sudden.

    However, when she found out that Lina had saved her, she wasn¡¯t angry and simply asked Huo Shaoheng quickly, ¡°Was Ms. Song hurt? Did you see clearly?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head calmly. ¡°No, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just shocked. It was all thanks to Lina that I got saved.¡± Gu Nianzhi struggled to get off the ground and looked up to see Lina getting up from the ground without an expression on her face. She walked over to dimir and reached out to pull him up.

    dimir stared at Lina for a while before holding her hand and getting up from the ground. He said sarcastically, ¡°Major Lina¡¯s reaction moments before was really quick!¡±

    Lina said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s my duty, so I won¡¯t dare neglect it. I won¡¯t dare notplete the task that Lieutenant General dimir has given me.¡±

    dimir remembered that it was he who had asked Lina to protect Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling stifled. He felt as if he had shot himself in the foot.

    The two of them were speaking Russian, so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand them. But when she saw the constipated look on dimir¡¯s face, she knew he was making sarcastic remarks again.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around and saw the driver, with his mouth agape and his face full of shock, standing by a small hill not far away.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and asked quietly, ¡°Uncle Ivan, what are dimir and Miss Lina talking about?¡±

    The driver raised a finger to his mouth and shushed Gu Nianzhi, telling her not to speak. Then he said softly, ¡± ... dimir is unhappy. Lina didn¡¯t go to save him first... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt speechless.

    Was dimir really the second-inmand of the KGB? !

    Look at how petty he was! He was like a woman!

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes then walked over to Lina and dimir. Looking at Lina, she reached out her hand and smiled gratefully. ¡°Miss Lina, thank you so much for saving Miss Song! If it weren¡¯t for you, Miss Song would have been in big trouble!¡±

    She then changed her expression and raised her leg as she said to Lina with a sad face, ¡°But that kick was so vicious! You almost broke my leg!¡±

    In reality, Lina had grasped her strength very well. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s leg waspletely fine. She said that on purpose to make dimir feel better.

    dimir¡¯s lips curled into a smile, and his expression was much more rxed than before.

    Lina still had a grave expression on her face. She reached out to shake Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, then let go of it. She spoke in Oxford English coldly, ¡°Even if your leg was broken, it would still better than dying.¡±

    Lina¡¯s fingers were very long, and her handshake was firm and steady. Gu Nianzhi could even feel a thinyer of calluses on her fingertips. This was the mark of frequent gun training.

    Gu Nianzhi had grown up in the military and was very familiar with this.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I don¡¯t want to be disfigured by that electric spark, let alone die!¡± She spread her hands and walked to Song Jinning¡¯s side. She looked her up and down. ¡°Miss Song, are you really okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was actually feeling a little stifled. Her reaction wasn¡¯t as quick as Lina¡¯s, or else she would have been the one to block the electric spark for Miss Song...

    She really wished that she had been the one protecting Song Jinning instead of Lina.

    Song Jinning understood what she was thinking. She smiled as she held her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. How about you? You didn¡¯t hit anything when you fell to the ground moments before, did you? ¡±

    While the mother-inw and daughter-inw were greeting each other, Huo Shaoheng had already brought the professional bomb-proof personnel to the equipment that had been set on fire by the explosion and was staring at them.

    Shouting for his own people to be on alert, dimir stood uneasily at the side. At the same time, he frowned and asked the person in charge here.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s entourage finally used tweezers to carefully pick out something from the equipment. They ced it in an insted box and handed it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and didn¡¯t say anything. He just waved his hand. ¡°Everyone go back and rest for today. Wait for the results of this matter to be reported. We¡¯ll continue working tomorrow.¡±

    As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he nced at dimir.

    dimir had already regained hisposure. He looked at Huo Shaoheng with a grin and said, ¡°Major General Huo, you responded really quickly just now! I thought you wanted to see your fianc¨¦e as soon as possible! In the end, you were looking for your mother. Hahahaha, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that!¡±

    His expression was one of Schadenfreude. Even if someone had thought nothing of it, his words would make them feel ill at ease.....

    Unfortunately, he had run into Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, you sound like one of those gossips at the market who only wants to stir up trouble! You¡¯re so petty!¡±

    dimir¡¯s face instantly darkened.

    Song Jinning ran her fingers through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair with a smile and said gently, ¡°Yes, I also thought Shaoheng was wrong. Nianzhi was obviously more in danger, but he came to look for me first. That wasn¡¯t good. Let¡¯s talk about the facts. Whoever is in the most danger is the priority.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°It was clearly you who was in the most danger, and I was pushed away by Miss Lina long before. It was indeed dangerous just now. If you had suffered even the slightest injury, I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life.¡±

    The mother-inw and daughter-inwforted each other as if no one else was around. dimir¡¯s eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets as he looked at Huo Shaoheng. He couldn¡¯t help feeling deeply envious and jealous...

    The middle-aged driver walked over and smiled at dimir. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t be envious of others. Come on, I care about you. Where are you feeling unwell? Tell me about it.¡± As he spoke, he gave dimir¡¯s shoulder a heavy pinch.

    dimir screamed in pain. ¡°Are you trying to murder your boss?! You¡¯re using too much force. Do you want to die?!¡±

    He gave the driver a few kicks and wanted to seize the opportunity to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped him and said without an expression, ¡°Mr. dimir, let¡¯s talk. ¡±

    dimir¡¯s face twitched twice and he put on a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Major General Huo, you don¡¯t have to worry about me, I... ¡±

    Before he could finish, Huo Shaoheng grabbed him by the other shoulder and dragged him into the jeep.

    The driver quickly followed and sat in the driver¡¯s seat. He asked Huo Shaoheng politely, ¡± ... Where is Major General Huo going?¡±

    No, no, no, no

    Huo Shaoheng raised his chin and gestured towards the resort. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    The driver drove them back to the resort as fast as possible.

    Huo Shaoheng asked for a meeting room at the vi and went in with dimir.

    The driver wanted to follow him in, but Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Uncle Ivan, please help us guard the entrance. Cereus might send you a red packetter to thank you.¡±

    The driver understood immediately. ¡°Then I won¡¯t go in. You guys can talk slowly. I¡¯ll guard the ce for you.¡±

    In the meeting room of the resort vi, only Huo Shaoheng and dimir were left staring at each other.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care whether there was a listening device in the conference room. Even if there was, it was perfect. He was going to tell it to those people.

    He took out the device that his professional bomb-proof personnel had just found from his pocket and mmed it heavily on the long conference table in the conference room, then said sternly, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, please exin to me how the famous ¡®electric spark¡¯ of the KGB appeared in the equipment of our scientific researchers!¡±

    This ¡®electric spark¡¯ device wasn¡¯t a real explosive device, but a toy-like simtion device.

    If it was a real explosive device, the security personnel of the Huaxia Empire would have found it long ago.

    It was because it was a toy-like simtion device that they were able to avoid detection.

    Its power was extremely small, and it was usually used for pranks.

    The sound and smoke of the explosion were all simted, and only the electric spark was real, so this thing was called ¡®electric spark¡¯.

    dimir choked for a moment, then his eyes flickered as he said, ¡± ... I¡¯m not sure about that either. Besides, our bureau also sells this thing to the outside world. You can¡¯t say that we nted it just because we make it, right? Besides, it was just a joke. No one was hurt. Why are you so angry ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, just a joke?! If it wasn¡¯t for Comrade Lina¡¯s swift actions, my mother and my... fianc¨¦e would have been disfigured at least now! Don¡¯t you know what kind of power your KGB products have?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng mmed the table heavily and said sternly, ¡°if the KGB doesn¡¯t give me an exnation, I won¡¯t let you guys off the hook!¡±

 Chapter 1275 - Too Much Of A Good Thing Is Also Bad

    <h4>Chapter 1275: Too Much Of A Good Thing Is Also Bad</h4>

    The coffee cup on the conference table suddenly shook.

    dimir quickly reached out to hold the coffee cup. His back was drenched in cold sweat, but he maintained his smiling face on the surface and took out a cigar to pass to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Major General Huo, calm down, calm down! I will definitely give you an exnation for this matter! I will definitely get to the bottom of the matter, okay? You also said just now that it was fortunate that Comrade Lina acted quickly and saved two people Otherwise... ¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, I would have taken a gun and shot all the KGB members one by one.¡± Don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t do it. When I was out on a mission years ago, I worked for people in the political department of the KGB headquarters.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmed down slightly, however, the words that came out of his mouth became more and more mocking.

    This was the work that dimir had done before he was promoted.

    There were many capable people in the KGB. To be able to climb up to his position, it wasn¡¯t entirely based on true ability.

    dimir didn¡¯t feel embarrassed at all. However, he also thought that their people had indeed gone overboard this time.

    They were all soldiers on the special battlefront. Not harming their families was the bottom line, and it was also a principle that everyone silently abided by.

    Everyone had their own family, rtives, and friends. No one jumped out of a stone.

    When they carried out their mission, they were doing their own line of duty, not venting their personal anger.

    ¡°Major General Huo, I understand how you feel. If this had happened to me, I would have shot you!¡± dimir was filled with righteous indignation, but he didn¡¯t forget to tter Huo Shaoheng. He gave him a thumbs-up and praised, ¡°Only you, Major General Huo, can remain calm and collected. You have the demeanor of a general!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ll give you half a day. If you don¡¯t exin yourself clearly, we won¡¯t be done with this matter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng left the temporary conference room at the resort.

    As dimir sat alone in the conference room, the smile on his face quickly faded. He picked up his phone and called Wassily of the KGB Headquarters¡¯ political department.

    The phone rang for a few times before it was picked up.

    It was Wassily, the smarmy eunuch.

    ¡°Ah, Lieutenant General dimir, what happened this time really isn¡¯t optimistic... ¡± Before dimir could speak, Wassily had already ¡°used the bad guy first¡± .

    dimir felt a surge of anger. The grievances he had suffered at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands was all directed at Wassily.

    He jumped to his feet and kicked the conference table in front of him to the ground.

    The coffee cups, coffee pots, and small tes filled with snacks on the conference table were all overturned and smashed to pieces.

    The sound of a piece of porcin was transmitted through the electromaic waves of the mobile phone to the KGB headquarters in Moscow.

    Wassily¡¯s expression soured. ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, please calm down.¡±

    ¡°Calm down?! You caused such a huge mess, yet now you want me to calm down?! Why didn¡¯t you calm down before you came up with this stupid idea!? If you want to die, no one will stop you ! But don¡¯t drag others down with you! I haven¡¯t lived long enough yet! ¡± dimir rolled up his sleeves as he cursed at his phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m not even married yet! I haven¡¯t had any children yet! I¡¯ve been dragged down to my death by you. Do you know that I¡¯m not going to die in peace? Wassily! Don¡¯t think that no one will dare to settle the ount with you! Why can¡¯t you just be satisfied with having fun with your mistress outside of home? Does your wife know that you bought her a house?!¡±

    dimir wasn¡¯t an easy person to deal with. At this moment, he revealed all the shameful things about Wassily, so Wassily was also anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense! When have I ever slept with a mistress? You have to take responsibility for what you say!¡±

    dimir sneered. ¡°I take responsibility! I take all responsibility... !¡±

    Before he could finish his words, the other side hung up with a ¡°beep¡± .

    After a while, Wassily used another phone line that wasn¡¯t bugged to call dimir.

    After dimir picked up the call, Wassily¡¯s attitude was much better.

    He was forced to confess to dimir. ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, I understand your anger, but you have to know that this assessment is unanimously agreed by our headquarters¡¯ political department. Everyone thinks... ¡±

    ¡°Thinks what?!¡± dimir kicked again. This time, he kicked a high-backed soft chair to the corner of the room. The heavy chair was almost broken into pieces by his kick. He turned around and sat on the windowsill. ¡°You guys sit in the office every day and only know how to think nonsense!¡±

    Choked by dimir¡¯s words, Wassily rolled his eyes.

    However, the evidence was in dimir¡¯s hands. If he didn¡¯t bring out some favor, dimir wouldn¡¯t let it go.

    Although Wassily wasn¡¯t afraid of dimir, if they fought until both sides were ruined, his ambitious deputy would finally be able to take his ce.

    Wassily knew very well that he couldn¡¯t make enemies everywhere.

    He had already offended enough people within the KGB. He couldn¡¯t offend the second-inmand, dimir...

    Thinking of this, Wassily revealed some information to dimir to dispel his monstrous anger.

    ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, every test we take is targeted, and not made out of nothing. We have chosen to examine major Lina in front of the two citizens of the Huaxia Empire of course because we were suspicious of her background... ¡± Wassily said softly, and as he said this, he looked around vigntly.

    At this moment, he was sitting on a bench at the side of the Red Square in Moscow. There was no one around him. Some tourists from the Huaxia Empire were dancing on the Red Square. They were being surrounded by others, so his side wasn¡¯t conspicuous.

    When dimir heard this, his heart skipped a beat. This wasn¡¯t good. It can¡¯t be what he thought, right?!

    ¡°You suspect her background? ¡± dimir repeated Wassily¡¯s words. His face became solemn. ¡°What about her background is worthy of your suspicion?¡±

    ¡°We suspect that she has something to do with the Huaxia Empire.¡± Wassily told dimir the truth. ¡°So our assessment this morning was to kill two birds with one stone. ¡±

    ¡°Impossible! ¡± dimir suddenly stood up, then said angrily, ¡°Damn you for trying to kill birds with one stone! I think you guys are too idle thinking that everyone looks like a spy from the Huaxia Empire! I¡¯ll be honest with you, we¡¯ve already investigated this aspect! Her background is clean... ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because her background is clean and because she never breaks any rules. She¡¯s as fast and urate as a robot when executing missions! With her qualities, she¡¯s very much like a spy from the Huaxia Empire!¡± Wassily said resolutely.

    ¡°Damn you! ¡± dimir was so angry that heughed. ¡°Why can¡¯t she be an excellent spy from our country? You think she¡¯s a spy from the Huaxia Empire just because you see a good one. How much do you look down on the loyal soldiers of our country?¡±

    With a bitter smile, Wassily scratched his ear and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what a loyal soldier of our country is like? For example, a person like Ivan, who never makes bigs mistakes but always makes small mistakes, is the essence of our intelligence personnel...¡±

    dimir found himself speechless.

    He was basically the same kind of person, but he was more cunning than Ivan and could restrain himself.

    Thinking about it, Lina was really different from them...

    But Lina was a woman, and women were born different from men. Could it be that the women in their country were better than the men?!

    dimir thought about it again and again, but refused to believe that Lina wasn¡¯t on the same side as them.

    Going through life and death together, they had worked together for so many years. They had each other¡¯s backs.

    If Lina was really a spy, they would have died at her hands long ago..

    Moreover, the Huaxia Empire didn¡¯t seem to be in possession of their internal intelligence.

    For example, during this time that Huo Shaoheng had brought his fianc¨¦e to Russia, they had encountered many dangers.

    They had been hunted down even when they were traveling, and his mother, who was a scientist, had almost been caught in the crossfire.

    However, Lina¡¯s performance today had indeed disappointed dimir.

    After sitting quietly in the conference room for a while, dimir beckoned to the middle-aged driver who was poking his head out of the door. ¡°Call Lina and tell her toe over. I have something to ask her.¡±

    The middle-aged driver didn¡¯t dare to continue joking with dimir. He quickly took out his phone and called Lina over.

    ...

    Lina changed her clothes and came to the door of the conference room that the middle-aged driver had mentioned.

    She nodded to the middle-aged driver at the door and said without an expression, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, Major Lina reporting for duty!¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± dimir¡¯s calm voice came from the conference room.

    Linaposed herself and walked in.

    ¡°Close the door.¡± dimir red at the middle-aged driver at the door.

    The middle-aged driver¡¯s eyes darted around, and his ears even pricked up.

    Lina closed the door with her hand and stood in front of dimir. She raised her hand and saluted, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, what can I do for you?¡±

    dimir looked up at Lina, who was standing in front of him. For the first time, he realized that she was indeed different from them.

    Her military posture was too standard...

    In the past, he was only proud of this outstanding graduate from the Intelligence Academy, but now, looking at it from another angle, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

    However, should he suspect that Lina was a spy from the Huaxia Empire just because she was better than others. Was this suspicion really warranted?

    dimir realized that he had been led astray by Vasily¡¯s unreasonable reasoning.

    With an ambivalent expression, he looked at Lina and slowly said, ¡°Comrade Major Lina, I have submitted the application to promote you to lieutenant colonel.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Comrade Lieutenant General dimir! ¡± A trace of joy shed in Lina¡¯s eyes.

    This trace of joy didn¡¯t escape dimir¡¯s eyes. He suddenly hesitated.

    Was what the deeply paranoid Wassily said really reasonable?

    Couldn¡¯t their KGB have soldiers as excellent as the spies of the Huaxia Empire?!

    dimir coughed heavily and made up his mind. ¡± ... However, the headquarters political department still needs to conduct a further assessment on you.¡±

    Lina immediately became serious. ¡°I ept all the assessments from the headquarters. May I ask what kind of work you need me to do?¡±

    dimir closed his eyes and said calmly, ¡°You have passed the first assessment.¡±

    ¡°Ah? ¡± For the first time, Lina seemed perturbed. She was smart and immediately understood. ¡°Could the explosion of the equipment in the morning be the assessment?¡±

    ¡°What is the assessment for?¡± Lina¡¯s confused expression made dimir feel even more guilty and ashamed.

    His fingers dug in his pocket, then took out something the size of a lighter, and put it on the conference table.

    Lina recognized at a nce that this was the switch of the famous ¡°electric spark¡±!

    ¡± ... so the explosion in the morning wasn¡¯t really an explosion, but a ¡®electric spark¡¯.¡± Lina frowned. ¡°Who is idle enough to use such a prank to scare people?¡±

    She looked into dimir¡¯s calm eyes in confusion, then said, ¡°If this is the test, then I have already passed, right? I saved my target at the first moment, leaving them unharmed.¡±

    dimir still looked at her calmly and shook his head slightly, then said in a deep voice, ¡°When the ¡®electric spark¡¯ was first activated, as long as you chose to save me, I would¡¯ve immediately turned off this switch. No one would¡¯ve suffered any harm.¡±

    Lina¡¯s face, which seemed to have a poker face glued on it, finally revealed a hint of astonishment on her face.

    ¡°... What? ! Lieutenant General dimir, why are you and the people from the headquarters¡¯ political department so bored out of your lives?!¡± Her chest heaving up and down in anger, she angrily med dimir.

    ¡°It¡¯s not us simply being bored. It was a direct reaction test for you. When you saw the spark start, your first reaction was to push Cereus away and save scientist Song. I was standing closest to you, and you also expressed interest in me, but when the ident happened, it was as if you didn¡¯t see me.¡±

    This kind of action was a huge blow to dimir at that time.

    Now it was a double blow.

    Lina clenched her fists in anger, and her lips trembled. After a while.., she suppressed her anger and said, ¡°... I was on a mission! To me, the mission that Lieutenant General dimir gave me is more important than my life! Although I saved those two women from the Huaxia Empire, I don¡¯t have any special personal feelings for them.¡±

    ¡°You saw me kick Cereus down with your own eyes, and you also saw me push scientist Song down with your own eyes. With my abilities, I could have gotten them to avoid danger more skillfully, but I didn¡¯t do that. Because I wouldn¡¯t waste any more effort to do anything that was beyond my authority!¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, you, Lieutenant General dimir, I treat you as arade-in-arms! Shouldn¡¯t you be fighting alongside me at this time to deal with the enemy? Why did you think that I would save you at the first possible moment?! Why didn¡¯t you save me at the first possible moment?¡±

    Lina¡¯s eyes finally turned red. She wiped her tears and said through gritted teeth, ¡°... Which idiot designed this test? ! I¡¯ll fight to the death with him!¡±

    Ah, now she looked like a real KGB intelligence officer again!

    dimir¡¯s eyes lit up. At this time, the middle-aged driver also pushed open the door of the meeting room and gave Lina a thumbs up, then said seriously, ¡°Well said! Major Lina, I¡¯m on your side! ¡ª¡ªBoss, Lina makes some good points. The people in the Political Department of the headquarters are all idiots, and those who believe in them are also idiots...¡±

    ¡°Get lost! ¡± dimir was so angry that he grabbed the cushion and threw it at the driver.

 Chapter 1276 - Teach them a Lesson

    <h4>Chapter 1276: Teach them a Lesson</h4>

    Since dimir had asked him to leave, Ivan took the opportunity and left quickly.

    He walked out the door of the resort and saw Huo Shaoheng smoking under arge tree on the frontwn of the resort.

    The curling smoke obscured his expression.

    Ivan thought for a moment and walked over to greet Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, are you still waiting for the results? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    It seemed that what he and dimir had said in the conference room had been overheard by the guy standing guard at the door.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind it. He casually threw the cigarette butt in his hand into a round barrel of logs near the tree and said calmly, ¡°Yes, how is it going? You must give us an exnation on this matter.¡±

    Ivan scratched his head, feeling very troubled. ¡°But we didn¡¯t get anything out of it... they are all nned by those idiots from the political department. Anyway, we¡¯ll do whatever they can to disgust us... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he still looked displeased as he waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses. My mother and my fianc¨¦e were almost killed by you guys. Why should I understand you guys. ¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s really not our boss¡¯s fault...¡± Ivan blinked, feeling wronged for dimir.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the sky with a disapproving expression. ¡°You¡¯re still defending your boss on the asion. Looks like Cereus¡¯s red packet was all for naught... ¡±

    Ivan immediately became righteous and waved his hand, ¡± How could it be possible? Cereus was almost killed by an explosion. It¡¯s all the fault of those idiots from the political department at Headquarters. I even don¡¯t understand why did they wanted to test Lina. They always give us difficults trying their best to stop Major Lina from getting promoted, and even make such a trouble... Fortunately, she acted quickly and saved Cereus... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng became even angrier. He sniffed, ¡°Do you think Lina can still get promoted after hurting my families? Tell them to stop dreaming. If they don¡¯t get to the bottom of the matter and give me an exnation, I¡¯m really not done with you! ¡±

    Ivan red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What else do you want? Egg in your beer? No matter how powerful you are, you¡¯re just a major general of the Huaxia Empire. It has nothing to do with us! ¡±

    ¡°What else do I want? Found out who were responsible for the issue and hold them ountable. No one want to y games with me.¡± Huo Shaoheng had made up his mind to torture the Russian KGB this time.

    Ivan shivered and raised his hands. ¡°Just punish them, it has nothing to do with me! Don¡¯t speak ill of me in front of Cereus! ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and said expressionlessly, ¡°That depends on your performance, Mr. Ivan. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re willing to stand on the side of the light or continue down the path to the dark side. ¡±

    ¡°I have long been in the light.¡± Ivanughed loudly. ¡°I¡¯m the KGB. Is there anyone more aboveboard than me?¡± He waved his hand and left.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled bitterly in his heart. With such a subordinate, it was no wonder dimir was so upset.

    However, even though Ivan often contradicted his boss to his face, behind his boss¡¯s back, he was still quite righteous. At least he was willing to speak up for dimir instead of adding insult to injury.

    Huo Shaoheng took out another cigarette from his pocket. When he was about to smoke, he saw Lina walk out of the resort with red eyes.

    dimir was by her side, looking at her carefully. Even his smile was very ttering.

    Huo Shaoheng put on a stern expression, standing under the tree with his hands behind his back. He was tall and handsome, and his features were as exquisite as a painting. However, his expression was solemn and invible.

    In front of dimir, Huo Shaoheng rarely put on airs, but this time, he had to.

    The KGB had gone too far.

    No matter what the reason was, it was clear that they did not pay any more attention to him or even the Huaxia Empire.

    More importantly, their actions showed that they had no regard for the lives of the citizens of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s citizens in their eyes, which was the main reason for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s anger.

    Huo Shaoheng must teach them a lesson. Otherwise, the safety of Huaxia citizens overseas would not be guaranteed to the greatest extent.

    Lina rolled her eyes and bowed her head. She hadn¡¯t noticed Huo Shaoheng at first, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s aura was so powerful that she still looked up subconsciously, even she didn¡¯t see him.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her coldly and said, ¡°Please forgive me for not being able to thank Major Lina for her behavior today. Although your quick action saved my mother and my fianc¨¦e¡¯s lives, the dangerous situation was caused by KGB. I deeply abhor the kind of the fake heroic action.¡±

    Lina nodded with a straight face and said coldly, ¡°I was carrying out my superior¡¯s orders. I didn¡¯t mean to save your mother and your fianc¨¦e. It is no need to thank me, Major General Huo. ¡±

    dimir was so relieved by Lina¡¯s words that he felt that all the depression of the past two days and the anger he had suffered from Huo Shaoheng today had suddenly disappeared.

    Every whisker on his face seemed to be smiling.

    Huo Shaoheng felt the scene was more obtrusive. His gazed on dimir coldly and he raised his chin. ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, is there a conclusion to this matter? What exactly is going on? ¡±

    dimir extended his hand towards him with a smile, ¡°Major General Huo, it¡¯s a just a misunderstanding! Actually, it¡¯s only a small test for Major Lina¡¯s promotion from our headquarters. It is all right now. Hahahahaha... ¡±

    Why are you f*ckingughing?

    Huo Shaoheng refused to shake dimir¡¯s hand. He continued to put his hands behind his back and looked down at him coldly.

    dimir¡¯s smile became awkward. He pouted at Lina awkwardly. ¡°You go back first and continue to protect Ms. Song.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t brother.¡± Huo Shaoheng interrupted him. ¡°We¡¯ll protect our scientists. If we still let you protect them, they won¡¯t even know how to die. ¡±

    Lina said expressionlessly, ¡°I only listen to Lieutenant General dimir¡¯s orders. Major General Huo, you have no right to order me. ¡±

    ¡°Lina, how can you talk to Major General Huo like that? ! ¡± dimir pretended to be angry and gently hit her.

    Lina: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°Alright, you go back and rest first. Don¡¯t worry about anything for now.¡± dimir patted her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements after I consult the headquarters. ¡±

    Lina nodded and turned to leave.

    When Lina was far away, Huo Shaoheng said to dimir, ¡± Who came up with the stupid idea for the assessment? How dare you gamble with the lives of our country¡¯s people to assess your personnel? Have you asked me? Have you asked the millions of soldiers of the Huaxia Empire? ¡±

    His words were a bit harsh. dimir quickly said, ¡°How can that be? It¡¯s just a coincidence. And you know, that ¡®Electric spark¡¯ is just a toy. It¡¯s not lethal... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng flipped his wrist, and a fruit knife appeared in his hand. He pushed it forward and ced it in front of dimir¡¯s throat rapidly.

    Huo Shaoheng said casually, ¡°It is also a toy knife, but it can still take your life. ¡±

    dimir stood rooted to the ground with fear.

    Huo Shaoheng was f*cking fast in action!

    He didn¡¯t even have time to draw his gun, and the knife had already reached his neck...

    dimir slowly raised his hand and pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away from the small fruit knife. ¡°Major General Huo, don¡¯t y such a joke. ¡±

    ¡°Do you even know there is no joking about such matters? Don¡¯t pretend to be ignorant, we¡¯re all in this business. even if a toy-type instrument like ¡®electric spark¡¯, it can be a real time bomb at any moment as long as we want it to. Don¡¯t tell me that the KGB doesn¡¯t know how to modify it. ¡±

    dimir was forced into a corner. He opened his mouth and he opened his mouth, almost saying that they did that for a reason.

    However, in front of Huo Shaoheng, the biggest intelligence chief of the Huaxia Empire, how could he say that Lina was a spy from the Huaxia Empire?

    Da*n it!

    He must be out of mind!

 Chapter 1277 - Must Add your Friends back

    <h4>Chapter 1277: Must Add your Friends back</h4>

    dimir¡¯s forehead was already covered in cold sweat.

    He wiped the sweat off his forehead and tried his best to remain calm. He nodded in response to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. ¡°Major General Huo is right. I¡¯ll go back and find out which idiot... has made the decision. ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll go back and find out? Now? Right now? ¡± Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who made the decision? Will no one notify you before your subordinates are evaluated? dimir, you¡¯re not lying as the second-inmand of the KGB, are you? ¡±

    These words thoroughly infuriated dimir and touched his sore spot.

    Vasily¡¯s self-assertion, his guilt and uneasiness towards Lina, and the anger he had been forced by Huo Shaoheng hadbined and broken through his restraint.

    He raised his head sharply. His calmness andposure just now hadpletely disappeared. He red fiercely at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I¡¯m a fake second-inmand? ! I¡¯ll show you what a real second-inmand is! ¡±

    dimir took out his phone and dialed a number and gabbled a bunch of Russian to the operator on the other end of the line.

    dimir was so angry that he forget that Huo Shaoheng also understood Russian.

    ¡°Is there the headquarters supervision department? As the second-inmand of the KGB, I order you to immediately investigate the head of the headquarters political department, Comrade Vassili. Not only does he have a questionable style of work, but he also has the potential to collude with the enemy in his work... ¡±

    ¡°Which enemy did he colluded wit? If I knew, would I need you to investigate?! Investigate now! Yes, lock him up! If any of you dares to inform him, he will be the next person to be investigated! ¡±

    dimir roared, the resentment in his heart finally vented out.

    Vasily had always been cautious, and he had evidence against a lot of people. Ordinary people would not dare to touch him, nor would they be able to touch him.

    However, dimir had provided an important clue, which was working style issue. And it had opened up a gap.

    There were too many people who had been framed by Vasily. Without the protection of the upper, he would be fixed by others at any moment.

    dimir hung up the phone and said coldly to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Major General Huo, are you satisfied now? I¡¯ll find out the truth and find out who¡¯s behind this. ¡±

    He also felt something was wrong now.

    Even if they wanted to find out if Lina was a spy for the Huaxia Empire, there was no need to take advantage of Song jinning and Gu Nianzhi!

    Everyone in the KGB knew that Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e and Song Jinning was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother!

    Even if it was a joke, it was too much to y such a trick in front of her.

    No one wouldugh it off after experiencing something like this.

    It was quite understandable that Huo Shaoheng was so anger. Acutually it would be unreasonable if he wasn¡¯t angry.

    dimir calmed down and said with sincerity, ¡°Major General Huo, I understand how you feel. I will apologize to Ms. Song and Cereus. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and softened his tone, but his attitude was still a little stiff, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait and see. You have a good subordinate who has tried to intercede for you. If it wasn¡¯t for Ivan¡¯s guarantee that you wouldn¡¯t do such a stupid thing, I will never let you go!¡± Then he turned and left.

    After Huo Shaoheng left, dimir stood under the tree for a long time.

    The gentle breeze blew, and the Birch Forest sang. dimir¡¯s eyes were filled with green mountains and clear waters, while his heart was cold and warm.

    He had not expected that Ivan, that unreliable fellow, would actually stand on his side at such a critical moment and plead for him.

    And Lina..

    For the first time, he had the idea of starting a family.

    He wanted a family and a parter who would never leave his side. When he was lonely, when he was framed and attacked, even when he was in pain, someone would always stand by his side.

    Could this person be Lina?

    dimir had a good impression of Lina, but it would take time for this good impression to develop into love.

    In the midst of these whimsical fancies, someone patted him heavily on the shoulder.

    ¡°Boss? What are you doing? ¡±

    He raised his head and saw the driver Ivan¡¯s erged face.

    dimir¡¯s face immediately became expressionless. ¡°Nothing. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing? The expression on your face just now was so disgusting, which seemed to be deeply touched. You must need a spanking. ¡± Ivan was alwayscking in manners when talked to him.

    ¡°Bah! You deserve a beating! ¡± dimir gave him a kick, but still said, ¡± ... I just ordered the KGB supervision department to investigate Vasily. ¡±

    ¡°Wow! You finally took an action!¡± Ivan became excited, and he grabbed dimir¡¯s shoulder and shook it vigorously. ¡°Boss! I¡¯ve been with you for so long, and the thing you¡¯ve done today is the thing that makes me the happiest! ¡±

    It was dimir¡¯s turn to be disgusted. He pushed Ivan¡¯s hand away and said angrily, ¡°Piss off! I wish I haven¡¯t known you!¡±

    He slid open his phone, intending to apologize to Gu Nianzhi and ask her if she needed to see a doctor.

    However, after searching through his phone¡¯s contact list, he couldn¡¯t find her phone number.

    He couldn¡¯t remember Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone number at the moment, so he opened WeChat.

    But when he sent a message over, the system disyed, ¡°You¡¯re not the other party¡¯s friend yet... ¡±

    dimir: ¡± ... ¡±

    Unwilling to give up, he opened Awepay and attempted to send a message.

    He found the dialog box where they had chatted thest time, entering the message, and sent it out, and it was still showed ¡°You¡¯re not the other party¡¯s friend. Send a friend request to chat.¡±

    dimir was going crazy.

    ¡°Cereus deleted me?! ¡±

    Ivan hurriedly opened his phone and looked at the discussion group of the three people who had been deducted. He said regretfully, ¡°the KGB trio has be a two-person group. You are no longer in the discussion group. You¡¯re done. You have offended Cereus. There will be no more red packets in the future. ¡±

    Ivan opened his own exclusive red packet. He was very happy.

    dimir gripped his phone and red at Ivan. ¡°Give me her phone number! ¡±

    Although Ivan was unwilling, he still sent Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number to dimir.

    dimir dialed the number and found that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number was still in the middle of the call.

    He patiently waited for five minutes, but her phone was still in the middle of the call.

    What was going on?

    dimir grabbed the driver¡¯s cell phone and used it to call Gu Nianzhi.

    This time, the call went through.

    It turned out that Gu Nianzhi had not only deleted his friend list, but had also blocked his phone number!

    His heart was filled with anger, and the call went through.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet and soft voice came through the phone.

    ¡°Hello, Uncle Ivan. What¡¯s up? What can I do for you? ¡±

    dimirposed himself and said, ¡°Cereus, it¡¯s dimir. ¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could hang up, dimir quickly added, ¡°We were wrong this morning. I apologize to you. I promise to punish those responsible. I¡¯ve already arranged people to investigate him. I¡¯ll definitely give you an exnation! ¡±

    Since dimir had already said so, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hang up the phone anymore.

    She leaned against the four-poster bed in the resort vi suite and said reservedly, ¡°Lieutenant General dimir, our lives are worthless, so I hope that you will be kind enough not to make us the first target of attack. ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t expect them to be so unreasonable. Don¡¯t cklist me. Without your red packet, how am I supposed to live?! ¡± dimir looked wronged and said as if he waspletely ¡°subservient¡± to the red packet.

    ¡°The thought of being cklisted by you and no one giving me a big red packet in the future makes me feel even worse! ¡± dimir¡¯s words were very ttering.

    Ivan looked at him in shock, and gave his boss a thumbs up for his ¡°flexible¡± attitude.

    dimir gave him a fierce kick and turned to continue coaxing Gu Nianzhi.

    As the second-inmand of the KGB, he had very few friends to make. Gu Nianzhi was one of the few friends he felt he could make. She was much better than her cunning fianc¨¦, Huo Shaoheng.

    Besides, dimir couldn¡¯t directly add huo Shaoheng as a friend, so he had to keep rtionship with Gu Nianzhi.

    He clenched his fist! He must add your friends back!

 Chapter 1278 - Countdown

    <h4>Chapter 1278: Countdown</h4>

    dimir had tried his best to put in a good word with Gu Nianzhi. In order to appease her, he even told her what he had done to Wassily.

    ¡± ... Cereus, I know you were scared today. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already locked up the person who came up with that evil idea. He won¡¯te out to stir up trouble again... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you know who came up with the idea? Is it one of your people? Why would he do that?¡±

    dimir didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to be so sharp. She immediately guessed that it was someone from the KGB. His scalp went numb and he was very worried that he had leaked the secret. But since he had already said it, even if it was leaked, there was no use crying over spilt milk, if he could add Gu Nianzhi as a friend again, then his ¡°leak¡± would be valuable.

    Therefore, dimir said half-truthfully, ¡°That person had a problem with me. He couldn¡¯t stand my elite troops and insisted on getting rid of my men. So he set up this trap and wanted me to fail the mission.¡±

    Feeling even more annoyed, Gu Nianzhi replied by simply uttering an ¡°oh¡±. She pursed her lips, then said, ¡°So this is about you and your men? But why did he have to make an example out of us? Mrs. Song and I aren¡¯t from your country. He¡¯s doing this because he doesn¡¯t care about us. My life is as worthless as grass. I really don¡¯t deserve to be friends with you and the KGB. Who knows, one day I might be ¡®sacrificed¡¯ for no good reason. Alright, I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hang up!¡± dimir was desparate. ¡°He really can¡¯t do that. The Huaxia Empire is our old friend and good friend. We won¡¯t let our loved ones suffer or let our enemies be gratified. So don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely avenge you!¡±

    Not only did he want Gu Nianzhi to vent her anger, but more importantly, he wanted Huo Shaoheng to calm down.

    Otherwise, dimir really didn¡¯t dare to think about what Huo Shaoheng would do to him...

    Seeing that dimir had already said things to this extent, Gu Nianzhi was slightly relieved. She smiled and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait to see. Is there anything else? If not I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t! ¡± dimir called out to her again. After hesitating for a long time, he whispered, ¡°... Then are you still going to block my phone number?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    With a nk expression, she lowered her head and pulled dimir¡¯s phone number out of the block list. She said perfunctorily, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re out. ¡±

    dimir quickly took out his phone and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number. This time, the call went through in an instant.

    Gu Nianzhi switched to dimir¡¯s number. ¡°Okay.¡± She said, ¡°Are you relieved? I¡¯m not blocking it anymore.¡±

    ¡± ... and Wechat, and deduct... ¡± Afraid that the middle-aged driver next to him would hear him, dimir¡¯s voice became quiter and quiter.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a while, but still chose to ept.

    She sent a message to dimir: ¡°I regard you as a friend. Don¡¯t let this happen again.¡±

    dimir quickly shook his head. ¡°No, no, no! There won¡¯t be a second time!¡±

    This time, it was aplete ident.

    dimir was added in again. When he found out that he had joined the KGB trio¡¯s discussion group again, he was instantly in high spirits.

    In a moment of happiness, he also sent Gu Nianzhi a red envelope. Although it wasn¡¯t as generous as hers, a red envelope of 6.66 was already painful enough for dimir...

    He couldn¡¯t afford to deduct a red envelope that hadn¡¯t been authenticated by his real name~~~

    The middle-aged driver took over his phone. He heard a ding from inside and realized that dimir had actually sent a red envelope. He quickly clicked on it and saw that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exclusive red envelope.

    ¡°Ha... ¡± the middle-aged driver rolled his eyes and turned around to leave.

    ..

    Because of the sudden explosion of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s survey equipment, the work of the scientists from the two countries had been halted for the day.

    Everyone had rested and reorganized everything. All the equipment had been re-examined by Russia¡¯s KGB and the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Special Operations forces before being sent back to the scientists for further use.

    Early the next morning, Gu Nianzhi woke up to find that Huo Shaoheng was no longer in the tent.

    She had gone to bed early the day before, and Huo Shaoheng had returnedte. Seeing that she was fast asleep, he suppressed the urge to wake her and held her in his arms the entire night. Before dawn, he had gotten up to help Song Jinning set up the equipment again.

    Gu Nianzhi came out of the tent, thwn took a deep breath and stretched.

    The air in the valley was as fresh as the first handful of snow in winter. It was refreshing, but also bone-chilling.

    Gu Nianzhi walked a few rounds around the tent. The morning dew had soaked the tips of her eyebrows and hair. Her eyes were wet and as clear as crystal.

    The middle-aged driver came out from behind the tent, and upon seeing here out, he greeted her happily, ¡°Cereus, you¡¯re awake? I¡¯ll take you to breakfast!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Did Major General Huo ask you to wait for me here?¡±

    ¡°How do you know?!¡± The middle-aged driver scratched his head. ¡°dimir followed Major General Huo to the giant circr pit early in the morning. Lina and Peter went as well. I¡¯m the only one who doesn¡¯t want to go, hehe...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth with a smile. She thought to herself that Ivan must be naturally cheerful and optimistic to be able to survive in the KGB...

    She liked to be friends with people who were outgoing and cheerful. This way, she would be in a good mood and wouldn¡¯t have to feel sorry for herself nor would she be affected by the negative energy of others every day.

    Gu Nianzhi got into the driver¡¯s car and went to the resort vi with him.

    After returning to the resort vi, Gu Nianzhi first went to wash up in the suite she shared with Huo Shaoheng before going to the restaurant for breakfast.

    They had arrived early enough, but of course, they were still a littleter than the scientists.

    The two of them had a te filled with soft-boiled eggs, fried bacon in butter, two smoked sausages that were uniquely Russian dishes, and two crispy slices of whole-wheat bread.

    Gu Nianzhi also picked up two small tomatoes the size of quail eggs to decorate the te.

    The driver looked at the breakfast on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s te, which was simr to his own, and smiled as he gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Cereus, you eat a lot, but you don¡¯t get fat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at him. ¡°Eat your food! If you keep talking nonsense, there won¡¯t be any red packets for you today! ¡±

    The middle-aged driver pursed his lips and asked in confusion, ¡± ... How was I talking nonsense? I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the word ¡®fat¡¯ is a taboo for all women? ! Whoever utters that unspeakable word will die! ¡± Gu Nianzhi gestured in front of the middle-aged driver with a knife and made a gesture of slitting his throat.

    The driver was shocked and quickly pushed her away. ¡°I said you¡¯re not fat! I didn¡¯t say that you¡¯re fat! ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention the word ¡®fat¡¯ at all! I¡¯ll get angry if you mention it!¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at the driver and finished her breakfast in a few bites. She then went to buy two more breakfasts and brought them out in a lunchbox.

    The driver nced at her after getting into the car and asked with a smile, ¡± ... Is that for Major General Huo? He probably had breakfast already, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if he had breakfast ¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she carefully held the food container in front of her chest. ¡°This is his second breakfast. They have a lot of work to do, so they won¡¯t be filled with just one breakfast.¡±

    The middle-aged driver: ¡± ... ¡±

    Forget it, he was just asking for it. He got fed so much PDA that he was bloated.

    The middle-aged driver drove the car towards the huge circr crater.

    Gu Nianzhi asked him about the explosion yesterday.

    dimir was a cunning man. She had cklisted him, but she hadn¡¯t been able to get anything out of him.

    She had to start with the middle-aged driver.

    The middle-aged driver felt that it was fine to tell Gu Nianzhi about it. The point was that they had indeed been dishonest. Besides, they had long hated Wassily to death. Many people, both in the out in the open and secretly, had been pranked by him and had suffered under him.

    ¡± ... Actually, what happened yesterday was indeed our fault.¡± The chauffeur sighed. ¡°With such a piece of rat poop, our entire pot of soup was ruined...¡±

    As he spoke, he told Gu Nianzhi about what Wassily had done in the headquarters¡¯ political department. In the end, he said, ¡°Major Lina is such a goodrade! She had made so many contributions that she was qualified to be promoted to colonel, not to mention lieutenant colonel. She¡¯s not like me. I just waste time messing around. Lina¡¯s on a mission. Tell me, who will work for him when he refuses to give such a goodrade a quick promotion?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst outughing. ¡°Uncle Ivan, you actually know you mess around?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I know.¡± The driver nodded with a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t have much abilities. In a ce like this, if I don¡¯t mess around, do I just wait around to be toyed with by my own people or my enemies?¡±

    ¡°You know your ce.¡± Gu Nianzhi joked. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to belittle yourself. Uncle Ivan, you¡¯re a wise man on big matters, but also a fool on small matters. Maybe you¡¯re more impressive than everyone else! ¡±

    ¡°Haha! If I¡¯m more impressive than everyone else, that would be great!¡± The driverughed heartily. ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t I be able to take more red packets? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Of course! Red packets are everywhere! Once Ivan appears, no one will be able topete with him!¡±

    The two of them chatted andughed, and soon arrived at the base on the other side of the giant circr pit.

    The sun had already risen.

    White clouds floated in the blue sky. The fog on the other side of the giant circr pit was bigger than other ces because there was more water than other ces. It was said that the bottom of the giant circr pit was filled with water, so one could look down from above. It was exactly the same as the Blue Hole in the Caribbean Sea.

    With more water, more water vapor would evaporate. Although the Sun was bright and beautiful, it still seemed to be shrouded in a thinyer of fog.

    The people and equipment were all covered in a thinyer of gauze, giving off a translucent and hazy ambience.

    Huo Shaoheng was standing beside Song Jinning and listening to her discuss the data with other scientists. He suddenly sensed something and turned around, only to see Gu Nianzhi walking over from the path leading into the base.

    She walked through the clouds and mist, and the trees by the side of the road were lined with shade. Her silhouette was indistinct as she faced the mist, as if she would ride the wind at any moment.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and went up to her. He took her hand and looked at her hair, which was wet from the dew. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wear a hat? The dew is too cold. Be careful not to get a headache.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. The sun will dry it up in a while.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head nonchntly and passed the food container to Huo Shaoheng. She smiled and said, ¡°I brought it for you. It¡¯s fresh and warm eggs with runny hearts, fried bacon with butter, grilled sausages, and whole grain bread. It¡¯s exactly the same as what I had for breakfast.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had helped Song Jinning organize her equipment early in the morning, so he hadn¡¯t had time to eat breakfast.

    However, he was used to eating on the go, so he didn¡¯t think it was inappropriate.

    It wasn¡¯t until he saw the breakfast Gu Nianzhi had bought for him that he realized he was indeed famished and his stomach ached.

    He quietly received it and said gently, ¡°Thank you, I happened to be hungry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly followed him to the folding chair next to them and sat down. She opened the food container for him to have breakfast.

    While Huo Shaoheng was having breakfast, Gu Nianzhi went to see Song Jinning doing the test.

    ¡°Good Morning, Miss Song.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she greeted her. ¡°Have you had breakfast yet? I brought two servings of breakfast.¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head. ¡°I ate a slice of bread and drank a ss of milk. I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    She was focused on the instrument when Gu Nianzhi walked over. Hoping to see what was at the bottom of the crater, she stuck her head out to look at the huge circr crater in front of her.

    Song Jinning quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi, move aside. You¡¯re blocking my instrument¡¯s view.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with an ¡°Oh. ¡± She realized she was indeed standing right in front of Song Jinning¡¯s instrument, so she quickly moved aside.

    Just as she moved, Song Jinning¡¯s detector suddenly beeped.

    Beep! Beep! Beep!

    Everyone at the base looked over.

    Huo Shaoheng threw down the food container and rushed over. He was furious. He didn¡¯t know what the KGB was up to this time.

    But this time, he was wrong.

    This time, it had nothing to do with the KGB.

    Song Jinning stared at the detector fixedly. She shouted, ¡°The maic field data has changed! The wave curve is beginning to fold! Everyone, activate immediately! Record all the data! From now on, don¡¯t miss a second!¡±

    She looked at the detector in front of her excitedly and began to count down.

    ¡°Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!¡±

    As she counted thest number, the fog above the huge circr pit in front of them became denser. The fog twisted into a rope and shuttled back and forth in front of them like a tornado falling from the sky, twisting the fog into a thick rope.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the scene in front of her in shock.

    The fog above the huge pit became denser and denser, and evaporated liquid seemed to quickly condense.

    Her entire face and body was so drenched that it was as if she was submerged in water.

    Huo Shaoheng flew next to Gu Nianzhi and with one hand, dragged her away from the edge of the huge pit, then with his other hand he grabbed Song Jinning¡¯s arm. He tightly guarded the two most important woman in his life.

    Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning didn¡¯t even notice that Huo Shaoheng had approached.

    Song Jinning stared straight at the data on the instrument without even blinking, for fear of missing any important data.

    The curve that wasposed of data moved in waves on the tiny LED screen and formed a 3D shape. All the lines were folding and intersecting nonstop, as if they had a life of their own.

    When one of the uppermost waves of the 3D shape suddenly caved in, and one of the bottom waves of the 3D shape suddenly protruded, the center of these two waves immediately converged.

    When the center of these waves converged, the mist in front of them gradually dissipated.

    But when the mist dissipated, what appeared in front of them wasn¡¯t the blue sky and white clouds, but like a huge movie screen, it turned from grey to clear, then to a dazzling array of colors.

    What appeared in front of them was a bustling street scene.

 Chapter 1279 - Mirage

    <h4>Chapter 1279: Mirage</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked ahead in surprise.

    The fog above the circr crater was getting thicker and thicker, and the water vapor seemed to be rising faster.

    Her face and body were wet as if they had been submerged in water.

    Huo Shaoheng rushed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and pulled her back from the edge of the circr crater with one hand and held Song Jinning¡¯s arm with the other, tightly protecting the two most important women in his life.

    Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning didn¡¯t notice Huo Shaoheng had came over at all.

    Song Jinning stared at the data on the detector in front of her. She didn¡¯t even dare blink, afraid that she would miss out on an important piece of data.

    The undting curve formed by the data flipped and shifted on the small LCD screen, forming a three-dimensional Cube. The various branches inside the cube seemed to have a life of their own, continuously folding and colliding.

    When a curve near the top of the three-dimensional cube suddenly caved in, and a curve near the bottom suddenly protruded, the middle part of the two curves immediately ovepped.

    When the middle part of the two curves ovepped, the thick fog around them slowly dispersed.

    When the fog faded, what appeared in front of them was not a blue sky and white clouds. Instead, it was like a big screen in a movie, from pale to clear, and then to dazzling colors.

    What unfolded before their eyes was a scene crowded with people and vehicles.

    What was going on? !

    The thick fog above the circr crater had turned into a movie screen, reflecting a skyscraper rising from the ground. The sharp roof of the skyscraper was very distinctive.

    At the first nce, Gu Nianzhi regonized that it was the Empire State Building of New York City in the United States!

    It was one of the iconic buildings of New York City!

    The sun shone in between two rows of skyscrapers, and the road was not very wide, with cars arriving one after another, traffic lights shing, and pedestrians hurrying to and fro, bustling with activity.

    The Statue of Liberty held a torch with a golden me high above her head.

    Everyone¡¯s gaze followed the sun, which was like a montage in a movie. The direction suddenly changed, and two more tall buildings appeared in the thick fog.

    ¡°It is Twin Towers! ¡± Gu Nianzhi called out in a low voice, her pupils suddenly narrowed.

    Huo Shaoheng had been on high alert and was not confused by the sudden appearance of the scene before him.

    It wasn¡¯t until Gu Nianzhi called out ¡°Twin Towers¡± that Huo Shaoheng looked up abruptly.

    It really was the Twin Tower of new city!

    Hadn¡¯t the twin towers been destroyed by terrorists more than a decade ago? !

    How did they appear in everyone¡¯s field of vision? !

    ¡°A mirage! Oh my God! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seeing a mirage here!¡±

    The Russian scientists screamed as they scrambled to operate their instruments to record all sorts of data.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Song jinning in confusion. ¡°Ms. Song, is this a mirage? ¡±

    But she remembered that mirages were usually produced at sea or in the desert.

    Could mirages also ur in ind areas like Tunguska, Siberia?

    Song Jinning did not even raise her head as she looked at the instrument in front of her, she calmly said, ¡°Mirages are actually an optical phenomenon. When the temperature of the surface and the air differ greatly, the hot air rises and light passes through theyers of air with different densities, which refracts and transmits the scene in the distance to a closer ce. This is what the ancients called a mirage. ¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s possible for a mirage to appear here? As long as there areyers of air with different densities? ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked thoughtfully at the fog above the circr crater.

    Perhaps it was because of the fog?

    But they could actually refract the scene of the New York city on the other side of the Blue?

    But how could the destroyed Twin Towers appear?

    The horrifying scene of the terrorist ne crashing into the building that shocked the entire Blue was still in many people¡¯s memories.

    At this time, Song Jinning raised her head to look at the monitor on the other side and saw the Twin Towers that had just appeared. She was also shocked, but she quickly reacted and said in surprise, ¡°This is not a Mirage! ¡±

    The Russian scientist who was frantically recording data and videos heard this and said to Song jinning unhappily, ¡°This is clearly a mirage. Look at the angle of refraction of the light. These data all fit the conditions for a mirage to appear. ¡±

    Song Jinning turned to look at the Russian scientists, ¡°But how do you exin the appearance of the Twin Towers? These two buildings were clearly destroyed more than ten years ago. Why did they appear in the mirage? ¡°As a phenomenon of refraction of light, the mirage always reflects a timely scene, not agging scene. ¡±

    The Russian scientists were stunned for a moment. They looked at each other and asked Song Jinning together, ¡°Then what do you think this is? ¡±

    ¡°In my opinion...¡± Song Jinning paused, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the people. Finally, she returned to the silhouette of the city that had appeared in the fog, ¡°I think that the city that appeared in the fog was the New York city from more than a decade ago, not New York city now. ¡±

    Everyone: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she nodded vigorously in agreement with Song Jinning, ¡°I think Ms. Song is right. ¡°Look, in addition to these iconic buildings, there¡¯s also the twin towers that were destroyed more than a decade ago. Just look at the way these people are dressed and the style of the phones they hold in their hands. Do you think it¡¯s thetest fashion? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exnation was closely near Song Jinning¡¯s heart.

    She hade to the conclusion from pure theory that this was no ordinary mirage, but a physics phenomenon of special significance.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was meticulous and observant. She immediately noticed things that scientists like them might not even notice, such as the way they dressed, and even the style of the phone in their hands!

    The past ten years had been the period that Song Jinning had suffered clouding of consciousness. After she woke up, she had some understanding of the major events that had happened in these past ten years, but she was not sensitive to these fashions.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was young, she always surfed the Inte.

    Thanks to the Inte, she had read a lot of information about the terrorist act of the ne crashing into the Twin Towers.

    She remembered the way people had dressed in those pictures very clearly.

    Back then, the apple phone had not been invented, nor had it been as popr as it was now on all blue stars. Back then, the most fashionable smartphone was still the ckberry.

    Song Jinning continued, ¡°So what we saw was not a timely mirage, but a giant circr crater, like a giant antenna, that received light from newtown more than a decade ago. It then converged into an image, allowing us to see what had happened more than a decade ago. ¡±

    As she spoke, Song Jinning looked at Gu Nianzhi again, she smiled and said, ¡°I still remember the first day Nianzhi came here, she asked me if we could see with our own eyes what had happened in history, or if we could see the dinosaur era with our own eyes, if the conditions were right. ¡°Now, this fog is showing us that it¡¯spletely possible. ¡±

    Song Jinning looked at the scene in front of her with a smile. Every hour, every moment, we were surrounded by rays of light and various force fields. They were constantly radiating outwards, and even into the future.

    Song Jinning pointed at the scene with passion and said, ¡°Since we can see the collision of Neutron Stars more than one hundred million years ago through gravitational waves, we can see the situation more than ten years ago through the same gravitational waves! ¡±

    ¡°However, as I told the youngdy the other day, we can see the neutron stars colliding because the energy field produced by it is huge enough. What kind of energy can New York city produce to allow its scene to be recorded by light and be radiated more than ten yearster? Even if the new city could produce such energy, it would have been destroyed by the energy long ago and would no longer exist. ¡°The fact that New York city has not disappeared is enough to prove that it has never carried a huge energy field before

    ¡°So, tell me, how did these scenes radiate from more than a decade ago to more than a decadeter and were received by us? ¡±

    Song Jinning pondered for a moment, ¡°I think we need to further investigate the specific causes, but I think the transmission process is the same as a television signal. ¡°More than a decade ago, the new city sent out signals, which were received by us more than a decadeter, and then turned into visible images by television. ¡°

 Chapter 1280 - Earth-Shattering

    <h4>Chapter 1280: Earth-Shattering</h4>

    The Russian scientist was no pushover either. He couldn¡¯t help but sneer when he heard Song Jinning say that the process was like sending a signal from a television series, and said, ¡°The transmission of a television signal requires a high-powered signal tower. Where in Novosibirsk do you think there is such a signal tower that can send the signal to more than a decadeter? Hehehehe, I say that you guys are delusional, delusional!¡±

    It was one thing to say that Gu Nianzhi was delusional, but he actually said that Song Jinning was also delusional!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand it!

    She turned to look at the scientist, then enunciated each word clearly, ¡°Before the appearance of the ne, many ignorant people didn¡¯t believe that people could fly in the sky. Before the appearance of the telephone, people also didn¡¯t believe that one day, people would be able to freelymunicate with each other by holding a small rectangr box. You¡¯re a scientist. I thought your thinking would be a few steps ahead of ordinary people, but now it seems that you don¡¯t even have the imagination of ordinary people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rebuke made the Russian scientist blush. He wanted to refute her, but couldn¡¯t think of any practical examples at the moment, so he could only turn his head and sulk.

    Song Jinning patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s no need to argue with narrow-minded people. The development of science doesn¡¯t depend on individual will. Ignorant and short-sighted people will only be an obstacle to the development of science. ¡ª¡ªAlright now, let¡¯s ignore them and just do our own thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Ms. Song, you have the best cultivation. I shouldn¡¯t have argued with an ignorant person.¡±

    It was ironic and arrogant to call the Russian scientist an ¡°ignorant person¡±.

    However, the other party couldn¡¯t refute it. This type of ¡°ignorance¡± wasn¡¯t ignorance in terms of knowledge, but ignorance in terms of vision and imagination. These two were also the bottlenecks that restricted the development of science and technology.

    The other scientists looked at each other, then buried their heads in their work and didn¡¯t speak again.

    Worried that something might go wrong, Huo Shaoheng led his men to stand guard.

    He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Follow me and don¡¯t wander around.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and agreed, then obediently following behind him.

    Huo Shaoheng was on guard, so she looked around and took pictures with her phone from time to time.

    Sometimes she took pictures of the scenery, sometimes she took selfies, and sometimes she leaned over to Huo Shaoheng and took selfies with him.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng ignored her, she could have fun by herself.

    The driver followed dimir, Lina, and Peter to take charge of the Russian scientists¡¯ surveince mission.

    Upon seeing that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were inseparable like a couple, the chauffeur made a gesture of ¡°vomiting¡± and chuckled as he said, ¡°I think I¡¯ll be stuffed with PDA for the next few days.¡±

    dimir was very envious of Huo Shaoheng. He quickly nced at Lina beside him, then saw that she still had a grave expression on her face and waspletely unmoved. She didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of ¡°showing off PDA¡± with him, so he was a little disappointed, but he also felt a little itchy.

    It was also his great luck to be able to arouse the interest of such a tough woman.

    dimir thought that although Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t bad, she was too coquettish. She wasn¡¯t his cup of tea. Only a woman like Lina would be able to spend the rest of her life with him side by side.

    He stared at the side profile of Lina¡¯s high cheekbones thoughtfully and chuckled as he said, ¡°Major Lina, do you want to take a break? It will be fine with the three of us here.¡±

    He pointed at the driver and Peter.

    Lina shook her head. ¡°No need. I¡¯m not sleepy.¡±

    The driver looked at them with a smile and said hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy! Can I take a break?¡±

    ¡°Get lost! ¡± dimir¡¯s facial expression changed instantly and he kicked the driver away.

    Ignoring their banter, Peter followed behind them with his eyes drooped and his hands behind his back.

    ..

    As time passed, the sun rose even higher.

    The fog above the circr crater became thinner and thinner. The images of Novosibirsk from more than a decade ago also became fainter and fainter. There was also less and less data captured by the detector.

    In the end, the fogpletely dissipated and the images disappeared. The data could no longer be detected.

    Song Jinning said reluctantly, ¡°This time, this data is worth a few years of hard work.¡±

    She studied maic fields, and the changes in the maic field here could be said to be the pinnacle of theoretical development. Most of the data could only be detected from the depths of the universe.

    ¡°Could it be that the Tunguska explosion was really caused by the impact of aet?¡±

    During lunch, the scientists chatted idly.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t butt in such an esoteric discussion topic. She merely picked up arge prawn and nned to dip it in seafood sauce.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly picked up a few prawns for her, as well as fresh and tender Arctic shellfish, and ced them on the te in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t eat alone. She picked up a prawn with a fork and smiled as she ced it into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his mouth to eat, and fed her the Arctic shellfish as well.

    The two of them fed each other as if no one else was around. Thinking that they would probably have to prepare for the wedding and the nursery when they got back, Song Jinning watched in delight..

    The middle-aged driver hade over with a smile and had wanted to talk to Gu Nianzhi, but when he saw this scene, he silently took his tray and left again. He returned to dimir, Lina, and Peter¡¯s side and sat to eat with them under the big tree.

    dimir saw the situation on Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side from afar and smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Major General Huo to spoil Cereus so much. Tsk Tsk, how much does he like her?¡±

    Peter looked at him and then ced a grilled prawn on Lina¡¯s te.

    Lina: ¡± ... ¡±

    dimir was nervous. He didn¡¯t hesitate to ce his grilled prawn on Lina¡¯s te as well.

    The driver suddenly stood up.

    He felt depressed living in a world where people disyed PDA everywhere!

    He left the big tree without looking back and found a ce to eat alone.

    ..

    After that day, the scientists¡¯ observations came to a standstill.

    The giant circr crater seemed to have run out of energy during the projection of the New York City image that day, and no maic field data could be detected.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng held hands as they strolled along the small hillside around the giant circr crater.

    She looked at the giant circr crater not far away and said with a sigh, ¡°Could there really be special energy here?¡±

    Whether it was the undtion curve that had appeared here in the beginning or the projection of New York City that had appeared a few days ago, they all pointed to this result.

    But no one knew exactly what it was.

    Everyone could only analyze the avable data in an attempt to reach a scientific conclusion.

    But this conclusion wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained in a day or two.

    For several days, Song Jinning had returned from the giant circr crater in disappointment.

    On thest day, she stood in front of the giant circr crater and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s not much research value here for the time being. I think we can go back now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiforted Song Jinning, ¡°There¡¯s already a lot of good data here. Go back and study it properly. The conclusion should be waiting for us not that far away.¡±

    Song Jinning nodded ruefully. ¡°I hope we cane to a conclusion right away. Actually, what I said about the projection from more than ten years ago was just a bold assumption. We still need to be careful to verify it. Our hypothesis could be right or wrong. The field of science is vast and profound. Anything can happen.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song, you can do it. I believe in you!¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile. She turned around and saw Lina, holding onto a long rope, climbing up from the bottom of the huge circr pit.

    ¡°Huh? Major Lina, why are you here? What¡¯s down there? Is it fun? You¡¯re so brave to have the guts to go down! ¡± Gu Nianzhi greeted her in surprise.

    Lina looked at her calmly and removed the long rope from her waist. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m going down to help the scientists collect the cameras and detection equipment.¡±

    Song Jinning took the long rope and handed it to a staff member at the side. She smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Major Lina.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I still have a few cameras here that belong to scientists from our country.¡± Lina nodded at them and turned to leave.

    dimir and Peter, together with the Russian scientists, stood about two hundred meters away from them.

    Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Why are the Russian scientists¡¯ cameras on our side?¡±

    She had thought that this was a divided area ¡ª the Huaxia Scientists¡¯ area, and the Russian scientists¡¯ area. The walls were clearly divided.

    Song Jinning was amused by her. She said, ¡°Why would there be a divided area? Everyone is doing scientific research, so of course they have cameras from all angles. Our cameras are on their side too. That gentleman was the one who sent them back to me moments before.¡±

    Song Jinning pouted at Peter.

    Gu Nianzhi understood and smiled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m showing my ignorance again. Ms. Song is the best. She neverughs at me.¡±

    If it had been the shrp-tongued Russian scientist, he would haveughed at her ignorance again.

    As they spoke, a few more staff members climbed up from beneath the circr crater. They were all tied up with long ropes and were carrying a lot of equipment and cameras.

    These people were all members of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s entourage, and most of them were field agents from the special operations forces.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had actually gone down as well. He had blended in with the staff and had disguised himself so that no one would be able to recognize him.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was so familiar with him that no matter how he disguised himself, she could sense him whenever he appeared around her.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t make any sounds to acknowledge him.

    Since Huo Shaoheng had chosen to disguise himself, he definitely didn¡¯t want anyone to know that he had gone down there.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know why he had gone down there, but she guessed that it was because of his work.

    She smiled and turned to talk to Song Jinning. She packed up the equipment with her and prepared to go home.

    Just then, something strange happened.

    As if the earth was shaking and the mountains were shaking, there was a loud bang.

    In fact, the entire ground beneath their feet was shaking.

    The rocks rolled down and almost caused a mudslide.

    The tall birch forest began to topple. Water rippled in the huge circr pit, and filling the air with smoke, mes shot up into the sky.

    Gu Nianzhi reflexively hugged Song Jinning and threw herself on the ground. She rolled into the open to avoid the explosion at their feet!

    On the other side, the explosion at the Russian scientist¡¯s side was even more intense.

    The explosion sounded at their feet. This time, it wasn¡¯t a fake ¡°electric spark¡±, but a real explosion!

    dimir didn¡¯t have time to think about who would be able to break through his and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s defenses and bury the explosives at the edge of the giant circr pit. He reflexively turned around and used his body to protect the Russian scientist beside him.

    The giant blue pit appeared before his eyes and continued to erge.

    At that moment, he saw his entire life, since his childhood, sh by his eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but regret that he wasn¡¯t married and hadn¡¯t had children yet..

    At that moment, Lina pounced over without hesitation and used her body to protect dimir.

    The explosion was even louder. Lina pushed dimir hard, but she could not withstand the impact of the explosion. Her feet slipped and she rapidly rolled towards the bottom of the giant circr pit!

    ¡°Lina! ¡± dimir, who had been pushed away, turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs. He wanted to jump down as well, but he was tightly held in ce by Peter and the driver.

 Chapter 1281 - Iâ€™m Even Prouder Of You

    <h4>Chapter 1281: I¡¯m Even Prouder Of You</h4>

    The thick fog around the circr crater had just dispersed when another earth-shattering explosion was heard.

    Smoke filled the air above the entire base. Injured by the explosion, many of the Russian scientists were lying on the ground and wailing in pain.

    dimir used up all his strength, but he couldn¡¯t break free from the grasps of Peter and the driver¡¯s iron-like arms.

    ¡°Let go of me! Why are you pressing me down?! Go down and help! Ourrade fell into the huge pit, and we don¡¯t know if she¡¯s alive or dead, yet you still have the nerve to hold on to my hand?!¡± The veins on his forehead almost popping out of his skin, dimir roared.

    Peter¡¯s blue-gray eyes, which had been drooping, opened wide at this time. He said, ¡°Boss, trust me. I¡¯ll go down and help you find Major Lina.¡±

    dimir nodded first, then quickly shook his head and said in a rough voice, ¡°You can¡¯t go! Do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking? ! ¡ª¡ªDon¡¯t even think about it! Lina is mine! Mine!¡±

    At this time, he was still in the mood to feel jealousy!

    Peter smiled bitterly and nodded. ¡°Yes, Lina doesn¡¯t have any interest in me at all. I know that, so I can go down and save her, right? You¡¯remanding from above. The scientists over there seem to be injured...¡±

    Only then did dimir turn his head to look at his own base.

    The instruments were scattered all over the ground. Almost all of them had been blown to pieces. Tiny nuts were scattered among the rocks.

    Everyone was lying on the ground and wailing. The grass was stained with blood. Some were holding their legs, some were hugging their arms, and some had blood dripping down their faces.

    dimir came back to his senses and stood up from the ground. When he looked back at the Huaxia Empire¡¯s base, he saw that it was also a mess.

    However, they had packed up their equipment early and had just lifted it away from the edge of the huge circr pit, so there wasn¡¯t that much damage. However, the injuries of the people seemed to be more or less the same.

    Not knowing where they were injured, a few of Huaxia Empire¡¯s scientists hugged their heads and wailed.

    His mind racing, dimir closed his eyes.

    What the hell was going on?

    Was it another ¡°assessment¡± from the headquarters?!

    It was too much like those people¡¯s handiwork.

    They were crazy, stubborn, and had no sense of propriety. They would do anything to achieve their goals.

    Moreover, they had done it secretly. No one knew how they had transported the explosives here and buried them at the edge of the huge circr pit.

    He could even determine the type of the explosives. It was probably the KAM-137 series, which was used by the KGB for small-scale, high-power fixed-point clearance...

    With a grave expression, dimir got up from the ground and said to Peter, ¡°You take people down to rescue Lina.¡±

    He said to the driver, ¡°You wait here and provide them with the necessary assistance. Give them whatever they want. If anyone dares to refuse, kill them!¡±

    Completely disregarding any discipline and rules, dimir¡¯s eyes were red.

    At this time, as long as he could save Lina, he would even if he had to kill everyone here.

    The driver gave a military salute. ¡°Following your orders, Lieutenant General dimir. ¡±

    It was rare for the driver to be so serious. dimir patted his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    He then walked over to the Russian scientists who were supposed to be under his protection. He brought the military doctors to check on their injuries and bandaged them up.

    After confirming that the Russian scientists weren¡¯t dead or seriously injured, dimir ignored them. He ordered one of his men to keep an eye on the scientists, and returned to the edge of the giant pit. He and the driver watched nervously as the rescue team descended from the giant pit.

    ...

    Afraid that the explosives wouldnd on Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi hid Song Jinning under her body and covered her tightly with her own body.

    Huo Shaoheng was packing up the equipment and boxes with his entourage when the explosion sounded.

    Upon hearing the loud sound, he subconsciously turned around and looked at where Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi had been standing, the spot by the giant circr pit.

    He saw the two of them lying on the ground. Before he could rush over, the security guards he had arranged had already surrounded the Huaxia Empire scientists and used their bodies to create a wall and shield of flesh.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly helped Song Jinning up and anxiously looked at the crowd surrounding them.

    One of the field staff said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said gratefully, ¡°Thank you. ¡ª¡ªWhere¡¯s Major General Huo?¡±

    At times like this, she still needed to see Huo Shaoheng to feel at ease.

    The field officer did not directly answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question, but only said, ¡°our duty is to protect your safety. Don¡¯t worry, whoever wants to harm you must step on our bodies! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to suppress the excitement and nervousness in her heart and nodded. ¡°thank you, then. ¡±

    ..

    In the chaotic crowd, Huo Shaoheng tore off the disguise on his face and returned to his original appearance.

    He strode to where Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning were standing, then said to the field officer who was surrounding them, ¡°Thank you, you¡¯ve done well. Now go and see if there are any explosives here that haven¡¯t been detonated. Also, call the doctor to check if the scientists are injured.¡±

    The explosion just now had been too sudden and powerful. It was nothing like the toy-like ¡°electric sparks¡± fromst time.

    To put it bluntly, the previous time had been child¡¯s y. This time, it was a real battlefield.

    The field officers received new orders and missions. They began to investigate their own base.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and patted her on the shoulder. He didn¡¯t say anything more and looked at Song Jinning. ¡°... Are you okay?¡±

    Song Jinning was used to all this.

    When she had been working with her father, Song Haichuan, on his experiments, she had encountered more of this kind of thing and had long since became used to it.

    She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I need to check my equipment. As long as it¡¯s intact, I¡¯m fine.¡± She left Gu Nianzhi and took the two researchers to count the data on the instruments and equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Song Jinning¡¯s back with great emotion and said in a low voice, ¡°Ms. Song is a scientist worthy of everyone¡¯s respect.¡±

    She was a genius scientist who had put her life on the line and devoted herself to scientific research.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m very proud of my mother.¡±

    He had understood his mother¡¯s ways since he was a teenager, so whenever his mother was busy with her experiments and neglected his birthday, he never felt unhappy or threw any tantrums.

    He simply took the birthday cake with him on the bus ride to Song Jinning¡¯sb by himself, and ate cake with his mother..

    He grew up this way withoutining or letting his childhood experience make him develop a sociopathic personality.

    Gu Nianzhi was deeply attracted to this side of him.

    She didn¡¯t remember anything before she was 12 years old, but she knew that there was a period of time in her memory that waspletely ck.

    In the seven years that Gu Nianzhi had grown up, Huo Shaoheng was like the sun shining into her dark life.

    She had grown up in the darkness, but Huo Shaoheng had trained her to be cheerful.

    Gu Nianzhi gently held huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and looked at him longingly. She whispered, ¡°I would be very proud of Ms. Song, too, but I¡¯d be even prouder of you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a smile and leaned over to whisper into her ear, ¡± ... What a coincidence. I want to say the same thing. I¡¯d be even prouder of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart shrank. His deep maic voice, piercing directly into her heart, had the magic of a Subwoofer.

    Her face blushed and her heart was beating wildly.

    However, in front of everyone and in the area where the explosion had just urred, she couldn¡¯t show any inappropriate PDA. She could only hold Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand tightly.

    Wherever Huo Shaoheng went, she would follow him like a pendant on his leg.

    Huo Shaoheng happened to be worried about Gu Nianzhi, so he let her follow him.

    The two of them walked around the Huaxia Empire¡¯s base and confirmed that all the scientists and entourage were alive. Some were injured, but no one was seriously injured or killed.

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief. He ordered his own people to be more vignt as he walked towards the Russian scientists¡¯ base.

    The situation there was much worse than theirs.

    First of all, there were pieces of equipment that had been blown up everywhere. Gu Nianzhi had identally stepped on a piece of metal several times and almost sprained her ankle.

    In the end, Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to hold her by the waist to prevent her from falling.

    The Russian scientists¡¯ injuries were also more serious than those in the Huaxia Empire.

    Several of them had their arms hanging up. They seemed to have broken bones.

    However, none of them were dead or seriously injured.

    Huo Shaoheng looked around, but didn¡¯t see dimir. He found someone and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Lieutenant General dimir?¡±

    A KGB officer pointed to the edge of the giant circr pit. ¡°Over there... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a look and froze. ¡°What are they doing?¡±

    ¡± ... Major Lina fell into the pit while prote ting Lieutenant General dimir... ¡± The KGB officer mumbled with his eyes red.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand Russian, so she looked at Huo Shaoheng inquiringly.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and led her to dimir inrge strides. He said, ¡± ... Major Lina fell into the giant circr pit to save dimir.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi eximed in shock and outrage, ¡°How could this be? ! Are they still testing her?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that thest ¡°spark¡± was because the KGB headquarters wanted to test major Lina¡¯s loyalty, but it backfired and almost hurt Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened.

    When they arrived at the giant circr pit, dimir was lying on the ground in a daze and holding a pair of binocrs while looking into the bottomless pit.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the middle-aged driver was also helping out, so she quickly walked over and asked, ¡°Uncle Ivan, did Major Lina really fall in?!¡±

    The middle-aged driver nodded his head in anguish. ¡°Of course it was real. I saw it with my own eyes. The explosion was right next to the boss¡¯s feet. Lina pushed the boss away, slipped, and fell.¡±

 Chapter 1282 - Unforgettable

    <h4>Chapter 1282: Unforgettable</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked by the driver¡¯s brief narration.

    At that critical moment, Lina had pushed dimir away, but she had fallen into the huge pit...

    She walked over and stuck her head out to take a look at the huge circr pit.

    The bottom of the pit was blue, and the surface of the water reflected the sunlight. The bottom couldn¡¯t be seen, and there seemed to be a mist lingering around it.

    Gu Nianzhi only looked at it for a while before she looked away. She asked with lingering fear, ¡°How deep is this ce?¡± She asked again, ¡°Does Major Lina know how to swim?¡±

    There was allegedly plenty of water at the bottom of the giant pit. If she fell into the water and could swim, there should be a chance she survived, right?

    Gu Nianzhi was thinking about how tofort dimir when she saw a few people climb up from the bottom of the giant pit.

    They were all drenched and dripping with water when they got out.

    Thest person to climb up was Lieutenant Colonel Peter.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered this person who always appeared to have droopy eyelids, as if he hadn¡¯t slept enough.

    This person gave her a very sinister vibe. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was usually fixed on this person and would avoid him whenever she could. She wouldn¡¯t even look at him.

    However, upon seeing that he had risked his life to save Lina this time, Gu Nianzhi had a much improved impression of him.

    When dimir saw that Peter and the others hade up, he hurried over to them and asked anxiously and eagerly, ¡°You¡¯re all up here? Where¡¯s Lina?!¡±

    Peter took the towel from his subordinate and wiped his head. He said calmly and regretfully, ¡± ... I¡¯m sorry, Lieutenant General dimir, but this is all we found.¡±

    As he spoke, Peter opened the ck stic bags in their hands.

    Gu Nianzhi looked over as well.

    It turned out that the stic bags were filled with torn clothes and Lina¡¯s KGB uniform.

    dimir felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

    His lips open and closed as he red at Peter. He wanted to speak, but he couldn¡¯t make a sound. It was like a living nightmare.

    He wished that it was just a nightmare. When he woke up, the nightmare would be over.

    However, the middle-aged driver came over and crushed dimir¡¯sst hopes.

    ¡± ... Huh? You guys only found clothes? They¡¯re all outer clothes... Poor Major Lina. She must have rolled all the way down the huge pit, got knocked unconscious, and fell into the water...¡±

    The middle-aged driver didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but everyone present knew what he meant.

    If someone fell into the water unconscious, it was almost certain that the person would die.

    Peter patted dimir on the shoulders. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m sorry for your loss. ¡°We¡¯ve looked for many ces down there. We¡¯ve looked for all the ces that we could walk to. We¡¯ve also looked for those that we couldn¡¯t walk to, but we only saw traces of someone rolling into the water... The bottom of this huge pit leads to an underground river. If Major Lina was really unconscious when she fell into the water, it would have been a disaster.¡±

    Peter spoke Russian very fluently but with a slight ent, like an Eastern European person speaking Russian.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand Russian, nor did she wear a Bluetooth headset that could trante simultaneously. She had no choice but to turn to the driver again.

    The driver ryed it to her in English.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. ¡± ...They mean that Major Lina has... died?!¡±

    The driver nodded. ¡°I think so.¡± He shrinked his hands up his sleeves and sighed.

    Peter¡¯s eyelids drooped as he stood in front of dimir. After a while, he took out another ck stic bag and said, ¡°I also found this down there.¡±

    With trembling hands, dimir opened the ck stic bag and found a phone with a broken screen, a man¡¯s watch, and a wallet ¡ª All the things that Lina had always carried with her.

    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± The other KGB members who had followed Peter down to find Lina alsoforted dimir. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Peter led us down to look for many ces. He even wanted to crack open the crack of a rock to take a look, but other than these things, we didn¡¯t find Major Lina.¡±

    dimir closed his eyes and held back the tears that were about to gush out of his eyes. He gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m going to keep looking! I want to see her alive, and even if she¡¯s dead I have to see her body! ¡±

    Peter nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s keep looking.¡± With that, he tied the long rope that he had just untied around his waist and was about to go down again.

    The middle-aged driver grabbed him and turned to dimir. ¡°Boss, I know you¡¯re very upset about Major Lina¡¯s matter, but Peter is also your subordinate. You can¡¯t be so harsh on Peter for Lina¡¯s sake, right?¡±

    dimir red at the middle-aged driver and rushed over to untie the long rope from Peter¡¯s waist. He tied it around his waist and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go. I¡¯ll go alone!¡±

    This time, he moved too quickly. Peter and the middle-aged driver did not hold him back in time and simply watched him jump down.

    Peter was worried. He found another long rope and brought a few people down.

    The long rope was tied around his waist and swung around in the huge pit. It went all the way down to the bottom.

    Gu Nianzhi still wanted to poke her head out to take a look, but Huo Shaoheng pulled her back. ¡°Don¡¯t stand on the edge of the cliff.¡±

    Wasn¡¯t this just like a cliff?

    Gu Nianzhi was even more worried.

    Huo Shaoheng put his arm around her shoulder and stood next to the middle-aged driver. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Our experiment is over. We have to go now. Let us know when you find Lina.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a phone call to the driver and said, ¡°Uncle Ivan can also send me a Wechat message or a button. I¡¯ll keep them on my phone.¡±

    The driver nodded. ¡°You guys can go first. The boss hasn¡¯t finished sending his crazy messages. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll let this go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the driver disapprovingly and whispered, ¡± ... Don¡¯t say that. dimir is so pitiful this time...¡±

    The driver gave a wry smile. ¡°I know, but we have to ept reality, don¡¯t we? It¡¯s a good thing they haven¡¯t started dating yet. They just like each other, so he should be able to forget soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said seriously, ¡°No, I won¡¯t forget Lina. I won¡¯t forget dimir, and I won¡¯t forget Uncle Ivan.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she walked over and gave the driver a gentle hug.

    The driver patted her on the back and kissed her on the cheek like an elder would treat a junior. ¡°I won¡¯t be seeing you off. Have a safe trip.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded solemnly. ¡°You take care too.¡±

    She followed Huo Shaoheng back to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s base and watched as everyone packed their things. It didn¡¯t take long for them to check out of the resort and drive their rental car out of the Tunguska region of Siberia.

    They sped all the way to the nearest andrgest airport, Irkutsk International Airport.

    A special ne from the Huaxia Empire was already quietly waiting for them.

    Huo Shaoheng had to go with someone to coordinate matters, so Gu Nianzhi followed Song Jinning and the other scientists onto the ne.

    The captain led all the flight attendants to stand at the cabin door to wee them and even gave Song Jinning a bouquet of flowers.

    ¡°Wee back, Ms. Song.¡±

    Song Jinning was very surprised. She hade to Siberia by train and never experienced such a high standard of treatment.

    Gu Nianzhi guessed that Huo Shaoheng had arranged it. She smiled as she held Song Jinning¡¯s arm and said, ¡°We¡¯re sharing the limelight of Ms. Song¡¯s glory.¡±

    The captain was also very respectful towards Gu Nianzhi. He stepped aside and invited Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning to board the ne first.

    After everyone had settled in, Huo Shaoheng quickly returned to the ne. He went to the cockpit to discuss the route with the captain and his assistant. He also contacted the domestic airport and ordered them to take off immediately.

    The flight from Irkutsk airport to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Imperial Capital International Airport wasn¡¯t long. It was only three hours.

    Because they were on a private ne, the green light was on the entire time. Other nes avoided their private ne, so it only took them an hour and a half to get to the Imperial Capital International Airport.

    When the nended at the Capital International Airport¡¯s Terminal 3, Gu Nianzhi could hardly believe her eyes.

    This was too fast!

    However, Huo Shaoheng and the Special Operations forces were particrly quick to act.

    As soon as the private nended at Terminal 3, several buses drove directly to the tarmac.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised. She looked at Song Jinning. ¡°Ms. Song, is that your car?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at it and smiled. ¡°How could we afford those kinds of cars? Those are military vehicles.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Major General Huo¡¯s car.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked inside the cabin but didn¡¯t see Huo Shaoheng. She asked the people next to her and found out that Huo Shaoheng had already left.

    Gu Nianzhi moved closer to the window and finally saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and upright figure.

    He stood in front of a bus as he talked to a bus driver. He waved his hand, and boxes half the height of a person were brought down from the ne and directly onto the bus.

    Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°So it¡¯s for you, Ms. Song?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at them and nodded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s our boxes. These machines are priceless now, and the data inside are invaluable. There¡¯s no other way.¡±

    Therefore, they needed military vehicles to escort them to ensure absolute safety.

    The instruments of the Russian scientists had been destroyed in the explosion just now, so it was unknown whether they had made a backup.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts ran wild. She saw Huo Shaoheng walking over to their private ne with his long legs. She quickly withdrew her head from the window and smiled as she high-fived Song Jinning. ¡°We¡¯re finally home!¡±

 Chapter 1283 - Plan to Sue

    <h4>Chapter 1283: n to Sue</h4>

    Song Jinning tidied up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clothes with smile. ¡°Go back and get some rest. You¡¯ve been so tired that was skinny these past few days. ¡±

    ¡°Really? ¡± Gu Nianzhi touched her face, feeling a little shy. ¡°You also need to take a rest when you go back. It¡¯s been hard on you. ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s never hard to do what I love.¡± Song Jinning smiled as she stood up, intending to get off the ne.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the ne and walked up to Gu Nianzhi and Song jinning. He said calmly, ¡°We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s get off the ne.¡±

    Song Jinning picked up her backpack and waved at him with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. You and Nianzhi should discuss the wedding arrangements. Let me know if you need anything. Although I¡¯m not a billionaire, I¡¯ve already prepared the money for my son¡¯s wedding. ¡±

    A smile lifted the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth. His mood visibly lightened. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help us pick a auspicious date? ¡±

    Song Jinning winked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯m not good at picking dates. You guys can decide for yourselves. I just wait the birth of my grandson and granddaughter anyway. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not respond abd stepped aside. After watching Song Jinning leave, he offered his hand to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi held his hand, put on her sunsses, and got off the ne with him.

    Although they had taken a private ne this time, it seemed to have been kept a secret the entire time.

    There was no weing ceremony at the airport, and no one hade to pick them up.

    The two of them got into the car arranged by Special Operations Forces to pick them up, leaving T3 terminal at the Imperial Capital International Airport on the sly, then they headed to the Special Operations Forces headquarters.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi got into the car, the person sitting in the front row turned to his with a smile. ¡°Nianzhi, how world-shaking your engagement ceremony was. Awesome! I have belittled you before! ¡±

    It was Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Nianzhi felt very close at once and the strange feeling she had felt when the ne had just arrived immediately dissipated.

    She smiled and held out her hand, saying yfully, ¡°Brother Xiong, since I¡¯m engaged, shouldn¡¯t you give me the engagement present? Where¡¯s my present? ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a p! ¡± Yin Shixiong pped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair palm. ¡± Enough of this.¡±

    ¡°Totally insufficient! Hmph! You¡¯re too stingy! I¡¯m going to tell Qiqi that her fianc¨¦ is such a stingy person! ¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be angry and said.

    Yin Shixiong chuckled, looking like the cat that ate the canary. ¡°Go ahead and tell her. Qiqi will definitely tell you that I¡¯m an economically rational person. ¡±

    It looked like the two of them were really in a good rtionship.

    The two of them finally settled down..

    At the moment, Gu Nianzhi thought of dimir and Lina, which let her sob deeply, and she nodded, not asking any more. She only said, ¡°When are you going to hold the wedding? ¡±

    She thought that since Ma Qiqi and Yin Shixiong were engaged before them, the wedding should be in front of them as well. She didn¡¯t want to ¡°overtake¡± them.

    Yin Shixiong pouted at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Huo Shao, Has my marriage application been approved or not? ¡±

    If he didn¡¯t approve his marriage application, how could he hold a wedding?

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed the space between his eyebrows and said tiredly, ¡°Yes, soon. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Yin Shixiong was about to realize his wish finally. He was instantly delighted and winked at Gu Nianzhi, ¡± Now you understand? When am I going to hold my wedding is not up to me or Qiqi, but is decided by Huo Shao! ¡±

    ¡°You are so smooth-tongued! ¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted and stopped teasing Yin Shixiong.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong started to discuss work matters. Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone and sent a text message to He Zhichu.

    [ Nez Here ] : Professor He, I¡¯m back. Are you feeling better?

    He Zhichu had an acute illness at home a while ago, and it was Gu Nianzhi who asked Chen Lie to take him at the hospital.

    He Zhichu had been recuperating at Chen Lie¡¯s ce for the past few days, and Gu Nianzhi had left him alone after making sure he wasn¡¯t in any danger.

    He Zhichu had already returned to his vi in the capital.

    He had stayed in the professor¡¯s suite provided by the university in the capital.

    After deciding to stay in the capital, he bought a single-family vi near the Western hills of the capital.

    It took up arge area, and there was a 500-meter path from the main entrance to the main house. There were no other houses around, so it was very quiet.

    He sat alone in front of hisputer, working. Hearing the sound of a messageing in on his phone, she took the phone and looked at it, and found that it was Gu Nianzhi returning.

    He quickly called her.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re in the capital? ¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold and clear voice came from the phone, but Gu Nianzhi found it particrly pleasant to hear.

    She smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, I just got off the ne. Are you feeling better? Are you still in the hospital? ¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and leaned back in his ergonomicputer chair. He said casually, ¡°I¡¯m much better. I¡¯m not going to croak yet. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Health is the most important thing. You have to address both symptoms and root causes. Or you will suffer it again in the future.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t happen again. ¡± He Zhichu smiled faintly, because there was nothing in this world that could provoke him any more.

    His mind had settled as still water.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You have just recovered from a serious illness and need to take good care of yourself. I brought you a gift. When are you free? I¡¯lle visit you. ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always free for you, ¡± He Zhichu said with a smile.

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet and soft voice, He Zhichu suddenly felt that the scenery outside the window was a little better.

    His study room faced the woods on the mountain. Previously, he had always felt that the lush greenery was too messy.

    But now, he felt rxed and happy. Even his eyes were much morefortable.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curved into a wide smile.

    She curled up in the back seat of the car and muttered, ¡°No way. I will not visit you until you¡¯re feeling better and I¡¯m not busy with work. ¡±

    When it came to the work, He Zhichu reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Have you officially joined the council?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grunted, and her wild thoughts were immediately pulled back.

    She scratched her head. ¡°Yeah, I guess so. ¡±

    Actually, the formal process wasn¡¯t over yet. She should still be on probation.

    He Zhichu calmly reminded her, ¡°If you officially join parliament, I¡¯ll help you quit your job at aw firm in the United States. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi certainly can¡¯t serve in parliament and work abroad at the same time.

    ¡°Well, I should quit indeed. ¡± Gu Nianzhi said without hesitation, though she was still a little reluctant to do so.

    Actually she didn¡¯t have that high of an ambition. She was already very satisfied to be a sessfulwyer.

    However, since Speaker Long valued her so highly, she could let her down. She also wanted to help Huo Shaoheng, so she epted the position in the parliament.

    Since they were talking about the work of thew firm, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking about suing Luo Jin.

    Since she had just returned to the country, there were still a lot of things to do. But to Luo Jin¡¯s issue, it should be the top priority .

 Chapter 1284 - Four Milestones In Life

    <h4>Chapter 1284: Four Milestones In Life</h4>

    Back in Russia, Song Jinning had fully entrusted Gu Nianzhi to act as herwyer and file awsuit against Luo Jin.

    There was a lot of room for maneuvering between Song Jinning and Luo Jin. It all depended on thewyer¡¯s skills.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes as she held her phone. She wanted to discuss the matter with He Zhichu.

    However, she was in the Special Operations forces bulletproof car now, so it wasn¡¯t convenient for her to discuss legal issues with He Zhichu.

    ¡°Professor He, you should rest. I¡¯ll visit you tomorrow.¡± Gu Nianzhi nned to go back and sort out her thoughts before discussing a n with He Zhichu the next day.

    He Zhichu could hear something different in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone.

    His almond-shaped eyes shed. He Zhichu looked at his watch and said, ¡°I¡¯m free all day today. Where are you? Do you want me to meet you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Are you reallypletely healed? Can you work now?!¡±

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s excited tone, He Zhichu concluded that Gu Nianzhi had something to talk to him about.

    He Zhichu smiled and said, ¡°You can ask Chen Lie about whether or not I¡¯m healed.¡±

    After a pause, He Zhichu continued, ¡°I¡¯m not at school right now. I¡¯m at the West Mountain Vi. I just bought a house, and you haven¡¯t been there yet. How about this? Since you¡¯re back in the country, and I just got my new house, I¡¯ll have a house warming party and invite my friends over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Okay, okay! When will it be?!¡±

    He Zhichuughed, ¡°Are you in that much of a hurry? Oh, right. Smith and the others¡¯wsuit against the Angel in the World Foundation in Japan is about toe to an official conclusion. It should be tomorrow. Let theme to our ce then. We¡¯ll hold the celebration party together with the house warming party.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She raised her fist and pumped it in the air. She was so happy that she almost jumped up. ¡°Ahhh! Really?! The results will be out tomorrow?! That¡¯s great! My luck has been so good recently that I can¡¯t believe it myself!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong looked up at her silmultaneously.

    Gu nianzhi quickly stopped smiling and coughed. ¡°Well, there are two happy events. Which one do you want to hear first?¡±

    Yin Shixiong snickered. ¡°Aren¡¯t they just your engagement and marriage? What other happy events do you have?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°Okay, there are four happy events. Which one do you want to hear first?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing as well. Her pitch-dark pupils sparkled like stars, and she was on cloud nince.

    Yin Shixiong was bbergasted. ¡°Could it be that there are other happy news besides your engagement and marriage?! Then we¡¯ll have to listen carefully, won¡¯t we, Major General Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and nodded. ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t suppress the smile on the corners of her lips.

    She said delightedly, ¡°The first thing is that Professor He bought a new vi and invited me to his house warming party.¡±

    Yin Shixiong: ¡°!!!¡±

    This counted as happy news?! Nianzhi, you can¡¯t be for real!

    Yin Shixiong cursed inside and shot Huo Shaoheng a quick nce.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    However, his expression didn¡¯t change. He remained calm and said nonchntly, ¡°What about the second one?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°The case I requested from the Americanw firm in Japan will be officially settled tomorrow. It took more than three months. It wasn¡¯t easy!¡±

    ¡°Oh? So by the looks of it you¡¯re going to win the case?!¡± Yin Shixiong finally became intrigued. He said excitedly, ¡°Our little Nianzhi is going to be a young richdy!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a young richdy. All the money has been squandered by Gu Yanran and the foundation.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about whether or not my father¡¯s things can be returned in one piece.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°This is indeed a joyous asion. When do you n to take over your property?¡±

    ¡± ... I¡¯m going to be busytely, so I¡¯ll have to entrust someone else to do it for me.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread out her hands regretfully. ¡°Mywyer will probably help me count them and be in charge of supervising the enforcement of the court¡¯s judgment.¡±

    This type of transnational propertywsuit was actually very difficult to fight.

    Many years ago, someone in the Huaxia Empire had owned arge amount of property in Tokyo, Japan, but that was during the war. After that person returned home, those properties were illegally upied by locals.

    After the war ended, this person¡¯s widow went to Japan to fight a transnationalwsuit to get back her husband¡¯s inheritance. In the end, the Supreme Court of Japan had ignored the facts and awarded the property to the locals who had illegally upied it.

    Basically, it was very difficult for foreigners to win awsuit when they werepeting with locals for property.

    This time, at He Zhichu¡¯s suggestion, Gu Nianzhi had used the team ofwyers from thergestw firm in the United States to represent her. That way, the Japanese court wouldn¡¯t dare to act rashly.

    No matter what, the Japanese were subservient to America.

    Even if Gu Nianzhi took on thewsuit herself, it wouldn¡¯t be as effective as Smith and the others doing it.

    This had nothing to do with one¡¯s own qualities and talents; it only had to do with the national conditions of the countries involved.

    Some countries would respect the spirit of the legal contract and be able to receive equal treatment from thew regardless of their nationality.

    But some countries, such as Japan, wouldn¡¯t do this.

    In any case, for the Japanese, doing the wrong thing or judging the wrong case was just a matter of bowing and apologizing.

    If bowing once wasn¡¯t enough, then bowing twice was enough.

    As for the consequences? There was no such thing.

    If you wanted them tomit Seppuku, emmmmm, they wouldn¡¯t show up unless you helped them do it.

    ..

    In a state of extreme excitement, Gu Nianzhi returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence at the headquarters of the Special Operations forces.

    The first thing she did when she returned was to take a good shower in the bathroom and apply a facial mask before turning on herptop and starting to draft legal documents rted to Luo Jin.

    Although Song Jinning had given her full authority, Gu Nianzhi only knew a little about what had happened in the past when she was fighting Bai Jinyi¡¯s case. It was far from enough to convince the public prosecution office to formally prosecute Luo Jin.

    She still needed to gather information and evidence.

    However, she wasn¡¯t worried about this.

    Huo Shaoheng had the intention to clear his mother¡¯s name, so he must have left a lot of evidence with him.

    Gu Nianzhi could have just seeked him out directly.

    After staying in her room for an hour, Gu Nianzhi washed off her face mask, then changed into a hoodie and went downstairs.

    Yin Shixiong sat on therge sofa in the living room on the first floor. Hisptop was on the coffee table in front of him, and he was typing rapidly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around, but didn¡¯t see Huo Shaoheng. She asked nonchntly, ¡°Brother Xiong, where¡¯s Major General Huo?¡±

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t even raise his head. ¡°Major General Huo went to a meeting. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°He just got back from a meeting. Isn¡¯t he going to rest?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt her heart ache. She sat on the sofa across from Yin Shixiong and rested her chin on her hands. She asked curiously, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going with him? ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and listen to Mrs. Huo¡¯s orders.¡± Yin Shixiong mmed theptop shut and winked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks blushed as she red at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Damn you! Brother Xiong, does Qiqi know that you¡¯re talking like that?!¡±

    ¡°Tsk! If I¡¯m being honest, why would Qiqi me me?¡± Yin Shixiong straightened his long legs and crossed his arms around his neck as he leaned back against the sofa. He sighed. ¡°Between you and Major General Huo, Qiqi and I have been keeping watch for quite some time now. Only little Ze... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s happiness faded as she thought of Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang.

    ¡°Where¡¯s brother Ze? Where is he?¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up. ¡°I brought him a present too. ¡±

    ¡°He went back to work.¡± Yin Shixiong said tly. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll being back anytime soon.¡±

    It would hurt if he came back.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what Yin Shixiong meant and sighed. ¡°I hope brother Ze cane out of this as soon as possible.¡±

    Yin Shixiong snickered and his finger pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You only know how to talk from the sidelines. If it were you, would you be able toe out of this?¡±

    ¡°No, ¡± Gu Nianzhi said without hesitation. Yin Shixiong was caught off guard.

    After a while, Yin Shixiong rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly. ¡°I was just joking. You¡¯re smarter than Bai Shuang, and you don¡¯t have a father like Bai Shuang¡¯s father. You definitely won¡¯t end up like Bai Shuang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips.

    She thought that it wasn¡¯t that she was different from Bai Shuang, but that Huo Shaoheng was different from Zhao Liangze.

    If she had the same status as Bai Shuang, and Huo Shaoheng wanted to be with her, no one would be able to stop him.

    As for Zhao Liangze, by the time he realized his true feelings, it was already toote.....

    This was a ssic exmaple of how one¡¯s personality determined one¡¯s fate.

    Everyone could only follow the path that their personality dictated.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled and she changed the topic. ¡°I have something to ask Major General Huo. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be free. Can you help me ask Major General Huo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she couldn¡¯t contact Huo Shaoheng during the meeting.

    Only Yin Shixiong could.

    Yin Shixiong nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a call when I¡¯m free. Are you in a hurry?¡±

    ¡°Not particrly.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it. ¡°As long as I have the chance to see Major General Huo tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Your trip to Siberia and Russia has been extremely fortuitous, and Major General Huo really had no choice. He has to hold a meeting and report immediately, or else we¡¯ll be dying the time and we¡¯ll be punished by militaryw.¡±

    His fingers moving back and forth on the armrest of the sofa like he was ying the piano, Yin Shixiong said this half-truth.

    ¡°I know, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I can also ask Ms. Song if Major General Huo is too busy.¡±

    Yin Shixiong thought Gu Nianzhi was going to discuss the wedding with Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning, so he quickly pointed out to her, ¡°... Not only do you have to exin this to Ms. Song, but you also have to have a good talk with General Huo and grandfather Huo. They are all Major General Huo¡¯s elders, and you all will have to live under the same roof from now on. You understand what I mean, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi actually didn¡¯t understand, because she hadn¡¯t even thought about the wedding.

    To her, announcing the engagement was already a big step. As for entering the marriage hall, she had to at least deal with Luo Jin first.

    Otherwise, this woman would still appear around them as a rtive to spite her. She couldn¡¯t stand this.

    She didn¡¯t get married to be bullied, and she didn¡¯t want topromise.

 Chapter 1285 - Time Is Precious

    <h4>Chapter 1285: Time Is Precious</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out and said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t need to understand. Major General Huo and I are getting married. If he can¡¯t handle his family, why would he marry me? Brother Xiong, will you let your family mistreat Qiqi?¡±

    ¡°How would that be possible?! My parents love her like she¡¯s their own daughter, and my son is at the back of the line!¡± Yin Shixiong said without hesitation as he chucked.

    He had finally found a girlfriend when he was almost 30, and was about to get engaged to get married. His parents were extremely grateful towards Ma Qiqi, so how could they be snobby and make things difficult for her?

    ¡°It¡¯s the same line of reasoning.¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and looked Yin Shixiong up and down. ¡°Ms. Song also loves me like she would love her own daughter...¡±

    Although Ms. Song wasn¡¯t a loving mother in the usual sense, Gu Nianzhi also wasn¡¯t a good daughter in the usual sense. Both of them had their own careers to pursue, so the two of them were verypatible.

    ¡°But General Huo and Grandfather Huo have prejudices against you.¡± Yin Shixiong was very realistic when it came to other people¡¯s affairs. ¡°You can¡¯t expect Major General Huo to be at home all the time helping you settle family rtions, can you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, then smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have any family rtions to settle. Grandfather Huo is getting old, so I n to ask the Xie family to help him find something to do so that he doesn¡¯t have to make things difficult for Major General Huo every day. There¡¯s no need to talk about General Huo. If he makes things difficult for me, I¡¯m sure General Ji won¡¯t let him off the hook.¡±

    The Xie family was Grandfather Huo¡¯s inws. Grandfather Huo had let down his wife, and the Xie family hadn¡¯t known about this before, but now that they knew, it wouldn¡¯t make sense if they didn¡¯t support their own kin.

    Yin Shixiong raised an eyebrow and gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Good! You know how to use connections to your own advantage. You¡¯re indeed a young genius!¡±

    ¡°Actually, my time is precious. Do you know how much those famouswyers cost per hour? If you want to fight with me, you¡¯d better think about your wallet first...¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled proudly. She threw her ck hair behind her back and went back to her room.

    She didn¡¯t go downstairs much. She had been anxiously searching for information in her room in preparation of awsuit.

    She went downstairs for dinner that night and found that Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t there either. Of course, Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯te back either.

    She had no interest in eating alone. She hurriedly stewed a bowl of rice soup using pork ribs and went upstairs to continue working.

    When she went to bed in the middle of the night, Huo Shaoheng still hadn¡¯te back.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng was in the small meeting room of the military¡¯s Supreme Council at the moment and reporting his work to a few bigwigs.

    He had obtained a lot of first-hand information from his trip to Russia.

    General Ji listened to him quietly and asked with a frown, ¡°Then, did Director Song discover anything new in Tunguska?

    Another big shot in the general assembly was also very concerned. ¡°The military¡¯s experiment has been going on for almost 20 years. We hope Director Song can produce actual results soon.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the United States has already made a major breakthrough. We can¡¯t fall too far behind.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the documents at hand, then said, ¡°ording to Director Song¡¯s report, she made a major breakthrough in the area of the Sea of Japan, where ¡®the work of nature¡¯ was performed. This trip to Tunguska, Siberia was even more fortuitous. ¡°After she has finished analyzing all the data, she should be able to enter the field test phase.¡±

    When he said this, all the big shots in the room almost immediately beamed with joy.

    It should be known that these people usually looked as calm as mountains in front of their families. It was really rare for them to show their emotions without reservation like this.

    General Ji said with great emotion, ¡°It¡¯s been twenty years. In a few months, it will be twenty years. I hope that Superintendent Song can surpass his opponent this time and sessfullyplete the field test!¡±

    If they really seeded, they would not only be far ahead of the United States, but they would also be far ahead of everyone on Blue Star. They would be unrivaled in the entire world!

    Of course, the military bigwigs were the most excited about such things.

    If Speaker Long had witnessed this scene, he would definitely have scolded the old military bigwigs for being ¡°militaristic¡± and ¡°wasting money and manpower¡±!

    However, he was just saying that. His obsession with national security was even deeper than some of the military bigwigs, only in a different way.

    When Huo Shaoheng sorted out all the information and finished his report, it was already one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The military bigwigs were still in high spirits. They walked out of the meeting room in high spirits, as if they were ten years younger.

    General Ji was thest toe out. He said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡± ... Is the Russian president reallying to witness your wedding?¡±

    ¡°Yes, President Pushin really wants to attend our wedding. But... ¡± Huo Shaoheng hesitated. ¡°We don¡¯t n to have a wedding anytime soon.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t discussed this with Gu Nianzhi, but he could tell that she didn¡¯t really want to hold a wedding right away.

    Because of Zhao Liangze, even Yin Shixiong nned to wait a year before getting married. Huo Shaoheng also nned to wait a year and a half before holding a wedding.

    General Ji was very satisfied with the timing. He said, ¡°President Pushin ising to our ce, so we need plenty of time to prepare. I think a year and a half isn¡¯t a bad time, so let¡¯s just leave it at that. In a year and a half, Nianzhi will be almost twenty-one.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. ¡°Yes, soon.¡±

    After returning from the militarypound to the Special Operations Forces headquarters, Huo Shaoheng went to the office building and worked through the night.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t wait for Huo Shaoheng to return.

    When she woke up the next morning, she looked at her phone. It was seven o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Her biological clock adjusted very quickly.

    Since Huo Shaoheng was so busy, Gu Nianzhi had no intention of staying idle.

    She called He Zhichu and found out that he was at home today.

    After asking for his address, Gu Nianzhi asked the orderly on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side for a car key and drove out in a military jeep.

    Gu Nianzhi was now engaged to Huo Shaoheng, so she could use his car.

    Besides, she was a woman, so she felt safer driving a military vehicle.

    She could feel it on the highway since almost all the cars avoided her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She didn¡¯t race, but obediently abided by the speed limit.

    It was already ten in the morning when she arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s vi in the west mountains.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car. When her eyes saw the vast greenery, the spacious mountains, and chirpy birds, she felt rxed and happy.

    She pushed her sunsses up above her head and got out of the car. She carefully surveyed the vi in front of her.

    The house was built in a very unique architectural style. It had a grey roof and a wood-colored main building. Under the eaves in front of the door, one could see a wood-checkeredmp hanging from the eaves. There was also a fine-gold birdcage. There were two Rattan recliners on the veranda below the birdcage. It made one feel very at ease, and apeared to be almost one with the mountains.

    The courtyard was veryrge and spacious. From the entrance of the courtyard to the main house vi, there was a wooden veranda. Beside the Veranda, there were two roads. One was the driveway, and the other was a small path made of sheep intestines and stones.

    The main house vi was at the end of the intersection of the two small paths and the veranda.

    It was like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, and all roads returning to the same destination.

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed by this big house.

    He was really too rich. Not only was he rich, but he also had good taste.

    But He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t be the only one living in such a huge house, would he?

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself as she rang the doorbell.

    He Zhichu, who was gracefully riding a yellow bicycle with ck wheels, soon appeared at the luxurious cherry wood entrance of the vi.

    He was wearing an ivory Egyptian cotton shirt with a small cor and a grey cashmere vest with a polo logo.

    He Zhichu was wearing a pair of grey wool trousers. The seams were well-tailored, casual, and gave him a understated elegant look. His gold-rimmed sses made him look elegant and sophisticated.

    When he reached the entrance of the courtyard, He Zhichu put one foot on the ground and pressed the automatic button beside the door.

    The courtyard door slowly opened.

    He could have opened the courtyard door remotely from the main house, but he had to ride a bicycle..

    Gu Nianzhi beamed at the bicycle he was riding and whistled, ¡°Tsk Tsk, Professor He, you¡¯re breaking the rules by showing off your wealth...a Lamborghini bicycle. One bicycle costs the equivalent of a mid-range car, right?¡±

 Chapter 1286 - Prove It To Me

    <h4>Chapter 1286: Prove It To Me</h4>

    He Zhichu smiled airily and ignored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s teasing. He pointed to the other side of the driveway and motioned her to drive in.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and got back in the car to start the engine. She drove into the courtyard of He Zhichu¡¯s vi in the west ,ountains.

    She parked the car at the end of the driveway and got out of the car to enter He Zhichu¡¯s new vi.

    The lobby on the first floor was also made of cherry wood. In the middle of the lobby, there was a vividly colored Persian carpet with intricate patterns. It was a stark contrast to the collection of snow-white sofas.

    The lobby was very deep inside, and the spiral staircase wound upwards as it lead to the second and third floors. There was also a basement at the bottom where one could walk outside.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at it roughly and tutted, ¡°Professor He, why does this vi of yours look so familiar to me? It seems to be on par with your big American country vi in Boston.¡±

    They were both in top-tier locations, and the vis were of the same size and were almost as expensive.

    He Zhichu poured a ss of milk for Gu Nianzhi and examined her closely, ¡± ... You¡¯ve lost weight. Didn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng feed you enough food in Russia?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she took the milk, ¡°Of course I was fed enough. Isn¡¯t it good to lose weight? Professor He, I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked He Zhichu up and down again and said earnestly, ¡°Professor He, you¡¯ve really lost weight. What exactly caused the illness this time? Will it continue to happen again?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head and said firmly, ¡°It won¡¯t happen again. It was an ident this time.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I hope that you¡¯ll be treated properly if you¡¯re sick. You can¡¯t be afraid of the doctor ¡± Gu Nianzhi gazed at He Zhichu intensely and handed him the gift she had bought for him.

    ¡°Professor He, this is a small gift I bought for you in Russia. I know you don¡¯tck anything, and I can¡¯t afford anything too expensive. I thought this set of dolls was cute, so I bought it for you. Gu Nianzhi smiled and opened the gift box.

    Inside the box was a famous Russian gift ¡ª a Russian nesting doll.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up the pink, round-faced,rge-eyed wooden doll that was dressed in traditional Russian costume andpared it to her face. ¡°Her name is Matryona. Isn¡¯t she cute?¡±

    Other than the shape of the doll¡¯s face, the rest of its features were simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. However, its full moon-like face was simr to the doll that Gu Nianzhi had carried since she was a child, and also somewhat simr to Wen Shouyi¡¯s.

    He Zhichu¡¯s almond-shaped eyes sparkled as he silently watched Gu Nianzhi take out a smaller doll from the doll¡¯s stomach. One by one, she took out new dolls from the previous doll¡¯s stomach, in the end, there were a total of fifteen dolls of different sizes ced on the coffee table in front of he Zhichu.

    Thergest one was the size of He Zhichu¡¯s palm, while the smallest one was only the size of a pinky finger. The workmanship was exquisite, the color was delicate, and the expression was charming. It was very cute.

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with this toy. He used to have many at home, and they were more exquisite and luxurious than this one.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had given them to him, and they meant different things.

    He Zhichu picked up thergest doll and looked at it. He said coldly, ¡°If this doll had a smaller and narrower face, it would look a little like you.¡±

    ¡°Do we look alike? I don¡¯t think so... ¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked, but the doll looked familiar to her, so she bought it along the way..

    Was there really a psychological reason behind it?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have time to think about it. He Zhichu had already put the dolls back in one by one. He said nonchntly, ¡°If you don¡¯t think it looks like you, then it doesn¡¯t. Maybe I was wrong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and didn¡¯t argue with He Zhichu. She finished her milk and returned to the topic at hand.

    ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m relieved to see that you¡¯ve recovered.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out the draft of thewsuit she had writtenst night. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have bothered you since you¡¯re so busy. But I hope I can discuss this with you to broaden my thinking.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi had no reason to visit him for personal reasons.

    He took the folder that Gu Nianzhi had handed him and opened it to read.

    He Zhichu finished reading it in one nce, and said in a low voice, ¡°...You¡¯re going to represent Song Jinning and sue Luo Jin for attempted murder?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded solemnly and said seriously, ¡°Yes, I must sue her for attempted murder.¡±

    ¡°But based on your statement, wouldn¡¯t it be easier to sue for ¡®mental abuse¡¯ or ¡®domestic violence¡¯?¡± He Zhichu said calmly. He was looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯swsuit from a purely legal point of view.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little overly emotional. ¡°Yes, I want to sue her for attempted murder! How would it be enough to only sue her for ¡®abuse¡¯?¡±

    It had to be attempted murder!

    ¡°Why?¡± He Zhichu looked up and calmly fixed his gaze on Gu Nianzhi... ¡°Convince me first.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no murder in our criminalw, only intentional murder. There are two types of cases: manughter and attempted murder.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song didn¡¯t die, so it can only be attempted murder.¡±

    ¡°I think this is the maximum legal punishment for Luo Jin¡¯s actions. It¡¯s many times more serious than ¡°domestic violence¡± or ¡°mental abuse. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was filled with righteous indignation and her little face appeared stiff.

    He Zhichu smiled, ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling me all this? You have not a word to prove why you want to sue Luo Jin for ¡®attempted murder¡¯, and you¡¯ve only been saying that this is the only way to get the maximum punishment for Luo Jin. This will make the police and the prosecution think you are carrying out a personal vendetta and deliberately leaning on attempted murder.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t even convince me, how can you convince the judicial branch to prosecute Luo Jin?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s mental abuse or domestic violence, you don¡¯t need to file a public prosecution through the police or the judicial branch. You can file a private prosecution in the court and sue Luo Jin yourself.¡±

    ¡°But if you want to sue for attempted murder, you have to convince the police department to file a case. At the same time, you have to get enough evidence to convince them that it is indeed ¡®attempted murder¡¯. Only then can you file a public prosecution against Luo Jin in court.¡±

    ¡°Because ording to Huaxia Empire¡¯s Law, a case like attempted murder can only be prosecuted by the prosecution, not by the court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood all of He Zhichu¡¯s reasoning. That was why she had first thought of He Zhichu and wanted to discuss the case with him.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a sigh of relief and sat back on the sofa. She let out a long sigh and said, ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I wanted to discuss it with you to see if I can prove that Luo Jin had intentionally attempted murder.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be easy.¡± He Zhichu handed her back her folder. ¡°Do you still remember what was taught in the criminalw ss? If you want to prove that she had attempted to kill on purpose, what evidence and arguments do you need?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi counted on her fingers.

    ¡°First, we need to determine that she had a subjective motive for deliberate murder.¡±

    ¡°Second, we need to prove that she had the objective conditions to kill on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Third, we need to prove that she hadmitted an act of intentional killing, and that she knew that the direct result of this act would be the death of the intiff.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t easy to prove that Luo Jin had done any of this to Song Jinning.

    He Zhichu nodded and said without any expression, ¡°First, we need to prove that she had a subjective motive for intentionally killing Song Jinning. How do you suggest we prove it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Also, why are you suing Luo Jin again? It¡¯s an arduous task where the odds aren¡¯t in your favor. Tell me, do you have any reason to sue her? ¡± He Zhichu could tell at a nce that Gu Nianzhi must¡¯ve had a particr reason, so he pressed on.

 Chapter 1287 - Gu Nianzhiâ€™s Sore Spot

    <h4>Chapter 1287: Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Sore Spot</h4>

    Was there a reason she had to sue Luo Jin for intentional murder?

    Of course there was.

    But how could she tell He Zhichu that reason?

    He was her tutor for her master¡¯s degree inw, and a very serious person who took his profession seriously.

    Would he despise her if he knew her deep-seated reasons? Would he be very disappointed in her?

    Gu Nianzhi dared not spill it.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gleaming almond-shaped eyes were devoid of any emotion. He calmly watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression change, and he felt his heart sink a little.

    It seemed that this girl didn¡¯t want to tell him the truth..

    He Zhichu actually didn¡¯t have any special requirements for Gu Nianzhi. She didn¡¯t have to love or even respect him, but she couldn¡¯t lie to him.

    This was his bottom line.

    He Zhichu hated being lied to the most.

    But like a small m shell, Gu Nianzhi kept her mouth shut at this moment.

    Her eyes flickered, and she wished she could sew her mouth shut with a needle.

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes, crossed his legs, and lifted his teacup. He lifted the lid of the teacup and took a sip of the Golden Dragon tea.

    The aroma of the tea flowed between his lips and his teeth, and He Zhichu¡¯s moodpletely calmed down.

    He Zhichu was actually very familiar with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personality. It hadn¡¯t changed since she was young.

    This young girl was sympathetic but not a pushover. She could tamed by gentleness but not by provocation. Of course, one couldn¡¯t bruise her pride by belittling her.

    That would only provoke her rebellious mentality and make herpletely uncooperative.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes darted around, and he had an idea.

    He put down the ice jade porcin teacup that depicted thendscape and found a breakthrough point. He asked nonchntly, ¡°... By the way, wasn¡¯t her name Huo Jin? Why is it Luo Jin now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself. She could tell him this reason.

    ¡°...Because her mother¡¯s surname was Luo, and she wasn¡¯t the biological daughter of the Huo family¡¯s first uncle. She moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration and changed her surname.¡±

    He Zhichu immediately grasped the key point. ¡°Since she changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household register, legally speaking, she has nothing to do with the Huo family anymore. Even if you marry Huo Shaoheng in the future and be the Huo family¡¯s young Madam, Luo Jin won¡¯t affect you in any way. ¡°¡ª¡ªWhy are you still suing her? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched uncontrobly.

    She hadn¡¯t expected that He Zhichu would start to get to the bottom of the matter with just a few words from her.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little flustered and quickly said, ¡°She simply changed her surname. Even though she moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration, she herself didn¡¯t move out. She¡¯s still staying with the Huo family and taking care of Grandfather Huo.¡±

    He Zhichu stared at her fixedly. ¡°You mean to say that she changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration on the surface, just for show, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    It was over. The more she said the more she revealed. Was it toote to shut up now?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big eyes blinked, and her long eyshes fluttered like two rows of small fans.

    To He Zhichu, she was obviously up to no good.

    He Zhichu averted his gaze and looked out the window at the beautiful scenery of the western hills in the early summer. He calmly continued his deductions.

    ¡°Why did Luo Jin change her surname and change her household registration, but still continue to live with the Huo family? If she¡¯s not trying to do it simply for show, then she must have ulterior motives.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils immediately dted. The light in her eyes converged into an astonishingly bright spot.

    He Zhichu happened to turn his head, and his gaze swept across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t ignore the change of expression in her eyes.

    He Zhichu thought about it for a moment, and felt that he might have grasped the situation. ¡± ... Then she must have some ulterior motive. She changed her surname and moved out of the household registration in order to reap more benefits.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t think that Luo Jin had suddenly found her conscience and was too ashamed to continue being a member of the Huo family.

    So what was the benefit? Was it better than the fact that her surname was Huo and that she was the only daughter of the Huo family¡¯s first uncle?

    All the smoke and mirrors didn¡¯t work anymore.

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly and understood why she had insisted on charging Luo Jin with the felony of ¡°intentional murder¡± instead of the misdemeanor of ¡°domestic violence¡± or ¡°mental abuse¡±.

    Luo Jin had touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sore spot, and everyone around her probably knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sore spot was Huo Shaoheng.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice grew even colder, ¡°... She wanted to marry Huo Shaoheng? She changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration, and was retreating in order to advance, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists and became emotional, ¡°Yes, everything you said is right! Luo Jin changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration just to use grandfather Huo¡¯s status as an elder to forcibly marry Major General Huo!¡±

    As she said this, the grievance in her heart also rose.

    Her eyes reddened. Gu Nianzhi held back her tears and turned her head away, ¡°I¡¯ve worked so hard, done so many things, and achieved so much, but in grandfather Huo and General Huo¡¯s hearts, I¡¯m still not as good as Luo Jin, who has lived with them for many years! They would rather Luo Jin marry Major General than ept me! Why do they still look down on me?!¡±

    The inferiorityplex hidden deep in her heart was only able to be vented without any scruples in front of He Zhichu.

    In front of Huo Shaoheng, in front of Song Jinning, in front of Yin Shixiong, and even in front of Ma Qiqi, Gu Nianzhi acted as if she didn¡¯t care at all.

    Although she knew very well that this inferiorityplex waspletely unreasonable, she was only 19 years old. She was very sensitive to the opinions of outsiders but pretended not to care at the same time, so it was only natural that she would be in emotional turmoil.

    He Zhichu looked at her fixedly. After a while, he stood up and walked to the opposite sofa. He sat down beside Gu Nianzhi and put one hand on her shoulder hesitantly. His other hand took a tissue from the coffee table to wipe away Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t try to persuade her. He just sat next to her and waited for her to cry enough before he said coldly, ¡°Then do you still want to marry Huo Shaoheng? If not, I can propose to you right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    She raised her head and stared at He Zhichu in shock. She whispered, ¡°Professor He! Now is not the time to joke around like this!¡±

    If he said something like that again, Gu Nianzhi promised to leave immediately.

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. ¡°... Are you feeling better? What¡¯s the saying? If you choose a man, you¡¯ll have to marry him even if you cry. Just like you are now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was finally amused. There were still tears in her eyes, but her smile had already widened

    ¡°Professor He, you read this kind of stuff on the Inte too?¡± Gu Nianzhi wiped her tears with a tissue. She still felt uneasy. ¡°Professor He, can I use your bathroom to wash my face?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded and said nonchntly, ¡°There are two bathrooms on the first floor. There¡¯s a bathroom in every guest room and master bedroom on the second floor. There¡¯s a bathroom in the game room on the third floor. Which one do you want to use?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    This guy was addicted to unting his wealth!

    Gu Nianzhi stood up with a nk expression. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the nearest bathroom.¡±

    She went to the bathroom on the first floor near the living room.

    She pushed the door open and entered. The ce was elegantly decorated. There was a long and slim peacock blue vase on the white marble washstand, and an orchid on the side.

    There was a small mahogany bracket on the wall with facial cleansers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, face cream, and hand cream on it.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately noticed that the facial cleansers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, face cream, and hand cream were the brands she was used to using...

    The unfamiliar feeling from before disappeared in an instant.

    This ce made her feel warm and at ease, as if she had returned to her own home.

    Gu Nianzhi calmed down and carefully washed her face. She put on a simpleyer of face cream and came out.

    She was still young after all. Her rosy cheeks, which were full of youthful cogen, didn¡¯t need any makeup to adorn them. They had a natural attractive color.

    He Zhichu was still sitting in his previous position. He hadn¡¯t even changed his posture.

    He supported his head with one hand and rested the other on the back of the sofa.

    He waved at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come and sit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down on the other side of the sofa.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, but it¡¯s worth crying over.¡± He zhichu reproached her lightly. ¡°If you want to cry in the future,e and cry here. If you cry in front of outsiders, you¡¯ll embarrass me. I¡¯ll break your legs.¡±

    Although he had spoken harshly, his tone was affectionate and tender, just like how a big brother would speak to his little sister.

    Gu Nianzhi really liked the feeling of being like family.

    She quietly sat closer to He Zhichu and muttered, ¡°Professor He, I won¡¯t cry anymore. I won¡¯t cry anymore.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe that yoursel?¡± He Zhichu scoffed and pointed at the half-used box of tissues on the coffee table.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears turned into a smile. She cocked her head and said, ¡°But why don¡¯t you believe it, Professor He?¡±

    ¡°A leopard can¡¯t change its spots. You¡¯ve always been a crybaby since you were a kid. How could I not know you?¡± He Zhichu said nonchntly and then shut his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took another step and sat next to He Zhichu. She quietly tugged at the corner of his shirt. ¡°Professor He, you know what happened to me when I was a kid, right? Can you tell me about it?¡±

    He Zhichu looked away uneasily and pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand away firmly. He changed the subject indifferently. ¡°I forgot all about it. ¡ª¡ªLet¡¯s talk about Luo Jin¡¯s case. I don¡¯t object to you charging her with ¡®intentional homicide¡¯, but do you have any concrete evidence?¡±

    Intentional homicide was a criminal felony. It required a detailed chain of evidence, sufficient subjective conditions, and rigorous logical reasoning.

    All of the three aspects were indispensable.

    The chain of evidence included witnesses and material evidence. This was also the most important condition for sessfully building a case against the crime of intentional homicide.

    Gu Nianzhi forcibly pulled her thoughts back from her lost childhood and focused on Luo Jin¡¯s case.

    She no longer had a cheeky smile on her face, nor was she sad anymore. Her entire aura suddenly changed.

    She was sharp, shrewd, magnanimous, steady,posed, and intelligent. She was like a gleaming sword that was being sharpened.

    The three-foot-long frost covered the edge of the sword, waiting for the moment when the sword was unsheathed and shone in the sky!

 Chapter 1288 - The Crisis Caused By A Egg Fried Rice Meal

    <h4>Chapter 1288: The Crisis Caused By A Egg Fried Rice Meal</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi carefully recalled her first visit to the Huo familypound at the end of the year beforest year.

    At that time, Luo Jin was still called Huo Jin. She was the good daughter and butler of the Huo family.

    Song Jinning had been mentally deranged for more than a decade. The grandmother of the Huo family had passed away, and Huo Guanchen hadn¡¯t taken another wife, whileGrandfather Huo¡¯s head nurse, Zhang Feng, had an ambiguous status. Therefore, on the surface, she was the only female heiress of the Huo family.

    Song Jinning waspletely taken care of by her two housekeeping staff, Auntie Xing and Auntie You.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly and said, ¡± ... When Mrs. Song¡¯s condition was exposed, Luo Jin wailed loudly, then pointed at Mrs. Song, and yelled at me. ¡±

    ¡°She said, ¡®I won¡¯t let you take her away! I won¡¯t let you take that bitch away! Do you know that my mother killed herself by swallowing sleeping pills because of her? ! Why does she have the audacity to pretend to be mentally insane after doing all those shameless things?? ¡ª¡ª Isn¡¯t she just mentally insane? ? Hasn¡¯t she lost her memory ? I¡¯ll make her stay mentally insane for the rest of her life ! Lose her memory for the rest of her life! Pay for what she did to my mother! ¡®

    ¡°Could these words be her subjective motive for intentionally killing someone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi added, ¡°There were also two housekeeping staff who took care of Ms. Song at the time, Auntie Xing and Auntie you. These two must know more about the truth.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he pointed out in a professional manner, ¡°Based on this sentence alone, at most, it was ¡®intentional injury¡¯, and not ¡®intentional murder¡¯.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows, ¡°The distinction between intentional injury and intentional murder is still in the defendant¡¯s subjective consciousness. If she knew that her actions would cost the other person¡¯s life, then it would be intentional murder. If she knew that her actions would only cause the other person to suffer a certain amount of harm, then it would be intentional injury. We just need to prove that her actions would¡¯ve caused Mrs. Song¡¯s death, and not just harm.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good starting point, but how do you prove that her actions had the direct effect of causing Mrs. Song¡¯s death? ¡ª¡ªAfter all, Mrs. Song hadn¡¯t died. She had been ill for more than a decade and had even recovered.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s words are always so rational and precise.

    After discussing the case with a veteran professional like He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi felt inspired.

    She continued to follow this line of reasoning. ¡°The direct consequences of Luo Jin¡¯s actions would¡¯ve resulted in the death of Madam Song. Whether or not Madam Song is really dead isn¡¯t relevant. Just because Madam Song isn¡¯t dead doesn¡¯t mean we canpletely rule out the motive and possibility of her killing intentionally.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Continue.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll gather information to prove that Luo Jin¡¯s ¡®care¡¯ for Ms. Song all these years wasn¡¯t to facilitate her recovery, but to murder her with a soft knife. Her real motive was to murder her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still remembered the narrow and low bedroom she had seen on the top floor of the Huo family¡¯s mansion. Song Jinning had lived in that oppressive environment for more than ten years.

    For a woman who had suffered severe physical trauma and shock to her brain and had suffered aplete mental breakdown, such an environment would definitely make things worse. It was impossible that it was actually for her psychological treatment.

    He Zhichu took out his phone and wrote a few notes on the memo. He asked again, ¡°Alright, even if a subjective motive is established, what about the physical evidence and the witness?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll seek out Major General Huo for the physical evidence. The most important witnesses are Auntie Xing and Auntie You. Those two are the housekeepers who have been taking care of Ms. Song for many years.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Auntie Xing and Auntie You are the key. If you use them well, they will be very important witnesses, but if you don¡¯t use them well, your usation will not stand up in the absence of physical evidence.¡± He Zhichu tried to fill in the gaps in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts, and quickly helped her formte aplete n.

    If they followed this procedure, they would at least be able to settle the case with the police and the courts. They would be able to sessfully file a case and file a public prosecution.

    ¡± ... You have to be careful. The prosecutor for this kind of case is the prosecution office. You have to follow the legal procedures very strictly. You can¡¯t let Huo Shaoheng get involved. Once he makes a move, I believe that Luo Jin¡¯swyers won¡¯t let this go. They will attack you for ¡°abusing your power for personal gain¡¯ and ¡®using your power to bully others.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was in a high position of power, and the victim on the intiff¡¯s side was his biological mother. If he spoke, the people of the prosecution side wouldn¡¯t dare disobey him. It was even possible that they would immediately file a case and awsuit.

    However, in a modern Inte society where news spread rapidly, such a method was simply too foolish.

    If the other party caught them in the act and stirred up negative sentiments on the inte, even falsehoods would appear like the truth.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng had to stay out of it. Other than providing Gu Nianzhi with the evidence in his hands, he couldn¡¯t interfere in any other aspect.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully and smiled, then said, ¡°We won¡¯t do anything illegal, but I won¡¯t pretend that Major General Huo has nothing to do with this just to avoid suspicion. After all, she is his mother. If he really stayed out of it, those people would also attack him for being ¡®inhumane¡¯. ¡°¡ª¡ª If they want tounch a cyber war on me, hehe, theizens will teach them how to behave... ¡±

    When He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sly and fearless expression, he felt ambivalent inside.

    He was eager to see Gu Nianzhi in high spirits and charge forward courageously, but she was acting like this because of another man, so He Zhichu felt very bitter inside.

    ..

    The two of them discussed the matter for the entire morning. He Zhichu looked at his watch and said, ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll go make dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Professor He can cook?!¡±

    Didn¡¯t he always order takeout and drink red wine?!

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just cooking. How hard can it be? ¡± He had secretly read many tutorials online and had wanted to give it a try for a long time...

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was unsightly. He stood up from the sofa ¡°Wait here.¡±

    He strode towards the kitchen on the first floor.

    How could Gu Nianzhi just wait there?

    She had to watch as He Zhichu cooked.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she stood up and followed He Zhichu into the kitchen.

    She walked back to He Zhichu¡¯s side and carefully observed his expression. She asked with a smile, ¡°Professor He, what do you want to cook?¡±

    ¡°... Egg Fried Rice. ¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look at Gu Nianzhi. He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t follow me. How am I supposed to cook if youe in?¡±

    He Zhichu red at Gu Nianzhi and blocked her from entering the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that He Zhichu was adamant about not letting her into the kitchen, so she thought about it and decided not to insist.

    She stopped at the kitchen door and turned around to say, ¡°Then I won¡¯t go in. Good Luck, Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the living room and sat down. She took out her phone and looked at the workflow that He Zhichu had prepared for her.

    She had to admit that He Zhichu¡¯s n was very well thought out andplemented her own n very well.

    She was so focused on her work in the living room that she lost track of time.

    Gu Nianzhi waited until her stomach was growling with hunger before she turned to look at her watch.

    It had been almost an hour and a half since He Zhichu had entered the kitchen.

    What kind of egg fried rice taked an hour and a half to make?

    Egg Fried Rice in sumptuous Manhan style?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t suppress her curiosity. She put away her phone and stood up. She tiptoed to the kitchen door to get a peek.

    Just then, the shrill sound of the smoke detector rm sounded throughout the vi.

    Beep! Beep! Beep!

    It sounded like police cars and ambnces were racing down the street with sirens ring and alling towards this house.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if her ears were about to go deaf.

    Panicked, she quickly ran to the kitchen.

    Before she even reached the door, she was shocked to see the thick smokeing out of the kitchen.

    ¡°Professor He? Professor He?!¡± Gu Nianzhi rushed through the thick smoke and saw He Zhichu holding a spat while wearing a grey apron. He stood in front of the induction cooker with a flustered expression.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled him away and quickly nced into the pot.

    What were those dark blobs?!

    Where was the egg-fried rice?!

 Chapter 1289 - Good Times With Big Shot Businessmen

    <h4>Chapter 1289: Good Times With Big Shot Businessmen</h4>

    Before Gu Nianzhi could ask further, the automatic fire sprinkler system connected to the smoke rm was activated.

    Poof!

    A waterfall of water gushed out from several sprinklers installed on the roof, andpletely drenched Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu.

    The kitchen, which had appeared exquisite and beautiful just a moment ago, now looked like a fire scene in a downpour.

    The automatic sprinkler system quickly dispersed the thick smoke in the kitchen.

    The flow of the water gradually slowed down, and He Zhichu rushed out of the kitchen with Gu Nianzhi.

    The two of them nced at each other at the kitchen door, then startedughing at the same time.

    He Zhichu¡¯s smile was still very reserved, but the corners of his lips curled up, and his cold expression softened slightly.

    On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi wasughing so wildly that with her hands clenching her stomach, she could barely stand up.

    When sheughed like that, He Zhichu couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    He grabbed her arm and scolded her in a low voice, ¡°What are youughing about? Go wash up and change your clothes! Look at yourself!¡±

    He Zhichu looked away awkwardly after he finished speaking.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯sughter stopped abruptly.

    She looked down and saw that the light pink silk and cotton cardigan she was wearing today was soaked through. It stuck to her body and outlined the contours of her breast...

    She quickly covered her chest with her hands and ran to the bathroom with her head lowered.

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead and called out to her, ¡°Go to the guest room across from the master bedroom on the second floor. It¡¯s prepared for you. There¡¯s a set of clothes to change into.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks. She couldn¡¯t just wear this. She turned around and ran up the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

    The corridor on the second floor was quiet and deep. There was a window at the end of the corridor, and a hexagonal window hung with amp. A papermpshade in the shape of a full moon hung in the air and gave off a deste vibe.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at thempshade in a hurry and pushed open the door across from the master bedroom.

    The room was veryrge and also a small suite. A small living room and living room was outside, and a small entrance was to the right.

    A paper door blocked the other end of the hallway.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the paper door and realized that she was in the bedroom.

    Thankfully, this wasn¡¯t the pink princess room.

    The decoration of the room was very simple and elegant. It was mainly beige and decorated with pale yellows.

    A nket with a yellow duck embroidered on it was casually ced on the big bed.

    The nket didn¡¯t look big, but Gu Nianzhi found it surprisingly familiar.

    But she didn¡¯t have time to think about it too deeply, so she rushed into the bathroom in the bedroom.

    The toiletry products in the bathroom were also brands she usually used, including the snow-white towel on the cab. It was also made of Egyptian cotton nnel, and was very soft and absorbent.

    She took off her clothes, turned on the water in the shower, and quickly took a shower.

    She wrapped herself in the towel and came out, then carefully examined the bedroom again.

    There was a tall four-poster bed, and the beige sheets with thin stripes were neatlyid out. There was a big soft pillow on the bed, and two soft yellow pillows embroidered with little yellow ducks.

    Like she was possessed, Gu Nianzhi walked over and touched the little yellow ducks embroidered on the pillows.

    The little yellow ducks weren¡¯t much different from the ones sold on the market besides the fact that their eyes were exceptionallyrge, so they looked particrly animated.

    She picked up the nket with the duckling embroidered on it and looked at it.

    The nket felt soft, and was probably made from the finest high quality cashmere. It wasn¡¯t easy to embroider things on this kind of nket, and if one wasn¡¯t careful, the nket¡¯s cashmere would fly out of the thread.

    But this duckling¡¯s embroidery was very cleverly done, and the needle and thread were dense. At a nce, one could tell that it was made from the hands of one who had many years of embroidery experience.

    However, it was a waste to use such amazing embroidery skills for sewing a simple and unadorned little yellow duck.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly cursed inside, but couldn¡¯t help picking up the nket and rubbing it against her face.

    It was just like a nket children would hug when they were sleeping.

    Gu Nianzhi reluctantly put down the nket and walked into the closet in the bedroom to pick out some clothes to wear.

    It was obvious that He Zhichu had put a lot of thought into renovating the room.

    The four walls were covered with wooden closets, shoe racks, and there were clothes and shoes for spring, summer, and autumn.

    There was also a long closet in the middle of the closet that was about half the height of a person.

    Opening the closet drawer, Gu Nianzhi saw that it was filled with underwear, scarves, belts, and other private clothing and essories.

    There was also a drawer with a lock, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t touch it.

    She blushed and took out a set of lingerie. She went to the summer wardrobe and picked out the simplest set of ck T-shirt and light blue leggings.

    Her legs were long, so the jeans barely reached her ankles.

    So she picked out a pair of Isabel Marant¡¯s t white sneakers.

    This was a brand she was used to. The casual shoes that Huo Shaoheng bought her were usually of this brand.

    After she was done packing, she came downstairs and saw that He Zhichu had already changed and was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

    There were even peopleing and going in the house.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows.

    She hadn¡¯t seen anyone else here when she hade.

    He Zhichu turned to look when he heard someoneing down the stairs. His bright almond-shaped eyes shed slightly, but he quickly rxed his eyebrows and asked airily, ¡°Do they fit?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re alright.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked down. ¡°It¡¯s just that the pants are a little short.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you wear this size? ¡± He Zhichu remembered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clothing size.

    ¡± ... I used to be, but now I¡¯ve grown taller again.¡± Gu Nianzhi stuck out her long legs in the air and kicked.

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be proud of? ¡± He Zhichu looked away, folded his arms, and said coldly, ¡°What¡¯s the use of growing taller? Go cook if you¡¯re really capable... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    This was the unspeakable sore spot in both their lives.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know how to cook, and coincidentally, neither did Gu Nianzhi.

    Their talents didn¡¯t seem to include the skill of ¡°cooking¡±.

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Professor He, we¡¯re both ¡®inept cooks¡¯. Why do we have to hurt each other¡¯s feelings? Come, it¡¯s my treat. What do you want to eat, Professor He? As long as it¡¯s not a Manchu¨CHan Imperial Feast, I can afford it!¡±

    ¡°A Manchu¨CHan Imperial Feast only costs 40,000 to 50,000 yuan per seat. You can¡¯t afford it? ¡± He Zhichu nced sideways at her. ¡°Pawn your watch there and you can eat it dozens of times.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her watch and shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. This is my priceless treasure. Even if I don¡¯t have any food to eat, I won¡¯t pawn it.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid? If you don¡¯t have any food to eat, how would the watch matter? ¡± He Zhichu rubbed her head. ¡°... Didn¡¯t you blow dry your hair?¡±

    ¡°The weather¡¯s getting hot, so it¡¯ll be dry soon. I¡¯ve already wiped it half dry.¡± As she pointed at the people walking back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°Are they here to clean up the kitchen? ¡±

    He Zhichu said without batting an eye, ¡°Yes, the kitchen needs to be redecorated.¡±

    That was the scene of his failure, and he needed to ¡°destroy the evidence¡± so that no one else could see it.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood He Zhichu¡¯s thoughts. Sheughed to herself and flipped the car keys in her hand. ¡°Professor He, take my car. We¡¯ll go down the mountain to eat, okay?¡±

    If she hadn¡¯te today, she bet ten bucks that He Zhichu would have gone to bed after finishing his red wine.

    He Zhichu took a few steps forward. ¡°Then can you send me back?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll pay for everything. Professor He, please enjoy yourself today! ¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she walked towards the door.

    The two of them went to the garage to get their cars. Gu Nianzhi really did drive the car and went down the mountain with He Zhichu for dinner.

    They didn¡¯t go far.

    The facilities in the west mountain vi area were very well-equipped. The people living here were either wealthy or well-off. There were restaurants, shopping, fitness, and leisure facilities.

    He Zhichu pointed the way and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to that Luhuitou restaurant. It¡¯s a Cantonese restaurant, and the seafood there is very authentic.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, who was famished, almost drooled when she heard this.

    ¡°Then you have to try itter. Why didn¡¯t you tell me there was such a good ce? Do they deliver the order? You could have ordered takeout... ¡± Gu Nianzhi deliberately nced at He Zhichu and sighed.

    He Zhichu looked ahead with a nk expressionand said airily, ¡± ... Eat your food. You talk too much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She smiled and drove the car into the parking lot. Together with He Zhichu, she arrived at the entrance of the Luhuitou restaurant.

    There was a couplet on the door in red with ck words.

    ¡°Here could be heard the table-talks andughters of renowned schrs, but the rough and grosse not hither their wares to sell..¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    This restaurant sure was confident!

    With a straight face, He Zhichu showed his membership card to the uniformed security guard.

    Only then did Gu Nianzhi realize that the membership system was in ce, and only members were allowed in to eat.

    And He Zhichu¡¯s membership card was the highest-end tinum card.

    As soon as he showed his membership card, the manager of the restaurant immediately came over to personally wee him and Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same old ce.¡± He Zhichu said lightly. ¡°Serve the dishes as soon as possible for us.¡±

    The manager¡¯s eyes sparkled, but he didn¡¯t dare refuse. He smiled and said, ¡°Please follow me. There are too many people today, so please order first. Actually, Mr. He, why did you have toe here in person? Just give us a call, and we¡¯ll send the dishes up for you.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded, and his facail expression slightly softened. ¡°Next time. Give us the menu so that the kitchen can prepare faster.¡±

    He could tell that Gu Nianzhi was already very hungry.

    As soon as she entered the restaurant, she saw the delicious dishes on the tables of the diners. Her eyes were practically shining...

    The restaurant manager called the waiter over to help them order the dishes. He hurried out to make a phone call, then said to the person on the other end of the line, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Cai. There are no private rooms avable today. Would you like to eat in the lobby? I¡¯ll save the best room in the lobby for you. It¡¯s right next to the window. I¡¯ll get someone to screen it for you. It¡¯s better than a private room. It¡¯s bright and you can see the scenery outside.¡±

    The person on the other end of the line seemed to be a little impatient. After discussing with the person for a while, heined, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there was a private room? My friend and I have something to discuss. We¡¯ve already walked to the entrance of your restaurant. Now you say that there are no private rooms? Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Miss Cai, I¡¯m not kidding you. Previously, I also said that there was only one private room left. That was a private room reserved for our tinum customer. No matter when, as long as he needs it, we have to give it to him. Today, I thought he wouldn¡¯te. Unfortunately, he just brought someone here to eat and entered the private room, so we have to aggrieve you.¡±

    The manager of the restaurant said in a neither servile nor overbearing manner.

    The people who came to eat here were all high-ranking and wealthy?

    Didn¡¯t you see what was written on their door couplet? !

    There were schrs chatting andughing, and no one there isn¡¯t of status!

    In fact, it should be: good times with big shot businessmen, no one there isn¡¯t of status...

 Chapter 1290 - Looking down on others

    <h4>Chapter 1290: Looking down on others</h4>

    Cai Shengnan stood at the entrance of Luhuitou restaurant awkwardly with her phone in her hand. She looked very upset.

    Luo Jin, who was dressed in Chanel¡¯s new early summer fashion, said hurriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something wrong with the private room? ¡±

    ¡°The restaurant manager said that the owner of the private room is here, so we can only eat in the lobby. ¡± Cai Shengnan pursed his lips and put away his phone, ¡°How about we go somewhere else for dinner?¡±

    Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan were both members here, but Cai Shengnan¡¯s vi was in Little Tangshan to the north, while Luo Jin¡¯s vi was here, which was well located.

    In terms ofnd prices, the vis in the West mountains were priceless because the houses here could not be bought with money. They were considered top-tier.

    Little Tangshan was a medium-sized vi group, which could only be considered second-tier among the vis in the capital.

    However, Cai Shengnan was different. She came back from the United States. The House in the capital was temporarily bought by her father, Cai susumin. As time was tight, her aunt, Cai Songyin, could not find a house to buy at the West Mountain Vi for the time being, moreover, at that time, they did not want to attract attention, so they specially bought a vi in Xiaotangshan, which had more misceneous personnel.

    However, she was still willing toe to Luhuitou restaurant for dinner and business.

    It was difficult for her to get a membership card if she didn¡¯t stay here.

    However, at that time, her aunt, Cai Songyin, was the wife of the prime minister, and her uncle Tan Dongbang was the prime minister. So with Songin Cai¡¯s connections, she also get her own membership card at Luhuitou restaurant.

    Of course, it was only the mostmon membership card, not the highest tinum membership card, which meant that they might not have a private room when they came here.

    However, Luo Jin didn¡¯t want to go anywhere else.

    It was a short walk from her vi, and she was really tired of driving out.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s eat in the lobby. Actually, the lobby here has a very chic design. ¡± Luo Jin walked in first.

    The restaurant manager asked the two foremen to invite them to two seats by the window. ¡°What do you think of this seat? ¡±

    Cai Shengnan looked at it carefully and asked the two foremen, ¡°Which private room did we originally book?¡±

    The two foremen pointed to the small private room in the middle and said, ¡°It¡¯s right there. Sorry, the owner is here. so we can¡¯t arrange it casually. ¡±

    ¡°Never mind. I¡¯m just out of curiosity. I haven¡¯t been to the private room here before, ¡± Cai Shengnan said with a smile, but his eyes were fixed on the door of the private room.

    The two foremen carried a screen to block the side of the small table.

    Behind them was a huge basin of Dripping Guanyin. The water gurgled and the music flowed faintly, which was actually veryfortable and guaranteed enough privacy.

    Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan smiled in unison.

    ¡°Just here. ¡± The two of them nodded to the foreman. ¡°Please order for us. ¡±

    Just as the two of them were about to order, Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone rang. She took it over to take a look and found it was from her father, Cai susumin.

    At this time, it was midnight in the United States. Why was he calling at this time?

    Cai Shengnan quickly picked up the phone. ¡°Daddy, haven¡¯t you gone to sleep?¡±

    Cai susumin¡¯s voice was very hoarse, but he was very energetic. ¡°Shengnan, have you seen the Japanese news? ¡±

    ¡°... No, why? Is there anything I should see?¡± Cai Shengnan looked at the menu while chatting with her father.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you paid any attention to the case of the ¡®Angel in the Human World¡¯ foundation? ¡± Cai susumin¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Shengnan, although you¡¯ve returned to the counrty, you can¡¯t abandon your profession. You must always maintain a strong thirst for knowledge in your profession. ¡±

    ¡°I know, Daddy. Why are you so serious? You should go to bed early. I¡¯m going to watch the news.¡± Cai Shengnan said as she searched the Inte for the ¡®Angel in the Human World¡¯ foundation case and clicked on it.

    It turned out that the case was supposed to be closed for sentencing today.

    However, the entire Japanese Inte was flooded with the news that the supreme judge presiding over the case had suddenly died at home!

    ..

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi sat in the private room of Luhuitou restaurant and chatted.

    The dishes they had ordered were quickly delivered.

    There were two steamed lobsters, a te of steamed grouper, two pots of fine white cubilose, as well as shrimp with salt and pepper and steamed spareribs with ck bean sauce.

    For the vegetarian dishes, they ordered a bamboo shoot with mushroom mushroom and a spiced celery.

    Gu Nianzhi ate the steamed lobsters first.

    The lobster meat was sweet and juicy. It was no worse than the lobster they had eaten in Cape City in South Africa!

    Seeing her eat happily, He zhichu smiled gentlely. He scooped a small bowl of fine white cubilose from the stewed pot and ced it in front of her.

    Without lifting her head, Gu Nianzhi thanked him and focused on eating the lobster.

    He Zhichu had just taken a few bites of the steamed grouper when he felt his phone vibrate.

    He took out his cellphone and found that it was a call from Smith.

    Smith was his subordinate at the Americanw firm and was also a member of the main legal team representing Gu Nianzhi in thewsuit in Japan.

    The call at this time must have been the result of the case.

    He Zhichu curled his lips, his fingers moving slightly as he slid open the phone.

    The call had just been picked up when Smith¡¯s mournful voice came through. ¡°Mr. He, something has happened... ¡±

    He Zhichu stood up and said calmly to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m going out to take a call. There is something to deal with.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Please help yourself, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu walked out of the private room with his phone in his hand.

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin had just finished ordering. Luo Jin was sitting with her back to he zhichu¡¯s private room, while Cai Shengnan was sitting diagonally across the room.

    Cai Shengnan saw He Zhichu at a nce when he pushed open the door and walked out of the private room.

    Isn¡¯t the man He Zhichu? !

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s expression turned cold.

    Could this private room belong to He Zhichu?

    That¡¯s impossible..

    In this restaurant where people looked down on others, the person who could reserve a private room was definitely not an ordinary person. Not only did he have money, but he also had power.

    Even her uncle and aunt, who were the former prime minister, were unable to help her father buy a vi in the West Mountains. What was he Zhichu capable of?

    He Zhichu must havee to eat with a friend. This private room should have been reserved by his friend.

    What kind of friends did a person like he Zhichu make?

    Cai Shengnan was quite curious, so when He Zhichu walked through the corridor and walked toward the restaurant¡¯s entrance, Cai Shengnan quietly stood up.

    Under the cover of the giant dripping Guanyin beside her, Cai Shengnan quietly stood up and quickly walked toward the private room that he Zhichu came out of.

    When she reached the door of the private room, she saw that the door was not locked and was only ajar.

    Cai Shengnan looked through the crack in the door and saw the silhouette of a young woman with a ponytail. She was wearing a ck t-shirt, light blue slim-legged jeans, and her two slender and straight legs were crossed together.

    She saw the shoes on her feet. They were Isabel Marant¡¯s, and the simple pair of white t heeled singletons were worth at least three thousand dors.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s eyes were burning with envy. She looked up from the woman¡¯s shoes inch by inch.

    At that time, the woman inside suddenly turned her head, and Cai Shengnan clearly saw her face. It was Gu Nianzhi!

 Chapter 1291 - Overestimation and Underestimation

    <h4>Chapter 1291: Overestimation and Underestimation</h4>

    At that moment, Cai Shengnan¡¯s face was as dark as her heartand even a little bit more hideous.

    It was the kind of anger, unwillingness, and jealousy that her achievements of years of hard work had been taken away from others.

    However, her face quickly calmed down. Although her emotions were still fluctuating, there was nothing unusual on the surface.

    It seemed that the reserved private room belonged to Huo Shaoheng.

    Cai Shengnan immediately made this judgment.

    That was quite reasonable.

    He Zhichu was indeed powerful in the United States. He was well-known in both the political and military circles as well as the legal circles. However, in Huaxia Empire, as far as Cai Shengnan knew, he did not extend his hand to the political and military circles.

    It was impossible to get the tinum membership card for Luhuitou restaurant if someone did not have a high political status and rank.

    Therefore, Cai Shengnan believed that Gu Nianzhi had requested the private room in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name.

    Hmph, how dare she abused his power for her personal gains.

    Cai Shengnan thought to herself, and took out his phone to attempt to take photos of the private room.

    At this moment, a hand reached out from the side and took the phone from Cai Shengnan¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Miss, we don¡¯t allow photography here. Offenders will fine 100,000 yuan.¡± A man in a security uniform said politely, but his actions were very quickly.

    Cai Shengnan was stunned for a moment, and soon she went scarlet with embarrassment. She whispered, ¡°Thank you for the reminder, I don¡¯t know that. I just appreciate the decoration and furnishings of this private room, and I didn¡¯t take any photos. Can you return my phone to me? ¡±

    The security guard was very cautious. He said, ¡°I have to check your photos. Please show me the photos you took in thest hour to make sure there are no photos of us in your phone.¡±

    Cai Shengnan took the phone, and she opened the photo album to show it to the security guard with a sulky expression. She said, ¡°Look, I haven¡¯t taken any photos in thest hour.¡±

    After the security gard confirmed that thetest photo had been taken three days ago, he nodded at her, ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡± He bowed to her and turned to leave.

    Cai Shengnan red at the back of the security guard and pouted her lips at him, cursing him for meddling in other people¡¯s business. Just as she was about to turn and leave, the door of the private room in front of her opened.

    Gu Nianzhi stood quietly at the door and looked at her with a half smile. ¡°Miss Cai? What are you doing at the door of our private room? Were you taking photos? Puff, why were you secretly taking photos of me? ¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, I haven¡¯t congratted you on your engagement with Major General Huo. The whole world was watching the grand engagement ceremony. You¡¯re really lucky.¡± Cai Shengnan immediately suppressed the impatience in his heart when he saw Gu Nianzhi and gave her his blessing with a wide smile.

    As the saying goes, One will never hit a smiling person.

    Cai Shengnan believed that Gu Nianzhi would definitely not embarrass her since she had lowered herself so much.

    Unfortunately, she was wrong. To Gu Nianzhi, For Gu Nianzhi, it is only a matter of whether she wanted to embarrass someone, not whether she could.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she sized up Cai Shengnan from top to bottom.

    She had to admited that Cai Shengnan was indeed in good shape. She wore a smoky gray Issey Miyake professional coverall, which entuated her curvy figure. Although a bit stocky, she was already very slenderpared with the Americans. But she was at least one-third wider than Gu Nianzhi, so it was still conspicuous when she blocked the door.

    ¡°Is it the way you congratte me?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at the camera on the top of the door of her private room. ¡°Standing in the crack of the door and secretly taking pictures of me, I have never heard the way of congrattion. ¡±

    Cai Shengnan just found that there was a camera at the door of the private room!

    No wonder the security guard had arrived so quickly. It turned out that everything here was under surveince.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s face grew now pale, now red. She had never seen someone like Gu Nianzhi that directly mocked her like this.

    She had thought that Gu Nianzhi would not be so disrespectful in public.

    But she had overestimated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s upbringing and underestimated how shameless she was.

    ¡°Be easy on people, Miss Gu. If you continue to be so aggressive, you¡¯ll only bring shame to Major General Huo.¡± Cai Shengnan seemed to have found the moral high ground, and the anger in his heart waspletely restored, ¡°Besides, you¡¯re already going to marry Major General Huo. You won¡¯t be so stpuid that let people know how you¡¯ve used Major General Huo¡¯s influence to misbehave outside, right?¡±

    Cai Shengnan knew that the more powerful a person was, the more they cared about their reputation. They were also very strict with their families.

    They were not like the family members of those superficial, low-level bureaucrats who wished they could engrave the words ¡°My father is a high official¡± on their forehead.

    ¡°Miss Cai, you¡¯re also a well-known figure in the legal world and a partner of the secondrgestw firm in the United States. I really didn¡¯t expect you to say something like that.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, the disdain on her face was obvious.

    Cai Shengnan sneered, ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m really sorry, but I always speak different words to different people. To people like you, I can only say what you can understand. If I say legal terms, can you really understand them? Did you really graduate from B University with a master¡¯s degree inw at the age of 19? Don¡¯t take me for granted!¡±

    Cai Shengnan had always thought that she was a genius, butpared with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s record, she was far behind .

    Initially, she did not want topete with Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Nianzhi was engaged to Huo Shaoheng, so she could not keep up.

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t understand Miss Cai¡¯s legal jargon. ¡± Gu Nianzhi emphasized the word ¡°Miss Cai,I only understand legal jargon that everyone agrees with. ¡±

    This was a mockery of Cai Shengnan¡¯s ¡°self-created¡±w.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of only having a sharp-tongue?¡± Cai Shengnan looked at Gu Nianzhi with pity in her eyes. ¡°Since we¡¯ve encountered each other here today, I¡¯ll remind you in advance. As I¡¯ve said before, you¡¯re already Major General Huo¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so if I were you, I¡¯d quit while I¡¯m ahead instead of being too merciless. After all, she¡¯s no longer part of the Huo family and won¡¯t affect you anymore. Why do you have to make things difficult for her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and her expression turned cold. ¡°Miss Cai, who are you speaking for? I don¡¯t understand. The matter between the Huo family and I is a family matter. It¡¯s not up to you, an outsider, to tell us what to do. Who gave you the authority? Who gave you the audacity? ¡ª¡ªIgnorance? Orck of manners?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words sessfully aroused Cai Shengnan¡¯s anger and ambition.

    She had been hesitant to be Luo Jin¡¯s legal representative, and was still in the process of weighing her options.

    However, upon seeing that Gu Nianzhi waspletely ungrateful and refused topromise or give in, she immediately concluded that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t suitable for Huo Shaoheng and the upper ss...

    After getting engaged, she didn¡¯t seem to know her rightful ce anymore. How confident was she in herself?

    Not to mention that they were only engaged, and even if they get married, it was still possible to get a divorceter.

    Cai Shengnan almostughed out loud at the thought of this.

    ¡°I¡¯ve really underestimated you in the past, Miss Gu. You¡¯re so eloquent, like an auntie bickering over grocery prices in a flea market. Whenpared with you, I feel humbled.¡± Cai Shengnan reached out to stroke her curly hair. ¡°Too bad that the court isn¡¯t like the flea market. Your skills are destined to be of no use.¡±

    Cai Shengnan knew that Gu Nianzhi was pretty capable, but at this point, where else would she get the opportunity to rein in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arrogance and entirely infuriate her.

    There were surveince cameras there. Cai Shengnan determined that after Gu Nianzhi and the others left, she would retrieve the surveince footage there.

 Chapter 1292 - Self-Contradictory

    <h4>Chapter 1292: Self-Contradictory</h4>

    Looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cold expression, Cai Shengnan smiled as she thought that perhaps her first achievement in the country would be to bring Gu Nianzhi down.

    Her attitude became more demure and amiable, and her voice changed from its previous high-pitched and intimidating voice to a gentle and steady voice.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯ve said everything I need to say. It¡¯s also fate that we¡¯ve met here today. We¡¯re all people who understand thew, so we must understand that there are many things that can be settled out of court. There¡¯s no need to take it to court. How embarrassing would that be? We¡¯re not kindergarten children. Do we have to be so ruthless? Don¡¯t you agree? ¡±

    Cai Shengnan spoke to Gu Nianzhi in a conciliatory tone.

    Indeed, awyer serving a client didn¡¯t necessarily have to go to court to represent the client.

    The best thing awyer could do was to settle all kinds of legal disputes for the client so that things wouldn¡¯t get out of hand and wouldn¡¯t end up in court.

    ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Her tone unperturbed, Gu Nianzhi said calmly.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Didn¡¯t your university professor teach you that? There are many cases that have been decided before the court. ¡± Cai Shengnan looked at her with a smile. ¡°Not manywyers win their cases by debating in court.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°I did just graduate and haven¡¯t fought many cases. Coincidentally, my cases were won by debating in court.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. If you think that way, it can only mean that you¡¯re too naive, and that Major General Huo has protected you too well. You know how it is when you have your back against a big tree? Do you really think that you won all the cases in the past because of your ability? Hehehe... ¡±

    Cai Shengnan finally showed a hint of disdain in her tone, which indicated that she looked down on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ability. She still thought that her achievements were either because of Huo Shaoheng or He Zhichu.

    She wasn¡¯t the only one who thought this way. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her anymore.

    Besides, everything she said was a lie. When the timees, they¡¯ll know each other¡¯s strengths in court.

    However, Gu Nianzhi could sense that something about Cai Shengnan¡¯s words was off.

    It looked like this person was determined to connect Song Jinning¡¯s case with Huo Shaoheng...

    It was exactly as she had expected. Regardless of whether they had used Huo Shaoheng¡¯s power or not, these people were going tobel them as the strong ¡°bullying¡± the weak.

    It was a pity that even though it was understandable for others to say that, Cai Shengnan was the only one who didn¡¯t have the right to say that.

    Shouldn¡¯t she take a look at herself before shaming others?

    ¡°So that¡¯s what Miss Cai thinks. I¡¯ve learned my lesson.¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t angry at all. She followed Cai Shengnan¡¯s reasoning and asked, ¡°Ao all of Miss Cai¡¯s achievements in the United States were because of your father¡¯s ability and status?¡±

    ¡°No wonder you, Miss Cai, are so uncouth when dealing with legal affairs. You are even willing to disregard the most fundamental legal facts and lie through your teeth. Did you really go tow school? Or did thew schools in the United States lower the admission and graduation standards to release menaces like you to harm society?¡±

    ¡°Damn you! ¡± Cai Shengnan was furious, and she pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How dare you nder me? I¡¯ve worked so hard for so many years, yet now you¡¯re trying to denigrate all my hard work! Where¡¯s your evidence? You¡¯re ndering my professional capabilities, academic achievements, and ndering my character. If you don¡¯t show me evidence, I¡¯m going to sue you for nder!¡±

    ¡°The same goes for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t back down. She raised her chin slightly and looked at Cai Shengnan coldly. ¡°You ndered my professional capabilities and academic achievements just now with empty words. In your words, where¡¯s the evidence? If you don¡¯t show me the evidence, I¡¯ll sue you for nder!¡±

    She waspletely using Cai Shengnan¡¯s own words against her.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s face gradually turned red from the provocation. Her chest heaved up and down, and even her hands were clenched tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi followed suit to provoke her further. ¡°...You can¡¯t show me any evidence? Only you¡¯re allowed to judge others for being unprofessional, but if others criticize you it¡¯s regarded as nder? Your double standards are truly the quintessence of America values. You¡¯re really good at this!¡±

    As the two of them stood at the door of the private room arguing, Luo Jin, who was sitting with her back to them, finally turned around. She saw Cai Shengnan and a woman standing face to face as if they were talking, and the woman was actually Gu Nianzhi!

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart tightened.

    Cai Shengnan hadn¡¯t signed a contract with her yet. If Gu Nianzhi ruined it, where else would she find such a capablewyer to represent her?!

    Luo Jin had witnessed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abilities firsthand during Bai Jinyi¡¯s case, so she didn¡¯t dare underestimate her.

    She wasn¡¯t even 20 years old, and looked like a cute young girl. She was like a dog that didn¡¯t bark. When she bit someone, she was silent but deadly...

    Luo Jin got up in a hurry and went to Cai Shengnan¡¯s side. She nced at Gu Nianzhi and snorted lightly, then said, ¡°So Miss Gu is eating here as well. Feels nice exploiting the prestige of the Huo family¡¯s name, isn¡¯t it? No wonder you¡¯re reluctant to let go, even if it will hinder Shaoheng¡¯s future.¡±

    She tugged at Cai Shengnan¡¯s arm again. ¡°Miss Cai, the dishes are starting to be served over there. Shall we go back and eat? There¡¯s nothing to talk about with her.¡±

    Luo Jin had always acted as if she was superior to Gu Nianzhi. Ever since Gu Nianzhi first went to the Huo family¡¯s mansion, and since Luo Jin was still Huo Jin, she had never taken Gu Nianzhi seriously.

    Gu Nianzhi was an orphan girl who had tried every possible means to get into the Huo family¡¯s good graces. This impression of her was deeply ingrained.

    Moreover, because Gu Nianzhi refused to back down, she didn¡¯t even give her the chance to get a marriage certificate with Huo Shaoheng ¡ª a ¡°fake marriage. ¡± Luo Jin¡¯s beautiful dreams and ns werepletely shattered. She hated Gu Nianzhi to the core.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Luo Jin had taken the initiative to throw her under the bus, so she didn¡¯t hold back anymore.

    ¡°Haha, our Huo family? Miss Luo¡¯s surname is Luo, right? What do you have to do with the Huo family? The fact that you cane here to eat itself is exploiting the Huo family¡¯s name, right? No wonder you¡¯re reluctant to let go and even asked to get a fake marriage certificate with my fianc¨¦. ¡ª¡ªMiss Luo, don¡¯t you know that fake marriages are illegal? You were sent by the enemy to ruin my fianc¨¦, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that both these two women were interested in Huo Shaoheng, so she couldn¡¯t help provoking them by calling him her ¡®fianc¨¦¡¯ in front of them.

    She had to expose their unrealistic fantasies so that they wouldn¡¯t continue to spite her in the future.

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to know about this as well. She was so embarrassed that she had the urge to find a hole to burrow into.

    She couldn¡¯t maintain the haughty expression on her face anymore, and retorted reflexively, ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re obviously the one who couldn¡¯t get the Huo family¡¯s approval, so you¡¯re taking it out on me. Aren¡¯t you suing me because I¡¯m obstructing your ns? Are you worried that you won¡¯t be able to marry into the Huo family easily?¡±

    Cai Shengnan raised an eyebrow and said immediately, ¡°I see. Miss Gu, you¡¯re suing Miss Luo for your own selfish interests. Isn¡¯t that hical? Isn¡¯t that against the code of ethics forwyers? I can file aint against you!¡±

    ¡°Why would I sue Luo Jin? Doesn¡¯t she know?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched, and she rolled her eyes. ¡°Besides, where do you stand on this? Are you Luo Jin¡¯swyer or her hired thug?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m herwyer! ¡± Cai Shengnan blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m speaking for my client. What do you think?¡±

    Luo Jin was both surprised and delighted.

    She had been thinking about how she could convince Cai Shengnan to be herwyer, and was afraid that Gu Nianzhi would ruin it. After all, with Cai Shengnan¡¯s ability and status, money alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to convince her.

    She had set aside a day to talk to her in detail today precisely because of this matter.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Cai Shengnan to agree the moment Gu Nianzhi spoke...

    Luo Jin immediately jumped at the opportunity. ¡°That¡¯s right. Lawyer Cai is mywyer. Miss Gu, what she says are my words.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi flicked her fingernails as if she was flicking off a speck of dust. ¡°Then you¡¯d better pray that Luo Jin tells you the entire truth. You know that if the client conceals the truth from you, you won¡¯t be able to win the case.¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Luo Jin, whose eyes were twinkling. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Miss Luo, it¡¯s no use trying to portray yourself as an innocent and ditzy airhead in front of yourwyer. It¡¯ll mislead her and cause her to develop false optimism and abnormal legal judgment. It won¡¯t be good for the case.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she suddenly got a headache.

    It was impossible for her to tell Cai Shengnan everything, because she didn¡¯t trust anyone.

    It was precisely because Gu Nianzhi knew what she had done in the past that she concluded that a person who didn¡¯t even trust her own mother couldn¡¯t be expected to confide in awyer.

    Cai Shengnanughed. ¡°Miss Gu, it looks like you really don¡¯t understand me or how thew works. As for me, I don¡¯t need my client to tell me the truth. I just need her to tell me if she¡¯s innocent. As long as she tells me she¡¯s innocent, wewyers will do the rest.¡±

    Then, she added, ¡°Otherwise, do you think it¡¯s that easy to be a famouswyer? Awyer¡¯s capability is reflected here, instead of digging out the truth from a client. The truth of the case is for the court to decide. It¡¯s up to the judge and the jury to decide. We¡¯re only responsible for telling our side¡¯s truth.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Turns out that the famous Cai¡¯wyer¡¯s litigations are all about ¡®making up facts¡¯. Alright, I¡¯ll see you in court. I¡¯ll see how perfect your fiction is and whether it can withstand my interrogations.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to speak with them any more, so she turned around and was about to enter the room.

    Cai Shengnan looked at the magnificence of the room and bit her lip. She said unwillingly, ¡°Miss Gu, let me warn you. It does feel good to use someone else¡¯s privilege for your own benefit. But you also have to bear the consequences of doing so.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and turned around. She frowned slightly and asked in confusion, ¡°What did I do to deserve this? To make you mention ¡®privilege¡¯ over and over again?¡±

    ¡°Still pretending? ¡± Cai Shengnan pouted at the private room. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just use your privileges to cut the line before us and get this private room? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    So this was the root of it all.

    The two of them were angry that she had used this private room.

    She had only used a private room for a meal, and they were already talking about her privilege. How low was their threshold for privilege...

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin andsaid airily, ¡°You need a membership card to eat here. Do both of you have membership cards for here?¡±

    She wouldn¡¯t answer Cai Shengnan¡¯s question directly. At this point, she would have to use smoke and mirrors to get more information.

    Sure enough, Cai Shengnan said proudly, ¡°Of course. Do you think we¡¯re like you? You want to show off with other people¡¯s privileges. Miss Luo and I both have membership cards here.¡±

    Cai Shengnan was Cai Songyin¡¯s niece, so Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t surprised that she had a membership card here.

    But Luo Jin having a membership card here was truly exploiting the Huo family¡¯s prestige, wasn¡¯t it?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Luo Jin and asked in confusion, ¡°Miss Luo also has a membership card here? Didn¡¯t you leave the Huo family? Why didn¡¯t you return their membership card?¡±

 Chapter 1293 - Heartfelt Words

    <h4>Chapter 1293: Heartfelt Words</h4>

    Luo Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi with amusement. ¡°You¡¯re so funny. I have a membership card because I applied for it fair and square. What does it have to do with the Huo family?¡±

    As she spoke, she looked at Cai Shengnan, who was beside her. ¡°Miss Cai, do you understand what I¡¯m saying now? Some people just can¡¯t bear to let go, and even if they have to, they still worm their way into the Huo family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tugged her lips. ¡°Miss Luo, did you apply for it yourself? As far as I know, if you didn¡¯t get the membership card through your connections, but applied for it yourself, then you must have a house here. Do you have a vi in the West Mountains?¡±

    ¡°Of course! ¡± Luo Jin looked patronizing as she looked Gu Nianzhi up and down. ¡°Miss Gu, you have to thank Shaoheng for your status and priviledge today. If it weren¡¯t for our Shaoheng... ¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You have a vi in the West Mountains, but isn¡¯t it because of the Huo family¡¯s money? You have nothing to do with the Huo family anymore, yet you still have the nerve to use their money to buy a house for yourself?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was finally forced into a corner by Luo Jin¡¯s ¡°our Shaoheng¡±, and her face darkened. ¡°How dare you say the name Shaoheng? And ¡®our Shaoheng¡¯? Wake up. You have nothing to do with the Huo family anymore. You¡¯re neither uncle Huo¡¯s adopted daughter nor a rtive of the Huo family. If you continue to talk about Major General Huo like that, I won¡¯t hold back anymore.¡±

    Luo Jin was even happier when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression change, and her smile grew wider. ¡°Shaoheng and I grew up under the same roof. We¡¯ve been close to each other ever since we were young. I advise you to keep a low profile. Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re engaged, everything will be fine and that you can climb up the socialdder.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to be civilized towards Luo Jin anymore after she shamed her like this.

    After all, saving face was only for people who wanted it. If you saved face for someone who didn¡¯t want it, she would think you were meddling in her business.

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and coughed lightly. She deliberately put on a sympathetic expression and said nkly, ¡°Miss Luo, delusional thinking is an illness that needs to be treated.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m mentally ill? Why can¡¯t you face reality? Is it that difficult to admit that you¡¯re unwilling to let go because of the Huo family¡¯s power?¡± Luo Jin had been sulking for a long time, so it felt great to finally be able to shame Gu Nianzhi today. She didn¡¯t want to give up on this opportunity.

    Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and snorted. ¡°It¡¯s no use telling me you¡¯re ill, so go see a doctor. Besides, so what if you grew up under the same roof as Major General Huo? You¡¯re cousins. Isn¡¯t it normal for you guys to grow up under the same roof? If this can be used as evidence of your delusions, I think you really should see a psychiatrist. Your mind is not only twisted, but also perverted.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re calling me a pervert?!¡± Luo Jin¡¯s tion did notst long. She was like a balloon that had been punctured by Gu Nianzhi with her snickeingr. She was so angry that she turned livid. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous that I have a good rtionship with Shaoheng!¡±

    ¡°Tsk Tsk... ¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I wanted to save you some face, but turns out I was overthinking it. You don¡¯t even care about your dignity, so why should I save you face?¡±

    Luo Jin was a little flustered. She said in a threatening tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try to shame me again. There are surveince cameras here!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to shame you. I¡¯ll tell the truth. ¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out helplessly. ¡°You said you weren¡¯t rted to Major General Huo, but before you knew that you and Huo weren¡¯t biological cousins, you were already coveting him.¡ª¡ªYou have such dirty thoughts, yet you¡¯re saying you¡¯re not a pervert?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not! And I knew that I wasn¡¯t rted to him by blood! ¡± Luo Jin growled. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try to pin your filthy thoughts on me! ¡±

    ¡°Oh? You knew? Then you have even more ulterior motives. You knew that you had nothing to do with the Huo family, yet you exploited your identity as the Huo family¡¯s only daughter to be the Huo family¡¯s butler and to abuse the Huo family¡¯s real female head of household, Miss Song. I think you¡¯re not only twisted and perverted, but also morally corrupt and vicious.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Also, you knew you weren¡¯t uncle Huo¡¯s biological daughter, but you still took over his trust fund and lived avish life with his money. You¡¯re nothing without the Huo family, yet you still have the nerve to say that I¡¯m just trying to worm my way into the Huo family. I think every word you say is from the bottom of your heart. You speak from your own experience!¡±

    Flustered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, Luo Jin took two steps back. ¡°You... you... don¡¯t talk nonsense! I might not be my father¡¯s biological daughter, but my mother and father are truly husband and wife. I¡¯m my father¡¯s legal daughter, so I¡¯ll inherit all of his inheritance. Miss Gu, you¡¯re awyer. You know this better than I do, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll inherit all of it?¡± Gu Nianzhi curled her lips, then said slyly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer that question. As awyer, you have to pay a fee to speak to me. Even if you want to be pped in the face by me, you have to queue up and pay ording to the rules.¡± With that said, she closed the door to the private suite.

    Luo Jin stared at the closed door in front of them with her mouth agape, then pointed at the door and said, ¡± ... Is she going to give up just because she can¡¯t win against me? So this is all that Gu Nianzhi is capable of. I thought she was so impressive, but she actually closed the door just because she can¡¯t win against me.¡±

    Cai Shengnan, who had been standing by the side without saying a word, suddenly had an idea. She raised her eyebrows and sized up Luo Jin. ¡± ... You¡¯ve liked Major General Huo since you were young? Isn¡¯t he your cousin?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like Shaoheng. Besides, he¡¯s not my biological cousin.¡± Luo Jin felt annoyed. ¡°How many times have I told you? I¡¯m not rted to him by blood, and I¡¯ve also changed my surname and moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household register.¡±

    ¡°You knew from the beginning that Major General Huo wasn¡¯t your cousin? ¡± Cai Shengnan frowned. ¡°Just now, Gu Nianzhi said that you wanted to ¡®fake marry¡¯ Major General Huo. What was that about?¡±

    Luo Jin replied nonchntly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who suggested it. It was my grandfather, Grandfather Huo. He didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to marry into the Huo family, so he suggested that I get a marriage certificate with Shaoheng to stop Gu Nianzhi from marrying into the family. I was kind enough to persuade Gu Nianzhi to ept this condition. After all, I wasn¡¯t really getting married; I was just acting as a cover for her. It doesn¡¯t matter if Shaoheng continues to be with Gu Nianzhi. I just want to make the old man happy since he¡¯s getting old.¡±

    ¡°Is that so... then your sacrifice is quite big... ¡± Cai Shengnan said sarcastically.

    How could she think of a ¡°fake marriage¡± with Huo Shaoheng?!

    Luo Jin smiled as if she didn¡¯t hear the sarcasm in Cai Shengnan¡¯s words. She said lightly, ¡°That¡¯s the truth. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Grandfather Huo yourself.¡±

    She was certain that Cai Shengnan wouldn¡¯t be able to get in touch with grandfather Huo. Even if Cai Shengnan were to ask, Grandfather Huo, who had always been a male chauvinist, would definitely take responsibility for this matter. He wouldn¡¯t say that it was Luo Jin who suggested it.

    ¡°Was it really grandfather Huo who suggested it? Then that old man is quite imaginative.¡± Cai Shengnan chuckled, then she and Luo Jin returned to their seats by the window, and said, ¡°Then since I¡¯m going to be yourwyer, let¡¯s sign the contract first. I¡¯ll make it clear in advance that my fee is very expensive, 1,000 USD per hour, and an advance payment of 1,000,000 USD. If you agree, I¡¯ll have my secretary send the contract to you immediately.¡±

    ¡°Sure, send it to me and I¡¯ll sign it immediately.¡± Luo Jin said straightforwardly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the contract with me. My secretary will contact you to sign it and tell you what to do next.¡± Cai Shengnan smiled as she sent an email stating the amount of the advance payment to her secretary.

    Considering that she would have to confront Gu Nianzhi head-on this time, Cai Shengnan suggested that the advance payment should be increased to one million US dors. If there¡¯s more there will be a refund andpensation if there¡¯s less.

    She had raised the price because she was worried that Luo Jin¡¯s money would be confiscated by the Huo family...

    So she had to get her hands on the money first.

    The two of them discussed the details and began to eat lunch.

    It was then that He Zhichu returned to his private suite.

    As soon as he entered the room, he said to Gu Nianzhi, who was ying with her phone, ¡°Nianzhi, the situation in Japan has changed.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t today the day the final verdict would be announced?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but Smith just called me from Japan and told me that the presiding judge suddenly died this morning. The case was transferred to another judge and the verdict was postponed.¡±

 Chapter 1294 - Disassociate

    <h4>Chapter 1294: Disassociate</h4>

    ¡°The presiding judge suddenly died?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Isn¡¯t the ¡®Angel in the world¡¯ Foundation a little too powerful?¡±

    ¡°You should be mentally prepared.¡± He Zhichu sat down, and his expression was cold and emotionless. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what kind of research they did.¡±

    This kind of research had been supported by the imperial government and the military decades ago.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°But we¡¯re usingwyers from a big Americanw firm. Would they dare contradict America?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s important, they can say no to anyone.¡± He Zhichu tapped his finger on the dining table. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t think too much about it. All they can do is dy it for a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Then why are they stalling for time? Are they trying to move their assets?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was cold and murderous.

    He Zhichu was amused by her adorable expression. He smiled slightly and pushed the imperial official Yan in front of Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be that easy to move them. I¡¯m inclined to think that they still want to struggle on their deathbed. As for moving their assets, they¡¯ll go to you no matter where they move them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it. Modern society was highlyworked, and it was actually easier to track down the flow of money than in the cash society of the past, so she was no longer worried.

    The two of them had lunch there, but when they went out, they unexpectedly bumped into Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan in the parking lot.

    The two of them were walking towards their car.

    They caught a glimpse of He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi walking over, and smiling as they watched them approach, they stopped in their tracks.

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to pretend she didn¡¯t know them, but they didn¡¯t want to do so.

    ¡°Lawyer He, Miss Gu, I didn¡¯t expect to see you guys again.¡± Luo Jin greeted them with a beaming smile. ¡°Miss Gu, your market is really good. First you have our Shaoheng backing you up, and now you havewyer He protecting you. You have such romantic luck!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost vomited when Luo Jin said ¡°our Shaoheng¡±, but at that moment, she also understood that her outburst would only satisfy Luo Jin¡¯s perverted mind.

    So not responding to a single word, she walked past them without an expression.

    She had already said what she needed to say at the restaurant. If she continued, Luo Jin would really have to pay for her consultation fee.

    He Zhichu looked at Luo Jin coldly. His eyes were cold and without any warmth at all.

    Luo Jin caught a glimpse of He Zhichu¡¯s expression from the corner of her eye. She felt chilled inside. She reflexively took a step back but yed tough by saying, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone, especially Shaoheng. I won¡¯t say a word... ¡±

    He Zhichu stood in front of her and looked at her carefully. He said coldly, ¡± ... It¡¯s better to have romantic luck than to have no man at all.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly came to her senses. She smiled and said, ¡°Sowyer He is admitting that you have feelings for Gu Nianzhi? Tsk Tsk, that¡¯s not good. You¡¯re engaged to someone, yet you¡¯re still hanging out with another man...¡±

    ¡°Luo Jin, right? You probably lived 200 years ago, when women would have to wear a scarlet letter just for having a meal with a man outside.¡± He Zhichu said nonchntly, then took out a recording pen from his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve already recorded what you said just now. It¡¯s up to you whether you want to give it to the court as evidence, or give it to Huo Shaoheng as evidence of your unwillingness to give up on Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    What kind of person would allow someone to record a simple sentence?!

    Luo Jin was so scared that her face turned pale. She clenched her fists tightly and said in a trembling voice, ¡°When... when did I refuse to give up on Major General Huo? Oh no, when did I have feelings for Major General Huo? Don¡¯t nder me and ruin my reputation!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? Why did you keep saying ¡®our Shaoheng¡¯? What rtionship does Huo Shaoheng have with you to make you address him so intimately?¡± He Zhichu continued to hold the recording pen as he recorded.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s eyes shed. She had wanted to say something, but she didn¡¯t say anything at that moment.

    ¡°I... I... I¡¯m rted to him. I¡¯m his cousin. Why can¡¯t I use this nickname? ¡± Luo Jin was so embarrassed that she became angry. She was still struggling to survive.

    ¡°Cousin? What¡¯s your surname?¡± His eyes full of disdain, He Zhichu looked Luo Jin up and down. ¡°You gave up everything in the Huo family. It¡¯s toote to regret it now.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! ¡± Luo Jin was trembling all over.

    Did she do this on her own ord?!

    If she couldn¡¯t marry Huo Shaoheng, she would have to face the fate of being sued!

    Gu Nianzhi was now eyeing her like a tiger eyeing its prey.

    But if her surname was still Huo, and she was still registered in the Huo family register, how could she marry Huo Shaoheng?!

    Therefore, she was determined to change her surname and move out of the Huo family register. All she had to do was wait for grandfather Huo to give the order and she would be registered as married to Huo Shaoheng..

    It was all her fault! It was all because of this orphan girl who came out of nowhere and ruined her big ns!

    He Zhichu scoffed and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t give up on everything in the Huo family? Or do you not regret giving up on everything in the Huo family?¡±

    ¡°I... ¡± Luo Jin was stifled. She realized that no matter what she said, she seemed to have fallen into He Zhichu¡¯s trap.

    However, He Zhichu had no intention of letting her off the hook. ¡°Tell me, you didn¡¯t give up on everything in the Huo family? Then is it fake that you changed your surname and moved out of the Huo family?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°It was all fake? Oh, if you didn¡¯t change your surname and move out of the Huo family, then what are you talking about getting married for? Do you think the military¡¯s political review is a joke, and they wouldn¡¯t find out that you were faking it?!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t faking it!¡± Luo Jin was finally forced into a corner by He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi, and had no choice but to clear her name. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that I don¡¯t regret giving up everything about the Huo family! I have nothing to do with the Huo family! ¡±

    ¡°Good, then I hope you¡¯ll keep your word and return what belongs to the Huo family to the Huo family.¡± He Zhichu put away the recording pen and got into the military jeep with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she drove the military jeep out of the garage of Lu Huitou¡¯s restaurant. She said, ¡°Professor He was so impressive just now! I didn¡¯t expect you to use the recording pen! ¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°I sent this recording to Major General Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ..

    In the office building of the Special Operations forces, Huo Shaoheng had held a meeting for two days. He had finally settled everything for his trip to Russia.

    Huo Shaoheng had a nk expression when he received he Zhichu¡¯s text message and heard the recording. However, the pen in his hand was snapped in half.

    He raised his hand and threw the broken pen into the trash can in the corner. Huo Shaoheng dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    ¡°Major General Huo, is that you? Are you done?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pleasantly surprised voice came through the bluetooth headset.

    Huo Shaoheng replied with an ¡°Uh huh. Where are you? I¡¯ll pick you up.¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll drive back soon.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. ¡°I¡¯ll take Professor He home first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to tell him about how He Zhichu had made egg fried rice and had to redecorate the kitchen, but He Zhichu looked ufortable, so she refrained from doing so.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said gently, ¡°Okay¡±.

    She drove He Zhichu all the way back to his vi on the hillside. Gu Nianzhi didN¡¯t get out of the car and said to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯ll take you here. Wait for me to go back and sort out the information, and then I¡¯ll send you the first version of the indictment, alright?¡±

    He Zhichu replied with an ¡°Uh huh. ¡± He took out a key card and a set of keys from his pocket then stuffed them into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. He said ufortably, ¡°This is also your home. Come visit often when you¡¯re free.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She smiled sheepishly and declined, ¡°No need, Professor He, but I¡¯ll definitely visit you often in the future.¡±

    ¡°Be good and take this.¡± He Zhichu insisted, ¡°This is part of the dowry I prepared for you. You can get married from here when you have a wedding.¡± With that, he pushed open the car door and quickly entered the house.

 Chapter 1295 - Iâ€™m Your Rock

    <h4>Chapter 1295: I¡¯m Your Rock</h4>

    As if a fire was burning her palm, Gu Nianzhi held the key card and a bunch of keys in her hand.

    Without saying anything, she pushed open the car door and got out, then chased after him.

    ¡°Professor He! Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu heard her shout, but he didn¡¯t stop. Instead, he kept running towards the gates of his vi.

    The five-hundred-meter walk was neither too long nor too short. He Zhichu reached his door first. He took out his key card, and the cherry-wood door slid open. He entered the house and mmed the door shut.

    He leaned against the door, then looked up and took a deep breath. He looked at the empty hall in front of him, and at the crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.

    Like a sky full of stars falling into his eyes, the crystals sparkled in his dark, watery eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi had already reached the door. She pounded on it and shouted, ¡°Professor He! Open the door! Professor He, you can¡¯t do this!¡±

    She tossed the key card and a bunch of keys at him. How was she supposed to exin this to him when she got back?!

    Gu Nianzhi pounded on the door for a long time. Seeing that He Zhichu wasn¡¯t opening the door, she ignored him and said into themunicator, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m opening the door!¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    Damn it!

    He forgot about this..

    He Zhichu turned around and pulled the door open. Gu Nianzhi happened to hold the key card in her hand and was about to swipe it on the sensor at the door.

    The cherry wood door suddenly opened, and Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to pass the key card to He Zhichu. She said solemnly, ¡°Professor He, I appreciate your kindness, but I can¡¯t ept this gift.¡±

    It was too valuable, and beyond the scope of a normal gift.

    Gu Nianzhi had grown up with Huo Shaoheng. She had no qualms about using what Huo Shaoheng had given her, but she couldn¡¯t with others.

    Moreover, Huo Shaoheng had always taught her that if she needed something, she should just tell him. She wasn¡¯t allowed to ask for it from others, nor was she allowed to ept anything that was beyond a certain value.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes dimmed. He did not take the door card or the key. Instead, he said calmly, ¡± ... Do you have to be so clear with me?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m already very satisfied that you can ept me as a graduate student and help me with my studies and career. But I really can¡¯t ept this.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t ept it? Then what are you going to do during your wedding? Get married from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s house? ¡ª¡ªYou might feel at ease doing so, but I would feel ill at ease watching you do it!¡± He Zhichu said expressionlessly. He Zhichu¡¯s bright almond-shaped eyes dimmed, and the expression in his eyes seemed enigmatic.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I have my own house. It¡¯s in the Fourth Ring Road, near B University. Professor He has been there before... ¡±

    ¡°Your house is just a closet. How ashamed would I be if you get married from there? I don¡¯t believe Huo Shaoheng won¡¯t give you another ce to get married from!¡±

    He Zhichu was a little angry. ¡°Huo Shaoheng used to be your guardian. It¡¯s understandable for you to eat his food and live in his house before. But now that you¡¯re an adult and want to get married and have a wedding, you still have the nerve to ask Huo Shaoheng to pay for your dowry?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bbergasted. A house with two bedrooms and a living room of more than 100 square meters was just called a ¡°closet¡±!

    If her house had a spirit, it would definitely be crying now from being looked down upon..

    ¡°Stop fooling around and keep the card and key. After you¡¯re done with your wedding, I¡¯ll give you the deed to the vi.¡± He Zhichu stroked her head reluctantly, then said, ¡°Let brother He do onest thing for you. After you¡¯re officially married, we can¡¯t keep being so interacting so intimately.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had already gotten their marriage certificate, but they hadn¡¯t had a wedding or made it public, so He Zhichu won¡¯t acknowledge it.

    Moreover, He Zhichu was still brooding over Huo Shaoheng using that method to force Gu Nianzhi to sign the marriage certificate.

    In order to make things difficult for Huo Shaoheng, he had to spare no effort to get close to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that even if they were biological brothers, they had to maintain a certain distance.

    Not to mention that they weren¡¯t even rtives...

    She was so touched by He Zhichu that tears welled up in her eyes. She held the key card and keys in her hands and whimpered, ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t be so nice to me. I¡¯m ashamed of myself. I¡¯m afraid... ¡±

    He Zhichu was originally filled with sorrow, but now he was so angry that heughed. ¡°Can¡¯t I be nice to you? You¡¯re such a difficultdy to please!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t, but Professor He, you¡¯re so nice to me. Even siblings are rarely as nice as you.¡± Gu Nianzhi wiped away her tears, ¡°Just tell me the truth. What is your rtionship with me? If there¡¯s really nothing between us, I definitely can¡¯t ept this thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very stubborn this time.

    It had been so long, but she had never forced He Zhichu to reveal the past.

    Even though she had always thought that He Zhichu knew about her childhood.

    But as long as he Zhichu was unwilling, she had never forced him.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes. He thought about what had happened back then. There was no need to talk about it now.

    But if he didn¡¯t say anything, Gu Nianzhi probably wouldn¡¯t ept his gift.

    ¡°Come in. If you want to know, I can tell you.¡± He Zhichu stepped aside.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded. She held the key card in one hand and the key in the other. Her palms were sweaty.

    She sat down in He Zhichu¡¯s living room and looked at him silently.

    He Zhichu sat opposite her with his legs crossed. He rested one hand on the armrest of the sofa and the other on his leg. He stared at Gu Nianzhi and said slowly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you trust me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Of course I do. There are two people in this world that I trust unconditionally. One is Major General Huo, and the other is you, Professor He.¡±

    Her trust in Huo Shaoheng had been formed by her interactions with Huo Shaoheng over the past seven years.

    Her trust in He Zhichu, on the other hand, had been inspired by the selfless help He Zhichu had given her in just two short years.

    And the more time she spent with He Zhichu, the more she felt like she had just met him, like she had just returned from a long-lost friendship.

    She couldn¡¯t exin why this feeling was growing stronger. All she knew was that He Zhichu was showing signs that he was closely rted to the past that she had forgotten.

    He Zhichu was very pleased with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s answer.

    She was still his Cereus, the little girl that trusted him wholeheartedly. She could be carried by him in the middle of the night to see the nightview.

    ¡°Nianzhi, if you believe me, then remember what I say. In the future, if someone says something different than what I say, I hope you can use your brain to think about who¡¯s telling the truth and who¡¯s lying to you.¡±

    His expression especially serious, He Zhichu pointed at his own head.

    Gu Nianzhi also became serious. She sat up straight and nodded. ¡°Please speak, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°The He and Gu families have a very deep rtionship.¡±

    He Zhichu said slowly, ¡°My grandfather, He Shouwang, and your grandfather, Gu Haize, were both survivors of the Japanese ¡®revenge n¡¯ against China.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered that her grandfather, Gu Haize, had mentioned ¡°my friend, He Shouwang¡± in his letter!

    ¡°The enemy was furious and killed my friend, He Shouwang.¡±

    ¡°My friend He Shouwang¡¯s son, He Chengjian, followed me to Europe. On the way, he found out about her father¡¯s tragic situation and swore to avenge her father. He left quietly.¡±

    These two sentences echoed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind. She immediately covered her mouth and said in surprise, ¡°Wait! He Shouwang is your grandfather? Then He Chengjian... is your father?!¡±

    The man who had called her that day when she was at the Kremlin in Russia was He Zhichu¡¯s father, He Chengjian?!

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Yes, my father is He Chengjian.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Gu Nianzhi was deeply moved.

    Now it made sense why He Zhichu seemed to know a lot about her past.

    Because their families had been friends for generations!

    From grandfather to father, and now to their generation.

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°Now you understand why I said you were my fianc¨¦e, don¡¯t you? Our father joked in the past that if they had children in the future, a man and a woman, they would be husband and wife.¡±

    ¡°You also said it was a joke.¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked and changed the subject. ¡°How could I take it seriously? But what happened after that? Do you know where my father went?¡±

    He Zhichu sighed. His eyes shed as he reorganized his words, then said slowly, ¡°This is a question I can¡¯t answer. Seven years ago, your father¡¯s ne crashed and you were taken away from home... When I found out about your disappearance, I started looking for you everywhere. It wasn¡¯t until three years ago that I finally found out you were in the Huaxia Empire...¡±

    He Zhichu had spent a lot of effort and effort to discreetly approach her.

    In the end, he had predicted everything, except that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t remember him at all.

    ¡± ... I tried to awaken your memory, but when you tried hard to recall it, your head hurt like hell. Later, I realized that it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t remember the past. People have to move on, don¡¯t they?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was still cold and aloof, but his tone was as warm as the spring breeze.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed when she heard that. She picked up a tissue from the coffee table in front of her and wiped her tears. ¡°Professor He... ¡±

    ¡°You can call me brother He. That¡¯s what you used to call me when you were young. ¡± He Zhichu looked at her indifferently, with his gaze devoid of any warmth. It was as if all the passion had been extinguished and concealed by him.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s okay to call me that when I was little, but I¡¯m so old now. If I call you brother He again, I¡¯m going to get goosebumps. I¡¯d better call you Professor He. It¡¯s both familiar and friendly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t insist. He leaned forward, then smiled and said, ¡°Now, can you ept this gift? You might not have married me, but with the history between our families, I¡¯m more than enough to be your mother¡¯s family. If you still refuse, not only will I be disappointed, but the elders of our families will also be disappointed.¡±

    With He Zhichu¡¯s words, Gu Nianzhi would really be unreasonable if she didn¡¯t ept it.

    However, she didn¡¯t know how Huo Shaoheng would react if she epted such arge sum of property just like that. Gu Nianzhi really had a headache.

    She focused her eyes and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°... I still need to discuss this with Major General Huo. Professor He, can I give you an answer after I¡¯ve discussed it with Major General Huo?¡±

    ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re such an extrovert. You haven¡¯t even married yet, and you¡¯re already turning your back on him. ¡ª¡ªAren¡¯t you being foolish? This is the dowry I gave you. It¡¯s a private property that I gave you as a gift, not a joint property with Huo Shaoheng. If you hadn¡¯t received your marriage certificate, I would have notarized it as pre-marital property.¡±

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes andughed mockingly. ¡°Even though Huo Shaoheng might not be interested in such a small amount of money, others might not. Everyone thinks that you¡¯re an orphan and have no family to rely on. ¡ª¡ªDon¡¯t you want to p those people in the face?¡±

 Chapter 1296 - This Position Was Very Exhausting

    <h4>Chapter 1296: This Position Was Very Exhausting</h4>

    He Zhichu¡¯s suggestion was very tempting.

    Gu Nianzhi also had a fierce argument with Luo Jin today, so she had her own thoughts.

    She hesitated for a moment, then frowned and said, ¡°Professor He, is it really that important to have a family? I don¡¯t have any parents right now, but I¡¯ve worked hard and achieved good results. I won¡¯t embarrass Major General Huo, and I can help him when I need to. Why do they still look down on me?¡±

    ¡°How should I put it? Nianzhi, I don¡¯t want to lie to you. But when you reach a certain level, it¡¯s not possible to fight alone. That¡¯s why you need the help of your family. You may even need a marriage alliance to strengthen yourself.¡± He Zhichu seemed to know a lot about this.

    ¡°However, you don¡¯t have to be discouraged.¡± He Zhichu smiled lightly. ¡°Once your man has attained a certain level of power, he¡¯ll be able to prop up one level on his own.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. No matter how she looked at it, it didn¡¯t sound reliable.

    ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re right. I think that in reality, these things have their pros and cons. Having a girl with a distinguished family might be helpful, but it might also be a hindrance. I don¡¯t have a family, so I don¡¯t have a strong background. But as long as I control myself, I definitely won¡¯t cause any trouble for Major General Huo.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi and thought about it silently for a while before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s good that you can think things through. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have a family now anyway. I¡¯m your family. If anyone looks down on you in the future, I¡¯ll teach them how to behave.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled brightly. ¡°I can handle it myself. But thank you, Professor He. I¡¯m very happy to hear that.¡±

    This was the first time she had expressed her joy at He Zhichu¡¯s help. She didn¡¯t reject his offer as she had done in the past.

    He Zhichu was in a better mood. He continued, ¡°Besides this vi, I¡¯ve prepared other dowries for you. I¡¯ll send them to you when you¡¯ve confirmed the date of your wedding.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hand. ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m already unworthy of such a big gift. If you raise the price, how can I ever repay this favor?!¡±

    Not caring what Gu Nianzhi thought at all, He Zhichu said nonchantly, ¡°I said don¡¯t be so courteous with me. If you don¡¯t want it, keep it for your child.¡±

    The topic between the two of them suddenly jumped from dowry to children. The jump was simply too big.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed slightly and muttered, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking too much. There¡¯s still no set date for the wedding...¡±

    ¡°What? Huo Shaoheng isn¡¯t in a hurry to marry you?¡± He Zhichu was a little surprised and his face darkened. ¡°The Russian president has already announced that he¡¯s going to be the witness to your wedding. How can he pretend not to hear it?¡±

    ¡°No, no... ¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s like this. Ever since Bai Shuang had passed away, Brother Ze has been very depressed. Brother Xiong and I both n to wait at least a year before the wedding. We don¡¯t want to evoke sadness in him, so... ¡±

    He Zhichu understood.

    He actually didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to get married so early either.

    She was in a pretty good state now.

    Although she had received the certificate, it had been kept a secret. Everyone only knew that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were engaged, and didn¡¯t know that the two had been secretly married for almost a year.

    He Zhichu was about to speak when Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°Who used to be in charge of the war at the temple of the priest? I like the image of you being mine in the crowd... ¡±

    It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She quickly swiped her phone open and said softly, ¡± ... Major General Huo?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in his bulletproof car and looked out the window at He Zhichu¡¯s west mountain vi. He asked calmly, ¡°Where are you? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still at professor He¡¯s ce. Something came up and I just settled it.¡± Gu Nianzhi gestured to He Zhichu and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving right away.¡±

    He Zhichu stood up as well. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t refuse.

    She held her phone and walked out of the vi with He Zhichu. They came to her car. ¡°Professor He, you can go back. I¡¯ll be fine driving by myself.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Drive carefully. Give me a call to let me know you¡¯re safe when you get back.¡±

    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gu Nianzhi listened to him obediently. She was much more obedient than when she hade.

    She drove the military jeep out of He Zhichu¡¯s vi¡¯s iron gate. When she looked up, she saw a familiar silver-gray bulletproof car parked on the side of the road opposite the vi.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    Wasn¡¯t this Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car?!

    Could it be that he was making a phone call from there just now?

    Gu Nianzhi stepped on the emergency brake and parked the car by the side of the road. She peeked out of the car window to take a look.

    The car¡¯s windows were coated with high-grade paint. It was hard to see inside from the outside, but it was very clear from the inside.

    The windows of the silver-gray bulletproof car slowly rolled down, revealing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome and solemn face.

    It was indeed him.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved her hand. She pointed to the road down the hill. ¡°Shall we go down together?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her indifferently. ¡°Get out of the car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡± Huo Shaoheng said again. He was concise and didn¡¯t say a word further.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little troubled. What about her car?

    She couldn¡¯t just leave it there and have He Zhichu send it back to her tomorrow, could she?

    Huo Shaoheng raised his chin. Yin Shixiong jumped out of the car and waved at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, get out. This car is mine.¡±

    He winked at Gu Nianzhi and smiled.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed, but still pushed open the car door and got out. ¡°Brother Xiong, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t Ie? I¡¯m just here to be your chauffeur!¡± Yin Shixiong smiled as he said, ¡°Hurry up and go. Major General Huo is going to flip out if you dy it any longer...¡±

    ¡°No way! He¡¯s really going to flip out?¡± Gu Nianzhi was in a great mood. She leaned over to Yin Shixiong and said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t I stall for a little longer to see how Major General Huo will flip out? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car and looked at her quietly. How dare she act like this.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but in reality, he already had the urge to hold Gu Nianzhi down on hisp and spanking her butt.

    His voice lowered. ¡°Nianzhi, get in the car.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up, the old driver is going to drive...¡± Yin Shixiong chuckled. Before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s piercing gaze could reach him, he got into the military jeep that Gu Nianzhi had driven.

    The door was quickly locked, and Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to get into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head orderly Fan Jian was in the front row as the driver, while Huo Shaoheng sat in the back row.

    Between the two rows of seats, the fenders had already been raised.

    Sensing that Huo Shaoheng was in a bad mood, Gu Nianzhi dawdled in the back seat.

    She didn¡¯t dare go over and wished she could sit close to the window, far away from Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked calm as he ordered Fan Jian, ¡°Drive.¡±

    The silver-gray bulletproof car let out a low growl and shot out like an arrow.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even have time to fasten her seat belt when she was almost knocked into the seat by the impact of the car.

    The seat in the back wasn¡¯t very long.

    Gu Nianzhi stumbled from side to side and inevitably ended up crashing into Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly extended an arm and wrapped it around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to get up and return to her seat by the window, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm pushed her back down the moment she moved.

    She had no choice but to remain in the position of lying on her side in his arms.

    This position was very exhausting.

 Chapter 1297 - Huo Shao, I Am Wrong!

    <h4>Chapter 1297: Huo Shao, I Am Wrong!</h4>

    She felt like her waist was going going to be broken after a long time she stayed in this position.

    ¡°Major General Huo...¡± Gu Nianzhi called out to him softly, ¡°Can you let me fasten my seatbelt? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leant toward her without any word.

    His body brushed past her, and Gu Nianzhi was enveloped by his refreshing, masculine scent.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was flushed. She felt Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand groping around her, searching for the seat belt socket.

    He was very close to her, and the tip of his nose brushed past her cheek. It was cold, soft with a hard edge, which ignited a fire on her face and burned into her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing almost stopped.

    If this continued, she would not resist!

    Major General Huo, I am wrong!

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder and softly begged for mercy in his ear.

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°I just fasten the seatbelt. What are you thinking? ¡±

    As he spoke, he exerted force with his fingers.

    The seatbelt buckle made a clicking sound and finally buckled.

    Gu Nianzhi found herself feeling even more ufortable.

    ¡°Major General Huo, I¡¯m not feeling well... ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng pleadingly, trying her best to get rid of the shackles on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm.

    However, the difference in strength between her and Huo Shaoheng was too great.

    It was not a big deal for Huo Shaoheng to hold her entire body in one arm.

    After looking down at her for a while, Huo Shaoheng let her go and adjusted her cor. His fingertips gently scratched her chin and said as if nothing had happened, ¡± ... What¡¯s taking you so long?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got goose bumps all over. She quickly turned her head away and sat up straight, rubbing her waist and ring at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Why did you still ask me? Didn¡¯t you listen to the recording that professor He sent you? Your dear cousin, Luo Jin, is mocking me, which irritated me so much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to not believe her. ¡°That¡¯s it? Didn¡¯t they leave a long time ago? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°Do you know when they left? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t tell her that he had immediately activated the surveince cameras in the area as soon as listening to the recording and saw the confrontation between Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan with Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu in the parking lot on his terminal disy.

    It had been almost an hour since then.

    Huo Shaoheng had originallye to pick Gu Nianzhi up. He had said ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you toe back¡± to Gu Nianzhi, but he had actually wanted to give her a surprise.

    But he didn¡¯t expect that he would have to wait another 20 minutes before she came out of He Zhichu¡¯s vi.

    ¡°Before you anyway.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms as he sat in the back seat, ans said expressionlessly, ¡°What¡¯s up with He Zhichu this time¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. Having such a acute and incisive fianc¨¦, it would be very difficult for her to mess with him in the future..

    Gu Nianzhi opened her palm to reveal the keys in her palm and said, ¡°Professor He gifted it to me as a dowry, and he said he wanted me to... be married from this house.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Are these the keys to his West Mountain Vi? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s too valuable. You shouldn¡¯t ept it. ¡± Huo Shaoheng refused, and even told Fan Jian to turn around and return to He Zhichu¡¯s West Mountain Vi to hand over the keys.

    Gu Nianzhi held onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡± ... But I¡¯ve already epted it. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sulked. ¡°What did I tell you in the past? You can¡¯t ept other people¡¯s things. Have you forgotten all about it? ¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten.¡± Gu Nianzhi said calmly. ¡°But I have a reason to ept it.¡±

    ¡°Tell me. ¡±

    ¡± ... Professor He¡¯s grandfather is He Shouwang. And his father was He Chengjian. Our two families are family friends, so he gave me a gift to show his goodwill. ¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? ¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed as he followed up with another question.

    If He Shouwang and He Chengjian were really He Zhichu¡¯s grandfather and father, then He Zhichu really did have a history with Gu Nianzhi.

    The only question was whether Gu Xiangwen had ever crossed paths with He Chengjian.

    In their previous generation, He Shouwang and Gu Haize were close friends.

    In the next generation, He zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were also on good terms.

    What about Gu Xiangwen and He Chengjian?

    What was their rtionship like?

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Did Professor He tell you anything about your father? Did your father, Gu Xiangwen, and He Zhichu¡¯s father, He Chengjian, know each other?¡±

    ¡°Of course they knew each other.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. She moved closer to Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry when I tell you, but Professor He said that his father and my father used to joke that if their future children were a man and a woman, then...¡±

    ¡± ... Marry?¡± Huo Shaoheng snorted. ¡°Such an old-fashioned thing does seem like something overseas Chinese people would do.¡±

    This was very awkward, and also very mean.

    Gu Nianzhi reached out and touched the tensed up lines on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face, and smoothed them out inch by inch. She smiled and whispered into his ear, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. You¡¯re especially charming when you¡¯re angry, and it makes me want to... have sex with you... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    She was getting bolder and bolder, and even daring to make fun of him.

    But it had to be said that Gu Nianzhi knew Huo Shaoheng very well, and only she could soothe his deeply hidden emotions.

    He grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°perverted¡± hand from his face and kissed it. Then he moved closer to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear and curled her lips. His voice sounded deep and maic as he said, ¡°You¡¯re especially charming when you¡¯re a demon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face instantly turned bright red. Even the corners of her eyes and brows seemed to be stained with rouge.

    She red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°That¡¯s too much! How can you talk like that? What about your image as the chief?¡±

    ¡°Same goes for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a smile. ¡°The chief¡¯s wife doesn¡¯t even care about her image anymore. Would the chief still need it?¡±

    Sigh..

    Gu Nianzhi covered her face. Her heart beated rapidly inside.

    Compared to these experienced drivers, she was still too inexperienced..

    Huo Shaoheng stopped teasing her and silently put his arm around her shoulder. After she had calmed down, he nonchntly changed the topic and said, ¡°Have you discussed prosecuting Luo Jin with Professor He?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still had her head down. She nodded slightly and said softly, ¡°We¡¯ve discussed it. Professor He gave me a schedule for the indictment. I¡¯ll go back and change it ording to the procedure.¡±

    ¡°Do you need evidence?¡± Huo Shaoheng added, ¡°There¡¯s not much physical evidence, but we can immediately look for witnesses.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to reality and looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You mean, Auntie Xing and Auntie You?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. They were fired, but they¡¯ve been under our surveince the whole time.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused, then reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Although I support your charge of intentional homicide against Luo Jin, the process of obtaining evidence is indeed veryplicated. ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s because even Auntie Xing and Auntie You didn¡¯t know that their actions would¡¯ve killed Ms. Song.¡±

 Chapter 1298 - Verify The Information

    <h4>Chapter 1298: Verify The Information</h4>

    ¡°Really? They really didn¡¯t know?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in bewilderment. ¡°They must have been specially selected and trained to be full-time carers in your family, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t imagine that a family like the Huo family would randomly find two people from the nanny market to take care of Song Jinning.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and said indifferently, ¡± ... My father was in charge of the search at that time, and I wasn¡¯t home.¡±

    He had left home to go to university and then joined the military, so he rarely returned home.

    After rescuing Gu Nianzhi, he received a task from the military to watch over Gu Nianzhi. In the past six years, he never returned to his own home.

    It wasn¡¯t until more than a year ago, when Gu Nianzhi was going to the imperial capital to study as a graduate student that he brought her back to his home in the military.

    Feeling speechless, Gu Nianzhi shook her head.

    Alright, these two people really could have been randomly picked up from the nanny market.

    Forget it, she noted this on herptop.

    It was already afternoon when she followed Huo Shaoheng back to the Special Operations Forces headquarters.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and looked up at the scorching sun in the sky.

    It was almost summer, and the weather was gradually getting hotter.

    It was two or three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her sweat and suddenly felt the phone in her pocket vibrate again.

    She took it out and discovered that the driver from the Russian KGB had sent her a message!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly unlocked her phone with her fingerprint and logged on.

    In the discussion group of the ¡°KGB trio¡± , the river sent a sobbing emoji and then sent a message in English.

    [ Middle-aged driver ] : ... Lina¡¯s body has been found in an underground river channel connected to a huge circr pit..

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She quickly tapped her fingers on her phone and replied, ¡°Have you confirmed it? Was It really Lina?

    If it had been found in the underground river, it would have beenpletely unrecognizable after so many days, right?

    [ Middle-aged driver ] : Confirmed. The DNA test results just came back. It¡¯s confirmed to be Lina.

    Then there was a long silence.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say.

    She waited for a while before replying with a small ¡°hug¡± Emoji.

    [ Nez Here ] : Uncle Ivan, my condolences. Where¡¯s dimir? Also give him... my condolences..

    [ Middle-aged Driver ] : Boss fainted when he saw the DNA test results. Peter is now acting in his ce. I hope he can recover soon..

    Gu Nianzhi felt very sad.

    A woman who had been in the same car with them a few days ago was already been confirmed dead today.

    Although Gu Nianzhi had been mentally prepared for Lina¡¯s death, she still felt very anguished after hearing it confirmed.

    She rubbed her fingers on her phone and sent the uncle driver a red packet of 66.66 tofort him.

    She didn¡¯t feel like it was appropriate to send it to dimir.

    She always felt that it was ironic to use a red packet tofort someone when they were heartbroken.

    The middle-aged driver was different. The bestfort for him was a red packet...

    Sure enough, the middle-aged driver epted the red packet, and his depressed mood improved greatly.

    He typed quickly on the phone and turned on the flood mode.

    [ Middle-aged Driver ] : The boss had never believed that Lina was dead. These few days, he didn¡¯t eat, drink, sleep, or rest. He supervised people searching everywhere.

    [ Middle-aged Driver ] : He had searched dozens of miles around the Tunguska crater in Siberia. I¡¯m afraid that even ants wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape his tracking.

    [ Middle-aged Driver ] : In the end, he still received news of her death.

    [ Middle-aged Driver ] : Peter personally led people and found her in the dark river. At first, it just seemed like a random floating corpse. Later, someone suggested that it might be Lina, because the dark river was directly connected to the Tunguska crater.

    [ Middle-aged Driver ] : Peter ordered people to take the floating corpse away, then conducted a DNA test. The result was that it was Lina.

    [ Nez Here ] : ..

    [ Nez Here ] : This is really unfortunate news. I¡¯m very sorry. I hope Lina can rest in peace in heaven. Candle.jpg.

    The two of them chatted for a while before the middle-aged driver said he had a mission and left.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw herself standing under a big tree at the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. Ginkgo Biloba towered into the sky, and the shade was thick. The sun shone through the small fan-like green leaves and made her eyes hurt.

    Huo Shaoheng stood silently by her side and hugged her head to silentlyfort her.

    Huo Shaoheng had seen her chatting with the middle-aged driver.

    He had also received confirmation of Lina¡¯s death.

    ¡± ... It¡¯s okay. She died at her post. As a soldier, her death was glorious.¡± Huo Shaohengforted Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She buried her head in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and smelled his refreshing scent of his arms. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s uneasiness gradually dissipated.

    ¡°This is your daily work... ¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered as she snuggled closer to him. ¡°You must take care, you must take care... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her on the back but didn¡¯t say anything. He led her into the courtyard of the official residence.

    The soldiers standing guard at the door stood at attention and saluted Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said airily, ¡°Thank you for all your hard work. The weather is getting hot, so we can shorten the time you guys have to stand guard outside by an hour.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, chief! We don¡¯t feel the humidity!¡± The soldier replied loudly with his head held high.

    Gu Nianzhi felt embarrassed and struggled out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. She only held his hand as they walked up the stairs.

    ¡°Major General Huo, I actually knew that Lina was probably dead, but I still felt errible when I actually heard the news. ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Shaoheng longingly.

    His silhouette was tall and firm, and he looked mighty and calm. Nothing seemed to be able to shake his tenacious self-control and steel-like willpower.

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s normal to feel terrible, and it¡¯s cold-blooded not to feel terrible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I thought you were going to say that I¡¯m not strong enough...¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°To be able to walk out of the Alps alive on your own after being hunted, I don¡¯t think anyone has the right to say that you¡¯re not strong enough.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pitch-dark eyes darted around and she smiled. ¡°Major General Huo, you have that much confidence in me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room and wrote a letter to Speaker Long and the Secretariat of the upper house of the parliament that requested a dy in her official appointment.

    This was because she wanted to settle Luo Jin¡¯swsuit first.

    If she were to take up the position of chief legal advisor of the upper house of the parliament at the same time, it would most likely be detrimental to herwsuit.

    Cai Shengnan had been eyeing the position of chief legal advisor for a long time. If she knew that Gu Nianzhi had officially taken up the position, she would definitely not let go of this opportunity to discredit her.

    After a detailed discussion with her, Speaker Long agreed to her request, but requested that she dy her appointment for no longer than three months.

    After three months, she had to join regardless of whether Luo Jin¡¯s case was settled or not.

    Gu Nianzhi calcted the time and felt that it should be more than enough, so she agreed and even signed a contract to extend her appointment.

    After settling the matters with the council, Gu Nianzhi began drafting the indictment.

    She listed the evidence she had gathered in order of priority, including witnesses and material evidence. After she had polished it for He Zhichu, she submitted it to the prosecutor¡¯s office and requested that Luo Jin be prosecuted.

    While the prosecutor¡¯s office was reviewing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request for prosecution, Gu Nianzhi was also pondering over how to ask Huo Shaoheng about the Huo family¡¯s trust fund.

    She had nned to file a civilwsuit at the same time as the criminalwsuit to demand that Luo Jin repay the Huo family¡¯s trust fund.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Actually, these trust funds technically don¡¯t belong to the Huo family. They belong to my grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean that the trust fund actually belongs to the Xie family?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately understood. ¡°Does your grandmother¡¯s will still exist?¡±

    ¡± ... The will requires that the funds be distributed ording to the trust fund allocation n in her name.¡± Huo Shaoheng exined briefly.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother, Xie Ziyan, was born into the Xie family and owned properties all over blue.

    When she became seriously ill, she put most of her assets into three irrevocable trust funds at a certain ratio.

    Eighty percent of this was put into an irrevocable trust fund with Huo Shaoheng as the beneficiary.

    An ¡°irrevocable trust fund¡± meant that the client gave up all ownership of the assets, and only the beneficiary could change or revoke the specific terms of the trust fund.

    This meant that only the beneficiary was the true owner of the assets.

    The remaining 20% was divided equally into two portions.

    One portion was given to her eldest son, Huo Guanyuan, who was also Luo Jin¡¯s father in name.

    The other portion was given to her second son, Huo Guanchen, who was also Huo Shaoheng¡¯s biological father.

    The rest of the assets were left to her husband, Huo Xuenong.

    However, at the time, Huo Xuenong had said that he didn¡¯t need his wife¡¯s inheritance and had voluntarily put all the assets that his wife had left him into an irrevocable trust fund with Huo Shaoheng as the beneficiary.

    As a result, more than 80% of Xie Ziyan¡¯s assets would be inherited by Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, hadn¡¯t used his mother¡¯s inheritance either. He had once said that the portion of the trust fund under his name would be given to his grandson in the future.

    What Luo Jin inherited now was the portion of the irrevocable trust fund that was given to Huo Guanyuan.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped when she heard this. ¡°No wonder she could buy a vi in the West Mountains! Ten percent of your grandmother¡¯s assets is in her hands!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression remained calm, but there was a sinister gleam in his eyes. ¡°A vi in the West Mountains? Luo Jin bought a vi in the West Mountains?¡±

    ¡°That day, Professor He and I went to Luhuitou restaurant in the West Mountains to have dinner. We met Luo Jin, and she hersel said that she owned a property there.¡±

    ¡°I have to check this out.¡± Huo Shaoheng thought about how thest time he asked Uncle Xie to help investigate the funds of the trust fund under Luo Jin¡¯s name, it was confirmed that the trust fund had indeed transferred money to Father Seth¡¯s bank ount.

    However, Uncle Xie hadn¡¯t given him a follow-up response.

 Chapter 1299 - Looking For Support

    <h4>Chapter 1299: Looking For Support</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his office and called Yin Shixiong in. ¡°Last time, I asked you to investigate Luo Jin¡¯s background over the past few years. How is it going?¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s the same as what I told you before. Other than the year she was in Europe, which was a little difficult to investigate, everything else has been investigated.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Have you checked with our field agents in Europe?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve informed them. But because Luo Jin wasn¡¯t the target of their surveince at that time, you know that it¡¯s very difficult to make any substantial progress.¡± Yin Shixiong replied truthfully.

    Even though their people were scattered all over the world, they couldn¡¯t be like in China, where they could investigate whomever they wanted and whenever they wanted, because they didn¡¯t have enough authority to use public equipment and facilities.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment. ¡°Send what you¡¯ve found to my email.¡±

    Yin Shixiong went back and forwarded the report on Luo Jin to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the time and estimated that it was around 7:00 a.m. European time.

    Even though it was a little early, he still picked up the phone and called Uncle Xie.

    The phone rang three times on the other end before it was picked up.

    ¡°Is that Shaoheng?¡± Uncle Xie¡¯s warm and gentle voice came through the phone.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly said, ¡°Hello, can you talk now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I just came back from my morning jog.¡± Uncle Xie said as he picked up the vitamin mineral water and took a big gulp.

    His name was Xie Beichen, and he was one of the best in this generation of the Xie family.

    If nothing unexpected happened, he would be the next head of the Xie family.

    If he needed help from the Xie family, Xie Beichen would definitely be the best candidate.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good that I¡¯m not disturbing you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still disturbing me nheless.¡± Xie Beichen smiled as he put down the mineral water. He sat in front of the breakfast counter in the kitchen and began browsing through that day¡¯s news reports.

    ¡°Impressive, uncle. ¡± Huo Shaohengplimented him and went back to the topic at hand. ¡°Uncle, about the trust fund I asked you to look intost time, you said there would be a follow-up. I¡¯m wondering about how the investigation is going?¡±

    Xie Beichen took out his iPad and entered the encrypted folder. He pulled out the information he had found and frowned slightly. ¡°Shaoheng, this matter is somewhat little troublesome.¡±

    ¡°What sort of trouble?¡± Huo Shaoheng was a little surprised. Even the Xie family found it troublesome?

    ¡°It¡¯s because of the irrevocable trust fund. Your uncle is the beneficiary, which means that only he has the authority to investigate the fund¡¯s flow. I was able to find out thest time the fund was sent out because it was sent through the Swiss Bank. Our Xie family has shares in the Swiss Bank and also holds a position on the Swiss Bank¡¯s board of directors, so we could find out through the Swiss Bank.

    ¡°If the fund¡¯s flow wasn¡¯t through the Swiss Bank but through another bank, it would¡¯ve been very difficult to investigate. At least, we have to know which bank the trust fund¡¯s money was deposited in.¡±

    Xie Beichen felt very regretful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I might not be able to help you with anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was deep in thought. ¡°So, only my uncle can ask the trust fund to verify the funds¡¯ direction. But my uncle died 18 years ago... ¡±

    ¡°Yes, so now your uncle¡¯s heir can control this trust fund.¡± Xie Beichen said airily. ¡°That¡¯s the Luo Jin you¡¯re looking for, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t deny it. He held the mouse in his hand and moved it on theputer screen.

    For a moment, he even wondered if he could hack into theputerwork of the trust fund.

    But what if the trust fund didn¡¯t put its useful materials online?

    Moreover, doing so would be detrimental to their case.

    Once it was revealed that their evidence was obtained illegally, the judge would immediately discard the information. That would be a loss that wouldn¡¯t be worth it.

    Therefore, the information obtained by the hackers can only cause a sensation in the news, but can¡¯t be used as evidence in court.

    ¡°The irrevocable trust fund only recognizes the beneficiary. This is something that we cannot change.¡± Xie Beichen looked at his watch. ¡°I can send you the information I found, but it won¡¯t be of much use.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Okay, send it to me.¡±

    The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Xie Beichen¡¯s father, Xie Shenxing, went downstairs for breakfast. He heard that Xie Beichen was on the phone with Huo Shaoheng, so he asked Xie Beichen to turn on the speakerphone so that everyone could speak together.

    Huo Shaoheng heard Xie Shenxing¡¯s voice and quickly greeted him. He then took the opportunity to invite the father and son back to the country.

    ¡°Great uncle-inw, uncle-inw, do you all have any ns to return to the country in the near future?¡±

    Xie Shenxingughed. ¡°Shaoheng, you want me to return to the country to attend your wedding, right? News of you proposing to that little girl in Russia has already spread to us. I asked Beichen to record the news so I can watch it every day when I have the free time.¡±

    Xie Beichen¡¯s father, Xie Shenxing, was the current head of the Xie family. He was also the biological brother of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother, Xie Ziyan, who shared the same father and mother.

    ¡°A wedding... haha, not in the near future.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked up a few darts from his desk and threw them at the dartboard on the opposite wall, then said, ¡°I hope you¡¯lle back for Luo Jin¡¯swsuit. I may need your help in finding someone to testify in court.¡±

    Xie Beichen understood and didn¡¯t ask Huo Shaoheng why the wedding wouldn¡¯t be held in the near future. He nodded. ¡°I can make time to go back. Call me if you need me ¡±

    After a pause, Xie Beichen continued, ¡°Your fianc¨¦e is called Gu Nianzhi, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded.

    ¡± ... Give me her address. I have a gift for her.¡± Xie Beichen wanted to show the Xie family¡¯s support for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding.

    The gift that Xie Beichen wanted to give couldn¡¯t be described as ¡°little¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng was very happy, but his expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°You¡¯re too kind. She¡¯s a junior, so she should be the one to show respect to you.¡±

    Xie Beichen: ¡± ... ¡±

    This cousin of his was good at everything, but he was too calm and steady. He couldn¡¯t find a single mistake in any aspect, so Xie Beichen felt a little suffocated.

    ¡± ... Shaoheng, I¡¯m afraid of what you¡¯re saying.¡± Xie Beichen joked with him with a half-hearted smile.

    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±

    ¡°The more polite you are, the more I¡¯m afraid that my gift won¡¯t be enough.¡± Xie Beichenughed heartily. ¡°Your regard for Nianzhi is truly extraordinary! ¡±

    As someone who genuinely cared about him, understood his character, and his lifestyle well, he came to this conclusion.

    On the other hand, he felt at a loss for words regarding his own grandfather and father.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed a little inside, but continued to smile and said, ¡°Then don¡¯t be afraid. Just think of it as helping Nianzhi collect her dowry. As you know, she has no parents and grew up with me. Now that I¡¯m going to marry her, I¡¯m worried that other people¡¯s gossip will hurt her feelings.¡±

    In reality, Gu Nianzhi had long stopped caring about what others said. All she cared about was whether Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart truly belonged to her...

    But Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t ignore the harm just because Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care anymore.

    Xie Shenxing listened from the side and understood what Huo Shaoheng meant. He immediately decided to double the amount of gifts would he give to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Shaoheng, Beichen may be busy, but I¡¯m very free. I¡¯ll be back next week to hold an engagement party for Nianzhi at the Diaotai State Guesthouse in the imperial capital. When that timees, I¡¯d like to see who dares to look down on the person I, Xie Shenxing, support!¡±

    He wanted to see Huo Shaoheng happy. This was what his sister, Xie Ziyan, wanted.

    He could also tell that after so many years, only Gu Nianzhi could give Huo Shaoheng the impulse and desire to get married. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t let anyone ruin Huo Shaoheng¡¯s happiness.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Huo Shaoheng expressed his heartfelt gratitude. ¡°My grandfather can¡¯t say anything more now.¡±

    Xie shenxing sensed that something was amiss. ¡°Does your grandfather not agree to your marriage?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Grandfather once had a wild idea and wanted me and Luo Jin to get a marriage certificate for a ¡®fake marriage¡¯.¡± Huo Shaoheng said airily.

    Xie Shenxing was immediately furious. It was as if fury from old and new grudges had ignited inside of him.

    ¡°What?! That old fool! Does he think that all of the Xie family¡¯s members are dead? ! Tell him to just wait! I¡¯m going back to the Huaxia Empire right now! I¡¯m going to bring a basket home, break that old fool¡¯s bones, put them in a basket, and throw them in front of my sister¡¯s grave to be ashes!¡±

 Chapter 1300 - Kill Three Birds With One Stone

    <h4>Chapter 1300: Kill Three Birds With One Stone</h4>

    Even at his old age, the Elder Xie¡¯s temper was still as fiery as ever.

    On the other end of the phone, Xie Beichen was trying to persuade the elder Xie. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t get worked up. Be careful, or your blood pressure will go up again.¡±

    ¡°How can I not get worked up? Look at what he¡¯s done to that family! A man that can¡¯t control his lower body, and a woman has got him wrapped around her fingers! As a parent, how can he not be in control of his family, and keep dragging deplorable things into his home! ¡±

    Grandfather Xie cursed Huo Xuenong, and Xie Beichen felt very embarrassed.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care. He curled his lips and tried to persuade him, ¡°Uncle-inw, please take it easy. How are you going to return to the country if you hurt your health by getting so angry?¡±

    Grandfather Xie huffed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely return to the country next week. I¡¯ll get Beichen to prepare a private jet right now!¡±

    Grandfather Xie would definitely need more than one private jet to prepare for his return to the country.

    However, this was something that Xie Beichen had to worry about, so Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything else.

    Huo Shaoheng put down the phone and continued with his work.

    ..

    After Gu Nianzhi¡¯s indictment was handed over to the public prosecutor¡¯s office, she waited for a few days. Finally, she received a call from the public prosecutor¡¯s office and was asked to go personally.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly drove to the public prosecutor¡¯s office.

    Because of her special status, the person who came to receive her was a rtively high-ranking female prosecutor from the public prosecutor¡¯s office.

    In the small conference room, the female prosecutor smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with Gu Nianzhi, then said apologetically, ¡°Lawyer Gu, we¡¯ve carefully examined the materials you¡¯ve submitted. We all agree that you don¡¯t have enough evidence to charge Luo Jin with ¡®intentional homicide¡¯ against Ms. Song Jinning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that this matter wasN¡¯t going to be so easy. Previously, she had also adopted a ¡°do your best and leave it to fate¡± attitude.

    However, she wanted to hear what the female prosecutor had to say.

    Therefore, she still looked very disappointed. She pursed her lips and said gloomily, ¡°How can this be? We really can¡¯t sue her?¡±

    ¡°Of course we can sue her. If you want to sue Luo Jin for intentional injury, mental abuse, or domestic violence against Song Jinning, that¡¯s fine. All of these can be brought directly to the court. There¡¯s no need to go through our prosecutor¡¯s office.¡±

    The female prosecutor was very amiable. ¡°Also, I¡¯ve read the materials you¡¯ve prepared. They¡¯re very detailed andplete. There¡¯s a very high chance that the private prosecution will win. But if you want to sue ¡®intentional homicide¡¯, there¡¯s almost no chance of filing a case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists and said with grief and indignation on her face, ¡°I just can¡¯t stand it! Luo Jin had been torturing a patient with severe mental trauma for seven or eight years. If she didn¡¯t want her to die, then what?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your theory, but from the evidence you¡¯ve submitted, we, as a third party, don¡¯t see the need for her to do that. To charge someone with intentional homicide, you need very direct and subjective evidence to prove that the other party had a reason to kill Song Jinning.¡±

    ¡°But from your materials, Luo Jin didn¡¯t have a reason to kill Song Jinning. Even if she wanted to avenge her mother, seven or eight years of mental abuse would be enough.¡±

    The female prosecutor¡¯s attitude showed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s evidence wasn¡¯t enough to prove that Luo Jin had a reason to kill Song Jinning.

    Intentional homicide was one of the most serious crimes in criminalw. Therefore, both the prosecutor¡¯s office and the court were very careful in prosecuting and trying such crimes.

    Gu Nianzhi talked with the female prosecutor for a long time before finally withdrawing her indictment. She nned to go back and think about whether she had other ideas.

    She walked out of the prosecutor¡¯s office. There were many cars and pedestrians in front of the door. The sun was shining brightly above her head, and early summer arrived on schedule.

    She turned around a corner and went to the parking lot. Gu Nianzhi got into her car and drove through the city aimlessly.

    Before she knew it, she had arrived at Song Jinning¡¯s high-energy physics facility.

    Since she was there, she decided to visit Ms. Song.

    Ever since she had returned from Russia, Ms. Song had been immersed in another round of crazy experiments and had beenpletely disconnected from the outside world.

    Gu Nianzhi registered her purpose of visit at the Guard booth at the entrance of the high-energy physics facility. She was only allowed to enter the facility after showing her identification card.

    She was surprised to find that the security system here was much better than before.

    Aside from the fact that the sentries at the entrance had been reced by regr soldiers, there were also many hidden sentries around the area.

    The security cameras on the wall were densely packed, so they could practically monitor every angle.

    Gu Nianzhi arrived in front of Song Jinning¡¯s own experimental building with ease.

    There was anotheryer of sentries at the entrance. A female security guard came over with a detector to check her body from top to bottom. There were also specialized equipment to check herptop bag and briefcase.

    The security system was almost exactly the same as the one on the ne.

    Gu Nianzhi clearly remembered that it had never been so troublesome toe here in the past.

    She was slightly surprised and went to the sixth floor where Song Jinning was.

    The experimental building wasn¡¯t very tall. It looked unremarkable in the surrounding high-rise buildings, but it was also very well hidden.

    ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re here. Please take a seat for a while. Director Song is in the middle of the experiment. It will be over in a few minutes.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s assistant greeted Gu Nianzhi warmly and brought her a bottle of mineral water to put on the table. ¡°Enjoy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so courteous with me. Go do your thing. I¡¯ll sit alone for a while.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand and smiled as she sat down in the small sitting room in Song Jinning¡¯s office. She took out herptop and began to revise herwsuit.

    She sat there for half an hour before Song Jinning finally finished her experiment.

    ¡°Little Nianzhi, why are you free to visit me today?¡± Song Jinning hadn¡¯t even appeared yet but a pleasant voice came from outside the door.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw a beautiful woman in a whiteb coat walking in with a bright smile on her face.

    Although she knew Song Jinning¡¯s real age and was very familiar with her, Gu Nianzhi still felt a little lost every time she suddenly saw Song Jinning.

    It was a feeling of being conquered by true beauty.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and stood up from the sofa. ¡°Miss Song, how do you take care of yourself? I heard you do experiments every day. Why are you getting more and more beautiful? You¡¯re not doing an experiment on ¡®retaining your beauty¡¯, are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked at Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning beamed happily. Her face was rosy-cheeked, smooth, and without any traces of makeup. She only used a normal moisturizer, but the luster of her skin rivaled that of a neen-year-old girl like Gu Nianzhi.

    She touched her face and said contentedly, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because people are in high spirits after a happy event. Look, I¡¯m about to have grandchildren. Of course I¡¯m happy! Happiness is the best beauty product!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed slightly and said, ¡°You only know how to tease me. Isn¡¯t it because your experiment is getting better and better that you¡¯re really happy?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Song Jinning¡¯s grandson and granddaughter were far behind inparison to the results of the experiment..

    ¡°Of course not. My experiment is just as important as my grandson and granddaughter.¡± Song Jinning smiled as she walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and took a special look at her stomach, ¡± ... You¡¯vee to me so suddenly, so perhaps you¡¯re pregnant? Shaoheng still refuses to get married? This kid, I¡¯ll go scold him and drag him to the Civil Affairs Bureau with you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She quickly grabbed Song Jinning and whispered, ¡°Of course not. I came because I just came from the prosecutor¡¯s office. They think there¡¯s not enough evidence to charge Luo jin with ¡®intentional homicide¡¯.¡±

    Song Jinning understood. She pulled Gu Nianzhi to sit down and said, ¡°Then what went wrong? Or is it really inadequate? Then let¡¯s not charge her with intentional homicide.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head without hesitation. ¡°I really only wanted to teach her a hard lesson from the beginning, to keep her away from my people and my family. But the more I investigated, the more I realized that she really wanted to kill you, but she was very secretive and didn¡¯t want anyone to find out.¡±

    At that time, Luo Jin was still a member of the Huo family. She still had ulterior motives towards Huo Shaoheng, so she couldn¡¯t let anyone know that she wanted Song Jinning dead.

    Because of that, her actions didn¡¯t make her ulterior motives conspicuous.

    ¡°I see... Little Nianzhi, I do support you.¡± Song Jinning caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long hair regretfully. ¡°But if there¡¯s no sufficient evidence...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that there¡¯s no evidence at all. The point is that the prosecution office said that there¡¯s not enough subjective motive to prove that she wanted to kill someone.¡± Gu Nianzhi began toin. ¡°I¡¯ve already included Uncle Huo¡¯s thoughts regarding you in the materials, so this won¡¯t do.¡±

    This was the Huo family¡¯s ¡°dirtyundry.¡± Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even wanted to put this in the documents, but Huo Shaoheng and Song Jinning told her that it had nothing to do with it. Besides, even if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say it, Luo Jin would definitely say it in court in order to get away with it.

    Rather than having Luo Jin twist the facts, it would be better for them to tell the whole story first.

    However, even if this point was included in the materials for the indictment, the evidence would still be insufficient.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and took out her own materials for Song Jinning to see.

    Song Jinning read through them one by one, then said, ¡°The materials you¡¯ve prepared are very detailed andplete. Although I don¡¯t know much about legal jargon, I can tell that the only thing you¡¯recking is thest point. With this point, you¡¯ll be able to wrap up the entire case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and asked Song Jinning thoughtfully, ¡°Can you tell me more about your rtionship with Luo Xinxue, Luo Jin, and Uncle Huo? Do you remember everything that happened before your ident?¡±

    What Song Jinning didn¡¯t remember was that she had been traumatized for more than a decade. She remembered everything that had happened before and after.

    She thought about it carefully and started from the beginning.

    ¡± ... I remember one evening, I finished my experiment and came out of theb. Huo Guanyuan was smoking at the door.¡±

    ¡°I told him that he couldn¡¯t smoke here.¡±

    ¡°He threw away his cigarette butt and told me that he was getting married.¡±

    ¡°I congratted him right away. He smiled and said that he was trying to deal with his parents forcing him to get married and taking care of the orphan of hisrade. He told me that Luo Xinxue was already pregnant and had gotten pregnant before marriage. Back then, it was very difficult for a woman to deal with alone. He just happened to agree to take care of hisrade, so he simply proposedto kill three birds with one stone.¡±

    Song Jinning heaved a sigh of relief. There was a hint of mncholy in her voice.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She grabbed Song Jinning and said anxiously, ¡°Wait a minute, what¡¯s going on? You knew all along that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t Uncle Huo¡¯s biological daughter?!¡±

    ¡°I did, but I never told anyone. If I hadn¡¯t been exposed in court, I would have kept this secret until I died of old age.¡±

    ¡°Think about it, how could Luo Xinxue behave like this? The Huo family would never let her in.¡±

 Chapter 1301 - How To Woo A Genius And A Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 1301: How To Woo A Genius And A Beauty</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Song Jinning in disbelief. She wondered how Uncle Huo could tell Miss Song such a private matter..

    ¡°Miss Song, Uncle Huo must have trusted you enough to tell you this... ¡± Afraid to make Song Jinning think otherwise, Gu Nianzhi said this carefully.

    Song Jinning hadn¡¯t really thought that much about it. She raised an eyebrow and said proudly, ¡°I¡¯m a good person. I¡¯d rather die than tell someone else¡¯s secret.¡±

    She was saying it now because it was no longer a secret.

    Ever since Bai Jinyi¡¯s case, everyone had known that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t Huo Guanyuan¡¯s biological daughter.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little speechless. She nodded twice and said, ¡°Does Luo Jin know that you know her background?¡±

    Song Jinning frowned and thought for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t told anyone anyway.¡±

    In her delirious years, she could only remember things before she was 18, so she probably wouldn¡¯t have told anyone else about it at that time.

    For example, the two domestic workers who had taken care of her, Auntie Xing and Auntie You, had no idea.

    They had been in contact with Song Jinning the most during those years. If they hadn¡¯t known, Song Jinning probably hadn¡¯t said a word.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time.

    She thought that if Song Jinning had never mentioned it to anyone, then Luo Jin wouldn¡¯t have wanted to kill Song Jinning over it.

    Theoretically speaking, Luo Jin had no idea that Song Jinning was someone who knew about her past.

    But why would she do that?

    She had spent nearly a decade torturing Song Jinning, in an attempt to ¡°mentally abuse¡± a mentally ill person who had suffered severe brain damage and had gradually be listless until her life force was gone...

    Such a method was truly ruthless.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, then muttered, ¡°If she didn¡¯t know that you knew about her past, then she had no reason to do this. But the truth is, she did do it, so I think she should have found out from another source that you knew about her past as well.¡±

    ¡°Then who would be her other source?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of one person: Luo Xinxue.

    She was Luo Jin¡¯s biological mother.

    Of course, Luo Xinxue knew that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t Huo Guanyuan¡¯s biological daughter, and probably told her about it after Luo Jin had grown up.

    Luo Jin had said it herself.

    Could it be that Luo Xinxue actually knew that Huo Guanyuan had told Song Jinning about it?

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if her mind was filled with a fog. The truth was like amp in the fog, flickering in and out of view, and making her feel as if it was close for a moment, but then far away the next moment.

    ¡°... Ms. Song, think again. What else did Uncle Huo say to you? Was it rted to Luo Jin, himself, or the entire Huo family?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to enlighten Song Jinning¡¯s memories and thoughts.

    Song Jinning closed her eyes. After a while, she continued, ¡°Huo Guanyuan said that his parents were forcing him into a marriage. Luo Xinxue was pregnant, and her fianc¨¦ died trying to save Huo Guanyuan. So he decided to marry her to help himself, hisrade, and Luo Xinxue.¡±

    ¡°After my mother-inw passed away, he often went out on missions and rarely stayed at home.¡±

    ¡°I remember that on the eve of the ident, I came out of theb veryte and saw him smoking alone under a big tree outside theb building. When he saw meing, he threw the cigarette away and came home with me.¡±

    ¡°On the way, he told me... ¡±

    Song Jinning felt that something was wrong.

    Why did Huo Guanyuan say such things to her at that time?

    It was a pity that at that time, she had been so focused on the experiment that she had barely taken care of her own son, let alone her husband¡¯s brother..

    Song Jinning opened her eyes in a daze and didn¡¯t speak for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi waited patiently by the side until Song Jinning¡¯s line of sight regained focus. Gu Nianzhi asked softly, ¡°What did Uncle Huo say?¡±

    Song Jinning gritted her teeth, although she was embarrassed, she said in a low voice, ¡± ... That day was the day before the big experiment. If we sessfullypleted the experiment the next day, the project with the military would beplete. Huo Guanyuan was originally a military representative representing the military to cooperate with ourboratory. If the experiment waspleted, he would have to leave ourboratory and go on a mission somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°That night, he said that, ording to the army¡¯s tradition, every time they went out on a secret mission, they would write a will beforehand. If they were to die, their funeral arrangements would be made properly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head. ¡°A will?! Uncle Huo had a will?!¡±

    That¡¯s right!

    How could she have forgotten that!

    When soldiers went out on missions, they would often write a will in advance and hand it over to the military instructor.

    If they came back alive, of course, the will would be annulled.

    If they didn¡¯te back alive, this will would be theirst words in this world.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was only happy for a moment. She felt like a deted balloon that had been pricked by a needle.

    If Huo Guanyuan had a will, it would only prove that Xie Ziyan¡¯s trust fund, in Luo Jin¡¯s hands, was a legitimate inheritance.

    Then they would have no way of recovering the money in the trust fund from Luo Jin...

    No wonder Luo Jin was so confident and was so willing to squander the Xie family¡¯s money.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows were furrowed tightly as she thought about how to deal with the situation. Song Jinning continued, ¡°Yes, Huo Guanyuan said that he had made a will and wanted to give all of his assets to Shaoheng...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise and red at Song Jinning.

    She felt like she was on a roller coaster. She couldn¡¯t control herself as she listened to Song Jinning¡¯s words.

    ¡± ... What did you say? Uncle Huo made a will and wanted to give all of his assets to Major General Huo?!¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in a trembling voice.

    Blushing a little, Song Jinning nodded slightly, ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate, do you? I declined politely at the time, saying that this was his property and should be left to his own child. But he said that he had never liked anyone in his life. He had married Luo Xinxue to take care of her and give her and the child in her womb a proper title... He also said that although they were married, he had never touched her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her her eyes and forehead with her hands.

    She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She was feeling a little dizzy..

    Uncle Huo was closeted pervert...

    ¡± ... But isn¡¯t he being unfair to Luo Xinxue?¡± Gu Nianzhiposed herself and asked softly, ¡°By Uncle Huo doing this, Luo Xinxue is his wife only in name...¡±

    Song Jinning nodded and said with a wry smile, ¡°I said the same thing back then. I said that since he was married to Luo Xinxue, he had to take on the responsibility of being a husband. Otherwise, it would be too unfair to Luo Xinxue.¡±

    ¡°Then what did Uncle Huo say?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very curious and couldn¡¯t help being gossipy.

    ¡°He said that he had an agreement with Luo Xinxue. When Luo Xinxue found someone she liked, he would divorce her and let her find her own happiness. If she didn¡¯t want to have children, she could leave Luo Jin with the Huo family. Because Luo Jin was Huo Guanyuan¡¯s daughter in name, he had never denied the whole thing to the outside world.¡±

    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t say it, and Luo Xinxue doesn¡¯t say it, no one will know Luo Jin¡¯s true identity.¡±

    ¡°But you know? ¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly reminded Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning looked at her strangely, as if she was very surprised at what she had said. She told her disapprovingly, ¡°But I won¡¯t tell anyone. Huo Guanyuan only told me this because he knew I would keep it a secret.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched as she listened.

    Uncle Huo probably didn¡¯t tell you this just because you could keep a secret, right?

    This was really...

    She finally understood why although Huo Guanyuan was much more capable than his younger brother, Huo Guanchen, he couldn¡¯t get Song JJinning, a beauty with an extremely high IQ but low EQ...

    Because his overly reserved way of expressing himself waspletely useless against Song Jinning, a mad scientist.

    Huo Guanchen had probably used a very straightforward way of pursuing her before he managed to move the heart of the genius beauty who was straightforward in her rtionship.

    Song Jinning¡¯s EQ was not low, but shecked nerves when it came to romantic rtionships.

    She probably never thought that Huo Guanyuan liked her at that time.

    It wasn¡¯t until 17 yearster, when Bai Jinyi¡¯s case was heard, that Song Jinning vaguely found out that this person she knew a long time ago had a secret crush on her.

    This was truly a tragic incident.

    However, she had been worried that Huo Guanyuan, the ¡°Holy Father¡±, would not only help others raise their children, but also lose all his assets.

    Now, after listening to Song Jinning¡¯s words, she felt that Huo Guanyuan was still a normal person. Although he was emotionally stubborn, at least he wasn¡¯t overly foolish.

    He didn¡¯t give the property left by his mother, Xie Ziyan, to an outsider. Instead, he had chosen to leave it to his own nephew, Huo Shaoheng.

    In realization, Gu Nianzhi continued to ask excitedly, ¡°What about Uncle Huo¡¯s will?¡±

    Song Jinning frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know? Didn¡¯t the military announce his will?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan and Song Jinning had met with an ident during the experiment.

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s body had been destroyed in the explosion, and Song Jinning had been pushed out of theb at thest moment. Her brain had suffered a severe concussion, and her memory had been stuck at the age of 18, when she had be a severely mentally ill patient.

    Song Jinning had no idea what had happened to Huo Guanyuan after that.

    However, this question wasn¡¯t difficult.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t know, but Huo Shaoheng should know.

    If Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know, there was still General Ji!

    Huo Guanyuan was a military hero. There must have been a bw that detailed his funeral arrangements.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled that during Bai Jinyi¡¯s trial, she seemed to have mentioned what Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings were.

    She clearly remembered that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will hadn¡¯t been mentioned at that time.

    If it had, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have ignored such an important thing.

    Whether or not the will had been fulfilled at all, and whether or not the will had not been published were all matters that Gu Nianzhi had to follow up on next.

    She left Song Jinning¡¯sb and couldn¡¯t wait to call Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang with a dead tone.

    It probably wasn¡¯t convenient for him to pick up the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi sent him a text message.

    ¡°Major General Huo, do you know where your uncle¡¯s will is?¡±

 Chapter 1302 - The Messenger

    <h4>Chapter 1302: The Messenger</h4>

    When Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text message, it was already an hourter.

    He had juste out of the conference room and turned on his phone when he saw the message.

    He was slightly taken aback and subconsciously dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    ¡°Nianzhi, why do you ask?¡± Wearing a Bluetooth headset, he walked down the long corridor leisurely.

    The sound of his leather boots nging against the floor reverberated through the long corridor.

    Gu Nianzhi had already returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    After taking a shower, she sat alone with her long hair draped over her shoulders. She crossed her legs on the bay window sill and looked down at the colorful flowers in the small garden downstairs, then mumbled to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Major General Huo, I just came back from Mrs. Song¡¯s ce and heard something from her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and asked calmly, ¡°What is it? My uncle¡¯s will?¡±

    ¡°That is one thing, and there¡¯s one more thing. Your uncle told your mother long before he married Luo Xinxue that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t your uncle¡¯s biological daughter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little surprised. ¡°Could it be that Mrs. Song knew many years ago that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t my uncle¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ms. Song didn¡¯t tell anyone. Tell me, how did Luo Jin find out about Ms. Song¡¯s background?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s most likely Bai Jinyi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What? No Way? I¡¯ve been guessing it was Luo Xinxue.¡±

    Luo Xinxue had told her the truth about Luo Jin¡¯s background after she grew up. Could it be that she had also told Luo Jin that Song Jinning knew about it?

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°... Luo Xinxue didn¡¯t have the chance to find out about it. She didn¡¯t know Ms. Song at all before she married my uncle.¡±

    ¡°Then how could it be Bai Jinyi? ¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Bai Jinyi didn¡¯t say a word during thest court trial!¡±

    ¡°I think Bai Jinyi didn¡¯t know how important this matter was. It was so important that Luo Jin wanted to kill her.¡± Huo Shaoheng analyzed calmly, ¡°Based on Luo Jin and Bai Jinyi¡¯s situation at the time, the two of them have been friends for a long time. They can be considered best friends.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s analyze it. First of all, how did Bai Jinyi know about this? Where did she find out?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was piqued. She loved to theorize.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Are you here to interrogate me, wyer Gu?¡±

    As he spoke, he walked to his office and pushed the door open.

    He sat down at his desk and closed the door, Huo Shaoheng then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°There are two reasons why I think it¡¯s Bai Jinyi. First, she was conducting experiments in the sameb as my mother. When my uncle was talking to my mother, she was the one who had the opportunity to be the ¡®eavesdropper¡¯.¡±

    In other words, it was very likely that Bai Jinyi had overheard Huo Guanyuan talking to Song Jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Song Jinning¡¯s description of what had happened outside herb!

    What if Bai Jinyi had been inside theb?

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That makes sense. What about the second reason?¡±

    ¡°The second reason, of course, is that Bai Jinyi had always had a crush on my uncle, so it¡¯s very likely that she had been keeping an eye on him.¡±

    ¡°I understand now. This means that Bai Jinyi has both objective and subjective motives, and hase into contact with this secret. Although it¡¯s just a theory, it¡¯s very close to the truth.¡± Gu Nianzhi twirled her hair with her fingers, then nodded approvingly. ¡°Furthermore, Bai Jinyi became friendly with Luo Jinter on, so she had a better chance to talk about this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled airily. ¡°Lawyer Gu is so impressive. You immediately summed it up. ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tease me.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up straight and joked. ¡°If you tease me again, I¡¯ll ignore you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and ignored her coquettish threats, then continued, ¡°Although I have two reasons to believe that Bai Jinyi is the third party most likely to know about this, I¡¯m not sure why she didn¡¯t use this to push the me onto Luo Jin in Bai Jinyi¡¯s case.¡±

    ¡°I think she was also fooled by Luo Jin.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Luo Jin will definitely tell Bai Jinyi that she knew about this a long time ago. Her mother hasn¡¯t kept it from her since she was a child.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Bai Jinyi won¡¯t think this news is too explosive, and she won¡¯t expose the whole thing in court. Because she didn¡¯t think that doing so would help her get away with it. Instead, she would be looked down upon even more because of her own meddlesome behavior.¡±

    ¡°That might be the only exnation.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled in admiration. ¡°It¡¯s closer to the truth than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, you tter me. I was just saying so casually.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be reserved and modest.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. It was as if he could see Gu Nianzhi narrwoing her eyes, like a cat being tickled under the sun. He couldn¡¯t help but want to hug her and dote on her...

    ¡°Major General Huo, I want to see Bai Jinyi.¡± Gu Nianzhi opened her phone to check. ¡°She was sentenced to death a year and a half ago, with a two-year reprieve. There are only six months until the execution, will her sentence bemuted to life imprisonment?¡±

    Generally speaking, the majority of death sentences that are suspended will eventually bemuted to life imprisonment, with the possibility ofmutation and release if the sentence is well-rehabilitated in the meantime.

    Huo Shaoheng said inly, ¡°But if you want to see her, hurry up. Her death sentence will be certainly executed in two years. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could hear the viciousness in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone.

    It seemed like he had made up his mind to let Bai Jinyi have no chance of getting out of prison alive.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll apply to see Bai Jinyi. ¡±

    Bai Jinyi was on death row. Although her sentence was suspended for two years, she was still being held in solitary confinement.

    Gu Nianzhi was also curious.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s brother, Bai Jiancheng, was the new prime minister.

    Does he not want to think of a way to get Bai Jinyi out of prison as soon as possible?

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude just now made it clear that he refused to see any chance of Bai Jinyi getting her sentence reduced.

    He wanted her to be executed. Even if the sentence was suspended for two years, it would only be suspended. He wanted her to die.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately went to the prison where Bai Jinyi was being held and applied for a visit.

    Bai Jinyi was the key to her current case.

    Through Bai Jinyi, she could connect Luo Jin and Song Jinning.

    Bai Jinyi could prove that Song Jinning had known about Luo Jin¡¯s true identity a long time ago.

    At the same time, Bai Jinyi could prove that she had told Luo Jin about the incident and that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will had gone missing. All of thesebined would prove that Luo Jin really had a motive to kill her.

    ...

    ¡°Hello? Is this the Green City Women¡¯s prison? I¡¯d like to apply to meet Ms. Bai Jinyi from your prison.¡± Gu Nianzhi politely called the Green City Women¡¯s prison.

    All the inmates here were felons.

    The prison staff politely asked Gu Nianzhi to show them her credentials. After they found out her name, Gu Nianzhi called Bai Jinyi, the person said regretfully, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not on the visiting list. If you want toe to our green city women¡¯s prison, you can call Bai Jinyi first. You cane in after you get her verbal promise.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s Bai Jinyi¡¯s phone number? ¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s a female felon. Is there a phone and Inte installed in her room?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± The man¡¯s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He called Bai Jinyi over and asked her to pick up the phone.

 Chapter 1303 - Whereabouts

    <h4>Chapter 1303: Whereabouts</h4>

    Bai Jinyi walked into the cell phone room in her striped prison uniform. She adjusted her gold-rimmed sses and asked slowly, ¡°Who was that?¡±

    ¡± ... She said she was awyer, surnamed Gu.¡±

    ¡°Awyer with the surname Gu?¡± Bai Jinyi frowned. She immediately thought of someone she loathed, so she turned around and walked out. ¡°I¡¯m not seeing her.¡±

    The prison staff in charge of answering the phone didn¡¯t stop her. They helplessly said to Gu Nianzhi on the other end of the phone, ¡°Did you hear that? She doesn¡¯t want to see you. What can I do?¡±

    Prisoners had human rights too. If she didn¡¯t want to see her, how could thy force her?

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled lightly. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to see me? Tell her that I¡¯ll go ask her brother, Prime Minister Bai, and see if she¡¯ll want to see me then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Bai Jinyi¡¯s only hope of getting out of here alive was her brother, Bai Jiancheng, Prime Minister Bai.

    Bai Jinyi would definitely abide if Gu Nianzhi threatened her with Prime Minister Bai.

    As expected, the staff member stopped Bai Jinyi, who was walking out, and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu said that if you don¡¯t see her, she¡¯ll go to Prime Minister Bai and ask him to speak to her...¡±

    Bai Jinyi stopped in her tracks and cursed Gu Nianzhi inside for being too cunning.

    But she couldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi really go to her big brother...

    She knew that Gu Nianzhi was a little girl who wouldn¡¯t budge. Not only was she capable, but she also had Huo Shaoheng backing her up.

    She couldn¡¯t afford to offend him or hide from him, so she had to see her.

    With a straight face, Bai Jinyi turned around and walked back. She took the phone from the staff member and said in a t voice, ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi. You should remember me.¡±

    ¡°Huh, Gu Nianzhi? No. ¡± Bai Jinyi denied it outright, just because she wanted to make things dificult for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind and said indifferently, ¡°You don¡¯t remember me? You¡¯re so young, yet your memory is already fading from dementia?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! ¡± Bai Jinyi felt so angered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words that her chest heaved up and down, and she could hardlyt control her temper.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips, but her voice was still t. ¡°Do you remember me npw? Let¡¯s get back to business. I want to see you. The prison guards said that I can onlye to see you if you agree to it, so I called first to ask for your permission.¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s face twitched. She wanted to say, ¡°I won¡¯t agree to it¡±, but Gu Nianzhi had already took the lead by saying, ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll go and talk to Prime Minister Bai. I¡¯ll see if Prime Minister Bai will do me a favor and ask a busy woman like you to free up time to see me.¡±

    Her tone wasn¡¯t without sarcasm, and also a subtle threat.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s eldest brother, Bai Jiancheng, was the prime minister. He was also a prime minister who cherished his reputation very much.

    The Bai family had four biological siblings. Two of them had met with mishaps. The second brother, Bai Yusheng, hadmitted treason. She was the youngest sister, but had been sentenced to death for murdering Luo Xinxue. Although the sentence was suspended for two years, there was a high chance that it would bemuted to life imprisonment, However, if Bai Jiancheng wanted to ¡°do justice to his family¡±, she would be doomed.

    Bai Jinyi dared not bet on it because she knew how many years her elder brother had worked hard to be elected to the position of prime minister.

    This was also a position that the entire Bai family was proud of.

    Her life had already been ruined. She couldn¡¯t ruin her elder brother again.

    If she ruined her elder brother, she might as well go die.

    Bai Jinyi suppressed her anger inside and said stiffly, ¡°If you want toe, thene. I¡¯ll make it clear in advance that I¡¯m just a felon. I can¡¯t do anything. I can¡¯t help you or hinder you.¡±

    This was exactly what Gu Nianzhi wanted.

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll make an appointment with your prison to meet with you as soon as possible. ¡± After Gu Nianzhi finished speaking, she had Bai Jinyi transfer the call back to the staff member from earlier.

    Since Bai Jinyi had personally agreed, the staff member no longer made things difficult for Gu Nianzhi and made an appointment for them to meet.

    The women¡¯s prison in Green City was more than 200 kilometers away from the imperial capital. In order to meet Bai Jinyi as soon as possible, Gu Nianzhi made an appointment for 9 a.m. the next day.

    She put down the phone and saw that it was already dark outside. She nonchanantly went downstairs to eat something before going to bed.

    She needed to go to bed early because she needed to get up at seven in the morning and head to Green City to meet at nine.

    ...

    That night, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t return to his official residence. Instead, he went to the military headquarterspound to ask General Ji who handled his uncle Huo Guanyuan¡¯s funeral after Huo Guanyuan had died. He also asked General Ji where Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will had been.

    He understood immediately after hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exnation.

    As a soldier, he would write a will before every major mission.

    He had a will, and so did his father, Huo Guanchen. His uncle, Huo Guanyuan, should have a will.

    It had been 17 years. Although the military had detailed records of such incidents, for the sake of confidentiality, all records rted to the experimental ident were kept on paper and weren¡¯t allowed to be entered into theputerwork.

    Huo Shaoheng could only go to the reference room of the headquarters to search.

    He led Yin Shixiong and Yin Shixiong all the way up to the basement of the reference room. Finally, when it was almost dawn, they found the case file of the experimental ident.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t have enough security clearance to open the case file.

    Therefore, after he handed the case file to Huo Shaoheng, he walked to the corridor outside the door and stood guard for Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng sat alone on the sofa in the basement of the reference room. His expression was calm as he flipped through the records rted to the names of the people who had died in the experimental ident, the inventory of their belongings, the list, and the procedures for their final delivery.

    ¡± ... Huo Guanyuan, Male, 36 years old, senior colonel rank, sacrificed in the... belongings... all to his wife, Luo Xinxue.¡±

    However, his will wasn¡¯t listed in the list of remains.

    Could it be that his will had only been delivered to his wife? It hadn¡¯t been recorded?

    The receipt that Luo Xinxue had signed for was also in his file, and there was no separate will listed in it.

    This was a little strange.

    Could it be that there was really no will?

    However, he had a feeling that since Huo Guanyuan had mentioned it to Song Jinning, it couldn¡¯t be a bluff.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and thought for a while. In the end, he put down the documents and left the information room.

    He saw that the sky was almost bright, so he and Yin Shixiongy in the lounge upstairs for a while to rest.

    It was seven o¡¯clock. He and Yin Shixiong left the information room building to look for General Ji.

    General Ji had just returned from his morning exercise and met Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong at the door.

    ¡°Shaoheng, Big Xiong, good morning. ¡± General Ji greeted them with a smile.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong stood upright and saluted. ¡°Good Morning, chief!¡±

    ¡°Good, good, good. Don¡¯t be so formal. Come, have you all had breakfast? If not, let¡¯s have breakfast together.¡± General Ji kindly led Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong into his own home.

    Refraining from formalities, they followed General Ji to his restaurant for breakfast.

    General Ji had the taste of an elderly person. In the morning, he ate deep-fried golden fried dough sticks, soy milk, and a basket of steamed white and warm tofu buns. The fillings inside were all vegetarian fillings ¡ª bean curd, vegetarian chicken, tofu, and fresh mushroom dices. They were very delicious.

    However, even though the taste was good, to Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong, the food wasn¡¯t fulfulling.

    Even after the two of them each ate five tofu buns, it still felt as if they hadn¡¯t eaten anything.

    They had no choice but to eat a few more deep-fried dough sticks each.

    General Ji watched the two of them with great emotion as he said, ¡°It¡¯s good to still be young. Everything tastes so delicious.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    Yin Shixiong almost choked on a mouthful of deep-fried dough stick. It took him a long time to swallow it.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and immediately understood. Heasked, ¡°What would you like to drink?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ordered Colombian ck coffee, while General Ji still wanted Pu¡¯er tea.

    Yin Shixiong took the opportunity to leave the dining room. He went to the kitchen to make coffee and tea so that Huo Shaoheng and General Ji could speak in private.

    ¡°General Ji, I have a private matter to ask you... ¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice. ¡°If it¡¯s inconvenient for you, you don¡¯t have to tell me. Please don¡¯t feel pressured.¡±

    ¡°You little brat! Tell me, hwta¡¯s the big deal!¡± General Jiughed as he pulled out a cigar and tapped it on the dining table.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly took the de and helped General Ji sharpen the cigar. He then lit the lighter for general JI and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. I want to ask, who did my uncle give his will to?¡±

    General Ji was caught off guard. ¡°Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will? Didn¡¯t he give it to his family? Doesn¡¯t he have a wife and daughter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at General Ji without batting an eye. ¡°My aunt passed away and was killed by Bai Jinyi. His daughter, Luo Jin, wasn¡¯t his biological daughter either. She was the child of his fallenrade.¡±

    General Ji pped his forehead in realization. ¡°Oh, Oh, I¡¯m getting old. My memory is really bad. I remember now, that¡¯s what happened. Sigh, your uncle is so pitiful. He sacrificed himself for the country and didn¡¯t even leave behind a descendant. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I just remembered, too. As a soldier, my uncle would definitely have a will when he carried out that kind of mission. However, I didn¡¯t see a suicide note on the list of his belongings.¡±

    General Ji took a puff of his cigar and looked at the French windows across from him. He said softly, ¡°Shaoheng, when your uncle died, the suicide note didn¡¯t stipte that it had to be on the list of his belongings.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    He was only 12 years old at the time and hadn¡¯t joined the army yet, so he didn¡¯t know anything about this.

    ¡°Because in that era, the soldiers who died had a will to give to their families. This was amon practice and didn¡¯t need to be specifically mentioned. Everyone knew about it, so the military didn¡¯t insist that the ¡®will¡¯ had to be on the list as one of the relics.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood.

    ¡°Thenter, the military made it mandatory for the ¡®will¡¯ to be listed as one of the items on the list. Was it because something happened?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ¡± General Ji said straightforwardly, ¡°Something did happenter. The will of the soldiers who died was maliciously withheld, destroyed, or tampered with, causing many property disputes. Later, the military made it mandatory that the will was also a relic of the soldiers who died. It had to be listed on the list of items. When it was handed over to the family, the family had to sign it to indicate that they had received the will.¡±

    He stared at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It seems that your uncle¡¯s will was also intercepted or destroyed. ¡±

    Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have taken them 17 years to track down the whereabouts of the suicide note.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment. ¡°Do you still remember who handled the will at that time?

 Chapter 1304 - The Fish That Escaped The Net

    <h4>Chapter 1304: The Fish That Escaped The Net</h4>

    General Ji thought about it for a moment. He stroked his white beard with one hand and suddenly frowned. He nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you remember? ¡± Huo Shaoheng asked immediately. Although he reacted quickly, he wasn¡¯t particrly anxious. His tone was still unhurried, and no one could tell what he was talking about.

    General JI nodded slightly. He thought, I¡¯ll just tell Huo Shaoheng. He should be more reliable than his father, Huo Guanchen..

    He raised the cigar in his hand and took a few more puffs. General Ji lowered his eyes and said calmly, ¡°If I remember correctly, your uncle¡¯s will was handed over to a certain vice-chairman of the military at that time. ¡±

    ¡°A certain vice-chairman of the military? Who is it? ¡± Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and took out his phone. He started to search for the names of the vice-chairmen of the military 17 years ago.

    There was only one vice-chairman of the military, but there could be several vice-chairmen.

    At most, there were eight, and at least three.

    Huo Shaoheng could not remember who the vice-chairmen of the military were at that time.

    On the phone, the names of all the vice-chairmen of the military from 17 years ago were disyed on the military intr.

    Every one of them had a name, a photo, and a simple resume.

    The first to be listed was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandfather, Huo Xuenong, who was also the father of the deceased Huo Guanyuan.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers paused.

    There was no need to ask anymore. He knew who had the suicide note..

    He looked up as usual. Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°thank you for your guidance, General Ji. I¡¯ll go back and ask now. ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. ¡± General JI smiled as he took a drag on his cigar, he said meaningfully, ¡°your grandfather is getting on in years, and his personality was very much the same back then. He must be even more so now. Fufu, you have to smooth things over. Don¡¯t make the old man sick from anger. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and saluted respectfully. ¡°Yes, Sir! ¡±

    ..

    It was already around nine in the morning when they returned to the headquarters of the Special Operations forces from the headquarters of the military.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his official residence and handed the general¡¯s hat to the orderly. He asked casually, ¡°where¡¯s Nianzhi? What¡¯s she doing? ¡±

    The orderly quickly replied, ¡°reporting to the chief! Miss Gu drove out early in the morning. She said she was going to green city and wanted you to call if you needed anything. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, which had been in the middle of Jiefeng¡¯s buckle, paused. He slowly looked at the orderly. ¡± ... She went to Green City? ¡±

    Green City was most famous for its women¡¯s prison.

    He quickly remembered that Bai Jinyi was being held there. She must have gone to see Bai Jinyi.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief. He took off his military jacket and hung it in the closet at the entrance before going upstairs to rest.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had already arrived at the reception room of Green City¡¯s women¡¯s prison and was sitting face to face with Bai Jinyi.

    She smiled as she sized Bai Jinyi up. She nodded and said, ¡°physicist Bai, long time no see. Yourplexion hasn¡¯t changed. Your figure and skin are much better than when you were in prison. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered seeing Bai Jinyi in court a year and a half ago. Her skin was a little dark, and there were deep crow¡¯s feet at the corners of her eyes. She was also slightly Chubby.

    However, Bai Jinyi, who was sitting in front of her now, had be much fairer and thinner. She was at least two sizes smaller, but her skin did not seem to rx. Instead, it was taut and well-shaped. It even had a faint luster when facing the sunlight through the window.

    It looked like she was doing well in prison..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was slightly cold.

    Bai Jinyi was also sizing Gu Nianzhi up.

    After not seeing her for a year and a half, this little girl¡¯s gaze was much sharper than before. It had lost its childishness and appeared mature and steady.

    Her eyes were extremelyrge and dark. Her jet-ck jade-like pupils were like fine ck gold velvet. They were so dark that they had a texture to them.

    Her tall and well-embroidered nose bridge made her face look very three-dimensional. She had the bright beauty of a European woman.

    Any Oriental woman with this kind of appearance was a peerless beauty.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s gaze slid from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful face to her bulging chest.

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a loose half-sleeved sweater made of crystal blue silk blended with a little cashmere. The opening of the one-sided cor made her delicate corbone faintly visible.

    The single-flower Ne of Van Cleef & Arbour on her neck was simple and elegant, inadvertently revealing the details and giving her a low-key luxury.

    Long hair draped over her shoulders, her bright eyes were full of love, and she looked like a goddess. This was the kind of woman she was talking about.

    Bai Jinyi heaved a sigh of relief in her heart, and her face darkened.

    Song Jinning from the past was so simr to Gu Nianzhi now.

    They were both talented and beautiful girls, surrounded by men who truly loved her and valued her.

    However, Song Jinning¡¯s taste was much worse than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s..

    Bai Jinyi thought maliciously, and a strange smile appeared on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and ced her hands on the long conference table in front of her. She said softly, ¡°Bai Jinyi, have you ever thought about why I came to see you? ¡±

    Bai Jinyi raised her head. ¡°That¡¯s something you should be thinking about. Why should I waste my time thinking about such boring questions? ¡±

    She showed her contempt by ignoring her.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Why bother? Haven¡¯t you thought about who caused you to end up in prison? From a promising physicist to this? ¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile. She leaned forward and said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. You¡¯re the one who caused me to end up in prison, from a promising physicist to the one who¡¯s qualified to end up in prison. You¡¯re the greatwyer Gu! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡± ... is that so? I¡¯m honored, but unfortunately, you¡¯re wrong. ¡± She added, ¡°No wonder you¡¯re not as smart and intuitive as Ms. Song. ¡±

    Bai Jinyi could no longer maintain herposure. She stood up in a sh and sneered, ¡°if you keep talking, I¡¯m not going to keep youpany! ¡±

    She turned and walked towards the door of the reception room.

    Gu Nianzhi watched her walk towards the door coldly. Just as Bai Jinyi put her hand on the door handle, Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡± ... Bai Jinyi, Huo Jin didn¡¯t know that Song Jinning knew about her background until you told her. ¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s hand froze.

    Her eyes widened suddenly, and she turned around and walked back quickly. She ced her hands on the conference table and asked anxiously, ¡°what did you say? SAY IT AGAIN! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and smiled confidently. ¡°The mantis stalks the CICADA, but the Oriole is behind it. You think you¡¯re the Oriole, but you¡¯re actually the Oriole that the hunter put in the. ¡±

    ¡°Huo Jin. Oh, no, it should be Luo Jin. She¡¯s changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration. ¡± Gu Nianzhi stared fixedly at Bai Jinyi, not letting go of the slightest change in her expression.

    She stopped beating around the Bush and asked Bai Jinyi directly, ¡°So, can you tell me when exactly did you tell Luo Jin that song jinning was also someone who knew about her past? ¡±

    This kind of direct inquiry would allow the other party to subconsciously answer the question she wanted to hide.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s lips trembled and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°you... what do you mean by all this? ¡±

    ¡°You tell me first, when did you tell Luo Jin that song jinning was also an insider of her life? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi repeated this lightly and let go of her arms. She held a pen and a recording pen in her hands. ¡°Go ahead. Maybe I can piece together another timeline and help you find the person who was behind this. ¡°

 Chapter 1305 - A Gimmick

    <h4>Chapter 1305: A Gimmick</h4>

    Bai Jinyi looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise. ¡°A co-conspirator? A fish that slipped through the?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll say it again. You think you were using someone as a weapon, but have you ever considered that you¡¯re actually someone else¡¯s weapon? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled airily, and appeared as beautiful as a Queen of the Night flower.

    Bai Jinyi frowned and said uneasily, ¡± ... That was a long time ago. With Huo Jin, I was also identally... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi corrected her, ¡°Luo Jin, she changed her name now.¡±

    ¡± ... Luo Jin, I also happened to tell Luo Jin about her past... ¡±

    ¡°When and where? Who was there at the time?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked carefully.

    ¡± ... Is that important? ¡± Bai jinyi looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s been so long.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important. Did you think I came here to reminiscence over the past with you?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and was a little impatient. ¡°You¡¯ve already experienced the consequences of not telling yourwyer the truth, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    In the case of Luo Xinxue¡¯s murder, Bai Jinyi had hidden some facts from her defensewyer, so Gu Nianzhi found a loophole in her defense and had pursued her until she was defenseless and finally convicted.

    ¡°What substantive benefits would that give me?¡± Bai Jinyi wasn¡¯t someone easy to take advantage of. The expression in her eyes calmed down. ¡°Can my verdict be overturned?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and didn¡¯tment. ¡°That depends on how much you reveal and what the truth is.¡±

    ¡°Then can you prove that I¡¯m innocent? ! I demand immediate release from prison!¡± With great emotion, Bai Jinyi stood up. ¡± ... Can you?! I won¡¯t tell if you can¡¯t! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s well-defined lips curved upwards. She looked up at Bai Jinyi. ¡°Did you intentionally or unintentionally reveal to Luo Jin that Song Jinning knew about her background after she took over Song Jinning¡¯s care?¡±

    Her mind racing, Bai Jinyi¡¯s eyes darted around. Finally, she sneered, ¡°Noment! ¡± Then she turned to leave the reception room and was taken back to her cell by the prison guards.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up slowly and waited for a while before walking out of the reception room. She said to the other prison guard at the door, ¡°Excuse me, can you show me Bai Jinyi¡¯s cell?¡±

    The prison guard froze. ¡°You want to see Bai Jinyi¡¯s cell? Do you have a visitation certificate?¡±

    ¡°Does her verbal promise count as a visitation certificate?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her chin and gestured towards the spot where Bai Jinyi had disappeared from. ¡°I have a phone call recording.¡±

    The prison guard called his superior and confirmed it before saying, ¡°Pleasee with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed the prison guard to Bai Jinyi¡¯s cell.

    The Green City women¡¯s prison is for felony inmates, and only inmates serving sentences of at least fifteen years are housed there.

    All along the way, everything was heavily guarded, with cameras everywhere.

    The doors of the cells with iron bars were tightly shut. The inside and the outside of the door were like two different worlds.

    Gu Nianzhi walked quietly until the prison guard stopped in front of a single cell. He pointed and said, ¡°This is Bai Jinyi¡¯s cell.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to him. ¡°Open the door. ¡±

    The prison guard pressed a few passwords on the screen beside the door, and the door opened quietly.

    Of course, the iron bars outside were still tightly shut.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw what was happening inside the cell. She smiled and quickly took a photo with her phone.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s single cell was really well equipped.

    The room was not small, at least twenty square meters.

    There was a desk under the south-facing window. There was aptop on the desk, and beside the desk was a small three-story bookshelf. It was densely packed with books.

    On the East Wall, there was a single bed covered in snow-white sheets. Themp at the head of the bed was exquisite and cute.

    On the West Wall, there was a curved LCD TV. Below it were two single sofas. In the middle of the two sofas was a small coffee table.

    On the other side of the Single Sofa was an elliptical machine that could run, stretch, and monitor the heart rate.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°Are you here to go to jail or to retire? ¡±

    She turned to look at the prison guard, ¡°I never knew that our country¡¯s felony prison could have such good facilities. It¡¯sparable to Norway¡¯s Oslo¡¯s felony prison cell. I think this ce should be called a retirement home instead of a women¡¯s prison. ¡±

    ¡°When thew-abidingmoners are still struggled to buy a room, our felony prisoners are already living in developed countries¡¯ retirement homes. ¡±

    ¡°I think the public will be very happy to know that. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say much and turned to leave.

    The faces of Bai Jinyi inside the cell and the guards outside the cell both had suddenly changed.

    Bai Jinyi understood her meaning and rushed to the door to stop Gu Nianzhi from leaving. She said anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t leave! I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know!¡±

    She knew very well that Gu Nianzhi was threatening her. If she didn¡¯t tell her, she would spread news about ¡°treatment¡± she had received in prison. When that happened, not only would she be at a disadvantage, but more importantly, her eldest brother, Bai Jiancheng, who had just be prime minister, will suffer as well!

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, had noticed from the phone call that Bai Jinyi had received an unusual treatment in prison.

    She had already made several preparations. If Bai Jinyi had cooperated obediently, she wouldn¡¯t have made things too difficult for her.

    After all, they were people who were about to be sentenced to death. It was considered magnanimous of them to live well and eat well before they died.

    But if she didn¡¯t know what was good for her and went overboard, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be merciful either.

    She was the best at dealing with the prime minister.

    ..

    The first few sentences in the single cellpletely suppressed Bai Jinyi¡¯s arrogance.

    She was much more obedient during the following interrogation.

    Gu Nianzhi was still holding her recording pen in her hand when she returned to the surveince room. She began to question Bai Jinyi.

    ¡°Bai Jinyi, when and where did you tell Luo Jin that Song Jinning knew about her past?¡±

    ¡°Seven years ago, when I had a breakthrough in my experiment.¡± Bai Jinyi said this as she gave Gu Nianzhi a resentful look. ¡°If your car hadn¡¯t barged in that day, my experiment would¡¯ve been a sess!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Alright!

    As if this was her fault?!

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t back down and said coldly, ¡°You really know how to pass the buck. You couldn¡¯t pull yourself out so you¡¯re ming theck of gravity, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    The ridicule made Bai Jinyi¡¯s face redden, but she forced herself to remain calm. ¡°That was how it was.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled lightly and continued to ask, ¡°Was that before or after I appeared?¡±

    ¡± ... After. The experiment was a failure, so I went back to the imperial capital to have dinner with the Huo family... ¡± Bai Jinyi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Then I spoke a little with Luo Jin.¡±

    Bai Jinyi was furious when she saw that Song Jinning was in good spirits and looked like she was about to recover.

    ¡°What did you say? You definitely don¡¯t remember, right? ¡± Gu Nianzhi purposely said, ¡°I don¡¯t have high expectations regarding your IQ and memory.¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember.¡± Bai Jinyi looked at Gu Nianzhi mockingly. ¡°Since I¡¯ve agreed to tell you, I won¡¯t hide it anymore.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me.¡±

    ¡± ... I was pruning the flowers in the small garden when Luo Jin stood beside and chatted with me. I... I identally mentioned that Huo Guanyuan wasn¡¯t her biological father, and that Song Jinning knew about it...¡±

    ¡°What did Luo Jin say? ¡± Gu Nianzhi asked calmly without her tone being imposing.

    Bai Jinyi followed up, ¡°She told me that she already knew.¡±

    It was just as Gu Nianzhi had expected, so she immediately asked in confirmation, ¡°What did she already know? Did she already know that Huo Guanyuan wasn¡¯t her biological father, or that Song Jinning knew about it? ¡±

    Bai Jinyi was baffled. ¡± ... I didn¡¯t think about it that deeply. I assumed she already knew about everything.¡±

    Obviously, Luo Jin used a gimmick regarding this matter. Even the usually sharp Bai Jinyi was fooled by her.

 Chapter 1306 - Impressed By You!

    <h4>Chapter 1306: Impressed By You!</h4>

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s expression darkened. She could no longer maintain herposure.

    She mmed a hand on the table and said, ¡°Luo Jin is such a bitch! I treated her so well back then!¡±

    She was just taking what she needed. Did she have to make herself sound so innocent?

    Gu Nianzhi cursed silently inside. She quietly listened to Bai Jinyi vent her anger before she said, ¡°Since you admit that you did tell Luo Jin about Song Jinning knowing about her past, can you sign this for me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out the signed form for the third-party witness statement that she had prepared beforehand and ced it in front of Bai Jinyi.

    Bai Jinyi was caught off guard. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°This is a statement that requires your signature to prove that you said something like that just now.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed to the reason that she had written on it, ¡°Please treat it with caution, because this will be handed over to the prosecutor¡¯s Office to help prosecute Luo Jin.¡±

    Bai Jinyi signed her name without hesitation when she heard that Gu Nianzhi was going to sue Luo Jin.

    After signing it, she pushed the affidavit back to Gu Nianzhi and smiled maliciously. ¡°It would be great if Luo Jin coulde here to keep mepany. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely bring you two good friend back together. ¡±

    Holding the third-party affidavit that Bai Jinyi had personally signed, Gu Nianzhi once again went to the prosecutor¡¯s office¡¯s reception room.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, why are you here again?¡± The staff member in the reception room was very polite towards her, but also felt at a loss. ¡°We¡¯ve already told you many times that the ¡®intentional homicide¡¯ that you requested to be prosecuted doesn¡¯t have enough supporting evidence, so we can¡¯t prosecute her.¡±

    Along with the materials that she had prepared earlier, Gu Nianzhi ced the testimony that she had just received in front of the staff member, then smiled and said, ¡°Take a look again. We have another crucial third-party testimony. This testimony can prove that Luo Jin had a motive to kill Song Jinning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still had some reservations about the materials she had requested for the prosecution.

    She wouldn¡¯t reveal all of her cards.

    The real trump card would be reserved to give a fatal blow to Luo Jin during the trial.

    The staff member looked at Gu Nianzhi suspiciously, then lowered his head to pull out the documents from his bag. He first looked at the list of documents.

    On the list of documents on the cover, the staff member found a new testimony. It was from a third party, and it was also the testimony of a prisoner...

    The staff member pulled out the new document in surprise and read it carefully.

    The staff member¡¯s expression changed when he read it again.

    Lawyer Gu was indeed exceptional.

    She had found a breakthrough point in a case that seemed impossible to prosecute!

    Although the staff member wasn¡¯t the one who made the decision in the prosecutor¡¯s office, he had handled thousands ofints and had long been trained to have a sharp eye.

    From his professional point of view, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s previous petitionscked such a breakthrough point that could link all the charges together.

    The testimony from Bai Jinyi was undoubtedly the final key.

    He put away all the materials, then said to Gu Nianzhi with a big smile, ¡°As expected of the greatwyer Gu who won the case in Germany. The petitions prepared can be used as a model. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll hand them in and let the prosecutor carefully consider it. You can go back and wait for the notice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew it was a done deal when he said that.

    She let out a sigh and stood up with a smile. She bowed to the staff member and said, ¡°Thank you for enforcing thew impartially. I hope we can work well together from now on.¡±

    Song Jinning was the intiff, and Gu Nianzhi was herwyer.

    If the prosecutor filed thewsuit, Gu Nianzhi would most likely be hired by the prosecutor¡¯s office as a public prosecutor and face the defendant¡¯swyer in court.

    The staff member also knew what he meant.

    He reached out and shook Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand heavily. ¡°You¡¯re too courteous,wyer Gu.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch as she walked out of the Public Prosecutor¡¯s office. It was almost 1 p.m.

    Since she left at 7 a.m. until now, she had only eaten two steamed buns for breakfast.

    However, she was so emotional that all the energy in her body was burning. She hadn¡¯t felt hungry at all.

    It was already past two o¡¯clock when she drove back to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. She realized that she was famished.

    She tossed the car keys to the orderly and asked nonchntly, ¡°Is Major General Huo back?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t returned the night before. Gu Nianzhi knew that he was definitely either in a meeting or on a mission, so she didn¡¯t ask further.

    The orderly quickly said, ¡°He¡¯s back. He¡¯s resting upstairs.¡±

    ¡°Oh. ¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around but didn¡¯t n to go upstairs.

    She wanted to let Huo Shaoheng have a good night¡¯s sleep.

    Gu Nianzhi walked into the kitchen and nned to cook something for herself.

    Her return wasn¡¯t convenient timing.

    The orderly who cooked for Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t at the official residence either. He must have gone out to buy groceries.

    Even if he had been there, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to trouble him with specially cook for her.

    It would be a privilege to ask him to cook before dinner time.

    Gu Nianzhi usually ate snacks and waited until dinner time before eating with everyone.

    However, she didn¡¯t want to eat snacks today. She wanted to eat some warm food.

    She walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She looked around but found that there were no leftovers. She couldn¡¯t even make egg fried rice.

    There was no need to think about instant noodles. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kitchen didn¡¯t allow the presence of such unhealthy food.

    However, there were frozen dumplings in the freezerpartment of the refrigerator. She could use them to make fried dumplings.

    Gu Nianzhi happily found a frying pan and imitated Huo Shaoheng by adding oil. She then ced the frozen dumplings into the pan and set them in order. She then poured a shallowyer of water over them that covered the area just below the dumplings.

    She then turned the heat up.

    Water vapor quickly filled the kitchen.

    However, although the bottom of the dumplings was cooked, the top wasn¡¯t.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly added more water.

    The fire turned the heat up again.

    The steam spread through the kitchen again, and this time, there was even the smell of burning.

    Gu Nianzhi was flustered. Trying to suppress the burning smell, she picked up the kettle and poured arge pot of water again.

    The steam came out of the pan with oil stains and flowed onto the stove.

    However, she had forgotten to turn down the heat.

    This was not an induction cooker, but a gas stove.

    The faint blue me quickly rose and burned along the edge of the pan.

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious and poured all the water from the kettle in her hand.

    Boom!

    A string of open mes waspletely ignited. The me was less than a centimeter away from the hair on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead.

    The smoke rm in the kitchen rang.

    The smoke rm in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence wasn¡¯t an ordinary rm. Its terminal was connected to the central control room and had the highest authority.

    The moment the rm rang, the entire garrison sounded the rm.

    The sirens rang out in the air above the garrison. Countless members of the Special Operations forces immediately dropped what they were doing and entered a state of first-degreebat readiness.

    The suicide squad and the explosives team assembled in less than a minute and surrounded Huo Shaoheng¡¯s residence.

    Huo Shaoheng had only taken a nap in his bedroom when he was awakened by the rm in his room.

    He jumped out of bed instinctively and grabbed his clothes. He ran out and put them on.

    When he reached the stairs, he saw the thick smoke billowing in his kitchen. A few orderlies were rushing in with fire extinguishers. His heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: this wasn;t good.

    He almost jumped down the stairs from the second floor. He ran faster than the orderlies and rushed into the kitchen like lightning.

    It was as he had expected.

    Gu Nianzhi was holding a frying pan in one hand and a kettle in the other. She was fighting with the gas stove that was burning with faint blue mes!

    Huo Shaoheng felt exasperated and amused. He embraced Gu Nianzhi from behind and threw her to the ground.

    The orderlies who had followed them in had high-efficiency fire extinguishers on their backs as they sprayed at the gas stove.

    Outside the official residence, the kamikaze and explosives team members who had rushed over were already fully armed and ready to storm the door.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head of the orderlies, Fan Jian, was now covered in fire-fighting foam as he ran out of the house. He said to the kamikaze and explosives team members that were on high alert, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! It¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, he was beaten down by the kamikaze squad leader, Zhou Qiyuan.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see for ourselves if it¡¯s a misunderstanding! Let¡¯s go!¡± He gestured and led the kamikaze squad in first.

    ording to procedure, this was what they had to do.

    This was because when the rm sounded, they had to recognize no one but huo Shaoheng.

    A group of people rushed to the official residence with guns in their hands. When they saw the thick smoke billowing from the kitchen, they immediately upied all the safe corners of the living room. They set up their guns and covered Zhou Qiyuan and the other two members as they rushed into the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng was standing up from the ground with Gu Nianzhi in his arms.

    He looked up and saw a group of fully armed suicide squad members standing in front of him with guns in their hands. The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched.

    Gu Nianzhi felt distraught. She buried herself in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and refused to lift her head.

    Zhou Qiyuan looked at Huo Shaoheng and asked with concern, ¡°Major General Huo, are you okay?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s really a misunderstanding... take your men out first. I¡¯ll be out in a moment.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan refused. ¡°You go out first. We still have to check this ce carefully. We¡¯re not afraid of anything, we¡¯re only afraid of what might happen.¡±

    Of course, Zhou Qiyuan didn¡¯t doubt Gu Nianzhi, but who knew if someone would use this opportunity to tamper with the house?

    This was when the importance of procedures became apparent.

    Everything was done ording to the rules.

    Even if there was nothing wrong, they had to treat it as if something was wrong and treat it as a drill.

    A real battle drill, although the cause was very absurd...

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to pick Gu Nianzhi up and quickly walk out of the kitchen.

    The kitchen behind him was still emitting thick ck smoke. He walked out of the thick smoke as if he had just walked out of a battlefield filled with gunpowder.

    The other suicide squad members and the explosives team in the living room let out sighs of relief when they saw huo Shaohenge out, but they still dared not be careless.

    After all, Zhou Qiyuan hadn¡¯t said anything yet, so they still had to maintain theirbative state.

    Five minutester, Zhou Qiyuan came out of the kitchen and used his bluetooth headset to inform everyone, ¡°All clear.¡±

    This meant that the rm had been lifted.

    Gu Nianzhi had been in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms the whole time and clinging to him like a ko.

    When she heard Zhou Qiyuan say that everything was fine, she was just about to let go when she heardughtering from the living room.

    The members of the suicide squad and the explosives team came out from every corner of the living room, thenclicked their tongues at Gu Nianzhi, who was in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. ¡°Little Nianzhi, you¡¯re really unsual! You¡¯re going to be the wife of a major general, yet you dare set Major General Huo¡¯s kitchen on fire! ¡ª¡ªWe aren¡¯t easily impressed by anything, but you impress us!

 Chapter 1307 - Planting Mushrooms, Growing Mushrooms

    <h4>Chapter 1307: nting Mushrooms, Growing Mushrooms</h4>

    Upon being teased, Gu Nianzhi wished she could find a hole to hide in.

    But the more she hid, the more the peopleughed at her.

    They had all watched her grow up, so there was nothing wrong with a small joke.

    But this time, Gu Nianzhi was really embarrassed and couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    She was so angry that she turned around and shouted at the people who wereughing at her, ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stopughing or I¡¯ll kill myself!¡±

    Everyone froze for a moment, but then theyughed even more heartily.

    ¡°Hahahaha! Have you ever heard of such a powerful threat?!¡±

    ¡°No, no! ¡±

    ¡°If we keepughing, she¡¯s going to kill herself... girl, you¡¯re so impressive... Hahahaha, I¡¯m so scared, Hahahaha... ¡±

    A few of them even fell to the groundughing, and roled around on the ground with their arms around their bellies.

    Huo Shaoheng, who had always kept a straight face in front of his subordinates, also curled his lips.

    However, upon seeing that Gu Nianzhi was extremely embarrassed and angry, he pressed her head against his chest with his hand and nced at those people indifferently.

    Wherever he looked, theughter suddenly stopped.

    All of them stood up straight in front of Huo Shaoheng and looked up at the sky with their faces tensed up.

    With Gu Nianzhi in his arms, Huo Shaoheng stood up and said calmly, ¡°You all have done a good job today. Disperse.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sr!¡±

    Everyone answered in unison.

    ¡°All of you! Turn right! Run! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Zhou Qiyuanmanded the temporary response team and ran out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    The smoke in the kitchen gradually dissipated. The engineers came in with tools to renovate the kitchen, and started with renovation to the wiring.

    The engineers were working on the construction next door.

    Another team of engineers set up a temporary kitchen in an empty room next door.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s two orderlies, who were in charge of cooking, came in from the outside with grimaces. Bewildered by what had happened, they looked bbergasted as they looked at the kitchen door.

    ¡°Comrade, what¡¯s going on? We just went out to buy some vegetables...¡±

    Howe the kitchen was burned when they came back?!

    They had heard the rm sound outside the base just now. They thought that something had happened so they followed the procedure byying down and hiding. They even hid a bag of live prawns in the pool behind the big rock.

    When the rm was lifted and they returned to the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, they found out that something had happened to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    ¡°Hahahaha, how can you two go grocery shopping together?¡± The military police and the engineer¡¯srades wereughing at the two of them. ¡°The culinary skills of the major general¡¯s wife areparable to that of an assassin. In the future, you must remember not to leave the kitchen at the same time. You must take shifts... Hahahahaha... ¡±

    It took the two orderlies a while to grasp the entire situation!

    The two of them rushed into the kitchen to take a look. They opened the refrigerator and found that the dumplings they had made a few days ago were a little less. Then, they looked at the ¡°remains¡± on the gas stove and came to aplete understanding.

    ¡± ... Miss Gu wanted to eat raw fried dumplings?¡±

    ¡°Most likely. Look at this burned pan.¡±

    ¡°Then, she added oil, added water, and turned on the fire... ¡±

    ¡± ... It¡¯s been burning out in the open without a lid. It must have been charred... ¡±

    ¡°In the end, the water vapor came out of the frying pan with oil in it. The gas stove was on an open me. When the fire met the oil, the water vapor wasn¡¯t enough... ¡±

    ¡°Then there would definitely be ck smoke and the smoke rm would sound... ¡±

    The two orderlies finally understood.

    They looked at the utensils in the kitchen and deduced what had happened. They could basically guess what had happened.

    Coming out of the messy kitchen, the two orderlies returned to the makeshift kitchen. They used the leftover dumplings to make two tes of pan-fried dumplings and served them to Gu Nianzhi in a thermos bucket.

    Gu Nianzhi was lying on the bed with her head covered with a nket. No matter how Huo Shaoheng summoned her toe out, she wouldn¡¯te out.

    ¡°Nianzhi, they were just joking with you. They didn¡¯t mean any harm.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her across the nket. ¡°Be good. Get up and eat something.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she must have been starving to think of cooking for herself.

    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have gone to the kitchen.

    ¡°I won¡¯t eat! If you keep talking about it I¡¯ll kill myself! ¡± Gu Nianzhi pounded the bed with her hands. She was in so much anguish that she wished she could die.

    ¡°How can just a few words make you want to kill yourself. Can you bear to part with me?¡± Huo Shaoheng simply carried Gu Nianzhi along with the nket. ¡°Hurry up and eat something. I¡¯ll make you anything you want to eat. Or we can go out and eat. After that, we¡¯ll go to the airport to pick someone up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used her hand to fiddle with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s windbreaker under his adam¡¯s apple. She pouted so much that one could hang an oil bottle on her mouth.

    She said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m not going! I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯m staying here for the rest of my life! I¡¯m going to be a mushroom. I¡¯m going to be born here and grow here!¡±

    ¡°Yes, be a mushroom, and in the future, give birth to a small mushroom for me... ¡± Huo Shaoheng said. He couldn¡¯t help but lower his head and kiss her pouting lips.

    Her soft lips were as beautiful as he remembered them to be.

    The kiss wasn¡¯t enough, but she held it in her mouth and savored it longingly. Gu Nianzhi felt so wooed and ditzy that she almost fainted.

    Fortunately, the orderly¡¯s voice sounded from the door. Huo Shaoheng reluctantly let go of Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± With a nk expression, Huo Shaoheng asked through the inte.

    ¡°Reporting to the chief! We¡¯ve made some pan-fried dumplings. Is Miss Gu hungry?¡± The orderly at the door scratched his head. ¡°We¡¯ve left them at the door. If you¡¯re hungry,e out and get them.¡±

    The two of them ced the thermos bucket containing the pan-fried dumplings at the door of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom.

    Not allowing him to open the door, Gu Nianzhi had been holding onto Huo Shaoheng the entire time.

    Although she was indeed very hungry,pared to suffering embarassment in front of others, she resolutely decided to stay hungry!

    However, the two orderlies were very observant. They had actually thought of such a trick...

    Huo Shaoheng silently praised the two observant orderlies inside. He nned to give them a few more days off during the New Year.

    Besides, he was nning to take Gu Nianzhi to the Xie family in France for the New Year this year.

    ¡°Alright, they¡¯ve already left. I¡¯ll bring the fried dumplings in.¡± Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi along with the nket and ced her on the sofa. ¡°You should eat some. Your stomach doesn¡¯t feel good when you¡¯re hungry. Have you forgotten?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach was actually starting to hurt.

    She didn¡¯t stop him. She watched as Huo Shaoheng walked to the door and opened it. Afraid that someone would see her at the door, she quicklyid down on the soda.

    After a while, she heard no other soundsing from the door, so she carefully peeked out from behind the sofa to observe.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to close the door with the food box in his hand. He looked up and saw a small ck head swaying behind the sofa.

    This little girl thought she had hidden her head well. If she had the ability, she should have hidden her head too...

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and walked to the back of the sofa then held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t hide anymore. I could see your head from afar.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the door was closed, so she hugged the nket as she sat up and narrowed her eyes to nce over.

    However, her gaze had always been attracted to Huo Shaoheng in the past. Today, it was attracted to the food box in his hand.

    Her burning gaze was fixated on the food box in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, and Gu Nianzhi felt even hungrier.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t tease her anymore.

    He went to the cab in the living room and brought over a porcin te with a ck base depicting epiphyllum. He ced the pan-fried dumplings on it and put a small silver fork on it. ¡°Eat it, it¡¯s your favorite crystal dumpling with shrimp filling.¡±

    There were vegetarian three-dish dumplings with eggs, chives, and diced mushrooms.

    There were also meat three-dish dumplings with eggs, chives, and pork, as well as eggs, diced mushrooms, and shrimp. Sometimes, there was even a little bit of Vermicelli.

    Gu Nianzhi loved the three-dish dumplings with eggs, mushrooms, shrimp, and Vermicelli the most. This time, it was her favorite vor, and she had a great time eating it.

    After she finished eating, the feelings of frustration and embarrassment from before disappeared.

    Indeed, food was the most important thing to people. Any kind of depression could be solved with a good meal.

    Thinking back to what had happened just now, she giggled.

    Huo Shaoheng stroked her head. ¡°After you finish eating, go take a shower. I¡¯ll take you to the airport to pick someone up.¡±

    ¡°Who is it? You, Major General Huo, have to pick them up personally? The head of state from abroad?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked him with a smile. ¡°Can I not go?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng denied. ¡°It¡¯s my great-uncle, my grandmother¡¯s brother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yelped and immediately went to the bathroom in her bedroom to take a shower.

    It took her an hour and a half to clean up before she came out.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°Just in time. We¡¯re leaving now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing thetest summer season Chanel ruffle skirt with a matching silk round cor and three-quarter sleeve Blouse. Her long hair was tucked behind her head and pinned to her head with a diamond headband.

    Huo Shaoheng sized her up and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The two of them got into the car and sped towards Terminal 3 of the imperial capital¡¯s international airport.

    Grandfather Xie¡¯s private ne wouldnd at the airport in an hour.

    He hade back quietly this time, and no one from any side had said a word.

    Huo Shaoheng was the only one who knew he was back.

    The two of them stood on the tarmac and watched as the cabin door of arge Boeing 787 opened. A spirited, elegant, and robust old man walked down the gangway.

    Gu Nianzhi watchhed the old man¡¯s every move and couldn¡¯t help whispering to Huo Shaoheng, ¡± ... Is he your great-uncle? He looks so imposing... like an emperor... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡°

 Chapter 1308 - You Cover Me, Iâ€™ll Cover You

    <h4>Chapter 1308: You Cover Me, I¡¯ll Cover You</h4>

    The imperial capital international airport was still very busy in the evening.

    The ne rose and fell with shing red lights, and the control tower was brightly lit. Everyone was working nervously.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng stood on the walkway of the tarmac and watched the energetic old man walk down under the lights.

    Two tall men in ck uniforms carrying briefcases and wearing sunsses followed closely behind him. They looked like secretaries and bodyguards at the same time.

    Huo Shaoheng led Gu Nianzhi up to greet him.

    ¡°Uncle-inw, how was your trip?¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out his hand and spoke in a friendly voice.

    This kind of friendliness was different from his friendliness towards General Ji, Speaker Long, and the others. It was a familiarity that was connected by blood.

    The old man was Xie Shenxing, the current head of the Xie family.

    Although he was no longer in charge, he still had some influence.

    He nodded and said gently, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Shaoheng, is this your fianc¨¦e? ¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing beside Huo Shaoheng.

    He had seen Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photos and videos many times. This was the first time he had seen her in person.

    To be honest, Xie Shenxing felt that the photos and videos didn¡¯t reflect her true appearance.

    Although she was also beautiful and cute in the photos and videos, she was still more lively and beautiful in real person.

    Xie Shenxing had originally had someints about the rtionship between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Huo Shaoheng insisted, so he didn¡¯t object. Now that he saw Gu Nianzhi in person, he finally understood.

    With such a girl pursuing him so closely, even the resolute Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly introduced them. ¡°Granduncle, this is Nianzhi. ¡±

    He then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°This is my granduncle, my grandmother¡¯s biological brother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother, Xie Ziyan, was the eldest daughter of the Xie family, so she quickly said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Xie. ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still calling me Mr. Xie? ¡± Xie Shenxing put his hands behind his back with a half-hearted smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal, or else I won¡¯t give you my gift.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and realized how interesting this old man was.

    She followed his advice and sweetly called out, ¡°Hello, Granduncle.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Xie Shenxing smiled and extended his arm towards her. ¡°Will you have free time for these days? I am new here and unfamiliar with the ce. Would you be willing to be my guide and apany me for a few days?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the two ck-uniformed staff behind him pursed their lips at the same time.

    ... I¡¯m new here, and I¡¯m not familiar with this ce!

    How could he say that at his age!

    With the name Xie Shenxing, he could do whatever he wanted wherever he went!

    In the imperial capital, he had extreme influence and power.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that the Xie family was very powerful, but that was abroad.

    Because the Xie family moved overseas more than 100 years ago.

    She didn¡¯t know if the Xie family¡¯s name still yielded influence in the country.

    So she supported Xie Shenxing and immediately said, ¡°No problem, as long as I am free, I will certainly apany you. Just don¡¯t despise me for being too talkative on the way. ¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t! I like talkative young girls.¡± Xie Shenxing praised her with a smile, ¡°However, you said that you¡¯ll only apany me when you¡¯re free, so would you be busy?¡±

    Alright, this old man was quite thoughtful.

    Gu Nianzhi deliberated and said, ¡°I¡¯m on vacation these days, so I¡¯m not busy. However, I¡¯m helping someone with awsuit. If the court is in session soon, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have that much time to apany you. But, as long as I¡¯m free...¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could finish, Xie Shenxing interrupted her with a smile. ¡°Awsuit? Sure, I love watching court battles. When I was in France, I loved watching TV shows about court battles.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said from the side, ¡°Our Nianzhi is awyer. She has fought manywsuits and never lost a case.¡±

    His voice was airy, but his tone was prideful.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appeared nonchnt, but she felt extremely happy inside. She couldn¡¯t suppress her joy.

    She turned around with a smile and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Major General Huo, I¡¯ve only fought a fewwsuits yet you¡¯ve already set a bar for me. If I lose this time, it will be all your fault! ¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Don¡¯t flirt in front of this old man, okay?! Old people have their dignity too. I reject this PDA! ¡± Xie Shenxing pretended to be serious, but there was a humorous glint in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the old man wasn¡¯t pedantic at all. He even used the urban ng for PDA, ¡°dog food¡±, without missing a beat. She felt even more familiar with him.

    ¡°Granduncle, where are you staying this time? ¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled airily and led them to the parking lot.

    The chauffeur arranged by the Xie family was waiting in the parking lot.

    Xie Shenxing thought about it for a moment. ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay at the West Mountain Vi. It has a nice scenery and is quiet. I¡¯m used to tranquility abroad.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Huo Shaoheng agreed immediately and didn¡¯t say anything further.

    It was the West Mountain Vi again. The Xie family was really quite impressive...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything else. She followed them into the custom-made rolls-Royce Phantom.

    The car started steadily. She couldn¡¯t feel any bumps on the road at all.

    The noise outside the car was cut off, and it was extremely quiet inside.

    Xie Shenxing drank a mouthful of water and said ruefully, ¡°I haven¡¯t been back in over ten years. Thest time I came back was for your grandmother¡¯s funeral.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held in her breath as she intently listened to grandfather Xie¡¯s ount of the past.

    This was the Huo family¡¯s history. Huo Shaoheng rarely talked about such family matters, so Gu Nianzhi naturally had no way of knowing.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded lightly. ¡°I¡¯m at ease with having you take care of my grandmother in France.¡±

    ¡°Your grandmother was buried in the Xie family¡¯s cemetery in France. For so many years, only you, your father, and your mother went to pay their respects.¡± Xie Shenxing¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°Someone has lived sofortably for so many years that he has forgotten how big his britches are. The main reason I came back this time was to help straighten someone out, and the secondary reason was to apany little Nianzhi on a sightseeing tour.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Why did it be a sightseeing tour with her?!

    Since when did she want to go on a sightseeing tour?!

    ¡± ... right? Little Nianzhi? ¡± Xie Shenxing turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and immediatelyughed again.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Huo Shaoheng. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t expressing an opinion, she smiled and said, ¡°Granduncle humors me. I should be the one to apany you on a sightseeing tour. How could I dare make you apany me? That would be too unfilial of me.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, it¡¯s okay. I like to deal with young people. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m old-fashioned. I often chat and quarrel with people online. I even call myself a cute 17-year-old girl! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst outughing and pped her hands as she said, ¡°Impressive, impressive! I usually call myself a 30-year-old man!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the two ck-uniformed staff looked away at the street scene that shed past the car window.

    A 30-year-old man.

    The three old men who were about to turn 30 instantly felt defeated!

    Xie Shenxing and Gu Nianzhi finally hit it off. They had an interesting exchange of opinions on the issue of disguising their identities online.

    When he found out that Gu Nianzhi¡¯sputer skills were pretty good and that she was also a hacker, Xie Shenxing gazed at her with admiration.

    ¡°Little Nianzhi is so impressive! You can take care of me from now on! ¡± Xie Shenxing excitedly took out his phone. ¡°What¡¯s your phone number? Add me on Wechat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    But she still obediently took out her phone and exchanged phone numbers with Grandfather Xie.

    She clicked ¡°yes¡± and became friends with grandfather Xie on Wechat.

    Grandfather Xie, who was extremely generous, immediately transferred 100,000 yuan into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Wechat ount and said, ¡°It¡¯s a wee gift for little Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw the amount, which had so many zeros behind it she could barely count them.

    ¡°Major General Huo... ¡± Gu Nianzhi handed the phone to Huo Shaoheng and asked tentatively, ¡°The old man gave it to me... ¡±

    She didn¡¯t dare ept such arge sum.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a wee gift from my granduncle. Take it. This is just the appetizer.¡±

    The next part would be even more extravagant.

    Xie Shenxing said in mock anger, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What does my wee gift have to do with this kid?! Why do you need his permission? Little Nianzhi, it¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but this man can¡¯t be spoiled. If you spoil him, he¡¯ll turn the world upside down!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°Then what should I do? ¡± Gu Nianzhi spread out her hands and smiled. ¡°Granduncle, can you share some of your wisdom? ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. You have to beat him up. If you don¡¯t beat him up for three days, he¡¯ll cause trouble. You have to be strict with men. When your grandmother was young, I always said the same thing to her. Don¡¯t be too virtuous and don¡¯t treat men too well. Men are all scumbags...¡±

    ¡°Look, she didn¡¯t listen to me... ¡±

    Upon thinking about Xie Ziyan and Huo Xuenong, Xie Shenxing was full ofints. ¡°I¡¯m a man. How can I not know what men are like?!¡±

    After saying that, he puffed his chest proudly. ¡°My wife is different. She¡¯s always been strict with me. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve always been upright, steady, and have a good career!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that this old man Xie was really adorable!

    When she imagined the chaotic marriage between him and his wife, she couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud.

    ¡°What are youughing at? You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Old man Xieughed along, but afterughing for a while.., he then said tly, ¡°My wife and I have quarreled and argued all our lives. I used to think that she was a little annoying, but after she left first, only then did I realize that it was already impossible to hope for her to annoy me, hit me, and scold me again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand this kind of subtle PDA. It was simply deadly.

    She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, only to see him looking back at her.

    In the dim car, their bright eyes were shining brightly, interweaving with a rhythm that outsiders couldn¡¯t understand.

    Xie Shenxing was deeply affected by the tacit understanding and affection between the two fianc¨¦es and was also immersed in his own memories.

    For a moment, it was silent inside the car. The driver and the two staff members in front dare not make any sounds.

    After a while, Xie Shenxing snapped out of his memories and turned to see Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes almost glued together. He chuckled, then asked, ¡°Shaoheng, it¡¯s toote today. Let¡¯s go to your grandfather and father¡¯s ce for the night and then go to the West Mountain Vi tomorrow. Is there enough time?¡±

    ¡°Of course, no problem.¡± Huo Shaoheng quickly sent the address of the military headquarterspound to the driver in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to drive to this address.¡±

    The Xie family¡¯s drivers and staff were familiar with Grandfather Xie¡¯s whims.

    They skillfully changed their work schedule and notified all the escorts. They changed their route and drove to the military headquarterspound.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little anxious. ¡°Major General Huo, do I have to go too? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can stay at my ce for the night.¡± Huo Shaoheng patted her hand. ¡°That¡¯s your home, don¡¯t feel pressure inside.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Who would dare pressure little Nianzhi?!¡± Xie Shenxing patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s other hand. ¡°I¡¯m here today to support you. From now on, you¡¯re under my protection. If someone from the Huo family wants to make things difficult for you, they will have to answer to me first! ¡°

 Chapter 1309 - It Is my House, Donâ€™t be Shy

    <h4>Chapter 1309: It Is my House, Don¡¯t be Shy</h4>

    A huge sponser came out of the blue!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s jet-ck eyes suddenly lit up.

    ¡°Granduncle, are you serious? ! Don¡¯t be shy with me. I¡¯m serious!¡±

    Xie Shenxingughed. ¡°I¡¯m already so old, so do I have to bluff in front of a little girl like you?

    Besides, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. If he couldn¡¯t even support a little girl, and he wasn¡¯t worthy of the Xie surname, much less his status as the head of the Xie family.

    Huo Shaoheng also said, ¡°Granduncle¡¯s words are of momentous weight. Don¡¯t worry. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly and smiled at Xie Shenxing. ¡°Granduncle, then I¡¯ll take you at your words.¡±

    The group chatted andughed as they quickly arrived at the military headquarters¡¯pound.

    General Ji and the others received the news as soon as Xie Shenxing¡¯s rolls-Royce phantom limousine entered the gate.

    ¡°Shaoheng, the grandfather of the Xie family is back in the country?¡± General Ji personally called Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°He¡¯s back in the country and was just picked up from the airport. Granduncle is staying at my house for the night, right in the militarypound.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± General Jiughed. ¡°Is it convenient for me to visit your ce right away?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we have some personal matters to attend to today. I¡¯ll invite you and speaker long to have a tea party tomorrow when Granduncle returns to the West Mountain Vi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard that Huo Shaoheng had decided to treat her to a meal on his own initiative, so she quickly gave Huo Shaoheng a look for him to ask old master Xie first.

    Huo Shaoheng saw her eye gesture, then rubbed her head, and hung up. He said to Xie Shenxing, ¡°Granduncle, General Ji and Speaker Long want to visit you. I¡¯ve pushed it to tomorrow, so I¡¯ll go to your West Mountain vi and invite them to a tea party. What do you think? Is it appropriate?¡±

    Xie shenxing waved his hand nonchntly. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. I don¡¯t have the patience to care about these things.¡±

    His main purpose for returning to the country was to support Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, and to teach Huo Xuenong a lesson. As for other matters, he would see them as soon as he could. If he was too busy, he would decline.

    Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t need to be so courteous with General Ji and Speaker Long.

    ..

    The car drove into the driveway of the Huo family¡¯s headquarters and stopped under the Ginkgo tree in front of the door.

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car first, walked to the other side, and opened the car door for Xie Shenxing.

    Xie Shenxing got out of the car and looked up at the mansion of Huo family.

    Back then, he had sent off the only daughter of the Xie family firsthand, andter, he had personally picked up the only eldest daughter of the Xie family..

    He was very familiar with this mansion!

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and stood beside Huo Shaoheng with a serious expression on her face.

    Xie Shenxing nced at her and extended his arm towards her again. He smiled and said, ¡°Little Nianzhi, help me in. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to hold Xie Shenxing¡¯s arm and walked in.

    Seeing that it was Huo Shaoheng, the guards at the entrance of the Huo family¡¯s mansion did not stop them. They saluted and greeted Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. ¡±

    They passed through the iron gate and walked towards the small building in front, which had a dozen or so rooms.

    It was alreadypletely dark, and the umbre-shaped LED streetmps on the path were gently illuminating the path beneath everyone¡¯s feet.

    Huo Shaoheng asked Gu Nianzhi and Xie Shen to walk in front, while he followed behind them alone.

    The two staff members in ck uniforms carrying briefcases walked behind Huo Shaoheng.

    The living room on the first floor of the Huo family mansion was brightly lit.

    Huo Xuenong Sat in front of the sofa, leaning on his cane. He watched Luo Jin with smile, who brought him a bowl of dessert.

    Huo Guanchen sat on the sofa opposite Huo Xuenong with a frown. ¡°Why are you here again? Didn¡¯t you move away? ¡±

    Luo Jin looked at Huo Xuenong with embarrassment. She slowly lowered her head and said softly, ¡°Uncle Huo, I¡¯m just worried about the his health. ¡±

    Huo Xuenong had been getting along very well with Luo Jin these past two years.

    Although Luo Jin was very young, she was very good at taking care of people.

    Huo Xuenong got along very well with her.

    Therefore, after Luo Jin moved out, she still came to the Huo family to see Huo Xuenong frequently in the name of visiting Huo Xuenong.

    Huo Xuenong raised his eyelids and rolled his eyes at Huo Guanchen. ¡°Go back to your room. Jin just cared for me. It¡¯s none of your business! ¡±

    A man who totally depended on Huo family, and even came back after being chased out by him, actually said that ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡±.

    Huo Guanchen really felt annoyed.

    He stood up with angry.

    He had already told the guards at the entrance of the courtyard not to let Luo Jin in again.

    However, as soon as Huo Xuenong interfered, the guards no longer stopped Luo Jin.

    Huo Guanchen had been working overtime these days, so he didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with it.

    He asionally came back early today, but he found that Luo Jin hade in their house again.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t you remember what I saidst time? ¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s tone was very cold.

    ¡°You¡¯ve said so many things, how am I supposed to know which one?¡± Huo Xuenong brushed him off, indicating that he didn¡¯t remember.

    ¡°Okay, let me tell you again...¡± Huo Guanchen crossed his arms. When he was about to say something, a group of people walked in from the hallway of the living room.

    The two people in front of them were Gu Nianzhi and Xie shenxing.

    Luo Jin had been sitting next to Huo Xuenong with her head down the whole time. When she heard the sound of the door, she quickly looked up.

    She was stunned with just one nce.

    The old man standing next to Gu Nianzhi looked so familiar. Wasn¡¯t he the head of the Xie family, Xie Shenxing, whom she had once seen from afar? !

    She had been in Europe with the Xie family for more than a year, but had not spoken to Xie Shenxing once.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be arm in arm and stand so intimately next to the head of the Xie family.

    She was indeed a shameless bitch.

    Luo Jin cursed Gu Nianzhi inside for being so promiscuous, not even sparing such an old man...

    Gu Nianzhi stood by Xie Shenxing¡¯s side like a well-behaved quail, and appeared unsure of what to do.

    Xie Shenxing patted the back of her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Luo Jin was already rushing over with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Old Master Xie is here! I¡¯m honored to have you here.¡±

    Xie Shenxing looked at her seriously and asked, ¡°Are you the doctor or the nurse of the Huo family?¡±

    Luo Jin was caught off guard. ¡± ... You don¡¯t remember me?¡±

    ¡°I asked if you¡¯re the doctor or a nurse of the Huo family. Don¡¯t you understand Mandarin?¡± Xie Shenxing said this without an expression, but his tone was grave and a little overbearing. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help cowering.

    Luo Jin was even more shocked. She was in a confrontational position with Xie Shenxing. She was so scared that she was about to throw up...

    ¡± ... No... No, I¡¯m neither the doctor or the nurse for the Huo family. ¡± Luo Jin stammered. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us you wereing? We would¡¯ve gone to the airport to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re neither a doctor nor a nurse, so what are you doing at the Huo family¡¯s house in the middle of the night? ¡± Xie Shenxing wouldn¡¯t let her off the hook. ¡°Are you a member of the Huo family?¡±

    Luo Jin: ¡± ... I used to be, but I¡¯m not anymore. But I grew up here and have lived here for more than 20 years. This ce is just like my home.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s your home just because you¡¯ve been living here for a long time? Even my children wouldn¡¯t dare to say that.¡±

    Xie Shenxing snorted and led Gu Nianzhi around Luo Jin to the center of the living room.

    When Huo Xuenong and Huo Guanchen saw that Xie Shenxing hade, they stood up in shock and were speechless.

 Chapter 1310 - Outsiders and Insiders

    <h4>Chapter 1310: Outsiders and Insiders</h4>

    Huo Xuenong and Luo Jin had stayed in Europe for more than a year, but Xie Shenxing hadn¡¯t visited them even once.

    At first, they thought that Xie Shenxing was too busy. After all, he was the head of the Xie family, and weren¡¯t there so many things waiting for him to make a decision on every day?

    Later, they found out that Xie Shenxing had stopped managing the family affairs and left most of the family affairs to his son. Only then did they realize his true feeligs toward these two people...

    The two of them stayed in one of the Xie family¡¯s courtyards. They didn¡¯t dare to cause any trouble.

    Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t see them off after they returned from Europe.

    Huo Xuenong was afraid to see Xie Shenxing because of his wife¡¯s matter, so Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t see them in Europe. Deep down, he was actually relieved, but it didn¡¯t look good for him on the surface.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that Gu Nianzhi had stood up for Song Jinning and Luo Xinxue in thewsuit and dragged Zhang Feng into it, the Xie family might not have known about it and wouldn¡¯t have treated him so coldly.

    Huo Xuenong gazed at Gu Nianzhi even more coldly at the thought of this.

    She was clinging on to him, but didn¡¯t even think about whether she was worthy or not to do so.

    Did she think that the Huo family would obediently allow her to marry in just because of the Xie family?

    Haha, this was the Huaxia Empire, not France.

    This was more than a hundred yearster, not more than a hundred years ago.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s slightly hunched back straightened.

    ¡°It¡¯s Shenxing, right? We haven¡¯t seen each other for so many years, but you¡¯re still as strong as ever. Hahahaha... ¡± Huo Xuenongughed as he walked over to Xie Shenxing.

    Huo Guanchen red at Huo Shaoheng and went forward to say, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform us earlier that you were here?¡±

    Xie Shenxing was rather friendly towards Huo Guanchen. After all, he was Huo Guanchen¡¯s nephew, and he had watched him grow up when he was young.

    His expression softened and he nodded. ¡°I told Shaoheng not to make a big fuss about it. I¡¯ve only returned to the country to deal with some personal matters.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled. ¡°He¡¯s too inattentive. Even if you¡¯ve returned to the country because of private matters, it¡¯s still a matter of national importance. How could he not tell us just because you said so? ¡ª¡ªShaoheng, you have to report this matter to the military. How can you not differentiate between small matters and matters of importance? ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and smiled, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Xie Shenxing couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He said angrily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Are you guys disobeying me just because I¡¯m no longer in authority? Hehe, if Shaoheng is punished by your organization because he listened to me, seems like none of you wanted me to return to the country in the first ce!¡±

    ¡°No, no! I said the wrong thing. Please don¡¯t be angry!¡± Cold sweat broke out on Huo Guanchen¡¯s forehead, and he hurriedly apologized to Xie Shenxing.

    Xie Shenxing suppressed the anger inside and said with a straight face, ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all family here. There¡¯s no need to be so formal.¡±

    He led Gu Nianzhi to the group sofa in the middle of the living room and sat down.

    Unable to hide the jealousy and hatred in her eyes, Luo Jin clenched her fists tightly.

    She wanted to say that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t a member of the Huo family, so why should she be allowed to stay there?

    Even if they were engaged, byw, an engagement wasn¡¯t equivalent marriage. Her surname wasn¡¯t Huo!

    Of course, she knew that picking on Gu Nianzhi at this time would only make Huo Shaoheng and Xie Shenxing even more disgusted with her.

    Luo Jin took a deep breath and strategically decided to leave. ¡°Grandfather Huo, Uncle Huo, Mr. Xie, take your time. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    Xie Shenxing raised his eyes to nce at her and said coldly, ¡°Did I tell you to leave?¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s body stiffened and not knowing what to do, she looked at Huo Xuenong.

    Huo Xuenong quickly said, ¡°Jin is here to take care of me. Ever since I retired from the military, no one has really cared about me. Only Jin pays attention to me and talks to me like my granddaughter-inw.¡± He looked at Gu Nianzhi provocatively.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Xuenong didn¡¯t like her and wanted Luo Jin to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wife. She had been mentally prepared, but she still felt humiliated when he said that in front of so many people.

    Luo Jin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. She quickly lowered her eyes and smiled. ¡°Grandfather Huo, you tter me.¡± She then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Grandfather Huo was just joking. You won¡¯t be angry, right? If you get angry over something like this, how are you going to live the rest of your life?¡±

    Don¡¯t think that you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of yourbor just because you¡¯ve married into the Huo family. There were plenty of ways to deal with her!

    Huo Shaoheng frowned but didn¡¯t say anything. He simply put one hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and kissed her forehead in a soothing manner.

    Luo Jin caught sight of this scene from the corner of her eye. She could no longer maintain her dignified and magnanimous expression, and a frown appeared on her forehead.

    They were so intimate!

    They were so touchy with each other!

    She was still standing there. How could he dare to kiss another woman?!

    He even dared to kiss another woman when his grandfather said that he treated her, Luo Jin, as his granddaughter-inw?

    How much did he look down on her? !

    Luo Jin was so angry that her entire body was shaking.

    The hatred in her eyes stabbed at Gu Nianzhi like a flying knife.

    On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi buried her head in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and paid no attention to her.

    Xie Shenxing took a step forward and stood in front of Gu Nianzhi. He looked at Luo Jin, then at Huo Xuenong, and suddenlyughed.

    He looked up at Huo Guanchen and said, ¡°Guanchen, ever since your mother passed away, your family has be more and more unruly. Which proper daughter-inw or granddaughter-inw hangs out with her father-inw and grandfather every day? Even if you¡¯re not ashamed, I¡¯m ashamed for you!¡±

    These words were too harsh, and Luo Jin grew anxious inside.

    If she couldn¡¯t evene to the Huo family and lost Huo Xuenong¡¯s strong support, what else did she have?!

    Upon hearing this, Huo Xuenong¡¯s face instantly reddened. ¡°Shenxing, you¡¯re his uncle. I won¡¯t lower myself to your level. Aren¡¯t you afraid that Ziyan won¡¯t be able to rest in peace in the afterlife?!¡±

    ¡°You still dare to mention Ziyan? ! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you couldn¡¯t control yourself, would she have been angered to death by you?!¡± Xie shenxing strode in front of Huo Xuenong and raised his hand to p him.

    When Huo Xuenong was in Europe, Xie Shenxing was stopped by his son, so he held back his anger.

    However, because of the trust fund under Luo Jin, he learned some other things. Even Xie Shenxing¡¯s gentle and refined son couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so he let him go back to the country to settle the score with Huo Xuenong.

    Xie Shenxing had used too much strengthh. This time, the anger that he had umted over the years made him merciless. Huo Xuenong was practically seeing stars after the p.

    If it weren¡¯t for his crutches, he would have been pped to the ground by Xie Shenxing.

    ¡°You dare to hit me?! It¡¯s illegal to hit people!¡± Huo Xuenong was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even speak properly. He covered the half of his face that had been hit. He looked at Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Are you guys just going to watch your father and grandfather get beaten to such a state by an outsider?!¡±

    ¡°Outsider? I¡¯ll show you what an outsider and wife are today!¡± Xie Shenxing pointed at Huo Xuenong. He was really furious, ¡°I¡¯m Ziyan¡¯s biological brother! Meeting your uncle is like meeting your mother, don¡¯t you understand?! I represent Ziyan. You said I¡¯m an outsider, so you don¡¯t think of Ziyan as your wife, do you?! Fine, even though she¡¯s already dead, I can still get her to divorce you. Do you believe me?!¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s body trembled.

    He couldn¡¯t afford such humiliation!

    His gaze turned gloomy as he pursed his lips and said, ¡°You¡¯re really crazy. She¡¯s already dead, yet you¡¯re still making such a ruckus. Aren¡¯t you afraid that Ziyan will be disappointed?¡±

    ¡°Who made her disappointed? Don¡¯t you know that? ¡± Xie Shenxing sped his hands behind his back and took a deep breath. ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no need to say anything else today. I came here originally to stay for the night, but with your attitude, I¡¯ll leave immediately!¡±

    Luo Jin was delighted and wanted to quietly move to Huo Xuenong¡¯s side. However, after what Xie Shenxing had said just now, she felt embarrassed to be too close to Huo Xuenong.

    Just as she was hesitating, Xie Shenxing said again, ¡°Then let¡¯s cut the long story short. I specially came here to tell you that our Xie family is very satisfied with Nianzhi as a granddaughter-inw. I came here to support her. She doesn¡¯t have a family, so from now on, the Xie family will be her family. Anyone who tries to make things difficult for her will be making things difficult for the Xie family.¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s lips quivered for a long time, but he didn¡¯t dare to buttheads with Xie Shenxing directly. Finally, he raised his hand dejectedly and said weakly, ¡°Since you¡¯ve put it that way, what else do I have to say? Besides, I¡¯ve never been in charge of the younger generation¡¯s matters. It¡¯s fine as long as you guys are happy.¡± With that, he leaned on his cane, then turned around to go upstairs.

    Huo Shaoheng called out to him, ¡°Grandfather, I want to ask for my uncle¡¯s will. Can you hand it over?¡±

    Huo Xuenong suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and his expression changed.

    Fortunately, his back was facing the crowd, so they couldn¡¯t see his expression.

    Huo Xuenong let out a slight sigh of relief and quickly thought about how to respond.

    As if struck by lightning, Luo Jin staggered back a few steps. Leaning against the mahogany vase stand behind her, she stuttered, ¡°Will? My father left a will?!¡±

 Chapter 1311 - A 30-Year-Old Old Man

    <h4>Chapter 1311: A 30-Year-Old Old Man</h4>

    Huo Xuenong slowly turned around. He already made up his mind.

    ¡°Will? What will?¡± He looked bewildered. ¡°Are you talking about Guanyuan?¡±

    Then, his tears fell. ¡°If my Guanyuan were still alive, would he let outsiders shame his old father?!¡±

    Huo Xuenong red at Huo Guanchen angrily. ¡°I can¡¯t control his son, but you¡¯re my son! How could you let others humiliate me like this?!¡±

    Huo Guanchen frowned. ¡°Dad, what are you talking about? Who shamed you?¡±

    He was going to say that he wished he were the one dead instead, right?

    He could neverpare with his big brother...

    Huo Guanchen felt extremely sad and lowered his head to look away.

    Huo Xuenong pointed at Xie Shenxing and said angrily, ¡°He pped me in front of you just now, yet you¡¯re still saying that you nobody shhamed me?! Will you only be happy if someone beats me to death?!¡±

    Huo Guanchen shook his head helplessly and said, ¡°How can my uncle be considered an outsider? If you say that, wouldn¡¯t mom be disappointed in heaven? Both of you are our elders. Please calm down, please calm down.¡±

    As he spoke, he walked over to Xie Shenxing¡¯s side and quietly helped him up by the arm, then pushes Gu Nianzhi to the side. ¡°You must be very tired aftering all the way here. Let me take you to the guest room to rest.¡±

    He ignored Huo Shaoheng¡¯s question for Huo Xuenong and had no intention of responding at all.

    In his opinion, what other time couldn¡¯t he ask about the will?

    It was indeed a little too inappropriate to ask on the day Xie Shenxing was visiting.

    Although Huo Xuenong wasn¡¯t a good father and Huo Guanchen was very disappointed in him, he wouldn¡¯t embarrass Huo Xuenong in front of the younger generation.

    Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t stop Xie Shenxing from pping Huo Xuenong just now because they were both his elders. Moreover, Xie shenxing represented his mother, Xie Ziyan¡¯s family, and he did have a reason to p Huo Xuenong, so he didn¡¯t stop him.

    However, Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch Huo Shaoheng being rude.

    However, Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t buy Huo Guanchen¡¯s words.

    He looked up at Huo Xuenong and asked in a low voice, ¡°Yes, where¡¯s Guanyuan¡¯s will? Shaoheng asked for it from you, so it should be with you, right?¡±

    Huo Xuenong could tell that Huo Guanchen was still partial towards him, so he felt slightly better.

    After all, he was his son, and he was still reliable at critical times.

    Huo Xuenong snorted coldly. ¡°That¡¯s my son¡¯s will, so what does it have to do with you? Xie Shenxing, if you want me to respect you, you¡¯d better not do those things that make peopleugh at you!¡±

    Hitting someone in front of so many people, was this the etiquette of the Xie Family?!

    Xie Shenxing was so angry that heughed. ¡°Haha, why didn¡¯t you think that you would beughed at for coveting your own head nurse?! I feel indignant for my sister, so what if I p you?! ording to our family rules, you have wronged my sister, so we can drown you in a pig cage! ¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Huo Xuenong roared angrily. ¡°How can a man be drowned in a pig cage?! If someone is to be drowned, a woman will have to be drowned!¡±

    ¡°Men and women are equal, Huo Xuenong. Didn¡¯t your organization teach you that?¡± Xie Shenxing put his hands behind his back and said sarcastically, ¡°Oh yes, you have been stripped of your military rank and expelled from the army. It¡¯s over. Your organization doesn¡¯t want you anymore. How can you still have the face to live here?¡±

    ¡°This is my son¡¯s home! I can live here as long as I want!¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s face grew pale from anger.

    This was extreme humiliation for him.

    He had been ambitious and hard-working his entire life. He was one of the top figures in the entire Huaxia Empire¡¯s military, but he was brought down by a scandal in old age.

    Huo Xuenong hated Zhang Feng for not being able to keep her mouth shut and dragging him down, but he also hated Gu Nianzhi for exposing this matter and causing a ruckus in the city!

    Otherwise, how could he have ended up like this? !

    He would never let her in!

    She schemed against her senior, and now she wanted to be his granddaughter-inw?!

    Not a chance!

    ¡°Alright now, don¡¯t use these excuses to distract us.¡± Huo Shaoheng calmly interrupted them. ¡°The military has records that my eldest uncle left a will before carrying out his mission and handed it over to grandfather.¡±

    Even the military records check out. This matter wasn¡¯t so easy to clean up.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s heart sank. He quickly nced at Luo Jin, then took a step forward and pointed at Xie Shenxing. He said angrily, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution for ndering me like this? ! It was an ident with Zhang Feng! An ident! ¡ª¡ªAh¡ª¡ª! ¡±

    He clutched his chest, then his face suddenly wrinkled and turned purple. Gasping for breath with one hand waving in the air, he shouted, ¡°Why is there a power outage?! Where¡¯s the light?! Why isn¡¯t the light on?!¡±

    Then, he took two steps back and bumped into the corner of the coffee table.

    He lost his bnce and fell backward with a loud bang, knocking the coffee table over.

    ¡°Dad!¡± Huo Guanchen was so anxious that he rushed up and embraced Huo Xuenong. However, he saw that Huo Xuenong¡¯s face was pale and he had fainted.

    Luo Jin also ran over and said, ¡°Grandpa Huo, your angina is acting up again. I have Nitroglycerin tablets here!¡± As she said that, she took out a small medicine bottle, poured out a pill from it, and handed it to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen nced at her. He thought that she wouldn¡¯t dare to give him a poison to kill Huo Xuenong in front of everyone, so he took it and stuffed it into Huo Xuenong¡¯s mouth. Then, he immediately said, ¡°Call the hospital and call an ambnce!¡±

    Luo Jin quickly took out her phone to make a call.

    Not long after, the ambnce stopped at their door with the siren rring. Huo Guanchen carried Huo Xuenong into the ambnce.

    Luo Jin seized the opportunity to get into the ambnce and follow them to the emergency room of the Military General Hospital.

    Although Huo Xuenong no longer had a military rank, his son, Huo Guanchen, and his grandson, Huo Shaoheng, were both powerful figures in the military.

    The military general hospital didn¡¯t dare neglect them and sent the best team of doctors and nurses to treat him.

    It had only been ten minutes since they pushed him into the emergency room when Huo Xuenong slowly woke up.

    ¡°The patient¡¯s mood isn¡¯t very stable. It¡¯s rmended that he stay in the hospital for observation for a night. He will be discharged after the data indicators are normal.¡±

    The chief physician of the Cardiology Department of the military¡¯s general hospital looked at the data that was detected by the equipment and advised Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s best for him to stay for a few more days.¡±

    The moment his uncle Xie Shenxing saw Huo Xuenong, it was as if he had met his sworn enemy. Huo Guanchen also felt his head ache.

    No matter how wrong his old father was, Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t continue to force him to do anything as he looked like he was on the verge of death.

    Luo Jin quickly said, ¡°Uncle Huo, you should go back first. I¡¯ll take care of things from here. You¡¯re getting old. Staying upte isn¡¯t good for your health.¡±

    Huo Guanchen still had to go down to the basic level to check on work tomorrow. Even if he wanted to stay here to apany Huo Xuenong, he didn¡¯t have the time.

    ¡°Jin, you should go back. I¡¯ll call the orderly toe over and take care of him. It¡¯s not appropriate for a girl like you to stay here.¡± Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t want Luo Jin to have too much contact with Huo Xuenong.

    However, Huo Xuenong stopped her. He said weakly, ¡°Guanchen, let Jin stay here with me. She has taken care of me for almost two years. She¡¯s more dedicated than others. What¡¯s there to be worried about?¡±

    Huo Xuenong was the only person in the Huo family who was kind to Luo Jin now.

    Huo Guanchen also knew that if Luo Jin didn¡¯t want to lose all ties with the Huo family, she would serve Huo Xuenong wholeheartedly.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s wife was supposed to do this kind of thing, but he didn¡¯t have a wife right now.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s little fianc¨¦e, Gu Nianzhi, was prissy yet also hot-tempered. Not to mention take care of him, but the moment she appeared in front of Huo Xuenong, the two of them would probably buttheads.

    If that happened, Huo Xuenong would probably be so angry that he would die.

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t dare take the risk. After much thought, he called his orderly over and had him and Luo Jin stand guard in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s sickbed before leaving in a hurry.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng watched the ambnce leave from the door. He walked back and said to Xie Shenxing, ¡°Granduncle, I¡¯m really sorry for making you watch this farce. My grandfather suddenly fell ill, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll have time to see you for a while.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll call a cardiologist we¡¯re familiar with. He¡¯lle here tomorrow to examine him.¡± Xie shenxing shook his head indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I really need to rest. I¡¯m still jetgged ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng winked at Gu Nianzhi and asked her to take Xie Shenxing to the guest room upstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi took them upstairs to the guest room and carefully checked the facilities in the room.

    The toiletries were all brand new, and there were new sheets on the bed. She opened the refrigerator to take a look. There were bottles of mineral water and snacks inside ¡ª they were all fresh.

    Xie Shenxing¡¯s two staff members also searched the entire room.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t fuss any further. She said to the two staff members, ¡°If you guys need anything, you can call this number. This is the internal line. Connect me to the orderly¡¯s internal affairs room.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡± The two staff members treated Gu Nianzhi coldly. They didn¡¯t even look at her and simply sent her away.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was strange. She hadn¡¯t offended these two people, had she?

    Why did they treat her with such hostility?

    It was as if she owed them 800 pounds.

    Gu Nianzhi closed the door in confusion and left Xie Shenxing¡¯s guest room.

    She didn¡¯t have her own room in the Huo Mansion. She had one in the past, but something had happened, so she had stayed in the first-floor suite with Huo Shaoheng.

    Today was no exception. They were already engaged to each other in the eyes of outsiders, so it was fine for them to stay together.

    Gu Nianzhi came down from the second floor and went straight to Huo Shaoheng¡¯srge suite on the first floor.

    She went to the bathroom to wash her face, remove her make-up, and perform an evening skincare routine.

    She came out of the bathroom and saw that it was gettingte. She was about to go to the small bedroom to sleep when she came out and saw a ss of milk on the coffee table in the living room.

    She walked over and covered her mouth with her hand. The wall of the ss was warm, so it must have been freshly heated. It must have been for her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and took a sip of the milk. She saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room was still lit, so she knocked on his door with the milk in her hand.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s slightly nonchnt and husky voice came from the bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat and her ears turned red.

    She pushed the door open and entered, then frowned as sheined, ¡°Major General Huo, tell me, what did I do to offend those two staff members? They seem to have a lot of hostility towards me...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the single sofa by the bed in the bedroom. He supported his head with one hand and rested the other on the armrest of the sofa. He stretched out his long legs and gazed at her without batting an eye. He waved at her. ¡°Come here. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put down the cup of milk and walked over.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her onto hisp and sat down. He rubbed her heavily. ¡± ... A 30-year-old old man? Hmm?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡°

 Chapter 1312 - Nitpicky

    <h4>Chapter 1312: Nitpicky</h4>

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t told me, I wouldn¡¯t have known that you were pretending to be a 30-year-old man online.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was cold and handsome, but his hands were doing something indescribable.

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood the reason behind the hostile attitudes of the two staff members...

    But she had no time to think about anything else. She was in emotional turmoil as he ced her on an emotional rollercoaster.

    She panted in his palm with her voice breaking.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly stopped and whispered into her ear, ¡± ... Am I very old?¡±

    ¡± ... No... you¡¯re not old... I¡¯m not talking about you... I¡¯m talking about myself...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was beating wildly because of him. She was on the verge of tears. ¡°Hurry up... Hurry up...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, however, remained motionless.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire body felt ill at ease. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re still saying you¡¯re not old?!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t move!

    Huo Shaoheng was thoroughly provoked by her words.

    That night, Gu Nianzhi finally understood what ¡°revenge from a 30-year-old man¡± meant.

    It was never toote for a gentleman to take revenge.

    Old men seized every moment for revenge.

    ..

    In the middle of the night, Huo Xuenong woke up in the high-end private ward of the Military¡¯s General Hospital. He said that he was hungry, so he asked the orderly beside him to cook rice porridge for him.

    The orderly woke Luo Jin up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make porridge for Mr. Huo. Help me take a look. ¡±

    Luo Jin rubbed her eyes and yawned. ¡°Okay, you go ahead. ¡±

    After the orderly left, only Huo Xuenong and Luo Jin were left in the high-end single ward.

    Seeing that Huo Xuenong had woken up, Luo Jin breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her head to tuck Huo Xuenong in.

    Huo Xuenong waited for the sound of the orderly¡¯s footsteps to disappear before looking at Luo Jin and whispering, ¡± ... Jin, Shaoheng found out about the will. Did you tell him?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Luo Jin denied tly. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. Why would I say something like that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen the situation now. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able toplete our n.¡± Huo Xuenong said tly and closed his eyes again.

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her tone of voice changed. ¡°What did you say?! What do you mean?! You promised to help me marry into the Huo family and marry Shaoheng, then I¡¯ll transfer half of my father¡¯s trust fund to Zhang Wenjie afterwards.¡±

    Was Grandfather Huo trying to renege on his promise?!

    ¡°Haha, you still want to marry Shaoheng? Do you actually think that¡¯s possible?¡± Huo Xuenong smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard enough, but since Xie Shenxing came back, you have no chance of winning.¡±

    If it hadn¡¯t been for Xie Shenxing¡¯s intervention, Huo Xuenong would still have some confidence.

    But now that Xie Shenxing was clearly on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, Huo Xuenong would be overestimating himself if he went against him again.

    ¡°Are you afraid of old master Xie?¡± Luo Jin asked quietly. ¡°But they treated you well in Francest year... ¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be afraid of Xie Shenxing if I hadn¡¯t retired?¡± Huo Xuenong snorted. ¡°You know that even Guanchen won¡¯t be on our side if the will is exposed. What do you think you¡¯ll get out of it?¡±

    ¡°Fine. If I can¡¯t get married, then you can forget about my trust fund.¡± Luo Jin became hardened. ¡°It¡¯s very convenient for me. I can buy a ne ticket and leave this country immediately.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Huo Xuenong opened his eyes in a sh. His eyes were as sharp as lightning. He didn¡¯t look like an old man who had been muddle-headed just now. ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth. If you want to fight to the death, I¡¯ll make you lose everything.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to distribute the assets in the will? You don¡¯t have a single cent. Your mother only has half of my son¡¯s inheritance. The other half of his inheritance is to be donated to the high-energy Physics Institute. The trust fund under his name clearly stated that he wants to give all his inheritance to his nephew who is rted to him by blood!¡±

    ¡°He wants to give everything to his nephew, not you.¡±

    Luo Jin was so angry that her chest heaved violently. She clenched her fists and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been talking about your will for so long, but you still haven¡¯t shown it to me. I don¡¯t believe you anymore! I don¡¯t believe a word of it! If my father had a will, why didn¡¯t he give it to my mother?!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe it now? When you used the trust fund to make a deal with me as a bargaining chip to marry Shaoheng, you didn¡¯t not believe me.¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s words were very harsh, ¡°The truth is, Huo Guanyuan did have a will, and you know why he didn¡¯t give it to your mother because she wasn¡¯t in his heart. ¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s tears fell.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I hate it the most when women cry.¡± Huo Xuenong was impatient.

    How could he be unaware of Luo Jin¡¯s true colors was?

    After so many years, he had long seen through this person. The reason why he didn¡¯t expose her and allowed her to stay in the Huo family was because he needed her to divert attention for his .

    Huo Xuenong, who was well-versed in the art of war, also yed a game of ¡°building a path in the open while hiding in the dark¡±.

    Luo Jin¡¯s crying stopped abruptly.

    She didn¡¯t continue to cry, but sobbed softly. She choked on her sobs as she said, ¡± ... You said before that my father¡¯s will was to leave the trust fund to his nephews. He has two nephews, Major General Huo and Zhang Wenjie. This trust fund is bound to be divided equally between the two of them...¡±

    ¡°You promised me that as long as I gave half of the trust fund to Zhang Wenjie, you would help me marry Huo Shaoheng. That way, I would bring the other half of the trust fund over as dowry and not vite the Deration of the will.¡±

    Huo Xuenong looked at Luo Jin with a sullen expression, ¡°Yes, but what¡¯s the situation now? Don¡¯t you know what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t marry Luo Jin no matter what, and even brought old master Xie back to support Gu Nianzhi.

    Others might not know why Xie Shenxing had suddenly returned to the country, but how could Huo Xuenong not know?

    His return this time definitely had something to do with Huo Shaoheng.

    His brother-inw Xie Shenxing had been afraid of his wife all his life. He doted on his wife, and even asked others to do the same. He was really too controlling!

    Huo Xuenong truly had loved Xie Ziyan once before. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t as unreasonable as her brother and sister, but her temper was just as stubborn.

    As time went by, even the deepest feelings of love was worn out, and the gentle Zhang Feng entered his sight.

    She had quietly taken care of him for decades and even secretly gave birth to a son for him.

    This son also had a son and a daughter. It was equivalent to him getting a son, grandson, and granddaughter without.

    Although Zhang Feng almost ruined Huo Xuenong¡¯s reputation, their son, grandson, and granddaughter were innocent. Huo Xuenong couldn¡¯t give them a title, so he could onlypensate them materially.

    The conspiracy that they had been nning for so many years was about to bepleted, but unfortunately Xie Shenxing butted in and ruined it.

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t care about that much. She stubbornly said, ¡°No matter what the situation is now, you can¡¯t go back on your promise. Otherwise, I can also cut ties with you.¡±

    ¡°I dare you to try! If you dare cut ties with me, I can make you lose everything! ¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s voice was fierce. How could he be someone who had a heart attack just now?!

    Luo Jin was shocked. She braced herself and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry. I was wrong. I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I just said it in a moment of anger!¡±

    ¡°It better be true that you said it in a moment of anger.¡± Huo Xuenong closed his eyes again. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to lose everything, then do as I say.¡±

    Luo Jin was upset. She crossed her arms and walked around the ward a few times. ¡°But if they force you to take out the will, I¡¯ll still lose everything!¡±

    ording to Huo Xuenong, Luo Jin had no part in the division of the trust fund in Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will!

    At this moment, Luo Jin was filled with deep resentment towards her father in name.

    No matter what, her mother had married Huo Guanyuan. How could he pretend that she didn¡¯t exist?!

    Luo Jin clenched her fists and red at Huo Xuenong. ¡°Tell me, what can I do?!¡±

    Huo Xuenong opened his eyes. His expression was cold and sullen. ¡°Transfer half of the trust fund to Zhang Wenjie immediately, and then I¡¯ll destroy the will.¡±

    This way, no one would know that Huo Shaoheng was also involved..

    Huo Xuenong knew very well that his eldest son, Huo Guanyuan, must not have known that Huo Xuenong had an illegitimate son when he made this will, so the ¡°nephew¡± he mentioned in the will, was definitely only Huo Shaoheng.

    As for why he didn¡¯t mention Huo Shaoheng by name, it was probably to save face for Luo Xinxue and Song Jinning.

    Huo Guanyuan also didn¡¯t know that apart from Huo Shaoheng, he had another nephew, called Zhang Wenjie, who was rted to him by blood.

    If they really wanted to take it to court, ording to the will, Huo Shaoheng and Zhang Wenjie had to split the trust fund 50-50.

    But he couldn¡¯t take it to court for real.

 Chapter 1313 - Deal

    <h4>Chapter 1313: Deal</h4>

    Huo Xuenong didn¡¯t dare, nor was he willing to publish the will. It was because Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will had contents that made him more uneasy than the distribution of property, so he chose to keep it a secret,

    ¡°Destroy the will?!¡± Luo Jin was also thinking nervously.

    If she and her mother really weren¡¯t part of the will, then destroying it was indeed the best way.

    But what if Huo Xuenong was lying to her?

    Then wouldn¡¯t she have lost half of her assets?

    Luo Jin looked at Huo Xuenong suspiciously. ¡°Can you let me see it with my own eyes? Words have no proof...¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you want proof, right? Fine, then go and talk to the court about proof. Wait to lose everything.¡±

    After saying that, Huo Xuenong closed his eyes and ignored Luo Jin.

    The older the wiser.

    From his calm demeanor, Luo Jin had no doubts anymore. She had no choice but to believe that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will indeed didn¡¯t include her or her mother.

    She believed this because she put herself in Huo Guanyuan¡¯s shoes. If she were in Huo Guanyuan¡¯s position, she wouldn¡¯t have left all her assets to an outsider¡¯s child.

    Of course, Huo Guanyuan also left enough assets for her and her mother to live on. However, this asset was just a drop in the oceanpared to the trust fund that Xie Ziyan left to Huo Guanyuan.

    Until now, the annual return of the trust fund transferred to her bank ount was only 10% of the total return.

    This was because this was the proportion that Huo Guanyuan had decided to deposit when he was still alive.

    Huo Guanyuan was a soldier at that time, so he didn¡¯t have much to spend money on.

    Actually, 10% was too much for him. However, ording to the custody rules of the trust fund, a certain proportion had to be transferred to the beneficiaries every year, so he chose the lowest proportion and kept the rest in the trust fund to continue investing.

    After so many years of interest rolling down, that trust fund had already be an astronomical figure.

    With this 10% annual return, 17 yearster, it was already in the seven figures.

    It wasn¡¯t until two years ago, after her identity was exposed, that she realized that Huo Guanyuan had a will in Huo Xuenong¡¯s hands.

    No one could just give up such a huge benefit.

    She couldn¡¯t hand over all of the trust fund.

    Her mind was struggling intensely. It wasn¡¯t until the orderly walked in with the box of rice porridge that Luo Jin made up her mind.

    She helped Huo Xuenong eat the rice porridge and asked the orderly to wash the bowls, chopsticks, and boxes.

    After the orderly left again, Luo Jin said to Huo Xuenong, ¡°I promise you. ¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but his heart was filled with excitement.

    He had kept a low profile for so many years just to wait for the most appropriate time to transfer this property to Zhang Wenjie aspensation for his other son, Zhang Baochen, who he had neglected for so many years.

    ¡°Okay, then go and settle the formalities as soon as possible. The Xie family is here now, so we can¡¯t rm them. ¡± Huo Xuenong pointed out to Luo Jin, ¡°Find a trust fund manager you¡¯re familiar with and ask him to settle the formalities for you. If you need Wen Jie¡¯s identity document, tell me immediately. I¡¯ll go find Wen Jie and ask him toe over.¡±

    Luo Jin pursed her lips and reluctantly agreed, then said, ¡°But I¡¯ve kept our original promise. What about you? You promised to help me marry Shaoheng...¡±

    ¡°Stop dreaming. I¡¯ve given you half of the trust fund, so why can¡¯t you take this money and marry someone else? Shaoheng isn¡¯t someone you can covet.¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t be so shameless.¡±

    Luo Jin was so angry that she couldn¡¯t speak.

    This da*n old man!

    He hadn¡¯t even crossed the river yet he was already burning bridges!

    If one day he fell into her hands, did he think she wouldn¡¯t be able to finish him off?!

    Luo Jin suppressed the anger in her heart and nodded. She looked at her phone and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call Switzend right away. ¡±

    It was around 10:00 a.m. in Zurich, Switzend, the time when the staff of the Trust Fund¡¯s custodian agency went to work.

    Luo Jin walked out of Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward and came to thewn outside the hospital. She looked at the stars above her head and dialed a number.

    Since she was a big client, the phone was immediately picked up, ¡°Hello, Ms. Huo. How can I help you? ¡±

    Luo Jin said sullenly, ¡°I want to change the beneficiary of half of the fund, how soon can Iplete the procedure?¡±

    The staff was a little surprised and quickly said, ¡°The situation is quiteplicated. I¡¯ll have to check it before I answer you. ¡±

    ¡°How long will it take? I¡¯m in a hurry. ¡± Luo Jin said impatiently, ¡°If you can¡¯t change it for me quickly, I¡¯ll transfer the fund back home immediately.¡±

    She was threatening him.

    What fund managers fear most was fund redemptions, which were the same as bank runs that could make them go bankrupt.

    So he quickly responsed, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll check it now. ¡±

    He opened theputer, scanning the fund terms about changing the beneficiary, and he said to Luo Jin on the phone instantly, ¡°Ms. Huo, if you want to change the beneficiary of the fund, you should offer your certificate of consent to the change, as well as identification documents of the new beneficiary, such as passport, health certificate and birth certificate.¡±

    ¡°You are Huaxia nationals, so we also need a copy of the new beneficiary¡¯s identity card. In addition, you need to provide new beneficiary¡¯s bank ount number so that we can transfer the annual ie to his bank ount in proportion. ¡±

    The corner of Luo Jin¡¯s mouth twitched, and she said, ¡°Last time, it didn¡¯t seem so troublesome to change the beneficiary¡¯s name to mine. ¡±

    ¡°Last time, it was the inheritance, so you only need to provide the death certificate and will of the original beneficiary. You said that there was no will, so ording to thew, the death certificate and the Legal Order of inheritance are enough. ¡±

    The trust fund had strict legal rules to ensure the distribution of benefits between the beneficiary and the client.

    Luo Jin calmed down and softened her tone, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send the things to you right away. May I know how long it will take to take effect after these requirements are met? ¡±

    ¡°After all the conditions are met, it can take effect as soon as possible.¡± The staff said to Luo Jin very attentively, ¡°We have helped you manage your fund for more than ten years and have beat the market every year, so you can rest assured that we will take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I believe you.¡± Luo Jinplimented him and hung up the phone.

    She took a deep breath, but her chest was still very depressed.

    Why wasn¡¯t she the one who married Huo Shaoheng?

    Why was Gu Nianzhi, the little orphan girl who had nothing?!

    Huo Shaoheng, do you know what kind of huge benefits you gave up?!

    Luo Jin clenched her fists. She couldn¡¯t wait to rush up to Huo Shaoheng and question him.

    However, there was no need for her to question him.

    When he was in Russia, Huo Shaoheng had ordered Yin Shixiong to surveince Luo Jin.

    Her phone had been installed with a trojan horse program, and every word of her call today had been recorded.

    When Huo Shaoheng went to his office in the morning, Yin Shixiong sent him the contents of the surveince.

    After Huo Shaoheng finished listening, he sat alone in his office and thought for a while before asking Yin Shixiong, ¡°Have you monitored the hospital?¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head. ¡°The GPS coordinates show that Luo Jin and Grandfather Huo are in the high-end ward of the Military¡¯s General Hospital. We didn¡¯t install any surveince equipment there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked at Yin Shixiong quietly without an expression.

    Yin Shixiong quickly added, ¡°But the hospital has its own surveince equipment. It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t record it. We only have pictures. Is that okay?¡±

 Chapter 1314 - She Was Also Part Of It

    <h4>Chapter 1314: She Was Also Part Of It</h4>

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng still didn¡¯t say anything, Yin Shixiong felt heartened inside, and he quickly said, ¡°Major General Huo, it¡¯s really not that I was careless. It¡¯s just that Grandfather Huo is staying in a high-ss ward at the Military¡¯s General Hospital. We can¡¯t simply listen in. We have to apply and get a permit before we can monitor the high-ss ward there...¡±

    Huo Xuenong had suddenly been admitted to the hospitalst night. Even if they had tried to apply overnight, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to get a permit in time.

    Because there were too many confidentiality uses involved, they had to go through the procedures step by step.

    In order to prevent the special operations forces from having too much power, the upper house of the parliament, the cab, and the military all had very strong restrictions and restrictions on them.

    They couldn¡¯t just do whatever they wanted.

    Huo Shaoheng also knew the reason. He had no intention of ming Yin Shixiong. He was only pondering whether his grandfather¡¯s sudden ¡°illness¡± was really due to a fit of anger, or... was it to find a safe ce to talk?

    He had never underestimated the experience and wisdom of the older generation.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°Go to the hospital and get the surveince footage fromst night. Remember not to rm anyone. Go alone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly saluted him and rushed to the surveince room of the military¡¯s general hospital.

    The surveince in the hospital was just to observe the situation in the ward. It hadpletely nothing to do with the surveince of the special operations forces.

    When Yin Shixiong pulled out the surveince footage from Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward, he quickly browsed through it, but still didn¡¯t have any leads.

    Because the surveince footage was aimed at the entire room.

    And the bed was right below the surveince footage.

    So from the angle of the surveince camera, he could see Huo Xuenong and Luo Jin¡¯s heads. He couldn¡¯t even see their facial expressions, let alone the way they spoke.

    Yin Shixiong sent this part of the surveince footage to the cloud system and shared it with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the surveince video in his office and watched it frame by frame.

    He watched it very carefully, but like Yin Shixiong, he didn¡¯t discover anything.

    He could only tell that Luo Jin and Grandfather Huo had a very serious conversation in the middle of the night.

    Their physical movements showed that they were both very alert and nervous, but only the two of them knew what they were talking about.

    After turning off the surveince video, Huo Shaoheng fell into contemtion until a phone call interrupted his thoughts.

    He looked at his phone and saw that it was a call from Grandfather Xie.

    After connecting the bluetooth headset, Huo Shaoheng stood up and put his hands in his trouser pockets. He walked to the window and stood still. He greeted him with a smile. ¡°Granduncle, you¡¯re awake? Did you sleep wellst night?¡±

    Xie Shenxing¡¯s heartyughter came through the headset, ¡°Hahahaha, not bad. By the way, your breakfast at home wasn¡¯t that good. Your father has already left, and he said he had to go down to the basic level for an inspection. Your grandfather is in the hospital again, and only little Nianzhi is with me at home. I wanted to ask you, I want to take little Nianzhi to my vi in the West mountains to help me familiarize with the area. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Naturally I¡¯m at ease with Granduncle taking Nianzhi.¡± Huo Shaoheng chuckled and nodded. ¡°If Nianzhi has free time, you can bring her to familiarize with the area.¡±

    This meant that they would have to interact more often in the future.

    Xie Shenxing nodded happily and said, ¡°If you¡¯re free today,e over for a casual get together meal. Also, I have something to tell you. Your grandfather suddenly fell ill yesterday, but did you get what you asked?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered the phone call he had overheard from Luo Jin and said, ¡°I was just about to ask Granduncle for help, or my cousin is fine as well. If it¡¯s convenient for you, that would be even better.¡±

    ¡°What matter is so serious?¡± Xie Shenxing was interested. ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng told him about the trust fund and asked, ¡°If one were to change the beneficiaries of the trust fund, how soon would it take?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know much about those matters. Call your uncle and ask him to find a professional to exin it to you. ¡±

    As he spoke, Xie Shenxing had his subordinates call his son, Xie Beichen. He said to him, ¡°Beichen, Shaoheng has some questions for your fund specialist. Can you help him ask someone right away?¡±

    Xie Beichen immediately said, ¡°No problem. I have a fund specialist with me. If you have anything to ask, you can ask him immediately.¡± As he spoke, he turned on the video call.

    Xie Shenxing wanted to pull Huo Shaoheng in as well, but Huo Shaoheng declined politely. He said, ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for me to video call. It¡¯s fine as long as I can listen to what you guys are saying.¡±

    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll share the audio with you.¡± Xie shenxing didn¡¯t insist and turned on the audio call for Huo Shaoheng.

    In less than five minutes, they had formed a remote video conference group tomunicate.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smiling face appeared in the video as well. She greeted everyone with a smile. ¡°Hi! Hello, I¡¯m Cereus, Gu Nianzhi. Uncle Beichen, can you hear me?¡±

    In the video, Xie Beichen, who was in his forties, appeared mature and levelheaded.

    He chuckled. ¡°I can hear you. Since little Nianzhi has already called me uncle, looks like as the uncle, I can¡¯t worm my way out of giving a wee gift.¡±

    He then asked Gu Nianzhi for her phone number and added her on Wechat. He then tapped his finger lightly, and a red envelope of 190,000 euros appeared on their chat page.

    ¡°This is for little Nianzhi¡¯ste 19th birthday.¡± Xie Beichen deliberately teased Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, uncle wants to criticize you. In the past, I¡¯ve introduced you to so many girls, but you said you didn¡¯t want them. Yet tou turned around and found a little girl. You¡¯re basically pping me in the face!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily opened the red envelope and counted the four zeros after the 19th.

    When Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind, he chuckled and said, ¡°Uncle, stop teasing me. Let¡¯s get down to business today. We¡¯ll have a long talk when uncle returns to the country.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Beichen was also a busy man. After a few jokes, he asked the fund specialist toe over and answer his questions.

    Huo Shaoheng asked, ¡°May I ask how long it would take for the trust fund to change its beneficiaries?¡±

    The specialist quickly replied, ¡°That¡¯s simple. If all the conditions meet the regtions, all you need to do is file the information and it will take effect.¡±

    ¡°This means that as long as you fax the necessary authorization changes and the new beneficiary¡¯s identity documents, you can change the beneficiary in the system?¡± Huo Shaoheng was in deep contemtion.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the theory.¡± The expert nodded, then said politely, ¡°Trust funds, especially irrevocable trust funds, are protected by very strict legal provisions. As long as everything the other party does is within the scope of thew, we have no reason to stop the other party¡¯s decision.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°What if we need to stop it?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t let Luo Jin make any changes to the trust fund under Huo Guanyuan¡¯s name before he had figured out what was going on with Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will.

    ¡°Do I need to stop her?¡± The expert was confused. ¡°Could you please rify the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it carefully. Indeed, he had no legal reason to stop Luo Jin from making any changes to the beneficiary of the fund.

    First of all, he didn¡¯t have Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will. Second of all, Luo Jin had already inherited Huo Guanyuan¡¯s fund from her mother and was now the owner of the trust fund. She hadplete control over the trust fund.

    What could he do to prevent Luo Jin from exercising her ownership rights?

    Huo Shaoheng fell into deep contemtion again.

    Xie Shenxing saw that he was silent, so he said to Xie Beichen, ¡°Shaoheng is talking about the fund that we checked a while ago. It was your aunt¡¯s inheritance and was given to your eldest cousin Huo Guanyuan. Later, it was inherited by your eldest cousin¡¯s daughter, Huo Jin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that fund. I remember it.¡± Xie Beichen nodded. ¡°When Shaoheng asked me to look into it, I found out that this fund had been transferred to a bank ount in Germany, and it wasn¡¯t a small fee.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard the words ¡°a bank ount in Germany. ¡± She suddenly raised her head and asked nkly, ¡± ... Which German bank ount? Weren¡¯t we talking about Uncle Huo¡¯s trust fund? How is it rted to a German bank ount?¡±

    Xie Beichen exined to her, ¡°We traced the funds of this trust fund over the past two years and found that sometimest year, it was transferred to a bank ount in Germany, which was also the bank ount of Seth¡¯s stepfather, that German murderer. Oh, Nianzhi, I remember you were the defensewyer for thatwsuit? ¡°? Your court battle was very brilliant!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! !¡±

    She quickly switched to the text message page with Huo Shaoheng and sent him a text message asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on?! The Trust Fund that Luo Jin inherited is connected to that incident in Germany?! She was involved in the assassination attempt on me?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    Gu Nianzhi was too clever, wasn¡¯t she?

    From ¡°a certain German bank ount¡±, she immediately thought of what had happened in Germany.

    This also meant that she hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the trauma caused by that incident.

    For a moment, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know how tofort her. He merely responded with an ¡°Mmmm¡± and said, ¡± ... we¡¯re still investigating.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand that was holding her phone was shaking.

    She didn¡¯t know what she had done to offend Luo Jin.

    If it was for Huo Shaoheng, did she think that Huo Shaoheng would marry her after she was dead?!

    Not only had she lost her mind, but her entire body was covered in water. Luo Jin was like a jellyfish!

    Gu Nianzhi took two deep breaths to calm herself down.

    Huo Shaoheng was still asking the expert, ¡± ... is there really no way to stop her?¡±

    ¡°Unless you have concrete evidence to prove that what she¡¯s doing is illegal, there¡¯s really no reason for the fund¡¯s trustee to stop her from changing the beneficiaries of the fund.¡± The expert¡¯s answer was firm and resolute.

    From the side, Gu Nianzhi listened for a long time before she finally understood.

    Turns out that Luo Jin wanted to change the beneficiaries of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s trust fund, but Huo Shaoheng felt that the ownership of the trust fund was uncertain. He didn¡¯t want her to change it now and asked to stop it.

    However, the fund¡¯s expert said that as long as it was legal, they had no right to stop it.

    Everyone had their reasons, but Gu Nianzhi was unconditionally on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side, so she had to think for Huo Shaoheng.

    She lowered her head and pondered over it for a moment. Gu Nianzhi quickly found a breakthrough point and asked calmly, ¡°Mr. expert, are you saying that as long as it¡¯s legal, we can¡¯t stop her from doing anything to the fund?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the legal provision for an irrevocable trust fund.¡±

    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at the camera on Xie Shenxing¡¯s phone, then quickly said, ¡°we request that the entire trust fund be frozen. No profits, no transfers, and no changes to the beneficiaries. Before the freeze is lifted, no one can do anything to the fund, including the owner of the fund, Luo Jin.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± The fund specialist¡¯s eyes widened like Goldfish. ¡°What did you say?! I¡¯ve been exining this for so long, but you still don¡¯t understand?!¡±

    Without legal issues, they couldn¡¯t stop Luo Jin from doing anything!

    ¡°I understand, ¡± Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately file a freezing application with the Swiss court. The reason is that we suspect that Luo Jin, the owner of this fund, is in cahoots with German criminals tounder money. The evidence is therge transfer of funds that uncle Beichen found.¡±

    This was because only the charge of ¡°moneyundering¡± could achieve the immediate effect of freezing the funds.

    The other charges weren¡¯t as swift and effective as this.

    The fund expert listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and was stunned for a long time. After a while, he gave her a thumbs up and was full of praise. ¡°Impressive! You could even think of this method! Aren¡¯t you only 19 years old?! You know thew too? ! Are you really awyer?!¡±

 Chapter 1315 - Opportunities Are For Those Who Are Prepared

    <h4>Chapter 1315: Opportunities Are For Those Who Are Prepared</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. I¡¯m not that impressive. I just wanted to use the most efficient and quick way to stall time. ¡±

    Although she knew very well that Luo Jin¡¯s money was most likely ¡°paying or an assasination, ¡± she still needed to provide other evidence for the court to decide whether to freeze it or not.

    That would be too slow.

    Only the usation of ¡°moneyundering¡± could be immediately used to freeze the funds of the other party as long as they provided a suspicious transfer certificate.

    The investigation could continue slowly, but the money couldn¡¯t be used for the time being.

    The fund specialist rubbed his hands excitedly. ¡°Good! That¡¯s a good reason! It¡¯s legal! When are you going to file an application with the Swiss court?! I guarantee that you¡¯ll file the application first, and I¡¯ll have the fund custodian freeze all the principal and ie after that!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked it up on the inte and said, ¡°Wait a minute. It¡¯s midnight in Switzend, and no one will ept my application even if I want to file it.¡±

    The fund specialist nodded repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Send us a message when your application is ready. We¡¯ll send someone to wait here 24 hours a day. I guarantee it won¡¯t dy your business! ¡±

    The fund specialist was particrly productive because the Xie family¡¯s two powerful figures were present.

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go prepare my application to the Swiss court. I¡¯ll be leaving now! ¡ª¡ª Granduncle, bye bye. I can¡¯t apany you to the West Mountain Vi anymore. ¡±

    Xie Shenxing smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll stay here with you. You go ahead and get to your business. We¡¯ll go together after you¡¯re done.¡±

    He had made up his mind to spend more time with Gu Nianzhi.

    On the other end of the video call, Xie Beichen was full of praise. ¡°Little Nianzhi is going to be very impressive in the future. Come to our ce and stop hanging out with Shaoheng. Come to uncle¡¯s ce. You can pick any pretty boy you want, and a different one each day.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and said in a low voice, ¡°Uncle, I¡¯m right here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you jealous? What a rarity. Hahahaha... ¡± Xie Beichenughed cheerfully and said goodbye to everyone.

    After the video call was cut off, Xie Shenxing took out his phone and continued to talk to Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Shaoheng, little Nianzhi is such a treasure. You¡¯re so lucky!¡± Xie Shenxing clicked his tongue. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t made the first move, I would have kidnapped her to Europe and made her my own granddaughter-inw! ¡±

    ¡°Your granddaughter-inw? ¡± Huo Shaoheng was speechless. ¡°Wake up, you already have several great-grandchildren. Do you still need a granddaughter-inw? Our Nianzhi doesn¡¯t want to marry a man who had been married before.¡±

    Xie Shenxing thought about it and realized that it was true. All of his grandchildren of the right age were already married, and some of them weren¡¯t even 10 years old. The age difference was too great.

    He had some distant rtives who were of the right age, but Xie Shenxing wouldn¡¯t bear to see such a good girl like Gu Nianzhi marry a distant rtive of the Xie family.

    If that was the case, she might as well marry Huo Shaoheng. After all, he was his biological sister¡¯s grandson.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I know how much you treasure your little fianc¨¦e.¡± Xie Shenxing scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to watch TV. I haven¡¯t been back in a long time. I still need to familiarize myself with the situation in the country.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite and immediately turned on herputer. She used her phone to send a message to Xie Beichen, asking him to fax the evidence of the fund transfer to her.

    She downloaded the procedure for filing a petition from the Swiss court¡¯s website, then started to fill out the form, write the petition, and list the evidence.

    Forw students, this was all paperwork. As long as they had a certain level of legal literacy, and were careful and patient enough, it would be enough.

    However, Gu Nianzhi still made a very detailed filing kit for insurance purposes. From the cover letter to the list of evidence, everything was done in an orderly manner.

    She spent the entire morning and finally faxed herint to the Swiss court when it was just starting its work.

    For the time being, the Swiss court¡¯sint couldn¡¯t be submitted in electronic form. It had to be written in paper form. Besides the letter, faxing also had legal effect.

    Herint was detailed and well-organized.

    It took almost no time for the clerk of the court to organize the records and submit them to the judge.

    Because it was an expeditedint rted to ¡°moneyundering, ¡± the judge immediately epted it.

    After carefully looking at theint and the evidence listed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s file, the judge quickly agreed to file the case and issued a legally binding freezing order to the trust fund.

    Therefore, it only took two hours for the court to issue a freezing order to the trust fund in Switzend after Gu Nianzhi had sent the fax.

    The fund specialist who had been guarding the trust fund didn¡¯t expect to receive an email from Gu Nianzhi, but a direct freezing order from the court!

    This meant that not only had Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint been epted immediately, but it had also been approved immediately!

    This was a qualitative leap for the Swiss court, which was slow and often had a case lined up for several years.

    The senior manager of the fund custodian looked at the freezing order, dumbfounded, he asked the fund specialist, ¡± ... What¡¯s going on? Yesterday, the fund owner, Ms. Huo, asked to change the beneficiary as quickly as possible. How did she get frozen today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it was frozen because she wanted to change the beneficiary.¡± The fund specialist said with a smile and showed the court¡¯s freezing order to the man. ¡°This is the court¡¯s order. You have to execute it immediately.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. With the court¡¯s order, what are we afraid of?¡± The man said with a cheeky smile, ¡°If it¡¯s frozen she can¡¯t redeem it... ¡±

    ¡°Hehe...¡±

    ...

    In the afternoon, Luo Jin felt her eyelids twitching for no apparent reason. She rubbed her eyes and walked to Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward. She said softly, ¡°How¡¯s it going over there? Have you finished the identification documents?¡±

    ¡± ... They¡¯lle to see me soon. I¡¯ll ask them to give you a copy of the identification documents.¡± Huo Xuenong said in a low voice, ¡°Just wait for another day. There¡¯s no rush, right?¡±

    Luo Jin nodded and turned her back to the surveince camera in the ward. ¡°I¡¯ll make a call to ask.¡±

    She dialed the number of the fund management office and asked, ¡°I¡¯m almost done with the procedures here. Are you guys ready?¡±

    The fund manager on the other side had a drastic change of heart, and said to her solemnly, ¡°What procedures? What do we need to prepare?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Luo Jin, no, Huo Jin, the owner of the trust fund. I want to change the beneficiary of the fund. Did you forget? I called you yesterday!¡± Luo Jin¡¯s voice became louder.

    They were too unreliable. They had already forgotten what she said just yesterday!

    That person sneered and said in a drawn out voice, ¡°Oh, ¡ª¡ªthat matter, it¡¯s like this. We just received a freezing order from the Swiss court. You are suspected of moneyundering. Your trust fund has been temporarily frozen.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s whole body shook, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her.

    ¡°What... What did you say?!¡± Her voice rose sharply. It sounded shrill and trembling, like a fallen leaf in the wind. Wherever her voice passed, only deste leaves fell on the ground.

 Chapter 1316 - Money Or Life

    <h4>Chapter 1316: Money Or Life</h4>

    ¡°I said, because someone used you of moneyundering, the Swiss court froze your trust fund.¡± The person on the other end of the phone shrugged and said with regret, ¡°So we can¡¯t do anything to your trust fund for the time being. You can¡¯t change the beneficiary, and you can¡¯t withdraw the proceeds. So from now on, until the court¡¯s freezing order is lifted, we won¡¯t transfer your proceeds to your bank ount.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s pupils dted. ¡°I can¡¯t withdraw any ie?! Aren¡¯t you breaking thew if you don¡¯t transfer money to me?! What¡¯s the term of the trust fund?! Every month, you must transfer a certain percentage of your ie to me!¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. But this term cannot conflict with the court¡¯s order. When the court issues an order, we must give priority to satisfying the court¡¯s request. This is also one of the terms of the trust fund.¡±

    Luo Jin clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes.

    Those uses were densely packed with so many words, and she hadn¡¯t read them carefully!

    There was actually a trap waiting for her...

    ¡± ... I have neverundered dirty money, so don¡¯t nder me!¡± Luo Jin gritted her teeth. ¡°I want to find awyer. Who falsely used me?!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯tment on this, you can contact the court. Of course you have to find awyer, or else do you want to fight thewsuit yourself?¡± The trust fund¡¯s trusteeship manager said politely, ¡°Alright, I still have business to get to. I¡¯ll hang up now. If there¡¯s anything else, send me an email.¡± After saying that, he hung up the phone without hesitation.

    Ever since Luo Jin inherited this trust fund, this was the first time that the trustee over there had treated her so rudely.

    While she felt enrraged, she also felt panicked inside.

    What on earth was going on?

    Why did they suddenly say that she was undering money¡±?

    She could swear to the heavens that she had neverundered money!

    In a moment of desperation, Luo Jin dialed Cai Shengnan¡¯s number.

    ¡°Lawyer Cai, there¡¯s something you need to help me with. Quickly! I can¡¯t wait! ¡± Luo Jin said in a panic, ¡°Can you contact the Swiss court right away...¡±

    ¡°Wait, what happened to you? Why contact the Swiss court?¡± Cai Shengnan¡¯s face was also very grave. ¡°I just received a summons from the imperial court. Song Jinning¡¯s case against you for intentional homicide was just approved by the court.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Luo Jin¡¯s voice rose again. It trembled intermittently, like yellow leaves being swept up by a whirlwind and smashed into pieces.

    This was simply a case of a house being rained on all night, and a ship encountering the headwind again.

    Blessings nevere in pairs and misfortunes nevere singly!

    Luo Jin was anxious. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that they have no evidence, so the prosecutor¡¯s Office won¡¯t ept it, and the court won¡¯t file a case?! What¡¯s going on? Did they use the Huo family¡¯s power to force the court to file a case against me?!¡±

    Cai Shengnan gloomily looked at the subpoena and nodded. ¡°I guess they used their power for personal gain and obstructed the course of justice!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s despicable! How could they do that?!¡± Luo Jin waved her fists fiercely. ¡°I won¡¯t let them get away with it!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already contacted the media. The Huo family will have to suffer the consequences of what they did.¡± Cai Shengnan chuckled.

    Gu Nianzhi, let¡¯s see how long you can continue to be so arrogant!

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s aunt, Cai Songyin, was originally a big shot in the media world with the title of ¡°Media Queen¡±.

    Unfortunately, because of her uncle, Tan Dongbang, she was convicted by the court of bribery and election rigging, and confiscated the assets of herpanies which were involved in the crime. What¡¯s more, she was sentenced to five years in prison, suspended for one year, and forced to retire.

    Since then, Cai Songyin had dwelled in deep seclusion, under surveince.

    However, although she could not take part personally, the connections and resources that she had umted over the years were still useful.

    Cai Shengnan said, ¡°I¡¯ll contact the media immediately to expose the news.¡±

    ¡°When will the domestic case begin? ¡± Luo Jin rubbed her forehead, feeling very bad.

    ¡°Two weekster.¡± Cai Shengnan snorted, ¡°It is still far away.¡±

    ¡°Just put it aside for now and help me check what¡¯s going on in the Swiss court. How could my trust fund be involved in moneyundering? ! It is absolutely impossible! Even if it were true, it must the hosting agency¡¯s doing! It¡¯s none of my business!¡±

    Cai Shengnan nodded. ¡°Since there¡¯s one more case, we have to sign anotherwyer¡¯s attorney agreement. ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll sign it, I¡¯ll sign it right away. Hurry up and help me settle the case in Switzend.¡± Luo Jin said anxiously, ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. They¡¯ve already frozen my trust fund.¡±

    The smile on Cai Shengnan¡¯s face didn¡¯t change. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you our newwyer¡¯s attorney agreement right away.¡±

    Not long after, Luo Jin received a newwyer¡¯s attorney agreement from Cai Shengnan, which was a case against the Swiss court¡¯s Trust Fund.

    When Luo Jin saw the advance payment on it, she gazed at agreement in horrified disbelief.

    She immediately called Cai Shengnan and said angrily, ¡°The case can be exined just by writing a letter. How could you receive so much advance payment?! ¡±

    In the previous case rted to Song Jinning, Cai Shengnan charged an advance payment of one million US dors.

    This time, it was five million US dors!

    ¡°Wll, Miss Luo, I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t know that in economic cases, fees are charged ording to a certain proportion of the value of the subject matter. For example, if your trust fund is 10 million, I¡¯ll charge 1 million. If it¡¯s 100 million, I¡¯ll charge 10 million. If it¡¯s 1 billion, I¡¯ll charge 100 million for consulting fees. Your trust fund isn¡¯t just 1 billion euros, right? It¡¯ s already a friendly price for me to charge you only 5 million US dors. ¡±

    Cai Shengnan said calmly, not caring at all about Luo Jin¡¯s rude tone.

    Luo Jin was dumbfounded.

    Such high charges! She was obviously robbing me!

    However, at this moment, she managed to hold back the anger in her heart.

    She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Alright, five million then. I¡¯ll transfer it to you immediately. Hurry up and settle the case with the Swiss court. Exin that I neverundered money. That¡¯s a false usation! ¡±

    Cai Shengnan looked at the freezing order issued by the Swiss court while checking the filing number there, and then found this case code rted to Luo Jin.

    When she saw thewyer¡¯s signature on it, her face twisted in anger .

    It was Gu Nianzhi again!

    This woman deliberately aimed at her, didn¡¯t she?!

    Cai Shengnan scaned all the pleading and called Luo Jin with a cold face.

    ¡°Theint pointed out that you transferred arge sum of money to a bank ount in Germanyst year, which is suspected of moneyundering.¡±

    Luo Jin was even more flustered. ¡°Wh... what? ! What transfer? ! Why don¡¯t I remember? ¡±

    Her teeth were chattering and her mind was filled with thoughts, ¡°How is this possible? How is this possible?¡±

    How on earth did they know?

    Why did they investigate what happened almost a year ago? !

    Didn¡¯t they say that users had the right to privacy?

    How could her mary transactions be known by others?!

    Luo Jin punched the wall of the ward angrily. ¡°That trust fund custodian really did deceive me! How could they tell others about this sort of thing! I¡¯m going to sue them! ¡±

    Cai Shengnan corrected her calmly, ¡°This isn¡¯t about the trust fund deceiving you, but ording to the EU¡¯s anti-moneyunderingw,rge international fund transfers like yours must be reported to the bank supervisor. The other party imed that they got the information from the bank supervisor, so it had nothing to do with your trust fund custodian.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do? ¡± Luo Jin lost her strength and leaned against the wall weakly. She couldn¡¯t even stand properly.

    ¡°What should we do? Just exin to the court what the money transfer was for.¡± Cai Shengnan said nonchntly. She didn¡¯t think it was a big deal.

    There were a lot of wealthy people transferring money internationally. It was just a routine interrogation by the court. They liked to use ¡°moneyundering¡± as a bluff, but most of it was just a false rm.

    ¡°What... What it was for? Do I have to say it? Isn¡¯t this my privacy?¡± Luo Jin stammered.

    She couldn¡¯t possibly say that she payed hitmen to assassinate Gu Nianzhi, could she?!

    Wouldn¡¯t that mean she did contract killing?!

    That was a crime way more serious than moneyundering...

    What should she do?

    She would have to choose between her money or her life!

    Who was so sly? Who hated her so much?

    In her shoes, no matter how she responded, there would be a huge trap waiting for her!

    Did they want her to die?!

 Chapter 1317 - Strike First

    <h4>Chapter 1317: Strike First</h4>

    ¡°Who? Who sued me?!¡± Luo Jin asked coldly.

    She wanted to see who had the guts to cut off all her options!

    She, Luo Jin, was no pushover either...

    Luo Jin was in the middle of venting when Cai Shengnan said with hatred in her voice, ¡°Who else could it be? It¡¯s my sworn enemy, Gu Nianzhi, the Parliament¡¯s chief legal advisor! I knew she didn¡¯t like me and wanted to steal everything from me. Miss Luo, with a big client like you. no matter what I do, she has to interfere!¡±

    Luo Jin trembled inside when she heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name. ¡°It¡¯s really her?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, her name is on the court file. It seems like she was very upset that you wanted to ¡®fake marry¡¯ Major General Huo. She¡¯s targeting you.¡± Cai Shengnan said with a wide smile and her chin slightly raised. She looked quite pleased with herself.

    Luo Jin fell silent for a moment, then smiled wryly. ¡°How much does she hate me? She¡¯s suing me at home, and she¡¯s suing me abroad. What kind of grudge does she have with me?¡±

    ¡°Forget it. You¡¯re trying to steal her man, so how can she be nice to you? Isn¡¯t it normal for her to sue you? ¡± Cai Shengnan smiled airily. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. With me as yourwyer, Gu Nianzhi won¡¯t be able to get anything out of it.¡±

    ¡°Then can we prove that she has a personal agenda to falsely use me?¡± Luo Jin asked nervously. ¡°Can you tell the Swiss court what happened between me and her?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t do,¡± Cai Shengnan said tactfully, ¡°The loophole she¡¯s exploiting is ¡®moneyundering¡¯, not jealousy. You¡¯re saying that you and her have a bad blood because of a man, so she¡¯s deliberately taking revenge on you. I believe you, but the Swiss court won¡¯t believe you.¡±

    ¡°Then what should I do?¡± Luo Jin became exasperated. ¡°This is my money, so how could I be moneyundering?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this, these are the basic procedures. Your money exceeds a certain amount, so you need to exin the whole story to the European Union¡¯s Regtory Bank,¡± Cai Shengnan exined patiently, ¡°For example, were you lending money to someone, sending it as a gift to someone, or using it for consumption? In short, just say the legitimate origin and use for the money.¡±

    Ah, so she could do this..

    Luo Jin felt relieved and quickly said, ¡°I sent it to others as a gift.¡±

    ¡°Well, you have to rify the rtionship between the person receiving the gift and you. Are you guys rtives or friends?¡± Cai Shengnan started to help Luo Jin fill in the form while she was on the phone.

    This questionnaire was the questionnaire that the European Union¡¯s regtory banks had to answer regardingrge fund transfers.

    ¡± ... Must it be a rtive or a friend?¡± Luo Jin asked carefully.

    Someone had asked her to transfer money into that ount. To be honest, before that, she had no idea who the ount belonged to.

    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s not a rtive or a friend, then it¡¯s very suspicious.¡± Cai Shengnan stopped typing and stared at theptop screen for a while. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t you tell me the truth?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth,¡± Luo Jin retorted subconsciously. ¡°That money was actually transferred by a friend of mine. I don¡¯t know who the ount belongs to.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know who the ount belongs to, yet you transferred such arge amount of money?¡± Cai Shengnan sneered. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you treat me as a fool, but the judges of the Swiss court and the officials of the European Union¡¯s Bank regtors aren¡¯t to be messed with.¡±

    That amount of money wasn¡¯t a small amount. Five million euros was first deposited into the bank ount of Seth¡¯s stepfather, York, then it was transferred by York to another bank ount.

    That ount waster confirmed to be controlled by Seth, the murderer who tortured and killed Li Haiqing.

    While Seth was on the run, he withdrew cash from that bank ount.

    Cai Shengnan flipped through the information regarding Seth and his Stepfather York, then shook her head. ¡°Who exactly is your friend? Why would he do this to you? Do you know who the bank ount he asked you to transfer the money to belongs to? It¡¯s the ount belonging to Seth and his stepfather York.¡±

    Luo Jin bit her lip and said stubbornly, ¡± ... I don¡¯t know. Who are these two people?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the case that happened in Germanyst year and caused a sensation on the entire blue. The murder of Huaxia Empire¡¯s female international student.¡± Cai Shengnan scoffed, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you don¡¯t know. Gu Nianzhi was also the intiff¡¯swyer in that case. She helped the dead Chinese female international student fight thewsuit. Not only did she win the case, but she also imed a huge amount ofpensation from the police department in the R?u, Germany.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s face grew pale as she muttered, ¡°I really don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not interested in foreign news... ¡±

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t know about this case.¡± Cai Shengnan saw that Luo Jin was refusing to admit it, so she didn¡¯t press on. She continued, ¡°Then tell me the name and ID number of your friend. I¡¯ll fill in the form as a favor for your friend. But for this to work, your friend needs toe forward and verify in person.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s face turned even paler, and she said in a low voice, ¡°But she... she¡¯s already dead.¡±

    ¡°Dead?!¡± Cai Shengnan¡¯s hand paused, and she raised her head to stare at theputer screen. She asked nervously, ¡°How did she die?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I think she encounterred a pirate while traveling abroad and died in the Caribbean Sea. Her name was Yamaguchi Aiko... ¡± Luo Jin¡¯s voice became lower and lower. ¡°What should we do? Do we need any more evidence ¡±

    ¡°Dead? ¡± Cai Shengnan was stunned for a moment, but then she nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s better if she¡¯s dead. Well, I¡¯ll write her on it.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª¡ª! ¡± Luo Jin had a bad feeling. She didn¡¯t want Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s name to appear on any documents rted to her.

    But Cai Shengnan insisted on doing it, and she even said, ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t bring Yamaguchi Aiko out, then you¡¯ll have to bear it yourself. I¡¯ll be honest with you. Because Seth is a convicted murderer, and he was killed on the run, if you can¡¯t disassociate yourself, then the matter wouldn¡¯t be as simple as moneyundering. Perhaps you¡¯ll be charged with the crime of being a co-aplice in murder.¡±

    Luo Jin covered her forehead with her hand and let out a long sigh.

    Murder again. Howe she just couldn¡¯t escape her connection with ¡°murder¡±?

    But honestly speaking, she really didn¡¯t want to kill anyone!

    She was forced to do it...

    Cai Shengnan hung up the phone and started to help Luo Jin draft theint document for the Swiss court.

    Luo Jin held her phone and looked up in a daze. Her gaze fell on Huo Xuenong, who was sitting on the bed without saying a word.

    He stared at Luo Jin indifferently, and his gaze was unfathomable.

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t have the time to figure out what Huo Xuenong meant.

    In Huo Xuenong¡¯s high-end ward, she was as anxious as ants on a hot pan. Her face was pale, as if she had aged more than ten years in an instant.

    Huo Xuenong coldly watched her hysterical response and finally asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened? Is there a problem with the trust fund?¡±

    Luo Jin couldn¡¯t hide it anymore. She turned to look at Huo Xuenong and said with a bitter face, ¡± ... My trust fund has been frozen. I can¡¯t transfer funds for the time being. I can¡¯t withdraw any proceeds, and I can¡¯t change any beneficiaries.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± His eyes almost popping out of their sockets, Huo Xuenong sat up straight. ¡°Frozen? ! Who did this?! What¡¯s the reason?!¡±

    Luo Jin gritted her teeth, and told him about Gu Nianzhi, ¡°It¡¯s Gu Nianzhi. She probably doesn¡¯t want us to change the beneficiaries of the trust fund. ¡ª¡ª Major General Huo had already asked you for my father¡¯s will yesterday. I highly suspect that they must have gotten information about the will through some other source. ¡°That¡¯s why we should strike first.¡±

    Huo Xuenong was furious when he heard that it was Gu Nianzhi. He pounded the bed and said, ¡°Give me your phone! I want to call that little bitch Gu Nianzhi! What does me managing the Huo family¡¯s property have to do with her?! Call her! Call her to the ward. I want to ask her in person what she was thinking!¡±

    From Huo Xuenong¡¯s words, he had yed right into Luo Jin¡¯s hands.

    She immediately used the ward¡¯s phone and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number several times before she connected the call with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and handed it to Huo Xuenong.

    Gu Nianzhi was in Xie Shenxing¡¯s car at this time.

    After she was done suing Luo Jin for ¡°moneyundering¡± in the Swiss court, Xie Shenxing said he wanted to take her to his vi in the West Mountains to find out the way.

    Gu Nianzhi also wanted to go out for a walk, so she agreed.

    Before she even got out of the fourth ring road, an unknown number called her cell phone.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to pick up the call, but it was a persistent call. She also checked the number and found that it seemed to belong to the Imperial Military General Hospital.

    She remembered that grandfather Huo had been sent to the Imperial Military General Hospital yesterday. She was worried that something might have happened to grandfather huo, and that Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up the call, so she picked up the call.

    She picked up the phone and said, ¡°Hello, may I ask... ¡±

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s voice came through the phone.

    He sounded a little insincere and a little forced, but he was still polite.

    ¡°Nianzhi? ¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s voice was still a little weak, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened and she quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s me. Mr. Huo, how are you? Is there anything I can help you with?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s something. Can youe to my ward? ¡± Huo Xuenong tried his best to be friendly. ¡°There¡¯s something that has to do with Shaoheng. I wanted to ask you in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved to find out that Huo Xuenong was fine.

    If there was nothing else, she didn¡¯t want to have any contact with Huo Xuenong.

    ¡± ... What¡¯s the matter? Can¡¯t you tell me over the phone? ¡± Gu Nianzhi asked tactfully. I¡¯m in my uncle¡¯s car right now. I¡¯m going to visit my uncle¡¯s house.¡±

    She had no choice but to use Xie Shenxing as an excuse...

    Xie Shenxing looked at her with a smile and patted the back of her hand. He wasn¡¯t unhappy at all. On the contrary, he appeared very approving.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Xuenong was very afraid of Xie Shenxing.

    But it didn¡¯t work this time.

    Huo Xuenong was still very insistent. ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to tell you over the phone. Besides, your Granduncle won¡¯t be going back right away. You can go as a guest tomorrow, right? I¡¯m different. I might not be able to breathe after a while and go just like that...¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t say that. I¡¯ll go right away. I¡¯ll go right away!¡± Gu Nianzhi had no choice.

    The old man had even threatened her with his own life. What reason did she have to decline?

    Even if it was a dangerous trap, she still had to venture in...

    Of course, the Imperial Military General Hospital was still a very safe ce.

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone and said to Xie Shenxing apologetically, ¡°Granduncle, Grandfather Huo wants me to go to his ward now. He said he has something to tell me in person...¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t care. He immediately had the driver in front change direction and drive towards the imperial military general hospital.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and tried to call Huo Shaoheng again.

    The call went through immediately.

    ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? Have you arrived at Granduncle¡¯s house?¡± Huo Shaoheng was organizing his documents at his desk as he spoke to her through his bluetooth headset.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and said, ¡°So you have the free time. Grandfather Huo called me just now and told me to go to his ward immediately. He said he had something to tell me about you. I¡¯m going to the imperial military general hospital with Granduncle now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. ¡°About me? What about me?¡±

    ¡°How would I know? I¡¯ll know once I get there. ¡± Gu Nianzhi rxed. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s something embarrassing about you when you were young, Mr. Huo... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. Mrs. Huo. Wait here, I¡¯ll go too. Let¡¯s meet at the entrance of the Imperial Military General Hospital.

 Chapter 1318 - Counterattack

    <h4>Chapter 1318: Counterattack</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi nodded lightly.

    She had never been very outgoing in front of people she wasn¡¯t familiar with.

    Xie Shenxing asked with a smile, ¡°Shaoheng is going too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Granduncle is so smart. Major General Huo did indeed say that he would go with us. He told us to wait for him at the entrance of the military general hospital.¡±

    Xie Shenxing nodded approvingly. ¡°Alright, he should indeed bring you along. You¡¯re not married to him yet, so how can you go meet the male elders of his family alone? Especially people like your father-inw and grandfather-inw. You have to avoid doing anything that may arouse suspicion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi anxiously shrunk her neck.

    Because she and Huo Shaoheng had already been married..

    Legally speaking, she was indeed the Huo family¡¯s daughter-inw.

    Of course, to outsiders, they were only engaged. They indeed weren¡¯t married yet.

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to act indifferent. She smiled and said, ¡°Granduncle, you¡¯re so kind. I know you¡¯re saying this for my good.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Xie Shenxingughed heartily and patted her head, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be demure in front of me. It¡¯s better for girls to be outgoing. Didn¡¯t Shaoheng say that you¡¯re talkative? Why are you acting so shy with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed, and she couldn¡¯t hide her surprise. ¡°Really? As long as you don¡¯t think I talk too much.¡±

    With a bitter expression, she said, ¡± ... Major General Huo¡¯s father and grandfather both like quiet and virtuous girls. They probably don¡¯t like girls like me... ¡±

    ¡°If they don¡¯t like you, it¡¯s because they have poor taste. They only see people who are worse than them, and they don¡¯t see people who are better than them.¡± Xie Shenxing actually wasn¡¯t a good-tempered person, nor was he a patient person. However, when it came to Gu Nianzhi.., he was very patient, and he really treated her like a junior.

    Before he returned to the country, he had already asked his son, Xie Beichen, to gather a lot of information about Gu Nianzhi.

    Although the information the Xie family gathered wasn¡¯t particrlyprehensivepared to the information Huo Shaoheng and the others had, the information he had gathered was enough to make him be affectionate and pitiful towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Of course, the most important thing was that Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s beloved woman, and Huo Shaoheng was his biological sister, Xie Ziyan¡¯s favorite grandson whom she had raised.

    When you love someone, you are more likely to love the people connected to them, so Xie Shenxing still cherished Gu Nianzhi very much.

    Moreover, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aunt, Gu Tian, had once married a distant rtive of the Xie family. Speaking of which, they were really rted by marriage.

    So the Xie family bing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s maternal family was no problem.

    Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to be too restrained in front of him. He smiled and said, ¡°You and Xie Qingying are cousins, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held her phone and said nervously, ¡± ... Xie Qingying is my cousin. Her mother, Gu Tian, is my aunt. But my aunt passed away a long time ago. I just met them recently, so I hadn¡¯t had much contact with them.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s father, Xie Dezhao, had remarried. His inws were now the Long family of the esteemed Speaker Long. Gu Nianzhi was too embarrassed to get close to Xie Dezhao¡¯s rtives.

    ¡°Xie Qingying is the daughter of the Xie family. Since you¡¯re cousins with her, you¡¯re also inws with the Xie family. What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about?¡±

    Xie Shenxing could tell that Gu Nianzhi was quite like Huo Shaoheng when he was young.

    She really lived up to being raised by him...

    Xie Shenxing felt likeughing.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be spending more time with my cousin¡¯s family in the future.¡±

    ¡°If your cousin wants to spend more time with them, we¡¯ll have to spend more time with them.¡± Xie Shenxing had already started nning Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding. ¡°Our Xie family and your Gu family are both overseas. The custom of getting married overseas is for the woman to hold the wedding. How about this, your marriage with Shaoheng will be held by our Xie family. In a few days, when your uncle returns to the country, we¡¯ll hold an engagement party for you and Shaoheng at the Diaotai State Guesthouse. If you¡¯re getting married, where do you want to hold the wedding?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded when she heard this.

    She wasn¡¯t ready to be a bride yet...

    After hesitating for a while, she said honestly, ¡± ... I haven¡¯t decided yet. Granduncle, can you wait until I¡¯ve decided?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha... of course I can... ¡± Xie Shenxingughed heartily. ¡°But don¡¯t think about it for too long. You have to understand how Shaoheng feels... he¡¯s not young anymore...¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this, she couldn¡¯t help thinking about the revenge from the ¡°30-year-old man¡± that day. She blushed and immediately changed the topic. ¡°Is Uncle returning to the Huaxia Empire? It¡¯s all thanks to him that we were able to sessfully file awsuit against the trust fund this time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used the usation of ¡°moneyundering¡± to freeze the trust fund under Luo Jin¡¯s name, but the intiff wasn¡¯t her. Instead, it was a certain person in charge of the European Union¡¯s Banking Regtory Agency that Xie Beichen had contacted, and Gu Nianzhi was ¡°hired¡± as thewyer for the European Union¡¯s Banking Regtory Agency. Only then would she have the authority to file awsuit with the Swiss court.

    ¡°Yes, your uncle Beichen will be back in two weeks. These two weeks should be enough time for them to prepare an engagement party,¡± Xie Shenxing said with a smile.

    He didn¡¯t need to worry about the specific preparations. The Xie family had professional people to take care of it.

    They chatted along the way, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

    When they were almost at the imperial military hospital, Xie Shenxing received calls from General Ji, Speaker Long, and the Prime Minister, Bai Jiancheng.

    The three of them expressed their sincere greetings and warm wee to Xie Shenxing, and expressed their intention to visit him.

    Xie shenxing smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with them. In the end, he set the date for their visit to be tomorrow morning at the Xie family¡¯s vi in the Western hills.

    After the call ended, the car had arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Military General Hospital.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private car was already waiting there.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chauffeur greeted Xie Shenxing¡¯s chauffeur. The two cars drove into the hospital one after the other and stopped in front of an eighteen-story building surrounded by green trees andwns.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s high-ss ward was in this building.

    The car door opened and Huo Shaoheng got out of the car first.

    He walked to Xie Shenxing¡¯s car and helped them open the car door.

    Xie Shenxing held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand as he got out of the car. He looked up at the ordinary-looking high-rise building and said calmly, ¡°If your grandfather¡¯s illness is too serious, it¡¯s better to send him to a special sanatorium to recuperate.¡±

    This sort of special sanatorium wasn¡¯t an ordinary sanatorium.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Does Granduncle have any rmendations?¡±

    ¡°That depends on how well your grandfather recovers,¡± Xie Shenxing said meaningfully. ¡°If he has already recovered, of course he doesn¡¯t need to go. If his illness is incurable, for the sake of his safety, naturally he has to be sent to the best sanatorium ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Granduncle¡¯s words make sense. Let¡¯s go and see how my grandfather has recovered.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to the two of them talking as if they were ying a game. She suspiciously looked at Huo Shaoheng, then at Xie Shenxing. She pondered over it inside.

    The group of people came to the ward and saw that the door was ajar.

    Gu Nianzhi knocked on the door and said sweetly, ¡°Grandfather Huo? I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi. ¡±

    ¡°Come in. ¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s low and growly voice sounded, as if he was gnashing his teeth.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng signaled her to enter with his eyes.

    When they arrived, Huo Guanchen¡¯s orderly was standing guard at the door.

    When he saw that Huo Shaoheng had arrived, he instinctively wanted to raise his hand to salute and greet him.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his arm in time to stop him, so he only saluted.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the door open and entered alone. She looked up and saw Huo Xuenong staring at her with his eyes red and bloodshot.

    Luo Jin was there too.

    She stood by the window with her hands in the pockets of her dress pants.

    The window was open, and the breeze blew in through the half-open window. Her hair flew in the wind, and she looked so beautiful that even Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpplimenting her in her heart...

    But as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, Gu Nianzhi thought with a nk expression: I take back what I just thought.

    Before Grandfather Huo could speak, Luo Jin made the first move. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, why did you go to the Swiss court to sue me for ¡®moneyundering¡¯?! You knew that it wasn¡¯t moneyundering. It was my legal ie!¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s weird. How would I know that it wasn¡¯t moneyundering?¡± Gu Nianzhi spread out her hands dismissively, and immediately understood that Huo Xuenong had called her here with ulterior motives.

    Fortunately, Huo Shaoheng and Xie Shenxing were both at the door, so she had nothing to be afraid of.

    ¡°Stop pretending. Don¡¯t you know where the money went? You¡¯re using your official position to carry out your personal vendetta! I¡¯m going to sue you in court! ¡± Luo Jin tried her best to remain calm, but the madness in her eyes and her trembling hands betrayed her fear.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know where the money went.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately stared at Luo Jin, ¡°But you said that I was using my official position to carry out a personal vendetta. Is it because you and I had a feud in the past? After thinking about it, the only time I had a vendetta was when I was in Germany...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a step forward and narrowed her eyes as she looked at Luo Jin, ¡°Could it be that when I was being hunted down in Germany, you were also involved? Haha, if that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m not using my official position to exact a personal vendetta. I¡¯m seeking justice for myself. The of heaven hasrge meshes, but it lets nothing through. Luo Jin, you¡¯ve already been charged with two counts of intentional homicide. ¡±

    ¡°I never tried to kill you. Don¡¯t nder me ¡± Luo Jin forced herself to remain calm. ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk to you anymore. I¡¯ll wait for mywyer toe.¡±

    She finally realized that there were traps hidden everywhere whenever she spoke to Gu Nianzhi.

    She had only threatened her with one sentence, yet Gu Nianzhi had already found something to use against her. She was about to use her counterattack against her.

    Luo Jin was so nervous that she experienced heartburn, and there was a bitter taste inside her mouth.

 Chapter 1319 - Loser

    <h4>Chapter 1319: Loser</h4>

    Luo Jin had always been sharp-tongued and quick-witted, but she was reduced to an absolute dimwit in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    What a loser!

    Seeing how useless Luo Jin was, Huo Xuenong said menacingly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi! How dare you tell us what to do when you haven¡¯t even married into the Huo family yet?! I can¡¯t imagine what would happen if you have!¡±

    He was using Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s marriage as bait to make her quit pursuing the matter with Luo Jin¡¯s trust fund.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Xuenong calmly and said airily, ¡°Mr. Huo, I thought you were going to tell me about Major General Huo.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your marriage with Shaoheng important?¡± Huo Xuenongmanded with a sullen look on his face. ¡°If you still want to marry into the Huo family, drop thewsuit as soon as you can. Otherwise, hmph¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, what?¡± Xie Shenxing pushed open the door and walked in. He sneered, ¡°Huo Xuenong, I didn¡¯t know that you were so anxious about your wife¡¯s trust fund.¡±

    Now Xie Shenxing was here as well!

    Huo Xuenong was flustered. He secretly cursed Gu Nianzhi for being such a cunning troublemaker, but he managed to look unperturbed. He smiled as he said sarcastically, ¡°Shenxing is here. Have a seat. I have something to tell Nianzhi. She grew up in the military camp with Shaoheng, so shecks proper etiquette. I¡¯m giving her some life lessons.¡±

    ¡°In what way does sheck proper etiquette? I have no idea what you mean. Why don¡¯t you exin it to me?¡± Xie Shenxing looked even calmer than Huo Xuenong.

    ¡°We are both sly as a fox. Why are you even putting on an act here?¡± Thought Xie Shenxing.

    Seeing Xie Shenxing appeared amiable and that he didn¡¯t scold him like he did at his house yesterday, Huo Xuenong let his guard down slightly and said immediately, ¡°She filed thewsuit against Jin¡¯s trust fund for ¡®moneyundering¡¯. No such thing happened. Besides, if word gets out to the court, it¡¯ll embarrass Shaoheng. How can someone with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity be exposed to the public?¡±

    Xie Shenxing nodded. ¡°That makes sense. But here¡¯s what I don¡¯t understand. You said it¡¯s Luo Jin¡¯s trust fund, and Nianzhi is suing Luo Jin forundering money. What does that have to do with Shaoheng?¡±

    Huo Xuenong: ¡± ... ¡±

    He looked shocked and was rendered speechless.

    Luo Jin was extremely anxious. She quickly sent Cai Shengnan a message asking why she hadn¡¯te yet.

    Cai Shengnan had just walked out of the elevator on the floor where the ward was located.

    She looked up and suddenly saw a figure at the end of the corridor sh towards the stairwell. The figure looked like Huo Shaoheng from behind.

    However, upon closer inspection, there was no one there besides the soldier standing guard at the door of the ward.

    Cai Shengnan went hurriedly to the stairwell and looked around. There was indeed no one there.

    She refused to give up. She walked to the door of the ward and asked the soldier standing guard, ¡°Did you see anyone go in from here?¡±

    She pointed in the direction of the stairwell.

    The soldier was Huo Guanchen¡¯s orderly. Upon receiving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions, he immediately replied, ¡°No.¡±

    Cai Shengnan thought she was seeing things and mocked herself inside for daydreaming.

    After pushing open the door to Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward and entering, Cai Shengnan saw that the spacious ward was packed to the brim.

    Huo Xuenong sat on the hospital bed and red at Gu Nianzhi.

    Looking anxious, Luo Jin crossed her arms as she stood by the window.

    Gu Nianzhi stood with her back to her. The sight of her graceful back and her shapely figure were a real eyesore.

    An elderly man with an overpowering presence stood beside Gu Nianzhi. Although he had his hands behind his back, he looked like he would reach out to support Gu Nianzhi at any moment.

    Two tall men in ck suits stood beside the old man without taking a single step away from him.

    Who was this?

    Over the phone, Luo Jin hadn¡¯t mentioned that there were other people besides Gu Nianzhi.

    Cai Shengnan couldn¡¯t help ncing at Luo Jin.

    When Luo Jin saw Cai Shengnan enter, she let out a long sigh. She quickly said, ¡°Mywyer is here, Gu Nianzhi. I won¡¯t speak to you anymore. I¡¯ll let mywyer speak to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw Cai Shengnan enter the ward. Amused, she nodded at her. She said in a polite manner, ¡°Hello,wyer Cai.¡±

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi being polite, Cai cursed her inside for being pretentious. But unfortunately, all men would fall for that. She nodded as shemented, then also said politely, ¡°Hello,wyer Gu. Hello, Mr. Huo.¡± She then turned to look at the old man standing beside Gu Nianzhi. ¡°... And this is?¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t introduce him to her.

    The ward suddenly fell silent.

    Luo Jin had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, ¡°This is Mr. Xie, the head of the Xie family, who resides in France.¡±

    It was the head of the Xie Family!

    Cai Shengnan was ecstatic. She was so lucky!

    She was meeting this old man in person, who lived in seclusion and rarely saw anyone!

    Back then, her father had spent a lot of effort and even invited him to join the Hundred People¡¯s Association, the organization that consisted of all the elite Huaxie Empire¡¯s people on the entire Blue, but he had declined.

    If she could win over this old man, her father¡¯s status in the Hundred People¡¯s Association would definitely rise to a higher level.

    At this time, Cai Shengnan couldn¡¯t even care less about her own client, Luo Jin. She quickly walked to Xie Shenxing and greeted him very politely, ¡°Mr. Xie? Hello, I¡¯m Cai Shengnan. My father is Cai Sumin. A few years ago, he invited you to join the Hundred People¡¯s Association, the organization that consisted of all the elite Huaxie Empire¡¯s people on the entire Blue. Do you remember that?¡±

    Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t speak. The two staff members beside him raised their hands to stop Cai Shengnan from approaching. ¡°Lawyer Cai, please stop right there.¡±

    Cai Shengnan awkwardly stopped walking and chuckled. However, from the corner of her eyes, she red at Gu Nianzhi angrily.

    Why did Gu Nianzhi get to be so close to the head of the Xie Family?!

    Her parents were both dead, so how could her family be more prominent than Cai¡¯s...

    Shemented that the old Mr. Xie must have gone blind, but also made up her mind to show off her abilities in front of Xie Shenxing.

    She turned to ask Luo Jin, ¡°Miss Luo, why did you call me here?¡±

    Luo Jin quickly said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi just won¡¯t believe that I¡¯m notundering money. Please help me persuade her.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nodded and said to Gu Nianzhi without any emotion, ¡°My client, Luo Jin, told me. She wasn¡¯t the one who wanted to transfer the money. She lent it to her friend who transferred it.¡±

    ¡°Friend? Who? The owner of the bank ount, York? Or York¡¯s son, Seth?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed airily, then said tly, ¡°Luo Jin, howe I didn¡¯t know you were friends with York and Seth? When did you meet them? How long have you been seeing them? Any evidence that you¡¯re friends with them?¡±

    For a moment, Luo Jin was stunned, then she looked at Cai Shengnan as if asking for help.

    Cai Shengnan was also speechless. Gu Nianzhi actually came up with so many question just for the word ¡°friend¡±. If she¡¯s this into showing off, why didn¡¯t she be an actress?

    Cai Shengnan cursed Gu Nianzhi inside as she shook her head with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that her friend was York or Seth. Are you used to making such bold assumptions without any evidence, Lawyer Gu?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and spread her hands out. ¡°I can only specte about their rtionship based on the facts I already have. As for the evidence, shouldn¡¯t you be the one providing it?¡±

    Cai Shengnan was confident. ¡°Her friend isn¡¯t York or Seth, so your spection ispletely groundless.¡±

    ¡°Then who is her friend?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately asked.

    ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko.¡± Cai Shengnan smiled at Gu Nianzhi. She thought to herself: Ask me. Just ask. I¡¯m about to make a fool out of you.

    She knew that Gu Nianzhi was going to ask Yamaguchi Aiko toe out and testify.

    Yamaguchi Aiko was already dead. So how the hell could she testify?!

    But Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reaction seemed to be a beat slower than usual.

    She turned to look at Luo Jin fixedly and repeated, ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko? Her friend is Yamaguchi Aiko?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Any questions?¡± Cai Shengnan raised her chin proudly, but saw that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t happy at all. Instead, she appeared a little flustered.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t pursue with a question about Yamaguchi Aiko. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at Luo Jin, then asked slowly, ¡°Luo Jin, you were friends with Yamaguchi Aiko? How did you two meet? Is there anyone who can prove that you¡¯re friends? As far as I know, you didn¡¯t have the chance to meet Yamaguchi Aiko when you were in the country.¡±

    Before Luo Jin had gone to France, she was still Huo Jin. She had been living in the militarypound because she had to take care of Song Jinning. The security around her had always been very tight. It was impossible for someone like Yamaguchi Aiko to get close to her without Huo Shaoheng knowing.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi had a hunch that Luo Jin met Yamaguchi Aiko when she had gone to France with Huo Xuenong to rx.

    At that time, Luo Jin and Song Jinning no longer had anything to do with each other. Besides, Song Jinning had already regained her sanity, so she no longer needed to be looked after.

    Therefore, Luo Jin¡¯s security clearance was subsequently revoked.

    Cai Shengnan was slightly taken aback. From what Gu Nianzhi had said, she seemed to know Yamaguchi Aiko as well?

    What was going on?

    Cai shengnan looked at Gu Nianzhi and Luo Jin suspiciously.

    Wanting her to speak up for her, Luo Jin looked at Cai Shengnan anxiously.

    Gu Nianzhi also looked at Cai Shengnan. ¡°Lawyer Cai, your client isn¡¯t speaking, so help her out. ¡ªI¡¯m sure you know how to prove Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s friendship with Luo Jin, right?¡±

    Clearly there was something shady about the rtionship between Yamaguchi Aiko and Luo Jin, but Luo Jin didn¡¯t told her.

    Cai Shengnan instinctively reacted and immediately said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. My client said that her money was transferred at the request of her friend Yamaguchi Aiko. I don¡¯t know anything else since she didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She knew that Cai Shengnan was the typical Americanwyer...

    At the critical moment, the most important thing would be to clear her own name and protect her own interests, not those of the client.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on Luo Jin¡¯s pale face, and her voice softened, ¡°Miss Luo, can you tell me how you became friends with Yamaguchi Aiko? Don¡¯t say you¡¯ve been close friends with her since you were young. Don¡¯t try to take us for bummers, cuz even they have dignity and intelligence.¡±

    Luo Jin was still struggling, but her lips quivered as she asked Cai Shengnan, ¡°... Lawyer Cai, do we really have to talk about this?¡±

    Cai Shengnan looked at Gu Nianzhi and said sullenly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, we haven¡¯t even gone to court yet. Why are you already interrogating my client?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to wait until court to question her.

    Yamaguchi Aiko, a name she hadn¡¯t heard for a long time, had been mentioned, and she was even friends with Luo Jin. Gu Nianzhi could barely restrain herself.

    Her fingernails had almost dug a hole in her palm before she finally calmed down.

    Her mind raced and she quickly found a breaking point. She pretended to be rxed and said, ¡°Mr. Huo ask me to withdraw thewsuit. If Miss Luo can prove that she was helping a friend transfer money, then it¡¯s not impossible to withdraw thewsuit.¡±

    When Huo heard that she was willing to withdraw thewsuit, he immediately urged Luo Jin, ¡°Just say it! What are you waiting for?!¡±

 Chapter 1320 - Getting Something For Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 1320: Getting Something For Nothing</h4>

    Luo Jin¡¯s mind was a mess.

    Did she really have to say it?

    She actually didn¡¯t want to reveal too much about Yamaguchi Aiko. For one thing, Yamaguchi Aiko had warned her not to tell anyone about their rtionship.

    Second of all, what they had done together wasn¡¯t something that could be told to outsiders, especially not to Gu Nianzhi.

    But the temptation was too great..

    She pondered over it again and again. If she could get Gu Nianzhi to drop thewsuit by telling her the truth, then the risk was worth it.

    Otherwise, she might really have nothing left.

    As someone who had once owned a huge fortune, asking her to give up such a huge fortune was like asking for her life.

    If that was the case, then it was worth a gamble.

    Luo Jin thought that Yamaguchi Aiko was already dead, so all she had to do was push all the me onto Yamaguchi Aiko.

    No matter what she said, only her words stood.

    Could Gu Nianzhi really go to the grave and drag Yamaguchi Aiko out for questioning?!

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while, then started thinking that Luo Jin would insist on not saying anything now.

    But just as she was about to give up, Luo Jin asked hesitantly, ¡± ... If I tell you, will you really withdraw yourwsuit? Can you write it down in paper?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow, and thought to herself: she was actually trying to get something for nothing? This Luo Jin was really greedy...

    She didn¡¯t show it on her face and said with a smile, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you. I¡¯m saying that it depends on the situation. If it meets the requirements, we¡¯ll withdraw thewsuit. If it doesn¡¯t, then I¡¯m sorry, but the case has to continue.¡±

    Luo Jin was a little disappointed. ¡°Really? Then what difference does it make if I say it or not?¡±

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to say it. It doesn¡¯t matter to me. It¡¯s not my trust fund anyway. You¡¯ll still have to say it when you go to court.¡± Although Gu Nianzhi was anxious, she didn¡¯t want to show it on her face. Instead, she retreated in order to advance. She appeared apathetic, as if she didn¡¯t care whether or not she spilled the beans.

    At this moment, Grandfather Huo was really anxious. He frowned and said to Luo Jin, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and spill the beans. It¡¯s more important to withdraw thewsuit! ¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t promise that she would withdraw thewsuit... ¡± Luo Jin still wanted to settle this matter, but she kept ncing at Cai Shengnan.

    Thiswyer Cai, who took five million USD in advance payment, didn¡¯t say a single word!

    This money was too easy to earn.

    Luo Jin felt extremely indignant. She couldn¡¯t help but say to Cai Shengnan, ¡°Lawyer Cai, what do you think? I can say it, but can you guarantee that they¡¯ll drop thewsuit? ¡±

    Cai Shengnan spread out her hands. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s facepletely darkened. She said, ¡± ... then why do I need you to represent me?¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled. She wouldn¡¯t stoop to her level.

    After all, no one had a problem with money.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    Luo Jin was about to pick a fight with herwyer.

    If Cai Shengnan left in a fit of anger, there wouldn¡¯t be a strong assistant to help with their questioning today.

    That was because only when Luo Jin¡¯s ownwyer was present would she be unable to retract her statement...

    Gu Nianzhi cleared her throat and added, ¡°Lawyer Cai is a famousywer both at home and abroad. Miss Luo, you haveywer Cai as your assistant. It won¡¯t be difficult for you to dismiss the case.¡±

    Although Cai Shengnan knew that it wasn¡¯t a good thing to be praised by the other party, she still felt invigorated after hearing Gu Nianzhi say such a thing. It tasted like the raisins on the h?agen-dazs ice cream in her mouth during the hottest days of summer. It tasted sweet, refreshing, and creamy. It was exhrating.

    It was a pity that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t there.

    If he had been there and heard Gu Nianzhi say such things about her, he would definitely see her in a different light...

    Cai Shengnan was lost in thought.

    Luo Jin also felt that Cai Shengnan was quite capable, so she felt more confident. She turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°What do you want to ask? ¡±

    She was going to answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Gu Nianzhi perked up and took out a recording pen. As she recorded, she asked, ¡°Miss Luo, yourwyer just said that you didn¡¯t transfer the money yourself. You lent it to your friend to transfer it. Yes or no?¡±

    Luo Jin nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Her voice was calm, and her eyes were focused as she tried to organize her answers. She was afraid that she would say the wrong thing.

    Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°May I ask which friend you lent it to?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that?¡± Luo Jin frowned. ¡°You forgot so quickly? Aren¡¯t you called a genius with a photographic memory?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled lightly. ¡°That¡¯s because my colleagues wereplimenting me. Don¡¯t take it seriously. ¡ª¡ªPlease answer my question. May I ask which friend you lent the money to?¡±

    Luo Jin snorted and pursed her lips. Her bright red lips opened and closed. ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko, mywyer said so just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°May I ask how much money you lent to Yamaguchi Aiko?¡±

    Luo Jin hesitated for a moment and couldn¡¯t help ncing at Cai Shengnan, who appeared lost in thought. Her gaze was dazed, and there seemed to be a faint smile on her face.

    Luo Jin had no choice but to tell the truth. ¡± ... Five million euros.¡±

    ¡°With as much as five million euros, did you ask Yamaguchi Aiko to write a IOU when you lent it to her?¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked and started beating around the bush.

    She couldn¡¯t let Luo Jin realize that she was actually interested in Yamaguchi Aiko, so she tried to focus on the loan.

    Only by showing that she cared about the money Luo Jin lent would Luo Jin let down her guard in terms of Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that every time Luo Jin mentioned Yamaguchi Aiko, she would shut her mouth after saying a few words.

    This nuanced expression showed that she didn¡¯t want to say anything more about Yamaguchi Aiko.

    It also showed that she was very wary of other people digging into Yamaguchi Aiko.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was an experienced interrogator. She could speak freely under the high pressure of the crowd in the courtroom, so Luo Jin¡¯s little tricks were nothing to her.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi was like apletely different person. Her entire vibe had changed.

    She was no longer the cute and adorable little girl that people would coddle at the first sight of her. Instead, she was a sharp-tongued, ruthless, levelheaded, and sensational trialwyer.

    In her field of expertise, her strong academic reserves made her feel at home.

    As expected, Luo Jin was confused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mention of an ¡°IOU¡±.

    She frowned and said, ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko is my friend. How could I ask her to write an IOU if she wanted to borrow money from me?¡±

    Even if she had written it, it would be invalid now, because Yamaguchi Aiko was already dead, and the debt would be suspended because of her death.

    Luo Jin could have given up on the im.

    She had thought this through thoroughly.

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to be following Luo Jin¡¯s train of thought. She said regretfully, ¡°I don¡¯t think the Swiss court would believe that such arge amount of money could be lent without an IOU. Unless... ¡±

    ¡°Unless what? ! ¡± Luo Jin thought about it and became anxious.

    That¡¯s right. How could she have forgotten that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s people could understand that there were friendships that were beyond money, but those foreigners wouldn¡¯t understand.

    If it was a loan, they would definitely want an IOU.

    What should she do?!

    Forge a loan at thest minute? What if she was exposed?

    Luo Jin asked Gu nianzhi sheepishly, ¡± ... Unless what? Do you know?¡±

    ¡°Unless you can prove that you and Yamaguchi Aiko were really close friends, so close that you don¡¯t need to write an IOU to borrow money from each other. All that is needed is a verbal promise.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile, and her eyes were filled with encouragement. Her warm gaze fell on Luo Jin like the sun.

    Luo Jin actually felt warm inside, and she couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Oh, yes, I was indeed very close friends with Yamaguchi Aiko. So close that we could borrow many things from each other. Not to mention money. Besides, she and I aren¡¯t people who can¡¯t afford to pay. Five million euros might be a lot to others, but to us, it¡¯s just like ordinary people borrowing 500 euros from each other.¡±

    ¡°In your eyes, do you need to write an IOU to borrow 500 euros?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave her a thumbs up in approval. ¡°Well said, that makes sense. To you, a year¡¯s worth of trust fund ie isn¡¯t a small amount, right?¡±

    ¡°Only 10% of the trust fund ie is transferred to my bank ount every year, but that 10% is seven-figures.¡±

    Every year, 10% was seven-figures. A year¡¯s worth of ie was eight-figures.

    Five million euros was only a year¡¯s worth of ie.

    Luo Jin was very pleased with herself, and her confidence immediately increased.

    Gu Nianzhi chimed in with a fewpliments. ¡°Is that so? Then you¡¯re really too rich. You¡¯re truly a fair, rich, and beautiful woman!¡±

    Luo Jin hadpletely let her guard down. Thinking to herself that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t that unreasonable after all, she pursed her lips and smiled...

    Gu Nianzhi then nonchntly changed the topic to Yamaguchi Aiko.

    ¡°Then how did you two meet? To be such close friends, you must have spent a lot of time getting to know each other, right?¡±

    Luo Jin was lost in her memories. She smiled and said, ¡°I met her when I was in France, in a flower arrangement ss and tea ceremony... ¡±

    ¡°Really? You were in France at that time. I remember that you had apanied grandfather Huo to the Xie family manor for rxation. You actually had time to go to flower arrangement sses and tea ceremonies.¡±

    Luo Jin snapped back to reality. Her smile turned into a wry smile. Her eyes sparkled as she said, ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t have many friends in France. Sometimes, I felt depressed, so I went out and signed up for many training sses.¡±

    ¡°I see. You guys went out to rx, but you still felt depressed. It looks like the Xie family wasn¡¯t very hospitable to you... ¡± Gu Nianzhi gave Grandfather Xie a meaningful look.

    Grandfather Xie didn¡¯t mind at all. He smiled with his hands behind his back and listened with relish.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Luo Jin felt a little awkward. She quickly nced at Grandfather Xie and saw that he wasn¡¯t unhappy at all, so she quickly said, ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t the Xie family¡¯s problem. It was my own. I had just finished mywsuit at that time. When I thought about what happened to my father and mother, naturally I felt upset.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s understandable.¡± Gu Nianzhi was brimming with energy.

    Gu Nianzhi was the leadwyer in thatwsuit. Of course, she knew how badly she had messed with Luo Jin...

    If old master Huo hadn¡¯t turned around and taken her to France, Huo Shaoheng would have sent Luo Jin to prison at that time.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth with her fist to cover up a cough. She asked again, ¡°What training sses did you sign up for?¡±

    ¡°Yoga, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, fitness, and French. I just wanted to fill my life to the brim, so I didn¡¯t have to think about those terrible things,¡± Luo Jin admitted frankly.

    ¡°Then you met Yamaguchi Aiko in the tea ceremony and flower arrangement training sses.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a mental note and continued to ask calmly, ¡°What was she doing at the time? How old was she? What did she look like?¡±

    ¡°She was doing business in Europe. She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, right? She was fair-skinned and clearplexioned. She had round face, a small mouth, and straight ck hair. She liked to wear ck-rimmed sses. She wasn¡¯t tall, and was petite and dainty. She looked like a doll of women from ancient dynasties.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she continued, ¡°After you met Yamaguchi Aiko, was it because the two of you were the only Asians in ss, and were about the same age, and because she deliberately put in effort to be friends with you, that the two of you became good friends at first sight?¡±

    Luo Jin was bbergasted.

    What kind of monster had Gu Nianzhi transformed into?!

    How did she know what she wanted to say?!

 Chapter 1321 - Admitedly Very Dutiful

    <h4>Chapter 1321: Admitedly Very Dutiful</h4>

    Although she didn¡¯t want to confirm Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spection, Luo Jin couldn¡¯t think of any other way to prove her friendship with Yamaguchi Aiko.

    She frowned and stared at Gu Nianzhi for a while before nodding. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a very nice person. We hit it off the moment we met...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly. ¡°You guys became close friends all of a sudden? Then where is she from? What are her parents¡¯ names? Do you know where her permanent residence is?¡±

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°Are you checking her household registration?¡±

    ¡°No. Since you two immediately hit it off and became close friends, you should know about each other, right? For example, where you¡¯re from, what are your parents¡¯ names, and where you have a permanent residence. Does Yamaguchi Aiko know?¡±

    This was a game of ¡°heart to heart¡±.

    The corners of Luo Jin¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°We¡¯re not kids, right? Who needs to know about these things? Besides, we became friends because we care about each other¡¯s personal circumstances. What does that have to do with our family background? ¡ª¡ªVulgar, how vulgar¡±

    ¡°Oh, I thought that was normal. After all, if you don¡¯t know each other well, then your friendship is limited. Of course, Miss Luo and Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s situation might be different. It¡¯s nice that you two value each other for your characters. ¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head, and there was a hidden meaning in her words.

    Luo Jin quickly agreed. ¡°Of course, we value each other for our characters. We became close friends because we know each other well, not because of our family background.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s family background, and Yamaguchi Aiko doesn¡¯t know your family background?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly and put on a puzzled expression. ¡°But why would she ask you to lend her five million euros? Theoretically, a normal person wouldn¡¯t ask someone to lend them so much money if they didn¡¯t know about your financial situation, right?¡±

    Luo Jin: ¡± ... ¡±

    Oh no, was she starting to sound too oundish.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question made sense.

    Five million euros wasn¡¯t a small sum. Even she had felt the pain when she had taken it out...

    In a moment of desperation, Luo Jin recalled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question, and quickly checked for loopholes. ¡°That¡¯s right. Most people don¡¯t know about the other party¡¯s financial situation, so they wouldn¡¯t nonchntly ask to borrow five million euros. But Yamaguchi Aiko knows a little about my family background. Think about it. I live in the Xie family¡¯s manor in France, and my surname is Huo. She knows my financial situation very well.¡±

    ¡°I see. There are so many people with the surname Huo, and the Xie family also has a lot of manors. Also, as far as I know, you guys only lived in one of the Xie family¡¯s unupied manors in France. It¡¯s of average value and belongs to a distant rtive of the Xie family. If based on these two conditions, she could infer that you had the financial ability to lend her five million euros without an IOU, I think it¡¯s really extraordinary.¡±

    After Gu Nianzhi finished her words, she looked at Luo Jin with a smile. ¡°dDoes she think you¡¯re a fool? Or a sucker?¡±

    Luo Jin was slightly sullen. ¡°Why are you cursing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cursing. I¡¯m just feeling sorry for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out and raised her eyebrows slightly. The expression on her face was mischievous and sly. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that although you don¡¯t know her family background, but she knows your family background very well. She had ulterior motives behind approaching you. It was a trap. You¡¯re a fool with a lot of money. Who else would fall for it?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about her, but you lent her five million euros just like that, and you didn¡¯t even ask her for an IOU. Such a sucker is quite unprecedented, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi changed the subject.

    Luo Jin was so angry at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usations that her chest was heaving and puffing. She was about to retort when Gu Nianzhi changed the subject and continued, ¡°But as far as I know, Miss Luo isn¡¯t an ignorant sucker, so why did you lend her the money? What¡¯s the real reason? It¡¯s very difficult to clear you of the suspicion of ¡®moneyundering¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I already said that this was my own money. How could it be ¡®moneyundering¡¯?¡± Luo Jin was annoyed. ¡°How could that be true?!¡±

    ¡°Helping tounder money is also moneyundering.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression grew slightly cold. ¡°If Yamaguchi Aiko was conducting illegal business, and you lent her the money then she returned it to you, that would beundering ie from the illegal business,monly known as moneyundering. ¡ª¡ªUnderstood? If you don¡¯t tell me why you lent the money to her, what she used it for, and whether the business she was involved in was legitimate, then your suspicion of moneyundering will be more and more obvious.¡±

    Luo Jin was shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, and she was in great emotional turmoil. She immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know anything about her. She¡¯s doing business in Europe and needs cash flow. If I didn¡¯t know about this, why would I lend her the money?!¡±

    ¡°Then what kind of legal business does Yamaguchi Aiko run? Even if it¡¯s an investment, which industry and whichpany is the investment in? These are all things that can be investigated.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s topic began to revolve around Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Luo Jin thought to herself, she¡¯s in the business of contract killing. How could I tell you about these things?

    She was thinking about how to continue her story when Cai Shengnan, who had been listening quietly from the side, suddenly said, ¡°This is Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s problem. It has nothing to do with my client. My client was a fool. She had been so devoted to her as a friend, and had never thought that she would be defrauded by her. So she was defrauded out of five million euros. She wasn¡¯t working with her client tounder money.¡±

    Cai Shengnan understood what she meant, so she quickly cut off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s line of questioning and didn¡¯t allow her to continue circling around Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Cai Shengnan had a hunch that this Yamaguchi Aiko was a shady person.

    In that case, she could just push all the suspicion onto Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Yamaguchi Aiko was already dead anyway, and like the saying that ¡°dead men cannot testify¡±, this was the best way to get away with it.

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t expect Cai Shengnan to call her ¡°a fool¡± in front of so many people, and was instantly embarrassed and exasperated.

    But on second thought, what Cai Shengnan said was the most appropriate thing to do. It was harsh, but it worked. At least the suspicion of being involved in moneyundering was gone, and she herself had be a victim.

    Luo Jin had no choice but to agree. She looked aggrieved as she said, ¡°Yes, I was defrauded by her. I didn¡¯t know her true situation and ulterior motives. I trusted her. How would I know she was deceiving to me?¡±

    ¡°Really? Then you were defrauded? You were defrauded out of such arge sum of money. Tsk Tsk, I can¡¯t believe it. Hurry up and call the police.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her phone. ¡°Do you want me to call the police? The French, Swiss, or German police? Which country do you choose?¡±

    ¡°Why would I call the police? ! ¡± Luo Jin blurted out. ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko is dead. Who would I ask for money?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    After a while, her expression turned serious as she said slowly, ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko is dead? Doesn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s no evidence since she¡¯s dead?¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked away andughed dryly. ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t really understand. I just know that she¡¯s dead anyway, so it¡¯s better to let things be.¡±

    ¡°How do you know she¡¯s dead? Where did she die? Did you see her corpse? Or did you attend the funeral?¡± Gu Nianzhi refused to give up and continued to ask.

    Luo Jin was almost driven mad by her questions. She said impatiently, ¡°She¡¯s dead and that¡¯s that. She died in the Caribbean Sea. I heard she was killed by pirates. I didn¡¯t see her corpse, and I didn¡¯t attend the funeral. Is that enough?¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence. Did she really die in the Caribbean Sea?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression became even more grave. ¡°To be honest with you, when I returned to the Gu family in Barbados, I was ambushed by pirates in the Caribbean Sea near Barbados. The person who led the pirates to kill me was Yamaguchi Aiko.¡±

    Luo Jin: ¡°!!!¡±

    What in the world!

    Yamaguchi Aiko had even hunted Gu Nianzhi down in the Caribbean sea?!

    As an assassin, she was admittedly very dutiful!

    But why wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi the one who had died?!

    Her face twitched and she forced a smile. ¡°What a coincidence! Could it be that you¡¯ve mistaken someone else for her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and took out her phone. She rummaged through her phone¡¯s photo album for a while and said, ¡°I¡¯m also worried that I¡¯ve mistaken someone else for her.¡±

    She found a photo, then clicked on it, and showed it to Luo Jin. ¡°Take a look. Is this the person?¡±

    Luo Jin nced at it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone showed an official photo, just like the one she had taken when she was at customs. There was a clear view of her face, and she was wearing a white silk blouse with a small round cor. Her long neck was exposed, and she wasn¡¯t wearing those ck-rimmed sses. She had fair skin, a round face, a small mouth, and straight ck hair. It was the Yamaguchi Aiko from her memory.

    Luo Jin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s her.¡± She asked curiously, ¡°How did you get a photo of her?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure this is Yamaguchi Aiko?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t answer her directly. ¡°Take a closer look. You two were so close. You¡¯ve been together for a few months, right?¡±

    ¡°Only two months. ¡± Luo Jin didn¡¯t sense the trap at all and blurted out the truth without realizing it. ¡°This is her. I recognize the mole the size of a grain of rice on her neck.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened. ¡°That¡¯s really interesting. This person isn¡¯t Yamaguchi Aiko, but Yamaguchi Yoko. ¡ª¡ªLuo Jin, what is the name of this friend of yours? Do you really know her name?!¡±

    ¡± ... or are you deliberately concealing the truth and lying to my face?!¡±

    Herst sentence was harsh, and Luo Jin¡¯s head buzzed. She felt ill at ease.

 Chapter 1322 - When Couples Work Together, Work Isnâ€™t Exhausting

    <h4>Chapter 1322: When Couples Work Together, Work Isn¡¯t Exhausting</h4>

    Luo Jin was flustered and stammered, ¡°How... How is that possible?! Yamaguchi Yoko died long ago! She died more than a year earlier than Yamaguchi Aiko!¡±

    ¡°Huh? ¡± Gu Nianzhi hissed. ¡°You actually knew about Yamaguchi Yoko as well? Did Yamaguchi Aiko tell you that the two of them were biological sisters?¡±

    Yamaguchi Aiko herself actually said that when she was hunting Gu Nianzhi in the Caribbean Sea.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really believe her words, but it was an effective way to trick Luo Jin.

    Luo Jin hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to know about Yamaguchi Aiko and Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s rtionship. She quickly nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I think you took the wrong photo. This is Yamaguchi Aiko. She said she has a twin sister named Yamaguchi Aiko...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. ¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms. ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko was after me because she wanted to avenge her sister Yamaguchi Yoko. Did you know that?¡±

    Luo Jin almost blurted out, ¡°I know.¡±

    When Cai Shengnan heard this, she felt she had no choice but to step in and stop Luo Jin. ¡°Miss Luo, you didn¡¯t tell me about this.¡±

    She felt annoyed, too.

    Luo Jin and Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s rtionship was definitely more than just close friends borrowing money from each other, but she hadn¡¯t said a word to her.

    Now that she had been exposed by someone else, she turned around and med her for not fulfilling her duty as awyer.

    Cai Shengnan cursed Luo Jin inside as she coughed, then she turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°That¡¯s enough,wyer Gu. Your question now has nothing to do with your usation of ¡®moneyundering¡¯ against my client. My client has no obligation to answer anything other than your usation.¡±

    Luo Jin understood what she meant and immediately shut her mouth without saying anything more.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Cai Shengnan, then said tly, ¡°How would this topic have nothing to do with the usations? Luo Jin had such close ties with Yamaguchi Aiko. The owner of the bank ount they transferred the money to once tried to kill me in Germany, and Yamaguchi Aiko herself tried to kill me in the Caribbean Sea. How can you say that Luo Jin has nothing to do with these two assasination attempts?¡±

    ¡°How could she have anything to do with them? At most, my client fell in with the wrong crowd. Don¡¯t tell me you want to me her for what her friend did?¡± Cai Shengnan sneered. Her self-assured expression made Luo Jin feel much more at ease.

    ¡°Hehe, if she didn¡¯t give Yamaguchi Aiko five million euros for free, I would also believe she fell in with the wrong crowd. But with such arge sum of money involved, you¡¯re telling me she simply fell in with the wrong crowd? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s a problem with your IQ. You can¡¯t see such a simple logical connection.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t refrain from mocking Cai Shengnan.

    Cai Shengnan wasn¡¯t as easily manipted by Gu Nianzhi as Luo Jin was. She simply smiled and said, ¡°Whether there¡¯s a logical connection or not is up to the court to decide. It¡¯s not up to you,wyer Gu, to decide.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed, then she said seriously, ¡°That¡¯s right. It depends on how the court decides. It depends on whether you¡¯re willing to turn a blind eye and pretend not to see the crime before you, or whether the judge and jury use rational thinking toe to a reasonable conclusion. In reality, Yamaguchi Aiko had tried to kill me twice, and Luo Jin had given Yamaguchi Aiko money to assist her in her pursuit. It could be said that she was an aplice in the attempted murders. I¡¯m not only going to sue Luo Jin forplicity in the murder, but I¡¯m also going to add a punitive civil im.¡±

    ¡°Luo Jin, you¡¯re going to lose everything!¡±

    Luo Jin was so anxious that the veins on her forehead were popping out.

    Gu Nianzhi had already used her of attempted murder of Song Jinning. was she going to sue her for being an aplice in her own attempted murder?!

    When on earth would this end?!

    Luo Jin ignored Cai Shengnan¡¯s re and immediately said, ¡°I said I lent her the money, and I was defrauded too. I¡¯ve lost so much money, where would get justice? What more do you want?¡±

    Cai Shengnan quickly added, ¡°My client was obviously defrauded. Are you blind?¡±

    ¡°Defrauded? Did you call the police? Did you im Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s inheritance?¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed on, ¡°If you didn¡¯t, how can you tell me you were defrauded?!¡±

    Cai Shengnanughed coldly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just calling the police?¡±

    She lowered her head and sent a text to Luo Jin: [ It¡¯s up to you whether or not to call the police. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll be suspected of being involved in moneyundering and being an aplice to attempted murder. If you call the police, these two charges will be cleared up quickly.]

    Luo Jin was confused and sent a text to ask: [ How? Yamaguchi Aiko is dead. What¡¯s the point of calling the police?! Are you out of your mind? ]

    Cai Shengnan patiently exined to her: [ Even if Yamaguchi Aiko is dead, her inheritance is still there, so her family should have received her inheritance. We can definitely seekpensation from the family who received Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s inheritance. ]

    This way, Luo Jin would at least be able to get rid of the two charges.

    Luo Jin struggled for a long time inside. Her face turned red and then white. She gritted her teeth and replied: [ Call the police. I¡¯m not afraid of her. ]

    Yamaguchi Aiko was dead anyway. Luo Jin knew that she didn¡¯t leave any written evidence from Yamaguchi Aiko, so she shouldn¡¯t be afraid that Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s family would fight back

    Besides, it wasn¡¯t even certain whether or not Yamaguchi Aiko had any family...

    Luo Jin remembered that Yamaguchi Aiko vaguely told her that she and her sister Yamaguchi Aiko depended on each other for survival and didn¡¯t have any other family members.

    Now that both sisters were dead, Luo Jin had no idea where their inheritance had gone. She didn¡¯t even know where their home was.

    But at this point, she only wanted to get rid of the two felony charges hanging over her head as soon as possible.

    ¡°Okay, then call the police.¡± Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin had finished discussing via text message. They went up to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°We¡¯ve decided to call the police.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll call the police right away. ¡± Gu Nianzhi held her cell phone. ¡°Do you want me to call the police?¡±

    Cai Shengnan: ¡± ... ¡±

    She narrowed her eyes and looked at Gu Nianzhi suspiciously. ¡°Are you in such a hurry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi retracted her hand and smiled. ¡°No, I¡¯m not in a hurry. But if you want to stall time, I don¡¯t have the time to be patient with you. If you don¡¯t call the police now, then I¡¯ll call the police.¡± As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi made a gesture to call the police in the imperial capital.

    ¡°Why are you calling the police?!¡± Cai Shengnan was even more suspicious. ¡°I¡¯m Miss Luo¡¯swyer. You can¡¯t go past us and call the police, can you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held the phone to her ear and looked at her with amusement. She said airily, ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to call the police for you? I¡¯m doing it for myself.¡±

    ¡°Yourself? ¡± Luo Jin¡¯s heart sank. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed coldly. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve seen the aplice to the person who was after me, do you think I¡¯ll simply watch you get away? Of course I¡¯m going to call the police.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Cai Shengnan was shocked as well. ¡°You¡¯re really going to call the police and use my client of being Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s aplice?!¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have no choice but to harbor reasonable suspicion since you guys are defending Yamaguchi Aiko so much.¡± As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi was already dialing the number.

    Luo Jin panicked and quickly took out her phone to call the police. Without waiting for Gu Nianzhi to speak, she said to the police, ¡°I... I¡¯m calling for the police. I... I was defrauded of money!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi call the police and use her of being an aplice to a murderer. She had to call the police first.

    The police officer on the other side seemed shocked as well. After a while, he asked, ¡°May I ask where you¡¯re from? Where did you get defrauded of money? How much did you get defrauded of? Was it a phone scam or an Inte scam?¡±

    Luo Jin came back to her senses and said nervously, ¡± ... I was defrauded of five million euros in Europe.¡±

    The policeman on the other side: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°How much did you get defrauded of?!¡±

    ¡± ... five million euros. I have a bank transfer to prove this amount of money.¡±

    Luo Jin calmed down and thought to herself, isn¡¯t it just a call to the police? Who couldn¡¯t do it!

    ¡°Then who defrauded you of your money? Are you a Huaxia Empire citizen?¡± The policeman obviously felt that this case wasn¡¯t under their jurisdiction, so he asked in detail.

    Luo Jin shook her head. ¡°I think she¡¯s a Japanese citizen. Her name is Aiko Yamaguchi.¡±

    While the policeman was typing in the data, he conveniently looked up the name ¡°Aiko Yamaguchi¡± in the database.

    This was their working procedure. Every time, they would search the suspect database to see if there were any new findings.

    In the end, this search yielded an unexpected result.

    He took a look at the information that was retrieved, and there was even a note in the information that said: this is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Special Operations forces. He immediately became wary and said to Luo Jin pleasantly, ¡°This case involves a huge amount of money. Can you tell me more about it?¡±

    Luo Jin nced at Cai Shengnan.

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin leaned in front of their phones to listen. Then, they nodded and said to the police officer, ¡°I¡¯m Miss Luo¡¯swyer. Here¡¯s the thing...¡±

    In Huo Xuenong¡¯s high-end ward, only the sound of Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin speaking to the police could be heard.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at her phone. Huo Shaoheng had sent her a text message asking her to stall for as much time as possible.

    She had turned on facetime with Huo Shaoheng on her phone. Her phone had been muted, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t be heard. However, the images and sounds could be seen and heard by Huo Shaoheng through facetime.

    Therefore, even though Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t present, he knew everything about the situation in the ward like the back of his hand.

    Huo Xuenong, who was lying on the hospital bed, watched the development of the situation with his mouth agape. He had a vague feeling that the situation was out of his control.

    Xie Shenxing, on the other hand, had his hands behind his back the entire time. He smiled as he watched Gu Nianzhi press on and trap Luo Jin.

    He and his two staff members were just as impressed and felt as if they were watching a staged y.

    On the other end of the line, the police officer had already contacted the special operations forces and reported new clues rted to Aiko Yamaguchi to them.

    ...

    In the corridor outside the ward, Huo Shaoheng slowly walked out of the dark corridor. He ordered through his bluetooth headset, ¡°All operations teams, prepare. New clues have appeared. Immediately apply for legal procedures and take the suspect from the police station at the Imperial Military General Hospital.¡±

    He stood in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward and lit a cigarette. In the corridor, he stood in front of the window silently and started smoking.

    The window was slightly ajar, and the evening breeze blew in with the faint scent of flowers.

    In the ward, to buy as much time as possible for him, Gu Nianzhi was still arguing with Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan about who should call the police.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the Special Operations Forces¡¯ team to arrive in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s high-end ward.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at them. ¡°Did you guys get the warrant, arrest warrant, and search warrant?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The team leader in the lead showed him three documents.

    The warrant had been obtained from the police station where Luo Jin had reported the case, and the arrest warrant and search warrant had been obtained from the court.

    Huo Shaoheng still didn¡¯t go in. He said to the team leader, ¡°Take two people in first. Don¡¯t be in a hurry to arrest them. Just show them your documents.¡±

    He wanted these people to be a psychological deterrent to Luo Jin.

    As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he sent a text message to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone: Calm Luo Jin down and ask for the contents of the will.

 Chapter 1323 - Greatest Support

    <h4>Chapter 1323: Greatest Support</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the contents of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s text message and frowned discreetly.

    Calm Luo Jin down? Ask about the contents of the will?

    This will must be the will of Huo Guanyuan, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uncle.

    Because this will was connected to the ownership of the trust fund under Huo Guanyuan¡¯s name.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care who Huo Guanyuan¡¯s trust fund belonged to. She was only curious as to why Huo Xuenong had kept this will hidden all these years and hadn¡¯t made it public?

    Theoretically, this was the will of his eldest son, Huo Guanyuan, and Huo Guanyuan was a hero who had sacrificed himself for his country. Was there something shameful in his will?

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated as her gaze swept over Luo Jin¡¯s face. From the corner of her eye, she had already caught sight of Grandfather Huo lying on the hospital bed.

    Huo Xuenong had been staring at her and Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan the entire time she had been arguing with them. His gaze had made Gu Nianzhi feel a little apprehensive. It was the first time she felt that Huo Xuenong¡¯s murderous vibe rivaled that of Huo Shaoheng...

    Huo Xuenong had fought a great war. Every soldier who had emerged from the cruel battlefield had been trained differently.

    This old man wasn¡¯t to be underestimated.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and locked her phone. She held it in her hand and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already called the police. I hope the police can act quickly to help Miss Luo recover some of her financial losses.

    Luo Jin quickly said, ¡°Look, we¡¯ve already called the police. The police have already made a case. Can the charges from the Swiss court be dismissed? ¡±

    Huo Xuenong couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Yes, everything is clear now. Jin was scammed, and didn¡¯tunder money. Gu Nianzhi, can you drop thewsuit? You don¡¯t have to freeze the trust fund anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mirthful eyes turned to Huo Xuenong, and she said in surprise, ¡°Grandfather Huo, you that concerned about Miss Luo¡¯s trust fund?¡±

    Huo Xuenong was taken aback, but he quickly replied self-righteously, ¡°That¡¯s my son¡¯s trust fund. How could I not be concerned? Jin is my son¡¯s only daughter...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi coughed and interrupted him, ¡°Unfortunately, Luo Jin isn¡¯t Uncle Huo¡¯s biological daughter. Not only isn¡¯t she rted to him by blood, but she has also changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration... ¡±

    ¡°So what? My eldest son recognized her as his daughter, so she¡¯s my eldest son¡¯s daughter! ¡± Huo Xuenong said firmly, like a father and grandfather who truly loved his son and granddaughter.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh and say nonchntly, ¡°Now you know she¡¯s your eldest son¡¯s daughter. When you forced me to give up my position and wanted Luo Jin to fake marry my fianc¨¦, Major General Huo, that wasn¡¯t what you said.¡±

    Huo Xuenong almost had a heart attack after being confronted by Gu Nianzhi.

    In an instant, his lips turned purple and his temples bulged as he tried to hold back his anger.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him, and feeling a little afraid after seeing how enraged he was, she quietly moved closer to Xie Shenxing¡¯s side.

    Xie Shenxing sensed Huo Xuenong¡¯s volcanic rage towards Gu Nianzhi. He took a step forward and blocked in front of Gu Nianzhi, then smiled at Huo Xuenong and said, ¡°Yo! I didn¡¯t know there was such a thing! I had no idea that your cheap granddaughter was so impressive. If you needed her to be your granddaughter, she would be your granddaughter. If you needed her to be your granddaughter-inw, she would be your granddaughter-inw. Tsk Tsk, what a useful pawn. You can carry it wherever you need it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth and almostughed out loud behind Xie Shenxing.

    Cai Shengnan rolled her eyes. He couldn¡¯t stand Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smugness.

    She was pretentious and only knew how to climb up the socialdder.

    An orphan girl who flung herself at Major General Huo without any sense of dignity or shame, and even climbed into his bed..

    Upon seeing that the Xie family was wealthier, she didn¡¯t even bother with her inws anymore. They only wanted to social climb through the Xie family.

    This Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t live up to his reputation either. Since someone like Gu Nianzhi had him wrapped around her fingers, it was a waste of her father¡¯s high opinion of him.

    Cai Shengnan felt very upset inside.

    Luo Jin felt even worse. She was a member of the Huo family. Whether it was in terms of being her father¡¯s stepdaughter or Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wife, this position could only belong to her.

    In the end, she was robbed of true love by a little orphan who came out of nowhere. She was on the verge of suffocating from her grievances.

    When she was in France, she thought that her lifetime dream had been shattered, until she met Yamaguchi Aiko...

    Recalling the past, Luo Jin¡¯s eyes grew a little moist.

    She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and said to Cai Shengnan, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go back first. You can reply to the Swiss court.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nodded and said to the people in the ward, ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    She turned around and followed Luo Jin to the door of the ward.

    Before they reached the door, the door was pushed open with a bang.

    Three men in the special operations forces¡¯ ck uniforms walked in.

    The man leading the way almost bumped into Luo Jin.

    He blocked his arm forward and stood still. Keeping a distance from Luo Jin, he held out three certificates in front of Luo Jin. ¡°Are you Luo Jin? You just reported that you were swindled by a Japanese woman named Aiko Yamaguchi in Europe, right?¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes shed. She recognized the uniforms of these people and immediately said, ¡°You guys aren¡¯t the police. I reported this to the police station.¡±

    What she meant was that these people were suspected of impersonation.

    The man with the three documents nodded. ¡°We¡¯re not the police. This is the authorization letter we received from the police. The Police Department of the Imperial Military General Hospital has authorized us, the Special Operations forces, to handle this case.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had intervened, hadn¡¯t he?

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart lifted. She couldn¡¯t decide whether to feel relieved or afraid...

    She should be afraid, but she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and relief at the thought of Huo Shaoheng paying so much attention to her.

    Instead of answering the man¡¯s question, Luo Jin searched for Gu Nianzhi in hopes of seeing her reaction.

    However, Gu Nianzhi stood behind the tall Xie Shenxing, and waspletely hidden from view.

    Feeling contemptuous towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s behavior, Luo Jin snorted coldly.

    Cai Shengnan took a step forward and walked over to Luo Jin¡¯s side. She scrutinized the three documents that the special operations forces had taken out.

    She read the Imperial Capital Police Department¡¯s authorization letter several times, then asked in confusion, ¡± ... Are you guys really from the Special Operations forces? This case is just an ordinary fraud crime. Although the mary amount involved is a bitrge, it¡¯s essentially an financial crime. Why would the Special Operations Forces be alerted?¡±

    The Special Operations Forces member exined patiently, ¡°Because the crimesmitted by Aiko Yamaguchi and Yoko Yamaguchi are detrimental to national security. They were originally wanted criminals registered with the special operations forces. Therefore, after Miss Luo called the police, ording to the rules, the local police department has no right to interfere in crimes involving national security, so our special operations forces will take over the investigation.¡±

    When Luo Jin heard this, she immediately took a few steps back and an rm went off inside her.

    It was over. She had still been tricked by Gu Nianzhi!

    She now understood why Gu Nianzhi had insisted on her calling the police. She wanted to send her to the special forces, hadn¡¯t she?!

    She was too sly, too vicious, and too cunning!

    No longer concealing the deep hatred in her eyes, Luo Jin turned around. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Are you satisfied now?! You did all this just to make me fall into your trap?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out from behind Xie Shenxing and shrugged nonchntly, ¡°Miss Luo, don¡¯t you know what you¡¯ve done? Did I force you to give Aiko Yamaguchi money so she coulde after me? Or did I give you money so you could torture Miss Song to death?¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s face was livid, and she couldn¡¯t say a single word.

    Cai Shengnan looked at the arrest warrant and immediately said, ¡°Is there some sort of mistake? Why did you arrest my client, Miss Luo? What did she do to deserve your Special Operations Forces¡¯ arrest?¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to mock Cai Shengnan. ¡°Of course she did something that jeopardized national security.¡±

    ¡°Jeopardized national security? You think she jeopardized national security by hunting you down? How conceited of you!¡± Cai Shengnan sneered at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You guessed it.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands a few times and gave Cai Shengnan a round of apuse. She chuckled and said, ¡°Hunting me down does indeed jeopardize national security.¡±

    Cai Shengnan: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too big for your britches! ¡± She wished she could tear the smile off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smug face.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her chin at her. Her smile was indeed very haughty. ¡°It¡¯s a little smaller than yours. If I¡¯m too big for my britches, then yours would be even more oversized.¡±

    As she spoke, her gaze swept past Luo Jin, who was scared out of her wits, thennded on grandfather Huo, who had remained silent on the hospital bed.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and pondered over it for a moment. She then changed the topic to grandfather Huo.

    Huo Xuenong had single-handedly caused everything that had happened today, but in the end, he had stayed out of it, as if the whole thing had nothing to do with him.

    Thinking about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s text message again, Gu Nianzhi quickly thought about how she could use Luo Jin as bait to dig out the truth about Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will from grandfather Huo!

    After falling silent for a while, she changed the topic to Huo Xuenong.

    ¡°Grandfather Huo, if you have no objections, the Special Operations forces can take action and take Miss Luo away to assist in the investigation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words immediately reminded Luo Jin.

    Yes, why was she only thinking about Cai Shengnan?!

    Her biggest support should be grandfather Huo!

    Luo Jin turned around desparately and rushed to grandfather Huo¡¯s bedside. She sobbed, ¡°Grandfather, please help me. I¡¯ll agree to whatever you want. I won¡¯t mention any conditions. I¡¯ll keep my word!¡±

    Although her tone sounded begging, her words were full of threats.

    Huo Xuenong red at Luo Jin, and his facial expression grew colder and colder.

 Chapter 1324 - Fatal Faux Pas

    <h4>Chapter 1324: Fatal Faux Pas</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, Luo Jin was indeed colluding with old Master Huo. There were even stiptions between the two of them...

    She immediately added fuel to the mes. ¡°Miss Luo, that¡¯s wrong of you. Could it be that you¡¯ve even made stiptions towards old master Huo before? Not to mention that old master Huo is your elder, and you even call him ¡®grandfather¡¯. The Huo family had raised you for so many years, and everything you have was given by the Huo family. What right do you have to make stiptions with old master Huo? Besides, what do you mean by saying that? Don¡¯t tell me you still want grandfather Huo to defend you, do you?¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart trembled when she heard that. She couldn¡¯t help but think of her father Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will that Huo Xuenong had mentioned before. She began to resent Huo Guanyuan inside.

    If he was so heartless, why did he want to marry her mother back then?!

    She had called him ¡®father¡¯ for so many years, yet he only left such little money for her and her mother!

    He indeed hadn¡¯t treated her as a member of the Huo family. If that was the case, why should she cover up for the Huo family?

    Luo Jin raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Grandfather? Are you really that heartless? Aren¡¯t you going to help me?¡±

    Huo Xuenong heard Luo Jin¡¯s insinuations. She was going to reveal the secret deal between them in front of so many people.

    Huo Xuenong wouldn¡¯t have cared if Xie Shenxing wasn¡¯t there, but Huo Xuenong felt a little embarrassed with Xie Shenxing there.

    He thought about it for a moment and slowly raised his head, then said to Gu Nianzhi with a amicable expression, ¡°Nianzhi, you have to forgive and forget. Stop being so aggressive. Jin knows she was wrong, so go easy on her and give her a way out. She won¡¯t try to marry Shaoheng anymore, so you can rest assured.¡±

    He was insinuating that Gu Nianzhi was only targeting Luo Jin for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sake.

    Of course, this was also one of the reasons, but the nature of the entire thing hadpletely changed when Gu Nianzhi found out that Luo Jin had actually been conspiring with Aiko Yamaguchi.

    This was no longer a simple case of jealousy, but a matter of life and death.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the smile off her face and said in a low voice, ¡± ... Does she really know that she was wrong? Miss Luo, would you dare swear that you didn¡¯t know anything? That everything was Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s fault? That you were just an innocent victim?¡±

    ¡°I Dare! ¡± Luo Jin immediately raised her right hand. ¡°If I knew anything, I¡¯ll... be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for such an illusory oath.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°All you have to do is say that if you knew anything, you¡¯ll bear all the corresponding legal consequences.¡±

    ¡°Fine! I swear! If I knew anything, I¡¯ll bear all the corresponding legal consequences!¡± Luo Jin repeated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words as if she was a parrot.

    ¡°Alright, you can arrest her now.¡± Gu Nianzhi stepped aside to make way for the three special operation forces personnel. ¡°She¡¯s the mastermind behind the attempt on my life in Germany.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Luo Jin waspletely bbergasted. She red at Gu Nianzhi and said fiercely, ¡°How could it be me?! It was Aiko Yamaguchi! What¡¯s wrong with you?! Was all that talk for nothing?! Do you not understand humannguage?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t understand humannguage, and you¡¯re the one who¡¯s deliberately trying to confuse everyone.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Luo Jin without backing down and took a step forward. She raised her chin slightly. Her gaze was calm and steady, and her vibe was overpowering. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not! ¡± Luo Jin was flustered. She clutched her chest weakly and looked at Cai Shengnan. ¡°Lawyer Cai, please help me! Please help me! You took my advance payment of six million US dors, and you¡¯re just going to keep quiet?!¡±

    Cai Shengnan cursed Luo Jin inside. As she expected, she was indeed ming her, but she was also a little embarrassed that she pointed out that she wasn¡¯t doing anything despite having epted the money, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you¡¯re liable for what you say. Please don¡¯t nder my client.¡±

    ¡°My client made it very clear just now. She met Yamaguchi Aiko in France, and Aiko Yamaguchi was the mastermind behind everything. Whether it was trying to kill you or scheming against you, Aiko Yamaguchi was the one who did everything. It had nothing to do with my client.¡±

    ¡°It really had nothing to do with her?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned cold as she looked at Cai Shengnan. ¡°May I ask,wyer Cai, if you can say something that is legally responsible. Did your client tell you the truth, and do you know the entire truth?¡±

    Cai Shengnan shut her mouth.

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t say that.

    She hadn¡¯t known anything about what Luo Jin said about Aiko Yamaguchi just now.

    The only thing she knew was that Luo Jin told her that she hadn¡¯t transferred the money herself, but had helped her friend Yamaguchi Aiko with her business.

    She hadn¡¯t even mentioned the nature of the business.

    ¡± ... you can¡¯t guarantee that, can you?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and said slowly, ¡°Lawyer Cai, don¡¯t get involved. I advise you to return the six million dors in advance to Luo Jin, because you can¡¯t defend her regarding this matter.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, her cold gaze fell on Luo Jin¡¯s pale face. ¡°Luo Jin, are you still insisting that you¡¯re the victim? That you were deceived by Aiko Yamaguchi?¡±

    Luo Jin nodded nkly and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. Why won¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    ¡°If you want others to believe your lies, you have to at least make your own lies sound usible.¡± Gu Nianzhi curled her lips and stretched out her slender and smooth finger and shook it. Her soft fingernails reflected the light of the ward. Luo Jin reflexively turned her head away and averted her gaze.

    ¡°How did I lie? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Luo Jin was puzzled. She had made things up pretty convingly...

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand? Then I¡¯ll reluctantly exin it to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and chuckl lightly. ¡°Luo Jin, you said Aiko Yamaguchi became your close friend in Europe and asked you to lend her money. Then she died at the hands of pirates in the Caribbean Sea, so the money you lent can¡¯t be repaid, right?¡±

    Luo Jin quickly nodded. ¡°Of course, of course. Look...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression suddenly turned serious. ¡°You¡¯re still lying! I¡¯ll tell you where your lies were exposed.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart pounded. What exactly had gone wrong?

    Everything had been wless...

    ¡°Because of the time, ¡± Gu Nianzhi said coldly. ¡°You made up the wrong time when you were making up the lies.¡±

    Luo Jin suddenly seemed to remember something, and her expression changed. Her legs felt so weak that she could no longer stand up. She copsed in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s hospital bed.

    Gu Nianzhi took the arrest warrant from the Special Operations Forces member beside her. She took another step forward and looked down at Luo Jin. She felt immense psychological pressure when she saw the arrest warrant in front of her.

    ¡°Luo Jin, you realize it don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You said Aiko Yamaguchi was hunting me in Germany, but she died at the hands of pirates in the Caribbean.¡±

    ¡°But the truth is, Aiko Yamaguchi tried to kill me in the Caribbeans, and she died at the hands of ¡®pirates¡¯ in May ofst year.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, I fell in danger in Germany and was hunted down in September ofst year.¡±

    ¡°Combined with what you said, then she ¡®died¡¯ in the Caribbean before and after she tried to kill me in Germany. ¡±

    ¡°May I ask how a person who is already dead cane back from the dead and appear in Germany again?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone grew more and more harsh, ¡°You deliberately confused the sequence of events and misled everyone into believing that the transfer of money to York¡¯s bank ount had nothing to do with you. It was a dead person who asked you to do it, so there would be no witnesses.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying! Because you¡¯re covering up the truth!¡±

    ¡°The truth is that Aiko Yamaguchi never existed at all. You were the one who made yp the whole thing, weren¡¯t you, Luo Jin?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone was harsh, and she purposely ced all the me on Luo Jin alone.

    Of course, she knew that Aiko Yamaguchi was definitely in charge. Back in the Caribbeans, Gu Yanran had put on an act and killed the ¡°middle-aged woman¡± that Yamaguchi Aiko had disguised as in the Caribbean. She thought that Yamaguchi Aiko was really dead.

    It was only when Luo Jin tried to clear herself of the ¡°moneyundering¡± usation that Gu Nianzhi found out that Aiko Yamaguchi, or rather, Yoko Yamaguchi, hadn¡¯t died in a car ident in Japan, nor had she died in the Caribbean Sea!

    This person was like a poisonous snake, hovering around her. When the time was right, she would give her another fatal blow!

    This time, Luo Jin had given herself away. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t let this chance slip. She had to continue investigating.

    This was also why Huo Shaoheng had asked the special operations forces to take over the lead in this case from the imperial capital police.

    Aiko Yamaguchi, or Yoko Yamaguchi, wasn¡¯t dead.

    She was also closely connected to the case where Gu Nianzhi was hunted down in Germany, and she even might have been the mastermind.

    With Gu Nianzhi and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s contributions to the Huaxia Empire, the assassination attempt oon Gu Nianzhi was, of course, a threat to national security.

    On the other hand, Luo Jin was on the verge of breaking down.

    She had no idea that Aiko Yamaguchi had attempted to assasinate Gu Nianzhi in the Caribbean Sea and had even met her face to face.

    She only remembered that Aiko Yamaguchi said that her identity was very well hidden and that she had ¡°died¡± at the hands of pirates in the Caribbean, so her n definitely wouldn¡¯t be exposed.

    When Gu Nianzhi suddenly said that Aiko Yamaguchi had pursued and attempted to kill her in the Caribbean, Luo Jin vaguely felt that something was amiss.

    Only now did she realize that she hadpletely reversed the sequence of events.

    This was a fatal faux pas!

    How could she make up for this faux pas?!

    No, she wasn¡¯t Aiko Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s crime could not be med on her.

    In a panic, Luo Jin said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why Aiko Yamaguchi didn¡¯t die in the Caribbean Sea. I swear I met her in France! ¡±

    It was a pity. She had just been rejoicing that she didn¡¯t leave any traces rted to Aiko Yamaguchi, but in the blink of an eye, she was racking her brains to prove that the two of them were conneced.

    How ironic!

    ¡°Come on, just now you said she died in the Caribbean Sea. Did she herself tell you she died in the Caribbean sea?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed, but saw the corners of Luo Jin¡¯s eyes twitch. Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood. It seemed that Aiko Yamaguchi had even told Luo Jin about this. In order to be friends with Luo Jin, she really was extremely honest with Luo Jin!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the Third Watch of the day: Chapter 1324, fatal error.

    It was time to remind everyone of their monthly and rmended tickets!

    Good night, everyone!

    * * * * .

 Chapter 1325 - Homme Fatale

    <h4>Chapter 1325: Homme Fatale</h4>

    Since Aiko Yamaguchi had even told Luo Jin about this, Luo Jin must have known that Yamaguchi Aiko was hunting Gu Nianzhi down in Germany. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have spent so much money to fund Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s criminal activities.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression turned cold.

    This was no longer an ordinary act of aiding and abetting. They were in cahoots, and their crimes were no different from each other.

    Gu Nianzhi had never crossed paths with Luo Jin, let alone harbored a grudge.

    What was it about her that made Luo Jin want to kill her?

    Was it for Huo Shaoheng?

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched. She couldn¡¯t help but quickly click on her phone and send Huo Shaoheng a text message.

    Huo Shaoheng was smoking when he heard the sound of a text message on his phone. He picked it up and read it.

    [ Nez Here ] : Homme fatale! Rage, rage, rage. JPG.

    Huo Shaoheng: ..

    What on earth was going on in the ward?

    Although Huo Shaoheng was puzzled, he still suppressed the urge to push the door open and enter. He only replied with a string of: [ ? ? ? ]

    Gu Nianzhi smiled when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reply. Her mood miraculously improved, and she even felt a little guilty...

    Because what Luo Jin had done had nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng.

    She couldn¡¯t me Huo Shaoheng for being so popr, could she?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze slowly fell on Luo Jin¡¯s sparkling eyes, and she was in a bad mood again. She said with a sullen face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still thinking about how to lie? Don¡¯t try to quibble. Yes, you weren¡¯tundering money, but actually paying for contract killing! ¡ª¡ªAiko Yamaguchi never existed, and you¡¯ve been the mastermind behind the scenes all along!¡±

    Luo Jin was so frightened by Gu Nianzhi that she could only subconsciously deny it three times. ¡°I didn¡¯t! It wasn¡¯t me! I didn¡¯t do it!¡±

    ¡°Just because you said you didn¡¯t do it means you didn¡¯t do it?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to let Luo Jin off the hook at all, so she ridiculed her further, ¡°You¡¯re clearly jealous of me. In order to steal my fianc¨¦, you didn¡¯t hesitate to spend a lot of money to buy a hitwoman to kill me in Germany. So I shouldn¡¯t sue you for moneyundering. I should sue you for murder!¡±

    ¡°Luo Jin, you¡¯re too vicious. A normal woman would only covet another woman¡¯s man At most, she¡¯ll be a mistress to steal someone else¡¯s man. You¡¯re directly going to exterminate the human body!¡±

    Luo Jin shook her head quickly. Tears were about toe out of her eyes. Paralyzed, she sat in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s hospital bed. She looked up and saw Huo Xuenong sitting on the bed without a word. She thought to herself, this is all your fault. If you hadn¡¯t agreed, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this...

    However, Huo Xuenong acted as if he hadn¡¯t seen her, and suddenly said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡± ... Now that you¡¯ve proven that it¡¯s not moneyundering, can you drop the moneyundering charge?¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s question even stunned someone as quick-WITTED as Gu Nianzhi.

    Luo Jin was even more shocked!

    She was about to be charged with murder, but old master huo was still only concerned about whether the trust fund could be unfrozen!

    This was too much!

    How could Luo Jin let Huo Xuenong stay out of this?

    She gritted her teeth and finally said, ¡°Grandfather Huo, have you forgotten what you promised me?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself that it has finallye to this, but she said, ¡°Luo Jin, don¡¯t drag Grandfather Huo into this. Your trust fund doesn¡¯t have anything to do with Grandfather Huo.¡±

    Luo Jin was so angry that she couldn¡¯t breathe.

    If Huo Xuenong hadn¡¯t urgently asked her to transfer half of the trust fund to his cheap grandson, Zhang Wenjie, how could she have alerted Gu Nianzhi and got her trust fund frozen in advance?!

    Then she got cornered and was forced to tell her everything about Aiko Yamaguchi!

    No wonder Aiko Yamaguchi made her vow to never mention her name in front of Gu Nianzhi...

    But how did she know that Gu Nianzhi had been present when Aiko Yamaguchi ¡°died at the hands of Pirates¡± in the Caribbean sea?!

    Luo Jin kept cursing Aiko Yamaguchi inside. She wanted nothing more than to drag her out and give her a good beating.

    Gu Nianzhi waved the arrest warrant in front of Luo Jin to further provoke her. ¡°Luo Jin, open your eyes and take a good look at this arrest warrant! ¡ª¡ªI just want to remind you that Huaxia Empire has the death penalty! ¡±

    Luo Jin was so frightened that she turned around and knelt in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s sickbed. She reached out with both hands and grabbed Huo Xuenong¡¯s arm. ¡°Grandfather Huo! Grandfather Huo! Help me testify that Aiko Yamaguchi really existed!¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s pupils dted and he pushed Luo Jin away forcefully. He frowned and said, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten?! When we were in France, Aiko Yamaguchi came to the Xie Manor one day to pick me up. You even met her!¡±

    Although it was only a fleeting nce at the manor¡¯s entrance and Huo Xuenong had never spoken to Aiko Yamaguchi, he had indeed met her once.

    However, Huo Xuenong had always been disdainful towards the Japanese. Although he didn¡¯t stop Luo Jin from interacting with Aiko Yamaguchi, he himself wouldn¡¯t acknowledge Aiko Yamaguchi.

    Luo Jin only hoped that Huo Xuenong could prove that Aiko Yamaguchi was still alive at that time and didn¡¯t die in the Caribbean Sea. At least, she wasn¡¯t the main perpetrator of the murder.

    At this juncture, Luo Jin could no longer make a choice.

    She could only choose the lesser of the two evils.

    Huo Xuenong was furious.

    He could already tell that Aiko Yamaguchi wasn¡¯t a good person. At that time, he had only nced at the entrance of France. He didn¡¯t even get a clear look at the woman¡¯s face. Yet she wanted him to testify for her and drag him into this mess?!

    Ha, what a dream!

    Huo Xuenong closed his eyes and his overpowering vibe suddenly waned. He leaned back against the big pillow weakly and said, ¡°Jin, don¡¯t force me to say something untruthful. I don¡¯t remember seeing such a person. How could I testify for you?¡±

    Luo Jin widened her eyes and her mouth went agape. Huo Xuenong¡¯s words kept echoing in her mind.

    ¡± ... I don¡¯t remember seeing such a person at all... ¡±

    ¡± ... I don¡¯t remember seeing such a person at all... ¡±

    ¡± ... I don¡¯t remember seeing such a person at all... ¡±

    Was he trying to burn bridges before crossing the river?!

    Luo Jin held onto Huo Xuenong¡¯s bed and kneeled down straight. She begged again in anguish. ¡°Grandfather Huo, I beg you, please think again! Think again! It was Aiko Yamaguchi who came to have dinner with me and go shopping that day. We met you at the entrance of the manor...¡±

    As if he hadn¡¯t heard Luo Jin, Huo Xuenong closed his eyes.

    Luo Jin begged and pleaded, but Huo Xuenong didn¡¯t say a single word.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to discourage her, ¡± ... Luo Jin, I advise you not to do anything useless. Grandfather Huo Huo used to be a general in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military. Why would he perjure himself for you? You¡¯d better go with yourrades in the Special Operations Forces and tell them how you hired a contract killer. On ount of the fact that you¡¯re the daughter of a war hero, I¡¯ll plead with the court not to sentence you to death.¡±

    However, if she was convicted, even if it wasn¡¯t the death penalty, it would still be life imprisonment!

    Then what was the point of her living?

    She might as well die!

    However, before she died, she had to drag a few people down with her.

    Luo Jin¡¯s face darkened. She lowered her head and gripped the edge of the thin quilt on Huo Xuenong¡¯s sickbed tightly with both hands. She muttered, ¡°Grandfather Huo, as long as you can testify for me, I¡¯ll agree to any stiption of yours!¡±

    ¡°Tsk Tsk, Luo Jin, do you thinkwyer Cai and I are dead? Do you really think you can do whatever you want just because you have money when you¡¯re talking about bribing witnesses in front of us? Besides, the trust fund has already been frozen. You don¡¯t have to make empty promises.¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms as she scoffed.

    Luo Jin turned to look at her. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hide her disdain at all. She looked at her as if she was looking at a pile of trash.

    Luo Jin red at her resentfully. She trembled and turned around, then said to Huo Xuenong, ¡± ... Grandfather Huo, are you really going to leave me to die? We discussed the stiptions, so are you really not going to fulfill our agreement? You promised me that if I transferred half of the trust fund to your grandson, Zhang Wenjie, you would let me marry Major General Huo!¡±

    Huo Xuenong opened his eyes wide and sat up straight. He waved his fists and roared, ¡°I¡¯m ignoring you, so you start talking more and more outrageous nonsense? ! When did I. . . ¡±

    ¡°Grandfather Huo, you didn¡¯t think that with just one word from you, I¡¯ll give you half of my assets, did you?¡± Luo Jin supported herself on the edge of the bed and struggled to stand up. ¡°I recorded what you said to me back then. ¡ª¡ªIn preparation for this day!¡±

    Luo Jin was well aware of how heartless Huo Xuenong was.

    In order to prevent him from going back on his word and burning the bridge after crossing it, she had also used some tricks to secretly record the negotiations between the two of them.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s voice came to an abrupt stop, and his face was full of shock. ¡°What... What did you say? ! You actually recorded it?!¡±

    When Xie Shenxing heard Luo Jin¡¯s words, he was the first to scowl. ¡°Huo Xuenong, when did you have a grandson with the surname Zhang?! Don¡¯t you only have one grandson, Shaoheng?¡±

    Xie Shenxing actually knew about Huo Xuenong¡¯s rtionship with head nurse Zhang, but he would never acknowledge that Zhang Feng and Huo Xuenong had a rtionship.

    Even if they had a grandchildren, Xie Shenxing still wouldn¡¯t find such a person. He treated the Zhang Family as insignificant passersbies.

    Gu Nianzhi also asked curiously, ¡± ... Why did Luo Jin have to give half of the trust fund to Zhang Wenjie? How strange. This was Uncle Huo¡¯s inheritance, and also old Madam Xie¡¯s inheritance... If I remember correctly, this was her dowry, which was her pre-marital property. How could she give it to the grandson of a mistress? This is too outrageous isn¡¯t it?

    She shook her head and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. Grandfather Huo can¡¯t be so brainless and shameless. Luo Jin must be lying again, right?¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s face was red. He couldn¡¯t care less about the sarcasm in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. He nodded with his face red. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s lying. I couldn¡¯t possibly say something like that.¡±

    He knew very well that the key point about the secret between him and Luo Jin was the word ¡°secret¡±.

    Once this matter was exposed, it would bepletely destroyed, just like a photographic film.

    Therefore, he denied it outright and said, ¡°Luo Jin is full of lies. Even the audio recording can¡¯t be trusted. It must be a forgery.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. Luo Jin does like to lie. I just exposed her for lying to us about a dead person, and now she¡¯s ming you for it. She doesn¡¯t know how to repent. She¡¯s gone too far.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s every word put immense pressure on Luo Jin.

    Luo Jin¡¯s mind buzzed. Thest thread of her rationality was finally snapped by Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 1326 - Misread

    <h4>Chapter 1326: Misread</h4>

    She had finally said it...

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyes shed with panic.

    But it had only been for a moment. He immediately regained hisposure and frowned, then said, ¡°Luo Jin, you¡¯re in a fit of anger right now, so it¡¯s understandable that your acting impulsively and saying unpleasant things. I advise you to think twice before you speak. Don¡¯t say something you¡¯ll regret.¡±

    This was a warning to Luo Jin not to speak carelessly.

    However, Gu Nianzhi would n¡¯t give Luo Jin the chance to weigh the pros and cons.

    She scoffed and stuffed her hands into her pockets. She looked askance at Luo Jin and clicked her tongue. ¡°Tsk, you still haven¡¯t given up on the opportunity to drag Grandfather Huo into this mess? Grandfather Huo already said that you have to think twice before you act. Aren¡¯t you digging your own grave by picking a fight with Grandfather Huo?¡±

    This round of perfect embellishment and sowing discord made Luo Jin, who had already lost her mind, even angrier.

    Her entire body was trembling. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were abnormally red. She red at Huo Xuenong¡¯s uneasy expression and sneered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want me to tell you my father¡¯s will?¡±

    She turned to look at Gu Nianzhi with a look of desperation on her face. ¡°I want to see Major General Huo. I have something important to tell him! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and raised her hand to look at her plump fingernails, then said slowly, ¡°Major General Huo is extremely busy. How would he have the time to see you? If you have something to say, say it now. What¡¯s so difficult about it?¡±

    She hinted to Luo Jin, ¡°Yourwyer is here, and so is Grandfather Xie. None of them are easy to deal with.¡±

    Xie Shenxing: ¡± ... ¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to bepared to something cumbersome!

    Even if it were true...

    Cai Shengnan sighed beside her. She didn¡¯t want to offend Huo Xuenong.

    She walked over and tugged at Luo Jin¡¯s clothes, then said in a low voice, ¡°Jin, you¡¯re too emotional today. Stop talking. Let¡¯s go back and have a proper discussion, okay?¡±

    She could tell that Luo Jin had fallen into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap. She was revealing more and more of her trump cards.

    What chance did they have?

    Luo Jin turned to look at her. wyer Cai, I have to say in my defence. I really lent that money to Yamaguchi Aiko! ¡±

    Cai Shengnan thought to himself, what could I do if you couldn¡¯t provide proof of Yamaguchi Aiko?

    She only looked at Luo Jin with a smile.

    Luo Jin was very disappointed with Cai Shengnan. She looked at Gu Nianzhi again and said, ¡°I still want to see Major General Huo! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s true that Major General Huo couldn¡¯te. do you have any reason why you have to see him? If your reason is good enough, I¡¯ll help you figure it out. ¡±

    Luo Jin immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s about my father, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will. If Major General Huo doesn¡¯t see me, it¡¯ll be a huge loss to him. ¡±

    She threw caution to the wind now. If Huo Xuenong wasn¡¯t willing to help her, she was going to end up in prison for life. What was the point of having so much money?

    At this time, if she could use that money to buy a life, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to be deep in thought and said, ¡± ...How great loss it would be?¡±

    ¡°If Major General Huo is willing to meet me, I can transfer all the trust fund my father left behind to him.¡± Luo Jin said in a low voice.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s face contorted with anger

    How dare Luo Jin turn against him?

    ¡°Luo Jin! What right do you have to deal with the inheritance left by my son? Do you really think you you¡¯re entitled to my son¡¯s inheritance?!¡± Huo Xuenong sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that the half of my son¡¯s inheritance is mine! ¡±

    Huo Xuenong didn¡¯t want to use this trick unless it was absolutely necessary.

    He had endured for 17 years and never mentioned this matter, but now he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.

    If he didn¡¯t say it now to stop the b*tch, Luo Jin¡¯s nonsense, his other son would never get the trust fund.

    Luo Jin suddenly turned around and looked at Huo Xuenong, ¡°What did you say?! That¡¯s not what you said earlier!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything before! ¡± Huo Xuenong interrupted her with a cold expression. ¡°My son¡¯s will didn¡¯t mention the distribution of property, so ording to the inheritancew, both you and I have the right to inherit my son¡¯s inheritance! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile, she agreed. ¡°Mr. Huo is right. If there¡¯s no will, or if the will doesn¡¯t mention the inheritance of property, then ording to the inheritancew, the spouse, children, and parents are the first in line to inherit. However, Mr. Huo won¡¯t get half of Uncle Huo¡¯s inheritance. ¡±

    Since ording to this order, after Huo Guanyuan¡¯s death, Luo Xinxue, Luo Jin, and Huo Xuenong could split his inheritance equally.

    Luo Jin could also inherit the portion of the inheritance left by Luo Xinxue, so Luo Jin could inherit two-thirds while Huo Xuenong could only inherit one-third at most, less than half.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s face turned red.

    He had forgotten about Luo Xinxue.

    He pull a long face and said coldly, ¡°One-third is still fine. In short, Luo Jin, you have to give up the portion that belongs to me. All these years of principal ie, not a single cent less! I felt sorry for you so didn¡¯t mention that, but I haven¡¯t expect you are further intensified, even looking down upon me! ¡±

    Luo Jin was extremely disappointed with Huo Xuenong. She sneered and said, ¡°One-third? You¡¯re willing to give me two-thirds now? ¡±

    He had actually told her that her father¡¯s will not leave the trust fund to her.

    Liar! They¡¯re all liars!

    Huo Xuenong was speechless. He felt extremely ufortable.

    However, he insisted that there was no mention of property distribution on Huo Guangyuan¡¯s will.

    Luo Jin realized that Huo Xuenong did not dare to take out his will, so she was even more confident, she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. My father¡¯s will must have been written to my mother. Why did you hide it from us? And I don¡¯t believe that my father would not make any arrangements for such a huge trust fund. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Ms Luo is right. Uncle Huo doesn¡¯t seem like someone who doesn¡¯t get his way. ¡±

    Luo Jin insisted on seeing Huo Shaoheng again, and promised that she wouldn¡¯t let them down.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and said, ¡°Major General Huo really can¡¯te to see you right now. But I¡¯ll connect you to his face time, and then you can talk to him, okay? ¡±

    Actually, Huo Shaoheng was in the corridor outside the ward, with the other members of the special forces.

    Huo Shaoheng heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words through his bluetooth headset and took out his phone.

    Face time was still on.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome and solemn face appeared on the screen of his phone. The light was a little dim that she couldn¡¯t see his surroundings, but huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was as bright as light. He was so handsome that she couldn¡¯t take their eyes off him.

    Luo Jin looked as if she had seen her savior, she immediately said, ¡°Major General Huo! I want to tell you that Yamaguchi Aiko did everything. She¡¯s not dead. ¡°Also, Mr. Huo has my father¡¯s will. Mr. Huo once made an agreement with me that if I transfer half of the trust fund to his other grandson, Zhang Wenjie, he would let me marry you! ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°How can I believe that? In this day and age, parents can¡¯t arrange marriages, let alone grandparents. Luo Jin, if you want to make up a lie, you have to make it logical. ¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s face flushed red.

    How did she know that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care about Huo Xuenong at all? !

    At her level, all she saw and heard was that parents had absolute control over their children¡¯s marriages.

    Yes, marriage was indeed free now. No one could force another person to marry.

    But for people in their ss, if they didn¡¯t listen to their parents, they would lose too much. Almost no one could resist this temptation.

    So even if they didn¡¯t love each other, even if they yed their own games after marriage, they would obediently follow their parents¡¯ arrangements and marry.

    The gap between the upper ss and lower ss couldn¡¯t be overstepped through marriage.

    This was also why Luo Jin didn¡¯t understand Huo Shaoheng.

    She thought that no matter how much Huo Shaoheng liked Gu Nianzhi, he would at most let her be his mistress for the rest of his life and wouldn¡¯t marry her.

    The only people who could marry him were those in their social circle.

    She had misjudged Huo Shaoheng and Huo Xuenong.

    Gu Nianzhi hated to hear Luo Jin say things like that, so she retorted without hesitation, ¡°Luo Jin, I think you¡¯re really full of lies. How many lies have you told today? It¡¯s already over the limit!¡±

    Huo Xuenong quickly said, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s lying! There¡¯s no such thing. Why would I do that? Besides, Nianzhi¡¯s engaged to Shaoheng...¡±

    ¡°It was because the whole world knew about Major General Huo and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s engagement that youid your cards on the table!¡± Luo Jin angrily rebuked Huo Xuenong, then said out loud, ¡°You said that ording to my father¡¯s will, the entire trust fund was left to Major General Huo! There wasn¡¯t a single cent for me!¡±

    How else could she have been tempted to covet him and the inheritance?!

    The ward suddenly became quiet.

    Everyone¡¯s expressions were frozen in time, like sculptures.

 Chapter 1327 - Most Hated Person

    <h4>Chapter 1327: Most Hated Person</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi had heard from Song Jinning about Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will and how he had left all his assets to Huo Shaoheng, so she wasn¡¯t particrly surprised.

    She simply marveled over how it was indeed true...

    Huo Guanyuan was truly head over heels in love.

    It was a pity that he hadn¡¯t used the right method and missed paths with Song Jinning.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi already knew, she still feigned astonishment.

    The three members of the special forces were even more shocked. They had the feeling that they heard something they shouldn¡¯t have.

    But they didn¡¯t dare to immediately rush out. They could only brace themselves and listen on.

    Cai Shengnan appeared astonished and awkward. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between Huo Xuenong and Luo Jin.

    If what Luo Jin said was true, then she really had to re-evaluate Luo Jin¡¯s financial strength and see if it was worth it to continue being herwyer.

    Fortunately, she had already received an advance payment of six million US dors, so she wouldn¡¯t lose everything.

    Luo Jin looked at Huo Xuenong¡¯s dejected face and finally felt a little better.

    Since you left me in the lurch, then we¡¯ll fight to the death!

    Huo Xuenong only felt the stench of blooding from his throat. He suppressed it again and again before he swallowed his anger.

    However, his face was burning. Luo Jin¡¯s words made him suffer unprecedented humiliation.

    With his hands behind his back, Xie Shenxing snorted coldly and walked over to Huo Xuenong¡¯s sickbed, then said condescendingly, ¡°Huo Xuenong, you¡¯re truly impressive! You even dared to hide your own son¡¯s will. You¡¯d rather let your assets fall into the hands of your unrted granddaughter than give them to Shaoheng. I really regret not forcing my sister to divorce you back then!¡±

    At that time, if Xie Ziyan had divorced Huo Xuenong, Huo Xuenong would have had no future.

    Although a military marriage wasn¡¯t easy to divorce, Xie Ziyan had evidence of Huo Xuenong¡¯s infidelity in her hands. This was a matter of ethics.

    It would¡¯ve been entirely possible for Huo Xuenong to be expelled from the organization and then expelled from the military.

    Even worse, he could have gone to prison.

    ¡± ... Huo Xuenong, use your conscience and ask yourself, are you worthy of my sister? What did my sister do to you?! She gave birth to your children and helped you build your future. Without our Xie family, how could you have risen up the ranks so quickly?!¡±

    Xie Shenxing had never spoken so harshly in front of others.

    Even if the other party had really relied on the Xie family to obtain achievements, the Xie family wouldn¡¯t pompously take the credit.

    They refrained from being too ruthless because they might need them in the future.

    They are capable and what¡¯s even more, they are high-minded as well.

    However, Huo Xuenong had gone too far.

    Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t want to save him the humiliation anymore. ¡°Do you really miss that head nurse of yours that much?! Other than doing something within the scope of her duties, what else did she do to make you miss her so much?!¡±

    Huo Xuenong was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage. He roared, ¡°Who misses her?! My biggest regret is getting involved with her!¡±

    Not only had he lost his status and military priviledge, but he was also relentlessly ridiculed by his rtives and friends. He couldn¡¯t raise his head high anywhere.

    The person he hated the most inside, besides Gu Nianzhi, was Zhang Feng.

    Gu Nianzhi exposed the truth that he had spent 17 years trying to cover up, and had almost cut off all his options.

    ¡°You¡¯re regretting it?! If you¡¯re regretting it why are you finding a way to give my sister¡¯s inheritance to you and Zhang Feng¡¯s grandson?!¡± Xie Shenxing couldn¡¯t wait to p him again. ¡°Hurry up and hand over Guan Yuan¡¯s will! Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being uncourteous!¡±

    ¡°Zhang Feng is Zhang Feng, and Baochen is Baochen! Don¡¯t mix them up!¡± Huo Xuenong didn¡¯t care anymore. They had already fallen out, so why should he care?

    ¡± ... Who is Baochen? Do you have another mistress?!¡± Xie Shenxing was shocked. ¡°Huo Xuenong, do you know how old you are?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly and quickly said, ¡°Zhang Baochen is the illegitimate son of Zhang Feng and Grandfather Huo. Zhang Wenjie is Zhang Baochen¡¯s son, and the grandson of Zhang Feng and Grandfather Huo.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re really worried about your illegitimate son.¡± The corners of Xie Shenxing¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Guanyuan and Guanchen? Why won¡¯t you treat them like human beings? Do you have to humiliate them like this? And even humiliate your dead wife?!¡±

    Huo Xuenong straightened his neck, then said angrily, ¡°Why don¡¯t I treat my sons like human beings?! Guanyuan and Guanchen had both risen to high positions in the military at a young age, not to mention Shaoheng. He had been supported by his grandmother since he was young, and had the status and influence of his father and I in the military, so he was promoted to Major General at a younger age than his uncle, yet you¡¯re still not satisfied?

    ¡°But what about Baochen? He didn¡¯t have a father since he was young. You don¡¯t know how he survived! When he came back to me, I couldn¡¯t help him on the surface. I only wanted to give him some money so that he could live a better life. Why can¡¯t you understand? You have a son too, we are all human, so how can I be biased? ! ¡±

    Listening on the side, Gu Nianzhi felt extremely upset inside.

    She didn¡¯t know much about Huo Guanyuan and Huo Guanchen, but she knew Huo Shaoheng very well.

    Grandfather Huo actually said that Major General Huo was promoted to the rank of Major General because of him?!

    He really didn¡¯t know his ce. He should be afraid of losing his tongue for saying that.

    Gu Nianzhi said coldly, ¡°Grandfather Huo, please don¡¯t talk nonsense. Major General Huo¡¯s rank of Major General was earned of his own ord. What does that have to do with you? He¡¯s been out for so many years, and you don¡¯t even know what he does. How dare you say that it¡¯s because of your status and influence in the military?¡±

    She spread out her hands. ¡°You¡¯re Major General Huo¡¯s negative asset. It¡¯s already fortunate enough that you didn¡¯t hold him back. How can it be because of your influence? ¡ª¡ªIf he really relied on your influence, he would have been kicked out.¡±

    Would having a grandfather who was stripped of his military rank and forced to retire make Major General Huo look good?

    When written in his personal resume, these were all things that would get points deducted for him!

    Xie Shenxing nodded repeatedly, ¡°Well said! Huo Xuenong, you¡¯re too big for your britches! If you have the ability, you can rely on your own ability to support your illegitimate child and illegitimate child¡¯s little bastard! Why do you need to go through so much trouble to seize your son¡¯s inheritance? Besides, your eldest son¡¯s inheritance is actually my sister¡¯s inheritance. It¡¯s our Xie family¡¯s assets. So what right do you have to conspire for it?!¡±

    ¡°How did I conspire for it? It¡¯s already my son¡¯s inheritance. I¡¯m also part of it.¡± Huo Xuenong said with self-assurance, ¡°Would Shaoheng still care about this little bit of money? 80% of his grandmother¡¯s trust fund was left to him. Guanyuan¡¯s share was only 10% . How could he be interested in it? ¡ª¡ª They¡¯re all blood-rted, so how could he let his uncle and cousins live in poverty!¡±

    ¡°Huo Xuenong, if you say that then you¡¯re very shameless.¡± Xie Shenxing had the urge to spat on Huo Xuenong¡¯s livid face, ¡°Whether Shaoheng has money or not is his own business. What does it have to do with Zhang Baochen and Zhang Wenjie? If they don¡¯t have money, then me them for not having a rich grandmother. Whose fault is it besides Zhang Feng¡¯s for being so poor?!¡±

    The more Xie Shenxing said this, the more Huo Xuenong pitied Zhang Baochen and his family.

    They were his flesh and blood, but their statuses were vastly different. How could he bear that?

    He gritted his teeth and refused to take out Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will. He even said, ¡°Don¡¯t be deceived by this woman. Guanyuan¡¯s will is long gone. Back then, I was too distraught and didn¡¯t know where I put it.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll believe you?¡± Xie Shenxing pressured him. ¡°We can sue you in court! ¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and sue me! ¡± Huo Xuenong sneered. ¡°If you sue me, I¡¯ll jump off the 20th floor!¡±

    Xie Shenxing was shocked by Huo Xuenong¡¯s shameless and reckless attitude, but he quickly came back to his senses. He sneered and said, ¡°in that case, we have nothing to talk about. From now on, I have nothing to do with you, Huo Xuenong, and don¡¯t address me as a rtive. I only recognize Shaoheng and Nianzhi. If Guanchen recognizes me as his uncle, I won¡¯t make things difficult for him. As for you, I¡¯m sorry. From now on, we¡¯re strangers. Don¡¯t tell anyone that you know me, let alone that I¡¯m your inw!¡±

    Huo Xuenong was also shocked by Xie Shenxing¡¯s harsh words.

    He just said that to scare them and not force him to take out Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will.

    In the end, Xie Shenxing directly broke off rtions with him. He had even wanted Zhang Baochen¡¯s family to get close to the Xie family...

    Xie Ziyan had passed away so many years ago. Why couldn¡¯t they treat Zhang Baochen¡¯s family well on his ount?

    In the past, if Xie Ziyan had been the official wife, Zhang Baochen would have addressed her as ¡°mother.¡± The Xie family was also Baochen¡¯s rtives.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyes gleamed. He wanted to admit defeat, but there were so many outsiders in the ward that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so.

    Gu Nianzhi was quick to see what was going on. She noticed that Huo Xuenong was showing signs of softening, so she quickly said, ¡°Grandfather Huo, Grandfather Xie actually just wants to see Uncle Huo¡¯s will. If you don¡¯t remember where it is, can I help you look for it? Or can I ask Major General Huo to send someone to look for it for you? I know that the special operations forces have specialized experts who specialize in searching for lost items.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather Huo, so you don¡¯t have the will? Then why did you lie to me and say that you did? You even said that my father¡¯s trust fund wasn¡¯t left to me, but to Major General Huo?¡± Luo Jin mocked Huo Xuenong, ¡°I think you should think about it. Did you see Aiko Yamaguchi in France? That way, you¡¯ll get more benefits.¡±

    She was hinting to Huo Xuenong that as long as he testified that Aiko Yamaguchi had indeede into contact with her at that time, she would give half of the trust fund to Zhang Wenjie.

    Huo Xuenong regretted it at that moment. He should have nonchntly said that he had seen her once but they didn¡¯t say anything to each other and that he wasn¡¯t familiar with her...

    He shouldn¡¯t have denied it and forced Luo Jin to drag him down with her.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi was still the most despicable person.

    He knew that she was trying to sow discord between them. Everythinng she said just now had ulterior motives. He was no fool!

    Huo Xuenong looked at Gu Nianzhi coldly and said, ¡°You¡¯re Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Since Shaoheng is involved in this matter, you should avoid suspicion and not get involved in this case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    Old master Huo still had some tricks up his sleeve...

    Cai Shengnan was also stunned for a moment before her face lit up with joy. She added, ¡°Old master Huo is right. Since Major General Huo is involved in the inheritance,wyer Gu really shouldn¡¯t get involved in this case. You can¡¯t be the defensewyer for this case anymore.¡±

    The only way to get Gu Nianzhi out was to force her out. Whether it was Luo Jin¡¯s intentional murder case against Song Jinning or the ¡°moneyundering¡± case in the Swiss court, or even the inheritance case that was just beginning to appear, Cai Shengnan grew confident in her victory.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and giggled. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I get involved in this case? Lawyer Cai, have you seen Mr. Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will?¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled and shook her head. ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t seen it, but my client said... ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your client¡¯s words are neither legally binding norw, so her words have no effect.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her fingers, then turned to Huo Xuenong. ¡°Grandfather Huo, you keep saying that Major General Huo is involved in this matter, so I shouldn¡¯t get involved in this case. So you admit that Mr. Huo Guanyuan has a will and that his trust fund belongs to Major General Huo?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Huo Xuenong immediately denied it. ¡°He has a will, but it doesn¡¯t mention any distribution of property, so his trust fund can only be inherited by Jin and me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gu Nianzhi sped her palms. ¡°What does this have to do with Major General Huo? If it doesn¡¯t involve Major General Huo, then it has nothing to do with me. If that¡¯s the case, then why shouldn¡¯t I get involved in this case? Why should I withdraw from thesewsuits?¡±

    Cai Shengnan and Huo Xuenong were both stunned.

    They and Luo Jin looked at each other.

    They hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to create another dilemma for them in the blink of an eye!

    If they wanted Gu Nianzhi to withdraw from thesewsuits, then they would have to produce Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will!

    Huo Xuenong wouldn¡¯t give them the will, so they had no legitimate reason for Gu Nianzhi to withdraw!

    If Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t withdraw, how could they fight thiswsuit?!

 Chapter 1328 - Scheming Girl

    <h4>Chapter 1328: Scheming Girl</h4>

    Xie Shenxingughed heartily and gave Gu Nianzhi a thumbs up. ¡°Good! Good job, little Nianzhi! Good job! Good job!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile. Her eyes gleamed slyly as she said humbly, ¡°You tter me, Granduncle.¡±

    Xie Shenxing patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I didn¡¯t misjudge you. You really have some impressive moves.¡± As he spoke, he turned to look at Huo Xuenong, who was lying on the hospital bed. ¡°I think you should stop struggling stubbornly. Take out Guanyuan¡¯s will, and I won¡¯t hold you responsible.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s trust fund had never fallen into grandfather Huo¡¯s hands.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyes grew dark, and he was still unwilling to give up.

    He had nned for so long, and he couldn¡¯t just give up because he was threatened by someone.

    There was a moment of silence in the ward.

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin were standing on the left and right sides of Huo Xuenong¡¯s bed respectively.

    Gu Nianzhi and Xie Shenxing retreated to the window and lowered their heads to whisper to each other.

    The three staff members of the Special Operations forces remained calm as they texted Huo Shaoheng for instructions on what to do next.

    ...

    In the corridor outside the ward, Huo Shaoheng suddenly heard a noiseing from the elevator. Someone wasing.

    He quickly turned around and led the remaining members of the Special Operations forces to the corner where he had hidden himself earlier.

    The elevator door opened. Huo Xuenong and the head nurse Zhang Feng¡¯s illegitimate son, Zhang Baochen, walked out of the elevator with his son Zhang Wenjie and daughter Zhang Wenna while carrying arge fruit basket and an exquisite gourmet food gift basket.

    ¡°The two of you greet your grandfather when you see himter. Remember to be obedient and don¡¯t make the old man angry.¡±

    ¡°Wenjie, do you have your passport and identity documents?¡±

    Huo Xuenong had asked them to bring these documents.

    ¡°Yes. Why did we have to bring these?¡± Zhang Wenjie looked impatient. ¡°The old man always acts on whims, and you mess around with him as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being filial! Filial! Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Zhang Baochen hit Zhang Wenjie on the head in frustration.

    ...

    In the ward, Gu Nianzhi stood next to Xie Shenxing with her arms crossed, but her eyes were fixed on Huo Xuenong¡¯s bed.

    She was racking her brains wondering why Huo Xuenong had hidden Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will?

    If what Song Jinning and Luo Jin said was true and Huo Guanyuan had really left the trust fund to Huo Shaoheng, then why had Huo Xuenong dared to ask Luo Jin to give half of it to Zhang Wenjie?!

    Gu Nianzhi believed that Luo Jin was no saint. If it was all smokes and mirrors, she wouldn¡¯t have relented.

    Could there really be something in the will that they didn¡¯t know about?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it over and over again, then looked at Huo Xuenong thoughtfully, who was lying on the hospital bed with a gloomy expression on his face.

    Her dark jade-like eyes darted around, and she walked over to Huo Xuenong. She looked down at him slightly and said, ¡°Grandfather Huo, Uncle Huo¡¯s will was once in your hands, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Huo Xuenong couldn¡¯t deny this.

    The military had recorded it.

    It had been handed over to the Huo family.

    Huo Xuenong nodded and said with a sullen expression on his face, ¡°I was given to me once, but I was in so much grief that I didn¡¯t know where I put the will. Perhaps I was so upset that I tore it up.¡±

    ¡°Have you read the will? ¡± Gu Nianzhi asked quietly.

    Her gaze was soft and gentle, and no one could resist it.

    Huo Xuenong thought abput it quickly and nodded again. ¡°I¡¯ve read it once, so I know that the will doesn¡¯t say anything about the distribution of his assets.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you tell Luo Jin that it did?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. Luo Jin was lying,¡± Huo Xuenong denied tly. ¡°Even the recording was fake.¡±

    In reality, with audio analysis, it would be easy for experts to verify whether or not the recording was fake.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to push Huo Xuenong into a corner on this matter. She had more important questions to ask.

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t retort. She only said, ¡°You and Luo Jin both have your own opinions on this matter. The evidence in both of your hands aren¡¯tplete, so I¡¯ll retain my suspicions for now.¡±

    Therefore, she wouldn¡¯t allow Luo Jin¡¯s words to give her presumptions.

    Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°If the will didn¡¯t specify the distribution of the estate, then what did it say?¡±

    Huo Xuenong snapped back to reality and immediately shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s been more than ten years, so who would still remember?¡±

    ¡°But you just said that you remembered that there was no information about the distribution of the estate.¡± Gu Nianzhi reminded Huo Xuenong calmly, ¡°Could it be that you have selective amnesia about the contents of the will? Why don¡¯t we try hypnosis by a psychiatrist? This will help you recall what was written in Uncle Huo¡¯s will.¡±

    ¡°Impossible! ¡± Huo Xuenong objected firmly. ¡°I don¡¯t have amnesia, and I don¡¯t need to be hypnotized by a psychiatrist.¡±

    ¡°What can we do then? You refuse to see a psychiatrist, and you say you don¡¯t remember the contents of the will, and that you lost it.¡± Gu Nianzhi tapped her left cheek lightly with one of her fair fingers. ¡°What do you think is the probability of so many coincidences happening together?¡±

    Huo Xuenong didn¡¯t speak. He leaned against the bed with a sullen expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯m tired. All of you get out. Otherwise, I¡¯ll call the doctor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and raised her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient, Grandfather Huo. I still have something to ask you.¡±

    Huo Xuenong simply closed his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended not to see this. She organized her thoughts and said, ¡°Let¡¯s first exin the will from a legal point of view.¡±

    ¡°ording to thew, a will is a legal act whereby a citizen, within the limits of thew and while still alive, carries out a personal disposition of his estate or other affairs in ordance with thew and takes effect upon the death of the person concerned.

    ¡°Therefore, due to the nature of the will, it is a personal disposition of the deceased¡¯s personal property and other personal affairs.

    ¡°ording to what Grandfather Huo said, Uncle Huo¡¯s will doesn¡¯t contain any content regarding the distribution of property, which is obviously not in ordance with the rules of a will. I highly doubt that Uncle Huo would make such a disorganized will.¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly, but he still didn¡¯t speak.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t miss the subtle change in Huo Xuenong¡¯s expression.

    She knew that she had guessed correctly. She curled her lips and continued to ask, ¡°So, Grandfather Huo, you still insist that there is nothing in Uncle Huo¡¯s will that has anything to do with his personal property ¡±

    ¡± ... What do you mean? If I say there is nothing, then there is nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then this will is invalid.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands and looked regretful. ¡°It can¡¯t even be called a will.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t it be called a will?! It was handed over from the military,yer byyer. Why can¡¯t it be called a will?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked Huo Xuenong up and down with a smile. After a while, she said, ¡°Because ording to what you insisted upon, the will was indeed valid, and that means that the will must have mentioned the issue of the distribution of property.¡±

    Huo Xuenong opened his mouth and looked up at Gu Nianzhi, but didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Gu Nianzhi contined as if she was talking to herself, ¡± ... We can specte that Uncle Huo¡¯s will stated that he would leave the entire trust fund to Major General Huo, and that made Grandfather Huo very unhappy, so he decided to hide the will and let Luo Jin temporarily take over the inheritance?¡±

    Huo Xuenong sneered and said, ¡± ... lies, keep making up lies! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°It seems like that¡¯s not what the will said.¡±

    ¡± ... How do you know? ¡± Luo Jin interjected. ¡°Grandfather Huo told me himself that my father¡¯s will stated that the entire trust fund would be given to Major General Huo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s in keeping with Uncle Huo¡¯s personality and M.O.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? You know my father better than I do?¡± Luo Jin¡¯s was ovee with jealousy. The man she was in love with loved Gu Nianzhi, and now Gu Nianzhi knew Huo Guanyuan better than she did?

    Dream on!

    Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    Her impression of Huo Guanyuan came from his deep hidden secret love for Song Jinning.

    How could such a cautious man, who never acted without thinking, marry someone he didn¡¯t like and pretend to be his wife for the rest of his life, rather than take the initiative to pursue the person he liked,e up with a will full of mistakes?!

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if I knew your father better than you,¡± Gu Nianzhi said nonchntly, ¡°Because a person¡¯s understanding of another person isn¡¯t based on how long they¡¯ve known each other or how many events they¡¯ve attended together. It¡¯s based on whether they have the heart to understand each other. Luo Jin, your interest in your father is obviously not as big as your interest in his trust fund. Don¡¯t try to argue with me on purpose.¡±

    Luo Jin retracted her neck and sank into her hooded jacket.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Xuenong. ¡°Grandfather Huo, I¡¯m guessing that there isn¡¯t anything particrly important in the will, is there?¡±

    Huo Xuenong was pondering over how to get Gu Nianzhi out of thesewsuits when Gu Nianzhi suddenly asked him this. He nodded reflexively, then immediately shook his head when he realized what was going on. He said angrily, ¡°How can there be official affairs in a personal will?! What are you trying to get out of me?! I don¡¯t want to talk to you! Stop scheming against me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t angry at all. She giggled and said, ¡°Awyer is either a scheming boy or a scheming girl. How can you be awyer without being scheming? I¡¯ll treat Grandfather Huo¡¯s words as apliment!¡±

    Huo Xuenong pursed his lips. Gu Nianzhi was really thick-skinned. He wasn¡¯tplimenting her!

    ¡°There were no official affairs to begin with. Who would mention official affairs in their will?¡± Grandfather Huo scoffed.

    ¡± ... Yeah, I don¡¯t think so either.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°I can infer from three aspects that Uncle Huo¡¯s will idn¡¯t involve official affairs. ¡±

    ¡°First of all, Mr. Huo Guanyuan was a soldier and a senior colonel. If there really was something unspeakable in his will, why didn¡¯t he report it directly to his superior?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of writing it in his will?¡±

    ¡°If nothing happened to him, would he not report it to his superior?¡±

    That was obviously impossible.

    Huo Guanyuan was a very principled person, so he would never do something that didn¡¯tply with the confidentiality rules.

 Chapter 1329 - Divination

    <h4>Chapter 1329: Divination</h4>

    Even Huo Shaoheng, who was outside the ward, was secretly cheering on Gu Nianzhi.

    Indeed, soldiers¡¯ wills were meant to give them a chance to deal with their personal affairs.

    As for official business, they should have exined it clearly before they left for missions. It was unrealistic for them to continue dealing with it in the will.

    In the ward, Gu Nianzhi continued saying, ¡°Second of all, even though I¡¯ve never met Uncle Huo, I can tell from his handling of the people and matters around him that he¡¯s a very cautious person. He won¡¯t make a move unless he¡¯s 100% confident.¡±

    This was probably the main difference between Huo Guanyuan and Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng preferred to take risks. As long as there was a 50% chance, he would make a move. He wouldn¡¯t wait until there was a 100% chance.

    ¡± ... such a cautious person wouldn¡¯t miss out on any personal matters that needed to be taken care of. So I¡¯m guessing that his will has a veryplete way of handling the arrangements for Luo Xinxue and Luo Jin.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she kept a close eye on Huo Xuenong¡¯s behavior. Upon seeing his unnerved expression, she knew she had guessed correctly.

    She was more confident now. She smiled and said, ¡°Third of all, Grandfather Huo had Uncle Huo¡¯s will, but he kept it a secret, so I¡¯m guessing that there¡¯s damaging information about Grandfather Huo in it.¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s pupils dted.

    Gu Nianzhi had never seen the will before, nor did she know who Huo Guanyuan was. She actually correctly guessed the contents of his will just by deducing!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced. ¡°Then what is it? What is the damaging information about Grandfather Huo? So damaging that he would hide this will for 17 years?¡±

    ¡°Haha, if you think about it this way, being awyer is such a waste of talent. You should write a novel. Perhaps you would¡¯ve already became famous and have started a family.¡± Huo Xuenong finally spoke.

    Just as he finished speaking, the door to the ward was pushed open. Zhang Baochen appeared at the door with his son, Zhang Wenjie, and his daughter, Zhang Wenna.

    He was holding a fruit basket in one hand and a gourmet food basket in his other hand. He stood at the door and was shocked to see so many people in the ward.

    On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi was trying to figure out what private matter could have caused Huo Xuenong to refuse to take out the will.

    The moment she saw the Zhang family, she got an idea and felt extremely fortunate. She suddenly thought that this private matter must have something to do with the Zhang family, right?!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately turned around and asked, ¡°Huh? Why are you here? What are you doing here?¡±

    Zhang Wenjie was a little excited when he saw Gu Nianzhi. He immediately said, ¡°Miss Gu? You¡¯re here too? My grandfather asked us toe. We also brought our ID cards and bank ounts. Did my grandfather ask you toe too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    She immediately realized that Grandfather Huo was nning to immediately change the beneficiary of the trust fund.

    If they hadn¡¯t taken the initiative and frozen the trust fund, they might have seeded...

    Gu Nianzhi immediately turned around and smiled at Huo Xuenong. ¡°The damamging information about Grandfather Huo in Uncle Huo¡¯s will has something to do with the Zhang family, right?¡±

    Huo Xuenong tried his best not to look ill at ease, but his grip on the quilt revealed his true state of mind.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze shifted to the back of his hand, which had veins bulging out like old tree bark, and she nodded. ¡± ... It seems like I was right again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah right! ¡± Huo Xuenong said gruffly. He finally couldn¡¯t help but swear.

    ¡°Am I not?¡± Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back, then cocked her head and smiled. ¡°It looks like Uncle Huo¡¯s will has three parts.¡±

    ¡°One, the arrangement of Luo Xinxue and Luo Jin. ¡±

    ¡°Two, the distribution of your inheritance.¡±

    ¡°Three, the treatment of Zhang Feng.¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s body stiffened after Gu Nianzhi finished those three sentences. He felt as if all his strength had been drained from his body. He fell limp onto the hospital bed and closed his eyes.

    Zhang Baochen was so scared that he threw away the fruit basket and food basket in his hands and rushed over. ¡°Dad! Dad! How are you? ! Don¡¯t scare us!¡±

    Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna were also shocked. They hurried over and stood in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s hospital bed while anxiously asking about Huo Xuenong¡¯s condition.

    Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan looked at each other. They quietly left Huo Xuenong¡¯s hospital bed and moved toward the door of the ward.

    When Xie Shenxing¡¯s two staff members saw that three more people hade into the room, they quickly guarded him.

    Not allowing anyone to leave, the three Special Operations forces staff members blocked the door.

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside Xie Shenxing and shook her head with a smile. She looked at the three members of the Zhang family, who were crying in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s bed, and said, ¡°Are you all putting on a show? Grandfather Huo is just tired and needs to close his eyes to rest. Do you guys have to be so dramatic?¡±

    His face still wet with tears, Zhang Baochen turned around angrily and shouted, ¡°My father is old and has already fainted. Why are you still pressuring him?! Can¡¯t you wait until he¡¯s better?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out. ¡°Mr. Zhang, this is the high-end ward of the Imperial Military¡¯s General Hospital. It is well equipped enough to ensure old Grandfather Huo¡¯s health. Look, there is no reaction from the equipment over there. It is enough to show that Grandfather Huo¡¯s heart rate is normal, his blood pressure is normal, and even his breathing rate is healthy and robust. Therefore, why are you crying? Do you want to jinx things?¡±

    Zhang Baochen froze for a moment. He turned to look at the equipment on the side of the bed. Sure enough, everything was normal.

    Then, he looked at Huo Xuenong. He could clearly see that the eyeballs under his eyelids were rolling rapidly.

    He indeed hadn¡¯t really passed out.

    Zhang Baochen felt a little embarrassed and said sheepishly, ¡°Dad, are you tired? If you¡¯re tired, go to bed early. I will ask these people to leave.¡±

    Huo Xuenong indeed hadn¡¯t fainted. Just now, he wanted to pretend to be sick like he did at home, but he made a mistake. He didn¡¯t expect that since this was a hospital, and it was a high-ss ward with the best facilities, if he really fell ill again, it would be detected by the equipment, and a team of doctors would also immediately rush in to see him.

    He had wanted to take advantage of his old age, and pretend to have a little of all sorts of illnesses from old age, so no one could say that he wasn¡¯t sick at all.

    However, he had encountered Gu Nianzhi, who took things seriously. He had been utterly humiliated!

    Huo Xuenong opened his eyes with a ferocious expression.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯m tired now. Can you please all go out?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll leave when I¡¯m done.¡±

    She took a step forward and looked at Zhang Baochen. ¡°Mr. Zhang, how old are you?¡±

    ¡± ... 47. Why? ¡± Zhang Baochen looked at Huo Xuenong in confusion. ¡°Dad, what were you guys talking about?¡±

    ¡°Tsk, Tsk. You were already 30 when Uncle Huo had his ident, right? You hadn¡¯t returned to the Huo family yet back then, right?¡±

    Zhang Baochen shook his head. ¡°I only returned to my father¡¯s side after my oder brother passed away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a moment. ¡°Old Master Huo had an affair with Zhang Feng more than 40 years ago. In that case, besides old Madam Xie, I think Uncle Huo also knew about it.¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyes twitched imperceptibly as he averted his gaze.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him fixedly and said with a smile, ¡°I understand now. The part of Uncle Huo¡¯s will about a privatepromising matter about Grandather Huo that couldn¡¯t be revealed to the public must have something to do with Zhang Feng.¡±

    ¡°My guess is that Uncle Huo somehow found out about the adulterous affair between Zhang Feng and Grandfather Huo, but old Madam Xie had already passed away at the time, so he didn¡¯t say anything and kept it to himself.¡±

    ¡°But in his will, he dealt with Zhang Feng. In what way?¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her chin on one hand, then said absentmindedly, ¡°I¡¯m guessing that with Uncle Huo¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t have been too harsh. He would have been very reserved. At most, he would have asked Zhang Feng to leave Grandfather Huo and the Huo family, right?¡±

    ¡°But at that time, Grandfather Huo was still on the rise in his career. It might even have been the most crucial period.¡±

    ¡°If Uncle Huo¡¯s will was released at that time, any discerning person would know what happened at a nce.¡±

    ¡°And due to the issue of principle, the consequences would be very severe for someone like Grandfather Huo.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, Grandfather Huo wouldn¡¯t allow such a thing to tarnish his reputation and affect his promotion. Looking back at that time,Grandfather Huo was promoted to the Standing Committee of the Supreme Military Council after Uncle Huo¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, Grandfather Huo hid the will and quietly watched Huo Guanyuan¡¯s widow, Luo Xinxue, take over Huo Guanyuan¡¯s trust fund and all his other assets.¡±

    ¡°Then, Luo Xinxue suddenly died, and Luo Jin, an orphan, became the first legal heir to the assets. Grandfather Huo knew that he had a better way to deal with the will.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had barely finished speaking when she heard a round of apuse from the ward before she could confirm the authenticity of her story to Huo Xuenong.

    ¡°Little Nianzhi, little Nianzhi, I, Xie Shenxing, have never been sopletely impressed by anyone in my life, but you are definitely one of the people who have impressed me!¡±

    Xie Shenxing apuded Gu Nianzhi and looked at Huo Xuenong with disdain. He turned around to take out a letter from the staff member beside him and waved it at everyone in the ward. ¡°This is a copy of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will. It was found in his Swiss bank safe.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Swiss bank safe? My father had a safe in a Swiss Bank?!¡±

 Chapter 1330 - Believe Or Donâ€™t Believe

    <h4>Chapter 1330: Believe Or Don¡¯t Believe</h4>

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know that my father had a safety deposit box in a Swiss Bank? ¡± Luo Jin¡¯s eyes were red with emotion. ¡°This is fraud! There was no such item on my father¡¯s estate list!¡±

    She had gone through Huo Guanyuan¡¯s estate list countless times and counted it countless times. She had never known that Huo Guanyuan had a safety deposit box in a Swiss Bank.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent. Although she felt that as his daughter, Luo Jin¡¯s center of focus was a little strange, she didn¡¯t say much about it. She turned to look at Xie Shenxing and pointed at the letter in his hand, then asked calmly, ¡°Granduncle, is this really a copy of Uncle Huo¡¯s will?¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s heart sank. He still had his head down, but he rolled his eyes at Xie Shenxing. ¡± ... A copy of the will? Xie Shenxing, you¡¯re impressive. You heard from me that I lost the real will, so you immediately made a fake will, right?!¡±

    Xie shenxing sneered and shook the envelope in his hand. ¡°Who says I made a fake will? What¡¯s in it for me? My sister¡¯s dowry in the past was only a small portion of the Xie family¡¯s wealth. Why would I forge someone else¡¯s will for a tenth of that? Do you think I¡¯m as blind as you and your god-granddaughter?

    ¡°You¡¯re not blind, but you despise me. You despise me for humiliating your sister, so it¡¯s not out of the question for you to forge a copy of the will to humiliate me.¡± Huo Xuenong asserted that the copy of Xie Shenxing¡¯s will was fake.

    Xie Shenxing spread his hands out and said helplessly, ¡± ... Do you still need me to humiliate you? I think you¡¯re already notorious. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re even more despicable than I thought. ¡±

    ¡°Stop ndering me! ¡± Huo Xuenong pounded the bed furiously. ¡°I¡¯m going to sue you! I¡¯m going to sue you for forging someone else¡¯s will!¡±

    In awe, Gu Nianzhi watched the two elders¡¯ drama for a while, then reached out to hold Xie Shenxing¡¯s arm. She smiled and said, ¡°Stop arguing, both of you. Let Grandfather Xie tell us the truth first. I think Miss Luo asked the right question. Why isn¡¯t this copy of the will on Uncle Huo¡¯s list?¡±

    She believed that Luo Jin must have gone through Huo Guanyuan¡¯s list countless times. She would know best if anything had been missed.

    Xie Shenxing nodded. He put away the sarcasm on his face and patted Gu Nianzhi on the back of her hand, then said ruefully, ¡°Huo Xuenong might be a scoundrel, but his children and grandchildren aren¡¯t bad, especially the eldest, Guanyuan, and Shaoheng, who was raised by my sister. They¡¯re all like my sister instead of this shameless old rogue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up slightly. She didn¡¯t say ¡°thank you¡± , but instead praised him with pride. ¡± ... Grandfather Xie has such good perception! ¡±

    Xie Shenxing looked at the will in his hand and said calmly, ¡°Your uncle Beichen found this. When Huo Xuenong was in France, it was your uncle Beichen who stopped me and made me bite the bullet instead of kicking him out. ¡±

    ¡°But this time, because I investigated the trust fund under Luo Jin¡¯s name, I found out about some other things. Even my gentle and sophisticated son couldn¡¯t bear it, so he let mee back to settle the score with Huo Xuenong.¡± Xie Shenxing¡¯s eyes swiveled between Huo Xuenong and Luo Jin, then his expression darkened.

    ¡°Because Luo Jin authorized a trust fund transfer to Germany, and this amount of money wasn¡¯t a small amount. It involved the possibility of moneyundering, so your uncle Beichen simply sent people to check all the ounts of the trust fund over the years.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    After she took over Huo Guanyuan¡¯s trust fund, she hadn¡¯t checked the ounts before that.

    And the other party had no obligation to ount for the previous ounts, because she had only received the inheritance from Luo Xinxue. All the ounts had been transferred to her from the day Luo Xinxue died.

    The rest of the ounts only had a summary of the earnings before that, and there were no detailed rules.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know much about the financial management of trust funds, but she was vaguely aware that it wouldn¡¯t be an easy task to check the details of the ounts.

    However, this wasn¡¯t difficult for the Xie family.

    Xie shenxing continued, ¡°With this check, we found out that seventeen years ago, Guanyuan had once opened a safe in a Swiss bank under Shaoheng¡¯s name.¡± As he spoke, he smiled at the baffled Luo Jin. ¡°Why isn¡¯t this Swiss Bank¡¯s safety deposit box in Guanyuan¡¯s belongings? Because it¡¯s not in Guanyuan¡¯s name, but in Shaoheng¡¯s name.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡± ... Did no one really know about this? What if, since it wasn¡¯t an audit, you forgot about it?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    Xie Shenxing smiled and stroked her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t forget about it. The trustee of the trust fund told your uncle Beichen that they hadn¡¯t forgotten about this safe. Back then, Guanyuan had left them a power of attorney. He said that if he was no longer alive when his nephew Huo Shaoheng got married, he would give this envelope to him as a wedding gift.

    Gu Nianzhi felt both touched and sad. She felt sympathy and respect for her uncle, whom she had never met before. She felt a mixture of emotions inside.

    She sighed and said, ¡°No wonder. If the letter of entrustment was given to the trustee of the trust fund, it had nothing to do with Uncle Huo¡¯s belongings, so it wasn¡¯t recorded in the list of belongings.¡±

    It was like he had written a letter to the trustee of the trust fund. Of course, this letter wasn¡¯t considered one of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings, but the trust fund¡¯s trustee¡¯s property.

    Xie Shenxing continued, ¡°We obtained Shaoheng¡¯s consent and opened the envelope. Inside was a set of keepsakes that had been rented from a Swiss bank safe. We used this keepsakes, along with Shaoheng¡¯s identity document and authorization letter, to go to the Swiss bank and open the safe while apanied by awyer.¡±

    ¡°In the end, there was nothing else in the safe. There was only a sealed document bag and two letters. One of the letters was a copy of his will.¡± Xie Shenxing¡¯s expression was a little ill at ease when he said this.

    Gu Nianzhi observed his awkward expression and helped him change the subject. ¡°So Major General Huo knew that uncle Huo had a copy of his will?!¡±

    Xie Shenxing shook his head. ¡°He didn¡¯t know. Although we had his authorization to open the safe, we didn¡¯t tell him what was in it.¡±

    In other words, Xie Shenxing was testing Huo Shaoheng as well.

    Luo Jin and Huo Xuenong asked at almost the same time, ¡± ... Then who was the file bag and the other letter for? ¡±

    Xie Shenxing nced at them with disdain and said nonchntly, ¡°The file bag was also for Shaoheng. We didn¡¯t open it. As for the other letter, it has nothing to do with you guys. I came back this time to deal with this matter.¡±

    ¡°I opened the copy of the will. Since Guanyuan had already died but we hear that he left a will behind, we were worried that something fishy was going on, so apanied by awyer, we opened the envelope with the will. ¡± Xie Shenxing took a deep breath, then looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile. ¡°Little Nianzhi, your deductions about Guanyuan¡¯s will just now were almost right.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up, and her face lit up so radiantly that she attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    Just then, the door to the ward was pushed open again, and Huo Shaoheng, dressed in the ck uniform of the special operations forces, strode in.

    He was extremely tall and burly, and as soon as he walked in, he cast a huge shadow at the door and put much psychological pressure on the people in the ward.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t affected at all. She smiled and rushed towards him. ¡°Major General Huo, you¡¯re here?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and reached out to catch her. He held her by his side and brought her towards Xie Shenxing. ¡°Granduncle, can you show me the will?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Xie shenxing nodded and ced the copy of the will in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. ¡°This was meant for you.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the will and read through it.

    Xie Shenxing turned to look at Huo Xuenong and said mockingly, ¡± ... now, you don¡¯t have to worry about other people¡¯s things anymore. Everything will be returned to its rightful owner.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m doing this for myself?!¡± Huo Xuenong couldn¡¯t take it anymore after being humiliated by Xie Shenxing again and again.

    He knew that his rtionship with the Xie family was irreconcble, and he gave up on his dream of the Zhang family to getting close to the Xie family.

    He red at Xie Shenxing with resentment and said angrily, ¡°All you know is money?! If you had read the will, wouldn¡¯t you understand why I would rather that huge fortune fall into the hands of irrelevant people and not say anything?!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because the adulterous affair between you and Zhang Feng was also mentioned it in the will by Guanyuan? ¡± Xie Shenxing shook his head. ¡°Guanyuan hoped that Zhang Feng could retire early and said that she was no longer suitable to continue working for the Huo family.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he did mention Zhang Feng, but at that time, your sister had already passed away. If Zhang Feng and I wanted to be together, it wasn¡¯t impossible, but we didn¡¯t,¡± Huo Xuenong said self-righteously, ¡°You think Guanyuan is all that high-minded? He lusted after his sister-inw! ¡ª¡ªYou really think I could let people see this will?! How about his title of war hero?! How about his brother Guanchen¡¯s reputation?!¡±

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s words shocked even Gu Nianzhi.

    Although she knew that Huo Guanyuan had a deep crush on Song Jinning, she absolutely believed that Huo Guanyuan was ¡°lustful yet restrained¡± and was very discreet about it. It wasn¡¯t as disgusting as Huo Xuenong made it out to be when he said that he ¡°lusted after his sister-inw¡±.

    He was so discreet to the extent that Song Jinning hadn¡¯t known that Huo Guanyuan had feelings for her.

    During Bai Jinyi¡¯s casest year, this matter had already been brought out in the open by Bai Jinyi and Luo Jin as the evidence of Luo Xinxue¡¯s suicide.

    At that time, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s reputation was saved by Gu Nianzhi.

    Because she proved that when Song Jinning wrote the letters with the poetic lines: Your bright pearls with two rows of tears I¡¯m returning, instead. I onlyment we had never met before I wed, she was mentally insane and wrote it under the guidance of Bai Jinyi.

    Now Huo Xuenong was unexpectedly talking about this matter, and also saying that he ¡°lusted after his sister-inw¡±!

    So Huo Guanyuan was still lusting after her after Song Jinning married Huo Guanchen?

    Gu Nianzhi found it unbelievable.

    Even if he was, with Uncle Huo¡¯s cautious personality, how could he have written it in his will?

    He wouldn¡¯t be unaware of how much trouble and damage it would cause Song Jinning, wouldn¡¯t he?

    Gu Nianzhi reflexively retorted, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    She moved closer to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and read the will together with him.

    Gu Nianzhi had been forced by He Zhichu to learn shorthand for a while, and she had a good memory to begin with. She only took a few quick nces before she gained a new understanding of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will.

    She calmly looked up at Huo Xuenong. ¡°Grandfather Huo, from which line in the will did you perceive me that uncle Huo still has feelings for Ms. Song? I couldn¡¯t tell at all.¡±

    ¡°Of course you couldn¡¯t tell.¡± Huo Xuenong sneered. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see what he wrote in his will? ¡ª¡ªHe left all the ownership of the trust fund to his nephew!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    This line was indeed written in the will.

    ¡± ... but, this only means that uncle Huo doesn¡¯t want to leave the trust fund to Luo Xinxue and Luo Jin.¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to analyze. ¡°What if Ms. Song gives birth to another son in the future? Wouldn¡¯t he have to split the inheritance with Major General Huo? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression suddenly turned strange.

    Her gaze slowly shifted from Huo Xuenong¡¯s angry old face to Zhang Wenjie, who was giggling like it was all Greek to him.

    Gu Nianzhi gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, then said in astonishment, ¡°I understand now. I understand why Grandfather Huo tried so hard to transfer half of the trust fund to Zhang Wenjie. ¡ª¡ªThe original version of Uncle Huo¡¯s will said that he would give the trust fund to his nephew, and Zhang Wenjie is uncle Huo¡¯s nephew as well! So, in the literal sense, he also had half of the inheritance rights.

    Before the Zhang family could rejoice, Gu Nianzhi added, ¡°Grandfather Huo, you¡¯re too unscrupulous! Uncle Huo couldn¡¯t have known that you had an illegitimate child and grandson. The nephew he was talking about was only Major General Huo!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan didn¡¯t openly write that he would give Huo Shaoheng the entire trust fund in order to avoid suspicion, right?

    Because he didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for others.

 Chapter 1331 - The Final Act Of Madness

    <h4>Chapter 1331: The Final Act Of Madness</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s because Shaoheng was his only nephew at the time. Isn¡¯t the intention of his will extremely deplorable?! ¡± Huo Xuenong replied indignantly. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for his own good, for the sake of this family! How dare you think I¡¯m doing this for a small sum of money?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    A nine-figure inheritance was just ¡°a small sum of money¡±?

    This old man Huo was really shameless.

    Gu Nianzhi thought this to herself as she caught a glimpse of the Zhang family¡¯s ecstatic expression from the corner of her eye. It was as if a pie had fallen from the sky, and she immediately found it insufferable.

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to know what she was going to do, and shook his head at her.

    This was his family matter, so he didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to y the bad cop too much.

    If he wanted to go against grandfather Huo, he had to do it himself.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what Huo Shaoheng meant and looked at him worriedly. Her heart ached.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and held her hand tightly. It was as if he was giving her support, but also as if he was looking for strength from her support.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°... Go ahead. ¡±

    She would help Huo Shaoheng fill in the gaps.

    The way the two of them looked at each other made everyone in the ward feel different.

    Cai Shengnan was the first to lose it. She turned around angrily with her back towards Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    Luo Jin had suffered a double blow. She was in a daze and didn¡¯t pay attention to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng at all.

    Xie Shenxing, on the other hand, was happy to see this. He couldn¡¯t resist the urge to give them a thumbs up.

    Zhang Wenjie¡¯s gaze had been fixated on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face the entire time. It was only when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s piercing gazended on him that he averted his gaze.

    Zhang Wenna and Zhang Baochen, on the other hand, werepletely focused on grandfather Huo.

    Huo Shaoheng put the copy of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will back into the envelope. He took a few steps forward and stood in front of Huo Xuenong¡¯s sickbed, then said calmly, ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s hard for me to ept what you¡¯re saying about uncle. Just based on the distribution of the trust fund, it¡¯s too presumptuous to say that uncle was lusting after his younger sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a soldier. I¡¯m a soldier who protects the honor of myrades and kin. At the same time, I¡¯m also my mother¡¯s son. If you continue to insist on this and nder my mother and uncle, I¡¯m sorry, but even if you¡¯re my grandfather, I¡¯ll take you to court.¡±

    ¡°You dare to say that there was nothing going on between your uncle and your mother?!¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s eyes were red. He didn¡¯t expect to be shamed by his own grandson. He couldn¡¯t stand the shame and psychological distress.

    ¡°I swear on my military rank that before my uncle died, there was absolutely nothing between my uncle and my mother that surpassed the rtionship between rtives and friends.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his right hand. ¡°My uncle has now been dead for 17 years. My mother also divorced my father. She¡¯s a single woman. She has the right to pursue her own happiness. I won¡¯t stop my mother from remarrying. Don¡¯t use the word ¡®sister-inw¡¯ to describe the rtionship between my mother and uncle. They are no longer uncle and sister-inw.¡±

    Huo Xuenong spat, ¡°Shaoheng, who are you trying to fool? They are no longer rted, but back then...¡±

    ¡°Back then? What happened back then? Do you have evidence?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this will evidence?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help muttering, ¡± ... This is evidence? If Mrs. Song gave birth to another son who was also uncle Huo¡¯s nephew, then the trust fund would have to be split again. ¡ª¡ªGrandfather Huo, please don¡¯t be so narrow-minded. Everyone knows that Uncle Huo split his trust fund this way because it was left behind by Old Madam Xie and belongs to the Huo family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the dazed Luo Jin, ¡°As for Luo Jin, she¡¯s not even a biological daughter of the Huo family. Naturally, she shouldn¡¯t be entitled to the inheritance left behind by old Madam Xie. Uncle Huo left half of his inheritance to Luo Xinxue and Luo Jin. That¡¯s already a considerable amount of wealth. It¡¯s enough for them to livefortably for the rest of their lives, and it¡¯s the best he could do.¡±

    ¡°You probably also remembered that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t Uncle Huo¡¯s biological daughter, so you kept quiet and allowed her to inherit Uncle Huo¡¯s trust fund, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice became lower and lower, ¡± ... You were just acting like she was holding the trust fund in her hands, so that you could snatch it back from her any moment... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words hit the nail on the head with Huo Xuenong¡¯s most secretive and unspeakable thoughts. Even Huo Xuenong himself didn¡¯t dare to face them sometimes, but Gu Nianzhi was able to expose them so clearly.

    Huo Xuenong was about to scold Gu Nianzhi, but Huo Shaoheng had already stood in front of her and said to Huo Xuenong, ¡°What Nianzhi means is what I mean. I just want to ask you, in the end, was my uncle a person who, in your eyes, would disregard his honor and brotherhood for the sake of a woman?¡±

    Huo Xuenong was flustered by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, so he couldn¡¯t overthink it at the moment. He sneered, ¡°Fine, your first uncle wasn¡¯t wrong. I was wrong. Then we¡¯ll do as you say. This is purely the property left to the Huo family, so Wenjie deserves half of it!¡±

    He looked at Huo Shaoheng with a stiff neck and shot a provocative re at Xie Shenxing. His attitude was very bold and arrogant.

    Xie Shenxing put his hands behind his back and watched coldly as Huo Shaoheng dealt with the matter.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he said calmly, ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t have the right.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Huo Xuenong¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Your uncle¡¯s will is written in ck and white here. Isn¡¯t Wenjie his nephew? We can go and have a DNA test! ording to the new marriagew, even children born out of wedlock have the right to inherit.¡±

    Zhang Feng told him that he had a son named Zhang Baochen, and that Zhang Baochen was already married and had children. When he had a son and a daughter, Huo Xuenong had secretly sent someone to test their DNA and confirmed that Zhang Baochen was his son. Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna were also Zhang Baochen¡¯s biological children, which meant that they were his grandchildren.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at Huo Xuenong, and his eyes dimmed. ¡°Grandfather, when did uncle¡¯s will take effect?¡±

    ¡± ... seventeen years ago, when he died.¡± Huo Xuenong lowered his voice, and his voice sounded choked. ¡°He was my proudest son!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored Huo Xuenong¡¯s disy of vulnerability and asked again, ¡°Then when did the new marriagew take effect?¡±

    Huo Xuenong: ¡± ... ¡±

    He didn¡¯t remember when the new marriagew took effect. He only remembered that Zhang Feng had mentioned to him a few times that after the new marriagew took effect, it would be the same whether they got married or not, and it wouldn¡¯t affect Baochen¡¯s inheritance rights...

    But even if he didn¡¯t remember, he knew that it had happened in the recent years, not 17 years ago.

    ¡°To be precise, the new marriagew took effect seven years ago. May I ask, everyone who knows thew, does thew that took effect seven years ago have jurisdiction over the will that took effect 17 years ago? ¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze swept across the ward as he asked, but he didn¡¯t look at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng was doing this for her own good, but she didn¡¯t mind picking a fight with someone like Huo Xuenong.

    ¡°Major General Huo, that¡¯s a good question. The basic principle of thew is the principle of ¡®not retroactive¡¯. In other words, thew only governs what happens after ites into effect. What happens before ites into effect is governed by the previousw.¡± Gu Nianzhi exined to him with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly. ¡°Seventeen years before my uncle¡¯s will took effect, thew at that time stipted that children born out of wedlock had no right to inheritance. ¡°Therefore, the Zhang family has nothing to do with us. The nephew in my uncle¡¯s will only refers to the legitimate children of my father and mother. If my mother hadn¡¯t been seriously injured and had not lost her mind, perhaps I would have had a few more brothers and sisters in these seventeen years. But unfortunately, my father and mother didn¡¯t give birth to a second ¡®nephew¡¯ in the end. In other words, I was the only nephew who fulfilled the requirements of my uncle¡¯s will.¡±

    His parents had already divorced, so it was impossible for a second nephew to be born unless his parents remarried.

    Huo Xuenong¡¯s face was red as he said, ¡°Shaoheng, don¡¯t go too far, okay? Even so, you¡¯re already so rich. Do you still want this small sum of money?! Grandfather has never begged you in his entire life. This time, I¡¯m begging you to give half of the inheritance to Wenjie. He¡¯s also your cousin!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze swept across the hopeful faces of the Zhang family and finallynded on Huo Xuenong¡¯s begging face. He spit out word by word, ¡°I can¡¯t do it. If I agree to it, grandmother¡¯s soul won¡¯t be at peace in heaven.¡±

    Because of the existence of the Zhang family, his grandmother had died with resentment.

    He still had to use his grandmother¡¯s inheritance to support Zhang Feng¡¯s grandson?

    Hehe, it was thanks to the army that he hadn¡¯t killed them, because he wouldn¡¯t do such illegal things.

    However, they shouldn¡¯t think about getting a single cent from him.

    Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°I won¡¯t take this inheritance either. In the name of first uncle, I will set up the ¡®Guanyuan Fund¡¯ at Mrs. Song¡¯s High Energy Physics Institute to fund the scientific research of the institute.¡±

    Upon hisst shreds of hope being crushed, Huo Xuenong couldn¡¯t hold on any longer.

    His heart beat wildly. He clutched his chest and opened his mouth wide, but he couldn¡¯t breathe any fresh air. He was like a fish out of water, a bird without oxygen, and even his eyeballs were bulging.

    The equipment in the ward started ringing with rm bells, and the sound of footsteps soon came from the corridor outside the ward.

    A group of doctors in white coats rushed in. Seeing so many people in the ward, they immediately waved their hands and said, ¡°Get out! The patient is in a critical condition! Why are there so many people here?! ¡ª¡ªAll of you, get out!¡±

 Chapter 1332 - No Turning Back

    <h4>Chapter 1332: No Turning Back</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and apanied Xie Shenxing out the door.

    Xie Shenxing¡¯s two staff members followed behind them while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin exchanged nces when they saw themotion in the ward. They wanted to take advantage of the chaos and leave.

    However, the three staff members of the special operations forces weren¡¯t to be underestimated.

    Luo Jin had just walked to the door when a staff member blocked her way and showed her an arrest warrant. ¡°Luo Jin, pleasee with us.¡±

    Luo Jin looked at Cai Shengnan in panic. ¡°Lawyer Cai, save me!¡±

    ¡°Yourwyer will naturally save you when you go to court,¡± said the staff member of the Special Operations forces. His hands moved quickly and he had already handcuffed Luo Jin.

    Cai Shengnan quickly said, ¡°My client is not a criminal suspect. How can you use handcuffs?¡±

    The Special Operations Forces Staff member politely said, ¡°What we got from the police station was an arrest warrant issued by the court. You can go and ask the imperial police station whether she is a criminal suspect or not.¡± As he said that, the other two staff members also came over, then one on the left and one on the right, they stood behind Luo Jin and blocked off Cai Shengnan.

    Cai Shengnan could only helplessly watch as Luo Jin was taken away.

    After walking out of the ward¡¯s door, Luo Jin saw Gu Nianzhi being tightly protected by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall body. She felt as if her heart had been soaked in poison.

    She quickly lowered her eyes to conceal the savage look in them.

    Why?

    Gu Nianzhi was an orphan just like her. Why did she get to have both the man and the wth?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was no longer on Luo Jin.

    She looked at the door of the ward with worry. The emergency signal for ¡°surgery¡± had already lit up on the door.

    ¡± ... will Grandfather Huo be okay? ¡± She murmured with ambivalence inside.

    Had they been too aggressive?

    If something happened to Huo Xuenong, would it be detrimental to Major General Huo?

    If they had known, she should¡¯ve been the one to confront grandfather Huo just now...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts ran wild. Huo Shaoheng seemed to understand what she was thinking. He put one hand in his trouser pocket and held her right hand with the other. He squeezed it gently to prevent her from overthinking things.

    Xie Shenxing stood beside them with his hands behind his back as he said calmly, ¡°Huo Xuenong will be fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡± ... A scourge can live for a thousand years. He won¡¯t die so easily.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    Why didn¡¯t she feel consoled?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bluetooth headset rang with the voice of the members of the operation team.

    ¡°Sir, Luo Jin has been escorted back to the car. We¡¯ll be leaving first. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied.

    On the other side, the Zhang family members looked very uneasy.

    Feeling very indignant, Zhang Baochen kept looking at them.

    Zhang Wenjie wanted to sneak a peek at Gu Nianzhi, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s indiscernible gaze swept over him a few times, so he dared not act rashly again.

    Zhang Wenna lowered her head to think about something while hidden behind Zhang Baochen and Zhang Wenjie.

    Outside Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward, everyone had different thoughts on their minds as they waited for the doctor to save Huo Xuenong.

    Not long after, the elevator door at the end of the corridor opened again, and Huo Guanchen hurried out.

    ¡°What happened? I just received a call saying that your grandfather... ¡± When Huo Guanchen saw Xie Shenxing beside Huo Shaoheng, his voice stopped abruptly.

    He saw the Zhang family standing on the other side, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are there so many people? Is there going to be a trial or something?¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi was worried, she still felt likeughing when she heard Huo Guanchen¡¯s words.

    Isn¡¯t there indeed going to be a trial?

    They finally figured out what had happened to Uncle Huo¡¯s will.

    She breathhed a sigh of relief.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at Huo Guanchen. ¡°You¡¯re here. Grandfather was a little agitated just now. The doctors are giving him first aid.¡±

    ¡°Sgitated? Why would he be agitated? How did you provoke him?¡± Huo Guanchen furrowed his brows even more. ¡°The old man is sick. Can¡¯t you understand?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t understand,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°We were also put in a difficult position when grandfather hid uncle¡¯s will from us.¡±

    ¡± ... so many years have passed...¡± Huo Guanchen muttered, but he also knew how unfair it was for his brother, who had already sacrificed himself.

    Huo Guanchen could guess what his father wanted to do by hiding his brother¡¯s will.

    He had indeed gone too far.

    He had not only let Shaoheng down, he had also let his mother down.

    How could his uncle stand by and watch his father act so recklessly?

    Fortunately, Xie Shenxing was here, so Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t me Huo Shaoheng too much.

    Gu Nianzhi said softly, ¡± ... Justice might haveete, but it won¡¯t be absent. ¡±

    Huo Guanchen: ¡± ... ¡±

    Xie Shenxing said coldly, ¡°Guanchen, you don¡¯t have to worry about this. We found the backup of your brother¡¯s will, and your father was simply so humiliated that he flew into a fit of rage.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was shocked. ¡°Backup of his will? There¡¯s a backup of my brother¡¯s will?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, your brother was such a cautious person, so would he not have a backup n?¡± Xie Shenxing shook his head lightly. ¡°Let me tell you the truth. Your brother left almost all of his assets to his nephew. Your father thinks that since the guy over there is also your brother¡¯s nephew, he wants to give half of your mother¡¯s trust fund to him.¡±

    Huo Guanchen immeditely felt his face burn. He hadn¡¯t expected his father to be so biased towards the Zhang family.

    It was one thing for him to be biased towards his brother. He couldn¡¯tpare to his brother in this lifetime, but in his father¡¯s eyes, even his own son Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯tpare to that piece of trash, Zhang Wenjie. What right did he have?!

    Huo Guanchen also looked over indignantly. His gaze met Zhang Baochen¡¯s, and Huo Guanchen¡¯s intimidating vibe gained the upper hand.

    Not daring to look at them again, Zhang Baochen shrank back.

    The vibe outside the ward was a little tense. After a while, the red light on the door of the ward ¡°during surgery¡± went off.

    The door of the ward opened, and doctors in white robes walked out one after another.

    The doctor in the front walked up to Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng. He said with apprehension, ¡°Thank goodness the rescue was timely. The old man is out of danger, but he can¡¯t be agitated anymore.¡±

    Huo Guanchen quickly said, ¡°Thank you, doctor. Can we go in and take a look?¡±

    ¡°You may go in. If the situation changes, we¡¯ll have to carry out a major operation.¡± The doctor nodded lightly and left with his team.

    Xie Shenxing went into the ward first. Huo Shaoheng walked in while holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. Huo Guanchen followed them into the room.

    Zhang Baochen also wanted to go in, but Huo Guanchen closed the door of the ward in front of him, so he couldn¡¯t go in.

    Inside the ward, Huo Xuenong¡¯splexion had improved, but he was still fuming. As soon as he saw that Huo Guanchen had alsoe, he quickly said, ¡°Guanchen! Listen to me, find a woman who can give birth to children and get married right away! Give me eight or ten grandsons, then ask Shaoheng for the trust fund your big brother left behind!¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to see all the benefits go to Huo Shaoheng alone. He still had a grandson, so how could Huo Shaoheng get all the inheritance to himself?

    Huo Guanchen wfelt extremely awkward, but he still said calmly, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be so agitated. Rest well.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to get married or not?!¡± Huo Xuenong red at Huo Guanchen. ¡°Even you won¡¯t listen to me?!¡±

    ¡± ... If you¡¯re right, then I¡¯ll listen. If you¡¯re wrong, then don¡¯t say it.¡± Huo Guanchen tucked Huo Xuenong in. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t want to marry any other woman for the rest of my life.¡±

    Unless Song Jinning was willing to remarry him.

    Gu Nianzhi almostughed out loud when she heard this.

    She knew it would end like this.

    After having been married to someone like Song Jinning, how could he be interested in another woman?

    Previously, Bai Jinyi had only used Huo Guanyuan¡¯s feelings for Song Jinning to provoke Huo Guanchen. Out of jealousy and resentment, he had divorced Song Jinning in a fit of rage.

    He was probably regretting his decision now...

    Unfortunately, Miss Song wasn¡¯t someone who turned back.

    Huo Guanchen would never marry again in this lifetime.

    Huo Xuenong also understood what Huo Guanchen meant, and was instantly enraged. ¡°What¡¯s so good about that woman?! You¡¯re going to have her on your mind for the rest of your life?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t be bothered to listen to his parents¡¯ matters. He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Want to go back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Xie Shenxing also said, ¡°I was going to take Nianzhi to my ce to find the way. Shaoheng, shall we go together?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng agreed. ¡°You¡¯re taking my car?¡±

    Xie Shenxing shook his head. ¡°You shoulde and take my car. We can talk together.¡±

    The three of them discussed this as if no one else was around. They nodded at Huo Xuenong and said their goodbyes before leaving Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward.

    Huo Xuenong had indeed been angry just now, and he had done it on purpose. However, now that he waspletely disregarded by the three of them, he was truly enraged. Even Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t act on his ord.

    ¡°Are you getting married or not?!¡±

    ¡°No. ¡± Huo Guanchen was already quite old. How could he be forced by Huo Xuenong?

    Huo Xuenong was exasperated, and pped him.

    Huo Guanchen reflexively stepped aside. Huo Xuenong didn¡¯t react in time and fell forward.

    The IV needle in his arm was immediately pulled out of ce and began to draw back blood.

    The rm in the ward rang again.

    Huo Shaoheng, Xie Shenxing, and Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even reached the elevator when they saw the group of doctors who had rushed out of the elevator heading towards Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward.

    What was going on?

    The three of them looked at each other in bewilderment and walked back again.

    Huo Guanchen walked out of the ward with a pale face.

    Soon, the door to the ward opened again. Huo Xuenong was lying on a moving bed with an oxygen mask over his face. He was pushed out and headed to the regrrge-scale operating theater.

    It waste at night when the attending doctor finally came out of the operating room.

    ¡°Doctor, how is my father¡¯s condition?¡± Huo Guanchen asked anxiously.

    The attending doctor scolded, ¡°I told you not to provoke the patient. How did you do it?¡±

    However, a doctor beside him who had seen the ward¡¯s monitor quickly whispered, ¡°The patient was agitated, but they couldn¡¯t do anything about it. I saw that the patient made the first move... ¡±

    The attending doctor didn¡¯t continue to me them. He frowned and said, ¡°The patient¡¯s condition isn¡¯t optimistic. He won¡¯t wake up for the time being. You guys have to be prepared for him to be brain dead.¡±

    He was too old and had a bad temper. Even his bypass was useless. The blockage of the blood vessels was too serious. They couldn¡¯t do anything about that even if he was reincarnated.

 Chapter 1333 - Intoxicatingly Irresistible

    <h4>Chapter 1333: Intoxicatingly Irresistible</h4>

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart lurched and he quickly asked, ¡°Is my father out of danger?¡±

    ¡°His life isn¡¯t in danger for now. If he still doesn¡¯t wake up tomorrow, you can transfer him to another ward and find a professional nurse to take care of the patient in a brain dead state.¡± The attending doctor had been exhausted for hours, so he really didn¡¯t have the energy to speak anymore. He waved his hand and left with his team.

    Xie Shenxing looked at Huo Guanchen with ambivalentfeelings.

    Although he didn¡¯t like Huo Xuenong, as his son, it was understandable that Huo Guanchen was filial to his father.

    Even if his father wasn¡¯t a good person, he was still his father.

    No one could choose their own biological parents.

    Xie Shenxing sighed andforted Huo Guanchen. ¡°Guanchen, don¡¯t be too despondent. Your father has a bad temper. Maybe it will be better for him to take this opportunity to recuperate. It¡¯s gettingte, I have to go back and rest.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Huo Guanchen was very apologetic. ¡°I¡¯ve been asking you to go back first. Why are you being so courteous with us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being courteous with you. I yed a part in angering your father into such a state today. Of course I have to wait here. At the very least, I have to make sure that his life isn¡¯t in danger.¡± Xie shenxing boasted shamelessly.

    Gu Nianzhi was ashamed of her inability to do so and felt even more respect for Xie Shenxing. She whispered beside him, ¡°It¡¯s already midnight. Granduncle, you should go back to Major General Huo¡¯s ce to rest. It¡¯s too far to go to West Mountain from here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Xie Shenxing didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He wasn¡¯t young anymore, and his body couldn¡¯t take staying up all night.

    Huo Shaoheng held Xie Shenxing¡¯s other arm and said to Huo Guanchen, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave grandfather to you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen waved his hand with a worried look on his face. ¡°Take Granduncle to your ce to rest. I¡¯ll be here, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and with Gu Nianzhi, he led Xie Shenxing back to his official residence at the headquarters of the Special Operations forces.

    Xie Shenxing had nned to take Gu Nianzhi to his West Mountain Vi to find the way, but Huo Xuenong had called him over on the way. He ended up staying in the hospital untilte at night.

    ...

    In the car, Xie Shenxing took out the sealed document bag from the briefcase of the entourage and handed it to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°This was left for you by your uncle.¡±

    Finally, he took out a letter and said ufortably, ¡°This letter is for your mother, Song Jinning.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    The car drove quietly on the empty street, on the viaduct, and sped along the highway. It then turned around and quickly returned to the headquarters of the Special Operations forces.

    After sending Gu Nianzhi and Xie Shenxing back to their official residence, Huo Shaoheng rushed to the operations building without stopping. He watched as the interrogators interrogated Luo Jin overnight.

    Anyone who had been through a criminal interrogation knew that staying up all night to interrogate the suspects was the most effective.

    Especially when the suspects were extremely sleepy, they would answer whatever they were asked, using no other means at all.

    ...

    In a small interrogation room in the operations building of the Special Operations Forces headquarters, the interrogation had already been going on for several hours.

    Huo Shaoheng went to the next room and looked at the interrogation room across from him through the one-way ss window.

    The small interrogation room was very simple. The iid LED shadow-lessmp shone with a silvery white condensation light. In the middle of the room was a small square table with two solid wood chairs fixed to the floor on either side.

    Luo Jin sat facing the one-way ss window.

    She didn¡¯t have any expression and kept shaking her head in refusal to answer any questions.

    After Huo Shaoheng entered, the interrogators on duty immediately reported to him.

    ¡°Reporting to the chief, three interrogators have been reced. Every two hours, three interrogators were reced. The suspect still refuses to answer any question.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Continue.¡±

    Only three interrogators had been reced. It was still early.

    The longest record of their interrogation was 21 interrogators. After 48 hours of continuous interrogation, they finally broke through the psychological defense of the exhausted suspect, who began to confess.

    Although Luo Jin¡¯s will was stronger than the average person¡¯s, she still didn¡¯t have the endurance of those well-trained national spies.

    When it changed to the fourth interrogator, she simply felt a buzzing sensation in her head. The female interrogator across from her was clearly right in front of her, but her voice seemed toe from the distant horizon.

    She narrowed her eyes and looked at the female interrogator in front of her. She found that her vision was blurred and she could barely see the face of the person across from her.

    Her eyelids were so heavy that she could barely lift them. Waves of sourness invaded her brain. She was like a traveler trekking in the desert with her legs tied with wet sandbags soaked in water, and she struggled to move.

    When the other person¡¯s question was repeated so many times that it formed a conditioned reflex in her mind, her psychological defense copsedpletely.

    She answered whatever the other person asked her.

    A ck high-precision camera poked out from the roof and captured the entire room.

    Every moment she answered the question was captured by the camera.

    The female interrogator¡¯s voice was toneless and t without any fluctuations, and it had a hypnotic effect.

    ¡°Luo Jin, how did you meet Aiko Yamaguchi?¡±

    Luo Jin answered absentmindedly, ¡°Wwhen I was in France, I went to attend the flower arrangement and tea ceremony sses. She and I were the only two Asians in the ss.¡±

    The female interrogator asked again, ¡°How much do you know about Aiko Yamaguchi?¡±

    Luo Jin pursed her lips. For some reason, she had a brief internal struggle.

    But after the female interrogator repeated the question, she still told her everything.

    ¡°Aiko Yamaguchi was Japanese and had been doing business in the Huaxia Empire. She has a twin sister named Yoko Yamaguchi.¡±

    The female interrogator nodded. ¡°What do you know about Yoko Yamaguchi?¡±

    ¡°Yoko Yamaguchi died because of Gu Nianzhi, Aiko Yamaguchi swore to kill Gu Nianzhi in order to avenge her sister. ¡±

    The female interrogator continued to ask, ¡°Why did Yoko Yamaguchi die because of Gu Nianzhi? ¡±

    Luo Jin shook her head absentmindedly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, she didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    The female interrogator had no choice but to change the subject. ¡°Then how did Yoko Yamaguchi try to kill Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Luo Jin: ¡± ... Yoko Yamaguchi used her entire worth to set up a trap. She told me that she would definitely kill Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    Luo Jin: ¡°But the German who was working with her, York, went back on his word and asked her for money again.¡±

    ¡°again? How much did she give him?¡±

    Luo Jin: ¡°Aiko Yamaguchi gave York 100 million US dors, But York wasn¡¯t satisfied. He demanded another five million euros, and said that he would give it to his stepson while he was on the run. He also requested that it not be remitted from Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s ount.¡±

    ¡°And you borrowed it? Five million euros isn¡¯t a small amount. Were you going to lend it to Aiko Yamaguchi or give it to her?¡±

    ¡± ... Aiko Yamaguchi told me that the trap she set up had already put Gu Nianzhi in danger in Germany. She had almost fallen into a state of despair where she wouldn¡¯t have gotten any help no matter how she shouted for it.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s dazed eyes shed with joy, as if she was envisioning Gu Nianzhi in danger.

    This scene made her happy from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡°So you agreed?¡±

    Luo Jin nodded. ¡°I agreed to pay this sum of money on the condition that Gu Nianzhi would die.¡±

    In order to crush Gu Nianzhi and send her to hell earlier, Luo Jin, who had always been stingy, generously offered five million euros.

    It was this five million euros that exposed her and Aiko Yamaguchi to the special operations forces, who had been tracking Aiko Yamaguchi (Yoko) for two years, and gave them a new glimmer of hope.

    The female interrogator took notes and continued to ask, ¡°Aiko Yamaguchi agreed? ¡±

    ¡°She was very surprised and asked me whether I had a grudge against Gu Nianzhi as well.¡± Luo Jin licked her lips and wondered why her mouth was so dry..

    She barely realized how much she had spoken.

    The female interrogator chuckled. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said, I have a grudge against her. ¡ª¡ªShe stole my man. I hate her more than I would hate someone for killing my parents.¡±

    This was what she had said to Aiko Yamaguchi at that time. She had a deep impression of it because at that time, she had received Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s unexpected approval.

    It was only after that that Aiko Yamaguchi took her as a confidant and told her many other things.

    For example, Aiko Yamaguchi had ¡°died¡± in the hands of pirates in the Caribbean Sea, so when she came out to set up a trap, no one would ever suspect her as the culprit behind it...

    ..

    After the interrogation, Luo Jin was taken away and imprisoned.

    The female interrogator sorted out her interrogation information and shook her head regretfully.

    Human beings die in pursuit of wealth and birds die in pursuit of food, a man who was too good was also intoxicatingly irresistible to women.

    She put away the folder and went to the room next door to knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep and maic voice came from inside the room.

    The female interrogator pushed the door open and entered.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was also d in a ck special ops uniform, sat under the same silvery-white LED iid shadow-less light.

    His expression was calm andposed while his eyes were pitch-dark.

    The female interrogator ced the folder on the small square table in front of him. She raised her head to reveal an alluring face.

    Her light brown waves were draped behind her head. Her skin was snow-white, her nose was high, and her eyes were deep. Her red lips were dazzling, and she had the unique beauty of a mixed-race woman.

    She was tall and slender, and her curves undted like a mountain range.

    When she looked at people, although her eyes were emotionless, they could still intoxicate people.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her and smiled. He sized her up from head to toe. ¡°You¡¯re back? Looks like your training went well.¡±

    The female interrogator immediately gave him a proper military salute. ¡°Reporting to the chief. I just returned to the base yesterday. I didn¡¯t have enough people to interrogate today, so I temporarily took over.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, then crossed his legs and said nonchntly, ¡± ... How was the interrogation?¡±

    The female interrogator picked up the folder and exined the results of the interrogation before concluding.

    ¡± ... From thebination of Luo Jin¡¯s testimony and our intelligence, it can be seen that these two people who bothed despised Gu Nianzhi became true close friends. They also reached an agreement to have Luo Jin transfer the final five million euros into York¡¯s bank ount.¡±

    ¡°York received the final payment and went even further in their pursuit of Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Aiko Yamaguchi even personally went to Germany to assumemand.¡±

    ¡°But because the German Gestapo interfered, they didn¡¯t seed.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi was rescued and detained by Reinitz. Aiko Yamaguchi also wet missing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened quietly for a while, then said, ¡± ... Aiko Yamaguchi didn¡¯t tell Luo Jin the truth either. I don¡¯t believe she has a twin sister named Aiko Yamaguchi. Also, send someone to check the French records, especially the sses Luo Jin attended, and see if they can find any clues about Aiko Yamaguchi. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The female interrogator quickly recorded it down. ¡°I¡¯ll pass it to the person in charge.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly and said with satisfaction, ¡°I have other tasks for you. Take a break for now and rest for a few days.¡±

    After the female interrogator left, Huo Shaoheng took out the sealed document bag that Xie Shenxing had given him and the letter that was addressed to Song Jinning. He ced them on the small square table in front of him and began to ponder over them.

 Chapter 1334 - Messages from the Past

    <h4>Chapter 1334: Messages from the Past</h4>

    A sealed document bag and a letter.

    These two items had been kept in a Swiss bank safe by his uncle, Huo Guanyuan, more than ten years ago.

    What exactly was inside?

    Judging from the time, his uncle had kept these two items in the safe and had nned to give them to him as a wedding gift when he got married. It shouldn¡¯t have been any urgent official business.

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes, then crossed his arms and leaned back in his hardwood chair.

    Under the silver LED shadow-less light, his silhouette was clear and well-defined. His delicate jaw glistened under the light, and appeared as clear and bright as jade.

    The female interrogator, who returned from her assignment, nced at him without batting an eye and knocked on the door. ¡°Chief?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and put away the documents and letters on the table in front of him. ¡± ... Has everything been assigned?¡±

    ¡°The European field operations should have started action now. If nothing unexpected happens, we¡¯ll know the results by tomorrow morning.¡±

    They wanted to check the flower arrangement and tea ceremony sses that Luo Jin had attended to see if there was a Japanese woman named Aiko Yamaguchi registered in them.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, you can leave now. Wait for my notice.¡±

    The female interrogator shed him a genuine smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a vacation in years. I don¡¯t even know what it¡¯s like to be on vacation.¡±

    ¡°Go back, visit your parents, and spend time withh them. You¡¯ve worked hard these past few years,¡± Huo Shaoheng said gently. ¡°Also, after you return to the team, the organization will carry out a routine review of you. This is a procedure. You understand.¡±

    ¡°I know. ¡± The female interrogator nodded calmly. ¡°This is a work requirement.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the document bag and letter and left the special operation forces¡¯ headquarter building with her.

    After returning to his official residence, Huo Shaoheng took out the two items and looked at them again. Then, he opened the sealed document bag.

    The sealing method of the document bag was amon method used by them. Huo Shaoheng could open the document bag without breaking the seal.

    In reality, he had done the same thing.

    The seal didn¡¯t change at all, but he had already opened the document bag.

    What he took out from inside was a small stack of printed data from A4 paper.

    The paper was already slightly yellowed. It was obvious that it had been there for at least 20 years.

    As for the data, Huo Shaoheng looked at the first page and found that the data looked somewhat familiar. It seemed to be the data that his mother, Ms. Song, often dealt with.

    He flipped through the pages, but when he saw thest page, his gaze suddenly froze.

    On thest page, there was a simple message and a strong signature: Gu Xiangwen.

    Huo Shaoheng never expected to see apletely unexpected signature in this document from 17 years ago.

    He quickly went through all the data again and confirmed that there were no other messages on the paper except for thest page.

    The message on thest page was also very brief.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, this high-energy maic field data was personally measured by me.

    ¡°I am willing to hand it over to you in the hope that our Huaxia Empire¡¯s military will start high-energy maic field experiments as soon as possible.

    As far as I know, the United States, Japan, and Germany are all conducting experiments in this field to varying degrees.

    As a descendant of the Huaxia Empire and a scientist, I have the obligation to remind my mothend.

    Although I have never returned to Huaxia Empire, and I am not a Huaxia Empire citizen, Huaxia Empire is still my mothend. It is the mothend of my ancestors and also the mothend of my children and grandchildren.

    ¡°I only hope that Huaxia Empire will prosper, have a strong military, and be able to resist all foreign invasions. I hope that Huaxia Empire will be able to protect the lives of its citizens, and that Huaxia Empire will be able to protect its territory from being trampled upon.

    ¡ª¡ªSincerely, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands trembled slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was able to remain calm no matter what happened, was deeply touched at this moment.

    A thin piece of paper, but in his hand seemed to have a thousand pounds.

    It was as if it carried the faith and determination of the Huaxia people over the past 100 years, who continued to make great effort to save their country and survive.

    This nation had experienced countless disasters over the past 5,000 years, but it had risen from the ruins time and time again to stand at the forefront of the world. It was because of these intelligent and powerful Huaxia people who were unwilling to submit!

    He finally understood where the secret experiments conducted by the military originated from..

    Huo Shaoheng sat motionlessly in his study. He had thought about a lot of things throughout the night. But it seemed that there were many things he did not have time to think about, just blinked, and it was dawn.

    He stood up and walked to the window to open the curtains. He looked at the boundless rays of light outside the window and let out a deep breath.

    He raised his hand to look at his watch. It was only six in the morning.

    He didn¡¯t know if Ms. Song had woken up yet.

    Huo Shaoheng suppressed his excitement. He put on his camouge sportswear and went out for morning exercise.

    He had run the 10-kilometer cross-country steeplechase, hurdles, pull-ups, push-ups, boxing, and moving target shooting at the shooting range. He was already sweating profusely from all the activities in the simplified version of the daily physical training of the Special Forces.

    However, his mind was much clearer.

    By the time Huo Shaoheng returned to his official residence, it was already seven in the morning.

    He called Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room to wake her up.

    When Gu Nianzhi was with him at the base, she would always wake up at seven in the morning.

    But ever since she went to college, Gu Nianzhi had cked off a lot.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that she hated running the most. She had even secretly broken the treadmill in their apartment, thinking that he didn¡¯t know...

    Thinking of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sly andzy mannerism, Huo Shaoheng smiled and kept dialing the internal line in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room relentlessly.

    Gu Nianzhi was so annoyed that he finally woke her up. She angrily picked up the phone and shouted, ¡°Why are you calling me so early in the morning?! Are you conjuring?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Not conjuring, but waking you up from bed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze. ¡°Huo... Major General Huo?!¡±

    Was it really okay to talk dirty so early in the morning? !

    ¡°What time do you think it is? Why aren¡¯t you up yet? ¡± Huo Shaoheng urged her lightly. ¡°I¡¯m going to Miss Song¡¯s Insitute of High Energy Physicster. Do you want to go ¡±

    ¡°Huh? To see Miss Song? Yes, yes, yes!¡± Gu Nianzhi was very fond of Song Jinning, so she quickly agreed and got out of bed.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi had woken up, so he put down the phone.

    A call came in through his bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Sir, the French field office sent back the results of their investigation.¡±

    The team leader in charge of interrogating Luo Jin reported to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°They¡¯ve checked the sses that Luo Jin mentioned for the past two years, but haven¡¯t seen a Japanese named ¡®Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯ sign up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°Then are there any other Japanese names?¡±

    ¡°No. Other than Luo Jin¡¯s Chinese name, all the other names are typical European and American names.¡±

    This meant that Aiko Yamaguchi probably used a fake identity and fake name when she signed up.

    But what she told Luo Jin was her real name.

    This wasn¡¯t surprising.

    After all, Luo Jin didn¡¯t have the chance to see Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s registration information, so she didn¡¯t know that Aiko Yamaguchi had used a fake name to sign up.

    ¡°Is there any way to find out where Aiko Yamaguchi is from those typical European and American names?¡±

    ¡°Sir, you can do that, but there are over 10,000 people who have signed up for these sses in the past two years. It will take quite some time to check them out one by one.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had only asked nonchntly since it seemed like this trail was cold.

    Aiko Yamaguchi was indeed a very cautious person.

    The reason she revealed her true identity to Luo Jin was probably the five million euros.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s call it a day. There¡¯s no need to continue investigating,¡± Huo Shaoheng ordered.

    After hanging up, Huo Shaoheng went upstairs to take a shower. When he came back down, he had breakfast with Gu Nianzhi downstairs.

    After breakfast, Huo Shaoheng personally drove Gu Nianzhi to the Insitute of High Energy Physics to look for Song Jinning.

    In the car, Huo Shaoheng handed the data signed by Gu Xiangwen to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi thought it was some top-secret document and carefully flipped to thest page. When she saw the signature, she was stunned.

    ¡°This, this, this... This is data from my father?!¡±

 Chapter 1335 - Youâ€™re Beautiful So Whatever You Say

    <h4>Chapter 1335: You¡¯re Beautiful So Whatever You Say</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng held the steering wheel and nodded calmly. ¡°surprised? Even I didn¡¯t expect this at all. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded.

    Her hands trembled just like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s had.

    She flipped through all the data again, but she couldn¡¯t fathom them.

    In this regard, she was worse than Huo Shaoheng. She had no idea what those data were for.

    From Gu Xiangwen¡¯s simple message, she could only deduce that these were the high-energy maic field data that Gu Xiangwen had measured.

    ¡± ... the United States, Japan, and Germany are all carrying out secret research, so our country really can¡¯t fall behind.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Our country missed out on the first and second industrial revolutions, and the third industrial revolution left us in the rear. The high-energy maic field opened the door to the fourth industrial revolution.¡±

    This new energy source was several orders of magnitude higher than the so-called renewable and environmentally friendly energy source.

    Of course, at the military level, it dealt with the creation of new types of weapons.

    It was easy to imagine how shocked the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military had been by Gu Xiangwen¡¯s letter.

    Gu Nianzhi listened to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s story in silence. She was deep in thought as her fingers lovingly caressed her father¡¯s signature.

    This handwriting was almost identical to the one on her childhood photo.

    When she was rescued from the car by Huo Shaoheng, she had been carrying a small backpack on her back. Other than the blueprints for the ne¡¯s engine, there was also a single photo with her name and date of birth.

    When she had been so traumatized that she had lost her memory, the Special Operations forces called her ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± based on the photo, and used it to confirm her birthday.

    ¡°But, my father... why would he be in contact with Uncle Huo?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in puzzlement. ¡°How did they meet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the road ahead as he said nonchntly, ¡± ... My uncle used to do the same job as me. However, there was no special operations forces at that time. It was a special operations team directly under the military¡¯s jurisdiction.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°So they knew each other? My father said that he had never returned to Huaxia Empire... how did he know Uncle Huo¡¯s identity?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t too sure about this aspect either, but he knew that it was probably Huo Guanyuan¡¯s work that had caught Gu Xiangwen¡¯s attention.

    In other words, Gu Xiangwen had been paying attention to the technological and military developments of the Huaxia Empire.

    After all, most overseas Chinese wanted a strong and prosperous mothend (with the exception of a few ¡°foreign dogs¡±).

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid only my uncle and your father knew about this.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to look at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi happened to look up at him as well.

    Their eyes met, and they both thought of the same thing: perhaps their encounter wasn¡¯t a coincidence.

    Was that ident designed by Gu Xiangwen?

    However, Huo Guanyuan had been dead for ten years by that time.

    Gu Xiangwen hadn¡¯t contacted anyone in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military.

    Could it be that he only contacted Huo Guanyuan?

    The two of them didn¡¯t speak anymore. They drove all the way to Song Jinning¡¯s Insitute of High Energy Physics.

    ..

    ¡°Huh? What brings you two busy people here today?¡±

    Song Jinning, dressed in a whiteb coat, opened the door for them with a smile and invited them in.

    This was Song Jinning¡¯s office. Outside was a small sitting room with two couches in the middle.

    After Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng sat down, Huo Shaoheng ced the letter that Xie Shenxing had brought in front of Song Jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and ced the document bag in front of Song Jinning.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Song Jinning was astonished. ¡°My name is written on it?¡±

    However, upon closer inspection, the handwriting looked familiar.

    She frowned slightly and caressed the yellowed envelope, but didn¡¯t open it.

    ¡± ... Where did you get this letter from?¡± Song Jinning¡¯s voice lowered. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is your uncle¡¯s handwriting.¡±

    Song Jinning found out about Huo Guanyuan¡¯s feelings for her from thewsuit against Bai Jinyi at the beginning ofst year.

    She didn¡¯t start feeling love for him, but she was still grateful for Huo Guanyuan¡¯s pure and unadulterated love for her.

    Not only was she grateful for his deep love, but he was also considerate towards her and didn¡¯t cause her any trouble. She was also grateful for him saving her life seventeen years ago.

    There was also an inexplicable sense of awkwardness.

    After all, Huo Guanyuan was her ex-husband¡¯s brother.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the document bag on the coffee table and calmly said, ¡± ... Uncle rented a safe deposit box in my name at a Swiss bank 17 years ago. These two things came from that safe deposit box.¡±

    Then he added, ¡°In that safe deposit box, there is a copy of Uncle¡¯s will. Both of them were brought over by Granduncle this time.¡±

    Song Jinning was slightly surprised. ¡°Your Granduncle is back in the country?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he just came back two days ago.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded and continued, ¡°Grandfather just fell ill. He hasn¡¯t woken up yet after undergoing emergency operation at the hospital.¡±

    Song Jinning: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡± ... it all happened after your Granduncle came back? ¡± Song Jinning smiled and shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s still as vengeful and intolerant as ever.¡±

    Song Jinning immediately realized that Huo Xuenong¡¯s admission to the hospital and Xie Shenxing returning to the country with Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will were inextricably connected.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard Song Jinning¡¯s witty remark, she couldn¡¯t help covering her mouth with a smile, then said, ¡°Granduncle is really impressive. Grandfather Huo kept saying that he lost Uncle Huo¡¯s will and that it was gone, but when Granduncle took out a copy of the will in the end, Grandfather Huo almost fainted.¡±

    ¡°The safe from 17 years ago... ¡± Song Jinning shook her head with a smile and asked carefully, ¡°This is indeed something that your uncle would do. By the way, what is the exact date? Do you know?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment. ¡°There is a receipt for the rental of the safe in the open box keepsake. The date is probably... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng mentioned a date from 17 years ago.

    Song Jinning fell silent for a long time before she said, ¡± ... That was exactly one month before we officially started the experiment.¡±

    One monthter, they started the experiment again. Something went wrong and a major ident urred.

    A huge explosion not only killed almost all the participants in the experiment, but also destroyed the original data that was used as a reference.

    That was because the original data had been stored in the basement of the experimental building.

    At that time, the concept of cloud storage hadn¡¯t yet been realized.

    Because of the need for security, they hadn¡¯t stored any original data anywhere else.

    Also because of this, Bai Jinyi took advantage of the fact that almost all the main participants in the experiment had died to seize control over Insitute of High Energy Physics in hopes of restarting the experiment on her own.

    However, the results were predictable. After 17 years, Bai Jinyi¡¯s experiment hadn¡¯t made any progress until she was sent to prison by Gu Nianzhist year.

    ¡°If the ident at that time hadn¡¯t destroyed the original data, it would have been much easier for us to restart the experiment now.¡± Song Jinning ran her hand through her hair and said regretfully, ¡°At that time, my father and your uncle were the ones leading the experiment. They were the ones who mediated everything. Even I was only following orders.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She opened the file and took out the data. There was only a short message from Gu Xiangwen on thest page. She ced the rest of the A4 paper in front of Song Jinning. ¡°Ms. Song, take a look at this. Does it ring a bell?¡±

    Song Jinning nced at Gu Nianzhi and lowered her head to pick up the small stack of A4 paper. Her expression froze after just one nce.

    She stood up from the sofa and said excitedly, ¡°... Where did you get all this data?! How did you get all this raw data?!¡±

    ¡°This is the raw data you used for your experiment?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised and couldn¡¯t help secretly giving herself a thumbs up.

    She had guessed correctly!

    The raw data Song Jinning and the others had relied on for their experiment 17 years ago had indeed been provided by her father, Gu Xiangwen!

    Song Jinning nodded repeatedly. ¡°Although I don¡¯t remember the specific data values, I still have an impression of the approximate data range. This data should be the original data that I saw that year. But, how did you get it?¡±

    She remembered that her father had hidden the original data, like it was a treasure, in the constant temperature dry safe in the basement of the experimental building. He couldn¡¯t even make a copy. When he wanted to see it, he had to go throughyers of security and go to the basement to read the data himself.

    All they could bring up were the derived values from the original data.

    Song Jinning had spent countless days and nights in the basement calcting and deducing the original data.

    Because the maic field data was closely rted to the natural environment, even the slightest change in the natural environment would cause a huge change in the maic field data.

    Therefore, the original data could only provide them with a set of reference objects. They needed to find the maic field values that belonged to their country¡¯s environment based on this set of reference objects.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°If this is really the original set of data that you guys had, I think it should be the original. What you guys used was actually a photocopy.¡±

    Song Jinning looked up at Gu Nianzhi, ¡± ... You mean, this is the real original set?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°The original set of data that you saw was attached to the letter that Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, had written to uncle back then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took out thest page of the data and ced it in front of Song Jinning. ¡°Ms. Song, take a look.¡±

    Song Jinning quickly finished reading Gu Xiangwen¡¯s message and was moved beyond words. ¡± ... Is this really Gu Xiangwen¡¯s handwriting?! I never thought I¡¯d have the honor of seeing the real work of this great scientist with my own eyes!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    It seemed too exaggerated..

    She smiled sheepishly and said, ¡°Miss Song, it¡¯s good that I was able to help you.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Song Jinning could barely wait. ¡°Nianzhi, can I make a copy of these data? To be honest with you, ever since nature¡¯s high-energy maic field appeared in the Sea of Japan and the maic field observation in Tunguska, Siberia, Russia, I¡¯ve had a lot of new ideas about this experiment. But as you know, this kind of experiment is very dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Without detailed parameter verification, I wouldn¡¯t dare to do it rashly. Now that I have the original set of data, my verification process will be even moreplete!¡±

    She understood every sentence separately, but when they were put together, she couldn¡¯t understand a single word.

    No choice but to look at Song Jinning with a bewildered smile, Gu Nianzhi nodded continuously. ¡°Yes, yes, yes... yes, yes, yes... you¡¯re beautiful, so whatever you say! ¡±

    Song Jinning: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was amused, and he rubbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. We¡¯re talking about official affairs.¡±

 Chapter 1336 - Achieve The Same Goal With Different Means

    <h4>Chapter 1336: Achieve The Same Goal With Different Means</h4>

    From Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression, Song Jinning could tell that she didn¡¯t understand the risks of this experiment.

    She flipped through the raw data in her hands, and a pained expression appeared on Song Jinning¡¯s face. ¡°Nianzhi, do you know why Shaoheng¡¯s uncle rented the safe on the eve of the experiment and put the backup of his will and the raw data in it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darted around. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because he didn¡¯t want all of his eggs in the same basket so he spread out the risks?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Song Jinning nodded approvingly. ¡°Huo Guanyuan was a very cautious and careful person. He made a backup of these things in advance and kept them elsewhere because he was fully aware of the risks of this experiment.¡±

    ¡°How dangerous was it? ¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more curious. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just an experiment? Isn¡¯t it within the scope of control?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head. ¡°This is a very cutting-edge experiment... ¡±

    She paused. She remembered that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng weren¡¯t on the confidential list for their experiment, and that they couldn¡¯t know the details of the experiment.

    Song Jinning looked down and thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°Nianzhi, do you still remember the explosive remnants we saw in Russia¡¯s Siberian Tunguska region?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, I remember. It was such a huge crater, like a sinkhole. It¡¯s hard to imagine that it was caused by an explosion.¡±

    ¡°Thest time our experiment had a major ident, the explosion was simr to Tunguska¡¯s explosion. Of course, the explosion here was much smaller and not as powerful because we didn¡¯t have enough energy to support the explosion to the level of the Tunguska explosion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s words sounded ambivalent, as if she felt both regretful and relieved.

    It was as if she was regretting that they didn¡¯t have that much energy, but also d that they didn¡¯t have that much energy...

    In short, it was a long story.

    Gu Nianzhi understood Song Jinning¡¯s ambivalent feelings very well. She stood up and walked over to Song Jinning¡¯s side. She held her hand andforted her, ¡°Miss Song, with this raw data, I believe that with your ability, you will definitely seed in the experiment!¡±

    Song Jinning was touched.

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡± ... Even if it doesn¡¯t seed, it doesn¡¯t matter. Failure is the mother of sess.¡±

    Song Jinning was both amused and exasperated. She reached out and pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate and straight nose, then said, ¡°Little Nianzhi, you¡¯re wrong this time. Failure in this kind of experiment will result in destruction and deaths. We can only seed, and mustn¡¯t fail no matter what.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big and beautiful eyes widened. ¡°What? Isn¡¯t it just an experiment?! Is it really that serious?!¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Song Jinning looked at the raw data in her hands, then sighed sullenly. ¡°The United States, Japan, Germany, and possibly other countries had been conducting the same experiment for more than a decade. But look at them. Who has ever announced their sess? ¡ª¡ªThey all do so secretly, and we don¡¯t even know how many people have died or gotten injured in the process.¡±

    Her long eyshes fluttering like butterfly wings, Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Then... has anyone ever seeded in this experiment?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Song Jinning waved the stack of A4 papers in her hand at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Your father, Gu Xiangwen, had once seeded. As far as we know, on the entire Blue, he¡¯s the only person who has ever seeded.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. ¡°You¡¯re not exaggerating on purpose, are you?!¡±

    The top ten countries on Blue had never seeded in an experiment with the entire nations¡¯ resources, but her father, Gu Xiangwen, had seeded on his own?!

    This was too farfetched!

    ¡°Why would I exaggerate?¡± Song Jinning was confused. ¡°Look at the raw data. Everyone who has done this experiment knows that without sess, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to get the raw data.¡±

    ¡°Then can¡¯t we just follow the data?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more confused. ¡°Since he has seeded before, is it repeatable?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, the repeatability of this kind of experiment is different from other experiments. For other experiments, as long as we present the sessful data, everyone can just copy it. But for this experiment, because the experimental conditions are so different, no one can replicate the experimental conditions of others, so it¡¯s impossible to replicate the experimentpletely ording to other people¡¯s data.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s also very important to have a set of sessful original data, because it points the way, just like marking the coordinates for you on an unfamiliar road. If you follow the coordinates, you¡¯ll be able to reach the pathway to sess. If you don¡¯t have this set of sessful original data, you might not even be able to figure out the right pathway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded thoughtfully. ¡°You mean, my father¡¯s original data helped us find the right pathway. But finding this pathway doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ve reached the end.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we still have to figure it out on our own. But with this original data, we can greatly reduce the time we need to figure it out.¡± Song Jinning smiled earnestly.

    ¡± ... But, how did my father seed on his own? ¡± Gu Nianzhi still found it unbelievable. She knew that her father, Gu Xiangwen, was a genius, but she had never expected him to be this talented.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know that, too,¡± Song Jinning said eagerly while pressing the stack of A4 papers to her chest. ¡°If I ever get the chance to meet your father, I would definitely ask him a lot of questions about physics.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gazed at Song Jinning silently while imagining her father and Miss Song discussing famous physics problems. She suddenly felt that the scene would be too beautiful for her to look at...

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak until Song Jinning was about to take the stack of A4 paper to make a copy. Huo Shaoheng reached out and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make a copy. Take a look at this letter. ¡±

    He pointed at the letter that Huo Guanyuan had specially written for Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning pursed her lips and reluctantly put the stack of A4 paper back into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. She warned him, ¡°You have to be careful! Don¡¯t be too forceful with your hands. You can¡¯t tear it even a little.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the A4 paper and turned around to leave. He went to the copy room next to Song Jinning¡¯s office to make copies.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled Song Jinning to sit down and smiled. ¡°Miss Song, you¡¯re not going to read this letter, are you?¡±

    Song Jinning sighed and whispered, ¡°Shaoheng was here just now, so I was too embarrassed to say anything. ¡ª¡ªCan you read this letter for me? If it has nothing to do with the experiment, I won¡¯t read it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew what Song Jinning was worried about, so she whispered, ¡°Miss. Song, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. No matter what, Uncle Huo has been dead for so many years. Why don¡¯t you take it as thest thing you do for the war hero and read his letter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words made sense to Song Jinning.

    Besides, what did she need to avoid suspicion for?

    She had already divorced Huo Guanchen, so how could she still think of herself as Huo Guanchen¡¯s wife and Huo Guanyuan¡¯s sister-inw?

    Ha ha, she was overthinking things.

    When Song Jinning realized this, she no longer refused.

    She picked up the letter that Huo Guanyuan had left behind and tore open the seal without hesitation.

    Gu Nianzhi grew nervous as well and looked at Song Jinning intently.

    Song Jinning took out a thin letter from the envelope.

    It was a pure white letter with only a pencil drawing of Song Jinning.

    She sat at her desk in the ssroom with one hand on her head and the other holding a pen. She bit the other end of the pen in her mouth and looked in the direction of the door with a smile.

    There was no signature or title. It was just a simple ck-and-white pencil drawing with a simple expression. However, one could feel the infinite affection of the person who drew it.

    Song Jinning looked at the pencil sketch in a daze and suddenly said, ¡± ... This is what I looked like when I graduated from college at the age of seventeen. ¡±

    That was the year that Huo Guanchen confessed to her. She epted him and officially became his girlfriend.

    Later, she went to the United States to study abroad for three years. After she returned from studying abroad, she married Huo Guanchen.

    The two of them had many beautiful memories, but they were changed beyond recognition by time.

    Song Jinning no longer had any feelings for Huo Guanchen, and she had alreadyid out the rest of her life. She had so many research projects lined up that she had no time to think about personal matters.

    As for Huo Guanyuan, she never expected that he started having feelings for her so early on.

    This person had hidden his feelings and thoughts too deeply.

    Song Jinning sighed slowly and put the pencil sketch back into the envelope. ¡°I like this drawing very much. Nianzhi, tell Shaoheng that I will keep this letter.

    She turned aournd and left theb to head back to her dormitory.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t chase after her. Instead, she stared at Song Jinning¡¯s back in understanding.

    She knew that Huo Guanyuan had used his own death to elevate his feelings for Song Jinning.

    Whether Song Jinning loved Huo Guanyuan or not, she would never be able to forget the things that Huo Guanyuan had done for her in silence.

    Huo Shaoheng returned with the photocopied data but saw that Song Jinning was no longer in the office. He frowned and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡± ... Where¡¯s Miss Song?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed in the direction Song Jinning had left in. ¡°She must have gone back to the dormitory. By the way, Ms. Song said that she liked the sketch very much, so she kept it.¡±

    ¡°What sketch? ¡± Huo Shaoheng was a little taken aback. ¡°Could it be that there was a sketch in the letter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Your uncle could draw?¡ª¡ªHe drew a pencil sketch for Miss Song, and it was really good... ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    He understood Song Jinning¡¯s feelings, but as her son, his feelings about it were ambivalent.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the phone and called Song Jinning.

    ¡°Miss Song, I¡¯ve ced the photocopied data in the safe in your office,¡± Huo Shaoheng said to Song Jinning as he opened the safe.

    Song Jinning stood in front of the window with her phone in her hand and nodded. ¡°Okay, the password of my safe is... ¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ve already opened it.¡±

    With a thud, the safe in Song Jinning¡¯s office opened.

    Song Jinning: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nuanzhi: ¡± ! ! ! ¡±

    How could she have forgotten that Huo Shaoheng had another trick up his sleeve ¡ª opening other people¡¯s safes!

 Chapter 1337 - Indeed Rare

    <h4>Chapter 1337: Indeed Rare</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng put the data into the safe and left the Insitute of High Energy Physics with Gu Nianzhi.

    In the car, Huo Shaoheng discussed with Gu Nianzhi, ¡°How do you n to handle Luo Jin¡¯s case?¡±

    ¡°Do you mean the case where Ms. Song is suing Luo Jin for attempted murder?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Yesterday, she herself admitted that she was involved in Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s assassination attempt on you in Germany. However, because your assassination attempt in Germany involves the German Gestapo, there are too many national security implications involved. Therefore, we cannot use this information and evidence to publicly prosecute Luo Jin.¡±

    Not surprised, Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as I know she¡¯s involved. Besides, the real culprit is Aiko Yamaguchi, and Luo Jin was just an insignificant minion.¡±

    ¡°You suffered so much grievances. ¡± Huo Shaoheng stretched out a hand and caressed her head. ¡°I¡¯ll help you catch Aiko Yamaguchi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said firmly, ¡°Thew will be swift and thorough. Of course Aiko Yamaguchi will be caught, but Luo Jin will have to pay the price for what she did.¡±

    Even if she couldn¡¯t be prosecuted for her involvement in the assasination attempt on Gu Nianzhi, her intention to murder Song Jinning was a foregone conclusion.

    As long as she was convicted of this crime, Luo Jin would suffer.

    ¡°What we should do now is show Uncle Huo¡¯s backup will to the trust fund manager and transfer the trust fund from Luo Jin¡¯s name,¡± Gu Nianzhi reminded Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You have to hurry up with the matter of setting up the Guanyuan Fund.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already made the arrangements. He chuckled as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Uncle Huo to help with the transfer of the trust fund beneficiaries. He¡¯s better at it than I am.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard that Huo Shaoheng had asked Xie Beichen for help, she didn¡¯t say anything further.

    The car sped along, but before they reached the special operations forces headquarters, Huo Shaoheng received a call from Huo Guanchen. He told him that Huo Xuenong hadn¡¯t woken up yet and had been transferred to a special patient ward. He wanted to hire a professional nurse who knew how to take care of a brain dead patient.

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Grandfather¡¯s life isn¡¯t in danger, is it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s out of the critical stage.¡± Huo Guanchen was exhausted. ¡°However, the various data indicators aren¡¯t optimistic. The doctor said to observe the surroundings in the intensive care unit. If he doesn¡¯t wake up after four weeks, he¡¯ll be dered brain dead.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so busy. Do you want me to help you get a nurse?¡± Huo Shaoheng had been resting at the base recently, so he had more time than Huo Guanchen.

    Gu Nianzhi listened attentively from the side, then whispered, ¡°You can¡¯t do that... when Grandfather Huo was healthy, the Zhang family always approached him. Now that something has happened, they¡¯re not going to show up? You have to make the Zhang family take half the responsibility.¡±

    Huo Xuenong had risked his life for the benefit of his illegitimate child, even to the point of harming Huo Shaoheng, his legitimate grandson.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t let this go.

    When Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, they fell silent.

    They hadn¡¯t thought about the Zhang family moments before.

    ¡± ... I think Nianzhi¡¯s right. ¡± Huo Guanchen¡¯s tone softened. ¡°I¡¯ll call Zhang Baochen and ask him to take half the responsibility.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had turned on the speakerphone, and Gu Nianzhi heard what Huo Guanchen had said.

    She felt a little happy.

    After all, Huo Guanchen had always had a bad impression of her. It was rare for him to praise her in person.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Not only will they have to take half the responsibility, but they¡¯ll also have to take half the care and medical expenses. Mr. Huo, please remember to mention it... ¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t need to pay, right?¡± Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°As long as they can contribute. ¡±

    When Huo Xuenong was a veteran cadre, medical treatment had been free.

    However, he had been stripped of his military rank and forced to retire, so his benefits had been revoked.

    He was no different from an ordinary citizen now.

    Although he had purchasedmercial medical insurance, the expenses of a brain dead patient were not covered bymercial medical insurance.

    That was a huge sum of money.

    Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen could afford it, but if the Zhang family wanted to bear half of the medical expenses, they would have to tighten their belts or sell one of their houses.

    Gu Nianzhi knew Huo Guanchen was taking it for granted, and she quickly exined, ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯s like this. As the illegitimate child of Grandfather Huo, Zhang Baochen also has the obligation to support the elderly. Whether they are willing or not is one thing, but whether you mention it or not is another. If you didn¡¯t mention it, if there was any property involved in the future, they could say that you didn¡¯t let them support him. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t want to support him. You have to give them a chance to show off... ¡±

    If he didn¡¯t mention it, the other party would use the excuse that he ¡°didn¡¯t know¡± to avoid responsibility in the future.

    Huo Guanchen understood and narrowed his eyes. He smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re so clever. Not only did you dig a hole, but you also blocked the path of others in advance, forcing them to jump into the hole.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°How did I dig a hole? I just made a legal suggestion ording to thew.¡±

    She simply made it clear. ¡°They can¡¯t exercise their rights when ites to inheritance. When ites to their duty of support, they will shirk all responsibility. Thew clearly states that those who have the right to inherit can be stripped of their right to inheritance if they do not fulfill their duty of support even if they have the conditions. This is equivalent to abandonment.¡±

    They openly demanded that the other party fulfill their duty of support. If the other party was unwilling, then they would know their loss after Huo Xuenong¡¯s death.

    If he was willing, it would be even better. Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng could worry less.

    They probably didn¡¯t care about Huo Xuenong¡¯s little inheritance.

    Huo Guanchen understood her even more deeply when it came to ¡°inheritance rights.¡± He smiled wryly. ¡°I hope your grandfather is okay. Although he is a little biased, but... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t like hearing that. She turned to look out the car window and didn¡¯t say another word.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and turned off the speakerphone. He said to Huo Guanchen, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up. I¡¯m driving.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    After the call ended, Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head again. ¡°Alright now, don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just feeling indignant for you.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and pried Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away. She put it back on the steering wheel and purposely said with a stony-face, ¡°Drive properly. Don¡¯t break traffic rules.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. His charming voice soothed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotions. She no longer threw tantrums like an angry kitten.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi whispered, ¡°Grandfather Huo is your grandfather. I shouldn¡¯t have said anything bad about him. But he¡¯s too good at pretending. Think about it. When your grandmother passed away, he suggested not to give him a share of the assets. You¡¯d think he was a high-minded person. In the end, he secretly set his sights on your uncle¡¯s trust fund.¡±

    His expression solemn, Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment. ¡°The situation might be moreplicated than we know. When my grandmother passed away, my uncle had already passed away, but my grandmother still treated him as if he was still alive and gave a portion of her assets to my uncle¡¯s trust fund. That trust fund already has a considerable amount of assets.¡±

    Therefore, Huo Xuenong¡¯s suspicion of Luo Jin¡¯s identity probably started when he saw Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will.

    It was very puzzling that his own assets weren¡¯t given to his biological daughter but to his nephew.

    When he found out that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t rted to Huo Guanchen, Huo Xuenong naturally grasped the truth.

    His own inheritance was insignificant, and it didn¡¯t make much of a difference whether he wanted it or not. However, Huo Guanchen¡¯s trust fund was no small matter after Xie Ziyan¡¯s death.

    Not everyone could remain high-minded in front of such arge sum of money.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment. ¡°Alright then. I hope he¡¯ll learn his lesson this time.¡±

    The two of them returned to the base and saw several high-level bulletproof cars parked outside Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the license te of one of the cars and said in surprise, ¡± ... Isn¡¯t that Speaker Long¡¯s car?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also said, ¡°and General Ji and Prime Minister Bai.¡±

    What were the three of them doing at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence?

 Chapter 1338 - Mischief Again

    <h4>Chapter 1338: Mischief Again</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure, but Huo Shaoheng was well aware.

    The three of them couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so they came to visit Xie Shenxing together.

    Huo Shaoheng put his arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist and walked up the steps of the official residence together. He said softly, ¡°They¡¯re here to see my Granduncle.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had guessed it as well. She nodded without batting an eye. ¡°Got it.¡±

    The two of them walked into the living room together.

    The center of the spacious living room was slightly sunken, and there was a set of simple and low-key corner sofas.

    Xie Shenxing sat alone with his front to the south and his back to the north. Across from him were the Huaxia Empire¡¯s three most senior figures, all of whom were deferential and respectful.

    General Ji, Speaker Long, and Prime Minister Bai sat in front of Xie Shenxing, and looked as upright as a primary school students in front of their teacher.

    If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t warned Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi would have been so shocked that her jaw would have dropped.

    It took a lot of effort for her to look away. She lowered her gaze and bowed to the four people in the living room with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°General Ji, Speaker Long, Prime Minister Bai, you three are such rare guests.¡± Huo Shaoheng said politely and waved at Xie Shenxing. ¡°Granduncle.¡±

    Xie Shenxing smiled and waved at them. ¡°Nianzhi,e over here and sit beside Granduncle.¡±

    He didn¡¯t call Huo Shaoheng because Huo Shaoheng was General Ji¡¯s subordinate, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to put on airs in front of his superior.

    Gu Nianzhi was different. Although she was also in the upper house of the parliament, she hadn¡¯t officially joined. Moreover, she was a woman, so she could have some privileges in front of men.

    Besides, she was also Xie Shenxing¡¯s junior, the kind that was rted to him.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over obediently. ¡°Granduncle.¡±

    Xie Shenxing patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, then smiled at the three big shots in front of him and said, ¡°You¡¯re too kind. I came back this time because of this junior of mine. Her deceased aunt was the daughter-inw of the Xie family. Since she became engaged to Shaoheng this time, I thought that I had toe back and hold an engagement banquet for her. I hope that the three of you will also show up.¡±

    Xie Shenxing had personally organized the engagement party for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, so everyone could tell how important it was.

    It seemed that the Xie family really approved of this marriage.

    General Ji was the one who was most happy to see it happen. He immediatelyughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! Old Mr. Xie really has good taste and courage! Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e is so popr. Thank God you were able to help us decide everything! Hahaha!¡±

    Everyoneughed in unison.

    Speaker Long actually had a somewhat indirect inw rtionship with the Xie family. After Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aunt, Gu Tian, passed away, Gu Tian¡¯s husband, Xie Dezhao, married Speaker Long¡¯s cousin. Xie Dezhao was a member of the Xie family, and although he was a distant rtive of Xie Shenxing, he was still a member of the Xie family.

    However, this rtionship was so far apart that Speaker Long didn¡¯t dare treat Xie Shenxing as a rtive. He didn¡¯t expect Xie Shenxing to value Gu Nianzhi so much.

    They were also inws that were far removed. Xie Shenxing treated Gu Nianzhi as a rtive and a junior, but he was much more polite and distant to Speaker Long.

    Speaker Long knew that Xie Shenxing was deliberately trying to raise Gu Nianzhi¡¯s status. After all, Huo Shaoheng was too eye-catching. As an orphan girl without parents or family Gu Nianzhi needed to be able to establish herself in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s upper ss, the Huo family¡¯s support wasn¡¯t enough.

    However, if the Xie family stood up for Gu Nianzhi, no one in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s upper ss would dare to look down on her.

    On the contrary, he knew very well that after this engagement party, Gu Nianzhi would enter Huaxia Empire¡¯s upper ss in a new light. Those who had looked down on her in the past would probably regret it to the core...

    Speaker Long thought about it andughed even more heartily, then said, ¡°Nianzhi is a member of the upper house of the parliament. Whoever dares to go against her will be going against our parliament. Our parliament members have no other remarkable abilities, but they are sharp-tongued and good at writing. When the timees, we¡¯ll see who will be able to endure. Hahahaha!¡±

    The Prime Minister Bai wasn¡¯t as at ease as General Ji and Speaker Long were. He was even a little reserved and smiled on the side. He was veryposed and didn¡¯t speak.

    Although Xie Shenxing had been joking, he didn¡¯t stop observing and evaluating the three people in front of him.

    The huge country had been handed over to them. He hoped that they were all people who had the ambition to achieve sess and put national interests first.

    General Ji had always been a good person. Although Speaker Long looked kind, Xie Shenxing knew that he was the person who could be silent but deadly.

    As for Bai Jiancheng, Xie Shenxing approved of him inside. His decades of experience in the cab had made him very cautious.

    However, with such caution, he was able to stand out in the general election and be the prime minister. He was also a person who had good prospects and was willing to endure hardships.

    Moreover, he was someone who wanted to make a career out of it and hoped to leave his name in the annals of history.

    Xie Shenxing was at ease with such a person as prime minister.

    He nodded and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too polite. I originally said that I would be hosting everyone at my home. This is Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, so I was borrowing something of his to give you guys. We¡¯re having dinner here today. Tell Shaoheng what you want to eat and make him cook! ¡±

    ¡°Oh? We¡¯re going to get to eat Major General Huo¡¯s homemade food today?!¡± Speaker Long was surprised and delighted. He exchanged a look with Bai Jiancheng and was overjoyed.

    The corners of General Ji¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Shaoheng has an orderly in charge of cooking, so why are the two of you so happy?¡±

    He was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s immediate superior and had never received such treatment. What right did these two have to have a slice of his pie?!

    Speaker Long looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting next to Xie Shenxing, then smiled and said, ¡°Shaoheng might not be able to cook on his own, so Nianzhi will go help too. The two of you can cook us a meal together. Old Ji, would that be okay? Your eyes are almost popping out of their sockets!¡±

    General Jiughed heartily when he heard this, then said, ¡°That won¡¯t do! If Nianzhi cooks, I¡¯d rather not eat Shaoheng¡¯s food. I¡¯ll leave immediately! I¡¯ll leave the danger zone immediately! Oh, right, Mr. Xie, I¡¯ll have to take you with me. It¡¯ll be a big deal if little Nianzhi cooks. The entire base¡¯s bomb squad and firemen will have to be on high alert!¡±

    He was making fun of her for almost burning down the kitchen when she cooked earlier...

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and felt extremely ufortable sitting next to Xie Shenxing.

    ¡°Old Ji, what are you trying to say? What happened?¡± Speaker long looked at Huo Shaoheng in confusion. ¡°Shaoheng, tell us, is there something that Old Ji knows that we don¡¯t?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to change. Please take a seat.¡± With that said, she ran upstairs in escape.

    Everyone looked at each other and listened to General Jiugh as he told them about how Gu Nianzhi had tried to cook in the past few days and had caused the entire garrison to go into a state of first-ssbat readiness.

    Xie Shenxing, who was usuallyposed,ughed so hard that he almost burst into tears.

    He took a tissue from the coffee table and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. Heughed so hard that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth. ¡°That little girl is too hrious! This won¡¯t do. I have to give her a top-notch chef. Otherwise, she won¡¯t be able to cook when she gets married in the future. What if Shaoheng suffers because of her?¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Shaoheng is going to cook for Nianzhi for the rest of his life! ¡± General Jiughed. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time today. Let the kitchen prepare something for us to eat. We¡¯ll save our appetite and wait to eat Shaoheng and Nianzhi¡¯s engagement dinner another day! ¡±

    Xie Shenxing agreed. He had no intention of forcing Huo Shaoheng to cook for them personally. He immediately changed his mind when General Ji said, ¡°Then let the kitchen prepare some of our favorite dishes. Let¡¯s talk while we eat?¡±

    It was everyone¡¯s tradition to talk business when they were eating and drinking.

    Many things were negotiated at the table.

    Alcohol showed people¡¯s true personalities.They would only be at ease when they saw each other drinking.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he went to the kitchen to discuss the dishes with the head chef for the day. He only went upstairs to see Gu Nianzhi after everything had been arranged.

    With her little face buried in the soft velvet pillow, Gu Nianzhi wasying on the bed alone. She was almost sunk in.

    Huo Shaoheng picked her up. ¡± ... Are you trying to suffocate yourself to death?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi buried her head in his arms again and said in a low, muffled voice, ¡°This is so embarrassing. How did they know?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng found it amusing. ¡°With such a big battle going on in the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces, do you expect General Ji not to know? I¡¯ve tried my best to cover it up for you. Look at Speaker long and Prime Minister Bai. They didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡± ... But they know now.¡± Gu Nianzhi was indignant. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect General Ji to be like this! ¡ª¡ª such a big mouth! How shameful!¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, you¡¯re not allowed to cook for them! ¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know that Xie Shenxing had changed his mind.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not going to cook for them. I¡¯m only going to cook for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng stroked her head, and his voice suddenly became gentle. ¡°Be good, be good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was soothed by his maic and melodious voice. No matter how mad she felt, she couldn¡¯t help being appeased by him, and every pore on her body oozed with bliss.

    She leaned against his chest and smelled his unique scent. Like the summer sun, it was dry and refreshing.

    His heart was beating beside her ears.

    This man was hers from head to toe, from the inside out.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exquisite and perfect jawline. She wished she could push him down...

    Of course, she was only thinking about it.

    There were four big shots sitting downstairs. How could Huo Shaoheng be ¡°pushed down¡± by her upstairs and end up like this or that?

    Gu Nianzhi pouted sulkily in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. Her slightly hoarse and soft voice was like a little kitten meowing and whining. ¡°You remember what you said. You said you¡¯d only cook for me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her back. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely only cook for you in private time. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    But he still had work hours, and he couldn¡¯t guarantee that.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mince her words and nodded quickly. ¡°I know. I meant in private. As for your work...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and looked at Huo Shaoheng with a half-hearted smile. Her eyes were like coquettish ¡°Major General Huo even pretended to be someone¡¯s fianc¨¦ before, so what¡¯s the big deal about cooking?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    This little kitten was bing more and more flirtatious.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart warmed. If it weren¡¯t for the four big shots sitting downstairs, he would have been able to deal with this little kitten by now.

    He closed his eyes and restrained himself. He ced her on the sofa and stood up.

    Gu Nianzhiid on the sofa and looked at Huo Shaohengzily. She caressed her corbone with one hand in a flirtatious manner.

    She was going to be a devil again.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over and kissed her hard on the lips. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°... You stay here and wait for me to catch the fairy tonight, okay?¡±

 Chapter 1339 - Not MuChapter Time Left

    <h4>Chapter 1339: Not Much Time Left</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked up, then closed her eyes and said in a low mirthful voice, ¡± ... If you don¡¯te, the fairy will fly away...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sdam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he pinched her waist hard then massaged it. Only then did he use his great willpower to pull himself away from her.

    Back downstairs, he chatted with the four big shots and poured them tea and snacks. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to calm down from the awe and excitement just now.

    Xie Shenxing, General Ji, Speaker Long, and Prime Minister Bai had already started talking about business.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence¡¯s living room was one of the safest ces in the entire Huaxia Empire.

    There were many things to talk about here, so there was no need to worry about eavesdropping.

    With concern, Xie Shenxing asked about the secret experiment that the military had cooperated with the Institute of High Energy Physics. ¡°The major ident 17 years ago cannot be an obstacle to your continued progress. As far as I know, the United States has made great progress in this area. If we haven¡¯t made a breakthrough yet, we will be far behind in this fourth industrial revolution.¡±

    The Huaxia Empire had missed the first and second industrial revolutions, but now it was the 3rd.

    Apart from the first industrial revolution, the 2nd and 3rd industrial revolutions were characterized by the renewal of energy.

    The 4th Industrial Revolution was the advanced form of energy exchange, the development and application of maic energy.

    In this regard, military technology was always at the forefront of civilian technology.

    Every major breakthrough in science and technology began with the military.

    For example, thework technology that swept the world in thest decade or so was the technology that was born in the secretboratory of the United States military decades ago.

    At first, it was only used on a small scale in the military, butter it was developed for civilian use.

    Then, it became an indispensable daily routine in people¡¯s lives.

    General Ji quickly said, ¡°Ever since Director Song recovered, we have begun to restart the preparation work for the experiment. Director Song was the only researcher who survived the experiment. With her as the leader, we believe that we can ovee the difficulties and find the reason for the previous failure and make new progress.¡±

    Xie Shenxing nodded and said with relief, ¡°That¡¯s good. We can¡¯t let go of this research for even a day. There hasn¡¯t been any progress in the past 17 years. We don¡¯t have much time left. We have to hurry up!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll definitely try our best to catch up!¡±

    General Ji, Speaker Long, and Prime Minister Bai all expressed their determination with very serious expressions.

    This wasn¡¯t just Xie Shenxing¡¯s wish. It was also the wish of General Ji, Speaker Long, Prime Minister Bai, and tens of thousands of Huaxia Empire citizens

    When Huo Shaoheng thought of the original data in his uncle¡¯s safe and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s letter, his heart skipped a beat.

    How did Gu Xiangwen get in touch with his uncle?

    He knew that the founding master in his line of work had many informants overseas, but these people only had one line of contact with him. They only recognized him alone and only sent him messages. They never contacted anyone else.

    Moreover, after the old master passed away, many people cut off all contact with the Huaxia Empire and didn¡¯t continue to be its informants.

    In hister years, the old master refused to write his memoirs.

    This was because he knew too many things and knew too many people. Many secrets couldn¡¯t be revealed to the public, and he would rather take them to his grave.

    Those people were willing to be used by him. In the end, there was only one word: trust.

    The people who had contacted the old master weren¡¯t ordinary people.

    It wasn¡¯t that they looked down on ordinary people, but they had important information that ordinary people couldn¡¯t ess.

    You had to be in that position to be able to y a greater role.

    Of course, there were some people who chose to continue working for the Huaxia Empire. However, the most powerful person had died in an American prison because of Bai Yusheng¡¯s betrayal.

    That was why those people had been even more afraid to contact them in the past.

    There was nothing they could do about it.

    Huo Shaoheng wondered if Gu Xiangwen, maintaining one-way contact with his uncle, Huo Guanyuan, was like those people who had been in one-way contact with the founding father.

    And if Huo Guanyuan, abiding by their agreement without saying a word to anyone else, was like the founding father in their line of work.

    The fact that the original data had been preserved and handed over to Huo Shaoheng was probably the result of many considerations.

    For Huo Guanyuan, this was the best he could do, wasn¡¯t it?

    It would probably be impossible to find Gu Xiangwen¡¯s contact information through him.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. It seemed that this wasn¡¯t the way to go, so he had to find another way.

    Little Ze had to hurry up.

    That day, General Ji, Speaker Long, and Prime Minister Bai stayed in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mansion untilte into the night. They only left after having supper.

    After sending the three big shots back, Xie Shenxing said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I have to go back to the West Mountain Vi tomorrow. Nianzhi shoulde with me and stay at my ce for a few days. Do you agree?¡±

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng agreed. He added, ¡°I have nothing to do these few days, so I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±

    Xie Shenxing: ¡± ... ¡±

    Looking up at him, Xie Shenxing chuckled. ¡°You can¡¯t bear to let her go? Tsk Tsk, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t mistreat your little wife.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ..

    The next day had a good sunny weather. It was a little hot early in the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi came down from upstairs. She was wearing a pair of thin white leggings. She was wearing an Isabel Marant t-bottomed white sneakers and a dark blue cotton lycra t-shirt. It fit her perfectly and made her figure look dainty and slender.

    Her hair was tied up in a bun, and her skin was fairer than snow. Her eyes were as clear as jade. Her lips were slightly glossy, as if she had put honey on them, and made him want to kiss her.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her and thought to himself quietly: Her devilish aura is everywhere. Looks like I didn¡¯t catch enough devilsst night, so I¡¯ll have to continue working hard... ¡±

    After him ¡°catching devils¡±st night, Gu Nianzhi looked like she was exhausted, but after she woke up, she was immediately energized and looked even more coquettish than yesterday.

    ¡°Major General Huo, I¡¯m going to the West Mountain Vi with Granduncle today.¡± Gu Nianzhi carried a small suitcase with her daily necessities, a few sets of clothes, and herputer bag.

    Huo Shaoheng helped her carry the suitcase and sent her out to the car. ¡°Granduncle is already waiting in the car at the door. Why are you so slow?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Granduncle is that fast? I thought I was quite early.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s not even eight o¡¯clock yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m old, so I don¡¯t sleep that much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng went out with her. As expected, there was a rolls-Royce hybrid limousine parked at the entrance of the official residence.

    Upon seeing that they hade out, a staff member got out of the rolls-Royce and helped Gu Nianzhi open the rearpartment.

    Huo Shaoheng sent Gu Nianzhi inside and leaned towards his Granduncle, who was sitting inside. ¡°You can go back with Nianzhi first. I¡¯lle to your ce for dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll wait for you to have dinner tonight, but for now, you can go back to your work.¡± Xie Shenxing said with a smile and waved for the door to be closed.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    After watching the cars leave, Huo Shaoheng turned around and called Chen Lie.

    ¡°Chen Lie,e with me to the Military General Hospital.¡±

    Chen Lie was caught off guard. ¡°Why are you going to the Military General Hospital? Are you sick?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me, it¡¯s my grandfather,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°Hurry Up, don¡¯t dawdle.

    Chen Lie was originally a genius attending physician at the Military General Hospital. He had been recruited by Huo Shaoheng and became an attending physician of the Special Operations forces. However, he had his own position at the Military General Hospital.

    Returning to the Military General Hospital was like returning to Chen Lie¡¯s second office.

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t reject him directly. He asked, ¡°Is your grandfather sick?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t just sick?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say at the moment. He could only say, ¡°You¡¯ll find out once youe with me.¡±

    Chen Lie was a big shot. He was best at performing heart surgery.

    ..

    He brought Chen Lie to the Special Care Ward of the Military General Hospital. He happened to see the members of the Zhang family poking their heads out of the door.

    The person taking care of Huo Xuenong in the ward was one of Huo Guanchen¡¯s orderlies.

    ¡°Major General Huo, you¡¯re here?¡± The orderlies quickly stood up and saluted.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to suppress his salute and asked, ¡°What are they doing here?¡±

    ¡± ... They said they¡¯re here to take care of old Mr. Huo.¡± The orderlies said warily, ¡°What do you think we should do? Should we let them stay, or...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and said, ¡°Since they¡¯re willing to take care of him, let them take care of him. Just don¡¯t leave either.¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t leave.¡± The orderly quickly expressed his loyalty.

    Chen Lie followed Huo Shaoheng into Huo Xuenong¡¯s intensive care unit. He saw the equipment in the room and knew what kind of illness Huo Xuenong was suffering from.

    He clicked his tongue and began to check the data on the monitoring equipment in the ward. He opened the small operating case that wasparable to a battlefield hospital, took out his own equipment, and began to check Huo Xuenong¡¯s body again.

    Next to him, the Zhang family was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 1340 - There Will Always Be Someone Better

    <h4>Chapter 1340: There Will Always Be Someone Better</h4>

    ¡°This Is... Dr. Chen? ¡± Zhang Baochen had lived in the Huo family for more than ten years, so he knew more people than his two children.

    Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng were good friends, so Zhang Baochen had seen him a few times.

    Chen Lie grinned at him and said, ¡°Mr. Zhang, don¡¯t worry. Old Mr. Huo¡¯s illness might not be permanent.¡±

    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s Great! ¡± Zhang Baochen breathed a sigh of relief.

    When Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna saw that their father trusted the chubby little doctor so much, they looked over with concern.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, kept his hands behind his back as he stood by the window and looked out.

    His straight back made him appear especially handsome. With the Major General¡¯s summer uniform on him, he was so handsome and charming that one couldn¡¯t take their eyes off him.

    After Chen Lie connected the equipment to Huo Xuenong, he ignored the Zhang family.

    He skillfully operated the equipment to check Huo Xuenong¡¯s physical condition, and from time to time, he recorded the relevant data on his tablet.

    This round ofprehensive physical examination took a full hour and forty-five minutes.

    Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna were so bored that they were about to fall asleep.

    Zhang Baochen, on the other hand, stared at Chen Lie and Huo Xuenong without blinking, afraid that he would miss out any details.

    After all the examinations, Chen Lie said regretfully to the Zhang family, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help you. Old Mr. Huo is indeed brain dead.¡±

    ¡°Huh? No Way? Didn¡¯t you say that he would be brain dead only if he doesn¡¯t wake up after a week? There are still a few days left! Who knows, perhaps he might wake up?!¡± Zhang Baochen was the first to express his disbelief. ¡°Do you really know how to examine him? This is no ordinary headache and fever.¡±

    Chen Lie put away his equipment and didn¡¯t get angry. He chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. You can wait. There¡¯s nothing wrong with waiting a few more days. I¡¯m just stating the facts. The data on the equipment pointed to the conclusion that he is brain dead. It¡¯s not easy for me to fool you. It¡¯s definitely not the case. ¡ª¡ªIf you guys are so filial, you definitely don¡¯t need hypocritical constion, do you?¡±

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s face was red.

    He was just saying what he thought. How could he be asking for hypocritical constion?

    The doctor had made it clear that he would be dered brain dead only after a week!

    Chen Lie had been brought here by Huo Shaoheng. Perhaps he had colluded with Huo Shaoheng to deliberately scare him?

    Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna hurried to Zhang Baochen¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°My dad didn¡¯t mean anything by it. What you¡¯re saying is different from what the other doctors said. He¡¯s just expressing his doubts.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m indeed different from the other doctors. It¡¯s up to you to decide whether or not to believe me.¡± Chen Lie packed up the equipment and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Major General Huo, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked back and raised his hand. ¡°You can leave first. Wait for me in the car.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded and left with the small operating case.

    Huo Shaoheng said to the Zhang family, ¡°Since you¡¯re all here, you¡¯re willing to share half of the nursing responsibility. How about this? Every month, I¡¯ll ask for half of the nursing and medical bills from the previous month to be sent to you. The nursing time is also one month. Have you found a professional nurse?¡±

    Zhang Baochen blushed and said, ¡°A week after the diagnosis, we¡¯lle and take care of him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and took out a nursing responsibility document. ¡°You can sign it. After you sign It, everyone will fulfill their own duties and stay out of each other¡¯s way.¡±

    His words expressed his desire to distance himself from the Zhang family.

    Zhang Baochen took the nursing responsibility document from Huo Shaoheng with a bitter expression and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at it first. Can I sign it after I¡¯m done?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Whatever. There are surveince cameras here anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you sign it or not.¡±

    In reality, he was trying to mislead the Zhang family because the hospital surveince cameras here couldn¡¯t record anything. They could only see videos.

    Huo Shaoheng left the ward and returned to his car. He ordered Chen Lie to drive back to the base.

    In the car, Chen Lie said in a low voice, ¡°Grandfather Huo¡¯s illness isn¡¯t optimistic. You have to be mentally prepared.¡±

    ¡± ... You mean his life is in danger? ¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°The hospital¡¯s doctors said it¡¯s not... ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not his life.¡± Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s brain dead. He¡¯s indeed in a brain dead state.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s good that his life isn¡¯t in danger.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded without batting an eye. ¡°As for his brain dead state, we are indeed mentally prepared.¡±

    ¡± ... but Grandfather Huo¡¯s brain dead state is rtively shallow. I¡¯ve checked his cerebral cortex reaction, and it still has a certain reaction to external stimuli.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked over and asked nonchntly, ¡°He¡¯s brain dead but still has a reaction to external stimuli?¡±

    ¡°Of course, there are several types of conditions for a brain dead state. The most serious kind is like suspended animation, and the lower level is only the lowest level of consciousness. The next level is a chronic consciousness disorder like Mr. Huo, but he still has a certain level of perception of the outside world.¡±

    Chen Lie exined Huo Xuenong¡¯s condition to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°That is to say, sometimes he can hear other people talking, and his brain will also have a short period of consciousness, but he cannot move or speak because his actions and speech require more cooperation from his brain cells. He is temporarily unable to do so.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the tablet in his hand. ¡°That¡¯s good. Try to treat him as much as possible. There should be a chance for him to recover.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for him to recover. He might wake up in ten or eight years.¡± Chen Lie winked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Ask the Zhang family to take good care of him. When grandfather Huo wakes up, we¡¯ll definitely make it up to them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips but didn¡¯t reply.

    At Huo Xuenong¡¯s age?

    Would hest another ten or eight years?

    Impossible.

    It seemed like this would be the end of his life.

    Huo Shaoheng was more confident in Chen Lie¡¯s medical skills. If he said so, then it must be so.

    ..

    .

    Gu Nianzhi followed Xie Shenxing to the Xie family¡¯s vi on the Western Hills.

    The Xie family¡¯s vi was different from He Zhichu¡¯s vi.

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that He Zhichu¡¯s vi was newly built. Although it was luxurious, it didn¡¯t have enough heritage. If she hadn¡¯t seen the Xie family¡¯s vi, He Zhichu¡¯s vi would still be considered high-ss in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart.

    However, when she saw the Xie family vi, Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, ¡°There will always someone better than you.¡±

    The Xie family Vi must have been around for a long time, and it showed the richness and grandeur of its history in every aspect.

    It was luxurious and low-key to the core. The exterior couldn¡¯t be seen at all. Instead, it looked simple yet sublime.

    It had white walls, ck tiles, heavy eaves and soaring roofs. After they walked into the courtyard, she saw that there were many arched doors, front porches and back buildings, left and right pavilions. On the east side, there was a viewing tform with pointed pavilions. The Pines and cypress below the tform were lush and green.

    Standing on this viewing tform, they could definitely climb up and look into the distance, and express their true emotions directly, right?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about the position of the observation deck and took another look. She thought to herself that she could actually make a watchtower as well. From this position, she could see the mountain path they hade up from.

    This vi was indeed too big. It would be a shame to call it a vi.

    This was clearly a small pce...

    Gu Nianzhi secretlymented inside about how she never thought that the Xie family had such a high position in the country today.

    She followed Xie Shenxing into the main house and wasn¡¯t surprised to see that the furnishings in the house were all vintage.

    Of course, perhaps her eyes were ying tricks on her. The rosewood furniture wasn¡¯t vintage Perhaps they were antique in the first ce.

    Xie Shenxing sat down casually and motioned towards Gu Nianzhi with his hands. ¡°You sit too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and sat down on a high-backed armchair next to Xie Shenxing. She said, ¡°Granduncle, this ce is so luxurious. I feel intimidated to even sit down.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Do you like it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously and said curtly, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I like it? I¡¯m not blind. It¡¯s such a beautiful house. How pretentious would it be for me to say that I didn¡¯t like it?¡±

    The point was that it was so big! ! ! !

    She didn¡¯t even dare to think about how much each square meter was worth...

    This house was no longer something that could be measured by money. Living in it was like living in history.

    ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll give it to you as a dowry,¡± Xie Shenxing said with a smile. ¡°In the future, when you quarrel with Shaoheng, you cane here. He wouldn¡¯t dare mess around here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ... ¡±

    Her heart felt warm and touched.

    But she declined tactfully. ¡°Granduncle, that wouldn¡¯t be good. This house is under the Xie family¡¯s name, and there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. But if it were under my name, I¡¯d probably only use it as a museum.¡±

    Xie Shenxing furrowed his brows and thought about it for a moment. It was indeed possible.

    He quickly rxed his brows and smiled. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll find another vi for you. The key to this vi and the deed to the house will be with you. When you¡¯re free, you cane and stay for a few days. Just treat it as helping us look after the house.¡±

    They had been away from the country for many years and had been away from home for so long. The people looking after the house were a part of the Xie family. They usually cleaned and organized it.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed immediately. ¡°I¡¯lle stay here when I¡¯m free. Also, you don¡¯t have to give me a vi anymore. Uncle Beichen already gave me a gift, and that¡¯s enough. You really don¡¯t have to be so formal with us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being formal.¡± Xie Shenxing saw that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care about this at all, so he felt both touched yet also empathetic towards her, ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯re not sensible at all. You grew up with Shaoheng, right? You could make do in the past, but now that you¡¯re getting married, you can¡¯t just make do anymore. How will your children be able to raise their heads in front of others in the future?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead yet. Her face turned red and she muttered, ¡± ... I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying... ¡±

    ¡°When you marry Shaoheng, not only are you marrying into the Huo family, but also into their social circle. Your child will have to grow up in that circle in the future. You might not care about being different, but you can¡¯t let your child be the same. A child¡¯s greatest fear is to be different. He will feel isted and ostracized. Listen to what I¡¯m saying. Take what¡¯s given to you. Treat it as if it¡¯s not for you, but for you and Shaoheng¡¯s child.¡±

    Xie Shenxing advised Gu Nianzhi earnestly.

    At their age, of course, they had a moreprehensive view of the situation than people of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s age.

    Having heard that, Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to agree. ¡°Thank you, Granduncle.¡±

    Xie Shenxing was satisfied. He stood up and said, ¡°Get someone to show you the room you¡¯re staying in. If there¡¯s anything you need, feel free to ask. It¡¯s best to livefortably. I¡¯m going to rest for a while. Make yourself at home. Don¡¯t be shy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stood up. ¡°Granduncle, you¡¯re generous. That makes me feel even more embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, okay, let¡¯s not be too formal! Nobody be too formal!¡± Xie Shenxing said this as he led the two staff members to the main courtyard where they were staying.

    Gu Nianzhi and the two middle-aged women in their forties arrived at the courtyard where she was staying. She had just put down her luggage when she heard her phone ring. She picked it up and saw that it was a phone call from He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that He Zhichu also lived in West Mountain. She smiled and picked up the phone. ¡°Hello, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s cold and clear voice came from the phone. ¡°Nianzhi? You¡¯re here in West Mountain?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. How did He Zhichu know that she was here in West Mountain?!

 Chapter 1341 - The Bottom Line Exists To Be Broken

    <h4>Chapter 1341: The Bottom Line Exists To Be Broken</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words.

    He Zhichu seemed to understand what she was thinking. The corners of his lips curled up on his cold face. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve unlocked your phone¡¯s permission settings. You can see me, and I can also see you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She opened the ¡°Find Friends¡± app on her phone and immediately saw He Zhichu¡¯s location.

    However, her phone first had to give He Zhichu¡¯s phone ess to see her location...

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t remember when she had given He Zhichu¡¯s phone ess.

    Narrowing her big dark eyes, Gu Nianzhi said softly, ¡± ... Professor He, I didn¡¯t expect you to be aputerwork expert. When did you hack into my phone? I actually didn¡¯t know...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mention the various security procedures Huo Shaoheng and the special operations forces had installed on her phone. She had also installed a lot of security measures on her own phone to prevent others from hacking into her phone.

    She had been a hacker herself, and knew very well how easy it was to hack into someone else¡¯s phone in the world of mobileworks.

    But in modern society, almost everyone¡¯s privacy was preserved in their own phone.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and said airily, ¡°I didn¡¯t hack your phone. I just... Once took your phone and added my phone number to your phone¡¯s friends ¡®family¡¯ Group.¡±

    As long as he was in her ¡®family¡¯ group, many permissions could be shared.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and saw that He Zhichu¡¯s profile picture had indeed appeared in the ¡°family¡± group of her mobile phone friends.

    Although it made sense, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe that He Zhichu had used her phone to do such a thing.

    She knew very well that He Zhichu had almost no chance of obtaining her phone alone.

    If she had guessed correctly, He Zhichu had really hacked her phone..

    Fortunately, there was nothing hidden in her phone. There were no indecent photos or private logs. At most, there were some photos of Huo Shaoheng that she had secretly taken...

    There was a photo of He Zhichu wearing a military uniform in public and looking handsome.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if He Zhichu had flipped through her photo album, but her face grew red as she said sullenly, ¡°Professor He, you have to at least tell me, or there will be a misunderstanding.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi was angry, so he grew a little nervous.

    He really messed up on this matter.

    However, while he was secretly in love with her and missing her so much that he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her, he, who had been drunk one night, finally crossed his bottom line and hacked into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    He just wanted to know where she was when he missed her.

    He Zhichu felt happy when he saw her smiling profile picture on the phone map. He couldn¡¯t help smiling as he hugged the phone to sleep. Even his dreams were sweet.

    However, he was too ashamed to say such things to Gu Nianzhi. He didn¡¯t want to burden her, so he didn¡¯t exin any further.

    He had been too anxious today so he forgot about it for a moment and identally revealed he knew where Gu Nianzhi was. If he had asked her where she was like before, she might not have been so angry.

    He Zhichu whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... ¡± then he casually changed the topic. ¡°I saw your location at the Xie family vi. Are the Xie family¡¯s members back? Did youe with Major General Huo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was sulky as her fingers slid across He Zhichu¡¯s profile picture. She resisted the urge to delete him from her ¡°family¡± group several times and also wanted to turn off sharing her location with him at ¡°Find Friends¡±.

    However, all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind, but in the end, she didn¡¯t do so.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t do this again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I definitely won¡¯t do it again.¡± He Zhichu felt relieved when he saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s profile picture was still there on the phone map. Knowing that she hadn¡¯t deleted him, He Zhichu felt even better.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s next sentence didn¡¯t put him in a good mood.

    ¡°But, Professor He, you have to teach me how you broke through all the obstacles and hacked into my phone.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed. Even though they were separated by walls, trees, and mountains, she could still imagine He Zhichu¡¯s defeated expression.

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t teach me, I¡¯ll change my numberpletely. I refuse to believe that you can hack into my phone without knowing my number.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes curved into two crescent moons.

    He Zhichu knew that he should have refused, but he said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Great! Professor He, you¡¯re a man of your word!¡± Gu Nianzhi cocked her head and leaned against the curtains by the window. ¡°Okay, you called me, so is there anything else?¡±

    He Zhichu rubbed his temples. He regretted making the call.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else. I was just curious about the reason you were in the Xie family¡¯s vi, ¡± He Zhichu said airily. ¡°The security for the Xie family¡¯s vi is one of the best in this area. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter by yourself if they hadn¡¯t brought you in.¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°But I did enter by myself. They didn¡¯t know that I came from...¡±

    She looked out the window. ¡°I climbed in from the tree next to the wall. I saw the scenery here, and the observation deck was so beautiful!¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    That little rascal was trying to trick him.

    ¡°Nianzhi, the wall you saw has infrared night vision devices on it, and automaticser-guided weapons hidden in the dark. If you really climbed in from the wall, you would have been knocked unconscious and sent to the police station by now, and Huo Shaoheng would be on his way to the police station to bail you out.¡±

    He Zhichu spoke slowly, with his voice clear and his words... a little harsh.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t angry. Instead, she was even more curious. ¡°Professor He, how do you know all of this? Can I get someone to verify it? ¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    He was truly defeated by this ¡°curiosity killed the cat¡± little rascal.

    He Zhichu shook his head helplessly. ¡°Alright, Nianzhi, I admit my mistake. Can¡¯t I admit my mistake? I¡¯ll teach you. I¡¯ll teach you whatever you want to learn.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was happy now. She smiled like a kitten that had eaten a fish. ¡°Professor He, shouldn¡¯t you have promised me this earlier? Hehe, it¡¯s like this. Old Mr. Xie is back. He¡¯s Major General Huo¡¯s Great-uncle. He brought me here today to learn the way ¡± She giggled again. ¡°Old Mr. Xie is like you. He also wants to give me his vi as a dowry, but I politely declined.¡±

    ¡°How would I dare live in a house like this?¡±

    He Zhichu fell silent for a long time before he said faintly, ¡± ... I¡¯m the same as Old Mr. Xie? Am I that old? ¡±

    Why was his focus on this?!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I meant that you¡¯re the same as Old Mr. Xie because you¡¯re highly regarded by me!¡±

    He wasn¡¯t consoled!

    He Zhichu pursed his lips even tighter. After a while.., he said, ¡°Nianzhi, if old Mr. Xie wants to support you, that¡¯s a good thing. But don¡¯t ept old Mr. Xie¡¯s overly valuable possessions. I¡¯ll prepare your dowry for you. I won¡¯t let you be unworthy of the Huo family. Also, Tell Old Mr. Xie that you have a family, which is me, He Zhichu.¡±

    He Zhichu was obviously backing her up.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if someone had thrown a pebble into theke of her heart. The ripples in her heart were shaking, and her heart was overflowing with gratitude and joy.

    She knew very well that Xie Shenxing had said that he wanted to be a part of her family. It was purely because they loved her and didn¡¯t want others to say that she wasn¡¯t worthy of Huo Shaoheng.

    By saying that about her, they were actually shaming Huo Shaoheng and the Xie family.

    Therefore, they stood up and actively supported Gu Nianzhi to show that they were very satisfied with her. Not only were the Huo family satisfied, but the Huo family¡¯s inws, the Xie family, were even more satisfied.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was very touched by the Xie family¡¯s good intentions, she still felt a little ufortable.

    After all, everyone knew that the Xie family was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s maternal family, and had nothing to do with her, Gu Nianzhi.

    She felt ufortable revealing the rtionship between Xie Dezhao and Xie Qingying. Xie Dezhao and Xie Shenxing were already rtives.

    Even though they were still members of the Xie family, they would be too thick-skinned to call themselves rtives.

    Even Speaker Long didn¡¯t dare call himself a member of the Xie family by marriage.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand the ways of the world in the past, but ever since her rtionship with Huo Shaoheng was made public, she had to understand even if she didn¡¯t want to.

    Fortunately, these things weren¡¯t as difficult to understand as thew andputer programmingnguages.

    She could y around with thew andputer programming, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to understand the ways of the world.

    But when she thought of this, Gu Nianzhi felt a little tired for the first time.

    Sure enough, love was one thing, but marriage was another.

    But it was different when He Zhichu took the initiative to step forward.

    Deep down, Gu Nianzhi already thought of He Zhichu as her brother. She couldn¡¯t help saying to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, why do you have to make it soplicated? Is it really that important to have a family?¡±

    He Zhichu was in great emotional turmoil, and he almost blurted out, ¡± ... It¡¯s not thatplicated if you marry me.¡±

    But he didn¡¯t say it, and he didn¡¯t dare say it because he knew that Gu Nianzhi would definitely fall out with him if he said it, and he would really be cklisted...

    He Zhichu walked around the room with his phone in his hand, and he tried tofort Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, to be honest, with your abilities, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that important to you that you have a family. Old Mr. Xie must have said that because he doesn¡¯t know how powerful our Nianzhi is. What¡¯s the use of having a powerful family? If the descendants aren¡¯t capable enough, they¡¯ll fall behind others any moment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi liked hearing this. She beamed. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re so good at this. You really see things clearly!¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t helpughing. This heartless little girl was really getting better and better at ttering him.

    ¡°Tsk tsk, Nianzhi, be reserved, be reserved. You don¡¯t have to praise yourself in front of me. In my heart, you¡¯re the best at any time, anywhere. No one canpare to you, ¡± He Zhichu said airily. His cold and clear voice didn¡¯t fluctuate, as if he was talking about something extremely norma.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. ¡°Professor He, if you keep praising me like that, I¡¯ll get too big for my britches.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter where you go, I¡¯ll find you. I won¡¯t leave you Alone,¡± He Zhichu said meaningfully.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, bright eyes werepletely curved into two thin crescent moons. She said, ¡°Professor He, in two weeks, the Xie family will be holding an engagement party for Major General Huo and I at the Diaotai State Guesthouse. You have toe!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He Zhichu nodded lightly. ¡°That¡¯s not bad. I wanted to help you hold it, but I felt that it would be a bit unbing for the woman¡¯s family to host the engagement party, so I didn¡¯t mention it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Professor He, overseas weddings are always hosted by the woman. Didn¡¯t you grow up overseas? Don¡¯t you know about this?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened, but he quickly added, ¡°Yes, of course I know about this custom, but we are the Huaxia Empire¡¯s descendants. We are used to the man holding the wedding, buying the house, and giving betrothal gifts. The woman is only responsible for getting married beautifully.¡±

 Chapter 1342 - Taking the Unconventional Route

    <h4>Chapter 1342: Taking the Unconventional Route</h4>

    Gu Nianzhiughed so hard that she bent down. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re so funny. The man offers so much, yet the woman doesn¡¯t even need to provide the dowry?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± He Zhichu decided to bber nonsense with her. ¡°Why would she want the dowry? The woman is already married, so why would she still want the dowry? It¡¯s not fair.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, I don¡¯t know who will be so lucky to marry you in the future,¡± Gu Nianzhi said earnestly. ¡°She must have saved the Blue in her past life.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s throat was suddenly choked.

    He wanted to say, it¡¯s not that the person who married me is lucky, it¡¯s that I need a little bit of luck to marry you...

    Unfortunately, he still couldn¡¯t say anything. He could only say hesitantly, ¡± ... my standards are too high. So far, I haven¡¯t seen anyone who meets my standards.¡±

    ¡± ... Too high? Actually, it¡¯s better to have higher standards. It¡¯s better to have less than an abundance of bad things. I admire you for this Professor He. Good luck!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her arm and made a gesture of ¡°good luck¡±.

    He Zhichu: ¡± ... ¡±

    The two of them chatted nonchnttly. He Zhichu reminded her again, ¡°Don¡¯t get involved in the engagement party. Let them prepare. You have to prepare well for Luo Jin¡¯s case. The trial is in a little more than a week. How are your preparations going?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little ashamed.

    She had been preupied with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s family for the past few days and hadn¡¯t had time to prepare for her own work.

    Gu Nianzhi collected her thoughts and said earnestly, ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Professor He. I have to prepare for the trial.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi stopped talking about the Huo family, He Zhichu felt relieved.

    ¡°How is it? Is there anything I can help you with?¡± He Zhichu sat back down at his desk and opened theptop on his desk. ¡°Your case actually isn¡¯t easy to defend. The other party has hired Cai Shengnan as a defensewyer...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°I knew it. Cai Shengnan is Luo Jin¡¯swyer. She extorted six million dors from Luo Jin in advance. Tsk, tsk. Professor He, isn¡¯t her hourly rate even more expensive than yours?¡±

    He Zhichu pressed the mouse in his hand and focused on the court documents. He ignored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sarcastic remarks and frowned.

    ¡°Nianzhi, the trial is in a few days. Did you get the appointment letter from the Public Prosecutor¡¯s Office?¡± He Zhichu sounded very serious. ¡°Did you continue to contact the Public Prosecutor¡¯s office after the case was filed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?I haven¡¯t gotten the appointment letter from the Public Prosecutor¡¯s office yet, but... ¡±

    But who else could it be besides her?

    She had represented Song Jinning at the police station and the Public Prosecutor¡¯s office on this case, and had sessfully filed the case.

    If the public prosecutor wanted an outsidewyer, she would be the best candidate.

    He Zhichu instantly understood that Gu Nianzhi had taken it for granted.

    He looked at the Public Prosecutor¡¯s Office¡¯s list of the prosecution and defense for Song Jinning and Luo Jin¡¯s intentional homicide. He said airily, ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that I asked you about it. Your name isn¡¯t on the prosecution¡¯swyer¡¯s list.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips as he looked at the prosecutor¡¯s list.

    They were all small-timewyers from third-ratew firms. How could these people argue with Cai Shengnan?

    Wasn¡¯t this handing the victory over to Cai Shengnan?

    Cai Shengnan was no better at business than Gu Nianzhi. Perhaps it was because she had been a lobbyist for too long in the United States Congress, but Cai Shengnan¡¯s ¡°operational¡± skills were indeed much better than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say a word and sent the notice to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Take a look for yourself. The Prosecutor General¡¯s Office¡¯s website secretly posted the names of the prosecution¡¯swyers in Song Jinning v. Luo Jin¡¯s case. You¡¯re not on it.¡±

    Criminal cases in the Huaxia Empire usually went through this process.

    First, the police would investigate the case and hand it over to the Prosecutor General¡¯s Office after they had gathered enough evidence. The Prosecutor General¡¯s Office would then decide whether the case was prosecutable or not.

    If it was, the Prosecutor General¡¯s Office would file a case for prosecution, and at the same time, they would choose a suitable prosecutionwyer and prepare to appear in court to argue the case against the defendant¡¯swyer.

    Because this was a criminal case, the main body of the prosecution wasn¡¯t the victim, nor was it the victim¡¯s representativewyer. Instead, it was the Prosecutor General¡¯s Office that had filed the case for prosecution.

    The Prosecutor General¡¯s Office would then appoint a prosecutor, and the prosecutor would choose a suitable prosecutionwyer to appear in court together to argue against the defendant¡¯s defensewyer.

    In other words, the prosecutionwyer would represent the intiff and the defensewyer would represent the defendant.

    Generally speaking, the prosecutionwyer was the intiff¡¯swyer. However, the public prosecutor had to appoint awyer to appear in court to debate.

    Gu Nianzhi had been directly appointed by the Public Prosecutor¡¯s office to represent Luo Xinxue in her previouswsuit against Bai Jinyi.

    Gu Nianzhi had never known that there would be a problem with this.

    When she saw the list of prosecutionwyers on the prosecutor¡¯s Office¡¯s website, she sucked in her breath.

    She stared at her phone screen, and her mind went nk for a moment.

    She had never thought that such a thing would happen.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. Without saying another word, she began to search for information to see under what circumstances the prosecution would not choose the intiff¡¯swyer as the prosecutor¡¯swyer.

    After going through the relevant legal provisions, Gu Nianzhi discovered that in the decades of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Prosecutor General¡¯s Office history, there were only three cases in which the intiff¡¯swyer hadn¡¯t been used as the prosecution¡¯swyer.

    One of the reasons was that, for the first time, the prosecution¡¯swyer had been proven to be colluding with the defendant¡¯swyer. This had severely harmed the interests of the intiff, which was his own client.

    Therefore, not only did the intiff¡¯swyer fail to appear in court as the intiff¡¯swyer, but he was also stripped of hiswyer¡¯s license.

    For the second time, before the intiff¡¯swyer appeared in court, he was suddenly beaten into a brain dead state by a group of people. Hey in a hospital bed for two years before he woke up. Of course, he couldn¡¯t appear in court as the intiff¡¯swyer.

    For the third time, the intiff¡¯swyer suddenly canceled his contract with the intiff before he appeared in court. The intiff didn¡¯t have time to find a newwyer to represent him, so the prosecutor¡¯s office appointed the intiff¡¯swyer on its own.

    Therefore, the prosecutor¡¯s office hadn¡¯t chosen the intiff¡¯swyer to represent the intiff in court because it was an undeniable factor.

    This time, the prosecutor¡¯s office had quietly removed her name from the prosecution¡¯swyer list without giving her a single reason.

    They had even secretly ced the public notice in an inconspicuous ce on the Inte. Were they nning to get it over with?

    Gu Nianzhi held her phone to her ear and sneered. ¡°This prosecutor is really something. I wonder how much money she received from Cai Shengnan.¡±

    ¡°Cai Shengnan has been awyer in American politics for many years. Even if she wanted to bribe the prosecutor, she would never use a simple and crude method to bribe him. ¡± He Zhichu reasoned calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time on this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not wasting my time. The prosecutor has shown that he¡¯s being unfair, so why should I tolerate it?¡± Gu Nianzhi paced around the room in frustration.

    She had prepared so much information for so long, but suddenly realized that it was impossible for her to even go to court. What was the point of thiswsuit then?

    Gu Nianzhi was indignant. ¡°No, I want to question the prosecutor immediately and ask what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°You can just object to the publicly announced lineup of Prosecution Lawyers. ¡± He Zhichu taught her how to appeal to the prosecutor¡¯s office through the proper channels, ¡°You must always remember that your status is special. You must follow proper procedures and not give the other party a chance to take advantage of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. ¡°I understand. Thank you for your advice, Professor He.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Gu Nianzhi began to study the formal interrogation procedure.

    The prosecutor¡¯s Office had publicly announced the prosecution¡¯swyer, which meant that it was fair and just.

    In theory, if the intiff objected, the prosecutor¡¯s office wouldn¡¯t be able to make its own decision. They would have to consider the intiff¡¯s request and provide reasons for doing so.

    The defendant had no right to choose the prosecution¡¯swyer.

    They could only choose their ownwyer and the members of the jury.

    Gu Nianzhi was the intiff¡¯swyer, so she could represent the intiff in questioning the prosecutor¡¯s office and oppose the prosecutor¡¯s selection of the prosecution¡¯swyer lineup.

    As she wrote the inquiry letter, cold sweat broke out on her back.

    Unexpectedly, Cai Shengnan had gone off the rails and had no intention of arguing with her in court at all. She had directly set her up by preventing her from appearing in court.

    If she wasn¡¯t able to appear in court, she would definitely lose to Cai Shengnan.

    Fortunately, He Zhichu had gone to the Prosecutor¡¯s Office¡¯s website in advance to take a look. Otherwise, she would have been so trapped that she would have had nowhere to cry.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips tightly and typed quickly. She quickly wrote a 500-word inquiry letter that expressed her opposition to the prosecutor¡¯s selection of the prosecution¡¯swyers and demanded that they be reced.

    She sent the inquiry by email and asked for a reply, so that the other party couldn¡¯t deny it.

    Not long after she sent the email, Xie Shenxing called someone over to invite her down for dinner.

    Huo Shaoheng was also there, and he seemed to be in a good mood.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything about the prosecutionwyers. She quietly ate and joked with them as she calmly waited for the response from the prosecutor¡¯s office.

 Chapter 1343 - Speak or Act on Hearsay

    <h4>Chapter 1343: Speak or Act on Hearsay</h4>

    What Gu Nianzhi did not know was that Cai Shengnan had received the news as soon as she had sent the inquiry email.

    She was currently ying evening golf with a few friends at Xiangshan Golf Course on the outskirts of the imperial capital.

    There were a fewrge patches of grass in the valley, and this grass was like green silk.

    Like a brightly lit stadium, high-powered searchlights surrounded the grass, emitting light as white as snow and illuminating the entire valley. It was bright as day and the night sky seemed to be lit by a dozen little suns.

    When she heard her phone ring, she took out her phone to take a look and immediately picked up the call. Holding the cue, she straightened her back. Her mood was exceptionallyfortable as she looked at the green grass and bright lights in front of her.

    ¡°Miss Cai, the other party has raised a question. They disagree with our choice of attorney for the prosecution,¡± the person on the other end said in an embarrassed and anxious voice. Her voice was very low.

    Cai Shengnanughed happily when she heard this.

    She opened her alluring mouth, revealing eight neat, snow-white teeth. She punched out her hands. ¡°Well, it¡¯s finally here. I¡¯ve been waiting for it!¡±

    The other party: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be worried, I have my ways,¡± Cai Shengnanughed softly. She waved her arms and hit a very beautiful eagle.

    ¡°Awesome, awesome!¡±

    ¡°Society!¡±

    ¡°Miss Cai is not only awyer, but also an awesome golfer!¡±

    ¡°A politician who doesn¡¯t want to be a famous golfer is not a goodwyer!¡±

    Herpanions gave her thumbs up and praised her for her good shot.

    Cai Shengnan casually put the golf club on her shoulder and smiled happily.

    There were three types of golf goals: Birdie, Eagle, and Ace. Thest was moremonly known as a ¡°Hole in One¡± and was the best.

    Eagle was considered the middle. It was not particrly good, but not bad either.

    These peopleplimented her with the obvious intention of ttery. Even if it was only worth one point, they would make it seem like it was worth ten.

    Under the bright lights, Cai Shengnan¡¯s casual white golf skirt that was so short it barely reached the bottom of her thighs made her seem even taller, and her legs look even longer. Her waist was a little thick, but it was hard to tell against the slightly loose top.

    It was rare to see a beautiful woman with talent and family background.

    Therefore, everyone ttered her even more.

    Cai Shengnan raised the golf club and waved it in the air. She smiled and said, ¡°Carry on. I have something to do and need to work overtime so I can¡¯t apany everyone. Heh, today will be on me. Charge this to my ount and find my secretary to pay the bill.¡±

    She left the lighted golf course and returned to her vi.

    Her vi was in Xiangshan, and it was only a few minutes¡¯ drive away.

    When she returned to her study, she did not even change her clothes and immediately turned on herputer to contact the Americans.

    ¡°Mac, do me a favour,¡± Cai Shengnan said with a smug smile on her face. ¡°Send something for me. Remember to use a proxy. Don¡¯t expose your IP address. I¡¯ll give you a Weibo ount. Log in and post a Weibo message. Then, delete it at 8:30 tomorrow morning, domestic time. Remember to use a proxy IP!¡±

    The person on the other side quickly sent a string of text: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me.¡±

    This was a Chinese hacker she had worked with in the United States. He was very skilled. Although he wasn¡¯t as skilled as the legendary ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯, he was still one of the best hackers in Europe and the United States. This Chinese hacker she hade into contact with, nicknamed ¡®Big Mac¡¯, was among the best.

    After negotiating the price with Mac, Cai Shengnan paid the upfront fee before happily going to the bathroom to take a bath in rose essential oil.

    She really liked the faint rose fragrance. It was like the natural scent of a virgin oozing off of her skin, just like the scent on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body. She could tell what brand of rose essential oil Gu Nianzhi used the moment she smelled it.

    Lying in the bathtub, the fragrance was intoxicating.

    Cai Shengnan looked at her hands expressionlessly. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. She wished to fight her?

    Gu Nianzhi still had a lot to learn.

    She had learned from her father that if awyer were to only look in the courtroom, then they were second-ratewyers.

    A first-ratewyer had to have a holistic view of the whole situation. Not only did they have to look within the courtroom, but they also had to look at public opinion.

    As long as they were not viting thew, it was the quality of a first-ratewyer to take public opinion into consideration.

    ...

    The next morning, Gu Nianzhi woke up in the guest house of the Xie family vi in the Western Hills.

    The hexagonal window with the moon-white curtains cast a few nted shadows of flowers. It was the shadow of a flowering tree nted under the steps of the bedroom door.

    Gu Nianzhi did not recognize what kind of flower tree it was, but it looked absolutely beautiful when reflected on the curtains.

    She lifted the misty bed curtains and enjoyed the natural beauty of this picturesque scene. She picked up her phone next to her pillow and began her morning routine.

    After waking up every day, she would browse the inte and look at the weather and hot news. It had be a daily routine for many people.

    As a new generation of cyber children, Gu Nianzhi naturally could not fall behind current trends.

    When she opened Weibo on her phone, a flood of trending news filled her front page.

    The retweets were taken screenshots of the same Weibo post with the title: ¡°Torture Your Conscience!¡±

    Then there was a row of small words: ¡°Hurry up and look! I don¡¯t know when it will be deleted!¡±

    Below that was a JPG screenshot of a few paragraphs written on the Notes app on her iPhone.

    [...I live in the Imperial City Procuratorate¡¯s courtyard. Ie in and out of here daily. I feel proud when I look at the national emblem on the Procuratorate Gate. Thanks to them, ordinary people like us can be protected from the invasion of the powerful!]

    [In the end, when I was having dinner with a few buddies from the Procuratorate yesterday, I received a piece of shocking and infuriating news that almost made me breathless. I immediately felt like I was born to be a human. I¡¯m very sorry.]

    [The cause of the incident was very simple. A family member of a high-ranking official in the military who worked for thew took a fancy to a poor descendant of a lonely martyr and thought of ways to seize his family¡¯s property.]

    [Last year, she wanted to sue him for civilpensation, but the people from the Procuratorate blocked her from doing so, and did not file a case for her.]

    [This year, she took it a step further and sued him for ¡®intentional murder¡¯!]

    [Screw your intentional murder! She¡¯s clearly living a good life, yet she insisted on suing him for ¡®intentional murder¡¯!]

    [I heard that the family of the high-ranking military official once said that if they don¡¯t send this orphan girl to prison for the rest of her life, there¡¯s no way she¡¯s going to stop doing this!]

    [This time, the Procuratorate couldn¡¯t take it anymore because a high-ranking military official was putting pressure, and in the end, they were forced to file a case. However, the Procuratorate, who still had a conscience, firmly excluded the family of this high-ranking military official from the prosecutionwyer, in order to help the descendants of the innocent martyrs who were vited.]

    [In the end, the family of this high-ranking military official flew into a rage and directly ordered the prosecution office to get rid of her!]

    [Does your husband know that the family of a high-ranking military official is so brutal?!]

    There was also a screenshot next to the screenshot. It was actually the inquiry email that Gu Nianzhi had sent!

    Of course, her email was iplete. In fact, the beginning and the end had been cut off. Many normal queries had been erased, and only some sentences were highlighted. It made her queries look sharp and direct, and very impolite.

    There were several hot topics that were mentioned in the Weibo post, such as ¡°some high-ranking official in the military¡±, ¡°family members¡±, ¡°martyr¡¯s orphan¡±, and ¡°inheritance dispute¡±, as well as ¡°murder¡±, ¡°orphan¡±, and other eye-catching hot topics.

    Once it was posted, it was forwarded by a few micro bloggers and they angrilymented, ¡°Is this world still fit for humans?!¡±

    It was as if they had dug up a family¡¯s ancestral grave and cut off the family¡¯s only way of living. They would rather die and wait to be reincarnated instead.

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she was trembling.

    She would have never expected that the normal inquiry email that she had sent to the prosecutor¡¯s office would be intercepted by someone with an ulterior motive. In addition, the other party had deliberately created a false rumor to mislead the situation. In an instant, she had be a ¡°family member of a high-ranking military official¡±, who had ¡°tried to use her power to rob the deceased martyrs of their inheritance¡±!

    On Weibo, many people took it at the face and did not care what the truth really was. In any case, they found a hot topic and couldn¡¯t wait to forward it. The ¡°pill party¡± that had disappeared previously reappeared again.

    When everyone woke up in the morning and saw this hot topic, and were ready to happily start a heated discussion, they quickly discovered that the original post on Weibo had already been deleted!

    ¡°F*ck! I was half-convinced at first, but now that the original Weibo Post has been deleted, I believe it now without a doubt!¡±

    ¡°+10086! I was half-convinced at first, but when I saw that the original Weibo post had been deleted, I immediately believed it!¡±

    ¡°If there was no such thing, why would you delete someone else¡¯s Weibo post?!¡±

    ¡°Did you guys notice that the blogger seems to be offline now... he was online just now...¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! Did the government order someone to go to that person¡¯s house and arrest him?!¡±

    ¡°I hate this country! You¡¯re always confused about what is going and end up dying for no reason! Where is hope? Fufu, I¡¯m saving up so that I can migrate...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was initially furious, but when she suddenly saw that the original Weibo post had been deleted and the direction of thements on the original Weibo post had abruptly changed, she ended upughing instead.

    She instantly calmed down.

    This wave of ¡°post and then delete¡± of thieves calling for the thief to be caught. They were really ying it very well!

    Did they really think that it would be fine as long as they deleted the Weibo post?

    Putting aside the fact that they would be criminally liable for spreading rumors and reposting 500 Weibo posts, just the fact that the other party had even taken a screenshot of the inquiry email she had sent to the prosecutor¡¯s office, and then reposted it showed that this matter was not that simple at all.

    Even if Gu Nianzhi used her little toes to think, she could also easily figure out that this was the work of Cai Shengnan, Luo Jin¡¯s defensewyer.

    She had deliberately distorted the facts to create negative public opinion, in an attempt to use public opinion to pressure her into voluntarily giving up her position as the prosecutor¡¯swyer.

    This is because many Chinese people had the habit of punishing both the guilty and the innocent. Even if you were right, as long as the other party suffered a loss, you would still be guilty, and you would have to pay for it.

    And because it involved the families of high-ranking military officials, in order to avoid suspicion, the military would also step in, in order to put pressure on her and prevent her from bing the prosecutionwyer.

    This was really ¡°even if you really want to learn poetry, kung fu is beyond poetry¡±.

    The other party was certain that they were going to put double the pressure on her, so how could she not give up?!

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and smiled coldly.

    Having a public opinion fight with her?

    As a citizen of the online space, she would show her who was boss!

 Chapter 1344 - Spreading Rumors Requires Common Sense as well

    <h4>Chapter 1344: Spreading Rumors Requires Common Sense as well</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi quickly packed her suitcase and bid Xie Shenxing farewell.

    ¡°Uncle-inw, I have some urgent matters to attend to at home. Thank you for your hospitality. I¡¯ll buy you a meal after I¡¯m done with my business,¡± Gu Nianzhi felt very apologetic and gave Xie Shenxing a deep bow.

    Xie Shenxing was a little surprised and quickly held her up. ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? Who gave you such a hard time? Fufu, tell me, I¡¯ll help you teach them a lesson!¡±

    As he said that, he gave all his staff and the caretakers at the vi an extremely stern look.

    The people were shocked and quickly said, ¡°Miss Gu, please forgive us if we¡¯ve done anything wrong. Please let us know which area needs improvement. We¡¯ll definitely improve!¡±

    They did not actually deny it, but immediately apologized and looked for ways to improve.

    If you talked about the service industry, this kind of operation was rather professional. It was so much more stable than those people on Weibo who threw the me to someone else when they encountered a problem.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly admired the ability of the Xie family¡¯s managers, and she immediately said, ¡°Uncle-inw, you¡¯re worrying too much. It¡¯s not them. They didn¡¯t treat me badly. On the contrary, they took care of me very well, and I have no objections. Fufu, I really have some work that I need to do, and I need to go back immediately to deal with it.¡±

    As Xie Shenxing saw that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t forcing herself to say that, he then nodded. ¡°Okay, I trust you. Do you need help?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it myself first. If I can¡¯t, I¡¯lle and tearfully whine about it to uncle-inw again!¡±

    She made a gesture of wiping away her tears, which made everyoneugh.

    The tense atmosphere was gone in an instant.

    Xie Shenxing called a car over to take her back.

    Huo Shaoheng leftst night and did not stay at Xie Shenxing¡¯s ce.

    Therefore, if Gu Nianzhi wanted to go back at this time, the Xie family would have to call a car over to take her back.

    Gu Nianzhi gave the driver an address ¨C it was her second-hand apartment in Hepingli Prect.

    The driver did not ask her any questions and dutifully sent her over.

    He Zhichu found the trending topic on Weibo this morning. He had wanted to give Gu Nianzhi a call, but on second thought, this was also a good learning opportunity for Gu Nianzhi, so he refrained himself and did not call her. Instead, he quietly gathered information himself.

    If Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t handle it, then it wouldn¡¯t be toote for him to make his move either.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her long-awaited two-bedroom suite in Hepingli. Only then did her tensed body rx.

    Sheposed herself, put down her suitcase, and entered the bedroom with herptop.

    She ced theptop on the desk in the bedroom, turned it on, and quickly connected to the inte.

    Her impetuous heart quickly calmed down.

    She focused all her attention onto theputer screen. On the blue screen, lines ofmands shing with white lights were quickly typed out from between her fingers.

    Once she entered the inte, she was the queen, and she was the ruler.

    The inte here was crisscrossed. Countless pieces of information and data were cross-collected and gathered on the inte. She was unhindered and invincible.

    This time, she didn¡¯t even use the specialwork ount that Huo Shaoheng had given to her. She gritted her teeth and only used themunity¡¯swork system. From here, she used a VPN to climb over the wall and connect to the externalwork.

    Her VPN was actually a small program that she had made herself. It could bypass the wall and directly log into foreign websites.

    After a big loop, her IP address had already disappeared into the vastwork.

    Only an IP ount from a public library in a major European city, was logged into the Weibo system.

    The Weibo ount Gu Nianzhi was using was an alternate ount that she created.

    She used this ount to hack into the Weibo system to find the Weibo ount that had posted that Weibo post in the beginning and deleted it afterwards.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh when she checked the ount¡¯s login IP from the background.

    When creating rumours, somemon sense and education was necessary, otherwise it would be an insult to that person¡¯s IQ.

    Of course, some people would just listen to the rumor and wouldn¡¯t bother thinking about it. They were used to being led around by the nose, and would wee people to insult their IQ daily.

    Gu Nianzhi tapped her fingers lightly and took a screenshot of the person¡¯s IP address.

    The IP address showed that the person who posted the Weibo post was living in a small town in Australia.

    What happened to staying at the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯spound?

    Although Gu Nianzhi believed that the IP address was not the real IP address of the person who posted the Weibo post, but this sock puppet IP address was enough for her to write about it for a while.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly but did not stop there.

    She cracked the IP address one after another and used reverse programming to trace the source. Finally, she found the person¡¯s real IP address!

    Just as she has expected that person¡¯s real IP address was in New York, the United States.

    Gu Nianzhi once again saved a screenshot of the real IP address.

    Then, Gu Nianzhi began to use a Trojan virus program to attack thework provider where the real IP address was located.

    The attacksing from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s virus program were intense and ruthless. Very quickly, she paralyzed thework in that area where the real IP address was located.

    Many New Yorkers wouldn¡¯t even bother opening their web page, let alone go online.

    The speed of the inte seemed to have instantly returned to the early days, when everyone used a 14KBPS modem to connect to the inte over a phone line.

    Even Mike, who was viewing the spectacr event at Huaxia Empire¡¯s Weibo page, noticed that the Weibo page was suddenly not moving at all. The small circle in the upper right corner kept spinning, but it just couldn¡¯t load new content.

    ¡°What the f*ck!¡± Mike cursed as he tried to pin down the inte speed, only to discover that it was only 14KB per second!

    F*ck, he was furious!

    This was even slower than a snail!

    He picked up his phone and called the inte provider, but the line was busy, indicating that the number of people calling had exceeded their capacity.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know who the person on the other end was, but she knew that it was definitely Cai Shengnan¡¯s helper, so she decided to stop the inte speed on the other end once and for all, so that the person wouldn¡¯t be able to stir up trouble on Huaxia Empire¡¯s inte for the time being.

    ...

    At Luo Jin¡¯s vi in the West Mountains, Cai Shengnan had already bailed her out. They sat in front of aptop, smiling as they read thements on Weibo about Gu Nianzhi.

    They did not make a move. After Mike posted the initial post, the rest was left to Cai Songyin¡¯s old intepany for them to spread the word.

    ¡°Great Lawyer Cai, what a brilliant move!¡± Luo Jin¡¯s eyes were beaming. She did not expect Cai Shengnan to be so capable.

    Her six million dors had been well spent!

    Cai Shengnan smiled, and said ¡°This was just a small test. If she doesn¡¯t give up, I still have a backup n.¡±

    Luo Jin pped her hands andughed, ¡°I have to give it to you! If Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t give up on being the prosecution¡¯swyer, she will have to draw a line between her and Huo Shao. What¡¯s the point of getting engaged?! Let¡¯s break off the engagement as soon as possible and enforce justice on behalf of Heaven!¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Cai Shengnan smiled, ¡°but who would be willing to give up on major general Huo? That¡¯s why she¡¯ll definitely give up on being the prosecution¡¯swyer.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll really give up?¡± Luo Jin frowned, ¡°But she has a good rtionship with that old goblin, Song Jinning.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of having a good rtionship?¡± Cai Shengnan disagreed, ¡°Song Jinning and General Huo are already divorced. She¡¯s not part of the Huo family anymore. What¡¯s the point of sucking up to her? General Huo isn¡¯t actually that old, he can remarry at any time, and Gu Nianzhi will have a new mother-inw. How can she give up Huo Shaoheng for Song Jinning? Wouldn¡¯t that be like picking up sesame seeds and throwing away watermelons?¡±

    ¡°Great Lawyer Cai, I didn¡¯t expect you to speak Chinese so well,¡± Luo Jin smiled as she poured her a cup of milk tea, ¡°Have some dessert.¡±

    Cai Shengnan reached out and patted Luo Jin, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I say I¡¯ll help you get exonerated, I¡¯ll help you get exonerated. I can even keep your trust fund. Do you believe me?¡±

    ¡°I believe you! Of course, I believe you!¡± Luo Jinughed so hard that tears wereing out of her eyes, ¡°This is such an unexpected surprise!¡±

    A few days ago, she was still in a state of panic. She thought that she would lose both her money and her body this time round and might even end up in jail.

    She didn¡¯t expect Cai Shengnan would be able to change everything.

    When the timees, she wants to see if Huo Shaoheng will have the face to take out Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will!

    If he dared to take it out, then she couldn¡¯t care less anymore...

    Between trust fund and the man, Luo Jin had regrettably chosen the trust fund.

    Even though she loved Huo Shaoheng very much, this man had a heart of stone. Not only did he not have any pity or affection for her, but he also wanted to kill her!

    So, don¡¯t me her for falling out with him.

    Luo Jin knew that she would never have the chance to marry into the Huo family again, so she could care less about the Huo family¡¯s reputation.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi was certain that the inte speed in the New York area could not be restored for the time being, she started to make her move on Weibo.

    Although this person¡¯s Weibo had been deleted, the Weibo post he had posted had already been retweeted by the Inte trolls.

    While the troll army retweeted the screenshots, they also reposted the link to the deleted Weibo post. This wave of action has really deceived many onlookers who did not know the truth.

    Just as everyone was discussing fervently, someone suddenly realized that something new seemed to have appeared on Weibo. A group of numbers appeared on every Weibo post that everyone posted!

    Those who were observant took a look and realized that it was actually their own IP address!

    This wave of Weibo operation was really too shy!

    In an instant, those people from the troll army who had schizophrenia and had deliberately put on a fake identity were all exposed.

    ¡°F*ck! This alternate ount is actually yours?! cklist!¡±

    ¡°Celebrities also use alternate ounts?! Look, this ount has the same IP address as that celebrity¡¯s personal Weibo ount?!¡±

    ...

    Just as the entire Weibo was boiling with excitement over the sudden appearance of the IP addresses, someone discovered a suspicious point rted to the trending Weibo post, ¡°A family member of a high-ranking military official plotted to seize the inheritance of a martyr¡¯s orphan.¡±

    ¡°Eh? An insider who lives in the Imperial City Procuratorate? Why does his IP address appear to be different from ours? Hmmmmmm, interesting.¡±

    On Weibo, other than the trolls and followers, there were also many people who were good at thinking, hard to deceive, and good at unveiling the truth.

    They quickly discovered that on the deleted Weibo page, the IP address that was disyed on the deleted Weibo post was not the IP address of the Huaxia Empire.

    After checking again, they discovered that this IP address was from a small town in Australia!

    This was really interesting.

    Someone immediately posted a Weibo post with a hashtag, including two screenshots.

    The first screenshot was the one that the person had posted earlier on, the original one that imed to be living in the imperial procuratorate.

    Although the original Weibo post had been deleted, the trolls had already taken screenshots of the Weibo post and started copying and pasting it on arge scale.

    You could find this screenshot with a simple search on the inte.

    Along with this screenshot was the IP address disyed on the deleted Weibo post.

    After the message ¡°Weibo content cannot be disyed, it has been deleted¡±, there was an IP address that indicated that it¡¯s from a small town in Australia!

    ¡°F*CK oh my god! Look and see what I found?!¡±

    ¡°A person in Australia iming to live in the Imperial Procuratorate!¡±

    ¡°This person even drank with his buddies living in the Imperial Procuratorate?! Is this person an idiot? Or is he a drama king?! ¡±

    ¡°The original blogger is spreading rumors!¡±

    ¡°Repost it 500 times! Put him in jail!¡±

    The situation of the Weibo post, ¡°The family of a high-ranking military official plotted for the inheritance of a martyr¡±, which had been reposted more than a million times in the morning, took a sudden change. Countless onlookers began to mock the blogger who had posted and then deleted his post.

    ¡°A drama king indeed! Blogger, you should go to the drama academy instead of stirring shit on Weibo!¡±

    ¡°Blogger, do your buddies in the Imperial Procuratorate know that you posted in Australia?! Hahahahahaha.¡±

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin came back from their meal and found that the public opinion on Weibo has took a drastic change within an hour. They could hardly believe their eyes!

 Chapter 1345 - Inferior Skills

    <h4>Chapter 1345: Inferior Skills</h4>

    ¡°Lawyer, you must have a way, right?!¡± Luo Jin looked at Cai Shengnan hopefully.

    Ever since Cai Shengnan bailed her out of the Special Operations Forces detainment, Luo Jin had beenpletely in awe of Cai Shengnan.

    The corners of Cai Shengnan¡¯s mouth twitched.

    Did she think she was her savior?

    She could only do her best...

    ¡°Jin, let me see what¡¯s going on. Don¡¯t get anxious.¡± Cai Shengnan tried her best tofort Luo Jin.

    Luo Jin grabbed her arm and said anxiously, ¡°You even had a way to get me out of the Special Operations Forces. This definitely wouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?!¡±

    ¡°This is different.¡± Cai Shengnan patiently exined to Luo Jin, ¡°You were captured by the Special Operations Forces and held for 48 hours. If they can¡¯t charge you within 48 hours, they can¡¯t continue to hold you for no reason. That¡¯s why I was able to bail you out.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s pursuit of Gu Nianzhi involved a lot of security information, so the Special Operations Forces were temporarily unable to hand her over to the judicial authorities for prosecution.

    In addition, she had already been charged with murder, so they couldn¡¯t find any other reason to keep her in custody.

    She was going to appear in court soon anyway, so keeping her in custody would only give rise to scandal.

    All they had to do was monitor her closely and not give her a chance to escape.

    That was why Cai Shengnan was able to bail her out.

    However, Luo Jin¡¯s passport was still confiscated, and she was restricted from leaving the country. She was also monitored 24 hours a day by the secret service.

    Cai Shengnan knew that because Luo Jin was closely monitored, everything she did when she was with Luo Jin had toply with thew. She had never told her that she was looking for American hackers.

    Luo Jin had always thought that it was all thanks to Cai Shengnan¡¯s extraordinary skills that she was able to get out of a ce like the Special Operations Forces. She didn¡¯t expect that she simply took advantage of a loophole in thew.

    For a moment, she looked very dejected.

    Cai Shengnan nced at her in a hurry. She was in no mood to continueforting her. She stood up and packed her things, then said, ¡°I want to go back and carefully research this matter. You should rest well. If you¡¯re not happy, don¡¯t go online and look at those things.¡± After saying that, she left Luo Jin¡¯s vi in the West Mountains and returned to her office in the center of the Imperial City.

    She rented an office in a high-risemercial building in the capital¡¯s top CBD area, hired a secretary and an operator, then started to act like a small boss.

    When she returned to her office, Cai Shengnan immediately contacted Mike in New York.

    ¡°Mike, what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t I tell you to use the proxy IP?!¡± Cai Shengnan contacted Mike with an encrypted email.

    Mike received Cai Shengnan¡¯s email, but he couldn¡¯t open it no matter how hard he tried.¡ª¡ª Because the inte speed is too slow = ...

    He also knew that since Cai Shengnan had suddenly sent him an email at this time, it must be something serious, so he directly dialed her phone number internationally.

    As long as he didn¡¯t use an IP phone, the inte speed was alright, because the phone line that was directly connected wasn¡¯t limited by the inte speed.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone rang a few times. She picked it up and saw that it was Mike¡¯s nmber, so she quickly picked it up.

    ¡°Mike, what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t I tell you to use a proxy?!¡±

    Because the inte speed was slow, Mike didn¡¯t know what was happening on Weibo in China. He said in puzzlement, ¡°Yeah, I did use a proxy. It was an Australian IP. The other party definitely wouldn¡¯t find out my real address.¡±

    Cai Shengnan felt choked for a moment.

    Yes, she wanted him to use a proxy IP, but she didn¡¯t want him to use it so randomly!

    ¡°Are you an idiot? Have you seen the Weibo content that I asked you to post?¡± Cai Shengnan¡¯s face darkened as she scolded Mike without restraint.

    The two of them were quite familiar with each other, so it didn¡¯t matter if they scolded each other sometimes.

    Moreover, words like ¡°idiot¡± and ¡°fool¡± were also their daily insults.

    Confused, Mike blinked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    But he didn¡¯t take the insults to heart.

    Because he was born and raised in the United States, his mother tongue wasn¡¯t Chinese. His Chinese was self-taught.

    ¡°You made such a mistake even after seeing it?!¡± Cai Shengnan was furious. ¡°I asked you to post content with a proxy to make it seem as if you live in the Imperial Procuratorate! But the IP you used was an Australian IP!¡±

    Mike recalled the Weibo content that Cai Shengnan asked him to post and stood up in shock. ¡°How could that be? ! How did you know which proxy IP I used?!¡±

    ¡°How would I know?!¡± Cai Shengnan sneered. ¡°Now everyone on Weibo knows! Everyone isughing at you!¡±

    Mike¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. He lowered his head guiltily and whispered to Cai Shengnan, ¡°I was careless and made a mistake...¡±

    He should disguise his proxy IP as the IP of the Imperial Procuratorate of the Huaxia Empire and send it again.

    But why would Weibo show the posting IP?!

    That didn¡¯t make sense!

    He had been stirring up trouble on Weibo in the country for a long time but had never encountered such a situation.

    Could it be that Weibo had just been upgraded?

    It was really detestable!

    At this juncture, theirwork provider actually had a problem...

    Mike said sincerely, ¡°Miss Cai, I¡¯m really sorry. There¡¯s a problem with mywork and I can¡¯t log in to Weibo normally. I can¡¯t see the IP disy you said. Wait for mywork to be ready...¡±

    ¡°What are you waiting for!¡± Cai Shengnan scolded him in disappointment. ¡°Hurry up and find a ce where you can ess the Inte normally and fix your mistake! Otherwise, not only will I not pay you the rest of the payment, but I will also ask you topensate me for my loss!¡±

    Mike was shocked, but he suddenly understood and said with a smile, ¡°Hahahaha! How could I forget! The inte speed here is slow, but not all of America¡¯s inte speed is slow. I will find another ce to surf the Inte!¡±

    He excitedly picked up his wallet and phone, put hisptop into hisptop bag, and then picked up a simple travel bag. He drove to the small town in New Jersey nearby.

    It was already night in the United States, so there were very few cars on the road.

    In less than twenty minutes, he drove to a four-star hotel in New Jersey and stopped to check-in.

    There was no problem with the inte there.

    After Mike checked in, he immediately connected to the inte in his room and began to check the situation on Weibo in the country.

    Sure enough, there was an IP post on Weibo, and under his Weibo post, which he posted and then deleted, there were already hundreds of thousands of derisive replies...

    The retweets andments supported by the troll army had already been drowned in the ridicule of manyizens, and the scathingments were all scolding him for spreading rumors and fueling the mes!

    Spreading rumors? Fueling the mes?!

    Hehe, what¡¯s wrong with him spreading rumors and fueling the mes?

    They weren¡¯t as skilled as him, so all they could do was watch!

    Mike quickly logged into his own ount, disguised the login IP as the general IP of the Imperial Procuratorate, and then posted another Weibo post.

    # Hoho! The family of a high-ranking military official was indeed powerful enough to be able to manipte Weibo #

    [ I used a proxy IP to post, for fear of her retaliation, but in the end, I still underestimated the extent of her shamelessness! ¡ª kindness limits my imagination, power makes me speechless! ]

 Chapter 1346 - In Cahoots

    <h4>Chapter 1346: In Cahoots</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Mike¡¯s post was like throwing a stone into a pot of oil that had just calmed down, causing countless drips of oil to ssh out.

    [ What? Am I seeing things? He actually used a proxy IP?! ]

    [ That seems to make sense. In order to protect himself, he deliberately used proxy IP... ]

    [ That makes sense. I also want to get a proxy IP! Let me ask, does anyone know how to get a proxy IP? ]

    [ That¡¯s right, the blogger¡¯s current IP is Imperial XX Institute. ¡ª¡ª Everyone knows what¡¯s really going on! ]

    [ Ah, is it really that shady? ¡ª¡ª The Blue is so scary. I want to return to Mars! ]

    [ Upstairs, this world is far shadier than you think! ¡ª¡ªKindness limits our imagination! ]

    Because of the ¡°proxy IP, ¡± the trend of Weibo immediately began to reverse.

    The troll army, which had been suppressed by the public audience, seized the opportunity to reappear and confuse the public in thements while constantly attacking others as trolls.

    For a moment, the Weibo was filled with chaos and mayhem. Many people who wanted to speak had no choice but to keep quiet.

    At the same time, the Weibo authorities were almost driven mad by the news of the trolls.

    These people were questioning how they protected the privacy of their users!

    How could they reveal everyone¡¯s IP addresses?!

    Could they still chat happily?!

    Weibo¡¯s tech guys were about to lose it. They kept checking their own codes, but they couldn¡¯t figure out where a bug had appeared and disyed everyone¡¯s postings¡¯ IP addresses?!

    ...

    Mike and Cai Shengnan both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the reversal of the tide.

    Meanwhile, Luo Jin, who was at the West Mountain Vi, had been feeling uneasy. After Cai Shengnan left, she ignored Cai Shengnan¡¯s dissuasion and secretly went online.

    When she realized that the situation was turning in her favor, she had mixed feelings. She couldn¡¯t help but take out her phone and call Cai Shengnan, then said, ¡°Lawyer Cai, you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    Cai Shengnan: ¡± ... Did you surf the inte again?¡±

    Luo Jin covered her face in embarrassment. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it... otherwise, I would have missed out on a good show. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see Lawyer Cai turn the tables so single-handedly!¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled reservedly. ¡°Miss Luo, just watch. This is just the appetizer. There¡¯s still a big mealing up...¡±

    After hanging up on Luo Jin, Cai Shengnan looked at the Weibo page on herputer screen.

    As usual, Gu Nianzhi was too inexperienced to fight with Cai Shengnan.

    This time, she really wanted Gu Nianzhi not only to lose her reputation, but also to have the Huo family, General Ji of the military, and Speaker Long of the Parliament put pressure on her at the same time.

    If they still wanted to protect Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation, Gu Nianzhi would have to voluntarily withdraw from the prosecution¡¯s team.

    If Gu Nianzhi insisted on going all the way regardless of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation, then she, as his fianc¨¦e, would have to go all the way.

    Wishing she could throw Gu Nianzhi into the trash can like she was flicking away the dust, Cai Shengnan flicked her fingers.

    ...

    Staring intently at theptop screen, Gu Nianzhi sat in her bedroom in her small suite.

    Very good, the other party hade up with a decent exnation, and the situation had indeed been turned around.

    This was what made things interesting. The higher you jumped, the harder you fell. Don¡¯t me her for not warning them.

    With her eyes narrowed, Gu Nianzhi looked at the ¡°IP¡± of the ¡°Imperial Procuratorate¡± and smiled.

    What kind of IP was so difficult to fake that it had to be the IP of the Imperial Procuratorate? She was just wondering how she could get the people from the Procuratorate to intervene!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly logged into her ount and took a screenshot of the Weibo post that the person had just posted. It clearly showed the IP address of the Imperial Procuratorate and was linked to the screenshot of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s official inquiry that the person had posted earlier, then, she posted an inquiry on the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯s official Weibo.

    @ Imperial Procuratorate: Is this the inquiry that you received? I heard that you were pressured by the authorities to file a case against the orphan of a war hero for intentional murder? Aren¡¯t you going to exin yourself? ¡ª We want the truth! No underhanded tricks!

    Her inquiry was based on the Weibo post that the person had posted. Of course, her goal was to get the attention of the Imperial Procuratorate.

    She had directly posted on the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯s official Weibo, so the prosecutor, who had secretly colluded with Cai Shengnan, couldn¡¯t cover it up.

    Because the editor of the official Weibo wasn¡¯t in the same system as the prosecutor, she had to work and perform well.

    Moreover, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s post had attracted the onlookers below the rumor-mongering Weibo to the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯s official Weibo.

    Almost instantly, the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯s official Weibo ount was filled with carnage. The group of people were still trying to figure out what was going on before they started to fight.

    This was basically a daily routine on Weibo. Those who came to Weibo were either here to quarrel or to spectate. If they wanted to calm down, they had to leave Weibo to ensure their safety.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly as she watched.

    The editor of the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯s official Weibo ount was suddenly overwhelmed by the flood of notifications, private messages, replies, and posts.

    He was finally going to have an inte celebrity addiction!

    He became smug too early. Before he could get excited, he realized that everyone was going in the wrong direction.

    Everyone seemed to be discussing a hot topic rted to the imperial procuratorate.

    He took a closer look at the screenshots of everyone¡¯s chat. There was actually an official inquiry received by the Procuratorate, and it said that they had been ¡°pressured by the powerful to build a case.¡± Then he followed everyone¡¯s @ to the page of the original blogger and took a look, the editor was instantly angered!

    Wasn¡¯t this the IP address that had already been proven to be a rumor?

    Why was the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯s IP address being used again?!

    Moreover, the most important characteristic of the procuratorate was to file a case independently. By saying that they had been pressured by the authorities to file a case, was this an attempt to undermine their fundamental values or simply a way to get attention?!

    The editor of the Imperial Procuratorate¡¯s official blog quicklypiled this matter into a book and sent an urgent email to the relevant departments at the higher levels.

    In recent years, the major government agencies also attached great importance to public opinion on the Inte, and their reactions were much faster than before.

    Therefore, when they received the urgent emailpiled by the editor of the official blog, the relevant leaders of the Imperial Procuratorate immediately held a closed-door meeting to strictly investigate the leak.

    ¡°As everyone knows, before the final judgment of the case, no information can be made public. Only the prosecution and defense can have ess to these materials. Investigate who the leak is carefully. Who colluded with the defense to smear the intiff and the intiff¡¯swyer!o ¡±

    Based on the information on the Inte, they could tell at a nce that the defense was dissatisfied with the intiff¡¯swyer, and deliberately distorting the facts by spreading rumors.

    This was because the intiff¡¯swyer, Gu Nianzhi, had sent an internal inquiry through the proper channels, and it had actually been a screenshot posted on the Inte!

    This could only be done by an insider in the procuratorate.

    It was also impossible for the intiff¡¯swyer to have taken a screenshot herself, because on this inquiry, there was a file number that had been automatically assigned by the system after the Procuratorate had received the inquiry.

    This number could prove that the intiff¡¯swyer hadn¡¯t taken a screenshot herself, but had taken a screenshot from the internal procuratorate.

    Although the other party had erased many of the words on the inquiry and highlighted some of the original words, he hadn¡¯t erased a very small number in the upper right corner of the inquiry, which was the inquiry number.

    That was a tant leak of information.

    The prosecutor¡¯s office had made a rather rigorous case this time. Previously, they had rejected the intiff¡¯swyer¡¯s request several times. In the end, the intiff¡¯swyer had sent new evidence before it became the key to making a case.

    And all of this had already been sent to the defendant and the defendant¡¯swyer in written form.

    Regarding who was right or wrong, when the court session was held, it would naturally give both parties a chance to speak.

    Even though the court wasn¡¯t in session yet, they had already made this matter known on the Inte. Were they really going to use Weibo to judge the case?

    Then what did they need the police station for? What did they need the procuratorate for?! What did they need the court for?!

    Doing things ording to thew was because thew had its own procedures and principles, as well as its own internal logic and standards of conduct.

    It wasn¡¯t about randomlyparing things on the Inte and waiting for justice to magically do its part.

    ¡°Also, this IP address seems to be the IP address of our procuratorate. Check it immediately. Which office does it belong to? Which person¡¯s? After the investigation is done, we will deal with it as we should. Our Procuratorate is a legal organization. We will not allow such a ck sheep to tarnish our image, disrupt our order, and infringe on the rights of the people!¡±

    Since the head of the Procuratorate gave the order, no one dared to ck off and everyone immediately began the investigation.

    In the end, they quickly found out that although this IP address looked like their Procuratorate¡¯s IP address, but after checking the server¡¯s log records, they found that no one in their procuratorate had logged into this IP address.

    In other words, the other party¡¯s IP disy was fake. They hadn¡¯t logged into Weibo from their Procuratorate¡¯s server.

    Following that, due to arge-scaleputerwork search, the Procuratorate had sent people to check theputer surveince of the various offices. In the end, they had also found a big fish.

    While Cai Shengnan, Mike, and Luo Jin were rejoicing because of the reversal of the tide online, the Imperial Procuratorate had already discovered the prosecutor who had secretly colluded with Cai Shengnan.

    This was because the cause of the incident was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s inquiry, and the first person to receive Gu Nianzhi¡¯s inquiry was the prosecutor.

    ording to theputer surveince in the prosecutor¡¯s office, he had taken a screenshot of the email and secretly stored it on a USB sh drive.

    Downloading the content from theputer at work to a USB sh drive was a vition of the relevant regtions.

    Not to mention a strict organization like the procuratorate.

    ¡°There really was someone in cahoots!¡±

    The leaders of the imperial procuratorate pounded their desks in anger. ¡°Call the Secret Service department and have them send someone to investigate! ¡±

    The Secret Service Department was a professional organization that supervised domestic departments. It was subordinate to the cab and had great authority.

    The Secret Service department also attached great importance to this incident. Not only did they check this person¡¯s officeputer, but they also started to check his social connections, immediate family members, and coteral family members one by one.

    With this investigation, they found something very interesting.

    There was no abnormal behavior in the prosecutor¡¯s bank ount. However, he had a daughter who had just been admitted to Columbia University, one of the Ivy League universities in the United States. She had also received a designated private schrship, which was 300,000 dors for four years, this included all the tuition and living expenses.

    This private schrship was actually specially set up at Columbia University, specifically for his daughter alone.

    That was too much of a coincidence. The Secret Service Department caught on to this clue and asking them to help find out who set up this private schrship, they quickly sent a letter to the Special Operations Forces¡¯ field office in New York. It was a schrship for the prosecutor¡¯s daughter.

    On the other hand, after half a day of investigation by the Imperial Procuratorate, and with the public opinion almost turning upside down on the Inte, the editor of the official blog was finally able to stand up to theizens who were moring that ¡°The nation is in peril¡±.

    His first post was that of the original blogger.

    [@Truthful Carrot: May I ask, blogger, why did you fake our institute¡¯s IP address? This is our institute¡¯s 24-hour online login log, and it doesn¡¯t show your IP address. May I ask where you got online from?]

    The second person tagged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ount and replied to her message.

    [@Cute Little Korgi: Thank you for your inquiry, blogger. We conducted an internal investigation based onints fromizens. We discovered that someone was in cahoots with outsiders, distorting the facts, and ndering the intiff¡¯swyer. We have already referred it to the relevant departments for handling. Please wait patiently for an update on the situation. ]

    As soon as these two Weibo posts were posted, the troll army under the Procuratorate¡¯s official Weibo immediately disappeared and withdrew.

    Meanwhile, the onlookers were dumbfounded and watched as this matter once again took a turn for the worse. The table turned and they had their face pped!

 Chapter 1347 - Either Stupid Or Vengeful

    <h4>Chapter 1347: Either Stupid Or Vengeful</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    [ What on earth! What sort of situation is this?! Is the Imperial XX Institute¡¯s IP fake?! Isn¡¯t it a proxy IP?! ]

    [ Oh my god! In my lifetime! He even dared to fake the Procuratorate¡¯s IP? Is that person an idiot?! ]

    [ Tsk Tsk, this is very awkward. Blogger, does your family know that you¡¯ve been acting up so much? ]

    [ I must say, am I the only one who is paying attention to the blogger¡¯s usations? If it¡¯s true, then the IP isn¡¯t the main point... ]

    Under Mike¡¯s control, there were mass jeers from the bystanders and the efforts of the troll army to pull the topic back on Weibo.

    However, in this situation where this Weibo blogger had been deceiving the bystanders again and again, the bystanders refused to fall for it anymore.

    The first element of online exposure ofints was that it must be true.

    Once there was doubt, it would immediately backfire.

    Because the enthusiasm and feverishness of the masses were taboo to deceive.

    Upon seeing the Imperial City Procuratorate¡¯s reply, Mike was also surprised. He quickly withdrew from Weibo to avoid being tracked.

    With one hand on the mouse, Mike didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Being a hacker was his forte, but he had never been in direct confrontation with a hacked organization.

    He didn¡¯t expect these bureaucrats to be so efficient, even more efficient than the United States, right?

    In the United States, aint call to a government agency was always an automatic message. To get a reply within three days was already fast, and it wasmon to dy it for a month or two.

    It had only been half a day...

    Mike¡¯s palms began to sweat.

    What should he do?

    He immediately contacted Cai Shengnan.

    ¡°Lawyer Cai, what should we do? Why was their response so fast? How can we continue to operate this?¡±

    Cai Shengnan bit her lip and frowned as she looked at the bloody mess on Weibo. She was a little worried and said, ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll think of what to do.¡±

    As she spoke, Cai Shengnan dialed the prosecutor¡¯s number.

    It had taken her a lot of effort to get in touch with the mole. She wanted to ask him what was going on.

    However, the number she had dialed rang for a long time, but no one answered.

    What was he doing?

    Was he trying to burn the bridge after crossing it?

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s brows furrowed even tighter.

    After a while, the topic became more and more popr on Weibo. It looked like their usations were about to be overturned.

    How could that be?

    If this wasn¡¯t enough to crush Gu Nianzhi, she would have lived all those years in vain.

    Cai Shengnanughed coldly.

    Huo Shaoheng, I gave you a chance, but you didn¡¯t take it, so don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.

    She sent a message to Mike. ¡°I¡¯m sending you an email. Check it and do as the email says.¡±

    Mike received the email quickly and skimmed through it. His worried expression immediately changed. He smiled happily and gave Cai Shengnan a thumbs up on the other end of theputer. ¡®Lawyer Cai is too impressive!¡±

    After receiving the new order, Mike excitedly logged onto Weibo again and posted the third Weibo post of the day.

    [ Truthful Carrot: the family of a certain high-ranking military official is too impressive. He can single-handedly conceal everything! But can you exin why, as the fianc¨¦e of the intiff¡¯s son, you don¡¯t retreat to avoid suspicion? You just have to dig your head in. Did you really have to be the prosecution¡¯swyer? Your country¡¯sws are practically nonexistent! ¡ª¡ªeither you break off the engagement or you back away from court. You don¡¯t have a third choice! ]

    He didn¡¯t use the imperial capital¡¯s Procuratorate¡¯s IP address anymore. Instead, he used a European proxy IP address.

    When the Weibo post was posted on the third day, the spectators, who didn¡¯t mind the fuss, were once again in an uproar.

    [ Siring up trouble! Speaking of which, isn¡¯t there a system of testimonial privilege in thew? Or does our court not have one? ]

    [ Yes, yes! I remember that there is a system of testimonial privilege. Immediate family members cannot testify in the trial at the same time. What the blogger said makes sense! ]

    [ It¡¯s too shady, too shady! How much shadiness are there that we don¡¯t know?! ]

    The troll army fueled the mes, and some of the bystanders, who had just been pped in the face, quickly became excited.

    No one was willing to admit that they had made a mistake and stood on the wrong side, so they had to clear themselves of the me even if they had to bite the bullet.

    [ Haha, who was the one who got pped in the face? Did you guys see it clearly? I have to ask you idiots, do your faces hurt?! ]

    Brainwashing the passersby over and over again, these replies were repeatedly posted under all the relevant Weibo posts.

    They firmly believed that a lie that was repeated a thousand times would be the truth.

    It was true that a small number of people were easily brainwashed, but the vast majority of people had their own judgments of right and wrong.

    With a cold expression, Gu Nianzhi watched as the inte trolls continued to party, and changed the topic to her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e rtionship. She secretly despised them.

    She replied directly: [ Thew is blind. The principle of testimonial privileges applies to criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings. The targets of testimonial privilege include investigators, prosecutors, judges, clerks, appraisers, and trantors. But there has never been aw that requireswyers to practice testimonial privilege, and thew clearly stiptes that close rtives can be the parties¡¯ defenders and agents to participate in the proceedings. So you are all praising and agreeing with the blogger¡¯s usation despite it being full of errors and faultiness. You guys are either stupid or vengeful. There¡¯s no other possibility. ]

    Stupid because they meddled blindly without knowing the truth.

    Vengeful because they stirred up trouble with ulterior motives.

    The moment her reply came out, the troll army was both anxious and angry. They immediately tore off their self-righteous masks of justice and started cursing at her. They actedpletely different from the righteous audience members that they pretended to be moments before.

    In the eyes of the real audience, this drastic change made them bbergasted.

    Was this showing everyone what a ¡°living troll army¡± was?

    There were also the replies that were constantly being copied and pasted, and the mass interaction of the various zombie ounts, all of which revealed the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi had a lot of patience.

    She took the trouble to flip through the troll ounts in front of the trendingments one by one. She took screenshots of the Weibo posts they had posted over the years and the IP they had used. She then replied to the troll ounts that had the highest number of likes and had made it onto the trendingments¡¯ trending posts, and started to tear off the masks of the moderatorsyer byyer.

    Everyoneughed until their stomachs burst.

    Under every troll Weibo post masquerading as a defender of justice, there was their dark history. The dark history of many troll ounts using the same IP in the early years was also exposed.

    This was not only awkward, but also shameful.

    [ A like for Cute Little Korgi! I have another reason to like Cute Little Korgi! ]

    [ Cute Little Korgi,e into my arms and post slowly. Don¡¯t tire your cute little legs out. ]

    [ Blogger, you¡¯re so impressive! Can we follow each other? ]

    Her poprity amongst the audience was instantly reflected on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s alternate Weibo ount. The number of fans on her ount skyrocketed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with some regret.

    Since there were too many fans, her fake Weibo ount would have to be abandoned.

    ...

    He Zhichu had been nervously paying attention to the inte the entire time. When he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calm andposed counterattacks, he finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she had skinned the other party one by one and used her skills to hit them in the face.

    This little girl had really grown up...

    Huo Shaoheng found out about the news when its poprity on the inte had died down halfway.

    He put down his work and called Gu Nianzhi several times, but no one picked up.

    He sent Gu Nianzhi a text message with a simple question mark: ? .

    Gu Nianzhi understood immediately and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t interfere. Instead, he paid close attention to the developments on Weibo.

    When they found out about the internal leak in the prosecutor¡¯s office, the Secret Service asked the Special Operations Forces for help. They asked them to find out exactly who Columbia University¡¯s private schrship hade from.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately instructed the field personnel in New York to cooperate fully with the secret service.

    ..

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s hands were shaking.

    Even this couldn¡¯t drive Gu Nianzhi out. Did she really have to stand up against her in court?!

    Luo Jin also called her angrily. ¡°Lawyer Cai, what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you say that she would either give up on Huo Shaoheng or give up on appearing in court?!¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s lips twitched.

    Of course, she knew that the recusal system didn¡¯t apply towyers. Moreover, in the United States, even judges didn¡¯t have to recuse themselves when it came to family rtions.

    She was only trying to use the vague concept to fool the masses, to stir up the emotions of the masses, and to create a strong public pressure to force Huo Shaoheng¡¯s superiors and family members toe forward and put pressure on Gu Nianzhi.

    This was because when such a thing happened, the higher-ups would usually choose the policy of ¡°turning a big issue into a small one, and turning a small issue into a smaller one.¡± Cai Shengnan thought that she was very familiar with the political ecology of China.

    This practice was also tried and tested in the United States.

    But she didn¡¯t expect the Chineseizens to be so tough that they would refuse to be ¡°fooled¡± by her?!

 Chapter 1348 - Something Happened

    <h4>Chapter 1348: Something Happened</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Shengnan wasn¡¯t a person who would admit defeat so easily.

    Moreover, she had made ample preparations for this time.

    Although her previous tricks were inexplicably resolved by theizens time and time again, she wouldn¡¯t admit defeat just like that.

    Cai Shengnan typed quickly on theputer, reprocessed the materials that she had prepared long ago, and wrote another Weibo post in the same tone as the masked blogger.

    Truthful Carrot: ¡°Hehe, you guys are too naive. You make it sound like your country¡¯s high officials have never used their power for personal gain.¡±

    Then there were screenshots.

    Former Prime Minister Dou: from the beginning to being disgraced.JPG

    Former deputy head of the Secret Service Bai Yusheng: from the beginning to the end of defection to the United States. JPG

    Former Parliamentary Chief Yang Mou: From the beginning to the end of taking bribes.JPG.¡±

    These were not only the people and events that theizens were familiar with, but also the people and events that the entire nation was familiar with.

    Everyone knew clearly how these high-ranking officials had fallen from power.

    For a moment, the situation on Weibo became delicate.

    The water army, which liked fueling the mes, naturally began to party.

    [ Hahahaha! Whose face is hurting?! ]

    [ It¡¯s a p in the face! Your country¡¯s pills! ]

    [ Don¡¯t bber nonsense every day. Who knows what those high-ranking people are doing behind the scenes?! Why do you trust those high-ranking men so much?! ]

    [ Hehe, our imagination is really limited by kindness. We can¡¯t imagine how shady this society is! ]

    The silent audience became even more silent.

    Because they couldn¡¯t refute these cold facts. Moreover, in everyone¡¯s life, there were more or less some things that weren¡¯t going well. There were also some people who med the society.

    Who hadn¡¯t been depressed and had things made difficult by their boss?

    It could be said that Cai Shengnan¡¯s move had struck a chord with many audience members, and she was able to appropriately arouse everyone¡¯s ¡°empathy¡±.

    The most direct effect was that it diverted the attention of the audience and shut them up.

    Once the audience shut up, Weibo became the domain of the inte trolls.

    Not only was the Procuratorate¡¯s official Weibopromised, but even Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nickname, ¡°Cute Little Korgi,¡± was taken over by the Inte trolls.

    From personal attacks to unbridled abuse, they all pounced on ¡°Cute Little Korgi¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly looked at the Weibo posts that were insulting her. She looked at the posts with ulterior motives. Ready to fight back, she took a deep breath and began to organize her words.

    Just then, she saw another person¡¯s message on her Weibo page.

    A familiar ID popped up under the signature Weibo post ¡°Kindness has hindered my imagination¡±.

    [ Lovely Ma Qiqi ] : OP, you¡¯re imagination has been hindered by kindness. Has kindness also hindered your IQ? ! You even made up a rumor without logic ormon sense. Do you think that you can simply change the topic then idly stand by?!!

    [ Lovely Ma Qiqi ] : Also, OP, you should first prove that you have ¡®kindness¡¯ !

    [ Lovely Ma Qiqi ] : What? You can¡¯t prove it? Helpless. JPG. There¡¯s no other way then. Since you can¡¯t prove that you have ¡®kindness¡¯, how can you prove that your imagination was hindered by ¡®kindness¡¯??! And that your conscience isn¡¯t hindered by malice? Yourmon sense is hindered by ignorance?!

    [ Lovely Ma Qiqi ] : This is the worst time ¡°kindness¡± has ever been ndered!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes turned red. She raised an arm and put the back of her hand on her mouth. She wanted to cry andugh.

    As expected of her best friend.

    Ma Qiqi had no idea of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s alternate ount, but she still rushed forward to cheer for her!

    True best friends should be good friends who share the same values, understand, and care for each other.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and changed her Weibo reply again.

    She first went to the Weibo post of ¡°Truthful Carrot¡± and calmly replied.

    [ Cute Little Korgi ] :@Truthful Carrot, since you¡¯ve started to change the topic, can I make the conclusion that your previous opinion that # a high-ranking military official¡¯s family stole the family property of a war hero isn¡¯t valid?

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw that Weibo reply. How did that person react so quickly?

    Just as she was thinking about what to do, Mike could no longer hold it in and replied to Gu Nianzhi himself.

    [ Truthful Carrot ] : You¡¯re talking nonsense! ! Why is my opinion not valid?!

    [ Cute Little Korgi ] : Then why are you changing the topic?

    [ Truthful Carrot ] : When did I change the topic? Can¡¯t you open your eyes and see?!

    [ Cute Little Korgi ] : I see you¡¯re talking about the former Prime Minister Dou, the former deputy minister Bai Yusheng, and the former Parliamentary Chief Secretary Yang. Do these people have any connection with the high-ranking military officials you mentioned?

    Mike fell silent. Did have any connection? He didn¡¯t know...

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while. Upon seeing that the other party hadn¡¯t replied, she continued writing.

    [ I¡¯m telling you, they¡¯re not connected at all. ]

    [ The people you mentioned are all ex-high-ranking officials who have been convicted without exception. What does that mean? That means that high-ranking officials were never allowed to do as they pleased. If they broke thew, they would still be punished by thew just like ordinary people. So what is your argument? ]

    [ You¡¯re using these people to prove the darkness of society. Are you deliberately pretending to be blind? ! ]

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply made the silentizens feel a little better.

    Yes, although there were indeed many unsatisfactory aspects of society, it was constantly evolving and improving.

    Every day was better than yesterday.

    So why should they give up their home, which had been growing more and more beautiful, just because someone else was trying to sow discord?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help smiling as she watched more and moreizens regained their liveliness, liked it, shared it, and even expressed their agreement with Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi.

    Her heart felt warm.

    This kind of support and encouragement from strangers was her biggest motivation to fight against these trolls.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up, took a deep breath, then replied to the ID ¡°Lovely Ma Qiqi¡± .

    [ Cute Little Korgi ] :@Lovely Ma Qiqi, Well said. Like.JPG.

    [ We are all ordinary people, and we are the main force of this society. This society is a reflection of us. ]

    [ If we aren¡¯t shady, dirty, greedy, and without conscience, then this society isn¡¯t either. ]

    Her reply instantly received countless likes and retweets, and it immediately went on Weibo¡¯s trending search.

    Cai Shengnan hadn¡¯t even finished thinking about how to continue stirring up trouble when she saw that ¡°Cute Little Korgi¡± almost set off a wave of excitement on Weibo.

    Her expression turned cold, and she immediately picked up her phone and called the trollpany. ¡°Take down that trending topic for me! It can be as expensive as you want! I¡¯ll pay!¡±

    The trollpany and Weibo¡¯s trending marketing organization were old friends, of course.

    Whoever they wanted to put on the trending topic list, they would put on the trending topic list, and whoever they wanted to pull off of the trending topic list, they would pull off of the trending topic.

    In any case, as long as they had money, it was fine.

    This time, Cai Shengnan¡¯s reaction was quite quick.

    The topic with the hashtag #cutelittlekorgi quickly disappeared from the trending search rankings.

    Fortunately, the quick-wittedizens had already taken screenshots of the Weibo hot search rankings before and after the disappearance.

    Two screenshots clearly showed how the # cute little kooky suddenly disappeared from the hot search rankings as the data continued to climb.

    Those who often spent time on Weibo were aware of these tricks, but a small number ofizens who weren¡¯t usually on Weibo and was only attracted over by this incident saw this situation for the first time.

    Immediately, the situation blew up.

    All sorts of joes about the official hot searches list on Weibo came out one after another.

    They sessfully overrode the topic that Cai Shengnan had put so much effort into promoting.

    Cai Shengnan watched helplessly as the public opinion on Weibo could no longer be controlled. She knew that it would be difficult for her to reverse it this time.

    She angrily picked up her phone and dialed the prosecutor¡¯s number again.

    This time, after the phone on the other end rang a few times, someone picked up.

    ¡°Hello, may I know your surname?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t the prosecutor¡¯s voice.

    Cai Shengnan became rmed and asked, ¡°May I know if this is Mr. XX¡¯s phone number?¡±

    She deliberately gave the wrong name.

    As expected, the person on the other end said, ¡°No, you have the wrong number.¡±

    ¡°It really isn¡¯t? You are the prosecutor¡¯s office, right? That person told me that his name is XX?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, then he lied to you. This phone number isn¡¯t XX¡¯s phone number, but XXX¡¯s phone number.¡±

    The person who answered the phone said the name of the prosecutor.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she smiled and said, ¡°Okay, then I was wrong. Thank you.¡±

    She hung up the phone. Her mind raced, and she got a bad feeling.

    Thinking of this, she didn¡¯t use her phone. Instead, she used an online IP phone to call the prosecutor¡¯s wife.

    This time, she picked up quickly.

    Upon hearing the familiar voice of the woman, Cai Shengnan quickly said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯mwyer Cai. May I ask if your husband...¡±

    Upon hearing that it was Cai Shengnan, she immediately said nervously, ¡°You have the wrong number, I didn¡¯t ask for awyer.¡± Then she hung up the phone.

    Cai Shengnan was stunned.

    Sitting in front of theputer, she maintained the posture of making a phone call and her entire body was frozen.

    If she guessed correctly, probably something happened to that prosecutor.

    The prosecutor¡¯s wife had recently be familiar with her because of her daughter¡¯s application to a foreign university.

    The two of them spoke on the phone several times a day, and they were familiar with each other¡¯s voices.

    Just now, she frantically tried to dissociate herself from her.

    That was enough to prove that something had happened to the prosecutor.

    Cai Shengnan put down her phone and stood up from hputer.

    She crossed her arms and paced back and forth in her office with a frown on her face.

    At this point, it seemed like she had no choice but to defeat Gu Nianzhi in court.

    She had asked her father to get someone to handle the situation in the United States, so they would never be able to trace it back to her and her father.

    She wasn¡¯t worried about that.

    She was worried about whether the prosecutor would give her up.

    They had spoken on the phone quite a few times. Although they hadn¡¯t said anything sensitive on the phone, what if the person dragged her into it?

    Cai Shengnan stopped and squinted towards outside of the window.

    It was necessary for her to give a little warning to the prosecutor¡¯s family.

    If they didn¡¯t want their daughter¡¯s future to be ruined, it was better to be sensible and not involve her.

 Chapter 1349 - Donâ€™t Play with Fire

    <h4>Chapter 1349: Don¡¯t y with Fire</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi slumped into the whiteputer chair in her bedroom. She felt like she was about to copse.

    It was as if she had juste out of a tough battle. Her state of mind was erratic, and even the focus of her eyes was blurry.

    This time, she had been in charge from the beginning to the end, and she had been dealing with countless inte trolls by herself.

    Although it was no more difficult than the internalwork of the German Gestapo, it was much more intense.

    To Gu Nianzhi, dealing with people was always more tiring than dealing withputers.

    She had just closed her eyes to clear her mind and rest for a while when her phone rang.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even open her eyes. She fumbled for her phone and nonchntly swiped at the screen.

    The call went through. She put it to her ear and softly said, ¡°Hello? ¡±

    It was He Zhichu calling.

    He heard that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice a little tired. His heart ached as he asked, ¡± ... Tired?¡±

    ¡°Is it Professor He?¡± Gu Nianzhi still had her eyes closed as she leaned back against herputer chair. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m tired. I want to sleep.¡±

    He Zhichu had been watching the entire situation today. He was very pleased that Gu Nianzhi had single-handedly turned the tide of the situation. She had even ruthlessly dealt with the other party¡¯s internal aid and pulled out the prosecutor.

    ¡°You can rest if you¡¯re tired.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything further. Before he hung up the phone, heplimented Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You¡¯ve done well. I¡¯m proud of you. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and saidzily, ¡°Thank you, Professor He. I¡¯ve finally lived up to your expectations.¡±

    He Zhichu hoped that Gu Nianzhi could have a good rest. He hung up the phone quickly and checked on how the case against the ¡°Angel in the World¡± foundation in Japan was progressing.

    The day before the verdict had been announced, the presiding judge had suddenly died, and the Japanese had temporarily shelved the case on the grounds that the judge had been reappointed.

    He Zhichu didN¡¯t want to see them drag things out on purpose.

    He called the Japanese again, but their answer was polite as usual: Please wait patiently.

    Wait my foot!

    He Zhichu¡¯s face darkened as he dialed the number of the South American side.

    The He family had great influence in South America and was known as the ¡°Godfather of South America¡±.

    It seemed that Japan really didn¡¯t take him seriously.

    He Zhichu had never been looked down upon like that before.

    After the call was connected, He Zhichu said to his men in Spanish, ¡°How are things in Brazil? Make the Japanese there lose some money.¡±

    In South America, Brazil was the country with the most Japanese people. The Japanese government had been operating in Brazil for many years and had aprehensive intelligence chain and station.

    If they wanted to stop them from returning the Gu family¡¯s assets, they would have to ¡°Rob Peter to pay Paul¡±.

    He Zhichu¡¯s cold and aloof face was expressionless. His sparkling almond-shaped eyes twinkled. With a flip of the wrist, he had dealt a heavy blow to Japan¡¯s interests in Brazil.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi quietly leaned back in herputer chair and rested for a while.

    Although her body was tired, her mind was exceptionally excited.

    She actually couldn¡¯t fall asleep, so she simply sat there and let her body and brain rest for a while.

    Sitting alone like that, she suddenly felt that this room was too empty and quiet, so she felt very lonely.

    She was a person who loved bustling liveliness, andizens would never be lonely online.

    However, after she went offline and was alone, her mood would be very low.

    How good would it be if someone came to apany her at this time?

    If she had a home, she would go home and sit with her parents while chatting andughing. Then, they would prepare dinner together. The exhaustion from earlier would surely be swept away, right?

    Gu Nianzhi sighed softly.

    At this moment, she heard the doorbell ring.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and looked at her watch in confusion.

    It was already past six in the afternoon.

    Who woulde at this hour?

    She had been working hard in front of herputer all day and hadn¡¯t eaten anything. She had only drunk some milk.

    Her stomach was growling with hunger, but she didn¡¯t want to move. She would rather stay hungry.

    The doorbell rang, but she couldn¡¯t be bothered to open the door. She decided to pretend that she wasn¡¯t at home.

    If that person really wanted to find her, he would probably call her.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and closed her eyes in relief, then continued to take a nap.

    After a while, the doorbell stopped ringing.

    Had that person left?

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes. She held the armrest of herputer chair with one hand and the table in front of her with the other. She was going to stand up and go to the kitchen to find something to eat, then take a shower and get ready for bed.

    Just then, she heard a click from the living room outside. The door opened.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    That person actually had her house key? !

    Could it be...

    She turned around abruptly and saw that the person was already striding over from the living room.

    From the half-opened bedroom door, she saw a tall and handsome figure dressed in a military green outfit. He had already walked to the bedroom door.

    His figure was as straight as a long sword pointing to the sky.

    It was Huo Shaoheng.

    It was actually Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately stood up from herputer chair and watched in surprise as Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and entered.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was the same as usual. He said calmly, ¡°I came to see you. Are you okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes became watery as she nodded vigorously. ¡°I¡¯m not okay.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled up. She was still acting coquettishly, so she should be fine.

    He opened his arms to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t go over. She whispered, ¡± ... I¡¯m too tired to walk.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart ached a little, but he remained impassive. He walked over to her and picked her up. ¡°Tired? Or hungry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck and lean into his arms. She said pitifully, ¡°Both. Tired and hungry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    He knew that when she argued withizens online, she would be so engrossed that she wouldn¡¯t eat or drink.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°Can you move? I¡¯ll take you out to eat. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t move. I don¡¯t want to go out to eat.¡±

    ¡°Then go to bed and rest for a while. I¡¯ll make you something to eat.¡± Huo Shaoheng half-carried her and walked to the bedside.

    Gu Nianzhi beamed and hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck while rubbing against it. ¡°I want to eat your egg fried rice. It¡¯s no trouble. It¡¯s a very simple dish. Just a little shrimp, green beans, ham and sausage, mushroom, and scrambled eggs will do.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    How could that be called simple?

    For a truly simple egg fried rice, there would only be two ingredients, and they would be eggs and rice.

    Huo Shaoheng asked airily, ¡°Do you have shrimp, green beans, diced ham and mushrooms at home?¡±

    Perhaps she didn¡¯t even have eggs.

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to have remembered something and muttered, ¡± ... I don¡¯t have eggs and rice at home either.¡±

    So how was he supposed to make egg-fried rice?

    Conjure it?

    At a loss for words, Huo Shaoheng shook his head. He brought Gu Nianzhi to her bed and let her lie down. He took out his phone and ordered food.

    He found a familiar restaurant. It only sold regr customers and only sold four tables of food a day.

    People had to make a reservation a month in advance to eat there.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was one of the few customers who didn¡¯t need to make a reservation.

    That was because that private restaurant was funded by investments from his grandmother, Xie Ziyan.

    The chef of the restaurant used to be his grandmother¡¯s chef. Later, he went out and opened a private restaurant that became famous in the imperial capital.

    Even the way it was run was suggested by his grandmother, Xie Ziyan.

    Huo Shaoheng inherited most of Xie Ziyan¡¯s assets, and also the shares in the private restaurant.

    Since the major shareholder was calling to order takeout, although the private restaurant never did takeout business, it couldn¡¯t refuse Huo Shaoheng.

    After ordering dinner, Huo Shaoheng turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Sleep for a while. It¡¯ll probably be delivered in half an hour.¡±

    He rarely ordered food from that private restaurant.

    This time, it was because Gu Nianzhi wanted to eat egg fried rice, and this private restaurant had a specialty: egg fried rice.

    Making an ordinary home-cooked dish like egg fried rice was the best way to test a chef¡¯s culinary skills.

    In addition to egg fried rice, he also ordered Mantis Shrimp, braised meat, stir-fried meat, bone broth soup, and crab noodles. He also ordered a medium-rare steak for himself.

    Gu Nianzhiid on the bed and smiled as she pulled at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Major General Huo, you shoulde too. I can¡¯t fall asleep when I¡¯m alone. ¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡± ... ¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t fall asleep if there¡¯s two people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi propped her head up with her hand andid sideways on the bed. ¡°How can that be? I¡¯ll fall asleep after you coax me to sleep.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat down on the side of the bed and pulled over a thin nket to cover her. ¡°If you want to sleep, then go to sleep. If you dawdle any longer, the food will be deliveredter and you won¡¯t be able to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not sleepy.¡± Gu Nianzhi was in high spirits, but her body was exhausted and shhe was a little tired.

    However, when she saw Huo Shaoheng sitting on her bed in his summer uniform and the windbreaker buckle tightly fastened around his neck, she had the urge to devour him.

    She reached out to fiddle with his cor and muttered, ¡± ... Aren¡¯t you hot? Why are you dressed so neatly?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and patiently warned her, ¡°Don¡¯t y with fire.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled coyly and looked askance at him. She deliberately pretended to misinterpret what he had just said. ¡°What did you say? Don¡¯t y with fire? ¡ª Did I y with you?¡±

 Chapter 1350 - Whatever She Saw Fit

    <h4>Chapter 1350: Whatever She Saw Fit</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Now that she had said that, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be a true man if he didn¡¯t respond.

    Heposed himself, then turned around and walked to the bedroom window. Without saying a word, he closed the curtains with a whoosh.

    The bright bedroom suddenly turned dark.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes. It took her a while to get used to the darkness.

    Her lips curved, and she chuckled silently.

    Her gaze followed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure as he walked around the bedroom. She watched him walk into the bathroom and listened to the sound of running water. Her heart pounded.

    Even though she was the one who started the fire, Huo Shaoheng was the one who carried it out...

    She quietly pulled up the nket and covered her face.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the bathroom. He had already taken off his usual clothes and was only wearing the ck t-shirt and ck boxers underneath.

    He strode over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed but realized that she had already covered herself up with the nket.

    That little coward, so she only does the killing without doing the burying afterwards?

    Huo Shaoheng quietly lifted the nket andid down beside her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt the bed beside her suddenly sink down, and it even formed a nted angle.

    She stretched out her long arms and rolled into his warm embrace.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged his waist tightly and took a deep breath.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clean and refreshing scent, like the scorching summer sun, deeply infatuated her.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi in his arms and curled his lips. He didn¡¯t have to say anything; he just had to do it himself.

    ..

    When the two of them separated, Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It had been exactly half an hour.

    He had no choice but to end this quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi was almost shaken to pieces by him. She was in a daze, and her body was as soft as a piece of soft tofu. If he had been a little more forceful, she would have been crushed.

    Huo Shaoheng gently caressed her back with one hand, and lowered his head to kiss her face.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead was wet with sweat, and the lingering sensation rippled through her body and numbed her.

    Her body waspletelyfortable, but her mind was a little disoriented.

    It was theplete opposite of her bodily state moments before.

    Huo Shaoheng timed it perfectly. It didn¡¯t take long for the doorbell to ring and his phone to ring. It was the delivery man.

    Huo Shaoheng got up and picked up his T-shirt from the sofa by the bed.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and happened to see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back, which was covered in red marks that she had scratched.

    She covered her mouth and smirked secretly.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his long pants and went out to open the door.

    After a while, he said loudly in the dining room, ¡°Nianzhi,e out for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly sat up and looked down at herself. The same red marks were all over her. They were kiss marks he had made on her.

    She put on her clothes and continued to act coquettishly. ¡°I can¡¯t walk, so I can¡¯te out.¡±

    That little fellow was really an insatiable rascal.

    Huo Shaoheng cursed inside and quietly walked in. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were shining, and her plump lips were so lustrous that it was as if it had ayer of honey on them. She appeared especially alluring.

    Her long legs swayed in front of the bed, and her long hair fell behind her back. Her small face, which was the size of a palm, beamed at him. She didn¡¯t hold back at all. She trusted and depended on himpletely.

    His heart instantly softened.

    Without saying a word, he carried Gu Nianzhi in his arms and turned to walk towards the living room.

    He thought that he was bing less and less principled and authoritative in front of Gu Nianzhi...

    The two of them sat at the dining table and ate.

    Her small dining room wasn¡¯t as big as a mere utility room in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, but Gu Nianzhi felt that it was especially cozy.

    She scooped a bowl of bone soup for Huo Shaoheng and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard just now, so eat something nutritious to prevent your legs from going weak due tock of calcium.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and looked up at her. ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to eat something nutritious. I can do it again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was choked. She rubbed her nose and smiled sheepishly. ¡°Then you can... try harder!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I try harder, someone won¡¯t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.¡± Huo Shaoheng said slowly and returned to drinking the bone broth soup. ¡°These are all ingredients that are beneficial to women. They can be used for beautifying purposes. You should drink more.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    When she heard that it could be used for beautifying purposes, Gu Nianzhi drank the soup without a second thought.

    The restaurant didn¡¯t give her much food anyway. There were only about two small bowls in the small pot.

    However, the color of the soup appeared very appetizing. The soup was thick and golden in color. It looked very delicious.

    The two of them stopped talking and quietly ate dinner.

    After dinner, Gu Nianzhi hugged her stomach and groaned, then said that she had eaten too much.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored her. He cleared the table, put the dishes into the dishwasher, and washed his hands beforeing out.

    Under the lotus cover papermp in the dining room, Gu Nianzhi was leaning against the high-backed soft chair and had actually fallen asleep.

    Her perky nose cast a shadow under themp, and her long eyshes covered her eyes, which had been shining brightly just a moment ago.

    Her plump lips were slightly closed. As if she was dreaming of something good, and the corners of her lips curled up.

    She was smiling even when she was asleep.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mood brightened up as well.

    He walked over silently, bent over, and reached a hand into her leg to carry her.

    He carried her to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and wiped her hands and feet.

    Gu Nianzhi was actually half-awake and knew that Huo Shaoheng was helping her clean.

    She obediently opened her mouth to let him brush her teeth and rinse her mouth with clean water.

    After he was done, Huo Shaoheng carried her back to the bedroom, turned off the lights, andid down beside her.

    Smelling his familiar scent, Gu Nianzhi felt safe and secure as sheid in his arms. She let down all her defenses. Her head tilted to the side and shhe fell asleeppletely.

    ..

    After she woke up the next morning, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes.

    If she hadn¡¯t seen Huo Shaoheng standing in front of the window while taking the call, she would have thought that what had happenedst night was a dream.

    Because it had been so beautiful, so beautiful that it was like a dream.

    In the dream, Huo Shaoheng was gentle, affectionate, and allowed her to do whatever she saw fit...

    Smiling at Huo Shaoheng as she quietly listened to his call, she crossed her arms and sat on the bed.

    The call was from the United States. After the operator learned about the situation, he specifically asked Huo Shaoheng if he wanted to answer the call himself.

    Huo Shaoheng had specifically instructed the special operations forces to inform him as soon as there was any news from the United States.

    After the special operations forces in the United States received the mission submitted by the Secret Service, they immediately deployed their manpower to carry out the operation.

    In less than 12 hours, they found some useful information.

    ¡°Major General Huo, the preliminary investigation of Columbia University shows that an American named Mason had set up a schrship for Asian students at Columbia University. The schrship requirements were specifically tailored to the conditions of a particr student. Therefore, only she was only given $300,000 for four years. Tuition, misceneous fees, and living expenses were all covered.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Well done. Have you investigated who Mason is? ¡±

    ¡°We have. He¡¯s a member of the House of Representatives and from Maine.¡±

    ¡± ... What¡¯s his rtionship with the Cai Family?¡±

    ¡°We only know that he knows Cai Shengnan and her father,¡± the person on the other side said carefully. ¡°There¡¯s no direct evidence to prove that the money Mason used to set up the schrship was directly connected to Cai Susumin and Cai Shengnan.¡±

    This meant that there was still no evidence to prove that the schrship was connected to Cai Susumin and Cai Shengnan.

    Huo Shaoheng looked out of the window thoughtfully and nodded after a long while. ¡°Yes, continue to investigate. Can we find out where this congressman¡¯s ie came from?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re working on it.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t something that could be found in a day or two.

    To be able to find out who set up this schrship within 12 hours was already very impressive.

    Because the schrship was set up anonymously.

    Schools usually took this type of schrship very seriously and kept it a tight secret.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the Special Operations Forces had the means, it would have taken them a long time just to find out who Mason was.

    After hanging up, Huo Shaoheng turned around and saw that Gu Nianzhi was already awake. She was sitting on the bed and hugging her knees as she looked at him.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Did you call just now to investigate Cai Shengnan and her father?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard Huo Shaoheng ask about the rtionship between the Cai family and a congressman¡¯s ie.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, then said slowly, ¡°The prosecutor of the Procuratorate was arrested. The Secret Service found out that his daughter recently received a generous schrship from Columbia University and asked us to investigate the origins of this schrship.¡±

    ¡°Needless to say, it must have been Cai Shengnan.¡± Gu Nianzhi almost immediately med Cai Shengnan.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and rubbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°What¡¯s the use of only knowing it? You¡¯re awyer. You have to speak with evidence.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find the evidence.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled coyly. ¡°When we go to court, I¡¯ll make Cai Shengnan say it herself. Do you believe me?

 Chapter 1351 - Opportunity To Prove Innocence

    <h4>Chapter 1351: Opportunity To Prove Innocence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t believe her, but he didn¡¯t want to say it out loud.

    If he really did say it out loud, Gu Nianzhi would definitely get too big for her britches.

    One shouldn¡¯t be too big for one¡¯s britches.

    ¡°Get up and take a shower. I¡¯ve already ordered breakfast and it¡¯ll be here soon.¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her slippers and stood up. She smiled and said, ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter if the Americans can¡¯t find any evidence. As long as the secret service is capable enough and the arrested prosecutor admits to it, I might not even have to go to court to skin her alive.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°This determines a child¡¯s future. The prosecutor would never admit that he has direct ties with Cai Shengnan, let alone an indirect tie.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡± ? ? ? ¡±

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng with a questioning gaze. ¡°No way? If he doesn¡¯t confess, the me would be entirely on him. The crime would be even more serious, right?¡±

    If Cai Shengnan was exposed, he might be able to get his punishment reduced due to his contributions.

    People who didn¡¯t have children didn¡¯t understand the mentality of their parents.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her and turned to walk out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. He said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, just wait and see.¡±

    ...

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get to see the arrested prosecutor drag Cai Shengnan to court even on the day of her court appearance.

    He insisted that he couldn¡¯t stand Gu Nianzhi taking advantage of the Huo family¡¯s affluence to ¡°bully¡± the martyr¡¯s orphan, Luo Jin, and seize his family¡¯s assets. Therefore, blinded by greed for money, he tampered with the names of the prosecution¡¯swyers who had appeared in court.

    When he found out that Gu Nianzhi had written an inquiry email to the prosecutor¡¯s office, he was so scared that he had colluded with the hackers to expose the matter. He only wanted to blow the matter up so that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s superiors and family could persuade Gu Nianzhi to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status and military rank made him the best target.

    No matter what kind of rumors were spread, as long as it involved the military, it would make certain shady people with ulterior motives get excited and jump out from the shadows to suck them dry.

    Therefore, when the entire online world was in turmoil, for the sake of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation and the reputation of the military, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s superiors and family would definitely ask Gu Nianzhi to stop struggling to be the prosecutor¡¯swyer. It might even be possible for her to drop the charges against Luo Jin.

    It just didn¡¯t ur to him that someone was more sophisticated than the hacker he hired, and that he underestimated the intelligence ofizens.

    In addition to a small number of Inte ghostwriters with ulterior motives and a small number of people who didn¡¯t know the truth and simplu oined the bandwagon blindly, there was also arge number of righteous passersbies with brains and conscience who stepped forward to fight the Inte ghostwriters and the idiots, and finally turned the entire situation around.

    The higher-ups of the military and the procuratorate didn¡¯t ¡°blur the line between right and wrong¡± like they had thought they would. Instead of turning a big issue into a small one, they immediately investigated thoroughly.

    Soldiers couldn¡¯t harm the interests of the people, but the honor and reputation of soldiers couldn¡¯t be tarnished and defamed by people with nefarious motives.

    ...

    It was already the end of May when the trial of the ¡°Imperial City procuratorate using Luo Jin of intentional homicide¡± case began. The weather was gradually getting warmer.

    Therge trees by the sidewalk outside the Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court were lined with leafy green trees, filtering outyers of sunlight.

    At the entrance of the court, Gu Nianzhi saw Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin with smiles on their faces.

    Cai Shengnan was dressed in a professional ck dress from Issey Miyake. With her high nose bridge, plump lips, and big, deep eyes, she had a sort of tough beauty to her.

    Luo Jin, on the other hand, was dressed very demurely. She had her hair cut short to her ears and her hair blown out into waves. Her eyebrows and eyes were carefully drawn, and her makeup made her look less insufferable and arrogant. She was dressed in a light purple Chanel dress that was demure and beautiful. It was wrapped tightly around her.

    They were also sizing Gu Nianzhi up.

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a thick white silk cor and a thin ash grey wool jacket over it. She was wearing a tailored suit and leggings of the same color, and a pair of formal ck Manolo hnik business shoes. The thin heels were seven centimeters long, but because the arch of the heel was well-designed to bear weight, it wasn¡¯t tiring at all to walk in them.

    She liked to wear high heels when she was in court. For one thing, they gave her an advantage in height and made her feel empowered. For another thing, they wouldn¡¯t make her back ache even after standing for a long time.

    Besides, this kind of professional attire would make her look older and more mature in everyone¡¯s eyes. She would also appear more trustworthy when she spoke.

    Gu Nianzhi was already 1.7 meters tall. With the addition of the seven-centimeter high heels, she looked almost 1.8 meters tall.

    She had a small, exquisite face the size of a palm, straight legs, t shoulders, and a slim waist. She was as tall as a Victoria¡¯s secret supermodel.

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin¡¯s presence paled inparison Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    However, Cai Shengnan wasn¡¯t angry at all. She was also wearing high heels. Her heels were 12 centimeters long, so she looked only a little shorter than Gu Nianzhi.

    But that wasn¡¯t the point. The point was that she had sessfully taken down the prosecutor who had been arrested. The prosecutor had taken all the me, and it had nothing to do with her.

    This meant that she and Gu Nianzhi were once again on the same starting line.

    Clearly a head shorter than the two of them, Luo Jin stood at the side.

    She was also wearing high heels, but she wasn¡¯t as tall as Cai Shengnan, so she was outssed.

    However, she wasn¡¯t angry because Cai Shengnan had given her muchconfidence.

    This time, they were going to defeat Gu Nianzhi in court and defend their personal freedom and family assets.

    Ever since Luo Jin hadpletely given up on Huo Shaoheng, her mind seemed to have cleared up.

    When she was discussing the case with Cai Shengnan, she hade up with several good ideas, which Cai Shengnan had fully approved of.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, why are you the only one here? Where¡¯s your victim, Miss Song? ¡± Cai Shengnan was all smiles as she purposely looked behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s empty back.

    Luo Jin was also smiling as she said softly, ¡°Perhaps she¡¯s too embarrassed to appear in court because she wanted to sue me for ¡®Intentional Murder¡¯? After all, she¡¯s still alive and well. How could she have the nerve to stand in court and use someone of intentional murder? Wouldn¡¯t that be pping herself in the face, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled lightly as her gaze shifted to Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan. She said, ¡°Lawyer Cai, don¡¯tugh. Your client is indeed quite blind to thew. Instead ofughing at her, you have to teach her a lesson.¡±

    Cai Shengnan shook her head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m notughing at her, I¡¯mughing at you. What¡¯s the matter? Feeling guilty?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°So Lawyer Cai is also blind to thew? What should I do then? I¡¯m going to win thewsuit without putting up a fight.¡±

    Cai Shengnan said calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so glib with your words. They won¡¯t count in court.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being glib with my words?¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and pointed at Luo Jin. ¡°She said that since she¡¯s alive and well, she can¡¯t be charged with intentional homicide. Isn¡¯t she blind to thew since she said something like that?¡±

    Cai Shengnan froze.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°ording to thew, the crime of intentional homicide is a crime of conduct. As long as shemits an act of intentional homicide, then regardless of whether the victim actually died or whether her act of homicide is in the preparatory, attempted, or termination stage, it will constitute the crime of intentional homicide and she must be brought to trial.¡±

    Cai Shengnan wasn¡¯t frightened by Gu Nianzhi, and sheughed coldly. ¡°But as long as your so-called ¡®victim¡¯ is still alive, then it¡¯s debatable whether my clientmitted intentional murder or not. Based on the evidence I¡¯ve gathered, my client had no motive or intention tomit intentional murder, so save your breath. Don¡¯t waste your breath.¡±

    Luo Jin pped her hands and said. ¡°Yes, yes,wyer Gu, you should know better. The Huo family and Song Jinning didn¡¯t take you seriously. Otherwise, why would you be the only one involved in such an embarrassingwsuit? Where¡¯s your fianc¨¦? Where¡¯s your client? Why are they all so far away?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand to look at her watch and said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s not even eight o¡¯clock yet. There¡¯s still an hour before the trial starts. Are you worried that you won¡¯t live to see my client appear the next hour?¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s smile was a little contorted. ¡± ... How can you curse me like that?!¡±

    ¡°Did I curse you?¡± Gu Nianzhi was amused. She raised her hand and nonchntly fiddled with the diamond earring on one of her earlobes. ¡°I¡¯m making a reasonable deduction. Otherwise, how would you exin the reason you¡¯re so anxious to conclude that I would be the only one here during this court battle?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª ! ¡± Luo Jin was anxious. ¡°All you know is how to deliberately distort other people¡¯s meanings!¡±

    ¡°I distorted it? Okay, then exin it yourself. Why are you so certain that my client won¡¯te?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked into the courthouse. ¡°There¡¯s still an hour to go. What are you so anxious about?¡±

    Luo Jin was so angry that her hands and feet were trembling from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°worried that you won¡¯t live to see my client appear the next hour.¡± She angrily said towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back, ¡°If you say that again, I¡¯ll say that you threatened my personal safety!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around to look at Luo Jin. Her dark eyes were deep and unfathomable. ¡°I threatened your personal safety? I¡¯m sorry, Miss Luo, but we have to be clear about this serious usation.¡±

    She looked up at the security camera at the entrance of the courthouse and held her phone in her hand. ¡°There are security cameras here. Tell me clearly, when, where, and in what way did I threaten your personal safety? ¡±

    Luo Jin thought Gu Nianzhi was afraid, and was amused. She covered her mouth andughed. ¡°Huh? So you actually experience fear too? I thought you weren¡¯t afraid of anything!¡±

    ¡°Idiot!¡± Gu Nianzhi cursed under her breath. ¡°I told you to say it because I didn¡¯t want you to die in an ident and then frame me! ¡±

    Luo Jin froze. ¡± ... No way? I was just saying so. It¡¯s not that serious, is it?¡±

    Worried that there was danger lurking nearby, she looked around.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her phone in satisfaction, then smiled at Luo Jin. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve already recorded what you said just now to prove that what you said was just a joke. If you really die in the future, I¡¯ll have a chance to prove my innocence.¡±

    Luo Jin was so angry at Gu Nianzhi that her face turned livid and pale. She clenched her fists and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t be so smug! I won¡¯t let you get away with it in court!¡±

 Chapter 1352 - Where Did You Go

    <h4>Chapter 1352: Where Did You Go</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Shengnan looked around and thought that it was a good thing that the trial wasn¡¯t open to the public or the media. Otherwise, if the new media caught what had just happened and posted it on the Inte, they would lose in terms of momentum...

    ¡°Jin, don¡¯t shout ¡± Cai Shengnan lowered her voice and pulled Luo Jin¡¯s arm. ¡°What if there are people secretly taking pictures around...¡±

    Luo Jin was shocked. She quickly adjusted her expression and whispered, ¡°I just can¡¯t take it anymore... ¡±

    ¡°I know. ¡± Cai Shengnan¡¯s eyes darkened as she watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back figure disappear, and she said airily, ¡°Legally, the defendant enjoys the benefit of doubt. You are innocent until proven guilty. She is the one making the im so she needs to prove it. You¡¯re innocent until proven guilty. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be easy for her to win this case.¡±

    Luo Jin mulled over Cai Shengnan¡¯s words but still felt a little uneasy.

    With a sullen expression on her face, she said softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I would definitely be fine? How did it be, ¡®it¡¯s not easy for her to win¡¯ again? Could it be that she still has a chance of winning?!¡±

    Cai Shengnan: ¡± ... ¡±

    She tugged the corners of her mouth helplessly. ¡°Jin, be reasonable. I am speaking from the probability perspective. There is no absolute right or wrong, and there is no absolute certainty of losing or winning. You have to be more open-minded.¡±

    ¡°You want me to be open-minded now?!¡± Luo Jin was furious. Her fingers were almost poking Cai Shengnan¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re awyer. Your duty is to get me released without charge and protect my assets!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but you also have to know that they¡¯re very powerful. Previously, in order to get Gu Nianzhi to be the prosecution¡¯swyer, they were even willing to take down a prosecutor,¡± Cai Shengnan said meaningfully, ¡°Therefore, you have to restrain yourself and not give them any chances.¡±

    Luo Jin quickly promised, ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything like that again.¡± Cai Shengnan turned and walked forward. ¡°Gu Nianzhi is a cunning and cautious person. If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll fall into her trap.¡±

    Luo Jin nodded in understanding. ¡°I understand, Lawyer Cai. You must bring her down! ¡±

    Cai Shengnan narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    She was also looking forward to defeating Gu Nianzhi...

    As far as she knew, Gu Nianzhi had never lost a case ever since she had first appeared in court.

    Her father was impressive but even he had lost a few cases in the past.

    Needless to say, Cai Shengnan had an 80% chance of winning the case and a 20% chance of losing.

    However, overseas, her odds of winning were already heaven-defying. That was why she had be a partner of the secondrgestw firm in the United States before she was even 30.

    Her father had yed a part, but she herself was also a capable person. Thew firm wasn¡¯t a charity that specialized in helping the poor.

    In short, if she could defeat Gu Nianzhi this time, she would end Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°undefeated¡± record!

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi entered the court and found court no. 1 for their trial.

    Because it was a closed trial and wasn¡¯t open to the public or the media, the Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court used court no. 1, which had the best confidentiality measures.

    The door to the court was open, and the staff inside were already adjusting the equipment.

    There was a long table at the door, and behind the table were staff carrying equipment for security checks.

    No cell phones, cameras, or cameras were allowed in the courtroom.

    Theptop had to be checked by a specialist from the court before it could be brought in.

    It was simr to the security check before boarding a ne.

    Gu Nianzhi arrived early and patiently took out everything in front of the door.

    Her phone was ced in a transparent stic bag and locked in the small safe behind that staff member¡¯s back. She gave Gu Nianzhi a number to use as a verification to retrieve her phone.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bring a camera or a video camera with her. The staff member also returned theptop to her after checking it.

    She smiled at the security guard at the door and carried her belongings into court no. 1.

    After about ten minutes, Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin entered as well.

    The two of them looked at each other calmly and asionally whispered to each other like best friends.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look up as she focused on her own preparations.

    Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan sat at the side of the dock and chatted for a while. Their nervousness had been alleviated, and they couldn¡¯t help but look at Gu Nianzhi.

    Upon seeing that she was the only one at the intiff¡¯s table and there were no witnesses, Luo Jin couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    She looked down and thought about it for a while, then stood up from her seat and said to Cai Shengnan, ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to her.¡±

    Cai Shengnan stopped her and said with displeasure, ¡°Don¡¯t cause any more trouble. We¡¯re already on opposite sides. What¡¯s the point of you saying anything? Don¡¯t tell me you think she¡¯ll give up on suing you right away?!¡±

    The corners of Luo Jin¡¯s eyes raised and she smiled. ¡°How do you know it won¡¯t work if you haven¡¯t tried? Besides, even if I don¡¯t diss her, will she let us go? At this moment, it¡¯ll be a waste if I don¡¯t diss her. If she¡¯s unhappy, I¡¯ll be happy. ¡±

    Cai Shengnan was speechless at her insistence.

    She raised her hand. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. You can scold her, you can mock her, but don¡¯t say a word about the most important things.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Luo Jin got Cai Shengnan¡¯s permission and walked up to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at her. ¡°Miss Luo, what can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just here to see how stubborn you can be.¡± Luo Jin crossed her arms and looked down at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°If you want to stop, I can give you a chance at any time. To tell you the truth, this case of yours is really hard to win. Why do you have to fight to the death? We can settle this out of court.¡±

    Settling out of court was a professional term that Luo Jin had heard from Cai Shengnan. It didn¡¯t refer to her case, but she felt that she could give it a try.

    If Gu Nianzhi agreed to settle out of court, Luo Jin was willing to pay half of the trust fund aspensation.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. ¡°Settle out of court? Unfortunately, there¡¯s no such thing as settling out of court in criminal cases. Only civil cases can be settled out of court. If you¡¯ve heard this professional term from Cai Shengnan, I can tell you that you¡¯ve been misled.¡±

    Luo Jin blushed. Cai Shengnan had said that an out-of-court settlement didn¡¯t apply to her case. She hadn¡¯t understood it at the time, but she hadn¡¯t asked any more questions. She simply subconsciously thought that, why not give it a try anyway?

    She had never thought that an out-of-court settlement wasn¡¯t applicable to a criminal case.

    Feeling extremely humiliated, she returned to her seat dejectedly.

    Cai Shengnan looked at Luo Jin and knew that she had suffered at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands, but she didn¡¯t mind. She had already done her duty to warn her, so there was nothing she could do if she didn¡¯t listen.

    Cai Shengnan was also focused on her preparations.

    Five minutes before the start of the trial, Song Jinning finally walked in.

    Her ex-husband, General Huo Guanchen, also followed.

    The two witnesses Cai Shengnan had called, Auntie You and Auntie Xing, also walked in.

    They timidly stole a nce at Song Jinning and Huo Guanchen before sitting down at Luo Jin¡¯s side.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Song Jinning had arrived, so she quickly stood up to greet her.

    ¡°Ms. Song, please sit here.¡±

    Song Jinning would sit with her.

    Huo Guanchen was one of the witnesses. Facing Auntie Xing and Auntie You from afar, he sat in the gallery behind the intiff¡¯s gallery.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly gave Song Jinning a thumbs up.

    She had never thought that Huo Guanchen would be willing to be Song Jinning¡¯s witness, but Song Jinning had told her that it was a different matter altogether. Huo Guanchen had to be her witness in this matter, so she called Huo Guanchen.

    Not long after, the judge, prosecutor, and clerk came in and sat down in their respective seats.

    At the same time, the military also sent people to observe the proceedings.

    The defendant in this case was Luo Jin, and her father, Huo Guanyuan, was a military hero. Although she wasn¡¯t Huo Guanyuan¡¯s biological son, her mother, Luo xinxue, was married to Huo Guanyuan, so she had the right to enjoy the legacy of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s identity.

    This was Cai Shengnan¡¯s idea.

    She said that her family background couldn¡¯t bepared to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, and since she was an orphan, she¡¯d suffer a huge loss in awsuit against them, so she advised her to make an official report to the military and ask them to attend the trial in order to intimidate Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t the only one with a military background. Luo Jin raised her head and thought arrogantly that she had a military background too.

    The military usually didn¡¯t care about such things, but Luo Jin had specially requested it, and had even tagged their official blog. In addition, there was a group of trolls making a ruckus below. If they ignored her, they woulde across as unsympathetic and stuck up.

    After weighing the pros and cons, the military sent people to listen in nheless, but specifically stated that the military wanted to be impartial, fair, and impartial, and to restore the truth as soon as possible.

    Luo Jin looked at the four tall and burly soldiers sitting in the seat behind her in standard posture. She pursed her lips and thought to herself, why did they appear at this time? Where were they before?

    If they hade to protect her earlier, she wouldn¡¯t have been bullied so badly by the Huo family and Gu Nianzhi...

 Chapter 1353 - You Were The One Being Slapped

    <h4>Chapter 1353: You Were The One Being pped</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Luo Jin felt more confident and sat up straighter.

    Then the heavy door of court No. 1 closed silently.

    It was time for the trial.

    The judge knocked on the gavel for the first time and solemnly announced, ¡°The case of the prosecutor¡¯s office using Luo Jin of intentional homicide has officially begun. We will now check the identity of the intiff and the defendant.¡±

    Since it was a criminal felony, it was necessary to verify their identities in court. In addition to checking fingerprints and irises, they also took each other¡¯s blood for DNA testing.

    Thetter took a longer time, but it was also one of the evidence that had to be archived.

    The court nurse came over and took a drop of both Luo Jin¡¯s and Song Jinning¡¯s blood and put them in a small test tube.

    ¡°The fingerprints match, the irises match, and the DNA test results will be released in a few days. I now announce that the trial has begun. Prosecutor, you may begin the briefing.¡±

    The judge looked at the test report that had been delivered to him and signed his name. At the same time, he asked the prosecutor to give a brief ount of the case.

    The prosecutor sat with Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning, but he was seated on the far left. Song Jinning was in the middle, and Gu Nianzhi was on the far right.

    When the judge asked the prosecutor to stand up and give a brief ount of the case, he stood up calmly.

    ¡°Your honor,dies and gentlemen of the court, Hello. I am the prosecutor who used Luo Jin of intentional homicide.¡±

    ¡°The defendant, Ms. Luo Jin, was used of attempting to harm and kill Ms. Song Jinning during the past 10 years when she was taking care of Ms. Song Jinning, who had been mentally insane due to her serious injury.¡±

    ¡°The defendant, Luo Jin, had the motive and conduct. Therefore, our court filed a case and used Luo Jin of intentional homicide against Ms. Song Jinning.¡±

    After the prosecutor¡¯s brief statement, the judge looked at Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan who were sitting in the dock. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, do you agree with the prosecutor¡¯s usation?¡±

    Of course, they didn¡¯t agree. This was just a question the judge asked ording to procedure.

    Cai Shengnan stood up calmly with a graceful smile on her face. She said, ¡°Your honor, we don¡¯t agree with the prosecutor¡¯s usation. As Ms. Luo Jin¡¯s representativewyer, I want to plead Ms. Luo Jin¡¯s innocence.¡±

    The judge nodded and asked her to sit down. He looked at the intiff¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Prosecutor, what do you have to say?¡±

    The prosecutor was a public official of the prosecutor¡¯s office, but the prosecutor¡¯s office had already sent out their ownwyer for the prosecution, Gu Nianzhi.

    Therefore, the prosecutor wouldn¡¯t argue with the defendant directly.

    He stood up and said, ¡°Our court has delegated full authority to the intiff¡¯swyer, Ms. Gu Nianzhi. We request the court¡¯s approval.¡±

    The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s information and nodded in agreement. ¡°Counselor, please state your case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also stood up and nodded politely at the people in the courtroom, then said, ¡°On behalf of the prosecutor¡¯s office and the intiff, Ms. Song Jinning, I use the defendant, Luo Jin, of conspiring to murder a woman, Song Jinning, who had suffered severe brain trauma over the past ten years and was mentally deranged and unable to act on her own.¡±

    Luo Jin shot a sidelong nce at Song Jinning, who was gracefully sitting upright, and she felt disdain from the bottom of her heart.

    In reality, it was indeed difficult for her to take Song Jinning seriously.

    Although Song Jinning had already recovered, to Luo Jin, for the past 10 years, Song Jinning had always been a fool who always thought that she was 18 years old and could be easily crushed by her.

    Over the past ten years, she had seen Song Jinning¡¯s husband, Huo Guanchen, fall out of love with her. Even though they lived under the same roof, he didn¡¯t care about Song Jinning at all. He had even intentionally allowed her to torture Song Jinning.

    As for Song Jinning¡¯s son, Huo Shaoheng, he had also left. The number of times he had returned home in the past ten years could be counted on one hand.

    In the past seven years, other thanst Christmas, he hadn¡¯t returned home once.

    How could she believe that Huo Shaoheng also took Song Jinning seriously as his mother?

    Although Luo Jin found out about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ten-year n to defeat Bai Jinyi in one move and send her to prison during the case in the beginning ofst year, she still stubbornly believed that Huo Shaoheng had done it to seek justice for her mother, Luo Xinxue. Song Jinning simply benefited from the glory as his mother.

    Therefore, even though she was sitting in court, Luo Jin was still in disbelief.

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi with hatred in her eyes.

    It was all because of her.

    Huo Shaoheng had allowed her to do whatever she wanted because Gu Nianzhi had insisted on getting revenge for Song Jinning.

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t believe a single word that Huo Shaoheng had said about his affection for Song Jinning.

    After all these years, Huo Shaoheng had never called Song Jinning ¡°Mother¡± or ¡°Mom¡± again. He had only called her ¡°Madam Song.¡± Luo Jin believed her judgment was correct.

    She told Cai Shengnan everything in detail.

    When Cai Shengnan heard about so many of the Huo family¡¯s secrets, she was ecstatic. She listened very carefully, and even used the excuse of keeping a record as evidence. Not only did she record the audio and video, but she also wrote a written document, then asked Luo Jin to sign it with her fingerprint to prove that everything was true.

    After understanding everything, Cai Shengnan and her father, Cai Sumin, deliberated and checked many things, then finally came up with a defense n.

    Defending a murder case involved nothing more than those three irondws.

    As long as they were used properly, murder wouldn¡¯t be a crime.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly stood up from the intiff¡¯s stand and continued to speak with confidence.

    ¡°Seventeen years ago, Ms. Song Jinning suffered serious injuries during the experiment, which resulted in damage to her brain¡¯s local mechanisms. Her memory and cognition were severely impaired. Professional psychologists verified that she was indeed a severely mentally ill person with no ability to act.¡±

    ¡°Eleven years ago, Ms. Luo Jin, who was still called Huo Jin back then, was the adopted daughter of the military hero Huo Guanyuan. Huo Guanyuan was the elder brother of Mr. Huo Guichen, Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s ex-husband. In other words, Ms. Luo Jin was Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s niece at that time.

    ¡°Eleven years ago, Ms. Luo Jin¡¯s mother, Luo Xinxue, was murdered by Bai Jinyi. Luo Jin left her mother to die while idly standing by.

    ¡°Objection. Bai Jinyi and Luo Xinxue¡¯s case has nothing to do with this case. Counsel for the prosecution, please do not make presumptions.¡±

    Cai Shengnan heard Gu Nianzhi bring up the death of Luo Jin¡¯s biological mother, Luo Xinxue, and quickly spoke up to stop her.

    From Cai Shengnan¡¯s point of view, that was Luo Jin¡¯s most passive act.

    Leaving her mother to die was a cruel and merciless act in the eyes of many people.

    If Gu Nianzhi were to force this matter into the minds of the judges and the military observers, it would be even more difficult for her to argue.

    After Gu Nianzhi was interrupted by Cai Shengnan, she paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Your honor, I will prove that these two cases are rted.¡±

    ¡°Bai Jinyi has already been sentenced. Counsel for the prosecution, do you not understand the meaning of ¡®double jeopardy¡¯? In that case, my client was only an important witness, and she was also a poor daughter who was deceived by Bai Jinyi and had no choice but to idly watch her own mother die. She had already been traumatized because of that incident, and she had endured extreme mental anguish. Counselor, please don¡¯t use that incident to stir up my client¡¯s emotions.¡±

    Luo Jin burst into tears.

    Tears streaming down her face, she burst out crying at will. Her grief appeared sincere.

    Some people were already showing signs of sympathy.

    Gu Nianzhi was still very calm as she said, ¡°Lawyer Cai, first of all, the ¡®double jeopardy¡¯ use only applies to a defendant who has been sentenced. In other words, you might be able to bring up that use for the defendant in that case, Bai Jinyi, but it doesn¡¯t apply to Luo Jin, who was only a witness at the time.¡±

    ¡°Second of all, our Huaxia Empire does not have the ¡®double jeopardy¡¯ use. Our principle is to seek truth from facts, and correct mistakes wherever they ur. Therefore, the court does not need to pay any attention to your proposal of ¡®double jeopardy¡¯.¡±

    As if she had been pped in the face in court, Cai Shengnan¡¯s face was burning!

    She hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to react so quickly. She knew all sorts of legal systems like the back of her hand, and coulde up with conceptual theories so easily.

    The corners of her mouth twitched a few times, and she sat down unwillingly. She was ten times more alert, and trying to find a loophole in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arguments, she continued to perk up her ears.

 Chapter 1354 - Personal Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 1354: Personal Feelings</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Luo Jin could no longer cry. She lowered her head and sobbed quietly. Her shoulders trembled, and people couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for her.

    Auntie Xing and Auntie You, who were sitting in the gallery, felt their hearts ache when they saw that scene. Gu Nianzhi was such a bully. Look, she made miss Huo burst into tears from anger!

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Luo Jin, and she calmly continued, ¡°After the death of the defendant Luo Jin¡¯s mother, Luo Xinxue, the Huo family had no other female household members to take care of Song Jinning. Two yearster, the defendant, Luo Jin, volunteered to take care of her.¡±

    In reality, the Huo family still had members of the Zhang family at the time, but Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t have sent his wife to the Zhang family for care. Inparison, Luo Jin, who was 18 at the time, was the best choice.

    Bai Jinyi was Song Jinning¡¯s psychiatrist at the time, and she rmended Luo Jin to take over the responsibility of taking care of Song Jinning.

    Luo Jin was studying at Yale University in the United States at the time. Because of that, she returned from the United States and no longer stayed there. Instead, shepleted her studies through online courses, making it easier for her to take care of Song Jinning.

    However, she didn¡¯t have to take care of Song Jinning 24/7 like Auntie Xing and Auntie You did.

    Just like her mother, Luo Xinxue, she was only responsible for managing the housekeepers who took care of Song Jinning, such as Auntie Xing and Auntie You.

    Therefore, she could still take sses and when she didn¡¯t have sses,e back to supervise the housekeepers.

    Auntie Xing and Auntie You were the housekeepers that Luo Jin personally hired for Song Jinning after she took over.

    The housekeepers who had taken care of Song Jinning before weren¡¯t Auntie Xing and Auntie You.

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she stopped sobbing.

    ¡± ... It¡¯s normal for a niece to take care of a sick aunt, but the Huo family would never have thought that this niece who kept calling her ¡®aunt¡¯ had ulterior motives. In order to seize the Huo family¡¯s assets, she hid her true identity and plotted to murder Song Jinning.¡±

    Cai Shengnan perked up and smiled. Her eyes shed with derisiveness as she looked at Gu Nianzhi meaningfully. She raised her hand and said, ¡°Objection. The prosecution used imagination as evidence to nder my client. My client didn¡¯t have the motive or conduct to show that she attempted to murder Ms. Song Jinning. I have a witness to testify.¡±

    When she said that, it was time to cross-examine the witnesses on both sides.

    The judge nodded and said with an impassive expression, ¡°Your objection is sustained. Counsel, please pay attention to your statement, and don¡¯t overdo it with personal feelings.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and slowly sat down.

    The judge saw that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t object, so he rapped his gavel and said, ¡°The prosecution and defense will now cross-examine their respective witnesses. Ask the witnesses toe up and verify their identities, swear an oath, and then go to the next room to wait for the summons.¡±

    Today was the first day of the trial, and the prosecution had only brought one witness, Huo Guanchen.

    The defendant had brought two witnesses, Auntie Xing and Auntie You.

    After they had left the Huo family home, they had been monitored by the Special Operations Forces, but Cai Shengnan had found them and persuaded them to be Luo Jin¡¯s witnesses. After careful consideration, they had agreed.

    As they spoke, a few staff members came over with forms and documents to verify the identities of Huo Guanchen, Auntie Xing, and Auntie You.

    It was also necessary to verify their fingerprints, irises, and DNA to prevent the appearance of a fake witness.

    Moreover, thewyers of both the prosecution and the defense had to approve the test results before they could officially testify in court.

    The results of the DNA test would be dyed by a few days, but the results of the fingerprints and irises could be obtained immediately.

    Gu Nianzhi and Cai Shengnan looked at each other¡¯s witness identification documents and signed each other¡¯s forms to indicate that they approved the witness¡¯ identity.

    After the witness¡¯s identity was verified, the court staff led them to a room next to the court to wait for the summons.

    They were under special supervision there and couldn¡¯t talk to each other or look at their phones orputers. They could only sit around and read the legal magazines andw books that had been ced in the room beforehand.

    After the witnesses left, the judge once again confirmed the the prosecution¡¯s and defense¡¯ intentions.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°We insist on charging Luo Jin with intentional homicide. Nothing has changed.¡±

    Cai Shengnan also said, ¡°I plead not guilty on behalf of my client. Nothing has changed ¡±

    They had the intention of continuing the case.

    The judge raised his hand and said, ¡°Then the prosecution will begin calling witnesses.¡±

    This was also the usual practice of the court.

    First, the prosecution, the intiff, would state its allegations, then list the evidence, and finally use reason to string the evidence together into a convincing chain of evidence to prove its allegations.

    Then the defense would act to refute the prosecution¡¯s allegations.

    Whether it was civil or criminal proceedings, it was important to recognize the burden of proof, which was who was making the im, and who was giving the evidence.

    For example, if you want to charge someone with murder, you have to prove that they did it, not have them prove that they didn¡¯t do it.

    If you say that your neighbor did it, whether you say it in public in front of a reporter or in private in a Wechat group, you have to prove that your neighbor did it instead of you simply opening your mouth and your neighbor having to prove that he didn¡¯t kill anyone.

    The onlookers couldn¡¯t assume that this person was telling the truth just because her video wasn¡¯t mosaic and had been deleted after it had spread all over the inte.

    That wasn¡¯t possible; that wasn¡¯t how thew worked.

    using someone of murder was such a serious crime, but they couldn¡¯te up with any concrete evidence. They didn¡¯t even have any valid clues. All they could say was, ¡°I think... ¡± , ¡°I heard... ¡± , ¡°I think... ¡± , that wasn¡¯t an usation, that was a rumor, that was nder, and she had to bear legal responsibility.

    Gu Nianzhi had been unable to get the police and the prosecutor¡¯s office to file a case. It was because they felt that her evidence was insufficient to form aplete chain of evidence.

    When the prosecutor¡¯s office brought a criminal case to the court, they had to bear the burden of proof.

    Song Jinning and Luo Jin¡¯s case was moreplicated. As the intiff¡¯swyer, Gu Nianzhi had to cooperate with the prosecutor¡¯s office and prove to them that the murder case was valid.

    After the prosecutor¡¯s office had approved her case, the evidence she had presented to the prosecutor¡¯s office would be treated as evidence approved by the prosecutor¡¯s office and submitted to the court.

    The court would only file a case and set a date for the trial after further verification.

    After going around in circles for so long, Gu Nianzhi had finally obtained a key piece of evidence regarding Luo Jin from Bai Jinyi. The most important part of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usation was finally put on the line and approved by the prosecutor¡¯s office and the Court respectively.

    Gu Nianzhi had just been called ¡°overly emotional¡± by the judge in her statement. After sitting down, she reflected on herself and she had indeed been a little agitated.

    It was because Gu Nianzhi had been the first to realize that Song Jinning had been severely mentally abused. The shock had been too great at the time, and her personal feelings had inevitably been mixed in.

    Yes, she had to be careful.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and nodded to the judge more calmly. ¡°Your honor, I¡¯d like to call our first witness, General Huo Guanchen. He is the ex-husband of the intiff, Ms. Song Jinning.¡±

    The judge looked down at Huo Guanchen¡¯s information and said, ¡°Please call the witness to the stand.¡±

    The court staff went to the next room and called Huo Guanchen over.

    He wasn¡¯t wearing a military uniform. Instead, he was wearing a dark ck suit with a blue tie. His hair was neatlybed, but his temples were grey.

    Fine lines could be seen at the corners of his eyes. It was obvious that he was old.

    In fact, he was already over fifty years old.

    However, Song Jinning was still beautiful. She appeared to be thirty years old at most, which was the most beautiful age for a woman.

    She was still full of youthful vigor in her maturity, but she also had a little more maturity in her youth, which made their beauty even more irresistible.

    If people hadn¡¯t known beforehand and saw the both of them in the courtroom, no one would have guessed that Huo Guanchen was only two years older than Song Jinning. They had been married for many years, and they had a son who was about to turn 30.

    Huo Guanchen stood calmly on the witness stand and swore, ¡± ... I swear that I¡¯m telling the truth, and that I¡¯m only telling the truth.¡±

    The judge nodded and raised his hand towards Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The intiff¡¯swyer, you may begin your questioning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bowed to the judge and walked out from behind the intiff¡¯s stand. She walked up to Huo Guanchen and sized him up.

    ¡°Please state your identity.¡±

    Huo Guanchen said calmly, ¡°My name is Huo Guanchen, General of the military. I¡¯m Mrs. Song Jinning¡¯s ex-husband. We¡¯ve been married for many years, and our son is already an adult.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. She asked, ¡°Mr. Huo Guanchen, please tell me why Mrs. Song Jinning was so severely injured that she went insane.¡±

    Cai Shengnan immediately raised her hand. ¡°Objection! This question has nothing to do with the case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the judge. ¡°Your honor, this question has a lot to do with the case. I¡¯ll prove it.¡±

    The judge looked at her for a moment and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Counsel for the prosecution, try to be as concise as possible. Don¡¯t ask questions that have nothing to do with the case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and said, ¡°Yes, your honor.¡±

    She turned to Huo Guanchen. ¡°Mr. Huo Guanchen, please tell us the reason for Song Jinning¡¯s serious injury and the treatment that followed.¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked at Song Jinning deeply and said, ¡°That was 17 years ago. Song Jinning and her father, academician Song Haichuan, had an ident during their experiment. Both her father and my brother died in that ident.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately cut him off. ¡°May I ask, Mr. Huo, who is your brother?¡±

    Cai Shengnan narrowed her eyes.

    So that was why Gu Nianzhi had been so insistent on asking Song Jinning why she had been injured.

    She raised her hand again decisively. ¡°Objection. Counsel for the prosecution has wasted too much time interrogating too many people who have nothing to do with this case.¡±

    Before the judge could decide, Gu Nianzhi immediately retorted, ¡°Lawyer Cai, there is a cause and effect for intentional homicide. We aren¡¯t using Luo Jin of killing someone on the spur of the moment.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re using her of deliberate intentional homicide. Of course, it¡¯s necessary to exin the cause and effect to the judge and everyone in the court.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve repeatedly interrupted our proof of Luo Jin¡¯s intent to kill. What exactly are your intentions? May I ask if you¡¯re intentionally obstructing justice?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to the judge. ¡°Your honor, I¡¯d like to request that the defendant¡¯swyer limit the number of times she says ¡®objection. ¡® She has seriously interfered with the questioning between me and my witnesses, and is suspected of obstructing justice.¡±

    The judge was also displeased with Cai Shengnan¡¯s repeated objections.

    However, he didn¡¯t side with Gu Nianzhi. Instead, he said to Cai Shengnan, ¡°Lawyer Cai, if you have a different opinion, you can cross-examine the witness. You don¡¯t have to interrupt the prosecution¡¯swyer¡¯s questioning again and again.¡±

    Cai Shengnan was pleased with herself. She said with a serious expression, ¡°Yes, your honor, but I still have to insist that the prosecution¡¯swyer is being too emotional. It will seriously affect everyone¡¯s judgment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help chuckling. ¡°Lawyer Cai, are you worried that his honor¡¯s legal literacy isn¡¯t enough and will be misled by my emotions?¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s eyes widened. That was a tant attempt to sow discord!

    That was too underhanded!

 Chapter 1355 - Really Annoying

    <h4>Chapter 1355: Really Annoying</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t mean that. Don¡¯t overthink it, Lawyer Gu.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nced at the judge quickly. Seeing that the judge was still calm and impassive, she calmed down a little.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and cut to the chase. She stopped mocking Cai Shengnan and continued to interrogate Huo Guanchen.

    ¡°Mr. Huo Guanchen, you haven¡¯t answered me. Who is your older brother?¡±

    Huo Guanchen said in a low voice, ¡°My older brother, Huo Guanyuan, was also a soldier and a hero. He died in that experimental ident.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Luo Jin. ¡°May I ask what rtionship your older brother, Huo Guanyuan, has with the defendant?¡±

    ¡°He was Luo Jin¡¯s father.¡±

    The judge looked up at Luo Jin.

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    What did Gu Nianzhi mean by dragging her father into this?

    Gu Nianzhi ignored her and asked Huo Guanchen directly, ¡°Then why is Luo Jin¡¯s surname Luo and not Huo? Isn¡¯t she Huo Guanyuan¡¯s daughter?¡±

    Luo Jin gritted her teeth.

    Wasn¡¯t she asking the obvious? !

    Pretend! She was just pretending to be ignorant!

    Huo Guanchen replied calmly, ¡°Her name used to be Huo Jin. She had always been my brother¡¯s daughter, and my niece. It was only after Bai Jinyi¡¯s casest year that we learned that she wasn¡¯t my brother¡¯s biological daughter. This year, she moved out of the Huo family¡¯s registration and changed her surname to her mother¡¯s, Luo Xinxue¡¯s.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Do you know why?¡±

    Thinking the same thing as Luo Jin, Huo Guanchen stared at Gu Nianzhi.

    Wasn¡¯t she asking the obvious?!

    But Gu Nianzhi was the prosecution¡¯swyer, and Huo Guanchen was the witness. Even if Gu Nianzhi knew, she couldn¡¯t say those words out loud. They had to be said by the witness to have more legal effect.

    Huo Guanchen frowned. After a while, he shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know why she changed her surname, or why she moved out of the Huo family¡¯s household registration. But she¡¯s an adult now, and has the right to do something like that.¡±

    He could guess why, but Luo Jin had never admitted it, so he couldn¡¯t tell her his guess as if it was the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a long look. ¡°Mr. Huo Guanchen, you really didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Luo Jin clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails were digging into her palms.

    Afraid that he would tell her about her ¡°fake marriage¡± n with Huo Shaoheng, she looked at Huo Guanchen nervously.

    Even though it had nothing to do with the case, it was too embarrassing, and she didn¡¯t want too many people to know about it...

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t look at her, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it either.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t say anything, so she didn¡¯t mind and continued to ask.

    ¡°Mr. Huo Guanchen, you said that during the experimental ident, everyone else died, but only Ms. Song Jinning survived. I heard that your brother could have escaped, but in order to save Ms. Song and Ms. Song¡¯s father, he sacrificed his life for them and chose to die himself. Is that so?¡±

    Huo Guanchen pursed his lips even tighter.

    Cai Shengnan almost burst outughing when she heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    What kind of question was that?!

    Even Cai Shengnan, who had just arrived in the Huaxia Empire, knew the details of Bai Jinyi¡¯swsuit. She also knew that Huo Guanyuan had a secret crush on Song Jinning. This was Huo Guanchen¡¯s problem, yet Gu Nianzhi had actually asked him that in public. Tsk, tsk, she really didn¡¯t know how she had won all thosewsuits in the past...

    At that moment, Cai Shengnan was even thinking that He Zhichu must have been helping Gu Nianzhi in all thosewsuits she had won?

    This time, He Zhichu had let her go, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s true colors were revealed.

    Cai Shengnan tilted her head and looked at Gu Nianzhi. Her eyes were like searchlights, and she wished she could see through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appearance, as well as see through her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

    Upon seeing that Huo Guanchen was silent, Gu Nianzhi said gently, ¡°This is very important. So important that we are seeking justice for Ms. Song Jinning.¡±

    ¡°She had been severely mentally abused for ten years. Her goal was to kill her right under your nose. With such tant provocation and tant malice, don¡¯t you want to seek justice for her?¡±

    Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t refuse this request.

    Therefore, although that matter was a thorn in his heart, he still spoke.

    ¡°When the experiment ident happened, there was a surveince video that proved that my big brother pushed Song Jinning and her father, Song Haichuan, out of the experimental building,¡± Huo Guanchen said honestly, ¡°Then my big brother continued to go back to save her. Academician Song Haichuan ignored the danger and returned to the experimental building, but was hit by the st wave at the entrance of the building and died.

    ¡°As for Song Jinning, she was pushed further away. She fell to the ground and was soon knocked out by the huge explosion that followed. It waster confirmed that the huge explosion still affected her brain and caused physical damage. After she woke up from thea, she suffered amnesia. Every day, she would forget what happened the day before, and every day, she would only remember that she was 18 years old.

    ¡°Therefore, war hero Huo Guanyuan sacrificed himself to save Song Jinning and Academician Song Haichuan. All you have to do is answer yes or no.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was very serious.

    Huo Guanchen was choked by her words and answered sulkily, ¡°... Yes.¡±

    There was no way to refute that.

    At that time, there were many security measures around the experimental building. Not only were there security guards and armed soldiers on duty, but there were also cameras everywhere that captured the situation.

    A few of the higher-up cameras that were further away ¡°survived¡± and captured the scene of Huo Guanyuan pushing Song Jinning and Song Haichuan out of the entrance of the experimental building, followed by ck smoke, mes, and mushroom clouds that soared into the sky...

    ¡°May I ask, who knows about the circumstances of war hero Huo Guanyuan¡¯s death?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to ask.

    ¡°Very few people know.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it. ¡°To be specific, who knew? For example, Bai Jinyi? Or your father, Huo Xuenong? ¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked down. ¡°These two knew.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at her own information, then concluded, ¡°In Bai Jinyi¡¯s previous case, Luo Jin also admitted that she knew all along that her father wasn¡¯t missing at all, and all of you were lying to her and her mother. You said that her father had died trying to protect that ¡®sl*t¡¯.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi emphasized the word ¡®sl*t¡¯.

    ¡°Judging from Luo Jin¡¯s reaction during Bai Jinyi¡¯s previous case, she hated Song Jinning deeply and hated her for causing her to lose her father. This was the first fuse that set off Luo Jin¡¯s intention to kill Song Jinning.¡±

    Cai Shengnan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She stood up and said, ¡°Objection. The prosecution has made meaningless usations. Huo Guanyuan¡¯s death because he saved Song Jinning doesn¡¯t constitute a reason for my client to kill Song Jinning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to object, Lawyer Cai. I already said that was only the first trigger. I didn¡¯t say that this was the direct reason for Luo Jin¡¯s murderous intent.¡±

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy to kill someone.

    However, it was the umtion of everyday discontent that created murderous intent.

    The judge was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Objection overruled. Counselor, please continue. But counselor, please pay attention to your tempo. Don¡¯t talk too much about unrted matters.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Thank you, your honor. I¡¯ll soon prove that this matter is rted to the murder.¡±

    The judge raised his hand and motioned for her to speak.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled up the information on herptop and connected it to the audio-visual equipment in the courtroom.

    Therge projection screen on the wall at the side of the courtroom slowly lowered.

    Gu Nianzhi put up the PowerPoint that she had made.

    It was a summary of thest case against Bai Jinyi.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. This is the transcript and results of the trialst year when the imperial capital¡¯s procuratorate used Bai Jinyi of intentional homicide.¡±

    ¡°In that case, there was evidence that showed that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t Huo Guanyuan¡¯s biological daughter, and that she had abandoned her dying mother behind without helping her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowed down and stared at Luo Jin. ¡°Why would Luo Jin, who imed to love her mother very much and was willing to torture an innocent person in order to avenge her mother, abandon her dying mother?¡±

    ¡°In other words, what exactly happened that caused Luo Jin to turn her back on her dying mother?¡±

    With an airy smile on her lips, Gu Nianzhi slowly looked towards Luo Jin. It was an infuriating sight to behold.

    Luo Jin was shaking so hard that her teeth were aching. She couldn¡¯t control herself.

    If she wasn¡¯t being stared at by the bailiff from the dock, she would have pounced on Gu Nianzhi and given her a good beating!

    The smile on her face was so annoying!

 Chapter 1356 - I Disagreed

    <h4>Chapter 1356: I Disagreed</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi smiled calmly. ¡°Excuse me, defendant, do you still remember what you said thest time you were a witness in Bai Jinyi¡¯s case? Huh? Why did you turn your back on your own mother?¡±

    Her mind racing, Luo Jin was bbergasted.

    What did she say?

    She didn¡¯t seem to remember clearly...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t allow Luo Jin time to organize her words. She immediately added, ¡°You saw Bai Jinyi kill your mother with your own eyes, but you turned your back on her because you knew your mother kept your birth certificate. ¡ª¡ªYou didn¡¯t want others to know your real identity, so you used your birth certificate as an excuse!¡±

    Cai Shengnan saw that Luo Jin was emotionally unstable, so she quickly stood up and said, ¡°Objection. The prosecution has no evidence to prove that my client¡¯s birth certificate has anything to do with this matter. It¡¯s all her subjective conjecture.¡±

    Gu Nianzhipletely ignored Cai Shengnan and continued speaking quickly without waiting for the judge to make a judgment.

    ¡± ... from this, we know that in order to conceal her real identity, Luo Jin was willing to leave her biological mother to die. Of course, she also had the same motive to kill the person who knew about this. ¡ª How could anyone believe that she would let another person go when she was willing to sacrifice her biological mother¡¯s life to protect this secret? Another person she had always hated?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to point at Song Jinning, ¡°And Mrs. Song Jinning was the person that Luo Jin hated to the core. She hated her. Because of Mrs. Song Jinning, she had lost her father, Huo Guanyuan. Because of Ms. Song Jinning, her mother had also died an unnatural death. When she identally learned from Bai Jinyi that Song Jinning was also someone who knew about her past, she started harboring the desire to kill her. That was the most normal oue.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s plump lips trembled, and her face was as pale as a sheet of white paper.

    Cai Shengnan frowned and said loudly, ¡°Objection! The prosecution is overthinking things! Just because... just because my client doesn¡¯t like Ms. Song Jinning, we can¡¯t say that she had the motive to kill her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m proving that the defendant, Luo Jin, had a criminal motive.¡±

    ¡°What is the criminal motive? The criminal motive is the internal motive for the criminal tomit the crime, and the trigger that provoked her tomit the crime.¡±

    ¡°ording to thew, there are two conditions for forming the criminal motive: one is the internal condition, which is the internal psychological factor; the other is the external condition, which is the external incentive. ¡±

    ¡°Generally speaking, there are three reasons to form a criminal motive: money, sexual desire, and the aggressive desire of the antisocial personality.

    ¡°People die for money, and birds die for food. Killing for money is one of the mostmon criminal motives

    ¡°The second is sexual desire. Killing for the sake of possessing or getting close to other women and men is also one of the mostmon criminal motives.

    ¡°The third motive is anti-social aggression. This includes a lot of things, such as revenge, jealousy, fear, and so on.¡±

    Her sharp gaze serious and cold, Gu Nianzhi looked at Luo Jin again.

    ¡°And Luo Jin had almost all of these three motives.¡±

    ¡°First of all, Huo Guanyuan left behind a huge trust fund. In the absence of a will, she was the first in line to inherit. If people found out that she wasn¡¯t rted to Huo Guanyuan by blood, even if he adopted her through marriage, they would criticize her. It was even possible that the Huo family would fight with her for the inheritance. She had to put an end to that possibility. She didn¡¯t want people to know that she wasn¡¯t rted to Huo Guanyuan by blood. ¡ª¡ªThat was her seeking money.

    ¡°Second of all, the long-term hatred, unease, and fear distorted the defendant Luo Jin¡¯s psychology. It was a psychological factor that caused her to torture and mistreat Ms. Song Jinning. She had taken on the heavy responsibility of taking care of Song Jinning, and was now in a position to directly torture and kill her.¡±

    ¡°The psychological factor and the external condition were both consistent. They prove that the defendant, Luo Jin, had the criminal motive to intentionally kill Ms. Song Jinning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yed the video of Luo Jin taking the stand during Bai Jinyi¡¯sst trial. It could be said that she had actually intended to kill Song Jinning.

    In reality, when she had used Bai Jinyi, she had already had enough evidence to use Luo Jin. However, Grandfather Huo had suddenly appeared to protect Luo Jin and had even taken her to the Xie family manor in Europe to ¡°recuperate¡±, so she had no choice but to temporarily suppress the subsequent case.

    Gu Nianzhi now knew why Grandfather Huo had done this.

    However, Grandfather Huo couldn¡¯t save Luo Jin now, and couldn¡¯t possiblye to her rescue again.

    Besides, the truth about Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will had already been revealed. Grandfather Huo didn¡¯t need to protect Luo Jin as a shield anymore.

    ¡°Now that we have a motive, let¡¯s look at her criminal conduct.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi typed out the other PowerPoint slides.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. This is the psychological diagnosis of Ms. Song Jinning during the Bai Jinyi casest year, and the professional attending physician¡¯s diagnosis of Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s physical health.¡±

    ¡°From these two diagnoses, it can be seen that after Luo Jin took care of Song Jinning for ten years, her mental and physical health dropped sharply.

    ¡°Here is a physical examination report, which was presented ten years ago. At that time, although Song Jinning was also delirious, all the signs of her body were very normal, even exceeding the average health of ordinary people.

    ¡°Ten yearster, whether it was her weight, heart rate, blood pressure, or her immune ability, they all dropped to a near-death state.

    ¡°This kind of situation didn¡¯t even need to continue for another ten years. In another one to two years, Song Jinning would have died from the overall deterioration of her health.

    ¡°Also, for mental patients, their mental state can greatly affect their physical condition. This had been proven by the academicmunity. Song Jinning¡¯s mental state, under long-term environmental pressure and psychological hints, had the potential to develop into depression.¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Gu Nianzhi looked at Luo Jin again. ¡°What is depression? Depression is the mental illness with the highest suicide rate. Luo Jin, you forced a mental patient who was already delirious to nearly develop depression, and now you¡¯re saying you didn¡¯t try to kill her on purpose?!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to stab someone with a knife to kill them on purpose.¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of knives that can kill without spilling blood.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used the PowerPoint to show the dark and crowded style of Song Jinning¡¯s attic room, the way Song Jinning had been treated over the years, the way she had been fed, dressed, taken care of, and the way she had kept Song Jinning isted from the rest of the world. All of these showed the sinister motives of the mastermind behind all of this.

    ¡°All of this was your setup, all of it at your behest. And you¡¯re saying that you had no intention of killing Ms. Song Jinning?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very aggressive. She exined and reasoned from level to level, and with the help of the evidence, she had unknowingly convinced many people in the courtroom.

    Even the judge, who had been impassive the whole time, nodded slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly and nodded to the people in the courtroom. ¡°That¡¯s all. Thank you, your honor, for giving me the opportunity to seek justice for Ms. Song Jinning. Thank you, everyone.¡±

    The judge looked at Cai Shengnan. ¡°The defendant¡¯swyer, do you agree with the prosecution¡¯s allegations?¡±

    Cai Shengnan took a deep breath and thought that it was time for her to go on stage.

    She stood up and said calmly, ¡°I disagree.¡±

 Chapter 1357 - Menacing

    <h4>Chapter 1357: Menacing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Shengnan had told the court early on that she would plead not guilty in Luo Jin¡¯s case, so she certainly wouldn¡¯t agree to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s charges.

    She stood up from the bench, bowed to the judge, and nodded slightly to the people in the courtroom.

    The judge looked at the documents they had presented and asked, ¡°May I call your witnesses?¡±

    The witnesses that Cai Shengnan and the others brought were Auntie Xing and Auntie You. They were still waiting to be called in the room next door.

    ording to the procedure, Huo Guanchen was the prosecution witness, so he should leave so now. The defensewyer would call their witnesses in to testify.

    However, Cai Shengnan changed her mind at thest minute.

    She shook her head and smiled. ¡°No need. I want to interrogate the prosecution¡¯s first witness, Mr. General Huo Guanchen.¡±

    The judge thought about it for a moment, then nodded. He raised his hand and said, ¡°You may begin.¡±

    Cai Shengnan lowered her head and organized her documents and folders. She took out a yellow, translucent folder and held it in her hands. She walked to Huo Guanchen¡¯s witness stand.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. General Huo.¡± Cai Shengnan addressed him politely by using Huo Guanchen¡¯s military rank. Her movements were very restrained, and she was trembling in fear in front of Huo Guanchen, as if she was afraid of him.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback.

    She hade with ill intentions.

    She was trying to emphasize Huo Guanchen¡¯s identity and status. She was trying to give the people in the court a preconceived impression of Huo Guanchen¡¯s superiority, and affect their perception of him and their judgment of his testimony.

    Gu Nianzhi put the back of her hand to her lips and coughed lightly.

    The cough was very jarring in the quiet courtroom.

    Cai Shengnan turned around abruptly and looked in the direction of Gu Nianzhi.

    Her expression was sharp and her gaze was piercing. Her cowardly and timid demeanor from before had disappeared, and her entire aura had changed.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my throat was itchy. Please don¡¯t mind,wyer Cai¡±

    Her interruption hadpletely destroyed the respectfulness and fearfulness towards Huo Guanchen that Cai Shengnan had feigned earlier.

    Cai Shengnan felt a little uneasy when she turned around to face Huo Guanchen. She couldn¡¯t act as timidly as she had before.

    She decided to stop acting. She flipped through the folder in her hand and asked nonchntly, ¡°Mr. Huo Guanchen, may I ask how you met Ms. Song Jinning?¡±

    Huo Guanchen: ¡± ... ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stood up. ¡°Objection. The defense attorney¡¯s questions concerns the privacy of my client and the witness, and have nothing to do with this case.¡±

    The judge tapped the gavel. ¡°Objection sustained. Defendant¡¯swyer, please be mindful of your questions and wording.¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled and said, ¡°As far as I know, you met Ms. Song Jinning after your brother, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face darkened, and he didn¡¯t speak.

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°Objection. If the defendant¡¯swyer continues with this paparazzi-like interrogation, I¡¯m going to file aint with the defendant¡¯swyer¡¯s licensing agency.¡±

    Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t wait for the judge to speak and quickly said, ¡°Your honor, this matter is also closely rted to this case. I can prove it.¡±

    The judge looked down at the information and evidence that she had submitted in advance and nodded. ¡°Defensewyer, please quickly get to the point.¡±

    Cai Shengnan looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile and looked away. She looked at Huo Guanchen and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯ll take it as your acquiescence.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded lightly. ¡°Yes, my brother knew Song Jinning first. It¡¯s no secret.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nodded. ¡°After that, you got to know Ms. Song Jinning and started pursuing her. At one point, Ms. Song Jinning swayed between you and your brother... ¡±

    ¡°Objection.¡± Her expression serious, Gu Nianzhi stood up again. ¡°The defendant¡¯swyer¡¯s question was already defaming my client¡¯s reputation just now. I reserve the right to sue the defendant¡¯swyer.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, I have evidence for every word I say. Are you obstructing justice by doing this?¡± Cai Shengnan raised her eyebrows and looked extremely seriously.

    ¡°Evidence? May I ask where you got the evidence to prove that my client swayed between them 30 years ago? Did you open your heavenly eyes, or did you use a time machine to go back in time and see it with your own eyes? Maybe you even made a little video? Can you share it with us?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi retorted eloquently to Cai Shengnan without letting her guard down at all.

    Cai Shengnan said calmly, ¡°I heard about it from someone who knew them. It¡¯s up to you whether you believe it or not. But Huo Guanyuan¡¯s belongings contain a love letter he wrote to Song Jinning. You can¡¯t deny that, can you?¡±

    After she beated around the bush, she focused on the love letters Huo Guanyuan had written to Song Jinning.

    The love letters had been exposed during the Bai Jinyi case.

    It was obvious that Cai Shengnan was still using the ¡°love letters¡± to argue.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I do have to deny it. ¡°Lawyer Cai didn¡¯t personally witness the trial, so she probably doesn¡¯t know that I had already refuted the love letters. Because the letters didn¡¯t say so, it was impossible to tell who they were addressed to, but you med everything on my client out of the blue. It looks like you¡¯ve been too deeply influenced by Bai Jinyi and Luo Jin, because that¡¯s what they think.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You can continue lying to yourself,wyer Gu, but you can¡¯t expect us to lie to ourselves like you. Those love letters were actually written by Huo Guanyuan to Song Jinning. Otherwise, why would your witness have been so furious when he saw the love letters? Why would he divorce Song Jinning even though Song Jinning was seriously ill at the time?¡±

    Cai Shengnan closed her semi-transparent yellow folder and turned to look at the judge. ¡°Your honor, the truth is that Mr. Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t stand the ambiguous rtionship between his ex-wife and his brother, so he filed for divorce.¡±

    That was indeed the truth.

    Even Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t deny it.

    Her lips opening and closing silently as she spoke, she red at Cai Shengnan angrily. ¡°Despicable!¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled and gestured for her to ¡°calm down¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi appeared so angry that she couldn¡¯t speak. She sat down forcefully, but when she looked down, a glimmer of light shed in her eyes.

    Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t notice the change in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression. For the first time, she was happy to suppress Gu Nianzhi. Cai Shengnan turned around and said, ¡°After Mr. Huo Guanchen divorced Ms. Song Jinning, he didn¡¯t ask her to move out of the Huo family¡¯s home. Instead, she continued to live in the Huo family¡¯s home. Mr. Huo Guanchen was still responsible for the manpower and expenses needed to take care of her.¡±

    ¡°At the time, many people praised him for being affectionate and not forgetting to take care of his seriously ill wife. However, in private, he had already been hooking up with Song Jinning¡¯s best friend, Bai Jinyi. He had betrayed his wife. So, can the words of such a person really be trusted?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Huo Guanchen objected in a deep voice. ¡°When I was with Bai Jinyi, I had already divorced Song Jinning.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Cai Shengnan shook her head with a smile. ¡°But ording to what I know, Bai Jinyi said that when you had sex with her for the first time, you weren¡¯t officially divorced.¡±

    Huo Guanchen almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

    The first time he had sex with Bai Jinyi, to put it bluntly, was because he was deceived by Bai Jinyi...

    But he was a man. Even if he was deceived by a woman, it was his own fault.

    It wasn¡¯t as if she pointed a gun at him and asked him to have sex with her.

    Drunken sex was also messy.

    Song Jinning was sitting in the intiff¡¯s seat. Cai Shengnan had unraveled the incident that happened when she was out of her mind in front of her.

    Not only was Huo Guanchen extremely embarrassed, but Song Jinning¡¯s cheeks were also flushed. It was unclear whether she was angry or enraged.

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded.

    She had really underestimated Cai Shengnan¡¯s ¡°professionalism¡±. She had actually managed to get such a thing out of Bai Jinyi.

    Gu Nianzhi had only managed to get one sentence out of Bai Jinyi about Luo Jin¡¯s background.

    But Cai Shengnan had managed to get Bai Jinyi to reveal everything about her and Huo Guanchen in bed!

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry out loud...

    Cai Shengnan continued to goad him, ¡°So, Mr. Huo Guanchen, after betraying your seriously ill wife, you continued to raise your divorced wife at home and even let my client, Miss Luo Jin, who was only 18 at the time, take over the responsibility of taking care of your ex-wife. What exactly were your intentions?!¡±

    Not daring to look at Song Jinning¡¯s expression, Huo Guanchen raised his head. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Although I divorced Song Jinning, she was seriously ill at the time, and there were no immediate family members in her family. I couldn¡¯t possibly let her leave the Huo family.¡±

    ¡°Then, should Ipliment you on being loyal? Or should Ipliment you on being a pervert?!¡±

    Cai Shengnan changed the topic, and her expression became more fierce.

    ¡°During the years when Song Jinning was seriously ill, you peered at her whenever you had the chance, and you didn¡¯t let her know. If my client really tortured Ms. Song Jinning to the point of death, why didn¡¯t you say anything? Or were you the one who wanted Song Jinning to die?!¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s wave of attacks were really aggressive.

    Not only did she question Huo Guanchen¡¯s character and integrity through invading his personal privacy, which made the credibility of his testimony questionable, but she also threw out a huge trap.

    She raised her head and looked at the judge with a serious expression on her face.

    ¡°Your honor, Mr. Huo Guanchen was jealous of his ex-wife and brother, and he ced his ex-wife, who was incapacitated, in front of him. Can I also prove that Mr. Huo Guanchen also had a motive and the conditions tomit the crime? Therefore, it is possible that he tried to killed her on purpose!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, the motive thatwyer Gu described earlier ¡ª the sexual desires between a man and a woman ¡ª is also one of the most important motives!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Cai Shengnan had taken a huge leap.

    She had gone from questioning the witness to ming him as a suspect.

    And she had pinned the two procedures on the same person.

    It was too big of a leap to take, so Cai Shengnan taking a huge risk that could potentially backfire.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up calmly, then said, ¡°Objection. Even ording to the defendant¡¯swyer, it only proves that Mr. Huo Guanchen was deeply in love with Ms. Song Jinning. If he really wanted her dead, he could have just kicked her out of the Huo family after the divorce and do nothing about it.¡±

    ¡°I guarantee that the Song Jinning of that time wouldn¡¯t have survived the winter.¡±

    ¡°If he could take Song Jinning¡¯s life so easily and without any legal responsibility, why spend the money, effort, and effort to visit her so often?!¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted without hesitation, ¡°Even though in the defendant¡¯swyer¡¯s eyes, Mr. Huo Guanchen wasn¡¯t visiting his seriously ill ex-wife, he was ¡®peeping¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Tsk Tsk, as expected of the kind of person you are, the world you see is the same.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Lawyer Cai, your reasoning is too farfetched.¡±

    Cai Shengnan blushed slightly; she had been too impatient.

    She quickly retracted her words. ¡°Okay, even if Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t have the intention to kill her, everyone heard him lying in court. Your honor, if the witness lied in court, what would be the result if something important was concealed?¡±

 Chapter 1358 - Honesty, Simplicity, and Stupidity

    <h4>Chapter 1358: Honesty, Simplicity, and Stupidity</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes, then stood up and said calmly, ¡°Objection. The defensewyer¡¯s statement was misleading. My witness didn¡¯t lie about the case. As for personal privacy, to be honest, the defensewyer has crossed a line.¡±

    She knew that Huo Guanchen was a jerk in this matter, but this was between a man and a woman. It was between Huo Guanchen, Bai Jinyi, and Song Jinning. It had nothing to do with the case of Luo Jin¡¯s intentional murder attempt on Song Jinning.

    Cai Shengnan turned around swiftly and looked at her with her big, deep eyes. She said calmly, ¡°Yes, the part where Mr. Huo Guanchen lied had little to do with his testimony, but the fact that he was able to lie in court, and in a way that proved his character, is enough to prove that his testimony isn¡¯t credible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood now. Cai Shengnan had used the rtionship matter between a man and a woman to induce Huo Guanchen to lie in order to disqualify him as a witness.

    If a witness lied in court, it would be perjury if it was a lie rted to the case.

    If it was a lie unrted to the case, it would directly affect Huo Guanchen¡¯s qualifications as a witness.

    The incident just now wasn¡¯t a big deal, because, to put it bluntly, it was only an affair between a man and a woman from more than ten years ago.

    However, it wasn¡¯t a small one either. It could prove that Huo Guanchen had been having an affair with Bai Jinyi before the divorce. It was morally corrupt and his character would appear disreputable.

    It also proved that Huo Guanchen¡¯s testimony couldn¡¯t be trusted.

    For example, as for how Luo Jin treated Song Jinning in her daily life, who was suspected of abusing her, who was suspected of seducing her, and who wanted her life, if Huo Guanchen said these things, his words would be judged as trustworthy.

    Moreover, Song Jinning was in court. If she exposed this scandal in court, it would be enough for Song Jinning and Huo Guanchen¡¯s rtionship to be permanently ruined.

    That was why Bai Jinyi was willing to tell Cai Shengnan about this matter. She probably had the same motive...

    She couldn¡¯t have Huo Guanyuan, and she couldn¡¯t be with Huo Guanchen. However, there was no chance for Song Jinning to be with Huo Guanyuan, and there was no way she could get back together with Huo Guanchen.

    Gu Nianzhi understood Bai Jinyi and Cai Shengnan¡¯s sinister intentions regarding this matter, and became even more vignt.

    Not only was her opponent more capable than she had imagined, but she was also more shameless than she had expected.

    Awyer who had both ability but no bottom line was the most difficultwyer to deal with.

    Because they would do anything to win.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, and she insisted again, ¡°The affair between Mr. Huo Guanchen and Bai Jinyi all those years ago had nothing to do with this case to begin with. The defensewyer shouldn¡¯t have asked at all. But you still insisted on asking. My witness has no obligation to satisfy your nefarious intention of prying into people¡¯s privacy.¡±

    ¡°Is this privacy?¡± Cai Shengnan spread her hands out in amusement. She circled around the courtroom before walking up to Song Jinning. She looked at Song Jinning, whose face had turned pale and livid. With reigned regret, she said, ¡°Ms. Song Jinning, I am very sympathetic to your plight, and I also hate those who mistreat you, but my client... ¡±

    She turned around and pointed at Luo Jin, who was in the dock. ¡°She really didn¡¯t want to murder you. She¡¯s such an extremely simple-minded and stupid person. As straightforward as she was, she did hold a grudge against you, but after she hated you, when she saw what happened to you, she felt more sympathetic.¡±

    Luo Jin also looked at them. When she heard Cai Shengnan¡¯s words, her eyes were immediately filled with tears. She sped her hands together and made a pitiful gesture of begging for forgiveness.

    Song Jinning¡¯s face was frosty, and said coldly, ¡°Sympathy? Don¡¯t think that you can fool me just because I was out of my mind for more than ten years. My room in the Huo family is still sealed. It¡¯s exactly the same as it was when I was living there. Under her ¡®meticulous care¡¯, my health condition had been deteriorating. It¡¯s been proven by medical evaluation.

    ¡°Lawyer Cai, I¡¯m a scientist. Tell me, do you think I believe the actual data, or do you think I¡¯ll believe your tant lies and insist that she didn¡¯t try to murder me?¡±

    Cai Shengnan was taken aback. Song Jinning was indeed sharp. It was rare for her to be so clear-headed, so it was hard for her to be controlled...

    She took a closer look at Song Jinning¡¯s face. Her skin was smooth and supple, without a single fine line. She looked to be in her thirties at most, the prime time for a woman¡¯s skin to age.

    Although her skin wasn¡¯t as youthful as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, she was already past forty-nine and was about to turn fifty. It was truly heaven-defying.

    She secretly began to wonder how Song Jinning was able to recover from such a severe brain injury?

    The thought only shed through her mind before she tossed it aside.

    She wasn¡¯t concerned about Song Jinning¡¯s recovery at the moment.

    The problem now was to continue their trial and eliminate Huo Guanchen, the most direct witness.

    Apart from Luo Jin, Huo Guanchen was the only one who knew how Song Jinning was treated in the Huo family.

    He had never interfered with how Luo Jin treated Song Jinning, but he had seen it all.

    On Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin¡¯s list, Huo Guanchen was the most difficult witness to deal with. Not only because due to his high position and power, his words would greatly affect everyone, but also because he was providing direct testimony.

    Cai Shengnan saw that Song Jinning wasn¡¯t going to take the bait, so she turned to face the judge and took out another document from the translucent red folder.

    ¡°Your honor, this is an academic article published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, the world¡¯s most authoritative Journal of Psychiatry. There was a case mentioned in it that was very simr to Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s case. It was also caused by the trauma to the brain from an explosion, causing short-term memory loss and mental disorder. She thought that her age was stuck in a certain era in the past.

    ¡°ording to this magazine, this type of case has never been cured in the world. Of course, Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s case was the exception among the exceptions. She not only cured her mental illness, but also cured her damaged brain. This is indeedmendable.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes grew dark as she stared at the folder in Cai Shengnan¡¯s hands. No one knew what she was thinking.

    Cai Shengnan turned to nce at the faces of everyone in the courtroom, she then turned to the judge and said, ¡°This scientific document shows that this type of brain injury causes both mental and physical illness, and the patient¡¯s condition would deteriorate little by little by itself. No matter how much you care for the patient, no matter how good your psychiatrist is, you cannot stop it from going its way.¡±

    Heh, she¡¯s really something.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows and sigh.

    If Cai Shengnan won this battle, Luo Jin would probably be released from court, and they would never be able to charge her with the same crime again unless they found new evidence.

    However, they had spent almost a year searching for the evidence they had now.

    If Luo Jin escaped this time, where would they find a second set of evidence?

    ¡± ... in other words, no matter how hard my client tried, Song Jinning¡¯s condition would have continued to deteriorate. If that¡¯s the case, how can the prosecution prove that Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s deteriorating condition was because of my client¡¯s intentional mental abuse? ¡ª We won¡¯t take the me. ¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s intentional murder would be abolished if she got rid of the witness first and then the evidence.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s actions could be said to be remarkable.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they were on opposing sides, Gu Nianzhi would have rallied for Cai Shengnan.

 Chapter 1359 - Donâ€™t Be SuChapter A Drama Queen

    <h4>Chapter 1359: Don¡¯t Be Such A Drama Queen</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s statement was reasonable and convincing.

    Even the judge couldn¡¯t help nodding. He asked Gu Nianzhi kindly, ¡°Counselor, do you agree? ¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t agree either.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced as she slowly stood up and said, ¡°The defensewyer has presented a new piece of evidence. I want to ask the defensewyer, are the medical records listed in this magazine exactly the same as my client¡¯s? ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emphasis on ¡°exactly the same¡± was to remind everyone not to be misled by a specious piece of evidence.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She smiled and said, ¡°Of course they¡¯re exactly the same. I can show everyone theparison chart made by the experts...¡±

    She returned to the dock and turned on herptop to connect to therge projector in the courtroom.

    Soon, aparison chart appeared on the white projection screen in the courtroom. It was aparison between the medical records in the literature and Song Jinning¡¯s case.

    ¡°Please take a look, everyone. The description of the case here is 80% simr to Song Jinning¡¯s description. We can conclude that... ¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and called for a pause. ¡°Let me ask the defensewyer again. Who made thisparison chart? An expert? May I ask which expert witness?¡±

    The things that could be presented in court had to stand up to scrutiny.

    Aside from ordinary witnesses, expert witnesses were also very important.

    Moreover, expert witnesses didn¡¯t have to avoid the cross-examination session like ordinary witnesses. They could sit in the court from beginning to end and listen to the entire trial.

    However, Huo Guanchen was the only ordinary witness present in court No. 1. There were no expert witnesses.

    Cai Shengnan smiled and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s from an expert, but he was too busy to attend court. He signed a certificate for me to prove that he had provided the evidence. ¡±

    Cai Shengnan passed the expert¡¯s signature around to the people in court.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the signature and returned the certificate to Cai Shengnan. She continued to look at the medical records on the big screen.

    When she saw thestparison box, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Defensewyer, does the simrity of 80% of the cases prove that they are the same type of disease?¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up theser pen in front of her and circled thestparison box on the big screen. ¡°Please take a look, everyone. Thestparison between the two cases is the cure.¡±

    ¡°The experts clearly stated that this type of case is incurable. That is to say, just as the defendant¡¯swyer said, no matter how much care is given, the final result would definitely be a worsening of the condition and the patient would definitely die.¡±

    ¡°But after my client was released from the care of the defendant, Luo Jin, not only did her condition not worsen, but she was also cured. Based on this alone, can you conclude that the two cases are the same type of disease?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi found a loophole in Cai Shengnan¡¯s argument and began to pursue it. ¡°The Eb virus is transmitted through blood and body fluids, and AIDS is also transmitted through blood and body fluids.¡±

    ¡°The early symptoms of the Eb virus are also fever, weakness, and physical pain, simr to the flu.¡±

    ¡°Coincidentally, the early symptoms of AIDS are also fever, weakness, and night sweats, simr to the flu.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t look at theter stages, the simrity between the two may be 80% , so we can conclude that the two cases are the same?¡±

    ¡°You think it¡¯s ridiculous too, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also nced at everyone in the courtroom. She smiled and continued, ¡°I¡¯d like to ask the defensewyer¡¯s expert witness how she came to the conclusion that the two diseases are the same because their conditions are 80% simr.¡±

    Cai Shengnan quickly looked at her expert testimony and immediately retorted, ¡°Please don¡¯t be such a drama queen. My expert witness didn¡¯t say that the two diseases are the same.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for her answer. Hearing this, she immediately said, ¡°Since we can¡¯t prove that the two diseases are the same, then it means that the defendant, Luo Jin, is still suspected of trying to kill my client by mentally abusing her.¡±

    ¡°May I ask, defensewyer, why did you use the medical records in this magazine to prove that my client¡¯s disease definitely would have worsened and she would die? Is this called changing the concept or perjury?!¡±

    Whether it was changing the concept or perjury, it was a very serious usation for a witness.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s expression instantly changed, and she said in a low voice, ¡°Objection. My expert witness didn¡¯t say such a thing.¡±

    ¡°Your expert witness didn¡¯t say anything like that, which means that the defendant¡¯swyer, Cai, said what you said, which means that the person suspected of perjury is you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to Cai Shengnan and stood in front of her. Herrge eyes were as ck as ck jades, and she smiled faintly. ¡°So, either you admit that your expert testimony doesn¡¯t apply to this case, or you admit that you yourself perjured. Choose one,wyer Cai.¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s eyes shed with embarrassment, but she quickly calmed down and as if nothing had happened, she said, ¡°This testimony is only circumstantial evidence. If the prosecution doesn¡¯t like it, then it won¡¯t be used as evidence in this case.¡±

    The testimony that she had spent a lot of money and had rushed to find the psychiatrist to give was voided just like that.

    Cai Shengnan felt that it was a pity, but at this time, it was the most obvious choice to make.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said approvingly, ¡°The defendant¡¯swyer is quick to see the situation. It¡¯s great that she can correct her mistakes.¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s face twitched twice, and she almost vomited blood after being choked by Gu Nianzhi.

    This rmethod wouldn¡¯t work, but it didn¡¯t matter because she still had another way out.

    Cai Shengnan quicklyposed herself and said to the judge, ¡°Your honor, I would like to call two of my witnesses. The prosecution¡¯s witnesses are requested to leave.¡±

    The judge agreed to her request and knocked on the gavel to let Huo Guanchen leave. At the same time, he asked the bailiff to bring in Auntie Xing, one of the two witnesses of the defendant.

    Auntie Xing was a housekeeper who came to the Huo family after Luo Jin took over Song Jinning¡¯s care.

    She had a professional certificate to take care of mentally ill patients, so she was very popr in the domestic service industry.

    When she came to the witness stand in court No. 1, Auntie Xing once again swore with trepidation that she was telling the truth and only the truth.

    However, even though the witness was swearing, no one truly believed that the witness would tell the truth just because she had sworn an oath.

    People who liked to lie also swore that they weren¡¯t lying, and there was no contradiction in that.

    If people believed what the witness said had to be the truth, their IQ made them unsuitable for legal work.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the intiff¡¯s stand and sat down. Her palms were wet. She had also been breaking out in a cold sweat earlier, and she had almost been frightened by Cai Shengnan.

    Song Jinning quietly reached out and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, then gripped it tightly.

    This was meant to encourage her.

    Gu Nianzhi rxed and looked at Song Jinning with a smile. She mouthed, ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡±

    Thinking to herself that the little girl¡¯s face was pale and her forehead was covered in sweat but she still said she was fine, Song Jinning looked at Gu Nianzhi tenderly...

    It wasn¡¯t easy to be awyer. If one didn¡¯t put in all their effort, they would be knocked down by the other party in no time.

    They werepeting in intelligence, but also in physical strength.

    Gu Nianzhi held Song Jinning¡¯s hand in reverse and motioned for her to look at the witness stand.

    Cai Shengnan had already walked over to the witness stand and stood in front of Auntie Xing. She asked lightly, ¡°Auntie Xing, is it? May I ask how long you¡¯ve been taking care of Ms. Song Jinning at the Huo family¡¯s Residence?¡±

    Auntie Xing timidly looked at Song Jinning, who was at the intiff¡¯s stand, and lowered her eyes. ¡± ... six years.¡±

    She only joined the Huo family one year after Luo Jin took over Song Jinning¡¯s care.

    The few domestic service staff who had taken care of Song Jinning in the past were fired by Luo Jin.

    ¡°Taken care of her for six years? Tell me, why did you attempt to murder Ms. Song Jinning ¡± Cai Shengnan suddenly changed the topic and pointed out that Auntie Xing was Song Jinning¡¯s attempted murder suspect!

    Auntie Xing raised her head abruptly and looked at Cai Shengnan in disbelief. ¡°What? What?! I tried to murder her?! I¡¯m a witness, aren¡¯t I?! Why did you say I tried to murder her?!¡±

    Not only was Auntie Xing shocked, but everyone in the courtroom was also shocked.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darted between Auntie Xing and Cai Shengnan. She furrowed her brows and thought to herself, what was Cai Shengnan doing this time?

    Was she looking to scapegoat her witness?

 Chapter 1360 - Irrefutable

    <h4>Chapter 1360: Irrefutable</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    The eyes of everyone in the court were once again focused on Cai Shengnan.

    Her expression was serious as she looked directly at Auntie Xing. No one could tell what she was thinking.

    Auntie Xing said nervously in a low voice, ¡°Lawyer Cai, what do you mean? When did I attempt to murder Ms. Song?¡±

    She was still used to calling Song Jinning Ms. Song. Even though Song Jinning had already left the Huo family, she could not change her habit.

    ¡°Did you not?¡± Cai Shengnan tilted her head and looked at Auntie Xing with her hands behind her back. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you take good care of Ms. Song? Why did you make her stay in rooms that got more cramped, refuse to talk to her, and force her to stay in attic alone all the time?¡±

    These were the examples of ¡°psychological abuse¡± that Luo Jin had inflicted on Song Jinning ording to thewsuit filed by Gu Nianzhi.

    Auntie Xing cried out in frustration, ¡°How can you me me for this?! I¡¯m just a caretaker! A housekeeper! It was my employer who ordered me to do all of this!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately replied, ¡°You mean Luo Jin ¡ª no, Huo Jin ¡ª asked you to do all of this?¡±

    Cai Shengnan turned to look at her, ¡°Lawyer Gu, I¡¯m the one asking the questions now. Can you not interrupt me when I¡¯m asking questions?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°Then canwyer Cai not say ¡®Objection¡¯ when I¡¯m asking questions?¡±

    Cai Shengnan, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that, can you?¡± Gu Nianzhi said in a serious tone. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re all trying to get to the bottom of this. I know thatwyer Cai is willing to defend Luo Jin because you believe that she¡¯s not the murderer, right?¡±

    It was Cai Shengnan¡¯s turn to be confused.

    What was Gu Nianzhi doing?

    Was she going to switch sides? Was she not going to defend Song Jinning?

    Gu Nianzhi calmly continued, ¡°So when I prove towyer Cai and the court that Luo Jin really intended to murder Ms. Song Jinning, you won¡¯t defend her anymore, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Cai Shengnan instinctively objected. ¡°Luo Jin is my client, no matter what she does ...¡±

    As soon as she said that, Cai Shengnan knew that she messed up.

    She quickly nced at the four military personnel in the gallery.

    Sure enough, she saw them furrowing their brows and looking very dissatisfied with her.

    In fact, her behavior waspletely meless in the eyes of thew.

    As awyer, when Cai Shengnan chose to defend Luo Jin, she had already decided to defend her to the end regardless of whether Luo Jin was guilty or not. This was the professional ethics of this line of work.

    As for whether Luo Jin was guilty or not, it was not up to thewyer to decide, but rather, the court.

    However, because Gu Nianzhi brought this matter up, Cai Shengnan¡¯s blind loyalty to her client did not seem so righteous anymore.

    Actually, the most correct answer was that she believed that Luo Jin was innocent, so she had chosen to defend her.

    She could not say that she would defend Luo Jin regardless of whether she was guilty or not.

    ¡°No matter what she does,wyer Cai will defend her? So what Lawyer Cai really means is that even if Luo Jin is the real murderer, you will defend her to the end, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi once again used her words to set a trap for her.

    This was how Gu Nianzhi had set up a verbal trap for her.

    Cai Shengnanposed herself and forcibly gathered her thoughts back from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interruption. He turned around and continued to ask Auntie Xing.

    ¡°Auntie Xing, just now you said that your employer ordered you to do it. May I ask who your employer is? Is this person in the courtroom?¡± Cai Shengnan turned his body to the side and no longer stood in front of Auntie Xing.

    Auntie Xing¡¯s gaze shifted to Luo Jin.

    Cai Shengnan followed her gaze, ¡°So was it Luo Jin, no, Miss Huo Jin, who asked you to do this? Auntie Xing, before you answer yes or no, I have to remind you that you are testifying in court. If your testimony is not true, you could possibly be charged for perjury.¡±

    ¡°Objection. The defensewyer is threatening the defense witness.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her handzily, unexpectedly speaking up for Auntie Xing.

    Auntie Xing looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise and then at Luo Jin, and carefully recalled the situation at that time.

    After a while, she said, ¡°This person is not in court.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then who is that person? Is it a man? Or a woman?¡± Cai Shengnan¡¯s smile was faintly discernible, and his attitude softened. The way he said it made it seem like he was trying to induce a particr answer out of Auntie Xing.

    Gu Nianzhi furrowed her brows.

    Could it be that Cai Shengnan¡¯s goal was not to me Auntie Xing for the murder, but to keep targeting Huo Guanchen?

    To be honest, Gu Nianzhi did not believe that Huo Guanchen had any intention to kill Song Jinning.

    Yes, Huo Guanchen was a terrible person. What he had done to his wife who was seriously ill was inhumane.

    But that did not mean that he wanted Song Jinning¡¯s life.

    If Cai Shengnan still wanted Huo Guanchen to be the scapegoat, Gu Nianzhi would wait and see just what other concrete evidence Cai Shengnan could reveal.

    Gu Nianzhi had already denied that Huo Guanchen was the murderer and refuted Cai Shengnan¡¯s evidence.

    If Cai Shengnan wanted to drag Huo Guanchen in again, he would have to have new evidence.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Cai Shengnan and Auntie Xing even more intently.

    Auntie Xing unexpectedly said, ¡°... it¡¯s Miss Bai. It¡¯s ¡ª it¡¯s Bai Jinyi who has already been sentenced.¡±

    ¡°She asked you to do this?¡± Cai Shengnan was excited. ¡°Tell me, what exactly did she ask you to do?¡±

    Auntie Xing said honestly, ¡°Miss Bai said that every day, Ms. Song will always forget what happened the day before, so she needs to be given more familiar things to be kept by her side to help her recover her memory.¡±

    So was this the reason why her room was getting more crowded, and there were more things in her room?

    ¡°One more thing. Miss Bai also said that Ms. Song¡¯s brain had been severely injured before, and she was afraid of light and noise. That¡¯s why we normally didn¡¯t dare talk to her.¡±

    So was this the reason why they didn¡¯t talk to her, and left her alone in the attic, inflicting istion abuse on her?

    Gu Nianzhi cursed silently as she listened, but she was also very surprised.

    It seemed that the real target of Cai Shengnan¡¯s scapegoat was Bai Jinyi?!

    However, it cannot be denied that Cai Shengnan¡¯s target was quite urate.

    Gu Nianzhi had mixed feelings as she silently looked in Cai Shengnan¡¯s direction.

    If what Auntie Xing had said was true, then Luo Jin could really be acquitted.

    Bai Jinyi had indeed been Song Jinning¡¯s primary psychiatrist at the time. Before she had been convictedst year, Gu Nianzhi had mocked her for ¡°practicing medicine without a license¡± and for being a fraudulent Mongolian doctor.

    Therefore, it seemed like these were all arrangements made by Bai Jinyi. Luo Jin, like Auntie Xing and Auntie You, were only taking suggestions from her. In that case, Luo Jin suspicion was almostpletely cleared of suspicion.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Luo Jin with aplicated expression. She suddenly noticed that Luo Jin had raised her head and was quickly looking in her direction.

    Then, Luo Jin raised the corner of her lips and revealed a half-smile.

    Her provocative expression was like a bucket of cold water that had been poured on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head that caused her to be suddenly aware of something.

    Something was wrong. There was one part of Cai Shengnan¡¯s question that was unclear. Not only had he misled Auntie Xing, but he had also misled everyone in the courtroom.

    Even someone as vignt as Gu Nianzhi had almost been fooled.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t imagine Bai Jinyi speaking to Auntie Xing and Auntie You in such a way when she remembered how arrogant Bai Jinyi used to be

    In that instant, Gu Nianzhi had already thought of Cai Shengnan¡¯s carelessness and had prepared her questions.

    Cai Shengnan broke into a wide smile and said to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, it is evident that this matter has nothing to do with my client. Bai Jinyi did it all by herself.¡±

    ¡°Bai Jinyi was already convicted of murdering Luo Xinxuest year. In my opinion, we have left out one more charge ¨Cthe attempted murder of Ms. Song Jinning. My client ispletely innocent.¡±

    Cai Shengnan concluded his questioning of Auntie Xing with a decisive tone. ¡°Your Honor, I¡¯d like to call the next witness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and calmly said, ¡°Wait. Your Honor, I have something to ask Auntie Xing.¡±

    Cai Shengnan had already cross-examined Huo Guanchen, the prosecution witness. Now it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn to cross-examine Auntie Xing, the defense witness.

    The judge nodded in approval, ¡°The prosecutionwyer may begin questioning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to the witness stand and asked only one question, ¡°Auntie Xing, just now you imed that Miss Bai was the one who instructed you. May I ask, did Miss Bai ¡®personally¡¯ tell you these things?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi emphasized the word ¡®personally¡¯ and exined, ¡°When I asked if she said those words herself, I meant to ask, were you two like us right now, talking to each other face-to-face, when she instructed you on how to take care of Song Jinning?¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he frantically dragged out his words, ¡°Bai Jinyi is in charge of Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s health, so of course they¡¯ll listen to Bai Jinyi. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    She did not believe that Gu Nianzhi would be able to see through thenguage screen that she had set up...

    Gu Nianzhi did not look at her. She just stared intently at Auntie Xing, not letting her have any chance of exchanging nces with Cai Shengnan.

    ¡°Auntie Xing, please think carefully about how Bai Jinyi had asked you to take care of Ms. Song in such a manner.¡± Gu Nianzhi was implying something again.

    Auntie Xing¡¯s eyes sparkled, but she didn¡¯t dare say anything. She quickly nced at Cai Shengnan.

    Gu Nianzhi understood. Without waiting for Cai Shengnan to speak, she quickly said, ¡°Auntie Xing, do you know what the crime of perjury is?¡±?

    ¡°ording to the criminalw of our country, perjury is punishable by up to three years in prison; if the circumstances are serious, it is punishable by a minimum of three years and up to seven years in prison. Do you really want to go to prison?¡±

    ¡°No, no! I don¡¯t want to go to jail!¡± Auntie Xing quickly waved her hand, in a hurry to confess. ¡°Miss Bai didn¡¯t tell us these things herself. She basically never spoke to us directly. Miss Bai told Miss Huo all these things, and Miss Huo told us these.¡±

    That was more like it.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°How did you know Miss Bai asked Miss Huo to tell you?¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s what Miss Huo said!¡±

    ¡°Miss Huo? which Miss Huo? Is she present in court?¡± Gu Nianzhi swept her gaze across the courtroom.

    Auntie Xing pointed nervously at Luo Jin, who was sitting in the dock.¡± ... It¡¯s her. She¡¯s in charge of me and Auntie You. She¡¯s the one who instructed us to do all these, but she said it was all Miss Bai¡¯s medical advice.¡±

    Both Auntie Xing and Auntie You had professional licenses to take care of special mental patients, so they took any ¡°medical advice¡± very seriously.

    ¡°In that case, it was Luo Jin who was the one who actually told you what to do, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Gu Nianzhi emphasized further, ¡°She said that it was Bai Jinyi¡¯s medical advice, but Bai Jinyi had never said anything like that in front of you, had she?¡±

    Auntie Xing shook her head and said, ¡°Miss Bai is a very busy person. She doesn¡¯t spend much time at the Huo Family¡¯s residence, and most of the time she¡¯s with Mr. Huo. When she talks to Ms. Song, she chases us out, and only the two of them will talk in the room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. This was probably when Bai Jinyi was getting information from the mentally disturbed Song Jinning, gaining her trust, and getting her handwriting from her.

    Thus, although Luo Jin was the mastermind in the murder of Song Jinning, Bai Jinyi had been an aplice, even if she had been an unwitting one.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Cai Shengnan. She pointed at Luo Jin and said to her, ¡°Lawyer Cai, the truth is out now. Your client used ¡®medical advice¡¯ as an excuse tomit murder. The evidence is irrefutable!¡±

 Chapter 1361 - The Pretty Lady

    <h4>Chapter 1361: The Pretty Lady</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Cai Shengnan couldn¡¯t help but sneer, ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you not understand human speech? Auntie Xing was very clear; my client was merely passing on Bai Jinyi¡¯s medical advice! How is it that when ites to you, it¡¯s my client¡¯s fault? In order to nder my client, you are willing to go to unscrupulous lengths!¡±

    ¡°You say that I am going to unscrupulous lengths?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°This is really a case of a thief shouting thief.¡±

    She turned around and walked to the intiff¡¯s stand. Without looking back, she said, ¡°If you insist that Luo Jin was merely rying Bai Jinyi¡¯s medical advice, please provide evidence. Medical advice is not just a doctor¡¯s verbal advice. Only if the doctor had given an official prescription can it be considered medical advice.¡±

    Although Bai Jinyi did not have the professional qualifications to practice psychiatry, she still retained Song Jinning¡¯s medical records from all these years and even had her own ¡°prescriptions¡±.

    These were all evidence that had already been exposed during the trial of Bai Jinyi for the murder of Luo Xinxue.

    Gu Nianzhi dared to insist that Bai Jinyi had not given any of this ¡°medical advice¡± because she had read all the ¡°medical records¡± and ¡°prescriptions¡± that Bai Jinyi had left behind.

    Moreover, Gu Nianzhi had a photographic memory and remembered all the materials that she had read.

    As long as someone mentioned anything rted, she could recall all of these materials that she had read through.

    ¡°... Make Song Jinning¡¯s room more cramped. Don¡¯t talk to her. Let her stay alone in the attic all year round...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered very clearly that these few items had never appeared in the medical records and prescriptions that Bai Jinyi had recorded.

    Thus, she concluded that Luo Jin had used Bai Jinyi¡¯s name to order Auntie Xing and Auntie you to gradually send Song Jinning to her death.

    If Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t appeared, Song Jinning would have been dead by now.

    Cai Shengnan looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and said with a solemn face, ¡°Are you asking me for proof of what was said all those years ago? Are you sure you are not just saying it for the sake of argument?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around, her expression cold, ¡°I never do something as pointless as that in court. Lawyer Cai, if you can¡¯t produce evidence of Bai Jinyi¡¯s ¡®medical advice¡¯, then I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t ept you ming Bai Jinyi. I insist that Luo Jin is the culprit behind Ms. Song Jinning¡¯s murder. Furthermore, Auntie Xing¡¯s words just now have confirmed our usations.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Luo Jin and said inly, ¡°Luo Jin has indeed been scheming to kill Ms. Song Jinning. She has been nning this since a few years ago, and even has nned for a scapegoat to take her ce.¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± Cai Shengnan quickly interrupted Gu Nianzhi.¡±I object to the prosecution making assumptions about my client¡¯s actions!¡±

    The judge looked at her without moving, ignoring her cry of ¡°Objection¡±. He looked at her from behind the top of his sses, rolling his eyes at her.¡±...Does the defensewyer still want to call the second witness?¡±

    This meant that he did not permit Cai Shengnan¡¯s objection.

    Cai Shengnan felt sullen. He gritted his teeth and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Soon, Auntie Xing was taken away, and Auntie You was brought in.

    Auntie You and Auntie Xing had always been close to each other in the Huo family, and their words were almost exactly the same.

    There were a few discrepancies, but that was expected.

    If the two of them had said the exact same things, then they would have surely colluded.

    When it came to the acts that had worsened Song Jinning¡¯s living environment, Auntie You also first said that Bai Jinyi had instructed her to do so. However, under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questioning, she finally admitted that it was Luo Jin who had ryed Bai Jinyi¡¯s ¡°medical advice¡±.

    Auntie You¡¯s testimony ended and she was taken out of Court No. 1.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the judge and stood up to give her concluding statement.

    ¡°By now, the situation is already very clear.¡±

    ¡°Luo Jin did intend to kill Song Jinning.¡±

    ¡°This was not an idental killing, nor was it a murdermitted in the spur of the moment. It was a ploy that had she had plotted for many years!¡±

    ¡°I implore the court to deliver a fair trial, and a long-deserved justice for my client!¡±

    The judge nodded and looked coldly at Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin. ¡°Do you have any new witnesses and evidence? If not, I think the court can pass judgment already.¡±

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin did not say a word.

    Gu Nianzhi became nervous.

    Herrge, dark eyes looked in the direction of Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin. There was a glimmer of light in her eyes, like a single spark burning stubbornly.

    It shouldn¡¯t be like this...

    She silently thought to herself, ¡°Cai Shengnan shouldn¡¯t only have these two tricks up her sleeve. She must have something else nned.¡±

    Sure enough, Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin exchanged a nce. As if she had made up her mind, she looked up and said, ¡°Your Honor, we still have another witness and other evidence. They will be submitted to the court immediately.¡±

    The judge folded his hands and looked at her expressionlessly for a moment and said, ¡°This will be permitted. However, your client is suspected of homicide. ording tow, after the first trial, she has to be detained.¡±

    Luo Jin was shocked.

    She was going to be convicted just like that?!

    Furthermore, her freedom would be restricted?!

    She looked at Cai Shengnan in panic and pleaded in a low voice, ¡°Lawyer Cai, please help me. I don¡¯t want to be locked up...¡±

    She wanted even less to be convicted.

    Cai Shengnan, however, was helpless.

    After the first trial, Gu Nianzhi unexpectedly countered every move she made and foiled their first two ns in the blink of an eye.

    She had forced them toe up with a third n!

    This was also theirst n.

    If this n did not work...

    Cai Shengnan shook his head and refused to think further down this path.

    It would definitely work.

    This was the ultimate n they had prepared for Gu Nianzhi.

    Cai Shengnan pressed her lips together, and her gaze flitted past Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face and settled on Song Jinning who was sitting next to Gu Nianzhi.

    She could vaguely make out Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome profile from her gorgeous face...

    Cai Shengnan closed her eyes and asked the judge, ¡°May I ask what the bail amount is?¡±

    ¡°You can go to the office next door to handle the paperwork.¡± The judge did not say how much the bail was. He closed the case file and knocked on the gavel, ¡°The first trial is over. We¡¯ll wait for the defendant¡¯swyer to submit the new evidence. We¡¯ll hold the next trial another day.¡±

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin left Court No. 1 with a dark expression on their faces. They went to the office next door to submit the bail.

    Gu Nianzhi and Song Jinning walked out of the courthouse together.

    Huo Guanchen stood in front of a military vehicle in front of the court, waiting for them silently.

    He had a cigarette in his hand. His expression was solemn as he stood upright.

    Seeing them walk out, Huo Guanchen threw the cigarette from his hand into the trash can under the big tree and walked up to them.

    ¡°Jinning, let me take you home.¡± He said apologetically as he looked at Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning smiled and said politely, ¡°No need to trouble yourself. Nianzhi can send me home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi initially wanted to stay as far away as possible, but when Song Jinning nced at her, she did not dare move. She stood obediently at the side as an awkwardly cute third wheel.

    Huo Guanchen looked at Gu Nianzhi and said amicably, ¡°Nianzhi, thank you so much for today. Come back home with Shaoheng more often if you¡¯re free on the weekends.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never heard Huo Guanchen speak in such a cordial way, so she was slightly shocked.

    However, past the shock, she understood that Huo Guanchen was beginning to ept her as his daughter-inw.

    Although deep down she didn¡¯t really care whether Huo Guanchen epted her or not, there was no doubt that it was better that Huo Guanchen epted her.

    This way, Huo Shaoheng could worry less, and did not have to feel caught between his wife and father.

    Gu Nianzhi silently imagined how ufortable Huo Shaoheng would feel caught between his father and her, and could not help butugh secretly.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng would never be caught in a dilemma like this.

    If Huo Guanchen did not ept Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng would never return to that home.

    Gu Nianzhi knew he had the determination to do so.

    She smiled at Huo Guanchen, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go back with Young Master Huo when I¡¯m free.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled at her and looked at Song Jinning again.

    Song Jinning smiled politely as well. She did not iste herself from him, but her distant and polite attitude made him feel worse than if she had scolded him, hit him, or even rejected him.

    If she had scolded him, hit him, or rejected him, it meant that there was still a ce for him in her heart.

    Now that she wasn¡¯t even angry anymore, it was clear that thest bit of warmth she felt for him had vanishedpletely.

    The three of them stood awkwardly in front of the military vehicle at the entrance of the courthouse.

    That was, until the sound of a car horn broke the awkward silence between them.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction of the source of the car horn, and saw that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car. She instantly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, ¡°Young Master Huo is here.¡±

    Huo Guanchen and Song Jinning looked up together.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the car door and got out. He walked up to the three of them and nodded at Huo Guanchen. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±

    He then asked Song Jinning, ¡°Do you want me to send you back?¡±

    Song Jinning quickly agreed and politely said goodbye to Huo Guanchen. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving first. Goodbye.¡±

    She got into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car without looking back.

    Gu Nianzhi said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯m driving too. It¡¯s in the parking lot.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reached his hand out to her. ¡°Pass me the car keys.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out the car keys and ced them in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and said to the car, ¡°Xiao Ye, go drive Nianzhi¡¯s car. I¡¯ll send the address to your phone.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car door opened once more, and a tall, gorgeous woman pushed the door open and got out.

    She had long, wavy hair, the ends of which were dyed wine red, making her skin look especially fair and delicate.

    The curves on her body were way too perfect.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at it.

    Sigh...

    ¡°Where did this beautifuldye from?!¡± She thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her before!¡±

    Xiao Ye took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car keys from Huo Shaoheng and smiled at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Yes, chief.¡±

    She then asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, is your car in the court parking lot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and pointed out the location for her. She watched Xiao Ye walk elegantly towards the parking lot.

    ¡°Young Master Huo, is this your new recruit?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously as Huo Shaoheng sat her down in the car.

    Huo Shaoheng fastened her seatbelt as he said casually, ¡°She¡¯s not new. She¡¯s been training abroad and returned a few days ago. She just re-joined us after her vacation.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hearing that she was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinate, she was not bothered by her anymore.

    She looked at Song Jinning who was sitting on the other side of the car, and asked softly, ¡°Ms. Song, how are you? Are you tired? Do you want some water?¡±

    Song Jinning leaned against the car door and muttered, ¡°... Nianzhi, can I not appear in court next time?¡±

 Chapter 1362 - Invalid Number

    <h4>Chapter 1362: Invalid Number</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi heard from Song Jinning that she didn¡¯t want to appear in court anymore, so she didn¡¯t insist.

    She knew that this wasn¡¯t something that an average person could handle, so she quickly said, ¡°Are you feeling unwell? It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to go next time, I can go alone...¡±

    Song Jinning cut her off and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not because I¡¯m not feeling well. It¡¯s because I think it¡¯s too much of a waste of time. I spent three hours in court today, but I could have done a few experiments during that time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Having been a straight-a student for many years, Gu Nianzhi finally understood what it was like to not be a ¡°straight-a student¡±.

    ¡°Nianzhi, this is a critical time for the experiment, and I really don¡¯t have much time.¡± Song Jinning held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand apologetically. ¡°I am getting more and more maic field data, and I have a new idea. I¡¯m using aputer program to miniaturize the experiment and n to run a simtion on theputer. Once the simtion begins, the analyzer will run the program day and night without stopping for even a second.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes appearedpletely bewildered.

    But she still nodded to indicate that she understood!

    Song Jinning was amused by her adorable expression. ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t understand a single word, did you?¡±

    ¡°Not really, I understood thest sentence. You can¡¯t stop for even a second.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and hugged Song Jinning¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can go do the experiment! Leave the matter of dealing with the ghosts and monsters to me, the Ghost-busters, Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Song Jinningughed so hard that she bent over. Her stomach hurt from all theughing.

    Fan Jian, the orderly driver in the front seat, subconsciously nced at the rear-view mirror. He saw Huo Shaoheng sitting upright in the backseat with his solemn eyes shing a satisfied smile.

    Sitting beside him was the woman he loved and the mother he respected.

    Huo Shaoheng had never been one to mourn the passing of time, but at this moment, he only wished for the world tost forever.

    ..

    Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin stired up a ruckus in the court for more than an hour. They had to pay a sky-high deposit before they couldplete the procedures for bail.

    Luo Jin¡¯s passport had been confiscated by the Special Operations Forces, and her identity card and driver¡¯s license had been withheld by the court.

    She could only stay at her home in the capital and couldn¡¯t go anywhere else.

    After leaving the court, the two of them sat in Cai Shengnan¡¯s car and didn¡¯t speak for a while.

    It wasn¡¯t until they drove away from the court and onto the highway that Cai Shengnan said to Luo Jin, who was sitting in the passenger seat, ¡°Have you thought it through? Do you really want to do this?¡±

    Luo Jin snorted and rested her elbow on the window, then said, ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡±

    Cai Shengnan turned the steering wheel to drive to the fastne and said lightly, ¡°I do have a good idea, but you won¡¯t agree.¡±

    ¡°You want me to confess, so how could I agree!¡± Luo Jin was so angry that she only pounded on the window. ¡°I said I want to plead not guilty! Not guilty!¡±

    ¡°But in the current situation, since the other party wants to mess with you, it¡¯s difficult for you to pleadplete innocence.¡± Cai Shengnan persuaded her in a low voice. ¡°We can confess to a rtively minor crime and get the other party¡¯s consent in exchange for not pursuing a felony like murder.¡±

    ¡°Then... would I go to jail?¡± Luo Jin felt that it sounded very reasonable, but not going to jail was her bottom line.

    ¡°If you want me to go to jail, I might as well die,¡± Luo Jin said indignantly.

    Cai Shengnan looked ahead and said indifferently, ¡°Don¡¯t get too worked up. Confessing to a rtively minor crime is just my idea. The other party might not ept it.¡±

    That was amon method in the United States.

    After discussing with the public prosecutor, in order to avoid the lengthy trial taking up too much public resources, the defensewyer would usually propose thispromise.

    However, that kind of situation was usually when both sides were in a stalemate.

    If this kind of situation was to be reached, Cai Shengnan would have to argue this case towards the ¡°dirty¡± side. Only when the other party couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and couldn¡¯t continue to appear in court would she ept this method of admitting to a lesser crime to avoid a felony charge.

    Luo Jin bit her lip and thought about it for a while. Finally, she said, ¡°Try calling her number first. She once gave me a number and said that I could call that number as ast resort. Usually, I wouldn¡¯t have to call her.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nodded and asked with a smile, ¡°Aiko Yamaguchi? Sure, as long as she can help you.¡±

    It sounded like that person was quite capable. Cai Shengnan also hoped that that person coulde forward, so that the moneyundering case could be closed.

    ¡°She must have a way.¡± Luo Jin seemed to have a lot of trust in that person¡¯s abilities.

    Cai Shengnan drove off the highway and came to the bustling downtown area. She stopped in front of a small grocery store.

    Luo Jin got out of the car, lowered her head, and quickly walked to the grocery store.

    ¡°Excuse me, can I borrow your phone?¡±She said gently as she handed over a 100-yuan bill.

    The owner of the grocery store took the money with a smile and said, ¡°One yuan per minute. You can make the call.¡±

    Luo Jin didn¡¯t care. She walked over, picked up the phone, and started dialing.

    She had memorized that number a long time ago, but she had never dialed it before because she believed in Aiko Yamaguchi, and because she never had to use a st resort¡± before.

    This time, she really had to use a st resort¡±. However, no matter how frantically she dialed, there was only the mechanical woman¡¯s voice reminding her that the number didn¡¯t exist.

    It had the same result for dozens of times in a row.

    Thest nerve in Luo Jin¡¯s mind finally broke.

    She returned to Cai Shengnan¡¯s car almost in a daze. She covered her face with her hands and started to cry hysterically.

    ¡°She lied to me! She lied to me! She really was using me!¡±

    Cai Shengnan sighed softly and handed her a tissue. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t do anything about it. As long as you¡¯re willing...¡±

    Luo Jin had no choice. She grabbed Cai Shengnan¡¯s hand as if it was thest straw and sobbed. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you! I¡¯ll listen to you!¡±

    ¡°Then admit to a misdemeanor and avoid a felony.¡±Cai Shengnan made up her mind. ¡°But then you won¡¯t be able to be with Huo Shaoheng anymore. Would it be worth it?¡±

    Luo Jin thought about it and finally let out a long sigh, ¡°Lawyer Cai, can youmunicate with him? Just say that as long as he agrees to leave Gu Nianzhi and drop the charges, not only will I not charge him, but I¡¯ll also treat the trust fund as my dowry and share it with him.¡±

    The final n that she and Cai Shengnan had worked out would be a devastating blow to Huo Shaoheng.

    Cai Shengnanughed. ¡°I¡¯llmunicate with Gu Nianzhi. It¡¯s useless to talk to Huo Shaoheng. The only person you can threaten is Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Luo Jin thought about it, smiled, and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s true. Then tell Gu Nianzhi. As long as she¡¯s willing to break off the engagement with Shaoheng, I won¡¯t press charges. It¡¯ll be clear at a nce if she¡¯s trying to protect Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reputation or if she¡¯s just greedy and won¡¯t give up on the prospect of marrying into a wealthy family.¡±

    The two of them drove off.

    After they hadpletely disappeared from the path in front of the grocery store, an ordinary-looking man walked into the store and looked at the phone records of the store owner.

    He found the time and number of times Luo Jin had called, and sent an encrypted text message to his colleague.

    ¡°The target dialed the number XX-xxxxxxxxxxx from the phone at X point XX minutes XX seconds. Check the phonepany to see what number was called.¡±

    ..

    After Huo Shaoheng sent Song Jinning back to the Institute of High Energy Physics, he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to Hepingli Precinct.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. ¡°There¡¯s still a tough battle ahead. I need to prepare the information.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng actually wanted her to go back to the official residence with him, but seeing the dark circles under her eyes, he gave her a thumbs-up and gently caressed the dark circles under her eyes. ¡°Okay.¡±¡±Go back and have a good rest. Do you have anything to eat at home?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and smiled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll order takeout.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Come with me. I¡¯ll get someone to send something over.¡±

    He called the orderly at his mansion and asked them to send over rice, noodles, oil, eggs, vegetables, mushrooms, and shrimp, as well as some home-cooked dishes such as fresh fish, dried scallops, ham, green beans, beef, and pork.

    After returning home, Gu Nianzhi went to the bathroom to take a shower. Huo Shaoheng waited for a while, and after everything was delivered, he personally went to the kitchen to cook for her.

    The meal was ready, but Gu Nianzhi still hadn¡¯te out.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± Huo Shaoheng called out a few times, but no one answered.

    His heart tightened, and he rushed to the bedroom. He kicked open the bathroom door, only to find Gu Nianzhi asleep in the bathtub.

    Under the clear water, her alluring body was faintly discernible, and rose petals were floating on the surface of the water.

    Huo Shaoheng rxed and smiled as he picked her up from the bathtub. He wiped her dry before waking her up.

    While the two of them were eating, Huo Shaoheng received a call from his subordinate.

    ¡°Major General Huo, after Luo Jin left the courthouse today, she made a call in a very remote grocery store. She called the number a dozen of times in total.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put down his chopsticks and asked with an impassive expression,¡±... What number? Who was it?¡±

    ¡°It was an invalid number. No one picked up.¡±

 Chapter 1363 - Following Behind Like A Shadow

    <h4>Chapter 1363: Following Behind Like A Shadow</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Another invalid number.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the number?¡±

    His subordinate gave him the number.

    It was another four-digit number, and it was imed to be an international number. Based on their telmunication tracking, it was confirmed that the call had indeed been made to the trans-oceanic submarine cable, all the way to the other side of the ocean.

    However, it was cut off when it reached the other side of the ocean.

    Because there was no such phone number on the other side.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. He said indifferently, ¡°Continue to monitor her, and report back if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    The person on the other side hung up.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi thoughtfully.

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremelyfortable after eating a sumptuous breakfast and dinner.

    Counting her steps as she walked, she stood up and paced back and forth in the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng put the dishes into the dishwasher in the kitchen, put in the detergent for the dishwasher, then adjusted the program so that the dishwasher could start working.

    He went to the bathroom to take a shower, then also went online to check his work emails in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom.

    Half an hourter, he came out of the bedroom and saw that Gu Nianzhi was still pacing around the living room.

    Feeling speechless, Huo Shaoheng shook his head. He grabbed a military magazine and sat down on the sofa in the living room. He crossed his legs and flipped through the magazine as he asked calmly, ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯ve been walking for half an hour. Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±

    ¡°I ate too much. I can¡¯t sit down right after eating. I have to exercise more or my stomach will get bigger.¡± Feeling a little distressed, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her stomach. ¡°I seem to have gained some weight recently.¡±

    His Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze swept across her waist and abdomen. He said, ¡°... You¡¯re fine.¡±

    He looked at the magazine in front of him. The ck words and colorful pictures swayed in front of him, but he couldn¡¯t bear to look at them.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng put down the military magazine in his hand and walked to the window. He crossed his arms and leaned against the windowsill. He looked carefully at Gu Nianzhi, who was still walking around the living room. Suddenly, he asked, ¡°Is your period normal?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s normal. It¡¯s extremely on time. I just had my period a few days ago. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    She just had her period a few days ago...

    Therefore, it definitely wasn¡¯t that.

    Huo Shaoheng looked away with mixed feelings.

    For a moment, he couldn¡¯t tell whether he was more happy or more disappointed.

    He decided not to think about it anymore. He walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and said, ¡°It¡¯s useless to just walk if you want to reduce your stomach size.¡±

    ¡°Then what should I do?¡±

    ¡°Do push-ups. Do 20 standard push-ups at a time, inhale and suck in your stomach. Do a total of five sets. I promise you won¡¯t have a big belly afterwards.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and blinked her big eyes twice. ¡°Really? It¡¯s that effective?¡±

    She found a yoga mat andid it on the ground. Sheid down and did two.

    Huo Shaoheng watched her slender waist copse like a spoon. It made her back and waist and buttocks look extremely alluring. He felt a little aroused inside, but he corrected her on the side. ¡°Use all your strength on your waist. Don¡¯t let it copse.¡±

    He patted Gu Nianzhi on the waist.

    With a thud, Gu Nianzhi fell to the ground.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was furious. She looked up and wanted to retort, but saw Huo Shaoheng looking down at her. There was a faint smile on his lips, as if the morning sun was shining through the cracks in the clouds.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger instantly melted like a snow lion under the sun.

    Her eyes darted around as she got up from the yoga mat and sat on the ground hugging her knees. She said, ¡°It¡¯s useless. I don¡¯t think this method can reduce my stomach size.¡±

    ¡°Why is it useless?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t do it properly.¡±

    As he spoke, he flexed his muscles and bones, thenid down. His hands rested on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s yoga mat as he began doing push-ups.

    Gu Nianzhi counted for him beside him. When she reached 10, Gu Nianzhi suddenly jumped up andid down on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back, she hugged his neck and said proudly, ¡°Do it, do it again! I can see how standard this push-up can be when you¡¯re carrying me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back sank. He was indeed caught off guard.

    However, he quickly stabilized his arm and said, ¡°Continue counting.¡±

    As he spoke, he carried Gu Nianzhi on his back and continued to do push-ups.

    Even though he was carrying a person on his back, his back was still as straight as a line.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged his neck and moved up and down on his back. She realized that for him, doing push-ups while carrying a person on his back was effortless.

    The resilience of his back and the strength of his arms were heaven-defying!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled. She suddenly moved a hand away and quietly moved to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s armpit. She used all her strength to scratch the itchy flesh under his armpit!

    This sudden attack almost flipped Huo Shaoheng over.

    He quickly steadied his mind and tensed up all his muscles.

    When Gu Nianzhi scratched him again, she realized that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s armpits were also hard. She scratched him again, and it was like an egg hitting a rock. Her fingertips hurt.

    ¡°You¡¯re cheating...¡±Gu Nianzhi mumbled softly. Panting slightly, she rolled off Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back andy on the floor next to him.

    Huo Shaoheng held out his arm and calmed down for a while. He turned his head and saw Gu Nianzhi lying next to him.

    He looked at her silently for a while, then leaned over and kissed her gently.

    Gu Nianzhi felt the kiss and reached out to hug him.

    Huo Shaoheng held her in his arms and sat up from the ground. He let her lie on hisp and leaned his upper body against his arm. He held her head and kissed her deeply again.

    The next morning, Huo Shaoheng woke up very early.

    After going out for morning exercise, he bought two servings of breakfast and walked back with them.

    Waiting for him, Xiao Ye stood at the entrance of the building with a smile.

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re here.¡±Huo Shaoheng greeted her.

    Xiao Ye handed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car keys back to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng took the car keys and asked her, ¡°Why did you only bring the keys here today?¡±

    Xiao Ye whispered,¡±... You were at Miss Gu¡¯s house yesterday. I was afraid to disturb you guys.¡±

    After she had driven Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car over yesterday, she had wanted to wait for Huo Shaoheng to leave before giving him the keys.

    She didn¡¯t want to disturb the two of them.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to go in and note out until this morning.

    Huo Shaoheng replied with an ¡°uh huh¡±and said pleasantly, ¡°Xiao Ye, you just happen to be here, so I¡¯ll tell you directly. After you came back this time, your mother begged me to let you stay in the country for a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiao Ye was very embarrassed and quickly said, ¡°Chief, don¡¯t listen to my mother¡¯s nonsense. She doesn¡¯t know anything. I like to be in the field, so you can send me anywhere you want!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs first. Have you had breakfast yet?¡±

    Xiao Ye looked at the breakfast in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. It was only for two people, so she quickly said, ¡°I have. I had breakfast early in the morning.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and looked at her. He said calmly, ¡°You ate? You stayed in the parking lot all night, right? Where did you eat breakfast?¡±

    Xiao Ye¡¯s face instantly turned red.

    She smiled sheepishly. ¡°Chief, I didn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actually lying to me?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°You smell like Nianzhi¡¯s car. That proves that you¡¯ve been in her car for at least six hours. Your hair and face are oily. You probably haven¡¯t showered or washed your hair all night. Also, your stomach was growling. You just came out of the parking lot and didn¡¯t have breakfast, right?¡±

    Xiao Ye was both embarrassed and impressed. She was d that she had chewed a piece of gum when she came out of the car in the morning. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have dared to talk to anyone.

    Her face full of admiration, she looked at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Chief, you¡¯re too good. Not even the slightest clue can escape your sharp eyes!¡± Xiao Ye was full of admiration for him.

    Huo Shaoheng handed her the breakfast in his hand. ¡°Take it upstairs and wait for me at the door. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Xiao Ye didn¡¯t dare disobey his orders.

    Huo Shaoheng pressed the elevator floor for her and told her to go up. He went out to buy another breakfast.

    By the time he returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s floor, Xiao Ye had already been waiting there for more than ten minutes.

    Huo Shaoheng opened Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and invited Xiao Ye in.

    Xiao Ye was still a little embarrassed and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I not go in? There¡¯s something in the forces...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her in and closed the door. He said seriously, ¡°If I tell you toe in, thene in. I have a mission for you.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng said he had a mission, Xiao Ye immediately cut him some ck.

    After entering Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small suite, Xiao Ye stood upright with her eyes fixed on her.

    ¡°Please give the order, Chief.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced three servings of breakfast on the dining table. ¡°Come and have breakfast. We¡¯ll talk as we eat.¡±

    Xiao Ye followed him to the dining room and sat down. When she didn¡¯t see Gu Nianzhi after she entered, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping. She was exhausted yesterday, so she won¡¯t wake up until noon today.¡±

    Xiao Ye nodded. ¡°I heard that Miss Gu is quite good at litigating. Did she win yesterday?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied nonchntly, ¡°That¡¯s her profession.¡± There was a hint of pride in his tone.

    Xiao Ye couldn¡¯t help looking up at him. ¡°Chief, when do you n to get married?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out the steamed buns and ced them on the te. He smiled and said, ¡°There are too many things to prepare. I think it¡¯ll be next year at the earliest.¡±

    Actually, it was because of Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang that Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had decided to postpone the wedding date by a year.

    ¡°Congrattions, Chief.¡± Xiao Ye was beaming with joy. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a big red packet then. Does Miss Gu need a bridesmaid? I can rmend myself.¡±

    Upon the mention of the wedding, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows rxed and his smile grew wider. ¡°You reminded me. I¡¯m worried about those guys. Since you¡¯re back, I¡¯ll hand Nianzhi over to you. Keep an eye on her for me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiao Ye was surprised. ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Huo Shaoheng whispered about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation, ¡°...because her father is still missing, a lot of people are keeping an eye on her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered that whenever something happened to Gu Nianzhi, the ubiquitous invalid number would appear, and a gloomy expression appeared on his face.

    ¡°Xiao Ye, I¡¯m not worried about your abilities. I¡¯ll leave Nianzhi¡¯s personal safety for the next year to you.¡±

    Xiao Ye listened attentively and was very sympathetic to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s plight. She quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, chief. I promise toplete the mission!¡±

    There were actually quite a few security guards around Gu Nianzhi, but Huo Shaoheng was still worried. He had always wanted to find another bodyguard for her.

    A man definitely couldn¡¯t do it, and there wasn¡¯t a suitable female candidate at the moment.

    It wasn¡¯t until Xiao Ye returned that he was relieved to hand Gu Nianzhi over to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let Nianzhi knowter. You will follow her around on a frequent basis, and your public identity would be her personal assistant.¡± Huo Shaoheng quickly had the Special Operations Forces prepare another set of identity documents for Xiao Ye. ¡°This ce is too small. I¡¯ll get Nianzhi to move to the apartment on Sanhuan road. It¡¯s bigger there, so you can move in with her.¡±

    Personal bodyguards, as the name implied, were only called personal bodyguards if they followed closely behind.

 Chapter 1364 - Just That Capable

    <h4>Chapter 1364: Just That Capable</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Xiao Ye nodded solemnly. ¡°I will protect Miss Gu with my life!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Xiao Ye and said calmly, ¡°I believe in you.¡±

    Xiao Ye was one of the best female field officers in the Special Operations Forces. Not only was she outstanding, she was also quick-witted, and had a pure-hearted, loyal personality.

    She returned to the team just in time toe in handy.

    The two of them finished their business and started eating breakfast.

    After finishing breakfast, Xiao Ye went back to pack her things and was ready to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal assistant. Of course, her real identity was actually her personal bodyguard.

    Huo Shaoheng took out hisputer and worked in the living room while waiting for Gu Nianzhi to wake up.

    Gu Nianzhi slept until noon.

    When she woke up, she saw that the room was filled with sunlight. She narrowed her eyes and slowly sat up.

    The room was quiet. The thick dark green curtains were pulled open and left only theyer of white gauze inside.

    The sunlight shone in through theyer of white gauze.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that Huo Shaoheng had already gone back, so she nonchntly put on her nightgown and walked into the bathroom.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the sound from outside and pushed open the bedroom door. He saw that Gu Nianzhi was wearing a nightgown and had no belt tied across her chest. She turned around and stared at him in a daze.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he said hoarsely, ¡°Get dressed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally snapped back to reality. She let out a low ¡°ah¡± and quickly fastened the belt on her nightgown. She whispered, ¡°... You¡¯re still here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±Huo Shaoheng turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll go heat up the steamed buns I bought for you this morning and the rice porridge.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great. I was just thinking about eating, but I didn¡¯t actually want a heavy lunch.¡±

    She went to the bathroom to wash up, then took a shower and washed her hair. Only then did shee out to eat.

    Sitting at the dining table in the dining room, Huo Shaoheng had already started eating lunch.

    In front of Gu Nianzhi was a bowl of in rice porridge, a te of steamed buns with tofu skin, shrimp and vermicelli fillings, as well as milk.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down and quietly finished everything in front of her.

    Huo Shaoheng finished his lunch as well. As he tidied up the tableware, he said, ¡°When you¡¯re done packing, I¡¯ll send you to the apartment on Sanhuan Road.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise. ¡°Why? I¡¯m living here perfectly fine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t hide anything from her and said frankly, ¡°I¡¯m worried about you living here alone. Luo Jin contacted that invalid number yesterday. Do you still remember it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly. ¡°Is that the four-digit international phone number?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Like Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng had an animal-like instinct for danger. He said, ¡°Either youe with me to the official residence, or you move to the apartment on Sanhuan Road. You can¡¯t live here alone anymore.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t stay here with her every day. It was unrealistic.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and said reluctantly, ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of awsuit with Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin. It¡¯s not suitable for me to stay at your official residence for long.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go to the Sanhuan Road apartment.¡±Huo Shaoheng made the decision for her. I¡¯ve found you a personal assistant. She¡¯ll stay with you when I¡¯m not around. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be at ease.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised and amused. ¡°Personal assistant? No way! Major General Huo, I¡¯ve just started working, so why would I need a personal assistant? People are going to gossip about me behind my back.¡±

    ¡°You still care about gossip?¡± Huo Shaoheng found it funny. ¡°I said I got you a personal assistant, but I actually hired a personal bodyguard for you to protect your safety.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, I¡¯m very safe here. Don¡¯t you think I need a personal bodyguard? Besides, don¡¯t you have enough security for me?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat on Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp and acted coquettishly. ¡°I already have no personal freedom, and you still want me to have no personal privacy?¡±

    ¡°These aren¡¯t importantpared to your life.¡± Huo Shaoheng kissed her on the lips. ¡°Listen to me. After I get to the bottom of that invalid number, I¡¯ll get rid of your bodyguard, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Major General Huo, is the bodyguard you found for me a man or a woman?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a woman.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°How could I let a man live with you every day?¡±

    ¡°But brother Xiong and brother Ze used to live with me!¡± Gu Nianzhi poked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s burlesque chest with her finger and said unhappily, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You were still young then, and I don¡¯t have to worry about Big Xiong and Little Ze.¡± Huo Shaoheng grabbed her naughty finger. ¡°But now Big Xiong and Little Ze both have their missions and can¡¯t leave. This female bodyguard doesn¡¯t pale inparison to them.¡±

    ¡°Huh? She¡¯s that capable?¡± Gu Nianzhi was excited. ¡°You mean, she¡¯s also your subordinate?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve met her once. She¡¯s Xiao Ye. Do you remember her?¡± Huo Shaoheng observed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression carefully.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately remembered the beautifuldy she saw yesterday.

    ¡°Huh? No way? It¡¯s her? How capable is she? Is she as powerful as Miss Lina from Russia?¡±

    Among all the people Gu Nianzhi had met, other than Huo Shaoheng, she was most impressed by the Russian girl, Lina of the KGB.

    Huo Shaoheng had a strange expression on his face.¡±... You mean Lina?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s such a pity. How could she have died?¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her head gently on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for you to be in this line of work.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her and gently rested his chin on her head. After a while, he said, ¡°She¡¯s very capable. She¡¯s as capable as Lina from Russia.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise. ¡°That means she¡¯s even more capable than Miss Lina!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Her train of thought jumped a little too quickly, and Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t keep up.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and pinched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face then pulled it towards both sides and said, ¡°Because she¡¯s prettier than Lina! That¡¯s why she¡¯s more capable than her!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    After patting Gu Nianzhi on the back, Huo Shaoheng told her toe down. ¡°Let¡¯s go and pack. If I don¡¯t go to your ce these days, Xiao Ye will stay with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and felt like she would have another roommate, so there was nothing wrong with that.

    She and Ma Qiqi had happily roomed together in the same dorm at school.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll go pack. Thankfully, summer ising and the clothes I¡¯ll need would be light so it would be easy to pack.¡±

    Even though the clothes would be lighter, there were more sets.

    Gu Nianzhi used up fourrge suitcases of clothes just by casually sorting out her things.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He helped her carry the suitcases to the car and sent her to the Sanhuan road apartment, which was more private and safer than this one.

    Gu Nianzhi stood at the entrance of the luxurious apartment on Sanhuan Road and looked upstairs. ¡°Gu Yanran¡¯s apartment is upstairs.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said aloofly, ¡°She bought it with the Gu family¡¯s money. It doesn¡¯t belong to her anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi would only have to wait for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s death notice to expire before she could take over all of the Gu family¡¯s assets.

    But Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t happy at all.

    She lowered her head and silently followed Huo Shaoheng inside.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head. ¡°Don¡¯t be unhappy. Your father wouldn¡¯t want you to be like this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded heavily. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already sent someone to clean up the apartment. Gu Nianzhi took out the clothes and daily necessities she had brought from her suitcase and ced them into the closet and bathroom.

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng received a call from General Ji, asking him to go to the military for ast-minute meeting. He called Yin Shixiong and asked him to go to the special supply store in the militarypound to buy some groceries and send them over.

    Yin Shixiong quickly agreed and bought some vegetables, fruits, and seafood that Gu Nianzhi liked to eat. He drove to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment on Sanhuan Road.

    The doorbell rang. Gu Nianzhi thought it was Xiao Ye who hade. She peeked through the peephole and realized it was Yin Shixiong.

    She opened the door excitedly and said, ¡°Brother Xiong! Why are you here?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was carrying tworge bags of things. He smiled and said, ¡°Major General Huo ordered me toe. I wouldn¡¯t dare to note!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Now that you have a fianc¨¦e, you threw me, a good friend, aside!¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be angry.

    Yin Shixiong knew she was joking, so he smiled and stretched out a hand to pat her on the head. ¡°Alright now, stop fooling around. Major General Huo asked me to buy some groceries, so he must be cooking for you. Where¡¯s the kitchen? I¡¯ll go wash the vegetables.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed in the direction of the kitchen and followed Yin Shixiong to ask him questions.

    ¡°Brother Xiong, did you know that Major General Huo found me a personal assistant called Xiao Ye?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Ye?¡±Yin Shixiong turned around and squinted at her.¡±... Our colleague?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, I only saw her once yesterday. She¡¯s so beautiful! But Major General Huo said she¡¯s even better than the Russian female KGB. I really don¡¯t believe it...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t bear to refute Huo Shaoheng just now.

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Don¡¯t be incredulous. She¡¯s just that capable.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big eyes widened even more. Her pupils were big and round. They were so pure and ck that even the whites of her eyes appeared slightly navy and her eyes appeared especially charming.

    ¡°Let me tell you something. She used to have a nickname in our base, and her name was night owl. You know how capable she is now, right?¡±

    Among a group of smart and powerful men from the Special Operations Forces, it was extraordinary that a woman like Xiao Ye could have the nickname ¡°Night Owl¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi was impressed. She kept praising her on the side, but Yin Shixiong started muttering to himself.

    He had sent the famous ¡°Night Owl¡± from the Special Operations Forces to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°personal assistant¡±. Could it be that Nianzhi was in even more danger than before?!

    Yin Shixiong washed the vegetables and cut them, then nagged Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Take care of your safety these days. Don¡¯t run around by yourself. Since you¡¯ve been given ¡°Night Owl¡± as your... personal assistant, don¡¯t be too naughty. Remember to be obedient and take her with you wherever you go.¡±

    ¡°You want me to take her with me even when I go to the Special Operations Forces¡¯ Headquarters?¡± Gu Nianzhi deliberately argued with Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯ll have to ask Major General Huo about that. It¡¯s not up to me.¡± Yin Shixiong nced at her slyly and quickly cut the vegetables then started cooking. ¡°You go out first. I¡¯m going to cook.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I watch from the side? I want to learn too.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t even turn his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if you stand by the side, the fire will recognize you and want to greet you to y games.¡±

    He was talking about thest time she cooked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence and almost burned down the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she pinched Yin Shixiong¡¯s arm. ¡°Brother Xiong, you¡¯re being mean! I¡¯m going toin to Qiqi!¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, tell Qiqi and Qiqi would also advise you to ¡®cherish your life and stay away from the kitchen.¡¯¡± Yin Shixiong said this with a cheeky smile. ¡°Go out, go out. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and walked towards the kitchen door. She suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Brother Xiong, does ¡®Night Owl¡¯ know how to cook?¡±

    ¡°Yes, our colleagues in thepany are all very good cooks!¡±

 Chapter 1365 - Role-playing

    <h4>Chapter 1365: Role-ying</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was ecstatic.

    Not only was Miss Xiao Ye beautiful, but she was also a good cook!

    Gu Nianzhi scored a great bargain, she scored a great bargain...

    In the evening, Xiao Ye arrived at the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartmentplex with a duffel bag in her hand. When she asked the property manager to call Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi personally went down to pick her up.

    ..

    At the entrance of the apartmentplex, a reserved woman wearingrge ck-rimmed sses and a rubber band with her ck hair tied behind her head appeared in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    Her skin was fair, but it wasn¡¯t the fair, pinkish white that she had seen the day before. Instead, it was a cold, porcin-white without a trace of blood.

    Her lips were also pale. Herrge ck-rimmed sses covered her bright eyes, and her thick bangs covered her perfectly shaped forehead. Her entire appearance had been severely degraded.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, and asked tentatively, ¡°You are... Xiao Ye?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I am! Oh my, Miss Gu, why did youe to pick me up personally? I can go in by myself!¡± Xiao Ye quickly said, and was even speaking with an ent.

    Was this... role-ying?

    ¡°Miss Xiao, nice to meet you.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly came back to her senses and warmly extended her hand.

    Xiao Ye shook her hand with a smile and said, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re too kind. It¡¯s my honor to be your personal assistant.¡±

    She was very polite and even had a ttering smile on her face. Her body was slightly hunched and her legs were bent. She was even shorter than Gu Nianzhi looked. She looked exactly like a little assistant who looked up to others.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely convinced.

    She had grown up in the Special Operations Forces and was very familiar with them. She knew that these members of the Special Operations Forces were either best actors or best actresses.

    Real actors were nothingpared to them.

    If real actors weren¡¯t good at acting, at most, they wouldn¡¯t be popr or wouldn¡¯t have any acting roles.

    If they weren¡¯t good at acting, they would die.

    For example, she had seen Xiao Ye the day before, and she was a stylish and fashionable woman.

    When she saw her again after a day, if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t informed her in advance, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to connect her to the beautiful youngdy from yesterday.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and walked towards her apartment building.

    When she reached her own floor, Gu Nianzhi opened the door and said to Xiao Ye, ¡°Make yourself at home.¡±

    ¡°How could I?¡± Xiao Ye smiled even more obsequiously. She carried her luggage and followed Gu Nianzhi to the guest room to settle down.

    Yin Shixiong had prepared dinner for Gu Nianzhi. He waited for her to finish eating before speaking to her.

    When Xiao Ye arrived, he stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Ye Xiao, long time no see.¡±

    Xiao Ye straightened her back and rolled her eyes. ¡°Who is this gentleman? I don¡¯t know him.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... of course you wouldn¡¯t know ne, and I don¡¯t know you either. Where did this country bumpkine from?! Nianzhi, where did you get this clown?¡± Yin Shixiong winked and picked up his car keys. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Enjoy yourselves!¡±

    After Yin Shixiong left, Gu Nianzhi and Xiao Ye were the only two people in the empty apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi was very curious about Xiao Ye, but she knew that she shouldn¡¯t pry, so she pretended as if nothing had happened and knocked on Xiao Ye¡¯s guest room door. ¡°Miss Xiao, have you had dinner yet?¡±

    Xiao Ye opened the door and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me Miss Xiao, you can just call me Xiao Ye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed.¡±... can I call you by your real name?¡±

    ¡°Sure, not many people know anyway.¡±Xiao Ye smiled kindly. ¡°Just remember that I¡¯m your personal assistant. Don¡¯t bother with me and don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±

    Upon the mention of dinner, Xiao Ye¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Have you had dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, but said, ¡°I had ate lunch, so I¡¯m not hungry now. I was worried you might be hungry.¡±

    She pointed to the kitchen and said, ¡°There¡¯s rice and vegetables there. If you¡¯re hungry, you can go make your own food.¡±

    Xiao Ye pursed her lips into a smile and whispered,¡±... I know, Miss Gu. You can tell me what you want to eat, but don¡¯t go to the kitchen by yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You, you, you, you... you know about it too?!¡±

    That was terrible. Had her reputation as a ¡°kitchen killer¡± spread that far?!

    Didn¡¯t Xiao Ye juste back from abroad? !

    Gu Nianzhi was indignant.

    Xiao Ye looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little face and thought she was especially cute. Thinking about her situation, even she couldn¡¯t help feeling pity for this little girl.

    ¡°Know what? I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Xiao Ye made a zipper gesture with her hand on his mouth to show that she was very tight-lipped and wouldn¡¯t talk nonsense.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and teased her, ¡°What are you doing? If people didn¡¯t know you, they¡¯d think you¡¯re a zipper!¡±

    Xiao Ye was a senior field officer in the Special Operations Forces, so wouldn¡¯t dealing with a little girl like Gu Nianzhi be a piece of cake for her?

    She quickly became friends with Gu Nianzhi, and after an hour, they became best friends.

    The two of them chatted until their mouths were dry. Gu Nianzhi then went back to her room to drink water and eat snacks.

    Xiao Ye stayed with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had nothing much to do recently. The main thing for her to do was to prepare for Song Jinning¡¯swsuit against Luo Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi was getting impatient waiting for the court to send her the news of the second trial.

    The point was that she wouldn¡¯t be able to return to work in the upper house of the parliament until this matter was settled.

    Fortunately, Xiao Ye was with her.

    The two of them went out for a run and morning exercise in the morning. After breakfast, they yed video games together or went out shopping. They had a veryfortable life.

    ying video games with Xiao Ye was the best experience. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s incredible hand speed helped her to win in bed. She quickly went from being stubborn and bronze to the strongest king.

    That day, Gu Nianzhi finished ying video games and rubbed her fingers. She nned to take a shower and go to bed early.

    She nned to go to the court tomorrow and ask what was going on.

    It had been almost a week. Had Cai Shengnan handed in their new evidence yet?

    She pushed open her door and walked out. She knocked on Xiao Ye¡¯s door and said, ¡°Xiao Ye, I¡¯m going to bed early today. I¡¯m not ying video games with you anymore.¡±

    Xiao Ye opened the door and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re going to bed early today?¡±

    The two of them had been ying until dawn every day for the past few days!

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been up all night. I can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯m going to bed early today.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Xiao Ye, you should go to bed early too. It¡¯s been hard on you these past few days.¡±

    ¡°How is it hard? I feel like I¡¯m on vacation right now.¡± Xiao Ye tilted her head and smiled. ¡°You should go to bed now. The dark circles under your eyes are starting to show.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yawned and returned to her bedroom. She walked to the bathroom in her bedroom.

    At that moment, her phone rang.

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously looked at her watch. It was only eight o¡¯clock in the evening. Had she gone to bed too early?

    She walked over and picked up her phone to take a look. She realized it was He Zhichu calling.

    She quickly swiped open the phone and answered it.

    ¡°Professor He!¡± Gu Nianzhi was ted.

    He Zhichu was in a great mood when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice.

    He curled his lips and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I was just about to take a shower and go to bed when you called.¡± Gu Nianzhi yawned.

    ¡°Are you sleepy? Didn¡¯t sleep well?¡± He Zhichu was very perceptive. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to bed? I¡¯m fine. I just wanted to ask how yourwsuit is going.¡±

    ¡°We still have to wait for the next court session.¡± Gu Nianzhi was unhappy. ¡°Cai Shengnan said they still have evidence, but I¡¯ve been waiting for almost a week, and there¡¯s still no news from the court.¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be impatient. Cai Shengnan and Luo Jin probably don¡¯t have any other important evidence. They¡¯re just stalling for time.¡±

    Wanting her to sleep well, He Zhichu consoled Gu Nianzhi and hung up the phone.

    But as soon as she hung up, another call came in.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the number and realized it was Cai Shengnan.

 Chapter 1366 - Scandalous Topic

    <h4>Chapter 1366: Scandalous Topic</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Why was Cai Shengnan looking for her sote at night?

    Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself, but was still curious. She picked up the phone. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡±

    She pretended not to know whose phone number it was.

    Cai Shengnan paused for a moment, then said pleasantly, ¡°Lawyer Gu? This is Cai Shengnan. I represent my client and would like to talk to you about a confession.¡±

    After Cai Shengnan immediately said ¡°confession¡±, Gu Nianzhi, who had wanted to hang up the phone immediately, was wide awake.

    ¡°What did you say? Your client wants to confess? Why are you looking for me instead of the Court?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat down at her desk and turned on herptop. She was in no hurry to go to sleep.

    Cai Shengnan seemed to chuckle and say, ¡°As for the confession, of course it¡¯s for the misdemeanor. Iswyer Gu not familiar with this kind of operation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really not familiar with it,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not practicingw in the United States, so I don¡¯t understand your way of doing things.¡±

    Cai Shengnan discerned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sarcastic tone andughed lightly. ¡°Now you can understand.¡±

    After a few seconds, Cai Shengnan¡¯s voice sank, ¡°Before you agree or disagree, I want to tell you something. Before I say anything, I want you to turn off all recording devices and turn on the software that blocks the surveince. Don¡¯t me me for not warning you. If you don¡¯t do this, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was incredulous. ¡°Are you threatening me? I¡¯m sorry, but I never ept threats. I¡¯ll do whatever I want. I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t care? Even if it ruins your fianc¨¦¡¯s reputation, you don¡¯t care at all?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers almost touched the ¡°stop¡± button.

    She paused and raised her phone to her ear. Her voice t, she said, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Turn off the recording and surveince equipment, and block all surveince software. That¡¯s what I said. Believe me, I don¡¯t want your fianc¨¦¡¯s reputation to be ruined either, but if I have no other choice, I have no choice. After all, he¡¯s not my fianc¨¦. I don¡¯t have the right to defend him.¡±

    Cai Shengnan shrugged and made a victory sign to Luo Jin, who was listening to her.

    Luo Jin pursed her lips into a smile. She felt inexplicable excitement and thrill in her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a second before decisively turning off the recording and surveince equipment. She then turned on the surveince software on her phone.

    This was a small app she had specially CODED after she found out that He Zhichu had hacked into her phone.

    The app was based on He Zhichu¡¯s methods and was analyzed using reverse programming logic. The final product was unbelievably powerful.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t tell anyone.

    She didn¡¯t want to constantly block other people¡¯s surveince. She just wanted to preserve some privacy when she needed it.

    Like now.

    Just to be on the safe side, she said to Cai Shengnan, ¡°Send me your location. I want to know if you¡¯re lying to me.¡±

    Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t suspect her and sent her location.

    Gu Nianzhi used the backdoor of the location-sharing app to hack into Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone and included her phone in her little app that blocked surveince.

    This way, no one on Cai Shengnan¡¯s side would know what they were talking about.

    That was Cai Shengnan¡¯s home. Even though Luo Jin had surveince cameras around her, they wouldn¡¯t be able to send her to Cai Shengnan¡¯s house.

    Therefore, as long as Luo Jin didn¡¯t use her phone, no one from the Special Operations Forces would know about their conversation.

    Gu Nianzhi checked repeatedly to make sure no one else could eavesdrop on their conversation. She then said, ¡°If it¡¯s such an important topic, what about your side? Will someone be listening in?¡±

    Cai Shengnan smiled. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ve checked here many times. Other than this phone, there¡¯s not even inte in my room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the big deal?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Cai Shengnan nced at Luo Jin. Upon seeing that she was so excited that her face was red, she averted her gaze in disdain. She said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°My client gave me a new piece of evidence. I think I should discuss it with you before we submit it to the Court.¡±

    ¡°What new evidence? Didn¡¯t you just say it was rted to my fianc¨¦?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Are you trying to trick me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Cai Shengnan stood up with her phone in her hand. She turned off the speakerphone and put on her Bluetooth headset. She said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°My client told me something that happened 12 years ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about a book? Why are you keeping me in suspense? Hurry up and make it quick.¡± Gu Nianzhi was getting impatient. ¡°My patience is limited.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll make it quick.¡±Cai Shengnan walked slowly to the window and looked out at the night view.

    The night in the mountains was pitch ck, with only the stars shining brightly.

    She looked up at the night sky and said lightly, ¡°... twelve years ago, on the eve of your fianc¨¦¡¯s enlistment, he got drunk and raped my client. That year, my client was only sixteen years old.¡±

    Like a nuclear bomb had exploded in her head, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind buzzed. Mushroom clouds filled the sky, blotting out the sun and almost knocking her out of consciousness.

    After a long while, Gu Nianzhi stood up angrily and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Cai Shengnan! Don¡¯t be so despicable! How dare you create such a rumor?! Where¡¯s the witness? Where¡¯s the physical evidence?! Don¡¯t think you can use him of rape just because you say so! Show me the evidence!¡±

    ¡°My client was very clear about the time, ce, and person involved in the incident, and...¡±

    Like a cat ying with a mouse, Cai Shengnan deliberately paused for a moment. She enjoyed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unspeakable anxiety, hatred, and anger, then said, ¡°And my client still has the evidence, the physical evidence.¡±

    ¡°It must be fake.¡± Gu Nianzhi denied the authenticity of the evidence without any exnation. ¡°I never had any expectations for Luo Jin¡¯s character, and now I have no expectations for your professional ethics,wyer Cai.¡±

    ¡°Haha,wyer Gu, you haven¡¯t even seen the evidence, so how can you deny it right away?¡± Cai Shengnan hugged her arm and looked down at the tightly wrapped dress on the windowsill.

    Through the translucent seal, the dress was clearly visible. It was red with white flowers and was made of silk. However, there were sticky filth on it that could be seen with the naked eye.

    ¡°Is that so? Then tell me, what evidence did you fake?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was fake or not.¡± Cai Shengnan turned and sat on the windowsill with a smile on her face. ¡°I have a wrapped silk half-length dress with visible semen stains on it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need me to tell you whose it is, do you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she almostughed. ¡°Haha, Luo Jin wants to learn from Lewinsky? My fianc¨¦ isn¡¯t a zipper, so save your breath. If you have the guts, submit the evidence to the court and have the court examine the DNA. I don¡¯t believe that that crappy dress has anything to do with my fianc¨¦.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, why are you so certain?¡± Cai Shengnan asked curiously. ¡°As far as I know, you only met your fianc¨¦ seven years ago, but Luo Jin had known your fianc¨¦ for almost a lifetime.¡±

    ¡°Well, if Luo Jin only ns to live to be 28, then she has indeed known my fianc¨¦ for an entire lifetime,¡± Gu Nianzhi said sarcastically, ¡°I won¡¯t be threatened by you. I believe in my fianc¨¦¡¯s character. Besides, if that dress was real, you would have submitted it to the court already. You wouldn¡¯t have waited until now to make a deal with me. I¡¯m not that stupid. If you want to threaten me, find another way.¡±

    Cai Shengnan secretly praised Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quick-wittedness, but if Gu Nianzhi really believed that, she was still too naive.

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s voice didn¡¯t carry any emotion. She enunciated each word clearly, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll take it to court, but we¡¯ll announce it on Weibo at the same time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice suddenly stopped, and her throat felt as if it had been strangled by someone¡¯s hand. She couldn¡¯t breathe for a long time.

    Cai Shengnan said meaningfully, ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you understand what that means?¡±

    ¡°A high-ranking military official raped a minor 12 years ago, and this minor was his cousin. Lawyer Gu, do you think theizens will give up on such an scandalous and sensational topic?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth, but found that she couldn¡¯t say anything to refute her.

    ¡°We both know that once this matter is published online, so what if it¡¯s fake?¡± Cai Shengnan scoffed. ¡°There are still many people who are brainless.¡±

    ¡°There are also many people who are afraid that the world wouldn¡¯t be in chaos and that society isn¡¯t dark enough. They will immediately believe such scandalous topics and draw out even more dark secrets for you to prove yourself. As for what the truth is, does it matter to them?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know that every Weibo post that creates rumors has more reposts than those that refute them?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were trembling. It took her a lot of effort to stop her voice from trembling.

    She suppressed her anger and said lightly, ¡°But if you fake it, the court won¡¯t ept it. I¡¯ll even counter-sue you for perjury. What¡¯s the point of doing this?¡±

    ¡°First, my client didn¡¯t fake it. She swore to me that it was true.¡±

    ¡°Second, what¡¯s the point of doing this? ¡ª of course it¡¯s significant. If the court doesn¡¯t ept it, theizens definitely wouldn¡¯t think it¡¯s because of the fairness of justice. They¡¯ll think it¡¯s because of your high position and power that you¡¯re deliberately pressuring the court not to ept it. If the DNA doesn¡¯t match, then you¡¯ve changed the evidence.¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s intimidating presence was fully unleashed at this moment, crushing Gu Nianzhi in minutes. She was like a master of the dark side of online public opinion.

    It was obvious that the Cai family was indeed an prominent family in the media industry. They had extensive experience and knowledge on how to manipte people¡¯s hearts.

    ¡°... when the timees, who cares whether your fianc¨¦ is in the wrong? He will pay the price for what he has done, and so will you. His reputation would bepletely ruined. I don¡¯t think your organization would be willing to let such a person remain in the organization, so his career prospects would also be ruined.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, think about it. Do you really want this to happen to your fianc¨¦?¡±

    ¡°I admit, my client did go a little overboard with Song Jinning. But she really had no intention of killing her. Besides, she said that she had always resented your fianc¨¦ after he had raped her, so she took it out on his mother.¡±

    Cai Shengnan spoke very cautiously and wasn¡¯t afraid of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s recording.

    She had med everything on Luo Jin. She had recounted everything from Luo Jin, and wouldn¡¯t be afraid to go to court even if it was made public.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and sneered. ¡°Is that so? She resents my fianc¨¦ for raping her, but why is she racking her brains to marry my fianc¨¦ now? Doesn¡¯t she hate him?!¡±

 Chapter 1367 - The Greater The Pressure, The Greater The Rebellion

    <h4>Chapter 1367: The Greater The Pressure, The Greater The Rebellion</h4>

    ¡°I hate him, but you¡¯ve also heard of love born from hate. You¡¯ve heard of Stockholm syndrome, right?¡± Cai Shengnan raised her chin proudly. ¡°Why else would she have asked me to call you to talk about admitting to a misdemeanor? This is an exchange. Everyone wins. If she really hates your fianc¨¦ to death, she would already be spreading the word on Weibo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened.

    She didn¡¯t believe a single word about the dress.

    No matter who the dirty thing on the dress belonged to, it had nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng. That was how she believed in the man she loved unconditionally.

    However, just as Cai Shengnan had said, if they really wanted to pour the dirty water on Weibo, it would not be ¡°a basin¡±of dirty water, but a basin of dirty water from the Pacific Ocean.

    Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t be able to wash it off even if he wanted to.

    It was undeniable that Luo Jin¡¯s rumor had her own unique logic behind it.

    ording to the information from the court, 75% of the cases where minors were raped weremitted by people who knew them. They were all rtives (direct and distant) , friends, and neighbors...

    Therefore, many people wouldn¡¯t hesitate to believe what Luo Jin said, because she really hit a sore spot for many people.

    The kind of people who used the sympathy and pain of others to spread rumors was especially hateful.

    Because they not only exploited the sympathy of passers-by, but also blocked the way for the real victims to seek justice.

    People like her were even more despicable than the child crying wolf.

    That was because the child had only harmed himself. However, this kind of rumor hurt not only the innocent, but also the real victims, as well as the people¡¯s confidence in social justice.

    However, the currentw was far from enough to punish those who created trouble by creating rumors. This led to the endless urrence of such cases. The cost of creating rumors was extremely low, but the benefits were huge. That was the reality that made people helpless.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and carefully thought about the consequences. She almost shuddered.

    She heard herself say slowly, ¡°Let me think about it. I can¡¯t ept this evidence all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°I understand. When I first heard it, I was also very shocked. But my client said that this was herst resort. If even this doesn¡¯t work, she doesn¡¯t want to live anymore.¡± Cai Shengnan pretended to be very easy to talk to. She pretended to be lenient and said, ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll give you one night. Make up your mind, and I¡¯ll call you at 8:00 tomorrow morning. I won¡¯t wait until the deadline.¡±

    If Luo Jin reallymitted suicide after this, then the hat would be firmly on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head.

    Gu Nianzhi was furious when she heard this. She couldn¡¯t wait to p her in the face.

    It was such a big deal, but she had only been given one night to think about it, and she acted like she was being merciful.

    Did she really think she had heaven-defying abilities?!

    Wasn¡¯t this an obvious way to make her yield?

    But Gu Nianzhi was like a spring. The more you pressured her, the more damage you would suffer from her rebellion.

    So even though Cai Shengnan had only given her one night, Gu Nianzhi had no intention of giving up.

    She pretended to be flustered and said, ¡°How can one night be enough? You have to give me at least three days!¡±

    ¡°Three days? Haha, I¡¯m sorry, I said one night and that¡¯s final. When you were in a hurry to sue my client for intentional homicide, you didn¡¯t give us any leeway.¡± Cai Shengnan hung up the phone, then she also blocked Gu Nianzhi for the time being so that she wouldn¡¯t be able to harass her at night.

    She would just have to wait until eight o¡¯clock in the morning to release Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number and give her a call anyway.

    Luo Jin smiled at Cai Shengnan and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Lawyer Cai, you looked so cool just now!¡±

    ¡°You tter me. I was just doing my job as awyer, that¡¯s all.¡± Cai Shengnan pretended to be modest.

    She looked down at the stic-wrapped dress and asked curiously,¡±... is this true?¡±

    Luo Jin giggled. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s true, you should have taken it out and given it to Grandfather Huo. You could have just asked Huo to marry you.¡± Cai Shengnan shook her head. ¡°Even though I¡¯m yourwyer, I have to say that this is too risky. What if the other party is short-sighted and insists on going to court? What would you do?¡±

    Cai Shengnan had long felt that if this was true, no matter who had raped Luo Jin, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold back for 12 years and only take out this dress now.

    From Cai Shengnan¡¯s understanding, Luo Jin wasn¡¯t the type of person who wouldn¡¯t dare fight back after being bullied.

    Therefore, she was certain that the thing on this dress had nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng. As for whose it was, it had nothing to do with her. Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t want to ask.

    She also didn¡¯t want to embarrass herself by sending something that was obviously fake to the court.

    It was fine to scare Gu Nianzhi, but if she really brought the obviously fake thing to court, so what if Weibo¡¯s public opinion won?

    Luo Jin was the one to benefit, but Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t benefit at all. She might even be aughingstock in the legal world.

    Ordinary people didn¡¯t understand this sort of thing, but people in the legal world knew everything.

    Luo Jin supported herself with her hands and said nonchntly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. I won¡¯t be at a disadvantage even if I go to court. At most, I¡¯ll die, and they won¡¯t be able to have a good life.¡±

    Even Cai Shengnan felt she paled inparison to her ¡°fight-to-the-death¡± stance.

    Luo Jin looked down at the cappino in front of her and smiled coldly.

    She wanted to take everything away from her and send her to prison for the rest of her life?

    Haha, she was overthinking things.

    If she ended up being stripped of everything, penniless, and imprisoned for the rest of her life, what was the big deal about smearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name?

    Huo Shaoheng would only be scolded a few times, but she would have to pay for it for the rest of her life!

    What right did Gu Nianzhi have to sit back and enjoy the fruits of herbor?!

    ...

    After the call ended, Gu Nianzhi called Cai Shengnan a few more times, but couldn¡¯t get through.

    In the end, she had no choice but to follow the little app she had put in earlier to find Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone. She found out that she had indeed blocked her number.

    She wasn¡¯t giving her a way out. She was certain that she would give in at eight o¡¯clock tomorrow morning...

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and furrowed her brows. She typed quickly on herptop.

    Her heart was filled with anger.

    She wanted to y dirty, didn¡¯t she?

    Just because she didn¡¯t y dirty didn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t know how to!

    The app that had been installed in Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone in advance was actually a Trojan horse app. She had used the app to not only take control of Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone, but had also traced the address book in her phone to find her father, Cai Susumin¡¯s private number.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow.

    Cai Shengnan, it¡¯s time you had a taste of what it feels like to have the person you care about the most threatened...

    Gu Nianzhi controlled Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone and sent a text message with a Trojan horse app to her father, Cai Susumin¡¯s private number.

    It was about nine o¡¯clock in the morning in America, on the other side of the ocean.

    Cai Susumin held a cup of coffee in his hand and entered his office to get ready for the day¡¯s work.

    He heard his phone ring and took it out to take a look. It was a text message from his daughter, Cai Shengnan.

    There was nothing in the message except that she missed him very much.

    Cai Susumin shook his head andughed. His daughter had always been very independent and rarely acted like a needy child. He swiped open his phone and replied with a text message: Daddy misses you too.

    He put away his personal phone and picked up his work phone. He started to read emails, text messages, and private messages.

    Cai Susumin swiped open his phone and opened the text message to reply. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Trojan Horse app entered Cai Susumin¡¯s phone and quickly took control of his phone.

    Cai Susumin didn¡¯t look at his personal phone much during the day when he was working, so he gave Gu Nianzhi ample time to operate.

    Gu Nianzhi flipped through Cai Susumin¡¯s phone, and her eyes widened.

    She had actually found the contact information of the congressman, Mason.

    He was the congressman from Maine who had set up a private schrship at Columbia University in the United States and had only given it to the daughter of the prosecutor from the Procuratorate!

    Huo Shaoheng and the others had investigated many things before, but they hadn¡¯t been able to find any personal connection between Cai Susumin and Mason. There had been no trace of any financial transactions.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Cai Susumin¡¯s phone for a while, but was unable to find any connection between him and Mason beyond official business.

    Time ticked by, and soon it was eleven o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Xiao Ye came out of her room and went to the kitchen to get some water. She was a little surprised to see the lighting out from under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom door.

    She knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door. ¡°Miss Gu, are you still awake?¡±

    She had been saying that she was sleepy since eight o¡¯clock, but she was still awake at eleven o¡¯clock.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her voice in the bedroom. ¡°I have something to do. Xiao Ye, you can go to sleep first.¡±

    Xiao Ye saw that she was fine, so she didn¡¯t ask any more questions and went back to her bedroom to sleep.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. Her eyes were bright as she followed Cai Susumin¡¯s phone and hacked into representative Mason¡¯s private phone.

    These people had many phones, but their public phone numbers were like public ounts. Many of them weren¡¯t even managed by themselves.

    Only their private phone numbers were truly useful numbers.

    However, these private phone numbers usually weren¡¯t known by people besides close friends and family.

    So while the Special Operations Forces¡¯ field personnel were still trying to find evidence, Gu Nianzhi had already ¡°beat them to it¡±.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi realized that she had seen something incredible!

    She saw that there were a few electronic boarding passes in the trash can of Mason¡¯s phone that hadn¡¯t been deleted in time. The names of the nes disyed on them hadpletely shocked Gu Nianzhi.

    Lolita Express! (Lolita Express)

    The destination of the flight was the famous Orgy Ind in the Caribbean Sea!

    Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. What a pleasant surprise.

    Gu Nianzhi had an idea. She didn¡¯t waste any more time on Mason and Cai Susumin¡¯s phones. She directly found the special private flight nicknamed Lolita Express and searched for the passenger list in their flight records.

    It was indeed easier to search for the passenger list than it was for her to search through Cai Susumin and Mason¡¯s phone records.

    Unsurprisingly, she found the names of Mason and Cai Susumin in the passenger list of that private flight.

    After confirming that Mason and Cai Susumin had indeed taken the infamous flight to the even more infamous Orgy Ind, Gu Nianzhi returned to Mason¡¯s phone.

    This time, she had cracked the cloud ount and password on Mason¡¯s phone.

    After logging into the cloud ount, Gu Nianzhi looked at the unsightly photos and small videos, as well as the hard-to-find evidence of financial transactions, and smiled coldly.

 Chapter 1368 - Rescinded After Expiration

    <h4>Chapter 1368: Rescinded After Expiration</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi immediately encrypted all the information and sent it back to her encrypted email ount.

    Cai Susumin was even more cautious. Gu Nianzhi hacked into his cloud ount and found it empty. There was nothing inside.

    It seemed that Cai Susumin was indeed very careful and didn¡¯t believe in such advanced technology.

    However, it was useless no matter how careful he was. He had dimwitted teammates around him, such as the congressman named Mason.

    She couldn¡¯t find any evidence on Cai Susumin¡¯s side, but Mason was piling up mountains and filling up the sea.

    Gu Nianzhi then returned to Cai Shengnan¡¯s phone and erased all traces of her from the phone, especially the text messages that Cai Susumin had replied to her.

    She then logged into her encrypted email ount and looked at the photos and videos one by one. She quickly found photos of Mason and Cai Susumin, as well as photos of them with a young white girl, and a short R-rated video.

    Mason and the young white girl were the subjects of the video. Cai Susumin watched while chuckling and even took shots with with his phone.

    Judging from this shot, there should be a fourth person at the scene. That person had taken the entire video.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care who the fourth person was. She was only happy that she had found something on Cai Susumin.

    Wasn¡¯t Cai Susumin a famouswyer in the United States?

    He had once helped the former president win a tough battle and thwarted the efforts of the grand jury.

    If the American public were to see these photos, videos, and their senator¡¯s loathsome behavior, it would set off a political storm...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened. After she backed up the evidence, she first sent it to Cai Shengnan¡¯s email.

    It was already five in the morning by the time she finished sending the email.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t slept at all.

    She was so sleepy that she yawned and went to the bathroom to wash her face. She brushed her teeth again before falling headfirst into bed and into a deep slumber.

    ...

    Cai Shengnan had set her rm for seven in the morning.

    She nned to wake up early to enjoy Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pathetess as she cried and begged in front of her.

    Cai Shengnan sat up from the bed and the first thing she did was pick up her phone to read the news.

    She swiped open his phone and found Gu Nianzhi had sent her several messages.

    Cai Shengnan:¡±...¡±

    Didn¡¯t she cklist her?

    How could she still send her messages?

    Cai Shengnan was baffled. She quickly checked her cklist but didn¡¯t see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name.

    So her hand had slippedst night and she hadn¡¯t cklisted Gu Nianzhi?

    Cai Shengnan had just woken up and was still a little confused.

    She shook her head and opened the text message Gu Nianzhi had sent her.

    One photo after another appeared on her phone.

    Cai Shengnan rolled off the bed in shock.

    These photos... these photos..

    How did Gu Nianzhi get these photos?!

    It couldn¡¯t be real, it couldn¡¯t be!

    Were they photo-shopped?!

    Cai Shengnan was flustered. Her hands and feet were trembling, her entire body was trembling, and her lips were trembling so much that she couldn¡¯t speak properly.

    She mumbled to herself for a while before calling her father, Cai Susumin.

    When Cai Shengnan called, it was already seven in the morning, and it was seven in the evening on the east coast of the United States.

    Most people would have already gone home from work at this time.

    Cai Susumin often worked overtime. At this time, he only made a cup of coffee and continued to work.

    He heard his private phone ring again. He picked it up and looked at it. When he saw that it was Cai Shengnan calling, he quickly picked it up and said with a smile, ¡°Shengnan, what¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Cai Shengnan hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and said, ¡°Daddy, have you ever ridden Lolita Express and been to Orgy Ind?¡±

    Before Cai Susumin answered, he clearly froze for a moment before he denied it. ¡°Of course not. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    If it was someone else, they would probably believe Cai Susumin¡¯s words.

    But Cai Shengnan wasn¡¯t just anyone. She knew her father very well.

    Cai Susumin¡¯s obvious pause before he denied it made Cai Shengnan realize that these photos must not have been photo-shopped...

    It was easy to understand why Gu Nianzhi would use such a despicable method to trick her.

    After all, she had just used Huo Shaoheng to threaten her.

    Cai Shengnan was suddenly enlightened.

    So Gu Nianzhi was taking revenge on her!

    ¡°Shengnan, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Cai Susumin saw that Cai Shengnan had been silent for a long time, and remembered that she had asked about Lolita Express. He felt a little ufortable.

    He had taken the private ne and been to the ind, but he had followed Mason to see the world out of pure curiosity...

    Cai Shengnan snapped back to reality and said reluctantly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Daddy. I just miss you.¡±

    That was exactly the same as the text Gu Nianzhi had sent earlier.

    Cai Susumin didn¡¯t doubt it at all. He smiled and said, ¡°Daddy misses you too. I¡¯ll go back to apany you when I¡¯m done here.¡±

    Cai Shengnan nodded and exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up.

    Holding her cell phone, she sat alone on the carpet in front of her bed. She swiped through the photos and videos Gu Nianzhi had sent her, and was filled with contempt for Gu Nianzhi.

    She had to admit that her methods were too sinister and vicious.

    She didn¡¯t think her father had done anything wrong. Thag was his privacy. He had gone to the Caribbean Ind of Orgy Ind, which wasn¡¯t governed by thews of the United States. He hadn¡¯t done anything illegal.

    She hated the people who had used these photos to threaten him.

    But she also knew that no matter where Gu Nianzhi had gotten these photos, they were a fatal threat to them.

    This was unlike Luo Jin¡¯s false testimony. The things in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were solid evidence that could withstand the examination of aputer graphics expert.

    And these things were definitely real.

    Her father¡¯s attitude just now had exined everything.

    Her face pale, Cai Shengnan stood up with her hands on the bed.

    Her body trembling as she imagined the results of the photos and videos being published online, she looked ahead nkly. She was so upset that she almost vomited blood.

    She rushed into the bathroom and screamed at the mirror for a few minutes before she calmed herself down.

    There was nothing she could do. She had admitted defeat. She wasn¡¯t as vicious or treacherous as she was. She couldn¡¯t defeat Gu Nianzhi.

    Cai Shengnan had never expected Gu Nianzhi to be so much better at ying dirty than she was..

    When she thought back to how Gu Nianzhi had inexplicably overturned the tide on Weibo, Cai Shengnan finally realized that Gu Nianzhi had aputer expert on her team.

    At this point, she still didn¡¯t know that the realputer expert was Gu Nianzhi herself.

    She only thought that, just like how she had hired hacker Mike as a helper, Gu Nianzhi must have had her own hacker helper.

    Now that things hade to this, the only thing Cai Shengnan wanted to protect was her father¡¯s reputation.

    Luo Jin was no longer in Cai Shengnan¡¯s consideration.

    If these photos were exposed, not only would his father¡¯s reputation be tarnished, but hiswyer¡¯s license might also be revoked. That would be a huge joke.

    Her father definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to take such a blow..

    Cai Shengnan washed her face with cold water, changed her clothes, and called Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, slept soundly. She turned off her cell phone and couldn¡¯t hear Cai Shengnan¡¯s call at all.

    Cai Shengnan had no choice but to call her again and again. It wasn¡¯t until ten in the morning that Gu Nianzhi woke up to see the calls that started from seven in the morning.

    Shezily took out her phone from under her pillow, turned it on, and swiped it open.

    Almost a hundred missed calls popped up.

    They were all from Cai Shengnan.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips.

    Wasn¡¯t she extremely capable?

    And to think that she said the offer would be rescinded after expiration of time yet...

    Gu Nianzhi stretched and yawned before picking up the call. She said deliberately, ¡°Oh, I overslept. It¡¯s already past eight. I thought the offer would be rescinded after expiration of time.¡±

 Chapter 1369 - Turn Against

    <h4>Chapter 1369: Turn Against</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    That was exactly what Cai Shengnan had said to Gu Nianzhi earlier.

    Her mouth full of bitterness, Cai Shengnan felt like she was chewing on a piece of Coptis.

    However, the photos on her phone were still shing in front of her eyes. She didn¡¯t dare to show any dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Miss Gu, what do you want?¡± Cai Shengnan held the phone in one hand and rubbed her forehead with the other. ¡°I admit defeat. I quit. I¡¯ll no longer represent Luo Jin. Can you let me go now?¡±

    ¡°Let you go?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up from the bed and chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s not what you said yesterday.¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s face burned.

    It didn¡¯t feel good to be ckmailed, especially by someone she had once looked down on. It was a hundred times worse.

    But what could she do?

    She could only bow her head and admit defeat.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I apologize. I was wrong yesterday. I¡¯ve already said it, I¡¯m out...¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. Will you be able to solve this by quitting?¡± Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°How can it be so easy? Cai Shengnan, you¡¯ve really disappointed me.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want me to do?¡± Cai Shengnan stopped in front of the window and looked at the clear sky outside. The sun was too bright, so she used the back of her hand to block it.

    ¡°Do you still need me to teach you that?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice turned cold, ¡°Did Luo Jine up with this trick on her own, or was it suggested by someone else? I don¡¯t want to pursue it. I only want this matter to be resolved satisfactorily. If my people are even slightly involved, I won¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Cai Shengnan discerned the hidden meaning in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. Huo Shaoheng was to bepletely disassociated, and they weren¡¯t even allowed to mention his name. She knew how important Huo Shaoheng was to Gu Nianzhi.

    In order to protect her fianc¨¦, Gu Nianzhi was willing to take the risk and do the dirty work.

    Cai Shengnan said with an impassive expression, ¡°Then what guarantee do I have? I¡¯ll help you settle this, but what if you don¡¯t keep your promise?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll send you photos and videos using my own ount. If I don¡¯t keep my promise, you can just take this thing and sue me. I¡¯m also a person who cares about my reputation. I wouldn¡¯t be so stupid to take out something like this that was obtained through illegal means. I¡¯d kill a thousand enemies and injure myself eight hundred times over.¡±

    Cai Shengnan looked at her phone and came back to her senses.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hide the origin of these things at all. This was probably the condition of the exchange with her.

    Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t believe in swearing, but she believed in this kind of evidence that could be used as evidence in court.

    Gu Nianzhi used her phone to send over the photos that she had obtained through improper means to threaten Cai Shengnan. If Cai Shengnan wanted to sue, she could do so.

    Of course, Cai Shengnan wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to really go to court to sue Gu Nianzhi.

    As long as Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t release the photos and videos, Cai Shengnan had no need for ¡°mutual destruction¡± with her.

    Therefore, the two of them had reached apromise and bnce in this matter.

    Neither of them was afraid that the other would really spill the beans.

    Because that would be have a fight-to-the-death ending.

    This wasn¡¯t what they wanted.

    Cai Shengnan was relieved. She thought about it and said, ¡°The thing on that dress doesn¡¯t belong to Major General Huo. Luo Jin has admitted it herself. If you want to do a DNA test, you would win.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that.¡± Gu Nianzhi flicked her fingernails with a thud. She said nonchntly, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t avoid the obvious. I don¡¯t need to teach you how to do it.¡±

    Cai Shengnan had been hoping to get away with it, but now it was all gone.

    She nodded. ¡°I understand. After this case is over, I¡¯ll go back to the states and nevere back.¡±

    There were too many capable people in the Huaxia Empire. It would be better for her to return to the states and spend the rest of her life there.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do, but we have to put an end to this whole thing with Luo Jin.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see any more innocent people involved in this matter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something,¡± Cai Shengnan said meaningfully. ¡°Luo Jin¡¯s ¡®hero pool¡¯ is very deep. I can¡¯t find out which man the thing on her dress belongs to for the time being.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s ¡®hero pool¡¯ is very deep?

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment before she realized what was going on. Her face turned red instantly.

    Cai Shengnan was indeed a greatwyer from the United States. She had a unique way of speaking.

    ..

    After ending the call with Gu Nianzhi, Cai Shengnan was alone in the study while trying to figure out how to solve the problem.

    Luo Jin had be too obsessed, and had almost dragged her down.

    The anger that Cai Shengnan had umted with Gu Nianzhi was all directed at Luo Jin.

    As Luo Jin¡¯swyer, it was too easy for Cai Shengnan to mess with her.

    She called Luo Jin first and asked her toe to her vi in Yu Shan to discuss the new evidence that would be handed over to the court today.

    Luo Jin drove over happily.

    When she arrived at Cai Shengnan¡¯s study, she saw Cai Shengnan sitting behind her desk with a serious expression on her face.

    She sat down in front of her with a smile and said, ¡°Lawyer Cai, why do you look like that? Who owes you money?¡±

    Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t smile. She ced the half-length, stic-wrapped skirt that was used as evidence on the desk and said, ¡°Miss Luo, let me ask you one more time. Does the thing on this skirt really belong to the fianc¨¦ of the prosecution¡¯swyer, Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Luo Jin raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

    ¡°... the evidence submitted to the court can not only state your usation, but also have logical proof. For example, the semen stains on this skirt. If you say it belongs to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦, then you have to produce a DNA proof. Otherwise, the court won¡¯t ept it.¡±

    Why did that sound different from what she said yesterday?

    Luo Jin mumbled to herself and frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to create a buzz on Weibo? Why are we doing a DNA test?¡±

    ¡°... But if you don¡¯t hand it over to the court, how will the court start another trial?¡± Cai Shengnan rapped her fingers on the desk. ¡°If there¡¯s no new evidence, the court won¡¯t try it again. Then the verdict will be based on the results of the previous trial. Do you really want to go to jail?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Luo Jin shook her head quickly and said anxiously, ¡°Lawyer Cai, you have to help me. You said yesterday...¡±

    ¡°I was negotiating with the prosecution¡¯swyer yesterday, so of course I have to be realistic. But if I really want to go to court, I can¡¯t just y games.¡± Cai Shengnan threatened Luo Jin with half-truths.

    Actually, she could just hand over the dress as evidence and let the prosecution¡¯swyer prove that the dress had nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng.

    Unfortunately, if she did that, Huo Shaoheng would be pushed into the limelight. This was exactly what Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to see happen.

    She would definitely fall out with her, and Cai Shengnan¡¯s father¡¯s reputation and career would be ruined.

    Therefore, Cai Shengnan had already changed her mind.

    ¡°Tell me the truth. Whose semen is this on the dress?¡± Cai Shengnan pretended to be interested and confided in Luo Jin.

    Luo Jin stammered for a long time and said,¡±... We really can¡¯t hand it over to the court directly? How about we report it to the court with our real names on Weibo first?¡±

    Cai Shengnan couldn¡¯t help but twitch her eyebrows.

    That move was really vicious.

    Many people would immediately believe it when they saw the ¡°real name report¡±...

    ¡°Real name report? How do you n to report it with your real name? Your Weibo ount?¡± Cai Shengnan said calmly, ¡°Show me your Weibo ount.¡±

    Luo Jin looked ufortable and said with an embarrassed smile, ¡°Doesn¡¯twyer Cai have a Weibo ount? Wouldn¡¯t it be more convincing if I used your Weibo ount?¡±

    What the F * ck!

    Cai Shengnan was about to die from anger.

    She actually wanted to swindle her?

    She looked at herputer with an impassive expression and adjusted the camera, then calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t use my Weibo ount, but as yourwyer, I have the right to know what¡¯s going on with that dress of yours. Whose is it? Also, I¡¯ve looked into the matter that you mentioned back then, and there are some discrepancies in some of the details.¡±

    Luo Jin was impatient. She scoffed and said, ¡°I already said it¡¯s not Major General Huo¡¯s, so why are you still asking? It turns out that I was wrong aboutwyer Cai. Awyer who came back from the United States only has so much courage!¡±

    ¡°Since you know it¡¯s not Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, why are you still using my Weibo ount to falsely use him to create a scandal?¡± Cai Shengnan recorded what she wanted and immediately turned hostile. ¡°Luo Jin, who would swindle theirwyer like that?¡±

    Luo Jin was slightly startled. ¡°Lawyer Cai, what are you talking about? I gave you an advance payment of six million US dors!¡±

    Cai Shengnan stood up in a sh and said with a sullen expression on her face. ¡°You can¡¯t humiliate my professionalism and professional ethics! My professionalism and professional ethics are priceless!¡±

    Luo Jin also stood up and said nkly, ¡°Lawyer Cai, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    Cai Shengnan looked up at Luo Jin and calmed down, ¡°Miss Luo, in view of what you said just now, I can no longer act as yourwyer. I will transfer the bnce of your advance, after deducting the actualwyer fees, back to your bank ount. I advise you not to break thew. Falsely using others in a criminal case is a felony. That¡¯s all I have to say. I hope you can go back to the right path.¡±

    After Cai Shengnan finished speaking righteously, she pressed the stop button on the camera, then, she looked up at the dumbfounded Luo Jin and said, ¡°I¡¯ve recorded everything you just said. If you still want to use that trick, I¡¯ll send the video to the relevant people.¡±

    Only then did Luo Jin realize that she had been tricked by Cai Shengnan, and she immediately lost her temper.

    ¡°Cai Shengnan! You¡¯ve gone too far! You actually set me up! I¡¯m going to file aint!¡± Luo Jin pounced over and snatched the stic-sealed skirt.

    However, as she tried to snatch it, the skirt fell out from the translucent stic seal. Turns out that Cai Shengnan had already cut a hole in it.

    And on Cai Shengnan¡¯s desk, an inkstone filled with freshly ground ink had unknowingly appeared.

    The skirt fell right on top of the Inkstone.

    The red skirt with white flowers was immediately stained withrge amounts of ink.

    Luo Jin¡¯s hands were also stained with ink. It was wet, ck, and sticky.

    She subconsciously rubbed her hands against the skirt, and the entire skirt was instantly smudged beyond recognition.

    Looking at the skirt again, she saw that even if there were semen stains, it was still so dirty that it was hard to believe that this was ¡°evidence of a crime¡±.

    Was she going to convince others that someone had a ¡°fetish¡± for sitting on ink while having sex?

    The entire evidence became extremelyical and ridiculous.

    Luo Jin was so angry that her eyes grew red.

    Cai Shengnan was cutting her off!

    Originally, it wouldn¡¯t have been difficult for her to get another dress even after it got dirty.

    However, that video just now had cut off her off.

    Even if she got another hundred dresses, that video would be enough to prove that she was faking it!

    Luo Jin couldn¡¯t help it any longer. She stretched out her hand and pped Cai Shengnan across the face.

    Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t dodge at all. She held her phone and turned on the video camera while allowing Luo Jin to beat her until her face was blue and purple. In the end, she ¡°lost her bnce¡±and fell headfirst into the corner of the desk, knocking her head and making it bleed.

    Luo Jin couldn¡¯t control her anger. After beating Cai Shengnan fiercely, she finally felt relieved. Pointing at Cai Shengnan, who was rolling on the ground with her head in her hands, she said, ¡°If you don¡¯t ept thewsuit, someone else will!¡± As she said that, she took the skirt stained with ink and left angrily.

    Cai Shengnan raised her head from the ground and looked at Luo Jin¡¯s back contemptuously. Then she took out her phone and called the police.

    ¡°Is this 110? I was beaten up by my client just now. I can¡¯t move now. Please rescue me!¡±

 Chapter 1370 - Personal Gain Under The Guise Of Public Welfare

    <h4>Chapter 1370: Personal Gain Under The Guise Of Public Welfare</h4>

    At this time, Luo Jin was driving on the highway and on her way home.

    A few police cars with shing lights caught up from behind and forced her car to stop by the side of the road.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We weren¡¯t speeding, were we?¡± Luo Jin was baffled. She asked the driver in front of her, who said that it was indeed within the speed limit.

    A policeman knocked on the window and showed her his ID. He motioned for her to get out of the car and asked, ¡°Ms. Luo Jin?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. What¡¯s your name? Which police district are you from? I wasn¡¯t speeding. Why did you stop my car? I want to file aint!¡±

    The policeman shook his head helplessly and said, ¡°Ms. Luo Jin, we just received a report that you were suspected of being involved in a personal injury case. Please go back and assist us in the investigation.¡±

    ¡°What?! You have the wrong person, right? How can I be rted to a personal injury case?!¡± Luo Jin was furious. Just as she was about to say, ¡°I want to find mywyer¡±, she suddenly thought of Cai Shengnan...

    Just now, she was so angry that she did give Cai Shengnan a beating.

    In fact, at first, she just wanted to p her, but Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t fight back, so she became more and more excited.

    She thought Cai Shengnan thought she was in the wrong, so she let her hit and scold him...

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes flickered, and she suddenly asked, ¡°Who called the police? I have the right to know who falsely used me!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether you were falsely used or not. The one who called the police was yourwyer, Cai Shengnan. She has gone to the hospital to have her injuries examined. You should go back with us first to take a statement.¡±

    ¡°It was really her?! You don¡¯t know, she...¡±

    Luo Jin suddenly couldn¡¯t continue. How was she going to tell the police?

    Because she forced Cai Shengnan to use false evidence to frame others, Cai Shengnan rejected her, so she was so embarrassed that she got angry and beat her up?

    But then again, Cai Shengnan didn¡¯t seem like a person who would sacrifice herself for justice?

    Luo Jin¡¯s face was stiff. She finally understood that she had been conned by Cai Shengnan...

    ¡°Wait a minute, I want to call mywyer.¡± Luo Jin took out her phone.

    The police officer next to her said gently, ¡°Yourwyer? Didn¡¯t you just put yourwyer in the hospital?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already fired her. I have a newwyer.¡± As Luo Jin spoke, she found a name in her phone and immediately dialed it.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin? Can youe over? I need awyer right now. Yes, I¡¯m Luo Jin. Advance payment? Sure, no problem, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you right away.¡± Luo Jin didn¡¯t say anything else, and she transferred 100,000 advance payment to Jin Wanyi¡¯swyer bank ount.

    Compared to Cai Shengnan, Jin Wanyi could really be considered as someone who had a conscience.

    After receiving the money, the contract was established.

    The formal agency contract could be signedter.

    Jin Wanyi immediately drove to the police station that Luo Jin mentioned.

    At this time, Luo Jin had already been brought to the police station.

    She refused to speak and kept waiting for herwyer.

    When Jin Wanyi came in, she saw Luo Jin with a pale face and huddled in a hard wooden chair in the corner.

    Jin Wanyi had met Luo Jin once before. She knew that her name was Huo Jin, but she didn¡¯t know why she suddenly changed her name to Luo Jin.

    ¡°Miss Luo, what can I do for you?¡±Jin Wanyi sat next to Luo Jin with a smile on her face.

    Luo Jin told her the entire story and finally stressed with a bitter expression on her face, ¡°I was just angry. She suddenly let go and didn¡¯t want to be mywyer anymore. I was so angry... I pped her twice, but she actually called the police...¡±

    Jin Wanyi was very familiar with the name Cai Shengnan.

    When she found out that Luo Jin actually hit Cai Shengnan, Jin Wanyi¡¯s face immediately changed.

    It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t defend Luo Jin, but that Luo Jin hit awyer, which offended almost all thewyers.

    Also, Cai Shengnan was highly esteemed and was very good at socializing. She was quite popr among the bigw firms in Imperial City.

    Her father was also an important figure in the American legal world.

    Even though she was someone with such an identity, status, and profession, Luo Jin still dared to hit her. Not only did she dare to hit her, but she also acted nonchnt about it after the fight. That was really too mean.

    Jin Wanyi got an idea and said, ¡°Miss Luo, don¡¯t be agitated. I¡¯ll callwyer Cai and ask what happened.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was now a famouswyer. She was no longer the rookiewyer with a strong sense of justice.

    She had learned to be cautious,promise, and see through appearances.

    She asked for Cai Shengnan¡¯s number from Luo Jin. She walked to a corner of the room and started to call Cai Shengnan.

    The phone rang several times before Cai Shengnan picked it up.

    It was an unfamiliar number.

    Cai Shengnan asked weakly, ¡°May I know who¡¯s calling?¡±

    Jin Wanyi paused and said with a smile, ¡°Are youwyer Cai Shengnan? I¡¯m Jin Wanyi, also awyer. Miss Luo Jin wants me to be herwyer. I¡¯d like to take the liberty to ask, how is your injury?¡±

    Cai Shengnan¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°I¡¯ve just had my injury checked, and it¡¯s already within the scope of light injuries stipted in the criminalw. If that¡¯s what you want to know.¡±

    The requirements for light injuries stipted in the criminalw were actually very strict. The bruises and swelling caused by ordinary beatings actually weren¡¯t considered light injuries.

    There were strict legal standards for the identification of light injuries.

    ¡°Huh?! It¡¯s really that serious?!¡±Jin Wanyi was stunned. ¡°It was... it was all done by Miss Luo?¡±

    Cai Shengnan replied affirmatively and sent the video of Luo Jin beating her to Jin Wanyi. She then scanned the doctor¡¯s examination report for her.

    Jin Wanyi immediately saw the doctor¡¯s report.

    ¡°... the cumtive length of the blunt-force wound on the scalp is six centimeters.¡±

    This was the injury that Cai Shengnan had caused when she was pushed by Luo Jin on the corner of the desk.

    Just based on this, the minor injuries stipted in the criminalw were quite serious.

    The video of the beating, the soctor¡¯s report, and the status of Cai Shengnan and her father, Cai Susumin, in the legal world determined that Luo Jin wouldn¡¯t be able to find any decent person to represent her.

    Jin Wanyi immediately refunded the 100,000 advance to Luo Jin and said, ¡°Miss Luo, I can¡¯t defend your case. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±

    Not only Jin Wanyi, but even the topwyers in the capital¡¯s legal world avoided her.

    Luo Jin stayed at the police station for an entire day and made countless phone calls, but she couldn¡¯t find anyone who was willing to represent her.

    Even if she offered a high price, no one was willing to stand up for her.

    She didn¡¯t know that during this day, the video of her hitting herwyer had already spread all over the inte.

    Lawyers all over the country were filled with indignation and came out one after another to dere that they would never defend this scum who beat up herwyer!

    In this way, even some people who were tempted by such a highwyer fee didn¡¯t dare to ept this case.

    Luo Jin had no choice but to defend herself.

    However, her words were full of mistakes in front of those well-trained police officers, and she didn¡¯t dare to tell them the real reason for hitting Cai Shengnan. Therefore, the procuratorate on this side quickly filed another case, charging her with intentional bodily harm.

    At this time, the Procuratorate found that Luo Jin already had a case, which was the charge of intentional homicide against Song Jinning. It was charged by another Procuratorate and she had already been tried in court once.

    This was another casemitted during the trial. It was obvious that this criminal suspect had a criminal record of intentional injury.

    The court that tried Song Jinning¡¯s case didn¡¯t receive any new evidence within the stipted time. They only knew that she had hit herwyer again, so they didn¡¯t n to wait any longer. They had already decided on a first-instance verdict.

    Luo Jin had been locked up in the detention center for 48 hours. After paying a sum of bail, she could finally go home.

    She didn¡¯t know how she had gotten to this point.

    Sitting in the car, she covered her face with her hands and cried. She was in a state of panic.

    Was she going to lose everything?

    Not only was she going to lose her huge fortune, but also her personal freedom?!

    Why were these people unwilling to let her go?

    She was like Gu Nianzhi, an orphan without parents. Why would Huo Shaoheng rather have Gu Nianzhi than her?!

    At least she still had the huge trust fund left behind by Huo Guanyuan. Although it wasn¡¯t more than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wealth, who wouldin about having more money?

    Luo Jin felt that the whole world had let her down.

    In her despair, she picked up her phone and desperately called the strange number Aiko Yamaguchi had left behind. She texted her and told her what had happened to her. She told her that she was almost cornered and that Gu Nianzhi was going to be engaged to Huo Shaoheng...

    Luo Jin had actually thought of this number as a tree hole.

    All the unspeakable things that she couldn¡¯t say in front of others were poured out towardsthat number.

    She finally felt better after a bout of hysteria.

    She got out of the car with a poker face when she arrived at the West Mountain Vi and returned to her home.

    The first thing she did when she got home was to take a shower and change her clothes.

    When she came out of the bathroom, Luo Jin habitually picked up her phone to take a look. Suddenly, her breathing stopped.

    The four-digit number that she had been unable to reach had actually replied to her text message!

    She quickly swiped open her phone and entered the text message to read it carefully.

    Aiko Yamaguchi had indeed not left her in the lurch!

    The first text message: [ Gu Nianzhi has been searching for her father, Gu Xiangwen. ]

    The second text message: [ I¡¯ll tell you where Gu Xiangwen is. You can use this information to exchange for her freedom from prosecution. ]

    The third text message: [ This is the only way to make them see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s true colors clearly. ]

 Chapter 1371 - Exceptional Functioning

    <h4>Chapter 1371: Exceptional Functioning</h4>

    After the third message, there was a screenshot of a shared location. It was probably Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts.

    Luo Jin¡¯s enthusiasm instantly cooled down when she saw the three messages.

    Was this really possible?!

    She really didn¡¯t believe it...

    If someone had told her the whereabouts of her biological father on the condition that she give up her inheritance, she would have given them a few ps and told them to get as far away from her as possible.

    Simrly, Gu Nianzhi hated her so much so would she give up the chance to get rid of her greatest love rival for the sake of the whereabouts of a father she had never met?

    Luo Jin thought about it for a long time and finally replied to the number with a text message: [ Is that really okay? ]

    However, the other party didn¡¯t reply.

    Luo Jin waited until nightfall. She had no other choice but to try calling Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone number.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Luo Jin¡¯s number on her phone. She didn¡¯t want to answer it, so she hung up and cklisted her number.

    When Luo Jin tried calling Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number again, the line would always be busy.

    She understood that Gu Nianzhi had cklisted her number.

    Although she didn¡¯t think that she could use Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father¡¯s whereabouts in exchange for her personal freedom, she couldn¡¯t even find awyer at this point, so she could only use it as ast resort.

    What if Gu Nianzhi was an idiot and agreed?

    She would have nothing to lose.

    Luo Jin walked out of her room and borrowed her helper¡¯s phone. She called Gu Nianzhi again.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that it was an unfamiliar number, so she swiped it open and connected. It was still Luo Jin.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, there¡¯s something I want to talk to you about. Are you free? Do you want toe to west mountain deer head restaurant for a meal and talk?¡± Luo Jin suppressed her anger and asked apologetically and obsequiously.

    Gu Nianzhi turned on the recording function and said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s talk in court. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything between us that we need to talk about in private.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, don¡¯t speak so harshly. If you speak too harshly, you¡¯ll be pped in the face,¡± Luo Jin said meaningfully, and without waiting for Gu Nianzhi to object, she immediately added, ¡°I heard thatwyer Gu has been looking for her biological father, Gu Xiangwen, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi :¡±...¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s silence.

    Could it be possible?

    Was Gu Nianzhi really that stupid?

    She felt more confident and smiled. Her voice softened. ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you really not want to know about your father? Actually, I¡¯m very sorry about what happened back then. I can apologize to Ms. Song. She¡¯s fine now, so why are you still so stubborn? You want to please mother-inw? If you have the time, you might as well please my second uncle...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts raced, and her brows furrowed slightly.

    Why would Luo Jin suddenly say that she knew the whereabouts of her father, Gu Xiangwen?

    This was too sudden...

    Had someone been giving her advice from behind?

    It wasn¡¯t that Luo Jin wasn¡¯t smart enough to figure this out. It was just that the whereabouts of her father, Gu Xiangwen, was only known by a certain number of people at the moment.

    Luo Jin dared toe to her for a deal. Had someone found Luo Jin?

    Gu Nianzhi remained calm. She nned to hack into Luo Jin¡¯s phone to see who she had talked to.

    But to her surprise, Luo Jin¡¯s phone seemed to have suddenly gained exceptional functioning, and she couldn¡¯t get in!

    Her little app was blocked by Luo Jin¡¯s phone from the system, and she couldn¡¯t receive the other party¡¯s signal at all...

    That was interesting.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in front of her desk and rested her chin on her hand. After a while, she said, ¡°Miss Luo, I don¡¯t think you know where my father is. Given your habit of lying, I have no reason to believe you. Goodbye.¡±

    She was about to hang up the phone.

    Luo Jin panicked. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t hang up! I¡¯m telling you, I do have news of him. As long as you agree...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tapped her fingers lightly and hung up on Luo Jin. She then blocked her number because she didn¡¯t want her to continue harassing her.

    Luo Jin flew into a fit of rage. She returned to her room and sent a long text message to the number. The main reason was toin that the other party was unreliable. Who would agree to such a condition? If it were her, she wouldn¡¯t agree either.

    She didn¡¯t know if the person behind the number was also angry with her. She hadn¡¯t wanted to talk to her at first, but after reading her long text message, she actually replied to her message.

    [ if Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t agree, you can find someone else, like Song Jinning. ]

    The person then attached a draft of an academic paper to the text message. She said: [ Give this to Song Jinning as well. She will contact you.]

    Luo Jin understood that she was asking her to negotiate with Song Jinning directly.

    But would Song Jinning agree to it?

    After much thought, she felt that Song Jinning should be easier to talk to than Gu Nianzhi.

    She remembered that Song Jinning had always been kind and forgiving.

    Luo Jin thought about it for a while and tried to send half of the draft of the academic paper to Song Jinning.

    Five minutester, Song Jinning called.

    ¡°Luo Jin? You sent me the draft of the academic paper?¡± Song Jinning asked in confusion, ¡°Where did you get this paper? What do you mean?¡±

    It was a set of data, the same category as the experiment that Song Jinning was simting with aputer.

    Although it wasn¡¯t exactly the same, it had a strong reference value.

    However, Song Jinning disdained ¡°giarizing¡± other people¡¯s data.

    If it was a publicly published paper, it was fine to refer to it, as long as the source was cited.

    But this was obviously a draft, and not publicly published.

    So as soon as she saw this draft paper, Song Jinning immediately called to ask about it.

    Luo Jinughed. ¡°Second aunt, do you think it¡¯s useful?¡±

    Song Jinning frowned impatiently. ¡°Luo Jin, it¡¯s against thew to giarize the results of other people¡¯s experiments. Don¡¯t break thew yourself and drag others down with you. I¡¯ve already deleted the draft of your paper, so don¡¯t y any more dirty tricks.¡±

    Luo Jin was almost at a loss for words.

    Just as Song Jinning was about to hang up, Luo Jin quickly added, ¡°Even if you¡¯re not interested in the paper, are you not interested in the whereabouts of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father?!¡±

    Song Jinning froze for a moment. ¡°The whereabouts of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father? You mean the great physicist Gu Xiangwen?! You know where he is? This draft is his?!¡±

    It sounded like Song Jinning was more interested in the whereabouts of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father than Gu Nianzhi herself was...

    Thinking that it was actually useful, Luo Jin pursed her lips.

    She calmed herself down, then said calmly, ¡°Of course I know. I can tell you, but I have one condition. You tell her to drop the charges against me, and I¡¯ll tell you. Think carefully. Don¡¯t drag this out on purpose. Think about it. If you miss it, you¡¯ll regret it for the rest of your life. Gu Nianzhi refused to agree to my conditions in order to please you. But do you have the heart to watch them, father and daughter, stay separated?¡±

    Luo Jin knew nothing about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s situation.

    This was highly confidential information in the Special Operations Forces.

    She had only said these things to trick the other party.

    Song Jinning knew she was bluffing, but she didn¡¯t agree rashly, nor did she reject her outright like Gu Nianzhi had. She only said, ¡°I need to think about it. I don¡¯t know anything about thew. Give me two days, and I¡¯ll give you an answer.¡±

    Luo Jin saw that it was really going to work. She chuckled. ¡°One day. I¡¯ll give you one day at most.¡±

    Song Jinning hung up and immediately called Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was listening to the reports from the surveince team.

    They had been monitoring Luo Jin¡¯s phone. They had just heard her talking to Song Jinning on the phone about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts.

    They didn¡¯t monitor the phone call Luo Jin had made to Gu Nianzhi from someone else¡¯s cell phone.

    They hadn¡¯t been rmed until Luo Jin had called Song Jinning again from her own phone.

 Chapter 1372 - You Might Not Feel Pity But I Do

    <h4>Chapter 1372: You Might Not Feel Pity But I Do</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the name on his phone and realized it was his mother.

    The call they had overheard just now happened to be from Luo Jin to Song Jinning.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer Song Jinning¡¯s call. Instead, he listened to the report from the eavesdropper and sent Song Jinning a text message asking her the reason of her call.

    Song Jinning understood that Huo Shaoheng must be busy at this time, so she quickly replied with a text asking him to call her after he was done.

    Huo Shaoheng agreed and turned his attention back to the wiretap¡¯s report.

    ¡°... Chief, that¡¯s what happened. Luo Jin ims that she knows Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts. She wants to use this as a condition to exchange conditions with Ms. Song and get her to drop the charges against her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face had an impassive expression. He nodded lightly. ¡°Got it. Keep Listening.¡±

    After the surveince staff left, Huo Shaoheng called song jinning back.

    Song Jinning¡¯s phone was in the middle of a call.

    ..

    Because Song Jinning couldn¡¯t help calling Gu Nianzhi again while she was waiting for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call.

    ¡°Nianzhi, Luo Jin called me just now and said...¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this, she quickly said, ¡°Luo Jin? Did she say she wanted to negotiate with us and use my father¡¯s whereabouts in exchange for dropping the charges?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? How did you know?¡±Song Jinning was puzzled. ¡°Could it be... ?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she called me first and said she knew my father¡¯s whereabouts. She used that as a condition to ckmail us. Of course I objected. People like her cannot be trusted with their words. Who knows if it¡¯s true or not? I don¡¯t have that much time to argue with her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already rejected Luo Jin¡¯s proposal.

    Song Jinning was touched and sad at the same time. She whispered, ¡°Nianzhi, actually, it¡¯s not impossible...¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Song, please don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s really none of your business. Whether she knows where my father is or not doesn¡¯t affect our usations. I said I want her to go to jail, so I want her to go to jail.¡± Gu Nianzhi was adamant.

    However, Song Jinning was a scientist. She was used to imagining all sorts of possibilities and then verifying them step by step.

    Just like what Luo Jin had said, it might be a lie, but it could also be true.

    They couldn¡¯t arbitrarily eliminate all of them before they could fully verify them.

    Therefore, she said, ¡°What if she really knows? If your father is somewhere waiting for us to rescue him, every day we dy here will mean another day of torture for him. Do you have the heart to do that?¡±

    Trying to suppress her churning thoughts, Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time. She tried to be rational and said,¡±... logically speaking, Luo Jin doesN¡¯t have the conditions to know where my father is.¡±

    ¡°But as you said, if she didn¡¯t just say that, and if she really does know, then there¡¯s only one possibility ¡ª that the mastermind has found her and sent us a message through her.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then the whole situation has changed. We can¡¯t ept her conditions, because that means if we agree to her conditions, we¡¯ll fall into the hands of the mastermind.¡±

    Song Jinning could hear Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice breaking as she spoke.

    The girl¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness...

    Song Jinning could see clearly that Gu Nianzhi was desperate for family ties, and she was willing to fulfill her wish.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re right. We have to see things in the long term. But as long as there¡¯s a chance, we can¡¯t give up.¡± Song Jinning consoled her, and then saw another call on her phone.

    She quickly said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I still have something to do. I¡¯ll get Shaoheng outter and we can discuss it together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Okay, Ms. Song, you can go now.¡±

    She hung up and continued to work on cracking Luo Jin¡¯s phone.

    She didn¡¯t believe that she couldn¡¯t crack the security system on Luo Jin¡¯s phone by herself.

    ..

    Song Jinning answered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call. She said, ¡°Shaoheng, let me tell you something. Luo Jin called me just now and said a lot of strange things. By the way, she also sent me a draft of half an academic paper. It¡¯s very simr to the experiment we¡¯re doing now. It can be said to be in the same category. But I¡¯ve already deleted the paper because it¡¯s not publicly published.¡±

    Huo shaoheng rubbed his temples and said somewhat helplessly,¡±... you didn¡¯t have to read it yourself, but you could have forwarded it to me. Why would you delete it?¡±

    Those were all clues. How could she delete it just like that?

    Song Jinning said self-righteously, ¡°Those data weren¡¯t publicly published. How could anyone see it? What if someone giarizes it and publishes it in a magazine ahead of time? What do you want the original author to do?¡±

    Song Jinning was very stubborn when it came to academic issues.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t continue to argue and just listened quietly. Song jinning pleaded softly, ¡°Shaoheng, if Luo Jin really knows where Nianzhi¡¯s father is, I¡¯m thinking, why don¡¯t we agree to it for now?¡±

    ¡°I never negotiate with people.¡± Huo Shaoheng held a cigarette in his hand and shook off a bit of ash from the ashtray on the table. He quietly refuted Song Jinning¡¯s suggestion.

    Song Jinning sighed. ¡°I understand what you mean. The nature of your work dictates that you can¡¯t do this. But I just want you to think about it from Nianzhi¡¯s perspective. You know better than I do how much she yearns for family and her parents.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying my best to find him.¡± Huo Shaoheng was unmoved. He took a drag on his cigarette. ¡°You can¡¯t trust Luo Jin. Don¡¯t be fooled by her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just pitying Nianzhi...¡± Song Jinning was rarely this emotional. She had been provoked today and was actually moved by what she had said. ¡°She really only has you in her heart. She would do anything for you. Why can¡¯t you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was calm andposed. His eyes were hidden in the rising white smoke. He interrupted Song Jinning unhurriedly. ¡°Ms. Song, you can¡¯t sacrifice moral ethics to make a deal. I have something to attend to, so I¡¯ll hang up now.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Shaoheng, if you weren¡¯t my biological son, I would have persuaded Nianzhi to fall in love with someone else. You¡¯re really heartless. Can¡¯t you make a little concession for her?¡± Song Jinning didn¡¯t know why, but she felt very apologetic towards Gu Nianzhi.

    It wasn¡¯t because shepletely believed Luo Jin¡¯s words, but because she was a little hurt by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude.

    There was obviously a great clue in front of her, but Huo Shaoheng was not willing topromise.

    Song Jinning, as the person involved, was thinking that if Luo Jin really knew the whereabouts of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen, then she would be willing to drop the charges.

    Of course, that was only if Luo Jin didn¡¯t lie. She really knew the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen, no matter how she found out.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even try to be polite. He didn¡¯t even try to verify it in secret. He simply said, ¡°I won¡¯t negotiate with anyone¡± andpletely killed the idea.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and said, ¡°This is veryplicated. Please don¡¯t tell Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Do you need me to tell her?¡± Song Jinning was furious. ¡°Nianzhi already knows. Before Luo Jin called me, she called Nianzhi first. I talked to Nianzhi for a while just now, and the little girl was about to cry. She even said she couldn¡¯tpromise... seriously, look, if you don¡¯t feel sorry for me, I¡¯ll feel sorry for you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly startled. ¡°Nianzhi already knew? Luo Jin called Nianzhi before she called you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I advise you to be careful with your words. Don¡¯t reject her right in front of Nianzhi. Don¡¯t break her heart. She didn¡¯t agree to it to show her attitude. If you don¡¯t care about her father¡¯s whereabouts, the little girl will be heartbroken.¡±

    Song jinning nagged for a while, then saw that the run program on theputer was about to end. She didn¡¯t want say anything further. ¡°I still have things to do here, so I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi isn¡¯t such a petty person.¡± Huo Shaoheng retorted unhappily, only to find that Song Jinning had already hung up.

    He got up and went straight to the listening room. He asked the staff on duty, ¡°Show me today¡¯s listening logs.¡±

    The staff on duty quickly printed out the surveince log and sent it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng flipped through it quickly and found that Luo Jin had indeed called Gu Nianzhi many times, but she hadn¡¯t been able to get through.

    It looked like Gu Nianzhi had blocked Luo Jin¡¯s phone.

    Then Luo Jin had used someone else¡¯s phone to call Gu Nianzhi.

    So they hadn¡¯t been able to eavesdrop on everything.

    This was a reasonable loophole in their surveince work.

    This was because they couldn¡¯t eavesdrop on all the citizens¡¯ phones unconditionally.

    Every time they eavesdropped, there were strict procedures. They could only do so after they reported it to the higher-ups for approval.

    Otherwise, it would be like the Snowden incident in the United States and cause an international scandal.

    Huo Shaoheng left the eavesdropping room and returned to the central control room on the sixth floor of the building. He asked the staff there, ¡°Can you still crack Luo Jin¡¯s phone?¡±

    They had previously installed a Trojan program on Luo Jin¡¯s phone. Theoretically, they could check her phone¡¯s condition at any time.

    However, after Huo Shaoheng¡¯s questioning this time, they discovered that Luo Jin¡¯s phone had used some sort of security program. Their Trojans had all been deleted..

    ¡°Chief, we¡¯re trying to crack it.¡± A staff member turned around awkwardly. ¡°Luo Jin deleted the Trojan.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. ¡°Then you guys take your time cracking it. I¡¯ll wait for your news.¡±

    The staff member in the central control room blushed at his taunting. Venting his anger on the keyboard, he turned around and tapped on it loudly.

    ...

    Coming up from the underground central control room, Huo Shaoheng smoked another cigarette outside before calling Fan Jian to send him to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment at the Sanhuan Road.

    On the way, Huo Shaoheng called Xiao Ye first.

    ¡°Major General Huo, what can I do for you?¡± Xiao Ye¡¯s voice came from the phone. It was crisp and sweet, and very apologetic.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows rxed slightly. He asked calmly, ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Is she home?¡±

    Xiao Ye looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, then walked out with her phone in her hand, and closed the door. He then whispered, ¡°Major General Huo, I think Miss Gu has been acting a little strange these past two days.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been cooped up in her bedroom and rarelyes out to eat. The past few days, she¡¯d been doing nothing but ying games with me, but she hasn¡¯t even logged on to the gaming system even once for the past two days.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned.

    It looked like Gu Nianzhi was hiding something from him.

    Was she trying to carry this on by herself?

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Wait for a while.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hung up the phone. There was a grave expression on his face and he was anxious with apprehension.

 Chapter 1373 - Exceptional Performance

    <h4>Chapter 1373: Exceptional Performance</h4>

    Half an hourter, Fan Jian¡¯s car arrived at the third-ring apartment where Gu Nianzhi lived.

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car. His expression was the same as ever as he walked slowly into the elevator.

    When he reached Gu Nianzhi¡¯s floor, Xiao Ye was standing guard at the door, waiting for him.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°You can leave.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief,¡± Xiao Ye nodded hurriedly and walked quickly to the elevator.

    When the elevator door closed, she saw that Huo Shaoheng had already pushed the door open and entered the room.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting in front of her desk, her hands typing quickly on the keyboard of herptop.

    Her fingers were beautifully slender and long. Her knuckles were round and supple, and they were as gentle as if they were boneless.

    Nheless, she exerted a good amount of force when she was typing.

    Like herself, just based on physical appearances, she seemed like a delicate little girl who needed to be pampered.

    In reality, however, she was tough and tenacious; she was not weak at all.

    Huo Shaoheng gently pushed open the bedroom door and saw Gu Nianzhi sitting upright in front of herputer. She was unexpectedly thin.

    It had only 0been less than a week since theyst parted.

    How did she be so thin?

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her silently and walked over to her with steady steps.

    Gu Nianzhi was too focused. She was in the midst of performing some intense calctions in a bid to crack a program.

    The numbers danced on her fingertips. Every step she took forward was as exciting as solving a global problem.

    She waspletely unaware that someone had walked in.

    It wasn¡¯t until Huo Shaoheng leaned over from behind her, put one hand on her chair and held her mouse with the other that she suddenly realized that someone hade.

    She had just turned around when Huo Shaoheng kissed her on the lips.

    Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand and caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. His lips roaming back and forth on hers.

    The long kiss made Gu Nianzhi feel breathless.

    Her breath was filled with his exhtion. There was tenderness in his dominance. As he took control over her body and mind, he still gave her freedom.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled her hand back and wrapped it around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck, gently and lovingly pulling him into her world.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart was indeed as cold and hard as Song Jinning had said.

    He gave Gu Nianzhi the only tenderness he had.

    When their kiss ended, they pressed their foreheads together without saying a word.

    Huo Shaoheng took the opportunity to sit down and put her back on hisp. He held her mouse with one hand and looked at herputer. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    His deep, maic voice had a heart-wrenching charm.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were burning. She tried her best to stay nonchnt and said, ¡°... I¡¯m coding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng dragged the mouse and read through the lines of code. He was deep in thought. ¡°Are you trying to hack the security program on Luo Jin¡¯s phone?¡±

    ¡°Huh? How did you know?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him. She couldn¡¯t hide the surprise in her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and kissed her slightly pouted lips ¡°... Guess.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not guessing,¡± Gu Nianzhi put her hand between their lips and rolled her eyes. ¡°I remember that you were monitoring Luo Jin¡¯s phone. You should know that she called Ms. Song, right?¡±

    ¡°You guessed right. I¡¯ll reward you with a kiss.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her hand away and kissed her again.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She started to act coquettishly. ¡°I only got rewarded with a kiss when I guessed correctly. So what happens if I guessed wrongly? Are you not going to kiss me then?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled lightly, ¡°If you guessed wrong, your penalty will be to kiss me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed, leaned over and kissed him on the lips. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands started to roam yfully around her body.

    ¡°Can you all investigate her phone?¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand down and tried very hard to bring them back to the original issue that they were discussing. ¡°I think there should be something on her phone.¡±

    Why else would there be such a strict security program suddenly?

    It really looked like a case of someone announcing that ¡°There is no three hundred taels of silver here.¡±*

    Huo Shaoheng stopped teasing her and leaned back in his chair. He said with a tinge of regret, ¡°There was supposed to be a Trojan installed on the phone, but she deleted it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°How does she have the ability to delete it? I guess she didn¡¯t even know that her phone had be the field of battle between both sides ...¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at the code Gu Nianzhi had written and felt an urge to modify it.

    He was also aputer expert and was in fact not inferior to Zhao Liangze. However, the number of people in the world who knew did not exceed three.

    ¡°Your code is interesting,¡± Huo Shaoheng rested his chin on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and leaned forward to carefully read the code she had written. ¡°The architecture is quite unique. I¡¯ve never seen such a logic structure before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    This logic structure was based on the logic flow of He Zhichu¡¯s app. Indeed, it was quite different from the code they usually used.

    However, to deal with Luo Jin¡¯s security program that was essentially a mod, this unique logic structure was more suitable than the typical logic structures.

    Gu Nianzhi did not say that she had gotten the idea from He Zhichu. She only smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as it works, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be very effective. I don¡¯t know why, but I know that I am applying my efforts in the right direction.¡±

    There was just one obstacle that she couldn¡¯t ovee.

    It was like a bottleneck that held back all possibilities of progress.

    Huo Shaoheng wrapped her in his arms and reached both his hands out. He started typing out lines of code on her keyboard and continued writing her code from where she left off.

    Gu Nianzhi had never worked with anyone to write code, so she found it very interesting. The two of them were in high spirits. They supported andmunicated with each other as they lost themselves in the sea of codingnguage.

    Theymunicated in anguage that only the two of them in this world understood.

    It was like falling in love in anothernguage.

    Because it was unique, there was no substitute for it.

    The two of them worked together surprisingly efficiently, and they both performed exceptionally well.

    When they encountered some very difficult areas, the two of them needed to discuss for just a few minutes before they were able to solve them swiftly.

    From noon to six a.m. the next day, apart from drinking some water, the two of them worked for a total of eighteen hours without eating or sleeping.

    Fan Jian and Xiao Ye sat in the car and also waited for 18 hours.

    This was nothing to them.

    When they were out in the field, it wasmon to lie in ambush for days on end.

    Moreover, the two of them each had two meals. Listening to music, chatting and sleeping in the car was much morefortable than being out in the field.

    Since they were sitting in the underground parking lot, they could not see the sunrise. However, from the cars that drove out beside them, they knew that it was morning and people were already waking up.

    Xiao Ye asked Fan Jian hesitantly, ¡°... Should we call Chief and make sure they¡¯re safe?¡±

    Fan Jian crossed his arms and leaned back into the driver¡¯s seat with his eyes closed. He said calmly, ¡°No need. Young Master Huo is working. He¡¯ll call us when he¡¯s done.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng ran through the code they had written again. After confirming that there were no bugs left, he sent it to Luo Jin¡¯s phone.

    Gu Nianzhi also stared nervously at theputer screen, watching the program crack the security system on Luo Jin¡¯s phone.

    They had never tried to deal with such aplicated and advanced security program.

    It could be said that without He Zhichu¡¯s little app, Gu Nianzhi would never had thought thatputer codes could be written like this...

    Five minutester, a soft ring came from the earpiece. It was the signal that the program had been cracked sessfully.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s furrowed brows rxed as he pressed thest button with a slight smile.

    They had copied all the contents on Luo Jin¡¯s phone and sent it to the special operations forces¡¯ work email address.

    These email addresses were specially encrypted and were very well hidden.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big eyes curved as she smiled and said, ¡°Leave this app in Luo Jin¡¯s phone. I believe the experts on the other side won¡¯t be able to recognize and delete our little app.¡±

    This was because their app wasn¡¯t a Trojan horse with the characteristics of a malware. It was an actual application.

    It was just like cancer cells that were disguised as normal cells. Targeted drugs that specifically killed cancer cells were unable to recognize and kill these ¡°normal¡± cancer cells.

    After a night of hard work, they finally had some results.

    Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi to the bed in the bedroom and put her down. ¡°Go sleep. You haven¡¯t slept all night. Look, you can¡¯t even open your eyes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was really sleepy. It was not just that night that she had not slept; she had not slept for several nights.

    However, she didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to leave, so she held on to his hand reluctantly.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°Go to sleep. Be Good. I¡¯ll go deal with the contents of her phone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to slowly let go and look at Huo Shaoheng quietly.

    Huo Shaoheng thought a little and said, ¡°... I¡¯ll look into it carefully. If she really knows where your father is...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleepy eyes suddenly lit up and sparkled.

    It looked like she really wanted to know where her father was.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and enunciated each word. ¡°If she really knows where your father is, I¡¯ll make her talk even if we don¡¯t negotiate with her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said that so casually, but Gu Nianzhi still couldn¡¯t help but shudder when she heard it.

    She didn¡¯t dare imagine how Huo Shaoheng would make Luo Jin ¡°talk¡±...

    ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll get Xiao Ye to prepare lunch for you.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything else and got up to leave.

    ...

    Back in the central control room of the special operations forces¡¯ headquarters, Huo Shaoheng sat in front of the mainframeputer with the most functionality and began analyzing all the data on Luo Jin¡¯s phone.

    The staff did not know that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had worked together and already cracked the security program on Luo Jin¡¯s phone.

    Therefore, when Huo Shaoheng sat in front of the most powerful mainframe and started working, they thought he had also started working with them on cracking the security program, so they couldn¡¯t help but work even harder.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was the same as usual as he searched for key words in the entire contents on Luo Jin¡¯s phone.

    With this search, he actually discovered some things he did not know about that had already been settled by Gu Nianzhi.

    For example, the dress that was stained with semen...

    At that moment, he clenched the mouse so strongly that it was deformed. He had no choice but to switch to another mouse to continue working.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm as he erased all this content. He permanently deleted it physically and rewrote the hard drive repetitively to conceal the data.

    Although this was definitely against the rules, he really did not want to keep this part of the contents in case in future his political opponents used it to cause great difort to Gu Nianzhi.

    Although it had nothing to do with him, he felt nauseated seeing what Luo Jin had said.

    * ¡°There is no three hundred taels of silver here¡± is derived from a rather famous quote from a Chinese anecdote. In this anecdote, a certain person is said to possess three hundred taels of silver. After some deliberation over where to keep it, he decided to bury it on hisnd. To deter other people from possibly discovering the silver on hisnd, he foolishly put up a sign where he hid the silver that stated, ¡°There is no three hundred taels of silver here.¡± His neighbour, seeing the sign, stole the silver that was hidden and let behind another sign that said, ¡°The neighbour did not steal these.¡± The quote thus describes a scenario where someone, in a bid to conceal something in a particr ce, mistakenly makes it very obvious that he is hiding something in that particr spot.

 Chapter 1374 - Absolute Stupidity

    <h4>Chapter 1374: Absolute Stupidity</h4>

    After finishing up on this section of the contents, Huo Shaoheng finally saw a few text messages from the invalid number and a screenshot of a shared location.

    Luo Jin was, as expected, still in contact with the owner of the invalid number.

    Furthermore, the owner of the invalid number was Yamaguchi Aiko.

    She really did not die.

    Huo Shaoheng had never believed that Yamaguchi Aiko was dead. Whether she was said to have died in the Caribbean Sea or in Europe, he had never believed it.

    This was because the news of her death had always been spread by word of mouth. Even if someone had witnessed her ¡°death¡± with their own eyes, no one had personally seen her carcass, nor had anyone attended her funeral.

    Huo Shaoheng was a professional in this field and thus knew that there were many ways one could exploit their own ¡°deaths¡± to escape from a sticky situation.

    This was normal for field staff.

    However, the fact that Yamaguchi Aiko was rted to the invalid number was very surprising.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned as he looked at the invalid number disyed on theputer. The long text messages from Luo Jin were all sent to Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Looking at the screenshot of the shared location, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eagle-like eyes instantly narrowed.

    This location looked too familiar.

    Wasn¡¯t this the location of the Cape of Good Hope that they had previously circled ?!

    Zhao Liangze had been stationed there for a year to search the nearby waters.

    However, that region in the sea was too big. Even after a year, they still didn¡¯t manage to find anything much.

    This time, they hoped that they could shrink their search circle.

    Huo Shaoheng sent Zhao Liangze thetitude and longitude shown on the screenshot of the shared location. At the same time, he ordered him, ¡°Search this area immediately. Report any findings immediately!¡±

    Right after that, he gave an order to the staff of the special operations forces, ¡°There is now evidence that Yamaguchi Aiko is not dead. Luo Jin is involved with Yamaguchi Aiko. Yamaguchi Aiko is a foreign spy wanted by our country. She had once collected intelligence in our country, bribed officials, and cooperated with our former prime minister Dou Yongsheng to interfere with our country¡¯s election.¡±

    ¡°Luo Jin is suspected of colluding with and sheltering foreign spies. Go to the court and apply for a search warrant and arrest warrant immediately. Search Luo Jin¡¯s residence and all of her electronicwork equipment. Do It quickly!¡±

    ..

    A group of extremely efficient special operations forces¡¯ staff received the search warrant and arrest warrant within 15 minutes and rushed towards Luo Jin¡¯s West Mountain Vi.

    At 8:30 on an early June morning, the West Mountain Vi area was bathed in the warm morning sunlight.

    The Imperial City District was already rtively hot, but the west mountain area was surrounded by high mountains, dense forests, and fresh air, and so the temperature here was about 10 degrees lower than that of the city district.

    The weather here was pleasant. It was neither too hot nor too cold.

    Luo Jin was still sleeping soundly in her bed.

    She had spent 48 hours in the detention center and was exhausted. She really did not want to live that kind of life anymore.

    Now that she had a guaranteed victory, it all depended on how Gu Nianzhi reacted, so she slept soundly.

    ..

    The doorbell of the West Mountain Vi Rang, and one of Luo Jin¡¯s helpers opened the door.

    Looking at the group of workers in ck uniforms at the door, she was so scared that she took a few steps back and asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Who... Who are you? What do you want?¡±

    The leader of the task force of the special operations forces amicably showed the arrest warrant and the search warrant, saying, ¡°Excuse me, are you Luo Jin? The arrest warrant and the search warrant are issued by the court here. Please don¡¯t obstruct us from carrying out our official duties.¡±

    ¡°I, I, I, I... I¡¯m not Miss Luo. I¡¯m just a helper!¡± The helper hurriedly stepped aside. ¡°Pleasee in!¡±

    The special operations forces staff swarmed in and swiftly took control of the entire vi.

    All the helpers in the vi were led to an empty room to be identified.

    A few female staff finally went to Luo Jin¡¯s bedroom and knocked on the door.

    No one answered.

    They looked at each other, took out their guns, fired a few shots at the fingerprint lock, and broke the lock.

    Then, they stretched out their long legs and kicked open Luo Jin¡¯s bedroom door!

    The loud noise woke Luo Jin up.

    She rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed, saying impatiently, ¡°What are you doing? Are you rioting?!¡±

    She thought they were her helpers.

    ¡°Luo Jin? This is the court¡¯s arrest warrant and search warrant. Pleasee back with us to assist in our investigation.¡±

    A female staff member also showed her the court¡¯s arrest warrant and search warrant.

    Luo Jin¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted. She wrapped herself with her nket and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe it! Are you the police? You¡¯re deliberately framing me!¡±

    ¡°Who would have the time to frame you? Do you think you¡¯re the President of the United States?¡± a female staff member sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself. You¡¯re just a small fry who was pushed to the frontline. Take her away!¡±

    A few female staff members rushed up and quickly dragged Luo Jin out of the nket. They took off her pyjamas, changed her clothes, and took her downstairs with her hair dishevelled.

    Luo Jin looked on in fear as she watched other people take control over her home. She red at the special operations forces. She was so angry that the roots of her teeth itched.

    The leader of the Special Operations task force smiled like a Maitreya Buddha. He spoke slowly, ¡°Ms. Luo Jin, you can choose to remain silent. You can hire awyer. This time, you are suspected of colluding with foreign spies. The maximum detention duration of 48 hours normally required byw will not apply to you this time.¡±

    Luo Jin said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t frame me! Since when did I collude with foreign spies?!¡±

    ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko,¡± the team leader simply replied with a name.

    Luo Jin¡¯s face quickly turned pale and she stuttered, ¡°Yama... Yamaguchi Aiko? I don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±

    ¡°Team leader, this is her phone. Get her to unlock it,¡± a female staff member handed over the phone that she found on Luo Jin¡¯s bed.

    The team leader took it and ced it in front of Luo Jin. ¡°Unlock it. If you don¡¯t unlock it, our staff will unlock it themselves. When that happens, you will be charged with one more count of obstructing the course of justice.¡±

    Luo Jin gritted her teeth and turned her head away and sneered, ¡°If you have the ability, unlock it yourself. I won¡¯t unlock it for you.¡±

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng walked. He stood behind the group of people with his hands behind his back and said indifferently, ¡°Unlock it with her fingers. Do you still need me to teach you?¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, Luo Jin raised her head abruptly. She immediately let out an aggrieved expression. ¡°Eldest cousin brother...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡°eldest cousin brother¡±. My surname is Huo, and yours is Luo,¡± Huo Shaoheng walked forward. ¡°You¡¯re also not my uncle¡¯s daughter, so stop pretending.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was calm andposed.

    However, it was this emotionless expression that made Luo Jin even angrier.

    Did he really not care about her at all?!

    How dare he?!

    She had loved him for so many years; her secret love for him that thrived in the dark night would blossom fully in her heart at just the thought of it. The pain from this unrequited love...

    Luo Jin¡¯s face contorted. She couldn¡¯t help but want to absolutely piss him off in front of his subordinates by tarnishing his reputation so utterly with a scandal that he could never hope to prove his innocence.

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t forget, 12 years ago...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng interrupted her and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about tarnishing my reputation. 12 years ago, your mother, Luo Xinxue, was still alive. The summer I enlisted, your mother took you out on a trip and you weren¡¯t home at all. How could you even think of trying to frame others with your IQ? You¡¯re so stupid.¡±

    The undisguised contempt and humiliation in his tone was like a long whip thatshed her till all her skin was entirely shredded.

    She let out a low howl, and a buzzing sound came from her brain. She red at Huo Shaoheng, her lips opened and closed, and the blood vessels in her brain swelled rapidly. For a moment, her brain suffered from ack of blood supply, and she cked-out. She copsed on the ground with a plop.

    She fainted from anger at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

 Chapter 1375 - From The Little Dragon Girl to Mrs. Ma

    <h4>Chapter 1375: From The Little Dragon Girl to Mrs. Ma</h4>

    When Luo Jin woke up, she found herself once again facing the door of Court No. 1.

    She struggled to move her body and raised her arm to rub her eyes.

    ¡°Is she awake?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Whose medicine do you think it is?! Hmph! If I, Chen Lie, want her to wake up at midnight, she won¡¯t be able to drag it till dawn!¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s round, chubby face was full of arrogance.

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside Chen Lie in a navy-blue businesswoman¡¯s suit. Her long, slender pants were perfectly straight without a single crease, just like her aura. She was beautiful and lively when she smiled, and valiant when she did not.

    She raised her chin at Luo Jin, deliberately provoking her with arrogance, ¡°Luo Jin, today is the day you¡¯ll appear in court again. If you don¡¯t ept the verdict, you¡¯ll have to wait for the second appeal.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s consciousness came back to her in a sh.

    She remembered that her home had been broken into by a few members of the special operations forces, and Huo Shaoheng followed in behind. He had said something nonchntly, and she had fainted from anger at his words.

    ¡°... Appear in court again?¡± Luo Jin muttered. She looked around at her surroundings, and then down at her watch.

    The time and date were shown on it.

    It turned out that an entire day had passed since she fainted that day.

    ¡°The Imperial City Procuratorate uses Luo Jin of intentionally murdering Song Jinning. This is thest court hearing. The intiff and defendant, please get ready¡±

    The court staff came over to perform security checks on them before they entered the court.

    Cai Shengnan also came. She had bandages wrapped around her head and medicinal cream applied on her face. The green and purple bruises on her were very scary.

    She walked to the pale-faced Luo Jin and said, ¡°Although I am no longer your agent, that matter is independent from this. I like to finish what I started. Since it is thest time you are appearing in court, I am fine with not charging you for it.¡±

    Luo Jin spat at her viciously.

    She finally saw how hypocritical this woman was today.

    Cai Shengnan, on the other hand, smiled kindly, as if she didn¡¯t want to stoop to her level.

    The door to Court No. 1 opened, and they walked in one by one.

    Gu Nianzhi was thest to enter. She turned her head several times to look at the corridor, but there was still no one there.

    Chen Lie saw this and tugged at her arm, whispering, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master Huo will be here in time.¡±

    ¡°... didn¡¯t he returnst night?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but Little Ze sent him some important news, so he needs to takemand. He¡¯ll bring his men with him over when the situation is resolved.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I hope so.¡±

    However, she also knew that Zhao Liangze¡¯s matter was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official business. Who knew how long it would drag on?

    She could only do her best.

    She followed Chen Lie into Court No. 1. The judge, clerk, as well as other relevant personnel were already seated at the front of the room.

    Luo Jin and Cai Shengnan sat at the defendant¡¯s table. Neither of them looked at the other; it did not look like they had anywyer-client rtionship at all.

    Gu Nianzhi sat with the prosecutor. Luo Jin noticed that Song Jinning did note today.

    She felt a little better.

    The judge at the head of the court rapped his gavel and said, ¡°For the case of the imperial capital procuratorate using Luo Jin of murdering Song Jinning, both parties will make their final concluding statements.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up. ¡°Mr. Judge,dies and gentlemen seated in the court, today, on behalf of my client, Ms. Song Jinning, I will make our concluding statement.¡±

    ¡°My client made a great sacrifice for the country 17 years ago. In an experimental ident, not only did she lose her father, but she also lost her health, her memory, and all of a normal person¡¯s cognitive and motor abilities.¡±

    ¡°A person who made such a great contribution and sacrifice for the country was unfortunately abused by Luo Jin in her own home for 10 years. Her injuries were so severe that she nearly died from them.¡±

    ¡°The motive, evidence, and logical connection behind the mental abuse inflicted on my client by the defendant, Luo Jin, has already been sufficiently proven in the previous trial. I will thus not repeat it here.¡±

    ¡°I implore the court to consider my client¡¯s great contribution and sacrifice, to consider the cruel actions of the defendant Luo Jin who plotted over the past ten years to murder my client in order to hide her identity. I plead that she will be given a heavy sentence!¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi finished speaking, she bowed to everyone in the court.

    Everyone was influenced by her emotions. They all looked at Luo Jin with disgust and contempt.

    Then, it was the defendant¡¯s turn to give a speech.

    It was supposed to be Luo Jin¡¯swyer, Cai Shengnan, who would give the speech. However, since they had already ended their rtionship as agent and client, the judge asked, ¡°Defendant Luo Jin, do you agree to allow your former defensewyer, Cai Shengnan, to give your concluding statement?¡±

    Luo Jin was nowpletely awake.

    She had been unconscious for a day and a night, but her mind didn¡¯t seem to have been affected much. It could be that the other party had given her quality drugs.

    Luo Jinposed herself. She thought to herself, that since there was no way out of this bog of a situation, and with case after case piling up on her, she had no hope left for the rest of her life. As long as the other party didn¡¯t gag her mouth, she was going to say everything!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words the other day were extremely humiliating. Since they had already fallen outpletely with each other, she did not care anymore.

    If they wanted to humiliate her, she would make sure that everyone got humiliated together.

    In order to exercise their ¡°justice¡±, these people were not willing to deal with her through dirty means. They even pretended to be righteous by allowing her to court. Since that was the case, she would not hold back any longer.

    Luo Jin stood up and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her. I want to defend myself.¡±

    The judge raised his hand, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    She mimicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions and bowed to everyone in the courtroom, and said, ¡°Your Honor, what I want to say is that even though I indeed didn¡¯t take very good care of Ms. Song all these years, I really didn¡¯t mean to kill her. I had no idea that her health was deteriorating because I¡¯m not a doctor.¡±

    ¡°Besides, there¡¯s a reason why I did this to Ms. Song.¡±

    Luo Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi maliciously, ¡°... that¡¯s because I was assaulted 12 years ago. I was still underage then...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    What the hell!

    This woman was really persistent!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately stood up and said calmly, ¡°Luo Jin, 12 years ago, your mother took you on a trip to Rime Mountains in the south, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s momentum was disrupted by her. She was stunned and asked reflexively, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°You just have to answer yes or no.¡±

    Luo Jin nodded, she said frankly, ¡°Yes, my mother did take me on a holiday to the Rime Mountains. But do you know why I wanted to go to the Rime Mountains that was in such a remote ce? That was because your fianc¨¦, my eldest cousin, Huo Shaoheng, enlisted in the army that year. That year, he went to the Rime Mountains for his recruit training!¡±

    That year, she couldn¡¯t suppress her longing, so she urged her mother, Luo Xinxue, to take her to Rime Mountains to meet Huo Shaoheng.

    She gave the excuse that she wanted to go to Rime Mountains to see how the ce that Young Master Huo was training at looked like so that she could tell the Huo family when she returned.

    Luo Xinxue didn¡¯t suspect anything at the time. Furthermore, she also cared about Huo Shaoheng, so she took her to the Rime Mountains.

    Twelve years ago, the Rime Mountains was very underdeveloped and poor. Within dozens of miles in the mountains, there was only a small shabby motel...

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes sparkled as she forced herself to recollect her thoughts.

    She continued, ¡°... It was there that I was vited.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Luo Jin to be so good at ¡°misleading¡± people.

    First, she had said she went to the Rime Mountains, then she said that Huo Shaoheng was at the Rime Mountains for recruit training, and finally she said that she was vited in the Rime Mountains.

    Anyone who wasn¡¯t smart enough would immediately form such a logical connection in their mind:

    Luo Jin was at the Rime Mountains + Huo Shaoheng was at the Rime Mountains + Luo Jin was vited at the Rime Mountains = Luo Jin was vited by Huo Shaoheng in the Rime Mountains.

    This way, Luo Jin didn¡¯t even need to say a word about her being vited by Huo Shaoheng to leave such an impression.

    It could only be said that it was fortunate that they were in court. The people here were not so simple-minded and could not so easily be misled by Luo Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly and said, ¡°So just because you were vited in the Rime Mountains, you im to have a reason to deliberately torture and kill Ms. Song Jinning? I don¡¯t understand this logic either.¡±

    ¡°Huh huh, you are deliberately not understanding me, right?¡± Luo Jin sneered. ¡°Anyway, my fate is already in your hands. You can judge me however you want. Why are you still pretending to be merciful?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to her, she said coldly, ¡°Luo Jin, recruits aren¡¯t allowed to leave the training camp during their recruit training. What are you trying to imply? Furthermore, the Rime Mountains cover such arge area. Don¡¯t try to purposely suggest things like that; no one is dumber than you. Nobody will be misled by you into thinking that someone innocent is guilty.¡±

    ¡°Huh huh, are you saying that I just hallucinated that I was vited on the Rime Mountains?!¡± Luo Jin also became furious.

    She had endured for so many years, and in the end, this was the result she got. She could not ept it!

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just assume that you were raped on the Rime Mountains, and that it wasn¡¯t a figment of your imagination. Then why didn¡¯t you call the police 12 years ago? Why did you keep the evidence and wait until only today to bring it out?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi actually brought out the evidence, Luo Jin¡¯s dress. ¡°Luo Jin, take a look. Is this the dress? Are the semen stains left behind by the person who raped you?¡±

    Luo Jin looked at the red silk dress with white flower prints that was utterly destroyed by the stains over it. It really seemed to be her dress...

    However, she was still worried. She reached out and said, ¡°Let me take a look.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi handed the dress she had put in the stic bag to Luo Jin.

    Luo Jin pulled out the dress from inside and shook it open to take a quick look.

    It was indeed her dress. She had marked it on a concealed spot, and no one had discovered the secret.

    She nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the one. I had always thought that the person who did this to me was someone I respected, so I didn¡¯t turn him in. Of course, I could have been mistaken...¡±

    Luo Jin said pitifully, ¡°But I really thought it was him...¡±

    Although she did not say who this ¡°him¡± was, everyone knew.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her contemptuously and was about to continue speaking when the door to the courtroom was pushed open with a bang. Huo Shaoheng walked in, dressed in a handsome military uniform. Behind him were two police officers escorting a dejected, balding, greasy middle-aged man in a prison uniform.

    He was short and pudgy, and was less than 1.6 meters tall.

    The moment she saw him, Luo Jin¡¯s pupils shrank to the size of a grain of rice. Then, they dted rapidly, and even her breaths became shorter.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand.

    A police officer walked up from behind him with a file in his hand and handed it to the court clerk and said, ¡°This man¡¯s name is Hao Yin, the former owner of the Rime Mountains Motel. He¡¯s suspected of being involved in several sexual assault cases. ording to his ount, one of them happened 12 years ago. After our verification, we found that it¡¯s consistent with Luo Jin¡¯s ount.¡±

    The police officer pointed to the file again, ¡°The DNA sequencing results of this man are inside. They are identical to the DNA results of the semen stains on the dress provided by Ms. Luo Jin.¡±

    In fact, Huo Shaoheng had only found this motel owner¡¯s criminal records after he had entered the DNA sequencing results of the semen stains on the dress into the nationwide police database.

    He had already been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for criminal offenses, and had served four to five years in prison.

    Luo Jin¡¯s case was just one of many that he hadmitted.

    Back when he was running that small motel, he had victimized a number of travelling single women in the Rime Mountains.

    In the end, only two or three women hade forward to testify against him.

    Otherwise, he would not have been sentenced to only over 20 years in prison.

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to the man and asked, ¡°Hao Yin, do you know this person?¡±

    She pointed at Luo Jin, who was sitting at the defendant¡¯s table with a pale face.

    Hao Yin turned around and grinned at her, ¡°Of course I know her. Among all the women that I¡¯ve f*cked, she¡¯s the most beautiful, curviest, most tender and tightest virgin, and the only virgin...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Luo Jin¡¯s face turned from white to red. She was so angry that her hands were trembling. ¡°I... I don¡¯t know you! It¡¯s not you! It¡¯s not you! It¡¯s not you!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha! You treated me as your good brother. That ¡®Chan Sheng Jiao¡¯* wasn¡¯t bad, right? Although it¡¯s been so many years, I still think about you all the time...¡±

    This lecherous man almost told the court the full details of his crime back then.

    Even the judge couldn¡¯t bear to listen to him anymore. He rapped the gavel in a hurry and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Since the culprit has already been identified, take him away. He will be triedter.¡±

    Luo Jin couldn¡¯t endure her disgust anymore, and she covered her mouth and started retching.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and walked over to Luo Jin, and said in a low voice, ¡°You finally understand how we feel. When you started spreading rumors about my fianc¨¦, I felt the same way as you when you saw this disgusting, perverted man: nauseated.¡±

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes turned red from the provocation, and she looked up at her abruptly. She pointed at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°I... I... I always thought it was him! I was drugged at that time!¡±

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi and then at the indifferent Huo Shaoheng. ¡°How exactly are you better than me? Is your figure better than mine? Or is your face prettier than mine? Ugh, he¡¯s really blind...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in awe and chuckled, ¡°I finally understand.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were the Little Dragon Girl who unfortunately encountered Yin Zhiping, but now I realize you¡¯re actually an unbelievably narcissistic Mrs. Ma.¡±**

    From the Little Dragon Girl to Mrs. Ma, these words provoked Luo Jin so much that her body wobbled and seemed to almost faint.

    But with Chen Lie around, she couldn¡¯t faint even if she wanted to.

    After a few injections in court, she couldn¡¯t be more awake.

    She could only watch as the judge handed down the sentence, ¡°For the case of Luo Jin¡¯s intentional murder of Song Jinning, the evidence is conclusive, the culprit confessed. She shall be sentenced to life imprisonment. At the same time, the defendant Luo Jin is involved in a case of international espionage. This will be handled by the military court instead...

    *¡¯Chan Sheng Jiao¡¯ is a traditional Chinese aphrodisiac. It is referenced in one of the most popr Chinese literature works, ¡°The Plum in the Golden Vase¡±, written by ¡°The Scoffing Schr of Lanling¡±.

    **In the Return of the Condor Heroes written by Jin Yong, Yin Zhiping raped the Little Dragon Girl. In Demi-gods and Semi-Devils also by Jin Yong, Mrs Ma was a character filled with spite and envy.

 Chapter 1376 - Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 1376: Exposed</h4>

    After the verdict was issued, the judge looked at Luo Jin, whose face was as pale as a ghost. ¡°If you are not satisfied, you can choose to appeal. You still have a few cases that need to be tried separately.¡±

    After this case was decided, the rest was much easier.

    In the case of Luo Jin¡¯s illegal appropriation of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s inheritance, all of it had been recovered after she had shown Huo Guanyuan¡¯s will.

    Of course, Luo Jin wouldn¡¯t be able to recover the money she had squandered over the years. She would use prison to make up for it.

    Simrly, after she was unable to rify her rtionship with her in the case of Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s international spy case, she was also sentenced to 20 additional years in prison.

    Because Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s whereabouts were too erratic, the Special Operations Forces hadn¡¯t been able to track her down until now.

    The only solid evidence they had was a text message between Luo Jin and an invalid number.

    She called the owner of the invalid number ¡°Aiko Yamaguchi¡±, but she could not confirm whether the other end of the invalid number was Aiko Yamaguchi or not.

    Therefore, she was only sentenced to 20 years for that case.

    Of course, because she had already been sentenced to life imprisonment, she would only continue to be sentenced to life imprisonment, so her sentence was added with a use that would never allow early parole.

    This meant that she would spend the rest of her life in prison.

    After the sentence was announced, she was taken over by the guards of the imperial women¡¯s prison from the Special Operations Forces and transferred to the special punishment area of the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison to serve her sentence.

    ...

    Staring at the incandescentmp on the roof in a daze, Luo Jin sat in the narrow cell of the prison.

    Ever since she could remember things, she had never lived in such a shabby ce other than the shabby Songshan Hotel.

    There was no hope for her anymore.

    She had hoped that Aiko Yamaguchi woulde down from the sky to save her.

    But when she found out that there was no news from her again, she didn¡¯t ce much hope on Aiko Yamaguchi anymore.

    Hoping that she could atone for her sins, she also proposed to tell her about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts, but she was rejected.

    Because this information didn¡¯t belong to her, she had no right to use it to atone for her sins.

    Feeling sorry for herself, she crossed her legs and sat on the hard wooden bed.

    At this moment, the prison door was pushed open silently.

    Luo Jin¡¯s eyes turned around mechanically.

    A man walked in.

    ¡°Are You Luo Jin?¡± He seemed to be holding a photo and looked at her.

    Luo Jin blinked and said expressionlessly, ¡°If I wasn¡¯t Luo Jin, would I be locked up here?¡±

    The man sneered and pped his hands, and the lights in the room went out.

    ..

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi received a phone call. ¡°Lawyer Gu, prisoner Luo Jinmitted suicidest night in the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison. Pleasee and confirm.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    ¡°... prisoner Luo Jinmitted suicide in the prisonst night.¡±

    ¡°Committed suicide? Wasn¡¯t she in the Special Punishment Zone? How did shemit suicide?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very confused.

    ¡°... she suffocated herself to death by putting a transparent stic bag over her head...¡± The prison staff was silent for a moment before telling the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    That was such a creative way tomit suicide.

    Gu Nianzhi asked a few more questions, but didn¡¯t get the gist of it. She could only say, ¡°I¡¯ll be right over. Are you guys ready to send her to the medical examiner for an autopsy?¡±

    The other party quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted the medical examiner. We¡¯ll send her over once you¡¯re here to confirm.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and hung up the call. She immediately called Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, Luo Jinmitted suicide in prisonst night.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    She had just transferred from the Special Operations Forces, but she had alreadymitted suicide?

    The prison¡¯s security was really inadequate.

    ¡°How did she die?¡± Wearing a bluetooth headset, Huo Shaoheng asked calmly. He yed with the lighter that Gu Nianzhi had given him, and held a cigarette in his other hand. He didn¡¯t light it.

    Gu nianzhi whispered, ¡°I heard she suffocated herself with a stic bag.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the prison to make sure.¡± Gu Nianzhi had already started packing. ¡°Are youing or not?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Let Xiao Ye go with you. I still have things to do here.¡±

    He didn¡¯t care about the cause of Luo Jin¡¯s death at all.

    To him, the sentencing for all of Luo Jin¡¯s crimes was already over.

    As for whether she continued to serve her sentence,mitted suicide, or was killed, he didn¡¯t care at all.

    He actually wasn¡¯t such a cold-hearted person, but Luo Jin¡¯s actions, whether it was the abuse of his mother, Song Jinning, or the insult to his dignity, had already crossed his bottom line, so he didn¡¯t want to invest any more energy and time.

    Gu Nianzhi also didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to continue paying attention to Luo Jin¡¯s case.

    In her opinion, Luo Jin had really gone too far.

    It wasn¡¯t illegal to like someone, but to like someone so much that if you couldn¡¯t get that person, you would ruin them by throwing dirt at them and ruining them together. She really couldn¡¯t agree.

    ..

    Xiao Ye drove Gu Nianzhi to the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison to confirm the news of Luo Jin¡¯s death.

    On the way, Gu Nianzhi propped her head on her hand and said tiredly, ¡°This Luo Jin is really too much. She was adopted by uncle Huo and became the daughter of the Huo family. She was much luckier than most people, okay? Why did she have to be so greedy?¡±

    After the sentence was over, she would serve her sentence properly. She would be able to live out her life in prison..

    Why did she have tomit suicide so quickly to gain attention?

    Xiao Ye smiled. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no limit to a person¡¯s greed. When she has nothing, just give her a bowl of porridge and she will be grateful to you for the rest of her life.¡±

    ¡°But when you take her home and share your wealth with her, she will take an inch but want a mile. Why don¡¯t you give her all your wealth? Since you¡¯ve given her half, shouldn¡¯t you give the other half as well?¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous.¡± Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°I still think it¡¯s her personal reasons. At least her biological father and mother were good, but she¡¯s especially greedy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡±Xiao Ye nodded. She skillfully turned a corner and brought Gu Nianzhi to the women¡¯s prison in the imperial capital.

    There was a saying in the imperial capital since ancient times: ¡°The east is rich, the west is noble, the south is poor, and the north is lowly.¡± The Imperial Women¡¯s prison was located at the foot of Yan Mountain, and north of the imperial capital.

    With very few windows, the grey stone buildings looked like a dusty space fortress.

    The surrounding high walls were surrounded by electrified barbed wire, and there were cameras monitoring everything from all directions.

    Her hands in her pockets, Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and looked up at the door.

    She had rushed over today while wearing a pair of white sneakers and a Juicy Couture brown velvet hoodie. She carried a backpack and looked like a female college student who had just entered university.

    Xiao Ye took a look at her and secretly admired Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beauty. They walked through the prison gate together.

    Gu Nianzhi showed her identification card and requested to see Luo Jin¡¯s face to confirm her identity.

    What if someone had done something behind her back and used someone else¡¯s body to pretend to be Luo Jin?

    They had to be careful.

    The prison guard who had received them was a fat, middle-aged woman. She eagerly led Gu Nianzhi and Xiao Ye to Luo Jin¡¯s cell, then exined, ¡°The medical examiner has just arrived and is checking inside. She¡¯ll be sent to the hospital for further dissecting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened as she chatted with the prison guard. She quietly asked for a lot of information.

    Xiao Ye walked behind them and looked around vigntly.

    When they reached the door of Luo Jin¡¯s cell, the middle-aged woman¡¯s prison guard stopped and said, ¡°This is the ce. The scene hasn¡¯t changed. You can go check it out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi peeked inside and was about to step in.

    Xiao Ye caught a glimpse of a cold glint in the cell from the corner of his eye. Her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly kicked the guard beside Gu Nianzhi away. She then rushed over and hugged Gu Nianzhi from behind. She rolled a few steps to the ground and raised the gun in her hand at the same time. She aimed at the narrow cell door and fired several shots!

    The people inside immediately fired back and threw a grenade outside!

    It was the cold light that Xiao Ye had just caught a glimpse of!

    Xiao Ye¡¯s movements were exceptionally agile. With a sweep leg, she kicked the dark grenade away again.

    With a loud bang, smoke billowed in the prison. The continuous gunshots were like fried beans crackled in the dense space.

    Then, rms rang out throughout the entire prison!

 Chapter 1377 - Looks Especially Familiar

    <h4>Chapter 1377: Looks Especially Familiar</h4>

    What the prison was most afraid of weren¡¯t external threats, but the riot of its own prisoners.

    Fortunately, the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison was upied by female prisoners, so the biggest threat wasn¡¯t there yet.

    However, to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation, most of the strength of the prison guards would still be used towards the female prisoners in the prison.

    The moment the prison rm sounded, the capital police department and the Army received the news.

    The riot police quickly assembled and rushed to the women¡¯s prison at the foot of Yan Mountain, north of the capital.

    The army was on standby, just in case.

    Although the Special Operations Forces that Huo Shaoheng and the others were in were part of the army, they had always been handling overseas affairs. They would rarelye to them for domestic matters unless it involved overseas affairs.

    However, because Xiao Ye and Gu Nianzhi were involved, the Special Operations Forces quickly received the news.

    ¡°Major General Huo, the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison has just sounded a level one rm. Something seems to have happened to Xiao Ye and the others.¡±

    Yin Shixiong pushed open the door to the conference room and walked to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. He lowered his head and whispered in his ear.

    Because they couldn¡¯t bring any electronic equipment with them during the meeting, Yin Shixiong was unable to inform Huo Shaoheng directly over the phone.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but he had already raised his hand to end the meeting.

    He stood up and said, ¡°That¡¯s all for today¡¯s meeting. Write me a report on the rest, and we¡¯ll discuss it next time.¡±

    He left in a hurry with Yin Shixiong and jumped into Fan Jian¡¯s car. He only brought a few elite men and rushed to the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally had the time to ask Yin Shixiong about the situation while they were in the car.

    Yin shixiong reported to him, ¡°I just received an urgent message from Xiao Ye. She didn¡¯t have the time to talk and only sent Mayday three times.¡±

    He asked again, ¡°Why did Xiao Ye go to the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison?¡±

    In their line of work, this was considered a serious distress signal, but it wasn¡¯t the most serious.

    Huo Shaoheng made up his mind and said, ¡°Nianzhi brought Xiao Ye to the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison today to confirm Luo Jin¡¯s death.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was stunned. He patted his head and said in surprise, ¡°Luo Jin died? And then something happened in the prison?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked out of the car window and said calmly, ¡°Luo Jin probably didn¡¯tmit suicide. The other party used the news of Luo Jin¡¯s death as bait. The target was probably Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Luckily, Xiao Ye followed Nianzhi. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable...¡± Yin Shixiong clicked his tongue, but was relieved.

    With Xiao Ye around, they really didn¡¯t need to worry that much.

    If they couldn¡¯t even deal with a few thieves who had broken into the prison, Xiao Ye¡¯s reputation as a ¡°Night owl¡± would have been in vain.

    ..

    In front of Luo Jin¡¯s cell in the prison, Xiao Ye had already taken the initiative.

    The three people in Luo Jin¡¯s cell were all killed by her gun. Trying to escape while they were hiding, one of them rushed out with a semi-automatic modified gun.

    Xiao Ye, on the other hand, was extremely strong. She rolled a few times and rushed to the person¡¯s feet under the rain of bullets, then kicked the person¡¯s crotch.

    Covering his vital parts, the person¡¯s reflexes made his arm go soft.

    In the blink of an eye, his semi-automatic modified gun had been seized by Xiao Ye, and the situation was immediately reversed.

    More and more prison guards were waiting to lend a hand in the prison. The riot police outside had also arrived, and the entire prison was surrounded.

    By the time Huo Shaoheng arrived, they were already cleaning up the battlefield inside.

    However, Xiao Ye was still very vignt as she protected Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t leave the scene for the time being.

    This was because she didn¡¯t trust everyone there. Unless Huo Shaoheng personally appeared, she would only hand Gu Nianzhi over to him.

    That was her mission, and also her duty.

    His expression impassive as usual, Huo Shaoheng walked along the long corridor of the prison. He listened to the warden¡¯s report as he strode forward.

    Only the slightly hurried footsteps indicated that he wasn¡¯t in a rxed mood.

    Yin Shixiong led a few elite men to protect Huo Shaoheng from four directions and walked quietly beside him.

    ¡°... That¡¯s right. We didn¡¯t expect the outgoing call to be transferred. The forensics team that came wasn¡¯t a real forensics team at all.¡±

    The warden apologized to Huo Shaoheng awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s all our fault. We didn¡¯t investigate their identities in time and let them in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t me him. The relevant departments would naturallye to hold him ountable for such a thing. He didn¡¯t need to meddle in the matter. He merely asked calmly, ¡°How¡¯s the situation over there? How many casualties?¡±

    ¡°Four or five of our men were injured. They were all light injuries and didn¡¯t die. Four of them were killed bywyer Gu¡¯s female bodyguards.¡±

    The smile on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face disappeared in a sh.

    He had indeed passed Gu Nianzhi to Xiao Ye without any mishaps.

    However, even though he was mentally prepared, he still felt his heart clench slightly when he arrived in front of Luo Jin¡¯s cell and looked at the mess in front of him. There were potholes everywhere, and the walls were riddled with bullet holes.

    He looked up and saw Xiao Ye standing at the door of the cell with a semi-automatic gun in her hand. Gu Nianzhi was tightly protected behind her. Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here to bring you guys back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze lingered on Xiao Ye for a moment.

    The situation today had been sudden but Gu Nianzhi was able to handle it. She wasn¡¯t particrly afraid.

    However, Xiao Ye¡¯s attack had truly shocked Gu Nianzhi.

    Not only was she swift and agile, but her every move was also very familiar to Gu Nianzhi!

    She vaguely remembered that she had seen such outstanding skill somewhere before..

    That was especially true when Xiao Ye had kicked the middle-aged female prison guard who was next to her away in the beginning. Then, she had hugged her and rolled on the ground to dodge the bullets. Gu Nianzhi immediately recalled the encounter in Tunguska, Siberia, Russia.

    Gu Nianzhi looked Xiao Ye up and down seriously before nodding at Huo Shaoheng, who was approaching her. She said, ¡°Major General Huo is here. I still have to go inside to confirm the cause of Luo Jin¡¯s death.¡±

    She turned and walked into the cell.

    Yin Shixiong rubbed his head in surprise. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re getting bolder.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and followed her in.

    Xiao Ye didn¡¯t go in and didn¡¯t greet Yin Shixiong and the others. She raised the semi-automatic modified gun in her hand with a solemn expression and stopped Yin Shixiong and the others. ¡°Stop. Who are you?¡±

    Even though she knew Yin Shixiong, she was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°bodyguard¡± at the moment, so she shouldn¡¯t have known Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong also understood and didn¡¯t show that he was familiar with her. He frowned and said, ¡°The chief has gone in. I have to go in to protect his safety.¡± As he spoke, he showed Xiao Ye his ID.

    Xiao Ye looked at his ID carefully before raising her gun to let them in.

    Inside the prison cell, Luo Jin was sitting on the floor with a stic bag over her head. She had been dead for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her carefully and said, ¡°From her body, it is indeed Luo Jin, but we still have to conduct a DNA test to confirm her identity.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and responded. He called Yin Shixiong over to take a sample.

    They shouldn¡¯t have been the ones to do this, but if it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that the forensic doctor had ambushed Gu Nianzhi today, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t have interfered.

    Now, they were just like Xiao Ye ¡ª they didn¡¯t trust anyone in the prison.

    ¡°Major General Huo, do you think they let those people in by ident?¡± Yin Shixiong asked softly.

    ¡°Do you think I believed them?¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. He looked away and nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll leave this to Big Xiong.¡±

 Chapter 1378 - Who Isnâ€™t A Drama Queen

    <h4>Chapter 1378: Who Isn¡¯t A Drama Queen</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng calmly held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and led her out of the gates of the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison.

    Xiao Ye threw the semi-automatic modified gun to Yin Shixiong and said, ¡°These are the weapons that those people brought in. I was wearing gloves and didn¡¯t leave any fingerprints.¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded and said very politely, ¡°You can go. Protect Miss Gu well.¡±

    Xiao Ye chased Huo Shaoheng out of the prison and saw that Huo Shaoheng had already escorted Gu Nianzhi into the car.

    She quickly ran over and opened the car door. ¡°Miss Gu, where are you going?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Where do you think?¡±

    ¡°To the base.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at Xiao Ye. ¡°You go back to Miss Gu¡¯s house.¡± He paused and reminded her, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Through the car window, Xiao Ye looked at Gu Nianzhi with concern. ¡°Miss Gu, are you okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and her plump lips curved into a happy smile. She suddenly asked, ¡°Xiao Ye, have you been to Russia?¡±

    Xiao Ye reacted quickly and immediately looked confused. ¡°No, Miss Gu, do you want to go to Russia?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, maybe in the future.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved at her.

    Huo Shaoheng sat back in the back seat and said calmly to the driver, Fan Jian, ¡°Drive back to the base.¡±

    The window next to the back seat slowly rose, blocking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s line of sight.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She couldn¡¯t figure out where she had exposed herself.

    She had once been the best field officer in their ss, and the record she had left behind had never been broken.

    Gu Nianzhi was smart, but she hadn¡¯t been specially trained, so she shouldn¡¯t have been able to tell, right?

    The KGB in Russia hadn¡¯t even noticed, so how could Gu Nianzhi have known?

    Could it be that Major General Huo had said it?

    Xiao Ye shook her head. It was impossible.

    She believed in Huo Shaoheng absolutely. He would never mix business and personal matters by revealing such things nonchntly.

    ..

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bulletproof car, Gu Nianzhi had been tilting her head while looking at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng retracted his gaze and nced at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you scared out of your wits?¡±

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just happy to see you.¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and sweet-talked him to make him happy.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that she had other thoughts on her mind, but he still smiled and caressed her head with his big hand. He then pressed her into his arms and let out a sigh of relief.

    His heart, which had been beating intensely, slowly returned to normal.

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to tell Huo Shaoheng about Xiao Ye, but he had changed the subject several times, so she stopped asking.

    She also felt that it was amazing. They had twopletely different faces and twopletely different bodies, but when she moved, she seemed extremely familiar.

    Looks could be deceiving, and a body could be deceiving, but actions couldn¡¯t be deceiving, especially when it was an emergency and she had to behave out of natural instinct to survive. It waspletely impossible to disguise.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Major General Huo, it¡¯s very dangerous over there, right? Why don¡¯t you let Xiao Yee with us to the base?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s your personal assistant. She can¡¯t go to the base,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. He picked up a newspaper beside his seat and started reading.

    Gu Nianzhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes inside.

    Pretend, he¡¯s just pretending.

    She was in the midst of silently criticizing Huo Shaoheng when she heard her phone ring.

    She took it out and saw that it was He Zhichu.

    She quickly swiped open her phone and said with a smile, ¡°Professor He, what can I do for you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze finally moved away from the newspaper.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help smiling even more happily.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice was very anxious. ¡°Nianzhi, where are you? Are you okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She opened the location sharing app on her phone and saw the little icon representing He Zhichu hurrying over to the foot of Yan Mountain.

    She then looked at the trending news on Weibo. It was all about the attack on the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison.

    He Zhichu knew where she was. When he saw the news, he probably immediately realized what had happened.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m in Major General Huo¡¯s car... yes, I¡¯m already out... it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine... but something happened to Luo Jin. I¡¯ll tell Professor He more about it when I get home.¡±

    ..

    He Zhichu was driving on the highway that led to the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison at the foot of Yan Mountain.

    Upon hearing Gu Nianzhi say that she was in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, and looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position, he finally breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that she was indeed getting further and further away from the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison.

    With both hands on the steering wheel, he drove off the highway and turned around to return to the city.

    Since Gu Nianzhi was with Huo Shaoheng, there was definitely no danger.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng back to the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces. At night, Chen Lie arrived with the DNA test results.

    ¡°Major General Huo, the deceased is indeed Luo Jin.¡±

    Chen Lie showed the results of the DNA test to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look, it¡¯s aplete match.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t suspect that the deceased wasn¡¯t Luo Jin.

    He nced at the DNA report and said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work. It¡¯s a waste of your talent to have to do something like this.¡±

    With an impassive expression, Chen Lie pushed up his round sses on the bridge of his nose and said, ¡°Major General Huo, if you hadn¡¯t had such a fake smile on your face when you said that, I would have believed you for a minute.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him indifferently and said aloofly, ¡°You saw wrong. I wasn¡¯t smiling.¡±

    Chen Lie: ¡°...¡±

    Would it kill him topliment him?!

    He pursed his lips and said, ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Is she hurt?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed to the room upstairs. ¡°Go see for yourself.¡±

    Chen Lie thought about it and went upstairs with Yin Shixiong. He knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door.

    Gu Nianzhi took a shower and slept again. She was just about to call He Zhichu.

    She heard someone knocking on the door. She looked at the surveince video and saw that it was Chen Lie and Yin Shixiong outside. She quickly opened the door and smiled. ¡°Brother Chen, Brother Xiong, why are you two here?¡±

    Chen Lie walked in first. He carried his small medical kit and said, ¡°Let me check you. Were you hurt in prison today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stretched out her wrist. ¡°I rolled around on the ground a few times. There were abrasions on my arms and legs.¡±

    Chen Lie examined her carefully. There were only slight redness and swelling. He gave her a bottle of medicine after making sure there were no major problems. ¡°If you want to rub it on, rub it on. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to rub it on. You¡¯ll be fine on your own in two days.¡±

    Actually, it wouldn¡¯t take two days. She would probably be fine by the time she went to bed at night.

    Before she went to bed in the afternoon, Gu Nianzhi still remembered that her wrists and legs were swollen and bruised. It was arge area of abrasions, and it looked quite serious.

    After waking up after sleeping, she saw that there was only a small area of redness and swelling. The abrasions could no longer be seen.

    Chen Lie had a lot of things to do, so he was temporarily pulled over by Huo Shaoheng to work for a few days before returning to his own medicalboratory.

    Yin Shixiong held his coffee cup and sat on the sofa in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. He saidzily, ¡°Remember not to act alone in the future. Xiao Ye is quite capable. Did you see everything today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said with a smile, ¡°I saw it, I saw it all. I think I saw it once in Russia, and it was exactly the same as her movements!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised his long legs and kicked twice in the air. ¡°I remember that move too clearly.¡±

    Yin Shixiong stopped talking and only looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed by his smile and sat over to push his shoulder. She whispered, ¡°Brother Xiong, tell me honestly. Had Xiao Ye always been one of your people?¡±

    Yin Shixiong rubbed his chin and stared in the direction of the windowsill. He said with a half-hearted smile, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who she is. She¡¯ll always be one of us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suspicions were verified and she nodded vigorously. She said excitedly, ¡°Oh my, I should have thought of that earlier... I was wondering why I like that youngdy so much...¡±

    ¡°What youngdy?¡±Yin Shixiong flicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead with his finger. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. She¡¯s your personal assistant and also your bodyguard. She¡¯s doing fine. Don¡¯t sell her out.¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi anxiously sat up straight. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just acting? Who isn¡¯t a drama queen?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re a drama queen.¡± Yin Shixiong stood up and observed Gu Nianzhi. When he saw that she really wasn¡¯t frightened, he caressed her head and said, ¡°You¡¯ve really grown up. You¡¯re braver than before.¡±

    He had been worried that the bloody scene in prison would give Gu Nianzhi a nightmare, and had wanted to find a psychiatrist to relieve her of it. He hadn¡¯t expected that he was simply overthinking things.

    He went downstairs with a fatherly smile on his face. Yin Shixiong came to the living room and saw Huo Shaoheng standing on the sofa in the living room with his back to him. He had one hand in his trouser pocket and the other holding a cigarette. It was obvious that he was talking to someone through the bluetooth headset.

    Yin Shixiong stood firmly by the spiral staircase.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was solemn as he listened to his subordinate¡¯s report.

    ¡°... Chief, the incident today was quite serious. In addition to the pressure from our department, the Ministry of Justice conducted aprehensive investigation on the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison. The results showed that 34 of the 346 felons held there had been reced.¡±

    ¡°Among them was Dou Qingyan, the daughter of former Prime Minister Dou.¡±

    Because Dou Qingyan¡¯s case was rted to Huo Shaoheng, the subordinate investigated very carefully.

    Huo Shaoheng took a puff of his cigarette and blew out a smoke ring. He said calmly, ¡°Have you found out where she went?¡±

    ¡°The Ministry of Justice has already formed a special task force to station at the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison. Everyone from the warden to the cleaners are being investigated.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for them. Give the order. Put Dou Qingyan on the global wanted list. Tell them that she has just escaped from the prison during the civil unrest. Send all her information to all of our field staff and Interpol.¡±

    Although Dou Qingyan had been reced a long time ago, in order to hide the truth, they had used the incident in the prison today to bring the matter of Dou Qingyan¡¯s wanted list to the surface.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Huo shaoheng asked again, ¡°Where are the fake medical examiners?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all dead.¡± The subordinate couldn¡¯t hide his admiration. ¡°Miss Gu¡¯s female bodyguard was too powerful. She was the one who killed all of them. If she hadn¡¯t killed all of them, our casualties would have been greater. Later, they found a few heavy-fire semi-automatic submachine guns in Luo Jin¡¯s cell. They were much more powerful than the modified guns they used.¡±

    The reason why they didn¡¯t use them was probably because Xiao Ye¡¯s reaction speed was too fast. The few of them didn¡¯t have time to change their guns before she took care of them one by one.

    A smile shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes and he said, ¡°Write a report and hand it in. Focus on Miss Gu¡¯s female bodyguard.¡±

    He wanted to give her credit.

 Chapter 1379 - Jumped Out From A Rock

    <h4>Chapter 1379: Jumped Out From A Rock</h4>

    After Yin Shixiong had left, Gu Nianzhi went back to her bedroom and sat on her bed to call He Zhichu.

    ¡°Professor He, is now a good time?¡±

    He Zhichu had been waiting for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call.

    If he hadn¡¯t seen that Gu Nianzhi was at the Special Operations Forces Headquarters all afternoon, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist calling her.

    Finally, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call came through. He quickly picked it up, but his tone was indifferent. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and whispered,¡±... Luo Jin was just sent to the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison yesterday. She suffocated herself with a stic bag in the prison...¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Is that why you went to the prison today? And then you were ambushed? As expected, it was because of him. Why are you meddling in the Huo family¡¯s business?¡±

    He Zhichu was a little angry. He looked at the news coldly. It was full of gunshots, grenades, and smoke from the Imperial Women¡¯s Prison.

    Gu Nianzhiughed and said yfully, ¡°But the devil is stronger than the ruler. I have powerful bodyguards by my side, and not only did they not get the upper hand, they were beaten to a pulp by my bodyguards!¡±

    He Zhichu turned off the television in front of him and said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s because your bodyguard is strong. Why are you so smug yourself?¡±

    ¡°Professor He, please don¡¯t spoil the mood. I really like my bodyguard.¡± Gu Nianzhi felt a little strange after she finished speaking and immediately added, ¡°That youngdy is beautiful and can fight. She¡¯s my idol!¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°A female bodyguard?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be dumb. ¡°Women are also very strong. They¡¯re not worse than men.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s pursed lips rxed.

    He didn¡¯t want to put down the phone so he started chatting with Gu Nianzhi. Finally, he said, ¡°Pay attention to the news in South America and Japan these few days. Your case in Japan should be announced soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frozefor a moment before she remembered the ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation.

    ¡°Are they still stalling? They¡¯re so annoying. Is it that hard to find a new judge?¡± Her face puffy with anger, Gu Nianzhi pouted.

    ¡°They¡¯re deliberately stalling. That¡¯s why they¡¯re pushing for a new judge.¡± He Zhichuughed coldly. ¡°I¡¯d like to see how much they can pay for this foundation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand what He Zhichu meant at the time, but she understood the next day.

    News about that was suddenly popping up on Weibo like mushrooms after a rain.

    # the newly installed government of Brazil imed that the former government¡¯s cooperation with Japan is seriously problematic and has withheld $750 billion in mineral investments from the Japanese government. #

    # thergest gathering ce of Japanese expatriates in Brazil has been seized by the police on suspicion of illegal drugs and human smuggling. #

    # Japan¡¯s Yamaguchi Corporation experienced the biggest ambush in Peru, and its CEO was killed on the spot #

    # Brazil¡¯s richest man, Lei Yaer, ended investment negotiations with a Japanese consortium, and ims that Japan isn¡¯t a country friendly to foreign businessmen#

    ..

    News of this sort took uprge pages.

    Japan¡¯s biggest interest in South America was Brazil, followed by Peru, both of which had suffered heavy losses this time.

    Everyone watched the Japanese government and the Japanese people lose a lot of money every day as if it was a festival.

    The Japanese stock market was facing arge-scale sell-off as if it had been smashed by someone. The stock prices plummeted, and it became a carnival for short sellers.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help feeling itchy. She used her overseas ount to short sale stocks in the Japanese stock market one after another, and cashed in arge sum of money. She then donated it to Song Jinning¡¯s high-energy Physics Research Institute for experimental funding.

    Under these sessive blows, the relevant people in the Japanese government finally understood the crux of the problem.

    They couldn¡¯t resist the massive loss of the stock market and overseas interests, and began to force people to let go, especially the government and parliamentary personnel associated with the ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation. Otherwise, everyone would lose even more, it would be even more than the benefits they received from the ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation.

    In less than two days, the new judge for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s case was suddenly selected and the final sentencing date was immediately set.

    It was initially set for ten dayster.

    He Zhichu sneered and made a phone call to his men in South America.

    Japan¡¯s interests in South America were slipping away even faster.

    The Japanese government quicklypromised again, dering that the case had dragged on for too long and that they wanted to end it quickly. They moved the sentencing date to tomorrow, eight days earlier than the originally set time.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the news and wanted to sneer.

    At this point, they still wanted to drag it out as long as they could.

    Unfortunately, they had met He Zhichu and were doomed to suffer.

    Gu Nianzhi had now returned to her apartment in the Sanhuan road.

    Xiao Ye still lived with her, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything about it. She treated Xiao Ye the same as before.

    Xiao Ye didn¡¯t change her way of behaving, and no one brought up the topic again.

    ..

    Tomorrow was the day the verdict on the ¡°Angel in the world¡± case would be announced.

    Gu Nianzhi was still a little excited when she thought about it.

    She took a bottle of grape juice and knocked on Xiao Ye¡¯s door. ¡°Xiao Ye,e have a drink with me.¡±

    Xiao Ye could tell at a nce that it was fruit juice and not wine. She narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Drinking fruit juice isn¡¯t actually drinking.¡±

    Drinking wine was drinking a ss.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I prepared red wine for you. I¡¯ll drink grape juice with you.¡±

    Xiao Ye smiled and followed her to the dining room to sit down. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re already neen, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be twenty in a few months.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked forward to it. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to drink when I¡¯m twenty-two.¡±

    Xiao Ye:¡±...¡±

    She asked in confusion, ¡°Why twenty-two? As far as I know, people can buy alcohol in foreign bars at twenty-one.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but Major General Huo and Professor He both said so, so I have to listen to them.¡±

    Xiao Ye smiled slightly and poured herself a ss of red wine. She raised the ss and waved it around. ¡°Come, I wish you all the best and whatever your heart desires toe true!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled happily. ¡°Xiao Ye, you didn¡¯t even ask me why I¡¯m so happy.¡±

    ¡°Idon¡¯t have to ask. You can tell me if you want to.¡± Xiao Ye looked at her with a smile. Under the lotusmp in the dining room, her face was so beautiful that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    This youngdy was simply too perfect.

    If she were a man, she would probably fall for her...

    Gu Nianzhi took a sip of grape juice and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, actually. It¡¯s just a case overseas. It¡¯s been going on for a long time, and the verdict will finally be announced tomorrow.¡±

    Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow and said politely, ¡°Congrattions, then.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Gu Nianzhi was in high spirits. ¡°By the way, where did you learn Kung Fu? Can you teach me when you have the free time?¡±

    The two chatted for a while before Huo Shaoheng walked in.

    Xiao Ye quickly stood up and said, ¡°Major General Huo is here, so I¡¯ll be going back today.¡±

    Every time Huo Shaoheng came to visit Gu Nianzhi, Xiao Ye would excuse herself.

    First of all, with Huo Shaoheng around, Xiao Ye didn¡¯t have to worry about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety.

    Second of all, they were engaged, so how could she be a third wheel?

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to stop her. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing well recently. I¡¯ve already given you credit for it. The organization has just approved it, so I¡¯m here today to let you know.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She held Xiao Ye¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Congrattions! You¡¯ve been promoted!¡±

    His expression gentle, Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You¡¯re a Colonel now. Keep working hard.¡±

    Xiao Ye was in a great mood, but since Huo Shaoheng was here, she tried her best to contain her joy. She said calmly, ¡°Thank you, chief. This is what I should do. I¡¯m going to call my parents. Excuse me.¡± With that said, she went back to her room.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Xiao Ye¡¯s retreating back figure and smiled. ¡°Xiao Ye has parents too?¡±

    ¡°You make it sound as if she came out of a rock. How could she not have parents?¡± Huo Shaoheng pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nose in amusement. ¡°Colonel Xiao¡¯s father is General Xiao, and her mother is the president of a military academy. They¡¯re both dedicated to serving the country.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was saddened by these words. She buried her head in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and mumbled,¡±... I feel like I came out of a rock.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily speechless.

    He had nned to leave after telling Gu Nianzhi the news, but now he had no choice but to hug Gu Nianzhi andfort her.

    The two of them returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom and made love for a while. Huo Shaoheng watched her wash up in the bathroom when he heard a calling in.

    ¡°Major General Huo, there¡¯s an important report from the Japanese field office.¡±

    ¡°Put it through.¡± Huo Shaoheng put on his Bluetooth headset and walked to the window to make a call. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, we¡¯ve just received news that Dou Qingyan¡¯s whereabouts have been found.¡±

    The field agent for the Japanese area seemed to be in an empty space outside, and his voice traveled quite far.

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°Kyoto Clearwater Temple,¡± the field agent for the Japanese area said nervously. ¡°She lives with a middle-aged woman, who looks somewhat simr to the wanted Aiko Yamaguchi and Yoko Yamaguchi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression turned cold when he heard about Aiko Yamaguchi¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Are you sure? Do you have a photo?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The other party quickly sent him a photo.

    The photo had been taken in the morning.

    The early morning sunlight had automatically added ayer of filtered soft light to the photo.

    The photo showed a three-story wooden Tang-style building. The wooden window on the third floor was nted open with a thin bamboo stick.

    A few cherry blossoms that were blooming vibrantly came in from outside the window. Under the flowers, two women in kimonos sat across from each other as they drank tea.

    A beautiful long-haired woman sat on the left side of the window. She proped her face with her hand and stared at the person across from her.

    The woman across from her wore ck-framed sses and appeared to be in her forties. The crow¡¯s feet on both sides of her cheeks were obvious.

    The two of them happened to be smiling while staring at the cherry blossoms that were peeking in from outside the window at the same time. Their faces were captured in the photo.

    The young, long-haired woman was indeed Dou Qingyan. The middle-aged woman across from her looked very simr to Aiko Yamaguchi.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the photo and immediately decided, ¡°You guys keep an eye on her. I¡¯ll send someone to pick her up right away.¡±

    He hung up the phone and had already decided to make a trip to Japan himself.

    If he had guessed correctly, Dou Qingyan had been with Aiko Yamaguchi ever since she had been released from prison.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t believe his luck when the people he had been chasing for so long suddenly appeared one after another.

    However, he wouldn¡¯t deliberately go against his luck when it came.

    Huo Shaoheng said to Gu Nianzhi through the bathroom door, ¡°I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi came out, he was already on his way to the airport.

    When Gu Nianzhi called him, she heard the sound of the wind outside. She asked in confusion, ¡°Major General Huo, where are you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°I was suddenly notified by the base. You should go to bed early.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also understood the nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work. She quickly said, ¡°Then be careful and don¡¯t stay upte.¡±

    She paused and said in a low voice, ¡°Call me tomorrow...¡±

    Tomorrow was the day of the ¡°Angel in the Human World¡± foundation¡¯s sentencing. Gu Nianzhi really wanted to share this joy with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Okay, good girl. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and saw a flight to Tokyo, Japan, from the T-3 hangar building of the Imperial International Airport.

    There was no direct flight from the imperial capital to Kyoto, so he had to go to Tokyo first and then transfer to Kyoto.

    He had alreadypleted the formalities. His face had been disguised, and he didn¡¯t look like himself at all. His passport and credit cards also reflected his current appearance and identity.

    Ten minutester, the ne soared into the sky and flew towards Tokyo, Japan.

    Three hourster, they arrived at Tokyo International Airport, Japan.

    Huo Shaoheng led Yin Shixiong out of the airport without stopping. He called a taxi and rushed to the Shinkansen line to take the Shinkansen train to Kyoto.

    The sky was already bright after this long journey.

    In the early morning, Kyoto appeared ancient and full of history while shrouded in a thinyer of hazy mist.

    Qingshui temple was a famous ce where people prayed for marital luck. It was the oldest temple in Kyoto. Overlooking the entire capital, it was entirely made of wood and was situated high up in the sky. There were cherry blossoms in spring and maple leaves in autumn. The scenery was very beautiful.

    The cherry blossoms had long since withered in the early June weather. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as in the photos.

    However, the heavy eaves and tall roofs, and the shade of the trees, carried a sense of ancient solemnity and grandeur.

    However, the sort of evil lurking beneath this ancient solemnity and grandeur was unknown.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong contacted the field staff in Kyoto and asked, ¡°Had they always been here?¡±

    ¡°We received a report yesterday and checked. They were indeed here, but the middle-aged woman seemed to have just arrived here. She wasn¡¯t always here. Dou Qingyan was always here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and looked up at the tall temple in front of him. ¡°Have you verified Dou Qingyan¡¯s identity?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Our people snuck in yesterday and got some of her hair. We¡¯ve already tested her DNA.¡±

    The field staff took out the DNA report and showed it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current identity was only one of the field agents. Even the field staff on his side didn¡¯t know that he was the head of the Special Operations Forces.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the report and had the man send it back while he worked out a n with him.

    After looking at his watch, he saw that it was already six in the morning. It was the time for Qingshui Temple to open.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Huo Shaoheng took the topographic map and tickets that the field operations team had prepared for him. He and Yin Shixiong followed the crowd into Qingshui Temple.

    Dou Qingyan was staying in a meditation room in a small building in the back.

    Of course, ordinary people didn¡¯t receive such treatment to be able to stay in a thousand-year-old temple like this.

    However, it would be easy if someone helped her.

    In this aspect, Aiko Yamaguch indeed has a powerful status in Japan. It was no wonder that she was able to hide for so long.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong split up and made their way to Dou Qingyan¡¯s meditation room.

    This wasn¡¯t a scenic area. It was very quiet and peaceful.

    A small bird with a ck back and a red head was chirping on the tree. It wasn¡¯t afraid even when it saw the peopleing. It blinked its beady eyes and tilted its head to look at them.

    Huo Shaoheng raised a finger to his mouth and shushed.

    The small bird chirped and spread its wings to fly into the blue sky.

    The window of Dou Qingyan¡¯s small building creaked open. A middle-aged woman wearing ck-rimmed sses leaned over to take a look.

    She had short hair and thick bangs that draped over her forehead. Her skin was a delicate milky white color.

    Huo Shaoheng inexplicably felt rmed inside. He stopped and stood under a big tree, then looked in the direction of the building without moving.

    Yin Shixiong had already reached over and climbed up the building from the wall.

    The middle-aged woman looked at it and used a thin bamboo stick to open the wooden window.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for a while, but decided to follow his original n and go up the stairs.

    His footsteps were so light that there wasn¡¯t any sound.

    However, when he was about to reach the second floor, a cat suddenly rushed down the stairs. It was caught off guard and saw Huo Shaoheng. It meowed and scuttled past him.

    The door not far from the stairs opened, and a voice came out. ¡°Is it Mimi? It¡¯s still so early, but it¡¯s already up?¡±

    The voice was loud and clear. It was Dou Qingyan¡¯s voice.

    Then, they heard a gentle voice speaking in Japanese, and the speaker seemed to have said, ¡°She¡¯s a cat, so of course cats get up early. Do you think she¡¯s like you?¡±

    But there was no me in her tone.

    Dou Qingyan smiled and said with some disappointment, ¡°It¡¯s said that praying for marriage is the most effective here, but I¡¯ve lived here for almost two years. I¡¯ve been going to the good marriage praying ce every day, but I haven¡¯t seen that heartless persone to visit me even once.¡±

    ¡°With your current identity, how can hee to visit you?¡± The gentle female voice spoke again. ¡°But, perhaps you¡¯ll see him when you open the door. In thest moment of life, dreams alwayse true.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt warning bells go off inside of hhim. He wanted to leave but it was toote.

    The wooden door on the stairs was pushed open, and Dou Qingyan appeared before him in a kimono with bean-sand-green flying cranes.

    She nced at Huo Shaoheng, who had disguised himself, and frowned. ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re in the wrong ce. This isn¡¯t a tourist attraction...¡±

    She thought he was a tourist.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to speak when the sound of a silent pistol suddenly came from behind Dou Qingyan.

    A few bullets shot into Dou Qingyan¡¯s back, all the way into her heart.

    She didn¡¯t even close her eyes before falling straight to the ground.

    All she could see was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and handsome figure.

    That figure was so familiar...

    In thest moment of her life, Dou Qingyan thought, the Qingshui Temple¡¯s marriage stone is indeed the most effective...

    The stairs were narrow, so Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t dodge or retreat.

    The moment Dou Qingyan fell, a middle-aged woman dressed in ck behind her was revealed. She held a gun in her hand and looked at Huo Shaoheng in shock, as if she hadn¡¯t expected someone toe to such a secluded ce at this time!

    ¡°Who... Who are you?!¡± She asked in a trembling voice as she clutched her chest. She raised her hand and fired several shots at him.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent. He twisted his body, leaned against the handrail of the stairs, and raised his wrist to fire a shot as well. There was a dull thud, and the shot hit the woman¡¯s wrist.

    The gun in her hand fell to the ground. Her other hand held the injured wrist, and she knelt on the ground in pain.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and saw that Yin Shixiong had already flipped into the window behind her like an ape.

 Chapter 1380 - The Stone of Marriage that Prays for Good Fortune

    <h4>Chapter 1380: The Stone of Marriage that Prays for Good Fortune</h4>

    Upon hearing that there were clues to Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s whereabouts, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression turned a little more serious. ¡°Are you certain? Do you have a photo?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The other party quickly sent him a photo.

    The photo was taken in the morning.

    The early morning sunlight had automatically added a filter of soft light to the photo.

    The photo showed a three-storied wooden Tang-style building. The wooden window on the third floor was kept open with a thin bamboo stick.

    A few cherry blossoms that were in full bloom peeked in from outside the window. Under the flowers, two women in kimonos were sitting opposite each other drinking tea.

    A beautiful long-haired woman sat on the left side of the window. She supported herself with her hand and looked at the person opposite her.

    The woman opposite her wore ck-framed sses and looked to be in her forties. The crow¡¯s feet on both sides of her face were obvious.

    The two of them happened to look at the cherry blossoms that were peeking in from outside the window at the same time and smiled, so their faces were caught in the photo.

    The young, long-haired woman was indeed Dou Qingyan. The middle-aged woman opposite her looked very much like Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the photo and immediately decided, ¡°You guys keep an eye on them. I¡¯ll send for reinforcements right away.¡±

    He hung up the phone. He had already decided to make a trip to Japan himself.

    If he did not guess wrongly, ever since Dou Qingyan was released from prison, she had been with Yamaguchi Aiko.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t believe his luck when the people he had been tracking for so long suddenly appeared one after another.

    However, since luck was now in his favor, he certainly wouldn¡¯t intentionally go against it.

    Huo Shaoheng said to Gu Nianzhi through the bathroom door, ¡°I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi came out, he was already on his way to the airport.

    When Gu Nianzhi called him, she heard the sound of the wind outside. She asked in confusion, ¡°Young Master Huo, where are you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°I was suddenly notified to go into the field. You should go to bed early.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also understood the nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work, and she quickly said, ¡°Then be careful and don¡¯t stay up toote.¡±

    She paused and said softly, ¡°Call me tomorrow...¡±

    Tomorrow was the day that the ¡°Angel in the Human World¡± Foundation would be sentenced. Gu Nianzhi really wanted to share this joy with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Mmm, be a good girl. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and saw the flight to Tokyo, Japan, docked at the T-3 hangar of the Imperial International Airport.

    There was no direct flight from the imperial capital to Kyoto, so he had to go to Tokyo first and then transfer to Kyoto.

    He had alreadypleted all the procedures. After his face had been disguised, he looked nothing like his original self. His passport and credit cards were also based on his current appearance and identity.

    Ten minutester, the ne soared into the sky and flew towards Tokyo, Japan.

    Three hourster, they arrived at Tokyo International Airport, Japan.

    Huo Shaoheng took Yin Shixiong out of the airport, and without stopping, he called a taxi and rushed over to take the Shinkansen to Kyoto.

    The sky was already bright after this long journey.

    In the clear morning, the antiquity of Tokyo showed itself. It was shrouded in a thinyer of mist.

    The Kiyomizu-dera was famous for marriage prayers. It was the oldest temple in Kyoto. It was fully made of wood and was located at a great altitude, overlooking the entirety of Kyoto. There were cherry blossoms in spring and maple leaves in autumn; the scenery was very beautiful.

    With the weather in early June, the cherry blossoms had long since withered. It was not quite the same as in the photos.

    However, the heavy eaves and tall roofs and the shade of the green trees carried with them an ancient dignity and solemnity.

    However, what sort of evil was hidden under this dignity and solemnity was up to anyone¡¯s guess.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong contacted the field staff in Kyoto and asked, ¡°Did they stay here all the time?¡±

    ¡°We received a report yesterday and checked. They were indeed here, but the middle-aged woman seemed to have just arrived here. She wasn¡¯t always here. Dou Qingyan was always here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and looked up at the great temple in front of him. ¡°Have you verified Dou Qingyan¡¯s identity?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Our people snuck in yesterday and got some of her hair. We¡¯ve already tested her DNA.¡±

    The field staff took out the DNA report and showed it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current identity was only that of a typical field operator. Even the field staff at his side didn¡¯t know that he was the head of their special operations forces.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the report and had the man send it back while he worked out a n with him.

    Looking at his watch, he noticed it was already six in the morning. It was exactly the time for Kiyomizu-dera to open.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Huo Shaoheng took the topographic map and tickets that the field operations team had prepared for him, and he and Yin Shixiong followed the crowd into Kiyomizu-dera.

    Dou Qingyan was staying in a meditation room in a small building at the back.

    Of course, ordinary people did not receive such treatment to be allowed to stay in a thousand-year-old temple like this.

    However, it would be easy if someone helped her.

    Thinking about it, Aiko Yamaguchi was indeed influential in Japan. It was no wonder that she could hide for so long.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong split up and stealthily made their way to Dou Qingyan¡¯s meditation room.

    This area was not a scenic tourist attraction, so it was very quiet and peaceful.

    A small bird with a ck back and a red head was chirping on the tree. Even when it saw people approaching, it was not afraid. It blinked its bean-like eyes and tilted its head to look at them.

    Huo Shaoheng raised a finger to his lips and shushed at the bird.

    The small bird chirped and spread its wings, taking flight into the blue sky.

    The window of Dou Qingyan¡¯s small building creaked open. A middle-aged woman wearing ck-rimmed sses leaned out to take a look.

    She had short hair, and thick bangs draped over her forehead. Her skin was a delicate milky white.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a strange rm going off in his heart. He stopped and stood under a big tree, looking in the direction of the building without moving.

    Yin Shixiong had already reached and was climbing up the building from the wall.

    After looking outside, the middle-aged woman used a thin bamboo stick to prop the wooden window open.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for a while, and decided to follow his original n and go up the stairs.

    His footsteps were so light that they made no sound at all.

    However, when he was about to reach the second floor, a cat suddenly rushed down the stairs. It was caught off guard when it saw Huo Shaoheng, meowed and scuttled past him.

    The door not far from the stairs opened, and a voice echoed out, ¡°Is it Mimi? It¡¯s so early and it¡¯s already up?¡±

    The voice was very clear. It was Dou Qingyan¡¯s voice.

    Then, they heard a gentle voice speaking in Japanese, as if the person were saying, ¡°It¡¯s a cat. Of course, cats get up early. Do you think she¡¯s like you?¡±

    There was, however, no tinge of berating in her tone.

    Dou Qingyan smiled and said with some disappointment, ¡°It¡¯s said that this ce is the best for praying for marriage, but I¡¯ve lived here for almost two years. I¡¯ve been praying at the Jishu shrine every day, but that heartless person still hasn¡¯te to visit me once.¡±

    ¡°With your current status, how can hee to visit you?¡± the gentle female voice spoke again. ¡°However, maybe you¡¯ll see him when you open the door. In thest moments of life, dreams alwayse true.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart was ringing with rm. He was about to leave, but it was toote.

    The wooden door on the stairs was pushed open. Dou Qingyan appeared before him in a bean paste green kimono with flying crane motifs.

    She nced at Huo Shaoheng in his disguise and frowned. ¡°Who are you? I think you¡¯ve gone the wrong way. This isn¡¯t a scenic area...¡±

    She thought he was a tourist.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to speak when the sound of a silenced pistol suddenly came from behind Dou Qingyan.

    A few bullets shot into Dou Qingyan¡¯s back all the way to her heart.

    She didn¡¯t even close her eyes before she fell straight to the ground.

    All she could see was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and handsome figure.

    This figure was so familiar...

    In the final moments of her life, Dou Qingyan thought, ¡°The Kiyomizu-dera¡¯s marriage stone is indeed the most effective...¡±

    The stairs were narrow, so Huo Shaoheng could not dodge or retreat.

    The moment Dou Qingyan fell, a middle-aged woman in ck behind her was revealed. She held a gun in her hand and looked at Huo Shaoheng in shock, as if she had not expected someone toe to such a secluded ce at this time!

    ¡°Who... Who Are You?!¡± she asked in a trembling voice as she clutched her chest. She raised her hand and fired several shots at him.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent. He twisted his body, leaned against the handrail of the stairs, and raised his wrist to fire a shot as well. There was a dull thud, and the shot hit the woman¡¯s wrist.

    The gun in her hand fell to the ground. Her other hand held the injured wrist, and she knelt on the ground in pain.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and saw that Yin Shixiong had already flipped into the room through the window behind her like a monkey.

 Chapter 1381 - Iâ€™ll Ask, Donâ€™t Worry About It

    <h4>Chapter 1381: I¡¯ll Ask, Don¡¯t Worry About It</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng took a step forward and put his hand out in front of Dou Qingyan, only to find that she was no longer breathing.

    After being shot a few rounds straight into the back of her heart by the middle-aged woman, even a deity would not be able to escape death.

    Yin Shixiong jumped into the room and immediately rushed behind the middle-aged woman. He reached out and pressed her shoulders down, and with a pull and a tug, dislocated both of her arms.

    Huo Shaoheng followed suit and stepped forward. Wearing transparenttex gloves, he suddenly reached out, grabbed her chin and pulled down hard, dislocating her jaw.

    At the same time, Yin Shixiong took out an instrument, aimed it at the middle-aged woman¡¯s face and carefully scanned it.

    A holographic image of the woman¡¯s facial bones quickly appeared on their phone screen.

    ¡°Very good. There are no traces of any surgery performed on the bones in her face, and there is nothing hidden in her teeth,¡± they thought.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and put the middle-aged woman¡¯s jaw back in ce.

    This pulling and tugging and dislocating and relocating were bone-piercingly painful.

    The middle-aged woman was in excruciating pain. Large beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and there was no trace of blood on her face.

    She was already white, and now her face was even paler. She was eerily white like a female ghost in the dark night.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Yin Shixiongmunicated silently with Huo Shaoheng in signnguage.

    He saw Dou Qingyan lying in a pool of blood, and then looked at the fierce middle-aged woman who was pointing her gun just now. He understood that they could no longer follow their previous n.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, ncing around him aimlessly.

    The surrounding environment was very quiet. Even though there were a few birds chirping just a few moments ago , there was not even the slightest sound of wind now.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and gestured to Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong understood what was going on. He pulled the middle-aged woman, who was lying on the ground moaning in pain, up into a kneeling position facing him. He patted her face with his gun and said in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re Yamaguchi Aiko right? Why did you kill Dou Qingyan?¡±

    The middle-aged woman opened her eyes and spat out a string of gibberish in Japanese.

    Yin Shixiong sneered and punched her shoulder where it was dislocated and said, ¡°Don¡¯t y games with me. I know you can speak Chinese.¡±

    The pain pierced even further into her bones, and it was so bad that the middle-aged woman almost fainted again.

    When Yin Shixiong raised his hand again, the woman hastily but weakly said in Chinese, ¡°... No... I¡¯m not Yamaguchi Aiko...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± Yin Shixiong took out a few photos. ¡°Take a look for yourself. Don¡¯t you look exactly the same as this person?¡±

    They both had thick bangs, big ck-rimmed sses, round faces, and small mouths. Of course, there were slight differences, but those were slight differences in expression, and nothing to do with looks.

    Even selfies taken by an ordinary person were not identical, let alone a photo downloaded from the surveince system.

    The middle-aged woman nced about and avoided looking at the photo in Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand. She stuttered for a long time before saying, ¡°We¡¯re just simr. I don¡¯t know this person.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know her? If you don¡¯t know her, why were you with Dou Qingyan?¡± Yin Shixiong half-squatted down and looked at the kneeling middle-aged woman straight in her eyes. He held the photo in front of her, ¡°Open your pea-sized eyes and look clearly. How dare you say no?! Should I call you Yamaguchi Aiko or Yamaguchi Youko?!¡±

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s body suddenly shrank back and she fell back on her knees.

    She turned her head and said fearfully, ¡°No... It really isn¡¯t me...¡±

    The more she argued, the more Yin Shixiong felt that she was faking it. He was extremely furious and pped her, ¡°I¡¯ll give you one minute to think carefully about it! If it isn¡¯t for Yamaguchi Aiko, I¡¯d send you to hell right now!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked around the house alone, looking around at the furnishings. Finally, he found a safe in the storeroom at the back of the house.

    Huo Shaoheng was best at opening safes.

    He stared at thebination lock expressionlessly for a while, then took out an instrument and began to decode it.

    In less than a minute, the safe beeped and opened, revealing passports, identity documents, bank cards, jewelry, cash, and a few stock certificates.

    Huo Shaoheng wore stic gloves, so he was not afraid that he would leave fingerprints.

    He reached in and retrieved all the identity documents, passports, and share certificates.

    He flipped them open and saw that they were indeed the passports and identity documents of Dou Qingyan, Yamaguchi Aiko, and Yamaguchi Youko.

    They had already bought passports for a certain country in South America. It seemed that they intended to go to South America.

    And that share certificate was actually the share certificate of the charity organization ¡°Angel in the world¡±!

    It turned out that Yamaguchi Aiko had such a close rtionship with ¡°Angel in the world¡±. It was no wonder...

    Huo Shaoheng put these things into a transparent folder that he carried with him.

    He walked up to the middle-aged woman and took out the two passports that had the names ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko¡± and ¡°Yamaguchi Youko¡± written on them, and handed them to Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong took a look at them and tsked, ¡°Yamaguchi Aiko is indeed Yamaguchi Youko. Look at this photo, and also this visa period. Isn¡¯t it...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had noticed this before, but he remained silent and nced sideways at the middle-aged woman.

    When the two passports were ced in front of the middle-aged woman, the woman finally gave up and copsed to the ground. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°So what if it¡¯s me?! I just hate them! Did the Gu family think that they could be superior just because they escaped our great Japanese Empire?! They can stop dreaming! They¡¯re just like bastards bred from animals; how can they be worthy?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He struck like the wind, and with a crisp sound, he almost broke the woman¡¯s neck!

    Her head was knocked to one side, and half her teeth flew out of her mouth!

    The sharp pain caused her eyes to roll back, and she fainted again.

    Yin Shixiong stared at Huo Shaoheng with his mouth agape. He couldn¡¯t help but make a few gestures, ¡°Young Master Huo, take it easy. If you kill her with one p, you won¡¯t be able to ask questions.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his fists and slowly released them.

    He had already put on a bag over his sneakers so they wouldn¡¯t leave any footprints on the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng stretched out his long legs and kicked the middle-aged woman, waking her up again.

    Yin Shixiong continued to scold her, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be so damn noble! Weren¡¯t you bastards the ones who caused problems for the Gu family? Don¡¯t you have any shame? You call others animals; sure enough, animals don¡¯t know how to say anything minimally appropriate. Look at your pathetic state now, you¡¯re worse than an animal! It¡¯s only because your parents are so horrible at mating that an animal like you is born!¡±

    When it came to insulting others, Yin Shixiong was quite skilled at it too.

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s face swelled and turned purple from his insults, and the blood vessels on her forehead popped out and were almost bursting.

    ¡°Alright, since you admit that you did all this, what about Gu Xiangwen? Where is he?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the others were now almost certain that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s disappearance was rted to these people.

    The ¡°Angel in the world¡± charity foundation was the organization on the surface. There were also some people, such as Yamaguchi Aiko and Gu Yanran, who were secretly working for this organization.

    Their goal was very clear; it was Gu Xiangwen and his daughter, Gu Nianzhi.

    The middle-aged woman was quite tight-lipped. No matter how viciously Yin Shixiong tortured her, she gritted her teeth and refused to say anything.

    In the end, with her hair disheveled, she suddenly burst intoughter like a lunatic.

    ¡°Hahahaha... worry your hearts out like that! It¡¯s best if you all die of anxiety! If you die of anxiety, you can go meet Gu Xiangwen! Hahahaha... If he can¡¯t be used by me, what else do I need him for?! If you want to find him, go to the Cape of Good Hope and collect his corpse! ¡ª remember to kneel three times and kowtow nine times!¡±*

    Her voice was sharp and long. It was very prative, as if she were sending a signal.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a chill on the back of his neck. He leapt to the side and shouted, ¡°Get down!¡±

    Yin Shixiong, who was standing diagonally opposite him with his back facing the window dropped to the ground reflexively.

    Crack!

    A sniper bullet almost grazed his scalp. It hit the back of the middle-aged woman¡¯s heart, not even an inch off its aim.

    If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been so quick to react, the bullet would have precisely hit Yin Shixiong¡¯s back!

    ¡°There¡¯s an ambush! Let¡¯s go!¡± Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and left in a hurry with Yin Shixiong.

    Not long after they left, an ear-piercing rm sounded in Kyoto¡¯s Kiyomizu-dera.

    The two of them mingled into the crowd of tourists and were evacuated from Kiyomizu-dera by the police.

    The people around them were panicking, and groups of four or five fought over taxis.

    The two of them found the person who was backing them up and left in their private car.

    The two of them did not stop anywhere to rest. They took the Shinkansen route back to Tokyo and bought tickets from Tokyo International Airport and left.

    When they arrive at the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Imperial Capital International Airport, it was only noon the next day.

    Fan Jian picked them up in his car in front of the terminal.

    After settling down in the car, Huo Shaoheng asked Yin Shixiong, ¡°Did you collect the blood samples of the two of them?¡±

    ¡°I have. I¡¯ll get Chen Lie to perform the DNA testter,¡± Yin Shixiong scratched his head as he said. ¡°But there is nothing from Yamaguchi Aiko to match with.¡±

    ¡°The news of their deaths should have spread already. Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s identity should beverifiable. Send a message to the field operators in Japan and have them take samples of Yamaguchi Aiko based on the information confirmed by the police. We¡¯ll be able to find a match.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng really didn¡¯t believe that Yamaguchi Aiko had burst out of a rock!**

    They had a record of Dou Qingyan¡¯s DNA. They would know if it was her after aparison.

    As for Yamaguchi Aiko, they would have to wait until their field operators in Japan provided proof of Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯s identity as verified by the police before they could get a DNA sample topare.

    Yin Shixiong understood and nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait first.¡±

    They did not speak again after returning to the headquarters of the special operations forces.

    Both of them were not feeling particrly happy.

    They had chased after Yamaguchi Aiko all the way to Japan. They had thought that they would be able to get to the bottom of the matter. In the end, it was a case of the mantis hunting the cicada, while the siskin was behind.*** They had almost been buried in a trap.

    Fortunately, the other party did not know that Huo Shaoheng had gone personally. If they did, they probably would not have used only one sniper to clean their tracks.

    If they had known that Huo Shaoheng had gone personally, they would have prevented him from leaving Japan alive at all costs.

    ...

    After breakfast that day, Gu Nianzhi went to the Professor Block at B University. She went to He Zhichu¡¯s Professor Suite and waited with him for the verdict of the case.

    She had originally wanted to experience this important moment with Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Huo Shaoheng suddenly had to go into the field, so there was nothing she could do.

    However, she wasn¡¯t angry at all. She only felt a little regret.

    However, this regret disappearedpletely after she saw He Zhichu.

    At least, she still had Professor He who was like her family to wait for the results with her.

    Because He Zhichu had been guiding their legal team behind the scenes for this case, He Zhichu paid quite a lot of attention to it, even more than Gu Nianzhi herself did.

    He weed Gu Nianzhi with snacks that he had specially prepared.

    ¡°These are blueberries from my organic farm. I got a few blueberry pastries baked for you to try.¡±

    Of course, he hadn¡¯t baked these, but the raw ingredients were from him, so it could be considered that he made them himself.

    Gu Nianzhi bit into a blueberry muffin. A clear fragrance hit her first, followed by a sweet aftertaste. It even had a faint milky fragrance. It was iparably delicious.

    Gu Nianzhi licked her fingers exaggeratedly and said, ¡°Professor He, your blueberry muffin is amazing! I almost swallowed my finger!¡±

    He Zhichu pressed his lips into a light smile and said, ¡°You can¡¯t eat too much even if you like it. The sugar content of this thing is too high; it¡¯ll damage your teeth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile and took a sip of milk.

    The two chatted casually for a while. At nine o¡¯clock, the court over there finally began to officially announce the verdict.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s representingwyer on that side used his phone to stream it for them in real time.

    After thewyers from both sides arrived, the new judge went through the motions mechanically and said a series of polite words before he began to announce the verdict.

    ¡°The court finds ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation guilty of epting anonymous donations.¡±

    ¡°The court finds ¡°Angel in the world¡± guilty of fraudulent financial reporting.¡±

    ¡°The court finds ¡°Angel in the world¡± guilty of intentionally concealing its use of funds.¡±

    ...

    ¡°The court hereby orders the ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation to return Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi 20 billion US dors, of which Angel in the world only has 3 billion US dors remaining. The other 17 billion US dors have already been squandered and cannot be repaid. The court deres the foundation bankrupt, and all its assets shall be liquidated.¡±

    The person in charge of the ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation stated that they would not be able to repay them even if the foundation were to be liquidated.

    The court could only sentence them to jail.

    Gu Nianzhi did not have any expression when she heard this result because it waspletely within her expectations.

    Knowing that Gu Yanran had ¡°donated¡± 20 billion US dors to the ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation, she guessed that most of it would have been squandered away in the past seven years.

    She calmly said, ¡°They might go to jail, but all the projects supported by ¡°Angel in the world¡± will have to be transferred to me. I¡¯ll send someone to oversee their bankruptcy liquidation.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°That should be the case.¡±

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and sighed, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ve really grown up.¡±

    She considered things far more carefully now, and did not cry or make a scene whenever she was unhappy...

    Gu Nianzhi cupped her face with both hands and sighed, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯ve aged a lot. I¡¯ll be twenty in a few months. How can I not grow up?¡±

    He Zhichu, who was about to turn thirty, silently touched his chest. ¡ª This stab was so painful!

    After listening to the verdict, it was already noon.

    ¡°Shall we celebrate the closure of the case over lunch?¡± He Zhichu stood up and looked at his phone. ¡°I have sses in the afternoon. How about going to a restaurant near the school?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Gu Nianzhi said cheerfully, ¡°My case is over, so I can report to the senate tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°So soon? You should rest for a few more days.¡± He Zhichu gave her an idea, ¡°You might as well wait till after your engagement banquet with Young Master Huo before going to work at the senate.¡±

    He Zhichu would respect anyone¡¯s bravery if they still dared to blindly pick on Gu Nianzhi after this.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and felt that He Zhichu had a point. She smiled and nodded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go ask my grand uncle and see if the guest list is out yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been busy with thewsuit for the past few days and hadn¡¯t contacted her grand uncle. She wondered if that old man would be angry.

    He Zhichu snorted and said, ¡°You¡¯re a woman; don¡¯t ask such a question yourself. It¡¯s beneath you. If others find out, they¡¯ll think you¡¯re in a hurry to get married!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Then what should I do?¡± she frowned. ¡°But I have to see the guest list...¡±

    She also had a lot of colleagues and friends on her side of the guest list, and she didn¡¯t want anyone to be left out.

    ¡°... I¡¯ll ask. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s heart ached, but he still pulled himself together to help Gu Nianzhi n.

    *A sequence that some Chinese people perform to pay their respects to their ancestors

    **A reference to one of the four Chinese ssics ¡°Journey to the West¡±. One of the four main characters, the Monkey King, burst out of a rock on the day of his birth. Thus, he has no parents in the biological sense.

    ***A Chinese saying, usually to describe someone so focused on hunting something / someone that they fail to notice that they are someone else¡¯s target.

 Chapter 1382 - Signs of Life

    <h4>Chapter 1382: Signs of Life</h4>

    After having lunch with He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi drove herself back to the headquarter of special operations forces.

    Entering Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orderly, Fan Jian,e out of the kitchen. She asked casually, ¡°Brother Fan, didn¡¯t you go into the field with Young Master Huo?¡±

    She knew that when Huo Shaoheng went into the field, it was usually Fan Jian who drove.

    Fan Jian, ¡°...¡±

    Scratching his head, he smiled and helped Huo Shaoheng cover up, ¡°Uh, Huo Shaoheng just came back from the field.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was ted, ¡°He¡¯s back? So Soon?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t called her.

    ¡°Is he upstairs?¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to see Huo Shaoheng immediately and tell him about the ¡°Angel in the world¡± case.

    It had taken so long to finallye to a conclusion. She was also very emotional.

    Fan Jian shook his head with a smile. ¡°How could he be at home in the middle of the day? He went to the office building.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi instantly became listless. ¡°I¡¯ll go up then.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t disturb Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work.

    ...

    In the office building of the special operations forces¡¯ headquarters, Huo Shaoheng was holding a small group meeting to review the recent work situation.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhou Qiyuan were sitting in the meeting room. Zhao Liangze, who was far away on a small ind in the Cape of Good Hope, was also participating in the meeting via webcam.

    The other people who were also present at the meeting included the members of the task force of their previous few operations, as well as Xiao Ye, who had just returned to the force.

    Yin Shixiong first reported on the situation of their trip to Japan. He said in a pained tone, ¡°We were too impatient this time. We thought we could take them all down in one go, but we were almostpletely captured by them.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan frowned. ¡°How did such a huge mistake ur in the intelligence work this time? What exactly went wrong?¡±

    The leader of the operation team in charge of this dispatch was also very confused, ¡°... We did make sufficient preparations this time. All the clues in Japan were confirmed after cross-examination, and Dou Qingyan and Yamaguchi Aiko were not fake. How could such a huge problem have urred?¡±

    They could not understand why Yamaguchi Aiko wanted to kill Dou Qingyan at this time, nor did they understand what the purpose of the sniper was.

    Xiao Ye also felt that it was unbelievable. However, she had seen many things in her life. She followed up with her analysis, ¡°If we had leaked the news, then Yamaguchi Aiko would not be so stupid as to kill someone right in front of us. Under those circumstances, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape either, so she would practically be throwing her life away. Furthermore, thatst shot seemed to have been aimed at her. Maybe the sniper wasn¡¯t targeting Big Xiong but Yamaguchi Aiko instead.¡±

    Xiao Ye didn¡¯t know that Huo Shaoheng had personally gone to Japan this time.

    Even the internal department of the organisation thought that Yin Shixiong was leading the team, so there was almost no possibility of a leak.

    And judging from the sniper¡¯s target, it was indeed not Yin Shixiong. After he sessfully shot Yamaguchi Aiko, the sniper did not continue his attacks.

    Otherwise, if they had continued to attack Yin Shixiong and Huo Shaoheng, they would not have escaped Kiyomizu-dera so easily.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s emotions were extremelyplicated.

    If the invalid number belonged to Yamaguchi Aiko, then how many secrets had been buried by her death?

    What was the other party¡¯s motive?

    Yamaguchi Aiko, who had been on the run for so long, had suddenly appeared to kill Dou Qingyan, and it was done when they just arrived at the scene. Furthermore, there was no leak of intelligence from their organisation; their opponent¡¯s methods and choice of actions were indeed unfathomable.

    Yin Shixiong would not have outwardly said that Huo Shaoheng had gone personally.

    He only looked thoughtfully at Zhao Liangze on the screen, who had be tanner by one degree on the phototype scale, and asked, ¡°Little Ze, what do you think?¡±

    Zhao Liangze, who had experienced Bai Shuang¡¯s death, had not only be darker, but also rougher. He had grown a beard. The handsome pampered young man in the past had been roughened by life into a tough man.

    Zhao Liangze was expressionless. He looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was even more expressionless, and answered, albeit not to the question, ¡°... While things aren¡¯t going so well on your side, they¡¯re going pretty smoothly on mine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up in his direction and nodded calmly, ¡°Tell us.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face quickly disappeared from the video and was reced by two magnificent nautical charts.

    His voice was like a narrator¡¯sing from the stereo Bluetooth speakers installed at the four corners of the ceiling of the conference room.

    ¡°The chart on the left is the sea area that I¡¯ve searched in the past year, and the chart on the right is the sea area that I¡¯ve recently searched ording to the range that Young Master Huo gave me.¡±

    The two maps began to ovep and merge. The map on the left swallowed up the map on the right. In other words, the map on the right became a small circr area in the middle of the map on the left.

    It was like arge circle with a small circle inside it.

    A small red dot appeared in the small circle in the middle. It was the specific set of coordinates that Huo Shaoheng had given them. It was also the area shown in the screenshot of the shared location that they had gotten from Luo Jin¡¯s phone!

    ¡°I just discovered that there¡¯s a different sound wave at the bottom of the core area in the chart on the right.¡±

    They searched the sea area mainly through the use of sonarplemented by detections by the underwater drone, the Flood Dragon.

    However, the ocean was so vast; if they relied only on the manpower stationed on the ind, they would have taken a long time to find it.

    Huo Shaoheng had originally estimated that it would take five years.

    In other words, Zhao Liangze and his team would have to stay on this small ind for five whole years before they couldpletely search the entire area.

    However, with the help of the shared location in Luo Jin¡¯s phone, they actually made a new discovery in less than ten days!

    Then, they remembered that Yamaguchi Aiko had also told them to go to the Cape of Good Hope before she was killed by the sniper. Could it be that the location Yamaguchi Aiko shared with Luo Jin was really rted to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts?!

    ¡°What did you find? Tell us quickly!¡± Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t wait any longer and pped the table anxiously.

    The scene on the big screen changed again, and this time, the colorized underwater sonar image appeared.

    Under the vast ocean, all kinds of aquatic creatures were swimming around. Even after the sonar image was colorized, they still looked like dark shadows.

    Finally, the picture stopped at a dark object at the bottom of the sea.

    That thing looked like an olive. Of course, it was arge olive.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s voice came again.

    ¡°After the sonar scanning and image processing, we found that this is a small submarine. Its diameter is about four meters and its length is about 40 meters. Its widest part is five meters across. It is probably a mini submarine.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? There¡¯s a submarine in this ce? And what¡¯s more, it¡¯s a mini submarine?!¡± An uproar broke out in the meeting room.

    If it was arge submarine that appeared here, they would not be surprised. Countries with submarines would send their submarines out into the five main oceans from time to time.

    However, the appearance of a small mini submarine here was somewhat interesting.

    Basically, it could be ruled out that it was done by the military of any country.

    Firstly, for a mini-submarine to dive to such a deep seabed, the technical difficulties that had to be ovee were not ordinary. Just developing a sustainable power supply was a huge problem. Currently, no country in the world had made a breakthrough in this aspect. Therefore, a typical submarine was veryrge. Whether it was a nuclear submarine or a conventionally powered submarine, arge part of the design was to provide enough space for the power source of the submarine.

    Secondly, that ce had almost no strategic significance. Even if a country had achieved sufficient technological breakthrough to create mini submarines that could dive that deep, it would not be ced in such a ce.

    Then whose mini submarine was this?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure did not change. He rested one hand on the conference table and yed with a lighter in the other. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°Did you send the Flood Dragon down?¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s military referred to their underwater drone as the Flood Dragon.

    Zhao Liangze said, ¡°As soon as the sonar detected the target, I sent the Flood Dragon down. You can watch the video taken by the Flood Dragon.¡±

    The scene on the big screen changed again.

    This time, their eyes followed the underwater drone Flood Dragon as it gradually descended, and they saw greater numbers of even more beautiful underwater scenery.

    The angler fish with light bulbs above their heads, the electric eel that wriggled around like a bolt of lightning, and colorful coral appeared one after another in the Flood Dragon¡¯s lens.

    But the people in this meeting room weren¡¯t appreciating the beauty of nature at that moment. They were only focused on the ck ¡°big olive¡± at the bottom of the sea.

    Soon, the Flood Dragon descended to its maximum depth and could go down no further.

    It stopped at its maximal diving depth and moved parallel to the sea floor towards the ¡°Big Olive¡± to film it.

    Although it could not get too close to it, the images captured were very clear.

    Everyone watched this scene attentively and held their breath, as if they were worried that someone would suddenly open the door of the submarine and greet them at any second...

    Of course, this did not happen.

    The video shot by the Flood Dragon finally stopped above the dark ¡°big olive¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the scene for a long time before he said, ¡°... Did you use the life detector?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was quiet for a moment, and he said in a rather low voice, ¡°I used it. I used two types, the infrared life detector and the radar life detector.¡±

    Although these two types were soldmercially, and the military was also equipped with them for disaster relief andbat search and rescue, their precision and intensity could not bepared to those of the equipment owned by the special operations forces.

    The infrared life detector functions based off the physical principle that any object with temperature above absolute zero emits infrared radiation.

    The infrared radiation emitted by the human body and objects that can generate heat is stronger, while the infrared radiation emitted by other objects is weaker. This difference is used to detect the presence of life.

    The radar life detector functions through detecting the electric field generated by the ultra-low frequency radio waves emitted by the human body. This way, the detector can pinpoint the exact location of the ¡°living person¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank, but he still asked calmly, ¡°... What is the result of the scan?¡±

    The sound of Zhao Liangze¡¯s deep sigh could be heard clearly from the stereo Bluetooth speaker.

    Everyone¡¯s hearts sank together.

    ¡°... Negative. I found no signs of life.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and remained silent again for a long time.

    Yin Shixiong sensed that something was wrong and immediately said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s too far away; furthermore, this is a submarine. Maybe the materials and paint used are so advanced that any infrared waves or electric fields arepletely shielded from the outside, so it¡¯s possible that they can¡¯t be detected.¡±

    Zhao Liangze said, ¡°This is also not impossible. In the end, we still have to fish this submarine out from the bottom of the sea and carefully examine it.¡±

    ¡°Fish it out? Is this submarine broken?¡± A member of the operation team asked in surprise. ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    Normally, a damaged submarine would quickly surface, unless it was so damaged that it couldn¡¯t even surface.

    Everyone knew that if a wrecked submarine stayed at the bottom of the sea, no one in the submarine could escape death.

    ¡°The sonar detection shows that the submarine has no signs of power, so it is likely to have sunk to the bottom due to some form of malfunction. Analyzing the submarine¡¯s condition at the bottom of the sea, it has been there for at least six or seven years.¡± As Zhao Liangze finished speaking, he turned off the video and his face appeared on the big screen again.

 Chapter 1383 - Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 1383: Ambush</h4>

    The submarine had been at the bottom of the sea for five or six years...

    This sentence was like a heavy hammer, weighing down on the bottom of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart.

    His eyes were cold, and his gaze was as deep as the sea. He looked silently at therge window of the conference room.

    For the sake of confidentiality, the window of this conference room was also made of one-way ss.

    They could see the outside from the inside, but no one could look inside from the outside.

    No one spoke, patiently waiting for Huo Shaoheng to give his orders.

    After a long time has passed, when everyone almost thought that Huo Shaoheng would never give his opinion, Huo Shaoheng spoke.

    ¡°... I¡¯ll apply to the military and request them to dispatch a research ship to the Cape of Good Hope to ... bring back the submarine.¡±

    The mini-submarine had sunk to such a deep seabed. Other than arge salvage tug, there was nothing else that could tow it up.

    The Cape of Good Hope Sea area was not in the Huaxia territory, but the ce where the submarine had sunk was not any country¡¯s territorial sea either. It was in international waters.

    However, it was too eye-catching to sail the salvage tug just like that to the international waters to retrieve something.

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to attract the attention of other countries, especially the United States, which was on the other side of the ocean.

    Therefore, sending arge research ship was the most appropriate method.

    After all, the Huaxia Empire had always had a tradition where ¡°protecting the country was the business of the Ministry of Agriculture, expanding territory was the business of the Fishery Bureau.¡±

    ...

    After the meeting, Huo Shaoheng immediately brought Yin Shixiong to General Ji to report on the situation.

    General Ji¡¯s face also darkened when he heard that the submarine had could have been at the bottom of the sea for five or six years.

    ¡°Are you sure this submarine is rted to Gu Xiangwen?¡± General Ji walked back and forth in his office with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed tightly.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it, and felt that he understood General Ji¡¯s concerns, so he immediately said, ¡°If the submarine turns out to be unrted to Gu Xiangwen, I¡¯ll pay for all the expenses myself.¡±

    They could think of it as him renting equipment and manpower from the government.

    The cost of dispatching this ¡°research ship¡± was at least hundreds of millions of dors.

    If it had nothing to do with Gu Xiangwen, their losses would be huge.

    General Ji¡¯s hesitation was understandable.

    General Ji turned around and red at him. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m such a stingy person? It¡¯s not as if the military can¡¯t afford this small amount of money! I¡¯m just worried that if it really has nothing to do with Gu Xiangwen, some people will gossip about this and cause you trouble in the future.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Huo Shaoheng was not worried about this at all.

    It would be a lie to say that he had no ambition and did not care about being promoted.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was not the type to restrain himself just because he was afraid of others gossiping about him.

    General Ji discussed the details with Huo Shaoheng, then waved the pen and signed the agreement for him.

    Huo Shaoheng took the agreement and went to the Institute of High Energy Physics to look for Song Jinning.

    ...

    ¡°Director Song is in theb. Please wait a moment.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯sb staff weed Huo Shaoheng into Song Jinning¡¯s office.

    They knew that Huo Shaoheng was Song Jinning¡¯s son, so they didn¡¯t have any concerns.

    Huo Shaoheng waited in Song Jinning¡¯s office for half an hour before Song Jinning came out.

    ¡°Hmm? What brings you here today?¡± Song Jinning smiled happily as she washed her hands and took off herb coat.

    Huo Shaoheng naturally took it for her and hung it on the coat rack as he said, ¡°Miss Song, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with you.¡±

    Seeing how serious Huo Shaoheng was, Song Jinning hastily closed the office door.

    The two of them sat down at the desk.

    Huo Shaoheng briefly exined Zhao Liangze¡¯s discovery.

    Before he could continue, Song Jinning had already stood up excitedly and said, ¡°Do you really have the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen?! Oh, that¡¯s great! I admire him to the core! You want to send a research ship to salvage it? I¡¯ll volunteer myself! Let me go with the research ship, I¡¯ll help with calibrating the equipment!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hade to find Song Jinning precisely because he wanted her to go personally.

    However, the reason why he wanted Song Jinning to go personally was not for her to calibrate the equipment but for other reasons.

    ¡°Ms. Song, if that submarine really has something to do with Gu Xiangwen, I¡¯m worried that there might be something else inside, so... I need you there as a safeguard. Of all the scientists in our country, you¡¯re the only one I trust when it came to encountering possible advanced technology...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spoke in a very reserved manner.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t quite understand at first and smiled and said, ¡°You can¡¯t put it that way. The scientists who have the most research experience in submarines are all in your military...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a faint smile, and Song Jinning suddenly understood.

    ¡°... Are you worried that those people will be tempted by Gu Xiangwen¡¯s technology?¡±

    ¡°We have to guard against that possibility.¡±

    After all, Ye Zitan was a prime example.

    Song Jinning nodded and said thoughtfully, ¡°You can rest assured in this regard. I will never take other people¡¯s research results for myself.¡±

    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I want you to go,¡± Huo Shaoheng showed the agreement form signed by General Ji to Song Jinning. ¡°I will give you a special letter of appointment so that you can go with them as a representative of the military.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng acted quickly.

    He reported to the military at noon, watched the big shots sign and stamp the papers, and then personally mobilized the research ship.

    With his presence, the procedure that would have taken more than ten days toplete waspleted in two or three days.

    ...

    The street lights were turned on, and Huo Shaoheng, who had been busy all day, finally returned to his official residence.

    After entering his ce, he took off his military cap and hung it on the coat rack at the entrance.

    He looked down and saw Gu Nianzhi in her home clothes holding out a pair of slippers in front of him.

    Gu Nianzhi was half-kneeling on the ground. She looked up at him with a smile and said, ¡°Young Master Huo, I bought you a pair of slippers. Do you want to change into them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had never had the habit of wearing slippers in his official residence.

    However, when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s charming smile and beautiful eyes, he did not say anything and quietly put on the blue slippers that Gu Nianzhi had bought for him.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the pink slippers on her feet and said, ¡°They¡¯re a couple! We¡¯re wearing matching slippers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng then realized that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slippers each had a pink bunny drawn on them. On his slippers, there were blue bunnies...

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t they look good?¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure what Huo Shaoheng was thinking. ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯re too childish, do you? I spent a long time trying to pick out a pair of more mature couple slippers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    Since when were these types of cute rabbits even remotely associated with maturity?

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the cute little blue rabbit on his feet, rubbed his temples, and asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Did you go out shopping today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I woke up in the afternoon and you weren¡¯t back yet. It wasn¡¯t fun for me to be here alone, so I drove around.¡±

    ¡°... You went out alone?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°How many times have I told you to bring Xiao Ye with you when you go out?¡±

    ¡°... I forgot.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled embarrassedly. She hugged and shook Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm. ¡°Young Master Huo Young Master Huo, I¡¯m sorry... I didn¡¯t mean to...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi acted coquettishly as she observed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression.

    He was still unsmiling, and there seemed to be an unspeakable tiredness between his brows.

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°Are you tired from work today? Do you want to take a break? I¡¯ll give you a massage...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and bent down to scoop Gu Nianzhi up. He carried her in his arms and said, ¡°Do you want to see if your man is tired?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked and quickly hugged his neck. ¡°You can¡¯t ambush me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her on the cheek and carried her upstairs.

    Yin Shixiong, who had followed them in, tsked and said loudly, ¡°We haven¡¯t even had dinner yet. Stop acting so lovingly! Fortunately I¡¯m not single anymore!¡±

 Chapter 1384 - From Her Father

    <h4>Chapter 1384: From Her Father</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi lifted herself from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and looked over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. She made a face at Yin Shixiong and looked very pleased with herself.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and the smile in his eyes disappeared.

    He quickly carried Gu Nianzhi up the stairs and went to the second floor.

    The two of them went to the second floor. Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rooms were on the opposite side of the corridor.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment, then opened his own room and carried Gu Nianzhi inside.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and smiled even more happily.

    After entering, Huo Shaoheng ced Gu Nianzhi on the sofa and lowered his head to kiss her for a while before saying hoarsely, ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯m going to take a shower first.¡±

    His voice was very deep and had a maic quality that moved her heart. It made her ears tingle.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed slightly and pretended not to discern his hidden meaning. She deliberately said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go see if dinner is ready in the kitchen...¡± She was about to slip away after saying that.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her and carried her to the bathroom.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re fine, you can apany me in the shower.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused to do so. Her flirtatious behavior made Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body temperature rise continuously.

    Finally, he pulled Gu Nianzhi into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of water drowned out all the unspeakable sounds...

    ..

    The next day, the first signs of summer heat appeared in the imperial capital.

    He Zhichu called Grandfather Xie and said that he wanted to talk to him about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s engagement party.

    ying with two dark jade-like walnuts in his hands, Grandfather Xie sat under the ginkgo tree in his vi. He smiled and said, ¡°May I ask who you are? What¡¯s your rtionship with Nianzhi? Why didn¡¯t I know that Nianzhi had a rtive like you?¡±

    In reality, he had heard of He Zhichu before, and even knew a little about He Zhichu¡¯s feelings for Gu Nianzhi. However, if he showed it now, he would be dwarfed in front of He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu knew what Grandfather Xie was thinking. He scoffed and said, ¡°I¡¯m He Zhichu. My ancestors have been friends with the Gu family for generations. Nianzhi doesn¡¯t have any other rtives, so I¡¯m part of her family. What¡¯s wrong? Grandfather Xie doesn¡¯t want to admit it?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, young man, don¡¯t be so rude! If you¡¯re part of her family, that¡¯s good. We can only talk to each other when you know your ce, right?¡±

    He Zhichu curled his lips and said coldly, ¡°I just wanted to ask how the engagement party you¡¯ve prepared is going. Nianzhi has a lot of friends and colleagues to invite. Can you show me your guess list so I can help you find out what¡¯s missing?¡±

    ¡°The guest list? I¡¯ll get my assistant to contact you.¡±

    Grandfather Xie wouldn¡¯t personally handle such matters. He would only let his capable subordinates handle it.

    Furthermore, he was more interested in He Zhichu.

    Without waiting for He Zhichu to put down the phone, Grandfather Xie asked him again, ¡°Mr. He, right? Where did you grow up? The He family used to have a big business too. I¡¯m sorry that it fell apartter on.¡±

    He sounded like he knew the He family quite well.

    He Zhichu became rmed and said sullenly, ¡°If the descendants don¡¯t work hard, no matter how big the family assets are, they will fall apart. Is thhe Xie family different? Your ancestors¡¯ business now only have money left.¡± After he said that, he hung up the phone.

    Grandfather Xie looked at his phone in shock. After a while, he couldn¡¯t help butugh. He tapped the armrest of the rattan chair with his hand and said thoughtfully, ¡°This He Zhichu is quite interesting...¡±

    Not long after He Zhichu hung up the phone, Grandfather Xie¡¯s assistant contacted He Zhichu. Not only did he share the list of names, but hhe also discussed the details of the engagement party.

    This was a great show of respect for the woman¡¯s family.

    For a family like the Xie family, their etiquette was indeed impable.

    He Zhichu was in a better mood, so he didn¡¯t mind the scathing tone of Grandfather Xie¡¯s words anymore.

    After settling the details of the engagement party, He Zhichu took Gu Nianzhi to Japan to receive the remaining assets of ¡°Angel in the world¡± while he still had a few days of free time.

    Huo Shaoheng sent Xiao Ye to follow them, and also sent a few field agents to secretly protect them.

    However, with He Zhichu around, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arrangements would be a little redundant.

    Their journey to Japan was smooth, and they didn¡¯t encounter any problems. Even when crossing the road, there were Japanese police motorcycles leading the way. It was as if the head of a country was visiting.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly surprised, but she didn¡¯t show it on the surface.

    They went straight to the headquarters of the ¡°Angel in the world¡± foundation and watched He Zhichu¡¯s staff moving documents in and out.

    A person in charge of the foundation was escorted by the police. He personally handed Gu Nianzhi the key and password to a safe and said in Japanese, ¡°This is the most precious property of our foundation and is also Mr. Gu¡¯s masterpiece. Please be sure to check it.¡±

    He spoke as if he was a courier.

    They were obviously the ones who had appropriated someone else¡¯s property and research results, but now they were acting as if they had ¡°returned it to its rightful owner.¡± It was astonishing how thick-skinned they were.

    Gu Nianzhi took the key and said with a half-hearted smile. ¡°You¡¯ve illegally appropriated my father¡¯s research results for so many years. What exactly have youe up with?¡±

    The man bent even deeper and kept saying, ¡°We¡¯re studying biology, and Mr. Gu¡¯s research wasn¡¯t that helpful...¡±

    ¡°Haha, why do you sound like you¡¯re very regretful?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked away and looked at the welded safe in the wall of the room. ¡°Luckily, you guys haven¡¯t found much, or else you guys would have really gotten too big for your britches.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held the key and looked at it for a while. She walked to the front of the safe, inserted the key, and then entered the password. After going through a lot ofplicated procedures, she finally opened the safe.

    There was nothing fancy in the safe, only a dark cylindrical object.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her insting gloves and reached out to touch the cylindrical object.

    Like it was made of some kind of alloy, it felt very hard.

    She reached out her fingers and took out the cylindrical object.

    The top part of the cylindrical object had the same design as a telephone dial-up microphone. She pressed the buttons one by one, and she could hear a beeping sound.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°What can it do? It¡¯s so heavy.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes shone with excitement as he eximed, ¡°This is a quantummunicator! As long as I know your phone model, I can call you at any time without relying on the phonework!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face instantly turned livid.

    He snatched the ¡°quantummunicator¡± from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands, but as soon as he took it, he realized he was overthinking things.

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback by He Zhichu¡¯s action and quickly asked, ¡°Professor He, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    He Zhichu nonchntly put the ¡°quantummunicator¡± back into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands and said, ¡°I was worried that there would be something wrong with this thing, so I helped you check it.¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and shook his head.

    ..

    The charity foundation ¡°Angel in the world¡± had been running for many years. Although it had gone bankrupt and gone into liquidation, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse, so it still had a lot of assets.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi only stayed in Japan for two days. They had sealed up and taken away all the things from the foundation¡¯s headquarters. He Zhichu had entrusted the members of his legal team to continue taking over the assets of the other branches.

    He Zhichu brought Gu Nianzhi back to the Huaxia Empire.

    Gu nianzhi took the ¡°quantummunicator¡± to Song Jinning.

    ¡°This is a quantummunicator?¡± Song Jinning held the cylindrical object in her hands affectionately. ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out. Ah, I¡¯ve never seen a real quantummunicator before.¡±

    She used all sorts of instruments in theb for an entire day and night before she finally got the results.

    Huo Shaoheng also attached great importance to this object. He had speciallye with Gu Nianzhi to listen to Song Jinning teach them.

    Song Jinning said excitedly, ¡°This quantummunicator is indeed a genius invention. It¡¯s a genius application of quantum theory. Only someone like Gu Xiangwen cane up with it and put it into practice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that powerful?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her long eyebrows. ¡°I heard from the Japanese that as long as you know the phone model, you can make a call without relying on the phonework.¡±

    Song Jinning and Huo Shaoheng simultaneously thought of the invalid number that the mobilepany couldn¡¯t find.

    However, the invalid number that Song Jinning saw was on Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone, while Huo Shaoheng found it on Hong Kangquan¡¯s, Tan Dongbang¡¯s, and Luo Jin¡¯s phones.

    Song Jinning said thoughtfully, ¡°This quantummunicator can disguise normal numbers as invalid numbers and use quantum theory to make real-time calls between two phones. Unfortunately...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°This device is broken. It can¡¯t test the effects that you mentioned.¡± Song Jinning said regretfully as she handed the quantummunicator back to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°And its technology is too advanced. I don¡¯t know how to fix it. Let your father fix it himself after he is found.¡±

    Gu nianzhi stared at the cylindrical object in front of her dazedly. She caressed it with her hand and held it tightly in her arms.

    This was the third thing she had from her father besides the doll and the pink diamond crown, wasn¡¯t it?

    This thing was extraordinary. It was even more precious than the doll and the pink diamond crown.

    This was because her father had made it himself. It was his invention, a technological achievement that was decades or even a hundred years ahead of the world!

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the quantummunicator in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms. He still had questions in his heart, but he thought that as long as the submarine was salvaged immediately, those questions would be answered.

    ...

    After He Zhichu brought Gu Nianzhi back from Japan, he immersed himself in the preparations for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s engagement party. He had just finished discussing the details with the Xie family, but there was trouble on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side.

    That night, he received a call from Grandfather Xie¡¯s assistant. He said that Huo Shaoheng had something urgent to attend to and wanted to postpone the engagement party for a month.

    In addition, Grandfather Xie¡¯s son, Xie Beichen, was tied up with an acquisition in Europe and couldn¡¯t get away for the time being, so he agreed to postpone the engagement party for a month.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face turned cold.

    Who did Huo Shaoheng think he was to postpone the engagement party?

 Chapter 1385 - The Brideâ€™s Family Should Be Held In High Esteem

    <h4>Chapter 1385: The Bride¡¯s Family Should Be Held In High Esteem</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment, then said to Grandfather Xie¡¯s assistant with a drawn face, ¡°You guys think you can postpone it at will? Did you ask my opinion?¡±

    Grandfather Xie¡¯s assistant didn¡¯t seem to expect He Zhichu to be so discourteous.

    He chuckled and said, ¡°Mr. He, what do you mean? Grandfather Xie informed you of this matter out of courtesy, so please know your ce.¡±

    His insinuation was what it wouldn¡¯t matter even if they didn¡¯t tell him, so why was He Zhichu putting on airs?!

    He Zhichu was well aware of the Xie family¡¯s attitude. It was precisely because he knew that such arge family was full of trouble that he had taken the initiative to contact the Xie family himself without allowing Gu Nianzhi to interfere.

    This was to prevent such an awkward situation from happening.

    Gu Nianzhi was the female side, after all, and she didn¡¯t have any rtives by her side to make decisions for her. They could do whatever they wanted, and only informed her side after they made the decision. Had they ever asked her about it?

    He Zhichuughed coldly as he pulled open the curtains and looked out at the setting sun. He said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m in the right. I¡¯m representing the woman, the other main character of the engagement party, Miss Gu. May I ask if you¡¯vemunicated with Miss Gu about your decision to postpone the engagement party? If you haven¡¯t, what right do you have to postpone it just like that?¡±

    The other side clearly froze for a moment before he said,¡±... but that was Major General Huo¡¯s decision. Miss Gu definitely wouldn¡¯t object.¡±

    The point was, there was nothing he could do even if he objected.

    He Zhichu was furious. Because Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a family, they were certain they could do whatever they wanted with her!

    ¡°She definitely won¡¯t object, but you¡¯ll have to ask her first. I have the same stance. Since you guys aren¡¯t sincere, there¡¯s no need to hold the engagement party even after a month.¡±

    The man was anxious. ¡°What right do you have to say no? ¡±

    ¡°Then what right do you have to say no? ¡±

    He Zhichu unceremoniously hung up the phone. He stood in front of the window with a stern expression for a while before calling Gu Nianzhi again.

    He looked at the location on his phone. Gu Nianzhi had already returned to her apartment on Sanhuan Road and wasn¡¯t at the headquarter of Special Operation Forces¡¯ encampment ground.

    The phone rang for a while before Gu Nianzhi finally picked it up. ¡°Professor He? Why are you calling me at this hour? Don¡¯t tell me you want to treat me to dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯sughter and small talk were like a stream of spring water, instantly calming He Zhichu¡¯s restless heart.

    With a wry smile, he rubbed his forehead and thought that he would basically be using a knife to cut his own flesh if he was going to marry Nianzhi off with his own hands...

    Unfortunately, some people just didn¡¯t cherish it.

    He Zhichuposed himself and said, ¡°The Xie family just called me and said that the engagement party would be postponed...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing obviously stopped for a moment before she pretended to be nonchnt and said, ¡°So be it. They¡¯re the organizers, so of course they¡¯ll have the final say.¡±

    It was obvious that the other party hadn¡¯t discussed it with Gu Nianzhi before deciding to postpone it.

    He Zhichu felt even worse, but seeing that Gu Nianzhi was already feeling upset, he didn¡¯t have the heart to say anything bad about her in front of her. Saying that would only make Gu Nianzhi feel even worse.

    He Zhichu changed his words and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll talk to them about this. If they have any problems, I¡¯ll hold the engagement party for you.¡±

    It was only now that Gu Nianzhi hadpletely let down her guard against He Zhichu and opened up to him.

    Her voice was a little choked up and she sounded a little embarrassed as she said softly, ¡°Thank you, brother He.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes became a little moist now that she had finally changed from calling him ¡°Professor He¡± to ¡°Brother He¡±.

    He nodded and said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m your family. If they don¡¯t do the right thing, I¡¯lle out and talk to them.¡±

    The bride¡¯s family should be held in high esteem. How could he allow the bride to n her own engagement? Was she going to hold her own wedding in the future as well?!

    He Zhichu had the urge to beat Huo Shaoheng up at the thought of this.

    The girl he had been pampering, the girl he coveted but couldn¡¯t get, had been ced aside as a decoration. Did he really think that since he and Gu Nianzhi had settled down, Gu Nianzhi would never be able to live without him?

    Haha..

    He Zhichu took out a tissue, wiped his hands elegantly, and threw it into the trash can.

    Gu Nianzhi spoke a few more words to He Zhichu before hanging up and calling Huo Shaoheng.

    He Zhichu was also calling Huo Shaoheng at the same time.

    But he couldn¡¯t get through to anyone.

    Huo Shaoheng was in a meeting at the moment.

    He was building a crew for the ¡°research ship¡±.

    The ship was called a research ship, but Song Jinning was the only real scientist on board.

    From the captain and first mate to sailors, soldiers, and equipment specialists in the military headquarters, they had to be carefully selected.

    In addition to the research ship, they also had to be equipped with a cruiser, destroyer, submarine, and anti-submarine patrol ship.

    Providing anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-submarine protection, the cruiser was the personal bodyguard of the research ship.

    The destroyer was to provide protection for the cruiser, and expand the scale of anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-submarine defense.

    Needless to say, the submarine was vital. When therge research ship was deployed, the safety of the seabed depended on the nuclear submarines with strong attack power.

    The anti-submarine patrol ship was defense against the submarines of hostile parties.

    In a naval battle, it was a matter of ¡°using a spear to attack a shield¡±.

    It would depend on whose spear was sharper and whose shield was stronger.

    Because they needed to rely on the equipment experts from the General Assembly, the General Assembly had specially sent General Xiao, a politicalmissar, to attend the preparatory meeting to express the General Assembly¡¯s support and importance for this operation.

    The politicalmissar of the General Assembly was second only to the Minister of the General Assembly in terms of administrative rank, but his authority in the organization was even greater than that of the minister.

    Huo Shaoheng held aser pointer and on the big screen, he showed the generals and ministers his ns for the operation this time. Finally, he said, ¡°The purpose of this trip, under the name of the ¡®research ship¡¯, will be absolutely confidential. Everyone, don¡¯t ask me what exactly am I going to do. In short, everyone will know after the operation is over.¡±

    The General Assembly only knew that they were going to the high seas to salvage a submarine. As for who owned the submarine and why they were going to salvage it, no one knew.

    Those who knew the real purpose had already been told not to tell anyone.

    However, with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status and job functions, it was obvious that this was a top state secret, so they didn¡¯t pry blindly.

    General Xiao, the politicalmissar of the General Assembly, was a very level-headed middle-aged man. He was also very imposing and striking.

    He expressed his unconditional support and said, ¡°Major General Huo, this is the equipment specialist roster of our General Assembly. You can take it and choose whatever you want. It is our honor and our duty to be able to contribute to the country.¡±

    Since the big shots of the General Assembly had spoken, there was no need to mention the other departments. They were afraid that if they spoke too slowly, the limelight would be stolen.

    Therefore, the meeting was very sessful this time.

    After the personnel had been confirmed, the Special Operations Forces would conduct an independent political review to confirm that there were no problems with these people as soon as possible.

    These were all to mobilize the entire country, and even the Special Operations Forces¡¯ field personnel from all over the world, to work together to ensure that all the political reviews would bepleted within three days.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng had been so busy for the past few days that he hadn¡¯t gone back to his official residence even once. Almost all of his food and amodation were in the office building.

    After the meeting, General Xiao, who was a few steps behind, smiled as he said to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, I heard that you postponed the engagement party because of this?¡±

    The invitation to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s engagement party had already been sent out, but because of this matter, it had been postponed for a month.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and nodded. ¡°The mission is more important. Regarding the engagement party, there¡¯s no hurry. We¡¯ll hold it when we get back.¡±

    Although he also felt that he had let Gu Nianzhi down by changing the date at thest minute, he couldn¡¯t wait any longer when he remembered that they had finally found out where Gu Xiangwen was.

    Even though he knew that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s chances of survival were slim, he couldn¡¯t help but hope that the sooner he got there, the better his chances of survival would be.

    General Xiao patted him on the shoulder and said ruefully, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you either. Your fianc¨¦e can understand, right?¡±

    ¡°She understands.¡± Huo Shaoheng was very assured of Gu Nianzhi. She understood the nature of his work and what it meant to be a soldier¡¯s family.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Auntie Chen and I have already prepared gifts. For the engagement and marriage ceremony, the gifts will be in double portions. We¡¯re just waiting for you to do something big!¡± General Xiaoughed heartily and left.

    Chen Lie followed behind Huo Shaoheng and said with a smile, ¡°Xiao Ye¡¯s personality is more like her uncle¡¯s.¡±

    General Xiao, the politicalmissar of the General Assembly, was Xiao Ye¡¯s father.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, Principal Chen, was Chen Lie¡¯s aunt.

    Chen Lie would be going on this mission as well.

    He was the best doctor in the world. He had brought him out to sea just in case.

    Huo Shaoheng had made the most thorough preparations for this trip.

    It could be said that he had spent seven years preparing for this day.

    After seven years of sharpening his sword, he was finally ready to use it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was the same as ever. He chatted with Chen Lie as they walked out of the office building.

    He could finally go back and take a shower.

    As soon as he walked out of the office building, the ban on his phone was lifted. Calls came in one after another.

    He took out his phone to take a look.

    Two of the calls were from Gu Nianzhi, but she had stopped after she was told that Huo Shaoheng was in a meeting.

    The other 20 or so calls were from that lunatic He Zhichu.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched, and he called Gu Nianzhi back first.

    Unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t pick up the call and went straight to her voicemail.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and called Xiao Ye, who lived with Gu Nianzhi.

    Xiao Ye immediately picked up and asked in confusion, ¡°Major General Huo, it¡¯s sote. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked calmly, ¡°Is Nianzhi home?¡±

    Xiao Ye took the phone and looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. She smiled and said, ¡°Miss Gu is taking a shower...¡±

    No wonder Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t picking up her phone.

    Huo Shaoheng was relieved. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    He hung up on Xiao Ye.

    He Zhichu called again.

    He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng silently put on his Bluetooth headset and transferred the call to a private channel so that it wouldn¡¯t be bugged.

    ¡°Professor He, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Huo Shaoheng walked to the entrance of the official residence. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go in. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and stood under the tree to smoke.

    He Zhichu immediately asked, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, did you discuss postponing the engagement party with Nianzhi beforehand?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He blew out a smoke ring and calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ll let her know.¡±

    ¡°Let her know?!¡± He Zhichu sneered. ¡°What kind of attitude is that? Nianzhi is your pet that you can summon and get rid of as you wish? Have you ever thought about respecting her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°This is between me and Nianzh. It has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with me, but it has to do with me if you want to postpone your engagement party with Nianzhi.¡± He Zhichu had one hand in his pocket, and his facial expression was icy. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal that made you postpone your engagement party? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him.

    He had to exin everything to He Zhichu? What a joke.

    ¡°You¡¯re not talking anymore? Ha, you postponed the engagement party, why didn¡¯t you postpone s*x? ! Are you trying to be irresponsible by dying everything? Let me tell you, I can take Nianzhi away from you at any time, and you¡¯ll never find her!¡±

    He Zhichu was so furious that he spoke without any restraints.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s facial expression was as dark as the night sky, and it was getting darker and darker.

    He hung up on He Zhichu and asked Fan Jian to drive him to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment on Sanhuan Road immediately.

 Chapter 1386 - Vivacious

    <h4>Chapter 1386: Vivacious</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but Fan Jian, who had been his orderly for many years, could tell that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t in a good mood.

    He stole a nce at Huo Shaoheng through the rearview mirror.

    It wasmon for people in their line of work to not sleep for days on end, but the human body wasn¡¯t invincible.

    He could tell that Huo Shaoheng was still a little tired.

    Huo Shaoheng rested his head against his hand and rested his elbow on the edge of the car window. Fan Jian could only see the side of his face. The lines of his jaw were firm, but they were a little tightly drawn now. He exuded a strong murderous and unapproachable vibe.

    Fan Jian shrank his neck and didn¡¯t dare to speak. He simply drove quickly. It was usually a half-hour drive, but this time, it only took him 15 minutes to drive to the apartment block where Gu Nianzhi lived.

    The car was parked in the parking lot, but Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get in.

    He sat in the car and pondered silently. Finally, he called Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you done showering?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked as if nothing had happened. It was impossible to tell how he was feeling just from listening to his voice.

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished showering. She was wrapping her hair in a towel and sitting in front of the dressing table as she applied a facial mask.

    She replied, ¡°Were you in a meeting just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡°Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes, folded his arms, and leaned back in his seat.

    After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I have a temporary mission, so the engagement party will be postponed for a month.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand paused, but she quickly pretended to be nonchnt. ¡°Really? You have to be careful. Also, since everyone is so busy, Let¡¯s cancel the engagement party.¡±

    Actually, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t really care about the engagement party.

    He had already proposed, so the most important thing now was to hold the wedding.

    As for the engagement party, it was just to satisfy old master Xie¡¯s request. It was just a treat.

    Since it was a treat, of course, the main characters were the most important.

    Huo Shaoheng really didn¡¯t think of himself and Gu Nianzhi as the main characters of this party.

    However, when Gu Nianzhi said that, Huo Shaoheng could discern the resentment.

    It seemed that He Zhichu was right. Was Gu Nianzhi really upset?

    So she really cared about this engagement banquet?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything else. He opened the car window, lit a cigarette, and started smoking.

    He hadn¡¯t slept for a few days, so he relied on cigarettes as a stimnt.

    In the parking lotte at night, the smoke between his fingers flickered, as if Huo Shaoheng was hiding something deep in his heart.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while. When she saw that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t speaking, she thought he was busy again, so she hung up.

    Huo Shaoheng heard a beeping sound from his Bluetooth headset and knew that Gu Nianzhi had hung up.

    He didn¡¯t say anything and continued to smoke. After a while, he threw away the unfinished cigarette in his hand and got out of the car.

    Huo Shaoheng went straight up from the elevator in the parking lot to the floor where Gu Nianzhi lived. He rang the doorbell.

    It was Xiao Ye who came to open the door.

    She saw through the peephole that it was Huo Shaoheng standing at the door. She was very surprised and quickly opened the door. ¡°Major General Huo, why are you still here? Aren¡¯t you going out to sea?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had told Xiao Ye that he was going out to sea with his team.

    Because when he left this time, he was most worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety.

    He didn¡¯t want it to be likest time. Gu Nianzhi would be in danger the moment he left.

    Therefore, he arranged for a whole new team to protect Gu Nianzhi. At the same time, he made Xiao Ye, who was by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, even more cautious. He didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to act alone.

    Huo Shaoheng had a feeling that the targeted attacks against Gu Nianzhi would only stop once the submarine was towed back and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s fate was confirmed.

    He had always thought that the people who targeted Gu Nianzhi were actually doing it for Gu Xiangwen, who was rted to her.

    As long as Gu Xiangwen appeared, regardless of whether he was dead or alive, the other party wouldn¡¯t continue to pester her.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to know that he would be going to sea.

    Therefore, he gave Xiao Ye a meaningful look and didn¡¯t answer her question. ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi?¡±

    Xiao Ye understood and immediately pointed in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. ¡°She¡¯s in her bedroom. She didn¡¯t have much to do tonight, but Professor He made a phone call in the evening, so she¡¯s feeling a little down.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded in expectant and walked towards Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom.

    He knocked on the door.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet and soft voice came from inside the door. ¡°Is that Xiao Ye? The door isn¡¯t locked. Come in.¡±

    Xiao Ye smiled at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back and turned to return to her room.

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hand on the doorknob of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom and gently pushed it down. The doorknob creaked and he pushed open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom door. He quietly walked in and closed the door behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that it was Huo Shaoheng in the three-sided mirror on the dressing table and turned around in surprise. ¡°Major General Huo?! Why are you here?! Were you downstairs just now?!¡±

    It was less than five minutes after the two of them had hung up the phone, right?

    Huo Shaoheng took off his military cap and walked over.

    He put his military cap on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dressing table and bent down. He wanted to kiss her face, but when he saw the mask on her face, he only hugged her shoulders.

    Gu Nianzhi had just showered, and her body smelled faintly of roses.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down on the soft stool next to her and leaned his back against the dressing table. He looked down and said, ¡°Time is tight this time. The engagement party was a gesture of goodwill from my great-uncle, so it¡¯s not convenient to cancel it.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard this, she discerned that he was here to exin to her.

    She smiled and looked at the mirror on the dressing table. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really need this engagement party, but if you want to postpone it, you have to at least tell me first. Did you think about how I felt when I found out from others that you wanted to postpone it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and thought, Gu Nianzhi really did value this engagement party indeed...

    He said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s just having a grand feast together. I was careless for not telling you beforehand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.

    It turned out that in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart, this engagement party was like a banquet where old master Xie wanted to treat everyone to a meal. He really didn¡¯t have the self-awareness as one of the main characters.

    It was just a dinner party for everyone. He couldn¡¯t go at the moment, so of course he had to inform the host to postpone it.

    Because he instinctively didn¡¯t think of himself as one of the main characters, he naturally didn¡¯t think of Gu Nianzhi as one of the main characters. Therefore, he only told the Xie family that he wanted to postpone the news.

    On Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, someone would naturally inform her.

    Therefore, it was normal procedure for the Xie family¡¯s assistant to call He Zhichu.

    When treating others to a meal, wasn¡¯t itmon for people to be notified at thest minute when there was a change in the dinner time?

    Huo Shaoheng was annoyed by He Zhichu¡¯s tendency to criticize him.

    Understanding what Huo Shaoheng meant, Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and teased, ¡°Major General Huo, are you trying to exin to me that you¡¯re sorry? Tsk Tsk, how uncharacteristic. Didn¡¯t expect that there would be a day when the iron-fisted Major General Huo has to humble down to exin himself. I¡¯m really ttered.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head to look at the mirror on the dressing table. He met Gu Nianzhi¡¯s angry gaze in the mirror, and his heart skipped a beat. Even when Nianzhi was angry, she was so beautiful...

    Then he realized that he had really fallen head over heels in love with this girl. Even when she was angry, she looked so vivacious.

    He smiled, turned around, picked up the hair dryer, and stood up to dry Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair. He said, ¡°This time, we¡¯re actually just having a meal together, and the so-called engagement party is just a pretext. Don¡¯t be angry. When we have the wedding, we¡¯ll listen to you. You can do whatever you want.¡±

    Abroad, weddings were all single-handedly organized by the bride.

    Of course, the bride paid for the wedding, so the bride had the absolute right to decide.

    The groom just had to be careful not to run away before the wedding.

    Huo Shaoheng had been on missions abroad for many years, so he had a thorough understanding of foreign customs.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said, ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense again. How could I make the decisions for the wedding?¡±

    The Huaxia Empire was already preparing for the wedding because President Pushin of Russia had said that he would be their witness. They had to make sure that the wedding was a diplomatic feast!

    Huo Shaoheng felt even more guilty.

    He hadn¡¯t thought about it at all.

    Recently, all his thoughts had been upied by the small submarine at the bottom of the Cape of Good Hope.

    He leaned over and hugged Gu Nianzhi. He wanted to tell her about the small submarine.

    But he was worried that Gu Xiangwen wouldn¡¯t be alive inside.

    He couldn¡¯t give her false hope first and then crush it with his own hands.

    That would be worse than having no hope at all.

    Pursing his lips, Huo Shaoheng suppressed the matter and changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯ll make it clear to General Ji and Speaker Long about the wedding. You¡¯re in charge, and they¡¯re just assisting. They can¡¯t steal the spotlight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was worried about him again. She turned to look at him and whispered, ¡°Will you offend them by talking to them like that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Huo Shaoheng thought to himself. As long as he didn¡¯t offend her, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if General Ji and Speaker Long were offended for a hundred times.

 Chapter 1387 - Was Waiting For This Day

    <h4>Chapter 1387: Was Waiting For This Day</h4>

    In reality, General Ji and Speaker Long weren¡¯t unreasonable people.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more so.

    She was so sensible that it gave him a heartache.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart gradually warmed upon thinking of how understanding and supportive the people around him were.

    He put down the hairdryer and stroked her long, smooth hair, which had just been washed. He whispered in her ear,¡±... Wait for me toe back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. Her concern for his safety had overshadowed her unhappiness.

    It was a lie to say that she was in a good mood, but they had been together for so long, and she couldn¡¯t bear a grudge against him.

    Compared to before, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s behavior was much better.

    Besides, Huo Shaoheng probably didn¡¯t mean to neglect her this time.

    His eyes had dark circles, his chin had stubble, his body reeked of cigarettes, and his face was thinner than before. It was clear how busy he was, and she could tell how stressed out he was.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what important mission Huo Shaoheng had, but judging from how he looked like he was about to face a great enemy, it probably wasn¡¯t an ordinary errand.

    Moreover, with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current status, he wouldn¡¯t be needed for small errands.

    ¡°You have to be careful.¡± Gu Nianzhi reminded him again. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m fine now. You can go back and have some good rest. You look like you didn¡¯t sleepst night, did you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyelids were actually so heavy that he could barely lift them.

    He couldn¡¯t take it anymore and said, ¡°I¡¯m just going to lie down here. Don¡¯t mind me. ¡°As he spoke, he sent a text to Fan Jian, telling him to go back first and pick him up at six in the morning.

    Fan Jian received the text and drove off.

    Gu Nianzhi got up and went to the closet to get the quilt. She turned around and saw that Huo Shaoheng had fallen asleep on the sofa in the bedroom.

    She wanted him to sleep on the bed, but after she pushed him twice, he still didn¡¯t wake up.

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to have fallen into deep sleep in a second.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to carefully remove his shoes, lift his legs onto the sofa, and cover him with the quilt. She quietly returned to the bed to sleep.

    Sheid on the bed and looked in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. She sighed in her heart, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    When she woke up the next day, it was already eight o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The sofa on the other side of the bedroom was empty. It was clean and tidy, without even a quilt.

    It was as if everything that had happenedst night was just her imagination.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯te, didn¡¯t apologize to her, and didn¡¯t sleep on the sofa the whole night.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and got up from the bed. She went to the closet and opened the door to take a look.

    The quilt that she had taken out of the closetst night was neatly folded and ced on the cab like a piece of tofu.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile.

    It wasn¡¯t her imagination. Huo Shaoheng had indeed been herest night.

    No one but Huo Shao could fold it like such a neat tofu.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She had just closed the closet door when she heard her phone ring again.

    She walked over to pick up her phone and saw that it was He Zhichu calling. She quickly answered the call.

    ¡°Good morning, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned. Yesterday he was still Big Brother He, but today, he was Professor He again.

    But he didn¡¯t say much about it. He felt that Nianzhi was still getting used to it.

    ¡°Nianzhi, about the engagement party...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said tactfully, ¡°Professor He, Major General Huo has already told me about this. If it¡¯s dyed for a month, then so be it. I¡¯m not in a hurry anyway.¡±

    Her tone sounded very different from yesterday.

    He Zhichu was sharp and perceptive, so he quickly thought of the reason. His face darkened as he said, ¡°Huo Shaoheng looked for you yesterday? Nianzhi, you can¡¯t do that. Your anger can¡¯t subside just because he cajoled you a little. That way, he¡¯ll neglect you more and more in the future!¡±

    They were both men. So how could He Zhichu be unaware of the bad habits of men?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Brother He, I know you¡¯re doing this for my own good, but Major General Huo does have a mission right now, I understand. Even if I want to argue, I¡¯ll have to wait for him toe back. I don¡¯t want to get into a fight with him when he¡¯s about to go on a mission and distract him.¡±

    She was unhappy, and Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯tpletely coaxed away her angerst night, but she knew what was the priority. In her heart, nothing was more important than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s safe return.

    He Zhichu was speechless. He couldn¡¯t say that Gu Nianzhi was wrong, even though he was still upset. He could only say, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve thought it through. I¡¯ll follow up on the rest. I¡¯ll tell Old Master Xie about this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Forget it, old master Xie might not know. Why misinterpret his good intentions?¡±

    She didn¡¯t want He Zhichu to be unhappy, so she quickly changed the topic. ¡°Brother He, I¡¯ve been researching the ¡®quantummunicator¡¯ that my father invented. I really regret not studying high-energy physics when I was in college.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    His anger was instantly extinguished by the mention of the ¡®quantummunicator¡¯. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Take your time. I still have things to do.¡±

    He hung up the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind. Intending to teach herself, she took out a high-energy physics textbook that Song Jinning had forcibly given her before.

    However, she probably didn¡¯t have the talent for it. After reading for a while, she felt sleepy again, so she threw the book down and went back to bed.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng did wake up on time at six in the morning. He washed up quietly, tidied up the sofa, and nted a kiss on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead before leaving quietly.

    Xiao Ye waited for him in the living room and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Major General Huo. I won¡¯t leave Miss Gu¡¯s side. Anyone who wants to harm Miss Gu will have to step over my dead body.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. He said pleasantly, ¡°I know what Colonel Xiao is capable of. I believe you can protect Nianzhi as well as yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Xiao Ye¡¯s heart warmed, and she saluted him with great emotion.

    With such a superior, how could they not follow him wholeheartedly?

    They would do their best and die without any regrets.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the elevator of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment on Sanhuan Road and went straight to the parking lot below.

    Fan Jian¡¯s car stopped there on time and brought him back to the headquarter of Special Operation Forces¡¯ encampment ground.

    He went back to work for another two days, and the results of the political review returned one after another. The personnel had all been confirmed.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s research ship and escort fleet were already in ce. They were quietly parked in the military port at the southernmost tip of the Huaxia Empire and ready to go.

    Before leaving, Huo Shaoheng stood in front of the window of his office. He looked out at the blue sky, the red sun, and narrowed his eyes.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt that something was wrong.

    But he couldn¡¯t tell what was wrong.

    Everything was reasonable and logical. They had connected all the clues they had found over the past seven years.

    If they had to say that something was wrong, it would probably be that many clues that they hadn¡¯t found in the past seven years had suddenly appeared in the past two months, and finally converged in the Cape of Good Hope area that they had their eye on since early on.

    But it could also be said that it was a quantitative change that caused a qualitative change.

    Their seven years of hard work had finally shown results at this moment.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the empty square outside the window. He put on his Bluetooth headset and said to Zhou Qiyuan, ¡°Make the arrangements. I want to see Gu Yanran immediately.¡±

    He still needed to make a final confirmation.

    Gu Yanran was the only person in the world who had imed to have seen the ne crash after the entire world searched for it for so many years. However, the father that she had ¡°rescued¡± wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen.

    When she had been triedst year, she had already confessed that when she had found the wreckage of the crashed ne, her ¡°father¡± had already died, so she cremated him and his wife together, then thew their ashes into the sea.

    The ce where the ne had crashed was in the Cape of Good Hope.

    That was also the reason why Huo Shaoheng had sent Zhao Liangze to search for the inds in the Cape of Good Hope even though he didn¡¯t believe her words.

    That was because they had learned from the lie detector that Gu Yanran¡¯s words were partially true.

    For example, the ce where the ne crashed was most likely on that ind.

    However, Zhao Liangze had yet to find the exact ind at the Cape of Good Hope.

    Before he found the ind where the ne crashed, Huo Shaoheng had obtained another coordinate from Luo Jin¡¯s phone. Zhao Liangze had used that coordinate to find a small mini submarine that had sunk to the bottom of the sea, but hadn¡¯t found the wreckage of the ne.

    From all aspects, only Gu Xiangwen had the ability to build this mini-submarine. Therefore, they felt that salvaging this submarine would be the closest clue to finding Gu Xiangwen.

    However, as for how Gu Xiangwen had switched from the ne to the submarine, Huo Shaoheng felt that there was still an important link that couldn¡¯t be connected.

    The only person who could possibly know what had happened was Gu Yanran.

    Aiko Yamaguchi might have been there before, but ording to the report and DNA analysis from Japan, the middle-aged woman killed by the sniper at Qingshui Temple in Kyoto was Aiko Yamaguchi.

    Huo Shaoheng pressed down on his military cap, turned around, and walked out of the office building to the ce where Gu Yanran was being held.

    The Huaxia Empire was the ce where Gu Yanran was convicted. Gu Yanran was a foreigner, and because she had a close rtionship with the Gu family, she was being held in the Special Operations Forces¡¯ secret base until Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts were confirmed.

    ..

    The heavy metal doors opened to the left and right with a ng, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bulletproof car drove in.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes were covered with a ck cloth, and she was taken to a small room with no windows and only a door.

    After a while, someone came in and untied the ck cloth on her eyes.

    The sudden light was too blinding, and Gu Yanran hurriedly covered her eyes with her hand.

    After a while, her eyes adjusted to the light and narrowed.

    Standing in front of her was a tall, handsome man. It was Huo Shaoheng.

    Under the military hat, his breathtakingly beautiful face had the ability to make people fall head over heels in love with him for the rest of their lives.

    Gu Yanran saw it was him and smiled slowly. She said meaningfully, ¡°You¡¯ve finallye to find me. I¡¯ve been waiting for this day.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Huo Shaoheng sat down in front of her and lit a cigarette. He toyed with the Zippo lighter that Gu Nianzhi had given him while trying to get her to say something. ¡°You¡¯ve finally thought it through. Then tell us everything, so we don¡¯t have to waste our breath.¡±

    His attitude was calm andposed, and his expression was calm as usual. There was no sign of panic at all.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. It was different from what she had imagined...

    She looked at him suspiciously and said,¡±... What did you say? Didn¡¯t I already say what I needed to say?¡±

 Chapter 1388 - Seeds

    <h4>Chapter 1388: Seeds</h4>

    ¡°I told you? Weren¡¯t you waiting for me to ask you? ¡°Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t ignore how Gu Yanran had blurted out that, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this day.¡±

    Gu Yanran lowered her eyes and smiled. ¡°I thought you¡¯de around and let me out.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. He knew she wasn¡¯t telling the truth, so he calmly asked, ¡°I¡¯m giving you onest chance. where is Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen? You¡¯re asking me about Gu Xiangwen?¡± Gu Yanran looked disappointed. After a while, she shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you? He died in the ne crash. I cremated his and his wife¡¯s bodies and threw their ashes into the sea. Then, I found my biological father, who abandoned his wife and daughter. I put him in a vegetative state and pretended to be Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Then how did you know about the ind where the ne crashed?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked again. ¡°I¡¯ll let you say it again.¡±

    ¡°You may not believe it, but I received a message from Gu Xiangwen, asking me to go there to find him, so I went.¡± Gu Yanran smiled and tilted her head.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°How did you receive the message?¡±

    Gu Yanran seemed as if she was unable to continue speaking. She suddenly smiled and looked at him.¡±... You¡¯re forcing me to make up a story.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Just repeat what you saidst time. Could it be that you were also making up a storyst time?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little impatient. He swore that if he found out the real whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen this time, regardless of whether he was dead or alive, he would get someone to execute Gu Yanran.

    She had already been sentenced to death for her crimes.

    The only reason he still kept her alive was because she was the only person they knew who had seen the ne crash.

    Gu Xiangwen was on the ne.

    Gu Yanran leaned back in her seat and said indifferently, ¡°Major General Huo, don¡¯t pressure me. I¡¯ve already told you everything I know. If you pressure me again, I¡¯ll have to make up a story. Hahahaha...¡±

    The corners of her eyes red and her cheeks abnormally red, sheughed maniacally.

    No matter how one looked at her, it looked like she had lost her mind.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and didn¡¯t continue to pressure her. He stood up to adjust his military uniform and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t say it. I¡¯m not in a hurry anyway. Let¡¯s see how long you can keep your mouth shut.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to leave after he finished speaking.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s wildughter came to an abrupt end.

    She stared at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back in bewilderment. She bit her lip and suppressed the rage boiling in her chest.

    She couldn¡¯t say it, she couldn¡¯t say it..

    Actually, she didn¡¯t want to die. She really didn¡¯t want to die.

    ..

    There was only half an hour before the military ne would take off from the ce where Gu Yanran was being held.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the airport.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng steadied himself and his expression became even more determined.

    So what if it was a trap?

    He wasn¡¯t going alone this time. He was leading the most elite naval warships and Marine Corps of the military.

    Setting a trap for him was setting a trap for the Huaxia Empire.

    However, in this world, someone who was capable enough to set a trap for the current Huaxia Empire¡¯s military had yet to be born.

    In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and tricks were paper tigers.

    If it really was a trap, the other party must have put in a lot of effort, and the bait must have been exceptionally tempting.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng was only considering the worst case scenario.

    In fact, ording to their intelligence analysis, the probability of this being a trap was very low.

    ..

    That day, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

    A military ne carrying Huo Shaoheng and his chosen team to the southernmost military port city airport whizzed into the blue sky.

    Looking at the white clouds flying past the window with emotional turmoil, Song Jinning sat with him.

    She whispered to Huo Shaoheng,¡±... Did you guys detect any signs of life inside the submarine?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°We investigated, but no.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she raised her eyebrows. ¡°No?! Really?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, we only know that the submarine had been at the bottom of the sea for about five to six years, or maybe six to seven years. As for how long it has been, we¡¯ll have to salvage it to be sure.¡±

    If it had been at the bottom of the sea for that long, it would probably have been a disaster.

    Song Jinning closed her eyes and said calmly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to pray.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ..

    Five hourster, the military ne arrived at the military port city airport at the southernmost tip of the Huaxia Empire.

    Everyone got off the ne and was led by military vehicles to the military port. They didn¡¯t stop in the middle and didn¡¯t have the time for anyone to make calls.

    When they reached the port and were about to board the ship, Huo Shaoheng sent people to stand at the entrance of each military ship and collect their personal phones and personal electronic devices.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. These equipment will be returned to you when the operation is over. The electronic equipment for your work has been installed and debugged on the ship. You can use them with ease.¡±

    When he said that the equipment had been installed and debugged, he meant that the equipment were closely monitored.

    Even though these people had passed the rigorous political examination, that could only prove that these people didn¡¯t have any misdeeds in the past. Who knew if there would be any in the future?

    This trip from the military port to the open sea near the Cape of Good Hope would take more than ten days at sea. Adding the time spent on salvaging, it would take a month to go back and forth.

    So they had to be on guard.

    These people were also from the military. They understood that this was an established procedure and so they didn¡¯tin.

    After everyone called their families to inform them that they were safe, then handed over their personal phones and electronic devices.

    Huo Shaoheng sent Gu Nianzhi a text message before boarding the ship.

    [ Mr.A ] : We¡¯re here, don¡¯t miss me.

    Song Jinning looked up at the ¡°research ship¡±in front of her. It was much bigger than the one they had taken to the Sea of Japan thest time.

    It had a blue hull and a white body. The hull of the ship near the port was painted with the word ¡°Seed¡±, which was the name of the ¡°research ship¡±.

    It had a total of six floors. There were three floors on the upper deck and three floors below the deck.

    It appeared no different from an ordinary research ship, but the equipment inside waspletely different.

    Huo Shaoheng put away his phone and walked to Song Jinning¡¯s side. He said nonchntly, ¡°This ship is 190.7 meters long, 42.24 meters wide, designed to draft 10.8 meters, and has a full discement of about 8,000 tons. It is equipped with the most advanced active phased array radar system. It is even bigger than the world¡¯srgest scientific research ship.¡±

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Bigger than the world¡¯srgest scientific research ship? Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something wrong with the logic of that sentence?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and said seriously.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a scientific research ship? If it¡¯s a scientific research ship, how can it be bigger than the world¡¯srgest scientific research ship?¡±

    ¡°... because when the western world evaluates the world¡¯srgest scientific research ships, they usually don¡¯t consider the Huaxia Empire¡¯s.¡± Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. We don¡¯t want topete with them. We just want to be stronger than them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked onto the deck and looked at the beautiful view of the sea and sky. He was slightly moved.

    It was their opportunity and honor to be able to guard such a beautiful ocean.

    ..

    Cutting through the waves on the vast sea, the research ship fleet moved forward.

    Followed by cruisers, destroyers, and anti-submarine patrol ships, the submarine at the bottom of the sea silently swam.

    In a five-pronged approach, the sea,nd, and air formed a full range, deep, multi-level, all-weather, and three-dimensional target identification, positioning, and attack system.

    Under such almost all-epassing conditions, the ships and nes that tried to follow them were quickly discovered by them.

    During the ten days of sailing at sea, almost every day, the captain of the fleet had to shout to the tracking ships, telling them not to interfere with their ¡°freedom of navigation¡±.

    Hence, those ships dared not act rashly. They could only watch from afar and didn¡¯t dare to follow too closely.

    ..

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s research ship ¡°Seed¡± had brought arge fleet out. Ten days after leaving the military port, when they were about to reach the area where the mini submarine sank.., it was finally detected by the Japanese Secret Service from the satellite image.

    ¡°Mr. Hideda Yamaguchi, the satellite image shows that the Huaxia Empire has a series of fleets approaching our key observation area.¡±

    An intelligence agent of the Secret Service ced the satellite image in front of their chief officer, Hideda Yamaguchi.

    Hideda Yamaguchi was the highestmander of the Secret Service in Japan. He was a military chief officer and was in his sixties. He looked very smart and capable.

    He suddenly stood up and said nervously, ¡°Did you observe it clearly? Did you really go to the Cape of Good Hope?!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°What fleet is it?! Is it a warship?¡±

    ¡°ording to the satellite imaging analysis, it was probably the Huaxia Empire¡¯s research ship with a series of warships escorting it.¡±

    ¡°Research ship?! The Huaxia Empire¡¯s research ship? ¡ª Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a research ship that¡¯s bigger than a warship and has its own phased-array radar?!¡±

    ¡°... Your wise guess is correct, Captain! It¡¯s exactly such a research ship!¡±

 Chapter 1389 - They Want To Steal Our Things

    <h4>Chapter 1389: They Want To Steal Our Things</h4>

    Hideda Yamaguchi was so angry that he mmed the table and cursed, ¡°Idiot! Wise my ass! They want to steal our things!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Yamaguchi, what should we do?¡± The intelligence agent who was monitoring the satellite image asked nervously. He was responsible for monitoring that sea area, so of course he knew what was in that ce.

    Unfortunately, even though Japan had been safeguarding that secret for seven years, they were still unable to salvage that thing from the bottom of the sea.

    Seven years ago, their Secret Service had once carried out an epic-level hijacking and kidnapping operation, but in the end, they had underestimated the cunning of that person, and all their efforts had been for naught..

    Hideda Yamaguchi obviously thought of his achievements from seven years ago, and his face turned livid with anger. ¡°It¡¯s all because of those bastards from Kobe Steel! Our salvage ships have been in trouble several times, and we couldn¡¯t salvage them at all because they used low quality steel to build warships!¡±

    His face was ferocious. ¡°Last year, they told me that they needed to make a breakthrough in technology... Like h*ll I¡¯ll believe them!¡±

    This year, the scandal of Kobe Steel falsifying the steel factory¡¯s data sprouted like mushrooms after a rain. It was because the Secret Service couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and took action to investigate that their ten-year-old fraud was exposed to the world.

    In front of the powerful intelligence agency, they could no longer fake it. Even bowing was useless. The predicament they were facing now wasn¡¯t small.

    However, these matters weren¡¯t within the consideration of the Secret Service¡¯s elites.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the materials for the warship produced by Kobe Steel weren¡¯t up to standard, they wouldn¡¯t have been unable to salvage that submarine for seven years.

    The intelligence agent on the other side waited for Hideda Yamaguchi to finishmbasting Kobe Steel before asking softly, ¡°Mr. Captain, what do you want to do?¡±

    It was toote toment over it now. The other party had already marched into the Cape of Good Hope¡¯s waters with great fanfare.

    What was even more infuriating was that it was the high seas¡¯ territory. They couldn¡¯t even send warships to directly confront them.

    After Hideda Yamaguchi vented his anger, he felt much better. He frowned and came up with a n.

    The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He suddenly waved at his intelligence agent and said, ¡°Call a meeting immediately! Quickly!¡±

    Five minutester, the most elite five-person team of the Secret Service sat in the most secret meeting room for the entire day.

    ¡°There¡¯s a Chinese saying, ¡®The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware the oriole is behind it.¡¯ There¡¯s also a saying, ¡®If a snipe and a m are locked in fight,it is only to the advantage of the fisherman¡¯. This time, we want to be both the oriole and the fisherman!¡±

    Hideda Yamaguchi set the purpose of this operation and waved his hand. ¡°Our great Japanese maritime self-defense force has a base near the Cape of Good Hope. You guys can deploy it however you want. However, you can¡¯t use the name of the great Japanese maritime self-defense force, understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The five-person team responded in unison with great motivation.

    ..

    On the tenth night, Huo Shaoheng and the fleet finally arrived at the area where the submarine sank at the Cape of Good Hope. They met up with Zhao Liangze, who had been waiting there for a long time.

    Zhao Liangze brought a group of people and arrived near the ¡°Seed¡± of the research ship in a speedboat. He switched on a signal light with Huo Shaoheng.

    Only when the signals from both sides matched did they confirm their identities.

    A rope basket was lowered from the research ship. Zhao Liangze and the others were hoisted up.

    ¡°Major General Huo!¡± Zhao Liangze saluted Huo Shaoheng as soon as he reached the deck.

    He was also very excited.

    It had been a long time since he had seen anyone he was familiar with. He had almost been cut off from the rest of the world.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°How¡¯s the situation here?¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s radar system was more sophisticated than the equipment they had on board.

    He said, ¡°We haven¡¯t found any ships or aircraft near this area for the time being, but we have recently detected some signals from the sea. I¡¯m worried that there will be shipsing soon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked into the cabin and asked Zhao Liangze to take out the detection records for the past few days. He entered them into hisputer and looked through them carefully.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly deployed the external security system and gathered all the military equipment experts. He said, ¡°We¡¯ve already reached our destination. ¡°Time is of the essence. We can¡¯t let everyone rest. From now on, we¡¯ll form three teams and work three shifts a day. We¡¯ll work nonstop. We must salvage that small submarine in the shortest time possible!¡±

    Technically speaking, there were four ways to salvage a submarine. They were sealing the cabin and pumping water, floating tank fishing, foam stic fishing, and intable drainage fishing.

    However, these four methods weren¡¯t very suitable for this deep-sea submarine.

    For example, sealing the cabin and pumping water was for a damaged submarine. After sealing the opening, the water would be pumped out and the submarine would float.

    However, this mini-submarine was sealed very tightly and there was no sign of water entering.

    Another example was intable drainage fishing. It was pumpingpressed air into the sunken submarine so that the water could be discharged so that the submarine could float to the surface.

    Simrly, because the mini-submarine sank too deep, frogmen couldn¡¯t dive to that depth. Neither of these methods was suitable.

    The other method of salvaging the floating box and the foam stic took too long and wasn¡¯t suitable for their specific circumstances.

    Therefore, taking into ount the position and size of the submarine, the experts from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military headquarters thought of a new method. It was to add a huge robotic arm in the shape of a human hand to the research ship, which was fixed with steel cables. Then, the research ship would be directly driven above the submarine, and the robotic arm would be lowered with iron chains.

    The mechanical arm had a camera and control system. They could operate and monitor the ship throughputer equipment.

    This way, they didn¡¯t have to risk the frogmen warriors, and they didn¡¯t have to worry about any traps down there.

    But this method seemed easy on the surface, but it was very difficult to operate.

    Because this operation required very high precision, and the material requirements for the mechanical arm were also very high. If the quality of the steel didn¡¯t pass, it would break, and the salvage attempt would fail.

    Moreover, they didn¡¯t know why the submarine had sunk to the bottom.

    If it had been tripped by something, then this salvage method would require strenuous effort.

    They didn¡¯t know if the engine they had brought with them had enough horsepower, but these needed to be constantly corrected during the numerous attempts.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders were passed down, and the people on the ship were quickly divided into groups.

    Huo Shaoheng, Song Jinning, and Zhao Liangze were the core personnel. They were in charge at three different times, so that they could assist and monitor the three shifts of assembly specialists.

    Huo Shaoheng was in charge of the first shift.

    He told Song Jinning and Zhao Liangze to go to sleep and rece him after eight hours.

    Song Jinning was indeed a little tired from the bumpy journey on the sea.

    She didn¡¯t stand on ceremony with Huo Shaoheng and went to sleep in her cabin.

    Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t tired, and he was more familiar with the ce, so he volunteered to wait a few hours before going to sleep.

    Huo Shaoheng agreed and watched the assembly experts operate the mechanical arm in the control room with him.

    Dozens ofputer screens of various sizes were lit up in the control room.

    Thergest screen was 60 inches long, and the effect was very clear.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in front of the screen and watched as the robotic arm that looked like a human hand was slowly lowered into the deep sea by a thick iron chain.

    This area of the sea was the open sea, and it was usually unfrequented.

    Although the submarine had been there for several years, it had probably never been moved. To the marine animals there, it was basically no different from a cluster of coral reefs.

    Colorful corals stood upright in the water. Red starfishy quietly on the reef, and ck stingrays swept past the camera like giant bats.

    Violet blue electric eels wrapped around the mechanical arm, and box-shaped jellyfishes sank and floated around. They were all notoriously deadly sea creatures.

    They inexplicably gave the sea a murderous aura.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the disy screen and saw the mechanical arm stretch out slightly in the sea while tearing the two-meter-long violet blue electric eel into pieces.

    The mechanical arm continued to sink, and after 30 minutes, they finally saw the sand at the bottom of the sea.

    The small mini-submarine was even more clearly disyed in front of them.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly and suddenly said, ¡°To the right, a little more to the right.¡±

    The final assembly expert maneuvered the mechanical arm remotely and slowly moved it to the right.

    At this moment, a row of fluorescent words appeared above the mini-submarine.

    ¡°Cereus I¡±.

    An expert asked curiously, ¡°Cereus I? Is that the name of this submarine?¡±

    No matter how calm Huo Shaoheng tried to remain, his heart beated wildly

    This submarine was indeed connected to Gu Xiangwen!

    They hadn¡¯te in vain.

    Cereus was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s English name.

 Chapter 1390 - Coveted

    <h4>Chapter 1390: Coveted</h4>

    Although Huo Shaoheng was excited, he didn¡¯t show it on his face.

    ¡°... I think so,¡± he said lightly. ¡°Can the mechanical arm find a fixed position?¡±

    The idea of the assembly experts was to use the mechanical arm to grab the small submarine and then use mechanical strength to pull the submarine up.

    It didn¡¯t sound like it needed much technology, as long as the horsepower was enough.

    But when it was actually implemented, it was not only a physical job, but also a technical job.

    First of all, it was necessary to operate the camera on the robotic arm to record all aspects, so as to get more data parameters. Otherwise, if the grip wasn¡¯t right, it would cause great damage to the submarine.

    Second of all, the robotic arm had to carry out metal detection on the seabed around the submarine, in case there were traps and explosives. It was better to be safe than sorry.

    Finally, the robotic arm had to grasp the most reliable and energy-saving position. It also had to ensure that the steel spines could be inserted into the submarine for internal sampling. This was aprehensive task that involved various aspects such as material engineering, fluid dynamics, and marine geology.

    The assembly experts controlled the robotic arm to film the Mini submarine. They analyzed it and said, ¡°It looks like this submarine has been here for a long time. Look at the shellfish and seaweed on the submarine. They are ck like arge piece of air-dried rock. Tsk Tsk, the titanium alloy material is ruined like this...¡±

    The main material of a submarine was titanium alloy. The better the quality of the titanium alloy, the higher the performance of the submarine.

    Sometimes, technology was no longer the limit, but the resource material would always be.

    Even if a big country didn¡¯t safeguard its technology, just safeguarding its resource materials was enough to make a small country have its hands tied.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was dark, and he didn¡¯t say another word.

    Four hours passed, and the camera on the robotic arm finally captured the entire mini submarine from top to bottom, left to right.

    Then, they went to check whether there were mines or other explosives on the seabed around the submarine.

    At this time, the other general assembly experts, along with Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze, reyed the images they had just taken.

    Even Zhao Liangze had never captured close-up high-definition pictures.

    That was because he didn¡¯t have arge-scale device like the robotic arm, which allowed him to dive deep into the sea to take close-up pictures.

    He only had the flood dragon, the unmanned aerial vehicle. He could only sink for five kilometers before he couldn¡¯t continue sinking anymore.

    The ce where the submarine sank happened to be a trench. It was at least eight kilometers away from the surface of the sea. It was one of the few deep sea trenches left in the world.

    He focused his attention on the high-definition picture disyed on the sixty-inchrge screen and silentlypared it with the picture he took.

    The experts in the final assembly were professionals after all. They could roughly analyze the material and structure of this mini-submarine with just a nce at the high-definition image.

    Facing the high-definition image and preliminary technical analysis of the mini-submarine in front of them, the experts were so shocked that their eyeballs almost popped out.

    ¡°... this, this, this, this submarine isn¡¯t made of titanium alloy! Could it be... a cement submarine?!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god! In my lifetime! I never thought I would be able to see a cement submarine go out to sea for service!¡±

    Their hands trembling as they caressed the high-definition picture of the submarine on the big screen, a few general assembly experts practically pounced in front of the big screen, as if they could touch the real shell of the submarine just like that.

    ¡°A cement submarine?¡± Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze looked at each other and saw the confusion in each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t the cement submarine still in the model stage of theboratory?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in the model stage, but all the benefits are obvious to everyone!¡± An equipment specialist in general assembly started to gesture excitedly. ¡°We all know that no matter how powerful a submarine is, as soon as it¡¯s discovered, it would only be a target for the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, how to conceal oneself has always been the utmost important part of submarine research and development.¡±

    ¡°While we were searching for all kinds of concealment materials, Germany¡¯s World War II anti-maic armor made of cement entered everyone¡¯s field of vision. That was simply a genius invention, and it had also inspired weaponry experts from all over the world.

    ¡°If the shell of a submarine was made of special cement that had been added with special chemical ingredients and was covered with a soundproof tile on the outeryer of the submarine, the outeryer of the submarine can be coated with an anti-submarine effect of double sound instion and demaization.

    ¡°That was because the cement shell can absorb the sound waves of the enemy¡¯s detection sonar, and it can also shield the sound waves produced by itself. Moreover, it won¡¯t cause the abnormal maic field of the seabed that is usually caused by a traditional titanium alloy submarine while it is submerged under the seabed.

    ¡°The existing submarines are all made of special titanium alloy materials. This kind of material has benefits. For example, it is light, strong, and durable. However, it also has many innate defects that all countries are unable to ovee. For example, it can¡¯t block sound waves, and it can¡¯t eliminate the maic field variation that is produced whenever it moves.

    ¡°That was all until a few years ago. When the Ruby Central Weapons Design Bureau of Russia proposed the idea of a ¡®cement submarine¡¯, all these problems were instantly solved.

    ¡°Because first of all, a submarine with a cement shell can easily break through the limit of a normal submarine¡¯s diving depth of 1,800 feet. It can sink to the deepest seabed by relying on its own gravity.

    ¡°Second of all, its coating can disable all anti-submarine detection systems that rely on sound and maic fields.

    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s a cement fortress! It¡¯s simply an indestructible shield! If it¡¯s built properly, even nuclear weapons can¡¯t st it apart!¡±

    As if he had seen a rare treasure, the assembly expert¡¯s eyes lit up, and he gave a long speech on the benefits of a ¡°cement submarine¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng had heard of a ¡°cement submarine¡± before.

    He had sent his own people to infiltrate the Russian KGB several years ago, in part because of the new type of submarine, the ¡°cement submarine¡±.

    However, as far as he knew, the Russian ¡°cement submarine¡± was still in the blueprint and model stage, and they hadn¡¯t developed a submarine that could be used in actualbat yet. Moreover, it was very small, much smaller than the mini submarine in front of him.

    They had previously identified this submarine as a ¡°mini¡±,pared to a traditional titanium alloy submarine.

    If this was really a ¡°cement submarine¡±, then its size would already be rtivelyrge inparison.

    ¡°It¡¯s really a cement submarine?! That¡¯s really impressive,¡± Zhao Liangze muttered to himself. ¡°But it¡¯s so heavy, so how can it rise from the bottom of the sea?¡±

    ¡°Look at its nk. Yes, this is the ce.¡± The general assembly expert used aser pen to delineate a category on the big screen. ¡°When it moves, there will be a sliding wing sticking out here. It can reduce drag and increase speed. If it uses nuclear power as its power system, then it will be able to sail indefinitely under the sea!¡±

    ¡°In fact, the power system of a cement submarine and its operating system are inherently superior to traditional submarines. Because the power system of a cement submarine doesn¡¯t need to consider weight, it can be added as much as possible.¡±

    The introduction from the assembly experts finally made Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze understand.

    The cement submarine in front of them, called ¡°Cereus I¡± was at least 20 years ahead of the submarine technology of this world!

    ¡°Sir, even without what¡¯s inside the submarine, even if there¡¯s only a shell left of the submarine, it¡¯s still worth the trip!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I really didn¡¯t expect such good stuff to be here!¡±

    ¡°No wonder this operation was so confidential! It¡¯s worth it! It¡¯s more than worth it!¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s military was filled with people who knew quality. Before this, they had worked hard just toplete a mission that their superiors had given them.

    But now, from the bottom of their hearts, they were determined to salvage the submarine!

    Many of them wished they that a military order stating that if they couldn¡¯t salvage the submarine they couldn¡¯t leave, would be issued!

    Because they were also experts in naval weapons research, and several of them were submarine experts.

    They rushed to Huo Shaoheng and shook hands with him one by one. They said earnestly, ¡°Chief, if this submarine can¡¯t be salvaged, we¡¯ll apply to stay here.¡±

    ¡°We heard that you¡¯ve set up a base here. That¡¯s amazing! Your strategic vision is unparalleled! Can we use your base? We guarantee we¡¯ll pay the rental fee!¡±

    Hoping that he would agree to their request, a few experts in their forties and fifties looked at Huo Shaoheng eagerly.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know how to react, but he still looked calm andposed. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. We¡¯ll salvage this submarine no matter what. We¡¯ll give it to you guys to do research on when we get back.¡±

    He paused and added, ¡°If the owner of the submarine allows it.¡±

    ¡°The owner of the submarine? This submarine has an owner? Who is it?¡± An expert asked curiously.

    ¡°Cereus.¡± His heart suddenly softening, Huo Shaoheng said slowly.

    The name popped out from the tip of his tongue and his tongue collided with his lips. It reminded him of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft lips.

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and quickly drove the inappropriate flirtatious feeling out of his mind. He adjusted his expression. ¡°As long as she agrees.¡±

    ¡°Cereus? There really is such a person?¡±The general assembly experts were even more surprised.

    They thought it was just the name of the submarine.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s English name was known only to her close friends and colleagues. Ordinary people, such as these military general assembly experts, naturally wouldn¡¯t know.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Since that name was written on it, it must be that person. As long as you guys find her and get her permission, you guys can do research on this submarine.¡±

    The experts looked at each other and wisely shut up. They didn¡¯t continue to argue with Huo Shaoheng about the ownership of the name ¡°Cereus.¡±.

    He was the one who had discovered it anyway, so he was right no matter what.

    If they were to make things difficult for him, they would probably never have the chance to do research on this submarine that they had always dreamed of working on.

    Everyone quieted down and continued to operate the robotic arm.

    Soon, eight hours had passed. It was time for the second group of experts to go on stage.

    Song Jinning had yet to wake up, so Huo Shaoheng had Zhao Liangze take the lead there and found a ce to sleep.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know whether it was because there was a problem with the maic field, or because he had been too exhausted for the past few days, so he started dreaming. Huo Shaoheng had just closed his eyes when he saw a tall and thin man in a khaki trench coat standing in front of him.

    The man looked at him and smiled with deep regret. Then, he bowed to him and disappeared.

    Huo Shaoheng snapped out of his dream. The man¡¯s regretful smile shed through his mind! Wasn¡¯t that how Gu Xiangwen¡¯s face appeared in Ye Xuan¡¯s photo?!

 Chapter 1391 - N2

    <h4>Chapter 1391: N2</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face gradually became stern as he recalled Gu Xiangwen¡¯s every move and expression in his dream.

    He rushed out of his cabin and ran all the way to the surveince room.

    The dark blue sea outside the cabin rippled with the wind. The moon and stars reflected in the sea were shattered by the waves and scattered in the depths of the sea like pearls.

    With a bang, Huo Shaoheng pushed open the door of the surveince room and finally stopped.

    He calmed his breathing and stood at the door.

    The people in the surveince room were shocked and turned to look in the direction of the door.

    At this time, it was Song Jinning¡¯s turn to operate the mechanical arm with the experts. Zhao Liangze was still there to apany them.

    Upon seeing Huo Shaoheng suddenly barge in, Zhao Liangze hurried over and said, ¡°Major General Huo, you¡¯ve only slept for a little more than three hours. Aren¡¯t you going to sleep some more?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said as calmly as he could, ¡°I¡¯m not going to sleep anymore. You can go sleep. I¡¯ll watch over here.¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy either. Major General Huo, you came just in time. We were about to capture the submarine!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It had been eleven hours since they had started to salvage the submarine.

    ¡°They¡¯ve already begun to capture it? ¡°Huo Shaoheng walked over and stood behind the expert as he looked at the disy screen of the robotic arm. ¡°Have they detected the situation around the submarine?¡±

    Song Jinning stood beside him and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve already detected it. There are no abnormal metal objects. Moreover, the trench here is so deep. Currently, no country has the technical means to nt explosives on the seabed here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the robotic arm on the disy. It was like arge steel hand that was moving in and out of the seawater while causing the seawater to gradually turn turbid.

    The coral was cut in half and scattered on the seabed. The red starfish didn¡¯t move at all, and drifted away with the rocks that had been knocked over.

    The violet-blue electric eels hid far away. Only a few ugly monk-fish remained motionless in the water. There was a fin sticking out from the top of their heads, and the tip of the fin was shining like a light bulb.

    The box-like jellyfish were faintly discernible under the flickering lights of the monk-fish, and its long tentacles fluttered about in the seawater.

    The scenery was dreamlike.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the mechanical arm and saw that it had finallypleted its positioning. The five mechanical fingers at the bottom opened with a whoosh, and brought waves with them.

    Amidst the rolling waves, the five mechanical fingers suddenly closed, and firmly held onto the upper half of the submarine on the seabed.

    Then, five shiny steel thorns extended from the tips of the five mechanical fingers!

    These were steel thorns made of the strongest hard alloy. They could instantly prate the concrete shell of the submarine and pierce into the interior of the submarine to fix it, making it easy to salvage.

    Moreover, the middle of these five steel thorns was hollow. They could also sample the air inside the submarine.

    Under everyone¡¯s nervous gaze, these five steel thorns pierced into the submarine¡¯s shell from different angles.

    Tss ¡ª !

    A series of ear-piercing noises came from the monitor.

    The ear-piercing noise was a hundred times worse than the sound of a steel file grinding a steel saw.

    The faces of those with a lower tolerance threshold had lost their color and were as white as a sheet.

    But fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long.

    Not long after, the ear-piercing sound of the drill disappeared. The five steel thorns slowly pierced through the submarine¡¯s hull and held it firmly in ce.

    ¡°Lift ready.¡±

    ¡°Power unit ready.¡±

    ¡°Rope group ready.¡±

    ..

    Following a series ofmands, the preparation to lift the submarine upward was ready.

    At the same time, the steel thorns that drilled into the submarine had already sent the air sample from the submarine up.

    Song Jinning quickly took over this analysis.

    She transferred the air sample from the steel thorns into the instrument. Before she could start a full analysis, she heard a beep from her analysis instrument. The analysis was alreadypleted.

    It took less than a second.

    Song Jinning¡¯s expression instantly turned worse than her expression when she heard the sound of the steel spike drill.

    Since the analysis result came out in such a short time, if it wasn¡¯t because her instrument was exceptionally effective, then there was only one reason. The airposition in the submarine was very simple, so simple that the analysis instrument could perform at the fastest theoretical analysis speed.

    In other words, there was only one effectiveponent in the air in the submarine.

    No matter what the conditions were, if there was only one ingredient in the air in an enclosed space, it meant that the space was a ¡°dead space¡±.

    Her hand trembled as she pressed on the air analyzer. Arge chemical form appeared on it ¡ª N2.

    N2, nitrogen.

    This submarine was filled with nitrogen!

    It was so dense that otherponents could basically be ignored.

    Song Jinning rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. She removed the air sample from the first steel spike, emptied the analyzer, and began to measure the air sample from the second steel spike.

    It was almost exactly the same as before. The air sample on the air analyzer was also N2!

    Then the third, fourth, and fifth!

    It was all N2 ¡ª nitrogen.

    At this point, Song Jinning could no longer convince herself otherwise.

    She turned to look at the equipment specialists who were still monitoring and said in a low voice,¡±... the submarine is full of nitrogen. There is no otherponent.¡±

    ¡°Nitrogen?! Are you sure? It¡¯s all nitrogen?!¡±

    The equipment specialists were stunned.

    What kind of situation was that?

    Where did the nitrogene from?

    And how did it get into the submarine?

    If the oxygen inside the submarine was thin, they couldpletely understand.

    However, not only was there no oxygen, there was also no carbon dioxide. Instead, it was filled with pure nitrogen, which was very strange.

    They could conclude that the pure nitrogen inside the submarine definitely didn¡¯t get into there naturally. It was definitely man-made.

    Although Huo Shaoheng had been mentally prepared, his heart still sank when he heard Song Jinning confirm his guess. It was a sense of having high hopes crushed like jumping from a parachute.

    ¡°... There¡¯s definitely... no one alive in there.¡± An expert snapped back to reality and sighed.

    They had hoped that there might be someone alive in there so that they could have a good conversation with them.

    Unfortunately, theirst hope had been crushed.

    Huo Shaoheng felt sour and bitter, and his eyes instantly turned red.

    Zhao Liangze looked at him worriedly and patted him on the back as if tofort him. He said in a low voice,¡±... I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his head with difficulty and swallowed the tears that were about to flow down his face. His voice sounded especially deep and grave, ¡°It¡¯s okay, continue.¡±

    The experts looked at each other, but none of them were gossipy people. They quickly looked away and focused on their work.

    Song Jinning shook her head regretfully. She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and whispered,¡±... What are you going to tell Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was as calm as tranquil water. He walked to the window of the surveince room with his hands behind his back and stood still. He looked out at the vast night sky. After a while, he said, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it after the submarine is salvaged.¡±

    Perhaps there was no one inside?

    Or perhaps there was no Gu Xiangwen inside?

    He wouldn¡¯t give up hope until the veryst moment.

    Song Jinning knew that Huo Shaoheng was just being cautious out of habit.

    However, the result had alreadye out. Whether he admitted it or not, it would still be there.

    She turned to look at the analyzer and suddenly said, ¡°Since the steel spikes on the mechanical arm are hollow, can you put down the pinhole camera and take a picture of the situation inside the submarine?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Although the pinhole camera is known as the ¡®pinhole¡¯, it refers to the aperture of the camera. Compared to the steel needle of the mechanical arm, the real size of the pinhole camera is still too big.¡± An equipment expert rejected Song Jinning¡¯s proposal.

    Otherwise, they would have installed the camera directly on the five-finger steel needle of the mechanical arm.

    However, Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he quickly said, ¡°I have a specially made pinhole camera. It¡¯s different from other pinhole cameras. It¡¯s very small. Maybe I can give it a try.¡±

    That was a special equipment that the Special Operations Forces provided to field personnel. It was many times stronger than the ¡°pinhole camera¡± that was the size of dor coins on the market.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s ¡°pinhole camera¡± was not only a literally pinhole camera, but it was also equipped with an AI system. It had a simple self-recognition function.

    In other words, it was a ¡°smart pinhole camera¡±, or in other words, it was a small robot that liked to act as a peeping tom.

 Chapter 1392 - Countdown From The Other Shore

    <h4>Chapter 1392: Countdown From The Other Shore</h4>

    This ¡°smart pinhole camera¡± had been modified by Zhao Liangze in his spare time. He had reported it to Huo Shaoheng before.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes flickered as he looked at him.¡±... Do you have it with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have it. I¡¯ll take it out now and see if I can put it in the elevator on the other side of the mechanical arm.¡±

    Zhao Liangze ran back to his cabin and quickly took his ¡°little robot (smart pinhole camera)¡±. He went out on the deck tomunicate for a while with the staff who were responsible for operating the cable of the mechanical arm. Then, he used a special thin rope to hang it at the bottom of the long rope and slowly put it down.

    This ¡°little robot (smart pinhole camera)¡± was indeed very small. With a diameter of about two millimeters, it looked about the size of a freshwater pearl. It was almost impossible to tell that it was a camera.

    However, when it reached its destination, it could be reassembled. There were three miniature rollers with a diameter of about one millimeter at the bottom that carried it around to take pictures.

    On its back, a pair of wings as thin as Cicada¡¯s wings could be stretched out to take it flying.

    At this time, it was like a drone, but it was smaller and more concealed. Even professionals would find it difficult to discover its existence.

    ..

    Time passed by slowly. Zhao Liangze sat in front of hisputer and watched the little robot gradually approach the upper part of the steel spike on the mechanical arm under the pull of the rope.

    He hoped that the opening at the lower end of the steel spike would be big enough for his little robot to get in.

    The pearl-like little robot, which was the size of a grain of rice, moved step by step and was about to approach the opening at the lower end of the steel spike.

    Zhao Liangze held his breath and watched the small ball glide through the hole. Then, as if it was struggling to move forward and could not take another step forward, it slowed down.

    It spun in circles along the internal arc of the steel spike.

    Almost, almost...

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help but shout to the staff on the deck outside,¡±... Can you expand the bottom of the steel spike a little more? Just a little more...¡±

    When the staff member heard this, he thought about it for a moment, then operated the instrument and cautiously expanded the opening at the bottom of the steel spike by another half a millimeter. Adding the hole that had been previously created, the diameter of the entire bottom of the steel spike had reached a little more than two millimeters.

    That was enough for his little robot to drill in.

    A light click came from his earpiece.

    The little robot sessfully entered the space inside the submarine andnded on the floor.

    Zhao Liangze pped the table excitedly. ¡°Major General Huo! It¡¯s in! That little guy is in!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly turned around and strode over to his side. He patted his shoulder. ¡°Make way.¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°...¡±

    Damn it, he was so quick to burn the bridge after crossing it.

    However, Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t dare to say anything. Not only did he give up his seat, but he also helped Huo Shaoheng adjust the back of his chair and the handle.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t in the mood to pay attention to such trivial matters.

    His attention waspletely focused on theputer screen in front of him.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s little robot (smart pinhole camera) was equipped with a bluetooth system that could connect to hisputer through a wirelesswork.

    In order to make thework unimpeded in the deep sea, Zhao Liangze had specially brought awork signal amplifier so that he didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to ess the inte anymore.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng clicked ¡°start¡± and then typed on the keyboard to give the little robot instructions.

    Stand still.

    Stand still.

    Rotate.

    Open.

    The camera aperture on the head of the little robot the size of a grain of rice suddenly opened. It buzzed and rotated, finding the right angle and quickly focusing. Then, it started to shoot from the corners of the submarine.

    Under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions, the small robot that specialized in secretly taking pictures (the smart pinhole camera) finally adjusted the light, shade, and angle of its camera.

    Three small rollers, each one millimeter in diameter, also extended out from its abdomen and began to roll on the submarine¡¯s floor.

    Thankfully, the submarine was sealed very well. Otherwise, as long as there was a hole, the small robot would definitely fall out of the hole and ¡°secretly take pictures¡± while floating along the seawater...

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart was in his throat. He was afraid that his small robot would disappear out of the blue.

    During this period of time, he had been preupied with that small robot, and only then was he able to slowly recover.

    With Bai Shuang¡¯s death, his feelings had beenpletely buried.

    Now, he waspletely focused on his work. While searching for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts, he also developed some artificial intelligence systems, such as this small robot that was about to make a contribution.

    If he seeded this time, he could apply for professional funding to upgrade it.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s thoughts ran wild, and he didn¡¯t see that the little robot was already sending back video images.

    Song Jinning¡¯s attention was also attracted to it. She sat next to Huo Shaoheng and looked at theputer screen together.

    The little robot was too small, and its field of vision was all upwards.

    On theputer screen, a curved dome appeared first.

    Like a children¡¯s yground, there were some adorable cats and dogs drawn on the dome.

    There was light shining down from the dome, and the walkway was clear.

    Huo Shaoheng looked carefully. Turns out that there was a sunken LCD light hole in the dome, and the light wasing from inside the light hole.

    After so many years, the submarine still had electricity.

    Huo Shaoheng adjusted the camera angle of the small robot. Soon, a corridor appeared on the disy screen.

    Turns out that they were in the submarine corridor.

    The small robot glided in the submarine. Not long after, a mountain-like object blocked its path. The entire screen was filled with the pitch-ck ¡°mountain¡±.

    What sort of obstacle was that?

    Huo Shaoheng put in much effort and constantly gavemands to change the angle. Only then did he make the little robot to go around the ¡°mountain¡±. It retreated while filming.

    After retreating to a certain distance, Huo Shaoheng activated the cicada wings on the back of the little robot and let it fly.

    Zhao Liangze wiped the sweat from his forehead and snorted to express his refusal. ¡°... when it flies, it uses more batteries...¡±

    He hinted to Huo Shaoheng that he shouldn¡¯t fly too much and that it would be best if he just let the robot roll and film.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and continued to operate the flying robot to film the situation inside the submarine.

    Because he had flown up from the ground, the view was now wider and clearer.

    Turns out that the ¡°mountain¡± the little robot had encountered was a person who had fallen on the submarine¡¯s aisle.

    That person was wearing an old man¡¯s casual outfit and a pair of soft-soled sneakers.

    From that person¡¯s face, it was obvious that he was very old. His face was full of wrinkles. He was also bald and emaciated. He was holding a gun in his hand.

    ¡°Is that person dead? How long has he been dead? He looks like he¡¯s asleep.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s attention was on that person¡¯s appearance. ¡°Why does he have a gun in his hand? Huh? That¡¯s probably a. 022 caliber stinger pistol...¡±

    ¡°The famous Stinger.¡± Zhao Liangze clicked his tongue. ¡°That gun is quite expensive. How spendthrift of him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng red at him. He didn¡¯t say anything, but the sound of typing on the keyboard became even more intense and loud.

    The small robot flew in the submarine¡¯s space. As the camera¡¯s vision shifted, they saw three more people lying outside arge door.

    There were men and women, old and young. They wore different clothes, but they all had guns in their hands. Their shapes were unique, and the barrels were long. One look and one could tell that they were the famous Stinger.

    As if it was made of oak, the door looked very thick and heavy. A steel bar as thick as an adult man¡¯s arm was attached to the door, and there was a huge disc password lock hanging on it.

    The flying robot bumped against the door for a while, and Huo Shaoheng soon found a gap in the door. Of course, it was a gappared to the small robot, and it was so close to the floor that it was difficult for the naked eye to see it clearly.

    He directed the small robot tond and put away the wings on its back. Three almost invisible pulleys stretched out and drilled through the gap at the bottom of the oak door.

    Once inside, the screen was pitch ck.

    After a while, the door gradually lit up.

    It was as if it had sensed light or maic interference.

    In short, theputer screen in front of Huo Shaoheng twisted and made a sizzling sound before returning to normal.

    As the lights in the room lit up, it was as if a white piece of paper was gradually showing the outline of an ink painting. The appearance of the cabin slowly appeared in front of everyone.

    It looked like a study room with a very luxurious and low-keyyout.

    The floor was covered with a thick carpet, and a mahogany desk was ced against the wall. Next to the desk was an eight-fan screen that was as tall as a person.

    The base of the screen was carved with densendscapes, birds, animals, flowers, nts, and trees. At a nce, it looked very ancient, like an antique.

    The eight-fan screen in a row divided the entire room into two. For the time being, they could not see what was behind the screen, only the decorations in front of the screen.

    On the empty space in front of the screens, a 90-degree corner sofa was ced in the middle of the room.

    The space in the middle of the sofa was empty. There was no coffee table, but an empty space instead. It was obvious that it was a round, slightly concave disc-shaped pit.

    In the corner of the room, there was a branch-shaped floormp. Like the branches of a big tree, the streamlined tree branch-shapedmp extended from themp holder in the corner and covered the concave disc-shaped pit in the middle of the corner sofa.

    The desk was clean. There was nothing on it except for a ck cylinder in the middle of the desk.

    This cylinder was about the size of a normal-sized coffee cup.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes moved along with the light that gradually lit up in the submarine cabin.

    When all the overhead lights in the entire cabin were lit up, the branch-shaped floormp suddenly lit up as well.

    The light from dozens of crisscrossed tree-branch-shapedmps shone down like a pir of light and covered the slightly sunken circr space in the middle of the corner sofa.

    The figure of a man in a khaki trench coat gradually took shape in the light!

    Huo Shaoheng, who had always been calm and impassive, suddenly stood up.

    Song Jinning and Zhao Liangze also widened their eyes. ¡°Could there actually be a living person in there?!¡±

    Upon closer inspection, the figure of the man was actually illusory. After a while, the figure gradually formed into a three-dimensional shape.

    When the figure of the man became extremely clear and lifelike, the ceiling lights in the cabin were extinguished again, leaving only the light pir from the chandelier in the center of the room.

    In the middle of the light pir, the figure of the man became even more lifelike.

    Turns out that it wasn¡¯t a real person, but a holographic image.

    He was tall and wore a khaki trench coat.

    His eyes weren¡¯t big, but they were very deep and dark. His hair was thick and neatlybed. His straight nose was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nose. His jaw was square, his lips slightly pursed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

    It was obvious that he was a gentle and big-hearted man.

    His smile was very infectious. Even though it was only a hologram, when he looked at you and smiled, you couldn¡¯t help but smile along with him.

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his fists.

    That was the figure he had seen in his dream. It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Zhao Liangze had also seen Gu Xiangwen¡¯s picture once. He quickly remembered and said in a low voice,¡±... That¡¯s Mr. Gu¡¯s hologram?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded with difficulty. His throat seemed to be choked by something and he couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Song Jinning was in awe. She quickly stood up and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Gu?¡±

    At that moment, through the small robot¡¯s sensor equipment, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s voice sounded from theputer¡¯s microphone. The audio quality of the voice wasn¡¯t very clear, but they could hear what he said clearly.

    ¡°Today is year 2XXX, the XX day of X. It has probably been seven years and three months since the day of my death.¡±

 Chapter 1393 - Countdown From the Opposite Shore (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1393: Countdown From the Opposite Shore (2)</h4>

    When the hologram of Gu Xiangwen finished speaking, it suddenly paused.

    Then, it spoke again. Its tone was still calm and indifferent, neither fast nor slow.

    ¡°I am the owner of this submarine.¡±

    ¡°Ever since I died, theputer system on the submarine has started to automatically time itself.¡±

    ¡°Day after day, month after month, year after year; I don¡¯t know when someone will discover my submarine.¡±

    ¡°My countdown is only set for 100 years.¡±

    ¡°In 100 years, the trench here will shake. When that happens, my submarine and I will be swept into the depths of the Earth¡¯s crust. Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust

    ¡°I¡¯m very happy that you only took seven years to find me

    ¡°Now, I have a few questions to ask you.¡±

    More experts gathered in front of theputer screen.

    When they heard that this fully virtual person still wanted to ask questions, they could not help but look at each other.

    Zhao Liangze stroked his chin and said with interest, ¡°This AI is pretty well made. It looks exactly like the real deal.¡±

    ¡°AI¡± referred to ¡°Artificial Intelligence¡±, currently one of the most hyped up area of technological advancement.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and handed him the microphone. ¡°Start answering the questions.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Zhao Liangze held the microphone and asked in surprise.

    His voice was transmitted to the submarine by the little robot. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar heard it and actually nodded. ¡°Alright, you then.¡±

    Zhao Liangze almost fell to the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and pushed him into the seat that he had been in just now.

    On theputer screen, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar had already started asking questions.

    ¡°What¡¯s my name?¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately said, ¡°Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Please sing the Huaxia Empire¡¯s national anthem in one minute.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was stunned.

    Huo Shaoheng kicked him from behind.

    He immediately shouted, ¡°Arise, ye who refuse to be ves!!¡±

    ...

    As expected of the little prince of love songs, he sang the entire national song perfectly without singing a single note out of tune.

    After listening to him, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar could actually analyze the data.

    ¡°Not bad, there are no notes sung out of tune. Enunciation of Chinese words is also clear; there is no foreign ent. There is a hint of an imperial city ent. A young man who grew up in the imperial capital, about twenty-nine years old this year.¡±

    To be able to perform such a level of analysis by listening to just one song sung by him, this AI was indeed extraordinarily holistic.

    Zhao Liangze was filled with admiration.

    Right now, he wished for nothing more than to kneel in front of theputer and talk to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar.

    Although he was facing aputer-simted human hologram, people who made artificial intelligence knew that all so-called ¡°artificial intelligence¡± had a ¡°father¡±. Every aspect of the artificial intelligence was given by the ¡°father¡±.

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram was the crystallization of his own intelligence.

    Perhaps it was because he didn¡¯t have enough time to optimize it, but it was already unbelievable that it developed this level of intelligence in such a short period of time.

    As Zhao Liangze continued to sigh, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram asked a third question.

    ¡°Please answer in five seconds. The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, have requested the United States to apologize for the nuclear bombing. Should the United States apologize?¡±

    This time, Huo Shaoheng said directly into the microphone, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There were no innocents killed by the atomic bombs of World War II,¡± Huo Shaoheng said simply and firmly, ¡°The Japanese initiated World War II and received the support of all the Japanese people. The two atomic bombs were exactly what they deserved, so they couldn¡¯t me anyone else. They weren¡¯t victims just because they lost the war. If they were victims, than what about the 30 millionpatriots in China who were killed by them?¡±

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar became clearer.

    He asked thest question with a smile.

    ¡°May I ask if the Japanese government should apologize for massacring a city in China?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    This time, everyone in the monitoring room answered loudly.

    Their voices reached the submarine cabin and almost echoed back.

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar finally smiled in relief and said, ¡°I know it¡¯s you. Mypatriots are here.¡±

    Then, he stopped asking questions and started talking.

    ¡°Thank you foring to see me. If you answered any question incorrectly, the self-destruction device here will be activated immediately.¡±

    ¡°I am Gu Xiangwen. I am not a Chinese citizen, but I am a Chinese descendant.¡±

    ¡°I spent thest half of my life hiding overseas from the Japanese right-wing extremist organizations.¡±

    ¡°When I found out that the intelligence organization of Japan, Tokko, was also involved, I knew that I could no longer fight them on my own.¡±

    ¡°No matter how heaven-defying a person¡¯s ability was, they could not fight against the power of the entire country.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I decided to return to my mothend, China.¡±

    ¡°Seven years and three months ago, my wife and I travelled around the world for a few days in the name of a vacation.¡±

    ¡°We wanted to safeguard against all possible mishaps. We went to the Taj Mahal in India and then the Cape Town in South Africa, and left some clues there. Finally, we went through Southeast Asia and nned to return to our mothend via MH210.¡±

    After saying that, he sighed, ¡°Unfortunately, I still underestimated just how determined the Japanese right-wing organizations were to get my research results and the extent of their madness.¡±

    ¡°Because of me, MH210 was kidnapped by the mercenariesmanded by Tokko and was forced tond on an ind in the sea area of the Cape of Good Hope as we waited for the Japanese to arrive.¡±

    ¡°I was imprisoned with many passengers.¡±

    ¡°Initially, I found an opportunity to use hypnosis to hypnotize the mercenaries before the Tokko arrived. I could have escaped with my wife.¡±

    ¡°However, because of my soft-heartedness, I also brought along the four Huaxia people who had been around me. They were two old men and two young men.¡±

    ¡°In the end, I led the wolf into the room.* Although these four Huaxia people were Huaxia descendants, they were actually Tokko spies.¡±

    ¡°They betrayed me.¡±

    ¡°While the submarine was moving under the sea, they secretly sent their location to the Japanese. They eventually managed to draw a Japanese warship over that hunted my submarine relentlessly.¡±

    After saying this, he paused again.

    Another sound suddenly echoed in the submarine room.

    It sounded like the rumbling of the waves, but also like the drum beats muffled by a quilt. After a while, there was a deafening explosion.

    Just the sound alone was enough to make people shudder.

    ¡°... Did you hear that? That¡¯s the sound of a torpedo.¡±

    ¡°Yes, with these four Huaxia people nted beside me as their secret agents, my submarine was discovered by the Japanese warships. The torpedo hit the submarine and caused fatal damage to the submarine.¡±

    ¡°By the way, the Japanese have a secret military base in the Cape of Good Hope. Their coordinates are 34.7310 degrees south and 18.7310 degrees east.¡±

    ¡°They originally nned to bring me and my submarine back to their secret military base in the Cape of Good Hope to help them with their new weapon research and high-energy maic field experiments there.¡±

    ¡°However, if the Japanese were to master the technology that I developed, it would be another disaster for the Huaxia.¡±

    ...

    ¡°The submarine was hit. I was presented with only two choices. I could either float up and be captured by the Japanese.¡±

    ¡°Or I could seal the submarine and sink,pletely leaving this world.¡±

    ¡°The food and fresh water inside the submarine were poisoned by those four people. They were forcing me to surface.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be captured by the Japanese. I¡¯d rather sink to the bottom and die with them.¡±

    ¡°Before I died, I left a few holograms to deliver myst words in the submarine¡¯sputer system for the fated person who found the submarine.¡±

    ¡°All the property in my wife¡¯s and me name will be inherited by our biological daughter, Gu Nianzhi. If she is no longer in this world, all of our property will be donated to our mothend, Huaxia.¡±

    ¡°My most important research results are in the music box on the desk. This music box has a self-destruction device. Those who do not meet my criteria do not even have to try to open it.¡±

    There was a long silence.

    Just when they thought Gu Xiangwen had no morest words to say, he spoke again.

    This time, it was entirely to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°My father, Gu Haozawa, and I were both victims of Japan¡¯s ¡®Gic Enhancement n¡¯. Now, this pain has extended to my sister, Gu Tian, and my daughter, Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°I tried my best, but I couldn¡¯t save my only sister, Gu Tian, nor could I cure my only daughter, Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, my baby, your mom and dad used to regret that we couldn¡¯t watch you grow up. Now we realize that we really can¡¯t see how you have grown.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t be afraid, baby. Mom and dad are just leaving first. We¡¯ll wait for you on the road to the afterlife. We won¡¯t let you be alone.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, daddy doesn¡¯t have much time left. I really want to see you again, hug you, and kiss your cute little face.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, daddy is a scientist and doesn¡¯t believe in the existence of ghosts, gods or reincarnation. But at this moment, Daddy is willing to believe that if there really are ghosts and gods, if there really is a reincarnation, please be my daughter in the next life. A healthy daughter. Let me watch you grow up, get married, have children, and live a happy life as an ordinary person.¡±

    ¡°Mom and dad brought you into this world, but they didn¡¯t give you a healthy body. We made you suffer from gic defects since you were young.¡±

    ¡°Daddy isn¡¯tpetent enough to cure your illness. I wasn¡¯t a good dad. Your bad temper was extremely cute in Dad¡¯s eyes. Your mom always said that I spoilt you too much, but I know that you¡¯re not bad-tempered. You¡¯re sick and ufortable. You¡¯ve done very well already. It was daddy¡¯s fault; it was my ipetence that your illness is not cured.¡±

    ¡°Daddy and mommy are both going to be gone, leaving my baby to face this world alone. Daddy and mommy are both very sad. But don¡¯t be afraid, and don¡¯t cry.¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember your favorite story The Little Mermaid?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t die. We are just like the Little Mermaid who turned into foam in the sea at dawn. Every time the foam dissipates and a rainbow appears in the sky, it will be us who havee to see you.¡±

    Then, with a ¡°ding¡±, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar gradually blurred and finally disappearedpletely.

 Chapter 1394 - Countdown from the Opposite Shore (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1394: Countdown from the Opposite Shore (3)</h4>

    Song Jinning felt deeply for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram, and she couldn¡¯t help but wipe her face with the back of her hand to brush away the tears that were quietly flowing down her face.

    When everyone heard thest words that Gu Xiangwen left in this world, they were all sad and speechless with anger.

    This type of intense anger that burnt one on the inside and caused one to be speechless could only be felt by people of the same race and culture.

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram had fully disappeared, and themp in the submarine cabin gradually dimmed.

    Theputer screen immediately went dark.

    But soon, the hidden LCD lights in the roof of the cabin lit up again.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to the small ck cylinder on the desk.

    This must be the ¡°Music Box¡± that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar had mentioned, right?

    It looked about the same size, and most importantly was that it was the only thing on the desk.

    Huo Shaoheng was the first to look away. He looked down and quickly gave the little robot instructions. He directed it to fly past the eightrge dividers and saw the scene behind them.

    Behind the dividers was a bed.

    There were two people lying side by side inside.

    A man and a woman. The man was wearing the khaki coat they had just seen. His thick hair was neatlybed and his eyes were closed. His tall and straight nose was particrly obvious.

    He had a square jaw, the corners of his lips slightly pursed, and a faint smile on his face.

    It was Gu Xiangwen.

    Beside him was a fair, gentle, and beautiful young woman. It must be his wife, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and immediately stood up. He gave a very smooth, perfect military salute to Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s bodies on the screen.

    Everyone in the surveince room, except for Song Jinning, were active-duty soldiers, including the experts in armaments.

    They all stood up at the same time as Huo Shaoheng, and also saluted Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s bodies on theputer screen.

    Song Jinning bowed a respectful ny degrees towards theputer screen.

    After three minutes of mourning, Huo Shaoheng put down his hand and gritted his teeth. He said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s officially begin salvaging!¡±

    Everyone immediately took their positions and quickly optimised the surveince equipment. They threw themselves intensely into their respective roles.

    Zhao Liangze rushed to the deck outside the door and worked with the staff operating the robotic arm to first retrieve his little robot.

    The long, thin rope pulley was made of the toughest material. Although it was thin, its strength and toughness were top-grade.

    Not long after, his little robot returned to his hand.

    The mechanical arm closed thest bit of gap. Five steel fingers grasped tightly onto the submarine¡¯s body. Once the joystick activated its maximum horsepower, they could begin to salvage it.

    Sixteen hours had passed, and the sky outside was already bright.

    The bright red Sun jumped up from the sea level, showering miles around with a radiant glow.

    Not far away, white seagulls were flying above the dark blue sea. Scattering gold and red off their feathers, they were like butterflies fluttering among the flowers.

    Sunrise at sea was always so magnificent.

    But at that moment, no one was in the mood to enjoy this beautiful scene.

    In order to salvage the submarine as soon as possible, everyone focussed fully on their job at hand.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s was gloomy. He connected hisptop to the NANDOU satellitemunication system and adjusted the frequency of several satellites to monitor the sea area.

    He had only used one satellite previously, but it didn¡¯t seem to be enough.

    If they hadn¡¯t heard Gu Xiangwen¡¯sst words to remind them, they wouldn¡¯t even have known that Japan had built a secret military base here!

    Now that they even had the coordinates, of course they had to take a good look.

    ...

    In the next 24 hours, the entire fleet and the research ship were engaged in one thing, which was to salvage this cement submarine.

    Because they had underestimated the weight of the submarine, they encountered various difficult and risky situations. The moment the submarine was loosened from the seabed, the sea water violently swirled and set off huge waves.

    The research ship jolted in the turbulent wind and waves. Several experts vomited violently, but no one was willing to stop.

    ¡°Steady, 30 degrees to the left. Tighten the No. 1 steel spike.¡±

    ¡°Faster! If we use the upthrust of this wave, we can save some horsepower.¡±

    However, just as the submarine rose a little, it was shaken by the huge waves.

    The mechanical joystick made a huge sizzling sound. It sounded like it was going to break apart in the next second.

    Fortunately, these operators had a lot of experience. They focused their attention, constantly reinforced the pulley system, and increased the horsepower. They looked for equilibrium points in the waves and slowly but steadily pulled the submarine out of the water!

    Without sleeping or resting, this group of people fought for two days and one night. Finally, the cement submarine that had been submerged under the sea for seven years was able to see the light of day!

    Fortunately, the unpredictable weather in the Antic Ocean did not interfere with them. Otherwise, if they were struck by storms and hurricanes, they would have to spend a lot more effort to salvage the submarine!

    The moment the submarine, draped in seaweed, barnacles and gravel, resurfaced, a rainbow really appeared in the distant horizon.

    The entire research ship suddenly raised a huge screen, blocking out the sea area and shielding themselves from the surveince of other countries¡¯ satellites.

    When the submarinepletely surfaced, they could clearly see the huge wound on the exterior of the submarine from the monitor.

    They could see that the people inside the submarine quickly took measures to seal the entire cabin, but because the exterior suffered such a heavy blow from a torpedo, the submarine was unable to operate normally.

    Under normal circumstances, a submarine that suffered such a blow would surface.

    However, Gu Xiangwen chose to perish together with the enemy.

    ...

    The submarine was finally salvaged.

    Its weight was really not something an ordinary ship could withstand.

    However, Huo Shaoheng and the others were fully prepared. This research ship, which was evenrger than thergest research ship in any other country, was now put to good use.

    When the submarine was ced on the deck of the research ship that had long been prepared, the entire ship sank a little under its weight.

    The waterline obviously rose a lot.

    However, it did not affect the normal operation of the research ship.

    The experts in the control room swarmed out to the deck to see the submarine that they had spent a lot of effort to salvage.

    A few older experts even came over with baijiu, poured it into a bowl, and sshed it around the submarine.

    The leader of the group of experts respectfully raised the bottle of white wine and spoke towards the submarine, ¡°Mr. Gu, apologies for disturbing you today. We will take you home now.¡±

    ¡°Your daughter is healthy and doing very well. She will be very proud to have a father and mother like you.¡±

    They did not know who Cereus was before, but after Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram said that his daughter¡¯s name was ¡°Gu Nianzhi,¡± many of them understood.

    Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Few people in the military, or even in the country, did not know about her.

    After all, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grand proposal in front of the tomb of the unknown martyr in Red Square and the huge diamond ring had already spread all over the inte. Later, television stations even broadcasted it repeatedly. Those who didn¡¯t know about it could be said to be very ignorant.

    While everyone was surrounding the cement submarine and worshipping it, Huo Shaoheng had already been working alone in the radar room of the research ship for ten hours straight.

    His eyes were red from theck of rest, and the disy screen of the active phased array radar in front was densely marked by him.

    ¡°All hands! Raise anchor and set sail!¡±

    He had Zhao Liangze send orders to the entire fleet through the captain¡¯s room¡¯s pager.

    There was not only the research ship, but also the nuclear submarines they had brought with them this time as their trump card, as well as the cruisers, destroyers, and anti-submarine patrol ships that had been carrying out their lookout and security functions around them.

    This was a military order. Once it was issued, everyone had to carry it out immediately.

    Thus, the entire fleet quickly prepared to set sail and return from the way they came.

    At the same time, the experts quickly cleaned up the cement submarine that was salvaged with high-pressure water jets.

    Then, the deck of the research ship let out a rumbling sound. The deck of the ship, on which Gu Xiangwen¡¯s cement submarine was ced, broke away from the surrounding deck and slowly descended, as if a huge ¡°hole¡± had appeared on the deck.

    When the entire cement submarine hadpletely descended below the deck level, the deck above it slowly closed again, covering the entire ¡°hole¡± like a lid.

    It turned out that there was a huge isted space below the deck, which was specially prepared for storing this submarine.

    With the submarine hidden in the hull of the research ship, no matter how powerful the spy satellites were, it was impossible for them to capture anything in the hull through the deck that was reinforced with lead tes.

    Zhao Liangze directed the ¡°closing¡± procedure on the deck outside.

    It was only after the submarine waspletely hidden that he gestured for his men to remove the ¡°screens¡± on the research ship.

    Of course, these ¡°screens¡± could not be up on their return journey. Otherwise, how would they be able to sail the ship?

    After the ¡°screens¡± were removed, the deck was empty, as if the ck submarine just now was just a figment of everyone¡¯s imagination.

    Zhao Liangze backed up the recording of the operation here with satisfaction, and then went to report to Huo Shaoheng in the radar room.

    ¡°Report! The target outside has been cleared!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even raise his head. He only raised his hand, ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Now order all the fleets to move forward at full speed. I want to return three days earlier than nned.¡±

    After a pause, Huo Shaoheng said in a hoarse voice, ¡°... Inform Nianzhi to wait for us at the Southern Military Port.¡±

    Actually, she would be weing her father and mother ashore.

    Ever since Bai Shuang¡¯s death, Zhao Liangze had thought that he had be numb to all emotions. This was the first time since then that he had felt his heart twist into a ball. It was so painful that he could hardly breathe.

    ¡°... Yes, chief.¡± Zhao Liangze epted the order and asked, ¡°Should I tell her in advance?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes. ¡°She... need not suffer too long.¡±

    Even if everything went smoothly on their return journey, it would take at least 12 days.

    If he told her now, there would be no knowing how painful it would be for her to pass these 12 days.

    Huo Shaoheng rejected the idea without hesitation.

    Zhao Liangze also understood and quickly said, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go inform her now.¡±

    Zhao Liangze returned to his cabin and couldn¡¯t help squatting behind the door and wiping his tears for a while.

    He waited for himself to calm down before drinking some water and giving Gu Nianzhi a call.

    On the phone, he pretended to be rxed and said, ¡°Nianzhi, my mission isplete. We¡¯ll be back soon. Do you want toe to the military port to pick up brother Ze? Of course, there¡¯s also Young Master Huo... and Ms. Song...¡±

    On the phone, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was light and soft. ¡°Brother Ze?! You Can Come Back Now?! That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll go to the military port to pick you guys up! I¡¯ll be right there! When will you be here? I need to pack my bags in advance!¡±

 Chapter 1395 - The Most Beautiful Fireworks

    <h4>Chapter 1395: The Most Beautiful Fireworks</h4>

    Zhao Liangze used almost all the restraint and acting skills he could muster in his life to smile in front of the clueless Gu Nianzhi while hiding his tears, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be at the southern military port in 12 days. Contact Big Xiong and he¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    ¡°Ah? I still need Brother Xiong? Can¡¯t I go alone? I don¡¯t want to trouble Brother Xiong...¡± Gu Nianzhi said pitifully on purpose. ¡°Brother Xiong is so fierce, I¡¯m so scared...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re scared of Big Xiong?¡± Zhao Liangze almost snorted. ¡°Nianzhi, we haven¡¯t seen each other for a few months, and your acting has deteriorated. It¡¯s too exaggerated.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and sniffed. ¡°This is called humor. Humor, you understand?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an old man, I don¡¯t understand what you young people are on to nowadays.¡± Zhao Liangze took a deep breath, and continued to exined, ¡°Because it¡¯s a military port, no one can enter without a certain level of security. Although your security level is high, you¡¯re not a military staff, so you still need Big Xiong to apany you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and quickly nodded. ¡°Okie! I¡¯ll go find Brother Xiong to take me there.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Zhao Liangze habitually praised her, but his chest was filled with destion. He had never known that he could cry so badly and smile so happily at the same time.

    After notifying Gu Nianzhi, Zhao Liangze sent a message to Yin Shixiong to tell him to take her to the military port.

    He didn¡¯t want to talk, so he didn¡¯t call him.

    After arranging Gu Nianzhi¡¯s schedule, Zhao Liangze washed his face and returned to the radar room. He said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Chief, everything is arranged. Big Xiong will bring Nianzhi to wait for us at the military port in 12 days.¡±

    It would only take half a day to fly from the imperial capital to the southern military port.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Huo Shaoheng replied. He looked up and was about to continue giving orders when he suddenly saw Zhao Liangze¡¯s slightly swollen eyes. He frowned slightly and looked down as if nothing had happened. ¡°Go get Chen Lie to apply some cream to your eyes.¡±

    At that moment, Chen Lie was in thepartment of the cement submarine hidden under the deck. He wasmanding his men to build a sealed cabin filled with nitrogen to contain the submarine.

    After the sealed cabin filled with nitrogen was built, they could enter with oxygen tanks on their backs. In the sealed cabin filled with nitrogen, they could open the door of the submarine and enter it, and drag out the bodies of the four spies.

    He had nothing to do for the next 12 days, so he could dissect the bodies of the four spies to pass the time. He could also test their DNA and check their genealogy.

    Zhao Liangze rubbed his eyes embarrassedly and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine... I went out just now and the sea breeze was blowing in my eyes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and didn¡¯t bring up the topic anymore. He said, ¡°If you¡¯re fine, then that¡¯s great. Take over the radar control here. I¡¯m going tomand the battle on the cruiser.¡±

    ¡°Battle?!¡± Zhao Liangze suddenly became nervous. ¡°What battle?! We¡¯re the research ship!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed at a few dense red dots on the active phased array radar disy. ¡°The wild dogs are already blocking our way. Do you think we should let them go for free?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    Zhao Liangze took the radar control room from Huo Shaoheng with a solemn expression and prepared to coordinate the battle.

    ...

    In the bay about 200 nautical miles away from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s research, several white warships were ready to set off.

    In the captain¡¯s cabin of thergest warship, a tall ck man in a camouged military uniform was talking to the leaders of the nearby military bases through a satellite video call.

    They were all speaking English.

    ¡°The honorable section chief, the target this time is not small. We feel that 100 million US dors is too little. It¡¯s not enough to make us risk our lives for it,¡± the ck man said arrogantly, his face full of mischief.

    The person who spoke to him was the head of the Japanese special higher section, Yamaguchi Hideda.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair is it, raising the price at thest minute?¡± Yamaguchi Hideda narrowed his eyes, ¡°Moreover, you and I both know that all you need to do ise out with a ship; the warships behind will all be our people. You can earn 100 million US dors just by putting on a pretense. You don¡¯t even need to really risk your lives for it...¡±

    ¡°Haha, is that so? Alright, you are the one who said that we just need to be bait. Don¡¯t me us if you can¡¯t beat them...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! How can we lose to them?!¡± Yamaguchi Hideda had an arrogant look on his face as he inwardly cursed these Somali pirates for being uncultured and not understanding history.

    The Great Japan Empire¡¯s Navy had once dominated the beaten up those tattered ships of Huaxia 100 years ago.

    How could Huaxia own a Navy?!

    ¡°Alright, alright! Of course, it¡¯s good that you guys can fight. Then let¡¯s agree that we¡¯re just a cover and won¡¯t interfere. If you want us to fight...¡±

    The ck man moved his fingers and mimicked the action of counting money.

    Yamaguchi Hideda secretly cursed this pirate for being so greedy, but he still had to cate him, at least on the surface. ¡°Okay, okay, okay, but you guys have to fire the first shot. Only when they return fire can you guys run. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± The ck man raised his right hand and ced it in front of his forehead. He forcefully waved it forward and gave a Western military salute.

    ...

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s research fleet sailed at high speed on the sea. Before the sky turned dark, the entire fleet had sailed into a sea area.

    This was still the open sea, and the terrain of this sea area was quite special. The inds formed by coral reefs were scattered all over the ce, and the waterways were winding, making it very difficult to sail.

    However, that was in the past. Now that they had satellite navigation and satellite mapping, they could clearly study the shapes of the inds and reefs here.

    Thus, they followed the route that they had already set and moved forward at full speed.

    When thest trace of sun in the sky set into the horizon, the colorful glow of the sunset instantly lit up the sky.

    The glow of the sunset was like a backdrop, with the entire sea area as a stage. A dramatic show was slowly starting to unfold.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the captain¡¯s cabin of the cruiser, wearing a Bluetooth headset. The screen in front of him disyed a real-time nautical chart.

    On the chart, he was monitoring every movement in and out of the sea within a 500-nautical-mile radius.

    The NANDOU satellite¡¯s globalworking system demonstrated its unique advantage here.

    ¡°Report, a warship has appeared at three o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Report, a submarine has appeared 150 nautical miles below the surface of the sea.¡±

    ¡°Report, a warship has appeared at 6 o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Report, a warship has appeared at 9 o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Report, a warship has appeared at 12 o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Report, a fighter ne has taken off and is flying towards us.¡±

    ¡°Report, the enemy has deployed an electronic shielding system. Please give instructions, please give instructions.¡±

    The soldiers in charge of monitoring the situation reported the enemy¡¯s movements to Huo Shaoheng in an orderly manner.

    Battleships were appearing in all directions in this open sea area at this time. What did this mean?

    Even those who were did not need to be especially alert knew that they were not friendly.

    Zhao Liangze, who was in the radar surveince center area, broke out in cold sweat.

    He knew that the Japanese might cause trouble, but like Gu Xiangwen, he had also underestimated the Japanese¡¯s determination and the extent of their madness.

    ¡°They sent so many warships, nes, and submarines, and even set up an electronic shield. Do they want to dere war on us?! Or do they think we¡¯re pushovers?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze mmed his fist angrily on the table.

    Huo Shaoheng looked on more closely than he did.

    He was calm andposed as he gave the order to the nuclear submarines on his side.

    ¡°150 nautical miles ahead, 45 degrees, destroy the enemy¡¯s submarines. Make each shot a fatal one. No matter how many submarines the enemy has, destroy them all.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said coldly and gave out his first order.

    Everything else was easy to deal with; however, the submarine¡¯s movements at the bottom of the sea were too unpredictable and difficult to deal with, so he chose to take out the enemy¡¯s submarines first.

    The Japanese were too conceited when it came to their confidence in their own navy.

    Not only did they send warships, but they also sent submarines proudly.

    In fact, the first area that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Navy expanded were the submarines, and their nuclear submarine technology was one of the best on All Blue Star.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯srgest nuclear submarine could carry 480 nuclear warheads at one time.

    The significance of these nuclear warheads was that if it was enraged, it could fire the nuclear warheads it carried all at once. Without aiming at anything in particr, it could destroy half of blue by merely relying on the explosive yield of the warheads.

    The consequence of this kind of nuclear intimidation was that even if the other party discovered the location of this nuclear submarine, they could only watch helplessly as it swam freely in the four oceans. Sometimes, it would appear along the coast of Hawaii for sightseeing, sometimes, it woulde out of the waters of Diaoyu Dao to take a breather, but no one dared to attack it.

    This was because if anyone attacked it, they would equivalently be courting death.

    This kind of ¡°one against many¡± method truly demonstrated the meaning of ¡°In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are meaningless¡±.

    Of course, the nuclear submarines that Huo Shaoheng used this time was not thergest. It only carried a few dozen submarineunched ballistic missiles, but it was enough to deal with the other party¡¯s motley crew.

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s order, the nuclear submarine that was escorting them immediately reloaded ording to the data provided by him. At the same time, they searched with radar and locked onto the position of the enemy¡¯s submarine first.

    ¡°Huaxia No. 1, Fire!¡±

    The JL-1 mini submarineunched ballistic missile that was carried by the nuclear submarine shot out from the submarine¡¯s muzzle. It sped forward silently like a small dolphin in the sea.

    The Japanese submarine 150 nautical miles ahead suddenly found themselves locked on by radar, and a ballistic missile was speeding toward them!

    The distance was too short, and the ballistic missile was too fast.

    There was no time to dodge.

    They could only watch as the missile as fast as a dolphin came straight at them...

    When it was about to approach the enemy submarine, the ballistic missile shed its gentle and interesting shell, revealing the fiercely burning shell warhead inside.

    Boom!

    Deep in the sea, a series of explosions echoed from the bottom of the water.

    The Japanese submarines were almost instantly hit by a torpedo. The hull made of Kobe Steel was already of questionable integrity. Now, it shattered into pieces and scattered in the depths of the ocean.

    At the same time, streaks of mes shot out from the bottom of the sea, sandwiched between the snow-white waves that were sshing everywhere. Theyplemented the zing sunset in the sky, as if they were a disy of fireworks on the surface of the sea.

    Colorful and beautiful.

    It bloomed in the night sky for a long time, and the surface of the sea was simrly incessantly turbulent.

    The officers and soldiers of the expedition fleet could not take their eyes off the magnificent scene on the sea not far away. They all thought that this was the most beautiful fireworks they had ever seen in their lives.

 Chapter 1396 - You Get What You Wish For

    <h4>Chapter 1396: You Get What You Wish For</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?! How did the submarine get discovered?!¡±

    In a secret Japanese military base 200 nautical miles away, themander was furiously roaring in the microphone.

    ¡°Who leaked the location of our submarine?! When I find him, I¡¯ll skin him alive!¡±

    ¡°Howe the Chinese research fleet also has a submarine?! ¡ª¡ªHow did you guys collect the information?!¡±

    ¡°... Our submarines were hit by the enemy¡¯s ballistic missilesunched by the submarine from the bottom of the sea. The time span was too short, so we didn¡¯t have time to react...¡±

    With a gloomy expression, the director of the Secret Service Hideda Yamaguchi listened to his subordinates¡¯ heated discussion. He knocked on the table in front of him and said coldly, ¡°No need to argue. Just make the move. It seems that the enemy was prepared.¡±

    ¡°Make the move?! We have already lost the advantageous opportunity now!¡± Themander of the secret military base said reluctantly, ¡°The difficulty has greatly increased. Do we have to intercept them?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Even if we have to pay a great price, we still have to intercept them! ¡ª Do you know what they took from us?! Do you know how much benefits the Imperial Japanese Empire would have gotten from what they seized?!¡±

    Hideda Yamaguchi pointed at themander¡¯s chest and approached him step by step with a ferocious expression. He said word by word, ¡°I don¡¯t care how much you have to pay, how many damaged ships you have, or how many injured people you have. I just want you to stop their fleet from leaving! Especially their research ships!¡±

    ¡°How difficult would that be for you? They only have a few ships, and you have the entire base! Yet you still can¡¯t defeat them?!¡±

    Themander of the secret military base was bbergasted. After a while, he said,¡±... But you also invited the pirates...¡±

    ¡°Yes, the pirates will fire the first shot. Then your people will take action. Those pirates are just rookies. Are you actually counting on them?¡± Hideda Yamaguchi withdrew his hand behind him his back, and he threatened,¡±... I think it seems like you don¡¯t want to do it, don¡¯t you? If you don¡¯t want to do it, naturally there will be someone to take your ce.¡±

    Since Hideda Yamaguchi had alreadyid that out on the table, if he didn¡¯t want to be themander, then he would probably have to be reced as themander of this secret military base.

    Originally, this overseas secret military base was built with the strong support of the Secret Service. He didn¡¯t know what kind of deal they had with the Prime Minister and the Cab, but in short, they had the entire country¡¯s financial support.

    ¡°Yes!¡± He no longer refuted and agreed to Hideda Yamaguchi¡¯s suggestion. He turned around and went to hismand room tomand the battle.

    ...

    At this time, night had just fallen. The bright night sky still had remnants of the imposing smoke from moments before.

    However, the soldiers of the scientific research fleet knew that a fierce battle was imminent.

    The enemy¡¯s submarine was ambushed, but the enemy didn¡¯t retreat. Seven or eight warships formed an encirclement and moved forward little by little.

    ¡°Report! Our destroyer has been locked on! Our destroyer has been locked on!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Song Jinning, who was beside him. ¡°Ms. Song, it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    ¡°Maic interference, right?¡± Song Jinning nodded and smiled slyly. ¡°Just you wait.¡±

    She had been working on the instrument beside Huo Shaoheng for a long time.

    When the enemy used the electronic shield, they didn¡¯t use the anti-electromaic shield because the distance between them was rtively small. Even if the electromaic shield was blocked, they could stillmunicate using the traditional way.

    But now that the other party had locked onto our battleship and was about to make their ultimate move, they made their move.

    Song Jinning calmly turned on the instrument and began to interfere with the maic field.

    ¡°The maic field in this area is quite strange.¡± The corners of Song Jinning¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°With my interference and amplifier, I¡¯d like to see how powerful their technology is.¡±

    The danger caused by the maic field anomaly in the sea was much greater than the danger onnd.

    The Blue¡¯s notorious Bermuda Triangle was basically a graveyard for countless nes and ships. The biggest reason was because of the abnormal maic field there.

    ..

    In less than a minute, all the instruments that were guiding the direction on the enemy ships failed.

    Whenunching a missile, the navigation system was the most importantponent.

    As soon as the maic field interference appeared, the other party¡¯s guidance system was thrown into chaos. The missiles that were fired out couldn¡¯t hit the target ording to the established trajectory.

    The lock-on status of their destroyer was immediately lifted.

    However, unexpectedly, the other party still forciblyunched a ballistic missile!

    However, the ballistic missile flew chaotically in the air like a hot molecule in Brownian motion.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and looked out of the window with his arms crossed. He didn¡¯t say anything.

    The captain of the destroyermanded the battle and immediately ordered, ¡°Fire and intercept! Counterattack!¡±

    Of course the guidance system on their side was safe and sound. The urately guided missile flew out with an error of no more than five meters.

    In the vast sea, such a small error was negligible.

    Soon, one of their ballistic missiles rose into the air and aimed at the other side¡¯s missile in Brownian motion and crashed into it head-on!

    At the same time, another ballistic missile arrived and dashed toward the other side¡¯s cruiser, then urately struck the weakest keel structure in the middle of the ship.

    Boom! Boom!

    Two loud sounds echoed in the dark sea.

    The night sky¡¯s scenery appeared even more dazzling than the explosions that had just erupted at the bottom of the sea.

    The awe-inspiring scenery at that moment was not only so beautiful that one could not take their eyes off it, but also filled one¡¯s chest with pride.

    The enemy¡¯s cruiser was cut in half in the midst of the loud bangs and mes. It sank to the bottom of the sea.

    The people on the cruiser who weren¡¯t killed by the explosion or burned to death fell into the sea. They were wearing life jackets and waving white gs as they cried for their parents.

    ¡°Sir, do we need to capture them?¡± The captains of their warships asked Huo Shaoheng at the same time.

    ording to some so-called ¡°international conventions¡±, when two armies fought, defeated soldiers who raised the white g couldn¡¯t continue to be pursued or killed.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was solemn, and he immediately instructed,¡±... the goal is to destroy the enemy¡¯s remaining forces.¡±

    In other words, kill every single one of them!

    Without hesitation, their battleship immediately fired upon those who had fallen into the water.

    After defeating up the enemy¡¯s cruiser and killing all the cruiser¡¯s survivors in the sea, everyone¡¯s morale was boosted!

    During all these years, they never had such a gratifying battle!

    The Somali pirates hired by the Japanese Secret Service saw that the situation wasn¡¯t good and immediately ordered, ¡°Turn the rudder! Turn the rudder! Turn the rudder now!¡±

    They raised their pirate g to indicate that they weren¡¯t on the same side as the Japanese warships.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly received an inquiry. ¡°Sir, do you want to fire on the Somali pirates¡¯ ship?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course we want to. And we want the trophy. Keep the ship but no one on it will be spared.¡± Huo Shaoheng ordered nonchntly, and his heart skipped a beat.

    Such a good excuse came right to his doorsteps.

    He immediately sent the coordinates of the secret Japanese military base 200 nautical miles away and the important building targets he had detected from the Nandou satellite system to themander of the nuclear submarine that was lurking at the bottom of the sea. He lied right through his teeth,¡±... This is a pirate base. Exterminate all of them and remove all obstacles for civilian merchant ships!¡±

    At the same time, he ordered the cruisers, destroyers, and anti-submarine patrol ships to attract the attention of the enemy warships and prevent them from returning.

    After Huo Shaoheng gave the order, the submarine immediately moved forward.

    10 nautical miles.

    50 nautical miles.

    100 nautical miles.

    150 nautical miles.

    Soon, they were only 50 nautical miles away from the enemy¡¯s coordinates.

    Themander on the nuclear submarine entered the data that Huo Shaoheng had given them into the ballistic missile database. Then, he activated the precision guidance system and aimed at the target on the shore.

    This time, they were going to attack the ground facilities from the bottom of the sea. They were using the M-8 sea-to-ground missile.

    This missile was equipped with a three-section thruster and had eight independent multiple re-entry vehicles. Each vehicle could carry a nuclear warhead with an equivalent of at least 200,000 tons. The range of the attack spanned 100 ¡Á 200 nautical miles.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s nuclear submarine didn¡¯t carry a nuclear warhead this time, but a conventional warhead.

    However, in modern naval warfare, the explosive power of a conventional warhead alone was already incredible.

    Unlike the torpedoes used at the bottom of the sea, sea-to-surface missiles wereunched from the bottom of the sea. However, they had to rush out of the sea, fly a certain distance above the atmosphere, and finally hit the target.

    At this time, two sets of guidance systems had to be used alternately to aim at the target.

    Huo Shaoheng was sweating profusely.

    They really didn¡¯t have much experience in fighting this kind of naval battle..

    He would just treat this as the golden training opportunity for his troops!

    ¡°Sir, everything is ready. Please give the order.¡±

    Themander on the nuclear submarine requested authorization from Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the microphone to issue themand. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Target, the pirate base 50 nautical miles ahead of the submarine. ¡°The objective is to protect and escort our research ship as well as uphold the rights of free passage granted by the International Maritime Convention. I authorize you to destroy the other party¡¯s base andpletely incapacitate them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Themander on the nuclear submarine epted the order and immediately instructed, ¡°Target, the pirate base 50 nautical miles ahead of the submarine. The purpose: destroy the other party¡¯s base andpletely incapacitate them. Open fire!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the first batch of M-8 sea-to-surface ballistic missiles whistled out of the seabed and rushed out of the sea. They rushed high into the sky, turned around elegantly, and dived toward the secret naval base that Japan had controlled for more than a decade.

    Twelverge-yield conventional ballistic missiles rose into the air at the same time and dived together. Then, they exploded in twelve different areas of the secret military base at the same time!

    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The entire secret military base was instantly shrouded in mushroom clouds one after another!

    The warships and submarines that were docked in the harbor were also hit by the missiles. Thick smoke billowed, and one ship after another capsized and was blown apart at the waist.

    Although the people on the ships weren¡¯t sleeping, but they were helpless against the missiles that suddenly fell from the sky. They couldn¡¯t even find an excuse. They could only watch as the secret military base that they had controlled for more than ten years was destroyed just like that.

    ¡°Go underground! Go underground!¡±

    The most precious thing in their secret military base wasn¡¯t these warships and submarines, but their secret militaryboratories.

    Half of theseboratories were on the ground, and the other half were underground.

    Theboratories on the ground were all destroyed, but the ones underground were still preserved.

    Hideda Yamaguchi was shielded by a few people. He rushed out of a barrack that had just been destroyed. He looked back at the mess at the base and the scene of people running around hysterically. He stomped his feet and said sternly, ¡°All of you stop right there! The Imperial Japanese Empire¡¯s pride and dignity had beenpletely disgraced by all of you!¡±

 Chapter 1397 - You Get What You Wish For (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1397: You Get What You Wish For (2)</h4>

    ¡°Stop! All of you, stop! Where¡¯s your captain? Where¡¯s the major?! Where the hell are they?!¡±

    Wanting nothing more than to shoot at the escaping soldiers, Hideda Yamaguchi brandished his pistol.

    Amidst the smoke and fire in the base, those soldiers were in a panic. No one listened to him at all.

    However, this was an era of peace, so Hideda Yamaguchi didn¡¯t dare to shoot. He spat on the ground and said, ¡°Idiots! Retreat to the undergroundboratory!¡±

    Unfortunately, it was toote.

    After their nuclear submarinesunched the first round of attacks, the deck of the destroyer in the rear fleet suddenly split apart to reveal a dark cabin of drones below.

    In the dark night, the ghostly drones quickly rose into the air and pressed down on the secret military base that had just been bombed.

    This time, Huo Shaoheng deployed hundreds of drones to fill thepartments of the destroyer to the brim.

    They were supposed to be used to deal with the Japanese warships that might be chasing them.

    However, they didn¡¯t expect the Japanese navy¡¯s secret military base there, so they didn¡¯t hold back.

    Aiming precisely at targets 200 nautical miles away, their destroyer¡¯s soldiers were focused on operating the drone system in their cabins.

    From the infrared camera carried by the drone, they could clearly see what was happening at the military base.

    One by one, running red figures appeared on their disy screen.

    Whenever the crosshairs aimed at someone, the drone¡¯s light machine gun would fire a series of bullets.

    They could see clearly now that the people running and screaming for their lives weren¡¯t Somali pirates.

    But who cared?

    People who only bowed after they made a mistake were worse than pirates.

    The sound of light machine guns rang out over the secret military base.

    The second round of reaping began.

    One by one, the fleeing Japanese soldiers were hit by the drones and fell to the ground screaming.

    Among these people who were in a panic and didn¡¯t know where to go, Hideda Yamaguchi was the most conspicuous because he was surrounded by arge group of bodyguards.

    He was obviously a big shot.

    The soldiers operating the drones didn¡¯t know who he was, but at the same time, they aimed the muzzle of the drones at him.

    Da Da Da Da Da!

    Almost cutting off half of his head, bullets rained down from the sky and hit Hideda Yamaguchi!

    This time, he didn¡¯t make a sound and fell dead to the ground.

    With his death, the secret military base fell into even greater anarchy.

    When the Japanese warships that had set sail realized that something had happened to the base, they didn¡¯t dare to continue fighting. Just as they were about to return, Huo Shaoheng picked up the microphone and ordered his men in a low voice,¡±... annihte them all.¡±

    As a result, the remaining Japanese warships were unable to return to the secret military base. They were all destroyed by their ballistic missiles midway.

    At that moment, the sea was filled with fragments of the ships. mes burst out from the sunken warships and burned on the surface of the sea. The mes burned fiercely, and countless corpses floated on the surface of the sea. It was like a living hell.

    Huo Shaoheng wore his night vision goggles. He watched the tragic scene on the surface of the sea from the cabin without a trace of sympathy in his heart.

    Requite resentment with justice; requite kindness with kindness.

    As a soldier, he believed in only one goal: victory.

    A war that didn¡¯t have the goal of victory was rogue.

    Huo Shaoheng had the professional ethics of a soldier. He never went rogue.

    ..

    ¡°Huaxia No. 1 reporting! The battle is over! Our side has suffered 14 light injuries, one serious injury but no deaths. Our ship is moderately damaged and cannot move forward. We can only be dragged over. Reporting finished!¡±¨C This was the captain of the cruiser.

    ¡°Huaxia No. 2 reporting! The battle is over! Our side has suffered three light injuries, no serious injuries, no death. The side of the ship is damaged and needs repair. Reporting finished!¡±¨C This was the captain of the destroyer.

    ¡°Huaxia No. 3 reporting! Battle is over! Our side has slightly injured seven people, seriously injured two people, no deaths. The ship¡¯s radar is damaged and needs to be repaired. Reporting finished!¡±¨C This was the anti-submarine captain.

    ¡°Yanhuang No. 1 reporting! Battle is over! Our side has no light injuries, no serious injuries, no deaths. Our ammunition is exhausted. We hope to return as soon as possible. Reporting finished!¡±¨C This was the nuclear submarinemander.

    The only thing that was intact was the research ship that they had surrounded in the middle and protected byyers of electromaic protection.

    The cruiser on their side was the first warship to face the enemy head-on. It had also received most of the enemy¡¯s firepower, so there were more injured soldiers, and the damage to the ship was also very serious.

    However, it didn¡¯t matter. Before the battle ended, Huo Shaoheng had contacted the military and said that they had encountered a group of powerful ¡°pirates¡±. The ship was severely damaged, and they had requested reinforcements. Then, he personally used an encrypted line and called General Ji for more than an hour.

    After General Ji finished the call, he shut himself in his office and sat alone for the entire afternoon.

    When he came out of his office, his eyes and nose were red.

    His personal secretary was so taken aback that he didn¡¯t dare to go forward and ask. He didn¡¯t know what had happened to make General Ji, who had a strong and tenacious will and a slick personality like an old fox, hide in his office to cry for the entire afternoon.

    ¡°Our research ship is requesting backup. You guys go and ask if the aircraft carrier has been dispatched,¡± General Ji ordered in a hoarse voice with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The personal secretaries quickly coordinated their work and sent people to the navy to urge the aircraft carrier fleet to set sail quickly.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng requested backup from the military. After calling General Ji, he also ordered Zhao Liangze to send a distress signal to the entire Antic Ocean through the internationally used short-wave radio signal.

    ¡°Mayday! Mayday! We¡¯re the Huaxia Empire¡¯s research fleet. We encountered pirates on the way back. We¡¯re requesting help! We¡¯re requesting help!¡±

    Unfortunately, the western countries that rallied for ¡°human rights¡± and were extremely ¡°kind¡± and passionate¡±, suddenly became collectively deaf and mute.

    Not a single western country responded to their distress signal.

    In fact, there were originally two Australian warships cruising nearby. After the Huaxia Empire research ship¡¯s distress signal was heard, they immediately turned their rudder and headed back home.

    Only a Russian nuclear submarine 500 nautical miles away responded to their distress signal and asked if they needed a ¡°Big Ivan¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Big Ivan was also known as the Tsar Bomb. NATO named it the RDS-220 hydrogen bomb, also known as the ¡°king of bombs¡±.

    It was the most powerful bomb in human history to date. In terms of size, weight, yield, and lethality, it was unparalleled.

    Even the United States¡¯ paled inparison to ¡°Big Ivan¡±.

    It was indeed a ¡°fighting tribe¡± nation, ready to destroy the world at any moment.

    Huo Shaoheng personally sent a telegram back to the Russian nuclear submarinemander. He politely thanked them for their support, but tactfully rejected the proposal. He imed that even though the pirates had attacked their fleet, the pirates were also human. However, they couldn¡¯t do this to the pirates because of humanitarian principles.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) in Moscow, the Russian capital, sent Huo Shaoheng¡¯s speech back to the KGB for intelligence analysis.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand, dimir, almost vomited when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pretentious excuse. He looked disgusted as he mmed the table and said to his newly promoted assistant, Peter, ¡°The Huaxia Empire¡¯s military is invincible with someone like Huo Shaoheng! Look at the nonsense he¡¯s spewing! Even if he can¡¯t beat you to death, he can still disgust you to death!¡±

    Peter still appeared asnguid as usual. Chewing his gum, he mumbled,¡±... There¡¯s actually a secret military base there. Do you really think it¡¯s pirates?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± dimir frowned. ¡°That ce is really too hidden. I looked at the coordinates and satellite images. There just so happened to be a lot of trees there that blocked the satellite¡¯s detection.¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s missiles had burned that ce to the ground, and only then did the entire base get detected by satellites of various countries.

    However, if it was in the past, he definitely would have insisted that it was impossible for it to be pirates, because pirates wouldn¡¯t have such powerful military bases and warships.

    They would usually just snatch the goods and be on the run as vagabonds.

    But now, he didn¡¯t dare to say that.

    Nowadays, pirates had developed on a more and morerge scale. Moreover, many pirates had grown stronger and hired ex-military personnel as training instructors. Their current strength couldn¡¯t bepared to their strength back in the day.

    Pirates had rampaged across the sea over the years. They killed, robbed, kidnapped, and extorted money.

    Peter opened the satellite image analysis on theputer and said with his eyelids drooping, ¡°From these satellite images, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s fleet first used submarines tounch sea-to-air missiles to destroy the ground facilities of that secret military base.¡±

    ¡°Coincidentally, that ce was full of trees. It could have blocked the satellite¡¯s detection, but if it was hit by a missile, it would be a double injury. The big fire caused by the explosion would only burn more thoroughly with the help of the tall trees.¡±

    ¡°Then, another round of drone fire would reap another round of harvest for those who escaped from the fire and weren¡¯t burned to death.¡±

    ¡°Finally, the carrier-based aircraft was deployed to directly drop the GBU 49ser-guided conventional bomb. That type of bomb is also known as the burrow bomb. It can destroy all the buildings above fifty meters underground.¡±

    Peter¡¯s finger tapped on theputer screen. ¡°... Why did he use the burrow bomb to finish the job? Is there an underground facility in that military base?¡±

    dimir nodded repeatedly and praised, ¡°Peter, you¡¯re indeed the smartest! I wasn¡¯t wrong to promote you!¡±

    ¡°So you also think that there¡¯s an undergroundboratory in that base? What a pity, since because the burrow bomb was used, there must be nothing left.¡± Peter looked very regretful.

    dimir nodded, widened his eyes, and waved his fists. He said dramatically, ¡°I bet Huo Shaoheng, who likes to sound bureaucratese, knows exactly what that base is for, or else he wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing. But I still have to say, what¡¯s with his attitude towards our ¡®Big Ivan¡¯? I despise him with all my being!¡±

    As he spoke, the office door creaked open, and the driver Ivan came in with two cups of ck coffee. He mmed them on the table and rolled his eyes. ¡°Coffee for the two of you!¡±

    dimir was caught off guard and couldn¡¯t help but kick him. ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude! What did I do to offend you?!¡±

    The driver brushed his clothes with a disapproving look. ¡°Enough of the two of you. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know Major General Huo. Do you have to speak ill of him behind his back? Second Brother, let me tell you, Cereus is our good friend. If you speak ill of her fianc¨¦ behind her back, do you have the nerve to ept her red envelopes in the future?!¡±

 Chapter 1398 - You Get What You Wish Forï¼ˆ3ï¼‰

    <h4>Chapter 1398: You Get What You Wish For£¨3£©</h4>

    Looking at the disgruntled look on the driver¡¯s face, dimir¡¯s mouth twitched a few times, and he muttered,¡±... All you have on your mind is the red packet...the red packet is probably enough to make you defect...¡±

    ¡°What did you say? I can¡¯t hear you,¡± the middle-aged driver shouted as he put his hands over his ears and approached dimir.

    dimir red at him and roared into his ears, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Work is work! Personal affairs are personal affairs! I will separate business from personal affairs!¡±

    The middle-aged driver patted his shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s good. Boss, the new female intern downstairs is very interested in you and wants to ask you out...¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± dimir kicked him again with a stern expression on his face. ¡°How long has it been since Lina passed away? Yet you have the shamelessness to say such things?!¡±

    The middle-aged driver blinked and asked him suspiciously, ¡°Boss, you weren¡¯t even her boyfriend. Are you going to stay single for the rest of your life for her?! You¡¯re doing it on purpose, aren¡¯t you? You deliberately using her to cover up your true sexual orientation, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    After saying that, as if he was worried that dimir would pounce on him at any moment, he hurriedly took a few steps back. ¡°I¡¯m straight! Stay away from me!¡±

    ¡°F * ck you! F * ck you!¡± dimir was livid with anger. He almost pulled out his gun and shot him.

    Peter reacted quickly and snatched the gun away. Then, he signaled the middle-aged driver with his eyes, telling him to leave quickly.

    Lina and Peter were originally the leader and deputy leader of the same team.

    Peter was the leader and Lyna was the deputy leader.

    After Lina died in the line of duty, Peter quickly rose through the ranks.

    The driver initially felt a little ufortable, but Peter really knew how to behave.

    Unknowingly, the driver realized that he was about to be won over by Peter...

    He shook his head and walked out of dimir¡¯s office. He frowned and thought about it for a moment before taking out his phone to send Gu Nianzhi a Wechat message.

    [ Middle-aged Driver ] : Cereus, it looks like dimir is going to stay a bachelor for the rest of his life. After Lina¡¯s death, he kept a respectful distance from all females. I think he¡¯s qualified to be a Catholic priest.

    Catholic priests were all monks.

    When Gu Nianzhi saw this Wechat message, she didn¡¯t know how to reply. She sighed andughed. In the end, she sent him a red envelope tofort him.

    She smiled at Xiao Ye, who was sitting beside her and focused on driving. ¡°This driver is so interesting. I like him more.¡±

    He was more sincere than dimir.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that dimir was always a little wary of her. He spoke hesitantly, as if he was worried that she would tell Huo Shaoheng about the things she had talked to him about any second.

    Although he wasn¡¯t wrong, because she would indeed tell Huo Shaoheng a lot of information that she thought was important and sensitive.

    Gu Nianzhi hummed andughed softly.

    ¡°Driver?¡± Xiao Ye frowned as she gripped the steering wheel. ¡°Which driver?¡±

    She was driving the car to the military base.

    General Ji from the military suddenly called and asked Gu Nianzhi to go to his office. He said he needed her help with something.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t travel alone. Like her shadow, Xiao Ye followed her everywhere.

    ¡°It¡¯s a friend I met in Russia.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at her. ¡°He¡¯s from the KGB, but he¡¯s not as scary as the rumors say they are. Instead, he¡¯s really funny.¡± The Committee of State Security (KGB) was themittee of State Security (KGB)

    Xiao Ye¡¯s grip on the steering wheel tightened involuntarily, and the veins on the back of her hand popped out.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like that second-inmand of the KGB, dimir. He¡¯s so annoying. When he looks at people, he always looks like he¡¯s seen through you. He always sounds sarcastic.¡±

    Xiao Ye immediately became alert upon the mention of ¡°dimir¡±. She quickly observed Gu Nianzhi from the corner of her eye. She was amused by her sly foxy smile.

    Her mood quickly returned to normal. Xiao Ye gave a nonchnt ¡°Hmm¡± and asked, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem interested at all.

    Pretend, I¡¯ll let you pretend.

    A smile lingering on her lips, Gu Nianzhi looked away. She looked out the window at the row of cars.

    ...

    When she arrived at General Ji¡¯s house at the military headquarterspound, secretary Cao greeted Gu Nianzhi at the door of General Ji¡¯s office.

    He knocked on the door. ¡°Chief, Miss Gu is here.¡±

    General Ji opened the door for her personally and invited her in.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help raising her eyebrows.

    There was something amiss about him being so courteous.

    But she still acted as if she didn¡¯t notice and walked in with a smile.

    General Ji gently closed the door behind her.

    ¡°Xiao Gu, sit.¡± He pointed to the sofa in the corner by the floor-to-ceiling window in the office and walked over to sit at the back of the window.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to sit across from him and face the window.

    The floor-to-ceiling window was draped with pale golden curtains, and the small LCD headlights that resembled natural light illuminated the room like the sunlight outside.

    General Ji gazed at Gu Nianzhi and smiled warmly. ¡°How have you been? Are you all right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. What was with his tone of condolence?!

    She felt ufortable listening to it. At the same time, she was a little scared and uneasy in front of General Ji.

    After a while, she asked timidly, ¡°... General Ji, what¡¯s the matter? Is it Major General Huo... does it have something to do with Major General Huo?¡±

    She didn¡¯t even dare to say ¡°something happened¡±. She was especially worried that her words woulde true.

    With a wry smile, General Ji shook his head. ¡°No, Major General Huo is fine. However, during this mission, he brought back the bodies of two war heroes along the way. I want to ask you for a favor...¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t hesitate to ask!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, which had been in her throat, rxed again. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled sweetly.

    General Ji felt choked. He hesitated for a long time before continuing, ¡°I heard that Zhao Liangze asked you to go to the military port to pick them up, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, thest time I called, he said it would take 12 days. I have been counting the days!¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and said obediently, ¡°Brother Xiong will take me with him. It¡¯s the military port and outsiders aren¡¯t allowed to enter.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good.¡± General Ji nodded. ¡°We will have a small ceremony at the military port to prepare the bodies of the war heroes. I was wondering if I could ask you to do me a favor and send flowers to the two war heroes?¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Gu Nianzhi readily agreed. ¡°Although I¡¯m not from the military, I¡¯m still considered a family member of the military.¡±

    This kind of thing was obviously a secret ceremony within the military. It was impossible for it to be carried out in a public manner.

    It wouldn¡¯t be convenient for her to go, would it?

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t without suspicions.

    She didn¡¯t believe that the military wasn¡¯t able to find a suitable person to offer flowers and had to request her, an outsider, to help.

    If it really was a very important war hero, this kind of approach would be too disrespectful.

    However, Huo Shaoheng and General Ji definitely weren¡¯t thoughtless people, so there must be a valid reason behind her beeing asked to present the flowers.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of many things in an instant, but she remained impassive on the surface and agreed without hesitation.

    She would know what was going on once she went to the military port anyway.

    ...

    Three dayster, the research fleet led by Huo Shaoheng met up with the aircraft carrier fleet that hade to provide support to them.

    Before that, the fighter jets that had taken off from the aircraft carrier had flown in countless times to escort them.

    When the few people in the upper echelons of the Japanese military and cab heard of the news, their emotions could no longer be described as merely ¡°bereaved¡±.

    This secret base had been set up overseas without the knowledge of most people in Japan. Even within the cab and the military, only a few people who knew about it.

    However, the funds and efforts they had invested were substantial.

    A secret overseas military base that had been in operation for more than ten years was gone just like that. The head of the Secret Service, Captain Hideda Yamaguchi, who had made countless contributions to the war effort, had also died at the secret base. In addition, so manyboratories had been destroyed, and so many scientists had been blown into pieces! How could they not be furious when they had been wiped out together with the Navy?!

    They were flustered and exasperated. All they wanted was for the Huaxia Empire to pay the greatest price possible.

    Japan¡¯s Ministry of Defense was the first tounch an international condemnation. Saying that they had ¡°burned, killed, and looted¡± overseas, he fiercelymbasted the Huaxia Empire. They hadn¡¯t even spared the captives who had surrendered. It was truly outrageous. He had threatened to sue on the International Court of Justice for the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Major General Huo Shaoheng to be punished for his war crimes.

    This time, Japan had chosen to promote its cause on the United States¡¯ Twitter and Facebook.

    These two social media apps were the United States¡¯ equivalent of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Weibo and Wechat.

    The official Twitter ount of Japan¡¯s Ministry of Defense bombarded posts with pictures of naval battles and bases that had been plowed over by missiles.

    These pictures, which were filled with bloodshed, instantly caused a huge impact on an international scale.

    Countless foreignizens were shocked. They all condemned the Huaxia Empire for being ¡°militaristic¡± and ¡°extremely evil¡±.

    However, many countries¡¯ official Twitter ounts remained eerily silent.

    They acted differently from ordinaryizens because they knew the other side of this news.

    The short-wave wireless signal that Huo Shaoheng had Zhao Liangze send covered the entire Antic Ocean and was received by all of them...

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s research ship had been robbed by pirates at that time, but how had it be ¡°burning, killing, and plundering¡± in the words of the Japanese military?

    Moreover, the photos of the base that the Japanese officials had released seemed to have been transmitted from the scene instead of being taken from a satellite...

    Emmmmmmm.

    Huo Shaoheng, of course, wouldn¡¯t resign himself to fate. He never fought battles without preparing beforehand.

    When he decided to take advantage of the situation and destroy this secret overseas military base, he had already prepared everything.

    When the foreignizens on Twitter and Facebook started to rally and unite around the official Twitter ount of the Japanese cab and military ministry to denounce the Huaxia Empire, Huo Shaoheng made his move.

    He had Zhao Liangze create a long Weibo post with pictures and text. He first posted it on the official ount of the Academy of Sciences on the domestic Weibo, then forwarded the picture to the official Twitter ount of the Huaxia Academy of Sciences abroad.

    The title was a series of bright red words: ¡°Pirates, Or Japanese Navy?!¡±

    At the same time, he tagged the official Twitter ount of Japan¡¯s Ministry of Defense.

    In both Chinese and English, the long Weibo post with the sensational title, a long string of pictures and text, detailed the bloody naval battle that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s research ship had experienced.

    The Somali pirate ship that Huo Shaoheng had captured naturally was an important piece of evidence. It had appeared on camera many times.

    There was also the damage to his own fleet, the seriously injured members of his fleet, and the distress signal he had sent into the Antic Ocean.

    The short-wave radio signal that he had Zhao Liangze send out had not only been received by the Navy along the Antic coast, but also by many radio enthusiasts.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Twitter ount¡¯s long post immediately caused an even greater buzz on Twitter.

    This was hardproof shocking evidence!

    It had to be said that theizens abroad were the same as theizens at home. They loved a shocking turn of events the most.

    The more shocking the turn of events, the more juicy it was, and the intriguing it was.

    In addition,pared to the few vague screenshots sent by the Japanese cab and military, the pictures from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Academy of Science¡¯s appeared more reasonable and convincing.

    Regarding those shocking pictures, Huo Shaoheng wrote, ¡°We, as the escort fleet of this research ship, had thought that the people chasing us were Somali pirates for the entire time. Now that we¡¯ve seen your excellency¡¯s tweet, we¡¯re confused. Could it be that the people chasing after our research ship weren¡¯t pirates, but your navy?!¡±

    This tweet was simply a war cry. It was full of emotion and was filled with the resentfulness towards oppression, resentfulness towards being wronged, and unbearable anger at being provoked!

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand, dimir, felt guilty towards Gu Nianzhi. To make up for it, he had alsoe out to stir up trouble.

    He sent a screenshot of his country¡¯s nuclear submarine signal and said that he offered the support of ¡°Big Ivan,¡± but Major General Huo Shaoheng politely refused.

    In particr, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reply, ¡°Pirates are also human beings. Although the Pirates attacked our fleet, in ordance with humanitarian principles, we cannot do that to the Pirates.¡± That response was perfectly in line the West¡¯s values of political correctness, and a p in the face to Japan¡¯s official Twitter ount.

    If such a person was a war criminal, then what would that make the Japanese Navy, who masqueared as pirates?

    To further add fuel to the mes, Huo Shaoheng quickly got Zhao Liangze to dig up the story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He continued to post pictures and text on Twitter.

    The situation overseas was quickly reversed.

    Theizens in the Huaxia Empire also followed from Weibo to Twitter and Facebook to cheer for their country. The bombardment of emojis gave the other side a headache.

    Gu Nianzhi was, of course, the leader of the group.

    She used her ¡°Pink Piggy¡± vest to lead theizens in China to condemn the official Twitter ount of Japan¡¯s Ministry of Defense. It was like they were grinding on the ground.

    Not only were they unable to fight back, but they had no choice but toe out and say that their ¡°ount had been hacked¡±. They had no idea about the pirates.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Academy of Science even pretended to send condolences, and imed that they believed that the previous tweets had nothing to do with them. They repeatedly said that Japan was a peace-loving country and so on.

    Gu Nianzhi dug up the IP address that the other party had sent from. It was the IP address of one of the Japanese Cab offices!

    How dare they im that they were unaware?!

    Just as the Japanese cab was being pped in the face in front of the whole world, Japan¡¯s Ministry of Defense deleted the official Twitter ount. The reason was that the posts had caused difort by posting bloody pictures...

    Public opinion hadpletely reversed. Of course, Major General Huo hadn¡¯tmitted any war crimes. On the contrary, he had exterminated the Pirates and protected the freedom of navigation on the high seas. He should have been awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

    This scandal that had caused a huge stir in the internationalmunity quietly came to an end.

    At this time, under the escort of an aircraft carrier, the research fleet led by Huo Shaoheng had already returned to the territorial waters of the Huaxia Empire.

    The military port was right in front of them.

    Gu Nianzhi, General Ji, Speaker Long, Prime Minister Bai, grandfather Xie, and Yin Shixiong flew to the southernmost military port in three separate nes.

    After leaving the military port¡¯s airport, Gu Nianzhi, Xiao Ye, and Yin Shixiong were picked up by military vehicles to a heavily guarded port.

    Upon hearing that the most important people in the entire Huaxia Empire had gathered at the military port, Gu Nianzhi became nervous.

    She looked at Xiao Ye, who was sitting next to her with her eyes closed while resting, and whispered, ¡°Xiao Ye, have you heard anything?¡±

 Chapter 1399 - Who Is Waving The Colorful Ribbon In The Air (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1399: Who Is Waving The Colorful Ribbon In The Air (1)</h4>

    Xiao Ye and Gu Nianzhi sat side by side in the backseat of the car. Xiao Ye crossed her arms and closed her eyes. ¡°My job is to protect you. I don¡¯t know anything else.¡±

    Speechless, Gu Nianzhi looked at her.

    Xiao Ye really wasn¡¯t a good conversationalist. She was the type of person who could kill a conversation any second.

    Although Gu Nianzhi loved to chat and with her there would never be any awkward silences, for some reason, she felt suffocated today. She had no interest in continuing to talk. She looked out of the car window sullenly and didn¡¯t speak.

    Yin Shixiong, who had always been a good conversationalist, was also silent in the front seat. He had no intention of continuing the conversation.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was in emotional turmoil. She looked out of the car window at the beautiful scenery of the coastal highway, but she couldn¡¯t rx.

    The car sped out amidst the sunset. The group passed through many checkpoints and security checks before finally arriving at the only guest house in the military port base.

    This was a ce specially used to entertain higher-ups and important guests. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t stay in the military port, so they could only stay in the resort hotel outside.

    The guest house in the military port had a vintage design. It looked like a museum. It was only a four-story building, but the view was very good. It faced the vast and misty South China Sea.

    It was already evening when they arrived.

    The weather was good, and the evening breeze was cool.

    The setting sun was like melting gold, and the evening clouds merged together. Where were people?

    Gu Nianzhi ced her hand in front of her eyes and looked into the distance, but she could only see countless seagulls flying between the sea and the sky.

    The sky was high, the clouds were light, and the sea was blue.

    The surface of the sea was sparkling, and there was a glimmering clear blue-greenyer near the sea.

    Thick palm trees were nted at the entrance of the guest house, and the bright green leaves rustled in the evening wind.

    Standing on the steps of the guest house and looking back, she saw that there was a small path that separated them from the beach.

    The sand on the beach was the kind of white sand that was of good quality. It looked soft and delicate, so people couldn¡¯t resist taking off their shoes and walking a few rounds on the beach.

    Further away, about five hundred meters away from there, should be the dock of the military port.

    At first nce, there were many tall and mighty warships docked there. As if they were at the tarmac of an international airport, they lined up along the coastline.

    There were also fighter jets rising and falling on the ships.

    It was that time in the evening when the tide ebbed, and the sound of the waves hitting the rocks on the shore actually drowned out the rumbling of the fighter jets.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help covering her ears.

    The sea view was indeed beautiful, but it was so close that the noise from the shore was jarring.

    She felt that people who lived here for long periods would probably be more susceptible to hearing damage.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts ran wild. She took another look and looked away. She went into the guest house with Xiao Ye and Yin Shixiong.

    Xiao Ye and Yin Shixiong went to the reception desk to ask for a room.

    Gu Nianzhi followed behind them and looked around curiously.

    She noticed that the waiters here were all military personnel. Both men and women were dressed in navy uniforms, the kind with official military emblems. They weren¡¯t the cosy uniforms that weree sold on Taobao.

    Xiao Ye took the room key cards for Gu Nianzhi and herself from the front desk. They walked to the third floor, found the room number, inserted the key card, and pushed the door open.

    A suite that was especially elegantly decorated appeared before them.

    Outside, there was a living room with mahogany tables, chairs, and ssic sofas. The floor was made of mahogany of the same color.

    The living room and the bedroom were separated by a treasure pavilion.

    In the middle of the treasure pavilion, there was a gap in the door. There was a paper door. It was unknown what kind of paper it was, but it looked foggy.

    In the lower right corner of the paper door, there was an oblique drawing of an orchid grass with ink. There was also a signature. It was obvious that it was the work of a master.

    The windows of the suite should be able to be opened because the sound of the surging waves could be clearly heard outside the window.

    The salty sea breeze blew in, and the paper door swayed gently. The orchids in the lower right corner seemed to sway with the wind.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression became more and more confused.

    Was this treatment for her or for Xiao Ye?

    Xiao Ye was also wondering inside.

    Such a nice room was second only to the Presidential Suite in the guest house, right?

    It wasn¡¯t surprising for presidential suites to be prepared for General Ji, Speaker Long, Prime Minister Bai, and Old Master Xie.

    However, a room second only to the presidential suite was given to Gu Nianzhi...

    Was it because of Major General Huo?

    Xiao Ye felt relieved again when she thought of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s imminent return.

    With Major General Huo¡¯s status and achievements, he was already qualified to stay in the presidential suite, let alone a suite that was one grade lower than the presidential suite.

    Anyway, when Major General Huo came back, she would give up her room to let Major General Huo and Gu Nianzhi stay in it.

    Xiao Ye no longer felt conflicted. She carried her suitcase and went in.

    This suite had two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom.

    One was a king-sized room with only one king-sized bed.

    The other was a double room with two queen-sized double beds.

    Xiao Ye walked straight into the double room.

    The big bed room was left for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi walked into the big bed room and saw that the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sea were half open. The sound of the ocean waves and the salty sea breeze came from there.

    She walked directly to the balcony from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The boundless sea immediately appeared before her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and tried to let out all the uneasy emotions inside of her, but it was useless.

    She stood on the balcony for a while. Just as she was about to go back and pack her things, she saw from the corner of her eye that arge crane and construction truck were approaching from the dock not that far away. There were also many people in overalls and helmets. They gestured up and down as if they were going to build some sort of facility.

    Illuminating the coastline as if it was daytime, the ce was brightly lit. In this stark contrast, other ces seemed even darker.

    Gu Nianzhi watched curiously for a while before looking away. She went back to her room to wash up. She even took a shower and washed her hair. She found Yin Shixiong, then went with Xiao Ye and the others to eat at the sumptuous buffet downstairs.

    After dinner, the two of them said goodbye to Yin Shixiong and went back to their rooms. It wasn¡¯t even dark yet.

    General Ji had told her that the body of the war hero would arrive early the next morning.

    Their weing ceremony was tomorrow.

    The two of them went back to their room and changed their clothes.

    Xiao Ye had already packed up and changed into a ck suit. She was wearing a neat 3/4 sleeve top, cropped ankle-length pants, and ck cleats. Her long legs were like those of a supermodel, but much more powerful.

    A supermodel¡¯s long legs could only be used for runway shows.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s long legs could kill people.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and winked at Xiao Ye. ¡°Xiao Ye, your legs are a real ¡®killing machine¡¯, literally.¡±

    Xiao Ye didn¡¯t mind at all. She calmly said, ¡°If you want to learn, I can teach you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Okay, when do you want to start? I¡¯ve been worried that you¡¯d be too busy...¡±

    Xiao Ye remained calm. ¡°Then start running every day. To train the explosive power of your legs, run at least ten kilometers every morning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately dismissed the idea of learning kung fu from Xiao Ye and smiled sheepishly.¡±... I see. Let me consider it.¡±

    Her bureaucratese mannerism was just like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Xiao Ye looked at her and smiled. ¡°Miss Gu is indeed Major General Huo¡¯s fianc¨¦e. You two of you are bing more and more like husband and wife.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi liked hearing this. She rxed and said, ¡°Before dinner, I saw something being built at the boatyard. I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s for.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Xiao Ye looked at her watch. ¡°Has Major General Huo¡¯s ship arrived?¡±

    It looked like it was about time.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t even see him at all.¡±

    She didn¡¯t see him before dinner.

    Xiao Ye walked to the balcony of her bedroom and nced at the dock. She picked up her binocrs and looked in the direction of the sea.

    ¡°They¡¯re already here.¡± Xiao Ye put down the binocrs and handed them to Gu Nianzhi. There was a hint of pride in her voice. ¡°Take a look. It¡¯s our aircraft carrier.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the binocrs and looked over.

    She saw that on the vast sea, several warships were gradually emerging.

    It was as if someone was holding a brush and painting on rice paper.

    A few faint strokes of the brush drew out thousands of mountains and rivers.

    The evening sun hadpletely set below sea level. The sky was filled with the glow of the sunset, glimmering against the surface of the clear blue sea and giving the sea a red hue.

    There were many people waving their arms on the distant warship. Major General Huo probably wasn¡¯t among them..

    He wouldn¡¯t do such a childish thing.

    Wishing she could give him a call, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her phone.

    But she was only thinking about it.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t allowed to bring his personal phone with him when he went out on missions.

    She didn¡¯t know his business phone number.

    That was because every time Huo Shaoheng was on a mission, he would use a different business phone number.

    Gu Nianzhi reluctantly put down her binocrs. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the dock she had just seen. She couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.

    In such a short period of time, Gu Nianzhi was willing to bet that in less than an hour, a huge temporary auditorium had been built at the dock!

    Their efficiency was simply unbelievable!

    Gu Nianzhi was full of awe.

    Xiao Ye looked away from the distance and looked Gu Nianzhi up and down.

    It was obvious that Gu Nianzhi had dressed up. She was wearing a custom-made ck suit that fitted her perfectly by entuating her beautiful and tall figure.

    She wore light makeup on her face. Her eyebrows were dark and her skin was as white as snow. Herrge eyes had on light eyeliner, and her long eyshes didn¡¯t need mascara. They were naturally curly and thick.

    Her voluptuous lips had a natural smile on them.

    The color of her lips was a natural red. There was only a thinyer of lip gloss on them, and there were no lines at all. This was the beauty of youth...

    Xiao Ye sighed. She patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder and said, ¡°It took an hour to set it up. It¡¯s not fast enough.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say.

    The two of them stood on the balcony and didn¡¯t speak for a while.

    It wasn¡¯t until they saw the warship approaching that they heard the doorbell ring.

    Gu Nianzhi went to open the door and saw Yin Shixiong standing at the door with a serious expression on his face. In his hands, he was holding two bundles of white flowers wrapped in cellophane.

    The flowers were white,rge, and their petals were as smooth as jade. They were beautiful, elegant, and had a few green leaves on them.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and it almost jumped out of her throat. Then it quickly sank again, causing her to feel dizzying weightlessness.

    This flower... wasn¡¯t the sort of flower usually prepared for war heros.

    This flower was the night epiphyllum, also known as Cereus, the same name as hers.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on the flower. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°This is night epiphyllum? It blooms at night and usually only blooms for three to five hours. Are you going to present this flower?¡±

    Yin Shixiong lowered his head and said lightly, ¡°Yes, this is the night epiphyllum that our horticulturist specially cultivated. It has been specially treated so it can be kept for twenty-four hours without any problems.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly took the night epiphyllum from Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand and identally touched Yin Shixiong¡¯s hand with her fingertips.

    Yin Shixiong noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingertips were cold and trembling. He thought to himself that she probably wasn¡¯tpletely clueless, which made him even sadder. He quickly steadied himself and swept his gaze over her. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was so pale that there was almost no color on it.

    She was bewildered and looked at Yin Shixiong inquisitively with her big eyes, as if she wanted to see something on his face.

    Of course, Yin Shixiong wouldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi figure anything out. He gently stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. They¡¯re already here. Major General Huo asked me to take you somewhere first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and turned around to put the night epiphyllum wrapped in two bundles of cellophane back into the vase in the room. One step at a time, she followed behind Yin Shixiong towards the dock.

 Chapter 1400 - Who Is Waving The Colorful Ribbon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1400: Who Is Waving The Colorful Ribbon (2)</h4>

    Xiao Ye walked behind Gu Nianzhi and observed her surroundings warily.

    She had at least two fully loaded pistols strapped to her waist, one on each leg, and a military knife tied to her calf.

    The cleats on her feet were also specially made. There was a mechanism at the bottom of her soles that could be activated any time. The des that came out of the soles of her feet were infused with poisonous.

    With her skills, she would be able to fight against four burly men at the same time.

    That was also her highest record.

    If there were any more, she might not be able to handle it alone.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had also arranged for people to protect Gu Nianzhi in the dark, so as long as they activated the emergencymunication signal, they could rush over at any time. No matter how many opponents there were, they was nothing to be afraid of.

    But then again, this was a military port with very tight security. If anyone wanted to cause trouble here, they would be beaten to a pulp.

    However, Xiao Ye had many years of experience in information intelligence, so she was used to being vignt everywhere.

    The sky was already dark, and the moon had risen.

    It was actually a full moon tonight. Set against the dark blue night sky, the moon was like a soft jade emitting a bright glow.

    A bright moon above the sea, despite being separated by thousands of miles, everyone in the world shared this same moment.

    Wasn¡¯t this the feeling?

    The three of them didn¡¯t speak. Amidst the sound of the waves and under the moonlight, they walked along the coastal road.

    They made a turn in front of the guest house and went onto the coastal road.

    A jeep was parked on the edge of the road.

    A tall man in a military uniform leaned against the front of the jeep. He hugged his other arm with one hand and held a cigarette with the other. He wasn¡¯t smoking, but the light of the cigarette between his fingers lit up his perfectly chiseled jaw line.

    It was Huo Shaoheng.

    The moonlight cast his long shadow on the edge of the road in front of the jeep and made it appear a little deste.

    Their fleet had actually docked a few hours earlier than the aircraft carrier fleet. Of course, this was also to confuse the reconnaissance satellites.

    With the aircraft carrier battle group, the satellites were all focused on the aircraft carrier group. Their small boats and sails weren¡¯t the target of the satellites.

    Therefore, when everyone saw the return of the aircraft carrier battle group, their research fleet had already docked and had done everything that needed to be done.

    ..

    Yin Shixiong and Xiao Ye walked over with Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up straight and extended his white-gloved hand to her. His voice was as deep and maic as ever. ¡°Nianzhi,e here. I¡¯ll take you to see... a person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped dead in her tracks. She felt cold and hot all over, and her beautiful face appeared a little dazed.

    Her lively doe-eyes made her appear like a deer lost in the forest while looking for the direction to go home.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng, but didn¡¯t move. She opened her mouth, and her usually soft and chirpy voice was extremely hoarse. ¡°You... you¡¯re back? Who are you taking me to see?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed inside. He threw away the cigarette in his hand and walked slowly to her. He bent down and hugged her while saying, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back. Don¡¯t be afraid. Come with me.¡±

    They hadn¡¯t seen each other for more than a month, so they felt a little distant.

    However, when Huo Shaoheng bent down to hug her, the familiar feeling returned.

    He still had the scent of the sea breeze on him.

    Before the boat docked, he had taken a shower on the boat and shaved his beard. He looked much more energetic, but the dark circles under his eyes and his emaciated face all showed that he had been exhausted and fatigued for the past few days.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart softened, and she let out a soft ¡°mhm¡± in his arms.

    Huo Shaoheng straightened his back and gave Yin Shixiong and Xiao Ye a look. He turned around and held her hand as they got into the open-top Jeep that was parked by the side of the road.

    No one spoke in the Jeep. Huo Shaoheng sat up straight and held the steering wheel with both hands without saying a word.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to ask him what was going on, but didn¡¯t dare to.

    Instictively, she felt that as long as she didn¡¯t ask, the hard-to-ept truth wouldn¡¯t be revealed. She could still lie to herself...

    However, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t give her the chance to lie to herself.

    The car made many turns in the base and finally stopped in front of a dark cave.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked when she got out of the car.

    There were a lot of strange rocks here. It waspletely different from what she had imagined.

    Was she overthinking things?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng in confusion.

    Huo Shaoheng still didn¡¯t speak. He calmly held her hand and stood in front of the cave.

    Two men with guns suddenly walked over. As if the two rocks in front of the cave had suddenly be human, they appeared out of nowhere.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand trembled.

    When she got closer, she realized that the two men were only wearing khaki camouge. In the darkness of the night, they seemed to have be one with the rocks in front of the cave.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and silently watched the two guards check her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity documents. Then they raised their hands and let them in.

    The cave was a little damp, but there was no unpleasant smell.

    Gu Nianzhi followed behind him. Her mind was disoriented, and she simply followed him forward. She couldn¡¯t think, couldn¡¯t tell directions, and stumbled.

    She identally brushed against the stone pir at the corner, but she didn¡¯t feel any pain. It was as if all her senses had left her.

    After a while, arge hand grabbed her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and met Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep, dark eyes.

    His eyes were filled with unspeakable love and doting affection, more strongly than ever.

    Feeling aggrieved, Gu Nianzhi pouted. She wanted to act coquettishly again.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed her shoulder that had been bumped against earlier. ¡°Can you still walk? Do you want me to carry you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. Although she really wanted Huo Shaoheng to carry her, it wasn¡¯t on such an asion.

    She knew very well that this was someone else¡¯s territory, and she wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would show off PDA regardless of the asion.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak anymore. He held her hand and strode forward.

    As they walked out of a door, their field of vision suddenly widened.

    Gu Nianzhi saw a huge empty space appear in front of her. It seemed to have hollowed out the mountains.

    In the middle of the empty space, there was a steel rack, and on top of it was a...submarine?

    It was simr to the pictures of submarines she had seen on the inte, but it wasn¡¯t particrlyrge. It was about the length of a medium-priced yacht.

    It also looked very shabby. The outer shell was dark and heavy, and a huge crack could be seen diagonally below. It must have been attacked.

    Could it be the submarine that they had scrapped on this mission?

    Gu Nianzhi was even more confused and looked at Huo Shaoheng in bewilderment.

    Just then, the door of the submarine suddenly opened and a person walked out. It was Chen Lie in a whiteb coat.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Chen Lie was also stunned when he saw Gu Nianzhi. He turned his gaze to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said aloofly, ¡°She deserves to take a look at this submarine more than anyone else.¡±

    Chen Lie understood and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve checked inside. The nitrogen has been cleared and there¡¯s no longer any fatal danger. But if you¡¯re worried, you can take the oxygen tank with you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°No need.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood there without moving and stubbornly said, ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on. Why do I have to look at this submarine?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let go of her hand and looked at the submarine. He began to narrate the story of the submarine.

    ¡°... They were being chased and the submarine¡¯s power system was hit. But the owner of the submarine didn¡¯t want to be captured and preferred to sink to the bottom.¡±

    ¡°The submarine was filled with nitrogen gas and the four moles were killed together. However, the owner of the submarine also died with them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips trembled as she asked,¡±... the owner of the submarine? Who was he?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked towards the door that Chen Lie had juste out of and said, ¡°He¡¯s inside. I¡¯ll take you to see him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body trembled and she immediately ran over to him. She asked anxiously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that they had already died together?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He climbed up thedder and went in.

    Gu Nianzhi was so overwhelmed with bewilderment that she didn¡¯t hesitate to climb in.

    She entered through the hatch, walked past a small cubicle, and arrived at the corridor.

    The entire way was illuminated by the LCD headlights above her and appeared as bright as day.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in the mood to look around. She practically trotted behind Huo Shaoheng and arrived at a door at the end of the corridor.

    The door looked very thick and heavy, as if it was made of oak. A steel bar as thick as an adult man¡¯s arm was pinned to the door, and there was a huge disc password lock hanging on it.

    Huo Shaoheng walked up and entered the password he had deciphered.

    After the battle ended, Huo Shaoheng spent all his time on the ship trying to decipher the password lock.

    He was a password expert. Although the password lock wasplicated, it was no harder to decipher than a bank safe.

    It took him four to five days to crack it.

    All the nitrogen in the room had been removed, and the bodies inside had been carried out.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed open the door, and the lights in the room lit up.

    Huo Shaoheng gently closed the door and stood behind Gu Nianzhi. He hugged her from behind and coughed lightly.

    Gu Nianzhi saw what was going on inside the cabin, and her brows gradually furrowed.

    The cabin was very spacious and simple. Eightrge screens the height of a person divided the entire cabin into two parts.

    The floor was covered with a thick carpet.

    There was arge mahogany desk near the wall. The desk was clean, and there was only a ck cylindrical object the size of a coffee cup on it.

    In the open space in front of the screen, a corner sofa was ced in the middle of the room at an 90-degree angle.

    Revealing a circr, slightly concave, disc-shaped pit, the area in the middle of the sofa was empty.

    Extending from themp holder in the corner, the chandelier in the corner stretched out a streamlined, twig-shaped light fixture.

    Just like the branches of a big tree, it covered the concave disc-shaped pit in the middle of the corner sofa.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze had just moved away from the ck cylindrical object on the desk when the chandelier suddenly lit up.

    Covering the slightly concave circr space in the center of the corner sofa, light emitted from dozens of crisscrossing chandeliers like a pir of light.

    The figure of a man wearing a khaki trench coat gradually took shape in the light!

    From virtual to reality, it finally formed a three-dimensional figure.

    When the figure of the man became extremely clear, the ceiling light in the cabin went out and left only the light beam from the chandelier in the middle of the room.

    In the middle of the light beam, the figure of the man became more realistic, as if a real person was standing in front of her and smiling gently. That smile was overwhelmingly warm.

    Although it was only a virtual person, his smile was as warm andpassionate as a real person¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, and her entire body trembled violently. Her legs grew so weak that she could barely stand.

    She leaned back against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s warm and broad chest, absorbing the strength to support herself.

 Chapter 1401 - Who Is Waving The Colorful Ribbon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1401: Who Is Waving The Colorful Ribbon (3)</h4>

    Wearing a khaki trench coat, the man in the light was tall and slender.

    His expression was calm andposed, and his smile was infectious. It was the face of the man Gu Nianzhi had seen in Ye Xuan¡¯s photo!

    It was Gu Xiangwen.

    It was her father, Gu Xiangwen!

    What the hell was going on?!

    Just as she was about to ask, the hologram began to speak.

    ¡°Today is the XX of X month, year 2XXX. Approximately seven years and three months have passed since the day I pass away.¡±

    A pleasant baritone, the voice of the hologram was probably Gu Xiangwen¡¯s own voice. It was neither fast nor slow. It was calm, strong, and warm.

    But this sentence... this sentence...

    The warmth that had just risen from the bottom of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was instantly frozen by that sentence.

    How could someone use such a tone to announce the news of his death?!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to pounce on the man and cover his mouth. She didn¡¯t want to listen to him anymore. This wasn¡¯t real. This was just a dream. Huo Shaoheng must be teasing her...

    However, Huo Shaoheng held her tightly and made her unable to move. She couldn¡¯t even cover her ears.

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar continued to speak.

    ¡°I¡¯m the owner of this submarine.¡±

    ¡°Since my death, theputer system on the submarine had automatically started to count down the time itself.¡±

    ¡°Day after day, month after month, year after year. I don¡¯t know when someone will discover my submarine.¡±

    ¡°My countdown is only set for 100 years.¡±

    ¡°After 100 years, the trench here will shake. At that time, my submarine and I will be swept into the depths of the earth¡¯s crust. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very happy that it only took you seven years to find me.¡±

    ¡°Now, I have a few questions to ask you.¡±

    ..

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s questions were answered by Huo Shaoheng this time.

    Just like the story Huo Shaoheng had told her about the owner of the submarine, Gu Nianzhi listened to it again.

    When Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram finished describing their encounter, there was a long period of silence.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that was it.

    After the initial shock, she gradually calmed down and her intelligent brain started to work. She suddenly thought of many suspicious points.

    For example, her father said that their ne had been hijacked and forced tond on an ind near the Cape of Good Hope. Why were they coincidentally in the submarine?

    Had his submarine just happened to be there, or had someone else driven it over for him?

    Also, was there no other staff on such a submarine?

    Why was there only her father, her mother, and the bodies of the four moles left in the end?

    Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought and was about to voice her suspicions when she heard Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic avatar speak again after a moment of silence.

    ...

    ¡°Nianzhi, my baby, Mom and Dad had once felt extremely fearful that we wouldn¡¯t be able to see you grow up. Now, Mom and Dad realize that we really wouldn¡¯t see you grow up.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t be afraid, baby. Mom and dad are just leaving first. We¡¯ll wait for you on the other side so you won¡¯t be lonely.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, Daddy is dying. I really want to see you again, hug you, and kiss your cute little face.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, Daddy is a scientist and doesn¡¯t believe in reincarnation. But at this moment, Daddy is willing to believe that if there really is such a thing as reincarnation, please be my daughter again in the next life, a healthy daughter. Let me watch you grow up, get married, have children, and live a happy life as an ordinary person.¡±

    ¡°Mom and Dad brought you into this world, but we didn¡¯t give you a healthy body. We made you suffer from gic defects ever since you were young.¡±

    ¡°It was due to dad¡¯s ipetence that your illness couldn¡¯t be cured. Dad wasn¡¯t a good father. Your bad temper was extremely cute in Dad¡¯s eyes. Your mom always said that I doted on you, but I know that you¡¯re not bad-tempered. You were simply sick. You¡¯ve done very well. It was Dad¡¯s fault. Dad was ipetent for being unable to cure your illness.¡±

    ¡°Mom and Dad have both left, and left our baby to face this world alone. Mom and Dad feel very sad. But don¡¯t be afraid and don¡¯t cry.¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember your favorite story the Little Mermaid?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t die. Just like the little mermaid, we turned into foam in the sea at dawn. Every time the foam dissipated and a rainbow appeared in the sky, it was us who came to see you.¡±

    There was a ding, and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram gradually blurred and disappearedpletely.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t describe her feelings at that moment with words.

    Thesest words were actually all said to her! ! !

    Her father, who had already passed away... was still thinking of her in thest moments of his life...

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯sst words werepletely beyond her expectations.

    It was as if she had never thought that she would be able to have such strong fatherly love. Unable to react for a long time, she stood there in a daze.

    She had been able to analyze rationally just a moment ago, but now, all of her rational sense had left her.

    Huo Shaoheng released his arm and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, only to see that there wasn¡¯t a single tear on her face.

    However, her eyes were red. Her snow-white teeth bit her lower lip hard and left a clear bloody mark.

    ¡°Nianzhi...¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart ached, but he was also worried. ¡°If you feel bad, then cry it out loud.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want her to suffer like this, so he had chosen to let her know only now.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, and she stubbornly muttered to herself,¡±... I won¡¯t cry... I won¡¯t cry... Daddy said, baby, don¡¯t cry...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi! Cry it out!¡± Huo Shaoheng growled at her in a low voice.

    She was in so much pain, and if she couldn¡¯t vent it, the umtion would cause a huge problem.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head mechanically. ¡°I won¡¯t cry... Daddy told me not to cry...¡±

    Her big eyes were nk andpletely unfocused.

    She turned to look in the direction of the door and suddenly exerted great strength. Gu Nianzhi turned to push Huo Shaoheng away and ran towards the door.

    Huo Shaoheng had only left the main door ajar and hadn¡¯t locked it, so Gu Nianzhi ran out just like that.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Where are you going?¡± Huo Shaoheng chased after her in a hurry.

    Gu Nianzhi ran very fast, and her voice echoed in the submarine corridor.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to look for a rainbow!¡±

    ¡°My parents... my parents... are on a rainbow!¡±

    She ran like crazy and rushed out of the submarine. She almost fell down thedder and tumbled on the ground. She immediately got up and continued to run.

    Chen Lie was shocked and was about to order someone to stop her when Huo Shaoheng jumped out of the submarine.

    He shook his head at them and chased after her alone.

    He knew Gu Nianzhi needed to vent, so he didn¡¯t let anyone stop her.

    Gu Nianzhi ran out of the cave unimpeded.

    Unwilling to let anyone get close to her, she ran along the beach like crazy. Not only hurting others, but also hurting itself, she was like a little beast that had lost its mind.

    She ran and shouted at the dark sky until she was thoroughly exhausted.

    ¡°Dad, Mom! Where are you two?¡±

    ¡°Come out!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Nianzhi... your little Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want me anymore?¡±

    ¡°I... I¡¯ve grown up... I won¡¯t cause you any trouble...e out...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be good, really good...¡±

    ¡°Please... please... give me back my parents...¡±

    ¡°... Give my parents back to me...¡±

    The waves were loud, but they couldn¡¯t cover her voice.

    The moon seemed as if it didn¡¯t have the heart to hear such a cry either. It hid behind a dark cloud and concealed itself.

    She tried her best to hold back her tears. She really didn¡¯t cry.

    But no matter how long she shouted, no one responded.

    She ran on the beach. When she was tired, she took a few steps and then started running again.

    It seemed that as long as she ran forward, she would be able to see her parents in front of her.

    She didn¡¯t dare to stop. She felt that as soon as she stopped, her parents wouldn¡¯t be able to wait for her anymore.

    However, she ran for the entire night. From the dead of night to the dawn, there was no sign of her parents anywhere.

    Exhausted, she knelt down on the beach and looked straight towards the direction where the sun was about to rise from.

    Huo Shaoheng had been with her the entire night. Seeing her like this, he realized that she had suffered a greater blow than he had imagined.

    She had been screaming and running all night, but not a single tear had fallen.

    Her emotions were all weighed down in her heart.

    Song Jinning followed her and angrily said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you dissauding her? How could you bear to let her run all night?¡±

    She walked over and hugged Gu Nianzhi. Her heart ached as she said, ¡°Good girl, I¡¯m your mother. Come back with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Song Jinning for a moment and shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re not my mother. I have my own parents, and you¡¯re Major General Huo¡¯s mother.¡±

    Fine, at least her thoughts were still organized, but her mental state seemed to be abnormal.

    Song Jinning was terrified. She held her hand and touched her forehead. She actually had a slight fever.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯m not your mother. You have your own parents. Let¡¯s go back now, okay?¡± Song Jinning coaxed Gu Nianzhi patiently.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head again and said seriously, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen my parents yet. They made a promise to me. I want to see them onest time and send them on theirst journey.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t break the promise and disappoint them.¡±

    Song jinning nodded sadly. ¡°Let¡¯s go see your parents. Come with me. I know where they are.¡±

    She wanted to take Gu Nianzhi to see the bodies of Gu Xiangwen and his wife.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were clear and logical, but she was already in a state of delirium.

    She frowned and rejected Song Jinning¡¯s offer. ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie to me. I know where my parents are.¡±

    Song Jinning: ¡°...¡±

    Her face full of admiration, Gu Nianzhi pointed to the sky with her fair fingers. ¡°They¡¯re right there on the rainbow. I won¡¯t leave until I see them.¡±

    Song Jinning sighed and walked back to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What should we do? Should we knock her out and take her away?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment. ¡°I have an idea, but I need your help with something.¡± He whispered something into Song Jinning¡¯s ear.

    Song Jinning was stunned for a moment, but she still nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do some calctions. The sunrise and the amount of rain have to be just right to seed.¡±

    The two of them left the beach. Yin Shixiong and Xiao Ye took over from them to stand guard around the area and take care of Gu Nianzhi, who was already out of her mind.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t cry. She quietly knelt on the beach.

    She didn¡¯t say anything and waited stubbornly.

    In front of her was a vast ocean that stretched as far as one¡¯s sight of vision. Above her was a vast and empty blue sky.

    Between the sea and the sky, her slender and straight back looked lonely and deste.

    She didn¡¯t cry, but this scene was even sadder than a crying scene.

    Yin Shixiong and Xiao Ye weren¡¯t romantics, but at this moment, both of them had their backs to each other and were quietly wiping away their tears.

    Not long after, the surface of the sea revealed hints of the morning sun, and the sun was about to rise.

    At that moment, the sky above them suddenly became dark, but there was no thunder or lightning. A downpour fell from the sky and drenched Gu Nianzhi, who was on the beach, as well as Yin Shixiong and Xiao Ye.

    The two of them looked up at the sky at the same time, and were so stunned that their mouths were agape.

    Could it be that someone was making rain?!

    The timing was perfect.

    It didn¡¯t rain for long, and the rain soon stopped. Emitting thousands of golden rays of light, the rising sun just happened to rise above sea level at that moment.

    After the rain stopped, a huge rainbow appeared in the sky where the sun rose from.

    Red, orange, yellow, green, green, green, blue, and purple, there was a variety of colors.

    Drenched, Gu Nianzhi looked up at the rainbow and smiled.

    She reached out her hand, and the rainbow beamed into her palm. It was as if she was holding it up.

    The rainbow after the rain was like a bridge. She stood on one side, and her parents stood on the other.

    She felt as if she could see them smiling at her and waving goodbye to her.

    Gu Nianzhi gradually snapped back to reality.

    She knelt on the beach and looked up at the rainbow in the sky. She finally cried.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, just let me cry once...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being disobedient... I¡¯m just too sad...¡±

    ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll only cry for you two just this once...¡±

    ¡°You can punish me after I¡¯m done crying. You can punish me however you want...¡±

    After she said that, she realized that her parents would never punish her again.

    No matter if she was obedient or disobedient, they would never punish her again.

    This realization struck her heart like an arrow.

    Gu Nianzhi sobbed softly as tears rolled down her cheeks. It was painful and anxious. Her shoulders trembled violently and she almost couldn¡¯t kneel anymore.

    Just as she was about to lose it, Huo Shaoheng walked over.

    It was as if he had just gotten off the ne and hadn¡¯t had time to change out of his flight suit.

    He knelt on one knee behind Gu Nianzhi and hugged her tightly from behind. Huo Shaoheng said firmly and gently, ¡°Little girl, I¡¯ll take you to see your parents.¡±

 Chapter 1402 - A Better Today

    <h4>Chapter 1402: A Better Today</h4>

    Her whole body trembling from crying, Gu Nianzhi turned around and clutched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cor tightly.

    She sobbed and stammered, ¡°Where are my parents? Where did you put them?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re on the boat, you...¡± Huo Shaoheng had just finished speaking when he realized that Gu Nianzhi was already exhausted and had finally fainted.

    The huge emotional trauma, coupled with exhaustion from running the entire night, was something that even an iron man wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand.

    Huo Shaoheng carried her in his arms and walked towards the guest house.

    At this time, the sky was bright and the sun was rising over the sea.

    Huo Shaoheng took one step at a time and steadily carried Gu Nianzhi back to her residence.

    Chen Lie had already been called over by Song Jinning and was waiting at the door of the guest house.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi with her eyes closed in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, Chen Lie quickly took a step forward and asked worriedly, ¡°What happened to her? Did she fall asleep or faint?¡±

    ¡°She probably fainted.¡± Huo Shaoheng carried her into the suite.

    He went to the bathroom first to wash her hands and feet, dry her hair, change her out of her wet clothes, and then he wrapped her in a towel before he carried her out.

    Xiao Ye was supposed to do all this for her, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t hesitate and didn¡¯t look embarrassed at all. Xiao Ye quietly withdrew and waited in the living room with Yin Shixiong, Chen Lie, and Song Jinning.

    They were already engaged anyway, and they were going to get married soon, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    After carrying Gu Nianzhi back to the bed, Huo Shaoheng called Chen Lie in to check on her.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. She has a slight fever, but her temperature isn¡¯t too high.¡± Chen Lie examined her as he said, ¡°Give her a shot of glucose. She¡¯ll be fine after a day¡¯s sleep.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly relieved and said, ¡°The ceremony is at night. Will she be able to wake up?¡±

    ¡°She should be fine. She¡¯s in good health and will recover very quickly.¡± Chen Lie nced at Huo Shaoheng, then packed his medical kit and left.

    He still had a lot of things to prepare for today, so he couldn¡¯t stay here with Gu Nianzhi for the entire time.

    There were still a few big shots in the luxurious presidential suite on the fourth floor waiting for him to report on this mission.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over and kissed Gu Nianzhi on the forehead, then let Xiao Ye and Yin Shixiong watch over her while he went to report on his work to the big shots.

    Song Jinning brought herptop over and stayed with her.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi woke up in the evening and saw Yin Shixiong and Xiao Ye sitting on the sofa opposite the bed, and song jinning typing on herptop. She was in a daze.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± She asked in a daze. Feeling a little thirsty, she licked her lips.

    Xiao Ye turned to look at her and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s past five in the afternoon. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Seeing her licking her lips, Xiao Ye poured her a ss of water.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her temples and remembered what had happened fromst night to this morning. She also remembered thest thing Huo Shaoheng said to her,¡±... I¡¯ll take you to see your parents.¡±

    She struggled to sit up and said weakly, ¡°Where¡¯s Major General Huo? He said... he would take me to see my parents...¡±

    Xiao Ye felt a headacheing on and thought she was still delirious. She quickly coaxed her, ¡°You still want to see them? Didn¡¯t you see them this morning?¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with a ¡°huh¡±, ¡°I saw them? Where?¡±

    ¡°The rainbow.¡± Xiao Ye quickly said, ¡°Major General Huo personally created a man-made rainbow for you. Don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    Only Major General Huo coulde up with and create such a surreal rainbow!

    Her gaze gradually bing fixated, Gu Nianzhi stared at Xiao Ye in a daze. ¡°That rainbow was man-made? Did Major General Huo make it rain? My parents didn¡¯te to visit me?¡±

    Yin Shixiong saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mental state wasn¡¯t quite right, so he quickly pushed Xiao Ye away andforted Gu Nianzhi gently. ¡°No, that rainbow this morning wasn¡¯t man-made. You know, man-made rainbows can only spray water and create a small rainbow that¡¯s less than a meter tall in front of you. How can you create a rainbow that¡¯s more than one meter tall all the way into the sky? Am I right? ¡ª It was a real rainbow.¡±

    That was also true. The rain was real rain. Although it was man-made, the rainbow appeared naturally.

    That was because rainbows were formed when different colors of light refracted differently in the water.

    When sunlight passed through a certain angle and was refracted by the water droplets in the air, the seven colors that made up sunlight would arrange themselves in a certain order and form a rainbow that looked like an arch bridge.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong for a while andpletely understood.

    She didn¡¯t want to brush off Yin Shixiong¡¯s good intentions, so she lowered her head and lowered her eyes. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Song Jinning had already called Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng heard that Gu Nianzhi had already woken up, so he quickly said, ¡°Give the phone to Nianzhi.¡±

    Song Jinning took the phone and handed it to Gu Nianzhi. She said gently, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s Shaoheng.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reached out to take the phone and said softly, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Like a kitten that had just woken up, her voice was soft and delicate.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to a ce where no one was around and softened his tone.¡±... You¡¯re awake?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Does your head still hurt?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±

    ¡°Do you still have a fever?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°... Can you get up and walk?¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her legs. She seemed fine.

    She smiled self-deprecatingly.

    With her body, she would probably be fine the next day no matter how she overexerted it.

    She nodded. ¡°I can.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you cane with Big Xiong and Xiao Ye.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked wearily. She wasn¡¯t in high spirits.

    ¡°... Greet your parents ashore.¡± Huo Shaoheng paused. ¡°And you¡¯re going to present flowers.¡±

    That¡¯s right!

    This was what Major General Huo had meant when he said that he was going to take her to see her parents...

    Gu Nianzhi almost immediately lifted the nket and jumped off the bed. She said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    She rushed into the bathroom and washed her face quickly. She didn¡¯t put on any makeup, and she changed into a more solemn and dignified ck dress.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up the two clusters of ss-wrapped evening primroses and walked to Yin Shixiong¡¯s side. She said, ¡°Brother Xiong, Major General Huo asked you to take me there.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Yin Shixiong took her hand and led her away.

    Xiao Ye hurriedly followed behind.

    Song Jinning sighed, packed herptop bag, and followed.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi followed Yin Shixiong, Xiao Ye, and Song Jinning into the temporarily constructed auditorium.

    Although it was temporarily constructed, the furnishings inside were meticulously done.

    A long red carpet ran through the auditorium all the way to the springboard by the sea.

    General Ji was wearing a formal military uniform and a military cap. His golden three-star and one-tassel epaulets stood out in the light.

    He stood there without a smile on his face.

    Speaker Long and Prime Minister Bai were in suits, while grandfather Xie was in a traditional chinese-style suit.

    The four of them stood side by side at this end of the red carpet.

    Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi and the others enter, General Ji waved at her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong and then at Xiao Ye.

    The two of them pushed her at the same time. ¡°Go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and walked over with two bundles of night epiphyllum wrapped in cellophane.

    General Ji made way for her, and she stood in the middle of the four of them.

    Surrounded by the four bigwigs, Gu Nianzhi felt ufortable.

    But she didn¡¯t dare to move, and stood there stiffly.

    The atmosphere in the auditorium gradually became heavy, and even the air seemed to have stopped flowing.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little suffocated.

    But this feeling of suffocation didn¡¯tst long. She saw eight soldiers in military uniforms carrying two coffins down from the springboard and walking towards the red carpet.

    Her heart beated wildly

    Her body trembled uncontrobly as she looked ahead with empty eyes.

    General Ji raised his hand gently and held her arm.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at General Ji. Herrge eyes were red and swollen.

    General Ji felt anguished insidenguishe. He pursed his lips and said softly, ¡°Go, child. Go and give your parents flowers.¡±

    In the auditorium, the Colonel Commandant was announcing the ceremonies one by one.

    The national anthem was yed, the military music was yed, and a small honor guard of the three armed forces was holding a gun.

    As if they were being inspected, everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on the soldiers who were slowly moving forward while carrying the coffins.

    Among the eight tall soldiers carrying the coffins with impassive expressions, Huo Shaoheng was the most eye-catching.

    They walked in a neat and orderly formation, then ced two cherry-wood coffins on the ceremonial tform in the auditorium.

    The coffins were covered with the bright red national g and were ced quietly.

    Gu Nianzhi held back her tears and walked over slowly with two bunches of night epiphyllum flowers in her arms.

    She ced the two bunches of night epiphyllum flowers on the two coffins, then bent down and kissed the coffins devoutly.

    When she straightened up, two drops of tears fell again on the pure white petals of the night epiphyllum flowers.

    The tears on the petals were crystal clear. Under the lights of the auditorium, the colors of the rainbow seemed to appear again.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and said in her heart, ¡°... Dad, Mom, these are the tears that didn¡¯t run out this morning. I¡¯m not crying again.¡±

    The auditorium was very quiet. Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on Gu Nianzhi.

    General Ji walked up and stood beside Gu Nianzhi. He addressed everyone with a heavy expression.

    ¡°There are two martyrs lying here. They aren¡¯t Huaxia citizens and had never returned to their homnd in their lifetime. However, they are Huaxia descendants. Even though they have never set foot on the Huaxia Empire¡¯s territory in their lives, they have never forgotten that they are Huaxia people.¡±

    ¡°Our nation has experienced many storms and tribtions, but we have always been able to rise from the ruins because of we, the Huaxia people,every single one of us, no matter where we are, have never given up on thisnd.¡±

    ¡°Thest wish of these two martyrs, before they died, was to return to their homnd. They have made great contributions to our country, but they didn¡¯t ask for anything in return

    ¡°Because they know what a prosperous and strong country means to every Huaxia person.¡±

    ¡°Some other countries don¡¯t understand our patriotism and think that this kind of love is too narrow-minded.

    ¡°I want to say that if you don¡¯t have 5,000 years of history, and haven¡¯t experienced the vagrancy, chaos, and ughter that our nation has suffered, you have no ce to discuss patriotism with us.¡±

 Chapter 1403 - She was Everywhere

    <h4>Chapter 1403: She was Everywhere</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the chandelier on the roof beam of the auditorium, tears welling up in her eyes.

    But she tried her best to hold her head high and not let her tears fall.

    General Ji finally said, ¡°Although they didn¡¯t ask for anything in return, we can¡¯t ignore their efforts and simply enjoy the fruits of theirbor.¡±

    ¡°I have already informed Speaker Long and Prime Minister Bai of the great contributions of these two martyrs. Our country will take full charge over their funerals. Their contributions will be recorded in our history books and passed down through the generations.¡±

    ¡°Their daughters will also receive the best treatment from us.¡±

    ¡°Their deeds will not be unknown. We will never forget them!¡±

    After General Ji finished speaking, the master of ceremony announced, ¡°Attention! Salute! Sound the cannon of salute!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi counted carefully. A twenty-one cannon salute was of the highest level.

    The sound of the cannon salute reverberated in her mind. It was as if a hole had been pierced in her heart. The wind blew through the hole, and she could hear its echo.

    ...

    After the ceremony, General Ji walked up to her and held her hand tightly. He said, ¡°Child, don¡¯t be too sad. We will take good care of you on behalf of your parents.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded silently and whispered, ¡°Thank you, General Ji. You¡¯ve already treated me very well.¡±

    She had grown up safely under the protection of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military from the time she hade to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side at the age of 12 till her current age of 19.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for them, she thought, she would likely have died under the cold sea, just like her parents.

    As she thought about it, she felt a sudden dizziness in her head. It was as if she had seen the blue sea cover the sky andnd, cascading down on her...

    She blinked and her body swayed as she leaned against the coffin behind her.

    General Ji quickly supported her and asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡±

    He knew everything about Gu Nianzhi running all night on the beachst night.

    In the morning, Huo Shaoheng had requested for artificial rain to create a rainbow, and he had agreed without hesitation.

    Even if they didn¡¯t have the means or skills, he would have agreed to build a backdrop from scratch in the studio.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes, shook her head, and tried to control herself. She slowly straightened up and said, ¡°I¡¯m okay. I didn¡¯t sleep well yesterday.¡±

    General Ji patted her head and whispered, ¡°Go back and rest early. A dead person can¡¯t be brought back to life. You have my condolences for your loss.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and lightly nodded.

    Then Speaker Long walked over.

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand with emotion and said, ¡°Nianzhi, I really didn¡¯t expect your parents to be so great. I originally wanted to take you in as my goddaughter, but now that I think about it, no one can rece your father and mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and looked at Speaker Long quietly.

    Afterst night¡¯s shock, she found that her heart had suddenly be stronger.

    Although her parents were no longer in this world, their deep love gave her unlimited courage and confidence.

    She had a sense of belonging, and knew who she was, where she came from, and where she would go in the future.

    Unlike before, because she did not have the memories of her past twelve years and did not know who her parents were, the core of her heart had always been floating like duckweed. She did not know where her roots were.

    And as a person, it was only when she knew where her roots were could she be able to grow towards the sky.

    If it was in the past, hearing Speaker Long say this, she would be inexplicably grateful. She would want to repay them a hundredfold.

    It was just like how old master Xie had wanted to hold an engagement party for her to support her.

    But now, while she was still grateful for their kindness, she no longer needed these people to support her.

    Her greatest source of confidence was her own parents, and more so herself.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded at Speaker Long and said, ¡°Speaker Long, you¡¯re my boss. You just have to take care of me at work in the future.¡±

    Speaker Long patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I stole you from Old Ji, so of course I have to take good care of you. Anyone who goes against you is going against me, Old Long.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded quietly. Then, she shook hands with the prime minister who walked up to her.

    Among the four big shots, Gu Nianzhi was less familiar with the prime minister.

    So they didn¡¯t exchange pleasantries.

    Prime Minister Bai nodded at her and said, ¡°My condolences.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also nodded in return.

    Old Master Xie was thest to walk up.

    He said very seriously, ¡°Nianzhi, my condolences. Your parents are very great, and I¡¯m proud of them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bowed slightly to express her gratitude.

    Old Master Xie continued, ¡°... I¡¯m sorry about the engagement party. I¡¯ve already spoke to them. It was our fault that we were not mindful enough about manners. I¡¯ve already told them to pack up and leave.¡±

    This was probably the result of He Zhichu¡¯smunication with Old Master Xie.

    Gu Nianzhi said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s not their fault. You¡¯re too polite.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m going to attend my parents¡¯ funeral, so I can¡¯t attend the engagement party.¡±

    From the moment he heard about Gu Xiangwen and his wife, Old Master Xie knew that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯te to the engagement party.

    Not to mention the displeasure they had caused when they changed the date, but as children, when their parents had just been buried, it was impossible for them to immediately celebrate their engagement.

    Old Master Xie nodded in understanding. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Since you and Shaoheng are both busy, then cancel the engagement party. When you get married next year, remember to send an invitation to this old man. I¡¯ll definitely be there!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed. ¡°Of course, of course.¡±

    The big shots shook hands with her one by one and then left the auditorium.

    They were all very important people who had a lot on their te. It was already rare for them to spare a day and night to attend her parents¡¯ funeral.

    The Honor Guard also left. The crowd gradually dispersed, and the crowded auditorium quickly became empty.

    However, Huo Shaoheng, Song Jinning, Chen Lie, Yin Shixiong, and Xiao Ye were still by her side.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and ced a hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Would you like to see your parents?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and recalled what Huo Shaoheng and her father¡¯s holographic avatar had said. Her heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°... If the submarine was filled with nitrogen, then their bodies should be well preserved, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and took a step forward, pressing a button on the coffin.

    The lid of the coffin opened halfway, revealing the transparent inner coffin.

    Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s faces were clearly disyed in front of them.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly covered her mouth with her hand and swallowed a whimper.

    Although the two of them had their eyes closed, they were still as lifelike as when they were alive.

    Gu Nianzhi stared nkly at their faces and slowly knelt down.

    Huo Shaoheng also knelt down with her.

    Song Jinning wiped away her tears at the side.

    Yin Shixiong and Xiao Ye lowered their heads, not daring to look at such a scene.

    Chen Lie took off his round sses and wiped them, feeling very ufortable.

    Gu Nianzhi kowtowed three times to her parents, and Huo Shaoheng finally closed the coffin.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where do you want to bury your parents?¡± Huo Shaoheng helped her up. ¡°With their status, they can be buried in the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery in the imperial capital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had originally wanted to bury her parents back at the hometown of her grandfather Gu Haize. However, after thinking about it, her parents had both been born and raised abroad, and had only set foot in Huaxia after their deaths.

    What was the point of burying them in their hometown?

    Moreover, her father had said that he had spent the rest of his life hiding from the Japanese right wing. What he wanted most should be to live a safe and peaceful life, right?

    A life where he didn¡¯t have to worry about being discovered every day...

    Therefore, it was better to bury them in the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery. No one would disturb them there, and no one would dare to disturb them.

    The country would provide them with the greatest protection and final peace.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s bury them in the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery. It will be easier for us to pay our respects to them in the future.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought the same. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s bury them in the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery.¡±

    After deciding on the location of the two martyrs¡¯ graves, everyone split up and busied themselves.

    Huo Shaoheng handed the task over to Yin Shixiong and asked him to start transporting the coffin back to the capital.

    At the same time, he had to deal with Gu Xiangwen¡¯s submarine.

    ¡°Your father¡¯sst words were that everything he owned belonged to you, including this submarine.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned on his phone and showed Gu Nianzhi the video they had taken of the submarine.

    Gu Nianzhi was moved when she saw the words ¡°Cereus I¡± appear on the top of the submarine.

    In her father¡¯s heart, she was everywhere.

    She would no longer feel that she was inferior, an orphan girl without her parents and alwayscking confidence in front of others.

    Her parents¡¯ love gave her the confidence to settle down and live her life.

    She took the phone from Huo Shaoheng and stroked the ¡°Cereus I¡± on the disy screen. Her mind seemed to sh, as if she had seen something. She said, ¡°Cereus I? Is there a Cereus II...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1404 - Spectatorâ€™s Perspective

    <h4>Chapter 1404: Spectator¡¯s Perspective</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Cereus I first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng brought her to the cave where the submarine was ced.

    Last night, Gu Nianzhi had followed Huo Shaoheng to this ce, and her world had been turned upside down.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about the holographic virtual portrait of her father that she had seen yesterday and the fluorescent ¡°Cereus I¡± above the submarine on the video. She looked up at the submarine for a long time.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and led her into the submarine again.

    The details that she hadn¡¯t noticed yesterday gradually appeared in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    The long corridor was deep and covered with a thick carpet. The ceiling of the long corridor was painted with interesting cats and dogs. It was like a children¡¯s paradise.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and thought hard about whether she hade here when she was young.

    A long time ago, did a chubby little girl run around here giggling andughing?

    Was there a tall and handsome man standing at the end of the corridor, looking at her lovingly...

    Gu Nianzhi was so engrossed in her thoughts that she was like an unrted bystander, standing at the side, watching the scene of a loving father and daughter.

    At that moment, she was so envious. She was so envious of this carefree little girl who was pampered by her parents.

    Although this little girl should be her, it should be her when she was young, right?

    But in the blink of an eye, her mind was once again upied by the overwhelming blue sea water...

    Her head hurt like needles were piercing them. She was in a daze and could barely stand.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed her condition in time.

    Seeing that she was in a trance, Huo Shaoheng stretched out his arm and gently ced it on her shoulder. He stabilized her and asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still not feeling well? Why don¡¯t we go back and rest for two days?¡±

    After this mission, Huo Shaoheng asked General Ji for a month¡¯s vacation. He nned to spend it all with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I probably didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, so I¡¯m feeling a little dizzy.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t give her a chance to argue. He picked Gu Nianzhi up again and walked out of the submarine.

    Chen Lie saw that they had just gone in ande out. Gu Nianzhiy in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms with a pale face and asked in surprise, ¡°Is the nitrogen inside still not cleared? It can¡¯t be. We¡¯ve been in there so many times.¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be the nitrogen.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tightly shut face and looked at Chen Lie, ¡°Check her again.¡±

    Chen Lie understood and quickly carried the medicine box and followed them to the third-floor suite of the guest house where Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were staying.

    Yin Shixiong was outside preparing to transport Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s bodies back to the capital to be buried. Xiao Ye had already moved out of the suite and was staying in a standard room on the second floor.

    Therefore, when they entered, only Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, and Chen Lie were there.

    Chen Lie took out another set of equipment and carefully checked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition.

    ¡°No fever.¡±

    ¡°Heartbeat, pulse, and blood pressure are all normal.¡±

    Chen Lie looked at the data in the equipment and muttered to himself. He frowned and said,¡±... There should be no problem at all.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that she really didn¡¯t sleep well?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly. ¡°Then she should rest first.¡±

    In order not to disturb Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleep, Huo Shaoheng lowered the curtains on the floor-to-ceiling windows. The bedroom was suddenly pitch-ck.

    The soundproof ss was also very effective at blocking out noise.

    The sound of the waves outside the house could not be heard inside.

    The surroundings were abnormally quiet.

    Gu Nianzhi fell into a deep sleep.

    She was indeed very tired.

    She only woke up the next morning after sleeping for a full twelve hours.

    Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie came in to see her a few times. They only went out when they were sure that she was fine.

    Chen Lie¡¯s equipment had been in the room the whole time, monitoring her condition.

    That night, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body data was normal. Only her brain data was abnormal.

    Looking at the data report printed out in his machine, Chen Lie went to look for Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Young Master Huo, take a look at this.¡± Chen Lie ced the data report on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain in front of Huo Shaoheng, ¡°The shock this time was too much for Nianzhi. I found that the damaged cells in her hippocampus are starting to metabolize.¡±

    The hippocampus was a key part of the human brain that was responsible for memory. It usually appeared in pairs.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he took the data report from Chen Lie. ¡°You mean it¡¯s possible that she regained her memory of herself before the age of 12?¡±

    Chen Lie shook his head regretfully and said, ¡°On the contrary, that part of her memory is in the process of being permanently lost.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°...¡±

    He looked down at Chen Lie¡¯s report. ¡°Speak English.¡±

    Chen Lie red at Huo Shaoheng, but still exined in resignation, ¡°We¡¯ve carefully studied Nianzhi¡¯s physical condition before.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I remember.¡±

    ¡°... Ever since you rescued her when she was 12, I¡¯ve discovered that the hippocampus in her brain was very developed.¡± Chen Lie paused and didn¡¯t continue. Instead, he drew a circle on the data report. He meant that the hippocampus in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain was twice the size of an ordinary person.

    People with a well-developed hippocampus had very good memory.

    ¡°Nianzhi has a photographic memory, mainly because the hippocampus in her brain is very developed.¡± Chen Lie pointed to the data report, ¡°But because she once suffered great shock, a part of the hippocampus in her brain was severely damaged. It is like a hard drive with a damaged area.¡±

    ¡°I said before that this is why she couldn¡¯t remember her memories before she was 12 years old.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyes and looked at Chen Lie coldly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±

    Chen Lie spread his hands and said exasperatedly, ¡°Listen to me. Previously, this part of her hippocampus was damaged. I used to think that as long as they became active again, Nianzhi would be able to regain her memories before she was 12 years old.¡±

    ¡°But after this major stimtion, that part of her hippocampus was indeed stimted to be active again. ¡°But, just like a hard drive that had a problem, when you reactivate this hard drive, you don¡¯t use data repair, but hard drive reformatting.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned even more. ¡°What do you mean? If her brain is really like a hard drive that had a problem, why isn¡¯t it data repair? Why does it have to be hard drive formatting?¡±

    ¡°This is because her brain chose to reformat itself.¡± Chen Lie didn¡¯t understand why either. ¡°I can only tell from the data I¡¯ve observed that her damaged hippocampus region is starting to be active, relying on new cells. The cells that were previously damaged have all been metabolized.¡±

    ¡°To be precise, the huge stimtion these past few days has elerated the metabolism of the cells in that part of the hippocampus.¡±

    ¡°When metabolism ispleted, the damaged state of her hippocampal body will be equivalent to a reformatted hard drive. The old information will bepletely covered, and new memory cells will be born.¡±

    Chen Lie finished speaking and clicked his tongue. ¡°Her memory is already heaven-defying. This time, it¡¯s even more heaven-defying. I don¡¯t even know how to estimate how high her IQ can reach.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not worried about this. He casually ced one hand on the data report and said nonchntly, ¡°With only a good memory, no matter how high a person¡¯s IQ is, without the corresponding EQ, they would at most be like you. How good can they be?¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t insult me!¡± Chen Lie blushed. ¡°How am I not good?! How is my EQ not high?! Just because I¡¯m single, you¡¯re insulting me like this!¡±

    He suddenly thought of Ye Zitan and stopped talking.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and understood what he was thinking.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and looked at the data report. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that her dizziness is a side effect of her damaged hippocampus restarting its metabolism?¡±

    ¡°You can say that, but it depends on her reaction,¡± Chen Lie sat in front of Huo Shaoheng sulkily. ¡°When she wakes up, you can ask her if there¡¯s anything different in her brain. Or you can give her a question to see if her reaction has changed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and refused. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the change in her IQ. I just want to know if she¡¯ll regain her memory.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Chen Lie said firmly. ¡°As her damaged hippocampus reactivates and new cells rece the original cells, that part of her memory will be lost forever.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not speak for a long time.

    Chen Lie tried to persuade him instead. ¡°What are you worried about? Her parents have already been found anyway. This time, it¡¯s really her parents. I¡¯ve already tested the DNA. She really is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter.¡±

    They wanted Gu Nianzhi to regain her memory because they only wanted her to know her past.

    Now that the truth of her past had been discovered, it didn¡¯t matter whether her memory was restored or not.

    Huo Shaoheng still had an indescribable worry. ¡°Is it really okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. If there¡¯s a problem, look for me!¡± Chen Lie thumped his chest loudly.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up at that moment and called out from the bedroom, ¡°Is Brother Chen outside?¡±

    Chen Lie was the one who had woken up, not Huo Shaoheng.

    Chen Lie was ¡°delighted¡± to see Huo Shaoheng trying to act like he didn¡¯t care.

    He stood up with a smile and raised his voice, ¡°I¡¯m here, and so is Young Master Huo!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seemed stunned for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m still not feeling well. Brother Chen, can youe in and help me check?¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok! No problem. I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Chen Lie ran in happily.

    ...

    ¡°Brother Chen, close the door properly.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat on the bed, her messy long hair draped over her body, and there were traces of sweat on her forehead.

    Chen Lie gently closed the door and walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed to sit down. He asked in puzzlement, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want to tell me?¡±

    It was obvious that Gu Nianzhi only wanted to tell him and didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to know.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her temples, pursed her lips, and said softly, ¡°Brother Chen, I¡¯ve been having a dream since yesterday.¡±

    ¡°What did you dream about?¡± Chen Lie was excited.

    Could the new hippocampal cells also promote the creation of dreams?

    Or was it that the hippocampal cells intersected during metabolism, so parts of her memories were still retained?!

    Any of these topics could win a Nobel Prize!

    Gu Nianzhi put down her hand and saw Chen Lie¡¯s round eyes shining with excitement behind his sses. She was speechless.

    After a while, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, there¡¯s nothing much to it. I just kept dreaming about the seawater, the blue seawater, the cradle-like seawater.¡±

    The color of the seawater was too deep and vivid. It was not the blue-green seawater here, but the blue-purple lightning-like seawater that she had once seen in the Blue Hole in the Caribbean.

    She added, ¡°... it seems like the surrounding environment is also very simr to the Blue Hole of the Caribbean.¡±

    Chen Lie was extremely disappointed when he heard this.

    Since she was dreaming about what she had seen after she was 12, it had nothing to do with the ¡°Hippocampal memory crisscross theory¡± that he had juste up with.

    ¡°This should be an after-effect of your shock and stress,¡± Chen Lie exined listlessly. ¡°Because the electrical stimtion you received in the Caribbean Sea, Blue Hole, was roughly the same as the stimtion you experienced this time, so you¡¯ll have a selective association. It¡¯s not a big problem. You¡¯ll be fine after a lot of rest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also felt that this was the reason.

    But there was one thing that she did not tell Chen Lie, and she did not know who to tell.

    It was because the angle of view from which she saw the overwhelming seawater in her dreams was very strange.

    Sometimes, it seemed like she had experienced it herself, but sometimes, it was from the perspective of a bystander.

    Moreover, the duration was very short, and each time was fleeting.

    It was like a light bulb that was constantly flickering. The rich blue and purple seawater that shed in and out of her dreams rapidly made her exhausted and dizzy.

 Chapter 1405 - Was it really prepared for her? (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1405: Was it really prepared for her? (second update)</h4>

    After Chen Lie left, Gu Nianzhi sat alone on the bed, half-wrapped in the nket, and lowered her head in deep thought.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and walked in.

    The headboard of the bed sank slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw that it was Huo Shaoheng who had sat down.

    Huo Shaoheng reached out and caressed her cheek, ¡°... You¡¯ve lost weight.¡±

    Her face wasn¡¯t big to begin with, and now it was even smaller. Her alreadyrge eyes seemed even bigger than before.

    Her butterfly-like eyshes were thick and long and naturally curled upward at the ends, making them look like eyeliner.

    Her ck eyes were sparkling, and as they moved, they attracted people¡¯s attention.

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to have been bewitched and leaned in to kiss her.

    First, his lips were lightly pressed against hers. Then, he tossed and turned her lips. He kissed her up and down, inside and out, before letting go of her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him tenderly. Her eyes were filled with love, endless love.

    Huo Shaoheng could not resist Gu Nianzhi¡¯s loving gaze.

    He had never felt her feelings for him like this.

    He pulled her into his arms and pressed her head against his chest, letting her feel his heartbeat faster than usual.

    He asked in a low voice,¡±... What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into his arms. She thought for a moment and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling unwell. I¡¯ve just been having a recurring dream and I¡¯m tired.¡±

    She could still see the color of the bluish-purple seawater. Everything seemed to be covered in ayer of gentle blue light.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his cheek against her hair and asked, ¡°What dream?¡±

    What¡¯s more, it was a recurring dream...

    Gu Nianzhi repeated, ¡°It¡¯s the seawater. The bluish-purple seawater is just like the seawater I saw in the Blue Hole in the Caribbean.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng secretly heaved a sigh of relief. So it was just a dream about the seawater in the Blue Hole.

    It seemed that what Chen Lie said just now was not without reason.

    He lifted her up along with the nket and ced her on hisp, saying, ¡°Your emotions are fluctuating too much. It¡¯s unavoidable...¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly wanted to tell Huo Shaoheng how she felt, regardless of whether he understood it or not.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Gu Nianzhi moved back a little and looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What¡¯s strange is my perspective in the dream. Sometimes, it feels like I¡¯m in the water, but sometimes, I feel like I¡¯m a bystander, watching the water...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned almost imperceptibly. ¡°Different perspectives? That¡¯s not really weird, right? We often dream in different perspectives.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and repliedzily, ¡°Maybe.¡±

    She yawned. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. I¡¯ll sleep again and see if there¡¯s any difference.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced her on the bed and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry? You haven¡¯t eaten anything since yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite.¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes. ¡°Give me a ss of water.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng went out for a while and brought her a ss of milk that he warmed.

    Gu Nianzhi drank the milk in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand andy down to sleep again.

    This time, she slept until eight in the evening.

    When she woke up again, she realized that she hadn¡¯t had a single dream this time.

    The blue and purple seawater in the morning dream was like a distant illusion, getting further and further away from her.

    She lifted the nket and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom to shower, washed her hair, and changed into a new set of clothes.

    Huo Shaoheng came in to see her. He found that she was already awake and had gone to the bathroom to take a shower. He immediately went out to order a table full of food and waited for her toe out.

    Gu Nianzhi came to the living room and saw the seafood on the long table. She couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    There was a bowl of steaming seafood noodles. There were shrimp, abalone, small squid rings that imparted a fresh taste, and small green vegetables to add color.

    There were also stir-fried mantis shrimp, crab roe vermicelli, and thick sea cucumber soup.

    She was full after just eating the seafood noodles. Huo Shaoheng forced her to drink another small bowl of thick sea cucumber soup. He only put her down after she ate a small sea cucumber.

    The rest of the dishes were eaten by Huo Shaoheng alone, along with arge bowl of fragrant white rice.

    After eating, Huo Shaoheng took her to the submarine again.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi did not feel dizzy.

    However, when she followed Huo Shaoheng into the cabin where she hadst seen Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram, she could not help feeling dejected.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and stood in front of the sofa around the corner. He said, ¡°Little Ze has taken down theputer system here and sent it back to the imperial capital. You can look at it whenever you want...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said softly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She could give everything else up, but she couldn¡¯t give up on this holographic virtual humanputer system that her father had left behind.

    ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡± Huo Shaoheng pinched her chin. ¡°Go look at the music box on the desk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already noticed the cylindrical object on the desk.

    She remembered that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hologram had said that the cylindrical object was a music box. He had also said that his greatest research results were in the music box. He had also said that the music box had a self-destruct mechanism and that those who did not meet the requirements did not have to bother trying to open it.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng to the desk. She reached out and picked up the cylindrical object.

    She had thought it was quite heavy, but she realized it wasn¡¯t as heavy as she had imagined when it was in her hands.

    She held the music box and looked it up and down, then pressed a round button on the top of the music box.

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the side and looked at her quietly.

    They had studied the button on the music box, and it should be a fingerprint password lock.

    Their fingerprints didn¡¯t work, so Gu Nianzhi¡¯s should work, right?

    Just as she was thinking about it, the lid of the music box opened with a click.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°...¡±

    It really was a fingerprint lock.

    Once the lid of the music box was opened, three beautiful ballerina dolls began to spin and dance on a pink crown.

    At the same time, beautiful music flowed out. It was Beethoven¡¯s ¡°Moonlight Sonata¡±.

    Then a gentle baritone slowly read, ¡°A little Girl Needs Daddy.¡±

    ¡°A little girl needs Daddy,

    For many, many things:

    ..

    Like giving her the love,

    That is her sea and air,

    So diving deep or soaring high,

    She¡¯ll always find him there...¡±

    It was the voice of the holographic figurine, which was also the voice of her father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand and looked up at the ceiling before she swallowed the tears that had almost flowed out.

    This was the poem that she had seen on the wall of the Dasi Clinic in India...

    This was the clue that her father had left behind, right?

    Were they worried that one day they would really disappear, so they had left behind these clues so that Gu Nianzhi, could look for them when she had grown up?

    Gu Nianzhi held the music box in her hands and looked at it for a long time.

    When the poem was finished, the three ballerina dolls sank down. The pink crown spun once and split open in the middle, revealing a tray.

    On it was written a high-energy physics question that required the calction of the energy of a maic field.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°...¡±

    Was this thing really prepared for her?

    Didn¡¯t her father know that she wasn¡¯t a genius in physics?!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fell.

    Huo Shaoheng pinched her little face and smiled faintly. ¡°What¡¯s with that expression? Even if you don¡¯t know how to solve this question, but Ms. Song does...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and felt a little guilty. ¡°... Is that cheating?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to know what she was thinking. He gently held her from behind and said,¡±... Your father is indeed a genius, but did he predict that you would lose your memory?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said indifferently, ¡°My father isn¡¯t a god, how could he have predicted everything clearly? Besides, even if he could, he didn¡¯t manage to escape from the hands of those people...¡±

    She turned around and waved her fist at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°If I find out who betrayed my father, I won¡¯t let him off!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows and said calmly, ¡°... I¡¯ve already avenged your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of the ¡°Pirate base¡± that Huo Shaoheng had destroyed on this mission and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised and delighted. ¡°Really? Is it that... that base that was scolded by the Japanese cab and military on Twitter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes slightly. ¡°Yes, they like to use pirates. I can¡¯t tell whether they¡¯re real pirates or fake pirates.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was touched as she held his hand and snorted. ¡°The Japanese were born as pirates in their early years. The Japanese pirates harassed our coastal areas for hundreds of years and umted a wealth of pirating experience.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, Somali pirates are nothing. They can¡¯t even begin topare to the long-standing pirating history of the Japanese.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw that she was in the mood to mock and knew that she was in a much better mood. He patted her head. ¡°Everything else here has been taken away. If you are agreeable, then this submarine will be left here for them to study. If you don¡¯t agree...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted him and said with a half-smile, ¡°I¡¯ve even donated the money recovered from the foundation to Ms. Song for her research. Why are you acting like a stranger to me?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. They are your inheritance from your father. Of course, you have the final say.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng brought her out of the submarine and went to the military port toplete the handover procedures. Only then did Gu Xiangwen¡¯s advanced ¡°cement submarine¡± be the precious treasure of the naval equipment experts.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi carried the ck music box and boarded the ne with Huo Shaoheng and the others back to the imperial capital.

    Xiao Ye, Chen Lie, and Song Jinning boarded Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne with them.

    Yin Shixiong took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s parents¡¯ coffins and boarded arge transport ne instead.

    On the ne, Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to pass the high-energy physics question she had seen in the music box to Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning was mesmerized by the question. She immediately opened herptop and began to perform some calctions. Shemented, ¡°This question is too coincidental... I¡¯ve hit a bottleneck studying a high-energy maic field recently. This question is really enlightening!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1406 - Her skin is Itching Again (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1406: Her skin is Itching Again (first update)</h4>

    A few hourster, the military ne and therge transport nended at the imperial capital airport.

    Zhao Liangze was already waiting to pick them up.

    He had brought a convoy over to wee Gu Nianzhi¡¯s parents¡¯ coffins into the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery.

    Gu Nianzhi and the others got down first and lined up with Zhao Liangze.

    A few soldiers in military uniform carried Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s coffins down the flight of stairs.

    The weather in the imperial capital was starting to heat up. Gu Nianzhi watched as her parents¡¯ coffins were loaded into the hearse that came to receive them, and her eyes couldn¡¯t help bing moist again.

    She took a deep breath and looked up at the blue sky. The weather was so hot that her eyes were sweating...

    ...

    The coffins of Gu Xiangwen and his wife were finally buried at the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery in the imperial capital.

    Family members could visit them annually. In addition, there was also the annual public memorial held by the state.

    When Gu Nianzhi had nothing to do, she would go to the memorial for her parents at the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery.

    She would talk to them, wipe their gravestones, and bring them some of her favorite meals and snacks.

    Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t remember what her parents liked to eat, so she could only give them what she liked.

    That day, Gu Nianzhi came again with two bouquets of Night Epiphyllum.

    She ced the night epiphyllum in front of the grave, then took out a tissue from her backpack and wiped her parents¡¯ gravestones over and over again.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, are you used to living here?¡±

    ¡°This is Huaxia¡¯s National Cemetery for martyrs. The people who live here gave their lives up for this country.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you guys get along well with them. You won¡¯t feel lonely.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully plucked a fallen leaf from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s tombstone, she nagged, ¡°Although you guys may not care, if I¡¯m with someone with a different outlook on life, even just saying a word will make me feel ufortable.¡±

    After cleaning the tombstone, Gu Nianzhi ced the two-night epiphyllum flowers neatly in front of the two tombstones.

    Her OCD was slightly triggered, and it took her a long time to arrange the two flowers into the same angle and shape.

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind her and looked at her. He held a cigarette in his hand and smoked asionally.

    It was rare for him to have such leisurely time, but he did not spend it elsewhere. Every day when Gu Nianzhi came here, he would pack his things ande with her.

    She stayed from morning until the sun went down, and he was never tired of it.

    It was the same today.

    However, not long after the sun rose, another person appeared in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s parents¡¯ tombstone.

    He Zhichu.

    He was wearing a casual outfit, a white custom-made linen and silk-blend shirt with a small striped cor, smoky grey straight pants in the same material, and white casual shoes. He slowly walked over.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him calmly and nodded. ¡°Good morning, Professor He.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at him and frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t smoke so much in front of Nianzhi.¡±

    Second-hand smoke was harmful to one¡¯s health.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers that were holding the cigarette twitched. In the end, he raised his hand and threw the rest of the cigarette butt into the bamboo-shaped trash can under the big tree.

    Gu Nianzhi heard He Zhichu¡¯s voice and turned to look at him. ¡°Professor He? Why are you here?¡±

    He Zhichu did not say anything else. He walked over to Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s tombstone and silently looked at it.

    On Gu Xiangwen¡¯s tombstone was simply written, ¡°The grave of myte father, Gu Xiangwen. His unfilial daughter weeps.¡±

    The photo on the tombstone was taken from Ye Xuan¡¯s photo.

    He Zhichu nced at it and did notment. He turned to look at Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife¡¯s tombstone next to his.

    He did not see the photo. He only saw a hand-painted white rose that had been sealed in stic.

    He Zhichu¡¯s almond-shaped eyes shed. He asked coldly, ¡°... Where¡¯s her photo?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t find any photos of her when she was alive.¡± Gu Nianzhi was angry when she thought about it. ¡°That B*tch Gu Yanran destroyed all the photos of my parents.¡±

    The family photo that Huo Shaoheng had taken at the Gu family¡¯s vi on the Caribbean ind was fake. The man and woman in it were not Gu Xiangwen and his wife at all.

    When they finally saw Gu Xiangwen and his wife, they were both already dead.

    Although their bodies were well preserved and lifelike in a pure nitrogen environment, they did not look like when they were alive, so it was not appropriate to use the photos of their dead bodies for the tombstones.

    Fortunately, Ye Xuan¡¯s photo of Gu Xiangwen had slipped through the purge, so it had been intercepted.

    However, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife was not so lucky.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi suggested using a hand-painted white rose as her photo.

    She had seen her mother¡¯s face before. Shey quietly in the cherry-wood coffin, beautiful and clean, as beautiful as a white rose.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and said softly, ¡°... You feel the same way too huh... you don¡¯t even have a photo. Where did you get your affection?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was annoyed by He Zhichu¡¯s tone and immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s my parents. Where do you think my affection came from?!¡±

    She stood in the middle of Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s tombstone and looked like she was protecting her children.

    He Zhichu was not very happy, but he was amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression.

    He shook his head and scoffed, ¡°... You¡¯re still quite protective of them.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to protect them. I¡¯m all they have left!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were red as she finished speaking. She clenched her fists and red fiercely at He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and put his arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. He said calmly to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, please have some self-respect in front of my inws. Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind teaching you a few lessons on their behalf.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± He Zhichu nced at Huo Shaoheng scornfully. ¡°Did they acknowledge you?¡±

    Without waiting for Huo Shaoheng to retaliate, he immediately turned to Gu Nianzhi and asked with concern, ¡°Where have you been these past few days? I couldn¡¯t get through to you on the phone.¡±

    Actually, he knew where Gu Nianzhi had gone.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s GPS on her phone showed her coordinates at all times.

    When He Zhichu saw that she was heading to the southernmost port city in the south, he thought she was on vacation, so he didn¡¯t disturb her.

    It wasn¡¯t until she returned and started travelling between Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence and the National Martyrs¡¯ cemetery daily that she curiously came over to take a look.

    ¡°I went out to pick up my parents a few days ago.¡± Gu Nianzhi ran her hands through her hair that had been blown away by the wind. She was in a low mood. ¡°Now that they¡¯re here, I cane and apany them every day.¡±

    With that, she picked up the small broom that had been ced there a long time ago and started sweeping the front and back of the two tombstones.

    He Zhichu stood at the side and watched Gu Nianzhi busily work with aplicated expression.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at He Zhichu and calmly said, ¡°You¡¯re very disappointed.¡±

    He said it with a definitive tone.

    He Zhichuzily crossed his arms and leaned against a big tree in front of the tombstone. He sneered. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very disappointed. I thought you were the one who moved in...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She quickly turned around and said, ¡°Ptui Ptui Ptui! Let the bad things not work and the good things do! Professor He, if you continue to spout nonsense, my parents won¡¯t wee you to visit them!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face changed and he turned to leave, saying coldly, ¡°... Who cares!¡±

    There was a wave of strange anger and stifling in his cold, clear voice.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at He Zhichu¡¯s back and said childishly, ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m just not going to ask you! You can keep it in till you die!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°...¡±

    He suddenly had a headache.

    After the two of them returned from the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery, Gu Nianzhi was still a little worried. She tried calling He Zhichu, but she couldn¡¯t get through.

    She was silent for a while and whispered to Huo Shaoheng,¡±... I think Brother He blocked me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up from the military magazine and nced at her, ¡°I couldn¡¯t wish more for it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°...¡±

    ...

    Time seemed to pass very quickly when two people who were in love were together.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vacation to be almost half over.

    That day, after Gu Nianzhi woke up and washed up, she saw Huo Shaoheng sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper. She asked casually, ¡°What are you reading? Why are you so engrossed in it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put down the newspaper and pressed it to the side. He picked up the knife and smeared blueberry jam on the bread. He then ced the piece of bread with the jam in front of Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°The cover page report on your parents¡¯ deeds has finallye out today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did some calctions. It was the 35th day after her parents¡¯ bodies had been discovered. It was the most important 57th day of a Southerner¡¯s funeral.

    Gu Nianzhi did not understand this tradition, but she had carefully searched for information about ceremonies and funerals.

    Although no one around her taught her this, she could search for it herself.

    Online children were fearless.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She knew that the timing was definitely not a coincidence. It must have been arranged by Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Thank you for making this arrangement,¡± Gu Nianzhi said softly and poured ck pepper sauce on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s steak.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her without batting an eyelid, his slender fingers dragging his te over. ¡°You¡¯re still being polite with me? They¡¯re my inws too.¡±

    ¡°Inws?¡± The word came out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth naturally and sincerely.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a surge of warmth in her heart that flowed into her limbs and bones. Her gloomy mood, which had been clouded for almost a month, instantly improved.

    Just as she was about to drink milk, her phone rang.

    She took it over and saw that it was Xiao Ye, the great beauty.

    She picked up the phone and answered with a smile, ¡°Miss, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Because Huo Shaoheng was on vacation for the past month, Gu Nianzhi stayed with him at the official residence and gave Xiao Ye a vacation.

    With Huo Shaoheng as her ¡°Personal bodyguard¡±, she did not need anyone else around.

    Xiao Ye took this opportunity to go home and live with her parents.

    She had been on the job for many years. From a young girl who had just graduated from college, she was now almost 30 years old.

    Her parents were very anxious and had begun to arrange blind dates for her.

    Xiao Ye had been very annoyed these days. She called Gu Nianzhi early in the morning toin and wanted to cancel her leave early so she could go back to ¡°work¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi could not helpughing when she thought of the valiant and beautiful ¡°Killing Machine¡± Xiao Ye going on blind dates.

    She shook her head, smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t my little sister. You¡¯ve worked so hard for so many years. It¡¯s not easy for you to have a holiday, so you should spend more time with your parents. Don¡¯t be like me. I can¡¯t even be with my parents if I want to. If my parents were still alive, I would do whatever they wanted me to.¡±

    Xiao Ye was stunned for a moment, but her frustration at her parents forcing her to go on a blind date had lessened considerably.

    She sat cross-legged on the bay window in her room and said with a smile, ¡°What if your parents let you go on a blind date? Are you willing to let Young Master Huo go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stole a nce at Huo Shaoheng. He was so focused on cutting the steak that he probably didn¡¯t hear her talking to Xiao Ye.

    She pretended to pick something up and slipped down from the chair, hiding under the table. She hugged her phone with both hands and whispered, ¡°... If they want me to go, I¡¯ll go...¡±

    Just as she finished speaking, a pair of long legs appeared in front of her.

    She looked up and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome face looking down at her. He said with a smile that was not a smile, ¡°... You should say things out loud if you dare. Don¡¯t hide under the table. Is your skin itching again?¡±

 Chapter 1407 - Subtly Teaching His Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1407: Subtly Teaching His Wife</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi never expected Huo Shaoheng to hear her. She had been hiding under the table while whispering in a soft voice.

    Even though she had just been bragging, she felt guilty after Huo Shaoheng caught her red-handed...

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going toe out?¡± Huo Shaoheng tilted his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He took a step back and stared at her under the table silently.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, grabbed her phone, and rushed out. She knelt on the ground partially and hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thigh.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± a solemn expression was stered on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face as he lifted his leg slightly.

    ¡°Hugging your thigh!¡± Gu Nianzhi announced confidently. ¡°If my parents realized that their son-inw was Huo Shao, they definitely would not let me go on a blind date.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and reached out a hand to grab her arm. He pulled her out from under the table and said helplessly, ¡°Why are you misbehaving in this manner?¡±

    Then, he took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone from her hand. He realized that she was still on the phone, and so he quickly hung up the call.

    On the other end of the phone, Xiao Ye was caught off guard. She had heard rumors about her boss and his fianc¨¦e¡¯s ¡®Daily routine of sweet love¡¯. Her face suddenly burned as hot as fire, as though she had be privy to some incredible secret...

    She held her face in her hands and leapt down from the window sill. She circled her room a few times and realized that her heart was still racing. She had no choice but to rush downstairs and run to the yground in the courtyard.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was dragged out from under the table by Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng let go of her hand and she quickly grabbed it again. She gazed at Huo Shaoheng ingratiatingly and smiled sweetly. She was like the best lychee honey, exuding a sweet fragrance.

    Unfortunately, Huo Shaoheng did not want to eat sweet things right now. He was not going to fall for her trick.

    He lowered his head and looked at her from the corner of his eyes. ¡°... You want to go on a blind date?¡±

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m was just casually bragging to others...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so nervous that she blurted out in Yin Shixiong¡¯s hometown dialect.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, what kind of man do you fancy? Make a list.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at her without batting an eyelid. He was determined to snuff out this little thought of hers. He continued lightly, ¡°Write down your ideal height, weight, family background, looks, personality, and specialty. I¡¯ll find them for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. ¡°Huo Shao...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so excited that you can¡¯t even speak?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned over slowly and whispered into her ear. His voice was deep, maic, and filled with a threatening allure, ¡°Although we¡¯re already married, if Mrs. Huo wants to go on a blind date, I can apany you to the end...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were almost melted by his melodious voice.

    Her face was flushed, and her usual glib tongue was no longer effective. All she knew was that her small hand was gripping the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt tightly.

    Huo Shaoheng nced down at her hand that was gripping the corner of his shirt. ¡°... Let go.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let go.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a while. Then, he suddenly reached out to unbutton his shirt.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She assumed that Huo Shaoheng wanted to do something and hence she subconsciously retracted her hand and took two steps back. Her face was red as she said, ¡°Why are you taking off your clothes in broad daylight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi released her grasp and Huo Shaoheng no longer continued to unbutton his shirt. He brushed his sleeves with a half-smile and turned around to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi finally realized that she had been fooled by him!

    He didn¡¯t want to do it with her at all!

    He simply wanted her to let go...

    He was too cunning.

    Gu Nianzhi stared nkly at the restaurant for a while before finally catching up.

    Although she dawdled in the restaurant for a long time, Huo Shaoheng had only just reached the spiral staircase...

    How slow was he?

    Was he moving at a snail¡¯s pace?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her ck eyes and finally understood.

    She ran over with a smile and held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm from behind. ¡°Huo Shao, are you going upstairs? Why are you walking so slowly? Were you waiting for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Someone hurt my leg in the restaurant just now.¡±

    Gu responded, ¡°...¡±

    She had merely rushed over to hug his leg. Simply hugging his leg had caused him to break his leg?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes inwardly.

    However, she was in the wrong today, and she couldn¡¯t be stubborn.

    She lowered her head and carefully followed Huo Shaoheng to the second floor.

    When they reached the corridor between their rooms, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at her. He pushed the door open and entered his own room.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to follow him in, but she was worried that Huo Shaoheng would still be angry. It would be embarrassing if he chased her out.

    She did not dare to rush in as she had done in the past. She paced nervously around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door.

    She walked one round before ncing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door. Then, she walked another round before looking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the surveince camera in his room and felt dizzy.

    However, he still waited for a while before saying calmly, ¡°... Why aren¡¯t youing in?¡±

    The voice came from inside the room, and Gu Nianzhi noticed that the door was ajar. Huo Shaoheng had not closed the door at all.

    She secretly heaved a sigh of relief, before pushing open Huo Shaoheng¡¯s door and walking in.

    Huo Shaoheng was standing by the door.

    Huo Shaoheng closed the door behind her after she entered.

    When Gu Nianzhi turned around, Huo Shaoheng had already walked up to her. He rested one hand on the back of her neck and ced the other on her waist.

    She was forced to raise her head slightly to receive Huo Shaoheng¡¯s kiss.

    After the kiss, Huo Shaoheng pressed his hand against her forehead and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that in the future. You can¡¯t even joke about it.¡±

    His voice was deep and mellow, he seemed to be panting slightly. It was incredibly seductive.

    Gu Nianzhi was lost in thought. She mustered up her courage and retorted, ¡°It was just a joke. Don¡¯t you guys like to make jokes like this the most?¡±

    She often heard Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze argue with each other.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t make jokes like this.¡± Huo Shaoheng cupped her face. Her palm-sized face was like a rosebud in his hands. His thumb caressed the red lips that he had kissed. He calmly said, ¡°You can¡¯t joke around like that, no matter how trivial it is.¡±

    His words struck Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart.

    She quickly nodded,pletely convinced. ¡°Huo Shao, I was wrong. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled.

    His smile melted the solemn expression on her face. They were extremely close and... she wanted to kiss him.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but stand on her tiptoes, before kissing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her back gently. He didn¡¯t kiss her as roughly as he usually did, as if he wanted to swallow her whole. On the contrary, he kissed her with the kind of tenderness that women yearned for.

    Gu Nianzhi was almost turned into a pool of water by his kiss.

    Huo Shaoheng simply kissed her. Now was not the time to take it to the next level.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not know that her gentleness in front of him made him unable to stop.

    Before he lost control of himself, Huo Shaoheng exerted self-control and shifted his lips away. He pulled her into his arms and changed the subject. ¡°What do you want to do today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi fell from the clouds in a daze. Only then did she remember what she had been preparing for the whole morning.

    Shey in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and panted for a while before saying, ¡°I want to visit my parents at the cemetery today. I want to burn that newspaper for them to see.¡±

    It was the newspaper that published their deeds.

    ¡°... I have been wanting to visit them sincest month. I want to visit them once a month from now on, is that okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s opinion.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her little face. ¡°You can go whenever you want. Who says you have to stick to a day to visit your parents?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s slender waist. ¡°You¡¯re not angry anymore?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue to be angry if you keep thinking about it.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her arm away. ¡°Go and get ready.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and went back to her room to pack her things.

    She took the newspaper that contained her parents¡¯ stories, two bouquets of flowers, and some snacks. They headed to the national cemetery of martyrs with Huo Shaoheng.

    However, just before they reached her parents¡¯ grave, they noticed that there were a crowd of people there. Looking ahead, there were many people crowding around her parents¡¯ grave.

    Some wereying wreaths while others were giving speeches.

    There were also elementary school students lining up in front of her parents¡¯ grave, listening to the teacher¡¯s stories about the people whoid there.

    Not a trace of impurity could be seen in their adoring and respectful eyes. Gu Nianzhi felt that her eyes were about to break out in sweat again.

    She held the flowers in her arms and stood under a big tree not far away from the road. She did not walk up to them.

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside her with a bag of offerings. He spoke softly, ¡°It should be because of today¡¯s report. It so happened to be a festival, so there are more people here. Look, everyone has not forgotten them.¡±

    This was the best way to repay her parents.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She stood there with Huo Shaoheng the whole time, watching the endless stream of peopleing and going. She actually enjoyed it.

    She didn¡¯t feel bored and didn¡¯t even y with her phone the entire day.

    It was evening when the crowd finally dispersed. Gu Nianzhi carried the flowers and went to put them on disy.

    Ten hours had passed. Although the flowers had been specially treated, they were still a little withered.

    Gu Nianzhi sprayed water onto it with a small spray bottle and ced some snacks next to it. She whispered, ¡°Dad, Mom, are you guys happy today? Although I¡¯mte, you guys won¡¯t punish me, right?¡±

    She stood alone in front of the graves of Gu Xiangwen and his wife, muttering to herself for a long time. It wasn¡¯t until dusk came that Huo Shaoheng pulled her away.

    She turned her head back three times, reluctant to part with them.

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head around and said helplessly, ¡°If you want toe again, visit tomorrow. It¡¯s already dark today, hurry up and go back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t wallow in this kind of sadness. Dad and mom didn¡¯t do this to make me suffer. I want to live well so they can truly be at ease.¡±

    Therefore, she couldn¡¯t form a psychological attachment to those two graves.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her in surprise and stroked her head for a long time. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve really grown up.¡±

    After the two of them went back, Huo Shaoheng personally cooked a sumptuous dinner for her.

    After dinner, Gu Nianzhi turned on theputer as she had nned and began to count the assets that Gu Xiangwen had left behind.

 Chapter 1408 - I Love You So MuChapter That I Canâ€™t Help Myself (Part One)

    <h4>Chapter 1408: I Love You So Much That I Can¡¯t Help Myself (Part One)</h4>

    The Gu family¡¯s wealth was indeed quite hefty.

    Gu Xiangwen had umted an astronomical amount of wealth in just over 30 years.

    All these had already been calcted when Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran were fighting over the assets. On the surface, the assets included deposits, patents, gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, paintings,pany shares, trust funds, and so on.

    However, in reality, most of the assets had either been squandered away by Gu Yanran or ¡®donated¡¯ to the ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ Foundation.

    Gu Nianzhi was fighting the ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ Foundation to recover the assets. These assets were clearly recoverable and did not require much effort on her part.

    At that moment, she was most concerned about the other assets, especially the technological products that she did not know about. These included the submarine ¡®Cereus I¡¯ that Huo Shaoheng and the others had just discovered.

    This submarine had not been involved in the previous dispute with Gu Yanran.

    Gu Nianzhi had called Ye Xuan specifically to ask about the submarine.

    Just as expected, Ye Xuan did not know anything about the submarine.

    Gu Nianzhi was still doubtful as to whether Gu Yanran was aware of it.

    As she sat in front of theputer to sort out all of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s assets, she couldn¡¯t help but chat with Huo Shaoheng, who was reading a book by her side.

    ¡°Huo Shao, do you think Gu Yanran knows about my father¡¯s submarine?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the recliner next to her with a book on his head. He was taking a nap.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father had left behind a lot of things that involved military technology. Gu Nianzhi was the current owner and Huo Shaoheng did not intrude on her personal space. If she didn¡¯t take the initiative, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t interfere.

    Now that Gu Nianzhi had asked for his opinion, Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡±

    Even Huo Shaoheng thought it was hard to discern. Hence, Gu Nianzhi was curious. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°She might not know about it, because this submarine is very high-tech. Maybe your father kept it a secret well. Since Gu Yanran isn¡¯t his biological daughter, it¡¯s possible that he kept it from her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded thoughtfully. ¡°What if she knows?¡±

    ¡°What if she knew about it but kept it a secret from the start...¡± Huo Shaoheng took off the book covering his face and stared sharply at Gu Nianzhi. He said inly, ¡°Then we have to reevaluate Gu Yanran.¡±

    Gu Yanran hadmitted a crime and she could have been executed many times over.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had kept her in custody all this time because his instincts told him that something was wrong.

    It was inexplicable, but he felt that there was something wrong with Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legal battle over the property, as well as her exnation of the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen and his wife.

    He couldn¡¯t confirm that she was lying because they didn¡¯t know the truth. Hence, there was no evidence to prove that she was lying.

    Additionally, people who lied had motives. Gu Yanran had admitted to using her biological father to pretend to be Gu Xiangwen in order to seize and transfer the Gu family¡¯s property to herself. What motive did she have to cover up the true cause of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s death?

    Or did she know that Gu Xiangwen was dead?

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and thought for a moment. She said, ¡°Now that you mention it, I also feel that there is something wrong. To be honest, I thought that it was quite strange when we were battling thewsuit. If she knew that my parents were dead and I was missing, she would have waited seven years to be the sole heir. Wouldn¡¯t she have simply taken over the Gu family¡¯s property that way? Wouldn¡¯t it be adding insult to injury if she made her biological father lie in a hospital bed in a vegetative state for so many years?¡±

    ¡°She subsequently said that it was because you were missing and that she was worried you woulde back topete with her for the assets. Hence, she used the adoption as an excuse to take advantage of her biological father and make him pose as Gu Xiangwen in order to deceive the world and affirm that you were adopted and she was the biological child.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng told Gu Nianzhi what they had extracted from Gu Yanran.

    This exnation was impable.

    However, Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and said, ¡°How on earth did she know that my father had passed away? She once said that he died in the ne crash.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your father¡¯s holographic avatar had exined very clearly that the ne did not crash. Instead, he was kidnapped and forced tond in the waters at the Cape of Good Hope.¡± Huo Shaoheng sat up from the recliner. ¡°From this, do you think Gu Yanran knew the truth and lied, or did she lie without knowing the truth?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused, and her expression gradually darkened, ¡°If she didn¡¯t know the truth, which means that she doesn¡¯t know the whereabouts of my parents, then lying would still reasonable. If she lied after knowing the true cause of my parents¡¯ death... then doesn¡¯t that mean that she has already colluded with the Japanese right wing?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s definitely in collusion.¡± Huo Shaoheng said with certainty. ¡°The question now is how much she¡¯s colluded. Was she the mole who tipped them off about your parents¡¯ death, or was she the aplice?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about her parents¡¯ tragic situation and the rims of her eyes could help but turn red.

    She turned to look at theputer and sniffled.

    Huo Shaoheng handed her a tissue andforted her gently, ¡°... If you want to cry, just cry. Your parents already know that you¡¯ve been a little crybaby since you were a child.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears instantly disappeared.

    She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and said angrily, ¡°Who¡¯s a little crybaby?! Why am I crying so much?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi then thought back to the moment when she arrived at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side seven years ago. She would often scream at the top of her lungs...

    At that time, Huo Shaoheng was only in his twenties. When faced with a chubby 12-year-old crying bag, he must have had a headache, right?

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and red at Huo Shaoheng. She turned to look at herputer screen and tapped her keyboard while mumbling, ¡°Crying before the age of 18 is not considered crying... how can a minor not cry? At least I haven¡¯t cried much since I turned 18.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    She was now four months away from turning 20. Counting from the time she turned 18, it had been less than two years, hadn¡¯t it?

    How ridiculous...

    Huo Shaoheng was nomittal. He stood up and pulled over a stool to sit next to Gu Nianzhi. He watched her search theputer.

    All of the Gu family¡¯s financial information had been digitized and stored on theputer.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s powerfulputer skills had finallye in handy.

    She wrote a few small programs to search for the content she needed in the vast sea ofputer data.

    Huo Shaoheng saw her blushing and quietly changed the topic.

    He looked at the program she had written and said, ¡°What kind of content are you looking for?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips in embarrassment and did not speak.

    Huo Shaoheng propped his head on his hand and leaned against herputer desk. He nced at her. ¡°... still angry? What¡¯s wrong with a little crying bag? I love a little crying bag.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. She didn¡¯t believe him at all. ¡°Huo Shao, doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt when you say things like that?!¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want me to say? That you¡¯re annoying? That I can¡¯t wait to throw you out when I see you cry?¡±

    At that time, he really wanted to throw her out, but a certain little crying bag had been hugging him all this time, making it impossible for him to throw her out... She had been hugging his leg since she was a child.

    Gu Nianzhi mmed the table angrily. ¡°How can you say that? You should say that no matter what I am, no matter if I¡¯m a little crying bag or a littleughing bag, you love me so much that you can¡¯t help It!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he watched her do whatever she wanted. He nodded and said, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and prodded his chest proudly with her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not patronizing you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Then repeat what I said just now.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Huo Shaoheng wanted to y dumb. He couldn¡¯t say something so shameful and childish.

    ¡°I knew you were insincere and still ying dumb.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him disdainfully. ¡°And you said you weren¡¯t patronizing me.¡±

    ¡°I really wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then repeat it again. Just say that no matter who I am, you will always love me to the point of being unable to extricate yourself!¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed her phone at Huo Shaoheng, intending to record a video of him saying this.

    Of course, she had to be careful when leaving voice evidence.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and repeated with a smile, ¡°Okay. No matter who I am, you will always love me to the point of being unable to extricate yourself. Are you satisfied?¡±

    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s more like it!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first reaction was to be overjoyed. She felt refreshed and every pore on her body felt as if she had just gone to a spa. She felt extremelyfortable.

    However, she quickly regained her senses after reying it on her phone.

    Damn it!

    She had been tricked by Huo Shaoheng again!

    ¡°No, no, you¡¯re wrong!¡± Gu Nianzhi chased after him to correct herself. ¡°You should have said no matter who you are, I will always love you to the point of being unable to extricate myself!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly took out his phone and smiled. ¡°I know you love me. You don¡¯t have to make that vow again and again.¡±

    He had also recorded the video and had quickly used an editing software to edit it.

    He turned on the yback on his phone and saw a bright and beautiful girl with big eyes smiling at his phone. ¡°... No matter what you are, I love you so much that I can¡¯t extricate myself!¡±

    She cut him off as if she was confessing to him.

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she wanted to pounce on him and hit him.

    Of course, she was quickly ¡®violently suppressed¡¯ by Huo Shaoheng.

    After themotion, Gu Nianzhi was so tired that shey in his arms and said, ¡°Delete that video.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t delete it.¡± Huo Shaoheng refused. ¡°But I¡¯ll encrypt it and save it. I¡¯m the only one who can open it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to see?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes reddened at the thought. ¡°You¡¯ve never said anything like that to me...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up a tissue and gently wiped her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll say it. Record it.¡±

    Then he picked up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and opened the video recording. ¡°No matter what kind of person Gu Nianzhi is, I love you so much that I can¡¯t help myself.¡±

    This was probably the first time Huo Shaoheng had expressed his love for her. Although his tone was t and didn¡¯t sound like the ¡®Heavenly Thunder that lit up the earth¡¯ that she had envisioned, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to say the word ¡®love¡¯. Furthermore, there were so many words in the phrase ¡®I love you so much that I can¡¯t get out of it¡¯!

 Chapter 1409 - Everything Is Problematic!

    <h4>Chapter 1409: Everything Is Problematic!</h4>

    Happiness came too quickly and too suddenly. Gu Nianzhi almost didn¡¯t react in time.

    She watched Huo Shaoheng stuff the phone back into her hand. Subconsciously, she held it tightly.

    ¡°Are you happy now?¡± Huo Shaoheng stroked her head. ¡°This way, we both have ¡®leverage¡¯ over each other.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and red at Huo Shaoheng. She pressed her phone to her chest and announced with great pride, ¡°This isn¡¯t merely something I own. This is the greatest wealth of my life!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He stared at Gu Nianzhi with a smile. ¡°Then do you want your wealth to double?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

    ¡°Give me your phone.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and reached out his hand to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi put the phone back into his hand and looked at him curiously.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up her phone and tried not tough. ¡°How many times do you want your wealth to increase?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She could even pick a number?

    Gu Nianzhi probed, ¡°Then... double it?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t greedy. It was fine as long as she could double it.

    Speaking of which, did Huo Shao really have a quick way to double her wealth?!

    Then should she take out all the money from her bank ount and give it to Huo Shao?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s imagination ran wild, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Huo Shaoheng nod. He then picked up her phone and pressed a few buttons on the touch screen.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Double it, double it.¡± Huo Shaoheng said as he returned the phone to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°That fast? What kind of illegal methods are you using?¡±

    As she spoke, she looked down at her phone. In the end, she realized that Huo Shaoheng had duplicated the video from before...

    She had been tricked again.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to hit him.

    ¡°This is how you double my wealth?¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a serious expression as she showed Huo Shaoheng the two identical videos on her phone.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded seriously. ¡°You said this is your greatest wealth. If I make a copy of it, it will double your greatest wealth. What¡¯s the problem?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    What¡¯s the problem?

    Everything!

    Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng. She knew that he was teasing her.

    She ignored him and put her phone away. Then, she focused her attention back on her little program on theputer.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and sat side by side with her.

    He put one arm on the back of theputer chair behind Gu Nianzhi and crossed his legs, before calmly watching Gu Nianzhi search for information on theputer.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Huo Shaoheng stared at it for a while.

    The data flew past his eyes and he was dazzled by it.

    Gu Nianzhi did not turn her head as she spoke nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯m looking for information about Cereus I.¡±

    This time, even with the help of the search program, it took her more than ten minutes to uncover some clues rted to ¡®Cereus I¡¯.

    ¡°Huo Shao, it turns out that my father bought a house with a dock in Cape City early in the morning, but Gu Yanran has already sold that house.¡± Gu Nianzhi said regretfully, her fingers dragged the mouse as she searched through the information she had found.

    After the Gu family¡¯s property was categorized and stored in theputer¡¯s database program, the search time had indeed been shortened.

    This time, she was using a regional search and a keyword search.

    Huo Shaoheng nced over.

    One of his arms wrapped around Gu Nianzhi and held her hand that was holding the mouse.

    The two crossed each other and scrolled up and down on the mouse.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly read through all the information and clues about Cereus I that Gu Nianzhi had found.

    Although specialized information was no longer avable, he could still see the details from the clues.

    Huo Shaoheng controlled the mouse and clicked on the prescription that once belonged to Gu Xiangwen. He said, ¡°This location is in the best harbor in Cape City. The houses there are very expensive because the people who can afford to buy the houses there all have yachts and need good docks.¡±

    Owning a bay and a private dock at that location was indeed extraordinary.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, Gu Yanran sold it for cheap. My father bought this ce for close to ten million US dors, but she sold it for three million US dors. Do you think she¡¯s so obsessed with money because she¡¯s short of money?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°There are many people whock money in the five elements, but there aren¡¯t many people like her who are desperate for quick sess and quick profits.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°That makes sense. Also, it turns out that my father discovered that the maic field at the Cape of Good Hope was abnormal early on, so he docked the submarine there to conduct academic research.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the time and immediately remembered the time when the secret Japanese military base was established. His eyes shed. He said, ¡°The secret Japanese military base happened to be established after your father docked the submarine there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°... does this exin why there happened to be a submarine in the Cape of Good Hope?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°You¡¯re good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed his hand away and yed with it in her hand. She said, ¡°So that¡¯s why the Japanese found someone to kidnap the ne and forced it tond there. But why didn¡¯t they fly directly to the secret military base in Japan?¡±

    ¡°ording to our spection, there are many reasons.¡± Huo Shaoheng picked out a few important reasons, ¡°First of all, it¡¯s because the ne wasn¡¯t your parents¡¯ private ne. It was amercial airliner. There were hundreds of people on the ne. If they took it directly to Japan¡¯s secret military base, there would have been a high chance that word would get out. The Japanese government doesn¡¯t want to be enemies with the world, so they wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to take the entire ne back to their base.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood, ¡°So they hired mercenaries to hijack the ne and crashnd it on an ind near the Cape of Good Hope. ¡°But at the same time, to ensure that the n goes smoothly, they also arranged for a mole on the ne, the four spies, to follow closely by my parents¡¯ side.¡±

    Unlike Huo Shaoheng and the others, Gu Xiangwen was not a highly trained secret agent who could see through the disguises of ¡®passers-by¡¯ at a nce.

    The fact that Gu Xiangwen and his wife were unable to see through him had nothing to do with their intelligence.

    Moreover, people with good intentions were the easiest to deceive.

    Huo Shaoheng said thoughtfully, ¡°The Japanese were very thorough in their research on your father. They knew that he had a kind heart, so they chose two elderly people and two teenagers, who were also descendants of Huaxia. Think about it. When the ne was hijacked and someone asked your father for help, and if they were an elderly person and a child who were also fellow countrymen, how could refuse to lend them a hand?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood sank. ¡°If my father wasn¡¯t so kind, would he have escaped?¡±

    ¡°If your father wasn¡¯t so kind, he wouldn¡¯t be Gu Xiangwen.¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slowly and took a deep breath. She held the mouse and looked at the next content.

    She asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°... Huo Shao, based on your professional opinion, shouldn¡¯t there be other staff on that submarine?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±

    This was also a clue that they were investigating. They hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be investigating as well.

    However, this was just a guess that they had made based onmon sense. In fact, they hadn¡¯t found any clues at all.

    Could it be that this type of submarine didn¡¯t need other workers, and could their parents have been able to handle it alone?

    Gu Nianzhi said in confusion, ¡°Also, I didn¡¯t find any clues about the Cereus II.¡±

    Was she really overthinking things? Or was her father killed before he could create Cereus II?

    After thinking about it, the second possibility was more likely.

    Gu Nianzhi closed theputer and pondered silently for a moment. She spoke to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Can you think of a way for me to see Gu Yanran?¡±

    ¡°You want to see her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used the mouse to click on theputer and said seriously, ¡°Now that my father and mother have been found, I¡¯d like to see what she has to say. Also, I still have questions.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡±

    ..

    The next day, Huo Shaoheng had Yin Shixiongplete the paperwork for them and brought Gu Nianzhi directly to see Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran was an important prisoner and was being held in a secret ce of the special operations forces.

    This ce was quite far from the headquarter of special operation forces¡¯ encampment ground, and it would take about two hours to drive there.

    Afteryers of security checks, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng finally arrived at Gu Yanran¡¯s small cell.

    The cell was surrounded by walls on three sides. There were no windows.

    When the door closed, the door and the wall seemed to merge into one.

    It was very depressing.

    Gu Yanran sat on a chair in the middle of the room.

    There was a small conference table in front of her. Gu Nianzhi sat opposite her and looked at her without batting an eyelid.

 Chapter 1410 - Continue Your B*tchy Act

    <h4>Chapter 1410: Continue Your B*tchy Act</h4>

    Gu Yanran was wearing a grey prison uniform and looked very haggard.

    She was originally elegant and graceful. At first nce, she did not look very attractive, but on the second nce, she was a beauty who could keep all eyes on her. Now, her face was turning an unhealthy shade of yellow, her hair was dry, and she had lost a lot of weight. There were deep wrinkles on her face.

    Seeing that she was not doing well, Gu Nianzhi was relieved.

    Gu Yanran was also sizing up Gu Nianzhi.

    She had really grown up a lot. In the past, she still had a little bit of baby fat on her face, but now she had a standard oval face.

    Her ck eyes were big and bright, so dark that they were blue. It was the color of the sea in the dark night. Her eyes shed slightly, and under the light, it was like the stars in the sky had been crushed and scattered on the surface of the sea. It made people want to dive into it.

    She had the same high nose bridge as Gu Xiangwen. Her lips were full and moist, but when she looked at people, she had a very arrogant poise. She was not as gentle and elegant as Gu Xiangwen. Instead, there was a hint of contempt and disdain.

    Gu Yanran leaned forward and said maliciously, ¡°You¡¯re so capable that can still hold on until now. The reason I¡¯m still alive is to see your ending.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no reaction to her curse. She said expressionlessly, ¡°Have you seen the news? My father and mother¡¯s bodies have been found.¡±

    ¡°Found? Haha, no way. Stop lying to me. I¡¯ve already cremated them and thrown their ashes into the sea. Where did you find these imposters?!¡±

    Gu Yanran giggled, as if she didn¡¯t believe Gu Nianzhi at all.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched as she threw the photo of the submarine in front of Gu Yanran, along with the remains of her parents lying in the coffin. ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes widened when she saw the photo of Cereus I¡¯s submarine. She whipped it up and looked at it for a long time.

    She mumbled, ¡°Impossible... impossible... how is this possible?!¡±

    She looked at the lifelike photos of Gu Xiangwen and his wife, and her pupils constricted. She looked up and said in disbelief, ¡°They¡¯ve been dead for seven years. How can their bodies still be preserved so well?! This must be fake!¡±

    ¡°Fake? We¡¯ve tested their DNA, and we are indeed father and daughter. What else do you have to say?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice became lower.

    ¡°Tested the DNA?! Are you sure... ?!¡± Gu Yanran tried her best to remain calm, but her heart was already in turmoil.

    Could it be true?

    But, how could it be?

    Her hands on her legs unknowingly clenched into fists, and her entire body trembled slightly. There was a deep fear in her eyes. ¡°You... you really tested the DNA? Are you really father and daughter?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the change in her expression. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Do you think I¡¯m like you, getting your biological father to impersonate someone else?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, is that beneath you?¡± Gu Yanran looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Since I¡¯ve already done it, won¡¯t you mimic my actions?¡±

    ¡°Why would I want to be followed by what you have done?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t exin it clearly to Gu Yanran. ¡°Since you¡¯re greedy for other people¡¯s property, do you think I¡¯ll be like you?¡±

    This was a ssic case of a person measuring others by the low standards they set for themselves.

    ¡°Because I can¡¯t do it, so you definitely can¡¯t do it¡± and, ¡°Because I did it, so you must have done it too¡±.

    Shepletely ignored the huge differences between people.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s clenched fists loosened and tightened, her nails digging into her flesh. She relied on the physical pain of cutting into her flesh to maintain herposure.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re different from me, but...¡± her eyes flickered. ¡°It is not difficult for Huo Shaoheng to create fake DNA evidence for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her expressionlessly and said coldly, ¡°Wake up. What kind of organization do you think the special operations forces is? ¨C no one can do whatever they like in this kind of organization.¡±

    ¡°Besides, why would he falsify evidence for me? My parents have already passed away, and you¡¯ve squandered more than half of their assets. I¡¯ve donated most of the rest to the state, so why would he falsify evidence for me? What will he want?!¡±

    ¡°If your brain wasn¡¯t a pig¡¯s head, you¡¯d know he didn¡¯t have to do this.¡±

    Gu Yanran shuddered again, her slender eyes widening. ¡°What? You donated most of your assets to the state?! You¡¯re the pig head! If you don¡¯t want them, why are you doing this to me?!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t understand how there were people in this world who could be unmoved by such a huge amount of wealth.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and said patiently, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to use all the patents my parents left for me even in ten lifetimes. I can¡¯t exin it to a greedy person like you. Enough, stop talking about the Gu family¡¯s assets. No matter what I do with them, it has nothing to do with you!¡±

    Gu Yanran leaned back in her chair and looked at Gu Nianzhi in a daze. There was no focus in her eyes.

    She muttered to herself, ¡°... that¡¯s the look in your eyes... you¡¯ve been looking at me like that since I was a child. Sympathize me? Pity me? Do you think I¡¯m a beggar?! Look at yourself!¡±

    ¡°... You¡¯re fat, ugly, and bad-tempered. If you didn¡¯t have a good father, who would want to look at you?! To have to grow up with you, I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Huh? Now you admit that I am father¡¯s daughter? Didn¡¯t you say we were faking it?¡±

    Gu Yanran came back to her senses and rested her head on one hand as she leaned against the conference table. She said with a fake smile, ¡°Whatever you say. Anyway, you¡¯re lucky to have hooked up with major general Huo. Is major general Huo treating you well? If you want to go east, does he dare not go West? If you want the sun in the sky, does he dare not pluck the moon for you? ¡ª you have everything, so why are you making things difficult for a poor person like me who has nothing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and did not deny it. Instead, she said shamelessly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Major general Huo is always so good to me. If you can¡¯t ept it, hang yourself.¡±

    The smile on Gu Yanran¡¯s face froze.

    She had not expected Gu Nianzhi to be so thick-skinned. She was obviously being sarcastic, okay?!

    Major general Huo was a man of steel and iron. How could he be so good to a woman?!

    She had witnessed with her own eyes how Gu Nianzhi had risked her life to save Huo Shaoheng and hisrades in the Caribbean Sea¡¯s Blue Hole. In the end, Huo Shaoheng had gone to take care of hisrades without even looking at her...

    Gu Yanran stopped smiling and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re really not denying what I¡¯m saying huh? Don¡¯t you even have any f*cking idea how major general Huo regards you?¡±

    p!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but p Gu Yanran. ¡°Watch your mouth! If I hear your filthy words again, I¡¯ll beat you until your teeth are all over the floor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s p was indeed powerful. Gu Yanran¡¯s head was tilted to one side, and blood was flowing from the side of her mouth.

    Her brain buzzed. After a while, she rubbed her face that had a red handprint from the p and said darkly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you hit me for no reason. Do you think I¡¯m going to sue you, or sue you?¡±

    ¡°Wrong. I didn¡¯t hit you for no reason. I hit you on purpose.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands and said casually, ¡°You deserved to be beaten.¡±

    Gu Yanran was about to shout, ¡°Thewyer is hitting me!¡± when the lights in the small room they were in suddenly went out.

    The room was pitch ck for a moment.

    Gu Nianzhi reacted and immediately pounced on Gu Yanran and pulled her down from the chair. She twisted her hands behind her back with one hand and pressed one leg against her back, pinning her to the ground. She whispered into her ear, ¡°Did you see that? ept your current status and identity and speak properly. Otherwise, the light in front of you may nevere back on.¡±

    Gu Yanran finally regained her senses and let out a deep breath.

    She knew that she could not go against Gu Nianzhi. This woman had too strong a backing. ¡°Let go of me. I won¡¯t say stuff like that again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted the back of her head. ¡°Remember this. I¡¯ll give you onest chance. If you have anything to say, you¡¯d better say it today. If you don¡¯t say it today, I won¡¯t listen to you in the future even if you decide to tell me then.¡±

    She let go of Gu Yanran and returned to her seat. She coughed and said, ¡°Is it a power failure? Why is there no light in the room?¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, the lights in the house shed a few times and then returned to normal.

    Gu Yanran slowly got up from the ground and sat back in her chair. She was no longer as arrogant as before.

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands and asked further, ¡°My father¡¯s submarine was sunk by the Japanese. Did you tell the Japanese where my father was?!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! What does it have to do with me?!¡± Gu Yanran expressionlessly rubbed her wrist, which had been pinned behind her back by Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Xiangwen had been targeted for a long time. Who was I to know his location? Neither side will tell me such an important thing!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up and rested her hands on the conference table in front of her. She leaned forward slightly, full of pressure. ¡°You knew which side was looking for him, so why didn¡¯t you tell my father?!¡±

    Gu Yanran was stunned for a moment, but quickly came back to her senses and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know which side was looking for him. You just said it yourself. The Japanese... Haha, did you forget? I¡¯m also Japanese.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still trying to deny it.¡± Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Say it again. How did you get the news to go to that ind?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked away nonchntly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember. But you always say it differently,¡± Gu Nianzhi said word by word. ¡°Do you want me to repeat it?¡±

    Gu Yanran smiled. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t remember. After all, it¡¯s been so long. It¡¯s normal for me to remember things differently.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knocked on the table coldly. ¡°Listen carefully.¡±

    ¡°The first time, you said that father had a smallmunicator that could constantly send out signals. The battery life was very long. Even though themunicator was badly damaged, it could still send out signals. You used the signal from themunicator to determine father¡¯s location. Unfortunately, you were toote.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ¡°You were still sobbing when you said that if you had found them earlier, mother might have been saved.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused, her eyes reddening. She quickly looked up and continued, ¡°You went on to say that mother was seriously injured. There was nothing on the deserted ind, and she died just like that. Once mother passed away, father also copsed. When you found them, father was hugging mother¡¯s corpse tightly. You thought... that both of them had died. But you didn¡¯t give up. You asked the Doctor to check. In the end, he found that father was still alive, but he was in a vegetative state. However, mother passed away an hour before you found them.¡±

    Gu Yanran replied, ¡°...¡±

    She didn¡¯t expect that this girl would remember so clearly what she had casually said a year ago.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Gu Yanran, ¡°You also said that when you finally saw them and found out that father was still alive, you were so happy that you fainted. When you woke up, father had already been moved to the helicopter, and mother was buried on the spot. ¨C right? Liar?! Are you going to continue your b*tchy act?!¡±

 Chapter 1411 - Temptation of Chance

    <h4>Chapter 1411: Temptation of Chance</h4>

    Gu Yanran listened to Gu Nianzhi repeat what she had saidst year,pletely unmoved.

    After a while, she shrugged and said indifferently, ¡°From the moment you knew that the vegetable wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen, you should have known that it was just a story. ¨C Why are you taking it so seriously?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking it too seriously?! You used my parents¡¯ lives to make up a story; why do you think I¡¯m taking it so seriously?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was so furious she couldn¡¯t help but lean over, really wanting to p Gu Yanran again.

    Just then, the door behind her creaked open and Huo Shaoheng walked in.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡± He walked over quickly and pulled her back in time. He frowned and said, ¡°Ask nicely. What¡¯s with you hitting people so often?¡±

    She was already going to be the chief legal advisor of the upper house of the senate, yet here she was, still like a small firecracker ready to explode at the slightest touch.

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to show up.

    Gu Yanran saw that Huo Shaoheng had stopped Gu Nianzhi from hitting her, and her heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled Gu Nianzhi to sit down on the chair. He stood behind her with his hands behind his back and looked at Gu Yanran quietly and said, ¡°Last time you said you received a message from Gu Xiangwen who asked you to look for him there so you went. But from what we know now, it¡¯s impossible for Gu Xiangwen to have sent you a message, so where did you get the information about where the ne was forced tond?¡±

    Gu Yanran ran her hands through her hair and pouted at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Didn¡¯t she just say that Gu Xiangwen has a smallmunicator that can send out signals continuously and had a very long battery life? I was able to determine Gu Xiangwen¡¯s location based on the signal sent by thatmunicator.¡±

    ¡°So my dad didn¡¯t send you a message of his own ord?¡± Gu Nianzhi followed up with another question. ¡°What did that smallmunicator look like? What instrument did you use to receive the signal?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s mind spun rapidly for a moment, and she stammered, ¡°Actually, it was... just a cell phone...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve checked your cell phone. In the past two years, there hasn¡¯t been any signal from the Cape of Good Hope.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took two steps forward, looking down at her with an imposing manner. ¡°Who else informed you? Why did they inform you? What exactly did you do when you went to the inds in the Cape of Good Hope?¡±

    He was indeed the boss of the special operations forces. He was like a professional interrogator.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s three simple sentences had almost crushed Gu Yanran¡¯s psychological defenses.

    Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter whether you tell me or not,¡± Gu Nianzhi followed up with a bluff, ¡°We¡¯ve already found the staff on the Cereus I submarine. They¡¯ve agreed to testify against you and say that you directly caused the death of my parents. You can just wait for your death sentence!¡±

    These wordspletely infuriated Gu Yanran.

    She looked up abruptly, clenched her fists, and said sternly, ¡°Shut up! Where did the staffe from?! Did you see ghosts?!¡±

    ¡°See ghosts?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts raced. She stood up and said coldly, ¡°Are they already dead? ¡ª Gu Yanran, you¡¯re so callous!¡±

    Gu Yanran rolled her eyes. ¡°Since when did I ever say that they were already dead? There were originally no people, but you have to insist that they are dead. Your imagination is unbelievable!¡±

    ¡°Really? How could there be no other crew on such arge submarine?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very suspicious.

    Gu Yanran looked at her with amusement and said deliberately, ¡°Have you given yourself away? Aren¡¯t You Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter? Howe you don¡¯t know about the submarine he specially built?¡±

    ¡°Huh huh, I left my father when I was 12, and I don¡¯t remember anything before I was 12. Do you think I would know? How does this have anything to do with whether I¡¯m his biological daughter or not? You¡¯re so illogical, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and spread her hands. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say if you know so much? You aren¡¯t saying a single word, and all you know is how to scare people. Do you really think I¡¯m scared?¡±

    When Gu Yanran heard Gu Nianzhi say ¡°I left my father when I was 12¡±, she obviously shrank back and looked away, not daring to look her in the eye.

    Huo Shaoheng chimed in with Gu Nianzhi and said lightly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to waste your breath on her. Anyway, the submarine is already with us. Go check the records of theputer operating system on the submarine and you¡¯ll know what happened seven years ago.¡±

    ¡°As for you, Gu Yanran, you missed the chance to confess and attain leniency. Don¡¯t regret it in the future.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice turned cold. His handsome face wasyered with coldness. Like a sharp knife unsheathed, it pierced into Gu Yanran¡¯s heart that was still trying for luck.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s heart sank.

    Wasn¡¯t the submarine damaged? How could theputer system be fine?

    Was Huo Shaoheng trying to trick her?

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng carefully, but she couldn¡¯t tell anything from his ice-cold handsome face.

    She could only tell that he was very dissatisfied and was getting impatient...

    Gu Nianzhi understood and walked over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. She held his arm and pouted. She deliberately said loudly, ¡°Forget it then. I wanted to give her another chance, but she didn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her. It seems that she really was an aplice in the murder of my parents. Let¡¯s go. I won¡¯te to this lousy ce ever again. The air smells so bad.¡±

    The two of them turned around and walked towards the door.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes sparkled as she watched them walk forward. Just as they were about to reach the door, Gu Yanran finally couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of the ¡°chance¡±. She raised her voice and said, ¡°Will you let me out if I tell you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks, but she didn¡¯t look back. She said calmly, ¡°You want to say now? It¡¯s toote. You can keep your secret for New Year¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯re still eight more months before the New Year. You¡¯re going to stuff her to death.¡± Huo Shaoheng teased her calmly and lovingly held Gu Nianzhi in his arms.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes were red from watching.

    Her breathing became unstable.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s best if she is stuffed to death. Then we won¡¯t have to dirty our hands.¡±

    Gu Yanran listened to their words and said fearfully, ¡°You were the ones who said that I¡¯ll be offered leniency if I confessed! Doesn¡¯t that count?¡±

    She had always been relying on the asymmetry of information.

    This was because she knew some things that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng definitely did not know.

    But now that the two of them were acting like they didn¡¯t care about what she knew, Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t be arrogant anymore.

    If they didn¡¯t want anything, they would be really strong.

    If they didn¡¯t want anything from her, she really couldn¡¯t do anything about her situation.

    Gu Nianzhi finally turned around to look at her. She frowned and said, ¡°I told you to say it just now, but you didn¡¯t want to say a single word and kept trying to raise the bar.¡±

    ¡°Now that we don¡¯t want to listen to your old stories anymore, you¡¯re begging to tell us. No one will believe us if we say that you aren¡¯t stupid.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face turned red from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She endured it and said, ¡°You don¡¯t allow me to scold people, but you can scold people yourself?!¡±

    ¡°What did I say to scold you?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked back and stood in front of her. ¡°You mean that you are stupid? But you are stupid!¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s lips twitched and she rationally decided not to bicker with Gu Nianzhi anymore. She wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat her even if she reincarnated ten more times.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng and quickly said, ¡°I really went there because I received the signal. At that time...¡±

    She pointed at Gu Nianzhi and blinked quickly and said, ¡°At that time, the twelve-year-old her also saw the signal. She knew that something had happened to Gu Xiangwen and his wife, so she insisted on sailing to the Cape of Good Hope to save them. I was one step too slow. By the time I chased after them, her ship had already disappeared into the vast sea.¡±

    ¡°I was in a hurry to meet up with Gu Xiangwen and the others, so I only sent a few sailors to the sea to look for them. I brought a team of doctors to the Cape of Good Hope. But unfortunately, I didn¡¯t find them and found that they had been sunk. When I came back, I found that she... had also disappeared.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes sparkled even more fiercely, ¡°Gu Xiangwen and his wife died in the Antic Ocean, and Gu Nianzhi... she was also missing. Tell me, how could I be calm when I was faced with such arge fortune? Besides, without them, I would be the first in line to inherit all of that. If it were you, wouldn¡¯t you have done the same?¡±

    ¡°After all the talking, you were the one who received Gu Xiangwen¡¯s signal,¡± Huo Shaoheng mercilessly exposed her lie. ¡°But you can¡¯t prove that you received the signal. How are we supposed to believe your story?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Gu Yanran, you should just admit that it was the Japanese who informed you. It¡¯s more convenient for everyone. Seeing you racking your brain toe up with some nonsensical story, even I¡¯m exhausted for you.¡±

    ¡°There really is amunicator! It¡¯s a quantummunicator,¡± Gu Yanran saw that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng did not believe her, so she had no choice but to throw out her trump card.

    ¡°A quantummunicator?!¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought of the quantummunicator that she had confiscated from the safe at the ¡°Angel in the World¡± headquarters, and she could not help but ask, ¡°... is it the quantummunicator that you ¡®gave¡¯ to the ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ Foundation?¡±

 Chapter 1412 - Taking Over Possessions

    <h4>Chapter 1412: Taking Over Possessions</h4>

    Gu Yanran was bbergasted. Her hand was clenched into a fist, and she could not hide her surprise. ¡°How do you know about the quantummunicator? You even know where it is...¡±

    ¡°is it at the ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ Foundation?¡± Gu Nianzhi interrupted Gu Yanran and continued, ¡°Huh huh, you¡¯ve really been in prison for a long time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and said calmly, ¡°You can¡¯t go online here. Other than reading the newspaper and watching TV for an hour every day, there is no other opportunity to interact with the outside world.¡±

    ¡°No wonder.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nerves calmed down a little.

    She looked at Gu Yanran, and said word by word, ¡°You probably don¡¯t know that I¡¯m fighting awsuit against the ¡®Angel in the World¡¯ Foundation in Japan to recover your illegal gifts. I just won thewsuit, and their foundation went bankrupt. I¡¯m taking over everything.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Gu Yanran screamed and stood up with her hands on the table. ¡°You want to reim even the things you donated to a charity?! Gu Nianzhi, do you have to be so ruthless?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Ruthless?¡± Gu Nianzhi sneered and turned her head, ¡°A foundation like ¡®Angel in the world¡¯ that does all kinds of heinous things under the guise of a charity; if I put even a penny more there, I¡¯ll be aiding the wicked! ¡°Gu Yanran, oh, no, Naoko Kasahara, don¡¯t worry about how I will spend my money.¡±

    Gu Yanran finally realized that she had indeed suffered a crushing defeat. Not only had the Gu family¡¯s remaining assets been taken by the woman in front of her, but she had also recovered all the assets that she had transferred out.

    Was there anything in this world that she could not do?

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face was pale. She sat down dejectedly, her face deadpan. She looked even more dispirited than when Gu Nianzhi had beaten her up in the dark.

    Huo Shaoheng motioned for Gu Nianzhi to keep quiet.

    They waited quietly for a few minutes until Gu Yanran¡¯s psychological defense was on the verge of breaking down. Only then did Gu Nianzhi ask again, ¡°How did you receive the information from the quantummunicator? How many quantummunicators do you have at home?¡±

    Gu Yanran pursed her lips and rolled her eyes dully. She said, ¡°... There¡¯s only one. I received information with my cell phone. That thing is already in your hands, haven¡¯t you used it before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°That quantummunicator is broken. It can¡¯t be used at all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still broken?¡± Gu Yanran was startled. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. Haven¡¯t they fixed it yet?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®still¡¯? Did It break long ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Gu Yanran lowered her head, a trace of panic and ruthlessness shing through her eyes.

    She stammered, ¡°... it¡¯s... It¡¯s just that after receiving the news about Gu Xiangwen seven years ago, it somehow broke down. I gave it to the foundation hoping that they could find a craftsman to fix it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her forehead speechlessly. After a while, she said, ¡°Do you think a quantummunicator is a clock? Finding a skilled craftsman to fix it... why didn¡¯t you say that you would find a Luban to build an aircraft carrier out of wood? Do you think ordinary skilled craftsmen would know what a quantummunicator is?¡±

    Gu Yanran bit her lip and kept her head down. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anyway, they have many capable people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled.

    Those people were clearly stealing and snatching other people¡¯s things, and somehow just like that, they had ¡°many capable people¡¯.

    Indeed, there were a lot of ¡°capable people¡± who were thick-skinned and ruthless.

    Huo Shaoheng could see that Gu Yanran was still not speaking the truth. He remained calm and changed the topic. ¡°What about the staff on the submarine? Why didn¡¯t I see any of them?¡±

    This was an easy question to answer.

    Gu Yanran secretly sighed, and quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have that submarine? If you go up to take a look, you will know that the design of the submarine is very advanced and sophisticated. Back then, my father... back then, Gu Xiangwen had designed a highly automated submarine control system. This way, only two people were needed to operate the entire submarine, so there were no other crew members.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts involuntarily drifted to the holographic virtual human figure, and she somewhat understood.

    Gu Yanran actually did not know much about submarines andputers.

    What she said was only to recount Gu Xiangwen¡¯s original intention in designing submarines.

    But Gu Nianzhi was different; her skills inputers were very high.

    She immediately understood Gu Xiangwen¡¯s design concept.

    The so-called ¡°Highly automated submarine control system¡± was actually mainly based on AI, or artificial intelligence.

    The operating system on the submarine should be operated by artificial intelligence ording to established procedures.

    In other words, there were never other workers on the submarine. There were only Gu Xiangwen and his wife.

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief.

    She really did not want anyone else to die because of the Gu family.

    ¡°Do you believe me now? Can you let me out already?¡±

    Gu Yanran told them everything she could. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expressions were rxed, she quickly asked, ¡°Your assets have been recovered, and I haven¡¯t done anything outrageous. I didn¡¯t know what the foundation was like, I was just doing charity work. Besides, I¡¯m not a citizen of Huaxia to begin with. It¡¯s against internationalw for you to keep me here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Gu Yanran, I advise you to keep your mouth shut if you don¡¯t know what you are talking about. Do you know what internationalw is? For a despicable person like you who has stolen others¡¯ property, what right do you have to invoke internationalw? You really don¡¯t know your ce.¡±

    Gu Yanran felt as if someone had smashed her face violently with a hammer.

    Her expression changed abruptly, and she giggled. She pointed at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Take over someone else¡¯s property? Hahahaha, that¡¯s a good point! I¡¯d like to see how you end up! Just jump! The higher you climb, the harder you fall!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be bothered with her curses. She ran her fingers through her hair impatiently and said, ¡°Okay, wait until we¡¯re gone before you cast a curse on me. I¡¯d like to ask the third question now...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t want to say anything else. If you still want to force me, then I¡¯ll have to continue making up stories.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood next to Gu Nianzhi without saying a word. He didn¡¯t seem to care about her at all like he did a moment ago, and didn¡¯t mention anything about letting her go.

    Gu Yanran finally understood that she had been yed by Huo Shaoheng. She was angry and anxious, and she leaned back in her chair like she had nothing to lose, ignoring Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi asked another question from another angle, but Gu Yanran simply closed her eyes.

    The corners of her mouth curved into a disdainful sneer, which made Gu Nianzhi want to hit her.

    There would be no result if she continued to ask.

    Huo Shaoheng coughed lightly.

    He actually had the means to force Gu Yanran to continue speaking, but just like Gu Yanran said, if she made up a story, would they believe it or not?

    Because it was different from other situations, the things that Gu Yanran said about Gu Xiangwen were almost only known to her, and many of them could either not be verified or were very troublesome to do so.

    So he had been baiting Gu Yanran with a carrot of ¡°leniency by confession¡±, hoping that one day she would not be able to resist and confess everything.

    Unless it was absolutely necessary, he would not let Gu Yanran experience what it meant to ¡°live a life worse than death¡±...

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. You don¡¯t have to bother with people like her. Don¡¯te to ces like this anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go back then.¡±

    The two of them walked out of Gu Yanran¡¯s sight, hand in hand.

    Gu Yanran looked up just in time to see the back view of the couple in front of her. She was jealous and envious, and her nose ached. She threw herself on the conference table and started sobbing.

    She had lost everything. She had nothing left ...

    She had everything and had wealth that could rival a country. Not only was she revered in Barbados, but she was also a distinguished guest of many upper-ss families in Europe and the United States...

    But now?

    She was ovee with grief and cried her heart out.

    After crying hard for a while, her tears were almost dry.

    She looked up from the conference table. She had no more tears, and instead a sinister smile hung on her lips.

    Even though she had nothing left, some people shouldn¡¯t becent too soon!

    At that moment, the door to the room was pushed open again. A female prison guard said to her, ¡°Number 38, back to your cell.¡±

    Gu Yanran stood up, a trace of forbearance and hatred shing in her eyes.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng back to his official residence from the secret base where Gu Yanran was being held. She was feeling a little down.

    She had not been able to get the answers she wanted, and Gu Yanran had ruined her mood.

    She returned to her room andy on the sofa, sulking. She was lost in her thoughts as she looked out of the French window.

    It was early summer, and there was a huge Royal poinciana that was like a giant tea-red umbre outside the window.

    She tilted her head and looked at it for a while. She saw that there seemed to be a small bird¡¯s nest near the top of the tree. She got up from the sofa, went to the window, opened the French window, and walked out.

    There was a small balcony outside her room.

    The colorful Royal poinciana extended its branches and covered half of the balcony.

    Gu Nianzhi caressed the Royal poinciana¡¯s dazzling flowers and looked at the thick canopy that looked like a red cloud. Her eyes shed.

    The Royal poinciana was probably a tree that grew in the tropics. The Phoenix Tree in the imperial capital was already an enhanced species.

    Her heart seemed to be slightly lifted by a palm as she looked at the Phoenix Tree. She couldn¡¯t help but climb up the balcony railing and up the tree branch.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng was in his study dealing with business for a while before he came out for lunch.

    Although he was on vacation, it was impossible for someone in his position topletely ignore his work for 30 days.

    Therefore, whenever he was free, he would check his email.

    He pushed open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door but saw that the room was empty. The French windows were opened, and the muslin curtains hung to the side. The wind blew gently, and the white muslin swayed gently in the wind.

    There was a thin nket lying haphazardly on the sofa as if someone had been sleeping there just now.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

    He felt an inexplicable nervousness in his heart.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± he called out, but no one answered him.

    He quickly walked around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    The bedroom, bathroom, study, and even her storage room and cloakroom had all been checked, but there was no sign of her.

    Even though he knew that nothing would happen to Gu Nianzhi at the headquarters of Special operations forces, Huo Shaoheng still frowned.

    He remembered the half-open floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and hurried out of the bedroom into the living room. He walked past the floor-to-ceiling windows and stood on the balcony. He called out again, ¡°... Nianzhi?¡±

    A chuckle came from the center of the mboyant Royal poinciana.

    Huo Shaoheng took a closer look. It turned out that Gu Nianzhi was sitting in the middle of the Royal poinciana with her hands on her knees, dressed in white. She was looking at him with a yful smile.

 Chapter 1413 - Guarding the Magpieâ€™s Nest

    <h4>Chapter 1413: Guarding the Magpie¡¯s Nest</h4>

    In the fiery red royal poinciana, a fairy-like girl dressed in white was smiling lightly, her eyes filled with affection.

    The afternoon sun in June was scorching hot, but it was nothingpared to this scene that made Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart crave something so much, and his pulse quicken.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a few beats.

    He narrowed his dark eyes and smiled, ¡°What are you doing sitting here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and pointed to a bird¡¯s nest diagonally above them. ¡°I¡¯m protecting this bird¡¯s nest from the dove.¡±

    Doves taking over a magpie¡¯s nest?

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°This bird¡¯s nest is a magpie¡¯s nest?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are two little magpies. They¡¯ve lived here for a long time. Don¡¯t you know?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her chin at him. ¡°Come and take a look if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng supported himself with one hand on the railing of the balcony and jumped onto the royal poinciana,nding right next to Gu Nianzhi.

    The thick royal poinciana was hard and sturdy, so it could bear the weight of two people easily.

    The two of them stood up.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the bird¡¯s nest.

    Gu Nianzhi stood next to him, her arms around his waist. She rubbed her head against his chest and said, ¡°I like this ce so much. It¡¯s cool and the air is fresh. I n to stay here and y forever.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head helplessly, ¡°You mean stay in the tree?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so fun here. I¡¯ve been sitting here alone for more than an hour and I¡¯m not tired of it,¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she took out her phone and waved it around. ¡°I have a phone, so I¡¯m not alone anywhere.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°You can y with your phone anywhere; why do you have to y it in the tree?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big, bright eyes twinkled as she said in all seriousness, ¡°Because the signal is strong in the tree.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng responded, ¡°...¡±

    It sounded so reasonable that he was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Huo Shaoheng hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s y after lunch and a nap.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was indeed a little hungry. She nodded, ¡°Okay, what are we eating today?¡±

    She and Huo Shaoheng jumped back down to the balcony from the tree. They went to the bathroom to wash their hands and change their clothes before going down to eat.

    Before she came down, Huo Shaoheng called Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Young Master Huo, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was on vacation. The two deputy chiefs-in-charge of the special operations forces were Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze.

    These two people were also his personal secretaries.

    Huo Shaoheng wore a Bluetooth headset as he stood at the entrance of the official residence. He looked at the huge royal poinciana in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s window and estimated the size of the branch Gu Nianzhi had been standing on, he said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Prepare some wood for me, as well as glue, nails, and heat instion.¡±

    Yin Shixiong said, ¡°...¡±

    Are they building a house?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°I¡¯m building a tree house for Nianzhi. Yes, it¡¯s on the royal poinciana outside her room.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief! I¡¯ll go prepare the materials right away!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng added, ¡°Nianzhi will be taking a nap for two to three hours after lunch. Let¡¯s work together. Three hours should be enough to build a tree house.¡±

    He had visualized the tree house to be small, about four square meters. It just needed to berge enough for her to sit and lie in.

    ...

    In the office building of the headquarters of the special operations forces, Yin Shixiong put down the phone and could not help but grin for a long time.

    Zhao Liangze sat in front of theputer and studied theputer system on Gu Xiangwen¡¯s submarine. He looked up and saw Yin Shixiong saunter up to hisputer desk. He rolled his eyes at him, ¡°Big Xiong, we haven¡¯t seen each other for only a few months; how are you getting more retarded?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one getting more and more retarded!¡± Yin Shixiong rested his hands on his desk and said as if he was in a dream. ¡°Little Ze, Young Master Huo just called me. Do you know what he wants me to do?¡±

    ¡°What can you do?¡± Zhao Liangze snickered and picked up his ss of water to drink and said, ¡°Be a ve? Or sell your body?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s the ve and prostitute!¡± Yin Shixiong smacked Zhao Liangze on the head and said, ¡°Young Master Huo wants me to find wood, glue, nails, and instion. He wants to build Nianzhi a tree house!¡±

    Pfft!

    Zhao Liangze spat all the water on the screen.

    ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    ¡°I said, Young Master Huo wants to build Nianzhi a treehouse! Tsk tsk, he¡¯s really spoiling her like his daughter...¡± Yin Shixiong walked around the office with his hands behind his back and said with a frown, ¡°Young Master Huo has set the bar too high, how are we supposed to live?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at him and said, ¡°You can be like me. If you don¡¯t find a girlfriend, you won¡¯t have any pressure.¡±

    ¡°Ptui! I¡¯m already engaged, and I¡¯ll be the groom getting married next year. I won¡¯t stoop to your level!¡± Yin Shixiong turned and sat on Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer desk, his long legs propped up on the ground. He said, ¡°But then again, Young Master Huo is so much more devoted to Nianzhi now. I thought I would never be able to witness for this day in my life...¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Zhao Liangze rolled his eyes in disdain. ¡°You only found out today? Have you forgotten what he did on the 35th day of mourning for Mr. Gu and his wife?¡±

    Yin Shixiong suddenly remembered. He patted his head andughed. ¡°I really am a pig¡¯s head! I was even the one who arranged those things!¡±

    He counted with his fingers. ¡°First, talk to the newspaper office and have them post the article on the 35th day of mourning for Mr. Gu and his wife. Then, inform some schools and social groups in advance and have them visit the graves of Mr. Gu and his wife at the National Cemetery of Martyrs on that day so that Nianzhi can see it with her own eyes. Such painstaking effort!¡±

    How could there be so many coincidences? It had all been nned for a long time.

    Zhao Liangze looked at theputer screen and smiled. ¡°Yes, as long as it makes her happy, all the effort is well worth it. If... I would do the same.¡±

    It was just that he didn¡¯t understand it at the time.

    Yin Shixiong rubbed his hands. ¡°We¡¯re going to build a tree houseter. Do you want toe with us? Let¡¯s learn a thing or two. We¡¯ll be able to build a tree house easily next time for my son and daughter.¡±

    Zhao Liangze snickered, ¡°Does Qiqi know that you¡¯re in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, of course she knows,¡± Yin Shixiong beamed at the mention of Ma Qiqi. ¡°Let¡¯s go. After we finish building the treehouse, I can bring Qiqi over to y with Nianzhi.¡±

    The two of them tidied up their office, locked the door, and went to look for materials for Huo Shaoheng.

    Half an hourter, they arrived at the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence with the wood, glue, nails, and heat instion that Huo Shaoheng had ordered.

    They put the things outside and walked in.

    Gu Nianzhi had already finished her lunch and went to take a nap.

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to build a tree house for her while she was sleeping, so he found an excuse to have her sleep in his suite.

    Their suite was directly opposite, so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hear them when they were building the house on the royal poinciana.

    ¡°Young Master Huo, we¡¯ve got everything.¡±

    Yin Shixiong said excitedly, ¡°Are we going now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Are the things outside? Let¡¯s do it now.¡±

    The three of them changed into a one-piece engineer¡¯s uniform, wore gloves, and carried tools as they walked to the royal poinciana under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    Zhao Liangze had someone bring adder over and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go up and measure the exact size. Then let¡¯s build the thing on the ground and install it onto the tree when we have finished building it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong stood up the wood and instion board and started to assemble the treehouse.

    Yin Shixiong had bought the specialized materials from the armaments department. Not only was it heat-resistant, but it was also fireproof and waterproof. It was strong and durable.

    The size was also just right.

    Just like building blocks, the three of them worked for nearly two hours before they finally finished building a simple and elegant treehouse.

    Yin Shixiong took a pulley and passed through the branches of the royal poinciana. He then hung the roof of the treehouse. Zhao Liangze exerted force on the other side of the pulley and hung the entire log-colored treehouse up.

    When the treehouse was ced between the palm-shaped space in the middle of the royal poinciana, the size was really just right. It was ced right at its center of mass, perfectly bnced.

    However, in order to strengthen the treehouse, Huo Shaoheng had nailed many wooden strips between the branches to firmly fix the entire treehouse in the gaps between the branches.

    He used movable panels on the roof of the treehouse.

    When the weather was good, he could push the two panels on the roof to both sides. Through the tempered ss installed, he could clearly see the fiery red flowers above his head and the blue sky between the gaps in the flowers and leaves.

    There was also a ropedder hanging down in front of the tree house.

    If she did not want to walk from the balcony, she could also go down the ropedder directly.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi happened to fall into a deep sleep this afternoon.

    When she woke up, it was almost four in the afternoon.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite bedroom had thick curtains. The soundproofing was very good, and the central air conditioning was just perfect. She slept soundly as soon as shey down.

    Now that she was awake, she looked at her watch and realized that she had slept long enough.

    She lifted the nket and got up to return to her room.

    As soon as she entered, she found that the French windows were wide open, and sunlight shone in through the windows. The room was warmer than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    She walked over to close the French windows.

    At that moment, the royal poinciana that she was familiar with outside the balcony suddenly looked a little different.

    She could not tell what was different, so on a whim, she walked out of the French window.

    Standing on the patio, she saw the branches of the Royal poinciana. In the morning, where she was looking at the bird¡¯s nest and ying with her phone, there was a small log-colored house ¨C a tree house that seemed toe straight out from a fairy-tale!

 Chapter 1414 - She Fell Down, Have to XXXX to Get up

    <h4>Chapter 1414: She Fell Down, Have to XXXX to Get up</h4>

    It was actually a treehouse!

    Huo Shao must have prepared it for her!

    Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised.

    She immediately turned around and rushed back to her room. She picked up her phone and dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    ¡°Huo Shao?! Where are you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the dining room downstairs, drinking tea. There was aptop in front of him and he was checking his email.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had just departed. They packed their things and had agreed toe for dinner tonight. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s treat to thank them for helping out today.

    The grass under the phoenix tree was clean and it wasn¡¯t as messy as before.

    Upon hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ringtone, he picked up his phone and answered the call.

    ¡°I¡¯m downstairs. You¡¯re awake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly and said happily, ¡°I saw the treehouse! Did you do this for me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt like joking. He held his phone and said seriously, ¡°... it wasn¡¯t me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°It grew on its own.¡± Huo Shaoheng said indifferently.

    Gu Nianzhi almost fainted from his teasing. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying!¡±

    Of course, when girls said ¡®You¡¯re so annoying¡¯, they didn¡¯t mean what they said.

    If they really hated you, they wouldn¡¯t have said it. They would have avoided you and wished they never knew you. That was the correct way to express it.

    Huo Shaohengughed twice, hung up the phone, and continued with his work.

    Gu Nianzhi stretched out her arms happily and circled the room a few times. Then, she started moving things around like a busy bee.

    There was nothing in the treehouse and it still needed to be decorated.

    She picked out a yoga mat that was roughly the same size as the closet. Then, she spread it on the bottom. Following which, she spread a thick, small quilt over it.

    She found a dark blue navy-style bedsheet and arge pillow, paired with a pillowcase of the same color. Then, she ced them all in the treehouse.

    The roof of the treehouse was triangr, and in the middle of it hung a simple sr LED bulb.

    When it was lit up, themp was like an inverted magnolia bud, sprinkling silver light all over the room.

    A small round-topped mosquito hung in the treehouse, enveloping the entire space within the treehouse.

    Gu Nianzhi moved another foldingzy table into the treehouse.

    This way, she could move herptop over rest it on top.

    Either that or she could invite her best friend over and have afternoon tea using the table.

    There was a cableway between the treehouse and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s terrace.

    Walking on the cableway was very exciting. It was like being blown by the mountain breeze while hiking up.

    Gu Nianzhi walked along the cableway many times. She finally finished setting up the entire treehouse when it was dark.

    She stood on the front step of the treehouse and nced at the two little magpies that had just returned to their nest above her head. She smiled and bowed. ¡°We¡¯ll be neighbors from now on. Please take care of us.¡±

    The little magpies seemed to know that she wouldn¡¯t hurt them. Either that or that they were already used to having people here. Hence, their first reaction wasn¡¯t to spread their wings and fly away immediately.

    They merely poked their heads out of their nests and stared at her curiously for a few seconds before retreating.

    Satisfied, Gu Nianzhi went back into the treehouse and sat in front of the door. Her long fair legs swayed in the air, and she was in such a good mood that she felt like whistling.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng stared at hisputer till the sky turned dark.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze came over to his ce for dinner after work. They asked casually, ¡°Huo Shao, where¡¯s Nianzhi? Is she still sleeping?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch. It was already dinner time.

    It was almost dinner time, but Gu Nianzhi had yet toe down.

    He spoke to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Nianzhi is still upstairs. Tell her toe down.¡±

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t simply run upstairs anymore. Hence, he used the restaurant¡¯s internal line and dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡±

    When he realized that Huo Shaoheng was focused on typing, Yin Shixiong put him on speaker.

    Huo Shaoheng spoke into the phone, ¡°Nianzhi? Come down for dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi answered the phone in the treehouse. When she noticed that the number disyed indicated that it was an internal call from the restaurant, she assumed that Huo Shaoheng was alone.

    She and Huo Shaoheng had been eating alone together for the past few days.

    She rolled around the treehouse and leaned against the walls. Then, she crossed her legs and acted coquettishly. ¡°Oh my! I fell in the treehouse. I need Huo Shao to give me a hug and a kiss before I can get up for dinner!¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°...¡±

    Zhao Liangze, ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He coughed and was about to speak when Yin Shixiong asked sarcastically, ¡°Nianzhi, can Brother Xiong give you a kiss?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°!!!¡±

    Why was Brother Xiong in the dining room?!

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Nianzhi, Brother Ze doesn¡¯t want to kiss you, but he can give you a hug.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears turned red. She immediately cut the call and covered her head with a pillow. Shey in the treehouse and pretended to be dead, refusing to head down.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to speak when he realized that Gu Nianzhi had already hung up the phone.

    He nced at Yin Shixiong without batting an eyelid. Then, he closed theptop and stood up. ¡°Get the kitchen to serve the food. I¡¯ll go get her.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze quickly replied, ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    However, they held back theirughter so much that they were about to cramp up.

    The moment Huo Shaoheng left the dining room, he heard the two people behind him burst intoughter.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks.

    Nianzhi had be so naughty because of the influence of these brats.

    ..

    When he arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room on the second floor, Huo Shaoheng looked around but saw no sign of her.

    This time, however, he did not panic. He walked straight to the balcony and caught sight of the lights beaming in the direction of the treehouse.

    Under the sr LED lights, a young girl in a ck short-sleeved T-shirt and super short shorts was lying under the warm glow, covering her head with arge pillow.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. With one hand on the railing of the balcony, he leaped over the cableway and quietlynded in front of the door of the treehouse.

    He held onto the roof and bent down before walking in.

    The treehouse was tidied upfortably and elegantly. It was definitely Gu Nianzhi¡¯s style.

    Huo Shaoheng knelt partially in front of her and hazed at Gu Nianzhi, who had hidden her head under the pillow to hide, just like an ostrich. He reached out and gently lifted the pillow.

    Gu Nianzhi refused to let go. She held onto the two corners of the pillow tightly and pulled it down with all her might.

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and reached out to p her perky bottom.

    He did not use any force and the p did not hurt, but the sound the action produced was clear and crisp. The sound traveled far into the night sky.

    The magpies on the roof were rmed. They poked their heads out of the nest and stared at their new neighbor.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body stiffened for a moment. She let go of the hand that was holding the pillow and turned quickly. She saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm and handsome face pressing down on her.

    She was stunned.

    A kiss had alreadynded on her forehead. It was as gentle as the afternoon breeze when she moved her things to the treehouse. The stamen of the phoenix wood brushed past her forehead gently.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve kissed. Give me another hug.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands under her armpits and pulled her into his arms.

    Gu Nianzhi threw herself into his arms like a child. It took her a long time toe back to her senses.

    She covered her face with her hand and asked with embarrassment, ¡°... why are Brother Xiong and Brother Ze Here? Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance, I am embarrassed...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her back and replied with a faint smile, ¡°They¡¯re not outsiders. They helped me build this treehouse for you today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood. She yed with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cor. ¡°So you¡¯re treating them to dinner?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s actually all your favorite dishes.¡± Huo Shaoheng smoothened her hair. ¡°Can we go now?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi patted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you this once. But if theyugh at meter, you have to speak up for me.¡±

    ¡°Okay. If they dareugh at you, I¡¯ll punish them by making them go for a ten-kilometer cross-country race.¡± Huo Shaoheng coaxed her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°You go out first.¡±

    The treehouse was small and could only amodate one person at a time.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to leave first, and Gu Nianzhi followed.

    The two of them arrived at the dining room and saw that the table was already filled with delicious food.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze saw them enter andughed in unison.

    ¡°Nianzhi...¡±

    Before Yin Shixiong could speak, Huo Shaoheng interrupted him, ¡°... Cross-country race, 10 kilometers.¡±

    Yin Shixiong understood immediately and quickly changed the subject, ¡°Nianzhi, do you like your treehouse? Brother Xiong gave up pride at the assembly line today to get the best material for my sister Nianzhi!¡±

    Zhao Liangze secretly gave Yin Shixiong a thumbs up under the table and praised him for his quick reflexes. He also said, ¡°Huo Shao designed the treehouse. The three of us assembled it together today. What do you think? Do you like it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows arched. ¡°I like it! I like it a lot! Brother Xiong, Brother Ze, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not hard, it¡¯s not hard, as long as...¡±

    Yin Shixiong swallowed back the words ¡®Kiss, hug, hug¡¯ when he thought of the serious consequences that would follow.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and quickly recovered. She braced herself and said, ¡°Brother Xiong, if you continue acting like this, I¡¯ll have to tell Qiqi.¡±

    Yin Shixiong stopped and cleared his throat. He replied sternly, ¡°Nianzhi, Brother Xiong has worked hard for your treehouse. You can¡¯t speak nonsense in front of Qiqi!¡±

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t speak nonsense, I won¡¯t either.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a zipper gesture with her hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat. This amount of food can¡¯t stop your mouth.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong and sat down next to Gu Nianzhi. He poured her a ss of juice.

    The four of them quickly ate happily.

    After dinner, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze left.

    They had their own rooms in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, but now that Huo Shaoheng was on vacation, they tacitly gave Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi some space to spend time together and moved back to their official residence.

    With their status and military rank, they now had their own official residence.

    Gu Nianzhi finished eating and went to take a shower. Then, she went to the treehouse to stay.

    Lying in the treehouse, she pulled open the moveable panel on the roof and gazed at the bright night sky through theyers of branches. She felt much better.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng finished his work and realized that it was already past 10 pm.

    He took a shower and came to visit Gu Nianzhi. Sure enough, she had gone to the treehouse again.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you going to sleep in the treehouse today?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked as he stood on the balcony with his arms crossed.

    Gu Nianzhi put down the mosquito. The corners of the were tightly covered, and she nned to spend the night here.

    She poked her head out of the mosquito hanging in the treehouse and smiled. ¡°Yes, Huo Shao, it¡¯s very cool here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    The room was air-conditioned and the temperature was constant. How could it be hot?

    However, he was still worried about Gu Nianzhi sleeping alone in the treehouse.

    He held the railing of the balcony and crossed it for the third time today. He returned to the treehouse with Gu Nianzhi andy down.

    The night was long, and they hugged each other to sleep.

 Chapter 1415 - Wild Lovebirds

    <h4>Chapter 1415: Wild Lovebirds</h4>

    The moveable panel on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s roof was left open.

    The two of themy in the treehouse. When they opened their eyes, they could see the dark blue night sky through the transparent tempered ss roof as specks of starlight shined through the branches of the trees.

    Gu Nianzhiy in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and hugged his neck. She said contentedly, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I like this treehouse very much. Thank you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°How are you going to thank me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already thank you?¡±

    ¡°By simply saying thank you? Is that even considered a thank you?¡± Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and mocked Gu Nianzhi without batting an eyelid.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment. She leaned over and quickly kissed Huo Shaoheng on the lips.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. ¡°That¡¯s not enough. You have to kiss for at least five minutes. French kiss.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Her voluptuous lips curled up. ¡°French kiss? But I don¡¯t know how...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how? Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? I¡¯ll teach you.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned over andy face to face with her. He held the back of her head with one hand and kissed her.

    The tip of his tongue prated deeply past her tightly shut lips.

    Gu Nianzhi did not move. She slowly rxed her lips and let him enter.

    Her heart was beating very fast. It was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

    Perhaps it was because they were kissing in the treehouse, the transparent roof was dotted with starlight. They were just like a pair of wild lovebirds in the wild.

    This realization made her tremble uncontrobly. The sensation of their lips touching was magnified infinitely.

    Time slowed down. Every movement of his was frozen like a statue. It was etched in her heart and left asting aftertaste.

    It was not the first time they had kissed, but it was the first time she had realized how exciting it was to kiss like this.

    It was merely the touch of lips and tongue, but a numbing sensation flowed through her entire body. Every time the tip of his tongue touched hers, it would cause a lightning-like sensation.

    It did not take long for her to start panting. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breathing also became much heavier.

    It was just a kiss, but when the two of them were separated, they both felt their bodies and hearts go wild.

    ¡°... have you learned? Now it¡¯s your turn...¡± Huo Shaoheng said hoarsely. He parted his lips in front of her and waited for the tip of her tongue to enter.

    Gu Nianzhi really wanted to kiss him for a while more.

    She closed her eyes and inserted the tip of her tongue into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth, imitating his actions and letting him hold her.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand caressed her back, up and down.

    When she kissed him deeply, his hand would suddenly exert more strength. Her waist was almost crushed by him.

    When she wanted to withdraw, he would gently pinch her waist again.

    It was as if she was walking on a tightrope. All her senses were suspended midair, and the slightest breeze would cause her to copse...

    ...

    When she woke up in the morning, she heard a few crisp bird calls.

    She opened her eyes, and the morning sunlight shone through the tempered ss on the roof.

    After filtering through the phoenix tree leaves, the sunlight was no longer as hot. It left mottled dots on the thin quilt.

    The pair of magpies also woke up.

    One was walking around the roof curiously, pecking asionally.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and saw the silhouette of a bird.

    She ced her hand on her forehead to block out the ring sunlight. She muttered,¡±... you¡¯re a magpie, so don¡¯t imitate a woodpecker. Besides, this isn¡¯t a tree, why are you pecking at my roof?¡±

    Perhaps her nagging worked, or perhaps the little magpie was tired of ying around. After a while, it spread its wings and flew away.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head and saw Huo Shaoheng sleeping beside her. She leaned her head against his arm in satisfaction and said, ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not open his eyes. He followed the voice and kissed her face. ¡°Good morning.¡±

    His deep and maic voice sounded a littlezy as he had just woken up. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears turned red.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and saw that her white jade-like earlobes were tinged with a faint red glow. They were like fine pink tourmaline, but also like sweet flesh of lychee fruit. They were clear and moist and tempted him to take a bite.

    Huo Shaoheng did take a bite, leaving two faint bite marks on her earlobes.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her ears and quickly stepped back. ¡°Are you a dog? Why do you always bite people?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°Always? When have I ever bitten you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words but was unwilling to lose out. She rolled her eyes and mumbled, ¡°... Every time. Have you forgotten?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°Did you say earlobes? Or...¡±

    His gaze wandered from her delicate corbone to the deep, shadowy ravines hidden beneath her corbone.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears turned red.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled softly and moved closer to her ear. His voice was so deep that it sounded like it was resonating from his chest. ¡°... silly girl, that¡¯s not biting, that¡¯s eating...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes tightly and reached out urately to cover Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth. She refused to let him continue speaking.

    It was the same every time. In this regard, Huo Shaoheng could make her run away with just a few words.

    The two of them stayed in the treehouse for a while longer before getting up to go to the bathroom to wash up.

    Gu Nianzhi went to the bathroom to take a shower.

    She had slept with Huo Shaoheng in the treehouse the night before. Although they hadn¡¯t done anything else other than kissing, Gu Nianzhi still felt her back ache, as if she had done something.

    She was also puzzled. It was just a kiss. How could it have such an effect?

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his room and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

    Gu Nianzhi was still mourning for her parents. Huo Shaoheng did not do that with Gu Nianzhi. Although he really wanted to, as the son-inw of Gu Xiangwen and his wife, he could not do that.

    Butst night, they had merely kissed in the tree house. Yet, he had been strangely satisfied.

    If this continued, Huo Shaoheng did not know how deep his feelings for Gu Nianzhi would grow.

    When it came to rtionships, some men were very passionate from the start and were as good as textbook model boyfriends. However, these types of rtionships usually didn¡¯tst very long.

    As long as you got a woman, it would only get worse and worse.

    There was another type of man who would warm up very slowly. In the beginning, he might make you unhappy, but as long as you let him warm up to you, no one would be able topare to his intensity. He would continue to warm up for the rest of his life.

    Gu Nianzhi was very d that she had met thetter type of man.

    She changed her clothes and came out. When she sat in front of the dressing table to do her skin care, she realized that her earlobes were more tender than usual.

    She touched them with her hand, and she could still feel the warmth of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s burning tongue, as well as the feeling of his teeth gently biting her ear.

    ¡°He really is a dog, yet he still refuses to admit it...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the dressing table mirror andughed softly.

    Speaking of ¡®a dog¡¯ Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking of the purebred little corgi Ako that the cute little boy from Russia had given her.

    Ever since she had returned to the country, she had been so busy that she hadn¡¯t gone to see it.

    During breakfast, Gu Nianzhi asked about little corgi Ako.

    ¡°Huo Shao, I recall that you sent it to the military camp to train with the other military dogs. Can I go and see it?¡±

 Chapter 1416 - Getting Bolder

    <h4>Chapter 1416: Getting Bolder</h4>

    ¡°The corgi that Dimi gave you?¡± Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and pondered for a while. He said calmly, ¡°The military camp has strict rules and it is still undergoing training... What¡¯s wrong? Do you miss it?¡±

    ¡°Ah? It¡¯s really training to be a military dog?!¡± Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes in surprise. Her dark eyes were crystal clear and they were as pure as a little kitten.

    However, her temperament was truly simr to that of a little kitten¡¯s. She could meow when she was happy and raise her ws when she was unhappy...

    Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly and lowered his eyes. ¡°Of course. Military orders are like mountains that can¡¯t be crossed. Did you think I¡¯m was joking?¡±

    ¡°... But when Dimi gave it to me, Ah Ke was only a week old. His short legs weren¡¯t even as long as my fingers.¡± Gu Nianzhi gestured with her hand, and her heart ached even more.

    She had assumed that Huo Shaoheng was joking when he said that he was training the little corgi as a military dog. He was just looking for an excuse to send little corgi back to the country ahead of time and hand him over to a professional dog trainer to learn the rules.

    Was it was really sent to the military camp to be trained as a military dog?

    Huo Shaoheng hummed nomittally and calmly ate his breakfast.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed for a long time on the other side of the table. However, he pretended not to hear her.

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to sit next to him and shake his arm vigorously. ¡°Good Huo Shao... good Huo Shao... don¡¯t treat Ah Ke like this... it¡¯s only... It¡¯s only a few months old...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was unmoved and he replied calmly, ¡°For a dog, a few months is considered an adult.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She sat down next to Huo Shaoheng and yed with his fingers. She stopped begging him sullenly.

    Huo Shaoheng finished his breakfast and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He looked down and noticed that Gu Nianzhi was still listless. He smiled and stood up. ¡°What are you nning to do today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°I wanted to visit Ah Ke, but you said it was undergoing training...¡±

    Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smiling eyes. She became bolder and said, ¡°... even if it¡¯s training, it can still have holidays, right?¡±

    She stood up and prodded Huo Shaoheng in the chest. ¡°Don¡¯t you have holidays as well? Don¡¯t tell me Ah Ke doesn¡¯t have one! If it doesn¡¯t have a holiday, you¡¯ll be suspected of... suspected of abusing military dogs!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head and snorted. ¡°How dare youpare me to a corgi?¡±

    ¡°... I was just making an analogy... military dogs also have dog rights...¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled and smiled slyly. She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and rested her head on his chest. ¡°Let me go... I¡¯m just going to check on him, okay?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at his watch and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make a call to see if Ah Ke is on vacation today.¡±

    ¡°Go on! I¡¯ll wait!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng went upstairs to make a call.

    After a while, he came down and said, ¡°Ah Ke has half a day off today. Do you want to go check on him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±

    ¡°Okay, but you¡¯ll have to wait till the afternoon.¡±

    It was only eight o¡¯clock in the morning, which meant that she had to wait for at least four hours.

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi was disappointed. ¡°Can¡¯t we reschedule it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng held back hisughter and took out the two movie tickets he had prepared earlier. ¡°But I have two movie tickets here. Do you want to watch it first?¡±

    ¡°Watch a movie?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°What movie?!¡±

    Actually, the home theater in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence wasparable to the movie theater outside. It could seat 50 to 60 people.

    The average small-scale movie theater was only so big.

    Moreover, the equipment and sound system were all first-ss.

    He could rent movies whenever he wanted.

    But buying movie tickets to go out to watch a movie was a different experience.

    He felt guilty towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Whenever he was with her, he couldn¡¯t do many things that ordinary couples could do together.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care, and even though she could enjoy herself on her own, Huo Shaoheng still felt sorry to her.

    The deeper their rtionship became, the harder it was to detect any trace of her unhappiness.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the name on the movie ticket. ¡°... A new movie, its call ¡®Waiting for You to Come Home¡¯.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°What movie is this? Why haven¡¯t I heard of it before?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not a blockbuster, is it?¡±

    If it was a blockbuster, it would have been widely publicized.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless when he saw the name.

    He had asked Yin Shixiong to buy the movie tickets. He had simply said that he wanted him to buy the kind of movie that Gu Nianzhi would like to watch. He hadn¡¯t expected him to buy two unpopr movie tickets.

    ¡°... It¡¯s not a blockbuster, it¡¯s a new domestic movie.¡± Huo Shaoheng took out his phone to check. He came to a realization. ¡°... It¡¯s a feature film co-produced by the military¡¯s external publicity department. No wonder...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, we¡¯re on the same side now.¡± Gu Nianzhi was ted. ¡°What time¡¯s the movie?¡±

    ¡°9:00,12:00, or 4:00 in the afternoon. All are fine. Which one do you want to watch?¡±

    ¡°9:00 in the morning then.¡± Gu Nianzhi counted the time. ¡°I¡¯ll go see Little Ah Ke after watching! Hahahaha...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He stuffed the movie tickets into his wallet. ¡°Go upstairs and pack up. I¡¯ll drive you there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped her fingers happily. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll go right away!¡±

    She ran upstairs with a smile and opened the closet. She found a new Chanel summer style blouse with pink silk bubble sleeves and a small waistline. Her coat had a small round cor with a ck bow ribbon and she paired it with white leggings and shoes with the same colored waves. She rushed downstairs while carrying a Hermes red Berline bag.

    Huo Shaoheng was not wearing a military uniform either. He had donned casual clothes.

    He had put on a smart-looking ck short-sleeved t-shirt. She could not tell what brand it was, but it fit him perfectly. It made Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulders wide, his chest broad, and his waist narrow.

    The ck jeans wrapped around his long legs. If you didn¡¯t have a closer look, one would be unable to tell that the white waves shoes that he wore together with Gu Nianzhi were actually a set of couple¡¯s shoes...

    He held the car keys in his hands and stood at the door with his arms crossed as he waited for her. The sight of his tall and straight figure made her heart race.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled so widely that her eyes curved into crescents. She walked over and hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist from behind. She whispered, ¡°... I really want to wrap my legs around it...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze for a moment but he quickly came back to his senses. He turned around and tapped her on the forehead. He was both amused and annoyed. ¡°You¡¯ve even started to flirt with me. You¡¯re getting bolder and bolder.¡±

    ¡°So what? It¡¯s only right to flirt with your own man!¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and held his arm. She smiled as she looked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want me to flirt with other men?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snorted. ¡°... You want to try that?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no... I wouldn¡¯t dare even if I had a hundred guts!¡± Gu Nianzhi smirked as she begged for mercy. Then, she walked out of the official residence with him.

    The two of them got into the car and drove towards the Boli Cinema in the city center.

    It was the most luxurious and well-equipped cinema in the entire Imperial City.

    After parking in the underground parking lot, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi took the elevator and went straight up.

    Because they had chosen the earliest screening, and because it was an unpopr movie, there weren¡¯t many people here.

    A handful of people were scattered in the neon-lit hall.

    There appeared to be more staff than movie-goers watching the movie.

    It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first time watching a movie in a movie theater outside.

    In the past, she had either watched it at home or on herputer or iPad. She had never watched a movie with so many people in a movie theater like this.

    Gu Nianzhi was curious about everything she saw.

    When she realized that everyone had bought coke and popcorn, she tugged at the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt and begged him to buy some.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and said calmly, ¡°You¡¯ll gain weight if you eat too much junk food.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care. ¡°I¡¯m only going to eat it once. How fat can I get?¡±

    In fact, she had lost a lot of weight recently...

    Huo Shaoheng had also noticed that her pointy chin had lost weight. Hence, he softened his heart and agreed to buy her coke and popcorn.

    ¡°Large ones!¡± Gu Nianzhi followed closely behind.

    However, when they reached the service area for coke and popcorn, Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks.

    Not far ahead of him, two people walked over hand in hand. It was Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi.

    Ma Qiqi was the first to see Huo Shaoheng. Then, she saw Gu Nianzhi, who was standing beside Huo Shaoheng. She immediately ran over in surprise. ¡°Nianzhi! Long time no see! Are you feeling better?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been in a bad mood ever since she buried her parents.

    She had closed her door to all visitors and had barely contacted Ma Qiqi.

    Her mood gradually improved after the mourning period for Gu Xiangwen and his wife.

    She was also very happy to see Ma Qiqi at that moment. The two of them held hands and chatted about what had happened after they had parted.

    Yin Shixiong smiled wryly and nodded at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, sorry to bother you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him and turned to buy coke and popcorn. He also bought arge portion for Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi, before handing it to him. ¡°What¡¯s with the tickets?¡±

    Yin Shixiong groaned before saying, ¡°... This movie is pretty good. Director Bai rmended it, he said that it was good and suitable for people like us to watch...¡±

    He had originally assumed that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t wake up so early in the morning. Hence, he thought that he wouldn¡¯t bump into Huo Shaoheng and the others.

    He hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to watch the morning show.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything and turned around to urge Gu Nianzhi to enter.

    However, they bumped into Zhao Liangze at the door.

    Everyone could only greet him in an awkward and polite manner.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi. He could tell that she wasn¡¯t unhappy. He held her hand and walked in, before finding two seats at the very top and the very center.

    Yin Shixiong and Ma Qiqi naturally found a seat at the side.

    Zhao Liangze sat in the middle of the screening room.

    Not long after, Bai Yueran arrived.

    She looked up at the screening room and walked directly to Zhao Liangze¡¯s side. She asked, ¡°Little Ze, is there anyone sitting next to you?¡±

    Zhao Liangze looked up at her for a while before saying calmly, ¡°No, please sit.¡±

    He no longer had feelings for her, so he didn¡¯t care where she sat.

    Bai Yueran smiled and sat down.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi noticed this and couldn¡¯t help gossiping with each other on Wechat.

    Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes and texted Huo Shaoheng as well. ¡°Huo Shao, the two of them are having such a hard time conversing with each other...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied with a text. ¡°Yeah,e sit over here.¡±

    Yin Shixiong prodded Ma Qiqi. ¡°Sit with Nianzhi. You don¡¯t have to text and chat in the same theater anymore.¡±

    Ma Qiqi put away her phone and rolled her eyes at Yin Shixiong. ¡°We¡¯re chatting on Wechat. Who¡¯s texting?¡±

    However, she stood up happily and sat down with Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong sat outside, while the two girls sat right next to each other.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi whispered to each other,¡±... look ahead, that¡¯s Director Bai and Little Ze...¡±

    ¡°Do you think Director Bai is pursuing Little Ze?¡±

    ¡°I think so...¡±

    The two of them chatted for a while. Soon, the lights in the theater dimmed and the movie began.

 Chapter 1417 - Remember You, Forget You

    <h4>Chapter 1417: Remember You, Forget You</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi quickly switched off their phones and stopped whispering to each other.

    The movie started ying on the rounded screen.

    After five minutes of interlude screening, the official movie finally began.

    The words ¡®Waiting for You to Come Home¡¯ appeared on the big screen from afar.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi nced at each other and grinned secretly.

    The beginning of the movie seemed boring and old-fashioned to them.

    However, when they saw the two men sitting upright beside them, they could only curse in their hearts. They could not show it.

    However, as the story progressed, they were unconsciously attracted to the plot.

    This movie was about a story that spanned half a century.

    During the war years, the female protagonist and the male protagonist, who was a soldier, got to know each other and eventually got married.

    Did you think the story was over?

    How naive.

    The love story during the war was just the beginning, from getting to know each other to getting married.

    In the first five minutes, the female protagonist and the male protagonist got married. The speed of progression was indeed much faster than an ordinary web novel.

    The year they were married, the war broke out.

    One could only imagine that not long after the two got married, the male protagonist was recruited to the front line. A tough war had started.

    In this war, the male protagonist was repeatedly rumored to have died in battle.

    But because the army of the male protagonist had dispersed during the war, and because the unitter dissolved, no one could give her urate information.

    Hence, the female protagonist never believed those rumors.

    She took care of their children and relied on her own meager strength to survive in the turbulent society.

    In order to support herself and her children, she went through countless hardships. However, she refused to remarry and never forgot the love they originally shared.

    Just like this, she waited for 50 years, and just when she was about to die, her son finally brought the news of her husband that she had been waiting for half a century.

    It turned out that 50 years ago, her husband had already died on the battlefield.

    She had waited for 50 years, in wait for a name to be etched onto the shrine of loyalty and sacrifice.

    At this time, the theme song of the movie yed.

    ¡°... Don¡¯t cry, my dear,

    You have to be well,

    At the end of time,

    You will definitely see me,

    I¡¯ll be singing and waiting for you to smile.

    Even if I eventually break into powder,

    You will live for me...

    As long as I am remembered by you...

    I will be immortal.¡±

    This story was amon folktale in their era.

    But to Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi, there was something that struck a chord in their hearts.

    No matter how many years and centuries had passed, such sadness and fear would always be a nightmare for military families.

    When the song started, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears instantly gushed out. She hugged Ma Qiqi and the two of them burst into tears.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong nced at each other helplessly and each pulled their woman over.

    The movie ended, and the lights lit up one by one. The theater was filled with sobs.

    There wasn¡¯t much emotion expressed in the movie. It was in, and it didn¡¯t even show much of the cruelty and bloodiness of war.

    But at the end, the hope that the female lead had been living for, a hope that had spanned half a century, was finally extinguished by a single piece of news. The audience finally understood what war entailed.

    Especially the theme song at the end. The bleak baritone echoed in the theater like tear gas.

    Gu Nianzhi clutched Huo Shaoheng¡¯spels tightly and cried until she was out of breath. As she cried, she hugged him tightly as if she was worried that if she let go, he would disappear just like the male lead in the film.

    Ma Qiqi was obviously thinking the same thing as Gu Nianzhi. She was also clinging onto Yin Shixiong tightly.

    Yin Shixiong quickly led Ma Qiqi to the entrance of the movie theater.

    When they reached the row where Bai Yueran and Zhao Liangze were sitting, he turned around to take a look.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes were red. He must have cried.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s face was solemn. Although she did not cry, she did not look too good either.

    She gently advised Zhao Liangze, ¡°... I know you¡¯re thinking of Ah Shuang. However, she is a spirit in heaven, Hence, she might not be willing to see you like this.¡±

    Zhao Liangze took out a piece of tissue to wipe his face. He muttered, ¡°Director Bai, I know you¡¯re trying tofort me. But to me, Ah Shuang is unique and irreceable.¡±

    ¡°... whether you believe it or not, I¡¯ve never thought of recing Shuang¡¯s position in your heart.¡±

    Bai Yueran was silent for a while. Then, she leaned back on the chair and said in bewilderment, ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know why I still want to be with you, even if I know that from now on, the person in your heart will always be Shuang.¡±

    Zhao Liangze stood up in disagreement. He said lightly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about it anymore. I have no intention of finding a girlfriend to marry. I have to go back. I still have a lot of work to do.¡±

    Bai Yueran stood up silently and followed Zhao Liangze out.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were thest to exit.

    Gu Nianzhi was sobbing so much that her entire body was almost trembling.

    ¡°... Huo Shao, you have toe back...¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯te back, I. . . I won¡¯t live anymore...¡±

    She had wanted to say that she would be with someone else as a threat to Huo Shaoheng. However, she loved him so much that she couldn¡¯t even threaten him in this way.

    Huo Shaoheng understood her intentions. He patted her back in amusement and said, ¡°You make yourself the female lead even when you¡¯re watching a movie. Nianzhi, you¡¯re rather narcissistic.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiy in his arms and sobbed as she shook her head. ¡°Who¡¯s narcissistic? This is clearly something that could happen to us. Didn¡¯t you see... Qiqi was crying so badly?¡±

    ¡°That was a special time of war. It won¡¯t be like this in current times.¡± Huo Shaohengforted her. ¡°Even if your life is in danger, I won¡¯t let you wait 50 years to find out the result...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately covered his mouth, tears still glistening in herrge eyes.

    She scolded him in a low voice. ¡°Bah Bah Bah! Don¡¯t say such things!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it, don¡¯t say it...¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled her hand down and kissed it. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. In my position, why would I have to go through such danger? I¡¯m not a field agent on a front-line mission.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t go at all.¡± Gu Nianzhi burst into tears and gradually recovered herposure.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly took her out.

    The staff of the screening room had poked their heads out of the door several times.

    After they came out, those people immediately went in to clean up.

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi for lunch again.

    Gu Nianzhi had cried too much and she had a poor appetite. She only ate a little rice before putting down her chopsticks.

    Huo Shaoheng ate the rest of the food.

    After lunch, Huo Shaoheng took her to the military dog training camp to see her little corgi¡¯s training results.

    At this moment, he was d that he still had that little corgi to make Gu Nianzhi happy.

    The movie today was a long and dreary story to him.

    But to that girl, it was like a teardrop bomb.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears had an especially low threshold. She had been crying since she was young.

    He stared at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting in the passenger seat listlessly. He smiled.

    ...

    It was already one in the afternoon when they arrived at the military dog training camp.

    Huo Shaoheng had called in that morning. Hence, Little Ah Ke had half a day off today.

    Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng to the dog training ground.

    It was a hugewn surrounded by a white fence.

    A dozen majestic German ck backs ran on thewn. They were tall and had exceptionally long legs.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at them casually. ¡°They¡¯re not even corgis... Where¡¯s my little corgi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside her and stared at the German ck backs that were huddled together. He stared at them for a while before pointing at them. ¡°... they seem to be there...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction of his finger and immediately felt like crying.

    The little puppy that was so small a few months ago had now grown up.

    However, no matter how big it was, it was still as small as a toy whenpared to the German Shepherds with their long legs.

    It was almostpletely hidden behind the German Sherpherd¡¯s long legs.

    The dog trainer gave a long whistle, and the German Shepherds on the grass barked together. They ran frantically to the other side.

    Poor little Ah Ke¡¯s short legs could not outrun the German Shepherds at all.

    However, it did not give up and continued to chase after it.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the dog¡¯s head moving around and could not help asking, ¡°... what are they going to do?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to eat.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his finger and pointed. When Little Ah Ke ran over, the German Shepherds had already snatched all the food.

    A small, short-legged dog had no choice but to circle around the food trough, asionally licking the remaining food.

    Huo Shaoheng awkwardly retracted his finger and scratched his forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes. ¡°They stole Little Ah Ke¡¯s food! How could they do this?! My Little Ah Ke...¡±

    Tears were about to fall again.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly said, ¡°No, no. Even if they stole the food, they would feed it separately.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Look at how fat it is. You can tell that they didn¡¯t starve it.¡±

    However, fighting for food was one of the training programs. Hence, the little corgi looked very pitiful.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at little corgi circling the food trough. She stomped her feet and eximed with tears in her eyes, ¡°No! I have to bring little corgi back! He¡¯s not a military dog! How can we treat him like this?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had always been a man of his word. He had never changed his decision.

    But this time, under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s persistent request, he had no choice but to ¡®give in¡¯.

    His head hurt from her teasing, and he finally nodded in agreement. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll take him back and keep him for two days. If he doesn¡¯t listen, then I¡¯ll bring him back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi broke into a smile and waved at the little corgi. She shouted, ¡°Ah Ke! Ah Ke! Daddy and Mommy is taking you home!¡±

    The training staff of the military dog camp and the German Shepherds looked up in surprise.

    Huo Shaoheng was devastated. His face was burning hot, but his expression was calm as though he didn¡¯t know Gu Nianzhi, and as though he didn¡¯t hear what she had just said.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t care less.

    She was pleasantly surprised because the little corgi remembered her voice!

    As soon as she finished speaking, her little corgi immediately stopped spinning and ran towards her.

    Its short legs were running so fast that it looked like it was flying through the grass.

    It came to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side and barked happily at them twice. Then it rolled on the ground and rolled on all fours, intending to act cute next to its mistress.

    However, because its limbs were too short and stocky, it was difficult to turn back after rolling on the ground.

    Its four little paws pped in the air for a few times before it finally managed to stand up.

    However, it was also exhausted. It stuck out its little tongue and begged Gu Nianzhi to pet it.

    Gu Nianzhi picked it up and put her hand on one of its short legs. She said angrily to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Look! It¡¯s obviously a pet dog. How can you train it like a military dog?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and said, ¡°Call Ah Ke a pet dog,. Let¡¯s see if he responds to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Huo Shaoheng and looked down at Little Corgi in her arms. ¡°Mama¡¯s pet, Little Corgi.¡±

    Little Corgi¡¯s watery ck eyes looked at her intently. However, he did not respond.

    Huo Shaoheng said in a low voice, ¡°A military dog, Ah Ke.¡±

    Little Corgi immediately barked, ¡°Woof, woof, woof, woof!¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips. ¡°See, aren¡¯t I right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1418 - Too soft-hearted

    <h4>Chapter 1418: Too soft-hearted</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng angrily. She stuffed Little Corgi¡¯s short leg back into her arms and carried it away without looking back.

    Little Corgi poked his head out of her arms and nced over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. He stared at the military camp he had been in for months. He barked twice and followed his mistress home with peace of mind.

    After all, this was not a ce where he belonged.

    Huo Shaoheng brought Little Corgi back to the headquarter of special operation forces¡¯ encampment ground and ced a dog cor with an electronic chip around its neck.

    This dog cor marked Little Corgi¡¯s identity and gave it the privilege to move freely around the base. It could also locate it at any time. What more, it could ¡®choke¡¯ Little Corgi in the event it attacked others uncontrobly...

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng did not mention thisst function to Gu Nianzhi.

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, it was impossible for a cute little dog to be aggressive.

    However, no matter how cute Little Corgi was, he was still a dog, not a human.

    Moreover, humans were also aggressive...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi set up a veryfortable doghouse for Little Corgi in the outer room of her suite.

    Arge pillow was ced in the corner of the room. Beside it were bowls and troughs for Little Corgi to drink and eat.

    Little Corgi had already been trained by a dog trainer not to urinate or defecate on the floor. It was a very clean Little Corgi.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely happy the first night she brought it back.

    She poured milk for Little Corgi and filled it with arge bowl of dog food. Little Corgi¡¯s belly was so full that it became extremely round.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He threw a dog-rearing manual at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, it should not be like the goldfish.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had raised a few goldfish before. However, she fed them regrly until they were stuffed to death...

    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll be careful...¡± Gu Nianzhi bashfully took away Little Corgi¡¯s extra dog food and tapped its little nose. ¡°No more for today. You can¡¯t eat anymore. Now I¡¯ll go shower and sleep.¡±

    Little Corgi wagged his tail at her. He licked the bowl of water and went back to the kennel to sleep.

    Gu Nianzhi had spent the whole day making a scene. She went to the bathroom to take a shower.

    Huo Shaoheng had originally intended to sleep over in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    However, as soon as he reached Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom door, Little Corgi sat up from the kennel and looked at him with sparkling eyes.

    When he walked in, Little Corgi followed him in and squatted beside his feet.

    It wouldn¡¯t go out unless he went out.

    Huo Shaoheng kicked it quietly.

    Little Corgi was stunned for a moment, as though it hadn¡¯t expected his ¡®Daddy¡¯ to kick it. It slowly retreated to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bathroom door andid on its stomach.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the door open and came out. She noticed Little Corgi lying on its belly at her door and asked in surprise, ¡°Aren¡¯t you asleep? What are you doing?¡±

    Little Corgi looked at her aggrievedly and let out a whimper. He looked rather pitiful.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched twice.

    He didn¡¯t expect Little Corgi to be such a good actor.

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t get angry at a dog. He stood up as if nothing had happened and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Head to bed early after washing up. I still have something to do, so I can¡¯t stay with you tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to look at him. She uttered in confusion, ¡°... you don¡¯t spend every night with me...¡±

    She had only slept with him in the tree house the night before.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted and nced at Little Corgi, who was still staring at him. ¡°Ah Ke, stand at attention.¡±

    Little Corgi quivered and immediately used his hind legs to stand up. He used his two short hind legs to support his body.

    Gu Nianzhi was worried about Little Corgi¡¯s two short legs.

    ¡°Okay, okay, we¡¯re not in the military dog training camp anymore. Huo Shao, let him rest too.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Ah Ke, sit down.¡±

    Little Corgi looked at Huo Shaoheng and then at Gu Nianzhi. He hesitated, not knowing who to listen to.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed with a smile. He said calmly, ¡°Ah Ke,e out.¡±

    He took the lead and walked out.

    Little Corgi immediately went on all fours and ran out after him.

    After leaving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, Little Corgi returned to the doghouse. After watching Huo Shaoheng push the door open and walk out, ity down again and closed its eyes.

    After Huo Shaoheng went out, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stood in the corridor to take a few puffs. He pushed the door open and realized that Little Corgi, who had clearly fallen asleep, had poked its head out of the doghouse. It was staring straight at him.

    Huo Shaoheng was angry and amused at the same time. He scolded it in a low voice, ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Then, he locked the door and went back to his room.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know about the tension between her man and Little Corgi outside the bedroom door.

    She was exhausted.

    Shey on the bed and took out her phone to check through it. She noticed that Ma Qiqi had sent her a few messages. She replied to a few before falling asleep.

    The next morning at seven o¡¯clock, the sun had just shone through the curtains and illuminated the bedroom floor. At that moment, Gu Nianzhi was awakened by the sound of a barking dog.

    Little Corgi?

    What are you doing so early in the morning?

    Shey on the bed and pretended to be dead, not wanting to get up.

    However, Little Corgi, who had been training in the military dog training camp for a few months, had shown good ¡®military discipline¡¯.

    It barked a few times but received no response. Then, it knocked open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom door.

    Woof woof! Woof woof woof!

    The dog barks were getting closer and closer to her ears.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her ears with a pillow in frustration.

    But it useless. Soon, furry dog fur brushed against the back of her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped up. ¡°Ah Ke! Are you trying to rebel?¡±

    Little Corgi saw that she had finally woken up. He did not mind her bad temper and angry growls. Instead, he happily circled around her bed.

    His short legs chased after his little tail. He was unbelievably cute.

    Gu Nianzhi was no longer angry when she woke up.

    She jumped out of bed, hugged Little Corgi, and kissed him for a while before saying, ¡°It¡¯s so early. What are you doing? Are you hungry?¡±

    She poured milk and dog food for Little Corgi, but Little Corgi could resist the temptation of food and pulled her slippers out with his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi was still wearing the men¡¯s ck military t-shirt that she used as a nightgown. It was so long that it reached her thighs.

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t go out with bare legs.

    Her man and the dog werepeting with each other. Huo Shaoheng, who had just finished his morning exercise, pushed open the door and entered. The scene he was greeted with was exactly what he imagined it to be. He smiled and said, ¡°Little Corgi wants to go out for morning exercise.¡±

    Actually, he wanted to walk the dog.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    What was wrong with him?

    She hated running in the morning the most...

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t washed up yet. Huo Shao, why don¡¯t you take him with you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hands. ¡°This is your pet dog. How can you neglect your little dog?¡±

    Little Corgi didn¡¯t want to go out with Huo Shaoheng at all. It stubbornly bit on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slippers and tugged at them with all its might.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her forehead and said helplessly, ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯m going to change.¡±

    Little Corgi let go and wagged its tail as it watched Gu Nianzhi walk back to the bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi changed into her sportswear and tied her long hair in a ponytail. Just like that, she went out to ¡®walk the dog¡¯.

    Huo Shaoheng walked up to the balcony of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room with a cup of ck coffee in his hand. He gazed ahead with a smile.

    Not far away, Gu Nianzhi led the short-legged doggie to the running track of the base and started running.

    There were quite a few people doing morning exercises in the base. Most of them knew Gu Nianzhi, but not many knew Little Corgi.

    Therefore, they greeted her curiously and asked her about Little Corgi.

    Little Corgi showed the good qualities of a dog trained in the military. It kept a vignt eye on the people running towards it.

    If anyone got too close to Gu Nianzhi, it would howl and pounce on them fiercely.

    Not bad.

    Huo Shaoheng drank a mouthful of ck coffee in satisfaction.

    He had not wasted months in the military camp.

    He watched for a while before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had a very fulfilling morning.

    She did not sleep until three o¡¯clock in the morning, just like before.

    Little Corgi had run tenps on the track and he was so tired that he could only stick out his tongue.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely exhausted.

    She held onto her waist and stumbled behind Little Corgi. She said weakly, ¡°Ah Ke, is it enough? How much longer are you going to run?¡±

    She really wanted to cry but no tears came out.

    Other people¡¯s pet corgis would obediently sleep in with their master. However, her corgi would actually supervise her early morning exercise!

    At this moment, she finally understood why Huo Shaoheng wanted to send Little Corgi to the military camp for training.

    He was too cunning...

    She could think of ways to avoid running in front of Huo Shaoheng, but she could not resist Little Corgi¡¯s cute little eyes.

    He understood her too well for him to use such a trick!

    In her heart, Gu Nianzhi despised both Huo Shaoheng and herself.

    After running tenps, she kept a straight face and gave Huo Shaoheng an upset look.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, he didn¡¯t mind at all.

    He served her breakfast and asked her, ¡°What do you want to do today? Tell me early so I can make arrangements.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Nothing, I want to get along well with Ah Ke today. I want to teach him a lesson regarding his ¡®bad habits¡¯.¡±

    She was determined to make Little Corgi realize that he was a pet dog, and that he couldn¡¯t continue to learn with the German Shepherds as a military dog.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, you can teach him a lesson. I¡¯ll watch from the sidelines.¡±

    In fact, Huo Shaoheng had been watching the entire day.

    Little Corgi came out of the military camp and had suddenly found a sense of ownership.

    From day to night, he followed the habits of the military camp and lived meticulously.

    There was a strict routine that dictated when it was time to go out for a run, when to go out to snatch food, when to go out to solve personal problems, and when to watch TV and y with toys.

    Gu Nianzhi originally wanted Little Corgi to adapt to thezy days of being a ¡®pet dog¡¯. However, she was too soft-hearted.

    As soon as Little Corgi looked at her with his watery ck eyes, she would surrender unconditionally.

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi was trained by Little Corgi to adhere to military standards for an entire day...

    At night, Gu Nianzhiy weakly on the bed and asked Huo Shaoheng to give her a massage.

    Gu Nianzhi gnashed her teeth as she stared at Little Corgi, who was squatting innocently in front of the bed with his short legs. ¡°Huo Shao, you were right. This guy is indeed a smart dog!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and replied without batting an eyelid, ¡°Fortunately, my opinion of him has changed. At least he can motivate you to adjust your schedule. That¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    He used to be able to show no mercy to Gu Nianzhi in the past. But ever since the two of them had been together, he had lost his authority in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and turned her head away without saying a word.

    Huo Shaoheng massaged her sore calves and suddenly said, ¡°... you¡¯re too soft-hearted. I can¡¯t keep my son with you in the future, I¡¯ll have to send him to the military camp to learn the rules.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1419 - Did Not Treat Her as an Outsider

    <h4>Chapter 1419: Did Not Treat Her as an Outsider</h4>

    Son?

    Why was he talking about a son?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was racing.

    Huo Shaoheng felt the supple body under his hands suddenly stiffen. He smiled and said casually, ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll take it as a yes. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blurted out, ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°No?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows and stopped massaging Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why not? Didn¡¯t the training at the military camp go well?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned over andy down on the apricot-colored pillow. Her cheeks were pink, even brighter than the flowers of the phoenix tree.

    Her plump, red lips parted and closed. ¡°... But you can train him yourself...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought, he would still be her biological son after all. Huo Shaoheng would probably go easy on him, right?

    Her heart ached at the thought of her son being trained in the barracks.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over and kissed her on the lips. He smiled and said, ¡°My field is specialized. I¡¯m not good at training new recruits.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and turned away from him.

    He made it sound as though his son had already grown up and enlisted in the military!

    In fact, there wasn¡¯t even a trace of him...

    Gu Nianzhi had just started her period a few days ago. In the past twenty days, she had only kissed Huo Shaoheng. She hadn¡¯t done anything at all. How could she have given birth to a son?

    Moreover, she wasn¡¯t even 20 years old. Did she have to give birth to a son now?

    Wasn¡¯t it too early?

    Gu Nianzhi rationalized and decided not to argue with Huo Shaoheng so early on about this matter.

    She turned over and tugged Huo Shaoheng downwards. Just as she was about to give him a good kiss, she heard a bark. Little Corgi jumped onto the bed with a whoosh and crouched down beside her while ring at them.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched.

    This little dog was indeed an eyesore.

    Huo Shaoheng stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and tried not tough. ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got up and walked out.

    Gu Nianzhiy on the bed and muttered weakly to little corgi, ¡°Ah Ke, you don¡¯t have to guard against Huo like this. He¡¯s... He¡¯s my husband. Husband, do you understand?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who had just reached the door, stopped in his tracks.

    He heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice and waspletely shocked by the word ¡®Husband¡¯ that she had just uttered.

    This was the first time he had heard her say those two words ever since he forced her to sign the marriage contract.

    He had assumed that this thorn would remain in her heart forever. No matter how hard he tried, she would never forget the pain at that time.

    He did not know how much strength he had gripped the door handle with, but the veins on the back of his hand were popping out.

    He looked up at the white ceiling and took a deep breath to suppress the throbbing in his chest.

    No matter how many people said that Gu Nianzhi was lucky to be with him, only he knew that being with Gu Nianzhi and being loved by her was the greatest blessing in his life. It was the luckiest thing that had happened to him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he finally pushed the door open and departed.

    ...

    During the few days, Gu Nianzhi finally reached a temporarypromise with Little Corgi.

    She took Little Corgi for a run every day as usual and participated in the military¡¯s daily routine. On the other hand, Little Corgi no longer interfered with her intimacy with Huo Shaoheng.

    This meant that although Huo Shaoheng still couldn¡¯t stay in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, Gu Nianzhi could stay in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room overnight.

    As long as she gave Little Corgi a few extra bones at night, Little Corgi would stay out of sight and obediently sleep in its doghouse.

    That night, after Little Corgi slept in its doghouse, Gu Nianzhi went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite.

    Huo Shaoheng was in his study, replying to an email.

    Gu Nianzhi knocked on his study door and spoke with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked away from theputer screen and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be done in a minute.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gestured to him and went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom.

    She had been staying here for the past few nights, so her things had been moved over bit by bit.

    The bathroom had her usual cleansing soap, cream, essence, and facial mask. Her bath towel was on the shelf, and a pair of pink slippers and blue slippers were ced side by side in front of the bathtub.

    There were a few sets of casual clothes that she wore at home in the closet. She also brought some underwear, shoes, and socks over and ced them in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s closet.

    Most of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clothes consisted of military uniforms. They were used for training, general, and formal wear, and were arranged neatly in different categories.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s colorful clothes were ced in the closet. They were messy, but there was a strange sense of harmony when ced side by side with his military uniform.

    It was as if there was a rose pinned to the AK47. A shocking mixture of violence and aesthetics overwhelmed her.

    Gu Nianzhi ced her ss of water on the desk in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom window and tidied up her makeup.

    There was no dressing table in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom, so she ced some simple bottles and jars directly on his desk.

    Huo Shaoheng had finished packing, but she was already sleepy before he even entered.

    She nced at her watch. It was already past midnight, and it was time to go to bed.

    She climbed onto the bed, leaving only a warm yellow night light switched on. Just like that, she fell asleep.

    Huo Shaoheng finished dealing with his email and returned to the bedroom. He noticed that Gu Nianzhi was already asleep.

    He did not wake her up and quietly went to the bathroom to wash up.

    He turned on the bathroom light and noticed the sapphire blue bottles and jars on the sink. Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips into a smile.

    With the inclusion of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s belongings, his bathroom, which was originally like a ck-and-white movie, had transitioned into a colorized movie. The background and vibes were different.

    After washing up and returning to the bedroom, he turned off the night light andy down next to Gu Nianzhi.

    She seemed to have realized that the night light was switched off. She moaned softly and shifted uneasily.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her into his arms and let her sleep on his arm.

    She quickly calmed down and found a veryfortable position in his arms. She fell into a deep sleep again.

    For the past few days, although the two of them had slept on the same bed at night, there hadn¡¯t been any incidents of ¡®idental passion¡¯.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to, but that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood hadn¡¯tpletely recovered yet. He didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for her.

    Therefore, even though he felt a little ufortable every night, he still forced himself to hold back.

    They were husband and wife. There was still a lifetime ahead of them. There was no rush, no rush...

    ...

    Happy days always passed by quickly.

    Unknowingly, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s one-month vacation was about to end.

    Gu Nianzhi was also preparing to return to the Senate to officially take up her position.

    That morning, Gu Nianzhi brought Little Corgi home from their morning run. Before she even entered the house, she heard her phone ring.

    She was wearing a bluetooth headset. After answering the call, she asked with a smile, ¡°Who is this?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s me.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice sounded from the phone. It possessed a rare chill on a hot summer morning.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Professor He? You¡¯ve released me from the cklist?¡±

    He Zhichu had blocked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone ever since they had parted on bad terms at the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery, where Gu Xiangwen and his wife were buried.

    Gu Nianzhi was also angry at He Zhichu¡¯s attitude towards her parents. Hence, she did not contact him.

    The two of them had not spoken for a whole month.

    Now that He Zhichu had taken the initiative to call her, she had no choice but to poke fun at him.

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment before saying ufortably, ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked up the steps of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence as she spoke. ¡°Just don¡¯t talk about my parents like that in front of me in the future.¡±

    He Zhichu was even more upset, but he could only nod. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    He quickly changed the topic.

    ¡°Nianchh, do you still remember Vanderbilt from the United States?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks. ¡°Vanderbilt? Yes, why? Has the case been solved?¡±

    ording to Gu Yanran and Ye Xuan¡¯s statements, Vanderbilt was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s, appointedwyer.

    Ye Xuan had even made a trip to Little Rock to ask Lawyer Vanderbilt about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will for the sake of Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran¡¯swsuit.

    However, before Lawyer Vanderbilt could reply, their whole family had been executed and killed in their home. The murderer then set fire to their home and burned it to the ground.

    At that time, the American police had thought that Ye Xuan was the murderer because he had juste into contact with Lawyer Vanderbilt right before Vanderbilt¡¯s family had been killed.

    Because of this, they had mobilized arge police force to hunt him down. Later, He Zhichu traveled to the United States especially to fight awsuit for him and save him.

    At that time, Ye Xuan was exonerated. However, no one knew who the murderer was.

    He Zhichu held his phone and sat at his desk. He looked at theputer and said, ¡°The case hasn¡¯t been solved, but Lawyer Vanderbilt¡¯s designatedw enforcer just contacted me. He mentioned that there was a request from Vanderbilt¡¯sw firm. It was from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will, and it specified that it was to be given to the beneficiary of the will, which was you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely surprised. ¡°Vanderbilt really had my father¡¯s will?!¡±

    No one was aware that Gu Xiangwen had a will, and no one knew that it would be in the hands of an ordinary Americanwyer.

    There were countlesswyers like this in the United States. If one wasn¡¯t particrly familiar with Gu Xiangwen, how would one know thewyer¡¯s whereabouts?

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Gu Yanran again.

    She was probably the only person who knew that Vanderbilt was Gu Xiangwen¡¯swyer, right?

    It was clear that her father really did not treat her as an outsider back then...

 Chapter 1420 - You Are Now Rich

    <h4>Chapter 1420: You Are Now Rich</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart felt slightly ufortable.

    He Zhichu heard the surprise in her voice and said disapprovingly, ¡°I think so. Why else would Ye Xuan make that trip?¡±

    If it had been more than a month ago, Gu Nianzhi would have been ted to hear about this will.

    But now, she was in a very poor mood.

    Because this will was no longer that important.

    As a result of the twowsuits, she basically understood the Gu family¡¯s assets like the back of her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi had already taken over all of the Gu family¡¯s assets. Moreover, there was a message from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic virtual portrait on the submarine. Her eptance of the assets was in ordance with all legal procedures.

    Now, this will of Gu Xiangwen was merely just one additional memento of her father to her.

    Of course, He Zhichu did not know that Gu Xiangwen had left behind a holographic will. If he knew, he would not have bothered with this matter.

    Because ording to thew, the only valid will was thest will that the party made while they were conscious.

    The will in Lawyer Vanderbilt¡¯s hands had obviously been reced by Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic will.

    Legally speaking, the will in Lawyer Vanderbilt¡¯s hands was already considered invalid.

    However, Gu Nianzhi wanted to know how her father had dealt with the distribution of his property before anything had happened to him.

    She felt downcast for a moment before asking, ¡°... then did Professor He see the will?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head and spoke concisely, ¡°He just contacted me, but he¡¯ll be here soon. He wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°See me?¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed open the door of the mansion and lowered her head to change her shoes at the entrance hall. She asked, ¡°Has he confirmed my identity?¡±

    He Zhichu paused as he held his phone. ¡°Yes, he asked me. I told him you were here, so he said he¡¯de to see you and announce his will.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°He didn¡¯t mention Gu Yanran?¡±

    After all, Gu Yanran had been the heir to the Gu family¡¯s inheritance for the past seven years.

    Gu Xiangwen should have made his will before his ident. At that time, nothing had happened yet, so what was his intention?

    He Zhichu scoffed. ¡°Her? She is so thick-skinned. Can she fool others? Can she fool Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°Professor He, please don¡¯t talk about my father like that, okay?¡±

    He Zhichu was at a loss for words. After a while, he said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry. When the enforcer arrives, we¡¯ll make an appointment to meet.¡±

    He hung up the phone and sat alone on the single sofa in the living room of the West Mountain Vi. He propped his head up with his hand and gazed expressionlessly at the lush grass and trees outside the French windows.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi ended the call, she brought Little Corgi into the house.

    Little Corgi squatted down at the entrance hall and waited for Gu Nianzhi to get a wet tissue to wipe its feet.

    As a clean dog, it had very good hygiene habits.

    Gu Nianzhi ¡®waited on¡¯ her little master before returning to the bedroom to take a shower.

    After her morning jog, she took a shower and felt refreshed. Her feelings of depression were all gone.

    She sat down in the restaurant downstairs and had breakfast with Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi told him about He Zhichu call a while back.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her and spoke unhurriedly, ¡°... He Zhichu removed you from the cklist?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Huo Shao, you actually still remember?¡±

    ¡°Can I say that I¡¯m a little disappointed?¡± Huo Shaohengughed lightly and went straight to the point. ¡°Was it about that Americanwyer Vanderbilt? It has been such a long time and you¡¯ve only just discovered your father¡¯s will? Americans are really inefficient.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head to eat her porridge. ¡°It is indeed a little slow.¡±

    It was so slow that she thought that Ye Xuan had made a mistake and that Lawyer Vanderbilt did not have her father¡¯s will.

    It turned out that Ye Xuan was not wrong.

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi called Ye Xuan and told him about it over the phone.

    Ye Xuan had been under the protection of the special operations forces for a few days, but after the bodies of Gu Xiangwen and his wife were found, their protection was revoked.

    Because Ye Xuan was no longer a key figure, there was no need for the people behind the scenes to continue to oppose Ye Xuan.

    Ye Xuan did not leave Huaxia. He continued to run his ownputerpany in the capital and lived a very peaceful life.

    He chatted with Gu Nianzhi over the phone. ¡°I went to the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery to see Mr. Gu again. He¡¯s doing well there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice softened. ¡°Thank you, Ye Xuan.¡±

    Other than her, Ye Xuan was another person who genuinely cared about Gu Xiangwen.

    It wasn¡¯t because of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s achievements and reputation, but because of his own kindness and magnanimity.

    Ye Xuan¡¯s heart sank at the thought of Gu Xiangwen. He said, ¡°A person like Mr. Gu deserves such treatment and status.¡±

    But what for?

    He was already dead. Such treatment and status only made the living feel at ease.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed softly and said, ¡°I know. I hope they can live the life they want wherever they are.¡±

    ...

    Thew enforcer from the United States arrived very quickly this time.

    He Zhichu personally went to the airport to pick him up the next day when he arrived in the imperial capital.

    Thew enforcer was also awyer. He was fair and chubby, and gave others a good impression. He was even more low-key than Vanderbilt.

    Because Vanderbilt¡¯s immediate family had all died, his family property could only be inherited by other rtives in ordance with thew. Therefore, it took him a lot of effort to deal with his estate.

    The enforcer of the will had been busy until recently. Only then did he have the time to deal with Vanderbilt¡¯s professional legacy.

    This part of the business was not Vanderbilt¡¯s legacy, but his client¡¯s rights.

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will which Vanderbilt possessed had been transferred to the enforcer after his death. The enforcer needed to hand it over to Gu Nianzhi, his sole legal heir.

    He Zhichu arranged for Gu Nianzhi toe to his office and meet the chubby enforcer.

    ¡°I¡¯m Wim. You must be Cereus?¡± The executor smiled warmly and shook her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s retracted her hand and nodded politely. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Cereus, and my Chinese name is Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Wim eyes examined Gu Nianzhi¡¯s figure. He said, ¡°Please forgive me for being presumptuous before the announcement of the will. However, I still need to verify your family status.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

    Wim took out the official form. ¡°There are several options for DNA verification. Which one would you like to choose?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly scanned it.

    There were three options: blood sample, hair, and body fluid.

    Before Gu Nianzhi could speak, He Zhichu had already pulled out a strand of her hair and handed it to Wim. ¡°Hair.¡±

    Wim smiled as he took out a small transparent stic bag and ced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair inside. ¡°I¡¯ll announce Mr. Gu¡¯s will after I send it to the designated verification agency for confirmation.¡±

    He had done it very carefully.

    Although Chen Lie had already verified the rtionship between Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA and Gu Xiangwen¡¯s remains, Wim had to personally find a third party for DNA verification ording to the rules of procedure. He couldn¡¯t take the results from others.

    Although DNA was the most direct method of verification, DNA verification by others could be faked.

    He could not just look at the DNA verification report produced by someone else. He had to personally look for a third party he trusted to re-examine it.

    An ordinary will would not be so troublesome, but Gu Xiangwen¡¯s inheritance was quite huge. These procedures were written in the will.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu were both familiar with Americanw. Hence, they did not have any objections. They simply followed Wim¡¯s instructions.

    Wim had found a third-party testing facility. It was a fertility clinic run by Americans in the imperial capital of Huaxia.

    The PCR they used was very fast, and the results came in less than two hours.

    During this time, he chatted happily with Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu.

    Wimughed when he received the call from the clinic. ¡°That¡¯s great! You guys are the best!¡±

    He put down the phone and opened his briefcase. He took out a document and ced it in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Cereus, this is the will that your father, Gu Xiangwen, left with my client, Mr. Vanderbilt. ¡°There are three copies in total. One is with Mr. Vanderbilt, one is with Mr. Gu, and one is with the notary.¡±

    ¡°I have two copies here. One is with Mr. Vanderbilt, and the other is with the notary. They are exactly the same.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked at the two wills.

    She said, ¡°I don¡¯t know where the one in my father¡¯s hands is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Wim smiled gently. ¡°These two have enough legitimacy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. ¡°Thank you. Please read the contents of the will for me.¡±

    Wim nced at He Zhichu and said, ¡°Mr. He, may I ask what your rtionship with Cereus is?¡±

    During the reading of the will, unrted people should not be present.

    He Zhichu was about to get up and leave when Gu Nianzhi reached out to hold him down. She said to Wim, ¡°He¡¯s mywyer.¡±

    Since he was Gu Nianzhi¡¯swyer, he was no longer an irrelevant person.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart warmed, and he sat back down without saying a word.

    His sparkling peach blossom eyes stared unblinkingly at the will in Wim¡¯s hand.

    Wim nodded and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, I will now read the will left behind by your father, Mr. Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    He lowered his head and began to read the will word by word.

    ¡°I, Gu Xiangwen, will be making this will in the presence of awyer and a notary witness today.¡±

    ¡°The list of all my assets will always be with my daughter, Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°All my assets will be inherited by the Cereus Charity Foundation.¡±

    ¡°My daughter, Gu Nianzhi, is the enforcer and beneficiary of the Cereus Charity Foundation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned.

    This will was really concise.

    It didn¡¯t sound like a traditional will, but more like a clue. An arrow that pointed to a mystery.

    And judging from this will, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s assets were not left directly to her, but to a charity fund named after her.

    If this was the only will, it meant that all of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s assets had been transferred to this charity fund and not to Gu Nianzhi.

    She could take profits from this charity fund and manage its operations, but she was not the owner of this property.

    This was fundamentally different from the holographic virtual human will that Gu Xiangwen had left in the submarine seven years ago.

    Why did he do this?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and asked, ¡°May I ask when my father made this will?¡±

    Wim looked at the signature of the will and gave a time.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She was only one year old when Gu Xiangwen made this will. Hence, this will was made 18 years ago.

    Based on the time, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographic will in the submarine had invalidated this will from 18 years ago.

    Gu Nianzhi was not worried about her inheritance rights, but she was curious about the Cereus Charity Foundation.

    ¡°May I ask who is running this charity fund?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    Wim looked at the document, he said, ¡°Mr. Gu Xiangwen founded this charity fund 18 years ago. At that time, he gave Mr. Vanderbilt an initial fee that couldst for 18 years. This fund doesn¡¯t have any assets, but now it has assets.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile, ¡°Cereus, you¡¯re are now the enforcer and beneficiary of a multi-billion-dor charity fund. You are now rich.¡±

 Chapter 1421 - Hard to Calm Down

    <h4>Chapter 1421: Hard to Calm Down</h4>

    A glint shed past Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. If it was considered a fortune, then she would have made a fortune long ago. Why wait for this will?

    It was already toote...

    In fact, Gu Xiangwen¡¯sst words on the submarine were the real valid will.

    In that will, Gu Xiangwen had directly given all his assets to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi thought back to what Gu Xiangwen had said in the hologram. She was sad, touched, and a little proud.

    She looked at the simple will that Wim had handed her, and her eyes stopped on the two lines.

    ¡°All of my assets will be inherited by the Cereus Charity Foundation.¡±

    ¡°My daughter, Gu Nianzhi, is the enforcer and beneficiary of the Cereus Charity Foundation.¡±

    She suddenly remembered the nature of the Charity Foundation.

    It was an independent legal entity that was operated independently by a person, just like C Corp. in other words, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s assets were actually given to the charity foundation, not to her.

    She thought about Gu Xiangwen¡¯sst words on the submarine. They also consisted of two sentences.

    ¡°All the assets in my wife and I¡¯s name will be inherited by our biological daughter, Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°If she is no longer in this world, all of our assets will be donated to our mothend, Huaxia.¡±

    Compared to the will above, there was a fundamental difference, but there was also amonality.

    Thismonality made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s scalp tingle.

    Her fingers trembled slightly, and the tips of her eyebrows twitched slightly, suppressing the inexplicable throbbing in her heart.

    She raised her head and continued to speak to Wim with a dignified smile, ¡°Thank you foring all the way here to help me solve this problem.¡±

    Wim was very enthusiastic and waved his arms. ¡°Do you need a manager for your charity fund? I can be your manager, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said, ¡°No need. I¡¯m awyer myself, and I know how to run a charity fund. Also, I don¡¯t want to inject funds into this charity fund at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Huh? That won¡¯t do. ording to the will, you have to...¡± Wim was bbergasted and pointed his fingers at her to show his disapproval.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my father left another will seven years ago, so this will in your hand is actually invalid.¡±

    ¡°What?! Mr. Gu left another will?!¡± Wim¡¯s grayish-blue eyes were bulging. ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Does Mr. Vanderbilt know?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no obligation to answer his question. She tilted her head and reached out to him. ¡°Anyway, thank you foring. Since you¡¯re here, have fun here for a few days. I¡¯ll be the host, and I¡¯ll pay for your expenses.¡±

    She was now a wealthy young woman. Even without Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wealth, she still possessed a considerable amount of assets.

    Wim rubbed his hands together and said helplessly, ¡°Do you really have another will? If it¡¯s convenient, can I have a look at it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, of course, did not agree to it.

    She said calmly, ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m my father¡¯s soleheir. The only difference is the manner of inheritance. Thest will is the only valid will. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    Wim asked once more, but Gu Nianzhi did not reply him.

    He had no choice. He was merely Mr. Vanderbilt¡¯s enforcer, not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s enforcer.

    After asking a few more questions, he tactfully kept his mouth shut.

    In any case, Gu Xiangwen¡¯sst will and testament could only be challenged by a new heir in court to demand that Gu Nianzhi publish it.

    Otherwise, if she said she wouldn¡¯t take it out, no one else would have the right to force her to take it out.

    ...

    After Wim departed, He Zhichu sat on the sofa and looked at her without moving. He said, ¡°Gu Xiangwen has another will? Did you find it when you found his body?¡±

    More or less.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and her eyes wandered. She didn¡¯t dare look at He Zhichu as she mumbled, ¡°... Professor He, I didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you...¡±

    He Zhichu reached out a hand to stop her from speaking. His face was livid. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to exin anything to me.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to know anything about this Mr. Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi looked over and opened her mouth. In the end, she lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong. She said, ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you, because there was something else involved, so...¡±

    ¡°I know, you really don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± He zhichu rubbed his temples to dissolve his headache. His expression remained cold and aloof. His eyes were lowered, and his long eyshes were densely packed. Like a small fan, they blocked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s line of sight.

    She could not see He Zhichu¡¯s eyes clearly, nor could she understand his thoughts.

    The two of them fell silent for a moment.

    After a while, He Zhichu recovered and said calmly, ¡°Now that all these matters have been settled, when will Huo Shaoheng hold his wedding with you?¡±

    The topic changed so quickly...

    Gu Nianzhi cursed him in her heart, but she didn¡¯t dare to go against He Zhichu anymore. She quickly said, ¡°We originally nned to hold our wedding next year. Now that my parents have just been buried, it¡¯s only been a little over a month. We might as well wait until the first anniversary next year before we talk about it.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned. ¡°Actually, they passed away seven years ago, right? Why are you doing this? Are you really going to be filial for a year?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her hand in embarrassment. ¡°But we only discovered them a month ago, so to me, they passed away just over a month ago...¡±

    ¡°Do you miss your parents that much?¡± He Zhichu looked at her quietly for a while and suddenly asked.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded without hesitation. ¡°Of course, Professor He. Don¡¯t you miss your parents?¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned by her question. After a long silence, he nodded and said, ¡°Of course I miss them too...¡±

    However, he wanted to be with Gu Nianzhi more. He would only be at ease if he was with her.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed her purse and carefully persuaded him, ¡°Professor He, since you miss your parents, you can visit them anytime. You have to cherish them!¡±

    He Zhichu took a sip of his water and looked away uneasily, ¡°My mother passed away a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry...¡±Gu Nianzhi turned red, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to...¡±

    He Zhichu had never mentioned his mother.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He Zhichu waved his hand and smiled bitterly, ¡°You... don¡¯t remember them. Actually, you lived in my house when you were young. You know my parents.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears perked up almost immediately and she leaned forward. ¡°I know Professor He¡¯s parents?! Howe I don¡¯t remember them at all?!¡±

    ¡°... can you remember what happened before you were 12?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s handsome face was icy as he said coldly, ¡°You forget about others, and yet you me others for not remembering you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck and mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t intentionally lose my memory...¡±

    It was as if there was a ck hole in her brain. Her memories from before the age of 12 had been thrown into the ck hole, and she was afraid that she would never be able to find them again in this lifetime.

    He Zhichu also knew that he couldn¡¯t me her, but he still couldn¡¯t calm himself down.

    However, He Zhichu¡¯s icy expression no longer scared Gu Nianzhi.

    She was alone for a while before she her thoughts wandered back to the will that Gu Xiangwen had written 18 years ago.

    ¡°Professor He, my father¡¯s will from eighteen years ago states that his property list has always been with me. Where do you think it is?¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her hair. ¡°What if I happened to forget it?¡±

    He Zhichu did not want to talk to her at all. He stood up alone and went to the kitchen to pour himself a ss of red wine. He leaned against the kitchen counter and started drinking.

    Gu Nianzhi was alone in the living room, pondering.

    After thinking about it for a while, she remembered the small backpack she had carried when she first came here.

    She remembered that the backpack had a blueprint, a photo, and the clothes she had been wearing at the time. Could these items be clues?!

    Gu Nianzhi became more confident as she stood up happily. She walked to the kitchen and said to He Zhichu, who was drinking red wine alone, ¡°Professor He, I¡¯m going back first. I¡¯m going to look in my small backpack to see if there¡¯s anything important.¡±

    He Zhichu turned around and was already tipsy. ¡°What small backpack?¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s the small backpack that I was carrying when Huo Shao rescued me from the car.¡± Gu Nianzhi gestured excitedly, ¡°There¡¯s also a picture of me holding a doll and the clothes I was wearing at that time. I¡¯ll have to look into it.¡±

    He Zhichu snorted and turned his high chair back, leaving Gu Nianzhi with a view of his good-looking back. ¡°I advise you not to waste your time. It¡¯s definitely not among these things.¡±

    ¡°No way. How would I know if I don¡¯t look?¡± Gu Nianzhi disagreed. ¡°If it¡¯s always by my side, then these are the only things I can think of.¡±

    Just as she was about to push the door open and walk out, He Zhichu¡¯szy voice came from behind her. ¡°If it were truly with those things you just mentioned, did you think Huo Shao and the others would have neglected to check it? They must have already checked it thoroughly.¡±

    ¡°I bet they¡¯ve X-rayed every inch of your backpack, photos, and clothes. Why wait until today? If I say it¡¯s not there, it¡¯s not there.¡±

    This seemed to make sense.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped at the door and gave it some thought. She said to herself, ¡°If it¡¯s not in these things, then howe he said that it¡¯s always been with me?¡±

    He Zhichu held the wine ss in his hand and stuffed one hand in his trouser pocket. He slowly walked out of therge American kitchen and leaned against a pir in the living room. He stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and sighed, he said, ¡°Where¡¯s your logical thinking? Was it eaten by your corgi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu walked over and didn¡¯t even look at Gu Nianzhi. He said coldly, ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will was written eighteen years ago. He said it was something that had always been by his daughter¡¯s side, so it should be something he... prepared eighteen years ago. It was also something that Little Nianzhi liked very much and had always kept by her side. ¡°Think about it, what could it be?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and felt something sh through her mind like lightning.

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t remembered? It must be...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around, her big bright eyes shining like stars.

    ... A pink diamond crown?! Was it a pink diamond crown?!¡±

 Chapter 1422 - If You Say So

    <h4>Chapter 1422: If You Say So</h4>

    The pink diamond crown had once belonged to Czarina Catherine the Great of Russia. It had been a betrothal gift from her mother-inw, Czarina Elizabeth.

    On Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first birthday, Gu Xiangwen had bought it at Christie¡¯s auctions for $70 million as a gift for his daughter¡¯s first birthday.

    This pink diamond crown should have been an object that had always been with her, right?

    To a little girl, anything that represented her status as a little princess would be her favorite.

    How could she have ignored such a beautiful pink diamond crown when she could wear it and pretend to be a Princess?

    ¡°Was it that pink diamond crown? Am I right?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely excited. She sped her hands together and ced them in front of her, ¡°Not only because of its value, but also because of its attractiveness to young girls. Also, my father left many clues behind. Do you still remember the Taj Mahal? The reflection in the pool in front of the Taj Mahal is of a young girl wearing a crown! And that note!¡±

    If the Dasi Clinic¡¯s flowery English poem had led to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s safe in the basement of a bank in Cape City, it would have contained Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather, Gu Haize¡¯s will, and five DNA molecr blueprints! Then how could the clues at the Taj Mahal not point to this specific direction?!

    Those were all clues left behind by Gu Xiangwen at the same time seven years ago!

    Moreover, Gu Nianzhi now knew that the Dasi Clinic¡¯s flowery English poem, ¡®A Little Girl Needs Daddy¡¯ led to the suicide note of her grandfather, Gu Haize, as well as to the submarine that Gu Xiangwen had docked at the Cape of Good Hope...

    He Zhichu noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rounded eyes and snickered again. ¡°If you say so...¡±

    ¡°Then is it true or not? !¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but stomp her feet and pout. She was itching to take a knife and pry open He Zhichu¡¯s mouth.

    Her expression was lively and charming, but she had no idea how much damage her expression had on He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu¡¯s smile disappeared. He pursed his lips, looked away, and returned to his cold and sonorous voice. He spoke inly, ¡°In order to discern the truth, why don¡¯t you go and check it out yourself?¡±

    He Zhichu was not going to give her a definite answer.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and picked up her purse. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll take my leave. Goodbye, Professor He.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He Zhichu did not look back. He waved at her to bid her farewell.

    After leaving He Zhichu¡¯s vi, Gu Nianzhi sat back in her car and spoke to Xiao Ye, who was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Heping. I have an apartment there.¡±

    It was a second-hand apartment that Gu Nianzhi had bought with the money she had earned. It was a small two-bedroom apartment with a living room that was more than 100 square meters. Huo Shaoheng had deployed people to renovate it, as well as to install strict security measures.

    She wasn¡¯t sure if the security measures were still in ce.

    She recalled that the pink diamond crown was locked in a hidden safe behind the wardrobe.

    Huo Shaoheng had told her the password as well as how to open the hidden safe.

    Xiao Ye nodded and drove her to the Sihuan district.

    After parking the car in the underground parking lot, the two of them took the elevator to the sixth floor.

    All the preinstalled security measures had not changed.

    Xiao Ye nced around and found four to five hidden cameras along the corridor.

    The camera footage were probably under the surveince of the special operations forces.

    The entire corridor and the periphery of the apartment building was under surveince.

    Xiao Yeposed herself and walked into the small apartment with Gu Nianzhi.

    The rooms here were much smaller than the third ring apartment that Gu Nianzhi was living in now, but it was decorated very warmly. It was obvious that this was an apartment where one woman lived at.

    Gu Nianzhi asked Xiao Ye to wait outside. She went to the bedroom, opened the closet, pulled open a partition. She found the hidden safe behind it.

    She entered the password skillfully and opened the safe ording to the method Huo Shaoheng had taught her. She saw a dark gold brocade box inside.

    Her pink diamond crown sat within the brocade box.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at it for a while before reaching out to take the brocade box out.

    She opened the box and saw the pink diamond-iid crown.

    The diamond was transparent and wless. The sparkling pink color seeped out of the diamond core like the first ray of sunlight on a snow capped mountain.

    No man-made gemstone could create such a texture.

    Not to mention the history represented by the diamond crown.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at it for a while before closing the lid and putting it into her backpack. She left the apartment with Xiao Ye.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Huo Shao¡¯s ce.¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged her backpack and sat in the passenger seat. She turned to Xiao Ye and said, ¡°Thank you so much for today. I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your vacation.¡±

    In actuality, it was thest day of Xiao Ye¡¯s vacation.

    Tomorrow, Huo Shaoheng would end his vacation and head to work. Hence, Xiao Ye¡¯s vacation would naturally be over.

    The Senate would officially start working Gu Nianzhi tomorrow. Hence, everyone would be busy.

    Xiao Ye smiled and said, ¡°What are you talking about, Miss Gu? I¡¯m the one who should be thanking you. I¡¯ve been so depressed at home over these past few days.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? A blind date?¡± Gu Nianzhi remembered that Xiao Ye had secretly called her, hoping to cancel her leave ande back to work early.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s face immediately fell. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no end to the blind dates. I don¡¯t even remember what those people look like. I just remember being busy running between the restaurants every day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed until her shoulders trembled.

    Xiao Ye was such a beauty. Even though she had a special job, and even though she fought and killed, there would still be plenty of men who liked her.

    She had a good family background, she was beautiful, and had already reached the rank of a colonel at such a young age. She was also capable and had a good character. Only a blind man would reject such a date.

    However, a man who could catch her eye would probably be very rare.

    Gu Nianzhi could not help but recall the Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand, dimir.

    He did have feelings for her, but she could not reciprocate his feelings.

    Even if he did, she would have to cut him off.

    As a soldier, and also a disciplined force in a strict unit, how could she defend her country if she could not even control her own feelings?

    Gu Nianzhi did not think that Xiao Ye held any special feelings for dimir. She merely recalled dimir¡¯s infatuation, and hoped that Xiao Ye¡¯s identity could be kept secret forever, so that dimir would not find out.

    At least that way, he would still be able to keep the good things in his heart.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi did not bring up this topic anymore. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m officially starting tomorrow. Can you return to the team?¡±

    She had be the chief legal advisor of the Senate and would have her own security staff.

    Xiao Ye had only been lent to her by Huo Shaoheng to protect her during the transition period.

    However, now that the dust had settled and the bodies of Gu Xiangwen and his wife had been buried in the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery, Gu Nianzhi could not think of any reason for Xiao Ye to follow her.

    More importantly, Gu Nianzhi felt that making Xiao Ye follow her as a bodyguard was a waste of her talent.

    Xiao Ye did not care whether it was a waste of her talent or not. To her, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders were orders that she had to obey.

    ¡°Huo Shao ordered me to follow Miss Gu. This is my post.¡± Xiao Ye said calmly. ¡°Although it is indeed quitefortable to follow Miss Gu, orders are orders. I have no right to be picky.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Xiao Ye, don¡¯t be so serious.¡±

    The two of them chatted andughed amongst each other. Soon, they arrived at the headquarter of Special Operation forces¡¯ encampment ground.

    Gu Nianzhi went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, and Xiao Ye went back to her dormitory.

    ..

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Huo Shaoheng poked his head out from behind theputer and looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Was there a problem with thew enforcer?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over to him and sat down. She rested her head on his shoulder and stuffed the brocade box with the pink diamond crown into his arms. She said wistfully, ¡°That was my father¡¯s will 18 years ago. Actually, it doesn¡¯t count anymore. I think the main purpose of my father¡¯s will was to point to this...¡±

    She patted the brocade box in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her into his arms. He held the brocade box in one hand and rested the other on her shoulder. After a long silence, he kissed her forehead and said, ¡°Looks like your father had been nning ahead for a long time.¡±

    ¡°I feel weird.¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. ¡°Look at this pink diamond crown. Does it look like it can hide something?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out Gu Xiangwen¡¯s will from 18 years ago. ¡°Look at this...¡±

    The will was very short, and the important contents were all contained in one sentence.

    ¡°My entire property list has always been with my daughter, Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at it for a long time before slowly saying, ¡°Father-inw is really a very cautious person.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heard the words ¡®Father-inw¡¯ from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth, which made her feel doubtful. She tilted her head to look at him for a while, and when she saw his natural expression, she smiled and said, ¡°Indeed, it was just one sentence. If someone else got his will, I wonder how much wealth he would get.¡±

    Even thewyer did not know his family background.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze shifted to the brocade box that Gu Nianzhi had stuffed into his arms. He picked it up and ced it on the coffee table in front of him. He said thoughtfully, ¡°Do you think that this diamond crown has always been by your side?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it so?¡±

    If she remembered correctly, her father, Gu Xiangwen, had bought this pink diamond crown at Christie¡¯s auctions for a sky-high price the year he made his will. It had been her first birthday present.

    It was obvious that it was a precious piece of jewelry that could be passed down in her family and apany her for the rest of her life.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and whispered into her ear, ¡°... wasn¡¯t it me who was always by your side?¡±

    His voice was deep and maic, like the first nocturnal tune yed by a cello on a summer evening. It carried with it the gentle evening breeze and the fragrance of the grass.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears went numb and she scratched her earlobe ufortably, she red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°... how did my father know that you would be by my side 18 years ago? Besides, you weren¡¯t always by my side... at least not until you were 12.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was only joking. He sat back down and ced one hand on the armrest of the sofa. He spoke without batting an eyelid, ¡°If it isn¡¯t me, then it would have to be this diamond crown.¡±

 Chapter 1423 - In Public and Behind the Scenes

    <h4>Chapter 1423: In Public and Behind the Scenes</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Her eyes widened as she scrutinized Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Huo Shaoheng touched his chin and looked askance at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I know you love me deeply. You don¡¯t have to look at me so lovingly, do you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reached out and pinched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome cheeks on both sides. She grinned and said, ¡°I just want to see how thick-skinned a person can be.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Huo Shaoheng still had a serious expression stered on his face. ¡°The most unfathomable thing in this world is not the human heart, but the human face.¡±

    Pfft!

    Gu Nianzhi instantly fell into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms inughter. She hugged his neck andughed until she got a stomach ache.

    A faint smile shed past Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. He sped his hands and watched her roll around on his body.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for her smile to fade away before he said, ¡°Since it¡¯s in the diamond crown, have you thought about how to open it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t see how I can open it.¡±

    ¡°There should be a way.¡± Huo Shaoheng pressed down on the brocade box in front of him. ¡°If you give me the authorization, I can help you think of a way to open it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. I brought it here for you to dispose of.¡±

    She did not hesitate to hand over her most precious thing to him. This immense trust was even harder toe by than her love.

    Huo Shaoheng patted the back of her hand. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Of course, the prerequisite to opening it was not to damage the diamond crown, which would require a lot of effort.

    Since Gu Xiangwen had put the item in without damaging the structure of the diamond crown, there must be a way to take it out intact.

    However, even after Huo Shaoheng opened the brocade box and took out the pink diamond crown to study it for a long time, he still had no idea.

    He thought about it and said, ¡°I have to take it to the office to think of something. I¡¯ll let you know when I open it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded uneasily. Her mind was not on the list of assets in the diamond crown.

    She caressed the will that Gu Xiangwen had made eighteen years ago. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled and she asked Huo shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, do you think the will that my father made eighteen years ago is different from the holographic will that my father made in the submarine?¡±

    ¡°Differences and simrities?¡± Huo Shaoheng thought about it casually.

    ¡°The simrity is that you inherit all the property. The difference is that the manner you inherit it, right?¡± Huo Shaoheng did not understand thews pertaining to inheritance. Hence, he did not give Gu Nianzhi any further exnation.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°The difference is indeed the way you inherit. Eighteen years ago, my father nned to put all his assets into the Cereus Charity Foundation after his death. That way, I would be the enforcer and beneficiary. In fact, the assets were not left to me, but to the foundation.¡±

    ¡°Seven years ago, my father directly announced that I would inherit all the assets, but if I wasn¡¯t around, all the assets would be donated to the state.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you think that these differences are linked, and that they¡¯re exactly the same?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her dark jade-like eyes, and a hint of disappointment appeared on her bright and beautiful face.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and stroked her head, ¡°I didn¡¯t see it. Lawyers like you are really obsessed with words. In my opinion, your father¡¯s intention to give all his assets to you has never changed. No matter which method it was, it was sufficient.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and thought to herself, am I really overthinking this?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were not without reason.

    No matter which way it was, it was the evidence that her father has thought of her before.

    When she thought of this, Gu Nianzhi felt relieved again.

    She snuggled into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and said softly, ¡°You have to go to work tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and you have to head to the Senate tomorrow to officially take up your post.¡±Huo Shaoheng kissed her face. ¡°I¡¯ll send you there tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°How can I ept that?¡± Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood and said cheekily, ¡°It¡¯s my honor to have Huo Shao personally take charge.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled softly. ¡°Please give me this opportunity, Mrs. Huo.¡±

    The two of them chatted andughed as Gu Nianzhi brought up Xiao Ye. ¡°... Do you want to transfer her back? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for her to follow me anymore. You all are the elites of the special operations forces. It¡¯s such a waste of your talent to be my chauffeur now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look first. We¡¯ll talk about it after you¡¯ve established yourself in the Senate and have security personnel assigned to you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t insist because she believed in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s judgment.

    ..

    The next day was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s first day of work after his leave came to an end. His schedule was already packed with prearranged meetings.

    It was already mid-July, and there would be a military parade in August. The special operations forces had also been asked to attend this time.

    Huo Shaoheng had returned from a month¡¯s leave. Today was his first day of work, and he wanted to check on everyone¡¯s progress in their preparations.

    In therge meeting room of the headquarter of Special Operation forces¡¯ encampment ground, a huge rectangr table was ced in the middle of the room.

    Huo Shaoheng sat at the head of the table.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze sat on the left and right respectively.

    Zhou Qiyuan sat behind Huo Shaoheng and took notes for him. The rest of the people at the meeting table were the leaders of the various departments of the special operations forces.

    Yin Shixiong was the first toin. He mmed his hand on the table and said, ¡°In the past, the special operations forces did not participate in such public appearances. It is so obvious, is our department something that can be exposed frequently? Everyone is trending every three to five minutes. How are we supposed to carry out our work if we¡¯re on television? Are we giving our enemies our heads?¡±

    He nced at Bai Yueran from the corner of his eyes.

    Bai Yueran frowned. She did not look at Yin Shixiong. She stared at Huo Shaoheng, who was in charge, she said, ¡°It¡¯s true that we didn¡¯t participate in the past, and everyone understands that we didn¡¯t make any special requests. But this year is different. It¡¯s the celebration of the 10th anniversary, and it¡¯s also the first time our special operations forces have officially appeared in front of the entire nation since we were founded.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that all you have to do is hide? Why isn¡¯t the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States hiding? Why isn¡¯t the Federal Intelligence Service of Germany hiding? Why isn¡¯t Britain¡¯s MI5 hiding? Why isn¡¯t Israel¡¯s Mossad hiding? Do you only know how to hide? Are you an ostrich? Burying your head in the sand and pretending that others can¡¯t see your perky bottom?¡±

    Bai Yueran finished herst sentence and turned to look at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Colonel Commandant Yin, if there¡¯s anything I¡¯ve said wrong, please advise me.¡±

    Yin Shixiong chuckled at Bai Yueran¡¯s rebuke but didn¡¯t take it to heart.

    Everyone was doing their jobs for the good of the department.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at everyone and said calmly, ¡°Ever since our special operations forces became an official disciplinary force, we¡¯ve made an appearance all over the world. Although our work is behind the scenes, our department isn¡¯t.¡±

    He paused, nced at Bai Yueran, and smiled. He said, ¡°Director Bai, as for the parade, our department will definitely participate. However, due to the special nature of our work, the field personnel who are on duty do not need to join in the fun. The main members of the parade team will be drawn from your Legal Affairs Department, the Logistics Department, and the Outreach Department for Commando Training.¡±

    Although these departments were under the special operations forces, they were no different from other ordinary government agencies. Their security level was also several grades lower than that of the field operation departments.

    Bai Yueran did not decline. She nodded and said, ¡°No problem. It was originally nned by our Legal Affairs Department, the Logistics Department, and several chiefs of the Outreach Department. However, after the parade, it will be a closed exercise. Aren¡¯t we going to send field operations personnel to participate?¡±

    The Legal Affairs Department, Logistics Department, and the Outreach Department were not members of the regrbat forces.

    Huo Shaoheng had never thought of participating in the military exercises at home.

    He only had one enemy in his army, and that was the foreign intelligence agencies.

    The way they fought was also different from that of the regrbat forces.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. We¡¯re not participating in the exercise. You can just lead therades from the Legal Affairs Department, the Logistics Department, and the Outreach Department to march properly. The meeting is adjourned.¡±

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t help but snicker.

    Bai Yueran nced at him and inadvertently shifted her gaze to Zhao Liangze. However, he was sitting across Yin Shixiong while expressionlessly fidgeting with a pen in his hand. He didn¡¯t look in her direction at all.

    Bai Yueran sighed inwardly. She packed her things and left the meeting room.

    Huo Shaoheng originally thought that things would end as such. However, after the meeting ended, he received a call from General Ji, asking him to represent General Ji and participate in the military parade and drill. As a leading member of the headquarters, he would supervise the military parade and drill.

    ¡°Shaoheng, this is a good opportunity to train. You have to seize this opportunity instead of focusing solely on the special operations forces. Your position in the future will not be limited to any department. You have to have a holistic view and have aprehensive understanding of all aspects of the military.¡±

    ¡°And this military parade and exercise is a very good opportunity.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately replied, ¡°Yes, sir. I will set off immediately to Rihe City and participate in the military parade while exercising leadership.¡±

    The military parade mission had been given to all the troops three months ago. Everyone had transferred their elite soldiers and had already begun closed-door training.

    Huo Shaoheng was now going to Rihe City, where the military parade and exercise were to be held. He had to do a final assessment and check on everyone¡¯s progress in their preparations.

    There was only half a month left.

    He had originally nned to send Gu Nianzhi to work at the Senate tomorrow, but he was unable to do that anymore.

    He had to pack his luggage and set off for Rihe City immediately.

    He hurriedly gave Gu Nianzhi a call and boarded the military ne to Rihe City.

    Because he was going to Rihe City on behalf of General Ji, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bring Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze along with him. He simply brought a few disciplined soldiers with him.

    Rihe City was located in the desert northwest of the Huaxia Empire. It was a city specially built for military exercises.

    It only took two hours to fly from the imperial capital to Rihe City.

    However, half an hour after the ne took off, a sudden thunderstorm caused them to disappear from the radar.

 Chapter 1424 - Iâ€™ll Jump if You Jump

    <h4>Chapter 1424: I¡¯ll Jump if You Jump</h4>

    In the aircraft, there was no difference between night and day. As long as the navigation radar was working properly, they would have no problem flying.

    However, once something happened on the navigation radar, there would be a big difference between night and day.

    At that moment, under the pitch-ck night sky, torrential rain was pouring down and strong winds were blowing. Only the asional streaks of light from lightning that resembled tree branches tore the night sky apart. They could see the dark clouds in front of them and the waterfall of rain.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed open the door to the cockpit and walked in. ¡°What happened?¡±

    His voice was calm andposed, and his movements were neither fast nor slow. He quickly calmed everyone¡¯s restless emotions.

    ¡°Hello, chief.¡±

    ¡°Chief, the lightning seems to have affected the radar. We can¡¯t contact the ground control.¡± the captain, who was piloting the ne, was a little pale.

    They were flying a military ne. The ne wasn¡¯t big, and there weren¡¯t many people on board. There were only a captain and a co-captain, a female flight attendant, four military soldiers, and the Deputy Secretary of the Military Supreme Council, Huo Shaoheng.

    The others were ordinary crew and the only important person on board was Huo Shaoheng, who was a major general.

    If anything happened to him on their ne, they would die without a doubt!

    As they were speaking, there was another explosion of thunder outside the cabin.

    Boom!

    This time, the sound of thunder shook the sky and earth, hitting the fusge directly.

    The fusge of the ne shook incessantly, and a part of it had already deted.

    The pointers of the radar dashboard were spinning about rapidly, as if they were in a circle.

    They didn¡¯t stop in the north, south, east, or west.

    They were almost out of control.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the dashboard, then nced at the thunderstorm outside. He said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    He had been the best fighter pilot of all time, and he still was.

    The copilot quickly got up, took off his earphones and oxygen mask, and passed them to Huo Shaoheng.

    The captain sat in the copilot¡¯s seat and gave his seat to Huo Shaoheng. He became Huo Shaoheng¡¯s copilot.

    ...

    At that moment, the aircraft¡¯s control tower on the ground was in chaos.

    ¡°Where did the chief¡¯s ne go?! Can you contact it?!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already called 18 ground navigation towers along the way, and even the military navigation tower has been notified, but... We can¡¯t detect the chief¡¯s ne!¡±

    The navigators in the control tower were all sweating profusely, and they were extremely anxious.

    ¡°This damn thunderstorm! I didn¡¯t expect it to be so severe!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the weather station! They can¡¯t even predict such a strong thunderstorm urately!¡±

    Commercial airliners would usually avoid thunderstorms. They would not take off unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Military airliners were a little stronger. They had been specially trained to deal with the stormy weather. Moreover, the lightning resistance of military airliners was much greater than that of civilian airliners. It would be alright even if there was a thunderstorm.

    However, the situation this time was slightly different.

    This time, there had been no warning signs that indicated a strong thunderstorm. Even the meteorological observatory did not issue any warnings. It was a sudden thunderstorm.

    They tried frantically for half an hour but still could not contact Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne.

    They had no choice but to report it to the higher-ups.

    They reported to the leader-in-charge of the the control tower, to the airport¡¯s leader, then to the military¡¯s telephone operator,panymander, Regiment Commander, and Division Commander. Then, they finally reported it to General Ji.

    General Ji was still awake at that moment. He was reading documents in his study.

    When he received the call, he stood up abruptly. ¡°What?! Shaoheng¡¯s private jet went missing due to a strong thunderstorm?! I¡¯m warning you, get in touch quickly! What is the weather station doing?!¡±

    Under General Ji¡¯s authoratative intervention, the staff on duty at the Meteorological Observatory woke up the experts and nervously monitored the weather.

    It felt suffocating as they monitored the situation.

    ¡°Reporting to the chief, the thunderstorm this time was very abrupt. There were no signs beforehand.¡± the meteorological observatory expert looked at the data in front of him, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

    He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and said with a trembling voice, ¡°... from the looks of its intensity, this is not a normal thunderstorm, but... a hurricane that is usually formed in the ocean!¡±

    Tropical cyclones formed in the ocean were generally divided into three categories ording to the intensity, speed, and speed of the wind.

    If the wind force was between grades 8 to 9, it was known as a tropical storm.

    If the wind force was between a magnitude of 10 and 11 and was known as a strong tropical storm.

    A hurricane was formed when the wind force was above a magnitude of 12.

    Tropical cyclones only formed in the ocean. They would also bring arge amount of precipitation.

    Therefore, when a hurricane approached, it would be apanied by strong thunderstorms.

    Such weather phenomena weremon in coastal countries.

    The Huaxia Empire was ind, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne had just flown north. It traveled ind all the way, not towards the ocean.

    General Ji reacted immediately and roared, ¡°A hurricane from the ocean?! You mean, a hurricane on the ocean suddenly appeared ind?! What about other nes?! What about civil aircrafts?! Has anything happened to them?!¡±

    The director in the navigation building was also sweating profusely. He quickly said, ¡°A few civil aircraft were affected, but they all made an emergencynding after the storm. Currently, only... only... Major General Huo¡¯s private jet is affected...¡±

    The radar of the othermercial airliners that were affected was fine. They immediately returned once they noticed the storm.

    Only Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne did not return. Instead, it lost contact with the ground in an instant.

    They did not even have time to react.

    General Ji felt better when he heard that all themercial airliners were fine. However, when he heard that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne had lost contact with the ground control, his heart immediately jumped out of his chest, ¡°Then what about Major General Huo¡¯s private ne?! Don¡¯t tell me that evenmercial airliners can return, but our military private ne can¡¯t!¡±

    If that was the case, why would they fly a military ne? They could simply just send their enemies to their deaths.

    The leader of the navigation tower had no choice but to say, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s not that the military private ne can¡¯t return, but... but... we suspect that their radar was struck by lightning and is out of order.¡±

    A radar failure was not considered a fatal injury to an aircraft, but in this kind of hurricane weather, at night, it was no different from being fatal.

    ¡°Motherf*cker! How could there be such a coincidence?! Are you sure this is a natural weather phenomenon?!¡± General Ji was not polite. ¡°What¡¯s the use of having you?!¡±

    He mmed the phone down and gave orders to Secretary Cao, who was standing behind him with an uneasy expression. He shouted with a cold face, ¡°Get me the weather unit.¡±

    The weather forecast of the weather team was on apletely different levelpared to the civilian weather station.

    They had the best equipment and top-notch talent. Their responsibility was not just to forecast the weather.

    ¡°Hello, Chief. May I know what your orders are?¡±

    The head of the weather team was woken up from his bed in the middle of the night and rushed to the duty room to talk to General Ji on the phone.

    ¡°I heard that there will be a strong thunderstorm tonight. I heard that it is a hurricane. Did you guys manage to predict it?¡±

    They quickly gathered the data and ced it in front of the head of the meteorological unit.

    The head of the meteorological unit took a quick nce and said to General Ji, ¡°There is no indication that the weather was manipted by external forces. However, this weather is indeed very strange. However, because the intensity is too high, we have ruled out the possibility that it is man-made.¡±

    As far as he knew, there was no country in the world that had mastered such hurricane technology.

    If a hurricane of such intensity could be created, there was no need for conventional battle preparations. A hurricane would be enough to wipe out all the strategic facilities of the other party.

    In other words, a country that could create such a hurricane would no longer be on the same technological level as other countries.

    It was just like the primitive era of cold weapons. Someone had suddenly mastered gunpowder technology and created guns and cannons.

    A country that used big knives and arrows would be a fish on the chopping board at the mercy of their enemies. They could only be the fish on the chopping board.

    General Ji listened to the report of the leader of the weather force for a long time and ruled out the possibility of human intervention. However, his heart suddenly sank.

    ¡°Okay, you guys continue to monitor. Report back immediately if there are any new findings.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, General Ji slumped into his armchair.

    It would have been fine if it had been a meteorological warunched by another country. At least they would be able to attempt a rescue.

    Regardless of whether they had to use negotiations or a targeted counterattack, it would have worked.

    But if it was due to the power of nature, they would be rendered powerless. They could only resign themselves to fate.

    ...

    Time passed, minute by minute. Huo Shaoheng sat in the pilot¡¯s seat and gazed ahead.

    When there was no lightning, the front of the ne was covered in thick darkness. The waterfall-like rain hit the body of the ne. The small military ne was like a small boat in the vast ocean, sailing through the clouds, lightning, and heavy rain.

    The people around them were all soldiers. They were not cowards, but they were still scared silly in front of the power of nature.

    ¡°What should we do? Chief, we can¡¯t fly out...¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t even tell the direction... What should we do? If another ne flies over...¡±

    The ne shook violently. It was even more dizzying than riding on a roller coaster.

    Huo Shaoheng did not say a word. He looked at the weather and held the rudder in his hand. He suddenly thought of the year Gu Nianzhi turned 18 and the time she had been in danger on the Caribbean Sea.

    It was the same hurricane, the same lighting, the same strong winds, and the same torrential rain.

    But how could there be a hurricane like the one on the Caribbean Sea?!

    But when he thought of the hurricane, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes lit up.

    How could he have forgotten?

    That time, he had piloted the fighter jet through the eye of the storm to attack the pirates and save Gu Nianzhi.

    This time, as long as they flew into the eye of the storm, they would be safe for the time being!

    Huo Shaoheng had an idea. He tightened his grip on the rudder and said calmly, ¡°Go back and sit properly. Put on your seatbelts. I promise to bring you to the ground safely.¡±

    The people on the ne looked at each other, but even if they didn¡¯t believe Huo Shaoheng, they couldn¡¯t jump out to refute him.

    Besides, he was the chief, so they could only follow his orders.

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    Other than the captain who sat in the co-pilot¡¯s seat, everyone else returned to their seats and fastened their seatbelts.

    Just as everyone sat down, there was a loud bang, and another explosion hit the fusge.

    The captain¡¯s face was pale. ¡°Chief, if this goes on, even if we can escape the storm, we won¡¯t be able to escape the explosion of the ne itself...¡±

    Now he was d that the lightning had only damaged the radar.

    If the first lightning strike had hit the fuel tank, they would have all ¡®died¡¯ in the line of duty.

    Huo Shaoheng grunted, ¡°I know. I¡¯ll turn off the engines on both sides. You listen to my orders and open the fuel tank door to empty all the oil. This way, you won¡¯t have to worry about the lightning hitting the fuel tank and causing an explosion.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± the captain looked up at Huo Shaoheng like he was looking at a madman. ¡°Switch off the engines on both sides?! Empty all the oil?! How are we supposed to fly then?!¡±

    The two engines of the ne had failed at the same time. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for the ne to glide and crashnd, but it wasn¡¯t at this altitude, nor in this weather!

    At such an altitude and in such weather, without power, the ne could only crash!

    Huo Shaoheng did not have the patience same for this person as he had with Gu Nianzhi. He did not exin any further. He forcefully steadied the rudder and rushed forward, directly it into the eye of the storm.

    There was a violent jolt, a tremor, and the world seemed to spin. It was as if they had entered the void. Clouds and mist swirled around them, but the storm suddenly disappeared.

    After a while, the ne calmed down. They had really entered the eye of the storm. This was the most peaceful area in the entire hurricane.

    Huo Shaoheng also growled, ¡°Release the oil!¡±

    The captain was so scared that he trembled. ¡°You really want to release the oil?!¡±

    ¡°Release the oil!¡± Huo Shaoheng gritted his teeth and repeated it for the second time. ¡°If you don¡¯t release it now, you¡¯ll be shot!¡±

    The captain realized that he would die if he didn¡¯t release the fuel. Hence, he closed his eyes and opened the fuel tank door ording to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions. Tons of engine oil started to spill out from the fusge.

    The weight of the aircraft soon began to decrease, and it began to float gently in the eye of the storm.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the dashboard, calcting the ratio between the wind speed and the weight of the aircraft. He switched off the engines on both sides and operated the aircraft entirely by feeling. He looked for the direction of the wind in the eye of the storm and glided downwards.

    The radar on the ne had already failed, and the steering wheel was also affected by the strong maic field. However, no matter what, the direction of the cyclone would not change.

    As long as it was within the range of the blue, the gravitational maic field would guide the direction of the wind.

    As long as he followed the direction of the cyclone¡¯s descent, he would know where thend was.

    Huo Shaoheng relied on his excellent understanding and experience of the airflow and the influence of gravity to steer the rudder forcefully and guide the direction of the ne¡¯s rapid descent.

    He used all his strength to stabilize the ne. The muscles on his arms were bulging, and the veins on the back of his hands were protruding.

    Ten thousand meters, eight thousand meters, five thousand meters, three thousand meters, two thousand meters. Gradually, the impact of the storm was not so great, and the situation onnd could be seen clearly.

    It was unknown whether the ground control had already known that they were in danger. Although the storm was raging, thend beneath them was brightly lit. Even the uninhabited areas were lit up with military signal lights.

    Rows and rows of lights fell like pearls on the ground, pointing in the direction of thending.

    There was a burst of cheers on the ne.

    ¡°We¡¯re saved!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng informed the people on the ne, ¡°Put on your parachutes and prepare to jump.¡±

    The captain was surprised, happy, and a little sad. He said, ¡°Chief, you jump first. I¡¯ll take over the ne.¡±

    He was already satisfied that there was still hope for the people on the ne to survive after such a major incident

    As long as the chief and the others sessfully jumped, he would die without regrets.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and said, ¡°You take them and jump first. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Chief! You can¡¯t do this!¡± the captain was anxious and almost rushed over to grab the rudder in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take the rear! I¡¯ll jump if you jump!¡±

 Chapter 1425 - The Stars Are Falling Like Rain

    <h4>Chapter 1425: The Stars Are Falling Like Rain</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯ll jump if I jump? Do you want the ne to crash and die?¡± Huo Shaoheng reprimanded him coldly. ¡°This is an order! If you say one more word, you¡¯ll be punished by militaryw!¡±

    The captain was shoved away by Huo Shaoheng.

    The man, who was more than 1.80 meters tall, reddened his eyes as he stood before Huo Shaoheng.

    He wiped his face with the back of his hand and pulled up the parachute beside his seat. He unfastened his seat belt with a bang and left the cockpit without looking back.

    When he reached the outer room, he waved his hand. ¡°Follow me, let¡¯s parachute jump!¡±

    Parachuting in bad weather was a necessary training item for these aviation soldiers.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s four military soldiers were not ordinary soldiers. They had undergone special training in all aspects of water,nd, and air before they could be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s soldiers.

    Without saying a word, they carried their parachutes and lined up at the cabin door.

    The captain stood by the cabin door and looked at everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll count one, two, three. You jump first!¡±

    He pointed at the vice-captain and spoke.

    That was his deputy and he obeyed his orderspletely.

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    The vice-captain saluted him, then put on his night vision goggles and helmet and tightened his parachute.

    ¡°One, two, three!¡± the captain counted, and pulled open the cabin door.

    A cool breeze blew against his face, along with water vapor.

    The co-pilot stuck his legs together, and dived out of the cabin door into the vast night.

    The female flight attendant was next.

    She saluted the captain and dived down as well.

    Then came Huo Shaoheng¡¯s four orderlies. They were still calm and orderly and jumped down one by one.

    They were still in the eye of the storm, but the closer they got tond, the weaker the storm became.

    The rain had almost stopped, and the clouds were gradually dispersing. Thend with shing lights was right in front of them.

    The captain spoke to Huo Shaoheng through the walkie-talkie, ¡°Chief, everyone has jumped. I¡¯m jumping.¡± then, he jumped out of the cabin door.

    They were less than three kilometers from the ground, so this distance was not difficult for them.

    They did not know where they were, but judging from the lights on the ground, it should not be far from Rihe city, or in other words, it should be within the range of Rihe city.

    This was because only the people of the Rihe city military base knew that their private ne had arrived.

    One by one, dark blue parachutes bloomed in the dark night sky. Their walkie-talkies began to adjust frequency to get in touch with the ground troops.

    Military vehicles drove out of the Rihe City military base and rushed to the spot where they had parachuted.

    At the same time, General Ji, who had been nervously watching the development of the situation in the capital, received a call from the Rihe city militarymand. ¡°Reporting to the chief, Major General Huo¡¯s private ne has appeared. All the people on the ne have parachuted out. Over and out!¡±

    General Ji heaved a huge sigh of relief and immediately ordered, ¡°When Major General Huo and the others sessfullynd, have him video chat with me immediately!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    However, these people received the captain, co-captain, and female flight attendants of the private ne. They also found the four orderly soldiers but found that Huo Shaoheng was still in the ne and had not jumped out.

    An urgent call was made to General Ji¡¯s office. ¡°Reporting, sir! Major General Huo has not jumped out of the ne! Major General Huo has not jumped out of the ne!¡±

    General Ji¡¯s heart, which had just calmed down, was in his throat again.

    ...

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng was still calmly piloting the ne. Although both engines had been switched off and the radar had been disabled, he relied on his superb piloting skills to find a loophole in the turbulence of the storm.

    A ne was faintly discernible in the clouds and gradually fell to the ground.

    The scene on the ground was already clearly visible.

    Huo Shaoheng could see that there was a river here. He nned to crashnd on the river so that he could save the ne and allow the technicians to investigate the cause of the ident, as well as protect himself as much as possible.

    However, just as he drove the military ne out of the eye of the storm and began to fly over the river, the portable surface-to-air missileuncher at Rihe city military base suddenly began to rumble.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    ¡°Enemy intelligence?!¡±

    Rihe City was equipped with a full set of anti-air equipment. Although it was used for the exercise, everything was real, especially the portable surface-to-air missileuncher. The missiles inside were real.

    It was originally designed for military parades and exercises.

    ¡°The exercise hasn¡¯t started yet? Why is it spinning?¡±

    Thebat personnel responsible for monitoring the anti-aircraft equipment were confused.

    However, theputer in front of them did show that there was an enemy situation. The enemy¡¯s Air Force was approaching their base step by step!

    ¡°Radar Station! Radar station! What¡¯s going on over there?! Why is our portable surface-to-air missileuncher moving?!¡±

    The atmosphere in the air defensebat room at the Rihe City drill base instantly became tense.

    Thebat staff at the radar station nervously checked their equipment, but they didn¡¯t detect anything unusual.

    ¡°Reporting! There¡¯s nothing unusual on our side, the radar shows that everything is normal!¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s the problem with the air defense system?¡±

    Thebat staff at the Rihe City air defensebat room suddenly discovered the problem.

    ¡°Not good! The surface-to-air missile is locked onto Major General Huo¡¯s private ne!¡±

    They already knew that Major General Huo¡¯s private ne was in danger.

    Moreover, the base had just sent a car out to meet the parachutists.

    They did not expect that Major General Huo would still be on the ne after everyone else had jumped!

    Everyone was touched by such a major general, but now that they thought about it, they felt cold from head to toe...

    If anything happened to Major General Huo, how much damage would it bring the country and the military?!

    What more, those guys from the special operations forces would tear down their base!

    ...

    ¡°Hurry up and cancel the portable surface-to-air missileunch over there!¡±

    However, the cancetion function on the control system didn¡¯t seem to work. No matter how hard they pressed, the portable surface-to-air missileunchpad was still aimed in the direction of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne.

    The system automatically aimed and locked onto the infrared.

    Surface-to-air missiles used infrared guidance to track and hit the target ording to the heat source.

    The portable missiles installed in their base were light and powerful. They could be removed from theuncher at any time and fired on their shoulders.

    They had specially equipped the portable surface-to-air missile with a simpleuncher at the Rihe City military base. It waspletely electronically controlled. The original intention was to conduct an all-electronic airbat red-and-blue exercise.

    However, they did not expect that before the official start of the exercise, this system would act as if it possessed its own consciousness. Not only could it automatically search for the target, but it could also lock onto the target automatically and activate the missile system!

    Theputer program control personnel at the Rihe City military base frantically enteredmands, but they were not epted by the system.

    ¡°What should we do?! We can¡¯t cancel it!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you f*cking capable?! You can¡¯t even handle a set of electronic equipment!¡±

    Themander of Rihe City¡¯s air defensebat room was red-eyed with anxiety. He quickly picked up the phone to inform the ground crew of the surface-to-air missile system and shouted, ¡°Hit it with an axe! Let¡¯s see how it canunch itself!¡±

    However, it was already toote.

    As soon as he finished speaking, they heard a whistling sound. They looked up and saw a fiery-red missile rising from theirunch base and speeding towards the approaching aircraft in the clouds!

    Boom!

    A crisp and loud sound rang out. Plumes of smoke and mes shot in all directions. The portable surface-to-air missile had urately hit Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne!

    ¡°Oh my God!¡± the regimentmander held his head and knelt on the ground, tears rolling down his face. ¡°Chief ¡ª !¡±

    He covered his face, not daring to watch the air missile collide with the ne.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng noticed something strange the moment the missile locked onto the ne.

    Even though the ne¡¯s radar had failed, the engine had beenpletely emptied, and the engine had been shut down, it was still a military ne. When the ne was locked onto by the missile, the other emergency device on the ne was activated, an urgent rm sounded again and again.

    This emergency system had its own backup battery and was not affected by the aircraft¡¯s engine oil.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the emergency system rm and immediately knew that something had happened.

    He didn¡¯t have time to think. He pulled the parachute off his head and ced it on his back. He pushed himself off the seat with one hand and jumped out of the seat. He rushed out of the cockpit and came to the open cabin door. He put his feet together and leapt with all his might and jumped into the river!

    Before he opened his parachute, an earth-shattering explosion came from the top of his head!

    The missile hit the private ne. With a whoosh, huge sparks flew in the air in the blink of an eye. The military private ne instantly burned into a huge fireball.

    Shrapnel flew everywhere. The high-temperature mes were burning fiercely and attacked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back!

    He didn¡¯t open his parachute. Instead, he endured the pain and fell rapidly with his own weight.

    This was because if he opened his parachute at this time, the high-temperature mes would definitely destroy his parachute immediately, and he would be waiting to fall to his death.

    The ne above his head was almost blown to pieces by the missile. As it fell, it let out a whistling scream.

    It was like a burning meteor shower that chased after Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head and fell.

    Huo Shaoheng realized that the surface of the water was getting closer and closer, and that the scorching temperature behind his back was getting further and further away. Only then did he open his parachute just as he was about to fall to the ground.

    There was a soft hiss, and the dark blue parachute opened as if another blue flower had bloomed in mid-air.

    However, the pieces of the ne above him fell like rain, and there were mes of all sizes. Very quickly, a few holes were smashed into his parachute.

    The air passed through the holes, and the parachute was no longer able to support his weight.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s descent only slowed down for a moment before he realized that his parachute had broken. He had no way of controlling the speed of his descent.

    Fortunately, there was a river below him. He had originally nned to make a forcednding on the river.

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip on the parachute rope and calmly adjusted the direction and speed of his descent in the air.

    Finally, at thest moment when arge piece of burning wing came crashing down on his head, he fell into the river with a plop.

    The wreckage of the private jet also fell into the water.

    The mes were drowned by the river. With a sizzling sound, they turned into thick ck smoke that drifted over the river.

    Not far away, countless cars were rushing over with headlights, which lit up the road beside the river in a long line.

 Chapter 1426 - Call to account

    <h4>Chapter 1426: Call to ount</h4>

    Countless soldiers jumped out of their vehicles and dove into the river, swimming towards the spot where Huo Shaoheng had fallen into the water.

    They had brought professional diving equipment with them. There were many people, and the river was not deep. They quickly discovered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tracks.

    It turned out that Huo Shaoheng had already been unconscious when he had fallen into the water.

    Everyone knew that the only oue of being unconscious in the water was drowning.

    Fortunately, they had arrived in time..

    A few of the fastest soldiers quickly surrounded Huo Shaoheng and scooped him up from the bottom of the water and brought him to shore.

    The ambnce and the doctors and nurses on the battlefield were ready.

    As soon as Huo Shaoheng was rescued, they immediately gave him first aid.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body was in good condition. When he had fallen into the water, he had fainted because he had fallen from a high altitude. He had been knocked unconscious by the huge impact of the water.

    He controlled the water in his throat and put on an oxygen mask. After performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he woke up.

    The most serious injury on his body was the burn on his back, but it only looked scary. After cleaning and applying medicine, he would not even leave a scar for a few days.

    Huo Shaohengy in the ambnce and quickly took off his oxygen mask to video chat with General Ji.

    General Ji was burning with anxiety and couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    Only when he saw Huo Shaoheng appear on the phone screen alive did he heave a sigh of relief. Then he pulled a long face and scolded him,¡±... You¡¯ve gone too far! You didn¡¯t even jump right away! Is this the time to show your heroism? !¡±

    General Ji felt sorry for Huo Shaoheng. He had to let others jump first in a life-and-death situation. Had he ever thought that he alone was worth more than all those people put together?!

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think so.

    He looked at the phone screen and calmly said, ¡°Every soldier is the most precious, chief. Moreover, I was the captain at that time. How could I abandon others and jump first?¡±

    Just like the captain, when a ship had an ident, the captain would definitely be thest to evacuate.

    If a captain evacuated before others, this was an illegal act in many countries and would be sentenced by the court.

    As for Huo Shaoheng, although he was not the official captain of the military ne, he was the one who took over the ne at that time. He was also the one who insisted on releasing all the oil and turning off the two engines to glide andnd.

    He had already be the actual captain.

    If he did not take responsibility and stay behind, would he just watch others die?

    He could not do that. He had never thought that his life was nobler than others¡¯.

    Everyone only had one life. Everyone had their position, but there was no distinction between nobility and inferiority.

    In this regard, he waspatible with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secret.

    General Ji frowned at him but did not scold him. ¡°Rest well. Are you hurt? If you¡¯re hurt,e back and recover. Don¡¯t participate in the military parade and drill.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not hurt. I just fell into the water and fainted for a while. I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    He waved his arm, and the medical officer next to him did not dare lie to General Ji. He said honestly, ¡°General Huo¡¯s back was burned by an explosion. He fell into the water and became infected, but it¡¯s not serious. He¡¯ll be fine if he doesn¡¯t have a fever today.¡±

    General Ji nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you. You have to take good care of his body.¡±

    After hanging up, General Ji called for an emergency meeting and set up a special task force to investigate the loss of control of the portable surface-to-air missile at the He city military base the previous day.

    Whether it was intentional or a system malfunction, he had to get to the bottom of it. He couldn¡¯t let his beloved general suffer such an injury for nothing.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng turned off his phone and closed his eyes to rest.

    At that moment, the sky was already white.

    Several military vehicles carrying Huo Shaoheng whistled into the RIHE city military base.

    There were many people waiting there.

    The captain, co-captain, flight attendant, and four orderly who hade with him on the private ne first rushed up anxiously.

    They refused to return to the dormitory to rest until they saw Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Have you found the Chief?¡±

    ¡°Is the Chief Alright?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military uniform was soaked in the river, and his luggage had been blown up. He had no choice but to change into a new coat in the ambnce. Wearing the military uniform of the local army, he stepped out of the ambnce.

    ¡°Chief!¡±

    ¡°Chief!¡±

    A group of people surrounded him. They cried andughed at Huo Shaoheng, making everyone excited.

    Huo Shaoheng patted them on the shoulder andforted them gently, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. This time, it was an uncontroble ident.¡±

    How could a soldier still need to look at the almanac when he could even go on missions?

    Although he had not expected the missile toe, the bad weather ahead was not worth mentioning to him.

    Now that he saw that his own people were fine, he did not say anything more.

    Of course, he had to settle the score.

    Amander from the military base rushed over. ¡°Chief, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re okay!¡±

    His eyes were red. It was the regimentmander who had almost cried to the ground earlier.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his military rank and said, ¡°You¡¯re the Air Defense Commander Here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±He quickly saluted, his face full of anxiety.

    ¡°I order that all the contents of your air defense system be sealed. From now on, no one is allowed to get close to the air defense systemmand room.¡±Huo Shaoheng said and gestured to his four orderly soldiers.

    They immediately rushed into the air defensemand room with their weapons and chased everyone out. Then, they cut off the power to the local areawork. The four of them each headed in one direction, east, south, west, and north, keeping watch over the air defensemand room.

    The people at the military base did not dare to stop or resist.

    The sudden loss of control of the surface-to-air missile and the firing of a missile that hit the chief¡¯s private jet was not something that could be easily erased.

    Moreover, they also wanted to know the reason, more than anyone else!

    The regimentmander of the Air Defense Command room actively cooperated with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s investigation and quickly said, ¡°Chief, I can hand over all the electronic equipment here. We must find out the cause of the ident! If someone is ying tricks from within, we will definitely punish them with militaryw!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded without batting an eyelid. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m making a big deal out of nothing.¡±

    ¡°Think about it carefully. This matter can be big or small. If you only attack my private jet, it¡¯s not a big deal. At most, I¡¯ll die alone.¡±

    ¡°But if our weapons suddenly went out of control on the day of the official military parade exercise and fired at our podium, have you thought about how serious the consequences would be?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words brought everyone back to their senses, and they couldn¡¯t help breaking out in cold sweat.

    If that was really the case, then all of them, including thebat headquarters and the ordinary soldiers here at the military base, would be in extreme danger.

    ¡°Understood, chief! We will immediately take emergency measures!¡±The base¡¯s leaders rushed over and escorted Huo Shaoheng to the base¡¯s general headquarters.

    Huo Shaoheng patiently met with the leaders and the representatives of thebat troops. They shook hands one by one, bringing with them General Ji¡¯s instructions and expectations, at the same time, he smiled and said, ¡°Everyone has been too kind to me. I feel really guilty for letting off so much fireworks.¡±

    Themanders of the military base were so embarrassed that they almost crawled under their desks.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at each and every one of them without batting an eyelid. Based on his professional qualities, he did not see anyone suspicious.

    Although he was still smiling, his heart sank.

    At this time, he would rather have a mole.

    If there wasn¡¯t even a mole, then the consequences would be even more serious.

    Huo Shaoheng talked to everyone for a few more minutes, then told them to go back and write down everything that had happened today. They waited for the notification, and then went to their own residences in the military base.

    They had spent the night under extreme stress and fatigue. Huo Shaoheng was injured, and almost fell asleep as soon as he touched his pillow.

    ..

    When they received the news at the headquarter of Special Operationforces¡¯encampment ground in the imperial capital, Huo Shaoheng had already been rescued.

    However, Yin Shixiong, Zhao liangze, and Zhou Qiyuan were unwilling to let it go. They used the video to interrogate the relevant personnel at the military base in Riwa city about the incident.

    From the ne¡¯s sudden encounter with a hurricane and thunderstorm to being locked onto by the military base¡¯s portable surface-to-air missiles, every single detail made them furious.

    ¡°You F * cking don¡¯t want to live anymore, right? ! If you want to die, you should have said so earlier. Even if we die, you still have to be cremated!¡±

    Yin shixiong flexed his joints. His expression was very ugly as he cursed at the other party¡¯smander on the video.

    The other party was scolded like a grey grandson, but they didn¡¯t dare to retort.

    Because they really deserved to be scolded!

    If it was their ownmander who had been made into such a mess by the other party, their entire team would have raised their sleeves and started to fight, and they would have even made a F * cking noise!

    Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t as impulsive as Yin Shixiong. He calmly looked at the leader whose face was as red as Guan Gong, he said, ¡°What did you mean when you said that the system automatically locked on? If your people didn¡¯t do it on purpose, could it be that your system was hacked?¡±

    They had done this before, so they knew very well.

    The group leader shook his head repeatedly and said, ¡°Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Our system is not connected to the outside world. How could a hacker hack into it? !¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s not connected to the outside world, then there must be an internal problem.¡±Zhao liangze stood up. ¡°I have to go to your ce. This won¡¯t do.¡±

    The RIHE city military base was indeed cut off from the outside world. They had their own local areawork and were not connected to the outside world.

    Theoretically speaking, if thework waspletely cut off from the outside world, hackers could indeed not break in from the outside world.

    But who said that hackers could not break in from the inside?

    Zhao liangze knew that Gu Nianzhi had been able to hack into the federal intelligence agency of Germany¡¯s internalwork because Reinitz had opened a back door for her on the internalwork.

    Yin Shixiong also stood up and pointed at his own eyes with a sneer. He said, ¡°Brother, let¡¯s go take a look! With this pair of tricks of mine, no matter what kind of monsters there are, you have to show your true colors!¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan turned off the video call and nodded to Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong. ¡°The two of you should go. Huo is the only one there, so I¡¯m worried too.¡±

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong shook his hand. ¡°Brother Qiyuan, I¡¯ll leave the matters here to you. We¡¯ll be worried if we don¡¯t go and take a look. There are still two weeks until the official military parade and drill. Who knows if there will be any more moths?¡±

 Chapter 1427 - I will be proud of Chapter 1427

    <h4>Chapter 1427: I will be proud of chapter 1427</h4>

    Zhou Qiyuan nodded, his expression very serious. ¡°Looks like someone wants Huo Shao¡¯s life. You guys have to be very careful this time.¡±

    ¡°With us here, you want Huo Shao¡¯s life? Let¡¯s first ask them how many lives they have!¡±Yin Shixiong kicked the leg of the conference table, his face full of arrogance.

    Zhao liangze raised the corners of his eyes slightly and smiled sinisterly. ¡°Well said. They treat us as decoration, so they can only be tributes.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan knew what they were capable of. He patted their shoulders with one hand and said, ¡°You guys go. You must protect Huo Well.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll rely on you here.¡±Zhao liangze patted Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s shoulders as well.

    Zhou Qiyuan looked serious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I still have Xiao Ye here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I forgot about her.¡±Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiongughed at the same time.

    Xiao Ye was not an ordinary person.

    ¡°Fortunately, she came back. Otherwise, we would have one less person.¡±Yin Shixiong turned to look at Zhao liangze. ¡°I¡¯ll go pack another box of clothes and daily necessities for Huo. What About You?¡±

    Zhao liangze said, ¡°I need to pack up myputer equipment. I need to bring more equipment this time.¡±

    ¡°There are four of us. That should be enough for Huo to worry about nothing.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan sat back behind his desk and began to make a phone call to arrange a private ne for Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong.

    It was eight o¡¯clock in the morning when the two of them boarded the military ne that they used to take to Nighe City.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had just boarded Xiao Ye¡¯s car and was officially entering the Senate.

    She chatted andughed with Xiao Ye along the way and was in a very good mood until Xiao Ye received a call from Zhou Qiyuan.

    ¡°Xiao Ye, something happened to the chiefst night. We don¡¯t know how serious the situation is right now, so we might let you handle it. We¡¯ll wait for Huo to inform us of the details of the job transfer.¡±Zhou Qiyuan sounded very serious on the phone, ¡°Don¡¯t let Miss Gu know about it for now. If she wants to know, we¡¯ll have to ask Huo Shao.¡±

    Xiao Ye¡¯s expression changed, but she quickly calmed down.

    Their chief had actually been treated like that in RIHE city. As members of the special operations forces, everyone felt humiliated.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Xiao Ye had suddenly gone silent after picking up the phone, so she quickly said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What Happened?¡±

    Xiao ye nced at Gu Nianzhi but did not tell her the truth.

    This was their internal affairs. If Gu Nianzhi wanted to know, only Huo Shaoheng could tell her personally.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Xiao Ye was talking about him, so she did not pursue the matter. She smiled and opened her phone to check the news on Weibo.

    Because she had lived with Huo Shaoheng in the military camp for six years, she was also very interested in the military, and most of her attention was on military bloggers.

    When she opened the homepage, a few hot searches made her raise her eyebrows.

    # series in my lifetime. ! I saw a missile hitting a ne with my own eyes !!! ¡ª coordinates: RIHE City, you understand

    # is there a big move? ! #

    # I heard that a military official¡¯s private ne was shot down. #

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She was about to open it to take a closer look, but as soon as she clicked in, she found that the Weibo Post had been deleted.

    Following that, she could no longer find these messages on the entire inte. It seemed that the few tags she had seen earlier were just her eyes ying tricks on her.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately remembered that Huo Shaoheng had suddenly called herst night. He had told her that General Ji had sent him to rihe city to participate in the military parade and would not be able to send her to work.

    This mission was not a secret, so Huo Shaoheng had mentioned it to her. He had also said that she would be able to see him on television on the day of the military parade.

    Gu Nianzhi carefully calcted the time and found that the events, times, and locations mentioned in the tags seemed to match up...

    In addition to the special nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work, the more Gu Nianzhi thought about it, the more flustered she became. She couldn¡¯t help but call Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone.

    It rang a few times and was immediately picked up.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s low andzy voice came through the phone,¡±... Nianzhi? Are You At Work?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had just fallen asleep. When he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s specific ringtone, he instinctively picked up the phone and answered the call. He was still half asleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m still on the way.¡±Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. She looked at her watch again and asked in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re still sleeping? Didn¡¯t you sleepst night?¡±

    It was past eight in the morning. Huo Shaoheng usually woke up at six in the morning for morning exercise and was back for breakfast at seven.

    Huo Shaoheng woke up. He held his phone in one hand and rested the other on his forehead with a chuckle.

    His voice had a seductive hormonal quality to it that made people¡¯s legs go weak.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears went numb, and her voice involuntarily became seductive. She said angrily, ¡°What are youughing at? I was worried sick about you, and you still know how tough at me...¡±

    ¡°What are you worried about? You still have to worry about me?¡±Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and said lightly, ¡°Are you going to bete for work?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch and realized that she was really going to bete. She hurried Xiao Ye, who was driving the car, ¡°Hurry up, hurry up! You¡¯re going to bete!¡±

    Xiao Ye¡¯s mind was unsettled, and she had indeed been a little distracted earlier. She quicklyposed herself, stepped on the elerator, and shot out like an arrow.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Gu Nianzhi realized that she had been distracted by Huo Shaoheng again.

    She was angry and amused, but although she was worried, she had called him and knew that he was fine, so she didn¡¯t think too much about it.

    Because it was useless to think too much about it.

    Combined with the Weibo topic she had seen today and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude, Gu Nianzhi knew with her knees that the most dangerous moment had passed.

    Huo Shaoheng had already turned the situation around.

    She could only pretend that she didn¡¯t know anything and didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to feel burdened.

    She hoped that he would still be the same person, and not change himself just to make her feel at ease.

    Just like how Huo Shaoheng wanted her to be herself, not a woman who would sacrifice her self-worth for a man.

    The car sped along and finally arrived at the upper house of the Senate at 8:30 am on time.

    Speaker long woke up very early this morning and was actually waiting for her in his office.

    After she arrived, she went to the various departments to go through the official entry procedures.

    Everyone was already very familiar with her and knew that she was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter. They were both respectful and warm to her, and the procedures werepleted very quickly.

    All the departments gave the green light, and it only took 15 minutes for everything to bepleted.

    The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor sign was hung on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. She wore a slightly mature navy blue professional suit and came to Speaker Long¡¯s office.

    Speaker long looked her up and down and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯ve finally be a member of the Senate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Speaker long, don¡¯t say that. I¡¯ll be proud.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... you should be proud. We serve our country, how can we not be proud?¡±Speaker long admired Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neither servile nor overbearing attitude and personally brought her to various departments to formally introduce her to everyone.

    ¡°This is barrister Gu, and he is also the chief legal advisor of the Senate. In the future, if anyone has any legal problems, you must inform barrister Gu¡¯s office immediately.¡±

    The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor was Gu Nianzhi, so she was definitely not alone.

    ¡°I announce that in the next month, barrister Gu will form her team. If anyone is willing to sign up, you can immediately submit an application to her.¡±Speaker long smiled as he announced the recruitment information that had already been discussed.

    Although GU Nianzhi was mentally prepared, she still blushed slightly.

    What was she capable of...

    She actually had her own team!

    She followed Speaker Long back to the top floor. Her current office area was opposite Speaker Long¡¯s office.

    The two of them upied two-thirds of the top floor¡¯s territory.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt a sense of belonging as she looked at the gilded words ¡°Lead counsel, Gu Nianzhi.¡±.

    This was her world, her battlefield.

    She would be able to cut through all obstacles here, and be invincible.

    Gu Nianzhi walked in and looked at the brand new tables and chairs in the office. The walls were covered withrge ss windows, and the room was filled with sunlight. She took a deep breath and turned to speaker long. ¡°Speaker long, thank you. I like this ce very much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±Speaker long smiled like a Maitreya Buddha. ¡°There¡¯s one more person. I rmend her to be your chief of staff.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°No problem. Speaker Long¡¯s rmendation must be awesome.¡±

    Speaker long chuckled and turned to his secretary. ¡°Call Rong Mingxing up.¡±

    Gu nianzhi blinked and her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the door. ¡°Rong Mingxing? It¡¯s Really Rong Mingxing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I thought she was a promising person, so I asked her if she would like to work for the Senate. She agreed, but I still need your approval to be your chief of staff.¡±

    Speaker long knew that Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing had formed a life-and-death friendship when they were in India, so he had a hunch that they could be business partners.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s a waste of her talent, I¡¯m fine with it.¡±

    Although she said she was the head of the chief legal counsel¡¯s office, most of her work was administrative. Rong Mingxing also graduated from B University inw, and Gu Nianzhi was worried that she might not be willing to do such things.

    However, the first thing Rong Mingxing said when she walked in was, ¡°Lawyer Gu, please give me this opportunity.¡±

    She looked nervously at Gu Nianzhi, obviously hoping to get the position.

    Gu Nianzhi trusted her character very much. She only thought about it for a second before nodding and reaching out her hand. ¡°Director Rong, it¡¯s been a pleasure working with you.¡±

    The Senate¡¯s legal affairs would now be handled by the two inexperienced women.

    Rong Mingxing held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly and said gratefully, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, I¡¯ll definitely do my best. If there¡¯s anything wrong with me, please advise me.¡±

    After leaving Secretary Yang¡¯s influence, Rong Mingxing returned to being a generous and amiable girl.

    After officially joining the Senate, Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing began to organize their own team¡¯s selection process.

    In addition to recruiting within the Senate, they were also openly recruiting to the public. At that time, there were a lot of applicants, and their job applications were received with a soft touch.

    ..

    Compared to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s busy team-building, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s investigation was also going smoothly.

    Ever since he had arrived at the RIHE military base, he had focused on the exercise.

    The day after the ident, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had taken a special ne to the RIHE military base.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng had scolded them, he was still quite happy.

    He did need help, and he needed someone he could trust.

    With their help, they quickly found out the cause of the ident.

 Chapter 1428 - Iâ€™ll help you get your revenge

    <h4>Chapter 1428: I¡¯ll help you get your revenge</h4>

    ¡°Huo Shao, we retrieved the ck box from the military ne in the Wuding River near Rihe City and recreated the entire incident.¡±Zhao liangze used aputer 3D model to simte the situation to Huo Shaoheng.

    The Wuding River was the small river that Huo Shaoheng had tried tond on. Later, the private ne was hit by a missile, so he jumped out of the ne in advance and fell into the river.

    The wreckage of the destroyed military ne and the ck box had also fallen into the river at the same time. It had not caused any damage to the local people.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at the big screen in front of him.

    Zhao Liangze pressed the mouse and yed it frame by frame.

    ¡°At 9:15 p.m., when your private ne encountered a hurricane in the air and was struck by lightning, a strong maic field wiped out the maic field code that was continuously sent by the military private ne

    ¡°We all know that the air defense system¡¯s identification of air weapons depends on the internal model of the weapon, which is to determine the enemy and the ally by receiving the maic field code sent by the private ne

    ¡°Because the internal model of your private ne was wiped out by the maic field, when the ne arrived in the area monitored by the air defense system in Nippon City, the air defense system determined that your private ne was an enemy and not an ally and issued a warning to your private ne

    ¡°Of course, your private ne had lost the ability tomunicate with the ground at that time. It didn¡¯t receive the warning from the ground defense system and couldn¡¯t respond correctly. Instead, it continued to descend

    ¡°The air defense system of RIHE city determined that the approach of your private ne was an enemy invasion, so it directly activated the portable surface-to-air missile. This is also the first barrier of this base¡¯s air defense system.¡±

    Zhao liangze pointed at the 3D simtion on the big screen with aser pen and spoke with confidence.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and listened to Zhao liangze¡¯s analysis without batting an eyelid. After a while, he interrupted him, ¡°Even so, doesn¡¯t themander of the Air Defense Command Center in RIHE City have their own judgment? At that time, they should have already received the emergency signal from the imperial capital.¡±

    ¡°This is the only problem.¡±Zhao liangze nodded and said seriously, ¡°We think that the air defensemand center personnel in RIHE city rely too much on the system¡¯s intelligent identification function and do not have appropriate emergency measures. ¡°And the intelligent system of this system is actually very low-level. It can only handle simple scenarios. ¡°For slightly moreplicated situations, such as your situation at that time, it can not handle it and can only execute the established procedures mechanically.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had been studying the artificial intelligence system on Gu Xiangwen¡¯s submarine for a while now, and he had received a lot of inspiration.

    Looking at the impressive artificial intelligence on Gu Xiangwen¡¯s submarine, and then looking at the crude artificial intelligence on RIHE City¡¯s air defense system, it was like the difference between a primitive man who had just begun to evolve and a modern university graduate, they were onpletely different levels.

    Yin Shixiong sat next to Huo Shaoheng and sneered. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this is the fault of the system and not man-made?¡±

    ¡°You can say that.¡±Zhao liangze set the model to y automatically and turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, he said, ¡°However, in the end, it¡¯s also man-made because the system was set by man. However, it also depends on whether it was intentional or not. These are two different things.¡±

    If it was intentional, then it meant that someone was plotting against Huo Shaoheng.

    If it was not intentional, then it meant that Huo Shaoheng was unlucky enough to have run into the system¡¯s gun.

    Huo Shaoheng was deep in thought. He held his chin in one hand and a round gold coin in the other.

    With a slight movement of his fingers, the round gold coin rolled around between his fingers, faintly discernible.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other, unable to see what Huo Shaoheng was thinking.

    After a long while, Huo Shaoheng mmed the round gold coin on the conference table and said, ¡°I want to investigate all of them.¡±

    His gaze shifted to Yin Shixiong. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of investigating.¡±

    He then looked at Zhao liangze. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of investigating the system.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng retracted his gaze and looked at the round gold coin in his hand. He said calmly, ¡°I have a feeling that this matter isn¡¯t that simple.¡±

    This was an intuition that he had developed after many years of missions.

    He didn¡¯t need to say much about the importance of the RIHE city military base.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze knew it very well.

    Moreover, this year¡¯s military parade was to be held every ten years, and there would be a closed-door drill after that.

    The people who came to watch the ceremony included almost all of the country¡¯s high-level personnel.

    However, it was at this juncture that something like this suddenly happened. It was as if he was giving them a show of force!

    If something were to happen to the system, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    This was a tant provocation!

    Huo Shaoheng was not convinced.

    However, he did not show it.

    After assigning Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze their tasks, he did not idle around either.

    Yin Shixiong was in charge of investigating, Zhao Liangze was in charge of investigating the system, and Huo Shaoheng focused his attention on the strong maic field that Zhao liangze had mentioned to erase the logo of the special ne.

    If the sudden appearance of the hurricane in the air was not particrly abrupt, then the strong maic field that had appeared out of nowhere clearly showed that this storm was not a natural phenomenon, but man-made.

    The problem was that even if it was man-made, with their technical skills, they would not be able to track down the mastermind behind it.

    After Huo Shaoheng processed the records on the ck box, he sent the relevant information directly to song jinning from the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    Song Jinning was now an expert in the research of high-energy maic fields in the Huaxia Empire.

    Song Jinning was very surprised when she received a call from Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What? A strong maic field that can erase the logo of an airne model? ! Who Is this person? Is He so vicious? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°If I knew, believe me, I would be even more vicious than him. But the problem is, I don¡¯t know who did it.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, you can¡¯t do this. Science and technology are not meant to be used to resolve personal grudges.¡±Song Jinning didn¡¯t agree with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s point of view and lectured him earnestly.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and slowly told song jinning about his special encounter with danger.

    Song Jinning¡¯s eyes turned red.

    She pped the table hard and said, ¡°Give me the information! I want to see who wants my son¡¯s Life! I want him to die first!¡±

    What happened to science and technology being used to settle personal grudges?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled andforted song Jinning with a straight face, ¡°Mrs. Song, don¡¯t be so agitated. I¡¯m lucky to have your son. They won¡¯t want him.¡±

    If it weren¡¯t for his anxiety, he wouldn¡¯t have told song jinning about his predicament.

    Huo Shaoheng had gone to great lengths to make song Jinning pay attention to this matter.

    Song Jinning had indeed forgotten what she had said to Huo Shaoheng just now, she said angrily, ¡°No one can touch my family! If I remember correctly, this isn¡¯t the first time this strong maic field has appeared and taken your life! If I don¡¯t find out who¡¯s behind this, I¡¯m not worthy of being your mother!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s throat choked. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Miss song, if you¡¯re not worthy of being my mother, who is?¡±

    This was the first time song jinning had heard Huo shaoheng call her ¡°Mother¡±ever since she woke up. Her eyes immediately turned red.

    She did not speak for a long time. In the end, she picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her eyes and whispered, ¡°Okay, just you wait. I¡¯ll get revenge for you.¡±

    ..

    While Huo Shaoheng and his men were conducting an intense investigation at the RIHE city military base, Gu Nianzhi was also working hard.

    Because speaker long had spoken up for her, and because Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abilities were obvious to everyone, and because her father, Gu Xiangwen, had just been exposed and was buried in the National Martyrs¡¯Cemetery, she was also a child of the martyrs.

    Everyone respected and loved her, so her work was carried out particrly smoothly.

    Her chiefwyer¡¯s office was responsible for all legal matters rted to the Senate. She would not be able to do it on her own.

    She had to have her own team.

    She first agreed on the staffing establishment from speaker long.

    The first phase would recruit 50 legal professionals, 20 office support members, and also required aw degree.

    Not only could the Senate staff sign up, but they could also be recruited for society.

    When this news was released, it caused an uproar on the inte.

    Countless neww graduates saw this as a great opportunity. From undergraduates to masters and doctorates, resumes flew to her office like snowkes.

    Rong Mingxing was now her office director and the first person in her team.

    She and Gu Nianzhi had been working in the dark for the past few days, sifting through resumes, picking out good candidates, and preparing for the first round of written examinations.

    Gu Nianzhi had designed a veryplicated process for the recruitment of her office.

    First of all, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s office was under the Senate, so those who came to recruit had to pass the three rounds of written examinations held by the Senate.

    ording to the Senate¡¯s admission criteria, the Top 50% of those who scored at the Top in each round of the written examination would be admitted to the next round of the written examination. The Top 50% of those who scored at the Top in thest round of the written examination would be directly admitted to the three rounds of the chief counsel¡¯s office.

    The three rounds of the Chief Counsel¡¯s Office¡¯s written examination were professional tests. Only the Top 20% of those who scored at the Top in each round of the written examination would be admitted to the next round of the written examination.

    The Top 20% of those who scored at the Top after thest round of the professionally written examination would be admitted to the three rounds of interviews.

    This whole recruitment process, as long as they were sessfully epted, was not only a good test of the applicant¡¯s business ability but also a huge test of their psychological endurance.

    Even if they were not epted in the end, their entire mental outlook was different.

    Once they had climbed the peak, seen the most beautiful scenery, and then looked at the scenery at the foot of the mountain, they would no longer be in fear and trepidation.

    Gu Nianzhi hoped that every assessment would help those job seekers.

    In fact, after that, every step in the recruitment process in the office of the Chief Legal Adviser of the Senate had be an important part of a job seeker¡¯s resume.

    This would make other employers look at them in a new light.

    The two of them worked overtime for more than ten days and finally screened the list of candidates for the final round of interviews.

    There were more than 200,000 people who had registered for the written examination, but in the end, only 240 people entered the interview stage.

    And in thest three rounds of interviews, 170 people would be rejected, and only 70 people would be epted.

    In other words, the eptance rate for the interview was around 30%.

    But if all the people who participated in the written examination were included, the eptance rate would be 3%, which was more difficult than any famous school.

    That night, the second round of interviews was over, and only 125 people were left for the final round of interviews.

    Gu Nianzhi and Rong Mingxing printed out the information of the 125 people from theputer and looked at the time.

    ¡°Tomorrow is the military parade, so everyone can take a day off to watch TV at home. Thest round of interviews will be scheduled for the day after tomorrow.¡±Gu Nianzhi signed her name on the document and said to rong mingxing, ¡°Please send out the interview notice, Director Rong.¡±

 Chapter 1429 - Elepathy

    <h4>Chapter 1429: Elepathy</h4>

    Rong mingxing nodded with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re Too Kind, Gu. I¡¯ll send the notice now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi printed out the notice, she said carefully, ¡°In order for the interviewees to get the news in time, we have to notify the interviewees via email, text message, and registered mail, in addition to announcing the final list of interviewees on the website. This way, there shouldn¡¯t be any omissions.¡±

    Since it was already the third round of interviews, these applicants had alreadye from all over the country to stay in the imperial capital.

    The registered mail of the same city express delivery would ensure that the notice was delivered to these people in time.

    In fact, the interview notice was also one of the credentials for them to attend the interview.

    Rong Mingxing put the notice into an envelope one by one andbeled it, saying, ¡°After sending it, I¡¯ll send the email reply, SMS reply, and registered mail reply to your email for archiving. There¡¯s no need to call to inform, and it¡¯ll be less troublesome.¡±

    Gu Nianzhibeled them for her and said, ¡°Yes, there are too many phone scams these days, so we don¡¯t need to call the other party directly to inform them of the interview.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve already written on the Inte that there will be no phone calls, and the recruitment in our office will not charge anyone money. Anyone who takes money under the guise of the office is a scammer.¡±. ¡°In the end, someone still fell for it.¡±Rong mingxing sighed and shook her head, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what the results are?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put away the wellbeled registered letters one by one and said without raising her head, ¡°We won¡¯t ept anyone like that. They can¡¯t even see through the tricks of a swindler and don¡¯t have the basic qualifications to practice.¡±

    Swindlers could swindle people. They could either make use of people¡¯s sympathy or their greed.

    The former was hard to guard against, but thetter could be avoided.

    If they couldn¡¯t resist thetter, then it was indeed not suitable for them to work in their line of work.

    Even if they did, there would be big problems in the future.

    Rong Mingxing sealed thest notification letter into the envelope, she said softly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do about it. College students who have just left the university have never seen anything like this. You learn from your mistakes. wasn¡¯t I also ordered around by Special Assistant Yang back then? In the end, I was the one who went down the wrong path.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes. As long as you know your mistakes and can correct them.¡±

    Rong Mingxing smiled sheepishly and asked gu nianzhi curiously, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, have you made mistakes too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ve been cheated too.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a loss of property, but the consequences were more serious and she had almost lost her life.

    Rong mingxing nced at her. Seeing that she didn¡¯t want to say more, she didn¡¯t ask further and smiled, ¡°Then someone must have taken advantage of your sympathy, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows mischievously and said, ¡°Not to take advantage of my sympathy, but to take advantage of my infatuation.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±Rong mingxing almostughed out loud. ¡°Really? You have Major General Huo, but you¡¯re infatuated with someone else? That person must be so beautiful!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Wasn¡¯t it because of the ¡°Infatuation¡± Huo Shaoheng that she was tricked into going to King¡¯s Lake in Germany?

    After finishing her work, Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. It was already past eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    She turned off herputer and smiled. ¡°I can get off work early today.¡±

    These days, she and Rong Mingxing had never left the parliament building before ten in the evening.

    Rong Mingxing also smiled. ¡°I used to think that going to work was enough when I was in school. I didn¡¯t need to study at night anymore. Now I know that after going to work, there are only more requirements than studying at night.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded lightly.

    She hade to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side when she was 12 years old. She had been studying under a specially hired teacher in the special operations forces.

    It wasn¡¯t until she passed the internal exam at 17 that she directly went to C University¡¯sw department to skip a grade and enter the third year.

    She had graduated from university at 18 and had graduated with a master¡¯s degree at 19.

    Thinking about her life, she actually had some regrets. She had so many years less of a student¡¯s life than others.

    ..

    Walking out of the parliament building with Rong Mingxing, Gu Nianzhi looked up at the night sky.

    The Moon Tonight was not very bright. It was shrouded in dark yellow clouds and was hazy. Even the stars beside it seemed listless.

    Gu Nianzhi yawned and saw that Xiao Ye¡¯s car had already driven over. She said to Rong mingxing, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you back.¡±

    She had been working overtime with Rong Mingxing these past few days, and she was the one who had taken Rong Mingxing home.

    She had a car anyway.

    Rong mingxing shook her head today. ¡°No Need, Gu. It¡¯s still early today. I still want to go shopping and buy some things.¡±

    It was only past eight o¡¯clock, and all the major shopping malls were still open.

    She had to replenish her daily necessities and buy some food at home.

    She had been working overtime for the past few days and was about to throw up from eating takeout.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Rong Mingxing get on the bus before getting into her own car.

    Xiao ye skillfully turned the steering wheel and drove gu nianzhi onto the highway.

    Gu Nianzhi rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window at the night sky. She thought of Huo Shaoheng silently and really wanted to call him.

    However, she also knew that Huo Shaoheng was very busy right now.

    The military parade was tomorrow, and the RIHE city military base waspletely sealed off.

    Not long ago, the military had even put away everyone¡¯s cell phones. No one was allowed to use their cell phones.

    Gu Nianzhi could only call Huo Shaoheng through thendline. She couldn¡¯t say much before something happened over there.

    After calling once, Gu Nianzhi stopped calling.

    Anyway, Huo Shaoheng would be back in a few days.

    Tomorrow was the military parade and exercise, and the day after that, Huo Shaoheng would return to the capital.

    Gu Nianzhi was in an exceptionally good mood.

    She turned to look at Xiao Ye with a smile. Seeing that she was in a good mood, she was about to tease her when she suddenly heard her phone ring.

    It was sote, who was calling her?

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to answer it, but the other party¡¯s phone rang again and again. She still took her phone out of her handbag.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the number.

    This was the phone number of the military base in RIHE city...

    The phone number she had called before was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dormitory number!

    Was it really Huo Shao Calling?!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly swiped open the call and asked in surprise, ¡°Huo Shao, is that you? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting on the windowsill of the military officers¡¯dormitory in the RIHE city military base. There was a bottle of beer in front of him and a cigarette in his hand. He took a puff and exhaled a mouthful of white smoke. His eyes were red from burning.

    Today was the day before the big military parade, and tomorrow was the big military parade and exercise.

    Everything was ready, the system was normal, and the personnel investigation was normal, but he still felt that something was wrong.

    After such a big mess, everything was normal now?

    Ha, even if their technology was not up to this level, they could not be treated as fools.

    But they could not find anything useful.

    Huo Shaoheng was in a bad mood. He did not have dinner that night. He took a bottle of beer back to the dorm and chased away Yin Shixiong, who was poking his head out so that he could have some peace and quiet.

    He was holding the dorm¡¯sndline phone. He had wanted to call song jinning and ask her how the investigation was going, but his fingers wouldn¡¯t listen to him, so he automatically dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    Now that he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft, surprised voice, he smiled and felt much better.

    ¡°Yeah, I just got off work.¡±Huo Shaoheng straightened his long legs and narrowed his eyes. ¡°What About You? What are you doing home?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I just got off work, too. I¡¯m on my way home.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It was almost nine o¡¯clock in the evening. ¡°So Busy?¡±

    He frowned and was habitually concerned about Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What did you have for dinner? You have to eat on time. You Can¡¯t Miss Anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. ¡°Got it. I had a good dinner. I ordered takeout, soup, meat, and vegetables. I also had two crab meatballs.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded.¡±... Good Girl.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This perfunctory tone sounded harsh.

    Gu Nianzhi looked out the window at the dusky night sky and asked quietly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Huo Shao, is something on your mind?¡±

    She could sense that Huo Shaoheng was in a bad mood.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t surprised that Gu Nianzhi could sense his mood. She was one of the few people who could sense his emotions directly.

    Perhaps it was because he was subconsciously unguarded against her, so she could sense the changes in his emotions.

    Huo Shaoheng took another puff of his cigarette and suddenly said,¡±... Nianzhi, half a month ago, I was almost hit by a missile.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was filled with sweetness when she suddenly heard Huo Shaoheng mention this matter. Her smile froze on her face and her heart stopped beating for three seconds.

    The world was still and silent. She could only hear Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice on the phone as if it came from the distant horizon.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi found her voice and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re finally willing to tell me these things?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and held the phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He said inly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t tell you. I just don¡¯t want you to worry.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you say now? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll continue to worry?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curved into a smile, and her voice became more and more tactful.

    Xiao Ye felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.

    Gu Nianzhi was speaking to Huo Shao in a very intimate manner. She was too much of an eyesore to be around.

    Xiao Ye hurriedly got off the highway and parked the car by the side of the road. She said, ¡°I¡¯m going to buy something.¡±

    She ran into the convenience store by the side of the road as if she was running away.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the car under the lights and whispered to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng heard Xiao Ye¡¯s voice. ¡°Did Xiao Ye send you home?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°She¡¯s getting out of the car now and going to the convenience store.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was calm. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can go back. I still have to go to themand centerter and do onest check.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart ached for him. She wanted him to rest well, but she also knew that he wouldn¡¯t have called her at this hour unless he had something on his mind.

    ¡°Okay, you have to take care of yourself too.¡±Gu Nianzhi reminded him like a good wife, ¡°If there¡¯s anything difficult that doesn¡¯t affect your confidentiality rules, you can tell me. Even if I can¡¯t Help You Solve your problems, I have a pair of ears that I can lend you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly raised his head. He could imagine Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current appearance. Her big eyes were filled with love and honey. She rubbed his body, so sweet that he wanted to bite her.

 Chapter 1430 - Enlightenment

    <h4>Chapter 1430: Enlightenment</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng thought of Gu Nianzhi and lowered his head slightly. His lips curved into a smile, and his mood actually improved.

    To be honest, the matter was still unresolved. But he was no longer depressed.

    ¡°It should be fine.¡± Huo Shaoheng withdrew his hand and stood up from the windowsill. He tossed his cigarette into the trash can. ¡°It was just a few lines of code. It should have been an ident.¡±

    ¡°What code?¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to talk more with him, so she asked.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and told her about the fact that the missiles at the Rihe City military base had identified his private ne as an enemy ne. He added, ¡°I¡¯d like to help them improve the code, but it¡¯s not something that can be done in a short period of time. I can only report it after the military parade.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to his exnation. The situation felt vaguely familiar to her.

    She frowned and muttered, ¡°... are you sure it¡¯s because the strong maic field erased the code of your private ne? And not... not... the possibility of an intelligent programmingnguage mixed in with the code of your air defense system?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exnation made sense everywhere else. However, the only thing that didn¡¯t make sense was that the people in the base¡¯s air defensemand room had already discovered the error, but yet, they couldn¡¯t cancel the operation.

    This was also something that Huo Shaoheng had always felt was wrong. However, he still couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with the code.

    That was until Gu Nianzhi broke the secret with a single sentence.

    Huo Shaoheng was suddenly enlightened. He threw the beer bottle in his hand into the trash can. ¡°I understand!¡±

    He hung up the phone and ran quickly to the air defensemand room.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words reminded him of Hong Kangquan.

    At that time, the head of the Secret Service, Hong Kangquan, had taken advantage of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s absence in the country to mix the four lines of Prolog into the central control room code of the special operations forces to conceal Hong Kangquan¡¯s whereabouts. That was why he had repeatedly evaded the special operations forces¡¯ search. He had taken the risk andmitted murder under the directive of Tan Dongbang¡¯s wife, Cai Songyin. This was the only reason why he had gotten himself exposed.

    That time, it was also Gu Nianzhi who had helped them find the four ¡®culprit¡¯ lines.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind was filled with countless thoughts.

    Could it be that the matter with Hong Kangquan was not over?

    He had originally thought that Hong Kangquan had been instructed by the Americans and that the four lines of intelligent programming code hade from the American military. But now it seemed that they were not necessarily Americans.

    Because the Americans did not have such powerful methods.

    Who was it?

    Huo Shaoheng went to theputer in the air defensemand room and called Zhao Liangze over.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found a lead.¡± Huo Shaoheng pulled up the software that Gu Nianzhi had used to look for the intelligent programming code at that time and inserted it into theputer¡¯s mainframe. ¡°Now, use this program to search the entire code system. Immediately use our special channel to establish contact with the central control system in the imperial capital. I want to use the central control system to take over all the automatic control systems here and conduct a search.¡±

    They only had a limited amount of time. There were only 12 hours between now and the end of the military parade the next day.

    Therefore, they had to borrow the powerful processing power of the central control system processor to conduct a search.

    Zhao Liangze came over to take a few nces. He was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

    ¡°... It¡¯s was an intelligent programmingnguage again?! How can such a broken intelligent system in this base have such an advanced intelligent programmingnguage?!¡±

    ¡°This is due to the cunning schemes of the enemy. The lower the level of our intelligent system, the more they can hide and stir up trouble.¡± Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°This is the only possibility I can think of. If we still can¡¯t find the problem, then I¡¯m overthinking things.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had brought a lot of electronic equipment with him this time, enough to support a server group in the field during wartime.

    He called Yin Shixiong over. The two of them set up the system in a flurry and began to establish a connection with the central control room.

    This base not only had a local areawork, but it also had the ability tomunicate with the outside world.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side had already begun to use software to conduct a check.

    Not long after, the central control room in the imperial capital had established a connection with their side. They took over the system and began to operate and investigate at the same time.

    Zhao Liangze and Huo Shaoheng each carried out their respective duties as they stared unblinkingly at theputer screen.

    ...

    Time ticked by. By eight o¡¯clock the next morning, and by the time the military parade began, Huo Shaoheng still hadn¡¯t found any suspicious code.

    There wasn¡¯t even a trace of the ¡®Smart programmingnguage¡¯ that Gu Nianzhi had reminded him of.

    Were they really overthinking things?

    Because of his doubts, he did not go to the rostrum to parade with General Ji and the others. Instead, he stayed in front of theputer system in the air defensemand room with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong, racking his brains to search for the system code.

    He searched through the lines and was almost at thest area. Just then, the software¡¯s rm program was finally activated.

    The sound of beeping filled the small air defensemand room.

    Huo Shaoheng took a closer look and found a few lines of intelligent programmingnguage!

    He quickly copied the few lines of programs and stored them on sh memory. He used anotherptop to open it for a closer look.

    He couldn¡¯t help breaking out in cold sweat as he continued to check.

    The intelligent programmingnguage he found this time was much more advanced than the four lines of intelligent programmingnguage Hong Kangquan had used thest time!

    If the four-line intelligent programmingnguage he had found thest time was still in the ¡®Second grade¡¯ level, then this time, the intelligent programmingnguage was already in the ¡®Fourth grade¡¯ level.

    Artificial intelligence that was almostpletely mature. It made one shudder at the thought of it...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palms were sweating.

    He quickly typed in lines of instructions on hisptop and finally isted the few lines of intelligent programmingnguage.

    An hour had passed. The parade was about to end, and then there was the exercise.

    This time, the exercise would involve the coordination between thend and air, and the missiles would use real bullets.

    Huo Shaoheng hurriedly connected to the system control of the exercise troops and looked directly into the air defense system.

    An hour had passed. When the troops were in position, the guns were loaded, and the shells were aimed at the target.

    Wait!

    How could the coordinates here be the rostrum?!

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his eyes and looked over again. The coordinates set by the surface-to-air missiles were indeed the rostrum!

    He quickly pressed the button to cancel the coordinates.

    As expected, the system was in an ¡®out of control¡¯ state again. Just like the staff in the Air Defense Command Room who wanted to cancel the automatic targeting of the missiles aimed at his private ne, but were unable to do so no matter what.

    The intelligent programmingnguage was causing trouble again!

    Huo Shaoheng now knew the reason and understood how to deal with it.

    He calmly typed in a few lines of instructions, specifically targeting the keywords of the intelligent programmingnguage. Lock, block and then delete.

    The lines of code were checked. Just as the air defense unit was about to move, Huo Shaoheng finally cleared all the intelligent programmingnguages!

    Boom!

    A cannon shot rang out from outside the window. The light missile that looked like a flying shuttle had urately hit the target it was supposed to hit!

    On the rostrum, General Ji, Speaker Long, and Prime Minister White smiled happily and apuded.

    The rostrum was safe now. They were safe...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart, which had been in his throat all this time, was finally at ease.

    ¡°All of you! Continue to monitor the entire exercise. If there¡¯s anything abnormal, immediately run the program in the system.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng embedded Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little program into the central control system¡¯s detection temte. The codes could be checked and killed at any time.

    If the other party had added any other intelligent programmingnguage inside, as soon as they were uncovered, they would be mercilessly deleted by this little program.

    On the drill ground, there were crackling gunshots, the rumbling of cannons, and the billowing smoke of gunpowder. The cheers were like the endless waves of the sea.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s entire attention was drawn to the drill.

    He looked down from the high tower in the air defensemand room. The corners of his lips curled up slightly as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden.

    At the same time, the entire nation was watching the military parade and the drill on television.

    This fully-enclosed drill was an eye-opener for everyone.

    On the day of the military parade, almost everyone was watching television or watching videos on their phones.

    Gu Nianzhi did not go to work that day.

    They had worked overtime for so long. They had a day off today and would go to work the next day for the final round of interviews at the Senate.

    She and Xiao Ye had prepared a lot of snacks. They sat on the sofa next to each other, beaming as they watched the grand parade on the 60-inch TV in front of them. There were also drills that were poprly depicted in war movies. They would discuss it from time to time. It was fun.

 Chapter 1431 - Take You Home

    <h4>Chapter 1431: Take You Home</h4>

    The military parade was over, and the footage of the drill was broadcasted.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. She wanted to see Huo Shaoheng on the stage, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn¡¯t see his imposing figure nor his handsome, masculine, calm face.

    ¡°Where did he hide?¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered and changed her position on the sofa.

    Xiao Ye held a te of raisins and ate them one by one. She smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look for him. He¡¯s definitely not on stage.¡±

    Perhaps he was watching the grand military parade and exercise from a corner.

    If the people from the special operations forces wanted to hide, no one would be able to find them.

    On the television screen, smoke was billowing and the sound of gunfire was even louder.

    This time, the drill waspletely behind closed doors. Originally, it was supposed to be broadcasted live on the inte, but for some unknown reason, it was canceled. Only the imperial capital television station was able to obtain some footage of the drill and broadcast it on the television station.

    Although they knew that it was a specially chosen angle so as to deter the foreign armed forces that were eyeing it covetously, the content was still very exciting to watch.

    German Prime Minister Bismarck once said that the truth is only within the range of cannons.

    Today, there are only three great truths in the world: Dongfeng, Baiyang, and the Militia, all of which are the names of the strategic nuclear missiles owned by the Huaxia Empire, Russia, and the United States.

    Today, they were fortunate enough to witness the Huaxia Empire¡¯s greatest truth, ¡®Dongfeng-3131ag¡¯!

    During the exercise, the ¡®biggest truth¡¯ couldn¡¯t be used, but it was enough to make people excited.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was on the military base in Rihe City. All the equipment and surveince cameras were aimed at the military base in Rihe City.

    Because of the dangerous situation they had uncovered, they doubled the surveince cameras there.

    The sound of the television was transmitted through the high-quality stereo system as it reverberated in the living room. It was as if arge bunch of fireworks had been ced at the door of their home, filling their ears.

    They did not hear it, but the elevator outside their door which was only essible to residents quietly stopped on their floor.

    ording to the direction of the elevator button, the elevator user hade from the upper floors.

    Huo Shaoheng had chosen this apartmentplex on Third Ring Road because it was high-end and had excellent privacy.

    The elevator went directly into each apartment on the first floor. Other than the residents with key cards, no one could stop on their floor.

    He did not expect this excellent privacy to be a double-edged sword.

    ...

    The elevator doors parted, and four unattractive men in ck came out.

    The first thing the leader of the men did was raise his hand and fire a shot at a camera installed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door.

    The silent pistol made a dull thud, and the camera shattered into pieces.

    Xiao Ye, who was in the room, keenly sensed that something was amiss. She tilted her head to listen, but it seemed that she could no longer hear anything.

    She nced at the monitor beside her. She could see the surroundings of the apartment from there.

    The monitor was still showing the scene from five minutes ago.

    She stared at the time disyed on the monitor for a while and felt that something was amiss. She was about to get up and go to the door when she heard the doorbell ring.

    Gu Nianzhi also heard it. She turned her head and asked in puzzlement, ¡°Why is someone ringing the doorbell at this time? Xiao Ye, is she your friend?¡±

    Other than Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu, only Xiao Ye and the people from the special operations forces, such as Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, knew her address.

    Xiao Ye shook her head and became even more vignt.

    She stood up and silently scurried to the door like a cat. She peeked through the peephole to take a look.

    Xiao Ye was even more puzzled when she saw four men wearing sunsses and ck clothes standing at the door.

    She was about to ask them a question when the person waiting at the door seemingly lost his patience. He took out a gun and fired a few shots at the door lock.

    Xiao Ye sprinted back, grabbed Gu Nianzhi from the sofa, and pushed her into the bedroom.

    ¡°Take the gun and find a ce to hide! Call the police! No matter what you hear, don¡¯t make a sound!¡± Xiao Ye pulled out a gun from her thigh and stuffed it into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. Then, she closed the door tightly.

    She rushed to the living room and found a ce to hide. As she loaded the gun, she also started to contact the special operations forces with her phone.

    She knew that apart from herself, Huo Shaoheng had also arranged for other people to ensure that Gu Nianzhi was secretly protected.

    Although there was arge military parade being held that day, there should be other people on duty.

    However, although her phone had been dialing for a long time, and she couldn¡¯t get any signal at all!

    Xiao Ye¡¯s heart was pounding.

    Electromaic shielding!

    These people had actually used electromaic shielding!

    Then the surveince cameras must have been destroyed by them as well..

    If the news from their ce did not spread, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arrangements would be useless!

    What should she do?!

    Xiao Ye made a decision in an instant.

    She closed her eyes. Her 29-year-old life had shed before her eyes. She had risked her life for so many years, but nothing was as dangerous as this situation.

    She had never imagined that the most dangerous situation she would face would actually be at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s home, in a high-end apartment along Third Ring Road of the Imperial City!

    Xiao Ye turned around and kicked open the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. She fired at the same time.

    If the electromaic signal could not be sent out, she wanted to announce amotion!

    However, after firing a few shots, she realized that the balcony was actually fully enclosed with bullet-proof ss!

    Her bullets only left a few cracks on the balcony¡¯s ss.

    From the moment Xiao Ye made her decision to the moment the other party finally broke into the room, it seemed like only a split second had passed. It also seemed like a long time had passed.

    When Xiao Ye turned around, a man had already pounced on her. He grabbed her hand that was shooting and pulled her down. He pushed his knee up and forcefully broke her wrist. Then, he kicked her horizontally. There was a cracking sound and Xiao Ye¡¯s calf was broken by his kick.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s bones were quite hard. She was in so much pain that cold sweat was breaking out on her forehead. Yet, she actually did not even make a sound.

    The other party seemed to be surprised by her toughness and let go of her hand slightly.

    Xiao Ye fell to the ground with a plop, lying at a strange angle.

    One of her hands was limp and copsed, almost touching her wrist at a 180 degree angle.

    Needless to say, the broken leg couldn¡¯t support her body at all.

    The man walked around the room and nced at the closed door of the bedroom. He turned around to look at Xiao Ye who was lying on the ground and said indifferently, ¡°Miss Gu, I know you¡¯re here. Come out and I¡¯ll let her go.¡±

    He held a gun in his hand and pointed it at Xiao Ye, who was lying on the floor. He raised his hand to look at his watch.

    They had been preparing for this n for almost half a year, but when the opportunity arrived, they only had less than 10 minutes.

    After 10 minutes, the other party would realize that the security cameras here were not working and they would immediately send someone over.

    When that time came, it would be a question of whether they could escape or not.

    Gu Nianzhi was trembling in fear in her bedroom.

    This was not the first time she had faced such a situation.

    The first time, she had seen two special operations forces field agents get killed in that small forest in Germany...

    This time, was she going to watch Xiao Ye die right in front of her again?!

    ¡°Miss Gu, we don¡¯t mean to hurt you. You should know, if we wanted you dead, we could have used our own methods to blow up the Senate Building or the apartment building.¡±

    The man spoke as if he were strolling in a leisurely manner. His hands were not idle either. With a bang, he shot Xiao Ye¡¯s other wrist, which was still intact, and broke that wrist as well.

    Xiao Ye let out a low growl, and her lower lip was bleeding from her teeth.

    Gu Nianzhiy in the crack of the bedroom door and watched the scene with wide eyes. She saw the blood on Xiao Ye¡¯s wrist meander out, dyeing the milky white carpet red.

    She had made a few phone calls, but not only was she unable to send a text message, she was also unable to make a phone call.

    Electromaic shielding.

    These people had used electromaic shielding to deal with her!

    Gu Nianzhi really did not know why they wanted her so much, to the point that these people would use everything they had.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t youing out? Okay, I¡¯ll count to ten and every time I count, I¡¯ll fire a shot until she dies.¡±

    As the man spoke, the gun in his hand was aimed at Xiao Ye, and he fired a cold shot.

    First, it was her left arm, then her right arm, then her left thigh, left calf, right thigh, and right calf.

    The sound of gunshots rang out one after another, and Xiao Ye let out a scream that caught her off guard.

    She was being shot in the bone. She was not able to endure it even if she wanted to.

    A scream was a person¡¯s instinct when fighting against pain.

    ¡°One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...¡±

    There was only one shot left, and the gun in the man¡¯s hand was aimed at Xiao Ye¡¯s head.

    Xiao Ye was covered in blood. Shey on the snow-white carpet that had been dyed red with blood. It was bright red, like she was wearing a red evening gown.

    She had been shot more than once in all four of her limbs, and her injuries looked very serious.

    Even if she did not die, she might be crippled for life.

    Her face was facing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. Her eyes were closed, and her beautiful face was deathly pale, like a porcin sculpture. There was not a trace of life on her face.

    Her long legs, which used to be able to jump and kill, might never be able to stand up again...

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth with her hand, and her tears fell like rain in the bedroom. She could not stand it anymore.

    Xiao Ye had used her own life to save her, and she could use her own life to save her!

    She pointed a loaded gun at her head with one hand and pushed open the bedroom door. Gu Nianzhi said coldly, ¡°Stop! If you shoot her again, I¡¯ll shoot too.¡±

    She knew that the other party really wanted to capture her alive, so her threat of suicide was the most effective.

    Just like what the other party had said, if they wanted her dead, there was no need to torture and kill Xiao Ye. If they directly threw a bomb into the house, she and Xiao Ye would definitely die.

    Since the other party was afraid of harming her, she could only use her own life to threaten the other party.

    She had no other way.

    Besides, even if the other party lied, what chance did she have to win?

    Xiao Ye had told her to hide in her bedroom, probably thinking that they would call the police immediately and that the special operations forces would arrive immediately. The most they could do was to sacrifice Xiao Ye¡¯s life to buy her time.

    However, Xiao Ye had underestimated the other party¡¯s methods and misjudged Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had never been someone who could watch others die for her.

    The deaths of the two special operations forces personnel in Germany had been a nightmare for her, and how could those twopare to Xiao Ye¡¯s close rtionship with her?

    The four men looked relieved when they saw Gu Nianzhi walk out of the bedroom.

    The man with the gun even threw his gun on the ground, spread his hands, and smiled at her. ¡°See, I¡¯m a man of my word. Miss Gu, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not bad people. We¡¯re here to take you home.¡±

 Chapter 1432 - There Will Always Be Someone Stronger

    <h4>Chapter 1432: There Will Always Be Someone Stronger</h4>

    ¡°Go home? Where to? This is my home. I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed a gun to her temple. With a cold face, she said, ¡°She¡¯s lost so much blood, you can¡¯t just let her lie there. Call an ambnce! Or I¡¯ll shoot!¡±

    The man snickered. ¡°If I had known, I would have shot her the moment I opened the door. That way I wouldn¡¯t have needed to call an ambnce.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°If she had shot you when you came in, you wouldn¡¯t have been involved!¡±

    ¡°Haha... Why do you say that? If she had shot us first, she would be dead by now.¡± the man took out a strangely shaped gun from behind him and aimed it at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°To be honest, I could have shot her while I was outside the door. She was smart enough not to confront us head-on.¡±

    Experts could tell whether they were a match for each other just by looking at each other.

    He could deal with Xiao Ye alone, not to mention that there were four of them.

    Xiao Ye must have weighed the pros and cons before using the best method to stall for time.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect these people to be more powerful than she had expected!

    ¡°However, our goal is not to take her life. Since she didn¡¯t make the first move, we won¡¯t send her to her death right away.¡±

    The person bowed politely.

    They had investigated and prepared for the operation in advance a long time ago. They had taken into ount the other party¡¯s background.

    They knew very well how powerful Xiao Ye was.

    The people that had been dispatched this time had all been carefully selected. Even if Huo Shaoheng hade personally, they would still be able to deal with her.

    In order to deal with Xiao Ye, they needed to be able to defeat her in one move while not give her any room to fight back.

    The moment this person seeded in his attack, he had immediately broken Xiao Ye¡¯s limbs and disabled her ability to fight.

    He stood there calmly. He lookedposed, but vignce was was written in his eyes.

    ¡°Make the call first!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, which was holding the gun, began to tremble.

    She had never experienced anything like this. Back in India when she was at the Taj Mahal and Cape Cod, she thought that she had already seen the worst. Now, facing these four hostile-looking men, she felt as though she was facing an army.

    The four of them were brimming with murderous intent!

    When she was shoved into the bedroom by Xiao Ye, she had assumed that they would be able to hold out until the people from the special operations forces arrived, judging from Xiao Ye¡¯s skills.

    In the end, in just one exchange, Xiao Ye¡¯s wrist had been broken and she was reduced to a lump on the ground.

    How could these people be so powerful?!

    She had been hiding in the bedroom. In less than a minute, she heard nine shots fired outside.

    By the time she had rushed out, Xiao Ye was already lying in a pool of blood.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were red, and she shouted, ¡°Call an ambnce!¡±

    She wanted Xiao Ye to be treated in time, but at the same time, she wanted to stall for time.

    Xiao Ye had used her life to fight for her chance to survive, and she couldn¡¯t let it go to waste.

    She had to do something for Xiao Ye.

    The man put the gun back into his pants, took out his phone with one hand, lowered his head, and dialed a few numbers. Suddenly, a round gold coin popped out of his other hand, and hit Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ulnar nerve on her elbow!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, which was holding the gun, suddenly went numb. Her wrist lost strength and the gun fell to the ground with a thud.

    ¡°Take it away!¡± the man immediately took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose with one hand. He twisted her arm behind her back with the other hand and kicked her gun far away.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately held her breath, but she still fainted from the smell of the handkerchief.

    The three people behind her quickly moved forward. One of them ced a hat on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, covering her face tightly. At the same time, he took off the diamond earrings on her earlobe and threw them on the carpet.

    The other person held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s other arm and held her on both sides with the person-in-charge. They rushed into the elevator.

    Thest person threw a bottle of tear gas into the room. White smoke suddenly rose. Xiao Ye had just woken up from the pain but was immediately choked by the tear gas. She quickly fainted again.

    ...

    The four of them brought Gu Nianzhi, who had already been knocked out by them, down from the elevator and rushed to a ck SUV parked in the underground parking lot.

    The five of them got into the car. The driver stepped on the elerator, and the ck SUV shot forward like an arrow.

    After the special operations forces discovered that there was a problem with the surveince cameras on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, they immediately rushed over and brushed past the ck SUV on the road.

    Five minutester, the ck SUV arrived at an intersection near the third ring road of the imperial capital.

    There was a lot of traffic and tall buildings.

    Traffic lights hung high above the four exits, and the surveince cameras surveyed both directions, the north, and south.

    When the ck SUV drove under the central surveince camera at the intersection, an 18-wheeler truck suddenly drove over and blocked the surveince camera.

    When the 18-wheeler truck left, four identical ck SUVs appeared under the surveince camera and drove in four different directions.

    Some of the vehicles at the intersection noticed that there was only one ck SUV driving over. Why did four ck SUVs appear in the blink of an eye after the truck drove away?

    However, they only took a nce and thought that their eyes were ying tricks on them.

    After all, this intersection was too busy, and it was the imperial capital. It wasmon for several identical cars to appear.

    The four men in ck took exactly ten minutes from the time they appeared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door to the time they took her to leave in the ck SUV.

    Their methods were unusually clean, and they had taken all sorts of factors into ount. The time difference was impable.

    During this time, none of the neighbors upstairs or downstairs were rmed.

    This was because the privacy of the apartment was so well-protected that even the neighbors did notmunicate with each other.

    ...

    Within ten minutes, the people from the special operations forces arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    They had a key card, so they were able toe up.

    When they arrived downstairs, they discovered that the surveince cameras had actually been restored. It was as though the ten minutes of malfunction had been a system failure.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is there a system malfunction?¡± they muttered downstairs. However, they still decided to make a phone call to ask.

    They hadn¡¯t been able to get through to the phone just now, and had been so scared that their legs had almost gone soft.

    They hoped that it was a false rm.

    One of the staff members dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number first.

    Not long after, the mechanical female voice¡¯s standard answer came from the other end.

    ¡°The number you have dialed is not in the service area. Please try againter.¡±

    Where did she go?

    They looked at each other and felt that something was not right. As they walked into the elevator, they dialed Xiao Ye¡¯s number.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s number was dialed, but there was no answer.

    However, after Xiao Ye¡¯s phone rang a few times, her voice message sounded. ¡°I am in danger. Pleasee and rescue me!¡±

    This was the automatic reply that she had set up for her phone.

    Time was of the essence at the time, so when Xiao Ye realized that she could not make a call, she only had time to change her automatic reply.

    This was also an exclusive function that the cell phones of the members of the special operations force possessed.

    ¡°Oh no! Something really happened!¡±

    The few of them rushed out of the elevator and noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment door lock had been destroyed.

    When they pushed open the door, they saw a bloodied person lying on the snow-white carpet, and the tear gas was spewing out of the room.

    These people were caught off guard. They coughed due to the fumes and kept wiping their tears.

    They quickly took out their masks and goggles and put them on, then rushed in.

    ¡°It¡¯s Xiao Ye!¡±

    ¡°How could they be so ruthless?!¡±

    They immediately took action.

    Someone was calling for backup, someone was calling for an ambnce, someone was doing emergency bleeding control for Xiao Ye, and someone was also calling the head of the headquarters, Zhou Qiyuan, to report that something terrible had happened here.

    Fortunately, four people from the special operations forces hade. Otherwise they would have been really busy.

    Zhou Qiyuan received the call and was ovee by such an immense wave of shock that he almost pushed down theputer in front of him. ¡°What did you say?! Xiao Ye is seriously injured?! Where¡¯s Miss Gu?! Where¡¯s Miss Gu?!¡±

    The person held the phone and walked around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. ¡°We don¡¯t see Miss Gu. We called her and the voice message indicated that her phone wasn¡¯t in the service area.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help sinking. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send arge team of reinforcements. You guys keep an eye on the scene and don¡¯t let the Imperial Police get involved for the time being.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan put down the phone and immediately used the highest-level orange phone of the special operations forces to call the military base in Riwa City.

    ¡°I¡¯m the Colonel Commander of the Special Operations Forces, Zhou Qiyuan. I have a very important situation to report to Major General Huo Shaoheng. Please find Major General Huo Shaoheng immediately!¡±

    The military base realized that the call was made from an orange phone that was only used for the highest-level security threats. They knew that something big had happened. It immediately sent people to the air defensemand room to find Huo Shaoheng. They reported, ¡°Major General Huo, Zhou Qiyuan from the capital¡¯s Special Operations Forces Headquarters is looking for you on an orange phone. Please pick up the call immediately!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been ncing out of the window when he heard that it was Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s orange phone. His face twitched involuntarily.

    He stood up calmly. ¡°Where¡¯s the phone?¡±

    ¡°In the central control room.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the air defensemand room like the wind and almost started running.

    He rushed to the central control room and answered Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s call. ¡°This is Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan couldn¡¯t help but stand at attention. ¡°Huo Shao, the situation is not good. Xiao Ye has been attacked and Miss Gu is missing. She¡¯s at the third ring apartment.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard it and took three seconds to react. ¡°Say that again?!¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, Xiao Ye has been attacked. Miss Gu is missing. She¡¯s at the third ring apartment.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind buzzed, and his vision went ck.

    He had to use all his control to stabilize himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± he didn¡¯t ask any more questions and told the person in the central control room, ¡°I have an urgent matter to attend to and would need to return to the capital immediately. Help me inform General Ji and the others. Also, arrange a special ne for me to take off in ten minutes. Tell Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze to head to the airport immediately.¡±

    He left the control room without looking back and rushed to his dormitory.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to his dormitory and only packed hisptop and mobile phone. He did not take any other luggage and ran straight to the airport.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were also stunned when they received the news.

    ¡°Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s orange phone?! My grandmother! This is a huge disaster!¡± Yin Shixiong pped his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go, go, go!¡±

    He pushed Zhao Liangze back to the dormitory and only packed hisptop and phone. He had the soldiers pack the rest of the things for them.

    They arrived at the airport in ten minutes. The airport gate was about to close and the flight was about to take off.

    ¡°Wait for us! Wait for us!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze ran over breathlessly. They finally boarded the ne a second before the cabin door closed.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze sat next to Huo Shaoheng and asked worriedly, ¡°Huo Shao, what happened?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had just spoken to Zhou Qiyuan on the phone. His expression was extremely grim. ¡°Xiao Ye was attacked and Nianzhi was taken away.¡±

 Chapter 1433 - What Would You Do?

    <h4>Chapter 1433: What Would You Do?</h4>

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze did not expect that Gu Nianzhi to be in such dire straits once more!

    They were dumbfounded for a minute before they spoke up in unison, ¡°Why is there still someone eyeing Nianzhi?!¡±

    Gu Xiangwen and his wife¡¯s bodies had been buried in the National Martyrs¡¯ Cemetery, and their stories had been widely reported in the newspapers. It was clear that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s technology and inheritance had been inherited by Huaxia. Was their daughter really that important to those people?

    Huo Shaoheng had always been a calm andposed person, but this unexpected event still shocked him greatly.

    He could only use silence to resist losing hisposure.

    Yin Shixiong was the first to react. He hurriedly picked up his phone and called Zhou Qiyuan.

    ¡°Zhou Qiyuan, what¡¯s going on?! We¡¯ve made so many arrangements. Were they all just decorations?!¡± Yin Shixiong kicked the back of the seat in front of him. ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Ye? How¡¯s she doing? Nianzhi has a GPS. Can you find out where she is now?¡±

    The special operations forces had been fighting for so many years, and they had not always been victorious. However, this was the first time they had been able to let someone seriously injure their own people and take away the person they were supposed to protect under such strict security conditions.

    Not only had they lost badly, but their pride and reputation had also taken a hit.

    On the other end, Zhou Qiyuan was still able to keep his cool. He was currently in front of the operating room of the special operations forces hospital. He looked at the red light on the door that wrote ¡®Surgery ongoing¡¯. He said in a low voice, ¡°We can¡¯t locate Nianzhi right now.¡±

    ¡°As for Xiao Ye, Chen Lie is currently performing surgery on her. He checked her wrist, arm, and leg when she was sent in earlier. She was shot a total of ten times. Her wrist was fractured, and her calf was broken. However, the other party was quite restrained. Their marksmanship was very urate, and their technique was also very peculiar. Other than the one shot that shattered her wrist, the other nine shots did not hurt her bones, nor did they hit her major arteries.¡±

    ¡°But her veins were injured. Chen Lie is operating on her to remove the bullet and suture her veins and wounds at the same time.¡±

    Chen Lie was originally sent by Zhou Qiyuan to Rihe city military base to check on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s injuries. After Huo Shaoheng was deemed to be fine, he returned to the capital.

    Fortunately, he had returned early. Hence, he could treat Xiao Ye in a timely manner.

    Zhou Qiyuan paused and remained silent. He thought that he should wait for Huo Shaoheng to return before he confirmed it himself...

    Yin Shixiong was stunned for a long time before he said angrily, ¡°F*ck! Do I have to thank them for keeping our subordinate alive?! These bastards! If I catch them...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk big. Come back quickly. It¡¯s more troublesome this time.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan thought about the scene in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment and his heart sank.

    He had originally protected the scene and simply carried Xiao Ye away. He was waiting for Huo Shaoheng toe back and make a decision.

    After all, Gu Nianzhi was no ordinary person. She was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wife.

    On the day Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi signed their marriage contract, Zhou Qiyuan was one of the people present. However, he did not tell anyone.

    Therefore, he knew how important Gu Nianzhi was to Huo Shaoheng.

    He hoped that his chief would be able to get through this.

    Yin Shixiong hung up the phone with a gloomy expression. He said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Chen Lie is already performing surgery on Xiao Ye. Zhou Qiyuan said that the other party was very restrained and very urate. Although they shot her ten times in her arms and legs, nine of them avoided her bones and arteries...¡±

    Zhao Liangze was deep in thought as he leaned forward. ¡°What does this mean? They have chosen to use such a method as a show of their mercy? Could it be that they won¡¯t be too...?¡±

    ¡°Come on, they dared to kidnap Nianzhi. That¡¯s already a heinous crime! Not to mention hurting Xiao Ye Like that! They¡¯re too damn vicious!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was filled with righteous indignation. The members of the special operations forces who had rushed into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment were not kind men or women either. They had used all kinds of simr methods on their subjects as well.

    However, they were grounded by one ideology: Their methods were only to be used on their enemies, not their own kind.

    Moreover, everyone had their own selfish motives. They could use all sorts of methods on others, but when they saw someone using such methods on their own people, they couldn¡¯t take it anymore. They truly believed that the other party was too vicious.

    When Huo Shaoheng heard the name ¡®Nianzhi¡¯, his face couldn¡¯t help but twitch twice.

    The news of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abduction had shocked him even more than he had expected.

    He could only force himself to calm down at this point.

    He could only think normally when he was calm.

    He held his phone tightly with one hand and sat upright on the seat of the ne. He stared at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, his heart burning with anxiety. Time trickled by in a painfully slow manner.

    ...

    The military ne whizzed by. It only took an hour and a half to reach the imperial capital airport. It was twice as fast as usual.

    Huo Shaoheng alighted from the ne. Soldier Fan Jian was already waiting at the airport in his car.

    He picked up Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze and drove straight to the apartment in the third ring road.

    Two hours had passed since the incident.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s blood was still stained on the carpet of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    It took another half an hour to get from the airport to the underground parking lot of the Third Ring apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment was surrounded by people from the special operations forces. Hence, the local police had not been alerted.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was as dark as ever when he walked out of the elevator.

    He looked up and noticed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door lock had been pierced through. He could see lighting out from inside.

    He looked up and realized that the surveince camera in the corridor had also been damaged.

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent. He turned to look at Zhou Qiyuan, who was waiting at the door. ¡°What about the surveince footage?¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan spoke solemnly, ¡°There was a 10-minute gap in the surveince footage. Our people found out that there was a problem with the surveince footage, so they called Xiao Ye and Miss Gu. Unfortunately, they were a step toote.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not go in immediately. Instead, he paced back and forth in the corridor outside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. He looked around and said, ¡°Where are the other people?¡±

    Xiao Ye was not the only person he had assigned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.

    Zhou Qiyuan sighed. ¡°Those people rushed here immediately. It took them less than 10 minutes to arrive at the scene, but...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng interrupted him. ¡°Are you saying that the other party blocked the surveince cameras within ten minutes, severely injured Xiao Ye, and then took Nianzhi away?¡±

    He tried his best to hold it in, but the veins on his forehead were already throbbing, indicating that he was on the verge of rage.

    ¡°From the timing of the surveince cameras, this is what we specte.¡± Zhou Qiyuan stepped aside. ¡°Do you want to go in and take a look?¡±

    He added, ¡°Nothing was moved inside. We only took Xiao Ye away.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time. He suppressed his anger and walked in.

    He was no longer familiar with the apartment he used to know.

    The snow-white carpet had been dyed blood-red. There was a human figure drawn in chalk in the middle of the carpet. It should be where Xiao Ye had fallen.

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside the human figure of Xiao Ye for a while, then walked around the room. Just as he was about to reach the door, his eyes shed and he saw something sh.

    Although he had been mentally prepared ever since he had heard Zhou Qiyuan say that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location had nothing to do with her, his heart still sank when he saw her diamond earring on the ground.

    Not many people knew that the diamond earring was a GPS device.

    Only Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, Zhou Qiyuan knew. And, of course, himself and Gu Nianzhi.

    Could it be that Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, and Zhou Qiyuan had tipped them off?

    But how was that possible?

    If these people had really tipped them off, Gu Nianzhi would have been kidnapped 800 years ago and they wouldn¡¯t have waited until now.

    Her earring hadn¡¯t been exposed thest time she had been in an ident.

    Huo Shaoheng thought to himself. But even though he didn¡¯t suspect Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, and Zhou Qiyuan, he still needed concrete evidence to prove that these people had nothing to do with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance.

    He bent down to pick up the diamond earring from the ground and held it in his hand. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze swept past Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Zhou Qiyuan.

    Zhou Qiyuan had seen the diamond earring a long time ago. He knew that if Huo Shaoheng discovered the diamond earring, he would definitely have suspicions against them. However, this was all part of the normal procedure. If he were Huo Shaoheng, he would also investigate them.

    Therefore, he said frankly, ¡°Huo Shao, I can tell you everything about my whereabouts over the past few months. Please organize an investigation into me.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze nced at each other. They could see the shock in each other¡¯s eyes.

    They could guarantee that they hadn¡¯t done anything to Gu Nianzhi. They could even guarantee that Zhou Qiyuan hadn¡¯t done anything either. However, if the three of them hadn¡¯t told anyone, then how did the other party know that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s diamond earring had a tracking function?!

    This was too shocking!

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip and said calmly, ¡°I believe you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be in this world anymore. However, you should still check into each other.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Zhou Qiyuan stood at attention and saluted.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm andposed. He said unhurriedly, ¡°Big Xiong, Little Ze, Qiyuan, and Xiao Ye. The four of you are the people I trust the most. I hope you don¡¯t have any psychological burdens. I definitely don¡¯t doubt you, but we¡¯re all in this line of work. Check into each other and maybe we¡¯ll find new clues.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze nodded simultaneously. ¡°Huo, we understand. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was enlightened and suddenly said, ¡°Huo, this matter isn¡¯t that simple.¡±

    Zhao liangze rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course it¡¯s not that simple. Do you still need to mention it?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is, think about it. Nianzhi is missing, but Xiao Ye is also seriously injured. At the same time, Xiao Ze, Qiyuan, and I are all suspects. Don¡¯t you think that the mastermind is also targeting Huo?¡±

    Yin Shixiong pointed at the crack on the balcony¡¯s ss with his hand. ¡°Judging from the bullet marks, this should be Xiao Ye¡¯s bullet. You all know Xiao Ye¡¯s capabilities. If she wasn¡¯t so powerful, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape unscathed after so many years in the field.¡±

    Zhao Liangze came back to his senses and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The four of us are the people Huo Shao trusts the most.¡±

    He had always suspected that Xiao Ye was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fourth personal secretary, but Huo Shaoheng had never revealed any of his intentions.

    After Zhou Qiyuan, the personal secretary, surfaced, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong had been curious about who was the fourth.

    Could it really be Xiao Ye?

    That would be such a pity.

    Zhao Liangze shook his head and sighed. ¡°Xiao Ye is so skilled. With such a serious injury, it¡¯s impossible for her to recover her previous skills.¡±

    Even if she didn¡¯t hurt her bones or tendons, it would be enough to cripple her. She wouldn¡¯t be able to continue being Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary.

    Zhou Qiyuan hesitated for a long time. After realizing that Huo Shaoheng had taken the initiative to speak openly with them, he slowly said, ¡°Huo Shao, I have a suggestion. Can you tell us what you would do if you were to kidnap Nianzhi from us?¡±

 Chapter 1434 - Exactly the Same

    <h4>Chapter 1434: Exactly the Same</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him.

    Zhou Qiyuan remained expressionless.

    Among the four of them, Yin Shixiong looked like he was about to kill someone by ughtering them with a de.

    Although Zhao Liangze tried his best to hold back, the tears at the corners of his eyes still revealed the nervousness and uneasiness in his heart.

    He had always been the most vulnerable among the four of them. However, after Bai Shuang¡¯s death, he finally became stronger.

    Huo Shaoheng was supposed to be the calmest and most ruthless of them all. But because Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped, his calmness was only superficial.

    No one knew that just five minutes ago, his mind was still in a mess.

    Therefore, the person who appeared the calmest was Zhou Qiyuan.

    Huo Shaoheng calmed down and nced around the living room. He stared in the direction of the door and narrowed his eyes. He seemed to understand what Zhou Qiyuan was implying.

    He nodded and walked slowly to the door. He stopped in front of the elevator and said, ¡°If it were me, I would have set up an ambush in this building a few days in advance.¡±

    As he spoke, he looked upstairs.

    If he remembered correctly, Gu Yanran used to own an apartment upstairs.

    However, this apartment had probably been repossessed by Gu Nianzhi. The key card had also been changed, but no one lived in it.

    Therefore, those people knew that there was an empty apartment in this building.

    He walked over from the elevator door and stood at the door while saying, ¡°... Then, I¡¯d cast an electronic shield to disable all the electronic devices here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued walking forward, ¡°Then, I¡¯d break the surveince camera at the door. At this time, the people in the room would have noticed someone outside.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze quickly stepped aside and watched Huo Shaoheng walk to the door alone.

    He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the door lock. ¡°I¡¯ll ring the doorbell first. If the people inside aren¡¯t fooled, I¡¯ll shoot the lock.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s key card had been specially processed, so it wasn¡¯t easy to make a fake replica.

    However, as long as they used an electronic shield, there would be a 10-minute time difference. One shot to smash the door lock would be enough to do the job.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and walked into the house. He waspletely immersed in the scene.

    ¡°... the people inside will definitely resist, but they will also try to hide. I will kill the people who resist with one shot...¡±

    He paused at this point and looked at Zhou Qiyuan. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they kill Xiao Ye?¡±

    They had only inflicted serious injuries.

    They had fired so many shots, but none of them had broken her bones or hit her arteries.

    Any one of them would have been enough to make Xiao Ye¡¯s situation ten times worse. However, they didn¡¯t do that. They had only neutralized her ability to fight.

    Zhou Qiyuan nodded and said slowly, ¡°Generally speaking, we should have killed Xiao Ye first and then taken Miss Gu with us.¡±

    This was probably the only thing that didn¡¯t make sense.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the figure of Xiao Ye lying in the middle of the room and continued, ¡°Nianzhi must have been hiding in...¡±

    He looked towards the bedroom because it was the only ce he could hide in a hurry.

    He couldn¡¯t continue what he wanted to say.

    Zhou Qiyuan continued on his behalf, ¡°... the assant must have used Xiao Ye¡¯s life to threaten Miss Gu. He must have shot Xiao Ye so many times to intimidate her.¡±

    ¡°... Nianzhi is so kind-hearted. How could she watch these people kill Xiao Ye in front of her...¡± Yin Shixiong shook his head. ¡°This silly girl couldn¡¯t help it and came out on her own.¡±

    Actually, she only needed to hold on for ten minutes before she would be rescued.

    However, if she really held on for ten minutes, Xiao Ye would definitely die.

    After pondering over this carefully, this choice was too cruel for both Gu Nianzhi and Xiao Ye.

    Zhao Liangze whispered, ¡°They didn¡¯t kill Xiao Ye. They just tortured her. It seems like... they seem to know Nianzhi very well. They knew that she wouldn¡¯t stay hidden. They simply let her watch Xiao Ye get killed.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hands behind his back and didn¡¯t say a word. The lines of his jaw were taut, like a sculpture. He was exquisitely handsome, but there was no sign of life or vitality on his face.

    All his emotions seemed to be buried in an unfathomable ck hole, and no one could see the bottom of it.

    Zhou Qiyuan walked around the outline of Xiao Ye on the carpet. He said, ¡°Did you see that? There are no footprints on the ground, which means that they have excellent anti-detection abilities. ¡°Our professionals have searched the area with their equipment, but we really can¡¯t find any footprints other than those belonging to Xiao Ye and Miss Gu. We don¡¯t even know how many people were here...¡±

    Yin Shixiong crossed his arms and stared at the bullet marks on the window. ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. We also use special stic covers to cover our shoes when we¡¯re on a mission.¡±

    For example, they did this when they went to the Japanese temple to deal with Yamaguchi Aiko (Yoko).

    They had yet to find out who the assant was.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Zhou Qiyuan looked at Huo Shaoheng again. ¡°Huo Shao, did you see it? Their modus operandi...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said without batting an eyelid, ¡°I saw it. Their modus operandi is exactly the same as ours.¡±

    This case seemed to be the work of the special operations forces.

    If Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t the head of the special operations forces and the three people around him weren¡¯t absolutely trustworthy, he would have suspected that someone on the inside had betrayed them.

    However, everything would have remained unchanged. If there was truly someone inside who had betrayed them, there would have had countless opportunities to abduct Gu Nianzhi without anyone knowing. That person wouldn¡¯t have waited until today and they wouldn¡¯t have had to leave such a bloody scene. This appeared to be a demonstration.

    Therefore, this reasoning was illogical.

    If it hadn¡¯t been someone from the special operations forces, then who had done it? Could it have been someone from their foreign counterparts?

    Huo Shaoheng had once trained in Mossad, Israel. He had returned home to form the special operations forces. The way they trained was simr to the training methods abroad.

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong also thought of this.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s thick eyebrows were knitted. ¡°Could it be the work of those bastards from abroad?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze immediately took out his phone and entered the password. ¡°I have to look up the information on the foreigners who recently entered our country.¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan crossed his arms thoughtfully. ¡°Looks like we have to activate the emergency measures from abroad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was grim. He immediately asked Zhou Qiyuan, ¡°Have you blocked all the major customs ports at the capital airport and the roads out of the city?¡±

    Zhou Qiyuan quickly replied, ¡°Yes, sir. I immediately sealed off the airport as soon as I received the news.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Also, today was the military parade and a drill. Hence, all the nes in the city are not allowed to take off before the drill. The port is temporarily closed. I¡¯ve set up checkpoints on the roads leading out of the city, and I¡¯m currently checking the cars one by one.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression rxed slightly, and he ced a hand on Zhou Qiyuan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well done.¡±

    Even if he had been in the capital at that time, he could only have done so much.

    As a leader, he was happy that his subordinates could take charge of their own affairs and not have him worry about anything.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief, at the same time, he looked at Yin Shixiong. ¡°Search through the items here and pull up all the surveince footage from today. Qiyuan said that the surveince footage was only blocked for ten minutes. Go and see if there are any clues before and after the ten-minute mark.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Yin Shixiong saluted and immediately went out to search the property in the apartmentplex and pull up the surveince footage.

    Huo Shaoheng waved at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Little Ze,e back with me. You are to look up the information on foreigners entering the country. I¡¯ll report this matter to General Ji.¡±

    He wanted to mobilize all the manpower and resources to form an inescapable that would make it difficult for the other party to escape.

    ...

    When his phone rang, General Ji was on a military ne back to the imperial capital.

    He took it out to take a look and realized it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone number. He quickly answered the call and asked, ¡°Shaoheng, what happened at your ce?¡±

    General Ji only found out about the emergency departure of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne from Rihe City¡¯s military base after the end of the exercise.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s solemn and low voice sounded from the other end of the phone. ¡°... Xiao Ye was seriously injured and Nianzhi was taken away.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± General Ji cried out involuntarily. ¡°How could this be?! What happened to your security measures?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled wryly. ¡°The other party is very familiar with our security measures. They even tore off Nianzhi¡¯s secret GPS device and threw it away.¡±

    General Ji was shocked and furious. He almost blurted out, ¡°Could there be another mole?!¡±

    However, he remembered that he was still on the ne, so he swallowed his words and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Hurry up and report to me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly replied, ¡°Yes, chief. I¡¯m waiting for you at the airport.¡±

    General Ji took a deep breath and began tofort Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, a lucky person will be able to find her way. In all these years, she¡¯s only had an identst year. She even went abroad. Don¡¯t feel too guilty.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. He knew that it wasn¡¯t convenient for General Ji to speak, so he didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you toe back.¡±

    Half an hourter, General Ji¡¯s military ne slowlynded at the imperial airport.

    Not long after, he got into the car that hade to pick him up. Huo Shaoheng was waiting for him in that car.

    Secretary Cao personally drove the car, so General Ji and Huo Shaoheng could immediately discuss the matter in the car.

    General Ji¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Tell me again, what exactly is going on!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng recounted the situation that happened at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment and finally said, ¡°That was what happened. We¡¯ve ordered the airports, customs ports, and highways to be sealed. Traffic can enter but cannot leave.¡±

    General Ji nodded. ¡°That is exactly what should be done. I¡¯ll immediately contact Speaker Long and Prime Minister Bai to inform them of this matter.¡±

    After all, sealing off all the airports, customs ports, and highways involved a lot of resources.

    They could have used the military parade and exercise to seal off the area for a few hours.

    However, if it took any longer, they would need to support their request with a more substantial reason, as well as seek cooperation from other departments.

    Huo Shaoheng needed General Ji¡¯s support to obtain more authority to deal with this matter.

    He and General Ji discussed and analyzed the matter along the way. By the time they dropped General Ji off at the militarypound, they had already drawn up the preliminary ns.

    ¡°This matter will be handled ording to the procedures we discussed just now.¡± General Ji got out of the car and said seriously, ¡°Shaoheng, you have to stay calm. If you can¡¯t control your own emotions, I will send someone else to take over.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hadpletely calmed down by now. He quietly helped General Ji get his briefcase out of the car and said calmly, ¡°You¡¯re worrying too much. I¡¯m feeling alright. I don¡¯t have any turbulent emotions that need to be controlled.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± General Ji nced at him from the corner of his eyes. He realized that Huo Shaoheng was indeed calm andposed. He spoke calmly and acted at a moderate pace. He really didn¡¯t look like he was panicking because his loved one had gone missing.

    Of course, he might have been panicking internally, but it was hard to tell since he had such excellent patience and self-control.

    General Ji felt even more satisfied with him. ¡°Okay, go ahead and find her as soon as possible.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied in a low voice, ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng watched on as General Ji entered the house. He turned and walked to his private car. At that moment, his phone rang.

    It was a call from Yin Shixiong.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly picked it up. ¡°Did you find anything?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was looking through the surveince footage of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. Although there was a 10-minute gap, the footage before and after the ten minute mark was intact.

    With Yin Shixiong¡¯s insight and analytical skills, he watched the video for half an hour before he locked onto a ck SUV that had entered and exited the apartmentplex.

 Chapter 1435 - Too MuChapter of a Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 1435: Too Much of a Coincidence</h4>

    ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ve discovered something wrong with a particr ck SUV.¡± Yin Shixiong had checked the footage of the ck SUV frame by frame. ¡°The license te number is very unfamiliar. I asked the Traffic Control Bureau to check it out. This license te number has been invalid for more than a decade, and no one has used it yet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fake license te number.¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed the space between his eyebrows. ¡°Search the entire city for this car.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Maybe it that wasn¡¯t the car they were looking for, and maybe it had just been at the wrong ce at the wrong time.

    However, they did not have any other leads at that moment. Hence, they decided to start with this car.

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the surveince video of the apartment block, focusing on the time that Nianzhi disappeared. Everyone was driving in and out, and no one left the block on foot. Hence, we can first rule out the possibility that they left on foot.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and asked calmly, ¡°What else?¡±

    His tone was calm, without a hint of fluctuation.

    Yin Shixiong sighed inwardly in response to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s restraint and patience. He said, ¡°Zhou Qiyuan has put tabs on all the traffic within the city 15 minutes after the incident. We¡¯ll see if this car shows up anywhere else.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gazed calmly at the tree-lined path in front of him and issued a few orders.

    ¡°Get the police to investigate all registered hotels, guesthouses, and lodgings. Now, ensure that all guests have ID cards. All guests with incorrect ID cards are to be detained.¡±

    This was to prevent the other party from kidnapping Gu Nianzhi and hiding in the hotel before they could bring her out.

    The capital had been reorganized over the past few years, and all the major hotels and guesthouses, including the hourly rooms on the streets, were now connected to the police.

    As long as they booked a room, the police would definitely be able to find out about it.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the side of his private car. Orderly Fan Jian quickly walked over to open the car door for him and let him in.

    Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°Inform the Traffic Control Bureau to set up roadblocks on all non-motorized roads out of the capital. Tell them to block the roads and send traffic police to stand guard. Check on anyone who tries to leave the capital on foot.¡±

    Yin Shixiong could only respond in agreement to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s solemn orders. ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    By the time Huo Shaoheng got into his private car and returned to the headquarter of special operation forces¡¯ encampment ground, Yin Shixiong had already passed on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders to the police station and the Traffic Control Bureau. Simultaneously, he also asked the Traffic Control Bureau to gather all the traffic surveince videos in the city.

    ...

    The bulletproof private car stopped in front of his official residence. Huo Shaoheng did not get out of the car. He remained seated in the back seat. His gaze was unfocused as he quietly stared ahead.

    Orderly Fan Jian could tell that Huo Shaoheng was in a bad mood. Hence, he did not dare to make a sound. He quietly got out of the car and stood guard in front of the car.

    The car¡¯s soundproofing was very good. Itpletely isted everything from the outside world. He could even hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

    Within the quiet car, it felt like a hypnotic pendulum.

    However, he did not sleepy at all.

    Although he had not slept for two days and two nights, he still felt wide awake.

    His mood was like the cloudy sky before the eruption of the volcano.

    It seemed calm, butva was rolling and bubbling at the foot of the mountain.

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and rubbed the space between his eyebrows with his hand.

    This was not a simple matter. Although he had tried his best to use every loophole that he could ess, he was still two hourste.

    Zhou Qiyuan only paid attention to blocking the motorway and the airport. What if the other party brought Gu Nianzhi out of the city on foot and met them somewhere else?

    However, the other party only had two hours at most. Even if they walked, two hours would not be enough for them to leave the imperial capital.

    Of course, even if the other party had already left the imperial capital on foot, it did not matter.

    No matter where she went, he would always find her again.

    Thest time Gu Nianzhi disappeared in the German Alps, he had initially been unaware. But when he finally found out about it, she was already out of danger. Although he felt regret and guilt, he had never felt worried before.

    This time, she had disappeared again. He finally realized what it was like to lose her.

    He never wanted to feel this way again in his life.

    After he found her this time, he would find a rope and tie her to his body. He would never let her walk alone again.

    Such determination was rooted in his heart. He picked up his phone and was about to ask Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze to report their progress when he suddenly heard a few dog barks.

    He looked up and realized that short-legged little Ah Ke was jumping outside his car desperately. It wanted to see who was in the car.

    Unfortunately, his legs were too short and he couldn¡¯t jump very high. The top of his head peeked through the window before he fell to the ground.

    No matter how gloomy Huo Shaoheng¡¯s felt, he was still tickled by the short-legged little Ah Ke¡¯s appearance.

    He nced at his watch and realized that he had been sitting alone in the car for 15 minutes.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath and pushed the car door open.

    The short-legged little corgi immediately came over with its tail between its legs and sniffed around him. Then, it raised its head and wagged its tail at him desperately. Its dark, watery eyes stared at him as it kept jumping around to look inside the car.

    Huo Shaoheng knew who it was looking for. He bent down and rubbed the little Ah Ke¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯ll be back soon...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t confident when he said this, but he had to be confident.

    Wouldn¡¯t the short-legged little Ah Ke be disappointed if he lost his confidence?

    Gu Nianzhi had been busy for the past half a month and didn¡¯t have time to take care of it. Hence, she had left the short-legged little corgi at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence and instructed his orderly to take care of it for a few days.

    After realizing that Huo Shaoheng had returned, the little corgi must have assumed that Gu Nianzhi hade to pick it up as well.

    But she didn¡¯t.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, stood up, and walked into the official residence.

    The short-legged Little Ah Ke didn¡¯t follow him in. It squatted down beside therge metal door at the entrance and looked steadily ahead.

    Huo Shaoheng looked back at it and didn¡¯t call for it. He went into the house alone.

    He had returned to the capital in the morning and this was his first time entering his home.

    He was still wearing the military uniform he had worn during the Rihe City surveince parade and the drill. He was drenched in sweat.

    After changing into a clean uniform in his own room, Huo Shaoheng headed to basement six of the base office building, where the central control room was located.

    Zhao Liangze was looking through the information on the foreigners who had recently entered the country.

    Yin Shixiong was already looking through the surveince footage from the Traffic Control Bureau.

    ¡°What did you find?¡± he asked as he stood behind Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong stared at the screen attentively and said, ¡°This ck SUV was parked in the underground parking lot of Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. Judging from the time stamp, it was parked in the parking lot the day before the attack. It only disappeared after the 10-minute surveince malfunction.¡±

    In other words, the SUV was no longer parked in the underground parking lot 10 minutes after the attack.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Continue to investigate.¡±

    Then he walked to Zhao Liangze¡¯s side and asked calmly, ¡°Did you find any clues?¡±

    Zhao Liangze shook his head and said in bewilderment, ¡°There¡¯s nothing unusual. Judging from these people¡¯s visa applications, their backgrounds are normal. I don¡¯t see anyone suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Continue to investigate.¡± Huo Shaoheng said the same thing.

    Just then, Yin Shixiong made a new discovery.

    ¡°Huo Shao,e and take a look at this...¡± Yin Shixiong paused the surveince footage.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over.

    He crossed his arms and stood behind Yin Shixiong. On the screen, an 18-wheeler appeared.

    Yin Shixiong fast-forwarded the video, and the image changed. A ck SUV was now driving into the screen.

    He pressed y again.

    At the busy intersection of the Third Ring Road, a ck SUV with a low-profile and elegant appearance was speeding away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. At that moment, a huge 18-wheeler truck suddenly blocked the camera.

    The image seemed to freeze for a moment, and then the truck left. Four identical ck SUVs suddenly appeared in front of the camera and sped in four directions, north, south, east, and west.

    Yin Shixiong quickly paused the surveince video and said excitedly, ¡°Did you see that?! Why did four identical ck SUVs suddenly appear?! There was only one before!!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he said, ¡°Rey the video just now and set the speed to the lowest possible!¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly reyed the video at the lowest possible speed.

    The scene jumped almost every second.

    This time, they saw it even more clearly.

    When the ck SUV drove over, and when the 18-wheeler blocked it, the screen blurred and jumped for a few seconds.

    When the 18-wheeler left the scene and the four ck SUVs drove out in four different directions, the video returned to normal.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, but after looking at it a few times, the result was the same.

    ¡°Check this 18-wheeler.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back. ¡°And the four ck SUVs. You can see their license tes, right?¡±

    ¡°I can see the 18-wheeler. The four ck SUVs were just discovered.¡±

    He zoomed in on the images one by one and found the license te numbers.

    The two of them were speechless. These four cars actually had the same license te numbers. It was the fake license te of the car that hade out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    ¡°This is a setup.¡± Yin Shixiong muttered.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He crossed his arms and stroked his chin with one hand. He said in a low voice, ¡°The whole country is looking for this car. Using this license te, just announce that this car is suspected of being involved in a major criminal case. Let everyone report their findings to the police and reward them handsomely.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly sent the message to Zhao Liangze, who then contacted the police to issue a wanted notice.

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Check the 18-wheeler truck.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly logged into the traffic control¡¯s car search system and checked the truck¡¯s license te number. This time, it went smoothly.

    ¡°Got it. The 18-wheeler truck belongs to an oilpany. The driver¡¯s name and address are all avable.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    He pondered for a moment before instructing Yin Shixiong, ¡°Contact the driver of the 18-wheeler truck first and bring him to the station for questioning.¡±

    ¡°Then submit the footage to the television station and upload it onto the inte privately. Ask the public for clues and offer a high price. Let¡¯s see if there were any witnesses among the vehicles at the scene.¡±

    In other words, while they were looking for the ck SUV, they were also looking for clues to see what was going on with the sudden appearance of four identical ck SUVs.

    The appearance of the 18-wheeler was too coincidental. The time, the angle, and the location of its appearance had urately blocked the surveince cameras at that very moment.

 Chapter 1436 - Almost Forgot

    <h4>Chapter 1436: Almost Forgot</h4>

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Yin Shixiong was so busy that he didn¡¯t even have time to drink.

    He acted ording to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders. First, he contacted the police station and put out an arrest warrant for the ck SUV.

    Then, he officially asked the Traffic Control Bureau to look up the information of the 18-wheeler truck driver and passed it to the staff of the special operations forces under him. He ordered them to invite the driver to the special operations force for ¡®tea¡¯.

    Finally, the surveince footage that showed the abrupt appearance of four identical ck SUVs was posted on the Inte. At the same time, it was broadcasted on the television station, advertising a huge reward for eyewitness ounts.

    Since it was the special operations forces who made these requests, the police¡¯s wanted order was quickly disseminated out to the whole country.

    After the Traffic Control Bureau¡¯s procedures werepleted, the special operations force staff quickly located the location of the 18-wheeler truck driver through his cell phone signal.

    He was ying poker with his colleagues in the rest area near the capital highway.

    Because the capital highway had suddenly been blocked for a few hours, he had not been able to depart the area.

    He was now able to drive off, but there was a long line of vehicles waiting at the ce where he left the highway. The traffic police searched car by car, and the line moved even slower than a turtle.

    His vehicle was too big, and he was in the back of the line. He was unable to move his vehicle for a long time. Hence, he could only head to the rest area to eat, drink, and y poker.

    When the staff of the special operations forces followed the two policemen into the rest area, he had just drawn a pair of kings. He threw them out excitedly. ¡°... bang!¡±

    ¡°Raise your hands! Don¡¯t move!¡± the policeman had been on his toes that day. As soon as he walked over, he heard someone say ¡®bang¡¯. Immediately, his scalp went numb and he swiftly pulled out his gun and aimed it at the 18-wheeler truck driver.

    The truck driver was instantly dumbfounded. He raised a hand and sat there motionlessly. With a downcast expression written on his face, he said, ¡°... I was just ying cards. Brother Policeman, are you being serious?¡±

    The staff member of the special operations forces coughed behind him and asked, ¡°Are you Jia Ting, the 18-wheeler truck driver with the license te number XXXXXXXX?¡±

    Jia Ting, the 18-wheeler truck driver who had been born at the wrong time, quickly nodded. ¡°I am, I am! I am the driver! Brother policeman, can you put down your gun... I am a really aw-abiding citizen!¡±

    The corner of the policeman¡¯s mouth twitched. He sheepishly tucked his gun away and said embarrassedly, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Do you know what happened today? How could you say ¡®bang¡¯? Pay attention to the impact of your words!¡±

    Jia Ting let out a sigh of relief. He smiled and tossed the card aside. He stood up and asked the two staff members in ck uniforms standing behind the policeman, ¡°What are your names? Are you looking for me?¡±

    The staff member of the Special Operations Forces took out his ID and shed it at Jia Ting. ¡°We are staff members of the special operations forces. We would like to invite you to our base for a cup of tea and a chat.¡±

    Jia Ting¡¯s face instantly turned pale.

    He did not seem to have heard of this department before, but the moment he heard the name, he could sense that it was a particrly powerful department.

    He spoke sadly, ¡°Comrades, I really haven¡¯t done anything bad! I¡¯m an official employee of an oilpany. I know that people hate our oilpany because it has caused you to lose a lot of money in the stock market, but that has nothing to do with me, a lowly truck driver... it¡¯s all the leaders¡¯ fault, it¡¯s none of my business!¡±

    What the hell was going on!

    The police couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and prodded him on the back. They said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. We just want you to assist in the investigation. Why are you dismissing us in such a hurry if you haven¡¯t done anything bad!¡±

    Jia Ting, ¡°Are you sure I¡¯ll just be assisting in the investigation?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am.¡± the staff member of the special operations forces smiled kindly. ¡°If you weren¡¯t meant to assist in the investigation, we wouldn¡¯t have invited you to have tea with us.¡±

    Jia Ting¡¯s mood instantly improved.

    ¡°... We will have a direct arrest warrant, so we¡¯ll have to handcuff you.¡± the staff member of the special operations forces made a hand gesture.

    Jia Ting¡¯s face darkened again.

    If that was the case, he might as well not say it!

    He muttered to himself as he followed the staff of the special operations forces into their car. Before he got into the car, he even sent a video to his family. In the video, he said, ¡°Dad, Mom, Yan Zi. The Special Operations Forces have asked me to assist in their investigation. If you can¡¯t contact me within an hour, call the police immediately!¡±

    When the police heard that, their faces turned even darker than his.

    This person¡¯s level of vignce was extraordinary!

    They were even worried that they were swindlers who had kidnapped him.

    ¡°Go on. Why don¡¯t you look in the mirror? Are you worth being swindled by others? Are you rich, good-looking, or talented? You really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about...¡± the police muttered and closed the car door.

    Jia Ting was extremely embarrassed.

    You can¡¯t just hit someone in the face. Was this a way to criticize someone?

    He poked his head out of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ private car and shouted loudly to the policeman, ¡°I¡¯m not rich, good-looking, or talented. But I have a kidney!¡±

    What if he was tricked into selling his kidney?

    The staff of the Special Operations Forces couldn¡¯t listen on anymore. They closed the car window forcefully, cutting off the divergent thinking of the driver of the 18-wheeler truck who happened to have a very rich imagination.

    The police officer outside was amused by him. He shouted at the window, ¡°So what if you have a kidney? You look like you have a weak kidney! Other people wouldn¡¯t look for you even if they sold organs!¡±

    Fortunately, the window was closed. Jia Ting didn¡¯t hear what the police officer was saying.

    He wanted to ask more questions, but the two special operations force staff members didn¡¯t say anything else after they got into the car. They didn¡¯t speak again until they reached the headquarter of Special Operations Forces¡¯ encampment ground.

    They arrived at the interrogation room of the headquarter and Yin Shixiong arrived to question him personally.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the room next to the interrogation room and stared at the driver of the 18-wheeler, Jia Ting, through the one-way ss wall.

    He appeared to be in his thirties. He had a buzz cut and big eyes. He looked honest andw-abiding, but he was extremely talkative. Only Yin Shixiong was able to restrain him.

    ¡°Comrade, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to treat me to tea? Is this what you mean by tea?¡± he stared at the teacup with a look of disdain.

    ¡°What? Are youining that we haven¡¯t served you Wuyi Rock Tea for you to drink?¡± Yin Shixiong nced at his materials without raising his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, our unit¡¯s budget is limited. We only have in tea leaves boiled in water.¡±

    Jia Ting¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No way? Didn¡¯t they say that departments like yours are especially rich?¡±

    Yin Shixiong almost choked on his words. He raised his head and red at him. ¡°Who told you that? You have to bear the legal responsibility for spreading rumors.¡±

    After hearing that he would have to bear legal responsibility, Jia Ting became obedient and wiped his mouth. He said, ¡°Alright, may I ask why you are looking for me? You should have told me earlier. I still have to deliver the goods. This time, I will be dyed. You have to give me a letter of proof to show that it was not my intention to bete, but rather, an obligation I had to fulfill by assisting the police officers in their investigation.¡±

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Yin Shixiong went straight to the point. ¡°Let me ask you, where were you at around nine o¡¯clock this morning?¡±

    Jia Ting thought for a moment. ¡°Nine o¡¯clock? I think I was driving towards Third Ring Road? Yes, it should be the Third Ring Road... Why?¡±

    ¡°Take a look at this video.¡± Yin Shixiong yed the video. ¡°Can you exin how the four cars came out at that time? From your angle, you should have been able to see it very clearly, right?¡±

    Jia Ting watched the video for a while and was baffled. He said, ¡°How would I know that? There were so many cars at that intersection. How would I know where they came from?¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t remember, I really didn¡¯t see it.¡± Jia Ting took out his cell phone. ¡°I was talking to my family at that time. Look at my phone records. Look at the time on the video. I was making a call.¡±

    Yin Shixiong took the phone expressionlessly and said first, ¡°It¡¯s illegal to use your phone while driving.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Oh, sorry, Sorry. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±Jia Ting dabbed the sweat on his forehead and kept apologizing.

    Yin Shixiong looked at his phone. At the time shown on the video, the driver was indeed on the phone.

    Therefore, he had been multitasking at that time and probably did not see how the four cars got out.

    Yin Shixiong threw his phone back and ced his hands on the square table in front of him. He said, ¡°Think about it carefully. You truly did not see anything? Even if you were making a phone call, don¡¯t you big truck drivers always keep an eye on everything that is happening on the road?¡±

    Jia Ting scratched his head and thought carefully for a while. He hesitated and said, ¡°Actually, there was something wrong. It would have been better if you didn¡¯t ask. But since you have asked, I shall tell you. I don¡¯t know if you would believe me.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yin Shixiong lowered. He appeared very amiable. ¡°Tell me. I¡¯ll discern if you can be trusted.¡±

    Jia Ting held his hands and felt a little uneasy. He lowered his eyes and said, ¡°I remember that there was something wrong. But I¡¯m not saying that I saw those four ck cars.¡±

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°You know, we drive big trucks. We often travel through the night, and it¡¯smon for us to feel sleepy during the day. But at that time, my head swayed. It was either because I was sleepy or that I suddenly had a severe headache. So I stepped on the brake.¡±

    This should be the minute when the 18-wheeled truck suddenly blocked the video surveince.

    Yin Shixiong became excited. ¡°Suddenly had a headache? What kind of headache?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s... It¡¯s like someone stabbed my head with a needle.¡± Jia Ting rubbed his hands, he smiled fawningly. ¡°But I¡¯ll be fine soon. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. If you guys didn¡¯t show me this surveince video, I would have forgotten about it.¡±

 Chapter 1437 - Eyewitness

    <h4>Chapter 1437: Eyewitness</h4>

    Yin Shixiong perked up and asked in greater detail.

    ¡°Specifically which part of your head hurt? How long did itst? And what happened after the pain?¡±

    Jia Ting answered the questions one by one.

    After Yin Shixiong recorded the answers down and asked again, nothing else of value could be gleanmed.

    He pushed the conversation record over and said, ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. To be on the safe side, we still need to conduct a lie detector test on you. Please sign right here.¡±

    Jia Ting panicked. ¡°Ah? No way? I¡¯m not lying! I swear I¡¯m not lying! Why do you need to conduct a polygraph test?!¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of if you¡¯re not lying?¡± Yin Shixiong¡¯s face was stern. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re really hiding something?!¡±

    ¡°I... I... I¡¯m hiding something... I wasn¡¯t on night callst night. I went to get a room with someone yesterday...¡± Jia Ting was about to cry. ¡°You guys won¡¯t tell my wife, right?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was so angry that he burst intoughter. He mmed the table and roared, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me the truth, I¡¯ll tell your wife! Go and take a lie detector test!¡±

    Fifteen minutester, Jia Ting, was helped out of the lie detector room. He had been reduced to a sobbing mess by the lie detector, such that he confessed all the bad things he had done since he was a child.

    He cried so hard that his mental state was turbulent. The special operations forces had no choice but to find a psychiatrist tofort him.

    Yin Shixiong speechlessly ced the interrogation record in front of Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯m afraid this person doesn¡¯t have any secrets. He just appeared at the wrong ce at the wrong time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked through it and focused on the part where Jia Ting imed that he had a headache. He said, ¡°What about his car? Have you searched it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an oil truck. I checked it carefully three times and even used x-rays to scan it. These are all the pictures. There¡¯s nothing unusual in the car, no inneryer, and no hidden person.¡± Yin Shixiong said in disappointment.

    Huo Shaoheng looked through all the pictures expressionlessly and knocked on the interrogation record. ¡°Check his body and do an MRI scan.¡±

    Yin Shixiong, ¡°...¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t understand, he still followed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions and took the crying Jia Ting to do an MRI.

    As the name implied, an MRI used the principle of nuclear maic field to produce resonance. ording to the different energy released, special equipment was used to check the electromaic waves emitted to determine the position and shape of human organs, thus, it can determine if the person is with disease.

    The results of the nuclear maic resonance this time showed that Jia Ting¡¯s brain had just been disturbed by infrasound.

    Normal infrasound waves cannot be detected by the human ear because of its extremely low frequency.

    However, infrasound waves of certain frequencies are simr to the vibration frequency of certain organs in the human body. They can produce resonance, and when the resonance is serious, it can directly cause death.

    This infrasound of a simr frequency to the vibration of human organs and there has already been infrasound weapons being developed in national weaponsboratories worldwide.

    The infrasound that Jia Ting received was very simr to the vibration of his brain, so it caused a moment of intense pain in his head. However, because the time was very short, it did not cause any danger to his life.

    Yin Shixiong pointed to the MRI results and said, ¡°Huo Shao, the other party is very powerful. They even have an infrasound wave weapon. It¡¯s not something an ordinary person can make, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent.

    To his knowledge, no country could make an infrasound wave weapon of this level. It seemed so easy to control and release it.

    Perhaps there was a country in the midst of a secret experiment, why is why they had not received any information on it. Hence, this possibility could not be ruled out.

    However, this was further proof that the other party¡¯s weapons were extremely advanced. Simrly, just like with Xiao Ye, the other party did not kill the truck driver, Jia Ting. They only used him to cover for them.

    After Jia Ting¡¯s investigation ended, the special operations forces received a number of calls from witnesses. They were all talking about how four identical ck SUVs suddenly appeared at the intersection.

    ..

    Witness A said, ¡°Yes, I was there at the time. I saw it. I was puzzled. I even told my wife that they were probably filming a show. Four identical ck SUVs suddenly appeared.¡±

    The operator of the special operations force asked, ¡°Did you see the people in the car? How many people were sitting in the car? What did they look like? What were they wearing?¡±

    Witness A said, ¡°One person. I only saw a driver inside. He was dressed in ck. I couldn¡¯t see him clearly. You must know that there were so many cars and they were driving so fast. My eyes could only dart over and take a glimpse.¡±

    ...

    Witness B said, ¡°I was in a tall building near the intersection. I was looking through my binocrs... anyway, I was looking into the distance with my binocrs. Then, four identical ck SUVs appeared in my field of vision. I remembered them because they appeared too suddenly and too quickly. Of course, maybe it was because my field of vision was too narrow but I couldn¡¯t see clearly how they came over.¡±

    The operator of the special operations force asked, ¡°Could you see the people in the car? How many people are in the car? What did they look like? What were they wearing?¡±

    Witness B said, ¡°... how can I see the people in the car when I¡¯m looking down from a height?¡±

    ..

    Witness C said, ¡°I saw it. At that time, my car was even grazed by one of the ck SVs. By the way,rade, if you find this car, can you give me the driver¡¯s contact information? I want to seekpensation from him.¡±

    Special operations force operator asked, ¡°Could you see the person in the car? How many people were sitting in the car? What did they look like? What were they wearing?¡±

    Witness C said, ¡°One person. There is only one person in the ck SUV that I saw. He is wearing ck clothes. If you find him, you must inform me. I want to seekpensation from him.¡±

    ...

    After summarizing the testimonies of all the witnesses, they came to the conclusion that there was only one person visible in the four ck SUVs. All four of them were wearing ck clothes. They must have been in some kind of uniform.

    So, was Gu Nianzhi hidden in the car, or was she not in the car at all?

    Could it be that all four of the cars were just a front?

    After a whole day of searching, they seemed to havee to a dead end in their pursuit of the lead on the big truck and the ck SUV.

    Time passed, minute by minute. They could not see any light or hope. They had no choice but to seize this cover.

    Even if it was a cover, Huo Shaoheng knew that he could only continue to pursue it.

    Before he found these four cars, he couldn¡¯t treat them as a cover.

    In other words, the other party had dug four holes for him, and he knew it was a hole, but he had to jump in.

    Because what if one of them wasn¡¯t a hole?

    He couldn¡¯t afford the price and consequences of a misjudgment, so he had to jump in.

    ¡°Continue to investigate the four cars and increase the bounty. I¡¯ll personally make up for the deficiencies.¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and ordered indifferently.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Yin Shixiong wrote it down and sent another memo to the police.

    ..

    Everyone worked nervously. At eight o¡¯clock in the evening, Zhou Qiyuan called.

    ¡°Huo, Xiao Ye¡¯s surgery is done.¡±

    He stood at the door of the operating room and looked at Chen Lie, who had juste out of the operating room. He reported the results to Huo Shaoheng.

    After more than ten hours of surgery, Chen Lie was exhausted and his limbs were weak. He just wanted to lie down on the sofa and drink a cup of coffee to refresh himself.

    He waved his hand at Zhou Qiyuan and said weakly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. The fracture of the right wrist has been fixed and she needs to be rehabilitated. The gunshot wound on her left hand shattered the wrist bone, and the bullet was removed. Although it was not a fatal injury, the left wrist will be disabled.¡±

    Xiao Ye¡¯s right wrist was broken, but the other party had shot her left wrist and shattered the wrist bone.

    ¡°How serious is it?¡± Zhou Qiyuan frowned at Chen Lie. ¡°Is shepletely disabled, or...¡±

    Chen lie sighed and shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s notpletely disabled, but it¡¯s true that she won¡¯t be able to use her strength. Fortunately, she¡¯s not left-handed. Otherwise, she would really be done for.¡±

    Her right hand was merely fractured. As long as she recovered, shooting would not be a problem. But if she couldn¡¯t use her left hand, it would affect her marksmanship because her sense of bnce would be out of whack.

    Anyone who had shot before knew that if her sense of bnce was out of whack, it would be impossible for her to be a sharpshooter.

    ¡°What about her arms and legs?¡± Zhou Qiyuan could still remember the many wounds on Xiao Ye¡¯s body. She had been bleeding profusely.

    ¡°The bullets from those wounds have also been removed. Thank God that the opponent¡¯s bullets were still intact and didn¡¯t shatter into pieces.¡± Chen lie wiped his face, ¡°However, although the bones were not injured, the damage to the muscles was very serious. Everything still depends on her recovery effect. It¡¯s still hard to say at this point.¡±

    Chen Lie held his back and walked out of the room. He leaned against the wall. ¡°Moreover, she has lost too much blood, she will not be waking up for the time being.¡±

    ...

    Chen Lie returned to his office and sat down. His face was nk.

    Xiao Ye was his cousin. After seeing his cousin in such a state, Chen Lie¡¯s heart was filled with sadness.

    Before he started the surgery, he almost declined because he was worried that his emotions would be unstable and that he would make mistakes.

    However, after examining Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries, he still decided to do it himself. Because the injuries were so serious, he was reluctant to hand it over to someone else.

    After the surgery ended, Xiao Ye was transferred to the intensive care unit. Zhou Qiyuan informed Xiao Ye¡¯s parents.

    General Xiao of the General Assembly and President Chen of the Military Academy.

    ...

    At 10 pm, Chen Lie rested for two hours. When he got up to write the medical report in his office, the door of his office was pushed open.

    He looked up and saw his aunt, President Chen of the Military Academy, Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, rush in with tears in her eyes. General Xiao followed behind her.

    General Xiao looked calm, but his expression did not look good.

    Their daughter was beaten up to this state. Naturally, their expressions would not look good.

    ¡°Chen Lie, how is Xiao Ye¡¯s condition? Is she really going to be disabled?¡± President Chen had just gone to see Xiao Ye in the ICU.

    After seeing his daughter, who was still alive and kicking up a fuss with her a few days ago, lying down with an oxygen mask, President Chen¡¯s heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife.

    In Chen Lie¡¯s office, the refined and virtuous President Chen leaned on Heneral Xiao¡¯s shoulder and sobbed softly.

 Chapter 1438 - Not the Work of a Gentleman

    <h4>Chapter 1438: Not the Work of a Gentleman</h4>

    General Xiaoforted his wife as he looked at Chen Lie sadly. He spoke carefully, ¡°Little Chen, for so many years, I have never begged you for anything. But this time, I¡¯m begging you. Use your best skills and methods to save my daughter. She is not only my daughter but also a valuable talent to the country.¡±

    Chen Lie hung his head in embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯ve done my best. We can only see the results of the follow-up rehabilitation.¡±

    As they spoke, the door to Chen Lie¡¯s office was pushed open. Huo Shaoheng stood at the door.

    After realizing that both General Xiao and President Chen were here, he stood by the door and did note in. ¡°Did Ie at a bad time?¡±

    He knew that Xiao Ye and Chen Lie were cousins and that Xiao Ye¡¯s mother was Chen Lie¡¯s aunt.

    It was obvious that the family members were talking. He didn¡¯t want to get involved.

    General Xiao turned around and saw him. He quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We were just talking about Xiao Ye¡¯s condition.¡± As he spoke, he pulled President Chen to her feet.

    President Chen took the tissue that Chen Lie had given her to wipe away her tears, before nodding at Huo Shaoheng.

    Chen Lie said, ¡°My aunt and uncle are asking about Xiao Ye¡¯s condition. Huo Shao, are you also here to ask about Xiao Ye¡¯s condition?¡±

    After the surgery, he knew that Zhou Qiyuan had called Huo Shaoheng to report on Xiao Ye¡¯s injury.

    Huo Shaoheng replied with an ¡®Mm¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ve just finished my work and came over to check on Colonel Xiao¡¯s condition.¡±

    Chen Lie sighed and nced at General Xiao and President Chen. His gaze returned to Huo Shaoheng as he said expressionlessly, ¡°It¡¯s not very optimistic. Although there¡¯s no danger to her life, it¡¯s impossible for her to recover her previous condition.¡±

    As he spoke, he recounted Xiao Ye¡¯s condition. ¡°... The bullets have been removed. It didn¡¯t hurt her bones, but it inflicted huge injury to her muscles. The bones in her left wrist has been shattered, and it¡¯s impossible for her to recover.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t even carry heavy objects in the future.

    Huo Shaoheng was well aware of Xiao Ye¡¯s skills.

    He pursed his lips. ¡°Chen Lie, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Chen Lie nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my duty. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    The people in the room remained silent for a while. President Chen stood beside General Xiao and mumbled, ¡°... Xiao Ye went to the military academy at the age of 17. She had only been there for two years. After listening to your speech, she was determined to join the special operations forces. After that, she left home. During the past ten years, she almost didn¡¯t make it back once. I... I thought she had already given up her life for the country...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had not expected her toe back. Not only did shee back alive, but she also brought back arge amount of intelligence and information. Her military rank rose again and again. She became a colonel before she was thirty years old, and what more she had be a colonel in thebat unit. Her rank was many times higher than that of a civilian colonel.

    General Xiao also said in a low voice, ¡°... I¡¯m proud of my daughter.¡±

    The sudden loss of treasure that had just been recovered was sometimes more heartbreaking than theplete loss of it.

    President Chen leaned against his chest and sobbed silently again.

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside them and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our special operations forces will not give up on any soldier. We will do our best to save her.¡±

    President Chen stopped sobbing and went silent for a while. She lowered her head and took out her phone. She did not look at Huo Shaoheng as she spoke to him, ¡°Major General Huo, is there really no other way? My Xiao Ye... she¡¯s a very enterprising person. Back then, she ignored our objections and insisted on joining the newly established special operations forces. She risked her life to carry out missions for the country and made so many contributions. I¡¯m asking this not only for the sake of her many contributions but for the sake of her loyalty to you. She risked her life for your fianc¨¦e...¡±

    General Xiao¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stopped her. ¡°Stop it! Xiao Ye protecting Miss Gu was a mission given to her by the organization. What are you saying?¡±

    President Chen gripped her phone even tighter, and her mind was in a fierce struggle.

    She didn¡¯t know if she could seed, but someone had mentioned that Huo Shaoheng had a way to cure Xiao Ye without leaving any side effects. As her mother, could she just let it go?

    After some thought, President Chen raised her head and looked at Huo Shaoheng with her red and swollen eyes.

    It was a mother¡¯s pleading gaze.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t ignore it, and he couldn¡¯t ignore it either.

    He stood even straighter as if there was a steel pir supporting his spine.

    ¡°Major General Huo, I beg you...¡± President Chen took a deep breath and stared into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, enunciating each word clearly, ¡°I heard that you have a special resource here that can help my daughter recover from her injuries. I hope that you can use this resource on my daughter!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie nced at each other quickly and then looked away.

    Huo Shaoheng took a step back and said calmly, ¡°President Chen, don¡¯t be like this. I said that as long as we can do it, I will definitely get Chen Lie to think of away. But you have to be mentally prepared. After all, Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries...¡±

    The physical injuries could not be reversed.

    At least, with their current medical standards, they could not do it.

    President Chen let out an ¡®Ah¡¯, and an extremely disappointing expression surfaced on her face. ¡°Major General Huo, you¡¯re really not willing?¡±

    General Xiao held her arm and sighed. ¡°Stop beating around the bush. Let¡¯s just tell Major General Huo and Little Chen the truth.¡±

    President Chen gripped her phone even tighter.

    ¡°Huo, don¡¯t worry too much. When you be a parent in the future, you¡¯ll understand how we feel. Parents are really willing to do anything for their children.¡± General Xiao shook his head. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s like this...¡±

    He reached out to take the phone from President Chen, but she wasn¡¯t willing. She kept shaking her head and muttering, ¡°No... Don¡¯t say it... It won¡¯t work if you say it...¡±

    ¡°Forget it. We¡¯re all soldiers. We don¡¯t do dirty things.¡± He took the phone from President Chen¡¯s hands and slid it into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands. ¡°Look at it yourself. You¡¯ll understand why Xiao Ye¡¯s mother said that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was already mentally prepared, but when he looked down at a text message on President Chen¡¯s phone, his heart sank.

    Someone had sent her a text message on President Chen¡¯s phone an hour ago.

    [Good Samaritan]: President Chen, your daughter¡¯s injuries can be healed, as long as Major General Huo is willing to help you. He has special resources that can help your daughter recover.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands trembled slightly, and the lines on his jaw were extremely taut.

    He had never expected that someone would send such a seemingly good but evil text message.

    President Chen looked at Huo Shaoheng eagerly. ¡°Major General Huo, I beg you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suppressed the rage in his heart and said calmly, ¡°President Chen, may I ask if you know the person who sent this text message?¡±

    President Chen shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t. This phone number is from C City. We¡¯re not familiar with each other.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng forwarded the text message to his own phone and handed it back to President Chen. ¡°So, do you believe him or me?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± President Chen and General Xiao looked at each other in confusion.

    Huo Shaoheng stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets and said calmly, ¡°I said that I would use the best resources of the special operations forces to save Colonel Xiao. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°... But, you can¡¯t guarantee that she will recover.¡± President Chen was very persistent in hoping that her daughter would be able to recover from her injuries. ¡°But this person said that you have a way...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said. Do you believe this stranger¡¯s sowing discord, or do you believe me?¡± Huo Shaoheng was calm and collected as he stood beside Chen Lie.

    Chen lie lowered his head and returned to his desk. He looked at theputer expressionlessly.

    ¡°You mean you don¡¯t have any special resources to help my daughter recover?¡± President Chen had suffered a heavy blow and couldn¡¯t even stand properly for a moment.

    General Xiao quickly held her up, his expression serious. ¡°I think so too. Someone wants to use such an ambiguous message to drive a wedge between our team. Don¡¯t worry, Major General Huo, we won¡¯t be fooled by this kind of nonsense.¡±

    ¡°I believe that with General Xiao and President Chen¡¯s status and intelligence, they won¡¯t be fooled by such people.¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned against Chen Lie¡¯s desk and blocked Chen Lie¡¯s view. ¡°If he really thinks that I have the resources to save Colonel Xiao, then let him confront me face to face.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t dare to confront me. Sneakily sending text messages behind my back, and using ambiguous words to mislead others. This kind of behavior is not the work of a gentleman.¡±

 Chapter 1439 - Serious Consequences

    <h4>Chapter 1439: Serious Consequences</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng had spoken so decisively that there was no doubt that President Chen and General Xiao had been convinced by him.

    After recovering from her shock, confusion, and grief, President Chen was very ashamed of her actions.

    She quickly apologized to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Major General Huo, I was too presumptuous. I was confused for a moment. I didn¡¯t believe it at first, but when I went to the ICU and saw Xiao Ye in that state, I couldn¡¯t control myself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you weren¡¯t wrong.¡± Huo Shaohengforted President Chen gently. ¡°The ones who were wrong were those who took advantage of people¡¯s plight and yed with the hearts of others in order to sow discord. It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve thought it through.¡±

    President Chen¡¯s tears flowed down again. ¡°Major General Huo, Xiao Ye has suffered such a serious injury this time and is unable to recover. When her condition stabilizes, I think that she¡¯ll change jobs.¡±

    ¡°This matter will be decided after Colonel Xiao recovers from her injuries.¡± Huo Shaoheng did not agree to it, but he did not refuse either. ¡°Both of you, don¡¯t be too sad. Take good care of your health. Colonel Xiao is still young. Even if she transfers to another job in the future, she still has a bright future ahead of her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words provided General Xiao and President Chen with a new perspective.

    After pondering over it, it didn¡¯t sound too bad.

    In short, their daughter¡¯s life wasn¡¯t in danger, and she wasn¡¯t crippled either. She just couldn¡¯t rush to the front line like a man and partake in those dangerous missions anymore.

    Her mind turned around, and her mood improved as well.

    Maybe this was a blessing in disguise?

    The two of them thought it through and didn¡¯t insist anymore. They supported each other and left.

    When they reached the door, Chen Lie poked his head out from behind Huo Shaoheng abruptly. He said, ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be too sad. You don¡¯t have to trust others, but you have to trust me, Chen Lie. You know my abilities. Maybe I can help Xiao Ye recover. This has happened before in the history of medicine.¡±

    ¡°Child, you only know how to make Auntie happy.¡± President Chen turned around and shook her head at Chen Lie with a bitter smile.

    After President Chen and General Xiao left, Huo Shaoheng sat on the sofa in Chen Lie¡¯s office. He took out his phone and started to search for the phone number that had sent President Chen that text message.

    This was a very normal-looking and very ordinary phone number. From the first few digits, it was likely a phone number originating from C City.

    After searching all the way, he discovered that this phone number belonged to a small car repair shop in C City¡¯s urban-rural fringe.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately ordered the special operations forces of C City to rush to the repair shop overnight. However, they found nothing.

    The repair shop had been empty for half a year, and their phone had been shut down due to unpaid bills.

    Huo Shaoheng saw the message and immediately understood that someone had hacked the telmunications system and used the phone number of the repair shop to send a text message.

    As for who sent it, it was difficult to find out.

    In the vast sea of people, it was possible that there were billions of people around the world. Could they find out?

    He put his phone back and got up to leave.

    As Huo Shaoheng investigated the phone number that sent the text message, Chen Lie remained silent the whole time. When he realized that Huo Shaoheng was about to leave, he said, ¡°Huo Shao, are you a gentleman?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at him. ¡°Is this the first day you¡¯ve met me?¡±

    Chen Lie shrugged resentfully. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t a gentleman...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and continued walking towards the door.

    Chen lie called out to him again. ¡°Huo Shao, can¡¯t we talk?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks at the door, his hands in his trouser pockets. He said calmly, ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about? Do your best to save Xiao Ye. How much she recovers will depend on her luck.¡±

    Chen Lie gritted his teeth, mmed the table, and rushed out from behind the desk. He mustered up his courage and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m talking about?! If you pretend not to know, I¡¯ll take it as your acquiescence!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t turn his head, but he didn¡¯t say anything either.

    Chen Lie¡¯s office was silent for a moment.

    Outside was the long corridor of the medical building. It waste at night, and there was no one there. There was no one else in the room, but the Resident Advisor¡¯s office.

    ¡°Huo Shao, no matter how malicious the person who sent the message is, there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s true. We might really have the resources to help Xiao Ye recover.¡± Chen Lie hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

    He stood up and closed the office door, then turned off the surveince cameras and lights.

    In the darkness, Huo Shaoheng lowered his head silently. He lit a cigarette with a lighter and took a slow puff.

    Chen Lie stood beside him and looked at the spark in his hand. His voice became softer. ¡°Huo Shao, think about Xiao Ye... she¡¯s only 29 years old and has worked for the special operations forces for 10 years... you can save her...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was expressionless and said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m not the one who can save her.¡±

    ¡°I know, it¡¯s Nianzhi.¡± Chen Lie put his hands into his pockets and stood behind Huo Shaoheng. He said word by word, ¡°I want to beg you to use Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow sample to save Xiao Ye.¡±

    ¡°I know Nianzhi¡¯s genes have a powerful repair function. I used the gene extracted from her bone marrow to save your mother...¡±

    He finally said it.

    Huo Shaoheng held the cigarette in his hand and stopped smoking. He was silent for a long time before saying, ¡°You want to use Nianzhi again to create a medical miracle?¡±

    Chen lie choked and retreated with his neck shrunk. ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I mean! I just want to give it a try. I still have a sample of Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow here...¡±

    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± Huo Shaoheng still did not turn his head. His voice was t, but there was an indescribable pressure within his tone. Chen Lie took another step back. He was almost out of breath.

    ¡°If there¡¯s one, then there will be two. If there¡¯s two, then there will be three. Chen Lie, you know very well that the situation this time will be the same as the one with Ms. Song.¡±

    Thest time, it was used to repair the genes of Song Kinning. Xiao Ye, on the other hand, needed to directly repair her limbs.

    There was a fundamental difference between the two.

    Although they knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s self-healing ability was very strong, they were not sure whether this self-healing ability could be passed on to others like genes.

    Once it seeded, Chen Lie and Huo Shaoheng did not dare to imagine what the consequences would be...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep, bell-like voice rang out in the darkness once again, as if he was asking Chen Lie. It also sounded as if he was torturing himself. ¡°If you use Nianzhi to help Xiao Ye recover, then in the future, more people wille to you and ask you to help them recover. What are you going to do?¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s previous illness was so rare that it urred in less than one in ten million people.

    Therefore, even if they managed to cure Song Jinning, they could still use the concept ¡®miracle of medicine¡¯ to cover it up. It was unlikely that they would encounter the same illness that required Chen Lie to repeat the treatment.

    However, Xiao Ye¡¯s injury could be encountered by any ordinary person.

    The injuries were severe, the bones were broken, the limbs were damaged, and the organs were aging.

    If there was a treatment that could help you get rid of the above illnesses and help you recover, would you choose not to do it?

    Chen Lie retreated step by step, unable to speak.

    ¡°In your heart, has Nianzhi just been ab rat from the start?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked lightly, his tone filled with deep fatigue and self-me.

    Chen Lie flushed red, but he was unwilling to be stumped by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s question. He growled, ¡°Of course not! Don¡¯t you know how I¡¯ve treated Nianzhi all these years?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone softened as he pleaded, ¡°But Xiao Ye is different... she got hurt because of Nianzhi... If Nianzhi was here, she would definitely give up her bone marrow without hesitation!¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡± Huo Shaoheng was expressionless, like an ice sculpture. ¡°Just because she¡¯s kind and won¡¯t refuse, she can be used as a guinea pig if she¡¯s in trouble. She has to be willing...¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me? Why didn¡¯t you take my bone marrow? It was my decision to let Xiao Ye protect Nianzhi, it was not Nianzhi¡¯s request. If you think that Nianzhi owes Xiao Ye a favor for protecting her, then I¡¯ll pay you back.¡±

    Chen Lie red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? If your bone marrow is as effective as Nianzhi¡¯s, of course, I¡¯ll ask you and not her. But your bone marrow is useless...¡±

    ¡°Just because it¡¯s useful, you can use it?¡± Huo Shaoheng finally turned around and looked at Chen Lie. ¡°Have you really thought about the consequences of doing this?¡±

    If this continued, the secret of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s constitution would soon be revealed to everyone.

    When that time came, she would really be a guinea pig.

    ¡°So, you want to use Nianzhi¡¯s freedom in exchange for Xiao Ye¡¯s freedom, is that right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw everything clearly, and because he saw it clearly, he was in even more pain.

    He suddenly understood the sinister intentions behind each and every one of their moves.

    He assumed that they did not kill Xiao Ye because those people had been merciful and did not kill the innocent.

    Now he was certain that they did not kill Xiao Ye and had even used text messages to inform Xiao Ye¡¯s parents, because their goal had always been Gu Nianzhi.

    In order to expose the secret of her constitution, she would no longer be able to live among them like an ordinary person, even if she was found.

    Their goal was probably topletely strip her of her identity as an ordinary person, and strip her of her dignity as an ordinary person.

    Topletely turn a living person into a guinea pig that could be used as a raremodity.

    The problem was, just like the big ck puts dug by the dilemma of the four SUVs, Huo Shaoheng realized that he had no choice but to jump into it.

    Chen Lie had made it very clear that he could not watch Xiao Ye lose the chance to bepletely cured.

    Huo Shaoheng felt that he was no better than Chen Lie, or even worse.

    Because he was the lover that Gu Nianzhi had fallen in love with, the person she trusted the most.

    But this knife had to be used by him.

    He really owed this girl too much...

    Huo Shaoheng took a drag on his cigarette and asked calmly, ¡°How many more samples of Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow do you have?¡±

    Chen lie rubbed his hands, embarrassed. ¡°Actually, there aren¡¯t that many left... and I¡¯m just guessing. I don¡¯t know if it will work on Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries.¡±

    ¡°Will there be none left after this time?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned to look at him.

    Chen Lie nodded. He couldn¡¯t bear to see this happen, so he patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s only so much left. We need to do some cultivation and experiments. Even if it works, it¡¯ll take at least a year and a half, so don¡¯t think too much about it. I know what to do.¡±

    He scratched his head and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. It might not work. Look at the person who sent the text. He was just testing us. If it really worked, he wouldn¡¯t have said something as ambiguous as ¡®special resources¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 1440 - Found a Clue

    <h4>Chapter 1440: Found a Clue</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the lighted cigarette between his fingers.

    In the darkness, he couldn¡¯t see or hear anything apart from the spark between his fingers,

    Whenever his hearing and vision were restricted, his mind became agile.

    This spark was like a prairie fire.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly came to an understanding. He said with certainty, ¡°... other than us, there are other people who know about Nianzhi¡¯s constitution. The people who kidnapped Nianzhi are among them.¡±

    Chen Lie looked up abruptly. ¡°Ah? There are other people? Since they kidnapped Nianzhi, don¡¯t tell me they want... ?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sneered and took a drag of his cigarette. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they want something? Don¡¯t tell me they don¡¯t harbor the same thoughts as you and me?¡±

    ¡°What thoughts?¡± Chen Lie stuttered.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Chen Lie and asked, ¡°Are you still ying dumb? Can you really guarantee that it won¡¯t happen again in the future? You¡¯ve made a promise before, but when it came to Xiao Ye, you broke your promise.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t guarantee it because the temptation is too great.¡±

    ¡°If Nianzhi can really help Xiao Ye repair her limbs, then if we really save her in the future, can you stop yourself from looking for her if one of us gets injured?¡±

    ¡°How much bone marrow does a person have? How long does it take to recover?¡±

    ¡°If the bone marrow cells are no longer useful, will we have to start studying her other cells? Body cells, stem cells, and reproductive cells?¡±

    ¡°Gradually, will she no longer be a person in your eyes? Instead, she will be a medicinal herb that can provide a medical miracle.¡±

    Chen Lie was frightened out of his wits when he heard that. He shouted, ¡°Stop it! I won¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t?¡± Huo Shaoheng sneered. ¡°Why have we been tacitly protecting this huge secret about Nianzhi for so many years? It¡¯s so that she can grow up like an ordinary person and live among the masses!¡±

    Wouldn¡¯t it be a great tragedy for Gu Nianzhi if this secret could no longer be kept?

    ¡°This is different.¡± Chen Lie struggled with hisst breath and said weakly, ¡°For us, we hope that Nianzhi can help others with good intentions. Nianzhi has a choice, we won¡¯t force her.¡±

    ¡°But if she falls into the hands of those people, she can only be a guinea pig. Do you think we might be like them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared in the direction of Chen Lie¡¯s voice, his eyes sharp. ¡°Nianzhi really has a choice? Chen Lie, in my opinion, is moral ckmailing. It¡¯s more detestable than the people you look down on.¡±

    These words sounded too harsh.

    Chen Lie held his head in his hands and hid in the corner.

    He silently pondered over Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, and cold sweat gradually broke out on his back.

    In the past, he had thought that he was different from Ye Zitan. But now he really didn¡¯t appear any different...

    Perhaps the only difference was that he could get all sorts of resources through proper channels, while Ye Zitan didn¡¯t have as many resources as he did, hence Ye Zitan could only take the risk.

    Now that he was facing the same situation as Ye Zitan, and he had unknowingly walked the same path as Ye Zitan.

    ¡°Do you finally understand?¡± Huo Shaoheng let out a long sigh and tossed the cigarette stub in his hand into the trash can. ¡°We all made a mistake just now. We coveted things that didn¡¯t belong to us, and we even thought of taking action.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the difference between this and the criminals who know that there are treasures in a jewelry exhibition and steal it?¡±

    Chen Lie hit his head with his hand, tears streaming down his face. ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong. Huo Shao, I won¡¯t use Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow. I will use my own abilities to save Xiao Ye. Before Nianzhies back...¡±

    ¡°Before Nianzhies back, you¡¯d better not touch her bone marrow sample.¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°Xiao Ye¡¯s life is not in danger, and she won¡¯t be so crippled to the point that she can¡¯t move. Her injuries can wait, you don¡¯t have to help her recover immediately.¡±

    At the very least, they had to wait for Gu Nianzhi toe back.

    They had no right to make decisions for her.

    The two of them stood motionless in the darkness, calming their turbulent emotions.

    After a while, Chen Lie stood up with his hands on the wall. He touched the switch on the wall and turned on the lights.

    The light drove away from the darkness, and both of them felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off their shoulders.

    They had finally managed to bnce the remorse they felt for theirrade-in-arms with the guilt they felt for Gu Nianzhi.

    Everyone wanted to take shortcuts, but every shortcut had its own consequences.

    Chen Lie took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Drink it, you¡¯re sweating a lot too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s summer clothes were drenched in sweat.

    Huo Shaoheng took the bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down.

    He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. He said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to what we talked about earlier. The other party sent a text message to sow discord. Originally, they wanted to kill two birds with one stone, but it also exposed his identity and purpose, allowing us to discover an important clue.¡±

    This was probably something the person who sent the text did not expect.

    ¡°What identity?¡± Chen Lie was confused. ¡°You know who it is? Then can you get Nianzhi back immediately?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him as if he was looking at an idiot. He said calmly, ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Although we don¡¯t know who it is yet, the scope has been narrowed by a lot.¡±

    Chen Lie, ¡°???¡±

    ¡°Think about it, how many people in this world know that Nianzhi has a special constitution?¡±

    Chen Lie frowned and counted with his fingers. ¡°You, me, and Nianzhi¡¯s family, which is her father...¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and walked to the window of Chen Lie¡¯s office. ¡°Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t know. He always assumed that Nianzhi¡¯s illness hadn¡¯t recovered. Don¡¯t forget, hisst words were filled with guilt.¡±

    ¡°Yes... I remember now...¡± Chen lie wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Then what happened? I thought it was Gu Xiangwen... After all, he¡¯s so powerful...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng extended his finger. ¡°We can summarize all the suspicious points rted to Nianzhi in a chronological order.¡±

    ¡°Firstly, seven years ago, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ne was hijacked and forced tond in the Cape of Good Hope. He used hypnosis to escape with his wife and hid in the submarine that he docked there. But in the end, he wasn¡¯t able to escape the Japanese torpedoes. The submarine had been at the bottom of the sea for seven years.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, Gu Yanran said that Gu Nianzhi had gone missing after learning about Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ident. She had taken the boat out to sea by herself and had disappeared in the Caribbean Sea.¡±

    ¡°Thirdly, that was also the year that Nianzhi was 12 years old. She had clearly disappeared in the Caribbean Sea, so why did she end up sitting alone in a car in the downtown area of C City in our country?¡±

    ¡°Fourthly, who brought her from the Caribbean into our country? How did she enter our country? We couldn¡¯t find her immigration records.¡±

    ¡°Fifth, who was the driver of the car? Where did she go? And why did the car she was in suddenly catch fire and explode?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at his five fingers and said thoughtfully, ¡°Of course, the premise of these questions is that Gu Yanran didn¡¯t lie.¡±

    If she lied, then the second and third points would not be valid.

    Chen Lie patted his head and sighed, ¡°Boy, the special operations force is really not a job for humans! Your logical analysis and memory must be excellent...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tter me.¡± Huo Shaoheng was unmoved, ¡°But regardless of whether Gu Yanran lied or not, Nianzhi¡¯s illness was definitely cured. So, there¡¯s still one more person, at least one more person, who cured Nianzhi¡¯s illness. Perhaps, Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution might be rted to him.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s eyes widened instantly. His round eyes were like two smallnterns behind his round lenses.

    ¡°Oh my God! You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s another person! This person not only knows about Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution but could also be the person who cured her illness?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! That¡¯s amazing! Doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s a genius who is even more amazing than Gu Xiangwen?!¡± Chen Lie circled around the office excitedly. ¡°No, this person is a true genius in medicine! I really wish I had the chance to get to know him!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to see Chen Lie like this, he calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s just assume that this person exists. He cured Nianzhi¡¯s illness and knew that she had a special constitution. Then what? Will he kidnap Nianzhi? Will he use such a clumsy method to provoke us and try to expose Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution to the public?¡±

    Chen Lie was exhausted from spinning around and finally calmed down. He sat in his swivel chair, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and muttered, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Chen Lie started speaking viciously. ¡°First of all, if this person cured Nianzhi¡¯s illness and allowed Nianzhi¡¯s constitution to improve in a heaven-defying way, then this person¡¯s ability is not on the same level as ours. It¡¯sparable to the difference between a human and a gori. When have you ever seen a human being jealous of a gori? ¡°and show off their abilities and capabilities in front of a Gori?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    Chen Lie continued angrily, ¡°But the person who sent the text message was obviously not the one who cured Nianzhi. That¡¯s because he wasn¡¯t even sure how far Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution could go. Their understanding is about the same as us!¡±

 Chapter 1441 - Iâ€™ll Settle It for You

    <h4>Chapter 1441: I¡¯ll Settle It for You</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was deep in thought. ¡°You¡¯re saying that the person who sent the text also has doubts about this?¡±

    Chen Lie nodded and replied firmly, ¡°Of course. If the other party was certain, then wouldn¡¯t it be more effective to mention Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name directly? Then there would be no room for negotiation.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s the one who cured Nianzhi? You must be joking! At most, he¡¯s someone who covets other people¡¯s advanced medical skills. He probably has low morals, and wants to deceive the world!¡±

    Chen Lie was addicted to talking and chattered on, ¡°Do you remember? I once mentioned that Nianzhi has an old injury on her spine.¡±

    ¡°That kind of injury resembles thatmonly seen in a cat. It¡¯s caused by being thrown down from an upper floor many times.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression changed slightly. He felt that he had already found the right direction amidst the fog. ¡°Then we can be sure that the people who cured Nianzhi and the people who kidnapped her this time are two groups of people.¡±

    ¡°Before Nianzhi came to us, there should have been two groups of people who were familiar with her. One group was made up of the people who cured her. For the time being, we can assume that this was a group of good people. The second group was the ones who had abused her and experimented on her. The second group might very well be the ones who kidnapped her this time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very possible!¡± Chen Lie nodded continuously. However, his face quickly turned pale. ¡°If it¡¯s the second group of people, then wouldn¡¯t Nianzhi be back to being ab rat again?!¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s heart tightened at the thought of those terrifying experiments that might be conducted on Gu Nianzhi again.

    He was extremely ashamed of himself for trying to take advantage of Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution.

    This test had baptized him from head to toe.

    This was how a person¡¯s spirit and consciousness grew and improved over time through self-reflection and self-criticism.

    ¡°Huo Shao! You have to save Nianzhi as soon as possible!¡± Chen Lie¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°She¡¯s not a child anymore...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feelings could no longer be described with words.

    It was as if someone had taken a sledgehammer and ced his heart on a hot metal te, before roasting until it turned red. Following this, the sledgehammer was used to smash down on him incessantly...

    It didn¡¯t matter if he was smashed to pieces, but he could not hurt the little girl he had doted on since she was a child...

    Huo Shaoheng gulped and raised his hand to nce at his watch. It was already midnight.

    It had been 15 hours since Nianzhi went missing at 9 am.

    The prime time for a missing person to be rescued was 24 hours after they went missing.

    In other words, they only had nine hours of prime time left.

    It was dark outside the window, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sleep-deprived brain was still working at high speed.

    Nianzhi, where are you?

    He was mentally and physically exhausted, and his vision went dark. He fainted in Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    ...

    In the headquarter of the Special operation forces¡¯ encampment ground, Huo Shaoheng woke up on the sofa in his office. He was covered with a nket.

    Zhao Liangze sat on a single sofa at the side. There was aptop on hisp, and he was checking on the information.

    After realizing that he had woken up, Zhao Liangze immediately said, ¡°Huo Shao, you fainted at Doctor Chen¡¯s office. Doctor Chen asked someone to bring you here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately looked at his watch. It was already six in the morning, and he had slept for about five hours.

    From the military base in Rihe City, he had truly had not slept for four days.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his temples. ¡°Yes, how is it? What¡¯s the progress?¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly replied, ¡°... we have found three of the four cars.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng jumped up, his expression was unsightly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up earlier?!¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t slept in almost four days. You have to get some rest.¡± Zhao liangze sighed softly. ¡°Besides, they were all empty cars... There was no point in waking you up.¡±

    ¡°Empty cars?¡± Huo Shaoheng lifted the nket and got up. He walked into the small bathroom to wash up.

    He hadn¡¯t slept or rested for several days, and the stubble on his chin had grown.

    Zhao Liangze stood at the bathroom door and reported to him.

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re all empty.¡±

    ¡°The car headed east was left at the exit of the highway. The license te number was identical to the one we saw. There was no one in the car.¡±

    ¡°The car headed south had already left the capital, but it was abandoned at the quarantine zone by the highway. There was no one in the car.¡±

    ¡°The car headed west didn¡¯t go far. It was parked in the parking lot of a shopping mall and was the first to be reported by the crowd. Of course, there was no one in the car either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked someone to tow all three cars back.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng washed up and shaved his beard before asking, ¡°What about the car headed north?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was a little ashamed. ¡°That was the only car that escaped our search.¡±

    He had hurried over, but the other party still managed to escape.

    In other words, the fourth car was too fast, and it was different from the other three cars because it had changed three different license tes to pass through the checkpoint of the Traffic Control Bureau.

    They didn¡¯t realize it at the time, but when they checked the license tes of all the ck SUVs that left the capital, they discovered that there were three other scrapped license tes!

    Then they locked onto the target again.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused mid-air, and he stared at the mirror in front of him. ¡°You mean, it has left the capital?¡±

    ¡°Not only has it left the capital, but it should also have already left the border...¡± Zhao Liangze said, his face pale.

    Huo Shaoheng flung away the automatic razor and his face darkened. ¡°Hurry up and chase after them! No matter where you go, you have to chase after them!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Zhao Liangze quickly saluted.

    The car headed north. There were two countries across the border, Outer Mongolia and Russia.

    Zhao Liangze went to inform the special operations forces field personnel from the two countries to take over the search.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was as calm as water as he walked downstairs.

    He wanted to personally check those three ck SUBs.

    ...

    In the special operations forces parking lot, three tall ck SUVs were lined up in a row. It was a rather majestic sight.

    Huo Shaoheng had someone bring little corgi over.

    The other staff stood far away and did not follow.

    In the empty parking lot, the first rays of the morning sun shone through the clouds.

    A tall man in military uniform stood next to a cute short-legged little corgi. The scene was indescribably funny, but none of them couldugh.

    ¡°Go up and see if... your mommy has been inside.¡± Huo Shaoheng said expressionlessly.

    Fortunately, the staff was far away, or else those who heard it would have gotten a shock.

    The short-legged little Ah Ke wagged its tail and ran towards the ck SUV on the far left.

    Although there was no key, it was not difficult for the people of the special operations forces to open the door of a car.

    The doors of the three cars had, of course, been unlocked.

    The short-legged little Ah Ke leapt forward lightly and jumped into the car.

    It sniffed around the car and quickly turned around to get out. It ran to the middle car and also quickly got out and went to the ca on the far right.

    Within less than three minutes, it had finished checking all three cars and returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side, shaking its head and tail.

    Huo Shaoheng squatted down and stroked its head.

    The short-legged little Ah Ke barked. It wagged its tail and bit Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sleeve, wanting to leave the parking lot.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what it meant.

    There was no scent of Gu Nianzhi in the three cars. She hadn¡¯t even gotten in.

    This meant that they were just a front.

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t even interested in going in to check.

    Where exactly was Gu Nianzhi?

    Could she really be in the fourth car?

    The fourth car that had already left the borders?

    Huo Shaoheng frowned.

    Just then, his phone rang. Huo Shaoheng answered the call.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s anxious voice came from the phone. ¡°Huo Shao, we just found the whereabouts of the fourth car. It¡¯s heading towards Russia and Siberia! Was this done by the KGB?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated and shook his head. He didn¡¯t believe that the Committee of State Security (KGB) had done it.

    If they knew the secret of Nianzhi¡¯s constitution, it wouldn¡¯t have been so easy for the two of them to escape unscathed in Russia thest time.

    Huo Shaoheng had an indescribable feeling when he thought of a trip to Tungus, Siberia and Russia.

    He frowned. The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand, dimir, had given Gu Nianzhi his personal number. His driver, Uncle Ivan, was a good friend of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng remembered their phone numbers.

    Could he trust them?

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated for only a second before he quickly found the driver¡¯s Uncle Ivan¡¯s number and called him.

    The call was quickly picked up, and a string of hard Russian words popped up like fried beans.

    ¡°Hello? Who are you? Who are you looking for?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused and said in Russian, ¡°I¡¯m Huo Shaoheng, Cereus¡¯s fianc¨¦.¡±

    The driver immediately understood when he mentioned Cereus¡¯s fianc¨¦. He quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s Major General Huo?! Hello, why did you call me? Where¡¯s Cereus? How has she been recent? I heard that she¡¯s very busy?¡±

    A series of questions clearly showed that he was thinking about Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath and said, ¡°Where¡¯s dimir? Is it convenient for him to pick up the phone?¡±

    The middle-aged driver was unhappy. ¡°Cereus is the best to me. She gives me the biggest red packet. What is it that you can¡¯t tell me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°I can tell you, but I¡¯m worried that you don¡¯t have the authority to help me.¡±

    ¡°Tsk! Tell me!¡± the middle-aged driver patted his chest. ¡°Let me see if I can help!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, he said casually, ¡°As you know, our military parade and exercise has just ended. I¡¯m on vacation and wanted to take Cereus on a trip to Siberia, which is why I called you. Cereus and I want to enter the country under our own personal identities. Do we need to make any arrangements?¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh! That¡¯s great! But I haven¡¯t been on vacation recently, so I can¡¯t go see Cereus.¡± the middle-aged driver was extremely regretful. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry about entering the country. It¡¯s a small matter. I¡¯ll settle it for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Ivan.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was very rxed. The driver did not notice anything unusual at all.

    He happily took the documents that Huo Shaoheng had faxed over and went to settle the immigration formalities for him.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) would have to approve a private tour to Russia with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity.

    Huo Shaoheng had used this method to get into Siberia and Russia because he did not want the kidnapping of Gu Nianzhi to be a hot topic in themunity.

    He did not want to attract the attention of the KGB, although he did not think that Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped by them.

 Chapter 1442 - Wait for a Reply

    <h4>Chapter 1442: Wait for a Reply</h4>

    After walking around the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the middle-aged driver bumped into dimir and Peter. He had been humming a tune as he strolled.

    ¡°Boss, Peter, what are you doing here?¡± the middle-aged driver chuckled as he hid Huo Shaoheng¡¯s immigration papers behind his back.

    Peter nced in the direction where he had hidden the items.

    dimir did not notice it at all. He simply replied, ¡°I should be the one asking you, what are you doing here? Is this somewhere you would usually visit?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, the weather is really nice today...¡± the middle-aged driverughed as he looked at the sky. Then he said, ¡°Major General Huo is on vacation. Cereus wants toe to Siberia for a private road trip with him. I helped them with some immigration procedures. They¡¯ve justpleted them. I¡¯ll fax them over now.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng is on vacation? He¡¯sing to our ce for a private road trip?¡± dimir frowned.

    Peter replied softly, ¡°The Huaxia Empire has justpleted arge military parade and exercise. He should be on vacation, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± dimir¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He nced at the middle-aged driver. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Hurry up and pass thepleted procedures to them.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± the driver ran away in a sh.

    As he stared at the bear-like figure of the driver running away like a rabbit, dimir was both tickled and amused.

    He went to the Internal Affairs Department to settle some matters with Peter. Then, he recalled what the middle-aged driver had just said.

    He took out a cigar from his pocket, used a de to cut off the end of the cigar, and then took out a lighter to light it.

    When the me turned bright blue, he brought the cigar closer and lit it with the bright blue me.

    The cigar¡¯s head gradually turned ck, and a grayish-white color appeared at the edge. There were even a few scarlet sparks within it as wisps of green smoke drifted out.

    dimir ced the burnt cigar into his mouth. He took a big puff in satisfaction and then exhaled the smoke from his mouth. He closed his eyes to relish the lingering fragrance.

    Smoking a cigar waspletely different from smoking a normal cigarette.

    Peter stood quietly by the side like a shadow that would never wake up.

    dimir quietly smoked half a cigar before saying, ¡°Head to Siberia and keep an eye on Huo Shaoheng. I don¡¯t believe that he has the spare time toe to Siberia on a road trip.¡±

    Peter¡¯s eyelids drooped and he said lightly, ¡°... it makes sense for him to apany his fianc¨¦e, right?¡±

    ¡°His country and his army will always take first ce in his heart. I don¡¯t think Cereus will be able to influence his decision alone.¡± dimir¡¯s expression revealed his bewilderment. ¡°Only an idiot like Ivan would believe something like apanying a woman on a private road trip.¡±

    As dimir spoke, he took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Gu Nianzhi, asking her when she woulde over and vacation.

    Gu Nianzhi did not respond.

    dimir sent another message to her QQ, but there was still no response.

    dimir chuckled.

    Peter¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± dimir called out to him again. He lowered his head and took a few puffs of his cigar. He blew out a puff of smoke and savored the sweet aftertaste before saying, ¡°Keep an eye on him from the shadows. Can you do that?¡±

    Peter thought about it seriously for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. What if he finds out?¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem very confident that he could keep a close eye on Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°If he finds out, we¡¯ll admit it openly. Anyway, we would always send scouts to keep an eye on people like him whenever they visit our country. This time, Ivan, that idiot, opened the back door. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong.¡±

    dimir had a bad feeling. His eyelids were twitching violently.

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± Peter nodded and turned to leave the Internal Affairs Department.

    dimir felt lonely once more and sighed deeply.

    He missed Lyna.

    He really regretted not confessing earlier. This way, the two of them could have made more memories together, so that he could savor them for the rest of his long life.

    As he walked out of the Internal Affairs Department, dimir looked up and saw the middle-aged driver stick his head out of the car to greet him. A happy grin was stered on his face and he naturally appeared quite optimistic. This sparked his bad mood once more and dimir¡¯s mncholy instantly disappeared.

    He stepped forward and kicked the car door. He got into the car and sat down. ¡°Drive!¡±

    The middle-aged driver happily hummed a tune and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already faxed over thepleted procedures. Major General Huo even thanked me.¡±

    dimir did not want to see his smug face. He said coldly, ¡°Have you asked Cereus? Has she replied to you?¡±

    The chauffeur shrugged and said excitedly, ¡°No. She¡¯s been quite busy recently. She said she that was going to form her own team. She¡¯s the Senate¡¯s chief counsel. Isn¡¯t that great?!¡±

    dimir, ¡°... You were aware of all these?¡±

    However, he was in a better mood. He stopped staring at his phone and waited for Gu Nianzhi to reply.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng received a fax from the middle-aged driver. All the procedures had beenpleted.

    He immediately said to Yin Shixiong, ¡°Prepare a private ne for me. I¡¯m going to Siberia, Russia. Rent me a car at the airport.¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately went to arrange a private ne for him.

    Not long after, the ne whizzed into the blue sky and flew in the direction of Siberia.

    Huo Shaoheng was still in close contact with Zhao Liangze and the Russians on the ne, keeping an eye on the progress of the car.

    Both satellites were tuned to the direction of Siberia and tracking the country via the image recognition system.

    Two hourster, Huo Shaoheng arrived at the Tunguska region of Siberia.

    Last time, he had brought Gu Nianzhi along from Mos City to this ce to meet up with Song Jinning.

    Six months ago, a strange high-energy maic field had suddenly appeared here, attracting the attention of Russian and Huaxia scientists.

    However, the strange high-energy maic field had suddenly appeared and disappeared.

    The Huaxia Empire had obtained arge amount of data and was currently in the midst of intense research.

    After Huo Shaoheng got off the private ne, he picked up the Russian Garth SUV he had rented at the airport.

    This car had the typical characteristics of a Russian car. It was big and ck in shape, but it was resistant to destruction. It performed well in the wild terrains.

    Huo Shaoheng was dressed like a foreign tourist. The car was fully equipped. Just like that, he drove into the vast forest of Siberia alone.

    ¡°Huo, the other party is already quite close to the Tunguska region of Siberia.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the ce you visited in the first half of the year.¡±

    Zhao Liangze contacted Huo Shaoheng through the Nandou satellitemunication and navigation system. He coordinated with their field personnel in Russia and guided the SUV.

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to drive the SUV like a supersonic fighter jet and rampage through the wilderness. He would never take a detour if he could, and would never stop if he could.

    After speeding for an hour, they finally arrived near the sinkhole within Siberia¡¯s Tunguska region.

    Zhao Liangze told him that the car had stopped at this ce.

    Huo Shaoheng was burning with anxiety. He drove the SUV at high speed, but a big rock blocked the road. He didn¡¯t want to take a detour, so he hit the elerator and the entire car crashed into the big rock, pushing it away. There was only a slight scratch on the front of the car.

    Peter, who was following behind him, saw this and stopped quietly.

    He stopped his car in the middle of the road and leaned against the car door. He took out a cigar and lit it. He put it in his mouth and took a puff. He exhaled white smoke and closed his eyes to relish the unique fragrance of the cigar that remained in his mouth.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was solemn. He rushed to the front of the Tunguska sinkhole and mmed the brakes.

    In the distance, the blue sky was clear. There were white clouds and water in the sinkhole, reflecting the blue sky.

    It was extremely quiet. There were trees and grass everywhere.

    The ck SUV parked quietly at the edge of the sinkhole. It formed a ck silhouette that stung Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes.

    Was there anyone inside?

    Was Nianzhi inside?

    Huo Shaoheng had always been calm and collected, but now his palms were sweating.

    After a while, he let go of the steering wheel, pushed open the car door, and jumped out.

    He was wearing a hunting suit and a bulletproof vest. He held a gun in his hand and pointed it in the direction of the car as he walked over step by step.

    The car was parked sideways at the edge of the sinkhole.

    It was facing the direction where Huo Shaoheng wasing from.

    He could see through the car window.

    As expected, there was no one inside.

    Where was she?

    Where did she go?!

    Huo Shaoheng put on his infrared lenses and looked over again.

    These lenses could visualize the interior of the vehicle through the body of the car.

    If someone was hiding inside, he would be able to see it without opening the car door.

    However, the infrared lenses indicated that there was no one in the car. There was nothing hiding inside, not even a suitcase.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. He kept an eye on his surroundings as he walked over step by step.

    Through his earpiece, Zhao Liangze was reporting the image information obtained from the Nandou satellitemunication system.

    ¡°Huo Shao, the satellite tracking indicates that after the car stopped there, a person got out of the car and jumped into the sinkhole. I¡¯ll send you the image taken by the satellite.¡±

 Chapter 1443 - Secrets Buried by Time

    <h4>Chapter 1443: Secrets Buried by Time</h4>

    ¡°He jumped?! Was there really only one person?!¡± Huo Shaoheng was worried as he continued to ask with a frown.

    This ce was so vast, and he was all alone. It was impossible for him to conduct a nket search, and hence, he could only rely on the Nandou satellite¡¯smunication and navigation system which had been tracking him all this time.

    The pictures taken by the Nandou satellite were high definition images.

    Even though he could not obtain a picture of the person¡¯s face from 10,000 meters above the ground, he could still appreciate his height and figure clearly.

    Zhao Liangze understood what Huo Shaoheng was thinking and quickly exined, ¡°There was only one person, and it looks like a man...¡±

    It couldn¡¯t have been Nianzhi, and that person definitely couldn¡¯t have pulled Nianzhi along and jumped down with her.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief, but he didn¡¯t feel relieved.

    Even though they were almost a day and a nightte in their pursuit, travelling by ne was still faster than driving. They had to hurry and catch up to them.

    However, they hadn¡¯t expected the other party to jump into a sinkhole.

    Huo Shaoheng knew exactly what was down there.

    He had been down there before.

    ¡°Did hee back up after jumping in?¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke to Zhao Liangze through his bluetooth headset.

    As he asked, he raised his gun and walked towards the ck SUV parked by the sinkhole.

    ¡°No. Our satellites have been keeping an eye on this ce. No one would be able to escape our satellite tracking if they climbed up.¡± Zhao Liangze replied firmly.

    He was also extremely worried. He kept his eyes fixed on the monitor so that he would not miss a single frame.

    Huo Shaoheng held his breath. Just as he was about to approach the car, he suddenly raised his gun and aimed. The silent pistol¡¯s conical bullets pierced into the ck SUV¡¯s tires.

    The tires immediately deted like a deted balloon.

    After walking over, he opened the car door and inspected the interior and exterior once more.

    He even looked under the car, but there was no one there.

    Was there only one person who jumped in?

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the side of the car and poked his head into the sinkhole. He was considering whether he should head down to take a look.

    If he was alive, he wanted to see the person; and if he was dead, he wanted to see the corpse.

    He understood such logic extremely well.

    He climbed onto arge rock at the edge of the sinkhole and tried to stand on it.

    The bottom of his feet stood above the soft soil at the edge of the sinkhole. It was dark and gloomy, and a dark and deep pooly underneath it.

    Just then, the ck SUV suddenly shook a few times.

    Huo Shaoheng subconsciously turned his head, but he soon realized that apart from the car, he was also shaking.

    Could it be an earthquake?!

    Before he could turn around, the edge of the sinkhole suddenly cracked. It turned out that the sinkhole had started to copse!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He quickly held the gun in one hand to protect himself, and with the other hand, he grabbed arge rock and fell back.

    But it was toote. Thest time the scientists had observed the sinkhole, half of it had already copsed.

    This time, for some unknown reason, the entire sinkhole had started to shake!

    The ck SUV had been parked at the edge of the sinkhole. At this time, the sinkhole began to copse. It tilted to the side and slid down along with rolling debris towards the sinkhole.

    The SUV almost crashed toward Huo Shaoheng!

    Huo Shaoheng quickly stepped to the side and brushed past the SUV that was sliding towards the bottom of the sinkhole.

    After an unknown period of time, it waspletely buried by the mudslide and could no longer be seen.

    Huo Shaoheng tried his best to stabilize himself and clung on tightly to the big rock at the edge. Just as he was about to get up, he realized that the ground beneath him was also beginning to crack and be soft, just like andslide.

    He tried his best to control his body and attempted to climb forward.

    However, the sinkhole had already extended beneath him. The big rock in front of him was also beginning to loosen up and it could no longer support his weight.

    Could this have been another one of their tricks?!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind raced. He could not believe how meticulous they were!

    Had these people already foreseen that someone from the special operations forces woulde over to take a look at the car?

    And the special operations force had the support of the Nandou satellite. In such a situation, there would definitely be satellite tracking.

    Hence, even if the Nandou satellite caught someone jumping down, the other party would still take it into consideration in their n?

    Since they saw someone jump down, and since they had fallen into the sinkhole before, the special operations forces tracking personnel would definitely go down to the sinkhole to take a look.

    Just before they descended, the sinkhole would copse at the right time.

    This was because such arge-scale copse of the mountain could not have been triggered by chance. Someone must have already done something to it.

    Perhaps the trap had been triggered when the strange maic field appeared here?

    Huo Shaoheng did not know this sudden rity was associated with him tottering on the brink of death. He instantly thought of a lot of things that he could not understand before.

    These suspicious points connected to form a line, which then formed a. He was stuck in the middle of the, so he could see more clearly than before.

    But how would things change?

    He didn¡¯t the chance to trace the source anymore, did he?

    Although many people in their line of work ended up dying in the line of duty, and although Huo Shaoheng had long been prepared to die in the line of duty, he still felt regret when the day arrived.

    He still had a lot of things to aplish. And most importantly, he still hadn¡¯t found his little boy...

    Zhao Liangze witnessed this scene on the surveince camera thousands of miles away and almost went crazy.

    All the surveince personnel in the central control room were going crazy.

    They could only watch their most respected and honored chief, who was about to be buried in the mudslide.

    On the monitor screen, the scene was recorded from ten thousand meters away.

    What they saw was a dark blue abyss that was expanding continuously like a prehistoric monster that was devouring everything around it.

    At the edge of the abyss, the handsome man who had once led them to achieve great things was struggling on the line of life and death.

    However, no matter how powerful a person was, how could he be able to withstand the power of nature?!

    At this time, who could save him?

    Zhao Liangze remembered seeing an agent who had followed Huo Shaoheng in. However, the car hadn¡¯t driven in and had only stopped by the side of the road.

    He frantically searched for the person on the screen, but couldn¡¯t find him again.

    Perhaps he had seen something strange in the sinkhole ahead and had escaped?

    In the central control room of the Special Operations Forces¡¯ headquarters, all the tough men who believed in blood and not tears were crying in front of the surveince cameras.

    ¡°Where are they?! How can we let the chief take the risk alone?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill those field agents! What are they doing?!¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao!¡±

    ¡°Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled helplessly as his subordinates¡¯ heart-wrenching cries that could be heard through the earpiece.

    He spoke into his bluetooth earpiece, ¡°Stop howling and don¡¯t send anyone here to die. I failed my mission, so you have to take this as a warning.¡±

    He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°I don¡¯t have anyst words. If possible, I hope you can help me find Nianzhi.¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter that he was dead. As long as they didn¡¯t give up, Nianzhi would be found one day.

    However, he might not be able to see that day.

    The rocks around him tumbled down, andrge chunks of the mountain copsed. The trees fell down one by one, and soon, they would reach thend below him.

    Therge rock he was holding on to was on the verge of copsing.

    Just as his arm could barely hold on and just as he was about to be buried by thendslide, a long rope was thrown over. ¡°Pull!¡±

    The man was speaking English.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed the long rope without hesitation and tied it around his waist.

    The man used all his strength and finally pulled Huo Shaoheng out of the crater that was about to copse.

    ¡°Ah?! Someone¡¯sing!¡±

    ¡°The chief has been saved!¡±

    There was a burst of cheers in the central control room. Many people knelt down and beat their heads as they cried, venting out all their nervousness and joy.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes were blurred with tears as he watched Huo Shaoheng being pulled forward on the grass.

    The ground behind him fell inch by inch into the bottomless abyss.

    Huo Shaoheng rxed his entire body and didn¡¯t put any pressure on the rope on his body so that the other party wouldn¡¯t have to pull too hard.

    It wasn¡¯t until he saw his car parked by the side of the road that he felt that the ground under him be solid. The ground no longer felt loose and on the brink of copse.

    The copse of the sinkhole hadn¡¯t eroded this ce.

    A pair of long legs wearing Russian military boots appeared in front of him. A hand reached out to pull him up.

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed his hand without hesitation and jumped up.

    The Committee of State Security¡¯s Peter stood in front of him.

    He stood in front of him and looked down at him. He was chewing gum in his mouth while holding the rope with one hand. He still looked like he would never wake up.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows and untied the long rope around his waist. ¡°Peter? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, Ivan mentioned that you¡¯re here on a road trip with your fianc¨¦e. Where¡¯s your fianc¨¦e?¡± Peter took back the long rope and looked around. ¡°There has been too much of amotion here. I¡¯ve already notified dimir. They¡¯ll be here soon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around. Under the long sky, dust and smoke lingered in the air. The sky was gray, and he couldn¡¯t see the blue sky or the white clouds.

    The dark blue sinkhole had expanded in size, but it was already filled with mud and rocks. Who knew how many secrets had been buried.

    The water in the sinkhole was gone, and so was the secret passage that connected to other ces.

    Huo Shaoheng dusted himself and stared in the direction of the sinkhole with aplicated expression on his face.

    ¡°Did you see the ck SUV just now?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked, lost in thought. ¡°It was parked at the edge of the sinkhole.¡±

    Peter nodded. ¡°I saw it. What¡¯s wrong? Was that your car?¡±

    ¡°No, I was chasing after this car.¡± Huo Shaoheng had just experienced a life-and-death experience, and his mind was exceptionally clear.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had nothing to do with this.

    ...

    Peter brought him back to a resort vi in Tunguska, Siberia.

    Last time, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had stayed here.

    Now that he saw the room they had once stayed in, it was indescribably heart-wrenching.

    Huo Shaoheng tried his best to bear it. He went in to take a shower and wash the dirt off his body.

    He asked Peter to carry his suitcase from the car. He only brought some underwear and two sets of expedition gear to change into.

    After taking a shower and changing his clothes, he came out and went to the restaurant with Peter to eat.

    He had not tasted food for four or five days.

    That day, he drank the red vegetable soup mechanically.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) did not finish their meal. dimir brought the middle-aged driver to the resort in a KGB ne.

 Chapter 1444 - Secrets Buried by Time (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1444: Secrets Buried by Time (2)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng slowly finished hisst mouthful of red vegetable soup. He put down his knife and fork before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

    ¡°Have a seat, do you guys want to eat something?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at dimir and the middle-aged driver, Ivan. They were standing beside the table that he and Peter were sitting at.

    The two of them had just arrived at the Tunguska resort by ne.

    dimir was expressionless and he did not move.

    The chauffeur, however, sat down next to Huo Shaoheng and asked him with widened eyes, ¡°... Where¡¯s Cereus?! Didn¡¯t you say that you and Cereus were on a private road trip together?! How dare you lie to me?!¡±

    As he spoke, he punched Huo Shaoheng in the back.

    Huo Shaoheng did not dodge. He merely grunted and straightened his back to take the blow.

    The middle-aged driver realized that Huo Shaoheng had not even tried to dodge. He felt a little embarrassed instead.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back was as hard as steel and his fist was hurting from the punch...

    The middle-aged driver shook his head and whimpered, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dodge? Are you going to apologize? I¡¯m not someone who forgives easily!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and looked up at dimir, who was staring at him coldly. ¡°Are you willing to listen to my exnation?¡±

    dimir¡¯s face darkened as he red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You better have a good reason, or else, hmph!¡±

    He didn¡¯t borate on what would happen, but it was obvious that his expression was rather unsightly.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    He led them to the sinkhole.

    Standing at the intersection, he stared at the sinkhole that had already expanded by almost a third. Its bottom had beenpacted by mud and trees, and there was no longer any abyss or secret passage.

    Huo Shaoheng took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took one out. He handed it to dimir. ¡°Do you want one?¡±

    dimir shook his head and took out his own cigar. ¡°I¡¯ll smoke this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and asked Peter as well as the middle-aged driver.

    Peter took it, but he didn¡¯t smoke. Instead, he simply fidgeted with it.

    The middle-aged driver didn¡¯t hesitate to take it and put it in his mouth. He shifted to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side and lit the cigarette. He took a deep puff.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cigarettes were brandless and they couldn¡¯t be bought on the market. His cigarettes originated from a special brand and they were of utmost quality. It was a standard-sized cigarette that was famous for its ¡®clear, sweet, and fragrant scent.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and took a puff. ¡°I came here to chase after that car because the person in the car kidnapped Cereus.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± the driver was the first to jump up. ¡°What did you say?! Cereus was kidnapped?! Who did It?! Was it those bastards from other countries?!¡±

    dimir seemed to acknowledge this. His expression was less tense, but he could no longer hold back. ¡°Are you serious? Cereus... was kidnapped?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly recounted what had happened in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. He then exined, ¡°Four identical SUVs came out of Third Ring Road and headed in four directions. We found three cars, and the fourth car was the one parked here.¡±

    He pointed in the direction of the sinkhole.

    Peter also added on to what had happened earlier. He had also recorded a video, indicating that everything Huo Shaoheng had said was true.

    dimir looked at the video in shock.

    They hadn¡¯t set up this trap, but who had made such arge-scale trap?

    It seemed logical that the Committee of State Security (KGB) had been involved as well, right?!

    He immediately said, ¡°Major General Huo, you have to believe us. We share such a good rtionship with Cereus. We¡¯re definitely not the kind of lowlifes who would go after someone¡¯s family just because they have a grudge over their work!¡±

    As employees of the intelligence industry, they feared that their families would be the targets of revenge attacks the most.

    Therefore, to dimir and the driver, Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped because of Huo Shaoheng. They assumed that she had definitely been implicated.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s enemy must have been the one who kidnapped her and threatened Huo Shaoheng.

    This kind of behavior was a huge taboo in a regr intelligence agency.

    Everyone had a family. Who would want to encounter such a situation?

    Only lowly terrorists who had no bottom line would kidnap someone else¡¯s family to threaten others.

    Peterughed at the side and said slowly, ¡°Who was so capable as to kidnap someone under Major General Huo?¡±

    The middle-aged driver was so angry that he exined, ¡°... I want to see which piece of sh*t is so unafraid of death that he dares to touch my family!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already be his ¡®family¡¯ in his heart.

    Peter couldn¡¯t help but nce at him while reminding him, ¡°... Cereus is not Russian.¡±

    What did that mean? What did it have to do with them?

    The middle-aged driver spat at him, ¡°Peter, how can you be so cruel? You don¡¯t deserve a girlfriend!¡±

    Peter: ¡°???¡±

    He had only made a reasonable statement. Who had his future girlfriend offended?

    dimir looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s solemn expression and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Speak. If there¡¯s anything you need our help with, we won¡¯t be stingy.¡±

    He pointed at Peter. ¡°Here, Peter is the best at tracking. If you tell him about it, he might be able to surprise you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not expect anyone else to help him. He had only told them about what had happened in hope that they would not cause him any trouble.

    Furthermore, he could not tell them the real reason why Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped.

    After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I know what to do. I appreciate your kindness. I had toe this time. This was thest car. I hope you can understand.¡±

    No matter what reason he had, he had indeed lied to the middle-aged driver.

    However, the middle-aged driver did not care at all. He quickly said, ¡°You¡¯re doing this for Cereus. I understand. Don¡¯t apologize. When Cereuses back, remember to ask her to tell us that she¡¯s safe.¡±

    When he said this, he looked at Huo Shaoheng, pity could almost be seen in his eyes.

    Even dimir, who was the pickiest of them all, did not say a word. He did not say anything about pursuing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s faults.

    The three of them nced at each other. They all felt that Gu Nianzhi was doomed.

    This kind of thing was not umon.

    It was usually for revenge. If you killed my people, I would kill your family to vent my anger.

    If Gu Nianzhi had really been kidnapped by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s international enemies, then she probably would not be able toe back.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that they had misunderstood, but he did not exin any further because there was no way to exin this matter. The more he said, the more trouble Gu Nianzhi would be in.

    Huo Shaoheng did not want the Committee of State Security (KGB) to join the ranks of those who coveted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution.

    He turned the car keys and said, ¡°That¡¯s how it is. I have to go back. There are no clues here, and I have other leads to follow.¡±

    ¡°Okay then. We will also keep an eye on things for you. Once we have news of Cereus, we will definitely let you know.¡± dimir shook his hand and said goodbye.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and said softly, ¡°I hope you can keep this a secret and not let anyone else know about it.¡±

    The middle-aged driver was puzzled. ¡°Why? We can help you find the person only when everyone knows, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want Nianzhi to be the center of the news.¡± Huo Shaoheng said implicitly, ¡°Can you understand how I feel?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± the middle-aged driver realized that Huo Shaoheng had not given up on pursuing the matter and sympathized with him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was best at keeping secrets anyway, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to do this.

    As he watched Huo Shaoheng get into the car and drive away, the driver asked in confusion, ¡°... does he think Cereus is still alive?¡±

    dimir felt the same way about Huo Shaoheng, and said faintly, ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t see the body, he¡¯ll assume that she¡¯s still alive, somewhere out there in the world.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was solemn as he drove back to the airport quickly. Afterpleting some simple procedures, he quickly boarded his private ne.

    Russia¡¯s Siberian International Airport was neither too big nor too small, but there were still quite a number of nes taking off andnding every day.

    They waited at the airport for a while before the airport¡¯s air traffic control indicated that they could take off. The private ne immediately whistled into the sky and flew towards the capital.

    Sitting on the ne, he caressed his phone and opened the text messages that Gu Nianzhi had sent him in the past. He felt very upset.

    More than 30 hours had passed, but there was still no news of Gu Nianzhi.

    Where was his breakthrough?

    Who else knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he thought of He Zhichu.

    He should have been aware, right?

    Even though Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t sure, he only suspected this because they had never discussed this topic openly.

    Naturally, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to take the initiative to mention it. He understood that the fewer people who knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution, the better.

    Right now, only Chen Lie knew about it on his side. Yet, he still had problems with him from time to time.

    He Zhichu had never talked to him about it.

    They had always been in a state of tacit understanding.

    But would He Zhichu do something like this?

 Chapter 1445 - Secrets Buried by Time (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1445: Secrets Buried by Time (3)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked ahead, his expression is extremely calm. His gaze was empty and he didn¡¯t seem to be able to focus.

    Intuitively, he did not want to contact He Zhichu, nor was he willing to contact He Zhichu.

    It was not because of his pride, nor was it because he was afraid of He Zhichu¡¯s ill intentions towards Gu Nianzhi. On the contrary, it was because he had an inexplicable instinct.

    He Zhichu was here for Gu Nianzhi, and he knew that very well.

    Huo Shaoheng still didn¡¯t know his intentions for being here,

    He Zhichu had hidden too much from them, but they couldn¡¯t find anything on him. Hence, they were unable to get to the bottom of it.

    Huo Shaoheng had always kept a respectful distance from things and people he didn¡¯t understand.

    However, this time, he had no choice but to talk openly with He Zhichu about this issue.

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to believe that He Zhichu was the one who had kidnapped Gu Nianzhi.

    If He Zhichu had truly intended to kidnap Gu Nianzhi, he would have had innumerable opportunities in the past to set up a trap like this.

    However, He Zhichu might know more?

    After all, he was no stranger to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unique constitution.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had alreadyid out their cards. He Zhichu would not be able to stop himself from inquiring.

    He Zhichu seemed to be very familiar with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past.

    This time, He Zhichu should be honest with them, right?

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a long time. Finally, he made up his mind and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    It was five or six o¡¯clock in the afternoon at the imperial capital.

    He Zhichu had just finished teaching his postgraduate ss.

    He did not feel like having dinner. He sat on the sofa in the living room with a ss of red wine in his hand and nced out the window listlessly.

    He felt his phone vibrate. He nced at it and was surprised to find that it was Huo Shaoheng calling.

    ¡°Huo Shao, howe you are free enough to call me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng cut to the chase. ¡°Professor He, Nianzhi was kidnapped yesterday. Do you know who did it?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened and he could barely hold the wine ss in his hand. ¡°Say that again!¡±

    He quickly switched to his phone¡¯s GPS and saw the little red dot that belonged to Gu Nianzhi. It was clearly still at her house. He couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief andugh coldly. ¡°No way? She¡¯s at home!¡±

    ¡°Then give her a call and see if she¡¯s at home!¡± Huo Shaoheng said and felt that something was wrong, ¡°... how do you know she¡¯s at home? Are you at her apartment?¡±

    He Zhichu was at a loss for words. He couldn¡¯t tell Huo Shaoheng that he had installed a GPS system in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    He said vaguely, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she be home from work at this hour?¡±

    To be honest, he had spoken to Gu Nianzhi on the phonest week. He knew that Gu Nianzhi was busy building a team for her office and would only be home at 9 pm every day.

    He felt sorry for her, so he tried to reduce the time he spent in contact with her. He didn¡¯t want to waste her time and hoped that she would have more time to sleep.

    Anyway, as long as he looked at the GPS on his phone before going to bed every night, he would know where Gu Nianzhi was.

    He clearly remembered that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s GPS indicated that she was at homest night.

    However, Huo Shaoheng just mentioned that she had been kidnapped at around nine o¡¯clock in the morning yesterday!

    What was going on?

    Was Huo Shaoheng crazy enough to spread rumors and lie, or..

    He Zhichu thought of a possibility and his face instantly turned livid.

    He put down his wine ss firmly and ran a virus detection app on his phone.

    As expected, the location app on his phone had been tampered with!

    Just like the four lines of intelligent programmingnguage that Hong Kangquan had inserted into the central control system to hide his whereabouts, the very advanced location app on He Zhichu¡¯s phone had also been tampered with.

    Therefore, his surveince of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location hadpletely lost its effectiveness.

    He Zhichu stood up abruptly. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where are your surveince cameras? I want to see the surveince cameras!¡±

    He knew that Huo Shaoheng had installed a lot of surveince cameras at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ce.

    It was not very convenient for Huo Shaoheng to make a call on the ne, and he did not want to waste any more time. He spoke in a straightforward manner, ¡°Head to our headquarters now. Little Ze will pick you up and tell you the details.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to wait another four hours since his ne would take four hours to get back to the capital.

    Following this, Huo Shaoheng called Zhao Liangze again and instructed him to pick He Zhichu up at the entrance of the headquarters. He requested to see the video surveince footage filmed at that time, especially the video surveince footage of the four cars appearing at the intersection of Third Ring Road.

    He wanted to see what He Zhichu thought of the four cars.

    Even though they had proof that four cars were fakes, Huo Shaoheng felt that there was a reason those fakes existed.

    If you treat something real as a counterfeit, then even the fake will appear real to you. Why would the other party use such a method as a cover? Was it used to confuse them and increase the search time?

    Huo Shaoheng had a hunch that there was a trap, but with their knowledge and skill level, they could not detect where the ¡®trap¡¯ was.

    They could only see if He Zhichu had a different opinion.

    ...

    Zhao Liangze received a call from Huo Shaoheng and immediately contacted He Zhichu. He realized that he had moved quickly and was already on his way to the headquarter of the special operation forces¡¯ encampment ground.

    Ten minutester, Zhao Liangze picked up He Zhichu at the gate of the headquarter.

    Zhao Liangze greeted the guard and led He Zhichu into the headquarter.

    They went straight to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office building.

    Along the way, Zhao Liangze told He Zhichu how Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped in detail.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was clear and cold. He was obviously in a rage, but since he was a well-mannered person, so he did not show it. However, the coldness he exuded was even more dreadful than before.

    Although it was midsummer in August, the people standing beside him felt a chill run down their spines.

    This man was really angry...

    This thought shed through Zhao Liangze¡¯s mind.

    However, he could also understand since Huo Shaoheng was in the same state when he found out that Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped.

    The only difference was that Huo Shaoheng was more shrewd and he could hide his emotions better. He was not as cold as He Zhichu, who had the ability to freeze people to death.

    He Zhichu followed Zhao Liangze into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office with a cold expression.

    ¡°Professor He, please have a seat.¡±

    Zhao Liangze called Yin Shixiong over as well, and the two of them received He Zhichu together.

    He Zhichu had no intention of greeting them. He asked coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s your surveince footage? Huo Shaoheng asked me toe over and take a look at it.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s tone was polite, but there was a hint of arrogance in it. He continued to mock them, ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys pretty good? I thought Nianzhi would be safe with Huo Shaoheng!¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong did not refute him. They silently switched on the big screen in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office and yed the surveince footage.

    He Zhichu red at them and shifted his gaze to the big screen hanging on the wall of the office.

    The surveince footage at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment was missing ten minutes of content, so the surveince footage screen ten minutes before and after the ten-minute mark.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hands were stuffed in his pockets, and his bright, almond-shaped eyes were silent as he stared in the direction of the big screen.

    Zhao Liangze, on the other hand, appeared to be staring at theputer screen. However, he was merely adjusting the surveince footage in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, aiming it at He Zhichu to capture his expression and actions.

    He Zhichu was a very powerfulwyer, and they had to be careful not to let Huo Shaoheng get picked on by him.

    Yin Shixiong apanied He Zhichu and watched the big screen on the wall.

    When the surveince video showed the 18-wheeler truck suddenly barging out and blocking the surveince cameras at the intersection, and the four ck SUVs suddenly driving in four directions, He Zhichu¡¯s eyes shed. However, his expression did not change. He watched quietly as Zhao Liangze finished ying the surveince video.

    After watching it all over again, He Zhichu frowned and asked calmly, ¡°This is your lead? Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Where¡¯s the person in the car? Do you have a portrait?¡±

    Yin Shixiong rolled his eyes. ¡°If we had a portrait, would we still be running around like headless chickens?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression was rather stern. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to look for these four cars? Or are you just stay in the office and wait for them to walk right into our trap?!¡±

    Zhao Liangze nced at Yin Shixiong, he said calmly, ¡°Professor He, in truth, we¡¯ve already found three of these four cars. They¡¯re now in the parking lot outside. Huo Shao had just made a visit to Siberia in Russia, but he did not find anything. There was no one in the car that we were looking for. ¡°Professor Je, what do you think?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression became even more serious. He looked at Zhao Liangze. ¡°What do you think? After what happened, why aren¡¯t you guys scrambling to find Nianzhi instead of searching for clues from me? Are you guys out of your minds?¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°...¡±

    Yin Shixiong: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Professor He, don¡¯t hide it anymore. We all know how capable you are. Can¡¯t you give us some ideas?¡± Yin Shixiong decided to befFrank.

    He Zhichu sneered. ¡°In your country, I¡¯m just an ordinary professor. How capable do you think I am?¡±

    That was the truth.

    Yin Shixiong scratched his head.

    He Zhichu¡¯s people and connections were all in the United States. His position and power in the United States were much greater than in the Huaxia Empire.

    However, he was willing to stay in the Huaxia Empire and be an ordinary university professor for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sake.

    Gu Nianzhi was not even with him.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze felt even more sympathetic toward him now that they thought about it.

    Zhao Liangze pondered over it for a moment and tactfully said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. Look, the clues left behind by the four cars are dead ends. Huo Shao and the rest of us are counting on you to help us. Besides, this isn¡¯t for anyone else, it¡¯s for Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°So you know it¡¯s for Nianzhi¡¯s sake after all?!¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He kicked the small coffee table in front of him and said hatefully, ¡°What are you all doing?! Watching these four cars run away like this?! Where¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s security?! Where are your people?! isn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng very capable?! Is that all he¡¯s capable of?!¡±

    ¡°Professor He, let¡¯s not talk about the fact that our men were almost maimed by the kidnappers and are still unconscious. We were only ten minutes away when we found out about Nianzhi¡¯s ident.¡±

 Chapter 1446 - Secrets Buried by Time (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1446: Secrets Buried by Time (4)</h4>

    ¡°Just ten minutes?¡± He Zhichuughed coldly, his eyes red. ¡°Did you know that a living person disappears from your sight within seven seconds! You can die without a burial ce within seven seconds! What more, you were ten minuteste! What a bunch of useless trash!¡±

    ¡°But those people didn¡¯t kidnap Nianzhi to kill her.¡± Yin Shixiong retorted without showing any weakness. ¡°They didn¡¯t even kill Xiao Ye. Our colleagues did everything that we could for Nianzhi. What reason do you have to me us?¡±

    Zhao Liangze had already exined Xiao Ye¡¯s situation to him on the way to the office building.

    He Zhichu scoffed. ¡°This is her responsibility. What¡¯s wrong? Do you want us to be grateful for the work you should be doing?¡±

    ¡°Why are you speaking in this manner?!¡± Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were furious. They were angered by He Zhichu¡¯s contemptuous attitude.

    He Zhichu shoved his hands into his pockets. He said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve always spoken like this. You lost Nianzhi, and now you¡¯re asking me for my opinion? I advise you to save your effort and mobilize your people. Do your job to the best of your ability and stop thinking about taking shortcuts.¡±

    ¡°Professor He, do you really have no clue at all? Think about it carefully. Who hates Nianzhi the most? Who shares the most antagonistic rtionship with Nianzhi?¡± they were on the verge of starting a fight. Yin Shixiong smoothened his hair in annoyance and apologized to He Zhichu. ¡°We were in the wrong earlier. We were too impulsive. I hope you can be magnanimous instead of stooping down to our level.¡±

    He Zhichu red at him coldly and sent out another kick. This time, he kicked the small coffee table in front of the office sofa over. ¡°Who hates Nianzhi the most? She has offended a lot of people for the sake of your Huo Shao. Why are you asking me this now? Why don¡¯t you ask the people who have a grudge against Huo Shaoheng?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze nced at each other in surprise.

    He Zhichu¡¯s words were not without reason.

    Gu Nianzhi had indeed stood up for Huo Shaoheng and insulted a lot of people in the process.

    Prime Minister Dou was far away, but Prime Minister Tan was near.

    Huo Shao¡¯s grandfather, Huo Xuenong, was close to him. As well as Cai Shengnan, who was estranged from him.

    Would these people have the means tomit such a crime?

    If they continued to analyze the case in the direction he was pointing at, even Huo Shao¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen, would be involved...

    ¡°Professor He, please calm down. No one can bear such a situation. We understand how you feel.¡±

    Zhao Liangze walked over and set the coffee table upright. He bent down and picked up the broken coffee cup and ashtray.

    Yin Shixiong cleaned the floor with a mop and spoke with a sullen face, ¡°Professor He, there are surveince cameras here. If you lose your temper again, you will have to bear legal responsibility.¡±

    He Zhichu looked down at the broken porcin pieces on the ground under his feet with a cold expression.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were slightly disappointed.

    They had the impression that He Zhichu would be able to discover different clues.

    Because they had witnessed He Zhichu¡¯s dealings abroad, they knew that he was very capable. However, looking at his current state, he appeared to be at his wit¡¯s end.

    Although He Zhichu was trying his best to hold back, Yin Shixiong could still tell that his hands were clenched into fists and that he seemed to be trembling. There were red marks at the corners of his eyes, entuating a watery glow. It looked like he was about to cry.

    This person was also suffering inwardly.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart softened again.

    He Zhichu took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He said calmly, ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, I lost myposure just now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we understand.¡± Yin Shixiong said hurriedly. He handed He Zhichu a packet of tissue. ¡°We all know that you love Nianzhi and are worried about her safety.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. He did not take Yin Shixiong¡¯s tissue and used his hand to block him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my mind is in a mess right now. I¡¯m... I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t control my emotions.¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked at the mess in the office and thought, since you can¡¯t control them anymore, why are you still holding back?

    However, he did not say this out loud. He simply consoled him, ¡°We¡¯re all working hard. We can definitely save Nianzhi.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. His voice was sounded nasal. ¡°I believe you. I need to go back and calm down. I need to think about what I can do to help...¡±

    He leaned against the wall and staggered towards the door.

    Yin Shixiong did not coerce him any further when he realized how ufortable he was. He raised his voice from behind him and said, ¡°Okay then. If you think of any clues, please let us know immediately.¡±

    Zhao Liangze stood up to send him out. He said, ¡°Professor He, you¡¯ve always loved Nianzhi a lot. Now that she is in turmoil, please let us know if you have any clues.¡±

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at them. He said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m more worried about Nianzhi¡¯s safety than anyone else is. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you know if I have any clues.¡±

    He Zhichu got into his car at the entrance of the headquarters. He mmed on the elerator and drove his car faster than a sports car.

    Zhao Liangze shook his head and called Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo, Professor He doesn¡¯t seem to know much more than we do. He looked at the surveince footage just now and said he wanted to go back and take some time off to think about how he can help us.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was also extremely disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s it? He didn¡¯t say anything else?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s about to break down. He was kicking and thrashing about in your office just now.¡± Zhao Liangze held his phone and walked back. ¡°We recorded the footage. You can look at it yourself when youe back.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Do you have any other clues on your side?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Then continue to investigate. Remember to remain in contact with He Zhichu.¡± Huo Shaoheng ordered.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t let go of any leads.

    ...

    Four hourster, at 10 pm, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private nended at Imperial Capital International Airport¡¯s Terminal 3.

    Yin Shixiong and his driver, Fan Jian, were waiting for him.

    As soon as he picked up Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Huo Shaoheng. Were there really no clues in Siberia? What about the car?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the backseat with his eyes closed and said calmly, ¡°No, the car fell into the Tunguska sinkhole.¡±

    Yin Shixiong: ¡°...¡±

    He smiled sheepishly. ¡°It looks like the four cars were really a cover. Professor He left in disappointment today without providing us with any insight. I thought he would be able to tell us something.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp and direct. ¡°Did he call?¡±

    It had been four hours since He Zhichu left the headquarter of special operation forces¡¯ encampment ground.

    ¡°... uh, not yet.¡± Yin Shixiong shrunk his neck. He didn¡¯t really have much hope for He Zhichu anymore.

    If they had been in the United States, He Zhichu would have been able to make huge contributions. But now, in his country, Yin Shixiong really didn¡¯t think He Zhichu would be able to gain more leads than they did.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong quickly exined, ¡°He was really angry just now. I noticed that his eyes were bloodshot, and in the end, he was so angry that he kicked over your coffee table.¡±

    When he realized that Huo Shaoheng was still not satisfied, Yin Shixiong added, ¡°... and we have surveince cameras covering all angles. If you have any questions, you can head directly to the surveince cameras.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows. He thought about it and felt that He Zhichu¡¯s reaction was a little strange.

    With the importance he ced on Gu Nianzhi, and knowing that she had been kidnapped, he still hadn¡¯t gotten back to them after so long?

    Even if he couldn¡¯t make a move himself, wouldn¡¯t he still have to rely on the special operations forces to urge them to act quickly?

    This really didn¡¯t seem like He Zhichu¡¯s style of doing things.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately took out his phone and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    However, no one answered the phone and went straight to the voicemail.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately said, ¡°Head to the Professor Building at B University. I want to meet He Zhichu.¡±

    The driver, Fan Jian, quickly turned the steering wheel and headed in the direction of B University.

    He continued to dial his number along the way, but no one answered. They were only directed to the voicemail.

    When they arrived at the Professor Building where He Zhichu lived, Huo Shaoheng sat in the car and asked Yin Shixiong to go to the building manager and request to see He Zhichu.

    Without the building manager¡¯s permission, they were not allowed to enter the elevator on He Zhichu¡¯s floor.

    The building manager was already asleep when Yin Shixiong knocked on the door to wake him up.

    He showed his ID to the building manager and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m a friend of Professor He. I have something to ask him. Can you let us up?¡±

    The building manager looked at him suspiciously and asked, ¡°You¡¯re a friend of Professor He?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yin shixiong quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ve been here before, don¡¯t you remember? Take a look at my ID...¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s arrogance was good at scaring people into submission. The building manager nodded and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re his friend, why don¡¯t you call him directly?¡±

    ¡°I did, but no one picked up. It was all directed to voicemail.¡± Yin Shixiong put on an anxious expression. ¡°I¡¯m worried that something happened to him...¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± the building manager smiled. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Professor He said he had something urgent and left a few hours ago.¡±

    ¡°Left?!¡± Yin shixiong cried out, ¡°Where did he go? !¡±

    ¡°He went back to the United States.¡± the building manager pointed in the direction of the door. ¡°There are rumors that Professor He is very powerful in the United States and that he has his own private ne. He can leave as he pleases. He doesn¡¯t have to buy ne tickets and handle luggage like us ordinary people...¡±

 Chapter 1447 - Secrets Buried by Time (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1447: Secrets Buried by Time (5)</h4>

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard that He Zhichu had returned to the United States.

    He stopped nagging and rushed out of the car. He opened the door and said anxiously to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, the building manager said that Professor He returned to the United States a few hours ago...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and got out of the car. He walked quickly to the building manager and knocked on his counter. ¡°Hand over the keys to Professor He¡¯s apartment. The police are investigating this case.¡±

    ¡°Police... police... ?!¡± the building manager was shocked. ¡°What crime did Professor Hemit? You want to investigate him?!¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with you.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand, and Yin Shixiong quickly took out a police identification card.

    The special operations forces had a lot of identification cards. They would take whatever they needed whenever they needed it.

    The building manager stared at Yin Shixiong and said nervously, ¡°... you didn¡¯t sh this card just now.¡±

    Yin Shixiong replied nonchntly, ¡°The police are handling this case. I just wanted to test you.¡±

    The building manager had no choice but to call the campus security department again. After obtaining permission, he brought Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong upstairs.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong opened the door to Professor He¡¯s apartment and walked in.

    Everything was in order in the house. There was still a ss of red wine on the coffee table.

    It appeared as though he had just gone downstairs for a walk. It was impossible to tell that the resident living here had already flown to America.

    Why exactly did He Zhichu return to America?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say a word. He took Yin Shixiong along with him and left He Zhichu¡¯s apartment.

    After returning to the headquarter of the Special operation forces¡¯ encampment ground, Huo Shaoheng issued some instructions, ¡°Tell a few people to keep an eye on B University. Inform me the moment He Zhichu returns. Also, have the North American field agents keep an eye on He Zhichu. He has residences in both Boston and Washington.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pondered for a moment before adding, ¡°Also, keep tabs on the He family in South America. Check if He Zhichu returns home.¡±

    Yin Shixiong memorized every detail and quickly went to allocate the manpower.

    Ten minutester, Yin Shixiong returned to report, ¡°Huo, the manpower has been allocated. B University, Boston and Washington in North and South America. Everything is in ce.¡±

    After that, he asked in bewilderment, ¡°At this juncture, why did Professor He suddenly return to the United States? Could it be rted to Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his fists and said calmly, ¡°If it¡¯s not rted, then he¡¯s been too pretentious for the past two years.¡±

    He had done so many things for Gu Nianzhi. In addition to the feelings he had expressed, could they all be fake?

    Regardless, He Zhichu would never harm Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shaoheng was very sure of this, so even though he had many questions in his heart, he still waited patiently for He Zhichu¡¯s ne to arrive at the American Airport.

    It would take twelve hours to fly from the imperial capital to the eastern part of the United States.

    It had already been four or five hours, and going to the United States was not as easy as going to Russia.

    By the time he was done with all the paperwork, it would be toote to chase after him. He was also worried that it would be a trap like what had happened in Tungus. Hence, he did not act rashly this time.

    Huo Shaoheng instructed Zhao Liangze to keep in contact with He Zhichu while he returned to his official residence.

    It was already midnight. He went into his bedroom with a dark expression and took a few sets of clothes to change into before returning to the office building.

    That night, he did not sleep again. He reexamined every aspect of the case to see if he had missed anything.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s diamond earring had been left behind, and her phone was unable to locate her. It was either a party who knew them very well or the doing of their foreign counterparts.

    Because only their counterparts could do things in such a meticulous manner.

    However, if it was a foreign counterpart, it was impossible for him to bepletely ignorant of their movements.

    One of the main tasks of the special operations forces in the field abroad was to keep an eye on their counterparts abroad.

    If he had not noticed such a major incident, then Huo Shaoheng, as the great general, might have tomit suicide to atone for his crimes.

    That would indicate that he had not his work done properly at all.

    However, who could have done this to the extent of evading the eyes of their agents abroad?

    He thought about it all the way. Every time he felt that there was a turning point, he would have new suspicions. It was as if he had walked into a dead end.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to analyze the documents in front of him. It was only when a ray of dawn crept in from the crack in the window next to his desk that he realized that it was already morning.

    He nced at his watch. It was already past six. In two hours, He Zhichu¡¯s private ne would be arriving on the east coast of the United States, right?

    The special operations forces in North America had sent him flight information from several major airports on the east coast of the United States a while back. They had confirmed that He Zhichu¡¯s ne wouldnd at Boston International Airport.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief. He nned to call He Zhichu as soon as his ne touched down at the airport.

    It was time for them to have a good talk.

    Huo Shaoheng gazed out the window at the rising sun. He rubbed his temples and got up to lie on the sofa for a while.

    He immediately fell asleep. When he woke up again, two hours had passed.

    He Zhichu¡¯s ne should havended by now.

    Huo Shaoheng jumped up from the sofa and ordered Yin Shixiong, who had already arrived at work, to call He Zhichu immediately.

    Yin Shixiong immediately dialed the number, but it was still redirected to voicemail. No one answered the phone.

    ¡°Call the field office and inquire if He Zhichu¡¯s ne hasnded yet.¡± Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and walked around the office.

    The field officer of the Special Operations Force who was stationed at Boston International Airport looked at the information disy and said to Yin shixiong, ¡°The ne has justnded. I¡¯ll go ask again.¡±

    In the end, he went to the tarmac and walked around. His face was livid as he said to Yin Shixiong, :... I¡¯ve been yed by him. Professor He¡¯s private nended an hour ago, but he told the airport¡¯s air traffic control not to change thending time! So the disy is still showing the originalnding time!¡±

    Yin Shixiong also felt that something was wrong when he heard this.

    He turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, the corners of his mouth twitching. ¡°Huo Shao, Professor He already arrived in Boston an hour ago.¡±

    ¡°Then where is he?!¡± Huo Shaoheng stopped. ¡°Why can¡¯t I get through to him?!¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°How would I know? He just won¡¯t pick up...¡±

    ¡°Tell Little Ze toe over. Change his number and change his IP. I don¡¯t believe he won¡¯t pick up.¡± Huo Shaoheng punched his desk and gritted his teeth. ¡°This He Zhichu! What the hell is he doing!¡±

    Zhao Liangze was also called over and started to use all sorts of methods to contact He Zhichu.

    However, be it was his phone or hisndline, they were simply left on voicemail.

    They tried for an hour until He Zhichu¡¯s phone status suddenly changed to ¡®the number you have dialed is not in service...¡¯

    It was exactly the same as when they had dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone!

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other. They both had a bad premonition.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was as dark as water. He strode over and stood behind Zhao Liangze. Just as he was about to see how He Zhichu was tracking he zhichu¡¯s phone, his own phone suddenly rang.

    He quickly took it out, but before he could open it, a text message popped up. It was actually from He Zhichu!

    [He Zhichu]: I¡¯m going home, and I¡¯m noting back. You don¡¯t have to continue looking for Nianzhi. If you want to avenge Little Nianzhi, kill Gu Yanran.

    What did this mean?

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily stunned.

    What did He Zhichu mean?

    Did he know that Gu Nianzhi had already...?

    Huo Shaoheng felt a chill run down his spine. It was as if the Arctic air had suddenly invaded his office, freezing him from the inside out.

    He stood in the middle of his office, his eyes fixed on his phone, as still as a statue.

    The veins on his forehead bulged, and he gripped his phone so tightly that it was almost squashed.

    When he noticed him, Yin Shixiong rushed over to take the phone from him and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t vent your anger on the phone, there are many important messages inside...¡±

    At that moment, he saw the text message He Zhichu sent. It shed on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone screen and disappeared.

    The phone screen turned ck, and it was locked again.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes were wide open, and his mouth was wide enough to fit an egg.

    ¡°This, this, this... What does Professor He mean by this?! Nianzhi... Nianzhi has already been killed? Could this be rted to Gu Yanran?!¡± Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t believe it.

    He screamed, ¡°... it can¡¯t be? ! We specifically locked Gu Yanran up! She¡¯s been locked up for almost a year! How could she have nned such an operation?¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s so powerful, why didn¡¯t she go to heaven? Why didn¡¯t she kidnap herself first and deal with Nianzhi first?¡±

    ¡°This ispletely illogical!¡±

    Yin Shixiong refused to believe this possibility.

    Zhao Liangze looked up from behind theputer and asked nkly, ¡°Big Xiong, it¡¯s so early in the morning, what are you talking about? What happened to Nianzhi? She¡¯ll be fine, and Xiao Ye will be fine as well... Besides, what does this have to do with Gu Yanran?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t figure it out either, and for some reason, his heart was beating wildly.

    The thumping sound echoed in his ears like the beating of a drum.

    What did He Zhichu mean?!

    After a long time, Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh and slowly calmed down. He looked up and enunciated word by word, ¡°... I want to see her if she¡¯s alive, and I want to see her corpse if she¡¯s dead. Even if you can run away, you can¡¯t run away from god. Have our people in North America follow He Zhichu immediately, and then have the South American field agents guard the area around the He family¡¯s home in South America. We¡¯ll see when he returns.¡±

    He Zhichu wanted to run away after saying such stupid words?

    Did he really think he didn¡¯t know where his hometown was?

    He wouldn¡¯te back if he didn¡¯t say so?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was solemn.

    Two years ago, when He Zhichu first appeared, Huo Shaoheng had sent people to investigate his background in South America.

    The underground godfather of South America was indeed very powerful, but no matter how powerful he was, he could notpete with the power of the entire country of Huaxia.

    Just like how Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze reacted, Huo Shaoheng also refused to believe that Gu Nianzhi had already been killed.

    However, the mention of ¡®Gu Yanran¡¯ in He Zhichu¡¯s text made him vignt.

    Was there really a weakpoint in their manpower?

    Such that Gu Yanran could run amok in their territory?

    But just as Yin Shixiong had said, this did not make sense at all.

    If Gu Yanran really had that much power, her first priority would be to get herself out of jail.

    Otherwise, she would be at the mercy of Huo Shaoheng. Even if she killed Gu Nianzhi, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape death.

    It didn¡¯t make sense.

    But since He Zhichu had said so, he must have had his reasons.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and made up his mind. He said, ¡°... as for Gu Yanran, I want you to check all the surveince cameras at the ce where Gu Yanran is being held. Don¡¯t make any moves for the time being. Tighten up security on the outside, but loosen up on the inside. Don¡¯t alert the enemy. Check to see if anyone has contacted her.¡±

    He wanted to wait and see who was so powerful that they would dare to support Gu Yanran at this juncture.

    This ce was the territory of the special operations forces. There were people more important and powerful than Gu Yanran, but so far, no one had been able to do anything when they were locked inside.

    What was going on?

 Chapter 1448 - Secrets Buried by Time (6)

    <h4>Chapter 1448: Secrets Buried by Time (6)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng swiped open his phone and stared at the text message He Zhichu sent expressionlessly.

    He had read that short sentence over and over again for half an hour.

    ¡°Little Ze, y the video of He Zhichu watching the surveince footage.¡± Huo Shaoheng tucked away his phone and tapped his fingers on his desk.

    Zhao Liangze quickly connected the surveince footage from the office that day to the big screen on the wall. Then, he yed it.

    They had recorded He Zhichu¡¯s every move in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office that day.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the big screen on the wall without batting an eyelid. When the surveince footage disyed the appearance of the four ck SUVs, Huo Shaoheng sat up straight. ¡°y the footage again.¡±

    Zhao Liangze reyed the footage.

    They saw He Zhichu standing in the middle of the office, his eyes also fixed on the big screen on the wall.

    His expression did not change much until the four ck SUVs appeared. His eyes had shed very quickly.

    That expression was too fleeting. If it weren¡¯t for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sharp eyes and the slow speed of the surveince footage, it would have been difficult to notice.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers tapped lightly on the table. He felt that there was indeed something wrong with He Zhichu¡¯s attitude towards the four cars...

    He furrowed his brows. It was almost as though he was discussing with Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze as he talked to himself. ¡°... Nianzhi should be fine. If something happened if it really happened... He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t have reacted in this way.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze quickly nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, yes, yes! If anything really happened to Nianzhi, Professor He would have torn down our building today!¡±

    ¡°He must have deliberately misled us!¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want us to follow him to save Nianzhi!¡±

    The two of them chimed in, but in reality, they were all acting tough on the inside.

    They were also worried.

    What if it was a one in a million chance?

    Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Judging from He Zhichu¡¯s reaction, he probably caught onto some clues regarding Nianzhi¡¯s abduction. Maybe he even knows who did it?¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze nced at each other. Both of them scratched their heads at the same time and found it difficult to answer this question.

    This was because the answer to this question was rted to their future ns and also directly rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life and death.

    Huo Shaoheng was also conflicted. Of course, he hoped that He Zhichu would really be able to save Gu Nianzhi.

    It was better for her to be in the hands of He Zhichu rather than the hands of unknown criminals.

    However, he absolutely couldn¡¯t let He Zhichu gain possession of Gu Nianzhi. Hence, at the end of the day, he still had to pursue this matter.

    ¡°Continue to investigate, and keep an eye on He Zhichu.¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Big Xiong, help me with the procedures to go fly the States.¡±

    He paused. ¡°Use another identity.¡±

    He was going to use another identity to enter the States.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze objected in unison. ¡°Huo Shao! You can¡¯t go! I¡¯ll go!¡±

    They couldn¡¯t let their Commander be in danger again.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the window and rested his hands on the windowsill. He looked out at the hot summer sun and pursed his lips. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Help me with the paperwork. The two of you will go with me.¡±

    Yin Shixiong had just finished the paperwork for his trip to the United States in the afternoon when they received an unexpectedly important message from their field staff at B University.

    ¡°Huo, Professor He has resigned from B University! He really isn¡¯ting back?!¡± Yin Shixiong quickly ryed the field staff¡¯s findings to Huo Shaoheng and forwarded He Zhichu¡¯s resignation email to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mailbox.

    They had been hoping for a fluke, but they hadn¡¯t expected He Zhichu to resign from his position as a professor ofw at B University.

    He truly did not n to return to the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly said, ¡°Contact the field staff in the United States and ask them about He Zhichu¡¯s job in the United States.¡±

    He Zhichu was a partner at thergestw firm in the United States, as well as a tenured professor at Harvard Law School.

    He Zhichu worked these two jobs before he came to teach at the Huaxia Empire¡¯s B University.

    An hourter, two unfortunate pieces of news came from the field in the United States.

    ¡°Professor He has resigned from Harvard Law School in the United States and has sold his partner¡¯s shares in the number onew firm.¡±

    ¡°All of Professor He¡¯s properties in the United States have been transferred to a trust fund.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his fists tightly. ¡°When did this happen?¡±

    ¡°... this morning.¡±

    The American Field Officer gave him a time.

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and looked at it. It was the time He Zhichu sent him a text message.

    In other words, He Zhichu had sent several emails the moment he returned to the United States that morning. He had resigned from B University, resigned from Harvard Law School, asked someone to resell his partner¡¯s shares. He also signed the transfer of the trust fund at the same time and he transferred all of his property to a trust fund.

    No matter how he looked at it, it didn¡¯t seem like a premeditated move.

    ording to the information obtained by the American Field Office, He Zhichu sold his partner¡¯s shares at a low price. It had been a very rushed decision.

    Immediately after, the field personnel of the special operations forces in South America who were in charge of keeping an eye on the He family also sent an urgent message.

    ¡°He Zhichu transferred all of the He family¡¯s assets in South America to the big families in Colombia a few hours ago. The He family¡¯s influence was reduced to ashes almost overnight.¡±

    Bang!

    Huo Shaoheng punched his desk and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth, ¡°... There¡¯s no need to go to America, head directly to South America!¡±

    He wanted to see what He Zhichu was up to!

    ...

    ording to their investigation, the He family had risen to power in Colombia seven years ago and controlled many political and gang forces in South America. They were known as the ¡®Underground Godfather¡¯ of South America.

    In just seven years, the He family had risen to power. The Presidents of South America had taken turns to take power, and yet they all had to listen to the He family.

    Seven yearster, He Zhichu had actually given up all his power without hesitation. What was he thinking?

    What exactly was he nning to do?

    Huo Shaoheng had this question in mind as he took his private jet to Havana, the capital of Cuba.

    After nearly 20 hours of flight, he was only able to sleep on the ne.

    When he got off the ne, he had already fully recovered.

    His expression was calm andposed. When he shook hands with the Cuban officials who hade to pick him up, he was still able to maintain hisposure and engage in a leisurely chat with the diplomats who hade to wee him.

    This time, Huo Shaoheng hade to Cuba in the name of an official visit.

    In any case, they shared a good rtionship with Cuba and had many opportunities for military cooperation.

    It was reasonable for Huo Shaoheng to visit as the Deputy Secretary of the Military Supreme Council to inspect the military cooperation projects between the two countries.

    The CIA in the United States was also paying attention to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s visit, but they did not have many people in Cuba, so they could not keep an eye on him at all times.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze had already changed their appearances without them noticing. They left Havana, the capital of Cuba, and went straight to He Zhichu¡¯s hometown, the small town of Uyuni in the southwestern part of Bolivia in South America.

    Although the He family was famous in Colombia, their hometown was not in Colombia, but in Bolivia.

    The small town of Uyuni in Bolivia was located in the hignds of the Andes Mountains, with an elevation of 3,600 to 3,700 meters.

    The small town had a world-famous scenic spot ¡ª the Uyuni salt marsh, also known as the ¡®mirror of the sky¡¯.

    From December to March every year, the clear water of the Lipaz River would be injected into the white salt marsh outside the small town of Uyuni, forming a shallowke as transparent as ss.

    The entire salt marsh shallowke upied an area of more than 9,000 square kilometers. When the sun shone, the surface of the shallowke became a huge mirror.

    The blue sky and white clouds, the morning light, and sunset glow was reflected clearly in the salt marsh shallowke. Due to the vast area of thiske, the surface appeared smooth and t. Moreover, it was located in a hignd. Hence, the surface was highly reflective.

    The sky and clouds were reflected in the shallowke, as well as the people near it. The blue sky and white clouds were above their heads, and theke and mountains were covered in the blue sky and white clouds below their feet. Theke and mountains looked like they were being reflected in a mirror. Hence, the scenery here was called the ¡®mirror of the sky¡¯.

    Because the reflectivity of the surface was very high, this was also the best ce to test and calibrate the Earth¡¯s remote sensing satellites.

    When Huo Shaoheng and the others arrived, it was August.

    During August, it was summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and winter in the southern hemisphere. It was also the dry season of the saltmarsh in Uyuni.

    Therefore, when they drove into the small town of Uyuni and passed by the famous ¡®mirror of the sky¡¯, they saw nothing but a vast expanse of salt marsh. There was no sign of theke at all.

    Their guide was the team leader of the Special Operations Forces in South America. His surname was Cui. He was a young man, so they called him Little Cui.

    Little Cui drove the SUV and ferried Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze. He was very excited. ¡°Huo Shao, are you feeling unwell?? This is a high teau. If you are suffering from altitude sickness, I have acetazmide here to aid with breathing. Sildenafil can alleviate pulmonary edema. There¡¯s also dexamethasone, which can alleviate cerebral edema. Do you want to take some?¡±

    Yin Shixiong, who was sitting in the passenger seat, found it funny and said, ¡°Does our Huo Shao¡¯s body require such medicines? Little Cui, you carry a lot of pills with you, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Little Cui didn¡¯t mind at all. He said with a smile, ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I grew up in the southern ins. Altitude sickness is quite amon problem, so I carry a lot of pills with me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t bear it and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re not used to this ce, you should apply to transfer back or transfer somewhere else.¡±

    Little Cui quickly shook his head. He said, ¡°No need, no need! I¡¯m a soldier. I¡¯ll go wherever I¡¯m needed. As for these difficulties, it¡¯s a piece of cake. I can ovee them. Besides, I¡¯ve been here for several years. No one is more familiar with the geographical environment and the local customs than me.¡±

 Chapter 1449 - Secrets Buried by Time (7)

    <h4>Chapter 1449: Secrets Buried by Time (7)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked out of the car window at the hignd scenery of the Andes mountains. He thought to himself, it seemed that they had to add an environmental adaptation test to the selection process for field personnel.

    The hignd reaction was something that could only be known at the Hignd.

    A healthy and strong man was sometimes more prone to hignd reaction than a skinny woman.

    However, he didn¡¯t say anything and followed little Cui into Uyuni town in silence.

    This ce was very rich in natural resources. In addition to thergest natural salt marsh in the world, there were also rich lithium mines under the salt mines.

    It was said that the lithium mines here ounted for more than half of the world¡¯s lithium mines.

    Little Cui introduced them with familiarity, ¡°Although this is a small country, it pays great attention to protecting its natural resources. You know about lithium mines, right? Lithium mines were the mainponent of cell phone batteries. In recent years, lithium mines had suddenly be a hotmodity, but the president here did not want to be exploited prematurely. But how could they beat the demands of the royal kingdoms in the Middle East and the big countries in Europe and the United States? It was the he family that came out of nowhere and supported the local government behind the scenes. That was why they were able to carry out small-scale lithium mining development ording to their own timetable.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the main industries here are still tourism and salt.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly moved. The He family had some foresight after all..

    The group of people sat in an SUV and stopped in front of a pure white hotel.

    This was the most famous white sand hotel in Uyuni town. It was built entirely from the white salt in the Uyuni salt marshes outside the town.

    Little Cui had booked a room for them here before they came.

    They went in to chat with the tanned hignd girl at the front desk. Little Cui took the key card and led them upstairs to their rooms.

    After settling in, the four of them disguised themselves as tourists. They carried backpacks, wore dark sunsses, and khaki fisherman hats as they walked out of the white sand hotel.

    It was their first time here, so of course, they had to pretend to be tourists and visit everywhere.

    Huo Shaoheng and the others had been paying attention to the town for a long time, but only found out two years ago that this was also he zhichu¡¯s hometown.

    The residents of the town were simple, warm, and very talkative. They still remembered the he family¡¯s situation and had good reviews.

    They spoke a localnguage, but they also spoke Spanish.

    Little Cui had been stationed in South America for many years and spoke fluent Spanish, so he acted as their interpreter.

    Huo Shaoheng could actually speak Spanish too, but at this time, he only pretended not to understand, like a standard tourist from Asia.

    ..

    An Indian girl with long braids was selling salted fish made by her own family in front of her house. Her big eyes sparkled, and she said with a smile, ¡°You can ask the he family? They¡¯re very lucky!¡±

    ¡°Lucky?¡±

    ¡°Yes! The He family used to live in the east end of the town. There were only a few families. They were not in good health and often got sick. ording to my grandmother, they moved here from other ces.¡±

    The old grandmother wearing a flowery headscarf sold the animals she made to them while saying, ¡°The he family? I know them, but they have passed away.¡±As she said that, she pouted in a certain direction.

    ¡°They¡¯ve all passed away?¡±Little Cui asked in surprise. ¡°No Way...¡±

    ¡°Oh, not all of them have passed away.¡±The old grandmother replied nonchntly, ¡°There was one family. I think there was one with the surname He. They moved away 13 years ago. Later, the son of that family heard that he had made a fortune outside and sent people back to renovate their family¡¯s cemetery.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the others looked at each other and asked about the exact time. The old grandmother could not remember clearly.

    They could only continue to wander around the town and ask questions.

    In order not to attract the attention of others, they didn¡¯t ask about the he family every day.

    Instead, they followed other tourists around. When they ran into a local, they asked again.

    After a few days, they quietly visited the entire town. They chatted with the superintendent/chief (when addressing him) and the mayor. After eating, they gathered a lot of information about the he family.

    It was simr to the information they had gathered in the past.

    At night, the four of them gathered in Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong¡¯s room, to sum up the gains they had made over the past few days.

    ¡°ording to the information from the police station here, the He family came to live here from abroad several decades ago. There aren¡¯t many of them, only three.¡±Zhao liangze started with the information he had found from the police station¡¯sputer, ¡°But they all use Spanish names here. Other than the surname, you can tell it¡¯s the He family name. It¡¯s very difficult to match all the names.¡±

    Yin shixiong also said, ¡°What we can be sure of is that the he family who moved here has a very average financial situation. They aren¡¯t rich. The He family¡¯s men all have inherited diseases. Most of them died before they reached the age of thirty. ¡°Thest he family left here thirteen years ago. It was said that they went to Colombia.¡±

    Xiao cui added, ¡°I think the family that moved away is he zhichu and his father. ording to the memories of the neighbors here, Mr. he said that he wanted to treat his son¡¯s illness, but he didn¡¯t expect that he would die at such a young age like the other he family members.¡±

    ¡°After the family left, they never came back. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until seven years ago that a motorcade suddenly arrived and built a luxurious cemetery for the He family here. They also built an ancestral hall and hired local people to offer sacrifices on time every year. ¡°Only then did the people here know that the he family that moved away 13 years ago became rich.¡±

    Little Cui looked at Huo Shaoheng after he finished speaking. ¡°Huo Shao, professor he and the others left here 13 years ago. They returned home with great wealth seven years ago, so it took them six years to be South America¡¯s Underground Godfathers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows and rested his chin on his hand. He said lightly, ¡°The family that left here 13 years ago was said to be three people. Mr. He, Mr. He¡¯s son, and a nanny brought him up when he was young.¡±

    He looked out the window. ¡°Where is He Zhichu¡¯s father? And where is this nanny of his?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was puzzled. ¡°Are you so sure that the he family that moved away from here is professor he¡¯s Family?¡±

    ¡°Other than their family, who else¡¯s family is there?¡±Zhao Liangze asked, ¡°All the other he family members died of illness. Only the family that moved away survived, and they even came back to build the cemetery. This is true. Everyone in town says that the underground godfather of all South America is from Uyuni town.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze argued with each other, but neither could convince the other.

    Huo Shaoheng knocked on their heads and said, ¡°Stop arguing. The investigation is almost done. Let¡¯s go to the cemetery tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    Early the next morning, Little Cui brought them to the cemetery in Uyuni.

    In the middle of the cemetery, there was a white salt path that divided the entire cemetery into two.

    On the left side of the path was the best spot. Behind the mountains, there was ake. Seven or eight snow-white tombstones stood quietly under the blue sky, at the top of the mountains.

    The wind from the teau blew from afar, carrying the sound of the wind, like the whimpering of the dead.

    The tombstones on the right side were more and denser, but their sizes were uneven and they were crooked. They could not bepared to the seven or eight tombstones on the left side of the cemetery.

    An old woman wearing a gorgeous teau dress and a headscarf stood in front of a tombstone, covering her face and crying.

    Little Cui pointed at the cemetery on the left side and said in a low voice,¡±... This is the cemetery of the He family. Seven years ago, professor he¡¯s family sent people back to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors, and they renovated the cemetery here.¡±

    ¡°No wonder the cemetery here is so new,¡±Yin Shixiong said in a low voice, putting his palms together and bowing in front of the cemetery.

    The tombstone in front of the old woman was updated as if it had just been erected here.

    Because the people here did not understand Chinese, when Huo Shaoheng and the others spoke in Chinese, they did not lower their voices.

    The old man who was covering his face and crying in front of the tombstone heard them. He paused and turned to look at them.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    In the past few days, they had almost visited the entire town but had not seen this old woman.

    This old woman clearly looked Chinese.

    Huo Shaoheng intentionally greeted her in Chinese, ¡°Hello, are you also a tourist?¡±

    The old woman wiped her hands on her dress, shook her head, and said stiffly, ¡°No.¡±With that, she left the cemetery and headed for the town.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her back and gave little Cui a look.

    Little Cui understood and pretended to enjoy the scenery as he followed her.

    Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao liangze wandered around the cemetery for a while. They took photos of every tombstone and nned to take them back for research.

    Little Cui followed them and returned not long after.

    He panted and said excitedly to huo shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shaoheng! This old woman just returned to the town yesterday. Can You Guess Who she is?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind raced as he blurted out, ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s nanny?¡±

    Little Cui:¡±! ! !¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re amazing!¡±He gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart jumped with excitement. ¡°How did shee back? Where did shee from?¡±

    Little Cui led them as they walked. ¡°I just asked this old woman¡¯s neighbors. They said that a luxury car brought her back yesterday, and a truck brought two coffins. They just buried her. The other party was very respectful to her and let her stay in the He family¡¯s best house. There were also doctors and nurses who came to check on her body.¡±

    ¡°Was it arranged by professor he?¡±Yin Shixiong asked quietly.

    ¡°No.¡±Little Cui shook his head. ¡°I asked. The person who brought her back was the big local family in Colombia, the one the he family transferred all their assets to.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks. He suddenly had a bad feeling.

    He had thought that he would be able to wait for the right person here.

    In the end, he zhichu had no intention of going back to his hometown.

    He had even arranged for his own nanny. It was clear that he was going to live in seclusion.

    The world was so big. Where was he going to find him?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head started to hurt.

    ¡°Huo Shao?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath and went to find the old woman to get some information.

    They arrived at the He family¡¯s mansion.

    This was a typical spanish-style building that had been built seven years ago.

    The old woman was sitting by the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, staring nkly at the statue in the fountain.

    It was a naked boy with wings on his back.

    Huo Shaoheng knocked lightly on the metal door that was half the height of a man.

    The old woman turned to see them. Perhaps it was because they were all Chinese, she asked gently, ¡°May I ask what is the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out a photo of he zhichu that he had taken before and said, ¡°We¡¯re looking for this person. Do You Know Him?¡±

    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±The old woman looked at him curiously. Her gaze moved to the photo in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and suddenly stopped.

    Tears suddenly welled up in her turbid eyes. She took the photo from Huo Shaoheng and cried andughed in fear. ¡°This is my young master, my little Ah Chu... how do you have a photo of him?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re his friends,¡±Huo Shaoheng said patiently. ¡°But he suddenly disappeared, so we¡¯re looking for him.¡±

    ¡°Disappeared?¡±The old woman frowned. ¡°What do you mean he disappeared?¡±

    ¡°He suddenly said he was going to leave and wouldn¡¯te back, so we couldn¡¯t contact him anymore. We were worried that something had happened to him, so we came to his hometown to take a look.¡±

    As they spoke, a woman dressed as a nurse walked out of the mansion and said to the old woman, ¡°Great-aunt, are you tired? Do you want to go in and rest?¡±

    ¡°Great-aunt?¡±Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°May I ask if you¡¯re He Zhichu¡¯s great-aunt? Howe we¡¯ve never heard of him having a great-aunt?¡±

    Didn¡¯t everyone in town say that he was a nanny?

    How did he be a great-aunt?

    The old woman wiped her tears with her hand and waved at the nurse. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. You can go back first.¡±

    The nurse nodded and politely greeted Huo Shaoheng and the others before packing up the medical kit and leaving.

    After she left, the old woman stood up and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not he zhichu¡¯s great-aunt. In fact, I¡¯m his nanny.¡±

    ¡°Then why...¡±

    ¡°Then why did those people say I¡¯m his great-aunt?¡±The old woman smiled bitterly. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know how to say it either.¡±

    She caressed the photo of he zhichu that Huo Shaoheng had given her and said, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    She seemed to have a lot on her mind and wanted to tell someone.

    She brought Huo Shaoheng and the others to the cemetery where they had just left. The old woman pointed at a rtively small tombstone, ¡°I don¡¯t know who this he zhichu is. I only know that my young master, My Ah Chu, died 13 years ago. He died in my arms.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze shouted in unison.

    A gust of wind blew from the top of the mountain, and the cemetery was filled with gusts of cold wind.

    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

    He zhichu, who had argued in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office a few days ago, was now hearing from this old woman that he zhichu had died 13 years ago?!

    So who was he zhichu, who had appeared beside Gu Nianzhi two years ago?

    ¡°Are you mistaken? We saw him a few days ago.¡±Huo Shaoheng saw that the old woman was old, but he didn¡¯t really trust her memory. What if she had Alzheimer¡¯s?

    ¡°Yes, yes. I showed you the video of him. It was taken a few days ago, and he was throwing a tantrum!¡±Zhao Liangze said as he showed the old woman he zhichu¡¯s surveince footage that he had downloaded to his phone.

    The old woman only took one look before she wrapped herself tightly around her cape embroidered with fiery bird and said lightly, ¡°I know this person. I even went to look for him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained expressionless. ¡°Really? May I ask where you¡¯ve been living all these years? Have you not been with him?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±The old woman shook her head, she said tiredly, ¡°We left here to seek medical treatment, but before we could find him, Mr. He passed away. Later, the young master also died. I didn¡¯t have the money to send them back for burial. ¡°I¡¯ve been working outside, trying to save enough money to send their coffins back to Huaxia. ¡°Untilst year, I saw a person on TV who looked exactly like my young master, also called he zhichu!¡±

    If her young master hadn¡¯t passed away at the age of 16, he zhichu would definitely have looked like this!

 Chapter 1450 - Secrets Buried by Time (8)

    <h4>Chapter 1450: Secrets Buried by Time (8)</h4>

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to bring their coffins back to Huaxia? Why are you back here?¡±Huo Shaoheng looked down at the tombstone in front of him, which was obviously brand new. The name engraved on it was in Spanish, so he couldn¡¯t tell who it was.

    The old woman held a handkerchief and wiped the tombstone in front of her reluctantly. She whispered, ¡°That gentleman left. He had someone send me back...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. His eyes darkened as he looked at the new grave in front of him. It was as if he wished he could see through the phenomenon and see the true nature of the grave.

    Yin shixiong whispered to Zhao liangze, ¡°Professor he must have predicted that we would definitelye to his hometown to wait for him, so he simply sent this person back, right? !¡±

    ¡°... he used this method to tell us his true origin?¡±Zhao liangze took his phone and sent a message to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and did notment.

    He tapped his finger on the tombstone twice and turned to look at the old woman. ¡°Are you willing to go back to Huaxia? If you are, I can take you and their coffins back to Huaxia to be buried.¡±

    ¡°AH? Really? You¡¯re from Huaxia?¡±The old woman was surprised and happy. She looked up at him eagerly. ¡°I want to go back to the northeast. That¡¯s our real home...¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±Huo Shaoheng remembered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grandfather¡¯s suicide note, and his eyes darkened. He pointed at the tombstones in the cemetery and said, ¡°They¡¯re all from the northeast?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been many years. We¡¯ve lived here since the war ended.¡±The old woman sighed. ¡°I heard that our country is very powerful now...¡±

    The old overseas Chinese who had left their homnd for decades were like duckweed. Their greatest wish was to return to their roots.

    No matter how much turmoil their homnd had experienced and how much mud they had walked through, it always had an unusual attraction to the Chinese.

    No matter how far they had walked, they always wanted toe back.

    Since Huo Shaoheng had agreed to take them back, it was only natural that he had the ability to take them back.

    The old woman did not decline, nor did she consider whether Huo Shaoheng was a liar.

    After all, she was almost 70 years old and had nothing. She was only guarding this cemetery. What could be deceived?

    She only wanted to return to Huaxia. If Huo Shaoheng could fulfill herst wish, so what if she was deceived by him?

    The old woman did not know Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity and status at all. She only had a hunch that he was a very capable and reliable person.

    Under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s control, all the remains of the He family in the cemetery were quickly extracted from the ground and ced in small coffins before being transported to the airport at the foot of the mountain.

    The old woman pointed at the two new coffins she had just brought back and said, ¡°This is Mr. He, and this is the young master.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Who? Who is the young master?¡±

    ¡°... Ah Chu... My Ah Chu, he zhichu.¡±The old woman said stubbornly as she slowly caressed the new cherry-wood coffin.

    Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Little Cui looked at each other. None of them believed what the old woman said.

    Although the coffin was new, the two skeletons inside had already be skeletons. They had been dead for at least ten years.

    Could this person be he zhichu? !

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and instructed them to board the ne.

    This time, he transferred a transport ne to transport the remains of the He family¡¯s cemetery.

    Little Cui ran around to help. When she finally saw the ne fly up into the clouds, her eyes were still red. She waved her hands at the airport for a long time.

    ..

    Sitting in his private ne, Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and closed his eyes to rest.

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong sat opposite him. The old woman insisted on staying with the He family¡¯s bones. They couldn¡¯t persuade her to stay, so they let her sit on the transport ne.

    Therefore, there were only Huo Shaoheng, yin shixiong, and Zhao Liangze in the private ne.

    Zhao Liangze looked at the oral notes of the old woman that he had recorded, he whispered to yin shixiong, ¡°ording to the nanny, he zhichu left this ce at the age of 16. How did he finish university, Law School, and be a full-time professor at Harvard Law School in seven years?¡±

    Yin Shixiong:¡±...¡±

    ¡°This speed, only Nianzhi can do it, right?¡±

    The underachiever said sourly, showing that he did not understand the world of the top students.

    Zhao liangze shook his head. ¡°This is not just a matter of academic qualifications. Professor he¡¯s demeanor and habits, he really doesn¡¯t look like a teenager who has lived in a small town in South America for 16 years.¡±

    ..

    The two nes flew for another 30 hours before they finally returned from Bolivia, South America, to the T3 terminal of the imperial capital International Airport.

    Two days and one night, they returned from winter to summer.

    The old woman got off the ne and looked at the new, super-modern airport. Countlessrge nes were lined up neatly on the tarmac.

    In the distance, the lights were lit up. The lights were as smooth as steel, decorating the entire city with brilliant colors.

    This scene was like a lifetime ago when they had left a country that was riddled with holes.

    The old woman covered her mouth with her hand and sobbed, ¡°I¡¯m back, I brought you back.¡±With that, she tilted her body and fell to the ground.

    ¡°Call an ambnce!¡±Huo Shaoheng walked over quickly. Yin Shixiong had already half-squatted down to check the old woman¡¯s breath. He then opened her eyes and looked at her face. His heart immediately felt stifled.

    ¡°Huo Shao... she¡¯s already gone...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the old woman and took off his military cap without a word. He observed five minutes of silence before ordering someone to freeze her body and wait for her to be sent back to the northeast for burial.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the special operations forces with seven or eight small coffins. He handed them over to Chen Lie and a few strands of hair he zhichu found in the Professor Building of B University¡¯s he zhichu suite. ¡°Take a DNA test.¡±

    These people had been dead for a long time, but the DNA in the bone grafts and teeth could be extracted.

    Chen lie had seen a lot of things, so he didn¡¯t press Huo Shaoheng¡¯s request. He immediately went to theb to get the DNA ready for sequencing.

    Eight hourster, his sequencing wasplete.

    The results shocked him greatly.

    ¡°Huo! Come quickly!¡±Chen lie called Huo Shaoheng in a hurry.

    Huo Shaoheng rushed over immediately. He had Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze stand guard at the door while he talked to Chen lie in his office.

    ¡°What¡¯s the result?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked in a low voice.

    Chen lie showed him the DNA sequencing results and rubbed his hands together. ¡°These people are all rtives. There¡¯s no doubt about it. You asked me to focus on these two skeletons...¡±he pointed to the two small coffins that the old woman had brought back to Uyuni town, ¡°They are father and son.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, his expression calm. ¡°What else? The Hair I gave you from he zhichu...¡±

    ¡°This is the most amazing discovery!¡±Chen Lie knocked on the writing board in his office with the teaching whip. He said excitedly, ¡°He zhichu¡¯s DNA is exactly the same as this 16-year-old boy¡¯s!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly looked up. ¡°Really? Exactly the same? How simr?¡±

    ¡°Like identical twins.¡±Chen lieughed. ¡°It¡¯s even more simr than identical twins. It¡¯s like two backup files, one of which is a copy of the other.¡±

    It was possible for identical twins to have different mutations at individual DNA nodes, but there was no difference between he zhichu and the 16-year-old boy.

    It could be said that if the 16-year-old he zhichu had grown up, he would have looked like the professor he they were familiar with.

    But this professor he and the teenager who had died at the age of 16 were clearly two different people!

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and frowned slightly. He muttered in Chen Lie¡¯s office, ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s nanny said that Mr. he only had this one son and did not have twins.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±Chen lie spreads his hands, ¡°It can¡¯t be a human clone either, because no other country has such technology. To be honest, whoever has this technology can really go to heaven. ¡°A few years ago, a certain country cloned a sheep, and it was a short-lived sheep with all sorts of gic defects. ¡°The process of cloning a human is even moreplicated. Under the current conditions, it¡¯spletely impossible to clone professor he¡¯s healthy, Normal, and intelligent appearance.¡±

    In a sense, gic technology was even more difficult to develop than advanced weapons.

    ¡°Even a genius is impossible?¡±Huo Shaoheng thought of Gu Xiangwen. He remembered the impressive man¡¯s resume.

    ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s father started studying MD + Ph.D. at the age of 16. He finished his degree in three years after others finished in eight years. After finishing his degree, he became a resident doctor for two years. He was also interested in physics. At the age of 20, he applied for a Ph.D. in physics, which was ranked first at MIT. He graduated after only three years.¡±

    ¡°After graduating with a Ph.D. in physics, he went to study biology.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Chen Lie. ¡°Look, Gu Xiangwen¡¯sst degree was a Ph.D. in Biology.¡±

    Could it be rted to gic technology?

    Chen lie thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. I¡¯ve also studied the academic papers that Gu Xiangwen published. In biology, his research is not in the direction of cloning, so I don¡¯t think he can clone healthy and normal people.¡±

    ¡°Besides, if he could, he wouldn¡¯t be helpless against his daughter¡¯s illness.¡±Chen lie pointed out another piece of evidence. ¡°Do you still remember hisst words?¡±

    The thing that he regretted the most when he was dying was that he had not cured his daughter¡¯s gic disease.

    This was another suspicious point.

    He Zhichu¡¯s line waspletely cut off, but there was still no news of Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Xiangwen¡¯s heaven-defying technology did not include the gic level, so where was his breakthrough point?

    Huo Shaoheng walked around the room a few times. The text message he zhichu had sent him before he disappeared kept reying in his mind.

    ¡°... Revenge for Little Nianzhi. Kill Gu Yanran for her life.¡±

    Gradually, the suspicion in his heart pointed to a person.

    He turned around and said, ¡°Seal all your sequencing results and list them as top-secret materials. I¡¯ll go find the truth!¡±

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng brought Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze to the ce where Gu Yanran was being held.

    This was the special operations forces territory. The security here was no less than that of the local prisons.

    They walked along the long, dark corridor. The buildings here were like a fortress, with no windows at all.

    Normally, there was still time for the prison to let the prisoners out, but being locked up here, they could only see the ceiling of the cell.

    The prisoners who were locked up here could not ess the inte or make a phone call. At most, they could only read the newspapers and watch TV.

    If Gu Yanran was the mastermind behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance and was robbed, how would she be able to spread the news to the outside world? It was obviously impossible.

    He zhichu must have meant something else when he said, ¡°If you want to avenge Little Nianzhi, kill Gu Yanran for her life.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng fell into deep thought again.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were extremely nervous.

    The results of the He family¡¯s DNA sequencing were too unbelievable. They hadn¡¯t recovered from their shock yet.

    If it wasn¡¯t a clone? Then what was it?

    Huo Shaoheng was also wondering if his search had gone in the wrong direction?

    Those people had kidnapped Gu Nianzhi. Was it not because of her special constitution?

    But what did the text message that President Chen received on his phone mean?

    Could it be that the person who had sent the text message to President Chen was not in cahoots with the people who had kidnapped Gu Nianzhi?

    The turbulent emotions gradually calmed down after seeing Gu Yanran.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was calm as he strode into the room.

    Gu Yanran was the only person sitting in the small, square room.

    Thest time, Huo Shaoheng had brought gu nianzhi here to see Gu Yanran.

    It had only been less than a month.

    Gu Yanran was still wearing her gray prison uniform and looked even more haggard than thest time.

    She had been elegant and graceful before, but now she was gone.

    She was so thin that only her bones remained. Her face was devoid of flesh, and her cheekbones were especially high. Her lips were especially thin, and her facial features were even harsher.

    ¡°Eh? Huo Shao, it¡¯s only been less than a month. Why are you here again? Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Didn¡¯t shee with you?¡±Gu Yanran looked behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng walked up to her and stood still with his hands behind his back. He was expressionless. ¡°Gu Yanran, I¡¯m going to ask you onest time. What else are you hiding from us? This time, I don¡¯t have the patience to wait for you to continue thinking. If you still don¡¯t tell me, I won¡¯t be polite.¡±

    Gu Yanran sat in the chair and narrowed her eyes at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What Else Are You Hiding? What do you mean?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took two steps forward and pulled out his gun. He held Gu Yanran¡¯s chin and raised her head, he said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s what I mean. What did you do to Nianzhi? Tell me now. Otherwise, I have ways to make your life a living hell.¡±

    His tone was t, but his tone was chilling.

    He had not tortured her in the past because it was useless in Gu Xiangwen¡¯s case.

    None of them had seen Gu Xiangwen before. Even if she made up a story, they wouldn¡¯t be able to verify it.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was different. All of them were familiar with Gu Nianzhi. If Gu Yanran made up a story, they would immediately be able to tell the truth and make her reincarnate!

    Although Gu Yanran tried her best to endure it, she was still frightened by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tone and shivered. The fear in her eyes couldn¡¯t be suppressed. ¡°What... What did you say? I don¡¯t understand...¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t understand?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gun pressed against Gu Yanran¡¯s chin even harder. His eyes were deep, and his straight nose was like a cleaver, leaving a clear shadow on Gu Yanran¡¯s face.

    ¡°Tell me, what did you do to Nianzhi? !¡±

    Gu Yanran frowned slightly. ¡°What can I do to her? I¡¯m locked up here, and I can¡¯t even make a phone call or surf the inte. What can I do to her?¡±

    Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up.

    Gu Yanran grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wrist and asked anxiously, ¡°Did something happen to Gu Nianzhi? Did something happen to that fake? !¡±

    ¡°Fake?¡±Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°You¡¯re saying Nianzhi is a fake? Are you crazy? Did you forget about thewsuit in the court? Do you still think you¡¯re the Real Miss Gu?¡±

 Chapter 1451 - Secrets Buried by Time (9)

    <h4>Chapter 1451: Secrets Buried by Time (9)</h4>

    Gu Yanran ignored Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sarcastic remarkspletely. She grabbed his wrist and asked doggedly, ¡°Did something happen to that fake !¡±

    Her eyes were shining, as though all her wishes had been fulfilled.

    It was as though she really knew something that no one else knew...

    Even though he was reluctant, Huo Shaoheng still hid the astonishment inside him. He pulled his wrist out of Gu Yanran¡¯s hand and quietly took a step back. ¡°If you know where she is, I¡¯ll consider letting you off easy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had never said such words in his entire career.

    In order to find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts, he was even willing to paint a pie in the sky for Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and froze for a moment. She then leaned back against her seat.

    Her eyes glistening as tears silently welled up in her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling.

    After a while, she confirmed again, ¡°What happened to Gu Nianzhi? Tell me honestly, and I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow and put the gun back into his pocket. He calmly said, ¡°... Nianzhi is missing. We have no leads.¡±

    His tone was too calm as if Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    ¡°Huh? Just missing?¡± His tone affected Gu Yanran¡¯s mood as well. Her previously glowing eyes instantly dimmed.

    Gu Yanran was extremely disappointed. She slowly stood up and said coldly, ¡°I told you that I was staying alive just to see that b * tch¡¯s ending. Since her ending hasn¡¯t arrived yet, I have nothing to say.¡±

    With that said, she turned around and left.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly grabbed her neck from behind. ¡°You want to leave? Do you think I have that much patience?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s patience with Gu Yanran had beenpletely exhausted by now.

    In the beginning, he kept her alive to find out Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts.

    Now that Gu Xiangwen had been found and Gu Nianzhi had asked all the questions she wanted to ask, she was already of no value and could have died a long time ago.

    However, ever since theirst conversation, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had been busy with their work, so they didn¡¯t have time to deal with Gu Yanran.

    Now that Gu Nianzhi had also disappeared, Huo Shaoheng really didn¡¯t want to tolerate this person anymore.

    The force of his hand grew stronger and stronger, and Gu Yanran was so suffocated by Huo Shaoheng that she couldn¡¯t speak. Trying to grab the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand to make him let go, she waved her hands backward.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had already made up his mind. He shouted angrily, ¡°Take her away!¡±

    ..

    Gu Yanran was quickly blindfolded and brought out of the ce where she was being held.

    She didn¡¯t know how long she had walked. She only remembered getting into a car, getting out of a car, getting on a boat, and getting off a boat. She could feel the turbulence on the surface of the water, and she could also smell the faint fishy and salty smell brought about by the wind. Based on her intuition, she probably reached the sea.

    She followed them all the way until they finally entered a room, and her blindfold was removed.

    Surrounded by pure white walls that were as bright as a big screen, the ce was clean and tidy.

    Gu Yanran was fixed to a seat that looked very high-tech, and her hands and feet were shackled.

    A man in white clothes and a mask walked in and connected the electrodes on the seat to Gu Yanran¡¯s brain, face, and spine.

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind the man and said with an impassive expression, ¡°This is thest time. Are you going to tell me or not?¡±

    ¡°So what if I tell you? So what if I don¡¯t tell you? I¡¯ll say it again. Do you want to hear me make up stories?¡± Gu Yanran giggled and even winked at Huo Shaoheng.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng was an upright soldier of the Huaxia Empire. He was highly respected and had a good moral character. He would never do anything to her.

    If she could endure the even polygraph, what was all this inparison?

    Did he think she was scared?

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes shed with indifference.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t miss the fleeting look of contempt on her face.

    ¡°... Do you think I won¡¯t do anything to you?¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed his wrist and said calmly, ¡°... Do you know what ce this is?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked around and smiled seductively. ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s your ce. How does whether or not I know matter?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. This isn¡¯t our ce.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around and put his hands behind his back. His figure was upright and even the sight of his back was pleasing to the eye. ¡°This is a small ind on the high seas.¡±

    It was also a secret base of the Special Operations Forces.

    They would do things that weren¡¯t suitable to be done within the borders of the country.

    Gu Yanran was like a dead mouse who feels no cold. She knows that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape death, so she doesn¡¯t care at all.

    She was fantasizing about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back in her mind and didn¡¯t listen to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words at all.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly turned around. Gu Yanran was caught off guard and evasively retracted her slightly ravenous gaze.

    Suppressing the disgust inside of him, Huo Shaoheng calmly said, ¡°Do you know how many types of pain there are? How many levels there are?¡±

    Gu Yanran shook her head in confusion. She didn¡¯t understand why Huo Shaoheng would ask this.

    ¡°Everyone says that the pain of giving birth is the most unbearable of all pain.¡± Huo Shaoheng quietly walked to the door, ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not right. Everyone has a different tolerance for different types of pain, so the pain they feel is also different.¡±

    He turned off the ceiling light in the pure white room. ¡°Now let¡¯s see which type of pain is the most unbearable for you.¡±

    Gu Yanran finally understood. She looked at Huo Shaoheng in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re going to torture me?! Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re a soldier of the Huaxia Empire! How can you torture me? ¡ª Your organization won¡¯t let you off the hook!¡±

    Major General Huo looked down from above as he said calmly, ¡°First of all, I¡¯m a soldier of the Huaxia Empire, so I won¡¯t do this to my own countrymen, but you, Gu Yanran, aren¡¯t a citizen of the Huaxia Empire, nor are you a descendant of the Huaxia Empire. Why should bewful towards you? Second of all, this is international waters. The Huaxia Empire¡¯sws aren¡¯t applicable to this ce.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s expression gradually turned ugly. She snorted coldly. ¡°What do you want? It¡¯s just torture. Why do you have to turn off the lights? Are you nning to rape me?¡± She chuckled again, ¡°Major General Huo, you don¡¯t have to force yourself on me. I¡¯ll lie down obediently without resisting... I¡¯ll give you the experience to die for...¡±

    She thought that Huo Shaoheng was going to rape her.

    When a female prisoner fell into the hands of the enemy, she usually wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this fate.

    Huo Shaoheng was still calm andposed. He didn¡¯t respond to her at all. He said, ¡°Let me introduce you to the pain you¡¯ll have to go throughter.¡±

    The man in the white coat and mask walked over again. He used two small tools to prop up both of her eyelids and stuffed her mouth.

    This way, she wouldn¡¯t be able to close her eyes or bite her own tongue.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. The four walls of the room, the ceiling above her head, and the floor immediately began ying video clips!

    Like the voice-over of a video, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice rang out.

    ¡°Skinning, waist-breaking, car-breaking, dismemberment, hanging, boiling... these are known as the top ten tortures of ancient times.¡±

    ¡°Enjoy them. A momentter, you¡¯ll get to try them yourself.¡±

    A series of exciting scenes, apanied by terrifying music and screams, were yed on the walls, ceiling, andrge screens on the ground.

    Gu Yanran only took one look, but she was so scared that her entire body was trembling and her face was pale.

    She didn¡¯t want to look, but her eyes were propped up, so she couldn¡¯t close them.

    She turned her head, but the walls around her were all showing the same scenes.

    She looked up and down, and the ceiling above her head and the floor under her feet were all showing the same scenes. The shock of torture was overwhelming and everywhere.

    This kind of psychological attack was sometimes more effective than direct torture.

    Gu Yanran finally burst into tears. She swallowed her saliva and cursed incoherently, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you¡¯re so despicable! Do you think you can make me talk like this? In your dreams! If you have the ability, you can chop me into pieces for real!¡±

    After crying for a while, she finally understood.

    As expected, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t dare to really torture her. He only dared to use these fake images to scare her.

    Her cries gradually stopped, and she red at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng stood quietly at the door. When the torture scenes finished ying, he said, ¡°The original purpose of torture was to make people feel unbearable pain.¡±

    ¡°Under modern-day technological conditions, there¡¯s no need for such primitive methods to make you feel such pain.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand again. ¡°Since you¡¯re so stubborn, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Let¡¯s start with the first one, the skin-peeling pain.¡±

    Not understanding what he meant, Gu Yanran looked at Huo Shaoheng in confusion.

    But she quickly understood.

    The electronic chair began to take effect.

    The needle electrodes attached to her body prated deep into her body and directly connected to her nerves.

    The needle electrodes simted the intensity of the torture of skinning and directly affected Gu Yanran¡¯s nerves.

    Although she wasn¡¯t actually skinned boneless, the same painful sensation as getting skinned shed through her entire body in an instant.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s body stiffened and her eyes almost popped out. She felt her entire body burning as if her skin had really been peeled off. She could see the blood-red flesh, the jumping blood vessels, and her snow-white bones.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Gu Yanran let out an earth-shattering scream. She felt as if she had been fished out of the water, and even her clothes were soaked in a cold sweat.

    Huo Shaoheng remained impassive. ¡°Continue, there are nine more. Try them one by one. After you¡¯ve tried them all but still don¡¯t say anything, we¡¯ll start again from the beginning, and gradually increase the intensity. Let¡¯s see how many you can endure.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had used a high-tech simtion of the intensity of torture to directly affect a person¡¯s pain nerves and magnify the various types of pain by several times.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s punishment didn¡¯t create any wounds. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t cause the other party to lose a piece of flesh or a drop of blood either. There wouldn¡¯t even be a trace of it during an examination. However, the effect was better than that of the ancient torture methods.

    He walked out of the torture chamber and lit a cigarette.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze stood at the door. The two of them were making a bet.

    ¡°I bet more than five minutes, but less than ten minutes. The most impressive terroriststed ten minutes here. She¡¯s already quite...¡±

    Before Yin Shixiong could finish speaking, Gu Yanran¡¯s hoarse voice came from the speaker at the door. ¡°I¡¯ll talk... I¡¯ll talk... kill me when I¡¯m done! I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡±

    Her words were muffled, but everyone heard her clearly.

    Zhao Liangze looked down at the timer. ¡°Fifteen seconds. Pay up.¡±

    Zhao Liangze had bet on less than a minute.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the two of them and turned around to walk in.

    He pressed the pause button on the remote control in his hand and put his hands in his pockets calmly. ¡°Okay, go ahead. If you¡¯re lying, we¡¯ll continue.¡±

    Panting, Gu Yanran looked up. Her face was as white as a ghost¡¯s. ¡°Which Gu Nianzhi are you asking?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank, and the corners of his eyes twitched involuntarily.

    ¡°Which Gu Nianzhi? What do you mean?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately pressed the remote control in his hand. An even more unbearable pain spread along the electrode needle in Gu Yanran¡¯s waist.

    This was the pain of being cut in the waist.

    Gu Yanran was once again overwhelmed by the pain, and her psychological defenses werepletely destroyed. ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk! ¡ª please take this thing away! Ahhh!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingernded on the pause button, but he didn¡¯t press it. He was as calm as a scientificmentator, and his voice was slow. ¡°You talk, I¡¯ll listen. Tell the truth, and I¡¯ll pause. Continue to make up stories, and you¡¯ll continue to enjoy all kinds of pain until you find the most unbearable pain for you.¡±

    Through her blurry teary eyes, Gu Yanran looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face, which appeared even more handsome than before. She vaguely wondered if the devil¡¯s appearance was also like this? He looked incredibly handsome, mesmerizing, and suffocating, but what he did was incredibly cruel...

    The pain on her body had reached a point where she couldn¡¯t bear it. It felt as if a rough hacksaw was sawing at her nerves. The pain was extreme, and she finally understood what it meant to be in a ¡°living hell¡±.

    She only wanted to die quickly. She said intermittently,¡±... Caribbean... Blue Hole...¡±

    She said a few more words, then her head tilted and she fainted.

    The human body¡¯s self-protection mechanism against pain was activated.

    The electric chair had already slowed down the time she fainted. Otherwise, she would have fainted the moment the excruciating pain appeared.

    Huo Shaoheng understood Gu Yanran¡¯s words, and his face instantly became ugly.

    He pressed the pause button, turned around, and walked out of the torture chamber. He said, ¡°Get the ne ready. We¡¯re going to the Blue Hole of the Caribbean.¡±

    ..

    Not long after they had flown back from South America, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne took off again.

    This time, they didn¡¯t use Cuba as a detour. Instead, they contacted Barbados, which was near the Caribbean, and flew directly to the country¡¯s airport.

    To be on the safe side, Huo Shaoheng brought along Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze, as well as Chen Lie and Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t know until she got on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ne that Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped and had been missing for almost two weeks.

    The golden time to rescue her had long passed.

    Song Jinning was extremely anxious. Sheined to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You can¡¯t even keep an eye on the person you love the most? Nianzhi¡¯s feelings for you have gone in vain.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze were dumbfounded!

    She was really a biological mother!

    Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother!

    Major General Huo must havee along as a bonus...

    The two of them looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression with sympathetic eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t speak. Perhaps he was used to the way Song Jinning spoke, or perhaps he was also feeling guilty in his heart, but he didn¡¯t show it on his face. With one hand on the armrest of his seat and the other hand holding the phone while continuously swiping, he was still calm andposed.

 Chapter 1452 - Secrets buried by Shi Guang (10)

    <h4>Chapter 1452: Secrets buried by Shi Guang (10)</h4>

    Gu Yanran was also brought here. Chen Lie had given her a sedative and was currently sleeping in the back cabin of the ne.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored song Jinning¡¯sints. He was still thinking about what Gu Yanran had said before she fainted.

    They hade out this time to verify her statement.

    Huo Shaoheng did not like to use torture when interrogating suspects.

    In ancient times, there was a saying, ¡°Under three trees, there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t ask for.¡±In other words, under torture, no matter what kind of testimony you wanted, the other party would say it.

    However, Huo Shaoheng and the others were in this line of work, and they wanted the truth, not testimony that was in line with their own wishes.

    Therefore, in the process of searching for Gu Xiangwen, they had tested Gu Yanran¡¯s lie. They had also gone through many tiring interrogations, but they had never tortured her.

    The main reason was that they knew nothing about Gu Xiangwen, so they had no way of verifying whether what Gu Yanran said was true or false.

    A confession that could not be proven by other evidence was not reliable.

    This was because other than a confession, it needed to be logical and well-coordinated with physical evidence to be considered aplete chain of evidence.

    No matter what Gu Yanran said at that time, they had no way of verifying Gu Xiangwen¡¯s whereabouts.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng and the others did not bother to make a move.

    However, this time was different.

    Putting aside the fact that Gu Nianzhi was someone they were very familiar with, and that Huo Shaoheng already had he zhichu¡¯s text message as a background, deep down, he was already leaning towards Gu Yanran knowing at least some clues about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s kidnapping.

    Therefore, when Gu Yanran finally said something when she could not withstand the extreme torture, Huo Shaoheng almost subconsciously believed her.

    Not only did she have a confession, but she also provided the most important evidence.

    Now, they were going to the ce she said to look for this evidence.

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head to look outside the window. In the sea of clouds, the sun was like a candy egg that was just inches away.

    If Nianzhi was here, she would definitely pull his arm and make him a candy egg for her to eat..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes dimmed. He pulled down the window and stopped looking at the scenery outside.

    ..

    The ne flew through the clouds. After more than 10 hours, they arrived above the Caribbean Sea. The small country of Barbados was not far ahead.

    At that moment, the ne was flying over the Caribbean Sea. The blue hole on the surface of the sea was darker and denser than the other parts of the sea.

    Song Jinning looked out of the ne¡¯s window and was full of praise for the scenery. She asked, ¡°Did Gu Xiangwen really install an electric fence on the Blue Hole?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled open the window¡¯s panel and looked out. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied.

    However, the purplish-blue lightning that had almost buried them at the bottom of the sea had disappeared.

    He remembered that it was here that Gu Nianzhi had damaged the sr cells on the electric fence.

    After so long, the electrical fence should have run out of recharging power.

    The current blue hole was just a blue hole. There were no longer those terrifying bluish-purple electric lights surrounding it.

    ¡°TSK TSK, that¡¯s amazing.¡±Song Jinning regretted not seeing the shocking bluish-purple electric lights shing in the blue hole with her own eyes. ¡°A so-called genius is someone who can think of things that no one has ever thought of or done before...¡±

    ..

    The nended at the airport of the national capital of Barbados. The special operations forces came to wee Huo Shaoheng and the others from the Caribbean.

    When Huo Shaoheng and the others came here, they were on a private holiday. They did not announce their official identity.

    Barbados was a small country with no defenses. The governor and high-ranking government officials had all gone on holiday at this time, and the people relied on themselves to protect the country¡¯s operations.

    The special operations forces¡¯private nes were different from the private nes of other departments. They did not have the dazzling national symbols.

    Their private nes were, of course, the more ordinary the better. They were definitely not eye-catching.

    In fact, there were quite a number of rich people from all over the world who came to Barbados for vacation. Therefore, the airport¡¯s air traffic control personnel did not take Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private ne seriously. They treated it as a private ne.

    After getting off the ne, Huo Shaoheng asked the field officer who had been waiting for him, ¡°Have you prepared everything we asked for?¡±

    ¡°Everything is ready,¡± the man quickly said. ¡°Five sets of diving suits, a medium-sized salvage ship, and an undersea UAV.¡±

    He had only prepared the things ording to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions and did not ask him what he was going to do.

    This time, apart from bringing Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, Huo Shaoheng also brought a few members of the special operations forces who were especially good at diving.

    Everyone got off the ne and went to the single-family vi that the field staff had prepared for them to take a break.

    ..

    In the evening, they took the medium-sized salvage ship that looked like a cruise ship to the area near the blue hole.

    It was quiet here. There were no other tourists, only them.

    The sunset was still rippling on the surface of the sea, half red, half red.

    The gray-backed seagulls were gliding in the low sky, and the white seabirds were walking on the reefs with their tails up.

    The blue hole was as beautiful as a dark blue dream, quietly appearing in front of them.

    When they got closer, they saw that the waters of the blue hole were full of reefs. The salvage boats could not enter at all, and could only stop at the periphery.

    Fortunately, the robotic arms could freely expand and contract at the bottom of the sea, so they were not afraid of the reefs.

    When the sky waspletely dark, Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Yanran to the deck and said, ¡°Are you familiar with this ce?¡±

    Gu Yanran opened her eyes and was at a loss for a while.

    Ever since she had fainted in the high seas torture chamber, she had been injected with a sedative and had been in a state of unconsciousness.

    However, when she opened her eyes again, she found herself at sea.

    The sea was vast and the night was dark. She could only tell where she was from the scattered starlight above her head.

    Her heart sank. She looked up at the night sky and thought that today might be thest time she would see the starry sky of this sea.

    Although she had been mentally prepared ever since her identity had been exposed and locked up, and she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape death, she was still quite afraid when death really came.

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and looked calmly at the blue hole in front of him. He said calmly, ¡°You¡¯d better pray that you¡¯re telling the truth, or else...¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes suddenly revealed a look of fear. She looked at Huo Shaoheng timidly, no longer as arrogant as before.

    She had never thought that Huo Shaoheng would not only be audacious but also ruthless. He would actually torture her for the sake of that fake?!

    She was still wearing shackles on her hands and feet, and an electronic cor around her neck.

    If she made even the slightest movement, the electronic cor alone would make her beg for death.

    At this point, the only constion she had was that the fake would not end up any better..

    Gu Yanran blinked. With the tiny bit of light on the ind in front of her, she confirmed the location.

    Or rather, from the moment she revealed her secret, she knew that she would be brought here to retrieve the ¡°Evidence.¡±.

    Gu Yanran smiled bitterly.¡±... Do you know why I allowed that faker to take over the Gu family¡¯s property, leaving me with nothing and almost going to jail?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was dark. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. I don¡¯t have time to beat around the bush with you.¡±

    ¡°... because I know that if I don¡¯t say it, I¡¯ll only lose the Gu family¡¯s property. But if I say it, I¡¯ll lose my life. If I don¡¯t even have my life, what do I need money for? Don¡¯t you agree, Huo Shao?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at Huo Shaoheng as if she had lost everything. ¡°If that fake didn¡¯t pretend to be Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, you wouldn¡¯t even look at her, would you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. ¡°She¡¯s Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. Her DNA has been verified.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±Gu Yanran was resolute once again. ¡°I don¡¯t know how she lied to you, but she definitely lied to you! If you don¡¯t believe me, you¡¯ll find out at the bottom of the Blue Hole!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°The bottom of the Blue Hole? Do you know how deep this hole is?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡±gu Yanran answered calmly. ¡°But if you want to know the truth, you have to go down.¡±

    ¡°Take her down.¡±Huo Shaoheng waved his hand without looking back.

    A few people came up and blindfolded Gu Yanran. They sealed her mouth and immediately dragged her down.

    Huo Shaoheng stood alone on the deck for a while. He remembered how Gu Nianzhi had risked her life to save him and little ze in this area thest time.

    At that time, the most important thing in his heart was still his duty, his army, and hisrades.

    At that time, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t love her, but he didn¡¯t love her as much as she loved him.

    This knowledge was like a needle piercing into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart.

    He pursed his lips, turned around, and changed into his diving suit. He took the few good divers and plunged into the blue hole.

    This was not the first time Huo Shaoheng had been below the surface of the blue hole.

    The surrounding seawater was quiet, and there were slight ripples on the top of his head.

    The weather was perfect. There was no moon in the Caribbean Sea Tonight, only a few specks of starlight dotted the dark blue sky.

    The few of them slowly sank with their scuba tanks on their backs.

    This ce was even more deste than thest time he had been here.

    It was already difficult for creatures to grow in the blue hole sea area. Moreover, the blue hole sea area here had been baptized by the high voltage electric fence, so it had a more lifeless and stagnant feeling than other ces.

    Not to mention there were no animalsmonly seen on the bottom of the sea, there was not even a stalk of seaweed. There were only pieces of grayish-ck reefs standing there.

    It was as if time had stopped here. There was no past, and there was no future.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men stepped on the seawater and continued to dive until they reached the maximum distance they could go. They could no longer dive.

    However, looking from here, the bottom of the blue hole was still bottomless. It was pitch ck, like a ck hole that could swallow everything, including light.

    They couldn¡¯t see anything below.

    They looked up again.

    This distance was even deeper than thest time they had been here.

    Last time, he and Little Ze had been busy trying to survive here, and there were electronic fences above and around them, so they couldn¡¯t see anything else.

    Huo Shaoheng and his men swam a distance apart, making sure they couldn¡¯t see anything at all.

    ¡°Go up.¡±He gestured for them to surface.

    ¡°Huo Shao, what¡¯s down there?¡±Yin Shixiong pulled them up and asked curiously.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer. One of the men who went down with him spat out a mouthful of seawater and said, ¡°Nothing. Huo Shao, are you sure there¡¯s something you¡¯re looking for here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took off his scuba gear and said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s too deep. Let¡¯s put the underwater drone down first.¡±

    Zhao liangze was able to operate the underwater drone on his own this time.

    They put the ginger underwater drone into the seawater. After activating it, they watched it dive to the bottom of the sea.

    The underwater drone had a diving distance of five thousand meters.

    It carried a camera and dived to the bottom of the sea in the area of the Blue Hole.

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind Zhao liangze and watched the surveince video of the underwater drone.

    The underwater drone was shaped like a torpedo and was very fast in the water.

    The number of dips continued to climb on the surveince video.

    1,000 meters, 2,000 meters, 3,000 meters, 4,000 meters. Finally, when they had dived down to 4,500 meters, a glowing object entered their field of vision.

    On the surveince video, a ck object appeared. It looked like a huge bullet-shaped streamlined object. There seemed to be something glowing on the top of the object.

    This scene was too familiar.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart jumped with excitement.

    Yin Shixiong and song jinning also walked over curiously. They stood on both sides of Huo Shaoheng and watched the surveince video together.

    Chen lie saw that they had alle over and also tiptoed to look inside.

    Zhao liangze nervously increased the resolution of the surveince video. They could finally see the fluorescent light on the bullet-shaped streamlined object.

    It was a line of fluorescent cursive words.

    ¡°Cereus II.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart almost skipped a beat.

    ¡°Pause it first.¡±Huo Shaoheng took the keyboard from Zhao Liangze and pressed the pause button.

    ¡°Cereus II! There really is a Cereus II!¡±Yin Shixiong almost cried out. ¡°Is this a submarine too? ! Why Is it so small? !¡±

    If this thing was also a submarine, it would be about half the size of the Cereus I. It was very small and dainty, and its shape was more like a banana boat ice cream.

    Huo Shaoheng thought of the situation in ¡°Cereus I¡±, and his previously ted heart suddenly dropped, as if he had fallen into the unfathomable Mariana Trench.

    Zhao liangze also shouted, ¡°Use the mechanical arm! And My Hummingbird Robot, go down together!¡±

    Zhao LIANGZE¡¯s hummingbird robot was actually a smart pinhole camera.

    Last time, they had used the mechanical arm to bring the smart pinhole camera down with them. They had entered the submarine and probed the situation inside.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand holding the mouse trembled slightly, but his voice was still calm and collected.

    ¡°ce the mechanical arm and Little Ze¡¯s hummingbird robot.¡±

    ..

    On the deck, the staff responsible for operating the mechanical arm¡¯s cables hung Zhao Liangze¡¯s hummingbird robot on a specially made string at the bottom of the long rope and carefully ced it into the pipe in the middle of the mechanical arm.

    The hummingbird robot was about the size of a freshwater pearl with a diameter of about two millimeters. It was almost impossible to tell that it was a camera.

    When it reached its destination, it could be reassembled. There were three miniature rollers about one millimeter in diameter at the bottom that carried it around to shoot.

    A pair of wings as thin as cicada¡¯s wings could be extended from its back. It could fly with it to shoot.

    Just like thest time, the robotic arm sank into the deep sea and finally reached the top of the small submarine.

    Then, the robotic arm opened its fingers, and the steel spikes at the tip of its fingers pierced into the outer shell of the submarine.

    Soon, the air collected from the inside was continuously imported through a specific pipe.

    Chen Lie and song jinning acted as surveying experts and nervously measured theposition of the air.

    Just like thest time, Chen lie said in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s also nitrogen!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s vision went ck.

    He gripped the back of Zhao Liangze¡¯s seat tightly and said calmly, ¡°Go on, get your hummingbird to upload the image.¡±

    When they were measuring the air inside the submarine, Zhao LIANGZE¡¯s hummingbird robot had already entered the submarine through the small holes in the fingers of the mechanical arm and started filming.

    This submarine was much smaller than Gu Xiangwen¡¯s, and also much simpler.

    It was as if it was really a toy.

    Although it was a toy that had the function of a real submarine.

    Thergest cabin in the middle of the submarine was decorated like a game room.

    There was a pink princess bed next to the wall, and a little girl in a dress was lying on the bed.

    Although he hadn¡¯t seen the little girl¡¯s face yet, the corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched when he saw the dress.

    This dress was almost exactly the same as the dress Gu Nianzhi had worn seven years ago!

    As the hummingbird robot flew above the little girl, a clear image was transmitted from the camera.

    The little girl was fair and Chubby, lying there with her eyes closed. She was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi seven years ago.

 Chapter 1453 - Secrets Buried by Time (11)

    <h4>Chapter 1453: Secrets Buried by Time (11)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep, dark eyes stared unblinkingly at the surveince footage, but his thoughts drifted far away.

    It was as if time had traveled back to that day seven years ago.

    He remembered it very clearly.

    That morning, the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics in the imperial capital, Bai Jinyi, suddenly said that there was a maic anomaly in C city. She wanted to go there to measure the data of the maic anomaly, but she was worried that something might happen. She needed someone powerful to protect her, so she specifically requested that Huo Shaoheng be present.

    The Bai family¡¯s position in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s political arena was not low. In addition, she was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen¡¯s girlfriend at the time. Therefore, Huo Guanchen gave her face and specifically asked General Ji and speaker long for permission, huo Shaoheng was ordered to bring the Elite Forces of the special operations forces to C City to provide special security for Bai Jinyi.

    The special operations forces led by Huo Shaoheng were not authorized to interfere in domestic affairs.

    General Ji and speaker long did not object because it was only a scientific expedition and not a political mission. They gave them a special permit.

    Everything was normal at the beginning.

    Bai Jinyi led her team and began surveying the area around the downtown area.

    It was almost noon, and the abnormal maic field gradually weakened. Bai Jinyi felt that it was about time, so she called her team to retreat.

    Noon was the busiest time in that area, so they nned to make way.

    At that moment, a car suddenly barged in from an unknown direction. With a loud squeak, a huge spark was suddenly triggered, and the entire car immediately fell into a sea of fire.

    At that time, Bai Jinyi was terrified and immediately asked everyone to evacuate. She did not care at all whether there was still anyone in the car that had suddenly barged in.

    At that critical moment, Huo Shaoheng refused to let them die because of his duty as a soldier.

    He ignored the fire and risked his life to rush into the car to open the door. He found a crying little girl inside.

    He immediately stretched out his hands towards the little girl who was almost frightened to the point of breaking down. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll save you.¡±

    The little girl¡¯s gaze shifted to him. Her delicate nose twitched and she shook her head desperately, refusing to let him carry her out.

    The fire outside the car was getting bigger and bigger, but it did not affect the interior of the car. Huo Shaoheng did not have time to think too much at the time. He quickly went over to untie her seatbelt and forcefully carried her out of the car.

    He remembered that the 12-year-old girl was struggling desperately in the direction of the car as if she did not want to be rescued by him.

    He had just run a few steps when he heard an earth-shattering booming from behind him.

    A huge wave of air came and knocked him and her to the ground.

    He only had time to tightly protect the little girl under his body, so that the aftershock of the explosion did not hurt her at all.

    She cried until she was hoarse and clutched his cor hard. The little girl was so scared that her whole body was convulsing.

    In the end, she seemed to be unable to withstand such a strong impact and fainted.

    After the explosion stopped, Huo Shaoheng stood up.

    He still remembered the way he had held her in his arms and looked down at her.

    He closed his eyes andy motionlessly in his arms. His dark bangs covered her forehead. Her skin was fair and clean, and her chubby little face looked very ordinary.

    Just like the montage in the movies, seven years passed like a sh in the pan. The unconscious little girl that he had once saved magically ovepped with the motionless little girl in the submarine.

    If the little girl in the submarine also carried a small backpack and a small doll, then it would be like the scene from the past.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the monitor screen and his consciousness blurred for a moment. It was as if what he had encountered in the past was just a dream.

    But how could it be a dream?

    The fat little girl with an ordinary appearance had grown up by his side. From the age of 12, she had grown to the age of 19.

    He knew her so well. Seven years was enough for a little girl who did not know much about the world to grow into an adult. She was even his wife.

    However, the chubby little girl in the submarine was also a reality, and it was perfectly matched with Gu Yanran¡¯s confession.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind was whirling. He felt that the rationality that he had held onto for so many years was about to leave him.

    He clenched one hand into a fist and held it in front of his face. He coughed twice in a low voice. He used hisst ounce of restraint and calmly gave the order,¡±... Salvage.¡±

    ..

    The mechanical arm of the salvage ship began working. Huo Shaoheng walked to the deck, one hand in his trouser pocket and the other holding a cigarette. He silently smoked towards the blue hole in front of him.

    After not sleeping for a few more days and nights, Huo Shaoheng urgently needed to clear his head. He had been smoking even more than before.

    Yin Shixiong understood how Huo Shaoheng felt. He walked over and smoked with Huo Shaoheng.

    The two of them stood quietly at the bow of the ship, listening to the sounds of the workers operating the mechanical arms on the opposite deck. The sound of the waves was amplified in the night sky and spread far and wide.

    Yin shixiong whispered,¡±... Huo Shao, don¡¯t worry too much. Think about it from a broader perspective. Professor he... at least will not harm Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°I think professor he must know where Nianzhi is. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have disposed of all the assets, right? He must have hidden his tracks so that he could escape with Nianzhi...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him indifferently. There was no pressure, but Yin Shixiong¡¯s neck felt cold for no reason.

    It felt like he was being targeted by a bloodthirsty wolf.

    Yin Shixiong was stunned after he finished speaking. He touched his neck and pped himself hard. He mumbled, ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to persuade people, then don¡¯t persuade them! I¡¯ll let you spout nonsense!¡±

    His words just now were really asking for a beating.

    Huo Shaoheng dusted his cigarette and looked away from Yin Shixiong¡¯s neck. He looked in the direction of the blue hole and said, ¡°Let¡¯s salvage the Cereus II first.¡±

    ..

    When the small submarine ¡°Cereus II¡± went out to sea, everyone on the ship was very nervous and in a bad mood.

    Zhao liangze was even more frustrated and didn¡¯t want to stare at the surveince cameras anymore.

    He went to the deck and controlled his hummingbird robot to take pictures everywhere. He actually took a lot of Caribbean scenery that could be directly used as a desktop.

    When he returned to the cabin, he showed everyone the pictures he took today and said to Yin shixiong, ¡°Big Xiong, take a look at this. Can We go directly to the photography exhibition?¡±

    Yin Shixiong took a look and saw that it was a picture taken in the evening.

    It was the time when the sun was about to set. It was so round that it made one¡¯s hair stand on end. The blue sky was filled with the sunset glow, and the color was full and rich. It was as a young girl in a grass skirt hanging on an egg flower in a tropical rainforest. Her posture was enchanting and bright.

    ¡°Eh? Not Bad! Aren¡¯t you used to having your hands shake?¡±Yin Shixiong clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Who¡¯s used to having their hands shake? !¡±Zhao Liangze red at him. ¡°No artistic sense! No appreciation!¡±

    While cursing, he got up and pushed Yin Shixiong away. Just then, song jinning turned around from her own screen and saw the sunset picture on Zhao Liangze¡¯sputer screen. She eximed, ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, director song really knows what¡¯s good for him!¡±Zhao liangze quickly said, ¡°I have even higher definition ones here. Do you want to take a look?¡±

    Song jinning rubbed her eyes and walked over. ¡°Okay, I can let my eyes rest for a while.¡±

    Zhao Liangze:¡±...¡±

    Yin shixiong: ¡°Pfft!¡±

    Song Jinning ignored them and sat down at Zhao Liangze¡¯s seat. She held the mouse with her hand and clicked on the Properties of the pictures.

    Actually, song jinning wasn¡¯t very artistic. When she looked at these pictures, she didn¡¯t look at theposition or the color, but at the resolution of the pixels and the frequency coefficient.

    Just looking at the data one by one, she could feel rxed and happy.

    Zhao LIANGZE was also aputer expert. With one look, he knew what song Jinning was looking at, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel even more depressed.

    Although Yin Shixiong hadn¡¯t been in a good mood these past few days, seeing Zhao liangze suffer, he still felt a lot better.

    Song Jinning looked at the photos one by one, and in her mind, she began tobine all kinds of data out of habit. Gradually, she noticed some differences.

    She went back and looked through all the photos that Zhao liangze had taken.

    This time, she didn¡¯t look at the data of the photos, but at the photos themselves.

    Zhao LIANGZE finally felt better.

    At this moment, song jinning let out a soft ¡°Eh¡± and said, ¡°Little Ze, look at these two photos. Don¡¯t you think they¡¯re a little blurry?¡±

    Zhao Liangze:¡±...¡±

    Yin Shixiong:¡±... Hehe, Inspector song, Little Ze¡¯s hands are shaking out of habit. It¡¯s normal for them to be blurry. It¡¯s not normal if they¡¯re not blurry...¡±

    ¡°Go! Get lost!¡±Zhao liangze pushed Yin shixiong awaypletely and sat down beside song jinning. ¡°Inspector song, which one are you talking about?¡±

    Song Jinning ced the mouse on the two photos she was talking about and clicked on the right button. ¡°Look, the parameters of this one and this one are exactly the same as the data in the previous photos, but these two are a little blurrypared to the previous and subsequent photos.¡±

    Zhao liangze squinted his eyes and looked at them for a long time. ¡°I can¡¯t Tell? The resolution is exactly the same, how can it be blurrypared to the other photos?¡±

    His smart small camera had the world-leading auto-focus function.

    Although Yin Shixiong always joked that he was ¡°Used to shaking his hands,¡±in fact, with the auto-shock-absorption and focus function of his camera, shaking it was not a problem at all. It did not affect the final imaging function at all.

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°Oh, your eyesight may not be as good as mine. Do you want to print it out and use a magnifying ss to see?¡±

    Zhao Liangze:¡±...¡±

    Yin Shixiong:¡±...¡±

    To be told that their eyesight was not as good as hers by a woman who could be their mother at their age... Tsk, they knew their own ups and downs.

    However, these two eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets. They did not notice the difference. In the end, they obediently used the highest resolution image paper to print it out.

    As soon as they printed it out, they immediately noticed the difference.

    There were two photos that were indeed a little more blurry than the other photos. However, this wasn¡¯t a blurry photo that couldn¡¯t be focused on because of the trembling of the hands. Instead, it was a blurry photo that seemed to have a double image.

    However, each image was equally clear.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong clicked their tongues together, not understanding what was going on.

    Song Jinning looked at the two photos for a while and said, ¡°This kind of phenomenon can only ur under one condition.¡±

    ¡°... under the condition of Trembling Hands?¡± Yin Shixiong was still unwilling to give up on promoting the theory of ¡°Habitual trembling hands.¡±.

    Song Jinning smiled and shook her head. ¡°No, when the hands tremble, the edges of the images are blurred. The edges of the two photos are clear, but there is still a blurred vision. This phenomenon can only ur under the condition of a strong maic field.¡±

    ¡°Because a super-strong maic field will cause uncertainty in matter.¡±

    ¡°ording to the theory of quantum mechanics, the same particle can appear in two different ces at the same time.¡±

    ¡°The state shown in these two photos is very simr to this theory.¡±

    ¡°And when the maic field energy is strong enough, it can make arger object appear in two different ces at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the two images that ovepped slightly looked like they were burnt, but in fact, it was because of the super-strong maic field that they appeared in two different ces at the same time.¡±

    ¡°We had a super-strong maic field here today!¡±Song Jinning concluded. She stood up with a whoosh. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on my equipment!¡±

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong were dumbfounded the whole time. Their eyes were covered with mosquito-repellent incense.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in and frowned. ¡°The salvage has already begun outside. Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡±

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong came back to their senses. They secretly admired song jinning for using her academic skills to almost hoodwink the experienced members of the special operations forces...

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±The two of them quickly ran to the deck and participated in the final salvage process.

    Song Jinning was also called out by Huo Shaoheng to help build a sealed chamber filled with nitrogen gas below the deck.

    ..

    With the experience of the previous salvage of ¡°Cereus I,¡± the ¡°Cereus II¡± was now much smaller and should have been easier to salvage.

    However, the terrain of the blue hole was moreplicated than the sea at the Cape of Good Hope. There were more reefs, so the salvage ship could not get close. They could only rely on the mechanical arm to bend and dive diagonally. This would take a lot of time.

    After the mechanical arm grabbed the small submarine with its five fingers, it lifted it from the bottom of the sea.

    Zhao liangze watched the workers operating the mechanical arm micro process it through the monitor.

    They were really experienced. They could monitor the situation at the bottom of the sea through the camera on the mechanical arm and find a suitable route in time to avoid theplicated reefs.

    Because of this reason, they only used one night less time than they used to salvage gu Xiangwen¡¯srge submarine.

    It took them two days and one night to salvage gu Xiangwen¡¯srge submarine. This time, they spent two days.

    Therefore, when the small submarine ¡°Cereus II¡± finally came out of the water, it was also in the dark.

    For two whole days and forty-eight hours, from night to day, and from day to night.

    Forty-eight hourster, the night sky was still dark. The sea was covered with thick clouds, and light rain began to fall.

    Light rain rarely fell on the Caribbean Sea. It was either clear skies or torrential rain brought by hurricanes. It was rare to see rain like this.

    Arge tent was set up on the medium-sized salvage ship, extending to about twenty meters above the sea.

    This type of tent could block the surveince of satellites in the sky.

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng did not want to be monitored by other countries satellites.

    After the tent was set up, they dragged the small submarine ¡°Cereus II¡± out from the bottom of the sea and ced it on the deck of the salvage ship.

    Just likest time, a small sealed room filled with nitrogen gas was temporarily set up below the deck.

    The small submarine that had just been salvaged and looked like ice cream from a banana boat was ced in the middle of the room.

    Huo Shaoheng and Chen lie wore full-body protective suits, carried oxygen tanks, and walkie-talkies, and entered the sealed room.

    Song Jinning helped them rece the air outside. After ensuring that there was only nitrogen in the room, they tried to open the door of the small submarine.

    Huo shaoheng only used a piece of wire to open the door of the small submarine.

    He was very surprised. He went over to take a closer look and found that the lock was indeed not asplicated as therge submarine.

    Perhaps this small submarine was really a toy that Gu Xiangwen had given to Little Nianzhi..

    Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie pushed open the door of the small submarine and walked in.

    To the two men, this small submarine was really too small.

    After walking for about five meters, they arrived at the game room where the little girl was lying.

    The floor of the game room was covered with log-colored floors, but there were colorful graffiti on the floor. They should have been drawn by children, right?

    Chen Lie¡¯s attention waspletely attracted by the little girl on the Pink Princess Bed.

    He pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm, wanting to go over and take a look.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and let him do as he pleased. He continued to stare at the graffiti on the ground and carefully examine it.

    Chen lie walked to the bed and reached out to lift the little girl¡¯s eyelids to take a look. He found that she was indeed dead.

    However, the submarine was filled with nitrogen gas, so her body was preserved. It was as if she had just slept and would wake up at any moment.

    Chen lie shook his head and sighed. He thought, I have to prepare the coffin again...

    He turned around and saw that Huo Shaoheng was still staring at the graffiti on the ground.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you look so carefully at this child¡¯s drawing?¡±Chen lie asked curiously.

    Huo Shaoheng replied indifferently,¡±... This is not an ordinary drawing.¡±

    He raised his head and looked at the little girl lying motionlessly on the small bed with aplicated expression. He said,¡±... This is the clue she left behind when she was dying. She used the drawing to tell us who killed her.¡±

 Chapter 1454 - The secret buried by time (12)

    <h4>Chapter 1454: The secret buried by time (12)</h4>

    Chen lie turned around and was so shocked that his eyeballs almost popped out. ¡°Really? ! Are you sure? !¡±

    He quickly lowered his head and looked at the ground.

    He had seen those messy lines when he came in and thought that they were just children¡¯s unintentional doodles.

    He took a closer look and realized that on the clear log floor, there were extremely abstract matchstick figures drawn with ck carbon brushes.

    It was only after Huo Shaoheng had reminded him that Chen Lie was able to identify the figures.

    Chen Lie:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... These matchstick figures? How did you identify the murderer?¡±

    Chen lie rubbed his chin and gave Huo Shaoheng a sideways nce.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to a picture on the far left side of the log floor and pointed at it. ¡°Look, this is a picture of a family. There¡¯s a father, a mother, this little girl, and an older sister.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to call her ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± until he knew who this little girl was.

    He walked slowly to the right side of the picture and pointed at the second picture. He said in a low voice,¡±... Father and mother went out and didn¡¯t bring this little girl with them.¡±

    ¡°She hugged her knees and cried in the corner.¡±

    ¡°Sister came over tofort her.¡±

    ¡°... took her to the banana boat... This small submarine...¡±

    ¡°And then...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t continue. He paused.

    ¡°And then?¡±

    Chen lie asked anxiously. He listened intently.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath. ¡°And then, in the submarine, sister gave her a ss of water.¡±

    ¡°After she drank it, she fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°When she woke up, she found that the door was locked. My sister wasn¡¯t here, and my parents weren¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°She cried for a while and gradually couldn¡¯t breathe. She finally understood what was going on.¡±

    ¡°She picked up the carbon pencil she used to write daily and left these pictures on the floor.¡±

    ¡°Finally...¡±Huo Shaoheng paused again, his already low voice sounding like the morning bell.¡±... She still remembered to climb back into bed and tidy herself up.¡±

    Even if she was going to die, she didn¡¯t want to look sloppy.

    It was a child who loved cleanliness.

    Chen lie tilted his head and looked at the pictures on the ground, stunned. ¡°How on Earth did you see so much? !¡±

    These children¡¯s doodles were clearly as abstract as the most stream of consciousness pictures.

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly,¡±... that¡¯s how Nianzhi¡¯s drawings sound.¡±

    Chen Lie:¡±...¡±

    So this was what it meant to ¡°Raise¡±Nianzhi?

    Chen lie shook his head and suppressed the sadness in his heart. He walked to the far left and pointed at the first picture. ¡°I can tell that these are indeed four little matchstick figures, but how can you tell that they are a family? And that they are of the same gender?¡±

    Even more amazing, he could tell that they were sisters?!

    In his opinion, there was no difference between these four little matchstick figures, okay?!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice came out of the inte calmly, as if he was exining a documentary, there was no emotion in his voice. ¡°Look carefully, these four matchstick figures are different in height, short, fat, and thin. The two taller little matchstick figures are Daddy and Mommy, and Daddy¡¯s face has a D on it, and Mommy¡¯s face has an M.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s lips twitched, and he simplyy on the ground to see the two crooked letters clearly.

    He did not get up but simply continued to lie on the ground. He reached out and gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up to show his appreciation.

    ¡°What about sister? How did you tell?¡±Chen lie asked again, looking around the remaining two little matchstick figures.

    He was not as observant as Huo Shaoheng. Of course, more importantly, he had never ¡°Raised¡±gu nianzhi, so he did not know how to distinguish a child¡¯s matchstick figure.

    ¡°This matchstick figure is shorter than mom and dad, but slightly taller than the smallest person. Its hair is longer, so it¡¯s the older sister.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to his side and stood close to the picture.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was wearing a head-to-toe protective suit, Chen lie would have rubbed his eyes.

    He felt that his eyesight must have decreased again. The two matchstick figures had him cross-eyed.

    Following Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exnation, Chen Lie looked at it again and finally understood. ¡°This... The Little Dot next to the smallest matchstick figure¡¯s head... What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tears,¡±Huo Shaoheng said softly,¡±... She¡¯s crying.¡±

    Chen Lie was speechless for a long while. ¡°Then the two little matchstick figures here are about the same height. One has long hair, and the other has short hair. The two little matchstick figures are holding hands and walking out of a square. That means they¡¯re going out, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±.

    Even though the children¡¯s matchstick paintings were abstract, they still had their own unique logic.

    ¡°Oh, then this thing that looks like a banana must be that submarine.¡±Chen lie continued to move to the right, ¡°Okay, how can you tell that this is the water that sister gave her to drink? I can only see a little matchstick person strangling another little matchstick person¡¯s neck.¡±

    The picture was too abstract, and Chen Lie felt as if his eyes were going to go blind.

    Huo Shaoheng said expressionlessly,¡±... look between the two of them, there¡¯s water.¡±

    Chen Lie:¡±...¡±

    Forget it, I don¡¯t want to look anymore. I don¡¯t want to Go Blind.

    Chen lie stood up from the floor.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed at the picture behind him. ¡°Then she fell asleep. You Can Tell, right? She¡¯s already lying on the floor.¡±

    In fact, in Chen Lie¡¯s eyes, there was no difference whether these abstract little matchstick figures were standing, kneeling, or lying down.

    However, he still pretended to see through it and nodded.

    ¡°The picture after waking up is moreplicated,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°I only understood after looking at it for a while.¡±

    It was a picture of a little matchstick figure kneeling in front of the door and pping on the door. There was also a dialog box drawn diagonally above the little matchstick figure¡¯s head, with the words ¡°Daddy, Mommy¡±written on it...

    Next, the little matchstick figure sat on the ground and held her neck with her hand. Her mouth was so wide that it almost covered her entire head.

    All the pictures were actually very rough. It was obvious that the little girl who was drawing did not have any talent in drawing. This was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi.

    However, thinking back to the situation at the time, it made one feel extremely ufortable to think of a little girl who was about to die holding herst breath and leaving these pictures on the submarine¡¯s floor with an indelible carbon brush.

    Chen Lie stood up, his heart is palpitating. He pulled open the door and went out.

    Huo Shaoheng did not go out immediately.

    He thought of the structure of Gu Xiangwen¡¯srge submarine and the superb holographic projection system. He could not help but look around the room of the small submarine.

    If Gu Xiangwen loved his daughter so much that he built a toy submarine for her, there was no reason why there were no safety precautions, right?

    Most families would install surveince cameras in their children¡¯s rooms as long as they had the slightest conditions.

    Could there be surveince cameras here as well?

    Huo Shaoheng remembered the location of the surveince cameras in Gu Xiangwen¡¯srge submarine.

    He roughly figured out the location and walked to the right corner of the room. There was a floormp that looked like a flower.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and looked around. Sure enough, he found a camera behind the floormp.

    He carefully removed the camera and the surveince system and put them into his backpack.

    He then walked to the Pink Princess¡¯bed and quietly nced at the little girl who had died seven years ago. He bent down and pulled a nket from the corner of the bed to cover her. He casually picked up a few strands of ck hair from her pillow, he put them into a transparent evidence bag before leaving the small submarine.

    ..

    Back on the deck, Chen Lie took off his hazmat suit and took out a bottle of beer. He sat on a stic stool and gulped down a bottle of beer in the Caribbean Sea alone.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the cabin and changed into his normal clothes. He handed the camera and surveince system to Zhao Liangze and asked him to transfer the contents to theputer to save them.

    He nced around the cabin but didn¡¯t see Chen Lie. Huo shaoheng asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Chen Lie?¡±

    ¡°On the deck.¡±Yin Shixiong came over to help Zhao liangze.

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the cabin and saw Chen Lie¡¯s back. He felt a little lonely.

    He walked over silently and sat beside Chen Lie, lighting a cigarette.

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t look back, but from the corner of his eye, he knew it was Huo Shaoheng.

    He took a few more sips from the beer bottle and muttered,¡±... who do you think that little girl is? Why does she look so much like Nianzhi seven years ago? Is she her twin sister?¡±

    Chen Lie was no stranger to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appearance from seven years ago.

    He had also been appointed by the military to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal doctor seven years ago.

    He and Huo Shaoheng knew more about Gu Nianzhi than anyone else, but the two of them had a tacit understanding and had never mentioned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution to anyone else.

    Huo Shaoheng took a drag on his cigarette and looked far ahead at the coastline. He sighed slightly, dusted his cigarette, and said calmly, ¡°You have to be mentally prepared.¡±

    As he spoke, he handed the evidence bag containing the little girl¡¯s hair to Chen Lie. ¡°Go and get a DNA test, and then check the paternity of Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Chen lie looked at him from the corner of his eyes. He knew that Huo Shaoheng was thinking about he zhichu¡¯s situation and was worried that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation was simr to he zhichu¡¯s.

    He Zhichu could no longer differentiate between the real and the fake. He did not want another Gu Nianzhi.

    The corners of his mouth twitched. ¡°Me? Why Don¡¯t you just say that you need to be mentally prepared!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him calmly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend.¡±Chen lie sneered. ¡°You still refuse to call that little girl by her name. What are you afraid of?¡±

    Chen lie knew Huo Shaoheng too well. He knew that his every move had a deeper meaning.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head slightly and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I don¡¯t know her name until I confirm her identity.¡±

    Of course, calling a strange little girl his wife¡¯s name, no matter how strong he was, would take some time to digest.

    So far, he couldn¡¯t name her.

    Chen lie looked away and looked at the sky in the distance, he whispered, ¡°I just entered the cabin and heard Little Ze and Big Xiong discussing the theory of quantum mechanics that Ms. Song mentioned. Both of them were talking about whether this theory could exin the situation of professor he and Nianzhi.¡±

    It was the appearance of two identical people. They were neither clones nor twins.

    ¡°What quantum mechanics?¡±When Huo Shaoheng entered, the two of them had already stopped talking.

    Chen lie turned around and was about to say something when he saw song jinning walk out. He quickly smiled and said, ¡°Let superintendent song speak for himself.¡±

 Chapter 1455 - There was only one Schr?dinger cat

    <h4>Chapter 1455: There was only one Schr?dinger cat</h4>

    A cool breeze blew on the deck in the middle of the night. The surface of the sea was quiet and gentle, and the moonlight was as silver as satin. The stars were sparkling like diamonds falling on the dark blue sky.

    They were not in the mood to appreciate such a beautiful night.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to take a look. ¡°Ms. Song, what are Big Xiong and little ze talking about quantum mechanics? They even said it was more simr to what happened to Nianzhi and professor he?¡±

    Song Jinning walked up to him and held the railing of the ship with both hands. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Are you talking about the superstrong maic field that I discovered that caused the scenery to ovep?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Chen lie scratched his head. ¡°I think so? They¡¯re talking about whether... Professor he and Nianzhi... were also ovepped...¡±

    So there were two identical people?

    Song Jinning pursed her lips. ¡°They really can think.¡±

    She paused for a moment, then shifted her gaze to the surface of the sea and began to exin. ¡°I might not have exined it clearly before.¡±

    ¡°First of all, quantum mechanics is more about the phenomena of the microscopic world, and the phenomena of the macroscopic world can not be directly applied to this theory.¡±

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie were both silent, song jinning knew that they did not understand either.

    Fortunately, she had heard from Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong about the little girl in the submarine earlier in the cabin. She also knew that the little girl might be the real Gu Nianzhi, and that she looked exactly like the Gu nianzhi they used to be familiar with, even the DNA might be the same. Even though they hadn¡¯t tested the little girl¡¯s DNA yet.

    Song Jinning thought of Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze¡¯s wild words and smiled, she continued, ¡°In the microscopic world described by quantum mechanics, particles can indeed appear in different ces at the same time. But this is talking about particles, not people or objects in the macroscopic world.¡±

    ¡°I told them just now that the scene in Ozawa¡¯s photo appeared blurry, but the ovepping phenomenon with clear boundaries is indeed somewhat simr to this theory.¡±

    ¡°But there is another exnation for this phenomenon in the macro world. It can¡¯t simply be exined as the same scene appearing in different ces at the same time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment. ¡°Then what exnation do you have?¡±

    Song Jinning made a gesture. ¡°If the macro world must be applied to this theory of quantum mechanics, then it must be Schr?dinger¡¯s cat.¡±

    ¡°When the cat is in the box, it can be in two states of being alive and dead at the same time. It¡¯s the so-called ¡®both alive and dead¡¯

    ¡°But when you open the box and you find the cat, there is only one state left

    ¡°At this time, whether it is alive or dead, there is only one state. It is either alive or dead. There will be no more cases of being both alive and dead at the same time

    ¡°Do you understand? So if you insist on applying he zhichu and Nianzhi¡¯s situation, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s not appropriate?¡±Huo Shaoheng understood a little, and a glimmer of hope rose in his heart.

    ¡°Because in the theory of Schrodinger¡¯s cat, there¡¯s only one cat from the beginning to the end. Whether it¡¯s dead or alive, or both, it¡¯s always the same cat. There have never been two cats.¡±

    ¡°And the situation you are facing now is that there are two of He Zhichu and possibly two of Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°One group, he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi, have already grown up. The other group, however, have already died when they were young. Their bones have been found by you. How can they be the same as Schrodinger¡¯s cats?¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you thinking?¡±Song jinning sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that they are clones either, so the problem is still their DNA.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°But Chen lie has already tested their DNA and confirmed that nianzhi, who grew up with us, is indeed Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°If the little girl in the submarine is also Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter and has the same DNA as nianzhi, then it¡¯s the same as he zhichu and the 16-year-old boy.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you say that the problem is still in the DNA?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was extremely puzzled.

    Song Jinning raised her eyebrows. ¡°Are their DNA really the same?¡±

    Her sharp gaze turned to Chen Lie. ¡°There are three billion base pairs in the human genome. Have you reallypared all the base pairs, including their sequence?¡±

    ¡°How is that possible!¡±Chen lie smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s impossible topare the three billion base pairs ording to their sequence!¡±

    ¡°So you didn¡¯tpare all the base pairs, so you can¡¯t say that their DNA is exactly the same.¡±Song Jinning was a standard scientist. She was very particr about rigorous reasoning and logic.

    When an ordinary person said that they were ¡°Exactly the same,¡±it was actually a general category.

    However, in song Jinning¡¯s opinion, if the two of them really had the same DNA, then they had topare every base pair to reach this conclusion.

    Without a base pair, it couldn¡¯t be said that they were exactly the same, even if they looked exactly the same.

    Chen lie couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°You mean topletelypare all of their DNA base pairs? Three billion base pairs? !¡±

    Song jinning nodded and said implicitly, ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot of work, but until we find a suitable theory to guide the test, we can only use the exhaustive method.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly and looked at Chen Lie. ¡°You didn¡¯t use the exhaustive method topare before?¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡±Chen Lieughed dryly. ¡°Huo Shao, there are three billion base pairs in each person¡¯s DNA. Three billion plus the order of the sequence. Do you know what that means?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him quietly. ¡°This is your job scope. You¡¯re asking me?¡±

    Chen lie blushed at his words. After a while, he said embarrassedly, ¡°Huo Shao, using DNA to test a person¡¯s immediate family rtionship is different fromparing the DNA base pairs of two people.¡±

    ¡°Speak English.¡±Huo Shaoheng raised his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about your biomedical terms.¡±

    Chen lie pushed up his sses and said thoughtfully, ¡°Using DNA to test a person¡¯s immediate family rtionship is actually only enough to test three types of unique Microsatellite DNA.¡±

    ¡°The usual method is to determine the three types of Microsatellite DNA each contained by the father and mother.¡±

    ¡°As long as these types of Microsatellite DNA can be found in the child¡¯s body, we will be 99.9999999% sure that they are biological children.¡±

    ¡°If we can not find these types of microsatellite DNA, then we will be 100% sure that they are not direct kinship.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened for a long time before he digested and understood. He said, ¡°You mean that when DNA tests for direct kinship, there are two situations.¡±

    ¡°One is that there are direct rtives, and the other is that there are no direct rtives.¡±

    ¡°Using this method, we can urately rule out the situation where the two of them are not direct rtives, which means that they are not biological father and son or mother and son.¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t be 100% sure that they are direct rtives?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I mean.¡±Chen lie nodded at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°When Ipared the DNA of professor he and the 16-year-old skeleton, I did the same thing. Ipared the Microsatellite DNA and found that they were exactly the same, even the usual mutated nodes were the same. But...¡±

    ¡°But what?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze sharpened.

    Song jinning understood and exined to huo shaoheng, ¡°I understand what Chen Lie is trying to say. However, from the current situation, we can onlypare a few sets of Microsatellite DNA, which is not enough to meet our test requirements.¡±

    To put it simply, it was enough to test three random Microsatellite DNA sequences for immediate family identification.

    However, in order to prove that the two people¡¯s DNA was exactly the same, they had topare all three billion base pairs.

    If the three and three billion numbers werepared here, a discerning person would know the workload and difficulty of thetter at a nce. Compared to the former, of course, it was a geometric increase.

    She turned to look at Chen Lie. ¡°So you should stillpare the three billion base pairs of the two of them one by one in order to find out what the situation is.¡±

    This was because in terms of DNA itself, there was not much difference between people.

    In order to reallypare all the DNA, one had topare the three billion base pairs one by one in the original order.

    Huo Shaoheng had originally believed in Chen Lie¡¯s test on he zhichu¡¯s condition, but now that song Jinning had mentioned it, there seemed to be something else going on. He immediately looked at Chen Lie. ¡°You¡¯ve never done aparison of the order of the three billion base pairs before?¡±

 Chapter 1456 - Fall in love with the wrong personï¼Ÿ

    <h4>Chapter 1456: Fall in love with the wrong person£¿</h4>

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Chen lie grimaced. ¡°There are so many base pairs, how could I have the time? ! Besides, the international identification methods are not soplicated...¡±

    ¡°The situation is special now, we have to check them one by one.¡±Song jinning said seriously, ¡°Science can not be false and guesswork. Chen Lie, don¡¯t bezy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Chen lie and said calmly, ¡°Ms. Song is right. From now on, I will monitor your entire sequencing andparison process from beginning to end. I will not miss a single drop.¡±

    ¡°But the world-recognized method of identifying immediate rtives is the method I use! No one willpare the sequence and sequence of all the base pairs! There¡¯s no need for that!¡±Chen lie felt wronged for himself.

    ¡°And I don¡¯t have such a powerfulputer!¡±

    ¡°I want topare the two sets of chromosomes with a total of six billion base pairs!¡±

    ¡°Using the equipment in myb andparing the sequence ording to the base pairs, it will take about 100 years. Huo Shao, can you wait 100 years?¡±Chen lie looked askance at Huo Shaoheng.

    So it was because hisputing power couldn¡¯t keep up..

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Huo Shaoheng inquisitively.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what song jinning meant, and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    This was to give song jinning permission.

    Song jinning whispered, ¡°Little Chen, Our Institute of High Energy Physics has just developed a prototype quantumputer. Although it¡¯s only a prototype and can¡¯t be programmed, itsputing power is a million times faster than the most powerfulputer today.¡±

    In theory, a prototype quantumputer could be 100 million times faster than a modernputer, but song jinning and the others had yet to reach this theoretical level. Theputing power of the current prototype quantumputer.., could only be a million times faster than the most powerfulputer currently avable.

    However, this one million times was more than enough topare their DNA bases.

    This was a top-secret military secret, so song jinning needed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s authorization to tell her.

    ¡°AH? ! So Fast!¡±Chen lie couldn¡¯t help getting excited. ¡°It¡¯s a million times faster than the fastestputer today! This means...¡±

    Chen lie couldn¡¯t wait to count with his fingers.

    He hated how few fingers he had.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She said softly, ¡°If we convert it to time, we¡¯ll be able toplete theparison in about two and a half days. It Won¡¯t take as long as a hundred years.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll start theparison as soon as I Get Back!¡±

    ¡°Three billion base pairs! You¡¯ll cut off my head if I miss oneparison!¡±

    Chen Lie was ted. He almost worshipped song jinning. Song jinning smiled and patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Only when the three billion base pairs are exactly the same, or even in the same order, will it mean that they¡¯re the same person. On the other hand, they¡¯re different people. So, don¡¯t jump to conclusions so soon.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song, if you have time, should we discuss whether there is an optimizedparison method? !¡±Chen lie followed song jinning into the cabin like a tail.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at their backs and reminded Chen lie, ¡°Chen Lie, first verify the girl¡¯s direct rtionship with Gu Xiangwen. When we get back, we can use the exhaustive method to verify her rtionship with Nianzhi.¡±

    Chen lie waved his hand and quickly said, ¡°Got it. That was my n all along.¡±

    Chen Lie and song Jinning went to the cabin together. As they discussed the test method, they began using simple equipment to test the DNA on the strand of hair.

    The technology to do a paternity test was already very mature and notplicated, so this could be done immediately.

    However, if it was confirmed that the little girl who died seven years ago was also Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, then it had to bepared with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA.

    It was the same as he zhichu¡¯s case.

    Therefore, it was only a rough test for now. The specific sequencingparison could only be done with a quantumputer when they returned.

    Huo Shaoheng sat alone on the deck, smoking a cigarette and waiting for the results.

    Although it was a simple test, the fastest result would take ten hours.

    During this time, the salvage ship they took left the blue hole waters and returned to the Gu family¡¯s port in Barbados to dock.

    Ten hourster, Chen Lie brought him the results.

    ¡°... it¡¯s easier to determine the immediate family. This little girl is indeed Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter.¡±Chen lie sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve roughlypared her DNA with Nianzhi¡¯s. I think her condition is indeed the same as professor he and the teenager who passed away at the age of 16.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I have topletely confirm that their DNA is exactly the same. I¡¯ll have to wait until I go back and use MS. Song¡¯s quantumputer to do a fullparison before I can reallye to a conclusion.¡±

    ¡°But for now, he zhichu and Nianzhi¡¯s situation is very simr.¡±

    What did this mean?

    This meant that he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi did indeed have a connection that they did not know about.

    Just this alone made Huo Shaoheng frown.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that they really don¡¯t have twins?¡±Chen lie really could not understand this phenomenon.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the results Chen Lie had given him and said calmly, ¡°The nanny said that he zhichu¡¯s father did not have twins. As for professor he, we don¡¯t know where he came from or where he went.¡±

    ¡°What about Nianzhi?¡±Chen lie asked, ¡°Did Gu Xiangwen have twins?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s up to Gu Yanran.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the results and went to the cabin where Gu Yanran was being held.

    Gu Yanran was still wearing her anklet and handcuffs. She was ufortably twirling the electronic cor around her neck.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down in front of her and asked calmly, ¡°How many biological daughters does Gu Xiangwen have?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course there¡¯s only one. Go to Barbados and investigate. Gu Nianzhi was born in the hospital there.¡±Gu Yanran pouted and said disapprovingly.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly and sat down in front of her. He crossed his legs and said calmly, ¡°Tell me, how did you kill that little girl?¡±

    Gu Yanran trembled and stopped with one hand on the edge of the electronic cor around her neck. Her voice was very nervous. ¡°Did you find her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded.

    Gu Yanran stared nkly. ¡°Really? ! Can I go and see her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng showed her the video he had recorded with Chen lie in the small submarine. He did not mention that there were cameras and surveince cameras in the small submarine for the time being.

    Gu Yanran immediately cried out in surprise when she saw what was happening inside the submarine.

    Soon, tears fell from her eyes. She covered her face and sobbed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Nianzhi cried for her parents. I couldn¡¯t get her to stop crying, so I took her to the submarine to y. That was her father... Gu Xiangwen made her a special toy so she could sit on it and swim in the sea.¡±

    ¡°Later, she lost her temper and pushed me out. She locked herself in there. I didn¡¯t know what she was going to do...¡±

    ¡°Then the submarine sank and malfunctioned. I had no choice... I didn¡¯t know what to do... I didn¡¯t want to...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to let anyone know... I was afraid that people would think that I killed her... It really wasn¡¯t... it was just an ident...¡±

    Gu Yanran cried her heart out, like an elder sister who was heartbroken over her sister¡¯s death.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her, thinking that if he hadn¡¯t seen the pictures and the surveince cameras, her story might have been able to fool some people.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to? If you don¡¯t want to, why did you give her water mixed with sleeping pills?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng deduced from the pictures the little girl had drawn, and then verified it from the surveince cameras.

    Gu Yanran stopped crying, her eyes evading even more. ¡°What did you say? What sleeping pills? I don¡¯t understand... I have no idea what happened on the submarine!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a step forward and looked down at her.

    ¡°Gu Yanran, when you found out about what happened to Gu Xiangwen and his wife, you immediately tricked her into taking the submarine out to sea, then gave her water mixed with sleeping pills. Finally, you locked the submarine and released nitrogen gas, suffocating her to death.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out his gun and pointed it at Gu Yanran¡¯s forehead. ¡°Gu Yanran, you¡¯re a murderer. Look at these pictures. Even though she¡¯s young, she¡¯s not stupid. She drew everything you did to her.¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at the pictures that looked like matchstick figures and sneered. ¡°You¡¯re going to convict her based on these random drawings? Huo Shao, you¡¯re being too biased! You¡¯re taking human lives too lightly, aren¡¯t you? !¡±

    She still wanted to quibble?

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. ¡°Other than these pictures, you don¡¯t know that there are surveince cameras in the small submarine, right?¡±

    Gu Yanran shuddered and looked up in disbelief. Her voice was so high-pitched that it cracked. ¡°What did you say? ! What surveince cameras? !¡±

    For more than a decade, she had behaved so well in front of Gu Xiangwen and his wife. She had cared for Gu Nianzhi so much that she had always been true to herself. In the end, not only did Gu Nianzhi trust her and treat her like her own sister, even Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife had said that she wanted to treat her like her own daughter!

    Why did they still need to install surveince cameras? !

    Were they worried that she would harm their precious daughter?

    Liars! They were all liars!

    Did these people never truly believe her? !

    The biggest blow to Gu Yanran was not the revtion of her plot, but the discovery that the people who thought they were fooling around were actually still on their guard against her.

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand, and Zhao Liangze immediately yed the surveince footage from the small submarine¡¯s game room.

    On the big screen on the wall, they could clearly see Gu Yanran bringing a little girl into the game room.

    She turned around and closed the door. She turned on the television in the game room for the little girl to watch, then went to the next room to pour herself a ss of water.

    There were also cameras in the next room, and they were all captured by the surveince system.

    Gu Yanran took out two white pills from her pocket, peeled off the icing on the outside, put them into the water, and stirred it twice.

    The camera turned, and Gu Yanran was already standing in front of the little girl, asking her to drink the water.

    The little girl didn¡¯t want to drink the water, but Gu Yanran¡¯s expression changed, and she grabbed the little girl¡¯s throat.

    The little girl opened her mouth to look at her in surprise, and Gu Yanran took the opportunity to pour the water into the little girl¡¯s mouth.

    The little girl was forced to drink the ss of water, and soon shey on the floor motionlessly.

    The camera zoomed in, and the little girl woke up again.

    She looked around, then came to the door and banged on it.

    But no one paid attention to her. She gradually found it difficult to breathe, and held her neck as she knelt in front of the door.

    She seemed to understand what had happened. She turned around, took a ck carbon pencil, and began drawing on the floor.

    In the end, she used thest of her strength to crawl back to the bed, tidied her hair, and quietly closed her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng signaled for Zhao liangze to pause. ¡°Gu Yanran, what else do you want me to say?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at the surveince footage expressionlessly and said,¡±... it¡¯s actually just vitamins. What do you think it is? If I want her life...¡±

    ¡°Shut up. There¡¯s still footage of you turning on the button inside the submarine and releasing nitrogen gas. Do you want to see it?¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°All of your crimes are covered here. Gu Xiangwen never really believed you, right? Even though you¡¯ve been pretending well, he¡¯s still on guard against you.¡±

    However, this guard wasn¡¯t strong enough, so Gu Yanran still seeded.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s psychological defense finally broke down, and she started crying. ¡°Since they never believed me, I don¡¯t feel guilty anymore! Yes, I¡¯m a murderer. Kill me!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right! I¡¯ve always disliked her!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so fat! She¡¯s so ugly! And she has such a bad temper. Who would have the patience to take care of a bad child who will die one day? !¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen said that Gu Nianzhi won¡¯t live past 18 years old! I just let her die six years earlier!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly startled. ¡°When did Gu Xiangwen say that?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s cries quieted down.¡±... I overheard him talking to his wife.¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t she live past 18 years old?¡±

    ¡°Because she has congenital gic deficiency syndrome,¡±gu Yanran said hatefully. ¡°All the GU daughters have it. My mother made a backup for them, and I want to make a backup too. I don¡¯t want that!¡±

    Chen lie sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself. Do you think you¡¯re that important?¡±? In fact, Gu Xiangwen had not developed a suitable treatment method. The bone marrow of you and your mother, Gu Jing, could only treat the symptoms and alleviate some of the symptoms. It could not cure the root cause. ¡°So with you two, without you, that little girl wouldn¡¯t have changed much.¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred. Only a strong gene like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s that could repair itself could possibly save that little girl¡¯s life.

    But if the little girl was the Gu Nianzhi from seven years ago, then she had saved her own life?

    But if she had really saved her own life, then what was with the little girl¡¯s corpse?

    The dead little girl was the real Gu Nianzhi, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter.

    Because she had Gu Yanran and the surveince cameras inside the small submarine, as well as Gu Xiangwen¡¯sst words as evidence.

    So, who was the Gu Nianzhi who had grown up beside them?

    Logic had entered a loop of dead ends here, and their worldview was about to be baptized anew.

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen took you and your mother in to do charity in the first ce. Do you really think you can help save people?¡±Chen lie continued to mock them, his disdainful eyes almost rolling to the sky.

    Gu Yanran couldn¡¯t take it anymore, but she couldn¡¯t resist. She was so excited that the electronic cor around her neck was pulled back, suffocating her so much that she could see stars.

    Huo shaoheng said coldly, ¡°Even if she has a terminal illness, it can¡¯t be a valid reason for you to kill her. Is it so hard to admit that you¡¯re just trying to steal the Gu family¡¯s assets?¡±

    ¡°This little girl, is she the Gu Nianzhi that you¡¯ve lived with since you were young?¡±

    At this point, Huo Shaoheng could finally call this girl ¡°Gu Nianzhi.¡±.

    Gu Yanran nodded and shivered as she calmed herself down. She looked up at Huo Shaoheng, she timidly said, ¡°She¡¯s the real Gu Nianzhi, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter. I¡¯ve lived with his family for more than ten years. Gu Nianzhi has never left the Caribbean Sea since she was born and until she left this world.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what that fake thing by your side is, do you?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expressionless handsome face and asked provocatively, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you find out that you loved the wrong person? Do you regret it?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    PS: Yesterday¡¯s second update, ¡°Schr?dinger¡¯s cat is only one,¡±has been revised. The base pair of human chromosomes is three billion, the base is six billion. Thank you for pointing out. The six billion base pairs mentionedter are two sets of chromosomes. Those who are not familiar with this content can pretend to understand, but it does not affect the main plot.

    Mwah!

 Chapter 1457 - Had brushed past her

    <h4>Chapter 1457: Had brushed past her</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her without batting an eyelid. Although he was greatly shocked, he did not show it on the surface.

    However, other people who were listening in did not have such good self-control and self-restraint as he did.

    ¡°Your attitude of being a busybody is really disgusting.¡±Chen lie did not hold back and insulted her. ¡°The two of them are loving each other. What has it got to do with you, Ugly Freak?¡±

    Gu Yanran¡¯s face turned as red as pig¡¯s blood.

    She was about to retort when Huo Shaoheng said inly, ¡°You¡¯re carrying a murder case on your shoulders. Tell me honestly how you killed... Little Nianzhi. Confess and you¡¯ll be lenient. Resist and you¡¯ll be punished.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally understood what he zhichu meant when he said in his text that ¡°If you want to avenge Little Nianzhi, kill Gu Yanran and pay with your life.¡±.

    Did he zhichu already know about this ¡°Little Nianzhi¡±?

    However, he didn¡¯t say a word. He even tried to draw everyone¡¯s attention, hinting that the amnesiac gu nianzhi beside them was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was slightly cold. He immediately asked Gu Yanran, ¡°When did you meet he zhichu?¡±

    ¡°... three years. Oh, no, it should have been four years ago... Why?¡±Gu Yanran didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°We just met four years ago?¡±Huo Shaoheng was surprised. ¡°The he family and the Gu family aren¡¯t family friends?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯ll have to ask Gu Xiangwen about that. Unfortunately, he¡¯s already dead.¡±Gu Yanran shrugged, looking numb.

    This meant that what the nanny said was most likely true.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. Could it be that little he zhichu and his father had really died not long after leaving Uyuni town in Bolivia?

    If that was the case, then professor he would be even more difficult to deal with.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and said to Gu Yanran, ¡°Tell me about how you murdered Little Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Yanran didn¡¯t want to say anything at first, but Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes. She couldn¡¯t help but think of the fear of being subjected to electrocution.

    She closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate.

    She could tell that Huo Shaoheng was on the verge of exploding in anger, even though he appeared calm.

    However, the calm on the man¡¯s face didn¡¯t hide the bloodthirsty coldness in his eyes.

    It could also be that people had a strong desire to confide in each other before they died. Gu Yanran began to confess her crimes with trepidation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like Gu Nianzhi. I¡¯ve never liked her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so ugly, has a bad temper, and isn¡¯t in good health, but they all like her.¡±

    ¡°Compared to her, I¡¯m like a dog¡¯s tail in the corner, and she¡¯s like a rose in the garden.¡±

    ¡°TSK, she¡¯s just a dead rose.¡±

    ¡°However, I was the only one who apanied her since she was young, and she still listened to my every word. I told her to go east, but she didn¡¯t dare to Go West...¡±

    Gu Yanran had a sick smile on her face.

    Chen Lie couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Just now, you said that Little Nianzhi had a bad temper, and now she listens to everything you say. You told her to go east, but she didn¡¯t dare to Go West!¡±

    ¡°So, was she good-tempered, or did you just make it up to smear her name?¡±

    Gu Yanran choked for a moment and turned her head to say, ¡°She used to have a bad temper, but after we got to know each other better, she... she became very obedient.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I can¡¯t get away from you smearing her name.¡±Chen Lie¡¯s face was sullen. ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to this kind of meaningless and illogical confession. I¡¯m going out first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Close the door.¡±

    After Chen Lie left, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong were still in the cabin.

    The two of them were more disciplined. They had been recording and listening at the side. They were not as sarcastic and problematic as Chen Lie.

    Chen lie left angrily. Gu Yanran restrained herself a little and did not say anything more to nder little nianzhi.

    She lowered her head and wrung the corner of her shirt with one hand. She continued to exin, ¡°Later, there was news from Japan that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ne had been taken hostage. I acted ording to the n and took her to the submarine...¡±

    She did not speak after that.

    Huo Shaoheng already knew about the situation in Japan. He was only concerned about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts now.

    After waiting for a while, seeing that Gu Yanran still did not speak, Huo Shaoheng could only ask calmly, ¡°What happened after entering the submarine?¡±

    Gu Yanran looked up at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already know?¡±

    ¡°We need you to say it again. Why did you choose to sink the submarine in the Blue Hole? Why is there an electronic fence there?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked them one by one.

    Gu Yanran was scared out of her wits by his electrocution. Whenever he asked, she would speak subconsciously.

    ¡°... I chose the blue hole because I knew there was an electric fence there. Gu Xiangwen is a very powerful person. He said that there seemed to be something wrong with the blue hole. I can¡¯t remember clearly. It¡¯s probably a maic field or something...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. It was a maic field again.

    Song Jinning had also said that the residual energy of the super-strong maic field had been detected here.

    Also, the day Gu Nianzhi appeared in C city, there was also an abnormal maic field.

    Thinking of this, Huo Shaoheng felt that it was necessary to go back and interrogate Bai Jinyi again.

    Seven years ago, Bai Jinyi had suddenly said that there was a special maic field in C city. She did not seem to have mentioned her source..

    It was obvious that Bai Jinyi was hiding something.

    She had been sentenced to death for the murder of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uncle, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s wife, Luo Xinxue. The sentence had been suspended for two years, and a year had passed since then.

    If this matter had not been exposed, no one would have known what she was hiding after she was sentenced to death.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind raced. He had already determined his target after returning to the country, but he was still quietly looking at Gu Yanran.

    Gu Yanran continued,¡±... as long as I bring the submarine to the blue hole and let it sink, no one will notice.¡±

    ¡°Because trespassing in this ce will trigger the electric fence.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the situation when the electric fence was activated once. It was very scary.¡±

    She looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it once too.¡±

    That time, she had almost taken Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but recall that in order to save them, she had risked her life many times in the blue hole when the electric fence in the blue hole was full of blue and purple lightning.

    Did she know that she had passed by that Little Nianzhi Here?

    Did she feel that Little Nianzhi, who was rted to her, was also sleeping at the bottom of the sea when she was on the brink of death?

    This kind of association was like a sharp de, cutting and cutting. It was as if he wanted to dig out his heart, cut it into pieces, and sprinkle it over the sea.

    Gu Yanran saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face had suddenly turned ashen, and she was very afraid. She hurriedly said,¡±... that¡¯s it. I can¡¯t tell anyone that she¡¯s dead. I can only say that she¡¯s missing.¡±

    She had to hand over the body if she said that Xiao Nianzhi was dead.

    If she couldn¡¯t hand over the body, what right did she have to say that she was dead?

    Only the murderer could say that the victim was dead without seeing the body.

    Gu Yanran certainly didn¡¯t want to be used of murder.

    She was waiting for Xiao Nianzhi to disappear for seven years, and then she would be able to legally ept the Gu family¡¯s property.

    Gu Yanran pursed her lips and said,¡±... four years ago, I met professor he and his assistant, Wen Shouyi, in the United States and hiredwyer Wen to represent me.¡±

    ¡°... it was them who encouraged me to go to the Huaxia Empire to look for a backer.¡±

    She was really regretting it.

    She didn¡¯t actually need a backer, but he zhichu and Wen Shouyi had encouraged her. In addition, the Japanese thought it would be a good idea for her to go to Huaxia and help them gather more information about the upper ss of Huaxia Society, therefore, they also agreed to let her contact the Huaxia Secret Service personnel.

    Now that she thought about it, if she had not gone to the Huaxia Empire, she would not have known the fake Gu Nianzhi, and would not have provoked Huo Shaoheng and caused all the trouble that would have caused her to die without a burial!

    Huo Shaoheng recalled the first time Gu Yanran had seen gu nianzhi and calmly said, ¡°You didn¡¯t recognize Gu Nianzhi when you first saw her.¡±

    Gu Yanran shook her head with a wry smile. ¡°I was scared out of my mind when I first heard her name. But when I saw her face again, I was relieved. I thought it was just the same name.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked carefully. He didn¡¯t want to miss any clues rted to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Yanran cried out, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you tell? What did Nianzhi look like when she was young? ! How could she be so beautiful when she grew up? !¡±

    Not only was she beautiful, but she was also tall and curvy. Her figure was many times better than the figure that Gu Yanran had once been proud of.

    Gu Yanran was deeply jealous and did not believe that the fake Gu Nianzhi had anything to do with the real Little Nianzhi.

    ¡°Untilter, I found out that she actually considered herself Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughter and wanted topete with me for the family property!¡±Gu Yanran said hatefully, ¡°How dare she? ! She could even forge DNA!¡±

    ¡°So, you still think that Nianzhi¡¯s DNA test was fake.¡±Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms in deep thought, ¡°Actually, the DNA test on her and Little Nianzhi both showed that they were Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological daughters and there was nothing fake about them. Are you sure that Gu Xiangwen really didn¡¯t have twins?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not. Impossible.¡±Gu Yanran was resolute, ¡°The little girl inside the submarine is the real Gu Nianzhi. Huo Shaoheng, you¡¯ve got the wrong person and you¡¯ve fallen in love with the wrong person. You¡¯ve done so much for a fake. Doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng moved his fingers and resisted the urge to p Gu Yanran to death. He turned around and said, ¡°Take her away. She¡¯ll be held for espionage and murder for the time being.¡±

    ..

    He took the salvage ship from the Caribbean Sea and went to the international waters. The Huaxia Empire¡¯s warships were handed over here, and the small submarines were sent to the warships and brought back to the country. Yin Shixiong was responsible for escorting them.

    Huo Shaoheng took the rest of the people back to Barbados and took the special ne that was parked in Barbados to return to the country first.

    Once he returned to the imperial capital, Huo Shaoheng ordered someone to call Ye Xuan.

    In order to confirm the identity of this little nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng wanted to obtain other evidence besides her DNA.

    Ye Xuan heard that they had found the body of a little girl in the Blue Hole of the Caribbean Sea and immediately went to the special operations forces.

    He sat in the small meeting room and saw the situation inside the small submarine on the big screen. He also saw the little girl lying quietly on the Pink Princess Bed.

    Ye Xuan burst into tears.

    He covered his face and sobbed silently. ¡°Yes, this is the Little Nianzhi I remember.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like to write, and she doesn¡¯t like to talk too much.¡±

    ¡°I told her about these little matchstick figures when I was chatting with her online.¡±

    ¡°She likes them very much... I should have known earlier that I had the wrong person...¡±

    ¡°She drew many pictures for me online, all like this... Later, I thought Gu Yanran was her, and even asked her why she didn¡¯t draw matches anymore. She said that her sister didn¡¯t allow her to draw matches...¡±

    ¡°I also thought that her sister was too overbearing, because she didn¡¯t like her sister. Even her favorite match person didn¡¯t allow her to draw matches anymore.¡±

    ¡°Then something happened to Uncle Gu. I heard that Little Nianzhi had gone missing, and Gu Yanran was the only one left to support the huge family fortune. It was too much for her to handle alone, so I came back to help her.¡±

    Ye Xuan continued to talk about what had happened in the past. He was extremely regretful about his choice and mistake at that time.

    Huo Shaoheng listened expressionlessly at the side. Suddenly, he said, ¡°Did you realize that you loved the wrong person and regret it?¡±

    Ye Xuan¡¯s eyes reddened and he nodded heavily. ¡°Of course I regret it. I regret it so much! I¡¯ve known Little Nianzhi since we were kids, but Gu Yanran made me think that she was the girl who saved me and talked to me online.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to see Gu Yanran?¡±Huo Shaoheng folded his hands and ced them on the desk in front of him. His voice was t and his tone t.

    Ye Xuan shook his head and said with disdain,¡±... why haven¡¯t you shot her yet? She has done so many wrong things andmitted so many crimes. She even killed her child. How can you let her get away with it? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knocked on the desk. ¡°Let me correct you. We didn¡¯t let her get away with it. She has been in our custody. However, there are still some matters that haven¡¯t been resolved, so we haven¡¯t shot her yet.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯re going to shoot her? !¡±Ye Xuan raised his head abruptly, and his eyes lit up. ¡°If that dayes, can you let me watch the execution? !¡±

    ¡°... Why?¡±Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt that ye Xuan really had a strong taste..

    ¡°I want to see how she dies.¡±Ye Xuan snorted coldly. ¡°Then, I want her to end up in a matchstick painting and burn it for Little Nianzhi to see.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent. He couldn¡¯t refuse this request.

    This man was supposed to be someone who treated little nianzhi well other than Gu Xiangwen, right?

    If Huo Shaoheng guessed correctly, this ye xuan might be the ¡°Son-inw¡±that Gu Xiangwen had specially selected for Little Nianzhi.

    ¡°If that dayes, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±Huo Shaoheng had a very subtle feeling in his heart. After all, he had already treated gu xiangwen as his ¡°Father-inw,¡±yet this had happened all of a sudden..

    He stood up and finally said, ¡°Everything You Said and did here today has been recorded. Do you mind if I show it to others?¡±

    Ye Xuan was stunned. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything illegal just now, did I?¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. This is your privacy. Even if there¡¯s something wrong, you won¡¯t use it as evidence in court.¡±

    Ye Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. I believe you know what to do.¡±

    He hesitated for a moment, finally, he asked,¡±... ording to the video you showed me, Little Nianzhi passed away seven years ago. Then the... woman beside you, who is she? Why is she also called Gu Nianzhi? And I remember you saying that she¡¯s also uncle Gu¡¯s daughter. You tested her DNA. ¡°Is the DNA fake?¡±

    Anyone who knew the neen-year-old Gu Nianzhi would have this question when they saw the twelve-year-old¡¯s body, right?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know how to exin it.

    He thought for a long time and finally said,¡±... we¡¯re investigating.¡±

    To be exact, they were waiting for the results of the DNA sequenceparison on Chen Lie¡¯s side.

    Ye Xuan was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Where¡¯s Little Nianzhi¡¯s body? Can I see her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not back yet.¡±Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets as if he was sending him off. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see her when she¡¯s back.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±Ye Xuan nodded at him. ¡°I have one more request. I hope she can be buried with uncle Gu and Aunt Gu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°She is the daughter of Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu. She was only 12 years old when she died. She was alone at the bottom of the sea for so many years. She must have missed her parents...¡±

    Ye Xuan choked again. ¡°I beg you, Major General Huo...¡±

 Chapter 1458 - Rare goods

    <h4>Chapter 1458: Rare goods</h4>

    Ye Xuan¡¯s legs gave way and he was about to kneel before Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him from kneeling. He nodded. ¡°I promise you, when her body is brought back, I will bury her with her parents.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen and his wife were already buried in the National Martyrs¡¯Cemetery in the imperial capital. As their underage daughter, Little Nianzhi could also enjoy the same treatment.

    No matter what, Little Nianzhi¡¯s identity was unquestionable.

    Ye Xuan thanked Huo Shaoheng profusely. He had promised that he would ask him toe and see Little Nianzhi off. Only then did he feel at ease leaving his office.

    Huo Shaoheng called for someone to send Ye Xuan out. He then asked Zhao Liangze to show the video he had just recorded to Gu Yanran.

    When Gu Yanran saw Huo Shaoheng suddenly ask ye Xuan from the video, ¡°Did you find out that you loved the wrong person and regret it?¡±

    When ye Xuan blurted out ¡°Of course¡± and expressed his regret, Gu Yanran was so angry that her whole body trembled.

    She clenched her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. Her fingers were so deep into her palms that they were bleeding.

    The piercing pain made her want to scream, scream, and vent, but she was restrained by the electronic cor around her neck.

    The feeling of being unable to vent her anger deepened her pain. She clutched her chest and fell to the ground, sobbing until she was almost out of breath.

    This time, she deeply understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s style of taking revenge for the smallest grievance.

    Other situations might be fine, but once he and Nianzhi¡¯s feelings were offended, he would definitely retaliate ruthlessly.

    No matter what, he would not let you have it easy.

    ..

    After sending Ye Xuan off, Huo Shaoheng asked fan jian to drive him to see Bai Jinyi, who was locked up in prison.

    A year in prison had made Bai Jinyi even older.

    She was originally about the same age as song jinning, but now she looked like song Jinning¡¯s grandmother.

    She had skin like a chicken, hair like a crane, and looked very old.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the chair in the reception room and calmly watched Bai jinyi walk over with handcuffs on. She sat down in front of him.

    ¡°Major General Huo? What a rare guest.¡±Bai Jinyi sat down slowly and tilted her head to smile. ¡°What can I do for You?¡±

    Huo shaoheng sized her up and said without batting an eyelid, ¡°You¡¯ve been in prison for a year. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve been in prison for ten years.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been here for years...¡±Bai Jinyi had just finished speaking when she suddenly realized that Huo Shaoheng was saying that she had aged ten years in a year!

    She was so angry that her teeth were itching.

    For a woman, even a convicted murderer would mind being called fat and old.

    This had nothing to do with a woman¡¯s status, status, and treatment. It was purely instinctive.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s expression immediately changed. She red angrily at Huo Shaoheng and stood up with a cold smile. ¡°Major General Huo came all the way here just to see me make a fool of myself? Then I won¡¯t be apanying you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Bai Jinyi¡¯s aged face and suddenly said, ¡°Bai Jinyi, seven years ago, you went to C city to monitor the maic field data. Who gave you the information?¡±

    Bai Jinyi was just about to turn around when she heard what Huo Shaoheng said and froze.

    Her expression did not have time to change. She struggled between anger and fear, and it was very twisted.

    Seeing Bai jinyi like this, Huo Shaoheng had an idea.

    As expected, the maic field didn¡¯t appear out of anywhere.

    ¡°Seven years ago? You were still a director at the Institute of High Energy Physics in the imperial city and didn¡¯t leave the Imperial City. How did you know that the maic field in C city would appear at a specific time?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng threw out one question after another, ¡°Bombing¡±Bai Jinyi¡¯s brain, and she was overwhelmed.

    ¡°Or do you have real-time monitoring of the maic fields in C city or all of Huaxia?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me with such a reason.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude became more and moreposed. ¡°Even our military can not do this kind of technology. Although Your Institute of high energy physics represents the highest level of Huaxia physics, it can not do it.¡±

    ¡°Because what is needed is not technology, but huge financial resources and strict execution ability.¡±

    ¡°The Institute of high energy physics doesn¡¯t have either of those.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up, his hands in his pockets. ¡°You even called for military protection, especially for me toe personally.¡±

    His eyes narrowed imperceptibly. ¡°Tell me, who gave you the information? Why do I have to protect you?¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s heart almost jumped out of her throat when she heard that.

    She calmed down after a while and tilted her body to look at Huo Shaoheng. She smiled faintly and said, ¡°No one gave me the information. I happened to observe the results myself.¡±

    ¡°... happened? You¡¯re in the capital. Under what circumstances do you have surveince in the downtown area of C City?¡±Huo Shaoheng was as still as a mountain. He looked at Bai Jinyi quietly. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t tell me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked Bai Jinyi up and down. His eyes were deep. ¡°From your physical reaction just now, I can already tell that someone did give you information. I¡¯ll apply for a search warrant from the court and continue to search all of your movable and immovable property.¡±

    He did not believe that a woman who had already been sentenced to death in prison could continue to hide it.

    To his surprise, Bai Jinyi did not seem to be worried at all. She smiled and bent over.

    ¡°Fine, go and investigate! If you find out, it¡¯s on You!¡±Bai Jinyi raised her handcuffed hands and covered her mouth, but herughter still came out.

    This reaction was somewhat abnormal.

    ¡°... you¡¯ve already destroyed all the sources of information?¡±Huo Shaoheng instinctively judged, he thought deeply and said, ¡°That means someone did give you information, and it was a one-time piece of information. Then, was it an email, letter, small note, cell phone text message, or a phone call?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spoke slowly as he observed Bai Jinyi¡¯s expression.

    When Huo Shaoheng said ¡°Email, letter, note, and text message,¡± Bai Jinyi was nomittal, and her expression did not change at all.

    When he said ¡°Phone call,¡±Bai Jinyi could not help but blink.

    ¡°... looks like it¡¯s a phone call.¡± Huo Shaoheng was deep in thought. ¡°I can go to the telmunications department and the phone operator to look up all your phone records from seven years ago.¡±

    This way, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if the contents of her phone were deleted.

    However, Bai Jinyi was still smiling. ¡°Sure, go ahead and look it up. I¡¯ll still say the same thing. If you find out, it¡¯s on you... hahahaha...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Bai Jinyi¡¯s fearless attitude reminded him of another phone.

    In that phone, it had once received a content that was not sent through the mobile phone operator.

    He nodded slightly, ¡°I know, it should be my uncle¡¯s phone. If I remember correctly, 11 years ago, that phone had received a set of coordinate data. It was the same ce in C city. In that case, seven years ago, that phone should have received another message. ¡ª thank you for telling me. Goodbye.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to leave cleanly. Bai Jinyi was dumbfounded behind him.

    She hadn¡¯t said anything important and onlyughed a few times. How had this guy pieced together her source of information?!

    Huo Shaoheng was absolutely right. Eleven years ago, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone had received a set of coordinates for the first time.

    In order to not let others know that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone was with her, she had to study it secretly. However, after studying it for a long time in C city, she hadn¡¯t been able to find anything, so she had given up.

    It wasn¡¯t until seven years ago that the phone with no signal suddenly received a call. Someone told her that at a certain time, a special maic field would appear somewhere in C city, and said that they would give her a big gift as long as Huo Shaoheng was present..

    In the end, other than collecting a set of maic field data and a sudden car ident and explosion, she didn¡¯t get any results.

    Of course, if the orphan Gu Nianzhi was considered a gift, then she was definitely fooled.

    Therefore, she did not mention this phone call to anyone.

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng! Come Back!¡±Bai Jinyi was anxious.

    When Huo Shaoheng mentioned this, she remembered.

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was in such a hurry and had speciallye to visit them in prison, she immediately knew that this information was exactly what Huo Shaoheng and the others urgently needed. She immediately nned to find her niece, Bai Yueran, to discuss it and strive for a reduction in her sentence!

    In the end, Huo Shaoheng immediately guessed the source of the information. She couldn¡¯t possibly reduce her sentence!

    However, Huo Shaohengpletely ignored her.

    His uncle, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone, was now in song Jinning¡¯s hands. All Huo Shaoheng had to do was ask song jinning to borrow it.

    As for Bai Jinyi¡¯s pretentious attitude, did he think that he couldn¡¯t tell that she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to reduce her sentence?

    Haha, don¡¯t think too highly of yourself.

    After Huo Shaoheng left, Bai Jinyi was restless. She finally requested to see the Commissioner of the legal department in the Special Forces, Bai Yueran, iming that she had important information to report.

    She was reporting through the proper channels, and the Bai family was still at the pinnacle of power in Huaxia. The warden would not, could not, and did not dare to stop her.

    ..

    ¡°Bai Jinyi wants to see me? Did she say what she wants?¡±Bai Yueran received a call from the warden in her office. She put down her pen, turned her chair around, and looked at therge window that was half the height of a person in front of her. She frowned slightly. ¡°Does she still have visitation time?¡±

    ording to the rules, the prisoners in the prison had a fixed visitation time. It was impossible for them to meet anyone they wanted at any time.

    The warden looked at the rules and said, ¡°Bai Jinyi does have some visiting time left, but this time she said that she has important clues to report and wants to reduce her sentence.¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±Bai Yueran pondered for a moment. ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll see if I still have time.¡±

    As the Commissioner of the legal department in the Special Forces, her schedule was also very busy.

    She looked at her schedule. There was indeed an hour free this afternoon. She had originally nned to hold a meeting with the legal department to discuss future work needs.

    However, Bai Jinyi said that she had important clues to report and wanted to make a meritorious contribution to reducing her sentence. This request could not be ignored.

    She could hold meetings every day, but her aunt was someone who had already been sentenced to death. However, with a two-year reprieve, she could generally be reduced to life imprisonment.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s crime had offended the Huo family, and Bai Yueran knew about it. She knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personality and way of doing things, so he would never let Bai Jinyi go..

    But what if Bai Jinyi had really reported a major clue that would benefit the country and the people?

    There was also a precedent for felons in prison to receive amuted sentence because they reported an important clue.

    Bai Yueran hesitated for a moment, then said to the warden on the other end of the phone, ¡°Then let¡¯s do it today at four o¡¯clock. Is it convenient for you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s convenient. Then I¡¯ll tell her that it¡¯s four o¡¯clock in the afternoon.¡±The warden made an appointment and politely said to Bai yueran, ¡°See you in the afternoon.¡±Only then did he hang up.

    Bai Yueran, however, could not continue working.

    She packed her things and got up to look for her father, Bai Jiancheng.

    Her father was now the Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire.

    Although she was the daughter of a country¡¯s prime minister, she could not meet him whenever she wanted to.

    It was impossible for her to be like the daughter of a country¡¯s president, who could sit in his oval office and receive foreign guests with him.

    The Huaxia Empire did not have this tradition even when there was an emperor.

    She still waited outside the door obediently, waiting for her father to have afternoon tea for fifteen minutes.

    ¡°Yueran, why do you have time to look for me at This Hour?¡±Bai Jiancheng smiled and pushed a te of vani French cupcakes in front of Bai Yueran. He said kindly, ¡°Eat it. This is your favorite cake.¡±

    Bai Yueran reached out and picked up a piece. She ate it in small bites. After finishing it, she said softly, ¡°Aunt just had someone call me. She said that she has important news to report and wants to perform meritorious deeds to reduce her sentence.¡±

    When Bai Jiancheng heard that it was Bai Jinyi¡¯s news, he immediately frowned. ¡°What other important news could she have? She¡¯s not trying to trick you into pleading for mercy and reducing her sentence, right?¡±

    Bai Yueran thought to herself that this was most likely the reason..

    But what if Bai Jinyi really thought of some amazing clues?

    This was also possible.

    Bai Yueran was awyer, and she was also an excellentwyer. She never let go of any useful clues.

    ¡°I¡¯d better make a trip. It¡¯s reasonable. I¡¯ll go and see her. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    Apart from official business, Bai Yueran was also Bai Jinyi¡¯s family. They could not deliberately distance themselves from her just because she was now a prisoner.

    In the eyes of ordinary people, they would not think that they were deliberately avoiding suspicion. Instead, they would think that they were impersonal.

    Being impersonal was not a good thing for a prime minister who relied on the election toe to power.

    Bai Yueran stood up and said seriously, ¡°If there¡¯s anything, I¡¯ll report it to you immediately.¡±

    Bai Jiancheng Thought for a moment and agreed. ¡°Alright, no matter what, she¡¯s your aunt. It¡¯s only right to send her off.¡±

    Bai Yueran nodded and left Bai Jiancheng¡¯s office to the prison where Bai Jinyi was being held.

    ..

    Bai Jinyi didn¡¯t expect Bai Yueran to immediately agree to see her, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

    She originally thought that ever since her big brother was elected as Prime Minister, he would draw a clear line between them.

    So over the past year, she didn¡¯t make any requests, and she didn¡¯t dare to remind others that Bai Jiancheng had a sister who was a felon.

    Although this matter had already been used by Bai Jiancheng¡¯s political enemies during the general election, it was better to avoid it.

    She was anxiously waiting in the prison visiting room. When she saw Bai Yueran walk in valiantly, Bai Jinyi stood up excitedly.

    ¡°Yueran! Long time no see!¡±

    Bai Yueran nced at Bai Jinyi, pulled out a chair and sat down. She said to Bai jinyi, ¡°Please sit.¡±

    Bai Jinyi sat down as well. Her arms rested on the long table in front of her. She leaned forward slightly and carefully examined her niece¡¯s beautiful face. At the same time, she found that her left hand was still empty, not even a ring.

    ¡°... Yueran, you¡¯re not married yet?¡±Bai jinyi frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore, are you?¡±

 Chapter 1459 - Will tell you a secret

    <h4>Chapter 1459: Will tell you a secret</h4>

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s words were like a pot of boiling water.

    Bai Yueran felt a little warm in her heart. She withdrew her hand and ced it on the armrest beside her. She said calmly, ¡°Auntie, you said you have an important clue to report? I¡¯m a little pressed for time. I only have 40 minutes left.¡±

    She had only driven for 20 minutes, and there was only an hour left in total. Bai Jinyi dragged on and on, and soon it was over.

    Bai Jinyiposed herself and had no choice but to stop the awkward exchange of pleasantries. She lowered her voice nervously.¡±... Yueran, I don¡¯t know if this news will help me with my sentence, but I know that Huo Shaoheng is anxiously looking for this news.¡±

    Bai Yueran raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°What News? How do you know that Huo Shao is looking for this news?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had gone missing, and Huo Shaoheng was looking for her all over the world. Could it be that Bai Jinyi knew about her?

    Impossible..

    If that was really the case, then the prison had to be investigated thoroughly.

    However, Bai Jinyi quickly dispelled her doubts.¡±... Huo Shaoheng specifically came to me just now to ask about this.¡±

    ¡°He specifically came to look for you?¡±Bai Yueran frowned even more. Could it really be information rted to Gu Nianzhi?

    She looked suspiciously at Bai Jinyi. ¡°But how did you know?¡±

    Bai Jinyi had been imprisoned for a year as a felon, and Gu Nianzhi had gone missing half a month ago. How did Bai Jinyi find out about this?

    Of course, Bai Jinyi had no idea that Gu Nianzhi had gone missing. She quickly said, ¡°It was about seven years ago when I went to C city to monitor the maic field!¡±

    ¡°Seven years ago?¡±Bai Yueran¡¯s brows furrowed as she remembered. ¡°Was it about that time when I was monitoring the maic field data, and suddenly broke into a car, and then the car exploded?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right!¡±Bai Jinyi quickly nodded and leaned forward, almost to Bai Yueran¡¯s ear, she frowned and grumbled, ¡°It was that time. They said they were going to give me a big gift, but in the end, they only gave me a little orphan girl that no one wanted. I didn¡¯t want to be a free nanny, so I didn¡¯t say anything...¡±

    What Bai Jinyi didn¡¯t like even more was that this little orphan girl that no one wanted had personally sent Gu Nianzhi to prison six yearster!

    Just the thought of it made her gnash her teeth in hatred.

    So what a big gift!

    It waspletely a death wish!

    If she hadn¡¯t been greedy for shortcuts and rushed to get results, she wouldn¡¯t have been seduced and put in so much effort to monitor the maic field. In the end, she had even been fooled!

    Bai Jinyi grumbled, showing her deep hatred for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°What? !¡±Bai Yueran felt that something was wrong,¡±... say that again? What do you mean by a big gift? Didn¡¯t you say that you suddenly detected the presence of a special maic field?¡±

    Bai jinyi smoothed her hair in embarrassment, and an embarrassed blush appeared on her wrinkled face.

    She stammered,¡±... that¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that my phone ¡ª no, I should say Guanyuan¡¯s phone ¡ª received a call seven years ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important?¡±Bai Yueran¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°How can that not be important...¡±

    But she hesitated.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s matter was a secret mission of the special operations forces, and many ces needed to be kept secret. Bai Jinyi did not have the corresponding security level, so she did not know many things.

    For example, the ne engine blueprint that Gu Nianzhi carried in her backpack was 50 years more advanced than the most advanced engine in the world.

    Also, Gu Nianzhi had just been kidnapped and disappeared.

    On second thought, her disappearance was as sudden as her arrival.

    Could there be a connection?

    Bai Yueran quietly turned on the recording button on her phone, she followed Bai Jinyi¡¯s lead and continued, ¡°Auntie, you said that you received a call seven years ago from the phone belonging to uncle Huo and colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan? I remember thatst time... you didn¡¯t say anything, did you? ¡°And there shouldn¡¯t be any call records on the phone, right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Bai Jinyi shook her head and continued to whisper into Bai Yueran¡¯s ear, ¡°All they could find was a set of text messages that existed 11 years ago. This call didn¡¯t leave any trace on the phone after it was made. As long as I didn¡¯t say anything, Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t know anything.¡±

    Bai Yueran had been listening in on Bai Jinyi¡¯s trial a year ago.

    She remembered that Bai Jinyi had killed Luo xinxue in order to take the phone.

    If she had guessed correctly, the phone had probably been ¡°Not found¡±by the phone carrier.

    Therefore, as long as Bai Jinyi did not say anything, it was impossible for Huo Shaoheng to know anything about it.

    Bai Yueran had a hunch that this information would be very helpful in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s search for Gu Nianzhi.

    Therefore, she deliberately led Bai Jinyi to reveal the contents of the call.

    Bai Yueran secretly moved her phone closer to Bai Jinyi and smiled at Bai Jinyi, telling her not to be nervous, then she asked, ¡°Is that so? Is this the content you want to use to reduce your sentence? But you have to see what the information is. If it¡¯s not a particrly important clue, it won¡¯t be easy to reduce your sentence.¡±

    Bai Jinyi was a little anxious, but she still remembered to keep her voice low. ¡°Then can you help me plead for mercy? I can tell you about the call!¡±

    She knew that there were surveince cameras in this room, and she did not want to be caught on tape, so she spoke in a very low voice. She only whispered into Bai Yueran¡¯s ear, but she had not expected that Bai Yueran was already recording.

    Bai Jinyi trusted Bai Yueranpletely, and she could only trust her.

    As a suspended death prisoner, she had no leverage in her hands.

    If Huo Shaoheng had not suddenly asked her if she had hidden any information from him seven years ago, she would havepletely forgotten about this phone call that had made her feel extremely humiliated.

    Actually, up until now, she had only gambled on her mental state.

    Of course, it would be good if it could work, but if it couldn¡¯t, could it be worse?

    Anyway, she had already been sentenced to death. After a year in prison, Bai Jinyi had already epted her fate.

    It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sudden visit that gave her hope of survival.

    Bai Yueran remained calm and said patiently, ¡°Okay, tell me in detail what the call was about. who made the call? What about the phone number? Do you remember it?¡±

    Bai Jinyi sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know who called me. The phone number was also very strange. I tried to check it once, but it was an invalid number.¡±

    Bai Yueran:¡±...¡±

    The caller was really cautious.

    Bai Yueran had no choice but to ask again, ¡°Then what was the content of the call?¡±

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s voice was even softer. ¡°The caller was a man. I¡¯ve never heard his voice before. He seemed to be very anxious and only called for less than a minute. He spoke very quickly. He hurriedly told me the time and ce and said that he would give me a big gift if I brought Huo Shaoheng with me at this time and ce! What was the result? A big gift, my ass! He¡¯s aplete liar!¡±

    Bai Yueran:¡±...¡±

    ¡°He even mentioned Huo Shao¡¯s name?¡±Bai Yueran was shocked. ¡°That person knows Huo Shao? !¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡±Bai Jinyi was so mysterious that she was almost leaning on Bai Yueran¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you think this clue is enough to reduce your sentence?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know him, why would he call you?¡±Bai Yueran continued to interrogate her without batting an eyelid. ¡°Is he someone who used to admire you?¡±

    When her aunt was young, she was quite popr with men. It was a pity that the person she loved did not love her.

    Bai Yueran¡¯s heart sank. She wondered if all the women in the Bai family were like this.

    She didn¡¯t like the people who liked her.

    The people she liked didn¡¯t like her.

    Bai Shuang was the only exception, but when the people she liked liked liked her, she was already dead.

    When Bai Jinyi heard Bai Yueran¡¯s words, her face reddened again. She shook her head and said embarrassedly, ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re thinking too much.¡±

    Bai Yueran changed directions and asked a few more questions. Seeing that Bai Jinyi couldn¡¯t think of anything new, she paused the recording on her phone and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with the judge. Auntie, do you have any other clues?¡±

    ¡°This should be the clue that Huo Shaoheng is looking for.¡±Bai jinyi spread her hands. ¡°If this clue doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll just have to wait for death.¡±

    She looked at Bai Yueran pitifully.

    Bai Yueran couldn¡¯t bear it.

    However, she still averted her gaze and calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    She still nned to put in a good word for Bai Jinyi in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    If this clue could help Huo Shaoheng find Gu Nianzhi, Bai Jinyi might really be able to make a contribution and reduce her sentence.

    ..

    Bai Yueran left the prison and returned to the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground. She immediately went to look for Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was not in his office.

    ¡°Little ze, where¡¯s Huo Shao?¡±Bai Yueran walked over to Zhao Liangze¡¯s desk and knocked on it with a smile.

    Zhao Liangze looked up at her and said calmly, ¡°Huo Shao went out. What¡¯s the matter, director Bai?¡±

    Bai Yueran sat down in front of him and asked carefully, ¡°Little Ze, are you still angry with me? You¡¯ve been angry for so long. Is it time for you to let go of your anger?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry with you.¡±Zhao Liangze looked away and looked at theputer screen in front of him. ¡°If director Bai has nothing else to do, please wait outside. This is an office, not a reception room.¡±

    Bai Yueran:¡±...¡±

    She quietly looked at Zhao liangze for a while.

    He was wearing a summer uniform today. The tailored military uniform was very well-behaved on him. Even the sleeves were straight into a line.

    His fair and handsome face used to be tanned due to the mission.

    But after returning for a few months, he had already returned to his fairplexion.

    However, he had also gained a few traces of valor, and his temperament hadpletely settled down. He was more manly than before, and more mature and reserved.

    If Zhao liangze had been like this two years ago, Bai Yueran knew that she would have immediately agreed to his pursuit.

    But now, he had be a better version of him, and she had be the one chasing after him.

    Bai Yueran was slightly absent-minded, and said, ¡°I have something important to report to Huo. If you know where he is, please let me know.¡±

    ¡°Something important? What is it?¡±Zhao liangze looked up at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay to tell you. Huo Shaoheng went to the hospital building to see a patient.¡±

    Bai Yueran understood what he meant. ¡°Huo went to see Xiao Ye?¡±

    Zhao liangze was nomittal.

    Bai Yueran stood up and said softly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go find Huo. Take Care.¡±

    When she reached the door, she turned around and said,¡±... Goodbye.¡±

    Zhao liangze did not even raise his head as he focused on his work.

    ..

    The hospital building in the headquarter of Special operation forces¡¯encampment ground was not far from the office building here. Chen lie worked there.

    Xiao Ye was Chen Lie¡¯s most important patient recently.

    Bai Yueran hurried over. It was already evening.

    It was early September. The grass in front of the hospital building was still green, but there was a hint of autumn in it.

    The setting sun was shining yellow, like a nket covering thewn.

    Bai Yueran stood across thewn. She looked up and saw Huo Shaoheng pushing a wheelchair slowly along a tree-lined path beside thewn.

    There was a beautiful girl in a white striped hospital gown with neatly cut short hair sitting in the wheelchair.

    It was Xiao Ye.

    Xiao Ye was protecting gu nianzhi, but the gangsters had shot her in all four limbs and had knocked her unconscious in a pool of blood.

    She had already woken up.

    Chen Lie¡¯s medical skills were brilliant, and he had reconnected her arms and legs.

    However, the tendons in her left hand had been broken and were not healing well. Her legs were also recovering, and the wound was too big for her to walk.

    Xiao Ye was expressionless at the moment. She sat in her wheelchair and looked ahead quietly.

    Bai Yueran stood in front of her and looked for a while before walking over with a sigh.

    ¡°Huo Shao.¡±She nodded with a smile and said to Xiao Ye, ¡°Xiao Ye, are you feeling better?¡±

    Xiao Ye looked up at Bai Yueran with a dazed look in her eyes. She nodded slowly,¡±... okay.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Bai Yueran would never visit her for no reason, so he looked at her inquisitively.

    Bai yueran immediately said, ¡°Huo Shao, there¡¯s something I want to report to you.¡±

    Xiao Ye came back to her senses and quickly said, ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m going back first.¡±

    She turned on the button on her wheelchair, turned around, and went back to the hospital building.

    Huo Shaoheng was worried, so he called the nurse over to push Xiao Ye away.

    Looking at Xiao Ye¡¯s back in the wheelchair, Bai Yueran felt her heart clench. She asked quietly, ¡°Huo Shao, what will Xiao Ye do in the future? Will she change careers?¡±

    ¡°I respect her decision.¡±Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to talk about Xiao Ye anymore. He looked away and calmly looked at Bai Yueran. ¡°Director Bai, why are you looking for me?¡±

    Bai Yueran looked around.

    It was dusk, and the sunset was slowly dissipating in the horizon. The avenue was quiet, and not many people came and went.

    She said in a low voice,¡±... I just went to see my aunt.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his sharp eyes. ¡°You just went to see Bai Jinyi? Why?¡±

    Bai Yueran said frankly, ¡°My aunt came to see me and said she wanted to redeem herself.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°If you want to plead on behalf of your aunt, you can save your energy. I¡¯m very busy.¡±With that, he walked away.

    ¡°Huo Shao!¡±Bai Yueran called out to him from behind. ¡°My aunt told me about important clues, and I recorded them. I didn¡¯t mean to plead on behalf of my aunt. I just wanted to let you hear it. It might be useful in finding miss gu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her.¡±... You recorded what your Auntie Said?¡±

    Bai Yueran nodded.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately brought her back to his office.

    Zhao Liangze was slightly surprised to see Bai Yueran enter with Huo Shaoheng, but he didn¡¯t say anything and helped them close the office door.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private office, Bai Yueran sat in front of him. She turned on the recording on her phone and yed it for Huo Shaoheng to listen to.

 Chapter 1460 - Where to find?

    <h4>Chapter 1460: Where to find?</h4>

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s slightly aged and hoarse voice came from the phone.

    ¡°... I don¡¯t know who called me. The phone number was also very strange. I tried to check it once, but it was an invalid number.¡±

    ¡°... the person who called was a man. I¡¯ve never heard his voice before. He seemed to be very anxious and only called for less than a minute.¡±. He spoke very quickly. He hurriedly told me the time and ce, and then said that he would give me a big gift if he asked me to bring Huo Shaoheng with him at this time and ce! ¡ª and the result? A big gift, my ass! He¡¯s an out-and-out liar!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard this, but his expression remained calm andposed, he smiled faintly and said, ¡°Thank you, director Bai. This clue is indeed very important. However, Bai Jinyi¡¯s concealment has indeed caused a great deal of trouble and loss to our work.¡±

    Bai Yueran understood what Huo Shaoheng meant, she lowered her voice. ¡°Huo Shao, I really have no intention of pleading for my aunt. I just want to tell you that she knows about this clue. As for the fact that she knew about it seven years ago and didn¡¯t report it, it¡¯s also the truth. I Won¡¯t plead for her.¡±

    She sent the recording to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You can study it yourself. I¡¯m going back first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Bai Yueran¡¯s lonely figure as she turned around and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you, director Bai.¡±

    Bai Yueran did not turn around. She waved her hand casually. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Huo Shao. This is my duty.¡±

    She had her own selfish motives. She wanted to protect the Bai family¡¯s reputation and the overall interests of the family, but she had never made a mistake in her work. Moreover, the interests of the country were definitely ahead of the Bai family to her.

    Perhaps in the eyes of some people, she could neither bepletely impartial nor care for her family. She was even a little unreasonable, but she did not want to change her ways.

    She had her own limits on what she should and shouldn¡¯t do.

    Huo Shaoheng silently shifted his gaze to his phone.

    Bai Yueran had just transferred all the content of Bai Jinyi¡¯s conversation to his phone.

    Bai Jinyi¡¯s voice was very, very low. With such a low voice, the surveince system in the visiting room probably wouldn¡¯t be able to record this conversation.

    Therefore, Bai Yueran really did him a big favor.

    Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows slightly and transferred the conversation to theputer. He used the audio system to analyze if there was any tampering and editing before he amplified it so that he could hear it more clearly.

    He listened to the recording over and over again in his office alone and gradually came up with a few clues.

    Seven years ago, he had saved Nianzhi. It had been a result of careful nning, not a coincidence.

    As for Nianzhi¡¯s memory loss, he did not know if it had been intentional, or if it had been an ident, or if she had lost her memory in the first ce.

    However, he was certain that the moment Nianzhi hade to his side, he had lost contact with her.

    This was because they had spent six years without finding any clues.

    The only clue that had surfaced was when he zhichu hade to Nianzhi¡¯s side a year ago.

    It seemed that he zhichu was the key to the problem.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s frown deepened.

    Was the invalid number he had called Bai Jinyi the same as the two invalid numbers they had encounteredter.

    However, Bai Jinyi would definitely not say it out loud. This was her trump card that she wanted to hang up and sell.

    After careful consideration, Huo Shaoheng did not n to let her have her way.

    In fact, even if this invalid number was the same as the previous two, it would be of no use.

    This was because with their current technology, there was no way they could investigate this invalid number.

    Moreover, after thinking about it, he still believed that there were two groups of people behind the living Gu Nianzhi. One group had no ill intentions towards her, and the other group wanted to kill her.

    The person who had sent the text to Xiao Ye¡¯s mother must have wanted her dead.

    However, the group who had kidnapped her this time should have no ill intentions towards her.

    Even so, Huo Shaoheng still felt uneasy.

    He was used to having her under his wing.

    This woman could have no parents or friends, but she couldn¡¯t have no him.

    He was also worried about handing her over to anyone.

    But now, she was nowhere to be found.

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of his office with a heavy heart. He said to Zhao liangze, who was outside the door, expressionlessly, ¡°I¡¯m going to the Institute of High Energy Physics. You have full authority over what happens here.¡±

    Zhao liangze looked at him worriedly. He felt that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mental state was not quite right.

    In his opinion, Huo Shaoheng should be very sad, sad, angry, and desperate, just like how he had watched Bai Shuang die right in front of him. However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression did not change at all.

    He continued to work and was asfortable as before. Although he was also constantly looking for Gu Nianzhi, he did not forget about the entire special operations forces and the military.

    No matter how capable Huo Shaoheng was, he was still a human being.

    Although they were soldiers and their ability to endure hardship was much higher than ordinary people, it did not mean that they were as tough as steel and could not feel pain.

    Zhao LIANGZE did not dare imagine what would happen if Gu Nianzhi could not be found after he suppressed himself like this.

    However, looking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall and resolute back, he could only say, ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng came out of his office and asked fan Jian to drive him to the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    First, he took Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone back to study it. Second, he wanted to see the results of Chen Lie¡¯s DNAparison.

    After they got off the ne, Chen Lie dove into the Institute of High Energy Physics and worked with song jinning to conductrge-scale calctions using a quantumputer. He did not return to the headquarter of special operation forces¡¯encampment ground.

    It was already dark when they reached the entrance of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car and leaned against the door to smoke a cigarette before walking in.

    Song Jinning was in her office eating dinner while watching the data running on theputer.

    Seeing Huo Shaohenge in, she quickly asked, ¡°You¡¯re here. Have you had dinner?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t hungry at first, but when he saw the two dishes and soup on song Jinning¡¯s desk, he suddenly felt hungry.

    He shook his head. ¡°Not yet. Do you have anything to eat?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the canteen. Our canteen here is not bad.¡±Song jinning cleaned up the dishes and spoons on the table and stood up with the rice card.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He had almost forgotten that song jinning didn¡¯t cook much either.

    The two dishes and one soup on the table were obviously bought from the canteen.

    He didn¡¯t say anything and quietly followed song jinning out of the office. He was still thinking about the discoveries and doubts he had made over the past few days.

    All the clues were arranged into a web in his mind. He only needed to wait for a result, which was theparison of Chen Lie¡¯s DNA sequence. Then, he would be able to find his way through the maze-like web.

    The two of them walked out of the experimental building. It didn¡¯t take long before they arrived at the Institute of High Energy Physics¡¯cafeteria.

    It was only around 6:30 pm, and the cafeteria was at its liveliest.

    People came and went. The lights were bright, and the air was filled with the unique aroma of food in the cafeteria. There was a sense of beauty and warmth in the atmosphere.

    Huo Shaoheng and song jinning walked in.

    ¡°Inspector Song, You Brought Your Son to Dinner?¡±

    Those who were familiar with song jinning greeted her with a smile.

    Song jinning nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s too busy. He didn¡¯t even have time to eat dinner. I¡¯ll bring him another meal.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets. It was obvious that his mind was elsewhere. He nodded casually and followed song jinning to buy two dishes and a soup. He ced them in a food box that he could take with him.

    The two of them returned to Song Jinning¡¯s office. Huo Shaoheng sat at song Jinning¡¯s desk and began eating dinner.

    Mother and son rarely ate together like this.

    Song jinning looked at Huo Shaoheng carefully and suddenly said, ¡°You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight recently. Although you¡¯re busy with work, you have to take care of your health.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng did not go out on missions, he ate and slept very regrly.

    In his official residence, he had to eat a steak every meal, as well as a variety of high-protein nutritious meals.

    However, for the past few days, he had indeed been hungry and full. He couldn¡¯t eat and felt nothing at all.

    Huo Shaoheng paused and replied with an ¡°MHM.¡±He quickly finished everything on his te.

    After clearing the dishes, he said to song jinning, ¡°Uncle¡¯s phone is still with you, right?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at him strangely. ¡°Yes, why? Why do you need his phone?¡±

    ¡°I want to take a look.¡±He told song jinning what Bai Jinyi had said, and finally asked,¡±... do you think there¡¯s a way to find out where the call from seven years ago came from?¡±

    Song Jinning looked very serious. She frowned and thought for a moment, then said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. If the phone carrier can¡¯t find out where the number came from, then only the quantummunicator has the ability.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up in surprise. ¡°Quantummunicator? isn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen a broken quantummunicator?¡±

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t have the ability to fix it. Didn¡¯t Nianzhi say she wanted to do some research on it?¡±

    Song Jinning was filled with regret when she identally mentioned Gu Nianzhi. She quickly nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had already fallen silent. ¡°It should be at Nianzhi¡¯s house. I¡¯ll bring it over for you to do some more research.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t have that kind of ability.¡±Song Jinning was telling the truth. ¡°Look, the quantumputer we worked so hard to create is only a prototype. How can we possibly repair a more advanced quantummunicator?¡±

    ¡°Even you don¡¯t have that kind of ability. Then... how did Gu Xiangwene up with it?¡±Huo Shaoheng was puzzled.

    Song Jinning shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but I¡¯m about to unlock the music box. Why Don¡¯t I give you my phone and you can do your own research. I¡¯ll go see if I can unlock Gu Xiangwen¡¯s music box as soon as possible?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the others had found the music box from Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ¡°Cereus I¡±submarine. ording to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s holographicst words, it contained his greatest research results.

    ¡°Okay, let me take a look at that phone.¡±Huo Shaoheng agreed. He took the phone from his uncle, Huo Guanyuan, from song Jinning¡¯s hands.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1460, ¡°Where is the gentleman?¡±.

    Thank you for your rmendation tickets and monthly tickets.

    They had been working overtime today, but when they saw that the monthly ticket was already 6,000, they went home at night and worked hard to code the second update.

 Chapter 1461 - Breaking through the bottleneck

    <h4>Chapter 1461: Breaking through the bottleneck</h4>

    This phone was still an old model from more than a decade ago. It wasn¡¯t even considered a smartphone. The only thing that was advanced was the battery inside.

    Huo Shaoheng held it in his hand and began to examine the program and contents stored inside.

    Song Jinning went to her ownb to continue answering the various sets of questions and equations that Gu Xiangwen had left behind.

    The process of opening the music box was a pure test of IQ. There were no shortcuts.

    When one was fully immersed in work, time flew by.

    It was midnight in the blink of an eye. Huo Shaoheng snapped out of his thoughts from the app on his phone and sighed helplessly.

    No, he did not find any clues.

    Bai Yueran had recorded Bai Jinyi¡¯s private conversation, but there was still no evidence to support it.

    And a confession that couldn¡¯t be supported by evidence could only be considered a clue.

    Although Huo Shaoheng wanted to believe her, he couldn¡¯t find any circumstantial evidence, so he remained cautious and waited.

    He sat on the sofa in song Jinning¡¯s office, one hand resting on the back of the sofa and the other propping up his head. He was lost in thought as he looked out the window at the night sky.

    It was as if he was thinking about a million things, but also as if he wasn¡¯t thinking about anything at all.

    He sat there for a while. Unable to resist the sleepiness, he took a nap on the sofa.

    When he woke up, he realized that the sky outside had already turned white.

    He looked at his watch. It was already 5:50 in the morning. No wonder it was almost dawn.

    The sofa was a little small. He had been cooped up on it all night, and his legs were numb. He simply stood up and was about to go out for a walk when he suddenly heard his phone ring.

    He took it out to take a look and realized it was song Jinning¡¯s phone.

    ¡°Ms. Song?¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s voice was unexpectedly excited. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ve unlocked the Music Box¡¯s password! I saw Gu Xiangwen¡¯s most important research results!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in theb. Do you want to take a look?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng left song Jinning¡¯s office quickly. After going through the heavily guarded security checks, he finally arrived at the door of herb and rang the doorbell.

    Song Jinning pressed a button.

    Theb was soundproof and shockproof. The doors that could even withstand missiles opened quietly on both sides.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly nced at the post-modern renovation of theb, as well as the various experimental tforms.

    On the wall opposite theboratory, there was a huge oil painting with a long-shaped instrument on it. It looked like a crystal chandelier that was as tall as a three-story building, this was the prototype of the quantumputer that the Institute of High Energy Physics had beenmissioned by the military to build.

    This kind of instrument had too high a requirement for the environment and energy. It could only be stored in the special undergroundboratory of this experimental building until now.

    Upstairs, it was just an oil painting, and it was already shocking enough.

    Song Jinning was wearing a whiteb coat. She stood in front of an experimental tform and waved at him. ¡°Close the door ande quickly. I¡¯ll show you this thing.¡±

    She was holding the ck music box in her hand, and her face was red with excitement.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over. ¡°What exactly is it?¡±

    Song Jinning held up a sh drive. ¡°See it? It¡¯s all in Here!¡±

    She inserted the sh drive into herputer and entered the password she had cracked. She found a set of blueprints stored in the sh drive!

    Song Jinning opened the blueprints.

    ¡°What is this?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked calmly. ¡°From the looks of it, it looks like a quantummunicator.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s most important research achievement is this quantummunicator,¡±song Jinning said seriously, ¡°He exined at the end of the blueprint that he had been inspired by someone very early on and had the idea to build a quantummunicator. However, after many years, there has been a technical bottleneck that has not been broken through, so the quantummunicator that he built was only a half-finished product and could notmunicate.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t until he was trapped at the bottom of the sea due to a submarine ident that he suddenly thought of the crux of the problem. However, he no longer had the time toplete his research and development. He could only leave behind this set ofpleted blueprints.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat.¡±... So, the quantummunicator that we found was not actually broken, but had not been sessfully developed yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s only a half-finished product, so it can¡¯t be used. I thought it was broken. It really is something we haven¡¯t touched before, so we can¡¯tment on it...¡±song jinning sighed, ¡°This design is amazing. It¡¯s really enlightening.¡±

    ¡°For example, using that quantummunicator, not only can you disguise a normal number as an invalid number, using quantum theory to make real-time calls between two phones, but it can also achieve multi-dimensional, all-directional, and all-timemunication.¡±. ¡ª this is the most peculiar part of the quantummunicator.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to have understood something.

    ¡°If quantum theory can really be used in the macro world, it will revolutionize our world.¡±Song Jinning felt even more regretful, ¡°It¡¯s such a pity that such a brilliant scientist died so early. If he were still alive, his contribution to the entire human race would be incalcble.¡±

    However, such a powerful person was unable to save the life of his beloved daughter.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed silently in his heart.

    Looking at the design blueprint and thinking about the unfinished quantummunicator that was still on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, huo shaoheng said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you that quantummunicator. Can youplete its invention?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you with that.¡±Song Jinning pulled out the sh drive regretfully and put it back into the music box. Then, she closed the music box ording to the original program.

    She continued, ¡°I can¡¯t help much because this isn¡¯t my main research area. It¡¯s not even a field that I¡¯m familiar with.¡±

    There were really too few scientists who were almost all-rounded like Gu Xiangwen.

    With song Jinning¡¯s high IQ, she could only be outstanding in certain areas. She couldn¡¯t be like Gu Xiangwen, who could cross the three major fields of physics, medicine, and biology with ease.

    However, this design blueprint was notpletely useless to song jinning.

    This design blueprint was about how to use quantum theory to make rted instruments. In this aspect, they could learn everything.

    Therefore, this design blueprint also had a great inspiration for song Jinning¡¯s research in her main direction.

    She was a big shot in studying high-energy maic fields. Seventeen years ago, the military and their institute of high energy physics experiments were rted to super-strong maic fields.

    ¡°Our experiments have recently reached a bottleneck, and there has been no progress. But this design blueprint has given me a new direction. I think our experimental equipment can be changed a little.¡±

    ¡°And most importantly, the maic field data I have obtained recently has allowed my understanding of high-energy maic fields to rise to a new level. ¡°In his design blueprint, the method for the quantummunicator to obtain energy from the electric field is very innovative and very effective.¡±

    ¡°Thest time in the Sea of Japan, Nianzhi helped me transform from a super strong maic field to an electric field. She showed me how powerful a super strong maic field can be when it is used to transform energy.¡±

    ¡°Also, the high-energy maic field data that Gu Xiangwen left for your uncle in the beginning, and the abnormal maic field fluctuations near the sinkhole in Tunguska, Russia, in the first half of the year, all made me think of how to obtain the high-energy maic field needed for the experiment!¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I think our experiment is just around the corner!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He realized that he did not care at all about whether the military and Institute of High Energy Physics experiments would seed. All he wanted now was to find Gu Nianzhi. He just wanted to see her by his side so that his heart could truly calm down.

    Huo Shaoheng had never interfered with song Jinning¡¯s work or life, and he would never interfere with her research.

    But this time, he made an exception, ¡°Mrs. Song, can you put aside your experiment for now and help us find Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts?¡±

    Song Jinning stopped her excited thoughts and looked at Huo Shaoheng, her heart stinging.

    This was her son, a son who was unmoved by anything. The first time he had asked her, he wanted her to help him find the girl he loved.

    She was really not a good mother.

    Song Jinning patted his shoulder. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you.¡±Then she asked, ¡°What Can I help you with?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s greatest hope was, of course, that song Jinning couldplete the design and manufacture of the quantummunicator so that the quantummunicator could be put to use.

    However, song Jinning had already made it clear that she could not do it.

    Huo Shaoheng did not insist. He thought about it for a moment, he said, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet, but when Nianzhi went missing, we found some relevant surveince videos. Can you help us do a technical analysis of those surveince videos? Of course, it¡¯s a higher level of technical analysis.¡±

    The special operations forces could do a general technical analysis on their own.

    But to achieve a higher level of technical analysis, they needed the experts from the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    ¡°No problem,¡±song jinning quickly agreed. ¡°Send the surveince video over, and I¡¯ll help you do the technical analysis.¡±

 Chapter 1462 - Perfect Genes

    <h4>Chapter 1462: Perfect Genes</h4>

    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Song.¡±Huo Shaoheng was so exhausted that he had no choice but to ask song jinning, who had nothing to do with their work, for help.

    This was the first time in his career.

    Song Jinning was very worried about his health, but she still said, ¡°I will do everything I can to help you, but you have to be mentally prepared. Professional people do professional things. I¡¯m not good at finding people.¡±

    She was also worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts, but these were not her areas of expertise, so she was very wise not to point fingers at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work to prevent it from affecting their normal work.

    Huo Shaoheng also knew this, but he really had no other way.

    The other party¡¯s technology was obviously more advanced than theirs, and they had nned it beforehand. They had prepared for so long like casting a. If he did not think of any other way, then there would really be no chance of winning.

    He exined to song jinning the procedures and objectives of their work, and discussed the follow-up progress. Then, he called Zhao Liangze and asked him to send over the surveince footage rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance.

    After song Jinning received all the surveince footage, she immediately began to analyze the data.

    Huo Shaoheng took his leave and prepared to leave herb.

    Just as he pushed the door open, a chubby man in a whiteb coat stood at the door and was about to ring the doorbell.

    ¡°Huo Shao? ! Why are you here? !¡±

    The person standing at the door of Song Jinning¡¯sb was Chen Lie.

    Huo Shaoheng was also very surprised. ¡°Weren¡¯t you testing the DNA forparison?¡±

    Shouldn¡¯t it be in the undergroundb?

    Because the quantumputer was underground.

    Chen lie narrowed his eyes and smiled absentmindedly. ¡°Of course! Damn, I¡¯m so tired! Now all I see are numbers. I think you¡¯re just like data, hahahaha...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He stepped aside and Chen Lie walked in. He looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s director song? Why are you here?¡±

    Chen Lie had been working with the quantumputer for more than two days, and he was feeling a little dizzy. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. He was extremely excited and even trembling.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go out first. Don¡¯t disturb Ms. Song¡¯s work.¡±

    He closed theb door gently and left the Institute of High Energy Physics with Chen Lie.

    ..

    The two of them returned to the office building of the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground. The sky was already bright.

    The September Sun brought with it the heat ofte summer. Although it was only early in the morning, it was already somewhat powerful.

    Huo Shaoheng closed the door of his office and looked at Chen Lie. His expression was still calm, but his voice was a little unsteady.¡±... The results are out?¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s round eyes narrowed into slits.¡±... they¡¯re out!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him without batting an eyelid. ¡°What do you mean by being so agitated?¡±

    Chen lie leaned forward and said mysteriously, ¡°Beg me! If You Beg me, I¡¯ll tell you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes speechlessly and said calmly, ¡°Chen Lie, Nianzhi is waiting for us to save her. You¡¯re still keeping her in suspense. Ask your conscience...¡±

    ¡°... It Hurts!¡±Chen lie rubbed his chest, his face twisted with pain. ¡°I¡¯m in such a good mood and so emotional. I¡¯m really sorry for Nianzhi. My Conscience Really Hurts!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched as he sat down on the sofa opposite him and said calmly, ¡°If you hadn¡¯tughed so hard that I couldn¡¯t see my eyes, I would still have believed you.¡±

    Chen Lie didn¡¯t want tough, but the corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t be suppressed. ¡°Huo Shao, my conscience really hurts! Trust me!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±Huo Shaoheng straightened his long legs and crossed his arms. He was calm andposed. ¡°Tell me now, or I¡¯ll show you the Iron Fist of the People¡¯s dictatorship.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deterrence still had some effect.

    Chen Lie took a deep breath and finally calmed down. ¡°I spent two days and a night using a quantumputer to finallypare the two sets of DNA¡¯s six billion base pairs in order.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened attentively. He turned on his phone and aimed it at Chen Lie to record the video.

    Chen lie continued, ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before!¡±

    ¡°Ipared he zhichu¡¯s DNA sequence with that of the 16-year-old boy.¡±Chen Lie took out a sh drive from his pocket. ¡°Let me show you.¡±

    Theputer in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office was connected to the big screen on the wall. Chen lie walked to the back of theputer and plugged the sh drive-in.

    Chen lie opened the file in the sh drive and was ecstatic.

    ¡°Look, this is the DNA of the teenager who died at the age of 16. We can call him little he zhichu.¡±

    ¡°This is the sequence of the DNA base pairs of big he zhichu, professor he zhichu.¡±

    ¡°From theparison of all the base pairs, I found that their DNA base pairs are almost exactly the same. Yes, you didn¡¯t hear wrong. I said almost, not exactly the same as we thought!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm, but he still heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.

    It finally proved that these two people were not the same person.

    As long as their DNA was different, they could never be the same person.

    ¡°But where are the differences?¡±Chen lie pointed to Huo Shaoheng with the mouse, ¡°Look, this is where the young he zhichu¡¯s DNA mutated. There are a total of eight nodes. This proves that what the nanny said is true. The young he zhichu is indeed sick, and it¡¯s a disease that won¡¯tst long.¡±

    ¡°These few DNA mutations directly restrict his hematopoietic function. In other words, he really has a very serious congenital disease.¡±

    ¡°Look here again. This is professor he¡¯s DNA sequence. Look at the corresponding eight nodes here. They arepletely healthy and normal. There is no sign of mutation at all!¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the bases in these eight ces in professor he¡¯s DNA arepletely different from the young he zhichu¡¯s. This also proves that their DNA sequences are not exactly the same!¡±

    Chen lie was so excited that his face was red. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the results of the DNAparison between our Nianzhi and Little Nianzhi. It¡¯s even more amazing!¡±

    He had deliberately used the words ¡°Our nianzhi¡±and ¡°Little Nianzhi¡±to distinguish between the two people.

    Little Nianzhi was the twelve-year-old girl who had died in the submarine in the Blue Hole of the Caribbean Sea seven years ago.

    Our Nianzhi was, of course, the neen-year-old girl who had grown up beside them and was now missing.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simr to he zhichu¡¯s situation. Their DNA is almost the same, except in two key areas.¡±

    ¡°But these two key areas are different from he zhichu¡¯s situation.¡±

    Chen lie slowed down his tone and said word by word, ¡°The situation on their side is even more unbelievable!¡±

    ¡°First of all, you have to know that half of all blue star¡¯s genes contain the genes of ancient viruses. ¡°They are usually hidden and invisible. They will only be expressed when the conditions are right or when they are stimted by the outside world, causing various diseases of the immune system

    ¡°As for Xiao Nianzhi¡¯s gene sequence, it clearly shows that there are two nodes in her genes that do not maintain the characteristics of invisibility but are expressed in her body

    ¡°Therefore, her body is very weak. Gu Yanran once said that she eavesdropped on Gu Xiangwen¡¯s conversation with his wife and said that Little Nianzhi would not live past 18 years old. It must be true.¡±

    ¡°Such a congenital gic condition is practically carrying a living virus. It would be a miracle if she could live past 18 years old!¡±

    Chen lie hammered the mouse hard.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him without batting an eyelid.

    Chen lie immediately wilted. He rubbed his hands together and said in a fawning manner, ¡°But our Nianzhi is different! Look at this, this is our Nianzhi¡¯s gic blueprint!¡±

    On the big screen on the wall, aparison of the gic blueprints appeared.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, those long and short pictures looked exactly the same as binary pictures.

    However, to those who knew better, these were the most beautiful pictures in the world.

    ¡°I can say that our NIANZHI¡¯s gic structure represents the most perfectbination of human genes. There are no mutations, no defects, and more importantly, all human genes!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. ¡°She¡¯s human. What¡¯s so strange about all human genes?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s weird!¡±Chen lie waved his fists excitedly, ¡°I just said that 8% of the genes in the entire human genome are actually from viruses! 8%! Do you understand? ! That means that each of us has more or less non-human genes!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    This was really hard to understand and believe.

    How could there be 8% of virus genes in human genes?

    Chen lie adjusted his sses on his nose bridge and exined to Huo Shaoheng with a flushed face.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. First, you have to know what a Virus is. Its English name is Virus.¡±

    ¡°In the textbook, it is stated that a virus is a non-cellr form, between a living organism and a non-living organism. It is neither living nor non-living.¡±

    ¡°It is mainlyposed of a nucleic acid molecule, which is DNA or RNA, and a protein

    ¡°Its infection of the host depends on continuous self-replication to upy the host¡¯s body

    ¡°When viruses infected humans in ancient times, they could convert their own RNA into DNA and leave it in the ancient human genome

    ¡°Although the infected humans eventually defeated the viruses and survived, the defeated viruses were notpletely removed from the human body

    ¡°The DNA fragments that they left in the human genome justy dormant and passed down from generation to generation

    ¡°Therefore, 8% of the human genes identified by modern humans actually came from ancient viruses

    ¡°The different viruses embedded in our genome have different effects on the human body. We can¡¯t generalize them.¡±

    ¡°However, we can¡¯t deny that these are all external effects. Even if some virus genes have been ¡®tamed¡¯by the human body and be an indispensable part of the human genes, they are still ¡®non-humans with different hearts¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Their concealment is like a time bomb. You Don¡¯t know when they will be detonated

    ¡°Some virus genes even determine the degree of resistance of the human body to certain diseases

    ¡°In this sense, whether or not you will get those serious diseases is really determined by the genes. The influence of the acquired factors is not big

    ¡°Therefore, in order to treat certain diseases, the most effective way is to start with genes.¡±

    ¡°But to be honest, our understanding of genes is still too shallow. The technology that can be used to treat them from the gic level is too backward. The cost is huge, and there is not much effect.¡±

    ¡°But our NIANZHI¡¯s genes are different. Not only does her genes not have any remnants of the ancient virus genes, they arepletely human genes. They are extremely healthy and perfect, and have that kind of powerful... function!¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯sst sentence was vague, but Huo Shaoheng understood what he meant.

    It was not strange that there were no mutations or defects in the genes, but not only were there no mutations or defects, but all human genes were also human genes. It was very heaven-defying that they could repair mutations and defects.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned,¡±... are they really that perfect?¡±

    Things that were too perfect always felt surreal and did notst long.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that perfect. I¡¯ll hang myself if I don¡¯t ept it.¡±Chen lieughed as he uttered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s catchphrase.

    ¡°So, our NIANZHI¡¯s DNA is actually different from Little Nianzhi¡¯s?¡±Huo Shaoheng urgently needed to confirm this, or else he would not know how to face Little Nianzhi¡¯s body, which was about to be escorted back by Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Definitely different.¡±Chen lie was very emotional, ¡°Although the parts rted to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s genes are indeed the same, there are still differences between them. This kind of difference is like the difference between two sisters who have the same father and mother.¡±

    ¡°But Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t have two daughters.¡±Huo Shaoheng subconsciously refuted Chen Lie¡¯s conclusion.

    Chen lie shrugged, he said nonchntly, ¡°From a purely biological point of view, even if they weren¡¯t born from the same parents, it¡¯s still possible for them to have DNA that is rted to each other. Although the probability is very, very small, it¡¯s notpletely impossible.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about this possibility, but Chen Lie was shocked by his discovery.

    ¡°Huo Shao, have you thought about it? Our Nianzhi¡¯s genes might be the only set of genes in this world that all belong to humans! No wonder it¡¯s so perfect! So Powerful!¡±Chen lie was practically dancing with joy, ¡°If only I could publish a paper! This is definitely a Nobel prize-level discovery!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but re at him and remind him, ¡°You¡¯ve made a discovery that¡¯s even greater than this, so wake up. The sky is already bright, stop daydreaming.¡±

    Chen lie chuckled and sighed, ¡°This discovery is different from other discoveries. This discovery can be made public, but unfortunately, it¡¯s on our nianzhi, so we can¡¯t tell anyone!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a while and silently deleted the video he had just recorded. He then reminded Chen lie, ¡°Keep this discovery in your stomach forever, and only tell the public that the two of them are biological sisters.¡±

    ¡°... OH.¡±Chen lie looked at Huo Shaoheng. Although he felt very sorry for him, he still nodded.

    The two of them looked at each other speechlessly. After sitting for a while, Chen Lie yawned loudly and said, ¡°I¡¯m really tired. I haven¡¯t slept in three days. Huo Shao, I¡¯m going back first, okay?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and watched Chen lie leave.

    He turned his seat around and looked out the window at the morning light. He thought, where is Nianzhi Now?

    Are they really getting closer to her?

 Chapter 1463 - Where Was She?

    <h4>Chapter 1463: Where Was She?</h4>

    After careful consideration, Huo Shaoheng once again deployed a new direction of action.

    Time passed quickly.

    A weekter, Yin Shixiong finally returned to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s southernmost military port with the submarine with the warship that contained Xiao Nianzhi¡¯s remains.

    Like Gu Xiangwen¡¯srge submarine, Cereus I, Xiao Nianzhi¡¯s small submarine, Cereus II, was also left in this military base.

    Cereus I and Cereus II could finally be ced side by side.

    It was still the same giant cave that was surrounded by cold steel supports. The light from the shadow-lessmps poured down from the top and shone on the two submarines, onerge and one small.

    The incandescent light that looked cold seemed to have be gentler. It was like a kind father looking at his naughty child with fatherly gentleness

    The corners of Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes teared up. He took a few photos with his phone.

    He then left the military port and boarded the military transport ne back to the imperial capital.

    He ced Little Nianzhi¡¯s body in an exquisite cherry-wood coffin and brought it back to the imperial capital.

    When the military transport nended at the imperial capital¡¯s airport, Huo Shaoheng called Ye Xuan toe and wee him.

    Ye Xuan had dressed up specifically today. He wore a ck tuxedo with a bow tie. Adding to his charming beauty, his shiny ck hairplemented his handsome, mixed-race face.

    Waiting for Little Nianzhi¡¯s coffin toe down from the ne like a lover waiting for his beloved girl, he held a budding rose in his hand.

    Somewhat speechless, Huo Shaoheng stood beside him with his hands behind his back.

    However, this was Ye Xuan¡¯s matter, so he didn¡¯t want toment on it.

    With Yin Shixiong walking at the front, a few soldiers carried the small cherry-wood coffin down from the military transport ne.

    When they passed Huo Shaoheng, Huo Shaoheng nodded at him. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly replied, ¡°... It¡¯s not hard at all.¡±

    Ye Xuan walked over and looked at Yin Shixiong cautiously.¡±... Sir, can I help her carry the coffin? Send her on herst journey?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s mouth was agape as he looked at Huo Shaoheng in surprise.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded without batting an eye. ¡°Let him send it.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly gave up his position.

    Ye Xuan pinned the rose to his chest and carried Little Nianzhi¡¯s cherry coffin on his shoulder.

    He thought to himself: Little Nianzhi, I¡¯ll send you back to your parents...

    ..

    After special approval from the relevant government departments, Little Nianzhi was finally buried in the National War Hero Cemetery as the child of a minor war hero. She was buried with Gu Xiangwen and his wife.

    The family of three was finally reunited on thend of the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng used the excuse that Gu Xiangwen had two biological daughters, and that Little Nianzhi was also his biological daughter.

    The name engraved on the tombstone was Crena Ku, the Latin name Huo Shaoheng had given Little Nianzhi. It had the same meaning as the English name Cereus.

    He didn¡¯t want to see the name ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡± or ¡°Cereus¡± engraved on the tombstone.

    Although Gu Yanran insisted that Gu Xiangwen didn¡¯t have two daughters, the results of the DNA test were there for everyone to see. No matter how much she repeated it, it would only make people think that she had ulterior motives, that she was a habitual liar, and that she was asking for humiliation.

    Moreover, this kind of result was more eptable than other results.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze believed it, not to mention General Ji, Speaker Long, and Prime Minister Bai. They all approved of this result.

    Only Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie knew that things were far from simple.

    ..

    Autumn in the imperial capital was supposed to be the most beautiful season of the year. With white clouds floating in the sky and bright red maple leaves in and around the city, it was often sunny.

    However, on the day of Little Nianzhi¡¯s burial, it rained in the imperial capital.

    The evergreen pines and cypresses in the National War Hero Cemetery were washed green by the rain.

    Dressed in a formal military uniform with General Ji, Huo Shaoheng stood in the rain.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze held big ck umbres for them on both sides.

    ¡°Is there any news about Nianzhi?¡± General Ji asked softly.

    The ceremony was still in progress, but not many people hade. It was only a small-scale burial ceremony.

    Ye Xuan was in the front and taking care of everything that a family member should do.

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind General Ji and watched quietly.

    He shook his head. ¡°... I¡¯m still looking.¡±

    General Ji turned to look at him, patted him on the shoulder, and left without saying anything.

    Not long after General Ji left, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone rang.

    He had been wearing a bluetooth headset the whole time. When he heard Song Jinning¡¯s voice, his heart skipped a beat. ¡°Miss Song, What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Song Jinning had been studying the surveince footage that Huo Shaoheng and the others had obtained for the past week.

    With her technical skills and professionalism, as well as the incredibleputing power of the quantumputer, she had finally discovered the problem with the surveince footage.

    ¡°Shaoheng,e over here. My technical analysis hase to a conclusion.¡± Song Jinning¡¯s voice was a little shaky.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face twitched involuntarily, and his heart started to race.

    This was an instinct he had developed on the battlefield. When a target or danger appeared, he could feel it.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately turned and walked to his car. ¡°What¡¯s the result?¡±

    He had never been so eager. He couldn¡¯t help but want to know the result on the road.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t keep him in suspense. She looked at theputer screen in front of her and said excitedly, ¡°... There is indeed something wrong with the surveince video, especially the surveince video of the sudden appearance of four ck SUVs. There are traces of abnormal maic fields on the images at the same time!¡±

    ¡°The abnormal maic field this time is very subtle. It isn¡¯t as powerful as any of the previous abnormal maic fields that we have found, but it is more precise and leaves no traces. Therefore, your technical analysis didn¡¯t notice it.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it when I first analyzed it. After the video was further digitized and analyzed by a quantumputer, I found traces of the abnormal maic field!¡±

    Just like on the day she appeared, the abnormal maic field also appeared on the day she disappeared.

    Huo Shaoheng had an idea. He quickly got into the car and mmed the door shut. ¡°Go to the Institute of High Energy Physics!¡±

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng sat next to Song Jinning at the Institute of High Energy Physics. He watched as she exined the surveince footage from three weeks ago on theputer frame by frame.

    ¡°Look, this is the abnormal fluctuation that urred three weeks ago when the 18-wheeler truck blocked the camera.¡±

    ¡°Did you see that? Even without the high-definition digital processing, the footage would still blur and jump for a few seconds at this time. Although it¡¯s very short and may not be visible to the human eye, the equipment can still capture it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng agreed. ¡°Our technicians have noticed this phenomenon, but after analysis, they believe that this is just amon focus problem that urs with ordinary cameras.¡±

    Song Jinning replied with an ¡°Oh.¡± She said regretfully, ¡°This is indeed amon problem with ordinary cameras, but if your technicians had done an in-depth study of the abnormal maic field, they would have been able to tell that this wasn¡¯t blurring caused by the focus problem of ordinary cameras.¡±

    She paused. ¡°... This is the fluctuation caused by the abnormal maic field, which affects the focus of the camera.¡±

    Song Jinning patiently pointed at Huo Shaoheng with her mouse. ¡°Look here again. When the 18-wheeler truck drove away, then the four ck SUVs suddenly appeared and drove in four directions, the abnormal maic field had already disappeared.¡±

    ¡°This means that these four cars were just a pretense. What really happened was within the few seconds of the 18-wheeler truck blocking the camera.¡±

    Her expression a little uneasy, she paused for a moment. ¡°... What do you think happened in those few seconds?¡±

    Yes, what exactly happened in those few seconds three weeks ago?

    ..

    On that day three weeks ago, Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t been unconscious for long and quickly regained consciousness.

    Her head was still a little dizzy, but she hade back to her senses. However, she didn¡¯t open her eyes and remained in a motionless position.

    Everything that had happened just now was too shocking for her.

    The image of Xiao Ye lying on the floor covered in blood kept echoing in her mind.

    Like a heavy stone pressing down on the depths of her heart, her heart tightened and she felt sad.

    Hoping that Major General Huo and the others would notice the abnormality in her apartment in time and rescue Xiao Ye, she kept praying.

    After she finished praying nervously, her thoughts returned to herself.

    She was instantly enraged at the thought.

    D*mn it!

    She had actually been kidnapped!

    And the other party had even said that they were going to take her home?!

    Which asylum hadn¡¯t closed their doors properly and let these psychos out?!

    They had dared to kidnap her in the Huaxia Empire. These people were either crazy or idiots!

    Major General Huo would definitely cut them into a thousand pieces when he caught them!

    Gu Nianzhi thought angrily. She quietly raised her eyelids, and her thick and long eyshes fluttered slightly.

    She wanted to see what this ce was.

    Major General Huo and the others should be able to find her soon.

    She was very confident about this.

    But before that, she needed to have a clear understanding of her situation.

    She didn¡¯t know if her phone was still there, but even without the phone¡¯s GPS, she still had the GPS that Huo Shaoheng had specially installed for her.

    Just as she opened her eyes, a blinding ray of sunlight shone down on her and instantly stung her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively closed her eyes.

    The strong light stung her so much that she couldn¡¯t help shed tears.

    What was this ce?

    How could there be such intense sunlight?

    Gu Nianzhi thought back to the weather in the imperial capital and started to feel that something was wrong.

    No matter how intense the sunlight in the imperial capital was, it was impossible for it to be so pure and scorching.

    The light was practically scorching her eyes.

    She was almost blinded by the light.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire body stiffened, but she still didn¡¯t dare open her eyes. She only relied on her ears and skin to feel the situation around her.

    It was very quiet around her, and the temperature wasn¡¯t high. It was veryfortable.

    She was sitting, and the seat beneath her... why did it feel like a car seat?

    Gu Nianzhi became even more nervous.

    She thought back to that year when she had been kidnapped at King¡¯s Lake on the outskirts of Munich, Germany...

    Could it be the same situation?

    But Seth and his stepfather had both died, right?

    Could it be that his mother hade to Huaxia Empire to avenge him and her husband?

    Gu Nianzhi was lost in her thoughts and waited quietly for a while.

    It was eerily quiet around her, and she couldn¡¯t feel anyone else around her.

    What about those cruel and brainless kidnappers?

    Could they have just left her here alone?

    Where was she?

 Chapter 1464 - Iâ€™m Not Familiar With You

    <h4>Chapter 1464: I¡¯m Not Familiar With You</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a few minutes before she finally opened her eyes again.

    This time, perhaps her eyes had adapted to the light, or perhaps the angle of the sunlight had changed.

    In short, this time she opened her eyes, but the strong light didn¡¯t continue to shine directly on her eyes.

    She finally opened her eyespletely and quickly looked around.

    She found that she was sitting in the passenger seat of a car, but there was no one in the driver¡¯s seat beside her, and there was no one in the back seat.

    Sure enough, there was no one else around her. She was the only person in the car.

    It was very hot in the car. She wondered if the air conditioner hadn¡¯t been turned on.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw the sea view in front of her!

    Gu Nianzhi gasped and widened her eyes in disbelief.

    No wonder the sunlight had been so dazzling. It was the sun by the sea.

    The indigo sea stretched as far as the eye could see. It was so vast that it was frightening.

    The white sand-covered beach stretched out before her eyes. There were tall coconut trees by the side of the road, andrge coconuts hung from the trees.

    Between the beach and the sea stood a tall man with ck hair. He was dressed neatly in ck, which was obviously the same color as the clothes worn by the previous kidnappers.

    However, looking at his back and posture, she had a hunch that this man was a soldier. She didn¡¯t know which one of the kidnappers was.

    She still remembered the four kidnappers¡¯ faces clearly.

    Then what about the others? Where were they hiding?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare act rashly. She raised her hand slightly to look at her watch. It had only been fifteen minutes since she had been abducted from her apartment.

    So how had she gotten from the intersection of the Sanhuan Road in the imperial capital to this beach by the sea within fifteen minutes?

    Gu Nianzhi looked around and found that she could only see the vast sea. So this is an ind?

    She muttered to herself as she looked down at the rope that was tightening around her. It turned out to be the seat belt in the car.

    She reached out and tried to undo the seat belt, only to hear a click. The seat belt had been undone just like that.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a surge of excitement in her heart..

    Did the kidnappers think too little of her, so they didn¡¯t really tie her up? Or did they think she wouldn¡¯t wake up so soon, so they didn¡¯t tie her up?

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself as she quietly tried to push the car door open.

    She didn¡¯t expect that no matter how hard she tried, the car door wouldn¡¯t budge.

    After trying for a long time, Gu Nianzhi finally stopped.

    It turned out that the kidnappers didn¡¯t tie her up either because they didn¡¯t take her seriously, or because they didn¡¯t think she would wake up so soon, but because they had other precautions!

    They locked the car door directly, so it would be fine even if she woke up.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the lock on the car door from the corner of her eyes and snorted in her heart.

    Did they think that a car lock could stop her?

    How naive!

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand to touch her earlobe. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth twitched twice.

    Where were her diamond earrings? !

    That was the GPS that Huo Shaoheng had custom-made for her!

    Where did they fall to?

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly panicked. She slipped out of the car seat and searched everywhere in the car.

    She searched everywhere, but she couldn¡¯t find a single diamond fragment!

    Where was her earring?

    Could it have fallen on the road?

    Gu Nianzhi was really worried now.

    Her confidence and calmness before had been based on the fact that Huo Shaoheng would find her very quickly.

    Now that she realized that it might not be so easy for them to find her, she couldn¡¯t help but start to feel nervous.

    Her eyelids started to twitch uncontrobly.

    Was it twitching on the left eye forecasts fortune but twitching on the right eye forecasts disaster?

    Or was it Twitching on the right eye forecasts fortune but twitching on the left eye forecasts disaster?

    She couldn¡¯t tell anymore.

    She reached into her pocket again with one hand and found that her phone was still there!

    That¡¯s good.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took out her phone again. After pressing it for a long time, she realized that her phone was already out of battery.

    It was still 100% charged in the morning, but after 15 minutes, it was already out of battery?

    This was the new iPhone of the year. Was it battery dead?

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself in amusement as she put the phone back into her pocket.

    What was going on? Was this time even more dangerous than that time in the German Alps?

    Gu Nianzhi sat back in her seat in a daze. Suddenly, she saw the man standing on the beach and looking at the sea suddenly move, as if he was about to turn around.

    Pretending that she was still unconscious, she quickly fastened her seat belt and closed her eyes again,.

    She couldn¡¯t run out, and she didn¡¯t know where the kidnappers were. In this moment of desperation, it was better to remain still than to move.

    She waited in the car with her eyes closed for a while, and heard the door of the driver¡¯s seat open. Someone got into the car and sat in the driver¡¯s seat.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous, but she tried her best to maintain her previous posture and remained motionless in her seat.

    After the person sat in, he suddenly mmed the steering wheel hard and said through gritted teeth,¡±... What kind of f * cking high-tech technology is this?! They¡¯re all a bunch of trash!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body stiffened even more, and beads of sweat began to drip from her forehead.

    The man sat quietly for a while and nced at Gu Nianzhi, just in time to see her twitch under her eyelids.

    ¡°Stop pretending. Aren¡¯t you awake?¡± The man turned his head and said lightly to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She slowly opened her eyes.

    Like two sparkling stars suddenly appearing in the dark night sky, her dark jade-like eyes gradually emerged from her thick, long eyshes. They were big, bright, and moving.

    The man only took one look before he looked away. He lowered his head and took out a cigarette. He lit it in his mouth and took a puff. He then opened the car window and flicked the ashes onto the beach outside the car.

    This man should be the man in ck who had been standing on the beach and looking into the distance, right?

    Gu Nianzhi quickly looked at the spot in front of the car. Sure enough, the man was no longer there.

    She retracted her gaze and suppressed her pounding heart as she quietly sized up the man.

    This man was quite good-looking. His facial features resembled He Zhichu¡¯s, but he was much more valiant than He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was a noble and elegant young master who appeared above the world, but this man had a strong worldly aura.

    He wasn¡¯t one of the four kidnappers.

    However, although this man wasn¡¯t one of the four kidnappers, he was wearing the same clothes as them.

    Therefore, this man must have been one of the kidnappers.

    In other words, there weren¡¯t only four people who had attacked her this time, but also a fifth person.

    This man was the most cunning and had been hiding behind the scenes, right?

    But how did he manage to bring her from the intersection of the Sanhuan Road in the imperial capital to this ind in less than 15 minutes?

    This was unbelievable.

    Sensing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze on him, the man switched the cigarette in his hand from his right hand to his left hand and ced it on the car window. His right hand was holding the steering wheel, and he turned his head to look at her.

    This was Gu Nianzhi?

    Seven years ago, she wasn¡¯t like this...

    She really had changed a lot.

    He looked at her for a long time without batting an eye, then took out a photo from his pocket and looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the photo in the man¡¯s hand and pursed her lips. Finally, she said, ¡°... Who are you? Should I call you kidnapper a or a passerby?¡±

    The man raised his eyebrows in surprise.¡±... Are you really Gu Nianzhi? You don¡¯t know me anymore?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t know you. Do I know you well?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head and rolled her eyes.

    Although her eyes were practically rolling to the sky, she was still thinking nervously. She wasn¡¯t feeling as arrogant and pretentious as she appeared to be.

    This person knew her name and seemed to be very familiar with her. The kidnappers had also said that they were going to take her home, so who had sent them?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding. She had a vague guess.

    But this guess weighed heavily on her mind when she thought about how those people had shot at Xiao Ye without hesitation or mercy.

    Could these people have something to do with the memories she had forgotten?

    The darkness in her eyes growing thicker, like a storm brewing in the dark sky, she stared at the man.

    ¡°It looks like they were telling the truth when they said you had amnesia.¡± The man handed the photo to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Look at the photo of you as a child. It¡¯spletely different from now. If they hadn¡¯t confirmed it, I would have thought they had the wrong person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the photo. It was a photo she had never seen before.

    The person in the photo was indeed the same as when she was a child. She was still holding the doll and sitting on the swing in the garden. She was smiling at a man who was pushing the swing behind her. It looked like He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the uneasiness and fear in her heart. She smiled and said with some grievance,¡±... I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ve really found the wrong person. Please let me go. Look at the person in the photo, she¡¯spletely different from me...¡±

 Chapter 1465 - The Righteous Turns Into a Scoundrel

    <h4>Chapter 1465: The Righteous Turns Into a Scoundrel</h4>

    The man looked at Gu Nianzhi from the corner of his eyes with an expression that said, ¡°I¡¯ll watch you quietly.¡± He said calmly, ¡°In your eyes, am I a fool? I spent so much manpower and resources, but I ended up bringing back a fake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sniffed a little and looked up. She was choked by the man¡¯s expression.

    ¡°... What do you mean? Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Gu Nianzhi felt even more wronged. She couldn¡¯t stop crying at the thought of how anxious Major General Huo was.

    To begin with, she cried easily. Half of it was an act, and the other half was genuine difort, so she cried even harder than usual.

    She didn¡¯t make a sound, but her tears rolled down her fair skin like broken beads.

    Her shoulders twitched, and she bit her lower lip. Her delicate nose quivered gently, and herrge, misty eyes looked at the man usingly. She cried so hard that her heart was broken.

    The man had not expected Gu Nianzhi to cry so easily. He frowned in disgust.

    He wanted to ignore her, but seeing that she had been crying for ten minutes and did not seem to be stopping anytime, he could not take it anymore.

    He took out tissue and handed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why are you crying? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to do anything to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still sobbing when she heard that there was a chance. She took the tissue from the man and wiped her face and choked,¡±... You¡¯re not going to do anything to me? That¡¯s all lies! I saw your people shoot my friend more than 10 times!¡±

    ¡°Do you know how miserable it was? She was covered in blood...¡± Gu Nianzhi recalled Xiao Ye lying in a pool of blood, and finally she sobbed, ¡°You used this method to force me out; you still dare say you won¡¯t do anything to me? What else do you want to do to me? Wil you only be satisfied when you shoot me that many times and fill my body with holes?¡±

    The man was stunned and said in disbelief, ¡°What? She was really shot?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to you? What¡¯s the point of lying to you? You people are so evil. Do you want me to thank you for not killing me?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such bullies! You¡¯re the ones who treat me like an idiot!¡±

    ¡°You keep saying that you want to take me home! You even said that you knew me when I was young!¡±

    ¡°Are you really my family? Why would youmit such madness?!¡±

    ¡°If you really knew me as a child, why would you look at me with such disdain?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost cursed the man with his fingers pinched together.

    She had always been eloquent, and the man did not want to argue with her. Moreover, what she said was very different from what he had previously known.

    Therefore, the man did not retort. He smoked silently for a while before saying, ¡°Whether you believe it or not, I have never received an order to... kill anyone.¡±

    Although he was not in the same system as the four men, he knew their style of doing things. They should not be so violent.

    Moreover, with their skills and equipment, it was entirely possible for them to quietly take Gu Nianzhi away without alerting anyone.

    He also did not understand how this could have happened.

    He looked carefully at Gu Nianzhi. She did not look like she was lying. Moreover, what was the point of saying such lies? It could be exposed with a single poke.

    It was better to investigate it properly when he got back.

    The man¡¯s slender fingers tapped the steering wheel rhythmically as he silently considered his n of action.

    Gu Nianzhi cried as she pondered whether he was telling the truth or not.

    If he was telling the truth, then it could be disintegrated. If he was lying, then this man was quite capable of lying to her face.

    Gu Nianzhi threw the tissues that she used to wipe away her tears into the small trash can in the car and sobbed, ¡°... Is there any more tissue?¡±

    The man speechlessly handed her another stack of wet tissues.

    Gu Nianzhi took them and moistened her hands. She looked up at the man and asked, ¡°Who exactly are you? What¡¯s your name? What do you want to do? You look like a soldier; why did you have to take this path and be a bandit?¡±

    Then she added, ¡°Why did you turn from the path of righteousness to the path of evil?¡±

    Her big eyes had just been washed by tears. They were even darker and shinier. The brilliance like those of gemstones lit her face.

    The man looked away and was silent for a while. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.

    He said ufortably, ¡°I¡¯m Qin Zhining. You knew me when you were young. I was ordered to bring you home.¡±

    It was indeed rted to the memory she had forgotten.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing stopped for a moment, and her heart suddenly beat so fast that it felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, don¡¯t panic, speak properly...¡±

    She took two deep breaths and closed her eyes. She felt that this man really didn¡¯t seem to have any ill intentions, and that he was somewhat different from the four malicious kidnappers.

    She asked in a whisper, ¡°Your name is Qin Zhining? You said I knew you when I was young? You were ordered to bring me home?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qin Zhining nodded.

    ¡°But my home is right here, in the capital of the Huaxia Empire. Where else are you taking me?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused.

    Qin Zhining looked at her with a frown. ¡°... Did you really lose your memory?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied listlessly with a sullen face, ¡°Yes, I lost my memory seven years ago. I really don¡¯t remember.¡±

    She cupped her head and knocked it against the car window. ¡°Actually, I really want to remember what happened in the past, but just thinking about it gives me a headache...¡±

    The intense, tearing headache felt like someone was holding a blunt knife and trying to cut her brain in half.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, then don¡¯t try to remember it,¡± Qin Zhining sighed. ¡°It¡¯s good to forget those things.¡±

    He finished his cigarette and casually threw the butt away. He rolled up the car window and said, ¡°Since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s see where this ce is.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt something was wrong. ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you know where this ce is?¡±

    Qin Zhining didn¡¯t even look at her. He pushed open the car door and got out. ¡°...There¡¯s a slight ident. This isn¡¯t the ce I want to take you back to.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    F*ck!

    So the kidnapper was lost?!

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Qin Zhining¡¯s tall and sturdy back. She didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Do you want to go take a look?¡± Qin Zhining turned to look at her. ¡°The car has no electricity left. It can¡¯t start, so we have to walk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to talk anymore.

    This unreliable kidnapper!

    She got out of the car aggrievedly and followed Qin Zhining onto the ind. It took them four hours to walk one round around the ind.

    Her legs were almost crippled along the way, but the man in front of her was still unhurried. He looked around as if he was enjoying a holiday in nature.

    They measured with their steps and found that it was a very small ind. They didn¡¯t know where it was on the sea.

    Both her and Qin Zhining¡¯s phones had run out of battery, and the car battery had run out, so they could not charge their phones.

    Therefore, they could not use their phones to determine their location, nor could they use their phones tomunicate with the outside world.

    ¡°But how did we get here?¡± Gu Nianzhi was so tired that she was panting. ¡°I remember 15 minutes before we came here, we were still on the Third Ring Road in the capital, right?¡±

    Qin Zhining nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s advanced technology. You don¡¯t have to understand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    F*CK your advanced tech!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to curse.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°... This high-tech is too unreliable, isn¡¯t it? It actually threw us to this godforsaken ce.¡±

    Qin Zhining finally looked at her and smiled. ¡°If it was reliable, it wouldn¡¯t be called high-tech.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    Their survey of the ind was not without any rewards. The two of them found a house not far from where the car was parked.

    They could tell that it used to be someone else¡¯s vacation home. It was a small two-story house that looked like it had been in disrepair for a long time.

    Qin Zhining opened the door to the house and went in to take a look. ¡°Well stay here for the day. I¡¯ll check the battery in the car to see if it¡¯s still salvageable.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the house with hope in her heart. Her big eyes sparkled. ¡°Is there no charger in this house?¡±

    Qin Zhining shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s not even electricity here. Why would there be a charger?¡±

    This was quite primitive.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to be curious and walked into the house to take a look.

    Qin Zhining seemed to be very assured of her. He went back to the car alone to get a toolbox and started checking the battery.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding. She walked into the small building and looked out the window at Qin Zhining. Seeing that he had opened the front cover of the car and was engrossed in checking the battery, he didn¡¯t seem to care at all, so she immediately put her arms around her waist and ran out the back door.

    Out of Qin Zhining¡¯s sight, Gu Nianzhi hurried to the small forest that she noticed when they were surveying the ind just now.

    Although the ind was small, there were quite a few coconut trees and shrubs. The mountain rocks stood tall, and the streams gurgled. The scenery was indeed not bad.

    Gu Nianzhi had experienced escaping in the Alps before, so this time she was very familiar with it. She quickly dived into the forest.

    Although this ce was small, it would not be easy for Qin Zhining to find her by himself.

    Although it was bright and hot on the ind, it was still quite cool in the forest.

    She entered a dense forest.

    As soon as she entered the dark forest from the sunny outside, there was a moment of darkness in her eyes before she got ustomed to it.

    After she got used to the darkness, she saw that the scenery here was indeed pretty. There were strands of rime of various lengths hanging from the trees like ropes.

    She was about to walk over when she suddenly saw a strand of rime that seemed to wiggle a little.

    What was that?

    When she finally understood what was going on, she suddenly let out an earth-shattering scream. Then, she frantically turned around, as if there was a ghost chasing her from behind, and quickly ran back the way she came.

    ¡°Help! Help!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ran and screamed, and her heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the entire ind.

    Qin Zhining looked up from the front of the car, and Gu Nianzhi shot behind him. She grabbed him from behind, her whole body trembling. ¡°Snakes! So many snakes! Hanging from trees! Ahhhhh...¡±

    She was trembling so much that she was almost going crazy.

    Qin Zhining didn¡¯t like physical contact with her, so he grabbed her wrist and wrested it away. He turned around and was about to scold her when he suddenly saw that her eyes were nk and she was about to break down. His hand that was holding her wrist paused and let go of one hand, he gently patted her back and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. The snake won¡¯te after you if you run into the Sun.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was trembling all over.

    Qin Zhiningforted her for a long time, but in the end, he had no choice but to carry her into the car.

    Gu Nianzhi curled up into a ball and buried her head in her knees. She curled up in the back seat like an ostrich.

    Qin Zhining thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Where are the snakes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not look up. She pointed ahead and said, ¡°Just go out from behind that house. About five hundred meters from the path, there¡¯s a small forest...¡±

    ¡°What did you go there for?¡± Qin Zhining frowned and then understood. He smiled coldly and rubbed his fists. ¡°You want to run? Run! If you have the guts, don¡¯te back!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was originally very afraid, but Qin Zhining¡¯s words sessfully provoked her anger. She couldn¡¯t care less about her fear. She looked up and said angrily, ¡°You think I don¡¯t want to run?! If it weren¡¯t for those snakes, I would have run far away!¡±

    Qin Zhining had never known that someone could say such a shameless thing in front of him so righteously!

    ¡°Haha, you really are spoiled,¡± Qin Zhining stared at her for a while and shook his head. ¡°Do you think you make sense? Let me tell you, no one has ever escaped from me, Qin Zhining. If you¡¯re the first, I¡¯ll change my surname to yours for the rest of my life!¡±

 Chapter 1466 - Pay Up Quickly

    <h4>Chapter 1466: Pay Up Quickly</h4>

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to take my surname! You wish!¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re a soldier, but you kidnapped and harmed innocentw-abiding citizens. That¡¯s against thew you know!¡±

    Qin Zhining spread his fingers and the corners of his mouth curled up in disdain. ¡°Which eye of yours saw me kidnap you? Weren¡¯t you free to move around just now? You were the one who ran back, and I didn¡¯t even say that you sexually harassed me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she wanted to hit him.

    She clenched her fists and tried to calm her anger and said, ¡°When did I sexually harass you? Don¡¯t tter yourself!¡±

    ¡°... who was the one who threw himself at me just now?¡± Qin Zhining nced at her disdainfully. ¡°I¡¯m a good, clean man. There¡¯s someone I like in my heart. Save your energy and stop bothering yourself with me.¡±

    ¡°I never knew there was such a shameless person like you in this world,¡± Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she almost dug a hole in the seat cushion, ¡°Who are you saying spent effort on you? Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re a vicious kidnapper. I happen to be a normal person without Stockholm Syndrome.¡±

    ¡°Besides, with your looks, do you think you¡¯re worth it? Narcissism is an illness that needs to be treated!¡± Gu Nianzhi scoffed. His looks were not even as good as Major General Huo¡¯s pinky; how dare he wish that she would sexually harass him. HMPH!

    The corners of Qin Zhining¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You judge only based on physical features. How shallow. I won¡¯t stoop to the level of a little girl.¡±

    As he spoke, he jumped out of the car and mmed the door shut. He then walked over to the ce Gu Nianzhi had told him about.

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to use all means to get as far away from this person as possible, but now that this person left, she was actually a little scared.

    After all, given two evils one would pick the lesser. Compared to those disgusting strands of ¡°rime¡±, this kidnapper was much more pleasing to the eye.

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped herself tightly with the small nket and wished she could hide from sight.

    ...

    Not long after, Qin Zhining came over with two colorful strands of ¡°rime¡± and waved them at Gu Nianzhi through the car window.

    Gu Nianzhi was so scared that she couldn¡¯t help screaming again.

    She was most afraid of reptiles like these. It was a subconscious, animalistic disgust that she couldn¡¯t control.

    She hadn¡¯t encountered so many snakes thest time she was in the alps.

    She hadn¡¯t expected to meet her ¡°nemesis¡± on this small ind this time.

    Qin Zhining opened the car door with a big smile on his face. ¡°I know where this ce is.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    He picked up the two colorful strands of ¡°rime¡± and raised his eyebrows. ¡°This is the famous Snake Ind on the Caribbean Sea.¡±

    The Caribbean Sea?

    So this was the Caribbean Sea?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly.

    So within 15 minutes, she had arrived at the Snake Ind on the Caribbean Sea from the intersection of the Third Ring Road in the imperial capital?

    Was this advanced technology?

    Was this person trying to fool her?

    Besides, how was it that she had never heard of a snake ind on the Caribbean Sea before?

    Qin Zhining held up the seven inches of the two snakes and showed them to Gu Nianzhi. He tried to scare her, ¡°This is the world¡¯s most poisonous Golden Lancehead. If you run around again and get bitten by them, even your bones will melt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered and looked up. Her face was paler than snow, and her eyes seemed even darker in contrast. Her lips were as red as fire, and her beauty was beyondpare.

    Qin Zhining was slightly taken aback. No wonder his cousin He Zhichu had risked his life to look for her. Having once possessed such a beauty, how could he be willing to give her up?

    However, on second thought, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t this beautiful when she had gone missing at the age of 12.

    And he heard that her cousin had already given her away...

    What was he thinking?

    Was he out of his mind?

    Qin Zhining shook his head and stopped trying to figure out He Zhichu¡¯s intentions. However, he also stopped trying to scare Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This kind of snake tastes good. We¡¯ll roast itter.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and take it away! Don¡¯t let me see it again!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was pale as she curled herself up even tighter.

    Qin Zhining shrugged. Seeing that it was alreadyte, he stopped teasing Gu Nianzhi and took the snake to the beach to dissect and clean it.

    After the Sun had set, he started a bonfire in front of the car. He put the two snakes on a small bamboo stick after they had been skinned and roasted them over the fire.

    The sky was getting dark, and it was getting cold.

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped herself into a ball with a small nket.

    Qin Zhining finished roasting the snake and loudly called to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Are you going to eat it or not? It¡¯s very fragrant, and I have barbecue sauce in my car. If you don¡¯t eat it, you¡¯ll regret it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt dizzy just thinking about the snake. She had been nervous all day, so she wasn¡¯t hungry and didn¡¯t feel like eating.

    She said sullenly, ¡°You can eat it yourself. I¡¯m sleepy, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±

    Shey down in the back seat of the car, wrapped in a nket. She counted the stars outside the car and gradually fell asleep.

    Qin Zhining ate one and a half snakes, and cut the remaining half into small pieces. He put them in a small bag he found in the car and left it for Gu Nianzhi to eat when she woke.

    He sat alone in front of the bonfire, thinking about his actions today. He felt that the malfunction was inexplicable.

    He was supposed to return to his destination in a few seconds, but the maic field suddenly went out of control. Not only did it cause all of their electrical equipment to malfunction, but it also caused them to lose all of their power.

    The car and cell phone battery werepletely drained.

    What the hell went wrong?

    Qin Zhining turned around to look at the car. This Gu Nianzhi was trusting enough to fall asleep wrapped in a nket.

    He sat silently in front of the bonfire for the entire night. It was only when dawn had almoste and the bonfire had almost died down by itself that he stepped out the remaining sparks. They couldn¡¯t just sit around and wait for death. They had to think of a way to notify others.

    Or they could save themselves.

    Gu Nianzhi was woken by her hunger.

    The ind in the early morning was still between night and day. The morning light climbed up from the surface of the sea to the blue sky, dyeing the moon-white sky red in an instant.

    In the next moment, a red sun shot out, dispersing the morning glow that filled the sky.

    The sky was pure blue and gold. It was like Van Gogh¡¯s famous painting, ¡°Sunflowers,¡± bursting with vitality.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up in the back seat of the car and happened to see the sunrise. She was so surprised that she almost forgot about her hunger.

    When the Sun hadpletely risen, she clutched her stomach and pushed the door open to get out of the car.

    She saw that the bonfire in front of Qin Zhining had been extinguished, and the roasted snake meat had disappeared without a trace. Only the remains of the snake were scattered on the ground.

    It was obvious that someone had eaten it all.

    Gu Nianzhi felt so wronged.

    Even though she had said she wouldn¡¯t eat itst night, it didn¡¯t mean that she wouldn¡¯t eat it today...

    What kind of kidnapper was this? Didn¡¯t he even have themon sense that a hostage needed food to survive?

    How could he use her for extortion if she starved to death?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Qin Zhining.

    Qin Zhining happened to turn around slowly and met her gaze. He was amused by the expression on her face.

    ¡°You must be hungry,¡± Qin Zhining stood up and giggled, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you didn¡¯t get to eat yesterday¡¯s delicacy. The Golden Lancehead is not any ordinary delicacy. Did you know that in our four-star Michelin restaurant, this kind of snake meat is in high demand but has nearly no supply?¡±

    Even customers had to bring their own snake meat to be processed. The restaurant did not provide this kind of snake meat.

    Gu Nianzhi looked coldly at Qin Zhining. ¡°Really? Then if you sell this kind of snake meat to the restaurant, what¡¯s the price?¡±

    ¡°It is worth at least its weight in gold,¡± Qin Zhiningughed annoyingly. ¡°Are you regretting it now? What a pity, there¡¯s no medicine for regret in this world.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stretched out her hand without hesitation. ¡°Me, Golden Lancehead, pay up.¡±

    Qin Zhining, ¡°! ! !¡±

    ¡°... Are you crazy? Why should I pay you?¡± Qin Zhining wondered if Gu Nianzhi was out of her mind. How dare she ask him for money!

    ¡°Among the two snakes you got yesterday, was one of them not meant for me to eat?¡± Gu Nianzhi activated herwyer mode.

    Qin Zhining was slightly startled, ¡°Yes, but...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted him. ¡°Then did you eat my share?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but...¡±

    ¡°So you ate my food. I won¡¯t hold you ountable for uwfully taking my possessions. You can pay me its market price.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her outstretched hand ¡°... Hurry up and pay.¡±

    Qin Zhining was so confused by Gu Nianzhi that he came to his senses only after he pulled out his wallet.

    He angrily stuffed his wallet back and turned to open the car door in front of him. He took out the half a bag of roasted snake meat that he had left for Gu Nianzhi yesterday and threw it at her, ¡°Who ate your share?! I asked you to eat it, but you didn¡¯t want it, and now you¡¯re pestering me again!¡±

 Chapter 1467 - It is The Hardest to Digest a Beautyâ€™s Cooking

    <h4>Chapter 1467: It is The Hardest to Digest a Beauty¡¯s Cooking</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect Qin Zhining to actually leave food for her. She was stunned for a moment.

    She took the bag of roasted snake meat, lowered her head, and sighed in her heart.

    Qin Zhining really didn¡¯t treat her too badly. If only he hadn¡¯t been involved in the shooting of Xiao Ye...

    Qin Zhining watched as Gu Nianzhi returned to the back seat of the car. She took out a piece of cold roasted snake meat from a small bag and began to nibble on it.

    The snake meat was already cold and smelled fishy. It didn¡¯t even smell good, let alone taste good.

    However, she sat up straight and held a small piece of snake meat in her hand. She ate it carefully and looked very well-mannered.

    It was as if it was the most delicious food in the world, and she was sitting in a first-ss restaurant. Her posture was impable.

    She was so tolerant and so restrained. She really didn¡¯t look like someone who was spoiled.

    Qin Zhining raked his hair with his hand and became annoyed. ¡°Don¡¯t eat it anymore. I¡¯ll go catch a few more snakes and cook snake soup in the houseter.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there was no electricity there? How are you going to cook snake soup?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with a puzzled voice after swallowing a small mouthful of snake meat and when there was no food left in her mouth.

    ¡°There¡¯s a kitchen in the holiday home over there. It was meant to use pressurized gas, but the gas tank there seems to be empty. Now, we can only burn firewood at the big stove.¡±

    Qin Zhining said coldly without looking at her, ¡°You can go and pick up some firewoodter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi let out a soft ¡°hmm¡± and finished the small bag of snake meat in her hand. Then she said nonchntly, ¡°Do you have water? I¡¯m thirsty.¡±

    Qin Zhining took out a bottle of mineral water from the car and handed it over with a calm expression. ¡°Drink it sparingly. There are only two bottles left.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took it and said softly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    In the end, she unscrewed the cap and drank half the bottle at one go.

    Qin Zhining was dumbfounded. He pointed at her with his finger, but just as he was about to say something about it, he changed the topic. ¡°... You go get the firewood, I¡¯ll go catch the snakes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi arched her eyebrows and put the bottle of mineral water back in its original position. ¡°Okay.¡±

    She was suddenly very obedient.

    Qin Zhining was not used to it. Goosebumps rose all over his body, and his scalp went numb.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi suspiciously, then turned around to continue catching the snakes in the small forest.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly got out of the car and looked at Qin Zhining¡¯s back. She squinted her eyes and smiled.

    She didn¡¯t dare to go into the woods over there, so she could only pick up some dried branches from the bushes around the house.

    Fortunately, there were a lot of branches around the house. It didn¡¯t take long for her to gather a small bundle and drag it into the kitchen of the holiday home.

    She looked around the kitchen more carefully than yesterday.

    The kitchen was not small. It was about 20 square meters in size.

    There were two stoves near the north wall. One of them was for burning gas. She had already checked it yesterday and found that there was no gas left in the gas tank.

    However, to be on the safe side, she still dragged the gas tank out and threw it far away into the backyard.

    The other stove was for burning firewood.

    Gu Nianzhi gathered them together and stuffed some firewood into the stove.

    When Qin Zhining came back with a few strands of ¡°rime¡± that had already been washed and skinned, Gu Nianzhi was waiting for him by the kitchen door.

    She averted her gaze, not daring to look at Qin Zhining who was carrying the ¡°rime¡±. She said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve brought firewood.¡±

    Qin Zhining¡¯s expression was solemn. He took out a lighter from his pocket and tossed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Start a fire and boil some water. We are making snake soup.¡±

    He found a chopping board and a knife and began to chop the long snake into inch-long pieces.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her big, watery eyes, and pointed at herself with her onion-like fingers. She said with a smile, ¡°You want me to do it?¡±

    ¡°Did you expect me to cook?¡± Qin Zhining hacked on the chopping board with a thud, and the long snake split into two. ¡°You¡¯re a woman, shouldn¡¯t you cook?¡±

    A woman should cook?

    This cancer of a cis man...

    Gu Nianzhiughed eerily behind Qin Zhining, and her voice grew softer. ¡°.. Fine, I¡¯ll cook.¡±

    She tilted her head to watch Qin Zhining chop up the snakes into small pieces and pile them up on the chopping board.

    Then she waved her hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can leave now. I¡¯ll make snake soup.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was no stranger to surviving in the wild. She could easily start a fire with Qin Zhining¡¯s lighter.

    She threw the firewood into the stove. After a while, a red me emerged from the stove. She narrowed her eyes and curled her lips into a smile.

    He wanted to eat the food she cooked?

    That would only happen if he were still alive...

    Qin Zhining saw Gu Nianzhi obediently start the fire and boil the water. He nodded in satisfaction and ran the water in the sink next to him to wash his hands. He said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to continue repairing the battery. Hurry up!¡±

    They hadn¡¯t had breakfast yet.

    There wasn¡¯t much to eat on this run-down ind. The only things that could be eaten were the things that snakes liked to eat.

    For example, snake berries, bird eggs, and all kinds of mice and groundhogs. They were either hard to find or not delicious. After thinking about it, only the snakes that were ¡°worth more than gold¡± could be eaten.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s mood was inexplicably happy.

    He almost hummed a tune as he walked out of the kitchen of the vacation house. He came to the side of his car, opened the hood, and continued to repair the battery.

    The battery was really out of electricity. He thought hard about any method that he could use to stimte thest bit of residual energy, just enough to start the engine.

    There was a full tank of gasoline in the car. Once the car started, the charging device would work.

    As long as the charging device could work, it would be a matter of minutes before he could plug in his phone and go home.

    Qin Zhining was in a better mood.

    He focused his attention on the intense maintenance.

    It seemed like he had only bent down to check for less than five minutes when he suddenly smelled something burning.

    His heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned around and saw thick ck smoke rising from the direction of the holiday house!

    In a green forest, under the bright blue sky and among the white clouds, a few wisps of ck smoke could be seen all too easily.

    There was even an open meing from the direction of the holiday house!

    Oh no!

    It was the holiday home that was on fire!

    Gu Nianzhi would be fine, right?!

    Qin Zhining¡¯s heart sank. He threw away the toolbox in his hand with a thump and ran toward the holiday home like a bird.

    He crossed the stream in front of the house, skipped some steps as he ran up the stairs, and rushed into the holiday house.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Sure enough, the fire came from the kitchen.

    Qin Zhining shouted and rushed into the raging fire in the kitchen.

    There was fire everywhere in the house, and no one could be seen.

    Could it be that she had been burnt to death?!

    Qin Zhining was nervous.

    ¡°Nianzhi?! Where are you?! Say Something! Nianzhi! Nianzhi!¡± Qin Zhining finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

    His mission was to bring her home. If he let her die here, his mission would fail.

    As a soldier, was there anything sadder than failing a mission?!

    It was all his fault. Why did he let her cook all by herself?

    Qin Zhining¡¯s eyes were red from the smoke and he teared up a lot. However, he persisted on searching through the kitchen.

    The fire raged, and even the nearby room was on fire.

    The temperature around rose rapidly.

    Gu Nianzhi stood at a safe spot outside the door, holding a wooden stick cut from a tree branch upside down as she watched the scene quietly.

    She had not expected that this ¡°kidnapper¡± would risk his life to save her.

    She had nned to wait for this ¡°kidnapper¡± to poke his head out of the door to check the fire, and then knock him with the stick...

    But Qin Zhining was too fast. He rushed into the burning kitchen without hesitation.

    He did not give her a chance to ¡°knock¡± him in with a stick.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the wooden stick in her hand and was a little worried.

    If the other party was truly a bad person, she would not feel any psychological pressure from his death.

    But he really did not behave like an unpardonably bad person.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s tragedy kept reying in her mind, along with the four hateful kidnappers. However, this person was not among the four kidnappers, so she couldn¡¯t hate him more even if she wanted to.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated.

    If she didn¡¯t say anything, would this ¡°Kidnapper¡± be burnt to death in this room?

    She saw that the fire had already burnt the person¡¯s arm, and the smell of burnt flesh came from the fire.

    However, Qin Zhining was still rummaging through the kitchen. He did not even let off the cupboard that had been toppled by Gu Nianzhi. Risking the danger of being burnt by fire, he shouted out her name, as if he would note out until he found him.

    Gu Nianzhi watched silently for a while. In the end she was not cruel enough. She quietly threw the wooden stick that had been cut from a tree branch down the slope by the kitchen door. She walked to the kitchen door and weakly called out, ¡°... I¡¯m here...¡±

    Qin Zhining turned around abruptly. Through the raging fire, he saw the girl on the other side of the fire.

    She was like a burning rose that had walked out of the fire. She was hot and elegant at the same time.

    His eyes burnt, and he ran up to the stove. With a push of his feet, he leapt over the fire and pounced on Gu Nianzhi, who was standing outside the house. He held her in his arms and rolled down the narrow slope by the door.

    Behind him, the mes burnt even more fiercely, and the entire holiday house was on fire.

    There was no wind on the ind, and the thick ck smoke rose into the sky, especially striking against the blue sky, white clouds, and blue sea.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Qin Zhining patted the ashes on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body. Her hair was messy, but her face was still clean.

    He pulled on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleeve again to see if her arm was burnt.

    Gu Nianzhi felt awkward in his arms. She quickly pushed his hand away and struggled to get up. She yelled, ¡°Molest, molest! You really have evil intentions towards me! And you say I sexually molested you! ¡ª Hmph! You are purposely mixing truths and falsehoods together! A thief iming to be the victim!¡±

    Half of Qin Zhining¡¯s face turned ck.

    He had never seen this vengeful side of her when she was young!

    He didn¡¯t know where she had learned it from...

    Qin Zhining stood up and said in a muffled voice, ¡°Who molested you? It was an emergency just now. If I didn¡¯t hug you, you would have been burnt to death!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted the dust off her body and pursed her lips. ¡°I was fine outside the door, but you had to hug me and take advantage of me. How dare you say that I have ulterior motives? Hmph!¡±

    Under such circumstances, a normal girl would probably be so scared that she wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything and would just crawl into someone¡¯s arms.

    She, on the other hand, did not forget to retaliate against him for using her of ¡°sexual harassment¡±.

    Qin Zhining was both angry and amused. He moved closer to Gu Nianzhi and looked at her face carefully and said, ¡°You really want me to molest you that much? Fine,e, I¡¯m not afraid of You!¡± As he spoke, he reached out to hook Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped away in a hurry and became really nervous. Her voice changed. ¡°... You, you, you... Don¡¯t do anything rash! If you dare do anything rash, Major General Huo will take your life!¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo? Who¡¯s that?¡± Qin Zhining smiled and took another step forward, pretending to be a yboy.

    Having mentioned Major General Huo, Gu Nianzhi was emboldened.

    She held the Swiss army knife in her hand. Just as Qin Zhining was about to reach her, she suddenly waved her hand.

    Qin Zhining felt a silver light sh before her eyes and instinctively felt that something was wrong. She hurriedly took two steps back, but her arm had already been cut open by the knife in her hand.

    The skin and flesh that had been burnt by the fire had been cut open again. The burning pain was extreme.

    ¡°You actually have a knife?!¡± Qin Zhining was extremely surprised.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Qin Zhining¡¯s mangled, ck and red arm, and couldn¡¯t bear to see it. However, he was a strong man, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to take him head-on if he really wanted to force her.

    She could only pretend to be crazy and y dumb and make fun of him, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t ¡°go wild¡±...

    Gu Nianzhi held the small Swiss army knife in her hand. ¡°No matter how small a mosquito is, it¡¯s still meat. This Swiss Army knife can still skin you!¡±

    Qin Zhiningughed so hard that he was twitching. ¡°So it¡¯s a Swiss army knife! This thing can hurt people too? You should leave it for peeling apples!¡±

    No wonder his colleagues didn¡¯t take it away. In their eyes, the Swiss Army knife didn¡¯t even count as a knife!

    He turned around to check on the fire in the kitchen, when he caught a glimpse of something not far away from him.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s face darkened as he strode over.

    It was a wooden stick cut from a tree branch.

    Qin Zhining slowly bent down and picked up the stick from the stream. He then turned around slowly and looked at Gu Nianzhi. He asked sternly, ¡°... what is this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly cringing, but she pursed her lips and put her hands behind her back. She raised her chin slightly and said arrogantly, ¡°How low is your IQ? You don¡¯t even recognize a stick? which country are you from? You¡¯re such a disgrace to your country!¡±

    ¡°Of course I know it¡¯s a stick!¡± Qin Zhining was so angry that he was almost smoking. He strode back and raised the stick high up, ¡°I thought you were almost burnt to death and risked my life to save you! Is this how you repay me?!¡±

    Qin Zhining reached out with his other hand and grabbed Gu Nianzhi by the throat. He squeezed the words out between his teeth, ¡°... Did you set this fire?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi denied it without batting an eyelid, ¡°Of course not! It was just an ident!¡±

    Even though she was the one who had done it, she wouldn¡¯t admit it like a retard.

    ¡°An ident?! I told you to boil water, but you burnt the kitchen down. That was an ident?!¡±Qin Zhining would never believe that someone couldn¡¯t boil water.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi knew how to boil water, it wasn¡¯t the first time she had burnt the kitchen down when she was asked to cook.

    Thus, her counterattack was very forceful. ¡°It was an ident, so what? Have you never seen a cook burn the kitchen before?!¡±

    ¡°I cooked at Major General Huo¡¯s house once. Not only did I burn his kitchen, but I also set off a level-one alert in the camp! Even the fire engines and the special ops team were sent out. This is trivial inparison!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at the burning kitchen.

    Qin Zhining found it unbelievable, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words did not seem to be made up on the spot. From their intelligence gathered, it seemed like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence had indeed had such an ident before.

    His hand slightly loosened, but he still pretended to be fierce. ¡°Aren¡¯t you very smart?! Why don¡¯t you know how to cook?!¡±

    ¡°So what if I don¡¯t know how to cook?! Did I eat your rice?!¡±Gu Nianzhi flew into a rage. When she saw Qin Zhining let go, she immediately went even more overboard and stepped on Qin Zhining¡¯s foot. ¡°I¡¯m just that fortunate! I don¡¯t have to cook myself! Go hang yourself if you can¡¯t ept it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing the kind of casual soft-soled shoes that were worn in the house, but her foot was especially urate. She stomped hard on Qin Zhining¡¯s little toe. The pain made his nose ache, and he almost cried.

    Qin Zhining hugged his foot and hopped up and down from where he was. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t push me too far! Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t dare to hit you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi now understood that Qin Zhining really didn¡¯t dare to do anything to her, and she became even more arrogant.

    Without Huo Shaoheng, she was like a little devil. If someone tried to boss her around, she could be even more overbearing.

    She picked up the wooden stick she had just thrown away and swung it at Qin Zhining and cried as she hit him, ¡°This is what you get for kidnapping me! This is what you get for shooting! This is what you get for strangling me! Don¡¯t you dare touch a single strand of my hair again! I¡¯ll skin you!¡±

    With Qin Zhining¡¯s abilities, it was easy for him to snatch the weapon from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. However, He saw that she was waving a stick with her eyes filled with tears, apparently feeling worse than he, the person who was beaten up. His heart softened, and he had no choice but to run away with his head in his hands, not daring to fight back.

    Just as one of them was running away from the other, not far from the coastline, a fishing boat that was cruising on the sea saw the ck smoke and immediately came over.

    A few ck men with carbines and bullets on their backs came down from the fishing boat and ran toward the ck smoke.

    Qin Zhining had just turned around with his head in his hands when he saw the ck men.

    His expression changed abruptly. He suddenly waved his hand and snatched the wooden stick from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. He covered her mouth with his other hand and pulled her into his arms to hide in the bushes.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to struggle when Qin Zhining whispered in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t move. The pirates areing. Let¡¯s take their ship and leave.¡±

 Chapter 1468 - Home

    <h4>Chapter 1468: Home</h4>

    ¡°Pirates?! Why are there pirates here?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She stopped struggling and pulled Qin Zhining¡¯s hand away. She spat lightly.

    Qin Zhining was also very surprised. His eyes were so wide that they were even bigger than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. ¡°The Caribbean Sea is full of pirates. Don¡¯t you know?!¡±

    He continued, ¡°The neighboring countries here only care about protecting themselves and don¡¯t care about pirates. That¡¯s why they¡¯re especially fearless.¡±

    ¡°No way? Isn¡¯t the United States very powerful? Isn¡¯t the Caribbean Sea considered the backyard of the United States?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more confused. She had been to the Caribbean Sea several times before, so why hadn¡¯t she heard that there were pirates everywhere?

    If there were so many pirates, the famous Caribbean cruise line wouldn¡¯t be open anymore.

    Qin Zhining sighed softly and said in a low voice, ¡°... It¡¯s because the United States is powerful and they don¡¯t allow people to suppress the pirates, so no one will dare to do so.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect such a fortunate thing to happen after you identally burnt down the kitchen. We don¡¯t have to be trapped here anymore.¡± Qin Zhining saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unperturbed expression and quicklyplimented her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him as if he was an idiot. She thought to herself, I burnt down the kitchen firstly to get rid of a ¡°kidnapper¡± like you, secondly to burn all the snakes in the small forest while I¡¯m at it, and thirdly to send a message.

    In the vast sea, of course this ck smoke that rose into the sky was the most eye-catching.

    How was this killing three birds with one stone possible if it was ¡°unintentional¡±?!

    Opportunity only favored those who were prepared.

    Gu Nianzhi had always boasted of her good luck because if she was unlucky, she would create her own ¡°good luck¡±!

    However, attracting the pirates over instead of helpers was not calcted.

    That was because she had no idea there were so many pirates here.

    Qin Zhining saw Gu Nianzhi looking at him fixedly. Her big eyes were as clear as ck jade, and when she looked at him, it was as if she was affectionate towards him, making him feel veryfortable.

    Qin Zhining was about to be modest and ask Gu Nianzhi not to look at him with so much ¡°reverence¡± when Gu Nianzhi leaned into his ear and said in a low voice, ¡°Are you stupid? Why do you need to snatch the boat? You just need to get two phones that can be used.¡±

    Qin Zhining, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°As long as we have a fully charged phone, we¡¯ll be home in no time,¡± Gu Nianzhi patted Qin Zhining on the shoulder and said encouragingly, ¡°Go, I want an iPhone. Are you going to use an android?¡±

    Just like that, the Qin-¡°Phone Thief¡±-Ning was born.

    When Gu Nianzhi pushed him out, Qin Zhining was still in a daze.

    That¡¯s right, why didn¡¯t he think of just stealing phones?!

    Compared to single-handedly killing all the pirates and then taking the ship and driving himself into the vast sea, snatching a phone and immediately contacting home was the right way to go!

    Why didn¡¯t he think of such a simple and easily used method?!

    He mentally added another impression of Gu Nianzhi to his heart: not only was she lucky, she was also smart...

    Gu Nianzhi hid in the bushes by the stream and watched as Qin Zhining retrieved a shiny pistol and held it in his hand. Like a monkey, he climbed up a coconut tree by the side of the road.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched twice.

    This guy really had a gun...

    Even with a gun, he didn¡¯t fight back and allowed her to chase him around with a stick for such a long time.

    Was he really someone she knew when she was young?

    This degree of care and patience that stemmed from kinship seemed impossible to fake.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts ran wild. Shey on the ground motionless and held her breath as she watched the ck pirates slowly approach the burning holiday cabin with carbines in their hands.

    They spoke in a local dialect that sounded like frogs croaking.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand, but she saw a pirate take out a cell phone from his trousers pocket and twirl it around in his hand in a particrly shy manner. He moved it close to his ear and was making a phone call!

    Facing the morning sun of the Caribbean, the ck man even deliberately revealed the logo on the back of his phone.

    On the back of the silver phone was an apple that was bitten into!

    What a familiar image!

    What a familiar pose!

    It was said that the capitalists of Upper East Side New York who liked to use iPhones all showed off like this when they were making calls outside.

    She didn¡¯t expect this dark Caribbean pirate to know how to unt an iPhone.

    As an ¡°Inte child¡±, Gu Nianzhi almost teared up when she saw the iPhone, as if she had just seen her family.

    She couldn¡¯t help gesturing to Qin Zhining.

    What are you waiting for?!

    Get it!

    Qin Zhining nced at the pirates on the ground from the tree.

    There were three of them in total, and they were quite methodical. They walked over vigntly in a zigzag pattern.

    It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to take down these three people. All he had to do was grab their phones and lure the rest of the people on the ship to the snake forest.

    Qin Zhining had a special snake repellent on him. This was the equipment that special forces soldiers always brought with them when they went out on missions. It was kept in his car all year round.

    Although he had not expected to be thrown into this godforsaken ce, this good habit of bringing equipment on any mission had saved his life.

    Qin Zhining smiled and made an OK gesture to Gu Nianzhi. He held the gun in one hand and put on a special pair of sunsses with the other. He instantly looked cool and handsome.

    It was a pair of smart sunsses. It was connected to his pistol and had a long-range infrared targeting function.

    The range he could see from the crosshair reticle of the sunsses was the range of the pistol¡¯s aim.

    Narrowing his eyes, the three pirates¡¯ hearts alternately appeared in his crosshair.

    Qin Zhining immediately pulled the trigger when the pirate on the iPhone hung up.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The pistol with a silencer fired three shots.

    The three pirates fell to the ground almost without making a sound.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly rushed out of her hiding ce and picked up the phone that had fallen to the ground. It was thetest model!

    Moreover, Qin Zhining had timed his shot perfectly. The pirate had just hung up the phone, but before he could turn it off, Qin Zhining had already fired a shot.

    When Gu Nianzhi picked up the phone, the screen was still unlocked!

    She quickly tapped on the dial pad and dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number!

    However, just as she entered the number, she was informed by a text message from the mobile operator that the pirate¡¯s phone had not activated international roaming!

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she kicked the pirate several times. ¡°What are you using your phone for if you¡¯re not connected to international roaming?! What a waste of God¡¯s gift!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t ess the inte either, because the pirate¡¯s data n had already been used up.

    She held a phone that was fully charged, but it was useless except for making local calls.

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she was about to be depressed.

    When Qin Zhining jumped down from the tree and ran over, Gu Nianzhi was clutching the phone and about to cry.

    The corners of Qin Zhining¡¯s mouth twitched as he searched the bodies of the other two pirates.

    The other two pirates had phones on them ¡ª an iPhone and an android.

    The iPhone was not thetest model, so there was no facial recognition security.

    Qin Zhining quickly grabbed the dead pirate¡¯s hand and pressed his thumb on the unlock button on the iPhone.

    The iPhone immediately turned on.

    Gu Nianzhi stood to the side and watched him unlock it. She sneered, ¡°What¡¯s the point of unlocking it? Their phones can¡¯t make international calls! Even the data n is the cheapest one!¡±

    Indeed anything can go wrong!

    Qin Zhining smiled and nced at her. He entered a few passwords on his phone and calmly connected to the satellite system. He quickly got in touch with his home.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re in the Caribbean, on Snake Ind. I¡¯ll send you the location.¡±

    The person on the other end of the line seemed shocked and pleasantly surprised. He called out cheerfully, asking him how he was and if he had received the person.

    Qin Zhining smiled and said, ¡°Yes, I have. She¡¯s a troublemaker. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±

    He hung up the phone and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Okay, just wait. A helicopter wille to pick us up in an hour.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°How did you make that call? Why can¡¯t I call?!¡±

    Qin Zhining smiled faintly. ¡°Your phone doesn¡¯t work, but mine does.¡±

    ¡°Really? Can you lend me your phone?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very interested in Qin Zhining¡¯s phone.

    Could it be that the two pirates were not using the same phone n?

    That one could make international calls, but not mine?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes, sped her hands behind her back, and moved to Qin Zhining¡¯s side. She called out sweetly, ¡°Brother Little Ning, can you lend me your phone please?¡±

    Qin Zhining was shocked. He looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise and said,¡±... Have you remembered everything?¡±

    ¡°Remember what?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°I¡¯m just borrowing your phone for a while.¡±

    ¡°You called me Brother Little Ning! You¡¯ve been calling me that since we were kids!¡± Qin Zhining held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand excitedly.

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°???¡±

    It was purely a coincidence!

    She had grown up with Huo Shaoheng in the military camp and called everyone ¡°Brother Little X¡±and ¡°Brother Big X¡±. They had be her catchphrases, so how could Qin Zhining ¡°miss¡± them?

    That was what she called Brother Big Xiong and Brother Little Ze.

    However, seeing how excited Qin Zhining was and how affectionate he was towards her, Gu Nianzhi wanted to get some information about her childhood from him. Thus, she said ambiguously, ¡°Really? I was just hot-headed just now. I seemed to have thought of something, but it was vague and not very clear, so in the heat of the moment I called you Brother Little Ning...¡±

    Qin Zhining patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder. ¡°Okay, okay. As long as your memory is restored, we don¡¯t have to be in such a difficult situation. Nianzhi,e home with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and continued to work hard. ¡°Brother Little Ning, can you lend me your phone?¡±

    Qin Zhining was now unguarded towards her and smiled as he put the phone in her hand. ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed it and quickly opened the dial to call Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    However, just like the phone she had just used, this phone was still unable to roam internationally. She tried to use the inte for a while, but was also unable to go online.

    If Qin Zhining was able to use it to make a call, then he must have used another software system.

    Gu Nianzhi had an idea and grabbed Qin Zhining¡¯s arm affectionately as they walked towards the little forest. She asked, ¡°Brother Little Ning, how did you make the call? Can you teach me?¡±

    Although Qin Zhining was much nicer to her, he wouldn¡¯t fall for her trick.

    ¡°Teach you? Teach you what?¡± Qin Zhining pretended to be dumb. ¡°Tell me who you want to call and I¡¯ll do it for you.¡±

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t tell her Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    However, she could tell him Qiqi¡¯s number.

    She immediately gave him Ma Qiqi¡¯s number and said, ¡°This is my best friend. Can you call her for me and tell her not to worry? Just say that I was bored and came to the Caribbean for a vacation.¡±

    Qin Zhining narrowed his eyes and smiled at her. He nodded and said, ¡°... In your eyes, am I aplete idiot? There¡¯s no way I will notify anyone of your whereabouts!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi begged for a long time, but Qin Zhining stopped paying attention to herpletely.

    Later, he found her annoying and hit her on the back of the neck, knocking her out.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up again, she was already sitting in a limousine.

    She slowly woke up from the back seat and looked around herself nkly.

    Qin Zhining was still wearing his ck uniform. He was sitting next to her and texting on his phone.

    The corners of his mouth curled up from time to time, and a sweet smile appeared on his face.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly sat up against the window and asked cautiously, ¡°Where is this ce? Qin Zhining, where are you taking me?¡±

    Seeing that she had woken up, Qin Zhining quickly ended his text, ¡°... I love you.¡±

    He put away his phone and looked at Gu Nianzhi from the corner of his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Yeah I¡¯m not awake; I¡¯m talking in my sleep!¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned, feeling very uneasy. ¡°What is this ce? Where are you taking me?¡±

    There were thick ck curtains hanging from the car window, so she couldn¡¯t see what was outside.

    A row of fenders rose high in front of her, so she couldn¡¯t see who was in the driver¡¯s seat or the passenger seat in front.

    Qin Zhining hugged his head with his hands, leaned back against the car seat, and crossed his legs, smiled and said, ¡°Thanks to you burning the kitchen, we attracted the pirates, found some phones, and our family sent a helicopter to pick us up from the ind. We are now in the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    ¡°That fast?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Even if we took a ne from America, it would still take 12 hours! Did I already sleep for 12 hours?!¡±

    She quickly looked at her watch.

    It turned out that she had slept for more than 12 hours this time. She had slept for 20 hours.

    However, hearing that she had already returned to the Huaxia Empire, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    As long as she was in the country, she was not afraid of these bastards!

    Qin Zhining looked at her watch andplimented, ¡°This watch is not bad. It¡¯s a very unique design.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her chin. ¡°This is a custom-made couple¡¯s watch that my fianc¨¦ made for me. Of course it looks good.¡±

    ¡°Did my cousin buy it for you?¡± Qin Zhining heard Gu Nianzhi say ¡°Fianc¨¦,¡± and instinctively assumed that it was He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°I said it was my fianc¨¦. Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±

    ¡°I know. Isn¡¯t your fianc¨¦ my cousin?¡± Qin Zhining was also confused. He thought that this girl was sometimes smart and sometimes dumb.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled. ¡°Major General Huo is your cousin?!¡±

    How had she never known that Huo Shaoheng had a cousin with the surname Qin?!

    Could it be that Huo Shaoheng had ordered him to kidnap her?!

    No!

    This was too cruel...

    Gu Nianzhi was screaming in her heart.

    Fortunately, Qin Zhining added, ¡°My cousin is He Zhichu. What are you thinking?!¡±

    ¡°Professor He?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more dumbfounded. ¡°How could it be Professor He?! Did he instruct you to kidnap me?!¡±

    Could it be that Professor He had instigated her kidnapping?!

    Looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shocked expression, Qin Zhining chuckled. ¡°Of course not. My cousin doesn¡¯t know anything yet. ¨C Aren¡¯t you surprised? Aren¡¯t you ted?!¡±

    F*ck your surprise!

    F*ck your tion!

    Gu Nianzhi was on the verge of exploding.

    But before she could lose her temper, the car stopped.

    Someone came over to open the car door and said respectfully, ¡°Young Master Qin, we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qin Zhining stopped smiling and tidied up his clothes before pulling Gu Nianzhi out of the car.

    Gu Nianzhi stumbled out of the car and looked around.

    She wasn¡¯t familiar with this city, but it was lined with tall buildings. The city was clean and tidy, and there were all kinds of luxury cars on the road. The pedestrians were all dressed in expensive clothes, and it was obvious that it was a bustling metropolis.

    It seemed to be in the evening, and the sun had already set. Tall kapok trees were nted on both sides of the wide and smooth streets.

    There was a restaurant right in front of them, with the words ¡°Qin Ji¡± written on it.

    It was a very high-end European-style small building. There was arge greenwn in front of the building, showing off its high status and luxury where every inch ofnd was valuable in this bustling urban area.

    A few maids stood in front of the carved iron gate, wearing white clothes and ck pants that were only seen in old movies. They bowed to them in unison.

    These people spoke in a dialect, and Gu Nianzhi understood her circumstance as soon as they spoke.

    This was City Z, Brother Xiong¡¯s hometown, and thergest city in the southern part of the Huaxia Empire.

    She instantly calmed down.

    As long as she knew where she had arrived, she would be able to find a way back.

 Chapter 1469 - New and Old Friends

    <h4>Chapter 1469: New and Old Friends</h4>

    Qin Zhining held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and followed a man who looked like a butler into a small European-style building.

    Just as Gu Nianzhi had Guessed, this was indeed a restaurant, but it was a very high-end club restaurant.

    Gu Nianzhi saw a dark purple wooden sign at the door. On It was engraved the membership rules in white Wei Bei characters. Her eyes instantly almost popped out of their sockets.

    ¡°... An annual membership fee of 200,000 US dors?! Why don¡¯t they justmit robbery?¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself.

    Not only that, but they also needed the referrals a million dors to qualify from at least two member, as well as an annual charity donation of at least for an initial membership.

    This was even more impressive than the ¡°Lu Huitou¡± restaurant in the western hills of the imperial capital...

    Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to enter even if they were rich.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Qin Zhining.

    His surname was Qin, and this restaurant was called ¡°Qin Ji¡±. Was that just a coincidence?

    The man who looked like a butler looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He was dressed in an old-fashioned Tangzhuang, and his movements were very in character.

    He led them to arge door with the words ¡°Happy Family¡± written on it. He pushed the door open and bowed to Qin Zhining. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Young Master Qin. Please rest here for a while. I¡¯ll get the kitchen to serve the dishes immediately.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood at the door and asked with a smile, ¡°May I know where your restroom is?¡±

    Qin Zhining knew that Gu Nianzhi had not answered nature¡¯s call for more than 20 hours, so he did not look back but simply raised his hand and said in an imposing manner, ¡°Take Miss Gu to the restroom.¡±

    A young woman in a white shirt and ck pants walked out from the shadows by the door and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, this way please.¡±

    She had honey-colored skin, an oval face, and almond-shaped eyes. When she smiled, her two faint dimples appeared at the corners of her lips, which were very simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dimples.

    Gu Nianzhi had a good impression of her.

    The two of them walked into thedies¡¯ bathroom.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly scanned the room.

    The bathroom was like an ordinary living room, with arge screen separating the room into two parts.

    There was a corner sofa in the outer room, and newspapers, magazines, and iPads on the coffee table in front of the sofa, and arge-screen TV on the wall.

    The inner room was where one would answer nature¡¯s call.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away and smiled as she raised her hand to stroke her hair. ¡°Do you have a charger here? My phone is out of battery.¡±

    The waitress quickly said, ¡°Yes.¡± Then she pointed to a circr object ced on the mahogany table that was half the height of a person in the corner and said, ¡°You can charge it here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that she did not bring her phone charger, so she casually said, ¡°Do you have a charger? I forgot to bring one.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t use chargers here,¡± The waitress smiled perfunctorily. ¡°You can charge it with electromaic induction here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°...¡±

    Wasn¡¯t that just wireless charging?

    Gu Nianzhi knew that thetest iPhone could be charged wirelessly, but it also needed a charger to do so. She didn¡¯t appreciate being treated like a fool.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stunned expression, the waitress seemed to have understood something, and the corners of her mouth twitched. ¡°It¡¯s very simple, I¡¯ll help you charge it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously held onto the phone and didn¡¯t let go. She muttered, ¡°... I can do it myself.¡±

    How could she hand her phone over to a stranger?

    In modern society, the things that women couldn¡¯t lend had progressed from their husbands, toothbrushes, and cars to include their phones.

    The waitress didn¡¯t insist. She reached out and pressed a button on the wall.

    The circr object on the table that was half the height of a person in the corner suddenly emitted a faint blue light.

    The waitress gestured, ¡°Please point your phone here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried to send her phone into the range of the blue light.

    There was a ding, and in less than five seconds, her phone was fully charged.

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly ted. ¡°This thing is amazing. Where did you buy it? I want to buy one too!¡±

    The waitress smiled and stood with her hands folded. Her tone was already disdainful. ¡°It¡¯s everywhere. You can buy it online or at a convenience store.¡±

    ¡°That convenient? Howe I¡¯ve never seen one before?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more curious.

    Could it be a specialty of Z City?

    But how could only one city know about something so useful?

    It was the age of the inte. How could any secrets be hidden?

    Such a wonderful charger would be in the ¡°Hot¡± section on Weibo immediately, and end up in the most searched product on Taobao within a day. Everyone in Huaxia would be selling it within a month.

    The waitress still said nonchntly, ¡°They¡¯re already everywhere...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°...¡±

    It seemed like nowadays it was impossible to chat.

    The waitress¡¯s politeness was tinged with a subtle sense of contempt, just like how people who appeared to be cultured looked at their poor rtives in the countryside.

    It did not feel good.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile faded. ¡°You can go out now. I need to be alone for a while.¡±

    She looked at the waitress quietly.

    The waitress understood and bowed with a smile. ¡°Miss Gu, please take your time. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the door. If you need anything, please ring this bell.¡±

    She pointed at the little angel sculpture on the coffee table. It was an electric bell.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, her face expressionless. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call you if I need anything.¡±

    The waitress smiled at Gu Nianzhi, bowed again, and pushed the door open to leave.

    She was the only one left in the bathroom.

    She knew that there would be no surveince cameras in a ce like this, so she immediately grabbed her phone and walked into the isted cubicle in the inner room, intending to call Huo Shaoheng.

    But when she looked at her phone, she realized that her phone had no signal at all!

    She couldn¡¯t make a call.

    How was that possible?

    Wasn¡¯t it already fully charged?

    She didn¡¯t have any outstanding fees either.

    Had her phone service stopped?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    She fiddled with her phone in the isted room for a long time, but in the end, there was nothing she could do. She came out and rang the bell.

    The waitress in white and ck pants pushed the door open and came in. ¡°Miss Gu, what can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your WIFI password here?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger tapped lightly on the phone screen as she asked quietly.

    She didn¡¯t want to connect to the WiFi here because there would be too many vulnerabilities, and most hackers could take advantage of it to hack into the phone.

    But now she couldn¡¯t care less.

    She had to send a message to Huo Shaoheng right away. He must be worried sick...

    Gu Nianzhi was burning with anxiety.

    The waitress quickly gave her the password.

    Gu Nianzhi connected to the WIFI and waved the waitress out. She sat alone on the sofa and opened her QQ app, intending to contact Ma Qiqi first.

    However, she had just logged in when the app returned ¡°Wrong password.¡±

    After a long struggle, the QQ app finally said that she was trying to steal an ount and warned her to stop her ¡°Illegal actions¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded.

    She then tried to log into her Weibo ount, WeChat ount, as well as her foreign Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...

    All of them returned password errors. There was even an ount that said ¡°No such ount has been found¡±!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire body was trembling.

    She recalled that back in Germany, there had been a simr situation. She had been unable to log into the externalwork, so she had only been able to ¡°wreak havoc¡± on the internalwork of the federal intelligence agency of Germany ...

    But this time, it wasn¡¯t like she was unable to log on to the externalwork.

    She could register a new ount and use a guest ount to browse Weibo.

    But she couldn¡¯t use her own ount.

    What the hell was going on?

    Even if she was hacked, how could they hack all of her social media ounts?!

    Even she herself wasn¡¯t that capable!

    Gu Nianzhi refused to give up and continued to search for Ma Qiqi¡¯s number.

    She had a good memory and remembered that Ma Qiqi had spent a lot of money to buy a six-digit number.

    However, after searching for a while, the other party had explicitly rejected her friend request and even called her a ¡°Lunatic¡±...

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood that Ma Qiqi was definitely not on the other end of the line.

    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have refused to add her as a friend after seeing her friend request or call her crazy...

    Should she look up Huo Shaoheng again?

    Her fingers caressed her phone. She suddenly didn¡¯t dare to search here anymore.

    Whatever she searched for on someone else¡¯s WiFiwork could be seen by the WiFi host.

    She couldn¡¯t cause Huo Shaoheng any trouble.

    Besides, no matter how resourceful the other party was, it was impossible for them to have hacked all of Ma Qiqi¡¯s ounts.

    There must be something else going on here.

    Gu Nianzhi put away her phone and suppressed the uneasiness and panic in her heart. She walked out of the bathroom with a solemn face.

    ¡°Miss Gu, let me take you there,¡± The waitress was still waiting at the door and said respectfully to her.

    Gu Nianzhi followed the waitress into the ¡°Happy Family¡± private room without saying a word.

    Qin Zhining rested one hand on his seat and held a cigarette between his fingers. He rested his other hand on his knee and crossed his legs. He looked at her with a smile and said, ¡°What took you so long? Where did you go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and sat down. ¡°This ce is so beautiful. I was curious and sat in the bathroom for a while.¡±

    Qin Zhining knew she had charged her phone, but he didn¡¯t expose her. He shook the ashes into the ashtray and said, ¡°You¡¯re hungry, right? Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    He waved to the others. ¡°Serve the food.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had not eaten anything for more than twenty hours, but she was not hungry at all.

    Her body burned a lot of calories because of her anxiety. Her heart was beating so fast that it almost jumped out of her throat.

    ¡°Brother Little Ning, are you familiar with the people here?¡±Gu Nianzhi decided to take things slowly. She would first seek out as much information as she could before thinking about a counter measure.

    She couldn¡¯t afford to be rash.

    Qin Zhining nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯m quite familiar with them.¡±

    As he said this, his expression froze for a moment.

    Gu Nianzhi keenly sensed it and thought that there was a chance.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re ¡°quite¡± familiar with them?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head, ¡°I saw their membership rules at the entrance. The membership fee alone is 200,000 US dors a year, and there¡¯s also a charity donation requirement of more than a million dors a year. Anyone who can get in must be rich, right?¡±

    And the ¡°rich¡± here were not just ¡°rich¡± in the ordinary sense of the word.

    The so-called annual ie of a million dors was not even close to the requirements here.

    Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment and asked again, ¡°You¡¯re a soldier, right? How are you this rich?¡±

    Could it be that he was like Major General Hu, with a grandmother who could ¡°buff¡± him with money?

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Major General Huo, and the expression on her face involuntarily softened. She looked at Qin Zhining with a much gentler gaze.

    Qin Zhining looked away uneasily and sneered. ¡°You actually paid so much attention. All you see is money.¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi ignored Qin Zhining¡¯s teasing and knocked on the table with her slender fingers. ¡°Would they let you in if you didn¡¯t have money?¡±

    ¡°Your brother Little Ning really doesn¡¯t have money,¡± Qin Zhining said bluntly. ¡°But so what? Didn¡¯t you see that they still let me in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi propped her chin on one hand and leaned against the dining table. She smiled. ¡°Okay, even if you¡¯re powerful and they let you in even if you don¡¯t have money, they still treated you respectfully and call you ¡®Second Young Master Qin¡¯. Coincidentally, your surname is Qin. Could it be that you¡¯re the Fuerdai here?¡±

    Qin Zhining spat out a mouthful of tea.

    Heughed so hard that he almost fell. ¡°The Fuerdai of Qin Ji?! Your imagination is really vivid!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe such a coincidence.

    Qin Zhining shook his head. ¡°Even though this ce is called Qin Ji and my surname is Qin, it has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°...¡±

    She still didn¡¯t believe him.

    She sniffled and felt wronged, ¡°... It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to say it, but wouldn¡¯t your conscience hurt if you told such an obvious lie to humiliate my intelligence?¡±

    Qin Zhining put down his legs and moved closer to Gu Nianzhi. He handed her a wet tissue and coaxed her in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m really not lying to you. This has nothing to do with our family. Our family is out of its league.¡±

    Qin Zhining even admitted that his family was ¡°out of its league¡±. It didn¡¯t seem like he was lying to her.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the tears from her face. She was even more curious now. ¡°But you can¡¯t deny that they¡¯re very respectful to you. Why? Do you know their boss?¡±

    Qin Zhining replied, ¡°...¡±

    This little girl is really too sharp!

    Qin Zhining nodded with a smile. ¡°More or less. I do know their boss, but the more important reason is that even their boss doesn¡¯t dare to be arrogant in front of our family.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so your family is very powerful?¡± Gu Nianzhi reasoned logically. ¡°Since they¡¯re acting like grandsons in front of you even if you don¡¯t have money, then you must be using your power to overpower them.¡±

    Qin Zhining tilted his head to look at her. The crow¡¯s feet at the corners of his eyes curled up. His amorous eyes actually looked like He Zhichu¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head and looked at the huge curved wall TV hanging on the wall. She grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV.

    Qin Zhining leaned back in his seat and shrugged. ¡°If you say so. Anyway, this ce has nothing to do with our family anymore.¡±

    A hint of sadness shed across his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi happened to turn around and saw that. She asked thoughtfully, ¡°... you mean, there was a rtionship in the past? There wasn¡¯t a rtionship in the future?¡±

    Qin Zhining replied, ¡°! ! !¡±

    This Gu Nianzhi was really so intelligent she was almost a demon.

    She had been frighteningly smart when she was young. Now that she had been out and experienced the world for a few years, she was even shrewder. She could decipher many things from small hints, and she could guess the meaning behind every sentence she said!

    The next generation was indeed beginning to be better than the older generation.

    There was no choice but to ept this hard truth!

    Qin Zhiningmented and rang the bell.

    The door of the private room was pushed open, and waitresses in white and ck pants filed in, cing hot dishes on the table one after another.

    The television on the wall that had just been turned on was broadcasting evening news.

    The news anchor was sitting in the anchor room, reporting the news.

    ¡°... Comrade Putin, the leader of the Soviet Union and secretary-general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, will begin his eight-day state visit to our country today. General He Chengjian, Speaker Long Zhixue, and Prime Minister Xie Beichen will personally wee him at the airport.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up abruptly and stared nkly at the television. Her cute lips were almost gaped open.

    What did she hear?!

    What did she see?!

    That man in the television; wasn¡¯t he the Russian president who had promised to officiate her wedding, the Putin who wasn¡¯t tall but had plenty of aura about him?!

    How did he be the leader of the Soviet Union and the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party?!

    Wasn¡¯t the man standing behind him the Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand, dimir?

    And the tall man with a bright smile standing diagonally behind dimir was the chauffeur, Ivan!

    Wait!

    Soviet ... Union?!

 Chapter 1470 - No Matter How We Go About

    <h4>Chapter 1470: No Matter How We Go About</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely dumbfounded.

    The Soviet Union?

    Hadn¡¯t that country copsed decades ago?

    She still remembered the famous ¡°East-soviet uprising¡± in history.

    Almost overnight, a huge country copsed in the dust of history.

    Although Russiater inherited most of the Soviet Union¡¯s legacy, it was only a legacy.

    The Soviet Union copsed like a giant, and the republics that had joined it became independent countries.

    The Iron Curtain was no longer in ce, and the United States stood alone. This led to a major change in the power dynamic of the Blue.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s department also organized to watch a documentary produced by the state television station every year ¡ª ¡°XX Anniversary Of The Soviet Union¡¯s Revolution.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi watched it six times as well...

    On average, she watched it once a year.

    But why was the Soviet Union still on the news here?

    Was the broadcaster wrong?

    Gu Nianzhi felt very uneasy.

    Pushin hadn¡¯t changed at all, just like the one she had seen in Moscow in the first half of this year.

    dimir and the middle-aged driver were even more so. Their voices and appearances were the same as they were in the other dimension.

    Pooh! Pooh! Pooh!

    That saying was used to describe dead people. They were still alive.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned as she stared at the television. She wished she could use software to analyze every single scene, frame by frame, to see what exactly was going on.

    On the high-definition television screen, three Huaxia Empire men were shaking hands with Pushin.

    Wearing a military uniform, the man in the lead was tall. His hair was grey, and he smiled sideways at the camera. His pair of familiar almond-shaped eyes made Gu Nianzhi almost cry out in shock.

    ¡°Brother Little Ning, this... General He Chengjian, who is he?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was trembling.

    Qin Zhining smiled proudly and poured himself a ss of wine. ¡°That is my pir of support I told you about. The people here have no choice but to give me face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with a pale face. Herrge eyes looked empty and listless.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s heart softened and he said softly,¡±... He¡¯s my uncle, my cousin He Zhichu¡¯s father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already guessed it. Now that she had confirmed it, it felt as if the other shoe on her head had fallen to the ground.

    ¡°... He¡¯s the general?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the highest-ranking official of the Military Supreme Council.¡± Qin Zhining sat up straight and looked at the handsome man on the television admiringly.

    Gu Nianzhi bit her lip lightly and lowered her voice, ¡°... He¡¯s the highest-ranking officer of the military? What about General Ji?¡±

    ¡°General Ji?¡± Qin Zhining frowned, ¡°What General Ji? There are only ten generals in the military, and none of them have the surname Ji.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and pinched her thigh hard.

    The excruciating pain jolted her entire body and cleared her mind.

    When she opened her eyes again, the people on the television were still the same.

    Speaker Long, in particr, was the Speaker Long that she knew.

    But General Ji was gone and reced by General He.

    The prime minister wasn¡¯t Bai Jiancheng, but Xie Beichen.

    Eh?

    Xie Beichen?

    That name was so familiar.

    Gu Nianzhi searched her memories carefully and finally remembered that the son of Major General Huo¡¯s great-uncle was called Xie Beichen...

    He should be Major General Huo¡¯s uncle.

    But hadn¡¯t he always been doing business abroad?

    How did he be the Prime Minister of Huaxia Empire?

    Right, since Xie Beichen was the prime minister, what about Major General Huo?

    Gu Nianzhi asked nervously, ¡°... what about General Huo? Do you know General Huo? The director of the Military Political Department?¡±

    Huo Guanchen, the director of the Military Political Department, was the general, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father.

    She didn¡¯t dare ask him directly about Huo Shaoheng, but instead asked about him in a roundabout way.

    ¡°No.¡± Qin Zhining shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no General Huo among the top ten generals.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi asked about General Huo, Qin Zhining suddenly understood what she meant.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi with a half-hearted smile, poured her some juice, and casually changed the topic. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. Maybe you have a bad memory and remembered wrongly. By the way, didn¡¯t you lose your memory?¡±

    They had strict discipline. This mission was top secret and couldn¡¯t be told to anyone, including Gu Nianzhi.

    So he couldn¡¯t say too much to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank when she saw Qin Zhining¡¯s smiling face.

    She was sitting on the chair, but now she felt like she had suddenly lost her footing and fell from the sky.

    She lowered her head silently and caressed the couple¡¯s watch on her wrist that Huo Shaoheng gave her. Her heart was in a mess.

    The time shown on her watch was exactly the same as the time shown on the television. It was 2XXX, X month, X day, X time.

    However, everything seemed to be wrong.

    If everything in front of her wasn¡¯t reality, she would think that she was dreaming, or that she had gone crazy and was hallucinating.

    How could her memory not be good?

    Even if she had lost her memory and had forgotten everything that happened before she was 12, she could still remember everything that happened between the ages of 12 and 19.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s words were more like a lie to a three-year-old child.

    ¡°... Do you think I¡¯ll believe you if you say that?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes narrowed, and her expression was as calm as water. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an idiot?¡±

    Qin Zhining was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Of course you¡¯re not an idiot, but regarding some things, there¡¯s indeed a problem with your memory.¡± As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept across the corner of the room.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth, and suddenly understood what Qin Zhining meant.

    There was probably a surveince camera in this room, so he couldn¡¯t or didn¡¯t dare say certain things.

    However, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t going to let this go so easily.

    She red at Qin Zhining hatefully, opened her mobile browser, and began to search the inte.

    She had just searched ¡°Soviet Union¡± when countless relevant links popped up.

    She chose a wikileaks link and nced at it. Gu Nianzhi was in a bad mood.

    The wikileaks that she had seen showed that the eastern part of the Soviet Union had indeed experienced a revolution decades ago, but it hadn¡¯t changed drastically. Instead, it had persevered through the most difficult period.

    The Soviet Union didn¡¯t copse. It had always been the Soviet Union.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Unionunched a coup at thest moment of the turmoil. Disregarding public opinion, they overthrew the government of the leading party in the Soviet Union. They tried to dissolve the government of the leading party in the Soviet Union, and reced it with someone who supported the unification of the Soviet Union.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the most powerful organization in the Soviet Union. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the most powerful organization in the Soviet Union. Therefore, the Soviet Union preserved and continued to develop until now. The highest-ranking leader of the Soviet Union, Pushin, was from the KGB.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned paler and paler. She ran her fingers through her phone and clicked on one link after another.

    The people here and the news here were simr to what she knew, but there were always major differences in some key areas.

    She searched the top ten generals, but there was indeed no General Ji or General Huo.

    She also searched the Senate. Speaker Long¡¯s resume was exactly the same as what she knew. It was the Speaker Long she had known in the Senate.

    She didn¡¯t know much about Xie Beichen, so she couldn¡¯t tell if he was the Xie Beichen that she knew.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± Gu Nianzhi finally spoke. Her voice sounded especially frightened. Her eyes red, she looked up at Qin Zhining.

    Qin Zhining knew that she was about to cry again. He looked at her sympathetically and couldn¡¯t help patting her shoulder. ¡°Okay, okay. You really should stop thinking about it. Actually, none of this is important. What¡¯s important is that this is your home. Nianzhi, wee home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a throbbing headache as she looked at the table full of delicacies. She had no appetite at all.

    The impact was so great that she was inplete emotional turmoil.

    Immediately after, the news about the United States was broadcast on the television.

    It turned out that the president, who liked to tweet, had tweeted again about Pushin¡¯s visit to China.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the image of New York on the television and was speechless.

    The two tall Twin Towers stood perfectly upright on the screen and created a unique view of New York.

    There were actually twin towers here...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was ashen. ¡°... Didn¡¯t those twin towers copse from the ne crash more than a decade ago?¡±

    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t.¡± Qin Zhining raised his eyebrows. ¡°Nianzhi, you really remembered wrong. It¡¯s very dangerous for you to continue like this. I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯ll be pulled to a psychologist for a test.¡±

    Hearing Qin Zhining¡¯s hint, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Her body went limp. She fell under the table and fainted.

    ¡°Nianzhi?!¡± Qin Zhining was terrified. He quickly picked her up and called the imperial capital. ¡°... Get me General He!¡±

    Ten minutester, Qin Zhining carried the unconscious Gu Nianzhi on a private ne and quickly flew to the imperial capital.

    ..

    In the capital¡¯s private airport, He Chengjian personally led people to wee her.

    As soon as the nended, the He family¡¯s specialized medical staff boarded the ne to examine Gu Nianzhi.

    She hadn¡¯t eaten much for nearly 24 hours and was extremely weak.

    The experienced family doctors quickly put water in Gu Nianzhi and then ced her on a stretcher to carry her down from the ne.

    ¡°General He, the mission isplete! Colonel Qin Zhining haspleted his report!¡± Qin Zhining saluted in front of He Chengjian and shouted.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± He Chengjian patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to send you.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t expected something so simple to go wrong halfway through.

    Fortunately, Qin Zhining had gone to pick her up personally. Otherwise, even if Gu Nianzhi had returned, who knew where she would end up..

    He Chengjian shuddered at the thought of the consequences, but his expression didn¡¯t change.

    He walked over to the stretcher and looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was lying on it.

    He hadn¡¯t seen her for seven years. In his memory, she was still that chubby little girl who had been carefully taken care of and raised by his cold-hearted son, He Zhichu.

    Although he had seen the photoster and knew that she had grown into a beautiful and lively youngdy, he had never seen her in person. There was always a gap between them.

    When she had seen her in person today, he had realized that the photos were still a little worse than her in person.

    She still had this kind of charm even when she was unconscious. She would be even more adorable after she woke up.

    He Chengjian couldn¡¯t help butugh. He reached out to tuck her into the nket and said gently, ¡°Is she okay? You say that she suddenly fainted?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that she was extremely weak.¡± Qin Zhining smiled a little sheepishly. ¡°She... suffered extreme mental shock, so she couldn¡¯t process it for a moment. She hadn¡¯t eaten for more than 20 hours...¡±

    ¡°No wonder.¡± He Chengjian nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s fine.¡±

    Qin Zhining watched as the doctors loaded the stretcher onto the ambnce. Gu Nianzhiy alone on the stretcher, a little worried. ¡°General he, I think I should follow her to take a look.¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t stop her. He said calmly, ¡°This is still your mission. Until she gets home safely, you can¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± Qin Zhining raised his hand and saluted. After hesitating for a moment, he asked in a low voice, ¡°General He, her physical condition isn¡¯t very good. Don¡¯t perform that surgery on her, right?¡±

    ording to their rules, anyone who participated in this top secret operation would undergo a special surgery, removing all memories rted to this mission, after the mission ended.

    Qin Zhining was a special forces soldier, and the other four people who were on the mission were private guards of the He family.

    It didn¡¯t matter if they epted the surgery or not. It wouldn¡¯t affect their work and life in the future anyway, but Gu Nianzhi was different.

    If they were to remove seven years of her memories rted to this aspect, and she didn¡¯t have any memories from before the age of twelve, then her neen years of life would be a nk.

    She would also go from being an intelligent woman to an idiot who didn¡¯t know anything.

    Was this result really what they wanted?

    He Chengjian was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°It will depend on what Director Qin says. I believe in Director Qin¡¯s professionalism.¡±

    The ¡°Director Qin¡± that He Chengjian mentioned was his wife, Qin Yaoguang. She was also the director of thergest private hospital in the Huaxia Empire.

    When she was at home, she was called Auntie Qin.

    Qin Yaoguang was the absolute authority in the field of brain surgery, which was also the field of neurosurgery.

    Over the years, Qin Yaoguang was the one who personally operated on the soldiers who had to perform the memory removal surgery for special missions.

    Although Qin Zhining couldn¡¯t bear it, he didn¡¯t say anything further. He turned around and strode into the ambnce.

    He Chengjian stood beside the runway of the airport. He didn¡¯t get into the car until the ambnce had left.

    The motorcycles in front cleared the way, and the two military vehicles behind them were full of armed soldiers. They protected He Chengjian¡¯s bulletproof sedan in the middle and drove toward the He family¡¯s mansion on Erhuan.

    ..

    The He family¡¯s mansion was brightly lit in the middle of the night.

    The servants were dressed in neat uniforms and ready to wee the guests home, they lined up at the door.

    Wen Shouyi stood at the window of a bedroom on the second floor. She looked at the huge crowd at the door and sighed, then said, ¡°Auntie Qin, why do you think General He is doing this? I heard that Gu Nianzhi has already fainted and is still unconscious. No matter how we go about, she can¡¯t even see such a grand entrance...¡±

    The woman she called Auntie Qin was He Chengjian¡¯s wife, Qin Yaoguang.

    She had just finished a day of surgery and was very tired.

    She sat on the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest and looked a little helpless. ¡°Brother He is a loving person, so it¡¯s only right that he does this. After all, Nianzhi is too important to Zhichu.¡±

    Wen Shouyi turned around, then saw Auntie Qin sitting quietly beside the sofa and under the warm yellow light. She was wearing a cherry blossom yellow qipao. Her posture was dignified and elegant. She looked like an ancientdy who had just stepped out of a painting.

    Her skin was snow-white, and she had an oval face. Her nose was straight, and her lips were bright red. There were no wrinkles on her face at all. She didn¡¯t look like a woman in her forties at all.

    As they were talking, they suddenly heard the sound of a car braking downstairs.

    Wen Shouyi turned to look again and saw an ambnce drive in first, followed by two motorcycles.

    He Chengjian¡¯s bulletproof car followed.

    The door of the ambnce in front opened first, and Qin Zhining jumped out while pushing a stretcher out.

    Qin Zhining helped to hold the bottle, and there was a person lying on the stretcher.

    From a distance, she couldn¡¯t see clearly, but Wen Shouyi could tell that it was that drama queen Gu Nianzhi.

 Chapter 1471 - I Wonâ€™t Allow Her To Marry Another Man

    <h4>Chapter 1471: I Won¡¯t Allow Her To Marry Another Man</h4>

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile.

    In the garden in front of the house downstairs, Qin Zhining carefully lifted the bottle and followed the stretcher around the fountain at the entrance to the mansion.

    Wen Shouyi bit her lip and took out her phone to call.

    Qin Zhining heard his phone ring, but he didn¡¯t answer because he was concerned about Gu Nianzhi. He followed her into the mansion with the drip bottle in hand.

    Wen Shouyi saw that Qin Zhining did n¡¯t pick up even though she had been calling for a long time. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Was Gu Nianzhi trying to teach her a lesson?

    She slowly put away her phone and sped her hands. She leaned her head against the French window and watched themotion downstairs.

    He Chengjian then got out of the car under the orderly¡¯s protection and entered his house.

    Wen Shouyi, who was watching from the second floor, said, ¡°Auntie Qin, General He is back.¡±

    ¡°Big Brother He is back?¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face instantly revealed a smile. Under the moonlight, she instantly as beautiful as a rose.

    She stood up from the sofa.

    She brought Wen Shouyi down to the second floor quickly and happened to see He Chengjian standing in the living room. She ordered the medical staff to send the stretcher to the room on the third floor.

    ¡°General He, you¡¯re back.¡± Wen Shouyi held Auntie Qin¡¯s arm and walked to He Chengjian with her.

    He Chengjian saw the two of them and nodded. ¡°Yaoguang, Shouyi, you two are still awake?¡±

    He looked at his watch. It was already midnight.

    ¡°General He, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know. If you don¡¯te back, Auntie Qin will definitely refuse to sleep.¡± Wen Shouyi made a face.

    Auntie Qin said softly, ¡°We just had four surgeries today. Your four guards have already undergone the memory-stripping surgery. They¡¯ll be fine after two weeks of rest.¡±

    He Chengjianughed. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. He said gently, ¡°I can rest assured that you¡¯ll do your job.¡±

    He paused for a moment and looked at the family doctors who were carrying stretchers up the stairs. ¡°Yaoguang, Nianzhi is back.¡±

    Auntie Qin¡¯s name was Yaoguang. Only He Chengjian called her that. Everyone else here called her Auntie Qin. They had been calling her Auntie Qin for years.

    Auntie Qin¡¯s gaze was only on He Chengjian. She didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Rest early.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡± He Chengjian looked at her and thought about what Qin Zhining had said. Finally, he couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. He walked to the corner of the stairs. ¡°Yaoguang,e to my study. I have something to discuss with you.¡±

    His suite was on the second floor. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s suite was also on the second floor.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rooms were on the third floor.

    Although Qin Yaoguang and He Chengjian didn¡¯t live together, their suites were closely connected.

    He Chengjian¡¯s study was generally not essible to others.

    In the past, other than his first wife, only He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi could enter and leave as they pleased.

    Gu Nianzhi had gone missing, and He Zhichu had left as well. No one else had been able to get in or out of his study.

    This was the first time Qin Yaoguang had stepped into He Chengjian¡¯s study since their marriage.

    She felt a sense of joy and sorrow after a long time.

    After so many years, she had finally returned to Brother He¡¯s heart.

    She hadn¡¯t waited in vain.

    Qin Yaoguang pushed open the door to He Chengjian¡¯s study and walked in slowly.

    He Chengjian¡¯s study was decorated in a neat and tidy manner. There was mahogany furniture, and the east wall was filled with bookshelves. There wereyers of books on top of each other.

    The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows were half-closed, and the moonlight shone on a pot of night epiphyllum in front of the window like flowing water.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s gaze swept past the pot of night epiphyllum as if nothing had happened. She looked at He Chengjian, who was sitting behind the desk.

    He Chengjian was an old man after all. He had been busy with work these few years and his body wasn¡¯t very healthy. He looked a little haggard.

    She said with concern, ¡°Big Brother He, it¡¯s already veryte. Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow.¡±

    He Chengjian sat in the dark and stared at Qin Yaoguang.

    From this angle, she really looked very simr to his first wife, Qin Suwen.

    It wasn¡¯t her face, but her figure. Of course, their personalities werepletely different.

    His first wife, Qin Suwen, was soft on the outside but tough on the inside. Her personality was stubborn. Once she had set her sights on someone or something, she definitely wouldn¡¯t turn back. She made no exception towards him.

    However, his next wife, Qin Yaoguang, was tough on the outside but soft on the inside. She was very inflexible in her way of doing things and was very particr about principles. She didn¡¯t show any emotion to anyone, except for him.

    He Chengjian made it very clear that he didn¡¯t have any intention of treating anyone as a substitute.

    Moreover, he felt guilty towards Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Yes, you too. Don¡¯t wait for me in the future.¡± He Chengjian stood up from behind the desk and walked in front of Qin Yaoguang. He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

    His actions naturally carried a sense of intimacy without any barriers. Even though he was just brushing her hair, Qin Yaoguang was so happy that she almost fainted.

    She wanted to press her face against He Chengjian¡¯s hand.

    He Chengjian quickly retracted his hand and put them in his pocket. ¡°Yaoguang, Nianzhi¡¯s condition is special. Do you think we have to operate on her?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s tender feelings in her heart were almost shattered by He Chengjian¡¯s words.

    She had never expected that He Chengjian would allow her into his study for the first time in so many years and even stroke her hair intimately all because of Gu Nianzhi..

    Qin Yaoguang crossed her hands in front of her chest, and her body instantly stiffened.

    ¡°Brother he, this is an important matter. You can¡¯t take such a risk just because Nianzhi has a special status.¡± Qin Yaoguang reverted to her business-like tone. ¡°... It¡¯s not worth it.¡±

    He Chengjian paced around the study with his hands behind his back. He said, ¡°I¡¯m also in a difficult position. Ever since there was such a huge breakthrough in the development of science, it has always been the top secret of the empire. Only a few people know about it. Anyone who has been to the opposite side and whose security level isn¡¯t high enough will have to undergo a directed memory removal surgery. This is the safest guarantee.¡±

    Using physical means to remove the hippocampus rted to this aspect of memory was the most foolproof way to keep a secret.

    Only the dead could keep a secret, but in fact, apart from not being able to speak, a dead person could also leak secrets.

    For example, a brilliant forensic doctor could deduce many things that happened before the dead person died from all the traces that the dead person revealed.

    Therefore, it was impossible to think that only the dead could keep a secret.

    But now, they had a special technique that allowed them to keep secrets without people dying.

    All they needed to do was to remove a part of their memories.

    Qin Yaoguang smiled aloofly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this kind of targeted memory removal surgery was invented by my grandfather. We have decades of clinical data in the Qin family¡¯s hospital that proves that it¡¯s very mature. It¡¯s just a small, foolproof surgery that won¡¯t have any impact on her life.¡±

    He Chengjian looked at her deeply and said, ¡°But Nianzhi is different. I heard from Zhichu that Nianzhi¡¯s memories before she was twelve years old were gone. If you perform the targeted memory removal surgery on her now, wouldn¡¯t she lose her memories for the ensuing seven years as well? What else would she have? Would she still be human?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Finally, she scoffed. ¡°... So that person isn¡¯tpletely crazy. He actually knew to remove her memories before sending her over there.¡±

    ¡°You mean that Nianzhi¡¯s memories before she was 12 years old were also removed by someone?¡± He Chengjian was a little surprised. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Otherwise, how could she have forgotten everything?¡± Qin YSo aoguang was very confident in the Qin family¡¯s ancestral surgical techniques. ¡°Shouyi tested her over there, but she really doesn¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good too.¡± He Chengjian sighed and shook his head. ¡°At least nothing out of control has happened.¡±

    His dealings with the other side were top-secret secrets among the Empire¡¯s upper echelons.

    What had happened to Gu Nianzhi seven years ago was aplete ident.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for his son, he wouldn¡¯t have gone to the other side to bring Gu Nianzhi back.

    Qin Yaoguang knew He Chengjian¡¯s intentions, so she followed up and advised, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want her to marry Zhichu? If you remove her memories from that side and wait for Zhichu toe back and rekindle their rtionship, Nianzhi will definitely bepletely devoted to Zhichu. When that timees, you can just wait to have a grandchild!¡±

    He Chengjian was obviously moved by her words.

    He put his hands behind his back and looked out the window. He was moved. ¡°If she could obediently be with Zhichu over there, I wouldn¡¯t have forced her toe back.¡±

    After a pause, his tone turned sinister. ¡°But I will never allow her to betray him and marry another man!¡±

    ¡°Brother He, please calm down. Zhichu too good to her at the beginning and doted on Nianzhi too much.¡± When Qin Yaoguang said this, her jaw hardened. It showed that she was a very resolute person who would never waver.

    ¡°Yes! Not to mention doting, he¡¯spletely devoted to her!¡± He Chengjian roared in anger. ¡°How dare he lie to me! I always thought Nianzhi was with him over there!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until he saw the video from over there and saw the grand engagement ceremony between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng in red square in Russia that He Chengjian realized that his son had long lost Gu Nianzhi.

    He wasn¡¯t with Gu Nianzhi, and he refused toe back. He was still waiting for her toe back to him, and that made He Chengjian very unhappy.

    How could his son be such a good-for-nothing?!

    ¡°If he can¡¯t bear to do it, then I¡¯ll have to do it for him!¡± He Chengjian put his hands behind his back. His eyes were extremely cold. ¡°Alright, when Nianzhi wakes up, you can get ready to operate on her.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Brother He,¡± Qin Yaoguang said softly and took a step forward. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, Brother He...¡±

    Wanting to hold He Chengjian¡¯s arm, she stretched out her hand.

    He Chengjian stepped aside and said without looking back, ¡°Go back and rest first. I still have business to take care of.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s outstretched hand hung in mid-air.

    She was embarrassed for a while before she slowly withdrew her hand and clenched it into a fist. She turned around and walked out of He Chengjian¡¯s study, then gently closed the door.

    Wen Shouyi was waiting for her at the door.

    Seeing here out, she hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°Auntie Qin, you¡¯ve really waited for your hard efforts toe to fruition.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang smiled and patted Wen Shouyi¡¯s round face. ¡°You¡¯re the sweetest talker. Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. You should go back and rest too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait until you fall asleep.¡± Wen Shouyi held onto Qin Yaoguang¡¯s arm and went back to the room with her. She quickly helped her to sleep.

    Qin Yaoguang took a sip of salt water and whispered, ¡°Brother He has agreed to perform Nianzhi¡¯s surgery.¡±

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips and covered Qin Yaoguang with the nket. She said reluctantly, ¡°Must we do it? Doesn¡¯t that mean she won¡¯t remember anything? She¡¯ll have to follow Brother Ah-Chu like a stalker all day long.¡±

    She sat by Qin Yaoguang¡¯s bed with her eyes lowered, but her mind was racing.

    She didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to have this kind of surgery, not at all.

 Chapter 1472 - You Shall Kneel

    <h4>Chapter 1472: You Shall Kneel</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang smiled at her and said, ¡°Shouyi, I know what you¡¯re thinking, but it¡¯s not ok to force things. You should stop thinking about your brother Ah-Chu. He belongs to Gu Nianzhi, so he can only belong to Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes reddened, and her heart turned cold.

    She already knew that no matter how hard she tried, it would be useless. Everyone here only had Gu Nianzhi in their eyes.

    No matter what she did, she couldn¡¯tpare to her. No matter how many things she did, she couldn¡¯tpare to her.

    Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t help sobbing. ¡°Auntie Qin, you should go to bed early. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± As she spoke, she walked quickly to the door.

    Qin Yaoguangid on the bed and looked at Wen Shouyi¡¯s staggering back. She said softly, ¡°Silly child, no matter how good He Zhichu is, he doesn¡¯t love you, so how could that be good to you? You¡¯d better leave him to Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stopped in her tracks at the door. Without looking back, she took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, ¡°Auntie Qin, I understand. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t... fight with Nianzhi.¡±

    As she spoke, she quickly walked out of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s room and mmed the door shut. Her tears falling like rain, she leaned against the wall by the door.

    ...

    Qin Zhining had settled the unconscious Gu Nianzhi down. When he came down from the third floor, he happened to see Wen Shouyi standing at the door of Auntie Qin¡¯s suite on the second floor.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s mood instantly improved.

    He quickly walked over, pried Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand away, and said with a smile, ¡°What are you doing...¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Wen Shouyi¡¯s face filled with tears.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who made you suffer?¡± Qin Zhining was greatly shocked. ¡°Who dared to bully you? Auntie Qin and General He will definitely tear them apart alive!¡±

    Wen Shouyi was just in the middle of feeling sad and sorrowful, but Qin Zhining¡¯s words still made her smile through her tears. She raised her fist and smashed it into Qin Zhining¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re such a bbermouth!¡±

    Qin Zhining loosened his grip on her wrist and chuckled as he pulled her downstairs.

    The two of them walked to Wen Shouyi¡¯s suite downstairs. She said impulsively, ¡°Little Qin, do you want toe to my room?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really?!¡± Qin Zhining was overjoyed.

    He had been chasing after Wen Shouyi for half a year, but Wen Shouyi had always been indifferent to him. She neither epted nor rejected him. She just hung on to him like this, making him feel insecure.

    Wen Shouyi regretted her words as soon as she said them. She shook her head again. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. Alright, go back to sleep. The surgery is tomorrow. You have to take good care of yourself.¡±

    Although it was only a minor surgery, it was still a targeted removal of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that was responsible for memory, using a gamma knife. It would be a lie to say that it didn¡¯t harm the body at all.

    However, the damage was indeed very limited. It wasn¡¯t much worse than cutting a finger with a fruit knife, and there were no side effects, so Qin Zhining didn¡¯t care at all.

    He was very touched by Wen Shouyi¡¯s words of concern.

    He held her hand and said a few more thoughtful words before letting her go and watching her go in.

    ...

    When Gu Nianzhi woke up in the afternoon the next day, Qin Zhining had finished his surgery and was being pushed back to his room.

    Wen Shouyi had visited Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room a few times and had finally awaited her waking up.

    Gu Nianzhi had never expected that the first person she would see when she woke up would be Wen Shouyi!

    She instantly felt terrible.

    But she was also energized.

    It had to be said that the power of hatred had been stronger than love since ancient times.

    Love made people more useless every day, but hatred made people grow stronger day by day.

    Gu Nianzhi felt full of fighting spirit as soon as she saw Wen Shouyi. Her mind became exceptionally clear, and her body quickly adjusted to its best condition.

    Sheid on the bed and looked at Wen Shouyi, who had thin eyebrows and a round face, like a doll. She only said two words, ¡°... Get Out.¡±

    Amused, Wen Shouyi sat down on the sofa beside her bed. She said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you still don¡¯t know how to appreciate favors. Do you know where we are? Can you stop acting like you know me? It¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Same here.¡± Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t let herself be at a disadvantage. ¡°You stille to my room when I¡¯m so disgusting? Since it¡¯s so disgusting then open the door. How disgusting.¡±

    Wen Shouyi blushed and paled at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She said sullenly, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s the point of you always having such a sharp-tongue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t understand either. You know I hate you, but you keep showing up in front of me to get dissed by me. What¡¯s the point?¡±

    Very few people had the upper hand when it came to bickering with Gu Nianzhi.

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips and maintained her good manners. She said, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t lower myself to your level. I just wanted to let you know that since you¡¯re awake, you should go out and meet people. Don¡¯t just lie on the bed like you¡¯re some rich heiress who¡¯s being pampered by someone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi adjusted herself to afortable position on the bed and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. No matter where I am, I¡¯m a rich heiress who¡¯s being pampered by someone. Are you jealous?¡±

    Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t helpughing and she nodded. She went along with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and said half-truthfully, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m jealous of you. What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re in charge of the world, so why do you care what other people think?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t care what you think, but let me give you a piece of advice. Jealousy makes people ugly. Besides, you¡¯re not beautiful to begin with.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª !¡± No matter how well-mannered Wen Shouyi was, she was still so angry at Gu Nianzhi that she almost vomited blood.

    Women cared the most about people talking about her looks, not to mention being called ugly by their love rivals. It was great humiliation.

    At that moment, Wen Shouyi barely resisted the urge to remind Gu Nianzhi about the memory-stripping surgery.

    She was wavering between the two great temptations of ¡°making He Zhichu fall in love with her¡±and ¡°making Gu Nianzhi an idiot.¡± For a moment, she couldn¡¯t decide which one was more tempting.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Wen Shouyi was so angry at her that she was about to lose her mind, but she still had to pretend to be pleasant. Her smile became even sweeter.

    She had learned from fighting online that the more the other party wanted to anger you, the more you had to take it lightly. This was the only way to make the other party vomit blood.

    Fighting was like dating. Whoever cared more about losing would lose.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I say something wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi stillid on the bed, pulled the nket under her neck, and covered herself tightly. She closed her eyes and said nonchntly, ¡°Okay, you can kneel down. I want to sleep for a while.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was so angry at Gu Nianzhi that she was about to explode.

    ¡°Kneel down?! Ha, you really take yourself seriously!¡± Wen Shouyi felt that the self-restraint that she had been taught by Auntie Qin for more than ten years was about to be broken.

    ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t take yourself seriously, how can you expect others to take you seriously?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned over and saidzily, ¡°You¡¯re born a ve, so you can¡¯t understand the joys of being a master. If you don¡¯t want to kneel down, then get lost.¡±

    She was getting more and more rude.

    Wen Shouyi gritted her teeth and red at the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. She calmed herself down for a while before saying, ¡°I came to remind you that since you¡¯re awake, you¡¯ll have to undergo the memory-stripping surgery. When that timees, I¡¯ll see how arrogant you are!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and turned around. She opened her eyes and asked, ¡°What memory-stripping surgery?¡±

    ¡°Are you scared now?¡± Wen Shouyi finally found some sense of superiority in her knowledge. She bent down and looked Gu Nianzhi up and down. She said softly,¡±... This is Auntie Qin¡¯s decision. Auntie Qin¡¯s decision has never changed.¡±

    There was a hint of schadenfreude in her tone, but she was also very cautious. There was even a hint of reverence in her tone. It was evident that she really admired this ¡°Auntie Qin¡± to the extreme.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was different. No matter where she was, other than Huo Shaoheng, no one else could make her lower her head.

    She looked at Wen Shouyi with disdain. ¡°Who the hell is Auntie Qin? She decides her own matters. It¡¯s not up to a stranger to make decisions about my matters.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You actually said that about Auntie Qin?!¡± Wen Shouyi looked like she was in shock. She patted her chest lightly. She looked at Gu Nianzhi with anger, amusement, and a hint of pity, as if she was pitying her.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her beautiful eyebrows. ¡°I said that about her. What¡¯s wrong? She thinks she can take the liberty to perform some kind of memory-stripping surgery on me. Can¡¯t I look down on her?¡±

    ¡°You have to bow your head when you¡¯re under other people¡¯s roof, Gu Nianzhi...¡± Wen Shouyi shook her head and smiled. ¡°You¡¯d better think about how to deal with it. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be drugged and pushed to the operating room tomorrow. It¡¯ll be toote if you continue to act so arrogantly...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned as she watched Wen Shouyi leave. She wondered if Wen Shouyi was telling the truth.

    If she was telling the truth, why did she have to remind her?

    Gu Nianzhi knew this Wen Shouyi. On the surface, she appeared to be above board, but in reality, she secretly didn¡¯t want her to have a good life.

    But if Wen Shouyi was lying, what was the point of scaring her like that?

    Gu Nianzhi was not one to be scared.

    She sat on the bed and thought about it for a while. In the end, she decided to get out of the bed and ask Qin Zhining about it.

    This person definitely wouldn¡¯t hurt her, Gu Nianzhi was very sure.

    After lifting the nket, she found that she was still wearing the casual clothes that she had worn from the other side. Of course, they were already wrinkled and dirty.

    She turned around to look under the snow-white nket. Yes, there was still fine sand on the bed by the sea...

    It could be said to be very messy.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed. She instinctively wanted to take a shower, but when she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, she didn¡¯t dare to go to the bathroom.

    She had been bossy in front of Wen Shouyi just now by pretending to be the master, but in fact, she didn¡¯t have any confidence at all.

    What exactly was this ce?

    She had absolutely no idea.

    Standing in front of the mirror and adjusting her clothes, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her messy hair. She simply let it down andbed it with ab to cover her back.

    Her hair was long, dark and thick. She hadn¡¯t washed it for a few days, so it wasn¡¯t as good as it used to be.

    But she couldn¡¯t care less.

    She opened the door and peeked out to take a look.

    In front of her was a low-key and luxurious corridor. It was covered with a thick carpet of Persian Dahlia, and there was an LEDmp in the shape of a blooming epiphyllum above her head every few distances away.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. It was about 12 o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    As soon as she peeked out of the door, she was spotted by the surveince cameras in the corridor.

    A waitress in a white shirt and ck pants received the order and quickly came up to her from the maid¡¯s room. She bowed respectfully to her and said, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re awake? General He would like to invite you to his study.¡±

 Chapter 1473 - You Two Can Start All Over Again

    <h4>Chapter 1473: You Two Can Start All Over Again</h4>

    ¡°General He?¡± Gu Nianzhi had just woken up from her sleep and didn¡¯t react for a moment. She said suspiciously, ¡°Who is General He? I¡¯ll go if he wants me to? Besides, who are you? Why should I go wherever you want me to go?¡±

    She was standing at the door and saying these words, so she was recorded by the security cameras.

    Not only had the He family¡¯s security personnel seen her clearly, but He Chengjian, who was in the study, had also seen her.

    Her high-spirited demeanor had attracted his attention.

    He Chengjian¡¯s gleaming almond-shaped eyes were slightly curved, and the deep lines at the corners of his eyes added to his charm.

    Heughed and shook his head. ¡°This little girl, why didn¡¯t I know that she was so vignt before?¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up. ¡°Go to the third floor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was on the third floor.

    ..

    The maid in front of Gu Nianzhi looked at her with her tongue-tied. ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m Hui Lan, the He family¡¯s housekeeper. Is there anything else you want to ask me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi folded her arms across her chest and looked her up and down. She nodded. ¡°Yes, do you have an ID card?¡±

    The maid Hui Lan: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°The ID card is in my room.¡± She didn¡¯t dare not to answer. ¡°But General He wants to see you now. Please follow me down first, and I¡¯ll show you my ID card.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡±Gu Nianzhi refused tly. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. What if you¡¯re a bad person and want to trick me into going out to kidnap me or kill me?¡±

    Hui Lan was speechless. She smiled wryly. ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m not a bad person.¡±

    ¡°How would I know whether or not you¡¯re a bad person if I don¡¯t know you?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her head and almost tapped her foot. ¡°Besides, bad people won¡¯t carve words on their foreheads.¡±

    Hui Lan had never seen such a vignt little girl before. She could only say, ¡°Then should I go get my Id?¡±

    ¡°Yes, hurry up for me to take a look.¡± Gu Nianzhi reached out and tapped her shoulder. ¡°And ask Qin Zhining toe see me.¡±

    ¡°You mean Mr. Qin?¡± Hui Lan didn¡¯t know that Qin Zhining had gone for surgery. She only said, ¡°He¡¯s gone home. Do you want to see him?¡±

    ¡°Yes, tell him toe see me.¡± Gu Nianzhi put on a expression of ¡°I won¡¯t go out until you ask Qin Zhining toe.¡±

    The maid Hui Lan urged her for a long time, but Gu Nianzhi refused to follow her to General He¡¯s study on the second floor. She had no choice but to put on a bitter expression. ¡°Miss Gu, General He¡¯s study is off-limits to most people. Why are you...¡±

    ¡°... I don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for me, do I?¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke up for her and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with this ce, so I have to be extra careful. Please forgive me, Miss Hui Lan.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve it, I don¡¯t deserve it.¡± The Maid Hui Lan left in a hurry and went to talk to her boss.

    But just as she reached the stairs, she saw General Heing over with two personal secretaries.

    She quickly bowed to make way and said in a low voice, ¡°General He, Miss Gu doesn¡¯t want to go...¡±

    ¡°General He knows, you can go down first.¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t say anything. It was the personal secretary who spoke next to him.

    The maid, Hui Lan, ran down to the third floor. She didn¡¯t dare to stay there for even a moment.

    All of their domestic workers were afraid of He Chengjian.

    It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t good to them, but his aura was too terrifying.

    The Huaxia Empire knew that although their country¡¯s leader was General He of the military, Speaker Long of the Senate, and Prime Minister Xie of the cab, the one who made the decision was actually General He.

    The other two didn¡¯t dare to say no in front of him.

    He had been in such a position for a long time, so naturally, his imposing presence wasn¡¯t something that ordinary high-ranking officials could rival.

    However, when he walked up to Gu Nianzhi, he realized that the little girl wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all.

    She sized him up, and her eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°You¡¯re... Professor He¡¯s father?!¡±

    They were so simr. They were so damn simr, especially the pair of gleaming almond-shaped eyes.

    She had asked Qin Zhining about it when she saw it on television yesterday.

    Now that she had seen him in person, she was even more certain that General He was He Zhichu¡¯s father.

    Gu Nianzhi felt slightly relieved when she thought of professor he.

    Professor He was truly looking out for her. His father wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for her, would he?

    He Chengjian looked closely at Gu Nianzhi and thought to himself, I didn¡¯t expect that crazy person to give birth to such a beautiful daughter. She really has changed after she got older...¡±

    When she first came to their house when she was six years old, she was just an ordinary chubby little girl with an ordinary appearance. Only his silly son, He Zhichu, treated her like a treasure.

    Of course, his first wife, Qin Suwen, also doted on this little girl.

    Her appearance saved He Zhichu¡¯s life.

    He Chengjian was just like Qin Suwen; he was filled with gratitude towards Gu Nianzhi. He had always treated her as his own family member and daughter-inw.

    ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi?¡± He Chengjian¡¯s attitude softened. ¡°I heard you don¡¯t want to see me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned red. Her hands were sped in front of her, and her fingers were almost twisted into a dough twist.

    She whispered, ¡°... I just arrived at a strange ce. I can¡¯t be careless... Mr. He, is Professor He home?¡±

    He Chengjian said lightly, ¡°He¡¯s not back yet, but he¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    He Zhichu must have realized what had happened by now.

    He Chengjian believed that He Zhichu would be back soon.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°When will you send me back?¡±

    ¡°Back?¡± He Chengjian raised an eyebrow and narrowed his almond-shaped eyes. ¡°This is your home. Where are you going?¡±

    As he spoke, he walked into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to make way and follow He Chengjian into the room.

    The two personal secretaries stood at the door like door gods and closed the door behind them.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Chengjian were the only two people in the spacious living room.

    ¡°Sit.¡± He Chengjian came in and like a host, he beckoned Gu Nianzhi to sit down.

    Gu Nianzhi felt ufortable, but she still sat down properly.

    She stared into He Chengjian¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°Mr. He, you wanted to see me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you just came back. We haven¡¯t seen each other for seven years. I wanted to talk to you and ask if you¡¯re used to living here. This is your home. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re not used to, you must tell me immediately,¡± He Chengjian said gently.

    He hadn¡¯t said this to anyone in seven years.

    He Zhichu hadn¡¯t been able to recover from his illness since Gu Nianzhi suddenly disappeared from him seven years ago.

    He flew into a rage and sent secret orders across the country to search for Gu Nianzhi and that lunatic.

    For three whole years, the father and son had barely spoken to each othe.

    It was only after they finally received news that Gu Nianzhi might have gone to the other side that He Zhichu got up from his bed and insisted on going to the other side to look for her.

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression changed unpredictably.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what He Chengjian was thinking, so she made up her mind to figure things out first.

    ¡°Mr. He, thank you for your hospitality.¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at her head. ¡°But I don¡¯t remember what happened seven years ago. If you want to catch up with me, please forgive me.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°I know you don¡¯t remember what happened before you were 12.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and gripped her phone tightly with one hand.

    ¡°... But it doesn¡¯t matter. In a few days, after your surgery, Zhichu will be back. You two can start over.¡±

    He Chengjian kept quiet about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s engagement to Huo Shaoheng and acted as if that had never happened.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. Was this person really the one who had ordered for her to be brought back?

    She thought about how she had been kidnapped and how they had managed to hide it from Huo Shaoheng. Other than this big shot, no one else had the ability or influence to do so, right?

    Her deep,rge eyes as ck as ink, Gu Nianzhi looked up. ¡°You sent people to kidnap me? Why did you do this? If you really thought of me as family, why would you use such a bloody method?!¡±

    ¡°Bloody?¡± He Chengjian scoffed. ¡°If you don¡¯t cooperate, they will naturally do whatever it takes toplete the mission.¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t actually care about how those people carried out the mission. As long as the mission waspleted, it was inevitable that there would be some mistakes in the process.

    When a general was on the outside, he wouldn¡¯t be subject to military orders.

    He was a soldier, so he naturally knew this.

    ¡°Regardless of the cost? So you can even kill and injure innocent people?¡± Gu Nianzhi was angry and disappointed. ¡°Professor He is so kind, but I didn¡¯t expect his father to be such a person!¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t care about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rude remarks. He only heard Gu Nianzhi say ¡°Professor he is so kind¡± and couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°You just need to know that Zhichu was good to you. Don¡¯t worry about anything else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    There was really no way to chat on this day.

    She turned her head away angrily. ¡°You¡¯re breaking thew by doing this! Let me tell you!¡±

    ¡°Breaking thew?¡± He Chengjian was even more amused. ¡°What kind ofw did I break?¡±

    ¡°You instigated private armed forces, injured innocent citizens, and kidnapped me to this ce against my will. And you¡¯re saying that you didn¡¯t break thew?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very clear when it came to the legal profession. ¡°I never knew the Huaxia Empire allowed legal private armed forces!¡±

    ¡°The Huaxia Empire here isn¡¯t the Huaxia Empire you know.¡± He Chengjian looked at her firmly and was intrigued by the way she talked aboutw. ¡°You studiedw over there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I aspire to be the bestwyer.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    ¡°Looks like your memories before you were 12 haven¡¯tpletely disappeared.¡± He Chengjian frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve aspired to be the bestwyer since you were young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a coincidence. It means that a person¡¯s desire is hidden deep inside their heart, just like instinct. Even if they lose their memories, they still know what they want to do.¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes.

    ¡°That... makes sense.¡± He Chengjian nodded and stood up. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s good to know that you¡¯re okay. Have some good rest and prepare for the surgery tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What surgery?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was rmed when she remembered what Wen Shouyi had said.

    ¡°The memory removal surgery.¡± He Chengjian looked at her and said calmly, ¡°ording to ourw, you can¡¯t keep your memories of the other dimension.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her chin slightly. ¡°I¡¯m not from your side. Yourw doesn¡¯t apply to me.¡±

    He Chengjian had never heard anyone use such a method to refute his opinion. He smiled and put his hands in his trouser pockets. He said lightly, ¡°Yes, that makes sense, but...¡±

    He was about to continue when Qin Yaoguang¡¯s voice came from the door. ¡°Brother He? Nianzhi? Are you guys inside?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never heard this voice before. She lowered her crossed arms and looked at He Chengjian.¡±... Who is that?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Rude.¡±

    As he spoke, he raised his voice and said to the door, ¡°Yaoguang,e in.¡±

 Chapter 1474 - Her Appearance

    <h4>Chapter 1474: Her Appearance</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi frowned as the door was pushed open. There were two elegantly dressed women standing at the door.

    Wen Shouyi was an old acquaintance, so Gu Nianzhi nced at her first.

    Wen Shouyi winked at her and smiled.

    Gu Nianzhi remained calm as she looked at the middle-aged woman standing next to her. She was shocked.

    This person, this person¡¯s appearance...

    She used all her strength to control the urge to scream.

    She clenched her fists, and her nails dug into the flesh of her palms.

    A sharp pain came from her palms, and her mind finally snapped out of its frenzied state.

    Looking at the middle-aged woman smiling elegantly, then recalling the exact same Pushin, dimir, the chauffeur uncle Ivan, and Speaker Long, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart thumped wildly again.

    She felt as if she had understood something, but at the same time, she felt that it was too unbelievable and shocking.

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s gaze swept past her face andnded on He Chengjian, who was standing opposite Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Brother He, you should be taking your medicine by now.¡± She walked over slowly and held He Chengjian¡¯s arm. Her voice was exceptionally gentle. ¡°Go take your medicine first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already taken my medicine.¡± He Chengjian patted the back of her hand and pulled his arm out quietly. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°This is Nianzhi. You¡¯ve seen her already haven¡¯t you?¡±

    The middle-aged woman was Qin Yaoguang. She gave Gu Nianzhi a perfunctory look and nodded indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back.¡±

    Her tone was distant and contained self-control. It was as if she was trying to control her emotions and was trying her best to appear indifferent.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her in a daze, and struggled to shift her gaze away from her lips.

    This middle-aged woman had an oval face, but her jaw was slightly square. It wasn¡¯t out of ce, but rather attractive.

    Although it was obvious that she wasn¡¯t young, but there were no wrinkles on her face, and her skin was fair and smooth.

    Her hands looked very strong. Her slender fingers were well-jointed, and her nails were round and well-manicured.

    She was wearing a white silk blouse with argepel and seven-fold sleeves. She was wearing long, straight, ck pencil pants and a pair of white t-bottomed shoes. She was tall, and her dark hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head. Her eyes were full of affection, she tilted her head and looked at He Chengjian intently.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her quietly, and no one in the room said anything.

    He Chengjian and Wen Shouyi both stared at them.

    Qin Yaoguang seemed to have finally noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unusual gaze on her. She frowned slightly and said, ¡°Hasn¡¯t anyone ever taught you that it¡¯s rude to stare at people like that?¡±

    The disgust and impatience in her tone waspletely undisguised.

    Gu Nianzhi was initially in a state of extreme shock.

    However, as soon as Qin Yaoguang spoke, her tone was like a bucket of cold water being thrown at Gu Nianzhi,pletely waking her up.

    No, they were different.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself calmly. Her hands in her trouser pockets and her chin slightly raised, she said, ¡°I see that you¡¯re old, and I respect the elderly and love the young, so I won¡¯t lower myself to your level. But you suddenly barged into my room and didn¡¯t even introduce yourself, and you scolded me for being rude and said that I shouldn¡¯t stare at you. May I ask what happened to your manners and upbringing? You¡¯ve lived for so many years, and you threw them all away?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face darkened and she said stiffly, ¡°You¡¯re talking to me like that? It looks like you haven¡¯t made any progress in the seven years you¡¯ve been there. You don¡¯t have to worry about who I am. Get ready for the surgery tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What surgery?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously on purpose. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with my body.¡±

    ¡°Memory-stripping surgery,¡± Qin Yaoguang said lightly. ¡°ording to our confidentiality rules, everyone who has been there has to undergo this surgery.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi had already argued with He Chengjian once. She crossed her arms over her chest and her face was dark. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just told General He that I¡¯m not from your side, so I¡¯m not subject to yourws.¡±

    ¡°Of course you¡¯re from my side. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re not from my side just because you¡¯ve been there for seven years.¡± Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t back down at all. ¡°Do you want me to show you your identity document and birth certificate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help sinking, but she forced herself to remain calm. ¡°Is it true that everyone who has been there has to undergo this kind of surgery?¡±

    ¡°Not only the ones who have been there, but anyone who knows anything about that ce will also have to undergo the memory-stripping surgery.¡± Qin Yaoguang shook her slender fingers. ¡°So you don¡¯t have to feel that it¡¯s unfair. Everyone does it, and no one will be able to escape.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was fixed on Wen Shouyi. ¡°She¡¯s been there too. Does that mean she has to undergo this kind of surgery as well?¡±

    She then pointed at Qin Yaoguang. ¡°Also, you know about the other side, so do you want to undergo the same surgery?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re different from you.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s voice was calm. ¡°Shouyi and I both have high security. We don¡¯t need to undergo this kind of memory-stripping surgery.¡±

    ¡°What about Qin Zhining?¡± Gu Nianzhi blurted out. ¡°Does he need to undergo this kind of surgery?¡±

    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s done with the surgery.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled. ¡°But he¡¯s still recovering. When you see him in the future, remember to introduce yourself! He doesn¡¯t remember you anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face gradually turned pale.

    Wanting to stay away from these people, she couldn¡¯t help taking two steps back.

    If she got any closer, she would feel as if the air in front of her was about to be sucked dry.

    As she got closer to them, she felt her chest tighten.

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists then loosened them again and again. After a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°You¡¯re General He¡¯s wife. It¡¯s one thing that your security level is high, but what right does she have?¡±

    Her face full of indignation, she continued to point her fingers at Wen Shouyi.

    ¡°What right does she have?¡± Qin Yaoguang chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s a topw student at Harvard University. She¡¯s also the head of the military legal department and one of the personal secretaries of Zhichu. Tell me, why isn¡¯t her security level high?¡±

    ¡°As for Qin Zhining, he¡¯s just a colonel in the special forces. His security level ispletely inadequate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused by the news. ¡°Personal... personal secretary? Why does Professor He have a personal secretary?¡±

    ¡°Professor He? You mean Zhichu?¡± Qin Yaoguang sighed and shook her head. ¡°This kid, he¡¯s a good major general, but he chose to risk his life toe to your side and be a powerless professor. I don¡¯t have to tell you how much he loves you, do I?¡±

    ¡°Major... major general?!¡± Gu Nianzhi squeezed the words through her teeth. ¡°How did Professor He be a major general?!¡±

    ¡°His father was a general, the head of the Military Supreme Council. Zhichu is worldly, joined the military in his early years, and was promoted from a lieutenant to a major general. Don¡¯t you remember that?¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s tone was full of pity. She shook her head slightly. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry that you lost your memory of things that happened before you were twelve.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for a moment. All she could think of was the fact that He Zhichu was a major general.¡±

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t an experiencedwyer or an academic professor. Was he also a soldier?

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to understand something when she thought of He Zhichu¡¯s extraordinary skills and weapons.

    So that¡¯s how it was.

    Wen Shouyi helped Qin Yaoguang sit down on the sofa and said with pride, ¡°Brother Ah-Chu is already very powerful. He has aw doctorate from Yale, and after joining the army, he has made many contributions to the military. He truly has both intelligence and athletic prowress!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked when Wen Shouyi called him ¡°Brother Ah-Chu.¡±.

    She had always suspected that Wen Shouyi had a crush on He Zhichu, but now it was finally confirmed.

    ¡°... Brother Ah-Chu.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Wen Shouyi, does Professor He know that you missed him so much?¡±

    Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t seem to care at all. ¡°I¡¯ve always called him that. I¡¯ve been calling him that since seven years ago.¡±

    ¡°After you left, Zhihu fell seriously ill and almost lost his life. It was only because Shouyi called him ¡®Brother Ah-Chu¡¯ that Zhichu had the motivation to live.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang pulled Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm. ¡°Shouyi took care of Zhichu in his hospital bed for an entire year before he recovered.¡±

    He Chengjian added, ¡°Shouyi did contribute to our family. Without her, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to live on at that time...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She didn¡¯t quite understand what he meant.

    She clearly remembered that He Zhichu didn¡¯t have a good impression of Wen Shouyi. He didn¡¯t look like he would have the motivation to live on just because she called him that.

    Wen Shouyi smiled bitterly and lowered her head.

    That year had been the best year of her life.

    Unfortunately, it had been too short.

    After He Zhichu had regained consciousness, he had started to be indifferent towards her again.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Unless Professor He stands in front of me and says it¡¯s because of you that he had the motivation to live, otherwise, it¡¯s all your lies.¡±

    ¡°What a stubborn duck.¡± Qin Yaoguang chuckled. ¡°When Zhichues back, let him tell you himself.¡±

    ¡°Okay, please don¡¯t tell me about the surgery before Professor Hees back.¡± Gu Nianzhi wanted to stall for time. She put her hands in her pockets and said aloofly, ¡°Now please leave my room. I want to rest.¡±

 Chapter 1475 - Taking Drastic Measures

    <h4>Chapter 1475: Taking Drastic Measures</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang looked up at Gu Nianzhi when she saw how arrogant she was, she said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t try to stall time. ording to the rules, we should have performed this surgery as soon as you got back. You¡¯re alreadyte...¡±

    She looked at her watch and continued, ¡°... You¡¯re already 38 hourste. I¡¯ll give you another 20 hours for the sake of Zhichu. You have to have the surgery tomorrow morning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you saying that regardless of whether or not Professor He will be back tomorrow morning, I have to have the surgery?¡±

    ¡°You can say that.¡± Qin Yaoguang nodded. Her gaze shifted to He Chengjian and she urged him again, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let Nianzhi rest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t give up until she had achieved her goal.

    She immediately stopped Qin Yaoguang and asked, ¡°Miss Qin, I heard that this surgery is very powerful. You can remove any memory you want, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Qin Yaoguang smiled and her voice softened. ¡°This surgery was passed down from my grandfather. It has been through many clinical trials so far. You don¡¯t have to worry about any side effects.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on an exaggerated expression and spread her hands. ¡°Oh my God! Is it really that good?! That¡¯s too scary!¡±

    With that, she quickly focused her gaze on He Chengjian, who had been silent the whole time. ¡°General He, with all due respect, this type of surgery should be strictly restricted. Not only should the person undergoing the surgery be carefully examined, but those who can perform this type of surgery should also be strictly controlled. They can¡¯t be allowed to do as they please, lest they be serious criminals who endanger social justice and vite nationalws.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Wen Shouyi frowned and looked very uneasy. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too rmist?¡±

    ¡°How is this rmist?¡± Gu Nianzhi stared at He Chengjian and looked at his gleaming almond-shaped eyes. They were deeper than He Zhichu¡¯s eyes, and the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes made him seem even more unfathomable.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that the only person she could rope in now was this General He. She could only take a gamble.

    ¡°General He, I¡¯d like to ask, who does the confidentiality rules that Ms. Qin and Ms. Wen mentioned just now target?¡±

    He Chengjian finally spoke slowly, ¡°... the person who undergoes the surgery.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her palms. ¡°I understand. In other words, your confidentiality rules only stipte who must undergo the surgery and do not impose any restrictions on the person performing the surgery, right?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°As far as I know, there aren¡¯t any.¡±

    ¡°This is the greater danger I¡¯m talking about.¡± Gu Nianzhi shifted her gaze to Qin Yaoguang. She had a stubborn look on her face. She had always moved forward with things that she had set her mind on. ¡°Legally speaking, a person¡¯s memory can be used as evidence in court. In other words, it¡¯s a witness.¡±

    ¡°If there is a technology that can remove a person¡¯s memory at will, then legally speaking, all witnesses will no longer be urate. If the court decides a case, there will be a seriousck of witnesses.¡±

    ¡°What are the consequences of doing this? It will shake the foundation of the existence of society.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words,¡±... Aren¡¯t you exaggerating?¡±

    ¡°How is this an exaggeration?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were in her pockets. She was tall and looked down at Wen Shouyi¡¯s round baby face. she continued, ¡°Because human memory is based on human experience, and is the foundation of human society. When there is a technology that can remove a part of a person¡¯s memory, it also digs out the foundation of social stability.¡±

    ¡°General He, have you really not thought about this serious problem?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were very provocative, and she had taken a view of the grand scheme. She had questioned the surgery from a political and legal point of view. Not only did she fundamentally undermine the legitimacy of the surgery, but she had also cleverly removed herself from it.

    He Chengjian was indeed hesitant.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart tightened, but she still said calmly, ¡°I can guarantee that this surgery is absolutely foolproof. We have strict confidentiality rules. We are sure that only people who have been there will undergo this surgery, and that it will not be abused. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s funny. Is there anything foolproof in this world? No.¡±

    ¡°Internationalw also states that weapons of mass destruction cannot be used, but can it stop countries from using weapons of mass destruction in Foreign Wars? ¡ª No. Everyone can use them however they want. As long as they can win the war. Why? Because internationalw does not impose any mandatory restrictions on the actions of states. They can only rely on self-awareness.¡±

    ¡°What does this mean? This means that any unrestricted technology will be abused.¡±

    ¡°As long as it is profitable, as long as it is beneficial to oneself.¡±

    ¡°So you believe that this type of surgery will not be abused, and will not cause chaos to the social order? It is entirely your own wishful thinking. Even when there is legition, there are still people who take advantage of loopholes, let alone an unrestricted high-level technology.¡±

    Wen Shouyi only didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to ept the surgery, and she hadn¡¯t thought ofpletely banning or greatly restricting this type of surgery.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be so strong in battle, and was a little apprehensive. She quickly said, ¡°I believe in Auntie Qin. She¡¯s a great person and devoted herself to medical technology. She would never do such a thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and looked between Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang. She smiled and said, ¡°I also believe that Mrs. Qin¡¯s medical skills are superb, but I don¡¯t believe that this technology has no side effects at all. I also don¡¯t believe that it has never been abused.¡±

    She nced at He Chengjian and saw that he was looking at her encouragingly. He had no intention of stopping her, she gathered her courage and said, word for word, ¡°The ancient sages said that chivalry vited thew with martial arts, while Confucianism vited thew with literature. In the case of Ms. Qin, it was medical skills that disrupted the order. Such incredible medical skills would disrupt the social order and interfere with judicial justice.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was so angry that her face turned pale. She couldn¡¯t help twitching and said aloofly, ¡°Your ability to make usations is really top-notch.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled mischievously, ¡°I¡¯m aw student. I only believe in the constraints and checks and bnces of thew. I believe that those who break thew and break the rules will receive the punishment they deserve.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Mrs. Qin, I¡¯m not just talking about you. I¡¯m talking about everyone. No one can stand above thew.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was livid. ¡°You¡¯re so young, yet you¡¯re already talking about thew with others. Aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll make othersugh their heads off? Shouyi is also aw student, a top student at Harvard Law School. Hasn¡¯t she thought about what you¡¯re saying?¡± She pulled Wen Shouyi over. ¡°Shouyi, tell me, you¡¯re a legal expert.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face turned red, and her lips quivered. She said, ¡°... She¡¯s actually talking about politics, notw.¡±

    ¡°Ha, politics. A girl like her who¡¯s not even 20 years old doesn¡¯t understand.¡± Qin Yaoguang tugged at the corner of He Chengjian¡¯s shirt. ¡°Brother He, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    He Chengjian smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi is right. I¡¯ve never considered these issues before. Now that you mention it, there are indeed endless problems in the future. I need to think about it carefully.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely satisfied and happy. She continued to diss Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Miss Qin, since you¡¯re determined to operate on me no matter what, can I ask you for a detailed procedure? I¡¯ll prepare for it tomorrow.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang turned her head away angrily and said stiffly, ¡°No. You just have toe to the operating room tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no operating procedure for such an important operation?¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms over her chest and her face was dark. ¡°Didn¡¯t your confidentiality regtions mention the specific operating procedure?¡±

    Wen Shouyi lowered her head deeply, and showed that she couldn¡¯t answer this question.

    Qin Yaoguang nced at her before looking at Gu Nianzhi reluctantly. She frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re the only one who has a lot on your te. I¡¯ve done so many surgeries, but no one has asked me for the procedure. You don¡¯t trust me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I just don¡¯t trust you.¡± Gu Nianzhi went with the flow. ¡°Then get another doctor to do it for me.¡±

    ¡°You obviously know that I¡¯m the only one who can do it, but now you¡¯re rambling. Don¡¯t you just not want to do the surgery?¡± Qin Yaoguang snapped back to her senses and couldn¡¯t help scolding her. ¡°The confidentiality rules don¡¯t require me to prepare the procedure.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at the ceilingmp that was shaped like an epiphyllum. ¡°Then yourws are really imperfect. However, I have no intention of helping you perfect yourws. You can¡¯t afford to hire me.¡±

    She looked pleased with herself. He Chengjian smiled and said, ¡°Little Nianzhi, you¡¯re amazing. Fine, name your price. I¡¯m representing the Huaxia Empire¡¯s government to ask you to help us perfect the legal provisions in this area. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°If General He invited me personally, of course I won¡¯t be disrespectful,¡± Gu Nianzhi said cheekily, ¡°See? Your technology is so advanced, but it doesn¡¯t have the corresponding legal and moral constraints. There will be a big mess. For Professor He¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll reluctantly help you set a small goal first.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have a goal already?¡± He Chengjian said with a smile. The more he looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was seriously arguing, the more he liked her. ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. It¡¯s said that only the Qin family has this technology, so we¡¯ll look into the Qin family first. Starting from the records of the technology¡¯s birth, the Qin family cannot treat this technology as their private property. They must contribute it to the state.¡±

    ¡°This is the Qin family¡¯s ancestral medical technology. Why should they contribute it to the state?¡± Wen Shouyi was the first to object.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her with disdain. ¡°Because this technology was developed by using our citizens as surgical practitioners, and now it¡¯s used for national security. So they should hand over all the technology and let the state take charge.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, fine, then your hospital has been practicing illegal medicine for so many years. ording to thew, you¡¯ll have to pay for it until you¡¯re broke, and the person in charge will have to serve time in prison.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke with conviction, and it sounded like she had a point.

    Qin Yaoguangughed in anger. ¡°You¡¯re going against me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m innocent! Why would I go against you? I¡¯m clearly using the spirit of a master to help the country be great again!¡± Gu Nianzhi mischievously used the campaign words of the new president of the United States.

    ¡°Great again? You really think too highly of yourself. Youdidn¡¯t admit that you were on our side just now,¡± Qin Yaoguang immediately said sarcastically.

    Gu Nianzhi spread out her hands and said awkwardly, ¡°See, see? I just said that I¡¯m not on your side, yet you still forced me to be on your side. Now you¡¯re not admitting it, so when you speak, shouldn¡¯t you think clearly about the cause and effect? Don¡¯t contradict yourself and p yourself in the mouth, okay? I¡¯m very polite, so I don¡¯t usually p people in the face.¡±

    How was this not pping people in the face?

    This was pping their faces until they were swollen, okay?

    He Chengjian lowered his eyes and nodded approvingly, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s words make a lot of sense. When I go back, I¡¯ll ask my personal secretary to have a meeting with Speaker Long and Prime Minister Xie to discuss the ownership of your Qin family¡¯s technology. ¡ª Nianzhi, you should rest for a few days and wait until you¡¯re better.¡±

 Chapter 1476 - Throw Away A Brick To Get The Gem

    <h4>Chapter 1476: Throw Away A Brick To Get The Gem</h4>

    He Chengjian meant to give Gu Nianzhi a few more days to prevent her from undergoing the surgery right away.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn¡¯t expected that she would be able to convince He Chengjian with just a few words.

    However, she immediately realized that He Chengjian and the other higher-ups had probably already nned to make a move on the Qin family¡¯s medical skills, but they hadn¡¯t made a move until she had suggested a good point of entry. That was why they had seized the opportunity so quickly, they had been ¡°persuaded¡± so quickly because they had used her as a cover.

    No matter what, she had achieved her goal. If she was a cover, then so be it. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly at He Chengjian. ¡°General He is so wise! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been thinking about this for a long time. I was just throwing a brick to get the jade. I believe that General He must have a better way to use science and technology serve the people, and not as a means for a minority to gain privileges.¡±

    He Chengjian smiled and understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. He gently pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nose. ¡°... You¡¯re the smart one.¡±

    He did it naturally, as if Gu Nianzhi had grown up next to him. The seven years between them were no longer there, and they hadn¡¯t been apart for a single day.

    Wen Shouyi could no longerugh.

    She had been in the He family for seven years, which was less than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s short hour.

    In that short hour, she had already seeded in making General He look at her differently, and even be intimate with her.

    God knows how much effort she had to put in to get a look of appreciation from General He!

    Wen Shouyi felt deeply aggrieved.

    Feeling very ufortable, she held Qin Yaoguang¡¯s arm and stood to the side.

    Qin Yaoguang pursed her lips and didn¡¯t look at Gu Nianzhi. She only stared at He Chengjian and said, ¡°Brother He, I have something to say to you.¡±

    He Chengjian was a little embarrassed. ¡°I have a meeting with Speaker Long and Prime Minister Xie right away.¡±

    He looked at his watch. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when I get back from the meeting.¡±

    What meeting?

    Of course, it was a meeting to discuss the transfer of the technology to the state.

    Qin Yaoguang nodded calmly and nced at Gu Nianzhi from the corner of her eye. Thinking that her smile was as annoying as her father¡¯s, she snorted in her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Qin Yaoguang looking at her from the corner of her eye. She smiled at her and made an OK gesture.

    Qin Yaoguang: ¡°...¡±

    Just as He Chengjian was about to leave her room, Gu Nianzhi remembered something important. She trotted behind He Chengjian and raised her hands in front of her, then said pitifully, ¡°General He, can you assign Qin Zhining to be my bodyguard? I¡¯m so scared here alone...¡±

    Wen Shouyi rolled her eyes in her heart when she heard this.

    Gu Nianzhi would be scared?

    It was clearly other people who were afraid of her!

    What was with the act of feigning weakness!

    She alone rivaled thousands of soldiers and horses, okay?!

    Did she know that she had almost torn the entire Qin family apart just now? That was amazing!

    He Chengjian was also a little confused. ¡°You won¡¯t be in danger in my house.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything else. ¡°Gu Nianzhi simplyid it out. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that someone has installed inappropriate surveince equipment in my room. Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t I dare to change my clothes or take a shower or wash my hair?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± He Chengjian didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. The room you¡¯re staying in is yours to begin with. The surveince equipment is in the corridor, not in the room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°I can¡¯t be careless. Miss Wen used to install surveince cameras in my room, so I¡¯m worried. I have to find someone I trust to personally check it out.¡±

    Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to call her out, and was instantly enraged.¡±... You¡¯re talking nonsense! When did I install surveince cameras in your room?! You were with Major General Huo, so how could I be so impressive as to be able to installing surveince cameras?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°Miss Wen, you¡¯re so forgetful. It was Brother Xiong who found the surveince cameras in my apartment in America. Do you want us to confront him?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face flushed red.

    She had forgotten about this.

    How long ago had it been, yet Gu Nianzhi still remembered it clearly...

    She lowered her head in embarrassment, and a sinister expression shed through her eyes.

    He Chengjian looked at Gu Nianzhi, then at Wen Shouyi, and finally nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to call Xiao Qin and ask him to stay with you for a few days.¡±

    He stroked her hair, then quickly retracted his hand and said nonchntly, ¡°You should rest well for a few days, it¡¯s time to wash your hair...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯ve been busy running for my life these past few days and haven¡¯t had time to wash my hair.¡±

    He Chengjianughed again.¡±... Naughty.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she watched from the side.

    The number of times she had seen He Chengjianugh in the past seven years was less than in the one hour she had seen today!

    He Chengjian turned around and left first. Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi walked behind him.

    Wen Shouyi whispered, ¡°... Uncle He seems to be in a good mood today...¡±

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s in a good mood. He¡¯s smiling more than he has in the past seven years...¡± Qin Yaoguang sighed and gave a half-hearted smile. ¡°That wretched girl, she only knows how to go against me. You¡¯re more sensible and won¡¯t make Auntie Qin unhappy.¡±

    Wen Shouyi gave a dry smile and didn¡¯t reply.

    Qin Yaoguang was actually a little anxious. The core technology of the Qin family wouldn¡¯t be passed on to outsiders because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    After chatting with Wen Shouyi for a while, Qin Yaoguang walked quickly to the door. ¡°I need to go to the hospital to take a look. Keep an eye on this wretched girl so she doesn¡¯t overturn the situation.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Wen Shouyi saw Qin Yaoguang to the car and watched her leave.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved at their backs. She was in a great mood and went back to the sofa to lie down. She took out her phone and started surfing the inte to understand every detail of the world.

    As an onlineizen, the main way she understood the world was through the inte.

    So whether it was here or there, it didn¡¯t make any difference to her as long as she had the inte.

    She browsed the Inte for a while on the sofa and heard someone knocking at the door.

    She looked up and saw a screen made of an unknown material on the opposite wall. It was Qin Zhining in military uniform.

    Gu Nianzhi was beaming with joy. She ran to open the door and gave Qin Zhining a big smile. ¡°Brother Little Ning!¡±

    Qin Zhining looked at her for a while before smiling. ¡°You¡¯re Gu Nianzhi?! Tsk tsk, I haven¡¯t seen you in seven years. You¡¯ve grown so tall!¡±

    He walked in and looked at her again. ¡°You¡¯ve slimmed down and be prettier.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart itched when she saw Qin Zhining like this. She really wanted to see if he still remembered that he had gone over to pick her up.

    She rolled her eyes and asked Qin Zhining, ¡°Brother Ning, you remember that I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi, right?¡±

    ¡°... To be precise, Shouyi just told me that you¡¯re back and specifically asked me to protect you.¡± Qin zhining said honestly, ¡°If I saw you outside, I would never have thought that you were little sister Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with an ¡°oh¡± and asked with a smile, ¡°Feel free to sit down. Do you want tea or coffee?¡±

    Qin Zhining sat down on the sofa in the middle of the living room and said with a smile, ¡°Coffee, thank you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a bottle of iced coffee from the fridge and ced it in front of him. She sat cross-legged on the carpet across from him, looked up at him, and said with a smile, ¡°Brother Little Ning, why are you so distant? We just broke up yesterday, and you don¡¯t remember me today?¡±

    Qin Zhining was stunned. ¡°Just broke up yesterday? Where did thate from? I was in the military training yesterday!¡±

    Not letting go of any of his words and actions, Gu Nianzhi stared at Qin Zhining.

    She observed him for a long time, and then interrogated him for a long time. She had to admit that Qin Zhining really didn¡¯t remember that he had gone to ¡°the other side¡± to pick her up and that they had encountered danger on Snake Ind in the Caribbean.

    It seemed that the surgery was really scary.

    Gu Nianzhi became even more determined. She couldn¡¯t ept this surgery.

    If she really couldn¡¯t escape, she would rather die.

    After making up her mind, Gu Nianzhi was no longer conflicted.

    She stood up and patted the wrinkled clothes on her body. She said briskly, ¡°Brother Little Ning, I want to take a shower. Help me look in this room and see if there are any surveince cameras.¡±

    Qin Zhining frowned. ¡°No way! This is your room. Why would there be surveince cameras?¡±

    ¡°I was worried, so I asked you to help me look.¡± Gu Nianzhi knew there was an infrared detector that could check if there were any hidden surveince cameras installed in the room.

    Qin Zhining couldn¡¯t resist Gu Nianzhi¡¯s instigation, so he went out to find the equipment and came back to help Gu Nianzhi check for surveince cameras.

    He was surprised to see Wen Shouyi at the top of the stairs. ¡°What are you doing with this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Nianzhi said she wanted me to find out if there were any surveince cameras in her room.¡± Qin Zhining had always answered Wen Shouyi¡¯s questions, and was happy to see her.

    Wen Shouyi chuckled. ¡°You really care about her.¡±

    ¡°This is General He¡¯s order. I have to carry it out,¡± Qin Zhining said with a smile. ¡°And I¡¯ve known Nianzhi since she was a child. Now that I¡¯ve seen her grow up, she¡¯s still no stranger to me.¡±

 Chapter 1477 - Heâ€™s Here, Please Stand Still

    <h4>Chapter 1477: He¡¯s Here, Please Stand Still</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but she¡¯s different from when she was a child.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled and adjusted Qin Zhining¡¯s cor.

    Qin Zhining felt itchy all over and couldn¡¯t even walk steadily. He walked back to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room like he was treading on clouds and fog.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that his face was red and asked curiously, ¡°... What¡¯s wrong? Did you run too fast? Look at your red face.¡±

    Qin Zhining wiped his face in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly. He picked up the infrared detector and began to examine Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Gu Nianzhi had lived in this room when she was a child. Many years had passed, and many of the things in it were still the same as they had been in the past.

    For example, in a row of cabs that looked like a treasure house by the wall of the living room, there were dolls of all sizes. They wore all sorts of clothes and had long and short hair.

    The sofa wasn¡¯t big, but it wasn¡¯t small either. The workmanship was very fine. The pink and purple color was worn-out, and it matched perfectly with the white carpet on the floor.

    The white curtains floated slightly in the breeze, and there was a red bubble chair by the wall. It was veryfortable to sit in it, as if one had nestled into a soft sponge.

    Watching Qin Zhining busily work around, Gu Nianzhi held a bottle of mineral water and sat on the sofa.

    He checked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room from top to bottom, including the bathroom and closet. He didn¡¯t leave a single corner untouched. After making sure that there were no hidden cameras, Gu Nianzhi dared to take a shower in the bathroom.

    She hadn¡¯t showered or washed her hair in days. After washing up, she went through a full set of maintenance procedures. This way, she could shower from noon until three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    When she came out of the bathroom, she found Qin Zhining asleep on the sofa.

    She didn¡¯t wake him up either. Instead, she sat beside him and browsed the news on her iPad to continue to learn about the world.

    Qin Zhining slept until night, when Gu Nianzhi kicked him back to his house.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first day at the He family¡¯s house wasn¡¯t bad overall.

    After she made this conclusion, she went back to sleep.

    People who didn¡¯t do anything wrong were able to sleep peacefully.

    ..

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi woke up in the morning light and stretched.

    Yesterday, she had dreamt that she had returned to the other side of the world. She had gone out to eat hotpot with Huo Shaoheng and the people from the Special Operations Forces. After eating, she had gone to karaoke. It was merry and lively.

    When she woke up, she saw that the entire room was still and quiet. She felt extremely mncholic.

    She sat quietly on the bed for a while before getting up to wash up and get dressed.

    No one came to wake her up, nor did anyone bring her breakfast.

    Gu Nianzhi decided to go downstairs to find something to eat.

    As soon as she opened the door, she saw Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi standing at the door with a few tall and handsome men.

    Gu Nianzhi held the door with her hand and nodded with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Ms. Qin. Why are you up so early? I¡¯m going downstairs to have breakfast.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang waved her hand, and someone walked over with a food box. He bowed humbly and said, ¡°Miss Gu, this is breakfast for today. Please enjoy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the food box and said politely, ¡°Thank you, but who are you?¡±

    The man looked up at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m the He family¡¯s breakfast chef. My surname is Xu.¡± He then showed Gu Nianzhi the namete on his chest.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the namete had a name, a photo, and a row of numbers. She quietly memorized it and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She picked up the box and asked Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Do you have anything else? I¡¯m going to eat breakfast.¡±

    Qin yYaoguang nodded. ¡°I¡¯m also very busy, but there are some things that I want to discuss with you. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. You can have your breakfast by yourself. I¡¯ll leave after I¡¯m done.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a moment and moved aside. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±

    She had taken drastic measures just yesterday to persuade He Chengjian to appropriate the Qin family¡¯s memory removal surgery for public benefit. Why had Qin Yaoguange to her instead of begging He Chengjian?

    Gu Nianzhi was also a little curious.

    Moreover, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance made it hard for her to refuse.

    Qin Yaoguang followed her in.

    Wen Shouyi followed her in and sat next to Qin Yaoguang.

    The tall and handsome men stood at the door and didn¡¯te in. They were like bodyguards.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at them and didn¡¯t ask. She closed the door and turned back to open the food box. She took out the porridge, little steamed buns, a few exquisite pickles, and ced them on the coffee table. She sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table and began eating breakfast as if there was no one else there.

    Qin Yaoguang sat on the sofa elegantly with her legs crossed. She watched Gu Nianzhi eat a few mouthfuls of porridge and suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll peel an Apple for you. You loved apples when you were young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand paused.

    Actually, she didn¡¯t like apples. Or rather, when she was with Huo Shaoheng, she didn¡¯t really like apples.

    But when Qin Yaoguang said she would peel an apple for her, she realized she couldn¡¯t refuse.

    There was a hole deep in her heart that she longed to fill.

    She didn¡¯t look up, but nodded slightly.

    Qin Yaoguang smiled slightly and reached out to the side. ¡°Give me a fruit knife.¡±

    Wen Shouyi got up and searched the house for a while before she found a sharp fruit knife in the cupboard next to the refrigerator in the storage room. She took it out.

    Qin Yaoguang took the fruit knife and began to peel an apple for Gu Nianzhi.

    She was very patient and careful with the peeling. The skin of the apple fell evenly from the apple. It was long and didn¡¯t break at all.

    After Qin Yaoguang peeled the apples, Gu Nianzhi finished her breakfast.

    She put the bowls and chopsticks into the food box and watched as Qin Yaoguang ced the apple on the small te in front of her. The sharp fruit knife was next to it.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t eat. She wiped her mouth with a tissue and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s General He? Is he back yet?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang smiled. ¡°He¡¯s back. He just got back early this morning. He had a meeting for more than ten hours, but he hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved to hear that He Chengjian was also home.

    She looked up at Qin Yaoguang and said in a much gentler tone, ¡°Miss Qin, you didn¡¯te looking for me to peel an apple for me, did you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just to peel an apple for you.¡± Qin Yaoguang waved at her. ¡°Come, Nianzhi, sit by my side.¡±

    There was something else in her smile, and she had a somewhat different expression. Gu Nianzhi stood up like she was possessed and sat down obediently by her side.

    Wen Shouyi had already stood up and sat across from them.

    She didn¡¯t speak and looked at the two of them silently.

    Qin Yaoguang pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair behind her ear and caressed her face. Her fingers lingered on her lips.

    She retracted her hand and her smile faded. She said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, be a good girl and do the surgery. Don¡¯t make things difficult for General He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if she had been sshed with a bucket of cold water. She instantly sobered up from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s warmth.

    However, she maintained her obedient appearance and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Qin, could you please give me a rough idea of how it was done? I¡¯m a little scared...¡±

    Qin Yaoguang nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll give you a simple exnation.¡±

    She picked up an apple with one hand and a fruit knife with the other. She gestured on the apple. ¡°Actually, the surgery is very simple. It¡¯s to use a gamma knife to remove the hippocampus, which is responsible for certain memories, from your brain. Only a very small part of it will be removed. It will definitely not cause any damage to your brain. You won¡¯t feel much either. At most, it will feel like cutting a finger while cutting a fruit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was almost furious when she heard this.

    Removing a part of the hippocampus from the brain wasparable to cutting a finger with a fruit knife?!

    Using this method as an analogy was either stupid or vicious.

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the anger in her heart and the smile on her face grew wider. She put on an innocent and stupid expression and asked curiously with her big bright eyes widened, ¡°Really? There won¡¯t be any other side effects?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do the surgery properly. There won¡¯t be any risks.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spat in her heart several times.

    Who would dare say that there wouldn¡¯t be any risks in the brain surgery?!

    Wen Shouyi interjected, ¡°There definitely won¡¯t be any side effects. Even if you don¡¯t trust others, you have to trust Auntie Qin. Auntie Qin is the only person in the world who knows this kind of technique.¡±

    She stared wide-eyed at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s gentle face and asked calmly, ¡°Is that so? Are you really the only person in the world who knows how to perform this kind of surgery?¡±

    Qin yaoguang nodded proudly, ¡°Of course. I once taught someone, but he passed away many years ago, so now, I¡¯m the only one who knows how to do it. The next generation of the Qin family is still being groomed, and we haven¡¯t found a suitable candidate yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more curious. ¡°Who¡¯s the person who passed away many years ago? Is he a member of the Qin Family?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t want to talk about this person, so she said aloofly, ¡°He¡¯s not really a member of the Qin family, so he didn¡¯t learn some of the core techniques. Besides, he¡¯s already dead, so there¡¯s no point in talking about him anymore.¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°oh¡± and didn¡¯t continue asking.

    Qin Yaoguang waited for a long time, but Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t speak, so she had no choice but to speak up herself. ¡°Nianzhi, I know you¡¯re very resistant to this surgery, and I understand how you feel, but I promise you that as long as you agree to do this surgery, I¡¯ll teach you all of this technique when you recover, and let you be the sole heir of the Qin family, okay?¡±

    The temptation was too great, and Qin Yaoguang was sure that no one could resist it.

    Many people had surrounded her at all costs, just to learn a little.

    Gu Nianzhi, however, was very surprised, and said, ¡°But I¡¯m not a medical student? How can I learn your technique?¡±

    ¡°... This technique doesn¡¯t require too much medical knowledge. All you need to know is how to operate a gamma knife and how to select the hippocampus.¡± Qin Yaoguang said enthusiastically, ¡°And you¡¯re still young. Even if you don¡¯t know anything, I¡¯ll start teaching you from now on. In less than five years, you¡¯ll be a first-rate medical master! Especially in the field of brain surgery.¡±

    Everyone knew that the most precise surgery was the brain surgery.

    Every brain surgeon had a pair of highly skilled hands.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and tilted her head to pretend to think for a moment. ¡°Why? We¡¯ve never met before. Why would you teach me such an precious skill?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang averted her gaze and looked at the dolls on the treasure pavilion by the wall. She said lightly, ¡°Maybe we¡¯re fated. Besides, as long as you agree to learn this technique, I guarantee that Brother He won¡¯t nationalize it.¡±

    After all, she still wanted to make a final struggle. She didn¡¯t want to give this skill to the state.

    Gu Nianzhi understood why Qin Yaoguang hade. She was disappointed, sad, and a little disdainful.

    Her hands couldn¡¯t help clenching into fists. She said lightly, ¡°Your conditions are indeed tempting, but the risk is too great, so please forgive me for not agreeing.¡±

    ¡°Too great a risk? How can that be?¡± Qin Yaoguang tried to persuade her patiently, ¡°The key content of our Qin family¡¯s medical skills is taught by hand and orally. It has never been written before, so as long as I teach you, you will definitely be able to learn it. There¡¯s no risk at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly leaned against the back of the sofa and distanced herself from Qin Yaoguang, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about this kind of risk. You want me to undergo the surgery before you teach me how to do it, but if this memory-stripping surgery removes all my memories, then you can go back on your word. Who am I going to cry to?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang seemed to be very impatient when she heard this. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and her expression turned cold. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t be so shameless. I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Do you agree to the surgery or not?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi was also angry. ¡°Miss Qin, if you¡¯re here to beg me, you¡¯d better be more lenient. Is this how you negotiate with people?¡±

    ¡°I never negotiate with people. I¡¯m just here to inform you.¡± Qin Yaoguang stood up. Her voice was aloof and airy, as if it was mixed with the wind and snow. It was bone-chilling. ¡°Since you refuse to repent and refuse to ept the hard way, then I won¡¯t be polite.¡±

    She pped her hands. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room door was suddenly pushed open, and a few tall and handsome men stormed in aggressively.

    ¡°Give her an anesthetic.¡±

    One of the men had already raised the anesthetic gun in his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced. She immediately jumped up from the sofa, rolled her body, and used Qin Yaoguang to block in front of her.

    She pulled Qin Yaoguang¡¯s arms and rolled them around her back. She grabbed the sharp fruit knife on the coffee table and pressed it against Qin Yaoguang¡¯s throat.

    She wrapped one hand around Qin Yaoguang¡¯s neck and used the sharp fruit knife in her hand to press against the major artery at the side of her neck. Her other hand was grabbed by her wrists from behind. She whispered softly in her ear, ¡°If you dare touch a single hair on my head, I won¡¯t hold back. Tell them to get out.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Let go of me!¡± Wen Shouyi turned pale with fright and stood up from the sofa. Her frightened eyes looked between Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang. ¡°Don¡¯t be rash!¡±

    ¡°Let go of Director Qin!¡± A few tall men rushed in from the door and shouted at Gu Nianzhi.

    Qin Yaoguang was furious. ¡°How dare you threaten me?! I¡¯ve never been threatened!¡± As she spoke, she struggled with all her might and managed to break free from the grasp of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right hand.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand that was holding the fruit knife instinctively tightened. Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t breathe from the strangtion. She used both her hands to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm that was strangling her throat and kicked her back.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s knee was kicked so hard that she could barely stand.

    At that moment, Qin Yaoguang used all her strength to pry away the arm that was holding her neck.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she couldn¡¯t let go now. If she let go, she would fall into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands, and she would truly be doomed.

    She used all her strength to pull her arm back, but Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands slipped and grabbed the edge of the fruit knife.

    As Gu Nianzhi exerted more strength, the fruit knife in her hands shed at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands, causing blood to spurt out like an arrow.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Qin Yaoguang let out a heart-wrenching scream. Her wrists and fingers were bleeding profusely, and the pain was heart-wrenching. She fainted and fell in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    Wen Shouyi suddenly saw Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands hanging bloody in front of her. She looked like she was crippled.

    Her eyes were red as well. Without thinking, she pounced on Gu Nianzhi and hugged her tightly from behind. She whispered in her ear, ¡°Are you crazy?! She¡¯s your biological mother! You killed your biological mother!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze.

    The words ¡°biological mother¡± echoed in her mind like a curse.

    With her eyes closed, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s unconscious face perfectly matched the face of his dead wife in Gu Xiangwen¡¯s submarine.

    When she first saw Qin Yaoguang, she already had such a terrifying guess.

    Now, she finally had proof from Wen Shouyi.

    She didn¡¯t want to ept this fact. She didn¡¯t want to believe that her mother was this kind of person.

    Her feelings were extremely resistant, but her rationality told her that it was very likely to be true...

    Gu Nianzhi was held by Wen Shouyi and unable to move. Her mind was a mess and she was unable to think.

    She saw the handsome man with the tranquilizer gun walking towards her.

    Oh no, Gu Nianzhi only had one thought in her mind: I killed my own mother...

    She watched as the dark muzzle of the gun drew closer and closer. She made up her mind and about to stab the fruit knife into her chest, she closed her eyes!

    Bang! Bang!

    Two intense gunshots rang out. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body trembled, but she didn¡¯t feel any pain. She only felt Wen Shouyi, who was behind her, release her and fall to the ground while clutching her arm.

    The handsome man who had aimed the tranquilizer gun at her earlier also held his own wrist and drops of blood dripping from his body, he fell to his knees with a thud.

    In the direction of the door, the travel-worn He Zhichu stood there with a gun in his hand. He looked at the people in the room with a ruthless expression. ¡°All of you, face the wall and crouch down with your hands on your heads. Whoever dares to move...¡±

    He didn¡¯t say another word, but there was a gunshot. The man who had tried to make a small move earlier had his leg broken by him. He cried out and fell to the ground.

    The others didn¡¯t dare to disobey him. They all crouched down with their heads facing the wall.

    Only Gu Nianzhi was still standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes gradually turning red, she looked at him fixedly.

 Chapter 1478 - The Pampered Host

    <h4>Chapter 1478: The Pampered Host</h4>

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was clear and cold. It was only when he saw Gu Nianzhi that his gleaming almond-shaped eyes slightly wavered.

    Gu Nianzhi still maintained the same posture as before. She held the sharp fruit knife in one hand and pointed it directly at her chest.

    Fresh blood flowed down the shiny de of the fruit knife and dripped onto the carpet that was no longer visible in its original color.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s blood, Wen Shouyi¡¯s blood, the man who had broken his wrist with the tranquilizer gun, and the man whose leg had been broken had already dyed the carpet red.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were cold. He raised the gun and walked over step by step while opening his arms to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be afraid. Come here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand gradually loosened, and the fruit knife fell silently onto the thick carpet.

    She pursed her lips and went around the back of the sofa. She threw herself into He Zhichu¡¯s arms and finally began to cry.

    ¡°What happened?!¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice came from the door.

    He stood at the door with dignity, and a few orderly soldiers with guns stood by his side.

    He Zhichu turned around and looked at He Chengjian coldly. He said sternly, ¡°You¡¯re asking me what happened?! You went through so much trouble to bring Nianzhi back just to let her die?! Why go through so much trouble? Just shoot her and everyone will be relieved!¡±

    ¡°You... You unfilial son!¡± He Chengjian was so angry that he almost had a heart attack.

    The joy he felt when he saw He Zhichu disappearedpletely.

    Wen Shouyi held her bleeding wrist and looked at He Zhichu in disbelief. She turned to look at He Chengjian and pleaded, ¡°General He, Auntie Qin... Auntie Qin¡¯s hand was cut. Quick, send her to the hospital!¡±

    He Chengjian finally noticed that Qin Yaoguang was also lying on the ground. He furrowed his brows. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Quick, call the family doctor!¡±

    He Chengjian gave the order. The family doctors quickly ran to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room with the medical kit and bandaged the four injured people.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands were badly cut, her tendons were cut, and her fingers were badly injured.

    The other three were all gunshot wounds, so it was easier to take care of them.

    After a round of bandaging, the four of them were sent to an ambnce and went to the Qin family¡¯s private hospital.

    The other uninjured men brought by Qin Yaoguang were temporarily detained. He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary would interrogate them to find out what had happened.

    Gu Nianzhi had been staring nkly at He Zhichu ever since he entered the room. She didn¡¯t say a word.

    He Zhichu saw that the clothes she was wearing were still from the other side. They were wrinkled and hadn¡¯t been changed in a few days. He immediately called the tailor at home toe over. He said, ¡°Prepare a few sets of clothes for Miss Gu to change into at home. Also, prepare all kinds of formal dresses in advance.¡±

    The tailor only took one look at Gu Nianzhi and knew her measurements. He smiled and said, ¡°Miss Gu is quite tall. I still have a few sets of clothes that Miss Wen has made. The pants may not be long enough, but if you change them...¡±

    He Zhichu sshed a ss of water on the tailor¡¯s face and said coldly, ¡°Get lost! You don¡¯t know how to make clothes. There are plenty of people who know how to make clothes.¡±

    The tailor had been in the He family for more than 30 years and was older than He Zhichu. He was scared to death when he threatened to chase him away. He quickly said, ¡°I see that you¡¯re in a hurry, Young Master He. We will definitely cut and make Miss Gu¡¯s clothes very carefully. We will definitely not be perfunctory, but Miss Gu needs to change her clothes soon. No matter how fast we are, we can¡¯t make aplete set in an hour!¡±

    He Zhichu furrowed his brows. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi still had the same expression, he lowered his head and started to work. He looked directly at the floor and felt a slight bitterness in his heart. His heart ached for her, so he didn¡¯t argue with the tailor anymore. He waved his hand. ¡°Hurry up and do it. While you¡¯re at it, give a call to the famous fashion brands you¡¯re familiar with and have them send the ready-made clothes over for Miss Gu to choose from.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master He.¡±The tailor quickly agreed and tried his best to atone for his mistakes.

    He finally understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position in the He family.

    Seven years had passed, but he still didn¡¯t expect toe back as the pampered host.

    That Miss Wen¡¯s dreams of social climbing would probably be shattered...

    He sighed and shook his head, hunched his back, and returned to his small building.

    The He family had their own big mansion on Erhuan of the Capital, where every inch ofnd was worth gold.

    This ¡°big¡± mansion not only took up arge area, but even the garden,wn, and various household servants and orderly soldiers had their own living areas. It was truly a luxurious mansion.

    The skills of this tailor were unrivaled. Now, many of the top-tier designers in Europe and the United States had trained from him.

    He didn¡¯t like working and living in a foreigner¡¯s ce. He had always lived in the He family, and he was already satisfied with serving the He family.

    He returned to the small building where he lived and quickly called a few top-tier international brand managers to ask them to send ready-made clothes to the He family¡¯s mansion for Gu Nianzhi to try on clothes.

    The He family¡¯s phone call attracted the attention of the brand managers who were selling clothes.

    Not long after, luxury cars arrived with their ready-to-wear.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a bad mood. There were so many gorgeous clothes, but she only nced at them casually. She picked out a few sets of very low-key andfortable clothes and shoes and kept them for her daily wear.

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t very satisfied. He picked out a lot of gowns and dresses for her. In addition to all the Herm¨¨s scarves from the season and the Herm¨¨s Birkin bag that she was used to, he also ordered two Kelly bags. One was ck and the other was blue. He kept some matching clothes.

    After they left, Gu Nianzhi went in to change into a casual Chanel outfit. When she came out, she was still depressed and extremely depressed.

    When He Zhichu saw her, he called the He family¡¯s beauty consultant and instructed, ¡°Nianzhi has just returned home. You guys do some maintenance for her and see what skincare and makeup products are suitable for her. You have already picked them out for her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master He.¡± A few of the beauty consultants were very attentive to He Zhichu and also very warm and considerate to Gu Nianzhi.

    They brought Gu Nianzhi to the aromatherapy session as well as a full set of beauty treatments.

    He Zhichu had just arrived home and was already in a bad mood.

    He forced himself to take good care of Gu Nianzhi before going to the bathroom to take a shower. He changed into his casual clothes and came out to see that He Chengjian was already sitting in his living room.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t sit down. He said coldly, ¡°What¡¯s going on today? There were people holding her hostage at your General He¡¯s house with guns. This security is practically useless, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    He Chengjian already knew the whole story. He sighed and said, ¡°It was indeed Nianzhi¡¯s fault today. Yaoguang said that she wanted to pass on her medical skills to her so that she could perform the surgery obediently. She refused and pulled out the knife without saying a word.¡± He rolled his eyes and looked at He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi had only injured Qin Yaoguang, but He Zhichu had injured three people, including Wen Shouyi.

    Speaking of which, He Zhichu¡¯s faults were even greater, but He Chengjian didn¡¯t mention it.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed and he said coldly, ¡°How can you me Nianzhi for this? She was acting in self-defense. Don¡¯t put the me on her. I won¡¯t put up with it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. It was self-defense.¡± He Chengjian was in so much pain for his son. ¡°It¡¯s whatever you say.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and said, ¡°The other three will be detained for questioning after they recover from their injuries. We can¡¯t let go of anyone who hurt Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. We won¡¯t let go of any of them.¡± He Chengjian was like an old man who doted on his children. He would listen to whatever He Zhichu said.

    He Zhichu rubbed his eyebrows and sat down on the sofa. He was still filled with anger.

    ¡°Ah-Chu, I¡¯m very happy that you¡¯re back.¡± He Chengjian looked up at him and smiled. ¡°My body isn¡¯t very healthy anymore. I can live with you guys for the rest of my life. I will die without regrets.¡±

    He Zhichu was filled with anger, but he was stopped by He Chengjian¡¯s words.

    He looked up at him and asked calmly, ¡°Why did you do this?¡±

    He was talking about He Chengjian¡¯s actions in bringing Gu Nianzhi back.

    ¡°Why?¡± He Chengjian stood up with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Because I want you to be happy. You are my son, and my only wish is for my only son to be happy.¡±

    ¡°And I know that the only way for you to be happy is to be with Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t stop you from going over there to look for her. It didn¡¯t matter if you stayed there or not.¡±

    ¡°As long as you could live happily with her, I didn¡¯t care which side you¡¯re on.¡±

    He Chengjian paused and his voice turned low. ¡°But I can¡¯t tolerate that you gave up everything for her and risked your life to look for her, but she¡¯s not with you!¡±

    The veins on He Zhichu¡¯s forehead were popping out. He was so angry that his chest was heaving up and down. He said coldly, ¡°This is between me and her. You don¡¯t need to interfere!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need me to interfere? If I don¡¯t interfere, she will marry someone else!¡± He Chengjian was so angry that his son couldn¡¯t live up to his expectations. ¡°It¡¯s not too much to use any means to pursue the woman you love!¡±

    ¡°This is what you learned from chasing a woman?¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help but diss him. ¡°So you first got engaged to Auntoe Qin and then realized that you were in love with my mother, so you broke off the engagement with Auntie Qin and turned to pursue my mother?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so what?¡± He Chengjian wasn¡¯t ashamed at all, ¡°At least I¡¯m loyal to my own feelings. When I got engaged to Yaoguang, I thought that I would never meet someone I liked in my life. So I followed my family¡¯s arrangements and got engaged to the eldest daughter of the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t know Suwen. When I got to know Suwen and realized my feelings for her, I immediately broke off the engagement with Yaoguang. Then, I went to pursue Suwen. I didn¡¯t waver and wasn¡¯t two-timing.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any opinions about family backgrounds. Yaoguang was the eldest daughter of the Qin family and her family background was top-notch. Your mother, Suwen, was only an orphan supported by the Qin family¡¯s orphanage. I pursued her wholeheartedly for three years before she agreed to marry me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re so charming.¡± He Zhichu turned his head away mockingly. ¡°A silly woman like Auntie Qin has been waiting for you for more than thirty years.¡±

    ¡°She has stayed single for my sake, and for you, she gave birth to Nianzhi. ¡ª Ah-Chu, I won¡¯t allow you to talk about her like that.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s tone became serious, ¡°Although I don¡¯t love her, I am grateful to her. When your mother was alive, I was also grateful to her.¡±

 Chapter 1479 - I Want To Know The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 1479: I Want To Know The Truth</h4>

    ¡°You want to marry her just because you¡¯re grateful to her?¡± He Zhichu and He Chengjian had different emotional values, but he didn¡¯t mean to judge. He just simply expressed that he didn¡¯t understand.

    He Chengjian turned his head away and didn¡¯t speak for a long time.

    He wouldn¡¯t tell He Zhichu that half of marrying Qin Yaoguang was because he pitied this woman for wasting half of her life, while the other half was because of He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu¡¯s illness had been cured by Qin Yaoguang. It was said that he had fully recovered, but He Chengjian was still worried. As a father, he couldn¡¯t help but worry.

    If he really had fully recovered, he would be more than happy to do so. However, as a parent, he could not worry too much about his child¡¯s health.

    Even if Gu Nianzhi was by He Zhichu¡¯s side, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t know how to treat He Zhichu if he had a rpse..

    He knew it was selfish to do so, but to him, ever since Suwen passed away, this was the only son he had left in his life.

    This was the son of him and Suwen. No matter the price, he wanted him to live well.

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t want He Zhichu to know about this.

    He looked stern and said in a low voice, ¡°This is between Auntie Qin and me. I don¡¯t need to exin it to you.¡±

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t need to concern yourself with Nianzhi and me in the future!¡± His expression cold and stern, He Zhichu narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far this time. Have you thought about the consequences if someone tries to use you?!¡±

    He Chengjian waved his hand dismissively, ¡°No, you know that going there isn¡¯t something an ordinary person can do. We¡¯ve used up too much maic energy this time. Even if someone wanted to use it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to. A wise woman cannot cook without rice. Without maic energy, everything is empty.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He Zhichu sat up straight. ¡°It¡¯s just to bring Nianzhi home. Do you really need to order people to torture and kill their people over there? That person is Nianzhi¡¯s friend! Are you trying to scare her to death?!¡±

    He Chengjian was stunned for a moment and frowned. ¡°What happened? What happened? Nianzhi said the same thing...¡±

    ¡°What did she say?¡± He Zhichu looked at He Chengjian with a frosty expression on his face. ¡°She told you everything?¡±

    He Chengjian thought back to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    ¡°... You sent people to kidnap me? Why did you do that? If you really thought I was family, why would you use such a bloody method?!¡±

    ¡°... No matter the cost? So you can even kill and injure innocent people? ...¡±

    What did he say at the time?

    ¡°Bloody? ... If you don¡¯t cooperate, they will naturally do whatever it takes toplete the mission.¡±

    To him, he didn¡¯t care how those people carried out the mission. As long as the mission waspleted, it was inevitable that there would be some mistakes in the process.

    In the outside world, military orders weren¡¯t to be taken.

    He was a soldier, so he naturally understood this.

    However, this didn¡¯t include the fact that he would allow some people to feignpliance.

    He didn¡¯t ask Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words in detail because he didn¡¯t care much about it. However, He Zhichu¡¯s words forced him to think deeply about it.

    Could it be that something really went wrong during the mission?

    He Chengjian stood up and walked around the living room with his hands behind his back. He said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi didn¡¯t say it in detail. She only said it was a bloody method...¡±

    He looked up at He Zhichu. ¡°What bloody method? Do you know?¡±

    He Zhichu had been invited by Huo Shaoheng to assist in the investigation. He furrowed his brows and said snappily, ¡°Your men shot her best friend ten times in front of Nianzhi and broke her limbs. Do you think it was bloody?!¡±

    ¡°They shot her?!¡± He Chengjian was shocked as well. ¡°You still need to shoot to deal with those people over there? !¡±

    The order he gave wasn¡¯t that brutal and bloody at all. Moreover, he didn¡¯t want to attract the attention of the other party, so the quieter the better.

    ¡°How could this be?¡± The expression on He Chengjian¡¯s face was livid. Just as he was about to call the five people who were carrying out the mission over for questioning, he suddenly remembered that they had already undergone the memory removal surgery!

    This meant that even if there was really a problem, they knew nothing about it.

    Whether it was because they had been forced to resort to extreme and bloody methods, or that someone had ordered them to go behind their backs and feignpliance, there was no evidence.

    This was the first time He Chengjian was acutely aware of the drawbacks of this type of surgery.

    He Chengjian¡¯s face was ashen. He Zhichu continued to ask, ¡°Also, what about today? What happened today?! Not to mention whether or not it was Nianzhi¡¯s fault today, I saw that man point a gun at Gu Nianzhi with my own eyes. Wen Shouyi was holding her captive behind her back, and she was about tomit suicide with a knife!¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t even look up and said impatiently, ¡°Didn¡¯t we say this morning? It was Yaoguang who wanted to talk to her and pass on her medical skills to her. All she had to do was perform the memory-stripping surgery.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± He Zhichu punched the coffee table hard. His face was contorted with anger. ¡°Her memories before she was 12 years old are gone. Are you going to remove all her memories from that side?! You¡¯re just not giving her a way out!¡±

    No wonder she was so dejected that she tried to pull out her knife andmit suicide.

    He Chengjian was stunned. ¡°But, this is good for you... if she forgot about the people over there, you can start over with her.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is a human! She¡¯s not a puppet controlled by you guys!¡± He Zhichu gritted his teeth. He approached He Chengjian and enunciated each word clearly. ¡°Do you know when I really fell in love with her?¡±

    ¡°When?¡± He Chengjian was confused. ¡°Didn¡¯t you always like her?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s different.¡± He Zhichu closed his eyes to calm himself down. He ced one hand on the armrest of the sofa, crossed his legs, and took a deep breath. He said, ¡°I actually fell in love with her over there. The person I love is that 18-year-old Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    The 18-year-old girl was so smart that it made one¡¯s heart palpitate. She was so cute that it made one¡¯s heart ache.

    It was there that his feelings for her had unknowingly turned from affection to love.

    The love between a man and a woman.

    ¡°... If you remove her memories from over there, you will kill the Gu Nianzhi I love.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice waspletely cold and piercing. ¡°Think about it, Mr. General He. If someone wanted to remove mother¡¯s memory, would you be willing to do so?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± He Chengjian objected instinctively. ¡°That¡¯s all she has. How could I let someone do that to her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the same. So there¡¯s no need to say anything more about removing Nianzhi¡¯s memory.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s mood rxed. He looked at him and said coldly, ¡°If anyone wants to perform this surgery on her, I¡¯ll give them a taste of their own medicine. I¡¯ll let the person who performed the surgery have a taste of what it¡¯s like to have their memory removed. It¡¯ll help them improve their medical skills.¡±

    He Chengjian frowned and thought about it for a long time before mumbling, ¡°... It looks like Nianzhi was right. This type of surgery definitely has a huge drawback. There¡¯s a possibility of abuse.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and the corners of his mouth twitched. ¡°... What did Nianzhi do now? She¡¯s only been back for two days, right? Why does it seem like she¡¯s already done a lot?¡±

    He Chengjian snapped back to his senses and smiled, then said approvingly, ¡°This youngdy is especially interesting. Needless to say, she¡¯s smart. At least she inherited more than half of that lunatic¡¯s IQ. She¡¯s amazing! What¡¯s more interesting is that she¡¯s very aplished in the field ofw. I can tell that she really likes thew. When she speaks, she never leaves thew behind. It¡¯s indeed very interesting.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled faintly. ¡°... When she was young, her mother doted on her very much. In the first two years, her mother personally took care of her. She was influenced by her mother, so it¡¯s not strange that she fell in love with thew.¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember her birthday wish when she was 12 years old? She wanted to be a bigshotwyer.¡± He Zhichu was immersed in the memories of the past, and his heart warmed up.

    Perhaps this was indeed his chance.

    Gu Nianzhi was back. Could they have more opportunities?

    He Chengjian thought of histe wife and felt very anguished. Finally, he couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. He stood up and said, ¡°You have full authority over Nianzhi¡¯s matters, and I don¡¯t care. You¡¯re right. You two decide your own decisions. I can only help you so much.¡±

    He Zhichu saw his father¡¯s dejected expression and knew that he must have thought of his mother.

    He regretted speaking too harshly just now.

    He stood up as well. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back. Have you been taking your medicine recently?¡±

    He Chengjian immediately slowed down and waited for He Zhichu to catch up.

    The father and son walked towards He Chengjian¡¯s study.

    He Chengjian¡¯s study was on the second floor. It was arge suite with a bedroom inside.

    He spent most of his time resting in his study.

    The two of them had juste down from the third floor when they saw Gu Nianzhi return.

    She had justpleted a full set of skin care procedures.

    Her skin was originally fair and delicate, but now it was as smooth as a vase. It was as if the snow-white color wasing out of her skin, exquisite and clear.

    However, she still seemed to be in low spirits. When she looked at them, she appeared to be at a loss. She was no longer as confident and independent as she had been in the past.

    He Zhichu sighed.

    He had to heal her heart. He couldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spirit be defeated by this matter.

    Ever since He Zhichu found Gu Nianzhi, he had kept his mouth shut about her past. He didn¡¯t want the kind of situation today to happen again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Follow me to the hospital.¡± He Zhichu walked over and put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see... Auntie Qin.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body visibly shrank.¡±... She¡¯s dead?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was very gentle. ¡°It¡¯s just an injury to her hand. How can she die so easily?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was still in a state of shock.

    However, He Zhichu¡¯s voice was very soothing to her.

    She tugged at the corner of He Zhichu¡¯s shirt and looked up at him. She asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Can you tell me? My head is about to explode.¡±

    President Pushin, dimir, the chauffeur, Qin Yaoguang, who looked exactly like Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife, and Speaker Long were all the same people she could see.

    And they also said ¡°this side,¡±¡±that side,¡±and ¡°the other side¡±.

    It sounded as if there really were two worlds.

    Was this real?

    Was it not her hallucination?

    He Zhichu held her hand and found that her little palm was covered in sweat. They were ice-cold, and her body was trembling slightly.

    He Chengjian watched coldly from the side. He wanted to let Gu Nianzhi know what He Zhichu had sacrificed for her...

    He lifted his chin and said lightly, ¡°Ah-Chu, you should exin it to her. Otherwise, she won¡¯t be able to figure it out by herself. Do you want to keep her in the dark?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi calmed down and said sullenly, ¡°I want to know the truth. Really. Tell me. As long as it¡¯s the truth, no matter how cruel or unbelievable it is, I can ept it, but don¡¯t lie to me.¡±

 Chapter 1480 - Geniuses Are All Lunatics

    <h4>Chapter 1480: Geniuses Are All Lunatics</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi mustered up her courage and nced at He Zhichu. Her bright eyes were filled with trust and expectation.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart softened and he nodded. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    They headed into He Chengjian¡¯s study room together.

    He Chengjian¡¯s study room contained a secret room. It was meant to be used for urgent and important government meetings.

    The level of security in this secret room wasparable to that of the central control room in the special operations forces.

    The room was veryrge. There were no windows, and the walls were constructed with severalyers of mezzanine.

    There was a rectangr conference table near the wall on the northern end.

    Gu Nianzhi walked in and sat next to He Zhichu.

    He Chengjian sat opposite them.

    He Chengjian nodded at He Zhichu. ¡°You are nning to tell her about this without removing her memories of it. Have you considered the consequences? ording to our currentw, this is illegal.¡±

    He Zhichu ced one hand on the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chair and rested the other on the conference table. He uttered coldly, ¡°As long as she holds a certain level of security clearance, shouldn¡¯t it be fine?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but she doesn¡¯t have any security clearance at the moment.¡± He Chengjian reminded him with a smile. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a public position, nor is she a direct rtive of a public official.¡±

    He Zhichu turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and said softly, ¡°... She¡¯s still my fianc¨¦e. We haven¡¯t broken off our engagement.¡±

    As He Zhichu¡¯s fiancee, Gu Nianzhi could obtain security clearance. Although it wouldn¡¯t be a high level clearance, it could protect her from having her memory erased as per thew.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and her emotions were ratherplicated.

    She was married.

    Was she nning to have a bigamous marriage?

    Or was she cheating?

    But if she refused, General He wouldn¡¯t tell her the truth, right?

    Either that or, if she refused and still was privy to the truth, would her memory would be erased ording to thew?

    Then why would she need to know the truth?

    He Zhichu nced at her changing expression and understood what she was thinking. His heart felt like it was being pricked by a needle.

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were married, but... that was over there, not on their side. It didn¡¯t count...

    He Zhichu grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand from under the table and said indifferently, ¡°She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e now, so it¡¯s enough to clear the security level. I¡¯ll assist her by hiring her as my personal secretary tomorrow. That way, the security level would be just right.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. She understood what He Zhichu meant.

    He wasn¡¯t insisting on being her fianc¨¦e. He wanted to give her a position that could be made public.

    She gratefully shook his hand to show her gratitude.

    He Zhichu curled his lips. The smile within his almond-shaped eyes was fleeting.

    He Chengjian was in a good mood as he watched from across the room. Even his voice became gentler.

    He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m very happy that the both of you are like this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly retracted her hand and forced a smile at He Chengjian. ¡°General He, please tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded and walked to a multimedia workbench in the corner of the room. He entered a series ofplex passwords, pressed his fingerprint, and scanned his pupils. Finally, he dripped a drop of blood into it before switching on the device.

    The tform in the second half of the conference room was raised higher than the first half. It was just like a stage.

    The light in the room gradually dimmed. A ray of light shined down from the ceiling and illuminated the stage in the second half of the conference room.

    He Chengjian cleared his throat and said, ¡°If you want to know what¡¯s going on, I¡¯ll show you a video first.¡±

    He picked up the remote control and returned to the conference table. This time, he sat down next to Gu Nianzhi and pressed y.

    On the stage in front of them, a three-dimensional image of a taken by an aerial camera appeared!

    The video slowly zoomed in. First, they saw the blue from outer space. Then the video zoomed in, and the resolution increased. They saw the mountains, rivers, and seas on the, as well as the country of people.

    Finally, the video paused above the Huaxia Empire.

    The video was shot at night. It was a spectacr view of the entire country from that perspective.

    Within the pitch-cknd, the twinkling lights were as bright as the stars, illuminating the border.

    The shape of the country in the video was exactly the same as the one Gu Nianzhi remembered. It was the huge map that she often saw in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office.

    It looked so real that Gu Nianzhi felt as if she was there.

    She felt as if she was floating in mid-air, overlooking the beautiful scenery.

    He Chengjian¡¯s voice slowly rang out, ¡°This is our country, the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    Then, he yed another scene. It was very simr to the night scene that he had yed earlier. It was almost exactly the same.

    He Chengjian said, ¡°This is the country you came from. It is also the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    ¡°Our two worlds were born from the same root.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed with confusion @

    He Chengjian swiveled his chair around and stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s confused big eyes. He suddenly asked, ¡°Do you know about the quantum theory?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to @

    He Zhichu said inly, ¡°Just speak in a straightforward manner. I don¡¯t believe that you really understand quantum theory.¡±

    He Chengjianughed heartily and said, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t, but someone does.¡±

    He stopped smiling, as if he was immersed in his memories. After a while, his expression was conflicted.

    He said resentfully, ¡°The so-called geniuses are all lunatics.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help raising her eyebrows. ¡°Please don¡¯t make personal attacks on geniuses as a whole.¡±

    He Chengjian pursed his lips and said reluctantly, ¡°Okay, I take back what I said. There is a genius, and he is aplete lunatic!¡±

    He Zhichu coughed. ¡°Get to the point.¡±

    He Chengjian suppressed his deep disgust for the lunatic and said in a low voice, ¡°In short, more than ten years ago, a genius in our country came up with the theory of a ¡®multiverse¡¯ through the study of quantum theory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°The theory of a multiverse?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s called the ¡®Many Worlds Interpretation¡¯ in English.¡± He Zhichu continued to exin. ¡°It¡¯smonly known as parallel universe, which is also known as parallel space.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. ¡°There really is a parallel space?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, he used this theory to prove the existence of parallel space.¡± He Chengjian was lost in his memories. ¡°When he gave his first report in the military, everyone went crazy.¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Finding out that there is another world outside of our world, or many other worlds, where there are people who are exactly like us living in that world.¡±

    ¡°They are exactly the same here. Not only do they look the same, but their DNA and even their life experiences are exactly the same. Don¡¯t you think your worldview has been shattered?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°... do you even have worldview?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do!¡± He Chengjian red at her and pretended to be angry.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and thought to herself. She finally understood why there was an exact same Putin, the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, the chauffeur, Ivan, and Speaker Long. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the most powerful organization in the KGB.

    There was also Gu Xiangwen, a genius and a madman who possessed two extreme qualities. He waspletely different from the gentle, kind, and devoted Gu Xiangwen from the other world.

    The kind and generous Gu Xiangwen was not her father.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi recalled what Gu Yanran had said.

    She had called her a ¡®fake¡¯ andpared her to a dove taking over a magpie¡¯s nest. Was it because there was another Gu Nianzhi on the other side?

    That was why she had thought she was a fake.

    The person who had grown up with Gu Yanran and also disappeared when she was 12 years old should have been Gu Nianzhi from the other side.

    However, they were both missing. So why would Gu Yanran insist that she was a fake?!

    Gu Nianzhi was aw student. She was used to thinking from a legal point of view, so she suddenly understood.

    Gu Nianzhi on the other side must have been killed by Gu Yanran when she was 12 years old!

    That Little Nianzhi had not disappeared at all.

    That was why Gu Yanran insisted that she was a fake.

    Because only the murderer would know where the victim had gone.

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists. She decided that if the day came where she returned, she would definitely send Gu Yanran back to court and have her sentenced to death again!

    He Chengjian noticed how absent-minded she was and snorted. He continued, ¡°If he was only able to prove it in theory, there would have been no problem. It would have been like reading an incredible novel. Everyone should still be able to eat, sleep, and sleep some more. It wouldn¡¯t affect our lives in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°But the problem was that he then found a way to verify the existence of parallel space and sessfully invented a quantummunicator that couldmunicate directly with the people in the opposite space.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly looked up. ¡°A quantummunicator?! There¡¯s a quantummunicator here?! Can it really be used?!¡±

    ¡°Of course it can be used.¡± He Chengjianughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already remembered. I called you once and used a quantummunicator. When I was over there, I used it tomunicate with him.¡±

 Chapter 1481 - You Are Our Lucky Star

    <h4>Chapter 1481: You Are Our Lucky Star</h4>

    He Zhichu frowned. ¡°When did you contact Nianzhi?¡±

    He Chengjian did not answer him. He continued, ¡°This genius also discovered that an important event had happened in our world at a certain historical moment, causing it to separate from the previous world and form a new world.¡±

    ¡°From then on, we became two separate worlds that were both identical and different at the same. In other words, a parallel space-time continuum had appeared.¡±

    ¡°What important event?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked subconsciously.

    She did not actually want to know what important event it was, but as a straight-A student, she instinctively tried to figure out what she did not understand.

    He Chengjian shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know the specific event, and neither does that genius. ording to him, he can¡¯t predict what it is exactly.¡±

    One of the most pertinent features of quantum mechanics was the principle of ¡®uncertainty¡¯.

    Therefore, no one could be sure what important event had caused the world to diverge.

    Gu Nianzhi concentrated and memorized every word He Chengjian had said. She nned to tell Song Jinning when she returned to the other dimension. She would definitely understand what this principle was.

    He Chengjian pressed the y button again, and another image appeared.

    A three-dimensional image of a lush, primitive forest appeared in front of them!

    The mountain ranges rose and fell, and the blue sky was reflective. A gigantic shadow gradually revealed its huge body.

    Gu Nianzhi could not help but reach out to touch the birch forest, which looked very realistic. She eximed in surprise, ¡°This is the Russian Siberian Tunguska sinkhole!¡±

    He Chengjian smiled at her and corrected her, ¡°This is the Siberian Tunguska sinkhole on our side. Russia is on the other side.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°This genius not only invented the quantummunicator, but also used the high-energy maic field left behind in the Tunguska region of Siberia to design a device.¡± He Chengjian pressed pause and the three-dimensional image focused on a square cube.

    ¡°This is the device. It can use the high-energy maic field to form a high-intensity maic resonance.¡±

    ¡°When the frequency of the maic field formed by it is consistent with the frequency of the maic field in the opposite space, the nodes connecting the two spaces will open. The people and things in the two spaces can instantlymunicate with each other. This is how you were sent over and brought back.¡±

    He Chengjian looked at her sympathetically.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you are the cause of all the problems.¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t have known that the original lunatic had already found a way to not onlymunicate with the opposite space, but also directly teleport people over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°No way? General He, you¡¯re not even trying to be nice. I¡¯m the victim, how can you me me?¡±

    ¡°And I was only 12 at the time, a minor. I shouldn¡¯t even have to bear any criminal responsibility if I were tomit a crime. You¡¯re saying I¡¯m the cause of everything? Excuse me?!¡±

    He Chengjian lowered his eyes and fiddled with the remote control in his hand. He smiled faintly and admitted his mistake. ¡°Okay, I phrased it wrongly. You¡¯re not the cause of the problem. You¡¯re our lucky star.¡±

    ¡°Because of you, not only did we survive in the beginning, but we have also advanced our technology to surpass the times.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her chin on her hand and leaned against the conference table. It was better to be the lucky star than the cause of the problem.

    She shifted in her seat and continued to watch He Chengjian y a new three-dimensional image.

    The scene that appeared now was a luxurious hall. The crystal lights were sparkling, and there were many guests. Their clothes were fragrant, and they wereughing happily.

    A chubby little girl wearing a pink diamond tiara and a pink gauze skirt, with a chubby little face and fleshy little hands, grabbed He Zhichu by the hem of his shirt and said arrogantly, ¡°Brother, when I grow up, I want to be awyer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears came out of her eyes.

    This was the twelve-year-old her?!

    ¡°... Brother He.¡± In the recording before them, He Zhichu corrected her calmly.

    Was this the twenty-two-year-old He Zhichu?

    He Zhichu was even colder than he was now. However, when he looked at Gu Nianzhi, there was a hint of warmth in his almond-shaped eyes.

    ¡°Brother He, when I grow up, I want to be awyer, just like Brother He¡¯s mother!¡± the twelve-year-old Gu Nianzhi announced her ¡®dream¡¯ loudly.

    ¡°Yes, when you graduate from university, you can apply tow school to be awyer.¡± He Zhichu stood beside her. He bowed and pushed a birthday cake in front of her. He looked at her with a smile. ¡°My Little Princess, blow out the candles.¡±

    ¡°Blow out the candles! Blow out the candles!¡± the guests cheered in unison.

    ¡°I must still wait until I graduate from university?! I can¡¯t wait anymore! I want to be awyer tomorrow!¡± Gu Nianzhi, who was twelve years old, announced her birthday wish. At the same time, she puffed up her chubby little face and blew out all the candles in one go.

    The crystal lights in the living room suddenly went out, and the room suddenly became very dark. It was pitch ck, so dark that one couldn¡¯t even see their fingers.

    When the lights came on again, everyone in the room was standing still, except for Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu stood alone next to the cake, and Gu Nianzhi, who was beside him, was gone.

    A pink diamond crown fell to the ground, emitting a dazzling rainbow-like halo under the crystal light.

    The image paused on the pink diamond crown.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

    He Chengjian said inly, ¡°This is a recording of your twelfth birthday seven years ago.¡±

    ¡°You suddenly disappeared from the party. We tried everything to track you down, but in the end, we found out that it was that crazy person who had caused all this trouble. He had actually sent you to the other dimension.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice was tinged with mockery, ¡°At the time, we thought that you and he had both died in that car ident.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened and she quickly asked, ¡°That genius, who exactly is he?!¡±

    She looked at He Chengjian nervously, as if all her hopes were pinned on him.

    This expression secretly moved him.

    He Chengjian couldn¡¯t help stroking her head and said, ¡°This person is Gu Xiangwen, and he¡¯s also your biological father.¡±

    With that, he pulled a long face. ¡°Even though he¡¯s your father, I still have to say that he¡¯s a lunatic!¡±

    ¡°The military and the police were very angry when he disappeared with you because there was already a murder case on him. We¡¯ve been chasing him for more than a decade.¡±

    ¡°Murder case?¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised. She immediately said, ¡°My father... wouldn¡¯t kill anyone!¡±

    He Chengjian frowned and wisely did not discuss this with Gu Nianzhi. He merely said, ¡°He showed up again and took you away. Although he did it quickly, he did leave a clue. This time, we searched his hiding ce and found the high-energy maic resonance device he invented there.¡±

    He Chengjian pointed at the square cube.

    ¡°Then, from the experiment notes he left behind, we finally concluded that you didn¡¯t die in the car ident. Instead, you were sent into the opposite space by him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help speaking up for her father again. ¡°He¡¯s not crazy! You can¡¯t talk about him like that!¡±

    Even a crazy person would defend her father to the end, not to mention what was going on. It was still too early to make a conclusion.

    Also, she had been able to get to know Huo Shaoheng because her father had sent her into the other dimension.

    She was grateful for her father¡¯s decision based on this alone.

    Although she did not know why he had made this decision, when she thought of Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang, Gu Nianzhi felt that it was better for her to grow up in the other dimension. Not to mention that she still had Huo Shao...

    He Chengjian chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not crazy? See for yourself.¡± he pressed y again.

    The scene in front of them changed again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils constricted.

    She saw someone walk towards the sinkhole and disappear into thin air like a special effect scene from a movie!

    ¡°... This is the high-energy maic field experiment that the military conducted in Tunguska Siberia, in the Soviet Union seven years ago after we found Gu Xiangwen¡¯s high-energy maic field resonance device ording to his experimental notes.¡± He Chengjian said lightly, ¡°We¡¯re testing the contents of his experimental notes to see if we can send him to the opposite space and bring him back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quietly took out her phone and tried to secretly record the three-dimensional image in front of her.

    As soon as she took her phone out, the rm in the room rang.

    He Chengjian smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, turn your phone off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed and blushing. She watched He Zhichu take her phone away, turn it off, and ce it on the conference table.

    He Chengjian looked back, the smile on his face fading.

    He sighed. ¡°Originally, ording to his notes, the experiment went very smoothly. The spatial node was sessfully opened. First, we carried out inanimate transmission. Then carried out the transmission of living things. Finally, we carried out the transmission of humans.¡±

    ¡°As we were transferring humans, we discovered the major problem with this kind of transfer. The nature of the parallel space made it impossible for us tomunicate with the other space on arge scale, even though our technology is far more advanced than theirs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very curious. ¡°I¡¯m also curious as to why there aren¡¯t many people going there since you guys are so advanced. Moreover, every time one of themes back, their memories have to be erased.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the reason. Now, let me show you the top-secret contents of this experiment.¡±

 Chapter 1482 - Top Secret Content

    <h4>Chapter 1482: Top Secret Content</h4>

    ¡°Top secret content?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding. She perked up and concentrated even more on the three-dimensional image in front of her.

    He Zhichu felt a little ufortable at that moment.

    He fidgeted twice in his seat and said expressionlessly, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±

    He stood up in a hurry and walked outside.

    He Chengjian nced at his departing silhouette and knew that he was embarrassed. His heart ached for him.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what was going on, but she quickly said, ¡°Should we wait for Professor He toe back before continuing?¡±

    He Chengjian smiled and shook his head. ¡°No need. He¡¯s a major general in our military. He already knows about this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything.

    He Chengjian continued on to y the video.

    He said in a low voice, ¡°Our people risked their lives to record this. The entire process took two years. This is the most important part of the excerpt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded her head quickly and said seriously, ¡°I know. I won¡¯t tell any outsiders about this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not an outsider in her heart, but He Chengjian did not need to know that.

    Gu Nianzhi could not take her eyes off him.

    The only ceiling lights in the room dimmed, and the three-dimensional images before her became exceedingly clear.

    The colors were so vivid and lifelike, it was as if something had changed within her.

    He Chengjian sighed. His voice was bleak and deste. ¡°It¡¯s said that when these two parallel dimensions first separated, the two sides were identical. Every human, every animal, every nt, and even the mountains, rivers, and other non-living things had their own corresponding points in the opposite space.¡±

    ¡°But since they were separated into two dimensions, they became two independent individuals.¡±

    ¡°The development of the two sides could not be exactly the same, so while some people died here, their corresponding points remained alive on the other side. Some people were seriously ill over there, but their corresponding points were extremely healthy over here.¡±

    ¡°Hence, there are many differences in the historical development of the two sides.¡±

    He Chengjian finished speaking and began to y the first excerpt.

    ¡°This is the image we brought back from the first live transmission.¡±

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi saw four people appear on the stage in front of her. It was probably summer, because they were all wearing very ordinary-looking t-shirts and shorts as they walked towards the edge of the sinkhole.

    One of these four people happened to be one of the kidnappers who had gone there to kidnap her!

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched.

    Immediately after, the three-dimensional image in front of her suddenly rippled, as though she was viewing it from an underwater view.

    However, the slight ripples and blurry jumps were very short, and the scene quickly became clear.

    He Chengjian exined, ¡°We have already arrived at the world on the other side.¡±

    It was also beside the Tunguska sinkhole in Siberia.

    However, almost at the instant they arrived, something unexpected happened.

    Among the four people who had gone with them, three people suddenly fell silently.

    There were no shes of swords, no sudden gunshots, and no bleeding wounds.

    The three men were like a clock that had stopped. They had suddenly reached the end of their lives and were lying on the ground.

    Of the four men who had gone with them, only one stood there in a panic.

    This man was one of the kidnappers that Gu Nianzhi recognized.

    He thought he had been ambushed. After recovering from his shock, he threw himself onto the ground, pulled out his pistol, and rolled into the bushes to the side with his head in his hands.

    He had been lying in wait for a long time, but he had not seen anyone, let alone ambushed them.

    After a while, he carefully walked out of the grass and returned to the ce where the four of them hadnded.

    The threepanions were still lying motionless on the ground.

    The man quickly went to check on them.

    He checked the breathing, pulse, and heartbeat of the threepanions and whispered to the recording equipment on his body, ¡°Breathing stopped, pulse stopped, heartbeat stopped. Their deaths are confirmed.¡±

    It was extremely strange that three people had died as soon as they arrived.

    He did not dare to continue the experiment and stayed by the bodies of these three people.

    Not long after, the other party contacted him with a quantummunication device and found out that something had happened.

    He Chengjian said, ¡°We didn¡¯t know what the reason was at that time, so we immediately sent four more people over.¡±

    Immediately after, the three-dimensional image in front of them changed again.

    He Chengjian began to y the second excerpt.

    Gu Nianzhi saw another four people appear in the image in front of her.

    Three of these four people were actually kidnappers that Gu Nianzhi recognized.

    She sneered, thinking to herself that she had finally gathered all the kidnappers...

    Then, the situation repeated once more.

    After a series of ripples and a slight blur of jumps, the four of them entered the opposite space.

    This time, they were stronger than the previous instance. Only one person had fallen, and the other three were all fine.

    It was the three kidnappers.

    Sure enough, the evil lived for a thousand years.

    Gu Nianzhi thought coldly.

    The three of them moved quickly. After contacting the colleague who had still been alive the first time, they immediately brought back the four bodies.

    ¡°How did they die?¡± Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°No one attacked them on the other side?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, their deaths weren¡¯t caused by attacks.¡± He Chengjian said slowly, ¡°Keep watching.¡±

    Because two idents had happened in a row, He Chengjian and the others decided to try again after a serious discussion once these people returned with their report. They would dispatch the same four soldiers who had been there once. Only the soldiers who hadn¡¯t had any idents would return again.

    If they were killed, they would stop the experiment.

    After the third experiment, the four of them were fine.

    They followed the n and entered the other side of the world. They blended in with the crowd and searched for the cause of the previous two idents.

    Next, they took a video from the other side of the world, the world Gu Nianzhi had been to.

    The first video was from a small town. The four of them had found a family and they held out a photo to ask them, ¡°We¡¯re friends with this person. Do you know where he is?¡±

    They were holding a photo of one of theirrades who had died.

    This was also one of their experiments. They wanted toe to this world and look for a person with the same name and surname to see if there was any difference between the two sides.

    In the end, the person they were looking for told them that the person they were looking for had suddenly died in bed a while ago. He was originally very healthy and did not have any illness.

    After seeing this, Gu Nianzhi seemed to have understood something.

    She looked down thoughtfully, and her heart beat even faster.

    Then there was the second video. The same four people were holding a photo of their second colleague who had suddenly died. They went to the ce where his counterpart was and asked for the whereabouts of this person.

    Simrly, this person had died on the same day without any reason.

    Then, there was the third and fourth video. Without exception, the counterparts of these deadrades had all died at the same time when they came over.

    Then, these people went to look for their counterparts in this world.

    This time, they discovered that their counterparts in this world had all died long before they came over.

    ...

    After the video ended, He Chengjian continued, ¡°We asked them to look for their counterparts in the other world. It was originally a scientist¡¯s request to conduct aparative study of parallel space-time.¡±

    ¡°In the end, we identally discovered a fundamental property of parallel space-time that cannot be reversed.¡±

    He Chengjian looked up at Gu Nianzhi and said word by word, ¡°That is, even in parallel space, it is impossible for two people who are the same to exist in the same space-time at the same time.¡±

    ¡°When two opposites appear in the same space-time, it ys out the same way as when positive and negative atoms meet. They will definitely be annihted.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand now?¡±

    ¡°In every space-time, we can only have one corresponding point.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she said, ¡°You mean, the people who didn¡¯t die immediately after going to the other space were in that space because their opposites had already died, so they were fine.¡±

    ¡°And the four people who died suddenly after going there were because their counterparts in that dimension were still alive! So when they went there, it was like a collision of positive and negative particles. The two lives were annihted at the same time.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded, ¡°If there¡¯s another Gu Nianzhi in the other dimension and if she was still alive when you went there, then Gu Xiangwen sending you there rashly would mean that the two of you would die together. It doesn¡¯t matter if the two of you were not in the same ce. As a counterpart, your human body¡¯s maic field is naturally connected with it. This is an irreversiblew of physics.¡±

    ¡°No one can break free from thews of physics.¡±

    ¡°... do you think Gu Xiangwen is insane?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes were deep as he said unhurriedly, ¡°I said he was insane because a tiger doesn¡¯t eat its cubs. However, he risked your immediate death to send you into the other dimension.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said subconsciously, ¡°But I¡¯m still alive, which means my counterpart on the other side was already dead before I got there.¡±

    ¡°Besides, my father probably didn¡¯t know about this principle at the time...¡±

    He Chengjian gave her a deep look, ¡°... you can¡¯t use the oue to prove that the means was correct. Besides, all our scientists were able to predict this problem. Gu Xiangwen is a much better physicist than them, did you think that he would have been unaware?¡±

    ¡°Also, my son was unable to forget your disappearance in the beginning. After he was certain that you hadn¡¯t been burned to death and had gone to the other world, he decided to go find you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and said nervously, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop him?! What if Professor He¡¯s counterpart on the other side was still alive?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what if he had been alive?¡± He Chengjian seemed to have aged ten years. ¡°Do you know how I felt? I really thought that he would die on the other side if he went...¡±

    ¡°But he still insisted on going.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t persuade him, so in the end, I agreed. Because I knew that if he didn¡¯t go, he would be no different from a dead person for the rest of his life. In that case, I had might as well take the gamble, so that he wouldn¡¯t be living like a walking corpse for the rest of his life.¡±.

    ¡°Wen Shouyi took the initiative to go with him. She also risked her life.¡± He Chengjian shifted his gaze. ¡°Look, is Gu Xiangwen crazy? Just his willfulness alone caused so many of us to die?!¡±

    The missions that followed were as risky as rolling the dice.

    This time, in order to bring Gu Nianzhi back, they had sent the four people who were confirmed to be safe subjects.

    Gu Nianzhi recognized them at a nce.

    Qin Zhining was another person who had risked his life to go.

    He Chengjian had specifically requested to go because he was worried about handing Gu Nianzhi over to someone else.

    ¡°Because of this reason, we rarelye into contact with the space opposite us. Unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, we won¡¯t open the Maic Resonance Channel.¡±

    He Chengjian added, ¡°Every time we open the maic resonance channel, it consumes a huge amount of energy. Although our side is much stronger than the other side, our maic field energy has almost been depleted over the years. We won¡¯t be able to restore the maic resonance channel in the short term.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank again.

    Didn¡¯t that mean that she wouldn¡¯t be able to return even if she tried?!

    Also, even if the technology in the other world suddenly developed, and even if they could open the maic resonance channel, the people they sent over would also...

    Gu Nianzhi asked nervously, ¡°... what if, I mean what if, the people over there coulde over? Would there also be such a situation where the corresponding body died at the same time?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Chengjian said casually, ¡°Thews of physics are not bound by space itself. As long as it¡¯s parallel to space-time, it has to follow thisw of physics.¡±

    As he spoke, he warned Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Don¡¯t have unrealistic expectations. The only person who would risk his life to save you is my son, He Zhichu. No one else would do that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She wanted to retort that Huo Shao might, but she didn¡¯t have much confidence.

    Huo Shaoheng might be sad and upset that she was gone, but based on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s understanding of him, he wouldn¡¯t be like He Zhichu, who would risk everything to find her.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid of death, but it was the responsibility and burden on his shoulders that wouldn¡¯t allow him to do that.

    He wasn¡¯t the kind of person who couldn¡¯t live without feelings.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt very sad when she realized this. It was as if someone had cut out the most important thing in her heart. Her chest was empty.

    She touched her heart. It was still beating, but she felt that she had be a ¡®Hollow person¡¯.

    He Chengjian nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, which had suddenly dimmed. He stood up and said very sincerely, ¡°Nianzhi, as a father, I¡¯m begging you to give my son a chance. He loves you. He really loves you very much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body trembled as she tried her best to control her emotions, which were on the verge of breaking down.

    She stood up without saying a word and pushed the chair behind her away. She stumbled back two steps and turned to run out.

    She pulled open the door with a whoosh and saw He Zhichu standing at the staircase smoking with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Nianzhi?¡± he noticed that her expression seemed rather abnormal. Hence, he quickly tossed the cigarette butt away and walk up to her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were red. She pushed him away and rushed downstairs to the main entrance.

    The He Family¡¯s orderly soldiers surrounded her and said, ¡°Miss Gu, running and making noise is prohibited here.¡±

    However, Gu Nianzhi ignored them and continued to run towards the main entrance.

    He Zhichu followed behind and quickly instructed the orderly soldiers, ¡°Don¡¯t touch her! Let her out!¡±

    He ran over quickly and caught up with Gu Nianzhi. He tugged her by the arm and said, ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯ll drive you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused as her eyes fixed on him. ¡°I¡¯m going to the special operations forces. I¡¯m going to look for Huo!¡±

    He Zhichu was slightly taken aback. He wanted to say that he didn¡¯t know where Huo was, but when he saw her expression, he knew that something was wrong with her mental state. He changed his mind. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    He drove his car out and let Gu Nianzhi sit in it. He took her out for a ride.

    The bulletproof car with special license tes drove unimpeded on the imperial highway. Soon, they reached a t and beautiful square.

    The corresponding ce here was the special operations forces in the opposite world.

    Of course, there was no special operations forces here. This was just a wide square.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and stared nkly at the familiar ce and the different environment.

    The blue sky was clear, and the wind was blowing. There were tallmp posts around the square, and the magnolia flower bud-shaped streetmps were simple and elegant.

    The square was lively, and there was a small yground not far away.

    She walked over and walked into the crowd.

    The merry-go-round spun around her, and the children on the merry-go-roundughed happily.

    Someone ran past her,ughing so hard that she couldn¡¯t breathe. There were even couples flying kites in the square affectionately.

    She was in the busiest downtown area of the capital, but she felt like she was in a deserted wilderness. She only felt lonely and miserable.

    She endured it for a long time. Finally, she hugged her knees and squatted down. She sobbed softly, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, I miss you. I really, really miss you...¡±

 Chapter 1483 - Hot Air Balloon of Love

    <h4>Chapter 1483: Hot Air Balloon of Love</h4>

    He Zhichu was still sitting in the car. From a distance, he stared at Gu Nianzhi quietly and kept herpany.

    Amongst the bustling crowd, her lonely figure was particrly eye-catching.

    A chubby little boy ran over with a big marshmallow and brought it to Gu Nianzhi. He said in a childish voice, ¡°Big sister, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll give you some candy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up with tears streaming down her face. She saw a little boy who was around four or five years of age looking at her with concern. He was holding a big marshmallow and was about to hand it to her.

    Gu Nianzhi did not like to eat sweets. However, when she saw the big marshmallow and the little boy¡¯s clear eyes, her heart warmed up.

    The world wasn¡¯t that cold and heartless, was it?

    She was touched by the kindness of this child who she didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Nianzhi reached out to take it and licked it.

    The little boy smiled widely. His chubby little face was just like a juicy red apple that tempted one to take a bite.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and looked around. ¡°Where are your parents?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± the little boy cried out. He looked back and shouted, ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡±

    Not far away, a young couple who were anxiously looking for the child nced over. ¡°Tong Tong!¡±

    The two of them ran over frantically and hugged the child. ¡°Tong Tong! Are you okay?!¡±

    The little boy giggled and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I brought a marshmallow for this big sister to eat. Big sister cried and she was very sad. After eating the marshmallow, she wasn¡¯t sad anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her tears in embarrassment and spoke to the couple, who were still overwhelmed by lingering anxiety. ¡°Thank you, Tong Tong. He¡¯s a good kid.¡±

    The young couple noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stunning beauty, as well as the clean and elegant clothes she was wearing. Although the style of her clothes was ordinary, they were of very good quality. It was obvious that she was from a good family.

    They let out a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°Tong Tong is so naughty. He told us that he wanted to buy balloons, but he disappeared in the blink of an eye.¡±

    The little boy recalled the balloons that he wanted. He pouted and said unhappily, ¡°I want those big balloons that can fly in the sky while I sit inside.¡±

    ¡°Tong Tong, don¡¯t be silly. Those balloons are hard toe by. Besides, even if we managed to find them, Mom and Dad wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it.¡± Tong Tong¡¯s father patiently tried to reason with him.

    The four-or five-year-old child didn¡¯t quite understand the ss difference brought about by money. He didn¡¯t quite understand the concept, but he also understood that he wouldn¡¯t be able to fly in a balloon.

    He lowered his head and nodded again. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll buy a few balloons to hold.¡±

    ¡°Tong Tong is so understanding!¡± the couple kissed their son passionately and realized that Tong Tong was giggling again.

    The family of three bid farewell to Gu Nianzhi and went to buy a few helium balloons from the stall selling balloons across the street.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at them enviously and sighed slightly.

    He Zhichu noticed that the couple hade looking for them and quickly got out of the car. He was worried that something might have happened to Gu Nianzhi.

    However, when he realized that there was no conflict, he did not draw closer. He simply stationed himself nearby.

    After the family of three had left, He Zhichu walked over to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°What else do you want to eat? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi licked the marshmallow and thought to herself, when the heart is bitter, eating more sweets can truly make up for it.

    Although she never liked sweets, she took a special liking to that marshmallow.

    Although the marshmallow was big, it was actually just an empty shell.

    She had only eaten a few mouthfuls, but the huge marshmallow was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

    Gu Nianzhi said in a low voice, ¡°... I want to sit in a hot air balloon. Can you do it?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering peach eyes flickered. ¡°Of course.¡±

    He had heard the little boy¡¯s wish.

    He Zhichu took out his phone and made a few calls. Not long after, arge hot air balloon flew over the square andnded on an open space nearby.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Tong Tong to sit in the hot air balloon with me. Is that okay?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go find him together?¡±

    The couple had just bought Tong Tong a helium balloon. They had been ying with it for a while when they saw the hot air balloon flying towards them. Tong Tong¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to it.

    This was the balloon he wanted to sit in!

    Hence, together with the other children, he shouted and rushed towards the hot air balloon that had justnded.

    The staff responsible for maintaining order in the square tugged on a rope to separate the hot air balloon from the crowd.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to Tong Tong and said, ¡°Tong Tong, do you want to sit in the hot air balloon? I can sit with you.¡±

    ¡°Really?! That¡¯s great! Thank you, Big Sister!¡± Tong Tong was jumping with joy.

    Tong Tong¡¯s parents had also rushed over and were extremely grateful to Gu Nianzhi. They said, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re too kind. There¡¯s no need for this...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re worried about his safety, then we can forego this. There isn¡¯t any special meaning to this. Tong Tong gave me a marshmallow and so I¡¯m returning the favor.¡±

    The couple nced at each other. Then, they looked down at their son¡¯s eager little face. They almost agreed to it.

    However, they were still rational beings.

    Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look like a bad person, she was still a stranger to them.

    They were worried about leaving their son alone in the hot air balloon with her.

    The hot air balloon wasn¡¯t very big. There were three seats in it. One was for the hot air balloon operator, and the other two seats were for the passengers. It was impossible to fit their family and Gu Nianzhi in it.

    They were too embarrassed to ask Gu Nianzhi to give up her seat in the hot air balloon and simply let their family sit in it.

    The hot air balloon belonged to someone else. They were not so shameless as to treat someone else¡¯s things as their own.

    However, Tong Tong was so envious that he was on the verge of tears.

    He Zhichu saw this and took out his identification card. He waved it at the couple and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll go up with them. If you need anything, you can look for the He family.¡±

    The couple realized that they were from the He family and immediately felt relieved. They beamed with joy and said, ¡°Thank you, Tong Tong. You can go sit in the hot air balloon with Miss and Mr. He!¡±

    Tong Tong immediately cheered up. He grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and ran towards the hot air balloon.

    He Zhichu followed them and allowed the hot air balloon operator to disembark. He took control of the hot air balloon and got it to take off. Gu Nianzhi and Tong Tong sat in the hot air balloon as passengers.

    He Zhichu flew the hot air balloon with ease and quickly lit the fire to take off.

    Gu Nianzhi protected Tong Tong in front of her and watched the crowd in the square with him. They gazed at the blue sky and white clouds that were drawing closer and closer. Their field of vision was very wide, and their mood gradually improved. Their smiles also became more sincere and refreshed.

    What she did not know was that at this time, someone had taken out a high-definition, long-range focused SLR camera and snapped a picture of the three of them on the hot air balloon.

    He Zhichu was handsome and elegant, just like a magnolia tree.

    Gu Nianzhi was delicate and beautiful, just like a blooming crabapple.

    Tong Tong was lively and cute, just like their child.

    The three of them were talking andughing,pletely enjoying themselves as a family of three.

    When the photo was ced in front of He Chengjian, he was so happy that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth. He wished that he could photoshop Tong Tong¡¯s face to look like his grandson. Then, they would be a real family of three!

    ...

    After alighting the hot air balloon, the couple thanked Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu profusely and left with Tong Tong, who had fulfilled his wish.

    He Zhichu noticed that Gu Nianzhi was in a much better state of mind. Hence, he made a suggestion, ¡°Do you want to go to the hospital to visit Aunt Qin?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darkened instantly. Her crystal-like eyes were suddenly mixed with impurities, and they had a cold and bleak feel to it.

    He Zhichu regretted his suggestion and was about to change the topic when Gu Nianzhi said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I need to receive an exnation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to believe Wen Shouyi¡¯s im that Qin Yaoguang was her biological mother, but she would not jump to conclusions so easily.

    As a highly skilledwyer, Gu Nianzhi only believed in logic and evidence.

    She had a premonition that Qin Yaoguang was her biological mother the moment she saw her.

    However, after interacting with her, she was not so sure.

    It was simple. Although there was evidence to prove that Qin Yaoguang was indeed her biological mother, because Qin Yaoguang was exactly the same as Gu Xiangwen¡¯s wife in the other world, Gu Nianzhi felt that such logic did not make sense.

    Because she did not sense any form of motherly affection from Qin Yaoguang. Whether it was love or hate, she felt very indifferent towards Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang treated her as if they were strangers who had nothing to do with each other.

    This was indeed abnormal.

    Since there were questions, she had to face them.

    Gu Nianzhi would never run away from a problem.

    Pretending to be an ostrich was not suitable for someone like her who liked to get to the bottom of everything.

    He Zhichu saw that Gu Nianzhi was willing to go to the hospital. He couldn¡¯t ask for more.

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi had a knot in her heart, and he didn¡¯t want her to stay unhappy because of it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to the Qin Group¡¯s private hospital.¡± He Zhichu got into the car with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the passenger seat. She finally had the energy to admire the streets of the imperial capital.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help sighing as she stared at the road. The divide between the rich and the poor was many times greater on this side than on the other side.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s private hospital was the most upscale and luxurious private hospital in the entire empire. It had its own branch offices all over the country.

    Their headquarters used to be in Z city. After Qin Yaoguang and He Chengjian got engaged, they moved to the imperial capital.

    The moment they arrived, they upied a very good location in the imperial capital. The hospital was built in an imposing manner and was full of modern decor. One look and one could tell that they were wealthy beyondparison.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and narrowed her eyes as she stared at therge word ¡®Qin¡¯ engraved on the exquisite carved iron doors before her. She said, ¡°Is the Qin family that rich?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu also got out of the car. Standing behind her, he said, ¡°Decades ago, the imperial government decided to build a special zone in City Z. When the special zone was designated, one-third of thend in the zone belonged to the Qin family. How much has thend price there increased by now? It¡¯s already valued at an astronomical figure.¡±

 Chapter 1484 - The Apple of His Eye

    <h4>Chapter 1484: The Apple of His Eye</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and looked up at the main building of the private hospital. She clicked her tongue and said, ¡°So impressive. I guess you can say that this is one of the richer families around here, right?¡±

    The main building was very unique. It looked like a shining silver knife with a long handle that rose from the ground.

    He Zhichu put his hand gently on her shoulder and led her to the hospital entrance. He said nonchntly, ¡°They may be rich, but they are not deeply rooted in history. They¡¯ve been around for only a few decades; they can¡¯tpare to other families.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then they must have relied on your family to gain a foothold on the capital, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi stepped aside and quietly moved away from He Zhichu¡¯s hand.

    He Zhichu understood her intentions and didn¡¯t insist. He simply put his hands in his pockets and strolled along, casually saying, ¡°The Qin family¡¯s roots are in the south. If the Qin family stomps their feet in the Z City Special District, the special district will tremble. However, if they came to the capital, they won¡¯t be powerful enough. Here, money alone is useless.¡±

    The two chatted along the way and arrived at the hospital¡¯s main entrance.

    There were security guards standing guard here, and all entries and exits were strictly monitored.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around curiously and asked, ¡°Why are there so many security guards at the entrance of the hospital? The security is so tight, it looks like a prison.¡±

    He Zhichu registered himself at the guard booth at the entrance and signed his name. Without looking up, he said, ¡°It¡¯s to prevent violence against doctors.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°That happens here?¡± She was very surprised. In the world she hade from, ¡°violence against doctors¡± was already a historical term.

    It had once been prevalent throughout the country, but after the passing of strict legition to protect the legal rights and interests of doctors and patients, and especially strict enforcement of thew that was no longer lenient towards such cases, violence against doctors gradually disappeared.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand paused, and he put down the pen. He looked back at Gu Nianzhi, his almond-shaped eyes twinkling. ¡°Nianzhi, this is different from the other side you¡¯ve been to.¡±

    ¡°It is different.¡± Gu Nianzhi almost counted with her fingers, ¡°Look, the biggest and best hospital on your side is a private hospital, for example this famous Qin private hospital. On our side, the best hospital is a public hospital; the price is fair, and the quality of the doctors is high; it¡¯s better than your side.¡±

    He Zhichu sneered. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®your side¡¯? You are clearly from our side. Don¡¯t get it wrong.¡±

    As the two of them talked, they followed the head nurse who hade out to wee them.

    That head nurse was in her forties. She was very warm to He Zhichu and said with a smile, ¡°Has Young Master Hee to see Director Qin?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°How is Aunt Qin? Has her injury gotten better?¡±

    The head nurse nodded and shook her head. The smile on her face faded. ¡°How should I put it? Her life is not in danger, but both her hands are crippled. It is a huge blow to both Director Qin herself and our Qin Hospital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed when she heard that. She put her hands behind her back and twirled her fingers ufortably. She asked quietly, ¡°... she can¡¯t be the only doctor in your hospital who can perform surgeries, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s not the only brain surgeon, but she¡¯s the reason why our Qin hospital is so famous. If she¡¯s crippled, it¡¯ll be a huge loss for our hospital,¡± The head nurse finished her sentence and only then realized that it was the woman next to He Zhichu who was asking the question. She asked curiously, ¡°This is...¡±

    He Zhichu put his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder again and said in an especially intimate and familiar manner, ¡°She¡¯s Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°AH?!¡± The head nurse was shocked and stuttered, ¡°Gu... Gu Nianzhi?! Is it really that Nianzhi? Director Qin¡¯s biological daughter?! Didn¡¯t she... go missing?!¡±

    The head nurse almost said the words ¡°Burned to death¡±, but just as she was about to say them, she changed her words.

    Because He Zhichu hadn¡¯t introduced Gu Nianzhi, the head nurse had thought that Gu Nianzhi was just a woman He Zhichu had brought with him and didn¡¯t take her seriously.

    Now that she heard He Zhichu im that she was Gu Nianzhi, who had gone missing seven years ago, she immediately wanted to kneel down and worship her.

    This girl¡¯s background was not small at all!

    The people who had joined this hospital in recent years did not know, but this head nurse had stayed in this hospital for almost her entire life. She had started her internship at the Qin Hospital as a young nurse.

    She knew a lot of things.

    Gu Nianzhi was not only the biological daughter of Qin Yaoguang and Gu Xiangwen, but also He Zhichu¡¯s fianc¨¦e, the apple of the He family¡¯s eye.

    She looked Gu Nianzhi up and down and said with a sigh, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so grown up and so beautiful. You look so much like Director Qin, especially that cute little mouth of yours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and started to coax information out of her. ¡°Oh? Have you seen me when I was young?¡±

    ¡°Not just when you were young,¡± The head nurse made a gestured with some emotion. ¡°I¡¯ve even seen you when you were just born!¡±

    She smiled and gestured, ¡°When Director Qin was giving birth, I was the one who assisted with the delivery. I saw your birth with my own eyes. You were so red that you looked like a little monkey. ording to the old saying, if a new born child was red, she would definitely grow to be especially white in the future. See, the old saying is right. You¡¯re so white, as white as snow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank, and the smile on her face disappeared.

    ¡°Haha, Is that so? You saw me being born with your own eyes? Was I really... born to Ms. Qin?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked tentatively. ¡°Was it in this hospital?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s in the delivery room on the sixteenth floor here,¡± The head nurse nodded and led them to a private elevator in the hospital building.

    The elevator went straight up to the eighteenth floor. It was the VIP ward where Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi were recovering from their injuries.

    The eighteenth floor was the highest floor, and there were only six super luxurious suites on the entire floor.

    Soon, the elevator stopped on the eighteenth floor. The elevator doors opened, and the head nurse walked out with He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi towards Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ward.

    Pushing open the door to the ward, they saw a small living room with an exquisite round sofa, a hardwood coffee table, and a mahogany pot stand with a pot of exquisite sulents on it.

    The head nurse pointed to the inner room door and said, ¡°Director Qin is recuperating inside.¡±

    She walked over and knocked on the door. ¡°Director Qin, Young Master He and Miss Gu are here to see you.¡±

    There was a rustling sound of conversation inside, but the sound stopped after the head nurse knocked on the door.

    A whileter, the door was pulled open from the inside. A tall and handsome man stood behind the door. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re here.¡±

    This man was none other than Qin Zhining.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Brother Little Ning, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to visit Shouyi,¡± Qin Zhining did not look at her kindly. He ignored her and pulled the door to the side.

    He Zhichu held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked in together.

    If it weren¡¯t for the very high-tech hospital bed, this room would not have looked like a hospital ward at all.

    The ck and white striped window screens were neatly arranged across the entire French window.

    Looking out from the French windows, one could see the gorgeous and spacious skyline of the imperial capital. It waspletely unobstructed and resonated with the ancient imperial city from afar.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed lightly. She had only experienced such a beautiful scene only in Speaker Long¡¯s senate building over there.

    The location chosen for the Qin hospital was truly a wonderful spot...

    ¡°Young Master He is here,¡± Wen Shouyi slowly stood up.

    Her hand that was shot was wrapped in a bandage and it hung around her neck. Qin Zhining carefully held her other hand.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze swept across her arm and nodded. ¡°Has the bullet been extracted?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s out,¡± Wen Shouyi quickly said. ¡°It¡¯s only a minor injury. The doctor said it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes.

    He Zhichu had shot her wrist off, but there was no trace of resentment.

    What an innocent and pure saint!

    Qin Zhining frowned. ¡°How is it nothing serious? It¡¯s a gunshot wound!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Look at how worried you are.¡± Wen Shouyi looked at Qin Zhining; she was gentler. She even used her other uninjured hand to wipe the sweat off Qin Zhining¡¯s forehead.

    Qin Zhining held her hand and kissed it.

    The two of them looked at each other almost lovingly.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, sucked in a breath of cold air. She finally understood how Wen Shouyi had hidden her feelings from He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced at He Zhichu.

    She noticed that he wasn¡¯t looking in the direction of Wen Shouyi and Qin Zhining at all. He was looking at Qin Yaoguang, who was lying on the hospital bed, and asked, ¡°Aunt Qin, how¡¯s your hand?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang replied inly, ¡°It¡¯s not life-threatening, but my hand is crippled.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything. He just stared quietly at the scenery outside the French window, lost in thought.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment, but still walked up to him and asked seriously, ¡°Miss Qin, I heard from Wen Shouyi that you¡¯re my biological mother? Is that true?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked at her and said very indifferently, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m your biological mother, but I¡¯ve never treated you as my biological daughter. I¡¯m not interested in the whole ¡®kind mother and filial daughter¡¯ thing, so don¡¯te to pretend anymore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been mentally preparing for this for a long time, but she hadn¡¯t expected this situation.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Qin Yaoguang to really not care about her as a daughter; she didn¡¯t even try to hide herck of concern.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She was disappointed, angry, and a little sad.

    However, she didn¡¯t show it on her face. She said calmly, ¡°Really? Even though you¡¯re not interested in the ¡®filial piety of a mother and daughter¡¯ thing, you don¡¯t have to say it as though I¡¯m very interested.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then why are you here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t want people to casually assign me a mother, so I have to investigate and prove that ¡®my mother is my mother¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense,¡± Qin Yaoguang finally showed some emotion. ¡°You mean you don¡¯t believe that I¡¯m your biological mother?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her, her expression even more indifferent than hers. ¡°How do you prove that you¡¯re my mother? Of course you can¡¯t just say that and expect it to be proof.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so stubborn. You¡¯re just as stubborn as your father.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Qin, please don¡¯t be angry. Nianzhi just can¡¯t ept it right now,¡± Wen Shouyi walked over as she held on to Qin Zhining¡¯s arm andforted Qin Yaoguang amicably. ¡°Her words aren¡¯t nice, but she¡¯s actually very kind and doesn¡¯t mean any harm.¡±

    Wen Shouyi pressed the button on the hospital bed casually, and the head of the hospital bed slowly lifted up. Qin Yaoguang went from a lying to a sitting position.

    ¡°Thank you, Shouyi,¡± Qin Yaoguang nodded at her, then she said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you¡¯re suspicious. I have some evidence here. The paternity and maternity test, the birth certificate, the pregnancy and childbirth videos. I originally nned to use them for the custodywsuit against your father, Gu Xiangwen. But after he became a wanted criminal, I didn¡¯t need it anymore. You can see it if you want.¡±

    ¡°Custodywsuit?¡± Gu Nianzhi was slightly startled. ¡°What custodywsuit?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s over you,¡± Qin Yaoguang looked at her with a fake smile. ¡°You were a popr child when you were young. Your crazy father tried every means to take you away. He couldn¡¯t get his way through the proper legal channels, so he had to resort to underhanded methods!¡±

 Chapter 1485 - You Are His Medicine

    <h4>Chapter 1485: You Are His Medicine</h4>

    When Qin Yaoguang spoke about Gu Xiangwen, her tone was full of contempt and ridicule.

    Gu Nianzhi was disgusted and couldn¡¯t help interrupting her. ¡°No matter what my father did after that, he is still your ex-husband. He is someone you once loved. How can you talk about him like that? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re lowering your own status?¡±

    If she could nder her ex-husband like this, how could she be any better than him?

    Qin Yaoguangughed so hard that tears almost came out of her eyes. ¡°What? You¡¯re saying Gu Xiangwen is my ex-husband? Or someone I once loved? Oh my god! I haven¡¯tughed so hard in a long time.¡±

    Wen Shouyi alsoughed so hard that she almost couldn¡¯t straighten her back.

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused by theirughter.

    He Zhichu sighed and walked over to hold Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders without saying a word.

    Qin Yaoguang stopped smiling and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ve only loved one person in my entire life, and that person is General He Chengjian. I¡¯ve never married anyone else either. Gu Nianzhi, don¡¯t tter your father. I gave birth to you purely to treat young master He¡¯s illness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°! ! !¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve never treated me like your own daughter and have no feelings for me, then why are you still fighting for custody of me? Why didn¡¯t you give me to my father?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang said expressionlessly, ¡°Of course not. I went through so much trouble to give birth to you, and you¡¯re of great use to me. How can I let Gu Xiangwen get hold of you so easily?¡±

    Her gaze was emotionless as she looked at Gu Nianzhi calmly, as if she was looking at amodity waiting to be sold.

    She had no intention of treating her like a human being at all.

    Gu Nianzhi was thoroughly enraged by Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attitude.

    She no longer cared whether this woman was her biological mother or not.

    In her opinion, no one had the right to look at other people like that, not even her biological mother.

    Children were not their parents¡¯ items. A crimemitted by a parent against a child was still a crime. Thew could not be lenient just because it was their child that was harmed.

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she in fact calmed down.

    She crossed her legs and sat down on the single sofa in front of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s bed. She said calmly, ¡°Is that so? But unfortunately, I¡¯m already an adult. There¡¯s no need to fight your custodywsuit anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qin Yaoguang nodded. ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s no need. But no matter how old you are, you¡¯re still my daughter. I was pregnant for ten months and gave birth to you by Caesarean section. Our mother-daughter rtionship is protected by thew. It¡¯s no use even if you don¡¯t admit it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled.

    She crossed her arms and leaned back on the sofa. She found a veryfortable position and said casually, ¡°Is that so? Are you sure you want to debate with me on the legal issues of a mother-daughter rtionship? Do you know how many cases there are where mother-daughter rtionships were legally invalidated?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang replied, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Alright, cut the crap. Show me your so-called evidence.¡±Gu Nianzhi utterly suppressed Qin Yaoguang and immediately went intowyer mode.

    Qin Yaoguang came back to her senses and pursed her lips. She said to Wen Shouyi, ¡°Call my secretary and have her send over the sh drive from my desk.¡±

    Not long after the call, a woman in her thirties delivered the sh drive.

    Qin Yaoguang pointed at theputer in the ward. ¡°Go and see for yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the sh drive and inserted it into theptop. She began to look at it.

    There were the maternity test report, the birth records, and the birth certificate. There were also the pregnancy and childbirth videos. Although they weren¡¯t very long, the beautiful woman with long ck hair in them was Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang from twenty years ago was even more beautiful than she was now.

    She was also more alike to Gu Nianzhi.

    She nced through all the evidence and sent it to her phone before turning off theputer, pulling out the sh drive, and returning it to Qin Yaoguang.

    Even if the evidence was true, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care.

    No one could force her to acknowledge someone she didn¡¯t want to.

    Wen Shouyi sat beside Qin Yaoguang¡¯s bed and said with a smile, ¡°Actually, Aunt Qin still treasures you. Look at how badly you hurt Aunt Qin¡¯s hands. She didn¡¯t even think of suing you in court. You should know that Aunt Qin¡¯s hands are insured for a sky-high price...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Wen Shouyi. ¡°Sky-high price insurance?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Wen Shouyi tugged at the bandage on her injured hand and said softly, ¡°Aunt Qin is one of the top three neurosurgeons in the world. Of course, her hands are worth the sky-high price ofpensation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s not too bad; at least money is not lost.¡±

    Wen Shouyi frowned. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, how can you say that? Aunt Qin has been so kind to you. In all these years that you were not around, even though Aunt Qin didn¡¯t say it, she still misses you very much...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a ¡°Pause¡± gesture. ¡°Stop. Don¡¯t you feel guilty saying these things?¡±

    Then she pointed at Qin Yaoguang, who was lying on the bed. ¡°What part of her shows that she misses me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been on the other side for so many years. She clearly knew about it, yet she ignored me.¡±

    ¡°As soon as I came back, she couldn¡¯t wait to wipe my memory. After I stopped her fully, she pretended that I cut her hand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were very sharp. ¡°I¡¯m warning you not to do anything to me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you pay for it.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang raised her crippled hands and said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯m a brain surgeon. No matter how much I want act, I won¡¯t risk my hands like that!¡±

    ¡°Huh, that may not be,¡± Gu Nianzhi whistled softly and said with a smile, ¡°Whether or not you will risk your hands depends on what you can gain from it.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Qin will never be able to perform surgery again. What good will it do to her, as a doctor?¡± Wen Shouyi shifted a little on the hospital bed, a little further away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long legs.

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the single sofa, her long, straight legs almost stretching out towards them.

    Qin Zhining felt that Gu Nianzhi was too overbearing, so he walked over to sit next to Wen Shouyi. He frowned and said, ¡°Nianzhi, how can you talk to your own mother like that? You weren¡¯t like this when you were young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had refrained from rebuking Qin Zhining because Qin Zhining had no intention of harming her.

    However, she still gave Qin Zhining a warning look and said, ¡°Brother Little Ning, as a man, don¡¯t interrupt a woman when she¡¯s talking.¡±

    Qin Zhining was dumbfounded.

    Her words were so reasonable that he was speechless.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguang. In the blink of an eye, she had found several ways for Qin Yaoguang could ¡°benefit¡± from crippling her hand.

    She counted with her fingers. ¡°There are many benefits. First of all, if you hurt your hand, your Qin family¡¯s strange memory-stripping surgery cannot be passed down. Naturally, it cannot be taken over by the state.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang shook her head in amusement, she softly denied, ¡°You really think everyone is as calctive as you. I¡¯ve decided to hand this technique over to the state a long time ago. I¡¯ve even picked out the trainees. Even if my hand is hurt, my mouth isn¡¯t hurt; I can still teach them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That would be the best. But since you¡¯ve injured your hand, the things you can teach have been greatly reduced. So whether or not you¡¯re keeping this technique a secret, only the heavens would know about it, and only you and the ancestors of the Qin family would know.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, why do you have to think so badly of people?¡± Wen Shouyi looked at Qin Zhining with an incredulous expression. She exchanged a nce with Qin Zhining and leaned her head on his shoulder with a wry smile.

    Gu Nianzhi looked coldly at Qin Zhining¡¯s stupid face of ecstacy and pursed her lips. She continued, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to think so badly of people. It¡¯s that someone¡¯s so evil beyond my imagination. So I can only make normal deductions about you within the bounds of thew.¡±

    She looked at Qin Yaoguang and stretched out a second finger, ¡°Secondly, you set me up to act undoubtedly to show the He family that I¡¯m not worth you treating me like a daughter. Imagine a person who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to pull out a knife on her own mother. How could anyone believe that she was innocent in this abnormal mother-daughter rtionship?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang closed her eyes and said calmly, ¡°You can say whatever you want.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stretched out her third finger, ¡°Thirdly, if Professor He hadn¡¯t returned in time, I would have been drugged and had my memory erased by you. My mind would have been nk, and like an idiot, I would have be your possession again.¡±

    She recalled her extraordinary constitution and paused. She looked at Qin Yaoguang with a faint smile, thinking, ¡°Is she doing this for my special body constitution as well?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang opened her eyes and looked at her, saying very calmly, ¡°Yes, you were born to save young master He¡¯s life. You are his medicine, and your existence is only for his survival. ¡°So don¡¯t take yourself too seriously. You are just a medicine. The He family raised you only to treat young master He¡¯s illness.¡±

    He Zhichu turned his head and said calmly, ¡°My illness has already been cured. And to me, Nianzhi is my savior, not a medicine. Aunt Qin, don¡¯t be so harsh with your words.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked at He Zhichu and her tone obviously softened. ¡°Ah Chu, you dote on her too much. Jade is worth nothing without polishing it. If you dote on her, you¡¯re harming her. Look at how impudent she is now. She has no manners at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the churning thoughts in her heart. She smiled and said, ¡°Many people have donated their bone marrow to save lives, but no one thinks they¡¯re inferior just because they think they¡¯re just a cure.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Qin, don¡¯t you think your thinking is weird? You really don¡¯t sound like a normal person. As a kind-hearted passer-by, I suggest you see a psychologist. Maybe it¡¯ll work wonders.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang sneered. ¡°A psychologist? Just because I don¡¯t have any feelings for you as a mother, you¡¯re ndering your own mother like this?¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that, Miss Qin?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be very surprised, ¡°You have to take medicine when you¡¯re sick. It¡¯s not good to avoid medicine when you¡¯re sick. You¡¯re a doctor too, why can¡¯t you see this? Is it because it is difficult for doctors to cure themselves? Tsk tsk, it doesn¡¯t really matter. You¡¯re a brain surgeon, not a psychiatrist, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was full of sarcasm. Qin Yaoguang, who was extremely strong-willed, was almost unable to withstand it.

    Her expression gradually turned cold. She looked away and said, ¡°This is ridiculous. It¡¯s not up to you whether I have a mental problem or not.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not a psychiatrist.¡± Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her little nose in amusement, ¡°Actually, I was just making a suggestion. You¡¯re reacting so strongly, it¡¯s easy for me to assume that your strong denial is only proof of agreement.¡¯¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really overbearing.¡± Wen Shouyi spoke up for Qin Yaoguang. ¡°You¡¯re saying everything; truths, falsehoods, the nice and the malicious words.¡±

    ¡°How could I? You think too highly of my ability.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be modest, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a fourth point. Just now, Wen Shouyi said that your hand is insured by a sky-high price, so although your hand is injured, you won¡¯t suffer any losses. The one that will suffer losses is the insurancepany.¡±

    She smiled as she leaned over and said mysteriously, ¡°Can you tell me whichpany insured you?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Qin Yaoguang was alert. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash.¡±

    ¡°Why would I do anything rash?¡±Gu Nianzhi spread her hands. ¡°I just want to make a small fortune.¡±

    ¡°Make a fortune? Do you also have insurance?¡± Wen Shouyi asked curiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have insurance, but I want to go short the insurancepany¡¯s stock.¡± Gu Nianzhi said confidently, ¡°Mrs. Qin¡¯s hands will bepensated at a sky-high price, so even if the insurancepany doesn¡¯t go bankrupt, it will certainly take some damage, and its profit will be greatly reduced. If it¡¯s a listedpany, its stock will definitely plummet by the end of the quarter. If I don¡¯t short it now, am I going to wait till New Year¡¯s?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes sparkled, but she quickly turned her head away and said expressionlessly, ¡°Your thoughts are really vibrant.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just not bad. You tter me.¡± Gu Nianzhi cupped her fist and looked at the subtle expressions on Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi¡¯s faces. She pped her hands and smiled. ¡°Aiyo! I really underestimated you guys. You guys are already shorting that stockpany¡¯s stock, right?¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, On the one hand, by injuring your own hand, you don¡¯t have to hand over your techniques. You¡¯re also asking for sky-highpensation from the insurancepany, and you¡¯re shorting that insurancepany¡¯s stock at the same time. Ms. Qin, are you really a brain surgeon dedicated to medical technology?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re more like a trader who won¡¯t wake early without benefits,¡± Gu Nianzhi said tentatively.

    She had seen people who were truly dedicated to scientific research, such as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning.

    Compared to her, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attitude towards scientific research was nowhere near.

    Speaking of which, Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly, her big ck jade-like eyes curved like crescent moons. ¡°Then in order not to go bankrupt, that insurancepany will definitely sue you in court.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Qin, as your daughter,wyer Gu, let me give you a reminder. Stop short selling on the stock market immediately and don¡¯t ask for too muchpensation. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be summoned to court. The insurancepany will sue you for insurance fraud!¡±

    She smiled as she looked at Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi¡¯s suddenly pale faces, and she said slowly, dragging her words, ¡°Beg me quickly... or I¡¯ll testify for the insurancepany that you have both subjective motives and objective actions for insurance fraud. I¡¯m the culprit of your injured hand!¡±

    ¡°Haha, you want to treat her as a stepping stone and kill three birds with one stone to ascend to the peak of your life?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought.

    Lawyer Gu will make you lose everything!

 Chapter 1486 - Read Her Mind

    <h4>Chapter 1486: Read Her Mind</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang quickly calmed down and red at Gu Nianzhi in disgust. She turned to Wen Shouyi and said calmly, ¡°Shouyi, you¡¯re awyer who graduated from Harvard Law School. Do you think what she said makes sense?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°Does it have anything to do with whichw school she graduated from?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qin Yaoguang answered immediately, ¡°I heard that you only graduated from thew school of a domestic university. You don¡¯t have a degree from a foreignw school, and Shouyi is a true academic star. She was definitely one of the top 1% of Harvard Law School graduates.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the school she graduated from is better than mine, so her words make more sense than mine?¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she looked at Wen Shouyi with a subtle smile. ¡°Assistant Professor Wen, actually, I¡¯d like to go to court with you in a face-to-facewsuit. Let¡¯s see if B University¡¯sw students are better than Harvardw students.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was motivated by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude, and in front of Qin Yaoguang, she didn¡¯t want to be overshadowed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s imposing presence.

    Gu Nianzhi was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter, so she had a natural advantage. What did she have?

    In the seven years that Gu Nianzhi had been away, she had apanied Qin Yaoguang like a daughter would.

    Why did Gu Nianzhie back with all kinds of bossy provocations? Did she really think she was a princess?

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s own parents were only the He family¡¯s gardeners, so she was more sensitive than anyone else in this regard.

    Therefore, after some thought, Wen Shouyi said mercilessly, ¡°If you really want to go to the insurancepany and falsely use Aunt Qin of insurance fraud, then I¡¯ll have to convince Aunt Qin to do the right thing and sue you for intentional injury.¡±

    She pointed at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands that were tied up like dumplings. ¡°Look, you destroyed the hands of a world-famous brain surgeon with a fruit knife.¡±

    ¡°We had witnesses and physical evidence at the time, and the chain of evidence was veryplete. The reason we didn¡¯t directly sue you before was because Aunt Qin wanted to. You¡¯re her biological daughter. She wouldn¡¯t do such a thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid at all.

    On the contrary, when it came to going to court, she was abnormally excited.

    ¡°Fine, go ahead and sue me. I¡¯ll be a witness for the insurancepany, so it won¡¯t stop you from suing me.¡± Her eager expression almost writing ¡°sue me!¡± on her forehead Gu Nianzhi said with a smile.

    Qin Zhining watched from the side with his mouth agape. His attention waspletely drawn to Gu Nianzhi.

    Although she had told him not to interrupt, he couldn¡¯t sit still when she heard the tension between Wen Shouyi and her getting more and more intense.

    Moreover, he knew how powerful Wen Shouyi was. As for Gu Nianzhi, in his impression, she was still the chubby, fragile little girl He Zhichu had protected seven years ago.

    She was no match for Wen Shouyi...

    Qin Zhining liked Wen Shouyi, but that didn¡¯t mean he had to watch as Gu Nianzhi was dragged into the pit by Wen Shouyi.

    This little girl had called him brother Little Ning for six years. He couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch her fall into a predicament.

    Qin Zhining cleared his throat and tried to smooth things over. ¡°Nianzhi, just apologize. You injured Aunt Qin so badly. Even if it was self-defense, it was a little too much. Besides, she¡¯s your biological mother!¡±

    Without waiting for Gu Nianzhi to re at him, he said to Wen Shouyi, ¡°Shouyi, you too. You¡¯re so much older than her. How can you be so calctive with her? You¡¯re not that kind of person. I know you¡¯re the most generous and kind-hearted girl. Don¡¯t scare her.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had been smiling when she heard Qin Zhining¡¯s earlier words.

    She hadn¡¯t expected to be struck by Qin Zhining¡¯sst words before her smile had even faded.

    She was so angry that she was trembling.

    What did he mean by being so much older than her?!

    She was only six years older than her!

    Besides, she was just stating the facts. How was she being calctive? !

    However, she had always been very level-headed and magnanimous in front of Qin Zhining. She had never acted like Gu Nianzhi, who was acting like a spoiled child at such a young age.

    After hearing what Qin Zhining said, she was even embarrassed to act coquettishly.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Wen Shouyi¡¯s face had turned red from Qin Zhining¡¯sst words and she appeared as if she was about to have a brain hemorrhage. She immediatelyughed.

    She nodded, ¡°Brother Little Ning, it indeed never rains without pouring. What you said today was really good. Yes, I was defending myself, but I didn¡¯t hurt Mrs. Qin. The injury on Mrs. Qin¡¯s hand was a mistake in her judgment and she took the initiative to grab the knife, but she was still my biological mother, so let¡¯s just say I was wrong. I apologize to you, and I promise I will never take out a fruit knife again. Even though you were the one who asked Wen Shouyi to take out the fruit knife and put it by my hand.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked at her coldly and said aloofly, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve it. I told you that I don¡¯t regard you as my biological daughter, and you shouldn¡¯t regard me as your biological mother either. That responsibility is too heavy, and I can¡¯t afford it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°Fine, then don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t apologize. ¡°You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t ept it, so it¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll stay out of each other¡¯s way from now on. Don¡¯t say that you¡¯re my mother, but I definitely won¡¯t say that I¡¯m your daughter. Lawyer He andwyer Wen are all here, so let¡¯s sign a consent form immediately to severe our mother-daughter rtionship.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang berated coldly, ¡°Haven¡¯t you had enough?! What are you doing here today?!¡±

    She nced at He Zhichu quickly.

    He Zhichu put his hands in his pockets and stood silently beside Gu Nianzhi. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

    Qin Yaoguang could only look down and sigh. she rubbed her forehead and said, ¡°I know you¡¯reining that I shouldn¡¯t have brought people to perform the surgery on you, but ording to the security regtions, you do have to undergo the surgery. I can¡¯t perform the surgery personally right now, but after I recover, I¡¯ll train a group of people and guide them to perform the surgery.¡±

    In other words, she had to perform Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surgery even if she didn¡¯t want to. She was even willing to use the legal terms to pressure her.

    These words were thest straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, this biological mother was already dead to her now. She would never acknowledge her as her mother.

    She didn¡¯t remember anything about her childhood, but even if she did, she wouldn¡¯t be able to make decisions for herself. She would probably be exploited by this woman.

    But now that she had grown up, if she was still being exploited by this woman with the word ¡°biological mother,¡± then she would have wasted seven years of her life growing up in the Special Operations Forces.

    To put it bluntly, she had 10,000 ways to make this woman regret giving birth to her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know who her personality resembled. She wouldpassionately repay the kindness that others had shown her by tendfold.

    But if others treated her badly, whether it was her biological father or mother, she wouldn¡¯t be merciful. In her mind, there was no such thing as absolute obedience to her parents.

    Her patience was very limited. The word ¡°vengeful¡±could be engraved on her epitaph.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers were itching. She rubbed them a few times and looked at Qin Yaoguang with a smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give up on the surgery?¡±

    Just as she was about to speak again, He Zhichu opened his mouth. ¡°Miss Qin, Nianzhi doesn¡¯t need the surgery.¡±

    Qin yaoguang¡¯s pupils dited imperceptibly.

    He Zhichu actually didn¡¯t call her ¡°Auntie Qin¡± but like Gu Nianzhi, he called her ¡°Mrs. Qin¡±..

    She felt choked for a moment and quickly said, ¡°Ah-Chu, you can¡¯t break the rules for her. ording to the security regtions...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s gleaming almond-shaped eyes nced at Gu Nianzhi and he said coldly, ¡°Mrs. Qin, you¡¯re indeed worthy of praise for being fair and square. However, the one who needs the surgery isn¡¯t Nianzhi, but her.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Wen Shouyi. ¡°Wen Shouyi is the one who needs the surgery the most.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He!¡± Wen Shouyi stood up anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m your personal secretary! I¡¯m inpliance with the security regtions!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not anymore.¡± He Zhichu was unusually cold. ¡°I just sent a message to the military to strip you of your position as my personal secretary. You have been fired from your military post and won¡¯t enjoy any security privileges.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is both my fianc¨¦e and my personal secretary. She is the one who fully meets the requirements of the security regtions.¡±

    He Zhichu no longer tolerated Wen Shouyi.

    Today, he had seen with his own eyes that she followed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lead and spared no effort to oppress Gu Nianzhi. He Zhichu¡¯s hatred for her hadpletely exploded.

    He Zhichu really couldn¡¯t do anything about Qin Yaoguang. Not only was she his savior, but she was also his father¡¯s wife.

    Although he was very displeased, he wouldn¡¯t personally go against her.

    However, he wasn¡¯t so polite to Wen Shouyi.

    Who was she to him?

    Was it fun to use Qin Yaoguang¡¯s influence to help her oppress her own daughter?

    He Zhichu actually didn¡¯t understand what these two women were doing.

    They clearly knew Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position in his heart, yet they still troubled her in front of him. Did they think he, He Zhichu, was a fool, or were they intentionally pping his face?

    Or weree they trying to test how far he could go for Gu Nianzhi?

    Her eyes almost popping out of their sockets, Qin Yaoguang looked up in surprise. ¡°Zhichu! How can you just let her leave like that?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my personal secretary, so of course she can leave like that. Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t even make decisions for my personal secretary?¡± He Zhichu said matter-of-factly. ¡°And I¡¯m a major general, so I happen to be in charge of the political department. I can also make decisions about her military status.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face turned white in an instant. It was the color of white ster. Although it was white, it carried an indescribable weight, like a mask made of ster.

    She didn¡¯t notice that He Zhichu had said that he wanted to strip her of her position as personal secretary. Instead, she focused entirely on He Zhichu saying that Gu Nianzhi was his fianc¨¦e.

    She cried out in a low voice, ¡°Gu Nianzhi is already engaged to Huo Shaoheng! She¡¯s no longer your fianc¨¦e!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to admit that she was engaged to He Zhichu, but seeing how agitated Wen Shouyi was, she couldn¡¯t help wanting to stab her in the back and show He Zhichu what Wen Shouyi was thinking..

    She deliberately leaned her head on He Zhichu¡¯s shoulder and saidzily, ¡°That¡¯s over there. Do you think thew here can control that?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s sparkling almond-shaped eyes shone with joy, and his cold and clear voice brought warmth to the heart.

    He said, ¡°... Of course not.¡±As he spoke, he hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder even tighter.

    Just behind them, someone used a telephoto lens to secretly capture their figures, side by side and hugging each other.

    Wen Shouyi used all her strength to restrain herself from shouting.

    But her heart was already deste.

    The wish she had been secretly hoping for all these years seemed to have been shattered in an instant.

    Gu Nianzhi was still deliberately provoking her. ¡°Wen Shouyi, why are you reacting so strongly towards me and Professor He? Don¡¯t you like Brother Little Ning? Or have you always been secretly in love with Professor He? hahahaha...¡±

    Wen Shouyi opened her mouth and wanted to retort, but when she saw He Zhichu looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side profile affectionately, she felt bitter and sour. It took a lot of effort for her to say, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Of course... I like Qin Zhining.¡±

    Qin Zhining was also anxious and quickly said, ¡°Young Master He, what do you mean by this? How can you retreat just like that?¡±

    He Zhichu was much more perceptive than Qin Zhining. He could tell that something was wrong with Wen Shouyi, so of course he wouldn¡¯t keep her by his side.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Zhining sympathetically and tugged at the corner of He Zhichu¡¯s shirt.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand slipped down and he held her hand. He said to Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Mrs. Qin, please take care of Wen Shouyi¡¯s surgery.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang gave a wry smile. ¡°Ah-Chu, you... ah, forget it, forget it. I have a terrible headache. You guys can go back first. I need to rest.¡± As she spoke, she gestured for Wen Shouyi toy down the bed for her and cover her with the nket, then she closed her eyes. It looked like she really wanted to rest.

    Gu Nianzhi despised her in her heart and didn¡¯t want to stay here. She said, ¡°Professor He, let¡¯s go too.¡±

    He Zhichu suppressed the excitement in his heart and nodded slightly. ¡°Then you can rest, Mrs. Qin. We¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    When he and Gu Nianzhi reached the door, he turned to Qin Yaoguang and said, ¡°Mrs. Qin, take good care of yourself. In a few days, I¡¯ll be holding a grand banquet for Gu Nianzhi to wee her back.¡±

 Chapter 1487 - Say Things That You Donâ€™t Mean

    <h4>Chapter 1487: Say Things That You Don¡¯t Mean</h4>

    After He Zhichu left with Gu Nianzhi, Wen Shouyi said to Qin Zhining, ¡°You can go back first. Aunt Qin is too tired. I¡¯m also tired.¡±

    Qin Zhining quickly said, ¡°I can stay and take care of you.¡±

    ¡°We have professional care,¡± Wen Shouyi said with a smile and gave Qin Zhining a gentle push. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re also very tired. If you¡¯re too exhausted, my heart will ache.¡±

    Qin Zhining was beaming from ear to ear. He left Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ward in satisfaction and went back.

    After Qin Zhining left, Wen Shouyi stood alone in front of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s bed. She wanted to say something, but stopped herself.

    Qin Yaoguang, of course, didn¡¯t ¡°rest.¡± She just didn¡¯t want to have any more conflicts with He Zhichu because of Gu Nianzhi.

    After everyone in the ward had left, Qin Yaoguang opened her eyes and said calmly, ¡°Hurry up and inform my second uncle to stop short selling the stock of that insurancepany.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was stunned. ¡°You still believe Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had said that if they short selled the shares of that insurancepany, the other party would face both sky-highpensation and an avnche slide in the stock price. They would definitely take the risk and sue Qin Yaoguang for insurance fraud.

    In fact, Qin Yaoguang hadn¡¯t officially offeredpensation to that insurancepany and was still in the stage of short selling the shares.

    Unexpectedly, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words did make Qin Yaoguang rmed.

    It wasn¡¯t that she was short of money to such an extent. Short selling the stock was a habit of hers, so she didn¡¯t think too much about it.

    Now that she thought about it, there was indeed a drawback, so she wisely stopped.

    Wen Shouyi looked at Qin Yaoguang saying things that she didn¡¯t mean, and felt a chill rise up in her chest.

    With Gu Nianzhi around, she was truly invisible in the eyes of these people..

    After seven years of hard work, she had thought that she had social climbed and entered Huaxia Empire¡¯s upper ss society through her own achievements.

    However, once Gu Nianzhi returned, not only did He Zhichu immediately turn hostile, but even Qin Yaoguang, who had never treated Gu Nianzhi as her own daughter, was quietly changing her attitude.

    Wen Shouyi really didn¡¯t want to put up with it anymore.

    How was she worse than Gu Nianzhi?

    Didn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi simply have sheer good luck?

    She was the daughter of Qin Yaoguang and Gu Xiangwen, but she was only the gardener¡¯s daughter.

    No matter how hard she worked, even if her academic results were better than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and her work results were better than hers, she couldn¡¯tpare to her.

    She smiled and tucked Qin Yaoguang in, then said gently, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go tell Second Uncle Qin.¡±

    ..

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t go home immediately after leaving the Qin family¡¯s private hospital. Instead, they went to a restaurant for lunch.

    They drove to the parking lot of the restaurant, but Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get out.

    She sat in the passenger seat and whispered to He Zhichu, ¡°Professor He, I only said that to provoke Wen Shouyi in Mrs. Qin¡¯s room today. I didn¡¯t mean anything else.¡±

    He Zhichu was a little disappointed. He put his hand on the steering wheel and said nonchntly, ¡°I understand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Our unmarried rtionship doesn¡¯t actually exist legally, does it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had left He Zhichu when she was 12 years old. Even though her parents had made a verbal agreement before, it had only been a verbal agreement.

    A legal engagement required both parties to be adults, which was eighteen years old.

    He Zhichu smiled wryly and reached out to caress Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Why did you studyw?¡±

    And she was so good at it.

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled. ¡°Are you disappointed that I¡¯m not stupid or sweet, Professor He?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± He Zhichu retracted his hand and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful and sweet, but not stupid.¡±

    ¡°If all my memories are remove, then I¡¯ll really be stupid and sweet.¡± Gu Nianzhi put her hand on the car window thoughtfully. ¡°I thought Miss Qin was really enforcing thew impartially, but when it came to Wen Shouyi, she immediately changed her mind.¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi was sent to the He family, He Zhichu didn¡¯t know that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s rtionship with Gu Nianzhi was like this.

    At that time, he remembered that Gu Xiangwen had taken the initiative to send Gu Nianzhi to the He family.

    He Zhichu knew that this little girl had been born to save his life, and that she had indeed seeded in doing so.

    He was very grateful to her and agreed to his parents¡¯ request. He promised to marry this little girl when she grew up and take care of her for the rest of her life.

    Qin Yaoguang had been present at the time. She had been so excited that she had even wiped away her tears.

    He Zhichu was still a little surprised to see Gu Nianzhi, who was six years old, on the first day.

    She was hugging her doll. She was slender and petite, very alert and quiet. She liked to hide under the table and secretly observe him.

    Compared to other six-year-olds, she was too quiet and obedient.

    He Zhichu originally felt more of responsibility and gratefulness than anything else.

    But when he saw Gu Nianzhi like this, he suddenly felt a sense of pity for her.

    He let Gu Nianzhi stay in the suite next to his, woke her up every morning, had breakfast with her, and hired a private tutor to teach her elementary school lessons.

    In the evening, He Zhichu came back from school, and the two of them had dinner together.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had just arrived at his house, didn¡¯t argue or cry. She was so well-behaved that it made one¡¯s heart ache.

    He Zhichu asked his father to send four female soldiers to take care of her.

    When he wasn¡¯t at home, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be left alone for even a second. It was either the female soldiers or the tutors. There were at least three people by her side.

    Under his meticulous care, Gu Nianzhi slowly became lively and plump. She would sit at the door and wait for him toe home, theen tell him what she had done that day.

    She would tell him what she wanted. She would no longer just look at him with admiration, but take the initiative.

    He Zhichu treated her like a little sister, and He Zhichu¡¯s mother doted on her like a daughter.

    After He Zhichu went to university, Gu Nianzhi was personally taken care of by his mother.

    However, a year before he graduated from university, his mother suddenly died. Gu Xiangwen was thest person to see his mother, so he became a suspect in connection with his mother¡¯s death and became wanted throughout the entire world.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t live on campus anymore. He joined the army and took over the military post while taking care of Gu Nianzhi. He alsoforted his father, who had fallen ill in bed because of his mother¡¯s sudden death.

    The past was still vivid in his mind. The little girl who had be more cheerful by his side all those years ago was now sitting beside him and calmly trying to draw a line between them.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes sadly and said with a wry smile, ¡°Can¡¯t you coax me more? Even if it isn¡¯t sincere, can¡¯t you coax me for a few more days?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also felt bad. She turned her head away and said softly,¡±... Professor he, I¡¯m a married woman. I can¡¯t let Major General Huo down.¡±

    ¡°But you got married over there. We don¡¯t recognize your marriage here.¡± He Zhichu muttered, ¡°And, do you really want to wait for him toe find you?¡±

    ¡°Even if he¡¯s willing toe over after the technological breakthrough, how long will you have to wait? One year, two years, five years, ten years?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice became colder and colder, ¡°Besides, you know very well that Huo Shaoheng won¡¯t abandon his responsibility ande over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi actually thought the same.

    But even if Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯te over, she wasn¡¯t ready to ept He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was like an elder brother and a friend to her. She had no romantic feelings for him.

    ¡°Professor He, my heart is in emotional turmoil right now. I haven¡¯t thought about these things yet. Can you give me some time to think about it?¡± Gu Nianzhi said carefully. She didn¡¯t want topletely dismiss He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you as much time as you want.¡±

    ¡°Then can you not mention our unmarried rtionship at your banquet?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want everyone to know about this. It would be bad if it became an aplished fact.

    He Zhichu understood what she meant. Although he was reluctant, he still nodded and agreed.

    Therefore, at the He family¡¯s banquet this time, they would only say that they weed Gu Nianzhi back and wouldn¡¯t say anything else.

    It could also be considered as restoring her status.

    The two of them got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. They had a good meal.

    He Zhichu became very talkative. He constantly introduced the signature dishes here to Gu Nianzhi. He also talked about the local customs here. He exined the simrities and differences between the ces over there in great detail.

    Gu Nianzhi also listened very seriously.

    The two of them had a meal for nearly three hours...

    When they reached home, He Zhichu said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I want to talk to father about the banquet. Shall we go together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated but agreed.

    He Zhichu brought Gu Nianzhi to He Chengjian¡¯s study and asked to see He Chengjian.

    The door to He Chengjian¡¯s study opened. Wen Shouyi was standing inside, smiling at them.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Wen Shouyi? You recovered so quickly and were discharged?¡±

    Wen Shouyi raised her bandaged arm and said, ¡°How could I recover so quickly from a gunshot wound? I was discharged, but Auntie Qin had something to say to General He, so she asked me to deliver the message.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°Is it about your military position and your personal secretary position?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled and hid her emotions so well that even Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t tell. She muttered to herself: how could she let it go so quickly?

    The three of them walked in. He Chengjian smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! Ah-Chu, you¡¯re going to hold a banquet for Nianzhi, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu. ¡°Did you text general he about this?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t even spoken yet, how did He Chengjian find out?

    He Zhichu shook his head.

    He Chengjian saw this and smiled. ¡°It was Yaoguang who called me just now. She said that you told her about the banquet at the hospital and asked Shouyi toe back and talk to me about the details of the banquet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    He Zhichu was displeased. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to prepare for the banquet. You don¡¯t have to worry about it, Miss Wen.¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled but did not say anything.

    He Chengjian said happily, ¡°Yaoguang suggested that we use the banquet as an opportunity for the two of you to get officially engaged. Then we can immediately prepare for the wedding. You two can get married when the flowers bloom in spring next year. What do you two think? That¡¯s what I was thinking!¡±

 Chapter 1488 - Nothing Forcibly Done Is Going To Be Agreeable

    <h4>Chapter 1488: Nothing Forcibly Done Is Going To Be Agreeable</h4>

    He Chengjian had just finished speaking when He Zhichu quickly asked, ¡°Wen Shouyi no longer has any security privileges. How did she get into this study?¡±

    He ced his hands in his trouser pockets and stood beside Gu Nianzhi elegantly. His almond-shaped eyes were cold and clear as he stared at Wen Shouyi emotionlessly.

    Wen Shouyi froze, then blushed. She pretended to be calm and said, ¡°General He let me in.¡±

    He Chengjian waved his hand and said nonchntly, ¡°Yaoguang asked her to talk to me about something else. We can talk in the study. It¡¯s fine. I let her in.¡±

    Since He Chengjian had agreed, He Zhichu no longer pressed the issue. He said indifferently, ¡°I suggested this banquet to wee Nianzhi back. As for the engagement and marriage, they have to be serious ceremonies. There¡¯s no need to rush to bring it up at the weing banquet. It would be too disrespectful to Nianzhi.¡±

    The weing banquet was a weing banquet, and the engagement was an engagement. Although it wasn¡¯t a big deal to have two matters mixed into one banquet, for people of their social ss, it indeed wasn¡¯t serious enough. It was obvious that the man didn¡¯t value the woman enough. That was why he had ¡°conveniently¡± announced the ¡°engagement¡± at the weing party.

    He Chengjian thought about it and felt that He Zhichu¡¯s words made sense.

    However, what he was most concerned about wasn¡¯t whether he took this matter seriously or not, but whether or not Gu Nianzhi married He Zhichu immediately. Only then could he rest assured.

    Not knowing if her heart had already returned to He Zhichu, he looked Gu Nianzhi up and down.

    Wen Shouyi smiled and nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Did you see that? The He family indeed treats you very well. Although Auntie Qin has always said that she doesn¡¯t regard you as her own daughter, she doesn¡¯t actually mean that. She has always had you in her heart. She has never neglected your happiness.¡±

    ¡°Being able to marry Young Master He and marry into the He family is a blessing from your past life.¡±

    ¡°All the singledies in Huaxia Empire are desperate to marry him. Of course, such a good opportunity is only reserved for her own biological daughter!¡±

    Her words not onlyplimented He Chengjian, but also helped to smooth things over for Qin Yaoguang.

    Even He Zhichu had to admit that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s proposal was somewhat motherly.

    Or else, after her behavior in the ward of the Qin hospital, He Zhichu¡¯s impression of her was really terrible.

    In He Chengjian¡¯s heart, of course, his son was the best. There were only people his son didn¡¯t want, and there was no girl who didn¡¯t want his son.

    Even if there was, she was temporarily blind. As time passed, he would know how good his son was.

    He had spent so much effort to get Gu Nianzhi back, just so she could be together with He Zhichu.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s suggestion had indeed made He Chengjian very fond of her.

    He Chengjian was ted to hear it. ¡°Shouyi, you¡¯re exaggerating. I¡¯m actually old. As long as you juniors can be happy together, I¡¯ll die without regrets.¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly smiled. ¡°General He, don¡¯t say that. You¡¯re still young. You still have to watch Young Master He and Miss Gu have children. You have grandchildren!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Grandchildren?¡± He Chengjian¡¯s eyes lit up. His gaze swept between He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darkened as she watched Wen Shouyi draw the cake bigger and bigger for He Chengjian. She had no choice but to ask, ¡°Miss Wen, what do you mean by that? In the ward today, Mrs. Qin and I had already made things clear. She didn¡¯t treat me like her biological daughter, and I didn¡¯t treat her as my biological mother. We almost signed a severance agreement. Where did you get the audacity to turn around and interfere with my personal marriage?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re still ming Auntie Qin?¡± Wen Shouyi acted as if she had suddenly realized something. ¡°But in the ward today, Auntie Qin was too impatient. You¡¯re also too saucy and looking for a needle in a haystack. Isn¡¯t that why you two started arguing?¡±

    She continued to click her tongue. ¡°Actually, after watching you two talk in the ward today, no one really believes that you two aren¡¯t mother and daughter. You two are simrly stubborn!¡±

    When He Chengjian heard this, he realized that Gu Nianzhi had gone to see Qin Yaoguang today, and she seemed to have caused a scene. He quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi, your mother is indeed straightforward. She says whatever she thinks. Although her words might not be pleasant to hear, she doesn¡¯t hold a grudge against others. She forgets about it after she says it. She¡¯s devoted to medicine and isn¡¯t very knowledgeable about the ways of the world.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and thought to herself, so it turns out that Ms. Qin Yaoguang was using the ¡°blunt scientist¡± persona in front of General He...

    This persona was indeed very interesting. If she offended you, she would y it off as being ignorant of the ways of the world, and if she said the wrong thing, she would y it off as being blunt.

    F * ck, she waspletely invincible.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. Gu Nianzhi also knew how to use personas.

    She was now a ¡°cabbage that craved motherly love yet was abandoned by her own mother¡± character...

    Let¡¯s see who could act who better.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes reddened, and tears immediately fell. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a blunt person. She can say in front of me that she doesn¡¯t treat me as her own daughter, but I¡¯ve been yearning for the love of a mother for so many years. What I want most is a biological mother who dotes on me, loves me, and puts me first. She was blunt, but she is also the director of a big hospital. With so many people¡¯s lives in her hands, how could she not know how to speak? ¡ª She just thought that she didn¡¯t need to put in the effort to speak properly to me.¡±

    He Zhichu thought of what he had seen in the ward that day and felt extremely sorry for Gu Nianzhi. He put his arm around her shoulder and patted her gently.

    He Chengjian saw that Gu Nianzhi was crying and felt sorry for her. He quickly handed her a tissue and said, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t cry. If you feel wronged because your mother goes overboard tell, Uncle He, Uncle He will have a good talk with her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the tissue and wiped her tears, then said aggrievedly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t know the ways of the world, but I¡¯m also an orphan who has no parents and lives under someone else¡¯s roof. Who taught me the ways of the world? How old is she? How old am I? She¡¯d never fulfilled her responsibilities as my mother, yet now she wants to control my marriage? I really can¡¯t ept that.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s mouth twitched as she watched from the side.

    Since when did Gu Nianzhi ¡°crave the love of a mother¡±?!

    She had been following Huo Shaoheng over there. From how smug and arrogant she had been ¡ª how was she like a ¡°little orphan who had no parents and lived under someone else¡¯s roof¡±?

    This was too obvious a lie.

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips. She smiled apologetically and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re too sensitive. A child doesn¡¯t speak of her mother¡¯s faults. Even if Auntie Qin didn¡¯t pay attention to what she said, it was because she treated you as her own daughter. Does she have to choose her words carefully when speaking to her own daughter? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too distant?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back her tears, and she said seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Even if you¡¯re very close like family, you still need to have basic manners. Moreover, she already said that she doesn¡¯t regard me as her own daughter, so your premise isn¡¯t valid. Since your premise isn¡¯t valid, then your conclusion also isn¡¯t valid, so don¡¯t bite the bullet and defend her.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face turned red from her rebuke, and she said embarrassingly, ¡°Haha, this isn¡¯t a court ofw, so do we still need to rely on logical deduction?¡±

    ¡°Miss Wen, you¡¯re also awyer. I thought that speaking logically was awyer¡¯s upational habit.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears quickly returned. ¡°Besides, do you really think that her proposal is to treat me as her biological daughter? You¡¯re too naive.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had always been known for being ¡°level-headed and magnanimity,¡± but no one had ever called her ¡°naive¡±.

    She was so angry that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to let go. She reflexively asked, ¡°How didn¡¯t she treat you as her biological daughter? She¡¯s chosen such a good marriage for you, yet you¡¯re still not satisfied?! No matter how many people beg for it, they can¡¯t get it...¡±

    Her face full of anger, Gu Nianzhi turned her head away and said, ¡°If she really treats me like her own daughter, she should be concerned about what kind of person I like and who I¡¯m willing to marry! She shouldn¡¯t be so eager to suck up to others and sell me like amodity!¡±

    He Chengjian frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Yaoguang knows what¡¯s good for you and knows that you¡¯re the one Zhichu loves the most, so what¡¯s wrong with suggesting that you get engaged and get married right away?¡±

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s something wrong.¡± Gu Nianzhi even refuted He Chengjian¡¯s words. ¡°Who¡¯s the most important person to you, Uncle He?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s Zhichu,¡± He Chengjian said without hesitation.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Then what did you think about when you were considering who Professor He should marry?¡±

    ¡°Of course I was thinking about the girl Zhichu loves the most. Letting him marry the girl he loves the most is my biggest wish.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and said enviously, ¡°Professor He is so lucky to have a father like you.¡±

    To He Zhichu, this father was the best he could hope for.

    ¡°But has Ms. Qin considered my feelings? Does she know who the person I love the most is? No! To her, the most important thing is to please uncle he, to make your son happy, not to consider the wishes of my ¡®biological daughter¡¯!¡±

    ¡°If people who don¡¯t know heard this, they¡¯d think she was Professor He¡¯s biological mother!¡±

    ¡°Did she ask who I liked? Who I wanted to marry?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t ask anything! Now she¡¯s saying she¡¯s my biological mother. How disgusting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said as she nced at He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu felt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze and understood what she meant. He felt an unspeakable pain in his heart.

    However, he had promised Gu Nianzhi that he wouldn¡¯t go back on his word.

    Gu Nianzhi still had feelings for Huo Shaoheng and was still unwilling to ept him.

    If he didn¡¯t say something to express his stance, this youngdy would probably fall out with him on the spot.

    However, before He Zhichu could say anything, He Chengjian¡¯s expression had already changed. He asked sternly, ¡°You¡¯ve said so much, so does that mean you¡¯re still unwilling to be with Zhichu?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t beat around the bush and simply told him the truth. ¡°As you know, I¡¯m already engaged to someone else. The matter with your son is actually just a verbal engagement between the two parents when we were young. It has no legal effect.¡±

    ¡°If you insist on going against my wishes, then try it. I¡¯ll let you guys see that nothing forcibly done is going to be agreeable!¡±

 Chapter 1489 - You Did This On Purpose, Didnâ€™t You?

    <h4>Chapter 1489: You Did This On Purpose, Didn¡¯t You?</h4>

    Who was He Chengjian?

    Perhaps no one had ever spoken to him like this in his entire life. Even though He Zhichu had sometimes gone against him, he had never spoken to him in such a rude manner.

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression changed the moment Gu Nianzhi said those harsh words.

    Wen Shouyi panicked. ¡°General He, please don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s fine! Nianzhi, can¡¯t you speak properly?!¡±

    As she spoke, she helped He Chengjian sit down and frantically called the He family¡¯s family doctor. Hearing that He Chengjian had fallen ill, the family doctors rushed out of the study in less than a minute.

    He Chengjian clenched his fists and felt a buzzing sound in his ears. All the blood seemed to have rushed to his brain, and his vision was a little blurry.

    He allowed Wen Shouyi to help him sit down. He covered his heart with his hand and slowly calmed his breathing.

    He Zhichu was also shocked. He opened the study room door and called a family doctor in.

    This person was the head of the family doctor. He walked in with a medicine box on his back and walked straight to He Chengjian.

    When he saw his expression, he immediately said, ¡°You have angina. Hurry up and take some medicine.¡±

    They all had the usual medicine for angina.

    He Zhichu poured a ss of water and took the medicine from the doctor personally. He gave it to He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian took the medicine and rested on the chair with his eyes closed for a while before he recovered.

    The buzzing in his ears disappeared, and his vision became clear. The color on his face gradually returned to normal.

    However, his chest was still a little stuffy.

    Gu Nianzhi saw how angry he chengjian was and felt a little regretful.

    Had she gone too far?

    He Zhichu looked intently at He Chengjian and poured him another ss of warm water. ¡°Drink some more?¡±

    He Chengjian drank the water from his hand and looked at the family doctor in the room. He said, ¡°Zhichu, help me send the doctor over and bring me a few more bottles of medicine. I don¡¯t have much medicine left.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded and followed the doctor out.

    After He Zhichu left, He Chengjian sat for a while before looking at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned over to his desk and said shyly, ¡°General he, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    If anything happened to He Chengjian because of her words, she would be at fault.

    He Chengjian looked at her darkly. After a while, he said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re not that young anymore. You¡¯re already neen, right? You¡¯re going to be twenty in October?¡±

    It would be less than a month.

    Her mood instantly downcast, Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    Her twentieth birthday wasing up, but Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t celebrate her birthday anymore.

    She really didn¡¯t want to celebrate her birthday anymore.

    He Chengjian looked at her absent-minded expression and thought about his son¡¯s forbearance. His hands secretly clenched into fists.

    Seven years, was she really that irresistible?

    What was wrong with his son?

    Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t seem to notice their emotional state, and she smiled slightly. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be too willful. With such good conditions, what are you still doing? As for your engagement with Major General Huo, it¡¯s almost a matter of another world. Just treat it as if you¡¯re dreaming.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a dream, there¡¯s no need to take it seriously.¡±

    He Chengjian observed Gu Nianzhi attentively and saw that she didn¡¯t seem to think much of it. It was probably because her earlier words made him so mad that he didn¡¯t continue arguing with Wen Shouyi.

    It seemed that getting her to be with He Zhichu wasn¡¯t something that could be aplished overnight.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and said calmly, ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t a dream. We both know that it¡¯s a real space-time existence.¡±

    ¡°So what if it exists? You can¡¯t even go there now,¡± Wen Shouyi said lightly, ¡°Their science and technology are far behind ours, so they won¡¯t be able to get there anytime soon. Maybe in 50 or 100 years, their technology will advance by leaps and bounds.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    He Chengjian also said, ¡°In the past few years, I often used maic field transmissions with Shouyi, so the maic field¡¯s energy consumption was already high. This time, when bringing you back, something went wrong midway, and the maic field device went out of control. Not only did it consume most of our energy, but it almost lost you and Zhining.¡±

    ¡°I left thest batch of energy to support him when he first came back.¡± He Chengjian sighed, ¡°Otherwise, perhaps Nianzhi and the others wouldn¡¯t havended on Snake Ind in the Caribbean. The remaining energy ispletely insufficient to form a maic resonance.¡±

    He shook his head disapprovingly.

    Wen Shouyi continued to persuade Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Look, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want you to go back on purpose, but even if we wanted to send you back now, there¡¯s nothing we can do. Without enough maic field energy, we can¡¯t activate the maic resonance, so of course we can¡¯t transmit it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was in agony, but she forced herself not to cry in front of them.

    She could cry when she was acting, but she had to express her true feelings, so she didn¡¯t want to cry anymore.

    When she was truly sad, she would hide and cry alone. Those were her real tears.

    The tears that flowed in front of people didn¡¯t count. Everyone knew that they were all thousand-year-old foxes, and their acting were superb.

    ¡°... So stop fooling around. When the banquet is held, tell everyone about your engagement to Young Master He.¡± Wen Shouyi brought it up again. ¡°If you want to take a step back in order to advance, you have to know your limits. How can you y around with the important matter of marriage?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely annoyed. She looked at Wen Shouyi with a sullen face and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve always spoke my mind. I¡¯ve never taken a step back in order to advance. Don¡¯t judge others by your own standards or use your own thoughts to judge others.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the most virtuous.¡± Wen Shouyi picked up her Hermes tinum bag from the sofa and hung it on her arm. She was no longer polite. ¡°I¡¯ve already said so much, but you still won¡¯t let me go. I want to remind you that without the He family, you¡¯re nothing. Why are you putting on a show?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m putting on a show?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed in anger. ¡°I¡¯ve been saying this for so long. Do you think I¡¯m deliberately ying hard to get?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Wen Shouyi had a good temper. As she walked towards the door, she said, ¡°Actually, you just get things too easily. You never cherish things that are too easy to get.¡±

    ¡°Unlike people like me, whoe from poor families, and my parents are only gardeners, so I have to work harder than you to be able to sit in the same position as you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood Wen Shouyi¡¯s intentions.

    Wasn¡¯t she just mocking her and saying that she was relying on the He family to raise her status?

    She put her hands in her pockets and took two steps forward. She said to Wen Shouyi¡¯s back, ¡°I never meant to look down on your background. You can¡¯t choose where youe from, just like I can¡¯t choose my parents, but you can choose which path you choose.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her. She said with a faint smile, ¡°You¡¯re already standing at the top, even though you¡¯re relying on the He family, so it¡¯s easy for you to say that just because you¡¯re standing there.¡±

    Unlike her, even though she was already at the He family¡¯s door, she could be kicked out at any time.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and said without batting an eye, ¡°You really care about the He family. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m nothing if I leave the He Family.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not afraid of hurting your feelings. You really are nothing if you leave the He family.¡± Wen Shouyi was no longer polite. There was still a hint of excitement in her eyes. She was like a hunter who had finally seen her prey walk towards the trap she had set up.

    He chengjian¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and thought that Wen Shouyi had a point.

    If Gu Nianzhi were to go out and experience the real life of an ordinary person, she would have to work hard every day. Her biggest wish in life would be to get a loan to buy a small house and spend the rest of her life in a small house.

    She would be able to understand how good He Zhichu was if she suffered a little.

    Gu Nianzhi yed right into his hands and said, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll leave the He family and live on my own ability. Do you think I¡¯m nothing if I leave the He Family?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Wen Shouyi immediately pped. ¡°I¡¯ll wait and See!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to He Chengjian and said, ¡°General He, do you agree? If you agree, I can leave the He family immediately and live on my own.¡±

    He Chengjian looked at her with an unreadable expression and said, ¡°Do you really want to leave the He family and live on your own?¡±

    ¡°Of course, why wouldn¡¯t you believe me?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very confident in her own abilities. Being able to leave the He family and not having to see Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang again was more beneficial than detrimental to her.

    Wen Shouyi continued to goad her, ¡°Okay, since you¡¯ve said you¡¯ll live on your own, you have to leave the He family with nothing. You can¡¯t take anything from the He family or use any of the He family¡¯s resources. You can¡¯t even tell anyone that you know someone from the He family.¡±

    Wen Shouyi pursed his lips and continued, ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone that your mother is Auntie Qin, Director Qin.¡±

    This was the only way Gu Nianzhi would be on the same starting line as her.

    She wanted to see how Gu Nianzhi, who had nothing and didn¡¯t even have a degree, would be able to do well here!

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t fall for her trap. She crossed her arms and said, ¡°Are you stupid? I didn¡¯t cheat, yet I left the he family with nothing?! What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you can¡¯t take away a single thing from the He family.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled. ¡°General He, does that make sense?¡±

    Feeling a little sorry for her, He Chengjian looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Although he wanted Gu Nianzhi to experience the life of an ordinary person in society, he didn¡¯t want her to live too hard.

    All he wanted was to experience the hardships of the people and suffer a little.

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t the only one who was unwilling to let her suffer too much. Even as an uncle, he couldn¡¯t stand it.

    However, he wanted to see how Gu Nianzhi would deal with it, so he didn¡¯t reply. He just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that He Chengjian didn¡¯t speak and looked at her calmly like an old fox. She scoffed and said, ¡°Of course I won¡¯t take away anything from the He family, but I still want what belongs to me.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something that belongs to you here?¡± Wen Shouyi stretched out her arms and casually walked around the room. ¡°Howe I don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°How would you know?¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted rudely. ¡°Are you the He family¡¯s nanny or the He family¡¯s butler? Do you know what the He family has?¡±

    Wen Shouyi wasN¡¯t a nanny or a butler, of course. She was a JDw student with first-ss honors from Harvard Law School and was also the head of the military¡¯s legal affairs department. No, she was once the head of the Legal Affairs Department.

    Wen Shouyi straightened her back when she thought about how He Zhichu had already stripped her of her military status. She didn¡¯t want anyone to see her displeasure and anger.

    She said aloofy, ¡°This is based onmon sense. You¡¯ve been gone for seven years, so the things here have long changed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and said, ¡°I understand what you mean. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take a single cent from the He family. What I want is indeed something that belongs to me.¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi looked at He Chengjian. ¡°General He, I¡¯m new here. You have to get me a legal identity document, including an ID card, passport, and an official degree.¡±

    He Chengjianughed. ¡°You want me to open a back door for you?¡±

    What happened to not relying on the He family?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t blush at all. She said with conviction, ¡°How is this opening a back door? I was alive and well in the other world. I have my own identity, my own job, my own degree certificate, and my Lawyer¡¯s license. You were the one who forcefully brought me here against my will. So, based on the principle of reciprocity, shouldn¡¯t you provide me with the same identity document and proof of education?¡±

    This meant that he had to be responsible for the aftermath of his sins.

    He Chengjian thought about it for a moment and agreed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get you an identity document and proof of education, but you¡¯ll have to re-take the bar exam yourself.¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± Gu Nianzhi high-fived He Chengjian and gave him a meaningful smile.

    Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to easily obtain a master¡¯s degree and Certificate of Education from B University¡¯sw department. Of course, there was also proof of education from primary school to university.

    With her identity card and diploma, her identity in this world would be confirmed.

    Gu Nianzhi only needed these things to find a job to support herself.

    She had her own ns, but these ns required her to get rid of the He family first, especially Wen Shouyi, who had always paid special attention to her.

    Wen Shouyi was silent for a moment, then suggested, ¡°Although Nianzhi wants to go down and experience life, the security in those ordinary residential areas isn¡¯t very good. She¡¯s so beautiful. What if she meets a thug?¡±

    He Chengjian said, ¡°I¡¯ve already considered this. I¡¯m going to send someone to protect her.¡±

    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Wen Shouyi asked with interest. ¡°I know a few people who are quite skilled. They¡¯re all Young Master He¡¯s subordinates in the military.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could tell that they weren¡¯t going to let her leave the He family alone.

    However, this wasn¡¯t a bad idea. After all, Gu Nianzhi knew nothing about the world and didn¡¯t know how the security situation was. She still needed time to adapt.

    He Chengjian had promised to send someone to protect her, so she could only be grateful.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Wen Shouyi, who had been giving her ideas, and calmly said, ¡°I have a candidate. I hope General He will agree.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Who do you want to be your personal bodyguard?¡± Surprised, He Chengjian asked.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her chin. ¡°Colonel Qin Zhining. He¡¯s a very good person. If I need someone to protect me, I¡¯ll only trust him.¡±

    He Chengjian must also be very trusting towards this person. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have specifically asked him to go there to pick up Nianzhi.

    He nodded immediately. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let Zhining follow you. You two can call each other cousins.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Why do you want Qin Zhining to apany you? You did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?!¡±

 Chapter 1490 - He Was The Only Good Person In The World

    <h4>Chapter 1490: He Was The Only Good Person In The World</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself: I did it on purpose, but why would I tell you?

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s sudden aggressiveness caused her to immediately choose to ¡°panic.¡± She took two steps back to He Chengjian¡¯s side and purposely asked in a cute manner.

    ¡°Uncle He, why can¡¯t I choose Brother Little Ning? Didn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Miss Wen is so scary!¡±

    ¡°Even Uncle He¡¯s words are useless? I thought she was the one in charge of the He family...¡±

    She had always been dainty and quick-witted. When she acted cute, even Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t handle her, let alone He Chengjian.

    He almost regretted asking her to move out. He patted her on the back and coaxed her, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Don¡¯t be afraid. Uncle He will make the decision for you.¡±

    As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Wen Shouyi and he smiled. ¡°Shouyi, I asked Zhining to protect Nianzhi. Do you have a problem with that?¡±

    Wen Shouyi noticed He Chengjian¡¯s unfriendly expression and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly said, ¡°General He, that¡¯s not what I meant. What I meant was...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gu Nianzhi take advantage of He Chengjian¡¯s intimidating presence. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean that if you don¡¯t agree, I can¡¯t do it? Even if Uncle He agrees?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Wen Shouyi quickly defended herself. ¡°I mean, there are so many talented people in the military. Why do you need Qin Zhining? He¡¯s not the best. What if he can¡¯t take on the heavy responsibility...¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡± Gu Nianzhi took two steps forward and interrupted her. ¡°It¡¯s just to protect my safety. Is it that difficult? Does Miss Wen think that in Huaxia Empire, under the full protection of General He, I¡¯ll still be in great danger?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression froze, but she quickly calmed down. She gently twirled the silk scarf wrapped around her Herm¨¨s tinum bag with one hand and said with a smile, ¡°Of course not, but your safety is crucial.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted her again and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary person. I¡¯m sure brother Little Ning can handle an ordinary little thief. If there¡¯s a viin that even brother Little Ning can¡¯t handle, then someone is deliberately targeting me.¡±

    Forcing Wen Shouyi to take a step back, she took another step forward.

    ¡°Since Miss Wen is so clear about this, it seems that my safety problem should actually fall on Miss Wen.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and said meaningfully.

    ¡°What does it have to do with me?¡± Wen Shouyi shot He Chengjian a quick nce.

    He Chengjian, however, maintained his smiling expression. It was so natural that she couldn¡¯t see through his thoughts at all.

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back and moved closer to Wen Shouyi. She whispered in her ear, ¡°Of course it¡¯s rted. If I¡¯m really being hunted down by an unknown assassin, it¡¯s only possible that Miss Wen ordered the unknown assassin to do it.¡±

    She turned around and pointed at Wen Shouyi. She looked at He Chengjian and chuckled. ¡°Uncle He, please remember this. If anything happens to me in the future, Miss Wen will definitely be the real culprit. No matter what alibi she has, you can¡¯t trust her. She¡¯ll be sentenced to death. She¡¯ll confess to anything in the face of death.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi!¡± Wen Shouyi was scared out of her wits and her face turned pale. ¡°You¡¯re awyer too! How can you nder me? ! If you say that again, I¡¯ll sue you for nder!¡±

    ¡°When did I nder you?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned her head calmly. ¡°Do you want me to exin the legal meaning of nder to you?¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re saying that you didn¡¯t nder me? You¡¯re implying that if anything happens to you, I¡¯m the murderer!¡± Wen Shouyi was so angry that her chest was puffing up.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that if something happens to me, don¡¯t you understand the word ¡®if¡¯?¡± Like pearls falling onto a jade te, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was crisp and clear. It was clear and pleasant to the ear. ¡°If means that it might not happen.¡±

    ¡°If it does happen, then it¡¯s an objective fact. I didn¡¯t nder you.¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t happen, then you¡¯re not a murderer. May I ask what I did to nder you? Why are you in such a hurry tobel yourself as a ¡®murderer¡¯?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Or did you actually n to set a trap to drive me out of the He family so that you could get someone else to do it? Actually, why do you have to go so far? You could have done it at the He family¡¯s house, and there wouldn¡¯t have been any consequences. If you do it at the He family¡¯s house, you would be able to escape unscathed. There wouldn¡¯t have been anything wrong. Why do you have to go through all this trouble to get me out?¡±

    Wen Shouyi caught Gu Nianzhi¡¯s resentment towards the He family and immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you say so, but why do you have to involve the He family? If the He family isn¡¯t safe, where else is there safe in all of Huaxia Empire?!¡±

    He Chengjian coughed. ¡°Nianzhi, you really don¡¯t have to worry about your own safety in the He family.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t turn around and said aloofly, ¡°Uncle He, did you forget that I was almost forced tomit suicide in the He family this morning? You said I don¡¯t have to worry about my own safety in the He family?¡±

    He Chengjian was speechless.

    But how could he have thought that Yaoguang would go against his own daughter?

    Now that the mother and daughter were like fire and water, He Chengjian also had a headache.

    He shut his mouth in embarrassment.

    Wen Shouyi was indignant. ¡°Even if something happens to you, why would I be the murderer? And you¡¯re saying you¡¯re not ndering me?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you why if something happens to me, you¡¯ll be the murderer. Because if something happens to me, you¡¯ll be the one who benefits the most!¡±

    ¡°Themon reasoning for murder cases is that most murderers seek some sort of benefit from the deceased. Whoever benefits the most will be the most suspicious. Do I have to teach you that?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face turned livid. She clenched and unclenched her fists. After a while, she said with great emotion, ¡°Nonsense! What benefit can I have if something bad happens to you?! Don¡¯t nder me!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what benefit can you have? Let me think.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked around her. ¡°I don¡¯t need to remind you why you came to Professor He¡¯s side, do I?¡±

    ¡°Seven years ago, you came to Professor He¡¯s side as a substitute because he mistook someone who died in a car ident for me.¡±

    ¡°So as my substitute, don¡¯t you hate me the most? Because I didn¡¯t die, everything you once had slipped away from your hands.¡±

    ¡°The thing people are most afraid of isn¡¯t not having it, but having it and then losing it.¡± Gu Nianzhi became more and more emotional as she spoke, even though she actually didn¡¯t have any evidence. Her words were almost like ¡°talking nonsense¡±.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s palms started to sweat, but she still asked Gu Nianzhi calmly, ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious. Unless you can swear that even if I¡¯m not in this world, you won¡¯t be with Professor He anymore, I won¡¯t believe that you¡¯re not a possible murderer.¡±

    Wen Shouyi flew into a rage. ¡°Why would I make such an oath?! You¡¯ve gone too far!¡±

    ¡°Haha, are you saying that you¡¯ve always coveted Professor He? Then why are you clinging to Brother Little Ning?!¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at He Chengjian and gave him a ¡°you know what I mean¡± look.

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes darkened, but he was also amused by her.

    He smiled, and the deep lines at the corners of his eyes curled up. His pair of almond-shaped eyes looked even more charming than He Zhichu¡¯s.

    Thinking to herself, no wonder her cheap mother had waited for this man for more than 20 years, Gu Nianzhi looked away. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to handle such an outrageous person..

    Only Major General Huo could beat him.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Huo Shaoheng, and her eyes softened. The smile on her face looked especially sweet.

    He Zhichu just happened to push the door open and enter. When he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet smile and her big, watery eyes, his heart skipped a beat and he almost couldn¡¯t breathe.

    He held the doorknob and stood there for a while before asking, ¡°What were you guys talking about?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face was red and she was too embarrassed to stay any longer. She said hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m going back. Auntie Qin is waiting for my reply. General He, I¡¯m leaving first.¡±

    She turned around in a panic, opened the study door and ran out.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to stay any longer. She bowed slightly to He Chengjian. ¡°Uncle He, please inform brother Little Ning. I¡¯m going to pack my things and move out of the He residence immediately.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±He Zhichu heard that something was wrong and immediately grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm. He asked nervously, ¡°Why are you moving out of the He residence?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gently pushed his hand away and said with a smile, ¡°Professor He, please ask Uncle He. I¡¯ll be leaving first. You two can have a nice chat.¡±

    Although she didn¡¯t have much strength, her actions were firm.

    She pushed away He Zhichu¡¯s fingers one by one and left resolutely.

    The door to the study mmed shut again. He Zhichu and He Chengjian were the only two people in the room.

    He Zhichu red at He Chengjian angrily. His eyes were almost burning with anger. ¡°You better exin to me clearly. What is going on?!¡±

    He Chengjian felt sorry for his son again. In order not to endure He Zhichu¡¯s anger, he covered his chest with his hand and eximed, ¡°Ouch! my chest hurts! Do you have any more medicine?!¡±

    He Zhichu quickly walked over and took out the medicine. He picked up thendline phone and said, ¡°Why are you feeling unwell again? I should call the doctor right away.¡±

    He Chengjian had no choice but to hold his hand and smile fawningly. ¡°Ah-Chu, it¡¯s alright. Dad is alright. I was just joking with you just now. You were so angry that Dad was scared...¡±

    As he watched his father, who was so imposing in front of everyone, lower his head and beg for mercy in front of him, He Zhichu couldn¡¯t vent his anger no matter how angry he was.

    He closed his eyes and rubbed the space between his eyebrows with his hand. He sat down on the sofa. ¡°Dad, What¡¯s going on? Tell me quickly. I¡¯m not angry.¡±

    He Chengjian looked at He Zhichu with heartache. He thought to himself, that little girl Gu Nianzhi is full of pride. If I don¡¯t give her ego a blow, how could she be willing to spend her whole life with He Zhichu?

    He had made the right decision.

    After hesitating for a while, He Chengjian decided to tell him the important part of the story, so he continued, ¡°Nianzhi suggested it herself. I think it¡¯s a good idea. Let her go out for a walk, bump into the wall a few times, and learn a lesson a few times. She¡¯ll know why the flowers are so red. Zhichu is the only good person in the world.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He felt his head ache intensify.

    It seemed that no matter who met Gu Nianzhi, they would be abnormal.

    ¡°Dad, you really don¡¯t know Nianzhi.¡± He Zhichu sighed, ¡°Let her go out. We shouldn¡¯t be worried about her hitting the wall, but the wall hitting her. If she gets angry, the wall can be torn down by her. You want her to learn from her mistakes outside? No way.¡±

    He Chengjian: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you exaggerating? Is she really that impressive?¡± He Chengjian touched his chin with his hand. ¡°Who exactly does that little girl¡¯s personality resemble? When your Auntie Qin was young, she wasn¡¯t as smart and cunning as she was. Don¡¯t tell me she really resembles that crazy person?¡±

 Chapter 1491 - A New Generation Replaces The Old

    <h4>Chapter 1491: A New Generation Reces The Old</h4>

    ¡°How could she be like Gu Xiangwen?¡± He Zhichu disagreed, ¡°Nianzhi is very friendly, lively and talkative. She can get along well with anyone she wants. Gu Xiangwen has a social anxiety disorder. Have you ever seen him talk to anyone? Other than Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°Also, Auntie Qin, other than giving birth to Nianzhi, she treats Nianzhi like a stranger.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi doesn¡¯t resemble any of them.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°If one were to say she resembles someone, she resembles me. After all, she stayed with me from when she was six to twelve years old. She¡¯s also very talented in terms of legal affairs.¡±

    He Chengjian, ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless. How could such a fatherly smile appear on He Zhichu¡¯s face?

    He Chengjian was very upset.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to talk about the two of them anymore, so he quickly changed the topic. ¡°What about the weing banquet? You let her leave the He family and hide her identity. Does that mean we don¡¯t have to hold the banquet?¡±

    ¡°... We can wait for a while. She doesn¡¯t want to get engaged and get married right away.¡± He Chengjian didn¡¯t want He Zhichu to be upset. ¡°After shees back willingly...¡±

    He Zhichu reached out his hand and made a ¡°pause¡± gesture. ¡°Stop. So you listened to Auntie Qin¡¯s opinion and rejected my proposal.¡±

    He Chengjian:¡±...¡±

    He Zhichu stood up calmly. ¡°It seems that after so many years since my mother passed away, it¡¯s time for the new generation to rece the old.¡±

    ¡°Zhichu!¡± He Chengjian was panicking. He stood up and growled, ¡°What do you mean by that?! What do you mean by a new generation recing the old?! I only had one question in my mind from the beginning to the end!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression was calm to the point of indifference. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t stop you from listening to what others say. Furthermore, between your son and your wife, isn¡¯t it obvious that you chose your wife¡¯s opinion?¡±

    ¡°My mother is in your heart, and only in your heart. Your mind is now preupied with Qin Yaoguang.¡± He Zhichu pointed at his own head. ¡°But I don¡¯t me you. We¡¯re all adults, so you don¡¯t have to stay single for anyone for the rest of your life. If you were the one who died first, I would have persuaded my mother to remarry as well.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s lips trembled violently. His face gradually turned pale, and his red lips turned purple.

    He Zhichu looked at him and pursed his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t be agitated. I don¡¯t mean to criticize you, but I¡¯ve never interfered in your affairs with others, so you shouldn¡¯t interfere in my affairs in the future.¡±

    ¡°But Yaoguang saved your life after all...¡± He Chengjian said in a trembling voice, ¡°Your illness was beyond curable. Even the best doctor in the world said that you wouldn¡¯t live to be an adult. It was Yaoguang who came up with the gene therapy. She experimented many times for you, and finally gave birth to Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like her, and I never thought of asking you to call her mom, but we can¡¯t be heartless. Su Wen gave birth to you, but Yaoguang also gave you a second life!¡±

    He Zhichu rubbed his temples in pain. ¡°I¡¯ll remember her kindness to me, but if you think that because she saved my life and that my life is hers and I have to listen to her, then please take back my life. I¡¯m not going to live, okay?¡±

    His eyes gradually turned red, but he gritted his teeth and tried his best to restrain himself.

    ¡°Zhichi! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice became serious. ¡°Yaoguang has never thought of asking you to do anything for her. She saved you for Suwen and me, and also to for a medical breakthrough.¡±

    He paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Yaoguang has a straightforward temper, and her words are blunt, but she doesn¡¯t have any bad intentions. People who are dedicated to scientific research are all like that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s good to everyone, but she abandoned her own daughter.¡± He Zhichu smiled bitterly. ¡°Actually, what position do I have to criticize her? Wasn¡¯t everything she did all for me?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s feelings for Qin Yaoguang wereplicated.

    He should be grateful to her. After all, without her, He Zhichu would have died at the age of 16, just like He Zhichu over there.

    Qin Yaoguang had treated him so well, but now it was clear that she didn¡¯t treat Gu Nianzhi as her own daughter.

    To her, Gu Nianzhi was just a medicine, a medicine for He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was confused by the way she expressed her feelings.

    He had thought that no matter what, Qin Yaoguang was Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. How could a mother not love her daughter?

    Perhaps he was wrong. In this world, there really were mothers who didn¡¯t love their own daughter.

    He remembered that when Nianzhi was still young, she had been quite distant from her mother.

    Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t visit her often, but she didn¡¯t mind.

    The happiest time for her was when Gu Xiangwen came to visit her.

    However, Gu Xiangwen was also very busy. He was even busier than Qin Yaoguang. Once he entered theboratory to do experiments, he wouldn¡¯te out for half a year.

    Gu Nianzhi would be happy for a long time if he came once in a while.

    She would ce the gifts he brought on the floor of the room and carefully stick a note on each gift. She would write down the date of the next year and month before putting them back into the box.

    Then, she would open the box every day and take out a gift in chronological order, just like how Gu Xiangwen came to visit her every day.

    Although He Zhichu disliked Gu Xiangwen very much, he had to admit that he was a good father.

    Of course, this waspared to QinYaoguang.

    Compared to He Chengjian, Gu Xiangwen was at least as far away from a good father as two parallel spaces.

    Gu Xiangwen was a genius. He deserved to be called a genius.

    Most geniuses had weird quirks and bad tempers.

    He really didn¡¯t get along with anyone. He was very impatient with theboratory staff under him. If he was unhappy, he would curse, ¡°Your brain is as small as an atom. You can¡¯t even see it with a high-power microscope.¡± Or, ¡°Are you a paramecium? You only have one single cell in your entire body?¡±

    Personal attacks were very serious.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was too talented and could publish many world-ss papers with him, those people wouldn¡¯t have ¡°endured humiliation¡± and be his students.

    However, when Gu Xiangwen was with little Gu Nianzhi, he was surprisingly patient.

    He Zhichu remembered that year when Gu Nianzhi had just turned six, Gu Xiangwen had given her a copy of ¡°Quantum Physics for Cereus¡±(Quantum mechanics for Cereus) .

    He Zhichu was very disapproving at the time and said, ¡°Uncle Gu, isn¡¯t this book too profound for a six-year-old?¡±

    Unexpectedly, Gu Xiangwen said, ¡°This is a children¡¯s book on quantum mechanics that I specially wrote for her.¡±

    He Zhichu knelt down on the spot.

    He had personally written a book for his daughter, and it was even a children¡¯s book on quantum mechanics...

    This book was still in He Zhichu¡¯s room. It was the only thing that Gu Xiangwen had left behind that hadn¡¯t been smashed and burned by the furious He Chengjian.

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t surprised by the conflict between Qin Yaoguang and Gu Nianzhi, but he was still very sad. He felt sorry for Gu Nianzhi, so he wanted to give her more love, but she didn¡¯t need it.

    He Zhichu put his hands in his trouser pockets and clenched his fists tightly. His fingernails dug deep into his palms.

    After the death of his wife, the most important person in He Chengjian¡¯s heart was his son, He Zhichu.

    Now that He Zhichu was unhappy with Qin Yaoguang, He Chengjian didn¡¯t hesitate to give up on Qin Yaoguang.

    He couldn¡¯t let his son be unhappy. This was the treasure Su Wen had left for him. If he didn¡¯t take good care of him, he wouldn¡¯t have the face to see her in the afterlife.

    ¡°Since Nianzhi is leaving the he family, I don¡¯t n to stay.¡± He Zhichu put his hands in his trouser pockets and stood tall like a bamboo pole. ¡°Please take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Zhichu! Forgive me once... I really didn¡¯t think of rejecting you...¡±

    He Chengjian panicked. Had he really done something wrong?

    Wasn¡¯t the person He Zhichu loved the most in his heart Gu Nianzhi?

    He only wanted to help him be with the person he liked. What was wrong with him?!

    Maybe he was wrong.

    Thest thing he should have done was listen to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s suggestion today and reject He Zhichu¡¯s suggestion. He even agreed to let Gu Nianzhi move out of the He family...

    He Chengjian staggered out from behind the desk and said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯ll go find Nianzhi and ask her to stay. Let¡¯s have a weing banquet, right away. I¡¯ll get the butler and orderly to prepare the list...¡±

    He Zhichu held his arm and looked a little pained. ¡°Dad, please don¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°At first, I really just wanted you to be okay...¡± He Chengjian¡¯s tears were streaming down his face. ¡°I¡¯ve let your mother down, and I¡¯ve disappointed you. I...¡±

    He suddenly raised his other hand and pped himself hard!

    He Zhichu froze for a moment. He quickly pressed down on He Chengjian¡¯s other arm and said sternly, ¡°Dad!¡±

    ¡°In the beginning, it was Dad¡¯s fault. Dad will divorce Qin Yaoguang immediately!¡± He Chengjian couldn¡¯t care about anything else now. ¡°Don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll go and tell Nianzhi personally. I¡¯ll apologize to her and ask her to stay, okay?¡±

    He Zhichu could no longer insist on moving out in the face of such a father, who was so devoted to him.

    He knew that his father¡¯s illness was already very serious, and it wasn¡¯t a gic disease. Even if Gu Nianzhi was there, she wouldn¡¯t be able to cure him.

    It was an injury from his early military career that caused his organs to fail.

    To put it bluntly, he was already old.

    In addition, his heart wasn¡¯t very healthy. If he was overstimted, he could die at any moment.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart was burning with internal turmoil, but he finally held it in and said, ¡°Dad, take care of yourself. I won¡¯t move out, but you don¡¯t have to worry about Nianzhi and me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He Chengjian grabbed his arm tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t you need me to apologize? It was all Wen Shouyi¡¯s fault today! She kept pushing her around! She was pushed around until she had no choice but to move out... and she even asked Qin Zhining to be her security guard.¡±

    He Zhichu knew Gu Nianzhi very well.

    If she didn¡¯t want to leave, Wen Shouyi wouldn¡¯t be able to make her leave.

    She had agreed to leave, so there was a high chance that she wanted to leave herself.

    Why did she want to leave?

    Because she didn¡¯t want to live with him, and was worried that there would be too much involvement.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say what he meant. He held He Chengjian¡¯s arm and sent him back to his bedroom and said, ¡°Since I¡¯m back, you can rest in peace and recover. The security in the study has to be increased. No one can be allowed in if they don¡¯t meet the security level, even if you agree.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Whatever you say.¡± Obeying He Zhichu¡¯s every word, He Chengjian washed up and went to bed.

    ¡°And Auntie Qin isn¡¯t not a military officer. The security level she enjoys is too high.¡±He Zhichu was still brooding over Qin Yaoguang¡¯s insistence on performing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surgery, ¡°Wen Shouyi too. I¡¯d like to see when these two will perform the surgery on themselves.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine. Do whatever you want.¡± He Chengjian was almost a ¡°Three-word¡±man. Other than ¡°fine, fine, fine¡± and ¡°fine, fine, fine, fine¡±, he had nothing else to say.

    He Zhichu turned off the lights and left after taking care of He Chengjian to sleep.

    He had been gone for four years, and his father was really much older.

    He Zhichu had originally nned not toe back from the other side, but now that he was back, there was a way for him to return.

    He wasn¡¯t in a hurry at all.

    He had a lifetime to spend with Gu Nianzhi, to apany her as she slowly grew older.

    When he walked out of He Chengjian¡¯s bedroom, he saw He Chengjian¡¯s orderly, looking worried, standing at the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Master He, Miss Gu has packed her suitcase and will be leaving soon!¡±

 Chapter 1492 - Biological Father Indeed

    <h4>Chapter 1492: Biological Father Indeed</h4>

    He Zhichu looked at his watch. It was almost midnight.

    She couldn¡¯t wait?

    ¡°Where is Miss Gu now?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s already downstairs in the living room.¡± The orderly stepped aside. He Zhichu flew past him and blew up a gust of wind.

    Coming down the spiral staircase, he saw Gu Nianzhi dragging her suitcase.

    Her long hair was tied into a ponytail and draped over her back. She wore an ordinary white t-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. She looked as fresh and youthful as a college student.

    She was only in her second and third year of college.

    A few orderly guards blocked her at the door and prevented her from going out.

    Gu Nianzhi was trying to reason with them.

    ¡°... General He personally promised to let me leave. You can call him and ask! Why must you send someone up? What a waste of time!¡±

    ¡°... He¡¯s been gone for so long but I still haven¡¯t heard back. Did you do it on purpose?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re restricting my freedom!¡±

    Her crisp voice was tinged with annoyance. It was pleasant to hear, but it also gave him a headache.

    He Zhichu found it amusing.

    Not everyone could get into He Chengjian¡¯s study.

    The orderly downstairs was dismayed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s scolding. He almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    Seeing He Zhichue over, he quickly said, ¡°Young Master He is here. Miss Gu, tell Young Master He.¡±

    They put away their guns and returned to their posts.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and gave him a big smile, as if she had seen her savior. ¡°Professor He, you¡¯re finally here. You heard it with your own ears in the study.¡±

    He Zhichu bent down and helped her carry her suitcase. ¡°Go back and stay for the night. We¡¯ll leave tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked and saw that He Zhichu had already carried her suitcase up the stairs. She quickly followed him and said anxiously, ¡°Professor He, no matter whether I leave early orte, I¡¯ll still leave. What¡¯s the point?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only one night.¡± He Zhichu closed his eyes and stopped at the stairs. He turned around and said, ¡°Stay one more night and I¡¯ll get you yourwyer¡¯s license.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?!¡±

    He Chengjian had only promised to get her an ID card, passport, and proof of her education since she was a child. He had specifically said that he wouldn¡¯t get her awyer¡¯s license and that she would have to take the test again.

    Although Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid of the exam, the problem was that she had just checked. Thew exam here only took ce once every two years, in July.

    She had only taken the exam once in July this year, so if she wanted to take the exam herself, she would have to wait another two years..

    When she returned to her room to check the time, she realized that she had been set up by He Chengjian.

    If she could only take the exam for awyer¡¯s license after two years, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to appear in court as awyer for the next two years. At most, she would be an intern working in aw firm. However, how could she be able to do well in such a short period of time and make a name for herself?

    At that time, she had been so angry that she had packed her simple luggage in a fit of anger and nned to leave the He family home overnight.

    She hadn¡¯t only been angered by her own mother, but she had also been angered by He Chengjian. Why did she have to endure all this?!

    She hadn¡¯t expected He Zhichu to immediately realize why she had insisted on leaving sote at night and immediately grant her wish.

    Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°Professor He, I knew you¡¯re the best.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her with a half-hearted smile. ¡°I¡¯m not a professor anymore.¡±

    ¡°... Young Master He is the best.¡± Gu Nianzhi beamed.

    Even though He Zhichu wasn¡¯t satisfied with this title, it was much better than the distant ¡°Professor He¡±.

    He carried his luggage upstairs and said, ¡°You can stay here for the night. I¡¯ll get someone to get you all sorts of documents. You can leave tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been most worried that He Zhichu would stop her.

    Now that he had let her go, she felt more at ease.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and followed He Zhichu back to her room on the third floor. He Zhichu put her luggage back. ¡°It¡¯ste. Have some good rest.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re not mad at me, are you?¡± Gu Nianzhi moved closer to him and carefully checked his expression.

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m mad? Will you stay?¡± He Zhichu looked at her without batting an eye and caressed her high ponytail.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. She said sincerely, ¡°Young Master He, I¡¯m nning to leave the He family. I¡¯m not deliberately retreating to advance, nor am I acting on a whim. I really want to live on my own.¡±

    After a pause, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice became low. It was no longer loud and clear, but had a tinge of coquettish and bashful undertones.

    ¡°... Actually, Wen Shouyi is right. ¡°I¡¯ve always lived under your protection, with Major General Huo over there and you over here. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you, but your status is too high. For me, standing too high gives me an unrealistic feeling

    ¡°Young Master He, let me have a down-to-earth experience of an ordinary person¡¯s life. My heart is in emotional turmoil, and I want to leave you guys to calm down. I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that ever since I found out that Mrs. Qin was my biological mother, I wished I was a real orphan. ¡ª it¡¯s better not to have such a mother.¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke frankly about her feelings.

    ¡°I can¡¯t even be an orphan now.¡± She smiled bitterly. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to see her, so let me go. If I stay here I¡¯ll make things difficult for you and Uncle He. What¡¯s the point?¡±

    There were some things that Huo Shaoheng might not be able to say, such as how he felt about his own mother, but He Zhichu was able to say them naturally.

    He Zhichu looked at her emotionally. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m d you told me this.¡±

    He opened his arms and hugged Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t feel burdened. I definitely won¡¯t like someone you don¡¯t like, even if she saved my life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Miss Qin really knows medicology?¡±

    He Zhichu was amused by her reaction and scratched her delicate little nose. ¡°Miss Qin is indeed a genius in medicine.¡±

    He thought about it and decided to tell Gu Nianzhi, ¡°... Your father, Gu Xiangwen, is an absolute genius, but even he praises Miss Qin¡¯s medical attainments.¡±

    ¡°Your father¡¯s fondness for Ms. Qin came from an academic exchange.¡± He Zhichu implicitly mentioned the history between Gu Xiangwen and Qin Yaoguang to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that Qin Yaoguang had personally said that she had never been married and had never loved anyone else. She only loved He Chengjian, and her heart felt even more stifled.

    She pursed her lips and said disdainfully, ¡°Then my father¡¯s taste is really bad.¡±

    He Zhichu patted her shoulders. ¡°Alright, your father doesn¡¯t really have a good eye for women, but as a scientific genius, it¡¯s already a miracle that he had such a rtionship.¡±

    Such a person should have been married to hisb for the rest of his life.

    He didn¡¯t want to talk about Gu Xiangwen anymore, so he changed the topic. ¡°Go to bed early. You¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow. What gift do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled that He Chengjian had once said that her father was involved in the murder case, and He Zhichu¡¯s attitude was even more strange when he mentioned Gu Xiangwen.

    She tugged at the corner of He Zhichu¡¯s shirt. ¡°Young Master He, why do you always hesitate to speak to my father? Do you dislike him so much? Is it because he¡¯s involved in the murder case?¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, you don¡¯t have to hide it. Tell me about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu pitifully.

    He Zhichu was speechless.

    He knew that he couldn¡¯t hide it for long, but he couldn¡¯t bear to tell Gu Nianzhi the truth.

    He didn¡¯t know how to speak.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart jumped when she saw He Zhichu hesitate.

    She was worried that her father, Gu Xiangwen, was the same as Qin Yaoguang.

    Neither of them treated her as their own daughter, so she didn¡¯t want to hear it anymore. They said listlessly, ¡°I¡¯m tired, Young Master He. See you tomorrow.¡±

    Before He Zhichu could say anything, they had already pushed him out of the room.

    The door closed in front of He Zhichu, and He Zhichu breathed a sigh of relief.

    Gu Nianzhi was really understanding, He Zhichu thought. Knowing that it would be difficult for him to speak up, she didn¡¯t ask anymore.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi slept very deeply that night. When she woke up in the morning, it was almost noon.

    She stretched herself and sat up from the bed. Looking at the low-key and luxurious bedroom, she smiled and let out a long sigh.

    She got up to wash up and change. She tidied up her suitcase and was about to stand up when she heard someone knocking on the door.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the video call and saw He Zhichu standing outside the door with a translucent document bag in his hand.

    She opened the door quickly and smiled. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re so efficient. Is It My Id?¡±

    He Zhichu handed her the translucent document bag and said, ¡°Your ID, passport, proof of education, diploma, degree, andwyer¡¯s license are all in there. It¡¯s exactly the same as when you lived over there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not forged, is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi expressed her concern on purpose.

    ¡°Of course not. The documents are all real. Of course, the experience is fake.¡± He Zhichu knew her little trick. ¡°It¡¯s the same as your ID over there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened the document bag and took out the things inside to check them one by one.

    Sure enough, even the ID card number was exactly the same as the one over there.

    She kissed her own ID card and smiled. ¡°Young Master He is indeed amazing. You got all of this done so fast that even Major General Huo might not be able to do it.¡±

    It would take at least a month toplete the entire set of things on the other side.

    He Zhichu, on the other hand, managed to do it in just one morning.

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°Our side is different from the other side. The technology here is more advanced, and all the systems are connected to the inte. It¡¯s very easy to add and change them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said sweetly, ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s great. I like such advanced inte systems.¡±

    He Zhichu saw that she had taken out her ID and didn¡¯t look inside the folder anymore. He coughed. ¡°There¡¯s something else in there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with an ¡°Oh.¡± She reached out and took out a ck card and an ordinary Huaxia Empire¡¯s Bank card.

    He Zhichu¡¯s ears turned red, but he still said calmly, ¡°You have to use money to live alone. The ck card has no limit. There¡¯s 100,000 yuan in the Huaxia Empire card. You can use it first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. If she had so much money in her hands, what was the point of going out?

    Besides, the ck card was like a GPS device. As long as she used it, He Zhichu would know where it was and what she had bought.

    Gu Nianzhi stuffed the ck card back into He Zhichu¡¯s hand and frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no need for the ck card. Why don¡¯t you give me some cash?¡±

    He Zhichu raised an eyebrow. ¡°Cash? How do you use it? Let me tell you, cash doesn¡¯t wprk here. All purchases are virtual.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu stared at Gu Nianzhi for a while until she turned her head away in embarrassment. He Zhichu then reached out to her. ¡°Give me your phone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ced the phone in He Zhichu¡¯s hand.

    He Zhichu looked at it and found that she had deleted his GPS app. He didn¡¯t make it clear. He called her directly and added an unlimited data n. He also added online banking to her Huaxia Empire card and installed the online payment system. He said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know you think the ck card has too much money. This Huaxia Empire card only has 100,000 yuan in it. Take it and rent a room. It should be enough for six months of your living expenses. Is this enough for you to find a job in six months?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly. He Zhichu was really thoughtful. She quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s enough, that¡¯s enough. When I¡¯ve saved enough money, I¡¯ll buy you a big present!¡±

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t short of money, but he would still be happy if Gu Nianzhi could think of buying him a present when she earned money.

    Huo Shaoheng had never enjoyed such treatment before... right?

    He Zhichu was delighted. He went back to his room to find the book ¡°Quantum Physics for Cereus¡± and gave it to her. He said, ¡°This was your father¡¯s birthday present to you on your sixth birthday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    He was really her father. He knew she knew nothing about physics, yet he still wanted to use such a book to provoke her.

    ..

    After lunch, Gu Nianzhi pulled her suitcase and put her sunsses on the rack. She waved cheerfully at He Zhichu and left the He family¡¯s house.

    He Zhichu stood on the balcony on the second floor and watched Gu Nianzhi drag her suitcase away. He suddenly felt like an ¡°empty nest old man¡±.

    The child had grown up and grown wings. Look at how fast she was flying...

    The empty nest old man watched with reluctance as Gu Nianzhi got into a car at the door.

    He Chengjian walked over and stood beside him. He whispered, ¡°If Nianzhi had grown up on our side, she would be at the age to go to college.¡±

    ¡°Okay, just think of it as making up for our shorings.¡± He Zhichu crossed his arms. ¡°Dad, I haven¡¯t been to the military for a long time, and I¡¯m going to be busy soon. You should rest well and don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±

    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll take good care of myself.¡± He Chengjian smiled. ¡°With you to share my worries, my illness will heal faster.¡±

    He Zhichu turned around to look at HeChengjian. Seeing that hisplexion was indeed much better than it was yesterday, he nodded slightly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the military.¡±

    He asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s Qin Zhining? Has the order been given?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that car was driven by Qin zhining. He will first settle down with Nianzhi, and then keep a lower profile. In the future, he will masquerade as her cousin.¡± He Chengjian arranged everything very carefully.

    He Zhichu was also at ease with Qin Zhining. ¡°Thanks for the trouble, cousin. I¡¯ll treat him to a meal when we settle down.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi got into Qin Zhining¡¯s car and sat directly in the passenger seat.

    Qin Zhining wanted to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bodyguard now. Although he didn¡¯t like her much, he wasn¡¯t that unhappy anymore.

    He asked inly, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her phone at him. ¡°To the airport.¡±

    ¡°The airport?!¡± Qin Zhining was stunned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to rent a house and look for a job? Why are you going to the airport?¡±

    ¡°I want to rent a house and look for a job.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her chin. ¡°But I¡¯m not renting a house and looking for a job in the capital.¡±

    The He family was too powerful in the capital, and they were too close to Qin Yaoguang. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to breathe the same smog as her.

    ¡°Then where are you going?¡± Qin Zhining was speechless for a long time. He turned the steering wheel and got on the road to the airport highway.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and began to book a flight.

    There were a lot of flights, one every half an hour, from the capital to C City.

    Gu Nianzhi asked Qin Zhining for his ID number and quickly booked two tickets. She winked at him and said slyly, ¡°Let¡¯s go to C City.¡±

 Chapter 1493 - Are You Blind?

    <h4>Chapter 1493: Are You Blind?</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi had lived in C City for five years.

    She was more familiar with every aspect of C City than the imperial capital, but she didn¡¯t know how different this C City was from that of the other side.

    When they arrived at the airport, He Zhichu and He Chengjian received a message from Qin Zhining saying that he and Gu Nianzhi were about to board a ne to C City.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything and replied with a message, ¡°Take good care of her.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s reply was even shorter. He only had three words: Got it.

    Secretly looking at his phone to see what instructions her superiors had, Qin Zhining bent over and sat next to Gu Nianzhi.

    He was a little speechless when he saw the messages from the two of them.

    He put his phone away and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, who was already standing up in high spirits. He said, ¡°It¡¯s time to board the ne.¡±

    Her luggage had already been checked in, and she was carrying an orange Hermes Birkin bag on her arm.

    Qin Zhining looked up at her and stood up to say deliberately, ¡°This kind of bag looks better on a mature woman. You, you need more time.¡±

    ¡°A mature woman?¡± Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought. ¡°You mean older women, right?¡±

    Qin Zhining nodded. ¡°You could say that.¡±

    ¡°... like Wen Shouyi?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled slyly.

    Qin Zhining was annoyed. He turned his head and ignored her as he walked to the boarding gate alone.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry. I bought you a ne ticket. Remember to pay me back.¡±

    Qin Zhining stopped in his tracks and said coldly, ¡°Your phone number.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a string of numbers.

    Qin Zhining entered her phone and transferred her the money for the ne ticket. ¡°We don¡¯t owe each other anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly and beamed. ¡°How good would that be? It wouldn¡¯t hurt money if we didn¡¯t talk about our rtionship.¡±

    Qin Zhining:¡±...¡±

    Qin Zhining didn¡¯t say much throughout the journey.

    Fortunately, it was only two or three hours from the imperial capital to C City.

    Gu Nianzhi took a nap and woke up to find that the ne was about tond.

    Qin zhining stood up and took off his backpack. ¡°Do you have a ce to stay here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll find a hotel first, then rent a house.¡±

    She had lived in C City before. The western part of the city was where the main government department was located. The houses in the residential areas there were particrly expensive, but the environment of the residential area was very good. Moreover, the military branch was located in the western part of the city, Gu Nianzhi lived in that area with Huo Shaoheng.

    The northern part of the city was where the rich lived. Most of them were the bosses of listedpanies and business families.

    C City¡¯s financial and high-tech industries were very developed. The eastern part of the city was a business area with many skyscrapers. Several famous intepanies in Huaxia Empire were located there.

    The southern part of the city was where the average working ss lived. The density of the poption was the highest here. Although the houses were also high-rise buildings, they were densely packed. They stood in a narrow space like matchboxes.

    The houses were very close to each other.

    Opening the windows, one could see the people in the opposite building clearly.

    When Gu Nianzhi was in university in C City, she had followed her ssmates to Nancheng to do social research and legal services.

    Her n was to rent a small apartment in Nan City and stay there for the time being.

    There were many people here, and the signals wereplicated.

    She entered the south city like a small raindrop falling into the sea.

    It wasn¡¯t easy to track her or keep an eye on her.

    As long as she could get rid of Qin Zhining, she would be able to enjoy her time alone.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the app on her phone and looked for a hotel in the north city on purpose. She said, ¡°I booked two rooms. How long will you be staying here?¡±

    Qin Zhining said nonchntly, ¡°After you¡¯re settled, I can go back and report.¡±

    ¡°That simple?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to protect me in the dark?¡±

    Qin Zhining: ¡°! ! !¡±

    ¡°... How did you know?¡± Qin Zhining was starting to think Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t simple. ¡°Did Young Master He tell you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and smiled. ¡°Yes, Young Master He told me.¡±

    Actually, she had deduced it from Huo Shaoheng and the others¡¯ working conditions.

    Gu Nianzhi had already discovered that although there was no Special Operations Forces here. Qin Zhining¡¯s work was simr to that of the Special Operations Forces.

    Qin Zhining narrowed his eyes. ¡°Really? You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi put away her phone and changed the subject with a serious expression. ¡°By the way, can you help me ask Young Master He if he can give me thedriver¡¯s license so I don¡¯t have to take the test again?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart ached at the thought of her beloved car she had left behind. She didn¡¯t want to talk to Qin Zhining anymore.

    The two of them got off the ne and rented a car at the airport. They drove over to the hotel Gu Nianzhi had booked.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had always been chatty and talkative, suddenly stopped talking. Qin Zhining, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t used to it.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi from time to time, but even after several tries, Gu Nianzhi pretended to be deaf and dumb and refused to speak, so he didn¡¯t ask.

    He drove silently all the way to the hotel in the north city. Qin Zhining was stunned. ¡°You booked a five-star Hilton Hotel?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, so?¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed the car door open with a sullen expression on her face. ¡°It¡¯s only 5,000 yuan a night. Do you think it¡¯s too bad?¡±

    She had booked a cheap standard room. If it was a presidential suite or something, He Zhichu¡¯s 100,000 yuan would probably only be enough for a few nights.

    Qin Zhining trembled. ¡°5,000 yuan a night... can I check out?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked back at him and smiled. ¡°Look at you. I¡¯ll pay for your room today, but you should go back tomorrow and get me a driver¡¯s license.¡±

    Qin Zhining nodded immediately. ¡°I can go back now.¡±

    A room for five thousand a night? Would she get pregnant if she slept?

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed. Even though it was exactly what she wanted, she still put on an awkward expression. She thought about it for a long time and said, ¡°Okay then, you go back first. When youe back tomorrow, get me a driver¡¯s license.¡±

    She dragged her suitcase into the hotel to check in.

    Qin Zhining felt as if he had been pardoned. He drove back to the airport.

    Qin Zhining wasn¡¯t particrly worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety because he was protecting out in the open now. If he left, his colleagues who were secretly protecting her would take over.

    On the way, he used his phone to buy a ne ticket. He returned the car when he arrived at the airport and boarded the ne back to the capital.

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved that she had gotten rid of Qin Zhining. She checked out of the room she had booked for Qin Zhining at the front desk. All she wanted was a standard room.

    It was a five-star hotel after all. It was fine to check out at thest minute.

    Gu Nianzhi took the key card and went upstairs. She asked where she was going to have dinner. She entered the room and rested for a while. It was time for dinner.

    She was about to go down to find a ce to eat when He Zhichu called.

    ¡°Nianzhi, have you checked in already?¡± Wearing a Bluetooth headset as he called Gu Nianzhi, He Zhichu was sitting in his office.

    Gu Nianzhi smoothed her hair in front of the mirror and walked out with her phone in her hand. ¡°I just did. Brother Little Ning has already returned to the capital. Young Master He, can you get me a driver¡¯s license so he can bring it over?¡±

    He Zhichu knew Gu Nianzhi had a driver¡¯s license over there, so he nodded and agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll get Xiao Qin to bring it over when he gets back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and thanked him. ¡°Is there anything else, Young Master He? I¡¯m going to have dinner.¡±

    He Zhichu quickly said, ¡°Hurry up and eat. Don¡¯t starve yourself.¡±

    Thinking of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°cooking skills,¡± He Zhichu reminded her, ¡°Remember to find a part-time cook after you rent a room. Don¡¯t order takeout all the time.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a face at her phone. ¡°I won¡¯t drink red wine every day.¡±

    She was teasing He Zhichu about how she often drank red wine when she was there.

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°... You¡¯re getting more and more cheeky.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s lips curved into a smile, and his charming almond-shaped eyes shone with an intoxicating smile.

    Gu Nianzhi walked into the elevator as she made her phone call. Thinking that the restaurant was on the fourth floor, she scanned the floor and saw the word ¡°four,¡± so she pressed the button.

    The elevator slid all the way down until it reached the fourth floor.

    The elevator door opened and Gu Nianzhi saw a very elegant and fashionable corridor. A few well-dressed people walked past her, and the pleasant sound of a piano could be heard from the private room. It sounded very grand.

    Is this a restaurant?

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the elevator and looked for signs everywhere.

    After looking for a long time, she finally understood that this was the fourth basement level. There was a ¡°one¡± number in front of the ¡°four¡± that she had pressed, so she hadn¡¯t noticed it.

    However, from the looks of it, this seemed to be a ce for eating as well, and it was also very ssy.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s curiosity was piqued, so she decided to find a ce to eat here.

    She looked at the private rooms one by one. Some of the private rooms had their doors closed, while others had their doors ajar.

    There were small groups of people drinking in small groups inside. There were alsorge groups of people that looked as if they were having a party.

    However, it wasn¡¯t noisy, and everyone was very polite.

    Gu Nianzhi was almost at the end of the corridor, but she didn¡¯t see any ce like a restaurant where she could order food.

    She was a little disappointed, and was about to return to the restaurant on the fourth floor upstairs. There must be a ce where she could order food.

    At that moment, the door of a private room was suddenly pushed open.

    A drunk man came out from inside. He held the door and panted for a while, as if he was going to puke.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly moved away, as if she didn¡¯t want to be stung by the smell of alcohol.

    The man looked up. In his drunken haze, he saw a girl with a ponytail walk past him. He didn¡¯t see her face, but the side profile of her face shed past his eyes. It was extremely seductive.

    When he caught up with her, he saw her back. Her waist was slim under her simple white t-shirt, and her long legs were wrapped in blue jeans. They were so straight that it made one¡¯s imagination run wild.

    If such a pair of legs were wrapped around his waist..

    Damn it, he was about to get hard.

    He wiped his mouth and chased after her.

    ¡°Miss, are you going on stage?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw, for some reason, a drunk young man walking over. He was leaning against the wall and posing as if he was the most handsome man. He was grinning from ear to ear.

    ¡°What stage?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed in the direction of the elevator. ¡°Are you looking for the front desk? Go up from here to the lobby on the first floor. The front desk is there.¡±

    Although the man was drunk, he wasn¡¯t drunk to the point of being unconscious.

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and looking at her temperament and appearance, he knew he had the wrong person. This girl wasn¡¯t thedy here...

    He chuckled and didn¡¯t want to back down. He leaned over and sniffed. ¡°What perfume are you wearing? Why does it smell so good?¡±

    As he spoke, he wanted to block her against the wall.

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood that she had met a hooligan with bad intentions. In a fit of rage, she suddenly grabbed the man¡¯s wrist and twisted it. She pulled him behind him and dragged him to a ce where the surveince cameras couldn¡¯t see him in the corridor. She kicked him hard in the knee.

    The man couldn¡¯t stand properly and knelt down.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed his head and mmed it against the wall.

    ¡°Open your dog eyes and see! You dare to provoke anyone? Are you blind?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was furious as she punched and kicked the man.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had grown up with Huo Shaoheng in the military, was trained to deal with such perverts.

    Besides, the man was already drunk, and Gu Nianzhi had pinched the numbness in his arm. His head was still hurting from the impact, and he started to wail.

    The doors of the private room were pushed open one after another. Gu Nianzhi saw that someone had been alerted and immediately ran to the elevator. She heard the rm in the corridor, and there were already security guards standing in front of the elevator door.

    She cursed in her heart. She didn¡¯t want to cause a scene and get scolded by He Chengjian. She also didn¡¯t want Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi to know that she had caused trouble the moment she left the He family¡¯s home..

    In her moment of desperation, the door of the opposite private room suddenly opened. ¡°Come in.¡±

    A female voice sounded and pulled her in.

    Gu Nianzhi entered the private room and was about to say thank you when she suddenly saw the girl¡¯s face. As if she had seen a ghost, she blurted out, ¡°Bai Shuang?! Why are you here?¡±

    The girl, who was wearing the hotel¡¯s white shirt and ck pants uniform and holding a bottle of red wine in her hand, looked at her curiously. ¡°How do you know my name? I don¡¯t know you.¡±

 Chapter 1494 - Fate Has Brought Us Together

    <h4>Chapter 1494: Fate Has Brought Us Together</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively clenched her fists. She was very upset that she had been so outspoken.

    This was the parallel universe that corresponded to the other world. What was so strange about seeing someone who looked exactly the same?

    She was surprised because she was still too inexperienced...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced, and a reason came naturally to her. ¡°... Someone knows you and showed me your photo.¡±

    ¡°Who is it? Is it someone I know?¡± Not believing her, Bai Shuang looked at her suspiciously.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door to the private room and peeked out. She put her finger to her lips and telling her not to speak, she shushed her.

    Bai Shuang frowned and looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t go out. You just hit someone and caused trouble. That person¡¯s family is quite powerful...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. That person won¡¯t say I hit him.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he? Do you think he¡¯s that kind?¡± Bai Shuang pouted. ¡°That person is the most lecherous, and his family is rich. Even his sisters in the hotel don¡¯t dare to offend him. Who knows how many people he¡¯s taken advantage of.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door of the private room a little more and said, ¡°Listen for yourself.¡±

    Bai Shuang came over.

    The man was carried over by two people. He said to the police officer who hade to investigate and collect evidence, ¡°Officer, you have to catch him and avenge me! The man was 1.9 meters tall and strong! He weighed about 250 kilograms! His arms were as thick as my thighs, and his fists were shockingly big. I resisted desperately before he pushed me to the ground!¡±

    Bai Shuang: ¡°...¡±

    She shot Gu Nianzhi a quick nce.

    The girl was tall, curvy, and beautiful.

    How was she a 1.9-meter-tall man?

    Had the man outside been beaten silly by this girl? Was he talking nonsense?

    Gu Nianzhi saw her incredulity and closed the door to the private room with satisfaction. She smiled and said, ¡°This kind of son of a b*tch bullies the weak and is afraid of the strong. He also wants face. He won¡¯t give me up.¡±

    ¡°Think about it. If his friends find out that he was severely beaten by a young girl, how will he be able to face them in the future? Where would his ego go?¡±

    ¡°So the person who beat him must be a 1.9-meter-tall, strong man!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi puffed out her chest. ¡°A 1.9-meter-tall, strong man is here. What do you think, miss?¡±

    Bai Shuang giggled at her teasing and pinched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re so smart and eloquent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also touched Bai Shuang¡¯s face and smiled. ¡°You tter me.¡±

    She quickly nced at the room and saw that there was arge screen opposite the door. It was as tall as a person and blocked the view of the room. She couldn¡¯t see who was inside.

    There was a wine table beside her with all kinds of red wine on it. It looked expensive.

    The Lady in the hotel uniform must be the wine hostess.

    Gu Nianzhi had a strange expression on her face.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Bai Shuang to be the wine hostess of the hotel.

    Bai Shuang had been burdened by her father and hadn¡¯t had a good ending, but before that, she had been the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

    It was like heaven and earth.

    Bai Shuang saw the strange look in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes and asked her in puzzlement, ¡°Who showed you my photo? Maybe I know him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in her heart and casually said, ¡°You guys know each other. It¡¯s Brother Ze.¡±

    ¡°Little... Ze?¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s expression turned strange. ¡°What¡¯s his full name?¡±

    ¡°Zhao Liangze. His name is Zhao Liangze. I call him Brother Ze.¡± Gu Nianzhi made it up.

    At that moment, she noticed that there seemed to be someone speaking on the other side of the screen, but he had quieted down.

    Her gaze fell on Bai Shuang, who was standing on the other side of the screen. She saw that Bai Shuang¡¯s beautiful face was actually blushing.

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. She couldn¡¯t understand why she was blushing.

    At that moment, Bai Shuang moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, ¡°This Zhao Liangze you¡¯re talking about, this Brother Ze, who is he to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She didn¡¯t understand what was going on.

    However, seeing Bai Shuang¡¯s hopeful expression, and thinking about how Bai Shuang had died tragically in Zhao Liangze¡¯s arms in the other world so the two of them were unable to grow old together, her heart was filled with pity.

    She held Bai Shuang¡¯s hand and said word by word, ¡°Brother Ze is my cousin. He likes you very much. No, he loves you very much. He will only love you for the rest of his life.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Bai Shuang had never expected the girl to say something like that. She was shocked. ¡°Mr. ... Mr. Zhao is your cousin?!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Zhao?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She had a bad feeling about this.

    She heard a man in the private room behind the screenugh softly. His voice was mellow and deep, and he looked very stylish.

    He seemed to pat someone twice and said, ¡°Little Ze, your cousin is here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched.

    It couldn¡¯t be such a coincidence, could it?!

    She closed her eyes and grabbed the handle of the private room door.

    A tall and handsome man walked out from the other side of the screen.

    He was wearing an ash grey casual suit with the front of his shirt open, revealing a ck t-shirt underneath. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed sses, and his dark hair was waxed. He didn¡¯t look disheveled at all.

    He looked like an upstart from the city.

    His appearance perfectly matched that of Zhao Liangze, who she used to be familiar with. He had a crew cut and wore a military uniform all year round.

    It was Zhao Liangze!

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Brother Ze?!¡±

    Her heart jumping with joy, she couldn¡¯t help but walk up to him. Was he sent by Major General Huo?!

    Zhao Liangze looked at Gu Nianzhi with a teasing smile on his face. ¡°Little cousin? Long time no see.¡±

    He lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, opened the door with one hand, and dragged her out of the room.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded. She really hoped that this person was Zhao Liangze.

    But from the strength of the man¡¯s grip on her arm, Gu Nianzhi realized with regret that she was overthinking things.

    This Zhao Liangze wasn¡¯t Brother Ze from the Special Operations Forces.

    Zhao Liangze was here today with his boss, President Lu, to discuss business. He hadn¡¯t expected that in the blink of an eye, he would not only have a ¡°little cousin¡±, but also a ¡°lover¡± who ¡°loved her dearly¡±.

    He had wanted to scold the person who had spread the rumors and expose her tricks in public.

    However, when he came out, he saw that the person who had spread the rumors was actually a beautiful little girl.

    And when the little girl saw him, her eyes lit up, as if she really knew him.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t help but wonder in his heart: Did he really have such a beautiful little cousin?

    Why didn¡¯t he remember her at all.

    He pulled Gu Nianzhi to the corridor outside the private room. The crowd that had gathered there earlier had already dispersed.

    The young man who had been severely beaten by Gu Nianzhi walked past them. He staggered a few steps, but didn¡¯t identify Gu Nianzhi. Instead, he followed his friend into the elevator and headed upstairs.

    He was probably going to see a doctor.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

    Zhao Liangze had been watching Gu Nianzhi intently.

    He heard everything she had said to the hostess at the door.

    He and President Lu were standing right in front of the screen, so he had heard everything clearly.

    At first, he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it. He had only thought that the girl had a special interest in the ¡°assasin¡± incident, so he and President Lu both held back theirughter.

    In the end, they had heard their own names. Not only had they heard their own names, but they had also heard that he had a cousin, and even a lover.

    He had no choice but toe out. In the end, he was pushed out by President Lu.

    The lights in the corridor weren¡¯t very bright. Zhao Liangze crossed his arms and looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was at a loss. The smile on his face grew wider and wider.

    ¡°Youngdy, are you new here? Are you also a hostess here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Zhao liangze often came to the bar to drink and discuss business. He was very familiar with the waiters who served them.

    However, he had never met Gu Nianzhi before, so he had assumed that she was new.

    ¡°This incident has taught you to be honest and not to lie. See how embarrassing it is to be exposed in front of others when you¡¯re lying?¡± Zhao Liangze patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head calmly, ¡°Go back and exin to Miss Bai that you¡¯re talking nonsense. I don¡¯t love her very much. Your joke is too big. If my girlfriend hears it, she¡¯ll never let you off the hook.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly very disappointed. ¡°You have a girlfriend?¡±

    Zhao Liangze actually didn¡¯t have a girlfriend, but he didn¡¯t want to tell this girl that he didn¡¯t have a girlfriend. What did it have to do with her?

    Was there a reason to start a rumor? !

    ¡°Yes.¡± He became cold. ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say. If you don¡¯t tell her, I¡¯ll tell her myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and was about to cry. Under the dim light, a pair of big, bright eyes looked like they were about to cry. Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart softened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry...¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s tone softened. ¡°I just told you not to lie... I didn¡¯t mean anything by it...¡±

    Her lips shriveling even more, Gu Nianzhi continued to look at him.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He waved his hand and furrowed his brows. ¡°Forget it, forget it. We¡¯re not close anyway. Just pretend I didn¡¯t hear you. Don¡¯t say that again.¡±

    He turned around and walked into the private room, then gently closed the door.

    Distracted, Bai Shuang held a wine ss and stood beside the door.

    When she saw Zhao Liangze enter, she stole a nce at him. When she saw him looking over, she quickly retracted her gaze and pretended as if nothing had happened. She used a soft white cloth to wipe the wine ss.

    Zhao Liangze pursed his lips and said politely, ¡°Miss Bai, please don¡¯t take offense. Thatdy was just joking. I¡¯ve already said that about her.¡±

    He paused for a moment and said, ¡°She¡¯s not my cousin.¡±

    The blush on Bai Shuang¡¯s face gradually faded. She whispered, ¡°I know, Mr. Zhao. She was just joking with me.¡±

    Zhao Liangze nodded and lowered her head. The curve of the back of her neck was iparably beautiful, and there was still a faint blush on her ears. His heart moved, and he said with a smile, ¡°Bring us a few bottles of red wine.¡±

    He asked her again, ¡°How muchmission do you take?¡±

    The salesgirls all took a certain percentage of themission.

    Bai Shuangposed herself and said, ¡°For the more expensive wines, I¡¯ll take 15% . For the cheaper ones, it¡¯s only 5% .¡±

    She had only sold a few bottles of mid-priced red wine today, and themission was less than 10% .

    She still had to pay the boss some money, so she didn¡¯t get much.

    The point was that she hadn¡¯t earned much in the past month.

    Zhao Liangze smiled and said, ¡°Just give us a few bottles of your 15%mission red wine. It¡¯s President Lu¡¯s treat anyway.¡±

    He winked at her and went in with a smile.

    Bai Shuang was stunned. She simply couldn¡¯t believe that she had such good luck. She hurriedly took a few bottles of the most expensive red wine she had on hand and went in.

    Zhao Liangze was sitting next to a tall middle-aged man and was talking to him.

    Bai Shuang recognized this person as Zhao Liangze¡¯s boss, Lu Yuan. He was known as President Lu.

    ¡°Mr. Zhao, President Lu, these are the wines you¡¯ve ordered.¡± Bai Shuang carefully ced the two bottles of red wine on the coffee table in front of the two of them and looked at them nervously.

    This was almost the same as forcibly buying and selling . Bai Shuang was very embarrassed.

    But this little bit of money was just a drop in the bucket to them, right?

    But to her, it was very important. It was the rent she had to pay, the food she had to buy, and her mother¡¯s medical expenses.

    Bai Shuang tried hard to control her shame.

    Zhao Liangze and President Lu didn¡¯t care about these two bottles of wine.

    They let Bai Shuang open it and take a sip. Then, they had someone leave it in the bar and drink it when they came in the future.

    She basically sold two bottles of wine.

    Just with these two bottles of wine, Bai Shuang could get amission of 4,000 yuan.

    She breathed a sigh of relief.

    After paying 1,000 yuan, the remaining 3,000 yuan could be saved.

    After Zhao Liangze and President Lu finished their conversation, they shook hands with their partner and agreed to sign the contract tomorrow.

    ¡°President Liu, you guys continue to y. We¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± They stood up. ¡°Today, we¡¯re paying the bill. Everyone, enjoy yourselves.¡±

    President Lu and Zhao Liangze walked out of the private room one after another.

    Bai Shuang also followed them out.

    Zhao Liangze turned around and saw her. He was a little surprised. ¡°You¡¯re not going to continue selling red wine? The people inside will probably buy more. They can drink more than us.¡±

    Bai Shuang shook her head ufortably and said in a low voice, ¡°... Next, they¡¯re going to y dirty. I¡¯m not going to sit on the stage, and I¡¯m not going to appear. They won¡¯t buy my wine.¡±

    She sold less than others, but she refused to sit on the stage or make an appearance.

    She graduated from a proper university and had her own clerical job during the day. She only used her rest time to sell red wine at night to earn some extra money to improve her family¡¯s life.

    If it weren¡¯t for her mother¡¯s sudden illness, Bai Shuang wouldn¡¯t havee here to sell red wine as a part-time job.

    However, selling red wine was already her bottom line. She wouldn¡¯t sell herself.

    Zhao Liangze replied with an ¡°oh¡±and looked at Bai Shuang again. He said mysteriously, ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Are you hungry? I¡¯ll treat you to a midnight snack.¡±

    Bai Shuang shook her head. ¡°... I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    ¡°Then where do you live? Shall I send you back?¡± Zhao Liangze refused to give up.

    President Lu, who was walking in front of him, turned around to look at him and smiled. ¡°Little Ze, I¡¯ll be leaving first. See you tomorrow.¡±

    Zhao Liangze chuckled and waved his hand. ¡°See you tomorrow, President Lu.¡±

    Bai Shuang¡¯s face turned even redder. ¡°No need. I¡¯ve already called for a car.¡±

    Her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible.

    Zhao Liangze handed her his business card. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡±

    ..

    After Gu Nianzhi came up from the fourth floor, she was in no hurry to return to her room. Instead, she went to find a restaurant to eat.

    She ordered a bowl of rice with a stone pot and started eating with a slice of spicy and sour radish.

    She hadn¡¯t even had two bites when she saw Bai Shuang walk over. She also ordered a bowl of rice with a stone pot and packed it away.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved at Bai Shuang. ¡°Miss Bai, this way.¡±

    Bai Shuang turned to see Gu Nianzhi and walked over with a takeout box. ¡°You¡¯re here? I didn¡¯t see you just now. I thought I¡¯d never see you again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°How could I? We¡¯re fated to be together.¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled. ¡°Mr. Zhao said you¡¯re not his cousin.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit the end of her chopsticks in embarrassment. ¡°I was just joking. Don¡¯t take it to heart, Miss Bai.¡±

    She gestured for Bai Shuang to sit down. ¡°You bought rice with a stone pot too? Come, let¡¯s eat together.¡±

    Bai Shuang shook her head. ¡°This is for my mother. My mother loves to eat this, but it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had something so delicious.¡±

    The stone pot rice at the Hilton Hotel restaurant was twice as expensive as that at other ces, but Bai Shuang¡¯s mother loved it.

    Bai Shuang had earned some money today, so she decided to buy one for her mother to eat.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the rice in the stone pan in front of her and shrunk her neck.

    She had thought it wasn¡¯t delicious and wanted to pour half of it out..

    The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Bai Shuang asked for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name, and the two exchanged phone numbers before they left.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her dinner and came out of the restaurant. She saw Zhao Liangzeing over.

    ¡°Hey, little cousin, you¡¯re here alone?¡± Zhao Liangze looked at her carefully and suddenly realized she wasn¡¯t a wine salesgirl.

    Someone like Bai Shuang had to sell 100-year-old red wine to afford the watch on her wrist.

    She was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and cleats. Her clothes looked ordinary, but they were all designer.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Zhao Liangze had a girlfriend and was very displeased with him. She said calmly, ¡°Who are you? Do I know you? Don¡¯t try to get close to me. Aren¡¯t you afraid that your girlfriend won¡¯t be happy and won¡¯t let you off?¡±

 Chapter 1495 - I Wonâ€™t Stand On Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 1495: I Won¡¯t Stand On Ceremony</h4>

    Zhao liangze touched his nose and felt that this girl¡¯s tongue was too sharp.

    She would start a fight if they didn¡¯t get along. Didn¡¯t he just say that she lied to his face?

    Was he wrong?

    But, of course, it seemed that he also lied...

    He told her that he had a girlfriend, so she was unhappy and kept nagging until now.

    Could it be that this little girl actually had a crush on him?

    Was that why she was so unhappy that he had a girlfriend?

    Zhao Liangze sized Gu Nianzhi up. He couldn¡¯t remember when he had seen her before.

    She was so beautiful. If he had seen her before, he would have remembered her even if he had only seen her in the crowd.

    Zhao Liangze thought about it and simply sat down in front of Gu Nianzhi. He asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s your name? Have I seen you before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and averted her gaze. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before. I mistook you for someone else.¡±

    ¡°... you mistook me for someone else? But you know my name is Zhao Liangze.¡± Zhao Liangze rubbed his chin with his hand and looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you recognize someone who not only looks like me, but also has the same name as me?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°This is too unbelievable. So, youngdy, I¡¯ll say it again: Don¡¯t lie. You¡¯re so young and beautiful. Why do you have to lie?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she wanted to scratch Zhao Liangze with her hands.

    At that moment, she finally understood how He Zhichu felt on their side.

    He knew everything, but he couldn¡¯t say anything.

    It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t say anything, it was just that no one would believe him if he said it, so he might as well not say it.

    It was so frustrating..

    Gu Nianzhi also understood why the higher-ups on this side insisted on performing the memory removal surgery on the lower-middle-ss soldiers who had been on missions in the other world.

    This was because ordinary people didn¡¯t know that there was another parallel dimension beyond this dimension.

    Herrge eyes darting around as she quietly changed the topic, Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. ¡°Did you know Bai Shuang before?¡±

    Zhao Liangze thought of the hostess and smiled. Kind of, I guess I know her. We often go there to discuss business, and she sometimes goes to our private room to sell red wine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°What about your girlfriend? Is her surname also Bai?¡±

    She suspected that Zhao Liangze¡¯s girlfriend in this world was Bai Yueran...

    If that was true, then it would be interesting.

    Unexpectedly, Zhao Liangze stood up with a smile and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re so concerned about whether I have a girlfriend or not, I suspect that you have a crush on me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so choked that she almost spat out the rice in the stone pot she had just eaten.

    She quickly said, ¡°You can eat whatever you want, but you can¡¯t say whatever you want. When did I have a crush on you? You¡¯re already so old, but I¡¯m only 19. No one has a crush on you!¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°...¡±

    Even though he didn¡¯t have any special feelings for Gu Nianzhi, he was still very displeased to be called ¡°so old¡± by a beautiful girl.

    Zhao Liangze said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯m only 27 years old, how can I be that old? Besides, I don¡¯t have a girlfriend, so don¡¯t nder me.¡±

    ¡°... You don¡¯t have a girlfriend at 27 years old?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked him up and down. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s crazy!¡± Zhao Liangze was furious. ¡°I don¡¯t have a girlfriend, it¡¯s because I have high standards! You¡¯re so unreasonable!¡±

    He was so angry that he turned around and left.

    After leaving the hotel, he remembered that he had gone in to buy supper for President Lu.

    Well, the little girl had actually made him forget what he was supposed to do with just a few words.

    This was a first for Zhao Liangze.

    He smiled bitterly and shook his head, then turned around and walked back.

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished eating and had just paid the bill when she came out of the restaurant. She bumped into Zhao Liangze again.

    She couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Mr. Zhao, we¡¯re really fated.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was originally very angry, but when he saw this infuriating little girl smiling at him like a beautiful flower, he felt all the pent-up feelings and unhappiness go away.

    He was in a good mood and reached out his hand to her. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve known each other for a long time. Come, let me introduce you again. I¡¯m Zhao Liangze, the technical director of the Lu Corporation.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Zhao is so amazing!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She reached out and shook Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand. ¡°What kind of technical director are you?!¡±

    ¡°Computerwork system.¡± Zhao Liangze took out his business card. ¡°Our Lu Corporation is the strongestpany in the entire Huaxia Empirework security system. Of course, this is only a part of ourpany¡¯s business.¡±

    As expected..

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in her heart.

    Even without the support of the Special Operations Forces, Zhao Liangze was still a big shot inputerwork systems.

    She took Zhao Liangze¡¯s business card and looked at it, then casually put it in her pocket. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m going back.¡±

    She waved her hand and was about to leave.

    Zhao Liangze grabbed her arm. ¡°Little girl, I¡¯ve almost covered everything about me. You haven¡¯t even said anything yet! ¡ª Where¡¯s your business card?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him innocently. ¡°My name is Cereus. I just graduated from college and haven¡¯t found a job yet. Where would I get a business card from?¡±

    She flipped her wrist and was as agile as a fish. She broke free from Zhao Liangze¡¯s shackles and shed into the elevator opposite the restaurant¡¯s entrance.

    Zhao Liangze watched as the elevator door slowly closed. Gu Nianzhi made a face at him inside. He was angry, but also amused. He shook his head and went into the restaurant to buy supper for his boss.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi went back to her room and slept soundly.

    The next morning, she woke up to He Zhichu¡¯s phone ringing.

    She yawned and sat up. She picked up her phone and swiped it open. ¡°Hello, Young Master He, it¡¯s so early. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Yesterday, Qin Zhining had returned to the capital and asked He Zhichu for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s driver¡¯s license.

    He Zhichu had gotten someone to arrange it overnight for her, and had Qin Zhining bring it over early this morning.

    It was already ten in the morning. Qin Zhining¡¯s ne should have arrived in C City by now, but Gu Nianzhi was still sleeping.

    However, He Zhichu had no intention of ming her.

    He Zhichu could only be happy that she had adapted well. How could he say that she was sleepingte?

    He Zhichu¡¯s fingers caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleepy face on the phone screen. His cold voice was extremely restrained.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s already 10:00.¡± He Zhichu paused. ¡°Qin Zhining brought your driver¡¯s license over. It should be here soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and rubbed her forehead with her hand. She smiled and said, ¡°That was fast. Thank you, Young Master He!¡±

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°How was C City? When are youing back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She pulled a strand of her hair and yed with it for a while. She curled her lips and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t found a job yet. When I find a job and have a break, I¡¯ll go back to the capital to visit you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    He Zhichu hung up after a few words because he had a meeting to attend.

    He had only been back for two days, but he was already really busy.

    Gu Nianzhi turned off her phone. She had only been lying down for a few minutes when she heard the doorbell ring.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s figure appeared on the video disy beside her bed.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed, got dressed, and got up. She opened the door and let Qin Zhining in.

    Qin Zhining handed her the driver¡¯s license and said, ¡°It¡¯s all done.¡±

    With the driver¡¯s license, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first priority was to buy a car.

    ¡°Brother Little Ning, let¡¯s go to a 4s shop and see if they have any cheap cars, okay?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly.

    Qin zhining was dazzled by her big smile, and he couldn¡¯t help agreeing.

    When Gu Nianzhi finished washing up and had breakfast, it was already noon when she arrived at thergest 4S shop in C City.

    Gu Nianzhi nned to put down a down payment and then use the car loan to buy a mid-priced car.

    She walked around the 4S shop and reluctantly looked away from a big red Ferrari sports car to look at the mid-priced Audi.

    This car had a good appearance and was sturdy and durable, but it consumed a bit of gas.

    However, Gu Nianzhi only used it as amuter car for work and didn¡¯t drive long distances, so the gas consumption was negligible.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the price. It was a domestic Audi, only 160,000 yuan.

    She paid the 60,000 yuan down payment and nned to borrow 100,000 yuan.

    Qin Zhining saw this from the side and pulled her to the side while saying, ¡°Only 100,000 more. Why are you taking out a loan?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t have enough money.¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked and was a little speechless.

    If she had money, why would she take out a loan?

    Since he was so dense, was this person¡¯s head was made of stone?

    Qin Zhining looked up at the chandelier on the roof of the 4S store. ¡°The interest rate on a loan like this is too high. It¡¯s not worth it. How about this? I¡¯ll lend you 100,000 yuan. You don¡¯t have to pay the interest. When you have money, you can pay it back.¡±

    If Qin Zhining had asked her not to pay it back directly, Gu Nianzhi definitely wouldn¡¯t have agreed to let him lend her the money.

    But he had said there was no need to return the interest. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think it would be a problem when she had the money to pay back the principal.

    She nodded. ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t have any credit records now. If I take out a loan, the interest rate will be really high.¡±

    Qin Zhining smiled. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t the pedantic type of person.

    He gave her his card and swiped another 100,000 yuan. She bought the car for a total of 160,000 yuan.

    Qin Zhining helped Gu Nianzhi with the paperwork and pulled some strings to get the license te down.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have to wait for long before Qin Zhining finished the paperwork and handed the car keys to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She drove Qin Zhining around and familiarized herself with the streets and alleys of C City.

    Theyout of the city here was very simr to that of C City, which she had stayed in before.

    Although there was no Special Operations Forces base, there was still a military base.

    The general direction was good.

    Gu Nianzhi drove around the area. She was very familiar with it, and it really didn¡¯t seem like it was her first time in C City.

    Qin Zhining was puzzled, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    After returning to the hotel, Gu Nianzhi said to Qin Zhining, ¡°I can settle down now. I¡¯ll submit my resume tonight, and then find a house to move to. Brother Little Ning, you can leave now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re burning bridges after crossing the river.¡± Qin Zhining flicked her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll leave when you find a job and rent an apartment.¡±

    Her face full of impatience, Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it as soon as possible.¡±

    She had never gone through a proper interview in the other world, but it wasn¡¯t difficult for Gu Nianzhi, who had a strong learning ability.

    She gained experience after a few more interviews.

    In fact, her chances of getting an interview were quite high.

    She had applied for a total of five r¨¦sum¨¦s, fourrgew firms, and one smallw firm, and had gotten interviews from all of them.

    But the strange thing was, these fourrgew firms had been full of praise for her during the interview, but they had rejected her after doing a background check.

    Gu Nianzhi had a bad feeling about it, but she held it in and refused to beg the He family. She didn¡¯t even mention it to He Zhichu.

    ¡°Last interview.¡± She looked at her schedule and sneered. ¡°If anyone tries to trick me again, I won¡¯t hold back.¡±

 Chapter 1496 - Meeting An Old Friend Again

    <h4>Chapter 1496: Meeting An Old Friend Again</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the interview notice in her email and shook her head speechlessly.

    She had only chosen this small firm to fill in the numbers. She had never thought that there would be a day when she would have to go for an interview.

    But now, this small firm had be herst hope.

    She turned on her phone to look for the interview address.

    Upon closer inspection, the location of this smallw firm wasn¡¯t bad. It was in the east side of the city wherergepanies gathered, not far from the Hilton Hotel where she was staying.

    Gu Nianzhi walked there.

    But after she went there, she realized that thisw firm couldn¡¯t be any smaller.

    Thew firm was located on the second floor of a thirty-six-story building. It was a small firm with only two rooms.

    When she went in to take a look at the interviewer, she saw that he was really familiar.

    It was Jin Dazhuang, who had been defeated by her.

    Of course, it was Jin Dazhuang on this side, not Jin Dazhuang on the other side.

    However, before Jin Dazhuang was defeated by her, he was a topwyer at a first-ratew firm. Later on, he was fired due to a series of missteps in thewsuit, so he went to work at He Zhichu¡¯sw firm.

    Jin Dazhuang was obviously different from the other side.

    He was a very amiable person. The moment they met, he exined the situation of thew firm clearly. He even said that he thought that she wouldn¡¯te for the interview because with her education and the school she graduated from, she would definitely enter the bestw firm in C City.

    ¡°... Miss Gu, I won¡¯t hide it from you. Thisw firm is my own. It¡¯s a small business, and all the court cases are trivial divorce cases. Big mergers, financial cases, or criminal cases don¡¯t belong to smallw firms like ours. Would you be willing toe?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said honestly, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me, I really don¡¯t have anywhere else to go.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± This was what Jin Dazhuang was most confused about. ¡°Your educational background is very good...¡±

    ¡°I offended someone, and those bigw firms rejected me because of my connections.¡± Gu Nianzhiid her cards on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll mind my situation.¡±

    She suspected that Wen Shouyi or Qin Yaoguang were the ones behind all this. They wanted to prove that she was nothing after she left the He family.

    Gu Nianzhi actually wanted to bang Miss Wen¡¯s head against the wall and tell her that she didn¡¯t want the He family to help her, but that didn¡¯t mean that she wanted the He family to be a hindrance to her!

    However, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t going to bow down to them because of her pride.

    Jin Dazhuang put down his pen in shock. ¡°You offended someone? But you just got out of school, right? How did you offend someone? How could they cut off your path to a bigw firm?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said casually, ¡°I offended the children of influential families at school, so I got kicked in the face.¡±

    ¡°I see!¡± Jin Dazhuang was indignant. ¡°I was the same back then! That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t find a job anywhere. In the end, I had to open a smallw firm to make a living!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Damn it, she was just making it up!

    Gu Nianzhi really wanted to give herself a thumbs up for being able to ¡°unite against amon enemy¡± like that.

    Look at her luck. She always showed you the golden edges of the dark clouds when arge cloud was approaching, and gave you a glimmer of hope that you couldn¡¯t see or touch. It would numb you and destroy your fighting spirit.

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced in her heart and immediately said, ¡°I already have awyer¡¯s license. You won¡¯t be at a disadvantage if you hire me. I¡¯ll work very hard and find a case for the firm!¡±

    Of course, Jin Dazhuang would be more than happy for her to do that.

    His smallw firm had been open for ten years, and he had umted some connections in the lower-middle-ss households.

    Although he didn¡¯t earn much, he was doing much better than the average sryman.

    Recently, there had been more and more business. He couldn¡¯t handle it alone, so he wanted to find a capable helper.

    The two of them hit it off and she immediately signed an employment contract.

    Jin Dazhuang gave her a starting sry of eight thousand a month. After half a year, based on performance, she could get another sry. The year-end bonus was two months¡¯ sry, and there was a certainmission forrge cases. Five Insurance and one gold were provided, it could be said to be a very sincere contract.

    He then called the building management office to make an electronic door te for her so that she could take the elevator freely.

    Gu Nianzhi calmly looked at the floor level: the second floor. ¡ª Did she need to take the elevator?

    ¡°Wee to Jin Dazhuangw firm.¡± Jin Dazhuang smiled so widely that his eyes were narrowed into slits. He shook her hand. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll be partners in the future. ¡ª When can you start work?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for thinking so highly of me, boss. I can start work tomorrow.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very sweet. ¡°I¡¯ll keep working hard!¡±

    She took the contract and happily walked out of Jin Dazhuangw firm¡¯s door.

    Since it was only the second floor, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to wait for the elevator and went straight down the stairs.

    Back in the hotel, Qin Zhining was in her room talking to someone on the phone. The expression on his face was especially gentle and affectionate.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    He was calling Wen Shouyi, wasn¡¯t he?

    How could she have forgotten about this.

    So she had a ¡°spy¡± by her side. He must have told Wen Shouyi about thew firm she was interviewing at, right?

    Gu Nianzhi was in a bad mood, so she wouldn¡¯t let others be in a good mood, especially the person who had secretly done something to make her feel bad.

    Her emotions came and went. By the time she sat down in front of Qin Zhining with a long face, her tears were already streaming down her face like beads of broken string.

    Looking beautiful and moving, they hung on her fair and delicate skin like a pear blossom in the rain.

    Qin Zhining looked up and was shocked to see her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

    He had forgotten to hang up the phone. Wen Shouyi heard him and quickly asked, ¡°Ah-Ning, What¡¯s wrong? Who are you talking to?¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s Miss Gu.¡± Qin Zhining wanted to hang up the phone, but Gu Nianzhi also spoke up. She asked, ¡°Brother Ning, who are you talking to?¡±

    ¡°... Shouyi.¡± Qin Zhining felt like he was a mouthpiece passing messages between Wen Shouyi and Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and wiped her tears with a tissue. She said pitifully, ¡°Really? Brother Ning, you should go. My ce can¡¯t afford to have someone like you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Qin Zhining hung up in a hurry. He leaned forward and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°What happened? You¡¯re asking me?!¡± Gu Nianzhi red at Qin Zhining. ¡°It was all your fault for spreading the news of my interview. Now, someone is trying to sabotage me, and all thew firms have rejected me! Are you satisfied? Happy?!¡±

    Qin Zzhining let out an ¡°ah¡± and turned his head away guiltily. ¡°... Well, maybe you¡¯re not capable enough. How can you me others?¡±

    Although he said that, he knew that it wasn¡¯t the real reason.

    With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s education and ability, and herwyer¡¯s license, how could she not even get a junior position at a bigw firm?

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t try to avoid the question. Did you tell anyone about my interview? You only have to answer yes or no.¡±

    Not daring to speak, Qin Zhining was silent.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t speak.¡± Gu Nianzhi began to reason logically. ¡°Did you tell Wen Shouyi?¡±

    Qin Zhining pursed his lips and wanted to defend himself, but he did tell Wen Shouyi, so he kept quiet again.

    ¡°Am I right again?¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up, picked up the pillow from the sofa, and hit Qin Zhining hard on the head.

    She whimpered as she hit him. ¡°Do you know how hard it was for me to get the interview?! I was promised that they would hire me during the interview, but they abandoned me after doing a background check. Are you saying that I¡¯m not capable enough?!¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you, if I wasn¡¯t good enough, they wouldn¡¯t have done the background check!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave Qin Zhining the middle finger and said fiercely, ¡°I hate that insidious girlfriend of yours, Wen Shouyi! She¡¯s trying to drive me to my death!¡±

    Qin Zhining grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and stopped her from making that gesture. He said unhappily, ¡°Yes, I did tell Wen Shouyi, but she¡¯s not that kind of person. She won¡¯t interfere in your business.¡±

    ¡°Really? You dare to call her and confront her?¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at Qin Zhining¡¯s phone. ¡°Call her and ask if she¡¯s familiar with the people from the fourw firms. She¡¯ll definitely lie and say she¡¯s not.¡±

    Qin Zhining picked up his phone doubtfully. He had seen Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hopeful and disappointed look for the past two days with his own eyes. He couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for her. He thought about it and decided to call Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi picked up right after he dialed the number.

    Qin Zhining had suddenly hung up on her, but she hadn¡¯t picked up. She felt uneasy and had been waiting for his call.

    Seeing that he had called, she immediately picked up and asked, ¡°Ah-Ning, what happened?¡±

    Qin Zhining¡¯s voice was very calm. She couldn¡¯t tell what had happened.

    He asked calmly, ¡°Shouyi, are you familiar with these fourw firms?¡±

    He said the names of the fourw firms, and Wen Shouyi immediately denied it. ¡°No, why?¡±

    Qin Zhining looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi showed Qin Zhining the news reports she had found.

    She had found out from the inte that these fourw firms were the main investors.

    Among the fourw firms, three of them had amon major shareholder ¡ª Qin Yaoguang.

    There was also onew firm whose major shareholder was surnamed Qin. Judging by his name, he was also a member of the Qin family and was a rtive of Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°... These fourw firms are so close to Ms. Qin. Would you believe Wen Shouyi if she said she wasn¡¯t familiar with them?¡± Gu Nianzhi deliberately said to Wen Shouyi loudly on the other end of the phone.

    Wen Shouyi panicked and quickly said, ¡°Ah-Ning, don¡¯t listen to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nonsense. Ms. Qin isn¡¯t familiar with thosew firms at all. All of her shares are held on behalf of the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°You even know about the shares held on behalf of the Qin family. How dare you say you¡¯re not familiar with them?¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately asked back, ¡°We didn¡¯t even mention it. Why are you thinking about shares?¡±

    ¡°Haha, Miss Wen, it must be nice for you to hide behind the scenes and enjoy the pleasure of watching the drama, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi simply called out to Qin Zhining¡¯s phone, ¡°You ruined all my interviews. You didn¡¯t even let go of thest smallw firm. How much do you hate me? How much do you not want me to get a job?!¡±

    Wen Shouyi reflexively retorted, ¡°What does yourst smallw firm interview have to do with me? You¡¯re ipetent if you didn¡¯t get the job.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then you¡¯re admitting that thest smallw firm¡¯s interview was none of your business, but you ruined the first four bigw firms¡¯ interviews?¡± Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to set a trap for her. ¡°Then should I thank you for showing mercy?!¡±

 Chapter 1497 - Collateral Damage

    <h4>Chapter 1497: Coteral Damage</h4>

    Wen Shouyi was obviously stunned, but she quickly calmed herself down. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. None of your interviews have anything to do with me. You weren¡¯t epted because of your own ability. You didn¡¯t believe me when I said you relied on others to climb up the ranks. Now do you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t avoid the question. I¡¯ll find out if it was you.¡± Gu Nianzhi became enigmatic. ¡°Wen Shouyi, don¡¯t me me for not reminding you. I¡¯m a petty person who will seek revenge for the smallest grievance. If you want to provoke me, you¡¯d better kill me. Otherwise, as long as I¡¯m still alive, I won¡¯t let you go!¡±

    Wen Shouyi wanted to throw her phone away and sneered. ¡°Your threat is enough for me to call the police. I¡¯ve already recorded it. If something like this happens again, I¡¯ll call the police.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Nianzhi propped her head on her hand as she saidzily, ¡°So you recorded a phone call with brother Little Ning. Are you prepared to give evidence in court? Unfortunately, recording cannot be used as evidence unless it¡¯s a call from a notary public.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Wen Shouyi said through gritted teeth.

    Qin Zhining didn¡¯t want the two of them to quarrel. He took out his phone and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll give you an exnation for this.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t someone who didn¡¯t understand the ways of the world. Since the Qin family had such a rtionship with these four bigw firms, Wen Shouyi could easily sabotage Gu Nianzhi.

    He had already believed her.

    Qin Zhining took his phone and walked to the corridor outside. He lit a cigarette and said in a slightly cold voice, ¡°Shouyi, I¡¯ll ask you one more time. Did Nianzhi¡¯s rejection at the interview have anything to do with you?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Qin Zhining had never spoken to her like this before, and his attitude made her even more uneasy.

    She held her phone and looked at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ward. From the half-open door, she could only see that the person inside had just sat down and was about to have a long talk.

    She bit her lip and whispered to Qin Zhining, ¡°Ah-Ning, you don¡¯t believe me, but only Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°I trust the evidence.¡± Qin Zhining¡¯s feelings wereplicated, ¡°We¡¯re both adults and have been in society for so many years, and you want me to trust you just because you say you didn¡¯t? Shouyi, am I too stupid in your heart, or do you think I¡¯m not important enough to know the truth?¡±

    Men and women in love were most afraid of deception.

    Betrayal was the sharpest weapon that could cool a rtionship.

    Wen Shouyi was angry and anxious. She said angrily, ¡°You¡¯ve only been with Gu Nianzhi for a few days, yet you trust her so much and don¡¯t trust me? !¡±

    Her heart turned cold. She couldn¡¯t believe that even Qin Zhining would leave her the moment Gu Nianzhi returned..

    She had once deeply believed that this man would never leave her.

    No matter what she did to him, no matter if he was in her heart or not, this man would love and protect her for the rest of his life.

    Had she overestimated this man¡¯s infatuation with her?

    Or was Gu Nianzhi just too good at seducing men?

    She was only neen years old, and she was simply unbridled.

    Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t have looked down on Gu Nianzhi more.

    But no matter how much she looked down on Gu Nianzhi, she would never let go of Qin Zhining.

    Wen Shouyi rubbed her temples and lowered her voice even more.

    She smiled bitterly. ¡°Ah-Ning, I didn¡¯t want to tell you this, but since you asked, I can¡¯t hide it from you even if I have to hide it from everyone.¡±

    Qin Zhining¡¯s expression darkened inch by inch. ¡°So, You really were behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interview rejections.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so bad.¡± Wen Shouyi said sulkily, ¡°How capable can I be? Why would she listen to me?¡±

    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± Qin Zhining frowned. ¡°You just admitted it.¡±

    ¡°Did I just admit it?¡± Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°You¡¯re really stupid. I made the call, but it wasn¡¯t my idea. Her own mother didn¡¯t want her to get a good job, and this is my fault?¡±

    ¡°Huh ? You¡¯re saying... Auntie Qin asked you to do it?¡± Qin Zhining widened his eyes in shock. ¡°Why did she do it? Nianzhi is her biological daughter!¡±

    Wen Shouyi scoffed, ¡°Why are you guys still so stubborn? Auntie Qin had said so many times that she didn¡¯t treat her as her biological daughter. She was disobedient now, and Auntie Qin had said that she wanted to teach her a lesson. If she didn¡¯t live a good life outside, she would naturally think of the good things at home. Don¡¯t get involved. This matter has nothing to do with you and me. Mother and daughter are fighting each other, so don¡¯t get involved.¡±

    After a pause, she reminded Qin Zhining, ¡°You and I are the coteral damage.¡±

    Qin Zhining fell silent. After a while, he asked, ¡°Is it really Auntie Qin?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can call her or ask General He.¡± Wen Shouyi was impatient. ¡°Auntie Qin asked General He for permission. General He acquiesced.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault after all.¡± Qin Zhining now understood that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bad luck this time was all because of him.

    If he hadn¡¯t bbed to Wen Shouyi about Gu Nianzhi getting an interview with one of the four bigw firms, she wouldn¡¯t have been so unlucky.

    Wen Shouyi understood what he meant. She knew he was ming himself, and of course he was ming her.

    She couldn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t right. It was indeed Qin Zhining who had proudlyplimented Gu Nianzhi on the phone while chatting with Wen Shouyi. Wen Shouyi had ¡°identally¡± let it slip and told Qin Yaoguang about it.

    The atmosphere in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ward was no more rxed than it was outside.

    There were some visitors in her ward.

    The nurse cut some fruits for them and brought them over. She smiled and said, ¡°Old Mr. Qin, please sit here.¡±

    ¡°Dad, why are you here?¡± Qin Yaoguang pressed the button on the bed and pushed it up.

    Her face pale, she sat on the bed.

    Sitting in front of her was an old man with white hair and a rather youthful face. His eyes were big and bright, but his expression was very serious.

    Old Master Qin was the current head of the Qin family and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s father.

    ¡°Yaoguang, I heard that Nianzhi is back. Are you treating her badly?¡± Old Master Qin¡¯s expression was very serious as he yed with two steel walnuts that were wrapped in starch. ¡°Your own biological daughter isn¡¯t being treated well. You even pushed her out and treated a gardener¡¯s daughter like treasure. Are you out of your mind?¡±

    Old Master Qin had just arrived at the imperial capital from City Z. He was allegedly here to see his granddaughter, whom he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.

    Qin Yaoguang frowned and avoided the topic. She said softly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your brain? Watch your words. Yes, she is back. She has been back for almost two weeks. What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you here to see me?¡±

    She reached out her hand, which was still wrapped in a white bandage, to Old Master Qin. ¡°This is all thanks to her. The moment she came back, she attacked me and cut my hand!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she resist because you wanted to perform the surgery on her?¡± Old Master Qin red at her. ¡°I think you brought this upon yourself!¡±

    ¡°Dad! I¡¯m your biological daughter!¡± Qin Yaoguang called out in a long voice. She was almost 50 years old, but she still acted coquettishly in front of her father. Old Master Qin¡¯s henchmen got goosebumps.

    Old Master Qin only had one daughter in his life. She had been a good child since she was young, and he really doted on her.

    His only dissatisfaction was probably her attitude toward her daughter.

    ¡°You also know that you¡¯re my biological daughter? Don¡¯t you know how you treat your biological daughter?¡± Old Master Qin hit Qin Yaoguang without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re already so old, yet you still don¡¯t know the importance of your actions. You only have this one child. Even if you don¡¯t like her father, she¡¯s your biological daughter!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang curled her lips and leaned against the hospital bed. She said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯ve also said before that the biological child that I approve of should be a child born from mutual affection. Is she even worthy?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re her biological mother, and she¡¯s the only child that survived after you being pregnant for ten months.¡± Old Master Qin said meaningfully, ¡°I thought you would value her very much.¡±

    ¡°I know. So what? It only proves that the experiment was sessful.¡± Her expression indifferent, Qin Yaoguang shrugged. ¡°Do I have to pour maternal love into my room ofb rats? Dad, do you think this is fair to me?¡±

    ¡°My job is to do experiments. My Dream is to find scientific and efficient treatments to ovee all kinds of difficult andplicated diseases.¡± Qin Yaoguang turned her head away, ¡°Back then, it was that lunatic Gu Xiangwen who suggested doing experiments, but I was the one who did the follow-up work. I¡¯ve failed so many times and finally seeded once. Are you satisfied? Now that you remember that Nianzhi is a human being, you immediately threw all the mess onto me. You turned around and used me of being inhumane!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just like this. I can¡¯t develop motherly love for experimental equipment and items!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s neck was stiff, and her face was red with anger. Old Master Qin was almost choked speechless.

    ¡°Evil creature! You evil creature!¡± Old Master Qin pointed at her and coughed violently. ¡°Come with me to apologize to Nianzhi! You can¡¯t be like this in the future! No matter what, she¡¯s Young Master He¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Don¡¯t look at Nianzhi, look... for the sake of the He family, treat her better...¡±

    Old Master Qin fainted as he spoke, and Qin Yaoguang was so scared that she almost fell off the hospital bed.

    ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t scare me? Are you okay? Call a doctor! Call a doctor!¡±

    They were in the Qin family¡¯s private hospital. The chairman of the board of directors suddenly fell ill in his own hospital and immediately received first-ss treatment.

    Wen Shouyi saw the doctor run in and push Old Master Qin out. She quickly said to her phone, ¡°I have something to do, talk to youter.¡±

    She hurriedly hung up the phone and ran into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ward.

    Qin Yaoguang ordered her with a cold face, ¡°Get me discharged. I want to be discharged.¡±

    ..

    Qin Zhining returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hotel room. His heart racing, he looked down at his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him in disdain and said, ¡°You can go. I¡¯m moving out today too.¡±

    ¡°Where are you moving to?¡± Embarrassed, Qin Zhining leaned against the door. ¡°I¡¯ll send you there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to rent a house,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she started to pack her suitcase.

    She had spent 15,000 yuan after staying here for three days.

    She only had the 100,000 yuan He Zhichu had given her. She had spent 60,000 yuan on a car and 15,000 yuan on a hotel. In addition to the food and groceries she had bought over the past few days, she only had around 20,000 yuan left.

    It was only enough for her to rent a one-bedroom apartment in the cheaper residential area of Nan City District.

    Gu Nianzhi had already made an appointment online to look at the apartment today. If it was close enough, she could move in immediately.

    Qin Zhining felt guilty. Even though Gu Nianzhi was being mean to him, he didn¡¯t take it to heart. He had followed her all the way to Nan City District to look at the apartment and watched her sign a six-month lease with thendlord.

    The small house here cost 3,000 yuan a month. After paying the six-month rent and deposit, Gu Nianzhi only had 2,000 yuan left on her card.

    The house had simple furniture. It was okay to live in, but she still had to buy some daily necessities.

    Qin Zhining followed her to the supermarket to buy kitchen utensils and bathroom supplies.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s taste in shopping was tricky.

    Qin Zhining helped her pay for the whole set, which cost close to 10,000 yuan.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t worried about having too much debt, so she said indifferently, ¡°Put it on the tab. I¡¯ll pay you back 110,000 yuan when I have the money.¡±

    Qin Zhining: ¡°...¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi rented a house, bought some daily necessities and some simple furniture, then decorated the house. It looked a bit like the apartment she had in C City.

    The second-hand house she had bought with her own money.

    Qin Zhining saw that she had settled down, so he started covertly protecting her in C City.

    Gu Nianzhi began her nine-to-five working life.

    The work at thew firm was especially simple.

    During her first month, Jin Dazhuang had only asked her to familiarize herself with the cases here, to understand the applicablews, and to see if there were any mistakes in the previous cases. He only needed to write a memo for her.

    She didn¡¯t have to worry about receiving clients or contacting new clients for the time being. She just followed along and studied.

    Jin Dazhuang was a very good boss. He had given her the opportunity and time to study. Eager to teach her step-by-step, he was like a teacher in school.

    Gu Nianzhi also studied very seriously. She wanted to understand the difference between the legal system here and over there so that she could really start her work and not make a fool of herself.

    In her free time, she would use her phone to surf the inte and understand the situation in this world.

    Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win a hundred battles.

    Gu Nianzhi had always remembered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. If she didn¡¯t make a move, then so be it. Once she made a move, she had to have absolute confidence that she would be able to kill her opponent.

    ..

    Soon, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first week at work passed in peace.

    It was another Monday. Gu Nianzhi woke up one morning and felt cold. She pushed open the window and reached out her hand. It seemed to have suddenly be cold outside.

    Autumn had officially arrived.

    The streets were littered with ginkgo leaves, like small fans.

    Just like the ginkgo tree at the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Operations Forces¡¯ official residence.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the street scenary nkly for a while before closing the window tightly.

    After washing up, she changed into a peach-red woolen cardigan and a ck wool pencil skirt. She carried her Herm¨¨s Birkin bag out the door.

    ¡°Miss Gu, are you going to work?¡± The neighbor greeted her with a smile. ¡°Have you had breakfast? I have fried rice cake and steamed dumplings here. Do you want to order something less expensive?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile and learned to speak C Citynguage. ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten. Thank you, Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. This bag is really nice. Where did you buy it? How much did it cost?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and said calmly, ¡°This is a knockoff. I paid one to two thousand yuan for it.¡±

    The Herm¨¨s Birkin bag that was worth hundreds of thousands of yuan yet she said that it was a knockoff..

    ..

    She drove to the east side of the city. The building she worked in was called the Lu building. It had a total of thirty-six floors, and it towered into the clouds.

    After parking here car, she didn¡¯t take the elevator. Instead, she took the stairs from the underground parking lot to the second floor. It was convenient and fast, and she could also exercise.

    She had arrived a littlete today because of the traffic jam on the road. However, Jin Dazhuang wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about tardiness. When he saw that she had arrived, he just nodded casually and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out to meet a client today. Remember to stay here in the morning. Xiao Zhang of the front desk took half a day off today and will only arrive at noon. If you leave, there will be no one in the office.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°No problem, leave it to me.¡±

    She had nothing to do all morning, so she finished her daily work. When it was time for lunch, Xiao Zhang arrived at the front desk.

    Both of them were young girls, and the boss wasn¡¯t around, so they quickly got together and started gossiping.

    Xiao Zhang said mysteriously, ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you know if there are any big shotsing today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    In a smallw firm like theirs, the presence of a street director was already considered a big shot.

    Little Zhang tugged at her sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s really a big shot. I heard that the chairman of the Qin Corporation ising. When I went upstairs, the entrance of the building was already cordoned off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Qin Corporation? Which Qin Corporation?¡± Wondering if it was such a coincidence, Gu Nianzhi asked cautiously.

    It really was such a coincidence.

    ¡°... The Qin Corporation that runs private hospitals! Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t even know about the Qin Corporation¡¯s private hospitals?¡± Little Zhang rolled her eyes at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said casually, ¡°Is it famous? I¡¯m from the countryside, so I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Before she could finish, a man pushed open the small ss door of theirw firm.

    His hair neatlybed and shiny, he was dressed in a well-ironed suit. It was as if he had written ¡°I am the President¡¯s secretary¡± all over his body.

    ¡°May I ask if Miss Gu Nianzhi is here? Our Chairman Qin wants to see her.¡±

    The man said politely and gave Xiao Zhang, the receptionist, a glimmering business card with the smell of perfume.

 Chapter 1498 - Diamond and Porcelain

    <h4>Chapter 1498: Diamond and Porcin</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting next to Xiao Zhang, but the man ignored her and handed his business card to Xiao Zhang, who was at the front desk. He didn¡¯t even look at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. The Qin family had alreadye knocking on her door. How could they not show him her photo?

    How could he not know what she looked like?

    He clearly knew her, but he still pretended not to know her.

    This kind of behavior was a clear indication of their attitude.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything. She got up and left. She walked to the only room in their smallw firm and mmed the door shut.

    There were only two rooms in this small firm. Inside was thewyer¡¯s office, and outside was the front desk.

    Little Zhang was almost scared out of her wits by this man¡¯s business card.

    The big shot that they had been gossiping about just a moment ago had suddenly descended from the sky and stood in front of her..

    Oh my God! Her legs have gone soft!

    She hadn¡¯t noticed when Gu Nianzhi had left. She only came back to her senses after hearing the sound of the door mming. She said enthusiastically, ¡°Mr. Fang, is it? Are you really the CEO of the Qin Corporation¡¯s secretary?!¡±

    This man was the first-ss secretary to the chairman and CEO of the Qin Corporation.

    He smiled reservedly and nodded. ¡°This is our corporation¡¯s number. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can call and check. Our chairman¡¯s motorcade is still parked at the entrance of the building. The police have people on lock-down downstairs.¡±

    Xiao Zhang sucked in a breath of cold air and quickly said, ¡°Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll go findwyer Gu!¡±

    She got up and knocked on the office door, but there was no sound inside.

    Xiao Zhang froze for a moment, then went back to the front desk and called Gu Nianzhi.

    In order to show his respect to the chairman of the Qin group, Xiao Zhang put her on speaker.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, the chairman of the Qin group wants to see you.¡± Xiao Zhang was so excited that her voice was trembling.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unhurried voice came from the phone, ¡°Is that so? Does she have an appointment?¡±

    Secretary Fang: ¡°...¡±

    She was really putting on quite a show!

    Xiao Zhang: ¡°...¡±

    Oh my God! Lawyer Gu was so cool!

    Xiao Zhang was initially overwhelmed by the imposing manner of the Qin Corporation¡¯s CEO¡¯s secretary, but when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calm and collected manner, she immediately calmed down as well.

    She switched off the speakerphone and picked up the receiver. Xiao Zhang¡¯s professional front desk demeanor also appeared.

    Her voice was even sweeter. ¡°Lawyer Gu, let me check your appointment record.¡±

    She pretended to fiddle with theputer. After a while, she said regretfully, ¡°The other party didn¡¯t make an appointment.¡±

    Of course, there was no appointment.

    Gu Nianzhi had only been at work for a week and hadn¡¯t seen a single client. How could there be an appointment?!

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips in the inner office and turned her chair to look out the window.

    There was no good view of the skyline on the second floor. She could only see the building right in front of her. It waspletely blocked off.

    However, she acted no differently from when she was sitting in Speaker Long¡¯s office, which had a beautiful view of the entire imperial capital. She continued to say calmly, ¡°Then make an appointment. I¡¯ve been very busy recently. I won¡¯t be free until next week at the earliest.¡±

    Xiao Zhang adored Gu Nianzhi to death. How could she be able to talk nonsense without batting an eye in the face of such an influential man?!

    Since she didn¡¯t want to see the other party, Xiao Zhang immediately went into acting mode and cooperated with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s performance.

    She looked up and smiled at Secretary Fang. ¡°Hello, would you like to make an appointment?¡±

    Secretary Fang thought he had heard wrong and turned his head to face Xiao Zhang. ¡°What did you say? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hear you clearly.¡±

    Xiao Zhang smiled and thought to herself, this CEO¡¯s secretary was actually a deaf person. If such a person could be the CEO¡¯s secretary, then wouldn¡¯t she have a bright future as a drama queen?

    With this thought in her mind, Xiao Zhang still smiled professionally and said again, ¡°To see thewyer in our firm, you need to make an appointment. When do you want to make an appointment? Ourwyer Gu is very busy, and the most recent time is next week.¡±

    Secretary Fang felt choked from her words and turned to look at the smiling receptionist. He was roaring in his heart as he refused.

    He needed to make an appointment?!

    If he followed Chairman Qin, he would be able to do whatever he wanted in all of Huaxia Empire!

    Even if he wanted to see General He now, his personal secretary wouldn¡¯t dare to mention the word ¡°make an appointment¡±, let alone awyer from a small and unratedw firm!

    It had been so many years before he had heard the word ¡°appointment¡± again. Haha, Gu Nianzhi really thought of herself as someone important, didn¡¯t she?

    No wonder President Qin didn¡¯t like her...

    Secretary Fang¡¯s expression froze for a moment, and he wished he could turn around and leave.

    But when he thought of how the chairman had gone from south to north, and from north to south, just to meet this woman, what else could he do?

    He had to give in, of course.

    Secretary Fang had a constipated look on his face as he said stiffly, ¡°Our chairman wants to see Gu Nianzhi, not for official business, but for private matters. May I ask if you need to make an appointment for private matters?¡±

    Sigh!

    The young and beautifulwyer Gu from a third-ratew firm had a private matter with the president of the world-ss Qin Corporation? !

    Xiao Zhang was blown away by this news.

    In an instant, her imagination was filled with cheesy scenes.

    It was a heavy blow!

    Instinctively, she touched her phone with her fingers and wished she could immediately post a Weibo post, ¡°Why would the president of the Qin Corporation privately meet the young and beautifulwyer Gu from the Jin groupw firm?!¡±

    With the sensational headlines and the back view of the CEO¡¯s secretary,wyer Gu¡¯s face would definitely be a hot topic immediately. She would also gain a wave of fans...

    Little Zhang struggled internally. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to regain his rationality.

    If she dared to use this news to make a trending search, be itwyer Gu or the Qin Corporation, would tear her apart.

    Still, he had to stop. He had to stop.

    It was important to gain fans, but the price of life was even higher.

    Looking at Secretary Fang¡¯s fake smile, Little Zhang had no choice but to call Gu Nianzhi again. ¡°Lawyer Gu, the other party said they¡¯re looking for you for a private matter, not official business.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a big smile in the inner office and said sternly, ¡°If it¡¯s not official business, then it¡¯s inappropriate. We work for someone, so how can we do private things during office hours? Please ask that gentleman to leave our office and not interfere with everyone¡¯s work.¡±

    Everyone was just two people.

    Xiao Zhang was extremely curious, but he knew his duty as a receptionist. She also wanted to get rid of this man so she could interrogate Gu Nianzhi about her rtionship with the Qin Corporation.

    After hanging up the phone, Xiao Zhang spread her hands to Secretary Fang. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but ourwyer Gu said that it¡¯s work time now and we don¡¯t deal with personal matters. Please go back.¡±

    Secretary Fang was furious.

    How manyrge-scale meetings had he organized?

    How many meetings had he coordinated between the heads of state and his boss?

    How did he end up in a smallw firm?

    Secretary Fang turned off the pinhole camera on hispel. Then, he mmed his hand on the front desk and said with a dark face, ¡°... Okay, don¡¯t refuse the toast.¡±

    He turned around and left. He kicked open the ss door of the smallw firm and went back to the thirtieth floor to report.

    At this time, Qin group¡¯s seventy-year-old chairman, Old Qin, was having a meeting with Lu Yuan, the president and chairman of the Lu Group.

    ¡°President Lu, this time, our group haspletely reced theputer security system. We have inspected manypanies, and your bid is the most suitable for our requirements.¡±

    Old Master Qin sat on the sofa in Lu Yuan¡¯s office. He held a cup of Kung Fu tea in his hand and lowered his head to sniff the tea.

    He was wearing a Tang-style shirt and trousers made of fragrant cloud gauze. His hair waspletely white, but his face was ruddy. He looked sophisticated and ssy.

    Lu Yuan brought his technical director, operations director, and finance director to sit across from Old Master Qin. He smiled and also picked up a cup of Kung Fu tea to take a sniff. He said, ¡°Thank you for your love, Old Master Qin. It¡¯s a surprise that our group was able to win the bid this time.¡±

    The technical director of the Lu Group was Zhao Liangze.

    He was the one who had drafted the bid.

    He also smiled and said, ¡°Old Master Qin is really bold. When we were bidding, your vice-president once said that our bid was too expensive. I hope it¡¯s not too expensive. Hahahaha...¡±

    Old Qin alsoughed loudly and said, ¡°They are petty and only know how to save money for me, but didn¡¯t they think that in terms ofwork security, they could also save money? ¡ª¡ª I believe in the technology of head office Lu... If you don¡¯t have a diamond in the rough, then don¡¯t take on a porcin job. If it¡¯s too cheap, I¡¯m worried that they don¡¯t have the ability!¡±

    Now that the Qin Medical Corporation had assets all over the world, the security problem of the entire group¡¯swork system was even more pressing.

    It wasn¡¯t something that could be solved by installing a 3X0 system.

    ¡°In the end, Old Master Qin has sharp eyes.¡± Lu Yuan smiled and the corners of his lips curved into a happy smile. The lines at the corners of his narrow eyes were raised, and he appeared so charming that it made people unable to close their legs.

    The few female secretaries and female executives on Old Master Qin¡¯s side hurriedly withdrew their gaze and didn¡¯t dare to look anymore.

    If they looked any further, they were afraid that they would fall into an extramarital affair...

    They quickly agreed on the general direction of the cooperation. The specific contract would be negotiated by the executives,wyers, and ountants of both parties.

    The total value of the entire contract might exceed one billion, and each one had to be verified by thewyers and ountants of both parties.

    Zhao Liangze brought them out of Lu Yuan¡¯s office and went to the conference room next door to discuss the contract.

    Only Lu Yuan and Old Master Qin were left in the office.

    They were drinking Kung Fu tea and chatting casually until secretary Fang¡¯s slightly hurried knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Lu Yuan nced at Old Master Qin and asked the people outside to let him in.

    Secretary Fang walked in with a sullen face and nodded to Lu Yuan to greet him. ¡°Chief Lu.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled at him. ¡°Hello, Secretary Fang. I was wondering why Old Master Qin didn¡¯t bring his most trusted secretary Fang with him when he came to our office.¡±

    Thepliment was just right, and both Old Master Qin and secretary Fangughed.

    Secretary Fangposed himself and said to Old Master Gin, ¡°Chairman, Gu Nianzhi said that we can only see her if we make an appointment.¡±

    Old Master Qin: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Secretary Fang was overjoyed to see their expressions.

    As expected, each was more sullen than the next.

    He was happy to see others unhappy as well.

    Old Master Qin pursed his lips. ¡°What did you say? She really wants us to make an appointment?! What exactly did you say?¡±

    Secretary Fang nced at Lu Yuan.

    His hands in his pockets, Lu Yuan stood up and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±

    Old Master Qin gestured for him to sit down. ¡°President Lu isn¡¯t an outsider, so there¡¯s no need to hide it.¡±

    He exined to Lu Yuan, ¡°It¡¯s like this. This Gu Nianzhi is actually my granddaughter. She was born before my good-for-nothing daughter married General He. She has only given birth to this child in her entire life, and they¡¯re like fire and water. I can¡¯t stand it anymore. I want to meet this child and be a peacemaker for the mother and daughter.¡±

    Lu Yuan replied with an ¡°oh¡± and sat down with a smile. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Old Master Qin is already so old, but he¡¯s still so worried about his children.¡±

    ¡°Not at all...¡± Old Master Qin shook his head with emotion, ¡°When I was young, I was also focused on my career. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to my daughter. When I thought about how I should pay more attention to her, she had already grown up and be an adult. She had her own values and principles. It¡¯s toote... It¡¯s toote...¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    This was someone else¡¯s family matter, so he didn¡¯t want to interrupt.

    Old Master Qin yed with the iron walnut and said to Secretary Fang, ¡°... You need to make an appointment for personal matters? Did you not make it clear?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Secretary Fang took out the pinhole camera on his body. ¡°I¡¯ve recorded everything. Take a look for yourself.¡±

    Otherwise, if Old Master Qin thought that he was ying tricks, he really wouldn¡¯t be able to exin it clearly.

    Secretary Fang transferred the contents of the pinhole camera to his phone and showed it to Grandpa Qin.

    Lu Yuan sat across from him. Although he couldn¡¯t see the contents of the video, he could clearly hear the sounding from the microphone on the phone.

    When they heard someone say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ourwyer Gu said that it¡¯s work time now and we don¡¯t deal with personal matters. Please go back.¡±

    Lu Yuan and Old Master Qinughed together.

    Old Master Qin was so happy that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth. ¡°I like this child! This posture, this grandeur, neither servile nor overbearing, not being led by the nose. I like her too much! I want her to change her surname to Qin and be our Qin family¡¯s child.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Secretary Fang: ¡°! ! !¡±

    Old Master Qin waved his hand. ¡°Go and make an appointment with her. I can wait!¡±

    Secretary Fang had no choice but to go down to the second floor in dejection. He pushed the door open and entered the Jin family¡¯sw firm again. He said politely to the youngdy at the front desk, ¡°Hello, I¡¯d like to make an appointment to seewyer Gu.¡±

    After only ten minutes, this person¡¯s attitude had be much more sincere and less arrogant.

    Xiao Zhang looked at Secretary Fang in surprise. After a while, he picked up the phone and called Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu, the chairman of the Qin group wants to make an appointment with you. May I know when you¡¯re free?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in the inner office at the moment and searching for information about the Qin Corporation.

    The more she looked, the more amazed she became.

    Such arge corporation, with hospitals and investments all over the world, could rank in the top 100 of the world¡¯srgest corporations.

    It was indeed impressive.

    The chairman of such arge corporation wanted to see her because of Qin Yaoguang.

    This was because the chairman¡¯s only daughter was Qin Yaoguang, and Gu Nianzhi happened to be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s only daughter.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped putting on airs when she received another call from the receptionist, Xiao Zhang. She said, ¡°Since they are so sincere, I can squeeze in half an hour to see them tomorrow morning.¡±

    Secretary Fang agreed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and make an appointment.¡±

    After returning to the thirtieth floor and discussing with Grandfather Qin, they agreed to meet on the eighteenth floor of this building.

    Because they had negotiated a contract with Lu Yuan¡¯spany, the Qin group had rented a floor of office space in this building for the convenience of future cooperation. They nned to move the IT department here.

    Jin Dazhuang had returned in the afternoon. He was also surprised to hear from Xiao Zhang at the front desk about Gu Nianzhi.

    He walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s desk with a thermos ss filled with goji berries and asked with concern, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s going on between you and the Qin Corporation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I was also very confused when you suddenly came to see me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, do you want me to go with you tomorrow?¡± Jin Dazhuang was afraid that something would happen to a little girl like her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt warm inside. Although she wasn¡¯t close to her family, she was close to people on the streets. She could always meet people who were willing to treat her well and show kindness.

    She smiled and shook her head. She pointed to the top of her head and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just on the eighteenth floor here. I can call you right away if anything goes wrong.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jin Dazhuang was relieved to hear that they were meeting here.

    ..

    After a night of rest, Gu Nianzhi went to work the next day in high spirits.

    Jin Dazhuang and the receptionist, Xiao Zhang, cheered her on. ¡°Good luck! You¡¯d better get on the Qin Corporation¡¯s good side, and we¡¯ll follow you around!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Don¡¯t dream in broad daylight. Wake up and order takeout for me. I didn¡¯t eat breakfast this morning.¡±

    She had tossed and turnedst night and had fallen asleep veryte. The rm clock in the morning had failed to wake her up, and she had almost beente.

    Of course, she hadn¡¯t eaten breakfast.

    ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll order for you.¡± Xiao Zhang, the receptionist, quickly picked up his phone and ordered for her.

    Gu Nianzhi walked towards the elevator.

    This was the first time she had taken the elevator up the stairs.

    She used to take the stairs directly.

    When she reached the eighteenth floor, Secretary Fang was waiting for her at the door.

    When he saw here out of the elevator, he hurried over and said, ¡°Miss Gu, this way, please.¡±

    ¡°Please call mewyer Gu.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°ording to our firm¡¯s rules, the first half-hour of a meeting with a client is free.¡±

    Secretary Fang: ¡°...¡±

    Was he going to call her dedicated, or was he going to call her stupid?

    He nced at her and walked in front of her to push open the door to the conference room.

    It was a small conference room on the 18th floor. There were seven or eight people sitting on both sides of the long conference table, filling up the entire conference room.

    At the head of the table sat an old man, with white hair and a robust face, dressed in a tang-style suit. He must be Chairman Qin.

    There were also two other people she knew. One was Mrs. Qin Yaoguang, who had a white bandage wrapped around her hand.

    The other was Zhao Liangze.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. She wondered if Wen Shouyi would be far away now that Qin Yaoguang was here?

    She scanned her surroundings, but didn¡¯t see Wen Shouyi.

    ¡°Is that Nianzhi? It¡¯s so nice to finally meet you.¡± Grandfather Qin smiled and waved at her.

    Gu Nianzhi walked in and sat down at the seat that Grandfather Qin had assigned her.

    Old Master Qin first introduced Gu Nianzhi to the people in the meeting room. ¡°Everyone, this is Gu Nianzhi. She¡¯s my granddaughter. She¡¯s the only daughter I have.¡±

    As he spoke, he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Everyone here is from ourpany. They¡¯re all your uncles.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and nodded politely at them. Of course, she didn¡¯t call them ¡°Uncle¡±.

    Those people didn¡¯t dare to do so either. One by one, they came over to shake her hand.

    Old Master Qin introduced the people on the other side. ¡°They¡¯re from the Lu Corporation. You work here, so there¡¯s no harm in getting to know more people.¡±

    ¡°This is President Lu, this is President Zhao...¡±

    One by one, Gu Nianzhi memorized all of them and exchanged business cards with them.

    The atmosphere became harmonious and Old Master Qin saw that the time was ripe, he smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, we haven¡¯t seen each other for a few years and you¡¯ve be a big girl. I know you¡¯ve been wronged. I¡¯ve already told your mother, so you should take a step back and apologize to your mother. We¡¯re family, so don¡¯t treat her like an outsider.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremely awkward when she heard this.

    They said it was a family matter, but didn¡¯t it feel wrong to talk about it in front of a bunch of outsiders?

    They said it was a business matter, but they kept quiet about thepany¡¯s business.

    So they wanted to use outsiders to pressure her into making peace with Qin Yaoguang?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said aloofly, ¡°Mr. Qin, I¡¯m here for business.¡±

    Grandfather Qinughed loudly. ¡°You child, you have the same temper as your mother. A nail is a nail, a Mao is a Mao. No wonder you¡¯re going against each other!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang finally said reluctantly, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be like this again.¡±

    What the h*ll, it¡¯s her fault now?

    Gu Nianzhi was furious.

    But she didn¡¯t show it on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean. May I ask what this is about?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi...¡± Old Master Qin said earnestly, ¡°Your mother doesn¡¯t have any bad intentions. She¡¯s just straightforward. She¡¯s been doing research all her life, and her words aren¡¯t very pleasant to hear. If she offended you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help smiling and nodding. ¡°Indeed. Mrs. Qin really is an exceptionally straightforward person. She¡¯s like an earthworm that has turned into a spirit, and has a gut that runs all the way to the end.¡±

    To be able to say to her biological daughter that she didn¡¯t treat her as her biological daughter and that she was just someone else¡¯s medicine, such a straightforward person could only be deemed ¡°an earthworm turning into a spirit.¡±

 Chapter 1499 - Once And For All

    <h4>Chapter 1499: Once And For All</h4>

    The meeting room fell silent as soon as Gu Nianzhi finished speaking. Many people were having a hard time holding back theirughter.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s expression darkened.

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. He stood up and tried not tough. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡±

    He rubbed his stomach andughed so hard that he could barely stand outside the door of the small meeting room. ¡°Hahahaha, earthworms turn into spirits... earthworms turn into spirits... this girl¡¯s words are really poisonous...¡±

    The people in the meeting room were older than him. They were all old foxes, so they could still hold it in.

    Only Qin Yaoguang was furious. Her expression changed rapidly. She was red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, and purple. It could be said that she was very angry.

    She stood up in a sh and kicked Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting next to her. She said in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re talking to your biological mother like that?! Why did I give birth to you in the first ce?!¡±

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the bandages on her hands, she would have given her a p.

    Now that she couldn¡¯t hit her with her hands, she could only kick her.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t expected Qin Yaoguang to ¡°go this far¡± and kick her in front of so many people.

    However, it was obvious that Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t have a foundation in Kung Fu, so the kick looked domineering, but in fact, with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skills, she could have easily dodged it.

    Unfortunately, the small meeting room was crowded. Lu Yuan, the chairman and CEO of the Lu Corporation, was next to her.

    If she had dodged, Qin Yaoguang would have kicked the president.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want anyone else to take the me for her, so she quickly turned her head away. She nned to use her back to withstand Qin Yaoguang¡¯s fierce kick.

    Unexpectedly, her seat was suddenly dragged by a great force. The entire seat slid backward and then stopped.

    Her shoulder was held tightly by someone, so she didn¡¯t fall out of the seat due to inertia. Qin Yaoguang kicked out, but unexpectedly, she missed.

    Her entire body was unable to stop in time, and she fell heavily to the ground.

    ¡°Yaoguang!¡±

    ¡°Dean Qin!¡±

    ¡°Dean Qin, are you okay?!¡±

    The people of the Qin Corporation immediately surrounded her. With Secretary Fang as the leader, they helped Qin Yaoguang up in a flurry of hands and feet.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hair was disheveled, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She red in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and gritted her teeth, as if she had a deep grudge against her.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said innocently, ¡°Everyone saw it. She attacked first. She wanted to kick me, but I just avoided her kick.¡±

    She turned to look at the person who had saved her. Her bright eyes were filled with gratitude. ¡°CEO Lu, thank you for saving me! Otherwise, I would have been either dead or crippled by Miss Qin¡¯s kick!¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s lips twitched. He thought to himself, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s kick would at most leave a footprint on her back. How could she be either dead or crippled?

    That woman probably didn¡¯t have that kind of ability...

    However, he also knew that because he had intervened, Qin Yaoguang hadn¡¯t been able to kick Gu Nianzhi down. Instead, she had fallen to the ground with a big splinter. Not only had she made a fool of herself, but she had probably twisted her leg bones.

    Under such circumstances, of course, he had to make the consequences of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attempt to kick Gu Nianzhi as severe as possible.

    He withdrew his hand from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and nodded with a smile. He said gently, ¡°When you see injustice on the road, draw your sword and help. Don¡¯t take it to heart. I believe that no matter who was sitting in my position, they would have helped you.¡±

    His voice wasn¡¯t very deep, but it had a maic quality that stirred one¡¯s heart. His tone was gentle, and it was a sharp contrast to his tall and imposing figure, not to mention his handsome face. He was unwittingly charming.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was a voice-con and a fan of looks, secretly gave CEO Lu a thumbs up.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s expression changed again. He then berated Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Yaoguang! You¡¯re too reckless! How could you touch your own daughter? No matter how bad she said it, you could only endure it. After all, you¡¯re a parent. Do you think it¡¯s that easy to be a mother? What did I teach you in the past? What did your mother teach you when she was still alive?!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I really can¡¯t stand this daughter of mine.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were like cold stars as she nced at the faces in the meeting room. Her gaze swept past Lu Yuan¡¯s face and finally returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. ¡°Everyone saw how she humiliated me in public. It looks like we really don¡¯t get along. Whatever happens to you in the future has nothing to do with me. Don¡¯t try to bluff and swindle others in my name.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, President Lu. I¡¯ll say it again. I¡¯ve never treated her as my biological daughter...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was furious when she heard this and interrupted her without hesitation, ¡°Mrs. Qin, you¡¯ve said it many times. I¡¯ll reply to you again. I never acknowledged or treated you as my biological mother.¡±. ¡°You keep saying that you don¡¯t treat me as your biological daughter, but you keep saying that I¡¯m your biological daughter. What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, no one will know, but not only do you keep saying it, you¡¯re also meddling in my affairs. I¡¯m warning you, I¡¯ve put up with you for a long time. If you dare touch me again, I¡¯ll make you an inte celebrity in all of China ¡ª a biological mother who humiliates her biological daughter in every way possible. Your name will be immortalized in history.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and patted the nonexistent dust off her sleeves, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to dust Qin Yaoguang off.

    Qin Yaoguang red at Gu Nianzhi and said in disbelief, ¡°You¡¯re threatening me? You¡¯re talking to your biological mother like that?!¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Qin, you just said that you never treated me as your biological daughter, and now you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m talking to my biological mother. What do you mean?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Or are you saying that you don¡¯t have to treat me as your biological daughter, but I have to treat you as my biological mother, so you can hit me and scold me as you please?¡±

    Qin Yaoguangughed coldly. ¡°It¡¯s best that you know your ce. I didn¡¯t treat you like my own daughter, but I did give birth to you, so how dare you not treat me like your own mother?¡±

    p p p!

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and pped a few times. A smile appeared on her face. ¡°Miss Qin, it¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯re a doctor, not awyer, and not a real scientist. Your logic is so unbelievably bad!¡±

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Qin Yaoguang looked at the people in the meeting room. ¡°Tell me, what did I say wrong? I¡¯m a mother, she¡¯s a daughter. Can she erase this fact?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re a mother. You can disown me as a daughter, but I can¡¯t disown you as a mother as a daughter. Isn¡¯t that what you meant?¡± Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back and looked at Qin Yaoguang with sharp eyes.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lips parted and she frowned. She said vaguely, ¡°If you really treated me as a mother, would you have said those disgusting things? If you treated me as a mother, would I not treat you as my own daughter?¡±

    With one sentence, she had made it seem like as a mother, Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t acknowledge Gu Nianzhi because Gu Nianzhi was unfilial.

    In fact, Gu Nianzhi wished that she could draw a clear line between herself and Qin Yaoguang. She even wished that she could go to court and severe their mother-daughter rtionship. However, she couldn¡¯t let others think that Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t acknowledge her because she was unfilial.

    As awyer, she couldn¡¯t allow such a w in the reputation of her personal morality.

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head in amusement. ¡°Mrs. Qin, are you saying that I¡¯m unfilial, which is why you don¡¯t treat me as your biological daughter?¡±

    ¡°You know very well whether you¡¯re filial or not.¡± Qin Yaoguang calmed down and sat back in her seat. Her legs were hurting because of this wretched girl.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Qin Yaoguang had fallen for her trap and immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s strange. How am I unfilial? Can you exin it to everyone? I won¡¯t take the me for something I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You want me to exin?¡± Qin Yaoguang narrowed her eyes and said with a half-hearted smile, ¡°Where have you been all these years? Why did you leave me and run off with someone? Do you want me to say it?¡±

    She was certain that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t say anything about the parallel dimension, so she boldly hinted to everyone that it was because Gu Nianzhi was disobedient that she, as her mother, wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her.

    Even if Gu Nianzhi had the audacity to tell them about the parallel dimension, Qin Yaoguang would have even more reason to have Gu Nianzhi perform a memory removal surgery.

    In any case, she wouldn¡¯t feel at ease keeping her daughter by her side unless she had a memory removal surgery.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood Qin Yaoguang¡¯s intentions. She had been certain that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t dare to tell them about her past few years, so she had dared to distort the truth...

    But since Gu Nianzhi had dug this hole, how could she not have considered this?

    This time, she wanted to shut Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mouth once and for all, so that she wouldn¡¯t dare bring up the matter of her being her ¡°biological daughter¡± again.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile disappeared, and her expression became even more pitiful. ¡°Miss Qin, what do you mean? Are you saying that I haven¡¯t been by your side these past few years and haven¡¯t fulfilled my obligation to provide for you? Is that why you don¡¯t like me in any way?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was about to nod when she suddenly remembered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s age. Her heart skipped a beat and she realized that she had been led into a ditch by Gu Nianzhi. Just as she was about to deny it, Gu Nianzhi spoke before she could.

    ¡°... Miss Qin, by not saying anything, you¡¯re admitting it? Task tsk, how much do you hate me? I only turned 18st year, which means I only became an adult recently. Do you expect a minor child to fulfill my duty to support you?¡±

    ¡°How can you use this excuse to cover up the felony of abandoning your own daughter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out in front of the crowd and said aggrievedly, ¡°Listen up, everyone. I¡¯ve been abandoned by Mrs. Qin since I was 12 years old and adopted by a kind person. I haven¡¯t been by Mrs. Qin¡¯s side for so many years. How can I be filial to her? ¡ª I won¡¯tment on the fact that Mrs. Qin wants a minor to support her. That¡¯s a ridiculous idea.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, Ms. Qin. I won¡¯t go to court to sue you for desertion. Just like you said, you can choose not to treat me like your own daughter, but I can¡¯t choose not to treat you like my own mother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only thinking about the matter of personally going to court to sue you for desertion and bringing shame to you and the Qin Corporation. I won¡¯t do it unless I¡¯m forced into a corner. You and Old Master Qin can rest assured.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke with ease and a smile. Everyone in the meeting room was stunned.

 Chapter 1500 - Do Not Bully The Young

    <h4>Chapter 1500: Do Not Bully The Young</h4>

    Everyone in the meeting room could hear clearly that Gu Nianzhi was actually threatening Qin Yaoguang. If she continued to make a ruckus, Gu Nianzhi would go to court and sue her for ¡°abandonment¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi was already an adult. Suing her for this crime was actually not of much use to her, but there was a potential benefit. If she won, Qin Yaoguang would no longer be able to use her ¡°biological mother¡±as a reason to make any demands on Gu Nianzhi, this included supporting her.

    This was equivalent to severing her legal mother-daughter rtionship with Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birth had been a muddle-headed matter to begin with. She wasn¡¯t a normal legitimate child at all. The executives of the Qin Corporation present knew this very well.

    When that time came, the Qin Corporation¡¯s reputation would be dealt a heavy blow once this matter was used by someone with ulterior motives. It was very likely that it would directly cause a storm in the stock market.

    If it caused a wave of stock-selling, then each of them would have to bear a huge loss.

    These people were all senior executives of the Qin Corporation. They all had the Qin Corporation¡¯s shares in their hands. For sure, they had to think of their own interests.

    And today, Qin Yaoguang had indeed gone too far. After being mocked by the little girl, she was about to kick her.

    As a mother she wasn¡¯t kind, yet she still med her daughter for being unfilial. It was too much.

    Qin Yaoguang saw that the situation was overboard, so she could only take a deep breath and close her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t want to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp-tongued mannerism, which was simply a nightmare for her. She hadn¡¯t expected that after so many years, she would see someone else use sharp-tongued words to step on her..

    Seeing that the mother and daughter had fallen out, Old Master Qin had no choice but toe out and smooth things over. ¡°Nianzhi, your mother was wrong. I¡¯ll teach her a lesson. If you have any problems in the future, just look for me. Don¡¯t bother with your mother.¡± He walked over and very kindly took out his business card, then shoved it into her hand.

    ¡°This is the business card I only give to my closest friends and rtives. Keep it well. It¡¯s not easy for a little girl to live outside. If you don¡¯t rely on your family, would you rely on outsiders?¡± Grandfather Qin patted her shoulder.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped aside and said aloofly, ¡°I don¡¯t rely on others, I rely on myself. Old Master Qin, is there anything else? If not, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±

    She looked at her watch. It had already been twenty-five minutes.

    Old Master Qin sighed, ¡°I was going to be a peacemaker today, but I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out this way. Alright, you can go back first. I¡¯ll call you in a few days and find you a good job. How can my granddaughter stay in a smallw firm like that?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang tugged the corners of her lips and said to Old Master Qin in a sullen voice, ¡°Dad, you really take her too seriously. She¡¯s just a smallw firm employee. She¡¯s really arrogant.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get angry at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s sarcastic remarks. She acted like she had a good temper. She smiled and said, ¡°Mrs. Qin, this isn¡¯t arrogance. This is professionalism and professional ethics. Of course, there¡¯s a mountain between us. You¡¯re a doctor, so you don¡¯t understand the rules of the legal profession.¡±

    She nced around the meeting room and saw that some people didn¡¯t think much of her, especially the so-called executives of the Qin Corporation.

    She raised her eyebrows, then smiled lightly. ¡°Although ourw firm is small, we are a legitimatew firm registered in the Commerce Department, and have obtained the permission of the Law Association. We aren¡¯t a private hospital that ignores thew. If we don¡¯t take ourselves seriously, how can we expect others to take us seriously?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s pupils dted and she said coldly, ¡°Who are you saying is ignoring thew?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m referring to the private hospitals that ignore thew.¡± Her attitude arrogant, Gu Nianzhi raised her chin slightly.

    ¡°You think you can spout nonsense just because you¡¯re awyer? Be careful or I¡¯ll sue you for nder!¡± Qin yaoguang said coldly. Her eyes were unusually cold, and she looked at Gu Nianzhi like she was a guinea pig.

    Gu Nianzhiughed and shook her head. ¡°Miss Qin, you really know how to smear your own name. I said private hospitals that disregard thew, but I didn¡¯t mention the Qin Corporation¡¯s private hospitals. The Huaxia Empire has so many private hospitals, so why do you think I¡¯m talking about your hospitals? Could it be... that you have something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, be careful with your words!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    The Qin Corporation¡¯s executives and Qin Yaoguang berated Gu Nianzhi together, as if she had said something outrageous.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°Do you have to be so guilty? When I referred to private hospitals that ¡®disregard thew¡¯, you all jumped up like mad bulls seeing red. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m awyer. The more you act like this, the more curious I am...¡±

    She dragged out her voice with a crafty expression. There was no fear in her eyes, and she could even look Old Master Qin in the eye for a long time.

    Old Master Qin looked at her for a while and suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°The younger generation is awesome! The younger generation is awesome! We have a sessor! We have a sessor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°? ? ?¡±

    Oh no, did she drive this old man crazy?

    Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly and looked at Old Master Qin suspiciously.

    Lu Yuan, the president of the Lu Corporation, said leisurely, ¡°Lawyer Gu is very ambitious. Back then, I was also poor and started from nothing. I relied entirely on myself to get where I am today. After so many years of struggling in society, I only have one thought ¡ª do not bully the young.¡±

    He took the initiative to reach out to Gu Nianzhi with a very modest attitude. ¡°Lawyer Gu, ourpany has been looking about a new partner recently. We¡¯re looking for more than one partner. If you¡¯re interested, you can join the bidding.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She shook Lu Yuan¡¯s hand a few times. ¡°CEO Lu, is what you said true? I¡¯m a simple-minded person. I¡¯ll take anything you say seriously!¡±

    ¡°How can I go back on my words in front of so many people at the Qin Corporation?¡± Lu Yuan smiled, ¡°The most important thing in business is credibility, especially when we¡¯re dealing with cyber security. We know how important credibility is more than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll go back and check yourpany¡¯s bidding requirements. I¡¯ll make a bid right away.¡± Gu Nianzhi was so excited that she couldn¡¯t wait to get back to work.

    This was her first big business deal in this world. If it was sessful, their smallw firm would bepletely different!

    She could also immediately talk to Jin Dazhuang about the partnership.

    At that time, she would no longer be a lowly employee. She would also be the boss..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart finally calmed down.

    She hated that kind of uncertain state. She felt like a duckweed without a foundation.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news.¡± Lu Yuan took good care of her and personally sent her out of the meeting room. ¡°You work in this building, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m on the second floor, at Jin Dazhuang¡¯sw firm.¡± She added, ¡°Jin Dazhuang is a good man. No one dared to hire me, and only he ave me a job.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°Lawyer Jin is indeed a good man. Lawyer Gu, go back and discuss withwyer Jin. The bidding will be closed next week.¡±

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s that urgent? I¡¯ll go prepare immediately. Please give me a chance!¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed to Lu Yuan in gratitude.

    After Lu Yuan sent her off, he returned to the meeting room and said to Old Master Qin, ¡°Your daughter is as stubborn as your granddaughter.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± Old Master Qin secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Lu Yuan didn¡¯t care.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words today had been unexpected. Old Master Qin really had the heart to cherish talent.

    After exchanging a few pleasantries with Lu Yuan, he left the Lu Corporation¡¯s building with his people.

    He got into his car and said to Qin Yaoguang aloofly, ¡°Don¡¯t make things difficult for that child anymore. I want to observe her carefully.¡±

    ¡°Dad! You¡¯re not really going to make her your sessor, are you?!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What exactly is so outstanding about her?! Why do all of you treat her like a treasure?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Old Master Qin red at her. ¡°Mind your own business. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else!¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her ownw firm and told Jin Dazhuang that the Lu Corporation was talking about a new partnerw firm. She wanted to try out the proposal.

    Jin Dazhuang was shocked. ¡°Do you know how big the Lu Corporation is?! How can they be interested in a smallw firm like us? !¡±

    ¡°I know,wyer Jin, but they wouldn¡¯t just work with onew firm, would they? We only need to take down a small portion of their business, and it will be enough for us to grow. Don¡¯t you want to turn a smallw firm into a bigw firm? With all due respect, the difference between us and a bigw firm is only the difference in the number of people we hire. Our business level isn¡¯t inferior to theirs at all!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi dared to say such big words because she had just been through arge-scale selection process in the other world and had set up her own team.

    She knew who was needed in arge team and how to select them.

    Furthermore, Jin Dazhuang, in the other world, was already a bigwyer in a bigw firm.

    In terms of professional standards, the two of them were about the same.

    The only difference was their luck.

    She patted Jin Dazhuang, who was almost petrified. ¡°Lawyer Jin, we can do it,e on!¡±

    Xiao Zhang, the receptionist, was also very excited. She jumped over and said, ¡°I knew I wouldn¡¯t be a receptionist in this smallw firm for the rest of my life! This is a good opportunity for a smallw firm to be a bigw firm!¡±

    Jin Dazhuang looked at the two young women who were full of vigor and was also encouraged. He nodded and said, ¡°It seems that I¡¯m really old and not as determined as you two. Okay, then let¡¯s work together and strive to take down a part of the Lu Corporation¡¯s legal business!¡±

 Chapter 1501 - If Love Is Meant To Be

    <h4>Chapter 1501: If Love Is Meant To Be</h4>

    For the next week, Gu Nianzhi waspletely engrossed in drafting the proposal.

    Sleeping only two to three hours a day, she woke up early and worked overtime.

    By the end of the week, she had finally finished the entire proposal.

    She looked at her watch. It was already 10:00 am. She could finally go to bed before 4:00 am today.

    After the entire day, she still drank some milk in the morning.

    Her stomach was growling, so she put on her coat and headphones. While listening to the music, she went downstairs to buy a wonton at the all-night shop.

    She also took the opportunity to get some fresj air. Running around the office and the apartment every day, she was totally wasted.

    In front of the shop, several couples were waiting in line for supper.

    The two of them were snuggling up against each other. When they spoke, their eyes were fixed on each other. When they were happy, they would kiss, and they would wantonly disy the beauty of youth and the sweetness of love under the night sky.

    Gu Nianzhi identally saw it, and her heart suddenly felt like it was being pricked by Needles.

    She once had such beauty. She had once been in in love with a man.

    The feelings she had suppressed for a long time finally exploded on this night.

    She looked up at the night sky. In the dark blue sky, there was a lonely star shining in the sky.

    Her headphones were ying the single ¡°If Love Has Providence¡± that she had been ying on a loop for the past few days. On this lonely night, it made her cry non-stop.

    ¡°When the star appeared in the sky..,

    do you know that I began to miss it again..,

    How much love we have yet we can only look at each other from afar..,

    It¡¯s like the moonlight shining on the sea.¡±

    ..

    He Zhichu sat in the car and quietly watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thin silhouette under the night sky. His sparkling almond-shaped eyes grew deeper.

    After a while, he pushed open the car door and got out. He walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He took off one of her earphones and put it in his ear to listen to music with her.

    Gu Nianzhi had stayed up for several nights and was in the midst of a deep longing for him. She was in a trance for a moment and saw a tall figure in military uniform standing beside her. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome features immediately appeared in her mind.

    She stared nkly at him as he bent over with a smile and took away one of her earphones.

    ¡°... Major General Huo, you¡¯re here...¡± she murmured. Her bright eyes didn¡¯t focus on him, but through He Zhichu, she saw someone else.

    He Zhichu tightened his grip but didn¡¯t speak. He pressed her head against his chest.

    He was dressed in a military uniform. With a wide leather belt around his waist, he was tall and slender. His expression was cold and indifferent. His gaze swept past them, and the couples lining up in front and behind hid far away.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder was hurting from He Zhichu¡¯s grip.

    When she came back to her senses, she saw that the person in front of her wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng, but He Zhichu.

    She wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes as if nothing had happened and whispered, ¡°Young Master He, why are you here?¡±

    He Zhichu stroked her head and said coldly, ¡°I missed you, so I came.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She averted her gaze and deliberately changed the topic. She mumbled, ¡°... All you know is how to get special privileges.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    This heartless little rascal, who was he getting special privileges for?

    He Zhichu was furious when he remembered that Gu Nianzhi had mistaken him for someone else.

    But what could he do?

    Forgive her, of course.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything else. He followed her to the store and bought two bowls of wontons to take with him.

    He held two stic bags in one hand and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in the other. They went back to her apartment together.

    Perhaps it was because it was the middle of the night when people were at their most vulnerable, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t shake his hand. Instead, she let him lead her into the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi turned off the music yer on her phone and took back her other earpiece. She took the opportunity to pull her hand back and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    He Zhichu raised an eyebrow.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t say you miss me. That¡¯s a terrible reason. Do you think I¡¯ll believe it?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her silently for a while and curled his lips. A smile shed across his almond-shaped eyes. He said, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re really smart. I¡¯m here on official business.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±Gu Nianzhi was ted. She raised the index and middle fingers of her right hand and pointed to her own eyes. ¡°This pair of tricks of mine are not to be trifled with. Nothing can escape my sharp eyes!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was cold.¡±... sister? Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯re not going to hit me for three days, are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and cupped her hands. ¡°I¡¯m used to it. Don¡¯t me me, Young Master He. Don¡¯t me me, Young Master He!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Young Master He...¡± He Zhichu leaned against the inner wall of the elevator. He carried two stic bags in one hand and rested the other on the handrail. He crossed his long legs in front of her and said with a half-hearted smile, ¡°Call me Brother He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°... Young Master He, you acting like this is an eyesore!¡±

    ¡°When you called yourself sister just now, I didn¡¯t say that you acting like that was an eyesore.¡± He Zhichu nced at her. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand what He Zhichu was saying.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. Fine, she had indeed taken advantage of He Zhichu just now.

    ¡°Brother He, please be magnanimous and don¡¯t lower yourself to my level.¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed and made He Zhichu smile.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression had always been cold and indifferent, but when he smiled, it was as if the ice had suddenly broken and the spring water had melted. It was extremely beautiful.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly averted her gaze and lowered her head to ponder He Zhichu¡¯s purpose foring.

    The elevator jingled and they reached the floor. He Zhichu walked out first.

    waiting for Gu Nianzhi to open the door, He stood at the door.

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to look at him and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a key?¡±

    She knew that although she hade to C City to live alone, He Zhichu and He Chengjian¡¯s men had been secretly protecting her at all times. Of course, it could also be said that they were spying on her.

    She didn¡¯t believe that these people didn¡¯t have a key to the house she had rented.

    Of course He Zhichu had a key, but how could he open the door in front of Gu Nianzhi?

    Just like when Gu Nianzhi was there, Huo Shaoheng also had a key to her ce, but he had never used it without her consent.

    He Zhichu looked at the lock and motioned for Gu Nianzhi to open the door.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and walked over to open the door. She smiled and said, ¡°My house is so small that it can¡¯t evenpare to the small closet where you keep your shoes.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything and followed her inside.

    He put down the two stic bags and walked around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Less than 50 square meters, it was a small room with a living room. It was indeed very small, but it was enough for one person to live in.

    The furnishings and appliances in the room were all newly bought, and it was obvious that they weren¡¯t cheap.

    It was also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s specialty to not make her life difficult under the most difficult circumstances.

    She had always been a very optimistic girl.

    He Zhichu took out a bowl and chopsticks, then called Gu Nianzhi over to eat the wontons.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Now, you¡¯re acting like the host.¡±

    ¡°Eat up, you talk too much.¡± He Zhichu picked up a few wontons from his bowl and gave them to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The wontons here are really good. They¡¯re the best in C City. You¡¯re quite lucky.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and smiled. She wouldn¡¯t tell He Zhichu that there was such a delicious wonton store in C City across the world. It was hidden in the streets and alleys of Nan City.

    Although the address was different, the name of the Wonton restaurant was exactly the same.

    The taste was also very simr.

    After eating the wonton, Gu Nianzhi felt sleepy.

    She had endured too long and couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She yawned and asked He Zhichu, ¡°Are you going back to your base or to the hotel? I¡¯m going to sleep. I haven¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep for a few days. To be honest, seeing you makes me feel as if I¡¯m in a dream. It doesn¡¯t feel real.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that she had worked hard, so he couldn¡¯t help saying,¡±... Nianzhi,e back with me. Why are you working so hard? If you want to be awyer, I¡¯ll transfer my mother¡¯s shares to you. My mother is the majority shareholder of the country¡¯srgestw firm.¡±

    Of course, it was now under his name.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up and rubbed her temples. She said, ¡°Young Master He, I have my own goals. I won¡¯t sit back and enjoy the fruits of yourbor. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not angry with Wen Shouyi. Who is she to make me angry? I just want to use my abilities to earn a ce here.¡±

    How could He Zhichu not understand what Gu Nianzhi was thinking?

    He just felt too sorry for her.

    He tried to persuade her, but when he saw that she was adamant about not epting it, he let it go and patted her head. ¡°Rest early. I¡¯ll be back in the capital overnight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help showing a hint of reluctance for him to stay.

    After all, in this unfamiliar world, He Zhichu was the person she was most familiar with.

    He Zhichu¡¯s depressed mood suddenly improved because of her words. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to leave? Then I¡¯ll stay...¡±

    He took a step forward and said to test her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stepped back and waved her hands repeatedly. ¡°No, no, no! I¡¯m just saying. If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. Don¡¯t dy work.¡±

    She paused for a moment and said with great disappointment, ¡°... If it was Major General Huo, he would definitely attend to work first, and then attend to meter...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and his heart was filled with bitterness.

    Did she really love that person that much?

    So much so that she was willing to endure even the slight he had shown her?

    She could even take it out and chew it repeatedly when they were far away from each other, turning the bitterness of that time into sweetness.

    He Zhichu clenched his fists. There was no rush. He had a lifetime to make Gu Nianzhi realize that not only did he love her as much as Huo Shaoheng did, he loved her even more than Huo Shaoheng did.

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± His hands in the pockets of his military pants, He Zhichu stopped in his tracks. He pursed his lips. ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? Let me ask you, do you want my help with the Lu Corporation¡¯s business?¡±

    Hearing He Zhichu talk about work, Gu Nianzhi immediately perked up. She shook her head. ¡°No, no, I¡¯ve already made the bid. You mustn¡¯t interfere. This is my personalwork connections, and I need to run it myself. If you interfere, I¡¯ll resign and leave immediately!¡±

    When He Zhichu saw that she was so determined, he didn¡¯t say anything more. He knew Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abilities. If no one deliberately interfered, she would be able to walk very high on her own.

    ¡°Okay, you continue to work hard. I¡¯m leaving.¡± He Zhichu opened his arms to her. ¡°Give Brother He a loving hug, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him and slowly walked over. She blinked her big bright eyes and said with a smile, ¡°As a little sister, I¡¯ll give Brother He a friendly hug, okay?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s outstretched arm stiffened, but he couldn¡¯t bear to let go.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she walked over and gave him a gentle hug. She whispered, ¡°Brother He, if only you were really my brother...¡±

 Chapter 1502 - Now And Then

    <h4>Chapter 1502: Now And Then</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m your Brother He, not your real brother. You have to understand that.¡±

    He Zhichu refused.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of his hand in embarrassment. She stole a nce at He Zhichu and saw that he had lowered his eyes and was expressionless. She had no choice but to find a way out. ¡°Haha, I was just saying so. The He family has such a high threshold, so I can¡¯t get in... Please don¡¯t take offense, Young Master He. I¡¯m not that lucky to be Young Master He¡¯s biological sister.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows gradually furrowed. He grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and pressed it against his chest. He said in a low voice, ¡°... Don¡¯t pretend to be naive. Do you not know what I mean?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her big eyes with all her might. Her long eyshes fluttered like two rows of small fans. Her lips curled up cutely and revealed the faint dimples on her lips.

    ¡°Young Master He, did you forget that you told me to treat you like a brother? You didn¡¯t keep your word!¡±

    She was talking about when they were in the opposite world.

    He Zhichu was at a loss for words for a moment.

    It was now and then.

    At that time, he had made up his mind not toe back. Of course, he could only settle for the second best. He wanted to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s only family member and watch her and Huo Shaoheng spend the full moon together.

    But now, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯te over, and neither could Gu Nianzhi go over. So, why couldn¡¯t he be with her?

    He Zhichu gazed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s subtle smile and touched her face. ¡°... I know it¡¯s still too early to say this. No matter how long it takes, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± With that said, he immediately turned and left, his footsteps still somewhat flustered.

    Gu Nianzhi stared nkly at He Zhichu¡¯s back. After a while, she went to the door and closed it.

    Leaning against the door, she looked at her own room. Although it was almost exactly the same as the small apartment she had in there, she knew that it was different. No matter how simr it was, it was still different.

    ..

    He Zhichu rushed back to the capital overnight. When he got home, it was already two in the morning.

    He entered the house and asked casually, ¡°Is my father asleep?¡±

    The orderly quickly said, ¡°Reporting to the Chief, General He is still in the study!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still awake sote?¡± He Zhichu frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I wanted to urge the chief to rest earlier. His health isn¡¯t good...¡±

    ¡°Reporting to the chief, we urged him, but every time you want toe back, the chief will wait for you.¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and asked, ¡°Other people? Are they all back?¡±

    The orderly looked at He Zhichu carefully. After pondering for a moment, he asked,¡±... Are You referring to Mrs. Qin? She hasn¡¯te back yet.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression suddenly turned cold. ¡°Who told you to talk about Mrs. Qin?¡±

    There was only one ¡°Mrs. Qin¡± in this family, and that was his mother, Qin Suwen.

    Qin Yaoguang had married into the family when he wasn¡¯t at home. He Zhichu didn¡¯t believe that his father, He Chengjian, hadn¡¯t instructed him on how to address her.

    The orderly scratched his head and said in a low voice, ¡°... It was Miss Wen who instructed us to address her as ¡°Auntie Qin¡± in the past. We used to address her as ¡°Auntie Qin¡±, but when Miss Wen addressed her as ¡°Auntie Qin¡±, it was a form of address between rtives. We... We have to address her as ¡°Mrs. Qin¡±.¡±

    He Zhichu huffed. ¡°Wen Shouyi is no longer a military officer, nor is she my personal secretary. Pass down the order, and her words will be nullified.¡±

    The orderly quickly saluted and said loudly, ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    After exining the matters at home, He Zhichu went straight to He Chengjian¡¯s study on the second floor and gently rang the doorbell.

    He Chengjian saw that He Zhichu had returned from the video and pressed the button to open the door.

    The door to the study opened silently. He Zhichu walked in and closed the door behind him.

    He walked around the multi-treasure pavilion, which was used as a partition. He Zhichu walked to the inner room and saw He Chengjian sitting behind the desk. He looked up at He Zhichu with his presbyopia sses on.

    He took off his sses and pointed at the chair in front of him with a smile. ¡°Sit, Ah-Chu. It¡¯s sote yet you¡¯re still here to see me. I¡¯m very happy.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    I guess you won¡¯t be happyter.

    He ced the evidence he brought back from C City on He Chengjian¡¯s desk.

    It was just a small sh drive.

    ¡°Dad, I went to C city and learned some interesting things. Are you interested in taking a look?¡± He knocked on the desk with his hand and asked calmly.

    ¡°What is it? If you think it¡¯s interesting, then it must be very interesting.¡± He Chengjianughed as he plugged the sh drive into hisptop and yed it.

    He Zhichu leaned back in his chair and put his hands on the armrests. He said coldly, ¡°This is what my people found out.¡±

    ¡°Look at what your precious wife has done from the moment Nianzhi went to C City.¡±

    He Chengjian looked at the evidence disyed on theputer. She had instructed Wen Shouyi to call the four bigw firms in C City and hint that they shouldn¡¯t hire Gu Nianzhi. She had gone to C City with grandfather Qin to apologize, but in reality, she went to humiliate her. After being humiliated by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s retort, she was still unwilling to give up and tried to cause a bigger scene, but Old Master Qin stopped her.

    He Chengjian¡¯s face darkened. ¡°So, she still interfered in Nianzhi¡¯s matters?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you personally promised that you would never interfere in Nianzhi¡¯s matters outside. You also guaranteed that Mrs. Qin and Wen Shouyi wouldn¡¯t interfere in her matters.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice was even colder. He said sarcastically, ¡°But look at them now. They both feignedpliance with ulterior motives. They don¡¯t even take your words to heart.¡±

    He Chengjian couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the video of Gu Nianzhi butting heads with Qin Yaoguang in the meeting room.

    He couldn¡¯t helpughing when he heard Gu Nianzhi say that Qin Yaoguang was an ¡°earthworm turned into a spirit.¡± He pointed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s image on theputer screen andughed. ¡°This child is so mischievous! I can¡¯t believe she thought of that!¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯tugh at all.

    He looked at He Chengjian coldly. ¡°You think It¡¯s funny? ! You think it¡¯s funny to see so many grown men bullying a little girl?!¡±

    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± He Chengjian rolled his eyes at He Zhichu unhappily. ¡°Look, she¡¯s not at a disadvantage. Let me tell you, people must be able to remain calm in the face of threats, to remain calm in the face of danger, to remain calm in the face of adversity, and to remain determined in the face of adversity. Only then will she be able to rise above others.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, she really is a piece of unpolished jade...¡± He looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°In her current state, she is indeed worthy of being the young madam of the He family.¡±

    ¡°Even if she isn¡¯t so capable, she is still worthy of being the young madam of the He family. Because other than her, I will not marry anyone else,¡± He Zhichu said casually. It was as normal as saying that if it was cloudy, it would rain, and if it was sunny, the sun would rise.

    He Chengjian red at him. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m blind?! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have gone to so much trouble to get her back!¡±

    He Zhichu was at a loss for words. He raised his left index finger and rubbed it against his nose. He coughed lightly. ¡°She¡¯s a qualified young madam. What about the madam? Do you think she¡¯s qualified?¡±

    It was obvious that the ¡°she¡± He Zhichu was referring to wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi, but Qin Yaoguang.

    He Chengjian lowered his eyes and found it hard to believe. ¡°I thought she was just a straightforward person who did research and didn¡¯t have a lot ofplicated thoughts. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so harsh on Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, perhaps she can¡¯t treat Nianzhi as her own daughter, but there¡¯s no reason for her to treat Nianzhi as her enemy.¡± He Zhichu pped his desk and said angrily, ¡°How could she not know what it means for a young woman who has just started her career to be prevented from finding a good job?¡±

    ¡°She keeps saying that she doesn¡¯t treat Nianzhi as her own daughter, but whenever something happens, she has to mention it again. She¡¯s afraid that others won¡¯t know that Nianzhi is her biological daughter!¡± He Zhichu lowered his voice. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever advised her not to go crazy?¡±

    He Chengjian smiled wryly. ¡°... She didn¡¯t go crazy before Nianzhi came back.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been sent to their home by Gu Xiangwen when she was six years old. In the past six years, Qin Yaoguang had visited her more times than he could count on his hand.

    At that time, she had treated Gu Nianzhi with a businesslike attitude. Although she hadn¡¯t been enthusiastic, she hadn¡¯t been as unreasonable as she was now.

    Seven yearster, when Gu Nianzhi had grown up and returned, she unexpectedly wasn¡¯t even be able to maintain her business-like attitude.

    He Zhichu stood up. ¡°I still n to move out. Dad, I don¡¯t want to interfere with your life, and you shouldn¡¯t interfere with me in the future. Really, if I move out, it will be good for me, for you, and for the family.¡±

    ¡°Ah-Chu!¡± He Chengjian quickly stood up and looked at him anxiously. ¡°I haven¡¯t told you my decision yet, so why are you in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°I have no intention of forcing you to make any decision for me.¡± He Zhichu looked at his father calmly, ¡°It¡¯s true. I just can¡¯t control myself, especially after I saw the video of her trying to set Nianzhi up. I can¡¯t bear to live under the same roof as Mrs. Qin, as if nothing had happened.¡±

    ¡°I only understand now why Nianzhi really wanted to leave this house.¡± He Zhichu was a little disappointed. In the end, he still couldn¡¯t give her a true sense of security.

    She couldn¡¯t rx like she could when she was with Huo Shaoheng.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. This also exined why Nianzhi couldn¡¯t fall in love with him yet.

    If he knew what was wrong with him, he would be able to correct himself and do better.

    On that day, she and he would naturally be together.

    ..

    The next day, He Chengjian took his bulletproof car and went to the He family¡¯s cemetery.

    The best tomb in the tomb was for Qin Suwen, and the one next to it was for himself.

    He ced a bunch of flowers in front of Qin Suwen¡¯s tombstone. He Chengjian took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the photo on Qin Suwen¡¯s tombstone.

    The woman in the photo had a in appearance. She had thin eyebrows, light-colored lips, and a slightly high nose that looked a little out of ce on her rtively t oval face. Her eyes were neither big nor small, and her eyelids were always drooping. She looked at people as if she was mocking them.

    No one would have thought that this appearance would make the elegant, handsome, and arrogant He Chengjian, the only son of the He family, dive headfirst into love. He was so in love with her that he couldn¡¯t extricate himself.

    He even broke off the engagement with his fianc¨¦e, Qin Yaoguang, who was even more beautiful and was from the prominent Qin family, then turned around to marry an orphan from the Qin family¡¯s orphanage, Qin Suwen.

    However, He Chengjian knew that his wife, Lan Xinhui, was smart and sensible. He didn¡¯t even think that she wasn¡¯t good-looking.

    In his eyes, her thin eyebrows were like a distant mountain, her light-colored lips were like clear water, her tall nose was imposing, and her mocking expression was quirky.

    Not to mention that when she shone in court, she was simply charming.

    He looked at the photo of his wife and said in a low voice, ¡°Su Wen, I know that you don¡¯t like to owe people favors. Yaoguang saved Zhichu¡¯s life, but I can¡¯t let Zhichu be unhappy because of outsiders. I think you will understand.¡±

    After returning from the cemetery, he went to the Qin family¡¯s private hospital to see Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang had just returned from C City. She nned to stay in the hospital for a few days before returning home.

    When she heard that He Chengjian hade to see her, she was extremely happy. She didn¡¯t evenb her hair and ran to the door barefoot. She extended her hand joyfully, ¡°Chengjian, you came to see me!¡±

    He Chengjian nodded buy didn¡¯t hold her hand. He said lightly, ¡°How are your injuries?¡±

    Her hand was much better now. There was only a thinyer of gauze on her palm.

    Qin Yaoguang felt sweeter in her heart. She smiled and walked in with him while saying, ¡°I¡¯m much better.¡±

    Wen Shouyi walked out of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ward and said with a smile, ¡°General He is here.¡±

    He Chengjian nced at Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang quickly said, ¡°Shouyi is my assistant now.¡±

    He Chengjian grunted but he didn¡¯t go in. He said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Ask her to go to the He family¡¯s house to pack up your things, then take them away.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why do you want her to take them away?¡± Qin Yaoguang was a little dumbfounded. She had just fallen from the great ecstasy of He Chengjian taking the initiative to see her. Her mind was muddled and she couldn¡¯t think clearly.

    ¡°There are some problems between us that can¡¯t be reconciled. We will temporarily live separately,¡± He Chengjian said this and turned to leave.

 Chapter 1503 - Koi Fish Good Luck

    <h4>Chapter 1503: Koi Fish Good Luck</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang froze. She stared at He Chengjian and after a long while, she muttered, ¡°Why? What problems do we need to work on? Tell me, I will definitely change...¡±

    He Chengjian wasn¡¯t a young man who had just entered a rtionship. Now that he saw that Qin Yaoguang was almost 50 years old but was still talking like an 18 or 19-year-old girl, he found it even more ridiculous.

    He said aloofly, ¡°I¡¯m already so old. If you could change, you would have changed long ago.¡±

    This sentence was like a giant meteorite falling from the sky. It made Qin Yaoguang dizzy and her face instantly flushed red.

    Wen Shouyi saw that the situation wasn¡¯t good and quickly said, ¡°You guys go in and have a chat. I¡¯ll go ask the doctor if she can be discharged.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to witness Qin Yaoguang¡¯s embarrassing side here.

    Qin Yaoguang had always treated her like a servant. If she didn¡¯t know what to do, she probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to be a servant.

    After Wen Shouyi left, Qin Yaoguang let out a sigh of relief. She didn¡¯t want to expose her ugly side in front of others.

    In her life, she had only lowered her head in front of He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian thought about it and followed Qin Yaoguang into her ward. He sat down in front of her.

    ¡°Big Brother He, you really can¡¯t do this.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes gradually turned red, and she spoke very slowly. ¡°What did I do to make you angry? I really don¡¯t understand. Other people don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done for you all these years. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know as well?¡±

    He Chengjian thought about how Qin Yaoguang had waited for him for dozens of years. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t moved.

    But that was all. This moved wasn¡¯t to the extent that he had feelings for her.

    ¡°You were really good to me, at first.¡± He Chengjian sighed. ¡°But towards your own daughter...¡±

    ¡°Brother He! Is it because of Nianzhi?!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart sank, and she became even more nervous. ¡°Is it because of Nianzhi?!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He Chengjian was very honest with her. ¡°You promised me, but you did it behind my back. You know, I don¡¯t usually think of other people as bad people, but once I find out that you¡¯re not who you say you are, I¡¯ll definitely think of the worst.¡±

    In other words, he wouldn¡¯t assume that anyone was a bad person until he found out the true bad side of this person.

    Qin Yaoguang was angry and anxious. She couldn¡¯t even speak clearly. ¡°Brother He! There¡¯s nothing I can do! When I see her, I can¡¯t control myself!¡±

    He Chengjian frowned slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°... When I see her, I feel like I¡¯ve betrayed you...¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were full of tears, and her delicate lips were constantly moving. It was pitiful.

    He Chengjian was stunned. He looked up and said, ¡°No way! When you saw Nianzhi, why would you think that you had betrayed me?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m yours, and I¡¯m yours alone, but I had a child with someone else...¡± Qin Yaoguang held her chest. ¡°Brother He, is that why you didn¡¯t want to be with me?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± He Chengjian finally understood and was speechless. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Nianzhi, you would never have had the chance to marry into the He family. I hope you can understand that.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes dimmed instantly. She was silent for a long time before she said, ¡°So all the things I¡¯ve done for you all these years aren¡¯t as useful as Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    He Chengjian stood up and said coldly, ¡°Suwen and I are grateful to you for saving Ah-Chu. That will never change, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can do whatever you want. You know me. I¡¯m a clear-cut person. I don¡¯t mix business and personal matters.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face turned pale and she smiled sadly. ¡°How can I do whatever I want? Isn¡¯t it just blocking a few of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s jobs? Is it worth making such a big deal out of nothing?¡±

    ¡°You still think you¡¯re right?¡± He Chengjian realized that Qin Yaoguang was really confused. ¡°You think you only blocked a few of Nianzhi¡¯s jobs, but to me, you lost my trust. How is this making a big deal out of nothing?¡±

    Who was He Chengjian?

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s highest-ranking military officer. He was a man of his word.

    ¡°But Gu Nianzhi is my daughter.¡± Qin Yaoguang was still indignant. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for her own good. What good would she do in that ce? Only when she could no longer survive in C city would she think ofing back to beg us. Only then would she obediently marry Zhichu. Brother He, do you really not understand or are you pretending not to understand?¡±

    The more He Chengjian heard, the angrier he got, ¡°What do you mean? In your eyes, is my son that bad? Do you have to use such an underhanded method to force Nianzhi into submission?! How could she fall in love with him with all her heart if you do this.. Qin Yaoguang, you¡¯ve really turned an earthworm into a demon, haven¡¯t you? Not only did you be so extreme, but you¡¯ve also even lost your mind!¡±

    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression changed drastically as she looked at He Chengjian in disbelief. ¡°How did you know? ! You sent someone to spy on me?! You have a video?!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang immediately understood what the problem was when she heard the phrase ¡°A worm bes a spirit¡±.

    This was the greatest humiliation in her life, second only to the fact that He Chengjian had broken off their engagement.

    He Chengjian smiled. ¡°Spy on you? You¡¯re overthinking it. I did this to protect Nianzhi. If I hadn¡¯t done this, I wouldn¡¯t have known that you were so mean to Nianzhi.¡±

    He approached her. ¡°Qin Yaoguang, what are you thinking? Gu Nianzhi is your biological daughter! You¡¯re making things difficult for her. What do you want? Can¡¯t you just ignore her like you did in the past?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang slumped on the sofa and took two deep breaths. She turned her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to say anymore. If we¡¯re separated, so be it. We need to calm down.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°Okay, quickly send someone to take your things away. I won¡¯t see you for a while.¡±

    He turned to leave, but Qin Yaoguang said quietly behind him,¡±... You... You don¡¯t want me again?¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t turn his head. With his back facing Qin yaoguang, he frowned imperceptibly and said, ¡°When we got engaged, it was my parents¡¯ idea. I told you clearly from the beginning that I didn¡¯t have feelings for you.¡±

    ¡°... But didn¡¯t you know that I fell in love with you at first sight back then?¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s voice was particrly sad and fragile.

    She originally thought that even if she didn¡¯t feel anything at first, she would definitely feel something after a long time.

    She wasn¡¯t wrong to think that way. There weren¡¯t many couples who fell in love at first sight. Most people would fall in love after a long time.

    ¡°But after I met Suwen, I finally understood what it feels like to truly love someone.¡± He Chengjian raised his head and looked at the voice-activated light at the door of the ward. ¡°I still remember the first time I saw her.¡±

    ¡°That day was the first day of school at B University. I passed by B University for something and saw everyone picking up new students. In the crowd, I saw a back figure that looked almost exactly like you. I thought it was you, so I went over and patted her on the shoulder to stop her.¡±

    At that time, when Qin Suwen turned around, He Chengjian knew that he had mistaken her for someone else because their appearances werepletely different.

    She looked at He Chengjian in surprise and asked in amusement, ¡°May I ask what is the matter?¡±

    Crisp and tender with a hint of maism, her voice was very pleasant to hear. Although she wasn¡¯t very good-looking, her expression was calm and polite.

    Seeing that he had mistaken her for someone else, He Chengjian hurriedly apologized to her.

    She didn¡¯t mind it and smiled brightly. She waved at him and dragged a big old suitcase into the crowd.

    It was the first time they met. He Chengjian didn¡¯t take it to heart at first. He just thought it was funny that there was someone who looked so simr from the back.

    After he came back, he talked about this with Qin Yaoguang. The two of them evenughed for a long time.

    Later, when they met Qin Suwen again, it was during the debatepetition at B University.

    He was originally there to support Qin Yaoguang. In the end, he was captivated by Qin Suwen¡¯s eloquence.

    That night, all the lights were focused on her, making her unattractive face look radiant.

    He Chengjian began to pay attention to her, even appearing by her side, to be friends with her.

    Unknowingly, his feelings towards her had already changed.

    When he realized that he had truly fallen in love with this unattractive but extremely intelligent girl, he immediately exined the situation to his father, and then broke off the engagement with the Qin family.

    At first, Qin Yaoguang had no idea that he had fallen in love with Qin Suwen. She thought that he had fallen in love with another noble daughter of an prominent family, and she had once felt very sorry for herself.

    Because at that time, with the Qin family¡¯s background, her engagement with He Chengjian was definitely of a high status.

    When she heard He Chengjian involuntarily reminiscing about the past, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression became even gloomier.

    She lowered her head and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She sobbed and said, ¡°So after all these years of hard work and my efforts, I was still unable to move you. I was clearly the one who got to know you first...¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve already said that you don¡¯t have to waste your time on me. At that time, there were so many people pursuing you. Even that crazy... geniuses had a soft spot for you. Why do you have to be so stubborn?¡±

    At that time, Qin Yaoguang was indeed an influential figure in the school. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also extremely smart. In medical school, she was the campus belle. In addition, she was engaged to He Chengjian. In the eyes of her ssmates, she was the winner in life.

    However, He Chengjian suddenly broke off the engagement with her and turned to pursue Qin Suwen. In an instant, Qin Yaoguang lost face and suffered humiliation.

    She couldn¡¯t stay in school any longer, so she could only transfer to another school toplete her medical degree overseas.

    It was also because He Chengjian felt guilty towards Qin Yaoguang that their He family became the Qin family¡¯s supporter by allowing them to obtain many benefits.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the He family, the Qin family wouldn¡¯t have developed to its current scale in more than twenty years.

    ¡°It was indeed my fault for breaking off the engagement back then, but in the past twenty to thirty years, your Qin family has already received enough benefits from our He family.¡± He Chengjian was a little impatient, ¡°Even if you had married me back then, the benefits your Qin family received would only be this much. So, to put it in a deeper sense, I don¡¯t owe you anything.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang choked for a moment and lowered her head. ¡°... You only know how to talk about benefits, but what about my feelings? After so many years, you really don¡¯t owe me feelings?¡±

    ¡°I had no choice.¡± He Chengjian opened the door of the ward. ¡°I tried to ept you, otherwise, why would I have married you? I even agreed to let you use my frozen sperm as a test tube baby.¡±

    ¡°If that test tube had seeded, would you not have been so heartless?¡± Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh.

    She used He Chengjian¡¯s frozen sperm to fuse with her egg cells to make four to five fertilized eggs, and only one of them was sessfully imnted in her body.

    However, after two months of sessful fertilization, she naturally miscarried.

    She had been so sessful in the past, but on this matter, she was extremely frustrated.

    Most people would choose to pick themselves up from wherever they fell.

    But she had fallen into the same pit again and again.

    He Chengjian said calmly, ¡°But it didn¡¯t seed. This means that we are really not suitable for each other. I gave you a chance, but you didn¡¯t cherish it.¡±

    He left Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ward. Qin Yaoguang looked at his back and her face went nk.

    ..

    The next day was Monday. Gu Nianzhi went to work in high spirits with the copy of the bid she had prepared.

    She arrived early on the second floor of the Lu Corporation building. Seeing that Jin Dazhuang and the receptionist, Xiao Zhang, had arrived earlier than her, she smiled and said, ¡°Are you guys nervous too?¡±

    ¡°Of course! This bid is rted to whether or not I, Xiao Zhang, will be able to turn over a new leaf and be the receptionist of a bigw firm!¡± Xiao Zhang held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she touched the folder in her hand. ¡°I just transferred the koi fish today, so I¡¯ll share your bid with some good luck.¡±

 Chapter 1504 - Good News

    <h4>Chapter 1504: Good News</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Xiao Zhang¡¯s hand at the front desk. She was silent.¡±...¡±

    Jin Dazhuang walked over with his water sk, which he had soaked goji berries in. He said slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. You¡¯ve already sent the bid, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve already received it.¡± Gu Nianzhi took a sip of the coffee Xiao Zhang had made for her. ¡°This is a copy. After they receive it, they¡¯ll screen it based on the content of the bid. If they¡¯re shortlisted, they¡¯ll receive a call today or tomorrow.¡±

    The three of them had no mood to work that day, and had been anxiously waiting for the call.

    Finally, just before work ended in the afternoon, Xiao Zhang, at the front desk, received a call from the Lu Corporation as she had hoped.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu! Lawyer Jin! We¡¯ve been shortlisted! We¡¯ll go to the auction tomorrow!¡± Overjoyed, Xiao Zhang jumped and shouted at the front desk.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly drank arge mouthful of water. She smiled and said, ¡°Look at me, I¡¯m so nervous. I didn¡¯t even dare to drink water. I¡¯m afraid that if I drink too much water, I¡¯ll miss the call.¡±

    ¡°Then you can¡¯t drink water tomorrow either. It would be bad if you miss the live bidding.¡± Xiao Zhang took the ss of water from Gu Nianzhi with a straight face. ¡°Leave it with me. I¡¯ll return it to you after you pass.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She knew very well that as long as no one interfered, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for her to get a small contract.

    ..

    At nine o¡¯clock on Tuesday morning, Gu Nianzhi and Jin Dazhuang were both wearing their best suits and carryingptops to the 30th floor of the Lu Group¡¯s conference room. They were waiting for the interviews of the group¡¯s staff.

    They were the smallestw firm and rankedst among all the firms that were bidding on the spot.

    Gu Nianzhi and Jin Dazhuang were called in from nine o¡¯clock in the morning until three in the afternoon.

    The person in charge of the bidding was so tired that he couldn¡¯t even stand to listen to them.

    The bald male manager sitting in the middle frowned as he looked at the bidding documents of the Jin Corporation. He mumbled, ¡°... How did something strange get in here... how did the legal department screen them? This kind of small-timew firm is also bidding for ourpany¡¯s business? Is it because they don¡¯t think much of our Lu Corporation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly and said, ¡°Sir, your microphone is still on.¡±

    Everyone heard his ¡°mumbling¡±.

    An awkwardugh broke out in the meeting room.

    The bald male director had done it on purpose. He hadn¡¯t expected the two of them to be so tactless. He shook their bids impatiently, ¡°Yourw firm is so small. How did youe up with the idea of bidding for our business? Did you make a mistake? Why don¡¯t you guys go back first? I¡¯ll go check with the department responsible for selecting the bids.¡±

    Holy shit! A mistake?!

    Everyone had been waiting for an entire day, and now he was telling them there was a mistake?

    Gu Nianzhi was about to fly into a rage when the door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open. Lu Yuan walked in slowly and said gently, ¡°I happen to be free, so I came to listen to the bidding.¡±

    ¡°Hello, President Lu!¡±

    ¡°President Lu!¡±

    ¡°President Lu, please sit over here!¡±

    ¡°President Lu, would you like tea or coffee?¡±

    The executives in charge of the Lu Corporation¡¯s bidding and defense were so excited that they surrounded their big boss in a flurry to tter him.

    Gu Nianzhi only swallowed her anger when she saw Lu Yuan enter.

    With Lu Yuan around, these people couldn¡¯t ck off even if they wanted to.

    Sure enough, the bald male executive changed his attitude and asked excitedly, ¡°Jin Corporation, which one of you is the author of this proposal?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stepped forward, ¡°It¡¯s me. Do you have any questions?¡±

    The bald male supervisor was about to speak when Lu Yuan reached out and took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tender from his hands, saying, ¡°Let me see.¡±

    The Big Boss wanted to ask the question himself, so the supervisors in the room could only hold their breaths.

    Lu Yuan looked at it for a while and asked, ¡°Lawyer Gu, right? Yourw firm is so small, it doesn¡¯t seem to fit the professional functions that ourpany needs in the legal field.¡±

    The bald male manager heard this and quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s what I said just now. Whether it¡¯s intellectual property, cross-border M & A, or tort litigation, they don¡¯t have any experience in this area. The four bigw firms that wepeted for just now all have their own strengths, actually...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was already prepared, so she immediately interrupted them and asked calmly, ¡°May I ask, in yourpany¡¯s eyes, is only intellectual property, or cross-border M & A, or tort litigation, considered legal business?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± The bald male supervisor looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile. ¡°Do you want us to use your expertise in divorce litigation? Youngdy, are you married? If you¡¯re not married, you won¡¯t be able to find a partner if you keep helping people with divorce litigation!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was furious. How could he have the face tounch such a strong personal attack?!

    Although Gu Nianzhi was angry, she remained calm. She took out her business card and ced it in front of the bald male supervisor. She said calmly, ¡°Sure, sure. I think you¡¯ll need to see us soon. I¡¯ll give you a 20% discount.¡±

    The bald male supervisor was stunned for a moment before he understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. He couldn¡¯t help but fly into a rage out of humiliation. He said, ¡°Hey! Why are you cursing me? ! I only said one sentence, and you¡¯re cursing me for a divorce? !¡±

    He flung Gu Nianzhi¡¯s business card onto the floor.

    Gu Nianzhi bent down to pick it up and said nonchntly, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll give your wife a 20% discount if shees to me for a divorce.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª !¡± The bald male supervisor was thoroughly enraged. He stood up and waved his arm vigorously. ¡°You! Get out!¡±

    He immediately told Gu Nianzhi to get lost.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would look down on others. She turned her gaze over. ¡°CEO Lu, are you chasing me out as well?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and apologized to her. ¡°Lawyer Gu, I¡¯m really sorry. It¡¯s our fault for making you suffer.¡±

    He looked at the bald male supervisor who had lost hisposure and his eyes darkened. ¡°You, get out.¡± (You¡¯re the one who should get lost.)

    The bald male supervisor was so scared that he almost peed his pants when the president and chairman spoke.

    He walked out of the meeting room almost in a daze. He couldn¡¯t understand how he had been angered by the little girl¡¯s few words.

    He must have been too tired, he must have..

    But he had to teach them a lesson in this smallw firm.

    Gu Nianzhi spoke with confidence in therge meeting room.

    ¡°President Lu, I know that ourw firm is indeed very small, but there are small benefits. Our business closely rtes to the public¡¯s livelihood, and we have a close rtionship with ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re good at dealing with ordinary people. We know their needs and demands.¡±

    ¡°As for your bigpanies, you don¡¯t need a divorcewyer to help you with your cases, but you needbor arbitration. I¡¯ve studied the legal structure of yourpany and found that you¡¯recking inbor arbitration.¡±

    ¡°As forborws, ourwyer Jin is a real expert. He has personally helped a lot of dismissed employees to conductbor arbitration with reasonable grounds. It can be said that he is no worse than any bigw firm¡¯swyer.

    ¡°On the contrary, because of the fees charged by the bigw firms, such a smallbor arbitration won¡¯t be taken seriously by them. Ordinary employees can¡¯t afford to hire a bigw firm, but we can provide the same quality service as a bigw firm, but the fees are only a fraction of what they charge.

    ¡°So I believe that if you sign a contract with ourw firm, it will help you solve a lot ofbor problems. Your HR can also consult ourw firm as much as possible when ites to hiring personnel.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished speaking and put another more detailed proposal in her hand in front of Lu Yuan. ¡°CEO Lu, this is the detailed proposal I made. There are dataparisons in it. Please refer to it.¡±

    Only three pages, the proposal wasn¡¯t long, but the data was detailed and strong. It didn¡¯t take a legal professional to see the weight of this proposal.

    A proposal written with this way of thinking would have a very high winning rate even if it was to bid for the business of arge internationalpany.

    Lu Yuan was already very satisfied, but he still said aloofly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, I remember you said just now that you were the one who drafted this proposal?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I wrote it all. Every punctuation mark is original.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread out her hands yfully. ¡°All rights reserved. Reproductions must be investigated.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and looked up. The lines at the corners of his eyes were even more charming. ¡°... But this proposal really doesn¡¯t look like it was written by someone who just graduated. Forgive me for asking, but haswyer Gu ever had any simr work experience before?¡±

    Whether one had any work experience or not, their performance during an interview waspletely different.

    Just like a virgin and a non-virgin, their performance on their wedding night waspletely different.

    An experienced man would be able to tell at a nce.

    Gu Nianzhi choked for a moment and chose not to say it. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know about this in the future, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait and see.¡± Lu Yuan stood up and said to the supervisor in the meeting room. ¡°I think they¡¯re not bad. We¡¯re indeedcking in this area. Their participation can fill in the gaps in this area.¡±

    He actuallypletely epted what Gu Nianzhi had just said.

    The managers immediately understood what he meant and quickly said, ¡°Congrattions, Congrattions! You¡¯re the first contractw firm we¡¯ve epted. Come,wyer Jin,wyer Gu, sign the contract here.¡±

    The big boss had already said it was fine. They weren¡¯t idiots like that person from before. What good would it do to go against the big boss?

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Jin Dazhuang practically floated back to the second floor.

    The receptionist, Xiao Zhang, rushed over nervously. ¡°Lawyer Gu,wyer Jin, how did it go? Did you pass?!¡±

    ¡°No... of course we did!¡± Gu Nianzhi yelled and jumped up with little Zhang in her arms. ¡°We¡¯re rich! We can hire people now! Xiao Zhang, you¡¯re the flower of the front desk!¡±

    Xiao Zhang was also overjoyed. ¡°I don¡¯t have to change jobs anymore! I want a promotion and a raise!¡±

    Jin Dazhuang was so angry that his nose was crooked. ¡°Good for you, Xiao Zhang! You hate the poor and love the rich! Hmph!¡±

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi and Xiao Zhangughed even harder.

    Jin Dazhuang was angry for a while, but he alsoughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s only natural that people want to go higher. It¡¯s not surprising that Xiao Zhang thinks that way. I¡¯m stuck in my own ways, and I admit my mistake. From now on, we must work together to make thew firm bigger and stronger!¡±

    Theirw firm had good news, and the Lu Corporation also had good news.

    A weekter, the Lu Corporation announced the good news of their in-depth cooperation with the Qin Corporation in the area ofwork security. They were also negotiating a new contract with the government to provide technical support in the area ofwork security for the country.

    Shares of the Lu Corporation rose in response. After a week, they had doubled in price.

    The Lu Corporation had such a big happy event, so of course they had to celebrate.

    Therefore, the CEO¡¯s office announced that the group would hold a grand celebration. This meeting would not be held in C City, but in H City, which was known as the ¡°Pearl of the east¡±.

    H City was a metropolis in southern China. It had one of the three best deep-water ports in the world, the Victoria Port. It was also a tourist city.

    All three of them had been invited.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, are you going? It¡¯s a free trip!¡± The receptionist, Xiao Zhang, was especially excited.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to go. Her birthday wasing up, and she was in a low mood. She didn¡¯t have the energy to do anything. She said listlessly, ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±

    Xiao Zhang was browsing Weibo on his iPad. She eximed from time to time, ¡°The Lu Corporation is really generous! They¡¯ve invited so many celebrities!¡±

    ¡°There are also so many socialites...¡±

    ¡°Ah, look, this socialite is so elegant and beautiful! Let me see who she is...¡± Xiao Zhang put on a show all by herself.

    She patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder, ¡°Lawyer Gu, look, Xie Qingying, the niece of Prime Minister Xie! I heard that she¡¯s representing Prime Minister Xie at the Lu Corporation¡¯s celebration party!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, ¡°Who?!¡±

    ¡°Xie Qingying, she¡¯ll be there too!¡± Xiao Zhang showed Gu Nianzhi his weibo.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Xie Qingying¡¯s graceful figure in an evening gown on Weibo¡¯s trending page, and her heart burned with passion.

    She had to go for Xie Qingying!

    She finally had a chance to approach the Xie family quietly...

 Chapter 1505 - Iâ€™m Loyal To Him

    <h4>Chapter 1505: I¡¯m Loyal To Him</h4>

    ¡°Looks interesting...¡±

    Resting her chin on one hand, Gu Nianzhi said with interest. She leaned over to Xiao Zhang and tilted her head to see the socialite gossip.

    When she saw the photo of Wen Shouyi in a white Louis Vuitton business suit appearing on the list of ¡°socialites,¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and pointed to her photo. ¡°This person is also a socialite?¡±

    She thought that a socialite had to be from a prestigious family.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Xiao Zhang poked the photo on his iPad with her finger. ¡°She¡¯s amazing! I heard she¡¯s Dean Qin¡¯s goddaughter. She graduated from Harvard Law School and is the youngest director of the military. She¡¯s also Major General He¡¯s personal secretary!¡±

    Although Wen Shouyi was no longer He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary, the general public still didn¡¯t know about this.

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Dean Qin¡¯s goddaughter? Really?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they all say. Dean Qin brought her to some of the upper-ss banquets, maybe as an assistant.¡±

    Xiao Zhang seemed to remember something and took out her phone. ¡°Let me show you my collection. I don¡¯t even want to use it as wallpaper.¡±

    She pulled out a photo from her phone album and showed it to Gu Nianzhi, as if it was a treasure. ¡°See? This is the only picture of Major General He that has appeared on the Inte. You have no idea how many ignorant girls have been swept up by it!¡±

    It was a work photo of He Zhichu when he was awarded the title.

    The Young Major General was in high spirits. He looked at the camera silently and indifferently. His glimmering almond-shaped eyes were as deep as the sea and as dark as the night.

    Without saying anything, he could make people dive into his deep eyes and wish they could drown in them.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at Xiao Zhang.¡±... You¡¯re one of the ignorant girls?¡±

    ¡°I used to be,¡± Xiao Zhang corrected her. ¡°When I was young and ignorant, I was his obsessive fan, but after I grew up, I knew I couldn¡¯t be Mrs. He, so I hid my love from everyone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her again. ¡°... from everyone?¡± She pointed at herself. ¡°I¡¯m not anyone?¡±

    Xiao Zhang giggled, ¡°Of course you¡¯re not anyone. You¡¯re my boss and my breadwinner. How can you be anyone? Lawyer Gu, to be honest, Major General He has been keeping a low profile all these years. He hasn¡¯t shown his face in three or four years, and we retard fans have been climbing walls.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Come,wyer Gu, do you want to join Major General He¡¯s obsessive fan club with me?¡± Xiao Zhang pretended to be serious as she reached out her hand to her. ¡°I¡¯m the founder. I¡¯ll be your president.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and said, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. You can follow him yourself.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s especially good-looking?!¡± Xiao Zhang was surprised, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the uniform. I¡¯m a fan of the uniform. I know that. I¡¯ve already given up on treatment. Just his looks and his abilities are enough to trap you. How can you be so cruel as to refuse to follow him?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said leisurely, ¡°He¡¯s handsome, but I¡¯m already someone¡¯s hardcore fan. It doesn¡¯t matter whether ¡®m loyal to him.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, you only know how to brag. Is there anyone more handsome than Major General He?¡± Xiao Zhang didn¡¯t believe her at all. He rolled his eyes. ¡°Okay, youwyers can talk even if you die. It would be a miracle if I could hear the truth from your mouths.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a child to be taught.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her head and walked back to her office with a smile.

    Theirw firm was expanding because they had received the Lu Corporation¡¯s contract. They had rented an office on the eleventh floor at the first opportunity. They were no longer the two-room smallw firm on the second floor.

    They now upied a quarter of the territory on the eleventh floor and had around ten rooms.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi had her own office. She had been promoted to partner.

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fell as she entered her office.

    She sat back at her desk and stared at the threeputer screens in front of her.

    Xie Qingying. She hadn¡¯t expected Xie Qingying to be here.

    She didn¡¯t stop for long before her phone rang.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it. It was a call from He Zhichu.

    She picked up the call and teased, ¡°Young Master He, I have your hardcore fan here.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡± he wasn¡¯t used to it.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°How have you been recently? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    He Zhichu came back to his senses and said, ¡°Your birthday ising up soon. How do you want to celebrate it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her schedule and saidzily, ¡°I can¡¯t celebrate it this year. I¡¯m going to H City. On my birthday, I¡¯m going to attend the Lu Corporation¡¯s celebratory banquet there.¡±

    ¡°Lu Corporation¡¯s celebratory banquet?¡± He Zhichu frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t you not go?¡±

    ¡°No. ¡°Gu Nianzhi objected curtly. ¡°I have to go. There are so many celebrities and socialites. I want to watch the fun.¡±

    He Zhichu knew Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t someone who liked to watch the fun, but if she said she wanted to go, she had to go.

    How would He Zhichu not let her go?

    He sighed. ¡°Then should Ie to C City early to celebrate your birthday?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself...¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile. ¡°Actually, birthdays pass year by year. It¡¯s okay if it doesn¡¯t pass once in a while.¡±

    She chatted with He Zhichu for a while and thought of Xie Qingying and Wen Shouyi, who she had just gossiped about with Xiao Zhang. She teased him with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Young Master He¡¯s personal secretary is also a socialite. Socialite Wen is really good at showing off in social asions! I saw that her socialite ranking is even higher than prime minister Xie¡¯s niece, Xie Qingying!¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t care about Wen Shouyi at all and immediately said, ¡°She¡¯s no longer my personal secretary.¡±

    ¡°I know, but no one else knows.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Alright, I was just saying casually. This time, she¡¯s not among the socialites invited by the Lu Corporation. Are they well-informed and already know?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± He Zhichu said as he turned on hisputer and searched for news about the Lu Corporation¡¯s celebration party.

    He saw Xie Qingying¡¯s name from the string of sparkling names and couldn¡¯t help pausing.

    After hanging up, He Zhichu sat in his office for a while. He felt a little uneasy and decided to ask He Chengjian.

    ¡°Dad, when I sent the news back, you investigated the Huo family, right?¡± He Zhichu sat in He Chengjian¡¯s study and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°I did. I searched throughout the entire country for three years, but there was no Huo Xuenong or Huo Guanchen. Of course, there was no Huo Shaoheng. What¡¯s wrong?¡± He Chengjian raised his eyebrows and looked at him. ¡°Are you worried that if Huo Shaoheng is here, too, Gu Nianzhi will fall in love with him?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°I think even if Huo Shaoheng was here, Nianzhi won¡¯t fall in love with him. After all, the Huo Shaoheng here wouldn¡¯t be the same Huo Shaoheng as over there, even if they look exactly the same.¡±

    If she really wanted to fall in love with someone else, she would only fall in love with him, not a substitute.

    After a pause, he added, ¡°Nianzhi is not a person who looks at faces.¡±

    Actually, he knew that Gu Nianzhi was a person who looked at faces, but he couldn¡¯t admit it in front of He Chengjian.

    He Chengjianughed. ¡°Then what are you worried about? Actually, it¡¯s good to have Huo Shaoheng here, because his doppelganger on the other side can¡¯te over. As long as hees over, both of them will die. Wouldn¡¯t that be the end of it?¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t tell what he was feeling. He took a deep breath and asked again, ¡°What about the Xie Family? Have you checked the Xie family¡¯s situation?¡±

    He knew that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother was Xie Ziyan, the eldest daughter of the older generation of the Xie family.

    ¡°This person...¡± He Chengjian frowned. ¡°To be honest, this person isn¡¯t easy to investigate, because even the Xie family may not know her whereabouts.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°She left the Xie family early on to join the revolution and then went to the Soviet Union. There, she happened to meet the German army invading the Soviet Union, and she hasn¡¯t been heard from since. She hasn¡¯t been in contact with the Xie family for so many years. They already treat her as a dead person.¡± He Chengjian put on his reading sses, ¡°I¡¯ll show you the information I found.¡±

    He Zhichu looked through the information and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°She must have died in the war.¡±

    After all, that war had almost wiped out the entire poption of that Soviet city.

    ..

    After a few days, the day to go to H City was approaching.

    Xiao Zhang wanted to buy a few formal gowns for formal asions, but she didn¡¯t want to take a lunch break at noon, so she dragged Gu Nianzhi along to go shopping.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to dress up too grandly. Besides, He Zhichu had already bought her gowns for all seasons, so she could just pick one that was more low-key.

    However, there was arge shopping mall next to the Lu Corporation¡¯s building. It wouldn¡¯t be too bad to go for a stroll in the afternoon, so she could just treat it as digestion.

    She chatted andughed with Xiao Zhang as they walked out of the Lu Corporation¡¯s building. Suddenly, a man in casual clothes walked over and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Gu, someone¡¯s here to see you. This way, please.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the direction the man had pointed in. She saw a bulletproof car parked by the side of the road. It looked ordinary, but the license te wasn¡¯t something an ordinary person could use.

    She walked over and the brown window slowly rolled down. He Zhichu smiled at her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned around and said to Xiao Zhang, ¡°My friend came to visit me from the capital. I can¡¯t apany you to buy a dress.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. You can help yourself,wyer Gu.¡± Xiao Zhang shrunk her neck when the man in casual clothes looked at him. She felt ufortable and immediately ran away.

    Gu Nianzhi then said to He Zhichu, ¡°I have to work in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Take a leave.¡± He Zhichu raised his eyebrows. ¡°I came specially to apany you and celebrate your birthday in advance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi choked and nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take a leave and grab my bag.¡±

    She returned to thew firm and told Jin Dazhuang that a rtive hade to visit her from the capital and she wanted to take half a day off.

    Jin Dazhuang agreed and reminded her, ¡°You¡¯re going to H City the day after tomorrow. Have you got your ne ticket? And your passport. I¡¯ve helped you apply for a pass. You can also go to M City. You¡¯ll get it this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,wyer Jin.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very grateful to Jin Dazhuang. He had taken good care of her. ¡°I¡¯lle to work tomorrow. Give me a pass.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go ahead. Take good care of your rtives.¡±Jin Dazhuang smiled and waved his hand. He lowered his head to continue reading the resumes of those who hade to apply.

 Chapter 1506 - I Hope Youâ€™re Treated Compassionately

    <h4>Chapter 1506: I Hope You¡¯re Treated Compassionately</h4>

    He Zhichu took Gu Nianzhi to the best revolving restaurant on the top floor of C City for dinner.

    He booked the entire floor of the restaurant. There was only the two of them in the empty and vast space.

    In the restaurant, a female pianist in a long dress was ying elegant and beautiful piano music. There was also a handsome violinist ying beside her.

    He Zhichu had ordered all the dishes a few days in advance.

    There were red lobsters flown in from Australia, the famous blue crab from Marnd, the golden king crab from ska, the wild Arctic scallops in the deep north Antic Ocean, and the geoduck m from British Columbia, Canada. The dishes were all alive before they were served.

    Seafood, seafood, and seafood.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s taste was very simr to He Zhichu¡¯s. Although she didn¡¯t want to celebrate her birthday, she quickly got rid of her depressed mood and started eating happily.

    It was best to eat seafood with white wine. It could enhance the vor and also kill bacteria.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t yet of age, so He Zhichu didn¡¯t let her drink. He only ordered a ss of water without ice, so it wouldn¡¯t ruin the original taste of the seafood.

    He ordered a bottle of Doros whiskey from Pomeroy Ind, Scond, and slowly ate it with her.

    ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re really thoughtful.¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up her ss of water. ¡°I¡¯ll drink to you, Young Master He.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering eyes sparkled. He raised his ss leisurely and clinked it with hers. ¡°Happy 20th birthday, my girl.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ignored the adoration in his voice and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m still a few days away from turning 20. Please don¡¯t call me old.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    He looked at her without hesitation and took another sip of his whiskey. His tone was cold and clear. ¡°I was nning to have this meal on your birthday, but you¡¯re going to H City. I won¡¯t be able to apany you on your birthday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°You do your thing. If I go to H city, it¡¯ll be considered a vacation. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°When are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already booked the ne tickets. It¡¯s the day after tomorrow.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very eager to talk to Xie Qingying. ¡°Jin Dazhuang has also applied for a pass for me. I can go to H City and M City at any time. I heard that after the celebration party, there will be an after-party to go to M City¡¯s casino!¡±

    M City was known as ¡°Eastern Las Vegas,¡± and the gambling industry was their main business.

    After a sumptuous seafood feast, a chef wearing a white top hat pushed a cake cart over.

    On the cart was a nine-story pagoda-shaped cake that looked absolutely gorgeous.

    Gu Nianzhi was ecstatic. She pointed at the little beautiful figure on the cake and said, ¡°I want this little person! It¡¯s mine!¡±

    He Zhichu curled his lips. ¡°It was originally made to look like you, so of course it¡¯s yours.¡±

    The little doll had big eyes and an oval face. The dimples at the corners of her lips were slender, and her long ck hair was tied into a ponytail. She was beautiful and agile, and indeed looked better than the dolls that Gu Nianzhi had yed with when she was young.

    The chef took the little beautiful figure off the cake and gave it to Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu took out his birthday present and put a familiar pink diamond crown on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head.

    ¡°Happy birthday.¡± He leaned over and gave Gu Nianzhi a very natural kiss on the cheek.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and a strange expression shed through her eyes.

    She looked in the mirror in the dining room and found that the pink diamond crown was exactly the same as the one she had in the other world.

    ¡°... My father bought this for me too?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked nervously.

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°This is one of my betrothal gifts. My mother gave it to you when our two families were discussing our engagement.¡±

    How old was she then?

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Then she couldn¡¯t ept it.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to take off the pink diamond crown when He Zhichu held her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not a betrothal gift anymore. It¡¯s my birthday present to you.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s too expensive.¡± Gu Nianzhi still wanted to take it off. ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere to put it. What If I lose it? You should take it back to your ce.¡±

    He Zhichu thought about it and felt that it made sense. He nodded. ¡°Then put it on and take a photo with me. I¡¯ll take it back.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and agreed. She went over to stand next to He Zhichu and had He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary take a few photos of them.

    Gu Nianzhi picked the best photos and sent them to her phone.

    After eating a piece of cake, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t eat anymore. Looking at the remaining cake that was like a small hill, Gu Nianzhi said with a bitter expression on her face, ¡°What about the rest of the cake?¡±

    ¡°You can give it to someone to eat.¡± He Zhichu waved his hand and asked his personal secretary to pay the bill.

    Gu Nianzhi was delighted. ¡°Can you get someone here to send it to mypany? Also, send one to CEO Lu and Director Zhao.¡±

    ¡°Director Zhao?¡± He Zhichu smiled faintly. ¡°Is it Zhao Liangze?¡±

    He knew Zhao Liangze over there, and knew that Zhao Liangze hadn¡¯t joined the military. He was working as the technical director of the Lu Corporation.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hide anything. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him. Even though he doesn¡¯t know me, he¡¯s still nice to me.¡±

    The two of them ate for two to three hours. After dinner, He Zhichu took a private ne back to the capital.

    It was already dark when he returned to the imperial capital.

    He walked out of the airport and passed by the intersection on the Sanhuan Road of the imperial capital. He nced at the traffic lights there.

    This was the coordinates where he had picked up Gu Nianzhi back then, but for some reason, the maic field suddenly became chaotic and the coordinates were out of order. Qin Zhining didn¡¯t bring Gu Nianzhi directly back to the intersection. Instead, theynded on the Caribbean Sea Snake Ind, thousands of miles away.

    He Zhichu had a nagging feeling that there was something wrong with this.

    However, after the scientists on their side examined it, they kept saying that the maic resonance device had malfunctioned, which was why the coordinates had been out of order.

    The maic resonance device was fine after they had used it so many times. Why had it malfunctioned when they were picking up Gu Nianzhi?

    He Zhichu looked at the intersection of the Sanhuan Road quietly until it disappeared from his sight.

    ...

    At that moment, in the same ce on the other side of the world, Huo Shaoheng was holding little Corgi on a dog leash. He was also walking on the sidewalk beside Sanhuan Road.

    It was already the end of October. It had been almost two months since Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped.

    The leaves of the maple trees by the roadside began to turn red. They looked like umbres, as if they were covered by a canopy.

    Ahead was the intersection where Gu Nianzhi had disappeared. It was still bustling with traffic and activity.

    The moonlight was dim, and the stars twinkled in the sky.

    A few couples walked past him and hummed softly. It was a song he had been listening to a lot recently. ¡°If Love Had The Will Of Heaven¡±.

    ¡°... When we were young, we used to think,

    That those who loved each other wouldst forever,

    When we believed that love was deep,

    And we couldn¡¯t hear the sigh in the wind.

    Who knows what love is,

    A brief encounter but never forgotten,

    A lifetime spent,

    Learning not to forget.

    Now we are far apart,

    Living like the people around us,

    The people in front of me give me the most reliable reliance,

    I wish you were treatedpassionately.

    When I was in a trance,

    I saw you flowing in the sea of people,

    I vaguely saw you appear...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was in a trance for a moment, as if he saw Gu Nianzhi running towards him with a smile. She hugged his arm and keptining, ¡°Major General Huo, what took you so long? I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time...¡±

    He stopped and looked ahead quietly. Suddenly, he was in so much pain that he sat down on a bench by the side of the road.

    Little Corgi was barking at the intersection. His short legs were jumping and leaping, and he couldn¡¯t wait to run to the center of the intersection to fetch his owner back.

    He sat there until the sky brightened before he got up and left.

    When he returned to the official residence of the Special Operation Forces¡¯ encampment ground headquarters, he saw that in front of the door, golden leaves that looked like small fans had fallen to the ground from ginkgo trees.

    Nianzhi had once used these leaves as bookmarks in her books. Now that there were leaves all over the ground, no one would pick them up to make bookmarks anymore.

    After returning to his room, he changed his clothes and went to sit in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room for a while.

    Through the floor-to-ceiling window, he could see the tree house he had built for Gu Nianzhi.

    At that time, she had loved this tree house so much that she had stayed in it day and night. She had even said that she wanted to keep an eye on the bird¡¯s nest on the tree so as not to ¡°let the dove take over the magpie¡¯s nest.¡±.

    Now that he thought about it, she must have had a premonition?

    There was little Nianzhi who had died young here, so where was she from?

    The tree house was still there, but he did not know where Nianzhi had gone. Little Corgi had been waiting at the entrance of the base every day, but he didn¡¯t await the return of its female owner.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up silently and went back to his room.

    There were two pairs of slippers on the shoe rack at the entrance, one big and one small. They were in the style of a couple, and Gu Nianzhi had ced them there.

    He went to the bathroom to wash up and get ready to rest.

    He saw that on the sink were her usual facial cleanser, face cream, and all sorts of powder essences. Bottles and jars of all sizes were neatly arranged ording to their height.

    His eyes darkened.

    Lying on the bed, he casually flipped to the ck T-shirt and pajamas under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pillow.

    Thinking that he didn¡¯t know, she had once secretly hidden his clothes...

    More than half of the closet was filled with her clothes, shoes, and bags.

    These things constantly appeared by his side reminded him that there was once a person who loved him with her life.

    ...

    That day, Huo Shaoheng went to the bathroom to wash up. He seemed to hear a woman¡¯s yful and shameless voice in the bedroom. He instinctively said, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s time to get up.¡±

    He realized that she wasn¡¯t there only after he spoke. He didn¡¯t know where she had gone.

    He finally couldn¡¯t suppress the emotions he had been holding in for so long.

    He turned on the tap and let the water flow.

    His hands supported the sink and his head was buried for a long time. His shoulders trembled slightly, and he didn¡¯t dare to look at the things in the mirror.

    Huo Shaoheng thought that he couldn¡¯t continue to live as if nothing had happened.

    He changed into his military uniform and gave a standard military salute in front of the mirror. Then, he drove to General Ji¡¯s house alone and asked to see General Ji.

    ¡°Shaoheng, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s serious expression made ¡°General Ji feel uneasy.

    ¡°General Ji, Nianzhi has been missing for almost two months. Her birthday is in a few days.¡± Huo Shaoheng spoke slowly, word by word.

    General Ji froze for a moment. ¡°But we¡¯re still searching...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time. From the first day I met her, she¡¯s been by my side for so many years. Rather than saying that I took care of her, it¡¯s more appropriate to say that she and I depend on each other.¡±

    ¡°But ever since she¡¯s been with me, for the country and the army, I¡¯ve ced her in the interests of the country, in the interests of the army, and even behind myrades.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m notining, nor am I regretting it. As long as I wear the military uniform for a day, I will do it.

    ¡°Even if she stands in front of me today, I will say the same to her.

    ¡°But now, she has disappeared. It¡¯s as if she never appeared. She has disappeared.

    ¡°I am already unable to do anything, and I am even more unable to fulfill my duty as a soldier.

    ¡°So, General Ji, I want to retire from the army. Once I take off this military uniform, I can put her first. I can see her as more important than anything else in my life, including my own life.¡±

    ¡°I beg you to agree to my request to resign from the army.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood upright in front of General Ji. The expression on his face was unshakable and unwavering. It was obvious that he had thought it through and wasn¡¯t acting on a whim.

    General Ji looked at him for a long time. ¡°Shaoheng, what do you see our country, our troops, as? You have risked your life for our country, our troops, for so many years. We will not stand by and watch you bleed, cry, and be heartbroken.¡±

    ¡°Go, go to her, but don¡¯t leave the army. I will help you with all my strength. Our country, our army, will help you with all my strength to find her. ¡ª We are your strong support!¡±

 Chapter 1507 - Accident Within An Accident

    <h4>Chapter 1507: ident Within An ident</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng had been in the army for so many years. After making such a decision, he was already mentally prepared to give up everything.

    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that not only did General Ji not stop him, but he even strongly supported him in finding Nianzhi. What was even more unexpected was that he didn¡¯t have to leave the army!

    Even though Huo Shaoheng had always been calm and collected, he was shocked speechless at this moment.

    He looked up at General Ji in disbelief.

    General Ji patted him on the shoulder and sighed. ¡°Now that things havee to this, I think it¡¯s time to tell you something.¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°... I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    General Ji picked up the red phone in the study and dialed a few numbers. He then said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Go to the standingmittee¡¯s small meeting room.¡±

    This small meeting room had the same level of security as the central control room in the headquarter of Special Operation Forces¡¯ encampment ground.

    To a certain extent, it was even better than the central control room.

    Because here, it was people who made important decisions, not machines.

    Huo Shaoheng suppressed the doubts in his heart and followed General Ji to the standingmittee¡¯s small meeting room.

    There were already six other standingmittee members waiting there. There was also someone Huo Shaoheng had not expected ¡ª his mother, Song Jinning.

    ¡°Ms. Song, why are you here?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned and looked at her, then at the standingmittee member in the small meeting room.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Military Supreme Council had a total of 15 standingmittee members. However, among these 15 standingmittee members, seven of them had higher security levels than the other eight. They belonged to the standingmittee of the Standing Committee.

    The empire¡¯s highest secret was in the hands of these seven standingmittee members.

    Even his father, Huo Guanchen, one of the 15 standingmittee members, wasn¡¯t here. Therefore, when Song Jinning appeared here, it was an unexpected surprise to Huo Shaoheng.

    Song Jinning was extremely beautiful, and she appeared much younger than she actually was.

    However, her expression was very serious now. There was no sign of her usual rxed and easygoing manner.

    She also nced at Huo Shaoheng and looked at General Ji inquisitively. ¡°General Ji, what is the meaning of this? Is Shaoheng¡¯s security level high enough?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve discussed this with the other six members of the standingmittee and decided to give him special permission.¡± General Ji nodded and reached out his hand. ¡°Everyone, take a seat.¡±

    Everyone in the room sat down at the round conference table.

    There were seven members of the Standing Committee, plus Song Jinning and Huo Shaoheng. A total of nine people sat around the round table.

    General Ji cleared his throat and was the first to speak.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. Shaoheng came to see me today and requested to be discharged from the army.¡±

    Song Jinning turned to look at Huo Shaoheng in shock.

    She knew that in her son¡¯s heart, the interests of the country and the army were above everything else.

    Why would he take the initiative to retire?

    Huo Shaoheng sat upright in his chair. He knew that everyone was looking at him. His eyes were lowered and impassive.

    General Ji added, ¡°... Because he wants to find Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Song Jinning let out a long sigh. So that was how it was.

    She sat next to Huo Shaoheng and quietly reached out to hold his hand tightly, as if to cheer him on.

    Huo Shaoheng returned the handshake and expressed his gratitude.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he quietly let go of Song Jinning¡¯s hand.

    General Ji nced at the other members of the Standing Committee and then looked at Song Jinning. He said, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t agree to Shaoheng¡¯s retirement. Besides, he¡¯s going to look for Gu Nianzhi. This doesn¡¯t conflict with his responsibilities.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°? ? ?¡±

    To him, he was looking for Gu Nianzhi because he loved her. It was his personal matter. How could it not conflict with his responsibilities?

    Song Jinning met General Ji¡¯s gaze and said, ¡°So you all agree to let Shaoheng know about this?¡±

    Everyone nodded in unison.

    Song Jinning opened theptop she had brought with her and connected it to the big screen in the small meeting room. ¡°Then I¡¯ll say it.¡±

    Slightly puzzled, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze shifted to the big screen.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you know that the military cooperated with our Institute of High Energy Physics 17 years ago to conduct maic field experiments. Do you know what the purpose is?¡±

    With the usual incisiveness and rigor of conducting experiments, Song Jinning looked at him seriously.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°For energy?¡±

    Generally speaking, when people heard the concept of a high-energy maic field, they would think of a new type of energy source. It was efficient, environmentally friendly, renewable, and sustainable.

    ¡°Yes and no.¡± Song Jinning pointed theser pen in her hand at the big screen, then said very calmly, ¡°The new energy source is only a by-product of the high-energy maic field research. In fact, ourboratory and the military are coborating to start the high-energy maic field experiment. The main purpose is to generate maic resonance and open a channel to parallel universe.¡±

    ¡°Parallel universe?!¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his head abruptly. His eyes were deep and wild, like a sleeping tiger suddenly awakened. ¡°There really is a parallel space?! How did you think of starting this experiment? ! Who else knows about this secret experiment? What about Bai Jinyi? Does she know?!¡±

    After all, Huo Shaoheng had gone through many years of professional training, and his sense of secrecy was deeply rooted in his bones.

    When he heard the true purpose of the experiment, he immediately thought of the possibility of a leak.

    Song Jinning was familiar with the content of the experiment, but she didn¡¯t know the details of what Huo Shaoheng had asked.

    Therefore, General Ji took over the topic and spoke with confidence.

    ¡°The start of this experiment was initially proposed by your uncle, colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan. At that time, he didn¡¯t say where he got the information from, but now we know that it was Gu Xiangwen who contacted him and told him that two countries were already conducting high-energy maic field experiments in this area. These two countries are the United States and Japan.¡±

    ¡°Since they have already started this experiment, we can¡¯t fall behind.¡±

    ¡°Due to well-known reasons, of the two countries, the United States was alright, but Japan was very threatening.

    ¡°If Japan finds the passage to the parallel space first, for our country, it may mean that we will face another tragic fate of being beaten if we fall behind

    ¡°And our country and nation can no longer withstand such a century of devastation.

    ¡°Therefore, after the military received the news, they sent many people to the United States and Japan to investigate. After losing dozens of elite field personnel, they finally found out that the information was indeed true.

    ¡°For example, there was a famous Japanese high-energy physicist, Ishihara Baisan, leading the maic field experiment, not to mention the United States. All of them are led by the physicist, Taishan Beidou.

    ¡°Under such circumstances, we decided to join the project. At that time, because this experiment was likely to determine the future of our country for the next hundred years, we ssified it as a top-secret n A.

    ¡°Among all the top-secret ns, this one was the best. It also stipted that the person who knew the news must be a member of the Standing Committee of the Military Supreme Council, which was a group of seven, along with the liaison sent by the military to work with the Institute of High Energy Physics, which is your uncle, Huo Guanyuan, and the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    ¡°In other words, the number of people who know the news will always be at most nine, not one more.

    ¡°The seven-person team is the standingmittee of the standingmittee. We are all permanent members, so there is no need to worry about leaks.

    ¡°The first liaison was Huo Guanyuan. He was the one who proposed the n. Of course, we don¡¯t have to worry about him leaking the secret.¡±

    ¡°At that time, Song Haichuan, the Director of the Insitute of High Energy Physics, was only told the truth after a strict examination.¡±

    ¡°We also set up a strict examination procedure to assess the second liaison and the second Director of the Insitute of High Energy Physics in the future.¡±

    ¡°Later, you also learned that the experiment failed. The maic resonance caused a huge amount of energy that couldn¡¯t be controlled. In the end, it led to a huge explosion that almost ttened the entire experimental building

    ¡°Other than your mother, Song Jinning, all the experimental personnel, equipment, and records inside were lost.

    ¡°Later, your uncle, Huo Guanyuan, and the four soldiers, were sted into pieces.

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s brain was also affected by the explosion of the maic field. She went insane and lost a lot of her memories.

    ¡°Under such circumstances, we sealed the truth of the experiment

    ¡°Later, Bai Jinyi took over as Director of the Insitute of High Energy Physics. She didn¡¯t pass our test, so we didn¡¯t tell her the truth of the maic field experiment.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t know what the maic field experiment was for, so she turned the experiment to using the high energy maic field experiment to research new energy sources.

    ¡°Later, your mother recovered from her illness and took over as Director of the Insitute of High Energy Physics. She found some experimental notes left by your grandfather, Song Haichuan, at home and asked us for confirmation.

    ¡°Only then did we restart our assessment of her.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, Director Song passed our assessment, so the seven of us told her the truth of the experiment and dessified the top-secret n A to her.¡±

    ¡°Director Song didn¡¯t disappoint us. She really kept the secret. She didn¡¯t even reveal the slightest bit of it to her own son, who was in great distress.¡±

    General Ji sincerely praised Song Jinning¡¯s ability to keep secrets.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s specialty was intelligence and confidentiality, so he didn¡¯t have any resentment towards Song Jinning.

    He was very clear on what was public and what was private.

    Hearing this, Huo Shaoheng had some clues. He calmly asked, ¡°... So all of this has something to do with Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance?¡±

    ¡°I think you already understand. When I was reporting this discovery, I had already reported it to the seven-person team of the military¡¯s Supreme Council Standing Committee.¡± Song Jinning spoke very frankly, ¡°When I was examining the video of the Sanhuan Road intersection, I found traces of maic resonance.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pupils dted.

    The doubts in his heart were confirmed. His hands clenched and unclenched under the conference table, and his heart pounded.

    General Ji nodded. ¡°At that time, Director Song gave a separate report to the seven of us. She deduced that Gu Nianzhi must have been abducted and brought to the other side of the parallel space.¡±

 Chapter 1508 - Begins With Me

    <h4>Chapter 1508: Begins With Me</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes, as if his worst fears had been confirmed, and the other shoe on his head had actually fallen to the ground. He was shocked, but he also tried his best to process the shocking news.

    The meeting room was silent for a long time before Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and said calmly, ¡°... Then how do we get to the other side of the parallel space?¡±

    ¡°Theoretically speaking, as long as the maic field on our side resonates with the maic field on the other side of the space, a channel can be opened up between the two sides of the space.¡± Song Jinning used herptop to demonstrate the opening of the two sides of the space channel, ¡°But to us, this is just a theory. In fact, we¡¯ve never seeded.¡±

    She paused and continued, ¡°From the looks of it, the universe parallel from us is already very familiar with this technology. This is the difference between them and us.¡±

    They were already able to abduct people from their side, so how could they not be familiar with it?

    One could imagine that the universe parallel to theirs was a world where all kinds of technology were much more advanced than their side. To them, it was practically a crushing existence.

    General Ji looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s disappointed expression and couldn¡¯t bear it. He immediately said, ¡°Director Song, didn¡¯t you say a few days ago that you had a huge breakthrough in the research of high-energy maic fields?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there was indeed a huge breakthroughpared to 17 years ago.¡± Song Jinning tilted her head and pondered. ¡°However, this kind of breakthrough hasn¡¯t been tested. I can¡¯t guarantee that it will be aplete sess.¡±

    She looked at everyone in the small meeting room and said slowly, ¡°Do you all still remember the consequences of the failure of thest experiment? Can we Bear another failure like this? Or even many times?¡±

    The standingmittee members in the small meeting room weren¡¯t ordinary people, but even people like them felt uneasy when they thought about the disastrous explosion 17 years ago.

    Huo Shaoheng was anxious, but he maintained hisposure on the surface. He said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. If there are any more sacrifices, start with me.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng!¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng!¡±

    General Ji and Song Jinning shouted at the same time, ¡°What are you saying? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m speaking the truth.¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at Song Jinning and General Ji sharply. ¡°If we don¡¯t experiment and stay in theputer demonstration stage forever, then what¡¯s the point of this technology? Don¡¯t tell me you can get into the parallel universe from theputer?¡±

    Song Jinning choked and frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t going to do the experiment. I was just reminding you of the sacrifices and losses you might face.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not insurmountable.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°Last time, you didn¡¯t control the energy of the maic resonance properly and blew up theb.¡±

    ¡°This time, we can conduct experiments in the wild. Even if it blows up, only a small number of people will be affected. I¡¯m signing up to be the first batch to participate in the experiment.¡±

    Song Jinning knew why Huo Shaoheng was so anxious. She wanted the experiment to seed too.

    However, when it came to science and technology, there was no room for recklessness and impatience.

    She spread her hands and said, ¡°This kind of experiment requires a very high level of authorization. I had no choice if the seven-member team didn¡¯t agree before.¡±

    She nced helplessly at the seven members of the standingmittee.

    General Ji said with emotion, ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to agree, but the cost of the failure of thest experiment was too great, so we still need to study it.¡±

    Song Jinning chuckled, she deliberately reminded Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s also because the Japanese high-energy physicist Ishihara Baisan suddenlymitted seppuku, which caused Japan¡¯s high-energy maic field research tog behind by 50 years, so we¡¯re not in such a hurry anymore, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he understood. He immediately said, ¡°Ishihara Baisanmitted seppuku because he was provoked by Gu Xiangwen. He¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s father. He has made such a great contribution to our country, yet you still want to watch his daughter wander into the unknown world? Are you worthy of the martyrs¡¯ painstaking efforts?¡±

    General Ji and the six standingmittee members looked at each other and nodded slightly. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Since the other party cane and go as they please in our world, we have to catch up in a hurry. It¡¯s not toote to make amends now.¡±

    After the seven of them had reached an agreement, General Ji looked at Song Jinning and said solemnly, ¡°We now authorize you to officially start the field experiment and try to open the passage to the parallel universe in a short period of time.¡±

    ¡°Reporting to the chief, Major General Huo Shaoheng of the Special Operations Forces has signed up to be the first experimenter to go to the other dimension!¡± Huo Shaoheng immediately stood up and volunteered.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re anxious.¡± General Ji shook his head with a smile. ¡°But you still have to be careful. Shaoheng, we¡¯ve already lost your uncle. We can¡¯t afford to lose you.¡±

    He was hinting at Song Jinning by saying this.

    This experiment could only seed, not fail.

    After half a year of research on high-energy maic fields, Song Jinning had actually made a great breakthrough in how to control the huge amount of energy generated during maic resonance.

    However, in front of this group of seven, she still tried her best to magnify the possibility of failure so that they could treat it seriously and not easily start a field experiment.

    This kind of probability of failure was only a number to others, but to those who participate in the experiment, it was a matter of life and death.

    She had to be careful.

    After the meeting, Huo Shaoheng was appointed as the new top-secret n A¡¯s liaison officer, who was responsible for themunication between the military and the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    They immediately chose arge piece of empty space at the headquarter of Special Operation Forces¡¯ encampment ground as the experimental site. They just wanted to test the power of maic resonance first.

    Song Jinning¡¯s meticulous preparation, seventeen years of umted experience, and the recent close observation of high-energy maic fields made her first field experiment very sessful.

    When the frequency of maic resonance was disyed on her instrument, their entire experimental site shook and blurred.

    Like the surface of the sea that moved without wind, the blue sky rippled in their field of vision.

    Appearing and disappearing like inkndscape paintings, the trees around the field let out rustling sounds.

    Although the blurry vibration was very short, so short that only special instruments could detect it, the vibration had already been transmitted to the parallel universe.

    ..

    At the same time, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military high-energy physics team in the parallel universe received the frequency of the vibration resonance.

    Their surveince equipment even captured an instant image from the parallel universe!

    ¡°Reporting, Chief! The leader of the high-energy physics team has important news to report!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary came to the door of his study and shouted.

    He Chengjian was reading a document. When he heard this, he pressed a button and opened the door of the study. ¡°Let him in.¡±

    The leader of the high-energy physics team was also a soldier. He said nervously, ¡°Reporting to the chief, we have observed that the maic resonance research in the other world seems to have achieved a huge breakthrough!¡±

    He Chengjian looked up abruptly and took off his presbyopia sses. ¡°What did you say?! They achieved a breakthrough so quickly?! ¡ª This is impossible!¡±

    The team leader was also puzzled. ¡°ording to the information we received, their technology shouldn¡¯t have developed so quickly. I wonder if...¡±

    He nced at He Chengjian. Under his sharp gaze, he mustered up his courage and said, ¡°... Did our people... Leak the secret?¡±

    He was alluding to He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi. The two of them had been to the parallel universe, but they hadn¡¯t undergone the memory-stripping surgery.

    ¡°That¡¯s even more impossible,¡± He Chengjian denied. ¡°They don¡¯t know the principle of maic resonance at all. Even if they wanted to leak the secret, they wouldn¡¯t be able to.¡±

    ¡°But... how could the parallel universe suddenly achieve a technological breakthrough?!¡± The leader of the high-energy physics team couldn¡¯t understand it at all. ¡°They clearly made a major mistake before. The big explosion that happened seventeen years ago sent shock-waves to our side.¡±

    He Chengjian frowned. ¡°Since they had such research 17 years ago and were more advanced than us, it¡¯s not strange that they restarted the experiment now. Then it¡¯s not considered a major breakthrough. It¡¯s just that after they failed once, why did they stop?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not clear.¡± The leader of the high-energy physics team had actually opened the channel with the maic resonance instrument that Gu Xiangwen had developed.

    Without Gu Xiangwen, their technology wouldn¡¯t be much better than the parallel universe.

    ¡°Show me your surveince footage,¡± He Chengjian said in a deep voice.

    The leader quickly sent their surveince footage over.

    They watched the very short video from the other world in He Chengjian¡¯s study.

    ¡°This person is... ?¡± He Chengjian pressed the pause button and stared at the big screen with wide eyes.

    On the big screen, a tall military man appeared. He was wearing a military uniform, but not a military cap. He was facing their direction. Although the resolution was very low, they could tell that this man was extraordinarily handsome.

    He Chengjian recognized him. It was Huo Shaoheng.

    He knew this person very well.

    He Chengjian immediately understood why the parallel universe had once again started the field experiment of maic resonance.

    Huo Shaoheng wanted toe over.

    He was looking for Gu Nianzhi.

    They had actually discovered that Gu Nianzhi had been brought back to this world.

    He Chengjian¡¯s thoughts were in a mess, and his emotions were extremelyplicated.

    The Huaxia Empire across from him had obtained such a technological breakthrough, and he was happy.

    After all, they were of the same origin, and their interests didn¡¯t conflict.

    However, their technological breakthrough meant that they coulde to this world, and it also meant that Gu Nianzhi might not be able to stay here and stay by his son¡¯s side.

    He Chengjian gritted his teeth and quickly made a series of arrangements.

    ¡°You go back first and prepare the maic field energy for me. I want to video chat with the other party.¡±

    The team leader was shocked. ¡°Huh? You want to reveal your identity?!¡±

    ¡°Their experiment has already reached this stage. Do you think we can still hide it?¡± He Chengjian rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Just carry out the order. You don¡¯t have to question my decision!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± The team leader trotted out of He Chengjian¡¯s study.

    He Chengjian called his country¡¯s field office in the Soviet Union again. ¡°Check it again immediately. Where exactly did Xie Ziyan die in the Soviet Union? She must be found alive or dead!¡±

    He had mentioned this request three years ago. At that time, the field office in the Soviet Union traced Xie Ziyan¡¯sst appearance to the battle that almost destroyed the city.

    As there were almost no survivors in the city at that time, the news from the field team was that Xie Ziyan¡¯s whereabouts were unknown, because they didn¡¯t dare to say for sure that she died in that battle.

    Because her remains weren¡¯t found.

    This time, He Chengjian wanted them to confirm whether she died there or not.

    These field teams had not given up on tracking down Xie Ziyan¡¯s whereabouts in the past three years.

    After receiving He Chengjian¡¯s order, they confirmed once again that Xie Ziyan¡¯s whereabouts were still unknown.

    That was because the cemetery in that city had been set on fire, burning everyone together.

    To identify a person from thousands of ashes?

    Sorry, even a God couldn¡¯t do that.

    So whether Xie Ziyan was dead or not, there was probably only one way to prove it.

    He Chengjian received the news and had an idea.

    He took hisptop and immediately went to the high-energy physics team¡¯sboratory. He asked, ¡°How long can our remaining maic field energyst for a video call?¡±

    ¡°Reporting to the chief, at most ten minutes. After ten minutes, we almost have no energy left to monitor.¡±

    ¡°Then give me nine minutes to activate the quantummunicator. I want to video chat with the other party.¡± He Chengjian sat behind a desk and aimed at the camera.

    In front of him was hisptop.

    Not long after, the video phone in the study of General Ji of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military rang in the parallel universe.

    General Ji stuck his head out to take a look and saw a strange four-digit number.

 Chapter 1509 - Contained Too MuChapter Information

    <h4>Chapter 1509: Contained Too Much Information</h4>

    This type of number was either an internal call or had been dialed wrongly.

    General Ji wasn¡¯t familiar with this four-digit number at all, so it definitely wasn¡¯t an internal call. However, if it was dialed wrongly, it was still amazing that it could be dialed to his study.

    There were threendline phones in his study. The most impressive one was the redndline phone. The other twondline phones were for different work needs.

    There was also a video call for remote meetings.

    This was the video call that had just been dialed.

    General Ji¡¯s finger hesitated for a moment between the ept and reject buttons of the video call. He originally wanted to press the reject button, but his finger slipped and he pressed the ept button.

    The video call in his study was instantly connected.

    A man wearing the same Huaxia Empire¡¯s military uniform appeared on the video call.

    It could be seen that this man was old. His sideburns were white, but his brows were firm and handsome. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he gave off the feeling that a person who had been in a position of power for a long time and wouldn¡¯t back down.

    General Ji¡¯s mind buzzed. Who was this person?

    He had never seen him before. How could he also be wearing the uniform of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s general?

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s number of generals could be counted on one hand. He had never remembered that there was this man among them.

    This man was the parallel universe¡¯s military general, He Chengjian.

    He didn¡¯t have much time, so he didn¡¯t give General Ji any more time to be suspicious. He said, ¡°Hello, General Ji. I¡¯m He Chengjian. I¡¯m the general of the Huaxia Empire in the parallel universe. My position is the same as yours.¡±

    The parallel universe? !

    This was a person from the parallel dimension?!

    General Ji¡¯s pupils dted, and he quickly regained hisposure. One hand was ced on the desk, and there was no movement. The other hand had already quietly pressed the outer rm button on the desk.

    He didn¡¯t sound the inner rm because he didn¡¯t want to alert the enemy and scare He Chengjian back.

    Therefore, he activated the outer rm button.

    When the outer rm button sounded, it meant that the situation was veryplicated and needed to be handled confidentially. This kind of rm system was connected to the military security department and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Special Operations Forces.

    Within ten minutes, these people would secretly rush to his office.

    He Chengjian saw that General Ji was unmoving and didn¡¯t seem to be in a daze at all. He also admired him.

    Such a person was worthy to be his opponent.

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression softened slightly. He nodded and said calmly, ¡°I contacted you today to give you a piece of advice.¡±

    He paused and said word by word, ¡°Don¡¯t try to open a passage ande to our space-time.¡±

    General Ji calmed down at this time and sneered, ¡°Are you only allowing state officials to start fires and not allowing people to lightmps?¡±

    ¡°General He, do you need me to repeat what you¡¯ve done in our world?¡±

    He Chengjianughed. ¡°General Ji, there¡¯s no point in saying such harsh words. If I wanted to, the entire upper echelon of the empire would have been annihted during the military parade two months ago.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± General Ji¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Speak clearly!¡±

    Waiting for Huo Shaoheng and the military police to arrive, he was trying his best to stall for time.

    However, He Chengjian only had nine minutes in total.

    He tried his best to speak as quickly as possible.

    On the video call, He Chengjian¡¯s image disappeared. In its ce was the image of General Ji and the others during the military parade at Rihe City more than two months ago.

    From when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military ne suddenly encountered a hurricane to when he was locked onto by the portable surface-to-air missile at the Rihe City military base and had to parachute out to escape.

    Then, on the day of the parade, the portable surface-to-air missile system locked onto the rostrum!

    General Ji¡¯s face was ashen. Looking at the video, he saw himself, Speaker Long, Prime Minister Bai, and 15 other members sitting on the rostrum chatting andughing. It was like walking through the gates of hell!

    His hands began to tremble uncontrobly. His face was purple, and he was furious.

    ¡°General He, what do you mean?! Are you trying to catch us all in one go? ! Are you even Chinese?!¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t mind General Ji¡¯s scolding, he calmly said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m Chinese. Although I¡¯m Chinese from the parallel dimension, we¡¯re from the same root, so there¡¯s no need to be anxious. If I really wanted to deal with you, you¡¯re already dead.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you mean? You invaded our airspace, manipted our weather to create a hurricane, and then controlled our missiles to aim at our rostrum. Do you want me to believe that you mean no harm?!¡±

    General Ji pped the table and stood up. ¡°Do you take me for a fool?!¡±

    ¡°General Ji, please calm down.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s image appeared on the video and he pressed down with both hands. ¡°I¡¯m doing all this to tell you that our technology is much more advanced than yours, so don¡¯t even think about going against us.¡±

    ¡°Also, I have no ill intentions towards you, because I¡¯m only doing this to bring back my daughter-inw, Gu Nianzhi. She was engaged to my son when she was young, and came to your world by ident. I thank you for taking care of her for seven years. Now that she¡¯s home, please don¡¯t continue to harass her.¡±

    ¡°As expected, Nianzhi was kidnapped by you and went over there!¡± General Ji sneered with his hands behind his back. ¡°Stop talking. You don¡¯t have to worry about what we should do!¡±

    ! !

    ¡°Haha, General Ji, Don¡¯t talk big. There¡¯s one more thing I want to tell you.¡± He Chengjian said as he released the ¡°top secret information¡± from their side.

    It was the video of the soldiers¡¯ experiment leading to the other world¡¯s parallel space. It was also the video that Gu Nianzhi had seen before.

    In the video, they saw the horrifying scene of people from the other world suddenly dying for no reason.

    General Ji¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. He stared at the video and was extremely nervous. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    ¡°This is the physical principle of parallel space.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice was neither fast nor slow. ¡°The counterpart of parallel space cannot exist in the same space-time at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Inyman¡¯s terms, if they appear in the same space-time, both of them will die.¡±

    What counterpart?

    What couldn¡¯t exist at the same time?

    Was he talking about the tomes of Arcane?

    General Ji couldn¡¯t understand it at all.

    He Chengjian couldn¡¯t exin it clearly in such a short time. He just left these few videos and said, ¡°Ask your high-energy physicists. Since they can figure out maic resonance, they will understand what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that our technology is so much better than yours, but why didn¡¯t wee on arge scale? It¡¯s because this is a lose-lose situation. Neither of us can bear such a huge loss.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re stubborn, then just send people over. Let me tell you, any maic field experiment of yours is under our surveince.¡±

    After He Chengjian finished speaking, he showed the surveince video that they had just captured to General Ji.

    ¡°Look, this is the experiment that you just did. Our surveince has discovered it and recorded it. Any movement of yours is under our control.¡±

    He Chengjian smiled meaningfully and said, ¡°The person who participated in the experiment was your Major General Huo Shaoheng, right? We have Huo Shaoheng on our side as well. I¡¯m going to invite him to the imperial capital as a guest soon.¡±

    ¡°Of course, if you promise not to open the tunnel, I will also seal the tunnel on our side. From now on, we will never speak to each other again.¡±

    Finally, he said, ¡°Also, Gu Nianzhi is living very well here. This is her home. She will marry my son. On our side, no woman will be more honorable and happier than her.¡±

    He Chengjian then released the photos and videos he had people take of Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu¡¯s interactions. He said, ¡°Tell your subordinate, Huo Shaoheng, to give up.¡±

    After he finished speaking, nine minutes passed and he cut the video call.

    He Chengjian¡¯s video call had just ended when General Ji¡¯s study rang with the unique ringing of a doorbell.

    This was their secret signal.

    But it was useless now.

    General Ji quickly pulled the phone line from the video call and physically cut off any possibility ofmunication.

    ¡°Come in,¡± he said into the receiver, and then opened the door by remote control.

    Huo Shaoheng and the head of the military police rushed in. ¡°General Ji, what¡¯s going on?!¡±

    General Ji looked at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Go to the standingmittee meeting room and call the other seven people, plus Director Song.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    ..

    Five minutester, the seven-member standingmittee of the military, Huo Shaoheng, and Song Jinning once again held a meeting in the standingmittee meeting room.

    The military¡¯s video call facility had an automatic recording function. General Ji yed the video call that He Chengjian had just had with him.

    Of course, he had cut out thest minute¡¯s content. It was the photos and videos of Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu. He didn¡¯t y them for everyone to see.

    He nned to show it to Huo Shaoheng in private.

    Even though he cut it out for a minute, that eight-minute video call was a lot of information.

    After the broadcast, everyone in the small meeting room was in a state of shock.

    Everyone was silent for a full ten minutes before someone asked, ¡°Director Song, is what General He said in the video about the principle of parallel space physics true?¡±

    Everything else was fine, but this principle was too f * cking ridiculous.

    If that was the case, then their experiment really didn¡¯t have much meaning.

    This was a zero-sum game where one killed a thousand enemies yet lost a thousand of their own people.

    Everyone¡¯s expressions were a little ugly.

    Song Jinning was also dumbfounded. After a long while, she said with difficulty, ¡°... Theoretically, there are no loopholes. However, I still need to further theorize...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to theorize?! The other side has already used their lives to verify this theory!¡± A standingmittee member mmed the table. ¡°I suggest that we seal the experiment immediately! There¡¯s no need to continue!¡±

    Originally, they had started the experiment because they were worried that Japan would be the first to open a passage to the other side. However, if they were bound by thisyer of physical principles, then even if they did open it, it would be meaningless.

    This was because it was impossible tomunicate on arge scale.

    On the national level, small-scale skirmishes had no practical effect.

    Huo Shaoheng stood behind Song Jinning. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cer. He felt as if he had been chilled to the bone from head to toe.

    How could this be?!

    He looked at Song Jinning as if he was asking for help.

    Song Jinning pursed her lips and stood up as well. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should rush to a conclusion. Even if the theory that this parallel dimension counterpart cannot exist in the same dimension at the same time is true, we can¡¯t give up just like that.¡±

    ¡°Director Song, What else do you want? If you can¡¯t ovee this principle of physics, do you really want our soldiers to risk their lives just like those poor soldiers from the other world? To help you prove the principle of physics?¡±

    ¡°Reporting to the Chief! I beg you to give Director Song more time!¡± Huo Shaoheng tried his best to fight for Song Jinning¡¯s chance to continue the experiment. ¡°After all, we just received the other party¡¯s words. It¡¯s just one side of the story.¡±

    Song Jinning came back to her senses and said, ¡°Shaoheng is right. When ites to scientific experiments, we can¡¯t just listen to what others say. If we want to master this technology, we need to practice it ourselves.¡±

    ¡°... With the lives of our soldiers?¡± One of the standingmittee members folded his arms in dissatisfaction and frowned.

    Song Jinning pursed her lips. ¡°The other space uses the lives of soldiers to verify this principle because they didn¡¯t know about it before. It was an unintentional mistake. They didn¡¯t mean to use the lives of soldiers for experiments.¡±

    ¡°And now that we know, we don¡¯t have to use humans to test it. It¡¯s the same with animals...¡±

    General Ji heard them arguing, and his heart was in emotional turmoil. He raised his hand. ¡°Stop arguing. We have to treat this matter seriously.¡±

    He looked at Song Jinning. ¡°Director Song, you can continue the experiment, but I forbid you from using soldiers and human lives to do this experiment.¡±

    Song Jinning quickly promised, ¡°Since I know of this danger, I will not disregard human lives.¡±

    ¡°And you!¡± General Ji red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°From today onward, you will stay by my side and not go anywhere!¡±

 Chapter 1510 - SuChapter A Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 1510: Such A Coincidence</h4>

    General Ji was worried that Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t care about anything else and would run to the other side to die.

    ¡°Agreed!¡±

    ¡°Stay and help General Ji with official business!¡±

    The other members of the standingmittee in the meeting room expressed their agreement.

    They knew that Huo Shaoheng was in the parallel universe. No one would agree to send their Huo Shaoheng to his death.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng was burning with anxiety, his expression remained the same. Faced with the unanimous agreement of the seven members of the standingmittee, he calmly replied, ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    After the meeting, Song Jinning looked at Huo Shaoheng worriedly and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll continue to think of a way. However, if Huo Shaoheng is in the parallel universe, you definitely can¡¯t go there.¡±

    Going there was equivalent to sending himself to his death.

    Song Jinning was a senior high-energy physicist. After hearing General He Chengjian mention the principle of parallel space physics in the video, her intuition told her that the theory waspletely valid.

    The micro-level of parallel space was very simr to the case of positive and negative particles.

    Therefore, at the macro level, it was very likely that the corresponding objects in the two spaces also had the properties of positive and negative particles.

    However, if they appeared at the same time and space, they would be annihted at the same time, which was also death.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know how to deal with this problem.

    If there really was another Huo Shaoheng on the other side, and if the situation shown in the video was real, then him going there means his demise.

    Huo Shaoheng pondered for a long time and said, ¡°Can you verify this theory first? Without hurting anyone?¡±

    Song Jinning rubbed her temples and said with a headache, ¡°They¡¯re monitoring us right now. I have to think of a way to bypass their surveince before I make a fuss.¡±

    ¡°And...¡± she paused. ¡°This kind of experiment consumes a lot of energy, so I can¡¯t carry out too many meaningless experiments.¡±

    She hadn¡¯t expected that just when they thought there had been a huge breakthrough in maic field technology, there would be a new problem in front of them.

    Song Jinning wasn¡¯t afraid of these obstacles on the road to scientific research.

    However, to solve the problem, she needed time.

    She didn¡¯t know how long it would take this time.

    After everyone had left, General Ji brought Huo Shaoheng back to his study.

    ¡°Shaoheng, sit.¡± General Ji pointed to the sofa in his study and said, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s still one minute of the video that I haven¡¯t released yet.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡± ...¡±

    ¡°... I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he was a little nervous.

    He put his hand on the armrest of the sofa and slowly sat down.

    His expression was grave, and not as calm as usual.

    General Ji sighed and turned on the original video. ¡°You watch it yourself. I¡¯m going out for a smoke.¡±

    After General Ji left, Huo Shaoheng was left alone in the study.

    Huo Shaoheng sat quietly on the sofa and watched the video rey one by one until thest minute, he heard the person called He Chengjian say, ¡°Also, Gu Nianzhi is living very well with us. This is her home. She will marry my son. On our side, no woman will be more honorable and happier than her.¡±

    ¡°Tell your subordinate, Huo Shaoheng, to give up.¡±

    What followed was a series of photos and videos of Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu.

    On the hot air balloon, she was with a child and He Zhichu, like a family of three.

    The camera changed and appeared in a living room. Gu Nianzhi leaned her head on He Zhichu¡¯s shoulder. He Zhichu¡¯s eyes sparkled with joy as he reached out and hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder even tighter.

    ..

    After the nine-minute video call ended, Huo Shaoheng sat stiffly on the sofa and was unable to speak for a long time.

    The only thing he could be happy about was that she was doing quite well over there.

    However, the anxiety and uneasiness in his heart didn¡¯t lessen.

    What was he going to do?

    Was Huo Shaoheng there?

    ..

    He Chengjian breathed a sigh of relief after issuing a warning to the world on the other side.

    This matter had finally been resolved satisfactorily.

    He no longer had to worry about the other world causing trouble.

    Moreover, even if they were able to open the passage at all costs, the energy consumption was unimaginable.

    In the past few years, with their technological capabilities and the strength of the nation, they had opened the passage less than ten times, and the energy had almost been used up.

    Of course, thest time they had brought Gu Nianzhi back, they had used up too much energy, so much so that even if they added up all the previous times, they wouldn¡¯t have used up as much energy as this time.

    Otherwise, their energy wouldn¡¯t have been depleted so quickly.

    He Chengjian was also a little uneasy. He changed another group of people to investigate the problem of the maic field¡¯s energy, to see if they hade to the same conclusion.

    After sitting down and taking a sip of coffee, he heard his internal phone ring.

    ¡°General He, we have received news that Dresden, an employee of the United States Department of Homnd Security, suddenly left the United States with important information. He took a ne to H City of the Huaxia Empire and has entered the country.¡±

    As He Chengjian listened to their briefing, he called his personal secretary over. ¡°Where¡¯s Zhichu? Have you seen him?¡±

    ¡°Major General He has gone to C City and is on his way back.¡± His personal secretary knew that He Chengjian cared about his son the most, so he kept a close watch on He Zhichu¡¯s movements so that he could deal with his boss¡¯s continuous questioning.

    He Chengjian looked at his watch. ¡°I¡¯ll go to a meeting first. When hees back, tell him toe directly to the secret meeting room.¡±

    ..

    He Zhichu celebrated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birthday in advance and took a special ne back to the imperial capital.

    As soon as he got off the ne, he was taken directly from the airport by a military vehicle to the secret meeting room at the headquarters of the military.

    Here, the 10 members of the military¡¯s Supreme Council standingmittee were having a meeting.

    He Zhichu was called in by them and assigned work to him.

    ¡°We received top-secret news from our sources in the United States. Dresden, an employee of the United States Department of Homnd Security, suddenly took a long leave of absence from Hawaii for medical reasons. We just found out that he has entered our country and is heading to H City.¡±

    ¡°It is reported that he has very important information on him, which has a lot to do with our national security.¡±

    ¡°Now, the CIA has issued a secret order to kill him at all costs and retrieve all the information that he has taken away.¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union wants to bring him to the Soviet Union.¡±

    ¡°Major General He, this time, you will cooperate with the KGB of the Soviet Union to fight against the CIA of the United States.¡±

    ¡°The American intelligencework that has been operating in H City for many years is now in full swing.¡±

    He Zhichu had just gotten off the ne when he received such a mission. He asked in surprise, ¡°... to H City?¡±

    This was such a coincidence. Gu Nianzhi was also going to H City the day after tomorrow.

    However, He Zhichu was only thinking about it.

    This time, he was going to H City to carry out a mission. It was impossible for him to meet Gu Nianzhi in private.

    However, when he thought about how he would be in the same city as her on her birthday, enjoying the same sea breeze, his mood improved. He said calmly, ¡°We will definitely stop their actions.¡±

    He Chengjian looked at him with gratification. ¡°First of all, this is your first mission since you returned to the team. You must be very careful.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He Zhichu said casually, ¡°Themittee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union will also go to H City?¡±

    ¡°No, they won¡¯t go to H City. They will wait for you in M City.¡±

    ¡°Your mission is to escort this person from H City to M City and let the KGB take over.¡±

    A top-secret document was ced in front of He Zhichu. ¡°You have to remember to contact the KGB.¡±

    Their meeting was held from afternoon to night until the sky was full of stars.

    The initial n had already been formted. He Zhichu went back to pick his most elite men to carry out this secret mission.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had finally waited for the day when she would board the ne to H City.

    She was wearing a sportswear that was easy to travel in, and she dragged a small LV suitcase to the airport.

    When she was checking in at the boarding gate, Gu Nianzhi actually saw Bai Shuang, who was also wearing a sportswear!

    This flight was to H City, so Bai Shuang was going to H City as well?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help walking over and poking her on the back. She smiled and said, ¡°Bai Shuang?¡±

    Bai Shuang, who was practicing her spoken English and listening skills with her headphones on, was shocked. She turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi. She quicklyughed and patted her chest. ¡°Howe it¡¯s you, Miss Gu? What a coincidence.¡±

    The two of them had met once at the Hilton Hotel¡¯s underground bar.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°Yes, what a coincidence. Miss Bai, are you going to H City?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bai Shuang said readily. ¡°Ourpany is a trantionpany. I graduated from the Foreign Language Institute. Thepany gave me a job as a frence trantor for an American in H City.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I see. We¡¯re going to H City for a meeting. Do you have time to contact us?¡±

    She made a phone call.

    Bai Shuang nodded with a smile. ¡°Sure. Do you have any other methods of contact other than your phone number?¡±

    The two of them exchanged contact information on their social media ounts, and soon it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn to board the ne.

    Only then did Bai Shuang realize that Gu Nianzhi had a first-ss ticket in her hand and could board the ne first.

    She didn¡¯t think much of it and watching as she walked through the gate first, she waved at her with a smile.

    Upon boarding the ne, Gu Nianzhi realized that among the three people invited to thew firm, she was the only one who had a first-ss ticket, while Jin Dazhuang and Xiao Zhang were both in business ss.

    Most of the people in the first-ss cabin were executives from the Lu Corporation, as well as partners and barristers from the four majorw firms. She was a little embarrassed.

    She was dawdling about wanting to change her flight ticket to business ss.

    However, not long after she stood up, Lu Yuan walked over with Zhao Liangze and greeted her with a smile. ¡°Lawyer Gu? Why aren¡¯t you sitting down? Can¡¯t you find a seat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said embarrassingly, ¡°... Is there a mistake? I¡¯m the only one in first ss, and my boss and colleagues are all in business ss...¡±

    Lu Yuan was speechless for a moment, but he looked at the seat in her hand and said quietly, ¡°Maybe the tourism department booked the wrong seat. Just sit anywhere you want. It¡¯s only two hours.¡±

    With that said, Gu Nianzhi felt like she was making a mountain out of a molehill if she continued to insist.

    She sat down embarrassingly and turned to look at the scenery outside the window.

    Not long after, a well-dressed man sat down in the seat next to her. He even osted her, ¡°Pretty girl, are you traveling alone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi :¡±...¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to talk to him, so she pretended not to hear him and didn¡¯t look back.

    ¡°Prettydy, you¡¯re putting on quite a show...¡± The man didn¡¯t give up. He closed the gap between the two of them and moved closer to her.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head, but he could see her delicate and fair neck. She leaned to the side, and her movements made her breasts, waist, and slender waist stand out. Her long legs were especially seductive.

    The man¡¯s burning gaze constantly swept across Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest, waist, and hips.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help it. She was just about to teach this man a lesson when she suddenly heard a cold and slightly mocking voice from the aisle beside their seats.

    ¡°Son of a b * tch, are you blind, or did you not graduate from kindergarten? You can¡¯t even see 12345ABCDE clearly? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise and saw a tall and thin man with an extremely ordinary appearance fuming at the man who was sitting next to her.

 Chapter 1511 - Lu Yuan, Lu Jin

    <h4>Chapter 1511: Lu Yuan, Lu Jin</h4>

    After being cussed out in front of so many people in the first-ss cabin, the greasy-faced man couldn¡¯t hold on any longer.

    To be able to sit in the first-ss cabin, most of them were people of status. How could he stand such humiliation?

    The greasy-faced man¡¯s face darkened, and he shook his ticket. ¡°Watch your mouth! I also have a first-ss ticket! Even if I sat in the wrong seat, do you have to curse? Do you have any manners?!¡±

    The tall and thin man nced at the ticket that the man showed and frowned. ¡°Zou Yaozu? Your seat should be 05B, which is thest seat of the first-ss cabin near the toilet. How can you have the face to sit in a good seat like 02B?¡±

    Even in the first-ss cabin, there was a hierarchy in terms of seats.

    Zou Yaozu sneered and stood up. He raised his head and said, ¡°Can¡¯t I be wrong? You keep calling me son of a b * tch. You really have no manners!¡±

    ¡°No matter how much I have no morals, I¡¯m still better than the illegitimate child of a 70-year-old man.¡±This tall and thin man who didn¡¯t look extraordinary seemed to know Zou Yaozu well. ¡°Your father, Zou Nanfeng, is a well-known wealthy businessman in H City. He is 93 years old this year. When he was 70 years old, his sperm was obtained by a peripheral chicken and he was artificially inseminated to give birth to you. If your mother didn¡¯t go out of her way to find the media to speak up, and if you didn¡¯t go to your father¡¯s house every day to cheat him, your father wouldn¡¯t even know that he had such a son of a b * ich like you.¡±

    Zou Yaozu¡¯s mind buzzed and he blurted out, ¡°You, you, you, you, you... How did you know?!¡±

    He had just taken a ne and sat in the wrong seat. How did he get exposed?!

    The people in the first-ss cabin looked at Zou Yaozu with different expressions. Many people curled their lips in disdain.

    Zou Yaozu wished that he could take a condom and put it on himself.

    ¡°You, you, you, you... You¡¯re good! I won¡¯t lower myself to your level!¡± Zou Yaozu was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage. He swung his arm and pushed the tall and thin man away. He walked back to the back of the first-ss cabin and sat down near the toilet. He shrunk his neck and hid himself.

    Everyone watched the show for a while before they averted their eyes.

    Lu Yuan and Zhao Liangze sat together. When they saw this scene, they couldn¡¯ot help butugh and shake their heads.

    Zhao Liangze chuckled and said, ¡°CEO Lu, your brother is too amazing, isn¡¯t he? Has he studied the background of all the people in first ss?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and turned his head away, saying, ¡°He is a cautious person. Of course, he has to know himself and his enemy before he can take the ne without worry.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was confused and said sheepishly, ¡°The security at the airport is strict enough. Is Mr. Lu still worried?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. He picked up themercial magazine on the ne and began to casually flip through it.

    The tall and thin man, who didn¡¯t look handsome, sat down next to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had been annoyed and exasperated by the greasy-faced man. Now, not only had the man been chased away, but he had also been publicly humiliated. She felt very happy.

    She leaned over and said to the man sitting next to her, ¡°Sir, may I know your surname? Thank you so much for earlier.¡±

    The tall, skinny man didn¡¯t seem to expect Gu Nianzhi to take the initiative to talk to him. He was very nervous and straightened his back in his seat. He didn¡¯t look at her and simply nodded. ¡°No need for that. My surname is Lu. You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s my pleasure.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    This man did not seem to like talking to her...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t force him. She moved slightly to the side to distance herself from the man so that he wouldn¡¯t feel awkward.

    After a while, the flight attendants and gentlemen on the ne came over and exined the basics of flying. They then said that they would take off soon and asked everyone to fasten their seat belts.

    Gu Nianzhi fastened her seat belt with a click. From the corner of her eye, she saw that the man sitting next to her seemed to be peeping at her.

    Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head to look. The man was sitting upright and had no intention of looking at her.

    Was she being overly sensitive?

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and put on her headphones. She listened to her favorite audio book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

    This was the third book in the Harry Potter series, and it was also her favorite.

    Every time she heard Sirius ck) being imprisoned for more than ten years because he had been framed, she would cry uncontrobly.

    She couldn¡¯t even hear the sound of the ne taking off. She was only immersed in the ups and downs of the plot.

    When she heard the part that she was most familiar with, she couldn¡¯t help crying.

    Just as she was listening nervously, someone suddenly poked her arm gently.

    Gu Nianzhi reflexively turned her head to look. She saw the man sitting next to her pass her a bag of exquisite tissue paper and look at her with concern.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and took off her headphones. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and said, ¡°I was listening to a book and was touched, so...¡±

    The man nodded and stubbornly handed her the tissue paper. He said a little awkwardly, ¡°This is made from bluegrass juice mixed with 100% Hawaiian sandalwood pulp. It¡¯s an edible standard. There¡¯s no added pigment, and it doesn¡¯t harm the skin at all. It can absorb water and oil up to 98%, which is the best proportion of known water and oil absorption properties. It cannot be 100% absorbed, and that wouldn¡¯t be good for the skin either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed.

    It was just a packet of tissue paper. After she used it, she would have to throw it into the trash can. Did he have to exin its manufacturing parameters and performance parameters?

    She was still in a daze when the man had already stuffed the tissue paper into her hand. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at her, as if he was saying, ¡°Come praise me, praise me, praise me for being awesome!¡±!

    Gu Nianzhi held the tissue in her hand. Her bright, big eyes curled, and her lips curved into a happy smile. She politely replied, ¡°Thank you, this tissue is amazing. May I know what brand it is? I¡¯ll buy it from now on.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes lit up even more. ¡°You really like it? But you haven¡¯t used it yet. How do you know it¡¯s as good as I said it would be?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    If she hadn¡¯t sensed that the man had no ill intentions, Gu Nianzhi would have pped the packet of tissues back on his face.

    How did this man speak?

    Every word he said was offensive.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the man as she tore open the packet of tissues. She pulled out a piece and printed it on her face.

    Huh?

    It did feel nice..

    She carefully touched the napkin with her hand and felt its unusual softness and tenacity. She simply wiped her entire face.

    Seeing that it was covered in ayer of dirt, she couldn¡¯t stop praising it. ¡°This tissue is really good. It can even be used as a facial cleanser.¡±

    The man finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked seriously, ¡°Do you like to use it?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked through the packaging of the napkin, but she couldn¡¯t see the brand or the date of manufacture.

    The man knew what she was looking for when he saw her looking through it. He said, ¡°I made this myself. It¡¯s only for my family. It¡¯s not sold outside.¡±

    Since it¡¯s not sold in the market, why was he showing off?

    Was he really not ying with her?

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and put on a fake smile. ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s even more precious... You can¡¯t buy it even if you have money...¡±

    However, the man didn¡¯t seem to hear the sarcasm in her words. Instead, he said happily, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll give it to you. I don¡¯t want your money.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    If he was trying to curry favor for no reason, he was either a traitor or a thief.

    She was a little scared, so she quietly moved aside and put on her earphones. She said politely, ¡°How can I do that? I¡¯m not really used to using this kind of tissue. Okay, I¡¯m going to continue listening to my book. Thank you for your kindness, I appreciate it.¡±

    She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, putting on a look of ¡°don¡¯t bother me¡±.

    The man looked at her in shock. After a while, he resentfully moved his gaze away and stared nkly at the back of the seat in front of him.

    He didn¡¯t say anything else. He didn¡¯t say a word until he got off the ne.

    Lu Yuan sat on the other side of the aisle. He wanted to talk to him several times, but the man¡¯s lips were tightly pursed and he didn¡¯t speak at all.

    It wasn¡¯t until the nended in H city that the man suddenly stood up and was the first to rush to the cabin door.

    Gu Nianzhi had just taken off her headphones when she looked up and saw him. She frowned slightly and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Lu Yuan sighed and stood up to say to her, ¡°Lawyer Gu, please don¡¯t take offense. That¡¯s my brother, Lu Jin. He... He doesn¡¯t know how to talk, but he has a good heart. If he has offended you in any way, I apologize on his behalf.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved to hear that he was Lu Yuan¡¯s younger brother. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°President Lu, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? I was a little embarrassed just now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. That¡¯s how he is.¡± Lu Yuan smiled as he helped her carry her luggage. ¡°Let¡¯s go down together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go apologize to him first. I was too rude just now.¡±

    Lu Yuan watched with a smile as she squeezed her way to the cabin door in front of him.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Lu Yuan¡¯s brother, Lu Jin, standing in front of the cabin door like a thin bamboo pole. He had a ¡°do not approach me¡± look on his face, as if he would jump up and hit anyone who came near him.

    She coughed lightly behind him and said, ¡°Mr. Lu Jin?¡±

    Lu Jin, who was standing in front of her, was shaken. He suddenly turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi looking at him with a smile. She even waved her hand and said, ¡°Mr. Lu Jin?¡±

    Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, these parents of the Lu family are really willful when ites to naming...

    Gu Nianzhi ridiculed in her heart as she smiled sweetly. She said to the shocked Lu Jin, ¡°Mr. Lu Jin, I was too rude just now and made you angry. It was my fault. Please be magnanimous and forgive me this once. When we get off the ne, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal as an apology, okay?¡±

    Lu Jin looked very nervous, but he didn¡¯t want to keep a straight face.

    He knew that if he kept a straight face, this little girl would be afraid.

    So he tried hard to squeeze out a smile.

    With a smile that was uglier than crying, he said, ¡°Okay, where are we going to eat after we get off the ne?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already mentally prepared herself. Although she was very surprised, she didn¡¯t show it on her face at all. Her smile was still soft and gentle, ¡°I¡¯ll go wherever you say. This is my first time in H City, so I¡¯m not familiar with it. However, I heard that you¡¯re CEO Lu¡¯s brother. This time, you must be here for the Lu Corporation¡¯s celebratory banquet, right?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi seemed to be very interested in the Lu Corporation, he quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m also a shareholder of the Lu Corporation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t surprised. The name of the Lu Corporation indicated that it was a family business. This man was Lu Yuan¡¯s younger brother, so the Lu Corporation must have his shares.

    ¡°Oh my, then you¡¯re my big boss. Please take care of me in the future!¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed to Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin quickly reached out to help her up, but when he was about to touch her shoulder, he quickly pulled back and rubbed his hands on his back. His expression rxed. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely take care of you. There¡¯s no need to bow.¡± He was worried that he had said the wrong thing. He looked at Gu Nianzhi eagerly and asked, ¡°... You won¡¯t continue to be angry, will you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched and she quickly shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Then... do you still use the napkins I made?¡± He was very persistent in promoting his napkins.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. She realized that although this man was old, he was still very simple-minded. He spoke his mind in a blunt manner.

    Therefore, she was very honest with him and didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°Of course I want to use such a good thing, but I won¡¯t take no for an answer. You said you would give me such a good thing for free, so I don¡¯t dare to use it.¡±

    Lu Jin finally understood what she meant, and a big smile appeared on his face. ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll go back and set a price based on cost and profit, and then you¡¯ll use it, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not too expensive, or else I won¡¯t be able to afford it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not expensive, as long as you¡¯re willing to use it.¡± Lu Jin was finally happy. The corners of his mouth were raised high, and he couldn¡¯t lower it anymore.

    ..

    After they left the airport, a bus took them to the Four Seasons Hotel in H City.

    The Four Seasons Hotel was one of the hotels in the international financial center of H City, and also the most mysterious hotel in H city.

    The building was 45 stories high and had a total of 399 rooms. Most of the rooms had a 180-degree view of the sea.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi, Jin Dazhuang, and Xiao Zhang were together.

    After entering the Four Seasons Hotel and getting her room card, Gu Nianzhi followed therge group upstairs to look for a room.

    Her room was on the 36th floor, the same floor as Jin Dazhuang and Xiao Zhang.

    Xiao Zhang and Zhang Yi excitedly changed into their swimsuits and went to the hotel¡¯s outdoor swimming pool to swim.

    Jin Dazhuang was getting old and needed to rest in his room.

    Their celebratory banquet was tomorrow night, and most of them would be flying back to C city the day after tomorrow morning.

    Gu Nianzhi also wanted to seize the time to take a good look around H City.

    When she came, she did some research and found out that the food here was very famous. She wanted to have a taste.

    Gu Nianzhi put down her luggage and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She changed into a sapphire-blue silk dress with slightly puffyntern sleeves. Her cor revealed her exquisite corbone, and she also wore a string of millet beads. The palm-sized silk belt was tied around her slender waist, and the bud-shaped skirt was perfectly tucked in.

    Her skin was already very white, and it was even more dazzling when set off by the sapphire-blue silk.

    She pushed open the door and walked out, just in time to see Lu Yuan¡¯s brother, Lu Jin, pacing back and forth at the door.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over with a smile and said, ¡°Mr. Lu Jin, do you live here?¡±

    His eyes filled with surprise, Lu Jin turned around to see her.

    He nodded, then shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to have dinner with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You said on the ne that you wanted to treat me to dinner to make amends.¡± He looked at Gu Nianzhi nervously, as if he was afraid that she would go back on her word.

    Gu Nianzhi was also going out to look for food, so she simply invited him to join her. ¡°Sure, I heard that the restaurant on the fourth floor, Long Jingxuan, isn¡¯t bad. Do you want to try the food?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go to Long Jingxuan first, then I¡¯ll treat you to French food at Caprice on the sixth floor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    It was only one meal, and they were already talking about the next one?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said with a smile, ¡°But I have to lose weight tonight. One meal is enough. I don¡¯t want to eat French food anymore.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± Lu Jin quickly nced at Gu Nianzhi and thought, how did she need to lose weight? Why did she have to lose weight?

    However, he had seen a lot of women cry about losing weight, so he rationally didn¡¯t ask. He happily walked beside Gu Nianzhi and took the elevator with her to Long Jingxuan restaurant, on the fourth floor.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect to see Bai Shuang when the elevator door opened!

    Bai Shuang looked like she had just gotten off the ne, but she had already dressed up. She was standing at the entrance of Long Jingxuan¡¯s restaurant and talking to a white man.

    The white man was thin and wore gold-rimmed sses. He looked very refined and sophisticated.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and quietly stood not far behind them.

    However, Bai Shuang caught sight of Gu Nianzhi out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned around and said, ¡°Miss Gu? You¡¯re staying here too? Are you here for dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯re staying with the Lu Corporation. The Lu Corporation is having a celebratory dinner tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re an employee of the Lu Corporation? That¡¯s a good job!¡± Bai Shuang said enviously. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know anything aboutputers. What does Miss Gu do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°I¡¯m not an employee of the Lu Corporation. I¡¯m an employee of theirw firm. I¡¯m awyer.¡±

    ¡°Awyer?!¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes lit up and she quickly said, ¡°Miss Gu, You¡¯re awyer? Thewyers working with the Lu Corporation must be very good. Coincidentally, this client of mine wants to find awyer. Do you want to give it a try?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the man. ¡°He is yourpany¡¯s client?¡±

 Chapter 1512 - Met Her Match

    <h4>Chapter 1512: Met Her Match</h4>

    Bai Shuang nodded repeatedly. ¡°He¡¯s Mr. Dresden. He just came from the United States and doesn¡¯t understand Chinese. Ourpany has epted the request and asked me to be his trantor.¡±

    As she spoke, she introduced Gu Nianzhi to Dresden in English. She also said that she was a famouswyer from the Lu Corporation. If there was anything, she could be the agent.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and quickly said, ¡°Bai Shuang, don¡¯t tter me. Lawyers had different professional orientations, so they handled different cases. I don¡¯t know what kind of agent your client needs. If it¡¯s in a field that I¡¯m not familiar with, I can¡¯t take on your case.¡±

    Most people thought that as long as it was awyer, they could handle anything that involved legal matters.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the case.

    There were so manyws in the country. How could awyer be proficient in all aspects?

    Lawyers were only specialized in one aspect. For example, criminalwwyers dealt with businesses rted to criminalw.

    Those who specialized in economicw would handle cases rted to economic disputes.

    There were also those who were proficient in marriagew andborw. For example, Jin Dazhuang¡¯s cases were mostly divorce cases andbor arbitration.

    He could take on other aspects, but the quality of his work was much worse.

    Furthermore,wyers mostly charged by the hour. The more familiar one was with the field, the less time it would take to prepare beforehand. One could directly enter the processing section and start charging.

    In unfamiliar fields, it would take more time to prepare beforehand, which wasn¡¯t conducive to their profit ratio.

    Of course, there were also some unscrupulouswyers who spent all their time charging. This way, the customer would face a high bill.

    And with such an expensive fee, the quality of the work required was also high.

    But in unfamiliar fields, it was very difficult to do it satisfactorily the first time.

    So the final result would be aplete mess. This was a matter of tarnishing one¡¯s reputation. Very fewwyers would do such a ¡°killing the goose thatys the golden eggs¡± thing.

    Gu Nianzhi only had her own experience. She was talented in criminalw litigation, and her research direction was also in criminalw. The cases she had fought were also in this area. In the parallel universe, she wouldn¡¯t take non-criminalw cases.

    However, aftering here, she entered Jin Dazhuang¡¯s smallw firm and began to follow up on marriagews andbor arbitrationws.

    She was currently studying the majority of the legal provisions.

    From the looks of this American, he probably didn¡¯t need the Huaxia Empire¡¯s marriagews andbor arbitrationw.s As for criminalws, he wouldn¡¯t juste to H city and cause trouble, right?

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if she could help him.

    Bai Shuang saw that Gu Nianzhi was shirking the responsibility, she quickly said, ¡°He said he wanted to find awyer, but he hasn¡¯t said anything specific yet. I¡¯m also unfamiliar with the legal profession. No matter what, you¡¯re awyer and a professional. Even if you can¡¯t do it, can you at least rmend a suitablewyer for him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. ¡°No problem. If you need anything, you can call me or send me a message.¡±

    She pointed at Bai Shuang¡¯s phone and blinked yfully.

    Bai Shuang hugged her happily. ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you,wyer Gu!¡±

    Dresden watched silently from the side with a nervous look on his face.

    He nudged Bai Shuang and said in English, ¡°Are you done? I am starving.¡±

    Bai Shuang let go of Gu Nianzhi and waved at her. ¡°We¡¯re going to eat. We¡¯ll be in touch.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waited for them to enter before asking Lu Jin, who was standing next to her, ¡°Mr. Lu, do you minding in to eat?¡±

    Lu Jin quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, but if you don¡¯t want to go, we can go somewhere else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just gotten off the ne and was actually a little tired. She just wanted to eat something before going back to sleep, so she couldn¡¯t be bothered to look for a ce.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that Mr. Lu doesn¡¯t mind. I heard the seafood here is good,¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she entered Long Jingxuan¡¯s entrance with Lu Jin.

    Actually, it wasn¡¯t even lunchtime yet, but the number of people eating here was far more than usual.

    The people sitting around the reception area were waiting to enter, but Bai Shuang and the American at the reception spoke to the youngdy and were quickly led in.

    Perhaps she had an appointment?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind. After the people in front had been sent to the reception area to wait. She walked up to the reception and said to the youngdy, ¡°Hello, do you have any seats for lunch?¡±

    She spoke in authentic Chinese, and her pronunciation was perfect. It sounded like she was from the north.

    The youngdy at the reception lowered her head and typed on herputer. She spoke in the H City dialect coldly, ¡°Northern sister, what are you talking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She didn¡¯t know much about the H City dialect, but she could roughly tell from her tone that she wasn¡¯t very respectful.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s drowsiness was chased away by her, and she immediately perked up.

    She thought that if she spoke English, the restaurant¡¯s receptionist would be more enthusiastic, because Bai Shuang and the American had received an unusual reception from this receptionist.

    Was she bullying the customers because she spoke in a Northern Chinese ent?

    She looked at the customers waiting for their meals in the rest area. Almost all of them were Chinese, and they seemed to be tourists from other ces.

    The white people who came in behind them were quickly led in.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe that these people had already made reservations.

    She suddenly realized that she had been discriminated against by her own people in the Huaxia Empire!

    She was really looking down on others.

    If Gu Nianzhi endured it, that wouldn¡¯t be characteristic of her.

    Just as she was about to lose her temper, Lu Jin, who was standing next to her, pulled her over. He stepped forward to stop her and said rudely to the receptionist, ¡°Hurry up and take us in to eat, or we¡¯ll file aint against you right away.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t know Chinese. When I came here, I investigated your restaurant. You have been promoting the study of Chinese in the north for three years. If you don¡¯t know Chinese in the north, you won¡¯t be able to work.¡±

    He was still speaking northern ented Chinese.

    The front deskdy¡¯s heart trembled. She raised her head in surprise and saw a middle-aged man standing in front of her. He was frowning and had an impatient look on his face. One of his hands tapped lightly on the front desk, and revealed the Jiangshi Denton watch on his wrist.

    The receptionist didn¡¯t dare to pretend that she didn¡¯t understand him anymore. Her small eyes narrowed into slits as she spoke in broken northern Chinese enthusiastically, ¡°How many seats do you want, sir?¡±

    ¡°Two, by the window. We want a view of the sea.¡± Lu Jin was very impolite. ¡°We¡¯re hungry. Serve the dishes immediately.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. They wille quickly.¡± She quickly found a waiter and came over. ¡°Johnson, take the two of you to the window seat at table a over there.¡±

    The waiter had a good temper. He smiled and bowed to them. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    His northern Chinese was much more authentic, at least better than the receptionist¡¯s.

    Seeing that Lu Jin was so good at it, Gu Nianzhi decided not to butt in.

    She sat with him by the window with a smile on her face.

    The view of the sea from outside the window was overwhelming. The blue line of the sea and the sky couldn¡¯t be seen from the horizon. Several seagulls were flying on the sea. Cruise ships asionally yed on the sea and created snow-white waves.

    There were alsorge cruise ships and cargo ships entering the port. The sails were dotted, and they were grand and majestic.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and rested her chin on her hands on the small dining table in front of her. She looked out of the window and said, ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±

    Lu Jin was very happy to see that she liked this ce. He said, ¡°I can reserve the seats here. You cane and eat whenever you want.¡±

    He added, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. We canin anytime. Who let her look down on us.¡± He was about to call for the manager.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°No need, don¡¯t report it. I¡¯ll be back the day after tomorrow. Besides, you taught her a lesson just now. She¡¯s just a receptionist. It¡¯s not easy for her to make a living.¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned. He looked at her silently for a while before nodding and asking seriously, ¡°Miss Gu, she called you ¡®northern sister¡¯. You¡¯re willing to let this sort of discrimination and humiliation go. Do you get bullied often?¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t get bullied often, and even if someone bullied her, she would hit back at the first chance she got. However, because of his unexpected words of concern, her eyes instantly turned red.

    She couldn¡¯t cry. She couldn¡¯t cry in front of strangers.

    Gu Nianzhi held back her tears and tried her best to keep her eyes wide open so that the bitterness wouldn¡¯t turn into tears.

    Lu Jin saw her trying her best to suppress her tears, and his mind went nk. It was as if a flood had broken a dam, and thousands of torrents poured out. His face as ck as the bottom of a pot, he couldn¡¯t help clenching his chopsticks with one hand.

    ¡°Did someone really bully you? !¡±He couldn¡¯t help shouting out loud.

    The veins on his neck were bulging, and his eyes were red like a bloodthirsty beast.

    His voice was so loud that half the people in the restaurant looked over curiously.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t care less about her heartache. She quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, ¡°No, no one bullied me.¡±

    ¡°If no one bullied you, why do you look like you¡¯re about to Cry?¡± Lu Jin also realized that his voice was too loud. He red around with a stern face, as if to say, ¡°If you dare to look at me again, I¡¯ll re at you to death.¡±

    His gaze was too terrifying. His uncaring ruthlessness sent chills down people¡¯s spines.

    Not daring to look at them again, the people around them quickly averted their gazes.

    Gu Nianzhi was really speechless.

    This Mr. Lu was theplete opposite of his brother, president Lu Yuan, who was very well-versed in dealing with matters.

    On the ne, other people had only taken his seat, but he was already able to reveal their true colors.

    In the restaurant, her eyes had only reddened for a moment, but he had wanted to make the onlookers¡¯ intestines pop out of their chests.

    This ability to attract hatred, tsk tsk, no matter how hateful a person was in front of him, he would make them look like little angels..

    Gu Nianzhi wasining, but she had no intention of ming Lu Jin.

    On the contrary, her heart was warm.

    Gu Nianzhi had indirectly benefited from this man¡¯s outburst twice. She was very grateful for this, and her feelings for this man had improved.

    She had never experienced such a feeling before, whether it was by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side or He Zhichu¡¯s.

    This was her personality. If others treated her well, she would want to repay them.

    The hatred Lu Jin had drawn in front of others had instantly brought him closer to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a moment and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m really touched. We¡¯ve never met before, yet you¡¯re so concerned about me. Besides, I¡¯m prone to cryinb.¡±

    She took out the packet of tissues that Lu Jin had given her on the ne and took one out to wipe her face.

    Lu Jin saw that she had taken the tissue that he had given her with her, and his depressed mood suddenly lightened up.

    He quietly watched her wipe her face and then said in a low voice,¡± ... Even if no one bullied you, does that mean no one cares about you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Wasn¡¯t he overthinking things?

    Gu Nianzhi put down the tissue, crossed her arms, and ced them on the dining table. She leaned forward slightly and asked in confusion, ¡°Where did you get that from?¡±

    Lu Jin pointed out logically, ¡°You were so moved by my caring words that you almost cried. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that few people usually care about you, how could you be so moved by someone else¡¯s caring words?¡±

    Unable to say a word, Gu Nianzhi stared at Lu Jin.

    This was the first time she had met someone who was on par with her, someone who could reason logically even though he was being unreasonable.

    This used to be her exclusive right!

 Chapter 1513 - Nice To Have Someone Listen

    <h4>Chapter 1513: Nice To Have Someone Listen</h4>

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Did I guess correctly?¡± Lu Jin was even more nervous. His tone was a little impatient, but it was also mixed with anger.

    It seemed that as long as Gu Nianzhi nodded, he would tear those who didn¡¯t care about her into pieces...

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little ufortable.

    This kind of unadulterated concern made her feel warm and touched, but it was a little strange that such strong concern came from a stranger she had just met.

    When she was growing up, Huo Shaoheng had always reminded her that there was no free lunch in the world, and no free pie would fall from the sky.

    What she wanted, she needed to fight for herself.

    The things that were given to her for free were either poison wrapped in honey or a trap thrown out as bait.

    Her heart was filled with the ¡°rules and regtions¡± that Huo Shaoheng had set for her, but she didn¡¯t show it on her face. She smiled and shook her head. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just more easily moved.¡±

    His expression stubborn, Lu Jin looked at her silently as he said, ¡°Keep making things up. If I believe you, it¡¯s my loss.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a headache. How was she going to convince this person?

    She thought about it for a moment and said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Lu, there are actually a lot of people who care about me. It¡¯s true. They¡¯re very good to me. I can basically get whatever I want...¡±

    As long as she paid the same price.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t say the second half of her sentence.

    Lu Jin looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Really? But I feel like you¡¯re stuttering and unwilling. You seem to be hiding half of what you said.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help pursing her lips. She was very worried that if she wasn¡¯t careful, she would spill the beans.

    This person was too sharp. Although his words weren¡¯t pleasant to hear, his insight was top-notch.

    Gu Nianzhi was annoyed, but her eyes darted around. She looked up and saw the waitering over with a menu. She quickly said, ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m starving. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s good here.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s thoughts immediately wandered when Gu Nianzhi said she was hungry. He quickly said, ¡°Then hurry up and order. Don¡¯t you want to eat seafood? Let¡¯s see what seafood specialty they have here.¡±

    Long Jingxuan was the only three-star Michelin Huaxia restaurant in H City. It did indeed have its own very delicious specialty.

    Before they ordered, the waiter brought them an appetizer. It was free and was avable at every table.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it and licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.

    It was indeed a high-ss restaurant. The appetizer was pickled cucumber abalone.

    A delicious abalone was ced on a few pieces of tender green cucumber slices. Just the color scheme alone was enough to make one¡¯s appetite soar.

    Gu Nianzhi took a bite of the abalone, and without hesitation, she ordered the abalone chicken crispy te, the dragon with pear fragrance, the crispy fried lobster balls, the French duck liver stuffed crab, and the lotus celery mixed seedling green melon dumpling. The main dish was the lobster fried rice that Longjing restaurant specialized in, the dessert was the mango pomelo sago.

    After ordering, she looked at Lu Jin in embarrassment and said, ¡°Did I order too much?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head seriously and said, ¡°I¡¯ve calcted the amount of food here. The food you ordered is only enough for you to eat 50% of your fill.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows high. ¡°You¡¯ve eaten here before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lu Jin shook his head honestly. ¡°I calcted it from their menu and the calories of each dish on their menu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    The waiter¡¯s eyes were almost popping out of their sockets.

    He had worked here for so many years, and this was probably the first time he had seen someone calcte the quantity of a dish from the calories of each dish on their menu...

    ¡°... Then, should I order more?¡± Her heart pounding, Gu Nianzhi looked at the price of each dish.

    She hoped that she had brought enough money for a meal.

    It was too expensive.

    Lu Jin flipped through the menu and ordered quickly. ¡°Six servings of gold-foil seafood dumplings. Look at the menu, it says there¡¯s fish maw, ginseng, and mushrooms from Japan. The nuclear leakage in Japan these past two years has been quite serious, so the raw materials from that ce cannot be served on our table. If I detect it, I¡¯ll sue your restaurant for treating people¡¯s lives like grass.¡±

    The waiter¡¯s legs started to go weak and he wanted to kneel down.

    Gu Nianzhi listened with relish and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Indeed. We don¡¯t need the mushrooms from Japan. The mushrooms from our country¡¯s Yungui region are very good.¡±

    She then reminded the waiter, ¡°You have to remember this well. If you don¡¯t exin it to the chef, we won¡¯tply.¡±

    The waiter nodded repeatedly. ¡°Remember, remember.¡±

    All food ingredients from Japan couldn¡¯t be used in the dishes ordered by this table of customers.

    Lu Jin continued to order, ¡°I¡¯ll have two organic Australian lobster balls with ck and white onions, three cages of dried scallop dumpling, and an appetizer tter with barbecued pork, roast duck, roasted suckling pig, and jellyfish skin.¡±

    He exined to Gu nianzhi, ¡°This tter actually isn¡¯t healthy. It has too much fat, but because the amount is very small, I¡¯ll still order one for you to try. The roasted suckling pig here is unique and worth a try.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was almost drooling. Her eyes shone with the light of a glutton. ¡°Okay, okay. I like to try delicacies from all over the world.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at the menu again and said, ¡°Four portions of lobster fried rice, and two portions of the dishes she ordered before. That¡¯s enough.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi silently calcted the bill.

    This meal would probably cost five thousand dors. Her monthly sry would be gone.

    Just as she was wondering if she still had the money to go shopping and buy some local specialties, Lu Jin handed the menu back to the waiter and said, ¡°This meal will be signed under the name of the Lu Corporation.¡±

    The waiter¡¯s eyes lit up and he quickly asked, ¡°May I ask if you are a high-ranking official of the Lu Corporation?¡±

    Those who had the authority to sign the meal were all high-ranking officials.

    Lu Jin took out his business card. ¡°I have the right to sign.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and quickly said, ¡°This meal is on me! Please don¡¯t do this, it¡¯s not good if others find out...¡±

    This was public money for food and drinks..

    If Huo Shaoheng found out about this, he would probably break her legs.

    The waiter ignored Gu Nianzhi and happily left with Lu Jin¡¯s business card.

    Lu Jin frowned at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? As a shareholder of the Lu Corporation, can¡¯t I just sign the bill?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi began to reason with him. ¡°Mr. Lu, please don¡¯t be like this. We agreed that I would treat you, so I ordered these dishes. If it were you, I wouldn¡¯t have ordered them. Besides, we agreed that you wouldn¡¯t go back on your word. What do you mean by that?¡±

    Actually, if Lu Jin had offered to treat her to a meal, she definitely wouldn¡¯t havee.

    Lu Jin felt that it made sense and said regretfully, ¡°Then this meal is on you, and the next one is on me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She decided not to dwell on this issue anymore.

    She could manage this meal for three days.

    It didn¡¯t matter if it was her appetite or her wallet.

    She smiled at Lu Jin, but Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything else.

    Both of them made up their minds and began to enjoy the delicacies in silence.

    The waiters brought the dishes over one after another.

    Gu Nianzhi then realized that the so-called ¡°dragon with jade pear fragrance¡± dish was actually abination of shrimp and pears.

    The shrimp meat was delicious, and the pear meat was clear and sweet. It was steamed and eaten with a little bit of starch. The two portions of food retained their natural vor, and the aftertaste was endless when mixed together.

    She took small bites of the delicious food and sat upright. Never showing her teeth, she chewed carefully while eating. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t slurp her food.

    She was dignified and elegant. From the way she ate, she could tell that she had a good upbringing and must havee from a good family.

    She was well-bred and knew manners. It was said that among those from wealthy familes, it would take at least three generations before one knew how to eat and dress.

    The way Gu Nianzhi ate was enough to make people believe that she was from a prominent family.

    At that moment, no one thought that she was an orphan whose parents had both died.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t know the taste of his own food. His attention was entirely on Gu Nianzhi.

    He saw the way she was eating and nodded repeatedly in his heart. He finally believed what Gu Nianzhi had said.

    There should be someone who cared about her.

    Because of the way she lived her life, the way she grew up.

    No matter how hard people tried to hide their bitterness and hatred, they couldn¡¯t hide the vicissitudes of life in their eyes and the nervousness in their posture.

    They wished they could turn themselves into swords of revenge at all times, and their entire bodies tensed up.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neither servile nor overbearing attitude, her elegant demeanor, especially her bright and moving eyes, and her witty conversation were enough to convince others that she was indeed living well.

    Lu Jin watched as she ate. The more he watched, the happier he became. It was as if he had drunk a bottle of 1982 Maotai and was intoxicated.

    The two of them didn¡¯t say much and ate most of the dishes in one go. They looked at each other, smiled, and began to chat.

    Gu Nianzhi raised the mango juice in her hand and smiled at Lu Jin. ¡°The portions of these dishes are really too small. I can eat a whole te in two bites.¡±

    She pointed at the fried chicken with abalone in front of her.

    On therge te, there were three fried chicken with abalone alone. Gu Nianzhi quickly finished off all the fried chicken with abalone.

    Needless to say, the abalone was delicious. The crispy crust on the outside was even more tender, and the filling inside was only fresh without being fishy.

    She wished she could swallow her entire tongue.

    After eating three, Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin with unsatisfied eyes.

    Lu Jin actually understood her gaze. He shook his head and said, ¡°You can¡¯t order this anymore. Although it¡¯s delicious, it¡¯s very high in calories and cholesterol, and ridiculously high in purines. Eating too much of it isn¡¯t good for your body.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi licked her lips and nodded obediently. ¡°Okay, then I won¡¯t eat it. I¡¯ll try this dessert.¡±

    The mango pomelo sago could be considered the signature dessert of Long Jingxuan. Gu Nianzhi took a bite but wasn¡¯t interested in the overly sweet taste.

    Lu Jin saw that she hadn¡¯t eaten much, so he didn¡¯t rush her. He nodded. ¡°You should eat less dessert and eat more organic fruit. It¡¯s not worse than this dessert.¡±

    After the meal, Lu Jin had ¡°educated¡± Gu Nianzhi about food safety and health. Not only was she satisfied with the material (food) , but she was also satisfied with the spiritual (knowledge) .

    The mealsted until three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    She handed her card to the waiter to settle the bill, and agreed not to put it on the Lu Corporation¡¯s ount.

    The waiter reluctantly agreed and took her card in exchange for Lu Jin¡¯s business card.

    Worried that she would be overwhelmed by the bill, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look at the bill and stuffed it into her wallet..

    She still had a smile on her face as she said to Lu Jin, ¡°Mr. Lu, I really can¡¯t eat tonight. If there¡¯s a chance in the future, can we pick another restaurant to have a good meal?¡±

    Lu Jin saw that she had indeed eaten quite a lot, so he wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t lie down and sleep right away. You can walk for five more minutes before you rest.¡±

    He nagged her about a lot of things she should pay attention to after eating. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind his nagging and listened very carefully. She walked all the way back to her room and opened the door with the key card before saying to him, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Lu. I had a great time eating today.¡±

    It had been a long time since Lu Jin had talked so much in one breath. It was rare that someone who was obedient not only didn¡¯t hate him, but also listened attentively, not just to brush him off.

    He was so happy that he hummed a song all the way back to his room.

    Lu Yuan and Zhao Liangze were in the back room discussing important matters. When they heard Lu Jine in, they fell silent at the same time.

    After a while, Zhao Liangze was puzzled. ¡°CEO Lu, your brother can sing?!¡±

    Lu Yuan, ¡°! ! !¡±

    ...

    The next night was the Lu Corporation¡¯s grand celebration party.

    Gu Nianzhi changed into a formal ck dress and only wore a ne made of natural sea pearls.

    The pearls were plump and each one was the size of a pinky finger. What was rare was that each one was almost exactly the same size. The pearls sparkled andplemented her delicate and fair skin.

    Walking into the beautifully decorated banquet hall, Gu Nianzhi found Xiao Zhang eating the buffet with a te in hand. She smiled and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a celebrity chaser? Where are the celebrities?¡±

    Xiao Zhang had gone out shopping during the day and hadn¡¯t eaten all day. She was waiting to fill her stomach at the the buffet at the celebration banquet.

    Although it was important to be a celebrity chaser, it was more important to have a full stomach.

    Xiao Zhang chewed on the fragrant lobster fried rice and said incoherently, ¡°... I think they¡¯re over there. I saw a few celebrities escorting Miss Xie over there just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked nervously, ¡°Miss Xie? Which Miss Xie?¡±

    ¡°The niece of the prime minister, Xie Qingying.¡± Xiao Zhang looked around and spotted Xie Qingying. She pointed over. ¡°There, she¡¯s over there.¡±

 Chapter 1514 - Too Biased To Even Be Looked At

    <h4>Chapter 1514: Too Biased To Even Be Looked At</h4>

    Under the bright crystal lights in the celebratory banquet hall, Xie Qingying, the niece of prime minister Xie Beichen, was wearing a royal blue fishtail evening dress, revealing one side of her white and tender shoulders. On her neck was a ruby ne in the Indian style.

    Her eyes were originally big, and she wore thick eye makeup, which made her eyes look even bigger. She looked a bit like a white beauty from the Indian Brahmin caste.

    She held a wine ss in her hand and was talking to a group of handsome men and beautiful women around her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the little ck dress she was wearing and felt that she was a little out of ce.

    She had to find an opportunity to talk to Xie Qingying among the crowd of upper-ss men and women. Her outfit really wasn¡¯t appropriate.

    But it was toote to go back and change.

    She hadn¡¯t wanted to be in the limelight before, so she hadn¡¯t brought any custom-made evening gowns.

    What should she do?

    She held a ss of orange juice and pretended to be nonchnt as she walked over to Xie Qingying.

    She just wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Xie Qingying.

    Standing about three meters away from Xie Qingying, Gu Nianzhi saw that the people around her were about to disperse, so she quickly walked over.

    However, she had only taken a few steps when a group of people rushed up from behind and pushed her to the back.

    ¡°Hey! What are you doing? Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Gu Nianzhi was pushed by a young man and almost fell to the ground.

    The man looked back at her and saw that she was dressed in ordinary clothes and wasn¡¯t wearing any expensive jewelry. Although she had a hot figure and a pretty face, she wasn¡¯t qualified to hear an apology from him.

    He red at her and squeezed his way to Xie Qingying¡¯s side. He gave her a generous and decent smile and acted in a graceful and polite manner, as if the rude man who had casually pushed his way to the front didn¡¯t exist.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She picked up her phone and took a photo of the man.

    It was never toote to take revenge.

    She was the vengeful Gu Nianzhi.

    After waiting for a while, the group dispersed, and Gu Nianzhi hurried over to Xie Qingying.

    She didn¡¯t expect that after a few steps, another group of people would surround her from behind and overtake her.

    This time, it was a young woman in a Dior evening gown who pushed her out.

    Not only did she reach out to pull her away, but she also seemed to have stepped on her.

    Gu Nianzhi had never experienced such a scene before. In the past, when she was with Huo Shaoheng, she never attended such asions.

    She had attended such banquets when she was with He Zhichu in the United States, but with He Zhichu around, it was always others who came to curry favor with them. There was no need for them to be as desperate as she was now.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be bothered to take another picture of the woman who had stepped on her foot.

    There were too many of these types of women. Could she pick them all out?

    Gu Nianzhi was tall and beautiful, but in the eyes of these snobs who only cared about clothes and not people, she wasn¡¯t qualified to speak to Xie Qingying.

    She could only hold a ss of orange juice and walk around nearby while waiting for the opportunity to jump over.

    Waiting to go down and speak after the celebration party officially began, Lu Jin and Lu Yuan stood in a VIP room on the second floor.

    Through therge ss window of the VIP room on the second floor, they could see everything that was happening in the hall on the first floor.

    Ever since Lu Jin had entered, his gaze hadn¡¯t shifted away from Gu Nianzhi, who was wearing a little ck evening gown in the hall on the first floor.

    He had observed her for nearly ten minutes, and asked Lu Yuan in puzzlement, ¡°... Why do you think Nianzhi keeps circling around within a two-meter radius with Xie Qingying as the center?¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Actually, he didn¡¯t want to answer this kind of daily math question.

    Obviously hoping that he could answer this question, Lu Jin looked at him eagerly.

    Lu Yuan could only droop his eyelids and say, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? She wants to talk to Xie Qingying, but she can¡¯t squeeze in, so she can only circle outside.¡±

    His expression was unsightly, Lu Jin immediately put down the wine ss in his hand and pulled the bow tie around his neck.¡±... Why isn¡¯t Xie Qingying talking to her? Nianzhi was the prettiest and most polite youngdy among all the guests today. She didn¡¯t want to talk to her, but she wanted to talk andugh with those idiots. Why did you invite such a brainless socialite?¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Why was Xie Qingying brainless?

    She had graduated from Q University¡¯s School of Journalism and Communication, and had a master¡¯s degree in media from Columbia University in the United States. Not only did she have a good family background, but she also very capably started a new mediapany after she returned to China.

    Lu Yuan had interacted with Xie Qingying a few times and knew that she wasn¡¯t shallow and had a good temper. She was a hundred times better than this man who always looked down on others¡¯ intelligence.

    Of course, Lu Yuan knew that in Lu Jin¡¯s eyes, anyone who didn¡¯t speak to Gu Nianzhi today would be a blind retard and he wouldn¡¯t ept a rebuttal.

    When he saw Gu Nianzhi being pushed aside for the third time, Lu Jin couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°Go down and let Xie Qingying talk to Nianzhi.¡± Lu Jin pushed Lu Yuan impatiently. ¡°Or I¡¯ll go down myself. Do you dare?!¡±

    Lu Yuan red at him. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m threatening you.¡± Lu Jin said matter-of-factly. ¡°If you don¡¯t go down, don¡¯t me me if I offend anyone by speaking nonsense.¡±

    ¡°You know you can¡¯t speak?¡± Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help mocking him. ¡°But you still know your ce.¡±

    Lu Yuan also couldn¡¯t stand Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pitiful appearance of being pushed out of the crowd again and again. He looked at the hall on the first floor and muttered, ¡°Why is Nianzhi so weak in terms ofbat...¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lu Jin pricked up his ears and said unhappily, ¡°Nianzhi is polite and well-mannered. She doesn¡¯t look like those uneducated boors...¡±

    He had just finished speaking when Gu Nianzhi suddenly exerted her strength. She quietly stretched out her leg and tripped a young man who was trying to drag her behind.

    Then she quickly hid in the crowd, as if nothing had happened, and continued to push her way towards Xie Qingying.

    Lu Yuan looked at Lu Jin. ¡°... Polite? Well-mannered? Unlike those uneducated people...¡±

    Lu Jin grabbed the back of the chair with both hands and stared nkly for a while. Then, he beamed. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. Look at how agile she is! She¡¯s also very smart. She sneaked into the crowd and no one saw her.¡±

    ¡°Hey! We both saw her!¡± Lu Yuan red at Lu Jin. ¡°You¡¯re too biased to even be looked at.¡±

    As he said this, he quickly opened the door and went out.

    He had a bad feeling.

    If he didn¡¯t go down and help, who knew what new tricks Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi woulde up with..

    ..

    Lu Yuan was the president and chairman of the Lu Corporation. The moment he appeared, many people¡¯s eyes lit up and they couldn¡¯t wait to surround him.

    However, Lu Yuan also had bodyguards by his side. He wasn¡¯t alone.

    In the bustling hall on the first floor, the crowd parted and watched Lu Yuan walk past them with a smile. Finally, he came to the side of a beautiful girl in a ck dress.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu.¡± Lu Yuan reached out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m very happy that you cane to this celebratory banquet today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°? ? ?¡±

    What kind of operation was this?

    However, when she nced over, she happened to see that Xie Qingying had already looked over. Her mind raced, and she instinctively reached out her hand to hold Lu Yuan¡¯s hand. She smiled and said, ¡°CEo Lu, you¡¯re too kind.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled slightly and leaned over to her ear. He said, ¡°Someone saw that you wanted to talk to Miss Xie, so they sent me down to attract attention.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled, ¡°CEO Lu, you really know how to joke.¡±

    How did they know she wanted to talk to Xie Qingying?

    Was it that obvious?

    Lu Yuan¡¯s familiarity with Gu Nianzhi instantly made Gu Nianzhi the most attention-grabbing guest in the hall.

    The group of people that had surrounded Xie Qingying earlier were now moving towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to be surrounded by this group of people. She quickly whispered to Lu Yuan, ¡°CEO Lu, can you introduce me to Miss Xie?¡±

    Lu Yuan took a cup of grape juice from the waiter¡¯s tray and handed it to her. He smiled and said, ¡°She¡¯lle over herself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She silently put down the orange juice in her hand and took the grape juice from Lu Yuan. She looked up again and saw that Xie Qingying had walked over on her own.

    She reached out her hand to Lu Yuan. ¡°Uncle Lu, long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Qingying, you¡¯re getting more and more beautiful.¡± Lu Yuan patted her shoulder affectionately like an elder. He then turned to her naturally and said, ¡°This iswyer Gu, a partner of our corporatew firm. She¡¯s very young, not even 20 years old.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Lawyer Gu is so amazing!¡± Xie Qingying looked up and saw Gu Nianzhi. Her heart skipped a beat. She reached out her hand and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu looks really familiar. Have I seen you before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held her hand and thought to herself, I¡¯ve seen you in the other world...

    But that wasn¡¯t the reason Xie Qingying thought she looked familiar when she saw her.

    Because this Xie Qingying wasn¡¯t Xie Qingying from the other world, and she had never seen her before.

    But why did she say she looked familiar?

    Was she trying to get close to her?

    Lu Yuan looked at Xie Qingying and then at Gu Nianzhi. He said meaningfully, ¡°Did you two look in the mirror?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi and Xie Qingying asked in unison.

    ¡°Haha, I was just saying so.¡± Lu Yuan didn¡¯t say it out loud, and casually held the two girls¡¯ arms. ¡°You guys have a good chat. I still have things to do. See youter.¡±

    As the CEO host of the celebration banquet tonight, Lu Yuan had already given them a lot of face by taking a few minutes.

    Gu Nianzhi and Xie Qingying nodded at him together and watched him leave.

    After Lu Yuan left, Xie Qingying looked at Gu Nianzhi and realized that they had very simr noses. They were both straight, small and delicate, as if they had been measured with a ruler.

    Both of them had long eyshes, big eyes, and their faces delicate-featured. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were even bigger.

    They were indeed somewhat simr.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be bothered to size Xie Qingying up. She smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries before suddenly asking, ¡°Miss Xie, is your mother¡¯s name Gu Tian?¡±

    Xie qingying was stunned for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes, you know my mother?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both nervous and excited. She added, ¡°Then do you have an uncle called Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    Xie Qingying frowned and her expression gradually turned extremely cold.

    She lowered her head and took a sip of red wine. She said expressionlessly, ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s already dead.¡±

    She looked like she didn¡¯t want to continue.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I still have something to do...¡± Xie Qingying obviously didn¡¯t want to talk about this person and turned to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes dimmed for a moment and she immediately understood what Xie Qingying meant.

    Was it because her father, Gu Xiangwen, was once a wanted criminal in connection with the murder case?

    Therefore she didn¡¯t want to talk about this person at all?

    Seeing that a group of people had gathered around Xie Qingying, Gu Nianzhi trotted over and asked nervously, ¡°Miss Xie, does your Xie family have an aunt named Xie Ziyan? Do you know where she is now?¡±

    ¡°Xie Ziyan?¡± Xie Qingying stopped in her tracks. She quickly turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and asked suspiciously, ¡°How do you know my aunt¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°Tell me, where is she now? I have a friend who wants to find her...¡± Her hands trembling, Gu Nianzhi stared at Xie Qingying anxiously.

    Xie Qingying saw her eagerness and became a little soft-hearted. She gently shook Xie Qingying¡¯s hand. ¡°Miss Gu, I don¡¯t know why your friend is looking for my aunt and grandmother, but she went to the Soviet Union in the early years and lost contact with my family. It¡¯s been decades.¡±

    ¡°Went to the Soviet Union?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Then is she still alive, or...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Xie Qingying sighed slightly. ¡°As family, of course we hope she¡¯s still alive, but she went through that war. Basically, it¡¯s unlikely that she¡¯s still alive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully analyzed Xie Qingying¡¯s words and muttered, ¡°You mean you don¡¯t know whether she¡¯s still alive or dead?¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s still alive, why didn¡¯t she contact her family for so many years?¡± Xie Qingying asked in return. ¡°A few years ago, my family sent people to the Soviet Union to specifically investigate her whereabouts, but they couldn¡¯t get a clear answer.¡±

 Chapter 1515 - I Am The Majority Shareholder

    <h4>Chapter 1515: I Am The Majority Shareholder</h4>

    ¡°You sent people to the Soviet Union?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly and looked thoughtfully at the hall ahead. ¡°How did you search for her?¡±

    Xie Qingying felt she was having a hearty talk with a slight acquaintance. She nced at Gu Nianzhi but didn¡¯t answer directly. Instead, she asked, ¡°How old is your friend? Why is she so interested in my aunt?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put down the grape juice in her hand. She had mixed feelings, but also a faint sense of unease.

    If Xie Ziyan was really dead, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much.

    What if she wasn¡¯t dead?

    What if she got married and had children in the Soviet Union...

    Her eyelids twitched involuntarily.

    Although she knew that she shouldn¡¯t ask so many questions on their first meeting, she still couldn¡¯t control herself. She confirmed once again, ¡°Have you looked for the Committee of State Security (KGB) in the Soviet Union? If you¡¯re looking for someone, themittee of State Security (KGB) in the Soviet Union is the real expert.¡±

    Xie Qingying was silent for a long time. She twirled the wine ss in her hand and said casually, ¡°Of course... the Committee of State Security (KGB) didn¡¯t helped us find her. Do you think they¡¯re our police? As if we can make them do anything we want?¡±

    That was true.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and looked away.

    In the parallel universe, she was very familiar with KGB¡¯s damir and the driver Ivan, so she didn¡¯t think anything about asking them for help.

    Now that she thought about it, she had actually benefited from Huo Shaoheng.

    The KGB had been able to get along with her because of Huo Shaoheng. If not, would they have recognized her?

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had been acquainted with her because of Huo Shaoheng. Even Xie Qingying, who was the prime minister¡¯s niece, couldn¡¯t im ties with the KGB.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed Slightly and nodded. ¡°I understand. I hope your great-aunt...¡±

    She suddenly couldn¡¯t continue.

    What did she hope for?

    That she was already dead?

    That she died before she got married and had children?

    She really couldn¡¯t say it.

    After all, it was a human life, and it was Xie Qingying¡¯s great-aunt.

    How shameless would she have to be to say such cruel words in front of others like wishing that her great-aunt was already dead?

    But how could she hope that she was still alive?

    Wouldn¡¯t that mean that there was probably another Huo Shaoheng on this side?!

    If that was the case, then the Huo Shaoheng of the other side would never be able toe over!

    Then she would have to find her own way back...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood quickly sank.

    Xie Qingying saw that she had stopped talking, so she raised her ss and smiled at her. ¡°Miss Gu, I still have something to do. It was nice to meet you today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her. ¡°Miss Xie is very approachable. You really have the bearing of a socialite.¡±

    ¡°You tter me, Miss Gu.¡± Xie Qingying nodded politely and was led to the rostrum by her assistant.

    On the rostrum in front of them, the Lu Corporation¡¯s executives were already on stage and ready to speak.

    Lu Yuan, the CEO and chairman of the Lu Corporation, was the first to bear the brunt. He stood at the very front.

    He was tall and imposing. Looking majestic and imposing, he stood there in a suit.

    This was the bearing of someone who had been in a decision-making position for many years.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes as she looked at the rostrum. She was keenly aware that Lu Yuan¡¯s brother, Lu Jin, was standing diagonally behind him. He was looking at her with sparkling eyes.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi look over, Lu Jin quietly raised his hand and waved at her.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    This Mr. Lu Jin was really interesting.

    The hall quieted down and Lu Yuan began to speak.

    His voice was transmitted to every corner of the hall through the excellent loudspeaker. It was as pleasant as speaking into one¡¯s ear.

    After he finished speaking, the partners of the Lu Corporation, the high officials of H City, and the senator also began to speak.

    Gu Nianzhi was not in the mood to listen to their business bragging.

    She quietly sized up the crowd around her and silently moved back to the entrance of the hall.

    In the end, she left the banquet hall while everyone was pping enthusiastically.

    There was a wide terrace outside the hall, and she could see the Victoria Harbor in front of her.

    At night, the sea view was particrly moving.

    A bright moon hung above the navy blue sky, and in the clear sea water of Victoria Harbor, there was also a bright moon reflecting.

    She stood alone on the terrace, and behind her was the bustling hall. The crowd cheered and pped excitedly.

    In front of her was the endless sea, a vast expanse of jade, and undisturbed waves.

    Her thin back figure looked fragile, but it had an extremely strong tenacity, like a bamboo pole. The greater the pressure, the stronger the resistance.

    She quietly calcted the chips in her hand, and prepared for her future actions.

    She didn¡¯t want to be trapped here for the rest of her life, but she had to carefully n how to get back.

    Because she wasn¡¯t facing an ordinary person, but the entire machinery of the country.

    She didn¡¯t know how long she had stood there, but a sea breeze blew in her face, and Gu Nianzhi felt a little cold.

    Just then, a warm coat gently draped over her back.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whole body shook. She looked up and saw that Lu Jin had just put his suit jacket on her.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, why are you here?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked back at the banquet hall.

    The bustle there had reached a new height.

    Lu Jin¡¯s hands were in his pockets. He looked at the bay ahead and said with a frown, ¡°I can¡¯t listen to a bunch of idiots tter each other for more than five minutes a day too long. It will make me depressed and won¡¯t be good for my mental health.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and covered her mouth with her hand. ¡°Mr. Lu, you¡¯re really not polite. I wonder how many people you¡¯ll offend if you say that.¡±

    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t stay in there to offend people.¡± Lu Jin nced at her and saw that the smile on her face was as lively as a night flower. It was so beautiful that it was soul-stirring, but also carefree. The depression and irritation from before were instantly swept away.

    Gu Nianzhi took Lu Jin¡¯s suit jacket and returned it to him. She said in a mock serious tone, ¡°Thank you for the suit, Mr. Lu. In order not to make Mr. Lu depressed, I have to go back first.¡±

    Lu Jin took the jacket and was slightly startled. He quickly said, ¡°I won¡¯t be depressed if I talk to you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back and tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m worried that I¡¯m one of those ¡®idiots¡¯ ...¡±

    ¡°No, no, of course you¡¯re not!¡± Lu Jin was a little anxious. ¡°How can you be an idiot? There¡¯s no girl smarter than you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled widely and said bluntly, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Lu, for your insight. I think I¡¯m pretty smart.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lu Jin put on his suit in satisfaction and walked with her to the elevator. He said, ¡°I hate those empty pleasantries the most.¡±

    ¡°Smart people must be humble and take the initiative to say that they are stupid. Otherwise, they will be used of being proud and looking down on others.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we see those stupid people being honest and admitting that they¡¯re stupid? Hmph! This society is so unfair!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Uncle Lu¡¯s perspective... was so unique.

    Just as the two of them entered the elevator, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone vibrated again.

    She took out her phone and swiped it open. It was Bai Shuang.

    ¡°Bai Shuang?¡± Gu Nianzhi answered the call.

    On the other end of the phone, Bai Shuang¡¯s voice was different from its usual crisp and clear voice. It was slightly trembling and nervous.

    She said in a sobbing voice, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you have to help me. You have to help us!¡±

    ¡°What happened? Who bullied you?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed slightly. She looked at her watch. It was only past eight in the evening.

    The Lu Corporation¡¯s celebration party had just begun, and the night life in H City had just begun.

    ¡°No, no one bullied me. It was my client...¡± Bai Shuang lowered her voice. ¡°Can youe to my room? We really need awyer! Right now! Right now!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said without hesitation, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    She put away her phone and looked up to see Lu Jin looking at her curiously. She exined to him, ¡°My friend seems to be in trouble. I have to go help her.¡±

    ¡°What friend?¡± Lu Jin asked quickly. ¡°This is your first time here. You¡¯re not familiar with this ce. Can you help her?¡±

    ¡°How would I know if I don¡¯t try?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Mr. Lu, that¡¯s my friend. She asked me for help. I can¡¯t reject her without even trying.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyebrows jumped. He stared at her nkly for a while before looking away. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to decline, but Lu Jin said, ¡°I¡¯m a shareholder of the Lu Corporation, after all. I can help.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem to believe him, so he immediately said, ¡°... I¡¯m a major shareholder, a very major one. I hold more than 50% of the shares.¡±

    He was eager to prove to Gu Nianzhi that he was more capable than Gu Nianzhi and had the resources to help her friend.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said gently, ¡°I know. Thank you, Mr. Lu. I¡¯m more at ease with your help. It¡¯s just as you said. I¡¯m new here and don¡¯t know many people here. It would be great if you could help.¡±

    She also didn¡¯t want to go to Bai Shuang¡¯s room alone. She felt more at ease with Lu Jin by her side.

    Although she had only just met Lu Jin, she had a hunch that Lu Jin had no ill intentions towards her and wasn¡¯t a bad person.

    Her intuition was very urate and were never wrong.

    ..

    The two of them soon arrived at Bai Shuang¡¯s floor.

    After the doorbell rang, Bai Shuang poked her head out and saw that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯te alone. She looked at Lu Jin suspiciously and asked, ¡°May I ask who you are... ?¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied vaguely, ¡°He¡¯s my friend. He knows a lot of people. He might be able to help you.¡±

    Bai Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°You cane in.¡±

    She opened the door and let the two of them in.

    When they entered Bai Shuang¡¯s suite, Gu Nianzhi saw her American client sitting on the sofa with a terrified expression on his face. His hands were sped together as he looked at them in shock. He asked in English, ¡°What are they doing here?¡±

    Bai Shuang exined to him in English, then looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°... Dresden just told me that he¡¯s an employee of the United States¡¯ Department of Homnd Security.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes shed, and he pulled Gu Nianzhi to sit across from Dresden.

    Bai Shuang sat next to Dresden, her face drained of all color, and even her lips turned pale. ¡°... I¡¯m in trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Take your time. As long as you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, it¡¯s no big deal even if the sky copses.¡±

    Bai Shuang was on the verge of tears. ¡°... He took a lot of important information from the US Department of Homnd Security. Now, the CIA knows that he¡¯s in H City. I heard that they¡¯ve issued a secret kill order!¡±

 Chapter 1516 - How Are You Going To Thank Me

    <h4>Chapter 1516: How Are You Going To Thank Me</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t recover from her shock.

    How did Bai Shuang get involved in a political affair here?!

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, what do you think we should do?¡± Bai Shuang looked at Gu Nianzhi. Her hand clenched into a fist.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced. She frowned and asked, ¡°... How did you know about the secret kill order from the CIA?¡±

    Bai Shuang looked at the pale Dresden beside her and whispered, ¡°... His colleagues at the US Department of Homnd Security secretly told him...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    So there was an ¡°aplice¡±.

    However, it was indeed very difficult for him to escape from the Americans on his own. Someone from the inside must have tipped him off.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t a small matter. Does your boss know?¡±

    Bai Shuang shook her head and said nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Mr. Dresden said that he just randomly searched for English interpreters on the inte and found ourpany to ce an order. Ourpany sent me here.¡±

    In order to not attract attention, Dresden deliberately picked a very small trantionpany and didn¡¯t look forrge, well-known trantionpanies.

    It was also because of this that Bai Shuang¡¯s smallpany was chosen.

    Gu Nianzhi could only whisper, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell your boss first, and then... let your boss handle it?¡±

    What she meant was that it was better for Bai Shuang not to get involved in such a big matter.

    This was already an international affair. Even if Bai Shuang¡¯s boss came, he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.

    Was the CIA an ordinary agency?

    Although Gu Nianzhi had never been in contact with the CIA here, she knew that the CIA was probably the most powerful intelligence agency in the world.

    After the Cold War, the entire world was filled with bloodshed. International Wars and disputes were almost entirely backed by the CIA.

    Bai Shuang understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. She hesitated for a moment, but shook her head. ¡°Lawyer Gu, since he¡¯s my client, I have a certain responsibility to him. I can¡¯t just abandon him like this.¡±

    Although she was afraid, she didn¡¯t back down.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little dazed when she saw Bai Shuang like this.

    It was as if she was seeing Bai Shuang again, the one who had sacrificed herself to atone for her father¡¯s sins.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want Bai Shuang to stay out of this anymore. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to resolve this matter.

    At the same time, in the dark night sky outside, four men in ck suits were hanging down from the gleaming ss of the Four Seasons Hotel building.

    They had thick ropes tied to their bodies and were being lowered inch by inch from the roof of the building.

    Their target was in a guest room, not far below their feet, that had lights on and curtains drawn.

    They wore infrared night vision sses and weren¡¯t afraid of the darkness. They could even see through the walls the figures in the room that were emitting heat radiation.

    Everyone also had Bluetooth headsets with wirelessmunication functions in their ears.

    The street lights on this side of the hotel building had been turned off by them. The moonlight couldn¡¯t illuminate this corner. Even if someone looked from the Victoria Bay, it was still dark and they couldn¡¯t see their figures at all.

    Soon, theynded on the outeryer of the building where Dresden was staying.

    Through the infrared night vision sses, they could clearly see the situation in the room.

    There were actually four people in the room.

    Two of them sat in a row facing each other on the sofa in the room.

    Although the curtains were drawn and the windows were closed, it wasn¡¯t a hindrance to the four well-equipped men in ck.

    ¡°... Action.¡±

    The leader of the four men in ck quietly gave the order through the Bluetooth headset.

    At that moment, Lu Jin, who was sitting in the room facing the window, suddenly said coldly, ¡°Someone¡¯sing. Get down!¡±

    As he spoke, he rolled off the sofa with Gu Nianzhi in his arms and his entire body covering her from head to toe like a shield, heid on the ground.

    Dresden, who was sitting across from him,id on the floor even faster than Lu Jin. With a dash, he fell from the sofa onto the floor, and trembled as he leaned against the edge of the sofa.

    Bai Shuang was thest to fall. She didn¡¯t even have the chance to ask the question.

    The sound of gunshots rang out and shattered the windows of the room while riddling the curtains with holes.

    ss shards, apanied by the sparks of bullets, flew everywhere in the room and ignited the dark night sky.

    The lights in the room were turned off, and it was pitch ck inside and outside the room.

    Just as these people were about to break into the room through the window, Lu Jin activated the pulse interference function of the electromaic jammer in his pocket.

    This small instrument could interfere with all wirelessmunication devices.

    Just as the four men in ck were about to rush in through the window, they felt an unbearable pain in their ears.

    A burst of pulsing energy from the Bluetooth headset was enough to pierce the eardrum.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    The four of them covered their ears and screamed almost simultaneously.

    They lost their bnce in an instant. Their bodies were suspended in the air by ropes, and they had no hands or feet to fix their direction.

    Tightly protected by Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhiid on the ground.

    She opened her eyes. Through the shattered window, she saw several strong figures passing through the window. One of them was holding a man in ck who was swaying in the air. In the darkness, a knife shed, and the man¡¯s throat was slit.

    One of the figures looked so familiar that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but widen her eyes.

    Wasn¡¯t that he zhichu?

    Why was he here? !

    Outside the building that was dozens of stories tall, He Zhichu and his men took advantage of the situation and charged out. On the smooth surface of the ss, they moved as if they were walking on t ground. They were as fierce as spider-men.

    In the blink of an eye, the four men in ck were killed. He Zhichu tilted his head slightly. ¡°Take the bodies of the four traitors and put them outside the U.S. liaison office in H City.¡±

    These four men in ck were Chinese, but they were working for the CIA¡¯s office in H City. They were their peripheral agents, not official CIA agents, but ¡°temporary workers¡±.

    He Zhichu ordered them to ce the bodies of these peripheral agents outside the CIA¡¯s office in H City. It was a tant deterrence, both for the CIA and the Soviets.

    Their actions were clean and efficient. They took advantage of the tide and went with the flow.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that the windows of the hotel room had been shattered by bullets, it would have been impossible to tell what had happened here.

    Gu Nianzhi and the othersid on the ground for a while. When they saw that there was no more movement outside, they climbed up in fear.

    Looking at the ss shards and bullet holes on the wall, Dresden cried, ¡°They areing! They areing!¡±

    Bai Shuang calmed down andforted Dresden, She quickly said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Our original intention was to getwyer Gu to represent Mr. Dresden and go against the US Department of Justice in court. But looking at the stance of the Americans, they don¡¯t want to let him live at all.¡±

    ¡°Go against the US Department of Justice in court?!¡± Gu Nianzhi dusted off her clothes and helped Lu Jin stand up. She was very confused. ¡°As far as I know, Mr. Dresden was in the wrong, right?¡±

    This was equivalent to apany employee stealing thepany¡¯s trade secrets. It was illegal everywhere.

    Bai Shuang was stunned. She turned to ask Dresden, ¡°... What information did you bring? If it¡¯s really illegal...¡±

    Dresden was still in shock. He jumped up like a frightened rabbit and shouted, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything illegal! Theymitted the crime! ¡ª Do you know what it is Prism?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked.

    Lu Jin immediately stood in front of her and said to Dresden in English in dissatisfaction, ¡°Shut up! You scareddies.¡±

    Bai Shuang quickly persuaded Dresden in a low voice. Dresden took a few deep breaths and calmed down. He apologized to Gu Nianzhi and nodded to Lu Jin to show that he was reconciled.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°We can¡¯t stay here for the time being. Go to my room first and tell me what¡¯s going on. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know how I can help you guys.¡±

    Dresden immediately rushed to the room inside and came out with his backpack. He actively responded to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call.

    Bai Shuang and Dresden went out first, while Lu Jin quietly asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°... You really want to help them? What¡¯s your rtionship with them?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how to exin.

    She said vaguely, ¡°Bai Shuang and I are good friends. I can¡¯t just stand by and do nothing when she¡¯s in trouble.¡±

    Lu Jin obviously didn¡¯t quite understand Gu Nianzhi¡¯s actions, but he didn¡¯t object. He only reminded her, ¡°This isn¡¯t something you and I can get involved in. You have to be careful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. She was very grateful that Lu Jin had risked his life to save her. She quickly said, ¡°Mr. Lu, thank you so much for saving me. If it weren¡¯t for you...¡±

    She probably would have been injured.

    She probably wouldn¡¯t have died because she had seen He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu and the others were obviously also surveilling the men in ck.

    Lu Jin interrupted her and said calmly, ¡°How are you going to thank me for saving you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Did she say she would thank him yet?

    But she should thank Lu Jin.

    ¡°How do you want me to thank you?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked out of Dresden¡¯s room with him and took out her phone to inform the front desk to call the police.

    The smile on his face faintly discernible, Lu Jin put his hands in his trouser pockets and walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.

    He walked a few steps before suddenly stopping and saying, ¡°I want to go to Disnend here. Can you stay a few more days to apany me to Disnend?¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi intently with a nervous expression, as if he was afraid that she would reject him.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she smiled. ¡°Okay, okay! I want to go to Disnend too! Let¡¯s go together!¡±

 Chapter 1517 - You Donâ€™t Have To Worry About Me

    <h4>Chapter 1517: You Don¡¯t Have To Worry About Me</h4>

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind at all, Lu Jin let out a long sigh. His expression rxed and he said with a smile, ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    The two of them chatted and soon arrived at the door of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Dresden and Bai Shuang were waiting there.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her key card and opened the door. She said worriedly, ¡°I¡¯ve already called the police at the front desk.¡±

    Dresden covered his face and said nervously, ¡°Oh my God! They would know where I am and hunt me down¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said snappily, ¡°Shut up! They already know where you are. How else would they have been able to attempt to assassinate you?!¡±

    Bai Shuang held back herughter and tranted it to Dresden.

    Dresden¡¯s screams came to an abrupt halt, and he froze.

    Looking at the night sky outside the window with an expressionless face, Lu Jin stood at the side with his hands in his pockets. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at Dresden¡¯s silly face. He only felt that one more look would lower his IQ.

    Bai Shuang pulled Gu Nianzhi to the side and quickly exined everything that had happened to Dresden.

    It turned out that Dresden was a ¡°temporary employee¡± of the United States Department of Homnd Security and an employee of the CIA. He was involved in a new project called PRISM, also known as Project Prism. It was an in-depth monitoring of the world¡¯s instantmunications and existing data.

    He felt that this wasn¡¯t right. Not only was it an invasion of other people¡¯s privacy, but it was also a huge blow to the spirit of freedom on the Inte. It wasn¡¯t in line with his beliefs.

    Therefore, he took the top-secret surveince data that he had ess to and left the United States. In the end, he was hunted down by the CIA.

    Gu Nianzhi had already been ¡°caught in the crossfire¡± and ¡°assassinated¡± once.

    She nced coldly at Dresden and didn¡¯t believe a single word he had said.

    However, her priority now was to save her and Bai Shuang¡¯s lives.

    He must have brought out the top-secret information about the United States.

    He Zhichu¡¯s figure had been seen outside the window. He must have been representing the country against the people who were chasing after Dresden. This meant that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s government was well aware of Dresden¡¯s existence.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a long time and slowly said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we do it this way?¡±

    She looked at Dresden¡¯s face and enunciated each word clearly. ¡°We¡¯ll find the important people and media here, then take the initiative to expose all the facts. At the same time, we¡¯ll shout to the United States government and tell the world that you¡¯re fighting for the privacy of the people of the world and the freedom of the inte!¡±

    ¡°Only by putting it out in broad daylight and letting the world know that the American government is hunting you down will you have a chance to live.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had realized from the moment she saw He Zhichu¡¯s figure that Dresden¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t just concern himself, but was also a battlee between the major powers.

    As for what information Dresden had taken and why he had taken it, probably only he himself knew.

    Bai Shuang quickly tranted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suggestion to Dresden.

    Dresden knew what she was talking about. He thought about it for a moment and nodded immediately. ¡°It is a good idea, however...¡±

    Bai Shuang understood what he meant and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you know any important people or famous media outlets who can help you with this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to speak when Lu Jin suddenly turned around and said, ¡°You can contactwyer He from the H City Legitive Council. He is a distant rtive of the He family in the imperial capital and is very powerful in the H City Legitive Council. He is also awyer, and will be able to help Dresden with hiswsuit in the future.¡±

    The US Department of Justice would definitely Sue Dresden.

    Bai Shuang nced at Gu Nianzhi. She knew what the He family in the imperial capital was like, but she still trusted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opinion more.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and quickly looked upwyer He from the H City Legitive Council.

    She skimmed through his resume and said happily, ¡°This person isn¡¯t bad. He can help Mr. Dresden in some way. You can even stay at his house.¡±

    Lawyer He was very rich. He had a mansion halfway up the mountain, so it was no problem for him to stay with two idlers.

    Bai Shuang saw that Gu Nianzhi had agreed and said with relief, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s contactwyer He and see if he¡¯s willing to ept our case.¡±

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi again. ¡°As for famous media outlets, doeswyer Gu have any rmendations?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had an idea on this.

    In the age of social media, the power of self-media wasn¡¯t to be underestimated.

    In order to ensure Dresden¡¯s safety, the best way was to use social media to expand its influence immediately.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone and began to think about which social media to expose it to.

    At that moment, Bai Shuang¡¯s and Dresden¡¯s phones rang.

    The two of them looked at each other at the same time and saw that it was a call from the hotel¡¯s front desk and security system. They said that the hotel had received a 911 call and hade up to investigate. They found that the situation was serious and had already called the police. The police were now here and wanted to ask them about the situation.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin had also been in Bai Shuang¡¯s and Dresden¡¯s rooms. The surveince video in the corridor showed the four of theming out of their rooms together, so the two of them had also been called over.

    The police stood at the door of Dresden¡¯s room with their men. They sealed off his room and only questioned him at the door.

    Zhao Liangze had just been sent up by Lu Yuan to see what had happened.

    He stood at the door and nced at it. He was stunned by therge hole in the window.

    He turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin approaching. He quickly asked, ¡°Lawyer Gu, Mr. Lu, what happened? Are you guys hurt?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. She remembered that Lu Jin had stood in front of her at that time, so she quickly asked, ¡°Mr. Lu, are you okay?¡±

    Lu Jin answered in an academic manner, ¡°The lining of my suit jacket contains 10% ker. The chemical name is polyterephthalyl terephthalic diamine. It¡¯s also known as fireproof fiber, and it¡¯s also bulletproof. The ss in the hotel room is only 6.5 degrees of hardness. There¡¯s no way it could prate my suit and hurt me. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Zhao Liangze was used to Lu Jin¡¯s style of speaking. It went in one ear and out the other.

    He turned his head and saw Bai Shuang. He was slightly taken aback.

    He remembered this girl. The blunder at the Hilton Hotel¡¯s underground bar that night had left a deep impression on him.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi again. This girl was talking nonsense...

    But he wasn¡¯t disgusted.

    He stood aside and waited for the police to finish questioning him. The Four Seasons Hotel¡¯s VIP manager rushed over to apologize to Dresden. He even offered to change a suite for him and give him a month¡¯s free amodation aspensation.

    The temptation was indeed very great.

    Dresden agreed immediately and moved to the luxurious suite provided by the Four Seasons Hotel.

    Zhao Liangze followed them there. After making sure that they were all fine, he nned to take his leave.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered Zhao Liangze¡¯s job and called out to him, ¡°Director Zhao, there¡¯s something I need your help with. I was wondering if you¡¯d be willing to participate in this grand event?¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°... Speak English.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°It¡¯s like this. Mr. Dresden¡¯s room was shot today. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence...¡±

    She recounted the whole incident and finally said, ¡°We n to find a well-known media outlet to release some of Mr. Dresden¡¯s information and ask the whole world for help to avoid Mr. Dresden being pursued by the CIA.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°If what Mr. Dresden said is true, this matter is too serious. How can you mess around?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was displeased, but before she could refute to Zhao Liangze that she wasn¡¯t messing around, Lu Jin had already fired back.

    ¡°Director Zhao,wyer Gu¡¯s proposal is reasonable, advantageous, and prudent. Considering all aspects, logically speaking, it¡¯s very meticulously thought out. From what angle do you think she¡¯s messing around?¡± Lu Jin looked at him seriously. ¡°If you think this is nonsense, do you have a better idea? A more appropriate arrangement? More rigorous logic?¡±

    Zhao Liangze was blushing from Lu Jin¡¯s words, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t argue with Lu Jin. He couldn¡¯t argue with Lu Jin anyway, so there was no point in reasoning with him. He had to be out of his mind to reason with Lu Jin.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Mr. Lu is right. I was thinking too much.¡± Zhao Liangze shook his head helplessly and looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Then how do you want me to help you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Help Miss Bai and Mr. Dresden set up a Twitter ount.¡±

    ¡°... You¡¯re looking for me just for that?¡± Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t believe that it was that simple. He was the technical director of the Lu Corporation.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not that simple.¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and raised her chin slightly. ¡°I want the IP address of that ount. Even the people inside Twitter can¡¯t find it. Can you do it?¡±

    This would test the hacker¡¯s ability to hide the IP address.

    Even the root directory of the server had to be fooled. In essence, it was no different from hacking into Twitter¡¯s server mainframe.

    The hacker spirit hidden deep in Zhao Liangze¡¯s personality was immediately ignited by Gu Nianzhi.

    His eyes lit up, and he rubbed his palms together. ¡°No problem, I can give it a try!¡±

    Lu Jin stared at Gu Nianzhi from the side. His lips moved and closed several times, and he kept trying to say the same sentence over and over again. In the end, he finally swallowed it.

    He nced sideways at Zhao Liangze and said, ¡°This has to be done quickly. How much time do you need to create an ount that even Twitter can¡¯t find the IP address of?¡±

    Zhao Liangze jumped up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get myptop! Just you wait! It shouldn¡¯t take more than twelve hours!¡±

    ¡°Twelve hours is too much. It should be within six hours, which is before dawn tomorrow.¡± Lu Jin was a little itchy and suggested, ¡°If you can¡¯t do it within six hours, then change the person.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi and winked at her desperately. He really wanted to show her his skills.

    Unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was all on Zhao Liangze.

    Seeing that Zhao Liangze had agreed, she happily reached out her hand. ¡°You can do it!¡±

    The two of them high-fived in the air and set a time.

    Zhao Liangze hurried back to his room to get hisptop. Gu Nianzhi took her phone and continued to look for the contact information of the senator,wyer He.

    Bai Shuang was exining to Dresden in a low voice the solution that Gu Nianzhi and the others had just discussed.

    No one paid any attention to Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin felt a little irritated. He took out his phone and quickly wrote a small program to calm himself down.

 Chapter 1518 - Wishing Herself A Happy Birthday

    <h4>Chapter 1518: Wishing Herself A Happy Birthday</h4>

    Zhao Liangze came in excitedly with hisptop. Lu Jin put his phone back into his pocket, took off his suit jacket, and hung it on his arm. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, Director Zhao is here to help. Why don¡¯t we all go back and rest?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up from her phone, looked at Zhao Liangze, and then looked at Bai Shuang, who was beside Zhao Liangze and watching theputer screen with him. She pursed her lips into a smile and said, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go back with you.¡±

    As she spoke, she winked at Bai Shuang. ¡°Bai Shuang, I¡¯m leaving first. You should rest early too. Director Zhao is probably going to stay up all night.¡±

    Bai Shuang stood up in embarrassment and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you,wyer Gu. You should rest early. I¡¯ll go make coffee in the kitchen.¡±

    How could a person who was staying up all night not have coffee?

    Gu Nianzhi waved at her and coughed at Zhao Liangze. ¡°Director Zhao, I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t even raise his head. He said calmly, ¡°No problem. Come see the results tomorrow morning.¡±

    Lu Jinughed and shrugged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if there are no results tomorrow. Lawyer Gu, I¡¯ll find you a better software engineer. It¡¯ll be done in three minutes.¡±

    Zhao Liangze slowly raised his head and looked at Lu Jin. He snorted and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°Mr. Lu, you have to pay taxes for bragging. Goodbye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Zhao Liangze was being ridiculed too harshly by Lu Jin, so she quickly held back herughter and spoke up for him. ¡°Director Zhao, don¡¯t Scare Mr. Lu. Mr. Lu was just joking.¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and stood at the door to block the door. He put on a serious face and said, ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay taxes for bragging unless you¡¯re bragging on the financial statements of a listedpany and exaggerating the ie data. It¡¯s also known as falsifying ounts.¡± Lu Jin was very serious and didn¡¯t let Zhao Liangze off at all.

    Zhao Liangze pped his forehead helplessly.

    How could he have forgotten?

    He couldn¡¯t say another word to a person like Lu Jin.

    Zhao Liangze gritted his teeth and did not say another word.

    Gu Nianzhi tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve in amusement and whispered, ¡°Mr. Lu, let¡¯s go. We still have a lot of work to do.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s frustration was immediately soothed. He smiled and said, ¡°Alright, what¡¯s happening here has nothing to do with us. We¡¯re going to Disnend tomorrow, so let¡¯s sleep early today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin quickly walked out of Dresden¡¯s luxurious suite and went back to their own rooms to rest.

    This night had really tired her out.

    After returning to her room to take a shower, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t fall asleep after she went to bed.

    Today was her twentieth birthday, but she was all alone.

    She had never been so lonely on her birthday in the past few years.

    Although it was her choice, she still wasn¡¯t used to it.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, took out her phone, and sent herself a text message: ¡°Happy Birthday, Gu Nianzhi. I wish you all the best in the world. Good luck!

    After sending herself the text message, she still wanted more.

    She took herptop and went online to register two new ounts. One was called ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± and the other was called ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡±.

    She then used the two new ounts to send herself text messages.

    [ Huo Shaoheng ] : My little darling, Happy Birthday to you. I want you to kiss me..

    [ Gu Xiangwen ] : My darling daughter, Daddy is in heaven wishing you a happy birthday!

    She looked at the two new messages on her phone with satisfaction. She stuck the two names on her phone and kissed them. She thought to herself, who isn¡¯t a drama queen?

    She could perfectly portray three people.

    She put her phone away and was about to go to sleep when her phone vibrated again. Someone called.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the name on her phone. It was He Chengjian.

    She frowned. She didn¡¯t want to answer the call, but the person on the other end of the line kept calling. In the end, she slid open her phone and answered the call. She said indifferently, ¡°Hello, General He. It¡¯s sote. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    He Chengjian could hear the distant politeness and formality of her tone, but he didn¡¯t care. He smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, today is your 20th birthday. Uncle He wishes you a happy birthday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She had always had a lot ofints and resentment towards He Chengjian, but she couldn¡¯t bear to hate him for calling her in the middle of the night to wish him a happy birthday.

    She held her phone in her arms for a while before nodding. ¡°Thank you, Uncle He.¡±

    The change in address from General He to Uncle He was enough to prove the change in her state of mind.

    He Chengjianughed. ¡°Good girl. I gave you a birthday present for you to buy something you like. Zhichu was out on a mission and couldn¡¯t celebrate your birthday with you. He asked me to say happy birthday on his behalf.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in her heart.

    No matter how much He Chengjian had treated her, she had to admit that He Chengjian was a really good father to He Zhichu.

    ¡°Thank you, Uncle He. Young Master He celebrated my birthday a few days ago.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice softened. ¡°Take care of yourself. Tell him to take care of himself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. Thank you, Nianzhi.¡± He Chengjian said a few more words of concern before putting down the phone.

    Just as He Chengjian hung up, Gu Nianzhi saw a text message from a bank transfer.

    A seven-figure sum of money was transferred to her bank ount. The attached message was: Happy Birthday.

    It was from He Chengjian.

    This was a birthday gift from He Chengjian to her.

    What a huge sum.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had been struggling with her sry for more than half a month because of Lu Jin¡¯s meal yesterday, had instantly be a rich woman again.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She thought about going to Disnend the next day and paying for her own expenses so she wouldn¡¯t have to hitch a ride with someone else.

    ..

    Lu Jin smiled as he returned to the presidential suite he shared with Lu Yuan. He saw that Lu Yuan had already returned and was sitting on the sofa while reading some documents.

    ¡°You¡¯re in such a good mood?¡± Lu Yuan put down the documents and picked up the remote control to turn on the television. ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to Disnend with Nianzhi tomorrow.¡± Lu Jin was very pleased with himself. He looked at himself in the mirror and threw the suit on his arm onto the sofa.

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been interacting with Nianzhi too much recently? You know that there are people around Nianzhi who have been spying on her, right?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me. Of course I know. Qin Zhining, that little low IQ idiot who actually spies on people. Just him? If I don¡¯t bring him to the ditch tomorrow, I¡¯ll write my name upside down!¡±

    Lu Yuan scoffed. Seeing that he knew what he was doing, he didn¡¯t say anything else.

    ..

    At the same time, in the study of the He family¡¯s mansion in the imperial capital, He Chengjian had just ended his call with Gu Nianzhi. He put on his reading sses and read the news reports from H City sent by his subordinates.

    The matter with Dresden had gone smoothly. A few of the CIA¡¯s peripheral men had been killed and their bodies had been ced outside the entrance of the CIA¡¯s office in H City. They had indeed been shocked.

    A group of thieves had gone to the H City police station to report the theft, but they hadn¡¯t been able to provide any clues. On the contrary, because of the guns and bullets they had on them, they had been found to be in connection to the attack at the Four Seasons Hotel that night. This had left the CIA¡¯s office in H City in a terrible state of disrepute.

    He Zhichu had things to do, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about it for the time being.

    He smiled in satisfaction and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. He hummed a Chinese opera, ¡°I¡¯ll beat you with a steel whip¡±, as he continued to read.

    Next was news about Gu Nianzhi.

    He had arranged for someone to secretly protect Gu Nianzhi, and of course, to keep an eye on her.

    Every once in a while, someone would report every detail of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation.

    As he read, the corners of his curled lips gradually drooped.

    His brows furrowed as well.

    It was clear from the briefing that Gu Nianzhi had deliberately approached Xie Qingying and asked about Gu Xiangwen and Xie Ziyan¡¯s whereabouts.

    It was fine to ask about Gu Xiangwen, because no matter what, Gu Xiangwen was her biological father.

    Even though He Chengjian hated Gu Xiangwen very much, if Gu Nianzhi returned to this side and ignored her biological father, He Chengjian couldn¡¯t help feeling that she was a cold person.

    This was the perfect bnce. Going over this would be overboard, and being less than this would be cold-heearted. This perfect bnce made He Chengjian very satisfied.

    However, he wasn¡¯t happy that Gu Nianzhi was asking for information about Xie Ziyan.

    Who was Xie Ziyan?

    What did she have to do with it?

    Xie Ziyan was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s biological grandmother in the other world.

    Gu Nianzhi was also looking for her in the other world. Wasn¡¯t it just because of Huo Shaoheng?

    He Chengjian¡¯s face was dark. He read the conversation between Gu Nianzhi and Xie Qingying a few more times and suddenly eximed, ¡°Eh?¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi had actually asked Xie Qingying if the Xie family had asked themittee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union to help them look for someone.

    That¡¯s right, why hadn¡¯t he thought of that?

    Three years ago, He Chengjian had used his own country¡¯s field agents to look for someone in the Soviet Union. He hadn¡¯t alerted the official authorities of the Soviet Union.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union was the most powerful organization in the country.

    There was no one they couldn¡¯t find.

    He Chengjian thought of the encrypted telegram from the Soviet Union. He patted his head and called his personal secretary. He said, ¡°Call the Soviet Union and ask their KGB system to help find someone, Xie Ziyan, the only daughter of the Xie family.¡±

    The Soviet Union had put in a lot of money for Dresden.

    The head of the Soviet Union, Pushin, personally called him this morning to ask for his help.

    He Chengjian took the opportunity to ask for some benefits for the country. For example, he requested to buy a few of the Soviet¡¯s white swan nuclear strategic bombers.

    This was impossible in the past, but this time, Pushin agreed to sell them three at a preferential price.

    He Chengjian felt that he could make another request, which was to ask the Committee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union to help find Xie Ziyan¡¯s whereabouts.

    This time, whether she was alive or dead, there would definitely be a result.

    After the personal secretary returned the call to the Soviet Union,

    He Chengjian¡¯s mood became veryplicated.

    He actually couldn¡¯t figure out whether he wished for Xie Ziyan to be alive or dead.

    Before dawn, the Soviets sent him a message, giving him a clear answer.

    Xie Ziyan joined the KGB not long after she went to the Soviet Union!

    She had once been one of the KGB¡¯s few high-ranking female agents, and had a history of short marriages, two children..

    No wonder they couldn¡¯t find Xie Ziyan. She had joined the KGB .

 Chapter 1519 - Take To The Ditch

    <h4>Chapter 1519: Take To The Ditch</h4>

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had sent him a secret message stating that Xie Ziyan had passed away many years ago. They had also sent him the address of her grave so that he could pay his respects at any time.

    However, the name and identity on the tombstone were already those of a different person. It wasn¡¯t Xie Ziyan. Only the photo on the tombstone showed that it was her.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) imed that the name Xie Ziyan had beenpletely erased the moment she joined the KGB.

    He Chengjian looked at the simple document and was speechless for a long time.

    He only asked the Committee of State Security (KGB) for information about Xie Ziyan. He didn¡¯t expect her to have two children.

    Those two children should still be alive, right? ording to her age, Xie Ziyan should have grandchildren.

    Does this mean that they really do have a Huo Shaoheng on their side?

    However, he wasn¡¯t in the Huaxia Empire, but in the Soviet Union.

    This was also the reason why he had searched the entire country for three or four years, but still couldn¡¯t find the whereabouts of the Huo family, right?

    Because they weren¡¯t in the country at all, but in the Soviet Union.

    Of course, this was just He Chengjian¡¯s spection.

    For now, he only had this opportunity to ask the KGB, and wouldn¡¯t have another opportunity to ask them for more information.

    Moreover, themittee of State Security (KGB) had revealed that Xie Ziyan used to be a high-ranking member of the KGB. If he continued to inquire about her descendants, there would be suspicion of a leak.

    No wonder she had no contact with the Xie family not long after she went to the Soviet Union.

    The Xie family thought that she had died in that major battle. It was very likely that the KGB had made false information for her to fake her death and change her identity.

    He Chengjian thought that Xie Ziyan had joined the KGB as a Chinese and had be a high-ranking official. Her previous identity must have beenpletely erased, so it was impossible for her to contact her previous family.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union wouldn¡¯t be at ease with her continuing to contact her family.

    As long as she contacted them, there was a possibility of her identity being exposed.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) wouldn¡¯t have revealed this matter if He Chengjian hadn¡¯t made an inquiry when the Soviet Union needed his help, right?

    Whether it was in the military or on the secret front, everyone followed the principle of ¡°don¡¯t ask, don¡¯t tell¡±.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) didn¡¯t want the Xie family to know about her. This was exined in the secret telegram to He Chengjian.

    The Xie family definitely didn¡¯t want him to know this news either.

    Xie Beichen was now the prime minister. Imagine which country¡¯s prime minister was willing to admit that he had a rtive who used to be the head of intelligence in another country?

    Would he still want to be elected as the prime minister in the future?

    He Chengjian sat in the study until dawn. He thought about it for the entire night before he finally hid the message in the safe.

    ..

    The next day, the weather in H City was very good.

    At the end of October, the pink and purple silk and kapok cotton was in full bloom in H City. The air seemed to be filled with a sweet fragrance.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up early in the morning and nned to visit Disnend.

    Today was supposed to be the day for the guests to return to C Cesaity.

    Starting in the morning, people had already checked out of their rooms and boarded their nes.

    Only three people had been invited to Gu Nianzhi¡¯sw firm, so the new employees they had hired naturally weren¡¯t qualified to attend the Lu Corporation¡¯s celebration party.

    Jin Dazhuang had called her and knew that she had something to attend to, so he wanted to stay for a few more days.

    Jin Dazhuang didn¡¯t refuse. After all, he was dealing with the higher-ups of the Lu Corporation, so he treated it as a public rtions job for thew firm.

    Therefore, Jin Dazhuang was very generous and tolerant towards her. He agreed immediately and even let her y for a few more days, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about thew firm¡¯s work.

    Moreover, she was already a partner of thew firm, so her work schedule was even freer.

    Gu Nianzhi tidied herself up and went to Jin Dazhuang and Xiao Zhang¡¯s rooms to say goodbye to them, then sent them to the airport bus.

    Xiao Zhang was so envious that she repeatedly asked Gu Nianzhi to bring her some action figures and snacks when she went back.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and agreed. She stood at the hotel entrance and watched the airport bus drive into the distance.

    She was wearing a backpack, light white sports shoes, and a Juicy Couture navy blue sportswear with a ck border. She had her hair in a ponytail and wore a pair of big sunsses. She looked like she was going on a trip.

    After waiting at the hotel entrance for a while, she looked at her watch. It was almost 9:30 pm. If she didn¡¯t leave now, she would die if there were too many people waiting in line.

    She found out on the Inte that the Disnend here was always crowded. They often had to queue for an hour or two for those popr rides.

    Just as she picked up her phone and was about to call Lu Jin, she heard her phone ring. She picked it up and saw that it was the phone number that Lu Jin had given her yesterday.

    She quickly swiped it open and answered the call. She asked with a smile, ¡°Mr. Lu, are you still going to Disnend?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lu Jin¡¯s voice came from the phone with a smile. ¡°But we¡¯re ying a game today.¡±

    ¡°What game?! Tell me quickly!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up, and she was eager to try it out. She couldn¡¯t help but be filled with more anticipation for today¡¯s trip to Disnend.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in first and leave clues for you along the way. You¡¯ll follow the clues I left behind, and then we¡¯ll meet at the exit. If you can recognize who I am, you¡¯ll win this game.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi found it extremely interesting and quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the jackpot? What if I lose?¡±

    Lu Jinughed loudly. ¡°If you win, I¡¯ll give you a big gift. If you lose...¡±

    He paused and finally said, ¡°Just go to Disnend with me one more time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and bent over. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be taking advantage of you. How about this? If I lose, I¡¯ll treat you to French food, okay?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you almost out of money?¡± Lu Jin was surprised. ¡°If you treat me to French food again, aren¡¯t you afraid that you won¡¯t have the money to go back?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi wagged her finger. ¡°First of all, even if I¡¯m out of money, I won¡¯t be unable to go back because the Lu Corporation bought us a round-trip ticket. I¡¯ve already changed my visa.¡±

    ¡°Second of all, how do you know I¡¯m out of money? I¡¯ve just made a small fortune, so it¡¯s more than enough to treat you to French food.¡±

    Lu Jin heard Gu Nianzhi speak clearly and logically, and her retort was well-organized. He didn¡¯t think much of it. Instead, he was overjoyed and kept nodding his head. He said, ¡°Okay, the game officially begins. I¡¯ll leave first, and you cane back in half an hour, got it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get in the car now. I¡¯ll be there in about half an hour.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved and got into a taxi heading towards Disnend.

    Lu Jin was already standing at the entrance of Disnend.

    He looked at the three girls who were dressed exactly like Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Today, you¡¯ll be going in three different directions to y at Disnend. Remember not to bump into her, and if you do, all your pay for today will be cancelled.¡±

    ¡°Sir, don¡¯t worry. We definitely won¡¯t bump into her!¡±

    ¡°Disnend is so big. There are only three of us. How could we bump into her? You can rest assured!¡±

    The three girls¡¯ figures were exactly like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. They also had the same long hair tied into a ponytail, wore the same type of sunsses, and carried the same backpack.

    If Gu Nianzhi stood with them, she would look like a quadruplet.

    Lu Jin gave them a thumbs up. ¡°Have fun and remember my conditions. After today, all of these outfits will be yours.¡±

    As he spoke, he put on a lion¡¯s head cover.

    He was dressed in a lion king cartoon costume and looked like arge walking lion.

    At 9:30, Disnend opened its doors.

    In H City, Disnend looked like arge scorpion from the sky.

    Entering the gate from the tail of the scorpion, the first attraction was ¡°American town,¡± and further ahead was ¡°Adventure Forest,¡± where man-made rivers meandered and waited for people to explore.

    On the left-hand side of the gate were ¡°Grizzly Valley¡±, ¡°Misty manor,¡±and ¡°Base camp of contraband¡±.

    On the right-hand side of the entrance were tworge scenic spots, ¡°Fantasy world¡± and ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s world¡±.

    The crowd waiting at the entrance swarmed in.

    Three young girls in Juicy Couture ck sports attire with sapphire blue stripes mingled with the crowd and entered every ten minutes.

    Not long after, the few field agents responsible for secretly protecting and monitoring Gu Nianzhi also entered Disnend.

    They were all spread out and had no contact with each other, and they didN¡¯t know each other¡¯s existence.

    Therefore, Lu Jin was able to use the strategy of ¡°divide and conquer, one by one¡± to lure them away.

    Qin Zhining was thest to arrive.

    He wasn¡¯t confused by Lu Jin¡¯s smokes and mirror tactic, and had been following the real Gu Nianzhi.

    He had clearly seen Gu Nianzhi get out of the taxi and enter the gate with the tickets she had bought online. However, just as he was about to follow her further, suddenly, a group of staff dressed in Disney cartoon characters ran out of a room at a scenic spot in ¡°American town¡±.

    They included Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, the big yellow dog, Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs, Cindere and her stepmother, the two sisters, the Pumpkin Cart, the fairy, and even the dragon in the magnolia. It was like a long dragon dancing in a small town during the spring festival circling in front of them.

    Qin Zhining and the group of tourists who had just entered the door were immediately surrounded by these cartoon characters and the Long Dragon. Then, cheerful Disney movie music began to y from the loudspeakers in the open air. These workers, instantly stirring up the atmosphere, in cartoon costumes invited everyone to sing and dance.

    The tourists were ecstatic. They took out their selfie sticks, held up their phones, and opened the beauty camera app. They took photos of themselves and their teammates from all angles, then immediately uploaded them to their social media and Weibo ounts.

    Qin Chining was surrounded by selfie sticks that were raised high up in the air and blocked his view. Gu Nianzhi, who was carrying a backpack on her back, disappeared in front of his eyes.

    He panicked and ignoring theirints and rolling eyes, he finally pushed them away with all his strength. He squeezed his way out of the long line of cartoon characters.

    Behind him was the direction of the main gate. Tourists kept walking in happily. When they saw a group of cartoon characters, they all ran over immediately.

    In front of them was the ¡°World of Exploration¡± scenic spot. It was a tropical jungle.

    Qin Zhining couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.

    This was the first time he had lost sight of his target.

    The point was that this wasn¡¯t a dangerous ce, but the lively and bustling Disnend!

    ¡°Damn it, this is really strange...¡± Qin Zhining mumbled. He turned on his Bluetooth headset and asking them to check Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts, he began to contact his own people.

    At that moment, he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s figure walking towards the ¡°Adventure World¡± and quickly chased after her.

    The ¡°Adventure World¡± had a trip to the forest and rivers, and the man-madeke that was dug out surrounded the tropical rainforest. It was somewhat like the ¡°Tarzan of the Apes¡±.

    Qin Zhining dived in. He clearly saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s figure turn behind a big tree, so he quickly followed.

    Suddenly, a gori fell from the tree and roared at him!

    Qin Zhining was caught off guard and instinctively tried to avoid the big hairy head. He took a few steps back, but another gori appeared behind him.

    The two goris aimed at the target and pincer-attacked from both sides. They crashed into Qin Zhining, making him dizzy. He slipped and fell into the river.

    Disney¡¯s guards and lifeguards quickly received the news and ran over with a stretcher. They rescued Qin Zhining and dragged him away in the ambnce.

    When Qin Zhining, feeling dizzy and being injected by the nurse, was lying in the ambnce, he suddenly remembered that there were no real apes in Disnend!

    Those were the ¡°Tarzan Apes¡± dressed up by the staff!

 Chapter 1520 - Relax

    <h4>Chapter 1520: Rx</h4>

    When Qin Zhining finally understood what was going on, the anesthetic that the nurse had injected into him also took effect.

    The moment he fell into a unconscious state, he suddenly felt uneasy.

    However, it was toote. He wouldn¡¯t be able to continue protecting Gu Nianzhi in the dark for at least half a day.

    He could only pray that this was City H, and that the security wasn¡¯t that bad..

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi carried her backpack and walked briskly into the entrance of Disnend.

    The first attraction she entered was ¡°Small American town.¡± On both sides of the street were buildings of small American viges. The walls were light smoke-colored, and the roofs were grey-blue. They didn¡¯t look like modern American viges. Instead, they looked like old European towns from the 18th century.

    ¡°Hakuna Matata,¡± the theme song of the jolly Disney movie ¡°The Lion King,¡± was yed in Swahili, an African Bantunguage. The lyrics meant ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡± and ¡°No problem¡±.

    ¡°It means no worries,

    for the rest of your days,

    it¡¯s our problem-free philosophy,

    Hakuna Matata!¡±

    The cheerful tune echoed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears. Bright, cheerful, warm, and high-spirited, Her mood was like the October Sun in South China.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help tapping the beat of her feet and dancing along with the staff dressed as cartoon characters in front of her.

    She had never thought that there would be a movie like ¡°The Lion King¡± here, and such good music.

    She sang and danced happily with the crowd. She had never felt such a sense ofplete rxation even when she was with Huo Shaoheng in the other world.

    It was like returning to her carefree childhood, before she had a strong sense of self. It was the pure, unadulterated world of a child.

    When she looked at the blue sky, she saw the blue sky, and when she looked at the white clouds, she saw the white clouds.

    The green trees, red flowers, grey walls, and blue tiles around her didn¡¯t have any special meaning. As long as they existed, she felt happy.

    This was the world of a pure child. It was also the period of time missing from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory.

    She wasn¡¯t twelve years old when she opened her eyes.

    She also had a childhood.

    What was she like at that time?

    Was her childhood as carefree as these children?

    Was it just like the song ¡°Hakuna Matata¡±? ¡ª As long as she rxed, all the difficulties would go away?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts drifted further and further away, but she was pulled back by the cheerful song.

    Yes, why think so much?

    Sing along with cheerfulness and happiness!

    As happy as ark, she couldn¡¯t stopughing.

    A few children heard her singing out of tune and pointed at herughing. She wasn¡¯t angry, but made a face at them and continued to sing her out-of-tune song, as if no one else was around.

    At this point, she was still a child. Children were allowed to make mistakes, so it was natural for children to sing out of tune.

    The children saw that she didn¡¯t mind, and they were too embarrassed tough at her. They ran over to her and held her hand. Everyone circled around the cartoon characters and sang. Gu Nianzhi was so happy that she forgot about everything else.

    For the past 30 minutes, she hadughed more than she had in the past two months.

    After the song ended, she went to buy ice cream from a roadside cold drink stall.

    Just as she was about to give the money to the ice-cream seller, the man suddenly asked, ¡°Are you miss Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned as she held the ice-cream in her hand. ¡°Do I know you?¡±

    The man smiled. ¡°Someone asked me to give this to you.¡±

    He handed her a golden lucky star that was folded from paper.

    Gu Nianzhi took it out of curiosity. As she ate the ice-cream, she walked to the side of the road and looked at the golden lucky star over and over again. She was sure that it was the ¡°clue¡± that Lu Jin had mentioned.

    There was nothing special on the surface of the lucky star, so Gu Nianzhi carefully opened it up.

    There was a sentence written on the golden hard paper: ¡°Find the ce where Little Simba went to prove his courage for the first time and get the first gift.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    This Lu Jin was really interesting. How did he know that she liked to y this kind of game?

    She turned the golden paper into a lucky star and put it into her backpack.

    With an ice cream in her mouth, she squinted at the theme park.

    Little Simba was the main character in the Disney movie ¡°The Lion King¡±.

    In the movie, the first time that he had proved his courage was ¡ª exploring the elephant graveyard!

    But this was Disnend, Where could there be an elephant graveyard?

    Her longshes fluttering like two rows of tiny fans, Gu Nianzhi blinked.

    She suddenly saw the beginning of the ¡°Dumbo Spinning World¡± from not that far away!

    The beautiful dumbo over there must be the answer to the note!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She threw the rest of the ice cream in her hand into the trash can and ran towards the most beautiful blue dumbo at the front of the Dumbo World.

    The dumbo here was actually a merry-go-round ride.

    Each dumbo could fit two people on it, and everyone felt like they were flying on top of the Dumbo.

    There were many cartoon characters, all in the same Disney style, around. They sang, danced, and were so happy that they could fly.

    Gu Nianzhi ran over and smiled at the blue dumbo. ¡°I found you! This is the first time Little Simba has proven his courage!¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, a cartoon character who looked like Timon from ¡°The Lion King¡±, walked over to her. He smiled and gave her an exquisite pink gift box. ¡°This is your prize. Please ept it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily took it and said ¡°thank you¡± to the person. She then ran to the side of the road and eagerly opened the gift box.

    Inside the gift box was an exquisite and beautiful phone.

    She picked it up and looked at it. It was thetest iPhone and looked no different from the one she was using.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and saw that there were two pieces of paper in the box, the first piece of paper read: ¡°This is a special phone for Nianzhi. It is equipped with a graphene battery specially made for you. It has an extremely high battery capacity. It can be recharged once and can be recharged for 20 years. ¡ª keep it a secret!¡±

    20 years!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help screaming.

    She remembered this type of battery. In the other world, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother, Song Jinning, had personally polished and made a graphene battery. It had an extremely high battery capacity and could be stored in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uncle, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s cell phone. It could stay on standby for 10 years!

    The graphene battery she had here had a standby capacity of 20 years!

    The batterysted twice as long as Huo Guanyuan¡¯s phone!

    Gu Nianzhi had long ¡°coveted¡± that type of battery, but because the manufacturing method was tooplicated and long, she had never mentioned it to Song Jinning.

    Unexpectedly, in this world, her wish was strangely fulfilled.

    Gu Nianzhi was so excited that her face was red.

    She yed with the phone for a while, then carefully put the new phone in her backpack and looked at the second note.

    This was the second clue: ¡°Find the second ce where little Simba proves his courage and get the second gift.¡±

    In the movie, the second ce where little Simba proved his courage was through a canyon. There, he was chased by a group of sprinting antelopes.

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely engrossed in the game.

    She looked up and around.

    Canyon, canyon. She had to find a ce that looked like the canyon in the movie ¡°The Lion King¡±.

    In her line of sight, she couldn¡¯t see anything that looked like a canyon.

    Gu Nianzhi took out a map that she had randomly picked up when she entered the park. She immediately saw ¡°Grizzly Valley¡±.

    It had to be here!

    She excitedly ran towards ¡°Grizzly Valley¡±.

    The scenic spots there actually looked like the early days of the gold rush in the western United States, but on the surface, the grey rocks and yellow mountains looked very simr to the canyons of the Central African steppes.

    One after another, ¡°gold-rush trains¡± passed in front of her. Gu Nianzhi covered her face with her hands like a small trumpet and shouted, ¡°I found you! I found where little Simba proved its courage for the second time!¡±

    A Pumbaa cartoon character from ¡°The Lion King¡± walked out of a train station room next to the canyon and handed her a second gift box with a smile. ¡°Congrattions, miss! This is your present!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at him and said ¡°Thank you.¡± She took the gift box and held it in her arms as she quickly ran out of the valley.

    She arrived at the resting area outside the valley and found a quiet ce to open the gift box.

    Inside the ck gift boxy a photo and a car key.

    On one side of the red car key was her English name, Cereus Ku, and on the other side was a galloping pony!

    This was the key to a Ferrari.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Looking at the photo again, it was almost identical to the custom-made Ferrari sports car that Huo Shaoheng had given her in her previous world!

    Even the sports car had a counterpart?!

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little dizzy.

    So fast that her heart almost jumped out of her throat, happiness came like a whirlwind.

    Gu Nianzhi clutched her chest and took a few deep breaths. She tried her best to calm herself down.

    She looked at the back of the photo again. There were a few lines of words written on it.

    ¡°This custom-made Ferrari sports car is waiting for you in C City. Keep it a secret!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stop smiling. Lu Jin was so funny. How could she keep such a big sports car a secret?!

    She shook her head and put the car keys into her backpack.

    The temptation of the phone gift was too great. She would definitely take it.

    But she wouldn¡¯t take this sports car.

    When she saw Lu Jinter, she would return the car keys to him.

    Then she looked at the third clue in the gift box.

    ¡°Last stop: Little Simba is in danger. The Lion King¡¯s father will go to the ce where he was rescued. He will receive the ultimate gift!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she began to feel that something was wrong.

    But she couldn¡¯t get in touch with him. She was confused, and her mind couldn¡¯t keep up.

    She stood by the roadside for a while and looked at the children running around in front of her. She couldn¡¯t help being affected by their joy.

    She heard the song of ¡°Hakuna Matata¡± again, and the light-hearted melody suddenly made her mind clear. She soon put aside all her worries and ran to herst stop.

    Little Simba was in danger in Antelope Canyon.

    But the ce where the Lion King fatherst experienced danger wasn¡¯t the canyon, but a cliff.

    And the only ce in the entire Disnend that had a ¡°cliff¡± was the ¡°Adventure Forest¡±!

 Chapter 1521 - Too Deep In Character

    <h4>Chapter 1521: Too Deep In Character</h4>

    The ¡°Adventure Forest¡± at Disnend in H City was a scenic spot that resembled a Thai-style rainforest.

    There was a man-made river meandering through it, and there were people paddling on rafts to support themselves.

    The trees in the scenic spot blocked out the sky and the Sun, and the light was very dim.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid at all.

    She was actually a very cautious person, but she had an unusual amount of trust in Lu Jin.

    She knew that Lu Jin wouldn¡¯t harm her, just as she was sure that Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t harm her.

    She stood at the entrance of the exploration forest, with tourists and children walking in from time to time, for a while.

    The winding path, making it look like a maze, blocked her view.

    This ce was neither big nor small. How was she going to find the ce where the lion king ¡°fell off the cliff¡± in the movie?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long, beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. Her eyebrows moved slightly as she suddenly thought of something.

    She opened her backpack and took out the phone with the graphene battery, the first gift Lu Jin had given her.

    She pressed the ¡°on¡± button and entered the phone. She set up facial recognition and looked at the contents of the phone.

    As expected, when she opened the map on her phone, the ce where she was standing showed the location of Disnend in H City. A small blue dot lit up forty-five degrees ahead of her!

    Gu Nianzhi immediately walked towards the blue dot.

    She believed that the blue dot didn¡¯t exist for no reason. Lu Jin must have given her a clue!

    From the map, the distance from where she was standing to the Blue Dot was in a straight line not far ahead.

    But the problem was, how could there be a straight line in the rain forest?

    Every time she got closer, she would have to take many detours.

    Gradually, she noticed that there were fewer and fewer tourists around her. In the end, she was the only one left. She arrived at a canyon surrounded by low rockery on all sides.

    This was a tropical rain forest with thick vines twining around it. It looked very eerie.

    The leaves were dense and there was no sunlighting in at all.

    She stood in the middle of the canyon, as if she was in a special cinema surrounded by IMAX spheres.

    Was this the ce?

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment, then said softly, ¡°This is where little Simba encountered danger, and where the Lion King¡¯s father went to save it, but fell off the cliff in the end?¡±

    Her words were like a voice message, and she activated her voice-activated equipment.

    Suddenly, a thin ray of light lit up the dense forest.

    The light shot down from the leaves and shone on the empty space in the canyon not far in front of her.

    The dark green leaves on top of her head, the dark tree trunk beside her, and the dark blue flowers beside her feet were all lit up by the light.

    The canyon wasn¡¯t big, so the light seemed to be right within Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reach.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the light in front of her and found that it was changing andbining to form a holographic virtual image. It was a huge and majestic lion.

    The lion looked as real as a real lion standing in front of her.

    But Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t afraid at all, because the lion¡¯s gaze was too warm and kind.

    It looked at her and raised its front paws. Its voice was deep and sonorous, the kind of sub-woofer that Gu Nianzhi liked to hear the most.

    It read out a line from the Disney cartoon the Lion King.

    It was a line from the movie ¡°The Lion King.¡± When little Simba had grown up but was unable to ept its responsibilities as the Lion King, it had been confused and helpless. His dead father had appeared from the stars and said this line, which was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite line in the entire movie.

    ¡°Simba,you have forgotten me.¡±

    ¡°You have forgotten who you are, and so you have forgotten me.¡±

    ¡°Look inside yourself Simba, you are more than what you have be.¡±

    ¡°Remember who you are, you are my child and the only child for my whole life.¡±

    ¡°Remember who you are,I¡¯ll always be there for you.¡±

    ¡°Simba,my child,please,don¡¯t forget me...¡±

    It was clearly a line from a movie, and if one listened carefully, it sounded slightly different from the lines in the movie. But for some reason, Gu Nianzhi suddenly burst into tears.

    She quickly took out a tissue to wipe her tears.

    At that moment, the holographic lion¡¯s voice suddenly changed. It stopped speaking English and started speaking Chinese.

    ¡°This is thest clue. Find Lu Jin within ten minutes, and you¡¯ll win. You¡¯ll receive the ultimate prize.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She quickly wiped her tears and watched the holographic lion disappear.

    Damn it! She still had to find Lu Jin to win the prize!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t care less about the strange feeling in her heart. She quickly began to search for Lu Jin in the exploration forest.

    She only had ten minutes. She had just walked around the exploration forest, and it had taken her almost twenty minutes!

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious, so she simply ran.

    As she walked out of the canyon, she gradually saw other tourists.

    She ran over and looked them up and down. No, none of them were him.

    Where was Lu Jin hiding?

    Thest question was too tricky.

    Not only did she have no clue, but she also had to look for him from so many tourists. What was worse was that there was a time limit!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to hit them.

    She angrily ran out of the exploration forest and looked at the time. It had already been nine minutes.

    Suddenly, a tall, thin man in ck casual clothes shed past her.

    It was Lu Jin!

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She quickly ran over and patted the man on the shoulder. ¡°I found you, Mr. Lu!¡±

    The man turned around and asked in confusion, ¡°Miss, you have the wrong person, right? My surname isn¡¯t Lu.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely embarrassed and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I really have the wrong person.¡±

    She quickly turned around and continuing to search the crowd, she left.

    How exactly was she going to find Lu Jin?

    Did he really not leave any clues behind?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze wandered and she saw a cartoon character dressed as the Lion King by the side of the road. Her heart skipped a beat and she was about to walk over when she saw a man in a navy blue casual suit out of the corner of her eye. He had exactly the same back figure as Lu Jin¡¯s.

    She instinctively ran over. This time, she didn¡¯t rashly pat him. Instead, she said politely, ¡°Sir, someone¡¯s looking for you.¡±

    The man turned around. Gu Nianzhi was shocked. It wasn¡¯t Lu Jin.

    She quickly smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I mistook you for someone else.¡±

    The man smiled, nodded slightly, and continued walking.

    Gu Nianzhi finally turned her head and saw the Lion King cartoon character walking slowly towards her.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, you¡¯re so cunning.¡± She frowned. ¡°You actually used two doubles to confuse me.¡±

    The Lion King cartoon characterughed. It was Lu Jin¡¯s voice.

    He raised his wrist and pointed. ¡°Ten minutes have passed. Miss Gu, You¡¯ve lost.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stomped her feet. ¡°You¡¯re the one who cheated! Actually, I saw you just now, but there was another person who looked like you from the back. I...¡±

    ¡°Yes, eyes can sometimes deceive people,¡± Lu Jin said meaningfully. ¡°But a loss is a loss. Are you a sore loser?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head seriously. ¡°I¡¯m a person with principles. Tell me, what do you want me to do?¡±

    Lu Jin looked down at her and took out another cartoon costume from behind him. He said, ¡°I told you, if you lose, you¡¯ll y Disnend with me again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    What did he mean?

    Lu Jin handed the cartoon costume to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°These are my conditions. Pretend to be little Simba and y with an old Lion King like me for a day. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I see!¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled like a flower. ¡°Sure, sure! No problem!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to answer.¡± Lu Jin¡¯s voice had a hint of a smile. ¡°Since you¡¯re putting on an act, you have to do it till the end. You¡¯re little Simba, and I¡¯m the old Lion King. What should you call me?¡±

    ¡°Dad, of course!¡± Gu Nianzhi said casually as she took the cartoon costume from Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand stiffened and he held on to the costume tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi tugged at it but didn¡¯t take it.

    ¡°Mr. Lu?¡± She looked over in confusion.

    Lu Jin took a few deep breaths and came back to his senses. He chuckled and said, ¡°No, what should I call you?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t changed yet. I¡¯ll call you Dad after I change.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. The little worry in her heart was gone and she felt more rxed.

    Lu Jin took her backpack and watched Gu Nianzhi put on the little Simba outfit and put on the hood.

    They were like two lions, one big and one small, ying at Disnend.

    Gu Nianzhi had never thought that Lu Jin, at his age, would be as crazy as a young man when he yed.

    They went on the Cindere merry-go-round, the high-speed train in Grizzly Valley, the adventures at Winnie the Pooh, the post-modern space saucers, and the dark Misty Mansion. Gu Nianzhi was panting from all the fun, Lu Jin was still full of energy.

    ¡°Why is little Simba so weak? He¡¯s not even as strong as a middle-aged lion like me.¡± Lu Jin smiled and rubbed her little lion hood. ¡°From now on, you have to run every morning and can¡¯t sleep in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Huo Shaoheng when he said that.

    She said proudly, ¡°Someone used to urge me to run. Now that he¡¯s not around, I want to take the opportunity to ck off.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was the only one who could make cking sound so refreshing and refined.

    ¡°Okay, the game¡¯s over. Are you tired? We¡¯ll go back if you are.¡± Lu Jin led Gu Nianzhi to a secluded ce and took off the hood.

    It hadn¡¯t been easy for him to be the Lion King for the whole day.

    Gu Nianzhi took off little Simba¡¯s hood. She wasn¡¯t out of character yet, so she smiled and said, ¡°Okay, Dad.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression changed slightly. He looked at her gently and rubbed her head again, this time, directly on her soft ck hair. ¡°... Be good.¡±

    Then, as if nothing had happened, he took her hood and put it in a bag.

    Gu Nianzhi finally realized what she had said. She was very embarrassed, and stammered, ¡°Mr. Lu, I was too deep in character...¡±

    She was addicted to ying little Simba.

 Chapter 1522 - Movie Stars Appear In Pairs

    <h4>Chapter 1522: Movie Stars Appear In Pairs</h4>

    Unable to react for a moment, Lu Jin looked at her in shock.

    Gu Nianzhi felt even more uneasy. She couldn¡¯t help feeling annoyed at herself for being so shameless as to call him ¡°Dad¡± after she was treated a little better.

    She didn¡¯t even think about the fact that he was a major shareholder of such arge corporation. How could she be so shameless as to let him y games with her on a whim?

    Gu Nianzhi med herself and couldn¡¯t help blurting out, ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. I was having fun with you today, I didn¡¯t mean to climb up the socialdder...¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face turned darker and darker. Gu Nianzhi knew that she was making things worse, so she panicked and her eyes turned red. Soon, tears began to well up in her eyes.

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and touched his face. He realized that he was too nervous and had scared the child.

    He was at a loss. His brain, which had always been iparably intelligent, was working at full speed, and his expression was slightly restrained. He said, ¡°ying games means you have to put in the effort. What¡¯s the point of being insincere? Who wouldn¡¯t be able to tell when you treat someone as a fool? You were very good just now. Why would I think that you want to climb up thedder? You¡¯re thinking too much.¡±

    Lu Jin paused for a moment, and continued with a bitter smile, ¡°To tell you the truth, although I have a little money, I don¡¯t have a good rtionship with people. I¡¯ve never had any friends since I was young, and I¡¯m not as tactful as Lu Yuan. Look, I don¡¯t even show up for business matters. He¡¯s the one in charge, because I¡¯ve offended people the moment I show up. How am I supposed to do business?¡±

    Business was all about harmony and making money. Lu Jin knew that his personality indeed wasn¡¯t suited for him to be a smooth talker in the business world.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin in disbelief. ¡°No way. Mr. Lu, you¡¯re such a nice person. How can you not have a good rtionship with people?¡±

    Lu Jin was very considerate towards her. He could understand every word she said.

    It must have been those people.

    Gu Nianzhi was indignant. ¡°Mr. Lu, please don¡¯t be angry. You don¡¯t have any friends because it¡¯s those people who have bad taste. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s self-reproach was miraculously pacified by her. He smiled delightedly and looked at her with sparkling eyes. Even his ears pricked up. His face was full of eagerness for her to say more such nice things, and every pore on his body felt extremelyfortable when he heard this. His entire being was like a giant bubble that was about to go up into the sky.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her heart ache when she saw this.

    She thought that she finally understood why Lu Jin, whom she had never met before, was so good to her.

    This person was indeed ¡°thirsty for friendship.¡±It was clear that he really didn¡¯t have any friends.

    Therefore, whenever he met someone who didn¡¯t have any prejudice against him and was willing to talk to him, he had the urge to give them all his heart.

    That was because Gu Nianzhi was also such a person. Although she was more tactful and clever than Lu Jin, she was actually quite simr to Lu Jin¡¯s style of handling things.

    However, after being trained by Huo Shaoheng since she was young, all of her unlikable bad habits had been squashed.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled Lu Jin¡¯s furry ¡°lion hand¡± up, and said sincerely, ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll be your friend. If you don¡¯t mind, I can be your best friend. I won¡¯t let others bully you, and I won¡¯t let them iste you. If anyone says that you don¡¯t know how to be a person, I¡¯ll teach them how to be a person!¡±

    At the end of his sentence, there was almost a hint of ¡°killing intent¡± on her pretty little face. She was like a little kitten that had stretched out her ws to show her ¡°I¡¯m super fierce¡±. She bared her fangs and brandished her ws.

    Lu Jin was so happy that he was almost over the moon. He nodded his head profusely. ¡°Okay, okay, okay! With your help, I won¡¯t be afraid that I won¡¯t have any friends because I¡¯m so smart!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Why did it sound like something was wrong?

    ¡°... so... smart... that I won¡¯t have any... friends?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright and clear eyes narrowed unkindly.

    If Huo Shaoheng was here, he would definitely be able to tell that Gu Nianzhi was already on the verge of an outburst.

    Unfortunately, Lu Jin didn¡¯t know much about Gu Nianzhi like this. He still shrugged recklessly and said matter-of-factly, ¡°I can¡¯t help it if my IQ is too high.¡±

    He had an arrogant expression on his face. He had the arrogant look of a ¡°human with fish lips¡± as he said, ¡°Those scumbags don¡¯t deserve to be friends with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and gritted her teeth.

    That look of his was really asking for a beating. If Lu Jin hadn¡¯t been so nice to her, she wouldn¡¯t have wanted to be friends with him!

    She had indeed thought too much just now.

    She stopped smiling and took out the Ferrari keys from her backpack. She put them in Lu Jin¡¯s hairy ¡°lion¡¯s hand¡± and said coldly, ¡°Mr. Lu, you must be joking. I can¡¯t take this car key. It¡¯s too expensive. Please keep it.¡±

    Lu Jin could sense that Gu Nianzhi was angry, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what had made her angry. He felt guilty, and his back was covered in sweat.

    He looked at the car keys that Gu Nianzhi had returned, then turned to look at her cold and unsmiling face. He said in a low voice, ¡°... Did I say something wrong to offend you?¡±

    If Lu Yuan had seen Lu Jin¡¯s humble attitude, he would have been so scared that he would have fallen into the river.

    This fearless, highly intelligent man who had been hunted by the entire nation for so many years, but had never bowed to anyone, was actually trembling in fear in front of a little girl. For the first time, he had said something apologetic.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to be angry. She had thought that Lu Jin was a ¡°lonely old man¡± who ¡°longed for friendship¡± and wanted to help protect him.

    But she had just realized that Lu Jin was actually a very tough person. He had no friends, and it was all his own doing!

    She raised her eyelids. She had wanted to poke him a little, but seeing his nervous expression, she saw that he was apletely different person from the arrogant man she had seen earlier.

    And although she was unhappy, she couldn¡¯t get angry at him at all.

    Because he had the right to look down on all living things...

    Gu Nianzhi admitted that she still had a sour attitude.

    This made her feel like an idiot.

    Thinking of this, Gu Nianzhi blurted out, ¡°You think it¡¯s funny to tease me like this? I¡¯m so stupid that I don¡¯t deserve to be friends with Mr. Lu. I won¡¯t dare ept your gift.¡±

    Lu Jin understood that the little girl was overthinking things.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t one of those ¡°fish-lipped humans¡±.

    Lu Jin hugged his lion king¡¯s head and spun around in circles. He was a little mad. How was he going to exin his indiscretion?

    Lu Jin stroked his lion tail with one hand and suddenly remembered.

    He took out his phone and ingratiated himself with Gu Nianzhi. He whispered, ¡°... I also wrote a little program that¡¯s better than Zhao Liangze¡¯s. Didn¡¯t you want to register your ount on social media but not be discovered by others? This little program allows you to hide your IP no matter which website you register your ount on. And...¡±

    As he spoke, he stole a nce at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little face tensed up for less than a minute before she was captivated by Lu Jin¡¯s little program.

    She tiptoed and almost bumped into Lu Jin. ¡°Is it really that good? Oh my, this program is so simple... amazing, amazing... no de, no work... how did you write such a good program?!¡±

    Her eyes almost popping out of their sockets, Gu Nianzhi looked at the little program in admiration.

    Everyone who was in the know knew that the better the program, the simpler it was. For any program that was ridiculouslyrge, there were so many bugs in it that it could y the Zerg Empire.

    In the software world, it was definitely simple is better.

    Lu Jin secretly observed and thought to himself, does this mean she¡¯s not angry anymore?

    He continued to encourage her and continued to show her, ¡°There¡¯s also a hidden function here. As long as it¡¯s the ce where you¡¯ve registered your ount, it will immediately alert you if anyone checks your ount¡¯s IP.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh! That¡¯s amazing! That¡¯s amazing! Is It for me?!¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists in excitement.

    Such a useful app was a hundred times better than a Ferrari!

    Lu Jin nodded and said carefully, ¡°It was specially written for you. Can you not be angry anymore?¡± He sent the small app to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    Gu Nianzhi epted the small app with satisfaction and teased, ¡°What if I¡¯m still angry?¡±

    Lu Jin said seriously, ¡°Then I¡¯ll write another program for you. It¡¯s even better than this one.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes curved and she smiled faintly. She shook Lu Jin¡¯s arm. ¡°I was joking. Thank you, Mr. Lu. If I was as good as you, I¡¯d be even more smug than you.¡±

    Actually, she was already good enough, but she was still inferior to Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi, as if she was lying, and nodded. He said without hesitation, ¡°You can do it too. You can do whatever you want. I¡¯ll get rid of anyone who dares to say anything about you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Mr. Lu is that good?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°But getting rid of others is against thew! We can¡¯t do anything illegal.¡±

    Lu Jin pulled on his sweaty lion king suit and scoffed. ¡°You think I need to break thew to get rid of people? You¡¯re underestimating your father too much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and broke out in a cold sweat. His face flushed red, and he was even more embarrassed than Gu Nianzhi had been. He thought about it for a long time and decided to use Gu Nianzhi¡¯s excuse, ¡°I... I... I was too immersed in acting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at him for a while and chuckled. She reached out to gently brush off a leaf and said casually, ¡°Okay, one for each person. It¡¯s a draw. Two actorspeting on the same stage, it¡¯s fun!¡±

    Lu Jin wanted to say something, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s meaningful smile, he felt a little guilty.

    Just as he was at a loss, his phone vibrated.

    Lu Jin quickly took it out to take a look. Seeing that it was Lu Yuan¡¯s phone, he immediately swiped it open to answer. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression was very serious. He said, ¡°You¡¯re still at Disnend?¡±

    Lu Jin grunted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and leave. Don¡¯t let anyone see you with Nianzhi.¡± Lu Yuan warned him. ¡°I just got the news that Qin Zhining ran away from the hospital. I know you don¡¯t like him, but he called He Zhichu.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°... You don¡¯t care about Qin Zhining, but what about He Zhichu? That kid is even more cunning than a monkey. Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

    Lu Jin instinctively looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was happily ying with her phone beside him. He happened to see the side of her face, which was covered in sweat. She looked like a peeled lychee that had just been taken out of the snow. She was moist and pink from the inside out.

    Her nose was exquisite and straight, and her long eyshes, which were as thick as a small fan, covered her bright and beautiful eyes. Her pupils were so dark that it made people dizzy when they looked at her.

    The corners of her lips curved into a natural smile. He couldn¡¯t get enough of her no matter how he looked at her.

    How could he bear to leave her now?

    When Lu Yuan heard that he didn¡¯t say a word, he knew that he was being naughty again. He quickly advised him, ¡°If you can¡¯t bear it, you¡¯ll mess up the big ns. You¡¯ve been waiting for so many years. Are you still short of a few days?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t think about yourself, you have to think about Nianzhi. She¡¯s new here and has nothing. Only you, me, and He Zhichu can truly do good for her.¡±

    ¡°But if He Zhichu finds out, don¡¯t you know that Nianzhi will be in a difficult position?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy for her to leave the imperial capital and live her life in peace. Why are you in such a hurry? There¡¯s still plenty of time in the future...¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s ¡°plenty of time in the future¡± raised Lu Jin¡¯s hopes once again.

    He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave right away, but you have to promise to do a few things for me. They¡¯re all rted to her.¡±

    Lu Yuan knew he was talking about Gu Nianzhi. He mmed his hand on the table and chided him jokingly, ¡°That¡¯s enough. When have I not helped you? Besides, Nianzhi is a member of my family. How can I not help her?¡±

    Lu Jin spat, ¡°A member of your family? Lu Yuan, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so thick-skinned.¡±

    He hung up the phone with a displeased look on his face. Lu Jin gritted his teeth.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and was a little confused. ¡°Mr. Lu? Is that CEO Lu?¡±

    She heard Lu Jin say ¡°Lu Yuan¡±.

    Lu Jin said regretfully, ¡°I have something to do at the office, so I have to go. Take off your little Simba set and give it to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay. ¡°Gu Nianzhi quickly took off little Simba¡¯s little lion cartoon set and put it in the same bag as before before before handing it to Lu Jin.

    However, Lu Jin didn¡¯t take off his lion king set. He put on the Lion King mask and opened his arms to Gu Nianzhi. He said in the tone of a lion king, ¡°Simba, give Dad a hug.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him, and a spark lit up in the depths of her eyes. She smiled slightly and walked over to give Lu Jin a hug.

    Lu Jin lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone that you were with me today. Remember, we haven¡¯t met today.¡± As he spoke, he quickly turned and left.

    He ran very fast, as if he was worried that if he slowed down, he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Lu Jin leave in a hurry and frowned slightly. After a long time, she curled her lips into a faint smile.

    She didn¡¯t want to leave right after Lu Jin did, so she sat in the small room for a while and went online with her phone.

    After not surfing the Inte for a day, she realized that the world outside had changed drastically.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s app should have been written as well, because just this morning, a new ount appeared on Twitter. It announced some of the important information that Dresden had brought out, that the United States was spying on inte users all over the world. In particr, the spying on the leaders of several Western countries had already caused a huge uproar in the western world.

    The United States was in chaos from top to bottom. The US Department of Justice was in a panic to sue Dresden for ¡°treason¡±.

    Meanwhile, Dresden had already contacted Senator He of the Legitive Council in H City and hired him as hiswyer to respond to the US Department of Justice¡¯swsuit.

    This way, the news that Dresden was in H City of the Huaxia Empire spread like wildfire.

    Various powers gathered in H City, and the small city once again disyed the charm of the ¡°pearl of the east¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the storm that she had created with one hand and smiled. She tapped her phone with her finger and thought to herself, this is only the beginning...

    She had juste out of her room when she saw that the sky had already darkened.

    Disnend was about to close, and the tourists walked out in twos and threes.

    Her expression rxed and at ease, Gu Nianzhi walked alone in the crowd of strangers. Tiny beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she gently wiped it with a tissue.

    Not long after, her phone vibrated.

    Gu Nianzhi took it out to take a look. It was He Zhichu¡¯s phone call.

    She quickly swiped open the call and said cheerfully, ¡°Young Master He, why is it you? Where are you?¡±

    She actually knew that he was in H City, but she had to pretend that she didn¡¯t know.

    He Zhichu had been flustered ever since he received Qin Zhining¡¯s call. He kept feeling that this incident wasn¡¯t a coincidence.

    He had been worried that something would happen to Gu Nianzhi.

    It was only when he heard her voice on the other end of the phone that he let out a long sigh and said, ¡°Where are you? Just stand there and don¡¯t move. Wait for me toe and find you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and said half-jokingly, ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t buy me oranges.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1523 - The Ace of the Far East

    <h4>Chapter 1523: The Ace of the Far East</h4>

    This was outrageous. Even He Zhichu dared to make fun of her.

    He Zhichu bared his white teeth. ¡°You want me to buy you an orange? I¡¯ve nted an orange grove. Do you want it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and appeared to be in a good mood. ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you that I don¡¯t like oranges.¡±

    He Zhichu took his phone and sent a GPS location to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Receive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed ¡°receive¡± and He Zhichu could see where she was.

    Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t far from him.

    He Zhichu went against the flow of the crowd at Disnend and soon saw Gu Nianzhi.

    She was carrying a backpack and wearing a pair ofrge sunsses. Her navy Juicy Couture ck stripped casual sports outfit entuated her beautiful figure.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to He Zhichu.

    The setting sun outlined her breathtaking curves. She turned to look at him and smiledzily. She pushed her sunsses up above her head. Her dark jade-like eyes were filled with a warm smile, and the corners of her lips curled up into a happy smile.

    He Zhichu¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he slowly swallowed the excitement in his heart.

    He strode over with long strides.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡± His voice was slightly emotional as he walked over and hugged her in his arms, as if he was holding a treasure that had been lost and recovered.

    Gu Nianzhi was pressed against his chest. She couldn¡¯t helpughing when she heard that his heart was beating much faster than usual. ¡°What happened? Did you run off to buy oranges?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being naughty again.¡± He Zhichu grabbed the back of her neck with one hand and suddenly lowered his head to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She quickly tilted her head and dodged him.

    He Zhichu¡¯s kissnded on her cheek.

    His lips were burning and trembling, and holding her tightly, his arms were stronger than before.

    A strong smell of alcohol assaulted her nose.

    ¡°Young Master He, what are you doing? Have you been drinking? !¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked and angry, but she couldn¡¯t move her head. He Zhichu¡¯s strength was actually no weaker than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Just now, he had only held the back of her neck without using any strength, so Gu Nianzhi had used some strength to avoid his kiss.

    ¡°I drank a little,¡± He Zhichu said vaguely.

    His palm subconsciously tightened, and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t move anymore.

    He Zhichu lowered his head, and was very close to her face. He was so close that she could feel his breath, which carried a chill, on her lips.

    He looked at her without saying a word. His eyes were burning with passion that had never been seen before. It was as if the boilingva at the foot of the volcano could no longer be hidden and was looking for an opening to gush out.

    Just like that, he looked at her and got closer and closer to her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. There were a myriad of emotions flowing in her clear ck and white eyes. From surprise, to anger, from rage, to panic, from certainty, to trembling. There was nothing like what he wanted... excitement and joy.

    He Zhichu¡¯s cold and thin lips stopped in front of her plump lips.

    There was only a little distance before he be able to kiss her.

    ¡°Close your eyes.¡± He Zhichu realized that he couldn¡¯t continue this kiss in front of those big eyes that were ring at him.

    ¡°No!¡± Gu Nianzhi refused. ¡°Young Master He, don¡¯t do this... you said you wouldn¡¯t force me.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know what she had done to provoke him.

    He Zhichu touched her cheek and felt her silky smooth skin. He whispered in her ear, ¡°... What if I insist on forcing you?¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched. She was nervous and scared, but she tried her best to act as if nothing had happened. ¡°Young Master He, calm down. I¡¯ve always treated you like a big brother...¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes. He could feel that the body he was hugging had no warmth or feelings for him.

    He didn¡¯t know how long he would have to wait until she fell in love with him...

    He Zhichu slowly let go of Gu Nianzhi. He looked up and gently stroked her long hair. His voice was cold again. ¡°I¡¯m not your older brother, so don¡¯t treat me like one.¡±

    ¡°But you promised to be my brother when you were there.¡± Gu Nianzhi broke free from his shackles and quickly distanced herself from him. ¡°Are you going back on your word?¡±

    He Zhichu took a deep breath and rubbed his temples.

    Was he rushing things again?

    His actions these past few days, where he was constantly on the brink of death, had made him a little impatient.

    He was worried that he wouldn¡¯t have the time to wait for her to fall in love with him.

    What would he do if she treated him like a brother forever?

    His eyes full of affection, He Zhichu looked up at her. However, she averted his gaze and turned to look in the direction of the door. She said, ¡°The door is about to close. I want to go back.¡±

    He Zhichu walked over and held her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you back to the hotel.¡±

    ¡°I can leave on my own.¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed his hand away and frowned. She had been in a good mood all day, but now she was very unhappy.

    He Zhichu looked at her for a while and finally gave in again. He raised his hands. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry, I drank too much today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already smelled the alcohol all over him. She fanned herself in front of him and said unhappily, ¡°So what if you¡¯re drunk? If you continue like this, I¡¯m going to cut ties with you!¡±

    ¡°When Qin Zhining called me, I was having dinner with... a friend and had a little wine.¡± He Zhichu was actually having a celebratory drink with the members of his own team.

    Yesterday¡¯s mission had been sessfullypleted, and they hadn¡¯t revealed the slightest w.

    Now, the CIA¡¯s office in H City was in a mess.

    The four dead henchmen had be a hot potato.

    Call the police? The police wanted to search their office because these people had ¡°died¡± at the door of their office.

    There was no need to call the police. The bodies of these people had been taken by someone with good intentions and posted on Twitter.

    Since the era of the media, it was impossible for the foreign media to pretend to be deaf and dumb.

    Everyone was happy and gathered together to drink wine.

    They drank the white and red beer and easily got drunk.

    He Zhichu had a good tolerance for alcohol, but he wanted to get drunk when he saw Gu Nianzhi.

    It was a pity that she didn¡¯t reciprocate his feelings. He still had a long way to go in his love life...

    The most important thing now was to coax this angry littledy. Otherwise, she would really think he was ¡°buying oranges.¡± No matter how much exining he did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make up for it.

    ¡°Okay, I was wrong. I won¡¯t do this again.¡± He Zhichu walked a few steps closer to her and stopped at a safe distance. ¡°The restaurant is about to close. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with a clear gaze, unlike the wolf-like look she had before. She nodded. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re on a mission, right? Being drunk is bad for business. You can¡¯t drink right now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the others were strictly prohibited from drinking when they were on a mission.

    He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°You knew I was on a mission?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped ying games with him and said seriously, ¡°I saw you outside the windowst night, and those gunmen...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened. He walked over to hold her hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about this anymore. If anyone finds out, even I won¡¯t be able to save you.¡±

    So serious?

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him and nodded. ¡°I know. If it weren¡¯t for your abnormal behavior today, I wouldn¡¯t have said anything. Do you think it¡¯s fake that I¡¯ve lived with Major General Huo for so many years? Their security work is much better than yours.¡±

    He Zhichuughed bitterly and pointed to his chest. ¡°You really know how to stab me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her nonchnt expression andughed. He couldn¡¯t do anything to her.

    She was spoiled, spoiled by him.

    She knew that in front of him, no matter what outrageous things she said or did, he would nevery a finger on her.

    Not allowing her to continue struggling, He Zhichu almost ¡°dragged¡± Gu Nianzhi out of Disnend.

    Qin Zhining parked the car outside and weed them out.

    He Zhichu opened the car door and shoved Gu Nianzhi into the backseat, then sat in it himself.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw Qin Zhining in the driver¡¯s seat. She scoffed. ¡°So it¡¯s Young Master Qin. What¡¯s wrong? Weren¡¯t you secretly protecting me? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be doing this in secret?¡±

    Qin Zhining started the car and said calmly, ¡°I fell into someone¡¯s trap this morning and was lured away from the mountain. Nianzhi, was there anyone looking for you at Disnend today?¡±

    He had also contacted a few other field agents who were in charge of secretly protecting Gu Nianzhi, and found that they had all lost track of Gu Nianzhi today.

    The person they were following wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi, even though the three girls were simr in size to Gu Nianzhi.

    With such organized confusion, someone must have wanted to make a move on Gu Nianzhi.

    They had thought there would be a big mess, but Gu Nianzhi had appeared in front of them unscathed, which confused them.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Lu Jin¡¯s words, and her heart skipped a beat. She didn¡¯t show it on her face and said calmly, ¡°Are you talking about hitting on me? There were a few men hitting on me, but as you know, my standards were so high that I didn¡¯t like those crazy men, so I chased them away.¡±

    Qin Zhining: ¡°...¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi through the rearview mirror. ¡°That¡¯s good. When are you going back to C City?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and leaned against the back seat. She sneered. ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very dangerous here. You can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡± Qin Zhining was very serious. ¡°I¡¯ll exin the situation to general he.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned forward and gently knocked on Qin Zhining¡¯s driver¡¯s seat, and she said rudely, ¡°Mr. Qin, listen carefully. At most, you¡¯re my bodyguard. A bodyguard has no right to interfere with the freedom of movement of the person under his protection. What I want to do is none of your business. If you can¡¯t protect me, you can get lost.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª !¡± Qin Zhining was so angry that his teeth were itching. ¡°What the hell are you doing? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her chin. ¡°Your job is to protect me. If you can¡¯t do your job well, that¡¯s your negligence. You can leave right now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words made people feel happy, as long as her target wasn¡¯t themselves.

    He Zhichu stretched his long legs and subtle mirth appeared in his cold eyes. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said calmly, ¡°Brother Little Ning¡¯s words do make sense. City H will be in chaos soon. It¡¯s better for you to go back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered. They still don¡¯t know why City H is in such chaos, do they?

    If it wasn¡¯t for her idea to have Dresden release some information on Twitter and ask Senator He to act as awyer, City H wouldn¡¯t have be the target of public criticism?

    Of course, she didn¡¯t want to stay, but if Qin Zhining asked her to leave, and she did, how embarrassing would that be?

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and looked at the lines on her palm under the setting sun. She said lightly, ¡°I can leave whenever I want. It¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    Qin Zhining honked his car horn furiously. ¡°Why are you so disobedient? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and was about to retort, but He Zhichu quickly stopped her. ¡°Okay, okay. Brother Little Ning has good intentions. Don¡¯t go against him on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Go against him on purpose? You¡¯re ttering him too much.¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted and didn¡¯t say anything else. She lowered her head to take out her phone and started to choose the time of departure for her ne ticket.

    Unexpectedly, H City had suddenly be a hot ce, and even the ne tickets were in high demand.

    Although she had a return ticket, she couldn¡¯t book a seat because she had changed her ticket.

    She searched on her phone for a long time and finally chose a flight that was three dayster. She booked a seat, but she didn¡¯t reveal a single word.

    He Zhichu had a mission, so she couldn¡¯t go overboard.

    He walked Gu Nianzhi downstairs to the four seasons hotel and warned her, ¡°Don¡¯t be too headstrong when you¡¯re out. Just because you¡¯re fine this time doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be so lucky in the future. Be good. I¡¯ll apany you when you get back, okay?¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi almost as if he was begging her. Gu Nianzhi could avoid Qin Zhining, but she had to give He Zhichu face.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve already signed the return ne ticket.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it and decided to say it out loud so they wouldn¡¯t worry.

    He Zhichu and Qin Zhining breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this youngdy wasn¡¯t so stubborn as to be insensible.

    After sending Gu Nianzhi back to the hotel, He Zhichu once again disappeared into the crowd.

    Qin Zhining, secretly protecting Gu Nianzhi with a few other field agents, was still in hiding.

    ..

    In Lu Yuan¡¯s and Lu Jin¡¯s presidential suite, they had been closely monitoring the movements in front of the main entrance.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had finally been sent back by He Zhichu and Qin Zhining, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

    Lu Yuan put away the surveince equipment and said, ¡°You can rest assured now. The flight is tonight. You should hurry back to C City.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Remember to remind Nianzhi to go back earlier.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lu Yuan packed Lu Jin¡¯s suitcase. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the airport.¡±

    Lu Jin put on his sunsses and walked out of the room with him. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you promised me.¡±

    The corner of Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Do you have to go so far? Why do you want to buy the residential area in Nan City? Our analysts have long analyzed that ce. The value-added potential there isn¡¯t big.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about that. Remember to let your men negotiate.¡± Lu Jin smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your triumphant return in C City.¡±

    Lu Jin took a ne back to C City.

    Lu Yuan stayed in H City and closely monitored the progress of the Dresden incident.

    At the same time, the military¡¯s Supreme Council standingmittee in the imperial capital was holding a secret meeting.

    He Chengjian informed the four generals who attended the meeting about their actions in H city. He said happily, ¡°The operation this time went smoothly. Not only did it give the CIA a show of strength, but it also made the Soviet Union see our determination and strength. They increased the bargaining chip to cooperate with us.¡±

    ¡°Why is the Soviet Union so interested in Dresden?¡± General A was puzzled. ¡°General He, do you know why?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure about that.¡± He Chengjian shook his head. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t prevent us from cooperating with them. Moreover, Dresden fell into our hands first. Our people have already gotten all the information from him.¡±

    He Chengjian, the Senator of the Legitive Council of H City, was now Dresden¡¯swyer.

    He listened to Dresden and had already told him a lot of information.

    He Chengjian was a member of the He family and also worked for the imperial government. He had already transferred all the information to the imperial capital.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± General B thought about it carefully. ¡°We still can¡¯t confront the United States directly. Even if the Soviet Union doesn¡¯t intervene, we can¡¯t keep Dresden here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I agreed to cooperate with the Soviet Union and let Dresden take refuge in the Soviet Union.¡± He Chengjian turned on hisputer and connected it to the big screen in the meeting room with a big smile on his face. ¡°KGB sent out a team with the head of the KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau as the representative in order to show their sincerity.¡±

    With a click, a picture of a beautiful Chinese woman appeared on the big screen.

    She was gorgeous and tall, ad had long wavy curls. The ends of her hair were dyed wine red, which made her skin look especially fair and delicate.

    Her body was especially curvy.

    ¡°This is the KGB¡¯s Linda, the ¡®Bombshell of the Far East¡¯. She¡¯s an old rival of our intelligence department.¡± He Chengjian clicked on the information of this woman. ¡°The ¡®Bombshell of the Far East¡¯, Linda¡¯s Chinese name is Xiao Ye. She has fought with us for so many years. Both sides have won and lost. Are you all familiar with her?¡±

    Laughter broke out in the meeting room.

    How could they not be familiar with her?

    They had fought for many years.

    ¡°She is the only one in charge of the support work?¡± General B frowned. ¡°Is this the greatest sincerity of the Soviet Union?¡±

    Although Linda was powerful, her position in the Soviet¡¯s KGB wasn¡¯t very high. At least, this wasn¡¯t something she could decide.

    ¡°Of course, she isn¡¯t the only one.¡± He Chengjian gently clicked the mouse, and his expression became serious. ¡°In addition to her, the Soviet Union has also sent the most important person in the KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau, the ¡®Ace of the Far East¡¯, Peter, who has never shown his true face and has never lost a battle with us for so many years.¡±

    On the big screen, Linda¡¯s beautiful photo faded away and reced with a photo of an Oriental man.

    His deep eyes stared coldly at the people in the meeting room. His looks were so handsome that it was suffocating. Everyone was stunned for a moment.

    He Chengjian pursed his lips and opened his profile.

    ¡°The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter. Chinese name: Huo Shaoheng.¡±

 Chapter 1524 - Touchstone

    <h4>Chapter 1524: Touchstone</h4>

    He Chengjian stared calmly at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome but cold face on the big screen, and narrowed his eyes.

    They had been looking for him for three to four years, but they hadn¡¯t found him. Turns out he was with the KGB.

    It was no wonder they hadn¡¯t found him. Other than the higher-ups of the KGB, with China¡¯s national power and strength, how could they not have found him?

    At that time, he had already discussed this matter with the generals in the upper echelons of the military.

    As long as the Huo family was in China, it was impossible that they couldn¡¯t find him.

    The Huo family wasn¡¯t in China, and that was why they couldn¡¯t find him.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng had appeared and was the ace of the KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau, he wanted to see if Gu Nianzhi would fall in love with this Huo Shaoheng, or..

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes shed.

    He would use Huo Shaoheng as a touchstone to test how persistent Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feelings were.

    He Chengjian thought to himself as he said to the people in the meeting room, ¡°... Is the Soviet Union being sincere enough this time?¡±

    The generals knew about the other world as well as the arrangements with the higher-ups of the Huaxia Empire.

    General B, who had been displeased with the Soviet Union¡¯s insincerity, said in surprise when he saw Huo shaoheng, ¡°The Soviet Union really put in a lot of money this time!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the trump card of the Far East Bureau. Even the CIA, the German FBI, and the British MI5 haven¡¯t been able to find out his true identity after so many years of investigation.¡±

    They were the only foreign country higher-ups who knew the true identity of the ¡°Trump card¡± of the Soviet Union¡¯s KGB.

    Of course, if the Soviet Union had not taken the initiative to reveal his true identity, they would not have been able to find out his true identity.

    ¡°I heard that he always disguises himself when he goes on missions. He has never used his true appearance.¡±

    ¡°Ten years ago, when the USSR and the United States were at the climax of their struggle for hegemony, the arms race had almost pushed the Soviet Union to the brink of copse. It was this Peter who single-handedly turned the tide and obtained top-secret intelligence from the highest level of the CIA. He proved that the ¡®Star War¡¯ n that the President of the United States was wantonly promoting was actually a hoax.¡±

    He Chengjian thought of the arms race that almost brought down the Soviet Union and was deeply moved.

    ¡°Yes, it was that time that his position as the top secret agent of the Soviet KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau was truly established.

    ¡°It was also from that time that the United States and the Western world never stopped pursuing him. Whether it was in the open or in the dark, the bounty on him is already astronomical.¡±

    ¡°As long as we hand him over to the United States or the Western intelligence agency, we won¡¯t just be making a fortune. We¡¯ll be able to make a fortune that can rival that of a country.¡±

    The five generals were full of admiration and respect for him, but they were also wary of this man sent by the KGB.

    General C also said, ¡°Actually, we should have thought of this three or four years ago. ¡°At that time, we just learned about our counterpart Huaxia Empire on the other side of the world. The most secretive and outstanding intelligence agent was the great general of their Special Operations Forces, Huo Shaoheng. We couldn¡¯t find this person in our country, so this person should most likely be in the Soviet Union.¡±

    He Chengjian was enlightened. He patted the back of his head and smiled. ¡°That really woke me up. Yes, such a powerful intelligence agent isn¡¯t in our country. The only ce that he could possibly be is the Soviet Union.¡±

    Everyone had a meeting to discuss their countermeasures against the arrival of this ¡°Trump card of the Far East¡± before leaving the meeting room.

    ...

    After the meeting, He Chengjian sent the information of the members of the Committee of State Security (KGB) to He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu had just returned to his residence and was about to go to the bathroom to wash up.

    When he heard his phone ring, he took it over and saw that it was an encrypted message from his father.

    He quickly swiped open his phone to take a look.

    These messages would be destroyed once they were seen. They wouldn¡¯t be left in the phone and wouldn¡¯t exist on the inte.

    He paused on Linda¡¯s photo and quickly swiped it open. He saw the second photo, ¡°Far East Ace¡± Peter.

    His hand trembled. He didn¡¯t have time to look at his details and quickly called He Chengjian back.

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s going on? How can he be the far east ace of the Soviet KGB? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him, Huo Shaoheng.¡± He Chengjian nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re very shocked, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more than shock.¡± He Zhichu sat down on the sofa with a wry smile. He unbuttoned his shirt and felt very annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s really him? How can it be...¡±

    ¡°Although it¡¯s a shock, if you think about it carefully, this is the only possibility,¡± He Chengjian said with certainty, ¡°If we really have Huo Shaoheng on our side, there¡¯s no way he can escape our search in the country. So the only possibility is that he¡¯s abroad, and he¡¯s working in an organization that does a very good job of keeping secrets. Otherwise, our field agents abroad wouldn¡¯t be easy to fool.¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) admitted that Xie Ziyan was with them before, and that she was also a high-ranking member of the KGB. Now that her grandson is also in the KGB, it¡¯s only logical.¡±

    The intelligence agencies actually liked having a family working in the same organization for several generations, because it was easier to keep secrets.

    Both parents were in this line of work, so it was very likely that their children would still be in this line of work.

    This was something that all the intelligence agencies in the various countries understood by heart.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips, and his sparkling almond-shaped eyes were tranquil. He said,¡±... What is he doing here? Is he here to pick up Dresden?¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°Yes, their operation team wille to pick him up and take him to Moscow. They won¡¯t take a ne, but will leave by sea. You must remember to contact him and do a good job of changing shifts.¡±

    The veins on the back of his hand protruding, He Zhichu held his phone tightly. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Where are they now?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, they have already gone to H City.¡± He Chengjian could hear the change in He Zhichu¡¯s mood, and his expression turned cold. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you afraid?¡±

    He Zhichu sneered and lifted his leg to put it on the coffee table in front of him. ¡°Why would I be afraid of him? I just think it¡¯s a little ridiculous. It seems that no matter where we are, we¡¯re still rivals.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression rxed slightly. He turned on theputer to check their n of action and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re not afraid. Actually, it¡¯s also good that he¡¯s here. At least he can make Nianzhi give up.¡±

    Don¡¯t dream about it. There would be peopleing to save her in the future.

    ¡°Nianzhi will know how good you are. Ah-Chu, other than you, no one else can risk their lives to go to the other parallel world.¡± He Chengjianforted He Zhichu. ¡°She¡¯s still young. Don¡¯t be too anxious.¡±

    He Zhichu thought about what he had done in the evening and blushed, but he didn¡¯t regret it at all.

    It was because of his uncontroble impulse towards Gu Nianzhi that he was more convinced that he really loved her. His feelings for her were definitely that of a man towards a woman.

    If it was just the same kinship as before, he wouldn¡¯t have the desire for her as that of a man towards a woman...

    He Zhichu stood up and walked to the wine cab. He took out a bottle of red wine, opened it, and poured himself a ss of red wine. He took a sip. ¡°Father, don¡¯t let her see this person for the time being.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you worried that she will fall in love with this person?¡± He Chengjian raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You have so little confidence in yourself?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± He Zhichu paused, and his eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m worried that the impact on her will be too big, and I don¡¯t know how sad she will be.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just right? Topletely stop her from thinking about the other side.¡± He Chengjian was happy just thinking about it.

    When he had warned General Ji, he had actually been bluffing. At that time, he hadn¡¯t been sure if Huo Shaoheng was on their side, but in order to scare him, he had lied to them without hesitation.

    Now it seemed that God was helping him.

    Because he hadn¡¯t lied. They really did have Huo Shaoheng on their side.

    If Huo Shaoheng was really a hopeless romantic and risked his life toe here, he would have been happy to see that happen.

    Not only would the other side lose their trump card, but the KGB would also lose their trump card as well.

    This was absolutely beneficial to their national interests.

    After all, the Soviet Union and the Huaxia Empire weren¡¯t on good terms.

    The conflicts between the two countries were no less than the conflicts between Huaxia Empire, the United States, and the Western world.

    However, it was a pity that the Huaxia Empire on the other side would lose Huo Shaoheng.

    He Chengjian had already warned them but they wouldn¡¯t listen to his advice and did whatever they wanted. There was nothing he could do.

    He Zhichu¡¯s emotions were veryplicated. He thought about it for a while and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll let her see him once, but not now. She still has a lot of hope now. I don¡¯t want her to be too disappointed all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to wait for a period of time when her hope has be dim and let her see this person again. That way, she¡¯ll be mentally prepared and won¡¯t be too sad.¡±

    He Chengjian listened and didn¡¯t speak for a long time. When He Zhichu thought he was going to hang up, he sighed and said, ¡°Ah-Chu, you really love Nianzhi to death.¡±

    He could no longer imagine what would happen if Gu Nianzhi really refused toply.

    Could it be that the worst oue would be to perform a surgery to remove her memory?

    What was the difference between this and killing her?

    He Chengjian hung up the phone and sighed slowly. He thought to himself, if Su Wen was here, how would she deal with this problem?

    His son¡¯s stubbornness was actually inherited from him.

    ...

    He Zhichu sat in his room until dawn before taking a nap on the sofa.

    Gu Nianzhi had just woken up from her deep sleep. She took out her phone and turned it on to read the news today.

    Very good. The world was still in a state of ¡°blood and gore¡±.

    The information that Dresden had revealed caused a huge uproar. From the public to the media, from governments to the United States Senate and courts, all of them were interrogating the CIA about this PRISM project.

    The US Department of Justice had no choice but to urge the US Department of Justice to quickly prosecute Dresden for treason and leaking the secret.

    Gu Nianzhi watched in delight. Just as she was about to activate the little program Lu Jin had given her to stir up trouble on Twitter, Bai Shuang called.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, are you still in H City?¡± Bai Shuang¡¯s voice was much calmer than it had been yesterday.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m leaving in two days. What¡¯s wrong? When are you leaving? Are youing back with me?¡±

    Bai Shuang looked at Dresden, who was sitting next to her, and smiled. ¡°I can leave after I send Mr. Dresden to Macau.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She sat up from the bed. ¡°Why will you send him to Macau? Is there no one else?¡±

    Because Dresden was looking at her, Bai Shuang had no choice but to say tactfully, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Mr. Dresden trusts me more. Lawyer He has a special status, so he can¡¯t move around as freely as I can.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with an ¡°oh.¡± She said, ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy. I don¡¯t have any objections.¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled and asked again, ¡°Then are you free tonight?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m free.¡± Gu Nianzhi said without hesitation, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do for the next two days. I was just about to get up and search the inte for other fun ces besides Disnend.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Bai Shuang finally understood what she meant. ¡°It¡¯s like this. Tonight, Mr. Dresden is going to an event on the international cruise ship to meet with reporters from several major international newspapers. However, Lawyer He is a Senator of the Legitive Council, so he can¡¯t apany him to meet the reporters in private. Therefore, Mr. Dresden would like you toe with us and only provide legal assistance. He will pay you the same sry as Lawyer He will.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care how much Dresden would pay, but she wanted to go along and see what other cards Dresden had up his sleeve.

    ¡°Going on a cruise? Who else is going?¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t worried about her safety, because Qin Zhining and the others were secretly protecting her, but she didn¡¯t want to agree too readily.

    ¡°Oh, Director Zhao from the Lu Corporation will go with us,¡± Bai Shuang said while blushing.

    In the past two days, she had been seeing Zhao Liangze more and more frequently, and her good impression of him had be deeper and deeper.

 Chapter 1525 - The European Emperor and the non-emirates (4000 + monthly pass for the second watch)

    <h4>Chapter 1525: The European Emperor and the non-emirates (4000 + monthly pass for the second watch)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was delighted to see the possibility of Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze falling in love again.

    She smiled and joked a little before agreeing. ¡°Is there any formal event for me to attend on the cruise tonight? If not, I won¡¯t dress up.¡±

    What she meant was that there was no need to pick out evening gowns.

    Bai Shuang quickly said, ¡°That cruise ship has a lot of entertainment facilities. You can watch shows, but there are no formal events. You should be able to handle it with a dress.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, felt that a dress wasn¡¯t very convenient. Moreover, she had made up her mind to hide behind the scenes. Even if there were formal events, she would avoid them.

    ¡°Okay, I get it. What cruise ship is it? Where is it? When do we leave?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. It wasn¡¯t even eight o¡¯clock in the morning. She still had a whole day to prepare and get a clear picture of the situation on the cruise ship.

    Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

    Bai Shuang looked at her invitation and ticket. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the invitation and ticketter. You¡¯ll have all the information you need there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Thank you, Bai Shuang.¡± Gu Nianzhi got out of bed happily and went to the bathroom to wash up.

    Half an hourter, Bai Shuang knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hotel door.

    Gu Nianzhi saw from the video that it was Bai Shuang, so she quickly opened the door to let her in.

    Bai Shuang handed her an envelope. ¡°I won¡¯t be going in. I still have a meeting with Mr. Dresden and Director Zhao at Lawyer He¡¯s. It should be about tonight. Do you want toe with us?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just there to make up the numbers. Don¡¯t mind me. You guys go ahead. Just take me out to sea with you tonight.¡±

    Bai Shuang was very regretful, but she had the excitement and enthusiasm of participating in a major event. She ced her hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, and she whispered, ¡°Thank you, Lawyer Gu. My luck hasn¡¯t been very good, but ever since I met you, my luck has been getting better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled with her eyes full of mirth. She proudly waved her fist in the air and said, ¡°Of course! Look who I am! I¡¯m someone who has the luck of a European King!¡±

    Bai Shuang smiled and hugged her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to suck in your aura as thee hapless one!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed at her words and was in a great mood.

    After Bai Shuang left, Gu Nianzhi called for breakfast.

    While she was waiting for breakfast, she studied the cruise ship¡¯s invitation and tickets.

    The cruise ship was called the Victoria Princess, but it wasn¡¯t an British cruise ship. It was a cruise ship that belonged to M City¡¯s Vian casino.

    It was ten stories tall and had more than a thousand rooms. It could carry three thousand tourists out to sea at the same time.

    Although it couldn¡¯tpare to the world¡¯srgest cruise ship, it was still of the upper middle level.

    Moreover, it was as luxurious as the world¡¯srgest cruise ship. In terms of unit size, it was even more luxurious than the world¡¯srgest cruise ship.

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi found out that the cruise ship belonged to the Vian casino, her parentpany, she immediately spected that the Princess Victoria cruise ship was a gambling ship.

    M City was the ¡°Las Vegas of the east¡±.

    What was Las Vegas?

    It was the famous gambling city in the United States.

    One could imagine what M City¡¯s main business was.

    Then the Victoria cruise, which belonged to the Vian casino in M City, was most likely a gambling ship.

    Gambling was legal in M City, but not in H City.

    Therefore, the cruise ship had to sail to the open sea, to an area outside H city that was beyond the jurisdiction of thew, before people could start gambling.

    Before that, as Bai Shuang said, people would probably be watching shows.

    There were all kinds ofrge-scale performances, as well as some small entertainment programs.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the introduction of the entertainment facilities on the cruise ship, and it was clear that there were some ces for gambling.

    She suddenly had some interest.

    When she was in the other world, she hadn¡¯t been able to enter the casino because she wasn¡¯t yet 18 years old. Although she had stayed in the United States for half a year, she hadn¡¯t gone to Las Vegas to see the world.

    Now that she was 20 years old, there was definitely no problem.

    She looked at the poster on the cruise ship¡¯s invitation card.

    It was obviously a ce for gambling, and those people were probably ying the famous ckjack game.

    This method of ying was more suitable for her because it was a gambling method that tested her memory the most.

    She wanted to test her photographic memory, and her mental arithmetic ability, which was as fast as aputer, to see if she could make a small profit from this method of ying.

    She studied it for a while, and breakfast was delivered.

    After eating breakfast in a hurry, Gu Nianzhi spent the whole morning investigating the situation on the cruise ship.

    It was a regr cruise ship with a strong police force and security.

    In the afternoon, Gu Nianzhi called Lu Yuan again and asked with a smile, ¡°President Lu, are you still in H City?¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at the information in his hands and frowned. He nodded. ¡°I have a party to attend tonight. What¡¯s wrong? You haven¡¯t gone back yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still staying for two more days. The ne ticket has just been changed.¡± Gu Nianzhi made the call while quickly catching up on the 21 o¡¯clock strategy.

    Lu Yuan thought that Gu Nianzhi wanted to go back as soon as possible, so he quickly said, ¡°Do you want me to call someone? Actually, I still have a private jet here that can be dispatched. Do you want them to send you back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Huh? President Lu, if you have a private jet, why would you buy amercial ne ticket? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to take a private jet?¡±

    Lu Yuan was at a loss for words. He thought to himself, why would I tell you that Lu Jin wanted to get close to you?

    Seeing that Lu Yuan was silent, Gu Nianzhi felt even more assured. She smiled and asked, ¡°President Lu, where¡¯s your brother, Mr. Lu Jin? I haven¡¯t seen him since the banquet the day before yesterday.¡±

    The corners of Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes twitched. This little girl was here to get information from him.

    Did she think he didn¡¯t know that Lu Jin had spent the whole day with her at Disnend yesterday?

    Of course, even if he did know, Lu Yuan wouldn¡¯t tell her.

    He chuckled and said, ¡°There¡¯s something he needs to take care of in C City. He leftst night.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she found out that Lu Jin had already left H City and was no longer in this unpredictable ce. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. Mr. Lu Jin is approachable, warm-hearted, and thoughtful. He¡¯s such a rare good person.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Miss, do you have a misunderstanding about the word ¡°good person¡±?

    Lu Yuan smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect Lu Yuan to reveal anything extraordinary. She smiled and continued, ¡°Bai Shuang invited me to go on the Princess Victoria Cruise tonight. Director Zhao is alsoing with us.¡±

    She didn¡¯t mention Dresden because she wasn¡¯t sure how much Lu Yuan knew about Dresden.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s smile faded as he stood up from behind his desk. He frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re going to the Princess Victoria cruise? That¡¯s a gambling ship. You know about it, right?¡±

    ¡°You know about it too?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Are you going to the Princess Victoria cruise tonight as well?¡±

    ¡°No, the party I¡¯m going to tonight is at Senator He¡¯s house,¡± Lu Yuan said calmly. He remembered that Zhao Liangze would be going with him, and that He Zhichu and He Chengjian had arranged so many bodyguards for Gu Nianzhi, so he wasn¡¯t worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Really? No wonder Lawyer He couldn¡¯t find time to spend with Mr. Dresden today. He still needs a newbie like me to help him solve his legal problems.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about the safety of international waters, so I wanted to ask if President Lu is going.¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you still worried?¡± Lu Yuanughed and joked with her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although it¡¯s international waters, if someone sells you on international waters, I¡¯ll definitely buy you back!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, President Lu. I eat a lot. If you want to buy me back, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to spend a lot of money.¡± Gu Nianzhiughed for a while before hanging up.

    If Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t going and Lawyer He wasn¡¯t going, then which international media outlet was Dresden going to meet on the Princess Victoria cruise?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were itchy. She hacked into the ticket system of the Princess Victoria cruise and got the list of tourists who had bought tickets.

    This was only the list of tourists who had bought tickets. If they wanted to transfer the tickets before boarding the ship, they could change the name. In general, it wasn¡¯t as strict as the ne ticket¡¯s rules.

    Gu Nianzhi skimmed through it and found that the Princess Victoria cruise had sold more than 2,000 tickets this time. It wasn¡¯t full, but judging from the time of the voyage, which was only one day and one night, these 2,000 tickets were enough.

    Gu Nianzhi downloaded the names, addresses, and ID numbers of more than 2,000 people but found nothing.

    Because she didn¡¯t have a database like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, even if she got the names, addresses, and ID numbers of these people, she wouldn¡¯t be able to quickly find out their upations.

    She struggled for two hours and finally gave up.

    No matter what, these people who had bought the tickets all looked very normal, like ordinary tourists anyway.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi wanted to know which international media outlet was meeting with Dresden, and what other juicy information Dresden had yet to reveal.

    ...

    At six o¡¯clock in the evening, Bai Shuang called Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu, the car is waiting for you at the entrance of the hotel. Get down quickly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed a Phillip Lim dark green mini satchel from the sofa and slung it around her neck.

    She was wearing a crisp and simple white Chanel silk blouse with an open cor and a Hermes Square scarf with a dark green and gold sunflower pattern around her neck. The lower hem of the silk shirt was tucked into the waistband of her Yves Saint Laurent¡¯s low-waisted jeans.

    She was originally wearing white Bourbon shoes, but when she looked in the mirror before leaving the house, she felt that it was better to change into high heels, which would make her legs look longer.

    She found her Manolo hnik nude high heels, which matched perfectly with her light wash pencil blue jeans.

    This brand of high heels was the mostfortable, so she wouldn¡¯t feel tired no matter how long she stood in them. The protection of her arches was very ergonomic.

    Gu Nianzhi was already 1.7 meters tall, so she looked even taller in these eight-centimeter high heels.

    She strolled out of the hotel lobby, and the people around her couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to her.

    Her long, straight legs were wrapped in extremely close-fitting jeans, and were very eye-catching.

    She saw a stretch Cadic limousine parked in front of the hotel, and her eyes curled up in a smile.

    Bai Shuang waved at her from the window. ¡°Lawyer Gu! This way!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over quickly.

    The driver quickly got out of the car and opened the door for her.

    Gu Nianzhi went in and sat next to Bai Shuang. She smiled and said, ¡°Whose car is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Lawyer He¡¯s. He lent it to us keep up appearances.¡±

    Zhao Liangze sat opposite Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang. He stretched his long legs and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He said teasingly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you¡¯re dressed really differently today. With two wings on your back, you¡¯ll be like a Victoria¡¯s Secret supermodel on the runway.¡±

 Chapter 1526 - Dear

    <h4>Chapter 1526: Dear</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked askance at Zhao Liangze. She raised her chin slightly and said arrogantly on purpose, ¡°At least you have good taste. I¡¯m going for the Victoria¡¯s Secret Angels Supermodel look today!¡±

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re so carefree. If one didn¡¯t know better, one would think you werepeting for attention!¡± Zhao Liangze wanted to tease Gu Nianzhi when he saw her, just like he was teasing his little sister at home.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was tall and slender, her big, bright eyes were ck and white, pure and fresh. Her voluptuous, red lips were always slightly curved, and she had a natural smile on her face. She wasn¡¯t aloof at all.

    Dresden, who was sitting next to Zhao Liangze, also looked at her a few more times andplimented her. ¡°Very pretty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thanked Dresden in English, then looked at Zhao Liangze and red at him. ¡°How can you say that? Competing for attention? I¡¯m that kind of person? Usually, men cry and shout to me topete for my attention. I always make them line up at the back.¡±

    ¡°Come on, you¡¯re only 20, right? You¡¯re so short with my ¡®sister¡¯...¡± Zhao Liangze leaned over and gently tapped her forehead. ¡°When you get on the boatter, don¡¯t run around alone. Follow your sister Bai Shuang.¡±

    Bai Shuang grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and smiled. ¡°Director Zhao will apany Mr. Dresden to meet his friendster. Let¡¯s y together, shall we?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked between Zhao Liangze and Dresden, then smiled. ¡°Okay, take care of yourselves then. I won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±

    Dresden expressed in English that he would pay Gu Nianzhi double her sry.

    Wondering where this man had gotten so much money, Gu Nianzhi looked at him thoughtfully?

    She had investigated his family background.

    From what she could find out, his family background was average. He came from an average middle-ss family in the United States. His father was a navy officer, his sister was a local government prosecutor, and his mother was a housewife.

    Dresden had gone to amunity college and had only been working for a few years. With an annual sry of 200,000 US dors, hisst job was rtively high-paid. However, he had been working in this high-paying job for less than two years.

    But ever since he had escaped, he had never seemed to worry about money.

    He had stayed in the best hotels, eaten the best food, and his clothes had been custom-made by designer brands. The watch on his hand was probably worth millions of US dors.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Dresden¡¯s shoes. They were a very expensive brand, and they looked custom-made.

    Custom-made men¡¯s shoes were more expensive than custom-made women¡¯s clothes.

    There were too many mysteries surrounding this man.

    Gu Nianzhi looked out of the car window at the scenery outside.

    The long Cadic limousine drove all the way, and the Victoria Harbor Pier was already in sight.

    After getting off the car and boarding the boat, Gu Nianzhi put the phone back into the dark green Phillip Lim mini satchel that she had worn.

    The satchel was ridiculously small. It could only hold two phones and a wallet, a Dior Addict lipstick, as well as the packet of tissues that Lu Jin had given her on the nest time.

    She treasured them very much, and didn¡¯t want to waste any of them.

    The phone that Lu Jin had given her had an extremely high battery capacity. Although it hadn¡¯t been given a number, she could use it as aputer wherever there was WiFi.

    The other phone, the one with a phone number, was the one that she often used.

    Gu Nianzhi walked behind Zhao Liangze and Dresden with Bai Shuang. The four of them walked to the hall on the tenth floor of the cruise ship.

    Their tickets were on the tenth floor, which was the highest floor.

    It was the most scenic ce, the most expensive ce, and the ce with the most entertainment venues.

    Gu Nianzhi walked in and was stunned by the magnificent frescoes and decorations that looked just like the Louvre in France.

    She had once seen the news that the current president of the United States was a man who especially liked shiny gold decorations, so after he moved into the White House, he wished he could rece the toilets in the bathroom with the luxurious style of gold powder. The reason was that in his own building, his bathroom was all decorated with real gold.

    And the tenth floor hall of this gambling ship was very suitable for the current president of the United States.

    The endless roof was all decorated with gold, and all kinds of embossed ancient Greek murals shone with a golden light.

    The ceiling at the corner of the room was also strengthened with dark gold lights.

    Standing at the door, she saw that everyone seemed to be made of gold.

    Perhaps the casino owner here thought that every passenger was his ¡°patron¡± and was here to give him gold, so he liked to see everyone ¡°shining¡± in the hall.

    And the hall here was different from other ces. A castle floating on the water, it was like the water city of Venice.

    There was a huge pool, several meters deep, in the hall.

    Gambling halls were floating on the pool.

    From one gambling hall to another, one could only pass through a sharp-edged boat gliding in the pool in the hall.

    The boat was polished very smooth. It was painted with tung oil, and the wood was dark red. The water surface wasn¡¯t wet at all.

    Zhao Liangze turned around and smiled at them. ¡°Mr. Dresden and I are taking the No. 1 boat over there to discuss something. Which gambling hall are you going to y in?¡±

    There was an electronic disy at the entrance of the hall. It disyed the locations and numbers of all the gambling dens on this floor.

    The No. 1 boat didn¡¯t go to any gambling dens. Instead, it headed to a building that looked like an octagonal pavilion in the middle of the hall.

    The curtains were slightly drawn, and the only thing that could be seen through the corner of the light was the fragrance of clothes and the shadows of the temples. Laughter filled the air.

    That was where the most important people frequented.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t interested in that ce at all. She took a look at the electronic disy.

    There were four gambling halls that yed ckjack, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to choose the second gambling hall on the east side.

    Because the deck was just outside the gambling hall, she could see the sea view, the moon, and the sunrise from the deck.

    Bai Shuang also said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with ;awyer Gu.¡±

    Zhao Liangze and Dresden turned around and waved at them before they boarded the first ship.

    Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang then boarded the second ship.

    The second ship rowed east and headed towards the second casino, which was on the easternmost side of the deck.

    This was also the casino with the most people ying ckjack.

    After getting off the ship, Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang changed their chips at the entrance.

    They weren¡¯t in a hurry to go in, so they took a rough look at the entrance. There were at least twenty gambling tables in the second casino.

    On each table, there was a dealer in charge of dealing cards, and the number of tourists involved ranged from one to five.

    The corner closest to the deck waspletely covered by a dark golden velvet curtain, and no one knew where that ce was.

    Not only were there more people betting at the lively tables, but there were also more onlookers than elsewhere.

    The gambling tables were also different in size. They were arranged neatly along the shape of the gambling hall, and there were bonsai and screens intersecting each other.

    The gambling tables not only gave a certain amount of privacy to the tourists who ced their bets, but also did notpletely cut off theirmunication with others. It could be said that the customers were the most important.

    It could be said that among all thepanies in the world, the casino was thepany that had the best attitude toward their customers.

    Of course, the degree of exploitation of customers by the casino was also something that otherpanies could notpare to.

    Therefore, you get what you pay for. It was true that they would not take advantage of each other.

    Gu Nianzhi picked a medium-sized gambling table in the middle and said to Bai Shuang, ¡°I¡¯ll go there. What about you?¡±

    Bai Shuang also looked at it and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you. I¡¯ve never been to a ce like this before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and made a face. ¡°I¡¯ve never been here before either. But with you as mypanion, I¡¯ll feel braver.¡±

    Bai Shuang walked in with her. Standing next to her, she felt as if she was surrounded by a sea of beautiful scenery.

    Both of them were dressed in in clothes, but the female guests here were all more gorgeous than the other.

    There was an English beauty in a low-cut miniskirt with shoulder-length red hair. With a brandy ss in her hand, she was grinning from ear to ear as she sat next to a fat Caucasian tourist and she was watching him ce his bet.

    There was a blonde beauty in a ck dress with only two holes in her chest. Her blue eyes were as beautiful as the clear sky.

    Sitting at the gambling table, shezily threw out a card and crossed her legs. Her skirt was suddenly lifted up to reveal her white thighs.

    The tourist next to her was a middle-aged Chinese man. His eyes could not help but nce at her legs and he neglected the card in his hand.

    A burst ofughter was heard.¡±... Straight flush! I won!¡±

    It was the blonde beauty in the ck dress with her thighs exposed.

    The Chinese man next to her who was attracted by her thighs looked dejected. He threw away the cards in his hand and muttered,¡±... This is so shady! I¡¯m not ying anymore!¡±

    He picked up his coat that was draped on the back of the chair and got up to leave.

    The blonde girl who had just called out ¡°straight flush¡±stood up as well and said to the Chinese man in broken Chinese, ¡°Sir, would you like a drink?¡±

    The man¡¯s anger turned to joy. He turned around and pulled her hand. ¡°That¡¯s the bar counter over there. Would you like to join us, miss?¡±

    The two of them quickly went to have a drink together.

    Two seats were made avable.

    Gu Nianzhi and Bai Shuang quickly walked over and took their seats.

    The dealer at their table was a Caucasian woman who only spoke English. She didn¡¯t even bat an eye at the Chinese-speaking tourists.

    Every time she dealt, she was cold and didn¡¯t even look at them. There was always a look of dejection on her face.

    However, she was fast with her hands, urate with her cards, and yed fast. As a result, their table attracted some people.

    It was here that Gu Nianzhi slowly built up her fame and reputation.

    The first round: ¡°... Full House.¡± (three equal and two equal)

    The dealer only had one pair, so she won.

    The second round: ¡°... Four of a kind.¡± (ten equal cards)

    The dealer only had full house, so she bet on the dealer again.

    In the third round, the dealer, who had been looking at Gu Nianzhi with a hopeless expression, looked at her with confidence and asked if she would follow.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Of course. ¡ª straight flush.¡±(I have a flush.).

    The dealer only had four of kind, and she had another one on him.

    In the fourth round, the dealer had finished thest round of cards and was finally in a better mood. He looked at Gu Nianzhi again. This time, she said in Chinese. ¡°Are you still going to follow?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°So you speak Chinese? ¡ª Of course I¡¯m going to follow!¡±

    She unfolded the cards in her hands.¡±... Royal Flush¡±.

    The dealer¡¯s face was ashen, and her arms were shaking so hard that she almost couldn¡¯t pick up the cards in her hands.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned over and looked at all her cards. She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you only have a normal royal flush. I¡¯m betting on you again.¡±

    She had won four consecutive games, and each time, she had only won slightly more than the dealer. This was very rare.

    It couldn¡¯t have been pure luck.

    The experts in the casino¡¯s monitoring room immediately began to analyze whether and how Gu Nianzhi had cheated.

    In their opinion, no one would be able to remember all the cards by using the shuffler to shuffle six deck cards at the same time, so Gu Nianzhi must have cheated.

    However, other than smiling at the dealer and flipping the cards with her hands, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t make any other physical movements.

    The casino¡¯s experts couldn¡¯t figure out how Gu Nianzhi had ¡°cheated,¡± but that did not stop them from kicking her out of the table.

    ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t continue ying on this table. Please change to another table.¡± The casino¡¯s staff walked over politely and changed the dealer at the table at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi had yed a total of six rounds and won all of them. She had already won over a hundreds of thousands of dors worth of chips.

    Bai Shuang had only yed two rounds with her and had won a few thousand dors.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that the casinos had this rule.

    If she won a little more, the casinos would cklist her. From then on, she would be banned from casinos all over the world for a certain period of time.

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t argue with these people. She stood up with a smile and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll y another table.¡±

    She made up her mind to lose a little so that she would not really be on the ¡°cklist¡± and not be able to have a lot of fun in the future.

    Because she had be the ¡°focus of attention¡± in this gambling hall, the casino staff directly led her to the A-ss gambling table, which had the highest stakes, the strictest supervision, and the highest level of gamblers.

    It was the ce in the corner that was covered by a dark golden velvet curtain.

    The staff led her in.

    Bai Shuang wasn¡¯t qualified to go in yet.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to her and said, ¡°You y by yourself. It¡¯s on me if you lose.¡± She grabbed a handful ofrge chips for her.

    With Bai Shuang¡¯s ying style, she probably wouldn¡¯t lose all her chips even if she yed all night.

    Bai Shuang smiled and waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you nearby. Don¡¯t y too long.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m just going to see the world.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a face at her.

    The dark golden velvet curtain was lifted and Gu Nianzhi walked in. She found a random seat and sat down.

    There weren¡¯t many people here. There were three people scattered around the table. Including her, there were only four people. There was also a dealer who was standing. There were five people in total.

    The dealer was a handsome white man with ck hair and blue eyes. When he saw her enter, he smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s a real beauty joining our battle tonight.¡±

    The other three gamblers who were sitting were all men. When they heard this, two of them turned to look at her. Their eyes lit up and they couldn¡¯t help bute over to talk to her.

    These two were old, and Gu Nianzhi was impatient to talk to them.

    She didn¡¯t want a Sugar Daddy, so why would she deal with these old men?

    She nodded politely and waved for them to sit down.

    There was only one man sitting there. He didn¡¯t get up to greet her. He just looked at the cards in front of the dealer indifferently.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at them casually. Suddenly, she froze.

    Her heart started beating uncontrobly.

    The sound was so loud that her eardrums were like drums. She suspected that everyone here could hear her heartbeat.

    However, when she looked at the people around her, they did not notice anything at all. All their attention was on the poker cards in front of the dealer.

    However, she could no longer remember the cards. She looked straight at him.

    The man sitting next to her was sitting on a European-style ssical chair. His posture waszy. One of his arms was curled up on the gambling table. There was a cigar in his hand, but he did not light it. His other arm was t on the gambling table. He held a card in his hand.

    His face was so handsome that it made one feel despair. It was cold, but charming, yet unwitting. It had a devilish charm to it.

    His facial features were exquisite and beautiful. His eyebrows were like mountains, and his long eyshes were like a dense forest on the mountainside. His deep eyes looked down. His tall and straight nose bridge was filled with a sculptural beauty.

    The curve of his jaw was especially exquisite. It was like the golden ratio of a human face. It was in line with everyone¡¯s definition and fantasy of beauty.

    Gu Nianzhi was almost stunned. Her heart was beating wildly. She wanted to scream and run like mad. She wanted to rush over and shake him so that he would see her as soon as possible!

    All the noise and luxury in the casino had disappeared. He was the only one in her eyes.

    But he had been sitting there expressionlessly. His long and powerful fingers were ying with a card.

    After a while, he looked up and said coldly in Chinese,¡±... Have you seen enough?¡±

    His voice was cold and devoid of any warmth.

    His deep, dark eyes were filled with disgust and annoyance, as if he hated this situation to the core.

    Before Gu Nianzhi could react, the dark golden velvet curtain behind her was lifted again.

    A gorgeous and tall Asian beauty with long and wavy hair dyed in burgundy-red walked in and sat on the man¡¯sp. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered her head to give him a kiss on the right cheek. She smiled and said in Russian, ¡°My dear, that little girl was almost drooling when she saw you.¡±

    A second ago, the world before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes was still a kaleidoscope of dazzling splendor.

    A secondter, her kaleidoscope suddenly fell to the ground. All kinds of splendor and leaving only broken pieces of ss, the beautiful illusion was shattered.

 Chapter 1527 - Who Is He

    <h4>Chapter 1527: Who Is He</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big eyes, like stars, dimmed little by little.

    Trying to say something, she stared at the man sitting next to her in a daze, but her throat interfered very much. Her plump lips trembled and she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    They clearly had the same exact facial features, but they seemedpletely different.

    The Huo Shaoheng in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory was a thick and colorful oil painting. It was full of majestic sublimity. Although he was also so breathtakingly beautiful, he still had human warmth and generosity.

    But the person in front of her was more like an exquisite beauty drawn with meticulous brushwork. Every thing about him was perfect and impable, but he was as cold as frost, and different from how he was her memory.

    In her memory, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice, shaking people¡¯s hearts like a subwoofer, was low and maic.

    The man in front of her had a clear and cold voice that was a typical baritone.

    Gu Nianzhi cared about both looks and voices. When the person spoke, Gu Nianzhi knew she had recognized the wrong person.

    That voice waspletely different.

    The initial throbbing gradually dissipated, and more and more differences reminded her that this is not the person in her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and retracted her gaze. She looked at the card in the croupier¡¯s hand in front of him.

    She didn¡¯t have the energy to count the cards anymore. She lost three in a row, and tens of thousands of dors was gone in the blink of an eye.

    Her face was full of pain and unbearable grief. In the eyes of the people monitoring the casino, she appeared sad from losing money, so they couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    Fortunately, this person wasn¡¯t strong enough to make them look at her with awe, or get added to the ¡°cklist¡±.

    And the man next to her, who looked exactly like Huo Shaoheng won a big win, more than she had just won at another gaming table.

    ¡°My dear, you are so amazing!¡± The morous woman sitting on hisp embraced him and with big red lip prints covering his face one after another, she kissed him again and again.

    He only looked at her with a smile, took out the tissue, wiped his face gracefully. He then stretched the tissue with red lips and lip marks in front of the woman. His voice was pampering and clear, ¡°...Naughty rascal.¡±

    Both of them spoke Russian, and Gu Nianzhi used to learn Russian by herself when she was in the other world, so she could understand ordinary daily conversations. At this time, the blow to her was even worse.

    She had a dull expression and her body was stiff. She finally couldn¡¯t listen anymore.

    She stood up abruptly, turned around, and rushed out of this specially-concealed gaming table. She did not hesitate to push open the French window in front of her, came to the outside of the deck, and gasped for breath.

    When she was inside just now, she felt really suffocated, and she almost forgot to breathe.

    She exhausted almost all of her self-control to not lose it in front of that person.

    The deck outside was luxurious andfortable, and a few post-modern sofas produced by the designer were ced in a circle along the railing.

    Gu Nianzhi circumvented the sofa and rushed to the railing. She was holding the railing tightly with both hands and her body was shaking in the night wind.

    Not far from her, a tall man with a cigarette in his hand was indifferently watching the moonlight on the sea, and gently exhaling a puff of white smoke as he stood on the deck.

    The moonlight was hazy, and his handsome face was more beautiful than the moonlight.

    Gu Nianzhi burst out and couldn¡¯t stop her tears.

    She was extremely emotional, and she didn¡¯t notice that there was someone standing there at all.

    As she stood there with tears in her eyes, the man walked up to her and gently hugged her into his arms.

    Gu Nianzhi hallucinated for a mmoment. She snuggled up and mumbled, ¡°Major General Huo, is that you?¡±

    The man froze for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed the top of her hair. His clear and indifferent voice rang in her ear, ¡°No, I¡¯m He Zhichu. Don¡¯t recognize the wrong person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. A stream of tears rolled down again, and wet the front of He Zhichu¡¯s chest.

    He Zhichu held a cigarette in one hand, and Gu Nianzhi in the other. With no expression on his face, he took another sip.

    Uncontrobly indulging herself, Gu Nianzhi greedily smelled the familiar smell of cigarettes in his arms.

    Soothing her nervousness silently, He Zhichu patted her back lightly.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi whispered, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    He Zhichu looked down at her deeply and said: ¡°...I was worried that you couldn¡¯t ept it, so Ie to see you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged his thin waist, rubbed her face against it, and said, ¡°You knew? Did you see him?¡±

    He Zhichu did not speak, and touched her head.

    ¡°When I saw him at first sight, I thought I was going crazy from thinking about him so much that I was having hallucinations.¡± Gu Nianzhi whimpered, ¡°But when he opened his mouth, I knew it wasn¡¯t...it wasn¡¯t him...¡±

    Because the Major General Huo she loved won¡¯t look at her with such cold and indifferent eyes.

    Because the Major General Huo she loved doesn¡¯t look at other woman with such doting eyes.

    Because the Major General Huo she loved will not flirt with another woman in front of her....

    Gu Nianyi couldn¡¯t bear the situation just now.

    Even though she knew that he wasn¡¯t him, watching him talk to other women in front of her with that face made Gu Nianzhi want to die.

    She leaned in He Zhichu¡¯s arms and whispered, ¡°Before, I looked down on people who had to live or die for the sake of romance, but just now, when I rushed out for a moment, I really wanted to jump down from this ten-story building.¡±

    ¡°If you die, I¡¯ll be dead with no headache, no heartbreak, no need to face that kind of embarrassment...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a hypocrite, a coward who says things that are easier said than done.¡± Gu Nianzhi constantly denounced her own cowardice and ipetence.

    He Zhichu stayed silent for a long time, then said, ¡°You can¡¯t be med either. Everyone will overestimate their ability to bear and underestimate their ability to endure.¡±

    So only you know if the shoes fit.

    After Gu Nianzhi cried, and her gloominess was released to a certain extent, her mood gradually calmed down.

    Buried in He Zhichu¡¯s arms, she muttered, ¡°Who is that person? Do you know him?¡±

    Since He Zhichu was able to rush over, he must have some understanding of that person¡¯s identity.

    He Zhichu first thought about it, but didn¡¯t hide it from her, because he was worried that concealment would cause her more trouble.

    He lowered his head and said in a very low voice in her ear, ¡°...He is the Soviet Union¡¯s KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter. His Chinese name is also Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi trembled uncontrobly when she heard the name.

    She remembered that she had asked Xie Qingying about Xie Ziyan¡¯s whereabouts. Xie Qingying said that Xie Ziyan went to the Soviet Union in her early years.

    Then she asked her why not ask the Soviet Union¡¯s KGB to help find her....

    A casual remarkes true unexpectedly afterwards.

    It is like no matter how the gear of fate turns, it can bring the same people to the same situation.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face became paler and paler. She didn¡¯t know how to face all this.

    He first held her tighter, and continued to whisper in her ear, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You can¡¯t stand it when you hear his name?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a hard jab, pushed him away, turned her head back and stroked her hair, then said ufortably, ¡°No, I just saw him so I was a little surprised.¡±

    He Zhichu narrowed his almond-shaped eyes and looked at her for a while, as if to gauge how true her words were. ¡°Really? Just surprised? Don¡¯t want to say hello?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a nk look. Reying the scene from just now in her mind, she suddenly recovered, and said in surprise, ¡°That woman is Xiao Ye?!¡±

    She quickly remembered that Xiao Ye had also worked as an agent in the Russian KGB before, but at that time, she used a disguised appearance, so she appeared very ordinary.

    And Xiao Ye¡¯s real appearance was very beautiful, just like that woman with long curly hair.

    She had been with Xiao Ye day and night for more than a month and was very familiar with her.

    But when she first saw a man who looked exactly like Huo Shaoheng, she was shocked, extremely emotional, and her attention waspletely attracted by him. She didn¡¯t realize who the beautiful woman sitting on hisp was.

    He Zhichu looked back, nodded, took a cigarette, and said, ¡°Yes, she is Xiao Ye and Linda. She is the bombshell of the Soviet KGB in the Far East.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. ¡°Huo Shaoheng became Peter and Xiao Ye became Linda?¡±

    She remembered Peter of the other dimension. He was a man who always had his eyelids drooped, as if he was barely awake all the time, and he looked very ordinary.

    And in the other dimension, Xiao Ye used to be undercover in the KGB. Her Russian name was Lina, not Linda.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± He Zhichu nodded and gently dusted the soot into the sea. ¡°Theoretically, because we don¡¯t have Huo Shaoheng here, he became Peter of the KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau.¡±

    ¡°...He is the counterpart of the other dimension¡¯s Major General Huo, right?¡± Not letting go of his expression, Gu Nianzhi stared at He Zhichu closely.

 Chapter 1528 - Iâ€™ll Kill Him

    <h4>Chapter 1528: I¡¯ll Kill Him</h4>

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes. The darkness concealed his line of sight, and his cold and clear voice pierced through the sea of darkness.

    He said, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Major General Huo¡¯s counterpart. Look, there¡¯s also Huo Shaoheng over here. Have you given up now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was enraged by his words and raised her head. ¡°Give up? Why should I give up? Even if he¡¯s... Huo Shaoheng¡¯s counterpart, I won¡¯t give up!¡±

    He Zhichu chuckled and looked at her indifferently. ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and looked stubborn. She remembered seeing that man kissing Lina so affectionately that their faces were a mess. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll kill him!¡±

    As long as he was dead, Huo Shaoheng would naturally be cleared of any obstacles.

    He Zhichu was so angry that heughed. He asked in return, ¡°Do you really know who he is? If you want to kill him, you might as well kill yourself so that you don¡¯t get into big trouble!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the Soviet KGB¡¯s trump card in the Far East! Nobody has seen his face in more than a decade!¡±

    ¡°This time, for America¡¯s Dresden, the Soviets made a deal with us to show their sincerity by asking him toe over and receive us.¡±

    ¡°So, you want to kill the KGB¡¯s trump card?¡±

    He Zhichu pointed at her with his cigarette between his fingers. ¡°Even Mr. X, the most powerful secret service agent of the CIA, doesn¡¯t dare to boast like this. Should I say that you¡¯re a newborn calf that isn¡¯t afraid of tigers, or that ignorant people are fearless?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She turned her head and speechless, she looked at the undting surface of the sea.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t tell you. We don¡¯t have enough energy to support another maic resonance, so we won¡¯t be able to open the passage to that side for a hundred years.¡± He Zhichu took out a lighter. He tossed it up and down. ¡°Do you know what this means?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve said it before.¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her hands on the railing of the ship and looked at the moon in the sky with a stiff expression on her face. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but I¡¯m confused. Why didn¡¯t you worry about running out of energy when you and Wen Shouyi used toe and go as you pleased?¡±

    He Zhichu turned on the lighter and lit another cigarette for himself. He said, ¡°Actually, this is also an unsolved case. The energy we have stored canst for a thousand years. We shouldn¡¯t have run out so quickly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu took a drag on his cigarette and slowly blew out a smoke ring. He said, ¡°Do you remember when Qin Zhining took you over, you didn¡¯t go straight back to the imperial capital. Instead, you inexplicably went to Snake Ind in the Caribbean Sea?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Fortunately, Qin Zhining was stupid enough. Otherwise, I would have suffered even more.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t smile. Like a moving picture under the moonlight, his eyes were deep and meaningful.

    He turned around and sat on the railing. His long legs stretched on the deck as he looked at the situation inside the French window. He said calmly, ¡°Actually, there was an ident when we picked you up. The maic resonance machine was suddenly affected by a strong maic field. It was as if another force was fighting with us for your coordinates.¡±

    ¡°The loss of energy suddenly increased by hundreds or thousands of times. Finally, our staff remembered that I hadn¡¯t returned yet. They were worried that all the energy would be exhausted, so they hastily cut off the connection, so you and Qin Zhining were thrown to Snake Ind in the Caribbean Sea.¡±

    After He Zhichu finished speaking, he looked at her and reached out to pick up the long hair tied up at the back of her head. He put it in front of his nose and sniffed it. He said, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, the maic field energy that was fighting us for your coordinates didn¡¯t go well either. When the two armies fought, we lost 1,000 of our own and they lost 800 of theirs. Their situation is worse than ours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood one thing from He Zhichu¡¯s vague description.

    It was something that had gone wrong when she had first arrived. In that short span of ten seconds, she had almost exhausted all the high-energy maic field energy in this world.

    ¡°When you returned to this world, your energy waspletely used up?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu nodded and said meaningfully, ¡°That¡¯s about it. The current energy is only enough to monitor the maic field of the other side. But if they really want to do something, there¡¯s nothing we can do to stop them.¡±

    He Zhichu also turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. His face was expressionless, but his meaning was clear.

    He hadn¡¯t nned to tell Gu Nianzhi about this matter in detail.

    But now that the dust had settled, even if Huo Shaoheng came over, he wouldn¡¯t cause them any harm. Moreover, seeing how sad Gu Nianzhi was, he had told her everything in order to make her give uppletely.

    Her eyes sparkling, Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°You can still monitor the maic field over there? How? Can you make a phone call?¡±

    He Zhichu snorted with a half-hearted smile on his face, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Yes, they haven¡¯t given up and are still trying to find the frequency of the maic resonance. However, my father has already told them about the physics of parallel space. If they¡¯re not afraid of death, they cane over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened. She understood what He Zhichu meant.

    ¡°You want to call that side?¡± He Zhichu looked at her calmly. ¡°Contact that side? Wait for them to achieve a technological breakthrough and open a passage for you to pass through?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything, but it was obvious that that was what she meant.

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°It would be great if it was that simple. Don¡¯t think about it. Even if they open the maic passage, you won¡¯t be able to pass through.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes reddened again. This was herst hope.

    When she saw the KGB¡¯s Far East Acest night, she knew that this was the only way.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯te over, so she had to go over there.

    There was no energy here. She could only hope that they could find the frequency of the maic resonance and open the maic channel so she could go over.

    However, He Zhichu didn¡¯t hesitate to crush herst hope.

    Gu Nianzhi took a step forward and grabbed He Zhichu¡¯spel. She said angrily, ¡°Speak clearly! Why can¡¯t I?! I can definitely go there myself! You and Wen Shouyi cane and go as you please!¡±

    He Zhichu grabbed her hand that was grabbing hispel and pulled it down. He said indifferently, ¡°Because they didn¡¯t mark your human maic field data, so they can¡¯t let you enter the maic resonance channel they opened.¡±

    ¡°Human maic field data? !¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She didn¡¯t know anything about high-energy physics. It was really depressing.

    ¡°You know that the human body also has a maic field, even though it¡¯s very weak.¡± He Zhichu raised his hand that was holding the cigarette and stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pretty little face, ¡°Everyone¡¯s maic field is different, just like DNA. It¡¯s also a unique symbol for every human body.¡±

    ¡°The biggest function of a maic field resonator is to identify the frequency of the maic field, including the frequency of the human body, the natural world, and the space-time maic field.¡±

    ¡°When the maic field resonator opens the maic field channel, only the human body¡¯s maic field that it can identify can enter the space-time opposite through the maic field that it opens. ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s thin lips curled up slightly to reveal a mocking smile. ¡°As for the maic resonance machine on the other side, it has been in secret research for so many years. You left their world before they had the time to mark your human maic field, so even if they open the maic field channel, you won¡¯t be able to get through.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if she had been struck by a heavy blow. She staggered back a few steps. ¡°They have to mark the human maic field? !¡±

    ¡°Of course. Do you think the maic resonance machine is that powerful? You can just open it up and send an army of thousands of soldiers over?¡± He Zhichu looked at her calmly. ¡°My father Wwon¡¯t tell you this, but I don¡¯t want to hide it from you, or give you false hope and unrealistic fantasies.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was vtile. She clenched her fists and quickly found a loophole. She sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t try to trick me. If you didn¡¯t mark my maic field data on your side, why were you ablt to kidnap me?¡±

    He Zhichu raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, we have your maic field data.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°When did you mark it? !¡±

    ¡°... Seven years ago, when you were sent there, your maic field data was marked in that maic resonance machine.¡± He Zhichu looked at her with pity. ¡°That MRI machine was the one we foundter. It¡¯s also the one we¡¯ve been using.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Seven years ago... ? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, do you still remember that car ident? When I chased after you, I only saw your car disappear in the fire. Your father wasughing maniacally in the fire...¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything else. He turned his head and looked away.

    He had seen the fire engulf the car with his own eyes. The little girl in the car, and Gu Xiangwen, who wasughing hysterically with his head raised...

    He had thought that she had been burned to death just like Gu Xiangwen.

    Later, his father, He Chengjian, had set up a thorough investigation. Only then had he discovered the abnormality of the high-energy maic field and found the maic resonance instrument hidden nearby.

    With the help of the high-energy physicists here, they finally confirmed that the car hadn¡¯t been burned in the fire, but had gone to a parallel space-time instead.

    ¡°My fatherughed maniacally in the fire...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled. She opened her mouth to ask a few more questions, but quickly changed her mind.

    ¡°... So you¡¯re saying that no matter what, I can¡¯t go over, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over, took the burning cigarette from He Zhichu¡¯s hand, and threw it forcefully into the sea. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t ever smoke in front of me again! I don¡¯t like it!¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t seem to dislike Huo Shaoheng smoking in front of you.¡± He Zhichu pped his hands and dusted off some cigarette ash.

    ¡°Yes, because you¡¯re not him.¡± Gu Nianzhi finished speaking and turned to enter the gambling hall.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and stared at the floor-to-ceiling window that was already closed. He shook his head with a wry smile.

    She knew how to stab him in the heart the best.

    So it seemed like he really just had to get used to it.

    ...

    Full of anger, Gu Nianzhi returned to the gambling table. The KGB¡¯s ace had a small mountain of chips piled up in front of him.

    With one hand on her head and looking lovingly at the KGB¡¯s ace, the KGB¡¯s beauty Lina was sitting there in the same seat she previously was.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and walked over to knock on the table in front of her. She said coldly in Chinese, ¡°Miss, this is my seat. You¡¯ve taken over the magpie¡¯s nest.¡±

 Chapter 1529 - Artful In Dealing With People

    <h4>Chapter 1529: Artful In Dealing With People</h4>

    The beautiful Linda turned her head away in amusement and looked up at Gu Nianzhi from the bottom. She smiled and said something in Russian, meaning that she didn¡¯t understand Chinese, and asked Gu Nianzhi what she was saying.

    She had originally wanted to intimidate this arrogant girl, but unexpectedly, Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said directly to the ¡°Far East Ace¡± next to Linda, ¡°Sir, your girlfriend has taken my seat. Tell her to move away.¡±

    Linda¡¯s mouth twitched and she giggled as she stood up to give up her seat. She crossed her arms and said in perfect Chinese, ¡°Youngdy, you speak so vulgarly. Where are your manners? Are you worthy of your designer clothes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t know Chinese and don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about? Now you¡¯re not pretending anymore?¡±

    Linda¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°... You know Russian?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t understand a single letter.¡± Gu Nianzhi was furious; however, her face was beaming. She stretched out her snow-white fingers and waved them in front of Linda. She sat down and clicked her tongue, ¡°Miss, please stay away from me when you¡¯re talking. The powder on your face is so thick that it¡¯s flying right in front of me. I have asthma. Let me tell you, it¡¯s deadly to be affected by your powder.¡±

    ¡°You still dare to gamble on a high-seas cruise ship when you have asthma?¡± Linda brushed her long, wavy hair with her hand and winked flirtatiously. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going back to lie down and rest?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, do you?¡± Gu Nianzhi snapped her fingers in all seriousness. ¡°Asthma patients have great strength, so it¡¯s much more fun to win the Winter Olympics. Only with asthma can you win the gold medal, understand?¡±

    The two older men next to them couldn¡¯t helpughing when they heard the two beauties arguing.

    Linda was gorgeous, while Gu Nianzhi was delicate and pretty. Although they were different types of beauties, they were both the best of their kind.

    It was pleasant to watch the beauties argue.

    However, perhaps it was because Linda¡¯s Chinese wasn¡¯t fluent or she wasn¡¯t as eloquent as Gu Nianzhi, but she was stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rebuke and was about to retort when she remembered something, and her expression turned ugly.

    She looked deeply at Gu Nianzhi. and a hint of vignce and annoyance shed in her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi happened to look up and met her eyes. She immediately narrowed her eyes. She said unhappily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s with that look? Do you not believe in the ability of an asthma patient? Or are you trying to teach me a lesson aftering up with this gambling boat? Why are you so unreasonable? Aren¡¯t you out of control?¡±

    Linda was one of the top aces in the KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau. Her reputation as the ¡°Bombshell of the Far East¡± in the KGB wasn¡¯t for nothing.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was indeed out of control.

    Linda instantly regained her confidence and smiled. She stopped talking nonsense with Gu Nianzhi and simply sat on thep of the ¡°Ace of the Far East¡±. She lowered her head and said to him, ¡°My dear, there are people who don¡¯t like me. Why don¡¯t you help me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she wanted to hit her.

    Showing off their love and acting coquettishly in front of her, and even pulling a person who looked exactly like her man to act coquettishly towards ¡ª Was she looking down on Gu Nianzhi? !

    Deep down, Gu Nianzhi knew that she was being unreasonable.

    This ¡°Ace of the Far East¡± had nothing to do with her Major General Huo, but she hadn¡¯t seen him for a long time. Even if she looked at a fake, it was better than nothing, and it was eye candy.

    Unexpectedly, God didn¡¯t go along with her wishes and added another person as an eyesore.

    Well then, no one would be able to get away with it.

    Gu Nianzhi mmed the table and said angrily to the surveince camera diagonally in front of the gambling table, ¡°How much did I win just now? You thought I was cheating and even invited me out of the gambling table and threw me here.¡±

    She pointed at the chips in front of the ¡°Far East Ace¡±. ¡°But what about him? Look at how much he won! Why isn¡¯t anyone here to chase him away? You¡¯re just looking at him like that! A person like him should be cklisted! He¡¯s not allowed to enter the casino for life!¡±

    The staff on the other side of the surveince camera were very embarrassed.

    They knew that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t see their faces, but they still looked away guiltily.

    It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t want to ask the man who had won millions of dors to leave the casino, but this man had a tinum VIP card from a gambling ship. He could overdraw indefinitely and win unlimited money.

    Even if he really did cheat, they could only watch.

    They, the lowly surveince personnel, had no right to criticize this ¡°casino mogul¡±.

    In a sense, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t wrong. They were just ¡°artful in dealing with people¡±.

    After Gu Nianzhi finished speaking, she saw that there was still no movement from the surveince cameras, so she became even more embarrassed and angry. She red at the dealer. ¡°Issue the card! What are you looking at? ! If you keep looking I¡¯llin about your sexual harassment!¡±

    The dealer: ¡°...¡±

    He quickly lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare look again. He shuffled the cards again and began a new round of dealing.

    Linda could now see where Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hostility came from. She giggled and kissed the man again while saying, ¡°Darling, what¡¯s wrong with that girl? Do you really not know her? Look at her constantly peeping at you. Even her eyes are red.¡±

    The ¡°Far East Ace¡± was expressionless. He said without turning his head,¡±... How should I know? Maybe she¡¯s lost her mind.¡±

    Linda burst outughing.

    Her ample breasts were jumping around nonstop, and almost colliding with the ¡°Far East Ace¡±¡®s face.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t look anymore. She used her hand to block the other side¡¯s line of sight andughed coldly in her heart. Show off your love and it¡¯ll die quickly. People show off what theyck..

    Her eyes were fixed on the dealer¡¯s hand and forcing her attention to the cards.

    After this round of cards had been dealt, Gu Nianzhi finally recovered.

    The first round was a straight flush. Although it was slightly smaller than the ¡°Far East Ace¡¯s¡± straight flush, it was bigger than the other two men¡¯s and the dealer¡¯s cards.

    After slowly winning back the tens of thousands of dors she had just lost, Gu Nianzhi took aim at the ¡°Far East Ace¡± and Linda.

    As long as they made out, she would increase the bet once.

    Her photographic memory, under the double stimtion, yed a stronger role than at the other gambling table just now.

    For the next three rounds, she yed the royal flush, and because she didn¡¯t like the two lovebirds next to her, she kept doubling the stakes.

    After three rounds, she had already increased the hundred thousand dors she had just won to more than a million dors.

    One-third of the chips in front of the ¡°Far East Ace¡± were now in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling smug when the beautiful Linda smiled at her, showing her eight white teeth. ¡°You¡¯ve suffered heartbreak, but you¡¯ve enjoyed sess in the casino. Miss, did you suffer heartbreak?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did choke for a moment, but quickly retorted with sarcasm. She casually counted the chips in front of her and said, ¡°Miss, you make it sound like if you¡¯re disappointed in the casino, you¡¯ll definitely be happy in love.¡±

    Linda hugged the neck of the ¡°Far East Ace¡± and said with a smile, ¡°Even though we lost money, don¡¯t you think we¡¯re happy?¡±

    ¡°I only see you clinging to his thighs and sexually harassing this man. I don¡¯t see what you¡¯re proud of.¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked her big bright eyes and continued to shake her fingers with a smile.

    Pfft!

    The two older men and the dealer in the gambling hallughed again. Thinking that this little girl was really too eloquent, even the staff behind the surveince camera couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    ¡°You ¡ª !¡± Linda was embarrassed into anger by these people¡¯sughter. Her hands clenched into fists, she stood up instinctively, and a trace of impatience shed in her eyes.

    She, Linda, had roamed the far east for so many years. When had she ever been ridiculed like this?

    Towards this kind of small character who didn¡¯t even have a name, she wouldn¡¯t bother bbering nonsense if she could easily make a move.

    With murderous intent, Linda already had two poison needles in her hands.

    The poison on these poison needles could create symptoms simr to an asthma attack. Even if it killed her, the forensic doctor would only detect that it was an asthma attack.

    This woman just asserted that she had asthma, then she would fulfill her wish...

    Only then did the ¡°Far East Ace¡± cough softly, then nce at Linda indifferently.

    Linda trembled, and the murderous intent that had just risen immediately dissipated.

    What was wrong with her today?

    She had actually been provoked by a little girl to the point of losing her cool.

    This was her immediate superior. If she angered him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

 Chapter 1530 - Sheâ€™s Mine

    <h4>Chapter 1530: She¡¯s Mine</h4>

    Linda recalled that the Far East Bureau, saying that he was ¡°the trump card that leaved a trail of corpses behind him¡±, often teased this boss who was called ¡°Ace of the Far East¡±..

    Although it was an exaggeration, it wasn¡¯t far from the truth.

    His ruthlessness, fierceness, and heartlessness were written in the induction manual of the new recruits of the Far East Bureau.

    He had gone to the Middle East alone, and he had made his way to those countries. He caused a war thatsted for many years and resulted in countless deaths and injuries.

    Finally, he had sessfully exposed the CIA¡¯s deployment in the Middle East, which caused a lot of trouble and caused both countries toin about the CIA.

    Until now, both countries only knew that they were at odds with each other, and at the same time, they both hated and feared the United States.

    The KGB of the Soviet Union was sessful, but no one knew their role in it.

    This matter established his position as the ¡°Ace of the Far East¡± in one fell swoop.

    As colleagues, they naturally knew about this, but it was only now that she became one of the people who was honored to see the true face of this ¡°Ace of the Far East¡±.

    Before this, only the head of the KGB and the head of the Soviet Union, Pushin, knew his true face.

    Linda didn¡¯t deny that the moment she saw his true face, her heart almost stopped beating, her brain wentpletely nk, and her adrenaline level soared to the max.

    She finally knew the reason she hadn¡¯t settled down for so many years. It was because she was waiting for him.

    They had been colleagues for so many years, yet she was only interested now.

    But she also knew that this secret love wouldn¡¯t have any results.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) would definitely expel her if she dared to show her love.

    She couldn¡¯t have her career and love at the same time. She only wanted to kiss every piece ofnd under his feet and bury her love in every corner that he passed by.

    He only had to cough softly, and she would be able to throw away her armor.

    Now that she was as quiet as a cicada in the cold, who would recognize that she was the KGB ¡°Bombshell of the Far East¡± who had single-handedly killed 16 Japanese Secret Service on the South Kuril Inds?

    Linda moved quickly. In the blink of an eye, she retrieved the poison needle and pressed it into her bracelet.

    The corners of her mouth curled into a smile. Nothing had happened. That was good.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t realize that she had just escaped death, but she did feel Linda¡¯s killing intent that couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    However, she wasn¡¯t afraid.

    Ever since she had been kidnapped and brought here, she had been trying her best to endure and use her most nonchnt attitude to lie to others as well as to herself.

    It wasn¡¯t until today, when she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s counterpart, that all of her negative emotions, such as anger, unwillingness, resentment, and pain, finally erupted at this moment.

    So what if she died? What¡¯s the big deal?

    Gu Nianzhi held the card and sneered at Linda, ¡°What do you mean? You looked like you were about to kill someone. I have to call the police. My personal safety is threatened, and I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ll be lying dead in the pool when I walk out of this gambling hall. No, I care about my life too much. I¡¯ve just turned 20, unlike you, who¡¯s almost 30 and have lived enough.¡±

    Linda¡¯s expression changed after being provoked by Gu Nianzhi.

    It was fine to call her cruel, but calling her ¡°Auntie¡± and calling her ¡°old¡±was intolerable.

    Linda couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She walked over to the gambling table in front of Gu Nianzhi and pped it hard. She said angrily, ¡°Are you done? ! Who wants your life? You¡¯re so shameless!¡±

    She had deliberately made herself look like a big-breasted, brainless, and hot-tempered vase.

    This was her usual persona. It was very effective and never attracted anyone¡¯s attention.

    After all, who would think that a vase had brains and skills?

    ¡°My face isn¡¯t as big as yours. Look at your big face. One face powderpact is probably only enough for you to use for two days.¡± Gu Nianzhi was waiting for someone to argue with her. Her expression immediately became eager. She took out her cell phone and was about to call the police.

    ¡°Miss...¡± A slender and beautiful hand reached out diagonally and pressed on her phone. His clear voice was emotionless, cold, and ruthless, ¡°If you dial the number, and I guarantee that your body will be lying in front of the gambling table immediately. You don¡¯t have to go to the pool outside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ignored her threat and looked straight at the hands.

    Every finger was perfect. The fingers were so straight that it was almost unreal. No joints could be seen in the middle, and the nails were well-manicured. They were even better maintained than a woman¡¯s hands.

    Unlike Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands, which were also clean but hadn¡¯t been maintained, so there were small wounds on the back of the hands.

    Just by looking at the hands, she knew that this person had nothing to do with the other side¡¯s Huo Shaoheng.

    They were the same, but different.

    Just like Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang on this side, and Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang on the other side.

    She raised her head and looked at his face again. It was really a familiar face that she remembered, but it had apletely different expression.

    There was no emotion in the depths of his eyes. He just looked at her expressionlessly.

    His custom-made casual suit half-open, he leaned closer. His long legs were crossed, and his silver phone peeked out from the pocket inside of the suit.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes gradually turned red again. Large tears fell down her cheeks and dripped onto the back of the man¡¯s hand.

    Linda¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets! With such cowardice, she dared to challenge them?!

    The ignorant were fearless!

    ¡°Even you want to kill me? !¡± Gu Nianzhi wiped away her tears and handed her neck over. She gestured with her hand. ¡°Do it! Do you have a knife? Cut here!¡±

    ¡°... She¡¯s really crazy...¡± Beginning to reflect on how she could pay so much attention to a crazy person, Linda muttered.

    The Ace of the Far East was obviously shocked as well.

    However, he quickly reacted and withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened. He looked at the dealer and calmly said, ¡°Deal the cards. ¡ª From now on, you can¡¯t just let a mentally ill person into your casino.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the mentally ill person you¡¯re talking about?¡± Gu Nianzhi restrained her emotions and stopped crying. She nced sideways at him and took a card from the dealer while using words to beguile him.

    The Ace of the Far East ignored her, and Linda interrupted from behind. ¡°Of course the mentally ill person he¡¯s talking about is you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and continued to y cards. ¡°Since you admit that you¡¯re mentally ill, I¡¯ll forgive you and not lower myself to your level. Deal.¡±

    Linda¡¯s face darkened. She gritted her teeth behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back and stared at her long hair, but didn¡¯t dare to do anything else.

    After ying a few more games, Gu Nianzhi won more and more. Just as she was about to continue gloating, her phone rang.

    She picked it up. It was a call from Bai Shuang.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, Director Zhao and Mr. Dresden want us toe over. Do you want toe out?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her hand and gave up in pity. ¡°I¡¯lle out. Wait a minute.¡±

    She epted the chips and handed them over to the casino to exchange for money to be deposited into her bank ount.

    She got up and left the casino. She lifted the dark golden velvet curtain and saw Bai Shuang waving at her from the opposite side.

    She took a boat and left the hall with her.

    Zhao Liangze and Dresden were waiting for them at the door.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at them curiously. ¡°Are you guys done talking? What¡¯s next?¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed. ¡°What¡¯s next? Spicy hot pot. It¡¯s all good stuff.¡±

    Bai Shuang walked naturally to Zhao Liangze¡¯s side and said, ¡°Thank you, Director Zhao.¡±

    ¡°Miss Bai, you¡¯re too kind. It was nothing.¡± Zhao Liangze¡¯s attitude towards her was much gentler, and there was a hint of affection in it.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at them with a smile and said, ¡°You two are already so close, so why are you two being so polite to each other? You can call him Little Ze, and he can just call you Ah-Shuang.¡±

    Bai Shuang blushed slightly and was about to decline when Zhao liangze interrupted her, ¡°Okay, Ah-Shuang will call me Little Ze from now on.¡±

    Bai Shuang was overjoyed and her smile became even sweeter and brighter.

    The two of them looked at each other. Even if they were talking about something boring like how the weather was good tonight, they still found it interesting.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes.

    She really had too much PDA tonight. Although she wasn¡¯t technically single, she was basically single. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore and nodded at Zhao Liangze¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s enough. The PDA tonight is over the limit. Please spread it tomorrow. Don¡¯t waste the PDA.¡±

    Zhao Liangzeughed loudly. ¡°Lawyer Gu, you¡¯re jealous!¡±

    ¡°Jealous my ass!¡± Gu Nianzhi turned her gaze and saw a lonely Dresden standing by the side. She was about to walk over when she saw a look of surprise in Dresden¡¯s eyes.

    He took two steps forward and passed Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She turned to follow Dresden¡¯s gaze and saw that the Ace of the Far East and Linda had alsoe out.

    It was obvious that Dresden was going after Linda.

    He reached out his hand to her and was extremely excited. ¡°Miss Linda, we meet again!¡±

    Linda tilted her head and gave him a charming smile. ¡°Mr. Dresden, I missed you very much.¡±

    The two of them held hands and couldn¡¯t part. They led the way down to the elevator.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched as she looked at the Ace of the Far East walking behind Linda.

    He was expressionless, but the cold aura over his body was obvious.

    Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang nodded at him and followed Dresden and Linda.

    Gu Nianzhi fell behind and happened to walk side by side with the Ace of the Far East.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him and felt very bewildered. She couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Brother, your girlfriend ran off with someone. Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±

    She was sitting on hisp just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, someone else had grabbed her by the shoulder and entered the elevator. She had to give the dedicated KGB people a thumbs up for their coquettish actions.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were so bright that even the impassive Ace of the Far East couldn¡¯t help but nce at her. He said coldly, ¡°What has it got to do with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in high spirits. ¡°It has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m just concerned about you, aren¡¯t I? At least we had the chance to gamble just now. Don¡¯t be so cold. Come, let¡¯s be friends. My phone number is XXXXXXXX...¡±

    The Ace of the Far East Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    She actually wanted to be friends with him. Was this girl not afraid that she would die too soon?

    The Ace of the Far East directly ignored her and walked towards the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhiughed lightly and chased after him while asking recklessly, ¡°Are you trying to act like you don¡¯t care? Don¡¯t be afraid, there are plenty of other fish in the sea, so why do you have to love a single flower?¡±

    Just as they were about to reach the elevator door, the Ace of the Far East suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stretched out his hand, and a cold gun barrel was pressed against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temple. He said coldly, ¡°... Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, please calm down!¡± He Zhichu, who was hiding in the dark, had no choice but toe out. He also raised a gun and aimed it at the Ace of the Far East, Huo Shaoheng. ¡°She¡¯s mine. You shoot, I¡¯ll shoot.¡±

 Chapter 1531 - Debt That Needed To Be Repaid Quickly

    <h4>Chapter 1531: Debt That Needed To Be Repaid Quickly</h4>

    As soon as He Zhichu appeared, his men also appeared. Each of them held a gun and aimed it at the two people at the elevator door.

    The people in the elevator were so nervous that they looked at each other without daring to move.

    Gu Nianzhi only had one thought in her mind at that moment: So this is what it feels like to have a gun pointed at your temple...

    The cold barrel of the gun, pressing against her head, was like an iron bar without any temperature.

    She could even hear the sound of the other party¡¯s finger pulling the trigger.

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s figure shed, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing behind her. One of his arms went around her back and strangled her neck, while the other hand was still pointing the gun at her temple. He smiled at He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, how have you been?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression froze, and he suddenly understood. ¡°... Were you trying to force me to show myself?¡±

    No wonder the Ace of the Far East had suddenly attacked a defenseless girl.

    The Ace of the Far East strangled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck and pressed it against her cheek. The two of them were so close that Gu Nianzhi could feel his hot breath.

    She wasn¡¯t used to it. She pursed her lips and said angrily, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already got Young Master He toe out, can you let me go now? Who did I offend? I was kind enough to be your friend, but you used me to threaten him! Are you still a man? !¡±

    The Ace of the Far Eastpletely ignored her provocation and said to He Zhichu, ¡°... So this is Young Master He¡¯s weakness.¡±

    He pressed the gun even harder against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temple.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that her temple was going to get a little red scar from him. She couldn¡¯t help frowning and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, since you¡¯ve achieved your goal, can you let me go now?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East snorted and pushed Gu Nianzhi out of the way.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, don¡¯t go too far!¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were about to fire as the trigger in his hand clicked.

    Gu Nianzhi staggered from the push and plunged into He Zhichu¡¯s arms.

    He Zhichu hugged her tightly and continued to point the gun at the Ace of the Far East. He said coldly, ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time!¡±

    ¡°Do you think I want to?¡± The Ace of the Far East had his hands in his pockets. He didn¡¯t change his expression in the face of so many guns pointing at him. ¡°Your woman is too noisy. I teached her a lesson for you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He Zhichu put away his gun and waved his hand.

    The people he had brought with him quickly dispersed. There were only the three of them in front of the elevator.

    He Zhichu took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked into the elevator, then shielded her in a corner.

    The Ace of the Far East came in and stood at the door. He didn¡¯t walk back.

    Gu Nianzhi stood in the elevator and felt it was ridiculous.

    She clearly loved Major General Huo and treated He Zhichu as her brother, but in this environment, she had no choice but to stand closer to He Zhichu.

    Because the Far Eastern ace was too annoying.

    The group didn¡¯t speak in the elevator. It wasn¡¯t until they got out of the elevator and boarded a small yacht back to H City that He Zhichu started chatting with the Ace of the Far East.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at herself in a mirror on the yacht. There was indeed a round red double ring on her right temple. It was the mark of the gun barrel.

    She sulkily found a round, flesh-colored band-aid and tore it open to cover the ugly red ring on her temple.

    When they arrived at the small hall of the yacht, Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze sat and talked with Dresden.

    Dresden sat next to Linda and looked at her with a smile, unable to take his eyes off her face.

    He Zhichu held a cup of coffee and stood in front of the window of the small hall. He asked the Ace of the Far East expressionlessly, ¡°Is this the person you want at all costs? ... Is this the person you want at all costs? I don¡¯t think you needed to appear at all. As long as you sent out your ¡®Swallow,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t it be a piece of cake?¡±

    What he meant was that when it came to dealing with Dresden, as long as Linda waved her hand, he would dly run over.

    Why did he need Huo Shaoheng, the Ace of the Far East?

    The Ace of the Far East drank a mouthful of red wine and said in an even colder tone than He Zhichu¡¯s, ¡°Do you think the CIA will let him leave your country safely?¡±

    He Zhichu thought of the four henchmen outside the Four Seasons Hotel the night beforest. ¡°They will make a move, and we will not sit back and do nothing.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East was nomittal. He raised his ss and looked back calmly. Suddenly, he saw the round, flesh-colored band-aid on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temple. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked away.

    Gu Nianzhi came to He Zhichu¡¯s side and pointed at the band-aid she had just put on. She said unhappily, ¡°Young Master He, look, that man is too vicious. He wanted to stab a hole in my temple with a gun. He¡¯s trying to disfigure me!¡±

    He Zhichu looked at the round, flesh-colored band-aid she had put on and was a little speechless.

    He rubbed her head with his hand. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll get him to apologize to you.¡±

    He Zhichu looked in the direction of the Ace of the Far East. ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯ve really gone too far today.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s face was cold. He left the small hall and went to the deck at the bow of the ship.

    Under the moonlight on the deck, he pulled out his gun and wiped it gently. The expression on his face would only soften when he saw a weapon.

    His back tall and straight, he stood alone on the deck. He really looked like that person.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and shook the image out of her mind.

    Their DNA was the same, so it wasn¡¯t strange that they looked exactly the same.

    In order to divert her attention, Gu Nianzhi sat across from Dresden and Linda while staring at them without blinking.

    His mouth almost touching her face to kiss her, Dresden held Linda¡¯s hand as he spoke.

    Linda had wanted to take the opportunity to give Dresden some smooching, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s burning gaze was like a searchlight that they couldn¡¯t ignore even if they wanted to.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Linda rolled her eyes at her. To think that this psycho was actually one of Dresden¡¯swyers. What the actual f * ck..

    Yet she couldn¡¯t chase her away.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and rested her chin on her hands. She said in English, ¡°I¡¯m seeing when you¡¯ll sit on hisp.¡±

    Linda: ¡°...¡±

    Dresden: ¡°! ! !¡± Good idea!

    He turned to look at Linda and was already pulling her onto hisp. As he did so, he asked, ¡°Darling, don¡¯t you miss me?¡±

    Linda had just called the Ace of the Far East ¡°darling¡± so smoothly, and now another man was calling her ¡°darling¡±. She couldn¡¯t refute it, and Gu Nianzhi saw it, so she couldn¡¯t help feeling even more aggrieved.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was filled with a sense of gratification from having gotten her revenge. She pped her hands and continued to speak in English, ¡°Mr. Dresden, let Miss Linda kiss you. Her big red lips would be so beautiful and sexy on your face!¡±

    Dresden looked at Linda in surprise. ¡°... Is that okay, darling?¡±

    Linda wished she could put a ss of water over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth.

    Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze sat on another sofa for two. They were immersed in their own world andpletely oblivious to what was happening on Dresden¡¯s side.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t stop Gu Nianzhi. He smiled as he watched her make fun of Dresden and Linda.

    He also wanted to know what else Dresden had on him that could make themittee of State Security (KGB) send their Ace of the Far East toe and rescue him.

    When the Ace of the Far East returned to the small hall of the yacht from the deck, all he saw was Linda sitting on Dresden¡¯sp while hugging his neck and marking his face with countless big red kiss marks.

    It really was debt that needed to be repaid quickly.

    Huo Shaoheng, the Ace of the Far East: ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1532 - Oscar Owes Her A Golden Statuette

    <h4>Chapter 1532: Oscar Owes Her A Golden Statuette</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi turned around with a smile and raised an eyebrow at the Ace of the Far East.

    She didn¡¯t say anything else, because she knew what to do.

    It was one thing to let Linda and Dresden get intimate on purpose, but it was another thing to expose Linda and the Ace of the Far East¡¯s identities.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t that stupid, so she wouldn¡¯t reveal their special identities in front of Dresden.

    Linda felt incredibly awkward, but she didn¡¯t show it at all. Instead, sheidzily in Dresden¡¯s arms. She said to the Ace of the Far East in Russian, ¡°Peter, are the car and the tickets ready? Mr. Dresden and I want to leave this ce by boat as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked between the Ace of the Far East and Linda. She suddenly understood that these two were now ¡°the heiress and her driver/bodyguard¡± in front of Dresden..

    The Ace of the Far East indeed lived up to his name and quickly got into character.

    He nodded slightly with a cold expression on his face and also answered in Russian, ¡°Miss Linda, the bus and boat tickets are ready, but the weather outside isn¡¯t good. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to wait two days before the boat leaves.¡±

    This was the code between him and Linda. It meant that there were people watching outside and they couldn¡¯t leave immediately.

    Linda understood and deliberately frowned. She said unhappily in English, ¡°How annoying! I want to take Dresden to see my parents immediately!¡±

    Dresden looked at Linda in surprise and said, ¡°Did you just speak Russian to him?¡±

    Linda nodded and tranted what she had said in Russian to Peter, The Ace of the Far East, in English to Dresden.

    Dresden was obviously afraid of Linda¡¯s ¡°driver.¡± He frowned and looked at him a few times. He hesitated and said in English,¡±... Your driver is very handsome.¡±

    Linda proudly flicked Dresden¡¯s face with her finger and said with a smile, ¡°Darling, are you jealous? Don¡¯t worry, in my heart, no one is more handsome than you. I love you the most...¡±

    Dresden nced at the ¡°driver Peter¡± in embarrassment and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t say that in front of others.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he doesn¡¯t understand English.¡± Linda said and moved closer to Dresden. The two of them hugged and kissed passionately.

    The Ace of the Far East, aka driver Peter, stood by the side with a straight face and didn¡¯t make a sound. After all, he ¡°didn¡¯t understand¡± English.

    Gu Nianzhi watched this scene, and her back was almost covered in sweat.

    She had deliberately caused trouble because she had seen Linda and this Ace of the Far East being intimate in the gambling hall just now.

    But now, seeing that Linda was able to control herself and acting so perfectly as if nothing had happened just now, she couldn¡¯t help but admire her in her heart.

    Tsk tsk, the Committee of State Security (KGB) really owed this bombshell of the Far East a small gold medal.

    Those award-winning actors and actresses were nothingpared to the intelligence agent who would put on a show every day.

    Gu Nianzhi was filled with emotion. When she thought about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s career, she was no longer amused.

    This was their job. Although she couldn¡¯t do it herself, she respected their professionalism.

    These people were all working for the interests of their country.

    Everyone who sacrificed themselves for the interests of their country and the people was worthy of respect.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling and stood up. She turned around and walked out of the small hall to the deck outside.

    This was a small yacht. It couldn¡¯t bepared to the ten-story-tall Victoria Princess cruise ship.

    The sea was rippling beneath her feet. Like snow-white night lilies embroidered on a navy brocade, the moonlight covered the sea.

    He Zhichu followed her out and stood beside her. He propped his hands on the railing and looked askance at her. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you unhappy again?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and took a deep breath. She smiled faintly and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s fine as long as the anger in my heart is vented. You know me. I have a big heart. Even if I¡¯m unhappy, I won¡¯t keep it in my heart for long.¡±

    She raised her hand and tore off the round, flesh-colored band-aid that was stuck to her temple.

    He Zhichu took it and threw it into the small trash can. He shook his head with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re really good at this.¡±

    He leaned over and looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temple. He rubbed it gently with his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. These red marks will disappear soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grunted and said, ¡°I know. I was deliberately sticking the band-aid on to diss that driver, Peter.¡±

    He Zhichu chuckled and rubbed her head. ¡°... You¡¯re still as naughty as ever.¡±

    He paused for a moment, then gave her a half-hearted smile. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She pped his hand away and looked behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Go do your own thing.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her deeply. ¡°Can you do it alone?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him calmly. ¡°Young Master He, I¡¯m not a child anymore. I¡¯m already 20 years old.¡±

    This was the typical difference between He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart, his mission was absolutely the top priority.

    If he was on a mission, even if Gu Nianzhi was by his side, he wouldn¡¯t ignore his mission to take care of her emotions.

    But He Zhichu, no matter what he was doing, as long as Gu Nianzhi needed him, he would put her first.

    Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ept He Zhichu¡¯s feelings, she couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to his feelings, nor would she despise or even hate his efforts.

    Because she also once had a secret crush on someone else, she knew how painful it was to not be epted.

    You could choose not to like someone, but you couldn¡¯t look down on someone who truly liked you.

    She knew his true feelings, so no matter how much his father, He Chengjian, had done to make her hate him, she couldn¡¯t take it out on He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu looked at her with aplicated expression and said, ¡°Go in. Don¡¯t stand here alone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked at him mischievously and said, ¡°I want to be alone.¡±

    She turned around to see what was going on inside the cabin, but the damn cabin door was tightly shut.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and reached out to He Zhichu. ¡°Do you have your infrared night vision goggles? Lend them to me.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he took out a pair of infrared night vision goggles from his pocket. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard. See what you should see, and don¡¯t see what you shouldn¡¯t see. I won¡¯t spoil you.¡±

    ¡°What shouldn¡¯t I see?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she snatched the infrared night vision goggles from his hands. ¡°I¡¯m just looking at the western scenery and learning how Swallow works.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± He Zhichu pinched her nose. ¡°They know what they¡¯re doing. Don¡¯t really piss them off.¡±

    They and the KGB were working together now, but this kind of cooperation was mutually beneficial and very fragile.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) would turn on you if you really angered them.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I know, I know what to do. I said I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    She pushed He Zhichu. ¡°You can go, you can go. Hurry up and do your own thing. Let me entertain myself for a while.¡±

    He Zhichu was almost pushed back into the small hall of the yacht by her.

    Gu Nianzhi held her infrared night vision goggles in her hands and proudly made a Victory V sign at him.

    The driver Peter, the Ace of the Far East, happened to turn around and looked at them coldly. He quickly looked away.

    He Zhichu did have something to do.

    After he went in, he called Linda and Dresden and took Linda¡¯s ¡°driver, Peter,¡± to the other room of the yacht to talk about their n of action.

    Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang were still in the small room while making out with each other.

    Gu Nianzhi stood alone at the bow of the boat while looking at the moon.

    Her mind was almost empty. She didn¡¯t think about anything, or perhaps she was thinking about many things. Her expression was extremely calm.

    Under the moonlight, her face was like a jade carving. It was white and delicate, so beautiful that she didn¡¯t look like a real person.

    She looked up at the night sky and thought to herself, the weather forecast said that it would rain tonight, but the moon was so bright that it really didn¡¯t look like it would rain.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to realize that she had spoken too early.

    A dark cloud suddenly blocked out the moonlight, and the silver surface of the sea suddenly darkened.

    Soon, light drizzling rain fell on the surface of the sea. The wind blew on the surface of the sea, and visibility became lower and lower.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes to feel the autumn rain on the sea, and her eyes suddenly widened.

    She had just felt the small yacht, which was slowly moving at a constant speed, suddenly shake slightly.

    It was drizzling on the sea, and the water was rippling. If she had felt the shaking in the cabin, she wouldn¡¯t have been alerted at all.

    However, Gu Nianzhi happened to be standing on the deck of the bow.

    She was holding the infrared night-vision goggles He Zhichu had given her. She had originally nned to wear them to spy on the ¡°love triangle¡± between Linda, Peter, and Dresden...

    Now they had a new use.

    When it was pitch ck before her eyes, of course, she had to wear the infrared night vision sses.

    Gu Nianzhi silently put them on and looked at the turbulent sea.

    In the dark field of vision, a few human-shaped red figures were floating and sinking right below their yacht.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    They were frogmen!

    She took out her phone and sent He Zhichu a text message. She put her phone on the deck and slipped to the stern. After confirming that there were no frogmen there, she pulled the rope at the stern and slipped into the water.

    Nobody on the boat was as good at swimming as she was, and she wanted to do something for He Zhichu.

    In the small room on the yacht, He Zhichu and the others were halfway through their secret conversation when they received a message from Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu looked up abruptly. ¡°... There are frogmen around the yacht!¡±

    At that moment, they felt the small yacht shake again.

    This time, it was much more obvious than before.

 Chapter 1533 - No Residue Left

    <h4>Chapter 1533: No Residue Left</h4>

    The water in Victoria Harbor in November was already very cold.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help shivering as soon as she got into the water.

    However, she quickly warmed up after swimming away.

    She was carrying a rope that had been untied from the ship, and the other end of the rope was tied to the side of the ship.

    The rope wasn¡¯t too thick, but it was extremely long. She didn¡¯t know what it was for.

    In the dark sea, she could clearly see the red figures through her infrared night vision sses.

    She roughly counted eight people. With broad shoulders and long legs, they were particrly tall. They were burlesque and sturdy. Judging from their bodies, they didn¡¯t seem to be of the Asian race.

    There were two people in each direction. They were swimming at the bottom of the yacht, and it was as if they were tampering with the bottom of the yacht.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and dived deep into the sea.

    She then hooked the rope and swam around the people like a fish. She loosened the rope around their legs and tied a knot.

    The knot couldn¡¯t be felt if the rope wasn¡¯t tightened. Only when she tightened the knot would the other party realize that they were tied up.

    The knot that Huo Shaoheng had taught her was originally meant to be used onnd to make a noose for a trap. It was her idea to use it on the spot at the bottom of the sea, but Huo Shaoheng had never taught her how to do it.

    The weather was perfect that night. Suddenly, dark clouds blotted out the moon. The sea was so dark, and the bottom of the sea was so dark that one couldn¡¯t even see one¡¯s fingers.

    She had to wear infrared night vision goggles to be able to urately wrap around those people¡¯s legs.

    The frogmen should also be wearing infrared night vision goggles, but they were all focused on the bottom of the yacht above them, and no one was looking down to see what was happening beneath their feet.

    Gu Nianzhi silently swam another round and twirled the rope again.

    The eight of them were focused on cutting the boat. The sharp screwdrivers formed a circle around the bottom of the boat, and then they used a sniper gun that was specially used in the water to pierce through the ce where the screwdrivers were.

    This way, the boat could sink to the bottom as quickly as possible, and they would be able to kill a whole boat of people without them realizing it.

    They had done this many times in the Antic Ocean, and had never failed.

    Gu Nianzhi was an excellent swimmer. Back then, she could enter and exit the blue hole in the Caribbean Sea with two purple electric arcs. The Victoria Harbor here was even easier for her to get around.

    Moreover, her lung capacity was very good, and she could hold her breath for a much longer time than the average person.

    The frogmen with scuba tanks on their backs couldn¡¯t swim as freely as she could at the bottom of the sea.

    Gu Nianzhi swam fiveps around the frogmen in one go. After making sure that she had tied their legs in knots, she floated up.

    At that moment, He Zhichu was already going crazy on the boat.

    He couldn¡¯t find Gu Nianzhi anywhere. All he could see was her phone lying on the deck.

    Without another word, he jumped off the boat to look for her.

    Gu Nianzhi emerged from the bottom of the sea and pushed her infrared night vision goggles up to her head. She smiled and waved at the people on the deck. Then she yanked the rope in her hand up.

    The knots she had tied earlier suddenly tightened and bound their legs.

    The eight frogmen at the bottom of the sea, who were focused on digging the boat, suddenly lost their bnce. Just as they were about to kick their legs, they realized that their legs had stepped into a ¡°noose¡±!

    They were experienced after all. After a moment of surprise, they immediately regained their bnce at the bottom of the sea. They pulled out the sharp daggers on their bodies and bent down to cut the rope.

    Unfortunately, the rope that Gu Nianzhi used to tie them up was no ordinary rope. It was a leather rope that had been soaked in tung oil. It was very strong and very difficult to cut.

    However, the daggers in their hands were no ordinary objects.

    He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi emerge from the bottom of the sea and swam over quickly.

    ¡°Nonsense! Who told you to jump?!¡± He Zhichu hugged her from behind and stepped on the water repeatedly to send her onto the deck.

    At that moment, the Ace of the Far East had already pushed open the door from the cabin. Without looking at them, he swiftly jumped into the water like a fish.

    Gu Nianzhi saw his right hand sh and reveal a foot-long t-shaped long knife in his hand.

    He Zhichu took off his suit jacket and draped it over Gu Nianzhi. He pushed her over to Zhao liangze and said loudly, ¡°Look at her!¡±

    Zhao Liangze quickly grabbed Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu turned around and went into the water. He didn¡¯t take the knife, but he took a pistol with a longer barrel and dived into the sea.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t break free from Zhao Liangze, so she quickly said, ¡°Let go of me. I won¡¯t go in the water. I¡¯ll just go take a look!¡±

    ¡°No! You ran down there yourself! I heard there were frogmen!¡± Zhao Liangze was shocked and scared. He was just a programmer. Although he was the Director, he was still just a programmer!

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. Deep down, she missed Brother Ze. She rolled her eyes. ¡°Can you put on my sses?¡±

    Her infrared night vision sses were on top of her head.

    Zhao Liangze freed a hand and put on her infrared night vision sses. They walked to the side of the ship.

    Bai Shuang was on the yacht with Linda and Dresden. The cabin door was tightly shut. When the Ace of the Far East came out, he had locked the cabin door from the outside. No one could get out even if they wanted to.

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at the locked cabin door and then looked down at the bottom of the sea. She gasped.

    Five people had already cut the rope and floated up. They were fighting with He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East.

    These frogmen were also special forces soldiers of the US Navy SEAL Team. Theirbat strength wasn¡¯t something an ordinary secret service agent couldpare to.

    They were already very tall. A few of them were almost two meters tall.

    When they waved their hands, the water swirled.

    When they kicked off the ground, they were able to leap several meters forward.

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. She had been too bold just now!

    If she had been discovered by those people, they would have been able to snap her neck with one hand...

    However, He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East were no weaker than the special forces in the water!

    They were like two water dragons in the water.

    The gleam of the knife was like snow. It danced in the dark sea, as bright as lightning.

    The knife swept across, and red color shot out like an arrow.

    Gu Nianzhi wore infrared night vision goggles that were particrly sensitive to the temperature of hot blood, so the red color was particrly eye-catching.

    She couldn¡¯t take it anymore and quickly said to Zhao Liangze, ¡°Take off the sses! I¡¯m going blind!¡±

    Zhao Liangze: ¡°...¡±

    He took off her sses helplessly. He was at his wits eend. ¡°Lawyer Gu, my dear, please stop! Don¡¯t cause any more trouble for me, okay?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and ignored him. She focused on the fight in the water.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gun was especially suitable for use in the water, so the barrel of the gun was much longer than a normal pistol. The bullets were also slender and sharp, and they moved very quickly in the water.

    He hid in the water and fired a few shots. He killed two frogmen who were trying to swim away at the bottom of the sea.

    And that Ace of the Far East was much more brutal than him.

    He held a long knife and as if he was walking on t ground, he moved freely in the sea. Each sh was as if he was going to skin the frogmen alive. In the blink of an eye, he killed five frogmen.

    The rain finally stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and the bright moonlight shone on the sea again.

    Blood, flesh, and human limbs floated on the sea.

    The only frogman who had managed to escape was so scared that he didn¡¯t even have the courage to turn back.

    He Zhichu emerged from the water. He pursed his lips speechlessly when he saw the scene on the sea that looked like Asura hell.

    He gestured to the Far Eastern ace and quickly swam towards the small yacht.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned down and pulled He Zhichu onto the boat. Just as the two of them were standing on the deck, Gu Nianzhi saw from the corner of her eye that ck fins were rushing towards them.

    ¡°Sharks!¡± Gu Nianzhi grabbed He Zhichu nervously. ¡°Quick, get the driver up here!¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    He called out to the sea in Russian, ¡°Peter! There are sharks!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East seemed to be waiting for the sharks.

    He waited for them to get close before he got on the boat unhurriedly and swaggered past them into the cabin.

    The casual suit he was wearing was already wet and entuating his tall body that was as alluring as an ancient Greek sculpture, they stuck to his body.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and moved closer to He Zhichu.

    The man reeked of blood..

    He Zhichu protected Gu Nianzhi with one hand and turned to see the sharks eating their fill.

    Now, they didn¡¯t have to think about disposing of the bodies.

    He Zhichu smiled wryly.

    He was the Ace of the Far East of the Soviet¡¯s KGB after all.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t have to do anything. Once he did, not even a sign of life would be left.

    He led Gu Nianzhi into the cabin and said, ¡°Go to the room over there and change first. There¡¯s a spare t-shirt and warm pants.¡±

    The small yacht wasn¡¯t very big. Besides the cockpit, there were two other small rooms in the small hall where everyone was staying.

    One was where He Zhichu and the others had just discussed their n of action, and the other was the room He Zhichu had pointed out to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a Chanel silk blouse that night. She had been soaking wet after going into the water.

    Fortunately, He Zhichu had given her a jacket to wear when she hade up, so he wasn¡¯t ungentlemanly.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly grabbed the jacket He Zhichu had given her and pushed open the door of the small room to enter.

    She closed the door behind her and looked up to see a half-naked man with his back to her and twisting the water off his jacket.

    His back was perfect, and he had a perfect inverted triangle figure. He was wearing a pair of wet suit pants, which fit him perfectly and was hugging his perky buttocks with his long legs tensed up.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you.¡± Gu Nianzhi instinctively wanted to open the door and leave. The man turned around when he heard the voice. It was Huo Shaoheng, the Ace of the Far East, ¡°driver Peter¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi thought back to how she had seen the man in the sea just now. He was as cruel and ruthless as the grim reaper, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

    The Ace of the Far East looked at her and said nothing. He put on a blue t-shirt and walked over to her.

    Gu Nianzhi mocked the man¡¯s long code name in her heart. She smiled and said, ¡°Are you done changing? I¡¯m also here to change.¡±

    What she meant was that she could only change after he was done changing.

 Chapter 1534 - The More Drama The Merrier

    <h4>Chapter 1534: The More Drama The Merrier</h4>

    The Ace of the Far East stood in front of her with one hand on the doorknob. He looked down at her and asked emotionlessly, ¡°... Who taught you how to tie a knot?¡±

    Gu Nanzhi blinked and suddenly smiled. ¡°You did!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East: ¡°...¡±

    He closed his eyes. From his expression, Gu Nianzhi felt as if he really thought she was mentally ill..

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her nose and smiled sheepishly. ¡°I was just joking. Don¡¯t be so cold... I learned it from a friend. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East opened his eyes and asked expressionlessly, ¡°... Why did you jump into the sea?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was trying to help He Zhichu. What did this have to do with him?

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and gripped He Zhichu¡¯s suit jacket even tighter. She didn¡¯t even look at the Ace of the Far East and turned her head to say, ¡°What has it got to do with you?¡±

    Sigh! She finally returned the phrase and gave herself a thumbs up!

    The joy in her heart couldn¡¯t help but surface on her face. Her voluptuous lips curled into a happy curve, and her entire person seemed to be glowing, bright and beautiful.

    The Ace of the Far East narrowed his eyes and scolded her even more coldly and mercilessly. ¡°You don¡¯t have the ability, yet you¡¯re still trying to show off. When you get into trouble, you want someone else to clean up your mess. He Zhichu has a weakness like you, so he simply doesn¡¯t need an enemy.¡± With that said, he opened the cabin door, he walked away.

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she almost jumped up and hit him.

    She stared at his back, and her eyes were about to fly out of her head. She wanted nothing more than to stab his chest.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wiping his hair with a towel, He Zhichu walked over. ¡°Have you changed yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll change right away.¡±

    She closed the cabin door and found a ck men¡¯s T-shirt in the closet. It looked very much like the pajamas she had used in the other world. She immediately picked it up and changed into it without hesitation.

    The jeans on her legs were wet, heavy, and especially tight.

    After changing, she found a pair of warm pants to change into.

    It was already the smallest size, but the waist was still a little loose.

    Although it didn¡¯t fall off, it didn¡¯t look good on her.

    Moreover, the top of the ck men¡¯s T-shirt was so long that it covered her thighs, making it look like she wasn¡¯t wearing pants. It was really awkward.

    After looking at it for a long time, she still changed into the wet jeans.

    He Zhichu was a little surprised when he pushed the door open and walked out. ¡°Why are you wearing this? This is a men¡¯s t-shirt. You haven¡¯t changed your pants either.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I like ithem. The pants are drying very quickly. It¡¯s not convenient to change them.¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile, ¡°Go and change. You¡¯re wet too.¡±

    He Zhichu pushed the door open and walked in. Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw Linda sitting on the sofa looking at her in a friendly way.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Worried that she had made a fool of herself, she couldn¡¯t help looking at herself from head to toe.

    After all, Linda had always been slightly hostile towards her from the very beginning.

    Seeing her like this, Linda chuckled and stood up to reach out her hand. She spoke in Chinese: ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m really impressed today. You¡¯re very brave and very capable. I asked Young Master He, but you¡¯ve never received any training in this area. I really admire your courage and abilities.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows in surprise and couldn¡¯t help looking up at the Ace of the Far East, ¡°driver Peter¡±, Huo Shaoheng.

    The man stood behind Linda with his hands behind his back and had an appropriate ¡°driver/bodyguard¡± expression on his face.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away sulkily and shook Linda¡¯s hand. She smiled and said, ¡°Miss Linda, you tter me. I happened to see it, so I couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Linda sincerely thanked her.

    After so many years, this was the first time she had been helped by an ordinary person who wasn¡¯t a secret service agent.

    In the past, it had always been her who saved others.

    Gu Nianzhi now felt the simrities between this Linda and Xiao Ye on the other side.

    Although the two of them were opposites, because of their different experiences, their personalities, and ways of doing things, they seemed very different on the surface.

    However, at the end of the day, they showed an amazing simrity in their personalities.

    It was as if no matter how different their clothes were, they were still the same deep down.

    Gu Nianzhi also admired people with abilities. The conflict that had arisen when she first met Linda because of the Ace of the Far East quickly dissipated.

    She followed the principle of ¡°more friends meant more paths.¡± She said very warmly, ¡°No need to thank me. Let¡¯s add each other on Wechat. By the way, do you know a person named dimir? He has a driver named Ivan?¡±

    Linda raised her eyebrows.

    This girl knew the KGB¡¯s second inmand and his driver?

    ¡°I think so. I¡¯ll check it out for you when we get back, ¡°Linda said with a smile. She took out her phone and added Gu Nianzhi as a friend.

    Dresden had been watching from the side for a long time and had a good impression of Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and thanked her in English. He also took out his phone to add Gu Nianzhi as a friend.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi was more than happy to add Dresden as a friend. She replied in English, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±Then she whispered in Russian, ¡°How did he know? I didn¡¯t actually do anything...¡±

    Linda also said in Russian with a smile, ¡°... Your boyfriend told him. He said that it was lucky that you had found out in advance and disrupted their ns underwater. You have to know that those people weren¡¯t ordinary people! They were the special forces of the US Navy SEAL!¡±

    ¡°Boyfriend?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡±

    She added, ¡°I¡¯m really ignorant and fearless. If I had known that they were special forces of the Navy SEAL, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have gone down.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he your boyfriend?¡± Linda returned to the sofa and giggled. ¡°His eyes are almost glued to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Although she knew that the Ace of the Far East ¡°driver Peter¡±, Huo Shaoheng, wasn¡¯t the person she loved, she still felt ashamed to talk about such things in front of someone who looked the same as him.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and walked over to ¡°driver Peter¡± with her phone. She smiled and asked again in Russian, ¡°Mr. Peter, do you mind adding me as a friend?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have Wechat,¡± The Ace of the Far East said coldly while looking very cocky.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t someone who would give up so easily. She turned to look at Linda and winked at her. She said in English, ¡°Miss Linda, can you ask your driver to add me as a friend? That way, if I need to use the car, I can ask him for help. If I pay, he can earn some extra money.¡±

    She deliberately used English so that Dresden could understand her.

    The Ace of the Far East had to maintain his image as a ¡°driver/bodyguard¡± in front of Dresden.

    Because in Dresden¡¯s eyes, Linda was his employer, and he had to listen to Linda when she spoke.

    If he didn¡¯t listen, he would be exposed.

    Linda hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be so cunning. Besides, she also wanted to see this ruthless Ace of the Far East, the ¡°killing machine,¡± being forced by a delicate and witty little girl.

    Deep down, she had the thought that if she couldn¡¯t get it herself, it would be good to see someone else get it.

    In her opinion, Miss Gu¡¯s affection for this Ace of the Far East was simply too obvious.

    Linda¡¯s own feelings had been suppressed to the point where she wanted to see other people get married in the end.

    At this moment, hoping that she could help her achieve her dreams that she couldn¡¯t, she transferred all her hopes to Gu Nianzhi.

    Also, Gu Nianzhi was He Zhichu¡¯s woman. At the same time, she was also interested in Huo Shaoheng, the Ace of the Far East.

    Sigh, the more drama the merrier!

    She wanted to stir up trouble with all her might just to watch this fierce battle between the dragon and the tiger...

    Therefore, she smiled and nodded to ¡°Peter the driver.¡± ¡°Peter, give your phone number to Miss Gu. Miss Gu, Peter really doesn¡¯t have Wechat.¡±

    She spoke casually, as if it was just a trivial matter.

    ¡°Peter the driver¡± actually hesitated for a long time before he slowly took out his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi beamed and reached out her hand generously. She said in English, ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯t mind me. I won¡¯t trouble you often.¡±

    ¡°Peter the drive¡± Huo Shaoheng finally swiped open his phone. He pursed his lips and reluctantly showed her his phone number.

    Gu Nianzhi struck while the iron was hot and asked again, ¡°Did you have QQ?¡±

    The veins on the Ace of the Far East¡¯s forehead throbbed and he said in Russian, ¡°... Do you think I¡¯m the kind of person who chats on Wechat and QQ all the time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1535 - I Just Donâ€™t Have Confidence In Myself

    <h4>Chapter 1535: I Just Don¡¯t Have Confidence In Myself</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but re at him while thinking, why are you so smug? You¡¯ll die sooner orter!

    The Ace of the Far East furrowed his brows even more tightly.

    Linda saw that the situation wasn¡¯t looking good and quickly said, ¡°Miss Gu, Peter doesn¡¯t have QQ either. He only uses his phone and text messages tomunicate.¡±

    So it was fine as long as she had a phone number. If she pressed too hard, Linda couldn¡¯t guarantee what her immediate superior would do...

    Although Miss Gu was annoying, she didn¡¯t want her to die in the hands of her superior for no reason.

    He Zhichu pulled Gu Nianzhi away and looked at her with a frown. ¡°... You really like him? Just because he looks exactly like... that person?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head and denied it. ¡°Of course not. Am I that kind of person?¡±

    He Zhichu stared at her and his voice became colder.¡±... Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    It was obvious that he didn¡¯t believe her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt wronged. She leaned against the railing of the boat and turned her head to look in the direction of the shoreline. She said weakly, ¡°Young Master He, in this world, you are the only person I know and trust the most. If even you don¡¯t believe me, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any meaning in living anymore.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened. He reached out to hug her and pressed his chin against her head. He mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t doubt you... I just don¡¯t have confidence in myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart almost ached when she heard that. Her throat felt dry, and she could barely speak.

    He Zhichu was a proud man. No matter which world he was in, he was at the top.

    But for such a proud man to say that he didn¡¯t have confidence in himself in front of her...

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a while. She wrapped her arms around his waist and patted his back. She wanted tofort him, but she felt that everything she said was fake. She might as well not say it and just quietly apany him.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes. He had never realized that in this rtionship, he could be so lowly.

    He had once been extremely unwilling to ept her. He hated her for forgetting about the past. He hadn¡¯t been kind to her, and his temper had been extremely bad.

    But no matter how he treated her, she didn¡¯t care.

    He had already been worn out by her.

    He Zhichu hugged the person he loved the most and felt her graceful curves. He Zhichu gradually felt passion in his heart.

    His lips lingered above her head and gradually moved down.

    He held the back of her neck and kissed her forehead with trembling lips.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body froze and she quickly pushed He Zhichu away.

    At that moment, the door of the cabin creaked and the Ace of the Far East just happened to push the door open.

    He looked up and his gaze was as quick as lightning.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly came to her senses and immediately said in Russian, ¡°Mr. Peter, are you looking for Young Master He?¡±

    He Zhichu had his back to the cabin. Hearing that someone hade, he sighed and released his hand.

    He looked down at Gu Nianzhi, who was only looking in the direction of the Ace of the Far East. He rubbed her head in frustration.¡±... Go in.¡±

    His voice became colder.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly walked away from him and headed towards the cabin.

    As she walked past the Ace of the Far East, she heard him whisper in Chinese,¡±... Promiscuous.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    She stopped in her tracks and bared her teeth at the Ace of the Far East, who was staring at her. ¡°What do you mean? ! When did I ever offend you? Why are you scolding me like this?!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, get in.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice was even colder. It was clear that he didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to have more contact with the Ace of the Far East.

    Gu Nianzhi felt very sullen when she saw that this person had ignored her after saying one word to her. She stomped her feet and returned to the cabin.

    He Zhichu looked carefully at the Ace of the Far East from the KGB. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, ¡°Mr. Peter, do you have a wife?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East took out a cigar and poked it in his palm. He calmly said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What about a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°... I have a sexual partner, if that¡¯s what you mean.¡± The Ace of the Far East looked at He Zhichu expressionlessly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your woman is trying to be nice to me, so are you jealous?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°She has a childish temper. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take it seriously, but if she wants to climb into my bed, I won¡¯t refuse.¡± The Ace of the Far East looked at He Zhichu provocatively. ¡°After all, she is very young and has a good figure. Moreover, Young Master He¡¯s woman must be very good...¡±

    Boom!

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t take it anymore and punched him.

    The Ace of the Far East used only one hand to hold his arm and said coldly, ¡°Young Master He, if you are like this, I am very disappointed in your Huaxia Empire. I came here to carry out a mission, not topete with you for jealousy.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you still remember your mission? Why do I feel lke you¡¯re coveting my woman!¡± He Zhichu pushed away the Ace of the Far East. Adjusting his cor, he went back to the topic at hand. ¡°The CIA has sent out their most elite troops. Where are the men you brought? Don¡¯t tell me there are only two of you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about our men.¡± The Ace of the Far East turned to look at the navy blue sea that was covered in silver light. ¡°As long as you help to send him to M City, our men will take over the rest.¡±

    M City and H City were the same. They were two of Huaxia Empire¡¯s more special regions.

    Now that the internationalmunity knew that Dresden was in H City and that various forces were gathered in H City, it was obvious that themittee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to secretly bring him to M City and exit the border from there.

    He Zhichu nodded and frowned as he looked at the Ace of the Far East, then said, ¡°... Do you really believe that this Dresden brought important information?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly. ¡°What does Young Master He mean?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t answer directly. He said implicitly, ¡°The SEAL team tonight wasn¡¯t very strong.¡±

    ..

    Inside the cabin, Gu Nianzhi was restless after entering the cabin in a panic.

    Trying to find something to distract herself, she held a ss of water.

    After tonight, Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze had gotten closer.

    She didn¡¯t disturb them and took out her phone to surf the inte for fun.

    She opened the socialworking site she frequented and suddenly saw Dresden posting new trending news on that Twitter ount.

    Looking at the time, it was when they were fighting with those seals at the bottom of the sea.

    This time, it was some juicy news about the upper echelons of the Huaxia Empire.

    Of course, it was said that his source of information was the CIA, so those who read the gossip believed it without a doubt and quickly spread it on the inte.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback. She subconsciously nced at Dresden, who was across from her, but didn¡¯t see Linda.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and raised her ss to Dresden. She smiled and said in English, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Linda?¡±

    ¡°She went to the bathroom to freshen up.¡± Dresden smiled at Gu Nianzhi andplimented her again. ¡°Is Miss Gu really awyer? You¡¯re so skilled...¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m awyer.¡± Gu Nianzhi said with assurance, ¡°Mr. Dresden, did you just post something on Twitter?¡±

    Dresden froze for a moment. His eyes shed and he quickly nodded. ¡°I was angry, so I went to post something.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Why were you angry just now?¡± She was very confused. ¡°Because those people wanted to kill you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Aren¡¯t you angry? What did I do wrong for them to want to kill me like that? !¡± Dresden waved his arms in indignation. ¡°I just don¡¯t like their eavesdropping! I think everyone should be free on the inte!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She stared at Dresden intently and enunciated each word clearly. ¡°You were angry that the CIA wasing after you, so you went on Twitter to leak information about the Huaxia Empire? I don¡¯t understand this logic.¡±

    Dresden didn¡¯t seem to expect this young 20-year-oldwyer to be so shrewd. He froze for a moment, then he said uneasily,¡±... I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. Anyway, that information is important to the CIA. If I expose it, it¡¯ll be a major blow to them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and sized up the so-called ¡°traitor of the CIA¡± that both the Huaxia Empire and the Soviet Union had devoted all their efforts to protect.

    She didn¡¯t continue to ask questions. She lowered her head and opened the little a app that Lu Jin had given her and silently hacked into the Twitter ount.

    That ount had been set up with Zhao Liangze¡¯s help from Dresden. It could make it impossible for the Twitter authorities to find the IP address of the ount posts.

    But simrly, no one else was able to trace the IP address of the ount posts.

    Gu Nianzhi had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

    The app Lu Jin had given her was better than the one Zhao Liangze had written.

    Gu Nianzhi used the app to hack into Dresden¡¯s ount and was able to see the IP addresses of every post in his ount.

    She quickly searched for the IP address of thetest post on Twitter. It turned out to be America!

    Dresden had clearly said that he was the one who had posted the content here, so the IP address should be H City. However, after using a special APP to check the IP address of the post, she found out that Dresden was lying!

    He was in H City, but he still had aplices in the United States to help him post on Twitter.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly logged out of Dresden¡¯s Twitter ount and erased all traces of her login.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Dresden and asked, ¡°Do you still have any helpers in the states?¡±

    ¡°I have a colleague.¡± Dresden¡¯s expression changed as he looked at Gu Nianzhi. He said carefully, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I have some information with her. If anything happens to me, she will publish it.¡±

    Dresden was speaking in English, so Gu Nianzhi could tell that when Dresden said ¡°colleague,¡± he said her. In other words, the person was a woman.

    She didn¡¯t continue to ask him, because even if she pointed out that he was lying, Dresden would use his colleague as an excuse. He would also say that he didn¡¯t trust Gu Nianzhi, so he wouldn¡¯t tell her the truth.

    She wouldn¡¯t gain anything by exposing him now.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up silently and nodded at him. ¡°We¡¯ll bending soon. Let¡¯s det ready.¡±

    Dresden let out a long sigh.

    Gu Nianzhi turned and walked out of the cabin. She didn¡¯t see Dresden¡¯s expression turn cold. His eyes were dark as he stared at her back.

    When she reached the cabin, Gu Nianzhi closed the cabin door tightly.

    He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East were still talking at the bow of the ship.

    Their voices were very soft and couldn¡¯t be heard from the empty surface of the sea.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly reyed everything that had happened before and after Dresden¡¯s appearance in her mind, and the doubts in her heart deepened.

    She coughed lightly.

    The two people standing at the bow of the ship turned to look at her.

    He Zhichu immediately said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is It a cold? We¡¯ll reach the shore soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and didn¡¯t hide anything from the two people. She said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with Dresden.¡±

    He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East looked at each other, then quickly looked away.

    ¡°I think he might be a trap set up by the CIA.¡± Gu Nianzhi decided to tell them the truth. ¡°A trap to lure out both of you.¡±

 Chapter 1536 - Who Saved Whoâ€™s Life

    <h4>Chapter 1536: Who Saved Who¡¯s Life</h4>

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi with admiration. He had been discussing this topic with Peter, but neither of them had any evidence. They just had a hunch that something was wrong.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the two of them and smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll throw a brick to attract the jade.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes burned even more fervently, but the Ace of the Far East still looked indifferent. There was even a mocking smile on his lips.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really want to tell this ¡°driver Peter¡±.

    But now that they were on the same boat, it was very likely that they had amon enemy.

    She suppressed the difort in her heart and said softly, ¡°First of all, I find it incredible that he was able to escape from the CIA with such ssified information. Do you know how he managed to escape with such ssified information?¡±

    Based on the security check procedures at the American airport, the possibility of such an oversight was almost zero.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were dark as he said, ¡°... Fourptops and two mobile hard drives.¡±

    He Zhichu and the others were responsible for picking up Dresden. They had checked all the luggage he was carrying, so they knew about his ¡°belongings¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I heard from Bai Shuang and thought it was weird at the time, but I didn¡¯t think much of it.¡±

    ¡°Second of all, I came up with an idea at the time. I wanted him to post the news online to attract the world¡¯s attention. I also helped him find someone to write a small program that wouldn¡¯t let anyone see his IP address. Now it looks like I was used by him.¡± Gu Nianzhi hung her head in shame. ¡°The result of this was that everyone believed the authenticity of his information at the first moment, and ignored the examination and investigation of his sources.¡±

    He Zhichu patted her shoulder. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault. None of us noticed.¡±

    He said, ¡°At the time, our North American intelligence department received a top-secret message saying that a senior CIA employee had defected from the United States with top-secret information. He came to Huaxia Empire as soon as he could and contacted us on his own initiative.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little better. She perked up and said, ¡°He came to H City and quickly became the target of international attention. The CIA office in H City even sent a few peripheral men to kill him. However, don¡¯t you think that the appearance of those peripheral men was too sudden?¡±

    That clumsy assassination method waspletely a ¡°gift¡± to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Intelligence Agency.

    Moreover, these henchmen were also he Huaxia Empire¡¯s people. ording to the saying of the war era, they were all fake soldiers and not regr militia soldiers of the enemy.

    Under the moonlight, He Zhichu crossed his arms and looked at Gu Nianzhi with his beautiful eyes. He nodded and said, ¡°I was just saying that the navy SEALs tonight seemed to be too weak.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sped her hands. ¡°I also think there¡¯s a problem. Also, just now, I found out that he posted some big news about the Huaxia Empire on Twitter. I asked him if he posted it. He said yes, but I checked the IP of the post. It was posted in America, not here.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s lying. He has a lot of secrets.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread out her hands. ¡°What reason would there be for a traitor to lie?¡±

    He Zhichuposed himself. ¡°He¡¯s either a double agent or this is a set up.¡±

    ¡°Dresden isn¡¯t a simple man. He acts cowardly, lecherous, and spineless. Is he the kind of champion of freedom he ims to be? Does he have the ability to ess so many core secrets?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought of Dresden¡¯s performance that night, and she scoffed. ¡°He¡¯s pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger.¡±

    ¡°This pig is really something. The moment it was deployed, it alerted the most secretive intelligence agencies of the two big countries to make a move.¡±Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue.

    However, pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger in front of the Pink Piggy meant that he was tired of living.

    The three of them stood on the deck while surrounded by the vast sea. The smell of blood in the sea had just dissipated, and the sharks that had eaten their fill had dispersed in twos and threes.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to say more, but the Ace of the Far East suddenly stopped her and said in Russian, ¡°That¡¯s enough. No matter what his motive is, I want to take him back to the Soviet Union.¡±

    He Zhichu protected Gu Nianzhi and said to the Ace of the Far East with a frown, ¡°Dresden definitely can¡¯t stay here with us. Take him away as soon as possible.¡±

    As he spoke, the Bluetooth headset he was wearing suddenly rang. It was a call from his father, He Chengjian.

    He Zhichu quickly went to the other side of the ship to answer the call.

    There were only Gu Nianzhi and the Ace of the Far East on the other side.

    The Ace of the Far East didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of talking to her either. He lifted his leg and was about to walk into the cabin.

    Gu Nianzhi was still brooding over the fact that she had been scolded by him just now. She felt extremely sullen and called out to him. She clenched her fists and asked somewhat angrily,¡±... What did you mean just now? What right do you have to scold me for being a promiscuous woman?!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East turned to look at her and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re Young Master He¡¯s woman, but you¡¯ve been flirting with me. Doesn¡¯t that make you a promiscuous woman?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at him. ¡°I¡¯m not Young Master He¡¯s woman, and I¡¯m not flirting with you. Don¡¯t be so shameless thinking that just because someone looks at you, it means they¡¯re interested in you.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± The Ace of the Far East raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not only did you look at me a lot, you kept asking for my phone number.¡± As he spoke, he gestured with his hand. ¡°Twice. You asked for my phone number twice.¡±

    These were all facts.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had to be reasonable even if she was being unreasonable. Moreover, she had her reasons.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her chin slightly and put on an arrogant front. ¡°You¡¯re so unreasonable. I thought you were someone else, so I looked at you a few more times. As for the phone number, how do you know I don¡¯t have another motive?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East seemed to be extremely narcissistic. He pointed at his face and said, ¡°There¡¯s someone who looks like me? Impossible.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi as if he was certain that Gu Nianzhi was trying to get close to him.

    Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°Of course there is. He¡¯s a thousand times better looking than you, and ten thousand times more powerful. How can I see your true face without looking at you a few more times?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East seemed to have lost his patience and turned to leave without saying a word.

    ..

    On the other side of the ship, He Zhichu was on the phone with He Chengjian.

    He was furious.

    ¡°Ah-Chu, what¡¯s going on with Dresden?! Didn¡¯t hee here to seek our protection and help?! Look what he just posted on the Inte! It¡¯s all about our country!¡±

    He Zhichu remembered what Gu Nianzhi had just said and said with a serious expression, ¡°He¡¯s exposed his cover.¡±

    He Chengjian gasped. ¡°You¡¯re saying there¡¯s a problem with his ¡®defection¡¯? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is a hot potato. If the Soviet Union hadn¡¯t interfered, I would have arrested him directly and exchanged hostages with the CIA,¡± He Zhichu said coldly.

    He Zhichu had also misjudged him and he was fooled by a person who pretended to be a pig to eat a tiger.

    However, this kind of situation was happening all the time on this special battlefront.

    ¡°Okay, hand him over to the Soviets quickly. We won¡¯t interfere with his business anymore.¡± He Chengjian looked at his watch. ¡°Let¡¯s move quickly.¡±

    He Zhichu hung up the phone and saw that Gu Nianzhi was the only one at the bow. The Ace of the Far East had already entered.

    He walked over and took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re almost at the shore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little dispirited and followed him silently into the harbor.

    It didn¡¯t take long for their boat to arrive at the port of Victoria.

    After speaking to Gu Nianzhi, Dresden had been ying games on his phone. He didn¡¯t even pay attention to the flirtatious Linda beside him. He seemed distracted.

    Linda didn¡¯t care about his attitude and continued to act affectionate. She hugged his arm and watched him y games on his phone.

    After getting off the small yacht, he abandoned Linda and deliberately walked in front with Gu Nianzhi. He looked very interested in her and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, if I want to hire you to be my trantor. Would you be willing?¡±

    He also said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a very high sry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t steal my friend¡¯s job. Thank you, Mr. Dresden, for your kind intentions.¡±

    ¡°How is this stealing your friend¡¯s job?¡± Dresden smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s just that in my current situation, I¡¯m afraid Miss Bai can¡¯t continue to follow me.¡±

    ¡°Bai Shuang can¡¯t, and I can¡¯t either. ¡°Gu Nianzhi said and waved her hand.

    At that moment, the sudden sound of gunshots rang out from behind a container near the dock.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked and was about to lie down on the ground when Dresden, who was walking beside her, suddenly grabbed her hands and cupped them behind her back. He then used her as a shield in front of him and shouted, ¡°Help! Help!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she wanted to kill him.

    He used her as a shield and shouted at the same time. He wanted to use her as a target and take her life!

    However, Dresden didn¡¯t seed.

    He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East pounced from both sides almost at the same time.

    Two gunshots rang out and the lights on the dock went out.

    Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang quickly fell to the ground under Linda¡¯s protection.

    He Zhichu jumped up from the left side and raised his hand to fire a few shots in the direction of the container. When hended, he had already kicked Dresden in the face and knocked him to the ground. At the same time, he pulled Gu Nianzhi over to shield her behind his back.

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s target was Dresden.

    He pounced from the right side and raised his gun to fire a shot in the direction of the container.

    A bullet quickly and urately hit the sniper¡¯s scope behind the container, directly hitting the sniper¡¯s eye, and then prating his brain. Brain matter burst out and scattered white paste all over the observer¡¯s face.

    The observer was also fierce. He took the sniper gun and aimed again.

    The Ace of the Far East had justnded. He half-knelt beside Dresden, pulled him up to block in front of him with one hand, and used his shoulder as support to fire another shot at the observer in front of him.

    The observer seemed to hesitate for a moment when he saw this.

    Just as he was hesitating, the bullets of the Ace of the Far East hit the observer directly, and a round bullet hole appeared on his forehead.

    He Zhichu¡¯s subordinates rushed over to the container to clear the area.

    After a while, they sent a message.¡±... Clear.¡±

    This meant that there was no more danger there.

    Dresden was pulled to his feet by the Ace of the Far East. He stammered in English, ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! You saved my life again!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a fake smile and said, ¡°No, no, you saved our lives. Just now, Mr. Peter used you as a shield. Didn¡¯t you see the sniper over there? He didn¡¯t even dare to shoot!¡±

 Chapter 1537 - Have A Chance Today

    <h4>Chapter 1537: Have A Chance Today</h4>

    A sh of panic shed across Dresden¡¯s eyes as he stammered,¡±... I don¡¯t understand what you mean...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was grim as he strode over. He grabbed Dresden by the cor, and punched him in the face!

    Dresden¡¯s head was knocked to the side as he spat out a mouthful of blood. One of his teeth had been knocked out.

    ¡°You... what are you doing?! I¡¯m here to join your country! You can¡¯t treat me like this! I want to see your prime minister and Speaker!¡± Dresden covered his face and red at He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t waste time with him. He took out his phone from his pocket, grabbed Dresden¡¯s finger, and pressed it open.

    ¡°This is my phone! You can¡¯t invade my privacy!¡± Dresden had been bluffing and shouting just a moment ago. Now, he was so terrified that even his voice had changed. It was extremely hoarse.

    Standing next to him, the Ace of the Far East might have felt that he was too noisy, so he struck the back of his neck with a knife and knocked him unconscious.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He Zhichu quickly changed the password of Dresden¡¯s phone and made a hand gesture. He led them away from the dock and back to the Four Seasons Hotel where they had stayed previously.

    Dresden was sent back to the suite at the Four Seasons Hotel where he was given free amodation, and Linda personally watched over him.

    He Zhichu said to Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, both of you. I¡¯ll send someone to send you back. Before the matter is settled, you cannot contact the outside world.¡±

    Zhao Liangze was very nervous and said, ¡°Young Master He, we know the severity of the situation. We won¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll bring Bai Shuang and my boss back with me. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    ¡°Your boss?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s almond-shaped eyes narrowed unkindly. ¡°Is it President Lu? Is he still here?¡±

    ¡°He still has some business to discuss,¡± Zhao Liangze said frankly. ¡°There are also some employees who have won big prizes and will stay here for a few more days.¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°I will help you exin to your boss, but you cannot contact anyone right now.¡± He waved his hand and had his people take away Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang¡¯s phones. ¡°It won¡¯t be long, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Before Dresden left the Huaxia Empire, Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang couldn¡¯t contact the outside world and would be temporarily put under house arrest.

    Zhao Liangze had nothing to say.

    He had discovered another side of Dresden today and didn¡¯t want to get involved.

    Previously, he had really tried his best to help him, but he didn¡¯t expect to be tricked by this guy.

    Zhao Liangze felt very bad.

    Bai Shuang felt extremely guilty and even a little scared.

    Zhao Liangze dragged her a few steps, and she couldn¡¯t help running back to He Zhichu. ¡°Mr. He, will Lawyer Gu be okay? Does she want to go back with us?¡±

    What had happened today was too terrifying. Bai Shuang hadn¡¯t expected that the gentle and refined Mr. Dresden would actually pull Gu Nianzhi to take the hit.

    They had all thought that Dresden was a good person, someone who couldn¡¯t stand their own country¡¯s insubordination for the sake of justice and freedom.

    They hadn¡¯t expected that this good person wasn¡¯t simple...

    He Zhichu also wanted to send Gu Nianzhi back, but he wouldn¡¯t go with them.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust them, but he knew what Gu Nianzhi was capable of.

    If she wanted to trick the two of them, it would be a matter of minutes.

    He had to find the best people to send her away.

    His face expressionless, He Zhichu yed with Dresden¡¯s phone. He said coldly, ¡°She was shocked today and needs to recuperate. She will go back in a few days.¡±

    Bai Shuang and Zhao Liangze looked at each other and didn¡¯t say anything more. They left H City with He Zhichu¡¯s people.

    After these people left, He Zhichu opened Dresden¡¯s phone to take a closer look at the contents.

    He had already changed the password of the phone, so it was very easy for him to open it again.

    In Dresden¡¯s phone, he discovered this guy¡¯s secret.

    It turned out that he was stillmunicating with the CIA through mobile games, sending messages, and receiving orders!

    No wonder he had been ying games on his phone whenever he had the time while pretending to be timid, ignorant, and ipetent.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was dark as he walked out of his room with his phone.

    In the corridor by the door, the Ace of the Far East was leaning against the wall by the door not that far away while looking impatiently at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing in front of him.

    Gu Nianzhi had just showered and changed her clothes. Her hair was still wet, and she was smiling up at him. ¡°Mr. Peter, we meet again. Who were you talking to just now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Oh, right, I don¡¯t take calls from strangers, so you don¡¯t have to call me.¡± The Ace of the Far East¡¯s voice was very cold and distant.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She thought to herself, who called you? Just as she was about to deny it, the Ace of the Far East gave a time.¡±... Didn¡¯t you call me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed. That was when she had tried to hack into the Ace of the Far East¡¯s phone. She hadn¡¯t expected to be discovered.

    ¡°But we¡¯re not strangers.¡± Gu Nianzhi was quick to think. She rolled her eyes and smiled slyly. ¡°We¡¯re acquaintances. You saved me again today. Can¡¯t I just call to thank you?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The Ace of the Far East caught a glimpse of He Zhichu from the corner of his eye and chuckled. He suddenly turned around and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, then pushed her against the wall.

    The two of them suddenly switched positions.

    Gu Nianzhi was now standing against the wall, while the Ace of the Far East was standing in front of her.

    His fingers caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheek and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. His handsome face, which was as cold as a sculpture, suddenly became lively and beautiful. It was surreal.

    Gu Nianzhi was dazed and almost forgot to resist.

    ¡°Look, and you said you weren¡¯t hitting on me? Actually, there¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble. I told Mr. He that I don¡¯t mind having a sexual partner like you...¡± He moved closer to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear. He almost whispered, but his voice wasn¡¯t low. Even He Zhichu, who was striding over, heard it.

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and pushed him away abruptly. Her face flushed red, and she said angrily, ¡°I just wanted to express my gratitude. Do you have to do this?¡±

    ¡°Thank you? I didn¡¯t save you. It was this Mr. He who saved you.¡± The Ace of the Far East sneered as he adjusted his cor. He put his hand on the door handle, pushed it open with a click, and stepped back into the room.

    He Zhichu walked over with a calm expression, as if he hadn¡¯t seen what had just happened. He said, ¡°Is it convenient for you toe in and have a chat?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East stood in his room and shrugged at He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi. ¡°It¡¯s not inconvenient for me.¡±

    He Zhichu walked in. Gu Nianzhi thought about it and followed him in.

    The Ace of the Far East mmed the door behind them.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and raised Dresden¡¯s phone. He said, ¡°Dresden called the sniper tonight. He wanted to kill Nianzhi.¡± He looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why would Dresden target you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised as well, but she thought about it and quickly said, ¡°He¡¯s very sensitive. I pointed out something that doesn¡¯t make sense to him on the yacht tonight, so he might have been on guard.¡±

    He said that he had deliberately leaked information about the upper echelons of Huaxia Empire in order to escape the pursuit of the CIA.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that it didn¡¯t make sense and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East leaned against the door with his arms crossed and said coldly, ¡°So you alerted him.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know his real purpose at the time!¡± Gu Nianzhi was furious from embarrassment. ¡°I was just rebutting his words, and I didn¡¯t expose what he was really lying about!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that one sentence would make him want to kill me!¡±

    He Zhichu held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. This proves that he¡¯s Mr. Peter¡¯s colleague and not some ¡®champion of freedom.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Only a specially trained person would want to kill you for something that might give them away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Why did those words sound so strange in her ears? !

    Lying on the ground, the Ace of the Far East ignored He Zhichu¡¯s insinuation and said stiffly, ¡°Young Master He, you shouldn¡¯t have let outsiders know about such an important matter.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi isn¡¯t an outsider.¡± He Zhichu protected Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t allow others to say anything bad about her.

    ¡°If she¡¯s not an outsider, who is she? Is she part of your system?¡± The Ace of the Far East put one foot on the ground and looked very disdainful. ¡°Is this how your protocol is? I regret making this deal with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was furious. ¡°What do you regret?! Don¡¯t try to y the victim when you reaped the benefits!¡±

    These soviets had the ability to take over everything themselves. How could they cooperate like this?

    ¡°If Dresden¡¯s escape was really a trap set by the CIA, then we¡¯ve all fallen for it.¡± The Ace of the Far East¡¯s expression was unsightly. ¡°I need to report this to my superiors. You guys can go. Wait for my news.¡±

    He pulled open the door and motioned for them to leave.

    He Zhichu nced at him and turned to walk out.

    Gu Nianzhi followed him for a few steps and turned to look at the Ace of the Far East. She opened her mouth, but hesitated.

    The Ace of the Far East didn¡¯t show any hesitation. He grabbed her arm and pushed her out.

    The door mmed shut in front of Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth in hatred.

    His expression unsightly, He Zhichu turned around. ¡°Nianzhi, were you looking for him just now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly lowered her head and looked down at the Persian carpet in the corridor. She whispered, ¡°I just went out to look for Bai Shuang and Director Zhao. I didn¡¯t see them.¡± When she came back, she saw Mr. Peter talking to someone in the corridor, so she thanked him casually. After all, if it wasn¡¯t for him tonight, she might not have been able to get hold of Dresden so quickly.¡±

    ¡°You even called him.¡± He Zhichu looked at her. ¡°He didn¡¯t pick up?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to thank him...¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed. She wouldn¡¯t say that she actually wanted to hack into the Ace of the Far East¡¯s phone through her phone number to help He Zhichu find out more about the Ace of the Far East¡¯s background.

    In the end, she was discovered and intercepted.

    She should have known. He was the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East. How could he be so easily seen through by them?

    She would never say such an embarrassing thing.

    But in He Zhichu¡¯s ears, it meant something else.

    In his eyes, even if the Ace of the Far East wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng from the Special Operations Forces, he was still extremely attractive to Gu Nianzhi.

    Or rather, the maic field between the two of them was stronger than when they stood together.

    His face alternated between red and white, and the anxiety in his heart almost reached its peak.

    He had lost to Huo Shaoheng over there, and he was going to lose to Huo Shaoheng over here?!

    It was fine if he had lost to Huo Shaoheng over there. After all, he was seven yearste after the most precious seven years.

    But to lose to Huo Shaoheng on this side, why?!

    He had appeared eventer than him!

    He Zhichu held onto Dresden¡¯s phone tightly. Veins popped out on the back of his hand, but he endured it and didn¡¯t show it. He said quietly, ¡°Alright, go back and rest early.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed and nodded hurriedly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. You rest early too, Young Master He.¡±

    He Zhichu watched as she returned to her room before turning around to go back to his own room to continue working.

    Without a word, he downloaded all the content from Dresden¡¯s phone and saved it in two copies, one for himself and one for the cloud system.

    Just then, He Chengjian¡¯s call came in. He sounded a little nervous.

    ¡°Ah-Chu, did you guys get into trouble again tonight?¡±

    It seemed like he knew about what had happened that night. Apart from the dangerous situation on the yacht, there was also the gunfight on the dock.

    ¡°Yes. Dresden thought Nianzhi knew his true identity and wanted to get rid of her.¡±

    ¡°Is Nianzhi alright?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. The sniper Dresden hired at thest minute was very average and we got rid of him.¡±

    ¡°What about Dresden?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s under control.¡± He Zhichu kicked the coffee table in frustration. ¡°This is a trap. We¡¯ve fallen into it!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, how could we fall into a trap?¡± He Chengjian refused to admit it.¡±We were in the process of assessing the authenticity and risks of this matter. He just gave himself away. Now that the assessment has beenpleted, we don¡¯t have to bear the risk for him. The H City government will reject his request for asylum tomorrow and allow him to leave within a time limit.¡±

    At first, they thought that there was really an opportunity to learn a lot of top-secret information about the CIA from Dresden.

    However, as Dresden revealed more and more information, everyone realized that he didn¡¯t reveal much information about the US. In other words, he only had one prism n.

    However, this n wasn¡¯t a big secret because everyone knew that the US was listening to the whole world. Now, they only had concrete proof.

    Every piece of information he revealed about other countries was more shocking than the United States¡¯ Prism n.

    How would the Huaxia Empire believe that he was a traitor to the United States?

    ¡°The Soviets must take him away,¡± He Zhichu said calmly. ¡°I will arrange for them to leave immediately.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded in satisfaction. Since they were talking about the Soviets, he immediately thought of the greatest sincerity the Soviet Union had shown this time and immediately asked him, ¡°What about the Ace of the Far East? How is he?¡±

    He Zhichu said, ¡°We have people watching him all the time. This is because no one has seen his true face before, but the way he acts is consistent with our intelligence. He is indeed the Ace of the Far East.¡±

    ¡°... What about him and Nianzhi? Has he had any contact with her?¡± He Chengjian was very concerned about this.

    This was because they all believed that the Ace of the Far East was Major General Huo¡¯s counterpart, so they had to be wary of his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu¡¯s emotions were extremelyplicated. He thought about it and said in a low voice, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any feelings for Nianzhi...¡±

    However, he couldn¡¯t guarantee anything about Nianzhi.

    Even though she didn¡¯t admit it herself, the way she looked at that person was as if there was light in her eyes. He Zhichu found himself unable to bear it.

    ...

    After hanging up, He Zhichu suppressed his frustration and made a new n of action.

    He didn¡¯t sleep the whole night.

    The next morning, he went down to the canteen for breakfast and saw Gu Nianzhi and the Ace of the Far East already there.

    The two of them were sitting by the window, but not at the same table.

    Outside was the beautiful blue Victoria Harbor. The scenery was pleasant, and the handsome men and beautiful women were even more pleasing to the eye.

    From He Zhichu¡¯s position, he could see that the breakfast in front of the two of them was exactly the same.

    It was unknown who had copied whose breakfast.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes darkened. He sat down in front of Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°You¡¯re up so early?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I went to bed early yesterday.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep all night?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes had dark circles, and his chin even had some stubble. He looked very haggard.

    He Zhichu smiled calmly. ¡°I made a new n yesterday. I¡¯ll send that person away today, and I¡¯ll bring you back tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with concern, ¡°You guys be careful.¡±

    Professional people were responsible for professional matters, and Gu Nianzhi had no intention of interfering.

    He Zhichu finished his breakfast quietly with her. After sending her back to her hotel room, He Zhichu suddenly whispered into her ear, ¡°... Do you want Major General Huo over there toe pick you up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Of course I do! Do you have any news from that side? !¡±

    Was it that He Zhichu wanted to get it off his conscience and was going to help her go back? !

    ¡°Not yet. But if the Ace of the Far East is still alive, Major General Huo from that side can¡¯te over.¡± He Zhichu gently stroked her cheek. His fingers lingered on her delicate skin, and he asked tentatively, ¡°As long as we get rid of him, we can clear the way for Major General Huo from that side. Don¡¯t you want to kill him? Maybe we¡¯ll have a chance today...¡±

 Chapter 1538 - Whatever You Say

    <h4>Chapter 1538: Whatever You Say</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked at He Zhichu with her big, bright eyes, as if she couldn¡¯t understand what He Zhichu was saying.

    ¡°... You don¡¯t want to?¡± His breath hot and anxious, He Zhichu pressed on.

    Gu Nianzhi held his hand and pushed it away. Her long eyshes quivered without leaving a trace. ¡°... What¡¯s wrong with you? I said I was going to kill him that time, and you said I was daydreaming. Do you really think I have the ability to kill the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East?¡±

    She had said she was going to kill him in a fit of anger. How could she actually have the ability to do that?

    She still had some self-awareness.

    His hands in his pockets, He Zhichu stood up straight. He looked down at her and said coldly, ¡°... Of course, I¡¯m not asking you to do it yourself. If you want, we¡¯ll get someone to do it for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She looked at He Zhichu quizzically. ¡°Young Master He, aren¡¯t you still working with him? Why do you want to kill him?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was strange. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe that he really wanted to kill the Ace of the Far East.

    His Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down, He Zhichu pursed his lips. His voice was very restrained. ¡°I mean, if there¡¯s such a chance, do you want to watch him die right in front of you? That way, maybe Major General Huo from the other side cane over...¡±

    This temptation was indeed extraordinary.

    Gu Nianzhi pondered about it for a long time, and walked around the room while sping her hands.

    She didn¡¯t know what Huo Shaoheng and the others were doing on the other side.

    She also didn¡¯t know how the experiment was progressing on the other side. Did they have the ability to achieve maic resonance in a short period of time and open up the channel?

    However, if they could achieve resonance in a short period of time and open up the maic channel, then Huo Shaoheng might really be able toe over.

    However, the existence of the Ace of the Far East had made all of this a dead end.

    She couldn¡¯t get through.

    He couldn¡¯t get through.

    Or rather, she didn¡¯t want him toe at all.

    What would he do here?

    Was he going to die with this Ace of the Far East?

    This was a way to get rid of the two Major General Huos without bloodshed.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded, but she still pretended to be very interested on the surface.

    If the two Major General Huo died at the same time, Gu Nianzhi could even imagine who would benefit the most.

    If she couldn¡¯t see that, then her years of following Major General Huo would have been wasted..

    What exactly was she going to do to resolve Major General Huo¡¯s crisis?

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was struggling to make a decision, and felt very upset.

    He was sure that in her heart, Huo Shaoheng was still the undisputed number one, and towards the Ace of the Far East, it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t feel anything at all as she had said.

    What about him? Where was his ce?

    A man¡¯s love for a woman wasn¡¯t considered love if he didn¡¯t possess her.

    He Zhichu clenched his fists and his thin lips coughed quietly. He said indifferently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to hesitate. I was just saying so casually. How could the Ace of the Far East die so easily?¡±

    ¡°Then what do you mean by saying this to me?¡± Gu Nianzhi said sullenly. She stopped in her tracks and red at He Zhichu.¡±... Do you think it¡¯s funny? Or are you testing me?!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Whatever you say. No matter what, I¡¯ve never had a ce in your heart anyway.¡±

    He turned and left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. He couldn¡¯t stay any longer.

    What was that feeling in his chest that made him so upset and agitated? Was it jealousy?

    Yes, he was so jealous that he was about to go crazy.

    But he couldn¡¯t find a way to vent.

    He Zhichu returned to his room, turned on the cold water in the shower, took off his clothes, and walked in.

    He supported himself against the wall of the shower and let the cold water wash his body. The pain in his heart was more unbearable than the pain in his body.

    ...

    A while after He Zhichu left, the doorbell in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room rang again.

    She leaned against the curtain without moving. She turned to look at the video surveince and realized it was Qin Zhining.

    She was a little surprised. She walked over to open the door. ¡°Qin Zhining? Why are you here?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t this person supposed to be ¡°secretly¡± protecting her?

    Qin Zhining smiled at her and said, ¡°I heard that you were in danger yesterday, so I was instructed to begin publicly protecting you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much, but I don¡¯t need it.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want anyone following her, especially a man.

    If it was a beautiful woman like Xiao Ye, she wouldn¡¯t say no, but Qin Zhining was an idiot, and she didn¡¯t want to y with him.

    Qin Zhining crossed his arms in front of his chest, and that made his arms and chest muscles bulge. He said in an oppressive tone, ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to say no. General He sent me here specifically. If he says it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± He pushed open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and walked past her.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Gu Nianzhi called out to him unhappily. ¡°General He? He sent a man to live with me. Does his son know?¡±

    ¡°Young Master He?¡± Qin Zhining looked back at her and nodded with a smile. ¡°He hasn¡¯t said anything yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately took out her phone and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number. ¡°Young Master He! Qin Zhining said he wants to live with me! Can you get him out of here? !¡±

    He Zhichu had juste out of the bathroom and was drying his hair with a towel. He was stunned as he held the phone in his hand. ¡°Qin Zhining?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s in my room! I hate living with this strange man!¡± Gu Nianzhi was very unhappy and wished she could kick Qin Zhining out of the room.

    He Zhichu put down the towel and changed his clothes as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone and looked up at Qin Zhining. ¡°Young Master He will be right there. Just you wait!¡±

    Qin Zhining smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    He Zhichu came over very quickly. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t let Qin Zhining live with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. Come live with me. What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°Then Young Master He, make it clear to your father that it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not going toplete the mission, but it¡¯s that you¡¯re the one who¡¯s causing trouble.¡± Qin Zhining smiled meaningfully and gave He Zhichu a pat on the shoulder.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll call.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s father, He Chengjian, had never rejected He Zhichu¡¯s request.

    He Zhichu brought Qin Zhining to his room and called He Chengjian. He asked, ¡°Father, why did you send Qin Zhining to protect Nianzhi? He¡¯s a man. Can¡¯t we find a female bodyguard to protect her?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to send Gu Nianzhi a bodyguard. It was that he didn¡¯t want a man to protect her.

    He Chengjianughed on the other end of the phone and said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s only one night. Aren¡¯t you taking her out of H City tomorrow? Think about it. You guys have a big mission tonight, so you definitely won¡¯t be able to take care of Nianzhi. Aren¡¯t you worried about her safety?¡±

    What he said made sense.

    He Zhichu really couldn¡¯t take care of her tonight.

    ¡°Just let him stay in her living room. Don¡¯t you trust Qin Zhining? Although there are female bodyguards, which one of our people is as capable as Qin Zhining?¡± He Chengjian continued to persuade him, He Zhichu finally nodded.

    After hanging up, He Zhichu brought Qin Zhining back and exined to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°It¡¯s only one night. We¡¯ll go back tomorrow. I can¡¯t take care of you tonight, so don¡¯t make me worry. ¡ª Be good.¡±

    He patted her head.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°It¡¯s really only one night?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m just under orders to protect you.¡± Qin Zhining sat down casually on the sofa in her living room. ¡°I definitely won¡¯t take a single step into your bedroom.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought that it would only be one night, and the sniper who hade at herst night had indeed given her the chills.

    Qin Zhining had been a special forces soldier. With his personal protection, she should be much safer.

    He Zhichu was relieved. He gave a few more instructions to Qin Zhining before leaving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t left the hotel for the entire day. She had stayed in her hotel room the entire time.

    Lunch and dinner were ordered to her room.

    Qin Zhining had just finished dinner with her when he received a call. He hurried to the French window to answer the call.

    ¡°Young Master He? Huh? Miss Linda wants to see Nianzhi? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard her name from the side and looked over curiously.

    Qin Zhining covered the mic with his hand and asked Gu Nianzhi with a bitter expression, ¡°Nianzhi, Miss Linda from the Soviet Union is going to the airport with Mr. Dresden. She has something important to say to you in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised. ¡°What is it? Can¡¯t you call her?¡±

    Qin Zhining made a ¡°eavesdropping¡± gesture. ¡°If she could say it over the phone, would she ask you to meet her in person?¡±

    ¡°I see... What could have happened to her?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand. Although she had already shaken hands with Linda, it wasn¡¯t to the extent of trusting her with some big secret, was it?

    Qin Zhining whispered, ¡°There¡¯s very important news. It¡¯s said to be rted to her driver, Peter.¡±

    Qin Zhining wasn¡¯t aware that this driver, Peter, was the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East.

    Currently, this Ace of the Far East¡¯s public identity was Linda¡¯s driver and bodyguard.

    Everyone involved in this mission knew that he was definitely a member of the KGB, but they all treated him as Linda¡¯s subordinate.

    Other than the five generals in the military, He Zhichu, and Gu Nianzhi, no one knew that he was the famous ¡°Ace of the Far East¡±.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s top brass were the only ones who the Soviets showed their sincerity to.

    Actually, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have such high security privileges, so she shouldn¡¯t know the true identity of the Ace of the Far East.

    However, because this person looked exactly like Huo Shaoheng and had met her face to face, she was spared and they told her this top secret information.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes at Qin Zhining and said in a drawn out voice, ¡°Really? Linda has important news to tell me, and it¡¯s about her driver, Peter? Have you met her driver, Peter?¡±

    Qin Zhining nodded with a disapproving look on his face. ¡°Yes, I have. Why? It¡¯s gettingte. Shall we meet them at the airport?¡±

    He kept urging Gu Nianzhi to go to the airport with him to meet Linda and the ¡°driver, Peter¡±.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t believe whatever Qin Zhining said.

    She pondered quickly in her mind.

    Logically speaking, Qin Zhining had been to the other world and secretly observed the major general of the Special Operations Forces, Huo Shaoheng. Did he not realize that this ¡°driver, Peter,¡± looked exactly like Huo Shaoheng?

    But she quickly remembered that Qin Zhining had had his memory erased by Qin Yaoguang the moment he returned to this world.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t remember that there was another world parallel to this world.

    Of course, he didn¡¯ot remember what Huo Shaoheng looked like on the other side.

    Because of this, the driver, Peter, didn¡¯t attract his attention at all.

    Then why did he insist that Gu Nianzhi follow him to the airport to meet Linda?

    Gu Nianzhi reached out her hand to him and said with a smile, ¡°I see. Then give me your phone. I¡¯ll ask Young Master He myself.¡±

    He had actually used Qin Zhining to trick her. How much did they look down on her?

    Qin Zhining handed her the phone and said with augh, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I identally hung up. Call Young Master He yourself.¡±

 Chapter 1539 - The Best Day

    <h4>Chapter 1539: The Best Day</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi took Qin Zhining¡¯s phone and opened his contact list to take a look. She silently noted down all his contacts, then found He Zhichu¡¯s number and called him.

    There were two rings on the other end, and then a robotic female voice said, ¡°The number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be surprised. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he answering your calls?¡±

    Qin Zhining exined to her, ¡°It should be the start of the mission. All phones will be turned off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    What a coincidence,

    She took out her phone and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number again. It was the same robotic female voice. ¡°The number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly searched her phone for Linda¡¯s number and dialed it.

    The Russian version appeared on the other end. ¡°The number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused to give up. She sent another message to Linda¡¯s social messaging app.

    There wasplete silence on the other end. There was no response.

    Qin Zhining watched from the side as she fiddled with her phone. He shook her head with a smile. ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me? We¡¯re on a secret mission right now, and there will be an electromaic shield at the start of the operation. Whether it¡¯s the phone or the inte, we can¡¯t get through to them.¡±

    The people in the operation weremunicating through Bluetooth headsets on a special frequency, which wasn¡¯t within the frequency of the electromaic shield.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and sent a small emoji to Qin Zhining on her phone. She said, ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t want to go. It¡¯s the same if I contact Linda again after she returns to the Soviet Union.¡±

    ¡°How can that be? What if it¡¯s something important?¡± Qin Zhining picked an emoji and sent a smile. JPG, then ¡°earnestly¡± advised her, ¡°Think about it, it¡¯ll be more than ten hours before the ne arrives at the Soviet Union. It¡¯d be a pity to miss the important news.¡±

    ¡°What important news would I regret?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I don¡¯t know her that well anyway. She won¡¯t do serious business with mere acquaintances, and I won¡¯t do them either. Qin Zhining, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Qin Zhining didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to be so stubborn. He suddenly thought of something. ¡°But think about it. Linda and the others aren¡¯t ordinary people. They¡¯re the KGB¡¯s Ace and Bombshell of the Far East. If she wants to see you and talk to you, it must be something extraordinary, right? Besides, I heard that the driver, Peter, is very capable!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Qin Zhining wasn¡¯t willing to give up and used all sorts of random reasons to persuade her again and again. She was also very curious as to who was so eager for her to go to the airport to see Linda and the driver, Peter.

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t reject immediately. She pretended to be angry and beat around the bush with Qin Zhining. ¡°If she wants to see me, I have to let her see me? Qin Zhining, in your eyes, am I such a person with no status and no dignity?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Qin Zhining blurted out. ¡°General He specifically instructed me. How can you have no status and no dignity?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She knew that the situation wasn¡¯t good, but her face still had an inexplicable look of surprise and joy. She sped her hands.¡±... General He personally instructed me to go see Linda, didn¡¯t he? You should have told me earlier. If you had, I would have gone. Why did you have to drag this out for so long? I believe General He. Since he said it, I¡¯m relieved.¡±

    Qin Zhining had identally said He Chengjian¡¯s name, and was instantly dumbfounded. He was worried that he would ruin the whole thing, but seeing that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t unhappy or aware of their intentions, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    Actually, it would be best if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask him anything and just did wherever he said.

    If she insisted, they had a n B.

    Qin Zhining stood up and picked up his backpack. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed as she stared at Qin Zhining¡¯s backpack for a while.

    She hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it before, but now that she thought about He Chengjian¡¯s methods, it was very likely that Qin Zhining¡¯s backpack contained an assembly gun.

    After confirming that this was an order from He Chengjian, Gu Nianzhi knew that there was no room for her to refute.

    He Chengjian¡¯s methods weren¡¯t something she could contend with.

    It was clear from the fact that he was so powerful that he forcibly brought her back from the parallel dimension.

    She could reason with He Zhichu because he was somewhat sincere towards her and did not want to use violence against her.

    However, He Chengjian was different.

    This man only had his wife and son in his heart. In front of his absolute power, her intelligence and wisdom paled inparison.

    Gu Nianzhi looked out of the window silently. The bright ss window was like a mirror in the dark night by reflecting her thin and slender figure.

    She recalled the past seven years in her memory once more.

    She had been here, loved, was loved, and married. She had experienced everything a woman could experience except having children.

    She was just a little regretful that she couldn¡¯t grow old with the person she loved.

    Butpared to many people who struggled in their suffering, her situation was much better.

    She didn¡¯t want to be greedy.

    It had been more than two months since she had been abducted and brought here.

    She had tried hard, tried to live as if nothing had happened, tried to find her way home in secret.

    But she had just found out that there was no way for her to escape this fate of being shackled and locked up.

    With a supreme power watching her, her freedom was a joke.

    She now understood why she had been sent to the parallel dimension, even at the risk that she might perish together with her opponent.

    Gu Nianzhi was not a person who was willing topromise.

    The reason she had been able topromise must have been because of a bigger and better goal.

    If she didn¡¯t have a bigger and better goal, she wouldn¡¯t have given in without a bottom line.

    Her personality had a strong stubbornness that said, ¡°I¡¯d rather die than live under oppression¡±.

    Just like that time in Germany when she had fallen into Reinitz¡¯s trap, she was also determined to fight them to the death.

    If she wasn¡¯t free, she would rather die.

    After finally making this decision, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood calmed down instead.

    She nodded lightly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go pack my backpack. Qin Zhining, wait for me for a while.¡±

    Qin Zhining agreed immediately. ¡°Hurry up, there¡¯s nothing to pack. I¡¯ll be right back. I promise you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. Yes, she knew He Chengjian wouldn¡¯t hurt her, but she still had to go under such circumstances. He must be using her to hurt someone else...

    Thinking of Xiao Ye lying in a pool of blood on the other side of the world, and then thinking of the beautiful Linda here, Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes.

    Perhaps she had a chance to repay her debt.

    Qin Zhining carried his backpack and walked towards the door.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and took out her phone to send a few text messages.

    One message was sent to He Zhichu¡¯s email: [ Young Master He, you have a ce in my heart, the position of my closest family member. ]

    One message was sent to Lu Jin¡¯s phone: [ Lion King, Hakuna Matata, Little Simba¡¯s best day here is at Disnend. ]

    After sending the message, she turned off her phone and stopped receiving any messages.

    When Qin Zhining turned around, she had just put her phone into her pocket and was carrying her backpack.

    In the backpack was her passport, ID card, wallet, small makeup bag, and the phone Lu Jin had given her. It was ced vertically in the pocket of the backpack that had been specially made for her phone.

    That was the closest ce to the heart.

    Gu Nianzhi adjusted the strap of her backpack and asked Qin Zhining with a smile, ¡°Do you know the address? Didn¡¯t you say it was confidential?¡±

    ¡°General He gave the order. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s confidential.¡± Qin Zhining said with a smile as he opened the door.

    Gu Nianzhi took onest look at the room and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t want to waste time.¡±

    The two of them left the Four Seasons Hotel and got into a jeep that Qin Zhining had parked there.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the passenger seat and looked calmly at the road ahead.

    It was getting dark, and the lights in the shape of Magnolia were shing past her eyes.

    This was her home, but she didn¡¯t feel any sense of belonging to it.

    The two of them chatted in the car.

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Qin Zhining, Wen Shouyi isn¡¯t a good person. Although you¡¯re not particrly good, you¡¯re still better than Wen Shouyi. Leave her. She¡¯s not worthy of your love.¡±

    Qin Zhining blushed at her words and said awkwardly, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m already thinking about breaking up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°Did you two start a rtionship? And break up? If you asked Wen Shouyi in front of Young Master He if you were her boyfriend, she would definitely deny it.¡±

    Qin Zhining looked at her in surprise. ¡°No way! Gu Nianzhi, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you. If you don¡¯t believe me, then forget it.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have any intention of exposing it to him.

    She only reminded him to thank him for saving her on the Caribbean Snake Ind.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to owe him a favor.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s Jeep drove very fast and soon arrived at the dock of the port city of Tsim Sha Tsui in City H.

    The two of them got off the jeep and boarded the boat. From there, they took a boat to M City.

    They took a small red ferry and drove very fast. In less than an hour, they arrived at M City¡¯s dock.

    Along the way, Gu Nianzhi noticed that besides Qin Zhining, there were many people following them.

    It looked like they were all He Chengjian¡¯s subordinates.

    She had no intention of running away, so she simply pretended not to see them and followed Qin Zhining to M City¡¯s international airport.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. It was already past 11 pm.

    There were still nesnding andnding at the airport. It was as busy as a container port during the day.

    Qin Zhining looked around and didn¡¯t see the scheduled flight. She was a little surprised. She quickly turned on her Bluetooth headset, turned on the special frequency, and started talking to He Zhichu.

    ¡°Young Master He, where are you?¡±

    He Zhichu was also surprised to hear Qin Zhining¡¯s voice. ¡°Zhining? Why are you here?! Where¡¯s Nianzhi?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to find Linda and Dresden,¡± Not mentioning Gu Nianzhi at all, Qin Zhining said calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi only nced at him casually and didn¡¯t interrupt.

    He Zhichu seemed to hesitate for a moment and said, ¡°Themittee of State Security (KGB) changed their location at thest minute. They¡¯re not at the International Airport. We¡¯re on our way there now.¡±

    Qin Zhining: ¡°! ! !¡±

    ¡°Where are they?¡± He asked urgently. ¡°I have an important mission assigned to me by General He.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart sank. It was as if he had stepped on air and had fallen from a height of 100,000 feet. There was a buzzing sound beside his ears, and his mind was almostpletely nk.

    He looked at the dark night sky and said word by word, ¡°What important mission?!¡±

 Chapter 1540 - The Worst Day

    <h4>Chapter 1540: The Worst Day</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when we meet.¡± Qin Zhining was smart for once, and he didn¡¯t let He Zhichu get the information right away.

    He Zhichu knew that Qin Zhining worked directly under his father, He Chengjian. He only listened to his father and was loyal to his father.

    He Zhichu was nervous and was about to move, but he felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on him. He said sternly, ¡°What about Nianzhi? Aren¡¯t you supposed to protect her at the hotel?!¡±

    Earlier, it was agreed upon that Qin Zhining would stay at the hotel to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal bodyguard.

    Qin Zhining was now honest. ¡°Nianzhi is with me.¡± He added, ¡°It was General He¡¯s order. Young Master He, please understand the difficulties we have as subordinates.¡±

    Finally, he patted his chest and said, ¡°With me personally protecting her, what are you worried about? Don¡¯t worry, even if I die, I¡¯ll protect Nianzhi.¡±

    He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t be so easily fooled by Qin Zhining.

    He thought quickly and felt that their uing mission was too dangerous, and Nianzhi wasn¡¯t suitable to be present.

    He didn¡¯t tell Qin Zhining about the KGB¡¯s new location, but only said, ¡°Put Nianzhi on the phone.¡±

    Qin Zhining looked at Gu Nianzhi and turned off the Bluetooth headset. He said to her, ¡°Young Master He is currently on a mission. He is not only facing the cunning and powerful KGB, but also the most elite CIA secret service agents in Asia. If anything goes wrong, he will lose his head.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and smiled nonchntly. ¡°Qin Zhining, what do you mean by saying these things to me? Do you think I will hold Young Master He back?¡±

    ¡°I just hope you don¡¯t say anything you shouldn¡¯t.¡± Qin Zhining said as he ced a bluetooth earpiece beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear. He wore the other earpiece and signaling her to speak, he turned on the microphone.

    This way, no matter what Gu Nianzhi said to He Zhichu, Qin Zhining could hear everything clearly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±

    If she wanted to tattletale to He Zhichu, she wouldn¡¯t have followed him here.

    Since she was here, her idea had nothing to do with He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi said into the headset, ¡°Young Master He, where are you? Qin Zhining and I will being to find you soon.¡±

    He Zhichu was relieved to hear that nothing was wrong with her voice. ¡°Don¡¯te over, it¡¯s dangerous here.¡± Heforted her softly. ¡°Be good, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    He hung up on Qin Zhining without telling them where he was going.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was grim as he led his team to meet up with the military¡¯s reconnaissance unit in M City. He rushed to the KGB¡¯s location and picked up He Chengjian¡¯s call.

    ¡°General He, what the hell are you doing today? It¡¯s so dangerous today. Why did you ask Qin Zhining to bring Nianzhi here?¡± He Zhichu was in a bad mood.

    He sat in the Jeep that was driving at high speed. He looked ahead with the infrared night vision telescope in his hand and questioned He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian sat in the study room of the He family¡¯s mansion in the imperial capital. He looked at the information he had gathered and said in a low voice, ¡°Ah-Chu, I heard that the KGB has changed their location?¡±

    He Zhichu replied, ¡°They said that the International Airport is too conspicuous. It has been changed to a temporary airport at the foot of the mountain. We are on our way there now.¡±

    He Chengjian sent the location of the temporary airport to Qin Zhining without batting an eye. At the same time, he tried to persuade He Zhichu, ¡°... Ah-Chu, don¡¯t be sentimental. I asked Zhining to bring her here for a reason. It has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Father! How could it have nothing to do with me?! Everything that has to do with Nianzhi has to do with me!¡± He Zhichu growled. His cold and clear voice was so deep that it was hoarse. He gripped his automatic rifle tightly with his other hand. ¡°I willplete today¡¯s mission perfectly! Please don¡¯t cause any more trouble!¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice softened, ¡°Ah-Chu, I have never been disappointed in you. You have always been the pride of your mother and me since we were young. I know you willplete the mission perfectly, but leave Nianzhi to me. I will give you a satisfactory answer.¡±

    ¡°Father! Can you wait until tonight¡¯s mission is over before you take action? Once I clear the battlefield, I will help youplete the mission!¡± He Zhichu saw that he couldn¡¯t convince He Chengjian to give up on his mission, he could only settle for the next best thing. He wanted to stall for time first.

    Now that the arrow was already on the bow, there was nowhere to turn back.

    Because Gu Nianzhi had already been brought by Qin Zhining to his battlefield.

    He had no way out.

    He Chengjian obviously knew what he was nning.

    He smiled slightly. White smoke rose from the cigarette in his hand, and his fingers caressed the picture of his wife on the desk. ¡°Ah-Chu, trust me. I won¡¯t let you down. Everything I¡¯ve done has been for your own good. For the sake of your and Nianzhi¡¯s lifelong happiness.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that no matter how many things he said, it would never be as convincing as thest sentence.

    His feelings for Gu Nianzhi had already be his obsession. As a father, how could he not know? How could he not help him?

    And tonight¡¯s n could kill three birds with one stone.

    Not only would it make Gu Nianzhipletely loyal to He Zhichu, but it would also give him the opportunity to eliminate the Ace of the Far East and frame a third party...

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression was extremely determined. The lines of his jaw were square and firm. They showed his unquestionable authority and determination as a superior for many years.

    His ns had never failed, and this time wouldn¡¯t be an exception.

    ..

    Under the night sky, M City was shrouded in glittering lights. At the foot of the city¡¯s Mount Rockfall, a silver Bombardier Challenger 300 medium-sized business jet was parked on a temporarily cleared piece ofnd.

    This private jet was equipped with a twin-engine HTF 7000 turbofan engine. It could carry eight to nine passengers and only two crew members.

    The runway of the temporary airport was lit by rows of floormps that guided the direction of the runway.

    The weather at night wasn¡¯t bad. The dark blue sky was dotted with stars, and the moonlight was gentle.

    The elevation of Mount Rockfall was only 170 meters, but it was already the highest mountain in M city.

    He Zhichu and his men quickly arrived. They quietly climbed over Mount Rockfall from the back of the mountain and arrived at the mountainside of Mount Rockfall.

    They upied the best spot that overlooked the bushes at the foot of the mountain and the temporary airport not far away.

    Not long after, they saw more than a dozen people sneaking up the mountain. They hid in the bushes at the foot of the mountain while facing the direction of the temporary airport.

    After more than ten minutes, a few open-top military jeeps roared as they came from the roundabout path around the mountain. The headlights were turned on loudly, and the sound of drunken swearing in Russian could be hearding from the jeeps.

    The jeeps stopped at the fork in the mountain road with a squeak. Tall and strong Russians walked out of the jeeps. Most of them had full beards, and they seemed to be drunk.

    A man and a woman got out of the jeepst.

    The man was tall, and the woman had a voluptuous figure. They both wore low hats that covered half of their faces.

    Judging from their figures, they seemed to be Dresden and Linda.

    At this moment, a rustling sound came from the bushes at the foot of the mountain.

    ¡°... Action!¡±

    With a bang, the group of seemingly drunk Soviet people suddenly raised their hands and shot the streetlight cable near the temporary airport.

    A burst of crackling sparks appeared from the cable, and the area quickly fell into darkness.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    The thicket at the foot of the mountain suddenly made a clicking sound.

    It was the sound of a semi-automatic rifle equipped with a silencer.

    Countless bullets interweaved with each other and shot toward the ce where the drunk Soviets were standing.

    The group of Soviets who got out of the jeep had long changed ces. Each of them pulled out their weapons and began to fight back.

    At this moment, He Zhichu and the others also began to move on the mountainside.

    Their guns were aimed at the group of people who were lying in ambush in the bushes at the foot of the mountain!

    There was the thud thud thud of the sniper gun, the sound of hand-to-handbat, and the low growl of a hiss. This piece of emptynd that was used as a temporary airport was instantly thrown into chaos.

    ¡°F * ck! The CIA probably never expected us and the Soviet¡¯s KGB to gang up together against them!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s team and scouts were so excited that their eyes turned red.

    They hade from the back of the mountain and were lying in ambush halfway up the mountain. The group of people lying in ambush in the bushes at the foot of the mountain were the elite Secret Service agent and Special Forces sent from the CIA¡¯s Asia Bureau.

    The Americans¡¯ goal wasn¡¯t Dresden, but the Soviets who came to pick up Dresden, especially the Ace of the Far East, Huo Shaoheng.

    The Huaxia Empire, who had already threw Dresden on the Soviets, had actually worked together with the Soviets to set them up!

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s military operations team and the Regr Army¡¯s special reconnaissancepany¡¯s firepower was too much for the CIA¡¯s elite Secret Service agent and special forces in Asia to handle, especially since the Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s Far East Bureau was also working together with them.

    The battle was fierce and swift.

    When Gu Nianzhi arrived with Qin Zhining, the battle was at its most intense.

    Qin Zhining pulled her to hide behind a huge boulder. They avoided direct attacks from the mountainside, the foot of the mountain, and the temporary airport. However, the stray bullets from all over hit the boulder they were using as a shield, the surrounding bushes and trees were also sliced into pieces.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head was held down by Qin Zhining. She didn¡¯t dare to look at the situation over there.

    She silently looked at her watch.

    Five minutester, the sound of bullets outside gradually faded away. The battle seemed to have ended.

    He Zhichu ordered his team and the reconnaissancepany to clean up the battlefield.

    ¡°Reporting, chief. Four Secret Service agents and eight special forces have been annihted. Two of them have escaped.¡±

    He Zhichu went to examine the bodies and found that the four secret service agents who had been killed were the leaders of the four branches of the CIA in Asia.

    In other words, this battle had destroyed the operations of the CIA in Asia for many years.

    He Zhichu breathed a sigh of relief and raised his hand. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. You can continue.¡±

    He brought two guards to the group of Russians and shook hands with the person standing at the front. ¡°Happy working with you.¡±

    ¡°Happy working with you.¡± Two of the Russians were seriously injured and a few were slightly injured. The rest of them were fine.

    He Zhichu nced at these people and asked, ¡°Where are Dresden and Linda?¡±

    The two people who covered half of their faces weren¡¯t Dresden and Linda at all.

    Far away from He Zhichu, the Ace of the Far East stood among his own people, and said with an indifferent expression, ¡°Their ne has already taken off four hours ago.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and he instantly understood. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me?! They didn¡¯t change the airport at all!¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had already sent Linda and Dresden back to Moscow before the KGB informed them that they were going to change the location at thest minute.

    ¡°There¡¯s a saying in your Huaxia Empire that goes, ¡®All is fair in war.¡¯¡± his expression cold and arrogant, the Ace of the Far East toyed with his pistol. ¡°Do we have the obligation to tell you the truth?¡±

    ¡°Our Deputy Commissioner, Linda, has returned to the Soviet Union with Mr. Dresden. Thank you for your hospitality. We¡¯ll work together again next time.¡± The Ace of the Far East had a disdainful look on his face. With a flip of his wrist, he put the pistol back into the holster at his waist.

    He was standing not that far from the boarding gate of the Bombardier Challenger 300 medium-sized state security ne and was surrounded by a tall secret service agent.

    These people were obviously Caucasian. They were strong and well-built. They surrounded him from a very tricky angle. They couldn¡¯t hit him from any angle, not to mention that he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

    Qin Zhining, who had led Gu Nianzhi to hide behind the Boulder, received He Chengjian¡¯s order. ¡°Zhining, put Nianzhi on the phone.¡±

    Qin Zhining quickly gave Gu Nianzhi the Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s Uncle He.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice was firm and gentle. ¡°I have some news for you.¡±

    ¡°What news?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked nervously, her voice still trembling.

    She knew it was her turn.

    He Chengjian had risked everything to have Qin Zhining bring her to this battlefield. There had to be a purpose.

    He Chengjian was very satisfied with her performance. She should be in a state of shock.

    ¡°You know that we¡¯ve been monitoring the maic field experiment on the other side. We just found out that the other side may have made a major breakthrough, which means that the people on the other side may being over soon.¡± He told her patiently. He deliberately used fake information to test her reaction.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe a word of it, but still pretended to be surprised. ¡°Really?! Can Major General Huo reallye over? !¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡± He Chengjianughed. ¡°I know you only have Major General Huo in your heart, and I also know that it¡¯s not good to force things. Since you and Ah-Chu aren¡¯t fated, I won¡¯t force it.¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi was certain that He Chengjian was lying, she was still a little moved by his words.

    If only what he said was true...

    ¡°... Thank you, Uncle He, for your understanding.¡± Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t faking it at the moment. She spoke with sincerity, ¡°You¡¯re a good father, but what happened before was really too much. It wasn¡¯t for your son¡¯s sake. Now that you¡¯ve repented, it¡¯s Young Master He¡¯s fortune and our blessing.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, is that so?¡± He chengjian listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. His heart was boiling with anger, but his voice was still calm. ¡°But you also know that if Major General Huo from the other side wants toe over, he has to die or not exist. Do you want Major General Huo from the other side toe over safely?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sniffled and quickly looked up at the night sky. She swallowed the tears that were about to fall and sobbed, ¡°... Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He Chengjian let out a long sigh. ¡°Nianzhi, you just have to do one thing and Major General Huo from the other side will be able toe over safely.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up from behind the boulder. She had already guessed what He Chengjian wanted her to do.

    As expected, He Chengjian said, ¡°Go out and walk over to that the Ace of the Far East. Say that you want to talk to him alone. Just lure him away from his bodyguards.¡±

    When He Chengjian was talking to Gu Nianzhi, the screen in front of him was ying the live video feed.

    He could clearly see the battle and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s every move.

    ¡°Can I?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked hesitant. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t have any special feelings for me... If I go over, what if he doesn¡¯t talk to me?¡±

    ¡°No. He¡¯s Major General Huo¡¯s counterpart over there, so he won¡¯t have no special feelings for you.¡± He Chengjian didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°Besides, you suddenly appeared. He¡¯s a suspicious person by nature, so he¡¯ll definitely want to investigate your motives. You¡¯re a weak woman, so he won¡¯t be too wary of you if you don¡¯t have intimidation.¡±

    Only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sudden appearance would be enough to attract the attention of the Ace of the Far East and make him to walk out from hisyers of bodyguards.

    As they spoke, Qin Zhining had already opened his backpack and sessfully assembled an anti-materiel rifle.

    He covered the scope with ayer of ck gauze and crouched behind a big rock.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Okay, but if he doesn¡¯te out...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if he doesn¡¯te out, but there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. You can only me yourself for not being fated to be with Major General Huo.¡± Expressing a little regret, He Chengjian said calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice from trembling. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    She hung up the call with He Chengjian and looked at Qin Zhining. ¡°Why did you use the anti-materiel rifle? This anti-materiel rifle doesn¡¯t look like anything I¡¯ve seen before.¡±

    The barrel of the anti-materiel rifle was very long, but there seemed to be more equipment attached to the scope of the barrel.

    Qin Zhining now considered her as his partner. He smiled and said, ¡°That Mr. Peter must be wearing a bulletproof vest, so the anti-materiel rifle must be effective.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t be afraid. This heavy sniper rifle will never aim at the wrong person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Never? You¡¯re too sure, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. ¡°We all know that people will make mistakes, and there will be errors.¡±

    ¡°No, this type of heavy sniper rifle doesn¡¯t rely on people to aim.¡± Qin Zhining showed her the equipment next to the scope. ¡°This is an anti-materiel rifle. It uses infrared heat to lock onto the target. Once the target is locked onto, it won¡¯t change direction.¡±

    ¡°... What if I lock onto the wrong person?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked quietly. ¡°How long will it take to change the route?¡±

    ¡°About five seconds.¡± Qin Zhining frowned. ¡°Why are you asking this? I said I wouldn¡¯t make a mistake. Would I still be able to lock onto the wrong person if such a big person was standing there?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m still worried,¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously, ¡°How about this? You also have a Bluetooth headset. When you lock onto your target and fire, just let me know, and I¡¯ll be able to fall to the ground in time to dodge. I don¡¯t want to see a person fall apart in front of me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± Qin Zhining didn¡¯t doubt her and nodded in agreement.

    Gu Nianzhi adjusted her backpack, walked around the big rock, and walked forward.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi walk over, the group of Soviets cautiously took out their weapons.

    He Zhichu turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi. His eyebrows jumped. ¡°Nianzhi, what are you doing here? Go back!¡±

    He walked over and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Gu Nianzhi shook his hand off and looked at the Ace of the Far East in the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Mr. Peter off.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You wanted to see me off?¡± The Ace of the Far East saw her and had a look of interest on his face. He separated himself from the bodyguard in front of him and walked out slowly.

    He walked towards Gu Nianzhi. His face, which looked exactly like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, was iparably handsome under the moonlight.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was pale as she looked at him without moving.

    He Zhichu turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. He realized that even though she was looking at the Ace of the Far East, she was actually looking at someone else through him. He couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart ache even more.

    His face darkened. He wanted to pull Gu Nianzhi away, but just then, Gu Nianzhi heard Qin Zhining¡¯s voice through her Bluetooth headset. ¡°Lock on, fire!¡±

    She immediately shook He Zhichu¡¯s hand off and suddenly pounced on the Ace of the Far East.

    They were so close that she didn¡¯t think twice and pounced on his chest.

    Almost at the same time, a bullet from the anti-materiel rifle whistled through the air andnded on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s backpack. It was blocked by something and almost caused a small explosion!

    Then a huge impact hit Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back!

    The shrapnel flew across the air, embedded into her back and pierced into her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. It was as if there was a hole in her chest. It was burning and stinging. She couldn¡¯t speak. A gush of blood gushed out from her red lips and all of it spewed onto the clothes on the chest of the Ace of the Far East.

    The Ace of the Far East was also sent flying by the impact.

    He hugged her tightly. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.

    She used her body to block the bullet for him!

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression changed. He ran over and wailed. He grabbed her from the Ace of the Far East¡¯s arms and shouted, ¡°ne! ne! Send her to the hospital!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiid in He Zhichu¡¯s arms. Her eyes were starting to ze over.

    ¡°Young Master He... There¡¯s no need... please... tell Major General Huo over there that I¡¯m dead... tell him... tell him... tell him not toe over again...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke intermittently. She wondered if this was what it was like to be on the verge of death.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was covered in tears. He hugged her and stood up.

    The Ace of the Far East struggled to his feet. His voice was shaky and indistinct. ¡°Get her on the ne! Go to the nearest hospital!¡±

    He Zhichu had no time to find out who had fired the gun.

    He just wanted to use all his strength to snatch her away from the grim reaper.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice grew weaker. ¡°Don¡¯t... Don¡¯t trouble yourself...¡±

    ¡°Why are you doing this?!¡± He Zhichu carried her and ran towards the ne. His chest was filled with countless emotions ¡ª regret, pain, sadness, grief, and confusion. ¡°Why are you doing this? ! Didn¡¯t you want Major General Huo toe over? If he dies, the people over there cane over!¡±

    ¡°I. . . I can¡¯t let others sacrifice their lives for my own interests.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo and I can¡¯t base our happiness on a human¡¯s death. Major General Huo won¡¯t be happy... I really want to go back...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed softly, closed her eyes, and stopped breathing.

 Chapter 1541 - Donâ€™t You Dare TouChapter Her Again!

    <h4>Chapter 1541: Chapter 1541: Don¡¯t You Dare Touch Her Again!</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm hung limply as He Zhichu ran to her madly.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Don¡¯t close your eyes! I promise you! I¡¯ll promise you anything! Don¡¯t leave me behind!¡± He Zhichu roared at the top of his lungs. In three quick steps, he sent her to the Bombardier Challenger 300 at the temporary airport.

    The Ace of the Far East, who had been saved by Gu Nianzhi at the cost of her own life, also rushed forward. In a hoarse voice, hemanded his men in Russian.

    ¡°Kabarova! Give her emergency treatment now!¡±

    ¡°Respirator! Put her on the respirator now!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the pacemaker?! Take it out!¡±

    ¡°Pilot! Take off immediately!¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) quickly boarded the ne and went to work.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ne was originally the KGB¡¯s official ne, so it had all the first aid equipment.

    When a team of more than ten people went on arge-scale mission, they would definitely be equipped with a first aid personnel. The female KGB official Kabarova, who was disguised as Linda, was the first-aid worker on the team this time.

    He Zhichu carried Gu Nianzhi onto the business jet. Kabarova followed closely behind and pushed out the first-aid equipment on the business jet.

    She skillfully covered Gu Nianzhi with the respirator and increased the oxygen level. She then used scissors to cut open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clothes.

    He Zhichu instinctively turned his head, but quickly turned back and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest was covered in blood. His vision was instantly blurred by tears.

    ¡°Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Don¡¯t block the light!¡±Kabarova kicked he zhichu rudely and lowered her head to wipe away the blood on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest before wrapping it in gauze.

    After using the machine to examine her, Kabarova said regretfully, ¡°There¡¯s arge area of trauma on her back. She must have been hit by shrapnel that went deep into her internal organs. There¡¯s shrapnel in her heart, so she can¡¯t use the pacemaker anymore.¡±

    The pacemaker used a pulse generator to stimte the heart muscles by causing the temporarily stopped heart to start beating again and contract.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, on the other hand, was most likely filled with shrapnel. This kind of stimtion would kill her.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hands were twitching, and he couldn¡¯t lift them for a long time.

    He was extremely angry and panicked. He couldn¡¯t control himself, and his clear voice became coarse and cold. ¡°... Then what should we do?! Is there no other way?!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if her breathing can recover first. I¡¯ll stop the bleeding. If her breathing can recover and her heart doesn¡¯t stop beatingpletely, then we¡¯ll have to perform surgery within an hour to remove the shrapnel from her heart. She might have a 30% chance of survival.¡±

    Kabarova shook her head as she spoke. She carefully cut off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s backpack and took it off.

    When she opened it, she saw that it was pitch ck, and the smell of gunpowder was strong. There was also something that looked like a t piece of metal stuck to the inside of the backpack.

    Kabarova curiously took the thing out and looked at it. She said in surprise, ¡°This is a cell phone!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! This is even better than the best bulletproof vest!¡±

    Anti-materiel rifle bullets could prate armored vehicles and walls of buildings. If they hit a person, there was only one oue ¡ª they would be torn to pieces.

    However, the phone in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s backpack not only blocked the anti-materiel rifle bullet, but it also did not explode into pieces when the bullet exploded. Instead, it was connected to the anti-materiel rifle like bulletproof ss.

    Unfortunately, the phone wasn¡¯t big and the area it could protect was too small. Because it was ced in the middle of the backpack, when the anti-materiel rifle bullet was blocked and a small explosion urred, only the small area blocked by the phone wasn¡¯t affected by the bullet fragments. Other parts of her body were still severely injured.

    A portion of the shrapnel from the explosion had prated the area on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back that wasn¡¯t protected by the phone. It had even prated the left side of her heart.

    The KGB members who had been helping Kabarova with the first aid surrounded her. They looked at the phone in her hand, which had be a piece of metal, and said in surprise, ¡°This phone must be made of a new type of material! What kind of material is it?!¡±

    The KGB had been gathering intelligence abroad. Most of it was rted to science and technology.

    If even they couldn¡¯t tell what kind of new material this was, then this phone must be very advanced.

    He Zhichupletely ignored what they were saying. His gaze was fixed on the respirator mask on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    He held his breath until he realized that the respirator was finally reacting. He let out a long sigh.

    ¡°Is her breathing back?!¡± He Zhichu yelled. He pulled Kabarova to look at the data on the venttor.

    Kabarova leaned over to take a look and said in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s really back! Although it¡¯s very shallow and slow, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s not breathing anymore.¡±

    He looked at the ECG monitor next to him. It had been a straight line just a moment ago, but now there were slight fluctuations.

    Although it was very small and faint, it meant that her heart had returned to normal.

    Kabarova was pleasantly surprised. She couldn¡¯t help holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft hand and drawing a cross on her chest with her other hand. She shouted, ¡°Come on, girl! Don¡¯t give up! You¡¯ll be saved! God is with you!¡±

    ¡°This girl¡¯s body is really good.¡± Kabarova clicked her tongue in praise. ¡°She¡¯s injured so badly, but she still has such vital signs. I¡¯ve never seen such a phenomenon before.¡±

    No matter how strong a man was, encountering such a gunshot wound would only lead to his death.

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and suddenly gained strength.

    He took out his phone and realized that there were already countless missed calls. They were all from his father.

    At that moment, he understood everything. He angrily dialed the number and roared into his phone, ¡°Hurry up and find me the best cardiologist to go to H City¡¯s West Camp Hospital! I want him there within an hour!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s face was pale and shocked as he held the phone in his study. The scene just now had shocked him greatly.

    ¡°Ah-Chu! Are you crazy?! She would even give up her life for another man!¡± He Chengjian punched the desk hard. ¡°If I had known earlier, I would have performed the memory-stripping surgery on her!¡±

    ¡°He Chengjian! I only have one sentence. If she dies, I die! ¡ª Don¡¯t you dare touch her again!¡± He Zhichu roared and mmed the phone on the floor. He hugged his head and leaned against the wall of the ne.

    He couldn¡¯t feel the pain in his heart. His heart was like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. It had been hit by shrapnel and was riddled with holes.

    She was seriously injured and unconscious. Her chances of survival were less than 30% .

    If she didn¡¯t survive, he was already prepared to apany her.

    If she went to heaven, he went to heaven.

    If she went to Hell, he went to hell.

    He could no longer be by her side in the mortal world, because she didn¡¯t want him to be by her side.

    He Zhichu slowly slid down against the wall of the ne, closed his eyes, and sat on the ground expressionlessly.

    ..

    The KGB¡¯s pilots were busy preparing for takeoff in the ne¡¯s cockpit.

    ¡°There are many bullet holes in the fusge.¡±

    ¡°The wing is damaged, and a part of it is missing.¡±

    ¡°Of the two engines, one is broken, and the other is intact.¡±

    They looked at each other. In this state, how could they fly?

    Five minutes had passed, and this Bombardier Challenger 300 had yet to take off.

    The anxious Ace of the Far East kicked open the door of the cockpit and roared, ¡°Why isn¡¯t it taking off yet? !¡±

    ¡°Mr. Peter, the ne was damaged in the gunfight just now. Even if it could barely take off, it would be very difficult...¡±

    Not daring to make any promises, they looked at each other.

    ¡°Get lost! Let me do it!¡± The Ace of the Far East kicked the pilot away and sat in the pilot¡¯s seat.

    The pilot who was kicked away rolled to the assistant pilot¡¯s seat beside him. The assistant pilot had already stood up and moved to the side.

    The Ace of the Far East was indeed worthy of being the Ace of the Far East. Very soon, a ne that only had one engine to start and had many damaged parts of its body flew into the sky with a crooked curve.

    It circled twice in the air and quickly flew to H City after gaining bnce.

    ..

    He Chengjian heard He Zhichu¡¯s angry roar and was scared out of his wits. Frightened, he didn¡¯t dare to go against his son again. He immediately made a call and ordered people to find the best cardiologists and doctors near H City and transfer them to the West Camp Hospital in H City to wait to administer treatment.

    At the same time, he took his people to the airport to take a special ne to H City.

    He had mixed feelings about Gu Nianzhi, but he was more worried about his son¡¯s mental state.

    He had just arrived at the airport when he saw Qin Yaoguang rushing over.

    ¡°Brother He, I heard you¡¯re looking for the best cardiologist? What happened? Is It Ah-Chu?¡± Qin Yaoguang asked anxiously.

    Although they were separated and were discussing divorce, Qin Yaoguang was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother after all. She was once the best brain surgeon and the head of the Qin family¡¯s private hospital. She had the best connections and status in the medical world.

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t hide anything from her and said, ¡°Nianzhi was seriously injured in H City and needs a cardiologist to perform surgery.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Qin Yaoguang widened her eyes in surprise and was very angry. ¡°Why is she so naughty?! Why did she hurt her heart?¡±

    ¡°Gunshot wound,¡± He Chengjian said coldly. ¡°Can you find the best cardiologist?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was stunned. ¡°Gunshot wound?!¡±

    Then, she quickly came back to her senses. ¡°Our Qin hospital has a very good cardiologist in Z City. I will send them to H City to wait for orders.¡±

    Z City and H City were very close. It was less than fifty kilometers, and less than an hour by express train.

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°Nianzhi is at the West Camp Hospital in H City.¡±

    The two of them boarded He Chengjian¡¯s private ne and flew from the imperial capital to H City.

    ..

    At the same time, Lu Jin¡¯s private ne had alreadynded slowly at the airport in H City.

    Lu Yuan personally drove over to pick him up and said with a serious expression,¡±... Nianzhi did indeed have an ident.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was unsightly. He held his phone to his forehead and knocked it hard. He said angrily, ¡°I¡¯d like to see which bastard dared to touch her!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so fast. I just got the exact news, yet you¡¯re already on a ne.¡± Lu Yuan nced at him. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Lu Jin showed him the message Gu Nianzhi had sent him. ¡°I knew something was wrong when I saw this message. I immediately informed you to look for her...¡±

    At the same time, he had rushed over from C City on a private ne. In the end, he had been a step toote.

    It was only then that Lu Yuan saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text message to Lu Jin.

    [ Lion King, Hakuna Matata, Little Simba¡¯s best day in this dimension was at Disnend. ]

 Chapter 1542 - I Will Be Responsible For Her

    <h4>Chapter 1542: I Will Be Responsible For Her</h4>

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes were a little sore. He turned around and continued driving with a dark expression.¡±... No wonder. I was wondering why she was injured so badly...¡±

    ¡°Injured?!¡± Lu Jin was very nervous. ¡°What injury? Where was she injured? How did she get injured? Have you checked everything?!¡±

    Lu Yuan drove him directly to West Camp Hospital in H City and said, ¡°She¡¯s here. I just received news that Nianzhi took the bullet for someone. She was just sent by a ne from M City for surgery.¡±

    ¡°Took the bullet for who?!¡± Lu Jin was very angry. ¡°She definitely didn¡¯t do it willingly! Someone must have forced her to do it!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled bitterly and said vaguely, ¡°I was also very surprised by that person... I didn¡¯t expect him to be in the Soviet Union.¡±

    With the strength of the Lu Corporation and the fact that they were involved in the Inte security business, it would take them only a few minutes to get this information.

    Moreover, it was impossible to hide the fact that they were using a ne to send patients to the hospital in public.

    Lu Yuan took out his phone and connected to thework of West Camp Hospital. He quickly cracked the password and found the medical registration system of the emergency department that received the patients. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, female, 20 years old. Gunshot wound admitted to the hospital...¡±

    He suddenly paused. ¡°Huh? He Chengjian is actually gathering experts from the cardiology department to perform surgery on Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes and used his phone to hack into the West Camp Hospital¡¯swork system to take a look. He calmly said, ¡°Nianzhi only has one hour. It¡¯s already been 15 minutes.¡±

    In other words, she still had 45 minutes.

    During this period of time, she would only have a thirty percent chance of surviving the surgery.

    After forty-five minutes, even if she underwent the surgery, the chances were slim.

    He checked the doctors who had been arranged by West Camp Hospital to perform the surgery on Gu Nianzhi. He immediately pushed open the car door and got out while cursing, ¡°Retard!¡± Then he turned to Lu Yuan in the car and said, ¡°Help me stop those b * tches from the Qin hospital from Z City. I¡¯ll go personally to perform the surgery on Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to show yourself?¡± Lu Yuan didn¡¯t stop him, but didn¡¯t forget to remind him of the possible oue. ¡°He Chengjian and Qin Yaoguang areing. Their private ne will arrive in two hours.¡±

    ¡°Haha, two hours. I can perform two surgeries on Nianzhi.¡± Lu Jin did not care about his condition at all. He waved his hand with his back facing Lu Yuan. ¡°My Gu family has ancestral hypnotism. It¡¯s more than enough to deal with these youngsters in the hospital. It¡¯s many times better than their memory-stripping surgery. Hmph!¡±

    Lu Yuan listened to Lu Jin¡¯s swearing and smiled bitterly. ¡°You haven¡¯t performed any surgeries recently. Can you still pick it up?¡±

    ¡°Do I still need to practice every day like those idiots? Everything is here.¡± Lu Jin pointed at his brain. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t perform any surgeries for ten years, I won¡¯t be out of practice.¡±

    ¡°Then you must be careful.¡± Lu Yuan knew Lu Jin¡¯s ability. If it were anyone else, Lu Yuan would mock him to death. As for Lu Jin, he knew that he was only telling the truth.

    This was the difference between a true genius and a genius that was hyped up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lu Jin lowered the brim of the hat on his head and swiped his fingers on his phone a few times. He hacked the control of the hospital¡¯s surveince system and walked in calmly.

    ..

    In the Intensive Care Unit of West Camp Hospital, the doctors and nurses were nervously preparing for the major surgery.

    In twenty minutes, the cardiology specialist from the Qin family¡¯s private hospital who hade from Z City woulde to perform surgery on a young female patient who was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

    This female patient had been shot in the back, and the shrapnel was embedded into her heart. Only an exceptionally skilled cardiology specialist could perform the surgery. All the shrapnel would have to be removed from the heart and then it had to be sutured.

    Due to the severity of the patient¡¯s injuries, the surgery required perfection.

    If there was even the slightest mistake, the patient wouldn¡¯t be able to survive.

    Because time was of the essence, they had to make all the necessary preparations beforehand. Once the specialist arrived, they could immediately enter the operating room.

    He Zhichu sat on the bench in front of the ward and looked straight in the direction of the ward. There was no expression on his face. It was just that his face was pale, and there was a sense of calmness and indifference from extreme sorrow of feeling dead inside.

    A few Soviet people were mumbling in Russian at the end of the corridor.

    The Ace of the Far East reprimanded these people with a straight face, ¡°You guys go back now. The mission has beenpleted. There¡¯s no need to wait here.¡±

    ¡°Peter, what about you?¡± Kabarova had a very good impression of him. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t dare to show goodwill to her confidant because of the deputymissioner¡¯s ¡°tyrannical¡± attitude toward Linda, the Bombshell of the Far East. But now that Linda wasn¡¯t here, Kabarova didn¡¯t want to let go of this opportunity.

    The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East¡¯s NOC was Linda¡¯s subordinate, Peter. Even his KGB colleagues didn¡¯t know that he was the famous Ace of the Far East.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and wait for her to recover.¡± The Ace of the Far East¡¯s expression was still extremely cold. Only when he said ¡°she¡±did his eyes have a little warmth.

    ¡°... Alright, she saved you after all. People like us can¡¯t stand this kind of kindness from ordinary people.¡± Kabarova shrugged. ¡°I understand your feelings, but if you stay here, will Deputy Commissioner Linda agree?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already called her and she agreed.¡± The Ace of the Far East didn¡¯t want to continue this topic, so he said seriously and coldly, ¡°Before she left, she asked me to make the decision. Now, I order you to leave this ce immediately and return to the Soviet Union!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Peter!¡± The KGB members couldn¡¯t help but submit to him. They didn¡¯t dare to argue with him anymore. One by one, they turned around and left the hospital.

    The KGB had already destroyed the core equipment of the Bombardier Challenger 300 official ne that was parked on the roof of the hospital. Everything rted to the KGB had also been destroyed.

    The aircraft was now a heavily damaged official aircraft.

    After sending his men away, the Ace of the Far East came to the door of the intensive care unit and stood there. Just like He Zhichu, he stared at the door without moving.

    He Zhichu raised his head slightly and nced at him. He asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Mr. Peter, why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±

    ¡°Why should I leave?¡± The Ace of the Far East put his hands in his trouser pockets and narrowed his eyes with a cold smile.

    ¡°Who are you? Don¡¯t you know who you are? A person who has exposed his identity still wants to stay in our country?¡± He Zhichu still gave him some face and didn¡¯t point at his nose to tell him who he was.

    The Ace of the Far East did not care at all. With an impably handsome face, he said, ¡°I am now the deputy consul of the Soviet conste general in C City of the Huaxia Empire. Young Master He, when you talk to me, you¡¯d better be more polite.¡±

    The people in the embassy had the ability to spy, and every embassy was no exception. This was an open secret between countries.

    He Zhichu smiled coldly. ¡°So soon, Mr. Peter already has the power of attorney? Your country¡¯s appointment is like child¡¯s y.¡±

    ¡°Likewise.¡± The Ace of the Far East had no intention of backing down.

    ¡°Indeed, the same goes for you.¡± He Zhichu leaned back in his seat and stretched out his long legs. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself. Nianzhi saved you, but not because of you. Don¡¯t misinterpret things.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of my business. I only know that she saved me with her life. I want to see her recover with my own eyes.¡± The Ace of the Far East said matter-of-factly. ¡°I¡¯m responsible for her health.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched, and he shook his head. Heughed out loud and pointed at the confident Ace of the Far East. Heughed so hard that tears almost came out of his eyes. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait and see! Let¡¯s see how she rejects you!¡±

    ¡°What are youughing at? She¡¯s injured so badly, yet you¡¯re stillughing!¡± The Ace of the Far East was very dissatisfied with his attitude. He nced at him coldly, as if he didn¡¯t want to be associated with him.

    He Zhichu wiped his face with the back of his hand. He used this burst ofughter to cover up his tears.

    He didn¡¯t want to shed another tear. All the tears in his life had been shed tonight.

    A doctor wearing a white coat pushed open the door of the intensive care unit. He frowned and said, ¡°Keep your voices down. The specialist will be here soon. Don¡¯t disturb the people inside for the surgery.¡±

    He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East kept their mouths shut like ms.

    The doctor left the intensive care unit to wee the cardio surgeon from the famous Qin Hospital.

    Just as he walked to the corner of the stairs, a tall and thin man with an ordinary appearance walked up to him. ¡°Doctor Zhao, may I know what time it is?¡±

    He held a pocket watch in his hand and stretched it out in front of the doctor.

    This doctor¡¯s surname was indeed Zhao. He didn¡¯t doubt it at all. He lowered his head to look at the pocket watch, and then, there was nothing else.

    This tall and thin man with an ordinary appearance was Lu Jin.

    Doctor Zhao in front of him had already been hypnotized by him. He listened to his instructions and turned around to return to his office.

    Lu Jin followed behind him and entered.

    Not long after, a doctor wearing a light green surgical gown, a mask, and a light green surgical cap walked out of his office.

    He entered the intensive care unit and ordered coldly, ¡°Is everyone here? Start the surgery immediately!¡±

    ¡°... May I ask who you are?¡± There were only a few nurses and two doctors in the intensive care unit. Another doctor had just left. The doctor who came in was obviously not Doctor Zhao, who had just left. He was taller and more imposing.

    ¡°I¡¯m the doctor invited by the patient¡¯s family. Hurry up with the surgery! If anything goes wrong, I¡¯ll be responsible!¡±

    Seeing that this person was patting his chest and promising that he would be able to take out his medical license and all sorts of promises signed by the other party¡¯s family, they looked at each other and began the surgery.

    The door of the intensive care unit was tightly closed, and the red light at the door became ¡°in surgery¡±.

    He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East who were waiting outside were slightly stunned. However, when they saw that it was almost time, they didn¡¯t want to dy any longer.

    Time passed by slowly. On the road from Z City to H City, a van carrying the best cardiologist of the Qin private hospital suddenly braked because the back of a pickup truck full of oranges suddenly loosened. Countless oranges fell from the van onto the road.

    The cars in front honked their horns to avoid the collision. A few cars identally rear-ended the van. The road ahead was in a mess. Soon, the traffic police arrived to deal with the car ident.

    The people in this van were extremely anxious, but they couldn¡¯t move an inch.

    ..

    An hourter, doctors and nurses from the Cardiology Department of the West Camp Hospital in H City witnessed an absolutely ¡°perfect¡± cardiology surgery.

    The specialist doctor that the patient¡¯s family hired was simply amazing. His hands were even more precise than aputer-operated gamma knife.

    From the moment he took out the patient¡¯s heart and found all the embedded shrapnel, to the seamless suture technique, every cut was just right. The patient didn¡¯t even need a blood transfusion.

    In the end, he even performed a small cosmetic surgery on the patient¡¯s back and perfectly restored her back, which was riddled with holes from the shrapnel explosion.

    ¡°Alright, push her to the intensive care unit for close observation. If she can survive tonight, she will basically be able to survive.¡± The doctor was very professional. After giving out these words, he immediately left the operating room.

    The red light in the operating room suddenly went off, and the door opened.

    He Zhichu and the Ace of the Far East stood up together.

    The doctor who was walking at the front nced at them and said, ¡°The patient¡¯s condition tonight is extremely important. No one is allowed to go near the patient¡¯s room.¡±

    He Zhichu narrowed his eyes and said slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one else will go near her bed tonight.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East also said, ¡°I will guard her bed with a gun. Anyone who dares toe near her will be killed!¡±

    The doctor was wearing a mask and his expression couldn¡¯t be seen. However, when he saw the Ace of the Far East, he red at him with extreme hatred. He quickly looked away and quickly turned to leave.

    The doctor and nurse at the back pushed Gu Nianzhi out. He Zhichu, who was waiting outside, said, ¡°Mr. He, the patient¡¯s surgery has beenpleted. It¡¯s perfect. The Doctor said that she can be put in the intensive care unit tonight. If she can make it through tonight, she¡¯ll basically be able to survive.¡±

    He Zhichu let out a long sigh.

    Only then did he realize that he was drenched from head to toe. It was as if he had just been scooped out of the water. He was drenched in sweat.

    The Ace of the Far East quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was pushed into a separate intensive care unit. The Ace of the Far East stood guard inside, while He Zhichu stood guard outside the door. There was also a special nurse sitting in front of the equipment to observe the patient¡¯s data after the surgery.

    He Chengjian and Qin Yaoguang got off the ne and arrived at Xiying Hospital. They found that the surgery had already beenpleted, but the cardiologist at from the Qin family¡¯s Hospital was still blocked on the road.

 Chapter 1543 - I Am A Morally Corrupt Person

    <h4>Chapter 1543: I Am A Morally Corrupt Person</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang was all smiles as she looked at He Zhichu, who was standing at the entrance of the intensive care unit. ¡°Ah-Chu, Nianzhi¡¯s surgery has beenpleted, right? I heard it was very sessful.¡±

    She turned around and said to He Chengjian in a reserved tone, ¡°You know I won¡¯t make you worry. I looked for the best cardio surgeon in our Qin hospital¡¯s system...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, the hypnotized Doctor Zhao walked over with a frown. He looked at his watch and said, ¡°Why isn¡¯t the cardio surgeon from Qin Hospital here yet?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression changed drastically. He grabbed his arm and said hoarsely, ¡°What did you say? ! Wasn¡¯t that doctor someone you invited?!¡±

    Doctor Zhao nodded and bowed to He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, what did you say? I¡¯ve been waiting at the door for almost two hours, but they¡¯re really not here yet... I called just now, and they¡¯re still stuck in traffic!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s smile froze on her face. She said awkwardly, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Wasn¡¯t it the heart surgery specialist from our Qin hospital¡¯s system? That¡¯s terrible...¡±

    She hurriedly took out her phone and dialed the number.

    When the doctors who were stuck in traffic saw that it was the hospital Director¡¯s call, they immediatelyined to her, ¡°... Hospital Director Qin, we¡¯ve been stuck in traffic for almost two hours! What should we do? !¡±

    Under normal circumstances, they could send a helicopter to pick up the Doctor from the traffic.

    This situation wasn¡¯t unheard of.

    However, the problem was that Doctor Zhao, who had just gone to pick them up, had been hypnotized for nearly two hours. Furthermore, he hadn¡¯t realized that he had been hypnotized at all. He thought that he had just been waiting at the door for two hours!

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart was beating even faster than before.

    He did not have the time to talk to his father. He rushed into the intensive care unit and said to the Ace of the Far East, who was sitting next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed, ¡°Look at her condition! Is there a problem?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± The Ace of the Far East saw He Zhichu push open the door of the intensive care unit. Several people followed him in. He immediately pulled out his pistol and shouted sternly, ¡°Get out!¡±

    He Chengjian was a general of the military. His guards also shed their micro-dash and aimed at the Ace of the Far East.

    He Zhichu turned his head and raised his hand to calm them down. His voice was hoarse and trembling. ¡°You guys go out first. I have something to say to him.¡±

    He Chengjian had never been pointed at with a gun before. Although he was extremely dissatisfied with the Ace of the Far East, his son had lost his temper tonight. He had no choice but to be cautious.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go out first.¡± He Chengjian suppressed his anger and took the lead to walk out.

    His guards put away their guns in unison and surrounded him as they walked out of the intensive care unit.

    Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t follow them out. She frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor and also her mother. I have the right to check on her condition.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East looked at her for a while and still pointed his gun at her. He said, ¡°... Go out. We¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow morning.¡±

    He remembered the Doctor¡¯s words. No one was allowed to get close to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed tonight.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t even turn his head. He said coldly, ¡°You get out too.¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t look at Qin Yaoguang, the two people in the room knew that he was talking about Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang sighed and shook her head. She said, ¡°I heard that Nianzhi suffered such a serious gunshot wound, and I wanted to find the best cardiologist to operate on her. I didn¡¯t expect that fate would y tricks on her. The specialist I found wasn¡¯t able to arrive in time. I know very well whether the other doctors are capable of dealing with such an injury. Yet you¡¯re still stopping me from seeing her. Her chances of survival are really slim.¡±

    He Zhichu clenched his fists. His sparkling almond-shaped eyes were dead silent as he looked at the Ace of the Far East.

    The Ace of the Far East turned to look at the equipment around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed, especially the venttor and electrocardiogram. Everything was normal and stable, and it didn¡¯t seem like her chances of survival were ¡°slim¡±.

    He shook his head and said the same thing, ¡°... Get out.¡±

    This time, the pistol was aimed directly at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s forehead.

    Qin Yaoguang felt as if she was suddenly being stared at by a poisonous snake, and her whole body shivered.

    She didn¡¯t like this kind of situation very much. She frowned and nced at the Ace of the Far East. Suddenly, her eyes widened. She pointed at him and said, ¡°... You... you... who are you? !¡±

    He Zhichu said coldly, ¡°He¡¯s Mr. Peter from the KGB. He¡¯s now the deputy consul of the Soviet conste general in C City.¡±

    When Qin Yaoguang heard that it was the KGB, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her expression quickly returned to normal. She smiled and said, ¡°I see. I thought... no wonder they couldn¡¯t find you.¡±

    She turned around and walked out of the intensive care unit. She whispered to He Chengjian at the door, ¡°The KGB¡¯s Peter looks exactly like Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦ over there...¡±

    He Chengjian nodded and said calmly, ¡°Since there¡¯s one over there, it¡¯s not strange that there¡¯s one over here as well.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang understood.

    So this was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s counterpart over there.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes revealed a yful expression, but when she thought of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition, she said regretfully, ¡°My expert didn¡¯te. They found some shady doctor to perform surgery on Nianzhi. I think Nianzhi has almost no chance of survival.¡±

    So, even if Huo Shaoheng¡¯s counterpart appeared, what was the point?

    me yourself for beingte.

    He Chengjian¡¯s heart sank. ¡°She really can¡¯t live?¡±

    He definitely did not want Gu Nianzhi to die.

    Because he knew that if Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t live, his son...

    At that moment, He Chengjian wanted nothing more than tomit suicide to satisfy his son.

    Qin Yaoguang nodded. ¡°Even if my expert arrived, Nianzhi only had a 30% chance of survival. You¡¯re an anti-materiel rifle expert, so you naturally know, who can survive a heavy sniper attack? It¡¯s just that Nianzhi is very talented and can still hold on...¡±

    She didn¡¯t borate, but He Chengjian knew what she meant.

    He Chengjian knew a thing or two about how special Gu Nianzhi¡¯s constitution was. This time, seeing that she wasn¡¯t torn apart by the anti-materiel rifle, he was even more convinced of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words.

    ¡°What a pity...¡± He Chengjian muttered. ¡°Then what should we do? Ah-Chu can¡¯t live without her...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Qin Yaoguangforted him quietly, ¡°I can preserve her body and let Ah-Chu mourn.¡±

    He Chengjian knew it was wrong. He pursed his lips, and deep lines appeared on his forehead.

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intensive care unit, the Ace of the Far East was staring at He Zhichu. He asked coldly, ¡°He Zhichu, what does that woman mean? The specialist she found isn¡¯t here yet. Then who was the doctor who operated on Miss Gu just now? !¡±

    When He Zhichu heard the news, his mind was also in a mess.

    He was beyond shocked.

    The hospital waspletely surrounded by his people, and everyone who entered or left was strictly checked. How could someone have barged in to operate on Gu Nianzhi? !

    The key was that the surgery seemed to be very good...

    He Zhichu remembered the respectful expressions of the doctors and nurses who had juste out of the operating room. They looked at the doctor who had performed the surgery as if they were looking at a god.

    These expressions could not be faked, and neither could Gu Nianzhi¡¯s injuries.

    From the equipment signs, she was indeed recovering rapidly.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. As if he had thought of something, he looked at the window of the ward and looked at the vast night sky.

    ¡°... It¡¯s the Doctor I found.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled into an extremely faint smile, but he quickly restrained his expression and walked out.

    After closing the ICU door, He Zhichu saw that Qin Yaoguang had found a few doctors and was discussing something with them.

    Seeing that He Zhichu hade out, Qin Yaoguang waved her hand and asked one of the doctors to knock on the door with the form. She said, ¡°Just let her make a fingerprint.¡±

    He Zhichu extended his arm to block the doctor. ¡°What is it? Let me take a look.¡±

    The doctor turned to look at Qin Yaoguang and said awkwardly, ¡°Director Qin...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m her biological mother. When she is incapacitated, I have the right to make decisions about her.¡± Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°Go ahead. Just make a handprint.¡±

    ¡°What handprint?¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and snatched the form from the doctor¡¯s hands.

    He looked at the name on the form: ¡°Free Medical Body Donation Agreement.¡±.

    He Zhichu was furious. He used both hands to tear the form into pieces and threw it into the air.

    The paper fell like snowkes.

    ¡°Ah-Chu! What are you doing?¡± Qin Yaoguang covered her mouth in surprise. ¡°I know you will be sad, so I don¡¯t want you to see it. But you have to ept the truth...¡±

    ¡°ept what truth?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s face was extremely gloomy as he walked towards her step by step. ¡°Director Qin, Tell Me, whose body do you want donated?!¡±

    ¡°You child, I know you are suffering, and so am I. You think I will have an easy time to see my offspring pass away?¡± As Qin Yaoguang spoke, her eyes reddened and she started to cry. ¡°I am her biological mother. I am the one who is most sad when something happens to her!¡±

    ¡°... I can¡¯t tell.¡± He Zhichu crossed his arms and interrupted Qin Yaoguang without hesitation.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face turned red from his words. She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with a tissue. She sobbed and said, ¡°Whether you believe it or not, I gave birth to her. I gave birth to her after ten months of pregnancy, and I worked so hard to raise her. Do you think I don¡¯t feel sorry for her? I just didn¡¯t want to spoil her, so I was a little stricter with her in the past.¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap and get to the point.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Whose body do you want donated?!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang shot He Chengjian a quick nce, but He Chengjian lowered his head and didN¡¯t look at her.

    ¡°Why are you looking at him? He has nothing to do with Nianzhi.¡± He Zhichu sneered. ¡°You won¡¯t take responsibility for your actions?¡±

    ¡°Who won¡¯t take responsibility for actions?¡± Qin Yaoguang gritted her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth now. Nianzhi¡¯s injuries were so serious this time, and the one who operated on her wasn¡¯t a real cardio surgeon. You should be mentally prepared ¡ª she might not live to see tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you do something meaningful?¡± Qin Yaoguang felt righteous and felt that she had a clear conscience.¡±She¡¯s my biological daughter, and I¡¯m also the Director of the Qin Private Hospital. I advocate for the donation of the body to medical research nationwide, so naturally I won¡¯t be biased towards my biological daughter.¡±

    ¡°After Nianzhi dies, her body will be used for scientific research. ¡ª this is also beneficial to the country and the people...¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was still rambling on when He Zhichu suddenly reached out a hand. With a p, he hit Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face quickly and urately, knocking her to the ground.

    He Zhichu took a step forward and with his muddy military boots, he stepped hard on her face that was lying on the ground. He said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m a morally corrupt person. I¡¯ve never had the principle of not hitting women! ¡ª Qin Yaoguang, listen to me. Whether Nianzhi is alive or dead, if you dare to touch even a hair on her head, I¡¯ll bury all 183 members of the Qin family, including all three generations!¡±

 Chapter 1544 - The Only Failure

    <h4>Chapter 1544: The Only Failure</h4>

    Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, in public, He Zhichu had stepped on the Director of the Qin private hospital group, literally.

    Qin Yaoguang was so embarrassed that she almost fainted.

    He Zhichu looked elegant and refined, but he had extraordinary strength. The military boots stepped on her face and made her unable to move.

    She wanted to cry for help, but her face was stepped on by He Zhichu¡¯s feet, so she could only make a sound.

    She tried her best to open her eyes wide and look in He Chengjian¡¯s direction. She only felt slightly better when she saw him looking at He Zhichu in shock.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t show any signs of mercy. He stomped on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face and crushed it a few more times. His voice was like it was squeezed out from the gaps of his teeth, and it carried deep hatred.

    ¡°... Are you really her f * cking mother?! Your daughter just had surgery and is still lying on the hospital bed. Yet you want to donate her body for an experiment?! Don¡¯t tarnish the word selfless. How are you selfless in any way?!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re really selfless, donate your own body for an experiment! Don¡¯t donate your own daughter¡¯s body!¡± He Zhichu was extremely angry. He flew up and kicked at Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Zhichu!¡± He Chengjian finally spoke.

    His guards rushed forward and lifted He Zhichu up. Only then did Qin Yaoguang escape his violent kick. She scrambled to her feet.

    ¡°Brother He! What did I do wrong? !¡± Qin Yaoguang cried as she pounced on he chengjian.

    He Chengjian stepped aside to avoid Qin Yaoguang. He sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far. Nianzhi¡¯s survival is still unknown. What have you done?¡±

    He believed in her medical skills, but no longer believed in her character as a mother.

    Qin Yaoguang had been cold to Gu Nianzhi in the past, but she hadn¡¯t been this cold-hearted.

    Qin Yaoguang felt even more wronged. ¡°How could I have thought so much? I was just thinking logically. You don¡¯t have to believe in my medical skills, but you have to believe in my judgment. Nianzhi really won¡¯t live to see tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t live to see tomorrow, you¡¯ll have to die with her.¡± He Zhichu broke free from the two guards who were holding him up. He adjusted his military uniform and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not joking. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can wait here.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly.

    He Chengjian frowned and reprimanded He Zhichu. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? I know you¡¯re very sad and angry, but that¡¯s not a reason for you to vent your anger on an innocent person!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s innocent? Didn¡¯t she say that she¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother? A biological mother wanted to use her daughter as a dead person for experiments when she was still alive. Is this what humans do?¡± He Zhichu snorted as he patted the dust off his hands. ¡°She said that she would get a doctor toe over for the surgery, but he hasn¡¯te yet. If I hadn¡¯t found a doctor because of the situation, Nianzhi might really have been ¡®donated¡¯ by her! ¡ª Does this count as her treating human life like dirt? Or is she using someone else to kill her?!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was speechless. The corners of her mouth twitched twice as she said to He Chengjian, ¡°Brother He, it seems that Ah-Chu has a deep misunderstanding of me. I¡¯d better not get involved in this matter. If there¡¯s any misunderstanding between you father and son, please resolve it yourself. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    She turned around and left in a hurry. Her back was slightly flustered and pitiful.

    He Zhichu red at her back and snorted coldly. He turned to He Chengjian and said in an even colder voice, ¡°General He, you¡¯re so powerful. If we¡¯re talking about using someone else to kill someone, it should be you.¡±

    ¡°Zhichu!¡± He Chengjian roared, ¡°Come with me!¡±

    ¡°No, I have to stay here until Nianzhi is out of danger tomorrow.¡± He Zhichu refused to leave the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intensive care unit.

    He Chengjian had no choice. He waved his hand and ordered the guards to guard the two ends of the corridor without allowing anyone toe up.

    There were only the two of them in the entire corridor.

    He Chengjian looked at He Zhichu and said regretfully,¡±... Zhichu, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t expect...¡±

    ¡°Are you admitting that you were the one who ordered the shooting?!¡± He Zhichu gritted his teeth and red at He Chengjian. ¡°Why did you have to drag Nianzhi into this? How many times have I told you that you don¡¯t have to get involved in the matter between Nianzhi and me?!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s brows were deeply furrowed. ¡°Ah-Chu, I really didn¡¯t expect Nianzhi to take the bullet for someone... I told her in advance and didn¡¯t lie to her. She promised to cooperate with me and deal with that person...¡±

    He nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intensive care unit.

    He Zhichu knew He Chengjian was talking about the Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng.

    His cool and cold demeanor keeping others at a distance, he folded his arms. ¡°Why are you going against that person? We¡¯re obviously working together. Do you think I¡¯ll believe that?¡±

    The lines of his jaw unyielding, He Chengjian pursed his lips.

    He Chengjian felt very ufortable watching He Zhichu distance himself from him because of hatred.

    However, he was his and Qin Suwen¡¯s only son. No matter how heinous his actions were, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to criticize him.

    However, this son of his, who was able to take things as they were, had repeatedly backed down in front of Gu Nianzhi. He had no bottom line.

    He Chengjian looked into his eyes and said softly,¡±... Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t suspect the identity of that person at all?¡±

    ¡°Suspect what?¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°What are you trying to say? That was confirmed by the Soviet Union. What else are you suspecting?¡±

    He Chengjian was a suspicious person by nature. Other than his wife and son, he wouldn¡¯tpletely trust anyone else, even if it was a personal letter from the head of the Soviet Union.

    The whole world knew the background of the head of the Soviet Union.

    He had to be careful and cautious.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been sending people to monitor him,¡± He Chengjian said honestly. ¡°From the moment he stepped into our country, every word, action, and movement of his were under my surveince.¡±

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t know that he deliberately faked his shot to get Linda and Dresden to leave early, but he himself changed his location?¡±

    He Chengjian nodded and said seriously, ¡°I knew.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Zhichu sneered and looked away. ¡°What happened in the end? Like those Americans, your target couldn¡¯t have been Dresden, right?¡±

    ¡°Ever since Dresden was interviewed by the foreign media and exposed on Twitter, I haven¡¯t believed him.¡± He Chengjian had noticed that something was wrong with Dresden even earlier than Gu Nianzhi, but he had never mentioned it to anyone else. Instead, he had yed along. He was negotiating terms with the Soviets while deploying his own operation.

    He Zhichu¡¯s operation team was only on the surface. He Chengjian had another operation team working in the dark. Not only were they monitoring Dresden, but they were also monitoring the KGB members that had arrived in their country. This was especially true for the Ace of the Far East and the long-gone Bombshell of the Far East, Linda.

    It could be said that He Chengjian¡¯s n had been very sessful. The only mistake he had made was that he had misjudged Gu Nianzhi.

    Even he was afraid of this spoiled girl when she became ruthless.

    The Americans had used Dresden to bait the big fish of Huaxia Empire and the Soviet Union. He and the Soviet Union had their own ns, both to cooperate with each other and to oppose each other.

    This was the nature of the rtionship between countries. It was impossible for people to be honest with each other.

    If the rtionship between nations was treated as a personal rtionship, that person would be a retarded fool.

    ¡°What does this have to do with Peter?¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t understand why his father had used Gu Nianzhi to test Peter. ¡°The Ace of the Far East did not appear recently. Long before we went to the parallel dimension, the Ace of the Far East¡¯s reputation was already very well-known internationally. What exactly are you thinking?¡±

    He Chengjian insisted, ¡°No matter who he is, he has once again be yourpetitor. Didn¡¯t you see? At that time, Nianzhi went to talk to him, but he actually left his bodyguard and walked out. ¡ª I can¡¯t tolerate him just because of this.¡±

    This meant that the Ace of the Far East had already fallen for Gu Nianzhi. Otherwise, with his usual personality and behavior, how could he have made such a mistake?

    He Zhichu let out a long sigh and leaned against the external wall of the intensive care unit. He waved his hand. ¡°You can go back now. I don¡¯t have the energy to argue with you about who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong. We¡¯ll talk about everything when Nianzhi wakes up tomorrow.¡±

    He Chengjian was originally worried that He Zhichu would make a big scene with him, but now that he wasn¡¯t making a big scene and only looked disheartened, he was even more worried.

    He might as well make a scene with him!

    However, He Zhichu did not speak anymore. He leaned against the wall alone and started smoking.

    He chengjian apanied him for a while before he got up and left. He said, ¡°I¡¯m going back. If you need anything, call me. If you need a doctor...¡±

    Not even moving his eyes, He Zhichu did not speak.

    He Chengjian turned around and left. His tall back was a little hunched, as if he could not bear the burden.

    He was a general of the Military Supreme Council and the highest leader of a country. His travel was a matter of national importance. It was impossible for him to stay as long as he wanted.

    Soon, He Chengjian¡¯s motorcade and guards escorted him out of the West Camp Hospital and back to the airport.

    He would take a special ne back to the capital overnight to preside over the meeting tomorrow.

    In the parking lot of West Camp Hospital, Lu Yuan and Lu Jin were sitting in their cars.

    Lu Yuan looked at the monitor screen in his hand and said, ¡°He Chengjian and Qin Yaoguang have both left.¡±

    He turned to ask Lu Jin, ¡°What about you? Are youing or not?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to wait here for Nianzhi to wake up.¡±

    ¡°Will she wake up soon?¡± Lu Yuan was very worried. ¡°The gunshot wound is so serious, and she went through a major surgery. Under normal circumstances, she would need a few days to wake up, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you see who did the surgery on her? She will be out of danger, and she will definitely wake up tomorrow morning. What I am worried about is the problem of her recovering after she wakes up.¡± Lu Jin looked at Lu Yuan with his bright eyes. ¡°Quickly think of a way to let her go back to C City with you to recover.¡±

    Lu Yuan was stunned. ¡°Me? Think of a way to let her go back with me to recover? ! If you can think so much, why don¡¯t you go to heaven!¡±

    He wasn¡¯t rted to her, so how could he let her go back with him? !

 Chapter 1545 - A High IQ Means That You Can Do Whatever You Want

    <h4>Chapter 1545: A High IQ Means That You Can Do Whatever You Want</h4>

    Lu Jin leaned against the car seat, crossed his arms, and frowned.¡±... Is it difficult for you to take her back to recuperate? If you don¡¯t want to go, I¡¯ll go myself.¡±

    After that, he pretended to push the door open and get out of the car.

    Lu Yuan quickly pulled him back and said with a change of expression, ¡°Are you serious? ! You¡¯ve already done enough today. Aren¡¯t you afraid that He Chengjian, that old fox, will see through it? !¡±

    ¡°If he sees through it, then so be it. Nianzhi is already like this, so how can I care about my own safety? Anyway, you know me. When my temper rises, I won¡¯t care about anything else!¡± Unwilling topromise, Lu Jin looked at Lu Yuan nkly.

    His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked, Lu Yuan red at him. ¡°You just rely on your high IQ to do whatever you want, right?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, when your IQ reaches a certain level, you can do whatever you want.¡± Lu Jin wasn¡¯t modest at all. He stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers. ¡°How is it? Do you want to continue cleaning up my mess?¡±

    Lu Yuan shuddered. He recalled the fear of being dominated by Lu Jin¡¯s high IQ all those years ago...

    ¡°You win!¡± With his hoarse voice, Lu Yuan held his breath and pped the steering wheel. Finally, he gave in.¡±... I have to make a good n!¡±

    ¡°Hurry up.¡± Lu Jin closed the car door again and sat in the passenger seat. He looked at his watch and calcted the time seriously. ¡°You still have six hours, 30 minutes, and 28 seconds.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is, there are still six hours, 30 minutes, and 28 seconds until Nianzhi wakes up.¡± Lu Jin pressed the countdown button on his smartwatch. ..

    ¡°You can indeed go up to the sky,¡± Lu Yuan muttered. ¡°You even know when she wakes up?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. You just need to use a functional equation to solve it.¡± Lu Jin opened the app on his phone, he showed it to Lu Yuan with an academic spirit. ¡°Look, ording to the mass-energy equation, energy (E) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by C squared. C is the constant of the speed of light.¡±

    ¡°I slightly modified the meaning of this equation. Because to be awake, one needs a certain amount of energy E, and the human body¡¯s self-healing ability is M. C is not the constant of the speed of light here, but the physical constant.¡±

    ¡°So I can calcte how long it will take for Nianzhi to wake up. As long as I know her self-healing ability, I can calcte it.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to study the physical connection between the mass-energy equation and the human body¡¯s healing ability.

    He looked away and said calmly, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s life and death are unknown, yet you¡¯re still here calcting when she will wake up. How nonchnt of you.¡±

    ¡°How can this be called nonchnce?¡± Lu Jin was displeased, ¡°Of course I care about her. My heart aches for her, and I can¡¯t wait to avenge her. But all of this doesn¡¯t stop me from thinking rationally and finding the most energy-saving and optimal direction from all theplicated side developments.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that at this moment, you can only express your feelings when your brain is a mess and you can¡¯t differentiate between the important and the important, just like those idiots?¡±

    Lu Yuan felt very tired. He held the steering wheel and said expressionlessly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. But you¡¯re so smart, and you often argue with the heavens and the earth. Why don¡¯t you think of a way for me to bring Nianzhi back to recuperate without arousing suspicion?¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned by his words. He stared at him in shock for a while and said, ¡°You¡¯re so capable now. You know how to use a spear to attack a shield.¡±

    The corners of Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You tter me. After being dominated by a genius for so many years, even a fool has be enlightened.¡±

    ¡°You think too highly of me.¡± Lu Jin thought for a while and scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m really not good at this. Because to take her away, it¡¯s not a simple academic problem, nor is it a simple technical problem. It involves interpersonalmunication and emotional control. You know that I have interpersonal difficulties...¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s mood was a little better. ¡°How rare. Then don¡¯t be noisy. Let me think about it.¡±

    Lu Yuan might not be as aplished as Lu Jin in terms of academics, but no one was better at socializing and hiding their emotions than Lu Yuan.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t say a word. He kept on swiping his phone, but no one knew what he was doing.

    ...

    Outside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intensive care unit, He Zhichu sat quietly by himself. His mind kept reying everything from the first day he saw Gu Nianzhi to tonight.

    There had been six years of precious time between them. From a six-year-old child who only dared to peek under the table to a mischievous little girl on her twelfth birthday, she had grown up under his care.

    If only life could go on like that...

    Why had Gu Xiangwen ¡°abducted¡± her on her twelfth birthday? Why had he sent her to the other dimension?

    He had taken good care of Gu Nianzhi during those six years.

    No one could hurt her anymore. Like a princess, she had lived a carefree life in the He family.

    She had been sent away when she was twelve, and her life hade to an end in front of him.

    At that time, he didn¡¯t understand.

    Seven yearster, he finally understood, but she had almost sacrificed her life in return.

    Under the snow-white light in the corridor, He Zhichu¡¯s cold face seemed to be covered in ayer of frost.

    Two years ago, he finally found her.

    And she had grown into an eighteen-year-old girl. She was astonishingly smart and adorable to the point that people couldn¡¯t move their eyes away from her.

    The affection that he felt for his family had unknowingly changed.

    He wanted her. He wanted her like a madman.

    In his dreams, he would smile when he woke up from his sweet dreams, thinking that she had never left.

    Now, it was all going to end.

    He Zhichu clenched his hand tightly, but he realized that the tighter he clenched his hand, the emptier his palm felt. It was like the sand on the beach. The tighter he clenched his hand, the more he would lose.

    However, he couldn¡¯t bear to let go of his hand, so he continued to hold it until dawn the next day.

    He looked at his watch. It had been six hours, and his palm was purple and numb from the pain.

    Inside the intensive care unit, the Ace of the Far East hadn¡¯t rested either. Afraid that he would miss her reaction, he had his eyes fixed on Gu Nianzhi.

    But until now, she still had no reaction.

    He Zhichu stood up, pushed open the door to the ward, and walked in. He frowned at the Ace of the Far East and said,¡±... You haven¡¯t slept all night? You¡¯re quite attentive...¡±

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s expression was even colder than He Zhichu. He said coldly, ¡°If you¡¯re not attentive to your own savior, then you¡¯re heartless. The KGB of the USSR might be ruthless, but we have never repaid kindness with enmity towards our savior.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression changed abruptly, and he said in a rough voice, ¡°What do you mean?!¡±

    ¡°I mean it literally.¡± The Ace of the Far East stood up. ¡°I said, I want to see her recoverpletely and as normally as a healthy person with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°... You like her, don¡¯t you?¡± He Zhichu was silent for a while, then suddenly asked.

    The Ace of the Far East looked away ufortably. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. She is my savior. I, Peter, have been roaming the Far East for ten years, but I have never owed anyone such a big favor.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice became calm. After a night of mental preparation and reflection, he seemed to have epted his fate. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to catch the person who fired the gun?¡±

    ¡°... Don¡¯t you want to?¡± The Ace of the Far East looked over. His eyes shed, and his dark jade-like eyes were deep. ¡°Or are you nning to let the culprit go?¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± He Zhichu looked up abruptly. ¡°I will not let go of anyone who has hurt her or nned to hurt her!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll wait and see.¡± The Ace of the Far East nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to stay in your country for a long time. I think I have enough time to see Mr. He fulfill your promise.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face darkened. He pointed at the Ace of the Far East, who had his head held high. Without saying a word, he turned and strode out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intensive care unit.

    Walking out the door, he was in a bad mood. He wanted to smoke a cigarette, but his phone rang.

    He didn¡¯t want to answer it, but the man kept calling. He took out his phone to take a look.

    It was Lu Yuan.

    He Zhichu frowned. He didn¡¯t have the energy to brush him off, but when he remembered that Gu Nianzhi was still working for him, he unlocked the phone and answered.

    ¡°Director Lu, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s voice was very anxious. ¡°Young Master He, I want to ask, where is my employee, Zhao Liangze? I haven¡¯t been able to contact him since yesterday. Oh, andwyer Gu. Jin Dazhuang had something to tell her, but he couldn¡¯t find her.¡±

    He Zhichu almost forgot about Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang, who were under his care.

    ¡°Oh, something happened yesterday. Director Zhao and Miss Bai cannot contact the outside world for the time being, but everything is fine now. I¡¯ll get someone to send them out.¡± He Zhichu wanted to hang up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.

    Lu Yuan let out a sigh of relief and immediately said, ¡°What aboutwyer Gu? Jin Dazhuang still has some private matters to inform her.¡±

    ¡°What private matters?¡± He Zhichu subconsciously gripped his phone tightly. It was not easy to adjust his state of mind. After all, it was not easy to lose a rtionship that hadsted for so many years.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. The building that she rented in Nan City has been bought recently and is going to be demolished. Herndlord wanted to take back the room, but he could not get through to her private phone. In the end, he found thew firm where she worked. Jin Dazhuang couldn¡¯t get through to her phone either, so he could only look for me. What do you think is going on? I¡¯m going back to C City soon, and none of these people are here.¡±

    His voice anxious, Lu Yuanined.

    He Zhichu rubbed his forehead. ¡°Miss Gu was injured yesterday, so she can¡¯t move for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Injured? How could she be injured? Where is she? Can Ie and see her?¡± Lu Yuan sounded very shocked, and it didn¡¯t seem like he was faking it.

    He Zhichu thought about it for a moment. Gu Nianzhi had no family here, and she didn¡¯t recognize the He family. She could not recognize the Qin family either, so she only had Lu Yuan, Zhao Liangze, and Jin Dazhuang, who were more familiar friends and colleagues.

    At this time, her injuries were so serious that it would be better for Lu Yuan to see her.

    With Lu Yuan¡¯s help, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s future would be better.

    He made up his mind and said, ¡°Miss Gu is in ward a of the intensive care unit on the sixteenth floor of West Camp Hospital. You cane and see her when you¡¯re free.¡±

    Lu Yuan agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll be right over. I hope this matter can be resolved before the ne takes off.¡±

 Chapter 1546 - Tacit Cooperation

    <h4>Chapter 1546: Tacit Cooperation</h4>

    After hanging up the phone, Lu Yuan looked at his watch and then made another call. He said,¡±... the people over there can be let through the traffic now.¡±

    Lu Jin nced at him. ¡°Whose can you let through the traffic?¡±

    ¡°Who else can it be? Those cardiology specialists of the Qin private hospital whom you call ¡®mentally retarded¡¯...¡± Lu Yuan¡¯s hand tapped lightly on the steering wheel along with the rhythm of the music. His calm eyes nced at Lu Jin¡¯s side.

    Lu Jin frowned and pondered Lu Yuan¡¯s intentions.¡±... You¡¯ve blocked those idiots for almost an entire night. Why are you letting theme over now?¡±

    ¡°Why? Of course, it¡¯s to add to the chaos. Otherwise, how could we reasonably take Nianzhi away?¡± Lu Yuan rolled his eyes at him. He pushed open the car door and got out as he said, ¡°Twenty-five minutester, remember to hack into the internal system of West Camp Hospital, especially Nianzhi¡¯s intensive care unit, and erase her data. Remember, after you hack into it, you must be discovered by them and have the system automatically call the police, understand?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded with a serious expression. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. It will be a piece of cake for me.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not want to continue listening to him, so he turned around and left.

    ..

    Ten minutester, the minivan of the Qin private hospital finally drove into the main entrance of West Camp Hospital.

    The leading doctor was calling Qin Yaoguang. ¡°Director Qin, we¡¯re finally here! We¡¯ve been stuck in traffic all night! Is the patient still alive?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s voice sounded a little blurry, but they could still hear her orders clearly. ¡°Go and take a look. She¡¯s my daughter after all. Call me when she¡¯s confirmed to be dead.¡±

    ¡°Huh? She¡¯s your daughter? !¡± The doctor was so scared that he almost wet his pants. ¡°Director Qin, Qin...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic. I¡¯m not ming you.¡± Qin Yaoguang used an ice bag to cover her swollen face. When she spoke, it was as if there was an olive in her mouth. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to live anymore. No one can save her. Alright, you guys go up and take a look at her condition. Yesterday, a random doctor performed a heart surgery on her. I don¡¯t think the situation is optimistic.¡±

    The doctor was drenched in sweat. He felt that he had really narrowly escaped death.

    However, he also felt that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attitude toward her daughter was strange.

    However, it was still someone else¡¯s family affair after all. They were all outsiders and could not afford to offend or interfere.

    Intending to visit the patients on the sixteenth floor, a group of people showed their documents at the door.

    They were holding the documents that Qin Yaoguang had gotten from He Chengjian the day before. After the guards had checked them, they let them in.

    When they reached the sixteenth floor where Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intensive care unit was located, He Zhichu¡¯s slender and handsome figure was leaning against the wall by the door of one of the wards.

    They quickly walked over and asked, ¡°Young Master He, is this Miss Gu¡¯s ward?¡±

    He Zhichu sized up these people from head to toe. When he saw the wrinkled white coats on their bodies and the namete on their chests, he asked coldly,¡±... You guys are the cardio surgeons from Z City¡¯s Qin Private Hospital?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master He, we didn¡¯t mean to bete. There was an ident on the road, and we¡¯ve been stuck here since yesterday!¡± The few doctors hadn¡¯t slept well the entire night, and the dark circles under their eyes and the fatigue on their facesplemented each other.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You guys can go back.¡± He Zhichu did not care too much about them. They were all her subordinates, so he could not be bothered with them.

    ¡°Young Master He, please don¡¯t be like this. We know that Miss Gu has already undergone surgery. We want to see how her recovery from the surgery is going. I heard that she suffered a gunshot wound and that there were shrapnel in her heart. An ordinary person would not be able to perform this kind of surgery...¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master He. If you¡¯re really thinking of Miss Gu, then you shouldn¡¯t be afraid of treating her. Perhaps it¡¯s still not toote.¡±

    ¡°We are the most considerate doctors. Please let us in to take a look.¡±

    A group of doctors crowded around He Zhichu and insisted on going in to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition.

    Although He Zhichu was also very worried about Gu Nianzhi, he knew that he couldn¡¯t let these people see how Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surgery was recovering.

    If it was too shocking, it would be a disaster for Gu Nianzhi, not a blessing.

    But these people did not give up. They squeezed in the corridor and tried to reason with He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was annoyed and impatient. He pulled out his gun and fired a shot into the sky, stunning these people.¡±... Get out of here!¡±

    These people were shocked. They stared at him nkly for a few seconds and did not dare to ask him for more. They exchanged nces and walked to the stairs in twos and threes.

    Lu Yuan just happened toe out of the elevator. When he saw so many doctors walking over, he revealed a surprised expression and asked, ¡°Are you all the attending doctors ofwyer Gu? I¡¯m the CEO of the Lu Corporation. I came to visit her. I heard that her injuries are very serious?¡±

    These doctors smiled bitterly and shook their heads. ¡°We were stuck in traffic yesterday and did not get pass until today. We were not able to make it in time to perform surgery onwyer Gu.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How could that be?!¡± Lu Yuan looked anxious. He walked quickly to He Zhichu and asked, ¡°Young Master He, didn¡¯t you say that they¡¯ve already performed the surgery? What happened to those doctors?¡±

    He Zhichu looked away coldly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need them anymore. Nianzhi is inside. Go and see for yourself.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded slightly. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you, Young Master He. I¡¯lle out after I talk to her.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips. ¡°Talk to her? She¡¯s not awake yet.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then what should we do?¡± Lu Yuan looked at his watch. There were five minutes and twenty-seven seconds left until six hours, thirty minutes, and twenty-eight seconds.

    He pushed open the door of the intensive care unit and walked in.

    The Ace of the Far East heard the sound and suddenly turned around. He saw a tall, strong, handsome, but somewhat jaded man of age walking in.

    He was slightly startled and stood up to say, ¡°Please don¡¯t go nearwyer Gu¡¯s bed.¡±

    Lu Yuan stopped about a meter away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and reached out his hand to the Ace of the Far East with a very pleasant expression. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Lu Yuan. My Company has a partnership withwyer Gu¡¯sw firm.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East did not shake his hand. He just nodded lightly. ¡°I¡¯m Peter. Lawyer Gu risked her life to save me. I want to protect her until she recovers.¡±

    ¡°Huh? She risked her life to save you? !¡± Lu Yuan was extremely surprised. ¡°Lawyer Gu is just a little girl. She doesn¡¯t know how to use a knife or a gun. How did she save you?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East blushed a little, but he was still very cold. ¡°This has nothing to do with you. You¡¯ve already seenwyer Gu. You can leave now.¡±

    ¡°But I still have something to do.¡± Lu Yuan was very troubled. The fingers on his right hand could not help but twist a few times, and he clenched his fist and pulled it back, ¡°Lawyer Gu¡¯sndlord and her boss, Jin Dazhuang, are both looking for her, but she¡¯s like this now. I really don¡¯t know how to exin it to them. I¡¯ll take the liberty to ask, when willwyer Gu wake up?¡±

    Ace of the Far East shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She¡¯ll wake up when she should.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, I don¡¯t have much time left either. My private ne will take off in an hour.¡± He had just lifted his wrist to check his watch when the equipment in the ward suddenly started beeping.

    Beep! Beep! Beep!

    The long and short sound was like a police siren. It was ear-piercing and loud, audible to the deaf.

    He Zhichu pushed the door open and barged in. He asked anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened? Did Nianzhi¡¯s condition change? !¡±

    At that moment, he regretted chasing away the doctors. Was his guess wrong? Was Nianzhi¡¯s surgery really dyed by a quack?

    Lu Yuan looked at the equipment and his expression changed. ¡°Someone hacked into the hospital¡¯s internal system. Look here, someone is reading the data of the surveince equipment in Nianzhi¡¯s ward!¡±

    He Zhichu was shocked and pulled out his gun without hesitation. He wanted to shoot at the equipment, but then he remembered that if the equipment was damaged, what would happen to Nianzhi?

    The equipment was monitoring her condition. If the equipment was damaged, would Nianzhi be negatively affected?

    ¡°Why would someone hack into the equipment inwyer Gu¡¯s ward?¡± Lu Yuan¡¯s Lu Corporation was a famous Inte securitypany, so his words were authoritative.

    He Zhichu thought of the group of doctors who insisted on looking at the equipment data in Nianzhi¡¯s ward, and Qin Yaoguang, whose daughter was not dead yet and was about to use her body for ¡°medical research,¡±and instantly felt that he was telling the truth.

    ¡°Of course there are people who won¡¯t give up,¡± He Zhichu said with a cold smile.

    He was about to continue speaking when he suddenly heard another sounding from the equipment in the ward.

    He turned his head and saw that the equipment in the intensive care unit was shing green lights. This was the indicator light that the patient was about to wake up!

    Lu Yuan looked at his watch from the side again. It was exactly six hours, thirty minutes, and twenty-eight seconds.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s consciousness was in a state of confusion.

    At first, she couldn¡¯t open her eyes. She only felt that her eyelids weighed a thousand pounds, and she couldn¡¯t open them no matter how hard she tried.

    Her legs felt like they were stuck in mud. They were wet and heavy, and she couldn¡¯t move at all.

    Shey quietly for a while and gradually regained consciousness. Finally, she opened her eyes and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s unrivaled handsome face!

    No, he was even more exquisite and handsome than she remembered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face to be like!

    ¡°... Eh? Major General Huo ? Did youe to see me? Or am I dreaming again...¡± She muttered. Her gaze lingered on the face of the person in front of her for a while before she closed her eyes again.

    The Ace of the Far East lowered his head and tucked her in. He smiled as he got up and said to the shocked He Zhichu, ¡°Mr. He, she remembers me.¡±

    He Zhichu only wanted to chuckle.

    She remembers you? Don¡¯t tter yourself.

    Hearing someone speak, Gu Nianzhi finally realized that she wasn¡¯t dreaming.

    She opened her eyes again. This time, her vision had gone from blurry to clear. Yesterday¡¯s memories flooded into her brain like a tidal wave.

    Her memory stopped at thest moment when she was talking to He Zhichu after getting shot.

    After that, she was unconscious.

    However, looking at the snow-white walls and ceiling in front of her, she knew that she was probably in the hospital.

    When she woke up, the intense pain in her body was transmitted to her brain through her nervous system.

    Her body was in so much pain that she could not stop trembling.

    The sweat on her forehead immediately seeped out, and her snow-white teeth left a row of tiny bite marks on her lips.

    Lu Yuan immediately leaned over and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, How are you?¡±

    Only then did Gu Nianzhi see Lu Yuan. Her eyes shed, and she asked weakly, ¡°Director Lu, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. First, I came to see you. When we heard that you were injured, we were all very worried,¡± Lu Yuan said vaguely, ¡°Second of all, the building in the south side of the city that you live in was recently bought by someone and is being demolished. Yourndlord said that he didn¡¯t want to rent it anymore and asked you to cancel the contract. He promised to pay the termination fee and let you move the things away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked slowly, as if she was trying hard to process what Lu Yuan had said.

    When the Ace of the Far East saw this, he said to Lu Yuan impatiently, ¡°When can we not talk about this? Lawyer Gu needs to rest.¡±

    ¡°Rest?¡± Lu Yuan smiled and pointed to the equipment that had been shouting just now. ¡°Someone hacked intowyer Gu¡¯s ward to read her post-operative recovery data. How else can she rest?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about her constitution and became nervous. Her voice became weaker.¡±... I want to go home. CEO Lu, can you do me a favor and take me back to C City?¡±

    She looked at Lu Yuan pitifully as if she was a homeless kitten, as if she was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t take her back.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, can you travel long distances in your current condition?¡± The Ace of the Far East was very realistic and would not be moved by pleading unless it was reasonable.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored him and turned to look at He Zhichu, who was silent. Her voice so soft that it was almost impossible to hear, she continued to plead. ¡°... Young Master He, I can¡¯t stay here anymore.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her carefully and said, ¡°The room you rented is about to be demolished. Where are you going?¡±

    He didn¡¯t dare say that he wanted her to go home with him. He knew that even if he did, she would reject him outright.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and said, ¡°I want to go back to C City with CEO Lu. Then, CEO Lu can help me rent a house to recuperate. ¡ª Young Master He, I¡¯m recuperating. It¡¯s best if I stay at home.¡±

 Chapter 1547 - Buy, Buy, Buy

    <h4>Chapter 1547: Buy, Buy, Buy</h4>

    ¡°... In my own home.¡± Gu Nianzhi kept staring into He Zhichu¡¯s eyes as she said this, emphasizing that it was ¡°my own home¡±.

    She reminded He Zhichu implicitly not to forget her special constitution.

    She did not know how fast the healing was this time, but thest time she had been shot in the Alps, she had recovered in one night...

    The area of the injury this time was so big, and it was internal organs, so it would not be that fast.

    But it would definitely be much faster than that of the average person.

    If the people on this side found out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    She did not have much strength to speak now, and her back and chest were burning with pain. She did not know how her current condition was or whether she had undergone surgery, but she knew one thing. She must not stay in this ce.

    He Zhichu looked into her eyes as well. His expression was hesitant.

    He understood what she meant and knew that her constitution was special. However, her injuries this time were too serious. She had even undergone surgery on her heart.

    She could go home and recuperate. Of course, no one would discover her special constitution, but how could she have better recuperating facilities at home than at the hospital?

    If it affected her recovery, wouldn¡¯t the gains outweigh the losses?

    He Zhichu thought about it and said gently, ¡°Nianzhi, I know you¡¯re worried, but the most important thing now is for you to recover. Although you¡¯ll be more at ease at home, you don¡¯t have the necessary medical equipment at home. What if your injury recurs?¡±

    He really couldn¡¯t bear the consequences of losing her.

    The moment he saw her get shotst night, he had already been prepared to go with her...

    The Ace of the Far East put his hands behind his back and frowned disdainfully. He said haughtily and coldly, ¡°... Is that so difficult? The patient can¡¯t even get such a small request fulfilled. It will affect her mood and affect her recovery.¡±

    Thest thing He Zhichu wanted to see was this Ace of the Far East fawning over Gu Nianzhi. The corners of his mouth twitched. ¡°Mr. Peter, aren¡¯t you meddling too much? Right now, Nianzhi¡¯s recovery is the most important thing. Don¡¯t argue with her on purpose.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East took out his phone, and said, ¡°How is this arguing? It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t have the necessary medical equipment at home. You can go buy it. We, in the Soviet Union, have the best medical equipment and medicine in the world. I¡¯ll contact my colleagues right now and ask them to send a batch over immediately. ¡°As long as Young Master He gets special support from your customs and doesn¡¯t intentionally block the import and export quota, I can make a call right away.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for to trouble you, Mr. Peter.¡± He Zhichu was slightly startled and immediately rejected him. ¡°We also have the best medical equipment in the Huaxia Empire. It¡¯s not any worse than the ones in the Soviet Union. How about this, I¡¯ll go find a medicalpany and get a batch of medical equipment over here. CEO Lu, please help Nianzhi rent a bigger house. Don¡¯t worry about the cost. When the timees, give me the address and I¡¯ll get someone to send the medical equipment over.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled as he watched the two of them turn away, however, he ignored them and praised, ¡°The two of you really have a lot to discuss. Actually, with Young Master He¡¯s status and ability, he can even open up a private hospital forwyer Gu at home. It would naturally be best if Young Master He is willing to help.¡±

    His attitude polite and reasonable, he turned to look at the Ace of the Far East. ¡°Mr. Peter, you¡¯re thoughtful too. This is really a good idea. I didn¡¯t even think of it!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East still maintained his arrogant and cold demeanor. He did not even look at him. ¡°Lawyer Gu is not your savior. It¡¯s normal that you didn¡¯t think of it.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan did not take the ¡°contempt of the king¡± from the Ace of the Far Eastto heart. He showed a magnanimous smile, then turned his head to he zhichu and said, ¡°That¡¯s easy. Young Master He, you have a high position and power. Helpwyer Gu transfer some medical equipment to her house. Oh, right,wyer Gu asked me to rent a house. In my opinion,wyer Gu needs to rest well this time. I¡¯ll find you a more spacious house and have He Zhichu bring you some medical equipment. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°If He Zhichu has no problems, I¡¯ll immediately call my secretary and ask him to find me a good house. That way, I¡¯ll be able to send it over as soon as I get off the ne.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked gently, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you think? Is this a good arrangement?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was lying on her side on the hospital bed. She did not want to talk anymore. She only nodded slightly and gestured with her eyes.

    He Zhichu saw that she agreed and nodded as well. ¡°Since you trust Director Lu, I have nothing to say. Let¡¯s go together then.¡±He added, ¡°Director Lu will help you find a better house. You Don¡¯t have to worry about the expenses. Just send me the bill.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to reject him, but He Zhichu stopped her. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t think too much now. We¡¯ll talk about it after you recover, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to close her eyes.

    He Zhichu was right.

    The most important thing for her now was to recover quickly.

    As they were talking, Lu Yuan was already calling his ¡°secretary¡±.

    ¡°Yes, rent a better apartment. It has to be spacious, and it has to be simr to the intensive care unit in the hospital. It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Secretary Lu was already on his way to the airport. He held his phone and kept nodding, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already prepared it. It¡¯s in my spare apartment. I have all the medical equipment. Rent? No need... Oh, He Zhichu will pay? Then you have to, you have to charge a high price...¡±

    Lu Yuan finished the call with a straight face and saw that He Zhichu and Ace of the Far East had already moved Gu Nianzhi to a mobile surgery bed.

    He Zhichu looked at Lu Yuan. ¡°CEO Lu, you don¡¯t mind bringing a few more people with you on your private ne, do you?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and shook his head. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind. If Young Master He wants to fly with me. That would be great.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East added, ¡°And me.¡±

    He Zhichu thought to himself, President Lu, you won¡¯t be able to get rid of this clingy Ace of the Far East.

    It was only then that he introduced him to Lu Yuan. ¡°This is Mr. Peter, the new Vice Consul General of the USSR Conste General in C City. His Chinese name is Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and calmly tucked his hands into his trouser pockets. ¡°That¡¯s a good name. I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±

    Peter, the deputy consul of the Far East, did not mind at all. ¡°I rarely use my Chinese name. Everyone calls me Peter outside.¡±

    Lu Yuan reached out his hand to him and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Peter. Let¡¯s get along well in the future!¡±

    Peter reached out his hand casually and parted ways with Lu Yuan. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mr. Lu.¡±

    After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Yuan looked at his watch. ¡°If it¡¯s convenient, shall we leave now? My ne will take off in forty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± He Zhichu called for an ambnce. He nned to send Gu Nianzhi directly to the airport in an ambnce. It would be fast and convenient, and all the cars on the road would have to make way for them.

    After leaving the West Camp Hospital, He Zhichu and Peter, the new deputy consul of the Soviet Union, sent Gu Nianzhi to the ambnce. Lu Yuan followed behind in his own car.

    Their journey was smooth, and it only took them 20 minutes to reach the airport.

    Because it was Lu Yuan¡¯s private ne, they boarded the ne quickly.

    Because of He Zhichu¡¯s powerful name, the airport¡¯s air traffic control gave them first priority.

    Three hourster, they had already alighted from the ne at C City Airport.

    The Van that Lu Yuan had arranged drove all the way to the bottom of the ne¡¯s gangway.

    Gu Nianzhiid on a specially-made mobile hospital bed, which was secured firmly, and was sent to Lu Yuan¡¯s van.

    She had only drunk a little water during the entire journey, and had fallen into a deep sleep.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s secretary hade personally to pick them up. He said, ¡°President Lu, we¡¯ve already found the house you wanted, but because we were pressed for time, we didn¡¯t have time to sign the contract. However, thendlord heard that CEO Lu had vouched for us, so he gave us the keys without a second thought.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded with a smile. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, secretary Lin.¡±

    In the car, he turned around and said to He Zhichu, ¡°This secretary of mine is very capable. Without her, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to do much.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and nodded to the chubby middle-aged female secretary in the front seat. ¡°Thank you, Secretary Lin.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Young Master He.¡± Secretary Lin¡¯s face was cheerful, and her smile was very amiable.

    She was also very talkative. When she saw He Zhichu in the car, she began to get close to him with passion.

    ¡°What has Young Master He been busy with all these years? We go to the Christmas party held at Young Master He¡¯s House every year, but we haven¡¯t seen you in the past few years.¡±

    Lu Yuan was the president of the Lu Corporation. The Lu Corporation was one of the top inte securitypanies in China, and its market value could be ranked in the top 100 on the Blue.

    It was impossible for such argepany not to have good rtions with the government.

    Lu Yuan was well-known and was very familiar with the He family. He smiled and interrupted Secretary lin, ¡°Secretary Lin, don¡¯t ask about Young Master He¡¯s work needs.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh! I spoke too much. Don¡¯t mind me, Young Master He...¡± Secretary Lin immediately changed the topic, ¡°Lawyer Gu was injured this time. Jin Dazhuang and the others are very worried. They said they woulde to seewyer Gu when she is settled.¡±

    ¡°Also, Nan City suddenly wants to demolish the ce. Lawyer Gu is really pitiful. She¡¯s suddenly homeless.¡± Secretary Lin looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was sleeping in the back seat, and shook her head sympathetically.

    The Ace of the Far East, who was sitting next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hospital bed in the back seat, suddenly said, ¡°Doesn¡¯twyer Gu have her own house? It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll buy it for her.¡±

    He Zhichu was already upset, but when this Ace of the Far East interrupted him, his face instantly darkened. ¡°Mr. Peter, what do you mean? !¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu saved my life, so what if I buy her a house?¡± The Ace of the Far East seemed to be very confused. ¡°Is my life not worth a house? You¡¯re looking down on me too much!¡±

    Was that the same thing? !

    The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s eyes twitched, and his expression turned cold. ¡°Nianzhi will not be homeless. I¡¯ve already prepared a house for her, so I can transfer the ownership immediately. She doesn¡¯t need Mr. Peter¡¯s charity.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°If you two are interested, why don¡¯t you take a look at the house we rented? I heard from Secretary Lin that thendlord was actually nning to sell it. Later, he heard that we were the ones who wanted to rent it, so he said it was okay to rent it first and buy itter.¡±

    Secretary Lin had followed Lu Yuan for so many years, so it could be said that they had gotten to know each other very well. Hearing that, she immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Thendlord over there actually asked me if CEO Lu really wanted it. If he wants it, he¡¯s willing to sell it to CEO Lu.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded without hesitation.¡±... Let¡¯s go take a look first. If Nianzhi likes it, then we¡¯ll buy it.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East also said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for this one. Young Master He, you can buy another house forwyer Gu.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

 Chapter 1548 - Worried For Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 1548: Worried For Nothing</h4>

    He Zhichu was furious. He clenched his fists and coughed. He said, ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯t go too far. You¡¯re a diplomat from the Soviet Union. Although I know you¡¯re doing this to repay the favor of saving your life, to outsiders, you¡¯re bribing. This will make it difficult forwyer Gu to carry out her work in the future.¡±

    This was a more dignified reason.

    As a diplomat, if he gave Gu Nianzhi a house, it was very likely that Gu Nianzhi would enter the country¡¯s special surveince list, in case she became the target of foreign spies.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the other identity of the Vice Consul, Peter.

    The Ace of the Far East who had been eager to ¡°buy, buy, buy¡± for Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything now.

    He Zhichu felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His gleaming almond-shaped eyes sparkled slightly, and his mood improved slightly.

    Secretary Lin, who was watching from the side, had her mouth agape. She couldn¡¯t close it at all.

    What kind of operation was this?

    Were these two handsome menpeting to see who was richer?

    Even if they werepeting, couldn¡¯t they wait forwyer Gu to wake up beforepeting?

    She was sleeping so soundly right now. Even if they werepeting,wyer Gu wouldn¡¯t know.

    This was what it meant to flirt with a blind people. It was unnecessary, unnecessary!

    Secretary Lin stole a nce at Lu Yuan.

    Her big boss still had a warm smile on his face. Although he was old, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes made his smile even more charming.

    As a mature woman, she still admired the looks of her boss more.

    Secretary Lin retracted her gaze in admiration.

    Fortunately, she knew her own limits and had her own husband and children. If she had met such a handsome boss when she was unmarried, she could not even guarantee that she would not fall head over heels for him.

    However, it was also strange that the male and female secretaries that this boss recruited were all married and had children. They were all over 30 years old.

    Whether they were young or old, he would not recruit unmarried men and women. This was also very willful.

    Lu Yuan smiled and waited for He Zhichu and the deputy consul from the Soviet Union, Peter, to finish their discussion before giving his opinion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s take a look at the house first.¡±

    As they spoke, they had already arrived at the ce secretary Lin had told them to rent the house.

    He Zhichu looked out of the window and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Secretary Lin is amazing. She can even rent a house in the Western District.¡±

    The Western District of C City was where the main government departments were located. The residential area was not big and the houses were especially expensive. However, the residential area was very good. Moreover, the military headquarters was also located in the Western District.

    He Zhichu had a house assigned to the military headquarters here, but he had almost never lived here before.

    The residential area they were facing now was a middle-priced residential area in the Western District.

    Of course, it was only a middle-priced residential area in the Western District. If they were to take it elsewhere, it would definitely be a high-priced house.

    Secretary Lin led the way for them. ¡°It¡¯s here. Building B has a 36-story Penthouse with a duplex structure. There¡¯s also a semi-enclosed small garden on the top floor, so it¡¯s two and a half stories. The area inside the mansion isn¡¯t particrlyrge. The two stories have a total of more than 600 square meters, and there are more than a dozen rooms.¡±

    This kind of top-floor mansion had their own private elevator. It was very spacious and did not need to be crowded with people.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile hospital bed could be pushed directly into the elevator and sent to the elevator entrance on the top floor smoothly and quickly.

    For the top-floor mansion, this was a private elevator.

    Secretary Lin opened the door of the mansion with the key card. She saw two circr pirs and almost an entire wall of ss windows.

    The living room was spacious. Both floors were opened, and the ceiling was particrly high. A silver-white chandelier in the post-modern style hung down from the ceiling. The space, almost merging with the skyline outside the window, was even more vast.

    Two beige sofas in the post-modern style were ced opposite each other. The edges of the sofas were round. There was no sense of tidiness in them. They looked very casual and rxing.

    There was a grand piano in one corner of the living room. Because the living room was veryrge, this grand grand piano did not look out of ce in the corner of the room.

    The room was covered with a thick carpet, and the sharp corners of the furniture were carefully wrapped with decorations.

    The entire environment was harmonious and cozy, but it was also very stylish. Not only did it suit Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usual taste, but the furniture here was also very suitable for recovering from her injuries.

    He Zhichu quickly looked around the living room and turned to look at Secretary Lin. ¡°Secretary Lin, it¡¯s amazing that you could find such a good house in such a short time.¡±

    Secretary Linughed so hard that she could barely keep her eyes open. ¡°No, no, no. You tter me, Young Master He. This is also because CEO Lu has a lot of face. I just released the news that CEO Lu wants to rent a house, and a few friends who work as real estate agents immediately contacted me and said that they have a suitable house. I asked CEO Lu if he was interested.¡±

    ¡°I could barely pick among the many choices, but when I saw this house, I immediately knew that it was this one.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve indeed put in a lot of effort.¡±

    He and the Ace of the Far East pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile bed to a guest room next to the living room on the first floor.

    Secretary Lin led them in. She said, ¡°Although this house is a guest room, it¡¯s veryrge. It¡¯s a small suite. Look, the room inside is a bedroom with a moon door in the middle. Outside is a living room and the bathroom is inside the bedroom. Lawyer Gu will be recuperating here. She doesn¡¯t need to go up and down the stairs on a daily basis. It will be very convenient.¡±

    He Zhichu walked around the room a few times and nodded. ¡°Not bad. The ce is big. You can even put medical equipment here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, by the way, Young Master He, shouldn¡¯t you hurry and get the medical equipment here?¡± The Ace of the Far East fiddled with his phone. ¡°Lawyer Gu¡¯s condition needs to be monitored by these medical equipment.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at him, picked up his phone, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. He made a call and asked someone to get the medical equipment over here.

    Gu Nianzhi was still recovering, so she didn¡¯t need much medical equipment. However, she definitely needed a venttor, as well as an electrocardiogram and an electroencephalogram.

    He Zhichu simply got someone to get the equipment list for the intensive care unit of the hospital and used the equipment listed on the list.

    While He Zhichu was making a call in the living room, Secretary Lin also received a few calls.

    She had a proper job, and wasn¡¯t a secretary who took care of her boss¡¯ personal life.

    ¡°CEO Lu, a few representatives from severalpanies are here and want to talk to us. I want to go back to thepany to take a look.¡± Secretary Lin sent the information of thosepanies to Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan looked at them casually and said, ¡°Then you go back to thepany and find Old Li to meet them with you.¡±

    Old Li was Lu Yuan¡¯s other male secretary.

    The Lu Corporation was argepany with more than five thousand employees in the world.

    Lu Yuan also had many secretaries and had a secretarial group. Someone once suggested to choose a secretary general out of these dozen or so secretaries.

    However, Lu Yuan did not like secretaries forming a group. He also did not like a leader among the secretaries who could manage the other secretaries. Hence, his secretarial group did not have the position of secretary general.

    His secretaries had their own responsibilities and worked together, but they only listened to him.

    Secretary Lin picked up her briefcase and said, ¡°President Lu, I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    Lu Yuan waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. When you see those people, Please apologize on my behalf.¡±

    Secretary Lin pursed her lips into a smile. ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re so funny.¡±

    After she left, there were only Lu Yuan, He Zhichu, and the Ace of the Far East in the huge penthouse.

    He Zhichu finished his call and saw Lu Yuan bending over to cover Gu Nianzhi with a nket.

    He walked over as if nothing had happened and took the nket from Lu Yuan. ¡°CEO Lu, you¡¯re so busy, so I won¡¯t trouble you.¡±

    Lu Yuan straightened his back in amusement. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re even jealous of me? Don¡¯t you see how old I am? I¡¯m not interested in these young girls.¡±

    He Zhichu blushed slightly. He thought to himself, what right do I have to be jealous?

    It was just so that Gu Nianzhi could recuperate properly and not cause unnecessary trouble.

    Lu Yuan was an outsider, so he could not let him know about Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution.

    He Zhichu nned to stay behind to take care of Gu Nianzhi.

    After covering Gu Nianzhi with the nket, He Zhichu sat down by her bed and said, ¡°You can leave if you have something to do. I¡¯ll stay here and take care of her for a few days.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East refused to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and take care of her until she recovers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when she recovers. You don¡¯t have to stay here.¡± He Zhichuughed coldly. The Committee of State Security (KGB) must not know that Nianzhi had a special constitution.

    The Far East Ace refused to back down. His voice was extremely cold, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who should be leaving? Lawyer Gu suffered so much to save me, so it¡¯s only right for me to stay here with her. As for Young Master He, you¡¯re so busy with your official duties. How can you have time to take care of the patient?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s almond-shaped eyes sparkled. ¡°Can the staff of your conste do nothing and skip work all day?¡±

    ¡°I applied for a month¡¯s leave.¡± The Ace of the Far East stopped He Zhichu from speaking.

    He Zhichu frowned. He thought to himself, this guy really came prepared. He also wanted to pursue Nianzhi?

    Was it possible that the same person from both sides liked the same person?

    He Zhichu looked at Lu Yuan in confusion.

    Lu Yuan also had a headache. In this situation, there was nothing he could do. He could only wait for Nianzhi to wake up again and let her make the decision.

    ¡°Keep your voices down. Lawyer Gu is still resting,¡± Lu Yuan reminded them.

    In the end, when He Zhichu and Ace of the Far East were arguing, Gu Nianzhi did not wake up. As soon as Lu Yuan asked them to keep their voices down, Gu Nianzhi woke up.

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    He had really worried for nothing.

    ..

    At this moment, Qin Yaoguang, whose face was wrapped in gauze, was throwing a tantrum in ward a of the intensive care unit on the sixteenth floor of City H¡¯s West Camp Hospital.

    ¡°Where is she? Where did she go? !¡±

    ¡°Director Qin, Young Master He sent your daughter away.¡±

    ¡°Sent her away? ! Doesn¡¯t he want her to live? !¡±Qin Yaoguang was very surprised. ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t seeing things? !¡±

    In front of Qin Yaoguang, the director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery of the Western Camp Hospital was scolded harshly.

    Although they were not in the same system, one was a public hospital, and the other was a private hospital, the scale of the Qin private hospital was almost the same as a public hospital. Moreover, from doctors to equipment, it was said that the conditions of private hospitals were better than public hospitals. Therefore, public hospitals had been losing market share.

    So the Director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery of public hospitals could only yield in front of the Director of thergest private hospital.

    Because it might not be long before doctors from public hospitals like them had to go to private hospitals to earn a living.

    ¡°... Director Qin, it was really Young Master He who sent her away,¡± the Director of the Department of cardiac surgery said carefully. The expression on his face was extremely obsequious. ¡°And your daughter has already woken up. She¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°What? ! She¡¯s awake? ! She¡¯s really fine? !¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression suddenly changed. She grabbed the cor of the director of the Department of Cardiology¡¯s white coat and said anxiously, ¡°Where are your surgical records? And all the data in this ward, give them to me!¡±

    ¡°Director... Director Qin, our hospital was hacked a few hours ago. Your daughter¡¯s surgical records and all the data in this ward have been erased!¡± The Director of the Department of Cardiology at Xi Ying Hospital¡¯s face was ashen, as if he had lost his mother.

    ¡°I was worried for nothing! ¡ª Investigate immediately! Find out where Gu Nianzhi went!¡± Qin Yaoguang stomped her feet and pushed the director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery of West Camp Hospital away. She took out her phone and gave the order as she ran out like a gust of wind.

 Chapter 1549 - Cold-bloodedness Is Contagious

    <h4>Chapter 1549: Cold-bloodedness Is Contagious</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang called her subordinates and got into her car. She thought for a moment and called He Chengjian.

    ¡°Brother He, it¡¯s Yaoguang.¡± She sounded very anxious. ¡°I just came to check on Nianzhi¡¯s condition at West Camp Hospital and found out that Ah-Chu has taken her away. Do you know where Ah-Chu has taken her?¡±

    He Chengjian had juste out of a meeting and took the phone from his secretary. He was also very surprised. ¡°What? Ah-Chu has taken Nianzhi away from the hospital? How is Nianzhi¡¯s condition? Is she okay? !¡±

    He was very worried that if Gu Nianzhi died, his only son would do something stupid...

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Brother He, don¡¯t worry.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s voice was full of passion. ¡°I heard from the people at the hospital that Nianzhi has woken up. She¡¯s really lucky. Her physique is even better than what we¡¯ve studied before.¡±

    ¡°I think her physique might really have evolved on its own! Brother He, do you know what this means? We didn¡¯t think of this at first. In theory, the time needed for a gene to evolve is limited by the lifespan of humans, so it¡¯s impossible for a gene to evolve in a single generation.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already her limit that her genes can help Ah-Chu repair his defective genes. but we might be wrong. Her genes have even greater potential waiting for us to tap into!¡±

    He Chengjian: ¡°...¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi was not his daughter, He Chengjian was very ufortable to hear Qin Yaoguang talk about her own daughter like that.

    Just like the earthworms he hated when he was young. Even though he knew that it would not have any ill intentions towards humans, he could not help having goosebumps when he saw its salivating expression.

    Thinking of this, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s metaphor of Qin Yaoguang as a ¡°earthworm turning into a spirit¡± surfaced in He Chengjian¡¯s mind.

    Thest bit of guilt he felt towards Qin Yaoguang was instantly wiped clean.

    Qin Yaoguang was still unaware of the changes in He Chengjian¡¯s mind. She was full of awe as she said, ¡°What a pity. If she really died, we could have carefully study which gene fragment has self-evolved and repaired. Perhaps it can make a significant contribution to our country¡¯s human gic research and achieve a breakthrough that transcends generations!¡±

    He Chengjian:¡±! ! !¡±

    He was the same as He Zhichu. He used to think that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t intimate with Qin Yaoguang, her biological mother, because Qin Yaoguang was really busy with experiments and medical work and had neglected her daughter, so the mother-daughter rtionship between the two of them was very estranged.

    Moreover, Qin Yaoguang had repeatedly said that she did not treat Gu Nianzhi as her biological daughter, and Gu Nianzhi had never acknowledged Qin Yaoguang as her biological mother. She had even cut her biological mother¡¯s hands with a knife after she returned.

    In He Chengjian¡¯s opinion, the mother and daughter were two peas in a pod. Neither of them was easy to deal with.

    However, this time, Gu Nianzhi had truly been on the brink of death. Even now, he did not know if she would survive.

    What Qin Yaoguang, her own mother, cared about was her ¡°constitution¡± and her ¡°genes.¡± She had even said that she was ¡°very lucky.¡± It was a pity that she could not use her body for research...

    He felt that something was wrong.

    He Chengjian had seen scientists who were dedicated to scientific research. However, even the craziest scientist who did not understand social norms and was the craziest scientist in the history of science knew to love his daughter in the end...

    He Chengjian frowned and said unhappily, ¡°From what you mean, you wish that Nianzhi was dead?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang froze and quickly understood what she had said unintentionally. She stammered to exin, ¡°Brother He, that¡¯s not what I meant. You know, I¡¯ve always been single-minded. As long as it¡¯s something rted to my medical research, I can¡¯t think of anything else. Nianzhi is my biological daughter. Why would I want her to die?¡±

    ¡°Haha, single-minded. No wonder Nianzhi said that you¡¯re an earthworm turning into a spirit. You¡¯re really overbearingly single-minded.¡± He Chengjian obviously did not believe Qin Yaoguang¡¯s excuse.

    Qin Yaoguang was annoyed at her slip of the tongue, but she also knew that repeatedly denying it would only make He Chengjian¡¯s impression of her worse.

    Therefore, she quickly stopped denying it and said, ¡°I know that brother He is kind-hearted and had loved Nianzhi since she was young. It¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s fortune to be able to marry into the He family.¡±

    ¡°But death is inevitable. It can be as heavy as Mount Tai or as light as a feather. If she... can contribute to the research of human genes, as a mother, I won¡¯t stop the path of human evolution just because of that mother-daughter rtionship.¡±

    Damn it, He Chengjian, the cunning military bigshot, was about to kneel down when he was used of ¡°getting in the way of the evolution of human beings¡±.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait...¡± He Chengjian quickly stopped her. ¡°First of all, we still don¡¯t know what Nianzhi¡¯s situation is like. Perhaps she has really died. How can you be so sure that her genes can self-repair and evolve?¡±

    ¡°Also, whether or not she is alive is currently unknown, and we don¡¯t even know where she is. It makes me feel very ufortable for you to think of all this nonsense. As her biological mother, you¡¯re so cold-blooded towards your own daughter. I really doubt how much sincerity you have for Ah-Chu. You¡¯re so enthusiastic about Ah-Chu¡¯s congenital gic defect. Is it because of your research?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression turned cold.

    He was a suspicious person. Once he became suspicious, he would think deeper.

    He Chengjian could not control Qin Yaoguang using her own daughter as an experiment. However, if she dared to put her hand on his only son, he would skin her alive!

    Qin Yaoguang shuddered. It was as if she could feel He Chengjian¡¯s strong displeasure and disgust from the radio waves of her phone from a thousand miles away.

    This feeling was fatal to Qin Yaoguang.

    She had only loved one person in her entire life ¡ª He Chengjian.

    No matter how good or bad he was to her, whether he gave up or tried to get close to her, she had never changed her mind.

    He Chengjian could have no love her and could ignore her, but he could not loathe her. He absolutely could not!

    Why did she hate Gu Nianzhi so much for calling her an ¡°earthworm turned into a spirit¡±? Because she knew He Chengjian hated earthworms the most ever since he was young!

    Her eyes reddened instantly. Qin Yaoguang sobbed. ¡°He Chengjian!¡±! You have no conscience! Would I do that? ! I love Ah-Chu more than your wife does ! Don¡¯t forget, I was the one who suggested gene therapy and gave birth to a child. I used her genes to treat Ah-Chu¡¯s illness, but your wife was against it!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang mmed the phone down and covered her face as she started crying.

    Half of her life had passed, but the man she loved deeply was still acting as if he was standing on the clouds and treating her as if she was not there.

    He Chengjian heard Qin Yaoguang¡¯s crying and crying words from the other side, and he was momentarily absent-minded.

    That¡¯s right, his wife was the one who strongly opposed it. She was not willing, definitely not willing to use the life of another child to save her child.

    Qin Suwen was awyer. Not only had she objected verbally, but she had also invoked variousws of the country to prohibit them from ¡°treating human life with contempt¡± and using other people¡¯s genes to create lives to experiment on.

    However, he knew that she loved his son very much. He could not bear to let her watch her son walk step by step towards his death, so he had secretly worked with Qin Yaoguang and that madman to finally find a way to not break thew, or rather.., it was that lunatic who found a loophole in the relevantws.

    By ident, Gu Nianzhi was born..

    It was not until He Zhichu recovered six yearster that he told Qin Suwen the whole truth.

    Qin Suwen was so angry that she went crazy. She requested to divorce him and was no longer willing to live with him.

    He knelt in front of her every night, and beggdc her not to leave him, but Qin Suwen insisted on leaving.

    He Chengjian was driven to the brink of insanity. Just as Qin Suwen was about to get awyer to handle the separation procedures, the lunatic suddenly dropped Gu Nianzhi off at his house and said that he and Qin Yaoguang were too busy to take care of her and asked them for help.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s heart softened as she looked at the six-year-old girl who was hiding under the table and looking at them timidly.

    She was not going to leave, nor was she going to get a divorce. She was even going to quit her job temporarily to take care of the little girl who had just arrived, and her son who had just recovered from a serious illness.

    She had asked Gu Nianzhi to get engaged to her son, and had been telling He Zhichu not to let this little girl down.

    He Zhichu was only sixteen at the time, but his mother had already begun to tell him to treat Gu Nianzhi well.

    From then on, she did not allow her son to have too much contact with her father, because she believed that ¡°cold bloodedness was contagious.¡±.

    During those two years, Qin Suwen had ignored him and they had been in a Cold War.

    But he was willing to endure it. As long as she did not leave and did not leave the house, he would be satisfied.

    However, he wasn¡¯t able to save her on that day.

    Two years after Gu Nianzhi arrived at their house, when He Zhichu was eighteen years old, Qin Suwen suddenly passed away.

    All the forensic examinations said that she had suffered from acute myocardial infarction due to intense stimtion, and not from external injury.

    In short, Qin Suwen had been ¡°angered to death¡±, literally angered to death.

    However, this statement could not satisfy He Chengjian.

    Qin Suwen had been staying at home, but after meeting that madman, she had suffered an acute myocardial infarction. Was this not the fault of that madman? !

    Because that madman was thest person to meet Qin Suwen.

    What exactly did he say to her to make her so angry?

    Also, that madman had left her in the lurch, because even if Qin Suwen had copsed, she could not have died immediately.

    Therefore, he ignored other people¡¯s attempts to stop him and issued a warrant for the arrest of that Madman, Gu Xiangwen, and used the entire nation¡¯s power to hunt him down.

    He Chengjian¡¯s face was livid. Thinking that this madman still knew his ce, he clenched his fists tightly.

    If he had not died in the car ident and fire in front of everyone, he would have searched for him and asked what he had said to Qin Suwen to make her ¡°die of anger¡±!

    ..

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi had just opened her eyes in the penthouse apartment in the Western District of C City. She was no longer in the hospital.

    After a few more hours of sleep, her physical strength had recovered further.

    Although her chest and back were still burning with pain, as if someone had ripped out her heart and ravaged it, the pain was already slightly better than before.

    She looked at the three people in the room.

    Sitting by her bed was He Zhichu. After an unknown amount of time, He Zhichu¡¯s military uniform was in a mess.

    Standing in front of the bed was probably the Ace of the Far East, and there was blood mark on his chest.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She felt a little ufortable.

    She had been prepared to die to take the bullet for him, but now that she was not dead, she felt extremely ufortable and embarrassed to see this person again.

    Gu Nanzhi automatically ignored this person and looked at CEO Lu Yuan, who was standing opposite her.

    ¡°CEO Lu...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was very weak. ¡°Let them go. I want to be alone for a while.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    Ace of the Far East: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan instantly understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. He sighed and said, ¡°Both of you, you heard whatwyer Gu said. She doesn¡¯t want to see you. Shouldn¡¯t you agree to the patient¡¯s wishes?¡±

    He Zhichu frowned and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, can¡¯t I just stay outside with you? You can¡¯t do this without someone to look after you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and said softly, ¡°... Then did I have the surgery?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Zhichu nodded. ¡°A very good doctor performed the surgery on you. All the shrapnel in your body was removed. Even the shrapnel embedded in your heart was no exception.¡±

    ¡°That doctor was so good...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan smiled at her. ¡°Of course he¡¯s good. If that doctor wasn¡¯t good, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to save you, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also smiled at him and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine then. Since the operation has already been performed, just find a nurse. There¡¯s no need to trouble the two of you.¡±

    He Zhichu was in a difficult position. He knew Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation very well. If he had to find someone to take care of her, what if that person didn¡¯t keep his mouth shut?

    ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be willful. Let me take care of you. I swear, I¡¯ll leave immediately after your injury recovers. If you don¡¯t agree, I won¡¯t see you again. Is that okay?¡± He Zhichu only wanted to make up for the mistakes he and his father had made.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She could tell that He Zhichu had really been frightened this time. He probably wouldn¡¯t insist on any more engagement.

    As long as he didn¡¯t get involved in this matter, she didn¡¯t have any other ill feelings towards him.

    Even though she hated his father, she wouldn¡¯t vent her anger on He Zhichu.

    ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re thinking too much. You know about my injuries, so you¡¯re worried, But wouldn¡¯t it be fine if you just asked a random nurse to just say that I was stabbed with a knife? Do you really have to tell others how I got injured?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled widely.

    She knew He Zhichu had misunderstood.

    She was afraid that others would see her bullet wound heal too quickly and cause unnecessary panic and rumors...

    But if the nurse did not know what kind of injury she had suffered, then she could recover whenever she wanted. There would be no consequences.

    Lu Yuan was impressed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intelligence, but he pretended to be confused. ¡°So,wyer Gu¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t from a knife?¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    The Ace of the Far East, who had been watching from the side, finally said slowly, ¡°Lawyer Gu is wise. Let¡¯s leave it at that. Young Master He, where are your medical equipment? Aren¡¯t you going to hurry them up? I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±

    He nodded to Gu Nianzhi curtly and turned to walk towards the door.

    He Zhichu saw the Ace of the Far East leave and breathed a sigh of relief. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and put it under the nket. ¡°Okay, you rest first. I¡¯ll find you a nurse, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°Young Master He, finding a nurse is too big of a goal. We don¡¯t need to bother the two masters. It¡¯s better to let CEO Lu help.¡±

    She then said softly, ¡°Young Master He, I think it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t show up for the time being. If I¡¯m not wrong, that mother of mine must be looking for me all over the world right now. If she knows that you took me away, don¡¯t you think she¡¯ll look for you first?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s body trembled and he immediately said, ¡°I understand. Then take care of your injuries. I¡¯ll go lure them away.¡±

    He must not let her fall into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands in again.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and agreed. ¡°Thank you for the trouble, Young Master He. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m better.¡±

    The insinuation was for him to not show up in front of her before she got better.

    He Zhichu understood what she was saying. Although he was very sad and reluctant to part with her, his reason told him that this was the best way.

    Gu Nianzhi was already awake. With her recovery ability and the special care he had found, she should be able to take care of herself.

    ¡°Then when your injury recovers, you must call me. In case someone eavesdrops on you, I won¡¯t contact you for the time being.¡± He Zhichu stood up. ¡°As for the medical equipment, it¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t give them this address.¡±

    At that time, he had been extra careful and had gotten someone to send it directly to his base.

    Lu Yuan was very satisfied and said, ¡°You can send it to mypany. I¡¯ll send it over myself.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, CEO Lu.¡± He Zhichu nced at him.

    Lu Yuan paid special attention to Gu Nianzhi. It wasn¡¯t that He Zhichu didn¡¯t know there must be a problem.

    However, Gu Nianzhi trusted him so much that He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything more.

    Lu Yuan had always had a good reputation. Moreover, he had a bigpany, so he wasn¡¯t afraid of what he would do.

    The bigger one¡¯s business was, the more they would cherish their cash cow. This was because he no longer had nothing. He had a lot of concerns and wouldn¡¯t easily do anything illegal.

    In addition, ever since Gu Nianzhi had met Lu Yuan, the difficulties in her life had been easily resolved. It was obvious that Lu Yuan would not harm her.

    He Zhichu finally left with a heavy heart.

    When Lu Yuan saw He Zhichu get into the car from the surveince camera and drive away from the residential area, he made a leisurely phone call. ¡°You cane down now. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to stop Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan had already left in a hurry.

    The sound of the door opening and closing came from outside. After a while, her door was pushed open, and Lu Jin¡¯s smiling face appeared in front of her.

    ¡°Little Simba, the happiest day of the Lion King¡¯s life was also at Disnend.¡±

 Chapter 1550 - Iâ€™m Not Worthy Of It

    <h4>Chapter 1550: I¡¯m Not Worthy Of It</h4>

    Although Gu Nianzhi was mentally prepared, when she saw Lu Jin¡¯s unassuming smile in front of her, her eyes slowly turned red with surprise.

    It was as if she could release all the unspeakable grievances and frailty that she couldn¡¯t show in front of others.

    Lu Jin was shocked. He quickly walked over and asked, ¡°Is there something wrong? Did I not perform the surgery well? That¡¯s impossible... although I haven¡¯t used a scalpel for many years... don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll push you to the intensive care unit inside to have a good check-up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Something seemed to be wrong.

    She was momentarily speechless. Lu Jin pressed her against the headboard of the bed that she was lying on. The wall of the headboard suddenly split open on both sides, and suddenly opened up to reveal a door opening.

    Lu Jin bent down to carry her from the hospital bed and walked into the door opening at the headboard.

    It turned out that there was another world here.

    Gu Nianzhi stared nkly at the room that looked like a secret room. It was very big and spacious.

    Above her head was a shadow-lessmp that looked like that of a hospital operating room. The walls were snow-white, and the floor was dark. A veryfortable looking hospital bed was ced against the wall of the room. The bed was surrounded by all kinds of monitoring equipment, and every one of them looked bright and shiny. The design was simr to the equipment that she had seen in the hospital. It looked like the words ¡°upgraded high-tech edition¡± were engraved on it.

    Lu Jin carefully ced her on the bed and quickly connected all kinds of equipment to the top of her head, her chest, and the pulse on her wrist.

    The indicator lights of the equipment shed one after another. There were red, blue, green, and orange lights.

    Gu Nianzhi looked over and saw seven different colors of the indicator lights.

    Lu Jin looked intently at the data from the instrument. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with her body, he breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, ¡°Fortunately, the surgery was fine. Your body is recovering.¡±

    He then looked at Gu Nianzhi seriously. ¡°Why did you want to cry just now? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadpletely lost all her previous emotions. She looked at Lu Jin expressionlessly and said, ¡°... Didn¡¯t you already test it with a machine?¡±

    ¡°But a machine isn¡¯t omnipotent. ¡°You have to know that the human body is the most sophisticated machine. From the looks of it, humans don¡¯t have the technology to create a machine that is more sophisticated than the human body. So if there¡¯s something wrong with your body, but my machine didn¡¯t detect it, it¡¯spletely possible.¡±

    Lu Jin exined to Gu Nianzhi in a business-like manner.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to talk.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t let her go and continued to ask, ¡°Nianzhi, are you feeling unwell? Don¡¯t be afraid, tell me, I¡¯ll think of a way.¡±

    It was as if no matter what it was, as long as she told him, he would be able to think of a way to solve it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotions, which had just dissipated, returned very quickly. Her eyes gradually turned red, and she said in a low voice,¡±... did you perform the surgery on me?¡±

    She had already guessed it from what he had said to himself.

    But she still wanted to confirm it.

    Lu Jin nodded seriously. ¡°Of course, no one else can perform the surgery on you other than me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    He sounded very arrogant.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Lu Jin was actually not a person who could read people¡¯s expressions. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have a social disorder.

    However, for some reason, he could instantly understand the expression on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t even need to think about it to understand what she was thinking.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but the world is so big. How can you be so sure that you¡¯re the only one who can perform this kind of surgery?¡±

    ¡°Although it¡¯s cruel to say this to other heart surgeons, it¡¯s true that I¡¯m the only one who can perform this kind of surgery. ¡°Lu Jin didn¡¯t seem to be angry at her for arguing with him. Instead, he exined it to her in a very academic manner, ¡°That¡¯s because the injury to your heart at that time was already on the verge of death for an ordinary person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. A sharp pain made her groan.

    At the same time, the instrument that monitored her heart suddenly emitted a red light. It spread across the entire room like a rainbow, forming a curved arch bridge.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Your chest hurts? Let me see...¡±

    He lowered his head and operated the instrument. His fingers flew up and down as he enteredmands one by one. He looked at the condition of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart on the monitor.

    After a while, the pain in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest disappeared. Lu Jin finally stopped operating and said, ¡°You have to control your emotions. Your heart is still very weak. It can¡¯t beat fast and slow at times.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. As if she could control her heartbeat?

    That was a reflexive reaction, and she had just recovered from a serious injury, so she couldn¡¯t control her emotions at all.

    Lu Jin sat in front of her bed, tucked her in, and said seriously, ¡°You really almost died this time. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you were on the venttor in time and that the bleeding stopped quickly, you wouldn¡¯t havested until I came to operate on you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the situation at that time and finally felt a trace of lingering fear.

    ¡°... The gunshot wound you received was not a normal gunshot wound, but a anti-materiel rifle bullet. Fortunately, it was blocked by the bulletproof phone I gave you. Otherwise, you would have been torn to pieces instantly. Even a God wouldn¡¯t have been able to save you.¡±

    ¡°But the anti-materiel rifle bullet was also quite powerful. All of your internal organs were affected to varying degrees. Although the anti-materiel rifle bullet was unable to prate the phone, it exploded. The nted shrapnel directly prated your back and went deep into your body, especially your heart.¡±

    ¡°Under such circumstances, the level of precision required for the surgery is very high. As far as I know, no one other than me can do this. Not even aputer-operated gamma knife can do it.¡±

    Although Lu Jin¡¯s words were simple, Gu Nianzhi knew that the situation must have been very dangerous. Lu Jin had been in a race with the grim reaper and pulled her back from the brink of death.

    Gu Nianzhi was very grateful. She blushed and said softly,¡±... Thank you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. It¡¯s my duty.¡± Lu Jin waved his hand dismissively.

    ¡°How can you say that? No one should do such a thing for someone else.¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted in all seriousness, ¡°Who am I to you? If I didn¡¯t even say a word of thanks after receiving such a great favor, what kind of person would I be?¡±

    Lu Jin was tongue-tied. He kept repeating the same sentence, but in the end, he did not have the courage to say it.

    He stood up and wanted to leave, but it was inappropriate to leave Gu Nianzhi here alone.

    This kind ofplex expression of emotions was even more difficult for him to deal with than the most difficult high-energy physics problem.

    He was at his wit¡¯s end and could not go out. He simply turned around and stood facing the wall.

    It was as if he didn¡¯t look at Gu Nianzhi, he wouldn¡¯t have to face the problems he couldn¡¯t face.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin¡¯s tall and slender back, and her brows gradually furrowed.

    She had countless questions in her mind, but she didn¡¯t expect Lu Jin to choose to avoid them.

    He didn¡¯t want to answer her questions?

    Or was she wrong? Was this person not her real father, Gu Xiangwen?

    Gu Nianzhi was indescribably disappointed when she thought of Gu Xiangwen, who had died in the submarine in the other world.

    She was even a little envious of Little Nianzhi of the other side.

    Although that Little Nianzhi had died at the age of twelve, at least before that, she had had a happier and moreplete life than she had.

    This was truly a case of ¡°we all have our difficulties, so don¡¯t be envious of others¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed softly and closed her eyes.

    The room was so quiet that she couldn¡¯t even hear the sound of breathing.

    Gu Nianzhi had only wanted to close her eyes to rest, but she hadn¡¯t expected the room to be so quiet. What she didn¡¯t know was that the oxygen, temperature, and humidity in the room had been specially adjusted. It was very suitable for a patient like her to recuperate.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to fall asleep.

    Lu Jin only dared to turn around to look at her after she had fallen asleep.

    Lu Jin walked over to her bed and sat down. He rested his chin on his hands and looked at her quietly. He sat down like a statue without blinking.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi woke up from hunger.

    Her stomach was growling. She pursed her lips, which were slightly chapped. She wanted to drink water and eat something.

    She opened her eyes and saw darkness. It wasn¡¯t pure darkness, but a smoky grey with a dim light.

    She saw Lu Jin sitting in front of her bed. He rested his chin on his hands and leaned forward slightly. She did not know how long he had been in this position.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±cLu Jin said in surprise. He reached out to turn on the lights in the room.

    The lights gradually turned on from dark to bright. It wasn¡¯ot exciting at all.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes quickly adapted to the experience of going from dark to bright.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the time.

    ¡°Eight o¡¯clock at night.¡± Lu Jin showed her his watch. ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡±

    She hadn¡¯t eaten for almost two days and two nights, so of course she wanted to eat.

    Gu Nianzhi gave a slight ¡°hmm¡± and asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s destroyed,¡± Lu Jin told her regretfully. ¡°The phone I gave you directly blocked the bullet. After the bullet exploded, everything in your backpack was destroyed.¡±

    That meant that her passport, ID card, phone, wallet, and even her favorite lipstick were all gone.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to cry again. Seeing that the red light was about to light up again, Lu Jin said frantically, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll get someone to prepare the passport, ID card, and wallet right away. As for the phone, use this phone.¡±

    He handed the phone he had prepared earlier to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This was specially prepared for you. The number is exactly the same as your previous phone. I¡¯ve already made a backup of your contact list from the cloud.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not ept it. She still looked at Lu Jin. ¡°... This isn¡¯t good, is it? I won¡¯t ept a reward for nothing. You¡¯ve been so good to me, so how can I ept it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the ward and said, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, this house is yours too, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lu Jin was also a major shareholder of the Lu Corporation. She remembered him saying that he was the biggest shareholder, so it was normal to have such a house.

    However, she did not know how he had managed to sneak the house over to Secretary Lin, who was Lu Yuan.

    Lu Jin lowered his head and like a primary school student who had done something wrong, he sat up straight. ¡°It¡¯s mine. You can stay here. It¡¯s okay. He Zhichu paid the rent, so you can have it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She felt like she couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer.

    But before she broke her technique, she had to make sure everything was in order.

    If Lu Jin wasn¡¯t her biological father, Gu Xiangwen, she would leave immediately.

    Please forgive her for not being able to ept such a huge favor.

    Gu Nianzhi adjusted her expression and continued, ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry, but Young Master He has nothing to do with me. You¡¯ve only met me by chance and we¡¯ve never met before. I can¡¯t ept such a huge favor from you. Please give me your phone. I want to call my friends and go back to my own home.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi! I¡¯m willing to let you stay here. Don¡¯t feel burdened!¡± Lu Jin was anxious and did not know how to persuade her to stay.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t stay in an outsider¡¯s house. I won¡¯t ept charity either.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very firm. Although her chest and back were hurting, she still tried to sit up and struggled to get out of bed.

    She stretched out an arm and reached for a pair of pink slippers in front of the bed.

    Seeing that her forehead was sweating and her facial features were almost contorted from the pain, Lu Jin¡¯s facial features were also twisted. His heart ached terribly.

    He said desperately, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be like this. I know... I know what you want me to say something... It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to...¡±

    ¡°What do I want you to say?¡± Her dark jade-like eyes staring intently at Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi suddenly looked up. ¡°It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t want to? Then you don¡¯t want to?¡±

    It had to be said that when it came to infuriating people, Gu Nianzhi was self-taught and her skills were unrivaled.

    ¡°Of course I want to!¡± Lu Jin was forced into a corner by Gu Nianzhi. He made up his mind and closed his eyes, then said loudly, ¡°I¡¯m not unwilling! I¡¯m not worthy of it!¡±

 Chapter 1551 - Do You Still Want Me?

    <h4>Chapter 1551: Do You Still Want Me?</h4>

    ¡°... Unworthy?¡± Gu Nianzhi repeated Lu Jin¡¯s words in a daze. Although she had heard the word clearly, her brain was still muddled and she had no idea what it meant.

    She instinctively retorted, ¡°Yes, yes, no, no. What does it have to do with whether I¡¯m worthy or not?¡±

    Lu Jin lowered his head and didn¡¯t speak for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious, disappointed, and slightly wronged. Finally, she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and wanted to get out of bed.

    However, she had overestimated her recovery rate. She only felt her vision go ck, and her limbs werepletely out of control. With a thud, she rolled off the bed.

    Her face pale from the pain, she clutched her chest, and her forehead was sweating profusely.

    Lu Jin was truly scared out of his wits. He rushed over to pick her up and ced her on the specially made hospital bed.

    The monitors attached to her chest, head, and wrist began to beep.

    The seven-colored lights, emitting rays of rainbow light, reflected each other in the room. It was as if a rainbow had been set up in the room. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in the mood to enjoy such a beautiful scene.

    Her bright eyes, as if there were two balls of ck mercury in the white mercury, were wide open. They were clear and ethereal as she quietly looked at Lu Jin¡¯s tense face.

    Her eyes were filled with uncontroble sadness and disappointment.

    ¡°Are you okay? Don¡¯t move... I said, you have to control yourself. You can¡¯t make such a big move that will affect the recovery of your wound.¡± Lu Jin¡¯s forehead was also sweating, and his face was frighteningly pale.

    His hands trembled slightly, but he didn¡¯t dare to look Gu Nianzhi in the eye.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the hair above his head and said softly,¡±... I was sent there by you, and then they kidnapped me from the other world, right?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and half-knelt in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed while slowly tucking her in.

    ¡°... In the other world, there¡¯s Gu Xiangwen. He has a daughter named Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s body stiffened. He continued to tuck Gu Nianzhi under the nket. He lowered his head and knelt there motionlessly.

    ¡°That Gu Xiangwen is very good to his daughter, Gu Nianzhi. I heard that Little Nianzhi has a bad temper and often gets into trouble with others, but in that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s eyes, his daughter is all good.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t care if she has a bad temper or doesn¡¯t need her to be obedient. He loves his daughter wholeheartedly and unreservedly.¡±

    ¡°He made a lot of arrangements and preparations to treat her illness so that she could grow up safely.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I really thought that he was my father, a father who loved me even more than I had imagined. Do you know how happy I was?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears fell without warning, but she didn¡¯t cry. Only tears fell down.

    ¡°I was actually doing very well in that world, but no matter how well I was doing, I knew that the people who were good to me weren¡¯t my parents.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any expectations or fantasies about my parents. I didn¡¯t understand why, but when I saw my ssmates¡¯ parents¡¯ unreserved love for them, I knew what I was missing.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t think of asking for more because Major General Huo was good enough for me.¡±

    Thinking of Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. Big tears, falling on the thin silk quilt and rolling down the specially made silk that didn¡¯t get wet, fell again.

    Lu Jin lowered his head, and his tears fell uncontrobly. They mixed with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears and formed a faint puddle on the bed sheet.

    ¡°... It wasn¡¯t until I arrived here that I realized that the Gu Xiangwen over there, the magnanimous, gentle, and kind Gu Xiangwen, might not be my father.¡±

    ¡°There must be another Gu Nianzhi over there, but she passed away before I got there, right?¡±

    Because counterparts couldn¡¯t live in the same space and time at the same time.

    The fact that she could get there safely meant that Gu Nianzhi was already dead.

    Lu Jin nodded again and wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and said slowly,¡±... I knew I wouldn¡¯t be so lucky. Such a good father doesn¡¯t belong to me...¡±

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t take it anymore. His shoulders shaking uncontrobly, he immediately knelt in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed while clutching the thin silk nket tightly.

    He suppressed his cries, but couldn¡¯t control the pain in his heart.

    It was all his fault... it was all his fault..

    He was arrogant, cocky and even regarded himself as God. For the sake of scientific breakthroughs, he would do anything.

    But look at what he had done!

    How could he have the face to let such a good girl call him father? He really didn¡¯t deserve it!

    When he had let her be born, how had he ever treated her like a daughter? !

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what Lu Jin was thinking, but she could tell from his expression that he was extremely upset and guilty, and he was still unwilling to admit that he was her father, Gu Xiangwen.

    Her disappointment had reached its peak, and her eyes were gradually filled with anger. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why did you stille to my side?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already sent me away and I didn¡¯t remember anything, so why did you have to make such an unnecessary move? !¡±

    Lu Jin stopped crying and shook his head with his hoarse voice. ¡°It¡¯s not... it¡¯s not like that... I just... I just wanted to see you...¡±

    ¡°See me? You only dared to look at me under the mask of the Lion King! You lied to me and made me call you father!¡± Gu Nianzhi used all her strength to push Lu Jin¡¯s head away.

    ¡°... You just don¡¯t want me! None of you want me! Why did you give birth to me? !¡±

    Lu Jin looked up abruptly and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tearful little face. Herrge ck and white eyes were filled with despair and grief.

    He rushed to her and held her hand. His lips trembled and he sobbed for a long time before saying, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and allowed the tears to flow down the corners of her eyes and into her hair. She mumbled, ¡°You finally admit that you¡¯re my father? Why? Why didn¡¯t you want me? Why is it so hard for you to even admit that you¡¯re my father?¡±

    Her voice was filled with disappointment and exhaustion. It was as if she had run the end of a marathon and waspletely exhausted.

    Lu Jin hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be so smart. She was even smarter than he had imagined.

    After only a few interactions, she had guessed that he was her father.

    To be honest, he wasn¡¯t ready to acknowledge her, but she was too strong. Every word was like a 50,000-volt voltage that struck his heart, and he couldn¡¯t control himself at all.

    To hell with all those worries!

    Since his daughter was so brave, he couldn¡¯t let her down again.

    Lu Jin sorted out his thoughts and pulled out a tissue from the bedside table in front of the bed. He wiped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears and said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m your father, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as gentle and kind as the Gu Xiangwen over there. I¡¯ve disappointed you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She opened her eyes and red at him. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m disappointed by this? !¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Lu Jin rubbed his hands awkwardly and kneeled properly. He forced himself to look at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I have interpersonal disorder. I don¡¯t know how to be a person. I only know how to do experiments.¡±

    ¡°I have a bad temper and often offend people.¡±

    ¡°They all say that I¡¯m crazy. I¡¯m really crazy academically. I¡¯m crazier than you can imagine.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m a wanted criminal. I have a murder charge on my head.¡±

    ¡°The most important thing is that when I gave birth to you, I didn¡¯t treat you like a daughter.¡±

    ¡°To me, at first, you were just an experiment.¡±

    ¡°Butter, you grew up in front of me day by day. You would look at me and smile. When I fed you the form, you would hold the bottle and drink it with relish.

    ¡°You were easy to raise. You ate, drank, and defecated as regrly as they said in baby-raising textbooks.

    ¡°When I did experiments, you would look at me with wide eyes. Sometimes, when you were bored, you would eat your own hands. When I told you not to eat anymore, you would giggle at me and take out your small hands from your mouth. Then, when you thought I couldn¡¯t see, you would secretly put your small hands in your mouth.

    ¡°When I drew your blood and extracted your bone marrow, you were in a lot of pain, but you didn¡¯t cry. You, thinking that I was ying a game with you, just looked at me in confusion.

    ¡°You were so cute that I gradually forgot that you were just an experiment for me

    ¡°I began to realize that you weren¡¯t an experiment. You were a living person. You were my biological daughter, Gu Xiangwen

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold back my tears when I extracted your bone marrow, but you used your little hands to wipe my tears and blow on me. You promised me that Nianzhi would be very obedient. Daddy, don¡¯t cry... you were only two years old at the time...

    ¡°Not long after, my maic field research had a major breakthrough. I left the biological gicsboratory and handed you over to someone I shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°Four yearster, I came back and saw you at the age of six...¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s all my fault, I made you suffer for four years!¡±

    In the end, he looked at Gu Nianzhi eagerly and asked uneasily, ¡°Do you still want such an irresponsible Gu Xiangwen and a scumbag father like me?¡±

 Chapter 1552 - Iâ€™ll TeaChapter Her A Lesson

    <h4>Chapter 1552: I¡¯ll Teach Her A Lesson</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin quietly, as if she was listening to something that had nothing to do with her.

    She thought to herself, she had forgotten everything that had happened before she was 12 years old. How wonderful it had been since the day she had met Huo Shaoheng.

    But she had listened to every word that Lu Jin had said.

    She had memorized every word carefully.

    That was when she was young. Although she couldn¡¯t remember it, it didn¡¯t stop her from piecing together her childhood from other people¡¯s stories.

    Looking at Lu Jin¡¯s guilty and eager face, Gu Nianzhi breathred a sigh of relief. She reached for the napkin on the bedside table, took it, and gently wiped it off Lu Jin¡¯s face.

    She wiped the tears from his face, just like when she was young.

    She asked, ¡°Then are you really my father?¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. ¡°Of course I¡¯m your father. Half of your genes are from me, so I¡¯m definitely your biological father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips and continued to ask,¡±... Then, do you treat me as your biological daughter?¡±

    She asked calmly, but there was a faint light in the depths of her eyes.

    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Lu Jin became excited. ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. When you were born, I didn¡¯t treat you as a daughter. But as you grew up by my side, I knew that my experiment had failed!¡±

    ¡°The day you first called me Dad, I swore that I would never do such an experiment again!¡±

    ¡°Because you are human, and I am also human, not God.¡±

    ¡°I have no right to use one person¡¯s life as an experiment, even if it is to save another person¡¯s life.¡±

    ¡°Everyone only has one life, and only we can decide how we should choose our lives and how we should spend them.¡±

    ¡°I have no right to make choices for others, even if this person is my own biological child.¡±

    These things had been weighing on Lu Jin¡¯s heart for many years. Now that Nianzhi had grown up, he could finally tell her everything.

    Him telling her the truth wasn¡¯t to ask for her forgiveness.

    Lu Jin knew that what he had done wasn¡¯t worthy of forgiveness.

    Heid in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and cried uncontrobly. ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s my fault! From the beginning to the end, it was all my fault!¡±

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t agreed, if I hadn¡¯t been curious, if I had known what I should and shouldn¡¯t have done, you wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been angry, but she was angry because Lu Jin had refused to acknowledge her.

    Lu Jin had said that he would use her as an experiment, but she had no memory of it. She only remembered hearing from Qin Yaoguang that she had been born to treat He Zhichu¡¯s congenital gic defect.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t against saving He Zhichu¡¯s life.

    As long as the He family didn¡¯t imprison her, restrict her personal freedom, or force her to be with He Zhichu, she wouldn¡¯t have any resentment.

    Therefore, she patted Lu Jin on the shoulder and said amiably, ¡°Okay, stop crying. I¡¯m not ming you for saving other people¡¯s lives.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing. When I was there, I saw Major General Huo and the others often donate blood, and there were even people who donated bone marrow. Oh right, I also used my bone marrow to save Ms. Song¡¯s life, so that she could recover and be a powerful high-energy physicist again! Look, what you did wasn¡¯tpletely useless!¡± Gu Nianzhi cheered up tofort Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin¡¯s crying stopped abruptly. He slowly raised his head and looked at Gu Nianzhi. He said nervously, ¡°Really? You really don¡¯t me me?¡±

    ¡°I me you!¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to forgive him so quickly. She smiled like a little fox. ¡°But I me you as a daughter. As for using me as an experiment, it was also to save people. I don¡¯t me you for this.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her with aplicated expression and suddenly understood where her optimism came from.

    Because she didn¡¯t have any memories from before she was twelve, she had no idea what had happened in the four years after he had left...

    Before she was two years old, Gu Nianzhi had been raised by Lu Jin alone.

    He was the leader of this experiment, and his standards were much higher than others.

    Therefore, when Gu Nianzhi followed him, the most painful time was when she had her bone marrow extracted a few times.

    But soon, with his modifications, he was able to extract the key gene repair genes without any pain or side effects.

    But after he left...

    Lu Jin clenched his fists. He hadn¡¯t expected that woman to be so ruthless!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin¡¯s still conflicted and guilty expression, and her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Are you hiding something from me?¡±

    His face pale Lu Jin opened his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank as well.

    Her eyes darkened as she looked at Lu Jin and took a deep breath. ¡°Come on, tell me everything today. If you say half and hide half, I¡¯m going to suffer twice.¡±

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and wiped his face with a tissue. He said in a nasal voice, ¡°I. . . I swore that I would never do this kind of experiment again, so I destroyed all the data and information rted to you.¡±

    ¡°In the end... I made you suffer even more...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°You destroyed all the data and information for my own good? I understand that, but why did you make me suffer even more?¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t dare open his eyes. He buried his face in the tissue and mumbled, ¡°It was because I destroyed all the data that you suffered so much during the four years I was away...¡±

    ¡°Exin yourself!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were like a blue sky that had been washed with water. ¡°You destroyed all the data, so why would I suffer?¡±

    Wishing he could lie on the ground Lu Jin lowered his head even more. ¡°Someone wanted the data, but because I destroyed it, she had no choice but to redo the experiment.¡±

    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t want to give it to her, and I didn¡¯t leave any clues. I thought she would be at her wit¡¯s end.¡±

    ¡°In the end, I underestimated her thirst and greed for the data.¡±

    ¡°Without my proper guidance, she used the cruelest method to measure your constitution and gic changes.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was pale as she listened to Lu Jin slowly recount the damage she had suffered as a child.

    From two to six years old, what kind of life was she living?

    Being locked in a cage in theboratory, she was really like ab rat, with physical resistance experiments, chemical neuroreflection experiments, toxicology experiments, immune experiments..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help trembling when she heard the name.

    She had never thought that someone would be so crazy!

    ¡°... Who? Who did this to me? !¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was livid. She had thought that the so-called experiment on her was just like Lu Jin had said ¡ª drawing blood, extracting bone marrow, and so on. She hadn¡¯t expected that kindness would still limit her imagination...

    ¡°Who is that person? ! Is that person a man or a woman? !¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed on the person who had experimented on her like ab rat.

    Although she didn¡¯t have the memories of her childhood, it didn¡¯t stop her from avenging that little Gu Nianzhi who couldn¡¯t even protect herself!

    She was someone who would seek revenge for the smallest grievance.

    An eeye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

    Whoever did such a heinous thing, be it a scientist or a retard, would have to pay the legal price!

    Lu Jin raised his head again and looked at her with aplicated expression. He looked at her face, and his gaze fell on her exquisite and perfect lips. Lu Jin paused for a moment.

    ¡°... Is it that b * tch, Qin Yaoguang? !¡± Gu Nianzhi guessed that it was most likely her when she saw Lu Jin¡¯s expression.

    Because Qin Yaoguang¡¯s desire to use her as an experiment had not only not subsided, but had also intensified.

    On her first day in this world, she had been targeted by Qin Yaoguang, who had tried every means possible to remove her memory.

    At the time, she had felt that it was inappropriate, so she had fought with all her might. She had even taken the opportunity to cut off Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands.

    Now that she thought about it, she should have cut off Qin Yaoguang¡¯s neck..

    Gu Nianzhi bared her teeth. She thought she was very fierce, but in reality, she was like a little kitten that had gone mad. She wasn¡¯t intimidating at all.

    Lu Jin smiled bitterly. ¡°You guessed it?¡±

    ¡°Other than her, I can¡¯t think of anyone else who¡¯s so crazy.¡± Gu nianzhi rubbed her temples. ¡°What¡¯s so good about her? Why did you have eyes for her?¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to exin, but seeing how much Gu Nianzhi hated Qin Yaoguang, he decided to tell the truth, ¡°I didn¡¯t have eyes for her, but because of thew, we couldn¡¯t use other people¡¯s sperm and egg cells as fertilized eggs for experiments, so we had to use our own sperm and egg cells. ¡ª then thew wouldn¡¯t be able to control it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed, and her eyshes fluttered as fast as a butterfly¡¯s wings. ¡°Thew? There¡¯s aw to control this?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Jin nodded honestly. ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s mother, Qin Suwen, strongly opposed us doing this experiment. She even invoked the relevantw to prohibit scientists from using other people¡¯s sperm and egg cells for embryo experiments.¡±

    ¡°I was the one who suggested it. What if we used the scientists¡¯ own sperm and egg cells to conduct embryo experiments?¡±

    ¡°Manywyers said that thew didn¡¯t prohibit this. So, Qin Yaoguang and I used our own sperm and egg cells to synthesize a fertilized egg...¡±

    Lu Jin paused after he finished speaking and looked away guiltily.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and used one hand to dig on the quilt. She said unhappily, ¡°Even so, don¡¯t expect me to Treat Qin Yaoguang as a mother.¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lu Jin blurted out. ¡°How can someone like her be a mother to you? !¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded nonchntly. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t have feelings for her, I won¡¯t have any guilt when setting her up anymore.¡±

    She had no scruples regarding disobeying her because she was her biological mother.

    She was just being cautious and didn¡¯t want to hurt Lu Jin¡¯s feelings.

    Now that she knew that Lu Jin had no feelings for Qin Yaoguang from the beginning to the end, it was easy to deal with her.

    ¡°You want to exact revenge against her? !¡± Lu Jin started to get anxious. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t do anything rash. She has the He family¡¯s support and the Qin family¡¯s support. I¡¯ve been hiding my identity for so many years, but even with the Lu Corporation¡¯s support, I¡¯m still not their match...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held his hand and blurted out, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be anxious. I have a way. You¡¯re better than me in experiments, but I¡¯m better than you in using thew against people.¡±

    Lu Jin shuddered when he heard the word ¡°Dad¡± and giggled like an angel.

    He repeated the words reflexively, ¡°You want to use thew against people...¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly and mockingly. ¡°They went to so much trouble to get me here. How can I repay their efforts if I don¡¯t teach them a lesson they¡¯ll never forget?¡±

    The little girl who couldn¡¯t protect herself and allowed Qin Yaoguang to be kept in a cage as a guinea pig had grown up.

    She wanted to get justice for her past self!

 Chapter 1553 - Iâ€™ll Do As You Say

    <h4>Chapter 1553: I¡¯ll Do As You Say</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze softened after she made this decision. She felt a little better. She needed to quickly recover from her injuries so that she could fully recover before she could go find trouble with that woman.

    But now..

    She looked at Lu Jin, who was still giggling foolishly, and asked softly, ¡°Dad, how much do you remember about when I was young?¡±

    Lu Jin was grinning from ear to ear as he reminisced, ¡°I remember everything. The first time you cried, the first bite of form, the first piece of diaper...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt at a loss for words, and she quickly stopped him, ¡°Stop! stop! You don¡¯t have to go into such detail...¡±

    She mumbled,¡±... Do you not care about my reputation?¡±

    ¡°But I remember everything.¡± Lu Jin, looking very pious, folded his hands before his chest. ¡°I have a record of your growth rate every day. Your height, head circumference, weight, and IQ. You¡¯ve always been a very healthy baby, with all sorts of indicators that far surpass your peers, especially your weight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Thank you!

    She didn¡¯t want to know that her weight was off the charts when she was young.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I believe you.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°There are some memories you can forget, such as my weight when I was young. There¡¯s no need for unimportant things to upy a ce in your brain.¡±

    ¡°Not much space...¡± Lu Jin was puzzled. It was just a few statistics, so how much space could it hold?

    But seeing his daughter¡¯s unhappy expression, he nodded decisively. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you! I¡¯ve forgotten all about it. I don¡¯t remember Nianzhi¡¯s weight when she was young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to continue this topic. Her eyes darted around, and she reached out to touch Lu Jin¡¯s face. ¡°Dad, why do you look like this? Did you change your appearance?¡±

    Lu Jin was slightly startled. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Gu Xiangwen¡¯s photo over there. Logically speaking, you should look exactly like him.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen was elegant and handsome over there.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin¡¯s unattractive face again, and refused to admit that her ¡°face fetish¡± was acting up.

    Lu Jin touched his own face. ¡°Isn¡¯t this face good? It¡¯s so ordinary. No one would recognize me if I walked into a crowd.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not going to be a spy, so why do you have to be so ordinary?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°Can you show me your original appearance?¡±

    Lu Jin held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and put it to the side of his face. ¡°Nianzhi, this is what I look like now. I don¡¯t have on a disguise. I¡¯ve had stic surgery.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin was happy, but he remembered something and reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me Dad in front of outsiders in the future. I won¡¯t revert to the name Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Why did you want stic surgery? Why don¡¯t you revert to your original name? Is it because you¡¯re wanted?¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood. ¡°Can you tell me about your case if it¡¯s convenient? I¡¯m recovering now and have nothing else to do. It¡¯s okay to overturn the case when I have nothing else to do.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    He suddenly felt that his daughter was amazing!

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi with sparkling eyes.

    He wouldn¡¯t find an excuse to fool Gu Nianzhi. He muttered, ¡°Being wanted is one reason, but more importantly, I burned my face in the fire...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of the car ident and fire when she was 12, and her nose immediately turned sour.

    Although this man didn¡¯t have a legitimate reason for giving birth to her in the first ce, he did much better than many men who gave birth openly.

    In that instant, Gu Nianzhipletely forgave her father.

    ¡°Why are you so stupid? Why didn¡¯t you juste with me?¡± Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and lovingly ced it on her face. ¡°If we went together...¡±

    ¡°I wanted to, too.¡± Lu Jin nodded honestly. ¡°But we didn¡¯t have that much energy. We only had enough energy to send one person over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ..

    At that moment, under the streetlight outside the Conste General of the Soviet Union in C City of the Huaxia Empire stood a handsome and picturesque man.

    He was wearing a military jacket of the Soviet Union. His head was half-lowered, and he was wearing a wide-brimmed military cap.

    No one knew that he had two blue-tooth headsets in his ears and was listening to the bug he had nted in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s penthouse apartment.

    He had only stayed in that room for a short period of time, but it was enough for him to ce two mini-bugs under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pillow and at the edge of her clothes.

    His expression was cold and icy. Some of the women who wanted toe over and chat him up were scared away by his aura before they could approach him.

    ¡°Mr. Peter, it¡¯ste. Do you want to go back and rest?¡± A conste staff member walked over cautiously and invited him in.

    This man was the Ace of the Far East, Peter. His Chinese name was Huo Shaoheng.

    He lowered his eyes and responded in Russian. He turned around and walked into the conste.

    ..

    He Zhichu left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s penthouse apartment and returned to his base in C City.

    This ce was very close to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment, but it was He Zhichu¡¯s first time here.

    He found someone to get the key and went to check out the room he was assigned to.

    It was a three-bedroom, two-hall house. It wasn¡¯t small, but it didn¡¯t have a cizy feeling. There was only basic furniture in the house and no extra furnishings.

    He didn¡¯t mind it and went to the bathroom to take a shower first. When he came out, he saw that there were several missed calls on his phone. They were all from his father, He Chengjian.

    He was coincidentally looking for his father.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition had stabilized, so he was in the mood to deal with this matter.

    He bent down to take out a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and drank it. He took out his phone and called.

    ¡°Ah-Chu, where are you now?¡± He Chengjian saw that he had finally picked up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Dean Qin is looking for Nianzhi everywhere. I heard that you took her away?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his cold and clear voice sank. ¡°Why is she looking for Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°What else can she do? This woman is crazy.¡± He Chengjian frowned. ¡°She insists that Nianzhi can¡¯t live anymore and wants to use her body as an experiment.¡±

    He Zhichu spat out a mouthful of water. ¡°She¡¯s really crazy! Using Nianzhi¡¯s body as an experiment?! She should prepare a coffin for herself first!¡±

    He Zhichu wiped the water off his face. He didn¡¯t want to mention Qin Yaoguang, so he asked He Chengjian coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about unrted people. I want to ask you, why did you attack Peter? Why did you force Nianzhi to be bait?¡±

    ¡°It was an ident.¡± He Chengjian defended his decision. ¡°My target was Huo Shaoheng from the Soviet Union from the beginning to the end. I never thought of taking Nianzhi¡¯s life. As for her taking the bullet for him, are you really not sad at all?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about him.¡± He Zhichu lit a cigarette and took a puff. ¡°I won¡¯t let this go. General He, you better give me an exnation. Nianzhi¡¯s bullet can¡¯t be taken in vain.¡±

    He Chengjian was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what I want.¡± He Zhichu tossed the lighter in his hand up and down and said coldly, ¡°I want someone to take responsibility! You imed that your target was Peter, and I believed you, but why did the shooter end up hitting Nianzhi? !¡±

    ¡°... Isn¡¯t it because she took the bullet for someone else?¡±

    ¡°He saw her pounce on him, yet he still continued shooting? !¡± He Zhichu kicked the coffee table in front of the sofa away and paced around the room angrily. ¡°What kind of sniper is this? ! You can pull him out and shoot him!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression changed. ¡°You want to shoot him? You know who he is?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who he is! The sniper shot the wrong target and caused great damage. If he isn¡¯t responsible, who is? !¡± He Zhichu stood in front of the window and looked at the bare branches in front of the window. His mood was even worse. ¡°Who is it? Hand him over!¡±

    ¡°... Qin Zhining. You want to shoot him too?¡± He Chengjian said and hung up the phone.

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ..

    In the office of the Military Supreme Council in the imperial capital, He Chengjian sat quietly for a while. He still couldn¡¯t calm down. He felt his heart beating faster and faster. He quickly took out his medicine and swallowed it with water.

    As soon as the medicine took effect, he received a top-secret call from the maic field observation team.

    ¡°General He, we have observed the operation on the other side. They are continuing to experiment. Thetest video has been sent to the military¡¯s top-secret email.¡±

    He Chengjian quickly turned on hisputer, entered his biological password, and opened the military¡¯s top-secret email.

    In this email, the people on the other side of the world were preparing to conduct another maic resonance experiment.

    He immediately saw a few people he had seen through the video before, especially Huo Shaoheng!

    He was dressed in ordinary clothes and was lowering his head to talk to their high-energy physicist, the iparably beautiful Song Jinning.

    He Chengjian rxed and immediately said to his maic field observation team, ¡°Continue monitoring and see what the results of their experiments are.¡±

    The location of the other party¡¯s experiment was at the intersection of the Sanhuan Road in the imperial capital.

    He Chengjian knew that they had also activated the maic resonance there more than two months ago and brought Gu Nianzhi over.

    It seemed that the other side had chosen this ce as well.

    He Chengjian¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately made another call and sent a lot of manpower to monitor the intersection of the Sanhuan Road of the imperial capital at 360 degrees without any blind spots.

    Even if the other side seeded in their experiment and sent people over, they would still be able to kill those who didn¡¯t have a physical counterpart in the first ce.

    As for Huo Shaoheng, He Chengjian did not care about him at all. He didn¡¯t even care about the Ace of the Far East.

    If the other side was destined toe over, then let them both suffer.

    At this moment, he finally believed that the Ace of the Far East, Huo Shaoheng, was indeed the Soviet KGB¡¯s Huo Shaoheng on their side, and not Major General Huo on their side.

 Chapter 1554 - Rumors About Cinderella

    <h4>Chapter 1554: Rumors About Cindere</h4>

    If he had seen this two days earlier, why would he have bothered to try to kill that Ace from the Far East?

    He Chengjian sighed and shook his head. It was a pity that Nianzhi had suffered.

    However, when he thought about how Gu Nianzhi would rather take the bullet for a stranger than be with He Zhichu, He Chengjian still felt very ufortable.

    He thought about it as a lesson for her.

    He Chengjian snorted coldly and looked at his phone. He blocked Qin Yaoguang¡¯s phone number.

    ..

    Qin Yaoguang had called He Chengjian many times that day, but all of them were ¡°unreachable¡±.

    No matter how dense she was, she knew He Chengjian was holding a grudge against her. Perhaps he had already blocked her phone number.

    Her heart ached, but there was nothing she could do at the moment.

    The most important thing now was to find Gu Nianzhi.

    Whether she lived or died, she had to be right under her nose.

    If she wasn¡¯t in their world, there was nothing she could do.

    But now that she was back, she couldn¡¯t let her escape again.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart burned with passion as she thought about the experiment she had stopped for more than a decade.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s experiment had been in a standstill ever since she had been sent to the He family home by that lunatic, Gu Xiangwen, when she was six years old.

    No matter how brave she was, she wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything under the He family¡¯s nose, so she had no choice but to give up.

    Later, Gu Nianzhi had disappeared from the He family home and gone to another world. Qin Yaoguang had no choice but to give up.

    She had thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to wait until that day, but she hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to foolishly return to their world.

    She wouldn¡¯t stand on ceremony then.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were closed as she nned. Before she could make aplete n, her private ne had alreadynded at C City¡¯s airport.

    As soon as she got off the ne, she received a call from Wen Shouyi.

    ¡°Auntie Qin, have you been very busy recently? Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Wen Shouyi asked in an obsequious manner.

    Qin Yaoguang heard Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice and her face brightened slightly. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s sote and you¡¯re still awake. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep. You¡¯re not in the capital, so I can¡¯t even enjoy my meal.¡± Wen Shouyi tried her best to please Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°Alright, I know you¡¯re the sweetest. Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. Qin Zhining was suddenly arrested by General He¡¯s military police. I heard that he was going to be executed. Do you know what happened?¡± Wen Shouyi originally didn¡¯t want to get involved in this matter, but Qin Zhining had pursued her for so many years. If she could help, he would.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Qin Yaoguang had never paid attention to Qin Suwen¡¯s rtives. ¡°It might be better if you ask General He yourself.¡±

    Wen Shouyi saw that Qin Yaoguang wasn¡¯t interested in this topic, so she quickly changed the topic. ¡°Auntie Qin, I heard that Nianzhi is doing well in C City...¡±

    ¡°Haha, her good days are over.¡± Qin Yaoguang rolled her eyes in disdain. ¡°She was seriously injured. I don¡¯t know where He Zhichu hid her to recuperate.¡±

    ¡°Seriously injured? !¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°How did she get injured? Young Master He protected her so well. How could she get injured? Who¡¯s so powerful? !¡±

    ¡°Ha, she herself didn¡¯t want to live anymore. Otherwise, who do you think can break through the double protection of General He and Major General He and hurt her?¡± Qin Yaoguang sat in her private car and sighed as she looked at the stars in the sky.

    It waste at night in C City at the end of November, and the air was as cold as frost.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to live anymore? Isn¡¯t Young Master He good enough for her? What else does she want? To tie Young Master He to her skirt?¡±

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips as well. She felt that Gu Nianzhi was a pretentious b*tch.

    She had pretended not to care about the privileges that others couldn¡¯t even ask for after all their hard work. She was willful and shameless, all because she wanted to attract other people¡¯s attention.

    Those men all fell for that...

    She was just a attention whore!

    Qin Yaoguang covered her mouth andughed. ¡°Shouyi, your words are too revealing. Pay attention to your demeanor and temperament.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very careful.¡± Wen Shouyi made an elegant ballet gesture of saluting in in front of the mirror. ¡°Auntie Qin, you¡¯ve trained me with the standards of ady from the upper-ss society since I was young. This kind of upbringing has already seeped into my bones.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know you¡¯ve been obedient since you were a child.¡± Qin Yaoguang nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Eight years ago, you were only 18 years old, and you already helped me a lot. If it wasn¡¯t for that lunatic who suddenly interfered, the He family would be ours now.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed when she thought of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s grand 12th birthday party eight years ago.

    She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was like a silver te, her eyes were like almonds, and her fair skin was wless. Her every movement and gesture bespoke elegance.

    However, in He Zhichu¡¯s eyes, she had never been a match for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°... Auntie Qin, if you need me, I can help you again like I did eight years ago,¡± Wen Shouyi said in a reserved tone.

    This world belonged to her. What right did Gu Nianzhi have toe back and snatch her things?

    If she wanted you reap her rewards, haha, Let¡¯s see if she has such luck.

    After hanging up the phone, Wen Shouyi looked at her calm self in the mirror and slowly broke into a gentle and humble smile.

    ..

    Qin Yaoguang closed her eyes in the car and took a nap.

    When she woke up, she was already at the entrance of her vi.

    The chauffeur opened the car door for her, and the vi¡¯s servants, inviting her in, came over to help her carry her luggage.

    Qin Yaoguang pondered the matter as she walked.

    If she couldn¡¯t find He Zhichu, she could look for Lu Yuan.

    ording to the people at West Camp Hospital, it was Lu Yuan and He Zhichu who had taken Gu Nianzhi away together.

    It was alreadyte at night, and there was no time to look for Lu Yuan. Early the next morning, she would personally go to the Lu Corporation¡¯s headquarters to block Lu Yuan.

    The next day, the weather was exceptionally good. The sun was bright and clear, and the blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see. There wasn¡¯t a single cloud in sight.

    The maple trees on both sides of the street were fiery red, and the ginkgo biloba was golden yellow. The colors were colorful, and the tall buildings were decorated in rows upon rows.

    Qin Yaoguang wore a Givenchy ck sleeveless ck dress with a one-sided cor. On her elegant neck, she wore a string of natural pearl nes from the South China Sea. On the outside, she wore a champagne-colored Chanel cocoon-like thin wool coat, and wore a pair ofrge Chanel sunsses on her face, just enough to cover the wound on her face. Shebed her bun-shaped hair and gracefully walked into the first-floor hall of the Lu Corporation¡¯s building.

    Jin Law Firm¡¯s office director Xiao Zhang just happened to rush over. When she saw the back of the person in front of her, she subconsciously called out cheerfully, ¡°Lawyer Gu? You¡¯re back? !¡±

    She jogged over and patted the person¡¯s shoulder with a smile. ¡°This outfit is so beautiful, but it¡¯s a little old-fashioned. It doesn¡¯t suit you. You will be able to wear it when you¡¯re seventy or eighty years old...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, the person turned around and looked at her expressionlessly. His voice was even colder than the ice in the extreme north.¡±... Take your hand away!¡±

    Xiao Zhang jumped in fright and quickly bowed in apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I mistook you for someone else! I mistook you for someone else!¡±

    This person was none other than Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person? ! Just by looking at my back, you could get the wrong person? ! Are you blind? !¡±Qin Yaoguang had always had a good temper in front of outsiders, but this time, this person had actually offended her twice.

    The first time, she said that she was old.

    The second time, she said that she had gotten the wrong person by looking at her back.

    It was understandable that women didn¡¯t want to be called old.

    However, it was taboo to mistake someone her for someone else by looking at her back.

    Xiao Zhang was also a sharp-tongued person. Although it was her fault for mistaking someone else for her, it wasn¡¯t to the extent of being pointed at and scolded, right?

    ¡°It was because I was looking at your back that I mistook you for someone else. If I looked at your face, how would I have mistaken you for someone else?¡±

    When Xiao Zhang saw that the elevator had arrived, she jumped into the elevator quickly, and before the elevator door closed, she said crisply, ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be unreasonable. My friend is younger than you, prettier than you, smarter than you, and more polite than you. To say that you look like her from the back is really an insult to her. It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll call her and apologize when I get back.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Qin Yaoguang was furious, but by the time she rushed up, the elevator door had already closed and already going up.

    ¡°Who is this person? ! Get me the surveince footage. I want to find her boss! I want her to leave!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were red as she, determined to make things difficult for the small employee, rushed up relentlessly.

    Her assistant saw that the situation wasn¡¯t right and quickly pulled her while dissuading her, ¡°Director Qin, this ce is full of people in the morning. If you want to cause trouble for that person, you have to wait until there are fewer people.¡±

    At this time, Qin Yaoguang realized that there were a crowd of employees who hade to work in the morning.

    They looked at her curiously and felt that her outfit seemed out of ce.

    That¡¯s right, wasn¡¯t wearing a dress that an eighteen-year-old girl would attend a debutante ball in, and appearing in an office building where high-techpanies gathered as eye-catching as a monkey in the zoo?

    She blushed and turned her head resentfully. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    She led her subordinates into the Qin Corporation¡¯s private elevator and headed upstairs.

    Not long ago, the Qin Corporation had just reached awork security cooperation agreement with the Lu Corporation. They had even rented a few floors of the Lu Corporation¡¯s building as an office building and stored the servers.

    When they arrived at the Qin Corporation¡¯s floor, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s remaining anger hadn¡¯t subsided. In a huff, she walked into an empty office of the Qin Corporation and said coldly, ¡°Go find Lu Yuan and tell him I want to see him.¡±

    ¡°... Dean Qin, you have to make an appointment to see Lu...¡± Her secretary said embarrassingly and her head almost dropped to the ground.

    ¡°No need to make an appointment.¡± Qin Yaoguang took off her coat and sat down behind the desk, ¡°Tell him that I am here to find my daughter and ask him to hand her over. Or else, I will call the police immediately.¡±

    ¡°Huh? !¡± The secretary was shocked. ¡°Dean Qin, are you serious? !¡±

    ¡°When have I ever made a joke?¡± Qin Yaoguang took out herptop without even raising her head. ¡°Just tell him the whole story.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dean.¡± The secretary didn¡¯t dare to Shirk anymore and quickly went to call Lu Yuan¡¯s office.

    There were three junior secretaries in Lu Yuan¡¯s office who specifically answered the phone calls.

    The formal procedure was to call first to exin the situation, then the junior secretary would report it ording to the priority, and Lu Yuan¡¯s intermediate secretary would handle it first. The rest that couldn¡¯t be handled would be handed over to Lu Yuan to review.

    Lu Yuan agreed to meet, then asked the secretary to make another appointment.

    And Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secretary¡¯s phone call was extraordinary. It was quickly passed to Lu Yuan because the content was too shocking.

    The junior secretary who answered the phone couldn¡¯t resist gossiping. Risking getting fired, she held a coffee cup in the pantry and spoke to someone in a mysterious manner.

    ¡°Hey, do you know? Someone called this morning and said that our CEO Lu detained her daughterst night...¡±

    ¡°Really? Really? What kind of girl can catch CEO Lu¡¯s eye? !¡±

    ¡°It seems that she has quite a big background. She is the Director of the Qin Corporation and the daughter of the President of the Qin family¡¯s private hospital system...¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! As expected! I knew it! How could she be a girl from an ordinary family if she could catch CEO Lu¡¯s eye? ¡ª Fairy tales are all lies! Cindere doesn¡¯t exist!¡±

    ¡°Are you retarded? If you don¡¯t know anything, you should study more! Is Cindere a girl from an ordinary family? ! She¡¯s also the daughter of an aristocrat. It¡¯s just that she didn¡¯t have a biological mother, so she was forced to be Cindere by her stepmother, but her father is definitely an aristocrat!¡±

    From the moment Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secretary called for an appointment (threat) to when Lu Yuan picked up Qin Yaoguang¡¯s call, it took less than five minutes.

    However, this rumor about ¡°Cindere¡± had been passed back and forth from the top floor of the Lu Corporation¡¯s building to the bottom floor via the inte.

 Chapter 1555 - Big Brother, I Was Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 1555: Big Brother, I Was Wrong</h4>

    When Lu Yuan picked up the phone, he already knew that there were rumors about him and the Director of the Qin family¡¯s private hospital.

    He frowned deeply, and his first sentence was, ¡°Dean Qin, your secretary¡¯s phone call just now caused me a lot of trouble. It was enough to create rumors and nder. I think you should give me an exnation and apologize publicly. Otherwise, we can only see each other in court.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was so angry that sheughed. ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re really a wicked person whoins first. I haven¡¯t said anything yet, and you¡¯ve already put a big me on me. Fine, go ahead and sue. It¡¯s just awsuit, so who¡¯s afraid of who? But before you go to court, shouldn¡¯t you hand over my daughter first?¡±

    Lu Yuan, even raising his voice by an octave, pretended to be shocked. ¡°Dean Qin, what are you talking about? I thought your secretary was spouting nonsense. Now, it seems that this rumor and nder started from you!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was choked by him, and she said impatiently, ¡°Stop spouting nonsense. I¡¯ve been to West Camp Hospital, and I know that you took my daughter away with Young Master He. She is now seriously injured and unconscious, and has no ability to make decisions. As her only direct rtive, I have the power to make decisions for her.¡±

    Lu Yuan became serious. ¡°Dean Qin, what do you mean? Yes, I went to West Camp Hospital to seewyer Gu, but she wasn¡¯t seriously injured ot unconscious, so I don¡¯t agree with what you said about her having no ability to make decisions.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡± Qin yaoguang stood up immediately and asked nervously, ¡°She wasn¡¯t seriously injured or unconscious? ! Are you sure? !¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure.¡± Lu Yuan unhurriedly turned on hisputer and found Qin Yaoguang¡¯s location through the phone system connected to hisputer.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Qin Yaoguang frowned deeply. ¡°That¡¯s impossible... I heard from brother He that Nianzhi was hit by the anti-materiel rifle and was seriously injured and unconscious...¡±

    Although she had entered the ward that night, she hadn¡¯t gone near Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and hadn¡¯t seen her condition with her own eyes.

    However, ording to the hospital¡¯s medical staff, she had indeed been hit by the anti-materiel rifle, and He Zhichu had hired a particrly good heart surgeon for her to perform a perfect operation.

    Qin Yaoguang rubbed her fingers against the shadow on the side of her nose ufortably. Was she really as good as a doctor?

    Better than her?

    Before Gu Nianzhi cut her hand, her hand was the ¡°best knife¡± in the surgical field.

    Lu Yuan sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. That day, I was just doing a small favor for Jin Dazhuang. I stopped by to talk to Nianzhi about something. When I found out that she was in the hospital, I just went to see her.¡±

    ¡°But the people at West Camp Hospital saw you and Young Master He leaving with Nianzhi. Can you tell me where she is?¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s intimidation weakened. ¡°President Lu, I¡¯m really sorry. When I heard that Nianzhi was hurt, my heart ached. Please understand a mother¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°Dean Qin, what are you talking about? Of course I understand a mother¡¯s heart.¡± Lu Yuan smiled slightly, and charming lines appearing at the corners of his eyes. ¡°Dean Qin, you¡¯re really amazing. I never heard that you had a daughter before. Now that she appeared, she¡¯s already all grown up. Hahahaha, so you don¡¯t have to worry about her.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang smiled bitterly and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She was mischievous since she was young, so I sent her away for a period of time before she came back to me. You know, children always have a rebellious period. Her rebellious period cameter.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Yuan nodded slowly. ¡°In that case, you still have to dispel the rumor for me. I have nothing to do with your daughter. What is going to happen to my reputation after your secretary suddenly asks me this?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, President Lu, do you still care about these things?¡± Qin Yaoguang cut him off lightly. ¡°Women are usually more unlucky when ites to this kind of thing. You, a man, are just icing on the cake.¡±

    ¡°Heh, Dean Qin, you migt not care about your daughter¡¯s reputation, but I care about my own reputation. I¡¯m an innocent person, and I¡¯ve suddenly be a pervert who seduces young girls. Tell me, do you think I¡¯ll take this loss?¡±

    Lu Yuan said this with a smile. It sounded like he was joking, but everyone knew that he had no intention of joking at all.

    Qin Yaoguang obviously heard it as well. She bit her lip and finally said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m a straightforward person. I¡¯ll say whatever I want. I was wrong. I apologize. I¡¯ll get my secretary to go and exin the matter.¡±

    ¡°Haha, if you apologize in person and post it on ourpany¡¯s forum, I won¡¯t pursue this matter. Otherwise, we¡¯ll still have to meet in court,¡±L u Yuan said unhurriedly as he twirled a pen in his hand. ¡°Although we¡¯re business partners, business is business. I won¡¯t take any losses that I shouldn¡¯t take.¡±

    When had Qin Yaoguang ever been threatened like this?

    She held back her anger, and she continued, ¡°Alright, I will definitely apologize in person, but can you tell me where Nianzhi is? I just want to see her. She is seriously injured. I am a doctor myself, and I am also a doctor who is more knowledgeable about external injuries. I can be of great help to her injuries. I hope you can understand.¡±

    Lu Yuan still shook his head, and said helplessly, ¡°I admire Dean Qin¡¯s motherly affection, but I really don¡¯t know wherewyer Gu is. You also know that Young Master He is very nervous aboutwyer Gu. He is fully responsible forwyer Gu. If you really want to know wherewyer Gu is, you should go look for Young Master He. I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    It sounded very usible.

    Qin Yaoguang had settled for Lu Yuan as the next best option. She also knew that the best way was actually to look for He Zhichu.

    But she didn¡¯t dare.

    He Zhichu¡¯s concern for Gu Nianzhi made her very afraid.

    The father and son were the same. If they liked a person, they would love her to the point of forgetting everything else.

    They loved her to the point of being tyrannical, and they loved her to the point of being selfish. In their eyes, everyone else were just passerby.

    Qin Yaoguang thought about what had happened back then and was a little absent-minded.

    She could have been the one who had been doted on the most...

    It was because of her back figure that she lost to Qin Suwen.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression became even more unsightly when she thought of how her back figure had been mistaken at the entrance of the elevator on the first floor of the building.

    ..

    Lu Yuan had been working in his office the whole morning. When it was time for lunch, he saw Qin Yaoguang¡¯s apology post on the forum.

    This matter was over.

    Before the Lu Corporation¡¯s employees were excited enough, they were sshed with a bucket of cold water.

    Immediately after, the junior secretary who had been gossiping after picking up the phone was called to Lu Yuan¡¯s office.

    ¡°CEO Lu, I didn¡¯t mean it. I was just curious. Please forgive me this once...¡± She begged while sobbing.

    This junior secretary had only worked for two years. She had graduated from a prestigious university, but her family didn¡¯t have any background. In order to join the Lu Corporation, she had worked hard for a long time before she was honored to join the Lu Corporation, furthermore, she had be a junior secretary in the CEO¡¯s secretariat at the highest level.

    Lu Yuan looked at her gently and said, ¡°You are a secretary. As a secretary, you cannot abide by the basic principles of being a secretary. If I continue to let you hold this position, it would be my dereliction of duty.¡±

    ¡°But I won¡¯t do it again in the future! Really! Please give me another chance!¡± The junior secretary was extremely terrified. ¡°I, I, I swear!¡±

    ¡°This is very unprofessional conduct.¡± Lu Yuan took out two copies of the agreement. ¡°You can sign it, and then you can resign from your job. This won¡¯t affect you finding another job in the future.¡±

    This girl was still young. Lu Yuan had never thought of crushing his future.

    But hispany would never hire such a person again.

    Whether this was true or not, as a secretary, she shared confidential information she heard at work with the entirepany. This was a huge vition of the professional standards of a secretary.

    Today, if the CEO didn¡¯t punish her for gossiping, tomorrow, she might leak thepany¡¯s business secrets.

    The junior secretary cried for a long time, but Lu Yuan was unmoved. In the end, he had no choice but to sign two agreements.

    One was to admit that she had spread the content of his work phone to the entirepany, and the other was a confidentiality agreement.

    The confidentiality agreement stipted that she could not share the content that she hade into contact with when she worked at the Lu Corporation with otherpanies.

    If he found out, he would demand a huge amount ofpensation and bear legal responsibility.

    When the junior secretary saw the two agreements, she finally put all her grievances to rest.

    She signed the agreement quickly and immediately packed her things and left.

    After settling the matters in thepany, Lu Yuan left thepany and went home.

    He went back to his apartment first. On the way, he noticed that someone was following him, so he took a few turns on the road. After shaking off the person who was following him, he returned to his own home.

    After returning home and resting for a while, he took out some fresh meat and vegetables from the refrigerator, put them in a stic bag, and carried them to the apartment block where Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi lived.

    He had only put on some simple disguise, but when he went out, no one recognized him.

    When he arrived at the penthouse where Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi lived, Lu Yuan rang the doorbell.

    Lu Jin saw from the monitor that it was Lu Yuan and happily came to open the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally here. We¡¯re starving.¡±

    The corners of Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°How dare you open the door when you didn¡¯t see who it was?¡±

    ¡°How did I not see who it was? Didn¡¯t you just put on some simple disguise?¡± Lu Jin didn¡¯t hesitate to expose his disguise. ¡°Only a retard wouldn¡¯t be able to see through your disguise.¡±

    Lu Yuan thought of the ¡°retards¡± he had met along the way and rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. ¡°Alright, I know you¡¯re good. Can Ie in now?¡±

    ¡°Come in quickly. What are you going to cook today?¡± Lu Jin didn¡¯t know how to cook, but Lu Yuan was a good cook.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Nianzhi recovering from her injuries? I¡¯ll make her something to supplement her injuries and help her recover.¡± Lu Yuan smiled as he ced the meat, eggs, vegetables, and ribs on the kitchen counter.

    Lu Jin looked at him as if he was looking at a retard. ¡°Are you stupid? Supplements are cebos. Do you really think they¡¯ll work? Nianzhi will recover as soon as possible, not with supplements, but with her own gic repair ability.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan threw down the groceries in his hands away and said coldly, ¡°If you¡¯re so capable then you can cook.¡±

    Lu Jin lowered his head.¡±... Big brother, I was wrong.¡±

    Lu Yuan snorted. ¡°You wash the vegetables first. I¡¯ll go check on Nianzhi.¡±

    He left the kitchen and walked towards the guest room on the first floor where Gu Nianzhi was staying.

    Gu Nianzhi had already been pushed out of the secret room and was lying on the guest room bed outside while looking at her phone.

    Lu Yuan remembered something and took out his detector to check on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    When he reached her bedside, the detector in his hand suddenly beeped.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Someone nted a bug here!¡±

 Chapter 1556 - Keeping A Low Profile

    <h4>Chapter 1556: Keeping A Low Profile</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was engrossed in browsing the inte on her phone when she suddenly heard this sentence. She realized that someone had entered.

    She put down her phone and blinked at the man in front of her who had suddenly changed his expression. ¡°A bug?¡±

    The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, came to her mind.

    The only people who had been to this room were her, Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, He Zhichu, Secretary Lin, and the Ace of the Far East.

    She was familiar with and trusted everyone else except for Secretary Lin and the Ace of the Far East.

    Secretary Lin was Lu Yuan¡¯s senior secretary, so he must have trusted her. The only person who wasn¡¯t familiar with anyone was the Ace of the Far East.

    Gu Nianzhi also remembered that the Ace of the Far East had been sitting next to her bed at that time.

    Lu Yuan walked over, and the detector in his hand beeped even louder.

    He turned on the signal-blocking system and checked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pillow.

    ¡°There¡¯s something under your pillow,¡± Lu Yuan said while motioning for Gu Nianzhi to move aside.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have the strength to lift herself up, so she said with a wry smile, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    She reached out and dug under her pillow for a while. She touched something the size of a small button.

    She pulled it out and handed it to Lu Yuan. ¡°Take a look. Is this it?¡±

    Lu Yuan could tell at a nce that it was a miniature bug. Judging by its design, it seemed to be quite functional.

    He took it and pinched it with his hand. The bug was crushed into a pile of scrap metal.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    But the detector in Lu Yuan¡¯s hand was still beeping.

    ¡°Is there more than one bug?¡± Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s so crazy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed. She only saw Lu Yuan dangle the detector above her body and then say,¡±... It seems to be on your clothes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed. ¡°You go out first, I¡¯ll look for it.¡±

    Lu Yuan turned on the detector¡¯s shielding and ced it in her room. He turned around and walked out, even closing the door for her with great care.

    Once Lu Yuan left, Gu Nianzhi crawled under the nket and covered herself so tightly that no light could get in.

    She then used her hands to feel her clothes.

    Her clothes were probably the hospital hospital gown that the nurse had changed her into during the surgery.

    It was veryrge and wide.

    She wasn¡¯t feeling well and couldn¡¯t move freely, but she could still move her arms around in a small range.

    She used her hands to touch the gown, and finally found a button on the corner of the gown that was also t and round.

    The button, like a piece of metal, was very light and thin. Its color also had a certain color-changing function, and it could blend into the environment, so it was very difficult to be noticed.

    Gu Nianzhi only found this bug on her body. She couldn¡¯t find anything else, so she called Lu Yuan toe in.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s phone number was already saved in her phone when Gu Nianzhi and herw firm became the legal partners of the Lu Corporation.

    The phone she was ying on now was given to her by Lu Jin. She had restored her cloud system, so she hadn¡¯t lost anything from before.

    Lu Yuan pushed the door open and entered after receiving the call.

    Gu Nianzhi raised the bug. ¡°Look at this. I found it on the corner of my shirt.¡±

    Lu Yuan walked over, took the bug, and crumpled it into a pile of scrap metal again.

    He then used a detector to test it before the detector quieted down.

    This proved that there were no other bugs.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°If there are more, I really can¡¯t help it.¡±

    She then looked at Lu Yuan thoughtfully and asked curiously, ¡°Director Lu, why did you think of using a detector to detect the eavesdropping device?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face turned green.

    This girl was just like her father; her brain was going in a different direction than the average person¡¯s.

    In a situation like this, the first thing a normal person would think of was who had installed the eavesdropping device?

    However, the girl asked him why he had thought of using a detector to detect the eavesdropping device..

    Fortunately, Lu Yuan had a lot of experience dealing with Lu Jin¡¯s sudden questions, so he was very experienced. Very quickly, he was able toe up with a usible answer. He said casually, ¡°This is a routine operation. It¡¯s to guard againstmercial spies. Our Lu Corporation is a bigpany, and we do cyber security. We are up against all kinds of hackers andmercial spies at any time. If we¡¯re not careful, we can lose hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions. We have to learn from our mistakes. No matter how slow we are, we have to learn from our mistakes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°@@@¡±.

    She kept feeling like she was being duped.

    But she could also tell that Lu Yuan was deliberately hiding something. This was someone else¡¯s privacy, so she didn¡¯t have to get to the bottom of it.

    Sheughed. ¡°President Lu is indeed the CEO of a bigpany. He¡¯s really vignt.¡±

    Lu Yuan also smiled at her. He changed the topic. ¡°Lawyer Gu, you must know the culprit. Otherwise, why would you not care about who nted the bug?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi :¡±...¡±

    Talking to smart people was really...borious.

    Gu Nianzhi felt so tired.

    ¡°There were only a few people who came here. Even your clothes were bugged, so it shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with Secretary Lin. She didn¡¯t touch you.¡± Lu Yuan looked at the two metal balls in his hands, and he eliminated them one by one. ¡°These are two bugs made of the same material. They should have been nted by the same person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darted around. She didn¡¯t dare look Lu Yuan in the eye.

    She didn¡¯t know if she should reveal Peter¡¯s true identity.

    Lu Yuan only knew that Peter was the deputy consul of the Soviet Union in C City. He didn¡¯t know that he was from the KGB.

    But He Zhichu knew.

    Once He Zhichu found out about the bug, he would quickly connect it to Peter.

    Gu Nianzhi was hesitating when she suddenly remembered that when she had talked to Lu Jin about her childhood yesterday. Did that person had heard everything?

    And her special constitution!

    She had been experimented on when she was young...

    Gu Nianzhi broke out in a cold sweat at the thought.

    She didn¡¯t want to attract the KGB¡¯s attention..

    Or had the KGB already noticed her?

    The timing of the Ace of the Far East¡¯s appearance had been too strange.

    At that moment, she even remembered being chased by someone in the Alps in the other world. She had coincidentally been ¡°rescued¡± by Reinitz.

    At that time, she thought she was lucky. Later, she found out that there weren¡¯t so many ¡°coincidences¡±. In fact, it was all deliberate.

    Reinitz¡¯s target was her.

    The KGB was also targeting her?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression instantly turned ugly.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, you seem to know.¡±Lu Yuan looked at her thoughtfully, and he started to analyze. ¡°Young Master He probably doesn¡¯t need to eavesdrop on you. He¡¯spletely devoted to you and doesn¡¯t hold anything back. He wouldn¡¯t use such methods. The only one left is the deputy consul of the Soviet Union.¡±

    ¡°The KGB sent him here, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    Amazing, President Lu!

    He could even guess that!

    Lu Yuan smiled when he saw Gu Nianzhi looking at him with her big, expression eyes. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s this deputy consul Peter. There¡¯s no time to lose. We have to do crisis remedy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°President Lu, you really don¡¯t show your true colors. You¡¯re so observant. It¡¯s such a waste of your talent to be a businessman. You should be a judge to uphold justice or be a spy. I guarantee that no one is better than you.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha ha ha,wyer Gu, you tter me. I¡¯m just deducing frommon sense, plus I¡¯m more attentive than the average person.¡±Lu Yuan smiled happily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me. I¡¯ll go meet this vice consul Peter.¡±

    How could Gu Nianzhi not be worried?

    She hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°No matter what, I still saved his life, yet he repaid me in this way. Let me first ask him why he did it.¡±

    Lu Yuan thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Do you know how to contact him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°I can look up the number of the Soviet conste general online and leave a message for him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only way. I hope he doesn¡¯t go too far on ount of you saving his life.¡± Lu Yuan found a box and ced two small metal balls inside, then he ced it on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed. ¡°This box can block the signal, you can keep it for now.¡±

    After leaving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, Lu Yuan went to the kitchen to start cooking.

    Lu Jin had already washed and cut all the vegetables and meat. He was preparing onions, ginger, garlic, and other condiments.

    Seeing him enter, Lu Jin asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look like you have something on your mind.¡±

    ¡°I do. You didn¡¯t even know that Nianzhi¡¯s room was bugged?¡± Lu Yuan blurted out suddenly.

    Lu Jin was stunned and became nervous. ¡°Bugged? ! Who did it? !¡±

    He had said a lot of secrets about Nianzhi yesterday. If anyone heard him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    ¡°No, I have to get Nianzhi out of here right now.¡±Lu Jin wasn¡¯t prepared. He pulled off his apron. ¡°I have to get her out of the country right now!¡±

    ¡°Calm down.¡± Lu Yuan spoke up to stop him. He walked over to turn on the stove and started to heat up the pot with olive oil. He said, ¡°What¡¯s the point of going abroad? If you hadn¡¯t panicked when Nianzhi was brought over by He Chengjian and fought an energy war with them, we wouldn¡¯t have lost all our energy.¡±

    Lu Jin fidgeted with his hair. ¡°I didn¡¯t want Nianzhi to fall into He Chengjian¡¯s hands. Who knew they wouldn¡¯t let go and fight me for Nianzhi¡¯s coordinates. In the end, both sides suffered heavy losses.¡±

    This was also the reason why Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t appeared at the imperial capital in the first ce. Instead, she hadnded on Snake Ind in the Caribbean Sea.

    ¡°Yes, our energy is gone now, but their losses are even greater.¡± Lu Yuan recalled the soul-stirring battle for the maic field coordinates when Gu Nianzhi had arrived, and a long-lost sense of pride lit up in his heart. ¡°We can be considered to be taking small losses to win big, one against ten. It¡¯s worth it!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to praise me. I know what I¡¯m capable of.¡± Lu Jin walked around the kitchen and said in distress, ¡°But I told Nianzhi about what happened when she was young yesterday, so someone must have heard. What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry for now, I think Nianzhi knows what she¡¯s doing.¡± Lu Yuan put the onions, ginger, and garlic into the pot and started to boil. He also turned on the smoking machine. ¡°You can go out. I¡¯m going to cook.¡±

    Lu Jin left the kitchen worriedly and went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. He said, ¡°Nianzhi, we were careless yesterday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped, ¡°Those spies are everywhere. What¡¯s the point of being careful?¡±

    ¡°You mean spies?¡± Lu Jin frowned. ¡°Who? Could it be Peter? I heard that the KGB is everywhere, but why would he do that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Although she was reluctant, she still nodded. ¡°I want to ask him toe over and ask him. After all, I saved his life. If he wants to repay kindness with enmity, well, I might as well kill him.¡±

 Chapter 1557 - What Was This Turn Of Events?

    <h4>Chapter 1557: What Was This Turn Of Events?</h4>

    She kept threatening to kill people.

    If Huo Shaoheng, who was on the other side, had heard this, he would definitely give her a ¡°moral education¡±.

    However, Lu Jin didn¡¯t seem to think that there was anything wrong with what Gu Nianzhi had said. Instead, he nodded repeatedly and agreed, ¡°Okay, if he has ulterior motives, then kill him.¡±

    Seeing his serious expression, Gu Nianzhi was shocked.

    He agreed to any of her suggestions without hesitation, regardless of whether it was right or wrong. Although she wasn¡¯t used to it, she felt very warm in her heart!

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and said, ¡°He¡¯s very powerful. I was just saying so casually. If I really wanted to kill him, why would I save him? Wouldn¡¯t my injury be in vain?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Lu Jin shook his head frantically. ¡°You saved him because you¡¯re kind-hearted and don¡¯t want to hurt the innocent. You now want to kill him because he deserves it. He deserves to die.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Fine, she finally understood.

    Her father was the kind who spoiled his daughter. He was a firm supporter of the two ¡°everythings¡±.

    He supported everything his daughter supported.

    He would oppose everything his daughter opposed.

    Moreover, he didn¡¯t seem to have any legal or moral boundaries in his mind.

    That was right. If he had that boundary, he wouldn¡¯t have done such a crazy and bold thing, and she wouldn¡¯t have been born.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that as a bigwyer, she still had to correct some of Lu Jin¡¯s incorrect beliefs.

    For example, she could kill the Ace of the Far East, but she couldn¡¯t use illegal means.

    If she wanted to, she could legally ¡°kill¡± him in a hundred ways.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed.

    This didn¡¯t go against Major General Huo¡¯s teachings.

    Of course, if she really wanted to deal with the Ace of the Far East, the prerequisite was that he really harbored ill intentions toward them.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that being merciful to the enemy was cruel to one¡¯s own people.

    She wasn¡¯t a saint to that extent.

    She continued to mentally prepare herself as she talked to Lu Jin about the n. She nned to put the Ace of the Far East in his ce after dinner.

    Half an hourter, Lu Yuan came over and knocked on the door. ¡°Dinner is ready. How do you n to eat?¡±

    ¡°Bring it in.¡± Lu Jin seized every opportunity to be with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°There are tables and chairs here.¡±

    As he spoke, Lu Jin shook Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed up so that she could sit down and set up the small dining table in front of her.

    He then brought over a folding table and ced it beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed so that they could eat together.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t say anything and silently brought the food over on arge tray.

    He ced a cup of milky white bone soup, a cup of red dates, and goji berry chicken congee on the small dining table in front of Gu Nianzhi. He said, ¡°You just had surgery, so it¡¯s not appropriate to eat those things that are difficult to digest. These are all soup and water, so they¡¯re good for your appearance and body.¡±

    The aroma of the soup and congee assailed her nostrils, and it was the best way to preserve the aroma of the ingredients. It wasn¡¯t the smell of thick red sauce or spicy, sour, and sweet condiments.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, closed her eyes in ecstasy, and praised, ¡°It smells so good!¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s culinary skills were really superb, to the point of returning to the basics.

    Lu Jin sat down beside her bed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll feed you. You need to recover from your injuries. You can¡¯t move too much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just searched for a ¡°bug¡± and was already panting from exhaustion.

    It was indeed difficult for her to eat by herself.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect Lu Yuan and Lu Jin to think of this, so she nned to eat by herself while enduring the difort.

    She didn¡¯t expect Lu Jin to really think of this, and he even took the spoon to feed her very naturally.

    Lu Yuan watched from the side and almost sighed.

    Father and daughter were indeed intimate.

    Looking at Lu Jin¡¯s considerate expression, she really couldn¡¯t tell that he was a person with interpersonal disorder.

    In the past, at theirpany¡¯s Board of Directors meeting, Lu Jin was definitely someone who only cared about eating himself. After eating, he wouldn¡¯t give face to anyone and would just turn around to leave.

    Of course, Lu Jin despised the members of theirpany¡¯s Board of Directors as idiots, and that was also an important reason he didn¡¯t pay attention to them.

    When it came to his daughter, all the problems suddenly weren¡¯t a problem anymore.

    Even the interpersonal disorder was cured without medicine.

    Lu Yuan scooped a small bowl of soup for himself with a smile and watched the father-daughter interaction as they ate.

    At this moment, the doorbell rang.

    ¡°Who woulde at this time?¡± Lu Yuan muttered as he picked up his phone to take a look at the surveince camera. He was stunned.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Nianzhi took a sip of the milky white bone soup Lu Jin had fed her. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Lu Yuan¡¯s serious expression and was very surprised.

    Lu Yuan was such a shrewd person. All his feelings were hidden. It was rare for him to show such emotions.

    Lu Yuan looked up and smiled. He showed them the surveince footage on his phone. ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin looked over at the same time.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s phone showed the surveince footage of the main entrance.

    At the entrance of their apartment stood a handsome, gorgeous-looking man. It was the deputy consul of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, whom they had been talking about giving a hard time.

    In one hand, he carried a beautifully wrapped fruit basket filled with fiery dragon fruits, yellow mangoes, round oranges, purplish red cherries, golden cantaloupes, and a few ginseng strips tied with red ribbons.

    In the other hand, he held arge bouquet of flowers ¡ª a bouquet of blue little temptress roses!

    There were even tiny droplets of water, making the whole bouquet look even more fresh and lively, on the petals, as if it had just been plucked from the garden.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin was immediately filled with murderous intent. ¡°He still dares toe?! Does he think we don¡¯t know? ! I¡¯m going to teach him a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be rash!¡± Lu Yuan quickly pulled him back. ¡°He came prepared. Aren¡¯t you afraid that Nianzhi will be embarrassed if you confront him in such a hurry?¡±

    In the past, when Lu Jin was rash and wanted to cause trouble, Lu Yuan was basically at his wit¡¯s end. He could only deal with the aftermath after he was done.

    But now that he had Gu Nianzhi, Lu Yuan was very confident that he could give Lu Jin some restraint.

    Sure enough, Lu Jin immediately stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. He asked nervously, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want to do?¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Let him in, of course... Let¡¯s see what he¡¯s up to.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Jin nodded crisply. ¡°Whatever you say. I¡¯ll get the door.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Lu Yuan pulled him back again. ¡°Hide for a while. I¡¯ll get the door.¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and quickly said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay inside. There are surveince cameras there anyway, so I can see you guys.¡±

    He quickly walked into the secret medical room prepared for Gu Nianzhi, closed the door, and watched the situation outside through the surveince cameras.

    After Lu Jin went in, Lu Yuan nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Shall I open the door and let him in?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu nianzhi smoothed her hair to make herself look more tidy.

    As a patient who had just been seriously injured and had undergone surgery, she only looked a little pale. She wasn¡¯t very haggard, but her hair was indeed a little messy.

    Lu Yuan quickly walked out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, through the spacious living room, to the back of the main door, and opened the door.

    The Ace of the Far East, the current deputy consul, Peter, politely bowed to Lu Yuan. ¡°Director Lu, I didn¡¯t expect you to still be here. I¡¯m here to seewyer Gu, and to apologize to her.¡±

    Lu Yuan was shocked. The deputy consul had responded so quickly. They had just discovered his bug, and he had noticed it, and had immediatelye over to ¡°test the waters and remedy the situation¡±...

    He wanted to see what tricks he was ying.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face was indifferent as he turned his body away. ¡°Consul Peter, you must be joking. You are a diplomat of a country, and no matter what you do, you will have diplomatic immunity. Why are you so polite to usmoners?¡±

    Whether it was enemies or friends, he had always left some leeway in his words. This was the first time he had said something like this without mercy.

    It was clear how angry and anxious he was.

    But on the surface, it waspletely unnoticeable.

    The Ace of the Far East ¡°Deputy Consul¡± Peter bowed slightly and slowly walked in. He said coldly, ¡°I will exin it clearly towyer Gu.¡±

    ¡°If your bug hadn¡¯t been discovered, would you havee to beg for forgiveness?¡± Lu Yuan closed the door behind him and looked at him coldly. Murderous intent shed in his deep eyes.

    Peter didn¡¯t look back, so of course, he couldn¡¯t see Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze, but even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t care.

    There was only one person he was sorry towards, and that was Gu Nianzhi.

    She had saved him, but he had eavesdropped on her. She had also found out about it. What an ¡°awkward¡±csituation!

    When he arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guest room, Peter put down the fruit basket and walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside with the huge bouquet of blue little temptress roses. He knelt down on one knee, and he said bluntly, ¡°Miss Gu, please forgive my rudeness. I didn¡¯t mean anything by nting a bug on you. It¡¯s just a professional habit of mine.¡±

    He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°And I said that I would stay by your side until you recovered. I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t let me stay here with you, so I nted a bug on you. I just wanted to know if you were safe at all times.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with her dark eyes and said coldly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, should I thank you for your meticulous care?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Peter held a bouquet of flowers in front of her and looked at her with a hint of admiration in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s only been 10 hours, 32 minutes, and 13 seconds since I left you yesterday, but I already feel like days are passing by like years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°After hearing those words yesterday, I was shocked and worried about your condition. I hope you can give me this opportunity to stay by your side until you recover.¡±

    Peter stood up and ced the bouquet of blue little temptress roses on the bedside table beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed. He said coldly and haughtily, ¡°My professional habits tell me that you¡¯re facing more than just one enemy on the surface. She can¡¯t do so much on her own.¡±

    ¡°Your enemy is very secretive, very powerful, and very sinister and vicious. I happen to have the expertise in this area, and can help you deal with your enemies who are hiding in the shadows. Trust me, only the KGB¡¯s methods can let those who have hurt you know what it means to wish they were dead.¡±

    Lu Yuan followed her in and was shocked when he heard what she said. ¡°What do you mean? Who are you? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and her pupils constricted. ¡°Mr. Peter, Young Master He told me your true identity. If you want to harm me, I naturally know how to deal with you.¡±

    Peter quickly said, ¡°Please believe me. I¡¯m the only one who knows about you. The two listening devices are my personal actions and have nothing to do with my work.¡±

    He was hinting that he wouldn¡¯t tell the Soviet KGB about her situation.

    As he spoke, Peter turned back to look at Lu Yuan. He calmly and confidently said, ¡°Director Lu, since you have a close rtionship with Miss Gu, I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I¡¯m part of the KGB, so you must cooperate with me in order to ensure Miss Gu¡¯s safety. Besides, aren¡¯t you looking for a nurse? I think I¡¯m the most suitable.¡±

    ¡°You can lock me up here and I will take care for Miss Gu. I won¡¯t go anywhere until she recovers, and I won¡¯t contact anyone. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can physically block all the radio signals. I won¡¯t have anyints.¡±

    He raised his hand and made a sign of surrender. ¡°Director Lu, if you¡¯re worried, you can search me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat at the side and watched this scene in confusion.

    She was clearly going to question this Ace of the Far East!

    How did he suddenly be her personal guard? !

    What was this turn of events? !

 Chapter 1558 - Hit The Nail On The Head

    <h4>Chapter 1558: Hit The Nail On The Head</h4>

    Fortunately, Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t swindled by the words of the Ace of the Far East aka deputy consul of the Soviet conste general. He asked directly, ¡°Mr. Peter, why do you think that Nianzhi¡¯s enemy isn¡¯t just the one on the surface? You just met our Nianzhi, so do you know so much about her situation?¡±

    But the Ace of the Far East did this kind of work. He was the best at deducing the overall situation through small details.

    He was best at finding the truth through clues.

    ¡°President Lu, the reason is very simple. From the analysis of the information I heard yesterday, the person who could do those experiments couldn¡¯t be just one person. It had to be a team. But other than that person on the surface, do you know anyone else? If not, then it was well covered up by someone.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s analysis was logical. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t hear much information, just from this point alone, I can tell that there is someone behind that person. Therefore, if you cooperate with me, you will be able to deal with those people hiding behind the scenes more efficiently.¡±

    His hands in his trouser pockets, Lu Yuan listened quietly as he looked at the other party¡¯s raised hands in a distant manner. He said calmly, ¡°Mr. Peter, if you had said that before you installed the bug, I might have believed you. But you only said it after we found out about your bug. Do you think we would still believe you?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East raised his hand and flipped it left and right. His voice was cold and his expression was calm. ¡°I can¡¯t help it if you think that way. But you should also know that I had the choice to not take the initiative to make this request. After all, I knew the moment you found out about the bug. I had enough time to stay out of it. Even if I don¡¯t admit it, you can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    This was indeed the truth. They were only guessing that it was him.

    But there was no name carved on the bug. The KGB also didn¡¯t have a special bug.

    If he really denied it, they would have no evidence to use him of anything.

    There was nothing they could do about it. After all, Gu Nianzhi and the others weren¡¯t the British prime minister so they couldn¡¯t say, ¡°If I say you did it, you did it, even if you didn¡¯t do it,¡±and then brazenly expel the Soviet diplomat...

    They didn¡¯t have the ability to do that. The Huaxia Empire required evidence in awsuit.

    Lu Yuan looked at him thoughtfully.

    The Ace of the Far East aka Peter paused for a moment, then turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi, who was lying on the hospital bed dumbfounded. He said calmly, ¡°But I still came. I came to ask for your forgiveness. I really didn¡¯t mean anything by it. Miss Gu¡¯s background is pitiful. Or rather, I never thought that in modern society, there would be someone who had experienced such terrible pain. My heart aches...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was cold, and she was at a loss for words.

    Was she that pitiful?

    How did she not know?

    ¡°... Miss Gu saved my life. Of course I have to repay her for saving my life.¡±

    ¡°I originally wanted to secretly help her deal with those who still harbored ill intentions towards her, but since you¡¯ve found out, I won¡¯t hide it anymore.¡±

    He put down his arms and took out his belongings.

    There was a pistol disguised as a pen, a small signal transmitter hidden in the middle of the soles of his shoes, a button bomb on his coat, and even a GPS device buried under the skin at the back of his neck.

    ¡°These are all the regr equipment of our KGB. I¡¯ve already revealed everything. Do you have any more questions?¡±

    Lu Yuan lowered his eyes and carefully thought about this matter.

    Peter did have a point.

    This KGB agent already knew part of the truth. Unless they could kill him without anyone knowing, it was better not to fall out with him.

    Besides, with his identity as a KGB agent, could they really kill him without anyone noticing?

    At this point, the only way was to cooperate with him.

    Of course, there was no way he would be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal nurse.

    Lu Yuan thought to himself as he looked indifferently at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting on the hospital bed.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him and turned her gaze to the Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, who was standing in front of her bed.

    The first time she saw him, she was almost stunned and couldn¡¯t control herself at all.

    But now that she saw him again, she felt as if her heart was still as water.

    Very well, this proved that she was not aplete fan of looks.

    Although this person had a face that looked exactly like Major General Huo¡¯s, and even more gorgeous and handsome, she wasn¡¯t moved at all.

    Her little heart was still recovering weakly, and couldn¡¯t withstand such ups and downs.

    Gu Nianzhi reflexively covered her chest and said coldly with a sullen face, ¡°... You want to be my personal nurse?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°If you want to do it, I¡¯ll let you do it?! You¡¯re so capable, so why don¡¯t you just go to heaven?¡±

    Lu Jin, who was hiding in the secret room, was ted when he heard this. He couldn¡¯t help nodding. That¡¯s right, if you¡¯re so capable, why don¡¯t you go to heaven? !

    He had heard this from Lu Yuan so much that his ears were almost callused. Today, when he heard it from Gu Nianzhi, he actually felt that it was beautiful.

    He liked to hear his own daughter throw these words at other people.

    He couldn¡¯t help pushing the door open and walking out. He said, ¡°That¡¯s right. If you¡¯re so capable, why don¡¯t you go to heaven?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East aka Peter:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even get to finish rolling her eyes when she was choked by her father¡¯s unreliable actions.

    ¡°Dad, why are you out? !¡± She couldn¡¯t helpining with a hint of childishness in her voice.

    Lu Jin, one foot inside the door and the other outside, stopped in his tracks. He looked back at where he hade from and said embarrassingly, ¡°Shall I go in again?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face was nk. Resigning to his fate, he said, ¡°You¡¯re already out. What¡¯s there to go back in for? You¡¯re the one who caused this, soe out and say something.¡±

    The KGB agent had heard all of Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s conversations yesterday anyway. No matter how much Lu Jin tried to hide, he would just be lying to himself.

    Seeing Lu Jine out, the Ace of the Far East wasn¡¯t surprised at all. He nodded and greeted him. ¡°Good evening, Uncle Lu.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°! ! !¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me uncle for no reason.¡± Lu Jin walked out impatiently and closed the door behind him. His attitude was natural, as if he hadn¡¯te out of the secret room but hade from next door. He really had thick skin.

    The Ace of the Far East smiled and didn¡¯t argue with him.

    Lu Jin walked over and looked him up and down. He snorted. ¡°You¡¯re not bad looking, but you have a bad heart. Do you think you can protect my daughter with your ability?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East aka Peter became serious and said seriously, ¡°Then does Uncle Lu think that you¡¯ve protected your daughter well?¡±

    It was a stab to the heart.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart shattered.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that this Ace of the Far East was simply too powerful. With just one sentence, he shut her insufferably talented father up, so she quickly raised her head and said, ¡°President Lu, father, can you two go out for a moment? I want to have a few words with this KGB agent in private.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t let this man lead them into a ditch.

    Gu Nianzhi finally realized that this Ace of the Far East was indeed an ace. Just his eloquence alone was impressive.

    They still didn¡¯t know how much skill he had hidden.

    Thinking about it, wasn¡¯t it better to have more friends than more enemies?

    After all, when she was there, she had be good friends with the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, and his driver, Uncle Ivan.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself and gestured for Lu Yuan and Lu Jin to go out first.

    Lu Jin was still a little reluctant, but Lu Yuan could tell that Gu Nianzhi was someone with prudence. At least she was more reliable than her father, so he pulled Lu Jin out.

    The door closed quietly, and only Gu Nianzhi and the Ace of the Far East were left in the room.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand to rub her swollen temples, but her strength couldn¡¯t keep up. She couldn¡¯t even raise her arms.

    She sighed and lowered her half-raised hand.

    However, the Ace of the Far East saw her and walked over naturally. He sat beside her bed and reached out his hands to gently massage her temples. His hands were soft and gentle, and the massage was just right. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s headache instantly eased.

    She closed her eyes and felt her scalp go numb. It was extremelyfortable.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Like the murmur of lovers in autumn, the Ace of the Far East¡¯s voice lingered in her ears.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up from her reverie. She tilted her head slightly and said, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m much better now.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East moved his hand away. He could still feel the delicate softness of her skin on his fingertips. He couldn¡¯t help rubbing his fingers and reminiscing the sensation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m that bad. I¡¯m not that heartless. You saved me, enough for me to go through fire and water for you.¡±

    Perhaps it was because there was just the two of them in the room, but this Ace of the Far East was starting to speak up.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t used to it. She nced at him sideways and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t save you for you. I hope you understand. Under those circumstances, I would have saved anyone.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East smiled. ¡°That¡¯s even rarer. Where would I find such a good girl? I haven¡¯t treated her well yet, but she¡¯s willing to take the bullet for me. If I don¡¯t take the initiative, I¡¯ll never be able to get a wife in my life.¡±

    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly made a ¡°pause¡± sign with her hand. ¡°Mr. Peter, if you want to repay me, I won¡¯t stop you, but don¡¯t say such mushy things so often. I¡¯ll think you¡¯re flirting with me.¡±

    ¡°Flirting? !¡± The Ace of the Far East seemed to be hurt. ¡°I¡¯m sincerely expressing my love. Of course, whether you ept it or not is up to you. I won¡¯t force you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t ept it.¡± Gu Nianzhi rejected him without hesitation. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t say such mushy things, we can still be good friends, normal friends.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s eyes shed. He had not expected this girl to ept him overnight.

    If he could really get it done overnight, he would look down on his own judgment.

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s start with normal friends.¡± The Ace of the Far East picked up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unfinished porridge bowl and scooped a spoonful of porridge for her. ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously opened her mouth and was fed a mouthful of ground chicken porridge by far east ace.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin, who were waiting outside, looked at the time. It had been about ten minutes, but there was no sound at all. They were a little worried, so they gently pushed the door open and looked through the crack in the door.

    They saw Mr. Peter sitting on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed, where Lu Jin had been sitting just now. He was holding a bowl of porridge and a small spoon. He was feeding Gu Nianzhi.

    He fed her one mouthful at a time, and he did so with experience.

    Lu Jin felt ufortable.

    Lu Yuan also felt that something was off.

    The two of them looked at each other quietly for a while, but still knocked on the door. ¡°Are you finished? We haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    The Ace of the Far East, on the other hand, was at ease. He turned around and said, ¡°Pleasee in, both of you.¡±

    Lu Jin walked in with a sullen expression on his face. He came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside and said to Peter, ¡°Get up. You¡¯re the guest. How can I let you do this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m proving to you that I can be Miss Gu¡¯s personal nurse.¡± The Ace of the Far East put down the porridge bowl and spoon, then stood up gracefully. ¡°I¡¯ve received professional training in nursing gunshot wounds. I can also do infant care.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked as if she had been struck by lightning. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t lift her arms, and couldn¡¯t even cover her face.

    Lu Jin, annoyed, sat back down in his seat. He picked up the porridge bowl and continued to feed Gu Nianzhi. He said with a straight face, ¡°Is professional training in nursing gunshot wounds really that impressive? I¡¯ll go teach myself right away, and I¡¯ll be an expert in this field tomorrow! As for infant care, I was an expert in this field twenty years ago!¡±

    ¡°Really? Uncle Lu knows about infant and child care?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I know all the indicators of a baby¡¯s growth at all stages, the various nutrients in form milk, and the texture and function of different diapers like the back of my hand.¡± Lu Jin kept on talking as he fed Gu Nianzhi porridge.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, but Uncle Lu is familiar with the form milk and diapers from twenty years ago, right? I¡¯ve paid attention to thetest products, form milk and diapers...¡± The Ace of the Far East really could talk about any topic, so he was going all out.

    Infant care? ? ? ?

    Why were they fighting over this? ? ? ?

    Gu Nianzhi felt that the topic was moving in a strange direction. She quickly said, ¡°Dad, President Lu, I think it¡¯s good that Mr. Peter is willing to help, but I don¡¯t need him to be my personal nurse. It¡¯s too much of a waste of talent.¡±

    Lu Yuan understood what she meant as soon as she said that. He nodded approvingly and said, ¡°I think so too. Since Mr. Peter wants to help us, that¡¯s what I want. Having more friends is better than having more enemies.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yed right into his hands. She quickly nodded and said, ¡°Yes, that makes sense. So Mr. Peter, why don¡¯t you work with President Lu and see if you can improve our security. Also...¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. We¡¯re good at inte security, but Mr. Peter is from the KGB. He should have more experience in protecting people, right?¡± Lu Yuan understood what Gu Nianzhi meant instantly and chimed in with her to separate Peter from Gu Nianzhi.

    The Ace of the Far East understood and said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ll make arrangements right away. Don¡¯t worry, no one has been able to break through the KGB¡¯s security line and get close to the important people we¡¯re protecting.¡±

    In fact, he had taken the initiative to visit them today to make them feel at ease.

    He hadn¡¯t expected that this person was so skilled that he had found out about the bug he had installed so quickly.

    He had no intention of going against them, so he had chosen to confess right away.

    No matter what, Gu Nianzhi was his savior, and he wouldn¡¯t let anyone continue to hurt her.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

    That was all she could do. She would have to take it one step at a time.

    All she wanted to do now was recover from her injuries as soon as possible. She was so weak that she couldn¡¯t even lift her arms.

    If someone really came in to take her life at this time, she would have no choice but to die.

    Previously, in order to get rid of the He family¡¯s shackles, she had been willing to die.

    Now that the He family had let go, of course she didn¡¯t want to die.

    Who would be willing to die if they could live well?

    Lu Yuan saw that Peter had agreed and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to the study room and talk about it in detail.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East turned to look at Gu Nianzhi with a trace of reluctance on his cold face.

    Lu Jin turned to re at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s have a proper discussion. My daughter¡¯s safety is in the hands of the two of you.¡±

    Lu Yuan took the Ace of the Far East away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guest room on the first floor and brought him to the study room on the other side.

    It was a small study room with a crystal clear ss wall and was facing the refreshingke.

    ¡°Sit.¡± Lu Yuan sat down on the small sofa in the study room and beckoning the Ace of the Far East to sit down, he pointed to the seat opposite him.

    The Ace of the Far East sat down unceremoniously, stretched his long legs, crossed his arms, and said calmly, ¡°Do you have anything else to say?¡±

    ¡°Smoke?¡± Lu Yuan picked up a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and took a puff.

    The Ace of the Far East shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Yuan held the cigarette in one hand as he looked at the appearance of this Ace of the Far East. He narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re from the Soviet Union? You grew up in the Soviet Union?¡±

    ¡°I was born in the Soviet Union and grew up in the Soviet Union.¡±The Far East Ace also looked at Lu Yuan in front of him. ¡°But President Lu, where were you born? Where did you grow up?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Lu Yuanughed. ¡°I was born in the Huaxia Empire and grew up in the Huaxia Empire. What¡¯s wrong? Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°I do have some questions.¡± The The Ace of the Far East looked at the beard sticking to Lu Yuan¡¯s face. ¡°Your disguise is very simple. Are you trying to protect yourself from someone?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s disguise couldn¡¯t even fool Lu Yuan. Of course, he couldn¡¯t hide it from the spy ace who had sharp eyes.

    ¡°Yes, just in case someone was following me at night, and wanted to find Nianzhi through me.¡± Lu Yuan didn¡¯t hide anything and told him about how Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother, Qin Yaoguang, had once questioned him.

    His fingers brushed the ash off the ashtray, and Lu Yuan said calmly, ¡°Since you know Nianzhi¡¯s background, you also know that her mother isn¡¯t a good person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a vicious biological mother,¡± The Ace of the Far East said without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯m also quite knowledgeable. I¡¯ve seen many parents who are vicious to their own children, but none of them can bepared to Qin Yaoguang. Even if you don¡¯t tell me about this kind of person, I would still get even with her.¡±

    ¡°I advise you not to interfere in the matter between Qin Yaoguang and Nianzhi,¡± Lu Yuan reminded him. ¡°She should be left to do it herself.¡±

    ¡°The most important thing for you now is to help protect Nianzhi. Don¡¯t let anyone disturb her until she recovers from her injuries.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll give you a n right away. You just need to find someone to arrange it ording to the n.¡±

    Of course, he would not use the resources of the KGB to protect Gu Nianzhi.

    Apart from him, he wouldn¡¯t let anyone from the KGB know about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background.

    Lu Yuan smiled. The lines at the corners of his eyes were clear and deep.

    The Ace of the Far East, who had been looking at him, asked tentatively, ¡°President Lu, with all due respect, have you really never been to the Soviet Union? You look a lot like my uncle, who passed away in the Soviet Union more than 20 years ago.¡±

 Chapter 1559 - When I Miss You

    <h4>Chapter 1559: When I Miss You</h4>

    ¡°Really?¡± Lu Yuan looked very surprised. ¡°Do I really look like your uncle who passed away in the Soviet Union more than 20 years ago?! Ah, how old was your uncle when he passed away? Do you have a photo of him?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°My uncle was probably in his early 30s when he passed away. If he hadn¡¯t passed away so early, he would have been a good hand in our KGB,¡± The Ace of the Far East said regretfully, ¡°I don¡¯t have a photo of him by my side, but if you want to take a look, wait until I call my family in the Soviet Union and have them scan one for me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s such a pity. To die young at such a young age... the heavens are jealous of talent, the heavens are jealous of talent!¡± Lu Yuan patted his knee with one hand and raised his head to sigh. He appeared extremely extremely regretful.

    The Committee of State Security nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, heaven is indeed jealous of the talented. So when I saw you, I was really shocked and thought that I had mistaken you for someone else. How could someone who had passed away more than 20 years ago appear alive again? So I really had mistaken you for someone else.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, after more than 20 years, you can still clearly remember your uncle¡¯s appearance. Your memory is really amazing.¡± Lu Yuan stood up without batting an eye. ¡°What do you want to drink? Coffee or tea?¡±

    ¡°I only drink water.¡± The KGB agent seemed to be a very disciplined person. He didn¡¯t smoke or drink alcohol. He only drank water and didn¡¯t even touch drinks. ¡°My memory is really good, especially when ites to facial recognition.¡±

    Lu Yuan brought him a bottle of mineral water and ced it on the coffee table between them. He held a can of beer and opened the lid with his fingers. He raised his head and took a sip. ¡°That¡¯s really rare. No wonder you became a KGB agent.¡±

    ¡°You tter me, President Lu. The KGB is also a proper job. It¡¯s better than working in a casino at a young age.¡± The Ace of the Far East held the bottle of mineral water but had no intention of drinking it. His attitude turned cold. ¡°A person with a wealthy background like President Lu wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It sounds like you didn¡¯t have a good life when you were young?¡± Lu Yuan put one hand on the armrest of the sofa and the other hand on the can of beer. He looked very concerned about him. ¡°Did your family not care about you?¡±

    ¡°My parents divorced in the early years and went their separate ways. I grew up with my grandmother. Later, my grandmother passed away, and I was depressed for a while. It wasn¡¯t until I joined the KGB by chance that I had the opportunity I have now.¡± The Ace of the Far East stretched his long legszily, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a diplomat now. I will also slowly withdraw from the KGB.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is there any difference between the diplomats of the Soviet Union and the KGB?¡± Lu Yuan mocked him a little.

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s a difference.¡± The Ace of the Far East smiled faintly. ¡°Before my identity was exposed, I was a KGB agent. After my identity was exposed, I¡¯m only a diplomat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also very curious. Logically speaking, how could the KGB be so careless?¡± Lu Yuan tilted his head and sized him up with a smile.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m even more curious.¡± The Ace of the Far East¡¯s gaze became sharp, like a searchlight, as if he wanted to shine a light on who exactly was under Lu Yuan¡¯s skin. ¡°Not to mention ordinary people, even the members of your country¡¯s intelligence agency wouldn¡¯t be able to discover the eavesdropping device I used in such a short period of time. President Lu, however, was able to do it. I wonder if I should doubt President Lu¡¯s identity? Or should I be envious of your country¡¯s detector?¡±

    Lu Yuanughed loudly. ¡°You can think whatever you want. But as far as detectors are concerned, I have to boast that all the detectors in the worldbined aren¡¯t as good as mine.¡±

    The invention of this genius, Lu Jin, had a special effect of turning something rotten into something magical.

    He could make a small modification to the detectors withmon functions sold on the market, and the effect would be magnified exponentially.

    However, no matter how talented he was, he was still in the field of technology.

    The sense of secrecy in his mind was almost negligible.

    For so many years, if it weren¡¯t for Lu Yuan by his side helping him to find ws, he would have been caught by He Chengjian countless times.

    The Ace of the Far East was curious, and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°It¡¯s that powerful? I wonder if I have the honor to see your magical detector with my own eyes?¡±

    Chief Lu smiled amiably, but he rejected his request. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have the honor.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East also knew that he wouldn¡¯t easily take it out, but he was unwilling to not ask.

    He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine if President Lu isn¡¯t willing. I never force people.¡±

    He stood up leisurely. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and make the security n. Then, how do I send it to Chief Lu?¡±

    Lu Yuan gave his email address. ¡°Send it to this email.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East took down his email address and said coldly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave first. As for Miss Gu, I hope President Lu can put in a few good words for me. I really want to pursue her.¡±

    ¡°You want to pursue our Nianzhi?¡± Lu Yuan chuckled. ¡°Forgive me for being presumptuous, but how old are you, Mr. Peter? Don¡¯t you have a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°I just turned 30 this year.¡± The Ace of the Far East¡¯s expression was a little awkward. ¡°I don¡¯t have a girlfriend now. I¡¯ve already broken up with my ex-girlfriend.¡±

    Lu Yuan pulled a long face. ¡°You¡¯re already 30 years old, and you still don¡¯t have a girlfriend. How dare you pursue our Nianzhi? Our Nianzhi is only 20 years old. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too old for her?¡±

    This stab pierced his heart.

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s heart was crushed.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t let him off the hook and continued to snort coldly. ¡°... Are all of you Soviets so rude? You don¡¯t even care if the girl is taken or not?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Miss Gu has a boyfriend?¡± The Ace of the Far East snapped back to reality. His gaze focused and he nced in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. ¡°She¡¯s injured so badly, and her boyfriend doesn¡¯te to see her? ! You guys agreed to let Miss Gu be with such a coward? !¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face darkened as he stood up abruptly. ¡°Why is she injured so badly? ! Don¡¯t try to be nice when you¡¯ve taken advantage of her!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s face immediately darkened, and his cold, handsome face exuded a bone-chilling chill.

    The pretense of harmony between the two was gone, and it was as if they were about to draw their guns at each other in the next second.

    However, both of them were people with strong self-control, so they wouldn¡¯t lose control of their emotions.

    Therefore, the two of them just red at each other and eventually parted on bad terms.

    After the Ace of the Far East left, Lu Yuan returned to the guest room where Gu Nianzhi was recovering from her injuries. He sat down at the dining table, picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating. He said resentfully, ¡°I¡¯m really overwhelmed from anger.¡±

    Lu Jin turned around in surprise and said, ¡°There¡¯s still someone who can anger you? ! Who is it? If he¡¯s so powerful, I have to go and learn from them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan pretended not to hear him and continued to eat as if he was trying to swallow all his emotions and digest them without revealing them.

    Lu Jin fed Gu Nianzhi thest mouthful of porridge and said with a smile, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s that Mr. Peter. He¡¯s really amazing. He can go to Heaven.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Seeing that Lu Yuan was feeling a little down, Gu Nianzhi quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Dad, I still want some soup. Can you heat up a bowl for me? I like hot soup. It¡¯s fresher.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay! I know how to heat up soup!¡± Lu Jin happily went to the kitchen to heat up the soup for her.

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity tofort Lu Yuan. ¡°President Lu, did that Peter make you angry? Don¡¯t be angry. When I recover, I¡¯ll help you fight him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll cry and kowtow to you to pour tea and apologize.¡±

    This Peter was too talkative. Gu Nianzhi felt that if she really wanted to teach him a lesson, she would have to wait until she recovered.

    Bickering was both a mental and physical task.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He looked up at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll just wait for him to kowtow to me and pour me tea to apologize.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was just saying so casually, yet he took her seriously.

    Perhaps it was because she hadforted him at the right time, but Lu Yuan¡¯s mood gradually improved.

    ¡°I appreciate your kindness. Your body is weak now, so you need to take care of your injuries. I¡¯ll wait for you to recover and help me deal with that Peter,¡± Lu Yuan said half-jokingly. ¡°In the future, tell me what you want to eat, and I¡¯ll cook for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, President Lu! Your food is so delicious!¡± Gu Nianzhi herself was a terrible cook, so she was full of respect for anyone who knew how to cook.

    Lu Yuan nodded with a smile.

    After dinner, he tidied up the house, glued his beard back on, put on his hat, and resumed his simple disguise. He left the neighborhood where Gu Nianzhi lived and went back to his own home.

    ..

    The Ace of the Far East returned to the Soviet conste general. He didn¡¯t sleep for the entire night and developed a sophisticated security n.

    From the outside public opinion to the smoke bombs, to the entire neighborhood and the residents of the building, the terms and conditions were all pervasive, and Gu Nianzhi was tightly protected.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin had a lot of money. Money meant that they had manpower and resources, so the Ace of the Far East¡¯s n was carried out well.

    Secretary Lin, who was beside Lu Yuan, knew where Gu Nianzhi was, but the problem was that no one else knew that she knew.

    She was also a tight-lipped person. In order to keep it a secret, ording to the Ace of the Far East¡¯s n, Lu Yuan still sent her to a closed base of the Lu Corporation to be responsible for the development of a new product there.

    In addition, He Zhichu was in the base and had no contact with the outside world, so Qin Yaoguang had no way to start and had no clues.

    It was as if Gu Nianzhi had disappeared from C City out of thin air, and her whereabouts couldn¡¯t be found at all.

    ¡°How could this be?¡± Qin Yaoguang flew into a rage. ¡°I told you to find someone, but you couldn¡¯t even find him. Our Qin family is paying you such a high sry for nothing!¡±

    Just as Qin Yaoguang was about to increase the number of people she could find, a video suddenly popped up on the inte. It was a foreigner who was seeing a patient at the Qin family¡¯s private hospital. He had spent tens of thousands of yuan to treat a simple cold and had no choice but to transfer to a public hospital.

    This foreigner was cursing the Qin family¡¯s private hospital on the inte. He imed that this hospital only knew how to collect money and that it was a shady ce that disregarded human lives!

    This usation was a bit heavy. In addition, the Qin family¡¯s private hospital did consider itself as a prestigious hospital. The fees were indeed very expensive. However, if treating a small cold would cost tens of thousands of medical fees, even a noble wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it.

    Therefore, many people who were dissatisfied with the Qin family¡¯s private hospital also voiced their opinions. They quickly formed a trend and became the hot news.

    This caused a sharp drop in the number of people who went to the hospital for treatment.

    The Qin Corporation¡¯s stock price kept dropping for an entire week. It was obvious that someone was taking the opportunity to crash the market.

    Faced with such a serious public image crisis, Qin Yaoguang had no choice but to divert her attention from looking for Gu Nianzhi. She focused all her efforts on the public rtions media to save the Qin private hospital¡¯s image and prestige.

    She, holding press conferences, and reorganizing the entire hospital system, was busy appearing in all the major media outlets every day. She promised society that ¡°medical ethics should be prioritized¡±and ¡°medical skills should be used for benevolent means.¡± She also took the initiative to lower the various fees, and she even sent her best doctors to the countryside to ¡°volunteer¡± for public welfare. She was extremely busy.

    Gu Nianzhi swiped her phone and thinking that it was a good move to find something for her to do, she looked around.

    This Ace of the Far East really had something up his sleeve.

    Under the heavy protection of such a fail-safe situation, Gu Nianzhi survived more than a month of recuperation unscathed.

    There was no one to disturb her, and no one to spy on her. It was just her and Lu Jin living in this penthouse apartment.

    Her constitution was special, and she recovered quickly to begin with.

    However, this time the injury was too serious, and her internal organs were damaged, so it took her almost a month to slowly recover.

    It was almost Christmas. Gu Nianzhi came out of the gym and used the towel on her shoulder to wipe the sweat off her head. She saw the snowkes floating outside the French window in the living room.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to snow.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the French window and breathed into the frost. She used her fingers to write on the French window.

    She had just finished her rehabilitation exercise, so she wasn¡¯t really thinking. Her eyes were looking at the snowy scenery outside the window, and her fingers just moved subconsciously.

    She was so focused that the doorbell behind her rang, and Lu Jin opened the door to let someone in, but she was unaware.

    The Ace of the Far East and Lu Yuan walked in one after the other. They saw a tall girl in loose sportswear standing in front of the French window. She was writing on the window.

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw what Gu Nianzhi had written. He hurried over and said, ¡°You¡¯re writing my name. Are you thinking of me? ! I missed you too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment before she realized that she had written ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± again and again on the French window.

 Chapter 1560 - Someone With Professional Training Is Indeed Different

    <h4>Chapter 1560: Someone With Professional Training Is Indeed Different</h4>

    Lu Yuan, who had followed the the Ace of the Far East in, narrowed his eyes. His gaze lingered on the name ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡± written by Gu Nianzhi for a while, then on Vice Consul Peter. His gaze was a little cold.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and reached out to erase the name she had scribbled. Without turning her head, she said,¡±... Well, you owe me your life. Do you think I would miss you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. From the moment you took the bullet for me, my life is yours.¡±The The Ace of the Far East stood beside her with his head slightly lowered. His dark eyes were unfathomable, but his tone was so affectionate that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears turned red.

    This guy was probably a postdoctoral student when it came to flirting.

    He knew exactly how to speak, how to be flirtatious, and what tone of voice to use to convey his feelings in the mostplete way.

    He had really practiced this before.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t beguiled. She was justmenting how impressive a KGB agent was..

    She turned around and smiled at the Ace of the Far East. ¡°Mr. Peter, what don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±The Ace of the Far East raised an eyebrow. For the first time, he realized that he couldn¡¯t keep up with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pace.

    ¡°Look, you know how to pick up girls, Gamble, swim, fly a ne, shoot a gun, care for the injured, even be an expert in infant care, and now you can even flirt with ease. ¡°Since you¡¯re so capable, how can others survive?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at him with her finger in the air. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to disy your abilities in front of me. It¡¯s useless, so don¡¯t waste your time.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East wasn¡¯t discouraged at all. A faint smile appeared on his face. ¡°Thank you for your encouragement. I¡¯ll continue working hard.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    People who were thick-skinned were really scary. People who were good-looking were even more so when they were thick-skinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m notplimenting you.¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°What are you doing here? Didn¡¯t I ask you to do my security work?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t seen the Ace of the Far East for more than a month, so she thought he had given up. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he came knocking on her door again...

    ¡°I did it. It¡¯s all thanks to me that no one has bothered you for so long.¡± The Ace of the Far East observed her expression carefully. From her red lips, white teeth, delicate eyebrows, and eyes as pure as autumn water, apart from her slightly pale face, he saw that she was basically like a normal person. ¡°How about you? Are you feeling better? Why don¡¯t you go lie down on the bed?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯m much better.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her arm and said calmly, ¡°Okay, you can go now.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East bared his teeth at her. ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re recovering so quickly, I¡¯ll sell you some information.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and turned to leave.¡±... No, I don¡¯t have money.¡±

    ¡°... I¡¯m used to saying it that way. Okay, I¡¯ll give you some information.¡± The Ace of the Far East put his hands in his trouser pockets and said behind her, ¡°It¡¯s about your mother, Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t stop. She quickly walked back to her guest room and mmed the door shut.

    The Ace of the Far East looked at the tightly shut door in confusion and said, ¡°... Doesn¡¯t she want to teach that woman who doesn¡¯t deserve to be a mother a lesson?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Lu Yuan said casually behind him, ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going to make lunch. Vice Consul Peter, shouldn¡¯t you go back too?¡±

    A little surprised, the Ace of the Far East turned to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re not going to invite me to eat?¡±

    ¡°Why should we invite you to eat?¡± Lu Yuan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I¡¯m already tired of cooking for three people every day. Do I have to cook for one more person? If you want to stay, you can do it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡± The Ace of the Far East spread out his hands. ¡°Alright, it seems that I¡¯m not wee. I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡±

    He turned around and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to reach the door, he suddenly turned around and shouted, ¡°Qin Zhining is about to be shot. Miss Gu, I said I would definitely avenge you!¡±

    Although Gu Nianzhi had entered her guest room, she was still paying attention to the movements outside.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately heard the Ace of the Far East¡¯s shout. She quickly opened the door and asked in surprise, ¡°Why is Qin Zhining going to be shot?¡±

    She quickly came back to her senses. ¡°Was it because of me? !¡±

    The Ace of the Far East shook his head. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    He pointed at himself. ¡°It was because of me. He failed his mission and didn¡¯t hit me. Instead, he shot someone else.¡±

    As a special forces soldier, Qin Zhining¡¯s mistake this time could indeed be punishable by death.

    Gu Nianzhi was momentarily stunned.

    Qin Zhining had shot her. It could be said that she had set him up from the beginning to the end.

    She didn¡¯t want to live anymore, so she used Qin zhining as a gun against herself.

    In a sense, Qin Zhining was really innocent.

    If he was shot to death, he would be the victim of her and He Chengjian¡¯s battle.

    Gu Nianzhi thought quickly, but wasn¡¯t sure what she should do.

    The Ace of the Far East said slowly, ¡°... Actually, He Chengjian doesn¡¯t have to kill him, but your mother, Qin Yaoguang, insisted that he shot her daughter. She wants him to pay with his life and must shoot him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, and her limpid eyes sparkled. ¡°What? It has to do with Qin Yaoguang again? !¡±

    ¡°... The execution is on Christmas Eve.¡± The Ace of the Far East looked at his watch. ¡°From now, Mr. Qin Zhining can live for another 23 hours.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s already set a time? !¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised. ¡°What about Young Master He? He¡¯s just going to watch as Qin Zhining is executed? !¡±

    If he really wanted someone to take responsibility, his father, He Chengjian, should have been executed!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned red with anger.

    ¡°Young Master He is in a dilemma.¡± The Ace of the Far East did seem to have done a lot of work over the past month, and had dug up all the information, ¡± Qin Zhining was the one who fired the shot, and you were the one who was injured. Young Master He probably already had a problem with Qin Zhining. Besides, he can¡¯t let his father be shot, can he?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze.

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s words were so direct.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and rubbed her temples out of habit. She said coldly, ¡°Thank you for your information. I need to think about it. You can go first.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East made a helpless gesture. ¡°Okay, since you insist, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    He added, ¡°I¡¯ll spend Christmas Eve with you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t celebrate Christmas.¡± Gu Nianzhi rejected him firmly. ¡°I¡¯m from the Huaxia Empire, and these are foreign holidays.¡±

    In reality, she did celebrate it with Major General Huo from the parallel dimension.

    The Ace of the Far East was obviously surprised.¡±... You don¡¯t celebrate Christmas?¡±

    ¡°Is that weird?¡± Gu Nianzhi gave a fake smile. ¡°Then I can only say that you know too little of the world. Goodbye.¡±

    After Gu Nianzhi kicked the Ace of the Far East out of the apartment, she wasn¡¯t gleeful over her triumph.

    She went back to her room thoughtfully and sat on the sofa. She hugged a panda pillow and frowned as she thought about what the Ace of the Far East had just said.

    In the kitchen on the other side, Lu Yuan was cooking, but he was a little confused.

    Lu Jin had been watching him intently from the side.

    When Lu Yuan finished cooking a te of braised pork and eggnt, lu Jin said excitedly, ¡°You put salt twice just now. One time, you put it as sugar, and the other time, when you should have put salt, you put salt again.¡±

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips.¡±... Why didn¡¯t you say that just now?¡±

    ¡°I thought you invented a new method.¡± Lu Jin was very eager to learn. He kept taking videos of Lu Yuan cooking with his phone. ¡°In the end, I realized that you were just distracted. What are you thinking about?¡±

    Without saying a word, Lu Yuan poured out the te of braised pork and eggnt, took the eggnt and cut it again. Then, he made it again in a deep-frying pan.

    Lu Jin shook his head and looked at the video that was recorded on his phone. He said, ¡°This video is no longer useful. I¡¯d better use the surveince camera to record it.¡±

    Lu Yuan said coldly, ¡°Even if you use a 120-frame camera to record it, you still can¡¯t learn how to cook!¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°... Boss, are you in a bad mood today?¡±

    Lu Yuan was stunned. His mood had changed so much that even a slow-witted person like Lu Jin could tell?

    Lu Yuan quickly collected his thoughts and focused his attention on the metal pot in front of him.

    Lu Jin looked at him suspiciously for a while and then went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. He asked in puzzlement, ¡°Did that deputy consul Peter make boss Lu angry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and shook her head. ¡°No... that Deputy Consul Peter just sold me information. He didn¡¯t talk to President Lu.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Then why is boss Lu so dejected?¡± Lu Jin sat down on the sofa next to Gu Nianzhi and shook his head. ¡°Forget it, Boss Lu¡¯s heart is deeper than the sea, so I won¡¯t try to figure him out. It¡¯s better to talk to my daughter. It¡¯s better for your physical and mental health.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She still didn¡¯t know that she had this ability.

    But since Lu Jin was here, she analyzed it with him.

    After all, Lu Jin knew Qin Yaoguang better.

    ¡°Dad, the deputy consul Peter told me something just now. He said that Qin Yaoguang wanted to shoot Qin Zhining because of me.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately said, ¡°... She wants to force you to show yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    It was exactly what she had in mind.

    Qin Yaoguang wanting Qin Zhining to pay with his life to ¡°avenge¡± her was a lie. Forcing her to show herself was the truth.

    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t show yourself, Qin Zhining will die. Qin Yaoguang won¡¯t have any regrets.¡± Lu Jin added, ¡°In a sense, she¡¯s very stubborn. She doesn¡¯t have much sympathy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how can an earthworm be a spirit?¡± Gu Nianzhi said resentfully. ¡°Qin Zhining is stupid, but he¡¯s really nice to me.¡±

    She then told him about how Qin Zhining had saved her life on the Caribbean Sea Snake Ind when she had first arrived.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°He was just doing his job. Do you think he really wanted to save you? He was just carrying out the mission He Chengjian gave him. Just like this time he used you as bait to shoot him. He brought this upon himself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand by and watch as Qin Yaoguang used him as a raft and shot him in the name of avenging her.

    ..

    At the same time, in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s vi, Wen Shouyi was discussing with her.

    ¡°Auntie Qin, will Gu Nianzhi be alive? The news of Qin Zhining getting executed has been out for two weeks, but she hasn¡¯te to plead for him.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi is actually quite a saint, so she wouldn¡¯t let go of such an opportunity to show off her ¡®moral integrity¡¯, but she hasn¡¯t shown up yet. Could it be that she¡¯s be in deep trouble?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°She should be dead... what a pity. What a good experiment material...¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qin, don¡¯t be anxious. I think Young Master He should be the one to handle this matter.¡± Wen Shouyi quietly suggested to Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Why don¡¯t we... find Qin Zhiyuan, Qin Zhining¡¯s brother? His brother is going to be shot. If hees back, he will definitely talk to Young Master He...¡±

    Then, He Zhichu would have no choice but toe out of the base.

    As long as HeZhichu came out, they would be able to find a way to locate Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body from him.

 Chapter 1561 - Was Better To Let Go Earlier

    <h4>Chapter 1561: Was Better To Let Go Earlier</h4>

    ¡°Qin Zhiyuan? His rtionship with Young Master He is better than Qin Zhining¡¯s.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°I think we can give it a try.¡±

    Wen Shouyi got Qin Yaoguang¡¯s permission and immediately sent someone to inform Qin Zhiyuan, Qin Zhining¡¯s biological brother.

    Qin Zhining¡¯s matter was actually a secret in the military. It wasn¡¯t a case that could be publicly tried and executed.

    From the mission he had epted to the means of carrying out the mission and the final oue of the mission, none of it could be publicly revealed to the public.

    Even the family members wouldn¡¯t know about this matter. In the end, they would only receive news that he had died during the mission because of some kind of mistake.

    If there were no mistakes, they would receive the title of ¡°martyr.¡± The family members would also receive the treatment of the martyr¡¯s family members and receive generouspensation.

    But if they made a mistake, the family members would receive nothing.

    This was a tacit understanding.

    But Qin Zhining¡¯s identity was more special. He was the son of the elder brother of He Chengjian¡¯s wife, Qin Suwen. He was He Zhichu¡¯s cousin, and they had been friends since they were young.

    Therefore, Wen Shouyi took advantage of this loophole and intentionally leaked the information to a person who was familiar with Qin Zhining. That person was indeed frightened and immediately went to inform Qin Zhining¡¯s biological brother, Qin Zhiyuan.

    Qin Zhiyuan was shocked when he received the call and immediately called He Zhichu.

    ¡°Young Master He, what exactly is going on? Why is my brother Qin Zhining being executed? What exactly happened?¡± Qin Zhiyuan asked anxiously over the phone.

    He Zhichu had been staying in the West District of C City for more than a month. He had a lot of troops in his hands and was closely monitoring the apartmentplex where Gu Nianzhi lived.

    He had originally been the most wary of Qin Yaoguang, but Qin Yaoguang had been caught up in the incident at the Qin family¡¯s private hospital. She hadn¡¯t been able to intervene, so he had been relieved of a lot of pressure.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t respond for a long time when he received Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s call.

    Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s heart kept sinking. ¡°Young Master He, can you say something? Are you serious? Did my Brother reallymit a crime? He¡¯s always been loyal to uncle. How could something like this happen?¡±

    He Zhichu thought of Gu Nianzhi, who had stopped breathing in his arms that night, and felt his heart ache. He closed his eyes and said coldly,¡±... When you do something wrong, you have to be punished. He¡¯s a soldier, so he¡¯s different from ordinary people.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s eyes instantly reddened. ¡°... My brother doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend. He¡¯s not married, and he doesn¡¯t have children...¡±

    ¡°Cousin, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± He Zhichu hung up the phone right after he finished speaking.

    His expression was extremely indifferent, and his sparkling almond-shaped eyes werepletely nk.

    However, Qin Zhiyuan didn¡¯t want to give up just like that. He thought about it again and again, but he still took the bus overnight to the He family¡¯s house and requested to see He Chengjian.

    ¡°Uncle, I just want to ask, is my brother¡¯s mistake really unforgivable?¡± Qin Zhiyuan had been worrying the entire way, and his face was very haggard. He looked at He Chengjian as if he was asking for help, and he was desperate. ¡°I just want to know, what else can I do to save my Brother¡¯s life? As long as you don¡¯t shoot him, you can even let him spend the rest of his life in prison!¡±

    He Chengjian raised his head from behind the desk, took off the reading sses on his nose bridge, and rubbed the acupoint between his eyebrows, then said regretfully, ¡°This matter is actually a misunderstanding, but it has caused an irreparable result. Now, the victim¡¯s family isining and demanding that he be shot. I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Victim? !¡± Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s legs went weak and he almost knelt down to He Chengjian. ¡°He... he killed someone? ! Didn¡¯t you say he was on a mission? !¡±

    ¡°As for what mission he was on, I can¡¯t tell you.¡± He Chengjian sighed and shook his head. ¡°But I can tell you that he made a big mistake during the mission and killed an innocent person. The family of this person won¡¯t let him go.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s hands and feet were cold. He stared nkly at He Chengjian for a while, and his voice changed. ¡°Then can you... let me see the family? I can... I can makepensation, no matter what kind ofpensation.¡±

    ording to theirw, even if it was a murder case, if the family understood and pleaded leniency, the murderer couldn¡¯t be sentenced to death.

    Moreover, Qin Zhining didn¡¯t intentionally kill someone, but killed her by ident while carrying out a mission.

    He Chengjian said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the family won¡¯t ept financialpensation, because she doesn¡¯tck money.¡±

    ¡°But maybe she needspensation from other aspects? As long as she asks, I can think of a way.¡± Qin Zhiyuan wiped away his tears. ¡°I only have this one brother. My parents died young, and it was my aunt who found uster and raised us. I can¡¯t watch my brother lose his life because of a mistake.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s wife, Qin Suwen, was Qin Zhiyuan and Qin Zhining¡¯s aunt.

    He Chengjian¡¯s heart softened when he heard Qin Zhiyuan mention his wife. He nodded. ¡°Okay, then go find Qin Yaoguang. If she can let this go, your brother won¡¯t have to be shot. Do you still know Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan was stunned. ¡°Qin Yaoguang? ! It¡¯s your stepwife, Qin Yaoguang? ! What does this have to do with her? !¡±

    ¡°Because the person your brother identally killed was her daughter, Gu Nianzhi.¡± He Chengjian lowered his head and said expressionlessly, ¡°Qin Yaoguang wants revenge for her daughter and wants your brother to pay with his life.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Gu Nianzhi? ! She... She¡¯s been missing for many years, hasn¡¯t she? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, we just found her recently, so Qin Yaoguang is very angry. You understand, right? To you, it¡¯s your brother. To her, it¡¯s her daughter.¡± He Chengjian ced his hands on the desk and looked up at Qin Zhiyuan. ¡°Do you still want to try?¡±

    ¡°... Try.¡± Qin Zhiyuan gritted his teeth. He would never be satisfied if he didn¡¯t try once.

    ..

    Early the next morning, it was Christmas Eve.

    Qin Zhiyuan came to the Qin family¡¯s private hospital and asked to see Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang was waiting for him. As soon as she heard that he asked to see her, she immediately asked someone to bring him in.

    ¡°Dean Qin.¡± Qin Zhiyuan used to call her Aunt Qin. However, ever since Qin Yaoguang moved out of the He family¡¯s mansion, Qin Zhiyuan only called her ¡°Dean Qin¡±.

    ¡°Zhiyuan, why are you looking for me?¡± Qin Yaoguang, who was wearing a whiteb coat, just came out of theb and said curtly, ¡°I still have something to do. I only have five minutes, so make it short.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan quickly said, ¡°Sorry to bother you. I want to ask about my brother, Qin Zhining. I¡¯m sorry for the pain and trouble he caused you...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here to plead on behalf of your brother?!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°A life for a life! What reason do you have to plead on behalf of a murderer? !¡±

    ¡°... But...¡± Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s lips opened and closed. ¡°He didn¡¯t mean it. It was an ident. I know that you suffered an immeasurable loss, and I know that you don¡¯tck money, but I still hope that I can make it up to you. As long as I can do it, I will do my best!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang still refused to budge.

    Qin Zhiyuan begged until he knelt down, but she still had a frosty look on her face. She was so angry that she even nned to leave with a flick of her sleeve.

    Just then, Wen Shouyi pushed the door open and came in. Seeing Qin Zhiyuan kneeling on the ground, she quickly went forward to help him up and said in surprise, ¡°Brother Xiaoyuan, what are you doing?¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan choked on his sobs and pulled her arm. ¡°Shouyi, can you help me persuade Dean Qin? Zhining has a special liking for you. He¡¯s in jail now. Can you help him? !¡±

    ¡°Huh? What happened to Brother Little Ning?¡± Wen Shouyi looked confused and turned to look at Qin Yaoguang. ¡°Aunt Qin, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang turned her head ufortably and said coldly, ¡°Shouyi, this has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t meddle.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan was slightly startled. ¡°Shouyi, you don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what?¡± Wen Shouyi was anxious and her expression appeared sincere. ¡°Aunt Qin, what are you talking about? What happened to Brother Ning Little Ning? !¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want Shouyi to know, but Qin Zhining killed my daughter and I can¡¯t even find her body. I really can¡¯t take this lying down! Qin Zhining must pay for my daughter¡¯s life!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was adamant about not letting go.

    Wen Shouyi widened her eyes in shock, as if this was the first time she had heard this news. ¡°What? ! Little Ning killed Nianzhi by mistake? ! Little Ning is going to be shot? ! But he killed her by mistake! I¡¯m awyer, and I know that idental manughter doesn¡¯t warrant the death sentence!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! My daughter¡¯s body is missing. If I don¡¯t let Qin Zhining pay for her death, I¡¯ll die with my eyes open!¡± Qin Yaoguang pretended to be very angry and red at Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi stood in front of Qin Zhiyuan and argued with Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Auntie Qin, don¡¯t be agitated. Can we discuss this again? Not only for Nian Nian¡¯s sake, but also for my sake, can you give brother Little Ning a chance? !¡±

    Although Qin Zhiyuan was upset, he was very touched when he saw Wen Shouyi going against Qin Yaoguang for Qin Zhining¡¯s sake.

    He originally didn¡¯t think much of Wen Shouyi and didn¡¯t approve of his brother¡¯s feelings for her.

    He didn¡¯t expect Wen Shouyi to stand up for him at the critical moment.

    After Qin Zhiyuan went around asking for help, he was suddenly met with Wen Shouyi¡¯s warmth and help. His impression of her changed greatly.

    Wen Shouyi saw that it was about time and gave Qin Yaoguang a look.

    Qin Yaoguang understood. She walked into the small resting room and mmed the door shut.

    Wen Shouyi turned to Qin Zhiyuan and said, ¡°Brother Xiaoyuan, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll go talk to Auntie Qin again. Aunt Qin is hot-tempered and straightforward, but she is actually quite soft-hearted. She found out that something had happened to Nianzhi, so she was anxious. You know that Nianzhi has been missing for several years. It wasn¡¯t easy for Young Master He to find her. It¡¯s understandable for her to be nervous.¡±

    Although Qin Zhiyuan didn¡¯t know about the existence of a parallel dimension, he also knew that He Zhichu had gone out to look for Gu Nianzhi in the past few years.

    He quickly nodded. ¡°Thank you, Shouyi. I¡¯ll wait for your news.¡±

    Wen Shouyi sent Qin Zhiyuan off and went to the resting room to chat with Qin Yaoguang for a while.

    The two of them had already discussed it beforehand and were just waiting for Qin Zhiyuan toe.

    ¡°... I really didn¡¯t expect Young Master He to be so ruthless. For that wretched girl, he would even give up on his cousin, whom he grew up with.¡± Qin Yaoguang was both amused and emotional. ¡°All the men in the He family are like that...¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s forehead twitched as she heard this. She suppressed the difort in her heart and said gently, ¡°Aunt Qin, Young Master He was being fair. If Qin Zhining didn¡¯t take the me, should he go against his father instead?¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡± Qin Yaoguang curled her lips and said snappily, ¡°It¡¯s actually very simple. As long as he hands over Nianzhi¡¯s body, I won¡¯t hold Qin Zhining ountable.¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell Qin Zhiyuan right now. He will definitely ask Young Master He for help.¡±

    ¡°Yes, a dead person can be exchanged for Qin Zhining¡¯s life. With Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s help, Young Master He probably won¡¯t refuse.¡± Qin Yaoguang analyzed calmly, then she turned on theputer and said, ¡°I also have to prepare the secretboratory immediately. After this, I won¡¯te out to deal with other things for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Auntie Qin, how can you note out?¡± Wen Shouyi looked at Qin Yaoguang in astonishment. ¡°You are the dean of such a big hospital!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang turned around and looked at her. She touched her round face and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I n to let you be the executive vice dean of the Qin family¡¯s Private Hospital. When I¡¯m not around, you will fully take over my position.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! Really? !¡± Wen Shouyi was surprised and happy. ¡°Auntie Qin has nurtured me so much, I really... really... I won¡¯t be able to repay your great kindness even if I die!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang could be said to be the true savior in Wen Shouyi¡¯s life.

    Seeing her so happy, Qin Yaoguang was also very happy inside. She pointed her finger at her forehead, ¡°Silly child, you¡¯re so capable and awyer. It would be a waste of talent to let you manage the hospital. In fact, you should go to the Senate and be the speaker.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qin, you think too highly of me.¡±Wen Shouyi stuck out her tongue. In front of Qin Yaoguang, she was like a cute little girl.

    ¡°I believe in my own judgment.¡± Qin Yaoguang was very excited. The thought of getting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body to do her experiment that she had stopped for more than a decade made her heart race.

    It had been more than a decade since she had published a first-rate academic article on biological genes.

    ¡°More than twenty years ago, our ¡®Gu Qin¡¯boratory published dozens of important academic articles every year. They practically begged ourboratory to publish articles on the topics of Cell, Science, Nature, etc.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was flushed as she recalled the grand asion of that year, and she even looked a few years younger.

    ¡°Huh? That impressive?¡± Wen Shouyi hadn¡¯t been born at that time, so she knew nothing about the grand asion. However, she said with great yearning, ¡°That¡¯s such a pity! If Nianzhi hadn¡¯t died, wouldn¡¯t you have been able to do more experiments? !¡±

    ¡°... You can¡¯t say that.¡± Qin Yaoguang chuckled and said sarcastically, ¡°If she hadn¡¯t died, how could I experiment on her again? ¡ª wouldn¡¯t Young Master He eat me alive?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was stumped for a moment and felt ufortable, but she didn¡¯t continue the topic. ¡°Then that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll go find Qin Zhiyuan and ask him to go find Young Master He to ask for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°Okay, just tell him that I only want to give her a funeral.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang began to draft the equipment, medicine, and manpower needed for the newly establishedboratory.

    Wen Shouyi went to Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s house and ryed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s request. She said regretfully, ¡°Brother Yuan, I can only help you and brother Little Ning here. I¡¯ve been trying to persuade Auntie Qin for a long time, and Auntie Qin reluctantly agreed. As long as you give Nianzhi¡¯s body to her and let her give her a funeral, she won¡¯t pursue brother Little Ning¡¯s responsibility anymore.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! Really? ! Dean Qin really only wants Nianzhi¡¯s body? !¡± Qin Zhiyuan didn¡¯t expect Qin Yaoguang to only make such a request. He couldn¡¯t help but have a much better impression of her. He could even empathize with her pain and hardship as a mother. ¡°It¡¯s all my brother¡¯s fault. It¡¯s all my brother¡¯s fault. I¡¯ll help her find Nianzhi¡¯s body now!¡±

    ¡°Okay, you can go to the prison and ask brother Little Ning where Nianzhi¡¯s body is.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan immediately asked He Chengjian for help. He wanted to go to the military prison to visit Qin Zhining. At the same time, he said that Qin Yaoguang had softened. As long as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body was given to her for her funeral, she wouldn¡¯t pursue the matter any further.

    He Chengjian was stunned for a moment, and his eyes narrowed. ¡°She really asked for that? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, Shouyi helped Little Ning plead for leniency.¡± Qin Zhiyuan had already nned to allow him to marry Wen Shouyi after Qin Zhining was released.

    He chengjian¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°You can go. It¡¯s good to see Qin Zhining.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan couldn¡¯t care less about He Chengjian¡¯s expression. He packed his things and hurried to the military prison to see Qin Zhining.

    When Qin Zhining heard that he wouldn¡¯t have to be shot, he let out a long sigh and leaned back in his seat. He smiled bitterly and said,¡±... I don¡¯t know where Nianzhi¡¯s body is, but I know that it was Young Master He who took her away in the end.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan thought of He Zhichu¡¯s attitude and his heart sank. But he had already reached this point. Even if he had to kowtow to He Zhichu, he would still have to beg him.

    Gu Nianzhi was already dead. Was he going to Watch Qin Zhining die as well?

    He didn¡¯t mean to kill her. It was just an ident!

    Therefore, after going around in circles, Qin Zhiyuan arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s official residence in the afternoon.

    ¡°Young Master He, Dean Qin has already agreed. As long as we hand over Nianzhi¡¯s body, she won¡¯t pursue Zhining¡¯s responsibility.¡± Qin Zhiyuan looked at He Zhichu hopefully, ¡°Young Master He, I know this is Zhining¡¯s fault. If you want to hit him and scold him, when hees out, you can hit and scold him all you want! But he doesn¡¯t deserve to die. Even if he wasn¡¯t my brother, I would still think so!¡±

    He Zhichu obviously knew that Qin Zhining didn¡¯t deserve to die, and that Qin Yaoguang was the one who had requested for Qin Zhining to be shot dead. He Zhichu just didn¡¯t interfere.

    However, when he heard that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s request was for them to hand over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body, He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled up, and he showed a derisive smile.¡±... this is her so-called maternal love? How cheap. As long as you hand over the body, she can spare the life of the person who killed her daughter... haha... whether you believe it or not, I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan: ¡°...¡±

    He also felt that this request was too easy, but even if he didn¡¯t believe it, he had to believe it. Because his only goal was to save his younger brother from the fate of being shot to death.

    ¡°Young Master He, I beg you...¡±Qin Zhiyuan had no choice. His knees finally gave way and he kneeled down to He Zhichu.

    Feeling extremely sad, he kneeled beside He Zhichu¡¯s feet. ¡°Young Master He, please, for the sake of us being cousins, give Zhining a way out!¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Qin Zhiyuan, who was kneeling at his feet, and sighed.

    This was what brothers should be like.

    His younger brother was in trouble, so the older brother went to great lengths to save him, no matter what the cost.

    But Nianzhi?

    She had almost lost her life, and as her fianc¨¦, he couldn¡¯t even get justice for her.

    If he had known that he couldn¡¯t do anything, he would have let her go sooner, and she wouldn¡¯t have suffered such an undeserved disaster.

    He Zhichu, thinking about the call he had just received from Gu Nianzhi, closed his eyes. She had smiled and saying that she was already recovering, she thanked him on the phone. He Zhichu¡¯s eyes felt dry and bitter. He was in so much pain and despair that he couldn¡¯t even shed a tear.

    He clenched his fists and coldly rejected Qin Zhiyuan, ¡°No! Who does Qin Yaoguang think she is? ! She can shoot whoever she wants to shoot, and she can let go whoever she wants to let go?! ¡ª¡ª From the beginning to the end, she had no right to interfere in this matter!¡±

 Chapter 1562 - Her Majesty, Queen Gu, Speaks Her Mind

    <h4>Chapter 1562: Her Majesty, Queen Gu, Speaks Her Mind</h4>

    Qin Zhiyuan was stunned by He Zhichu¡¯s words. He quickly asked anxiously, ¡°Then what do you mean? Are you going to shoot my brother? ! But he really doesn¡¯t deserve to die? !¡±

    He Zhichu raised his hand and pressed it on Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s shoulder. His sparkling almond-shaped eyes were dark as he said coldly, ¡°Whether he lives or dies, Qin Yaoguang doesn¡¯t have the final say. I don¡¯t have the final say either.¡±

    ¡°Then who? ! Who has the final say? ! Your father? ! But I begged your father, and he said...¡±

    Before Qin Zhiyuan could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by He Zhichu. ¡°Of course the victim has the final say.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s heart turned cold. He looked at He Zhichu with grief and indignation. ¡°Zhichu, I hadn¡¯t offended you all these years, had I? Yet you¡¯re ying me like this? ! You know Gu Nianzhi was already dead, yet you still want her to have the final say? ! If you want him to die, just say it!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s tone was cold, and his almond-shaped eyes seemed to be brewing snow. ¡°Who said she¡¯s dead? Who told you she¡¯s dead?¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan: ¡°...¡±

    His heart, which had just sunk to the bottom of the valley, suddenly started beating violently.

    ¡°You mean she¡¯s not dead? ! She¡¯s really not dead? ! That¡¯s great!¡± Qin Zhiyuan wiped the sweat off his forehead, but he was still so happy that he started to cry.

    No matter what, since the ¡°victim¡± didn¡¯t die, then his younger brother¡¯s life was saved.

    ¡°He Zhichu! How dare you y your oldest cousin like this!¡± Laughing with tears in his eyes, Qin Zhiyuan punched He Zhichu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you know that I was almost worried to death?!¡±

    He Zhichu sat back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said coldly, ¡°Who told you toe here and stir up trouble? No one told you that Zhining would be shot, so why are you jumping around and being used as a gun?¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan finally understood. From the beginning to the end, someone had been ying tricks on him.

    ¡°... My brother wouldn¡¯t be shot at all, right?¡± Qin Zhiyuan rubbed his head and sat down opposite He Zhichu.

    The curtains in the room weren¡¯t opened, and the light from the well-shaped ceilingmp on the ceiling shone white, pouring down from He Zhichu¡¯s head, covering his face in the shadows.

    He Zhichu held his coffee cup with two fingers and said lightly, ¡°I told you, whether he will be shot or not depends on whether the victim forgives him, so don¡¯t get involved.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s my younger brother. Tell me where Gu Nianzhi is, and I¡¯ll personally beg her. I¡¯ll agree to whatever conditions she asks for!¡± Qin Zhiyuan quickly expressed his conditions.

    ¡°What if she wants your brother to die?¡± He Zhichu scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so full of yourself.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan felt choked, and he smiled wryly. ¡°Zhichu, you don¡¯t understand my feelings. When I found out that my brother might be shot, I really felt like the sky was falling. My parents died early, and my brother and I lived together. We lived in an orphanage for several years before your mother, my aunt, found us and brought us up in the imperial capital. If I can¡¯t save him, how could I have the face to meet my parents in the afterlife?¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°I understand how you feel. When I saw Nianzhi get shot in the back and stop breathing in my arms, I felt exactly like you. The sky was falling, and I didn¡¯t want to live anymore.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan closed his eyes. ¡°I understand now. Zhichu, Nianzhi was your fianc¨¦e, and you¡¯ve always liked her. Zhining has gone too far this time. I¡¯ll discipline him well, and might persuade him to leave the army.¡±

    He Zhichu sipped his coffee and looked up after a while. ¡°I told you not to get involved in this anymore. I still have use for Qin Zhining. If someone wants to use him to stir up trouble, it¡¯s not safe to let him out.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s heart was still in the air. He really wanted to see Gu Nianzhi.

    However, He Zhichu said, ¡°Nianzhi has just recovered from her serious injuries, so she can¡¯t be too tired. Don¡¯t worry, unless she agrees, Zhining won¡¯t be shot.¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan quickly said, ¡°I just want to see her. After all, it¡¯s my brother¡¯s fault. As his older brother, it¡¯s okay for me to apologize on his behalf and makepensation for him, right?¡±

    ¡°Okay, you wait first. We¡¯ll talk again when we have the chance.¡± He Zhichu was perfunctory, and he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. However, he reminded Qin Zhiyuan, ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to Qin Yaoguang. Don¡¯t spread the news that Nianzhi is still alive. After all, someone is counting on receiving the ¡®body ¡®for the funeral...¡±

    Qin Zhiyuan saw that He Zhichu was fighting with his stepmother. He rubbed his nose and said, ¡°I see. Looks like I was really used as a gun.¡±

    ..

    After Qin Zhiyuan left, He Zhichu called He Chengjian and said righteously, ¡°General He, please transfer Qin Zhining¡¯s case to me. No one else is allowed to interfere.¡±

    He Chengjian saw that He Zhichu was finally willing to call him. He was delighted and agreed immediately. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Whatever you say. I won¡¯t care about Qin Zhining anymore. It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    He Zhichu snorted and said, ¡°And when are you going to officially divorce Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    He Chengjian immediately said, ¡°Right away! I¡¯ll have the Civil Affairs Bureau handle the paperwork personally!¡±

    He Zhichu still wasn¡¯t gratified even after Qin Yaoguang had finally been kicked out of the He family. He still had some anger left in him as he said, ¡°That woman is crazy! Why didn¡¯t I know she was that crazy before? !¡±

    She could no longer suppress her evil intentions towards Gu Nianzhi. The thought of it made He Zhichu¡¯s stomach churn.

    He Chengjian also knew that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s condition was for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°body¡±.

    He sighed. ¡°Your mother was right back then. The development of technology withoutws, morals, and ethics isn¡¯t the progress of mankind, but a disaster.¡±

    ¡°Back then, I thought Gu Xiangwen was the only crazy person. Now, it seems that these people who only think about science are all crazy. Look at Qin Yaoguang, what has she be?¡±

    ¡°When I first met her, she was still a smart and knowledgeable scientist. Now, she has be a monster with no humanity at all.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes sparkled and he changed the subject without batting an eye. ¡°Father, Nianzhi survived this time. Please stop meddling in our business. If you continue meddling, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll do something that will make you sad for the rest of your life.¡±

    He Chengjian was afraid of He Zhichu¡¯s threat.

    This son of his had risked his life to go to the other world to find Gu Nianzhi. Now, if Gu Nianzhi lost her life on their side, he didn¡¯t know what his son would do.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi had unexpectedly chosen tomit suicide. He Chengjian was also deeply shaken.

    Looking at the video of her bodly embracing her death, he couldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Children are all debtors...¡± He Chengjian shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t meddle in your affairs anymore, but you have to hurry up...¡±

    After all, he was a father, so he couldn¡¯t avoid nagging.

    He Zhichu nodded perfunctorily. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. If you don¡¯t meddle, you¡¯ll be doing me a huge favor.¡±

    He Chengjian solemnly promised to give him and Gu Nianzhi the freedom to decide their rtionship.

    He then asked in a fawning manner, ¡°Zhichu, today is Christmas Eve. Our He family¡¯s Christmas party is tonight. Will you be back?¡±

    He Zhichu replied with an ¡°mhm.¡± ¡°You¡¯re divorced, so of course I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    He Chengjian was overjoyed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get someone to decorate the ballroom. By the way, do you want an invitation? I¡¯ll get someone to send it to you? You can invite your own friends, colleagues, and subordinates.¡±

    The He family¡¯s Christmas party was considered an annual event in the Huaxia Empire. It received more attention than their national television station¡¯s Spring Festival G.

    Although the ball wasn¡¯t broadcasted live, the people who came in to attend the ball would walk the red carpet at the entrance.

    The major media outlets usually couldn¡¯t get invitations. They could only take photos of the people who attended the ball at the entrance of the He family¡¯s house and post them on the inte to show off.

    Other than the cab, senate, military bigwigs and their families, there were also a small number of invitations for outstanding people in the business, entertainment, sports, and academic circles.

    The number of people in this group was very small. There were less than fifty people each year, so thepetition in this area was very fierce. It was much more difficult than getting an invitation to the Academy Awards Party.

    He Zhichu hadn¡¯t been here for the past few years. He hadn¡¯t appeared at the Christmas party. Secretary Lin had even used this opportunity to chat with him thest time.

    He Zhichu called He Chengjian. One of his goals was to get an invitation to the Christmas party.

    He nodded. ¡°I need some invitations. How many can you give me?¡±

    ¡°Ah-Chu, don¡¯t talk to your old father like that.¡± He Chengjian was heartbroken. ¡°This is your home. Tonight¡¯s Christmas party is in your home. You¡¯ll be hosting it. You can have as many invitations as you want.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice softened. ¡°Okay, give me ten. There are some friends I want to invite.¡±

    ¡°No problem! I¡¯ll get someone to send you twenty! If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll make it up to you!¡± He Chengjian quickly called his personal secretary, who was in charge of the Christmas party, and instructed them to fulfill He Zhichu¡¯s request.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary obviously knew the importance of He Zhichu. Moreover, He Zhichu was definitely going to take over He Chengjian¡¯s position in the future. He would be their future leader. Even if he didn¡¯t curry favor with He Zhichu now, he would definitely not make things difficult for He Zhichu now, and risk making him angry.

    Only a fool would deliberately make things difficult for his future leader.

    After getting the invitation, He Zhichu called Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Young Master He? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Nianzhi put on her bluetooth headset and continued to y the game as she answered the phone.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice was very gentle. ¡°Nianzhi, Qin Zhining¡¯s brother, Qin Zhiyuan, came to see me today. He said that Qin Yaoguang had offered him a deal. As long as he give her your ¡®body¡¯, she won¡¯t ask to shoot Qin Zhining.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she pressed the wrong button. The character in the game had identally nded in a box¡±.

    ¡°Who does this Qin Yaoguang think she is? How can she be so shameless! Is she trying to piss me off so that she can inherit all my inheritance?¡± Gu Nianzhi was in no mood to eat chicken. She exited the game and said angrily, ¡°She even wants my ¡®body¡¯? ! Is she that eager for me to die? No, I can¡¯t take it anymore. Even if she¡¯s my biological mother, she¡¯s too overbearing!¡±

    He Zhichu knew that she would be angry, so he quickly tried to calm her down. ¡°Calm down. Besides, do you think I¡¯ll let you suffer? I¡¯m just reminding you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good reminder.¡± Gu Nianzhiid on the sofa and crossed her long legs, then saidzily, ¡°I just remembered that I haven¡¯t made a will yet. I¡¯ll get awyer to do it right away. If I really die from anger, I can¡¯t let my inheritance fall into her hands.¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s inheritancew stated that Gu Nianzhi was unmarried and childless, so her first heirs were her father and mother.

    Her father was legally dead, so the only legal heir was her biological mother, Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she wanted to hit someone when she thought that if she really died this time, all of her belongings, including her ¡°body,¡± might belong to Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made a mistake...¡± Gu Nianzhi mumbled, ¡°I want to make a very detailed will right away. The first rule is that Qin Yaoguang cannot have a single cent of my property!¡±

    He Zhichu saw that she was still so energetic, and felt as if he could see her lively expression blooming in front of him, so his mood suddenly improved. Heughed and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m qualified to be awyer. Do you want me toe over and make a will for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go to your ce, okay? Didn¡¯t you say that you were at the nearby base?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had checked the map of that ce. It was where Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special operations forces base in C City was located in the parallel world.

    She had lived there for six years...

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯lle pick you up.¡± He Zhichu was nowpletely obedient to her. He had even restrained his young master¡¯s temper, which he used to lose easily.

    Gu Nianzhi put down the phone and said to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, I want to go to Young Master He¡¯s base to make a will.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart clenched. ¡°What will? ! You¡¯re just a kid, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a legal document.¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder to let him sit down on the sofa, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Even though I don¡¯t have as much money as you do here, I¡¯ve made a small fortune. Most importantly, I want to determine the ownership of my ¡®body¡¯. I can¡¯t let that b*tch trample over my ¡®body¡¯ in the name of my birth mother!¡±

    Lu Jin turned his head in shock. ¡°What body? What are you talking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hide anything from Lu Jin. ¡°Young Master He just told me that Qin Yaoguang brought me here to negotiate with someone else. I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡±

    Lu Jin was anxious. ¡°You want to go up against Qin Yaoguang? ! She¡¯s capable of anything. Don¡¯t do anything rash!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the long view,¡± Gu Nianzhi assured Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be rash. She¡¯s not qualified to y legal games with me.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression changed. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Do you want me to step up? Maybe she¡¯ll turn her attention to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°Of course not. You¡¯ve finally gotten rid of that b*tch. How can I let you go out and be disgusted by her again? It¡¯s okay, I really have a way.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure, but she couldn¡¯t let Lu Jin worry.

    Her confident appearance had indeed convinced Lu Jin.

    After all, in Lu Jin¡¯s heart, they were both extremely intelligent people. Gu Nianzhi said she had a way, so she definitely had a way.

    And even if Gu Nianzhi failed, it didn¡¯t matter. He would take care of it.

    If Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t even let Gu Nianzhi go, Lu Jin would drag her down with him before he went to hell.

    The two of them chatted for a while before the doorbell rang.

    He Zhichu stood at the door and personally came to wee her to his base.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door alone and smiled. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re really fast.¡±

    ¡°Not far, just by the side.¡± He Zhichu looked her up and down. It had been more than a month since theyst met, and the thoughts in his heart had converged into a river. However, they could only flow quietly under the ice and snow, and would never see the light of day again.

    ¡°You¡¯ve recovered well.¡± He Zhichu suppressed the emotions in his heart and smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s just that the color of your lips is still a little pale.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were very full. Now that they had lost some of their color, the whiteness was obvious.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and smiled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do about it. I was injured too badly this time. I¡¯m already very satisfied that I was able to recover like this after a narrow escape. I¡¯ve never given myself any pressure.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He Zhichu nodded and led her to the military base next to him.

    He Zhichu¡¯s bulletproof car was surrounded by armed soldiers. Military vehicles lined the front and back of the road to the military base, which was only 200 meters away.

    The cars in front had already entered the military base, while the cars behind were still at the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s residential area.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the car captain andughed in horror. ¡°Young Master He, isn¡¯t this too much? Do you have to put on such a big show?¡±

    He Zhichu said nonchntly, ¡°That¡¯s a big show? Didn¡¯t you see the residential buildings around us? My snipers are all over the ce. If anyone dares to move, I¡¯ll blow their heads off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head like Lu Jin. ¡°... Boss, you¡¯re amazing.¡±

    He Zhichu rubbed her head. ¡°Stop fooling around. Isn¡¯t this all for you? Don¡¯t you know that she¡¯s waiting for your ¡®body¡¯? If I don¡¯t protect you properly, how can I live up to that earth-shattering ¡®motherly love¡¯?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her delicate nose and said with a hostile expression, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough. After I make my will today, I¡¯ll teach her a lesson!¡±

    He Zhichu immediately said, ¡°No problem, she just divorced my father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    What did these two things have to do with each other?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu with a half-hearted smile on her face. ¡°Young Master He, even if she was still Mrs. He, do you believe me if I say I would still do so?¡±

    ¡°I believe you, I believe you, of course I believe you.¡± He Zhichu raised his hands and said with a smile, ¡°Her Majesty, Queen Gu, speaks her mind.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, why are you suddenly so humorous?¡±Gu nianzhi rubbed her nose and looked at him sideways. ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her and thought, I can¡¯t change my mind, but what¡¯s so hard about changing my behavior?

    The two of them chatted andughed as they arrived at He Zhichu¡¯s official residence.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around. Although it was the same ce, the buildings inside werepletely different. Only the hill not far away looked simr.

    She couldn¡¯t find the same feeling she felt in the other dimension, so she became depressed. She followed He Zhichu into his official residence and began to draft her will without any distractions.

    They were both bigwyers, and there was a temte for such a will. The two of them finished it in less than half an hour.

    After signing her name and making three copies, it would take effect.

    Gu Nianzhi kissed the will that she had just made with satisfaction and said sarcastically, ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t have to worry about my ¡®body¡¯ anymore!¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    He took out a stack of invitations for the Christmas party tonight and said, ¡°Nianzhi, today is Christmas Eve. Our He family has a Grand Christmas party every year. Would you like to go to the Christmas party with me today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reflexively rejected him,¡±... Young Master He, that¡¯s not very good, is it?¡±

    ¡°The Qin family¡¯s private hospital group has two invitations. I don¡¯t know if Qin Yaoguang will go tonight,¡± He Zhichu said casually, ¡°But I want you to host the dance with me at this party and then announce that you¡¯re my sister.¡±

    This was a public renunciation of the engagement between the two of them.

 Chapter 1563 - Probably Hasnâ€™t Been Born Yet

    <h4>Chapter 1563: Probably Hasn¡¯t Been Born Yet</h4>

    ¡°Huh? ... You want me to be your sister?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes, which had their own ¡°erging contact lenses¡¯ effect, were wide open at this moment. ¡°Young Master He, please speak properly. Don¡¯t be so jumpy. I¡¯m timid, and I¡¯m afraid that my heart hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t stand such a sudden stimtion.

    Feeling a faint pain rising from there, she clutched her chest.

    He Zhichu frowned slightly and nced at her clutching her chest. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your heart hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet?¡±

    He remembered the power of that shot. Even now, he often saw her stop breathing in his nightmares...

    ¡°How can it heal so fast? It still hurts when I¡¯m caught off guard.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her chest lightly, and she said sheepishly, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to be like this. Since the Christmas party is so big, have fun. I won¡¯t be going.¡±

    She had been locked up in her apartment for more than a month and was already used to being alone with only two or three people.

    She still wasn¡¯t used to going to the He family¡¯s Christmas party, which was full of people and beautiful clothes.

    He Zhichu put his hands in his pockets and sat back on the windowsill. He stretched his long legs and his sparkling almond-shaped eyes twinkled, ¡°... Tonight¡¯s ball is the most anticipated event in the country. Everything that happens here will be spread across the country as quickly as possible. ¡ª If you don¡¯t want your mother to think about your ¡®body¡¯ anymore, this is an opportunity that can¡¯t be missed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood He Zhichu¡¯s intentions and red at him. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯ve also learned to be bad. You don¡¯t just blindly do things recklessly anymore. Instead, you know how to beat around the bush to achieve your best goal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned from my mistakes. I¡¯ve already learned from my mistakes, so naturally, I¡¯ll grow wiser.¡± He Zhichu pointed at his own head, then he smiled mockingly. ¡°How about it? Think about it carefully. You don¡¯t have to make a decision right away. You can go back and discuss it with President Lu and the others.¡±

    ¡°You still have four hours to make a decision.¡± He Zhichu looked at his watch. ¡°The other three hours are required to fly back to the imperial capital.¡±

    In other words, there were still seven hours before the Christmas party.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    It was undeniable that she was tempted by this opportunity.

    In order to get rid of Qin Yaoguang, she had made a will today, but this was only the first step.

    The most crucial step was to shut Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mouth and not allow her to call herself her biological mother.

    To her, she was only a biological mother, but a legal mother was much moreplicated than a biological mother.

    She thought about it and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think about it carefully when I get back. I¡¯ll give you an answer in four hours.¡±

    He Zhichu nned to take her back to the capital on his private jet. This was the safest way.

    He Zhichu sent Gu Nianzhi back to the apartmentplex where she lived. He patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait too long.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and watched He Zhichu¡¯s back disappear into the elevator. She then turned to open the door and walked in.

    In the apartment, Lu Yuan had also arrived. He sat on the sofa and looked at the documents in his hands.

    Lu Jin was standing in front of the window with a special pair of binocrs. He was looking out the window at an unknown ce.

    Hearing the sound of the door opening, he turned around and his eyes lit up. ¡°Nianzhi! You¡¯re back!¡±

    It was as if he hadn¡¯t seen her for hundreds of years.

    Actually, Gu Nianzhi had only been out for less than an hour.

    Lu Yuan sat on the sofa, and without looking up, he said, ¡°Lu Jin, wake up. Ever since Nianzhi went out, you¡¯ve been using a high-power infrared telescope to surveince He Zhichu¡¯s base. The only thing missing is to connect to themunications satellite and see what¡¯s going on inside He Zhichu¡¯s official residence.¡±

    Lu Jin wasn¡¯t ashamed. Instead, he was proud of himself. He smiled and said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always wanted tounch my own satellite, but Boss Lu was too cautious and refused.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    This was too exaggerated.

    However, the telescope in Lu Jin¡¯s hand did indeed look very high-end.

    She was certain that Major General Huo and the others didn¡¯t have such a high-grade telescope.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she walked over and asked curiously, ¡°These binocrs are amazing. Can I take a look at them?¡±

    Lu Jin immediately stuffed the binocrs into her hands and said generously, ¡°I¡¯ll give them to you. You can look at them however you want.¡±

    It was great to have a father like this!

    Gu Nianzhi naturally tiptoed and kissed Lu Jin on the cheek. ¡°Thank you, father!¡±

    Lu Jin was so dizzy from the kiss that all the blood in his body seemed to rush to his face. His brain was almost suffocating from theck of oxygen.

    He was on the verge of copse and quickly stood up by the windowsill behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi patted Lu Jin on the shoulder and asked nervously, ¡°Daddy, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine!¡± Lu Jin came back to his senses and shook his head to shake off the messy stars in front of him. He said, ¡°Good girl, have you made your will with He Zhichu?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and supported Lu Jin¡¯s arm as they walked to the sofa and sat down.

    Lu Yuan raised his eyes and looked at Lu Jin. He said expressionlessly, ¡°Lu Jin, are you crippled? You need someone to help you walk?¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re envious of me, Boss Lu.¡± Lu Jin exposed Lu Yuan¡¯s sorrows without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re already so old. Yet you don¡¯t get close to any women or men, and you have no children. I want to see what you¡¯ll do when you get old!¡±

    Lu Yuan scoffed and shook his head. He said casually, ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I can do the same thing as you. I can artificially inseminate myself and be a child to support me in my old age.¡±

    He stabbed Lu Jin¡¯s sore spot.

    But as soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan regretted it. Worried that she would feel ufortable, he nced at Gu Nianzhi.

    Because he had been focused on mocking Lu Jin, he had forgotten that Gu Nianzhi was also here.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was almost as big-hearted as Lu Jin. She didn¡¯t think about herself at all. Instead, she smiled so widely that her eyes curved into crescents. She asked, ¡°Then, does president Lu have a female candidate who he wants to provide the egg cells? Father, do you know any unmarried women of the right age who admire President Lu?¡±

    This was the first time Lu Jin had quarreled with Lu Yuan and had his daughter to back him up. He couldn¡¯t help butugh and say, ¡°A female candidate he likes? Hahahaha... she¡¯s probably not even born yet!¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    He really wanted to sew this person¡¯s mouth shut.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly coughed and tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve to change the topic. ¡°Dad, Young Master He just said that he wants to invite me to the He family¡¯s Christmas party tonight. Do you think I should go?¡±

    ¡°The He family¡¯s Christmas Party? It¡¯s very grand and very fun. If you want to go, then go. If you don¡¯t want to go, then don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t feel burdened.¡± Lu Jin patted the back of her hand, then he smiled sweetly and said, ¡°But if you want to go, you must be the host of the party. Otherwise, we won¡¯t go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan pretended not to hear Lu Jin¡¯s random suggestion. He put away the iPad in his hand and said amiably, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I want to go a little.¡± Gu Nianzhi used the thumb and index finger of her right hand to make a small grain of rice distance. She frowned and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t know if I can achieve my goal.¡±

    ¡°What goal?¡± Lu Yuan and Lu Jin asked together.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin and then at Lu Yuan. In the end, she still fixed her gaze on Lu Yuan.

    After all, Lu Yuan¡¯s suggestion was more objective, unlike Lu Jin, who had no idea how to write the word ¡°objective¡± when it came to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°President Lu, do you know what my mother has been doing recently?¡± Gu Nianzhi started from the beginning, ¡°... She¡¯s been moring for revenge for me, so she requested to shoot Qin Zhining. Then, she waited for Qin Zhining¡¯s biological brother, Qin Zhiyuan, to plead for mercy. She also said that she would spare Qin Zhining¡¯s life as long as Young Master He handed over my ¡®body¡¯.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°... so I was so disgusted that I really wanted to teach her a lesson. I wanted her to stop acting like a monster in the name of her mother.¡± Her face full of indignation, Gu Nianzhi sped her hands together in front of her chest. ¡°Also, what does Qin Zhining¡¯s matter have to do with her? Why does he have to be executed? Is there aw? !¡±

    Lu Yuan ced his iPad on the coffee table in front of him and reminded her, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Qin Zhining, but I advise you not to make a fuss about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand and asked back, ¡°Why not? I thought this was a good ce to start.¡±

    ¡°Think about it carefully. How long has Qin Yaoguang been calling for Qin Zhining to be shot?¡±L u Yuan broke the story down for Gu Nianzhi to hear. He was very patient and meticulous.

    Gu Nianzhi was also very eager to learn. Her jade-like eyes turned slightly. ¡°At least two weeks.¡±

    ¡°... has Qin Zhining been shot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Of course not. If he¡¯s already been shot, how can she negotiate with Qin Zhiyuan as a favor?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. He Chengjian is a sly old fox. How can he do whatever Qin Yaoguang wants him to do?¡± Lu Yuan tapped his fingers on the ss table. ¡°See, in fact, she was the only one who was making a fuss and jumping up and down. After two weeks, there was no movement, so she had to find another gun to help her scout the way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in realization. ¡°Huh? You mean, Qin Zhiyuan was also set up by her? Was he lured here by her?¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡± Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°I¡¯m analyzing it from amon sense perspective. The Department Qin Zhining belongs to isn¡¯t an ordinary department. All cases rted to Qin Zhining are confidential. How could Qin Yaoguang meddle in Qin Zhining¡¯s case?¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s my mother. Speaking as the victim¡¯s mother, she does have some rights and significance,¡± Gu Nianzhi said resentfully, ¡°I just n to catch her off guard tonight and make her stop using my name to trick people.¡±

 Chapter 1564 - Forever Imprinted

    <h4>Chapter 1564: Forever Imprinted</h4>

    Lu Yuan nced at Lu Jin discreetly, but Lu Jin lowered his head, and was no longer looking as smug as before.

    Gu Nianzhi was still hesitating. ¡°President Lu, do you think I should go? Young Master He said he would ask me to dance with him, and he even wants to publicly announce that I¡¯m his sister.¡±

    ¡°... Huh? !¡± Lu Jin suddenly raised his head, and his eyes appeared even rounder than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. ¡°... What for? !¡±

    ¡°Sister...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin in confusion, then at Lu Yuan. She said resentfully, ¡°Actually, when we were over there, Young Master He already said once that he wanted to treat me as his sister... but after he came here, he changed his mind.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled knowingly, and he said gently, ¡°That¡¯s not strange. Who wouldn¡¯t like someone as good as our Nianzhi? This means that he didn¡¯t actually give up on liking you. There was nothing he could do on the other side, so he could only give up. When he get here, there wasn¡¯t... your fianc¨¦, so naturally he¡¯ll have other thoughts.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been trained by Lu Jin to be much more thick-skinned these days. She was able to remain expressionless when faced with overwhelming praises andpliments.

    However, Lu Yuan¡¯s casual remark made her blush all of a sudden. She tried her best to resist the urge to cover her face. Gu Nianzhi felt embarrassed and modest.¡±... President Lu, you¡¯re exaggerating. I¡¯m not that good...¡±

    She thought to herself that these two probably didn¡¯t know that she had spent a lot of effort to woo Major General Huo back in the other world...

    ¡°Nianzhi is too modest. She¡¯s not like her father,¡± Lu Yuan joked.

    ¡°Of course my daughter is good. People who like her have good taste and intelligence. People who don¡¯t like her not only have bad taste, but they also have problems with their intelligence.¡± Lu Jin came back to his senses, and afraid that he would miss any opportunity to praise Gu Nianzhi, he quickly added.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled helplessly and said, ¡°Okay, okay. Your daughter isn¡¯t loved by everyone. She¡¯s just generally lovable.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    He wants to take back what he had just said!

    This father and daughter were really the same type of people!

    Lu Jin took it for granted and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand while saying,¡±... He Zhichu wants to break off the engagement with you?¡±

    By announcing that he would acknowledge her as his sister, of course he wanted to break off the engagement in disguise.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, to be honest, he¡¯s always been nice to me. It¡¯s just that... we¡¯re really not suitable for each other. I treat him like an older brother, so we can¡¯t be in a rtionship.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°But if he wants to acknowledge you as his sister, will He Chengjian agree?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t agree, he has to agree. I believe Young Master He will make him agree.¡±

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°Yes, He Chengjian¡¯s only weakness is his son. Whoever controls his son will be able to control He Chengjian. Now, it seems that our Nianzhi has the potential.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hands. ¡°No, no, no! As long as General He lets me go, I won¡¯t dare to control him.¡±

    She knew very well that this time, she had fought with her life not to move He Chengjian, but He Zhichu.

    In the end, he still couldn¡¯t persuade her.

    A part of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart softened. For He Zhichu¡¯s concession and letting go, he had left a permanent mark on her heart.

    Lu Jin lowered his head and pondered for a long time. He turned a deaf ear to Gu Nianzhi and Lu Yuan¡¯s idle chatter. Finally, he asked, ¡°Boss Lu, do you have an invitation from the He family?¡±

    ¡°Yes, our Lu Corporation has two invitations every year.¡± Lu Yuan smiled and nodded. ¡°Secretary Lin and I go every year. Why? Are you going this year?¡±

    Lu Jin made up his mind. ¡°If Nianzhi wants to go, I have to go too.¡±

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t go.¡± Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Jin had been avoiding the He family for the past few years and didn¡¯t want to get too close to his old acquaintances.

    Even though he had undergone stic surgery and even his voice had changed, his way of doing things was too distinctive. If someone who was very familiar with him had been with him for a long time.., perhaps he would remember Gu Xiangwen, the genius scientist who had a antisocial disorder in the past.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want Lu Jin to be in danger again because of her.

    Lu Jin stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lithe and charming face and insisted, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just going to watch the show. I won¡¯t give myself away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Something sounded wrong.

    She shook her head and insisted, ¡°Dad, you really shouldn¡¯t go. President Lu can go with me. You stay behind and provide us with technical support, okay?¡±

    ¡°Technical support?¡± Lu Yuan didn¡¯t know what Gu Nianzhi was going to do. ¡°What kind of technical support?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and gestured for him to make a call. ¡°Just monitor the scene and inform us in time.¡±

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°But the He family¡¯s Christmas party security is very strong. Ourpany can¡¯t get involved at all.¡±

    ording to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s n, she had to hack into the he family¡¯s Mansion¡¯s surveince system. The Huaxia Empire¡¯s security system was one of the highest.

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll go hack into their security system now. Wait for me, my daughter. I¡¯ll give you something good...¡±

    He ran upstairs to his room excitedly.

    Lu Yuan looked at Lu Jin¡¯s back and scoffed. ¡°What a good brother. You¡¯re actually hiding it from me...¡±

    ¡°President Lu, what do you mean? Why are you talking about my father like that?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted unhappily.

    Just like Lu Jin had been protecting Gu Nianzhi all the time, Gu Nianzhi also instinctively protected Lu Jin. She didn¡¯t allow anyone to treat him with any contemptuous attitude.

    If there was, she would fight with anyone she saw do it. At worst, she would make that person¡¯s life a living hell.

    Lu Yuan was also very happy to see that the father and daughter were getting along well. He smiled as he said, ¡°Your father is so sly... I asked him to test the He family¡¯s security system in the past, and he actually said it was tooplicated to crack... but it¡¯s not that he can¡¯t crack it, but it¡¯s that he won¡¯t do it for me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi needed him to crack it, so he did it right away.

    Gu Nianzhi was happy to hear that, but she still tried to put on a humble expression. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, President Lu. You¡¯re overthinking it. Of course my father is nicer to me. Isn¡¯t that natural? You won¡¯t be angry, right?¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    He had to admit that Lu Jin¡¯s daughter was really Lu Jin¡¯s true disciple.

    He didn¡¯t want to lower himself to the level of the father and daughter. He calmly picked up the iPad, opened the invitation system, and looked at the guests tonight. He said, ¡°It¡¯s really lively today. There are 100 more invitations than in previous years. It seems like it¡¯s so grand to wee He Zhichu home. He hasn¡¯t attended the He family¡¯s Christmas party in four years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was lost in thought for a moment before she finally decided. ¡°Then I¡¯ll agree to attend with Young Master He.¡±

    Lu Yuan looked up at her. ¡°Have you thought it through? I just checked. The Qin Corporation has a total of four invitations. Qin Yaoguang, Old Master Qin, Wen Shouyi, and one of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s cousins are all going to attend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Wen Shouyi? Why is she attending with the Qin Corporation?¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang just divorced He Chengjian today, and she¡¯s even going to the He family¡¯s Christmas party tonight. Why is she so thick-skinned?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself, and couldn¡¯t help but want to give Qin Yaoguang a thumbs up for her mental endurance.

    Was it possible that thick-skinned people had better psychological endurance?

    Lu Yuan opened the information he had collected on Qin Yaoguang, and he reminded her solemnly, ¡°A woman who can still be good friends with her ex-fianc¨¦¡¯s family for 30 years after her marriage was annulled, and a woman who used her own daughter as an experiment, cannot be analyzed withmon sense.

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your enemy just because you won against her once. She is also an outstanding medical scientist and biologist. She was the first person toe up with the theory of ¡®gene editing¡¯. She is only one step away from winning the Nobel Prize.¡±

 Chapter 1565 - A True Genius

    <h4>Chapter 1565: A True Genius</h4>

    ¡°Just her? How could she be so close to the Nobel Prize? !¡± Gu Nianzhi looked as if she had been struck by lightning, and made Lu Yuanugh.

    He wasn¡¯t young anymore, but after the passage of time, his smile had a captivating charm. It was like aged wine, the older it was, the more deliciousit became.

    Lu Jin happened toe down from the second floor with aptop in his arms. He sat down beside Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask your father.¡± Lu Yuan took the opportunity to point his chin at Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned to look at Lu Jin, who had just sat down, and pushed his arm. ¡°Isn¡¯t is true, Dad? Is she really that good?¡±

    Lu Jin sighed, which was rare for him, and said, ¡°It¡¯s true. Qin Yaoguang is quite aplished academically.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally believed that Qin Yaoguang wasn¡¯tpletely useless after being praised by someone like Lu Jin.

    ¡°She is indeed very inspiring in the field of biomedicine.¡± Lu Jin ced hisptop on the coffee table in front of him and stirred it with his hands in front of him. With a straight face, he said, ¡°Especially after He Zhichu was born and learned about hHe Zhichu¡¯s congenital gic defect, she was even more determined to treat him.¡±

    ¡°She came up with the idea of ¡®gene editing¡¯ in order to treat He Zhichu.¡±

    ¡°What is gene editing?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. ¡°It sounds very grand.¡±

    ¡°From a theoretical point of view, gene editing is the reediting of DNA fragments in the human body, removing problematic genes, and adding intact genes.¡±

    ¡°It can be said that the emergence of the gene editing theory makes it possible for perfect human genes to move from theory to reality.¡±

    Lu Jin narrowed his eyes and looked at Gu Nianzhi. He suddenly looked away. His hands clenched into fists, and his arms trembled slightly.

    He didn¡¯t want to say it, but seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s confused expression, he felt that he should say it anyway.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re the first perfect human gene that we¡¯ve created through gene editing technology, but you¡¯re also thest.¡± Lu Jin hugged his head and almost fell to his knees.

    Although she was mentally prepared for this, Gu Nianzhi was still shocked by Lu Jin. After a while, she touched the back of her neck and said in disbelief, ¡°... Me? Perfect gene?¡±

    Lu Jin held his head and nodded. In a muffled voice, he said, ¡°You have the only set of pure human genes in the world, without any non-humanponents. You have to know that the current human genes actually contain eight percent of non-human genes, but you don¡¯t. All the non-human genes in your DNA have been removed by me, and then I added aplete human gene fragment that has a supporting effect.¡±

    ¡°This is still not perfect,¡± Lu Jin said as he gradually raised his head. After all, this was a very cutting-edge scientific field. To a person like him, it was iparably tempting.

    He looked ahead, and there was light in his jet-ck eyes. ¡°Nianzhi, do you know? The truly perfect gene is not onlypletely healthy and doesn¡¯t have the slightest bit of mutation, but when it is damaged, it can also automatically repair itself! ¡ª Allowing the human body to have the ability to automatically repair itself was the perfect genebination.

    ¡°This was once the result of our research.¡±

    ¡°In the beginning, we only discovered that your gene could automatically repair damaged genes. Therefore, it was very effective against He Zhichu¡¯s congenital gene defect.¡±

    ¡°However, in the four years after I left, Qin Yaoguang discovered that your gene could not only repair the gene defect, but it could also automatically repair the damage to your own body!¡±

    ¡°Your gic potential is even more perfect than we imagined!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank, and the smile on her face disappeared in an instant.

    She had the most perfect and purest human genes. Not only could her genes repair damage on the gic level, but she could also repair damage on the physical level!

    She finally understood why she had suffered such a serious injury that she could quickly heal without medicine or surgery.

    This was her unique constitution.

    It was no wonder that she was able to recover from such a serious gunshot wound even though she was on the verge of death.

    In just over a month¡¯s time, all the wounds on her body had recovered to the same state as before.

    There were so many small shrapnel embedded in her heart. If it was an ordinary person, they would have already been dead by now.

    However, because of the powerful physical recovery ability brought about by her perfect genes, she persevered through it. The damaged part of her heart on her chest was restored to its original state.

    She stared fixedly at Lu Jin with a dazed expression on her face.¡±... Dad, then tell me, am I still considered a human?¡±

    She clutched her chest. ¡°Is what¡¯s beating here a real heart?¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her with his mouth agape. He pulled her into his arms and caressed her head, then he said anxiously, ¡°Nianzhi, what are you thinking about? Of course you¡¯re human. Half of your genes came from me. I only fixed some of the imperfections in your genes, but that¡¯s not the main reason. In terms of gic factors, I gave all my genes to you!¡±

    His voice was loud and powerful, and as if she had been enlightened, Gu Nianzhi was pulled back from the brink of cognitive confusion.

    Her eyes turned from hazy to clear and bright, and her big ck and white eyes moving nimbly. She leaned into Lu Jin¡¯s arms while listening to his increasingly intense heartbeat, then she smiled quietly.

    ¡°... but it sounds like you¡¯ve contributed more. Why is it that Qin Yaoguang is one step away from the Nobel Prize, and not you?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up and asked curtly.

    Lu Jin looked down at her and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He let go of his hand and shifted his gaze to the side. He looked around and said,¡±... As for that, why does it matter who gets it? Why do you care?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Of course it¡¯s different. What are you hiding?¡±

    Lu Yuan burst outughing, and he said, ¡°You still haven¡¯t thought of it? Nianzhi, because your father already got it! Yet Qin Yaoguang only came up with the concept of gene editing, but it wasn¡¯t perfected, so she¡¯s still a step away from the Nobel Prize.¡±

    ¡°But your father has already won the Nobel Prize a long time ago, and has won it twice. One time, it was a breakthrough in high-energy maic fields, and the other time, it was the invention of a gene editing tool.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped.

    Two Nobel Prizes, once in physics, and once in biomedical science.

    What was a genius?

    This was a true genius.

    He could do practically anything.

    Gu Xiangwen, who was here, was once a genius scientist who was famous both at home and abroad, right?

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought of Gu Xiangwen, who was also in the other world. He also had the potential to be this smart, right?

    But he had spent his entire life hiding his identity.

    Wasn¡¯t this a different fate?

    Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi was staring at him in a daze and didn¡¯t say anything. He was a little uncertain, so he moved closer to her and whispered, ¡°... Nianzhi, you weren¡¯t even born when I won the award. I didn¡¯t use you as an experiment carrier to win the award.¡±

    She was born after all these technologies had matured.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched. Did she care about all this?

    Seeing that she still didn¡¯t speak, Lu Jin was anxious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t believe me? I can show you my Nobel Prize certificate. It has the date of the award, five years before you were born! There¡¯s also a video of me receiving the award in Stockholm. It was given to me by the King of Sweden... The two awardspensation wasn¡¯t much, and I¡¯ve already donated them...¡±

    The Nobel prize money had broken through the million-dor mark in recent years. Of course, it wasn¡¯t much to Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and finally said, ¡°Okay, I believe you. I¡¯m... just too shocked right now. I¡¯m a little scared too.¡±

    She looked at Lu Jin¡¯s face and her gaze finallynded on Lu Yuan. She said expressionlessly, ¡°... I feel like I¡¯ve be a monk or a ginseng fruit. How many people know about my special constitution? Can I still live until tomorrow?¡±

    Lu Yuan stopped smiling and became seriou. ¡°Nianzhi, you can doubt me, but you can¡¯t doubt your father. In order to protect you, he had used all sorts of methods over the years to erase all the data that you left behind in this world. He had even tried to modify the fragments of your genes that Qin Yaoguang had left behind.¡±

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t fall into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands again, you¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ability to repair your genes is also in the testing stage. It was because she wasn¡¯t sure that she had done everything she could...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued sarcastically, ¡°She had done everything she could to get my ¡®body¡¯ to do the experiment.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t believe that she would be able to survive such a serious gunshot wound.

    ¡°So, as soon as I show up tonight, Qin Yaoguang will know that my gic repair ability is even more perfect than what she thought, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi calmed down and frowned.

    What could she do to give Qin Yaoguang a hard blow and dispel her suspicions and covetousness?

 Chapter 1566 - Thank God

    <h4>Chapter 1566: Thank God</h4>

    Lu Jin saw Gu Nianzhi frowning and thinking hard, so he quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go. If I go, I can just casually say something to get her attention if I want to, so she won¡¯t keep an eye on Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Yuan sighed, then said disapprovingly, ¡°That¡¯s not good. You¡¯ve been looking for many opportunities to get close to Qin Yaoguang over the years, but she¡¯s too vignt. She¡¯s afraid of being ambushed and unknowingly hypnotized. There¡¯s even an anti-hypnosis chip imnted in her brain. There¡¯s no way to control her at all.¡±

    ¡°Then destroy her body.¡± Gu Nianzhi made up her mind and blurted out.

    Her expression was stubborn. She raised her chin slightly and did not ept any rebuttal.

    So what if she was her mother?

    She thought about how this woman had used Gu Nianzhi since she was two years old to conduct all sorts of experiments that would cause great physical harm, just to test the extent to which her genes had repaired the damage to her body. Gu Nianzhi wanted to do all those experiments on this woman from the beginning to the end.

    She would do the same to her.

    Since she did not treat her as a daughter, she would not treat her as a mother.

    Lu Jin and Lu Yuan looked at each other and smiled bitterly. ¡°If it were that easy, we would have done it a long time ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°... Is it that difficult?¡± She was very confused. ¡°Does Qin Yaoguang have a lot of bodyguards around her?¡±

    ¡°Her security level used to be only one level lower than He Chengjian¡¯s. Think about it.¡± Lu Yuan swiped open the IPAD and showed Gu Nianzhi a schematic diagram he had made before.

    ¡°Look here. Every time she goes out, these are the security guards around her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at it and was instantly stunned by the little red dots that were everywhere on the sketch.

    There were so many people protecting her.

    She said in surprise, ¡°This woman is really afraid of dying!¡±

    ¡°Of course, she still has so many goals to achieve. How could she bear to die?¡± Lu Jin pursed his lips. ¡°And she has several sets of bulletproof vests that I made back then...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was just thinking about using a sniper...

    Well, forget about it.

    Lu Jin¡¯s small phone made of bulletproof materials could block even heavy sniper bullets, so his serious bulletproof vests must be even more powerful.

    Gu Nianzhi mumbled, ¡°She is armed to the teeth... are we going to use missiles to deal with her?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about how to deal with her first.¡± Lu Yuan saw that her imagination was running wild so he shook his head with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s better to think about how to appear tonight. Just don¡¯t let her be too surprised.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Gu Nianzhi firmly objected. Her mindset was the same as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. She believed that the best defense was to attack. ¡°I have to cut off her fighting ability before shees back to her senses to deal with me.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pondered over it. On her first day at the He family¡¯s residence, she had cut off Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hand tendons so that she could no longer perform sophisticated brain surgery.

    ¡°... Does my genes have a restorative effect on other people¡¯s physical damage?¡± Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought of this question.

    She looked at her hands. Her fingers were straight and slender, and her joints werepletely invisible.

    She had been injured before, but there were no scars on her body, so she had healed very well.

    If Qin Yaoguang had known that her genes had a restorative effect on other people¡¯s physical damage, she would definitely keep an eye on her.

    However, Lu Jin quickly shook his head. ¡°Your genes are able to repair other people¡¯s gic defects, but it¡¯s impossible for them to repair physical damage.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You mean, my genes are only able to repair my own physical damage?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up, and she suddenly felt like she was alive again.

    In this world, there were very few people with congenital gic defects like He Zhichu.

    However, because of various reasons, many people had their bodies damaged.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t imagine what it would be like if her genes could also repair other people¡¯s bodily damages!

    Lu Jin exined to her, ¡°Your genes can repair your own bodily damage, and this process requires aplete gene chain to work together. In other words, if other people also relied on their genes to repair their body damage, they would need all of your gene chain. ¡ª and that¡¯s impossible. Because one person¡¯s genes cannot bepletely reced with another person¡¯s genes.¡±

    Gene editing also involved editing, deleting, and recing gene fragments, but that was only a small portion of targeted recement; it absolutely could not rece all of the genes.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a huge sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s great. Does Qin Yaoguang know about this?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not even sure if your genes can repair your own physical damage, let alone think so far ahead.¡±

    Lu Jin was quite familiar with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s way of thinking.

    The two of them used to be quitepatible in scientific research. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have built the Gu-Qinb together.

    At this moment, Gu Nianzhi felt like she had ¡°narrowly escaped death¡±.

    Thank God, thank God, thank God she had a father named Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from the sofa and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. She was lost in thought for a moment as she looked out at the blueke scenery.

    After getting rid of her biggest concern, her mind was obviously active.

    Soon, she thought of an idea.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stick to the original n. I¡¯ll go to the He family¡¯s Christmas party tonight with Young Master He.¡± She turned her head from the floor-to-ceiling window, then smiled. ¡°But I¡¯ll be sitting in a wheelchair with a nasal oxygen tube in my nose and a drip on my wrist. I¡¯ll just look like I¡¯ve just been rescued from the brink of death.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°That¡¯s right. You should discuss it with Young Master He and ask him to cooperate with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and went to call He Zhichu.

    The two of them talked for a long time and finally came to an agreement.

    An hourter, He Zhichu came to pick Gu Nianzhi up on the ne.

    He Zhichu was mentally prepared, but when he saw her ¡°fully armed¡±, he was still shocked and almost stopped breathing.

    Her waist-length seaweed-like hair cut into shoulder-length strands, Gu Nianzhi sat in a multi-purpose wheelchair.

    Her palm-sized face was pierced with a nasal oxygen tube, and her face was so white that it was almost transparent. It was obvious that she had just recovered from a serious injury.

    Her thin neck chain protruding from her corbone, she was wearing a simple ck dress.

    He saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyelids were drooping, and she looked weak. This perfectly illustrated the situation where she had just been brought back from the brink of death.

    ¡°... Do you need to be like this?¡± If He Zhichu hadn¡¯t seen Gu Nianzhi jumping around moments before, he would have been scared by her.

    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her leg. There was a soft, ashy grey nket draped over it that matched her ck dress perfectly.

    He Zhichu shook his head speechlessly. He pushed her wheelchair and walked into the elevator.

    After they got out of the elevator, a few guards came over with bulletproof ck umbres. They covered He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi and escorted them to the bulletproof car.

    Gu Nianzhi had discussed this with He Zhichu beforehand. He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi was going to the capital in a wheelchair, so he drove arge SUV that could carry the wheelchair directly to the capital.

    The group quickly arrived at the airport and boarded He Zhichu¡¯s private ne to fly to the capital.

    Their private ne had just taken off when Lu Yuan and Lu Jin also arrived at the airport and took their own private ne to fly to the capital.

    ..

    It was already five o¡¯clock in the afternoon when the ne arrived at the capital airport.

    The He family¡¯s Christmas party started at seven o¡¯clock in the evening.

    He Zhichu took her directly back to the He family¡¯s mansion.

    Gu Nianzhi had been pushed back in a wheelchair and had even taken a nap. To outsiders, she had been sent here in a a¡±.

    Qin Yaoguang had originally not wanted to go to the He family¡¯s Christmas party, but her father had already reported her name, so she was throwing a tantrum.

    ¡°I said I¡¯m not going. Why do you have to force me? !¡± She smashed a Tang tricolor horse antique decoration on the Treasure Pavilion.

    ¡°Because you divorced General He, it¡¯s all the more reason for you to attend this party today! Our Qin family relies on ourselves to stand at the top of this country. You and General He parted on good terms, so it won¡¯t affect our business rtionship.¡± Old Master Qin tried his best to persuade Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Stop fooling around. Go change your clothes.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was also very stubborn. She sneered and took another suet jade tube from the treasure pavilion. Without looking, she threw it on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not going. What can you do? !¡±

    Old Master Qin was so angry that his liver hurt. He grinned and said,¡±... Take it easy. This is a suet jade from the Song dynasty. You can¡¯t even buy it with money!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was about to sneer at him when Wen Shouyi knocked on the door and said urgently, ¡°Auntie Qin! Gu Nianzhi has appeared!¡±

    ¡°Where is she? !¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes darted over. ¡°Is she not dead? !¡±

    ¡°No, but she hasn¡¯t recovered from her serious injury. She seems to have juste out of the operating room. She¡¯s in a wheelchair with a nasal oxygen tube inserted. She¡¯s been unconscious for the whole time.¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly told Qin Yaoguang the news she had heard.

    ¡°How do you know so much? Is it fake news?¡± Qin Yaoguang frowned.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Wen Shouyi lowered her voice and quickly nced at Old Master Qin, who was standing next to her. She whispered, ¡°My father told me. He saw it when he was building a bush at the gate...¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents were both gardeners from the He family. Although she had been kicked out of the He family, her parents were still gardeners in the He family, so they didn¡¯t get kicked out.

    Because her parents¡¯ status was too low, they couldn¡¯t even enter the main entrance of the house, so the He family didn¡¯t bother to kick them out.

    As Wen Shouyi spoke, she showed Qin Yaoguang a photo that her father had secretly taken.

    In the photo, He Zhichu was carefully pushing a wheelchair past the flower path.

    The setting sun, casting a shadow over Gu Nianzhi, who was standing in front of him, shone from behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was wearing a ck dress, looked even paler. She tilted her head and leaned against the back of the wheelchair without moving at all. Not only was there an oxygen tube on her face, but there was also an IV drip in her hand.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s pupils dted abruptly, but she soon let go and said as if nothing had happened. ¡°Since she¡¯s here, I¡¯ll go. After all, she¡¯s my daughter. I don¡¯t know how she survived such a serious injury.¡±

 Chapter 1567 - A Tough Battle Ahead

    <h4>Chapter 1567: A Tough Battle Ahead</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was brought back to the He family mansion by He Zhichu, and sent directly to her own room.

    The room was heavily guarded outside, and He Zhichu was the only one in the room who personally took care of her.

    He Chengjian heard that He Zhichu had returned and even brought Gu Nianzhi back, so he hurried over.

    ¡°Ah-Chu, you¡¯re back.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s gaze swept past He Zhichu¡¯s face and looked at Gu Nianzhi in her wheelchair. He couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°... How is her injury?¡±

    ¡°How can it be? Try using a rifle on yourself?¡± He Zhichu said bluntly without even lifting his head.

    ¡°... Didn¡¯t you find a good doctor who sessfully performed the surgery for her?¡± He Chengjian had also heard of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surgery at West Camp Hospital.

    ¡°Yes, if I hadn¡¯t found a good doctor, she would already be dead by now.¡± He Zhichu said coldly, ¡°I want to ask General He, are you satisfied with her half-dead state? Do you still want to use her as bait to catch someone? If so, tell me clearly now, and I¡¯ll catch that person togetherter.¡±

    He Chengjian was embarrassed by his words, but he did not dare to get angry. He said embarrassingly, ¡°How many times have you said it? I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t meddle in your business anymore...¡±

    He nced at Gu Nianzhi from the corner of his eye. He felt both pity and regret.

    Gu Nianzhi had suffered such a serious injury. Even if she recovered in the future, her body definitely would not be the same as before. She might not be able to get out of the wheelchair for the rest of her life, right?

    She had been shot in the back. It was most likely a spinal injury.

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes and his almond-shaped eyes shed. ¡°General He is a man of his word. I hope you will remember what you said. I have my own ns for my own matters.¡±

    He Chengjian breathed a sigh of relief and smiled fawningly. ¡°Good, good, good. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. By the way, I¡¯ve already divorced Qin Yaoguang. I just went through the formalities this morning.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Congrattions.¡± He Zhichu raised his eyes and his attitude softened.

    He Chengjian choked for a moment and quickly asked, ¡°You are hosting the Christmas Dance tonight. Who are you going to dance with?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi definitely was not going to be able to dance like this.

    He Zhichu said without hesitation, ¡°Nianzhi, of course.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± He Chengjian was stunned. ¡°Her? ... Can she stand up?¡±

    He Zhichu looked back at He Chengjian from the corner of his eyes and smiled wickedly. ¡°Who said that you can¡¯t dance while in a wheelchair? I¡¯ll show youter.¡±

    He Chengjian: ¡°...¡±

    Forget it, he decided not to argue with his son. After all, he could do whatever he wanted. As long as he was willing toe back, he had nothing else to ask for.

    ..

    At six o¡¯clock in the evening, the roads near the He family¡¯s mansion were crowded with all kinds of luxury cars that were parked by the roadside.

    From the cars, all the well-dressed gentlemen anddies, wealthy businessmen, high-ranking officials and dignitaries, celebrities, and academic bigwigs walked toward the He family¡¯s mansion with invitations in their hands.

    On the evening of Christmas Eve, the temperature in the imperial city had dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius. The cold wind was biting cold.

    It was about a five-minute walk from the warm car to the warm shed in front of the He family¡¯s mansion. Everyone was so excited that they did not feel cold at all when they walked over.

    There were staff in the warm shed checking the invitations, and there were also security guards checking everyone¡¯s security.

    There were simple stands on both sides of the greenhouse that were prepared for the news media that could not enter.

    Those media personnel carried all kinds of equipment on their backs, and some of them had even turned on live webcasts to broadcast this once-a-year grand asion for everyone.

    The people who could appear here were truly top-level figures of the empire.

    Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin came over in a modified bulletproof Rolls-Royce Phantom.

    The car stopped and the bodyguard in front opened the car door for her.

    Two other bodyguards surrounded her on her left and right. One of the bodyguards even held a bulletproof ck umbre,pletely shielding her from view.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression was the same as usual. She wore a Vera Wang custom-made champagne-coloredce evening gown. It was the only one in the world, so she definitely was not worried about wearing the same gown as someone else.

    Her figure was exquisite and curvy, and her waist was slightly plump. However, given her age and the fact that she had given birth to a child, she had already taken good care of herself.

    Her hair was tied up in a bun at the back of her head. Each 0.5-carat diamond was pieced together into the shape of a in flower. It was embedded in the hair band and circled around the edge of the bun.

    As soon as she walked around, the diamond in hair band around the top of her hair bun almost shone like a rainbow under the night light.

    Without a doubt, she became the center of attention.

    Old Master Qin was wearing a custom-made Armani suit. He had white hair and a vigorous face. He was in high spirits and smiled when he saw people. When he greeted them, his voice was loud and pleasant. Soon, he started chatting with a few old friends from the business and political industries.

    These people didn¡¯t know about the divorce between Qin Yaoguang and He Chengjian.

    When they saw her and Old Master Qin get out of the car, they were a little surprised. They gathered around and asked carefully, ¡°Old Master Qin, your daughter went to pick you up personally to attend the Christmas Party?¡±

    A few years ago, He Zhichu was not at home. Qin Yaoguang was the hostess of the Christmas party and was the one who hosted the dance with General He.

    Old Master Qin did not shy away at all. He smiled and said, ¡°We are all guests today. Please don¡¯t treat us as strangers.¡±

    ... all guests?

    That was interesting.

    The people who coulde today were all shrewd people. They knew the ulterior meaning of his words, so no one asked further.

    However, after returning, these people were all muttering in their hearts. Qin Yaoguang, the original hostess, had be a guest today. Didn¡¯t that mean that she was no longer a member of the He Family?

    Then did she divorce him?

    Qin Yaoguang was livid with anger. However, for the sake of a bigger goal, she still tried her best to endure it. On the surface, she appeared unperturbed.

    She followed the crowd towards the He family¡¯s warm shed. In a trance, she felt as if she had returned to more than thirty years ago. She did not give up. She had to follow her father to see He Chengjian and Qin Suwen¡¯s engagement ceremony with her own eyes.

    It was also on this winter day, the He family¡¯s Christmas Eve Ball. She wore a bright red silk traditional dress and an Indian ruby pendant on her forehead. Beautiful and moving, she was dressed like a raging fire.

    However, He Chengjian¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t stop on her for even a moment. He kept looking at the ordinary-looking woman beside him, as if she was all his treasures...

    That gaze was like a scar, deeply engraved on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face.

    After so many years, that scar didn¡¯t fade away. Instead, it became deeper and deeper.

    Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t help but raise her hand and touch her own face.

    Wen Shouyi followed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s cousin out of a lengthened bulletproof Cadic at the back. She walked quickly and came to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side. Seeing that she was a little absent-minded, she hurriedly raised her hand to hold Qin Yaoguang¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Auntie Qin, are you okay?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang returned to her senses and gently patted the back of her hand. She said in a self-mocking tone, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I still want to keep my life and see our medical miracle!¡±

    Wen Shouyi curled her lips and swept her gaze towards the media stands on both sides of the He family¡¯s greenhouse.

    The people on the other side received her signal and quickly made their preparations.

    Wen Shouyi followed Qin Yaoguang and slowly walked forward. When they passed by the media stands, a female reporter wearing a dark red slim suit jacket held a microphone as she stopped them. She said very enthusiastically, ¡°Excuse me, are you Dean Qin Yaoguang? I¡¯m very happy to see you here. Your Qin family¡¯s private hospital is benevolent and you¡¯ve saved so many lives throughout the country. I think the people of the whole country are grateful to you!¡±

    ¡°Your medical skills are world-famous, and your scientific research is also among the best. Over the years, you have published many academic papers on brain surgery in the World Medical Journal, and you are internationally renowned.¡±

    ¡°I remember that there was a brain surgery expert in the United States who once said that China¡¯s Qin was a peak that he would never be able to surpass.

    ¡°Your great name is deafening and well-known. We are proud to have a doctor like you!¡±

    She spoke for a long time, but she didn¡¯t ask a single question. Was this an interview or a speech?

    A female reporter beside her rolled her eyes impatiently.

    Qin Yaoguang, on the other hand, felt much better after hearing that. She said humbly, ¡°You are exaggerating. I¡¯m not that good. I have only made a little contribution that I can do. I hope everyone will continue to support the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. The Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital has the best medical team in the world, especially in the area of biological genes. Soon, there will be a major breakthrough in gene therapy. Please wait and see.¡±

    Wen Shouyi also said with both enthusiasm and pity, ¡°Dean Qin has always been down-to-earth and honest. She is straightforward and not good with words. Because she has devoted herself to scientific research, she has spent less time with General He. In order not to dy General He, Dean Qin has voluntarily given up on her personal love life. I hope everyone can be merciful and not hype up this news. Give Dean Qin and General He some privacy.¡±

    She skillfully dealt with the media, and at the same time, spread the news that Qin Yaoguang and He Chengjian had divorced. She tried her best to minimize the negative impact.

    Lu Yuan was sitting in a car not that far away. He saw the scene on his phone and smiled. ¡°This Wen Shouyi is quite a character. Nianzhi has a tough battle to fight tonight.¡±

    He was wearing a Bluetooth headset and talking to Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin did note. He stayed in the apartment and had already cracked the He family¡¯s security code. He knew everything that was happening.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Nianzhi¡¯s target isn¡¯t Wen Shouyi.¡± Lu Jin did not think much of it. He changed the surveince footage in front of him to that of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, and waited for her toe out.

 Chapter 1568 - Loyal Rebellion

    <h4>Chapter 1568: Loyal Rebellion</h4>

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room at the He family¡¯s mansion, He Zhichu ced the cigarette-grey nket on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest until it reached her neck.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and leaned against the headrest of her wheelchair. She looked like she was sleeping soundly.

    ¡°When you came back, a lot of people in the house saw you two.¡± He Chengjian sat down opposite him, crossed his legs, and put one hand on the sofa. ¡°Is it okay?¡±

    Especially the He family¡¯s servants.

    He Zhichu said expressionlessly, ¡°I¡¯m letting them see on purpose. Otherwise, how could they spread the news?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s father thought that no one would pay attention to an ordinary gardener, so he had secretly taken a photo. Who would have thought that his every move was under the surveince of the relevant people.

    He Zhichu had learned from the spies nted in the Qin family that Qin Yaoguang had originally refused to attend the Christmas party.

    In order for Gu Nianzhi to deal with Qin Yaoguang smoothly, He Zhichu had no choice but to make such a gesture. He swaggered back to the He family with Gu Nianzhi and announced that he would bring Gu Nianzhi along.

    He knew that as long as Gu Nianzhi came, Qin Yaoguang would definitelye.

    And this news was ¡°secretly photographed¡± by their own people. It would definitely be more credible to Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi.

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    He looked down at Gu Nianzhi, who was sleeping in her wheelchair, and said to He Zhichu without batting an eye, ¡°... Huo Shaoheng, that Ace of the Far East from the KGB, and the current deputy chief of KGB in C City areing to our Christmas party today.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± His expression cold and stern, He Zhichu sat back down. ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for their embassies not to attend such events?¡±

    Not every embassy could get an invitation to the He family¡¯s Christmas party.

    How could the embassies of more than 100 countries receive the same treatment?

    In the past, because the American ambassador was a guest at the He family¡¯s Christmas party every year, the Soviet ambassador, who was not on good terms with them, had always declined the invitation.

    He did not expect that this year, the Ace of the Far East would actually take this opportunity to represent the Soviet Union at the He family¡¯s Christmas party for the first time as the deputy chief consul of the C City Conste General.

    ¡°They brought Dresden to the Soviet Union and put him under strict supervision.¡± A faint sneer appeared on He Chengjian¡¯s lips. ¡°Did you know that the only request of Mr. Pushin, the head of the Soviet Union, was for Mr. Dresden, the ¡®traitor¡¯ of the CIA, to stop all of his leaks immediately?¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    Because all of Dresden¡¯s leaks were good news for the United States and bad news for other countries.

    ¡°Dresden is ying the ¡®loyal traitor¡¯ card...¡± He Zhichu curled the corners of his lips, and his sparkling almond-shaped eyes shed. ¡°The CIA is really trying their best to plot against other countries.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Dresden¡¯s so-called traitor case is a trojan horse meticulously nned by the CIA. Originally, they wanted to send him to our country to stir up trouble.¡±

    However, with He Chengjian¡¯s suspicious personality, he immediately noticed that something was wrong with Dresden. He immediately rejected his asylum application and sold him to the Soviet Union.

    At first, the Soviet Union was not interested in Dresden, but for some reason, within two days, their attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees. Not only were they extremely interested in Dresden¡¯s whereabouts, they also showed great sincerity. The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East had also been sent over.

    He Chengjian and He Zhichu knew that Huo Shaoheng, the Ace of the Far East, would be useless after he showed his face in front of them.

    The Soviets had spared no expense to take Dresden away. After that, they had locked him up tightly and prevented him frommunicating with the outside world, not to mention exposing him to the outside world.

    What exactly was their goal?

    Or rather, what benefits did Dresden have that were more important than the Ace of the Far East that could make the Soviets take the initiative to offer such an exchange?

    He Zhichu also felt that the Soviet side might have hidden some deeper reason, but Dresden had already been taken away by the Soviet Union and was under strict control. It was now impossible for them to contact Dresden again.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not like we got nothing.¡± He Chengjian was momentarily happy and forgot He Zhichu¡¯s taboo. ¡°At least it proves that the Ace of the Far East, Peter Huo Shaoheng, is the counterpart of Huo Shaoheng in the other world.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Using Nianzhi¡¯s life to verify it, you¡¯ve gained a lot!¡±

    He Chengjian smiled sheepishly. ¡°Ah-Chu, it was my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have done this.¡±

    He was too embarrassed to stay here any longer. He stood up and said, ¡°Hurry up and get ready. You and Nianzhi can¡¯t just go out like this, right? Is she still asleep?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll wake her upter.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then. There are so many guests outside.¡±

    They didn¡¯t have a hostess today, so He Chengjian had to deal with all the guests.

    After He Chengjian left, He Zhichu also had to shower and change his clothes.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi and flicked her forehead lightly. He said inly, ¡°Stop pretending. My Dad has already left.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi adjusted her breathing and slowly opened her eyes. She looked at He Zhichu and coughed embarrassingly. ¡°Young Master He, I¡¯m really asleep.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve exposed yourself.¡± He Zhichu retracted his hand. ¡°Can you stay here by yourself for a while? I¡¯m going to my room to take a shower. My room is right across from yours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Okay.¡±¡±Young Master He, please go ahead.¡±

    He Zhichu arranged for a number of soldiers to stand guard in the corridor to protect Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety.

    He pushed the door open and walked out. He said to the soldier at the door, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone in, including General He. Do you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The soldier standing guard at the door held the semi-automatic assault rifle on his chest and answered loudly.

    He Zhichu walked into his room to take a shower.

    The corridor outside was silent. The soldiers standing guard had almost covered the entire floor.

    Gu Nianzhi sat alone in her wheelchair. After watching the door to her room close, she quietly pressed a button under the armrest of her wheelchair.

    Her wheelchair was a multi-purpose wheelchair that Lu Jin had meticulously built.

    The button under the armrest turned on the far-infrared detection scan, which could be used to find out if there were cameras or recording devices installed in the room.

    A minuteter, the scan was over. It proved that there was no recording equipment in the room.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. She pressed another button and turned on themunication device with Lu Jin.

    A small screen slowly rose from the back of the wheelchair andnded in front of her.

    Lu Jin appeared on the screen and greeted her happily. ¡°Nianzhi! Are you okay? You didn¡¯t run into any danger, did you? Did anyone make things difficult for you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°No, Young Master He took good care of me.¡±

    Her time was limited, so she tried to keep it short and she didn¡¯t have time to nag Lu Jin. She picked the thing she was most concerned about and asked, ¡°Dad, I want to ask again. What exactly is going on with the parallel world counterpart situation? Can they really not coexist in the same world?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had heard He Chengjian mention the identity of the Ace of the Far East earlier, so she felt that she had to get to the bottom of this matter.

    Lu Jin was the real authority on this matter.

    He Chengjian and the others had used Lu Jin¡¯s research results.

    Lu Jin did not know why Gu Nianzhi had suddenly asked this question, but he had always answered her questions. He immediately said, ¡°The parallel world¡¯s counterpart, from the most basic point of view, is two organisms with exactly the same DNA.¡±

    ¡°Only DNA is the only characteristic of the counterpart, because DNA is the physical indicator of the human body.¡±

    ¡°The parallel universe only recognizes this physical indicator.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. People on both sides of the parallel world can have different names, surnames, identities, upations, and even nationalities, but as long as their DNA is the same, they are the counterpart of each other.¡±

    ¡°And two people like that can never coexist in the same space-time. This is determined by the physical characteristics of the parallel space-time.¡±

    ¡°Fundamentally speaking, parallel space-time is actually derived from the same space-time, but they are not mirror worlds.¡±

    ¡°Because from the moment they separated, they had their own development pathways. As time passed, the people on both sides had different life trajectories, so not everyone has their own counterparts.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened very carefully and digested Lu Jin¡¯s words word by word.

    The more she thought about it, the more disappointed she became.

    She said gloomily, ¡°So as long as there¡¯s a counterpart here, the people on the other side won¡¯t be able to survive.¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no other way.¡± Lu Jin sighed and reached out to caress Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sullen little face on the disy screen in front of him. ¡°People have their limits. Nianzhi, even Dad can¡¯t vite thews of physics.¡±

    Thews of physics could only be discovered, never created.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and was about to speak when she suddenly heard a loud noiseing from the door.

    She quickly turned off the screen that showed her conversation with Lu Jin and put it back into the hidden area behind her wheelchair. She then turned on themunicator and asked, ¡°What¡¯s all the noise outside?¡±

    The soldier at the door was pointing his gun at an old woman with wrinkles all over her face.

    She was holding a bouquet of fresh flowers that had just been picked. She said with a frown, ¡°Sir, I¡¯m the gardener of the He family¡¯s greenhouse. I bring flowers to this room every day.¡±

    ¡°But Young Master He has instructed that no one is allowed to enter.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He is talking about outsiders. I¡¯m a servant of the He family, not me.¡± The old woman looked honest, but her words were actually quite sharp.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled from inside the room and said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t need flowers. Please go back.¡±

    The soldier with a gun at the door quickly said, ¡°Did you hear that? Miss Gu said she doesn¡¯t want flowers. You can go now.¡±

    The old woman blinked and looked very surprised.¡±... There¡¯s still someone inside? Is Miss Gu back? Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Miss Gu. I didn¡¯t know you were back...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice came from the speaker at the door with a sarcastic smile. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Didn¡¯t you all see me when I came in? You¡¯ve exposed yourself now...¡±

    The old woman blushed and thought to herself that Gu Nianzhi was really sharp-tongued. No wonder she always had a hard time with her daughter.

    She quickly bowed and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She quickly turned to leave with the flowers in her arms.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the surveince screen at the door and instructed, ¡°Lock her up first and release her after the dance.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Gu.¡± The soldiers standing guard at the door quickly stopped the old woman who had brought the flowers. After asking He Zhichu for instructions, they gagged her, tied her up, and threw her into an empty storage room to be locked up.

    ..

    That night, the living room of the He family¡¯s mansion was decorated beautifully and magnificently to wee the most distinguished guests of the empire¡¯s upper ss.

    Wen Shouyi, dressed in a beautiful blue brocade traditional dress, was holding a cocktail in her hand. She absentmindedly stood behind a pir that was as thick as an arm at the door of the living room, and was constantly looking at her watch.

    Thirty minutes had passed. Hadn¡¯t her mother gone to deliver flowers to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room?

    Why hadn¡¯t shee down yet?

 Chapter 1569 - Peak Of Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 1569: Peak Of Beauty</h4>

    It was almost seven o¡¯clock. It was very cold outside. The cold wind carried the cold air from the far north and swept through the winter night in the capital.

    Wen Shouyi anxiously nced at the flower path by the door of the mansion and turned to enter.

    It seemed that there was something wrong there.

    She suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and re-entered the living room.

    This used to be a ce she was very familiar with. After Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sudden disappearance, she took her ce and lived here for a few years.

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for her beautiful dream to be shattered.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s gaze moved from the bustling crowd in the living room to the ceiling above her head.

    Three crystalmps hung from the ceiling in an equteral triangle.

    The tubes of the three crystalmps had been specially treated. They brought with them a soft glowing effect. When they shone on the faces of the guests, each of them looked more or less prettier.

    The living room was very spacious. In the middle, there were a few pirs that were as thick as the door. Naturally, the living room was divided into several areas.

    There was a mural on the north side facing the main door, but Wen Shouyi knew that it was actually a door.

    In the past, General He and his wife, who had hosted the Christmas party, woulde out of that door to receive the worship and cheers of the crowd.

    This year, He Zhichu had returned, and General He had divorced Auntie Qin. Who would be the female host of the party?

    Wen Shouyi thought to herself. She separated the crowd and came to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side. She whispered into her ear, ¡°Auntie Qin, there¡¯s no movement from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°... Didn¡¯t you say she¡¯s already here? Did your mother send the flowers in?¡± Qin Yaoguang smiled and looked ahead, but her lips moved slightly as she spoke to Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi shook her head regretfully. ¡°... My mother went but hasn¡¯t returned yet. I don¡¯t know what happened. Could something have happened?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang immediately said, ¡°Have you made it clear to your mother? If something happens to her, she can¡¯t give you up.¡±

    Because if she exposed Wen Shouyi, she would expose Qin Yaoguang.

    This was her true meaning. She couldn¡¯t be implicated.

    A trace of disdain shed across Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes, but she still had a sweet smile on her face. She said, ¡°My mother won¡¯t. Even if something happens to her, she definitely won¡¯t expose me. I¡¯m their only hope. They love me so much that they would rather die for me than involve me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± Qin Yaoguang retracted her gaze and nced at her indifferently. ¡°If anything happens to your parents, I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi felt a little ufortable.

    Although she had been brooding over her identity as a gardener¡¯s daughter, they were her biological parents after all. Moreover, they had done their best to create all the conditions for her to obtain the best learning resources and fulfill her dreams.

    And Qin Yaoguang had yed it down as if those were not two living human lives, but two discarded items.

    But Wen Shouyi also knew that Qin Yaoguang was such a person.

    Not to mention other people¡¯s parents, even towards her own biological daughter, wasn¡¯t her treatment of her also frighteningly cold-blooded?

    Thinking of this, Wen Shouyi felt relieved again.

    Genius scientists probably had some quirks.

    Wasn¡¯t that Gu Xiangwen, who had been burned to death by the fire, also terrifyingly crazy?

    She nced at Qin Yaoguang and said with a smile, ¡°Auntie Qin, you¡¯re really good to me.¡±

    ¡°This is because you are capable.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was full of smiles, and her voluptuous lips curled up. ¡°You stand out. Otherwise, why would I bother with someone who doesn¡¯t have capabilities?¡±

    Over the past few years, Wen Shouyi had gradually be her right-hand woman, and Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t do without her help.

    The two of them spoke in a low voice for a while, then Old Master Qin asked his nephew toe over and invite Qin Yaoguang over.

    The social circle they were in was slightly more high-end than the social circle where Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi were standing.

    Qin Yaoguang ced the wine sses in Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand and followed her cousin over.

    Wen Shouyi was holding two wine sses, just like the waiters who came and went at the ball. She was very embarrassed and quickly waved for a waiter toe over, and ced the two wine sses on his tray.

    ¡°Miss Wen, long time no see.¡± Just as she put down the wine sses, she heard someone greeting her.

    Wen Shouyi turned around and saw that it was Xie Qingying, the niece of the prime minister, Xie Beichen. She quickly put on a smile and said, ¡°Eh, Miss Xie? Long time no see.¡±

    The two of them used to know each other because of the He family, and they were quite familiar with each other.

    However, after Wen Shouyi left the imperial city with He Zhichu, and she heard that she had gone abroad, so her rtionship with Xie Qingying was cut off.

    Xie Qingying nodded at her. ¡°Miss Wen, do you know who will be hosting the dance tonight?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m also guessing.¡± Wen Shouyi smiled at her. ¡°What do you think, Miss Xie?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t guess. I¡¯ll just watch the show.¡± As Xie Qingying spoke, the hall suddenly quieted down.

    She and Wen Shouyi subconsciously turned their heads.

    A man and a woman, both extremely beautiful, walked in from the door of the living room. The crowd stared at them in shock.

    The man was tall and straight. He wore a fitting tuxedo. His eyes were deep and reserved. His appearance was exquisite and beautiful, like a meticulous painting. Every stroke was perfectly beautiful.

    It was God¡¯s most prized work. Other men standing next to him were half-finished products that God had casually thrown out of the mud. The contrast was devastating.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Wasn¡¯t this the deputy chief consul of the Soviet Union?

    It was said that his name was Peter, and that his Chinese name was also Huo Shaoheng. However, she had heard from Qin Yaoguang that this was not Major General Huo from the other side. This was his counterpart in their world.

    When she saw him for the first time at a diplomatic event, she was also a little surprised.

    However, she had more experience than others, so she quickly calmed down.

    Now that she saw him again, she could already treat him like a stranger.

    Therefore, when Xie Qingying asked curiously, ¡°Who is that person? Why is he so good-looking?¡±

    Wen Shouyi said aloofly, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know him. Why don¡¯t I help you ask around?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, there¡¯s no need.¡± Xie Qingying quickly shook her head and pouted. ¡°Look at the woman next to him. She¡¯s also a rare beauty.¡±

    The woman next to Peter was Linda, who had juste from the Soviet Union.

    She was his femalepanion for the night. She wore a rose-red evening gown. The front was nted, and her entire left leg was faintly visible from the bottom to the top. She was extremely beautiful.

    This man and woman were present together could really be considered the peak of beauty today.

    Therefore, when they entered, everyone was stunned.

    After a while, the situation in the living room returned to its previous state. Everyone started to brag and chat as if nothing had happened.

    Xie Qingying said, ¡°Excuse me.¡± She immediately found someone to inquire about the identity of the man and woman who had just entered.

    The Ace of the Far East was the deputy chief consul of the Soviet conste general in C City. He had participated in several diplomatic activities and many people had seen him. When they saw that it was the prime minister¡¯s niece asking about him, everyone started to exin to her.

    ¡°This is the new Deputy Chief Consul sent by the Soviet Union to the conste general in C city. I heard that he is only 30 years old and is still very young!¡±

    ¡°The beauty next to him is his femalepanion. I heard that she just came from the Soviet Union to see him.¡±

    Deputy Chief Consul Peter bent his arm and held Linda¡¯s hand. He walked in with a face full of arrogance and coldness. He did not even bat an eyelid at anyone.

 Chapter 1570 - You Are The Greatest Miracle In My Life

    <h4>Chapter 1570: You Are The Greatest Miracle In My Life</h4>

    Needless to say, the Deputy Chief Counsel was also very good-looking, and so was his femalepanion.

    They were not white, and were Asians, but they had facial features that were as well-defined as those of white people.

    Some people in the living room who had dealings with the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet Union quickly surrounded him.

    The entire dance floor was immediately divided, and two groups of people appeared.

    One group was pro-American people centered around the American ambassador, and the other group was pro-soviet people centered around the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet Union.

    Because the two people from the Soviet side were much better looking than the Americans, the neutral people also surrounded the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet side.

    Thus, the crowd on the Soviet side was muchrger than that of the American side.

    Linda held a cocktail ss and smiled as she chatted with the people around her.

    Her features were like a painting, lively and vivacious. Her every movement and gesture was amorous, breathtakingly gorgeous, and seductive. It made the men next to her blush and their hearts beat so fast that they almost couldn¡¯t control themselves.

    It was a kind of sexiness that was both innate and physical.

    When the two of them first came in, some of the women took a liking to the Deputy Chief Consul from the Soviet Union and wanted to flirt with him.

    But once Linda made her move, these women lost without a fight.

    With a real beauty like Linda, they didn¡¯t have the confidence to be able to seduce the Deputy Chief Consul.

    Xie Qingying and Wen Shouyi were standing near the American ambassador. In fact, it was not because they were pro-American, but because there were too many people in the Soviet Union. They were too embarrassed to squeeze with others, so they could only stand over there.

    The American ambassador, Hunter, had never been upstaged in such an asion before. This was the first time he had been pped in the face, and it was by two young Soviet diplomats. His expression was very ugly.

    However, today was the He family¡¯s Christmas party. He would not be so shameless as to openly argue with the Soviet diplomat. He could only hold his cocktail ss and wink at the femalepanion brought by the Soviet diplomat. His lips curled into a smile.

    He knew very well that the biggest disgrace to a man in such an asion was to seduce his femalepanion.

    He did not expect the beautiful woman to turn around and raise her ss at him. At the same time, she raised her middle finger...

    The American ambassador, Hunter, was instantly enraged.

    The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, was the Deputy Chief Consul of the Soviet Union. Although he did not look directly at the American ambassador, he could clearly see what the ambassador had done.

    However, he ignored him and only whispered in Russian to warn Linda, ¡°... Don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±

    Linda restrained herself a little and turned her eyes to the American ambassador. She stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked her lips.

    The American ambassador immediately felt his whole body tense up and almost lost hisposure.

    He hurriedly averted his gaze and no longer looked at the beautiful woman from the Soviet Union.

    If he guessed correctly, that beautiful woman was definitely not an ordinary woman. With such professional seduction skills, it was highly likely that she was the famous ¡°swallow¡± of the Soviet KGB!

    He was an American diplomat, so he could not bewitched by ¡°swallow¡± of the Soviet Union.

    However, ¡°swallow¡± was too charming. If she came to seduce him, would he fall for her honey trap or not?

    Just as he was doing psychological construction, the hands of the clock finally pointed to seven o¡¯clock sharp.

    The sound of the bell ringing rang in the hall reached everyone¡¯s ears.

    Everyone quickly stopped talking. Some even held their breath and quietly waited for the host of the He family¡¯s ball dance to arrive.

    The three crystalmps hanging on the ceiling gradually dimmed, but the hall did not bepletely dark. Instead, a bit of starlight prated through the gauze curtains.

    Of course, how could there be such bright natural starlight at the end of December in the Imperial City?

    These were all ¡°artificial starlight¡± outside the hall that shone through the special curtain material.

    In the half-light and half-darkness, the huge mural arch door in the North quietly opened to both sides.

    A ray of light shot out from the door.

    A tall and handsome man pushed a wheelchair and slowly walked out from the soft light.

    The indistinct sound of Christmas music sounded, and the air was filled with a cheerful festive atmosphere.

    Everyone¡¯s mood rxed, and they couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    Then, the three crystal lights on the ceiling lit up one by one.

    The outline of the hall was revealed bit by bit under the lights.

    At this time, everyone clearly saw the handsome man who walked out from the arch of the mural and the delicate and pretty woman on the wheelchair he was pushing.

    This man was He Zhichu, the only son of He Chengjian, the head of the He family.

    He was also wearing a custom-made ck tuxedo. There was no small bow tie at the bottom of his neck, and his white shirt was slightly open at the cor. He looked elegant and unruly.

    He did not look at the guests in the hall. Instead, he lowered his eyes and focused on the young girl sitting in the wheelchair. He bent down to help her put on the thin ash-gray nket on her knees.

    The young girl was wearing a simple but well-tailored ck dress with her shoulder-length hair draped down. There was no other jewelry on her body except for a pink diamond crown on her head.

    The crystalmp in the living room waspletely lit up.

    Like a curved rainbow rising behind her, the pink diamond crown on the girl¡¯s head emitted a rainbow light under the soft crystalmp.

    The people in the hall sucked in their breaths, and some people even gasped in surprise.

    Everyone was a discerning person. At a nce, they could tell that the pink diamond crown was not only expensive, but also priceless.

    It was an antique, an artifact. However, the girl casually wore it on her head, as if it was an ordinary headband.

    Looking at the girl¡¯s appearance, they saw that her face was pale and devoid of color. Her lips were a faint red color, like a cherry blossom petal that had fallen into the water and revealed a speck of red.

    There was also a transparent nasal oxygen tube on her nose. It was obvious that she had just recovered from a serious illness.

    However, she blinked slightly, and her big eyes seemed to have light in them. She calmly looked into the hall, and her gaze was even more alluring than the beautiful Soviet woman from before.

    However, she did not seem to know her own allure. Her eyes were calm and clear.

    It was more intoxicating than straightforward flirtation.

    This young girl was, of course, Gu Nianzhi.

    She wore the pink diamond crown that He Zhichu had specially taken out, and her emotions were also mixed.

    In the other world, there was also an identical pink diamond crown. It was a one-year-old birthday present that Gu Xiangwen had bought for his daughter, Gu Nianzhi.

    But in this world, this pink diamond crown was a betrothal gift from the He family.

    No wonder He Zhichu had that expression on his face when he saw the pink diamond crown.

    He Zhichu nced at Gu Nianzhi again. Seeing that she did not feel any difort, he looked up at the crowd in the hall and said with a faint smile, ¡°Wee to the He family¡¯s Christmas party. Long time no see. How is everyone?¡±

    His voice followed the power amplifier of the Bluetooth headset and spread throughout the hall. It was clear, natural, lous, and powerful.

    ¡°Young Master He, long time no see!¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, you really look amazing today!¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, is the happy asion approaching? !¡±

    A few friends who were familiar with He Zhichu rushed over and stood under the stage more than two meters away from them. They smiled and waved as they greeted him.

    They were not familiar with Gu Nianzhi, who had grown up, but they all recognized the pink diamond crown on her head.

    They had all attended the He family¡¯s grand engagement party back then.

    Although they had teased He Zhichu about raising a ¡°child bride,¡± when the He family took out the historic pink diamond crown, no one had said anything like that again.

    The priceless pink diamond crown represented the He family¡¯s utmost sincerity.

    No one could say anything bad about it, no matter how picky they were.

    Not far away, Qin Yaoguang, who was standing next to Old Master Qin, trembled and almost froze.

    She stared at Gu Nianzhi, who was smiling silently in her wheelchair. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes!

    Although the girl was pale and weak, and she was still stuck with a transparent nasal oxygen tube, there was no doubt that she had already recovered and was no longer in danger.

    How did Gu Nianzhi survive without the best cardiologist to perform the surgery? !

    Didn¡¯t they say that she had been in aa when she arrived?

    She had thought that she was at the end of her rope and was on the verge of death...

    Could it be... that her body was so strong that she could even heal from such a serious gunshot wound? !

    The doctors and nurses at the West Camp Hospital in H City had all said that Young Master He had hired a highly skilled doctor to perform a very sessful operation on the seriously injured patient. However, Qin Yaoguang still did not believe that the doctor was so capable to be able to snatch Gu Nianzhi back from the grim reaper.

    Therefore, when Qin Yaoguang saw Gu Nianzhi in the flesh, there was only one exnation for it. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body had developed to a new level in the past 14 years that she had not been aware of.

    No, it should be said that she had evolved to a new level!

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes lit up and she clenched her fists. This time, nothing could stop her n!

    Her eyes reddened, and she staggered away from the crowd. She pounced on He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi while crying as she did so. She sobbed loudly, ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Is that you? My daughter! I thought your gunshot wound wasn¡¯t going to heal! Who could survive the anti-materiel rifle? ! You¡¯re a miracle! You¡¯re the biggest miracle in my life!¡±

 Chapter 1571 - Countering A Move As It Comes

    <h4>Chapter 1571: Countering A Move As It Comes</h4>

    She had actually pounced on her so quickly.

    It was half an hour earlier than she had expected.

    This Qin Yaoguang did not seem like a person who could not keep her cool, so how anxious was she...

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in her heart and slowly raised her head. The silent smile on her face instantly turned sharp, like a sharp sword that had just been unsheathed, like a treasured de that had just been unsheathed. The three-foot-long edge of the de suddenly grew, as if a cold light was shooting out from her dark jade-like eyes.

    She did not say a word. She only raised her eyes and made Qin Yaoguang, who had just pounced on her, stop in her tracks.

    But very quickly, her gaze softened, and the cold and stern look from before disappeared without a trace.

    When shepletely raised her head, her face had a proper expression of confusion, along with a trace of fear and terror. It appeared naturally on her small face, the size of a palm. One could not help but feel pity for her.

    Gu Nianzhi huddled against the back of her wheelchair and whispered, ¡°Young Master He, who is she?¡±

    Her voice was very weak, but it was still clearly heard through the Bluetooth headset she was wearing.

    With just this one sentence, she had shifted the focus to something else.

    Everyone had almostpletely forgotten Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ¡°who can survive the anti-materiel rifle?¡± Everyone¡¯s attention had instantly shifted to the rtionship between the mother and daughter.

    At least one-third of the people in the hall knew that Gu Nianzhi was He Zhichu¡¯s fianc¨¦e. They also knew that she was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s daughter. They also knew that she had suddenly disappeared at the birthday party eight years ago.

    Eight yearster, He Zhichu finally found her.

    But when she opened her mouth, she did not seem to know Qin Yaoguang at all.

    Not only was Qin Yaoguang stunned, but everyone in the hall was also stunned.

    Only He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi with a calm expression. He said calmly, ¡°You still haven¡¯t remembered?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, and her beautiful eyebrows furrowed.

    She looked up and down at Qin Yaoguang, who was standing below the stage, and said politely, ¡°Hello, May I ask who you are? Don¡¯t you have the wrong person?¡±

    Wondering what Gu Nianzhi was up to, Qin Yaoguang narrowed her eyes?

    She knew she was her biological mother!

    Was she going to deny her biological mother?

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression turned cold.

    She had all the evidence to prove that she was her biological mother, and she still wanted to deny it?

    Even if He Zhichu hated her to the core, he couldn¡¯t deny it.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes sparkled as she said sternly, ¡°Nianzhi, you really don¡¯t remember me? Sigh, it looks like your injuries are really serious. I already said so that they couldn¡¯t just find a bogus doctor to perform surgery on you. Look at the aftereffects...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt very ufortable hearing that. Bogus doctor? How dare she have the face to talk about others? !

    She interrupted her rudely and said in a low voice, ¡°Please don¡¯t insult others¡¯ profession. Miss, may I ask what you do for a living? Why did you call the doctor who saved me a bogus doctor?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s hands were in the pockets of his tuxedo as he stood idly to the side. He had a smile on his face, and his sparkling almond-shaped eyes shone with a charming light. He raised his chin with interest. ¡°... She¡¯s Qin Yaoguang. She¡¯s also a doctor, the Dean of Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital, and a specialist in brain surgery.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s Dean Qin.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone softened, she smiled. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. I¡¯ll take it that you¡¯re in the same line of work and hate each other. It¡¯s understandable, but it¡¯s too mean for you to call someone a bogus doctor. It¡¯s too vulgar.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was a little red, but she said sternly, ¡°I¡¯m such a straightforward person. I don¡¯t beat around the bush when I speak.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really like an earthworm turning into a demon. Are this always this stubborn?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Dean Qin, you¡¯re so funny.¡±

    The people in the hall couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    The tense atmosphere from before instantly dissipated.

    Qin Yaoguang was annoyed by her words, but she also realized that Gu Nianzhi was ying dumb! Pretending to have amnesia!

    It looked like she really wanted to get rid of her biological mother...

    Qin Yaoguang felt even more pressured. If Gu Nianzhi took advantage of the He family¡¯s influence and insisted on drawing a line between them, what could she do?

    There was really nothing she could do.

    But what about her ns, her research, and her scientific research results?

    And her lifelong happiness ¡ª thest chance to redeem He Chengjian. What could she do?

    Qin Yaoguang was starting to regret being so harsh on her. She might as well be a loving mother first. Perhaps there was more to it...

    But it was toote to regret now.

    Besides, she really did not have any mother-daughter feelings for her. Why was there a need to pretend?

    Qin Yaoguang clenched her fists and tried her best to control herself to suppress the anger in her heart. She said in a kind manner, ¡°You child, you used to tease your mommy like this in the past, and now you¡¯re saying it again. Forget it, I won¡¯t lower myself to your level, but are your injuries really alright? I heard that it was from an anti-materiel rifle... an anti-materiel rifle that can pierce through armor... if it hits a person, even an iron man would be torn to pieces...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cursed Qin Yaoguang in her heart for being both poisonous and stupid. She was really courting death by saying that she had been injured in public.

    She continued to be ¡°confused.¡±¡±Dean Qin, may I ask what you¡¯re talking about? What anti-materiel rifle? I don¡¯t understand...¡±

    She tilted her head to look at He Zhichu beside her and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Young Master He, didn¡¯t I get cut by someone with a knife? Why did Dean Qin insist that it was an anti-materiel rifle?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded, then smiled faintly and said, ¡°I¡¯m also very curious. Nianzhi was cut by a gangster more than a month ago and was hospitalized for more than a month. She was only able to sit up just now. Dean Qin suddenly said that she was hit by an anti-materiel rifle. Tsk, do you know what an anti-materiel rifle is?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart sank.

    He Zhichu was going to join Gu Nianzhi and lie in public?

    She clearly remembered He Chengjian telling her that Gu Nianzhi had been hit by an anti-materiel rifle and needed to find a good cardio surgeon to operate on her!

    How did it be ¡°shed by a knife¡± after more than a month?

    So many powerful people in the hall looked at her with interest. Qin Yaoguang straightened her back even more.

    She couldn¡¯t stand being publicly ndered like this, or having her professional integrity questioned.

    But He Chengjian was the one who had told her about this. She couldn¡¯t drag He Chengjian into this.

    She cursed Gu Nianzhi in her heart for being sly, cunning, and unscrupulous. Her face was cold, and she said ambiguously, ¡°Of course I knew. That¡¯s why I¡¯m surprised. I want to know how she was cured. She was on the verge of death... but Young Master He denied it with her. I don¡¯t know what to say. Should I tell you who told me?¡±

    ¡°Tell me. Who told you?¡± Gu Nianzhi calmly ¡°induced¡± her.

    That operation was a military secret.

    Qin Yaoguang should never have known that Qin Zhining was the sniper.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to see how vicious and stupid Qin Yaoguang could be to reveal military secrets in public!

    Qin Yaoguang realized that Gu Nianzhi was provoking her. The name ¡°He Chengjian¡± was tossed around in her mouth a few times, and the muscles on her face twitched. In the end, her rationality prevailed over her emotions. She red at Gu Nianzhi, then gritted her teeth and said,¡±... right? I must have remembered wrong. It wasn¡¯t a rifle. It was a knife wound...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and tilted her head. She said cheekily, ¡°Huh? Dean Qin seemed very disappointed. Could it be that Dean Qin wanted me to be hit by the rifle instead of being cut by a knife? I can assure you that being cut by a knife really hurts. My back hurts so much that I can¡¯t even see anyone...¡±

    She grimaced again and smiled. ¡°I remember Dean Qin saying just now that I was your daughter, and the greatest miracle in your life. Tsk, do you really want the greatest miracle in your life to die an unnatural death?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was soft and pleasant to the ear. The high definition of the Bluetooth headset reverberated in the hall, making it exceptionally loud.

    The shock caused Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial muscles to twitch continuously. Her expression was ferocious, and she was on the verge of exploding.

    Everyone in the hall recalled Qin Yaoguang¡¯s sobbing ¡°motherly call,¡± and couldn¡¯t help exchanging a knowing look.

    Before Qin Yaoguang could react, Gu Nianzhi said in a t tone, ¡°But if you insist that I¡¯m your daughter, then so be it. I was sent to the He family from the age of six until I was 20 years old anyway. In the past 14 years, as a mother, you¡¯ve never done your duty as a mother. Even if I hadn¡¯t lost my memory, it would be normal that I don¡¯t remember you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi saw that the situation was not looking good, so she rushed forward to support Qin Yaoguang, who was on the verge of losing it. She smiled gently and said, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t say that. Auntie Qin sent you to the He family for your own good. Otherwise, how could you be engaged to Young Master He? Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Besides, there are all kinds of parents in the world. No matter what, Auntie Qin is your biological mother. Now that you¡¯ve grown up, you¡¯ve forgotten who gave birth to you. That¡¯s not good. You can¡¯t be unfilial!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly and held her chest as she lowered her head. She said awkwardly, ¡°Can the two of you agree before you speak? You want me to be filial to her, and she wants me to die. So you¡¯re saying that in order to be filial to her, I have to die? Otherwise, it would be unfilial?¡±

    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re saying? Why do you want me to die? Is it for her? If you want her to be your mother, you can take her I don¡¯t need her. I really don¡¯t remember.¡±

    Appearing so wronged that she was on the verge of tears, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her head.

    Wen Shouyi looked at Gu Nianzhi with a livid expression.

    She knew it. This woman was good at pretending to be innocent because she was young!

    She looked at He Zhichu and opened her mouth. She really wanted to expose Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hypocrisy and viciousness.

    He Zhichu did not even look at her. He bent down tofort Gu Nianzhi.

    He patted her on the shoulder and straightened up. He nodded to the people in the hall. ¡°Sorry for making a fool of myself. I wanted to take this opportunity to announce something to everyone today.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi with a gaze full of affection, but his voice was cold and clear. Every word seemed to be dug out from the bottom of his heart. ¡°From today onwards, Gu Nianzhi is my sister. Whoever goes against her will be going against me, He Zhichu, and the He family!¡±

 Chapter 1572 - Give You My Heart

    <h4>Chapter 1572: Give You My Heart</h4>

    Everyone in the hall was silent for a few minutes before an uproar broke out.

    It was as if a drop of ice water had fallen into a hot pot of oil and was sshing everywhere. Everyone was stunned by He Zhichu¡¯s words.

    ? ? ? ?

    Wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi his fianc¨¦e?

    They looked at the pink diamond crown on her head that symbolized the betrothal gift!

    It was the pink diamond crown that had great historical significance. It had once been a betrothal gift from Catherine the Great¡¯s mother-inw, the Empress of Czarist Russia!

    Yes, Catherine the Great had once been the Empress of Czarist Russia. She had staged a coup and deposed her husband, Peter the Great, before ascending to the throne as the empress herself.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze also fell on the pink diamond crown on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. He continued to say with a smile, ¡°This pink diamond crown is proof of our brother and sister rtonship. Nianzhi, are you willing to call me brother?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already known that He Zhichu intended to do this, but when he actually said this in front of so many people, her eyes couldn¡¯t help turning red.

    She knew that he was doing this to force himself not to go back on his word...

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded and looked up in admiration. ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve always hoped that you would be my brother. Today, my dream has finallye true.¡±

    He Chengjian, who was standing in a room on the second floor and watching themotion in the hall, instantly flushed.

    What the hell were these two doing? !

    Ah-Chu had actually given up on Gu Nianzhi? !

    He Chengjian was fuming in his room, but he still had a shred of rationality. He did not go down to ask these two people to rify things.

    They were both at his house anyway. He would not let them out unless they exined everything tonight!

    He stared out of the one-way window into the first-floor hall when he heard the music and the party begin.

    ¡°Last Christmas, I gave you my heart.

    But the very next day you gave it away.

    This year, to save me from tears,

    I¡¯ll give it to someone special.

    ..

    (Merry Christmas!)

    I wrapped it U P and sent it,

    with a note saying, ¡°I love you,¡±I meant it.

    Now, I know what a Fool I¡¯ve been,

    but if you kissed me now,

    I know you¡¯d fool me again.¡±

    This was an old song, ¡°Last Christmas.¡± Although it was a Christmas song, it was a love song.

    He Chengjian¡¯s gaze gradually turned profound. He looked at He Zhichu and extended his hand to Gu Nianzhi, who was in the wheelchair.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and held his hand. He led her around the center of the hall.

    The wheelchair she was in was extraordinarily nimble.

    He Zhichu turned off the Bluetooth headset on the two of them. His tall and slender figure circled around her wheelchair and danced with her.

    His left leg stepping forward and his right leg curling up, it quickly caught up with the front leg. He moved forward and backward.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wheelchair was spun into the air by him. For a moment, he switched to her left hand, and for another moment, he switched to her right hand.

    It was as if he was dancing with a little robot.

    Gu Nianzhi was finally happy. Her crisp and softughter reverberated throughout the hall. It was in tune with the music, and even the sad Christmas dance music was lightened up.

    He Zhichu smiled and gestured to the people around the hall to start dancing.

    Soon, pairs of men and women slid into the center of the dance floor and began dancing.

    They politely left the center of the dance floor to Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu. After all, Gu Nianzhi was in a wheelchair, so she needed more space.

    But not long after, an extremely good-looking male and female pair jumped in.

    It was the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet Union, also known as Ace of the Far East aka Peter, and his partner Linda.

    The beautiful Linda¡¯s dancing skills were outstanding, but Peter was actually on par with her.

    The two of them spun and danced as if they were separated from the ground. Their coordination was just right.

    However, just as they were about to jump to He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, Linda suddenly patted He Zhichu¡¯s shoulder.

    He Zhichu subconsciously turned around. Linda had already grabbed his hand and wrapped it around his waist with one hand, then held his other hand with the other.

    This move of hers was not simple. It was not a ballroom dance move at all. Instead, it was a small grappling technique.

    He Zhichu had been caught off guard, and had been sessfully interrupted by her. He had been carried away by her.

    The Ace of the Far East had seized the opportunity to snatch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wheelchair from him.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly found herself in a frenzy of spinning.

    In He Zhichu¡¯s hands, they had danced harmoniously and happily.

    But in the Ace of the Far East¡¯s hands, they had danced wildly and excitedly.

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi was even lifted from her wheelchair by the Ace of the Far East.

    She leaned against his chest and stood on his feet. He held her by her waist with one hand and held her hand with the other. They danced the tango in the dance hall, following the fast-paced Christmas dance music.

    Because she could not walk on her own, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire weight was in the hands of the Ace of the Far East.

    He carried her in a crab-like cat walk. When he was slow, he was steady and steady, but when he was fast, he was passionate.

    He started pushing and pulling. He looked left and right. Every three steps, he would turn his head. Every five steps, he would lower his waist. He moved forward and backward. She could feel the heat rising from his chest on her back.

    His arms were strong and powerful. He lifted her up in half and circled her in a small circle almost effortlessly.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head several times in shock. All she saw was his handsome face with a faint smile on his face. From time to time, he woulde over and kiss her on the cheek.

    Gu Nianzhi avoided him and looked around the ballroom, as if she was asking for help.

    He Zhichu finally got rid of Linda, and strode over to carry Gu Nianzhi from the arms of the Ace of the Far East.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her beating heart calm down when she was in He Zhichu¡¯s arms.

    She clutched He Zhichu¡¯s sleeve tightly and red at the mboyant Ace of the Far East.

    He Zhichu did not say a word. He put her back in her wheelchair and pushed her out of the ballroom to the small living room where everyone could rest.

    The Ace of the Far East also followed. He shrugged and said disapprovingly, ¡°... Young Master He, is this how you treat your guests?¡±

    He Zhichu looked Gu Nianzhi up and down. Her clothes were neat, and her hair was a little wet with sweat. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling, and she was not taken advantage of.

    He gazed at her and asked gently, ¡°Are you tired? Do you want me to send you home to rest?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m thirsty. Give me a bottle of water.¡±

    He Zhichu beckoned for the waiter toe over and give her a ss of fresh milk.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything. She silently drank a few mouthfuls of fresh milk.

    The Ace of the Far East watched with interest and said, ¡°Young Master He, I heard from those people just now that the pink diamond crown onwyer Gu¡¯s head is your family¡¯s betrothal gift. Why don¡¯t you wantwyer Gu to be your fiancee? Isn¡¯t she good?¡±

    He Zhichu straightened up and looked at him indifferently. ¡°I don¡¯t think being a fiancee is as good as being brother and sister.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East rubbed his nose and said embarrassingly, ¡°... I¡¯ve never heard of such a saying. Husband and wife are the closest. Brother and sister... It¡¯s too unreliable.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?¡± He Zhichu replied indifferently. ¡°Husband and wife can still get a divorce, but brother and sister...¡±

    He lowered his head and covered Gu Nianzhi with the ashey grey nket. ¡°... They will always be brother and sister. They will never be separated.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East stopped smiling and scoffed. ¡°I will be impressed if you can still say that when your sister gets married.¡±

    As he spoke, he walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and gave her a western-style bow. ¡°My beautifulwyer Gu, may I have a dance with you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi rejected him without hesitation. ¡°I see that you have a partner, Mr. Peter. You can¡¯t be fickle.¡±

    She did not hesitate to throw back the words that the Ace of the Far East had once said about her.

    His almond-shaped eyes rippling with mirth, He Zhichuughed out loud. ¡°Mr. Peter, the most important thing for a person is to keep your word. You brought a partner, so how can you leave her alone?¡±

    The few of them looked into the ballroom and averted their gazes at the same time.

    Mrs. Linda was at ease, and the brightest star in the ballroom was her.

    She was dancing like glue with the American ambassador, Hunter, and they could not be separated.

    The Ace of the Far East sat down on the sofa next to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wheelchair, looked up at her leg, and said, ¡°Don¡¯te out to such an asion before your injury is healed. There are too many people, and it¡¯s hard to control. If you bump into something...¡±

    He Zhichu did not wait for him to finish and interrupted him with a sullen expression on his face, ¡°Mr. Peter, you¡¯re being too controlling. In my territory, no matter how many people there are, it¡¯s not hard to control.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The Ace of the Far East tutted and retorted him professionally, ¡°I¡¯ve asked around aboutwyer Gu. She went missing from your house eight years ago, right? I heard it was at her twelfth birthday party?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s face turned as ck as the bottom of a pot. ¡°That was just an ident! And I won¡¯t make that mistake again!¡±

    ¡°But why do you have to give others a chance by making a mistake?¡± Ace of the Far East was aggressive and did not seem to want to give up on the topic. ¡°The best defense is to not give the other party a chance to take advantage of you. Don¡¯t you understand that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw He Zhichu¡¯s sudden change in expression and quickly pulled his hand. She calmly said to the Ace of the Far East ¡°Mr. Peter, we can¡¯t stop eating because we choked on food. We can¡¯t hide in the house forever just because we might make a mistake, right? Besides, I believe that the best defense is offense. So, I won¡¯t hide and not see anyone.¡±

    This Ace of the Far East had the face of Major General Huo, but he actually had apletely different way of doing things...

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in her heart and lost interest in continuing to talk to him.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The Ace of the Far East shook his head. He said casually, ¡°But this kind of attack should be carried out with thorough preparations. Otherwise, looking at you now, I have hundreds of ways to take your life without making a sound. Do you think you have the confidence to avoid it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She rolled her eyes unhappily. ¡°If you wanted to take my life, do you believe that you won¡¯t even be able to get close to me?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East raised an eyebrow.

    Not long after, a group of people came over to rest in the small living room.

    The prime minister¡¯s niece, Xie Qingying, was one of them.

    She walked over gracefully and nodded at He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, long time no see.¡±

    He Zhichu also nodded and smiled at her. He politely said, ¡°Miss Xie is even more beautiful now.¡±

    Xie Qingying smiled and said, ¡°I just saw Miss Wen and Dean Qin go out. I think they left.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes shed, and his attitude became even more amiable. ¡°Miss Xie has a good rtionship with Wen Shouyi and Dean Qin?¡±

    ¡°I did have a good rtionship with Miss Wen a few years ago. After she went abroad, we had no contact for a while. Now that we meet again, we are still a little unfamiliar with each other.¡±

    He Zhichu exchanged a few pleasantries with her, and Xie Qingying was invited out to dance again. He took out his phone and checked the security cameras at the entrance.

    He saw Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang get into the Qin family¡¯s car and leave.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about what the Ace of the Far East had just said, and looked at He Zhichu thoughtfully. She suddenly asked, ¡°Young Master He, how exactly did I go missing eight years ago? Can you tell me again?¡±

 Chapter 1573 - Complete Video

    <h4>Chapter 1573: Complete Video</h4>

    He Zhichu frowned slightly. ¡°Why are you asking this?¡±

    He red at the Ace of the Far East unkindly. He was the one who had pped him in the face just now by saying that he couldn¡¯t even protect Nianzhi in his own home..

    But how could they be med for not being prepared?

    As long as that crazy Gu Xiangwen made a move, all of thembined would not be a match for him.

    Gu Nianzhi tugged at the corner of his shirt and said softly, ¡°Young Master He, can you tell me? I don¡¯t even remember. I¡¯m also very curious. Honestly, I can¡¯t figure out how I was abducted right under your nose when you guys were so protective of me.¡±

    She had a curious look on her face because she had heard from Lu Jin that he had also taken her away during that time.

    He Zhichu, on the other hand, had no idea what had happened.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pleading face and was unable to harden his heart towards her.

    However, seeing that the Ace of the Far East was also eyeing her like a tiger, his heart stirred. He pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wheelchair and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you back. I¡¯ll tell you what happened then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly. ¡°Okay, okay. We¡¯ll go back now.¡±

    He Zhichu pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wheelchair towards the elevator.

    Although their mansion wasn¡¯t a high-rise building, there was an elevator that led up to it. However, it was only for temporary use, and most people didn¡¯t take the elevator.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was in a wheelchair, so she needed to use the elevator to get up and down.

    They entered the elevator and didn¡¯t expect the Ace of the Far East to follow them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, customers are not allowed to enter.¡± He Zhichu pointed at the sign beside the elevator.

    The Ace of the Far East looked at Gu Nianzhi and said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I do. With me here, I can help you find out the truth.¡±

    He Zhichu hated to see the Ace of the Far East acting like he was the best in the world. He shook his head expressionlessly. ¡°No need. This is a family matter. Please leave.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not want outsiders to know about her childhood either. She smiled at the Ace of the Far East, then said distantly, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, but there¡¯s no need. I believe we can find out the truth by ourselves. You should go take care of your femalepanion. She¡¯s been attracting too much attention today. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve already offended half of the female guests.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East: ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu felt very warm inside when he heard Gu Nianzhi say ¡°we¡± and insult the Ace of the Far East. His sparkling almond-shaped eyes were filled with warmth. He smiled at the Ace of the Far East and closed the elevator in front of him.

    The Ace of the Far East rubbed his nose and had no choice but to return to the ballroom.

    ..

    The elevator Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu took stopped on the second floor.

    He pushed her back to her room.

    There were still many soldiers standing guard in the corridor. The security was tight, and Gu Nianzhi was treated much better than she was in the other world.

    He Zhichu closed the door, and Gu Nianzhi stood up from her wheelchair. She stretched and said with a smile, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not that easy to pretend to be paralyzed. My legs are numb.¡±

    She did a few yoga moves to lower her waist. Her soft waist was like a willow branch, as if she could break it with just a snap of her fingers.

    He Zhichu¡¯s chest was burning. He quickly turned his head away and pushed her wheelchair to the corner of the wall.

    Gu Nianzhi exercised for a while before going to the bathroom to wash her face. She washed off the makeup on her face bit by bit and sat down on the sofa while doing a facial mask. She said, ¡°Now tell me, how did you lose me at home eight years ago?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was unsightly.

    He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll go get myputer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and sat back on the sofa. She took out her phone to check Weibo while drying her facial mask.

    She did not have her own Weibo ount, so she simply registered a few anonymous ounts to y with.

    He Zhichu returned to his room and found hisptop. He opened it and looked at the contents.

    Fortunately, after eight years, it was still inside. No one had touched his things.

    At this time, someone pushed the door open and walked in.

    He Zhichu looked up and saw He Chengjian¡¯s gloomy face. He quickly walked to his desk.

    ¡°Ah-Chu, what are you doing?¡± He Chengjian mmed the desk and questioned him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go find her by risking your life? For her, you were willing to give up the entire He family! Why do you suddenly want her to be your sister? !¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression did not change. His cold and clear voice was emotionless. ¡°... I feel a little tired. She¡¯s too young. Perhaps it was because I spoiled her, as time went by, conflict arose.¡±

    He Chengjian also knew that Gu Nianzhi had always rejected He Zhichu. He thought that He Zhichu would be as unyielding as he was back then, until he finally won the heart of the woman he loved.

    ¡°You¡¯re letting go just like that? !¡± He Chengjian looked at him suspiciously. ¡°You didn¡¯t do this on purpose so that I wouldn¡¯t interfere, did you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± He Zhichu put away hisptop and changed the topic naturally. ¡°By the way, Nianzhi hasn¡¯t recovered yet. I¡¯m going to apany her. Why don¡¯t you host the ball downstairs? How can the ball not have a host?¡±

    He Chengjian snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. Think about it carefully. What do you want? Nianzhi is a good girl. You can¡¯t let her down.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help twitching.

    He didn¡¯t want to let her down, but she had to give him a chance to live up to her expectations!

    He Zhichu walked to the door and said inly, ¡°It¡¯s better to be consensual in a rtionship. Don¡¯t worry. Maybe I¡¯ll find a girl who loves me very soon, and then you¡¯ll be able to hold your grandchildren.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! Really? ! I¡¯ll live to see my grandchildren? !¡±

    Even though He Chengjian was a cunning old fox, he was still led astray by his ¡°grandchildren¡±.

    He grinned as he went back to the ballroom on the first floor. He greeted every guest with a smile, which made everyone feel surprised and they ttered him even more. Therefore, the guests and the host were all very satisfied.

    That night, the He family¡¯s Christmas party was an unprecedented sess.

    Except for the first episode where the mother was rejected, everything was perfect.

    General He was in an exceptionally good mood that night. He only appeared in the second half of the show, but he was kind and amiable to people. Everyone felt refreshed and felt his iparable charisma.

    Ever since his wife had passed away, it could be said that he had not been this patient for many years.

    Upstairs, Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu did not care about the bustle downstairs.

    The two of them sat side by side on the sofa. He Zhichu said, ¡°You should have seen part of itst time. I¡¯ll show you theplete video of that time now.¡±

    He pressed the y button, and soon, like watching a three-dimensional movie, Gu Nianzhi found that they were back in the living room on the first floor.

    However, this was a birthday party, and not a glorious Christmas party tonight.

    The crystal lights shone brightly, and the guests filled the room. Their clothes werevish, and they wereughing merrily.

    The living room was decorated in a childlike manner.

    Large strings of hydrogen balloons were tied to the tall pirs, and the words ¡°Happy Birthday, Nianzhi¡± were painted on them.

    Various gold foil and gands hung from the crystal chandelier, and many flowers of various colors decorated the entire hall.

    Animal dolls of all sizes were ced around the living room, while the circus and clowns that had been invited were performing.

    There were also servants in white clothes and ck pants shuttling around the living room to receive guests.

    This was because the living room was decorated with a lot of flowers and green bonsai nts. There were also people looking after the flowers and green bonsai nts.

    Many of the guests were children about the same age as Gu Nianzhi, who was 12 years old. They were all wearing cartoon uniforms and ying around in the living room. It was extremely lively.

    Some were wearing capes and dressed as the vampire count. Some were dressed as maids, while others were dressed as Cindere.

    Some had masks on their faces and dressed as little spider-man. There were also people dressed as Mickey Mouse, minions, Tigger, and even little beauties dressed as Mn.

    There were some cartoon costumes that looked luxurious and exquisite at first nce, and were obviously expensive, but some were obviously bought online for a little more than 10 yuan. The workmanship was crude.

    Only the twelve-year-old Little Nianzhi did not wear a cartoon uniform. Instead, she wore a normal puffy skirt and a pink diamond crown on her head.

    From the way she dressed, it could be seen that these children came from different families.

    Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°... These children are all my friends?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°A few of them are your friends, but most of them are here to make up the numbers. Some of them are the children of the He family¡¯s servants. They were specially invited to be guests to create a birthday atmosphere.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°No way?¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe him. Even though she couldn¡¯t remember what had happened back then, she didn¡¯t think she was such a snobbish person.

    He Zhichu ruffled her long hair, he said proudly, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? It¡¯s hard for people of different social sses to really be friends. You may have been young back then, but you were extremely smart and sensitive. You know very well whether others agree with you from the bottom of their hearts or treat you well on the surface.¡±

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi would follow him after school and ramble on about what had happened at school. She would announce, ¡°I don¡¯t like him because he actually wants to please Brother He and Uncle He. He doesn¡¯t really want to be friends with me.¡± She would also say, ¡°I like her. Although her family background is average, she buys two ice-creams and gives me one. It¡¯s too hypocritical to give them all to me, and it¡¯s good to have one each.¡±

    At that time, he would also carefully analyze the friends she had met in school and teach her what was sincere and what was insincere.

    If she had not gone missing and lost her memories, would they have naturally developed a rtionship?

    His eyes dark, He Zhichu rested his chin on his hand.

    There were no ifs. What happened had happened.

    Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her little nose and smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was so talkative...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze shifted to the virtual projection on the empty space in the living room. He said, ¡°Look, for a birthday party like this, every guest has to go through a detailed background check. Even their ancestors are innocent, so they¡¯re only fit to celebrate your birthday.¡±

    ¡°There are also a lot of security personnel here, orderly soldiers, and the entire mansion ispletely surrounded.¡± He Zhichu paused for a moment, then mocked himself, ¡°But even with such strict security, we can¡¯t stop someone who¡¯s too strong. If he makes a move, all of the US¡¯ forcesbined are no match for him.¡±

    At this moment, the virtual projection in front of him happened to y the part where the lights were turned off and the candles were blown out.

    It was dark for seven seconds. When the lights came back on, He Zhichu was standing alone next to the cake, and Gu Nianzhi, who had been beside him, was gone.

    A pink diamond crown fell to the ground while emitting a dazzling rainbow-shaped halo under the crystalmp.

 Chapter 1574 - The Seven Second Miracle

    <h4>Chapter 1574: The Seven Second Miracle</h4>

    Last time, He Chengjian had shown her the video of Gu Nianzhi disappearing after he had turned off the lights and blown out the candles.

    Today, this was the first time she had seen what happened before and after.

    Immediately after, chaos erupted in the virtual projection in front of her.

    In the projection, He Zhichu shouted, ¡°Nobody move!¡±

    He pulled out his gun and raised it. He looked at the people in the living room with a sullen expression. ¡°Seal the door! Nobody move!¡±

    There were at least 200 people in the living room, and more than half of them were 11 or 12-year-old children.

    As soon as they saw He Zhichu pull out his gun, some of the children started crying uncontrobly.

    The parents tried tofort the children in low voices, but more and more children started crying. He Zhichu¡¯s eyes scanned the living room, but he could not see where the little girl had gone!

    Only seven seconds!

    Seven seconds!

    He waved his personal secretary over and asked them to show him the surveince footage from the living room.

    But his personal secretary quickly ran back and said with a sullen expression on his face, ¡°Young Master He, the surveince... the surveince footage has been hacked! The footage is still from before the candle was blown out!¡±

    In the virtual projection, He Zhichu looked down at the surveince footage on his phone, but he didn¡¯t do anything.

    He Zhichu, who was sitting next to Gu Nianzhi, exined to her, ¡°I was looking at the surveince footage on my phone at the time because it did stop before I blew out the candles.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little confused. She pointed at the virtual projection in front of her. ¡°... What about these? Didn¡¯t you record them?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled bitterly, and he said, ¡°This video was left behind by the memory unit in my room. I used this memory unit as a backup. The surveince footage in the mansion must be sent to this memory unit in my room at regr intervals.¡±

    ¡°The other party was unable to break my password, so this video was left behind. The surveince cameras in other parts of the mansion were also destroyed. You have to know that the surveince cameras in our house are very tight, and the security procedures are very difficult to crack. So we suspect...¡±

    ¡°You suspect that my father did it, don¡¯t you?¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded in understanding.

    There was probably no one else who could do this besides Gu Xiangwen.

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck in guilt.

    Lu Jin, Gu Xiangwen, was hacking into the He family¡¯s ¡°surveince and security¡± program at her request

    When she got back, she had to ask Lu Jin if he could hack into He Zhichu¡¯s room¡¯s password.

    ¡°We only suspected it, but it didn¡¯t take long for us to stop suspecting it,¡± He Zhichu said as he gestured for Gu Nianzhi to continue watching.

    In the virtual projection video, the living room was still in a mess, and the adults and children were all anxious and uneasy.

    After all, the little princess that the He family had protected had disappeared under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes. They were all terrified and afraid that He Zhichu would vent his anger on them.

    Just as He Zhichu walked down the steps and was about to interrogate the adults and children one by one, an orderly came in from outside the house and said in a daze, ¡°Young Master He, someone gave you a note.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    He looked at the orderly suspiciously. He did not take the note, but took a look at it while it was in his hand.

    He saw that there was writing on it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look anymore. I¡¯ve taken my daughter away.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized that everything that he could not figure out had been solved.

    So it was Gu Xiangwen!

    Other than him, who else could make such a big move of ¡°abducting¡± a twelve-year-old girl in front of everyone in seven seconds? !

    He Zhichu looked at the orderly again, and felt that there was something wrong with the expression in his eyes. He nced at him indifferently and suddenly gave him a push.

    The orderly did not seem to have much strength and was pushed to sit on the ground.

    Then, he looked around as if he had just woken up from a dream. He rubbed the back of his head and stood up while saying in confusion,¡±... Why am I here?¡±

    He Zhichu understood and his face darkened. ¡°You were hypnotized? !¡±

    ¡°... Hypnotized? I don¡¯t remember...¡± The orderly could not remember what had just happened.

    Just then, a young girl ran in and said anxiously, ¡°I just came back from school and saw someone with a little girl driving a car at the corner of the entrance!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s spirits were lifted.

    This person was Wen Shouyi!

    To be precise, this person was Wen Shouyi, who had just turned eighteen years old eight years ago.

    Her face was rounder than it was now. She had long eyebrows, thin eyes, and fair skin. She was a little simr to the chubby Gu Nianzhi when she was a child, but more simr to the doll that Gu Nianzhi liked to y with when she was a child.

    All the clues pointed to Gu Xiangwen. Gu Xiangwen was a master at hypnosis, and He Zhichu knew a thing or two about the Gu family¡¯s ancestral hypnosis technique.

    Therefore, he no longer had any doubts and immediately waved his hand. ¡°Follow me! Go out and chase after the car!¡±

    The virtual projection ended here.

    He Zhichu told her the rest of the story.

    ¡°... Our He family was heavily guarded. Only someone who was very good at hypnosis can possibly take a person away from our family.¡±

    ¡°All the evidence points to that person.¡±

    ¡°I took my people and hurried over. In the end, I only saw a shadow of that car.¡±

    ¡°So I began arge-scale search throughout the city. I immediately blocked all thend transportation routes and grounded all the flights and ferries. I had to make sure that that person could not escape.¡±

    ¡°But I did not expect that a monthter, ourrge-scale search did not make that person yield. Instead, it made him even crazier.¡±

    ¡°That day, in a certain downtown area of C City, that person set his car on fire in front of our pursuers, and in the car, I clearly saw you sitting inside.¡±

    ¡°The fire was overwhelming. I only saw that madmanughing wildly in the fire. You and the car just disappeared in the fire.¡±

    He Zhichu turned his head to prevent Gu Nianzhi from seeing his expression.

    When he saw the scene, he screamed ¡°Nianzhi!¡± and fainted.

    ¡°After I woke up, I was depressed for three years...¡±

    ¡°Our people quickly found the maic resonance machine left behind by that person and learned about the existence of the parallel space.¡±

    ¡°Some people spected that before that person died, he probably sent you to the other side of the parallel space.¡±

    ¡°And that person set himself on fire to cover up the evidence of the maic resonance so that we wouldn¡¯t find out where you went.¡±

    ¡°During those three years, our people went to the other side...¡±

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s when I pulled myself together and decided to look for you.¡±

    Even though he knew that if there was a counterpart, he would die together with him, he did not care and insisted on going.

    He Chengjian was also afraid for him.

    The three years of depression left He Chengjian with a lingering fear.

    In the end, he could not persuade him, so he finally let go and let him try it out himself.

    Fortunately, little He Zhichu had passed away a long time ago, so he came to the other side safely.

    During the three years when Gu Nianzhi was not around, Wen Shouyi, who had been by He Zhichu¡¯s side, also volunteered to go with him, so He Chengjian¡¯s impression of Wen Shouyi was even better.

    Gu Nianzhi heard He Zhichu talk about these things. Although he didn¡¯t sound very emotional, she was still very ufortable.

    She sneered and leaned back on the sofa. She supported her head with one hand and said, ¡°Wen Shouyi also has deep feelings for you... Now that you don¡¯t have a fianc¨¦e, why don¡¯t you consider her?¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips. He stood up and went to the fridge to get a bottle of water. He ced it in front of Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never had any feelings for her.¡±

    Previously, He Zhichu had trusted her a lot because she had volunteered to go to the opposite world with him, even if it meant risking her life.

    She was also very smart, very attentive, and very good at taking care of people.

    He Zhichu respected all those who worked hard to climb up thedder.

    As long as they did not do evil things, this spirit was worthy of respect.

    Unfortunately,ter on, he realized that she was not what she appeared to be, and had an inexplicable hostility towards Gu Nianzhi. She repeatedly crossed his bottom line, and only then did he kick her back.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and thought to herself, I was just saying it as a joke. If you really dared to make Wen Shouyi your fianc¨¦e, I¡¯ll sever ties with youpletely!

    She took theptop from He Zhichu and reyed the video on theptop.

    This time, it was no longer a virtual human projection video, but a video yed on theputer.

    This was because she was different from He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu had assumed that her disappearance had been Gu Xiangwen¡¯s doing from the beginning to the end.

    However, Lu Jin had personally told Gu Nianzhi that there was someone else. In fact, it was Qin Yaoguang who had wanted to abduct her on her birthday.

    He had only used the force to ¡°intercept¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s n. Before those people had handed her over to Qin Yaoguang, Gu Xiangwen had taken her away.

    In other words, the person who had taken Gu Nianzhi out of the He family¡¯s residence was not Gu Xiangwen at all!

    However, the video just now did not show how she had been taken out of the He residence.

    Could seven seconds really make a person disappearpletely?

    Then, within the next ten minutes, she had passed through the He residence¡¯s heavily guarded courtyard and appeared directly in the car at the corner of the street?

    Gu Nianzhi had a hunch that there was something wrong with the video.

 Chapter 1575 - One More, And One Less

    <h4>Chapter 1575: One More, And One Less</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi patiently started from the beginning. She had only caught a glimpse of it, so she hadn¡¯t paid attention to many details.

    As she watched the video on herptop, Gu Nianzhi began chatting with He Zhichu.

    ¡°Young Master He, what did you guys think of this?¡±

    He Zhichu satfortably on the sofa next to her. He bent over and picked up a mango from the coffee table in front of him. He cut it open with a knife and drew a cross on the fruit as he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry that I said so?¡±

    ¡°Why should I be angry?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to look at him and smiled. ¡°As long as it¡¯s the truth, I won¡¯t be angry.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He Zhichu nodded. His hand holding the fruit knife paused, as if he was thinking about where to start.

    His eyebrows were very dark and neat, and his eyshes were long and thick. From the side, they covered his pair of shimmering almond-shaped eyes, making him especially suave.

    After a while, he slowly began to speak, ¡°On the surface, seven seconds is enough to make you disappear from the heavily guarded hall filled with guests. In the entire country, or perhaps in the entire world, there is only one person who can do such a difficult thing ¡ª your father, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously wanted to nod, but quickly realized that she shouldn¡¯t. She smiled sheepishly.¡±... Is that so? So without any evidence, you¡¯re just going to guess?¡±

    ¡°Am I the type of person who would convict someone based on a guess?¡± He Zhichu nced at her and ced the sliced mango on a small china te before her. ¡°If you still remember the contents of the video, you¡¯ll know that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s note will be here soon, and only Gu Xiangwen is good at hypnosis.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head silently and ate the mangoe He Zhichu had peeled for her with a small fork.

    He Zhichu stroked her head and continued, ¡°After we chased after her, we did see a car leave. We heard from passers-by that there was indeed a man who got into the car with a little girl.¡±

    ¡°But even so, how did he disappear in seven seconds and leave the He family¡¯s mansion in ten minutes to get into the car at the intersection?¡± Gu Nianzhi swallowed a mouthful of the sweet mangoes. Her taste buds were soothed and she narrowed her eyes. She was as obedient as a cute little Scottish fold.

    He Zhichu scoffed and said, ¡°At the time, we didn¡¯t understand this either, but from the results of our investigation, the only way to make you suddenly disappear was probably through the maic resonance machine.¡±

    ¡°We found the maic resonance machine at Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hiding ce. At that time, we saw himughing hysterically in the fire. There was a car in the fire, and you were in the car.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°... I saw you and the car being engulfed by the fire with my own eyes. Do you know how I felt then?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She pursed her lips and brought the china te with the mangoes to He Zhichu. She blinked her big, bright eyes and said,¡±... For you to eat? Would you feel better?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He rubbed her head. ¡°I don¡¯t eat such sweet things. You can eat it yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile. She put down the china te and said with a smile, ¡°What you said makes sense, but there are a few loopholes.¡±

    ¡°First of all, the maic resonance machine is a channel that connects two parallel dimensions. It cannot transfer space in the same dimension.¡±

    ¡°If I had immediately gone to the opposite world from the He family¡¯s birthday party, it would have made sense to exin it with the maic resonance machine.¡±

    ¡°But ording to your ount, I went to the opposite world more than a month after the birthday party.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a tissue to wipe the juice from her hands and said thoughtfully, ¡°So the option of directly using the maic resonance machine to leave the He family can be ruled out.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned. ¡°The maic resonance machine cannot transfer space at the same time? Who told you that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big eyes rolled around. Of course, she didn¡¯t say that Lu Jin had told her..

    She had been recovering from her injuries with Lu Jin for more than a month. When she was bored, Lu Jin would tell her about high-energy physics.

    He also enthusiastically used the book Quantum Physics for Cereus as a bedtime story and read a few pages to her every day.

    Gu Nianzhi had been recovering from her injuries for more than a month, and her knowledge of high-energy physics had improved by leaps and bounds.

    Although she still did not understand it, she could still memorize it by rote.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Think about it. The principle of a maic resonance instrument is to find the same frequency between two maic fields. When the two fields are aligned, the maic resonance is used to form a spatial channel. And in the same space-time, who does it resonate with?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said Lu Jin¡¯s theory guiltily.

    He Zhichu was also puzzled. ¡°Then if it¡¯s not a maic resonance machine, how can you disappear from my side in seven seconds, reappear at the gate, and then follow someone into the car?¡±

    He lowered his eyes and said indifferently, ¡°Even if it¡¯s not a maic resonance machine, only Gu Xiangwen can do such a difficult thing.¡±

    Thinking that if she hadn¡¯t known about the twists and turns from Lu Jin, her first reaction would have been the same as He Zhichu and the others, Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck.

    Only Lu Jin, Gu Xiangwen, could do this kind of difficult task.

    His image as a scientific genius was too deeply ingrained in people¡¯s minds. Whenever an unexinable incident happened, he would always be the first suspect. Moreover, this incident involved his most beloved daughter. It was a perfectly normal deduction.

    From this perspective, faking his death and concealing his identity was still the right choice.

    Gu Xiangwen had been ¡°burned to death¡± in broad daylight in front of everyone. What me could he bear in the future?

    Moreover, Gu Xiangwen had indeed interfered in this matter. Therefore, even he himself probably felt that this usation was not unjustified, so he had no intention of exining at all.

    Moreover, Gu Xiangwen had a social disorder, so it would probably be difficult for him to exin his actions to others.

    Therefore, he did not tell anyone about the twists and turns.

    If Gu Nianzhi was not his daughter, he would not have said a word.

    Under such circumstances, the culprit behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance was Gu Xiangwen.

    Everyone thought so, and the resultster confirmed everyone¡¯s suspicions.

    How should they put it?

    This wasn¡¯t wrong, but it wasn¡¯t entirely right either.

    What Gu Nianzhi wanted to do was to arrest everyone involved in her disappearance and make them bear the legal responsibility.

    Gu Xiangwen was her father. Although he had done wrong, he had already used his actions to atone for his sins. She had long forgiven him.

    However, the others, thinking that no one knew what they had done, were still atrge.

    They harmed her, Gu Nianzhi, yet still wanted to escape unscathed? There was no such thing.

    Gu nianzhi calmed herself down and calmly watched the virtual hologram again.

    This time, she used her camera-like memory to memorize all the guests¡¯ faces. She also counted the number of people present.

    There were a total of 237 people in the living room, and 185 of them were children around her age. They were all wearing cartoon costumes, including the invited guests and the children who served as waiters.

    There were 52 adults, including the He family¡¯s servants.

    Because most of the waiters were children, there were not many adult servants. There were only seven or eight people who were responsible for maintaining order in the living room.

    The video yed slowly, and finally, it was time to turn off the lights and blow out the candles.

    After the lights were on, Gu Nianzhi decisively pressed the pause button, and her eyes scanned theputer screen inch by inch.

    When her gaze scanned the still screen twice, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she realized that something was wrong.

    She narrowed her eyes and looked up at He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, do you still have a list of everyone who was present at my birthday party eight years ago? I mean everyone present, including your servants.¡±

    He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve seen it more than once. What¡¯s wrong? Do you think there¡¯s something wrong with them? But I¡¯ve investigated every single one of them, including the servants in the living room, and I didn¡¯t find anything wrong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself that by then, her father, who was a genius, had probably already seeded in intercepting He Zhichu. Of course, He Zhichu couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with these people...

    She was awyer, so she knew that without evidence, she couldn¡¯t easily suspect people.

    He Zhichu was also awyer, so naturally he understood this.

    But even if he couldn¡¯t find anything wrong after that, what about before that?

    Gu Nianzhi felt that this was the ¡°blind spot¡± of the whole thing.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly. ¡°I want to see it again. After all, they were all witnesses at the scene.¡±

    He Zhichu would not refuse such a request. He immediately pulled the information from the backup on hisputer and sent it to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s email. ¡°See for yourself when you have time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened the email and saw that the hundreds of pages of information were already lying in the email. She nodded and said to He Zhichu, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with this video.¡±

    He Zhichu was surprised. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? Everyone has checked...¡±

    ¡°I know you have.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly. ¡°But, look here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouse pointed to a spot on the screen. ¡°Right behind you, there¡¯s a child wearing a cloak and a mask.¡±

    He Zhichu was standing in the same direction as He Zhichu. From where he was standing, it was also his blind spot.

    Just like when driving, there was a fixed blind spot in the driver¡¯s field of vision.

    He Zhichu¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this child here a long time ago?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head and quickly rewound the video. ¡°I counted. Before the lights went out, there were 237 people. After the lights went out, there were still 237 people. Do you understand the problem?¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned for a moment, but his face quickly turned pale.¡±... You mean, you didn¡¯t leave the hall at all!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. ¡°As for the exact number of children, before the lights went out, there were a total of 186 children, including me.¡±

    ¡°Among them, there were 185 children in cartoon uniforms. I was the only one who didn¡¯t wear a cartoon uniform.¡±

    ¡°When the lights went out and the lights came back on, I was gone, but there were 186 children in cartoon uniforms. You can count them again.¡±

    He Zhichu stared at the child in the video behind him, who was wearing a cloak and a mask. He gritted his teeth and punched the coffee table. ¡°This is outrageous!¡±

    He suddenly realized that they were not the only ones who had found out about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance eight years ago.

    ¡°... Are you saying that when you disappeared eight years ago, there was someone else involved besides Gu Xiangwen?!¡± He Zhichu stood up in a sh and couldn¡¯t wait to make his move.

    Gu Nianzhi ced the mouse on the two adults next to the child, she said calmly, ¡°And these two people, do you recognize them? Judging from their attire, they should be the He family¡¯s servants. Their posture is to encircle the child on either side.¡±

    The child in the cloak and mask was her, right?

    But why was she standing there obediently without crying?

    He Zhichu nced at the two people Gu Nianzhi was pointing at with the mouse, and his face darkened. ¡°They are Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, and she couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Oh my god, what kind of grudge do I have with their family... What are they doing? ! Oh right, Wen Shouyi¡¯s mother insisted on sending flowers to my room just now, but I kicked her out and locked her up!¡±

 Chapter 1576 - Thinking She Was Far Away When She Had Been Close At Hand All Along

    <h4>Chapter 1576: Thinking She Was Far Away When She Had Been Close At Hand All Along</h4>

    He Zhichu had heard from his subordinates that Wen Shouyi¡¯s mother had sent flowers to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, but Gu Nianzhi had rejected her and ordered someone to lock her up. He Zhichu hadn¡¯t taken it to heart at the time.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t happy about it anyway, so she could just lock her up. He had almost forgotten that there was another person locked up in the storage room on the second floor.

    But now that he thought about it, something didn¡¯t seem right.

    ¡°... Then she didn¡¯t ask to enter your room just now to exchange flowers for yours, did she?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s face instantly turned as ck as the bottom of a pot.

    ¡°Of course not. I already said no one can go in, and she still wanted to sneak into the room. Even a fool would know that she had ulterior motives.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and raised her fist. ¡°So I threw my iron fist at her.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned.

    He still remembered that when he had just brought Gu Nianzhi back, he had deliberately pushed her into the house in a wheelchair to give those people a chance to spread the news.

    If he remembered correctly, the person who had sent the photo of Gu Nianzhi in the wheelchair to Qin Yaoguang and the others should have been Wen Shouyi¡¯s father.

    Her parents were both gardeners from the He family and had worked in the He family for decades.

    They had been well-behaved all these years. Other than having a very smart daughter, they had never had much of a presence among the He family¡¯s servants.

    However, this seemingly well-behaved gardener couple was actually the main suspect in the theft of Gu Nianzhi eight years ago? !

    He Zhichu clenched his fists so hard that the joints on his fingers cracked. ¡°I think they¡¯re tired of living!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly tugged at his sleeve and asked anxiously, ¡°Young Master He, what do you want?¡±

    He Zhichu pulled out his pistol and said coldly, ¡°Of course I want to torture them and then kill them!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t be so simple and crude!¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°You¡¯ll be exposed like this. What if they turn on you?¡±

    He Zhichuughed coldly. ¡°Who would dare to do that in my territory? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were blinded by his domineering aura.

    She clutched her chest, her other hand still tugging at He Zhichu¡¯s sleeve. She pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°Young Master He, calm down. You were wise and resourceful when you were with us. Why do you only know how to fight and kill when you¡¯re back?¡±

    He Zhichu held her hand and said coldly, ¡°In the face of absolute power, you don¡¯t need to be resourceful.¡±

    It was enough to crush him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu and sighed. She thought that if she had grown up with He Zhichu on this side, she would probably think that what he was doing was normal.

    However, she had grown up with Huo Shaoheng on that side of the world.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng was a person of absolute power and enjoyed a privileged position in that world, he never took such privileges for granted, nor did he put himself abovew and order.

    He was the guardian of order, not the overseer of it.

    Under his upbringing, Gu Nianzhi was also a follower of the rules.

    She stood up from the sofa and said with a faint smile, ¡°Young Master He, leave this matter to me, okay? They kidnapped me back then, and now I¡¯m back to sue these human traffickers.¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned. ¡°You want to sue them? You want to make a big deal out of this?¡±

    ¡°Of course I want to make a big deal out of it.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows slightly, and her bright, big eyes shed with the light of wanting to make a big deal out of it. ¡°How else would we be able to live up to their schemes? If you quietly kill these people, you¡¯ll be letting them off easy. You¡¯ll also leave trouble for you and your father in the future.¡±

    He Zhichu also knew that if they secretly executed the gardener couple, it would indeed bring some trouble to himself and his father.

    But this trouble, in his opinion, was worth it.

    He said nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ll give them a chance to be judged. It¡¯s just a secret trial. I¡¯ll make them die knowing why they died.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, do you think they¡¯re the masterminds behind this?¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled a long face in disagreement. ¡°I still need them to dig out the people behind them.¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯d judge them first and dig out everything they know before executing them. Don¡¯t worry, none of the masterminds can escape.¡± He Zhichu still wanted to resolve this matter in private.

    First of all, if the He family had a traitor like this and they didn¡¯t punish him harshly, it would raise questions about the He family¡¯s ability to carry out their orders.

    Second of all, they wanted to intimidate the other servants of the He family. If they did something simr, this was what would happen to them.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time. She sat back in her wheelchair and said angrily, ¡°Fine, do what you want. Send me back. I can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡±

    He Zhichu saw that she was angry and quickly walked over to pull her out of the wheelchair. He immediatelypromised, ¡°Look at your temper. I really have to go along with you. Alright, do whatever you want. I won¡¯t get involved.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°But I still need a few more favors from you.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine. Do whatever you want. These two are definitely going to be arrested anyway.¡± He Zhichu took out his phone and began giving orders.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Keep an eye on them in secret first. Don¡¯t let them escape. I¡¯ll draft a legal document now. I¡¯ll go to your Police Department tomorrow morning to report the case and request that they be arrested.¡±

    Eight years ago, Gu Nianzhi was only twelve years old and was a minor.

    In the Huaxia Empire, kidnapping a minor was a felony of the same weight as buying and selling a minor.

    Therefore, there were very few cases of kidnapping and selling because of the strict legition in this area.

    He Zhichu had no choice but to say, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow. I¡¯ll prepare the evidence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the video surveince camera. ¡°This is all indirect evidence. I¡¯m both the victim and the most direct witness. I can definitely prove that theymitted crimes and bring them to justice.¡±

    Although she actually couldn¡¯t remember what had happened back then, the video gave her a chance to ¡°regroup¡± her memories.

    He Zhichu went to prepare the evidence, but Gu Nianzhi was wondering why she couldn¡¯t cry or scream?

    After He Zhichu left, Gu Nianzhi quickly contacted Lu Jin again.

    ¡°Dad, do you know how Qin Yaoguang stole me from the He family eight years ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked Lu Jin in a low voice.

    Lu Jin thought for a moment and said, ¡°When I chased after them, they had already taken you out and were about to arrange for you to board the ne. I took you away from the airport.¡±

    This meant that the men and children who had been seen by passers-by that night getting into the car in front of the He family¡¯s entrance were all fake doubles.

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi had actually still been in the He family¡¯s living room and had not left.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Then the other party is really scheming. Even if you hadn¡¯t gone and taken me away, they would have pinned this on you. Fortunately, you lived up to your reputation...¡±

    Lu Jin, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s appearance, actually confirmed the other party¡¯s series of ¡°Framing¡±actions.

    This was probably the reason why the He family didn¡¯t find anyone else involved in the investigation.

    Because Gu Xiangwen really showed up and took Gu Nianzhi away!

    Who would have the time to go back and watch the video surveince footage from that time?!

    This time, Gu Nianzhi watched the video surveince footage again and again. It was actually because she had ¡°cheated,¡± and Lu Jin had personally helped her cheat.

    Gu Nianzhi told him about the clues she had found in the video surveince footage. She was puzzled. ¡°... But I didn¡¯t cry or scream. I just stood in the middle of the gardener couple like an idiot. I was too obedient! This isn¡¯t scientific. It¡¯spletely impossible.¡±

    Lu Jin said without hesitation, ¡°Then they must have gotten the Triazm that I improved in Gu Qin¡¯s biologicalboratory from Qin Yaoguang. It¡¯s also called tachlor.¡±

    ¡°Tacholon is a benzodiazepine-type hypnotic drug. After my modification, the time it takes to take effect has been reduced from 15 minutes to 0.1 seconds.¡±

    ¡°It was originally a light blue pill, but it can also dissolve in water and cover the nose and mouth. As long as you touch it for 0.1 seconds, it can produce a sedative and hypnotic effect. It can also produce a short-term memory loss.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was unsightly, and she immediately said, ¡°Then it looks like they covered my face with this thing within seven seconds of the lights being turned off...¡±

    However, this couple¡¯s hands and feet were really fast. She didn¡¯t know how long they had practiced.

    One person covered her mouth and nose, then draped a cloak over her body.

    Another person took off her pink diamond crown, and put a mask over her face.

    Then he quickly pulled her to stand behind He Zhichu.

    She was only two steps away from him.

    ...

    He Zhichu did not sleep the whole night. He had been watching the video.

    She was so close to him when he was torn apart and living a life worse than death.

    This made him even more sorrowful and bitter.

    This was really the best example of thinking she was far away when she had been close at hand all along.

    He thought that the furthest distance between her and him was not that he loved her and she would not recipricate, but that he lost her while she stood behind him.

 Chapter 1577 - Donâ€™t Let Anyone Get Away With It

    <h4>Chapter 1577: Don¡¯t Let Anyone Get Away With It</h4>

    The next morning, He Zhichu let out a long breath and stood up from behind his desk.

    Theputer screen was still showing the moment when the lights went back on.

    He stood in front of the cake and looked down at the pink diamond crown on the ground.

    Behind him stood two humble-looking gardeners.

    The child in the middle of the gardeners was covered in a cloak and a mask was Gu Nianzhi, had taken him years to find.

    If he had turned around at that time...

    No, even if he had turned around, he wouldn¡¯t have thought that the child in the cartoon uniform was Gu Nianzhi.

    This scheme had been too borate.

    And all of this was really not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s doing?

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi had really been sent to the other world by Gu Xiangwen.

    If all of this was not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s n, then how did Gu Nianzhi end up in his hands?

    After all, he had personally seen Gu Xiangwen send Gu Nianzhi to the other world and then set himself on fire in front of him.

    What had happened in between that he did not know?

    And how did Gu Nianzhi know?

    He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering almond-shaped eyes flickered. He quickly remembered the ¡°doctor¡± who had suddenly appeared that day to perform Gu Nianzhi¡¯s surgery..

    This conjecture was too shocking. He decided to go to the bathroom and take a cold shower.

    It was the end of December in the imperial capital. The cold water was bone-chilling, but he felt that he needed this kind of coldness to sober himself up.

    ..

    At the same time, Gu Nianzhi had just pushed open her room door and walked out.

    She had already gotten up and was dressed.

    She had already changed out of the ck dress she wore the day before. She was wearing a pink and blue silk shirt with a ash grey thin wool suit jacket over it. On her long legs was a pair of wool trousers of the same color, and ck mid-heeled leather shoes with thin tips were on her feet.

    In her hand, she was carrying a deep peacock blue LV twist handbag, which she treated as a briefcase.

    Her hair, which had just been washed and blown, was notpletely dry. It was so ck that it appeared blue. It hung on her shoulders gently, and her palm-sized face was as white as jade.

    She did not sleep well that night either. Her dark eyes had dark eye circles. It was no longer an amber color that could be seen through at a nce. Instead, it was like a book with a lot of content that made he wanted to read and read again.

    She took out her phone and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number, but no one answered. She went straight to the voicemail.

    The guard at the door saluted her and said loudly, ¡°Good Morning, Miss Gu!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    She asked again, ¡°Do you know that Young Master He went out this morning?¡±

    ¡°Young Master He hasn¡¯te out yet. He must have gone to the bathroom,¡± He Zhichu¡¯s orderly answered quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch and said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t wait for him. When hees out, help me tell him that I went to the police station to report the case.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s orderly: ¡°...¡±

    Did they still need to go to the police station to report the case?

    For the He family, shouldn¡¯t reporting the case be just calling the head of the Imperial Police Headquarters?

    Gu Nianzhi did not exin further. She grabbed her Louis Vuitton handbag and briefcase, then strode downstairs.

    Yesterday, she had read through all the information He Zhichu had sent her. She had found out what was rted to the case and made a report. She had listed a few pieces of evidence. Of course, the most crucial piece of evidence was herself.

    There was no other evidence that was more powerful than the victim from back then standing up and testifying.

    Two orderly soldiers followed her and said, ¡°Miss Gu, Young Master He has ordered that we must ensure your safety at all times.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not stop them and said, ¡°Alright then, find a car and take me to the police station.¡±

    The two orderly soldiers drove He Zhichu¡¯s bulletproof car over.

    He Zhichu had ordered that if Gu Nianzhi wanted to use a car, she would use his car.

    He Zhichu was in the middle of his shower in the bathroom. He knew that Gu Nianzhi was going to the police station to report the case, so he did not stop her. He only ordered all the operations teams to be in ce to secretly protect her.

    ..

    It was Christmas, but the Huaxia Empire didn¡¯t actually celebrate it, so there were no official celebrations.

    The people who had partied the night before still had to get up early to go to work today.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in He Zhichu¡¯s bulletproof car and also encountered a traffic jam on the Sanhuan Road of the imperial capital.

    She wasn¡¯t in a hurry. She had waited for eight years, so she wasn¡¯t in a hurry.

    When He Zhichu called, she was looking out of the car window while lost in thought.

    ¡°Young Master He?¡± Gu Nianzhi answered the phone with a smile. ¡°I called you this morning, but it wasn¡¯t convenient for you to pick up.¡±

    ¡°I was just showering.¡± He Zhichu wiped his head with a towel and walked out of the bathroom. With broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, he was tall and slender.

    The muscles on his upper arms were well-proportioned. He was definitely in good shape, when he was in his clothes and when he took off his clothes.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze fell on the mirror in front of him. He asked coldly, ¡°... Is everything ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes, everything is ready. I¡¯ve been going through the files you¡¯ve been organizing all night and found some key clues and evidence.¡±

    ¡°I want to report this to the police and ask them to control these two suspects and prosecute them. I will act as the intiff and defend myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi indeed had not slept the night before. She had searched for information on criminal proceedings in the Huaxia Empire.

    She realized that in criminal proceedings, the intiff could hire awyer to argue with the defendant¡¯s defensewyer in court. It was slightly different from thew of criminal proceedings in the other world.

    She was relieved when she realized the difference.

    Great, she could really get justice for herself!

    The best justice would be to use thew to send these people to prison.

    He Zhichu thought about it. Although he felt that Gu Nianzhi was in a hurry, considering her mood, he decided to let her do what she wanted.

    If anything went wrong, he would be there anyway.

    He Zhichu did not stop her. He only said, ¡°Be careful and keep in touch. Do you want me to pick you up?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Gu Nianzhi arched her eyebrows. ¡°Help me keep an eye on those two people at the He family¡¯s house. I don¡¯t want them to run away when the police to arrive.¡±

    ¡°Okay, no problem.¡± He Zhichu used his phone to send out a series ofmands, and the entire He family was heavily surrounded by soldiers.

    He Chengjian received the news and was eating breakfast in the dining room.

    When he heard that it was He Zhichu who gave the order, he did not even raise his head. He said, ¡°Young Master He¡¯s orders are my orders. Why are you making a fuss? You¡¯re getting more and more unruly! ¡ª Get out!¡±

    His personal secretary quickly left the dining room and went out to deliver the news.

    ..

    At this time, Gu Nianzhi finally arrived at the imperial police headquarters.

    Because the disappearance of a minor had happened at the He family¡¯s home, the case had been reported here eight years ago.

    ording to the information she had gathered, the case had not been closed until now.

    He Zhichu should have gone to close the case when she had returned, but the Young Master had probably long forgotten about it.

    Or perhaps he was toozy to close the case. It was already an unsolved case and had been ssified as a cold case for many years. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was closed or not.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely grateful to He Zhichu¡¯s ¡°Young Master¡± habits at this moment.

    If it had been Huo Shaoheng, he would have closed the case immediately, but if it had already been closed, it would have been very disadvantageous to her.

    ..

    In the main hall of the Imperial Police Headquarters, Inspector Chen, who was in charge of the cold case, almost thought he had heard wrong.

    ¡°Huh? A missing minor case from the He family eight years ago? You¡¯re the victim of the disappearance? ! You want to sue the two adults who kidnapped you? !¡±

    In his twenty years of working on the case, he had never seen a case like this. It was a victim of an adult who hade to seek justice for the minor she had been!

    ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡± Gu Nianzhiid out thew without hesitation.

    ¡°ording to Article 239 of the criminalw, kidnapping a minor by force, coercion, or other means is punishable by up to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment or life imprisonment, and a fine or confiscation of property

    ¡°Intentional injury to a kidnapped minor, resulting in serious injury or death, shall be punishable by life imprisonment or death, and all property shall be confiscated.¡±

    ¡°I am the minor who was kidnapped by them back then. They severely abused me, causing me to suffer from severe injuries and amnesia.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at her own head, ¡°I recently returned here and was once again strongly stimted by them. Only then did I suddenly remember what happened back then.¡±

    Inspector Chen watched as sheid out the evidence and listened to her eloquently talk about the ¡°abuse¡± she had suffered when she was kidnapped. His eyes turned red. He choked with sobs and said, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. We will not let any of the bad guys off! Apply for an arrest warrant! Go to the He family house to arrest the criminal suspect!¡±

    Inspector Chen¡¯s subordinates:¡±! ! !¡±

    Go to the He family¡¯s house to arrest the suspect? !

    Was the boss out of his mind? !

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at her stunned subordinates and calmly said, ¡°The suspect is the He family¡¯s gardener.¡±

    ¡°... Gardener? !¡± The policemen came back to their senses and immediately shouted, ¡°Yes, inspector! We¡¯ll act now!¡±

    So they were going to arrest the gardener. He had really scared them to death just now..

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi went back in the police car.

    With the arrest warrant she had applied for from the court, she brought Inspector Chen, who was in charge of cold case, and his subordinates, to the He family¡¯s florist¡¯s worker¡¯s house.

    Although it was called a worker¡¯s house, the three-bedroom, two-bedroom, 100-square-meter suite was more spacious and luxurious than many apartment blocks in the capital.

    A policeman came up and knocked on the door. ¡°May I know if Wen Dayou and Liang Meili are here?¡±

    The door opened, and Wen Shouyi was standing inside.

    With a puzzled look on her face, she looked at the policeman in front of her and Gu Nianzhi, who was standing behind the policeman. ¡°I¡¯m Wen Shouyi, and I¡¯m also awyer. May I know why you¡¯re looking for my parents?¡±

 Chapter 1578 - No One Is Spared (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1578: No One Is Spared (2)</h4>

    The police officer at the door showed Wen Shouyi the arrest warrant signed by the court and said with a serious expression, ¡°Lawyer Wen, is it? Please step aside and don¡¯t obstruct us from carrying out our official duties.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was unmoved and nodded slightly. She said, ¡°I think there must be some misunderstanding.¡±

    She stared at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing behind the police officers, and said calmly, ¡°Miss Gu, I remember you were still very weak in your wheelchair yesterday. How did you manage to stand up today? Are you with the police?¡±

    Since Gu Nianzhi had dared toe, she was naturally prepared.

    She smiled, then said, ¡°I was in a wheelchair yesterday, but I wasn¡¯t very weak. At the He family¡¯s Christmas party yesterday, so many people saw me dancing. How could I be weak? Lawyer Wen, since you¡¯re awyer, you should watch your words.¡±

    ¡°Exaggerating has a special term in court. It¡¯s called perjury.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly, but her words were harsh.

    Wen Shouyi choked.

    She remembered that not only had Gu Nianzhi danced with He Zhichu in a wheelchair yesterday, but she had also been picked up by the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet Union, Peter, then danced on the instep of his feet...

    From this perspective, she really hadn¡¯t been ¡°too weak¡±st night.

    ¡°... Oh right, if you could dance yesterday, then why did you have to be in a wheelchair? That¡¯s so strange...¡± Wen Shouyi nodded gracefully. ¡°Aren¡¯t you misleading others?¡±

    ¡°How did I mislead others?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was crisp and clear, and she didn¡¯t want to take any verbal losses. ¡°My health state was different from Lawyer Wen¡¯s expectations, so you think I¡¯m misleading you?¡±

    Wen Shouyi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°My expectations? What expectations would I have?¡± Wen Shouyi retorted subconsciously. ¡°I don¡¯t know you very well, so I don¡¯t have any expectations about your health.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. Since you don¡¯t have any expectations, how did I mislead you?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Whichw says that normal people can¡¯t sit in a wheelchair?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable.¡± Wen Shouyi was finally getting a little angry. ¡°Normal people will assume that a person in a wheelchair is seriously ill and can¡¯t walk on her own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was seriously injured more than a month ago and I¡¯m still recovering. I came back from C City yesterday and was very tired, so I was in a wheelchairst night.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t so injured that I couldn¡¯t stand up. I really did mislead you. I apologize.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was a little sullen. ¡°You¡¯re such a troublemaker. I¡¯m not talking to you.¡±

    Her gaze shifted to the police officers in front of the door, and she said, ¡°I¡¯m awyer. Let me see your arrest warrants.¡±

    The police officer once again ced the arrest warrants in front of her.

    Wen Shouyi looked at them at a nce and raised her eyebrows. ¡°Aren¡¯t you mistaken? The case of the missing minor eight years ago should have been closed with the return of the client. Why is it still in the cold case file of your bureau?¡±

    ¡°The person who reported the case did not request for the case to be closed. Moreover, the client is now suing your parents for kidnapping her eight years ago. Please don¡¯t stop us from carrying out our official duties.¡± The policeman lost his patience at this time. He pushed Wen Shouyi away and rushed into the house.

    Inside, two middle-aged men and women dressed in in clothes stood in the middle of the living room at a loss. They stuttered, ¡°You... what are you doing? We arew-abiding citizens!¡±

    The police officer took out an arrest warrant and said, ¡°May I ask if you are Wen Dayou? Are you Liang Meili? Are the two people on here you two?¡±

    The arrest warrant had the name and identity documents of the criminal suspect on it. To arrest people, one had to verify their identities.

    These two people were in their fifties. As they worked as gardeners all year round, they worked outdoors. Their skin was dark and rough, and they looked older than their actual age. Anyone would believe that they were in their sixties.

    ¡°It¡¯s us, but we didn¡¯t do anything illegal,¡± Wen Dayou and Liang Meili said in unison. They looked at Wen Shouyi nervously.

    Wen Shouyi walked over and stayed by their side. She said softly, ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t be afraid. There must be a misunderstanding. You two go with the police first. I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯ll bail you out immediately.¡±

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili then obediently reached out their hands and let the police handcuff them. They then put a paper bag over their heads to cover their faces and went out of the He family¡¯s workers¡¯ room.

    The Chief of the police headquarters was in He Chengjian¡¯s meeting room at the moment. Themisioner was in the meeting room.

    ¡°General He, there¡¯s been a new development in the case of the missing minors reported by Young Master He eight years ago.¡±

    He reported the situation of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s report to He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°It was actually done by our gardener, Wen Dayou, and his wife, Liang Meili? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what Miss Gu said. She even brought out some evidence.¡± Themisioner hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Actually, the other evidence that she provided is not very strong. The strongest evidence is actually her. She was the victim back then. She said that these two were the ones who kidnapped her, so we have to file a case and investigate. We have to go through the procedures.¡±

    He Chengjian pondered over it for a moment and said, ¡°Just follow thew and find out the truth. Wen Dayou and his wife are servants of the He family, but Gu Nianzhi is the savior of the He family. You should know about the history between her and the He family very clearly.¡±

    The director of the police headquarters breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, ¡°Commisioner He, that¡¯s great to hear from you! We¡¯ll definitely do what thew says! We¡¯ll definitely do what thew says!¡±

    This was a case where the higher-ups were the most afraid of pressure.

    Now that the higher-ups had let them find out the truth, their work would be much easier.

    ..

    The police took Wen Dayou and Liang Meili to the detention center of the Imperial Police Headquarters.

    Wen Shouyi followed them to the coroner¡¯s court to apply for bail.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want the couple to be released on bail, so she followed them.

    When she arrived, Wen Shouyi was arguing with the judge¡¯s clerk.

    ¡°My client has the right to be released on bail ording to thew. We will pay bail, so you can ask for whatever you want.¡± Wen Shouyi looked like she had a lot of money.

    ¡°The suspects in this case have just been taken into custody. The court is very busy and won¡¯t process their bail money so quickly. Please go back and wait patiently.¡± The judge¡¯s clerk looked like she was doing her job and was not willing topromise.

    Wen Shouyi begged her for a long time, but she still shook her head. Unable to help, she said, ¡°There has been a lot of pressure from all the cases. We are really busy. This is also a old case. We really need to wait a few days. How about this? I¡¯ll write an expedited application to the judge and see if the judge will settle the bail issue for your client earlier.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she stood at the door and watched for a while. Seeing that the court had handled the case well, she did not say anything more.

    Seeing that Wen Shouyi was about to turn around ande out, Gu Nianzhi moved aside.

    As soon as Wen Shouyi stepped out of the door, she saw Gu Nianzhi standing by the door while smiling at her.

    She felt sullen, but her expression remained calm.

    She was in no hurry to leave. She looked at Gu Nianzhi and said slowly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, are you really going to make things difficult for my parents?¡±

    ¡°How am I making things difficult for your parents?¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling and said with a sullen expression on her face, ¡°Why did your parents make things difficult for me in the first ce? They kidnapped me at my birthday party, so didn¡¯t they think of leaving me a way out? !¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so ridiculous.¡± Wen Shouyi looked disapproving, as if she didn¡¯t think Gu Nianzhi had any concrete evidence. ¡°Who told you that my parents had something to do with your disappearance eight years ago? Who would spread rumors like that? Aren¡¯t they afraid of getting retribution?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and said leisurely, ¡°Just retribution is enough for spreading rumors? Lawyer Wen, you¡¯re really magnanimous. If someone else spreaded rumors about my parents, I¡¯ll make sure they go to jail for the rest of their lives!¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled. ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re young and impetuous. Did you forget thew in a moment of anger? ¡ª People won¡¯t be in prison for the rest of their lives just for spreading rumors, will they?¡±

    ¡°You still remember that you¡¯re awyer?¡± Gu Nianzhi scoffed and shook her right index finger. ¡°Spreading rumors won¡¯t get you retribution either, so it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t talk about such meaningless things. It doesn¡¯t suit your image as awyer.¡±

    ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no need for us to argue here.¡± Wen Shouyi sized Gu Nianzhi up, then said with a hint of pity, ¡°You really don¡¯t know what happened eight years ago? Do you think you can vent your personal anger by colluding with the police to bring my parents here? You¡¯re underestimating our legal system too much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not underestimating your legal system,¡± Gu Nianzhi said calmly, ¡°Of course I submitted concrete evidence before the police applied for an arrest warrant. Lawyer Wen, don¡¯t y dumb. You know exactly what happened eight years ago.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was also suspicious when she saw how confident Gu Nianzhi was. She wondered if something had gone wrong?

    In a sh, she thought through everything.

    She thought about how Gu Xiangwen had appeared at thest minute and had secretly taken Gu Nianzhi away from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s men at the airport. She calmed down again.

    Gu Xiangwen had done it to begin with. What was there to be afraid of? !

 Chapter 1579 - Wonâ€™t Let A Single Person Off The Hook

    <h4>Chapter 1579: Won¡¯t Let A Single Person Off The Hook</h4>

    Wen Shouyi looked at Gu Nianzhi with a half-hearted smile, and took two steps towards her. Wen Shouyi whispered into her ear, ¡°Since you have concrete evidence, have you ever thought that the person who took you away in the end is.... your crazy father, Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the crazy one!¡± Gu Nianzhi reached out with one hand and pushed Wen Shouyi¡¯s face away. She said in disgust, ¡°Speak properly and don¡¯t stand so close!¡±

    Wen Shouyi staggered from her push and almost fell.

    She held onto a pir in the hall of the court and stood still. She grinned and said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, your biggest problem is that you can¡¯t face reality. ¡°Your father was the two-time Nobelureate, Gu Xiangwen. Your mother is Qin Yaoguang, the Dean of Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital, and the ace of the neurosurgery department. However, none of them really loved you. They only treated you as a pawn.¡±

    ¡°My parents are just ordinary gardeners, but they loved me without reservation. They would do anything for me as long as I could be happy. I think you¡¯re envious of me, so you¡¯re making things difficult for my parents, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed. Wishing she could punch Wen Shouyi on her fair, round face, she clenched her fists tighter and tighter.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s delicate features looked particrly annoying.

    ¡°Envious of you? That¡¯s why I¡¯m making things difficult for your parents? Not only is your face as big as a basin, but your logic is ridiculously illogical.¡± Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and clenched her fists even tighter. Her nails dug deep into her palms, and the pain made her shudder.

    Her mind calmed down, and she continued, ¡°Your parents love you, so they wouldn¡¯tmit a crime? My parents don¡¯t love me, so they wouldmit a crime? Is that what you¡¯re saying? Is that your logical reasoning? With your level, does Qin Yaoguang still think you¡¯re a reliablewyer? It looks like she is just so-so.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Wen Shouyi imitated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone and was not angered by her words. ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you that you¡¯re suing my parents for kidnapping, but in reality you¡¯re actually suing your own father for kidnapping.¡±

    ¡°Because, in your disappearance, your father was the mastermind. Even if my parents were in the wrong, they were just helping people.¡± Wen Shouyi was very confident that Gu Nianzhi was shooting herself in the foot.

    ¡°So you think my father was the one who kidnapped me?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled upwards, ¡°What if I don¡¯t think so? You all said that my father died in the fire, so there¡¯s no way to prove it. Does that mean you can throw all kinds of usations at him? !¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked at her calmly with a faint smile on her face.¡±... It¡¯s not that there¡¯s no evidence, and it¡¯s not that we¡¯re trying to frame your father. It¡¯s just that he really masterminded your disappearance.¡±

    ¡°First of all, from the chain of evidence we have, your father was the mastermind behind your disappearance. Your father died in the fire, so this case should be dismissed.¡±

    ¡°Second of all, you want to sue my parents. Fine, but you have to have enough evidence to convince the judge and the jury that your father wasn¡¯t the mastermind behind the scenes, but my parents were the mastermind.¡±

    Her eyes eerily bright, Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists. ¡°But you and I also know that your chain of evidence is fake!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fake.¡± Wen Shouyi took a step closer and walked towards her. She looked aggressive. ¡°The note that your father asked the orderly to pass on was authenticated by the most famous handwriting expert in our country. It was indeed written by your father himself.¡±

    ¡°The witness who saw a man and a little girl get into the car at the intersection back then also confirmed that the man was the famous two-time Nobelureate, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°A monthter, countless people at the intersection of C City saw you sitting in a burning car while your fatherughed maniacally in the fire in front of the car. Gu Nianzhi, have you thought about how to solve this chain of evidence tied to your father?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was indeed awyer. When she calmed down, her professionalism immediately showed itself. Her meticulous and attentive ways gave her the upper hand.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help taking two steps back with a hint of hesitation and shock on her face.

    Yes, from the surface evidence, the mastermind behind her kidnapping was her father, Gu Xiangwen. At best, the gardeners were aplices.

    But if the gardeners were to be sued, then her father would undoubtedly be the defendant as well.

    She wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all if the couple pushed all the me onto Gu Xiangwen.

    But she knew that wasn¡¯t the case.

    Was she afraid?

    No, she wanted to clear her father¡¯s name step by step so that his reputation wouldn¡¯t be tarnished by this group of people.

    But she couldn¡¯t rashly let her father reveal himself and be the target of public criticism again.

    This war was really difficult to fight, but if she gave up just like that, she wouldn¡¯t be Gu Nianzhi anymore.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you afraid? Do you regret it? It¡¯s not toote for you to withdraw yourwsuit now.¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes flickered, and her voice became softer. ¡°Your beautiful life has just begun. Why must you make things difficult for Auntie Qin and me? As long as you withdraw yourwsuit, I promise I won¡¯t pursue the matter. I¡¯ll even persuade Auntie Qin to dote on you.¡±

    A trace of contempt and disdain shing through her eyes, Wen Shouyi paused for a moment. ¡°If you¡¯re not envious of my parents¡¯ love for me, then you¡¯re envious of Auntie Qin¡¯s love for me. Yes, if your biological mother isn¡¯t good to you and is good to other girls, no one would be able to stand it, right? But you don¡¯t have chemistry with your parent. You weren¡¯t a child born out of love, so don¡¯t go through all that trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Wen Shouyi¡¯s self-righteous attitude, but her heart did not waver. She even felt likeughing.

    ¡°In your heart, am I such a petty person?¡±

    ¡°Human life is at stake,wyer Wen. Do you have any respect and reverence for justice, thew, and order in your heart?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not retreat anymore. She gradually straightened her back.

    She looked down at Wen Shouyi, whose expression had suddenly changed. Gu Nianzhi took two steps forward, and she tutted. ¡°In your heart, I¡¯m either envious of your parents¡¯ love for you, or envious of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s love for you. Your spection about my motives is actually a reflection of your own innermost thoughts. It¡¯s your own narrow-mindedness.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was slightly taken aback. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t give me those noble reasons. I don¡¯t believe a single one of them.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I do.¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at her own chest. ¡°I¡¯m not suing your parents out of envy. I¡¯m just trying to make them bear the legal responsibility that they deserve.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who they work for, or whether they¡¯re the real masterminds behind the scenes. They¡¯re the ones who kidnapped me. There¡¯s no denying that.¡±

    ¡°I want everyone who harmed me to be brought to justice. No matter who it is, even if it¡¯s my father or... mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished her sentence slowly and was satisfied to see a sh of panic in Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 1580 - Donâ€™t Let A Single Person Off The Hook

    <h4>Chapter 1580: Don¡¯t Let A Single Person Off The Hook</h4>

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart sank, but she quickly calmed down when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sly smile. She picked up her phone and opened her contact list to look for her phone number, then said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s up to you. After all, you cut Auntie Qin¡¯s hand right after youe back. It¡¯s not certain who will hurt who...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly. She slung the LV Twist handbag on her shoulder and was about to leave as well. ¡°Then tell her to sue me. I¡¯ll apany her to the end.¡±

    She turned around and left the main hall of the Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court. She got into the car that was waiting for her outside.

    Wen Shouyi happened to walk out of the main entrance. She saw the license te of the car and pursed her lips in disdain.

    Was she trying to use the He family¡¯s influence to put her parents in jail?

    He Zhichu had already broken off his engagement with her, but she was still staying at the He family¡¯s house to freeload...

    Wen Shouyi narrowed her eyes and the phone in her hand rang.

    She quickly swiped it open to answer the call and hurried down the stairs. She said, ¡°Auntie Qin, Gu Nianzhi has just reported the case to the police. The police haveunched an open investigation and the court has issued an arrest warrant for my parents.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang had juste out of the bathroom. Her head was wrapped in a white towel, and she was wearing a high-count, high-density ind cotton bathrobe made in the West Indies.

    This cotton fabric was extremely expensive. It was usually used by luxury brands to make custom-made clothes.

    However, Qin Yaoguang casually wore a bathrobe made of this fabric. She sat leisurely in front of the dressing table and started to fiddle with her own bottles and jars.

    Her skincare products were all made by herself. Biological beauty skincare products were so effective that everyone who used them knew.

    She also had the capital to make her own beauty skincare products.

    Besides being a world-renowned brain surgeon, Qin Yaoguang, the Dean of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital, was also a biomedical expert. She had even made epoch-making contributions in gic engineering.

    Making some biological beauty skincare products was just a piece of cake.

    She warmed up a few drops of beauty oil in her palm and carefully pressed them on her face. She was on the phone with Wen Shouyi while wearing a Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Why are you so anxious? If she wants to sue, go ahead. Weren¡¯t you a top student at Harvard Law School? You have awyer¡¯s license in the United States and the Huaxia Empire, and you¡¯ve won so manywsuits. Why are you afraid of her?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked at herself in the mirror. She touched her voluptuous lips, which were the same shape as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, and smiled in satisfaction.

    Wen Shouyi was anxious to see that Qin Yaoguang did not take it seriously.

    Awsuit was not something that could be won byparing who had graduated fromw school.

    Everywsuit was different. It was because she knew this that she did not look down on Gu Nianzhi.

    She had to admit that although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s character was not that great, she was still talented in terms of legal affairs and could perform very well on the spot.

    She could look down on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s character, but she had to value her professional abilities.

    ¡°Auntie Qin, that¡¯s true, but it¡¯s always good to be prepared.¡± Wen Shouyi looked around. ¡°Is it convenient for you? I¡¯lle to your house to discuss how we should deal with this?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hand paused for a moment. Looking at her natural beauty in the mirror without any makeup, she frowned and refused, ¡°What would you do here? I don¡¯t know thew, so I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qin... But...¡± Wen Shouyi was tongue-tied. ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± Qin Yaoguang frowned even more. ¡°Think of a way to defend your parents and don¡¯te to work in the hospital for the time being. Also, that case has nothing to do with me. It was Gu Xiangwen who kidnapped his daughter. Don¡¯t call me so frequently.¡±

    After saying that, Qin Yaoguang hung up and blocked Wen Shouyi¡¯s phone number.

    She sat in front of the dressing table in a daze for a while and said to herself, ¡°Yes, it was never my fault. From the beginning to the end, it was that crazy Gu Xiangwen who did it...¡±

    ..

    Wen Shouyi called Qin Yaoguang again and realized that she couldn¡¯t get through.

    She stood at the steps of the Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court and looked at the traffic on the road in a daze. She gripped her phone tightly.

    She understood what Qin Yaoguang meant.

    This matter had nothing to do with her.

    So she could only insist that Gu Xiangwen was the mastermind.

    Gu Xiangwen was already dead. Even if he was still alive to testify, she still had the ability to pin everything on him!

    Wen Shouyi made up her mind. She walked to the parking lot, picked up her car, and drove it to her apartment.

    Ever since Gu Nianzhi left, she had almost reced Gu Nianzhi in the He family.

    She had worked very hard herself. She had taken the opportunity to get her degree and be awyer. She had earned a lot of money and bought herself several houses. She had long since stopped living in the He family¡¯s worker¡¯s house.

    It had been a coincidence yesterday. Because Gu Nianzhi had been in a wheelchair. she went back to ask her mother what had happened.

    However, her mother had been locked up for a few hours and had only been releasedte at night.

    She had waited until midnight. After she finally saw her mother and asked about the situation, she did not go back. Instead, she stayed at her parents¡¯ house for the night.

    She had not expected that Gu Nianzhi would be so impatient after just one night.

    She called the police, issued an arrest warrant, and made an arrest, all in one go.

    This was too overbearing!

    Wen Shouyi drove back in her car indignantly.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the He family¡¯s home. She had just pushed open the door to her room when she received a call from He Zhichu.

    ¡°You¡¯re back? How did it go?¡± He Zhichu had already gone to his office in the military base and was not at home.

    Gu Nianzhi threw her Louis Vuitton bag onto the sofa andid down. She smiled and made a ¡°V¡± sign. ¡°Everything is going well!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He Zhichu smiled faintly. He signed the documents and said, ¡°Is the court ready to schedule the trial? When will you be appearing in court?¡±

    ¡°That depends on the court, but I can apply for an expedited trial.¡± Gu Nianzhi was already prepared. ¡°This is a reopening of a cold case and a case involving a minor. ording to the rules, it can be brought forward.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Wen Shouyi will probably be her parents¡¯ defensewyer. Do you know Wen Shouyi¡¯s style of defense?¡± He Zhichu finished signing the documents and nned to teach Gu Nianzhi a lesson called ¡°Wen Shouyi¡¯s defense skills¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced and said with a smile, ¡°No, no, we don¡¯t have to deal with her yet. If she wants to go to court with me, we¡¯ll have to wait a while.¡±

    He Zhichu, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± He Zhichu put down the document and leaned back in his seat. His sparkling eyes were filled with affection that he did not realize. ¡°You don¡¯t think Wen Shouyi will be her parents¡¯ defensewyer? That¡¯s impossible. Under such circumstances, she doesn¡¯t have to avoid it.¡±

    ¡°I know. She can be a defensewyer for her own rtives. That¡¯s not against thew here. She just can¡¯t be a defensewyer for the other party. If the other party in thewsuit against her client is her rtive, then she needs to avoid it. t¡¯s good that you know.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s slender, fair fingers tapped lightly on the desk, and he smiled. ¡°Then what¡¯s ourwyer Gu¡¯s n?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt warmth in her heart when she heard this. She couldn¡¯t help thinking that she just didn¡¯t have her mother¡¯s affinity. Her father, Young Master He, Brother Ze, and Brother Xiong had all given her their love and care.

    ¡°I have my own n.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and stood up to stretch. She picked up the Louis Vuitton handbag on the sofa and walked out the door. ¡°When she applies to be her parents¡¯ defensewyer, I¡¯ll veto it with one vote.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait and see.¡± He Zhichu smiled as well. ¡°What do you want for lunch? Do you want me to pick you up for lunch?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to go for a walk by myself. I¡¯ll think about it and get ready for court.¡± Gu Nianzhi implicitly rejected him. In fact, she wanted to talk to Lu Jin about the case.

    She hade to the imperial capital from C City yesterday. Lu Yuan and Lu Jin had followed her.

    She just did not know where they were staying in the imperial capital, and did not dare to ask him in front of He Zhichu. She was afraid that he would be suspicious.

    He Zhichu felt a little regretful, but he did not insist. He said, ¡°Drive my car. Be careful and don¡¯t go too far.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s license te allowed him to do whatever he wanted in the imperial capital, so it made him feel assured.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Young Master He.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and hung up the phone. She quickened her pace and ran downstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi took the car from the He family¡¯s garage and drove out. She nned to take a few rounds on the street first.

    Just as she drove out of the secluded alley where the He family¡¯s mansion was located, across the road, Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of a man with his arms crossed and his long legs stretched out. He was leaning against the front door of a modified Grand Cherokee luxury SUV.

    It was the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, who was also the new Deputy Chief Counsel of C City.

    The corners of her eyes twitched.

    What was the Ace of the Far East doing here?

    Not far away was the heavily guarded He family mansion.

    Of course, he was now a diplomat so he had diplomatic immunity.

    She pretended not to see him and drove straight ahead.

    The Ace of the Far East, who was standing across the street, smiled. He turned around and got into the car. He mmed on the elerator and started the engine. He drove over quickly and followed behind her unhurriedly.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She stepped on the gas and sped up to the highway.

    However, no matter if she was on a crowdedmercial street or speeding down the highway, the luxury SUV behind her followed her like a shadow. She couldn¡¯t shake it off.

    An hourter, Gu Nianzhi was discouraged. She drove off the highway and nned to go back to the He family¡¯s house.

    Just then, she heard her phone ring. It was her father¡¯s special ringtone.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed and quickly connected the call with her Bluetooth headset.

    Lu Jin stood in front of the French window of a high-rise apartment with his phone in his hand. He asked with a smile, ¡°Nianzhi, when are youing home?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Where are you guys?¡± She quickly said, ¡°I was thinking of sending you guys a messageter.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled as he sent the address to her phone. ¡°I guess you¡¯re almost done with your work. Boss Lu is cooking now. What do you want to eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt hungry as soon as food was mentioned. She couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°... Does President Lu know how to make pae?¡±

    Lu Jinughed heartily. ¡°... He has to even if he doesn¡¯t. I¡¯ll go look for the recipe and let him learn it on the spot.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    After the call, Gu Nianzhi was relieved to see that therge and shy luxury modified SUV from the Cherokee had disappeared from the rearview mirror.

    Looking at the address on her phone, Gu Nianzhi quickly turned around and drove towards Lu Jin and Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment.

    What she didn¡¯t know was that while she was concentrating on her phone call, the Ace of the Far East had quickly swapped cars with his own people.

    Now he was driving the most ordinary ck Volkswagen sedan, and continued to follow her car at a leisurely pace.

 Chapter 1581 - Obeying Is Better Than Flattering

    <h4>Chapter 1581: Obeying Is Better Than ttering</h4>

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin¡¯s apartment was located in the northwest of Sihuan District.

    The He family¡¯s mansion was in the center of Sihuan District. It was the inner line of the second ring road.

    There was still a long way to go from the second ring road to the northwest of Sihuan District.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood. She turned on the car stereo and hummed along.

    She knew that singing was her weak point, and that she was tone deaf, so she only dared to secretly sing in the car alone.

    Not long after she started singing, she noticed a ck Volkswagen sedan that had been following her since she got on the highway.

    She had been off the highway for a long time now, and was walking through the streets and alleys of the Sihuan district. This car had been following her at a steady pace.

    This car was the mostmon model on the streets of the imperial capital, but after following her for so long, Gu Nianzhi had a good memory. She had seen this car in the rear-view mirror time and time again, so it would be strange if she didn¡¯t recognize it!

    It looked like the Ace of the Far East had switched cars to follow her?

    Gu Nianzhi was annoyed.

    How could this person be like this?

    She had already said that she wasn¡¯t interested in him, yet he still shamelessly followed her.

    This kind of situation was called stalking overseas, and she could have gone to the police!

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and suddenly stepped on the elerator. He Zhichu¡¯s car was very good, and it immediately shot out like an arrow.

    She suddenly elerated, and the car behind her also subconsciously followed.

    Gu Nianzhi began to drift on the busy Sihuan road, and she felt like she was going to fly.

    It had been a long time since she had driven so freely. She couldn¡¯t help curling her lips and ncing at the rear-view mirror.

    Huh? That car was actually following her...

    His driving skills were pretty good, huh?

    Gu Nianzhi skillfully turned the steering wheel. After passing another car, she suddenly slowed down and changed twones in a row to get close to the ck Volkswagen sedan that had just caught up.

    She turned to look at the Ace of the Far East in the car next to her and proudly waved at him while making a ¡°V¡± sign.

    Through the Volkswagen¡¯s window, Gu Nianzhi could see the dark face of the Ace of the Far East. He seemed to be very angry that his anger was about through seep through the window.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt rxed and happy. She just wanted tough out loud.

    She had defeated the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East!

    She could brag about it for a year after she got back!

    She smugly scratched her cheek with her finger and shamed the Ace of the Far East. She immediately stepped on the gas and wanted to speed up to leave.

    She seemed to have angered the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, who also started to show off his driving skills.

    The front of his car suddenly nted to the front of herne, less than 10 centimeters away from her front!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned the steering wheel to the otherne.

    Immediately after, the ck Volkswagen rushed over and squeezed her into anotherne to the right.

    Gu Nianzhi was sweating.

    She hadn¡¯t expected the Ace of the Far East to be so crazy...

    He was indeed worthy of being a warrior. She had to admit defeat...

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to beg for mercy. Her face was pale, her legs were weak, and her feet were trembling. Her hands were on the steering wheel, and her grip was so tight that she almost pulled it off.

    All she saw was that she kept changingnes until she was finally pushed out of the driveway by the Ace of the Far East.

    When she saw the ck Volkswagen almost hit the guardrail on the side of the road and wasing to her head, she also mmed on the brakes and came to a screeching stop on the side of the road.

    Lying on the steering wheel, Gu Nianzhi panted heavily, and her chest hurt. The race had been too intense, and her heart, which had just recovered, was still a little overwhelmed.

    The Ace of the Far East stopped the car in time and got out in a huff. He kicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and growled, ¡°Get out of the car!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She turned to look out the window and happened to bump into the familiar yet also unfamiliar face of the Ace of the Far East.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pale face, the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and the way she was clutching her chest, the Ace of the Far East instantly understood that the injury to her heart had not fully recovered.

    How dare she race with him in such a half-dead state? !

    She was really tired of living!

    ¡°Get out of the car!¡± Signaling for her to get out, the Ace of the Far East knocked on the window again. This time, his voice was softer and less angry, but his expression was even colder.

    Wondering if he was stupid, Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips? Why would she get out of the car at a time like this?

    She shook her head like a rattle drum. ¡°No, no, no, no...¡±

    The windows were soundproof, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was very low. The Ace of the Far East couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying, but judging by her actions, he knew she refused to get out of the car.

    The Ace of the Far East took out his phone, wrote a few words on the writing board, and stuck it on the window for her to see.

    It read: ¡°No other car is following you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Seeing that she was still not moving, the Ace of the Far East took back his phone and wrote another sentence: ¡°I know where President Lu and your father¡¯s apartment are. I can show you the way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Well, so he knew everything. Then why did she have to race against the KGB?

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door and got out of the car.

    The Ace of the Far East crossed his arms and leaned against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car. He looked at her awkwardly standing in front of him, then looked her up and down coldly. His voice was like a cold wind blowing from the far north, ¡°... Why were you running?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Her legs were still weak, but she wasn¡¯t going to lose. Gu Nianzhi asked bluntly, ¡°Why were you chasing me?¡±

    ¡°... I said I was going to chase you.¡± The Ace of the Far East¡¯s face was stern and cold. ¡°So did you think you could run away?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to chase me just like that? Thest person who wanted to chase me was Young Master He. Look at how I treated him.¡±

    This made the Ace of the Far East speechless.

    He lowered his head, and his tall and straight nose cast a shadow on the side of his face. His jawline was exquisite to the point of perfection.

    Imagining that he was Major General Huo over there, Gu Nianzhi secretly took a few more nces at him, so that she could satisfy her craving...

    The Ace of the Far East thought for a moment, then right as he raised his head, his eyes met Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    He suddenly smiled and leaned forward. His clear voice was soul-stirring.¡±... Peeping at me? Hmm?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly looked away and snorted. She raised her chin slightly. ¡°I¡¯m spying on you! Peeping? Is that necessary?¡±

    She waved her hand. ¡°If you have something to say, say it quickly. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m leaving. I haven¡¯t eaten all morning, and I¡¯m starving. President Lu is going to make me pae.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East frowned. ¡°Pae? What¡¯s so good about it?¡±

    Seeing that her face was still pale, the Ace of the Far East still tried to persuade her. ¡°It¡¯s not suitable for you to eat any seafood-rted food right now. It¡¯s not good for your heart¡¯s recovery.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If you still want to eat, I¡¯ll call your father and tell him to be careful.¡± As the Ace of the Far East spoke, he was about to call Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped him. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m not eating. I¡¯m not eating seafood fried rice. Don¡¯t call my father!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t call. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± The Ace of the Far East was very insistent. ¡°I have to keep an eye on you. I can¡¯t let you eat seafood-rted food.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very angry. ¡°Am I a person who doesn¡¯t keep his word? !¡±

    The Ace of the Far East looked down at her. ¡°How do you show that you¡¯re a person who keeps his word?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists. ¡°Watch me if you don¡¯t believe me!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± The Ace of the Far East immediately answered and quickly made a call. ¡°Ivan? Come and drive my car away. I¡¯ll text you the address.¡±

    He then pulled open Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car door and stuffed her into the passenger seat. He sat in the driver¡¯s seat, fastened his seat-belt, and skillfully reversed the car on the road. Soon, he drove away.

    Once the Ace of the Far East made his move, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even have a chance to resist.

    He somehow twisted the seat-belt on her body, but she couldn¡¯t undo it.

    It was like a dream. Soon, the Ace of the Far East brought her to the entrance of the high-rise apartment where Lu Yuan and Lu Jin lived.

    ¡°... How did you know where they live?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked suspiciously.

    She didn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°What misunderstanding do you have about the KGB¡¯s abilities?¡± The KGB said aloofly and rang the doorbell.

    Lu Jin opened the door gloomily and said to the Ace of the Far East with a frown, ¡°Okay, she¡¯s here. You can go now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    He was better at burning bridges than she was.

    The Ace of the Far East looked at Gu Nianzhi expressionlessly and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, I promisedwyer Gu that I would watch her not eat the pae today. I can¡¯t go back on my word.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words. Who did she offend?

    Just because she thought of Major General Huo, she wanted to eat the famous pae out of lovesickness. Because of the Ace of the Far East¡¯s meddling, she couldn¡¯t even eat pae.

    Lu Jin had no choice but to let them in. He asked in puzzlement, ¡°... Nianzhi, why can¡¯t you eat pae? Didn¡¯t you ask for it on the phone just now? I just asked someone to send the ingredients over.¡±

    The core ingredient of pae was saffron. One had to use an especially authentic saffron to stir-fry the unique vor.

    Lu Jin¡¯s apartment had all kinds of ingredients, except for saffron.

    ¡°Mr. Peter said that my wound had just healed, so I can¡¯t eat seafood.¡± Gu Nianzhi clutched her chest and looked away from the kitchen with great difficulty.

    Through the translucent kitchen door, she could see Lu Yuan¡¯s tall figure standing in front of the cupboard.

    ¡°But there¡¯s no scientific basis for the side effects of seafood on wound healing.¡± Lu Jin began to exin, ¡°There is a saying among people that foods such as seafood can affect the wound healing after surgery and increase the chances of infection. This saying ispletely groundless.¡±

    ¡°There are three stages of wound healing after surgery.¡±

    ¡°In the first stage, blood clots will form at the wound. Fibrin is needed to stop the bleeding and seal it.¡±

    ¡°In the second stage, new fibrosts will appear. The blood clot will break down and form a scar

    ¡°In the third stage, the scar tissue will fuse with the original cell tissue and recover its original physiological functions

    ¡°In these three stages, seafood and other high-protein foods are essential nutrients to help the wound heal and allow the cells to perform repair functions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was beaming as she listened. She hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s great! Long live Dad! I want to eat pae!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East lowered his ¡°noble¡± head in front of ¡°science.¡± ¡°Uncle Lu, you¡¯re really knowledgeable. It was my fault for being ignorant. I¡¯ve learned a lot from you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Lu Jin rxed his brows and said in a domineering manner, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll take care of my own daughter. I won¡¯t give her anything she shouldn¡¯t eat. Alright, we¡¯re going to have lunch. You...¡±

    ¡°Then thank you, Uncle Lu. I will ept your offer.¡± The Ace of the Far East sat down and said with a smile, ¡°I have never eaten pae before. Today, I will also try Boss Lu¡¯s cooking skills.¡±

 Chapter 1582 - Filing A Complaint

    <h4>Chapter 1582: Filing A Comint</h4>

    When encountering a freeloader like him, most people would just have to suck it up even if they didn¡¯t like it.

    Unfortunately, the Ace of the Far East had miscalcted this time.

    Lu Jin was a person with a strong sense of righteousness and interpersonal disorder. He did not fall for this at all.

    He patted the back of the sofa where the Ace of the Far East was sitting and said unhappily, ¡°Who said I was going to ask you to stay for dinner? If you don¡¯t understand humannguage, don¡¯t interrupt others.¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully. What I mean is, we¡¯re going to eat. The door is over there. Please go back.¡±

    He extended his hand and made a gesture of ¡°please leave¡±.

    The Ace of the Far East, who was good at seeing people¡¯s faces and observing their expressions, had probably never seen such an outspoken rejection and expulsion.

    He was stunned for a rare moment before he stood up embarrassingly.

    His gaze lingered on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face for a moment before he said indifferently, ¡°Alright, since I can¡¯t eat, I¡¯ll wait outside.¡± He stood up as he spoke.

    ¡°What are you waiting outside for?!¡± Lu Jin was so angry that he was about to rush into the kitchen and chase her away with a big broom. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving yet? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send her back to the He family after she finishes eating.¡± The Ace of the Far East pointed at Gu Nianzhi with a cold expression on his face. ¡°Otherwise, I won¡¯t be at ease.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to send me back. I know how to drive myself.¡± She even took out her car keys and proudly tossed them into the air.

    The Ace of the Far East looked at her silently and took out his phone from his pocket. He showed Lu Jin the video of Gu Nianzhi racing and drifting on the crowded streets today.

    ¡°Uncle Lu, I didn¡¯t know your daughter was so naughty. Look at her driving like that. She¡¯s in the middle of the city, and her injuries have just healed...¡±

    Lu Jin watched the video closely. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car was so high up in the sky that he was so nervous that he couldn¡¯t even breathe. He turned around and red at Gu Nianzhi. His outstretched hand turned in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. ¡°Nianzhi! Where¡¯s your car?! Give me the car keys!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly had the urge to rush out of the door, but under the watchful eyes of Lu Jin and the Ace of the Far East, she still chose to be wise. She pointed downstairs and whispered, ¡°Parked in the parking lot below.¡±

    She obediently handed the car keys to Lu Jin and mumbled, ¡°This isn¡¯t my car. This is Young Master He¡¯s car. What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What? ! I¡¯m going to modify your car! Install a remote control system on your car. Don¡¯t go faster than 50 miles per hour. If you exceed it, I can take control.¡± Lu Jin took the keys from her hand and reprimanded her sternly.

    Gu Nianzhi hated the Ace of the Far East for being a tattletale. She red at him and mouthed silently, ¡°Snitch! Scoundrel!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East pretended not to see it and reached out to stop Lu Jin. He smiled and said, ¡°This is Young Master He¡¯s car. It¡¯s not convenient for you to modify it. It¡¯s better for you to modifywyer Gu¡¯s own car.¡±

    He continued, ¡°After I forcedwyer Gu¡¯s car to stop, I drove over. So I¡¯ll wait outside the door. After she finished eating, I¡¯ll be the driver to send her back. I¡¯ll drive, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lu Jin was embarrassed to chase him out again after hearing what he said. Besides, he had seen the video of Gu Nianzhi driving, so he didn¡¯t dare to let her drive alone anymore. He quickly said, ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Come in and sit down. Boss Lu made two big bowls of pae. One of them is spoiled. Eat it, so it won¡¯t go to waste.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    The Ace of the Far East put on a surprised look. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Uncle Lu, you¡¯re really magnanimous. Sorry for troubling you and President Lu.¡±

    ¡°Eat your food. You talk too much.¡± Lu Jin realized that he had fallen for the trap, but he had to fall for it for his daughter.

    Thinking about how Gu Nianzhi drove like a roller coaster, Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help thinking about how he should have developed a self-driving car back then..

    The three of them returned to the dining room and sat down. Lu Yuan opened the translucent ss door of the kitchen and stuck his head out to look at the Ace of the Far East. ¡°Eh? Deputy Chief Counsel aka Peter? What a surprise.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s driver now. Bring him that ruined te of cooked pae,¡± Lu Jin said rudely. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t like the Far East Ace, Deputy Chief Counsel aka Peter.

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°How can I do that? I¡¯ve already thrown away that ruined te of cooked pae. The rest are all good. I¡¯ve made many, enough for everyone. Two or three more people can eat them too.¡±

    The authentic pae was made from a type of Spanish specialty, Bahia short-grain rice. This type of rice core was very hard and very easy to absorb water.

    The ingredients were fresh scallops, prawns, mussels, crab meat, oysters, squid, Spanish specialty chorizo, chicken, bell peppers, and small tomatoes.

    It was usually cooked with olive oil and small onions to create a fragrance. It was cooked with raw rice, green beans, and lemon, and stewed in seafood broth.

    The key to this dish was to use saffron to color the fried seafood rice, which was golden in color. Together with the various colors of seafood, they formed a strong and unrestrained feast.

    As they spoke, the Ace of the Far East had already taken the initiative to go to the kitchen to help bring out the rice.

    A wide-mouthed, shallow-bottomed pot with ck and gold ze was ced in the middle of the dining table. In front of each of them were white bone china tes with orchids painted on the sides of the tes.

    Lu Jin happily picked up a public spoon and scooped arge spoonful for Gu Nianzhi to put on her te. He said eagerly, ¡°Try Boss Lu¡¯s cooking!¡±! ¡°This is the best Spanish seafood fried rice I¡¯ve ever had. I ate it in a small tavern in Spain. I didn¡¯t know how to make it, but I still remember the taste. I forced Boss Lu to try it, and it finally worked.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the appearance of the dish, which was simr to what Major General Huo had made for her in the past, and was very happy. She picked up her spoon and scooped a big mouthful into her mouth.

    Before she could savor the delicious seafood fried rice, the smell of onions spread from her taste buds all the way to her stomach. It was as if a hook was about to rip her intestines and stomach out.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth and quickly ran to the kitchen to throw up all the fried rice. She threw up in the trash can until she was dizzy. Even her chest was hurting. She sat down on the floor while panting.

    Lu Jin was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s going on? ! Is this food poisonous? !¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°How can it be poisonous? I made it myself! Do you not trust me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Lu Jin scratched his head and ate a few mouthfuls himself. He then went to the kitchen to see Gu Nianzhi. He helped her out and gave her a bottle of mineral water. ¡°Drink some and rinse your mouth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gulped down half a bottle of mineral water before shepletely suppressed the smell of onions. She smiled wryly and said, ¡°There are onions in the seafood rice?¡±

    ¡°... Yes, I peeled an onion.¡± Lu Yuan nodded and said with understanding, ¡°You can¡¯t eat onions?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t eat them. They make me sick.¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her chest and said in a low voice, ¡°The best pae I¡¯ve ever eaten doesn¡¯t include onions.¡±

    Major General Huo had modified them, but they were still delicious.

    ¡°... That¡¯s still considered delicious? Then it¡¯s not authentic.¡± Lu Jin shook his head helplessly. ¡°I should have cooked something else for you. What do you want to eat? Should I order takeout?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and said, ¡°Then make an egg fried rice. Is it convenient?¡±

    She looked at Lu Yuan eagerly.

    She had just vomited, and now the tip of her nose was a little red. Like a little rabbit that had choked on water, her eyes were watery. Lu Yuan felt sorry for her and patted her shoulder. ¡°Okay, uncle will make Yangzhou fried rice for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi forced a smile. ¡°Thank you, President Lu.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East had been sitting at the side the whole time while silently watching this scene. He finished all the pae on his te and sighed. ¡°What a pity. I¡¯m the only one who can eat such delicious pae.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin red at him. ¡°And me!¡±

    He picked up his spoon and started to eat as well.

    Gu Nianzhi watched as the two of them fought over the pae and actually felt her appetite return.

    Her taste nds were salivating; she was hungry.

    Soon, Lu Yuan made her another bowl of Yangzhou fried rice.

    Green beans, snow-white shrimp, dark red ham, golden egg cubes, and yellow rice fried with egg liquid. The color was slightly more elegant than that of pae, and it had the reserved deliciousness of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s cuisine.

    In the mouth, it was just as delicious.

    Gu Nianzhi was no longer nauseous. She ate heartily and happily ate two bowls of Yangzhou fried rice.

    Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and the Ace of the Far East also shared arge pot of pae.

    After eating, the four of themzily did not want to move.

    Everyone gathered around the table to chat and digest their food.

    Lu Jin asked her, ¡°How¡¯s thewsuit going? Have the male and female gardeners been arrested?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been arrested. The court is holding a trial. I hope it can be brought forward.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Do you need my help?¡± Lu Jin was very eager. ¡°I can testify in court.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly dismissed his idea. ¡°You¡¯ve already changed your name. Don¡¯t expose your identity.¡±

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°If your father can¡¯t appear, then your case... won¡¯t be easy to fight...¡±

    Lu Yuan was not only aware of what had happened eight years ago, but he was also a participant in it.

    He knew that Lu Jin had fabricated the chain of evidence and Lu Jin had taken advantage of it to kidnap Gu Nianzhi.

    But because of Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°deception¡±, it had actually confirmed the chain of false evidence.

    It would be very difficult to overturn the case.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, I¡¯d like to talk to you alone.¡±

    ¡°Sure, no problem. Come with me.¡± Lu Jin had always been very amodating towards Gu Nianzhi. Hearing this, he quickly stood up and led her to her own room.

    After Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi left, the Ace of the Far East also stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. Whenwyer Gu is leaving, I¡¯ll wait for her outside the door.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lu Yuan smiled and nodded. He was very polite to him and did not want to interact with him much.

 Chapter 1583 - Youâ€™ll Be Better Than Her

    <h4>Chapter 1583: You¡¯ll Be Better Than Her</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi followed Lu Jin into his bedroom and subconsciously looked around.

    Lu Jin¡¯s room, full of post-modern colors that surpassed the times, reflected his personality.

    The bedding was painted with simple ck and white geometric lines.

    Arge, colorful andplicated abstract oil painting hung on the bedside table.

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately attracted to the painting and couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it.

    It wasn¡¯t until Lu Jin patted her shoulder that she came back to her senses and said with a smile, ¡°This painting is so charming. I feel like I¡¯m being sucked in just by looking at it.¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s used for psychological hypnosis. Anyone who enters my room will be automatically hypnotized by me.¡±

    After so many years on the run, Lu Jin had developed a habit of being cautious.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She shook her head speechlessly and sat down with Lu Jin on the sofa by the window in his room. She took out her phone notepad and began to ask him questions.

    ¡°Dad, what I want to ask you is, how did you intercept Qin Yaoguang?¡± Gu Nianzhi needed to know the details. ¡°You always said you intercepted her, but I don¡¯t know how you did it.¡±

    Lu Jin looked away and muttered, ¡°Do you need to know that much?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very serious. ¡°How else would I refute their chain of evidence?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m worried that if I tell you, you¡¯ll find that their chain of evidence is intact and irrefutable.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi choked and putting on a pained expression, she clutched her chest unhappily. ¡°Are you questioning my professionalism? I¡¯ve been hurt and can¡¯t get better.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately surrendered. ¡°I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk!¡±

    He took a deep breath and recalled what had happened eight years ago.

    ¡°... After I sent you to the He family, I didn¡¯t feelpletely at ease. I¡¯ve been monitoring Qin Yaoguang, but I was worried that she won¡¯t give up.¡±

    ¡°One day four yearster, I found out that she had contacted the He family¡¯s gardener, Wen Dayou, through Wen Shouyi. She asked him to do her a favor.¡±

    ¡°But she had always looked down on these housekeeping staff and thought that talking to them was a waste of time. My intelligent monitoring system had analyzed and determined that this action was abnormal in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s behavior pattern, so it warned me.

    ¡°Then, I began to follow Wen Dayou and Wen Shouyi, and found that they had begun to investigate the route in the He family...

    ¡°After collecting a certain amount of information, I analyzed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s target and the route map, and... used it...¡±

    ¡°But I was able toplete it wlessly because she wanted to frame me. This caused a huge loophole in her n.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned and immediately asked, ¡°Then did she know that you were monitoring her?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t know at first, but after I took you away from her, she found out.¡± Lu Jin pointed at his head. ¡°That¡¯s when she imnted the anti-hypnosis bio-chip into her own brain. She knew I did it, and she started to be wary of me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes in her heart.

    What the hell was going on...

    What kind of ill-fated rtionship did they have?

    Although they were wary of each other, the two of them had actually used artificial insemination to give birth to a child.

    The world here was tooplicated, and Gu Nianzhi really, really wanted to go back there...

    Recalling the chain of evidence that the other party had, she silently looked at the contents of her notes, and slowly came up with an idea.

    It was not difficult to refute the other party, but the difficult part was how to drag Qin Yaoguang into it.

    Until now, she still could not find the direction, because Qin Yaoguang had disassociated herself verypletely.

    But she knew that the Wen family was definitely a breakthrough point.

    Not to mention that Wen Shouyi was in cahoots with Qin Yaoguang and had done many unspeakable things, even the seemingly honest Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were actually capable of kidnapping children. She knew that this breakthrough point of hers was quite suitable.

    Of course, if it wasn¡¯t suitable, then she would find another one.

    Gu Nianzhi had never been afraid of a direct confrontation like this.

    ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll inform you when I confirm the time for court after I go back.¡± Gu Nianzhi slowly exined her schedule to Lu Jin, ¡°You can just stay put. Gu Xiangwen ¡®passed away¡¯ eight years ago. You¡¯re Lu Jin.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her eagerly and murmured, ¡°Have I embarrassed you as a father? Like a rat hiding in the gutter, unspeakable...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened again. She was truly heartbroken. She shook Lu Jin¡¯s hand gently. ¡°Why would you think that? Of course not!¡±

    ¡°... But why don¡¯t you let me reveal my identity in front of others? As long as I could help you, I wouldn¡¯t blink even if He Chengjian immediately arrested me.¡± Lu Jin looked at her seriously. He really wanted to help Gu Nianzhi in thiswsuit. ¡°As long as I appear...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand tightly and realized that it was cold. ¡°I really don¡¯t have such thoughts. How could you humiliate me? You¡¯re my pride!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lu Jin didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°You¡¯re not saying that on purpose to make me happy, are you?¡±

    Lu Jin was at a loss when it came to Gu Nianzhi.

    Actually, he didn¡¯t have much experience with Gu Nianzhi.

    The most vivid memories were of Gu Nianzhi from birth until she was two years old.

    After that, he left for four years. When he came back, he immediately thought of a way to send her to the He family.

    After another six years, he took her away from the He family and sent her to the other world.

    Now, eight years had passed. She was already 20 years old, but he still couldn¡¯t help but think of her as a two-year-old baby. He held her in his mouth and held her in his hands for fear that she would fall...

    But after so many years of estrangement, he couldn¡¯t make up for everything with love.

    He didn¡¯t know what she liked now, or what her tastes were like. He had only just found out that she couldn¡¯t eat onions!

    Lu Jin felt even more guilty now.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gu Nianzhi regretted asking about the past. There was no doubt that Lu Jin had a heavy psychological burden.

    He had been ming himself, ming himself for not fulfilling his responsibility as a father.

    Gu Nianzhi was d that she had lost her memory and had not let that dark time corrupt her mind and body.

    What she had now was already good enough. She did not need to go back to the past.

    ¡°Dad, if you still want to have Gu Xiangwen¡¯s glory and restore your status as a genius scientist, I can help you restore your identity,¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously. She did her best to dispel Lu Jin¡¯s insecure feelings and self-reproach.

    Lu Jin shook his head quickly and said anxiously, ¡°No, no, no! That kind of glory and status has never been what I wanted. I just want to take good care of you so that you can have a normal family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, Dad, I¡¯m afraid you have some misunderstanding about a ¡°normal family¡±?

    A family like theirs would never be a ¡°normal family¡±, but who cared if it wasn¡¯t a normal family?

    Gu Nianzhi only knew that she would never agree to exchanging Lu Jin as her father for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand normal families.

    She put a hand on Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder and pressed hard to make him feel her determination.

    ¡°In that case, father, you will listen to me, and see how I will bring the male and female gardeners to justice in court!¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and thought for a while, saying, ¡°If you lose...¡±

    ¡°Bah, bah, bah! Bad things don¡¯t work, good things do! If you say that again, I¡¯m going to turn on you. Even if you¡¯re my father I have to turn on you!¡± Gu Nianzhi hated hearing the word ¡°lose¡± the most. This was one of her petpeeves.

    Besides, even if she was not well prepared, with her full improvisation experience, the other party will not win.

    Hearing that Gu Nianzhi was anxious, Lu Jin immediatelypromised. ¡°Okay, okay, okay, I was wrong. Knock on the wood three times!¡±

    Lu Jin knocked three times on the windowsill to calm Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger.

    ¡°Dad, I won¡¯t lose.¡± She stood up from the sofa and said sternly, ¡°Just have a little faith in me and see how I peel off their skin. I won¡¯t let go of anyone who has harmed us father and daughter!¡±

    Lu Jin looked up at Gu Nianzhi and narrowed his eyes. He suddenly felt that her expression was very familiar.

    His heart skipped a beat. He jumped up from the sofa and said, ¡°I remember now. I have a Blu-ray disc of awyer appearing in court. Take a look and learn from him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    What era was it that still used Blu-ray discs?

    Lu Jin happily walked to the wall and entered theplicated password. He opened the safe in the wall and took out a Blu-ray disc, then sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been more than ten years. Actually, I should transcribe them and save them in the cloud system. Wait a minute, I¡¯ll transcribe them now.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯sputer was very powerful.

    It only took him five seconds to transcribe the 100 gigabytes of content on the Blu-ray disc onto theputer, and then transfer it to his own encrypted cloud system.

    ¡°This is the ount and password. Go take a look when you¡¯re free.¡± Lu Jin said as he carefully locked the Blu-ray disc back into the safe.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°? ? ?¡±

    ¡°Dad, since when are you interested in thew?¡± Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Her father was too omnipotent! He even knew thew? !

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about thew,¡± Lu Jin admitted honestly. ¡°But I once saw a powerful person go to court. I hope she can give you some inspiration and let you learn something useful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him suspiciously and found it more and more strange. She immediately used her phone to connect to Lu Jin¡¯s website and entered her ount number and password.

    The inte speed was very fast. After she connected, she saw that there were many small folders here. Each folder was named after the time and ce.

    It looked like it was more than ten or twenty years ago.

    She opened a folder that was closest to the current time, which was twelve years ago.

    There was a video file that had just been transcribed and uploaded.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the video file and found that it was a video of a trial.

    Thewyer who was speaking eloquently was an ordinary-looking woman. However, when she spoke, she immediately became very charming. Peoplepletely ignored her appearance and only felt that she was iparably attractive.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely surprised. ¡°This is... Young Master He¡¯s mother? !¡±

    She had seen a photo of this woman at the He family, so she was no stranger to her appearance.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Jin nodded. ¡°She¡¯s the bestwyer I¡¯ve ever seen. Nianzhi, you¡¯ll be as good as her! No, you¡¯ll be better than her!¡±

 Chapter 1584 - The Essence Of Drama

    <h4>Chapter 1584: The Essence Of Drama</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes curved as she held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Thank you, father, for your confidence in me. That¡¯s right. Trust me. Watch your daughter help get justice for you!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand trembled imperceptibly. He didn¡¯t dare look Gu Nianzhi in the eye and muttered, ¡°... Just get justice for yourself. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°How can that be?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought Lu Jin was still worried and quickly said, ¡°You can find an excuse to listen in, but it¡¯s best if you disguise yourself as someone else. Don¡¯t let anyone recognize you as Lu Jin.¡±

    Lu Jin was a big shareholder of the Lu Corporation. At least in the eyes of outsiders, it had nothing to do with him.

    If he paid too much attention to her, it would arouse the suspicion of others.

    Especially He Chengjian, who was very suspicious...

    Gu Nianzhi thought about He Chengjian¡¯s ruthlessness ¡ª he would rather kill the wrong person than let them go. She did not want to put the people she cared about in danger at all.

    Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi was worried about him, and he was instantly delighted. He winked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my ways. At most, the Lion King wille out of hiding, and if someone recognizes me, I¡¯ll give him both Nobel Prizes!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and said mischievously, ¡°Our family is really good at acting. Dad, I think you should seriously consider entering Hollywood.¡±

    ¡°Hollywood is nothing.¡± Lu Jin deliberately raised his head at a 45-degree angle. ¡°Real life situations test acting skills the most!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Acting tycoon, Lu Jin, it¡¯s time to wake up. It¡¯s not even dark yet you¡¯re already dreaming.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she rambled on with Lu Jin. Finally, he was able to let go of the burden in his heart.

    Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be able to let go of his past so quickly, but as long as he had a good start, he would slowly move on.

    Gu Nianzhi patted Lu Jin on the shoulder. ¡°Okay, I have to go back now. I won¡¯t being here again until the court session.¡±

    Lu Jin reluctantly sent her out and said with a frown, ¡°You can¡¯t always stay at the He family¡¯s house. It¡¯s better for you to move out. I¡¯ll buy you a house in the capital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll mention it to Young Master He, but you don¡¯t have to buy me a house.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to stop Lu Jin and winked at him. ¡°I¡¯ll rent a house.¡±

    Lu Jin understood instantly. He smiled and held her hand. ¡°Understood! Rent a house! Thendlord, Lu Jin, is here. How about we sign a permanent lease when the timees?¡±

    ¡°Even f you see through it, don¡¯t say it, and we¡¯ll still be good friends.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook their interlocked hands. ¡°Okay, I really have to go.¡±

    The two of them chatted andughed as they walked, as if there was no one else around. They had already passed through half of the living room, but no one looked at Lu Yuan, who was sitting on the sofa.

    Lu Yuan simply couldn¡¯t bear to see the father and daughter being so clingy. He simply opened arge newspaper and covered his entire upper body.

    Out of sight, out of mind.

    Lu Jin pulled open the door and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll send you down.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Lu, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll sendwyer Gu back.¡± The Ace of the Far East/Deputy Chief Counsel suddenly stood by the door and blocked Lu Jin¡¯s line of sight.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression immediately turned ugly.

    His face was sullen as he said in a drawn out voice, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet? One meal isn¡¯t enough? You want two more?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Lu, you¡¯re too kind. I¡¯m just worried aboutwyer Gu¡¯s safety.¡± The Ace of the Far East stood straight behind Gu Nianzhi. He lowered his chin to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and handed Lu Jin a handle-like device. ¡°This was taken from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car. Please take a closer look to see if there¡¯s anything wrong.¡±

    Standing so close, Gu Nianzhi could feel the heat of his breath. She moved away uneasily and said with a cold expression on her face, ¡°Mr. Peter is too polite. As the Deputy Chief Counsel, you actually asked to be my chauffeur. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t afford such treatment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We¡¯re allmoners. It¡¯s not good for us to get involved with high officials like you.¡± Lu Jin took the handle, but still spoke up for his daughter.

    The Ace of the Far East looked calm and said aloofly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet Union. Anyone who wants to harm my car will think about whether they¡¯re prepared to go against the entire Soviet Union.¡±

    This was the confidence of a diplomat.

    Abroad, they represented their own country, and behind them, there was also a powerful country backing them.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was convinced. She was convinced, alright?

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and turned to walk towards the elevator.

    The Ace of the Far East nodded at Lu Jin and caught up with Gu Nianzhi as they walked into the elevator.

    The elevator door slowly closed in front of Lu Jin. Lu Jin sullenly looked at his daughter standing next to another man. It was a very harmonious scene..

    ¡°What is he so cocky about... he¡¯s just a dove upying a magpie¡¯s nest!¡± Lu Jin red at the elevator and turned around to go back to his room.

    After closing the door, he saw Lu Yuan blocking himself with arge newspaper.

    ¡°Eh? What news is so good? You¡¯ve reading so intently that you¡¯ve lost track of everything else. You didn¡¯t even say goodbye to my daughter.¡± Lu Jin sat down opposite his sofa and looking at the handle that Peter had given him, he crossed his legs.

    So it was not a handle, but a GPS receiver.

    Interesting.

    Lu Jinughed happily.

    Lu Yuan put down the newspaper to reveal his forehead and eyes. He said mockingly, ¡°It was you and your daughter who came and went freely in the living room as if there was no one else around. You two couldn¡¯t even see a living person sitting here, and now you¡¯re saying that I didn¡¯t say goodbye to your daughter. Did you give me a chance to say goodbye?!¡±

    Speaking of saying goodbye, Lu Jin¡¯s smile disappeared, and he was full ofints. ¡°That Deputy Chief Counsel was waiting at the door like a tiger watching its prey. He¡¯s like a wolf. No matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t chase him away.¡±

    However, Lu Yuan could hear the bragging in hisints and did not reply, so he couldn¡¯t show off.

    Lu Jin waited for a while but did not hear Lu Yuan speak.

    He raised one of his eyes and nced at Lu Yuan. Seeing that he was still sitting upright and reading the newspaper like a leader of the country, he could not help but curl his lips. He said, ¡°Boss Lu, when Nianzhi¡¯s trial starts, I¡¯m going to sit in. Quickly think of a way so that I can sit in openly.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Only Lu Jin could ask for help so self-righteously

    But what could he do?

    Lu Yuan epted his fate and put away the newspaper. He thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Nianzhi is a partner of our Lu Corporation¡¯s externalw firm. You are a major shareholder of the Lu Corporation and also a member of the board of directors. When the timees, you can use the excuse of observing Nianzhi¡¯s ability to listen in, but don¡¯t be too ostentatious. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t reveal your identity in front of outsiders. The board of directors knowing is enough.¡±

    This could also be ssified as a trade secret, so it made perfect sense for him to observe in disguise.

    Lu Jin only needed a legitimate reason to appear in court so that no one would suspect his rtionship with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good reason! Boss Lu, you really have business acumen. You came up with such a lofty reason without even blinking.¡± Lu Jin gave him a thumbs up.

    Lu Yuan was notforted. He gave him an angry look and put away the newspaper before returning to his bedroom.

    Winter had arrived. Lu Yuan wanted to be a detached president. He would not stoop to the level of Lu Jin, who was deadset on angering him to death and had a soial disorder.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and the Ace of the Far East sat in the moving car.

    The Ace of the Far East said aloofly, ¡°I tampered with the GPS in this car. Young Master He and the others could not receive the exact address of your father¡¯s apartment. I gave the attached receiver to your father. You¡¯ll be driving this car from now on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She propped her head on her hand and looked out the window at the river of cars. She saidzily, ¡°Thank you. But Mr. Peter, don¡¯t waste your time with me. Really, you¡¯re so well-off. You can just snap your fingers and a bunch of women will throw themselves at you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was so popr.¡± The Ace of the Far East curled his lips and nced sideways at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here to say goodbye today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi eximed in surprise and put down her arm. She was ted. ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Are you going back to the Soviet Union? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m going out to do something,¡± The Ace of the Far East said vaguely and couldn¡¯t help looking at her again.

    He found her suddenly brightening eyes a little annoying. He reached out and pushed her face. ¡°What¡¯s with that look? You¡¯re so happy to hear that I¡¯m leaving?¡±

    ¡°How can I not be happy?¡± Gu Nianzhi was in a much better mood. ¡°This is to let you know your ce in my heart.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I still have a ce in your heart?¡± The Ace of the Far East raised an eyebrow with a smile. ¡°I thought you had a heart of stone. As expected, women are afraid of being pestered by men.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re too arrogant.¡± Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out in disdain. ¡°Your ce in my heart is no ce at all.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East: ¡°...¡±

    He quickly pulled himself together. ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll continue working hard.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a headacheing on. She said angrily, ¡°If you continue to harass me, I¡¯m going to call the police!¡±

    ¡°You saved my life. I must give myself to you.¡± The Ace of the Far East turned the steering wheel with a half-hearted smile. ¡°So you¡¯re destined to never be able to get rid of me in this lifetime.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Gu Nianzhi only said this word and stopped talking nonsense with him.

    When she found a way to go back, how could she not be able to get rid of him?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was even better when she thought about how the Ace of the Far East would find out that she had pped him in the face in the future.

    When she returned to the He family home, she walked to the hall while humming a song.

    He Zhichu and He Chengjian were both sitting in the hall. Seeing that she had returned, He Chengjian breathed a sigh of relief and stood up first. He smiled fawningly and said, ¡°Nianzhi is back. By the way, the court schedule for your case has been set for the day after tomorrow. This is the document sent by the court. Ah-Chu signed for it for you when you weren¡¯t around.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said politely, ¡°Thank you, Mr. He. Thank you, Young Master He.¡±

    He Zhichu was expressionless. He stood up quietly from the sofa and followed her upstairs to her room.

    Gu Nianzhi knew he had something to say, so she let him in.

    He Zhichu handed her the court case file and said, ¡°You went to Sihuan district today? The mall there isn¡¯t as good as this one.¡±

    Of course, his car had a GPS. From the address he received, Gu Nianzhi had gone to a shopping mall in Sihuan district.

    He knew Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have many friends here, so he was worried about her safety.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s not as good as this ce, so I didn¡¯t buy anything. I just went window shopping.¡±

    She opened the documents sent by the court and looked through them. She smiled, took out herptop, and sent an email to the court.

    ..

    Early the next morning, Wen Shouyi nned to visit her parents at the detention center of the Imperial Police Headquarters. Before she even left the house, she received a subpoena from the court.

    The court person was very polite. ¡°Lawyer Wen, your defensewyer¡¯s application was rejected by the intiff¡¯swyer. The intiff¡¯swyer found new evidence and listed you as a defendant. This is a court summons. You will appear in court with your parents tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 1585 - Going All Out

    <h4>Chapter 1585: Going All Out</h4>

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart sank. How could this be possible?

    How could there be evidence from eight years ago? Wasn¡¯t this far-fetched?

    Wen Shouyi tried her best to maintain her poise and said calmly, ¡°You¡¯ve listed me as the defendant? Didn¡¯t you make a mistake?¡±

    ¡°This is the court¡¯s decision. The intiff¡¯swyer submitted new evidence yesterday. After the court examined it, they found that there were indeed doubts, so they allowed her request.¡± The court staff took out a receipt and asked Wen Shouyi to sign it. It indicated that she had received the court summons herself.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face darkened as she signed her name on the receipt.

    After the court staff left, Wen Shouyi called Gu Nianzhi directly.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi did not block her.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, what do you want?¡± Wen Shouyi questioned her rudely as soon as the call went through. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t rely on the He family¡¯s influence?! Now you have to swallow your words!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held her phone and stood calmly by the window while feeding the goldfish. She said calmly, ¡°If I really relied on the He family¡¯s influence, you and your parents wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to be publicly interrogated. Don¡¯t you know how you do things here?¡±

    Wen Shouyi choked for a moment, but didn¡¯t agree with Gu Nianzhi. She sneered. ¡°You¡¯re ying this game with me? If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the court knew it was rted to the He family, do you think they would have scheduled it so quickly? The case I¡¯m working on was filedst year, and there hasn¡¯t been a trial until now. It¡¯s already been scheduled for three years!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi threw away the fish food in her hand, and she said unhurriedly, ¡°My case was filed eight years ago. After waiting for eight years, it should have been scheduled ording to what you said. What right do you have to say that I used the He family¡¯s influence to get the court to schedule it ahead of time? You always use me of using my power to bully others. You say that over there and here. You really don¡¯t know how shameless you are, do you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an unsolved case. Can you count it that way?¡± Wen Shouyi flew into a rage out of humiliation. She had not expected that Gu Nianzhi would identally take advantage of the loophole in thew.

    ¡°Of course I can. As long as a case involving the physical safety of a minor is opened, there is no retrospective period. No matter how long it takes, we must investigate it until the murderer is brought to justice. Wen Shouyi, I really admire thisw of yours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she went to the bathroom to wash her hands. She slowly wiped the back of her hands with the rose-green hand cream.

    Wen Shouyi was rendered speechless by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, but she couldn¡¯t let it go. She was silent for a moment, then said helplessly, ¡°In essence, you¡¯re using your power to persecute us poor people who don¡¯t have any power. Gu Nianzhi, you have to be lenient when you can. You¡¯re pursuing this relentlessly, but you¡¯ve thought about the end result. It¡¯s not necessarily what you want.¡±

    ¡°How do you know what the end result is?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at herself in the mirror. Her big eyes were still dark, her skin was a little pale, and her full lips were pale.

    She looked at the mirror and said word by word, ¡°I just want the people who harmed me to pay the price they deserve. No more, no less. This is the legal justice I seek.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Wen Shouyi found it ridiculous. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, the kind of justice you seek will never be achieved. Because we live in the same world. Where there are people, there will be humanity. You¡¯ll regret using inhumanews.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Tell that to the judge and the jury. See if they¡¯ll give a damn about you.¡±

    Gu nianzhi hung up the phone. She thought about it and blocked Wen Shouyi¡¯s number.

    As the intiff and self-defensewyer, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to have private contact with Wen Shouyi.

    ..

    During lunch, Gu Nianzhi asked He Zhichu, ¡°Young Master He, did you give my phone number to Wen Shouyi?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t even look up. He patiently cut the steak and said, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t give your number to anyone.¡±

    He Zhichu had applied for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone number.

    He Chengjian coughed unnaturally.

    He did not say anything, but Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood. She looked at He Chengjian and said, ¡°General He knew my cell phone number and told Dean Qin, didn¡¯t he? Wen Shouyi must have gotten it from Dean Qin.¡±

    He Chengjian did not expect Gu Nianzhi to figure it out with just a cough. He smiled wryly and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you and your mother would be at loggerheads.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head silently and did not say anything else.

    After lunch, Gu Nianzhi went back to her room to take a nap.

    Before she went to bed, she took out her phone and browsed Weibo.

    In the end, she found a piece of news about her on Weibo that was trending.

    It was the case of the He family¡¯s missing minor from eight years ago.

    The headline was sensational and eye-catching: [ The mischievous girl left home for eight years and returned to send the servants of the rich and powerful family to prison because of a minor incident. ].

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened and she sat up from the bed.

    She had underestimated Wen Shouyi after all...

    She had even dared to implicate the He family. Was she going to go all out?

    Gu Nianzhi pointed inside and couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    It was as if someone had given her a pillow just as she was about to fall asleep. Her luck hade.

    It turned out that the news implied that there was something else going on with her case. However, the intiff had chosen to be bully and only dared to sue the two gardeners who had been scapegoats. She didn¡¯t dare to pursue the real culprit.

    She also secretly said that the case that had juste to light was going to be tried immediately by the court. There were so many cases with clues, but they had to go through a lengthy schedule. It was clear that the powerful had an advantage in thew.

    Thisst one hit the hearts of the majority of theizens.

    There was the end of the Inte trolls again. They liked andmented on the case one after another, and it quickly became a hot topic on Weibo.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s case had gone viral before it had even been tried, and the court and police system were under immense pressure.

    Thinking about whether or not she should go up against them, she sat in her room, but her eyes darted around, and she had a new idea.

    She immediately sent Lu Jin a text message: ¡°Lion King, I¡¯ll be moving out soon.¡±

    Lu Jin was overjoyed, and immediately sent her an address: ¡°This is an elegant room for rent, a well-decorated hotel-style apartment, three bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms, and two guards. The entrance is strictly guarded, and there are 24-hour security guards patrolling the neighborhood. It¡¯s very suitable for professionals to live in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect that she would have a reason to move out of the He family house so soon and live with her father. She really had to give Wen Shouyi, who had been tireless in teaching her, a thumbs up.

    She smiled and went to He Zhichu¡¯s room, then knocked on the door.

    He Zhichu sat on the sofa and waited for her. ¡°Come in.¡±

    He was holding a ss of red wine. He had already taken a few sips. His face was a little red, as if he was drunk. His almond-shaped eyes were a little blurry.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the door open and stood at the door, looking aggrieved. ¡°Young Master He, I think it¡¯s better for me to move out.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± His voice a little hoarse, He Zhichu rubbed his temples. ¡°You¡¯re not used to living here? Why don¡¯t you stay in my own apartment?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked in and handed him her phone. ¡°Look, I¡¯m still living in the He family¡¯s estate. I can¡¯t shake off this reputation of bullying the weak.¡±

    He Zhichu read the hot news in one nce, and his eyes twitched. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped him. ¡°If you do it, it¡¯ll really prove that I¡¯m bullying the weak.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew the ins and outs of this ce too well.

    How could onlineizens not know the power of deleting posts and silencing people?

    That would only confirm the rumor.

    ¡°Then what do you want?¡± His almond-shaped eyes fixed on her, He Zhichu leaned back on the sofa. ¡°Are we just going to watch them create rumors?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. But before the first trial tomorrow, I don¡¯t want to do anything to them. After the first trial is over, I¡¯ll collect evidence and sue them.¡±

    For the media that loved to spread rumors and attract attention, only thew could teach them how to behave.

    Otherwise, they would really think that they were the ¡°uncrowned king¡± and that they were popr celebrities.

    They would not give them the chance to be ¡°thieves shouting for thieves to be caught¡±.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know what you¡¯re doing, but I¡¯m worried about your safety after you move out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and spread out her hands. ¡°How can that be? Young Master He, this is the capital, the best ce in the world. Do you have so little confidence in your city¡¯s safety? Don¡¯t worry, even if I move out, I¡¯ll be renting an apartment in a first-ss neighborhood. I won¡¯t let myself suffer!¡±

    She showed him Lu Jin¡¯s address. ¡°Look here. It¡¯s a furnished hotel-style apartment for rent. It has three bedrooms and two living rooms. It¡¯s just right for me to live alone.¡±

    He Zhichu narrowed his eyes at her and shook her hand. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send you there?¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll drive your car there myself.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Since you acknowledge me as your sister, It¡¯s okay for your sister to drive your car, right?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that people will say that you¡¯re a bully?¡± He Zhichu scratched her nose. ¡°You¡¯re so smart. Do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to? Alright, go ahead. Children will eventually leave home when they grow up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°? ? ?¡±

    Was there really nothing wrong with that fatherly tone of his?

 Chapter 1586 - It Was Indeed Her Again

    <h4>Chapter 1586: It Was Indeed Her Again</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu carefully and saw that he was smilingzily. His handsome features had a touch of vicissitudes, and his eyes were deep. A deep sense of masculinity washed over her.

    Such Professor He was really charming...

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and smiled. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re actually the most charming professor in our school. Do you know how many girls you have charmed in school?¡±

    He Zhichu continued to smile. He almost blurted out a joke, but he held it in. The tip of his tongue pushed against his teeth, and his ending was a little unclear, ¡°Then I can consider continuing to be a professor. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to find a suitable person to marry soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a ¡°good luck¡± sign. ¡°Professor He, you can do it!¡±

    Ever since Christmas eve, Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu had got along much better.

    She sincerely treated him as her older brother. Even though they weren¡¯t rted by blood, she still loved him dearly.

    He Zhichu helped her pack a fewrge suitcases and put them in the trunk of the car. He said, ¡°These are the things you use frequently. If you don¡¯t use them often, I¡¯ll leave them in your room. We¡¯ll stay together during the holidays, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°I¡¯lle back and have dinner with you during the holidays.¡±

    Staying back and having dinner were two different concepts.

    He Zhichu hugged her silently. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll warm your room for you in a few days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved goodbye to him. She drove towards the apartment Lu Jin had found for her.

    This building was mainly a hotel-style furnished apartment that could be checked in with a bag.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how many properties Lu Jin owned, but he was a major shareholder and had money.

    It shouldn¡¯t be difficult to find a random apartment to rent to her.

    Moreover, she was paying rent.

    After registering at the entrance of the residential area, Gu Nianzhi took the key from the security guard and drove to the parking lot below the apartment building.

    There was actually an above-ground parking space in this apartment, so there was no need to drive to the underground parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi swiped the elevator floor with her key card and went straight up.

    She stood in front of the door with two pieces of luggage in tow. Gu Nianzhi was about to use the key card to open the door when the door to the opposite room suddenly opened. Lu Jin poked his head out and smiled. ¡°Youngdy, are you new here? We¡¯re neighbors now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both surprised and delighted. ¡°The house across the street is yours, too?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are three houses on this floor, two big and one small. I bought two big ones, both with three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. The smaller one has only two bedrooms and one living room, and was bought by Boss Lu.¡±

    This meant that this floor belonged to them.

    The elevator was controlled by a key card, so no one else could even get to their floor.

    This really protected the residents¡¯ privacy.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She opened her arms and gave Lu Jin a big hug. ¡°Hello, Neighbor!¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and patted her on the back. He helped her carry her luggage into her room.

    The room was well-decorated. It was indeed the kind of room where people carried their bags to check in. The household appliances were all equipped with branded appliances.

    Unfortunately, neither of them knew how to cook, so they ordered takeout. Lu Jin went downstairs to get it.

    ¡°Alright, you can stay here. I¡¯ve installed an intelligent security system in your room. Don¡¯t worry, no one will suddenly barge in and take you away in the future.¡± Lu Jin stretched out his arms and walked around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s living room.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of how she had been broken into in the other world, and Xiao Ye, who had been hit by ten bullets and was lying in a pool of blood.

    Her mood darkened. She sat on the sofa and looked at Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, I haven¡¯t asked you yet. How much do you know about my time in the other world?¡±

    Lu Jin carefully sat next to her and said, ¡°Not much, because we need energy tomunicate with the other world, we don¡¯t have much energy. We originally nned to... store some energy for a few years and then go there to see you...¡±

    ¡°In the end, He Chengjian sent someone to bring you back from that world. I didn¡¯t want you to fall into He Chengjian¡¯s hands because at that time, Qin Yaoguang was still his wife. I was worried that... Qin Yaoguang would continue to harm you. So I fought an energy war with him and wanted to transfer you to my side. In the end... both sides were injured.¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head with a bitter smile and patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Fortunately, you¡¯re okay. Otherwise, I would have to die to apologize.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him thoughtfully and said, ¡°Then how did you know that He Chengjian brought me back? Were you spying on him?¡±

    ¡°How would I dare spy on him?¡± Lu Jin whimpered, not in a good mood, ¡°I was spying on Qin Yaoguang and found out that she showed He Chengjian the video of you getting engaged in the other world. He Chengjian finally found out that you dumped his son, so he went crazy and violently kidnapped you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi punched the sofa and said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s Qin Yaoguang again, that b*tch!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all her fault.¡± Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi scolded Qin Yaoguang together. However, Lu Jin tried to persuade Gu Nianzhi, ¡°But she¡¯s still your mother, and she knows too much about you. It¡¯s best not to involve her in this so as not to cause any trouble and draw attention to your constitution.¡±

    ¡°The trump card in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands is your special genes and constitution.¡±

    ¡°Even though I destroyed all of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experimental data and erased all of your information, it¡¯s still very easy to copy your gic data.¡±

    ¡°Just one strand of your hair will do.¡±

    ¡°Once your perfect human genes and special constitution are made public, it¡¯ll definitely be a disaster for you, not a blessing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted him and said lightly, ¡°So you¡¯d rather create the illusion of ¡®suicide¡¯ and conceal your identity than expose what Qin Yaoguang did to me.¡±

    Lu Jin knew that Gu Nianzhi was unhappy, but he still nodded honestly. He said, ¡°In my opinion, the damage has already happened. There¡¯s no point in exposing the past. One should look forward and live a better life in the future. It¡¯s the best way to return the favor to those dark days.¡±

    But Gu Nianzhi was different.

    She rejected this cynical evasive attitude.

    ¡°No, we should move on, but this can¡¯t be an excuse to give up on pursuing responsibility.¡± Gu Nianzhi was very determined. ¡°They can do biological experiments on a two-year-old child. Don¡¯t you think this crime is outrageous?¡±

    Lu Jin lowered his head and struggled in his heart. He said, ¡°You¡¯re mainly suing the kidnapping case from eight years ago now. Don¡¯t distract yourself.¡±

    Indeed, the time between two and six years old was a different case.

    ¡°I will.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I have to go to court tomorrow. I¡¯ll make it quick and settle the gardener couple.¡±

 Chapter 1587 - There Is a First Time for Everything

    <h4>Chapter 1587: There Is a First Time for Everything</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi did not feel much joy about moving to a new ce.

    Her attention was to focus on her case the next day.

    ¡°Are you really confident?¡± Lu Jin was still worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first court appearance.

    Gu Nianzhi did not tell Lu Jin too much about what she had done in the other world. She did not want him to worry.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made a lot of preparations.¡± Gu Nianzhi exined her intentions to Lu Jin.

    ¡°First of all, I would deliberately take out the evidence rted to Wen Shouyi at thest minute and refuse to let her be the defensewyer for her parents. I want to catch her off guard.¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t be thewyer. She can only find a newwyer to defend her parents.¡±

    ¡°And the newwyer only has one day to prepare. He may not even understand the whole case before he¡¯s forced to go on trial.¡±

    ¡°Of course, maybe this newwyer is really good. He¡¯ll be able to straighten out the case in one day and one night. But he won¡¯t know the whole truth like Wen Shouyi, so when he¡¯s defending, it¡¯ll be easy for things to go awry. That way, I¡¯ll have a chance to take advantage of it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words made Lu Jin¡¯s eyes light up.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re really suitable to be awyer!¡± Lu Jin held her hand and was overjoyed. ¡°That¡¯s great! That¡¯s great! You¡¯re only 20 this year, even younger than when young master He¡¯s mother became famous!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless as she wiped Lu Jin¡¯s hand away. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s just a smallwsuit. How can it be so exaggerated to be famous? Okay, I¡¯m just saying this to reassure you and to respect my professionalism. I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded heavily. ¡°Okay, Dad believes in you.¡±

    Although he was still feeling apprehensive in his heart, he did not show it.

    It was because true confidence still needed to be demonstrated by actual results.

    People who were worried about you would not be at ease by just saying it.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had a good rest that night.

    The next morning, she woke up and ate breakfast, washed up, and picked out her clothes. She then left at 8 am on time.

    She was due to arrive at the Capital Intermediate People¡¯s Court at 8:30 am for all sorts of security checks. The court session would officially begin at 9:00 am.

    She drove He Zhichu¡¯s car to the underground parking lot of the Capital Intermediate People¡¯s Court. Gu Nianzhi grabbed her briefcase, pushed open the door, and got out of the car.

    Not far from where she parked her car, two women in high-end custom-made business attire stood in front of a Bentley and looked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at them and suddenly realized that they were familiar faces!

    One of them was Wen Shouyi in a navy blue business dress, needless to say.

    The other was Jin Wanyi!

    Of course, it should be Jin Wanyi.

    But she didn¡¯t know if her name was also Jin Wanyi.

    After going through with Peter and Linda, Gu Nianzhi had already discovered that the names of the two correspondents might not necessarily be the same.

    She nced at them and walked towards the elevator in the parking lot. She did not want to talk to them.

    However, Wen Shouyi stopped her. ¡°Lawyer Gu, please wait!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes but still stopped. She turned around and asked with a smile, ¡°Miss. Wen, do you have any advice for me?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Wen Shouyi nodded politely and pointed at the person next to her. ¡°She¡¯s Jin Wanyi, and she¡¯s also thewyer for my parents and I. You¡¯re familiar with her, aren¡¯t you, Lawyer Gu?¡±

    She was also called Jin Wanyi.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that Wen Shouyi must have done it on purpose. She clearly knew that there was another Jin Wanyi in the other world, and she had pulled another one out. Was she trying to confuse her?

    She simply did as she wished and said with a straight face, ¡°Lawyer Jin, is it? I¡¯m not familiar with her. I don¡¯t know her. I¡¯ll see you in courtter.¡±

    With that, she left without saying a word.

    Wen Shouyi watched Gu Nianzhi leave and whispered to Jin Wanyi, ¡°Although this Lawyer Gu is young, her skills are not bad. She¡¯s especially good at improvising. You have to be careful with her.¡±

    Jin Wanyi shook her head disapprovingly, she smiled and said, ¡°How old is she? How many cases has she fought? Let me tell you, other things can be talented, but the trialwyer is the only one who can¡¯t. This is because the trialwyer¡¯s skills are honed through trial after trial.¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you, no matter how high your IQ is, no matter how much knowledge you have, if you don¡¯t have any experience, you will be skinned alive by an old hand in court debates.¡±

    ¡°Wanyi! I¡¯m serious!¡± Wen Shouyi had always been gentle and amiable in front of her friends. She rarely got angry and serious.

    But when she got serious, her friends all knew that something very serious and difficult must have happened.

    ¡°... Is she really that amazing?¡± Jin Wanyi was bbergasted. She covered her mouth with her hand, and a trace of surprise shed in her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that she was only 20 years old?! At most, she would have graduated early from university, right?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a genius girl. She graduated from university at 18, and graduated from a master¡¯s degree inw at 20. When she was studying the master¡¯s degree, she had already fought a fewwsuits.¡± Wen Shouyi did not notice for a moment, that she was telling her about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°achievements¡± n the other world.

    Jin Wanyi immediately said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell earlier? Whichwsuits did she fight? I¡¯ll go investigate and find out so I can know myself and the enemy.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was stumped by the question.

    How could she possibly tell whichwsuits she was involved, because thosewsuits had never appeared in this world?

    If she really said it out loud, it would be a serious leak.

    Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have to fight the kidnapping case. Just the ¡°leak¡± would make it impossible for her to see the light of day for the rest of her life.

    Wen Shouyi suddenly shivered andughed. ¡°I¡¯m just warning you. The cases she¡¯s fighting were all mock court cases. I¡¯ve listened to them, and they¡¯re pretty good. Really.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... Shouyi, you¡¯re getting funnier and funnier...¡± Jin Wanyiughed until tears wereing out of her eyes, ¡°I told you, fresh graduates don¡¯t get so many trial opportunities. If it weren¡¯t for the He family¡¯s influence, she wouldn¡¯t even be in court.¡±

    ¡°By the way, are you afraid of offending the He Family?¡± Wen Shouyi changed the subject without batting an eyelid. She didn¡¯t want Jin Wanyi to remember what she had just said about Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°I believe in justice. If you¡¯re afraid of offending the He family, I won¡¯t take your case.¡± Jin Wanyi spoke righteously, but when Wen Shouyi averted her gaze, a hint of contempt shed in her eyes.

    What was the He family?

    How could she be afraid of them?

    Only Wen Shouyi, the daughter of the He family¡¯s gardener, treated the He family like a god...

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi went to the A-ss court of the imperial capital¡¯s coroner¡¯s court to undergo security checks.

    The briefcase she had brought with her was taken by the bailiff to be searched carefully with electronic devices.

    On the other side, the female bailiff beckoned for her to go over. She held a metal detector and scanned her whole body. She even took off her shoes to ensure that no dangerous objects were brought into the court.

    In the past, the security check of the courtroom was not that strict.

    However, after a few cases where defendants or intiffs who were dissatisfied with the court¡¯s decision had stormed the courtroom and used homemade explosives or y guns to kill and injure the judge, the security check of the courtroom had been raised to the level of an airport.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly epted the security check. She then put her phone and other electronic equipment into a transparent stic bag and locked it in the electronic cab by the door of the courtroom.

    She could only bring aptop in.

    Of course, theptop had also been tested to ensure that there were no unsafe things in it.

    She walked into the court, thinking that she was the only one on her side.

    As soon as she entered, she saw Lu Jin and Lu Yuan sitting in the gallery behind the intiff¡¯s seat. The boss of C Cityw firm, Jin Dazhuang, the receptionist, Xiao Zhang, Zhao Liangze, and Bai Shuang were also sitting in the gallery.

    She stopped walking in surprise.

    Was this her first trial? !

    She was still a little excited when she thought about it!

    The receptionist, Xiao Zhang, waved at her from his seat and smiled as he gestured to her to ¡°do your best¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi was very touched. She nodded slightly and turned her gaze to Lu Jin, who was sitting next to Lu Yuan. It was a little strange.

    Lu Jin was a person with a rtionship disorder. How could he be so thoughtful?

    Lu Yuan saw her like this and pointed at himself with a smile. ¡°Lawyer Gu, you have to thank me. It has nothing to do with anyone else.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly nodded and said seriously, ¡°This is all arranged by Director Lu. I¡¯m here as a representative of the Lu Corporation¡¯s board of directors to inspect thew firm that we¡¯re working with.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Thank you. Please listen carefully.¡±

    She walked up to Jin Dazhuang and Xiao Zhang and greeted them with a smile. ¡°When did you get here? Why didn¡¯t you contact me?¡±

    ¡°We just flew here yesterday. Director Lu specially called us to cheer you up!¡± Xiao Zhang stood up and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, her eyes were red. ¡°I heard that you were kidnapped by these people when you were 12? ! You mustn¡¯t let them go!¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I brought them to court.¡± Gu Nianzhi held her hand and winked at her. ¡°It¡¯s true that justice is always served.¡±

    Xiao Zhang was amused by her again and shook her hand worriedly. ¡°Can you do it? I don¡¯t remember you appearing in court, right?¡±

    Jin Dazhuang also whispered, ¡°I just saw the court¡¯s arrangements. The barrister over there is Jin Wanyi. This woman is quite impressive. She¡¯s only 28 years old and is already a senior barrister at thergestw firm in the capital. She has never lost at such a young age...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Jin Dazhuang and Jin Wanyi seemed to have switched ces with Jin Dazhuang and Jin wanyi.

    Jin Dazhuang had always been a senior barrister at argew firm, while Jin Wanyi had only been a third-rate barrister who had entered argew firm through her nepotism.

    On the other hand, Jin Dazhuang had always lived in a smallw firm to file divorce cases for the lower-middle ss citizens, while Jin Wanyi had be a senior barrister at thergestw firm in the capital.

    Gu Nianzhi did not have time to think about the philosophical mystery behind this. She smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve never lost at such a young age? Well, there¡¯s a first time for everything. Jin Wanyi¡¯s first defeat, start with me.¡±

    The receptionist, Xiao Zhang, was so amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words that he almost burst into tears fromughing.

    Jin Wanyi and Wen Shouyi, who had just entered, heard her words. Jin Wanyi¡¯s expression changed drastically, and she was immediately angered by Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Haha, what if I don¡¯t lose this time? Then will Lawyer Gu quit thew profession and let your first court appearance be thest?¡±

    Jin Wanyi put her briefcase on the dock, turned to Gu Nianzhi, and asked coldly.

 Chapter 1588 - The Most Important Thing for a Family Is To Be Organized

    <h4>Chapter 1588: The Most Important Thing for a Family Is To Be Organized</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at Jin Wanyi. She smiled frankly and openly. She did not feel embarrassed or embarrassed at all being caught bad-mouthing behind her.

    She walked briskly back to her intiff¡¯s seat and swiftly turned on herptop, She smiled and said, ¡°Lawyer Jin, you disappointed me so much. All I said was to let you have your first taste of defeat, and you have wanted me to retire from the legal profession forever. Did you graduate too long ago and have forgotten the general principles of Civil Law?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was slightly taken aback, thinking that this Gu Nianzhi really had some skills. She was thick-skinned enough!

    She had always believed that the first quality of a good trialwyer was to be steady and not be led by others.

    In other words, one had to be thick-skinned enough.

    She sat down, turned on herptop with a dark expression, and said calmly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You were caught bad-mouthing people behind their back, and now you¡¯re so angry that you¡¯re contradicting yourself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°Lawyer Jin, I¡¯m afraid you misunderstood ¡®bad-mouthing¡¯.¡±

    ¡°How did I misunderstand it?¡± Jin Wanyi was puzzled. She was well-known inw school for her ability to understand, so how could she not know what ¡®bad-mouthing¡¯ meant?

    ¡°See, you don¡¯t even know it yourself, so I¡¯ll force myself to exin it to you.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled, turned to face Jin Wanyi and said politely, ¡°Bad-mouthing, the exnation in dictionary is to me someone or something for no reason, or to cause damage if it doesn¡¯t conform to the facts.¡±

    ¡°When I said I would let you have your first taste of defeat, it was just a hypothetical sentence expressing goodwill. It¡¯s neither ming you for no reason nor conforming to the facts and causing damage. So how can it be bad-mouthing?¡±

    Jin Wanyi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I only want to ask you one thing. Have I ever failed in a trial?¡± She stared at Gu Nianzhi with an imposing manner.

    She had graduated for seven years, appeared in court for five years, and fought seventy-twowsuits of all kinds. Indeed, she had not lost a single case. Of course, out-of-court settlements were also considered a win for her.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know these details, but she would not care even if she knew.

    She looked away and chuckled, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with Lawyer Jin¡¯s ability to understand. What you¡¯re talking about was in the past tense. What I¡¯m talking about is in the present and future tense. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s illogical to use the past tense to deny the present and future tense?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s family and friends behind her burst intoughter.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯sughter was the loudest. His clear baritone echoed in the empty courtroom. One person was enough to stir up the atmosphere. All he needed to do was to whistle.

    Lu Yuan turned to look at him, only then he tried his best to hold back hisughter and quieten down.

    Jin Wanyi narrowed her eyes and immediately changed the topic. ¡°You really know how to twist logic. But even so, what does it have to do with the general principles of civilw? If you say that I have forgotten the general principles of civilw, does that count as nder on my professional ability? I can sue you for nder.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you still remember the general principles of civilw that I mentioned?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked up, her eyes were shining as she looked at Jin Wanyi. ¡°If you still remember the general principles of civilw, then you should know that in civilw, rights and obligations are equal.¡±

    ¡°If you make me lose a case, then I¡¯ll be out of the legal profession forever. In civilw, rights and obligations are absolutely not equal. I canpletely ignore it.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was stunned. She had not expected the general principles of civilw to be used in such a way...

    Gu Nianzhi saw that she was slightly stunned, she immediately seized the opportunity to pursue the matter. ¡°It¡¯s fine for an average person to say such a sentimental joke, but Lawyer Jin, as a famous seniorwyer at thergestw firm in the capital, also said such a thing without regard for thew. I have reason to doubt your professional ability. What right do you have to say that I¡¯m ndering you?¡±

    Jin Wanyi: ¡°...¡±

    Wen Shouyi, who was beside her, tugged at herpels and pouted toward the judge¡¯s seat.

    The judge had just entered, so Jin Wanyi took the opportunity to shut up and find a way out.

    Jin Wanyi was almostpletely defeated after a verbal battle with Gu Nianzhi before the trial began.

    She was a little impatient and forced herself to look at the analysis of the case on theputer to familiarize herself with the few key facts on the chain of evidence.

    She would have topletely defeat herter to appease the hatred in her heart!

    ...

    Lu Jin, who was sitting in the gallery behind the intiff¡¯s seat, could not wait to cheer for Gu Nianzhi. His excitement was beyond words, and he almost jumped up from his seat to offer Gu Nianzhi his knee.

    Although Lu Yuan did not speak to Lu Jin, hepletely understood his feelings.

    In fact, Lu Yuan was also very surprised.

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi was smart, and could even be called a genius. She was also beautiful, adorable and pitiful, but he did not know that she could be so sharp in court.

    It was her first time appearing in court in a strange ce, but she did not have stage fright at all.

    He turned to look at Lu Jin and nodded approvingly at him.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, and he mouthed, ¡°Isn¡¯t my daughter amazing? She, my daughter! I gave birth to her!¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    As expected, when he was given some colours, he would open a dye shop. When he was given a little sunshine, he would glitter. When he was given a broken basket, he would lie down andy his eggs...

    He red at Lu Jin, warning him not to reveal any clue. Then, he quietly averted his gaze and quickly scanned the courtroom.

    Fortunately, not many people noticed them.

    It was because everyone had been attracted by Gu Nianzhi and Jin Wanyi¡¯s battle of words.

    One was a youngwyer, the intiff and the victim, while the other was a young barrister from the biggestw firm in the capital who had never lost. They were both beautiful.

    It was supposed to be a one-sided situation, but now there was the possibility of a youngwyer making aeback.

    How could it not be exciting?

    After all, everyone loved watching a face-pping drama.

    Lu Jin had no one to share his joy, so he had no choice but to maintain a poker face. He reached out and moved the miniature stic pinhole camera embedded in his cor button, recording Gu Nianzhi¡¯s every word and action.

    This thing was made entirely of high-grade stic material. The metal detector at the court security check could not detect it at all.

    ...

    The judge was a slightly chubby middle-aged woman in her forties. She looked very proper and serious, and her sharp eyes were very sharp when she looked at people.

    She sat in the Chief Judge¡¯s seat, followed by two other judges who sat on her left and right.

    This case involved a minor. Although the minor was now an adult, ording to the principle of retrial of unsolved cases, it was still a minor case. It was important to protect the privacy of the victim and not to disclose it to the media.

    All the people present had signed a special confidentiality agreement and stated that they were friends or colleagues of the intiff.

    After the judge sat down, she first asked if the intiff and defendant were present.

    Gu Nianzhi was the intiff and had chosen to defend herself, so she was also her ownwyer.

    Jin Wanyi, the defendant¡¯swyer, stood up and said, ¡°The defendants, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, have been detained by the police and are waiting outside the door. The third defendant, Wen Shouyi, is sitting in the defendant¡¯s seat.¡±

    The judge checked the documents, verified them to the person in question and nodded. ¡°Let the defendants, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, in.¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly stood up and watched as her parents were brought in by two bailiffs.

    It had only been two or three days since theyst saw each other, and she felt that their spirits had copsed.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili saw Wen Shouyi, their emotions which they had been holding back for several days, suddenly exploded. They hugged her and cried.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Jin Wanyi immediately reprimanded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Lawyer Gu, for your own personal gain, you used these poor and honest people. You didn¡¯t even spare their innocent daughter. Don¡¯t you have conscience?¡±

    The whole family hugged their heads and wept as if they were the victims and Gu Nianzhi was the perpetrator.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the scene with extreme disgust. She snorted and said lightly, ¡°The most important thing for a family is to be organized. If you break thew together, of course you¡¯ll be punished together.¡±

    The judge at the head of the court coughed lightly and said, ¡°The defendant, please control your emotions and don¡¯t disturb the order of the court.¡±

    Wen Shouyi immediately wiped away her tears and helped her parents to sit down in the dock. Sheforted them in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Lawyer Jin is very powerful. She won¡¯t let anything happen to us.¡±

    ¡°Shouyi, why can¡¯t you be ourwyer? Why are you being sued?¡± Liang Meili didn¡¯t understand. ¡°That has nothing to do with you!¡±

    Wen Shouyi gave them a look. ¡°Mom, stop talking. If you have something to say, thewyer will say it.¡±

    Wen Dayou reprimanded Liang Meili in a low voice, ¡°Listen to your daughter. You¡¯d better shut up!¡±

    Liang Meili looked nervously at Gu Nianzhi in the intiff¡¯s seat across from her. She then lowered her head.

    Seeing that they had all quieted down, the judge knocked the gavel and said, ¡°The first trial of Case No. 7856 has begun. The defendant, Wen Dayou, Liang Meili, the intiff, Gu Nianzhi, is suing you for violently kidnapping a 12-year-old intiff eight years ago and taking her out of the He family¡¯s mansion, causing her severe physical and mental trauma.¡±

    ¡°The defendant, Wen Shouyi, the intiff, Gu Nianzhi, is suing you for perjury eight years ago, conspiracy with your parents, and violently kidnapping a 12-year-old intiff.¡±

    ¡°Do you plead guilty or not?¡±

    The defendant¡¯swyer, Jin Wanyi, immediately said loudly, ¡°Reporting to the judge, my three clients do not plead guilty. I want to plead not guilty for my three clients!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1589 - Believing Her

    <h4>Chapter 1589: Believing Her</h4>

    Excuse me?

    The evidence was irrefutable. She still dared to plead not guilty?

    She really dared to say so.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that this was her first time in court and she had to pay attention to her image and etiquette, Gu Nianzhi really wanted to roll her eyes in public.

    The judge and the jury in the courtroom also heard Jin Wanyi¡¯s plea.

    They frowned as they looked at the file in their hands, gavelled and said, ¡°Defensewyer, are you sure you want to plead not guilty?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Honor,¡± Jin Wanyi replied in a steady voice. She did not even look at Gu Nianzhi.

    The judge continued to ask, ¡°So you¡¯re denying all of the intiff¡¯s charges?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Honor.¡± Jin Wanyi nodded again and said in detail, ¡°Your Honor, my client did not violently kidnap the intiff eight years ago, so I¡¯m pleading not guilty on their behalf.¡±

    The judge put down the file and asked in a low voice, ¡°Then are you saying that the He family reported a false case back then? Or is the intiff falsely using your client?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was stunned.

    Blinking her almond-shaped eyes, Jin Wanyi carefully organized her words, ¡°Your Honor, just because I plead for my client¡¯s innocence doesn¡¯t mean that the He family reported a false case eight years ago.¡±

    ¡°... But you said you want to defend her innocence.¡± The judge was also puzzled and frowned even more. ¡°Defensewyer, do you understand what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    ¡°Your Honor, you¡¯re very sharp. This is where I want to seek justice for my client.¡± Jin Wanyi slightly nodded in the direction of the trial bench and bowed with a graceful and thoughtful manner.

    ¡°Eight years ago, the He family did not file a false report. At that time, the intiff did leave the He family without the He family knowing. Therefore, the He family thought that she ¡®disappeared¡¯

    ¡°However, her departure was not caused by my client¡¯s ¡®violent¡¯ kidnapping.¡±

    Jin Wanyi emphasized the word ¡®violent¡¯.

    It was because the use of violence against minors, the legal consequences of physical and mental injury were very serious.

    ¡°Please state your opinion, counsel.¡± The judge made the final decision, sat up straight and began today¡¯s trial with great interest.

    Jin Wanyi walked out from behind the dock and said to the crowd in the courtroom, ¡°This case is actually very simple. I don¡¯t understand why the unharmed intiff would sue my client again and say that they used ¡®violent¡¯ method.¡±

    ¡°Objection.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her hand calmly. ¡°The defensewyer used false and imaginary words to describe the intiff¡¯s situation, which is suspected to be misleading.¡±

    ¡°Sustained.¡± The judge looked at Jin Wanyi with displeasure. ¡°Defensewyer, please use the facts to speak. Don¡¯t make any value judgments without any evidence.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Honor.¡± Jin Wanyi looked like she was being kind, but this was actually all awyer¡¯s trick.

    How could she not emphasize her value judgment in court so as to impress people?

    Jin Wanyi returned to the back of the dock and pulled out the chain of evidence for the case from herptop.

    She connected theptop to the big screen in the court room and put the evidence directly on the big screen.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. The reason why I want to plead my client¡¯s innocence is because they are truly innocent in this case. Not only are they innocent, but they are also good citizens who are willing to help others.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t let good people be disappointed, and we can¡¯t let false usations be the norm. This will have a huge impact on society¡¯s ethos.¡± Jin Wanyi nced in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and spoke sternly, as if she was the one who had ¡°caused false usations to be the norm¡±. She was the main culprit that had a negative impact on society¡¯s ethos.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her expressionlessly, as if she was saying, ¡°I¡¯ll quietly watch you act like a b*tch.¡±

    Jin Wanyiughed coldly in her heart. I¡¯ll see how long you can stay calm.

    She pointed at the first piece of evidence that appeared on the big screen with aser pointer and said passionately, ¡°Everyone, look! This is the most important piece of evidence in this case, and also the key to exonerating my client¡¯s wrongs.¡±

    The big screen in the courtroom disyed the note signed by Gu Xiangwen. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look anymore. I have taken my daughter away!¡±

    The handwriting was elegant. It was clear that it was fine writing.

    Lu Jin lowered his head silently and looked away from the big screen guiltily.

    Lu Yuan snorted and nced at him from the corner of his eyes.

    This was all the stupid thing he had done all those years ago!

    ¡°Everyone,¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s voice trembled slightly, and her eyshes fluttered. She seemed to be in a state of extreme excitement. She turned and stared at Gu Nianzhi like a cat staring at a mouse, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you¡¯re familiar with the name ¡®Gu Xiangwen¡¯, aren¡¯t you? Can you tell everyone who Gu Xiangwen is and who you are?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shifted her gaze to Jin Wanyi¡¯s face and looked at her expressionlessly for a while. It was only when she felt a chill run down her spine that she slowly smiled, she said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me, Lawyer Jin, who is Gu Xiangwen is and who am I? Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was stunned. ¡°You refuse to answer my question?¡±

    ¡°Does this question have anything to do with this case?¡± Gu Nianzhi said slowly. ¡°I refuse to answer questions that have nothing to do with this case.¡±

    Jin Wanyiughed heartily and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Gu Nianzhi try to shirk her responsibility.

    That was all to it. When it came to the time for court debate, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eloquence could not be taken seriously.

    She actually refused to answer her questions?!

    A trace of contempt shed across Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes. She calmly turned her eyes to look at the note disyed on the big screen and answered her own questions, ¡°Everyone, the name Gu Xiangwen is very familiar in our country.¡±

    ¡°He was once the most famous scientist in our country. He was also a two-time Nobelureate. He also won Nobel prizes in different fields. This is unprecedented in the history of science in the world.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Jin wanyi changed the subject, and her tone became sharp. ¡°He is also a wanted criminal in a human-lifewsuit. He went from being a scientist who looked down on people from above to running around like a rat in a ditch with a human-lifewsuit on his back...¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t control herself anymore. She stood up from the intiff¡¯s seat and said loudly, ¡°Objection to the defensewyer using insulting words to describe people who have nothing to do with this case!¡±

    The judge in the courtroom hadn¡¯t had time to judge whether her objection was valid or not, Jin Wanyi had already spoken first, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you¡¯ve repeatedly evaded the issue and refused to talk about this Gu Xiangwen. Is it because he¡¯s your father?! Your so-called violent kidnapping eight years ago was actually you being taken away by your biological father!¡±

    She walked out from the defendant¡¯s stand and walked closer to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu, admit it! You¡¯re falsely using my client!¡±

    ¡°Your father was obviously the one who missed his daughter, but he had a wanted notice on him and didn¡¯t dare show himself in front of the He family. He asked my client to help him take you away to see him. How was this a violent kidnapping? They did it for the sake of helping your family to reunite!¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face was red and her eyes seemed to burn with fire. She looked at Gu Nianzhi with sparkling eyes. ¡°Do you want to continue listening?¡±

    She turned around and used the remote control to y her chain of evidence.

    ¡°This note was written by Gu Xiangwen himself. It has been authenticated by a famous forensic handwriting expert in our country. It has full legal effect.¡± As she spoke, she walked back to her seat and handed over the original copy of the note, ¡°This is the original copy of the handwriting I pulled from the police¡¯s cold case file.¡±

    Due to cold case being reiterated, all of the evidence had to be submitted to the court.

    The judge and the jury on both sides examined the piece of paper carefully.

    Jin Wanyi picked up theser pen, she pointed at the chain of evidence on the big screen and continued, ¡°Eight years ago, the He family held a birthday party for the intiff, Gu Nianzhi. Gu Xiangwen took this opportunity to share about his feelings for his daughter to my client. He begged them to bring her out to meet him.¡±

    ¡°My client is a good person. He¡¯s been in the He family for so many years, and he has never had any arguments or grudges with anyone.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen knew that it¡¯s useless to look for help from others. It¡¯s only useful to look for them.¡±

    ¡°He cried andined many times. My client finally relented and agreed to bring her out to meet him, but he had to send her back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°So on the day of her birthday, after they exined the situation to the intiff, Gu Nianzhi, the twelve-year-old intiff agreed on the spot and took the initiative to leave with their help.¡±

    Jin Wanyi finished speaking confidently and looked triumphantly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How was it? Gu Nianzhi, you agreed to leave on your own to see your father. How did it be a violent kidnapping?!¡±

    ¡°You still refuse to admit that you¡¯re falsely using my client?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, I heard that you lost your memory. Youpletely lost your memories before you were 12 years old, so you can¡¯t remember how you left the He Family?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Jin Wanyi calmly. She thought to herself, if she hadn¡¯t known her father and learned about the twists and turns behind the scenes, she would have believed her lies.

    The story was made up, with a cause and effect, actions and logic, and physical evidence to support it. It was apletely a different thing.

    She raised her eyelids slightly and saw that most of the people in the courtroom seemed to have convinced.

    The juror on the left side of the courtroom kept nodding his head...

    Gu Nianzhi looked down calmly to hide the sarcasm in her eyes.

 Chapter 1590 - You Can Remain Silent

    <h4>Chapter 1590: You Can Remain Silent</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Your father, Gu Xiangwen, a lunatic. He would do anything...¡±

    Jin Wanyi said scornfully again.

    Her gaze and words thoroughly infuriated Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes abruptly and looked over emotionlessly.

    Her gaze was cold, like an icicle with thorns that could pierce through the air.

    However, no matter how angry she was, she would not be disturbed.

    It was like the heaven giving her a meal. The more angry Gu Nianzhi was in court, the calmer she became.

    This was because she knew that if she really wanted to attack the other party, she would have to defeat him in court.

    There was no use in trying to talk her way out.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and tried to control herself. She did not want to turn around and look at Lu Jin, who was sitting in the gallery.

    She did not know how Lu Jin would feel if he heard someone say that about him...

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s fingers tapped on the mouse on herptop, her emotions boiling.

    ¡°At the time, the intiff was also worried that the He family would not let her go. Therefore after a discussion with my client, Gu Nianzhi quickly escaped while the lights were off. My client only made way for her so that she could leave through the back door.¡±

    ¡°After the intiff left the He family, she immediately met with Gu Xiangwen, who was standing guard outside.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen was very good at hypnosis. He led the intiff and hypnotized the soldiers on sentry duty along the way. Just like that, he brought Gu Nianzhi out of the He family mansion.¡±

    ¡°When they got into the car on the street, not only was my client, Wen Shouyi, able to see them with her own eyes, but two passers-by also saw them.¡±

    As Jin Wanyi spoke, she yed the testimonies provided by the two passers-by.

    These two passers-by really looked like ordinary passers-by.

    A man in his thirties and an old woman in her sixties happened to pass by the roadside and saw a tall and thin man holding the hand of a chubby little girl getting into a car parked by the roadside.

    ¡°We¡¯re all familiar with that tall and thin man. He¡¯s the great scientist we used to see on TV. He was wanted for murder after that, wasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°The little girl is about eleven or twelve years old, right? She¡¯s fair and chubby. She has ck hair and wears a princess dress. She¡¯s very cute.¡±

    They then identified from the video the photos of Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi when she was twelve years old.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes sparkled with pride. She nced at Gu Nianzhi and continued, ¡°There¡¯s onest piece of direct evidence that countless people saw at the time.¡±

    She yed a news video from that year.

    She saw a tall, skinny manughing maniacally in the zing mes. A burning car could be vaguely seen in the mes behind him. There was also a little girl in the car, who was screaming in fear as she leaned against the window.

    The camera zoomed in to reveal the face of the little girl. It was the 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Thisst piece of evidence urred one month after the 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi disappeared from the He family¡¯s birthday party. ¡°This proves that the person who took the minor Gu Nianzhi from the He family was her biological father!¡± This has nothing to do with my clients, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili!¡±

    ¡°It also proves that my client, Ms. Wen Shouyi, did not give false evidence at all!¡±

    ¡°As stated above, I believe that all three of my clients are innocent in this case. I hope the court will consider it carefully and do my clients justice!¡±

    Jin Wanyi ended her defense forcefully and looked at Gu Nianzhi provocatively.

    In the courtroom, the judge and the two jurors seemed to have been persuaded by Jin Wanyi. They bumped their heads and discussed for a while. They looked at Gu Nianzhi and said in an unfriendly tone, ¡°The intiff, Gu Nianzhi, do you have anything else to say?¡±

    The atmosphere in the courtroom suddenly became tense.

    The receptionist, Xiao Zhang, couldn¡¯t help biting her fingernails. She was worried to death about Gu Nianzhi.

    She was a very clear-cut person. She was only trying to help her family, not reason. Gu Nianzhi was her friend, and the other party meant nothing to her. Therefore, of course she was only worried about Gu Nianzhi.

    From the looks of it, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation was really at a disadvantage.

    Jin Dazhuang, who was sitting next to her, was a little moreposed. Although, based on his professionalism, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chance of winning this case was indeed very low. However, it wasn¡¯tpletely impossible. It all depended on how far she wanted to go.

    Bai Shuang was also worried to death. She covered her ears with her hands and didn¡¯t dare to listen anymore.

    Zhao Liangze nced at her and chuckled. ¡°You can¡¯t take it anymore?¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t say a word. He knew it was time to test Gu Nianzhi. His eyes only swept between Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and crossed his arms. He was like an old monk meditating. No one could tell what he was thinking.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s gaze swept past Gu Nianzhi¡¯s group of friends and rtives. She couldn¡¯t help feeling a little smug when she saw their anxious expressions.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s speech today had all been written by her.

    Jin Wanyi had only recited it on the spot.

    It turned out that Gu Nianzhi was no match for her.

    She shook her parents¡¯ hands and gestured with her eyes to reassure them.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili finally breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other and smiled. They slowly sat up straight.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was dark, and she did not speak for a moment.

    She knew that everyone¡¯s eyes were on her.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. If her father, Gu Xiangwen, was really dead, then the other party¡¯s testimony and chain of evidence would go together seamlessly...

    However, just as she had said to Xiao Zhang before she went to court, heaven¡¯s vengeance is slow but sure.

    There was no such thing as wless.

    Therefore, wless testimony did not exist.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly stood up and nodded slightly at the judge and the two jurors in the courtroom. ¡°Your Honor, please allow me to interrogate the defendant.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, are you still not giving up? My client can remain silent. If you have anything to say, you can ask me.¡± Jin Wanyi smiled as she closed herptop, nning to leave.

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at her casually. ¡°Are you saying that you can fully represent your client? If you can, then I¡¯ll interrogate you.¡±

    Jin Wanyi froze.

    She was the defendant¡¯swyer, but she couldn¡¯t guarantee that she would be able to fully represent the defendant.

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips, folded her arms, and looked over calmly.

    This Gu Nianzhi was really persistent. She wanted to see how she would be able to dig out the truth from a string of irond evidence.

    ording to thew, the defendant could remain silent all the time, and not say a word from the beginning to the end.

    She was worried about her parents, so she had devised a strategy early in the morning to keep them silent throughout the trial.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while, and when she saw that the defendantwyer and the suspect had stopped talking, she said with a smile, ¡°Why are you so afraid of my interrogation? Are you feeling guilty? Or are you afraid of making more mistakes by saying more?¡±

    Jin Wanyi rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer is ndering my client with spective words.¡±

    ¡°Sustained.¡± The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi with a straight face. ¡°Please get to the point as soon as possible, intiff¡¯swyer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands and her gaze swept past Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, she smiled and said, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to be afraid of my interrogation. If you tell too many lies, they will be the truth. If you don¡¯t speak, the lies won¡¯t have a chance to be the truth. How about it? Just ept my interrogation.¡±

    Her eyes were very big, and her pupils were extremely ck. The whites of her eyes were so white that they were blue. When she looked at people, they were clear and bright, like a mountain spring that could be seen through with a single nce.

    In front of such a pair of clear ck and white eyes, there were not many people who could continue lying.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili did not dare to look her in the eye again. They lowered their heads and mumbled to themselves.

    Gu Nianzhi admired their embarrassment for a while before pping her hands and saying, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you. Actually, I don¡¯t have to interrogate you.¡±

    ¡°ording to Article 53 of the criminalw, the sentence in all cases must be based on evidence, investigation and research, and not a confession.¡±

    ¡°Only the confession of the defendant, If there is no other evidence, the defendant can not be found guilty and punished.¡±

    ¡°Without the confession of the defendant, the evidence is conclusive and sufficient. The defendant can also be found guilty and punished.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked forward as she spoke. Finally, she stood in front of the dock and leaned forward slightly. She knocked on the table in the dock with a smile. ¡°So, you can remain silent, but it won¡¯t prevent the court from convicting you.¡±

    ¡°In other words, whether or not you are found guilty has nothing to do with whether or not you will answer my questions.¡±

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili raised their heads in shock.

    ¡°... Umm, Shouyi, is this true? ! How can we be sentenced without talking?!¡± Liang Meili was the first to lose her cool and tugged at Wen Shouyi¡¯s wrist.

    Wen Dayou wiped his face with his rough hand and stammered, ¡°How can this be? Didn¡¯t they say...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say what?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly and politely continued, ¡°Mr. Wen, what did they promise you? If you have any questions, you can ask me.¡±

 Chapter 1591 - Full of Confidence in My Future

    <h4>Chapter 1591: Full of Confidence in My Future</h4>

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, please do not coerce my client into giving a confession!¡±

    Jin Wanyi quickly stopped Gu Nianzhi and Wen Dayou from continuing their conversation. She was also worried that Wen Dayou didn¡¯t understand thew and would identally expose their strategy.

    Gu Nianzhi patted the defendant¡¯s seat and beamed. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t even allow me to ask questions, and you still have the cheek to use me of coercing a confession. Lawyer Jin, did you win all your previous cases like this?¡±

    Jin Wanyi blushed and braced herself to say, ¡°I told you, you can ask me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, it looks like I¡¯ll have to ask you.¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the judge in the dock. ¡°Your Honor, may I begin my questioning?¡±

    The judge raised his hand. ¡°Please don¡¯t dy any longer and get to the point as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and pointed at Jin Wanyi¡¯sptop. ¡°You don¡¯t use the big screen in court anymore, do you?¡±

    Jin Wanyi froze and shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m done using it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯m going to use it.¡± Gu Nianzhi easily walked back to the intiff¡¯s seat and connected herptop to the big screen in court.

    Jin Wanyi: ¡°???¡±

    Was this Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questioning?

    Was this awsuit, or was this a child¡¯s house party?!

    Gu Nianzhi connected the big screen, but did not immediately show her evidence. Instead, she maintained the blue screen and walked back to the dock, nodding at Jin Wanyi.

    ¡°Lawyer Jin, the first question I want to ask is, you just said that Gu Xiangwen had been crying to your client many times and wanted them to bring me out to meet him. Do they have any concrete evidence to prove that my father, Gu Xiangwen, really cried to them?¡±

    Jin Wanyi curled her lips in disdain. ¡°I told you that he was crying to them in private. What evidence do you want?¡±

    ¡°That means that no one else saw him except for the couple, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Gu Xiangwen was a wanted criminal with a life-threateningwsuit on his back. He couldn¡¯t juste to the house to visit my client and let everyone saw him look for my client. It¡¯s all done in secret.¡± Jin Wanyi refuted clearly.

    ¡°Then are there any other videos or notes that prove that Gu Xiangwen did ask them to do this?¡± Gu Nianzhi tried her best to find out if Jin Wanyi had any evidence of this.

    Jin Wanyi shook her head. ¡°Of course not. My client was honest. Why would he beat around the bush like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. She then stopped smiling, she said coldly, ¡°That means the sobbing is just their side of the story. As everyone knows, my father, Gu Xiangwen, died in the fire eight years ago. So this is your n, dead man tell no tales?¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s smile was frozen by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    ¡°... What do you mean by dead man tells no tales?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no proof.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was as cold as a frozen mountain spring.

    ¡°But my client swears that they¡¯re telling the truth. They¡¯re honest people, for their entire lives...¡±

    Jin Wanyi rambled on about how honest Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were, and even the character testimonies of their neighbors and colleagues.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the testimonies Jin Wanyi presented andughed mockingly. ¡°They can confirm Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s characters, but can they confirm that Gu Xiangwen once went to Wen Dayou and Liang Meili?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was silent.

    ¡°To take a step back, if what they said is true, then may I ask when and where Gu Xiangwen went to them? How many times did he cry? Even if they can¡¯t find a witness to prove it, they should be able to remember, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Jin Wanyi was ted. She secretly praised Wen Shouyi for doing her homework. She had considered all of this. She took out a document signed by Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, she said, ¡°I visited them yesterday and made a temporary note of it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the document and looked through it casually. She said calmly, ¡°So eight years ago, Gu Xiangwen came to you seven times. Four of them were in the workers¡¯ room of the He family¡¯s mansion, and the other three were when he was out buying groceries.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. If he was out shopping for groceries, why did you say that no one could verify it? There were plenty of people at the market, right? How could a grown man hold onto you and cry and no one could see it? There was no record in what¡¯s new on Weibo, or what¡¯s in the encyclopedia of embarrassing things?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips in amusement, she continued, ¡°Do you dare show this to the He family? For example, let General He or Young Master He know that the person they wanted for several years actually entered the He family mansion¡¯s workers¡¯ room openly. Not just once, but four times!¡±

    ¡°Also, the He family¡¯s security practically did not exist. Anyone coulde and go as they pleased...¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I think the safety of General He and Young Master He is a problem. I don¡¯t know how they survived for so many years...¡±

    Wen Dayou¡¯s heart tightened and he quickly winked at Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to fill in the gaps.

    Suddenly, she remembered that Gu Xiangwen was very good at hypnosis, she immediately said, ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not surprising. The He family¡¯s security was indeed top-notch, but this was only for ordinary people, not Gu Xiangwen. Gu Xiangwen was a master of hypnosis, and those security guards were nothing to him. He could go anywhere he wanted as he pleased.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed, ¡°Lawyer Wen, when you have time, study more. Research more scientific literature and read less unreliable legendary novels. Hypnosis is very magical, but this kind of deep hypnosis can only work on one person at a time. It can¡¯t work on a group of people at the same time. The He family¡¯s mansion was surrounded by armed military police. Do you think Gu Xiangwen could hypnotize them at the same time and sneak into the He family¡¯s mansion?¡±

    ¡°Besides, if he¡¯s so powerful, why would he ask your parents for help? Your parents are only gardeners. Why would he need two servants to do such a dangerous thing?¡±

    ¡°If he really could hypnotize all the military police at the same time, he might as well just go to his room and find me. Why would he need to go to your parents toin and spend so much effort to wait for the birthday party to produce all kinds of evidence for you to catch him?¡±?

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue and concluded, ¡°In short, in order to shift the me to Gu Xiangwen, you guys didn¡¯t even care aboutmon sense. To make such an obvious illogical thing was a shame. Can I add on to sue your parents for perjury?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes twitched as she listened. She couldn¡¯t understand from theplete evidence, where did Gu Nianzhi get this loophole from?

    Jin Wanyi looked over again and again, but Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t give her any hints. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and say,¡±... no matter what, you were indeed in Gu Xiangwen¡¯s hands in the end!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°That¡¯s another thing. At least now it proves that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s crying for help to Wen Dayou and Liang Meili didn¡¯t exist at all. They made it up.¡±

    She turned to look at the judge¡¯s bench. ¡°Your Honor, I request the court to agree that the other party¡¯s testimony is invalid because they have no concrete evidence and can not justify themselves. They can¡¯t even produce a picture. The evidence of their fabrication is too obvious.¡±

    The judge thought about it and agreed that what they said about Gu Xiangwen crying to them multiple times was too dramatic and sounded strange. He then asked Jin Wanyi kindly, ¡°Defensewyer, do you want to ask the client if there¡¯s any evidence that Gu Xiangwen cried to them? Any evidence is fine.¡±

    If it was just based on what they had said, this piece of evidence would probably be invalidated.

    Jin Wanyi subconsciously nced at Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face was livid. She had not expected that even Gu Xiangwen was dead, Gu Nianzhi would still be able find so many loopholes in a piece of evidence that had no evidence to back it up.

    She sat and didn¡¯t say anything. She merely nced at Jin Wanyi.

    Jin Wanyi understood and said in a wronged tone, ¡°Your Honor, since the court is unwilling to ept this piece of evidence, there¡¯s nothing we can do. But my client can swear...¡±

    ¡°Enough. If swearing works, why do you need a judge to trial it?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up at the big blue screen in disdain, the corners of her lips curled into a mocking smile. ¡°It¡¯s like you don¡¯t know that people can lie. A person like you has never lost a case. I¡¯m suddenly full of confidence in my future in the legal world.¡±

    She pressed the button on herptop, and theputer turned on. Her screensaver appeared on the big screen.

    It was a white swan flying freely ¡ª a strategic nuclear bomber.

    The judge then announced, ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s pleas for help from Wen Dayou and Liang Meili are invalid. Counsel for the defense, please carefully organize your words.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Thank you, Your Honor.¡±

    Opening her folder, Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°Now let¡¯s take a look at the testimonies of these two passers-by, as well as Ms. Wen Shouyi¡¯s testimony.¡±

    ¡°The two passers-by said that they saw a tall and skinny man at the corner of the street holding the hand of an 11-or 12-year-old chubby little girl as they got into the car. Although they didn¡¯t see the front of the car, they recognized Gu Xiangwen and my 12-year-old photo from the side.¡±

    ¡°And Ms. Wen Shouyi at that time, directly told Young Master He that she had juste back from school and saw someone taking a little girl to the corner in front of the door and leaf in a car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked around the courtroom and fixed her gaze on Wen Shouyi. ¡°The two witnesses didn¡¯te today, but Miss. Wen is also one of the defendants. I want to ask you, as the defendant, will you ept my question?¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1592 - Your Familiarity with Me

    <h4>Chapter 1592: Your Familiarity with Me</h4>

    Logically speaking, Wen Shouyi was also one of the defendants. She had the right to remain silent and not say a word.

    However, in reality, the defendants who did not say a word in court were either scheming and afraid of saying the wrong thing, or they were especially bad at talking. Even good words would be ruined by him, such as Lu Jin, who was suffering from interpersonal disorder.

    This kind of person did not give a good first impression to the judge and the jury.

    The purpose of a court debate was to give both parties a chance to speak face-to-face. If youpletely gave up this opportunity, then don¡¯t me others for figuring out if there was something wrong with your motives.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Wen Shouyi with a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t speak. I can make my own reasoning.¡±

    A hint of impatience shed in Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes. She wondered what kind of nonsense Gu Nianzhi woulde up with if she made her own deductions.

    She raised her head and calmly said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you don¡¯t have to goad me. What can¡¯t I say? Just ask.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head to look at Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, who were sitting on either side of Wen Shouyi. She let out a long ¡°Oh¡± and said, ¡°You mean the other two defendants have something they can¡¯t say, so they can¡¯t answer my questions?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t let your thoughts wander, Lawyer Gu.¡± Jin Wanyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°The person you want to interrogate is Ms. Wen Shouyi, not her parents.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped teasing Wen Shouyi and stopped smiling. She recounted the testimony of the two passers-by and what Wen Shouyi had said to He Zhichu eight years ago.

    She took the testimony she had signed and asked, ¡°You said it yourself, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded calmly. ¡°I did say it, word for word.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly smiled meaningfully. ¡°Miss Wen, you can remember every word you said eight years ago. Your memory is impressive.¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked up calmly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu has probably forgotten what happened that night, but to me, it¡¯s an unforgettable memory. That¡¯s why I remember every detail of what happened that night.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her hands on the table in the dock and looked down at the round-faced, fair-skinned Wen Shouyi. She asked indifferently, ¡°Then can you please describe what happened that night in detail?¡±

    Wen Shouyi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll disappoint you.¡±

    ¡°But you said you remembered every single detail, and that you forgot everything you just said so quickly?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up into a smile, her voluptuous lips half-smiling.

    Wen Shouyi stared at her lips, which were identical to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s, for a while before saying, ¡°I only said that I would disappoint you. I didn¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t remember the details of that night. There¡¯s no logical connection between the two.¡±

    What she meant was that the details she remembered wouldn¡¯t help Gu Nianzhi¡¯s case.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback, but quickly admitted her mistake. ¡°Okay, I was wrong. Miss. Wen is indeed a greatwyer. Her words and actions are wless. But I still want to hear your ount of that night.¡±

    Wen Shouyi lowered her eyes. Her long, ck eyshes were like two small fans that covered her thin eyeliner.

    ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t see much of that night,¡± she said lightly, ¡°When I came back from school, I saw a very ordinary Audi at the corner of the He family¡¯s mansion. Then I saw a tall, thin man holding a little girl¡¯s hand and getting into the car. That was it.¡±

    ¡°When I returned to the He family¡¯s mansion, I found that the ce was in a mess. The military and police were standing in the corridor, and everyone was only allowed in and not out. I didn¡¯t know what had happened.¡±

    ¡°I asked a maid that my parents were familiar with, and only then did I know that you were the one who went missing...¡± Wen Shouyi looked up at Gu Nianzhi after she finished speaking, ¡°At that time, I thought of the little girl that I saw in the man¡¯s hand at the end of the street, so I mentioned it to Young Master He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to her carefully and asked carefully, ¡°Then who did you find out about the man? And who was the little girl he was holding?¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m aw student. I never make conclusions about things that I¡¯m not sure about.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I said I saw a man holding a little girl¡¯s hand and getting into the car. Eight yearster, I still said the same thing. As for who the man was and who the little girl was, I don¡¯t know, and I never said I knew.¡±

    Wen Shouyi mimicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gesture and spread her hands, smiling.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, thinking that Wen Shouyi was quite cautious. Her words hadpletely cleared her of all responsibility.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t know who that man was, and who that little girl was. You just saw these two people and the car, and casually mentioned it when the He family was looking for the little girl. But in reality, you¡¯re not targeting anyone or anything, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi calmly tranted what Wen Shouyi hadn¡¯t said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just trying to mislead people?¡±

    ¡°How did I mislead people? Is it a crime to tell the truth these days?¡± Wen Shouyi asked slowly, ¡°I told you, I saw it with my own eyes. As for how other people try to figure out the identities of the two of them, that¡¯s other people¡¯s business, not mine.¡±

    In other words, she was just reminding everyone that these two people had just left the main street outside the He family¡¯s house.

    As for whether the people listened to her subconsciously thought that these two people were Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi, that was someone else¡¯s business, not hers.

    From a legal point of view, she really didn¡¯t have any responsibility at all for what she had done.

    As for misleading, it could be subjective or objective. At most, it could only be used as a moral reprimand. As for legal responsibility, it did not exist.

    The person who had been misled was just being stupid.

    It was because she was different from the two witnesses, who recognized Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photos. Wen Shouyi did not. She did not even mentioned Gu Xiangwen and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s names.

    Wen Shouyi smiled gently, but in her heart, she was thinking that if she could be intimidated by Gu Nianzhi, then all her years in the legal world would have been for nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darkened as she looked at Wen Shouyi. She was thinking that she had really been scheming. Eight years ago was herst year of university, right?

    She was still a greenhorn, but she had actually nned out all these details.

    Gu Nianzhi cleared her throat and stopped thinking. She nodded. ¡°Yes, indeed. If anyon is misled, it¡¯s because those people are stupid and don¡¯t understand what Lawyer Wen is trying to say.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. Lawyer Gu, don¡¯t put what you¡¯re thinking on me.¡± Wen Shouyi returned the sentence to Gu Nianzhi with a fake smile.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care, nor did she get angry. She thought quickly in her mind and quickly found another breakthrough point.

    ¡°Miss. Wen, what was your rtionship with me eight years ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to ask with a smile. ¡°Although I don¡¯t remember it very clearly, I remember that you seemed to be quite familiar with me.¡±

    This was a lie to Wen Shouyi.

    Gu Nianzhi actually did not remember anything from eight years ago. All her memories of Wen Shouyi came from He Zhichu¡¯s surveince footage and the ¡°teaching assistant¡± Wen Shouyi she had met in the other world two years ago.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s smile did not change, but she was wondering in her heart, could it be that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory had actually recovered?

    Was she just pretending to have ¡°memory loss¡±?

    After all, to Wen Shouyi, the possibility of pretending to have ¡°memory loss¡± was still very high.

    She blinked her slender eyes and slowly said, ¡°We weren¡¯t really familiar with each other at that time.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? But... When you saw me two years ago, you seemed to know me very well!¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be surprised and eximed, ¡°Could it be that two years ago, you were lying to me? Pretending to be familiar with me?!¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression was obviously stifled.

    She had not expected Gu Nianzhi to actually mention what had happened in the other world...

    That was an absolute secret of this world.

    If it had not been for the fact that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hand had been injured by Gu Nianzhi and could not be operated on, Wen Shouyi would have already been stripped of her memories from the other world.

    It was because of Gu Nianzhi that Wen Shouyi was no longer He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary, and her security clearance had been lowered.

    ording to specialws, she should not retain that kind of memory.

    However, Qin Yaoguang was still training doctors who could perform this kind of memory-stripping surgery. This was not something that could be learned in a short period of time.

    Therefore, Wen Shouyi¡¯s memory was temporarily safe.

    She did not want to undergo this kind of surgery.

    Qin Yaoguang also did not want her to undergo this kind of surgery.

    She had already made arrangements for her. When she became the executive director of the Qin Private Hospital Group, her security level would be greatly increased, and she would no longer need to undergo this kind of surgery.

    At this juncture, Wen Shouyi did not want to attract any special attention.

    Her mind raced, and she immediately said, ¡°Familiarity is rtive. When I said we weren¡¯t familiar, it was actually because you weren¡¯t familiar with me, but I was quite familiar with you. So it was only a one-sided familiarity, not a connection between us.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and looked as if she didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Then tell me, how familiar are you with me?¡±

 Chapter 1593 - Spear Attacking the Shield

    <h4>Chapter 1593: Spear Attacking the Shield</h4>

    Wen Shouyi secretly took a breath. The belt around her waist hurt a little, but it made her more awake.

    Her tone was gentle, very naturally, she said, ¡°To what extent? How should I put it? At that time, you were the high and mighty He family¡¯s little princess, and I was only the gardener¡¯s daughter, six years older than you. Our Circle was originally different, and we didn¡¯t have many opportunities to interact.¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled amiably. ¡°But you were doted on in the He family. The children of servants like us were ordered by our parents to especially respect you and take care of you, so we had no choice but to get familiar with you.¡±

    During those years, she quietly watched this little girl grow up beside Mrs. He, Mr. He, and Young Master He. At the beginning, she only dared to hide under the table to look at others, butter, she became arrogant and willful, looking down on others.

    Six years was neither long nor short.

    It was hard to say what kind of mood she was in when facing this little girl.

    The school work that she was once proud of, the intelligence of a genius, could not withstand a single blow in front of this little girl.

    This little girl only attended one ss a week and yed the rest of the time. But by the time she was twelve years old, she had already finished all the high school courses and passed the national high school graduation exam with high marks. She had also received interview invitation from several Ivy League Universities in the United States.

    If nothing unexpected had happened, she would have attended the interview at Harvard University in the United States the following year after her 12th birthday, trying to get into the university ahead of schedule.

    It could be said that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s achievements would have been even greater if not for what had happened then?

    Wen Shouyi suppressed the unwillingness in her heart and continued, ¡°We were forced to get to know you because we didn¡¯t want to make you unhappy or offend you. We didn¡¯te from the same family as you, so we had no choice but to look the other way to protect ourselves.¡±

    When Wen Shouyi said this, Gu Nianzhi could clearly feel the sympathy of the two jurors sitting next to the judge.

    Human nature always tended to be on the weak side.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t let her continue pretending to be pitiful.

    ¡°Is that so? This means that you¡¯ve been observing and studying me in ces I don¡¯t know about, right?¡±

    Wen Shouyi paused and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not studying you. I¡¯m just paying attention to you to avoid provoking you.¡±

    That was why she said she was familiar with her, but Gu Nianzhi knew nothing about Wen Shouyi.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. ¡°So you know me very well, don¡¯t you? Because you need to pay special attention to me and know everything about me in order to avoid offending me.¡±

    ¡°You could say so.¡± Although Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t want to admit it, she didn¡¯t refute.

    ¡°That means you had been following me for six years, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with a smile.

    Wen Shouyi frowned slightly and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you repeating yourself? Didn¡¯t you say it just now?¡±

    ¡°You just need to answer yes or no.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice gradually turned cold.

    Wen Shouyi nodded reluctantly. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you had been following me for six years and you had been observing me all the time. You must be very familiar with my every move, every word and action, right? Everyone says that the people who know you best are not your family or friends, but your enemies. I believe them.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, this is bad.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t wait for her reply, she immediately added, ¡°You kept saying that you pay special attention to me and are familiar with my words and actions. But under the streetlights at night, you saw my back and didn¡¯t recognize that the little girl was me? Does this meet the conditions you just described for your pitiful survival?¡±

    In Wen Shouyi¡¯s exnation just now, she had no choice but to pay attention to Gu Nianzhi. She had no choice but to be very familiar with her so that she wouldn¡¯t offend her without her knowledge.

    If she really knew Gu Nianzhi that well, then she would be able to recognize her even if she saw her back. She would even be able to tell it was Gu Nianzhi just by listening to her words.

    But she had denied it earlier, saying that she hadn¡¯t recognized the little girl.

    Gu Nianzhi put one hand behind her back and the other on the table in the dock. She was smiling. ¡°So, Lawyer Wen, why are you saying such contradictory things to divert everyone¡¯s attention?¡±

    ¡°On one hand, you said you only saw the back and didn¡¯t know who the little girl was.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, you said you had been paying special attention to me for six years. Because you were worried about offending me, you had to be very familiar with me.¡±

    ¡°Was this your respectful attitude towards me? You¡¯re so familiar with me, but you couldn¡¯t recognize me at a nce.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned forward, her expression suddenly turned stern. ¡°Or are you actually lying? Either you never really paid attention to me, and the He family didn¡¯t make you to be respectful and not offend me. Or, the little girl you saw that night wasn¡¯t me at all!¡±

    Wen Shouyi bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth and frowned as she thought about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. ¡°It was too dark at that time. I was being cautious and didn¡¯t say anything I wasn¡¯t sure of. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? What else do you need to be sure of?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. She threw out the testimony of the other two passers-by. ¡°These two passers-by witnesses, they¡¯ve never seen me before, but they were actually able to find my photo based on the little girl¡¯s back and profile.¡±

    ¡°If even a stranger could tell that the girl was me, how could you, Wen Shouyi, who imed to have paid special attention to me for six years and was afraid of offending me, not recognize me?! This is neither logical normon sense.¡±

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips and insisted on her own exnation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really don¡¯t have 100% confidence that I could recognize that girl as you, so I wouldn¡¯t say who she was, because I really didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°So cautious?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and suddenly pped her hands at Wen Shouyi. ¡°Miss. Wen is indeed a greatwyer. You really know that you can simply eat whatever you want, but not simply say whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Because everything you say will be used as evidence in court.¡±

    She suddenly praised Wen Shouyi.

    This wasn¡¯t right.

    Not only Wen Shouyi, but even Jin Wanyi was nervous.

    What was Gu Nianzhi up to?

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin sat up straight in the gallery and listened attentively.

    They were most afraid of the sudden silence in the air.

    The courtroom was silent, and the pressure was overwhelming.

    Gu Nianzhi opened a folder on herptop and clicked open a picture.

    In the picture was a white man in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. He was standing next to a palm tree and talking to a girl with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed aser pointer at the side profile of the man on the big screen and said, ¡°Everyone, please take a look at this photo. Do you recognize who this is?¡±

    The people in the courtroom looked at each other, but no one answered.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around and her gaze fell on Wen Shouyi and Jin wanyi. She said, ¡°Lawyer Jin, why don¡¯t you tell us who this man is?¡±

    Jin wanyi pursed her lips and said, ¡°It¡¯s too obvious. This man is the American movie star, Leon.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gu Nianzhi clicked the mouse again. The picture was even bigger, and even in high definition. The fine golden hair on the man¡¯s face could also be seen.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure. This man is too popr. There are big photos of him everywhere. Even people who don¡¯t follow celebrities know him.¡± Jin Wanyi was impatient. She nced at the judge and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, does this have anything to do with this case?¡±

    However, this time, the judge did not say anything. Instead, he looked thoughtfully at the photo that was disyed on the big screen.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, just by looking at his profile and back, you were able to recognize him as the famous movie star, Leon. That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    As she spoke, she clicked on the photo again. The photo immediately turned into a three-dimensional three-dimensional picture. The man turned around and faced everyone.

    Only when she saw his face did she realize that he was not the American movie star Leon at all!

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face instantly drained of color, and her heart began to pound like a drum.

    Gu Nianzhi turned off the photo and clicked on another photo.

    This time, it was a tall man with a stooped back. He wore ordinary clothes, and the rubber shoes on his feet were stained with a lot of dirt.

    As he walked, he left a trail of footprints behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at Liang Meili and Wen Shouyi. ¡°How was it? This time, I want Miss. Liang Meili and Miss. Wen Shouyi to identify this man. Who Is he?¡±

    Wen Shouyi clenched her fists, but she still gritted her teeth and did not say a word.

    However, her mother, Liang Meili, could not hold it in. She looked at Wen Shouyi and then at Jin Wanyi. Seeing that neither of them had stopped her, she boldly said,¡±... This... this man is my husband.¡±

    She pointed at Wen Dayou, who was sitting on the other side of Wen Shouyi.

    Nianzhi said very kindly, ¡°Ms. Liang Meili, you think this is your husband, Wen Dayou, right?¡±

    Liang Meili nodded and said confidently, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been married to him for more than 20 years. How could I not recognize my husband? I would recognize him even if he turned to ashes, not to mention just his back and side profile!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and then clicked open the second photo on the front.

    It wasn¡¯t Wen Dayou!

    Liang Meili¡¯s vision went dark and she almost fainted.

    She mumbled, ¡°How could it not be? It was clearly his back and side profile! ¡ª Is there a mistake?¡±

    ¡°This is the same photo and the same person. If you don¡¯t admit it, I can even summon him to testify in court.¡± Gu Nianzhi put down the mouse and said lightly.

    This was the photo she had carefully prepared to deal with the two witnesses.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the trial bench and calmly began her second conclusion. ¡°Your Honor, I think it¡¯s already obvious.¡±

    ¡°Even a famous celebrity, and her husband who she¡¯s been with all day, she can¡¯t tell who he really is from his back and profile. How can the two passers-by find a photo of Gu Xiangwen and me when I was 12 years old based on his back and profile?¡±

    ¡°This is neither rigorous nor fair.¡±

    ¡°So Miss. Wen¡¯s insistence is correct, because those two people are at all neither Gu Xiangwen nor me when I was 12 years old eight years ago!¡±

    ¡°Based on this, I would like to apply to the court to invalidate the testimony of those two passers-by witnesses!¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face instantly turned ck. She had never thought that Gu Nianzhi would use her testimony to invalidate the testimony of the other two passers-by!

    ...

 Chapter 1594 - Cheer Frantically

    <h4>Chapter 1594: Cheer Frantically</h4>

    In the courtroom, the judge and the two jurors discussed in a low voice.

    For evidence to be epted by the court, it had to be justified.

    If the the loopholes in the testimony could not be exined, then the testimony would be invalid and should not be epted by the court.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s two experiments had proved the uncertainty and non objectivity of the testimony by the passersby.

    Actually, if Wen Shouyi could also testify that the two people were Gu Xiangwen and the twelve-year-old Gu Nianzhi, then the credibility of this testimony would be even higher.

    Unfortunately, among the three witnesses, being the one who was most familiar with Gu Nianzhi, she had insisted that she did not know who the two people were. This was a very strong counter evidence, and it was from the defense.

    The judge and the two jurors considered carefully and agreed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request.

    ¡°The intiff¡¯swyer has a point. If the defense can not produce stronger evidence, the testimony of these two passersby will be dered invalid.¡±

    Up until now, two of the three irond pieces of evidence on the chain of evidence had already been invalidated.

    Now, there was only one piece of ¡°irond¡± left, and it was also the most reliable piece of evidence. It was the handwritten note from Gu Xiangwen.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s eyes darkened. She pursed her lips tightly, revealing her square jaw.

    Wen Shouyi looked at Gu Nianzhi expressionlessly. She wanted to see how she was going to overturn this most reliable piece of evidence.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that everyone in the courtroom was watching her, waiting for her to refute the other party¡¯sst piece of evidence.

    This piece of evidence, although it looked the most difficult to overturn, was not difficult at all if one understood the secret behind it.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked open a folder again with her mouse and opened a image file inside.

    This was the note from Gu Xiangwen: ¡°You don¡¯t have to look out anymore. I¡¯ve taken my daughter away!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt her teeth ache when she saw this mboyant sentence.

    Her father was so mboyant and wild...

    Lu Jin covered his face and wished he could hide under the seat.

    How could he have thought of such a stupid sentence in the past!

    He could have warned Gu Nianzhi what had happened, but because he was too embarrassed and didn¡¯t really want to overturn the case, he didn¡¯t say anything and just let it go.

    But now that Gu Nianzhi wanted to overturn the case, he could only watch by the side, trembling with fear.

    At that moment, Lu Jin was extremely d that he hadn¡¯t told Gu Nianzhi about the note.

    He silently thought that if Gu Nianzhi could overturn the ¡°irrefutable evidence¡± of the note, then... he would have to reevaluate his daughter¡¯s legal abilities.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze lightly swept across the courtroom, stopping for a moment on Lu Jin¡¯s lowered head before moving away as if nothing had happened.

    Looking back at the big screen, Gu Nianzhi said to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, can I see the original copy of the note with my own eyes?¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    She signaled the bailiff to ce the transparent stic bag containing the original copy of the note in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi put on the translucenttex gloves in front of everyone. She carefully opened the transparent stic bag and took out the note.

    Holding the note, she walked to the dock and ced it on the table in front of Wen Shouyi and Jin Wanyi. She asked seriously, ¡°Can you confirm again that this note is the one that was handed to He Zhichu eight years ago?¡±

    Eight years ago, He Zhichu had no idea who the kidnapper was until the guards who had been hypnotized delivered the note. Then Wen Shouyi said she saw the man and the little girl getting into the car. Subsequently two passerby confirmed that they had also seen a tall and thin man and a chubby little girl getting into the car.

    Under these three evidence, then only He Zhichu pinned the culprit on Gu Xiangwen.

    A monthter, there was a car fire in the downtown area of C City. Although Gu Xiangwen and the car were burned to the ground, it was concluded that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sudden disappearance had been caused by Gu Xiangwen...

    There was no better evidence than Gu Xiangwen¡¯s personal note.

    Jin Wanyi grinned and beamed. ¡°Yes! This is the original copy of the note!¡±

    Wen Shouyi also said in dismay, ¡°This is the one. I saw the guard hand it to Young Master He with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°So this is the evidence that Gu Xiangwen had wanted to kidnap me eight years ago, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi confirmed again and fixed her gaze on Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She had a feeling that something was wrong.

    It was because every time Gu Nianzhi said this, it was like she was digging a hole for them to jump into.

    Tricks, they were all tricks!

    But when she thought about it carefully, she realized that other things could be faked, but this note was definitely Gu Xiangwen¡¯s handiwork.

    What was she afraid of?!

    Wen Shouyi reluctantly nodded under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s burning gaze. ¡°Yes, this is the strongest evidence. It proves that everything was done by Gu Xiangwen. It has nothing to do with my parents, and it has nothing to do with me!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush to deny it.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and nced at her. She took the note back to the intiff¡¯s table and suddenly said, ¡°Your Honor, I¡¯d like to apply for an instrument.¡±

    The judge was slightly startled. ¡°Apply for an instrument? Now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like to apply for an instrument in court that can test the time of handwriting formation.¡±

    She had already asked around and found out that the imperial capital¡¯s Intermediate People¡¯s Court happened to have such an instrument.

    However, it was difficult to rent it out and could only be used in court. This would be more credible.

    Gu Nianzhi did not inform the court in advance. Instead, she waited until thest piece of evidence was examined before bringing it up on the spot.

    This would also prevent the other party from taking the opportunity to ¡°destroy¡± the evidence.

    The judge heard that it was an instrument to test the time when the handwriting was formed, he quickly nodded and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get someone to borrow one.¡±

    The instrument was now miniaturized, and was about the size of a scanner.

    In the archaeologymunity, the carbon 14 dating method was generally used to measure the age range of historical relics.

    However, the identification of the time when the handwriting was formed used to be moreplicated and stricter.

    Then came the ultra-high performance gas chromatograph.

    It mainly analyzed vtile organicpounds, especially ink.

    When the ink was written on the paper, it could be analyzed by gas chromatography. Through the ink impregnation of the paper, the polymerpounds were split into vtile low-molecr fragments.

    All of this could be seen under the ultra-high performance small gas chromatograph. You could get technical data such as the number of peaks, retention time, and peak-to-height ratio of the ink-impregnated paper. From this, the approximate time when the handwriting was formed could be deduced.

    Although currently it could not precisely provide the date, the time, the minute and the second of the handwriting formation, it was no longer a problem to be precise with the month and the year of the handwriting formation.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request made Lu Jin looked up immediately. He looked at her in astonishment.

    He did not expect Gu Nianzhi to detect the time when the handwriting of the note was formed in an instant!

    He had never mentioned this to Gu Nianzhi. It was all Gu Nianzhi¡¯s idea!

    How on earth did he give birth to such a smart daughter?!

    Lu Jin frantically cheered for himself n his heart...

    ...

    Jin Wanyi watched curiously as the bailiff handed over the ultra-high-performance instrument to Gu Nianzhi.

    Wen Shouyi also looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion, not knowing what she was going to do.

    Why didn¡¯t she ask for the authenticity of the handwriting? Why did she ask for the time when the handwriting was formed?

    Wen Shouyi knew that the note was indeed Gu Xiangwen¡¯s handwriting, which was why they were so sure that the chain of evidence was wless.

    But Gu Nianzhi... what was she going to do?

    Under the watchful eyes of the people in the courtroom, Gu Nianzhipleted the examination of the time when the handwriting on the note was formed.

    With the help of this ultra-high-performance small-scale instrument, Gu Nianzhi reached a conclusion 10 minutester.

    ¡°Your Honor, ording to the defendant, this note was written eight years ago, but the gas chromatograph provided by the court has just detected that the time when the handwriting was formed was not October eight years ago, but June 14 years ago!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were like a drop of cold water that had suddenly fallen into a pot of oil. Everyone¡¯s minds were blown.

    Jin Wanyi quickly stood up. ¡°Lawyer Gu, what do you mean? Even if this note was not written eight years ago but was written 14 years ago, it was still written by Gu Xiangwen! You did not deny that this is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s handwriting!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did not deny that this is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s handwriting, but the timing of the handwriting is crucial.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened, she said coldly, ¡°Fourteen years ago, in June, I was not even six years old. At that time, I was not at the He family at all, but with Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°Why did my father, Gu Xiangwen, write a note to the He family fourteen years ago saying that he was taking me away?!¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid enough to believe such nonsense, or am I stupid enough to believe in your professional abilities?!¡±

    Jin Wanyi was outraged by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp words.

    She shouted, ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer has made a personal attack on me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally rolled her eyes and ignored Jin Wanyi. She continued, ¡°Actually, the reason is very simple once you understand the timeline.¡±

    ¡°This note was indeed written by my father, Gu Xiangwen, but it wasn¡¯t written to the He family on my birthday party eight years ago. Instead, it was written to Qin Yaoguang 14 years ago!¡±

    ¡°Because in that year, my father took me away from Qin Yaoguang and sent me to the He family!¡±

    ¡°And now, a note that should had fallen into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands has actually fallen into the hands of the He family. It has be irrefutable evidence that Gu Xiangwen took me away from the He family. Isn¡¯t this framing? !¡±

    ¡°I have reason to believe that a new suspect has appeared in this case. It is Qin Yaoguang!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1595 - I Donâ€™t Dare Believe What You Say

    <h4>Chapter 1595: I Don¡¯t Dare Believe What You Say</h4>

    The court was so quiet, as it the air had stopped flowing.

    It was because the name Qin Yaoguang was too famous. She was even more famous than Gu Xiangwen.

    She was the director of the Qin Private Hospital Group and was also the head of the brain surgery department. Her fame in the country and internationally had already surpassed Gu Xiangwen.

    Although Gu Xiangwen was very powerful, in the hearts of the world, he had died eight years ago.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the reopening of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s missing case, he wouldn¡¯t have been remembered as the ¡°culprit.¡±.

    Jin Wanyi looked at Gu Nianzhi in a daze. Wen Shouyi pushed her and she came back to her senses. She quickly said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang? You mean the director of the Qin¡¯s Private Hospital Group, Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, with a rare look of seriousness on her face. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°But, isn¡¯t Qin Yaoguang your mother? If she¡¯s your mother, then she has the right to take you away. Why are you suing her?¡± Jin Wanyi braced herself to deal with Gu Nianzhi, trying to contain the issue.

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed and shook her head. ¡°Gu Xiangwen is still my father. Didn¡¯t you guys think that he was the one who ¡®kidnapped¡¯ me and wanted him everywhere?¡±

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s face turned red from the rebuke, she quickly came to her senses and changed the topic. ¡°But how did you know that this note was written by Gu Xiangwen to Qin Yaoguang? Fourteen years ago, you were only six years old. Didn¡¯t you lose your memory? It¡¯s said that you don¡¯t remember anything before the age of 12?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her and knew what she meant. She smiled and did not expose her. She said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s very simple. It¡¯s just a simple deduction.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the judge in the courtroom, and said calmly, ¡°Young Master He told me that when I was six years old, my father, Gu Xiangwen, took me away from Qin Yaoguang and sent me to the He family. Now that the handwriting on the note has been confirmed to be from 14 years ago in June. It matched the date of my arrival at the He family, so didn¡¯t that mean that it was my father, Gu Xiangwen, who had left the note for Qin Yaoguang? Did Lawyer Jin not even make simple logical deductions?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was still struggling. ¡°But, the note did not have a header. How can you be sure that it was written to Director Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°There was no signature on the note either, but didn¡¯t you all immediately confirm that it was written by Gu Xiangwen?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked sarcastically. ¡°Yes, you did check the handwriting, but before you did, you were already sure that it was written by Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different. This note was verified that the handwriting was by Gu Xiangwen, but you have no proof that this note was written to Director Qin,¡± Wen Shouyi added. She supported Jin Wanyi¡¯s statement and implicitly warned her, ¡°Lawyer Gu, don¡¯t make false usations about things you can¡¯t be sure of.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not something you can¡¯t be sure of.¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up the note, showed it to the people in the courtroom and said calmly. ¡°My father left the researchb and left me to Qin Yaoguang. She was my guardian. Four yearster, my father came back and wanted to take me away. Who do you think he wrote this note to? Wasn¡¯t it written to my guardian at the time, Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Jin Wanyi was rendered speechless by the question. However, she remembered that Gu Xiangwen was already dead, so there was no way to prove it. She firmly said, ¡°That¡¯s usually the case, but you can¡¯t be sure that it was written to Dean Qin Yaoguang without the header.¡±

    Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t want Qin Yaoguang to be dragged in. She focused her mind and thought hard. Suddenly, an idea came to her and she thought of a way to help Qin Yaoguang get rid of her responsibility.

    She recalled some of the things that Qin Yaoguang had told her, and said carefully,¡±... At that time, Dean Qin was very busy. She didn¡¯t take care of you personally, but she let the people in herb take care of you. Look at the note, it says ¡®you all¡¯ don¡¯t have to look out anymore and used ¡® you all¡± instead of ¡®you¡¯. This means that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s note wasn¡¯t written to Daen Qin, but to the people in herb.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and was instantly ted. Wen Shouyi really thought she was smart.

    She was just thinking about how to rte the matter from Qin Yaoguang to herb, and she spontaneously sent this information over...

    Gu Nianzhi smiled gently and quietly, she said sincerely, ¡°Yes, Miss. Wen does make sense. It seems that this note was written for everyone in Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb, but why was it taken out six yearster and sent to Young Master He as Gu Xiangwen¡¯s personal note when I was taken away for the second time? So it¡¯s still Qin Yaoguang¡¯s responsibility because she was the person in charge of herb and also the legal representative.¡±

    ¡°However, Miss. Wen has also reminded me that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s entireb is a suspect. We can¡¯t just treat Qin Yaoguang as the only suspect. Everyone in herb is a suspect. We have to investigate.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never believed that Qin Yaoguang was the only one who had done so many experiments on her back then. There must be a team behind her.

    No one in theb could escape the responsibility. They were all murderers.

    She had already told Lu Jin that she would not let go of anyone who had harmed her in the past.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart sank. She thought to herself that this was bad. She would bring more trouble to Aunt Qin, would she?

    But then she remembered that Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb was an important department under the Qin family¡¯s private hospital. It worked closely with the empire¡¯s military, and the security level was unusually high. Gu Nianzhi had made a wrong move when she wanted to take advantage of Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb.

    Wen Shouyi was at ease again when she thought of this. She smiled and bowed slightly. ¡°If it was the problem with theb, then my parents and I wouldn¡¯t be responsible, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful eyes twinkled and she smiled brightly. ¡°No, that means the person who ordered your parents to kidnap me wasn¡¯t my father, Gu Xiangwen, but Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb. So your parents are even more responsible.¡±

    Jin Wanyi was a little flustered. She was afraid that her undefeated record would be broken, so she quickly said, ¡°How is that possible? If it¡¯s confirmed that it¡¯s someone from Dean Qin¡¯sb, then it has nothing to do with Wen Dayou and Liang Meili. What responsibility do they have?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened another folder and looked back at Jin Wanyi. She said calmly, ¡°Before this, you all swore that it was my father, Gu Xiangwen, who had ordered you to do it. You even lied about his crying for seven times. Now you¡¯re saying you¡¯re not responsible?¡±

    ¡°How dare you say that? I can¡¯t believe it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and looked at Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, who were getting more and more restless in the dock. ¡°Tell me, why did you lie? Who ordered you to kidnap me?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t kidnap you. You left on your own ord.¡± Wen Dayou saw that things weren¡¯t going well and couldn¡¯t help speaking.

    Jin Wanyi quickly turned her head to look at him and warned, ¡°Wen Dayou, you should keep quiet.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that there was an opportunity, she deliberately said, ¡°Actually, if the mastermind was Gu Xiangwen or Qin Yaoguang, and you can prove that I left of my own volition to meet my parents, then Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents really don¡¯t have much responsibility.¡±

    ¡°After all, Gu Xiangwen is my father, and Qin Yaoguang is my mother. If you use such underhanded methods to meet me, at most, you would just let the He family down.¡±

    ¡°But now it has been proven that this matter has nothing to do with my father. Miss Wen also said that it has nothing to do with Dean Qin Yaoguang, but has something to do with the people in Dean Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb. That would be a huge legal responsibility...¡±

    She had almost made it clear that she wanted Wen Dayou and Liang Meili to testify against Qin Yaoguang.

    Liang Meili was obviously moved. She kept looking up at Wen Shouyi, who was sitting next to her.

    Wen Shouyi knew that it was not as simple.

    Would Gu Nianzhi let them off so easily?

    She thought about it in her mind for a while and made a prompt decision. She immediately said, ¡°Dean Qin has nothing to do with this matter. As for whether Miss. Gu left voluntarily, don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for her to say that. She quickly spread her hands and said seriously, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I remember. I was only twelve years old. The testimony of a minor will not be epted by the court.¡±

    Although she was now an adult, she had to prove what had happened when she was twelve years old. In addition, she had a ¡°memory loss¡± record, so Gu Nianzhi chose not to use her ¡°memory¡± as evidence.

    She wanted to use the facts as evidence to make the other party unable to defend herself.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed. She suddenly realized that Gu Nianzhi had been cheating them from the beginning!

    Her memory had not recovered at all!

    That was easy...

    Wen Shouyi quietly shook her father¡¯s hand under the dock and turned to look at him, she said gently, ¡°Dad, then tell us what happened. Don¡¯t be afraid, just tell us the truth. Lawyer Gu may be awyer, but she can¡¯t deny the truth, can she?¡±

    Her eyes sparkled. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s lost her memory for so many years. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s recovered yet. Even if she has recovered, maybe her memory will be messed up. You have to help her make things right.¡±

    Wen Dayou understood what Wen Shouyi meant. His heart rxed and he nodded quickly. With an honest look on his face, he said dully, ¡°I know, I only know how to tell the truth. I don¡¯t know how to tell a lie in my life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and chuckled.¡±... Just now you said my dad came to you and cry seven times...¡±

    Wen Dayou¡¯s dark face was a little red, but because it was too dark, the redness was not obvious.

    He muttered, ¡°Someone really came to us to cry. He said his name was Gu Xiangwen, and I believed him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. ¡°Yeah, and then? Even if you¡¯re deceived, probably it¡¯s because you¡¯re not familiar with Gu Xiangwen¡¯s look, right? Even though he used to be a scientist that you¡¯re all familiar with in this country...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with him.¡± Wen Dayou quickly rified, ¡°We¡¯re just gardeners from the He family, living in the workers¡¯ room. You and the He family lived in the big house, and it¡¯s so far away. We¡¯re not people who often worked in the big house. We couldn¡¯t even see him as a guest at the He family¡¯s house, so how could we be familiar with his appearance? That means I would believe him when he said who he was.¡±

    Wen Shouyi deliberately added, ¡°It seems that Lawyer Gu still doesn¡¯t remember what happened that year. The He family is so big. The workers¡¯ room and the mansion were separated. Even the way in and out was separated. You¡¯re high up in the mansion, so we servants¡¯ children could only look at you from far and envy you. You don¡¯t know us, and my dad didn¡¯t know your dad. Isn¡¯t that normal?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled calmly and did not deny Wen Shouyi¡¯s exnation. She turned to Wen Dayou. ¡°Then tell me, what happened back then? How did I leave on my own ord? Tell me in detail.¡±

    Jin Wanyi and Wen Shouyi looked at Wen Dayou meaningfully.

    Wen Dayou coughed and began to recount the events of the past ording to what they had already discussed.

    ...

 Chapter 1596 - The Sudden Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 1596: The Sudden Evidence</h4>

    Wen Dayou coughed subconsciously.

    For the first time in his life, he was being stared at by so many people, and he was not used to it.

    His originally stooped body could not help but bend even lower.

    His eyes stared at a spot where the paint had fallen off at the corner of the defendant¡¯s table. He muttered, ¡°Someone who called himself Gu Xiangwen came to us seven times, asking for our help to meet his daughter, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Initially Shouyi¡¯s mother and I didn¡¯t want to meddle in this kind of thing, but he kept crying and crying.¡±

    ¡°Seeing a grown man crying like this, Shouyi¡¯s mother and I were soft-hearted and couldn¡¯t stand it. In the end, we agreed.¡±

    ¡°He told us that he wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for us, and that he also wouldn¡¯t put us at risk. As long as we found an opportunity to tell Miss. Gu, she woulde out and meet him herself.¡±

    ¡°I then found an opportunity to tell Miss. Gu.¡±

    As Wen Dayou said this, he couldn¡¯t help nce at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with a smile and had no intention of denying it. When she saw him looking over, she even nodded at him and encouraged him, ¡°What else? Continue.¡±

    Wen Dayou¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Hepletely believed what Shouyi had said. This girl¡¯s memory had not recovered...

    He became bolder. He straightened his hunched back sitting next to Wen Shouyi. He was a head taller than her, but as he spoke, he carefully looked at Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression. It was obvious that he really loved his daughter dearly.

    Gu Nianzhi looked coldly by the side. She sighed in her heart. Wen Shouyi really did not know how lucky she was...

    She had parents who loved her so much, and she still wanted to hang out with people like Qin Yaoguang.

    Wen Dayou caught a glimpse of the faint smile on Wen Shouyi¡¯s face. He knew that his guess was correct and that he hadn¡¯t said anything wrong. He became happier.

    He looked away and continued to stare at the spot where the paint had fallen off the corner of the table. He still had a dull and honest look on his face, and said, ¡°Miss. Gu was very surprised at that time. At first, you didn¡¯t believe me. Subsequently, I told you a few more times and brought you the letter that Gu Xiangwen had written. After reading it, you believed me and immediately burned the letter in front of me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    That was awesome.

    He had made that up. Another letter had appeared out of thin air and was immediately burned by itself.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and nodded. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And then you agreed to sneak out to see your father on the day of the birthday party.¡±

    ¡°There were so many people at the birthday party, and I was the main character. How could I possibly sneak out?¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that stupid, am I?¡±

    Wen Dayou¡¯s eyelids twitched, but he braced himself and said, ¡°Of course you couldn¡¯t get out on your own, so you asked for our help.¡±

    ¡°Haha, first my father asked for your help, and then I also asked for your help.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded slowly, and she looked straight at Wen Dayou.¡± It looks like you and your wife are really intelligent and capable people. It¡¯s a waste of your talents to let you be the gardeners in the He family.¡±

    Wen Dayou¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze. He couldn¡¯t help bending down again, and he said humbly, ¡°What are you talking about, Lawyer Gu? We... We just happened to have the opportunity to be in the mansion at that time, so we thought of a way to help you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, how?¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling and continued to ask.

    Wen Shouyi interjected softly, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember, Lawyer Gu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m interrogating the defendant.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to talk in a swaggering manner, and casually said, ¡°Or does Miss, Wen want to fill in the details?¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled and nodded at her father, Wen Dayou, ¡°Please continue. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    Wen Dayou was encouraged by his daughter, he quickly added, ¡°Most of the people who came that day were children around Miss.Gu¡¯s age. Master He said that it would be best for the children to be served by people around the same age. That would make it interesting. So most of the people who came to serve that day were the servants¡¯ children.¡±

    ¡°Shouyi¡¯s mother and I were assigned to take care of a fewrge bonsai nts that day.¡±

    ¡°We entered the main hall of the mansion. After contacting Miss. Gu, we agreed to leave the back door open for her to run out when the lights went out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted Wen Dayou at this time and said seriously, ¡°So I ran out after the lights went out?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Wen Dayou nodded quickly. ¡°The lights went out for about seven seconds. You ran away from Young Master He and ran to the door. Shouyi¡¯s mother and I just made way for you. Also, we opened the back door for you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi sighed and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you remember now? My parents really didn¡¯t kidnap you. You left of your own free will. This case should be dismissed, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and smiled. ¡°Wen Dayou and Liang Meili said that I left of my own free will, and that I ran out of the hall after the lights went out. But I have the surveince footage from that year...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened another folder on herptop and clicked on the video.

    She had already re-marked the video.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart tightened, and her pupils constricted.

    How did the He family¡¯s surveince footage back then leak out?

    She and Aunt Qin did not find any footage of the He family back then..

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of Wen Shouyi¡¯s shocked expression and smiled. She picked up aser pointer and pointed it at the big screen and said, ¡°Everyone, please take a look. This is everyone in the He family¡¯s living room before the lights went out. I¡¯ve marked everyone¡¯s names based on the guest list that the He family had invited back then.¡±

    ¡°On the night of the birthday party, there were a total of 237 people in the living room of the He family¡¯s mansion. Among them, 185 were children of 11 or 12 years old. They were all wearing cartoon costumes, including the invited guests and the children who served them

    ¡°There were also 52 adults, including the He family¡¯s servants.¡±

    The video was put on the big screen. Each person had a name on their head as they walked around the hall, just like in an online game.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face turned pale, and she gradually clenched her fists.

    After a while, she loosened her fists and couldn¡¯t help biting her fingernails.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili watched this scene with wide eyes, and were very panicked.

    Jin Wanyi didn¡¯t know that the surveince video eight years ago was still avable. She frowned slightly and nced at Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi, on the other hand, bit her fingernails and stared at the big screen.

    The video yed slowly. Finally, it was time to turn off the lights and blow out the candles.

    Gu Nianzhi paused here and emphasized, ¡°Just now, the defendant, Wen Dayou, said that I ran out of the He family¡¯s hall after the lights were turned off. So after the lights were turned off, there should be one less person in the hall.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She bit the fingernail on her right thumb until it bled. It was a heart-wrenching pain.

    She quickly held her thumb and looked down.

    Gu Nianzhi watched the reaction in the dock as she continued to y the video.

    The big screen quickly darkened. Seven secondster, as the lights came on, the big screen also lit up.

    By then, Gu Nianzhi had already disappeared.

    He Zhichu gave the order to seal all the doors immediately. Everyone had to stay where they were.

    Gu Nianzhi paused again and said, ¡°Everyone, watch closely. ording to the defendant, Wen Dayou, he and Wen Shouyi¡¯s mother let me out when the lights went out, so there should be one child less in the hall now.¡±

    ¡°After I lit up the lights, everyone in the hall has been marked again. Look...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the names on the big screen with aser pointer. ¡°I¡¯ve counted them several times, but there are still 237 people. Not one more, not one less.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, if I had already run out, why didn¡¯t the number of people in the hall change?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the intiff¡¯s seat and stood in front of the defendant¡¯s seat. Her voice became serious. ¡°The defendant, Wen Dayou, answer me!¡±

    Wen Dayou didn¡¯t dare look her in the eye. He mumbled, ¡°How would I know? They had already left. Did I count wrong? There were so many people...¡±

    ¡°Two hundred people is a lot? To you, counting to two hundred and thirty-seven is already an impossible task?¡± Gu Nianzhi could not help ridiculing him. She turned around and lit up theser pointer. She circled a person on the big screen.

    ¡°The defendant, Wen Dayou, and the defendant, Liang Meili, can you exin to the court why there was no one standing between you two before the lights went out.¡±

    ¡°But after the lights went out, who was the child wearing a cloak and a mask who appeared between the two of you?!¡±

    ¡°I have marked the names of everyone in this surveince video ording to the guest list. Only this child who appeared after the lights went out, I can¡¯t find the corresponding name on the guest list!¡±

    Her questions were bing more and more incisive. Beads of sweat appeared on Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s foreheads, and their lips trembled, unable to say aplete sentence.

    They looked at Jin Wanyi as if they were asking for help. ¡°Lawyer Jin, you speak for us...¡±

    Jin Wanyi was furious. She hated this kind of sudden evidence in court.

    She immediately said, ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯s evidence has not been verified. How do we know if it¡¯s not a forgery?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°Okay, tell that to Young Master He. Young Master He saved this from the He family¡¯s surveince camera.¡±

    ¡°Why makes you think that Young Master He faked this video? Just to frame his gardener?¡±

 Chapter 1597 - Being Parents

    <h4>Chapter 1597: Being Parents</h4>

    If someone of He Zhichu¡¯s status did not like the two gardeners at home, why would he go through so much trouble to fake a video and frame them?

    No one in the entire empire would believe that.

    ¡°Young Master He provided this video?!¡±Jin Wanyi was dumbstruck. She stretched her neck, veins popping out on her forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi used aser pen to circle Wen Dayou and Liang Meili on the big screen. She said calmly, ¡°Otherwise, why would the cold case be reopened? Of course, there¡¯s solid evidence.¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked down at her thumb. It had been bitten until it was bleeding, and her heart was throbbing with pain.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Wen Dayou and Liang Meili again and said sternly, ¡°The defendants, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, who is this child? Do you want me to tell you? !¡±

    ¡°She is me, the twelve-year-old Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°When the lights were turned off, the two of you covered her face with a handkerchief dipped in Triazm, also known as Tacholon.¡±

    ¡°Tacholon is a benzodiazepine-type hypnotic drug. After improvements made by Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb, the effective time has been reduced from fifteen minutes to 0.1 seconds.¡±

    ¡°It was originally a light blue pill, but it can also dissolve in water and cover the nose and mouth. As long as you touch it for 0.1 seconds, it can produce a sedative hypnotic effect and also produce short-term memory loss.¡±

    ¡°One of you, cover her nose and mouth and put a cloak over her body.¡±

    ¡°One of you, take off her pink diamond crown and put a mask over her face.¡±

    ¡°Then quickly pulled her to stand diagonally behind Young Master He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used aser pen to circle the distance between the hooded and masked girl and He Zhichu. It was only two steps away, but they had been separated from each other ever since.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little dazed when she thought of He Zhichu¡¯s face that day, which had been numb with pain after he found out the truth.

    She closed her eyes and suppressed her emotions. She continued to talk about Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s modus operandi.

    She spoke slowly and calmly, as if she was talking about an unrted person.

    Everyone in the courtroom was affected by her emotions. They looked at her sympathetically and worriedly.

    Lu Jin, who was sitting next to Lu Yuan, had red rims in his eyes. Seeing his daughter suffer was more painful than seeing himself hurt.

    At the front desk, Xiao Zhang and Jin Dazhuang listened attentively. Their hearts rose and fell, and they were filled with emotion.

    She said to Jin Dazhuang in a low voice, ¡°Boss, I think you¡¯ve gotten a great deal. A genius like Lawyer Gu will bow down to be in your smallw firm. You can be proud of yourself from now on.¡±

    Jin Dazhuang rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Shut up and listen to the trial!¡±

    Behind the dock, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were trembling like sieves.

    Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the dock and leaned forward slightly. There was a pressure in her voice that could not be ignored. She said calmly, ¡°Why did I say that you kidnapped a minor?¡±

    She raised a finger. ¡°First, you went against my will and forcibly took me away from my family.¡±

    ¡°Second, you used Triazm to harm my body. The side effect of inhaling this drug is a short-term memory loss.¡±

    ¡°Third, after Young Master He left the hall to chase after someone, you used violent means to forcefully take me away and gave me to the mastermind behind you.¡±

    ¡°Speak, who is the mastermind behind you?!¡±

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were shocked by herst sentence and looked at Wen Shouyi, who was sitting between them.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately seized the opportunity and said,¡±... Wen Shouyi was the one who ordered you to kidnap me? So she could take my ce?!¡±

    ¡°The mastermind was Wen Shouyi, wasn¡¯t it? !¡±

    This sentence was like a bucket of cold water pouring on Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    They stared at Gu Nianzhi and suddenly thought that if Gu Nianzhi med Wen Shouyi for this, then their daughter would have nothing left...

    They all knew how smart and hardworking their daughter was.

    She had worked so hard for so long to break away from their low ss and climb to the top of the empire.

    No, they couldn¡¯t let this ruin their daughter¡¯s future.

    As parents, they were useless. They couldn¡¯t give their daughter much.

    But they still had a life.

    Their fear and panic gradually disappeared.

    The two looked at each other. After so many years as husband and wife, they could tell what to do from each other¡¯s eyes.

    Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t have time to care about her parents at this time. She was a little flustered, but she still said resolutely, ¡°Lawyer Gu, please don¡¯t induce a confession! I already said that I didn¡¯t recognize the two of them. I only saw a man and a little girl get into the car. If you still want to pin the crime on me, I¡¯ll definitely appeal!¡±

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili held Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand together and smiled at her. ¡°Shouyi, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re innocent. It¡¯s Mom and Dad who let you down.¡±

    Liang Meili turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°No, this has nothing to do with my daughter. She never said who those two people were. She never lied. If it was something she wasn¡¯t sure about, she would never say it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing, she nodded and said, ¡°Never lie, Wen Shouyi. Hmm, what else? Everyone in your family is quite thick-skinned. They¡¯ve been exposed so many times, and yet they¡¯re still able to swear that they¡¯re honest people. This is the worst time an honest person has ever been defamed!¡±

    Wen Dayou was no longer afraid. He said loudly, ¡°Yes! We lied! There was no Gu Xiangwen! No one instigated us!¡±

    ¡°It was all done by Shouyi¡¯s mother and me. It has nothing to do with Shouyi! If you want to fight or kill, it¡¯s up to you. But you can¡¯t pin the crime on my daughter!¡±

    ¡°Yes! It was done by us! It has nothing to do with her! You¡¯re falsely using her!¡±

    Liang Meili shouted, ¡°I plead guilty. Shouyi¡¯s father and I did it. We thought Shouyi would be able to take your ce if you weren¡¯t around. We would do anything for our daughter, let alone just get rid of you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and looked at Wen Shouyi. Her voice was a little low. ¡°Wen Shouyi, are you just going to watch your parents take the me for you and the people behind you?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face was pale. She looked at her parents with a pained expression and asked with a double entendre,¡±... why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°Shouyi, Dad and Mom let you down. You¡¯re so smart, but you could only grow up in a worker¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°You work so hard, but you¡¯re still no match for those who were born to be reincarnated.¡± Liang Meili nced at Gu Nianzhi and spoke out all the grievances she had in her heart, she chattered, ¡°Don¡¯t look at her now. She was fat and ugly when she was young. How could shepare to our Shouyi? The He family is really blind. They don¡¯t want our Shouyi, but they treat this lunatic¡¯s daughter like a treasure.¡±

    ¡°Dad, Mom! Don¡¯t do this!¡± Wen Shouyi covered her face and cried, ¡°I don¡¯t want that kind of status. I just want to be with you guys... Why are you guys so stupid...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked over coldly.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s words were enough to pin the crime on her parents andpletely exonerate herself.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s mouth was wide open. It took a while before she said,¡±... but Lawyer Gu was still with her father in the end? Didn¡¯t everyone see it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted the table in front of her, she said impatiently, ¡°Which eye of yours saw that the person in the car was me? The fire was so big. If it was me, wouldn¡¯t I have been burned to death? My father was burned to death. How do you think I survived?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t you? But... but... that news video...¡± Jin Wanyi looked Gu Nianzhi up and down, confused.

    ¡°The resolution of the news video is so low that you can¡¯t even see a human face clearly, let alone a person in a car. Zoom in on the human face through the car window. Honestly, do you really think it was a person? Isn¡¯t it an illusion caused by light and shadow?¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her hand, ¡°I don¡¯t admit it anyway. I¡¯m standing here perfectly fine, which proves that I wasn¡¯t in the car that was on fire.¡±

    Wen Shouyi would never dare say anything about her going to the other side of the world, just like she would never reveal the person behind her.

    Wen Shouyi would rather have her parents to be sentenced severely in order to protect Qin yaoguang.

    Although Gu Nianzhi hated Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, who had aided and abetted the evil, she despised Wen Shouyi even more for having her parents bear all the me.

    She looked at her coldly and verbally called her a ¡°beast.¡±.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s pupils constricted. She quickly lowered her head and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

    ¡°Your Honor, although Wen Dayou and Liang Meili have confessed to kidnapping, there are still some suspicious points in this case.¡±

    ¡°ording to the evidence Wen Shouyi provided, why was the note written to Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb 14 years ago sent to the He family on purpose to frame my father, Gu Xiangwen? It still needs to be thoroughly investigated.¡±

    ¡°I want to apply to the court to summon Qin Yaoguang and the people from herb to testify in court.¡±

 Chapter 1598 - It Was like Water and Fire

    Chapter 1598: It Was like Water and Fire

    Seeing the ups and downs of this unsolved case that had been frozen for eight years, it also dragged in one person after another that no one had noticed before.

    Gu Xiangwen, the ¡°culprit¡± who had previously been nailed down, quietly stayed out of the matter. Unknowingly, his daughter had cleared his name.

    The judge was very emotional, but he still said calmly on the surface, ¡°Let¡¯s adjourn for 15 minutes today. I¡¯ll discuss the progress of the case with the two jurors.¡±

    As he spoke, the judge and the two jurors left the bench.

    A few bailiffs walked over and detained Wen Dayou, Liang Meili, and Wen Shouyi separately to prevent them from colluding.

    Jin Wanyi sat alone in the dock, her face was pale and she was looking straight. She did not pack her things. No one knew what she was thinking.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a rxed mood. She turned off herptop and disconnected from the big screen in the courtroom. She turned off theptop and turned to Lu Yuan and Lu Jin with a radiant smile.

    Lu Jin was so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks. He pushed Lu Yuan up and said in a low voice, ¡°Hurry up and congratte her! I¡¯ll go with you!¡±

    The rtionship between Lu Yuan and Gu Nianzhi was open. Both Jin Dazhuang and the receptionist, Xiao Zhang, knew about it.

    Today, he hade in the name of inspecting the quality of thew firm¡¯swyers, so he would not let others think too much of it when he congratted Gu Nianzhi.

    If Lu Jin acted too friendly in front of others, it would be too eye-catching.

    Lu Yuan asked curiously, ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you a person with interpersonal disorder? Why are you suddenly so considerate of others?¡±

    Lu Jin stared at him righteously, gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, ¡°How can it be the same? What disorder problem do I have with my own daughter? If I don¡¯t think for my own daughter, don¡¯t tell me I should think for those irrelevant people?!¡±

    Lu Yuan snorted, stood up and said, ¡°It seems that I belong to the irrelevant people.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know how many times he had to clean up the mess over the years.

    Lu Jin pushed him away from behind and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°! ! !¡±

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the two of them had a life-and-death rtionship, Lu Yuan would have quit long ago.

    He walked over from the gallery with a serious expression and reached out his hand to Gu Nianzhi. He said seriously, ¡°Lawyer Gu, Congrattions. Today¡¯s court debate was very interesting. It looks like ourpany has gotten a great deal. Awyer like you is worth at least ten times the contract.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Let¡¯s go back and sign a new contract. Ten Times! Ten Times!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan was so angry that the veins on his forehead were throbbing. He wished he could cover Lu Jin¡¯s mouth with his hand. He turned around and reprimanded Lu Jin in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t butt in on business matters.¡±

    He turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°His words are not counted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, President Lu really thinks highly of you!¡± Xiao Zhang, the receptionist, also came over to talk to her. Lu Jin had no choice but to step aside and watch helplessly as Gu Nianzhi was surrounded by Jin Dazhuang, Lu Yuan, and Xiao Zhang, the receptionist.

    When Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang came over to join in the fun, Lu Jin waspletely marginalized.

    Fortunately, he usually had an expressionless poker face in front of others. At this moment, he was standing far away and his face was full of hostility. It was strangely consistent with his usual way of dealing with people, so no one suspected him at all.

    Lu Yuan saw Lu Jin¡¯s unhappy face and felt relieved.

    He smiled at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Your case has been decided. Congrattions. Director Lu and I still have some matters to attend to, so we won¡¯t wait for your closing statement. We¡¯ll make a move first and celebrate your victory when we get back.¡±

    He shook hands with Gu Nianzhi as he spoke, turned around, and left the courtroom with Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin was so angry that his entire body stiffened. He was almost dragged by Lu Yuan out of the imperial capital¡¯s Intermediate People¡¯s Court.

    The moment he got into the car, Lu Jin couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. He shouted at Lu Yuan, ¡°You can leave by yourself. Why are you dragging me with you?! I didn¡¯t even get a chance to speak to my own daughter!¡±

    ¡°If I leave you there and speak, I can guarantee you won¡¯t see the sun tomorrow.¡± Lu Yuanughed coldly and started the car. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Lu Jin was still staring at him. He added, ¡°Nianzhi won¡¯t see the sun Tomorrow either.¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned.

    He also knew that it was very difficult for him to remain calm in front of others, especially when his own daughter was so outstanding and brilliant. How could he bear it?

    However, if he couldn¡¯t bear it, his true identity would be discovered at any moment. At that time, he wouldn¡¯t be the only one in danger.

    If he was in danger, he didn¡¯t care. But if his daughter was in danger, that would be his weakness.

    Lu Yuan smiled as he drove away, thinking that he had finally found a way to cure Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°interpersonal disorder¡±...

    ...

    After Lu Yuan and Lu Jin left, Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang became even more at ease, and even started joking with Gu Nianzhi.

    Jin Wanyi looked over there and sneered a few times before she started packing her things.

    She had not expected that the case that she had thought she would win turned out to be her career¡¯s ¡°Waterloo¡±.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s undefeated battle record had been ruined by a young girl.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s heart was filled with uneasiness.

    If only she had known earlier, she wouldn¡¯t have epted Wen Shouyi¡¯s case.

    But she had thought that Wen Shouyi was much more capable than her, and her opponent was a recent graduate. How capable could she be?

    Jin Wanyi knew her own abilities. All these years, she had only taken on cases where she was certain she would win. That was why she had developed such an ¡°undefeated record.¡±.

    She had been walking too much in the dark, and finally she ran into ghosts.

    She nced hatefully at Gu Nianzhi, then took her briefcase and went to see Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi, Wen Dayou, and Liang Meili were each held separately, but as Jin Wanyi was theirwyer, she could see them at any time.

    She first went to the room where Wen Shouyi was being held and knocked on the door.

    Wen Shouyi sat on the only chair in the middle of the room with her head lowered. Her expression was not very good, but she was still in good spirits.

    Jin Wanyi sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯re killing me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Wen Shouyi said in a low voice, ¡°I owe you a favor. When this case is over, I won¡¯t treat you unfairly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ming you. It¡¯s just that Gu Nianzhi is too cunning. How could such a person be Dean Qin¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    Jin Wanyi rolled her eyes. Although Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents would be sentenced, she would definitely be fine in person. When this case was over, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side would definitely value Wen Shouyi more. She had lost the case, but it was a good thing, the resources in the future would definitely be better.

    Wen Shouyi nodded and said indifferently, ¡°But as mother and daughter, they are like fire and water. They don¡¯t want each other to live well, so you don¡¯t have to worry about offending her.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Jin Wanyi secretly inquired about the He family. ¡°But I heard that although Young Master He broke off the engagement with her, He also took her as his sister...¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. But do you think the wife is close, or is the younger sister close?¡± Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t even lift her eyelids, easily dispelling Jin Wanyi¡¯s doubts.

    Jin Wanyi¡¯s heart rxed, and she became even more enthusiastic towards Wen Shouyi. ¡°So that¡¯s the case. Then I¡¯m relieved.¡±

    She chatted casually with Wen Shouyi about the progress of the case, and coincidentally, neither of them mentioned the matter of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    It was as if the two of them were not her main clients at all.

    ...

    Fifteen minutester, the judge and the two jurors returned.

    Wen Dayou, Liang Meili, and Wen Shouyi were all brought over by the bailiff.

    Jin Wanyi also returned to the dock and sat down with her clients.

    Gu Nianzhi also returned to the dock, while her friends and family members returned to the gallery.

    The judge had just checked the information on Qin Yaoguang and herb, he said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Qin Yaoguang and herb work closely with the military, and their security level is very high. We can¡¯t issue subpoenas to them just based on the level of our court. We have to go through the military supreme council before we can issue subpoenas to them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, but she quickly remembered Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ¡°memory removal surgery¡±¨C she was working with the military. She quickly said, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll apply through the proper channels and issue subpoenas to them.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but you¡¯ll have to wait.¡± The judge spread his hands regretfully and announced, ¡°For the current case, Ms. Wen Shouyi has been temporarily eliminated as a suspect and can be released on bail. Wen Dayou and Liang Meili will be transferred to the Imperial Capital Prison¡¯s detention center to await official sentencing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Wen Shouyi, and Wen Shouyi happened to look over as well.

    The two of themughed at the same time, but one had a cold look in her eyes, while the other had a venomous gaze. They both knew that the war between them had only just begun.

    ...

    In the study room of the He family¡¯s mansion, He Chengjian and He Zhichu were sitting together and began to watch the video of the trial that the court had sent over.

    Although outsiders in the court could not record it, the court had its own surveince video.

    As Gu Nianzhi slowly revealed the many unknowns behind the case, He Zhichu¡¯s face darkened even though he was mentally prepared.

    ¡°Good, good, good! This is the He family¡¯s good servants!¡± He mmed his fist on the desk. ¡°Dad, these people have wild ambitions. You¡¯re letting them off too easily!¡±

    He Chengjian was a little absent-minded.

    He looked at the video of the delicate and lively young girl with her lotus-like tongue. She was free and easy, and her arguments were endless. Her every movement had a bit of Qin Suwen¡¯s temperament, and he couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.

    How many years had it been?

    Qin Suwen had already be the deepest part of his heart that he couldn¡¯t touch. Many women had imitated Qin Suwen¡¯s appearance, wanting to get close to him.

    However, no matter who it was, they did not have Qin Suwen¡¯s unique temperament. It was an inner foundation that overshadowed appearances and figures.

    No one could learn it.

    However, he could see this kind of charm in Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°... Nianzhi¡¯s appearance at the trial really resembles your mother... you two are obviously a match made in heaven...¡± He Chengjian said faintly, ¡°Ah Chu, are you sure you don¡¯t want to marry her? I really hope that you can marry her and have another little daughter like her. I¡¯ll retire right away and help you take care of your child personally...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes twitched. He felt as if his father had stabbed a few more holes in his already riddled heart.

    He rubbed his temples. ¡°Don¡¯t bring this up again. I already said that the engagement has been annulled.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a fierce temper. She would rather die instead of being forced. He did not want and dare to force her...

    He Chengjian let out a long sigh and waved his hand, ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m really old. There are so many ghosts and monsters in the house, but I haven¡¯t cleaned them up yet. I¡¯ll have someone redo the political review at home immediately. If there¡¯s any problem, we¡¯ll immediately hand it over to the relevant departments for investigation. No one will be spared!¡±

    He Zhichu replied and asked, ¡°Also, what¡¯s going on with Qin Yaoguang and herb? When did they cooperate with the military?¡±

    He remembered that when he was still here, Qin Yaoguang and herb had nothing to do with the military.

    He Chengjian frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s her memory-stripping surgery. As this surgery is of great importance, after every military maic field experiment, she has to perform the surgery. Therefore, the military gave her a very high level of security. In addition, herb provided technical support during the operation, so herb is also on the military¡¯s cooperation list.¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1599 - It Was Different from What Had Been Said

    <h4>Chapter 1599: It Was Different from What Had Been Said</h4>

    He Zhichu suddenly understood. ¡°But isn¡¯t this surgery going to be nationalized? How¡¯s her training going?¡±

    ¡°Previously, only she could perform the surgery. Now that her hand is injured, she¡¯s always worried about training her subordinates.¡± He Chengjian sighed, ¡°Not to mention she¡¯s worried, we¡¯re worried as well. Without three to five years of practice, no one would be at ease letting them operate on our soldiers¡¯ brains with such an intricate surgery.¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment. His bright peach blossom eyes flickered with a dark light. He said lightly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we give up on this surgery? We don¡¯t have enough power now anyway. We can¡¯t send people to the other side anymore.¡±

    He paused for a moment, and his cold and clear voice was a little hoarse.¡±... We also don¡¯t need to send anyone to the other side anymore.¡±

    He Chengjian understood what he meant, and felt very guilty towards him.

    He originally thought that by bringing Gu Nianzhi here and separating her from Huo Shaoheng, she would naturally change her mind after a long time.

    After all, in He Chengjian¡¯s heart, his son was unparalleled in the world. Only he would dump the woman that he didn¡¯t want and no woman would dare to dump him.

    But Gu Nianzhi was an exception.

    He Chengjian still remembered that night, when he was surprised to see a young girl standing in front of the rifle bullet without hesitation...

    That kind of determination and intensity shocked him greatly.

    There really was a woman who would rather die than be with his son...

    ¡°We can pause it.¡± He Chengjian nodded. ¡°Then let Qin Yaoguang and herb be summoned by the court.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned and thought for a moment. His eyes shed as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what will be involved in the uing trial. Why don¡¯t we let the court martial take over?¡±

    ¡°Court martial?¡± He Chengjian was a little confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just Nianzhi¡¯s missing case eight years ago? Is there a need for a court martial?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t about Nianzhi¡¯s missing case.¡± He Zhichu chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s because Qin Yaoguang and herb might involve something that no one else knew about it. It¡¯s better to let the court martial take over.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± He Chengjian patted his head and smiled. ¡°Her memory-stripping surgery is led by herb. If she¡¯s summoned to the court, if it involves this...¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t vite the rules and perform this kind of surgery on others, did she?¡± He Zhichu tapped his fingers on the desk with an indifferent expression, but the sharpness in his eyes was like a long knife that hid a sharp de. ¡°Should we send people to keep an eye on herb?¡±

    He Chengjian narrowed his eyes. ¡°There are people from the military keeping an eye on herb. However... it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any vition of the rules these years. At least, there has never been any inappropriate news.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°She had better follow the rules. If not, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be a small mistake.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so in the past few years.¡± He Chengjian narrowed his sharp eyes, and the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes appeared. ¡°After you left, I agreed to marry her.¡±

    ¡°In the past few years, she had been focused on our family and rarely went to theboratory to do experiments.¡±

    ¡°She had really wanted to have a child with me. I saw that she was getting old, and my heart softened for a moment. So I agreed to let her use my frozen sperm to do artificial insemination. Later on, she got pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, the child couldn¡¯t stay. It didn¡¯t take long for the miscarriage to ur.¡±

    He Chengjian averted his gaze and looked at the lonely winter scenery outside the window, He recalled. ¡°She had no choice but to give up. At that time, Wen Shouyi happened to be chased back by you. She stayed by Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side, taking care of her and apanying her. Qin Yaoguang brought her by her side to relieve her boredom.¡±

    He Zhichu scoffed. ¡°No wonder Qin Yaoguang suddenly treated Wen Shouyi so well after Nianzhi disappeared.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was the daughter of a gardener. The other party was the well known scientist in the world and the head of the brain surgery department. They had never crossed path.

    ¡°But, if the person who really wanted to kidnap Gu Nianzhi eight years ago was Qin yaoguang, what was she up to?¡± He Chengjian was confused, ¡°If she wanted to see Gu Nianzhi, she coulde to our house to see her every day. We didn¡¯t separate Nianzhi from us, so she could see anyone she wanted to see anytime and anywhere.¡±

    He had watched today¡¯s trial video. Although there was no concrete evidence, he had a hunch that the person who kidnapped Gu Nianzhi eight years ago was actually Qin Yaoguang¡¯s instigator.

    ¡°And I remember that when Nianzhi was in our house, she actually didn¡¯t like Qin Yaoguang very much. She also rarely came to see her. In other words, in the past six years, the number of times she came to see her could be counted on one hand.¡±

    ¡°She came to see her in person but didn¡¯t want to see her. She even ordered our gardener to set up such a trap to kidnap her and then med everything on that lunatic.¡± He Chengjian was even more confused. ¡°Is Qin Yaoguang trying to do something behind our backs?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t have a good impression of Qin Yaoguang. He sneered and turned his head, saying disdainfully, ¡°Who knows what she¡¯s thinking? I think she¡¯s even crazier than Gu Xiangwen!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression immediately changed when he mentioned Gu Xiangwen. ¡°Don¡¯t mention that lunatic¡¯s name in front of me!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes dimmed. He picked up a ballpoint pen from the desk and started fiddling with it, suddenly, he said, ¡°Dad, Nianzhi¡¯s kidnapping back then has proven that there¡¯s something else going on. Although Gu Xiangwen is involved in the case, there¡¯s a very high possibility that it¡¯s different from what we had thought.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± He Chengjian looked at him with a dark expression, he mmed the table and shouted, ¡°What are you trying to say? Nianzhi¡¯s kidnap case, I think it was due to the fight between that madman and Qin Yaoguang! Qin Yaoguang has lost, but that doesn¡¯t prove that the madman is innocent!¡±

    He Zhichu saw that He Chengjian¡¯s reaction was so intense, so he did not continue. He changed the topic and said lightly, ¡°What do you think of Nianzhi¡¯s attainments in thew? Especially her ability to be a trialwyer?¡±

    He Chengjian immediately praised her. ¡°Very impressive! Back then, when your mother was her age, she was not as sharp and experienced as she was. She¡¯s just turned 20, right? I remember that your mother first became famous in court when she was 24 years old.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    How could he have forgotten that his father was his mother¡¯s biggest admirer.

    He sighed in his heart, He Zhichu smiled and said, ¡°I think she¡¯s pretty good as well. You know, in that world, I was her mentor. I taught her many things that I learned from my mother. Her style of trial is simr to my mother¡¯s because she learned my mother¡¯s style just like me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Chengjian couldn¡¯t tell if he was disappointed or happy.

    He couldn¡¯t concentrate. His mind kept thinking about the days when he was with Qin Suwen.

    They got married when their love was the deepest and gave birth to their son, He Zhichu, when their love was the strongest.

    They lived together for so many years.

    The memories of every day in the past were engraved in his mind. As long as he had time, he would take them out and carefully reflect on them, so that he could spend the rest of his long life.

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes, and his clear and cold voice was like a drop of ice spring, pulling He Chengjian¡¯s scattered thoughts back.

    ¡°Dad, I think, after Nianzhi¡¯s case is over, we should let her look at the dossier on Mother¡¯s death that year and see if she can... find some clues that we didn¡¯t noticed?¡±

    He Chengjian quivered andpletely woke up. He looked at He Zhichu with bright eyes, ¡°What did you say?!¡±

 Chapter 1600 - I Can Even Treat You Better

    <h4>Chapter 1600: I Can Even Treat You Better</h4>

    He Zhichu did not answer immediately. Instead, he continued to look at He Chengjian quietly and persistently.

    He Zhichu¡¯s appearance was exactly the same as He Chengjian¡¯s. Both of them had shimmering peach blossom eyes, a high nose bridge, and somewhat cold thin lips. They had a strangebination of amorous and yet unfeeling feelings, which had a different kind of charm.

    He Chengjian looked at his son as if he had seen himself when he was young. His heart softened for a moment, and he muttered, ¡°... What do you mean? Take it easy, your old father¡¯s heart isn¡¯t good...¡±

    His hand trembled as he frantically searched for his own special effect medicine in the drawer.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were sharp, and he saw a bottle of medicine that he was very familiar with lying in the corner of the drawer.

    He bent over and took out the bottle of medicine from the drawer. He poured a pill into his palm and handed it to He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian took the medicine, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it.

    He Zhichu poured another ss of water for him and passed it over to him.

    He Chengjian drank the water from He Zhichu¡¯s hand, and only then did he feel that the tightness in his chest and shortness of breath had slowly improved.

    He Zhichu saw that the expression on his face had be better, so he slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Please consider it. If you¡¯re not willing, then forget it.¡±

    He Zhichu had no doubts about his mother¡¯s immediate death. He just wanted to know what had happened that year that made his mother angry to death?

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes shed as he thought of the ¡°doctor¡± who had performed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s miraculous surgery.

    If there were people in this world who knew why his mother, Qin Suwen, was so angry, Gu Nianzhi would definitely be one of them.

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°Okay, let me think about it.¡±

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi came out of the courtroom and sent Jin Dazhuang and the receptionist, Xiao Zhang, to the airport.

    They had arrived yesterday and were flying back to C City in the evening.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trial had taken almost half a day. By the time the trial was over, they had to go to the airport for security checks.

    She personally drove He Zhichu¡¯s car to the airport.

    The receptionist, Xiao Zhang, hugged her and said reluctantly, ¡°When will Lawyer Gu go back? We miss you so much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back when I¡¯m done here,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a smile. She held her hand and said goodbye. ¡°Take care of yourself. Remember to help me clean my office. No one is allowed to take my ce!¡±

    ¡°No problem! I¡¯ll definitely keep an eye on your ce for you!¡± The receptionist, Xiao Zhang, giggled as she went to the security check.

    Jin Dazhuang reached out his hand to Gu Nianzhi and said with a smile, ¡°Xiao Zhang only knows how to talk nonsense. Lawyer Gu, will you really go back to our smallw firm?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled mischievously and said, ¡°I¡¯m also a shareholder, Jin Dazhuang. You¡¯re not going to swallow my shares, are you?!¡±

    Jin Dazhuangughed heartily. ¡°No, no! Of course not!¡±

    After sending Jin Dazhuang and the receptionist Xiao Zhang off, Gu Nianzhi drove back to her ¡°rented¡± apartment.

    As soon as she came out of the elevator, Lu Jin ran out of his suite impatiently and reached out to her with a smile. ¡°Congrattions, Congrattions! You¡¯ve won your first battle!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sense of separation vanished as soon as she saw Lu Jin.

    She smiled. ¡°Thank you, thank you! Director Lu, are you done with your business? You¡¯re so arrogant today!¡±

    Lu Jin immediatelyined to her anxiously. ¡°This is all Boss Lu¡¯s fault! He left just like that and even dragged me away. Otherwise, I would have stayed until the end of the trial!¡±

    The two of them chatted andughed as they entered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    Lu Jin went to the kitchen to warm up the milk for her with ease.

    Gu Nianzhi put down her briefcase, stretched, and said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and go. There¡¯s rose oil in the bathroom that I personally made for you. You just need to put two drops in the bathtub. It¡¯s not only skin-care and beauty, but it also helps you feel refreshed.¡±

    When Lu Jin had nothing to do, he would think about the things these women used. He only hoped that one day, he could give them to his daughter as a gift.

    Now that his wish had been fulfilled, he was even changing the way he presented the treasure.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely happy. She walked over and hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm. She rested her head on his shoulder and said reluctantly, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re so good to me.¡±

    ¡°I can be even better to you!¡± Lu Jin caressed her head. ¡°I¡¯m heating up some milk for you. I¡¯ll call boss Lu overter to make dinner. What do you want to eat? Do you still want to eat pae?¡±

    Lu Jin was eager to try it. ¡°I¡¯ve studied under Boss Lu for a while, and I want to make it for you personally.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the choking taste of onions and quickly said, ¡°No, no, no. I don¡¯t eat pae. I just want simple fried rice.¡±

    She remembered that it was the easiest to make. The simplest fried rice only required eggs, green beans, and diced ham. It was also called San Xian fried rice.

    She had all these ingredients in her fridge.

    Lu Jin scratched his head and said embarrassedly, ¡°San Xian fried rice? I didn¡¯t learn much about it. I¡¯d better ask Boss Lu toe over and cook!¡±

    As he spoke, Lu Jin called Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan was reading documents in Lu Jin¡¯s suite across.

    He picked up the phone and conveniently found some ingredients from Lu Jin¡¯s fridge. He carried them over.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi?¡± Lu Yuan didn¡¯t see Gu Nianzhi as soon as he walked in. He only saw her briefcase lying on the sofa.

    Lu Jin urged him to go to the kitchen and said with a smile, ¡°Nianzhi is taking a shower. It¡¯s been a tiring day. Let her rest more. It¡¯s best if she takes a bath with rose oil to relieve her fatigue.¡±

    Lu Yuan wanted to ask about the verdict of thewsuit, but Gu Nianzhi was taking a shower. He had no choice but to give up.

    However, by the time Gu Nianzhi came out of the shower, Lu Yuan¡¯s four dishes and a soup were already ready.

    Gu Nianzhi had gone through a stressful day of mental work today, so Lu Yuan made her a stewed squab with heavenly x, which was very brain-nourishing.

    On the table, there were golden-red prawns with salt and pepper, spicy shredded meat with green and red peppers, steamed fresh abalone, and a fried porcini with white sauce.

    The main dish was the San Xian fried rice that Gu Nianzhi had personally ordered. The rice was plump and golden, and every grain was soaked in egg juice. The fresh green beans were delicious and refreshing, and the fresh prawns were marinated with a little yellow wine. It was very delicious and did not have any fishy smell at all.

    The dishes on the table were delicious and nutritious, and could also replenish cogen.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the colorful feast on the table and her appetite was aroused. She immediately sat up straight and beamed at Lu Yuan. ¡°Uncle Lu is amazing. This dish is really superb!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lu Jin spoke as if he had made this table of dishes. He picked up arge prawn with salt and pepper with his chopsticks. ¡°This is delicious. Eat more.¡±

    He scooped up a small bowl of San Xian fried rice for Gu Nianzhi with arge spoon. ¡°This fried rice is too simple. Does it taste good?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°A simple home-cooked meal that tastes good is the true standard of a chef. This is called returning to simplicity!¡±

    She picked up a small spoon and scooped a small mouthful of San Xian fried rice into her mouth.

    She had just taken a spoonful and she was stunned.

    The taste of this fried rice...

    She chewed carefully, her brows gradually creasing.

    She couldn¡¯t care less about other dishes, so she scooped another big spoonful of San Xian fried rice for herself. It was piled so high in her small bowl.

    ¡°Huh? You like my San Xian fried rice so much?¡± Lu Yuan looked at her happily. ¡°Then eat more. If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll cook more. There are a lot of ingredients, it¡¯s enough!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She ate almost nothing else but this San Xian fried rice.

    It was because the taste of this San Xian fried rice was too familiar!

    She had a very good memory. She could remember everything she saw and the taste of everything she ate after eating it once.

    She was very familiar with the taste of Lu Yuan¡¯s San Xian fried rice.

    This was because Huo Shaoheng had made it for her in Song Jinning¡¯s kitchen when she had first visited the Huo family.

    Song Jinning had said at that time that she was very familiar with the taste.

    Gu Nianzhi asked Huo Shaoheng curiously,¡±... why did your mother say that the taste was so familiar?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°It¡¯s because this is the fried rice that she used to make for me when I was young. I loved it when I was young.¡±

    If this was a taste that Young Master Huo was familiar with when he was young, how could Lu Yuan make it?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tongue was very sharp, and she could taste even the tiniest taste difference.

    However, this San Xian fried rice was 99% simr to the one she had eaten in her memory.

    ...

 Chapter 1601 - Excel the Predecessor

    <h4>Chapter 1601: Excel the Predecessor</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi endured the strange feeling in her heart and swept away all the San Xian fried rice.

    After eating, she was so full that she couldn¡¯t eat anything else. She was then sittingfortably by Lu Jin¡¯s side.

    Lu Jin quickly prepared hawthorn juice, which helped digestion, for her to drink. He asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s so good about this simple San Xian fried rice?¡±

    He then turned to give Lu Yuan a thumbs up. ¡°Boss Lu, you¡¯re amazing! You can cook this kind of simple home-cooked food to perfection. Your culinary skills have reached perfection!¡±

    Lu Yuan was also a little surprised that Gu Nianzhi liked this fried rice so much.

    He was a very cautious person. On the surface, he appeared to be open-minded, friendly, and had excellent diplomacy skills. However, perhaps due to his professional habits, only a few people who were very familiar with him knew that Lu Yuan¡¯s mind was full of twists and turn. Sometimes, even he himself could not tell what he was thinking.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you like San Xian fried rice so much? Have you eaten it before?¡± He looked at Gu Nianzhi without batting an eyelid, he scooped up a bowl of braised squab and ced it in front of her. ¡°After digestion, drink a bowl. I stewed it in an electric pressure cooker for three hours, both the x seeds and the squab have dissolved into the soup.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her stomach and said weakly, ¡°No, my stomach can¡¯t take it anymore.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes and smiled, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten such delicious San Xian fried rice, really! I almost swallowed my tongue. The braised porcini with white sauce over there is very fresh and tastes very good, but still it can¡¯tpare to your San Xian fried rice.¡±

    She then moved forward and said with a smile, ¡°Director Lu, why are you doing inte security? It¡¯s aplete waste of your talent! You should open a restaurant, a chain of restaurants, and globalize the Chinese cuisine!¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Lu Jin retorted with a straight face. ¡°Boss Lu¡¯s food is not something that ordinary people can eat. What¡¯s the point of opening a restaurant? Our boss Lu hasn¡¯t even gotten married yet. How can he find a wife if he bes a professional chef?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and clutched her stomach as she cried, ¡°Oh no! I can¡¯tugh... my stomach hurts...¡±

    Lu Yuan rolled his eyes at Lu Jin and said resentfully, ¡°You¡¯re right. I won¡¯t cook for you anymore, otherwise I can¡¯t find a wife.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... it¡¯ll be fine if you cook for me and Nianzhi... hahahaha...¡±

    Lu Jin was in a particrly good mood, so he put on a show all by himself.

    Lu Yuan sat quietly under the light and ate his meal slowly. He did not speak again.

    Gu Nianzhi had some thoughts in her mind. She looked at Lu Yuan again and noticed something that she had not noticed before.

    It was obvious how terrifying one¡¯s preconceived impression was.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Yuan was a cautious person, so she did not stare at him nkly. She only asionally shifted her gaze from Lu Jin to Lu Yuan when she stood up and walked around the dining room to digest her food.

    She had done it very discreetly, and Lu Jin had been interrupting her from the side, disrupting Lu Yuan¡¯s attention. Thus, throughout the meal, Lu Yuan actually did not notice that Gu Nianzhi was secretly observing him.

    After the meal, Lu Jin was urged by Lu Yuan to clean the dishes and the kitchen.

    Soon, the sound of the dishwasher washing dishes was heard from the kitchen. Lu Yuan held a cup of pu¡¯er tea, went to the living room with Gu Nianzhi for a chat.

    ¡°At the end, what was the verdict of the case?¡± Lu Yuan left early and did not hear the final verdict.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with one hand resting on her chin. She smiled and said, ¡°The trial isn¡¯t over yet. Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were definitely guilty and would be sentenced. Wen Shouyi was very cunning and managed to escape. She could be released on bail for the time being. There was also Qin Yaoguang and herb. The court wanted to call them to testify in court, but their security level was different. They still needed to go through military procedures. Who knows how long it will take.¡±

    Lu Yuan was surprised. ¡°Wen Shouyi is fine?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s awyer after all. You know she¡¯s definitely not innocent, but thew can¡¯t convict her.¡± Gu Nianzhi said quietly, ¡°You see, no matter how hard I tried to induce her in court, she refused to tell me who the man and the little girl that she saw were. She gritted her teeth and said she only saw those two people and didn¡¯t know who they were.¡±

    Lu Yuan thought for a moment and said, ¡°The mastermind behind the scene is quite well-organized. It looks like they really prepared a man and a little girl to get into the car at the corner of the street.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned back on the sofa, her two arms propped on the back of the sofa, her bright eyes darting around. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, there are two other passerby witnesses. They saw it, too, and the facial features they described were very simr to Gu Xiangwen and the twelve-year-old me. So, these two doubles must have existed.¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi¡¯s story could be said to have been guided by circumstances at that time. However, even if she really saw it. she didn¡¯t lie. Moreover, she also said that she didn¡¯t know who they were, so there was no legal misdirection or framing. Even if the two doubles were found, she would still be innocent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands with a look of pity on her face. ¡°This person is indeed very cunning, and she always leaves a way out for herself. But she¡¯s too ruthless. In order to get away with it, she even threw her parents into the pit.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded andforted her gently. ¡°A person who is unjust is doomed to destruction. People like her won¡¯t end well.¡±

    Lu Jin cleaned up the kitchen, washed his hands, and walked over to sit by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side. He pouted at Lu Yuan and said, ¡°Boss Lu, don¡¯t you know how to speak humannguage? What do you mean by a person who is unjust is doomed to destruction? It¡¯s obvious that a slut will be punished by the heavens!¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was most afraid of the sudden silence in the air.

    She quickly wanted to say something, in an attempt to break the awkwardness in the living room caused by Lu Jin.

    Lu Yuan looked at her and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously looked at Lu Jin, but saw that he was still looking at her with a bright gaze. His face was full of nervousness, begging for praise. He had no idea that Lu Jin had almost killed the chat just now.

    As a patient with terminal interpersonal disorder, one of Lu Jin¡¯s best abilities was to kill conversation.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt a little sad.

    She knew that Lu Jin had already tried his best to show his best side to her.

    Being protective, she smiled at Lu Jin and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Daddy, you are always very sharp when you talk. You are so great!¡±

    Lu Jin was instantly ted. He said cheerfully, ¡°No, no, no. Nianzhi, you¡¯re the one who knows how to talk. I learned everything from you!¡±

    ¡°You were really dazzling in court! Back then, even Lawyer Qin wasn¡¯t as eloquent as you were at your age! You really excelled the predecessor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth andughed. She suddenly felt that something wasn¡¯t right.

    Excelled the predecessor?!

    Could this be used between her and Qin Suwen?!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Dad, I excelled? If Young Master He hears this, he will talk to you! Sometimes, when you talk, you have to talk artistically. You can¡¯t use words carelessly...¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned. He scratched his head and froze for a moment, but quickly came back to his senses, heughed and said, ¡°I was not wrong. Back then, Lawyer Qin personally took care of you and raised you. Even though it was only for two years, tsk tsk, if she could have raised you until now, how amazing you would have been!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to remember He Zhichu saying the same thing. She thought about it and felt relieved. She leaned back on the sofa and looked at therge curved television screen on the opposite wall, she said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s a pity. Lawyer Qin is such a great person. Oh yes, I haven¡¯t watched the trial video of Lawyer Qin that you have given to me.¡±

    She stood up and went to her room to get herptop. She was going to connect the curved television on the wall to watch the video.

    Lu Jin took the remote control and turned on the television first, waiting for Gu Nianzhi to connect theptop.

    He turned on the news channel, which was the evening international news.

    On the television, the dignified and beautiful female anchor reported sweetly,¡±... the head of the Moscow Municipal Party Committee of the Soviet Capital, Yeltsin, and the chairman of the Soviet Youth Affairs Standing Committee, Gorbachev, are currently on a visit to the United States. They are expected to travel from the west coast to Washington, the capital of the East Coast, tomorrow to meet with the president of the United States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand paused.

    Yeltsin and Gorbachev?

    These two were famous figures in the opposite world.

    It was them who had worked together to destroy the Soviet Union, one of the superpowers, and split it into more than a dozen countries, leaving only Russia to struggle on itsst legs.

    She had not expected that in this world, the Soviet Union had not been divided, and that they were not only alive, but also active in the Soviet political arena.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and felt that she was overthinking.

    The strong man, Putin, was already in power, how could it be up to these two to overturn the situation?

    She snorted disdainfully and connected the data cable to the video of Qin Suwen¡¯s trial.

    ...

    Late at night, in front of the detention center of the Imperial Capital Prison, a few dim streetmps stood in the cold winter night.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili had just been sent here in the evening to await sentencing.

    Two prison guards in long military uniforms stood guard at the entrance with their guns loaded.

    Although this was only the prison¡¯s detention center, the surrounding walls were electrified. Not only were there electric fences to block them, but there were also surveince cameras everywhere.

    Not far away, there were snipers and observers on standby 24 hours a day on the tower. They would kill anyone who dared to escape or break out of the prison.

    It was because this detention center was in the capital, the security was very tight.

    The streets were very quiet and there were not many pedestrians. asionally, a few stray dogs would stumble over and sniff around with a few tin cans under their noses.

    The two prison guards on duty did not care. These stray dogs could be seen every day here, so it was not a particrly novel thing.

    The nking sound of metal cans was very obvious in the night sky.

    One of the guards frowned and nned to chase the dogs away.

    He held his gun and left his post. He trotted to the few stray dogs and tried to chase them away with the butt of his gun.

    However, just as he got close, an unknown gas suddenly came out of the tin can that the stray dog had pushed over.

    The prison guard knew that it was bad just by smelling it, but he didn¡¯t have time to hold his breath. Soon, his limbs went numb and he fell limply to the ground.

    The other prison guard saw this and quickly ran over to pull him up.

    As soon as he came over, he also smelled the slightly irritating gas and immediately fell limply to the ground.

    The moment they left the detention center, three men in ck clothes and hoods rushed out. They used the keys that they had prepared beforehand to open the detention center¡¯s door and burrowed into the detention center.

    At the same time, He Zhichu, who had been waiting for the news, received a call. ¡°Master He, the fish are in the.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Keep an eye on them.¡± He Zhichu stretched out his arms, put on a heavy military coat with bulletproof equipment, and pulled open the door to go out.

    ...

 Chapter 1602 - Negotiating Terms with Me?

    <h4>Chapter 1602: Negotiating Terms with Me?</h4>

    He Zhichu first brought his orderly and drove a modifiedrge bulletproof Jeep silently towards the imperial capital prison¡¯s detention center.

    Normally, the sound of this type of car¡¯s high-powered engine was particrly terrifying. Driving on the road in the middle of the night was like a tank crossing the border.

    However, He Zhichu¡¯s modified jeep had a particrly advanced engine. It had already reached the peak in terms of noise elimination.

    Driving on the streets of the imperial city in the middle of the night, it was as quiet as a ghost car.

    In fact, the model of this batch of cars was called ¡°Ghost¡±.

    ¡°Young Master He, at three o¡¯clock, there¡¯s a lookout car of the other party.¡±

    He Zhichu silently set up a specially made tranquilizer gun and stuck it out from the specially made small hole in the car.

    In the crosshair reticle of the smart-controlled far-infrared scope, He Zhichu saw a few motionless red figures lying in ambush in the other party¡¯s car.

    With a cold face, he held the gun firmly with his arm and aimed at the person sitting in the driver¡¯s seat and pulled the trigger!

    Then, he turned the scope and aimed at the second, third, and fourth person!

    Four dull gunshots sounded like bullets piercing through a pile of cotton. The people in the observation car had all been paralyzed by them.

    He Zhichu ordered the people following behind to capture the four people in the observation car and bring them back for interrogation. At the same time, they formed a cordon and pushed forwardyer byyer, surrounding the detention center.

    ...

    In the detention center, the three men in ck who rushed in should have been practicing kung fu. Their hands and feet were light, and their movements were swift. Soon, they began to look for Wen Dayou and Liang Meili in the detention center.

    ¡°Lao A, where are they locked up? Don¡¯t we have any information?¡±

    They had searched for a few rounds, but they couldn¡¯t find the room where Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were. One of them had be impatient.

    The man called Lao A should be the leader. He said firmly, ¡°They only said that they were sent here. As for where they are locked up...¡±

    He sized up the buildingplex. ¡°There are only a total of 120 rooms here. Two people are locked up in each room. It¡¯s not difficult to find one room at a time.¡±

    He made a hand gesture. ¡°You, go look for the 40 rooms on the left. You, go look for the 40 rooms on the right. I¡¯ll go look for the 40 rooms in the middle. If you find them, shoot them. Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    The other two nodded, and they began to split into three directions to look for Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    After splitting up, they were much more efficient.

    Ten minutester, the person on the left found the room where Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were. He immediately took out the XX key and opened the cell.

    After Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were sent here, they were in a bad mood. They didn¡¯t eat or sleep the whole night.

    Just as they closed their eyes, they suddenly heard the door creak open.

    Wen Dayou opened his eyes and looked at it. He suddenly jumped up from the bed. ¡°Who are you?! What are you doing?!¡±

    That person was dressed in ck with a mask on his head. He did not say a word. He raised the silencer-equipped long-handled pistol and aimed at Wen Dayou¡¯s forehead.

    Bang!

    The sound of the gun was like a dull squib in the prison cell.

    Wen Dayou closed his eyes tightly, ready to wee the arrival of death.

    But he did not die. The person who pointed the gun at him fell in front of him.

    A taller figure stood at the door holding a long gun.

    Wen Dayou was terrified.

    Through the lights of the streetmps outside the door, Wen Dayou recognized the figure. It was actually the general He¡¯s only son, He Zhichu!

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili rolled down from the bed with a thud and knelt in front of He Zhichu.

    ¡°He... Young Master He...¡±

    The two of them repeatedly kowtowed to beg for forgiveness.

    He Zhichu did not have time for them. He dragged the person who had been knocked unconscious by the tranquilizer gun out and turned around to close the door. He used his bluetooth headset to contact his own people.

    ¡°Did you catch anyone alive?¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, one of them was injured and escaped. The other one was captured alive. After disarming himself, he bit off the poison hidden in his teeth and consumed it tomit suicide.¡±

    He Zhichu narrowed his eyes. ¡°The tranquilizer gun didn¡¯t work?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to work on him.¡±

    He Zhichu felt that something was wrong.

    The tranquilizer dose in their guns could tranquilize an elephant.

    There was actually people in the other party which tranquilizer gun did not work on them?

    Right now, the only survivors were the person he caught now and the four people in the observation car.

    He felt a little regretful. His intuition told him that the person who escaped should be the leader of the other party¡¯s operation.

    Of course, they were not empty-handed.

    At the very least, they could confirm that the other party¡¯s operation this time had something to do with Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory.

    He Zhichu sent people to search the entire detention center again. After confirming that only three people had entered, he withdrew his troops and returned to the military headquarters.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were transferred overnight and locked up in the heavily guarded military prison.

    ...

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning was the most tiring time of the day for a person.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili had been frightened again and again since yesterday, and they were already exhausted.

    Even so, at this time, they could not resist the human body¡¯s biological clock¡¯s persistence and inertia. Their minds were a mess, and they wished they could fall asleep on the spot.

    However, they could not sleep.

    The two of them sat in the brightly lit interrogation room, trying their best to keep their eyes open. They watched He Zhichu, the young master of the He family, walk in wearing a cold dark green military uniform.

    ¡°He... Young Master He...¡± Wen Dayou¡¯s eyes reddened again, and he hunched his back. ¡°Thank you, Young Master He, for saving my life...¡±

    He did not have to be very smart to think that the person who came in first tonight was here to kill him and Liang Meili.

    As for why he wanted to kill him and Liang Meili, he knew it very well.

    He Zhichu sat down boldly in front of them with his long legs crossed, and his sparkling peach blossom eyes were as cold as snow.

    He held a small silver pistol the size of a palm in his hand and said coldly, ¡°Sit.¡±

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili sat down on the bench opposite him, trembling.

    There was a long table for interrogation between He Zhichu and them. There were papers and pens on it.

    Normally, there were special clerks here for interrogation.

    However, he Zhichu had interrogated them in the middle of the night and had to keep it a secret, so there were no special clerks.

    He Zhichu had already instructed to turn off the surveince cameras. If he asked questions here, the two of them would write it down themselves and then press their handprints.

    ¡°Tell me, who ordered you to kidnap Miss. Gu?¡± He Zhichu went straight to the point.

    Wen Dayou shuddered, lowered his head, and cried bitterly. ¡°Young Master He, Shouyi¡¯s mother and I lost our minds that we did such a wrong thing. We won¡¯t dare to do it again in the future...¡±

    ¡°In the future? Do you still want to have a future?¡± The corners of He Zhichu¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°What misunderstanding do you have with the He family? Do you really think that we¡¯re benevolent bodhisattvas and idiots that could be fooled?¡±

    Wen Dayou blinked and carefully raised his head. He nced at He Zhichu and saw that his expression was indifferent, no different from usual.

    Furthermore, he had rushed over to save their lives tonight. It was inevitable that he had an illusion that He Zhichu did value both of them.

    Why did he value them?

    It was definitely not because of them, but their daughter, Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili both knew that ever since Gu Nianzhi ¡°disappeared,¡± Wen Shouyi had indeed taken Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ce and moved into the He family¡¯s mansion to take care of the sick He Zhichu.

    After that, as He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili followed He Zhichu around the world on business trips. The two of them should still have feelings for each other, right?

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili looked at each other, and quickly said, ¡°No, no. Mr. He and Young Master He are both good people. You have been extremely kind to us. We will never be able to repay your kindness even if we work for them our entire lives. We have done something wrong. Please, Young Master He, for Shouyi¡¯s sake, let us go...¡±

    ¡°Let you go? Why didn¡¯t you let Nianzhi go back then?! She¡¯s only twelve years old! What did you do to her by kidnapping her? !¡±

    Ever since he found out that the culprit who had kidnapped Gu Nianzhi eight years ago was not Gu Xiangwen but Qin Yaoguang, He Zhichu had a bad feeling associating with something in his mind.

    This was a possibility that he had never thought of or dared to think of before.

    Wen Dayou trembled in fear. ¡°It wasn¡¯t us who wanted to kidnap her! It wasn¡¯t us!¡±

    ¡°Then who was it? !¡± He Zhichu stood up and propped himself up on the long table. He leaned forward and asked aggressively, ¡°Was it Qin Yaoguang? ! What did she want to kidnap Nianzhi for? ! Tell me!¡±

    Liang Meili mustered up her courage and looked at He Z. ¡°We can tell you, but we have a condition. If you can get engaged to Shouyi, I¡¯ll tell you who asked us to do it.¡±

    ¡°You ae negotiating terms with me?¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t take it anymore. With a loud p, he pped Liang Meili off the bench and onto the floor. ¡°Looks like you really misunderstood me.¡±

    Then, he kicked Wen Dayou in the chest.

    Wen Dayou cried out in pain and fell to the ground with Liang Meili.

    Wen Dayou endured the pain and helped Liang Meili up, only to find that her face was swollen.

    Liang Meili tilted her head and spat out a bloody tooth.

    Holding her cheek, she looked at He Zhichu, who was full of killing intent, in fear and did not dare to say a word.

 Chapter 1603 - Nothing to Do with It at All

    <h4>Chapter 1603: Nothing to Do with It at All</h4>

    He Zhichu stood in the interrogation room. His tall figure blocked the light, and the ground in front of him fell into darkness.

    Liang Meili looked at He Zhichu in fear, her teeth chattering.

    He Zhichu pointed at Wen Dayou and Liang Meili who were lying motionless on the ground, with a cold face, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you five minutes to think whether you want to tell or not. Don¡¯t be so shameless!¡±

    He pulled open the door of the interrogation room, walked out and mmed the door shut.

    Standing at the door, he lit a cigarette, took a long puff, and slowly exhaled.

    In the interrogation room, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were stunned for a while before they helped each other to get up from the ground.

    Liang Meili covered her face and sobbed as she said, ¡°Why is Young Master He behaving in this manner? We watched him grow up. He has never hit anyone before...¡±

    ¡°He has never hit us servants,¡± Wen Dayou corrected her with a bitter face. ¡°But he is a soldier, and he carries a gun. How kind do you think he can be?¡±

    This tall and noble young master had always been very polite to the servants. He had never scolded them loudly, and when he spoke, he would always say ¡°please¡± and ¡°thank you¡±.

    They respected him, but they were not afraid of him. They knew that he kept a distance from them but he was polite to them. Moreover, he was especially considerate of the difficulties of the servants

    ¡°You are really too daring to say such thing.¡± Wen Dayou wiped his face. ¡°Don¡¯t you see when Young Master He could actually shoot us with a gun for what we have done?¡±

    ¡°But... but he is different to our Shouyi!¡± Liang Meili said stubbornly, ¡°If the children of the He family¡¯s servants are sessful, the He family will give money to them and let them continue to study. Our Shouyi is so amazing. She is an outstanding graduate of a famous American university. Not to mention the children of the He family¡¯s servants, even the rtives and friends of the He family, no one studied better than our Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°So what if she is good at study? me it on us if you want to me someone. We¡¯re useless. People nowadays depend on their father but we are holding Shouyi back!¡± Wen Dayou was upset. The more he looked at this woman, the more foolish she became. She couldn¡¯t even act sensibly.

    ¡°How are we holding Shouyi back?¡± Liang Meili righteously argued with Wen Dayou, ¡°In the past, Madam He was even an orphan in an orphanage. She didn¡¯t have any background. It was because she was especially good at her study and had a promising future that General He took a fancy to her. He even abandoned a capable person like Dean Qin and insisted on marrying Madam He.¡±

    ¡°If an orphan is good at study and can be married into the He family. Our Shouyi has parents and is also good at study. Why can¡¯t she marry Young Master He?!¡±

    ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s not that Young Master He doesn¡¯t have feelings for our Shouyi. Our Shouyi has been with Young Master He for four to five years and has always been abroad. When a man and a woman are together, I don¡¯t believe that Young Master He has never slept with Shouyi!¡±

    The more Liang Meili spoke, the more she felt that she was right. She ced one hand on her waist, with the other hand, she pointed at Wen Dayou and cursed, ¡°You still despise me?! Who do you think you are?! You¡¯re useless, you made Shouyi and I suffer living in poverty! Why don¡¯t you just find a rock and knock yourself to death!¡±

    The husband and wife started arguing in the interrogation room.

    Their voices were so loud that even He Zhichu, who was standing at the door and smoking, could hear them clearly.

    Seeing this ignorant woman makeparison using his own mother and even use him of having slept with Wen Shouyi, it was really intolerable.

    He Zhichu took a deep puff of his cigarette and called his orderly to bring a whip over. He ordered coldly,¡±...e in with me.¡±

    He pushed open the door of the interrogation room and kicked the chair that he had kicked over. He sat down and pointed at Liang Meili with a cigarette in his hand. ¡°This woman, hit her hard! hit her until she can speak humannguage!¡±

    Liang Meili had the potential of a shrew in her bones. She knew that she could not escape death for what she had done. She only hoped that she could pave the way for her daughter before she died, so she might as well throw caution to the wind. She shouted loudly, ¡°Young Master He, you can¡¯t win against me, so you¡¯re going to make a move? You yed with my daughter, and now you¡¯re not going to admit it? I¡¯m going to report you! I¡¯m going to sue you for lynching! I¡¯m going to...¡±

    With a crisp whip sound, He Zhichu did not wait for the orderly to raise the whip. He directly pulled out the armed belt on his waist, and with a backhand, heshed out with the belt.

    This belt happened to hit Liang Meili¡¯s left cheek. It was so strong that her jaw was crooked.

    She could not speak anymore. The moment she moved her mouth, her jaw would hurt.

    The orderly came over with the whip. When he heard the woman¡¯s words, he spat and said angrily, ¡°Young Master He, you rest for a while. Let me do it!¡±

    The only way to deal with a shrew was to be more ruthless, and more vicious than her.

    After a few whips, Liang Meili felt what was called a heart-wrenching pain.

    She let out a scream, which was very horrifying in the night sky.

    He Zhichu stood at the side and smoked. Without looking at her, he pointed, ¡°Shut her mouth.¡±

    Another orderly stepped forward and stuffed a rag into Liang Meili¡¯s mouth.

    Liang Meili could not scream anymore. All the pain had umted in her bones and in her heart. Her facial features were twisted, and she was ten times uglier than usual.

    Wen Dayou hugged his head and hid in the corner. He did not say a word, he was afraid that the whip would hit him.

    After ten minutes of whipping, Liang Meili was panting like a cow. Her face and body were covered with four red and swollen whip marks. She was beyond recognition.

    He Zhichu raised his hand.

    His orderly immediately stopped and stood to the side with the whip in his hand.

    He Zhichu stopped asking Liang Meili. Instead, he walked over to Wen Dayou¡¯s side and kicked him. He said in a t voice, ¡°Tell me, who ordered you to do this?¡±

    Wen Dayou trembled in fear. He slowly raised his head and looked at Liang Meili who had been beaten to such a state. He closed his eyes and sighed, he said, ¡°It¡¯s no use even if you beat us to death. We actually don¡¯t know who it was. That person gave us money and asked us to do something. After it was done, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position was Shouyi¡¯s. We were confused for the sake of Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, this has nothing to do with Shouyi. She has no idea what¡¯s going on.¡±

    He Zhichu raised an eyebrow. ¡°No idea? Ha, do you think I believe you?¡±

    He turned around and left the interrogation room, leaving only two words: ¡°Torture.¡±.

    ...

    After leaving Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s interrogation room, He Zhichu went to the cell where the killers were being held.

    ¡°How is it? Are they awake?¡± He Zhichu stood in front of the iron railing, observing the movements inside.

    ¡°Young Master He, they are not awake yet.¡± His medical officer was very confused. ¡°I have already injected them to relieve them from anesthetic, but they are still not awake.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Open the door, I¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, let me do it.¡± The medical officer thought for a moment and was thinking that he shouldn¡¯t let the chief general take such risk.

    ¡°They are in my territory, why should I be afraid of them?¡± He Zhichu nced at the medical officer. ¡°Open the door!¡±

    The medical officer opened the iron bars of the cell with a bitter face.

    He Zhichu strode in.

    There were five people lying on the floor of the cell. Four of them were the spies in the observation car, and the other one was an assassin who had been knocked unconscious by him with a tranquilizer gun when he was in Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s detention room.

    He put his hands behind his back and looked at them one by one. His brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

    No matter how he looked at it, it didn¡¯t seem right.

    In the end, he half-squatted down in front of the assassin and tried it with his hand in front of his nose.

    ¡°They¡¯re not breathing anymore.¡± He Zhichu slowly stood up and looked at the medical officer coldly. ¡°Are you sure that they were injected with an anesthetic?!¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, if I used other drugs, I will ept military punishment!¡± The medical officer saluted without hesitation. He was not afraid of He Zhichu¡¯s gaze at all.

    ¡°Then what has happened to them?!¡± He Zhichu pulled the medical officer over, his cold face like ayer of frost. ¡°Look for yourself!¡±

    He Zhichu let go, and the medical officer rushed over to check on the five motionless people.

    The more he checked, the paler his face became. In the end, he sat on the ground like a dead man, with a sobbing tone, he said, ¡°They¡¯re dead... they¡¯re all dead... but... but... just now, they were still unconscious?! I clearly checked! I still have the inspection records to prove it!¡±

    He Zhichu was also very upset. It was not easy for him to take advantage of the other party¡¯sck of attention and set up a trap to invite them into the trap. In the end, these bastards who were caught died right under their noses!

    How did the other party do it?

    He Zhichu took out a cigarette, covered it with his mouth, and lit it with a lighter. He took a long puff.

    ¡°Get the forensic doctor toe and conduct an autopsy.¡± He Zhichu walked to the side. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to observe.¡±

    Soon, the senior medical examiner from the Army rushed over overnight and performed a detailed autopsy on the five people.

    The autopsy results came out when dawn broke the next day.

    ¡°Young Master He, these people were indeed only shot with a tranquilizer gun. The drug that was injectedter was also a special drug to relieve the anesthesia. There was no other poison in their blood.¡±

    ¡°Then how did they die?¡± He zhichu raised his eyelids and asked expressionlessly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me theymitted suicide.¡±

    The forensic officer looked at the medical officer awkwardly. The two of them looked at He Zhichu and said, ¡°They were killed by remote control.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    The forensic officer quickly showed the results of their tests to He Zhichu.

    ¡°Young Master He, please take a look. This is their brain. There was a small explosion inside, causing the brain stem to die.¡±

    ¡°The reason is that someone imnted a chip into their brain. This chip is simr to the chip that we are developing for robot soldiers.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes shed.¡±... Simr? How simr?¡±

    ¡°It can be said that the chip imnted in their brains is only the prototype of the chip we are researching. However, the chip we are researching is not for human use. Even if their chip is only the prototype, it would not be a problem for it to be imnted into a human brain as a small time bomb.¡±

    This could be said to be a different type of human body bomb...

    He Zhichu listened to the forensic medical center and the medical officer exining the chip in the brains of these people with a sullen face. He threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and said, ¡°Immediately sign an order from the military to arrest Qin Yaoguang and all her experimental personnel, and lock down Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory!¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1604 - Unparalleled Young Master

    <h4>Chapter 1604: Unparalleled Young Master</h4>

    The sky was bright. On the highway of the third ring road of the imperial capital, one after another military vehicles sped towards the Qin Private Hospital.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory was located in a five-story tall gray building inside the Qin Private Hospital.

    From a high altitude, the shape of this building was a concentric circle.

    The buildings outside were arranged in a circle. There was a small circle in the middle, which was the core department of theboratory.

    Qin Yaoguang was both a biomedical expert and the head of the brain surgery department. Herboratory had both medical research and biological research functions.

    In addition, she had been working with the military for the past few years to implement the memory removal surgery. She had also opened up a special area to serve the military.

    This area was guarded by the military, and did not fit in with the other departments in theb.

    At this time, Qin Yaoguang had just sat in her office and was flipping through documents.

    The phone on her desk rang. It was the secretary¡¯s internal line.

    Qin Yaoguang pressed the ¡°Answer¡± button, ¡°What is it?¡± She asked without looking up.

    ¡°Dean Qin, Lawyer Wen wants to see you.¡± The secretary¡¯s voice was sweet, and her tone was tactful.

    Qin Yaoguang had blocked Wen Shouyi¡¯s phone because Gu Nianzhi¡¯s missing case eight years ago had been reopened. She didn¡¯t want to attract attention from anyone at this point.

    ¡°I¡¯m very busy. Let her make an appointment.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang still didn¡¯t want to see Wen Shouyi, but Wen Shouyi took the phone from the secretary¡¯s hand and said directly, ¡°Dean Qin, something happened in court yesterday. I think I need to tell you about it.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang already knew about what happened in court yesterday. She said lightly, ¡°No need. I still have a few papers to write. Rest well ande back to work in a few days.¡±

    Knowing that Wen Shouyi was fine, Qin Yaoguang decided to follow the original agreement and let Wen Shouyi be the executive dean.

    Wen Shouyi heaved a sigh of relief and quickly said, ¡°Dean Qin, Gu Nianzhi really came prepared. Young Master He helped her a lot. If it weren¡¯t for Young Master He taking out thest surveince video, she would have no chance of winning.¡±

    Wen Shouyi said in a low voice, her tone filled with unwillingness and dissatisfaction.

    Qin Yaoguang furrowed her brows deeply. ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for us to get involved in the He family¡¯s matters.¡±

    She had already divorced He Chengjian, and the He family was no longer her He family.

    Wen Shouyi was a little anxious. ¡°But my parents have been arrested. Dean Qin...¡±

    Qin Yaoguang raised her head and picked up the phone. ¡°How are your parents?¡±

    Wen Shouyi felt even more ufortable when she saw Qin Yaoguang avoiding the important matters. However, she didn¡¯t dare to show it in front of Qin Yaoguang. Her eyes darkened. ¡°They admitted to all the charges.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°Did you visit them today?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m on bail for now, so I can¡¯t visit them yet.¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked at her watch. She actually didn¡¯t want to go to the prison.

    Just as she was about to say something, the door behind her was kicked open.

    Wen Shouyi frowned and turned around. Just as she was about to berate him, she saw a group of people swarming in.

    He Zhichu, who was walking at the front, had a murderous look on his face. He strode past her without looking at her.

    He was wearing a dark green military uniform with a belt around his waist. His steps were big with his long legs, and his one step could actually catch up with her two or even three steps.

    Wen Shouyi looked at He Zhichu¡¯s back with aplicated expression. She thought to herself, what she liked the most was He Zhichu¡¯s elegant appearance in a suit as he stood on the podium.

    That was a truly unparalleled.

    ¡°Hey! What are you guys doing? How did you get in here? Get out! Get out!¡± The secretary wearing thick sses rushed out from the secretary¡¯s room. However, when she saw a group of men in military uniforms, she stopped and covered her mouth as she eximed, ¡°Young Master He? ! What are you guys doing? Are you here to see Dean Qin?¡±

    This secretary had followed Qin Yaoguang for many years, so she was familiar with He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu pushed her away and asked coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°Inside the office,¡± the Secretary replied in a daze. She felt that something was wrong, so she took out her phone thinking of sending Qin Yaoguang a message.

    He Zhichu knocked away her phone waved his hand to the back.

    A soldier wearing white gloves came up to her and showed her the arrest warrant. ¡°This is an arrest warrant issued by the court martial. All of you here, to be taken away!¡±

    The secretary heard that she had a part to y, and her mind buzzed. She almost fainted on the ground.

    Wen Shouyi saw this and quietly moved toward the door.

    A soldier held a gun and stopped her at the door. ¡°Stand still!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a staff member here. I¡¯m awyer. I have something to see Dean Qin. We just finished our discussion,¡± Wen Shouyi said carefully. She stole a nce at He Zhichu¡¯s back, worried that he would arrest her as well.

    However, on second thought, she had indeed done it wlessly. Legally speaking, there was no problem at all.

    She straightened her back and said lightly, ¡°Let me out. My name is not on your arrest warrant.¡±

    She was not yet the executive director of the Qin Private Hospital, nor was she a member of Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory.

    That soldier had asked his superior, and when he saw that Wen Shouyi was indeed not on the arrest warrant list, he let her go.

    He Zhichu had sent someone to monitor Wen Shouyi, so he did not stop him.

    His current target was Qin Yaoguang and herboratory, and Wen Shouyi was left to fish big fish.

    From the court hearing yesterday, He Zhichu was very clear that for Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents to be able to form a rtionship with Qin Yaoguang, it was definitely Wen Shouyi who pulled the strings.

    Wen Shouyi did not know anything?

    Qin Yaoguang heard themotion outside and picked up the internal phone to call. ¡°What¡¯s going on outside? Can¡¯t you be quiet?¡±

    He Zhichu pressed the speakerphone on the secretary¡¯s desk and said coldly, ¡°Dean Qin, I have an arrest warrant issued by the court martial. Pleasee with us.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart sank, but she quickly remembered that those people were all dead. He Zhichu didn¡¯t have any evidence against her, so she quickly calmed down. She said lightly, ¡°What right does the court martial have to issue an arrest warrant for me? Is there any evidence? If there¡¯s no evidence, please leave.¡±

    He Zhichu indeed didn¡¯t have any evidence regarding what happenedst night.

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili would rather die than use Qin Yaoguang.

    The five people he caught were all killed by the implosion of the chips in their brains. However, because the chips had already exploded, they were all shattered into powder. The guess was that it was the explosion of the chips based on the damage to the brain stem.

    There was not even a shred of the chips. There was indeed no way to use Qin Yaoguang of the assassinationst night.

    However, He Zhichu was also aw student. It was impossible for him to be intimidated by a single sentence from Qin Yaoguang.

    He calmly took out the application from the Imperial Capital Intermediate People¡¯s Court to the military ministry, he said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang, you are suspected of fraud and framing up in the kidnapping case of a minor eight years ago. The evidence is conclusive. The military court will officially take over the investigation and interrogation of this case based on your security level and the security level of yourboratory.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang walked out of the office and sneered. ¡°How did I frame up? That incident was clearly done by Gu Xiangwen. What does it have to do with me?¡±

    ¡°Then what about this note? Why did you take out a note that Gu Xiangwen wrote to you 14 years ago and use it as evidence that Gu Xiangwenmitted the crime eight years ago? Isn¡¯t this cheating and framing?¡±

    He Zhichu took out a copy of the note and waved it in front of Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang raised her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. This note wasn¡¯t written to me. I don¡¯t know how it appeared again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. It wasn¡¯t written to you. It was written to your entireboratory. Therefore, your entireboratory has been subpoenaed. Please follow us back to assist in the investigation.¡±

    He Zhichu said nonchntly as his gaze swept across Qin Yaoguang¡¯s office.

    Qin Yaoguang looked at the application of the Imperial Capital Intermediate People¡¯s Court and the arrest warrant issued by the court martial. She sneered. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Young Master He. I¡¯m not Wen Shouyi¡¯s powerless parents. If you want me to take the me, I won¡¯t sit still and wait for death!¡±

    He Zhichu smiled, revealing his white teeth. ¡°Oh? You mean, Wen Dayou and his wife are taking the me? For who? For you?¡±

 Chapter 1605 - Two of a Trade Never Agree

    <h4>Chapter 1605: Two of a Trade Never Agree</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang was choked by He Zhichu.

    How could she forget that before He Zhichu joined the army, he had also studiedw. He was also a barrister...

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed. She walked over from the crowd and said to He Zhichu in an official manner businesslike manner, ¡°Young Master He, I am Dean Qin¡¯swyer. I will apany her to go through the formalities.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang thought that Wen Shouyi had already left. She did not expect her to still be here. She did not stand by and do nothing. Her feelings wereplicated for a moment, but she did not reject Wen Shouyi¡¯s suggestion.

    Ever since Wen Shouyi appeared, Qin Yaoguang had stopped speaking. She began to exercise her ¡°Miranda right¡± which meant the right to remain silent.

    He Zhichu turned around and saw that Wen Shouyi had not left. He was a little surprised, but he did not show it. He raised his hand. ¡°Then we¡¯ll take her with us.¡±

    Wen Shouyi took out her sunsses and put them on Qin Yaoguang. She held her arm as they walked towards the door.

    He Zhichu¡¯s men followed Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb roster and took away thirty-six of herb staff.

    The entireb building was sealed,pletely sealed.

    The military pulled the yellow line and sent armed soldiers to guard it.

    In the era of the inte, it was difficult for such a big operation to escape the danger of being exposed on the inte.

    When they left Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb, they had to pass through the gate of the Qin family¡¯s private hospital.

    With such a big lineup, many people immediately raised their phones and began to take photos, post on Weibo, and WeChat.

    Before they left the hospital gate, all kinds of photos had already spread on social media.

    ¡°Young Master He, do you want to take measures to control public opinion?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary was closely monitoring the development of the inte, unsure of how far He Zhichu wanted to go.

    He Zhichu got into the car and calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Since He Zhichu had already said that he didn¡¯t need to worry about it, his subordinates would only watch from the sidelines.

    As a result, the poprity of the inte continued to rise. Whether it was trending or the headlines, news of Qin Yaoguang, the Dean of Qin Private Hospital, being taken away by the court martial spread like wildfire.

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea that the case had been taken over by the military.

    That afternoon, she was sprawled on her sofa. Her legs crossed as she was browsing Weibo with her phone.

    She was suddenly attracted by the trending news on Weibo, and her front page was almost filled with news about Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately stood up and knelt on the sofa, her fingers quickly tapping on her phone as she browsed through the news.

    Lu Jin was sitting not far from her, writing a program when he suddenly caught a glimpse of her kneeling and ying with her phone. He was bbergasted.¡±... Nianzhi, why are you kneeling and looking at your phone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She quickly changed from kneeling to sitting and said excitedly, ¡°Dad, do you know what I saw? ! Major He arrested Qin Yaoguang!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes widened and he stood up from his seat. ¡°What?! He Zhichu arrested Qin Yaoguang?! What happened?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi picked up a piece of news and opened it. She was embarrassed.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Lu Jin was very worried and walked over. ¡°Let me see.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and handed her phone to Lu Jin, she said awkwardly, ¡°It¡¯s still my case. Didn¡¯t the Imperial Intermediate People¡¯s court apply to the military to subpoena Qin Yaoguang and herb staff? The news here said that because of the importance of Qin Yaoguang and herb, there was a case that required all of them to assist in the investigation. It also said that the case involved the disappearance of a minor eight years ago...¡±

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief and looked much more rxed. ¡°The military took over? That¡¯s not bad. He Zhichu did a pretty good job.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin and asked curiously, ¡°Dad, Tell me the truth. Did you have a crush on Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°Me? A crush on her?!¡± Lu Jin pointed at himself and snorted. ¡°I really didn¡¯t have a crush on her! Don¡¯t you know that peers are enemies? To me, I know everything she knows. I know more than she does. What is it about her that makes me admire her enough to develop a crush on her?¡±

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked suspiciously. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to be embarrassed. I won¡¯tugh at you. Even if you did like her, it¡¯s only the result of your hormones acting up. It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t like her now.¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes and ced his legs on the coffee table. He crossed his legs and said, ¡°I never liked her, in the past, now, and in the future. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin for a while. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t forcing himself, she nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I believe you. Then you can¡¯t object to what I¡¯m going to do next.¡±

    Lu Jin looked up at her, a little uneasy. ¡°Nianzhi, are you really going to deal with Qin Yaoguang? But, if she reveals your constitution and your genes to the public, have you ever thought that you might be ab rat for the rest of your life?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, and said confidently, ¡°No, the worst case scenario is that my constitution will be exposed to the public, but I won¡¯t be ab rat for the rest of my life, because I want to return to the other world. Huo Shao will protect me there. He will never let me be someone else¡¯sb rat.¡±

    Lu Jin heard this and slowly lowered his head, not daring to look into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    It was because her eyes were so determined, so persistent, as if she was speaking the only truth in the world.

    The sun rose from the east and set in the west.

    The four seasons alternated, and the cycle of fate was repeated. Her faith was already unbreakable.

    ¡°... What if you can¡¯t go back?¡± Lu Jin asked softly, ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t go back?¡± Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. Seeing that Lu Jin was in a low mood, she quickly understood his feelings. She smiled and sat beside him, holding his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder, she said, ¡°Father and Young Master He will also protect me, so that I won¡¯t be a guinea pig.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart was brightened up, and his mood immediately improved. He stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, and said with satisfaction, ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Nianzhi, let me tell you something. Men may be unreliable and change their hearts, but I definitely won¡¯t. I¡¯ll do my best to protect you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi arched her eyebrows, she smiled and said, ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to do this. Actually, what I meant was that Huo Shao was a very responsible person. When it came to love, he might be unreliable and he might change his heart, but he would still protect me. He would definitely not let me suffer such a fate. It¡¯s because this is his duty. His natural duty is to protect us ordinary people from the scourge of bad luck.¡±

    She was indeed not that confident in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s love, but she was unusually confident in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s principles as a soldier.

    Lu Jin was a little embarrassed and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. What a pity. If I hadn¡¯t acted impulsively back then, I wouldn¡¯t have engaged in an energy war with He Chengjian...¡±

    Without energy now, they were like housewives who couldn¡¯t cook without rice. They had technology but couldn¡¯t activate it.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly consoled him, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If we really have to go back, there will always be a way. Besides, my target is Qin Yaoguang now. I won¡¯t go back until I send this woman to prison!¡±

    Lu Jin blinked and looked at her nervously. He wanted to say something but hesitated.

 Chapter 1606 - Canâ€™t Be Cut Off

    <h4>Chapter 1606: Can¡¯t Be Cut Off</h4>

    Sensing Lu Jin¡¯s anxious expression, Gu Nianzhi thought he was still worried about her, so she said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t think too much about it. In fact, in my opinion, Qin Yaoguang might not dare to expose my special constitution.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if she still has some sense,¡± Lu Jin said angrily as he shifted his gaze uneasily. ¡°But she¡¯s now under Young Master He¡¯s control. Your next interrogation will be held in the secret court martial. Even if she were to announce it publicly, there will be a limit to the number of people who will know. With He Zhichu around, they won¡¯t dare touch you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I thought, so I¡¯m not worried. I need to prepare how to deal with this in court.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang and the people in herb still weren¡¯t considered suspects.

    They still had an even bigger battle to fight in court.

    Lu Jin was very pleased with her reaction and said, ¡°Have you finished watching the video of the trial of Young Master He¡¯s mother? Did you learn anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought of Qin Suwen¡¯s video of the trial and was full of praise. ¡°Young Master He¡¯s mother is indeed very impressive. Her performance in court was simply peerless.¡±

    This woman¡¯s elegance in court was not based on her looks at all. It was more than just her figure and appearance. It was based on her innate charm.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? !¡± Lu Jin was excited. ¡°She really knows how to talk! I¡¯ve never met someone who knows how to talk so well!¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up and put on airs. He imitated Qin Suwen¡¯s tone of voice and waved his hand as he began to recite one of her closing statements.

    ¡°... Ourw emphasizes too much on the rights of the defendant and protects the rights of too many criminal suspects. But what about the victims? Who will protect the rights of the victims? !¡±

    ¡°... When the young girl was raped and killed in the ssroom, the suspect of the rape and murder case was tightly protected. No one had seen his photo, and even his real name was not released. But the picture of the murdered girl, her real name and identity, had been widely circted on the Inte.¡±

    ¡°Why is that? Is it because the deceased cannot speak for themselves? The deceased no longer has human rights?¡±

    ¡°Or has our conscience be biased?¡±

    ¡°Ourw now does not even meet the minimum ethical standards. In some ways, it has even be the destroyer of morals!¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Lu Jin with her mouth agape.

    How many times had this guy watched Qin Suwen¡¯s trial video? !

    He had practically memorized every word she had said...

    ¡°How was it? Did I say it well?¡± Lu Jin finished his closing statement and turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi with an especially happy smile.

    Gu Nianzhi pped her hands and was very touched. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re amazing! You¡¯re really amazing!¡±

    ¡°Not at all. Actually, it¡¯s only 99% restored.¡± Lu Jin pretended to be modest as he sat down. The corners of his lips curled up, revealing his true state of mind.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s 100% restored.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave him a thumbs up and smiled widely. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be so modest in front of me.¡±

    ¡°How is it 100% restored?¡± Lu Jin waved his hand and raised his eyebrows proudly. ¡°She has a female voice, and I have a male voice. There¡¯s an innate difference of one percentage point, so it¡¯s only 99% restored.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She had forgotten that Lu Jin was a very strict scientist.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her nose. Fawning over a scientist with a great memory was really tiring.

    ¡°Okay, 99% then.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked down at her phone and continued to read the news about Qin Yaoguang on Weibo. She said, ¡°Dad, you think too highly of me. I think there¡¯s still a big gap between me andwyer Qin.¡±

    She was more of an improviser, and her preparations obviously weren¡¯t as solid as Qin Suwen¡¯s.

    Not only had Qin Suwen performed well on the spot, but he had also made detailed preparations beforehand. Whenever she went to court, there would be no cases where she needed to add additional materials or summon new witnesses.

    As long as she went on stage, it would be a one-time deal, and the oue would be decided.

    That was why she had a nickname in the legal world, ¡°Qin First Instance.¡± It meant that all the cases she had taken on only required a first instance, and no one would be able to sessfully appeal the second instance.

    Lu Jin hugged the back of his head and lost in thought, he leaned back on the sofa. ¡°You¡¯re still young. I see that you already have two-thirds of her skills. With time, you¡¯ll surpass her soon!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and did notment.

    She browsed through the trending news on Weibo, but in her mind, she was trying to figure out how to cut in when the court martial was held.

    The note was just one piece of evidence. It would be very difficult to convict Qin Yaoguang with just this note.

    She had only been reading for a few minutes when she suddenly saw a piece of news quickly trending.

    ¡°A fire broke out on the outskirts of a military vehicle. Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb worker was killed in the fire.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked up and said, ¡°Turn on the TV! Turn on the TV now! See if there¡¯s any breaking news!¡±

    It was better to watch TV.

    Lu Jin was confused, but he still took out the remote control and turned on the news channel of the television on the wall.

    Sure enough, the TV was also broadcasting the breaking news live.

    A female reporter in a fireman¡¯s uniform was holding a microphone and standing on the shoulder of the highway in the suburbs.

    Behind her was a raging fire.

    The fire, emitting thick ck smoke and staining the sky with a scar, was overwhelming

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened and her head felt dizzy. She quickly found He Zhichu¡¯s number and called him without thinking.

    The phone on the other end rang a few times, but no one answered.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more worried. He Zhichu would be fine, right?

    She had seen the news before and knew that he was personally responsible for the capture of Qin Yaoguang and the people from herb.

    Soon, the news on television confirmed this.

    ¡°... the personmanding the scene is Major General He Zhichu from the military. He¡¯s over there directing the fire, but he refuses to ept interviews!¡±

    The female reporter who was broadcasting the scene seemed to be a little angry. Several times, she tried to break through the cordon line with her microphone and charge towards the burning military vehicle.

    However, the soldier in charge of the cordon was very strong and did not hesitate to stop her from moving forward.

    The female reporter was furious and pointed at the soldier¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°You¡¯re obstructing the freedom of the press! What¡¯s your name? Military rank? Official position? Unit number? I want to report you to your leader!¡±

    The little soldier¡¯s face was flushed red, but he still stood there without moving. He used his body to form a wall, separating the sea of people in front of him from the sea of fire behind him.

    The female reporter turned around. She said to the camera indignantly, ¡°The military has gone too far this time! Dean Qin is a famous brain surgeon in our country. Herboratory has made outstanding contributions to our country¡¯s biological science and medicine! But the military arrested all of them with just a single arrest warrant...¡±

    In the live broadcast room of the television station¡¯s news channel, there was an anchor who was connecting with the female reporters at the scene. All of them were very excited, and their faces were glowing.

    Because another big news had happened. They did not care about how many people survived the fire or how to put out the fire. They only knew that their program¡¯s viewership ratings were going to rise, and the topic¡¯s heat was going to be hyped up.

    Only when the viewership was high could the poprity be realized.

    In order to hype up the show and increase its appeal, they had even hired experts to interact with the female reporters in the live broadcast room. They had even set up a direct phone call to allow ordinary citizens to participate in the discussion.

    Very soon, a few passers-by called in and unanimously condemned the military, especially Major General He Zhichi¡¯s aggressve behavior. They also hinted that he had used his family background to get promoted as a young master soldier to arrest Qin Yaoguang, in fact, it was an act of using official business to vent his personal anger.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Where did this b * starde from? !

    She quickly picked up her phone and called the hotline in the live broadcast room.

    However, the line was always busy after she had dialed for five minutes. There was no way to call in.

    Was it really that popr?

    There were so many people calling at the same time that the line was busy?

    Or were they just ying with themselves

    Gu Nianzhi made up her mind and used her Trojan virus program to hack into the hotline number.

    Most of the calls now were made over the inte. In order to save money in the live broadcast room, the hotline that interacted with the audience was the inte phone, so it was convenient for Gu Nianzhi.

    The moment she used a Trojan virus to hack into the background of their inte phone, she realized that there was indeed something fishy about the so-called ¡°audience hotline¡±!

    There weren¡¯t many people on the phone at all, so it was impossible for the line to be busy all the time.

    Gu Nianzhi sneered and squeezed the phone out of their phone, then dialed the number herself.

    To be on the safe side, she turned on the voice-changing system on her phone. Of course, the program that hid the IP was apanied by the Trojan virus.

    She immediately identified herself. ¡°I¡¯m awyer. What I want to say is that your female reporter at the scene was very unprofessional and has vited manyws.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to speak eloquently. ¡°First of all, with an arrest warrant, you can arrest people. Your female reporter actually challenged the court¡¯s arrest warrant. Howw-blind is she? Did she graduate from nine-yearpulsory education?¡±

    ¡°Second of all, Qin Yaoguang has made contributions in the past, but that doesn¡¯t mean she won¡¯t break thew, nor does it mean she can use her past achievements to offset thews she has broken.¡±

    ¡°Third of all, Major General He Zhichi is putting out the fire. He is on a mission. May I ask which soldier has the obligation to be interviewed while on a mission? Speak up and let the people beat you to death!¡±

    ¡°Fourth of all, your female reporter attempted to break through the military¡¯s cordon line, which is already illegal. Furthermore, she is suspected of threatening the active-duty soldiers on a mission. Your news video is evidence. When this is over, wait for the military¡¯swyer letter!¡±

    The news anchor, expert, and female reporter in the live broadcast room were stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lecture.

    After a full five minutes, Gu Nianzhi had finished most of what she wanted to say. The other side hurriedly urged the director, ¡°Quickly cut off her phone! Cut off the recording of the video just now! It can¡¯t be broadcast!¡±

    The director was sweating profusely backstage. He sobbed, ¡°I can¡¯t... I can¡¯t cut off her call! This function seems to have failed!¡±

    ¡°The recording has been broadcast simultaneously. I can¡¯t cut it off...¡±

 Chapter 1607 - A Little Excited

    <h4>Chapter 1607: A Little Excited</h4>

    At the same time, the video of the live broadcast of the television station being dissed had spread all over the inte.

    Although the live broadcast host was still forcing a smile, in his heart, he had already scolded the female reporter who was interviewing the live broadcast.

    Gu Nianzhi had just hung up when the headwyer of the Military Legal Affairs Department directly called the higher-ups of the television station to tell them that the hot news had vited manyws and that they would send awyer¡¯s letter to the program team, especially the female reporter on the scene. She would be directly sued in court.

    Only then did the higher-ups of the television station know what had happened. They hurriedly promised that they would deal with it seriously and would not allow such irresponsible remarks to appear on television again.

    The chiefwyer of the Military Legal Affairs Department onlyughed twice and said, ¡°That¡¯s a different matter. It¡¯s already toote to deal with it now. Be careful in the future, but this time, we still have to meet in court.¡±

    After hanging up, the chiefwyer of the Military Legal Affairs Department said to his secretary, ¡°Is thewyer¡¯s letter ready?¡±

    His secretary was watching the news and immediately said, ¡°Chief, did you get someone to call the program team to warn them before? That girl also said that the military wanted to send awyer¡¯s letter to the program team!¡±

    The chiefwyer was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Does our military have anyone else who can contact the television station¡¯s news broadcast room?¡±

    ¡°No? It¡¯s not someone you found?¡± His secretary was also dumbfounded. ¡°Look at this most popr video where someone called the hotline of the live broadcast room. From the anchor to the expert to the reporters on the spot, they were all fiercely rebuked by her. They could only take it lying down!¡±

    The chiefwyer clicked on the video link that his secretary sent him and looked at it. After watching it, he was very surprised. He chuckled and said, ¡°There are really experts among the people. However, it also shows that our people are standing on the side of justice. Those media people don¡¯t report news properly and insist on sensationalizing it for the sake of attracting attention. They are actually lowering their status and damaging the credibility of the media.¡±

    The most important characteristic of news should be impartial and impartial reporting that adheres to facts. There was no need for reporters to voice their subjective opinions and teach their viewers how to behave.

    If the reporters put themselves in a high and mighty position and inted themselves, they would really think that they were the uncrowned king. The general audience would let them know who was in control.

    After the headwyer solved the problem at the television station, he called He Zhichu specifically to report the progress of the work.

    ¡°Young Master He, the matter at the television station has been settled. Thewyer¡¯s letter is being prepared and will be sent out very soon. Those who need to go through legal procedures will go through legal procedures. Those who need to report criticism will not let the matter escte.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned and watched the firemen put out the fire with his hands behind his back.

    The military car that contained Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory staff had been burnt to an empty shell.

    The military driver, the soldiers who escorted the car, and theboratory staff in the car had all died in the fire.

    The military¡¯s fire investigation experts were in front checking the situation of the fire.

    The cause of the fire this time was very clear.

    When their car was driving on this highway, a car suddenly tried to overtake them from behind, but it hit the guardrail and bounced back, colliding with the military car that contained theboratory staff.

    They thought it was just a simple car ident. However, when the car crashed into the military car, the fuel tank exploded and suddenly burst into mes. The sky-high mes shot up to the roof of the military car and quickly burned up.

    Moreover, the mes were very big, unlike the fire caused by ordinary gasoline.

    So, was it really an ident that caused the fire?

    Probably no one would believe it.

    He Zhichu was on the phone with the chiefwyer through a bluetooth headset.

    The chiefwyer on the other end of the phone was still unsatisfied. He was still saying, ¡°Young Master He, this time, not only are we making a move, but the viewers watching TV are also not easy to fool. In fact, before me, there was someone who called the TV station to scold them. Do you want to watch the video? It¡¯s the most viral video on the inte right now, and the number of views has already exceeded ten million in ten minutes.¡±

    He Zhichu actually did not have the mood to watch the viral video, but his personal secretary was closely monitoring the situation on the inte. At this moment, she sent him a link and said excitedly, ¡°Young Master He, you must watch it!¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    He took out his phone and swiped open the link to the viral video sent by his secretary.

    He Zhichu felt a strange sense of familiarity when he heard the voice of the woman on the phone, even though the voice soundedpletely different.

    However, after watching the entire video, He Zhichu was certain that the woman who had called immediately to confront them was Gu Nianzhi.

    He was so familiar with her style and tone of voice, as well as her vocabry and logic. He had practically taught her everything she knew.

    As for the difference in her voice, she must have used a voice changer.

    If he had not guessed wrongly, Gu Nianzhi had used a hacker¡¯s method to call the hotline. She had calmly finished her sentence and had not been cut off.

    Otherwise, if the director had noticed that something was wrong, he would have immediately stopped the live broadcast and would not have allowed this embarrassing speech to be broadcast.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hardened heart instantly softened.

    Listening to her voice was like listening to a soft and warm hand gently massage his taut forehead in the cold winter weather. From head to toe, he felt soothed andfortable.

    He looked at the missed calls on his phone. The first one was from Gu Nianzhi.

    Judging from the time of the call, it was when he had just had an ident.

    She must have called because she was worried about his safety?

    He Zhichu did not have the time to answer the phone, and she did not continue to call him. Instead, she turned her attention to the people who were trying to take advantage of him...

    He Zhichu felt both heartache and pain at this kind of thoughtful care and protection.

    However, this was not the time to be wishy-washy.

    He Zhichu did not call. Instead, he sent Gu Nianzhi a text message: [ I¡¯m fine. Your call was very good. ]

    Gu Nianzhi saw the text message and immediately understood that He Zhichu had already watched the viral video.

    Although she had only revealed her voice and had used a voice changer, He Zhichu was so familiar with her that he must have recognized her.

    He Zhichu had at least half the credit for her legal aplishments.

    After all, he was her master¡¯s tutor!

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved, but also a little embarrassed.

    She had not expected the five-minute video in the live news channel to spread so widely.

    Fortunately, she had used a voice changer. Other than He Zhichu and Lu Jin, no one else could tell it was her. He Zhichu and Lu Jin would not tell anyone, so she was safe.

    However, when she saw thements posted by theizens on the viral video, she realized that most of them were supportive of her, so she was a little excited.

    No matter how strong a person was, they would always want to be recognized by others, instead of being a lone hero.

    Lu Jin gave her a thumbs up with a smile. ¡°Nianzhi is indeed amazing!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked at Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to say that anymore. I¡¯m not stupid. I know I¡¯m amazing.¡±

    Lu Jinughed at her words.

    On the television, the live broadcast of the news had already been canceled. The broadcast space that had been cleared was now broadcasting international news.

    It was eight or nine o¡¯clock in the evening in the United States, which was on the other side of the ocean.

    The President of the United States was holding a dinner party at the White House. He was hosting the visiting head of the Moscow Municipal Party Committee, Yeltsin, and the Chairman of the Soviet Youth Affairs Standing Committee, Mikhail Gorbachev.

    On television, the Golden Banquet Hall of the White House was full of friends and guests, and the banquet was filled with all sorts of entertainment events.

    Right next to the most beautiful daughter of the president, Ivany, who was nicknamed the ¡°Eldest princess¡±byizens, sat a chinese-american man in a ck gown.

    Under the beautiful crystal lights, his unrivaled beauty overshadowed the brilliance of the crystal lights, but his expression was colder than ice and snow. His eyes were half-closed, and he sat with a solemn posture. Everyone around him seemed to have be his backdrop.

    In fact, his presence was even more memorable between the big-bellied, white-haired Yeltsin and Gorbachev, who had a red birthmark on his forehead.

    The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, was now the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet Union¡¯s Conste General in C City, China. He was also a diplomat of the Soviet Union.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the television in sudden realization. So when the Ace of the Far East said that he had something to leave China for, he had joined the Soviet delegation and was visiting the United States...

 Chapter 1608 - Cover up

    <h4>Chapter 1608: Cover up</h4>

    Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi was suddenly stunned. He followed her line of sight to the television and also saw the Ace of the Far East/Deputy Chief Counsel of the Conste General.

    ¡°Ha.¡± Heughed. ¡°I was wondering why this dog skin ster has been missing recently. Turns out he¡¯s stuck in America.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked away and said nonchntly, ¡°After all, he¡¯s the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet Union, so Dad, don¡¯t say that in front of him.¡±

    ¡°So I have to yield to him? Who does he think he is?¡± Lu Jin scoffed. He had always disliked this person, and now that Gu Nianzhi was speaking up for him, Lu Jin was in a bad mood. ¡°Even if your fianc¨¦ from the other dimensiones here personally, he should yield to me!¡±

    What he meant was that this fake would never be treated as an authentic one, and that the authentic one would not be treated well in his ce.

    ¡°Daughters should marry above while sons should marry below. Nianzhi, you¡¯re good at everything, so you can¡¯t be too humble. You have to put on our own airs!¡± Lu Jin spoke matter-of-factly, as if he was saying, ¡°I¡¯m proud to have a daughter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was warm. She was so touched by Lu Jin¡¯s all-epassing stance of protecting her that her eyes turned red.

    After so many years, the part of her heart that was empty had finally been filled with his fatherly love.

    She thought, look, I don¡¯t necessarily need motherly love.

    With a father like Lu Jin around, who would care who her mother was?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said with a wronged expression, ¡°But I¡¯m not good at everything. For example, I don¡¯t know how to cook or sing, and when ites to high-energy physics, I can¡¯t even read a book...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay!¡± Lu Jin encouraged her without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m not a chef, so it¡¯s natural that you can¡¯t cook. You don¡¯t have that in your genes!¡±

    ¡°As for singing, I¡¯m also tone-deaf, so it¡¯s also because of me.¡±

    Lu Yuan walked in with fresh vegetables and fruits. He snorted when he heard that, ¡°Nianzhi not knowing high-energy physics probably isn¡¯t in your genes, or perhaps you should do a DNA test? I always feel that such a cute little girl like Nianzhi doesn¡¯t look like your child. After all, you don¡¯t know how to talk.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? !¡± Lu Jin jumped up from the sofa in anger. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to talk! Your whole family doesn¡¯t know how to talk! So what if they can talk! Tomorrow, I¡¯ll build a robot that can take care of everything! I¡¯ll pretend to be dumb and let it talk!¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and almostughed out loud.

    Lu Jin pointed at his nose resentfully and said, ¡°Don¡¯tugh! I¡¯ll make it look like you and make it bow to me every day and call me boss!¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine. You¡¯re a great scientist, but I can¡¯t beat you.¡± Lu Yuan rolled his eyes at him and turned to greet Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want to eat for lunch? The fish today is very fresh. It¡¯s wild and hasn¡¯t been polluted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, President Lu. Then, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony. Can you make pickled fish? It has to be especially delicious.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll go see how much pickled cabbage we have left.¡± Lu Yuan entered the kitchen of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite with familiarity and began to tidy up.

    ..

    The fire was finally put out, and the tall military vehicle was left with only a pitch-ck frame.

    The air was filled with thick ck smoke. Someone was spraying preparations in the air to cover the smell of burning human bodies.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was gloomy. He stood in front of the burnt military vehicle with his hands behind his back and ordered coldly, ¡°Send an additionalpany of men to Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory building! I want to see how arrogant they are!¡±

    So many lives had been lost. He Zhichu¡¯s heart was heavy, and his hands could not help but clench into fists.

    Why?

    Why did they do this?

    What exactly were they trying to cover up?

    If it was not because the other party was particrly stupid, then it was because they could no longer care about other things. Instead, they were desperate to hide their secrets, no matter what the cost.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory...

    It was the ¡°Gu Qin¡±boratory that she had worked with Gu Xiangwen in the past.

    After Gu Xiangwen was burned to death, thisboratory became Qin Yaoguang¡¯s private property and was renamed as the ¡°Yaoguang¡±boratory.

    Qin Yaoguang sat in He Zhichu¡¯s car and looked at the burnt military car opposite her with a calm expression. She scoffed softly.

    They were all useless. It was good that they were dead.

    He Zhichu returned to the car and saw Qin Yaoguang¡¯s gaze that she did not have time to retract. He was slightly stunned.

    ¡°You should be d that you were sitting in the same car with me. Otherwise, you would be one of them now.¡± He Zhichu closed the car door and looked out the window at the scene of the fire.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Young Master He, we don¡¯t have to be so polite. You know that I have always been direct. How are you going topensate for myb workers? What good will it do you to kill them? Why did you want to kill them all? !¡±

    He Zhichu nced at her. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m the one who killed these people?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you? !¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes widened, and her voluptuous lips pursed into a drooping arc. ¡°Young Master He, who else has the ability to do such a thing? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, I want to know too. Who else is there besides me?¡± He Zhichu said meaningfully. ¡°Cut the crap. I¡¯ll see you in court martial.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡± Qin Yaoguang sat back down in a huff. ¡°I want to see awyer! I want to exercise my civil rights!¡±

    He Zhichu ignored her and ordered the driver to drive to the temporary detention center in the suburbs of court martial.

    If they didn¡¯t go to the suburbs today but were in the downtown area, the damage and panic would be even greater.

    He Zhichu was thinking about what the other party might have done, as well as the possible mastermind behind it. As he focused his attention, he suddenly heard his phone ring.

    He took it out to take a look and realized that it was his father, He Chengjian.

    He Zhichu put on his bluetooth headset and picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello, General He.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang heard it from the side, and the corners of her eyes twitched uncontrobly. A wave of hope rose in her heart, and she quietly asked, ¡°Is it Big Brother He? Does he know that something has happened to me?¡±

    He Zhichu felt a wave of uncontroble anger rise in his heart. He turned his head and said angrily, ¡°Shut up! How old are you? Do you still think you are a little girl? Does my father have anything to do with you? !¡±

    ¡°You call a man who is not rted to you ¡®Big Brother¡¯. Have you ever thought about what his wife would think?¡±

    When Qin Suwen was still alive, Qin Yaoguang often called He Chengjian ¡°Big Brother He¡± in front of her.

    He Chengjian felt guilty because he had broken off the engagement with her, and had tolerated her calling him that.

    However, He Zhichu knew that his mother, Qin Suwen, had been tolerating this form of address for a long time, but for the sake of courtesy and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s pride, she had not said anything.

    Qin Suwen had grown up in the Qin family¡¯s orphanage. The Qin family had done her a great favor, so she would not be unable to ept just a form of address.

    However, He Zhichu did not buy it.

    In fact, ever since He Zhichu had broken off the engagement with Gu Nianzhi, he had no longer paid attention to his image or his man¡¯s breadth of mind.

    He hadpletely let himself go.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face instantly turned red.

    There was no greater humiliation than being scolded in front of her beloved¡¯s son.

    Her lips trembled as she sobbed, ¡°I know you hate me because of Gu Nianzhi, but I¡¯m also her biological mother, I...¡±

    ¡°If you mention that you¡¯re Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother again, do you believe I¡¯ll sew your mouth shut?¡± He Zhichu narrowed his eyes. ¡°What makes you a good mother? Didn¡¯t you just provide a womb and an egg cell to call yourself a mother. Qin Yaoguang, you¡¯d better pray that you didn¡¯t do anything to Nianzhi, or I¡¯ll personally break your bones one by one and grind them into powder to feed the dogs!¡±

    ¡°Zhichu! Why are you talking like that? !¡± On the other end of the Bluetooth headset, He Chengjian was dumbstruck as he listened to his son¡¯s vicious words. He could not help but reprimand him. ¡°Even if you hate her, don¡¯t lose your grace in front of her! Besides, she¡¯s your savior! What did your mother teach you in the past?¡±

    ¡°My mother is good at everything. The only bad thing is that she endured guilt towards her for so many years!¡± He Zhichu did not want to talk to He Chengjian anymore. He disconnected the connection, took out his phone, and blocked He Chengjian¡¯s number. He ordered calmly, ¡°Turn around and return to the base. Seal it offpletely!¡±

 Chapter 1609 - the Strongest Shield

    <h4>Chapter 1609: the Strongest Shield</h4>

    Wasn¡¯t He Zhichu scolding himself?

    He had been mindful that Qin Yaoguang was his savior and Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother, so he had tolerated her for many years.

    Back in the other world, he still did not believe that Qin Yaoguang had anything to do with it, even when he knew something was wrong.

    It was not because of any other reason, but because she was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother.

    How could a biological mother be so vicious and ruthless to her own daughter and want to get rid of her as soon as possible?

    He had subconsciously ruled out this possibility at the time.

    However, when he returned, he found Qin Yaoguang¡¯s undisguised malice toward Gu Nianzhi, especially when she had used all her methods to obtain her ¡°body¡± for the experiment. That firm belief in his heart hadpletely copsed.

    Not every biological mother was worthy of being a mother.

    The word ¡®mother¡¯ was definitely not just tied by blood.

    ..

    Just as the car carrying Qin Yaoguang returned to the base, He Zhichu¡¯s phone rang.

    He took out his phone and looked at it. It was a call from thepanymander that he had left behind to guard Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He Zhichu asked crisply.

    There must be something wrong with him calling at this time.

    ¡°Company Commander reporting. Someone tried to sneak attack theb and was killed on the spot.¡± The Company Commander¡¯s voice was very nervous. ¡°But now, many ordinary citizens, pushing and shoving us, have surrounded us, and are asking us to leave the hospital...¡±

    ¡°Are they really ordinary citizens?¡± He Zhichu scoffed. ¡°They are not ordinary citizens. They are bandits who are not afraid of death when facing armed soldiers. Arrest them all and let them wait for interrogation!¡±

    ¡°... Chief, can we?¡± The Company Commander did not dare to point his gun at these ordinary citizens.

    ¡°If anything happens, I will take care of it for you!¡± He Zhichu said coldly, and his attitude very firm.

    The Company Commander on the other side was stifled, but he saw a ¡°ordinary citizen¡± lifting a brick and about to smash it at the head of a small soldier beside him. The Company Commander reflexively fired a shot, hitting the man¡¯s wrist.

    The brick in that person¡¯s hand fell to the ground with a plop, and he held onto his bleeding hand while screaming wildly.

    The ¡°ordinary citizens¡± who were about to surround them all fled when they saw this.

    As expected, they were not ¡°ordinary citizens¡±...

    The Company Commandersighed in his heart, and his back hardened.

    With Major General He¡¯s support, things were simply different.

    ..

    In order to prevent the people behind Qin Yaoguang fromunching another sneak attack, He Zhichu decided to bring her back to the base.

    If there were still people who could force their way into the military base, then only an army mutiny could make it possible.

    The most heavily guarded small building in the military base was the temporary prison where Qin Yaoguang was being held.

    However, Qin Yaoguang had made up her mind not to speak and she only waited for herwyer.

    She was notpletely ignorant of thew and knew that He Zhichu could only hold her for forty-eight hours with the arrest warrant.

    After forty-eight hours, she would either be handed over to the court, or she would be released.

    With her status and identity, it was impossible to imprison her without valid reason.

    His prediction was not wrong.

    On social media, the news of the arrest of the famous biomedical expert, phnthropist, and brain surgeon Qin Yaoguang, who was only one step away from the Nobel Prize, quickly spread.

    The Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital had been operating for so many years, so it also had its ownwork and social status. There were many people who stood up for her.

    From celebrities to government officials, from ordinary people to business tycoons, they were all demanding that the military announce the reason for Qin Yaoguang¡¯s arrest. There were even people whounched an online petition signing campaign.

    At the same time, there were also people within the military who disagreed with He Zhichu¡¯s actions. Some even had someints against He Zhichu¡¯s father, He Chengjian.

    However, the members of the Military Supreme Council were on He Zhichu¡¯s side because they knew more and moreprehensive information. However, most of the information here could not be made public.

    Even if their own citizens knew about this information, not all of the citizens were loyal to this country. There were voluntaryolunta spies, foreign spies, and intelligence agents.

    Therefore, the public¡¯s right to know was only a rtive concept to arge extent.

    When it came to national security, the public¡¯s right to know had to bepromised.

    He Zhichu actually didn¡¯t care how the public mored on the inte.

    But he couldn¡¯t not abide by thew.

    The military¡¯s arrest warrant only gave him 48 hours.

    After 48 hours, he had to hand Qin Yaoguang over to the court martial and wait for her to appear in court.

    Although he really wanted to torture Qin Yaoguang, he was only thinking about it. He could noty a hand on Qin Yaoguang until he was sure that she was guilty, so as not to leave any evidence behind and affect the trial.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi was also paying close attention to the progress of the case. After all, she was both the victim and thewyer.

    When she woke up one night, the inte was flooded with posts iming Qin Yaoguang¡¯s innocence. It almost blinded Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big, manga-like eyes.

    ¡°Is this Qin Yaoguang really that amazing? Look at this post, she¡¯s like a goddess reincarnated, a bodhisattva appearing...¡± Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. She held her phone as she browsed through the viral posts and viral news searches on the Inte. ¡°If I remember correctly, the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital is a private hospital. It¡¯s known for being expensive, so how did it suddenly be a hailmark of public health?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was unhappy when she saw so many posts that ndered He Zhichu both openly and covertly.

    How was this a ndering He Zhichu?

    This was ndering Gu Nianzhi!

    He Zhichu had stood up for her, and that was why he had attracted so much negative public opinion.

    Gu Nianzhi read the posts for the whole morning and finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°They are ganging up on Young Master He... is the next step going to be ndering me?¡± Gu Nianzhi made up her mind and said to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, I want to investigate the development of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and also investigate the situation of the Qin¡¯s Orphanage. I don¡¯t believe that such a private group without social supervision can be so noble!¡±

    Weren¡¯t they all willing to do anything for money? Social responsibility and conscience? They didn¡¯t exist.

    Lu Jin looked at her in confusion. ¡°Why are you investigating the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital? They¡¯ve been running private hospitals for decades, and they¡¯re spread all over the country. Their reputation is indeed good. As for the Qin¡¯s Orphanage...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Qin Orphanage?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she asked in surprise, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°... I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a problem, but Young Master He¡¯s mother, Lawyer Qin, was an orphan adopted by the Qin Orphanage.¡± Lu Jin scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°Did you know?¡±

    ¡°... I heard that Lawyer Qin was an orphan. So, she was an orphan in the Qin Orphanage.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s jet-ck eyes rolled around. ¡°An orphan from an orphanage who stole the fianc¨¦ of the heiress of the Qin family... how melodramatic!¡±

    ¡°Melodramatic?¡± Lu Jin frowned unhappily. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about great Lawyer Qin like that. She¡¯s smart, capable, kind-hearted, persistent, and independent. If someone were to choose, why would I choose Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But, to be honest, Qin Yaoguang is much more beautiful than Lawyer Qin based on her looks.¡± Gu Nianzhi, feeling a little resentful for the first time, couldn¡¯t help touching her face.

    She would rather have an average appearance than look so much like Qin Yaoguang!

    Especially her lips, they were practically the same as Qin Yaoguang¡¯s.

    Lu Jin snorted, crossed his legs, and poked her with his hand. ¡°Shallow. You only know how to look at a person¡¯s face. You¡¯re head over heels in love with Major General Huo probably because of his face, right?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to think for a moment. ¡°Major General Huo is charming me not just because of his face, but without his face, it would be absolutely impossible!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a little girl!¡± Lu Jin shook his head with a smile and stood up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you investigate the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and the Qin Orphanage¡¯s operations over the years.¡±

    ¡°Dad, how are you going to investigate?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she chased after him. ¡°Are you going to hack their internal system? ! Let me learn, okay? !¡±

    Lu Jin nodded proudly. ¡°Daughter,e and see your dad show off! I¡¯ll show you what a realputer expert is, or else I¡¯ll have a toothache when I see you worship that little b*stard Zhao Liangze like a God!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re even jealous of Zhao Liangze?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s jealous of him?¡± Lu Jin retorted. ¡°Is it wrong for me to tell the truth? If you have the ability, let Zhao Liangzee andpare whether he can crack more password programs or whether I can crack more!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. Dad is the best. I won¡¯t ept any retorts!¡± Gu Nianzhi ttered Lu Jin so much that he felt pleased and smug.

    He practically floated all the way back to his suite across the street. He turned on his high-profileputer, which wasparable to a server, and began to show Gu Nianzhi what the ¡°ultimate hacking system¡± was.

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand speed was so fast that he typed on the mechanical keyboard. In less than five seconds, he had broken thework security system that the Lu Corporation had set up for the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital sysytem.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment and said reluctantly, ¡°Dad, you cheated! The Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital security system was created by yourpany. Do you still need to crack the password? !¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes, and he said, ¡°Be patient, my daughter. This is only the external system. Their internalwork system does not use ourpany¡¯s security system. Even if it¡¯s ourpany¡¯swork security system, it uses a dynamic password, not a static password. So, even if I¡¯m a major shareholder of thepany, I don¡¯t know what the password is.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied with an ¡°oh¡± and was a little embarrassed. She quickly clenched her little fists and gave Lu Jin a back rub as she said obsequiously, ¡°I know dad is the best. I was just saying that. Dad, don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry!¡±

    The dynamic password was indeed difficult to crack because the key was always different and required more knowledge.

    Lu Jin passed through all the obstacles and finally broke into the back door of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital¡¯s internalwork system.

    His fingers stopped moving and his eyes were fixed on the shing blue cursor on theputer screen. His expression became serious as he said, ¡°This is indeed a bit difficult. I need to study it carefully.¡±

    ¡°Even you can¡¯t break it right away?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°This Qin Corporation is really extraordinary...¡±

    ¡°This was the idea put forward by a very famous cryptographer. He said he wanted to build the strongest shield in the world.¡± Although Lu Jin was not the most skilled cryptographer, he was very familiar with the cutting-edge technology in this area.

    ¡°Then he didn¡¯te up with a way to crack it?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked hurriedly, ¡°This method of building a password is indeed unheard of.¡±

    At least she had never seen such a password setup in the other world.

    ¡°... He passed away before he coulde up with a way to crack it.¡± Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°So many people have been working on developing a way to crack it over the years, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be a particrly effective and fast method yet.¡±

    ¡°Dad, do you want to give it a try?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked cautiously. She felt that Lu Jin was eager to give it a try, so she decided to quietly add fuel to the fire.

    Lu Jin smiled, rubbed his palms together, and said, ¡°Since my daughter needs it, I¡¯ll give it a try!¡±

    Soon, Lu Jin devoted himself to cracking the internalwork password of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. Gu Nianzhi searched for information about the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and the Qin Orphanage on the Inte.

    She had to admit that the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital had a good reputation on the inte, so good that there was no negative news at all.

    Because as soon as there was any negative news, it was immediately deleted.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that a few days ago, a few people had gone to the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital to cause trouble. At that time, Qin Yaoguang had been flustered and exhausted.

    It had only been a few days, but those negative news had disappeared without a trace.

    The more it was like this, the more Gu Nianzhi felt that the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital would not be clean.

    The reason was simple. To be able to support Qin Yaoguang and herb, this Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital definitely wasn¡¯t ethical.

    Gu Nianzhi, intending to dig deeper into the inte, changed her search methods several times. At this moment, Lu Jin cheered, ¡°It¡¯s cracked!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She looked at her watch. It had only been half an hour.

    Therefore, the world¡¯s strongest shield had onlysted half an hour in front of a true genius like Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile.

    She ran over to Lu Jin¡¯sputer and saw that he was downloading the contents of the other party¡¯s internalwork at high speed.

    However, within a few minutes, the other party discovered that the internalwork had been hacked. Very quickly, the other party pulled out thework cable and their connection was cut off.

    Lu Jin shook his head in pity. ¡°We¡¯ve only downloaded less than one-tenth of the content. The other party is too vignt.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. One-tenth of the content is enough for us to study!¡± Gu Nianzhi patted Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder happily and asked him to send the downloaded content to her. She turned around and went back to her room to study it properly.

    ..

    Time passed very quickly. Forty-six hours passed in a sh, and soon there were only two hours left.

    After Gu Nianzhi had used her secondary ount on Weibo to test the waters with a few posts questioning the illegal operation of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. The uproar on the inte had died down.

    After the initial instigation, theizens began to think rationally.

    And many things could not withstand everyone¡¯s ¡°rational thinking¡±.

    As more and more negative news about the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital surfaced again, the Qin Corporation¡¯s shares fell below the daily limit twice in a row.

    The shareholders of the Qin Corporation could no longer sit still and urged the silent Old Master Qin toe out and hold the fort.

    During these forty-six hours, Qin Yaoguang could endure it. She did not speak, eat, or even drink water.

    Unable to sleep under the headlights, she became haggard. However, she still did not make a sound.

    In thest two hours, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s father finally appeared with Wen Shouyi.

    ¡°Young Master He, Old Master Qin has brought hiswyer to see his daughter,¡± He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary reported to him quietly.

    He Zhichu looked at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s pale face on the monitor and raised his hand. ¡°Let them in.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s father was already over seventy years old. When he appeared in front of people in the past, he had always looked youthful and energetic. However, he looked exceptionally old today. He had to pant every few steps and was constantly supported by Wen Shouyi.

    One look and one could tell that he had suffered a huge mental blow.

    ¡°Old Master Qin, please sit.¡± He Zhichu walked in very politely.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s nose turned sour and tears flowed down his face. He almost knelt down to He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, please let me see my daughter for the sake of an old man like me...¡±

 Chapter 1610 - Reason and Emotion

    <h4>Chapter 1610: Reason and Emotion</h4>

    Not to mention Old Master Qin¡¯s old age, he was also the chairman of the Qin Private Hospital Group. Despite such a status, he did not use his identity to pressure others. Instead, he used the identity of an old father to plead with He Zhichu to meet Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Young Master He, as a father, I did not do a good job and let her act recklessly. However, I can guarantee that she did not do anything shameful. She is a person who suffers losses because she is too straightforward and doesn¡¯t beat around the bush. That¡¯s why people always misunderstand her...¡±

    Old Master Qin begged bitterly.

    In fact, even if he didn¡¯t beg He Zhichu, Qin Yaoguang would be handed over to the court system in two hours. Old Master Qin would definitely be able to see her.

    However, he chose to beg him.

    He Zhichu was unmoved. He looked at Old Master Qin coldly and said, ¡°Old Master Qin, how can you guarantee that Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t do anything shameful? Do you know what experiments she did?¡±

    Old Master Qin was stunned for a moment, and he mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about what she did. I only want the hospital to make money and give an exnation to the shareholders. These years, she has managed the Qin Private Hospital Group well. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that she has both fame and fortune. I don¡¯t know how this could have happened.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know? Just now, our military vehicles were burned down on the road. Who do you think would be so crazy?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s clear and cold voice sounded cold and distant.

    Wen Shouyi watched He Zhichu from the side for a long time. When she saw that he didn¡¯t show any emotion, her expression clearly darkened. She said softly, ¡°Old Master Qin was sick. He wasn¡¯t in the capital for a while, but in Z City instead.¡±

    ¡°He only found out about Aunt Qin¡¯s ident yesterday. He also heard that the staff of herboratory was burned to death in the car ident. He felt that the situation was urgent, so he disregarded his illness and flew over from Z City.¡±

    Old Master Qin¡¯s expression became serious. He asked He Zhichu, ¡°Young Master He, what exactly happened in the car ident? I¡¯m very worried about Yaoguang¡¯s safety. I think that the car ident was not aimed at theboratory staff, but at her!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s safer for her to be with you guys, so I didn¡¯t rush over immediately. Instead, I came over after dealing with some false statements on the Inte.¡±

    ¡°I believe you, Young Master He. You¡¯re not someone who uses public power for personal gain, nor are you someone who uses public power to vent your personal anger. If Yaoguang has done something wrong, she will be punished as she should be. I will not tolerate it!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression softened slightly, and his voice also softened a little, ¡°Old Master Qin, you¡¯re exaggerating. The cause of that car ident is still under investigation. No matter who it is, they will not escape the punishment of thew.¡±As for who the ident was aimed at, for the time being, we believe that it was only aimed at the staff of theboratory. I can¡¯t tell who wanted Dean Qin¡¯s life for the time being.¡±

    It was not impossible, but the possibility was very low.

    Wen Shouyi quickly said, ¡°Young Master He has always been fair. He is awyer himself, so he definitely won¡¯t disregard thew.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips, and there was not a hint of warmth in his almond-shaped eyes. He looked at Wen Shouyi and said, ¡°Lawyer Wen, you still want to be Qin Yaoguang¡¯swyer?¡±

    Wen Shouyi had never heard He Zhichu speak to her in such a distant tone. She felt very ufortable, but no matter how ufortable she felt, she would not show it in front of He Zhichu because that would only make her a joke.

    She calmly said, ¡°I volunteered to represent Auntie Qin the day before yesterday. Yesterday, Old Master Qin specifically called me and asked me to defend Auntie Qin. I want to help her, no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Even if she had sent people to the detention center to assassinate your parents, you still want to help her?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s gaze, clearly disdainful, swept across her.

    ¡°What? Someone went to the detention center to assassinate my parents?!¡± Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°What about my parents? How are they doing? !¡±

    He Zhichu avoided talking about Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents¡¯ situation and asked in return, ¡°Don¡¯t you think Qin Yaoguang sent those people?¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qin isn¡¯t that kind of person!¡± Wen Shouyi clenched her fists and said with great emotion, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t do such a thing!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re that sure?¡± He Zhichu averted his gaze and smiled coldly. ¡°As expected, since your parents have already taken the me for you.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, when you use others, you have to give evidence. Do you have evidence to prove that Aunt Qin sent someone to do it?¡± Wen Shouyi blushed at He Zhichu¡¯s words, but she still forced herself to remain calm and asked He Zhichu about what happened to her parents in the detention center.

    ¡°Even if I have evidence, I will only submit it to the court. Do you think I will tell you?¡± He Zhichu smiled faintly and looked at Old Master Qin. ¡°Did you hear that? Your daughter is very capable. Only she gets to end other people¡¯s lives, so I really don¡¯t know who would want to end her life.¡±

    Old Master Qin seemed to not know about this, and he blinked. ¡°Yaoguang really did such a thing? !¡±

    He used his crutch to support himself on the ground and said bitterly, ¡°I have to persuade her. If she really did this, we have to take responsibility!¡±

    He Zhichu looked at his watch. Almost half an hour had passed. Another hour and a half and it would be forty-eight hours.

    He raised his hand to call his men over and said, ¡°Bring Qin Yaoguang over.¡±

    Old Master Qin quickly asked, ¡°Is it convenient here? Do you want us to go over and see her?¡±

    ¡°No need, just watch from here,¡± He Zhichu said as he walked to the door and pointed to the room. ¡°There are surveince cameras here. Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Young Master He, for your guidance. Actually, there is nothing that I am afraid of other people hearing. It doesn¡¯t matter whether there are surveince cameras or not.¡± Old Master Qin was a man of old age, and his sincere manner was not to be disliked.

    He Zhichu lit a cigarette and stood at the door to smoke.

    Ten minutester, Qin Yaoguang was brought over by two female soldiers.

    He Zhichu took a puff with the cigarette in his mouth. With the cigarette in his hand, he said, ¡°Your father came to see you and even found you awyer.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang still pursed her lips and did not say a word.

    She had said that without awyer, she would remain silent.

    The door opened, and she saw Old Master Qin and Wen Shouyi.

    Qin Yaoguang had endured two days of unwillingness and pain, so she had an emotional outburst.

    ¡°Dad! You¡¯re finally here!¡± She pounced over and hugged Old Master Qin while sobbing.

    Wen Shouyi quickly tried to persuade her, ¡°Auntie Qin, don¡¯t be sad. Old Master Qin had been sick recently, so he flew over from Z city.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Dad, are you sick? What kind of illness? Do you want to go to the hospital for a checkup?¡± Qin Yaoguang was very nervous about Old Master Qin¡¯s health.

    She was Old Master Qin¡¯s only daughter, and had always had a good rtionship with this father.

    Although she did not have any mother-daughter rtionship with Gu Nianzhi, the father-daughter rtionship between her and Old Master Qin was very deep.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Don¡¯t anger me and I¡¯ll have a few more years to live!¡± Old Master Qin red at Qin Yaoguang, then suddenly raised his cane to hit her.

    ¡°Tell me! Did you have anything to do with Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance eight years ago? ! Tell me the truth!¡± Old Master Qin interrogated her as he chased after her.

    Qin Yaoguang was so angry that she fell on her back and shouted, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re really my biological father! How can you be on the side of outsiders? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only asking you if you had anything to do with what happened eight years ago! And did you frame Gu Xiangwen? I¡¯ve told you many times not to be narrow-minded. Gu Xiangwen may have let you down, but you can¡¯t use such methods. Besides, Nianzhi is your biological daughter. How can you use her as a pawn to destroy Gu Xiangwen ¡°? !¡±

    ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done! There are so many people waiting to take your life, but you still refuse to behave yourself! I¡¯ve already said it before. A tall poppy will receive the envy and resentment of others. You are much more outstanding than others. If those people can¡¯t get your skills, they will want to destroy you!¡±

    Old Master Qin was panting as he cursed. All of it was recorded by the surveince cameras.

    Qin Yaoguang was almost in despair. ¡°Dad! What are you saying? ! Are you here to rescue me or send me in? !¡±

    What she didn¡¯t want to admit and what the other party had no evidence of at all was now exposed by Old Master Qin¡¯s continuous scolding.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed. She stood between Old Master Qin and Qin Yaoguang, then advised, ¡°Old Master Qin, calm down. You haven¡¯t recovered from your illness yet. I¡¯m afraid that making a fuss like this will aggravate your illness.¡±

    Then she said to Qin Yaoguang seriously, ¡°In another hour, Auntie Qin will go to the detention center of the court. Please think about what Old Master Qin said. I will do my best to defend you.¡±

 Chapter 1611 - I Want to See Her

    <h4>Chapter 1611: I Want to See Her</h4>

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice was gentle and deep. She had learned the techniques of court debates, so she knew how to speak so that the audience would listen to her words to the greatest extent.

    Qin Yaoguang, under her pacification, slowly calmed down. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her agitated mind, and she was gradually able to think calmly.

    The time and energy she had invested in scientific experiments for so many years hadn¡¯t gone in vain. As a scientist, her rationality quickly returned to her.

    Qin Yaoguang was silent for a moment, then she nodded and said somewhat reluctantly,¡±... Alright, I¡¯ll think about it again. Actually, what happened eight years ago really had nothing to do with me...¡±

    She was still unwilling to confess. After all, she was also a well-known person and someone who cared about her reputation.

    Once she confessed, it was very likely that she would be sentenced to prison. All her years of hard work would be wasted.

    Old Master Qin sighed and raised his hand, then he said, ¡°I know you¡¯ve been wronged, but don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re my only daughter. If the court sentences you, I will be able to hold on for a few more days. I¡¯ll manage thepany and the hospital for you. After youe out, I¡¯ll hand everything over to you.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes shed lightly as she pursed her lips and looked at Old Master Qin.

    Although she was Old Master Qin¡¯s only daughter, for so many years, Old Master Qin had held the power of thepany. He had never said that he would pass thepany directly to her.

    This time, it was the first time he had said this.

    The Qin family had a big business, and they were not the only family members. Old Master Qin himself had three brothers. Although they were no longer alive, these brothers had many sons and grandchildren, much more than the people in their family.

    These Qin family members also served in the Qin Corporation.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eldest cousin was one of the important directors of the Qin Corporation.

    She used to think that Old Master Qin would divide the group equally among the few families. Now, it seemed that it was not true...

    Old Master Qin stomped on the ground with his walking stick and said with a frown, ¡°Think it over carefully. Why don¡¯t you tell Young Master He clearly while we are here? We are all family, so don¡¯t make such an ugly scene.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes reddened. She lowered her head and said, ¡°General... General He and I are divorced. How can Young Master He treat me as family?¡±

    Old Master Qin patted her shoulder andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t think that way. Young Master He¡¯s making such a big fuss because he¡¯s standing up for Nianzhi. You¡¯re Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. Nianzhi has such a good rtionship with Young Master He. Young Master He won¡¯t be too harsh on you.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang pursed her lips and opened her mouth to say, ¡°I don¡¯t treat her as...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Old Master Qin was angry that she couldn¡¯t live up to his expectations. ¡°I told you long ago don¡¯t think that just because you are Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother, you can do whatever you want! Human hearts are made of flesh. You are her biological mother! How could she not treat you well if you had doted on her? Now that things havee to this, where everyone is estranged from you, I think you must have lost your mind from doing experiments!¡±

    Although Qin Yaoguang was stubborn, she was already regretting it in her heart.

    If she had been gentle with Nianzhi from the start, wouldn¡¯t that silly girl have listened obediently?

    But how could she bear it?

    Qin Yaoguang thought about it carefully but still did not think that she had done anything wrong.

    She looked down at the grey-ck tiles on the ground and nodded unwillingly. ¡°I understand. I will exin this matter to everyone. But before I go to court, I want to see Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to see Nianzhi for?¡± Seeing that Qin Yaoguang was still unwilling to admit her guilt, Old Master Qin immediately became alert. ¡°Do you still think that you haven¡¯t caused enough trouble? ! Are you really going to anger the He family and destroy the Qin family beyond redemption? !¡±

    The corners of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes twitched. She smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I just want to apologize to her. I won¡¯t harass her anymore. After all, we are biological mother and daughter. Why do you have to cause pain to the family and make the enemy happy? Also, eight years ago, I shouldn¡¯t have... done such a thing that let her father take advantage of the loophole. That¡¯s why we have been separated for so many years.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Old Master Qin nodded in satisfaction. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had even smoothed out. ¡°How can mother and daughter have a long-term feud? I¡¯ll call Young Master He toe in and plead with him for mercy.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang nodded and stood beside Wen Shouyi. She watched Old Master Qin Open the door and invite He Zhichu in.

    He Zhichu walked in with a cigarette in his hand.

    He was tall, elegant, and had a straight figure. When he didn¡¯t speak, he was as cold as a jade statue. However, when he spoke, he appeared as cold as ice in the far north.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Have you all discussed it, ?¡± He Zhichu flicked the ashes of the cigarette with a faint smile.

    Old Master Qin choked for a moment and smiled sheepishly. ¡°Young Master He, what are you saying? I¡¯m trying to persuade Yaoguang to say what she has to say and stop shirking responsibility.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Qin Yaoguang calmly. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked away ufortably and nodded. ¡°What happened eight years ago was rted to me, but it¡¯s not what you think. I haven¡¯t said anything because I didn¡¯t want to drag others into it.¡±

    ¡°Others? You mean there are others who were involved?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s gaze was focused as he stared at Qin Yaoguang. ¡°Tell me, who exactly was it?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang nced at the surveince camera and said calmly, ¡°Do you really want to know? You have surveince cameras here.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Tell me. I will not let go of anyone involved in the case.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression became serious.

    Even Old Master Qin was nervous.

    Could there be someone else?

    Wen Shouyi was awyer, so she reminded her, ¡°Auntie Qin, why don¡¯t you tell me first and I¡¯ll see if it¡¯s legal?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang still shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you now. If Young Master He insists on suing me, then I¡¯ll have to do it in court.¡±

    Wen Shouyi frowned. ¡°Auntie Qin, I¡¯m yourwyer. If you don¡¯t tell me what you want to say in advance, what if something goes wrong in court?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit it.¡± Qin Yaoguang curled her lips into a strange smile. ¡°You¡¯ll know in court.¡±

    She did not want to talk about this topic anymore and turned to He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, before I go to court, I¡¯d like to see Nianzhi. Can you arrange it?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to see Nianzhi for?¡± He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t agree to it.¡±

    ¡°I just want to apologize to her.¡± Qin Yaoguang sighed softly and rubbed her temples. ¡°I admit that I was a little obsessed with my research career. I shouldn¡¯t have ignored her for so long, and I shouldn¡¯t have been so formal with her. I shouldn¡¯t even have tried to bully her when she was looking for a job. This is all my fault. I admit my mistake. I want to apologize to her personally.¡±

    She looked at He Zhichu with a sincere expression. ¡°Young Master He, although Nianzhi ims that she doesn¡¯t acknowledge me as her biological mother, she wouldn¡¯t reject me if I took the initiative to reconcile with her, right? I know that she¡¯s a good child who values rtionships.¡±

    Her words were full of emotion, and she appeared motheerly.

    He Zhichu almost wavered, but when he thought about what had happened in the past few days, he scoffed and took a drag on his cigarette. He said, ¡°Dean Qin is really good at changing the topic. You¡¯re avoiding the important things and turning the attention to trivial matters.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He, what do you mean by this? I¡¯ve already said that I can exin what happened eight years ago. Aren¡¯t you satisfied?¡± Qin Yaoguang looked at He Zhichu in confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t you make a big fuss because Nianzhi left you because of those eight years?¡±

    He Zhichu threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his military pants. He said coldly, ¡°It was only eight years ago? Dean Qin, do you have short-term memory amnesia?¡±

    ¡°If it was only about the incident that happened eight years ago, why would someone try to assassinate Wen Dayou and his wife?¡±

    ¡°If it was only eight years ago, why would there be a bizarre car ident after we arrested you and everyone in yourb? Not only did it burn all theb staff in yourb to death, but several of our soldiers also died.¡±

    ¡°Dean Qin, how do you intend to repay this debt of blood?¡±

    He Zhichu bowed slightly and almost asked Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang subconsciously took a step back. She frowned and said, ¡°What does that have to do with me? You mean, I sent people to assassinate Wen Dayou and his wife? I caused the car ident? Please provide evidence. If you don¡¯t have evidence for such a serious usation, I will sue you for nder!¡±

    He Zhichu shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was you. I was just asking a question, was it you?¡±

    Old Master Qin, who was listening by the side, was terrified. He quickly said, ¡°Young Master He, I feel that our Yaoguang is clearly the victim of these two things that you mentioned! Wasn¡¯t she in the convoy when the car ident happened? Who can be med for something like a car crash? If it was her car that was hit, she would have died!¡±

    ¡°Then what about the person who tried to assassinate Wen Dayou and his wife?¡± He Zhichu suddenly raised his head and looked at Old Master Qin. He deliberately misled them, ¡°That night, we invited you into the trap and caught the assassin who carried out the assassination mission. We will soon find out who sent them!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang sneered and said disdainfully, ¡°Fine, let them use me in court. I will say it only in court!¡±

 Chapter 1612 - Consistency

    <h4>Chapter 1612: Consistency</h4>

    ¡°You insist on going to court?¡± He Zhichu took his hands out of the pockets of his military pants and put them behind his back. He said indifferently, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hand you over to the court martial. Your wish to go to court will be fulfilled very soon.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was stunned for a moment and quickly asked, ¡°What about Nianzhi? When will you arrange for her to meet me?¡±

    ¡°She will see you when you go to court.¡± He Zhichu waved his hand and said to Old Master Qin and Wen Shouyi, ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s time for your visit. Please go back. I want to send Dean Qin to court.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang finally realized that she had been yed by He Zhichu. She questioned him angrily, ¡°What right do you have to stop us from meeting? ! He Zhichu, don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re no longer Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a suspect now, so of course I have the right to decide who you see and who you don¡¯t see.¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t even be bothered to look at her. ¡°If you¡¯re legally illiterate, then don¡¯t talk to me aboutw. When I was teachingw at university, yourwyer was just my assistant.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyelids twitched uncontrobly. She quickly winked at Qin Yaoguang and said, ¡°Auntie Qin, if you have anything to say, it¡¯s the same in court.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang closed her eyes and sat back down dejectedly. Tilting her head, she said stubbornly, ¡°Then Young Master He, please tell Nianzhi that I¡¯ve already apologized to her and asked her not to hold any prejudice against me. No matter what, I¡¯m her only family in this world. Everything I do is for her own good...¡±

    ¡°For example, forcing her to undergo a memory removal surgery? Or... wanting her ¡®body¡¯ to be used as an experiment?¡± He Zhichu refuted Qin Yaoguang bluntly, ¡°If this is treating her well, I think it¡¯s still better for you to say that you don¡¯t treat her as your own daughter like you used to. At least you¡¯re consistent on the surface, and your words and actions are consistent.¡±

    ¡°Now that you¡¯re forcing yourself to say things that go against your heart, I feel bad for you.¡±

    The pretense of thee mother-daughter love that Qin Yaoguang had been brewing was shattered by He Zhichu¡¯s words.

    She was angry, anxious, embarrassed, and irritated. Her emotions changed drastically, and it even affected the changes in her pituitary nd.

    The biochip that she had transnted into her brain to resist hypnosis was also strongly stimted, giving her a severe headache.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression immediately turned ugly. She covered her chest and tried to hold it in, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

    Old Master Qin watched this scene with his mouth agape. He leaned over with his cane in horror and asked worriedly, ¡°Yaoguang, are you okay? Why did you spit out blood? !¡±

    He straightened his back and looked at He Zhichu with a wry smile. He said, ¡°As expected of the great Lawyer Qin¡¯s biological son. She once made the defendant cry and confess in court. Your words made my daughter spit out blood. This is really even more impressive.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled into a devilish smile. ¡°Is that so? Then Dean Qin, you have to be mentally prepared, because in court, you will have to face the greatwyer Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Her eloquence is better than mine. When the timees, Dean Qin will not be so simple as spitting out blood in anger. It is possible that she will die of anger in court.¡±

    Wen Shouyi saw that He Zhichu was praising Gu Nianzhi in front of Old Master Qin and Qin Yaoguang without restraint. She felt very upset and her eyes darkened even more.

    She lowered her head and walked over to pass a tissue to Qin Yaoguang. She said, ¡°Auntie Qin, do you want to see a doctor?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang took the tissue and wiped her mouth. She shook her head and said, ¡°No need. I know my body. This is an emotional change that caused the pituitary nd to secrete too much. It has a rejection reaction with the biochip, causing the stimtion of the gastrointestinal mucosa to cause the vomiting of blood.¡±

    Wen Shouyi: ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu was a cautious person. Seeing that Qin Yaoguang was vomiting blood, he followed the procedure and got the medical officer to examine her.

    The result was simr to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s own diagnosis, but they had to go through this procedure. Otherwise, if they were used by someone with ulterior motives in the future, it would be directly twisted to the point of extorting a confession by torture.

    After the medical officer¡¯s examination, there would be a medical report and a third party¡¯s side evidence. These proofs were more convincing than the surveince footage.

    He Zhichu waited until the medical officer said that Qin Yaoguang was fine before he took his leave with Wen Shouyi.

    He Zhichu sent Qin Yaoguang directly to the court martial for detention to wait for the day of court martial.

    This trip went smoothly. No one targeted their convoy anymore. Soon, they sent Qin Yaoguang to her destination.

    Because the people involved in this case were not ordinary people, they received special treatment in the court martial.

    The next day, they received news that the case was scheduled for December 31st, thest day of the year.

    After all, there were only two days left until the court hearing.

    He Zhichu personally called Gu Nianzhi to inform her of the date of the court hearing.

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised. ¡°So soon? It¡¯s actually on the day before New Year¡¯s Day.¡±

    He Zhichu was wearing a Bluetooth headset, signing documents, and talking to her at the same time.

    ¡°This is the earliest date we can get.¡± He Zhichu signed his name on the document mboyantly. He smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to settle this so you can have a happy new year?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no different to me.¡± Gu Nianzhiid on the sofa and threw a grape into her mouth. She shrugged and said, ¡°She means nothing to me, so even if this case isn¡¯t settled, I¡¯ll still have a happy new year.¡±

    He Zhichu stopped writing and thought about it for a moment before repeating what Qin Yaoguang had said. ¡°Nianzhi, Qin Yaoguang wants to tell you that she¡¯s apologizing to you.¡±

    ¡°Apologizing? !¡± Gu Nianzhi almost choked on the grape. She quickly sat up, covered her neck, and coughed a few times before swallowing the grape. She panted and said, ¡°Young Master He, are you trying to scare me to death?¡±

    He Zhichu scoffed. ¡°You just said that Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t affect you in any way, but you¡¯re already contradicting your words.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perfectly shaped ck jade eyes rolled around and she smiled slyly. ¡°Dean Qin actually apologized to me? Did you scare her into losing her mind?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that capable.¡± He Zhichu smiled self-mockingly. ¡°I¡¯ve kept her in custody for 46 hours, but she didn¡¯t say a word. She didn¡¯t eat or sleep. She¡¯s quite persistent.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s that good?¡± Gu Nianzhiughed. Her voluptuous lips curled into a beautiful curve, and two small dimples appeared on the corners of her lips. ¡°As expected of an outstanding medical scientist and biologist. She actuallysted for forty-six hours. What about the next two hours? What happened? Why did she apologize?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said I wasn¡¯t that capable.¡± He Zhichu put down his pen and tapped his foot on the ground. He turned his chair around to face the crystal clear floor-to-ceiling window and sneered. Je said, ¡°It was Old Master Qin and Wen Shouyi. They visited Qin Yaoguang in thest two hours.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then what did they say?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked with great interest.

    ¡°Nothing much.¡± He Zhichu looked at the floor-to-ceiling window with a half-hearted smile, as if he could see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s current state.

    She must have been staring at him with her big, ck, bright eyes, as bright as a kitten¡¯s. She looked at him with a face full of curiosity and surprise...

    He continued, ¡°The older the wiser. When Old Master Qin arrived, he advised her to quickly confess her crimes and even med her for treating you so badly. He also said that mother and daughter didn¡¯t have any long-terms feuds.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lost it when she heard this. She quickly shouted, ¡°Stop, stop! Who doesn¡¯t have past feuds with her? I have a blood feud with her! Tell her not to think that she can get over it just by apologizing. I, Gu Nianzhi, am a petty person who will seek revenge for the smallest grievance!¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°You can tell her that yourself in court. After all, Qin Yaoguang also said that she will only speak in court.¡±

    ¡°Haha, she¡¯s that tough?¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her fist in the air and said excitedly, ¡°I¡¯ll wait and see!¡±

 Chapter 1613 - Iâ€™ll Back You up

    <h4>Chapter 1613: I¡¯ll Back You up</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was reminded by He Zhichu. She perked up and said, ¡°Young Master He, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best to make her lose her desire to live.¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t helpughing. His almond-shaped eyes curved, and his cold aura suddenly disappeared. He smiled gently and said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t go easy. I¡¯ll back you up.¡±

    With He Zhichu¡¯s words of assurance, Gu Nianzhi became even bolder.

    Her fingers snapped and she said, ¡°Then Young Master He, do you want to sit in?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Of course. Last time, I didn¡¯t go because I didn¡¯t want the Wen family to have the wrong impression. This time, I was the one who personally captured Qin Yaoguang. How can I not go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood and quickly nodded. ¡°I forgot about that. Young Master He is also the main witness.¡±

    ..

    Two days passed in a sh, and soon, it was time for Gu Nianzhi to go to court.

    It wasn¡¯t her first time in court here, so she wasn¡¯t as nervous anymore.

    She got up in the morning and calmly finished her breakfast. She put on her business suit ¡°battle robe¡±, grabbed herptop bag and briefcase, and went downstairs to drive to the court.

    The court martial in the Imperial Capital was not far from the Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court of the Imperial Capital. They were all on the same street.

    When Gu Nianzhi arrived at the court martial, she noticed that it was surrounded by a lot of media reporters.

    Of course, the media could not enter, but they were all carrying all kinds of live broadcast and webcast equipment. They were on the street opposite the court martial and were aimed at the gate.

    In order to maintain order, the court martial sent out soldiers for the first time. They set up a temporary checkpoint at the end of the street, just like a toll booth on the highway. Only the intiff, the defendant, thewyers, and their families were allowed to enter. Only those who had special permission to listen in could enter.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped at the temporary checkpoint and showed herwyer¡¯s license and court martial documents. She asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s going on over there? I thought the court martial didn¡¯t allow people to watch?¡±

    The soldier checked her credentials and returned them to her with a smile. He said, ¡°The media reporters are smart. They¡¯re just waiting at the designated spot. We can¡¯t close the entire road, can we? They¡¯re right across the street. It¡¯s not our court martial¡¯s territory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back and memorized the names of the media outlets. While she was waiting to drive into the parking lot, she also checked the media outlets¡¯ backgrounds.

    The media outlets had their own backers.

    As expected, she found out that the media outlets were mostly foreign-funded and not local-funded or government-dominated.

    Only the people of Country X had the guts and motive toe to the court martial to wait for Qin Yaoguang¡¯s trial.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted lightly, started the car, and drove towards the parking lot.

    After parking the car, she came out and saw arge group of people walking towards her. They surrounded an old man with white hair and a ruddy face.

    Gu Nianzhi saw from the corner of her eye that these people were Old Master Qin and Wen Shouyi¡¯s group of people. She quickly turned around and pretended not to hear the people behind her calling her. She strode into the elevator and pressed the button to close the door.

    She then waved at the people who had rushed over and said, ¡°See you all in court.¡±

    She was either cowardly nor did she want to ruin her good mood before the court session.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know how to deal with this feeling of powerlessness that was bound by family ties. She was only 20 years old.

    She took the elevator to the court martial¡¯s trial room. Gu Nianzhi passed through stricter security before entering the court martial¡¯s room.

    This was her first time in this dimension¡¯s court martial, but judging from theyout, she saw it was almost exactly the same as the court martial when she had faced Bai Jinyi in the other dimension.

    Her nervous mood instantly rxed.

    It was as if she had returned to the other dimension. The power of habit was terrifying.

    He Zhichu was already sitting in the court. He waved at Gu Nianzhi when he saw her enter.

    Gu Nianzhi hurried over and smiled. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re here so early.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°I just got here too. My father will be here to listen inter. There might be a lot of people, so don¡¯t be nervous.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat down next to him and nced at everyone in the courtroom.

    There were already quite a few people sitting in the gallery behind the dock.

    Other than Old Master Qin and Wen Shouyi, who Gu Nianzhi knew, there were also a few men who looked like members of the Qin family, because their posture was different from those servile subordinates.

    He Zhichu pointed out to her. ¡°The man on Old Master Qin¡¯s right side is Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eldest cousin. He isn¡¯t young, and he already has a grandson.¡±

    ¡°The two young men next to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s oldest cousin are his sons, who are also Qin Yaoguang¡¯s nephews on her cousin¡¯s side, and Old Master Qin¡¯s grandnephew.¡±

    ¡°The others are all senior executives of the Qin Corporation, as well aswyers, ountants, and private doctors.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°They¡¯re all here...¡±

    They were looking over there, while the Qin family members were also looking at the intiff¡¯s side.

    It was the first time Old Master Qin¡¯s two cousins had seen Gu Nianzhi, so they were somewhat curious about her.

    The two of them poked their father and asked in surprise, ¡°Dad, is that youngdy over there Auntie¡¯s daughter? is she really going to sue Auntie for kidnapping her?¡±

    Old Master Qin¡¯s nephew nced at Gu Nianzhi and nodded. He said snappily, ¡°It¡¯s her, so it¡¯s really unfilial of the daughter to cause such a ruckus. If she was my daughter, I¡¯ll break her legs!¡±

    Old Master Qin frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Yaoguang is more to me for what happened between them.¡±

    ¡°So what if she¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t a mother educate her own child?¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s oldest cousin was quite supportive of her. ¡°I think her daughter is even more to me. My cousin was set up by her own daughter.¡±

    Old Master Qin sighed softly and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t talk anymore. The court is about to begin.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stood up and said, ¡°Old Master Qin, I¡¯ll be going up first.¡±

    She had to sit next to Qin Yaoguang at the dock.

    ¡°Go on, go on. We¡¯ll see whatwyer Wen can doter.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s oldest cousin quickly nodded at her. ¡°Lawyer Wen was a top student at Harvard Law School in the United States. Sje won¡¯t let us down!¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Gu Nianzhi is also an excellentwyer. I don¡¯t have much of an advantage.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Wen, aren¡¯t you being too modest?¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s oldest cousin blinked. ¡°Being too modest is the same as being arrogant.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stopped smiling and said sternly, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. Gu Nianzhi not only inherited Aunt Qin¡¯s IQ, but she¡¯s also very talented in the legal field. I can only say that I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Old Master Qin, a little displeased, waved his hand. ¡°We understand. You can go.¡±

    Being cautious was a good thing, but it didn¡¯t mean that it would boost the morale of others and destroy one¡¯s own prestige.

    In Old Master Qin¡¯s opinion, Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t have as much of an imposing presence as Gu Nianzhi did. If she couldn¡¯t even be confident, would there still be any hope of winning thewsuit?

    Wen Shouyi noticed Old Master Qin¡¯s change in mood. She bit her lip, grabbed herptop and briefcase, and walked out.

    Qin Yaoguang was brought over by the military police from the court martial.

    She saw that her side was filled with people. Not only her father, but even her oldest cousin and his two sons were here. She was very touched. She turned around and waved at them, then gracefully sat down behind the dock.

    Wen Shouyi sat next to her and whispered, ¡°Auntie Qin, are you ready? Are you sure you don¡¯t want to tell me what you¡¯re going to say in advance?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang nced at her, then said aloofly, ¡°I told you. I¡¯ll only say it in court. I¡¯m done, so it¡¯s up to you. Gu Nianzhi is younger than you, has less experience, and didn¡¯t go to a school as good as yours. If you still can¡¯t beat her, then all these years I¡¯ve held you in high regard for nothing.¡±

    She looked over at Gu Nianzhi and snorted scornfully.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting in the gallery with He Zhichu. It couldn¡¯tpare at all to the crowd Qin Yaoguang was surrounded by.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes dimmed. She turned her head away and said in a low but firm voice, ¡°I can only do my best. Lawyers aren¡¯t omnipotent.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t possibly defend Qin Yaoguang no matter what she said, could she?

    Qin Yaoguang refused to cooperate. Wen Shouyi had made up her mind to protect herself first, then to defend Qin Yaoguang.

    Soon, the presiding judge came over with two judges and sat in the courtroom. In front of them, there were two court clerks, who were responsible for the paperwork.

    In the courtroom, the gavel rang. The presiding judge said in a clear voice, ¡°The trial of Gu Nianzhi v. Qin Yaoguang for kidnapping a minor eight years ago has officially begun.¡±

    Just as he was about to let the prosecution and defense make their statements, the door to the courtroom suddenly opened. A man rushed in and whispered something into his ear.

    The presiding judge quickly stood up and said, ¡°All rise! General He Chengjian is wee to instruct us!¡±

    Everyone in the courtroom stood up in a sh.

    The soldiers all saluted in a standard military salute. Those who were not soldiers stood up straight and paid attention.

    Gu Nianzhi had already known that He Chengjian woulde to listen in. He Zhichu had told her.

    However, no one on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side had known in advance.

    When she realized that He Chengjian hade, Qin Yaoguang was the first to be so touched that her whole body trembled. She covered her mouth with her hand and almost cried.

    Old Master Qin was slightly stunned. He exchanged a look with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s oldest cousin and was a little confused.

    What was He Chengjian doing here?

    Was he still in love with Qin Yaoguang, or was he here to support Gu Nianzhi?

    It was important to know his position, but who could?

    Old Master Qin watched as He Chengjian Strode in with a bunch of attendants and personal secretary.

    He waved at the crowd in the courtroom and said amiably, ¡°I¡¯m just here to listen in. After all, it was a kidnapping case that happened at my house eight years ago. My family is unfortunate, my family is unfortunate...¡±

    As he spoke, he walked over to Gu Nianzhi and sat next to He Zhichu.

    He Chengjian¡¯s entourage sat around them and quickly filled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side of the gallery.

    The light in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes quickly dimmed. She looked down at the table in front of her and took a deep breath.

    In the courtroom, the presiding judge once again announced the start of the trial.

    He first reached out to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The intiff, Gu Nianzhi, is also awyer. Please state your case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up, bowed to the people in the courtroom, and said calmly, ¡°This is the second trial today.¡±

    ¡°The first trial was held in the Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court. It confirmed the conviction of the He family¡¯s gardener, Wen Dayou, and Liang Meili.¡±

    ¡°However, during the trial, an important piece of evidence was found in the kidnapping case. A note written by Gu Xiangwen was actually not written eight years ago to the he family, but 14 years ago to Qin Yaoguang and the people in herb.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the case was reversed. I applied to the court to sue Qin Yaoguang and the people in herboratory

    ¡°After discussion, the court agreed to my request. Due to the security level of Qin Yaoguang and herboratory, the case was eventually transferred to the court martial for trial

    ¡°The specific details of the case have been submitted. Today, I hope to interrogate Qin Yaoguang in person. Why did you set up a scheme to kidnap me when I was twelve years old eight years ago and frame my father, Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    The presiding judge nodded and looked at the defendant¡¯s side. ¡°Please answer the question.¡±

    Generally speaking, the defendant¡¯swyer had to answer the question on behalf of his client first.

    Wen Shouyi knew nothing about what Qin Yaoguang wanted to say, but she also had her own professional qualities.

    Seeing that the presiding judge had shifted the question to the defendant¡¯s side, she stood up and said unhurriedly, ¡°Presiding judge, just based on a note, it is not certain that my client was the main suspect in the kidnapping case.¡±

 Chapter 1614 - Overestimated Her

    <h4>Chapter 1614: Overestimated Her</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was looking straight ahead at the judgment seat, and not in Wen Shouyi¡¯s direction.

    But as soon as Wen Shouyi made her move, Gu Nianzhi knew that Wen Shouyi was indeed a strong opponent.

    It all depended on the angle she argued from. If Gu Nianzhi had been in her shoes, she would have argued the same way.

    They only had one note as evidence, and it was circumstantial.

    This note confirmed that Gu Xiangwen had nothing to do with the kidnapping and disappearance case eight years ago, but it was not certain that it had anything to do with Qin Yaoguang.

    And when they tried to investigate and collect evidence, all theb workers had died.

    This method was simple, crude, and exposed suspicion.

    But this method was very effective, because it cut off the entire chain of evidence.

    Unless they could catch the person behind the car ident and prove that the person behind the ident was directly connected to Qin Yaoguang, it would be really difficult to convict Qin Yaoguang based on a note.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi knew that Old Master Qin had personally visited Qin Yaoguang two days ago to get her to confess, in court, everything depended on evidence and logic.

    It wasn¡¯t that if one said one was guilty, one was guilty.

    It wasn¡¯t that if one said one wasn¡¯t guilty, one wasn¡¯t guilty.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was reying the point of entry that she had been thinking about for the past two days. She sighed slightly and a faint smile appeared on her face.

    As Wen Shouyi spoke, she nced at Gu Nianzhi and unexpectedly saw a smile on her dainty little face. She paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°So I¡¯m going to plead for my client¡¯s innocence.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyelids twitched. She nced at Wen Shouyi from the corner of her eyes and secretly curled her lips.

    This child, she really didn¡¯t dote on her for nothing...

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart calmed down. She couldn¡¯t help ncing at the side of the gallery behind Gu Nianzhi.

    Behind her, He Chengjian and He Zhichu sat upright in the gallery in a standard military posture.

    The father and son were very simr. He Zhichu had inherited his father¡¯s good looks. He looked like a younger version of He Chengjian.

    Qin Yaoguang sighed in her heart. She looked away and looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was in the intiff¡¯s seat.

    She was tall and slender. She had a beautiful face, and her big ck eyes were shining like bright pearls.

    She looked really different from when she was fat and short when she was young...

    As Qin Yaoguang¡¯s thoughts ran wild, the presiding judge began to speak. He looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°intiff¡¯swyer, do you agree with the defendant¡¯swyer?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and stopped smiling. She said seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t agree.¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded, and she said calmly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, please don¡¯t let your emotions get the best of you. You and my client are biological mother and daughter. The two of you haven¡¯t seen each other for many years, and there is estrangement between the two of you. These are all problems that can be solved. But to sue your own biological mother based on a mere guess, and have so many people follow you around, is a waste of social resources.¡±

    A hint of mockery shing in her eyes, Gu Nianzhi turned to look at her. She lowered her eyes and said calmly, ¡°Your client and I are biological mother and daughter. Is there a direct logical connection to me suing her? Or do you think that parents have power over the life and death of their children? If parents let their children die, their children have to die, and parents don¡¯t have to bear any legal responsibility?¡±

    ¡°If parents directly cause the death of their children, of course they have to bear legal responsibility. But the question is, do you have any evidence to prove that my client was responsible for the kidnapping and disappearance case back then?¡± Wen Shouyiughed. She suddenly felt that she had overestimated Gu Nianzhi.

    It was obvious that the other party was powerless in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and clenched her fists. She walked out of the intiff¡¯s box and stood in front of the defendant¡¯s box. Facing the smiling Qin Yaoguang, she calmly asked, ¡°Mrs. Qin Yaoguang, is this the note that Gu Xiangwen wrote to you from 14 years ago?¡±

    She still held the only piece of evidence, which was the note that Gu Xiangwen had written. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look for her anymore. I¡¯ve taken my daughter away!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang nodded. ¡°It was written by Gu Xiangwen to myb staff 14 years ago.¡±

    This had been confirmed in thest Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court¡¯s court trial, which was why the Imperial City Intermediate People¡¯s Court had issued an arrest warrant and the military had taken Qin Yaoguang and herb staff away to assist in the investigation.

    Gu Nianzhi ced a copy of the note on the dock in front of Qin Yaoguang. She leaned forward and asked with a smile, ¡°... May I ask why my father wrote this note 14 years ago?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked up and smiled. She raised her chin at the intiff behind her and said, ¡°Because your father wanted to take you away from me and send you to the He family.¡±

    ¡°Really? If I was by your side, why did my father write a note to yourb? Why didn¡¯t he just write it to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled, but her eyes were devoid of warmth. She looked at Qin Yaoguang with immense intimidation.

    Qin Yaoguang was stunned. She had not expected Gu Nianzhi to ask this question.

    Wen Shouyi saw that the situation was not looking good and immediately said, ¡°Objection! The questions asked by the intiff¡¯swyer have nothing to do with this case!¡±

    ¡°Your honor, my question is directly rted to this case. I will prove it to you immediately.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly turned to refute Wen Shouyi.

    The presiding judge raised his hand. ¡°Objection overruled. However, the intiff should get to the point as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very grateful. ¡°Thank you, your honor.¡±

    She turned to look at Qin Yaoguang. ¡°You said yourself that I was living by your side at the time, so why didn¡¯t my father write a note to you? Why did he write it to everyone in yourb?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was forced to answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. She quickly nced at the defendant¡¯s gallery and happened to meet Old Master Qin¡¯s gaze.

    Gu Nianzhi had been watching her movements the entire time. She turned her head to look at Old Master Qin and smiled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Dean Qin doesn¡¯t know how to answer this question? Must you ask the chairman, Old Master Qin? Is Old Master Qin also in the know?¡±

    This usation was a little too much.

    Old Master Qin was so angry that his face turned red. He said, ¡°Outrageous! Outrageous!¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly stood up and said, ¡°Objection! The intiff has repeatedly testified against unrted bystanders without any evidence. This is against the conduct of awyer.¡±

    The presiding judge nodded. ¡°Sustained. intiff, please watch your words.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had said it on purpose, because she knew that the person who was most pressuring Qin Yaoguang was Old Master Qin.

    Since Qin Yaoguang listened to Old Master Qin in everything, and Old Master Qin had even persuaded her to admit her guilt two days ago, it would be a waste of time to cut to the chase.

    Under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aggressive attitude, Qin Yaoguang gritted her teeth and looked Gu Nianzhi straight in the eye. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned against the defendant¡¯s table and tapped her hand on the table. She smiled faintly. ¡°Lawyer Wen said that this note alone is not enough to prove that you were involved in the case. I¡¯m proving it now. This note alone is enough to prove that you were involved in the case.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s not, then please answer me. Why did my father, Gu Xiangwen, write a note to yourb saying that he wanted to take me away from you?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s breathing gradually became unstable. She red at Gu Nianzhi. She had never thought that she would dare to bring out something from the past. Had she really lost her memory, or had she regained it?

    Qin Yaoguang stared at her for a long time before she said through gritted teeth, ¡°Because I was busy with work at the time, I stayed in theb all day long. So, you¡¯ve been following me around in theb.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her meaningfully, ¡°Really? So you¡¯re saying that you used theb as a nursery? You let me to y in yourb? You¡¯re letting a child under the age of six y in your biomedicalb. Have you thought about the safety of your child?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang said with a fake smile, ¡°You¡¯re worrying too much. Don¡¯t you remember? Myb has round-the-clock surveince. It¡¯s very safe.¡±

    ¡°Round-the-clock surveince? How strict could the surveince from 14 years ago be?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth. You have to believe it.¡± Qin Yaoguang pursed her lips, ¡°Ourb has always been doing high-end experiments. In order to monitor the progress of the experiment, we have been monitoring it round-the-clock and synchronizing it with the cloud storage. How could it not be safe? How could it not be strict?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that means there was a synchronous cloud storage technology 14 years ago?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked casually.

    Qin Yaoguangughed and said softly, ¡°Of course, our technology here is very advanced.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood what she meant, but did not respond. She changed the subject, ¡°So this note was actually written for you, not for the people in yourb, right?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯ve already admitted that you were the one taking care of the child at the time. You just left the child at your workce.¡±

    Feeling that something was wrong, Qin Yaoguang hesitated for a moment.

    ¡°Defendant, please answer yes or no.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang had no choice but to reluctantly answer, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°So this note was in your hands the whole time?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked again.

    Qin Yaoguang shook her head again and denied, ¡°No. I put this note on theb table after I read it. I don¡¯t know where it went after that.¡±

    ¡°Really? You put such an important thing on theb table?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked surprised.

    ¡°What¡¯s so important about that?¡± Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°Why would I take something written by a madman seriously? Besides, he was your father. What can I do if he wants to take you away? Can I object?¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled triumphantly. ¡°Lawyer Gu, it¡¯s obvious. Someone stole the note my client left on theb table. Six yearster, they took it out to cause trouble. It has nothing to do with my client.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Is that so? Since the defendant¡¯swyer said that someone stole her client¡¯s things, I want to investigate the surveince footage of Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb from 14 years ago.¡±

    ¡°If someone really stole the note, as ab with 24-hour surveince and cloud storage, not only can we find out when the defendant ced the note on theb table, but we can also find out who stole the note back then!¡±

 Chapter 1615 - Most Powerful Counterattack

    <h4>Chapter 1615: Most Powerful Counterattack</h4>

    ¡°As long as we can find out who stole this note, we can find out who was the mastermind behind the kidnapping eight years ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguang meaningfully, ¡°But if we can¡¯t find out who stole the note in the surveince footage from that year, or if the surveince footage from that year suddenly disappeared or the technology malfunctioned, then Dean Qin, you¡¯re lying!¡±

    ¡°That means that the note wasn¡¯t lost at all, but you deliberately misled others and shirked responsibility!¡±

    Her almond-shaped eyes widening, Qin Yaoguang looked at Gu Nianzhi in disbelief. Was she really not afraid that her perfect genes and special constitution would be exposed? !

    Or was her fearlessness from ignorance?

    Gu Nianzhi was still in a state of amnesia, so she dared to challenge her face to face and ask her to take out the surveince video from that year?

    But Qin Yaoguang really couldn¡¯t hand over the surveince footage from back then.

    Gu Xiangwen had physically deleted all the surveince footage, including all the cloud storage, from the time Gu Nianzhi entered theb at the age of two to the time she was taken away by Gu Xiangwen to the He family at the age of six...

    Not only had Gu Xiangwen physically deleted the footage from herb, but he had also erased all the data rted to her experiments.

    In the next 14 years, no matter how powerful theputer hardware and software experts were, they were unable to recover the data that he had erased.

    Otherwise, how could her experiment not make any progress after so many years? !

    Qin Yaoguang lowered her head, and a malicious expression shed in her eyes.

    However, when she raised her head again, she had already returned to normal. She sneered and spread out her hands. ¡°You¡¯ve already said everything, so what else can I say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a secret that ourb has surveince cameras. How could the person who stole the note be so stupid as to keep the surveince cameras as evidence against him?¡±

    ¡°To tell you the truth, the person who stole the note 14 years ago hacked into the central control system of ourb and deleted the surveince footage from 18 to 14 years ago. He didn¡¯t even let go of our experimental data.¡±

    This period of time was coincidentally the most important evidence of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s four years from the age of two to six.

    Gu Nianzhi had actually known about this inside story a long time ago.

    Because when Lu Jin had admitted to her that he was Gu Xiangwen, he had already told her the whole story.

    When he returned to theb four years after he had left and found out what Qin Yaoguang had done, he was furious, but he did not dare to openly go against her because he was worried that Qin Yaoguang would go all out and expose Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perfect genes and special constitution to the public. This would make her the target of everyone¡¯s envy.

    Therefore, he only secretly warned Qin Yaoguang to physically delete all the relevant data from Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb. Of course, this included the surveince footage from that time.

    Then, he sent Gu Nianzhi directly to the He family¡¯s house.

    He knew that there was only one person in this world who could make Qin Yaoguang not dare to act rashly, and that was He Chengjian.

    Although the data and surveince footage were very good evidence, they were also double-edged swords. They could use Qin Yaoguang and hurt Gu Nianzhi at the same time.

    Lu Jin chose the lesser of two evils. He decided to delete all the data and footage to the point where they could not be recovered. Only then would he be able to protect Gu Nianzhi to the greatest extent.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a warmth in her heart when she thought of Lu Jin¡¯s fatherly love.

    This feeling of having someone to rely on no matter what she did became her new belief and pir of support.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguang with a smile, and she said nonchntly, ¡°Is that so? What a coincidence? Whatever evidence we wanted, it disappeared. Then, the defendant, Qin Yaoguang, you know that if you don¡¯t have any evidence, everything you say is like water without a source, like a tree without a root.¡±

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re lying. The court won¡¯t believe your story. So, we¡¯re back to square one. May I ask why you came up with this scheme to kidnap me eight years ago?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed. She stood up calmly and said, ¡°Objection! ording to the principle of presumption of innocence, the prosecution is required to bear the burden of proof to prove that a person is guilty, while acquiescing that the person is innocent.¡±

    ¡°Also, ording to the principle of presumption of innocence, if the criminal suspect¡¯s criminal facts are not clear and the evidence is not reliable and sufficient, then criminal responsibility should not be pursued. The court should dismiss the wrongful prosecution this time.¡±

    ¡°From the current situation, the intiff, the prosecution, is unable to produce direct evidence to prove that the case eight years ago was tied to my client. All the inferences are based on assumptions, so I request the court to dismiss the charges against my client and let the intiff bear all the losses of my client.¡±

    ¡°These losses include, but are not limited to, the loss of reputation, the cost of time, and thepensation for the lives of all the staff in the client¡¯sb. Gu Nianzhi, just wait for mywyer¡¯s letter and prepare to go bankrupt!¡±

    Her round and fair face gleaming with excitement, Wen Shouyi raised her head slightly.

    At that moment, everyone in the courtroom turned to look at her.

    Old Master Qin looked at her excitedly and rubbed his hands together in delight.

    He had not expected Wen Shouyi to do better than he had expected!

    After all, it would be best for the Qin family if Qin Yaoguang could escape unscathed!

    It was so quiet in the courtroom that everything seemed to be frozen in air.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hands tightened and his almond-shaped eyes narrowed.

    He Chengjian was also a little surprised. He couldn¡¯t help but look at He Zhichu and then at Gu Nianzhi. He really wanted to say something.

    He Zhichu nced at him and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. Nianzhi will fight back.¡±

    ¡°... But Wen Shouyi¡¯s words are wless. Unless Gu Nianzhi can produce a new direct proof, otherwise...¡±

    He Chengjian was very worried that Gu Nianzhi would be defeated this time.

    He Zhichu did not speak anymore. He looked at Gu Nianzhi intently and silently prayed for her in his heart.

    He believed in her. She would definitely find a way to fight back.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head and looked at Wen Shouyi from top to bottom. She smiled but did not say a word.

    Her smile was so ridiculing that Wen Shouyi¡¯s hair stood on end. She couldn¡¯t help thinking, did she miss another important segment?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s silence was even more chilling than her immediate rebuttal.

    The courtroom was gradually filled with the tension of a storm brewing. It was like a bowstring slowly being pulled into a full moon in front of everyone.

    Just as the bowstring was about to be pulled to its limit, Gu Nianzhi burst intoughter.

    Herughter, like a broken silver bottle falling onto a jade te, was crisp and melodious. It swept away the tension in the air.

    ¡°There is no direct evidence, so due to the presumption of innocence, she¡¯s innocent until proven guilty? Lawyer Wen, are you in that much of a hurry to get Qin Yaoguang off the hook?¡± Gu Nianzhi pped a document on the dock in front of Wen Shouyi. ¡°Lawyer Wen, open your eyes and see clearly!¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly lowered her head and saw that Gu Nianzhi had pped a intiff¡¯s indictment in front of her.

    Unable to react for a moment, she blinked. She said subconsciously, ¡°This is your intiff¡¯swsuit. It¡¯s just proof of your intiff¡¯s identity. You¡¯re saying this is direct evidence? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going crazy trying to sue your biological mother, aren¡¯t you? !¡±

    Wen Shouyi had said ¡°intiff¡¯swsuit.¡±The other people in the courtroom might not have been able to react, but He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled up slightly, and a slight smile appeared on his cold face.

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi had indeed found the most powerful counterattack.

    Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi picked up the intiff¡¯s indictment again and showed it to everyone in the court. She said calmly, ¡°Lawyer Wen was very clear just now. This is my intiff¡¯s indictment. It proves my identity as a intiff.¡±

    ¡°What she didn¡¯t say is that this intiff¡¯s indictment can also be tied to direct evidence.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand?¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at where the Qin family was sitting and deliberately turned to face them. She asked Wen Shouyi, ¡°Lawyer Wen, let me ask you, what is direct evidence?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, have you forgotten the basic legal knowledge you learned in University?¡± Wen Shouyi felt confident and asked back mockingly. She even made a hand gesture, ¡°Direct evidence refers to the evidence that can be used to single-handedly exin the main facts of the case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and asked again, ¡°Then how many types of direct evidence are required byw?¡±

    Wen Shouyi also smiled and said, ¡°It seems that Lawyer Gu is really forgetful. It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll give you another lesson.¡±

    She continued, ¡°There are five types of direct evidence that are permitted byw. The first type is the statement of the client...¡±

    Wen Shouyi suddenly froze when she heard this.

    Her pupils constricted in an instant, and her expression immediately became unsightly.

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips grew wider. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you continue? Lawyer Wen? You only said one type?¡±

    Wen Shouyi red angrily at Gu Nianzhi. She pursed her lips tightly and refused to say a word.

    She couldn¡¯t believe it. She had been on her guard and was about topletely defeat Gu Nianzhi, but she had still turned the tables on her!

    How could there be such a cunning person in this world? !

    Qin Yaoguang was waiting anxiously by the side. She couldn¡¯t help tugging at the corner of Wen Shouyi¡¯s shirt and muttering, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? She doesn¡¯t have any direct evidence. Don¡¯t be fooled by her.¡±

    Like a persimmon inte autumn, Wen Shouyi¡¯s fair and round face gradually turned red. There was no sweet sensation, only boundless chill.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at Qin Yaoguang and said pleasantly, ¡°If she won¡¯t say it, I will.¡±

    ¡°There are five types of direct evidence that are legally recognized. The first type is the statement of the party involved. In a criminal case, it includes the statement of the criminal victim, the statement and defense of the criminal suspect and the defendant.¡±

    ¡°The second type is the witness and testimony that can prove the main facts of the case.¡±

    ¡°The third type is the written evidence that can prove the main facts of the case. For example, the small note that you used to frame the case.¡±

    ¡°The fourth type is the audio-visual material that can prove the main facts of the case, such as the surveince video that has been ¡®deleted¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The fifth type is the physical evidence that can directly prove themission of a crime under certain circumstances. Physical evidence generally cannot be direct evidence, but it can also be direct evidence under a few specific circumstances.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned forward and pointed her finger at herself. A hint of mockery and derision shed across herrge eyes.

    ¡°ording to thew, this is the first direct evidence, and I am the victim of this case.¡±

    ¡°My statement is the most powerful first direct evidence.¡±

    ¡°I testify that I personally saw Wen Dayou and his wife hand the incapacitated me to Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Wen, the defendant, Qin Yaoguang, how can you ignore me when I¡¯m standing right in front of you?¡±

    ¡°You keep saying that you have no direct evidence, so you can only make the presumption of innocence and innocence? ! In your eyes, I¡¯m not a person, and I don¡¯t have the legal body and qualifications to act normally, am I?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mocking and contemptuous expression was exactly like that of someone...

    That person would be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s psychological trauma for the rest of her life. She was so angry that she lost her mind.

    Just a moment ago, she had thought that she would be able to get away with it and teach Gu Nianzhi a lesson. But now, she realized that she had fallen into the pit once again. Furthermore, she might even be convicted and ruined because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nonsense!

    Under this double stimtion, Qin Yaoguang only felt a piercing pain in her brain. She could not control her anger. She covered her left head with one hand and red at Gu Nianzhi. She pointed at her with the other and said angrily, ¡°Who do you think you are? ! You ¨C¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Old Master Qin saw that the situation was not looking good and immediately stood up from the gallery. Tears rolled down his aged face. ¡°Yaoguang, now that things havee to this, don¡¯t put up a fight anymore. Admi your guilt...¡±

    ¡°You made a mistake eight years ago for a reason. Don¡¯t make it worse! ¡ª It¡¯s better to confess to the court!¡±

 Chapter 1616 - True Love

    <h4>Chapter 1616: True Love</h4>

    In the courtroom, the presiding judge immediately frowned and knocked with his gavel. He said solemnly, ¡°Please do not disturb the order of the trial.¡±

    A few military police officers immediately walked over and gestured for Old Master Qin to leave.

    Old Master Qin was in tears. He was supported by his nephew as he left the courtroom.

    As he walked past Gu Nianzhi, Old Master Qin choked with sobs. ¡°Nianzhi, I know your mother was at fault. I apologize on her behalf. We will let you vent your anger. When the case is over, grandfather will take you to the Qin family for a few days...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Old Master Qin, this is a court case. The court will judge based on evidence and logic. Please don¡¯t say such things in court. This is humiliating us legal professionals and obstructing justice.¡±

    ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t have a mother or a grandfather. Please leave the court quickly and don¡¯t disturb the order of the court.¡±

    Old Master Qin was embarrassed for a moment and muttered, ¡°Ah, you child...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t continue. He shook his head and helped his nephew out of the court.

    Qin Yaoguang saw her old father being dissed by Gu Nianzhi in public because of her. Her eyes were red with anguish.

    She couldn¡¯t help looking at He Chengjian¡¯s seat, but he didn¡¯t even look at her. His gaze was glued to Gu Nianzhi.

    He was so focused and lost in thought that he didn¡¯t seem to be looking at Gu Nianzhi at all. He was looking at another person through Gu Nianzhi..

    Gu Nianzhi looked so much like her, but her every move in court made people think of another person.

    This realization was like a bucket of cold water on a snowy day. Qin Yaoguang snapped back to realitypletely.

    She wiped her face with the back of her hand and lowered her head in silence.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi watched the family leave the courtroom coldly and turned to look at the courtroom. She said word by word, ¡°Eight years ago, it was Qin Yaoguang who ordered Wen Dayou and his wife to kidnap me and bring me to her. She even had me sent to the airport to smuggle me out of the country!¡±

    Of course, Lu Jin was the one who had told her all this.

    He had intercepted Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attempt to smuggle Gu Nianzhi out of the country and took her away from the airport...

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart trembled.

    Did Gu Nianzhi remember everything? !

    She had never performed a memory removal surgery on Gu Nianzhi, but she had always thought that Gu Nianzhi had lost her memory. It was Gu Xiangwen who had hypnotized her and erased her memories from the previous twelve years.

    Now it seemed that neither was true.

    Gu Nianzhi had gone to the other dimension and lost her memory not because of the memory-stripping surgery, nor because Gu Xiangwen had hypnotized her.

    Because the memory loss caused by both methods was irreversible.

    Qin Yaoguang concluded that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s previous memory loss was only because she had gone to the other world at a young age and her brain had not matured yet. Therefore, the collision of the high-energy maic field had caused a temporary total loss of memory.

    She didn¡¯t know that in reality, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory had not recovered at all.

    Everything she knew did note from her memory, but from Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi had used this little bit of information to force Qin Yaoguang to make a choice.

    Was she going to admit that she was the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Gu Nianzhi eight years ago, or was she going to admit that she was the scientist who had used Gu Nianzhi as an experiment and tortured her for four years?

    Either way, Qin Yaoguang was going to jail.

    The sole purpose of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trial this time was to put Qin Yaoguang in jail.

    ..

    Qin Yaoguang took a deep breath and turned to look at herwyer, Wen Shouyi. She noticed that her lips were tightly pursed and her eyes were wandering. It was unknown what she was thinking about, but she appeared to be getting more and more frustrated.

    Why was she so useless?

    She had thought that she had won the case just now, but in the end, Gu Nianzhi had turned the tables on her.

    She was so useless.

    ..

    In the courtroom, the presiding judge asked Qin Yaoguang in a serious toe of voice, ¡°Defendant, is what the intiff said true?¡±

    Wen Shouyi came back to her senses and quickly said, ¡°Mr. Presiding judge, my client...¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial expression was cold. She raised her head to interrupt Wen Shouyi and said inly, ¡°Yes, what Gu Nianzhi said is true.¡±

    The court was in an uproar.

    She had confessed?

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her face. There was no trace of emotion on her face.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression could only be described as numb.

    Gu Nianzhi tutted. ¡°You suddenly changed your mind. Defendant Qin Yaoguang, which of your words should I believe to be true and which are false?¡±

    The presiding judge added, ¡°The defendant, please state your motive. Why did you kidnap your own daughter and frame Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    It was not enough to just admit guilt; evidence and motive were needed to convict.

    Qin Yaoguang lowered her gaze and stared at the table in front of her. She said with a straight face, ¡°I did all of this for one person.¡±

    ¡°For who?¡± Gu Nianzhi pressed on. ¡°Where is this person?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked up and quickly nced in He Chengjian¡¯s direction. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. ¡°For He Chengjian.¡±

    ¡°Huh ¡ª ? !¡±

    There was amotion in the courtroom. He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary and entourage were all stunned.

    What was going on?

    Could there be more to this case?

    This woman really dared to say that General He was involved..

    He Chengjian also frowned and was a little angry.

    He could swear to the heavens that he had never instructed Qin Yaoguang to do such a thing.

    He Zhichu moved closer to his ear and said softly, ¡°Dad, did you see that? When women go crazy, they¡¯re really unreasonable. Perhaps we were all wrong. The real lunatic is someone else.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± He Zhichu curled his lips and continued to listen to the interrogation.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly followed up. She also frowned and said, ¡°The defendant, Qin Yaoguang, please borate more clearly. What do you mean you did it for He Chengjian? Do you mean that General He Chengjian was the mastermind behind this? Did he ask you to kidnap me so that I could leave the He family?¡±

    He Chengjian simply frowned when he heard this. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice,¡±... What sort of reasoning is that? If I wanted to chase her out of the He family, why would I go through so much trouble to bring her back? !¡±

    A faint smile appearing in his almond-shaped eyes, He Zhichu shrugged lightly.

    Qin Yaoguang shook her head and directly denied it. ¡°No, General He Chengjian didn¡¯t ask me to do it. I did it for him.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you took the initiative to do this for He Chengjian?¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more confused. ¡°So you¡¯re still saying that G, eneral He Chengjian had something to do with this? That you helped him solve his problems because he wanted me to leave?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang closed her eyes and was getting impatient. She shook her head and said, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with your ability to understand people. I say I did it for him, yet you twist it and interpret it as him being the mastermind.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not twisting anything. It¡¯s a reasonable deduction.¡± Gu Nianzhi had always been very patient in court, ¡°You kidnapped me and took me away from the He family. Then you said it was because of General He Chengjian, so I directly deduced that He Chengjian wanted me to leave the He family, so you helped him fulfill his wish.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang did not expect to hear such an exnation. She quickly nced at He Chengjian again. Seeing that he was still not looking at her, she became even more frustrated.

    Pursing her lips and puffing her cheeks, Qin Yaoguang made up her mind. She said directly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you¡¯re too narcissistic. How could I kidnap you for General He Chengjian solely because of you? You were actually just bait. I kidnapped you to lure out Gu Xiangwen, who had been hiding all this time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This was an angle that she had never thought of before.

    Her spirits lifted, and Gu Nianzhi immediately began to unravel the mystery. ¡°Oh? You kidnapped me to lure Gu Xiangwen out of hiding? Why? How did you know that Gu Xiangwen would find out that you wanted to kidnap me?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang pointed to her left brain. ¡°Do you know why I installed an anti-hypnosis biochip in my brain? It¡¯s because I know that Gu Xiangwen has never given up on me and has been secretly spying on me. He knows everything I did.¡±

    In fact, it was only after Gu Nianzhi had been taken away by Gu Xiangwen that Qin Yaoguang realized that Gu Xiangwen had been spying on her even when she was on the run.

    However, in court, she had actually made a valid case to say the opposite.

    Gu Nianzhi almostughed when she heard this. ¡°... Gu Xiangwen has never given up on you? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, why else would he keep spying on me?¡± Qin Yaoguang said matter-of-factly, ¡°But I don¡¯t like him. I told him long ago that there was only one person I liked from start to finish, and that was my ex-fianc¨¦ and ex-husband, General He Chengjian. Gu Xiangwen doesn¡¯t even deserve to carry General He¡¯s shoes!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Aren¡¯t you ashamed to say such things in court?¡± Gu Nianzhi was finally enraged, and she cut her off harshly, ¡°What about you would my father, Gu Xiangwen, like? You¡¯re not as academically talented as him, your IQ isn¡¯t as high as his, and even your EQ isn¡¯t high than his, yet you¡¯re in the same field as him. Do you know what it means to be in the same field as an enemy? How did youe up with the oundish idea that he likes you?¡±

    ¡°Of course you won¡¯t admit it.¡± Qin Yaoguang saw that Gu Nianzhi was angry and was instantly in a good mood. She looked at He Chengjian lovingly, and saw that he had finally looked over. The smile on her face grew wider. ¡°But whether you admit it or not, this is the truth. I used this to lure Gu Xiangwen out with you as bait.¡±

    ¡°Everyone saw what happened after that. Gu Xiangwen really showed up and burned himself to death in front of everyone.¡± She turned to look at He Chengjian. She said very sincerely, ¡°Chengjian, I know what you¡¯re thinking. You want Gu Xiangwen to pay for your wife¡¯s death with his life. I know I shouldn¡¯t have used such a method to lure him out, but as long as I can help you get revenge, I¡¯m willing to do anything for you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that sheughed. ¡°Qin Yaoguang, you¡¯re such a femme fatale! To avenge a man who doesn¡¯t love you, you¡¯re willing to take such risks. But I have to ask, why did General He Chengjian want to capture Gu Xiangwen to pay for his wife¡¯s death?¡±

 Chapter 1617 - Opened a New Trail

    <h4>Chapter 1617: Opened a New Trail</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang was not in a hurry to answer. Her voluptuous lips curved like a diamond. She slowly said, ¡°Why did General He Chengjian want to capture Gu Xiangwen to pay for his wife¡¯s death? Is that important?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important.¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little nervous. Her palms were sweating, and she quietly put them behind her back. ¡°Because this will prove whether your motives are reasonable.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang rolled her eyes and snorted. ¡°You still need to prove whether or not it¡¯s reasonable? You can understand it with your knees.¡±

    ¡°First of all, after the death of General He Chengjian¡¯s wife, Gu Xiangwen was wanted because he was thest person to see her. And after Gu Xiangwen was wanted, he chose to hide instead of denying guilt. Wasn¡¯t he running away because he was guilty?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words were firm and decisive.

    Her fiery gaze was on He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian¡¯s face was as ck as the bottom of a pot. His fingers were tightly clenched into fists. He used all the self-control in his body, but he could not suppress the grief and regret in his heart.

    He Zhichu sighed softly, reached out his hand, and gently held He Chengjian¡¯s hand.

    He Chengjian only calmed down when he felt his son¡¯sfort and support.

    His arrogant face cold and fierce, he raised his head.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled.

    Many clues that she had vaguely felt were suspicious before were now clear.

    Although she was sure that this was not Qin Yaoguang¡¯s real reason, it had opened a new trail, allowing her to unravel something that she had never been able to unravel before.

    She could not help but look at He Zhichu and He Chengjian, who were sitting silently in the audience seats.

    No wonder He Zhichu and He Chengjian were so furious whenever Gu Xiangwen was mentioned...

    No wonder they had such a deep prejudice against him.

    No wonder Gu Xiangwen had been hiding his identity and even used the fire to burn himself to make himself look ordinary through stic surgery. He even gave himself the nickname ¡°Lu Jin.¡±.

    Was it because the name Gu Xiangwen was too burdensome?

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi really wanted to go back to Lu Jin and tell him sincerely that no matter what the truth was, she would bear it with him.

    To reach the peak, one must endure the pain.

    To wear the crown, one must bear the weight.

    Running away would not solve any problems.

    Gu Nianzhi had thought about it so much, but it had all happened in the blink of an eye.

    Her mind raced, and she quickly refuted Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Wrong! Even if Gu Xiangwen was thest person to see General He Chengjian¡¯s wife, Qin Suwen, it still doesn¡¯t prove that he had a direct connection to her death. If I remember correctly, General He Chengjian¡¯s wife wasn¡¯t murdered, so why was there a warrant for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s arrest? Is this warrant legal?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked directly at General He Chengjian and Major General He Zhichu, who were in the gallery.

    She was about to question them when Wen Shouyi stood up again. She said weakly, ¡°Objection. The warrant for Gu Xiangwen¡¯s arrest and the death of General He Chengjian¡¯s wife, Qin Suwen, have nothing to do with this case. Please, counsel, don¡¯t ramble on and get off topic.¡±

    The presiding judge quickly rapped his gavel on it and said, ¡°Objection sustained. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s arrest warrant and Qin Suwen¡¯s death are separate cases and have nothing to do with this case. ¡ª intiff¡¯swyer, do you have anything else to say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi retracted her gaze and shot a quick nce at Qin Yaoguang. She saw that she still had a stiff and numb expression on her face.

    Who was she trying to impress by putting on an expression that said, ¡°nothing is more wretched than apathy¡±?

    Gu Nianzhi spat at her in her heart.

    ¡°Your honor, I think there¡¯s still room for discussion about the motive of the defendant, Qin Yaoguang,¡± Gu Nianzhi said confidently, ¡°She said before that she kidnapped me to lure Gu Xiangwen out, but in fact, I remember that she ordered someone to bring me to the airport with the intention of smuggling me out of the country. Excuse me, if she only wanted to lure Gu Xiangwen out, is it necessary to smuggle me out of the country?¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen was in the country at the time, not abroad.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed and she immediately asked, ¡°Lawyer Gu, How did you know that Gu Xiangwen was in the country and not abroad? Did he tell you in your dreams?¡±

    How could Gu Nianzhi let her get information out of her?

    She curled her lips in disdain, and she said mockingly, ¡°Lawyer Wen, aren¡¯t you too forgetful? Even if you don¡¯t believe me, your client, Qin Yaoguang, said that she lured Gu Xiangwen out, that Gu Xiangwen intercepted her at the airport and took me away. Later, he burned himself to death in front of everyone.¡±

    ¡°The ce where he burned himself was at the intersection of a downtown area in C City.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that prove that he was in the country at the time?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was rendered speechless by Gu Nianzhi.

    She opened her mouth and racked her brains for a moment before saying, ¡°My client has already confessed. ording to our country¡¯s legal policy, leniency will be granted if there is a confession. I request that the court...¡±

    ¡°I object.¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately interrupted Wen Shouyi. She calmly said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang only confessed to kidnapping, but her motive is still a mystery. I have reason to believe that she is trying to confess to a lesser crime to cover up a bigger conspiracy. I beg the court not to close the case easily. Give me some time, I will find more evidence!¡±

    ¡°I did it for Big Brother He!¡± Qin Yaoguang stood up with her hands on the table. Her face was flushed red, and her plump lips were trembling as she said hoarsely, ¡°I¡¯ve only loved one person in my life... But he didn¡¯t love me... But I can still live and die for him.¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly patted her back tofort her, then pleaded with the court, ¡°Your Honor, I¡¯m sorry that my client is a little emotional.¡±

    Then she quickly began her closing statement, ¡°Your Honor, all the people in the court, my client, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, has had a smooth life. She has experienced many ups and downs in her rtionship, but she didn¡¯t give up. Instead, she turned her feelings into love and devoted herself to scientific research and medicine

    ¡°In the past 30 years of research, Ms. Qin Yaoguang has made a total of 43 important breakthroughs. She came up with the concept of ¡®gene editing¡¯ and made research findings worthy of a Nobel Prize.¡±

    ¡°I believe that she set up the kidnapping of her biological daughter, Gu Nianzhi, eight years ago, just for a rtionship that she couldn¡¯t get.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no doubt that my client, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, also has shorings and has done something wrong.¡±

    ¡°This is because she has always been a person whocked love. Nearly 40 years of bitter love have put heavy pressure on her. Everything she has done was for love.¡±

    ¡°I hope the court will consider all factors and carefully determine the sentence. ¡ª Thank you, Judge. Thank you to all the people present.¡±

    Wen Shouyi finished speaking and helped Qin Yaoguang, who had calmed down, sit down.

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to control her anger. Her pretty face was as radiant as the red clouds in the sky.

    Her eyes sparkled as she enunciated each word, ¡°So what if shecked love? Has she gone insane fromck of love? She canmit a crime just because shecks love and think she can get away with it?¡±

    ¡°I also need money, but I didn¡¯t rob a bank!¡±

    ¡°So, what she did was wrong. Don¡¯t make any excuses for her. She will be punished by thew if shemits a crime.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know what your client went through. I don¡¯t want to hear about it either. I only hope that she will receive the punishment she deserves.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the presiding judge and asked again, ¡°So I request that the presiding judge consider theplexity and seriousness of this case carefully and postpone the retrial.¡±

    He Zhichu stood up at that moment and nodded at the judges¡¯ bench in a handsome manner. He said, ¡°As an important witness in this case and the person who reported the case back then, I agree with Lawyer Gu¡¯s request. Because of the defendant¡¯s new motive for kidnapping in this case is rted to the murder case of my mother who died suddenly back then, it has already been pushed to the stage of a serious criminal case.¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the conviction, the sentence, or the punishment, it is far from the stage of closing the case.¡±

    The moment He Zhichu spoke, the nature of the casepletely changed.

    The presiding judge nodded. ¡°We will adjourn for fifteen minutes to discuss this.¡±

    With that, the presiding judge and the two judges left the courtroom again, then went to the conference room next door to discuss the progress of the case.

    They also had some doubts about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s motive.

    Just as Gu Nianzhi had said, if it was just to draw Gu Xiangwen out, they should have informed the He family immediately after Gu Xiangwen had taken Gu Nianzhi away, but they did not.

    It could be said that this motive had been hidden for eight years. When it was revealed that the note was not left by Gu Xiangwen to the He family eight years ago, but was written by Gu Xiangwen to Qin Yaoguang 14 years ago, the entire case was overturned.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s new motive under such circumstances was very touching, but it was illogical.

    In a court case, direct evidence, indirect evidence, and logical connections were needed to corroborate each other in order to form aplete chain of evidence.

    This chain of evidence had once directly pointed to Gu Xiangwen.

    However, after Gu Nianzhi pointed out that the direct evidence pointing to the note was wrong, the entire chain of evidence was broken and reorganized.

    ¡°I agree with the intiff¡¯swyer and the witness, He Zhichu,¡± one of the judges said seriously. ¡°Moreover, this case involves the truth BEHIND Qin Suwen¡¯s death. I think we can postpone the retrial.¡±

    The other judge also agreed, but he also had concerns. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid the Qin family won¡¯t let this go. The defendant, Qin Yaoguang, has a very high social status, and it involves her personal rtionship with General He Chengjian...¡±

    The presiding judge pondered for a long time and made a decision. ¡°Then we¡¯ll postpone the trial and wait for the intiff to present more evidence. If the Qin family and General He Chengjian me us, I¡¯ll bear the responsibility.¡±

    The three of them made up their minds and quickly returned to the trial court.

    The presiding judge knocked on the gavel and announced, ¡°Because the new motive proposed by the defendant is not consistent with the direct evidence and indirect evidence, the court will adjourn temporarily and wait for the intiff to present more evidence.¡±

    At the same time, he announced, ¡°The defendant, Qin Yaoguang, has been found guilty of kidnapping. She will be temporarily detained in an independent cell in the military prison and will be retried.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked up abruptly and looked at the presiding judge in disbelief. She then turned her head to look at He Chengjian.

    The presiding judge had already walked out of the courtroom and was shaking Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand affectionately with a smile on his face.

    As for He Chengjian, He Chengjian¡¯s face was already dark. He did not even look at her as he strode out of the courtroom surrounded by the crowd.

    Thest glimmer of hope in her eyes disappearing bit by bit, Qin Yaoguang slumped into her seat.

    A few military police officers walked over and took her to an independent cell in the military prison.

    Wen Shouyi deliberately followed her. After confirming that she had settled down there, she left the heavily guarded military prison.

    When she came out of the military prison, she saw that the sky was already filled with sunset. The evening of thest day of the calendar year had quietly arrived just like that.

 Chapter 1618 - Best New Yearâ€™s Gift

    <h4>Chapter 1618: Best New Year¡¯s Gift</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi did not care whether Qin Yaoguang wasfortable or not. It was a prison, after all. Did she think it was a five-star hotel?

    Moreover, Qin Yaoguang was temporarily locked up in a heavily guarded military prison. Gu Nianzhi was not worried that someone would do something to her.

    If even the military prison could not keep an eye on Qin Yaoguang, Gu Nianzhi truly felt that the He family could all go to hell.

    Therefore, she left the courtroom with ease and went straight to the parking lot to get her car.

    When she arrived at the parking lot, she saw He Zhichu, dressed in military uniform, sitting in front of her car, waiting for her.

    His long legs were stretched out in front of him, his arms were crossed, and his bright, almond-shaped eyes quietly watched her approach. He bent over slightly and said calmly,¡±... Today is New Year¡¯s Eve. Where do you want to go y? I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out her keys and opened the car door remotely. She smiled and said, ¡°No need. I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯m too tired today. I want to rest at home alone.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He Zhichu stood up straight and looked at her intently for a while.

    She had been really tired these past few days. Her cheeks had a strange flush as she walked out of the courtroom.

    Her lipstick had already faded, making her lips appear waxy pink and white.

    Her bright eyes were a little tired, and dark circles had even appeared under her eyes.

    He Zhichu rubbed her head with some heartache, ¡°Alright, go back and have a good rest. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is the New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and opened the car door to get into the car. She smiled and asked, ¡°What about you, Young Master He? It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve. It¡¯s also a good opportunity to party.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and said, ¡°I have a social engagement tonight. I¡¯m going to have a party with a group of childhood friends. We¡¯ll count down the time together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a satisfied look. ¡°Bingo! I¡¯m happy to see you happy, Young Master He. Have fun tonight! I¡¯ll tell you happy New Year¡¯s tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year¡¯s.¡± He Zhichu waved at her and watched her drive off.

    He Zhichu¡¯s smile faded only after Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car drove off.

    He touched his face and felt his cheeks ache.

    It wasn¡¯t easy to maintain a smile at all times.

    He got into his car and received a call from a few friends. He confirmed his schedule for the night with a faint smile.

    ¡°Okay, no problem. I¡¯ll definitely be there. Prepare some red wine and let¡¯s have a good time today.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi pushed open the door to her house. As expected, Lu Jin and Lu Yuan both looked up from the sofa and looked at her with concern.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her exhaustion disappear. She threw herptop bag and briefcase onto the sofa, then rushed to the kitchen refrigerator to get a can of ice-cold milk. She drank half a bottle of milk in one go.

    ¡°Nianzhi, how can you drink ice-cold milk in such a cold day?¡± Lu Jin quickly followed her in. ¡°I¡¯ll heat up a bottle of milk for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced. ¡°Dad, my heart is warm. Didn¡¯t you see how I dissed Qin Yaoguang in court?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± Lu Jin said with a smile. His expression was calm, but he was actually very worried.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the living room with a smile and recounted everything that had happened in court that day.

    She was in the mood for mboyance, so she dramatically acted out all of today¡¯s court proceedings.

    Lu Jin was very engrossed. As description of the court proceedings went on his reaction changed appropriately as well, he was a very qualified audience.

    Lu Yuan was a little moreposed than Lu Jin, but he was also intrigued.

    When he found out that this case was notpletely closed and that they still had to wait for new evidence for her to be retried, he quickly nodded and agreed. ¡°There are still many suspicious points. Indeed, we should continue the trial.¡±

    Lu Jin was so angry at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words in court that his face turned red. He mmed the table angrily and said, ¡°Did this woman be retarded after adding a chip to her brain? Who has a crush on her? ! If I had known she would say such nonsense, I would have confronted her in court even if He Chengjian found out!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and pushed his arm away. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t you see that I helped you fight back? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here. I won¡¯t let you suffer any more losses!¡±

    ¡°My daughter!¡± Lu Jin was so excited that he didn¡¯t know how to thank her. His eyes sparkled as he, wishing he could give everything to her, looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t even look at her. He made a disgusted expression and said, ¡°Lu Jin, speak properly. Otherwise, don¡¯t talk about the case. Your rational mind has already left its home.¡±

    Lu Jin waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt. Hurry up and cook. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today. You have to cook something delicious for us!¡±

    Seeing Lu Yuan¡¯s face darken, Gu Nianzhi quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Uncle Lu, no matter what you cook, it¡¯s delicious! Dad, right?¡±

    She used her eyes to warn Lu Jin to stop talking nonsense.

    Lu Jin was not afraid of anything, but he was afraid that his daughter would be unhappy. He quickly changed the topic and nodded. ¡°Not bad, not bad. Boss Lu¡¯s culinary skills are really impable!¡±

    ¡°At least you know how to be grateful.¡± Lu Yuan snorted and stood up to go to the kitchen to prepare the New Year¡¯s Eve feast.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed the back of her neck and said to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going to take a bath. It¡¯s been a long day.¡±

    ¡°Go, go, I made you another bottle ofvender essential oil. I added a special ingredient that I¡¯ve researched. Not only can it help you sleep, but it can also relieve muscle soreness.¡± Lu Jin smiled as he pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

    Gu Nianzhi hugged him happily. ¡°Thank you, Dad!¡±

    Then she happily ran to the bathroom to soak in thevender essential oil that Lu Jin had personally developed for her.

    She soaked in it for half an hour before getting up. Then she started her skincare routine. When she was finally done, she changed into loose domestic attire and went to the living room. It had already been more than an hour.

    Lu Jin saw here out and quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi, the food is ready. Come and eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happened to be hungry. The bottle of milk from earlier had beenpletely digested after she had taken a bath.

    She walked into the dining room and saw that Lu Yuan had indeed prepared a feast.

    The table was filled with exquisite white brandy and porcin cutlery. In the middle of the table was a purple y stew cup. When the lid was lifted, she got a whiff of the delicious aroma.

    Lu Jin happily pointed at the pot and said, ¡°This is ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯! It¡¯s Boss Lu¡¯s specialty! But he¡¯s only made it once in all these years. Today is the second time. Thanks to my daughter, I can eat it again!¡±

    ¡°So this is ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised as she leaned over to take a closer look.

    She saw a purple y pot with a purple sea cucumber on the top. Next to it were two round abalones, jade-colored flower glue, white, vermicelli-like shark fins, soft jade pirs, and red prawns.

    Using a spoon to remove the topyer, she could see the deer tendons, duck gizzards, pigeon eggs, turtle skirt, and razor ms at the bottom. At a nce, one could tell that the pot was already stewed to a high temperature.

    Moving down, she could see the bottom of the ham, along with ribs, pork bellies, hoof tendons, and ground chickens, ground ducks, as well as the bottom of the soup made from mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and apricot mushrooms.

    The aroma was just right to arouse one¡¯s appetite, and Gu Nianzhi could not help feeling excited.

    From the ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, it could be seen that Lu Jin and Lu Yuan had been preparing this new year¡¯s Eve feast for a long time, because it wasn¡¯t something that could be made in an hour.

    Gu Nianzhi was very touched and sat down. She called out to Lu Yuan and Lu Jin, ¡°Uncle Lu, Dad, quickly sit down, let¡¯s have a New Year¡¯s Eve feast together!¡±

    On the dining table, the ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ was surrounded by all sorts of dishes made by Lu Yuan.

    A te of deep-fried meatballs was ced on the left side of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. On the right side was a te of steamed bass with finely chopped green scallions on it.

    The meatballs were followed by a te of chicken with lemon juice. It was fragrant but not greasy, crisp but not sticky.

    Beside the chicken was a te of steaming lychee meat. It was even more appetizing under the contrast of the snow-white porcin.

    Next to the steamed bass was a bowl of shark sliders. Although the shape did not look good, Gu Nianzhi took a bite and finished off the small bowl of shark sliders Lu Jin had served her.

    Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°Eat slowly. There are also peanuts and mashed taro for dessert.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so busy that she could only give him a thumbs up to show her appreciation, because she was busy eating.

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she was overeating, but she still couldn¡¯t stop eating.

    The atmosphere in the dining room was happy and harmonious. Lu Yuan appeared a little dazed, as if this was the first time in so many years that he had experienced the joy of family.

    Lu Jin turned on the television and saw that the New Year¡¯s Eve programs were being broadcasted on the television. He said with interest, ¡°Nianzhi, today is your first New Year¡¯s Eve here. How do you want to spend it?¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged and continued to eat. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it. I just want to eat my fill and sleep at home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just gone to court today and had fought a tough battle with Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi. She was tired.

    ¡°The only way to solve my worries is to eat and sleep.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she scooped up a bowl of peanut and mashed taro with a spoon and started eating dessert.

    As for New Year¡¯s Eve, could it still be called New Year¡¯s Eve without Major General Huo? No way.

    As they spoke, the television was broadcasting the customs of the various countries on New Year¡¯s Eve, especially the countdown to New Year¡¯s Eve in Times Square in the United States.

    ¡°... it is estimated that more than two million people will attend New Year¡¯s Eve in Times Square in the United States, twice as many as in previous years.¡±

    ¡°Because the President of the United States will also attend the countdown to New Year¡¯s Eve in Times Square in New York. At that time, he will invite friends from all over the world to watch it together.¡±

    Lu Jin saw that her mood had suddenly dropped, and he did not know how he had said the wrong thing, so he quickly thought of a way to make up for it. He pointed at the television and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we also go to New York in the United States? Every year in Times Square in New York, in thest ten seconds of New Year¡¯s Eve, everyone counts down the countdown to watch the Big Apple fall. How interesting!¡±

    The time difference between the Huaxia Empire and the United States was exactly 12 hours. If they walked quickly, they would still have time to watch the New Year¡¯s Eve countdown in New York.

    Gu Nianzhi tried hard to smile and shook her head. ¡°No need. I don¡¯t want to go anywhere. I just want to spend New Year¡¯s Eve at home with my father and President Lu. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! Of course!¡± Lu Jin did not expect Gu Nianzhi to say that. His heart felt warm and he rubbed his hands happily. He quickly said, ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re tired. Have a good night¡¯s sleep after dinner. I¡¯ll call you over to grab the red packet when the countdown starts!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, but when she saw the food on the table, her eyes darted around and she said, ¡°CEO Lu, you¡¯re so good at cooking. Is it because you learned from your family, or did you learn from a famous teacher?¡±

    Who was Lu Yuan? Not to mention a young girl like Gu Nianzhi, even a wily old man would not be able to get information from him.

    Therefore, when Gu Nianzhi said that, Lu Yuan calmly said, ¡°I learned from myself.¡±

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face involuntarily widened. ¡°Really? You came up with the three-dish fried rice yourself?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s such a simple fried rice. You just have to scratch it a few times.¡± Lu Yuan calmly smiled and beat around the bush. ¡°Okay, go rest for a while. Your eyelids are drooping.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes. She felt sleepy after eating and drinking.

    She yawned and dragged her tired body back to her room to sleep.

    Perhaps it was because she had been too nervous and tired recently.

    Once she went back to her room to lie down, she couldn¡¯t be awoken.

    It was midnight when the countdown started. Lu Jin went to her bedroom and tried to wake her up for a long time, but she was still sound asleep.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t want to use too much strength to wake her up, so he didn¡¯t continue trying to wake her up.

    He thoughtfully turned off the lights and gently closed the door to let Gu Nianzhi sleep.

    In the end, Gu Nianzhi slept until almost 1 pm the next day.

    She rushed out of the bedroom and said with exasperation, ¡°Dad! You told me we would do the count down and snatch the red packets together!¡±

    It had been half a day since the new year, and she had missed out on 100 million!

    Lu Jin quickly coaxed her, ¡°Nianzhi, you were too sleepy yesterday. I wanted to call you, but I decided that sleeping was more important. Look at yourplexion!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t want an exnation!¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged her panda pillow and sat cross-legged on the sofa. She huffed and puffed, ¡°I don¡¯t care! I don¡¯t care! I want the countdown! I want the red packet! Give me the red packet for the New Year!¡±

    ¡°Huh? You really want the countdown?¡± Lu Jin scratched his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t invent a time machine...¡±

    How could he give her a countdown? Was he going to wait until next year?

    Suddenly, Lu Jin had an idea. He turned on the curved wall-mounted TV in the living room and said with a smile, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll give you the countdown for the New Year!¡±

    It was almost one o¡¯clock in the afternoon now.

    On the TV, it happened to be broadcasting the New Year¡¯s Eve celebration in Times Square in the United States.

    Because of the time difference, it was exactly ten minutes till midnight in the United States, which was the countdown for the New Year.

    Lu Jin was beaming with joy. He pointed at the television and said, ¡°Look! They¡¯re still counting down! As for the red packet,e, here¡¯s your red packet!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She was actually speechless.

    With one hand supporting her head and the other holding the small panda pillow, Gu Nianzhi could only watch the grand New Year¡¯s Eve celebration in New York on television to relieve her boredom.

    On New Year¡¯s Eve, the temperature in Times Square could be as low as minus twenty degrees Celsius, but such low temperatures could not dampen everyone¡¯s enthusiasm for watching the Big Apple fall on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    On television, the host, wearing a fashionable down jacket, excitedly announced, ¡°The President hase out! The President will count down with you all today! He will share the joy with the people!¡±

    Then she said, ¡°Today, the President will do the New Year¡¯s countdown with international friends. In addition to Yeltsin, the Municipal Party Chief of the Soviet Union¡¯s Capital Moscow and the Soviet Union¡¯s Youth Affairs Standing Committee Chairman Gorbachev, there are also diplomats from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.¡±

    The camera on the television turned and focused on these ¡°diplomats¡±.

    These people were all fully dressed, wrapped in all kinds of fur coats, down jackets, scarves, and hats. Only their protruding bellies and thick waists could be seen.

    Among this group of people, Gu Nianzhi saw Peter, the Ace of the Far East, at a nce. The Deputy Chief Counsel, Huo Shaoheng, was standing in the shadow next to Yeltsin and Gorbachev.

    Even if he wasn¡¯t standing in front of the camera, no one would be able to ignore him.

    He was wearing a well-fitting Soviet Union military coat and boots. He was 1.9 meters tall. He was wearing a military cap.

    Just by standing there, he looked like someone from a famous painting.

    The bright lights in Times Square seemed to entuate his presence. Gu Nianzhi admired the beautiful scenery, but in her heart, she was thinking about Major General Huo. She didn¡¯t know who he was spending New Year¡¯s Eve with.

    As she thought about it, her mood sank. She didn¡¯t want to watch the countdown anymore.

    She picked up the remote control and was about to change the channel when she suddenly saw another person beside the Ace of the Far East.

    This person was in an even darker shadow, but when he was talking to the Ace of the Far East, he just happened to look up at the camera.

    It was only a 0.1 second shot, but Gu Nianzhi was struck by lightning. She was in a terrible state.

    Before she could react, her fingers had subconsciously pressed pause.

    The man¡¯s face was frozen on the big screen of the television.

    He was a man in his thirties. He wasn¡¯t tall, nor was he strong. His eyes were always squinting, as if he hadn¡¯t woken up yet.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the man¡¯s extremely familiar face. In her muddled mind, it was as if a beam of light had suddenly pierced through the fog of darkness and was pointing her in the right direction.

    He looked exactly the same as Peter in the other world!

    This Peter should be Peter¡¯s counterpart in the parallel dimension, right?

    But if this person who always looked like he was sleepy was the real Peter, then who was the Ace of the Far East, ¡°Peter¡±, who was standing beside him? !

    In that instant, everything that had happened since she had met the Ace of the Far East, ¡°Peter¡±, reyed in front of her eyes. All of a sudden, every word, action, and movement of his had a new meaning.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded wildly. Could it be what she had thought?

    Her body felt cold and hot, like she had gone through 10 kilometers of cross-country training in the hot summer sun, and like she had fallen into an ice hole in the extreme north in the cold winter months.

    She covered her mouth with her hand. She wanted to cry, but she also wanted tough. Tears streamed down her face, but the smile on her lips was beautiful.

    She vaguely wondered if the real answer was already on the tip of her tongue?

    Was he already by her side, and silently apanying her in his way while she did not know?

    Lu Jin turned his head and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s state. He could not help but be terrified. He quickly asked, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me... I didn¡¯t tell you to get upst night. It was my fault. I know I was wrong. You...¡±

    ¡°No! No! I¡¯m not unhappy!¡± Gu Nianzhi threw away the panda pillow in her arms and got up from the sofa. She threw herself into Lu Jin¡¯s arms and hugged him as she cried andughed. ¡°Dad! I¡¯m so happy! This is the best New Year¡¯s present! Thank you! Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 1619 - a Masterâ€™s Move Is Telltale

    <h4>Chapter 1619: a Master¡¯s Move Is Telltale</h4>

    Lu Jin was very confused. He quickly touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead with his hand and said in puzzlement, ¡°You don¡¯t have a fever... What New Year¡¯s gift? I haven¡¯t given it to you yet...¡±

    Seeing Lu Jin¡¯s concerned and puzzled expression, Gu Nianzhi almost voiced her guess.

    However, just as she was about to say it, she remembered the importance of this matter. She remembered He Chengjian¡¯s attitude towards Huo Shaoheng ¡ª he would rather kill the wrong person than let him go. She swallowed all her excitement and joy.

    However, her emotions were fluctuating like a level-12 storm. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and sobbed, ¡°This is the best New Year¡¯s present!¡±

    She picked up the remote control and pressed y.

    On TV, the ten-second countdown had begun in New York¡¯s Times Square.

    The polygonal, rhombus-shaped sphere, poprly known as the Big Apple, was 12 feet in diameter and weighed more than 10,000 pounds. It was covered in 2,688 small crystal triangles and contained 672 LED lights.

    When the LED lights were lit, the entire sphere can disy more than 16 million different colors andbinations of light.

    On a cold winter¡¯s night, the shiny Big Apple was like the Golden Apple held in the hands of the three goddesses of beauty in Greek mythology. It symbolized both wisdom and power, and was indiscriminately attractive to everyone.

    Two million people in the square were waving glow sticks and loudly counting down ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven...¡±

    As everyone counted down, the Big Apple-like fluorescent multi-faceted sphere slowly descended with the resounding sound of music.

    Thousands of rays of seven-colored light shot out from the sphere, decorating the night sky of Times Square as if it was a fairnd.

    At this moment, the Big Apple-like sphere had just descended halfway when it suddenly let out an earth-shattering bang. Then, the entire sphere split open from the middle with a bang!

    Tear gas like gas was quickly released from the sphere, instantly enveloping the entire times square in smoke.

    Not only were the two million people in Times Square dumbfounded, but all the television viewers watching the fall of the Big Apple in front of their televisions were also dumbfounded.

    What was this operation?

    Was there a new gimmick for the fall of the Big Apple this year?

    Those who had such thoughts immediately knew that they were thinking too much.

    On the live television broadcast, the huge crowd began to run in a panic. Many of the aerial shots taken with drones were blocked by the gas released from the Big Apple sphere. The television was foggy and the scene could not be seen.

    The only thing that could be heard was the host, not knowing what emergency measures to take, talking to the director.

    Suddenly, there was a crackling sound from the television. It sounded like firecrackers exploding in front of the camera.

    However, fireworks were not allowed in Times Square in New York at this time. How could someone set off fireworks at this time?

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment. Soon, she saw the image on the television clearly. At this time, the host looked at the camera in horror and said, ¡°My God! Somebody wants to kill the President!¡±

    Soon, the FBI¡¯s Special Task Force and the members of the President¡¯s Special Protection Team charged into the crowd with their guns loaded and charged toward their blond president.

    New York¡¯s Times Square was called a square, but it was actually a very small space. It was square in all directions and could not amodate two million people at all.

    It had blocked several streets around it, so it could barely amodate so many people.

    The annual security check was very strict so it was unexpected that there was still such a loophole.

    With many people in a confined space, the scene became chaotic.

    There were people running and crying everywhere. Many people fell to the ground, were trampled on, and seriously injured.

    But these ordinary people could notpete with these armed members of the Special Task Force.

    They quickly cut a path through the crowd and escorted the President into the emergency building on the edge of Times Square.

    At this time, the Special Operations Forces used their own bodies to form a body shield to protect the president.

    The sporadic gunshots in Times Square were soon suppressed by the FBI¡¯s Special Operations Forces.

    Police cars rolled in one after another, and countless lights, covering the Big Apple¡¯s light, shed in Times Square.

    Ten minutester, the chaos was finally under control.

    The panicked crowd was calmed down by the police.

    After the danger passed, everyone looked at each other, feeling like they had survived a catasproher.

    Thest second of the countdown had passed, and a New Year had arrived, and we were all still alive. How wonderful!

    Everyone could not help hugging and kissing the people around them tomemorate this unforgettable New Year Countdown.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was so flustered that it was about to jump out of her throat.

    She knew that the television was saying that someone wanted to assassinate the president of the United States, and that it had nothing to do with the Soviets. However, she still worried about Major General Huo aka ¡°Ace of the Far East¡± for some reason.

    Lu Jin did not expect this to happen in a simple countdown, so he quickly called Lu Yuan over to watch.

    Lu Yuan stared at the television for a while. Suddenly, he pointed to a small area in the lower right corner of the television and said, ¡°That was just a ruse. The target was not the president of the United States. I think they have already seeded.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was white as snow, and her voice was so hoarse that she could barely speak. ¡°... If the target is not the president of the United States, then who is the target? Who did it?¡±

    Lu Yuan pointed to the spot and said, ¡°The camera should be turning around soon.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the reporter from the New York television station who was in charge of the live broadcast walked over with a camera and said in surprise, ¡°Here! Someone has fallen here!¡±

    The host quickly ran over and said to the camera, ¡°In this chaos, our President was lucky to be safe and sound, but the visiting VIPs were not so lucky.¡±

    ¡°The head of the Moscow Municipal Party Committee Yeltsin, and the Chairman of the Soviet Youth Affairs Standing Committee, Gorbachev, have been confirmed to have been hit by a stray bullet and have been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment.¡±

    Behind them, a few people in white chemical suits carried two stretchers onto the ambnce. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp eyes saw that Huo Shaoheng was also sitting in the ambnce.

    His expression was stern and his gaze was sharp. His soviet-style military coat was covered in dust and one of his arms was covered in blood. He covered his arm with one hand and was talking to the doctor across from him.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the television for a while and realized that the real Peter she had seen earlier had disappeared.

    What on Earth had happened?

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she wanted some peace and quiet.

    She took a step back with her phone in her hand and said weakly, ¡°Dad, Uncle Lu, I¡¯m not feeling well. I need to go back and lie down for a while.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to have some breakfast before going to bed?¡± Lu Jin saw that she didn¡¯t look well and thought that she had been frightened by what had just happened. he said with lingering fear, ¡°Luckily, Nianzhi rejected my suggestion. Otherwise, we would be the ones panicking right now.¡±

    Lu yuan frowned and said, ¡°You even want to go to Times Square to watch the countdown?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Nianzhi¡¯s sake, alright?¡± Lu Jin rubbed his head embarrassingly. ¡°It¡¯s Nianzhi¡¯s first year here for the New Year. I want to give her an unforgettable experience.¡±

    ¡°If you went to New York with Nianzhi yesterday, then you would really give her an unforgettable experience.¡±

    Lu Yuan sat down on the sofa and began to read the follow-up report on the whole incident.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

    She couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. Her mind in a mess, she paced around the room.

    Peter and Huo Shaoheng were spinning around in her mind like windmills, so fast that she couldn¡¯t catch them at all.

    She had originally thought that there was no Peter in this world because Huo Shaoheng had upied Peter¡¯s position. Even his Russian name was exactly the same as Peter¡¯s.

    However, the brief glimpse just now hadpletely overturned her understanding.

    So there was a Peter in this world!

    And he seemed to know this Ace of the Far East, ¡°Peter¡±.

    What did this mean?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palm, which was holding her phone, started to sweat.

    She was sure that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity as ¡°Peter¡± was fake, but was he really the Major General Huo from that world?

    She thought of all the differences between this Ace of the Far East, Peter, and Major General Huo from that world.

    For example, their voices were different. Major General Huo¡¯s voice was as deep as a bell on the other side, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was a clear baritone.

    Also, this Ace of the Far East Huo Shaoheng¡¯s appearance was even more exquisite and handsome, as if he had been meticulously groomed.

    Gu Nianzhi still remembered that when she first met this Ace of the Far East aka Huo Shaoheng, she had paid special attention to his hands. They were wless, and did not even have calluses like on the fingertips of people who used guns all year round..

    That¡¯s right! This was actually a w!

    Even if this person was the Ace of the Far East, Peter, he was still someone who used guns all year round. How could his fingertips be so perfect without even calluses? !

    So he had to havepletely trimmed himself from head to toe...

    As for the voice, it was even easier to exin.

    This kind of big shot in the intelligence world could disguise himself as another person at any moment. Even rtives and friends for many years would not know.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up abruptly and saw her eyes shining like stars in the mirror on the dressing table in her bedroom. Her expression was so excited that it was contorted.

    How could she have forgotten? !

    What was Major General Huo¡¯s upation?

    He had started as a soldier and spent ten years to be a big shot in the intelligence world!

    On this special front, the people who were able to fight their way out of the encirclement and into high positions did not rely on luck and the help of others.

    Not only did they have to be courageous and knowledgeable, but their abilities, intelligence, and self-control were also outstanding. This was because those who were not outstanding were already eliminated.

    Huo Shaoheng was one of the most outstanding members.

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her right fist and hit it hard on her left hand. A relieved smile appeared on her face.

    She threw herself onto the bed and happily hugged the nket as she rolled around.

    She was so happy, so happy, so happy...

    There were no words to describe how happy she was. Only the corners of her lips, which could not be suppressed, and her eyes, which were narrowed into slits, could prove how happy she was.

    Just as she was immersed in the countless images of their reunion, her phone rang at an inappropriate time.

    Gu Nianzhi actually did not want to answer the call.

    However, her phone continued to ring, so she reached out to take a look.

    It was He Zhichu calling.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up on the bed andzily unlocked her phone. ¡°Hello, Young Master He? Happy New Year!¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu, surrounded by the mess fromst night¡¯s orgy, was still at his friend¡¯s bungalow.

    He had been waiting for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call since 12:00 yesterday, but there had been no call from her.

    He had no choice but to call her himself.

    ¡°You said you would call me as soon as possible yesterday to wish me a happy New Year,¡± He Zhichu, his fingers flicking the ash from his cigarette, said lightly.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips in embarrassment and smiled. ¡°I fell asleepst night and didn¡¯t have time to count down the time to snatch the red packet. I slept all the way until I woke up. By the way, if you don¡¯t believe me, I can turn on the video call.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned on the video call.

    He Zhichu only saw the image of Gu Nianzhi waking up on his phone screen.

    Her face was pale, but her cheeks were rosy red. Her hair was disheveled and draped behind her. Her domestic attire was wrinkled, and the quilt on the bed was crooked. She really did look like she had just woken up.

    He Zhichu shook his head speechlessly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still tired from yesterday¡¯swsuit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. ¡°Yes, I was tired aftering home for dinner yesterday. I even said that I would wake up at twelve to watch the countdown, but I ended up sleeping until noon today.¡±

    He Zhichu asked, ¡°Have you had breakfast? Do you want me to bring you breakfast?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll go out to eatter.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. ¡°I still want to go back to sleep now. Goodbye, Young Master He!¡±

    She waved at the camera on her phone, turned off the video, andid back down on the bed. She held up her phone and started to search for information on the chaotic events that had happened in Times Square in the United States.

    He Zhichu hung up the phone and stood up from his seat. He saw Xie Qingying walking over with a tray and smiled. ¡°Young Master HeYoung Master He, you didn¡¯t sleep the whole night and didn¡¯t eat much. You drank all the red wine. Come, have some lunch.¡±

    She ced a freshly made western dish in front of He Zhichu.

    On the tray was a small bowl of Caesar sd, a piece of ck pepper steak, a te of mashed potatoes, and a ss of warm milk.

    The ss of warm milk reminded He Zhichu of Gu Nianzhi, and he couldn¡¯t help but take a sip.

    After drinking, he didn¡¯t notice that there was a ring of white milk foam above his lips.

    The cold and handsome man suddenly looked a little childish.

    The contrast was very attractive.

    Xie Qingying took a tissue and gently wiped the white milk foam on his upper lip. She said in mock anger, ¡°Young Master He, how old are you? Why are you drinking milk like this?¡±

    He Zhichu was caught off guard. Xie Qingying held his chin and carefully wiped the milk foam off his mouth.

    When she saw He Zhichu¡¯s motionless expression, which was cold yet at a loss for what to do, Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes shed and she couldn¡¯t help but kiss him.

 Chapter 1620 - Happy Together

    <h4>Chapter 1620: Happy Together</h4>

    Xie Qingying¡¯s movements were gentle and swift.

    She tiptoed, held He Zhichu¡¯s cheek, and pecked his thin lips like a dragonfly skimming the water.

    His lips were not as cold as he looked. They were warm and smooth like lychee jelly.

    He Zhichu did not turn his head. He stood motionlessly in front of the dining table WHILE still holding the unfinished cigarette in one hand.

    He looked down at Xie Qingying. From this angle, he could see that Xie Qingying¡¯s pretty face was somewhat simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s...

    His heart softened and he did not push her away in time.

    After Xie Qingying finished kissing him, she immediately let go of him and took a step back. She tapped her lips with her finger and said mischievously, ¡°A bted new year¡¯s kiss. Consider it my new year¡¯s gift to you. Happy New Year, He Zhichu.¡±

    He Zhichu responded with a simple ¡°hmm¡± and did not say anything else. His expression was still as calm as ever.

    He raised his hand and took a puff of his cigarette. He nodded casually and sat down to eat the food that Xie Qingying had brought him.

    ¡°Please make me a cup of ck coffee,¡± He Zhichu said without raising his head. He put out the cigarette in the ashtray and picked up his knife and fork to cut the steak.

    ¡°Uh... Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Xie Qingying was worried and a little embarrassed.

    Fortunately, He Zhichu did not say anything. It was just like a friendly kiss between friends. The only difference was that she did not kiss his cheek, but his lips...

    Xie Qingying got up to make ck coffee for He Zhichu. She walked through the messy hall, passed by her friends who were sleeping on the sofa in the living room, and came to the kitchen.

    In the living room, she had just left when one of He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, Old Zhou, came to He Zhichu and said with a smile, ¡°Did you have a good time yesterday, Young Master He?¡±

    He Zhichu looked up at him and wiped his mouth with a tissue. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s the matter? Is something wrong with my father?¡±

    Old Zhouughed and winked at He Zhichu. ¡°General He is just worried about Young Master He, so he asked me toe and take a look. In the end, I saw such a romantic scene!¡±

    He Zhichuughed. ¡°Old Zhou, I didn¡¯t know you had such a gossipy heart.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not gossiping. I saw it with my own eyes,¡± Old Zhou said wistfully. ¡°Actually, Miss Xie is pretty good. Other than Miss Gu, General He only likes Miss Xie. I didn¡¯t expect that Young Master He and General He have the same taste.¡±

    He Zhichu: ¡°...¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re friends. We grew up together. You¡¯re overthinking things.¡±

    Old Zhou smiled but did not say anything.

    In the past, Young Master He had avoided all other women except Gu Nianzhi. How could any woman be a meter away from him?

    Even Wen Shouyi, who had once reced Gu Nianzhi, had not had any physical contact with him.

    In Old Zhou¡¯s opinion, Xie Qingying was already a special case for He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was nomittal, and he would not deliberately deny it.

    That would make him look like a heartless person.

    He took out his lighter, lit another cigarette, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m not a three-year-old kid. Do you have to check up on me every once in a while when I¡¯m not home?¡±

    He Chengjian had asked his personal secretary to look for him. There must be something else.

    Old Zhou smiled and coughed softly. ¡°Something did happen. Young Master He, let¡¯s talk about it when we get back.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. He stood up, put his coat on his arm, and followed Old Zhou to the door.

    Just as he walked out of the living room, he bumped into Xie Qingying, who had just brought the coffee.

    ¡°Young Master He, where are you going? The coffee is ready.¡± She walked over with a smile on her face.

    He Zhichu nodded and said coldly, ¡°I have something to do at home. I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ll contact youter.¡±

    The person walking beside him was He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, Old Zhou. Xie Qingying also recognized him.

    He smiled and nodded at her. He politely greeted her, ¡°Miss Xie.¡±

    ¡°Uh... Okay, I¡¯ll contact youter,¡± Xie Qingying said subconsciously. She nodded at Old Zhou and watched as He Zhichu and his father¡¯s personal secretary, Old Zhou, turned around and left.

    Her best friend sneakily came over and said with a smile, ¡°Qingying, you¡¯re amazing... How is it? Did you take down Young Master He?¡±

    She grabbed at the air with her hand and made a ¡°take down¡± gesture.

    Xie Qingying was amused by her and said in mock anger, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? I was impulsive just now. Young Master He gave me face and didn¡¯t turn hostile in front of me.¡±

    He Zhichu had been ying with his phone by the window in the living room the whole night. Who could get close to him?

    ¡°Tsk! That¡¯s more than giving you face! If someone else had kissed him, he would have shot that audacious guy with a gun right now! That would be you...¡±

    This bestie sized her up from head to toe and pursed her lips into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Young Master He can¡¯t bear to part with her...¡±

    ¡°Screw you!¡± Xie Qingying gave her a push and turned around to grab her handbag. She said goodbye to her host and bade her bestie farewell.

    She drove her car on the empty highway. Her face was a little hot and her heart was burning.

    Her bestie was sitting in the front passenger seat. Seeing her uneasy look.., she snorted and said, ¡°Useless! Young Master He is now single again. He has no marriage, no girlfriend, and no wife and wife. You have liked him for so many years, why are you still hesitating? Hurry Up!¡±

    Xie Qingying felt a little dry. She licked her lips and said shyly,¡±... how do you know?¡±

    ¡°Know what? You have a crush on him?¡± Her best friend made an ¡°Unbearable¡±expression. ¡°Miss, I am your best friend for twenty years since you were young! Others may not be able to tell, but I can!¡±

    ¡°Is it obvious?¡± Xie Qingying was nervous. ¡°I don¡¯t want to end up not being able to be friends.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s not obvious.¡± Her best friend smiled andforted her. ¡°I told you, only I can see it. How can others see it? Besides, even though you have a crush on him, you haven¡¯t done anything. You haven¡¯t even spoken to him.¡±

    ¡°... but he doesn¡¯t seem to have a good impression of me.¡± Xie Qingying sighed and hit the steering wheel with her hand. ¡°Today, I was out of my mind. No wonder people say that love makes people do crazy things.¡±

    ¡°A good impression can be cultivated.¡± Her best friend pointed at her in disappointment and said with a weird smile, ¡°There are many kinds of feelings. If I can¡¯t make him fall in love at first sight, I¡¯ll make him fall in love with me after a long time!¡±

    She said the word ¡®love¡¯ very loudly.

    Xie Qingying:¡±...¡±

    Her face turned red and her eyes flickered, but she did not reply.

    Her best friend sneakily poked her arm and said meaningfully, ¡°Really, ¡®love¡¯ for a long time is worth more than anything else. Even if we don¡¯t fall in love in the end, we still enjoy it, don¡¯t we?¡±

    Then she reminded her, ¡°Let me tell you, Young Master He is one of the best among the best. Besides his prominent family background, he is also handsome in person, and he is especially sexually attractive to women!¡±

    ¡°You better shut up!¡± Xie Qingying finally could not take it anymore. She rolled her eyes at her best friend. ¡°If you like him so much, you can go ahead and have him yourself. How are you going to encourage me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you think I don¡¯t want to? But I don¡¯t like him...¡± Her best friend shrugged and said wickedly, ¡°He is too out of my league. I will observe him from afar, but I support you to y with him!¡±

    ¡°Get lost! Or else, I¡¯ll throw you out of the car!¡± Xie Qingying couldn¡¯t listen anymore and her face turned red. ¡°Even if we¡¯re close, we¡¯ll still fall out.¡±

    Seeing that Xie Qingying was anxious, her best friend covered her mouth with her hand, she smiled and said, ¡°Alright, alright. I was just joking. Don¡¯t throw me out of the car. This is on the highway. Today is New Year¡¯s Day. I don¡¯t want to make the news on the New Year¡¯s!¡±

    Xie Qingying snorted. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Don¡¯t say such things in the future. Or else, we really can¡¯t be friends anymore.¡±

    Her best friend became serious when she heard that and said, ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s hand gripped the steering wheel tightly. The veins on the back of her hand were showing. She said distractedly, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet. Let me think about it again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have to think about it.¡± Her best friend sighed, ¡°Although I¡¯vee up with a lot of bad ideas just now, I still have to warn you. It¡¯s said that it¡¯s impossible for a woman to chase a man, but in reality, men are more ruthless than women. If they don¡¯t love you, they don¡¯t love you. Even if they sleep with you, they will only treat you as a s*x partner. ¡°When you meet a woman who truly loves you in the future, you will be cannon fodder.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s heart sank and she said stubbornly, ¡°Young Master He is not that kind of person. If he doesn¡¯t love you, he will not sleep with you.¡±

    ¡°Mm, I hope so.¡± Her best friend shrugged and wisely stopped talking. She changed the topic and talked to Xie Qingying about this year¡¯s big fashion show.

    ..

    He Zhichu followed He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, Old Zhou, back to the He family home. He first went to his room to take a shower.

    Old Zhou went to He Chengjian¡¯s study to report the situation.

    He said with a smile, ¡°General He, Young Master He is back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, where is he?¡± He Chengjian wore a pair of reading sses and concentrated on reading the internal reference. ¡°Did he have a good timest night?¡±

    ¡°He should have.¡± Old Zhou smiled mysteriously. ¡°I happened to see a big piece of news when I went there today.¡±

    ¡°What big news?¡± He Chengjian raised his head and looked at Old Zhou from above his reading sses. Heughed and said, ¡°Old Zhou, stop keeping me in suspense!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... it¡¯s not that I want to keep you in suspense...¡± Old Zhou said and looked left and right, then he moved closer to He Chengjian¡¯s ear, gossip said, ¡°I went to that house to look for Young Master He today, and I happened to see Young Master He kissing Xie Qingying, the niece of prime minister Xie Beichen...¡±

 Chapter 1621 - Letâ€™s See How Long You Can Hold It In

    <h4>Chapter 1621: Let¡¯s See How Long You Can Hold It In</h4>

    ¡°Really?!¡± He Chengjian¡¯s eyes lit up, and he became energetic. ¡°Tell me! Tell me! Are they really together? !¡±

    ¡°How can it be fake? I saw it with my own eyes! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Young General He!¡± Old Zhou knew what General He was thinking.

    The marriage of his only son was always a worry for General He.

    If He Zhichu could really find a new lover, Old Zhou sincerely wished them well.

    ¡°But if you really ask, Young Master He will definitely know that I¡¯m the snitch,¡± Old Zhou said embarrassingly.

    He Chengjian was amused by him andughed. His mood was much better. He pointed at him and said, ¡°Oh, you! Aren¡¯t you the snitch? !¡±

    Old Zhou saw that He Chengjian was happy, and he was even more certain that he had done the right thing.

    He Zhichu finished showering and changed his clothes toe to He Chengjian¡¯s study. He saw Old Zhoue out with a smile on his face, and he was in a good mood. He could not help but look at him. Without saying anything, he pushed the door open and went in.

    He closed the door behind him and walked around the screen. He walked to the small cubicle where He Chengjian¡¯s office was. He sat down leisurely in front of his desk and asked calmly, ¡°What happened?¡±

    He Chengjian took off his reading sses and said with a smile, ¡°Something big happened. How can you still smile?¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a big deal, it shouldn¡¯t be a big deal for our country,¡± He Zhichu judged calmly. ¡°Otherwise, you would be frowning.¡±

    He Chengjianughed so hard that tears wereing out of his eyes. ¡°You child, you¡¯re really sharp... Yes, something big happened, but it¡¯s not a big deal for our country.¡±

    He took out a secret internal reference and ced it in front of He Zhichu. With a serious expression, he said, ¡°Our people just received news from New York. The head of the Moscow Municipal Committee, Ye Lisin, and the Chairman of the Soviet Youth Affairs Standing Committee, Gorbachev, were assassinated during the countdown to the New Year in New York¡¯s Times Square in the United States.¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned.

    He had not slept all night and had drunk too much red wine. He had not fully recovered yet.

    After hearing He Chengjian¡¯s words, he picked up the internal reference and read through it after a while.

    This internal reference was written in great detail. There were reports from the local news, internal intelligence that they had obtained, and an analysis of the intelligencepared to the two.

    After reading it, He Zhichu frowned and said, ¡°The news said that they were hit by a stray bullet. Looking at the situation at that time, they were also targeting the President of the United States.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded and said seriously, ¡°That¡¯s the weird part. From the news reports and the video at the scene, it does seem like someone was trying to assassinate the president of the United States. The two officials of the Soviet Union just happened to be in the middle of it.¡±

    ¡°But we have a very secretive intelligence agent who obtained a top-secret information from an insider of the CIA. He said that these two people were actually assassinated and that the chaosst night was targeted at the two of them. As for the President of the United States, it was actually just a cover.¡±

    As He Chengjian spoke, he took out an even more top-secret document bag and ced it in front of He Zhichu. ¡°Also, look at this. That Ace of the Far East also appeared in New York¡¯s Times Square that night. He appeared in New York as a diplomat, but we know his true identity. He went to New York to protect these two officials, but he was injured as well. It shows how powerful the people who tried to assassinate them were...¡±

    He Zhichu did not say anything. He opened the document bag and took out the top-secret document to read it again.

    There were only a few photos in the top-secret document. They were taken after the ambnce arrived in Times Square in New York.

    The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, sat in the ambnce with a cold expression on his face. He covered his arm with one hand, and his hand was covered in blood...

    ¡°Who could have injured him?¡± He Zhichu was puzzled. ¡°Could it have been the CIA? Why would they assassinate these two Soviet officials?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at the names of the two officials again. He suddenly blinked, and a thought shed through his mind.

    However, he quickly shook his head but felt that this should not be the case.

    ¡°Has the Soviet Union received the news? How did the leader of the Soviet Union, Pushin, react?¡± He Zhichu asked.

    He Chengjian sped his hands and ced them on the desk. His gaze was solemn. ¡°Pushin should have received the news by now. We still don¡¯t know how he will react. The rtionship between the United States and the Soviet Union is now in danger...¡±

    Not long after, the phone on He Chengjian¡¯s desk rang.

    He picked up the phone and listened for a while. The expression on his face became even more serious.

    He Chengjian put down the phone, and said, ¡°The Soviet Union already knows. They seem to have also received news from the CIA. They insist that their two national-level officials were assassinated by the CIA in New York. They want the United States to hand over the murderer, or they will close the American embassy in the Soviet Union and expel their diplomats!¡±

    The US-Soviet rtionship had once been bad, leading to a period of Cold War.

    However, when Pushin came to power, the rtionship between the two countries broke through the ice and improved, and they had normal diplomatic rtions.

    However, this time, the state-level officials of the Soviet Union died in New York, and it was not an ordinary murder. ording to the Soviet Union, it was ¡°political murder¡± in the US, and the rtionship between the two countries was going to be plunged into deep trouble again.

    He Zhichu¡¯s fingers tapped lightly on the desk. After a while, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see about this for now. Don¡¯t get involved with either side. Tell our people in the United States to stand by and don¡¯t ask for more information.¡±

    If one was too active in times of crisis, they would be shot in the head.

    It was just like hyped-up marketing. Proper hyped-up marketing could increase one¡¯s status, but if it was overdone, it would backfire.

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°I think so too. You have to take over these matters in the future. This time, give them an order.¡±

    He Zhichu acknowledged and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and prepare now.¡±

    He Chengjian waved at him and said with a smile, ¡°No rush, no rush. They haven¡¯t received the order yet, so they won¡¯t act rashly. Come, tell Daddy about your New Year¡¯s party yesterday. How was it? Is there anything you want to tell Daddy?¡±

    He Zhichu immediately understood what Old Zhou told him about.

    ¡°Dad, what do you want to ask? Don¡¯t beat around the bush.¡± He Zhichu felt that his reaction was an eyesore. ¡°There¡¯s nothing between me and Xie Qingying. It¡¯s just a friendly gesture between friends.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Chengjian lowered his head in embarrassment. He was also a little disappointed. ¡°I thought marriage was about to happen to you...¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Dad, even if there¡¯s something going on between Xie Qingying and I, the word ¡®marriage¡¯ is far from it. Don¡¯t worry about it. I know what to do. I will find someone to marry. Just wait for your grandchild.¡±

    He Chengjian raised his head in surprise and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t fool me! I¡¯m taking it seriously!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He Zhichu said briefly, ¡°I will. You can focus on your work now. I haven¡¯t been home for the past few years, and your health isn¡¯t good. I saw a lot of people entering these departments, but I¡¯m not familiar with them.¡±

    He Chengjian quickly nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not the time for me to stop moving yet. I¡¯ll get to the bottom of these people and hand this whole mess over to you.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going out first.¡±

    It was a new year, so he should focus all his energy on his work.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had not been out of the house for the past two days. She had been at home tracking the progress of the investigation into the shooting and assassination that took ce in Times Square on New Year¡¯s Eve in the United States.

    The domestic television station had also sent a news team to New York to report on the incident every day.

    Soon, the entire country knew that two Soviet officials who hade to watch the New Year¡¯s Eve countdown in the United States were assassinated.

    The head of the Soviet Union, Pushin, was furious. He imed that the CIA had assassinated them and demanded that the United States hand over the murderer. Otherwise, they would have to close the American embassy in the Soviet Union and expel the American diplomats.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the names of the two dead officials, Ye Lixin and Gorbachev, and felt indescribable bafflement.

    But, she did not say anything. She quietly collected the information and stored them on herputer.

    She also did not call the Ace of the Far East, because she did not know what his current situation was like.

    And when he was on a mission, he could not be disturbed by anyone or anything personal.

    Gu Nianzhi was well aware of this. Although she desperately wanted to confirm whether this person was her Major General Huo or not, she tried her best to control her emotions.

    If that person really was her Major General Huo, he had risked his life toe here, and he couldn¡¯t even recognize her in front of her. It was clear how dangerous his situation was.

    How could she put him in danger just because of her own desires?

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that if that person really was Major General Huo from the other side, he had chosen not to tell her the truth because he didn¡¯t think she could keep it a secret.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust her, but that she couldn¡¯t control her emotions. Someone with telling eyes would naturally connect the dots and discover the real identity of the fake Peter.

    Their work was like walking on a thin steel rope hanging from a 10,000-foot cliff. The slightest carelessness would result in death.

    Gu Nianzhi would rather die than see Huo Shaoheng in any danger, especially if it was because of her.

    If Huo Shaoheng was exposed and died because of her, Gu Nianzhi felt that she would definitely go crazy.

    So before he came back, she had to do more psychological work for herself.

    Who couldn¡¯t do a little acting?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    She wouldn¡¯t show it in front of others, but what about behind them?

    Mr. Peter aka Major General Huo, just you wait. I¡¯ll see how long you can hold it in...

 Chapter 1622 - Drama King

    <h4>Chapter 1622: Drama King</h4>

    Far away in New York, the Ace of the Far East was in the middle of a serious negotiation with the U.S. government.

    His left arm had also been grazed by a stray bullet. It was not particrly serious, but if the bullet had gone through the heavy soviet-style military coat, and he would be in grave danger this time.

    His left hand was wrapped around his neck with a snow-white bandage. He wore a Soviet military uniform coat and stood in front of the mourning hall set up by the Soviet Conste General in New York. He said sternly to the visiting official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United States, ¡°You must hand over the murderer and also send back the bodies of our two chiefs. They are Russians, loyal soldiers of our party and country. They should be buried in our revolutionary martyrs cemetery in Moscow.¡±

    The American diplomat smiled awkwardly and politely, ¡°Mr. Peter, there is something fishy about this matter. Please believe us. We have no reason to assassinate them.¡±

    ¡°Why should we believe you?¡± The coldness on the Ace of the Far East¡¯s face was so cold that it could freeze people to death. His eyes, full of mockery and disdain, were sharp and unyielding. ¡°With your Twitter president who is so capricious? Or with your CIA¡¯s infamous reputation in the world?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Peter, we understand your feelings, but please don¡¯t insult our president.¡± The American diplomats couldn¡¯t listen any longer. How could they not care about their reputation?

    But with a president who tweeted every day and deleted his tweets frequently, what could they do?

    They couldn¡¯t even refute Deputy Chief Counsel Peter.

    Because if they denied it, they believed that he would take out a screenshot and refute them.

    The Ace of the Far East sneered and put his hands behind his back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I only said one sentence, but you can¡¯t stand it? Your President¡¯s reputation is more important than our Chairman¡¯s life, right? But that¡¯s for you.¡±

    ¡°And for us, the lives of our own people are much more important than your president¡¯s reputation.¡± The Ace of the Far East ¡®s uninjured right hand stretched forward and he said with a straight face, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, please go back.¡±

    Among the visiting officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United States, there was a diplomat who had served as a visiting professor at Harvard University¡¯s Kennedy School of Politics.

    He was very old. His hair was silver and shiny, but his face was ruddy and natural. He was hale and hearty.

    But now, his face was full of sorrow.

    He walked to The Ace of the Far East, and he said very sincerely, ¡°Mr. Peter, what we said is true. Mr. Yelesin and Mr. Gorbachev were my best students. They were determined to bring the advanced system of the United States into the Soviet Union. This time, we have met with them many times just to...¡±

    ¡°Mr. Pratini! Since they don¡¯t believe us, we don¡¯t need to waste any more saliva,¡± A medium-sized American diplomat suddenly interrupted the former visiting professor from Harvard University. ¡°We should go.¡±

    The very old Mr. Pratini guiltily stopped talking and said embarrassingly, ¡°... Actually, them passing away is a greater loss to us than to you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? They are state-level officials of our Soviet Union. What right do you have to say that their death is a greater loss to you?!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East obviously caught the loophole in the former visiting professor¡¯s words and asked without dy, ¡°What exactly do you mean? Is what they did for the United States more important than what they did for the Soviet Union? !¡±

    The meaning of these words,asking whether the two state-level officials of the Soviet Union were traitors, was very implicative...

    ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± The middle-sized diplomat who had stopped professor Pratini just now clearly understood the hidden meaning of the Ace of the Far East.

    His face was dark, and his brows were tightly knitted. He tried his best to salvage the situation and said, ¡°I understand your feelings. The deaths of Mr. Yelesin and Mr. Gorbachev are definitely a great loss to you, and it is also a great loss to world peace.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand even more.¡± The Ace of the Far East stared at the middle-sized American diplomat aggressively.

    If he was not wrong, this person¡¯s true identity should be a CIA agent. Because his vignce and behavior habits gave him a very familiar feeling.

    It was the subconscious vignce that arose when a colleague encountered a colleague.

    Of course, the Ace of the Far East¡¯s disguise was even more powerful.

    He didn¡¯t arouse any vignce from his American colleague. He only treated him as a diplomat sent by the Soviet Union like the heir of a rich family.

    Because ording to the intelligence obtained by the CIA, the Ace of the Far East, Mr. Peter, Huo Shaoheng, and his grandmother were once diplomats of the Soviet Union.

    The diplomatic system of the Soviet Union was a hereditary session system, and it was not a merit-based admission system. Therefore, these Americanspletely disregarded this handsome Deputy Chief Counsel called Peter.

    The American diplomat said calmly, ¡°Because of their death, Mr. Pushin, has threatened to expel our diplomats, even at the cost of war. Therefore, I say that their death is a great loss to world peace.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East sneered, then he raised his head and said, ¡°If you hand over the body of our Chairman and send us back to Moscow with national gifts in front of the whole world, I will believe that this matter has nothing to do with your government. Otherwise, the line between war or peace will be thin!¡±

    Wondering what was the use of this good-for-nothing asking for a state gift, the middle-sized American diplomat looked at the Ace of the Far East with disdain?

    Moreover, was there a need for them to hold the bodies of the two Soviet officials?

    When they were alive, they were indeed of great value, but now that they were all dead, all their value had been reduced to zero.

    If they kept the bodies, it would incur the wrath of the head of the Soviet Union, Pushin. Perhaps they really were going tounch missiles...

    The fighting nation was just that intrepid.

    They were indifferent life and death. If they were not convinced, they would fight it out.

    They Americans were not so reckless.

    Therefore, he sighed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will go back and negotiate with the people in the police station right now. I must return the bodies of your two chiefs as soon as possible. Also, I will immediately ask the president for instructions regarding the gift of national etiquette.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East snorted arrogantly and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t send our Chairman back with national etiquette, I will stay here and not leave!¡±

    A hint of disdain shed in the eyes of the middle-sized American diplomat.

    However, Peter¡¯s next sentence made him at a loss for words.¡±... I still want to tweet every day and confront your president!¡±

    The American officials were not afraid of anything at the moment. They were only afraid that the president would argue with others on Twitter...

    Of course, ordinary people would not dare to argue with the President of the United States. However, those who dared to argue with the President of the United States were not ordinary people.

    ¡°Mr. Peter, please calm down! We will immediately arrange for the national ceremony!¡±

    At this point, the American diplomats no longer had any bargaining chips to negotiate with the Soviet diplomats.

    They had already lost two of their leaders. What bargaining chips could they use to negotiate with the Soviet people?

    Now the whole world was ming the Americans for their negligence, which led to the deaths of two Soviet state-level officials in foreign countries.

    Under the insistence of the Ace of the Far East, the United States government could not wait to drive them away.

    ..

    A few dayster, they left New York and returned to Moscow, the Soviet Union. It was a snowy day.

    The special ne from the Soviet Unionnded at the New York Airport.

    The military honor guard and military band sent by the United States government yed the Soviet national anthem in the heavy snow. The President of the United States came to the airport with his own officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and put the coffins on the ne.

    Among the flying snowkes, only the Soviet passenger ne could take off on time.

    They flew across the ocean and finally returned to Moscow after more than ten hours.

    Pushin held a grand state funeral ceremony for the two dead officials here.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s television station also broadcasted the state funeral live.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the coffins of the two officials buried under the gs of sickles and axes on the television. She felt an indescribable sense of absurdity in her heart.

    No matter how much she watched on television, she did not see any footage of the Deputy Chief Counsel, Peter, who was said to have returned with the ne.

    There was not a single scene.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi was a little impatient. In order to divert her attention, she stayed at home and read the internal files of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital that Lu Jin had downloaded for her.

    Unfortunately, less than one-tenth of the files had been downloaded, so there was not much left.

    And from the looks of it, there was nothing really noteworthy about it.

    It had to be said that in the past few decades, the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital had grown from a small private clinic to arge chain of private hospitals all over the world. Its internal management was very formal and strict.

    She didn¡¯t find any illegal activities either.

    The only drawback seemed to be that it was too expensive.

    However, expensiveness was rtive to different people.

    It was a private hospital, not a charity organization. Of course, it was for profit.

    There was no coercion because it took two to tango.

    Therefore, this could not really be said to be its drawback.

    It could only be said that its managers were very business-minded. Not only did they open private hospitals to treat patients and save people, but they could also make huge profits from it. In fact, from this perspective, the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and the general public had a win-win rtionship.

    Gu Nianzhi concentrated on studying the information about the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital for more than ten days, but found nothing.

    After dinner that night, Gu Nianzhi did not want to look at the information anymore. She hugged her panda pillow andy in the living room to watch TV.

    Lu Jin saw that she had not gone to the study to ¡°study¡± the information like she had done two days ago after dinner. He sat beside her and asked curiously, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to the study? Have you finished studying the information?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still a little left to read, but from what I¡¯ve seen, the Qin Private Hospital Group is very legitimate. Its management is also very high-ss. Its ounts are clear, and it abides by thew. I can¡¯t find any loopholes.¡± Gu Nianzhi thumped the panda pillow in her arms in frustration.

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. This is only one-tenth of it.¡±

    Lu Yuan walked over with a te of fruit and ced it on the coffee table in front of Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Such arge listedpany had been in business for decades and was well-known both at home and abroad. Even if there was a loophole, how could you find it in two days? If there was such a loophole, it would have been killed in the stock market long ago.¡±

    The capital market was just that cruel. The slightest mistake could result in being killed in the stock market.

    Therefore, for-profitpanies that had been in the stock market for decades, their internal management was indeed very strict.

    Because if they were not strict, they would be taught a lesson by the capitalist system. The consequences would be as painful as cutting meat and breaking bones.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and felt better. She quickly nodded. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, President Lu. If there¡¯s anything I don¡¯t understand about management in the future, can I ask President Lu for advice?¡±

    ¡°If you have any questions, we can discuss them together,¡± Lu Yuan said with a smile, very magnanimous and modest.

    Lu Jin pursed his lips. He was a little unwilling, but he said helplessly, ¡°Boss Lu, you can¡¯t hide anything from me. If Nianzhi asks you anything, you have to answer honestly. You can¡¯t y tricks on her. You can¡¯t downy things and fool her.¡±

    Lu Yuan stopped smiling. He lowered his head and took a sip of the pu¡¯er tea he had brewed. He said frankly, ¡°In your heart, am I that kind of person?¡±

    ¡°Of course! You¡¯re definitely a profiteer! Otherwise, how could ourpany make so much money?!¡± Lu Jin said happily, and his mood brightened again.

    He was indeed not good at corporate management. It was all thanks to Lu Yuan¡¯s management skills that their small Inte securitypany had grown so well. In just a dozen years, it had be arge listedpany.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She shook her head. ¡°Dad, are you praising or insulting President Lu? How can you say that? It¡¯s a good thing that you and President Lu have been friends for more than a decade. If it were anyone else, they would have fallen out with you immediately.¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t helpughing. He pointed at Gu Nianzhi with his finger. ¡°You¡¯re still speaking up for your dad. If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t I be too embarrassed to fall out with him even if I wanted to?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile was bright. President Lu is a magnanimous person. If he was really angry, he would have cut ties with my father more than ten years ago. How could he still be a good friend and business partner until now?¡±

    There were many people who could go through hardships together, but could not share wealth and glory together.

    And there were also many people who believed in ¡°changing wives and changing friends¡± after getting rich.

    After so many years of ups and downs, the fact that they could still be business partners and close friends was proof of their unbreakable friendship.

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. ¡°Boss Lu doesn¡¯t have any other strengths, but he does have a good temper. No matter what, he doesn¡¯t get angry, and he doesn¡¯t have the time to fall out with anyone.¡±

    Lu Yuan was exasperated by the father and daughter. He had no choice but to tap them a few times with his finger. He smiled and said, ¡°You all already said what I was going to say. I¡¯m all alone, so I can¡¯t beat the two of you working together.¡±

    Hearing this, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Her dark jade-like eyes rolled around, and she pretended to be calm. She asked tentatively,¡±... All alone? No way, right? President Lu, you¡¯re so outstanding, I don¡¯t believe you don¡¯t have a confidant!¡±

    Lu Yuan raised his head andughed, revealing his snow-white teeth and the delicate curve of his jaw. Although he was old, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes did not look old, but had a different kind of charm.

    ¡°Confidante? I¡¯m already so old, how could any woman want me? Nianzhi, you think too highly of me.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, you must be joking. You¡¯re in your prime. I believe that if you want, the high-quality beauties who are willing to live with you can form a long line from Erhuan to Sanhuan.¡±

    ¡°Only from Erhuan to Sanhuan? Nianzhi, in your eyes, Boss Lu¡¯s charm is only that little?¡± Lu Jinughed and joined in the fun. He used a small fork to fork out a golden cantaloupe and handed it to Gu Nianzhi while saying, ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and took a bite of the cantaloupe.

    The sweet, honey-like taste made her squint her eyes and she ate with satisfaction.

    After she finished eating, she wiped her mouth with a tissue. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m talking about high-quality beauties. There aren¡¯t many of them to begin with, so all in all, they only rank from Erhuan to Sanhuan. As for the average beauty, who wants so many troublesome romance? Isn¡¯t that right, Boss Lu?¡±

    Herst words were directed at Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan smiled without batting an eye. He did not say a word, allowing the father and daughter to tease him.

    After a while, he naturally changed the topic and said, ¡°It¡¯s already December, and the New Year ising in a dozen days. Where do you want to go for the Lunar New Year this year?¡±

    ¡°How about going abroad for a vacation?¡± Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°The Caribbean Sea? We have an ind there that we can take a vacation on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She really wanted to agree, but what if the Ace of the Far East came looking for her when she went abroad?

    She hugged her panda pillow and smiled sweetly. ¡°It¡¯s the New Year, so don¡¯t go out. It¡¯s our first Lunar New Year, so it¡¯s better to be traditional.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Okay, okay! Just be traditional.¡±

    He turned to look at Lu Yuan. ¡°Boss Lu, another Buddha jumps over the wall stew for the new year?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. As she bent over, she heard her cell phone ring. She picked it up and saw that it was the number of the Ace of the Far East.

    She had saved his number as ¡°Drama King¡±.

 Chapter 1623 - Iâ€™ll Be Yours for the Rest of My Life

    <h4>Chapter 1623: I¡¯ll Be Yours for the Rest of My Life</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the number on her phone. For a moment, she felt as if she had been transported to another world.

    She held the phone in her hand and silently caressed the number twice before slowly swiping open the call. She stood up and walked to her bedroom.

    ¡°Hello? Who is this?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was sweeter and more alluring than usual. It sounded like a lychee that had rolled in honey, sweet and fragrant.

    The person on the other end of the phone did not seem surprised. Heughed, then said in a low, clear voice, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Lawyer Gu. How are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to y dumb. ¡°Huh? Who is this? If you don¡¯t tell me your name, I¡¯ll hang up...¡±

    She deliberately said to herself, ¡°These men are so annoying. They call me all the time. It¡¯s useless to block them. They keep changing numbers.¡±

    The person on the other side was a little surprised. He frowned and asked, ¡°... Many men make harassing phone calls to you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi walked into her bedroom and quietly closed the door. Trying not tough, sheined, ¡°I don¡¯t want people to say I¡¯m promiscuous, but they won¡¯t listen to me no matter what I say. Forget it, why am I talking to a stranger like you about this? I¡¯m hanging up...¡±

    She pretended to hang up the phone.

    It was only then that the person on the other end realized that Gu Nianzhi was deliberately returning the favor.

    He lowered his voice and said unhappily, ¡°Lawyer Gu, are you ying this game with me? Young Master He said that you have an excellent memory. Not only do you have a photographic memory, but you also have a photographic memory. How can you not recognize my voice? You¡¯re ying dumb.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, thinking to herself that Young Master He thought he was the real Ace the Far East so he won¡¯t tell him about her, curled her lips..

    This was just one more piece of evidence to prove that this ¡°Ace the Far East, Peter,¡± was suspicious.

    Pretend, keep pretending.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and hung up the phone without hesitation.

    On the other end of the phone, the Ace the Far East looked down at his phone. A faint smile appeared on his lips and disappeared in an instant.

    When he raised his head, his face was already covered in frost. He quickly dialed the number again.

    This time, it rang for a long time before Gu Nianzhi slowly unlocked the phone and saidzily, ¡°Who are you? If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll block your number.¡±

    The Ace the Far Eastposed himself and suddenly said,¡±... if you really hated me, you wouldn¡¯t have said so much to me. You wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to block my number.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up. Damn it! He really knew her too well!

    She felt as if all the dramatic cells in her body had been awakened.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and lowered her voice by eight degrees. She muttered,¡±... I know you¡¯re Peter, but I can¡¯t bear to hate you. You look exactly like the person I love the most. When I see you, it¡¯s like I see him.¡±

    The Ace the Far East didn¡¯t even bat an eye. He chuckled softly and blurted out a string of romantic words, ¡°You can treat me like the person you love the most. You saved my life, so my life is yours. I won¡¯t marry anyone else.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi heard the Ace the Far East¡¯s words, she felt both emotional and excited. Her voluptuous lips curved into a cute curl.

    She felt as if she was bathed in the early spring sun. The wind blew gently, and the air was still filled with the fragrance of love.

    If this person was not her Major General Huo, Gu Nianzhi would have hated this man¡¯s casual sweet talk.

    But now she was more and more certain that the person opposite her was her Major General Huo.

    And Major General Huo, given his status over there, would never say such words.

    Therefore, when she heard these words, she felt as if she had deposited a huge amount of money in the bank. She had thought that she would only be able to withdraw the interest after 20 years, but now she had withdrawn it in advance.

    She was in a state of extreme satisfaction, physically and mentally.

    However, in this happiness that almost made her dizzy, she still had a trace of rationality. She told her that she could not let the person opposite her know that she had seen through his disguise.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her phone¡¯s microphone and took a few deep breaths. She said inly, ¡°Sorry, but even though you look exactly like him, I know very well that you¡¯re not him.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that to brush me off?¡± The Ace the Far East seemed to be angry. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone who looks exactly like me, and I¡¯m sure that I don¡¯t have a twin brother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi resisted the urge and shrugged. She said firmly, ¡°It¡¯s impossible to treat you like the person I love the most, not in this lifetime. But I can¡¯t see him, so sometimes i admire you like this. I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand. I don¡¯t y the game of double lover. It¡¯s unfair to you and me.¡±

    After saying that, she hung up the phone resolutely and blocked the Ace the Far East¡¯s cell phone number.

    The Ace the Far East, on the other side of the phone, was currently flying from Moscow to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s imperial capital in the first-ss cabin.

    He saw the other party hang up the phone again and was stunned for a moment. When he dialed again, the line was always busy.

    She really blocked his number.

    He stared at his phone for a while, then put it away as if nothing had happened.

    He would be in the capital in a few hours. He would be able to see her by then anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter whether he called or not.

    ..

    After Gu Nianzhi finished her call, she came out of her bedroom. Lu Yuan, who was watching TV attentively in the living room, immediately turned his head and looked at her thoughtfully. He smiled and asked, ¡°Huh? Look at your face. You look like a girl who just finished her phone call with her boyfriend.¡±

    Lu Jin turned around and asked curiously, ¡°Huh? Who called you just now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched her face and said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t have a boyfriend. Uncle Lu, don¡¯t talk nonsense. It was the Soviet Union¡¯s Deputy Chief Counsel, Peter, who number I blocked just now. His words made me blush.¡±

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s him?¡± Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes shed and he sat up straight. He was obviously more concerned than before. ¡°Isn¡¯t he in Moscow?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    What the f * ck!

    She had been so busy arguing with the Ace the Far East that she had forgotten to ask him where he was...

    ¡°I think so. I didn¡¯t ask either.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended to be indifferent and walked back to the living room to sit down. She bent down to take the fruit te from the coffee table and held it in her arms to eat.

    After eating the cantaloupe, Gu Nianzhi took out her phone to check Weibo.

    However, she had been feeling uneasy all this time. There were a few times when she almost couldn¡¯t help releasing the Ace the Far East¡¯s number from the cklist. However, if she really did release it, what if the other party made a bad association? Wouldn¡¯t that be self-defeating?

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi could only force herself to do something else to divert her attention.

    Major General Huo was such a patient person. If she rxed a little, the other party would be able to see through her.

    After she had mentally prepared herself, Gu Nianzhi finally calmed down and went to the study to continue researching the dirty information on the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital.

    Once she got back to work, she quickly put aside her distracting thoughts.

    She was busy until midnight.

    Lu Jin had knocked on the door a few times. Gu Nianzhi reluctantly put down her work and said with a smile, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not sleepy at all.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not sleepy, you have to sleep well. It¡¯s not good for your skin if you don¡¯t sleep.¡± Lu Jin warned her with a stern face.

    He was more concerned about his daughter¡¯s health than anything else.

    He had only one daughter in his entire life. He did not care whether she was famous. He only wanted her to be healthy and live to an old age safely.

    Gu Nianzhi turned off herputer and smiled fawningly. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll go take a shower right now.¡±

    She stood up with her phone and left the study with Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin noticed how concerned she was about the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and said, ¡°I¡¯ll hack into their system again when the new year is approaching and download more stuff.¡±

    ¡°During the New Year?¡± Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s arm and said with a smile, ¡°Is it because the management there is the mostx during the New Year?¡±

    ¡°Smart!¡± Lu Jin nudged the tip of her delicate nose and walked her to the bedroom door. He rubbed her head and said dotingly, ¡°Go to sleep. We¡¯ll look at those documents tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. She was about to enter her bedroom when she suddenly heard Lu Jin¡¯s phone ring.

    It was sote. Who was calling him?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin curiously. ¡°Dad? Your phone...¡±

    Lu Jin took out his phone and looked at it. He saw that it was an unfamiliar number and said hesitantly, ¡°... Maybe it¡¯s a wrong number.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up.

    It was the number of the Ace the Far East, the Drama King.

    Was it because he couldn¡¯t get through her?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Answer it. It¡¯s sote. Maybe there¡¯s something important?¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and answered the call for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sake.

    The person on the other end immediately said, ¡°Is that Uncle Lu? I¡¯m Peter. I just came back from Moscow and brought some gifts for Lawyer Gu and Uncle Lu. They¡¯re at the reception desk at the entrance of your apartment building. Can you ask them to let me in?¡±

    Lu Jin pulled a long face and said unhappily, ¡°It¡¯s sote. Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow!¡±

    Just as he was about to hang up the phone, the Ace the Far East said, ¡°I offended Lawyer Gu today and want to apologize to her in person. I can¡¯t wait until tomorrow to apologize. That would be too perfunctory. I hope Uncle Lu will give me the chance.¡±

    He added, ¡°I brought the best ck pork and caviar from Moscow.¡±

    Lu Jin was a little hungry after hearing this.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she said slowly, ¡°You want to apologize in person? Fine,e up and cook supper for me and my father, and I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±

 Chapter 1624 - You Say You Werenâ€™t Moved

    <h4>Chapter 1624: You Say You Weren¡¯t Moved</h4>

    The Ace of the Far East heard Gu Nianzhi and immediately smiled bitterly. ¡°I already said that I don¡¯t know how to cook. Aren¡¯t you making things difficult for me?¡±

    ¡°Why do I need you if you don¡¯t know how to cook? You even said that you needed to apologize sincerely. I think you should go learn right away.¡± Lu Jin waved his hand in displeasure. He did not care whether the Deputy Chief Counsel, Peter, could do it or not. ¡°Alright, it¡¯ste. You should go. Don¡¯t stand here and be an eyesore.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East paused for a moment and quickly said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait here. If anyone asks meter, I¡¯ll say that I¡¯m looking for Lawyer Gu to be mywyer.¡±

    ¡°Whatwyer? What the hell are you doing?¡± Lu Jin could hear the hidden meaning in the words of the Ace of the Far East and asked suspiciously, ¡°Hurry up and leave! Don¡¯t bring trouble to us...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbstruck as she listened from the side.

    Although she felt that the the Ace of the Far East was most likely Major General Huo, she was still amazed by his unscrupulous behavior.

    He had thought of everything in order to get into her house...

    Lu Jin was most afraid of being exposed too much. If someone asked him about it, he would most likely give in.

    The Ace of the Far East simply opened the video call invitation on his phone.

    After Lu Jin epted it, a tall man wearing a Soviet military uniform appeared on his phone. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree at the entrance of their apartmentplex.

    Snowkes fluttered in the night sky.

    The bright lights of the streetmps reflected the falling snow and fell on his extremely beautiful face, making his face appear as if it was made of porcin.

    His face was so handsome that it was wless, as if it was a work of art meticulously carved by the creator.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not dare to walk up to Lu Jin¡¯s phone to look at him because she was afraid that she would not be able to control her gaze and expose herself.

    Therefore, The Ace of the Far East¡¯s handsome face looked no different from a passerby to Lu Jin.

    He nodded and said bluntly, ¡°If you cane and make supper, thene quickly. There¡¯s no need for us to look for Boss Lu. If you can¡¯t make supper, then go back. It¡¯s snowing outside, so I won¡¯t keep you.¡±

    He cut off the video call and turned off his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly looked up at Lu Jin and said in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s snowing outside?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Jin said and walked into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. He pulled open a corner of the curtain, and he said, ¡°Look, it¡¯s still snowing quite heavily. We can enjoy the snow tomorrow. Yes, we should eat roast venison to enjoy the snow. I¡¯ll go tell Boss Lu to prepare the ingredients and tools for the roast meat.¡±

    Lu Jin patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder excitedly. ¡°Go to bed early.¡±

    Realizing that it was almost one o¡¯clock in the morning, he quickly added, ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. If you don¡¯t go to bed soon, it¡¯ll be dawn.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the window and answered absentmindedly.

    Lu Jin¡¯s mind waspletely focused on enjoying the snow and eating roast venison the next day. After giving Gu Nianzhi a few more instructions, he returned to his suite across the street.

    There were only the three of them living on this floor. The elevator went straight into the house, so it was very safe and very private.

    Gu Nianzhi walked alone to the bay window in her bedroom. She lifted the floor-to-ceiling curtains and sat on the bay window sill.

    The snow outside the window was getting heavier and heavier. The snowkes were big and crystal-clear. Through the bright ss window, she could even see the hexagonal crystal shape of the snowkes.

    She looked in the direction of the entrance to the apartmentplex.

    Their high-rise building had a very wide view. There were no other high-rise buildings blocking their view, so they could see their surroundings.

    However, the entrance to the apartmentplex was too far away from their building, and it was night time, so they couldn¡¯t see anything clearly.

    However, Gu Nianzhi felt that she had seen it.

    The tall figure under the streetlight was exactly the same as the one in her dream.

    The snowkes that filled the sky reminded her of the Christmas Eve that year, when she had returned from abroad to attend a party at Mei Xiawen¡¯s house.

    That day, she had been humiliated by Mei Xiawen and had left Mei Xiawen¡¯s house with her suitcase.

    At that time, she didn¡¯t know anyone in the capital, and it waste at night, so she didn¡¯t know where to stay.

    She dragged her luggage and waited for the bus at the bus stop.

    It was snowing that day, and Major General Huo somehow found out about her situation. He immediately took a ne from C City to the imperial capital to pick her up.

    Amidst the snowkes, she saw the man she had been longing fore out of the car and extend his arms to her.

    At that moment, she fell into his warm embrace.

    If there was a man, in your most painful and helpless time, put down everything at hand to apany you, there was no doubt that he must love you deeply.

    She hugged her knees and burying her head between her knees, sat on the windowsill. She was in emotional turmoil.

    Was she going or not?

    If she went, would that person suspect that she already knew the truth?

    But if she did not go, she would not have a peaceful night.

    Gu Nianzhi looked out of the window and huffed.

    The fog on the ss had turned into frost, and the scene outside was blurred.

    But she could see that there was ayer of snow on the edge of the windowsill outside the window.

    It must be very cold outside, right?

    Gu Nianzhi could not sit still anymore.

    So be it, what was there to be afraid of?

    Anyway, if he was to suspect anything, she could just say that she had ¡°fallen in love with Peter¡±..

    Gu Nianzhi, her heart full of joy, curled her lips. She jumped down from the windowsill and hurriedly changed her clothes. She went to the bathroom to brush her hair and wash her face, then put on a lightyer of lip gloss.

    She grabbed a cashmere coat and put it on, then took an umbre and ran out of the door.

    She got down from the elevator and left the lobby of the apartment building with an umbre.

    The snow outside was getting heavier, about the same as the snow she had seen at the station that night.

    There was not much snow on the road, but it was still creaking and slippery.

    She deliberately walked slowly, one step at a time, in order to act natural.

    She thought it would be best if he had already left by the time she walked over, so she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.

    But if she walked over slowly, he would still be waiting at the door, and she would have enough time to adjust her state of mind.

    It would take more than ten minutes to walk from her apartment building to the entrance of the apartmentplex. Under normal circumstances, it would take more than ten minutes to walk.

    It was the middle of the night, and it was still snowing heavily. Gu Nianzhi walked slowly to the entrance, and it took almost half an hour.

    But the Ace of the Far East was still standing at the entrance of the apartmentplex.

    His hands were in the pockets of his Soviet military uniform coat. He leaned against a big tree at the entrance of theplex, and looked ahead calmly.

    At that moment, he suddenly saw a tall woman holding a light blue umbre walking out of the heavy snow under the dark sky.

    She was like amp that lit up the dark night. Everything around her retreated rapidly, leaving only her in his sight.

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to him and said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s snowing. I¡¯ll lend you this umbre.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East looked at her quietly for a while. His calm face gradually wavered. He reached out to hold her chin frivolously. His voice was as light as a lover¡¯s whisper as he said, ¡°... And you said you weren¡¯t moved...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1625 - I Donâ€™t Want an Umbrella

    <h4>Chapter 1625: I Don¡¯t Want an Umbre</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi lifted her chin slightly in the direction of the Ace of the Far East¡¯s gentle hand gesture. Her jet-ck eyes nced at him from between her long eyshes that were as ck as a crow¡¯s wing.

    She looked down at the travel bag that the the Ace of the Far East had ced beside her feet. She pped his hand away and said calmly, ¡°Narcissism is an illness that needs to be cured. Actually, I¡¯m here to get ck pork and caviar.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back and handed the umbre in her hand over. She smiled sweetly. ¡°Here, thank you for bringing us a gift from so far away. This umbre is our thanks for returning the favor.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East raised an eyebrow and retracted his hand. He leaned against the big tree behind him and chuckled aloofly. ¡°Really? I was going to give you the ck pork and caviar for free, but Lawyer Gu gave me an umbre instead. I¡¯ve got a bargain.¡±

    His baritone voice, which used to be cold and unfriendly, actually sounded warm in the silent snowy night.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him.

    Her once clear eyes had now be a deep pool, burying all her emotions and worries in it.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve got a bargain. I never owe anyone favors.¡± Gu Nianzhi still stretched out her hand and handed the umbre over.

    The back of her hand was fair and delicate, and giving off a distinct temptation of ck and white, contrasted with the ck handle of the umbre.

    The Ace of the Far East¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He also reached out and grabbed the umbre handle with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small hand was in the palm of hisrge hand, and she suddenly felt that his palm was burning.

    Gu Nianzhi felt it, and shebecame more certain. However, an impatient expression appeared on her face. She struggled in his palm and scolded him in a low voice, ¡°Let go of me!¡±

    The Ace of the Far East let go of his hand and bent down to pick up the bag. He said, ¡°It¡¯s a little heavy. I¡¯ll take it to the elevator and then I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took advantage of his bending down to make a quick grimace.

    When he straightened up, Gu Nianzhi said with a straight face, ¡°No need, I can take it myself.¡±

    As she spoke, she took a step forward to take the bag from the Ace of the Far East.

    ¡°You really want to take it?¡± The Ace of the Far East looked at her in amusement. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it?¡±

    He ced the bag on the ground and gestured for Gu Nianzhi to carry it herself.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted lightly and bent down to carry the bag.

    She almost straightened her back when she grabbed it.

    She gritted her teeth and tried again with both hands, but it still didn¡¯t work. She couldn¡¯t lift it at all.

    It was as heavy as a bag full of big rocks.

    Gu Nianzhi even had the urge to open the bag to see what was inside.

    Just then, she heard the Ace of the Far East¡¯s clear and pleasant lowughtering from above her.

    He followed suit and bent down. His arm went around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender waist, and he lifted the bag with one hand.

    His other hand took the umbre from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and turned to her side to shield her from the wind and snow. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you home.¡±

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hesitation, the Ace of the Far East sighed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll only take you to the elevator. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±

    It sounded like she was making things difficult for him.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and said, ¡°Actually, as long as you promise to cook for my dad and me, you can go to my house. I don¡¯t understand why you won¡¯t cook.¡±

    ¡°How can I cook if I don¡¯t know how to cook? How can I let you eat such disgusting food? Why waste food?¡± The Ace of the Far East said as he walked with her to the apartment she lived in.

    The snow was getting heavier and the ground was already covered.

    Half of her foot was covered by the snow.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips and said aloofly, ¡°I have to eat it to know if it¡¯s delicious or disgusting. I¡¯ve never eaten your food, so how do you know if I can eat it?¡±

    ¡°I only know how to cook instant noodles and instant dumplings. Do you really want to eat it? I¡¯ll cook it for you.¡± The Ace of the Far East was very calm. With one hand carrying his travel bag and the other holding an umbre, he walked steadily beside her.

    Half of the heavy snow was covered by the umbre above her head, and the other half was covered by the Ace of the Far East¡¯s tall body. Gu Nianzhi did not have any snowkes on her body at all.

    The two of them actually walked out of the snow with a sense of peace.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and chatted with him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go back to Moscow? Why did youe back all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°You saw it?¡± The Ace of the Far East smiled bitterly. ¡°I had no choice. I was caught on a business trip at thest minute. I didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen.¡±

    The murder of two Soviet leaders in the United States was big news that shocked the world.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I also saw that you seemed to be injured.¡±

    She nced at his left arm, which was holding an umbre. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    The Ace of the Far East shook his head nonchntly. ¡°It¡¯s just a small injury. I¡¯m already fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said nonchntly, ¡°You have to be careful too.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East paused in his steps and smiled at her. ¡°You care about me that much? Huh?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you think about how I almost died trying to save you? Shouldn¡¯t you be more careful? Or else I would have saved you for nothing.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East snored for some reason. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi came out, she felt that the journey was extremely long. It took her half an hour to reach the entrance of the residential area.

    But this time, she walked backwards and seemed to reach the elevator of her apartment building in the blink of an eye.

    The Ace of the Far East watched as she pressed the password and followed her into the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    What happened to only reaching the elevator?

    The Ace of the Far East smiled and exined, ¡°It¡¯s too heavy. You won¡¯t be able to carry it out even if you go to the elevator.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really couldn¡¯t carry the bag. She didn¡¯t want to ask Lu Jin toe down and carry it, so she had to press the button on the floor with her head down.

    The elevator went straight to her floor.

    The elevator door opened with a ding and they arrived at her apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door and was about to say, ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day¡±, but the Ace of the Far East, carrying a duffel bag in one hand and an umbre in the other, had already walked past her briskly as he strode into her apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She stood at the door and frowned. ¡°Mr. Peter, aren¡¯t you being a little too much?¡±

    He had actually managed to get into her apartment one step at a time.

    The Ace of the Far East did not seem to hear her. He put down his bag and looked around. He nodded. ¡°You have a nice ce here.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s nice. Why don¡¯t you take a look at the rent?¡± Gu Nianzhi was annoyed by herck of strong will. Her expression turned cold. ¡°Okay, you can leave now. If you don¡¯t leave now, I¡¯m really going to call the police.¡±

    ¡°Call the police? It won¡¯t work. I have diplomatic immunity.¡± The Ace of the Far East looked at her and smiled mockingly. ¡°Think of something else.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to think of anything else.¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled on the door and pointed outside. She said coldly, ¡°Get out of here, or I¡¯ll scream. My dad lives across the street.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East was obviously stunned. He touched his nose and smiled sheepishly. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    He did have diplomatic immunity, but in front of the girl¡¯s father, he did not have any ¡°immunity¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes as she watched him walk towards the door.

    Just as he was about to reach the elevator, Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered that he did not have an umbre. She turned around and took a few quick steps. She picked up the umbre that the Ace of the Far East had just put up by the door and rushed to the elevator. She said to the Ace of the Far East inside the elevator, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the umbre. It¡¯s snowing outside.¡±

    The Ace of the Far East looked at her with bright eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t give me an umbre. I don¡¯t want an umbre.¡±

    Umbre symbolized farewell. Giving an umbre to someone was not good.

 Chapter 1626 - Be Blocked

    <h4>Chapter 1626: Be Blocked</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi could not react in time. She withdrew her hand and said with a straight face, ¡°Stop counting it. You didn¡¯t want it. Don¡¯t say that I took advantage of you.¡± She turned around and returned to her apartment, closing the door with a m.

    Far East Ace stood in the elevator and looked at the door that Gu Nianzhi had just closed. He still had the same cold expression on his face.

    The camera was fixed on the CCTV near Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    Lu Jin waved his fist at the monitor and snorted. ¡°How dare you disrespect my daughter! You¡¯re going to be punished!¡±

    Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi, and Lu Yuan have had a newly developed surveince system installed in the hallway and elevator of their apartment building¡¯s level.

    This surveince system uses a miniature surveince camera, the size of a needle tip. Its features include high-performance facial recognition, allowing them to monitor the elevator on their floor in a timely manner.

    Only Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appearances were stored in this system.

    If a fourth person enters the elevator, the surveince camera would inform the police.

    When Deputy Chief Counsel Peter entered the life, the rm from the monitor was triggered, waking Lu Jin.

    He scrambled to his feet and pounced on the monitor. Lu Jin then witnessed the entire process of the Deputy Chief Counsel Peter and Gu Nianzhi entering the room.

    He was so anxious, he wanted to rush to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and stop Mr. Peter several times.

    But he resisted the urge.

    Because his daughter is all grown up, he had to give her some autonomy and trust that she would be able to handle this matter on her own.

    After all, Gu Nianzhi was Peter¡¯s savior. Lu Jin had a hunch that he wouldn¡¯t do anything to harm Gu Nianzhi.

    Nevertheless, this sort of pestering was painful for Lu Jin to watch.

    Fortunately, his daughter was smart enough to use him as her shield to sessfully scare Peter away!

    That¡¯s right, so what if he has diplomatic immunity? !

    As Nianzhi¡¯s father, he could dislike Peter without a reason. Why should he watch what he says just in case he embarrassed her?

    .....

    Far East Ace walked out of the elevator and saw that the snowfall outside had indeed gotten heavier.

    He expressionlessly pulled up the cor of his coat and ran out onto the sidewalk of the apartmentplex, into the snowfall.

    Without walking far off, Far East Ace suddenly stopped.

    His gaze fell onto a Holly tree along the sidewalk.

    If he was not mistaken, from the streetlight that shone from behind the holly tree, a figure could be vaguely seen standing behind the tree.

    The person standing behind the tree waited for a while, but when he saw that Far East Ace was not going to leave and was looking in his direction, he chuckled and walked out from behind the Holly Tree.

    ¡°Deputy Chief Counsel Peter must really care about our Nianzhi.¡±The person held a lighter in his hand, and with a whoosh, he lit the cigarette in his mouth.

    Far East Ace looked at the man quietly. His aloof expression returned to normal. He said calmly, ¡°So it¡¯s you, Chief Lu.¡±

    This man was Lu Yuan.

    From the moment Far East Ace entered the lift, Lu Yuan was aware that he was in the apartmentplex vicinity. Lu Jin¡¯s surveince system monitor was also installed in his room. It was supposed to be a precautionary measure, since it was safer for two persons, rather than one, to have ess to the surveince monitor.

    Unlike Lu Jin, Lu Yuan felt ufortable watching Gu Nianzhi alone with another man. Moreover, he was more interested in Deputy Chief Counsel Peter. He waited for a while, and when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s firm attitude, he decided toe out early to wait for Peter along the road he has to pass through.

    Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t prepared to talk to him, but Deputy Chief Counsel Peter was so observant that he noticed Lu Yuan almost immediately.

    Lu Yuan was wearing a textured charcoal gray cashmere coat. He lowered his eyes, took a drag on his cigarette, and said nonchntly, ¡°Deputy Chief Counsel Peter attended to an important issue during your trip to the United States this time.¡±

    The Far East Ace¡¯s face turned cold. He looked at Lu Yuan sternly. ¡°Chief Lu, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand?¡± Lu Yuan still did not raise his head. He looked at the snow on the ground and said calmly, ¡°The whole world knows that your country¡¯s Yeltsin and Gorbachev were assassinated in New York.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an embarrassment for our country! Our country¡¯s top leader, Mr. Putin, has already lodged a serious protest with the United States. He has also closed the American embassy in the Soviet Union and expelled their diplomats.¡±

    The Far East Ace put one hand behind his back and smiled faintly. ¡°Chief Lu seems very concerned about the deaths of the two leaders, Yeltsin and Gorbachev...¡±

    ¡°... the television repeatedly broadcasts this piece of news, 24 hours a day. It¡¯s impossible not to be concerned.¡± Lu Yuan raised his head and exhaled a mouthful of smoke, blurring his vision.

    He stared at the beautiful man in front of him. It was as though he was looking at an astonishingly beautiful woman through him.

    The Far East Ace scoffed, obviously not believing his words.

    He sized up Lu Yuan, who was almost as tall as him, and suddenly asked,¡±... But why does Cheif Lu care about Yeltsin and Gorbachev, and not others? Are they special to you?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s deep, cold eyes suddenly lit up, like the hot blue me, almost prating through all the fog.

    ¡°Why does Deputy Chief Counsel Peter think that these two people have a special meaning to me?¡± Lu Yuan did not answer his question directly, but asked in return, ¡°I¡¯m just a businessman, I never get involved in politics, let alone other countries¡¯ politics.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s even more strange.¡± The corners of the Far East Ace¡¯s lips curled into a smile, ¡°Just a businessman who doesn¡¯t care about politics, and yet after he found out that our country¡¯s two leaders, Yeltsin and Gorbenshev, were killed, he stopped me in my path, amidst the heavy snow, and specifically asked about the situation of these two people.¡±

    ¡°Chief Lu, don¡¯t you think the reason you gave is illogical?¡±

    Lu Yuan took another puff. He said nonchntly, ¡°I told you, the news nowadays is amazing. You just can¡¯t not pay attention to it. I¡¯m just curious. At that time, Deputy Chief Counsel Peter was also present. With Mr. Peter¡¯s ability, how could they seed? If I remember correctly, Deputy Chief Counsel Peter once personally admitted to us that you¡¯re from the Committee of State Security (KGB) right?¡±

    That was what he said when the hidden camera he installed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ce was discovered. He personally came to where Gu Nianzhi was nursing to apologize and exined that it was merely his professional habit. He even imed that he was with the KGB of the Soviet Union, inviting Lu Yuan and Lu Jin to work with him so that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety could be guaranteed.

    The smile on the Far East Ace¡¯s face faded, and a new smile soon appeared. ¡°Cheif Lu seems very interested in politics. From what I can see, your sensitivity towards political issues is exceptionally high.¡±

    ¡°You tter me.¡± Lu Yuan gave a superficial smile. ¡°It¡¯s just that I once had a politics-rted dream, but it was shattered. I can only be an honest businessman, a career with no future.¡±

    ¡°For someone like Chief Lu to say that his business has no future, then people like us really don¡¯t want to live anymore.¡± The Far East Ace took a step forward with a faint smile, getting closer to Lu Yuan.

    He leaned forward slightly, moving even closer to Lu Yuan, and whispered something.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and he stared nkly at the young man in front of him, not even noticing that the cigarette was about to burn his fingers.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second monthly pass for today, 2500 plus: Chapter 1626, ¡°Stopped¡±.

    A gentle reminder regarding your monthly tickets and rmendations.

    The third pass is at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 1627 - Youâ€™re Finally Here

    <h4>Chapter 1627: You¡¯re Finally Here</h4>

    Far East Ace slowly straightened his body and looked at the tall man who was in a daze, with satisfaction.

    He reached out, took the burning cigarette from Lu Yuan¡¯s hand, and threw it into the trash can nearby. He then repeated what he had just said,¡±... winter is here, will spring be far away?¡±

    Lu Yuan came back to his senses and subconsciously said, ¡°Yes, because, in some ces, winter is the only season all year round.¡±

    This time, the Far East Ace was stunned.

    Although he had been puzzled for a long time, although he was mentally prepared from the moment this person walked out from behind the Holly tree and asked him about Yeltsin and Gorbachev, when he heard the other party catch the code word he threw out, his heart was pounding so quickly.

    The two of them stood silently in the snowy night and looked at each other, as though they were two motionless statues.

    The heavy snowfall quickly umted and formed ayer of crystal-clear snow that covered their shoulders.

    After a long time, Lu Yuan let out a soft sigh and said,¡±... you¡¯re finally here...¡±

    His voice was so low and fleeting that the moment he spoke, it disappeared along with the heavy snow.

    However, the sharp ears of the Far East Ace heard it.

    He did not deny it, but neither did he admit it. Then, without context, he asked, ¡°... you were the one who sent us the coordinates, right?¡±

    Lu Yuan reached out his hand and brushed off the snow on Far East Ace¡¯s head and shoulders. He said, unusually kindly, ¡°Yes, you guys did a good job. It¡¯s so relieving that we have a sessor for our country.¡±

    The eyes of the Far East Ace instantly turned red, but he had already turned his back. Under the cover of the night, even Lu Yuan did not notice this detail.

    He lowered his eyes and smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint, I came here purely for personal matters.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not smile. He shook his head solemnly. ¡°No, I¡¯m not disappointed. She¡¯s worth it.¡±

    To an outsider, the criterion for judging whether you should do something was whether it was worth it.

    However, Huo Shaoheng knew very well that even if it wasn¡¯t worth it, he would still do it.

    This was the only time in his life that he had been willful, and it was also the decision he had made after careful consideration.

    However, he did not refute Lu Yuan. Instead, he said, ¡°Thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, my mother¡¯s illness wouldn¡¯t have fully recovered.¡±

    He now fully understood why Gu Nianzhi had been sent to their side, and why he had been appointed to take over.

    This was because the man in front of him, even though he was in a foreignnd, was still concerned about Song Jinning¡¯s illness.

    In front of this person, Huo Shaoheng does not need to put up a front anymore.

    He was his senior.

    ¡°But, how did you know about my mother...¡±Huo Shaoheng asked, puzzled.

    As far as he knew, after the experiment failed eighteen years ago, this person, who was also his uncle Huo Guanyuan, disappeared without a trace.

    At that time, he still didn¡¯t know about Song Jinning¡¯s illness, right?

    Lu Yuan also rified his identity at this time. He had hidden his identity for eighteen years, in this strange and familiar world.

    ¡°I am your uncle, Huo Guanyuan. After the failure of the experiment, I was knocked out by the explosion. When I woke up, I found myself in a strange ce, and found the four soldiers who came with me dead, by my side.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart tightened.

    This was caused by the fact that the corresponding bodies could not coexist in the same space and time, right?

    Huo Guanyuan continued, ¡°Then I met... Lu Jin, Nianzhi¡¯s father. He was the first to discover the abnormal fluctuations of the maic field, found our location coordinates, and helped me cremate the four soldiers.¡±

    ¡°It was also him who after understanding the situation of our experiment in detail, told me about the possible consequences of the maic resonance experiment. One of them was that the brain would be disturbed by the high-energy maic field, causing a gic imbnce, which also means something akin to a mental disorder.¡±

    ¡°I. . .¡± Huo Guanyuan was a little embarrassed at this time. He cautiously said, ¡°With Lu Jin¡¯s help with the maic field monitoring, I saw the conditions your mother was living in.¡±

    At that time, he could have used the energy to directly contact the other world.

    But for some reason, what he saw was Song Jinning¡¯s mental disorder.

    From then on, he decided to help Song Jinning recover.

    Lu Jin had told him that this disorder was not incurable.

    However, Lu Jin did not store much energy at that time, and he did not trust the world on the other side. Therefore, after observing for a while, he turned off the monitor to save energy.

    For subsequent contacts, he only used a very small amount of energy, enough for Huo Guanyuan tomunicate with the world on the other side.

    Huo Guanyuan had considered theplex situation and did not want the other world to ignore the lives of the soldiers, forcefully conduct more experiments. He did not want them to use the experiment inappropriately. Therefore, he used a very subtle method to guide the other side step by step, to achieve his goal of saving Song Jinning.

    In fact, his concern was absolutely valid.

    Then, he took out four military identification cards and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°These are their belongings and their ashes. If there¡¯s a chance, help me bring them back.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going back?¡± Huo Shaoheng had not received the four military identification cards and asked calmly, ¡°It¡¯s better if you take them back yourself.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan held the four military identification cards so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand showing, and his voice was particrly hoarse.¡±... I¡¯m not going back.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I heard that you haven¡¯t settled down here yet. You have a wife and daughter there, so why aren¡¯t you going back?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked calmly. ¡°Besides, our country needs people like you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng admired his uncle from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m already old. Our country depends on you now.¡± Huo Guanyuan still stubbornly held out his hand and handed four military identification cards to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the man in front of him quietly. He thought of his paintings, the things that were buried deep in his heart, and seemed to understand his stubbornness.

    ¡°Are you really not going back?¡± Huo Shaoheng reached out his hand slowly, his face full of regret. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that a lot has changed over the years. Have you paid attention to them?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan sighed again. ¡°Every observation consumes energy. In order to save energy, we don¡¯t do meaningless monitoring.¡±

    Every time the two worlds connected, whether it wasmunication, real-time monitoring, or directly moving between the two worlds, it would consume energy.

    Lu Jin and himself were not as rich as Chengjian and others. They could notmunicate with the other world whenever they wanted to and not care about energy consumption.

    They were, after all, acting on behalf of the state, doing important things, unlike Huo Guanyuan and Lu Jin who were into more minute matters.

    However, it was also because of this that when Chengjian ordered his men to kidnap Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin engaged in an energy battle with them. These people were so carried away that they used up most of the energy they had stored up, the only bit of energy they had left was used to monitor the energy source in the other world.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s information about their world was still stuck at that of more than a decade ago, hence he quickly started to update him.

    ¡°My mother was mentally abused by your daughter, Huo Jin when she was sick for more than a decade. She almost lost her life. If it wasn¡¯t for Nianzhi, my mother wouldn¡¯t have lived to send me here.¡±

    ¡°What? ! Jin? ! How dare she... !¡± Huo Guanyuan almost lost his mind when he heard this. He gritted his teeth and showed a rare expression of anger.

    ¡°Yes, and Bai Jinyi. You know her, right? After my mother fell ill, she took over the Chinese Institute of High Energy Physics and became my father¡¯s girlfriend. Oh right, in order to gain ownership of your phone, she killed your wife, Luo Xinxue, eleven years ago.¡±

    After seeing that Huo Guanyuan was stunned, Huo Shaoheng said with satisfaction, ¡°But don¡¯t be angry. Nianzhi has already helped her aunt clear her name and sent Bai Jinyi to prison. Huo Jin, who is now Luo Jin is also in prison for treason.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s mind was filled with so much information that waspletely different from what he knew. His heart was in a mess.

    Even though he was very good at hiding his emotions, he couldn¡¯t control his expression at that moment.

    ¡°... Xinxue is dead? Bai Jinyi became your father¡¯s girlfriend? Then your mother...¡± Huo Guanyuan stammered, his heart beating like a drum.

    ¡°Yes, my father divorced my mother many years ago, on grounds that she was too sick for them to live as a couple, so he was able to find a proper girlfriend.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice returned to his normal low-toned voice, and his tone was heavy.

    Huo Guanyuan could hardly believe his ears, and his face instantly turned red. ¡°What reason did your father use? ! How could he be so shameless? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to talk about this anymore, so he quickly added, ¡°Oh right, we also know that Luo Jin is not your biological daughter, but the posthumous child of yourrade.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan felt a little guilty about his wife¡¯s death.

    He didn¡¯t kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of him.

    If it wasn¡¯t for that phone, Luo Xinxue wouldn¡¯t have been killed.

    Huo Guanyuan knew that he was responsible because he had never treated her as his real wife. He had never expected that his ¡°legacy¡± would be handed over to his ¡°wife.¡±.

    ¡°Then, what about your grandmother?¡± Huo Guanyuan couldn¡¯t help but ask. He thought that his ¡°legacy¡± would be handed over to his mother, Xie Ziyan.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression really darkened. ¡°My grandmother passed away soon after you left.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan thought about the changes that had taken ce in the world over the past 18 years and organized his thoughts.

    ¡°In other words, your grandmother passed away, Luo Xinxue died, Bai Jinyi and Luo Jin are in prison, and your father and mother divorced many years ago? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded heavily and asked with hope, ¡°Then, do you still want to stay here?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the third watch of the day: Chapter 1627, ¡± You are finally here¡±.

    A gentle reminder regarding your monthly and rmendation tickets.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1628 - Hong Fuqi Qitian

    <h4>Chapter 1628: Hong Fuqi Qitian</h4>

    Huo Guanyuan was clearly in a state of disbelief, but he was already able to control his expression and emotions and remained silent for a moment.

    Huo Shaoheng carefully observed Huo Guanyuan¡¯s expression. He thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Grandfather is still alive, but after you left home, the Zhang family joined us.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and a faint sneer appeared on his lips. ¡°Zhang family? Is it Head Nurse Zhang, her sons, and grandchildren?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, his mind racing.¡±... you knew? !¡±

    ¡°So, now everyone knows?¡± Huo Guanyuan nodded without batting an eyelid, ¡°Of course I knew. Head Nurse Zhang was hiding it. I just couldn¡¯t be bothered to expose her. With me around, she couldn¡¯t bring her child, whom she gave birth to secretly, into the Huo family.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head with a wry smile.¡±... When you weren¡¯t around, she brought her son and daughter-inw, as well as her grandchildren, into the Huo family under the pretext offorting grandfather.¡±

    ¡°How do youfort him?¡± Huo Guanyuan was a little nervous. ¡°Was your grandmother still around then?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng knew that this uncle was very close to his grandmother¡¯s mother and son, so he quickly said, ¡°When Zhang Feng brought her son, daughter-inw, and grandchildren into the Huo family, grandmother had already passed away.¡±

    As for the rest of the worrying matters, Huo Shaoheng did not n to tell Huo Guanyuan about them now.

    Or rather, he did not want to be the one saying it.

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s expression gradually became serious. ¡°So, if both your grandmother and I are not around, then do your father and grandfather not take charge?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    He could not respond to that.

    Huo Guanyuan could scold his father and younger brother like that, but even if Huo Shaoheng agreed in his heart, he could not verbalize it.

    ¡°This is too much!¡± Huo Guanyuan punched the bare trunk of the parasol tree next to him, ¡°Your grandfather used Zhang Feng to humiliate your grandmother, and your father used Bai Jinyi to humiliate your mother. What about you? Have you ever done anything for your grandmother and mother? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly said, ¡°I was only 12 years old at the time. What could I have done? Run away from home and be a delinquent? Leave my mentally deranged mother aside?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t actually mean to mock Huo Guanyuan, but Huo Guanyuan felt his face burn when he heard that.

    He had lived a peaceful life here by himself. Isn¡¯t this akin to leaving his mother¡¯s side and not caring for her?

    When he was determined to sacrifice himself, he thought that his mother would definitely understand him.

    However, when he found out that his mother had passed away before him, he felt unbearable heart-wrenching pain.

    When he thought about how his mother thought that her son died, and imagined the pain and anxiety she felt could only be more intense than how he feels, his eyes turned red.

    There was a lump in Huo Guanyuan¡¯s throat, but he said firmly, ¡°Go back! I must go back!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief. He saw that Huo Guanyuan was getting emotional, and quickly said, ¡°When grandmother passed away, she made arrangements for everything. When you go back, I will show you grandmother¡¯s will. She left you a fund, which is now temporarily managed by me. When the timees, I can pass it to you.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan waved his hand and took a deep breath. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll give you all those things as a wedding gift for you and Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s gaze sharpened at the mention of Gu Nianzhi.¡±... are you going to continue hiding it from her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said sincerely, ¡°I hope you can help me. I¡¯m worried that she won¡¯t be able to hide it and if He Zhichu and He Chengjian find out, she¡¯ll have to suffer again.¡±

    That time, when He Chengjian had said, ¡°I¡¯d rather kill the wrong person than let him go¡±, Gu Nianzhi took the bullet for him.

    He watched as she fell in his arms. At that moment, he fell into a daze.

    He felt as if his brain was hit by a rifle, and for two or three seconds, his mind went nk.

    For the first time, he was at a loss. It was as if he was in an empty field, where there was no one around.

    Huo Guanyuan only came back to his senses when He Zhichu took her from his arms. However, he could no longer act aloof, and his voice could no longer pretend to be clear.

    He could only give a series of orders to the Committee of State Security (KGB), with a hoarse voice.

    At that time, he knew that this girl¡¯s passion and love could not be blocked by anyone or anything.

    The luckiest thing that has ever happened to him was meeting her.

    The best decision of his life was to fall in love with her.

    Huo Guanyuan also clearly remembered the time when Gu Nianzhi had been shot by the rifle. He said with lingering fear, ¡°Okay, I understand. But you¡¯re always by her side. Aren¡¯t you afraid that she¡¯ll... fall in love with someone else?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. ¡°So what if she falls in love with someone else? She¡¯s still in love with me anyway.¡±

    His words were arrogant and deserved a beating.

    Huo Guanyuan instantly withdrew his concern and sympathy, and said coldly, ¡°Fine, then don¡¯t expect me to be nice to you in the future.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Huo Shaoheng dusted off the snowkes on his shoulder, he said casually, ¡°I¡¯m a Soviet diplomat. You¡¯re a smart person, why would you give a diplomat the cold shoulder? This will make Nianzhi suspicious. Just be as respectful to me as you were in the past.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan thought about how Gu Nianzhi had been chasing relentlessly after the ¡°Three-fried rice¡±. He was alert and aggrieved, and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°... did you make her that kind of three-fried rice? The kind your mother made for you when you were young?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan paused for a moment and said proudly, ¡°The kind of three-fried rice that I taught your mother is also the only kind that she knows how to cook.¡±

    Song Jinning was not good at cooking. Who knew what methods Huo Guanyuan had used back then to help a culinary beginner produce three-fried rice that was above average...

    That was a rare and precious time in Huo Guanyuan¡¯s memory. He would never share it with anyone.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and immediately asked, ¡°Have you made three-fried rice for Nianzhi?¡±

    Although Huo Guanyuan didn¡¯t want to admit it, he nodded resentfully. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know who I am, but she seems to be very familiar with the taste of that fried rice. She asked me several times about where I learned how to cook it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and rubbed his wrist. ¡°Nianzhi is very smart. She won¡¯t forget anything she eats after tasting it once. That¡¯s why, from the beginning, I said I didn¡¯t know how to cook so that I wouldn¡¯t show any ws.¡±

    ¡°Sly!¡± Huo Guanyuan red at him but was happy for him.

    When he was at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s age, he was not as calm andposed as he was now.

    He was smarter and more capable than him, which was a good thing for the country.

    Only when the next generation is smarter and more capable can a country prosper.

    Huo Shaoheng shrugged disapprovingly and said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave things as they are for now. We¡¯ll discuss how to go back after I have settled some matters here.¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t reveal his identity to Gu Nianzhi until the veryst moment.

    Huo Guanyuan was reminded and asked immediately, ¡°What agreement did you make with the Soviet Union? They¡¯re not easy to get along with. Don¡¯t think that they can help you selflessly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t tell Huo Guanyuan everything. He just said, indifferently, ¡°I know. We¡¯re just taking what we need.¡±

    He paused for a moment and put his hand on Huo Guanyuan¡¯s shoulder. He said firmly, ¡°I won¡¯t harm the Huaxia Empire¡¯s interests either.¡±

    Although this wasn¡¯t his country, they share the same roots. He wouldn¡¯t forget his ancestors.

    ¡°I believe in you.¡± Huo Guanyuan patted him on the shoulder and sighed. ¡°This side is actually not bad. I¡¯ve been here for 18 years. I¡¯ve almost forgotten what it¡¯s like over there.¡±

    ¡°Believe me, our ce is better than this one,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly, with a deep and firm tone.

    ¡°Okay, I can¡¯t wait to go home with you.¡± Huo Guanyuan reached out his hand to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng gripped his hand tightly.

    At this moment, thest barrier between the two men had been removed.

    The 18 years between them had officially passed. What they wee is a brand new future.

    ..

    Huo Guanyuan returned to his apartment building. Instead of going to his own room, he went straight to Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    Lu Jin was still awake, writing a program on hisputer, in his studio.

    Huo Guanyuan stood at the door of his studio and knocked on the door. He asked calmly, ¡°Do you still remember the call I asked you to make when we were nning to send Nianzhi to the other world eight years ago?¡±

    Lu Jin stopped typing.

    He rubbed his eyes and stomped the ground. He turned theputer chair around and red at Huo Guanyuan. ¡°Boss Lu, it¡¯s sote. Why are you talking to me about what happened eight years ago? Are you dreaming?¡±

    ¡°Just pretend that I¡¯m dreaming.¡± Huo Guanyuan said coldly, ¡°I asked you to call my mother. Who did you call?¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    He thought hard for a while before saying,¡±... you called your mother?¡±

    Seeing Huo Guanyuan¡¯s strange expression, Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°I was too pressed for time then, and I didn¡¯t want to waste too much energy. I heard that the person on the other end of the phone was a woman, so I thought it was your mother. After giving her a few instructions, and she replied saying that she heard it clearly, I hung up.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I call the wrong person? Isn¡¯t she your mother?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan clenched his fists and made cracking sounds, but after staring at Lu Jin for a long time, he mmed his fist on the door frame and turned to leave.

    This matter had already passed, and Gu Nianzhi had been safely brought to Huo Shaoheng. Song Jinning had also recovered because of this, so there was no point in thinking about who he called back then.

    Moreover, Lu Jin was a man of great fortune. Even though mistakes were made, he unintentionally bewitched Bai Jinyi. He did not expose Huo Guanyuan at all.

    Therefore, Huo Guanyuan was only angry for a while and left when his anger subsided.

    He did not want to waste his breath talking to people like Lu Jin.

    Because he knew that if he said too much, he would still be the one who was angry. Lu Jin would not feel that he had done anything wrong at all.

    Lu Jin was even more confused when he saw this situation. However, when he saw that Huo Guanyuan did not say anything else and left, he turned around and continued programming.

    He wanted to crack all the internal code of the Qin group as soon as possible and download all the things. He would give them to Nianzhi as New Year¡¯s money during the spring festival.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter for today: Chapter 1628, ¡°The blessings of Heaven¡±.

    A gentle reminder regarding the monthly and rmendation tickets.

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1629 - Meeting Your Uncle Is Like Meeting Your Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1629: Meeting Your Uncle Is Like Meeting Your Mother</h4>

    It snowed heavily that night, and the entire imperial capital was covered in snow. It was like a Crystal Pce.

    Gu Nianzhi was so nervous and excited the night before that when she came back, she fell into a deep sleep, as though she had passed out.

    When she woke up again, it was already noon.

    She hugged the nket and sat up. She was still in a daze, and her mind was still immersed in the dream fromst night.

    However, when she woke up, she could not recall most of her dream.

    She sat in bed for a while, reached under her pillow, and pulled out her phone to take a look.

    As expected, there were a few missed calls. Most of them were from the ¡°King of Drama¡±.

    There was one call from He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and called He Zhichu¡¯s number first.

    ¡°Young Master He, were you looking for me?¡± Gu Nianzhiy on the bed and did not want to get up.

    He Zhichu could tell from hernguid voice that she must have just woken up.

    He put down the work at hand and turned his chair to face the snow outside the window. He said in a t voice, ¡°I want to go to Xiangshan to enjoy the snow. Do you join me?¡±

    ¡°Enjoy the snow in Xiangshan?¡± Gu Nianzhi was indeed interested.

    Moreover, she felt that she had been too invested ever since she had decided that Far East Ace was Young Master Huo from the other side.

    It would be terrible if the extremely sharp and observant Young Master Huo realizes that she had recognized him.

    Therefore, she had to do something to divert his attention.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled lightly and nodded. ¡°Okay. I just woke up. I¡¯m going to wash up now. Give me the address.¡±

    He Zhichu had thought that Gu Nianzhi was going to reject him, but she agreed without hesitation. His spirits were lifted.

    He stood up from his seat and said as calmly as he could, ¡°I will pick you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Looking at the heavy snow outside, she felt a headache.

    ¡°There¡¯s so much snow outside, how are we going to get there? Are the roads shoveled-clean?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked to the window and looked carefully at the situation within the apartmentplex.

    The sidewalks in the apartmentplex had been swept, and salt had been sprinkled to prevent freezing and skidding.

    However, she did not know how the sweeping was going for the main road outside.

    Gu Nianzhi muttered,¡±... I¡¯m afraid the road condition isn¡¯t good for driving. I¡¯d better not go... You don¡¯t have to bother...¡±

    He Zhichuughed, his bright peach-blossom eyes reflecting the white snow that covered the sky. He had a beautiful air about him.

    ¡°No worries.¡± He Zhichu reached for his coat and put it on, then hurried out of the office door.

    Xie Qingying was wearing a red cashmere coat and a pair of seven-centimeter-tall Stuart Weitzman boots. She walked up to him.

    ¡°Young Master He, are you going to Xiangshan to enjoy the snow?¡± She asked happily.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He said to Gu Nianzhi on the other end of the phone, ¡°Xie Qingying and I are going to pick you up. Just wait at home. I¡¯ll call you when we get there.¡± He then hung up.

    Gu Nianzhi heard Xie Qingying on the other end of the line. Although she had only met and spoke to her once, she remembered her voice very clearly.

    Seeing that Xie Qingying wasing along, Gu Nianzhi let her guard down and finally agreed to go.

    However, after hanging up, she thought to herself, Xie Qingying is my cousin. Should I go and ask Dad if she cane over?

    Gu Nianzhi quickly lifted the quilt and got up. She went to the bathroom to wash up and changed into a handsome stone-white ski down jacket and ck, tight cashmere stretch pants.

    As she was going to Xiangshan to enjoy the snow, she had specially chosen a pair of calf leather t-heeled boots made of UGG pure wool.

    These boots were very warm and had a non-slip sole. The inner sole is also made of a memory sponge, which made walking and climbing mountains are not tiring at all.

    When she came out of the bathroom, she saw that Lu Jin was already in the living room. She quickly said, ¡°Dad, Young Master He wille and pick me upter to enjoy the snow in Xiangshan...¡±

    She then said, ¡°Xie Qingying will alsoe and pick me up with him.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s mother, Gu Tian, was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s younger sister, which was also Lu Jin¡¯s younger sister.

    However, the rtionship between the brother and sister is very bad. Because of how severe Lu Jin¡¯s interpersonal disorder is, the brother and sister had not contacted each other for many years.

    As a result, Lu Jin¡¯s rtionship with Xie Dezhao, Gu Tian, and Xie Qingying¡¯s family was very distant.

    He waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Then have fun. If that Xie Qingying, who¡¯s into new media, does anything bad to you, tell Daddy. After all, I¡¯m her uncle. Meeting her uncle is like meeting her mother. I can discipline her on her mother¡¯s behalf!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bbergasted.¡±... Is this how you use ¡®meeting an uncle is like meeting your mother¡¯? !¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Lu Jin shook his head disdainfully. ¡°You can¡¯t just enjoy the benefits of ¡®meeting an uncle is like meeting a mother¡¯ and not assume the obligations, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood. She thought about it carefully and realized that there was nothing wrong with it!

    The benefit of meeting an uncle is that an uncle can take care of his nephew like your own mother.

    The responsibility of ¡®meeting an uncle is like meeting a mother¡¯ was that an uncle can discipline his nephew like his own mother.

    Gu Nianzhi gave Lu Jin a thumbs up. ¡°Dad, you have the potential to be awyer!¡±

    The analysis of rights and obligations was very logical.

    ¡°However, if you use your identity as an uncle to teach her a lesson, wouldn¡¯t you be exposed?¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously, ¡°So it¡¯s better not to do anything. Don¡¯t you trust your daughter? I¡¯m your daughter, how can I be at a disadvantage?¡±

    As the two of them were talking, they suddenly heard the roar of a helicoptering from outside, even the windows were shaking.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin walked to the window and looked out. They saw a Bell 407 GXP helicopter descending from the sky and stopping on the tform above them.

    Immediately after, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang again.

    It was He Zhichu calling.

    ¡°Nianzhi,e to the roof. I¡¯ll take you to Fragrant Hill.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood.

    He Zhichu came to pick her up in a helicopter...

    She smiled happily and quickly put her backpack on her back. She nodded at Lu Jin and ran out quickly without saying anything.

    Lu Jin was a little worried and quietly followed behind her. He watched as she entered the elevator and headed to the roof.

    The snow on the roof of the apartment building had already been cleared, but with the huge movements from the helicopter propeller, the snow piled up in the corner of the wall was blown everywhere.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed open the door to the top floor and was almost covered in snow.

    She quickly put on her down jacket and ferret fur hat, and covered her mouth as she hid at the side.

    Not long after, the helicopter¡¯s propellers stoppedpletely. He Zhichu, who was wearing a winter flying leather jacket, jumped out of the helicopter and walked towards her.

    ¡°Nianzhi, why aren¡¯t you wearing a mask?¡± He reached out his hand to her. ¡°I still have a few masks on the ne. Go and try one on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held his hand and the two of them boarded the helicopter together.

    On the helicopter, Xie Qingying who was dressed in a fiery red dress, nodded slightly at Gu Nianzhi and smiled. ¡°Hello, Miss Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked her up and down and nodded with a smile. ¡°Miss Xie looks really beautiful today.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Thank you for thepliment, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Cousin Xie, we don¡¯t have to be so courteous, do we?¡± Gu Nianzhi made a funny face at her. ¡°It feels more family-like to call you cousin.¡±

    Xie Qingying saw that Gu Nianzhi was generous and did not want to put on a courteous front anymore. She smiled and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call you Nianzhi then.¡±

    He Zhichu sat in the pilot seat and began to fly the helicopter.

    Gu Nianzhi and Xie Qingying fastened their seatbelts and sat together to chat.

    Gu Nianzhi could clearly feel that Xie Qingying was much more intimate than thest time she saw her.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1629, ¡°Meeting your uncle is like meeting your mother.¡±.

    A gentle reminder regarding your monthly and rmendation tickets.

    * Mwah * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * *

 Chapter 1630 - Xiangxuehai

    <h4>Chapter 1630: Xiangxuehai</h4>

    Thest time Gu Nianzhi spoke to Xie Qingying up close was at the Lu Corporation¡¯s celebration party in H City.

    She specifically asked her about Xie Ziyan.

    Xie Qingying sat next to her and opened a small refrigerator by her feet. She bent down to take a look and asked, ¡°Nianzhi, what would you like to drink? There¡¯s juice, coffee, and tea.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted fruit juice.

    Xie Qingying carefully poured it into a small paper cup and handed it to her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and thanked her. She lowered her head to take a sip of the fruit juice and began chatting with her.

    ¡°Cousin Xie, is there a ce in Xiangshan that is specifically for enjoying the snow?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked out of curiosity.

    When she was in the other world, she had only gone to Xiangshan to see the red leaves and hadn¡¯t had the chance to see the snow.

    Xie Qingying smiled and said, ¡°Xiangshan has a ce called Xiangxuehai. It¡¯s actually a plum garden, but in winter, the plum blossoms bloom, and with the heavy snow, it¡¯s the best ce to enjoy the snow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi imagined the scene Xie qingying had described ¨C the plum blossoms blooming, covered inyers of crystal-clear snow.

    The snow in the plum blossom was thirty percent white, but the snow was less fragrant than the plum blossom.

    The white snow and red plum blossomsplemented each other. Just thinking about it was enough to make her drunk.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and teased, ¡°Since it is such a nice ce, you should go and collect the snow from the plum blossoms and put it in a blue and white porcin jar. It¡¯ll be nice to make some tea with that, in the summer.¡±

    Xie Qingying was very surprised and said, ¡°Nianzhi, I heard that you grew up abroad. I didn¡¯t expect you to know so much about China¡¯s traditional culture.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi choked for a moment.

    She didn¡¯t grow up overseas?

    She had grown up in China, from the other side...

    Of course, she knew that she couldn¡¯t tell outsiders about her experiences.

    The only people who knew where she had been over the past few years were He Zhichu, Wen Shouyi, and Qin Yaoguang.

    Everyone else has had their memories erased, including Qin Zhining.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her attention to Qin Zhining and immediately connected to the helicopter¡¯s specialmunication channel. She used her earpiece to ask He Zhichu, who was piloting the helicopter from the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Young Master He, what is Qin Zhining doing now? Has he been released?¡±

    The helicopter was very noisy, so it was easier to talk to the pilot through the special channel and when they speak, they usually keep words to the bare minimum.

    He Zhichu was wearing a pair of stylish flying sunsses. He was focused on the instrument data on the dashboard and noticed that there was someone talking on the helicopter¡¯s specialmunication channel, so he picked up the call.

    Hearing that it was Gu Nianzhi asking about Qin Zhining, he said casually into the microphone, ¡°He¡¯s still locked up. What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t want to pursue the matter anymore? If you don¡¯t pursue the matter, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Qin Zhining¡¯s brother, Qin Zhiyuan, had begged him for a long time, but He Zhichu never gave in. He wholeheartedly wanted to leave the decision to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know that Qin Zhiyuan had been begging He Zhichu, but she still nodded, she said, ¡°It¡¯s almost New Year. Let hime out for the New Year celebrations. There¡¯s nothing wrong with him, actually. It¡¯s just that his brain isn¡¯t working properly. After locking him up for a while this time, he should have learnt to be obedient and not act rashly in the future.¡±

    He Zhichu agreed and said, ¡°Okay, when we reach Xiangxuehaiter, I¡¯ll call that ce and ask his brother to pick him up.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Young Master he,¡±Gu Nianzhi said sweetly, looking like she was in a good mood.

    After saying this, she turned off themunication channel and couldn¡¯t help taking another look at her phone.

    Ever since the Far East Ace had leftst night, she had secretly released the ¡°King of Drama¡± from the cklist.

    Although she still did not want to answer his calls, she felt a sense of aplishment when she saw his missed calls...

    Xie Qingying stood beside Gu Nianzhi and took special care of her.

    At this moment, she cut another te of fruit and ced it in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of fruit you like, so I just cut some randomly. Try it, which one tastes good?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the fruit te was filled withmon goods. She nced over and saw that there were yellow oranges, snow-white bananas, pink and tender lychees, red heart fire dragon fruit, ivory mango, pineapple honey, green and translucent caramb, and mangosteen that looked like water chestnuts, there were also egg fruits that tasted like egg yolks.

    She ate a slice of the orange first.

    She had thought that it was an ordinary fruit, but after eating it, she realized that this orange was definitely not of an ordinary variety.

    The taste was as sweet as honey, with a little sourness that perfectly neutralized the excessive sugar in the orange. It left a pleasant taste in her mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, and said, ¡°This orange is special, right?¡±

    Only special fruits had such quality...

    Xie qingying raised her willowy eyebrows and said with a smile, ¡°Huh? You also know about special offerings?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just amoner. How would I know about the legendary special offerings?¡±

    Xie Qingying understood that she was upset when she heard this. She quickly apologized, ¡°Nianzhi, that¡¯s not what I meant. You grew up overseas, so I thought there was no such thing as a special provision.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and felt that she was making a huge fuss out of nothing.

    To be honest, she and Xie Qingying were not very close. Although they were rtively close rtives, but as the saying goes, distant rtives were not as good as close neighbors.

    The two families had not interacted for so many years, and so she and Xie Qingying were just like strangers. It was better not to be too demanding.

    Hence, she quickly smiled and said, ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just joking. Even if I¡¯ve never seen a pig walk, I¡¯ve eaten pork, right?¡±

    She deliberately said ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten pork, but I¡¯ve seen a pig walk¡± in reverse to ease the atmosphere.

    Moreover, she was a child born in the inte era. She had indeed eaten pork before, but she had never seen a pig in the real world.

    Xie Qingying covered her mouth andughed even harder. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re so funny!¡±

    Once again, she felt that Gu Nianzhi was a wonderful person.

    The distance between the two of them quickly closed.

    Not long after, He Zhichu told them to get ready to get off the ne. They have arrived at Xiangxuehai.

    He Zhichu parked the helicopter in an empty field 500 meters away from Xiangxuehai¡¯s plum garden.

    If they parked too close, it would affect the snow on the plum blossoms and ruin the snowy scenery.

    After the ne had stopped, Gu Nianzhi held onto He Zhichu¡¯s arm and got off the ne.

    As soon as they got off the ne, she smelled a faint sweet scent. She couldn¡¯t help taking a deep breath and smiled. ¡°This is indeed a good ce to enjoy the snowy scenery.¡±

    He Zhichu settled her and turned around to reach out his hand to Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying smiled and said, ¡°I can get off by myself.¡± As she spoke, she had already alighted from the helicopter in a heroic manner.

    Her red coat was like fire, and her ck boots were seven centimeters tall. Her voluminous wavy hair draped over her back, and her red lips were burning with mes. Under the contrast of the snow on the plums, her beauty was unparalleled.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned by what she saw.

    Xie qingying stood beside He Zhichu with a smile on her face. They looked like a perfect couple. Behind them was a spotless, silvery-white helicopter.

    Just looking at this picture, it was like a giant advertisement image of a helicopter.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but take out her phone and snap a few photos of them.

    At this moment, a gust of wind blew past. Xie Qingying¡¯s long, wavy hair fluttered in the wind. Just then, a strand of hair brushed past He Zhichu, giving off a natural fragrance.

    He Zhichu lowered his eyebrows. His bright peach blossom eyes were hidden under his thick eyshes. His handsome face was smiling as he looked at Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes were almost fixed on He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood.

    So cousin Xie likes He Zhichu.

    She looked at He Zhichu, then at Xie Qingying, and nodded in satisfaction.

    From the looks of it, the two of them were a perfect match.

    One was the prime minister¡¯s niece, and the other was a military general major.

    One was her cousin, and the other was her brother.

    She gave them full marks, not afraid that they would be arrogant about it.

    He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi holding up her phone to take a picture of them, but did not stop her. He strode over and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s take a selfie.¡±

    As he spoke, he took the phone from Gu Nianzhi and raised it high, aiming it at himself and Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed.

    From this angle, He Zhichu¡¯s face was in front, while hers was at the back, making it look smaller.

    It looked good in the photo.

    He Zhichu mainly aimed at Gu Nianzhi and clicked on a few photos.

    Then he took out his phone and used Air Drop to upload the photo to his phone.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Let me see! Let me see!¡±

    He Zhichu returned the phone to her and quickly strode away.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at his back in confusion and then looked down at the selfie He Zhichu had just taken of the two of them.

    Gu Nianzhi was furious.

    Even though He Zhichu¡¯s face was closer to the camera and her face was further away from the camera, her face still looked bigger!

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was thin, with pronounced facial features. No matter how one looked at it, his face would still appear smaller!

    Moreover, because of theparison with He Zhichu¡¯s face in front of the camera, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face appeared even bigger in the back.

    ¡°Young Master He! Delete the photo! Take a new one!¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned as she put away her phone and quickly chased after him.

    Xie Qingying watched Gu Nianzhi make a scene like a child. Sheughed and shook her head as she walked slowly behind him.

    She was wearing high-heeled boots, so she couldn¡¯t run in the snow.

    Gu Nianzhi caught up to He Zhichu and hopped around to ask him for his phone.

    He Zhichu acted as if he didn¡¯t hear her and strode forward with a smile on his face.

    Sometimes he deliberately skated to the side and made a skating gesture. Gu Nianzhi almost fell over.

    He Zhichu did not help her. Instead, he burst intoughter.

    Under the blue sky, his smile was especially bright and clear in the white snow. It was like the snow on a plum blossom, with a hint of beauty in it.

    Xie Qingying could not take her eyes off him and could not help running after him.

    She had almost forgotten that running on this kind of ground with her seven-centimeter-high high heels was a disaster.

    With a thump, she fell to the ground and twisted her ankle.

    Gu Nianzhi heard the sound and turned to look. She quickly stopped He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, cousin Xie fell.¡±

    He Zhichu turned to look and saw Xie Qingying in red sitting on the ck-colored mountain road that had just been swept out. The hem of her red cashmere coat was already covered in ck soil, but she wasn¡¯t too upset, she only smiled and said, ¡°I think I sprained my foot. Young Master He, did you know that the Xiangxuehai is full of oil?¡±

    He Zhichu walked back and knelt in front of her with one leg. He lifted her calf with one hand and touched her ankle with the other.

    He could not feel it clearly through the leather boots, but Xie Qingying¡¯s eyebrows were clearly furrowed. It was probably more painful.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Young Master He, shall we help cousin Xie over?¡±

    Xie Qingying struggled to get up and said sheepishly, ¡°No need, it doesn¡¯t hurt too much. I¡¯ll be fine after some rest.¡±

    She endured the pain in her ankle and tried to walk normally.

    However, every step she took caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead.

    She had no idea that her face was even paler than snow.

    Gu Nianzhi poked He Zhichu¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Young Master He, cousin Xie is in a lot of pain... I think her ankle is twisted pretty badly...¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her for a while and secretly clenched his fists. He then turned to Xie Qingying and said, ¡°Come, I¡¯ll carry you.¡±

    His face was expressionless as he half-squatted in front of her and gave her his back.

    Xie Qingying was at a loss. Happiness came too soon. She didn¡¯t know how to deal with it.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update for today: Chapter 1630 ¡°Xiangxuehai¡±.

    A gentle reminder regarding your monthly and rmendation tickets.

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * * .

 Chapter 1631 - Spare Yourself More Than Ten Years of Hard Work

    <h4>Chapter 1631: Spare Yourself More Than Ten Years of Hard Work</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi advised from the side, ¡°Cousin Xie, if it really hurts, don¡¯t hold on. I know the pain of a sprained ankle. It¡¯s like walking on a knife¡¯s edge.¡±

    Xie Qingying was embarrassed. If she continued to shirk, it would seem like she was being pretentious.

    She nodded at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Thank you, Nianzhi. I won¡¯t stand on ceremony then.¡±

    She gently leaned against He Zhichu¡¯s broad shoulders, narrow waist, and triangr back.

    As she clung onto He Zhichu¡¯s stiff shoulders, Xie Qingying thought to herself, she didn¡¯t expect He Zhichu to have such a muscr body even though he looked skinny...

    She blushed slightly and rested her head on He Zhichu¡¯s neck. He carried her all the way to the door of Xiangxuehai.

    Gu Nianzhi followed beside He Zhichu and Xie Qingying. She supported Xie Qingying as she looked around curiously.

    No wonder this ce was called ¡°Xiangxuehai¡±¨C it was written on arge stone beside the entrance.

    The house in the plum garden was built in an antique style.

    The walls were a wooden fence painted with tung oil, and there was a wall facing the entrance that blocked the view of the courtyard.

    After going around the wall, they saw an ancient-style mansion on the top of a hill.

    It had green tiles and white walls, ck pirs, front eaves, and back buildings. The windows were covered with snow-white paper, and there were a fewnterns hanging under the eaves of the corridor.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it. She didn¡¯t pay attention to where she was going and almost tripped.

    Although He Zhichu was looking ahead with Xie Qingying on his back, he watched Gu Nianzhi from the corners of his eye.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body had just tilted to the side when He Zhichu immediately reached out and held her arm firmly.

    ¡°Thank you, Young Master He!¡± Gu Nianzhi thanked him with a smile and helped him carry Xie Qingying on his back.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s heart was beating wildly. All her attention was on He Zhichu and she didn¡¯t notice what had just happened.

    It was only when Gu Nianzhi held her back that she turned to look at her and asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Gu Nianzhi? Is something wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and pointed at the front door. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Later, ask the people here if they have any medicinal wine. I think safflower oil is pretty good.¡±

    Xie Qingying smiled and said, ¡°Safflower oil is indeed pretty good, but the taste is pretty intense. If they don¡¯t have it, I can put ice on it for now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked up to see the front door of the mansion open. A handsome young man in a ashy grey cashmere cardigan walked out and said in surprise, ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re finally here!¡±

    He Zhichu was carrying Xie Qingying on his back. The man immediately smiled mischievously and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Miss Xie? Young Master He, did you lose a bet and have to carry Miss Xie in?¡±

    Xie Qingying quickly said, ¡°Xiao Li, don¡¯t talk nonsense. I¡¯ve sprained my ankle and can¡¯t walk. By the way, do you have any medicinal wine? Like safflower oil?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You really sprained your ankle?¡± The young man named Xiao Li looked at He Zhichu in surprise and then quickly nced at Xie Qingying¡¯s leg, which was wearing high-heeled boots.

    It indeed wasn¡¯t easy to walk in such boots on a snowy day.

    Xiao Li¡¯s expression became serious. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll go find someone to get the medicinal wine. Do you want to call a doctor too?¡±

    ¡°No need to trouble yourself. I have a family doctor at home. I¡¯ll just get him to take a look when I get backter tonight,¡± Xie Qingying, not wanting to trouble Xiao Li too much, quickly said with a smile.

    Xiao Li had his own ideas. As for whether medicinal wine alone would suffice or the doctor had to be called, he would have to see Xie Qingying¡¯s injuries before making the decision.

    He turned around and opened the thick leather door curtain, allowing He Zhichu to carry Xie Qingying inside.

    As soon as he opened the door curtain, the sound of music could be hearding from inside.

    It sounded like the mellifluous sound of a guzheng. It sounded exceptionally melodious and moving on this snowy day.

    Gu Nianzhi listened to the pleasant music and followed him in.

    Once inside, she realized that the mansion was truly a unique ce.

    This was arge living room that could be used as a ballroom. It had three rooms, one bright and two dark, that were connected to the ancient building.

    The left and right sides of the room were divided into several small spaces that were connected to each other and were rtively independent.

    Each small space had a simple and exquisite corner sofa in a postmodern style. The floor around the sofa was covered with geometric carpets.

    In the north right corner, which was surrounded by green nts, there was a small garden.

    There was an octagonal pavilion with a small bridge and flowing water. A beautiful girl in an ancient costume was sitting in the octagonal pavilion while ying the zither.

    The living room was filled with young men and women dressed in low-key and luxurious clothes. They sat or stood in groups, forming small groups.

    They held cocktail sses and joked with each other. The atmosphere was very harmonious and friendly.

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed: the city people know how to have fun.

    As a country bumpkin, she should go back to the countryside.

    He Zhichu and Xie Qingying were nowhere to be seen. Xiao Li, who had led them in earlier, walked over and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Gu, is it? Young Master He took Sister Xie to check on her injuries. Have a seat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also smiled and greeted him, ¡°Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Li. Xie Qingying is my cousin. I also want to check on her injuries.¡±

    ¡°Sister Xie is your cousin? Oh, so you¡¯re my cousin.¡± Xiao Li beamed. ¡°My mother is Sister Xie¡¯s father¡¯s distant cousin.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a headache because of thisplicated rtionship. She could only chuckle and say, ¡°Where are they? I¡¯ll go check.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Miss Gu, Let¡¯s not be third wheels.¡± Xiao Liughed and stopped her. ¡°Is it not fun here? Shall I find a handsome man to talk to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hand. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just worried about Cousin Xie. She sprained her ankle in those high heels, so it¡¯s not a minor injury.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve already sent someone to get a doctor...¡± Xiao Li said quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t let Cousin Xie know...¡±

    His careful teasing rxed Gu Nianzhi. She nodded and said, ¡°Okay. ¡°Then she asked him, ¡°Are you close to Cousin Xie and Young Master He?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve known each other since we were kids.¡± Xiao Li looked Gu Nianzhi up and down and said with a smile, ¡°Actually, we used to y together when we were kids, but you definitely don¡¯t remember me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at her own head and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t remember things from before I was 12 years old that clearly. Some I remember, some I don¡¯t.¡±

    She didn¡¯t remember anything at all, but because of thewsuit with Qin Yaoguang and Lu Jin, she had to say she ¡°remembered¡±some of the things that happened before she was 12 years old. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep Lu Jin¡¯s identity a secret.

    Gu Nianzhi was very cautious. She would never let anyone have something against her.

    Xiao Li shook his head regretfully and said, ¡°But you¡¯re much prettier than when you were young. Are you single now? Can I pursue you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by Xiao Li¡¯s serious expression. She changed the subject and said aloofly, ¡°I¡¯m still young, so I need to focus on my career now. But Mr. Li, you¡¯re not being honest. You clearly like the girl who ys the guzheng over there, so why are you trying to flirt with me?¡±

    Xiao Li touched his chin and asked in confusion, ¡°Is it that obvious? I thought I covered it up very well...¡±

    ¡°When you were talking to me, you looked over there every five seconds on average. You call that a good cover?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help curling her lips in disdain.

    Compared to Huo Shaoheng, who was an excellent actor, Xiao Li wouldn¡¯tst more than three seconds in a TV show.

    ¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t she beautiful? She ys the zither so beautifully... even though I don¡¯t understand it...¡± Xiao Li whispered to her, making her very amused.

    Not long after, Xiao Li¡¯s phone suddenly rang.

    He took it out and looked at it. He quickly stood up and said, ¡°The Doctor I called has arrived. I¡¯m going to pick him up. Miss Gu, please help yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. Quickly take the doctor to check on Cousin Xie.¡±

    Not long after Xiao Li left, he came in with his men.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at the door and saw that there were two men and a woman following Xiao Li in.

    The man walking beside Xiao Li was tall and had a small medicine box in his hand. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed sses. He looked gentle and refined. He followed Xiao Li to a small door on the east side of the living room.

    The other man and woman didn¡¯t follow him in. They stood at the door and looked askance at the living room.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the two of them curiously, then suddenly felt that they looked familiar.

    The woman standing at the door had long, straight ck hair, and her thick bangs covered her slender eyes. She looked very alluring.

    Her skin was snow-white, her nose and mouth were small, and her face was as round as the full moon.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This woman looked a little like Wen Shouyi.

    But she didn¡¯t have Wen Shouyi¡¯s schrly air.

    The man had handsome features, but his eyes were hazy and his gaze was perverted. Anyone who looked at him would feel ufortable.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away and decided to take another look at the girl ying the zither in the octagonal pavilion.

    At that moment, the man with the perverted gaze also saw the girl ying the zither in the octagonal pavilion. His eyes lit up and he wanted to rush over to talk to her, but he was held back by the woman beside him.

    ¡°Second brother, stop looking for that kind of woman. How many times have you yed with this kind of woman? Aren¡¯t you tired of women like her?¡± The girl who had followed the Doctor said impatiently, then she pointed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction. ¡°Even if you want to find someone, you have to look for that one over there. If you marry her, you can spare yourself more than ten years of hard work.¡±

 Chapter 1632 - Similar In Temperament

    <h4>Chapter 1632: Simr In Temperament</h4>

    The young man with the lewd expression casually nced in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, and his eyes suddenly froze.

    Such long legs, such a slim waist, and such voluptuous breasts. Her figure was too sexy...

    The man was almost drooling.

    ¡°Who is she? Is she from a good family? Why haven¡¯t I seen such a hot chicks in the upper echelons of the imperial capital?!¡± The man was smilingsciviously. When he saw Gu Nianzhi looking over, he immediately leaned against the door frame to strike a pose and winked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Where did this idiote from?

    She quietly averted her gaze and stood up from the sofa.

    Seeing that she was about to leave, the woman who had followed the doctor quickly pushed the man¡¯s arm. She said, ¡°She¡¯s the famous Gu Nianzhi. You don¡¯t even know that? I told you that you shouldn¡¯t have been hanging around those young models all day. Who would be a young model at such a young age if she was from a good family? You spend all day dealing with these bottom barrel people. How would you know true good girls?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Gu Nianzhi?!¡± The man was surprised and quickly straightened up. ¡°She¡¯s the Gu Nianzhi who sent Auntie Qin to prison?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, who else could she be?¡± The woman nodded. She lowered her voice and said, ¡°Look at all the things she¡¯s done, but the Old Master still treats her like his granddaughter and has no intention of pursuing the matter. I heard that during the new year this year, the Old Master will invite her back to change her surname, acknowledge her, and celebrate the new year together... Look, Auntie Qin has a criminal record now. Even if she¡¯s not in prison, she¡¯s still Auntie Qin¡¯s only daughter and the Old Master¡¯s only biological granddaughter. She even changed her surname. Do you know why?¡±

    The man with the lewd gaze became even more interested. ¡°Change her surname? Acknowledge her? Is it to confirm the right of inheritance?¡±

    These people came from rich families and had a certain social status.

    As third generation heirs, they were most concerned about the right of inheritance.

    ¡°Everyone guesses that.¡± The woman looked around and she said, ¡°Look, nobody is stupid. Didn¡¯t Young Master He bring her to Xiangxuehai... This social circle is filled with the descendants of the top tier in the upper echelon. With our status, we usually can¡¯t enter. If we hadn¡¯te with Brother Qin, we would have been stopped by the guards at the foot of the mountain, not to mention entering the door...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was new to this ce. She knew nothing about Xiangxuehai, a meeting ce among the second generation of the upper ss in the capital.

    But these two men and women knew everything.

    ¡°That¡¯s why, if you marry her, you¡¯ll have one foot in the capital¡¯s upper ss. When that timees, are you afraid you won¡¯t have the right to inherit?¡± As she spoke, the woman patted the man on the shoulder and smiled. ¡°Second brother, go ahead and do it! I have high hopes for you!¡±

    The man¡¯s heart was burning with ambition from her words. In a fit of impulse, he didn¡¯t care about anything else. He quickly rushed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and said very obsequiously and politely, ¡°Miss Gu, right? Where are you going? I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Although he could do whatever he wanted with those young models, he did not dare act rashly when it came to women of high status.

    As the heir of a wealthy family, it would be a waste of his time in the capital if he did not have such discerning eyes.

    The woman beside him patted her head. Her brother was beyond hope.

    She hurried over and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re Miss Gu, right? I¡¯m Luo Piaopiao, and he¡¯s my second brother, Luo Yaozu. Although it¡¯s a little presumptuous, we¡¯re still rtives. Please forgive us if we¡¯ve offended you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi originally didn¡¯t want to talk to the two of them, she saw how proactive they were, especially the girl, who looked more and more like Wen Shouyi when she smiled.

    Although their temperaments were different, their facial features were simr.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain was like a high-performanceputer. It had already stored the girl¡¯s appearance in her mind, and automaticallypared it with Wen Shouyi¡¯s appearance.

    The more she looked at her, the more she felt the resemnce. Her heart stirred, and she said politely, ¡°Is that so? I just came back and haven¡¯t seen any rtives. May I ask which one of my parents you are rted to?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s your mother!¡± Luo Piaopiao closed her palms and said with a smile, ¡°Your mother, Auntie Qin, is also our aunt!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly walked to the high chair at the bar counter and sat down. She raised her chin. ¡°Sit.¡±

    The ce where she had stayed was a little remote in the hall. She didn¡¯t know what the two of them wanted, so it was safer for her to go to a crowded ce.

    This wasn¡¯t some impressive skill.

    As a single woman, she should have this kind of vignce when she went clubbing.

    Not only were there a few men and women chatting at the bar counter, but there were also two very muscr bartenders who were wiping sses and mixing drinks.

    Gu Nianzhi knew at a nce that these two bartenders must also be the bodyguards of this ce.

    Sure enough, after she sat down, the valiant-looking bartenders on the left walked over with a smile and nodded at her. ¡°Miss Gu, what would you like to drink?¡±

    He added, ¡°Young Master he has instructed that Miss Gu is not allowed to drink alcohol yet. She can only drink milk and juice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been sitting on a high chair with her legs crossed. She had nned to pretend to be a seasoned frequent bar patron to satisfy her cravings while she was at it. In the end, she had been exposed by the bartender in less than a second.

    Feeling humiliated, she knocked on the bar counter in front of her angrily and said, ¡°I¡¯m already 20 years old. Why can¡¯t you give me a drink?!¡±

    Luo Yaozu, who was beside her, opened his mouth and looked at her for a while. He quickly said, ¡°Miss Gu, what kind of drink do you want? I¡¯ll buy it for you...¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The valiant-looking bartender did not wait for Gu Nianzhi to speak. He immediately looked at Luo Yaozu. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being on the guest list. Do you have an invitation card? Or an ID card? I¡¯ll go check the guest list.¡±

    They did not open their business to the public. They used the private clubhouse system.

    If one wanted toe in, they had to first pay a guarantor¡¯s astronomical deposit, then pay an annual fee of more than seven figures every year.

    Even after paying the annual fee, one wouldn¡¯t be able toe as one pleased.

    When there was an event, the clubhouse would send out invitations, and only clubhouse members who received the invitations coulde.

    This greatly protected the privacy of the clubhouse members.

    He Zhichu had not appeared in this clubhouse in all these years, but he was one of the founders here. Now that he was back, a group of childhood friends and former friends all wanted to get together with him.

    They waited until he finally relented before they took advantage of the snow to book a ce called Xiangxuehai and invited him for a get together.

    The bartender looked at the guest list for the day and confirmed that these two were not on it.

    Luo Piaopiao did not expect a bartender to be so cocky, especially in front of Gu Nianzhi. She could not help but fly into a rage out of humiliation. She patted the bar counter with her hand and said, ¡°Brother Li invited us! He personally brought my Brother Qin in just now!¡±

    ¡°Fourth Brother Qin?¡± The bartender looked at the door thoughtfully. ¡°Was it the bone setter who was just invited?¡±

    ¡°... What bone setter?! My Fourth Brother Qin is the famous head of the Orthopedics Department of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital!¡±

    Luo Piaopiao was so angry that she puffed out her cheeks.

    Luo Yaozu, on the other hand, was a little scared. The bartender flexed his muscles at him, and he felt so intimidated that he wanted to hide under the table.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the brother and sister coldly. Although they weren¡¯t very nice people, they might be a good starting point for digging into the Qin family¡¯s history.

    However, she still had to verify their identities.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t stop the bartender from questioning the brother and sister. She only smiled and watched the show.

    Another bartender walked over with a smile and handed Gu Nianzhi a ss of warm milk. ¡°Miss Gu, this is organic milk. It¡¯s mellow and delicious.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the ss resentfully and took a sip from the straw. She leaned back against the bar counter and snorted. ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. It¡¯s just a ss of milk. Do you dare to give me a cocktail?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t dare to.¡± The two bartendersughed together and looked up. ¡°Young Master He is here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up from the straw and saw He Zhichu striding over from the other side of the living room.

    Luo Piaopiao was so excited when she saw He Zhichu that she couldn¡¯t walk anymore.

    ¡°He... He!¡± Wishing she could kneel under his straight suit pants, she stuttered as she greeted him

    He Zhichu nced at her and nodded slightly. He walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and rubbed her head. His cold expression softened a little. ¡°Why are you unhappy? Did your new friends make you unhappy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put the milk on the bar counter. Her jade-like eyes darted around as she said, ¡°Why would I be unhappy? This is Luo Yaozu and this is Luo Piaopiao. The siblings said that they¡¯re Qin Yaoguang¡¯s sister¡¯s children.¡±

    He Zhichu sat down and took the red wine the bartender handed over. He said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang is an only child. Where did she get a sister?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grunted and looked at the Luo siblings in confusion.

    Luo Piaopiao quickly said, ¡°My mother is Auntie Qin¡¯s cousin. We are really rtives of the Qin family!¡±

    ¡°Cousin? That¡¯s possible.¡± He Zhichu rubbed his forehead. ¡°It seems that only Qin Yaoguang¡¯s family was sparsely popted. All the other families in the Qin family were quite fertile.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

 Chapter 1633 - Carefree Attitude

    <h4>Chapter 1633: Carefree Attitude</h4>

    Luo Piaopiao was overjoyed to see that He Zhichu had agreed with her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, am I? I told you that I¡¯m Auntie Qin¡¯s niece and that I¡¯m a cousin to Miss Gu!¡± Luo Piaopiao went up to Gu Nianzhi and held her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi did not like physical contact with strangers, so she quietly moved towards He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu understood and looked up at Luo Piaopiao.

    Although there was no expression in his almond-shaped eyes, just one look from him was enough to bewitch a person.

    Luo Piaopiao felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe. Her hands and feet instantly stiffened, and she was unable to move.

    This was the first time she hade into close contact with her prince charming, and she regretted not dressing up more beautifully.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that He Zhichu¡¯s one nce had made Luo Piaopiao head over heels in love. She was very impressed with him. She gently patted him on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging look.

    He Zhichu nced at her, curled his finger, and tapped Gu Nianzhi on the forehead. He smiled. ¡°You have no manners.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression had always been cold and impassive, but his smile was like an ice sculpture suddenly melting into a pool of spring water.

    Luo Piaopiao felt her legs go weak. She had no choice but to hold on tightly to Luo Yaozu so that she would not embarrass herself too much.

    Luo Yaozu did not dare to say anything.

    He Zhichu¡¯s powerful aura was cold and stern. He Zhichu did not even look at Luo Yaozu, but he felt as if he had been ¡°pierced by a thousand arrows¡± by He Zhichu.

    Not only did his face hurt, but his chest also hurt.

    Luo Piaopiao gave Luo Yaozu a pinch. She wanted him to be sessful and at least get close to He Zhichu. This way, even if he could not get Gu Nianzhi, he could still have a rtionship with Young Master He and still be able to do whatever he wanted in the Luo family.

    However, Luo Yaozu waspletely useless.

    His assured demeanor in front of the young models waspletely useless now.

    Luo Piaopiao could only rack her brains to talk to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Cousin Gu, are you free? I¡¯d like to invite you to my house for a casual meal.¡± Luo Piaopiao¡¯s smile was unexpectedly warm.

    ¡°Your house...¡± Gu Nianzhi actually wanted to go. It would be even better if she could meet Luo Piaopiao¡¯s mother.

    However, before she could think clearly, she heard Xie Qingying¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Huh? I wasn¡¯t here for a while, but why does my cousin have another cousin?¡± Xie Qingying held Xiao Li¡¯s arm and was walking towards them.

    Beside them was a young man in a light camel-colored wool suit jacket. His eyes were calm, his facial features were delicate, and his expression was restrained. The way he walked was rigid, and he looked more mature than his age.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on the simple medicine box in the man¡¯s hand. She thought to herself, this must be the ¡°Fourth Brother Qin¡±?

    She did not have a good impression people from the Qin family, so she only nced at him briefly before looking away. She lowered her head and obediently sat beside He Zhichu while drinking her warm milk.

    Luo Piaopiao and Luo Yaozu rushed forward.

    ¡°Fourth brother is here!¡±

    ¡°Miss Xie, is your leg better?¡±

    One of them held Fourth Brother Qin¡¯s hand, while the other was trying to curry favor with Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying nced at them and smiled at Luo Piaopiao. ¡°I heard you call Nianzhi cousin just now. Why didn¡¯t I know that I have an additional rtive?¡±

    ¡°... Nianzhi¡¯s mother and my mother are cousins.¡± Luo Piaopiao quickly exined and asked in surprise, ¡°Miss Xie¡¯s family is also rted to the Qin Family?¡±

    Why else would she call Gu Nianzhi her cousin?

    Xie Qingying leaned against the bar counter and sat down. She said with a faint smile, ¡°Why would I be rted to the Qin family?¡±

    ¡°Because Miss Xie just said that Miss Gu is your cousin, so I¡¯m also rted to Miss Gu, so you should also be rted to the Qin family...¡±

    Luo Piaopiao tilted her head as she spoke.

    Luo Yaozu also nodded vigorously.

    Fourth Brother Qin couldn¡¯t stand to listen to this anymore.

    If he had known that the two of them would make a fool of themselves today, so he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to bring them here.

    ¡°... Miss Gu¡¯s father and Miss Xie¡¯s mother are biological siblings, so they are also cousins. They are closer than Miss Gu and you are.¡±

    He rubbed the space between his brows and said, ¡°Miss Xie¡¯s foot injury isn¡¯t particrly serious, but it¡¯s not light either. Remember to apply the medicine on time and don¡¯t do any strenuous exercise for the next three weeks.¡±

    Xie Qingying nodded and said. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Qin. Thank you for your trouble.¡± She then asked Xiao Li, ¡°Did you send a car to send Dr. Qin back? It¡¯s snowing heavily...¡±

    Dr. Qin shook his head and said lightly, ¡°I came by helicopter. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get here so quickly in such heavy snow.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao quickly said, ¡°Yes, we came by helicopter from the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. Actually, Brother Qin can fly a helicopter too, right?¡±

    Doctor Qinpletely ignored her. He only nodded at Gu Nianzhi and greeted her, ¡°I¡¯m Qin Haoshan, the second son of the Qin family, ranked fourth. Your mother is my aunt.¡±

    His father and Qin Yaoguang were cousins.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°Hello, Mr. Qin.¡±

    She did not call him ¡°cousin¡±.

    Qin Haoshan was a little unhappy, but he remembered that Gu Nianzhi had even sued her own mother, so he did not expect her to treat her rtives well.

    He quickly felt relieved and said, ¡°Uncle wants to invite you back for New Year;s this year. I wonder if you¡¯ve agreed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows in surprise and spread her hands out. ¡°That¡¯s true? I had no idea.¡±

    ¡°I probably didn¡¯t have time to inform you.¡± Qin Haoshan quickly said, ¡°I was too talkative. Please don¡¯t take offense.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to pick a fight with someone over something like this.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she raised her ss of milk at him, and she continued, ¡°But since you¡¯ve already said it, help me reject it. You don¡¯t have to send me an invitation, and you don¡¯t have to tell me, because I won¡¯t be going to the Qin family for the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Cousin Gu, think about it before you say anything...¡± Luo Piaopiao panicked. ¡°The Old Master rarely invites people home for the New Year. You should cherish this opportunity!¡±

    ¡°If you want it, I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± Gu Nianzhi said without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll be very busy during the New Year¡¯s. I don¡¯t want to go anywhere.¡±

    Qin Haoshan saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s firm attitude and that there were too many people here. It wouldn¡¯t be convenient for him to speak up for the Old Master, so he didn¡¯t say anything more. He looked down at his watch and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve talked too much. I¡¯ll bear the consequences. I¡¯ll exin it to uncle and grandfather.¡±

    After he finished speaking, he opened the medicine box and took out a bag of self-made medicine to give to Xie Qingying.

    He said politely, ¡°Miss Xie, you can get better faster with this medicine.¡±

    Xie Qingying smiled and took it. ¡°I have troubled Doctor Qin today. Actually, I only sprained my foot. There is no need to trouble Doctor Qin.¡±

    Qin Haoshan was an expert in orthopedics at the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. It was a great favor for him toe and see a minor sprained ankle.

    Qin Haoshan looked at Xie Qingying intently, and his voice softened involuntarily. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I treat all patients equally.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Dr. Qin with interest. She thought to herself, If you didn¡¯t look at Cousin Xie with such obvious affection in your eyes, I really would have believed you...

    ..

    Qin Haoshan left with the Luo siblings. Xie Qingying was called by her best friend to meet her friend.

    He Zhichu stayed behind at the bar to apany Gu Nianzhi.

    The ss of red wine in his hand was just for show and he didn¡¯t drink it.

    Gu Nianzhi coveted the red wine in He Zhichu¡¯s hand and wanted to taste it.

    However, He Zhichu knew her intentions, and he didn¡¯t let her taste it. He waved his hand and ordered a ss of red grape juice for her while saying, ¡°Drink it. It¡¯s the same taste.¡±

    Tastes the same my *ss.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly displeased, but she still took the red grape juice. She took a sip and whispered, ¡°Young Master He, Cousin Xie is very popr. If you don¡¯t hurry up, that Dr. Qin will snatch her away...¡±

    He Zhichu turned the ss of wine indifferently and saidzily, ¡°If it¡¯s mine, no body will be able to snatch it away. If it¡¯s not mine, I can¡¯t keep it, so why bother?¡±

    He nced at Gu Nianzhi with a faint smile in his almond-shaped eyes and said, ¡°I have a carefree attitude towards this kind of thing now. If I get it, it means I¡¯m lucky. If I don¡¯t get it, so be it.¡±

 Chapter 1634 - A Girl Will Doll Herself up for the Man Who Loves Her

    <h4>Chapter 1634: A Girl Will Doll Herself up for the Man Who Loves Her</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky if you get it, but if you don¡¯t get it, so be it?¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself and shook her head. ¡°Negative, too negative. You¡¯ll lose those youngdies who truly love you if you do this.¡±

    If she had thought that way back then, she would never have been able to be with Huo.

    He Zhichu was amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s serious look and gently rubbed her head. He said with a half-hearted smile, ¡°If someone who truly loves me gives up so easily, then it¡¯s not meant to be. Don¡¯t mind my business. If you care so much about me, you might not be able to get rid of me again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Then we can¡¯t even be normal friends anymore?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up straight and frowned. ¡°Why twist normal concern between friends? What happened to treating me like a sister?¡±

    He Zhichu retracted his hand and smiled self-deprecatingly. His expression cold and detached, he said lightly, ¡°Does that mean we can¡¯t even joke around as friends anymore? If we can¡¯t even joke around, then let¡¯s not be friends anymore. As for brother and sister, if you¡¯re willing to call me brother, I¡¯ll naturally protect you for the rest of your life.¡±

    Hearing He Zhichu¡¯s words, Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she wondered if she had gone too far just now...

    It was clearly just a joke.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want He Zhichu to get angry. She held her red grape juice with both hands and lowered her head to say embarrassingly, ¡°Young Master He, I was wrong.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to apologize directly.

    He stared at her nkly for a while, then a smile appeared on his face. It was like a spring breeze blowing across the surface of frozen water. There were still ice in the ripples, but he still smiled.

    However, there was a dead silence in his sparkling almond-shaped eyes.

    He Zhichu raised his head and downed the cocktail in his hand in one gulp. He ced the empty ss on the bar counter and motioned for the bartender to bring him another ss of red wine. He patted Gu Nianzhi on the head while he was at it. ¡°Okay, you still know to apologize. I didn¡¯t dote on you for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Brother He is the best.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly tried to kiss up to him. She looked up at He Zhichu¡¯s cold side profile and smiled sweetly. She was like a little kitten who had done something wrong and was trying to get away with it by acting cute. Her big eyes were dark and shiny. All that was missing was another soft cat tail wagging around.

    He Zhichu could not get angry at this smiling face.

    He smiled again. This time, the smile reached his eyes like sunlight, and the sulkiness in his almond-shaped eyes disappeared.

    from the side, The bartender looked at He Zhichu and then at Gu Nianzhi. He shook his head without batting an eye. He made He Zhichu a cocktail with a high alcohol content and ced it beside his wine ss.

    He Zhichu saw it and didn¡¯t say anything. He picked up the red wine and drank it first.

    It didn¡¯t take long before more and more people gathered around He Zhichu.

    They greeted him, talked about things, and even greeted Gu Nianzhi.

    They were all smart people. They chatted tacfully and didn¡¯t make Gu Nianzhi feel out of ce, nor did they make her feel left out. It was just like she was an old friend of theirs. There was a sense of harmony and harmony.

    Gu Nianzhi was also a very talkative person. She had seen many important people with Huo Shaoheng over the years, so she didn¡¯t have stage fright and could talk about all sorts of topics.

    In addition, these people avoided talking about the Qin family and Qin Yaoguang, so Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t embarrassed or awkward.

    However, the side effect was that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t find out anything about the Qin family.

    This could be considered a blessing in disguise.

    If He Zhichu hadn¡¯t been watching her from the side, Gu Nianzhi believed that she would have been able to dig up more information about the Qin family.

    Unfortunately, he clearly didn¡¯t like Qin Yaoguang and didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with the Qin family. His childhood friends had heard of it and understood, so naturally they wouldn¡¯t provoke him.

    Gu Nianzhi joked around for a while and then gradually fell silent.

    Because most of the people here were men, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to be sandwiched in the middle.

    The living room happened to have He Zhichu and Xie Qingying as the center, forming two circles.

    One circle was mainly for men, and the other circle was mainly for women.

    When Xie Qingying saw that Gu Nianzhi was bored, she quickly helped her best friend over and smiled as she waved at her. ¡°Nianzhi,e and chat with cousin. We cousins should also get to know each other better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. Women were the best at gossiping. She thought that she would be more productive if she went to Xie Qingying¡¯s ce to chat with those women.

    She quickly looked at He Zhichu and said, ¡°Young Master He, should I go talk to Cousin Xie?¡±

    He Zhichu looked over and hesitated. ¡°... Are you okay? You only know Xie Qingying over there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I will know them after I get there.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she jumped down from the high chair. She turned around and waved at He Zhichu. ¡°Okay, Young Master He, you can talk about your own stuff. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    She hopped over to Xie Qingying¡¯s side and said, ¡°Cousin Xie, don¡¯te any closer. Your feet haven¡¯t recovered yet.¡±

    Xie Qingying stopped in her tracks and waited for her to walk over. She held her hand and returned to their circle.

    She let Gu Nianzhi sit next to her and introduced her to her friends. ¡°Gu Nianzhi is a very capablewyer. Even if you haven¡¯t met her, you must have heard of her name, right? She¡¯s very young. She¡¯s only twenty.¡±

    All the women who could be friends with Xie Qingying were simr to her, so they all nodded at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard so much about you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and said, ¡°Ladies, please don¡¯t judge me. I¡¯m new here. If I identally offend you, please tell me. I¡¯ll apologize right away!¡±

    Her bubbly and cute attitude quickly won over Xie Qingying¡¯s friends. Everyone opened their mouths and started chatting.

    Xie Qingying listened with a smile on her face. After a while, she pped her hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Shall we go out and barbecue to enjoy the snowy scenery?¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure! I heard that we made authentic venison and copper silk blindfolds today. We can try roasting venison like we did in the dream of the Red Chamber.¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s best friend was the first to stand up. She then turned around and carefully helped Xie Qingying up.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking of Ma Qiqi when she saw how close the two of them were..

    She had good friends before, but they were now separated.

    Gu Nianzhi, feeling a little down, turned to look in He Zhichu¡¯s direction.

    Xie Qingying immediately sensed it.

    She didn¡¯t say anything and quietly let her best friend lead everyone to the barbecue booth outside. She fell behind and walked with Gu Nianzhi slowly.

    Qin Haoshan gave her a walking stick that could be shrunk into a small wooden stick and supported half of her body weight.

    Seeing this, Gu Nianzhi slowed down as well. She held Xie Qingying¡¯s arm and said softly, ¡°Cousin Xie, don¡¯t me me for being too nosy, but these high-heeled boots are really not suitable for a snowy day like this.¡±

    Even if it was on t ground, the roads might freeze after the snow, not to mention climbing mountains. If she wasn¡¯t careful, she might fall to the ground.

    Xie Qingying said with a wry smile, ¡°Since you put it that way, I¡¯ll be honest with you. I¡¯m wearing this outfit for Young Master He. I¡¯m only 1.65 meters tall, not as tall as you. Since I¡¯m not tall enough, I won¡¯t be able to rock this skirt-style coat. So even though it¡¯s snowing heavily, I still can¡¯t help wearing high-heeled boots.¡±

    To put it bluntly, a girl will doll herself up for the man who loves her.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood and quickly nodded. ¡°I understand, I understand. Cousin Xie is so beautiful, so you¡¯ll look good no matter what you wear. It¡¯s not like Young Master He doesn¡¯t have eyes. He can see...¡±

    Xie Qingying pursed her lips into a smile. She was a little bashful, but she still dared to say, ¡°Nianzhi, you really don¡¯t like Young Master He? I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. If you still like him, I definitely won¡¯t get involved in your rtionship.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also a straightforward person. Seeing that Xie Qingying had said it out loud, she was very impressed and felt that she liked her even more. She turned around to look at He Zhichu and saw that he had also brought his group of friends out. Sheughed softly. ¡°... Cousin Xie, I¡¯ll be honest with you. I¡¯ve always treated Young Master He as my older brother. My parents were the ones who made us get engaged in the past. Do you know how old I was at that time? How could I have feelings for Young Master He?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s heart pounded. She looked Gu Nianzhi up and down and saw that her smile was bright andposed. She did not look like she was lying at all.

    Although she was young, she had been in the new media for several years so she was good at reading people¡¯s expressions.

    Xie Qingying believed that Gu Nianzhi meant what she said.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°Why would I lie to you? I also told you that there are many women who like Young Master He, but at the moment, only Cousin Xie¡¯s overall qualities are the most outstanding.¡±

    At least she was much better than Wen Shouyi, who was secretly in love with He Zhichu but did not dare to say it out loud.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered the evil intentions Wen Shouyi had harbored towards her in the other world, and she became enraged.

 Chapter 1635 - An Era Where Looks Reign Supreme

    <h4>Chapter 1635: An Era Where Looks Reign Supreme</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed with a cold light as she thought about the things rted to Wen Shouyi in the other world. She thought about the Luo Piaopiao she had just met.

    Xie Qingying, on the other hand, was immersed in her own thoughts. She let out a long sigh and said,¡±... but that¡¯s not how rtionships work. You can¡¯t get what you want just because you¡¯re better off than others.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Xie Qingying, then she said seriously, ¡°But in terms of biology, choosing a mate is apetition. For ordinary animals, when a male seeks a mate, he will disy his own advantages. For example, his feathers are prettier than other peacocks, or hisbat ability is stronger than other lions. Human society is no exception.¡±

    Xie Qingying was amused by her words. She nodded and said, ¡°Yes, human society is no exception. Otherwise, why would we say that this is an era where looks reign supreme?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gu Nianzhi sped her palms and smiled. ¡°Cousin Xie, you¡¯re beautiful, capable, and magnanimous. One look and one can tell that you¡¯re a virtuous and upright woman. You¡¯re the most suitable wife to marry!¡±

    Xie Qingyingughed so hard that she could barely walk. ¡°I¡¯m not as good as you say.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I actually have a temper too. I have my own persistences.¡±

    After a pause, she continued, ¡°But the most important thing is that the person I like isn¡¯t someone whopletely cares about looks. If that¡¯s really the case, then things will be easier.¡±

    Xie Qingying did not have an advantage over He Zhichu in terms of family background, ability, body, and looks. Therefore, she did not have much confidence and was often insecure.

    Gu Nianzhi was still young. Although she had an outstanding IQ, she did not have enough experience.

    She asked confusedly, ¡°Cousin Xie, do you really like Young Master He?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Xie Qingying looked at her and said sincerely, ¡°I¡¯ve only ever loved one person in my entire life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Why do you have to think about so much? Go ahead and chase him!¡± Gu Nianzhi patted her shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Although I won¡¯t say anything in front of Young Master He for you, I hope you don¡¯t just have a crush on him, but take action.¡±

    Xie Qingying held her hand with gratitude. ¡°Nianzhi, I didn¡¯t expect you to know so much about rtionships at such a young age.¡±

    ¡°Of course I understand.¡± Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile, but she wouldn¡¯t share her experience of chasing Major General Huo with anyone because it was too embarrassing..

    Too embarrassing.

    She didn¡¯t want to lose face!

    Xie Qingying said, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t want you to say anything nice or bad about me in front of Young Master He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded solemnly. ¡°Absolutely not.¡±

    She understood what Xie Qingying meant.

    Because Xie Qingying wanted aplete rtionship, there shouldn¡¯t be any other factors involved in this rtionship.

    If Gu Nianzhi put in a good word for Xie Qingying in front of He Zhichu, Xie Qingying wouldn¡¯t be sure if He Zhichu liked her because Gu Nianzhi made him like her, or if he truly loved her from the bottom of his heart.

    To put it bluntly, for Xie Qingying, what she wanted was a natural love and marriage, not to be with He Zhichu for the sake of marriage.

    Gu Nianzhi understood everything.

    Xie Qingying believed that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t interfere.

    She looked ahead and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t give up without a try. To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve had a crush on Young Master He for a long time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly had a feeling of deja vu. She looked at Xie Qingying as if she had seen herself all those years ago, when she was 15 or 16 years old and had just fallen in love with Huo Shaoheng.

    She couldn¡¯t help holding Xie Qingying¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Cousin Xie, if you really like Young Master He, then go for it. Young Master He is a really good person. He deserves your love! Go for it!¡±

    Xie Qingying smiled and mimicked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone. ¡°Thank you for your encouragement. I¡¯ll try my best!¡±

    After the two of them had talked it out, they felt like they had amon secret and felt closer to each other.

    They walked along the stone road that had been swept clean and sprinkled with coarse salt. Before they even saw the pavilion in front of them, they could smell the aroma of barbecued meat.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and became fascinated. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    He Zhichu, who had caught up from behind, heard this and quickly said, ¡°Even if you¡¯re hungry, you can¡¯t eat too much. There¡¯s a cold wind outside, and the barbecued meat pavilion is wide open on all sides. If you eat hot barbecued meat while being blown by the cold wind, after you go back, you¡¯ll have a tummy ache.¡±

    The eyes of He Zhichu¡¯s friends were almost popping out of their sockets.

    Young Master He was still as caring to Miss Gu as he had been when she was a child..

    But she was already 20 years old, not six.

    Was it really a good idea to be so controlling?

    Of course, everyone was just watching silently, and no one dared to say it out loud.

    Xie Qingying saw this and strengthened her resolve. Between her and He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi really couldn¡¯t do anything, not even help her.

    She could tell that Gu Nianzhi had a huge influence on He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu had been around Gu Nianzhi for so many years. She could understand why he hadn¡¯tpletely let go of her yet.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was furious. She had a bad temper when she was hungry, but because she was surrounded by He Zhichu¡¯s friends, she suppressed her anger and ran into the pavilion.

    He Zhichu nodded at Xie Qingying and said, ¡°Qingying, walk slowly. Although there¡¯s salt on the road, there might be ice floes. I¡¯ll go check on Nianzhi. This youngdy has a bad temper when she¡¯s hungry, so please bear with me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± Xie Qingying was overwhelmed by the favor. Her fair face instantly blushed and she stuttered, ¡°You... you should go chase after Nianzhi. She¡¯s young, but don¡¯t scold her. She won¡¯t be happy if you scold her in front of so many people.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    With that said, he strode over and quickly caught up to Gu Nianzhi.

    He pulled her to sit down in the back of the barbecue pavilion. Although he told her not to eat too much, he also picked out a te of venison that had been roasted long ago and brought it to her. He apologized, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. It was my fault. Take this venison as my apology.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger subsided when she saw the delicious roast venison.

    There was a special grill master in the barbecue booth. Of course, they could grill their own meat as well, but that was a waste of foodpared to the grill master¡¯s roast meat.

    Gu Nianzhi took a big bite of the roast venison.

    It was charred on the outside and tender on the inside. When she ate it, it was full of fragrant gravy, which awakened all her taste buds.

    She was already hungry, so she gulped down a whole te of roasted meat.

    He Zhichu was afraid that she would not be able to digest the roasted meat if she ate too much, so he went to the barbeque chef to get some organic lettuce that had been washed clean. He wrapped the lettuce around the roasted meat for her to eat.

    This was another way of eating. The fresh taste of the lettuce could relieve the boredom. It was perfect for eating with the roasted meat. It was also paired with some small tomatoes that were the size of marbles. They had just been roasted and were still warm.

    The visual impact of the red and green, coupled with the roasted meat that was almost golden in color, made Gu Nianzhi eat with gusto. She couldn¡¯t wait to stretch her fingers.

    He Zhichu saw that Gu Nianzhi was eating so sweetly, even he had an appetite.

    He hadn¡¯t had a proper meal for a few days. At this time, he had eaten arge te of lettuce wrapped in meat. He also ate two boiled potatoes and a few roasted tomatoes. He was only half full.

    Xie Qingying watched him attentively from the side. Seeing that he still wanted more, she thought for a moment and softly instructed the barbecue chef to grill a piece of medium-rare organic beef for He Zhichu. He did not use ck pepper. The quality of the beef was enhanced by the texture of the high-quality organic beef. The side dishes were the bamboo shoots and crab-vored mushrooms that had just been taken out from the cold storage.

    The barbecue chef carefully grilled this piece of steak, ced it on a te, ordered the side dishes, and sent it over to He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t order any steak, did I?¡±

    Xie Qingying followed him and smiled. ¡°I asked the chef to grill it. You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re full.¡±

    He Zhichu could still eat. He looked at Xie Qingying and smiled. ¡°Thank you, then. I happened to want some more.¡±

    ¡°Okay, take your time to eat. I¡¯ll go over there first.¡± Xie Qingying tried her best to suppress the joy in her heart and limped away with her walking stick.

    Gu Nianzhi stole a nce at Xie Qingying¡¯s back and wisely did not say anything.

    He Zhichu dragged the te of steak over. Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze constantly on his steak, he picked up his knife and fork and said nonchntly, ¡°... Say what you want to say.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already decided not to say anything more about Xie Qingying because she did not want to have any influence on He Zhichu, whether it was good or bad.

    She still felt that the rtionship between the two of them could only be handled by them.

    Seeing that He Zhichu was keenly aware of her thoughts, Gu Nianzhi quickly changed the topic. ¡°Young Master He, don¡¯t you think Luo Piaopiao resembles someone?¡±

    ¡°Luo Piaopiao? Like who?¡± He Zhichu did not seem to realize this at all.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t think she resembles someone?¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised. Was she the only one who could tell?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They all look the same to me. Their faces are all blurry.¡± He Zhichu shook his head disapprovingly.

 Chapter 1636 - Close to You, Close to Me

    <h4>Chapter 1636: Close to You, Close to Me</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    After a while, she said resentfully, ¡°I was just thinking if she looks like a person, not asking you to marry her. Why are you saying all this?¡±

    He Zhichu saw that she was being serious, so he focused on thinking.

    However, his impression of Luo Piaopiao was too vague. He could only remember a face that looked like a silver te. She was quite fair, but it made her face look bigger.

    ¡°... Who do you think she looks like?¡± He Zhichu couldn¡¯t think of anyone, so he had to entice her to reveal it.

    Gu Nianzhi knew his trick very well. She looked at He Zhichu with a smile and tilted her head. ¡°Really? She looks a little like your former personal secretary and teaching assistant, Ms. Wen Shouyi.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned. ¡°Does she look like her? Why don¡¯t I think so...¡±

    In his heart, Wen Shouyi actually looked more like Gu Nianzhi when she was younger.

    As for Luo Piaopiao, other than her round face, he couldn¡¯t think of any of features that looked simr to Wen Shouyi¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned.

    Was she really overthinking things?

    She was a little regretful that she hadn¡¯t taken a photo of Luo Piaopiao.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m overthinking things...¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated as she took a bite of the roast meat. ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, let them stand together and observe carefully.¡±

    He Zhichu put down his knife and fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He said, ¡°If you think they look alike, there will definitely be a chance for them to stand together for you to see in the future. However, don¡¯t have assumptions beforehand, and don¡¯t have a preconceived opinion. This will make your opinion subjective.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded profusely and smiled. ¡°Got it, Professor He!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile, but he gave her a warning look and shook his head slightly.

    He had been a professor in the other world, but he had never been a professor in this world.

    Gu Nianzhi, thinking that she had really gotten carried away, looked up at the sky in embarrassment...

    ..

    What she didn¡¯t know was that this morning, another family had moved into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartmentplex. It was the Deputy Chief Consul General of the Soviet Union in C City, Huo Shaoheng.

    He didn¡¯t have much luggage, and he had rented a furnished room that could be moved in with his luggage. He had spent the whole morning tidying it up with two consr staff members.

    ¡°Deputy Consul, are you really staying here?¡±

    The consr staff members who helped him move his things were from the Soviet Union and were also his subordinates.

    Huo Shaoheng walked around the room while scanning his surroundings with the surveince camera in his hand. After making sure that there were no surveince cameras or pinhole cameras, he turned around and said, ¡°Yes, I have some personal matters. It¡¯s more convenient to stay here.¡±

    The two staff members knew that their unbelievably handsome Deputy Chief Counsel had been wooing a Huaxia Empire woman with all his might.

    The two of them looked at each other and smiled. ¡°Deputy Chief Counsel, we wish you all the best!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at them and smiled. ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡±

    After tidying up the room, Huo Shaoheng took the two staff members out for a meal before sending them away.

    Looking at his watch, he saw that it was already noon. Gu Nianzhi should be up by now, right?

    He tried to call Gu Nianzhi against night and found that she had secretly released him from the cklist, but she still did not pick up.

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number as he walked straight to her apartment building.

    There was still no answer.

    Huo Shaoheng made a few calls in a row, but they all went to voicemail.

    He had no choice but to call Lu Yuan aka his uncle, Huo Guanyuan.

    For safety reasons, they would still call each other ¡°Peter¡± and ¡°President Lu¡± for the time being.

    Lu Yuan heard his phone ring and took a look. Seeing that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number, he immediately picked it up and asked, ¡°Mr. Peter, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the mahogany door at the bottom of the apartment building and looked at the white snow in front of him. He said, ¡°President Lu, is Nianzhi home?¡±

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°You want to find Nianzhi? Unfortunately, she¡¯s not home.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so snowy, so where can she go? Did Lu Jin apany her?¡± Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly, and his unbelievably handsome face revealed a look of surprise.

    ¡°Hahahaha, Lu Jin? Do you think he¡¯s that stubborn? Of course not. It was Young Master He who took Nianzhi to Xiangshan to admire the snow.¡± Lu Yuan deliberately exined in detail, ¡°You know Xiangshan, right? Xiangshan here has a plum garden. When it snows in winter, the plum blossoms are covered in snow. It¡¯s indeed very beautiful.¡±

    She had actually gone to admire the snow, and she was with He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°When I came here, I saw that there was still a lot of snow on the road. Do you guys feel at ease letting her go out by car?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to take a car. Young Master He flew a helicopter over to invite her.¡± Lu Yuanughed as he finished speaking. He imagined Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression and wished that he could turn on the video call so that he could enjoy it..

    Huo Shaoheng hung up the phone and looked at the property staff sweeping the snow in front of the apartment building expressionlessly. His hands itched.

    He wanted to smoke, but he couldn¡¯t do it here because the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East was a non-smoker.

    People who smoked often reeked of cigarettes. As the KGB¡¯s most mysterious spy, he couldn¡¯t let people smell him before he even came out.

    Therefore, he couldn¡¯t smoke either.

    He stood in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment for a while. He turned on his phone and looked at the time. It was already past two in the afternoon.

    He continued to call Gu Nianzhi, but she still didn¡¯t pick up.

    Huo Shaoheng was angry and amused at the same time. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and decided to look for her.

    He first went back to the Soviet Union¡¯s conste in C City and asked for a GAZ-3937 medium-sized jeep.

    This was an off-road jeep from the Soviet Armed Forces. It could be said to be a light armored vehicle.

    It could be used as a crawler to cross trenches, or it could be used as a boat to drive on the water, just like an amphibious vehicle.

    The appearance of this jeep was very simr to the Hummer of the United States, but it was taller, stronger, and sturdier than the Hummer.

    It was especially suitable for traveling in heavy snow. In the Soviet Union, it was often equipped for the ground forces in Siberia.

    Huo Shaoheng was tall and strong, so he was a perfect match for this off-road jeep, which was one roof higher than the average off-road vehicle.

    He wore a soviet-style military officer¡¯s coat and a purple military cap with fur inside and out, which entuated his unbelievably handsome features and made him look even more domineering.

    The distance from their apartment to Xiangshan wasn¡¯t close, but it was definitely not far either.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have a helicopter, there were basically no pedestrians or vehicles on the road at this time, except for the snowplow.

    He drove the GAZ-3937 as fast as lightning and arrived at the foot of Xiangshan in only twenty minutes.

    He didn¡¯t expect that he wouldn¡¯t be able to drive up the mountain.

    Because the only mountain road that had been cleared of snow at the foot of the mountain was actually blocked. It was said that there was an important activity on the mountain and that they had to clear the area to ensure smooth traffic on the mountain.

    A few young men and women also stopped at the intersection in their off-road cars.

    A woman with a round face and fair skinined, ¡°We just came down from above. In just a short while, why are you not allowing us to go up now?¡±

    This woman was Luo Piaopiao, who had left with Qin Haoshan.

    The person beside her, who was wearing a down jacket and wished he could wrap himself into a ball, was her second brother, Luo Yaozu.

 Chapter 1637 - All Interested

    <h4>Chapter 1637: All Interested</h4>

    Luo Yaozu had been pushed over by Luo Piaopiao. He did like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s looks, but He Zhichu was too scary. Luo Yaozu instinctively didn¡¯t dare to go near him again.

    But Luo Piaopiao wasn¡¯t willing to give up.

    She could sense that Gu Nianzhi seemed to be interested in them.

    This was a rare opportunity, and she would be a fool not to take advantage of it.

    Besides, she had no ulterior motives. She had pushed her second brother, Luo Yaozu, to be her shield in order to get closer to He Zhichu.

    She knew very well that there was no way she could marry He Zhichu.

    However, as long as she could be He Zhichu¡¯s girlfriend, or even his s*x partner, there would be countless benefits in the future.

    Moreover, He Zhichu was very attractive. If she could be He Zhichu¡¯s s*x partner, then it would be her gain...

    There were actually many women who thought like that. Because of their status, they knew that marriage was impossible. However, if they could have something with such a handsome and charming man, even if there were no other benefits, it would be a memory to be cherished for the rest of their lives.

    Luo Piaopiao had made up her mind to start with Gu Nianzhi.

    But the guards at the foot of the mountain refused to let her up. She couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    They had been begging here for a long time and had used all kinds of methods, but those people refused to budge.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? I¡¯m a rtive of the Qin family. My Auntie Qin used to be Young Master He¡¯s stepmother. She¡¯s Miss Gu¡¯s biological mother! Miss Gu is on the mountain. Call her for me and tell her that Luo Piaopiao and Luo Yaozu are here to look for her.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao thought about it and decided to bring up Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You know Miss Gu, right? She used to be Young Master He¡¯s fianc¨¦e, but now she¡¯s Young Master He¡¯s sister.¡±

    Even if the guards at the foot of the mountain did not know about Gu Nianzhi, but they definitely knew about He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was the one who had arranged the guards here today.

    Hearing that it was rted to his immediate superior, the guard hesitated for a moment. In the end, he picked up the walkie-talkie and contacted He Zhichu¡¯s orderly on the mountain.

    ¡°... Oh? You¡¯re looking for Miss Gu? Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go ask Miss Gu.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s orderly did not dare to be negligent. He quickly went to the barbecue booth to find He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi.

    He first saluted He Zhichu, then said to Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting next to He Zhichu, ¡°Miss Gu, there¡¯s a Miss Luo Piaopiao at the foot of the mountain. She says she¡¯s looking for Miss Gu.¡±

    He Zhichu was about to refuse, but Gu Nianzhi said in surprise, ¡°Luo Piaopiao and Luo Yaozu? ! That¡¯s great! Let theme up!¡±

    She was so excited, so could it be that they were really good friends with Miss Gu?

    He Zhichu¡¯s orderly couldn¡¯t help ncing at He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu nodded thoughtfully. ¡°We¡¯ll listen to Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s orderly saluted again and turned to pass on the message.

    The guards at the foot of the mountain received the orderly¡¯s call and quickly pulled open the fence to let them up.

    Huo Shaoheng had already parked his jeep far away. While these people were arguing with the guards, he had already made his way to the back of the mountain and strolled around the mountain path without sweeping the snow.

    Although he had never been to Xiangshan Vi District here, there were troops stationed at the foot of Xiangshan Vi District on the other side of the world. They knew the terrain of Xiangshan Vi District very clearly.

    Since there were Xiangshan Vi District on both sides of the world, and they looked exactly the same, the mountain path should also be the same.

    Huo Shaoheng used his memory to check his surroundings and found the location of Xiangxuehai on his phone.

    It was actually quite close to his direction.

    Those people had to drive a long way to reach the entrance of Xiangxuehai Plum Garden.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in the snow for a while and hit two fat grouse with a pebble. There was also a grey-ck furry, round rabbit and a wild chicken with gorgeous fur.

    He carried the two grouse, the rabbit, and the pheasant down the mountain with ease. He returned to his jeep and took out his phone to text Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was nning to wait for Luo Piaopiao and the others to arrive and get more information when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate.

    She took it out and nced at it. Her eyebrows twitched slightly.

    [ Drama King ] : Lawyer Gu, are you in Xiangxuehai? I¡¯m also at the foot of Xiangshan. I just caught two grouse, a mountain hare, and a pheasant.

    Gu Nianzhi then received a few photos of the plump grouse and the mountain hare squatting on the ground, staring at her with their big, innocent, ck eyes. Gu Nianzhi... swallowed hard.

    He was so cunning.

    He actually used delicious food to entice her!

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment, but decided food was more important.

    She replied to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s text message: ..

    A series of ellipses.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled.

    He knew she couldn¡¯t resist the game.

    So he leaned against the door of the Jeep and stretched out his long legs to continue texting.

    [ Drama King ] : Do you want to eat them?

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    Three huge exmation marks signified her gluttonous emotions.

    [ Drama King ] : Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know how to cook, and I can¡¯t go up the mountain to give it to you. Then I¡¯ll have to set him free.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied: Don¡¯t set him free! Send him up the mountain!

    She jumped up from He Zhichu¡¯s side and found the orderly from earlier. She said, ¡°I have a friend at the foot of the mountain who brought me game. You can ask the people below to let him pass.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Gu.¡± The orderly quickly picked up the walkie-talkie. ¡°May I know your friend¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°... uh, his name is Peter. He¡¯s from the Soviet Union.¡± Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and decided to tell him Huo Shaoheng¡¯s name.

    The orderly heard that he was from the Soviet Union and quickly said, ¡°Then may I ask Young Master He?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded silently and followed him back to He Zhichu¡¯s side.

    ¡°... Peter? He brought you game?¡± He Zhichu took a sip of red wine and smiledzily. ¡°Okay, let hime up. It¡¯s rare for a Soviet diplomat to personally bring us game. It¡¯s a waste not to eat it.¡±

    The orderly received the order and immediately used the walkie-talkie to contact the foot of the mountain to let them pass.

    The guards at the foot of the mountain looked around for a long time. In the end, they used the two grouse, a rabbit, and a pheasant at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feet to confirm that he was the ¡°Peter¡± that Miss Gu had mentioned.

    They were even more convinced when they saw that he was wearing a Soviet military uniform and a sables military cap that was the style of the Red Army.

    ¡°Excuse me, are you Mr. Peter?¡± The guard at the foot of the mountain came over and saluted him.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said with a cold expression on his face, ¡°Can I go up now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡± The guard quickly opened the fence and watched as Huo Shaoheng returned to his tall off-road jeep. Soon, they drove up the winding mountain road.

    When he drove to the entrance of Xiangxuehai plum garden with his superb driving skills, Luo Piaopiao¡¯s car was still crawling on the mountain road like a turtle.

    ¡°May I know who you¡¯re looking for?¡± The guard standing guard at the entrance politely stopped Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng raised the game in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Peter. Miss Gu asked me toe up just now.¡±

 Chapter 1638 - Iâ€™m Here to Chase You

    <h4>Chapter 1638: I¡¯m Here to Chase You</h4>

    The security guard at the door had already received the news. Hearing this, he quickly made way. ¡°Mr. Peter, pleasee in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held two grouse in one hand, and the hare and pheasant in the other. Just like that, he slowly followed the aroma of the roasted meat to the barbecue pavilion.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding, but she looked calm andposed. She sat next to He Zhichu and didn¡¯t move. She looked at the game in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and pretended to be indifferent. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Peter to be such a good hunter.¡±

    ¡°I often hunt in the Siberian winter. It¡¯s nothing to brag about.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Chinese was ented. It gave people the impression that he was a foreigner speaking Chinese.

    It matched perfectly with his identity.

    He was indeed a drama king...

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed. Her gaze involuntarily fell on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wless hands, and her mind wandered for a moment.

    She thought about how when she returned to that side in the future, she would definitely ask him who did the maintenance for him...

    Huo Shaoheng noticed that Gu Nianzhi was staring at his hands. He thought that Gu Nianzhi was looking at the game in his hand. He was amused, but his expression grew more and more indifferent.

    He Zhichu turned the wine ss in his hand yfully, then looked up at the gray sky for a while and ordered aloofly, ¡°Take the game that Mr. Peter brought over and give it to the master to clean up. Two grouse are called beggar chickens, and the mountain hare is used to roast honey rabbits. Wild chickens... make a wild chicken soup. Leave the feathers behind and make a shuttlecock for Miss Gu to y with.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t maintain the cold expression on her face when she heard this.

    She red at He Zhichu and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a child. I don¡¯t y shuttlecock, but I want to drink the wild chicken soup. The wild chicken that Mr. Peter sent over is too old.¡±

    ¡°Then make it and roast it directly.¡± He Zhichu continued to instruct.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± His orderly walked over and took the four wild game from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands.

    Huo Shaoheng walked into the barbecue pavilion and found a seat to sit down.

    As the host, He Zhichu also had to show some courtesy. He could only ask, ¡°What would Mr. Peter like to drink? Would you like a te of roasted venison?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced one hand on the back of the pavilion, and his expression was cold. ¡°No need. I¡¯m waiting to eat the game I brought.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed, and she took the opportunity to ask, ¡°Actually, roasted venison is only delicious if you roast it yourself. Mr. Peter, are you sure you don¡¯t want to try barbecuing for us?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Huo Shaoheng rejected her without hesitation and said seriously, ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s a waste to force someone who doesn¡¯t know how to cook, and it¡¯s shameful to waste food.¡±

    He Zhichu chuckled and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, I didn¡¯t expect you to care so much about food. But what are you doing here? Is there serious business?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and saw that she was looking in the direction of the barbeque chef, but her ears were still perked up

    He leaned in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and said, ¡°... I do have serious business. I¡¯m here to chase after Miss Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to be so bold as to confess his love in public. She didn¡¯t know how to respond at all, and her face flushed uncontrobly.

    Her skin had always been especially fair, supple, and stic. Now, her cheeks were brightly flushed. She had less of a young girl¡¯s childishness and more of the touch of the beauty of a mature woman.

    Huo Shaoheng was in a daze for a moment.

    He hadn¡¯t seen her for a few months, but she had already grown up quickly in a ce he couldn¡¯t see.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand gripped the wine ss tightly. He looked away with difficulty, then saw Xie Qingying walking over with a few women. He greeted her as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden. ¡°Qingying, Mr. Peter from the Soviet Union is here.¡±

    Xie Qingying smiled and said, ¡°I saw him over there, so I came over.¡±

    She looked in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction and said enthusiastically, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Peter to have the time toe to our little gathering.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the two shy and timid women beside Xie Qingying and pointed directly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here to chase after her.¡±

    The two women beside Xie Qingying immediately turned pale and retreated. They looked as if they had fallen straight from heaven into hell. They turned around and ran away.

    Xie Qingying did not expect Mr. Peter to be so honest, so she liked him even more. She limped over with her walking stick and stood next to He Zhichu. She smiled at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, you have good taste. Miss Gu has gotten more beautiful, so she¡¯s not that easy to chase after!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face blushed even more. She red at Huo Shaoheng, then smiled at Xie Qingying. ¡°Cousin Xie sure knows how to joke around. Mr. Peter is just joking. Don¡¯t take him seriously.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Huo Shaoheng said seriously. In front of so many people, he said firmly, ¡°I like you. I¡¯m pursuing you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was filled with sweetness as she listened. She was about to burst with happiness, but she still had to keep a straight face. She couldn¡¯t let He Zhichu think that there was something wrong with her.

    She stopped smiling and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times that we¡¯re not suitable. Mr. Peter, don¡¯t waste your time with me.¡±

    She stood up and walked out of the barbecue pavilion without looking at Huo Shaoheng.

    Luo Piaopiao and the others finally came in. Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to wait for them by the side of the road.

    Luo Piaopiao looked around and almost missed Gu Nianzhi standing by the side of the road.

    Luo Yaozu saw her and quickly went up to her. ¡± Miss Gu, what a coincidence!¡±

    Luo Piaopiao noticed Gu Nianzhi and stepped forward to hold her hand. ¡°Cousin Gu, are you waiting for us here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. The smile on her face was no longer repressed. Her smile was like a blooming flower, radiant and beautiful.

    Luo Yaozu¡¯s eyes widened. He felt that this Miss Gu was bing more and more pleasing to his eyes.

    If this went on, he really had to pursue her.

    He was momentarily blinded by lust and emboldened himself. He followed closely beside Gu Nianzhi to take care of her. He tried to get close to her. ¡°Where does Miss Gu work? I heard you¡¯re awyer, right? Do you want to go to one of the big fourw firms? I know a friend who¡¯s one of the partners of one of the big fourw firms. He can help you get in.¡±

    Gu nianzhi chuckled and brushed him off a little. She cleverly led the conversation to his family, especially his mother.

    ¡°Mr. Luo¡¯s mother is Dean Qin¡¯s cousin? But I don¡¯t think Dean Qin mentioned it before.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my mother passed away a long time ago. It¡¯s normal that Auntie Qin didn¡¯t mention it before.¡± Luo Yaozu said nonchntly.

    ¡°Passed away?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very disappointed. She hadn¡¯t expected that her trail would cut off the connection the moment she found a clue.

    It seemed that Luo Piaopiao was her only lead.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Luo Piaopiao, who was walking on the other side of her, only to see her staring nkly in the direction of the barbecue pavilion.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up as well.

    On the other side of the barbecue pavilion, He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were standing side by side in the pavilion, looking straight in their direction.

    The two of them were almost the same height. One was as graceful as the moon in the cold river, while the other was as cold as the icy spring in the mountains.

    Just by looking at their appearances, Huo Shaoheng was indeed more outstanding. Luo Piaopiao, who had initially thought that her heart and soul were Young Master He, instantly fell under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military uniform.

    However, He Zhichu was no less charming than Huo Shaoheng, which was rare.

    Gu Nianzhi was proud of He Zhichu¡¯s appearance, but she couldn¡¯t bear to see others staring at Huo Shaoheng.

    Seeing Luo Piaopiao like this, Gu Nianzhi coughed and said, ¡°Cousin Luo, wipe your saliva off. You¡¯re almost drooling.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao subconsciously wiped her chin. There was no saliva at all, and only then did she realize that Gu Nianzhi was teasing her.

    ¡°Cousin Gu, you¡¯re so naughty!¡± Luo Piaopiao¡¯s face blushed. She suddenly bent down and grabbed a handful of snow from the side of the road and threw it in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took a few steps back and dodged.

    Luo Yaozu happened to turn around.

    Luo Piaopiao¡¯s handful of snownded squarely on Luo Yaozu¡¯s face!

    Luo Yaozu screamed, ¡°Luo Piaopiao, I won¡¯t let you off the hook!¡±

    He bent down to grab a handful of snow and threw it at Luo Piaopiao.

    Luo Piaopiao didn¡¯t run fast enough, so her shrunken neck was hit by Luo Yaozu¡¯s snowball.

    The icy cold water seeped into the back of her neck, causing her to quiver.

    ¡°Luo Yaozu!¡± Luo Piaopiao waved her hand angrily and said,¡±... all of you, attack!¡±

    She and her friends bent down to grab the snow and started to fight.

    Gu Nianzhi found it interesting and joined in on the fun.

    Sometimes, she was in Luo Yaozu¡¯s group, and sometimes, she was in Luo Piaopiao¡¯s group. They were having a merry time.

    The third generation heirs who were ying with Luo Yaozu and Luo Piaopiao were all all rich kids very good at eating, drinking, and having fun.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to get to know these two people, so she also wanted to get close to them.

    After a snowball fight, Luo Piaopiao already regarded her as her best friend.

    Not far away in the barbecue pavilion, He Zhichu crossed his arms as he watched Gu Nianzhi fight in the crowd. He said coldly, ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯t waste any more time. Nianzhi won¡¯t ept you.¡±

    ¡°Whether she epts me or not is her business. Whether I pursue her or not is my business. There¡¯s no need for you to worry, He Zhichu.¡± Huo Shaoheng rejected He Zhichu coldly.

    ¡°You¡¯re much older than her. You¡¯re not suitable for her.¡± He Zhichu smiled. ¡°Look at how well she¡¯s ying with her peers. I¡¯m just reminding you. Whether you ept it or not is your business.¡±

 Chapter 1639 - Shows My Sincerity

    <h4>Chapter 1639: Shows My Sincerity</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hands on the railing in front of him and looked at the group of young men and women who were having a snowball fight. He said slowly,¡±... if I remember correctly, when Young Master He was engaged to Miss Gu, you didn¡¯t mind that he was much older than her, did you?¡±

    He Zhichu smiled faintly, then he said meaningfully, ¡°That¡¯s why I broke off the engagement. I didn¡¯t want to dy the youngdy from finding a suitable man. As for you... can you be like those young men and women who don¡¯t care about their identity and status and have a snowball fight with them without any scruples?¡±

    He quickly sized up the man beside him who was exactly the same as Huo Shaoheng in the other world, but he also discovered many subtle differences.

    For example, this Ace of the Far East, Peter, was aloof and detached,pletely different from Major General Huo, who was calm and low-key.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was on the other side of the world, would never say what he just said to Gu Nianzhi about pursuing her.

    On the other hand, his father, He Chengjian, insisted on suspecting that this Ace of the Far East, Peter, was Huo Shaoheng on the other side. He had even set up a scheme to kill him at all costs, but in the end, he did not kill this Ace of the Far East, but almost killed Gu Nianzhi instead. He had even personally snuffed out thest glimmer of hope between him and Gu Nianzhi.

    The light in He Zhichu¡¯s eyes instantly dimmed.

    He stopped smiling and lowered his head to take a sip of wine.

    Huo Shaoheng shrugged nonchntly and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a snowball fight. What¡¯s so hard about it? Do you believe that I¡¯ll end up burying those men who dare to dream about Miss Gu in the snow?¡±

    He Zhichu choked and nced sideways at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You? A dignified Soviet Union diplomat wants to have a snowball fight with those young men who are only in their early 20s?!¡±

    The KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East wanted to fight these brats?

    He Zhichu found itughable. How could this person be the Special Operations Forces¡¯ shrewd and scheming great general, Huo Shaoheng?

    He couldn¡¯t help butment that his father had been too paranoid. He had let Nianzhi suffer so much for nothing.

    He loved Gu Nianzhi dearly. Sometimes, he couldn¡¯t even tell what kind of feelings he had for her that made him so worried.

    But the moment Gu Nianzhi stopped breathing in his arms, he knew what he had to do.

    No matter what kind of feelings he had for her, he had to extinguish them all.

    Because in his heart, nothing was more important than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life.

    As long as she was alive and kicking in this world and able to happily fight in the snow with others, he was content.

    On the snowy ground in front of them, Gu Nianzhi seemed to be having a good time. She even took out her phone, then called Luo Piaopiao and a few of her friends over. She held up her phone and wanted to take a selfie with them.

    Luo Piaopiao¡¯s friends carried selfie sticks with them and quickly ran over to take a selfie. They held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s camera and the group of young people looked at the camera with cute expressions and poses.

    Luo Yaozu even sneaked up behind Gu Nianzhi and made a gesture of hugging her with both hands to take a selfie with her.

    Of course, he did not touch Gu Nianzhi. He was at least a meter away from Gu Nianzhi and only made a gesture of hugging her from behind.

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and snorted. His tone was defiant and disdainful. ¡°Can¡¯t I have a snowball fight? Only then can I show my sincerity in pursuing Miss Gu.¡± He lightly propped himself up on the railing of the pavilion with one hand and jumped over the railing.

    Jumping down from the barbecue pavilion, Huo Shaoheng soon arrived at the ce where the snowball fight was taking ce.

    The photo of Gu Nianzhi and Luo Piaopiao had just ended when the snowball fight started again.

    Huo Shaoheng found Gu Nianzhi and said with a smile, ¡°Come, I¡¯ll be with you. We¡¯ll beat them down!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happened to dodge a handful of snow from Luo Piaopiao. She turned her head and saw Huo Shaohenging. He even grabbed a handful of snow with an eager expression, as if he wanted to have a snowball fight with her!

    Gu Nianzhi was so shocked that her heart almost jumped out of her throat.

    Her mind waspletely nk. She had no idea that Luo Yaozu was throwing a handful of snow at her.

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and pulled her away to protect himself. He flipped his hand and threw the snowball that he had just grabbed into the air.

    The handful of snow that Luo Yaozu threwnded on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s snowball was as fast as the wind. It was powerful and smashed into Luo Yaozu¡¯s face with a loud bang!

    ¡°Ow!¡± Luo Yaozu cried out. He was hit by the handful of snow and fell back on the snow. The back of his head hit the hard ground and he couldn¡¯t get up for a long time.

    Luo Piaopiao thought he was joking and ran over to kick him. She smiled and said, ¡°Second brother! Get up! They¡¯re attacking us!¡±

    Luo Yaozu saw stars and groaned, ¡°Piaopiao, I can¡¯t take it anymore. My eyes are going blind and my head is hurting. Help me find a doctor...¡± Then he vomited.

    Luo Piaopiao was scared out of her wits. She quickly waved her hand to stop them and said anxiously, ¡°My second brother is hurt! We need to find a doctor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out from behind Huo Shaoheng and saw the situation with Luo Yaozu and Luo Piaopiao. She wondered what was going on?

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and spread his hands at her. ¡°It was just a snowball fight. I didn¡¯t expect him to be so weak.¡±

    ¡°Weak?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What did you do?!¡±

    The other person who had been in a snowball fight with them earlier whispered, ¡°... He almost knocked Yaozu out with a snowball.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a concussion. Look, he¡¯s throwing up...¡± The other person spoke in an even softer voice and looked at Huo Shaoheng with awe.

    Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t know what to say.

    She red at Huo Shaoheng, turned around, and ran back to the barbecue pavilion. She whispered a few words to He Zhichu.

    He Zhichuughed so hard that he couldn¡¯t even straighten his back, but he still agreed to call Luo Yaozu a doctor.

    He sent a few orderly soldiers to carry Luo Yaozu to the small lounge next to the manor¡¯s Hall, then waited for the Doctor toe and treat him.

    The rest of the people didn¡¯t fight in the snow anymore and followed him back to the main hall.

    The barbeque master simply moved the barbeque equipment to a small banquet hall. It was bright on all sides and one could admire the snow and see the plum blossoms. However, the view wasn¡¯t as good as that of the Barbeque Pavilion.

    Xie Qingying limped over with her walking stick and asked about Luo Yaozu softly.

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t helpughing and teased, ¡°That Soviet diplomat is too strong. No wonder they are known as a fighting tribe. They are even more valiant than others in a snowball fight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed Luo Piaopiao to Luo Yaozu¡¯s side and was very apologetic.

    She just wanted to get to know these two people so that she could ask about the Qin family and Qin Yaoguang. She really didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to use such a ¡°dirty trick¡±...

    Why hadn¡¯t she noticed that this person was so prone to jealousy before?

    Even so, she was still happy in her heart.

    The person she loved cared so much about her. It would be a lie to say that she was unhappy.

    However, she still had to put on an angry expression on the surface. It was truly uneptable.

    Gu Nianzhi was now in awe of the actors. Of course, she was even more in awe of the soldiers on the special battlefront.

    They were experiencing this difort every moment, but they had noints.

    Luo Yaozuid on his side on the sofa. His head was spinning and his chest felt nauseous. He wanted to throw up, but seeing Gu Nianzhi beside him, he didn¡¯t want to embarrass himself in front of a beautiful woman. He resisted the urge to throw up, and his handsome face paled.

    Luo Piaopiao saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s worried face and how much she cared about Luo Yaozu. She, thinking that there was actually someone who didn¡¯t like the handsome Soviet diplomat just now, but liked her second brother instead, was secretly amazed.

    Her eyes shed, and she pretended to say casually, ¡°Cousin Gu, that Soviet diplomat is too strong, isn¡¯t he? He can knock someone out with a simple snowball. Won¡¯t one be subject to domestic violence in the future if one stays with someone like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and nced at her. She also said deliberately, ¡°That¡¯s for sure. I heard that the two favorite things of Soviet men are drinking vodka and beating their wives.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who had just walked over, was speechless.

    Luo Piaopiao saw the Soviet diplomat walking over from the corner of her eye. She immediately changed her expression and became shy.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and carefully sized up Luo Yaozu. After confirming that he was fine, he said to Gu Nianzhi bluntly, ¡°I moved to your apartmentplex today. You didn¡¯t pick up when I called you, so I had toe here to look for you.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao was instantly discouraged.

    This person was chasing Gu Nianzhi so hard, so how could anyone else have any hope?!

    Luo Yaozu was about to vomit blood when he heard that. He suddenly felt dizzy and couldn¡¯t help vomiting again.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately put one hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and the other hand covered her eyes. He pulled her away almost forcibly and said, ¡°This gentleman vomited when he saw you. Do you still want to stay here and look after him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was originally quite happy, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words made her a little angry. ¡°He wants to throw up when he saw me? He was fine just now, but he threw up when he saw youing over!¡±

    She pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away and saw that he had already pulled her into the VIP lounge where He Zhichu was. She had no choice but to sit down angrily and take out her phone to look at the photos she had taken just now.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the armrest of the sofa next to her and looked down at the photos she had just taken on her phone. He felt a little uneasy when he saw that she had been staring at where Luo Piaopiao and Luo Yaozu were standing in the photos.

    However, when he took a closer look at Luo Piaopiao, he suddenly felt that she looked a little familiar.

    From the angle where she was smiling at the camera, she actually looked a little like the doll that Gu Nianzhi had held in her hands when she was young...

    Huo Shaoheng was too familiar with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s doll. They had used various instruments to analyze it, but found nothing. They had only concluded that it was just a doll.

    But he couldn¡¯t say that.

    He would be exposed as soon as he said it.

    Because it was impossible for the Ace of the Far East to know about the doll that Gu Nianzhi had brought to the other world when she was 12.

    Only Huo Shaoheng, who was in the other world, knew about it.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng averted his gaze and walked quietly to the door. He put on his sunsses and pretended to look around at the snowy scenery outside the door. He aimed at Luo Piaopiao, who was in the small lounge next to him, and took a few more photos.

    His sunsses were actually a small camera with the ability to connect to the inte and synchronize with the cloud.

 Chapter 1640 - Take a Fancy to Her

    <h4>Chapter 1640: Take a Fancy to Her</h4>

    Ten minutester, Doctor Qin Haoshan came again.

    But this time, he brought an older male doctor.

    With this older male doctor as the main doctor, he examined Luo Yaozu. Finally, he said, ¡°At present, he has temporary disorientation, headache, nausea, and vomiting. It also happened after the back of his head hit the ground. It¡¯s very likely that he has a mild concussion. But, it¡¯s best to send him to the hospital for a check-up with equipment to rule out other conditions.¡±

    ¡°What other conditions?¡± Luo Piaopiao was a little nervous. ¡°Isn¡¯t he just having a mild concussion? There can¡¯t be any other problems, right?¡±

    The doctor smiled and exined patiently, ¡°To ensure that there are no other problems, we still need to carry out an X-ray scan of his skull to confirm that there are no fractures in his brain.¡±

    ¡°Then, we need a CT scan of his brain to confirm that there are no abnormalities in his skull and brain.¡±

    ¡°Finally, we still need to continue with the EEG tests to ensure that his brain waves return to normal.¡±

    ¡°Only after all three tests have been done can we be sure that he only has a concussion and that there are no other abnormalities.¡±

    Seeing that the doctor had said so and that Luo Yaozu¡¯s expression was really ugly, Luo Piaopiao could only nod and say, ¡°Then he will go and have a check-up.¡±

    After saying that, she looked at Qin Haoshan and said aggrievedly, ¡°Fourth Brother Qin, you must help us. Don¡¯t tell our father.¡±

    Qin Haoshan looked at her with exasperation and frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t I bring you guys away? Why are you guys back?¡±

    Luo Piaopiao shrunk her neck guiltily and said embarrassingly, ¡°We saw that this ce was fun, so after we went back, we called a few friends over to y together.¡±

    Qin Haoshan frowned and said disapprovingly, ¡°This ce is not for ordinary people. How did you guys get in? If you trespassed, you guys deserve to be beaten to death.¡±

    ¡°Brother Qin! We didn¡¯t trespass!¡± Luo Piaopiao quickly exined, ¡°We came to find a friend. It¡¯s Gu Nianzhi. She¡¯s Yaozu and I¡¯s cousin. We were having a snowball fight with her just now! Yaozu identally fell to the ground.¡±

    ¡°... a snowball fight can cause a concussion? Are you sure you¡¯re having a snowball fight and not a war?¡± Qin Haoshan didn¡¯t believe Luo Piaopiao at all.

    These two cousins were the typical type of people who didn¡¯tmit any big crimes but keptmitting petty demeanors.

    To them, promises had no weight at all. If he believed them, it would be an insult to his IQ.

    Luo Piaopiao also knew that she had too many on her record in front of Qin Haoshan, so he might not believe the truth now.

    In fact, Luo Yaozu was hit by a snowball and fell to the ground. The back of his head hit the ground, resulting in a concussion.

    So the real reason was that he fell and hit his head.

    But if she admitted this reason, then Luo Piaopiao, who encouraged Luo Yaozu toe back to Xiangxuehai and took the initiative to drag him to have a snowball fight, would be the main culprit.

    She did not want to go home and be scolded by her family.

    In a moment of desperation, she looked up and saw the Soviet diplomat, who had thrown a snowball at her younger brother, standing not far from the door. He was wearing sunsses and seemed to be looking at the snowy scenery, she quickly pointed at him and said, ¡°Look, it¡¯s him. He¡¯s a Soviet diplomat and my cousin, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s admirer.¡±

    Qin Haoshan turned around and saw Huo Shaoheng. Only then did he believe that Luo Piaopiao was not lying.

    When he heard that the man was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s admirer, his expression darkened. ¡°Did Gu Nianzhi order this man to do it?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Luo Piaopiao was shocked. ¡°No way! How could it be her?¡±

    Luo Piaopiao¡¯s question was purely a rhetorical question of surprise, but in Qin Haoshan¡¯s ears, it sounded like an expression of disbelief. It only confirmed his suspicions.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Tell me honestly, did Yaozu fall for Gu Nianzhi?¡± Qin Haoshan knew that his cousin was extremely lecherous, however, he only dated young models and F-list celebrities, so there was no way he would be so blind as to fall for Gu Nianzhi, who paled inparison to younger model sand a F-list celebrities, right?

    Luo Piaopiao felt even more guilty, and her eyes flickered as she said, ¡°No way! He just thinks that Gu Nianzhi is beautiful and very nice to us, so he just wants to make friends...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qin Haoshan interrupted her coldly, ¡°If he does, then get rid of the idea as soon as possible. She¡¯s your cousin, a close rtive, so they can¡¯t get married.¡±

    Luo Piaopiaoughed. ¡°Brother Qin, we¡¯re only cousins, and our mothers are only cousins, not biological sisters. How can she be considered a close rtive?¡±

    ¡°Legally speaking, direct and third-generation rtives are considered close rtives, so they can¡¯t get married.¡± Qin Haoshan red at her and said, ¡°Also, it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t provoke Gu Nianzhi. She can even send her own mother to court, so don¡¯t assume that she has any kinship with you.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao grumbled unhappily,¡±... but she¡¯s having a good time with us. Cousin is very affectionate, and she was the one who asked us toe up. We think your words are too arbitrary. Nianzhi is not that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what kind of person she is, but no matter what, that Soviet diplomat can¡¯ty hands on Yaozu just because of this.¡± Qin Haoshan waved his hands and said, ¡°Send Yaozu to the helicopter. I¡¯ll bring him back for a full check-up. Piaopiao, you go with him. I¡¯ll go talk to Young Master He and Miss Xie.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao didn¡¯t dare to be disobedient anymore. She followed Luo Yaozu¡¯s stretcher and boarded the helicopter of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital.

    ..

    Qin Haoshan came out of the lounge and came to Huo Shaoheng, who was standing at the other side of the lounge and looking at the snow. He said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Peter, I heard that you¡¯re a Soviet diplomat?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at him and nodded. ¡°I am. May I know who you are?¡±

    Qin Haoshan suppressed his anger and said, ¡°I am Luo Yaozu and Luo Piaopiao¡¯s cousin. My name is Qin Haoshan, and I am also an orthopedic surgeon at the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly sized him up and asked, ¡°... Orthopedic surgeon? Could it be that Luo Yaozu has a fracture?¡±

    Qin Haoshan shook his head. ¡°No, but he has a slight concussion.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Huo Shaoheng said lightly. He shifted his gaze away and continued to stare at the snowy scenery outside the door.

    Qin Haoshan was angered by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude. Initially, he was only slightly angry, but now, he was 70% angry.

    His brows were deeply furrowed. ¡°Mr. Peter, what do you mean? Aren¡¯t you going to apologize? you can¡¯t do this to my cousin just because my cousin is pursuing the same woman as you.¡±

    ¡°What did I do?¡± Huo Shaoheng was confused. ¡°I just had a snowball fight with them.¡±

    ¡°A snowball fight can cause my cousin to have a concussion?!¡± Qin Haoshan raised his voice. ¡°Do I look retarded? Are you going to use such an excuse to brush me off?¡±

    ¡°A snowball fight can indeed cause a concussion. If you don¡¯t believe me, do you want to try it yourself?¡± Huo Shaoheng turned around and looked at Qin Haoshan with bright eyes as he said, ¡°Anyway, you have a helicopter. If you have a concussion too, the ne can just send you directly to the hospital to recuperate.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª you¡¯re too unreasonable!¡± Qin Haoshan was so angry that he was trembling. He pointed at him with his finger. ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯t go too far! This is the Huaxia¡¯s Empire territory. A foreigner like you can¡¯t do whatever you want!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but diplomats can do whatever they want because I have diplomatic immunity.¡± Huo Shaoheng once again unted his identity as a diplomat, leaving Qin Haoshan speechless.

 Chapter 1641 - Stepped On His Sore Spot

    <h4>Chapter 1641: Stepped On His Sore Spot</h4>

    Qin Haoshan red at Huo Shaoheng for a while. Seeing how fearless he was, he knew he couldn¡¯t do anything to him.

    The Qin Corporation was powerful in the business world, not in the political world.

    In the past, because of Qin Yaoguang and He Chengjian¡¯s rtionship, everyone in the political world gave the Qin Corporation face.

    But now, not only did Qin Yaoguang divorce He Chengjian, but she was also sent to prison by her own daughter. The Qin Corporation did not have that much influence in the political world anymore.

    Moreover, Mr. Peter was a diplomat from the Soviet Union, so he was further away from the realm of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s political world.

    Qin Haoshan left Huo Shaoheng with a flick of his sleeve, but came before Gu Nianzhi. He even ignored He Zhichu, who was sitting silently on the other side. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he said to Gu Nianzhi with a straight face, ¡°Miss Gu, my cousin isn¡¯t good enough for you, and he doesn¡¯t dare to pursue someone out of his league. Please don¡¯t be with him anymore.¡± He turned and left.

    Gu Nianzhi was still a little apologetic about Luo Yaozu¡¯s injury, but now that she heard Qin Haoshan say this, fury arose in her heart.

    She stood up abruptly and said to Qin Haoshan¡¯s back coldly, ¡°Stop! What do you mean by that? When am I going to be with your cousin? If you talk nonsense like that and ruin my reputation, I can sue you for nder!¡±

    Qin Haoshan had long been displeased with Gu Nianzhi because of Qin Yaoguang¡¯swsuit.

    At that moment, not only did she not apologize for causing Luo Yaozu¡¯s concussion, but she also kept saying that she was going to ¡°sue¡± him, seeing that she had no intention of repentance, he couldn¡¯t help it anymore.

    He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. His handsome features were contorted because of his forebearance.

    ¡°... You¡¯re going to sue again? Miss Gu, what¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re suing your own family? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists and enunciated each word, ¡°I sue people who are guilty! I don¡¯t care who that person is! Mr. Qin, you¡¯repletely blind to thew. Can¡¯t you sue your family? Does your family have a waiver of guilt?¡±

    Qin Haoshan was tongue-tied by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. He couldn¡¯t think of a way to respond, so he had no choice but to reply curtly and harshly, ¡°This ispletely different! Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re awyer, you can sue people all the time. The court isn¡¯t just for you!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I just filed onewsuit. How did it be my family¡¯s court? Your family¡¯s court has only tried one case for decades?¡± Gu Nianzhi mocked him without hesitation.

    Qin Haoshan was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage. His fair face gradually turned red. In a fit of anger, he revealed his true thoughts, ¡°A person like you is vile, unfaithful, and unfilial. You went against your biological mother. No matter how good your conditions are, you¡¯re not a good match! I¡¯d rather my cousin spend his entire life with young models and F-list celebrities than let him marry you!¡±

    What she meant was that Gu Nianzhi was inferior to those young models and F-list celebrities.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a long time. She couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and bent over with a smile. ¡°Oh my! You make it sound like I really want to marry your cousin!¡±

    She raised her finger and pointed at He Zhichu, who was sitting diagonally behind her. ¡°See Young Master He? We were engaged before, but I didn¡¯t want to marry him, so I broke off the engagement with him.¡±

    She then pointed at Huo Shaoheng, who was standing at the door with his hands leaning against the door frame and smiling as he sized them up. She said, ¡°Over there, Mr. Peter, the Soviet diplomat, has been chasing me relentlessly. So, Mr. Qin, where did you get the shamelessness to say that I like your cousin and even want to marry him?¡±

    She stopped smiling and said with a straight face, ¡°Are you blind or are you stupid as to say such nonsense? !¡±

    Qin Haoshan frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you have a good impression of my cousin that you let theme to y?¡±

    ¡°Your cousin came to the foot of the mountain and was stopped, so she used me as a cover. I thought that they were pitiful, so I let Young Master He let theme up. How did it be that I have a good impression of your cousin? Is your cousin¡¯s family background better than Young Master He¡¯s, or is his appearance better than Mr. Peter¡¯s? ¡ª I don¡¯t even like these two people. Do you think I would like your cousin?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was sharp-tongued and finally said, ¡°Actually, your cousin is still a little better than you. At least he knows what he¡¯s doing. Unlike you, he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing! You deserve to never get the person you love in your life!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯sst words stepped on Qin Haoshan¡¯s sore spot.

    He had a crush on Xie Qingying, but he didn¡¯t dare say a word.

    He had originally nned to wait until Xie Qingying was 30 years old and propose to her if she hadn¡¯t married anyone else.

    There were very few men who were willing to marry a 30-year-old woman, so he wouldn¡¯t have any decentpetitors at that time.

    But this time, he could tell that Xie Qingying seemed to have feelings for He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu, on the other hand, was now a bachelor.

    If he had good taste, he would most likely ept Xie Qingying.

    And wouldn¡¯t he, on the other hand, like what Gu Nianzhi said, never be able to get the woman he loved for his life? !

    Qin Haoshan was furious. The veins on his forehead were throbbing, and his facial features were twisted beyond recognition.

    Gu Nianzhi did not let him off the hook. She sneered at him and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? So angry that you can¡¯t speak? Did I hit the nail on the head? Look at your eyes. You look like you want to kill me.¡±

    She turned to look at He Zhichu and put on a pitiful expression. ¡°Young Master He, you have surveince cameras here, right? You have to capture his ugly appearance. If anything happens to me in the future, he will be the prime suspect!¡±

    He Zhichu still sat there and did not move, but his clear and cold gaze had already turned to look at her.

    It was as if ayer of ice had frozen around him, and he exuded a chill.

    He Zhichu had poured cold water on Qin Haoshan¡¯s hot head.

    He shivered slightly and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I finally understand what it means to be the first toin! A person like you would be despised by even a dog on the street. Who would bother to harm you?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed and immediately retorted, ¡°Ask your good aunt Qin Yaoguang about that. Ask her if she¡¯s worse than a dog!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying your own mother is worse than a dog?!¡± Qin Haoshan felt like he had never seen such a woman be so wicked as to publicly insult her own mother.

    ¡°I¡¯m following your logic.¡± Gu Nianzhi calmed down and took a step forward to say, ¡°You just said that dogs won¡¯t even bite people like me. But your good Aunt Qin Yaoguang forcibly kidnapped me and tried to hurt me. Tell me, is she worse than a dog?!¡±

    Qin Haoshan waved his hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying! She¡¯s your biological mother. There¡¯s no such thing as forced kidnapping. She just wants to see you and take you away from the He family. Why would a biological mother need to use illegal means to kidnap her own daughter? ! This is a false statement. She doesn¡¯t need any violent means to take you away. Even the He family can¡¯t stop her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and sneered. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why? Why didn¡¯t she reveal her identity as my biological mother? Why did shee straight to the He family to see me and take me away? Why did she have to use underhanded methods to kidnap me? And at the same time, frame my father? Go ask her if she has any unspeakable secrets about me!¡±

    Qin Haoshan also realized that something was wrong.

    He had never thought about it from this angle before.

    All this time, he had thought that Gu Xiangwen had tried to take his daughter away and had framed Qin Yaoguang in the end.

    Later, he had heard more about the court trial than his other rtives, but he still thought that Qin Yaoguang was thinking about her daughter and wanted to share troubles with the person she loved. That was why she had made such a decision.

    But now that he heard Gu Nianzhi say this, he realized his thoughts were clearly wrong, and he felt baffled.

    But after thinking about it, he still felt that Gu Nianzhi was more to me.

    Qin Haoshan¡¯s face rxed a little, and he looked Gu Nianzhi up and down, then said, ¡°There are all kinds of parents in the world. No matter what your mother did wrong, as children, we can only be filial to them. After all, they gave us life, raised us, gave us food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. You can¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡± Gu Nianzhi made a ¡°pause¡± sign like that of a sportspetition, then said, ¡°Legally speaking, what you just said ispletely wrong. Parents can make mistakes and break thew. If children were to blindly appease their parents, it would only encourage their mistakes and make them more and more ridiculous. This isn¡¯t filial piety, it¡¯s ttery. It¡¯s deliberately harming them. ¡ª Mr. Qin, don¡¯t tell me that the premise of being filial to your parents is to harm them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sincerely felt that it was ttering to say that Qin Haoshan¡¯s brain was made of water.

    Because his brain wasn¡¯t made of water, but concrete.

    Qin Haoshan opened his mouth and realized that no matter what he said, he would fall into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap.

    He had no choice but to press his lips tightly together, snort heavily, and turn to leave.

    He Zhichu stood up casually and said coldly, ¡°Qin Haoshan, apologize to Miss Gu.¡±

    Qin Haoshan suddenly stopped and looked back at He Zhichu in shock. He rubbed his ears and said, ¡°What did you say, Young Master He?!¡±

 Chapter 1642 - I Can Do It Too

    <h4>Chapter 1642: I Can Do It Too</h4>

    More and more people began to gather around the entrance of the lounge. Xie Qingying and her best friend stood at the door and witnessed everything.

    ¡°I said, apologize to Miss Gu.¡± He Zhichu calmly took a step forward. ¡°Your nonsense just now not only damaged Miss Gu¡¯s reputation, but also polluted our ears.¡±

    Qin Haoshan¡¯s face flushed even more from He Zhichu¡¯s shaming. He red hatefully at Gu Nianzhi. However, seeing that He Zhichu did not mind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s harsh words just now, he knew that Gu Nianzhi still had a high position in He Zhichu¡¯s heart. Therefore, he did not continue to argue with Gu Nianzhi. Of course, he did not apologize either. He turned around and walked away with a straight face.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was watching from behind, did not mind the drama. She urged him, ¡°Look, Young Master He, your words are useless. He doesn¡¯t care about you at all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite embarrassing.¡± He Zhichu gave a half-hearted smile and said, ¡°But what can I do? I can only forgive him. But from now on, wherever he appears, I can only not appear.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s wordspletely cut off any chance Qin Haoshan had of being in the upper echelons of the Huaxia Empire.

    He would never be able to go any further.

    Unless he apologized to Gu Nianzhi, and she was willing to forgive him.

    Otherwise, Qin Haoshan would never be able to receive any invitations whenever He Zhichu appeared in the future.

    Because between him and He Zhichu, who would the organizers choose? Needless to say?

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re too ruthless, but I like it.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s depressed mood was miraculously healed. He rubbed her head and smiled again.

    ..

    Qin Haoshan walked to the door with a livid expression on his face. Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and stood in front of him. He said the same thing, ¡°Apologize. Apologize to Miss Gu.¡±

    Qin Haoshan did not dare to lose his temper with He Zhichu, but he was different with Huo Shaoheng.

    He was just a Soviet diplomat, yet he had to meddle in the affairs of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s people?

    Qin Haoshan did not even look at him. He pushed him away and continued to walk out.

    Huo Shaoheng reached out with lightning speed and grabbed Qin Haoshan¡¯s outstretched arm. His other hand grabbed Qin Haoshan¡¯s chin and twisted it, causing Qin Haoshan¡¯s jaw to dislocate.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re not going to apologize, then don¡¯t say anything for the time being.¡± Huo Shaoheng pped his hands, as if he was brushing off the dust on his hands.

    Qin Haoshan felt his wrist being gripped like an iron pincer, and he couldn¡¯t break free at all.

    Only when Huo Shaoheng let go of him could he hold his chin, re at Huo Shaoheng, and quickly run out.

    When he ran past Xie Qingying, Xie Qingying sighed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Qin to be such a person. From now on, I won¡¯t dare to go anywhere Mr. Qin appears.¡±

    It could be said that no one¡¯s words had dealt a greater blow to Qin Haoshan than Xie Qingying¡¯s.

    His face instantly turned pale. He wanted to say something, but his jaw was dislocated and he couldn¡¯t say anything. He could only run quickly toward the ce where his helicopter was parked with his head lowered.

    Soon, the sound of the helicopter¡¯s roar could be heard above Xiangxuehai. The helicopter from the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital flew away.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi snorted in disdain. ¡°Party pooper.¡±

    She turned to look at He Zhichu and said unhappily, ¡°Young Master He, I want to go home.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take you home.¡± He Zhichu nodded.

    Huo Shaoheng hurried over and said, ¡°I can take her home. It¡¯s along the way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deliberately ignored him and smiled at He Zhichu. ¡°Thank you, Young Master He.¡±

    He Zhichu patted her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    He Zhichu walked out of the lounge first, and Gu Nianzhi was about to follow him.

    Huo Shaoheng caught up with her inrge strides. He grabbed her wrist at lightning speed and smiled. ¡°Miss Gu, give me a chance...¡±

    There were so many people watching, so Gu Nianzhi showed no mercy. She pped the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let go! How many times have I told you? It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    She pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away and quickly walked to the door.

    However, Xie Qingying stood at the door and quietly stopped her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her in surprise. ¡°Cousin Xie, is something the matter?¡±

    Xie Qingying had a disapproving look on her face as she said lightly, ¡°Nianzhi, I think you should apologize to He Zhichu as well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t noticed the embarrassed and awkward expression that had shed through He Zhichu¡¯s eyes earlier, but Xie Qingying had seen it clearly.

    At that moment, her heart ached for this man. She felt like she loved him more than ever.

    Because she loved him, she couldn¡¯t bear to see him suffer in the slightest bit.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Huh? Why? Did I offend Young Master He?¡±

    She thought about what had happened, but still didn¡¯t understand what she had done wrong.

    Xie Qingying saw this and pulled her into the lounge. She motioned for her best friend to take the crowd away. She then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°You just said in front of Qin Haoshan that you didn¡¯t want to marry Young Master He, so you broke off the engagement with him. Have you thought about how humiliating this is for a man?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She blinked her big ck eyes at Xie Qingying and gradually felt wronged, ¡°But when Qin Haoshan humiliated me just now, none of you stood up for me. You just stood at the door and watched the show. Now you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m in the wrong. What can I do? Am I the grass on the ground that he can step on as he pleases?!¡±

    She was like a little hedgehog. Anything that had to do with Qin Yaoguang or the Qin family would make all the thorns over her body stand up.

    She couldn¡¯t care less. The person who could protect her weren¡¯t here. so was she in the wrong to protect herself?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were red.

    Huo Shaoheng saw her from the side and felt his heart ache. He quickly walked over and put a hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. He said to Xie Qingying calmly, ¡°It¡¯s understandable that Miss Xie wants to please her lover, but you can¡¯t make others do the same for your lover.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled Gu Nianzhi into his arms and said to Xie Qingying coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t ever let me see you talk to Miss Gu like that again. You even said that you¡¯re Miss Gu¡¯s rtive, yet you¡¯re trying to help an outsider.¡± With that said, he led Gu Nianzhi out of the lounge, leaving Xie Qingying standing there awkwardly.

    She thought about it carefully and felt ashamed.

    The Soviet diplomat was right.

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was her biological cousin, she was more concerned about He Zhichu, who had nothing to do with her.

    When Gu Nianzhi had a conflict with He Zhichu, she almost immediately stood on He Zhichu¡¯s side.

    Realizing this, Xie Qingying knew that her little superficial friendship with Gu Nianzhi had also disappeared.

    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t feel regret.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feelings were ambivalent as she was brought to He Zhichu¡¯s helicopter by Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Do you still want to take his helicopter?¡± Huo Shaoheng adjusted the cor of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s coat.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng in a daze and suddenly said, ¡°Mr. Peter, do you know? There was once a person who let me know how good it was to live in this world.¡±

    ¡°With him by my side, no one can humiliate me so brazenly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Her big eyes filled with tears that were about to fall, Gu Nianzhi looked at him expectantly.

    Huo Shaoheng touched her head without batting an eye.¡±... I can do it too. I will treat you so well in the future. With me by your side, no one can humiliate you so brazenly.¡±

 Chapter 1643 - The Support She Needed

    <h4>Chapter 1643: The Support She Needed</h4>

    ¡°In short, I can do what the person you mentioned can do, and I can do it better than him.¡± Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help caressing her hair as he spoke, and his fingers lingered on her cheeks for a moment.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    What did he mean by ¡°I can do what the person you mentioned can do?¡±

    So he still refused to admit his true identity?

    Gu Nianzhi was deeply disappointed.

    However, she did not show it in the slightest. Instead, she smiled brightly and shook her head at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°No, you¡¯ll never be as good as him.¡±

    ¡°Really? How would I know if I don¡¯t try?¡± Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows and instantly reverted to his aloof self.

    ¡°Do you want to know who he is? I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her finger at Huo Shaoheng slyly.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward as if he had been bewitched. He inched closer to Gu Nianzhi and asked in a low voice, ¡°Who is he?¡±

    His heart suddenly beated wildly.

    After so many years of experience on the special battlefront, he could already easily treat himself as someone else.

    But this time, he almost couldn¡¯t tell who he was...

    There was only one person who could give him such a strong shock from the bottom of his heart, and that was the delicate and charming woman in front of him.

    But when he came up to Gu Nianzhi, she said softly,¡±... This person is my father. You know, only my father will protect me at all costs.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    When Gu Nianzhi had been shot and seriously injured, he had discovered the truth through the bugs he had secretly ced under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clothes and pillow.

    However, he was quickly discovered by his uncle, Huo Guanyuan, who was also Lu Yuan.

    He had made a prompt decision and immediately went to the Lu family to plead and revealed his KGB identity.

    It was also at that time that he had heard the heinous crimes Qin Yaoguang hadmitted against Gu Nianzhi.

    Not to mention that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t let Qin Yaoguang off the hook, Huo Shaoheng would not let her off the hook either.

    He would let her taste all the pain Gu Nianzhi had suffered when she was young ¡ª no more, no less. He had originally intended to give her a taste of her own medicine.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rare stunned expression andughed softly.

    She tilted her head at him. ¡°Okay, thank you for your confession. I¡¯m very happy, even though I won¡¯t ept it.¡±

    She waved her hand and boarded He Zhichu¡¯s helicopter without leaving a cloud behind.

    He Zhichu saw them talking in front of him and couldn¡¯t help asking through the helicopter¡¯smunication channel, ¡°You seem to be getting closer to Peter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down with a smile on her face and fastened her seatbelt. ¡°He stood up for me just now. I have to thank him.¡±

    He Zhichu silently piloted the helicopter into the air. After flying for some distance, he said, ¡°Qin Haoshan is too nerdy. You don¡¯t have to take his words to heart.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t have taken it to heart anyway.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I retorted back then. Why would I take it to heart?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°... But you¡¯re not very happy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t unhappy because of Qin Haoshan, but because she was a little dispirited.

    There had been so many people gathered at the door watching Qin Haoshan argue with her, but no one hade out to help her.

    But she also knew that this was the difference between men and women.

    If Ma Qiqi had been there, she would have stood up immediately and dissed Qin Haoshan severely.

    He Zhichu only stood up to ask Qin Haoshan to apologize after she had scolded him away.

    Huo Shaoheng had only hit Qin Haoshan after He Zhichu had spoken.

    Gu Nianzhi had a grudge against the way the two men had acted.

    But she did not say anything, nor did she say anything what Xie Qingying had said to her.

    If she said she wouldn¡¯t meddle in the rtionship between Xie Qingying and He Zhichu, so she wouldn¡¯t say anything between them.

    Even if Xie Qingying made her unhappy, she wouldn¡¯t say anything.

    She thought for a moment, then tilted her head and leaned against the window. She said weakly, ¡°It¡¯s just a little disappointing. It¡¯s almost the new year, yet I¡¯m being scolded by this kind of person. Then when I think about how I¡¯m even rted to him, that makes me even more miserable.¡±

    She even yawned after she finished speaking.

    He Zhichu saw this and pursed his lips into a smile. He said gently, ¡°Is it still because of Qin Haoshan? I¡¯ve already said that I¡¯ll take revenge for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and said, ¡°Young Master He, please take revenge for me on the spot in the future. It won¡¯t be of much use to take revenge after I¡¯m overwhelmed with anger, but thank you.¡±

    ¡°Do we even need to say the word ¡®thank you¡¯ between us?¡± He Zhichu keenly realized what Gu Nianzhi was ticked off about and thought about it carefully, then said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nianzhi. I didn¡¯t react too quickly at the time. I should have had someone block his mouth and drag him out for a beating.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by him. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re exaggerating. Just block his mouth. There¡¯s no need to drag him out for a beating.¡±

    He Zhichu apologized, then Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry too. Young Master He, I¡¯ve embarrassed you in front of your friends.¡±

    He Zhichu stopped smiling and said seriously, ¡°Nianzhi, you never have to say sorry to me. No matter what you do, I won¡¯t be angry with you.¡±

    He Zhichu was just a little embarrassed. He wasn¡¯t resentful in the slightest.

    Gu Nianzhiughed again and said, ¡°Young Master He, I really want to record this video in front of you on my phone. If you ever get angry at me again, I¡¯ll show it to you. This is something I¡¯ll hold on to for my whole life, and I won¡¯t let it go.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded with a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t do it today. When I get back, I¡¯ll wash up properly, change my clothes, and then I¡¯ll take a video for you. My image will be ruined if I film a video looking like this.¡±

    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll wait and see. ¡°Gu Nianzhi joked with a smile as she sent a message to Lu Jin on her phone, saying that she would be back soon.

    The two of them chatted andughed, much more harmoniously than when they had arrived.

    The helicopter quickly brought Gu Nianzhi to the roof of the apartment building where she lived.

    Lu Jin stood at the bend in the corridor, waiting for them.

    He Zhichu wanted to get off the ne to send Gu Nianzhi in, but Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped him.

    ¡°Young Master He, no need. You can go. I¡¯m going home now. What are you worried about?¡± Gu Nianzhi winked at him. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t have the energy to entertain you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He Zhichu lowered his eyes and didn¡¯t insist. ¡°Then I¡¯m going back. Send me a message when you get back to your room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and made an okay sign. ¡°Okay, no problem!¡±

    He Zhichu flew the helicopter away after seeing Gu Nianzhi run into the dark corridor from the helipad on the roof of the building.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the helicopter take off.

    Lu Jin came out and held her hand as he looked her up and down. He asked with a smile, ¡°Why are you back so soon? Did you have fun?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hide her emotions in front of Lu Jin.

    She immediately pulled a long face and said, ¡°No, not at all.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± Lu Jin was very nervous. He quickly pulled her back to their floor and went back to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment together.

    ¡°Tell me, what happened?¡± Lu Jin couldn¡¯t wait to ask again as he sat on the sofa in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s living room.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes instantly reddened, and she felt even more wronged.

    Who wouldn¡¯t want to be cherished and pampered by others?

    Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and spoke about what had happened to her at Xiangxuehai.

    ¡°... Dad, don¡¯t you think this Qin Haoshan is a weirdo?! Even Luo Yaozu didn¡¯t me me, so who does he think he is? And he even speaked up for Qin Yaoguang!¡± Gu Nianzhi spoke more and more brazenly in front of Lu Jin, ¡°And he says there are no parents who aren¡¯t good! But after what Qin Yaoguang did to me, why should I let her go?!¡±

    Lu Jin gritted his teeth and punched the coffee table in front of him. He said angrily, ¡°This Qin Haoshan¡¯s brain is like granite! Back then, he spent a lot of effort in school to get good grades! What right does he have to talk about my daughter? ! What does he have to do with you? ! He¡¯s a scumbag!¡±

    ¡°Well said!¡± Gu Nianzhi pped loudly for Lu Jin. She was extremely happy.

    This was the kind of support she needed!

    It waspletely in line with her intentions. She was so happy that she almost didn¡¯t discern the strangeness in Lu Jin¡¯s words.

    All she could think about was that it would be best if he had dissed Qin Haoshan with her back then, so that he would be so ashamed that he would never dare toe out again.

    ¡°And your good niece, Xie Qingying...¡± Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t tell He Zhichu about Xie Qingying, but she didn¡¯t have such concerns when it came to Lu Jin.

    Besides, Lu Jin couldn¡¯t possibly confront He Zhichu, so Gu Nianzhi told him everything.

    She continued angrily, ¡°... She actually asked me to apologize to He Zhichu. She said I shouldn¡¯t have said that I called off the engagement because I didn¡¯t want to marry him and make him lose face in front of so many people!¡±

 Chapter 1644 - Dominant Gene and Recessive Gene

    <h4>Chapter 1644: Dominant Gene and Recessive Gene</h4>

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t take it anymore. His eyes widened in anger. ¡°I just want to make him lose face! He deserves it! What?! Apologize my *ss! ¡ª You didn¡¯t apologize, did you? ! If you apologized, I won¡¯t acknowledge you as my daughter anymore!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She seemed to have identally said ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± on the helicopter.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slightly embarrassed expression, Lu Jin instantly understood and immediately changed his words. ¡°It¡¯s okay to apologize. My daughter is well-raised and would rather suffer than take care of someone else¡¯s fragile heart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly and said, ¡°... But you just said that if I apologize, I won¡¯t recognize you as my daughter anymore...¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes and said shamelessly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean what I said just now. What I¡¯m saying now is the truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and leaned on Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder. Thest bit of depression in her heart disappeared.

    She was right about what she said to Huo Shaoheng. Only a father would unconditionally protect her...

    A child with a father was a treasure. Children¡¯s songs weren¡¯t lies.

    Gu Nianzhi thought happily that she didn¡¯t care that she had changed with the lyrics of a children¡¯s song.

    Lu Yuan, who had just entered the door, shook his head with a wry smile and said to Huo Shaoheng, who was behind him, ¡°Mr. Peter, do you still want to go in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise and saw that Lu Yuan had actually led Huo Shaoheng in.

    Huo Shaoheng was still wearing his Soviet military uniform overcoat, which wrapped around his straight waist and buttoned up neatly all the way down to his neck. His sables, which were furry inside and out, were pressed down on his forehead. He was breathtakingly gorgeous.

    Gu Nianzhi gulped and said hoarsely, ¡°Mr. Peter, why are you here?¡±

    Lu Jin had just heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s description and knew that Mr. Peter had dislocated Qin Haoshan¡¯s jaw, so he quickly turned around and said regretfully, ¡°Oh, that Qin Haoshan is the head of the orthopedics department. You can¡¯t just dislocate his jaw. He put it back on with a flip of his hand. You should just yank it off and cause permanent physical damage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng followed Lu Yuan into the door and said casually, ¡°The method I used to remove his jaw joint is a secret of the Soviet KGB. No matter how powerful the expert in orthopedics is, he won¡¯t be able to recover on his own.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lu Jin was intrigued. He stood up and asked excitedly, ¡°How does it work?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Actually, he had only used a bit of internal force to severely damage Qin Haoshan¡¯s temporomandibr joint. In the future, even if he underwent surgery to recover, it would still dislocate out of habit...

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin did not need to know about this.

    ¡°Noment.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled and replied, ¡°Please forgive me, Uncle Lu. The KGB has strict confidentiality.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes in her heart.

    The KGB has strict confidentiality? Why don¡¯t you go to the heavens?

    However, she couldn¡¯t expose him in front of Lu Jin. Lu Jin was too unreliable, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want Lu Jin to know the truth.

    Lu Yuan was even more so. This person was very shrewd, and his identity was a mystery.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi had to help Huo Shaoheng in front of these two people.

    She tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve, then said softly, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t make things difficult for him. ¡°If you want to know how it works, think of a way to hack into Qin Haoshan¡¯s medical records and see how the doctor treated him. Also, take all sorts of X-rays and CT images and study them.¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses andughed heartily. ¡°My Daughter is so smart! She can even think of that!¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin did not continue to ask Huo Shaoheng for the ¡°theory¡±. He turned to Lu Yuan and said, ¡°Boss Lu, you came just in time. What are we having for dinner tonight?¡±

    He then said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Mr. Peter, since you don¡¯t know how to cook, we won¡¯t be keeping you for dinner.¡±

    Was there any logical rtionship between whether he knew how to cook or not and whether he would be kept for dinner?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers moved, and he took the opportunity to take off his coat. He said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know how to cook, I can help President Lu with the preparations.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained calm as she watched Huo Shaoheng follow Lu Yuan into the kitchen.

    Lu Jin was relieved to see that dinner was ready. He said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Qin Haoshan¡¯s injury and see how it works.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded knowingly and smiled. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go back to my bedroom and rest for a while.¡±

    ¡°Go on, go on. It¡¯s best to take a bath withvender oil. It¡¯ll relieve your tiredness the most.¡± Lu Jin smiled as he watched Gu Nianzhi go back to her bedroom.

    Lu Jin took out his phone and started to hack the internalwork of Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her bedroom and carefully closed the door. She took a few change of clothes and went into the bathroom.

    Lu Jin was right. Taking a bath was also one of the ways to relieve fatigue.

    She put in some hot water and sprinkled somevender essential oil that Lu Jin had specially made for her. Soon, the bathroom was filled with the faint smell ofvender.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and stepped into the hot bathtub.

    After soaking for a while, she wiped the water off her hands and picked up her phone.

    She opened the photo album on her phone and saw a photo of them together during a snowball fight.

    Gu Nianzhi took a screenshot of Luo Piaopiao¡¯s face and put it into a face recognition software.

    She also found photos of Wen Shouyi that she had secretly taken in the past. She also took a screenshot of her face and put it into the face recognition software.

    This face recognition software was a small program that Gu Nianzhi had modified. It was originally used on a whim to tease the image recognition systems of major softwarepanies while photoshopping.

    For example, if you photoshopped a sunflower on your head and uploaded it to the image recognition system of a certain softwarepany, the system would tell you with a straight face that this wasn¡¯t a person, this was a sunflower of the angiosperm, dicotyledonous ss, Chrysanthemum, Compositae, sunflower genus, and sunflower species.

    Gu Nianzhi was inspired. She collected a database of the various facial features on a person¡¯s face and wrote it into the program.

    Every time a new face was entered, her little software would automatically analyze the facial features ande up with a conclusion for identification.

    Because her database wasn¡¯t connected to the police database, resources were limited. Only the people she was familiar with could provide her with material.

    Of course, a database wasn¡¯t needed topare Luo Piaopiao and Wen Shouyi¡¯s facial features. She only needed topare their facial features.

    Gu Nianzhi uploaded the screenshots of their faces and held her breath as she waited for the results.

    Image recognition required a lot ofputing power. Even though Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone wasn¡¯t weak, it would still take a long time to perform such calctions.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a full five minutes before the words ¡°Analysisplete.¡±.

    The following numbers appeared on her phone:

    [ eyebrows ] : simrity ¡ª 65% .

    [ eyes ] : simrity ¡ª 85% .

    [ face shape ] : simrity ¡ª 90% .

    [ ears ] : simrity ¡ª 95% .

    [ nose ] : simrity ¡ª 100% .

    The final conclusion: there was an 87% chance that the two were rted.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    No wonder she thought Luo Piaopiao and Wen Shouyi looked alike. It was because their noses were exactly the same.

    Gu Nianzhi always looked at people¡¯s noses first; and she was especially sensitive to how noses looked.

    If a person had a good-looking nose, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be ugly.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s nose was more t, with slightly wider nostrils and a slightly upturned top, but the overall shape was still very perky.

    Luo Piaopiao¡¯s nose was also a little t, with a slightly wider nose and a slightly upturned tip. The whole shape of her nose was also very small.

    If one took a screenshot of their noses and photoshopped them on each other¡¯s faces, it would be almost wless.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at theparison picture and was both surprised and curious.

    She took her phone and continued to search for gic information about the nose.

    The results showed that the high bridge of the nose and therge nostrils were both dominant genes. In other words, if one of the parents had a high bridge of the nose and therge nostrils, the child would inherite it.

    However, Wen Shouyi and Luo Piaopiao both had t noses andrge nostrils.

    If one were to extrapte, then the parents of Wen Shouyi and Luo Piaopiao should both have t noses. At least one of them hadrge nostrils, which was why they had noses like theirs.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, whom she had met before.

    The two of them weren¡¯t very attractive, but Gu Nianzhi still remembered the shape of their noses.

    Wen Dayou was tall and muscr, with a narrow forehead, a t nose, wide andrge nostrils. He fit one of the characteristics.

    But Liang Meili...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly. Howe she remembered that Liang Meili¡¯s nose was well-define straight, and her nostrils were very small?

    Two parents, mother: high nose bridge (dominant gene) , father: t nose bridge (recessive gene) , mother: small nostrils (recessive gene) , father: big nostrils (dominant gene) .

    So what was the likelihood that two people can give birth to a child with a t nose bridge (recessive gene) and big nostrils (dominant gene) ?

 Chapter 1645 - Pandoraâ€™s Box

    <h4>Chapter 1645: Pandora¡¯s Box</h4>

    This ratio was too difficult to calcte.

    Gu Nianzhi was not a biology major. She had been searching for information on her phone for a long time, but she was still at a loss.

    She got out of the bathtub and wiped the water droplets off her body before starting the maintenance program. It took her almost 20 minutes toplete the entire maintenance program, from water to essence to oil to frost.

    She had only simplified a lot of the procedures herself.

    If she had gone to the beauty salon and asked a professional to do it for her, it would have taken at least an hour.

    However, the time spent on this set of maintenance wasn¡¯t wasted.

    She looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin was bright and fair. Herplexion was radiant and glowing. It was a feeling that couldn¡¯t be created by any cosmetics.

    Huo Shaoheng changed into a new set of clothes and walked from the bedroom to the living room. Huo Shaoheng just happened toe out of the kitchen, and the two of them met in the living room. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed with surprise.

    He stopped in his tracks and smiled. ¡°Miss Gu, dinner is ready. I¡¯m here to invite the two of you to the dining room.¡±

    These words made it sound as if the guest became the host.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled meekly and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to look for my dad. Thank you, Mr. Peter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and walked towards Lu Jin¡¯s study.

    Huo Shaoheng watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back disappear in front of him. His expression didn¡¯t expose anything.

    ..

    There was a high-poweredputer in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s study that could be used as a server. Lu Jin had assembled it for her.

    Gu Nianzhi rarely used thisputer unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Lu Jin was now sitting behind theputer table and concentrating on typing on the keyboard.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and tapped twice on hisputer table with her fingers. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s time to eat.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t leave theputer screen. He smiled and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    He added, ¡°I know the theory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    When Lu Jin wanted to speak, it was difficult for others to stop him.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was the only one who could stop him, kept quiet. Lu Jin went on and on.

    ¡°... So it¡¯s because of the gravitational friction on Qin Haoshan¡¯s temporomandibr joint. After it¡¯s worn down, it¡¯ll dislocate out of habit. Haha, this is almost like permanent physical damage. This Peter is really ruthless! But I like it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Dislocate out of habit?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he won¡¯t run his mouth off in the future.¡±Lu Jin finally raised his head to look at her. ¡°When he yawns, smiles, cries, and even when he gets a little excited when he speaks, it might dislocate!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curved at the thought of that scene. ¡°Okay, not that you¡¯ve rest assured, I also have a problem here. Can you help me see what the probability is?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi showed the results on her phone to Lu Jin. ¡°What I want to know is, what are the chances of a father having a t nose, big nostrils, and a mother with a high nose and small nostrils giving birth to a child with a t nose and big nostrils?¡±

    Lu Jin looked at the two screenshots that Gu Nianzhi showed her. One was of Wen Shouyi, and the other was of Luo Piaopiao.

    At first nce, the two of them didn¡¯t look very simr, but because they both had round faces and t noses, Lu Jin could tell that they were simr after looking at them a few more times.

    Lu Jin hadn¡¯t expected the simrity to be so high.

    However, since it had been analyzed by the software, Lu Jin still respected the software¡¯s professional analytical skills.

    This was because the human eye and human brain were easily fooled by external things. Only by using software to remove the root of the problem and remove the root of the problem could the truth be revealed.

    Lu Jin wasn¡¯t in a hurry to calcte the general possibility. He only stared at Luo Piaopiao¡¯s face for a while and said, ¡°Who is this woman?¡±

    ¡°She is Luo Piaopiao.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger tapped on Luo Piaopiao¡¯s profile picture. ¡°You don¡¯t know the Luo Piaopiao I told you about?¡±

    Lu Jin had told her that he knew Qin Haoshan, but he didn¡¯t seem to know Luo Piaopiao.

    Lu Jin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Luo Piaopiao? That¡¯s Qin Yaoguang¡¯s cousin¡¯s daughter? What about Luo Piaopiao¡¯s mother? Do you have a photo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head regretfully. ¡°No. I heard that she passed away a long time ago. I was too embarrassed to ask for a photo of her deceased mother.¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°Nianzhi, why are youparing their looks? Why do you think they look alike?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who thinks so. The software also analyzed it that way.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s finger paused at the 87% probability. ¡°Look, 87% is a bit high, right? Actually, I think it can be even higher.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because ording to the software, the biggest difference between the two of them is the shape of their eyebrows. However, the shape of their eyebrows is the easiest part to change. An average person can do it with a eyebrow trimmer. So I¡¯m guessing that the two of them have had their eyebrows trimmed before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at Luo Piaopiao¡¯s profile picture and said, ¡°She has arched eyebrows.¡±

    She then pointed at Wen Shouyi¡¯s profile picture and said, ¡°She has straight eyebrows. At first nce, the difference doesn¡¯t seem big, but the software can analyze the difference.¡±

    If not, there was a 95% chance that the two of them were rted.

    Lu Jin said disapprovingly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you use your facial recognition software to analyze Luo Piaopiao¡¯s face? It might be more simr to the face of the doll you had when you were young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She thought for a while and searched through the photo album on her phone for a long time. Finally, she found the photo of her holding the doll.

    She stared at the doll and found that it was indeed true.

    It turned out that Luo Piaopiao was more like a doll from her childhood.

    Although she was also simr to Wen Shouyi, the simrity between her and this doll was obviously greater.

    ¡°But, why do I think that she looks like Wen Shouyi at first nce and you feel she looks like my doll?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in puzzlement.

    Lu Jin pointed at his brain. ¡°Because when the brain processes something like this, it doesn¡¯t perform the same technical tests as software.¡±

    ¡°Human brains are analyzed based on impressions. Obviously, you have a deeper impression of Wen Shouyi, so the first thing your brain processes is simr to Wen Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°And I had a deeper impression of your childhood doll, so the first thing I came up with was that it was more simr to your doll.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood what he meant.

    However, the doll wasn¡¯t alive, but Wen Shouyi was. Gu Nianzhi frowned and said, ¡°Let¡¯s put the doll aside for now. Let¡¯spare Wen Shouyi and Luo Piaopiao first. We need to start with their parents.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her with a frown and hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°What are you trying to prove? It is almost impossible to determine whether they are rtives based solely on their physical appearance. That is because there were many sets of genes that determined one¡¯s appearance, and each set has to bepared with other genes. In the end, if you want to calcte the probability, you¡¯ll have to use the most powerful supeputer to get the results within a certain amount of time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said with a bitter expression on her face, ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to calcte, so I asked for your help. Since I need a supeputer, then forget it. I¡¯ll think of another way.¡±

    She rolled her eyes and immediately thought of a second way. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a simple and direct way to prove that they¡¯re rted.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°DNA testing!¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot. Why didn¡¯t I think of that earlier? Since the simrity in their appearance suggests that they¡¯re rted, then let¡¯s just test their DNA directly!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I was just wondering why you wanted to go further away.¡± Lu Jin¡¯s lips curled up, but his smile was a little forced.

    Gu Nianzhi was keenly aware of this. She propped her hands on theputer table and asked curiously, ¡°Dad, is there anything else? I¡¯ll get their hair, skin, and blood samples. You can just test their DNA for me.¡±

    Lu Jin, not knowing what to say, looked at Gu Nianzhi in a daze.

    His daughter had gone off the rails. He was very proud of her intelligence to be able to tell that something was wrong with the appearance of a niece of the Qin family.

    But did she know what she was facing?

    It was like opening pandora¡¯s box.

    In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Zeus to punish Prometheus for stealing fire.

    She opened a box and unleashed all the evils in human nature such as greed, hypocrisy, malice, nder, and jealousy, but only closed the box before ¡°hope¡± came out.

    This box was the source of all evil and represented the hopeless future of mankind.

 Chapter 1646 - Stolen Joy

    <h4>Chapter 1646: Stolen Joy</h4>

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s beautiful and lively smile intently. He looked at her clear and bright eyes that were like snow mountains and ice springs. His heart was filled with love and reluctance.

    The proudest thing he had ever done in his life wasn¡¯t winning two Nobel prizes, discovering parallel spaces, or realizing the perfect optimization of human genes. Instead, it was having such a cute and intelligent daughter.

    He was content.

    Lu Jin smiled with satisfaction and nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do a DNA test for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she walked behind Lu Jin¡¯s seat. She clenched her little fists and gave him a series of back ps, she said obsequiously, ¡°Thank you, daddy! I¡¯m going to think about how to get their hair or blood samples. Saliva samples are fine too, right? But saliva is too disgusting. Using blood is more urate.¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He turned around and tapped her a few times in the air. ¡°Whatever, hair is fine. Blood is too disgusting. Besides, I¡¯ll be the one testing your DNA. Are you afraid that it won¡¯t be urate? Even if I only use one of their cells, I¡¯ll be able to urately measure it.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know! My daddy is the best!¡± Gu Nianzhi was so happy that she didn¡¯t know what to do. She reflexively hugged Lu Jin¡¯s neck from behind and gave him a peck on the cheek.

    After the kiss, even Gu Nianzhi herself was stunned.

    Lu Jin waspletely dumbstruck. His intelligent face showed a rare dazed expression.

    ¡°... I¡¯ll go see if dinner is ready...¡± Gu Nianzhi was very embarrassed and ran out of the study in a hurry.

    After all, she hadn¡¯t grown up by Lu Jin¡¯s side. Although they were father and daughter, this kind of rare intimacy had never been experienced before. It was a brand new experience for Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi leave in a hurry, Lu Jin sat in hisputer chair motionlessly. Even the expression on his face made him seem like he was frozen in time.

    There was no sound in the room. Soon, the voice-activated ceiling lights were gradually extinguished, then the study room with the sunshade and soundproof curtains became pitch ck.

    Lu Jin, allowing the darkness to envelop him, sat in the dark.

    He thought that he alone should bear the dark, the filthy, dirty, and shady things.

    The happiness he experienced during this period of time was surreal. How could he bear to let his daughter, who was as bright as the sun, be attacked by dark forces again?

    He would never allow anyone to extend their evil ws at his daughter again.

    Let him end everything.

    Let him end all darkness and give his daughter a bright future.

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and allowed himself to be one with the darkness.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi ran out of the study excitedly. She was caught off guard and fell into someone¡¯s arms.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart suddenly calmed down when she smelled that familiar yet also unfamiliar scent.

    She quickly took a step back and looked up to see Huo Shaoheng standing at the door of the study. She couldn¡¯t help stammering, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you guys that dinner is ready. What¡¯s wrong? Where¡¯s Uncle Lu? Isn¡¯t he going to have dinner?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked up at the door of the study.

    When Gu Nianzhi ran out, there was still a light in the study.

    When she looked back, the study was already pitch ck.

    ¡°The light is voice-activated. The light goes off automatically when there¡¯s no sound. ¡°Gu Nianzhi said embarrassingly, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the dining room first. Is dinner ready?¡±

    She ran away quickly without looking back.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her back and then at the study¡¯s door. He thought for a moment before knocking on the door. He coughed and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, dinner is ready. Please go to the dining room.¡±

    There was silence in the study.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to push the door open when the door opened in front of him.

    Lu Jin red at him resentfully and said, ¡°Why are you sneaking around here?! This is my daughter¡¯s home. Don¡¯t act like this is your home!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. Then he said calmly, ¡°... President Lu made your favorite cherry blossom snapper stew.¡±

    This trick really worked on Lu Jin.

    His eyes lit up and he asked anxiously, ¡°Did he use soy sauce, shredded ginger, burdock, and apricot mushrooms to stew it with plum wine?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked troubled as he said,¡±... I don¡¯t know. Presdent Lu made it. I was just helping on the side. I saw plum wine, but I¡¯m not familiar with anything else.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You don¡¯t even recognize dishes! You¡¯re useless!¡± Lu Jin scowled and walked past him with his head held high. He walked into the dining room quickly.

    In the dining room, Lu Yuan washed his hands and was introducing Gu Nianzhi to the special dish he had made today, ¡°This is called Plum Huang Shiyu. It¡¯s a cherry blossom snapper stewed with soy sauce, shredded ginger, burdock, and apricot abalone mushrooms with plum wine. Have you ever eaten a snapper before? When this fish is at its freshest, its entire body is cherry-blossom-colored. Its meat is especially tender and sweet. It doesn¡¯t have any fishy smell at all. There¡¯s no need to add seasoning wine to spoil its delicious taste.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened with relish, and the little bit of awkwardness from before disappeared.

    Lu Jin hurried over and looked at Gu Nianzhi eagerly, but didn¡¯t dare walk over to sit next to her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw him. She smiled and waved at him. ¡°Dad,e sit here!¡±

    Lu Jin breathed a sigh of relief. He felt as if he was alive again.

    He smiled as he walked over to Gu Nianzhi and sat down. He said to Lu Yuan, who was sitting on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s other side, ¡°Boss Lu, I didn¡¯t expect you to be willing to make cherry blossom snapper today.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled nonchntly and moved his seat back. ¡°I wanted to give Nianzhi a taste of something delicious. You should eat less today. I only made four cherry blossom snappers.¡±

    The four of them had one each.

    Lu Jin unceremoniously distributed the food. ¡°Nianzhi will have two, I¡¯ll have one and a half. You and Peter can split the remaining half.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    With public chopsticks, Huo Shaoheng scooped up two cherry blossom stewed snappers for Gu Nianzhi and ced them on her te. ¡°I don¡¯t eat this kind of fish. You guys can have them.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Unappreciative!¡± Lu Jin rolled his eyes and quickly said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s eat. Ignore them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. She looked at the pale cherry pink fish on the te and used her chopsticks to pry out a small piece of golden meat the size of a soybean from under the fish¡¯s eyes. She put it into her mouth and chewed slowly.

    At the beginning, the taste was subtle and she savored it bit by bit.

    She took another bite, and suddenly the previously subtle taste became more rich and intense. The delicious and sweet taste almost exploded on the tip of her tongue, awakening all her taste buds.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, and she almost swallowed her tongue.

    ¡°It¡¯s so delicious!¡± Gu Nianzhi swallowed the best piece of meat and gave Lu Yuan a thumbs up. ¡°The taste of the fish itself ispletely unmasked by the braised seasoning. There¡¯s soy sauce, but it doesn¡¯t have the salty taste of soy sauce at all. President Lu, your cooking is really superb!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it delicious?¡± Lu Jin was smug, as if he had made the fish himself. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll give you this one too!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°No, no, this one weighs a pound. It¡¯ll be good enough if I can finish one.¡±

    She looked at the two fish in her bowl, then at the people around the table and said apologetically, ¡°President Lu, Mr. Peter, I¡¯m sorry. This fish was left on my te, so I don¡¯t want anyone else to eat it and will give it to my dad. My dad won¡¯t mind eating what was on my te, right?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head and nodded again. Heughed so hard that his eyes narrowed into slits. He even proudly made a v-shaped scissor at Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was expressionless as he lowered his head. He picked up a eggnt and ate it.

    ..

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi chatted endlessly about how delicious the cherry blossom snapper was throughout the entire meal.

    In the end, Huo Shaoheng ¡°reluctantly¡± ate the remaining half of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fish under the excuse of ¡°not wasting food¡±.

    Lu Yuan, on the other hand, didn¡¯t eat at all. He said that he was full after seeing Lu Jin¡¯s appearance and couldn¡¯t eat anything else.

    After dinner, Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were both full. They made pu¡¯er tea, then walked to the living room to chat and digest their food.

    Lu Yuan was about to tidy up the kitchen when Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to stop him. ¡°President Lu, I¡¯ve disturbed your meal today, so I¡¯ll be the one to clean up the dishes.¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t stand on ceremony with him, but he didn¡¯t want to go to the living room to look at Lu Jin¡¯s smug face. He sat in the kitchen and chatted with Huo Shaoheng while he looked at his phone.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never eaten cherry blossom snapper before?¡± Lu Yuan was actually asking if Huo Shaoheng had ever eaten cherry blossom snappers in the other world.

    Of course Huo Shaoheng had eaten it, but he didn¡¯t want to fuss with Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi.

    He put the dishes into the dishwasher and said, ¡°No, the wild ones are too expensive and the farmed ones aren¡¯t tasty. I¡¯m not interested.¡±

    ¡°The price of the wild ones have already risen to five to six thousand per kilo. Although it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t afford to eat them, I can¡¯t afford to eat them every day.¡± Lu Yuan shook his head with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s also because it¡¯s the New Year. This is the first time Nianzhi is spending the New Year with us. Lu Jin can¡¯t wait to get all the delicious food in the world for Nianzhi to eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was chatting with Lu Jin in the living room when she suddenly heard her phone ring. She took it out and saw that it was Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone call. She immediately answered the call with a smile and asked, ¡°Piaopiao? Are you home? Is your second brother okay?¡±

    Luo Piaopiao was delighted by her friendly attitude and quickly said, ¡°We¡¯re all fine, but...¡±

    She looked at Grandfather Qin, who was sitting in front of her, and said with a smile, ¡°Cousin Gu, are you free tomorrow? Tomorrow is the New Year, and I¡¯d like to invite you to my house for a little New Year¡¯s dinner.¡±

 Chapter 1647 - Shared Secret

    <h4>Chapter 1647: Shared Secret</h4>

    ¡°Go to your ce for New Year¡¯s meal?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were bright as she said, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, but one can¡¯t spend the New Year¡¯s in someone else¡¯s house... How about this, when youe out at noon, I¡¯ll treat you to Maine lobster at the revolving restaurant on the Sanhuan Road of the Imperial Capital. The American lobster there is very authentic. It¡¯s settled then. I still have things to do, so I can¡¯t take your call for the time being. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung up without hesitation and turned off her phone.

    Before Luo Piaopiao could react, she realized that she couldn¡¯t get through to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone anymore.

    Gu Nianzhi was her only contact. Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t answering her phone right now, so there was nothing she could say.

    ¡°... Uncle, Cousin Gu hung up.¡± Luo Piaopiao¡¯s face was flushed. ¡°She said she¡¯d treat me to lobster at the revolving restaurant tomorrow.¡±

    Grandfather Qin stared at Luo Piaopiao for a while, then smiled kindly. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go to the revolving restaurant. I¡¯ll book the top floor of the revolving restaurant tomorrow, and the Qin family will have their New Year¡¯s dinner at the revolving restaurant on Sanhuan Road.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao was instantly delighted again.

    ¡°Oh my! That¡¯s great! We¡¯ll definitely give Cousin Gu a surprise tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ll give your cousin a surprise!¡± Grandfather Qinughed loudly. His tall body was like a mountain, strong and sturdy.

    Luo Piaopiao was both respectful and fearful of her Granduncle. She had never been close to him, but because of Gu Nianzhi, she had unexpectedly gained his favor. She was very grateful to Gu Nianzhi, and her favorable impression of Gu Nianzhi had increased to another level.

    Moreover, she also wanted to use Gu Nianzhi to build a rtionship with her suitor from the Soviet Union.

    Gu Nianzhi had publicly stated that she wasn¡¯t interested in Mr. Peter, so Luo Piaopiao had no scruples towards pursuing Peter.

    She and her father sent Old Master Qin off, then began to prepare for tomorrow¡¯s meal.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi winked at Lu Jin and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be able to get her hair tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to get Wen Shouyi¡¯s hair?¡± Lu Jin was also about to start DNA sequencing.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped her fingers and said ¡°That¡¯s easy to say. I¡¯m still in the middle of awsuit with her. It won¡¯t be hard to pull out a strand of hair when we meet up.¡±

    Lu Jin knew Gu Nianzhi had a lot of tricks up her sleeve, so it wouldn¡¯t be hard to pull out a strand of hair. Even if she didn¡¯t take the initiative to pull out a few strands, the hair would fall off on its own.

    Lu Jin said, ¡°A normal person would lose 50 to 100 strands of hair every day. Just keep an eye out for where she sits. After she¡¯s gone, you can use a special tool to collect her hair.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded happily. ¡°I¡¯ll get the hair of these two people as soon as possible so that we canpare their DNA sequences.¡±

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng finished cleaning up the kitchen and went to the living room with Lu Yuan. He happened to hear Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin discussing how to sequence Wen Shouyi¡¯s hair.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down across from them and asked calmly, ¡°You¡¯re doing DNA sequencing on Wen Shouyi¡¯s hair? Who are youparing it to?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost blurted out ¡°Luo Piaopiao,¡± but seeing how Huo Shaoheng yed dumb, she asked with a smile, ¡°... Why should I tell you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin was delighted to hear that. He winked at Lu Yuan and said, ¡°See, this is a shared secret only between my daughter and I!¡±

    Lu Yuan picked up a newspaper and shook it open to block his view. As he browsed through the contents of the newspaper, he said in Lu Jin¡¯s tone, ¡°Who else can youpare it to? Of course it¡¯s Luo Piaopiao. I can guess it with my knees.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood, but he couldn¡¯t say that he understood why they wanted topare the DNA of these two people. He could only ask further, ¡°Why do you want topare Wen Shouyi¡¯s hair to Luo Piaopiao¡¯s? Wen Shouyi was He Zhichu¡¯s former personal secretary and is now the Executive Director of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. Luo Piaopiao is just an ordinary person, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised and said, ¡°You even know this? When did you find out? How did you find out? Why are you so concerned about Wen Shouyi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled without batting an eye and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Miss Gu, can I take it that you¡¯re jealous?¡±

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face fell.

    She had never thought that Major General Huo was this narcissistic...

    His narcissistic tone was truly domineering.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted lightly and looked away. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. It seems like you and Wen Shouyi have no interaction. How do you know so much about her situation?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t know everything, but I do know the basic situation. Don¡¯t forget that I qm a member of the Soviet Union¡¯s KGB. When we were gathering information, we kept records of He Zhichu and his personal secretaries.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi just wanted to roll her eyes.

    The KGB..

    What a load of crap.

    She crossed her arms and looked straight ahead. ¡°Know yourself and your enemy, and you¡¯ll never lose a battle. Looks like Mr. Peter really knows how to do this well.¡±

    ¡°You tter me.¡± Huo Shaoheng nodded elegantly. He extended his slender and clean fingers to refill a cup of tea for Gu Nianzhi.

    Actually, it was only a third of the depth of the cup.

    Drinking too much pu¡¯er tea would cause insomnia at night.

    Lu Yuan lowered the newspaper and looked up at them. ¡°Why are youparing their DNA? What do you want to achieve?¡±

    Lu Jin was about to answer when Gu Nianzhi stepped on his foot.

    Lu Jin immediately corrected himself. ¡°I¡¯m just testing it for fun. I don¡¯t have anything to do during the New Year. I have nothing else to do.¡±

    Lu Yuan knew that he wasn¡¯t telling the truth. He saw Gu Nianzhi stopping Lu Jin from speaking out of the corner of his eye. He raised his eyebrows slightly and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, but Nianzhi shouldn¡¯t go alone. Find someone to apany her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up his teacup and said nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯m free tomorrow. I can apany Miss Gu to the revolving restaurant.¡±

    Lu Jin looked Huo Shaoheng up and down and asked suspiciously, ¡°Why are you being so nice to Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled without batting an eye. ¡°Because I¡¯m chasing her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and propped her head on one hand as she leaned against the edge of the sofa. ¡°Mr. Peter, you don¡¯t have to waste your time with me. My heart belongs to someone else. It¡¯s useless no matter how much you do.¡±

    ¡°I only know that there¡¯s a saying in the Huaxia Empire, ¡®If you are sincere, then you will seed.¡¯¡± Huo Shaoheng said in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing. His bearing was extraordinary.

    Although Lu Jin didn¡¯t like him, he had to admit that this person was indeed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s counterpart. Only he was barely worthy of his daughter.

    Thinking about what he had to do, Lu Jin lowered his head sadly.

    He couldn¡¯t stay with his daughter forever. He had to think of a way to send his daughter back to the other world as soon as possible.

    Energy. He needed arge amount of high-energy maic field energy.

    The high-energy maic field energy in the Huaxia Empire was no longer enough to support the opening of the maic resonance. He had to go to other countries to find it.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was slightly restrained. He actually nodded and said, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just going to have a meal. It¡¯s good to let Mr. Peter apany you. He¡¯s a Soviet diplomat. Ordinary people won¡¯t dare to provoke him.¡±

    After all, Luo Piaopiao was a member of the Qin family, so even if they were having a meal in a public ce, Lu Jin was still a little worried.

    Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows even higher.

    Something was wrong with Lu Jin. Something was really wrong.

    He had known Lu Jin for so many years. How could Lu Jin agree so easily?

    Especially when someone was ¡°coveting¡± his precious daughter. It was already polite of him not to chase him out with a big stick. Why would he agree to let Huo Shaoheng apany Gu Nianzhi to a restaurant outside?

 Chapter 1648 - The Prince and The Princess

    <h4>Chapter 1648: The Prince and The Princess</h4>

    Lu Yuan immediately put on his usual warm smile and looked at Huo Shaoheng, then said kindly, ¡°Mr. Peter, it¡¯s rare for major shareholder Lu Jin to entrust his daughter to another man. You¡¯ve set a record this time. You must not let major shareholder Lu Jin down, okay?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately understood the meaning behind Lu Yuan¡¯s words.

    First of all, Lu Jin seemed to have softened his attitude towards him. Had he already started to acknowledge him?

    Second of all, Lu Jin really doted on his precious daughter to the extreme. Gu Nianzhi was only going to the revolving restaurant to have a meal with Luo Piaopiao, but Lu Jin was actually worried about her going alone.

    ording to what Huo Shaoheng knew, this revolving restaurant was obviously a public ce. Why would Lu Jin be worried? Was it because Luo Piaopiao was a member of the Qin family? Was it actually the Qin family that Lu Jin was worried about?

    Third of all, if Lu Jin was worried, why can¡¯t he personally apany her? He didn¡¯t need to go with Gu Nianzhi. He could go one after she went and stay in the private room. No one else would realize Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship.

    Fourth of all, if Lu Jin wouldn¡¯t go himself, what did he want to do?

    Huo Shaoheng knew very well that the only thing Lu Jin wanted to do right now was to apany his daughter.

    But he was passing on this precious opportunity to someone else...

    Lu Yuan only said one sentence, but Huo Shaoheng had already quickly analyzed it deeply.

    However, although he thought about so much in a sh, he didn¡¯t show it on his face at all. He nodded reservedly and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, President Lu, don¡¯t worry. I will send Miss Gu there safely and smoothly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin in shock, then at Huo Shaoheng. She asked in confusion, ¡°It¡¯s just a meal at the revolving restaurant. I don¡¯t need Mr. Peter to apany me, right? Besides, he¡¯s a Soviet diplomat, and I¡¯m just amoner. How can I let him apany me?¡±

    Moreover, she was going to aplish a mission. She had to get a few strands of Luo Piaopiao¡¯s hair to do a DNA test.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were sharp and keen. What if she couldn¡¯t hide her moves from him?

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously didn¡¯t want to drag Huo Shaoheng into the Qin family¡¯s business.

    This was her family¡¯s business and her battlefield. Although Huo Shaoheng was powerful, he could only conceal his identity and use someone else¡¯s identity. It was obvious that he was in a difficult situation.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to drag Huo Shaoheng down with this matter.

    Lu Jin yawned and said ambiguously with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s just a meal, so let her go have a meal with Mr. Peter. Besides, when a woman goes out, she looks noble with a man by her side.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and ¡°tranted¡± his words for him. ¡°Nianzhi, what your father means is that you have to bring a follower. I think Mr. Peter is quite willing to be your follower, isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Peter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over to Gu Nianzhi and said enthusiastically, ¡°Since I said I want to pursue you, then I have to show my sincerity.¡±

    ¡°You really have a lot of sincerity, but I just don¡¯t like it. What should I do?¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged her panda pillow. She rested her beautiful little chin on the panda¡¯s head and looked down at the white carpet with abstract geometric patterns on the ground, hiding the sly smile that shed in her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. One day, you¡¯ll like me,¡± Huo Shaoheng,pletely unbothered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rejection, said confidently.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes were filled with jealousy. He had finally found a great treasure, and he wasn¡¯t willing to let her go to someone else just like that.

    He frowned and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You don¡¯t have to exaggerate things so much. I just want you to apany her to dinner. I can see that you¡¯re already thinking about getting married and having children. There are many people chasing after our Nianzhi. Go line up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Yuan watched from the side with a rxed expression.

    At least Lu Jin¡¯s venomous tongue was no longer used on him. It was quite interesting to watch Lu Jin rebuke others.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up. She got up and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m going back to my room to rest. I¡¯m going out to eat tomorrow, so I need to sleep more.¡±

    ¡°Go, go.¡± When Lu Jin turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, the affection in his eyes was almost overflowing. ¡°Sleep more tomorrow. I¡¯ll wake you up at 10.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately went with the flow. ¡°Then I¡¯lle at 9:30 tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What will you be doing here so early?¡± Lu Jin¡¯s face darkened when he looked towards Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You¡¯ll be the chauffeur and bodyguard tomorrow. Just wait in the car.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hold back theughter in her heart. She carried the panda pillow back to her bedroom and quickly closed the door. She leaned against the back of the door, thenughed so hard that her shoulders trembled and she was about to cramp up.

    Oh My God! Her daddy is so awesome!

    Gu Nianzhi was in a great mood.

    She threw the panda pillow onto the bed and stood up with the door in her hand. Sheughed for a while before going to the bathroom to wash up.

    Afterpleting her evening maintenance procedures, she crawled into the thin, soft silk nket and slept soundly.

    When she woke up the next morning, it was already past nine o¡¯clock.

    The curtains were low, blocking the sunlight outside the window. The room was still dark, as if it was still night.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone on the bedside table and looked at it. It was past nine o¡¯clock.

    She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She sent He Zhichu a text message.

    As soon as she sent it, He Zhichu immediately replied, ¡°... You finally sent me a message. You promised to send me a message when you got home yesterday. Did you forget?¡±

    He sent a voice message.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She hadn¡¯t forgotten, but she hadn¡¯t had the chance to send it.

    She replied with a smile, ¡°So you¡¯re not sending it? Actually, I¡¯m already home. It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    He Zhichu was sitting in front of the window with his phone in his hand. He said a few words to his phone before saying, ¡°Today is the New Year. Aren¡¯t youing to my house to celebrate the New Year together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused with a smile, ¡°No need, I still have things to do. Today, I¡¯m meeting a friend at the revolving restaurant in the Sanhuan Road for a lobster feast. I hope it will be delicious and not disappoint my expectations.¡±

    He Zhichu replied with an ¡°oh.¡± He asked casually, ¡°Who are you having dinner with?¡±

    ¡°Luo Piaopiao. I¡¯m getting along quite well with her.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she pulled the covers off the bed.

    He Zhichu was a little surprised. ¡°Luo Piaopiao? I thought you and Xie Qingying were getting along well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. She didn¡¯t want to talk about Xie Qingying, so she quickly said, ¡°We¡¯re good too, just like me and Luo Piaopiao. It¡¯s just that Cousin Xie is quite busy, unlike Luo Piaopiao, who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun... Alright, I¡¯m not going to talk to you anymore. I¡¯m going to bete. Goodbye, Young Master He!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone and went to the bathroom to shower and wash her hair.

    He Zhichu saw that she was no longer replying, so he looked at his phone for a while before putting it back into his pocket.

    He looked at the winter scenery outside the window and stood there quietly for a while. He took out his phone again to reply to Xie Qingying¡¯s invitation. ¡°Okay, what time is it?¡±

    Xie Qingying had just returned from working out. When she heard the sound of a text messageing in, she quickly took out her phone to take a look.

    When she saw that He Zhichu had agreed to her invitation, she was overjoyed and quickly called him. ¡°Young Master He, are you really free tonight?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just New Year¡¯s Eve.¡± There were only two people at home, so it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal even if it was New Year¡¯s Eve, let alone New Year¡¯s Eve.

    Xie Qingying was extremely excited. She covered her chest with one hand and felt her heart beating rapidly. She smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯ll go to the opera in the capital at 7 pm. The National Ballet of the Soviet Union has been touring in the Huaxia Empire recently. This is thest and best performance.¡±

    ¡°Really, what is it?¡± He Zhichu asked calmly and his face was expressionless.

    ¡°It¡¯s a traditional ssic, ¡®Swan Lake.¡¯ I heard from my friends that the four little swans in it are very good at dancing. When I was studying ballet, I liked to dance with people about the four little swans.¡±

    Xie Qingying talked endlessly about ballet.

    He Zhichu suddenly realized that if Gu Nianzhi had grown up with him here, she would probably have gone to learn ballet as well. However, her dancing skills were probably not that developed. She would definitely be quite cute dancing along with her chubby hands and feet.

    He Zhichu smiled and spoke in a softer tone of voice.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go,¡± he replied gently.

    Xie qingying felt her legs go soft.

    Oh my, his voice is too charming...

    She took a deep breath and didn¡¯t want to put down the phone. She racked her brains to find something to say. ¡°Young Master He, have you watched the ¡®Swan Lake¡¯ before?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, but I¡¯ve never watched it.¡±He Zhichu sat on the sofa and picked up the iPad to watch the news. He put on his Bluetooth headset and spoke to Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying sat on the sofa in her room as well. She smiled and said, ¡°Then do you know that there are actually two versions and two endings of ¡®Swan Lake¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Oh? I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. ¡®Swan Lake¡¯ is about a princess who is enchanted by a magician. She is a swan during the day and a princess at night. Only when she finds a man who truly loves her will she be able to get rid of this curse.¡±

    ¡°A prince took a fancy to her and invited her to hising-of-age ball. He would choose her as his wife at the ball.¡±

    ¡°In the end, the magician brought his own daughter here. His own daughter disguised herself as this princess and bewitched the Prince.¡±

    ¡°The Prince mistook her for someone else. He thought that the magician¡¯s daughter was the Swan Princess that he took a fancy to, so he got engaged to her.¡±

    ¡°In the end, when the prince realized that he mistook the wrong person, it was already toote. He rushed to the Swan Lake to save his princess, and then the mage also rushed there to kill the prince who had reneged on his promise to marry his daughter.¡±

    Xie Qingying paused and asked, ¡°Young Master He, are you listening?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And then there are two versions of the ending

    ¡°One is that the princess jumped into theke to save the Prince and died for him, and the Prince died for love.¡±

    ¡°The other is that the prince saved the princess, and love triumphed over evil.¡±

    ¡°I wonder which version the ballet troupe will perform this time.¡±

    He Zhichu raised his head and smiled. ¡°Which version do you want?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the version where the prince saved the princess, and love triumphed over evil,¡± Xie Qingying said resolutely.

 Chapter 1649 - You Can Seduce Me

    <h4>Chapter 1649: You Can Seduce Me</h4>

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes and said, ¡°I hope it¡¯s as you wish.¡±

    Xie Qingying was even more excited. All the blood in her body seemed to rush to her brain, and her face flushed. Even the freshest rouge wouldn¡¯t have such a beautiful color.

    She looked up and saw her face in the mirror on the opposite wall. Although she wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup, she was more beautiful than ever.

    No wonder it was said that women in love were the most beautiful, because love was a woman¡¯s most beautiful makeup.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had made an appointment with Luo Piaopiao at eleven o¡¯clock. It was already past ten o¡¯clock after she washed up.

    She didn¡¯t have time to eat breakfast. She grabbed a bottle of milk, drank a few mouthfuls, and ate two small muffins before she grabbed her orange Herm¨¨s Kelly bag and left the house.

    When she walked out of the elevator, she saw a Soviet GAZ-3937 medium-sized jeep parked under the steps in front of the door.

    It was still covered in snow outside. The snow on the sidewalk had been swept clean and piled up into piles of snow on the roadside.

    The snow on the sidewalk had also been swept clean, but it wasn¡¯t as clean as the sidewalk.

    The tracks on the wheels had crushed some of the snow that hadn¡¯t been swept clean, and it looked as if it had been frozen solid.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, which was especially suitable for driving in the snow in the wilderness, would definitely be very safe to drive in now.

    Moreover, the car model was tall and mighty. With a change of color, it could pass for an armored car...

    Gu Nianzhiined in her heart and deliberately walked down the steps with a straight face.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car with his head propped up. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi hade out, he got out of the car and opened the door. He smiled. ¡°You¡¯re quite punctual.¡±

    ¡°Punctuality is the most important virtue.¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks in a reserved manner. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Peter. Actually, you don¡¯t have to take my father¡¯s words to heart.¡±

    ¡°How can I do that? I¡¯m pursuing his daughter. How can I not take his words to heart?¡± Huo Shaoheng said seriously, ¡°We Russians are always very direct. I hope you won¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This must be the most vicious attack on the ¡°Russians¡± and ¡°direct¡± people, right?

    She stopped smiling and got into the car with a calm expression. She said politely, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you. Let¡¯s go to the revolving restaurant on the Sanhuan road.¡±

    She was really treating Huo Shaoheng like a chauffeur.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and closed the car door for her. He went around to the other side of the car, got into the driver¡¯s seat, and started the car.

    The car drove off smoothly.

    Gu Nianzhi sat calmly in the car, but her mood was like a pot of boiling water, constantly bubbling.

    This was the first time they were alone together, right?

    In the car, there were only the two of them, no outsiders.

    Her hands were clenched into fists, and they were trembling slightly.

    She wanted to say something, but was afraid that she would be exposed the moment she opened her mouth, so she could only keep quiet.

    However, in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stubborn appearance was really cute.

    He nced at her a few times and finally spoke first, ¡°... Why are you specially treating Luo Piaopiao to a meal? Are you and she very close?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to look at the snowy scenery outside the car window and said in a perfunctory tone, ¡°We¡¯re okay. She asked me to eat with her, but I can¡¯t just say no, right? We¡¯re rtives.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s a favor.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to force yourself to interact with people you don¡¯t like. So what if you¡¯re rtives? When you¡¯re with me in the future, you have the confidence to ignore these unimportant people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and turned to look at him, then said, ¡°Only by being with you can I have the confidence to ignore them? How arrogant of you. Even if I¡¯m alone, I can ignore whoever I want. I¡¯ve never thought of giving in to those people who have evil intentions towards me.¡±

    ¡°I have the ability to say such things.¡± Huo Shaoheng turned the steering wheel and sped past a few cars. He smiled and said, ¡°For example, right now, I¡¯m going with you to support you.¡±

    ¡°I can take care of that little girl, Luo Piaopiao, with one finger.¡± Gu Nianzhi snorted and muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why my dad insisted on youing along...¡±

    ¡°The older the wiser.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice suddenly became steady. ¡°Uncle Lu must know more about the Qin family than anyone else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly. Wondering what he meant by that, she turned her eyes quickly to nce at Huo Shaoheng.

    Could it be that this trip to invite Luo Piaopiao to dinner had anything to do with the Qin family?

    Luo Piaopiao was the child of the daughter of the Qin family. The Qin family was her external family, so there was ayer of separation between them.

    Moreover, even if there was a connection, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t worried about her safety in public at all.

    However, her father was worried about her safety, so he found a helper for her. Gu Nianzhi felt veryforted by this.

    This kind of feeling waspletely different from her feelings for Huo Shaoheng.

    Her expression gradually rxed as she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. The Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital is really big. I don¡¯t know how they became thergest private hospital group.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital is very famous.¡± Huo Shaoheng suddenly said, ¡°I also saw some information about the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital in the KGB¡¯s archives.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why would the KGB pay attention to private hospital in the Huaxia Empire?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very surprised. ¡°Did thee KGB also find something wrong with the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t find anything wrong. We have information on them purely because...¡±

    He hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth. ¡°Because we have a file on the major economic forces of every country. Actually, we¡¯re not the only ones doing this. Your country, the United States, and Europe are doing this too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood. ¡°Corporate spies, right?¡±

    ¡°Or rather, national corporate spies.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at her with a smile. He really wanted to touch her head, but he held himself back. If he got excited, it would be troublesome.

    His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he suppressed his desire and excitement. His expression became even more restrained and calm.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and gave him a sidelong nce. ¡°Mr. Peter, are you leaking secrets?¡±

    ¡°... it doesn¡¯t count. Because what I¡¯m telling you is only permitted by the regtions.¡±Huo Shaoheng sighed at how well he had taught Gu Nianzhi. She could even use the word ¡°leak¡± to gag him.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯m a spy too?¡±

    Her eyes were slightly raised, and her eyes were moving. She was alluring and had the charm of a mature woman. She was charming and tactful.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and stepped on the brakes. He parked the jeep on an empty side of the road and leaned in front of her. He said hoarsely,¡±... You¡¯re a spy? You can seduce me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    She put a finger on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and pushed him away slowly. She said with a faint smile, ¡°Mr. Peter, are you trying to seduce me?¡±

 Chapter 1650 - Countdown

    <h4>Chapter 1650: Countdown</h4>

    ¡°Me?¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried to seduce anyone. I¡¯m pursuing you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile faded and she pushed him away forcefully. She opened the car door and jumped out. She said in all seriousness, ¡°Mr. Peter, if you keep touching me like this, I won¡¯t be able to sit in your car.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the car and looked down at her. He loved her dearly in his heart, but he still had to put on an expression of hurt and disappointment. He was silent for a long time, then said, ¡°You don¡¯t like me that much? You said that I look exactly like the person you like. Can¡¯t you just treat me as his substitute?¡±

    ¡°Treating you as his substitute is humiliating him, humiliating you, and humiliating myself.¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what Huo Shaoheng meant, but his words, even if it was just an act, made her very angry.

    In his heart, was she such a shallow woman who only cared about looks?

    ... fine, her feelings for him were indeed rted to his looks, but it was impossible for her to fall in love with him just because of his looks.

    Since he didn¡¯t understand this, she decided to stop trying to expose him.

    Unless he was willing to admit who he really was in front of her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to treat him any better.

    ¡°What¡¯s so good about him? Why are you so loyal to him?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Besides, even if he¡¯s nice, it¡¯s useless if he¡¯s not by your side.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said snappily, ¡°I didn¡¯t ept you not because you¡¯re not nice, but because I still love him. There¡¯s only room for two people in love. It¡¯s too crowded to have one more person.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then when you stop loving him, will you consider me?¡± Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and sniffed her hair.

    This woman was really irresistible. He couldn¡¯t resist her...

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Then wait until I stop loving him.¡± She picked up her phone and started dialing expressionlessly.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Huo Shaoheng noticed it and snatched the phone from her.¡±... You want to take a taxi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how can I take a taxi with you when you¡¯re like this? If your bestiality erupts and I can¡¯t beat you, who am I going to cry to if I suffer?¡± Gu Nianzhi snatched her phone back with a straight face. ¡°Don¡¯t touch other people¡¯s phones. You¡¯re invading my privacy!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed with an indescribable emotion.

    It was not because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s steadfastness, but because of her clear mind and unwavering determination.

    But he also knew very well that once someone like Gu Nianzhi was moved, she might really break up with him.

    Because she is loyal to her own heart and her own feelings.

    She didn¡¯t ept other men because she still loved him.

    When she didn¡¯t love him, she had the right to choose a new man.

    The sense of crisis in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart became even more serious.

    He stopped teasing her and reached out to open the car door. He calmly said, ¡°Okay, you win. Get in the car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand rested on the handrail next to the car seat. Just as she was about to climb up, Huo Shaoheng had already wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her between the car seat and his chest. He continued, ¡°Before you give up on that person, I won¡¯t go any further. But you have to promise me that I¡¯ll be the first on your waiting list. Once you give up on your sweetheart, you have to consider me first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng angrily. Her clear eyes showed the reflection of him clearly.

    She gritted her teeth and thought to herself, this Major General Huo is too much of a hoodlum. How could he say such things..

    Giving up on him and considering the current him, isn¡¯t it still him after all? !

    He¡¯s really not at a disadvantage at all. Was he that set on getting her?

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and said with a frown, ¡°No. If I give up on him, then I¡¯ll definitely have to find apletely different person. No way would I find another person who looks exactly the same as my ex-boyfriend!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned by the word ¡°ex-boyfriend¡±and did not speak for a long time.

    He quietly got into the car, started it, and drove all the way to the underground parking lot of the revolving restaurant on Sanhuan Road. He did not say another word.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly pleased with herself. She knew that she had finally made aeback.

    She got out of the car in a good mood. She nced at the parking lot and walked towards the elevator.

    The revolving restaurant was on the top two floors of the skyscraper.

    The top floor was the most luxurious. Sitting there, one could see the entire imperial capital from 360 degrees.

    The lower floor of the top floor was moremon, and ordinary people could afford it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reservation was on the lower floor of the top floor.

    But just as she walked out of the elevator, her phone rang. It was Luo Piaopiao calling.

    Gu Nianzhi answered the call with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m already here. Where are you?¡±

    Luo Piaopiao was also smiling. ¡°I¡¯m on the top floor of the revolving restaurant. That¡¯s the top floor. Are you treating me to a meal on the top floor?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi choked andughed dryly. ¡°Cousin Luo, don¡¯t y with me. How can I afford to treat you? I¡¯m at the bottom floor.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. You have toe to the top floor, or I won¡¯t eat!¡± Luo Piaopiao¡¯s crispughter came from the phone. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not as expensive as you think. Plus, the scenery here is great, and you can only eat once a year. At worst, I¡¯ll treat you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was fine with what she said.

    It was just as Luo Piaopiao had said. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t afford it, so why be stingy?

    She walked in front and followed Huo Shaoheng to the upper floor of the revolving restaurant, which was also the top floor of this skyscraper.

    The elevator showed the 36th floor.

    It was indeed the top floor. There were very few people eating here.

    Other than her and Huo Shaoheng, no one else came up.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little surprised.

    No matter how expensive the restaurant was, the imperial capital nevercked rich people.

    Why was it only her and Huo Shaoheng walking in?

    Something was wrong.

    Huo Shaoheng obviously realized it as well. He immediately took a step forward to block Gu Nianzhi.

    The oval-shaped revolving restaurant was surrounded by crystal clear ss windows. From here, one could see cotton candy-like clouds floating in the blue sky.

    The restaurant spun slowly like a merry-go-round. Tableware and tea were ced neatly on the dining table. It seemed that there had been someone holding a feast here just a while ago, but now there was no one there.

    Time seemed to freeze. Gu Nianzhi had a momentary misconception that she had walked into an abandoned set.

    ¡°Luo Piaopiao?¡±Gu Nianzhi walked out from behind Huo Shaoheng and stood beside him while calling out tentatively.

    ¡°Ha! Are you surprised?!¡± Luo Piaopiao¡¯s voice suddenly came from the side of the hall.

    Immediately after, men in suits and elegantdies walked out from the side door of the hall.

    Leading the way was Luo Piaopiao in a red chanel suit, and an old man with white hair and a ruddy face. He was dressed in a traditional Chinese suit with sables and fur lining.

    Gu Nianzhi was no stranger to this old man. He was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s father, Grandfather Qin.

    A middle-aged man walked behind Grandfather Qin. Gu Nianzhi had seen him in court before. He seemed to be Grandfather Qin¡¯s nephew.

    This time, they brought their women with them.

    Not long after, the entire restaurant was filled with people.

    Luo Piaopiao held Old Master Qin¡¯s arm and walked up to Gu Nianzhi with a smile on her face. She waved at her. ¡°I told you there was a surprise, didn¡¯t I? My Granduncle said he¡¯d treat us to this meal. We¡¯ve already booked this ce today. Cousin Gu,e and sit!¡±

    ¡°You must be Nianzhi, right? I¡¯m your first aunt. I¡¯ve heard of your name before, but when I saw you today, I realized you¡¯re even prettier than you are in your picture.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your second aunt. You even ate at my house when you were young.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your cousin...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your cousin...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to see you, but your mother always said it wouldn¡¯t be the right time. I didn¡¯t expect to only see you now.¡±

    The Qin family almost swarmed over and surrounded Gu Nianzhi, introducing themselves one by one.

    Their smiles were sincere and warm, and they seemed to know how to behave better than Qin Yaoguang.

    As the saying went, you don¡¯t hit a smiling person, so Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be so cold to everyone in the Qin family.

    As she greeted these people, she took the opportunity to rub Luo Piaopiao¡¯s head. She pulled off a few strands of hair and quietly rubbed them in her hand while saying, ¡°Cousin Luo, you¡¯re so unloyal. It¡¯s such a big deal, so why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand?¡±

    Luo Piaopiao smiled and said, ¡°I usually don¡¯t do such a good thing. It¡¯s only because of you that I have so much face!¡±

    ¡°Please spare me. Please don¡¯t give me such face. I can¡¯t take it.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and rubbed her head again, sessfully ruining her hairstyle.

    Luo Piaopiao inadvertently saw her face in the mirror at the side of the hall. She was so angry that she stomped her feet. ¡°Cousin Gu! Let go of me!¡±

    She quickly said to Grandfather Qin, ¡°Uncle, Grandpa, I need to go to the bathroom.¡±

    She pointed at her hair, which had been messed up by Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to say, ¡°I¡¯ll go too. I¡¯ll help Cousin Luo tidy up.¡±

    Grandfather Qinughed loudly. ¡°Go, go, Go! You little girls are so naughty!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Luo Piaopiao went to the bathroom. Grandfather Qin squinted at Huo Shaoheng and nodded. ¡°Mr. Peter? We met once.¡±

    It was at the He family¡¯s Christmas party.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was cold as he said unhappily, ¡°It was just supposed to be a meal between Miss Hu and Miss Luo. Why are there so many people here all of a sudden? Are all Huaxia people so untrustworthy?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Peter may have an oriental face, but you¡¯re still a Soviet citizen.¡±Grandfather Qin sighed and said, ¡°This is our kinship. We Huaxia value kinship the most. You don¡¯t understand. However, since you¡¯re here, you¡¯re a guest. Come, sit down and have a drink with us!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the door with a cold face and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Miss Gu. Excuse me.¡± He walked to the bathroom.

    Grandfather Qin was stunned for a moment and quickly said, ¡°Mr. Peter? That¡¯s the women¡¯s bathroom. Why don¡¯t you wait here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait at the door.¡± Huo Shaoheng waved his hand and strode towards thedies¡¯ room.

    Grandfather Qin¡¯s eyes shed with disdain. He turned to his family and said, ¡°Sit down, everyone. Let the waiter serve the dishes.¡±

    They had reserved this floor and had ordered the dishes long ago.

    In thedies¡¯ room, Gu Nianzhi was helping Luo Piaopiao with her hair. She took the opportunity to get even more of her hair.

    She picked up the hair that had fallen off one by one and put it all into her little stic bag when Luo Piaopiao wasn¡¯t looking.

    Luo Piaopiao looked at herself in the mirror and touched up her makeup. She said angrily, ¡°Cousin Gu, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so naughty!¡±

    As the two of them were talking, Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone suddenly rang. She took out her phone from her small bag and swiped it open to answer the call.

    No one spoke on the other end of the phone, but there was the sound of a mechanical countdown.

    ¡°Ten, nine, eight...¡±

    Outside the bathroom, the cold-faced Huo Shaoheng leaned against the outer wall. The sound of a ticking clock suddenly came from the Bluetooth headset hidden in his ear.

    The KGB was no stranger to this sound. It was no stranger to all the professional intelligence agents in the world who had carried out assassinations.

    It was the sound of a remote-controlled bomb counting down!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression froze. He quickly turned around and kicked open the bathroom door. He pulled Gu Nianzhi, who had her back to him, into his arms. He turned around and dashed towards the door.

    Boom!

    A deafening boom came from behind him. An explosive heat wave came like a me. The huge impact mmed Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi into the opposite wall!

 Chapter 1651 - Basic Precaution

    <h4>Chapter 1651: Basic Precaution</h4>

    At the same time, they heard a loud explosioning from the restaurant they had juste out from!

    The restaurant that was filled with joy just a moment ago was suddenly filled with screams.

    ¡°Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!¡±

    ¡°Uncle is seriously injured!¡±

    ¡°Ambnce! Quickly call an ambnce!¡±

    ¡°Call the police! Call the police!¡±

    The restaurant was soon lit up by a raging fire, and the scorching heat assaulted their faces.

    The sharp and ear-piercing sound of a fire rm rang out in the corridor, and it was apanied by a series of wild howls.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were almost deafened by the loud explosion just now, and any every seemed toe from the distant horizon.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back had suffered the shock wave of the first round of explosion in the bathroom. Although there were no external injuries, his internal organs were still hit.

    He held Gu Nianzhi tightly in his arms and rolled on the ground while crawling towards the stairs.

    The Qin family members cried for help as the mes came from behind them. They supported each other and pulled each other out of the hell-like restaurant. The management staff of the revolving restaurant were dumbfounded at first, but they quickly reacted. Some called the police, some saved people, and they worked in an orderly fashion.

    The security personnel on the thirty-sixth floor rushed into the fire with dry ice extinguishers to put out the fire.

    Ten minutester, the sound of ambnces and fire engines had already sounded on the main road outside.

    Fortunately, there was a fire station near the revolving restaurant and the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. Thus, the ambnces and fire engines arrived very quickly.

    However, the fire started from the highest point of this building. Looking up from the ground, only thick smoke could be seen rolling. It covered the entire thirty-sixth floor.

    mes came out of the windows from time to time. The fire engines couldn¡¯t reach such a high ce.

    The firefighters carried the water pipes on their backs and ran up the stairs to the 36th floor on foot, regardless of the danger.

    Because of the fire in the building, the elevator had automatically closed and couldn¡¯t be used. People up and down the stairs could only use the stairs.

    The people who had escaped from the upper floors were in a panic. They could barely make way for the firefighters.

    Huo Shaoheng had just pushed open the stairs of the 36th floor of the fire escape with Gu Nianzhi in his arms when an unpleasant smell of stic rushed out.

    Huo Shaoheng cursed in his heart. He quickly closed the door and rolled Gu Nianzhi into the storage room at the side. He took off her silk scarf and soaked it in water, covering it between their noses and mouths.

    Boom!

    Another explosion. This time it came from the entrance of the 36th floor of the fire escape, directly cutting off their path down the fire escape.

    There were explosions in front and behind them. The mes soared into the sky, and the ck smoke that covered the sky made many people fall to the ground.

    Huo Shaohengposed himself and quickly took out his phone. He wanted to contact the Soviets, but as soon as he took out his phone, he knew it was broken. There was an electromaic shield here, so the phone had no signal at all!

    Gu Nianzhi clutched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt tightly. Although she was nervous, she was not afraid.

    She knew that he was by her side. Even if something were to happen, he would stay with her.

    Her heart was very calm, and her hearing gradually returned to normal.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it quickly. It was impossible for a fire engine to put out a fire in such a tall building.

    The other party had also blown up the fire escape. It was obvious that they did not want them to escape through the fire escape.

    Could this be enough to trap them?!

    ncing at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone, Gu Nianzhi smiled as she took out her phone and dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°... why is there a signal on your phone?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked softly.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she shook her phone. ¡°Lu Jin¡¯s product so it must be a high-quality product.¡±

    This was a modified phone that her father had modified. It could withstand the electromaic shielding of all frequencies.

    After all, in this world, no one would dare im to be number one if Lu Jin imed to be number two in electromaic field research.

    On the other end, He Zhichu had already received a call and was anxiously asking, ¡°Nianzhi? Aren¡¯t you eating at the revolving restaurant today?! I just got the news. Are you okay? Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯lle pick you up right away!¡±

    It was obvious that He Zhichu had also received the news of the revolving restaurant¡¯s ident.

    At this critical juncture, Gu Nianzhi did not say any nonsense and said bluntly, ¡°Young Master He, we encountered several explosions and were trapped on the top floor of the 36th floor. The fire escape was also blown up, and there are mes all over the top. We couldn¡¯t get out or get down.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened and he immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring the helicopter squadron over to pick you up right away! You hang in there and go to the bathroom to find a water source! Don¡¯te out! Don¡¯te out until I get there!¡±

    Since the firefighters below couldn¡¯te up, they could only send helicopters to put out the fire from above.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°Almost all the members of the Qin family are here.¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned. ¡°We¡¯ll talk when we meet.¡±

    He rushed out of the room while wearing his flight suit. At the same time, he gathered the professional fire-fighting forces in the military and boarded the newest and fastest armed helicopter squadron in three minutes. He also deployed two small fighter jets and they quickly rose into the air. He sped toward the revolving restaurant on the third ring road.

    At this time, the explosion and fire incident at the revolving restaurant had be a hot topic in society.

    At the same time, countless new media outlets, traditional media outlets, as well as reporters from television stations, newspapers, and magazines gathered on the road in front of the revolving restaurant,peting to report.

    After Xie Qingying returned from her studies abroad, she founded a very influential new mediapany. When faced with such a major incident, she was the first toe to the scene to conduct interviews and reports with the employees of thepany.

    The mes on the 36th floor were raging. Some people were already unable to withstand the attack of the fire and jumped down from the top floor while shouting!

    The firefighters opened up a huge air cushion downstairs and picked up a few people who had jumped down from the top floor.

    However, there were also a few people who unfortunately fell into a ce without air cushions and died on the spot.

    The scene was very tragic.

    The police also rushed over quickly and set up a yellow police cordon at the scene to prevent everyone from crossing the line.

    Xie Qingying wore a ck suit and stood in front of the camera with a heavy expression. She quickly and fluently broadcast the news in fournguages: Chinese, English, French, and Latin.

    Other than the state media present, Xie Qingying¡¯s new media was the most formal, the most objective, and the most exhausting.

    From the looks of it, she was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to go to ¡°Swan Lake¡±at night.

    During the broadcast break, she took out her phone to call He Zhichu, but He Zhichu didn¡¯t answer the call.

    Just as she was puzzled, she suddenly heard her own staff say, ¡°President Xie, look, the military¡¯s Wu Zhi is on the move!¡±

    Xie Qingying suddenly raised her head and saw twelve of thetest military helicopters whistling over.

    ¡°Quick! Get the camera ready!¡± Xie Qingying hurriedly picked up the microphone and said to the camera, ¡°The government¡¯s rescue is still quite fast and effective. This time, they even mobilized the most elite armed helicopter unit of the military to help rescue people and put out the fire!¡±

    ¡°Such a big fire definitely needs helicopters to help put out the fire. Otherwise, there¡¯s no way to save them.¡±

    ¡°The people upstairs are saved!¡±

    The media reporters, police, firemen, and doctors and nurses in the ambnce cheered together.

    The audience andizens who were nervously watching the explosion and the progress of putting out the fire and saving lives in front of theirputers, mobile phones, and televisions also cheered.

    As soon as the helicopter squadrons arrived, a loud horn immediately sounded in the air.

    ¡°Clear the area! Clear the area! Everyone, leave quickly! Everyone, leave quickly!¡±

    At the same time, two inconspicuous fighter jets suddenly shot out from behind the helicopter squadrons and fiercely fired towards the building opposite the revolving restaurant from several directions!

    Xie Qingying came to her senses. This was definitely not a simple fire incident.

    She quickly pulled her staff into the interview van. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±

    The military was in the middle of clearing the area.

    ..

    In the small storage room on the top floor of the building, Huo Shaoheng took off his suit jacket and the bulletproof vest inside. He put it on Gu Nianzhi without any exnation.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You usually wear a bulletproof vest when out on the streets?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng. ¡°... Basic precaution.¡±

    ¡°But is this made of anti-materiel rifle?¡± Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. If she had known, she would have asked Lu Jin to make a few sets of bulletproof vests that could block heavy sniper bullets.

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any more bombs, but there might be snipers outside,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°If He Zhichu has someone protecting you, he should be outside fighting to clear the area now.¡±

 Chapter 1652 - Jinx

    <h4>Chapter 1652: Jinx</h4>

    ¡°Military clearance?! There¡¯s really a sniper outside?!¡± Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth in shock and squeezed out a sentence from between her fingers.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°This person¡¯s methods are very professional. If it were me, I would have done the same. So He Zhichu should know what to do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi muttered, ¡°... No wonder Young Master He didn¡¯t let me out...¡±

    Was he worried that there were snipers outside?

    ¡°Are they targeting me?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked again after a while.

    She calmed down and couldn¡¯t help thinking of Luo Piaopiao. She felt a little ufortable.

    She also felt a sense of guilt for indirectly causing her death.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Huo Shaoheng saw the uneasiness on her face and analyzed it for her. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of your unusual interest in Luo Piaopiao, which alerted the people behind the scenes. But it¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s the murderer¡¯s fault.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood did not improve because of this. She took out the small transparent stic bag that contained Luo Piaopiao¡¯s hair and said in a daze, ¡°... Do you think Luo Piaopiao still has a chance of survival?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s the most powerful C-X series explosive. One milligram can blow up an elephant to pieces. Think about Luo Piaopiao¡¯s size. She¡¯s only a proportion of the size of an elephant. Think about how she¡¯ll blow up.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao was blown to pieces almost instantly and turned to ashes from the high temperature.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. The corners of her eyes were wet. ¡°The other party is indeed meticulous. Then, this hair sample will never be publicly used as evidence in a court ofw.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her and sighed as he said, ¡°It was our oversight. We thought you were only interacting with Luo Piaopiao as a friend. Plus, Luo Piaopiao was the one who approached you first. We didn¡¯t expect the other party to cover up such a small loophole.¡±

    ¡°After we get out, we should immediately find Luo Piaopiao¡¯s dental records and get her blood sample from her family doctor.¡± Gu Nianzhi pulled herself together and gripped the small stic bag tightly. Her eyes were filled with anger. ¡°I will not let her die in vain!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked away, and his expression was grim.

    Not long after, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang again.

    She quickly swiped open the call.

    ¡°Young Master He!¡±

    It was blood sample.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s most elite Wu Zhi squadron was flying around the top floor of the building.

    ¡°Are you alone? Stay where you are, I¡¯ll find you!¡± He Zhichu was about to jump out of the helicopter.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m with Mr. Peter. Where are you, Young Master He?¡±

    ¡°... Peter? He came with you?¡± He Zhichu understood something.

    So Gu Nianzhi had rejected his invitation to have lunch with Luo Piaopiao and the Ace of the Far East, Peter?

    He tried to hide his displeasure but was relieved. He sat back in his seat and said, ¡°Then let him escort you out to the top floor. I¡¯ll wait for you there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and hurried out of the storage room with Huo Shaoheng.

    Outside the storage room was the narrow corridor of the revolving restaurant.

    The fire wasing from both ends, but it had slowed down considerably.

    Fortunately, the revolving restaurant had enough fire extinguishers to hold it off for a while.

    There were quite a few members of the Qin family hiding here.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Grandfather Qin lying on the ground, on the verge of death.

    Her uncles were kneeling beside Old Master Qin, holding tissues to stop the blood from flowing out of his forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw someoneing out of the storage room. Her aunt immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Gu and Mr. Peter! Aren¡¯t you guys in the bathroom?¡±

    She quickly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Piaopiao? Where¡¯s Piaopiao? Didn¡¯t you go to the bathroom with her?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there was an explosion in the bathroom too. We thought...¡± Uncle Qin sized up Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Since you guys are fine, what about Piaopiao?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sniffled and silently lowered her head. She shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to Piaopiao. There was an explosion in the bathroom. I ran out and was saved by Mr. Peter.¡±

    Her words were half true and half false, because this was not the time to tell the truth.

    ¡°But I thought I heard the sound of a phone!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aunt wrapped a wet scarf around her face. She looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked suspiciously, ¡°Is your phone working? None of our phones have a signal. Can you contact them? We can¡¯t be trapped here. The restaurant manager used andline to call the police, and now there¡¯s even a problem with thendline.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi avoided answering and said vaguely, ¡°Young Master He wille to save us.¡±

    She looked at Old Master Qin lying on the ground and asked hesitantly, ¡°What happened to Old Master Qin?¡±

    ¡°There were several bombs at the restaurant... my son, my poor child...¡± The second aunt of the Qin family burst into tears again. Wishing she could pounce on her and tear her apart., she looked at Gu Nianzhi hatefully She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re a jinx! You¡¯re a jinx! If it weren¡¯t for you, how would we have encountered such a thing today? !¡±

    One of her sons and daughter-inw had been killed by the explosion on the spot.

    She had almost gone mad.

    The surviving members of the Qin family quicklyforted her and held her back.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the Qin family members in silence.

    Ten minutes ago, they had looked gorgeous, but now they were all in a tragic state.

    She knew that she was in the same situation.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her shoulder andmanded the Qin family members. He said, ¡°Old Master Qin seems to be seriously injured. Young Master He is already here with a helicopter. Hurry up and carry him up. Use the helicopter to send him to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.¡±

    The survivors of the Qin family looked at each other and began to discuss.

    The uncle of the Qin family called a restaurant staff over and asked, ¡°Where can we go to the roof?¡±

    The staff member was also trapped on the 36th floor. He quickly said, ¡°There are no other passageways to go out. There is a movabledder at the end of this corridor that can be pulled down to climb to the roof.¡±

    He added, ¡°The exit is very small. Only one person can pass through it.¡±

    After the Qin family had discussed this, they asked a nephew of the third generation of the Qin family to scout the way out first.

    He was rtively young and not very tall, so he quickly climbed up the stairs, pushed open the partition on the roof, and went up to the roof.

    When he reached the roof of the building, he saw that there were indeed more than ten helicopters hovering at a low altitude. He was overjoyed and quickly waved his hands and shouted, ¡°Young Master He? Young Master He? Is it Young Master He? !¡±

    He Zhichu looked down from the helicopter and did not see Gu Nianzhi. Instead, he saw a young man. He didn¡¯t look familiar, but he was no stranger either. He just couldn¡¯t remember who this person was.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t remember until this person told him his name. This was a member of the Qin family, a nephew of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s.

    Why did this persone up instead of Gu Nianzhi?

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened. He immediately grabbed the helicopter¡¯s ropedder and jumped down.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you alone?¡± He Zhichu grabbed the young man¡¯s shoulder as soon as he came down.

    The man grimaced in pain from He Zhichu¡¯s grip and quickly said, ¡°There are still a lot of people down there! They asked me toe up and take a look! Young Master He, it¡¯s really you!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Gu Nianzhi? Have you seen Nianzhi?¡± He Zhichu asked without hesitation.

    ¡°Yes, she was the one who told us that you wereing to pick us up! ¡°The man was ecstatic. The feeling of having narrowly escaped death made him unable to think too much. He quickly said, ¡°My grandfather is seriously injured. Can Young Master He help send my grandfather to the Qin Corporation¡¯s Hospital nearby? !¡±

    He Zhichu was slightly startled. ¡°Old Master Qin? He was also injured?¡±

    ¡°Yes... My grandfather was protecting my youngest brother. His back was injured by the explosion, his head was also hurt, and he was bleeding a lot...¡± As this person spoke, he was about to cry.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to listen to him anymore. He said in a low voice, ¡°Quickly get them to send people up. Everyone,e up. I have brought enough helicopters.¡±

    The man nodded. ¡°There are more than a dozen people in our family. With Miss Gu and Mr. Peter, can we all fit?¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap! Get down!¡± He Zzhichu pped the man and chased him down.

    Not long after, the members of the Qin family climbed out of the stairwell one by one.

    The first one to be pushed out was, of course, the unconscious Old Master Qin.

    He Zhichu stood above the exit and helped them pull Old Master Qin out. He also helped them put Old Master Qin on the helicopter and quickly flew to the nearby hospital.

    By the time Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng came up, the fire below had almost reached the exit.

    The staff of the revolving restaurant were thest toe out. There were seven or eight of them, and they stood on the roof at a loss. Their faces were full of shock, as if they couldn¡¯t believe that they had been rescued.

    He Zhichu wore flying sunsses and carried a temporary umbre bag. He looked at them and waved his hand. ¡°You guys get on the helicopter at the back.¡±

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Nianzhi, Mr. Peter, you guyse with me.¡±

    He Zhichu said as he threw two bulletproof vests over. ¡°Put them on.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to say that she had them, but Huo Shaoheng pulled her hand away. She immediately said, ¡°Thank you, Young Master He! You¡¯re so thoughtful!¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and pretended not to see Gu Nianzhi and the Ace of the Far East¡¯s little movement. He said calmly, ¡°Hurry up and get up there. There¡¯s a helicopter from the fire brigadeing to put out the fire.¡±

    The fire started from the top floor and there was an explosion. If the fire wasn¡¯t put out in time, it was very likely that the entire building would copse.

    The famous ¡°911 ¡°twin towers had copsed in front of the world just like that.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly asked, ¡°Have the people on the other floors of this building evacuated?¡±

    ¡°All of them have. You¡¯re thest ones.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything more. He grabbed Gu Nianzhi by the waist and tied the sling around her waist. He watched as she was pulled into the helicopter. Then, he and Huo Shaoheng pulled the ropedder that had been thrown from the helicopter from behind and quickly climbed into the helicopter.

    Just as they sat down in the helicopter, He Zhichu received a call from his subordinate.

    ¡°Young Master He, the snipers on the opposite two buildings have been eliminated by the fighter jets.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary was in charge of eliminating the snipers. He had the rank of colonel and was his most capable assistant. ¡°All Clear.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± He Zhichu nodded lightly. ¡°Are the bodies here? Can we get an ID?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The person on the other side hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s the Russians, and they¡¯re using soviet-made weapons as well.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand tightened. He calmly looked at the KGB¡¯s Ace of the Far East, Peter aka Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting across from him, then narrowed his almond-shaped eyes.

 Chapter 1653 - Routine Operation

    <h4>Chapter 1653: Routine Operation</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi saw He Zhichu suddenly look at Huo Shaoheng and looked between them curiously. ¡°Young Master He, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    He Zhichu retracted his gaze and said coldly, ¡°This time, the situation is serious. Many people died in the Qin family, and Old Master Qin was seriously injured and hospitalized. I¡¯m thinking of how to exin this to the Senate and the people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She looked at He Zhichu and said, ¡°I have something to say. Can we find a convenient ce?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to my house.¡± He Zhichu also had a lot to ask her. Now, they were on a helicopter, so it wasn¡¯t a good ce to talk.

    They didn¡¯t speak anymore. The sound of the ne¡¯s engine rang in their ears, making them even more annoyed.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and yed with her phone. She quietly sent Lu Jin and Lu Yuan two messages saying, ¡°All is well, so don¡¯t be worried.¡±

    The two of them drove away from the small road near the revolving restaurant.

    Traffic control had already begun, so they couldn¡¯t get in.

    ..

    Soon, He Zhichu¡¯s helicopternded on the helipad of the He family¡¯s mansion. He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi, and Huo Shaoheng were put down.

    The Wu Zhi Squadron was led back to the base by the captain.

    He Zhichu led Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng through the desertedwn in front of the He family¡¯s mansion. They strode towards the three-story mansion in the main house.

    HeChengjian was about to go out for an emergency meeting.

    He was dressed in a neat military uniform with a military cap in his hand. He walked out of the main door with his personal secretary and orderly. He was slightly surprised to see He Zhichu walking over with Gu Nianzhi and the Ace of the Far East, Peter Huo Shaoheng.

    He stopped in his tracks and smiled warmly. ¡°Nianzhi is here? Are you okay?¡±

    It looked like he already knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ident at the revolving restaurant.

    He Zhichu had started to interact with other girls and seemed to have given up on Gu Nianzhi, therefore He Chengjian was no longer so averse to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi also stopped in her tracks and said politely yet distantly, ¡°Thank you for your concern, General He. I¡¯m fine. I was just scared.¡±

    ¡°How can you be fine?¡± He Zhichu snorted. ¡°You only know how to report good news but not the bad news. I need to call the doctor to examine you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her reverie. She knew He Zhichu was doing this for her own good. She smiled sheepishly and mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s just a superficial wound, and I¡¯m not feeling well. He Zhichu, don¡¯t make a big deal out of nothing.¡±

    He Chengjian chuckled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, Ah-Chu said he treats you like a sister, so he will treat you like a real sister. Don¡¯t stand on ceremony with him.¡±

    He frowned again. ¡°It might not be safe outside these two days, so you can stay with us for a few days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed. She said nomittally, ¡°General He is being too polite. Do you have business to attend to? We won¡¯t keep you.¡±

    He Chengjian was indeed in a hurry. He smiled and nodded at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Peter, please excuse me.¡±

    ¡°You can go attend to your business. Young Master He will take care of us,¡± Huo Shaoheng said with a straight face.

    He Chengjian stopped chatting with them and got into his private car. He rushed to the military, the Senate, and the Cab for an emergency meeting. The main topic was to discuss the vicious case at the revolving restaurant on the Sanhuan Road of the imperial capital.

    This case had a huge impact on society. It spread all over the country almost at the same time, and its impact was extremely bad.

    ..

    In the He family¡¯s mansion, He Zhichu brought Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng to the bedroom where Gu Nianzhi used to live.

    Everything inside was exactly the same as when Gu Nianzhi lived here.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed, but He Zhichu waved at them to sit down and said, ¡°What would you like to drink? Let¡¯s talk while we drink.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously said, ¡°I¡¯d like a ss of warm milk.¡±

    Warm milk had an excellent calming effect.

    When she had insomnia at night, she would have a ss of warm milk and a few biscuits. She would quickly fall asleep after eating.

    At this time, Gu Nianzhi needed warm milk to calm herself down.

    He Zhichu saw that she was a little nervous and asked suspiciously, ¡°Are you really injured? You can¡¯t not see a doctor.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng beside her and said worriedly, ¡°But Mr. Peter seems to be injured. He should get a doctor to take a look at him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the embassy to see our doctor. It¡¯s just a superficial injury.¡±

    He Zhichu saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯splexion was rosy and natural. He didn¡¯t look tired or pale after the injury, so he believed him.

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best not to pay too much attention to Huo Shaoheng.

    The important thing was emphasized three times: He was Peter, he was Peter, he was Peter.

    Gu Nianzhi was constantly mentally preparing herself.

    He Zhichu quickly brought the warm milk over.

    Gu Nianzhi had a cup of warm milk and two blueberry muffins.

    Huo Shaoheng had a cup of Colombian ck coffee, and He Zhichu had his usual red wine.

    For him, the best sedative was red wine.

    They lowered their heads and drank at the same time.

    After drinking half a cup of warm milk, Gu Nianzhi thought she had calmed down. However, when she mentioned Luo Piaopiao¡¯s condition, her voice still trembled.

    ¡°... I didn¡¯t know what was going on at the time. I was in the bathroom fixing her hair when a call suddenly came in. She held the phone and turned up the volume like it was on speakerphone. I heard the countdown on the phone with my own ears.¡±

    ¡°Countdown?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ten, nine, eight, seven... like this.¡± Beads of sweat appeared on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead and she wiped it gently with the back of her hand.

    He Zhichu saw this and handed her the tissue box on the coffee table.

    Gu Nianzhi took it, took out a tissue, and pressed it on her forehead. She continued, ¡°Then I felt something was wrong and immediately turned to run. Mr. Peter happened to be outside the door, and he shielded me. There was already an explosion inside, and I don¡¯t even know what Luo Piaopiao looks like...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was on the verge of tears when she said thest sentence.

    She sobbed and took out a tissue to wipe her tears.

    He Zhichu was extremely shocked. ¡°They used a phone remote-controlled bomb?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly. ¡°The explosive they used was the most powerful C-X series explosive. One milligram could blow up an elephant into ashes. So Luo Piaopiao must have been turned into ashes in an instant.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s almond-shaped shed again. ¡°C-X series explosives? If I remember correctly, this is the KGB¡¯s specialty.¡±

    ¡°Yes, or else I wouldn¡¯t have sensed that something was wrong and pulled Miss Gu away.¡± Huo Shaoheng shrugged, ¡°They even ced explosives in the fire escape, but the explosives in the fire escape were only TNT. They weren¡¯t as powerful as the C-X series. Their goal was probably to cause a fire and block the fire escape.¡±

    He Zhichu drank a mouthful of red wine thoughtfully. He stood up and walked to the window. He said coldly, ¡°If the other party used C-X series explosives in the fire escape, none of you would have survived.¡±

    ¡°C-X series explosives are expensive and costly. There has always been a saying that ¡®every inch of C-X is worth an inch of gold¡¯. Furthermore, the preparation is veryplicated. The technical requirements and environmental requirements for theboratory and workshop are top-notch.¡± Huo Shaoheng straightened his long legs. Rubbing his knees, he said nonchntly, ¡°... it¡¯s not something an ordinary person can get.¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a long while. He turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and said lightly, ¡°But to the KGB, it¡¯s just a routine operation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly had a bad feeling. ¡°Young Master He, what do you mean?!¡±

 Chapter 1654 - Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 1654: Exposed</h4>

    He Zhichu looked at Huo Shaoheng fixedly. After weighing the pros and cons in his heart, he finally said, ¡°When our men were clearing the area outside, they killed a few snipers on the spot. Do you know who they were?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his legs, lowered his head, and took a sip of coffee. He said calmly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anymore. They must have been the Soviets, and then they used a soviet-made sniper gun, right?¡±

    He Zhichu pped for him expressionlessly. ¡°Well said, you guessed right. I¡¯d like to ask Mr. Peter, how did you know what was going on outside without leaving the ce? Or did you already know everything about this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression also became serious. She said sternly, ¡°Young Master He! You can¡¯t say things like that! Do you know how serious this usation is? !¡±

    But then again, if she hadn¡¯t recognized Peter as Huo Shaoheng, she would have suspected that he had something to do with this.

    However, when she thought about how he had risked his life to save her in the revolving restaurant when his phone signal was blocked, he couldn¡¯t make any calls, and had almost died there, Gu Nianzhi felt that even if she had mistaken him for someone else.., actually, even if he was the real Peter, he wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing.

    It wasn¡¯t that Gu Nianzhi was narcissistic enough to think that this man wouldn¡¯t hurt her, but she simply felt that he had no reason to do so.

    He Zhichu ced the red wine on the windowsill and put his hands in his pockets. He leaned against the wall by the window and sneered, ¡°So many people have died, so much property had been damaged, and there is such a terrible social impact. You¡¯re telling me that I don¡¯t know how serious this usation is? Nianzhi, have you already sided with him after not knowing him for that long?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists, and her pretty little face was as flushed as the morning sun. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°The truth? Then tell me, why are the snipers outside Soviet? And why they used soviet-made weapons? Even the remote-controlled bomb in Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone is something the KGB is familiar with.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s fingers tapped lightly on the windowsill, and he said expressionlessly, ¡°You and I are bothw students, so you have to speak with evidence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up to avoid being overwhelmed by He Zhichu¡¯s imposing manner. She said in agitation, ¡°Yes, you and I arew students, so we need to talk about evidence, but we not only need evidence, but also logic. We need to have sufficient logic to support the evidence, otherwise the evidence won¡¯t stand.¡±

    ¡°You mean, my words don¡¯t make sense?¡± He Zhichu asked calmly. He picked up the wine ss on the windowsill and took another sip.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that it doesn¡¯t make sense, but there¡¯s no logical evidence to support what you¡¯re saying. In other words, it doesn¡¯t lead to your conclusion.¡± Gu Nianzhi took a step forward and walked around the coffee table in front of her. She stood two steps away from He Zhichu.

    ¡°First of all, you said that the snipers were the Soviets. Okay, even if they were really Soviets, does this prove that these snipers who attempted the assassination are rted to Mr. Peter?!¡±

    ¡°If this can be a chain of evidence, then the crime of every Huaxia citizen overseas can be med on Chinese diplomats abroad, right?¡±

    He Zhichu curled his lips. ¡°Okay, whether the sniper has any connection with Mr. Peter or not, we will still have doubts for the time being. We¡¯ll analyze it again when we have the specific situation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°We also need to analyze the soviet-made weapons in detail. Do they belong to the guns the KGB secretly carry, or were they purchased on the ck market? If a spymits a crime with a country¡¯s weapon, that country will be med for it. This kind of simple and crude reasoning will only be used to frame other countries!¡±

    In fact, when spies are operating abroad, it¡¯s already amon understanding that they wouldn¡¯t use their own country¡¯s unique weapons.

    He Zhichu had also thought of this possibility, so he told the Ace of the Far East about the situation. Otherwise, he could have hidden it from him first and then set up a trap to take him down.

    ¡°What about the C-X series of high explosives? Was someone framing you guys? That costs a lot of money.¡± He Zhichu said slowly while looking at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Peter, do you have any ideas?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°The form for the C-X series of high explosives isn¡¯t a secret. The difficulty lies in actually making it. We can start from this aspect.¡±

    He Zhichu frowned. ¡°You want to find out where it was made?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll send a message back. The KGB will check to see if any C-X series explosives have been lost in the country. Then, we can use the elimination method. In this world, which country has such strong technical conditions to make such high explosives?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and added, ¡°Since Luo Piaopiao¡¯s explosion didn¡¯t cause too much of a destruction, I don¡¯t think that theboratory is very big. If it was the work of the state, Luo Piaopiao wouldn¡¯t be the only one who died.¡±

    The other party probably wanted her to die as well, but they didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to not only follow them, but also react so quickly and save her.

    ¡°Also, judging from the dead snipers and the captured soviet-made weapons, the other party decided to frame the Soviets. It¡¯s just that Mr. Peter happened to be with me at the time, so the situation became even moreplicated. Man proposes but God disposes.¡±

    He Zhichu wasn¡¯t so easily convinced. He sneered and said, ¡°It¡¯s not impossible to frame yourself as a guise. As for when he was with you, you can say that he intentionally excluded himself as a suspect, just like how a suspect can intentionally create an ¡®alibi¡¯.¡±

    The difference was that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s situation could be considered an ¡®alibi¡¯, or it could also be said that it was a trick of ¡®deceiving the enemy by hurting oneself¡¯.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that He Zhichu wanted to use Huo Shaoheng and said in anger, ¡°Framing oneself also requires a motive. May I ask what Mr. Peter¡¯s motive for framing himself would be?¡±

    ¡°We can only ask Mr. Peter, right?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s inquisitive gaze swept across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    Huo Shaoheng, however, remained unmoved. He said slowly, ¡°Do you think I would need such a big show if I were to make a move? If I wanted someone to die, it would be a matter that could be solved with a bullet. Why would I need a phone remote-controlled bomb?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly came to her senses and quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s right! The person who could install the remote-controlled bomb in Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone is most likely someone she knows!¡±

    Of course, if Luo Piaopiao wasn¡¯t a very cautious person, it was also possible that a stranger could have tampered with her phone, but the possibility was very small.

    Modern people¡¯s phones were just like their second identity ¡ª it was very difficult for strangers to get their hands on them.

    ¡°The key is that the other party installed such a strong explosive in Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone. Even if the dosage was very small, they still had the intention of killing two birds with one stone.¡± Huo Shaoheng averted his gaze from Gu Nianzhi, ¡°The perfect oue of their n was to have Miss Gu and Luo Piaopiao perish together.¡±

    Or rather, perish together in ashes.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legs suddenly felt weak and she almost lost her bnce. This time, she felt the deja vu fear of being chased by an unknown assant in the other world, back in Germany.

    At this moment, her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly looked up and said, ¡°I have a feeling that this person, or this group of people, is an old acquaintance of mine.¡±

    It was probably this group of people who had pursued her when they were in the opposite world.

    She tried her best to resist the urge to look at Huo Shaoheng. She fixed her gaze on He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, can I have a few words with you in private?¡±

    He Zhichu was a little surprised, but he still nodded. ¡°Okay, follow me.¡±

    He led Gu Nianzhi to his bedroom next door.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    He Zhichu closed the door and leaned his back against it. He asked indifferently, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Peter was there just now, so I couldn¡¯t say it.¡± Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment and lowered her voice, ¡°Young Master He, do you remember when I was hunted down in the German Alps in that world? Reinitz once said that they never wanted to kill me. They only wanted me as a sample for their gic experiment.¡±

    ¡°But you know, there was another force that really wanted me dead that time!¡±

    ¡°For example, Luo Jin paid for it, and Aiko Yamaguchi carried it out, but whose idea was that? Maybe it had something to do with this world!¡± Gu Nianzhi grew more and more excited as she thought about it. ¡°The people who really wanted me dead should be in this world!¡±

    Because of that case, the trail of the investigation on Aiko Yamaguchi went cold.

    This person had created multiple death scenes in an attempt to convince others that she was dead.

    The first time, it was under the name of Yoko Yamaguchi. She had caused a car ident in Japan, and had died under the name of Yoko Yamaguchi.

    The second time, it was under the name of Aiko Yamaguchi. She had put on a show with Gu Yanran in the Caribbean Sea in an attempt to convince everyone that she had jumped into the sea and died.

    The third time, she was being tailed by Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong at the Shimizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan. When they were about to capture her, the woman named Aiko Yamaguchi was attacked from behind and killed.

    Speaking of which, was the Aiko Yamaguchi who had died in front of Huo Shaoheng and the others the third time the real Aiko Yamaguchi?

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows gradually furrowed. ¡°Then what evidence do you have to prove your hypothesis?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands out. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. It was just my spection. I don¡¯t have any objective evidence, only an analysis of their methods and something I¡¯m familiar with. But...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°They used this method to get rid of Luo Piaopiao, which gave me a new hypothesis.¡±

    She took out a small transparent stic bag containing Luo Piaopiao¡¯s hair and said calmly, ¡°Young Master He, this is actually the main reason I went to have a meal with Luo Piaopiao today.¡±

 Chapter 1655 - Wonâ€™t Give Up No Matter What

    <h4>Chapter 1655: Won¡¯t Give Up No Matter What</h4>

    He Zhichu looked at the small transparent stic bag that Gu Nianzhi had taken out and was very shocked. ¡°This is hair? Whose hair? ... Luo Piaopiao¡¯s hair?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and put the small stic bag away. She sighed and said, ¡°What a pity. Luo Piaopiao was instantly turned into ashes by that explosive. My hair here will never be able to be taken out again.¡±

    He Zhichu was also aw student, so he immediately understood what she meant.

    His heart skipped a beat and he walked over to hold Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. He looked down at her and said softly, ¡°Are you suspecting her background?¡±

    The purpose of taking her hair was usually to verify the DNA. Of course, the purpose of verifying the DNA was to verify the blood rtionship between the biological parents.

    Gu Nianzhi grunted in agreement and said worriedly, ¡°Young Master He, you have to keep this a secret. If the Qin and Luo families find out that I have this, they will definitelye up with a lot of crazy ideas. I¡¯ll be in a lot of trouble.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± He Zhichu hesitated but then he said, ¡°But if you want to test Luo Piaopiao¡¯s DNA, you have to avoid the Qin family, especially the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and theboratories they funded.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She frowned. ¡°The Qin family funded a lot ofboratories in addition to the private hospital?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they set up a lot of research funds. All the universities¡¯boratories can apply, but they have the rights to the results of the experiments.¡± He Zhichu also frowned. ¡°The benefits involved are too big, and we can¡¯t stop them.¡±

    Of course, it was difficult to stop benefits rted to money.

    Cutting off someone¡¯s ie was like killing their parents. They might fight to the death.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we find a hospital orboratory that has nothing to do with the Qin family to verify the DNA?¡± Gu Nianzhi had an idea and said, ¡°Young Master He, did you ask the Qin family to submit the name list of theboratories they funded?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the name list at the moment, but the relevant departments should have it. Besides, a hospital orboratory that isn¡¯t sponsored by the Qin family definitely exists, but the problem is, for the time being, you won¡¯t know which one isn¡¯t sponsored by the Qin family.¡± He Zhichu thought for a moment and said, ¡°If you trust me, I can take it to the Military Laboratory for you to test. I can promise you that the Qin family won¡¯t be able to ess the militaryboratory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated and said, ¡°... if Qin Yaoguang hadn¡¯t married your father and had not worked with the military, I would have believed you. But now, do you dare to make a guarantee?¡±

    With the Qin family¡¯s strength and the experience of working with the military in Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb over the years, Gu Nianzhi doubted whether or not the Qin family actually could ess the military.

    He Zhichu had been away for the past few years in search of Gu Nianzhi, so he couldn¡¯t be sure about this.

    ¡°... you have a point.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s face darkened. ¡°The military is going to have to clean up the ¡®two-faced people¡¯.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Then you go ahead and do your thing. I¡¯ll think of something. Maybe we can get Mr. Peter to get the Sovietb to help test it.¡±

    The KGB had vouched for Gu Nianzhi, so she was more confident that they wouldn¡¯t divulge the secret.

    He Zhichu thought this was a good idea and agreed. ¡°Sure, do you want me to talk to Mr. Peter?¡±

    ¡°No need. He owes me a life. If I ask him to help him, he won¡¯t refuse.¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a half-hearted smile, and her expression was just right.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t suspect anything. He only felt that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude towards Ace of the Far East, Peter, had not changed at all. He thought that he was overthinking that she was biased towards Peter, but she wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Alright then, you handle it yourself.¡± He Zhichu said and led her out. ¡°So you¡¯ll stay here for the next few days?¡±

    ¡°No need. I want to go home and have some peace and quiet.¡± Gu Nianzhi held the small transparent stic bag tightly and couldn¡¯t wait to go back and share what had happened today with Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin would definitely have to do the DNA test. She had only used the Ace of the Far East as a cover to hide it from He Zhichu.

    She didn¡¯t want Lu Jin¡¯s presence to be noticed by He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was also a very perceptive person. He was also very familiar with Lu Jin¡¯s previous identity, Gu Xiangwen. Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen if he realized Lu Jin¡¯s true identity.

    Huo Shaoheng was already waiting at the door when they came out of He Zhichu¡¯s suite.

    He leaned against the wall opposite the bedroom with his hands in his trouser pockets. He stretched out his long legs leisurely. His gaze was deep and resolute as he stared steadily in the direction they hade from.

    Gu Nianzhi only felt that his gaze was burning, like an imprable, and was enveloping her in the middle.

    He Zhichu said aloofly, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mr. Peter waiting in Nianzhi¡¯s living room?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried,¡± Huo Shaoheng said bluntly, not beating around the bush at all.

    He Zhichu sneered and turned to walk towards the end of the corridor. He said coldly, ¡°Mr. Peter, enough is enough. Nianzhi won¡¯t like you like this. She loves freedom the most and hates being pestered.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Young Master He is imparting to me the experience of pursuing Miss Gu? I¡¯m enlightened.¡± Huo Shaoheng cupped his hands at him, then he gave a Huaxia salute. ¡°But we Russians will pursue a person to the end if we like her. We won¡¯t give up no matter what.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to roll her eyes when she heard this. She chuckled and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, you must be joking. I¡¯m going back first. Are you going or are you going to stay here and talk to Young Master He?¡±

    ¡°Why should I stay here and talk to Young Master He?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked displeased. He flicked his sleeves and walked away first. He said stiffly, ¡°I¡¯m going back to the embassy as well.¡±

    The Soviet Union had a general conste in C City, so of course they had an embassy in the imperial capital.

    Huo Shaoheng was now the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Soviet conste in C City. He could stay in the imperial capital, but if something happened, he had to go back to C City.

    However, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t go back to C City with him right now, so she didn¡¯t mention leaving.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him and thought to herself that she should give him full marks for his temper, because he waspletely different from Huo Shaoheng over there...

    She hurriedly nodded at He Zhichu. ¡°Young Master He, I¡¯ll be leaving then. I¡¯ll contact you if I hear anything.¡±

    She gestured to He Zhichu to make a call.

    He Zhichu said, ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡±

    They walked out of the He family¡¯s mansion, and He Zhichu found a car to take them back.

    After Gu Nianzhi got into the car, Huo Shaoheng was still as aloof as ever. He raised his chin and said, ¡°My car is still in the underground parking lot of the revolving restaurant. Can I go get it now?¡±

    He Zhichu took out his phone and looked at the message. He shook his head and said, ¡°Not at the moment. The road there is still closed, and the building is currently closed.¡±

    ¡°What about the fire? Is it out?¡± Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out of the car and asked worriedly.

    She hoped that the building could still be saved.

    He Zhichu said, ¡°It¡¯s out, but the structure of the building needs to be checked by experts before anyone can enter. The top floor will also take some time to be repaired.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved. ¡°It¡¯s good that there are no more casualties.¡±

    ¡°This time, five people from the Qin family died and four were injured. Old Master Qin is still in the hospital, heavily injured and unconscious.¡± He Zhichu told Gu Nianzhi the news he had just received. ¡°I have to go to the hospital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re going to see Old Master Qin?¡±

    ¡°... No. The Qin family used Old Master Qin¡¯s serious injuries as an excuse to request for Qin Yaoguang toe out and operate on Old Master Qin.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression was a little abnormal.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Can Qin Yaoguang still operate with her hands?¡±

    Back then, because Qin Yaoguang had insisted on performing the memory-stripping surgery on Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi had cut her wrist with a fruit knife.

    For surgeons, hands were very important.

    Logically speaking, with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s injuries, it was impossible for her to perform any more sophisticated brain surgery.

    He Zhichu frowned and said, ¡°The Qin family insisted since Qin Yaoguang was Grandfather Qin¡¯s only daughter and a world-famous brain surgeon. Even if she didn¡¯t perform the surgery herself, they would only be relieved if she was there to watch.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But Qin Yaoguang is a prisoner.¡± Gu Nianzhi was indignant, but she did not vehemently object.

    After all, human lives were at stake, and such things weren¡¯t unheard of.

    Even a death row prisoner would give him a chance when faced with such a situation.

    ¡°... Grandfather Qin¡¯s status is different.¡± He Zhichu sighed and said, ¡°He¡¯s a very famous entrepreneur and phnthropist. Weibo is already trending with the hashtag ¡®recover soon¡¯. In just a short while, the number ofments has already approached one million.¡±

    This number far surpassed traffic of influencers on the web.

    This was the so-called ¡°voice of the people¡±, and the government couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it.

    Furthermore, Qin Yaoguang was also very famous. She had been a doctor for so many years and had saved many patients.

    In addition, her case hadn¡¯t actually been finalized, which meant that she hadn¡¯t been officially convicted yet. At most, she was still a criminal suspect.

    Gu Nianzhi sat back down weakly and whispered, ¡°Then you have to be careful, Young Master He. If she escapes...¡±

    ¡°If the military and cab agree to let her go to the hospital to perform surgery on Grandfather Qin, I will personally escort her.¡±

 Chapter 1656 - An Eye For An Eye, A Tooth For A Tooth

    <h4>Chapter 1656: An Eye For An Eye, A Tooth For A Tooth</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi trusted He Zhichu since he was going in person.

    Qin Yaoguang definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to win against him.

    As for the surgery on Grandfather Qin, Gu Nianzhi would have to wait and see.

    He Zhichu waved at her. ¡°Go, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also popped her head out of the car and waved goodbye to him.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the other side of the backseat, and his was expression unsightly.

    Gu Nianzhi thought he was still faking it and didn¡¯t pay much attention.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t speak to Huo Shaoheng because He Zhichu¡¯s chauffeur was still in the car.

    The two of them drove in silence all the way to the apartment block that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were currently renting.

    ¡°Miss Gu, Mr. Peter, is this the ce?¡± The man looked at the address He Zhichu had given him and said, ¡°Mr. Peter lives here too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied indifferently and rubbed his forehead. ¡°Take me back to the embassy. This is the apartment I rented.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Peter.¡± The man got out of the car and opened the door for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and looked back at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was pale, but his expression was cold and his posture was arrogant. He looked like he didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone.

    Gu Nianzhi thought he was still putting on airs in front of outsiders, so she didn¡¯t care. She walked alone to her apartment building.

    She had already texted Lu Jin on the way back.

    As expected, she had just entered the lobby of the apartment building when she saw Lu Jining up to greet her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pulled him into the elevator.

    The elevators here all went directly to the floor where they lived, so it was safer and more private.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay?¡± Lu Jin was extremely nervous. ¡°You scared me to death!¡±

    Those people were even more impatient than he had imagined!

    Nianzhi would have been in trouble if he hadn¡¯t agreed to let that KGB official go to the restaurant with her...

    Lu Jin broke out in a cold sweat at the thought.

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly until they entered her apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi was very happy to see Lu Jin so nervous.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m really fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never encountered things more dangerous than this before.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as she tried tofort Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart almost jumped out of his throat.

    ¡°What?! More dangerous than this?!¡± Lu Jin almost jumped up from the sofa, and his eyes were wide open. ¡°Is there anything else I don¡¯t know?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled guiltily while thinking, there were so many things you don¡¯t know and only a fool would tell you everything...

    She smiled as she told him, ¡°It was the time I was hit by the anti-materiel rifle. If it wasn¡¯t for your bulletproof phone... Oh, by the way, thanks to your modified phone this time, I was able to contact Young Master He in time...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°You don¡¯t know that the other party used electromaic shielding, right?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression immediately turned ugly. ¡°Electromaic shielding?! Hmph! What a show-off!¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she patted Lu Jin on the shoulder and said, ¡°At that time, Mr. Peter¡¯s phone make any calls. He said that there was electromaic shielding, so I proudly took out the modified phone that my father had given me. I sessfully contacted Young Master He at the first opportunity to get help.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted again. ¡°He Zhichu is still somewhat useful. Otherwise, he would bepletely useless!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Jin was biased against the He family, so she quickly added, ¡°Dad, I also brought back a hair sample from Luo Piaopiao. Unfortunately, she was blown up on the spot, and there was nothing left of her.¡±

    Lu Jin was shocked. ¡°Luo Piaopiao?! She¡¯s the person you were going to have a meal with today?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi recounted what had happened and added, ¡°I didn¡¯t know the Qin family would be there. Luo Piaopiao kept it from me. She only showed up with the Qin family after I went.¡±

    She shook her head and stretched her arms backwards. She hugged the back of her neck and said ruefully, ¡°Then, when we were in the bathroom, it was just the two of us. When I was fixing her hair, Mr. Peter suddenly rushed in and pulled me along as he ran. Then, there was a loud explosion behind him. There was also a loud explosion in the restaurant. Several members of the Qin family had died. Old Master Qin himself was seriously injured and is now lying in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Why is the Qin family everywhere?¡± Lu Jin frowned. ¡°Was Qin Haoshan who humiliated youst time killed by the explosion?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°No, he didn¡¯te.¡±

    This person probably still had some sense of shame.

    He had just humiliated Gu Nianzhi, so he couldn¡¯t pretend that nothing had happened and eat with her.

    ¡°At least he knows his ce.¡± Lu Jin pped the table with his hand and spread it out to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Give it to me. I¡¯ll do a DNA test.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that he wanted a sample of Luo Piaopiao¡¯s hair.

    She ced the small transparent stic bag on Lu Jin¡¯s palm and said, ¡°I still have something to do. Dad, please test it quickly.¡±

    She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Can you do a full DNA sequence test on her?¡±

    ¡°Why do you need a full DNA sequence test? You don¡¯t need to test all the DNA for a paternity test.¡± Lu Jin did not understand.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Just do it, just in case.¡±

    Luo Piaopiao was already dead anyway, so there was no need for her to rush.

    Although Lu Jin didn¡¯t understand, he had alwaysplied with his daughter¡¯s requests.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it. It¡¯ll take some time.¡± Lu Jin hesitated for a moment, but he still coveted the time he had with his daughter.

    He thought that it wouldn¡¯t be toote for him to leave after he finished testing Luo Piaopiao¡¯s full DNA sequence.

    That way, he could spend a few more days with his daughter.

    To him, ¡°days that passed by like years¡± was a positive term.

    It would be best if a day could feel like a year.

    Because he hoped that the days he spent with his daughter would never end.

    Lu Jin took Luo Piaopiao¡¯s hair for DNA testing. Lu Yuan followed them in and asked quietly, ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay? The inte is full of news about this. Why was there suddenly a bomb? I heard that even the military sent out a military squadron? And there was a gunfight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why there was a bomb in the restaurant. I was in the bathroom at the time, so I dodged a bullet.¡±

    She didn¡¯t tell Lu Yuan about Luo Piaopiao because she wasn¡¯t sure what Lu Yuan was hiding.

    Lu Yuan immediately realized that she wasn¡¯t telling the truth and sat down on the sofa opposite her. He asked with a half-hearted smile, ¡°... Only the restaurant had a bomb? I saw the news online say that the first bomb exploded in thedies¡¯ bathroom. Didn¡¯t you forget to sy that you were in that bathroom?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost gasped.

    President Lu was too observant!

    She had only mentioned that she was in the bathroom, but Lu Yuan had almost guessed what had happened. In this regard, he was even more observative than Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Really? What did the news say?¡±

    ¡°It said that it exploded in the bathroom first.¡± Lu Yuan finally asked the question he was concerned about. ¡°What about Mr. Peter, who was with you? Is he okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Why do you care about Mr. Peter?¡±

    When did they be so close?

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change and his heartbeat didn¡¯t quicken. He said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not concerned about him. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll take the me. Think about it. He¡¯s from the Soviet Union, and now he¡¯s pursuing you in a high-profile manner. Now, he was suddenly involved in a serial bomb case because of you. The KGB isn¡¯t to be trifled with if he gets injured. They¡¯re best at retaliating in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth manner.¡±

 Chapter 1657 - Exaggerating

    <h4>Chapter 1657: Exaggerating</h4>

    Gu Nianzhiughed when she heard that and immediately said, ¡°... He won¡¯t get hurt.¡±

    How could someone who didn¡¯t even forget to wear a bulletproof vest when out on the streets get himself hurt?

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Ha, look at what you¡¯re saying. He¡¯s a human, not a god. How could he not get hurt?¡± Lu Yuan said. ¡°Besides, bombs don¡¯t discriminate.¡±

    ¡°Bombs don¡¯t discriminate, but we have eyes, so we won¡¯t just stand there and let the bombs go off.¡± Gu Nianzhi said nonchntly, ¡°We¡¯re all fine. Thank you for your concern, President Lu.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. That¡¯s good to hear.¡±Lu Yuan nodded. He didn¡¯t dare to rashly text Huo Shaoheng, but he was still a little worried since he hadn¡¯t seen Huo Shaoheng in person. ¡°Did he send you back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Mr. Peter still has some matters to attend to, so he went back to the embassy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both angry and amused at the thought of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dark expression when he saw her and He Zhichu walk out of the house together.

    Was it because he was too deep in character, or did she not know this side of Huo Shaoheng before?

    After Lu Yuan left, Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile.

    She looked up at herself in the mirror, and her smile turned into a bitter smile.

    Her hair was a mess, her clothes were crumpled, and there seemed to be a smear of dust on her cheeks...

    Even though she looked like this, no one had told her.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help feeling resentful.

    But on second thought, everyone probably thought that this was normal after surviving a bombing and fire.

    After all, it would be too fake if she was still neatly dressed, her hair was shiny, and her face was still spotless under those circumstances.

    But this appearance was really unsightly...

    Gu Nianzhi let out a soft sigh and went to the bathroom to clean herself up.

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the Soviet embassy in the capital and rested in his room for a while.

    The shock-wave from the C-X high explosive was too strong. Although he was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time, his internal organs were still impacted.

    He wasn¡¯t an iron man, so he would definitely feel ufortable.

    But it wasn¡¯t that serious.

    After resting for a while and feeling much better, he called the doctor in and said, ¡°Give me a check-up. I¡¯m not feeling well today.¡±

    The doctor was from the Soviet Union, so he quickly said, ¡°Where are you feeling unwell? Do you need an X-ray? If you want a CT scan, it¡¯s better to go back to the Soviet Union for a check-up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t need it for now. Give me a routine check-up first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Deputy Chief Counsel Peter, follow me to the infirmary.¡±

    The routine checkup was done very quickly. The doctor looked at the data and said, ¡°Your heart rate is a little fast and your blood pressure is high. Did you just finish a marathon and won the championship?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I had something to do just now,¡± Huo Shaoheng said ambiguously, ¡°Is my body okay?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine. This little condition is nothing to you, but you need to rest for the time being. Don¡¯t go running marathons anymore.¡±The doctorughed and joked, ¡°Young people have such good physiques!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and took the medicine the doctor had prescribed for him to help him sleep. He went back to sleep.

    The human body healed itself the fastest in sleep.

    ..

    After sending Gu Nianzhi and the Ace of the Far East away, He Zhichu also left the He family home and went to the military base to deal with this incident.

    ¡°Young Master He, all the major media outlets have been calling us nonstop. How are you going to announce the progress of this case?¡±

    He Zhichu received a call from the Military Legal Affairs Department and the Publicity Department, asking for instructions on how to handle this.

    He Zhichu said disapprovingly, ¡°They have to pry about everything. It¡¯s time for the media to learn about the confidentiality rules. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    It was really hard to prevent the media from leaking secrets.

    He Zhichu went to the station¡¯s office and called in the people who participated this time to listen to their reports one by one.

    The first person who came in was a bomb exploration expert. ¡°Reporting to the Chief, the scene has been cleaned up. ording to estimates, there are 0.01 milligrams of C-X high explosive residue at thedies¡¯ bathroom scene.¡±

    ¡°The fire escape is filled with ordinary TNT explosives, and the dosage isn¡¯t high.¡±

    ¡°The explosives in the restaurant are of the same type as the explosives in the fire escape, but the dosage is much higher, enough to kill many people. ¡ª end of report.¡±

    ¡°Have the explosive residue at the scene been cleaned up?¡± He Zhichu asked with a frown.

    ¡°It has been cleaned up. Even if there are still remnants, they will automatically degrade after ten days of blockade.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded without batting an eye. ¡°Write a report and submit it. The level of confidentiality is A.¡±

    It was second only to the highest level of confidentiality.

    This was a that he had set up to deal with the ¡°two-faced people¡± on the inside and the masterminds on the outside.

    The bomb exploration expert quickly stood up and saluted. ¡°Yes, Chief. The report has been written. I will go and mark the level of confidentiality and send it up immediately.¡±

    After he left, one of He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary, who was in charge of clearing the area by force, entered.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was the same as usual as he nodded at him. ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    This personal secretary was at the Colonel level. He stood straight in front of He Zhichu and said, ¡°Reporting, sir. There were snipers lying in ambush in three buildings near the burning building. There were a total of five snipers. All of them were killed on the spot by our fighter jets.¡±

    ¡°It has been verified that these five snipers are all from the Soviet Union. They entered the country as tourists three days ago.¡±

    ¡°Their sniper guns came from the north. They must have smuggled spare parts and then assembled them. ¡ª end of report.¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°This information will temporarily be kept secret. It is ssified level C.¡±

    The personal secretary immediately stood up and saluted. ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    Then, the person who came in was the Lieutenant Colonel who was in charge of putting out the fire.

    He Zhichu patiently listened to all the personnel in charge report. After that, he took the bomb expert¡¯s data report and went to take a look at the bodies of the five snipers first.

    ¡°Take a DNA test, find out their identities, and seal off the information.¡± He Zhichu narrowed his eyes.

    He wanted to see how many ¡°two-faced people¡± there were in the military this time.

    ..

    He Zhichu was done with his work while He Chengjian was still in a meeting.

    Because the military was involved in this case, He Zhichu was called to the military headquarterspound to report his work to the military bigwigs and the cab prime minister who hade to the meeting.

    ¡°Major General He, may I ask why the military is involved in this case this time? Could it be that this case is not an ordinary criminal case?¡± The Cab Prime Minister, Xie Beichen, sat in the small meeting room in the military headquarterspound with his secretary and staff. His expression wasn¡¯t very pleasant.

    ¡°Prime Minister Xie, the method and power of this case isn¡¯t that of an ordinary criminal case,¡± He Zhichu said calmly, ¡°Our bomb expert wrote a report after conducting an on-site investigation, but the confidentiality level of this report is grade A.¡±

    It was the same confidentiality level as He Chengjian, Xie Beichen, Speaker Long, He Zhichu, and the others.

    Xie Beichen was very shocked. ¡°You mean, these bombs aren¡¯t ordinary bombs?¡±

    He Zhichu said ambiguously, ¡°I have a data analysis here. As this is an important matter, please forgive me for not being able toment on it now.¡±

    ¡°But I heard that you also deployed fighter jets to clear the area with force just to save your ex-fianc¨¦e.¡± A military Lieutenant General sitting opposite He Chengjian suddenly questioned He Zhichu, ¡°Now, Major General He is refusing to release the field data analysis. Aren¡¯t you deliberately exaggerating because you used your official power for personal reasons?¡±

 Chapter 1658 - Source of Information

    <h4>Chapter 1658: Source of Information</h4>

    This person¡¯s voice was rough and very infectious.

    He Zhichu focused his attention and looked over.

    He recognized that this Lieutenant General¡¯s surname was Jin. He wasn¡¯t a standing member of the Military Supreme Council, but an ordinary member of the Supreme Council.

    Of course, the ordinary members of the Military Supreme Council were also very impressive. At least in terms of military rank and position, they were higher than He Zhichu.

    In terms of rank, He Zhichu was his subordinate, but he wasn¡¯t a direct subordinate.

    However, in the military, there was a clear distinction between the superior and the subordinate. It was most important for the subordinate to obey the superior. Therefore, He Zhichu said respectfully, ¡°May I ask Lieutenant General Jin, what is the name of my ex-fianc¨¦e?¡±

    Lieutenant General Jin frozen for a moment, then waved his hand unhappily and said, ¡°How would I know the name of your ex-fianc¨¦e? Major General He, this is a ce to discuss important matters rted to the national economy and people¡¯s livelihoods. Don¡¯t bring those trivial matters of your family here.¡±

    ¡°That means that Lieutenant General Jin doesn¡¯t know the name of my ex-fianc¨¦e.¡± He Zhichu continued to ask seriously.

    Lieutenant General Jin frowned his bold dark eyebrows. His wide nose red unhappily and his eyes looked furious. ¡°I said that such trivial matters don¡¯t need to be brought up here! Does Major General He not understand my words?!¡±

    He Zhichu was not angry. He said calmly in a calm but piercing tone, ¡°Lieutenant General Jin, since you don¡¯t know the name of my ex-fianc¨¦e, how did you learn from the military briefing that the person I mobilized the fighter jets to save was my ex-fianc¨¦e?¡±

    The public report didn¡¯t include the names of everyone present, but the military briefing had everyone¡¯s names, and this briefing was ced in front of the people in the meeting.

    Since Lieutenant General Jin didn¡¯t know that He Zhichu¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦e was called Gu Nianzhi, it meant that it was impossible for him to deduce that she was He Zhichu¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦e from the name of one of the people in the report. This also meant that his source of information wasn¡¯t the military¡¯s report.

    That was interesting.

    Lieutenant General Jin¡¯s face darkened as he looked at He Zhichu in disbelief. He mmed the table and stood up. ¡°What kind of attitude is this?! Do I still need to tell you my source? !¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t need to tell me about your source.¡± He Zhichu nodded slightly and said sternly, ¡°But your usation is groundless.¡±

    ¡°My ex-fianc¨¦e was one of the victims at the scene, and she wasn¡¯t the only person I saved.¡±

    ¡°I also saved seventeen members of the Qin family and eight staff members of the revolving restaurant. I deployed the military task force and fighter jets, and in the end, saved the lives of twenty-six citizens.¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, I have the authorization of the military¡¯s Supreme Council Standing Committee. May I ask, how did I use my power for personal reasons?¡±

    He Zhichu only began to be aggressive at this time, ¡°Lieutenant General Jin, although your military rank and rank are one rank higher than mine, you can¡¯t make such serious usations without any basis. Our military has always valued speaking with facts, and we don¡¯t engage in ¡®false pretenses¡¯. Has Lieutenant General Jin forgotten our military¡¯s values? Or has Lieutenant General Jin always been acting one way in front of us and another way behind our backs?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m a ¡®two-faced person¡¯?!¡± Lieutenant General Jin was so angry that his face turned red. ¡°I¡¯m loyal to the country and the people! I¡¯ve never used my power for personal gain! And I¡¯ve never acted one way in front of you or behind your back!¡±

    ¡°This kind of thing isn¡¯t up to you to decide.¡± He Zhichu took a step back. With a stern expression, he said to General Ning, who was sitting at the side without saying a word, ¡°General Ning, you are the highest general in charge of discipline in the army. I request that you conduct a thorough investigation on me and Lieutenant General Jin!¡±

    ¡°A thorough investigation of what?¡± General Ning asked indifferently, ¡°To investigate if you used your power for personal reaons? Or if Lieutenant General Jin is a ¡®two-faced person¡¯? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He Zhichu replied loudly.

    ¡°I object!¡± Lieutenant General Jin was exasperated. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting is to discuss Major General He¡¯s problem. What has it got to do with me?¡±

    Of course, it was impossible to investigate Lieutenant General Jin just because of this matter.

    General Ning nced at him and turned to He Zhichu. ¡°Major General He, it seems that there is some misunderstanding between you and Lieutenant General Jin. It will be fine if you exin it clearly in front of so many people today.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± He Zhichu immediately turned to Lieutenant General Jin, ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. Lieutenant General Jin doesn¡¯t even know my ex-fianc¨¦e¡¯s name, yet he¡¯s using me of abusing my power for her sake. I have no choice but to suspect that someone is falsely using me, and Lieutenant General Jin is being used as a pawn.¡±

    Lieutenant General Jin had just breathed a sigh of relief, but he was so angry that he almost vomited blood from He Zhichu¡¯s following words.

    ¡°I, Jin Shenggao, would be used as a gun?! Aren¡¯t you underestimating me too much?¡± How could Lieutenant General Jin admit this in front of so many people? He Zhichu put on a stern face and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses. Just tell me why you¡¯re not willing to publicly analyze the data at the scene. Is there something shameful?¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Lieutenant General Jin, do you still remember what the military¡¯s confidentiality regtions are?¡±

    Lieutenant General Jin: ¡°...¡±

    He frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is, what you said just now was like a sensationalist reporter, and people have to show you everything. If someone doesn¡¯t show it to you, it means that they have something to hide. You don¡¯t care about thews, discipline, and confidentiality regtions.¡±

    He Zhichu spoke with elegance and confidence, then turned to He Chengjian and Xie Beichen, the standingmittee members of the military supreme council also said, ¡°All of you are allowed to browse through this data analysis. If you need it, you can consult it at any time.¡±

    What he meant was that Lieutenant General Jin¡¯s level of confidentiality wasn¡¯t high enough. He simply couldn¡¯t look at this data analysis.

    It was just a level of confidentiality. Although Lieutenant General Jin¡¯s military rank was higher than that of He Zhichu¡¯s, their scope of work was different, so the level of confidentiality was also different.

    The atmosphere in the small meeting room obviously became much more rxed.

    Xie Beichen was the prime minister, so it wasn¡¯t convenient for him to question these big shots in the military.

    But He Chengjian was different.

    He was the number one member of the Standing Committee of the Military Supreme Council, and he was also the person with the highest military rank. He Zhichu was his son, and he didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but he was not only humiliated in front of so many people, but also almost framed.

    If he didn¡¯t speak, then he wouldn¡¯t be He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian coughed and said, ¡°Lieutenant General Jin, I also want to know who told you that Major General He used his power to mobilize the fighter jets to save his ex-fianc¨¦e?¡±

    Just now, Lieutenant General Jin said that He Zhichu wasn¡¯t qualified to ask him this question, but He Chengjian was different. No matter in terms of military rank or position, he was superior to Jin Shenggao.

    Lieutenant General Jin could choose not to answer He Zhichu¡¯s question, but he had to answer He Chengjian¡¯s question.

    His expression changed abruptly and he said in a deep voice, ¡°General He, are you here to defend your son?¡±

    He thought that He Chengjian would avoid butting in to not let people think that he was protecting his own son.

    ¡°Lieutenant General Jin, please do not change the topic,¡± He Zhichu said calmly, ¡°I also have a military position. Although General He is my father, here, he is only my superior, and also your superior. You won¡¯t answer your superior¡¯s questions? It seems that your source of information is indeed extraordinary.¡±

    He Chengjian raised his head and said unhappily, ¡°What the military values the most is the unity of everyone. Lieutenant General Jin, you are not willing to reveal your source of information. Are you trying to break away to establish your own small group?¡±

    Cold sweat dripped down Jin Shenggao¡¯s forehead. In a moment of panic, he remembered what that person had said. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, ¡°The person who told me this news is a journalist. I have the right to protect my source of information!¡±

    He Zhichu scoffed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Lieutenant General Jin is mistaken. A journalist has the right to protect his source of information. However, you aren¡¯t a journalist. You have no right to hide your source of information. Furthermore, this news is rted to me.¡±

    In the officialdom, no one can just stomach being used of using their power for personal gain.

    He Chengjian¡¯s fingers tapped twice on the conference table. His expression was stern as he said coldly, ¡°Lieutenant General Jin, you can either tell me the source of the information, or ept the investigation.¡±

    Lieutenant General Jin was cursing the person who sent him the information However, at this point, he had no choice but to say it.

    He raised his eyes and looked at Xie Beichen. Lieutenant General Jin said reluctantly, ¡°It¡¯s a reporter from Miss Xie¡¯s new mediapany. She said that everyone in theirpany knows about this. She even said that Major General He even rejected Miss Xie¡¯s invitation to the ballet tonight in order to save his ex-fianc¨¦e...¡±

    Xie Beichen looked at him in shock. ¡°Miss Xie? Which Miss Xie? There are so many people with the surname Xie. If you don¡¯t tell us clearly, how will we know who you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s Miss Xie Qingying.¡± General Jin¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of pride.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t let him lead him by the nose, nor did he pay attention to his deliberate attempt to sow discord. He continued to ask, ¡°Then may I ask why the reporters in Miss Xie¡¯spany wanted to tell you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not in charge of military discipline, nor are you my immediate superior, nor are you the main person in charge of this operation.¡±

    ¡°May I ask what is the rtionship between the two of you that made her insist on reporting to you?¡±

 Chapter 1659 - Everything He Does Is Right

    <h4>Chapter 1659: Everything He Does Is Right</h4>

    This question was too sharp, and Lieutenant General Jin wasn¡¯t prepared for it. His face instantly turned as ck as the bottom of a pot.

    ¡°What do you mean? !¡±He could only bluff and me He Zhichu to divert attention away from this question.

    However, He Zhichu not only had He Chengjian¡¯s support, but he also had his own skills as awyer. He could not let Lieutenant General Jin brush over this matter just like that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything by it. I just want to know why this female reporter was looking for you to leak the information to,¡± He Zhichu said calmly. ¡°Even if she were to leak the information online, it would be more understandable than telling you directly.¡±

    He Chengjian sneered and said, ¡°It¡¯s probably because Lieutenant General Jin is very likable... General Ning, I think it¡¯s necessary to investigate Lieutenant General Jin¡¯s social connections.¡±

    ¡°I, I, I... I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± General Jin was a little flustered. ¡°That female reporter called me herself! As for why she called me, how would I know?! You guys go ask her!¡±

    As he said that, he reported the female reporter¡¯s name and number.

    He Zhichu originally thought that General Jin had a lot to do with this matter, but when he saw that he immediately revealed the female reporter¡¯s number and name, he was a little confused.

    WAS it really just a coincidence?

    Was it that Lieutenant General Jin despised him, or was it because he didn¡¯t like the He family and was deliberately making things difficult for them?

    He Zhichu was unable toe to any conclusion at this time.

    He took down the female reporter¡¯s name and phone number Lieutenant General Jin had mentioned and said, ¡°If the military summons this female reporter, I hope Lieutenant General Jin will appear in court to testify.¡±

    ¡°Definitely, definitely...¡± Lieutenant General Jin wiped the sweat off his forehead and lowered his eyes to hide the hint of joy in his eyes.

    Prime Minister Xie Beichen was very shocked. He did not expect that this matter was rted to Xie Qingying.

    Moreover, he knew that Xie Qingying clearly had a good impression of He Zhichu. Why would she do such a thing?

    However, Lieutenant General Jin had vowed that this matter had something to do with Xie Qingying¡¯s employees. Xie Beichen couldn¡¯t refute him at the moment. He only wanted to personally ask Xie Qingying what was going on after the meeting ended.

    After He Zhichu¡¯s questioning ended, General Ning and He Chengjian discussed for a while and said, ¡°The Qin family has requested for Qin Yaoguang to go to the hospital to perform surgery on Old Masyer Qin. The military has already agreed.¡±

    He Zhichu immediately said, ¡°I want to personally escort Qin Yaoguang to the hospital. Moreover, I want the hospital where Old Master Qin performs surgery to be transferred to the military hospital.¡±

    General Ning shook his head in a somewhat awkward manner and said, ¡°We have already promised the Qin family to let Qin Yaoguang go to the Qin family¡¯s own hospital to perform the surgery.¡±

    He Chengjian also said amiably, ¡°Major General He, in view of Old Master Qin¡¯s serious injuries, it¡¯s better to perform the surgery in their own hospital.¡±

    If they moved him to the military hospital, in the event of a mishap, some things would be hard to exin. When that happened, the public would also be very unpleasant.

    He Zhichu knew their concerns, but he didn¡¯t care.

    However, he couldn¡¯t oppose the decision of his superior.

    Even his father supported this decision, so he had nothing to say.

    ¡°Then I will be responsible for escorting Qin Yaoguang.¡± He Zhichu made the final decision.

    ¡°Okay, I agree.¡± General Ning nodded. ¡°Immediately go to the detention center and escort Qin Yaoguang to the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital¡¯s headquarters. Remember to bring her back intact.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± He Zhichu stood at attention and saluted. Then, he epted the mission and left.

    ..

    Xie Beichen didn¡¯t bother to look at the data analysis of the bomb scene. After the meeting, he left in a hurry.

    When he returned to the Prime Minister¡¯s residence, the first thing he did was to call Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s father, Xie Dezhao, was only a member of a branch of the Xie family. However, when Xie Qingying returned from studying media andmunication overseas, then took the initiative to help Xie Beichen run for the election, she became a great contributor to his campaign team. Therefore, the two families were very close.

    He knew that Xie Qingying was a very clear-headed person, so he didn¡¯t understand why she would do this.

    At this moment, Xie Qingying was editing the news footage from herpany that day, especially the footage of the fire in the building. She looked for many angles, trying to present the situation in all aspects.

    When she received Xie Beichen¡¯s call, Xie Qingying was very surprised.

    ¡°Uncle, is there something you need me for?¡±

    After Xie Beichen became the prime minister, Xie Qingying retired. She didn¡¯t enter the cab and instead started a new mediapany. Her business was doing well. Of course, with Xie Beichen backing her, her business path was smoother than others.

    Xie Beichen frowned and said, ¡°Come to the Prime Minister¡¯s residence. I have something to ask you.¡±

    Xie Qingying was stunned. She knew something must have happened.

    She immediately packed her things and left hurriedly with her Louis Vuitton briefcase.

    When she arrived at Xie Beichen¡¯s prime minister¡¯s residence, Xie Qingying was immediately led to Xie Beichen¡¯s study room.

    ¡°Uncle, what happened?¡± Xie Qingying sat down in front of Xie Beichen.

    Xie Beichen said seriously, ¡°I went to the military for a meeting today. I heard from a person that there was a female reporter in yourpany whoined about He Zhichu to the military.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Xie Qingying stood up in shock. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear wrong?! Why would a female reporter in mypanyin about Young Master He?! Who is she?!¡±

    Seeing that Xie Qingying didn¡¯t know anything, Xie Beichen breathed a sigh of relief. He waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. Sit down and talk.¡±

    ¡°How can I not worry?!¡± Xie Qingying ced her hands on the table and leaned forward. She said anxiously, ¡°Does Young Master He know? What will he think?! But I really don¡¯t know about this! Please believe me!¡±

    ¡°Of course I believe you.¡± Xie Beichen patted the back of her hand. ¡°Sit down quickly. It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s fine as long as you didn¡¯t do it. Go back and ask this female reporter about it. We¡¯ll see what¡¯s going on. The military will summon her.¡±

    Xie Qingying suppressed the anger in her heart and slowly sat down. She said, ¡°What did shein about?¡±

    ¡°She said that He Zhichu used a fighter jet to save his ex-fianc¨¦e. He used his power for personal reasons, and used public tools for personal use.¡±

    Xie Qingying couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°Gu Nianzhi was also a victim. Under those circumstances, he had to use his helicopter and fighter jet to save her. Even if Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t there at the time, he had no choice but to save her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not jealous at all?¡± Xie Beichen said with a smile. He took a sip of water from his teacup. ¡°He did go to save her...¡±

    ¡°People¡¯s lives are at stake. He went to save her. Gu Nianzhi just happened to be one of the people he saved.¡± Xie Qingying shrugged, ¡°And even if he went to save Gu Nianzhi because she was in danger, it shows that he¡¯s a person of honor and righteousness, that he won¡¯t let his personal feelings get in the way and leave her to die just because she rejected him.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, I finally understand what it means to be in love. So in your eyes, there¡¯s nothing wrong with He Zhichu and everything he does is right!¡± Xie Beichen¡¯s shoulders shook as heughed.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s face flushed because of hisughter. ¡°Uncle! Whyugh at me like that?! I¡¯m telling the truth!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Xie Beichen knocked on the table and stoppedughing. He pointed at her and said, ¡°From now on, you can¡¯t act alone. Even if you want to meet that female employee of yours, you have to be apanied by at least two people. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Xie Qingying asked in confusion. ¡°I still want to talk to her alone.¡±

    ¡°If that person isn¡¯t lying, then this female employee of yours is clearly framing you. I¡¯m worried that if youe into contact with her alone, she will y some dirty tricks and frame you.¡±

    Xie Beichen exined very carefully.

    Only then did Xie Qingying understand. Her face immediately turned livid. ¡°I will hold a meeting throughout thepany and directly question her at the meeting!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Xie Beichen gave her a thumbs up. ¡°This method is even better than mine.¡±

    As long as Xie Qingying had a clear conscience, Xie Beichen hoped that the more people who knew about this matter, the better.

    Xie Qingying left the prime minister¡¯s residence and returned to thepany quietly.

    She looked at the employees who came to work today and found that the female reporter happened to be in thepany today. She immediately called everyone to the meeting room and said that she had an important announcement to make.

    When everyone heard that, they all ran to the meeting room enthusiastically.

    Because it was a new mediapany, most of the staff were young people.

    Xie Qingying walked in and saw that the female reporter was talking to someone proudly. Seeing herugh so hard, she couldn¡¯t help but feel sick to her stomach.

    She walked to the stage and directly called out the female reporter¡¯s name, then asked alooly, ¡°I heard that you told someone in the military that Young Master He used his power for personal reasons and used a fighter jet to save his ex-fianc¨¦e. You even said that Young Master He went back on his promise to go to the ballet with me because of that? I don¡¯t remember telling you that I¡¯m going to the ballet with Young Master He.¡±

    The female reporter almost fainted.

    She never expected that Lieutenant General Jin in the military would be so unreliable that he would sell her out!

 Chapter 1660 - I Believe You

    <h4>Chapter 1660: I Believe You</h4>

    The female reporter¡¯s face was ashen as she stood up shakily. She was tongue-tied for a long time, but she still gritted her teeth and retorted, ¡°President Xie, I don¡¯t know where you heard the news. It¡¯s not true. I didn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s voice turnedpletely cold, ¡°Then the Lieutenant General of the military is framing you? Anyway, why did you say that? Who did you tell? It has nothing to do with me, so you shouldn¡¯t involve me in this and let others think that I asked you to snitch.¡±

    ¡°... How is this snitching? This is clearly the truth!¡± The female reporter saw that Xie Qingying even knew that the other party was a Lieutenant General, so she knew that she couldn¡¯t deny it anymore. Since that was the case, she would just bite the bullet. ¡°Young Master He has always been relying on his position as the Major General to freely mobilize the resources of the military. Clearly, he still has feelings for his ex-fianc¨¦e! I was trying to fight for you, President Xie. I didn¡¯t expect that not only did you not appreciate it, you even wanted to find trouble with me! Alright, I won¡¯t do this job anymore. I¡¯ll resign!¡±

    This female reporter had long nned to leave, but she didn¡¯t expect to resign under such circumstances.

    The connections she had umted in thispany were almost destroyed by Xie Qingying in an instant.

    After her colleagues and friends found out that she was a ¡°snitch,¡± how could they still treat her the same as before?

    ¡°You want to resign and leave? Dream on. I¡¯m officially informing you that you¡¯re fired. Not only will you have topensate for thepany¡¯s losses,¡± Xie Qingying did not hesitate to take out thebor contract she had signed with this female reporter back then, ¡°Also, your actions are nder. Wait for mywyer¡¯s letter. I¡¯ll sue you.¡±

    The female reporter¡¯s face was already pale.

    She opened her mouth several times and wanted to plead with Xie Qingying. However, she had just said some harsh words, so it would be really embarrassing to take them back in front of the entirepany now.

    Therefore, she did not say a word and walked to the door of the meeting room. She wanted to go to her office to pack her things.

    Xie Qingying immediately called the security guard over and said, ¡°Please leave mypany immediately. She has been fired.¡±

    At this time, she wouldn¡¯t give her any chance toe into contact with thepany¡¯sputers and internal systems.

    Xie Qingying took out her phone and logged into thepany¡¯s internalwork. She quickly deleted the female reporter¡¯s ount and changed her work email password.

    The female reporter turned around and red at Xie Qingying. ¡°My personal belongings are still in my cubicle!¡±

    ¡°The security guards will take out all your belongings, but you can¡¯t enter thepany again.¡± Xie Qingying was very unyielding and didn¡¯t give her any chance.

    This woman had caused too much damage to her rtionship with He Zhichu. Xie Qingying didn¡¯t want to let her off the hook.

    After firing the female reporter, Xie Qingying returned to her office and pulled out the surveince video from the meeting room. She didn¡¯t edit it at all and sent it directly to He Zhichu¡¯s email.

    After she sent it, she called He Zhichu again.

    However, at this time, He Zhichu was escorting Qin Yaoguang to the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital¡¯s headquarters to watch her perform the surgery on Old Master Qin.

    Of course, Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t do it herself. Instead, she stood in the operating room andmanded the other doctors.

    He Zhichu also changed into the hospital¡¯s sterile surgical gown and stood in a corner of the operating room expressionlessly.

    Ever since Qin Yaoguang heard the news of Grandpa Qin¡¯s injury, she hadn¡¯t stopped crying. Now, her eyes were red and swollen, but she was still calm. When she was directing the surgery, she was well-organized and didn¡¯t panic at all.

    The chief surgeon was a neurosurgeon in the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and second only to Qin Yaoguang. Now, he should be the best brain surgeon.

    That person reported Old Master Qin¡¯s injuries to Qin Yaoguang and discussed the surgical n.

    ¡°Old Master Qin had a CT scan. There is blockage in the brain. This is the main reason we need to open the brain to clear the blockage.¡±

    Qin yaoguang looked at the CT image and discussed with everyone. In the end, she decided, ¡°Then we will open the brain. However, my father is old. The wound shouldn¡¯t be too big when we open the brain. We only need to open a small incision here and use the gamma knife to perform the surgery.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang defined the range of the craniotomy and exined the things that needed to be paid attention to during the surgery.

    After all, she had been the best neurosurgeon for so many years, so when it came to craniotomy and gamma knife, she was very knowledgeable. The doctors present listened very carefully and were very impressed with her.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t understand these professional jargon, nor was he interested. He just stared at Old Master Qin on the hospital bed. Sometimes, he would look at the monitoring equipment in the ward and pay attention to the progress of the surgery.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s brain surgery had been going on for several hours. By the time the surgery was over, it was alreadyte into the night.

    ¡°Young Master He, my father¡¯s injuries are serious. Although he has undergone surgery, he still needs to be observed for a period of time. Can I stay here until my father is out of danger?¡± Qin Yaoguang begged He Zhichu pitifully.

    He Zhichu said nonchntly, ¡°I can¡¯t make the decision. I have to consult my superior.¡± As he spoke, he took out his phone and made a call.

    The moment he took out his phone, he saw a few missed calls from Xie Qingying.

    He didn¡¯t call back immediately. Instead, he called the leader of the military first.

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang requested to wait until Old Master Qin is out of danger before leaving. Please instruct your superior.¡±

    The military leader pondered for a moment and said, ¡°How long will it take to get out of the critical period?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know. He looked up at Qin Yaoguang. ¡°How long will it take to get out of the critical period?¡±

    ¡°At least 12 hours, usually 24 hours,¡± Qin Yaoguang said without hesitation. Her expression didn¡¯t change.

    After He Zhichu ryed the message, the leader on the other end of the phone said, ¡°Then 12 hours. After 12 hours, she must be escorted back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± He Zhichu epted the order and turned to Qin Yaoguang. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 12 hours. After 12 hours, regardless of whether Old Master Qin is out of danger or not, you must leave this ce and return to the detention center.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s gaze dimmed for a moment, but she still nodded. ¡°Alright, then 12 hours it is.¡±

    Old Master Qin was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit. His body and head were covered with heavy equipment. The equipment and wires were intertwined. He looked like a big spider, coiled in the middle of a web.

    Qin Yaoguang sat down in front of Old Master Qin¡¯s bed and focused on Old Master Qin¡¯s medical records and injuries.

    He Zhichu stood in front of the window with his phone and sent Xie Qingying a message. ¡°I haven¡¯t finished my work today. I can¡¯t watch Swan Lake.¡±

    Xie Qingying waited anxiously for his message. After she finally saw his message, she understood that it wasn¡¯t convenient for him to call, so she immediately replied, ¡°I know. I was going to call you early in the morning to tell you that I¡¯m not free tonight, but I didn¡¯t expect so many things to happen.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know which one she was referring to. His fingers rubbed the phone, but he didn¡¯t reply.

    Xie Qingying waited for a while. She thought He Zhichu was angry, so she gripped the phone tightly and sent him a voice message. ¡°Young Master He, I didn¡¯t ask my employee to inform the military. I¡¯m not that stupid. I¡¯ve already held a meeting to confront her and fire her.¡±

    He Zhichu was wearing a Bluetooth headset. When he heard her voice reply, he immediately replied, ¡°Did Prime Minister Xie tell you?¡±

    He Zhichu thought about how the military still wanted to summon this female reporter. He immediately ryed the news to the relevant military departments and deployed people to control and protect this female reporter.

    ¡°Yes, uncle was very concerned about me. He didn¡¯t want this to happen. I have no idea why she would do this!¡± Xie Qingying was on the verge of tears. ¡°Young Master He, you have to believe me!¡±

    Her voice was somewhat simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s when she was choking with sobs.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and continued typing. ¡°... I believe you. Don¡¯t cry.¡±

 Chapter 1661 - Tears of Joy

    <h4>Chapter 1661: Tears of Joy</h4>

    Xie Qingying looked at the simple words on her phone. ¡°I believe you, Don¡¯t cry.¡± Her heart stopped beating for a moment.

    Did she really move He Zhichu?

    She had a crush on him for so long, so long that she thought there was no hope. However, she realized that there was a sudden turn of events. Not only was there hope, but the dawn of victory was just ahead.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s tears fell quickly and anxiously on the phone screen. She quickly wiped them with her hand, but she touched the touch screen and pushed He Zhichu¡¯s reply to an invisible ce.

    How could she do that?

    Xie Qingying couldn¡¯t be bothered to wipe her tears. She quickly took out a Hermes scarf from her LV tote briefcase and randomly wiped it on the phone screen.

    He Zhichu waited for a while. When he saw that she didn¡¯t reply, he was about to put away his phone when he saw Xie Qingying send another text message. ¡°... I¡¯m crying from joy.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at this text message and the expression in his eyes changed slightly. However, he only took a nce before he turned off his phone and didn¡¯t reply to Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying stared at her phone for an entire hour, but she didn¡¯t receive a reply from He Zhichu. Only then did she confirm that he wouldn¡¯t reply.

    She was slightly disappointed, but she quickly pulled herself together.

    She had waited for so many years, so why should she care about the time now.

    Moreover, with such a big incident at the revolving restaurant, He Zhichu must be very busy right now.

    When Xie Qingying was a teenager, she left home to study abroad. After she received her master¡¯s degree, she returned to start her own business. She had always been an independent woman, not a delicate and weak woman who could only cling to a man.

    Therefore, she had never thought of clinging to He Zhichu all the time.

    She contributed, and he responded. At this stage, this was enough.

    Xie Qingying was in a good mood and returned to work.

    ..

    He Zhichu sat in Grandfather Qin¡¯s ward without saying a word.

    His handsome face was cold, and his expression was austere. His gaze never left Grandfather Qin¡¯s hospital bed.

    Old Master Qin had been lying peacefully on the hospital bed. The data of all kinds of instruments showed that everything was normal. The surgery seemed to be very sessful.

    A few hours had passed, and the doctors and nurses had onlye to check on the room once. They discussed the data on the instruments with Qin Yaoguang, who was sitting in front of Old Master Qin¡¯s hospital bed. They also discussed the pros and cons of the gamma knife surgery.

    It could be seen that they respected Qin Yaoguang very much. Even though she was now a prisoner, they still treated her with respect.

    Moreover, this respect wasn¡¯t because she was the daughter of the chairman, nor was it because she was the dean of the hospital. It was because they sincerely respected her professional expertise.

    He Zhichu watched from the side coldly. His figure seemingly blended into a dark corner of the ward, and his sense of presence so low that the doctors and nurses had forgotten about He Zhichu¡¯s existence.

    Qin Yaoguang wore a green surgical gown that was specially used by surgeons. She wore a green cap on her head and sat with her back facing He Zhichu. Even though she didn¡¯t turn her head, she knew that He Zhichu had been looking at her.

    But what was the use of looking at her?

    Qin Yaoguangughed coldly in her heart. She curled her lips and continued to look at the data on the instrument.

    In the wee hours of the morning, the quiet device suddenly started to scream crazily.

    He Zhichu jumped up from the sofa and strode over. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang rushed over and shouted at the pager in the ward, ¡°Help! Help! The patient¡¯s blood pressure is rising, his body temperature is rising, his heart rate is increasing, he is shivering, and he has a severe gastrointestinal reaction!¡±

    Severe gastrointestinal reactions were usually vomiting and diarrhea.

    He Zhichu looked over and saw that Old Master Qin was foaming at the mouth. Soon, his face was covered with foam, and some of the vomit was almost blocking his nose.

    In this kind of situation, the patient would most likely suffocate.

    Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t care about the mess and used her hands to help Old Master Qin clean up the vomit in his mouth.

    Many doctors and nurses pushed the door open and came in to carry out aprehensive examination of Old Master Qin.

    ¡°Is there a problem with the surgery?¡±

    ¡°The surgery was very smooth, but the surgery rted to the brain was inherently risky. Moreover, my father is old, and the organs in his body are gradually failing. He might not be able to withstand the after-effects of the surgery,¡± Qin Yaoguang said in a deep voice, ¡°Hurry up and give him a shot to prevent side effects. I remember that the hospital imported a batch of this medicine. Do you still have it?¡±

    ¡°Also, we will bring it to the chairman¡¯s intravenous drip immediately.¡±

    Under Qin Yaoguang¡¯smand, the doctors and nurses methodically performed postoperative care for Old Master Qin.

    After a flurry of activity, Old Master Qin¡¯s condition finally stabilized. He stopped vomiting. His temperature and blood pressure also gradually dropped, and his heartbeat also returned to normal.

    Due to this small incident, Qin Yaoguang requested that her stay be extended for another 12 hours.

    ¡°Young Master He, you saw it. My father is still in critical condition, and he is still in a state where he can die at any moment.¡± Qin Yaoguang wiped her tears and pleaded, ¡°I definitely won¡¯t leave. You can always stay here and keep an eye on me.¡±

    He Zhichu said calmly, ¡°An extension of another 12 hours requires the approval of the military. You can apply. If they agree, I have no objections.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go apply.¡±

    She found a doctor to write a certificate, and she also wrote a request for an extension of her stay, then gave it to He Zhichu.

    After He Zhichu sealed it, he had his orderly send it to the military.

    When dawn broke, the military agreed to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s request. They asked her to stay for another twelve hours and return to the detention center after Old Master Qin was out of danger.

    Since the military agreed, He Zhichu had no way to object.

    He just continued to sit in Old Master Qin¡¯s ward and coldly watched what Qin Yaoguang was up to.

    During the extended twelve hours, Old Master Qin¡¯s condition repeated again. It was still high fever, elevated blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and chills. At the same time, he also vomited.

    However, under the care of Qin Yaoguang and the others, Old Master Qin returned to normal again.

    The sun rose and set again, and the sky grew dark again.

    He Zhichu looked at his watch. Soon, it would be twelve hours again.

    During these twelve hours, he really had to waste time with Qin Yaoguang. Even if he went to the bathroom, he would have a toon of soldiers guard the door of the ward.

    Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t escape even if she had wings.

    He stood up and walked around the ward casually while looking around at the equipment in the ward.

    When he walked past a venttor ced beside the bed, he suddenly felt dizzy.

    Everything in the ward jolted up and down before his eyes. It was as if he was standing on a turbulent sea. The soles of his feet felt so soft that he couldn¡¯t step on the ground. He almost lost his bnce.

    He Zhichu quickly held onto the venttor. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pinched the palm of his hand.

    The intense pain woke him up. When he opened his eyes, the dizziness from before had disappeared.

    His feet returned to the solid ground. The shaking sensation just now seemed to just be an illusion.

    He Zhichu knew that something was wrong.

    The feeling just now seemed to be the same as when he had a seizure in the past.

    But he had already been cured.

    He hadn¡¯t had a rpse in the past ten years.

    He suddenly looked at Qin Yaoguang, but Qin Yaoguang still had her head lowered. She was holding on to Old Master Qin¡¯s hand and mumbling that she hoped that he would wake up as soon as possible.

    Although he had no evidence this was her doing, He Zhichu¡¯s vignce increased even more.

    Heposed himself and immediately said to Qin Yaoguang, ¡°The 12 hours will be up soon. We can leave now.¡±

    Actually, there were still 15 minutes left, but He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. His instincts told him that something was wrong.

    Even though he still didn¡¯t understand what was wrong.

    Qin Yaoguang raised her head and looked at him with a faint smile. ¡°Young Master He, there are still 15 minutes left. Can I stay with my father for another 15 minutes?¡±

    At this moment, Old Master Qin grunted and woke up from hisa.

    His eyes seemed to be unable to adopt to the light in the ward. He blinked a few times before he rolled his eyes and looked at Qin Yaoguang, who was sitting in front of his bed.

    ¡°Yaoguang, you have suffered.¡± Old Master Qin, wanting to caress Qin Yaoguang¡¯s head, raised his trembling hand that was holding the IV drip.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s emotions were mixed, and she burst into tears. Sheid on his bed while crying like a child.

    As she cried, He Zhichu felt dizzy again.

    However, he tried his best to control himself. He stood upright against the wall and holding his phone in his hand, he called his father via emergency contact.

    This number had already been programmed into his phone. As long as he pressed a button, he would be able to call it immediately.

    After making the call, He Zhichu took out the Swiss army knife that he always carried with him and stabbed himself in the palm of his hand.

    Relying on the moment of rity brought by the sharp pain, He Zhichu strode towards the door of the ward.

    ¡°Surround the entire ward! Before General He Chengjian arrives, kill anyone who enters or leaves!¡±

    He Zhichu rushed out of the ward with hisst shred of consciousness and fell in front of his soldiers.

    His personal secretary and orderly quickly went forward to cover him. At the same time, all the soldiers loaded their rifles and stood guard outside the ward. No one was allowed to enter or leave.

 Chapter 1662 - Protective of Your Master

    <h4>Chapter 1662: Protective of Your Master</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang turned around and saw that He Zhichu had already run out. She raised her eyebrows in shock and thought to herself, this person is really stubborn...

    She looked at her watch and whispered to Old Master Qin, who was lying on the hospital bed, ¡°... Dad, are you alright? You scared me to death...¡±

    Old Master Qin touched the left side of his head and asked without batting an eye, ¡°Is the surgery done?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qin Yaoguang shrugged. She no longer had the same expression as before and said indifferently, ¡°Although my hand is injured, my head isn¡¯t injured. It isn¡¯t a problem to guide this kind of small surgery.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Old Master Qin smiled faintly. ¡°I have just recovered from a serious illness and I still have a rejection reaction. I need to rest well. If anything happenster, you and Shouyi can handle it together. I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±

    As he spoke, Old Master Qinid down again and asked Qin Yaoguang to put on an oxygen mask for him. Soon, he fell asleep.

    Qin Yaoguang carefully tucked Old Master Qin in before she got up and walked to the door.

    ¡°Stop!¡± The soldiers standing guard at the door immediately pointed their guns at her.

    Qin Yaoguang smiled and ran her hand through her messy long hair. She looked at He Zhichu, who was unconscious among the soldiers and said, ¡°Your Major General He seems to be sick. Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to take a look?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary raised his pistol and pressed it against Qin Yaoguang¡¯s forehead. ¡°Go in. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡±

    The cold barrel of the gun pressed against her smooth skin, and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s body trembled.

    However, she didn¡¯t retreat. She raised her chin slightly and said, ¡°When General He arrivester, he will beg me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so shameless.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary was also filled with anger.

    They had already sent the news to the military. The military should be on their way.

    At this moment, they were blocking the entrance. The various passageways downstairs were also heavily guarded.

    Even if Qin Yaoguang turned into a groundhog and burrowed underground, with their manpower, they could dig three feet underground to dig her out.

    However, looking at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s posture, it seemed that she had no intention of escaping.

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary was overwhelmed with anxiety. He only prayed that the people from the military woulde faster and faster. He was worried about He Zhichu¡¯s situation and didn¡¯t know what was going on.

    Just as he and Qin Yaoguang were confronting each other, the sound of high heels came from the corridor.

    They looked in the direction of the sound and saw an elegant woman wearing a camel-colored LV cashmere cocoon-shaped coat with a Hermes van Gogh sunflowers silk scarf tied around her cor walking over quickly.

    Her long hair was dark and smooth, and it was draped behind her head. She wasn¡¯t tall, but she was wearing high heels at least ten centimeters that made her appear tall and slender.

    When she saw the man pointing a gun at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s forehead, she said in shock, ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Chu, what are you doing? You are knowingly breaking thew and viting military discipline.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary was Lieutenant Colonel Chu.

    He turned to look at the woman who had just walked over and said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Wen. Long time no see, yet you¡¯re already using someone so indiscriminately.¡±

    ¡°I just came back from the south. I heard that something happened to the Qin family, so I came straight from the airport, ¡°Wen Shouyi said regretfully. She took out a tissue from the Hermes tinum bag that she was carrying on her arm to wipe the sweat off her forehead.

    Qin Yaoguang breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Shouyi, you¡¯re finally back. This family is in chaos now. I don¡¯t have freedom, so I can¡¯t meddle in so many things. Now, you have to help the Qin family both inside and outside.¡±

    Wen Shouyi quickly said, ¡°No problem. I rushed back to see if I could help.¡±Then she said, ¡°I contacted Uncle Qin the moment I got off the ne. How is Old Master Qin¡¯s condition now?¡±

    It seemed that she had learned from the Qin family that Old Master Qin was undergoing surgery here, and even Qin Yaoguang was brought out.

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary slowly put his pistol back into his holster.

    It was then that Wen Shouyi saw He Zhichu lying on a bench at the side of the corridor.

    ¡°How sleepy is Young Master He to actually fall asleep here.¡± Wen Shouyi covered her sleeves and smiled.

    ¡°Young Master He isn¡¯t asleep. He¡¯s sick. He suddenly fainted.¡± Qin Yaoguang pouted in He Zhichu¡¯s direction. ¡°I said I wanted to take a look at him, but they wouldn¡¯t let me.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression suddenly changed. ¡°Huh? He¡¯s sick? Young Master He has always been in good health. He doesn¡¯t even get a cold. How could he suddenly faint? Could it be that his old illness has rpsed? But hasn¡¯t Young Master He recovered?¡±

    She hurriedly walked over to He Zhichu¡¯s side.

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Chu, stopped her and said, ¡°Miss Wen, the military ising. Don¡¯te over.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just checking on Young Master He¡¯s condition,¡± Wen Shouyi said sullenly. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Chu, we¡¯ve worked together for so many years. Can¡¯t you be a little more amodating?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re retired now,¡± Lieutenant Colonel Chu said coldly. ¡°You¡¯re working for the Qin family, so you¡¯re not suitable to be in contact with Young Master He.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re really protective of your master...¡± Qin Yaoguangughed coldly and rubbed her forehead. ¡°Shouyi,e here. He doesn¡¯t want you to look, so don¡¯t go near him. Quick, let me take a look. It¡¯s been a long time. I see that you¡¯ve lost a lot of weight.¡±

    Her round face, which used to be fair, was now a little slimmer. She had a small, perky nose and full lips. Other than her long, almond-shaped eyes, she looked a little simr to Xie Qingying. Of course, she also looked a little like Gu Nianzhi.

    Wen Shouyi smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s too tiring to be in the south. In order to get back as soon as possible, I only sleep three or four hours a day. I don¡¯t have time to eat or drink, so I spend all my time reading documents.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in our headquarters in the south, right?¡± Qin Yaoguang beckoned for her to enter the ward, but Lieutenant Colonel Chu stopped her. ¡°Young Master He has given orders. Anyone who dares to enter or leave will be killed without mercy!¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked at him and said with a bitter smile, ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Chu, don¡¯t joke around. Young Master He said this when he was delirious. Don¡¯t listen to him. It¡¯s useless to listen to him.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He was clear-headed when he spoke,¡±Lieutenant Colonel Chu said firmly and pulled the pistol out of its holster. ¡°Miss Wen, don¡¯t say that I¡¯m unreasonable.¡±

    Wen Shouyi stopped in her tracks in shock. ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s the duty of a soldier to obey orders.¡± Lieutenant Colonel Chu, He Zhichu, was loyal and devoted. Even though He Zhichu had been away from the imperial capital for most of the past eight years, he had managed the entire base in an orderly manner.

    ¡°Alright, then I will give you a piece of advice as awyer. Young Master He¡¯s order just now not only vites the criminalw, but also the militaryw. If you carry it out, you will bemitting a crime against Young Master He.¡±

    ¡°As a soldier, you should also know what it means to not ept random orders and not obey unjustws.¡±

    Lieutenant Colonel Chu was tongue-tied by Wen Shouyi¡¯s words. He was not good with words and couldn¡¯t directly refute Wen Shouyi. However, he firmly remembered He Zhichu¡¯s order before he fainted and still refused to take a step back.

    Qin Yaoguang, who was watching from the side with interest, suddenly said, ¡°... My head hurts.¡±Then she felt a burst of pain in her head and fainted on the ground.

    Wen Shouyi immediately became anxious and said sternly, ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Chu, I¡¯m not going in, but you still have to send someone to help Dean Qin inside, right? Or are you going to let her lie on the ground?¡±

    With a cold expression on his face, Lieutenant Colonel Chu refused to budge an inch. ¡°Military orders are like a mountain! Before General He arrives, she has to lie on the ground!¡±

    At this moment, He Chengjian was anxiously getting out of the bulletproof car.

    When he received that emergency contact signal on his phone, his heart was about to leap out of his throat.

    The police car was specially mobilized to clear the way, and he ran all the way with his personal secretary and orderly. Finally, he arrived at the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital within ten minutes.

    They got off the car and went into the elevator without stopping. Finally, they arrived at the floor where Old Master Qin was undergoing surgery. It was also the ce where He Zhichu¡¯s ident had happened.

    Wen Shouyi and Lieutenant Colonel Chu stood in confrontation. The medical staff in the hospital hid far away and didn¡¯t dare toe over.

    Those murderous soldiers made them feel terrified. No one dared to go against gunshots.

    When the cold-faced He Chengjian appeared, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

    Wen Shouyi immediately said worriedly, ¡°General He, Young Master He seems to have rpsed, but Auntie Qin has also fainted.¡±

    She turned around and pointed at the unconscious Qin Yaoguang, who had been lying on the ground for a few minutes.

 Chapter 1663 - Decisiveness

    <h4>Chapter 1663: Decisiveness</h4>

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t even nce at Qin Yaoguang, who was lying unconscious on the ground. He walked past Wen Shouyi and strode to the bench at the side of the corridor.

    With a dark face, he bent down and picked up the pale, unconscious He Zhichu from the bench.

    ¡°Stretcher!¡± He turned around and shouted.

    Soon, the sound of uniform footsteps could be heard in the corridor. A few medical officer rushed over with stretcher beds and stopped in front of He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian carefully ced He Zhichu on the stretcher bed.

    The medical officer immediately put He Zhichu on the simple venttor and first aid equipment that the stretcher bed had brought with it.

    Wen Shouyi looked at He Zhichu worriedly and couldn¡¯t help but take a step closer. She said, ¡°General He, Auntie Qin treated Young Master He¡¯s illness. Let Auntie Qin examine him again...¡±

    He Chengjian slowly turned his eyes and fixed his gaze on Wen Shouyi. He gave a cold snort and said, ¡°Wen Shouyi? Why are you here? What has this got to do with you?¡±

    ¡°General He, what are you saying? I am now the Executive Director of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. Our Chairman is seriously injured and the Dean is in jail. As the Executive Director, how can I stay out of this?¡±Wen Shouyi smiled gently and elegantly, she pointed at He Zhichu. ¡°General He, let Auntie Qin take a look at him.¡±

    She knew better than anyone how much He Chengjian valued his son, He Zhichu.

    Wen Shouyi was confident that as long as they had He Zhichu, He Chengjian would be their puppet.

    As long as they had He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi would be their caged bird.

    He Chengjian nced at Qin Yaoguang, who was still unconscious on the ground, and waved his right hand forcefully. He roared, ¡°Men! Seal this ward! Take Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baiye away and lock them up! The crime is conspiring to kill the Major General of the military! It¡¯s a heinous crime!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Wen Shouyi cried out subconsciously.

    She red at He Chengjian and her expression changed in an instant. Her lips trembling violently and her fingers were clutching the handle of the Hermes tinum bag tightly. The veins on the back of her hand were showing.

    She had calcted everything, but she had never expected that He Chengjian wouldn¡¯te to beg them, but wanted to capture Old Master Qin and Qin Yaoguang together!

    ¡°General He! You can¡¯t do this! This is against thew!¡± Wen Shouyi blurted out without thinking.

    ¡°Get lost! If you have the guts, send me a letter from awyer!¡± He Chengjian revealed his overbearing side.

    He Zhichu and Qin Suwen were both his weak points. If these two were hurt, he wouldn¡¯t care about being reasonable.

    He would rather make a move first and then take legal responsibility.

    Moreover, He Zhichu was in the private hospital ward of the Qin family. As soon as he received He Zhichu¡¯s emergencymunication signal, he knew that his son had been schemed against.

    Since they had dared to plot against him and his son, then they should wait to suffer his wrath!

    If He Zhichu¡¯s condition was so serious that he needed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s treatment, He Chengjian wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use the entire Qin family as hostages and let Qin Yaoguang treat He Zhichu.

    To him, he was the only one who gets to threaten others. There was no reason for others to threaten him.

    He Chengjian kicked Wen Shouyi aside and left in a hurry with He Zhichu¡¯s stretcher and the medical officer.

    He Chengjian and He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary brought a portion of the soldiers and tied Qin Yaoguang, who had fainted, and Qin Baye, who was sleeping in the ward, to the stretcher they had found at thest minute. At the same time, they left behind a portion of the soldiers to seal the ward. No one was allowed toe near.

    Wen Shouyi was extremely anxious. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! What you are doing is against thew!¡±

    ¡°This is the first crime scene. We have already called the police.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary¡¯s face was cold. ¡°The police will be here soon. Please speak to the police andwyers about thew, Miss Wen.¡±

    A trace of panic shed across Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes. However, she quickly calmed down and said in a low voice, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk about thew. Although General He has a high position and power, the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital isn¡¯t a pushover!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary left without looking back.

    He caught up with He Chengjian, who was in the car in front, and said in a low voice, ¡°General He, that ward has been sealed. Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye have also been taken away. However, Wen Shouyi seems like she wants to sue us.¡±

    ¡°Sue us? Humph, then let¡¯s go to court. Who have I, He Chengjian, ever been afraid of?¡± He Chengjian¡¯s face was ashen as he didn¡¯t take Wen Shouyi seriously at all.

    However, He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary knew Wen Shouyi¡¯s abilities very clearly. The key was that Wen Shouyi had joined the military and held a post in the military legal affairs department. She knew all thewyers in the military and her level was a notch higher than these people. If he was to rely on thewyers in the military legal affairs department to fight Wen Shouyi, He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was worried that he would fail...

    He absolutely couldn¡¯t allow his chief to lose awsuit.

    In a moment of desperation, he looked at He Zhichu, who was unconscious in the ambnce, and his eyes shed. He said, ¡°General He, why don¡¯t we ask for Gu Nianzhi¡¯swyer¡¯s help? Tell her about Young Master He¡¯s situation and then ask her... to represent us?¡±

    He Chengjian narrowed his eyes. There was no expression on his face, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

    However, He Chengjian was well aware of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skill level.

    Although he had only seen her fight a singlewsuit, he knew that Wen Shouyi was no match for her.

    He Chengjian was also well aware of the concerns of his personal secretary.

    He could ignore his own concerns, but he couldN¡¯t ignore the people around him.

    They were in the same boat.

    Since they had strongly rmended Gu Nianzhi, He Chengjian nodded slightly. ¡°Not bad. Then find Wen Shouyi an expert who is qualified to speak to her about thew.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded in approval as he dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi had just showered and was lying on the sofa in the living room, enjoying the warm family time with Lu Yuan and Lu Jin.

    She was lying on the panda pillow and casually scrolling through the news on her iPad while thinking about how Huo Shaoheng had disappeared for the past few days...

    Didn¡¯t he say he was going to chase her?

    He had only been chasing her for a few days, and he had already given up?

    Or was this man¡¯s temper acting up again?

    Gu Nianzhi thought absentmindedly and her eyes asionally nced at the phone lying quietly on the side.

    When the phone rang, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look at it. She immediately picked it up and happily said hello in Russian.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was stunned for a moment. He looked at the number he had dialed and realized that he hadn¡¯t dialed the wrong number.

    ¡°... uh, is thiswyer Gu Nianzhi?¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary asked carefully.

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and realized that she had actually said hello in Russian. Her face instantly turned as red as a cloud.

    Lu Yuan, who was sitting across from her reading a document, heard her. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, but he quickly calmed down and his brows gradually furrowed.

    He thought about how Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t contacted them for a few days. This wasn¡¯t right. This situation wasn¡¯t right...

    Lu Yuan thought about it and quietly took out his phone. He still sent Huo Shaoheng a text message.

    There was no content, just a question mark.

    Lu Jin was sitting cross-legged on the sofa next to Gu Nianzhi and was programming on his tablet. When he heard Gu Nianzhi say hello in Russian, his ears perked up. He wanted to hear what Gu Nianzhi had to say.

    Gu Nianzhi was already speaking in Chinese, ¡°Yes, this is Gu Nianzhi. May I ask who you are?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Lawyer Gu. I¡¯m General He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary. It¡¯s like this. Something happened today. Is it convenient for you to talk?¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary whispered in the car.

    When Gu Nianzhi heard that it had something to do with He Chengjian, she didn¡¯t want to continue. She saidzily, ¡°I¡¯m just amoner. I have nothing to do with General He. You¡¯ve got the wrong person, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    What had happened with He Chengjian, and why was he looking for her?

    Gu Nianzhi expressed herplete rejection.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary broke out in a cold sweat.

    He looked up quietly and saw He Chengjian staring at him like a tiger. He quickly lowered his head and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s like this. When Young Master He was on a mission today, he had an ident at the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. He¡¯s unconscious now and I heard that his old illness has rpsed.¡±

    ¡°General He arrested Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin. As for Miss Wen Shouyi, she said she wants to sue General He. As subordinates, we don¡¯t know thew, so we can¡¯t interfere. Thinking of Lawyer Gu¡¯s talent, we want you to represent General He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She looked at her phone in shock and even patted it with her hand. She suspected that she was either hearing things or dreaming.

    Gu Nianzhi put her phone to her ear and asked with a frown, ¡°... Are you really General He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary? You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡±

    He Chengjian hated her so much that he wanted to kill her. How could he let her represent him?

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary shook his head with a wry smile and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, we can video call. General He is also in the car.¡±

    He sent a video call invitation as he spoke.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took her phone to her bedroom, closed the door, and epted the video invitation.

    On the phone screen, she saw that the man was indeed He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary. She often saw him before at the He family¡¯s residence, And behind him was the unsmiling He Chengjian.

    Although he was old, She could still see that he had been handsome in his youth. No wonder Qin Yaoguang had been panging for him for decades...

    Gu Nianzhi cursed in her heart as she quickly said, ¡°Did General He really arrest Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin?!¡±

    This was definitely the best news over the past few days. She had to give a thumbs up to General He for his decisiveness!

 Chapter 1664 - Holding A Grudge

    <h4>Chapter 1664: Holding A Grudge</h4>

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, you still don¡¯t believe me?¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was exasperated. Although he couldn¡¯t say anything in absolute terms, no one except Gu Nianzhi had ever doubted him when he spoke to them face-to-face.

    Ever since Luo Piaopiao had been in danger at the revolving restaurant, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s vignce had gone up a few notches. She even felt a little jittery.

    Other than the words of Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, and He Zhichu, whom she trusted the most, she would think twice about what others said. She would think carefully about whether it was logical before deciding whether to believe them or not.

    There was nothing she could do about it. She had never been tricked by strangers before, and the ones who had sessfully deceived her were all acquaintances.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, it¡¯s just that your words sound weird.¡±

    For example, when the personal secretary said He Zhichu had ¡°rpsed,¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe him at all.

    What was He Zhichu¡¯s ¡°rpse¡±?

    Lu Jin had exined to her that it was some kind of congenital gic deficiency.

    There were only two oues for this disease. One was aplete cure, and the other was an incurable death. There was no third way.

    Rpse? There was no such thing.

    A gic disease could be truly cured with gene therapy. It was unlike a viral cold, which woulde every time the weather changed. It would only get better with time.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was also a shrewd person. Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, he could tell that she was still skeptical of him.

    He didn¡¯t know what to do. One of his hands couldn¡¯t help scratching his head, so much so that the few remaining strands of hair on his head were almost bald.

    He Chengjian, who was sitting diagonally across from him, said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, he¡¯s telling the truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°... is Young Master He really having a rpse? General He, I thought you wouldn¡¯t joke about your son¡¯s health.¡±

    She didn¡¯t care how He Chengjian treated her, but his love for his son was undeniable.

    Gu Nianzhi herself had a father who doted on her like a maniac. She could now understand He Chengjian¡¯s actions, although she still couldn¡¯t ept it.

    After all, He Chengjian was targeting her, and she wasn¡¯t a saint. If someone pped her on the left side of her face, she wouldn¡¯t offer her right cheek...

    ¡°Wen Shouyi said that, but I don¡¯t believe it. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s rpsing.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s expression was a little unnatural.

    Because he remembered what that ¡°madman¡± had said. He had told Qin Suwen and him that He Zhichu¡¯s illness had indeed recovered, and it was a gic recovery. There was absolutely no chance of a rpse.

    The past ten years had also confirmed what that ¡°madman¡± had said.

    So today, when He Zhichu suddenly fainted, He Chengjian¡¯s first reaction was that he had been plotted against by someone else. He didn¡¯t think that it was a ¡°rpse¡± at all. It was only when Wen Shouyi had said that word that he became vignt.

    The person who really treated He Zhichu back then actually wasn¡¯t Qin Yaoguang, but that lunatic, Gu Xiangwen.

    Qin Yaoguang was the first person toe up with the idea of treatment, but the person who really figured out the treatment method was Gu Xiangwen.

    In this matter, Qin Yaoguang was only Gu Xiangwen¡¯s assistant.

    However, Qin Yaoguang also took the initiative to give birth to a child and used her own child to treat He Zhichu¡¯s illness. Therefore, for a very long time, He Chengjian also regarded Qin Yaoguang as one of He Zhichu¡¯s benefactors.

    Theoretically speaking, she was indeed He Zhichu¡¯s benefactor.

    She and Gu Xiangwen were He Zhichu¡¯s two indispensable benefactors.

    However, Gu Xiangwen had something to do with his wife¡¯s death. He had been fleeing in fear of punishment and had disappeared without a trace. In the end, he died in the fire.

    Qin Yaoguang had always been by his side. She even married him when his son, He Zhichu, left him and went to the other world.

    However, after He Zhichu had returned, they hadpletely fallen out and divorceD.

    Therefore, when He Zhichu suddenly fainted after staying with Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye for twenty-four hours today, He Chengjian didn¡¯t believe that it had nothing to do with Qin Yaoguang.

    She was skilled in medicine and that ward was the Qin family¡¯s territory. It would be too easy for her to tamper with it, so He Chengjian immediately ordered the ward to be sealed.

    He Chengjian felt a headache when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reluctant expression.

    ¡°... but he¡¯s really unconscious. He fainted after staying in the same ward with Qin Yaoguang and her father for 24 hours,¡± He Chengjian said in a low voice.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes when she heard Wen Shouyi. ¡°Wen Shouyi was there too?¡±

    ¡°I heard that she just came back from the south.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary interjected. He had spoken to He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary so he knew a lot about the situation. ¡°She was the one who kept saying that Young Master He might have rpsed and asked Qin Yaoguang to treat Young Master He. Our chief asked Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin toe back and ¡®assist in the treatment¡¯.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was also a clever person. He exined the matter in a roundabout way.

    Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment. ¡°How is Young Master He¡¯s condition? Is it serious? is he the only one who fainted? Where are Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin?¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang also fainted after that. Qin Baye is sleeping with the oxygen mask on.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s voice finally carried a trace of resentment and anger.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Qin Baye? Grandfather Qin¡¯s name is Qin Baye? That name, tsk tsk... could it be that Young Master He is really sick?¡±

    ¡°Who has the time to lie to you!¡± He Chengjian roared. ¡°Just say whether you want to be mywyer or not!¡±

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll do it!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She subconsciously shrank her neck and cowered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle see Young Master He right away!¡±

    Hearing that it was really rted to Qin Yaoguang and the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital, Gu Nianzhi also felt that something was wrong.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯te out on your own. I¡¯ll send a car to pick you up.¡± He Chengjian managed to hold back his anger. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was still sensible, he didn¡¯t continue to yell at her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I need to pack some things. Call me when your car arrives, I¡¯lle out.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Hurry up. I¡¯m taking Ah-Chu to the Military General Hospital for a full body check-up now. I hope it¡¯s not too much of a problem.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and turned off the video chat.

    She pondered for a moment, then opened the bedroom door and walked into the living room.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin put down what they were doing and looked up at her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Jin asked first. ¡°Did He Chengjian call you? What happened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled wryly. ¡°Young Master He supervised Qin Yaoguang¡¯s operation on Grandfather Qin, but during the 24-hour observation period after the operation, Grandfather Qin was fine, and Young Master He fainted. They also said that his old illness had rpsed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± As expected, Lu Jin denied it outright. ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s illness has already recovered, so it¡¯s impossible for his old illness to rpse. If he fainted, it¡¯s most likely another illness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as well. She walked over and sat beside Lu Jin. She looked up at him and said, ¡°Dad, do you also think that it¡¯s impossible for his old illness to recur?¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of gene therapy, it¡¯s absolutely impossible for his old illness to recur,¡± Lu Jin said firmly. He was very angry. ¡°Besides, there are too many ways to make a person unconscious. Who would be so shameless as to say that Young Master He had a rpse?! Let him show himself! Let¡¯s fight one on one!¡±

    Lu Jin was obviously still holding a grudge over this.

    Because saying that He Zhichu¡¯s old illness had rpsed was obviously a p to his face, saying that he hadn¡¯t fully cured He Zhichu¡¯s illness.

    Was this possible? It had to be impossible!

    Gu Nianzhi quicklyforted Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, we don¡¯t believe it. Even General He doesn¡¯t believe it. But Young Master He is indeed unconscious, and Wen Shouyi also said that Young Master He had a ¡®rpse¡¯. She wants Qin Yaoguang to treat He Zhichu.¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°Let her treat him. If He Zhichu falls into her hands, he won¡¯t be able to ¡®recover ¡®for the rest of his life!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood. She frowned and said, ¡°... Could this be the Qin family¡¯s n? They¡¯re using the crown prince to order the emperor around... How dare they set up a trap to deal with Young Master He like this? This is unbelievable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. They¡¯re using He Zhichu to control He Chengjian,¡± Lu Yuan interjected from the side.

    That was outraheous.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and threw the panda pillow in the air. She caught it and threw it again. She mumbled, ¡°Are they too arrogant, or do they think General He is too old to put up a fight?¡±

    ¡°He is a ruthless man who would kill a Soviet diplomat for the sake of his son¡¯s lifelong happiness and would send special forces soldiers to attack the other side of the world.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the bullet that had shot her in the back. The pain that had pierced straight into her bone marrow and almost shattered her heart made her apprehensive of He Chengjian. She would hide as much as she could.

    How could someone like this be manipted by others?

    How could someone like this be cowered by threats?

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to light a candle for the person who had set up this scheme.

    Lu Yuan looked at her without batting an eye and changed the topic. ¡°Then why did they call you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and said worriedly, ¡°I¡¯m going to see Young Master He. General He said Wen Shouyi was going to sue him, so he asked me to represent him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to see Young Master He?¡± Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help but deliberately say, ¡°You¡¯re going alone? Why don¡¯t you let Mr. Peter apany you? Oh, by the way, why hasn¡¯t Mr. Peter been here in the past few days? Has he called you, Nianzhi?¡±

 Chapter 1665 - Who Knows What He Went Through

    <h4>Chapter 1665: Who Knows What He Went Through</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi had a guilty conscience. She had said the wrong thing earlier, but now that Lu Yuan had said this, she immediately pretended not to care and shrugged. ¡°Who knows? Maybe he¡¯s been rejected so much that he has be disheartened.¡±

    At that moment, her phone rang. It was He Chengjian calling again. The person who hade to pick her up was already waiting for her at the entrance of the residential area.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right out.¡±

    She turned around and waved at Lu Jin and Lu Yuan. ¡°Dad, President Lu, wait for my call. I¡¯ll call you when I get to Young Master He¡¯s ce.¡±

    Lu Yuan stood up at that moment and said with a frown, ¡°Nianzhi, let me go with you.¡±

    Lu Jin had wanted to say the same thing, but when Lu Yuan said it, Lu Jin felt that it was better than going with him.

    Not only did Lu Yuan not have any identity issues, but he was also very skilled. Hisbat abilities didn¡¯t pale inparison to those of the KGB.

    Lu Jin felt that although he was smarter than Lu Yuan, he was no match against him in a fight.

    Therefore, he quickly nodded and said, ¡°Nianzhi, let boss Lu go with you. You¡¯re going to the He family¡¯s house, and it¡¯s because He Zhichu is sick. I¡¯m a little worried.¡±

    He even winked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Nianzhi, President Lu¡¯s skills are really good. He¡¯s even better than that Peter!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had reservations about Lu Yuan, and she was quite afraid of Lu Yuan¡¯s observant gaze that made her feel as if all her thoughts were exposed in front of him.

    However, since Lu Jin had said so, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t refute him directly. She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°That won¡¯t be good, right? If General He finds out that I live close to President Lu, General He will find out about your identity sooner orter. It¡¯s better not to take the risk.¡±

    She waved her hands. ¡°General Lu, I know you¡¯re worried about me, but now that General He has captured Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin, the Qin family is without a leader. They don¡¯t have time to go against me right now. I can go alone.¡±

    ¡°Besides, General He sent someone to pick me up personally. He even made the call himself. What are you guys worried about?¡±

    Once Gu Nianzhi started arguing, her silvery-tongue was unrivaled.

    She held her small and red Hermes bag and changed her shoes at the entrance. She said, ¡°No matter how powerful President Lu is, he¡¯s only one person. General He has the entire country behind him. If General He can¡¯t even guard against that person, what can General He Lu do?¡±

    She was making a lot of sense. Lu Yuan and Lu Jin looked at each other, and they were speechless.

    Lu Yuan watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back disappear into the elevator opposite the main door. He smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Lu Jin, your daughter is amazing. She even dissed me.¡±

    ¡°How did she diss you?¡± Lu Jin crossed his legs in delight. ¡°She was just acting normally. If she really were to diss you, you would probably be so ashamed that you¡¯d be looking for a rope to hang yourself!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯tplimenting her.¡± Lu Yuan stopped smiling and looked towards the door again. He was wondering if he should change into another outfit to follow Gu Nianzhi when his phone rang.

    He picked it up and saw that it was from Huo Shaoheng. He immediately put it out and sent a text message.

    It was still a question mark.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t picking up and knew that it wasn¡¯t convenient for him, so he replied with a question mark too.

    Lu Yuan: ¡°...¡±

    He held his phone and turned to Lu Jin. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room. You should rest early.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be done soon.¡± Lu Jin was nervously programming.

    Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin were both captured and imprisoned by General He, so the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital would definitely be in a mess.

    This was the best time for him to show off his hacker skills.

    It would definitely be much easier to attack the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital¡¯swork system than before.

    It was now or never. He had to seize this opportunity.

    ..

    Lu Yuan hurried back to his apartment across the street and closed the door before returning Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call.

    ¡°What have you been doing for the past few days? Haven¡¯t you contacted Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s internal organs had been severely shaken by the explosion. Although because of his strong physique, it hadn¡¯t caused irreparable damage, he was still only human. After sleeping on the bed, he was so tired that he couldn¡¯t get up the next day.

    The human body was such a marvelous thing.

    When one was nervous, one¡¯s body could withstand any amount of pressure.

    However, once one rested, one was like a spring that had been pulled to its limit. It rxed all of a sudden, and the rebound was especially severe.

    Huo Shaoheng had basically been in a deep sleep for the past two days. Because he had slept too soundly in the middle, his colleagues had even called for a doctor. After confirming that he was fine, they had given him an glucose infusion to prevent him from getting dehydrated during his sleep.

    This time, he had slept for almost two days and one night, and had just woken up.

    Sitting alone on the bed, he looked at the IV drip on his arm and found it funny.

    He picked up the phone under his pillow and looked at it. He found that Lu Yuan was the only one who had sent him a text message.

    There was no content. There was only a question mark, and it had just been sent not that long ago.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t even sent him a text message in the past two days, let alone a phone call.

    What a heartless little girl...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled up slightly. Wanting to ask how Gu Nianzhi was doing, he picked up his phone and called Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan hung up on him and sent him another question mark.

    Huo Shaoheng sensed that something had happened.

    He removed the IV drip and got out of bed. He walked to the bathroom and answered Lu Yuan¡¯s call.

    He said, ¡°I¡¯ve been resting for the past two days. I was so tired that I¡¯ve been sleeping and I didn¡¯t go anywhere or do anything.¡±

    Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, but then he immediately asked, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not injured? Nianzhi said that you¡¯re amazing and that you won¡¯t get hurt. Why does that sound so unconvincing to me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, but then he quickly frowned and said, ¡°...She said that?¡±

    Could this be the reason why she didn¡¯t call him?

    This girl really had big ideas. Once she decided that he wasn¡¯t the person in her heart, she immediately kept her distance. There was simply no chance for him at all.

    Huo Shaoheng thought, if he wasn¡¯t the Huo Shaoheng from the other side but the counterpart on this side, with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude towards him, he definitely wouldn¡¯t pester her like he was now.

    But because of this, Huo Shaoheng felt a subtle sense of joy.

    But this feeling shed through his mind quickly and didn¡¯t linger.

    He had already gone to the bathroom and was about to take a shower.

    Lu Yuan heard the sound of watering from the shower and said, ¡°You¡¯re taking a shower? Did you just wake up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied with an ¡°mhm.¡± ¡°What do you want to talk about? Go ahead.¡±

    Lu Yuan quickly recounted what had happened to He Zhichu today, and then said, ¡°Nianzhi has already gone out. He Chengjian sent someone to pick her up. She¡¯s going to the He family to check on Young Master He¡¯s condition.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng froze when he heard that.

    After a long while, he punched the sink hard and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth, ¡°... He Chengjian, that old fox!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Is there something wrong with He Chengjian? Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t do anything to Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were cold and stern. ¡°He wants to keep Nianzhi in his house. If He Zhichu needs Nianzhi, whether it¡¯s a rpse or a new illness, Nianzhi will be his ready-made medicine!¡±

    Lu Yuan was shocked. ¡°You¡¯re saying He Chengjian actually has this idea?!¡±

    ¡°What other idea could he have?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked firmly. He threw the towel in his hand onto the ground. ¡°He asked Nianzhi to represent him as a foul-proof tactic. Did you really think that with his status, He Chengjian would need to fight the Qin family face-to-face in awsuit? It would have been fine if the Qin family hadn¡¯t provoked him, but now, if they provoked him, he could destroy the Qin family as long as he wanted to! Crushing Wen Shouyi would be like crushing an ant!¡±

    Lu Yuan was silent for a long time. He asked in confusion, ¡°Why are you so sure? I¡¯ve been here for more than ten years. Why don¡¯t I feel...¡±

    ¡°President Lu, you actually don¡¯t know much about He Chengjian these years because your social circles don¡¯t intersect much, but I¡¯m different. When I was there, I already fought with him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said bluntly, and he remembered He Chengjian¡¯s arrogant ways.

    He had been able to create a weather weapon like a hurricane even though they were separated by a world¡¯s boundary. He had remotely controlled Rihe City¡¯s surface-to-air missiles to point at the rostrum, sent special forces to kidnap Gu Nianzhi, and shot Xiao Ye ten times in a row,pletely ruining her military career.

    When he came over, Xiao Ye was still recovering in the hospital.

    When he first appeared here as a KGB official, he had tried every possible means to test him. Later on, he would even rather kill the wrong person than let him go, and arranged for the assassination attempt that almost took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t think that such a ruthless person would go through the legal procedures when dealing with the Qin family.

    He walked around the bathroom restlessly. He put his phone on speaker and left it on the sink. He even forgot to take off his pajamas and stood under the shower.

    His clothes were wet and stuck tightly to his body, revealing the shape of his muscr eight-pack abs.

    His long legs containing unlimited explosive power were straight and strong.

    He propped one hand on the mosaic in the shower and allowed the cold water to pour over his head to calm him down. He nervously thought about what he should do to save Gu Nianzhi from He Chengjian¡¯s ¡°confinement¡±.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t speak either.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng finished showering and turned off the shower. Lu Yuan¡¯s voice came from the phone.

    ¡°... if that¡¯s the case, then you should go look for Nianzhi. However, I still think the key is he. As long as he is fine, Nianzhi will be fine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sneered. ¡°Yes, as long as He Zhichu is fine, Nianzhi will be fine, but you said He Zhichu is unconscious now. Who knows what he went through in that ward? Who knows when he will wake up!¡±

    Lu Yuan took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I should have stopped Nianzhi from going.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt bad about what Lu Yuan said.

    He wiped his hair with a clean white towel and walked out of the bathroom, then said, ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong either. Who could have stopped He Chengjian if he wanted her to go? You were already cautious enough to call me. Besides, this whole thing started because someone had set up a trap, so now that there might be a trap. I have to think about it. Oh right, where¡¯s Uncle Lu? Does he know that Nianzhi is in a precarious situation?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know.¡± Lu Yuan continued to smile wryly. ¡°He¡¯s still busy coding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t surprised. He took out his bluetooth headset and put it on. He changed his clothes and said to Lu Yuan, ¡°I¡¯m going to the He family to look for Nianzhi. Please wait for my news.¡±

 Chapter 1666 - No Wonder Everyone Dotes on You

    <h4>Chapter 1666: No Wonder Everyone Dotes on You</h4>

    Lu Yuan was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Okay, you can go now. Make sure to be careful.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said, ¡°You should tell Uncle Lu about Nianzhi¡¯s situation. Although he might not have thought of this, as long as you give him some advice, he will know what to do.¡±

    Lu Yuan understood what Huo Shaoheng meant, but his considerations were different.

    ¡°... it¡¯s useless to tell Lu Jin. It¡¯ll make him worry for nothing. Plus, he can be very impulsive sometimes, especially when ites to his most beloved daughter. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t think the same as you do.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it seriously and felt that Lu Yuan¡¯s words made great sense.

    Just like how Lu Yuan didn¡¯t understand He Chengjian as deeply as Huo Shaoheng did, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know Lu Jin as thoroughly as Lu Yuan did.

    ¡°Alright, then you can take your time to decide. I¡¯ll be on my way to meet the He Family.¡± Huo Shaoheng had already thought of an excuse the moment he finished his sentence.

    He changed into a Soviet military coat, still donning the sable fur suede Soviet military cap, and was dressed in a noble and dignified manner as he wore a cold and stern expression. He had specifically asked the embassy¡¯s driver to treat him as the deputy consul general of the Soviet Union stationed in China who was officially paying the He residence a visit.

    He was going to the He residence this time under the pretext of discussing the explosion at the revolving restaurant two days ago. He was one of the parties present, and his identity was rather special, so He Chengjian would definitely agree to meet him.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the bulletproof car that He Chengjian had sent and headed to the He residence.

    She was a little uneasy about He Zhichu¡¯s condition, and did not know whether her own decision was right or wrong.

    If He Zhichu was really unconscious, He Chengjian should have sent him to the hospital instead of rushing to fetch her.

    But if He Zhichu had not been unconscious, no matter what He Chengjian did to her, he would have opposed it to the end.

    Gu Nianzhi was apprehensive even till the moment she entered the living room of the He family¡¯s mansion. She did not know what He Chengjian was up to.

    He Chengjian walked down the stairs in a smoky gray cashmere cardigan. His custom-made trousers were straight and ironed, and he wouldn¡¯t look old at all if his sideburns weren¡¯t a little graying.

    He always had a slight smile on his face, which made him look more approachable than the cold He Zhichu.

    However, Gu Nianzhi knew that this man was really hot on the outside but cold on the inside. Other than his military troops, he probably only had eyes for his wife and son.

    This time, He Chengjian offered to let her represent him. Gu Nianzhi was a little ¡°ttered¡±.

    ¡°General He.¡±Gu Nianzhi politely nodded at him. ¡°May I ask where young master He is? I¡¯d like to see him.¡±

    He Chengjian stopped in his tracks and calmly said, ¡°He just came back from a full body check-up at the Military General Hospital. Do you want to go up and see him?¡±

    ¡°A full body check-up? Did you find out what¡¯s wrong? Is young master He awake?¡± Gu Nianzhi followed He Chengjian up the winding staircase.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything wrong.¡±He Chengjian frowned slightly. ¡°But he just won¡¯te round. I¡¯m worried.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as everything¡¯s alright.¡± Gu Nianzhi said as she walked up the winding staircase. ¡°Does he have a doctor to take care of him?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a doctor whoes to check on him every day without fail. His orderly is the one who attends to him for the rest of the time.¡±

    As they spoke, the two of them had reached He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom. He Chengjian pushed open the door to He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Go in and see him. I don¡¯t know what happened either, but he suddenly fainted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked into He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom. It was a familiar ce. She quickly headed for He Zhichu¡¯s bed and saw that it had been converted into a multi-purpose hospital bed.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was covered with an oxygen mask from the venttor as hey on the bed with his eyes closed.

    His skin was originally pale, but now it was as white as snow.

    His thin lips were pursed lightly, and the faint redness on his lips was almost invisible.

    It was the first time Gu Nianzhi realized that He Zhichu¡¯s eyshes were so dark and fine. They covered his fair eyes and face like two soul-stirring arcs.

    He was too quiet, so quiet that it was as if he wasn¡¯t even alive.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank seeing him motionless. A dull pain rose in her heart. She was choked up and the rim of her eyes felt bitter.

    She couldn¡¯t help walking over and calling out softly, ¡°Young master He? Young master He? Can you hear me?¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t move. The pace of his shallow breathing in the oxygen mask didn¡¯t even change.

    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Gu Nianzhi had not worried much until she saw He Zhichu¡¯s state right now. She had even wondered if it was He Zhichu guarding by the operating room for an entire day and night that caused him to faint out of fatigue.

    But seeing the way he was now, she realized that she had been too optimistic.

    ¡°... ever since I went to the Qin group¡¯s private hospital to pick him up, he had been like this.¡± He Chengjian walked over and bent down to tuck He Zhichu under the nket. ¡°... He really looks a little like how he was in the past when his illness acted up.¡±

    When He Zhichu fell sick more than ten years ago, Gu Nianzhi was still young and had never actually seen him with her own eyes.

    Of course, even if she did see him, she would havepletely forgotten about it now since she had lost her memory when she was twelve years old.

    ¡°But young master He told me that he had already recovered.¡± Gu Nianzhi said subconsciously as she ran her hands through her hair, ¡°I¡¯ve checked the details. Diseases that are cured at the gic level will not rpse. If there is a rpse, then it¡¯s either not cured at all, or he has another disease.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°The doctor said the same thing. He also said that if his vital signs are normal, then we should leave him alone for now. If he wants to sleep, then let him sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m also hoping that he just fell asleep. But I still don¡¯t understand. Young master He stayed in that ward for a day and a night right? Why did he turn out like this?¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem like he was overworked.

    ¡°What on earth did he do in there?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± He Chengjian said coldly. ¡°I looked at the surveince cameras in that ward. They were actually very normal that night.¡±

    He Zhichu had been sitting on the sofa in the corner the whole time. Qin Yaoguang was wearing a light green surgical gown worn by surgeons as she sat in front of Grandfather Qin¡¯s bed. Grandfather Qin was sleepingfortably under the oxygen mask.

    ¡°Do you have the surveince cameras in that ward? Can you show them to me?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. ¡°Also, you said that you wanted me to be yourwyer. Did you mean it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He Chengjian gazed at her. For the first time, he realized that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression when she spoke was actually quite simr to Qin Suwen¡¯s.

    Although their appearances werepletely different, their every frown, smile, and every movement reminded people of Qin Suwen.

    This was a type of simrity between their temperaments and personalities. It was something that was even more profound than their physical simrities.

    Because of their resemnce, He Chengjian¡¯s heart softened.

    He said gently, ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. I captured Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°You didn¡¯t capture them. You asked them toe back and ¡®help¡¯ treat young master He¡¯s illness.¡±

    He Chengjian heaved a sigh of relief and couldn¡¯t help rubbing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°No wonder everyone dotes on you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and thought to herself, ¡°I could never expect you to dote on me. As long as you don¡¯t point your sniper gun at me again, I¡¯ll be thankful...¡±

    She deliberately avoided the topic and said, ¡°Because of Qin Yaoguang and old Mr Qin, Wen Shouyi said she was going to send you awyer¡¯s letter, right?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t say she wanted to send me awyer¡¯s letter.¡± He Chengjian shook his head. ¡°But she did say she wanted to fight awsuit against us.¡±

    Sending awyer¡¯s letter and fighting awsuit were two different things.

    From sending awyer¡¯s letter to finally going to court to fight awsuit, there were still many procedures in between.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s fight thewsuit then.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not think much of it and looked at He Chengjian inquisitively, ¡°General He, can you show me the surveince footage of that ward as well?¡±

    He Chengjian nodded, ¡°Sure, it¡¯s in my study.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that He Chengjian¡¯s study had always been off-limits to outsiders.

    She used to be allowed in, but now she no longer had that right.

    But He Chengjian did not seem to care. He stood up and said, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed, but she did not follow him. Instead, she said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring it to this room, and I¡¯ll watch it on myptop? I want to stay here with young master He for a while.¡±

    ¡°That works too.¡± He Chengjian had seen Gu Nianzhi offer to take care of He Zhichu and so he had a better impression of her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go get the surveince video. I¡¯ll save it on sh drive and send it to you.¡± He said with a gentler voice.

    He had just walked out of He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom when he saw his orderly trot over. He said, ¡°Deputy Chief, Mr. Peter, the Deputy Consul General of the Soviet Union in China, wants to see you. He says he has something important to discuss with General He.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1666, ¡°No Wonder Everyone Dotes on You¡±.

    The double monthly vote for May is on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, quickly ce your monthly votes!

    Don¡¯t leave the monthly votes until the end of the month ~ ~

    Mwah, dear big and small Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1667

    <h4>Chapter 1667: Chapter 1667</h4>

    ¡°Peter, Deputy Chief, Consul General He Chengjian¡¯s eyes shed.

    This person was not a real diplomat.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had expressed their utmost sincerity in the Dresden incident in order to get He Chengjian¡¯s help. They had even revealed the true appearance of the KGB¡¯s Far East Trump card to He Chengjian.

    It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s counterpart in the opposite world, Peter Huo Shaoheng.

    He Chengjian was naturally suspicious. It was not that he had never doubted the true identity of this far east ace.

    Later, topletely eliminate any future trouble, he did not care who this person was. He just had to kill him without mercy.

    The only person who had miscalcted was Gu Nianzhi. She had caused a slight loophole in his final kill, allowing this far east ace to escape.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) no longer arranged for him to work in secret after his identity was exposed. Instead, they made him a diplomat. It was normal for him to switch from being in the dark to being in the light.

    This was how the intelligence agencies of various countries operated.

    However, he was only a Soviet diplomat now. What right did he have to meet the highest head of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military?

    Besides, He Chengjian knew very well that Peter, the trump card of the Far East, was pursuing Gu Nianzhi because she had saved his life. He was probably attracted to her because of her counterpart.

    But what did that have to do with him?

    He Chengjian did not want Gu Nianzhi to have any contact with Peter, the trump card of the Far East.

    He walked straight ahead without even batting an eye. ¡°I¡¯m swamped. I Won¡¯t be seeing you.¡±

    The orderly scratched his head and watched He Chengjian¡¯s receding figure. He didn¡¯t dare chase after him and could only turn back to the front of the mansion. Huo Shaoheng, who was waiting for him, said, ¡°Mr. Peter, our chief is very busy and doesn¡¯t have time to see you right now. Why Don¡¯t you leave a message, and I¡¯ll report to our chiefter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not surprised that He Chengjian was speaking to him like a bureaucrat.

    If they were on the other side of the world, Huo Shaoheng could guarantee that he would speak even more like a bureaucrat than He Chengjian.

    He smiled slightly.

    Why would he speak like a bureaucrat?

    Because they were all people who wouldn¡¯t give up until they saw a rabbit.

    ¡°Your general he is truly a loyal and dedicated chief. How can the highestmander of the Empire Be Idle? I understand.¡±Huo Shaoheng spoke very sincerely as if he didn¡¯t mean anything else.

    The orderly had heard this kind of ttery many times and did not care at first.

    However, this kind of vulgar ttery came out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth as if it was real.

    The orderly chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know the difficulties of our chief.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know.¡±Huo Shaoheng said seriously, ¡°If it weren¡¯t an especially urgent matter, I wouldn¡¯t havee sote to meet your chief. ¡°Please go and report that the matter I want to discuss this time is rted to the explosion at the revolving restaurant a few days ago. It¡¯s also rted to General He¡¯s only son, major general He Zhichu.¡±

    Hearing that it was rted to young Master He, the orderly became serious. ¡°Mr. Peter, do you have any concrete evidence? If you do, I can report it again immediately.¡±

    ¡°Of course I do, but I will only bring it out when I see your chief.¡±Huo Shaoheng was very serious, and there was a hint of eagerness on his face. He did indeed look like he had important insider information.

    Thinking that he was a Soviet diplomat and how capable the Soviet Union was, the orderly became cautious.

    ¡°Please Wait a moment; I will go again.¡±

    The orderly was not qualified to call He Chengjian directly from the inside, so he could only run to the mansion again and again.

    ..

    ¡°Reporting, Chief! Deputy Chief of the Soviet Union, Peter, said that something important has been discussed with you. It¡¯s about the explosion at the revolving restaurant a few days ago, and it¡¯s also said to be rted to young master he.¡±

    He Chengjian was reading documents in the study. Hearing this, he took off his reading sses and pressed the inte in the study. He said to the orderly who was reporting at the door, ¡°What were his exact words?¡±

    The orderly repeated Huo Shaoheng¡¯s exact words without missing a single word.

    He Chengjian heard that the Far East Ace had something to say, and he seemed to have certain insider information on hand.

    However, the Far East Ace would not take it out until he saw him in person.

    He Chengjian pondered for a moment. He remembered He Zhichu had said that the Far East Ace was at the scene of the explosion. With his skills, he might really be able to find some clues.

    As for the Soviet snipers and soviet-made weapons in the opposite building, He Chengjian saw it in He Zhichu¡¯s secret report. However, like He Zhichu, he did not think that this matter had anything to do with the Soviets.

    Those Soviet snipers seemed to be mercenaries, and mercenaries had all kinds of nationalities. Using such methods to confuse people would only be a joke in He Chengjian¡¯s eyes.

    So what secret information did this far eastern ace have?

    He Chengjian finally nodded. ¡°Let him in. Bring him to the small conference room.¡±

    The small conference room in the He residence was second only to He Chengjian¡¯s study in terms of confidentiality.

    The orderly heaved a sigh of relief and hurried back to the main door. He opened the door and let Huo Shaoheng in, smiling as he said, ¡°The chief invites you in.¡±

    He personally led Huo Shaoheng to the small meeting room of the He residence.

    ¡°Reporting to the Chief, Mr. Peter is here.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s voice carried a hint of a smile in the small meeting room. ¡°Mr. Peter, pleasee in.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked into the small meeting room. His expression did not change, but from the corner of his eye, he had already sized up the small meeting room.

    If he had not seen wrongly, there were surveince cameras on the roof of the four corners of the small meeting room. There were at least nine pinhole cameras installed in the room, covering every angle from top to bottom, left to right, front to back.

    On the opposite wall of the meeting room was a curtain with a pale yellow geometric pattern. It was the highlight of the meeting room.

    He Chengjian sat at the head of the only rectangr conference table in the room and looked at him with a smile.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down on the seat to the right of He Chengjian and said with a smile, ¡°General He is in a good mood. Could it be that you have a lead on this matter?¡±

    He Chengjian frowned as soon as Huo Shaoheng finished speaking.

    He waved his hand. ¡°What lead? I was hoping Mr. Peter would give us some pointers.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly and said humbly, ¡°I just happened to be there at the time, so I realized that something was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Something is wrong? How could such an explosion happen in a restaurant in our country¡¯s capital? !¡±He Chengjian pounded the table with a pained expression. ¡°This is insane!¡±

    His anger was not at all fake.

    This incident was aplete provocation to the government.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded deeply. ¡°General he, you¡¯re right. Not only that, but the whole thing is bizarre. I wonder how the investigation is going, general he?¡±

    He Chengjian suddenly sighed as if he had aged ten years.

    He thought of He Zhichu, who was still unconscious on the hospital bed, his voice softened.¡±... My Son, He Zhichu, was originally in charge of investigating this case, but he had just met with misfortune, so the police took over. God knows when they¡¯ll find out who¡¯s behind this.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pretended to be shocked. ¡°AH? ! What happened to young master he? What misfortune did he meet with? ! Is it serious? !¡±

    He Chengjian looked sorrowful. ¡°He¡¯s unconscious now, and the Doctor said he doesn¡¯t know when he¡¯ll wake up.¡±. ¡°He looked up at Huo Shaoheng and continued, ¡°Mr. Peter, I know you¡¯re a capable man. ¡°Our country is short-handed now, and you happened to be there. I sincerely hope that you can help us investigate this case. ¡°On behalf of all the victims, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you.¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up and bowed to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng cursed this old Fox in his heart. He was deliberately showing weakness in order to find freebor to help him investigate the case.

    His identity was the trump card of the Soviet KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau. He Chengjian only wanted to open his mouth and say ¡°Thank You,¡± and he was asked to investigate the case. How big of a face was that? The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the highest-ranking member of the KGB?

    Although Huo Shaoheng was criticizing him in his heart, he did not show it on his face. He said awkwardly, ¡°General he, I¡¯m a diplomat from the Soviet Union. This case is your internal affairs. I can¡¯t interfere in your internal affairs.¡±

    He Chengjian had a smile on his face, but he was also cursing this ace of the Far East in his heart. He wanted to pursue Gu Nianzhi, but he did not show any sincerity. The Huaxia Empire did not want to shed a little blood or suffer a little injury, and he wanted to marry a Huaxia Girl?

    Don¡¯t dream too much.

    ¡°Haha, then why did Mr. Peter Come to see me?¡±He Chengjian didn¡¯t hesitate to give Huo Shaoheng a piece of his mind.

    Didn¡¯t they say that they woulde to discuss the case?

    They were asking you to investigate the case, but they said you couldn¡¯t interfere in internal affairs?

    Huo Shaoheng was choked by He Chengjian¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t blush at all. He smiled and said, ¡°This is different. I¡¯m now speaking as a victim to general he about my findings. I¡¯m assisting in the investigation. This case is a criminal case, and diplomats can assist in the investigation.¡±

    A criminal case could even be handled by Interpol, so foreign diplomats were obliged to assist in the investigation if they were involved in a criminal case.

    However, directly assisting in the investigation would be interfering in the internal affairs of another country.

    He Chengjian looked at Huo Shaoheng speechlessly, thinking that the trump card of the Far East was indeed the trump card of the Far East. It could even block his words.

    He raised his hand. ¡°Then tell me, what did you find that¡¯s so amazing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at He Chengjian, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He said carefully, ¡°I found traces of C-X series high explosives at the scene of the explosion.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s pupils constricted, but he still said calmly, ¡°Yes, I saw it in the report. What happened next?¡±

    ¡°C-X series high explosives require a rigorous and sophisticated manufacturing process. An average person wouldn¡¯t be able to make it without the appropriate equipment.¡±

    ¡°Do you even need to say that? This is your secret information?¡±He Chengjian¡¯s face darkened, and he was about to sneer. ¡°Mr. Peter, I¡¯m very busy. Please don¡¯t waste our time.¡±

    ¡°Even if the appropriate equipment can be made, how can it be installed in Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone?¡±Huo Shaoheng continued unhurriedly.

    ¡°Installed in Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone? !¡±He Chengjian narrowed his eyes subconsciously. ¡°How did you know it was installed in Luo Piaopiao¡¯s phone?¡±

    ¡°Because I was outside the bathroom at the time and heard Luo Piaopiao answer a phone call with my own ears. Then, I heard the sound of the phone¡¯s remote-controlled bomb countdown.¡±

 Chapter 1668 - The Diversion of Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 1668: The Diversion of Trouble</h4>

    ¡°You heard the countdown of the remote-controlled bomb through your phone?¡± He Chengjian asked in disbelief. ¡°How did you hear that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not answer him. He continued without batting an eyelid, ¡°At that time, Luo Piaopiao was with Miss Gu. They were talking in the bathroom.¡±

    He Chengjian pursed his lips. The legal marks at the sides of his nose suddenly became obvious, making him seem like a difficult person to please.

    ¡°What does Mr. Peter mean exactly? If Nianzhi was with Luo Piaopiao, she still had C-X series high explosives in her phone. I wonder why Luo Piaopiao is dead and Gu Nianzhi is fine?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng told He Chengjian honestly, ¡°because of me. I heard the countdown and knew it was bad. I rushed in and pulled Miss Gu away. We ran fast, but the aftershock of the explosion still injured me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng showed some weakness in front of He Chengjian. ¡°I didn¡¯t appear the past few days because I was recuperating at the embassy. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the people you nted in the embassy to verify.¡±

    He Chengjian couldn¡¯t help but cough twice to cover up his embarrassment.

    It was standard practice for countries to nt informants in each other¡¯s embassies.

    However, it was embarrassing for Huo Shaoheng to point that out in person.

    He Chengjian was the highestmander in the military, he had to defend his reputation.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, ¡°Do you understand what I mean? Even someone as skilled as me was almost hit by the bomb, let alone Miss Gu and Luo Piaopiao? The two of them are weak women who can¡¯t even tie a chicken to a chicken. They wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the sudden bomb on their own.¡±

    ¡°... that¡¯s why Luo Piaopiao was killed by the bomb.¡± He Chengjian sighed. ¡°She was a citizen of our country. I won¡¯t let her die in vain.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I knew I wasn¡¯t wrong about you.¡±

    He Chengjianughed. ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of saying all this? Come help us investigate the case...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was of course unwilling. The Committee of State Security (KGB) would lose face if he was under surveince.

    He did not continue the topic. He said calmly, ¡°from what I saw, the target of the explosion was actually two people, Luo Piaopiao and Miss Gu. But they missed me, so Miss Gu escaped and was not killed by the bomb.¡±

    ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you publicly announce that you wanted to pursue Nianzhi? This is the time for you to show off.¡± He Chengjian leaned back in his seat with a faint smile, the light in his eyes was as deep as the eternal night. No one could see through him. It was as if no light could escape from a ck hole.

    How could Huo Shaoheng be tricked by He Chengjian?

    He followed his own train of thought and led He Chengjian in the direction of He Zhichu.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t show off much. I just wanted to tell you what I know so that you can quickly investigate the case. The facts have proven that I dide to the right ce.¡±Huo Shaoheng was very modest, he leaned forward slightly. ¡°I heard from you that something happened to young master He. I suddenly had an idea ¡ª did the other party set up a series of traps?¡±

    ¡°A series of traps?¡± He Chengjian stopped smiling and looked serious. ¡°Tell me in detail.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. The other party was ¡®hiding the intention of killing Liu Bang by performing a sword dance¡¯ Huo Shaoheng used an ancient idiom as analogy. ¡°On the surface, the ones who suffered the most from their explosion were the Qin family members, including Luo Piaopiao and Gu Nianzhi. They are the granddaughters of the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°But if something happened to Gu Nianzhi, who would suffer the most?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°Look, immediately after that, something happened to young master He as well. Is there a connection between the two that we don¡¯t know about?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s heart was in turmoil, but he still looked puzzled. ¡°What do you mean by a connection that we don¡¯t know about? You mean between Nianzhi and Ah Chu? They used to be fianc¨¦s, but not anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng secretly hated He Chengjian¡¯s pretense, but he understood his actions and concerns.

    At a time like this, He Chengjian still did not reveal Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution and perfect genes. It could be assumed that even if he treated Gu Nianzhi as medicine, it was the only medicine that could be given to He Zhichu, and no one else was qualified to know about it.

    Actually, in He Chengjian¡¯s heart, he was already certain that something had happened to Gu Nianzhi, and that He Zhichu had ¡°rpsed¡±. Whenbining the two, the real target was actually He Zhichu!

    ¡°Oh, so that means there¡¯s no connection between the two? Then I¡¯m overthinking it.¡±Huo Shaoheng shook his head, he stood up. ¡°I heard you say that young master He is unconscious, can I go see him? We have some medicine in the Soviet Union that can make people suddenly unconscious. Maybe I can help young master He.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was in a particrly good mood when he saw that He Chengjian believed him.

    However, even if he was in a good mood, he still put up a poker face.

    He Chengjian immediately said, ¡°no problem. Follow me.¡±

    He knew that the Committee of State Security (KGB) from the Far East was talking about some special medicine from the KGB.

    If he could view the scene, he wouldn¡¯t care so much.

    He Chengjian brought Huo Shaoheng to He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the sofa in front of He Zhichu¡¯s bed. There was aptop on herp, and she was studying the surveince video in grandfather Qin¡¯s room frame by frame.

    She paused the video immediately when she heard someone entering and looked up.

    A tall man in a Soviet military uniform behind He Chengjian walked out. He had a coat draped over his arm. He nodded at Gu Nianzhi and greeted her, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re here too?¡±

    Without waiting for Gu Nianzhi to reply, he immediately turned to look at He Zhichu, who was lying on the bed.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was still pale, but his breathing was normal. He seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, but his EEG showed delta waves.

    There are four types of brain waves: Alpha waves, Beta waves, Theta waves, Delta waves.

    Thest type is the brain waves produced when the human brain entered deep sleep.

    Huo Shaoheng did not know much about this, but he had received some training, so he roughly knew the ssification of brain waves.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be a big problem,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°The human body has the strongest ability to repair itself when it is in a deep sleep. Perhaps young master He is recuperating.¡±

    ¡°Then can you tell what drugs are affecting him?¡± He Chengjian asked anxiously.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°His symptoms are unlikely to be caused by drugs from our country. As far as I know, drugs from our country can keep people unconscious, but the brain activity will be high, so his symptoms does not fit.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and interjected, ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s the drugs? I¡¯ve watched the video many times, and young master He didn¡¯t even swallow his saliva. If it were drugs, how did it affect him? The air?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s the air. Air is a good medium for transmission, maybe it¡¯s through the air?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was just saying it casually. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng actually took it seriously, she felt a little smug and said, ¡°What kind of medicine can be transmitted through air? Do you think it¡¯s viruses and bacteria?¡±

    He Chengjian also came to his senses and pped his head. ¡°Viruses and bacteria?! Quick, someone! Mobilize the anti-chemical units and take samples from that sealed ward!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She was just saying it casually. There was no need to take both of them seriously, right?

    She felt that it wasn¡¯t that simple.

    However, Huo Shaoheng felt that it was indeed necessary to mobilize the anti-chemical unit.

    If there were anything unfamiliar there, the anti-chemical unit would be the first to iste them.

    He Chengjian was in a hurry to mobilize the anti-chemical unit. Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu, have you been very busy these past two days?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said very seriously, ¡°Yes, very busy. I¡¯m dying.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you free today?¡± Huo Shaoheng continued asking.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself. She knew that Mister Huo¡¯s questions were never isted.

    He asked one question, and many more will follow.

    She had identally fallen into a pit.

    Gu Nianzhi closed the notebook on herp and said seriously, ¡°I took the time to visit young master He today. Now that I see that he is fine, I¡¯m relieved. I can go home now.¡±

    He Chengjian had already left He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom, but Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi still spoke very cautiously.

    This was the He family¡¯s territory, and the word ¡°identally¡± had no ce here.

    ¡°Are you sure you can go home?¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at He Zhichu, who was lying on the bed, and reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°if you want to go home early, you better pray that he wakes up early.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of the day: chapter 1668, ¡°The Diversion of trouble.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for May is on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, vote for the monthly ticket now!

    Don¡¯t keep the monthly ticket until the end of the month ~ ~

    Mwah, big and small angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1669 - Accompany You

    <h4>Chapter 1669: Apany You</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was immersed in the excitement of seeing Huo Shaoheng again, but she had to maintain an extremely calm expression, so she did not react immediately.

    ¡°... it¡¯s great that Young Master He is fine, It¡¯s useless for me to stay here anyway. I don¡¯t need to wait for him to wake up. I have to go back now.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes hiding an unknown longing and love.

    Huo Shaoheng did not look at her. He threw the soviet-made military coat on his arm onto the sofa that was against the wall in the living room. He walked over to He Zhichu¡¯s bed in the bedroom and checked his condition carefully.

    The various equipment in the room showed that his vital signs were normal. The only abnormal thing was his pale face.

    If he was really sleeping soundly, his face should not be so pale, not to mention that he was wearing an oxygen mask.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned when she saw Huo Shaoheng walk past her and walked directly to He Zhichu¡¯s bedside to observe his condition.

    Her rationality gradually returned. She thought about everything Huo Shaoheng had said just now and realized what he meant.

    She couldn¡¯t go back until He Zhichu woke up?

    So he meant that she was actually under He Chengjian¡¯s house arrest?

    But why would He Chengjian put her under house arrest?

    She was not a doctor, and she did not know how to treat illnesses..

    Wait... treat illnesses? !

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood. Her pink skin due to her excitement just now had instantly turned as white as snow.

    Wen Shouyi had said that He Zhichu had ¡°rpsed from an old illness.¡± Although she did not believe it, and He Chengjian had also said that he did not believe it, a person like him would never forget to be prepared, right?

    In other words, he did not believe that He Zhichu had ¡°rpsed¡±. But if it was rted to an old illness or a simr new illness, would he use Gu Nianzhi to make He Zhichu¡¯s medicine?

    Only this could exin Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hidden meaning, right?

    Gu Nianzhi immediately became nervous, but she still acted nonchnt and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, please take a seat. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    She uploaded the video to her cloud ount and turned off herptop as if nothing had happened. She ced it back on the desk in He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom.

    She picked up her Herm¨¨s red packet and walked out of the bedroom. She walked through the living room outside the bedroom, pushed open the door of the suite, and walked straight out.

    She didn¡¯t walk far before she was stopped by He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary at the staircase.

    He said politely, ¡°Miss Gu, please wait.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She knew that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guess was correct.

    She slowly raised her head to look at He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary. Gu Nianzhi said slowly, ¡°What do you mean? Are you going to restrict my personal freedom now?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary pursed his lips, and said slowly, ¡°Miss Gu, why would we dare to restrict your personal freedom? However, Young Master He¡¯s condition is still unknown. We hope that you can stay here with him longer. Perhaps he will recover faster.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that sheughed, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to go home, aren¡¯t you restricting my personal freedom? As for Young Master He¡¯s condition, I¡¯m not a doctor. Will he recover faster if I¡¯m here? You should hurry and find a good doctor to check on him, and not spend all your time and energy on evil tricks!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache.

    This little girl was really spoiled.

    Even if he saw through it, he wouldn¡¯t say it out loud. They were still good friends.

    If she was determined to remove the cover-up and cause a fight, she was only putting herself at a disadvantage.

    ¡°Miss Gu, this is what General He wants.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary reminded her softly, ¡°General He is a man of his word. The only exception is Young Master He. So you¡¯d better pray that Young Master He wakes up early so that you can go home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Holy shit!

    It was almost exactly what Huo Shaoheng had said!

    How well did this person know He Chengjian and his men? !

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood suddenly improved.

    A smile slowly spread from the corner of her lips all the way to her eyes. It was like a begonia on a spring day, beautiful beyond words.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was surprised to see that Gu Nianzhi was no longer angry. She even smiled at him nicely.

    That smile was so beautiful..

    Gu Nianzhi tossed the Herm¨¨s red packet onto her shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for Young Master He to wake up soon. Speaking of which, Young Master He has taken good care of me. It¡¯s only right that I apany him when he¡¯s in trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not need He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary to continue persuading her. She had already walked back on her own.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed open the door to He Zhichu¡¯s suite and threw the Herm¨¨s red packet in her hand onto the sofa in the corner of the room. She threw it right onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military coat.

    It looked like a tall man in a military coat was carrying a Herm¨¨s red packet.

    The contrasting sense of harmony was so great that it made oneugh.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and sat on the sofa in the living room. She took out her phone and yed with it.

    In fact, she had secretly activated her hacking program and hidden her phone¡¯s existence on the Inte to secretly contact Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the sound outside the bedroom. He didn¡¯t need to look back to know that Gu Nianzhi had been ¡°invited¡± back.

    He smiled faintly and said in a clear voice,¡±... am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the best. You know what people are thinking. Can you get me out of here with such ability? ¡°Gu Nianzhi made a face at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back in the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He really didn¡¯t have the ability to get Gu Nianzhi out of here.

    He was afraid of hurting Gu Nianzhi, and he didn¡¯t want to witness Gu Nianzhi getting shot in front of him again.

    They wanted to go back, so He Chengjian had to let them go willingly.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi making a face.

    She was being mischievous again.

    Huo Shaoheng was both angry and amused.

    This girl was indeed big-hearted. This was probably because Lu Jin had gotten close to her.

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the bedroom and quietly closed the door.

    He sat down next to Gu Nianzhi and whispered into her ear, ¡°Although I can¡¯t get you out, I can stay here with you until He Chengjian agrees to let you go.¡±

    His voice was disguised, but because it was soft, the maism of his original voice was still disyed and slowly moved her heartstrings.

    His hot breath brushed past her ear, like a feather, or a raging me. Her mood was agitated, as if she was running on the grass in the warm spring, or sunbathing under the scorching summer sun.

    How could that feel so good..

    The tip of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear quietly turned red.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, it was a piece of frozen lychee that had just formed. It was soft and trembling, exuding an unwitting temptation, inviting others to pick it up.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breathing suddenly became heavy, and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He wished he could stick out the tip of his tongue to lick the tender tip of her little ear.

    Gu Nianzhi sensed the change in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s breathing and subconsciously turned her head.

    The tender tip of his little ear flew past Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips as if it had been brought to his mouth.

    Although it was so short that it could be ignored, it was like a long-lost bolt of lightning for the two of them, tearing apart their peaceful sky.

    Huo Shaoheng could hardly control himself. His heartbeat was unbelievably fast. He even suspected that Gu Nianzhi had already heard his heartbeat.

    How could Gu Nianzhi have the energy to listen to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heartbeat?

    Her five senses were in a state of stagnation. Waves of numbness flowed rapidly from the tip of her ears to her entire body, and even her bones went soft.

    The two of them sat on the sofa like two statues.

    The beautiful girl was like a pearl in a daze. She stared forward. The man beside her lowered his head and whispered in her ear. It was as if he was whispering, but also as if he was in love.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first watch of the day: chapter 1669, ¡°Here with you.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for May was on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, vote quickly on the monthly ticket!

    Don¡¯t keep the monthly ticket until the end of the month ~ ~

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1670 - Achillesâ€™ heel

    <h4>Chapter 1670: Achilles¡¯ heel</h4>

    The two people, deeply in love, sat right next to each other. Even their skin was attracted to each other.

    Every cell in their bodies was moring to get closer and closer.

    Huo Shaoheng felt all the anti-seduction training he had received in his life had been wasted. His strong willpower was now like a building about to copse.

    Gu Nianzhi had endured a lot, but she had never received that kind of training. She was now like a person made of snow. If the scorching mes from Huo Shaoheng came any closer, she would melt into water and be defeated.

    The room waspletely quiet. Both of them seemed to be able to hear the sound of time.

    Every minute and second was like a fleeting moment.

    They thought that it had been a long time, like eternity, but in reality, it had only been a few minutes when there was a light click from the door of the suite.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly came to his senses and stepped aside. He said with a faint smile, ¡°So did Miss Gu agree to my request?¡±

    ¡°...,¡± said Gu Nianzhi.

    As though a basin of cold water sshed down on her, Gu Nianzhi woke up as well.

    She gritted her teeth quietly. How could this person still pretend? The thrilling scene just now seemed to be her own wishful thinking.

    But then she realized that in this environment, it would be impossible for them to even acknowledge each other.

    That would only put them in a more dangerous environment.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t be med; she was the one who lost herposure.

    Gu Nianzhi reflected on herself, and her face quickly turned as cold as ice.

    She turned her head and frowned. ¡°Who promised you? Don¡¯t try to create drama. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m here to see Young Master He. If you¡¯re here to see Young Master He, then sit over there. Don¡¯t squeeze on the same sofa as me. It¡¯ll look like your motives are impure.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open. He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary stood at the door and raised her eyebrows. She said, ¡°The chemical defense unit just sent a message. They haven¡¯t found anything in that ward for the time being. Our Chief would like to invite Mr. Peter over to talk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt at ease. She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng mockingly and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, your idea isn¡¯t working. Think again and give General He more ideas.¡±

    She made an OK gesture with her hand. Her eyes were curved and her smile was even more dazzling than a begonia in spring.

    Huo Shaoheng looked away with difficulty. He also wanted to keep his distance from Gu Nianzhi for the time being. He had almost broken his technique just now...

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look, but I can¡¯t help much. I don¡¯t know much about this.¡± He said gently and stood up from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.

    His tall body blocked the lights in the living room and cast a shadow over Gu Nianzhi, covering her whole body.

    Just where he couldn¡¯t see, Gu Nianzhi quietly reached out and clenched her fists, as if she wanted to grab the shadow.

    She really wanted to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shadow so that she could follow him wherever he went. They wouldn¡¯t be separated, nor would she disappear, but she wouldn¡¯t need him to take care of her.

    That way, no one would be able to separate them.

    Unfortunately, this was just a fantasy.

    Huo Shaoheng followed He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary out of the door and closed the door behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi nced in the direction of the door as if she was lost. She quickly lowered her head and looked at her phone screen.

    She hadpletely lost awareness just now and did not know what message she had sent.

    On the other end of the phone, Lu Jin sent ¡°? ? ?¡±

    He had sent her a series of question marks.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and happily sent Lu Jin a message. ¡°I was distracted by something just now.¡±

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief and quickly replied, ¡°When will you be back?¡±

    ¡°...,¡± Gu Nianzhi said.

    Her fingers flew up and down as she replied. ¡°When Young Master He wakes up, I¡¯ll be able to go home.¡±

    Lu Jin was furious. ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t wake up? Then you won¡¯t be able to go home for the rest of your life! He Chengjian, that old Fogey, has gone too far!¡±

    Lu Jin was very sensitive when it came to his daughter, no longer showing the typical symptoms of a person with severe interpersonal disorder.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet smile turned into a wry smile. She thought about it for a moment and tried to change the topic. ¡°However, Young Master He¡¯s situation is really strange. I saw the surveince video in the ward and there was nothing unusual, but he suddenly fainted.¡±

    Lu Jin was so angry that he mmed the table and shouted indignantly, ¡°He Zhichu fainted, and He Chengjian wants to keep my daughter there. Isn¡¯t he just nning to let my daughter continue to make medicine?!¡±

    Unfortunately, there was no one else in the room. No one heard him speak, and he was the only one venting his anger.

    Lu Jin was angry for a while, but he swallowed his anger and sent a message to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°No one can be unconscious for no reason. If he¡¯s unconscious, there must be a reason. Have they found out what the reason is?¡±

    ording to Lu Jin¡¯s nature, even if He Zhichu died in front of him, he wouldn¡¯t care.

    When he treated He Zhichu, it was partly because he didn¡¯t want Qin Suwen to feel heartbroken over the loss of his son, and partly because he was very interested in the treatment method Qin Yaoguang had suggested. It had aroused his great interest in scientific research, so he had devoted himself to it.

    If it had been He Chengjian¡¯s method at that time, Lu Jin would have rather been shot dead than saved.

    He had a stubborn personality. When he lost his temper, not even the most powerful pulling machine could pull him back, let alone ten cows.

    But now that his precious daughter was in the hands of someone else, if he did not care, the one being hurt would be his precious daughter. That was his Achilles¡¯ heel.

    Gu Nianzhi did not hear Lu Jin lose his temper, but Lu Jin took a while to reply. She knew that Lu Jin was angry.

    Who wouldn¡¯t be angry at He Chengjian for doing this?

    But he couldn¡¯t object.

    Seeing Lu Jin reply, Gu Nianzhi quickly added, ¡°It¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t found out the reason, so it¡¯s strange.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Peter is here too. ording to his observations, it¡¯s not affected by the drugs, but it might be rted to airborne transmission.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if it was a virus or something. They can all be airborne.¡±

    ¡°General He sent the anti-chemical unit to that ward to collect evidence, but they just received news that they didn¡¯t find anything.¡±

    In other words, they didn¡¯t collect any information about the virus or bacteria.

    Gu Nianzhi sent a lot of messages in one go, and then waited anxiously for Lu Jin¡¯s reply.

    Lu Jin¡¯s first thought was also about bacteria and viruses.

    Although these things were small, they were all-pervasive and could cause unimaginable consequences.

    However, Gu Nianzhi said that He Chengjian had already sent anti-chemical units to investigate, but there was still no result.

    If it wasn¡¯t bacteria and viruses, then what was it?

    Lu Jin thought about it for a moment and replied, ¡°What about the surveince video? Can I see it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±

    She shared her cloud ount with Lu Jin so that he could see the surveince video.

    This surveince video had been brought in from the ward. The resolution was not high, and only a few people¡¯s rough figures and movements could be seen. Their expressions were a little blurry, it was like the images of those color television sets from thest century that did not have high resolution.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°The Qin private hospital ims to be rich and imposing. They charge so much, but this surveince camera is so simple and crude. They won¡¯t even install a high-resolution camera.¡±

    Lu Jinughed and replied, ¡°The Qin private hospital is essentially a for-profit hospital. Their goal is not to treat patients and save people, but to make money. Treating patients and saving people is their way of making a profit. Don¡¯t think that just because there¡¯s a ¡®hospital¡¯ in its name that it will treat patients. To private hospitals, it doesn¡¯t matter. They only care about money.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and shook her head.

    She didn¡¯t know much about this, so it wasn¡¯t convenient for her to express her opinion.

    Lu Jin was about to go watch the surveince video, so he replied to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m going to see what¡¯s going on with that video. Don¡¯t worry. Even if He Zhichu doesn¡¯t wake up, I¡¯ll let youe home.¡±

    Lu Jin cut off Gu Nianzhi¡¯s secret connection and turned on his mainframe, which wasparable to the central control system of the Huaxia Empire, to analyze the surveince video.

    Since it wasn¡¯t bacteria or viruses, there had to be another reason.

    There were many mediums that could be transmitted through the air, and any one could have caused He Zhichu to fall unconscious.

    But at the same time, the other two people were safe and sound. This was interesting.

    No, that¡¯s not right. Gu Nianzhi had said that Qin Yaoguang had also fainted.

    A littleter than He Zhichu.

    What was the reason?

    Lu Jin was the same as Gu Nianzhi. He had slowed down the surveince video and watched it frame by frame, but he was also doing arge amount of data analysis at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi was using He Zhichu¡¯sptop.

    Although theptop had excellent performance, it could not bepared to Lu Jin¡¯s superputer.

    This was aputer that Lu Jin had built himself. Even the chip was self-designed. It was 100,000 EtHash ASIC miner chips ahead of the most powerfulputer on the market.

    However, even though he had such a powerfulputer analysis system, it took him nearly four hours to find a clue.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: Chapter 1670 ¡°Achilles¡¯ heel¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for May is on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, vote quickly on the monthly ticket!

    Don¡¯t leave the monthly ticket until the end of the month ~ ~

    Mwah, dear Big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1671 - Daddyâ€™s Magic Tricks for You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1671: Daddy¡¯s Magic Tricks for You (1)</h4>

    In Lu Jin¡¯s privateboratory, the entire wall was filled withputer monitors of all sizes.

    All these years, the equipment in this privateboratory would follow him everywhere.

    He sat in front of the control panel in the middle of the room, his fingers still typing on the keyboard, constantly refining and marking the resolution of the surveince video. At the same time, he was doing all sorts of physical data analysis.

    Because Gu Nianzhi had said that He Chengjian¡¯s chemical defense unit had not found any traces of bacteria or viruses, Lu Jin did not bother to investigate the chemical aspect. Instead, he analyzed it directly from the physical aspect.

    The reason He Zhichu had suddenly fainted was not due to the rpse of his old illness, nor was he infected by unknown bacteria and viruses. The only thing left was the physical attack.

    Lu Jin¡¯s data analysis was also focused on the physical aspect.

    The electromaic and optical reactions in the video, as well as the length, width, and height of the physical world, in addition to time, could be analyzed in four dimensions.

    Such aplicated analysis would take a little longer.

    Four hourster, the data analysis of the entire video waspleted.

    On therge green screen in the studio, the snow-white ward that was disyed was no longer a real ward, but a ward that was behind the data structure.

    The whole scene was like a three-dimensional analytic geometry drawing drawn by aputer.

    The three-dimensional structure of the ward was exposed and all the conspiracies were revealed under his analysis.

    ...

    After Gu Nianzhi sent Lu Jin a shared cloud ount, she was so sleepy that she fell asleep on the sofa in the living room outside He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom.

    When she woke up, Huo Shaoheng had already returned. He was sitting beside her and gently draped his coat over her.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes in the dark and looked at him quietly.

    The ck and whites of her eyes had a clear distinction and her pupils were extremely dark. The whites of her eyes were even a little blue, as bright as the most transparent ss.

    As she had just woken up, she couldn¡¯t hide thezy look in her eyes.

    She blinked and slowly reached out to touch Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cheek. She murmured, ¡°... Huo Shao, is that you? I had a dream. I dreamt that I was back at home with you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and covered her with his coat. He said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She sat up from the sofa and pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s coat away. She curled up in the corner of the sofa and sulked.

    Huo Shaoheng did notfort her. He continued to hold his coat and sat quietly on the other side of the sofa. He was lost in thought as he watched the television on the wall opposite him.

    Just then, Lu Jin called. It was a video call.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down, with her heart in her throat while holding the phone really tight. Before she could send a text, Lu Jin had already sent her a text.

    [ Don¡¯t be afraid and pick up the phone. I¡¯ve already hacked into the He family¡¯s security system. ]

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Her depressed mood instantly improved.

    Lu Jin had already hacked into the He family¡¯s security system. What was there to be afraid of?!

    Gu Nianzhi happily epted the video invitation and called out coquettishly, ¡°... Dad!¡±

    Lu Jin was ted and quickly said as if he was presenting a treasure, ¡°Go and lock the door of this room. I¡¯ll do a magic trick for you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly agreed. She got up and locked the door to He Zhichu¡¯s living room.

    Gu Nianzhi walked towards the sofa and asked meaningfully, ¡°Dad, Mr. Peter is also in the room. Can you see him?¡±

    If Lu Jin hacked into the He family¡¯s security system, he should be able to see everything in this room.

    In fact, the surveince cameras in He Zhichu¡¯s room were not connected to the He family¡¯s security system. It was controlled by him, separately.

    This time, He Chengjian had connected the mansion¡¯s security surveince system to He Zhichu¡¯s suite because he suddenly fell unconscious. It was convenient for him to check on He Zhichu¡¯s condition at any time.

    Although Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were alone in this room, they did not dare to say anything unnecessary. It was because of this reason.

    Lu Jin said that he had hacked into the He family¡¯s security system. Meaning that he had control over the entire He family¡¯s security.

    He could have disyed whatever he wanted on the surveince cameras. If the other party did not check personally, they would not know what was going on in the house.

    Therefore, Lu Jin had Gu Nianzhi lock the door so that they could have a period of uninterrupted time.

    It was four or five o¡¯clock in the morning when everyone was deep in sleep.

    Most people would not bother them at this time.

    Lu Jin said sulkily, ¡°I know he¡¯s here. HMPH! Luckily he¡¯s behaving! If he dares to take advantage of you while you¡¯re sleeping, I can make him a eunuch right away!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s voice was very loud. The sound from the phone leaked through the gaps between her fingers while Gu Nianzhi was holding it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was a little dark, and he frowned.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly pleased and deliberately said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re exaggerating. You¡¯re just monitoring, how can you crawl over the Inte?¡±

    Lu Jin was amused, he said, ¡°If a physicist wants to, anything in this world can be a lethal weapon. Even though I¡¯m far away, as long as I could monitor this room, I can transform the electrical appliances in this room into automatic weapons.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only look at him in an ignorant and admiring way.

    She didn¡¯t understand and couldn¡¯t afford to offend him.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that the father and daughter were getting carried away, looked at his watch without batting an eyelid, and said, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped and said, ¡°Dad, what trick are you going to perform for me?¡±

    Lu Jin also returned to the main topic and said, ¡°Just wait.¡±

    As he spoke, he seemed to have done some work on the other side. The wall-mounted television on the opposite wall of He Zhichu¡¯s living room suddenly turned on by itself.

    After the Blue Screen, a ward appeared on the television. It was Grandfather Qin¡¯s ward!

    It was the same ward that He Zhichu had stayed in for 24 hours!

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes and said in surprise, ¡°Dad, is this the surveince video?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Jin said happily, ¡°Now it¡¯s time to perform a magic trick.¡±

    Soon, the ward on the television screen gradually became translucent starting from the building. Lines appeared on the screen one by one, with all kinds of data marked out.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the three-dimensional model of the ward on the television, and her beautiful lips parted into a round shape.

    ¡°See that? This ward is actually not a rectangr shape that can be seen with the naked eye but a ¡®convex¡¯ shape.¡± Lu Jin¡¯s voice came from the stereo Bluetooth speakers in the room.

    Gu Nianzhi could now clearly see that the two extra parts underneath the ¡®convex¡¯ shape werepletely covered by two long, post-modern, gray corner leather sofas.

    There were nts neatly arranged behind the sofas. The tall, green, broad-leaved nt not only relieved the pressure in the ward but also stole the focus of the view.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Lu Jin¡¯sprehensive analysis of the physical data of the ward, even if he had taken the architectural design of the entire building, he might not be able to find the extra small wings on both sides.

    This ward was no longer a building in their eyes, but a model built with data.

    The mouse in his hand casually slid through the ward model. With every click, not only could he see the length, width, and height of the point in the ward, as well as the data of the building materials, but he could also see the global coordinates of that point!

    Huo Shaoheng saw Lu Jin¡¯s system and immediately reacted and sat up straight.

    What kind of system was this?! This was an extremely precise system!

    In international politics, the full name was National Missile Defense. It was a ballistic Missile Defense and counterattack system developed by the US military.

    This system used to be very popr, butter it fell into decline because the uracy of the real-time coordinate processing required by this system was too difficult to achieve. The military had determined that they invested too much into it but the results were not high, so the US had already ced it on its own.

    What if the difficulty of the real-time coordinate processing challenge can be ovee?

    What if the system was installed on a satellite?

    ¡°... Did you modify this ording to NMD?¡± Huo Shaoheng finally asked. He suppressed his voice so that the excitement would not leak out.

    Lu Jin¡¯s smug voice rang in their ears. ¡°Give me a video. I can decode the global coordinates.¡±

    ¡°What is an NMD?¡± Gu Nianzhi was confused. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was obviously suppressing his emotions, and then at Lu Jin¡¯s smug face on his phone. Her gaze wandered between the two of them as if there was something between them that she did not understand.

    Lu Jin smiled and said, ¡°This is much better than that half-baked NMD. With my system, even if it¡¯s a missile from a neighboring country, the satellite system will be able to decode the location of the missile as soon as it¡¯sunched from the base. At the same time, it will be able to calcte the trajectory traces of the missile. The interceptor missiles on our side will be able to take off in a calm manner and achieve an overseas interception of the missile.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood.

    Huo Shaoheng interjected, ¡°Such precise positioning will be a great help to the precise attack of the drone and the guided missile. Uncle Lu, have you considered...¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t considered it.¡± Lu Jin refused tly. NMD, drones, precise guidance ¡ª these were not things that he had considered.

    Because he had been on the run all these years, in order to protect himself, he needed a surveince system that could monitor his opponent and locate his coordinates in real-time.

    Therefore, he designed and built such a system by himself. It was connected to the hostputer he designed so could keep track of his opponent¡¯s movements at any time.

 Chapter 1672 - Daddyâ€™s Magic Tricks for You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1672: Daddy¡¯s Magic Tricks for You (2)</h4>

    ¡°The main purpose of my system is to urately locate the target. I have no other intentions,¡± Lu Jin said firmly.

    Huo Shaoheng still tried to persuade him, ¡°Actually, I think Uncle¡¯s system has more room for exploration. For example, if we cooperate with the global satellite navigation system...¡±

    He wanted to use the globally supported Nandou satellite system to attract Lu Jin¡¯s interest.

    Lu Jin chuckled and raised an eyebrow with a hint of arrogance. ¡°If necessary, I can hack into any satellite system in the world and use the global satellite resources to achieve true, all-epassing surveince of any target.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was at a loss of words.

    He was actually trying toe up with ideas on the spot.

    Huo Shaoheng had almost never been impressed by anyone, but in front of Lu Jin, he felt that this man was an exception.

    Gu Nianzhi listened from the side, and her feelings wereplicated. She thought about it for a moment, then whispered, ¡°My dad doesn¡¯t have to do this, and he doesn¡¯t have the ambition to dominate the world. All he needs is ab like this for him to immerse into the world of technology and data.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Nianzhi is right! That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking!¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you, it was thanks to this system that I discovered abnormal fluctuations in the energy of the maic field. I also discovered that He Chengjian had actually sent people to abduct Nianzhi...¡±

    Lu Jin had no choice but to fight an energy battle with He Chengjian. Although there was no smoke, it was extremely destructive.

    Now, he was using this advanced system that could monitor targets anywhere in the world to analyze an inconspicuous ward.

    Not only was everything in the ward analyzed into data, even the air flow in the ward could not be hidden from him.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m going to perform a magic trick for you now. Watch carefully,¡± Lu Jin said as he focused his attention on the analysis of the data in the video.

    ¡°The problem in this ward is indeed rted to the air.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not bacteria or viruses. This possibility has been ruled out.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it rted to? We can start with the central air-conditioning system of the entire building.¡±

    ¡°Under normal circumstances, a sealed ward has a central air-conditioning system. The air flow should be self-circting and self-integrated.¡±

    ¡°But look...¡± Lu Jin pointed to a group of data. ¡°This group of data doesn¡¯t show such simple air flow.¡±

    ¡°You can see it clearly here. Among all these air flow data, there¡¯s a group that shows that air is continuously flowing towards the corner where He Zhichu is sitting.¡±

    ¡°Or rather, this isn¡¯t simple air flow. There¡¯s another kind of energy present inside.¡±

    Lu Jin clicked on the air data again with his mouse, instructing the system to carry out further analysis.

    Soon, theputer system came to a conclusion after precise calctions.

    ¡°Look, this is the result of theputer system¡¯s analysis.¡±

    ¡°The other type of energy that follows the flow of air is sound waves. To be precise, it is a group of infrasonic waves below 20 hertz.¡±

    Infrasound weapons!

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed.

    So the culprit was infrasound weapons!

    There were people using such weapons here?

    He recalled that there had been an incident where an infrasound weapon had injured someone in the Other World. It had happened during Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abduction and disappearance.

    Lu Jin did not know about the Other World. He continued to exin, ¡°For sound waves, the frequency that the human ear can hear is between 20 hertz and 20,000 hertz. Sound waves that have a frequency lower than 20 hertz are called infrasonic waves. Sound waves that have a frequency higher than 20,000 hertz are called ultrasonic waves.¡±

    ¡°Infrasound weapons, as the name suggests, are weapons that use infrasonic waves to kill enemies.¡±

    ¡°Because different organs in the human body have different pulsations of different frequencies, these pulsations happen to be in the same frequency range as infrasonic waves. In other words, they are in the range below 20 hertz.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, infrasonic waves of different frequencies will resonate with different organs in the human body. Infrasound weapons use this feature to injure.¡±

    ¡°An infrasound weapon can cause mental and physical damage to the human body. Mild damage causes nausea, vomiting and dizziness, while severe ones will cause mental disorder, pain all over the body, and even death due to ruptured internal organs.¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s condition was caused by continuous attack of an infrasound weapon of a specific frequency. However, because the enemy did not find the correct resonance frequency, it took a full 24 hours for physical damage to be done to his body.¡±

    ¡°If I were to control this infrasound weapon, I would only need two seconds to paralyze anyone within attack range of the weapon.¡±

    Lu Jin seemed to shake his head regretfully. ¡°The infrasound weapon they used could be said to be very crude.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth opened, but before she could speak, Huo Shaoheng had already asked with a frown, ¡°But the w of the infrasound weapon is also very obvious. May I ask how they managed to resolve this w?¡±

    ¡°What w?¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly asked, ¡°It sounds very powerful, and it looks like they¡¯re attacking without any bloodshed...¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re indeed attacking without bloodshed, but they also might not be attacking without bloodshed,¡± Huo Shaoheng sat leisurely on the sofa and crossed his legs. He calmly said, ¡°The infrasound weapon has a very big w, which is that it attacks indiscriminately. That is to say, it doesn¡¯t differentiate between friend and foe. It¡¯s very easy for both sides to be injured.¡±

    This kind of weapon, which could kill a thousand enemies while also injuring a thousand allies, was of little use in war.

    Lu Jin nodded approvingly and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. Infrasound weapons not only attack indiscriminately, but also have a specific range of attack. If they¡¯re too far away, it won¡¯t be of much use.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the instruments that emit infrasonic waves must be not too far from the target. Then where exactly is the source of their infrasound?¡± Huo Shaoheng was obviously more interested in military technology.

    Lu Jin excitedly pointed at the two small rectangles that had appeared under the convex shape and drew a line with the mouse. He said, ¡°Look at what¡¯s inside this.¡±

    He double-clicked the mouse and had the system analyze the two small rectangles that were hidden on both sides of the ward.

    On the monitor screen, the two small rectangles that Lu Jin had drawn with the mouse were shown to be a whiteboard, and there was nothing there.

    However, Lu Jin entered a string ofmands and said with a smile, ¡°Daddy¡¯s Trick is continuing!¡±

    At this moment, the two small rectangles that were originally empty suddenly seemed to have been manipted magically, revealing the hidden treasure underneath:

    Two instruments that were both the same shape as arge drum gradually appeared at the two empty small rectangles.

    ¡°Look, therge ck gauze disk in front of the drum is actually a circr amplifier.¡±

    Lu Jin pointed at the two instruments that were revealed and said, ¡°These are the culprits behind the infrasonic waves. They fired infrasonic waves at He Zhichu for at least 24 hours before he fainted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised. ¡°Why did it take so long? Young Master must have suffered a lot...¡±

    ¡°... I don¡¯t know why it took so long either.¡± Lu Jin smiled. ¡°It depends on how the people over there designed it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the data modeling of the ward on the monitor, suddenly, she asked, ¡°Since you said that infrasound weapons attack indiscriminately, why is Young Master the only one unconscious? Qin Yaoguang had managed to hold on for a while, while Old Master Qin ispletely normal.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled at her and praised, ¡°That¡¯s a good question! Why? I¡¯ll show you the reason now.¡±

    At this moment, Lu Jin moved the Mouse to Old Master Qin, who was lying under the oxygen mask on the hospital bed.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s oxygen mask was not a normal oxygen mask. It didn¡¯t just cover his nose, but covered his entire body.

    Lu Jin moved the mouse over the oxygen mask and said, ¡°Look at the data.¡±

    The font size of the data was as small as a grain of rice and densely arranged on the oxygen mask, so they couldn¡¯t see what it meant.

    Lu Jin pointed at the data and said, ¡°Look at this oxygen mask carefully.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Please exin.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng carefully observed the oxygen mask and suddenly said, ¡°This oxygen mask isplicated. It has twoyers of ss with vacuum in the middle.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why.¡±

    ¡°Because the biggest weakness of the infrasound weapon is not that it attacks indiscriminately, but that it is too easy to intercept it. As long as a vacuum zone is established around the target, a subsonic wave cannot harm it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and quickly said, ¡°So this doubleyer full-body oxygen shield is actually creating a vacuum barrier around him, shielding him from the infrasound weapon.¡±

    Lu Jin looked closely at the oxygen mask on Old Master Qin¡¯s hospital bed on the disy screen and pursed his lips.

    He saidzily, ¡°This old guy really cherishes his life. The oxygen mask on his body is no ordinary oxygen mask.¡±

    ¡°Not only does it provide oxygen, but it also shields against all external sources of energy, including but not limited to electrical, maic, light and sound energy.¡±

 Chapter 1673 - Daddyâ€™s Magic Tricks for You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1673: Daddy¡¯s Magic Tricks for You (3)</h4>

    ¡°She¡¯s that good? !¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She leaned forward and asked anxiously, ¡°What about Qin Yaoguang? She doesn¡¯t seem to have any protection, right? Did the infrasonic weapons attack her as well?¡±

    Lu Jinughed and pointed at a certain green figure on the ward¡¯s data model with his mouse. ¡°This must be Qin Yaoguang, right?¡±

    On the television screen, the person was wearing a green surgical gown, a green surgical cap, and arge face mask.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, this is Qin Yaoguang. She just followed someone into the operating room, so she¡¯s dressed like this.¡±

    Lu Jin opened the person¡¯s data and exined to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Did you see the data on her surgical gown?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Yes, but with so many numbers stacked together, she had no idea what it meant.

    ¡°This data shows that the scrubs on her are not made of ordinary material.¡± Lu Jin smiled as he opened Qin Yaoguang¡¯s figure and said, ¡°My system can perform three-dimensional dialysis imaging on the person in this video.¡±

    ¡°Three-dimensional dialysis imaging?¡±Gu Nianzhi subconsciously looked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng said,¡±... just like when you go through security at the airport and use X-rays to check whether a passenger is carrying dangerous goods, it can prate the person¡¯s clothes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed.

    Sigh, shouldn¡¯t I cover Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes?

    Lu Jin wouldn¡¯t be so unreliable as to expose his mother-inw¡¯s ¡°personal data¡± in front of her son-inw, would he?

    She opened her mouth and was terrified. She wanted to warn Lu Jin, but was worried that Huo Shaoheng would realize that she had seen through her.

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s style, if he sensed danger, he would immediately stay away from her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to be separated from Huo Shaoheng, so she could only pretend to ignore things and look away.

    However, Lu Jin¡¯s voice rang out in the room, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s like going through security at the airport. My system is more sophisticated, so the three-dimensional dialysis imaging should be clearer. It¡¯s almost like a real human body. But look...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let out a soft ¡°huh¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi looked conflicted, wondering what ¡°Huh¡± meant.

    Was her mother-inw in good shape?

    In her embarrassment, she couldn¡¯t help ncing at the television screen.

    What was going on?

    There was no three-dimensional dialysis image on the screen!

    Qin Yaoguang was still wearing the same green surgical gown, green surgical cap, and arge mask, covering herself tightly.

    Lu Jin suddenly thought of this?

    Gu Nianzhi was about to ask, but Huo Shaoheng beat her to it. ¡°... Why isn¡¯t Qin Yaoguang able to produce a three-dimensional dialysis image?¡±

    Lu Jin said, ¡°It¡¯s simple. My scanning system couldn¡¯t prate her surgical gown, surgical cap, and face mask.¡±

    ¡°That powerful? Your scanning system didn¡¯t prate them. What about the sonic weapon? Could it have also failed to prate them?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    Lu Jin nodded and smiled in praise. ¡°Nianzhi is so smart, that¡¯s how it is. Look at the materials on her surgical gown, surgical cap, and mask. They¡¯re all nano-grade, and just like her father¡¯s oxygen mask, they have a vacuum barrier.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood. She clenched her fists, and said excitedly, ¡°Mr. Qin¡¯s oxygen mask is actually multifunctional. It can be said to be a coincidence that it can withstand infrasonic weapons. However, the only function of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s surgical gown is to block infrasonic weapons! This doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°This means that at least Qin Yaoguang knew about this infrasonic weapon a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dead for sure!¡± Gu Nianzhi closed her palms and beamed. ¡°As long as we tell general He about this evidence, she¡¯ll definitely die a horrible death!¡±

    If she dared toy a hand on He Chengjian¡¯s son, she would have to face He Chengjian¡¯s wrath!

    Huo Shaoheng agreed with Gu Nianzhi, but Qin Yaoguang was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother after all. Even though Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t deserve to be a mother for what she did to Gu Nianzhi, no one else knew about it, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t show such happiness in front of others.

    He coughed lightly and reminded Gu Nianzhi, ¡°That¡¯s general He¡¯s business. You don¡¯t have to get too excited. She¡¯s Your Mother...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I never acknowledged her as my mother. Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°Well said! It has nothing to do with you!¡± Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help calling Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhiughed happily.

    As long as Lu Jin didn¡¯t care about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s life or death, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have any psychological burden at all.

    She understood what Huo Shaoheng meant. He was reminding her to be careful not to show such emotions in front of outsiders. This way, people who didn¡¯t know would think that she was a cold-blooded person who could gloat over the life and death of her biological mother.

    But she really didn¡¯t care.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    However, he heard something else from Lu Jin¡¯s words, and his brows furrowed slightly.

    Did Lu Jin know what he was talking about?

    As his mind raced, Huo Shaoheng had already started to ask Lu Jin, ¡°Uncle Lu, miss Gu doesn¡¯t admit that director Qin is her biological mother. You¡¯re a scientist, isn¡¯t it inappropriate to deny this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m a scientist...¡± Lu Jin had missed a sentence, but he quickly came to his senses.

    What the F * ck!

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was so scary!

    They had slipped away.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t want to video chat with them anymore. He was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the KGB¡¯s words. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was amittee of State Security (KGB), he quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s the situation. He Zhichu was attacked by a subsonic weapon. From the symptoms of hisa, the attack was on his left brain. He Zhichu had been ced in a pure, vacuum environment to rest for twelve hours. His symptoms should have been greatly alleviated. He should be awake soon. ¡°I still have something to do. Come back soon.¡±

    Lu Jin cut off the connection with Gu Nianzhi and turned off the video analysis on the television.

    The television screen, which had been shing with green data, suddenly went dark. The lights in the room seemed to have dimmed.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the wall-mounted TV in shock and asked in confusion, ¡°What happened? Did something happen? Did you hang up in such a hurry?¡±

    She took out her phone and sent Lu Jin a text message.

    Lu Jin only replied with two words: ¡°Busy. Good Girl.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She was probably really busy.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to look for general He. Mr. Peter, you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held her back with aplicated look in his eyes. ¡°How are you going to look for general He? How are you going to tell him what happened just now? Are you going to tell him...¡±

    Lu Jin looked at the television and raised his chin slightly to remind Gu Nianzhi not to expose Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her forehead and smiled wryly. ¡°I almost forgot. I just want young master he to get out of danger as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± Huo Shaoheng asked her to sit down. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss what we should tell General He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the surveince cameras in the room. He wasn¡¯t sure if Lu Jin, this unreliable person, was still in charge of the He family¡¯s surveince system.

    If he wasn¡¯t, then they were now under the He family¡¯s surveince again.

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and sent Gu Nianzhi a text message: [ this way. The surveince is not stable. ]

    Gu Nianzhi understood immediately and replied: [ I want to think about how to tell General He... ]

    Her goal was to put the me for the whole incident on Qin Yaoguang, but this matter could not be avoided by grandfather Qin and the Qin family.

    Gu Nianzhi turned on her phone and looked at the surveince video she had stored on the cloud again. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she quickly typed: [ I can tell general He that I found something wrong with the operating room! Ask him to send someone to the operating room with me! ]

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and replied: [ you want to bring someone to investigate the source of the two infrasonic waves? I think the two machines have already been moved. ]

    Gu Nianzhi did not believe him: [ But that ward has been locked down by general He? How could they be so bold? ]

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and nced at her lightly. He replied: [ If it were me, even if there was apany of soldiers blocking the door, I would be able to move the two machines. ]

    Gu Nianzhi: [ ... Okay, you¡¯re the best. Next! ]

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but rub her head, he replied: [ Also, uncle Lu said that the two small rooms weren¡¯t actually in the ward, so even if general He had sent people to block the ward, they didn¡¯t block the other two small rooms, so the Qin family must have gotten rid of the two machines from another exit early in the morning. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can bring people to investigate. ]

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment, she stood up and replied: [ It doesn¡¯t matter. If you can run away, you can¡¯t run away from the temple. They moved the equipment away, so I don¡¯t believe that they can seal off the two secret rooms. As long as I find the two secret rooms and find what was in the secret rooms, won¡¯t that be up to me to decide? ]

    ¡°Besides, general He is so suspicious. As long as I give him even the tiniest clue, he wille up with a big show in his mind. Furthermore, two secret rooms suddenly appeared near his son¡¯s hospital room. If he doesn¡¯t dig up that Qin private hospital, I will write my name upside down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi left these words in high spirits and walked towards the door.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up immediately. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll go with you. Just tell them that I found it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him with a frown. ¡°It was me...¡±

    ¡°How did you find this?¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at her. He picked up his coat. ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) is the most sensitive to secret rooms.¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the most sensitive to secret rooms, so He Chengjian wouldn¡¯t think of going anywhere else unless Peter, the ace of the Far East, found it.

    Gu Nianzhi understood and her eyes dimmed. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go look for general He.¡±

 Chapter 1674 - Reasoning Was Based on Guesswork

    <h4>Chapter 1674: Reasoning Was Based on Guesswork</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi went to He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom and took out hisptop. She then left He Zhichu¡¯s suite with Huo Shaoheng.

    The guard standing guard at the door immediately stopped them and asked, ¡°May I ask where you two are going?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked cautiously at Huo Shaoheng and said to the guard, ¡°This is Mr. Peter, the Deputy Chief Consul of the Soviet Union. We have something important to tell General He. It has something to do with Young Master He¡¯s illness. Could you pass on a message?¡±

    The guard looked suspiciously at the dainty Gu Nianzhi, and then at the handsome and imposing Huo Shaoheng. He thought for a moment and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask someone.¡±

    He had another guard stand guard to watch Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi while he went to look for He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary.

    ¡°...Do you think the chief is free? Miss Gu and Mr. Peter said that they have something important to tell the chief.¡± The guard saluted He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary said awkwardly, ¡°The chief is not in a good mood...¡±

    He Chengjian asked the chemical defense unit to search the ward carefully, but they found nothing. As a result, he was very depressed.

    ¡°AH? Then maybe these two can distract the chief by talking?¡± The guard respected He Chengjian from the bottom of his heart.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He thought that it made sense.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make a call first.¡± As he spoke, he took out his phone and dialed He Chengjian¡¯s study¡¯sndline.

    He Chengjian sat in the study. He did not turn on the lights. Only the night could hide his emotions.

    He looked at He Zhichu, who was still unconscious and motionless on the monitor screen, and his tears could not help but fall.

    He Zhichu was the only son Qin Suwen had left for him, his only bloodline, and the only trace Qin Suwen had left in this world. Was he going to lose him?

    How could he still have the face to meet Suwen after he dies...

    He Chengjian closed his eyes and let his tears flow.

    At this moment, thendline in the study rang.

    He did not want to pick up the phone, but the phone kept ringing. It seemed like it would not stop until he picked up the phone.

    The phone in the study was usually called because of something important.

    He Chengjian took a deep breath and wiped his tears. He picked up the receiver and said, ¡°Hello.¡±.

    The personal secretary on the other end of the phone wiped the sweat off her forehead and said with a smile, ¡°Chief, Miss Gu and Mr. Peter said that they have something important to report. It has something to do with Young Master He.¡±

    He Chengjian was stunned. ¡°She said that?¡±

    He looked at the surveince screen. He Zhichu¡¯s motionless expression made him purse his lips.

    ¡°Okay, take them to the small conference room. I¡¯ll be there right away,¡± He Chengjian put down the phone and stood up to go to the small conference room again.

    He had met the Far East Ace, Peter, here yesterday, so he did not expect the Far East Ace toe again today.

    He was really hot on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heels...

    He Chengjian snorted in his heart. His expression returned to normal, and he entered the small meeting room with a warm smile.

    In the small meeting room, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were already sitting inside.

    He Chengjian walked in steadily, and the two of them stood up together.

    ¡°General He,¡± Gu Nianzhi greeted him first. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    She noticed that He Chengjian¡¯s eyes were a little red, but she couldn¡¯t believe that He Chengjian had cried...

    He Chengjian smiled, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. Sit down.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng sat down together after He Chengjian sat down.

    He Chengjian felt a little ufortable as he looked at the couple sitting across from him and thought about his son, He Zhichu, who was unconscious on the hospital bed.

    His face darkened as he looked at his watch. ¡°What do you want? Tell me quickly, I only have five minutes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ced He Zhichu¡¯sptop in front of He Chengjian and said, ¡°General He, I had nothing to do when I was with Young Master He, so I watched the surveince video over and over again. Mr. Peter happened to be visiting Young Master He as well. After watching the video a few times, he found something interesting.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly and said, ¡°I watched the video without your permission. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He Chengjian waved his hand. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng picked up the mouse and pointed at two secret rooms on the video. He said to He Chengjian, ¡°General He, I watched the video a few times and found that although the people inside seem to be fine, this ward is quite interesting.¡±

    ¡°The ward is quite interesting?¡± He Chengjian narrowed his eyes. ¡°You mean...?¡±

    ¡°Yes, take a look here.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped on the greenery behind the corner sofa. ¡°There seem to be two rooms behind this, but I can¡¯t tell from the outside.¡±

    He Chengjian sat up straight and stared at theputer screen for a long time. ¡°You mean there¡¯s a secret room here? But I can¡¯t tell?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Believe me, I¡¯ve seen this kind of room before during special training. There¡¯s definitely something wrong with the sides. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can send someone to the two ces I¡¯ve circled and smash them to see if there¡¯s a secret room there.¡±

    He Chengjian rubbed his chin with his hand and said in puzzlement, ¡°Even if there is, what does it mean?¡±

    ¡°It means a lot of things. Why are there secret rooms on both sides of old Mr. Qin¡¯s ward? What¡¯s in these secret rooms?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°General He, don¡¯t you want to know? Perhaps Young Master He¡¯s illness is rted to these two secret rooms?¡±

    He Chengjian thought about it silently for a while, and his expression gradually changed.

    He stood up and said to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, ¡°I want to go and see for myself. Do you want to go with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to stand up as well. He smiled and said, ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I¡¯d like to broaden my horizons and see if my judgment is correct.¡±

    He Chengjian couldn¡¯t help but re at him. ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you discover this? Why do you look so uncertain?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly tried to smooth things over. She smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Peter is from the KGB. The Committee of State Security (KGB) relies on guesses to solve their reasoning problems, so I¡¯m not too sure.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched imperceptibly. The Committee of State Security (KGB) relies on guesses to solve their reasoning problems?

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) would probably be furious if they found out about this and challenge Gu Nianzhi to a one-on-one fight...

    However, he did not say anything. He maintained an awkward and polite smile and stood quietly beside Gu Nianzhi.

    He Chengjian snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s go. If not, you¡¯ll have to take responsibility.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nervous. She took two quick steps forward and followed beside He Chengjian. She whispered, ¡°General He, if not, you can¡¯t me Mr. Peter, right? He helped us out of kindness. He can¡¯t be giving us money and effort, can he?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°What do you mean by giving us money and effort? When did he give us money?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m just giving an analogy.¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked herrge eyes, which had a cosmetic effect on them, with an innocent expression on her face.

    He Chengjian¡¯s mind went nk for a moment.

    Through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression, he actually thought of Qin Suwen.

    Every time he quarreled with Qin Suwen and Qin Suwen deliberately acted shamelessly, he would put on this expression, and then he would unconditionally ¡°Surrender.¡±.

    All the reasoning he had ever talked about in his life was only in front of Qin Suwen.

    He Chengjian silently moved his gaze away. Without saying a word, he led two toons of people to the Qin private hospital again.

    Previously, he let a toon of people guard that ward there. Now, he brought two toons of people to demolish the house.

    The people of the Qin private hospital dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.

    As the current executive director of the Qin Private Hospital Group, Wen Shouyi received the news and rushed over in a hurry.

    ¡°General He, what are you doing?¡± With a dark expression, she walked up with her legal team.

    Not only had she brought the huge legal team of the Qin group¡¯s private group, but she had also informed all the major new media outlets to give them ¡°Big News.¡±.

    Therefore, behind them, there was not only the legal team, but also many new media practitioners.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were sharp, and she immediately saw Xie Qingying standing in the front row.

    There were two people with cameras beside her, and they were filming in their direction.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1674, ¡°Reasoning is based on guesswork.¡±.

    It¡¯s thest day of the double monthly ticket in May. Vote quickly!

    Don¡¯t leave the monthly ticket until the end of the month.

    Today is also Monday. I forgot to ask for a rmendation ticket in the morning. Dear friends, don¡¯t forget!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * * .

 Chapter 1675 - Enemies and Allies

    <h4>Chapter 1675: Enemies and Allies</h4>

    Xie Qingying was wearing a smoky-gray dress. Her long hair was tied up in a bun at the back of her head. There was not much decoration on her face, and the makeup on her face was exquisite. Just like when she appeared on the news, she showed a tremendous and intellectual style. She had a professional smile on her face. It was not overly enthusiastic, but it was not cold either. However, she still maintained a certain distance from others.

    Because the essential characteristic of journalism was to be fair and maintain an objective perspective and mentality, people who were too emotional were not suitable to be journalists. They were fortunate to be actors.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly swept her eyes across her face. Her gaze swept past the legal team members in front of the group of journalists and finally stopped on Wen Shouyi.

    She had only caught a glimpse of Wen Shouyi¡¯s face and had not paid much attention to her appearance.

    Now that Xie Qingying was here, and Wen Shouyi was wearing a smoky gray dress simr to Xie Qingying¡¯s. Gu Nianzhi suddenly noticed something interesting.

    She noticed that Wen Shouyi looked a lot like Xie Qingying.

    The two of them werepletely different in the past.

    However, Xie Qingying was the same as Gu Nianzhi. She was tall and slender, and Xie qingying was even more plump and steady.

    Therefore, even though Wen Shouyi¡¯s face looked a little like Xie Qingying¡¯s, there was still a difference in her petite figure.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze scanned Wen Shouyi¡¯s face without restraint. She wasn¡¯t worried at all that Wen Shouyi would look at her.

    Wen Shouyi did feel Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze.

    She was very ufortable with that naked, provocative, and contemptuous gaze, but her status was different now. She wasn¡¯t an unknown nobody like Gu Nianzhi. Instead, she was now the Executive Director of the Qin group¡¯s private hospital group; she had already risen to the country¡¯s top with her abilities.

    She had enough confidence and strength to ignore Gu Nianzhi¡¯s childish tactics.

    Wen Shouyi calmly walked up and stopped three meters away from He Chengjian.

    He Chengjiang¡¯s orderly had cordoned off the area, so it was not appropriate to cross this distance to He Chengjian¡¯s side.

    He Chengjian nced at her indifferently and said, ¡°The military received a report that there are secret rooms hidden on both sides of your hospital wards. It is spected that they are rted to major general he¡¯s serious injury, so we want to investigate your building thoroughly.¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled and said gently, ¡°You can demolish someone¡¯s house just by reporting it? But, General He, when did you also disregard thew? Ifwyer Qin were still alive, she would be so sad to see you like this.¡±

    Wen Shouyi had to admit that she knew the He father and son very well. Perhaps even Qin Yaoguang did not know them as well as she did.

    Just as she slipped Qin Suwen out, He Chengjian¡¯s eyes shed with hesitation.

    However, he was still as genial as ever. His eyes were half-closed, and no one could see his emotions.

    But he did not say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know why, but she could sense that He Chengjian¡¯s breathing seemed to have stopped.

    She immediately stepped forward and retorted, ¡°Director Wen must have be a director and be unfamiliar with thew. General He brought people to investigate the hospital and find the secret room thoroughly. How can you call the Law Nothing?¡±

    Wen Shouyipletely ignored Gu Nianzhi. Instead, she continued to smile warmly and stared unblinkingly at He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian was silent for a moment. Then, he chuckled lightly and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu is mywyer now. Whether or not I treat thew as nothing is not up to principal wen.¡±

    He turned his gaze to Gu Nianzhi and looked at her gently. Then, he encouraged her, ¡°Lawyer Gu, it¡¯s up to you now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She had finally made a name for herself.

    The smile on her face grew even more expansive. It was as beautiful as a begonia blooming in the early morning sun.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression changed, but she quickly calmed down. Finally, she nodded and said, ¡°Okay, then may I ask why you are here to demolish our private house? Do you have a court order to demolish it?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s secretary immediately handed a translucent folder to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi only had to look at the tinybels on the folder to understand what was in it.

    She held the folder in her hand, and she said lightly, ¡°Director Wen, don¡¯t forget that this ward was the ce where young master He was attacked. It was already the scene of the crime identified by the police. ¡°Now that we¡¯re here as intiffs to search for evidence at the scene of the crime, are you going to stop us? Or are you hiding something? There are things on both sides of this ward that are not to be seen so that you won¡¯t let us in at all costs?¡±

    ¡°Second of all, which eye of yours saw that we were going to demolish the house? Did you see us with shovels or picks? Or did you see us with chainsaws and electric awls?¡±Gu Nianzhi waved her hand behind her back.

    He Chengjian had just arrived at the door of the ward with two toons of soldiers. They hadn¡¯t started searching for the secret room yet, so Gu Nianzhi had seized the loophole in Wen Shouyi¡¯s words and pushed her back.

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips, and she said earnestly, ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you that this is a private residence. Even if it¡¯s a crime scene, it¡¯s still the property of the Qin Private Hospital Group. It¡¯s not public property, nor is it state-owned. So please respect our private property rights.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered and said, ¡°The suspect has no personal freedom. Simrly, the crime scene doesn¡¯t have the right to exclude private property until the case is closed. Have you forgotten all this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kept saying that this was a crime scene, and Wen Shouyi was furious.

    However, He Chengjian had indeed called the police earlier. He said that He Zhichu had been attacked here, and the police had also officially filed a case. Although the people guarding and investigating here were not from the police but the military, the procedures wereplete. Therefore, if one were to say that it was illegal.., it did not seem to make sense.

    Wen Shouyi secretly regretted that she hade earlier. It would have been more effective if she had appeared when He Chengjian and the others were demolishing the house.

    However, on second thought, if they hadete and the other party had found the two secret rooms...

    So it would have been better for her toe earlier.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯splexion was slightly better; she said, ¡°Okay, this ward is indeed a crime scene designated by the police. Please limit your activities to this ward. Other ces are not crime scenes designated by the police. We still have the right to exclude others from our private property rights.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked behind Wen Shouyi. She smiled. ¡°But, director Wen, it¡¯s one thing for you to bring your team ofwyers, but why did you call your friends from the media here?¡±

    The staff of the new media was on steroids. They were frantically filming, ready to release an exclusive.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression was very intriguing; she said, ¡°We are the people, and General He is an official. Since ancient times, the people have never fought with the officials. We wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat them even if we wanted to, so we can only ask our friends in the media to help us report this matter fairly and let public opinion monitor the government¡¯s actions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her slender white finger; she spoke quickly and urgently. ¡°Director Wen, you keep saying that you think the government is persecuting you? But Major General He is being tortured to death in your territory. So tell me, who is persecuting who?¡±

    ¡°Also, our actions today are not the government¡¯s actions, but the military¡¯s handling of cases. ¡°You¡¯ve also been in the military before. The military has militaryws, and all cases involving military personnel must be handled ording to militaryws. ¡°Director Wen, are you old and forgetful, or are you just muddleheaded because you know what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Wen Shouyi hated it when Gu Nianzhi used age as an excuse. She said coldly, ¡°Anyway, the higher-ups are crushing people. Of course, you can say whatever you want now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened as well, and she said solemnly, ¡°Dean Wen, you¡¯re dishonest. If you want to talk about thew, we¡¯ll talk about thew with you. But we talk about thew, and you say that we¡¯re crushing people with our higher-ups. Forgive me for being blunt, but if we wanted to crush people with our higher-ups, would there be a chance for you to stand here and talk nonsense with us?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words made Wen Shouyi sound like a three-year-old child. Her face instantly turned red, and she almost flew into a rage out of humiliation.

    At the same time, the staff of the new media had begun frantically uploading all kinds of videos and news to the Inte.

    Wen Shouyi bribed many of them. The slightest change in the angle of the video and the way the news was written could immediately stir up the readers¡¯emotions.

    # chief of Military Affairs, He Mou, forcibly demolishes the Qin private hospital # # the two leaders of the Qin private hospital are in prison, the beautiful hospital director is struggling alone # gu X¡¯swyer is eloquent and full of lies, bullying others #

    This series of topics immediately became trending topics.

    Gu Nianzhi was still confronting Wen Shouyi, and He Chengjian¡¯s secretary had already received the news on the inte and couldn¡¯t help frowning.

    He secretly sent the news to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi felt the vibration of her phone and took it out to take a quick look.

    ¡°Ha, my friends from the media are speedy to act.¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and stared at the group of new media practitioners; she calmly said, ¡°All the new media outlets that have faked and fanned the mes on the Inte, wait for mywyer¡¯s letter. I¡¯m not a litigator, but once I do, I Won¡¯t stop until you¡¯ve lost everything.¡±

    The most significant punishment for a media infringement case was financial punishment, especially the punitive use. It worked every time.

    Once Gu Nianzhi said that, most new media practitioners began to consider whether they should get involved in this muddy water.

    A small number of people were Wen Shouyi¡¯s hardcore fans and immediately shouted, ¡°It¡¯s illegal for you to threaten our reporters!¡±

    ¡°We reporters have immunity!¡±

    They were right, but gu Nianzhi said firmly, ¡°Thew doesn¡¯t protect fake news. If you¡¯re lying, you¡¯ll still be sued!¡±

    Xie Qingying then said unhurriedly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, the media should be left to deal with the media. ¡ª I¡¯m going to start the live broadcast now.¡±As she spoke, she began to speak eloquently into the camera.

    ¡°Xie Corporation news report: Today, we¡¯re reporting a breaking news.¡±

    ¡°We received an invitation from Dean Wen. He said that they were being suppressed by an unknown government force and hoped that the media would uphold justice for them.¡±

    ¡°But when we arrived at the scene, we realized that the situation here was somewhat different from what Dean Wen had said.¡±

    ¡°The Ancients said that if we listen to both sides, it would be bright, but if we listen to both sides, it would be dark. So let¡¯s hear what both sides have to say.¡±

    ¡°Dear viewers, let¡¯s first interview thewyer representing the ¡®government¡¯s unknown forces,¡¯ Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Xie qingying walked up to Gu Nianzhi and handed her the recording microphone. ¡°Lawyer Gu, May I ask why you¡¯re here at the Qin Private Hospital?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Xie Qingying and saw that she was a little encouraging. Her heart skipped a beat. They were allies...

    Gu Nianzhi immediately frowned; she said anxiously, ¡°A few days ago, Major General He was attacked by an unknown force here. He¡¯s still unconscious, but there¡¯s nothing unusual from the surveince video.¡±. ¡°Then we received a report that there was a secret room in this ward. So it might have something to do with Major General He being attacked in the ward.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So there¡¯s a secret room? Can you point to the audience and show them which direction the secret room is?¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s live broadcast had the most fans among the new media.

    She had also started a live broadcast, and it quickly became a craze on the inte. The number of people watching the live broadcast had risen from a few hundred thousand to a few million and was approaching the ten million mark.

    The topics that had just been trending on Weibo were immediately ignored and hung there alone. It was funny andughable.

    Gu Nianzhi calmed down slightly. She walked forward and arrived at the secret room on the left. She pointed at the greenery behind the sofa in the corner and said, ¡°The reported location should be here.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s pupils constricted, and even her heart seemed to have stopped beating.

    She hurried over and said discontentedly, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Xie Qingying turned back in time and said thoughtfully, ¡°Dean Wen, are you going to stop us from investigating the truth with our audience?¡±

 Chapter 1676 - Secret Room

    <h4>Chapter 1676: Secret Room</h4>

    Wen Shouyi looked at Xie Qingying. She had not expected her to help Gu Nianzhi...

    She had been investigating Xie Qingying. Because of Xie Qingying¡¯s love for He Zhichu, she had treated Gu Nianzhi badly. She even had a public conflict with her.

    Was she being yed?

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s gaze gradually turned cold, but her demeanor remained the same. She said inly, ¡°I just want to remind you that this is the only room in the so-called crime scene. You have no right to disturb other ces.¡±

    ¡°Director Wen, we¡¯re just looking for the secret room. As long as we find the secret room, it will be an extension of the crime scene, so we can investigate thoroughly,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied.

    Her voice was not loud, it was soft and beautiful, but every word was clear. It was very soothing to the ears.

    The audience watching the live broadcast had not yet seen Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, but only heard her voice. Immediately,ments from the viewers came flooding in.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu has a nice voice! Her voice sounds so satisfying to my ears!¡±

    ¡°F * ck! I feel like I¡¯m going to turn gay!¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, I¡¯m going to give birth to a baby for you!¡±

    ¡°Give birth my a * s! Lawyer Gu can give birth to one on her own!¡±

    ¡°... Lawyer Gu, let¡¯s give birth to a baby together!¡±

    ¡°... This is insane...¡±

    Xie Qingying nced at thements on the live broadcast screen and almostughed out loud.

    Wen Shouyi saw Xie Qingying snickering and pursed her lips in displeasure. ¡°What if we can¡¯t find the secret room?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and said in a long voice, ¡°If we can¡¯t find it, then we¡¯re still at the crime scene. It¡¯s none of your business!¡±

    Wen Shouyi: ¡°...¡±

    The expression on her face remained indifferent. She turned and walked towards the door and said, ¡°Since you guys won¡¯t give up, then go ahead. Just remember not to break thew.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and asked Xie Qingying, ¡°Miss Xie, do you still want to continue the live broadcast?¡±

    Xie Qingying nodded vigorously. ¡°Of course. This is the professional conduct of us journalists. We discover the truth, confirm the truth, and spread the truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s impression of her was a little better now.

    Although the two of them had had some disagreements before, this was a different matter. In this case, Xie Qingying¡¯s appearance was much more difficult than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s purely legal confrontation with the new media.

    Even if they could win thewsuit, the influence of public opinion would not be dispersed so easily.

    Indeed, as Xie Qingying had said, the media¡¯s methods were the best way to solve the media¡¯s problems.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and walked to the back of the green nt. She touched the wall.

    She remembered that Lu Jin had shown her the location of the secret room. It was here.

    It looked like a rectangr ward, but in fact, a wall had been added on both sides of the back to turn the T-shaped ward into a rectangr ward.

    She roughly estimated the location of the green nts, turned around and waved to He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, ¡°Can you send someone to break down this wall?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary looked at her speechlessly for a while, then waved her hand to call over the most powerful military engineer under hermand, saying, ¡°Go and see what¡¯s behind that wall.¡±

    The military engineer walked over. He looked ordinary and did not even carry a gun.

    However, when he reached the wall, he suddenly pulled out a shlight-like object hanging from his waist and stuck it to the wall.

    Xie Qingying asked curiously, ¡°May I ask what you¡¯re using to probe?¡±

    The engineer replied without turning his head, ¡°A high-maic wall detector.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    Xie Qingying was confused as well. She picked up her phone to check, and then she said to the live-streaming camera, ¡°You can buy a wall detector on the market. It can detect metal objects in concrete, cables, and stic pipes that are filled with water. It can also detect the thickness of the wall. Hmm, this is interesting.¡±

    The high-maic wall detector used by the engineer soldier must be even more powerful.

    Xie Qingying watched with interest together with Gu Nianzhi as the military engineer carried out the detection. She asionally asked Gu Nianzhi if she would like to appear on the live broadcast, but Gu Nianzhi politely declined with a smile.

    After a few minutes, the engineer soldier turned his head and said with certainty, ¡°It is empty behind the wall. There should be a room, about ten square meters in size.¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, it¡¯s not small,¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded in approval. She pointed in the opposite direction and asked, ¡°What about over there? Same location.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s face darkened slightly when he heard that there was indeed a secret room. He clenched his jaw so tightly that one could see his square jawbone. He was tense and ready to go.

    He had always been warm and friendly in front of outsiders, but now he couldn¡¯t help turning cold.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary immediately ordered, ¡°Smash it!¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyelids twitched and she looked at Gu Nianzhi in disbelief.

    How on earth did she know the exact location of these two secret rooms? !

    Wen Shouyi did not believe in the ¡°Someone reported it¡± exnation at all.

    Just like how people posted online asking difficult questions with regards to ¡°My best friend,¡±¡± My friend,¡± and ¡°My neighbor,¡± these were all actually referring to themselves.

    She also believed that the person who ¡°reported¡± it was either Gu Nianzhi or...

    Wen Shouyi shifted her gaze to the Deputy Consul-General of the Soviet Union, Peter, and Huo Shaoheng, who was standing beside Gu Nianzhi.

    This person looked exactly like Huo Shaoheng, so he should be his counterpart.

    She didn¡¯t expect him to fall in love with Gu Nianzhi as well...

    Wen Shouyi felt a tinge of bitterness in her heart. It was very faint, like the tiny footprints of a sparrow on the snow in winter. After jumping for a while, it was covered by the continuous heavy snow.

    However, those densely packed thoughts were like the footprints of a sparrow on the heavy snow. They were deeply buried in her heart and could not be removed.

    She had worked so hard for the person she loved.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had effortlessly made several men love her..

    What a top-notch green tea whore.

    Wen Shouyi looked down on Gu Nianzhi from the bottom of her heart. She was arrogant because she was pretty and had some eloquence.

    She really didn¡¯t know how to die.

    Gu Nianzhi was actually having a good time with Peter, Huo Shao¡¯s counterpart. Did her fianc¨¦ know about this?

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed. She stood still at the door and looked at them calmly with her arms crossed.

    At this moment, another engineer came over. He pulled out the universal engineer shovel from his back and aimed it at the structural line drawn by the previous engineer. He swung the shovel at the weakest spot.

    The audience watching the live broadcast had already broken through the ten million mark and was even approaching twenty million viewers.

    This was a record number of viewers in the history of online live broadcasts.

    Everyone held their breath and waited nervously for the appearance of the secret room. They did not even writements, afraid that they would miss any scene.

    ng!

    The sharpest part of the engineer shovel was directly embedded into the wall and got stuck.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary saw that there was a chance and immediately waved her hand again, sending three more engineers up.

    They all took out small shovels. There was strength in numbers, so it did not take long for a loud boom to be heard.

    The wall in front of them copsed along the weakest part of the structure, revealing a bright room behind them.

    But at a nce, the room was empty. There was nothing in it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at the secret room. She pped her hands excitedly. ¡°Oh my! There really is a secret room!¡±

    As they were talking, the wall opposite them was also knocked down by a few engineers. A symmetrical room appeared. It was also very bright, but it was also empty.

    Wen Shouyi shook her head, not knowing whether tough or cry. ¡°You call this a secret room? An empty room with nothing is also called a secret room?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: Chapter 1676, ¡°The secret room.¡±.

    Mwah to big and little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1677 - IQ Suppression Is the Deadliest

    <h4>Chapter 1677: IQ Suppression Is the Deadliest</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze swept lightly across Wen Shouyi¡¯s face. She immediately said with a smile, ¡°So Dean Wen thinks there should be something in the secret room? But this ce is empty. Where did it go? It can¡¯t have flown away on its own, right?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s smile froze for a moment. She quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t change the concept. This isn¡¯t a secret room at all. Where did thate from?¡±

    ¡°I mean, ording to Dean Wen, a secret room should be a ce to hide things, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned on the courtroom questioning mode again.

    Wen Shouyi frowned. ¡°I already said this isn¡¯t a secret room.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just confirming what you mean. A secret room should be a ce to hide things. You just have to answer yes or no.¡±

    Wen Shouyi wanted to deny it, but Xie Qingying had already silently turned the camera towards her.

    The screen was filled with bullet screens that blocked the screenpletely.

    Wen Shouyi calmed down and said lightly, ¡°Of course. Why else would I need a secret room? But this is really not a secret room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly walked in and stood in the middle of the room. She turned around and faced the corner sofa in front of her. She said, ¡°Major General was sitting on the corner sofa in front of us for almost 24 hours.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression became darker and darker.

    He put his hands behind his back and rubbed his thumbs against each other unconsciously. He thought to himself, there must be something here, but they had already moved it away before they came, or even earlier...

    At the thought of this, He Chengjian reached out to his personal secretary¡¯s shoulder and knocked a few times. It seemed like he was just patting his shoulder, but in reality, he had already sent out a series ofmands using the modified Morse code.

    ¡°Seal the hospital¡¯s main entrance. Only entry is allowed and no exit.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary understood and secretly sent a message to his men outside, asking them to set up a barricade at the hospital¡¯s main entrance and back door.

    Gu Nianzhi walked around the secret room a few more times and said, ¡°This is also a hospital room. May I ask, Director Wen, are there surveince cameras here?¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled warmly and said, ¡°This is only an empty room, so there are no surveince cameras installed.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi stopped in front of Wen Shouyi and said without batting an eye, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded heavily and said confidently, ¡°I¡¯m sure. This is just an empty room, there¡¯s no need to install surveince cameras.¡±

    In other words, what had happened here is like a wild goose passing through water; without leaving a trace.

    ¡°Director Wen is amazing.¡±Gu Nianzhi praised and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°May I ask how long have you been the Executive Director of the Qin Private Hospital Group?¡±

    ¡°About ten days.¡±Wen Shouyi stopped smiling and felt that something was wrong again.

    Gu Nianzhi pped her hands lightly and said in surprise, ¡°Then how many hospitals are there in the Qin¡¯s Private Group?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart sank and she pursed her lips tightly.

    How could she have forgotten about this?

    ¡°Director Wen doesn¡¯t Know?¡±Gu Nianzhi took another step forward and almost stood in front of Wen Shouyi. She was tall and looked down at Wen Shouyi. ¡°Director Wen, if you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll take it that you don¡¯t know.¡±

    Wen Shouyi opened her mouth, but in the end, she forced herself to say, ¡°There are a lot of them. There are about seventy-eight such hospitals in the country.¡±

    ¡°So, how many of these buildings are there in the seventy-eight such hospitals?¡±

    Wen Shouyi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°And how many of these rooms are there in these buildings?¡±Gu Nianzhi stretched out her arms and twirled around. ¡°Director Wen, you can¡¯t even tell me?¡±

    ¡°Then how can Director Wen be so sure that there are no surveince cameras in this room?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and raised her voice.

    Wen Shouyi was flustered and exasperated. She held back her difort and clenched her fists. ¡°Because this room is old Mr. Qin¡¯s ward, it¡¯s different from the other wards, so I know very well. I know that there are no surveince cameras in this room, so is this not okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course it¡¯s okay!¡± Gu Nianzhi beamed, ¡°Director Wen has finally admitted that this room is part of old Mr. Qin¡¯s ward, which means that this room is also a crime scene. You can¡¯t use private property as a reason to reject our examination.¡±

    ¡°I request to check the electricity consumption of this room in the past ten days. If this room is really just an empty room, then its electricity consumption should be negligible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Lu Jin saying that the infrasound emission source required a lot of energy, which was electricity.

    If it was just an empty room, then the electricity meter wouldn¡¯t show anything out of the ordinary.

    But in fact, there had once been a high-powered infrasound emission source in this room which was in operation continuously for 24 hours, the electricity consumption..

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face instantly drained of all color.

    ¡°How is it? Director Wen, you¡¯re not going to tell me that there¡¯s no electricity meter in this room too, are you?¡± Gu Nianzhi put a hand on Wen Shouyi¡¯s shoulder andughed hysterically.

    Wen Shouyi was furious. She pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand away and said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s an electricity meter. You¡¯ll have to ask the Electrician.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned to He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary and said, ¡°Did you hear that? Director Wen has agreed to let us find an electrician to check the amount of electricity used in this room.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes lit up. Even he couldn¡¯t help cheering for Gu Nianzhi.

    He had wanted to ignore it and search the entire hospital directly.

    That way, he would still be able to find clues, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to confirm the facts.

    It was only natural for Gu Nianzhi to start with the electricity consumption in this room.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was even more delighted. She quickly said, ¡°We have plenty of electricians! Get to know the world¡¯s number one engineering unit!¡±

    He quickly waved his hand and called for the two most powerful electrical engineering experts in the engineering unit. ¡°Did you hear what Lawyer Gu just said? Can you find out how much electricity this room has used in the past ten days?¡±

    The two electrical experts quickly said, ¡°Yes, Sir! We just need to check the direction of the electrical wires and we¡¯ll know where the electricity meter is!¡±

    ¡°Then hurry up and check it!¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary turned around and gave Gu Nianzhi a thumbs up. He smiled widely till his eyes squinted. ¡°What¡¯s the point of using brute force to crush someone? IQ is the deadliest thing!¡±

    He even deliberately gave Wen Shouyi a contemptuous look.

    When Wen Shouyi had taken over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position at the He family¡¯s residence, this personal secretary had once been very respectful to her.

    Now that she was kissing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ass, she in turn looked down on her.

    Wen Shouyi closed her eyes and her face was so red that it looks like was about to bleed.

    She forced herself to calm down and put her hands behind her back. Her right hand sped her left wrist and started to tap lightly on her watch. She was also sending Morse code.

    Wen Shouyi used to be He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary and had also received special training in intelligence work.

    She was no stranger to these little tricks.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed as he saw Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm tremble slightly.

    Was she sending a message?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers moved slightly, and a steel ball the size of a grain of rice shot out from between his fingers and directly hit Wen Shouyi¡¯s right elbow joint.

    At the same time, He Chengjian also caught a glimpse of Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm movements. He casually flicked a coin over, and it hit Wen Shouyi¡¯s left elbow joint.

    Both sides came at the same time. Wen Shouyi¡¯s left and right arms experienced a pain that felt like that they were on the verge of being crippled. Not only was her center of gravity unstable, but her entire body was about to lose consciousness.

    She gritted her teeth and held back the scream that almost escaped her mouth.

    However, her right hand could no longer send Morse code. Just like her left hand, it hung limply by her side.

    She was sweating profusely. It was as if she had just been fished out of a river. She was drenched in sweat.

    Fortunately, her assistant saw that the situation was not looking good and immediately supported her so that she did not fall to the ground.

    At this moment, the two electrical experts from the engineering unit had already finished inspecting the wiring and sessfully found the location of the electric meter.

    Perhaps the person who designed these two secret rooms was too conceited and had never thought that someone would forcefully break into the secret room from the outside. Therefore, the wires inside were all self-contained. There was also an extremely powerful electric meter that was used as an electrical control.

    ¡°Reporting to the Chief! The electricity meter shows that these two rooms have been using an extremely high amount of electricity in the past two days. It shows thatrge-scale equipment has been used here before!¡±

    Before his personal secretary could speak, He Chengjian had already given the order calmly. ¡°Seal the entire hospital. Dig three feet into the ground and find therge-scale equipment for me! I want to see whatrge-scale equipment they have used to attack major general He!¡±

    The three toons surrounding the ward swiftly decreased to two toons, and He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was giving orders to mobilize more people.

    If such arge equipment had not been shipped away, then it had to be in this hospital.

    However, to be on the safe side, He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary also ordered to lock down the imperial capital¡¯snd, water, and air traffic, to search for the mean of transportation to transport therge equipment. He did not spare any of them.

    On the live broadcast video, the audience was mesmerized by the sudden turn of events, and cheered for Gu Nianzhi wildly.

    Even a group of usually reserved nerds started having fan clubs for her.

    If a man starts chasing after a star, there would be nothing for a woman to do.

    Anyone who dared to say anything bad about Lawyer Gu would immediately be surrounded and attacked. They would be hung up and beaten 360 degrees on the Inte until the party waspletely obedient. They would no longer dare to say anything unpleasant to Gu Nianzhi on the inte.

    The Inte trolls that Wen Shouyi had bribed were not as strong as these real fans. Basically, the moment they opened their mouths, they would be judged by the Inte trolls. The tech nerds among men could even follow the clues to find the IP address of thepanies that the Inte trolls belonged to and expose them online.

    ..

    Xie Qingying was also very surprised. She said repeatedly, ¡°Lawyer Gu is amazing! I¡¯m also a fan!¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought that she could find so many clues in an empty room!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s listen to director Wen¡¯s opinion again.¡±

    As Xie Qingying said this, she brought her live camera to Wen Shouyi.

    Her smile turned cold. ¡°Director Wen, aren¡¯t you going to say a few words? What exactly happened in this room? Why did Major General He stay here for 24 hours and then fell into aa?¡±

    ¡°How would I know!¡± Wen Shouyi was in so much pain till as if her tongue was straight, as she couldn¡¯t speak clearly.

    Xie Qingying didn¡¯t know that Wen Shouyi¡¯s two arms were almost crippled. She thought that Wen Shouyi was feeling guilty, so she sneered and asked, ¡°Director Wen, are you not speaking because you regret saying too much just now?¡±

    ¡°If Director Wen knows what happened, please be merciful and let Major General He off.¡± Xie Qingying was as good as using that Wen Shouyi was the murderer...

    Wen Shouyi felt all these were ridiculous and the pain in her arm finally eased up a little, she quickly said, ¡°How would I know what¡¯s going on? I don¡¯t know why the electricity consumption here is so high either. I have to go back to hold a meeting and ask the management.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, ask them if it was done by the temporary workers...¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted disdainfully. ¡°What else would you do besides letting the temporary workers take the me for you?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was a temporary worker.¡±Wen Shouyi looked at Gu Nianzhi calmly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you don¡¯t have to say anything if you don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ve only been the Director for a dozen days, and you expect me to take care of everything. It¡¯s too much to expect me to know the reason for the electricity consumption of an empty room.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at herself, ¡°You¡¯re the one who personally confirmed that there¡¯s nothing here. It¡¯s just an empty room. We just checked the electricity consumption and see if it¡¯s an empty room like you said. Isn¡¯t that logical?¡±

    ¡°You did. You found the problem. I don¡¯t know the reason, so it¡¯s also logical for me to have a meeting to find out the reason.¡± Wen Shouyi imitated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone and spoke at a speed and tone that was surprisingly simr.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled meaningfully and patted Wen Shouyi on the shoulder again, ¡°Lawyer Wen really admires me. I get it. You¡¯ve been secretly practicing my speech for quite some time, haven¡¯t you? It¡¯s been hard on you. However, the most important thing in life is to have your own characteristics. Do you know what Handan steps means? Also, try to understand the meaning of the word ¡°Dog¡± instead of ¡°Tiger¡±.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm had just recovered a little, but when Gu Nianzhi patted it, it felt like it was about to dislocate, and her forehead broke out in cold sweat again.

    She said almost intermittently, ¡°I was just trying to be sarcastic like you. Lawyer Gu, can¡¯t you tell? I¡¯m very satisfied with myself. I¡¯ve never thought of acting like anyone else¡¯s way of speaking and actions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed and crossed her arms. ¡°I only said that you were imitating the way I speak, not my actions. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re secretly imitating my way of doing things? Well, I have to charge you, or else you¡¯ll be pirating!¡±

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips. ¡°You have such a big face. Your ability to talk to yourself is getting better and better. I¡¯ve never imitated anyone. I just said what I said, Lawyer Gu, don¡¯t use the same tricks you used in court against me. It¡¯s useless.¡±

    ¡°Useless? Wasn¡¯t it quite useful just now?¡±Gu Nianzhi said with a grin.

    She walked around Wen Shouyi and kept provoking her with her words. In reality, she was stalling for time in hopes of finding the two infrasound sources earlier.

    Wen Shouyi knew what she meant. She was now in a difficult situation. She secretly guessed that Gu Nianzhi must have an expert behind her. Otherwise, how would she have discovered the location of the secret chamber?

    The two secret chambers had existed for more than a decade, and no one had ever discovered them.

 Chapter 1678 - Wedding Souvenirs

    <h4>Chapter 1678: Wedding Souvenirs</h4>

    Although these two secret rooms had existed for a long time, Wen Shouyi had only recently found out about them.

    She quickly nced at Gu Nianzhi, not daring to look at He Chengjian at all. Her eyelids drooped, she said with a weak voice, ¡°Alright, you guys do whatever you want. I have to go for a meeting with the management. I¡¯ll give you an investigation oue on why this room used so much electricity.¡±

    As she spoke, she turned around and gritted her teeth as she endured the pain in her arms. She pretended that nothing had happened and walked towards the elevator.

    She was apanied by many. Other than the staff in the director¡¯s office, there were members of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital¡¯s legal team, in addition to the bodyguards she hired, the new media personnel that she brought along. In terms of sheer numbers, it was almostparable to the people that He Chengjian had brought with him.

    Gu Nianzhi was very angry when she saw her left just like that.

    She was certain that Wen Shouyi knew something. Even if she didn¡¯t know the whole truth, she should at least knew part of the truth.

    However, the problem was that although Wen Shouyi often fell into her traps, as awyer, Wen Shouyi¡¯s ability to protect herself was extraordinary.

    Even if she had to cut off her tail to survive, she could still y the edge ball of thew and make it impossible for anyone to investigate any further on her.

    She had obviously interfered in the kidnapping case regarding Gu Nianzhi previously. She had deliberately misled He Zhichu as she had insisted from beginning to the end that she did not know who she saw, she had made it impossible for the court to convict her.

    However, He Zhichu¡¯s over concern had thrown himself into confusion. He had the misinterpretation that Gu Xiangwen had taken Gu Nianzhi away,

    As long as she did not mention Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name, there was no way she could be convicted of perjury. Furthermore, Wen Shouyi had actually gotten out of thewsuit unscathed as her parents had taken the initiative to take all the me.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s facial expression darkened slightly as she silently watched from the back of Wen Shouyi as she walked towards the other end of the corridor.

    Xie Qingying saw that most of the reporters from the new media had left, it was not appropriate for her to stay on alone.

    She looked at the live broadcast camera and simply reported the entire process again. Finally, she said, ¡°We have already started to search the entire hospital for a possiblerge-scale facility that might exist. I wonder if the audience is interested to continue waiting?¡±

    On the live telecast, countless response of ¡°Wait¡± shed over the entire screen.

    Since the audience had said that they wanted to wait, Xie Qingying took the opportunity to stay.

    She had been burning with anxiety when she knew about He Zhichu¡¯s ident ever since. However, the He family residence was not a ce where you could go to just because you wanted to.

    Moreover, after He Zhichu¡¯s ident, He Chengjian had watched over the entire He family closely. The people who went in and out of the ce were all his trusted aides. Others, including the He family¡¯s servants, were all locked down in the workers¡¯ room and could not move around freely.

    The He residence was currently under military control.

    It was not until Wen Shouyi sent someone to call her, and revealed the news in the hospital to her, that she could rushed over.

    There was not much she could do, and she could only help He Zhichu as much as she could.

    But now that she was on official business, it was not good for her to probe on other¡¯s private matters.

    She hesitated and nced at He Chengjian a few times. She wanted to ask him personally about He Zhichu¡¯s condition specifically.

    However, He Chengjian was surrounded by lots of people. She could not even get close to him, let alone ask him any questions.

    As for inviting him to do a live broadcast while carrying a live camera?

    It is almost like some one in grand old age started taking arsenic, purely tired of living.

    Just as the entire ward fell into a strange silence, He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary¡¯s walkie-talkie suddenly rang.

    He quickly picked it up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    From the other end of the walkie-talkie came the surprised voices of the soldiers, ¡°Reporting to Chief! Arge-scale facility has been found in the CT room! After the evaluation of the facility experts, it was identified as arge-scale infrasonic emission source¡±

    ¡°What? ! Infrasonic emission source! Infrasonic weapon? !¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary shouted loudly, ¡°So Major General He was injured by an infrasonic weapon!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s entire body shook, and he furrowed his brows tightly. His expression was filled with hostility, as if a storm was about toe. It was gloomy and heavy.

    He strode towards the door.

    His orderly soldiers quickly followed, still surrounding him in the middle.

    Everyone was moving so quickly, and with so many people walking towards the door in unison, it was inevitable that there would be a crowd at exit.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t dodge in time and was almost pushed to the ground by a few sturdy soldiers.

    She staggered backward, but was still unable to stop in time, just as she was about to fall to the ground, a pair of strong arms reached out from behind her and helped her up steadily.

    It was Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt all the strength in her body return. She took advantage of the situation and steadied herself, turned around and was about to say ¡°Thank you¡± when she saw Huo Shaoheng suddenly walk past her, banded forward, and picked up something from the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi:was speechless.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure if Huo Shaoheng had only noticed the thing on the ground as he helped her up. Or he had only helped her up so as to pick up the thing on the ground.

    She quickly lowered her eyes and retracted her hand. Her long eyshes were like two rows of small fans, covering the rolling emotions in her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng carelessly held her waist with one hand and spread his other hand. In his palmy the thing he had just picked up from the ground.

    This ce near the door was where Wen Shouyi had been standing.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at it and was surprised to see a round coin lying in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm. It was in bright yellow color and looked like a gold coin?

    It could also be copper ted.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to ask when He Chengjian strode back and looked around the ground near the door. He looked up and saw Huo Shaoheng standing nearby, with opened palm and there was a round coin in his palm. It was a gold coin.

    He Chengjian¡¯s face darkened, he suddenly reached out and snatched the round golden coin from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He said stiffly and turned to leave.

    Xie Qingying looked at Huo Shaoheng curiously, then chased after He Chengjian and the others.

    Her live audiences were still waiting for her to take them to see the infrasound emission source.

    Soon, only a few people were left in the ward. Other than Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, there were also a few orderly soldiers from the He family who followed Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu was still unconscious, so He Chengjian would not let Gu Nianzhi move around freely.

    Gu Nianzhi understood this as well. She treated these orderly soldiers as free bodyguards.

    She walked slowly to the elevator as well and asked Huo Shaoheng softly, ¡°Mr. Peter, is that General He¡¯s coin? It looks yellow and very shiny, as if it¡¯s rubbed frequently?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered that when he had hit Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm with the steel ball, he had caught a glimpse of He Chengjian attacking from the corner of his eye.

    He nodded. ¡°It should be his. I saw him threw it out just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more curious. ¡°Threw it out? is that the coin he threw? But since he threw it out. Why would he came back to look for it? Especially at such a critical time like this. Is It Worth It?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was deep in thought, his fingers rubbing a round gold coin in his trouser pocket.

    He couldn¡¯t take it out in front of Gu Nianzhi, it would be exposed the moment he took it out.

    Because the round gold coin in his trouser pocket was found in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pocket back then.

    She had came to their world when she was 12 years old. Other than the clothes she was wearing, there was only a small backpack on her back and the doll in her hand.

    There was a photo in the small backpack with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name and birthday written on it. There was also a very advanced engine blueprint in the backpack.

    Other than that, there was also a round gold coin in her pocket.

    The gold coin was crafted very delicately. On the front was a heart made up of two hands, and on the back was a set of numbers ¡°1314.¡±.

    This set of numbers was held in the middle by a string of raised English fancy fonts at the bottom by the edge.

    This string of English fancy fonts had been deciphered many times, but the alphabet experts on the other side were still puzzled.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s finger swiped across the raised English fancy fonts.

    Without even looking, he knew that the string of English fancy fonts on the left was ¡°Happy, Calm, Justice.¡± and the string on the right was ¡°Queen, Super, Wonder.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He turned to ask one of the orderly soldier who was following them, ¡°Does that coin belonged to General He? Does it have any special meaning?¡±

    The orderly soldier whom also saw He Chengjian came back personally to look for the coin. He smiled and said, ¡°Everyone knows. Mr. Peter, don¡¯t you know?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    He smiled without batting an eyelid. ¡°I just came to your country this year, so I don¡¯t know much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also very interested, so she quickly asked the orderly soldier, ¡°So you do know? Little brother,e on, don¡¯t hide it, tell us quickly!¡±

    The orderly soldier was indeed young, but not so young either. He was already in his twenties, and his face turned red from being called ¡°Little brother¡± by Gu Nianzhi.

    He scratched his head awkwardly and said embarrassingly, ¡°That was the gold coin that the Chief made specially for the Chief¡¯s wife. We all knew about it. It was made on the year when they got married, and only eleven of them were made.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:was puzzled.

    She asked incredulously, ¡°The wedding souvenir was actually made of gold coin? Is it real gold coins? Or is it justmemorative coins?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a circting currency made by the National Mint. How could our Chief usememorative coins to fool his wife?¡± The orderly soldier quickly spoke out for He Chengjian,¡± Just that it was not circting in public. It had all been collected by the Chief and given to his wife as a betrothal gift.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first upload of the day: Chapter 1678, ¡°Wedding Souvenirs.¡±.

    Gentle Reminder to everyone about the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets.

    8:00 p.m. Second Upload.

    Muah, Big Guys and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1679 - Caught in the Crossfire

    <h4>Chapter 1679: Caught in the Crossfire</h4>

    ¡°Ah? A real coin minted by the national mint as a betrothal gift? Tsk sk, that¡¯s what I call a grand gesture! Mr. Peter, if you want to propose to your sweetheart in the future, you can take it as a reference!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked at Huo Shaoheng with a smile.

    Her bright smile blossomed like a flower in May.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of surprise. He curled the corners of his lips gave a cold and arrogant smile. ¡°... If you¡¯re willing to marry me, I can go back to the Soviet Mint to work something out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°?¡±

    Did she get the wrong person?

    Was this a fake Huo Shaoheng? !

    Huo Shaoheng had his principles and a bottom line. How could he do something like this?!

    On second thought, Huo Shaoheng was talking about the ¡°Soviet Mint Bureau¡±. He was obviously speaking as Peter, the trump card of the Far East...

    Gu Nianzhi humphed appropriately. ¡°How could you bargain for this? It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re just being perfunctory. You said you were sincere. Is this your so-called sincerity?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and did not continue.

    It had never crossed his mind to do anything like this. All that he was thinking about at that moment was the eleven round gold coins.

    He had been searching for them for a long time and had since stopped the search.

    As expected, he would have to go back to where it came from to figure it out.

    The experts from the other world took years to uncover the true meaning of the loopy letters.

    However, when Huo Shaoheng found out that it was He Chengjian and Qin Suwen¡¯s wedding souvenir, Huo Shaoheng understood right away.

    Happy, Calm, Justice. If the first letters of each word were put together, it would be HCJ, the initials of He Chengjian¡¯s name.

    Simrly, for Queen, Super, Wonder, the initials were QSW, which was Qin Suwen¡¯s name.

    He Chengjian had carved their names under 1314, which meant forever.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands were still in his pockets. His fingers were mingling with the coins as he followed Gu Nianzhi into the elevator, expressionless.

    Several groups of people had already gone down.

    Gu Nianzhi and the others were one of thest groups to go down.

    When they arrived at the CT room of the hospital, Gu Nianzhi saw that the third floor was already packed with soldiers and not just anyone would be allowed entry.

    Gu Nianzhi was no ordinary person. When she arrived, she was allowed immediate entry into the room together with Huo Shaoheng by the soldiers who were on guard at the door.

    The people who were blocked shouted in dissatisfaction, ¡°Why are they allowed to go in and not us ?!¡±

    ¡°They are the chief¡¯swyer, what are you?¡± The soldiers on guard with guns said with a stern face. Although they did not dare point their guns at the crowd, they were intimidating enough.

    When the crowd heard that the one entering was He Chengjian¡¯swyer, the mor stopped. However, they craned their necks and stood on tiptoes, hoping to have a glimpse of the situation through the crack of the door that opened suddenly.

    CT, or Computed Tomography, was known as a Computed Tomography scan. It could be an X-ray scan or an ultrasound scan.

    In the CT room, the atmosphere was tense. Even the air was heavy.

    Gu Nianzhi walked in. The first thing she saw was the CT machine that was as tall as a human.

    It was like a silver-white doughnut, standing on a huge base in the middle of the room.

    In front of it was a board the size of a single-bed.

    During the CT scan, the patient would lie on the long board and would be gradually sent into the circle in the middle of the doughnut to be scanned.

    In other words, the CT machine itself was a source of infrasound.

    It was not in operation and there was arge gauze disc in front of the ¡°Doughnut.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around the CT room curiously, but she could not figure out where the infrasound source was.

    He Chengjian was standing next to the CT machine, staring at the host of the CT machine, the ¡°Doughnut.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi wondered if the infrasound source in this CT machine had been modified.

    As her thoughts ran wild, He Chengjian ordered, ¡°Smash It!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t smash It! This is a medical equipment! Do you know how many people depend on it to save their lives? !¡±

    A doctor in a white coat stared at He Chengjian angrily, ¡°General He! You can¡¯t do this!¡±

    He Chengjian turned a deaf ear to his words. He didn¡¯t bother to look at him, let alone exin himself.

    A few engineers quickly walked over to the ¡°Doughnut¡± with tools in their hands. They started to attack therge gauze disc in front of the ¡°Doughnut¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. Thisrge gauze disc was actually an amplifier for the infrasound emission source?

    She walked over quickly to the doctor who was about to pounce over and block the ¡°Doughnut¡± machine with her body. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, wait for our chief to perform a magic trick for you.¡±

    As she said ¡°magic trick¡±, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking of Lu Jin, and it warmed her heart.

    A child with a father was indeed a treasure...

    When the doctor saw that the engineering soldiers had moved therge, muslin disc in front of him instead of the CT machine, he let out a sigh of relief and muttered, ¡°Can you not say another word? Would it kill you to exin with another word?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and winked at him. ¡°You have to try and appreciate the meaning of the leader¡¯s words...¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for the engineers to remove the gauze disc baffle. They then proceeded to remove the huge base of the ¡°Doughnut¡±.

    They had already detected what was in the base and they removed it with ease. It was faster than removing the gauze disc baffle.

    When he saw that there was a silver-gray cylindrical machine hidden in the base of the CT machine, the doctor waspletely dumbfounded.

    ¡°How can this be? How can this be? Where did thise from?¡± The doctor looked extremely pitiful in a panicky state. He did not seem to be faking it at all.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that he was unlucky as he happened to be the doctor in this CT room.

    Now that something had gone wrong in Room C and T, he had to take the responsibility.

    The silver-gray cylindrical machine was the source of the infrasonic wave, and the gauze disc baffle was actually the amplifier of the infrasonic wave source.

    Gu Nianzhi went up to take a look and clicked her tongue. ¡°This is amazing. It¡¯s such a high-powered infrasonic wave source. No wonder it utilised so much electricity.¡±

    He Chengjian stood still where he was, but the anger in his eyes was undisguised.

    This was the thing that had made the son¡¯s life a living hell!

    He pointed at the infrasound source and amplifier on the ground and said in a low voice, ¡°Look again! There should be two. Take this one with you! Seal the entire hospital!¡±

    The medical staff who stood next to him turned pale with fright and said quickly, ¡°General He, I can understand why you sealed this CT room, but what about the patients? What if someone falls sick?¡±

    ¡°What do we do?¡±Gu Nianzhi was eloquent and immediately acted as his wyer.¡± ¡°Is this the only hospital in the country? If we leave this hospital, will everyone die of illness?¡±

    The medical staff were stunned and lost for words.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary. ¡°The hospital is sealed. Will the patients be affected?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary exined, ¡°the people who are inside will not be affected. However, those from outside will not be able toe in, and those already in here will not be able to go out.¡±

    It was like being locked up.

    They would be caught in the crossfire.

    Gu Nianzhi gave it some thought and asked again, ¡°Will the hospital be open after the investigation?¡±

    He Chengjian replied, ¡°It seems that the regtions of private hospitals are limited now. This is a major issue that concerns the national economy and people¡¯s livelihood. We should restrict the Qin corporation from operating so many private hospitals. I will propose to the senate and the cab for an investigation to clean up all the private hospitals in the country and have them punished. The ones that fall below standards will be closed and punished ording to thew. At the same time, we will strengthen the regtions of private hospitals. We cannot allow this ce to be extra-legal for regtion!¡±

    This was in response to Wen Shouyi¡¯s argument that private hospitals were ¡°private property¡± and were sacred and invible.

    Gu Nianzhi apuded, ¡°I support General He! If we want to earn from operating private hospitals, we must ept strict supervision. We can¡¯t use ¡®private property¡¯ as a shield to refuse supervision while we talk about saving lives and helping the injured. It will make it easier for them tomit crimes.¡±

    ¡°Putting the lives of the people in the hands of a private hospital without supervision is being irresponsible to the citizens. It is a government¡¯s failure!¡±

    In the live video, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were once again given frenzied apuse from the ¡®tech nerds¡¯ fans.

    Private hospitals were indeed ¡°ouwed¡± in this country. On one hand, they were not as strictly regted as public hospitals. On the other hand, they had a huge team ofwyers and security guards, the ¡°professional doctors¡± who were showing off in front of the public hospitals were as obedient as their grandsons.

    Some of the ¡°professional doctors¡± were epting bribes from the private hospitals and deliberately causing trouble in the public hospitals.

    The Qin private hospital, which was considered a private hospital with the best reputation, had also made such a serious mistake.

    Xie Qingying looked at the camera on live broadcast with a heavy heart. She said, ¡°If the Qin private hospital dares to plot against someone of status like General He, what about themoners who are treated like dirt? Will anyone still dare toe to the Qin private hospital for treatment?¡±

    Reputation is important in the healthcare industry.

    With Xie Qingying¡¯s words, the reputation built by the Qin private hospital over the past few decades had copsed like an avnche.

    During the time, all the patients of the Qin private hospital across the country had requested to be discharged. Those who wanted to seek consultation as patients had changed their minds. At the same time, some patients had started to file for a ss actionwsuit and demanded sky-highpensation from the Qin private hospital.

    Wen Shouyi, who was in the meeting room, received one call after another from the person-in-charge of the subordinate hospital. Gradually, her expression became unsightly.

    ¡°To take responsibility? Topensate? Do we fear awsuit? Face them in court!¡± Wen Shouyi said in an irritable tone.

 Chapter 1680 - The Beginning

    <h4>Chapter 1680: The Beginning</h4>

    The Qin private hospital had been established for decades before being developed to its current stage. It was already able to upy half of the hospital system of the Huaxia Empire. Naturally, it was rich and powerful.

    Their legal team supported them at any time and was ready to fight against ordinary citizens.

    Big organizations had plenty of time and money to waste. How could ordinary people have so much time and money?

    Therefore, after consulting withwyers, a portion of them chose the form of a ss actionwsuit topete with big corporations.

    Wen Shouyi was not afraid of awsuit.

    Not only did shee from a topw school in the United States and had the qualifications to be awyer, she also had the backing of the entire Qin¡¯s private hospital group, so there was no need to worry.

    Moreover, the ss actionwsuit was very suitable to be broken down one by one. She was not worried at all.

    What she was more worried about was the anger and pressure from General He¡¯s side.

    This was the most troublesome part.

    She had lived in the He family for a few years, so she knew how much General He valued his son, He Zhichu.

    Her expression was uncertain as she sat quietly in the meeting room.

    The sound of the hospital management¡¯s discussion echoed in her ears, but in her mind, she was thinking about how to appease General He¡¯s anger.

    She sighed softly. She could only beg Aunt Qin toe forward and save Zhichu.

    Looking at these people again, Shouyi narrowed her eyes.

    They had to give He Chengjian an exnation for this matter. Otherwise, if he got angry, they would stand as much chance against him as an egg against a stone.

    During these years, although Qin Yaoguang had saved Zhichu¡¯s life, Shouyi did not return the favor. Instead, she became even more obedient to Chengjian. She never did anything to harm the the He family. Moreover, Yaoguang¡¯s medical skills were indeed brilliant, and the reputation of the Qin private hospital had been built up by the doctors in the hospital treating patients and saving people.

    Chengjian saw that they were steadfast in running the hospital and could provide more medical resources for society, so he tacitly allowed them to use his influence to develop and expand in Huaxia.

    However, ever since Gu Nianzhi returned, the situation had changed...

    A trace of viciousness shed in Shouyi¡¯s eyes and she said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s no use arguing. Tell me clearly, where did the infrasound emission sourcee from in the hospital?!¡±

    The meeting room looked at each other in dismay. After a moment of silence, they began to talk again. ¡°How do we know?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just a subordinate hospital. Sometimes, the headquarters will transfer equipment and manpower here. It¡¯s none of our business!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Who knows where these two infrasound sources came from?¡±

    Shouyi was slightly sullen. She pped the table with her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me just because I¡¯m young. I want to transfer the surveince cameras from that CT room. You said the surveince cameras were broken, but now you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t know where the infrasound source in the CT room came from?¡±

    The elderly department director in the meeting room listened for a while, he said hesitantly, ¡°...Actually, two days ago, I was on night duty. When I went out for a walk in the middle of the night, I saw a few people pulling a few big boxes out of the surgery building over there and entering the CT room of this building. I wanted to ask them what they were doing, but seeing that they had a key card to enter and exit the building, I thought that they were on the same side, so I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Shouyi¡¯s heart tightened, and she quickly said, ¡°Is there a surveince camera at the entrance of this building? Bring it here for me to take a look.¡±

    She wanted to bring up the surveince camera, but her secretary who left to do so promptly came back with an uneasy expression. ¡°The surveince camera at the entrance of the CT room building is also broken.¡±

    Shouyi was speechless.

    ¡°What is the IT department doing in the hospital?! The surveince camera is just for show, right?!¡± Shouyi heaved a sigh and her temper red up even more. She said harshly, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have surveince cameras or not! Someone has to take responsibility for this! If we can¡¯t find out who did it, the person in charge has to take responsibility!¡±

    Nianzhi had said that she wanted to find a ¡°Temporary worker¡± to take the me. Shouyi was disgusted at the thought of it.

    She wanted to show Nianzhi that she was not the kind of ipetent leader who would find a temporary worker to take the me.

    Hearing that the person-in-charge had to take responsibility, the meeting room was in an uproar.

    This time, the hospital¡¯s management had joined forces to oppose Shouyi. They were all against taking responsibility.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t take responsibility, who will?¡± Shouyi sneered. ¡°The group has spent so much money to hire you, and you can¡¯t even do basic management well. How can you have the face to oppose it? I¡¯m telling you, since I can¡¯t find out who did it today, I can only hand you people in charge over.¡±

    At this time, a person pointed at the old department director and said, ¡°When he was on night duty, he saw someone pulling the equipment, but he didn¡¯t stop that person or ask any questions. I think it¡¯s his negligence!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! It¡¯s him! It¡¯s him! Maybe he stole from the inside and conspired with others!¡±

    After finding a scapegoat, everyone immediately shared amon enemy and pushed the honest man out to take the me.

    The old department director was on the verge of tears, but how could he win over so many people by himself? He was quickly pressured by everyone to take responsibility.

    Shouyi curled the corners of her lips and stood up. She said to the management team in the meeting room, who were chattering non-stop, ¡°Keep an eye on him. I¡¯m going to see General He.¡±

    The meeting room came down all of a sudden.

    The people sitting there were all members of the upper-middle-level management staff of this private hospital.

    However, in the entire Qin Corporation, they were not ranked in the hierarchy. They could not fawn on people like Chengjian.

    Now, seeing that Shouyi could speak to Chengjian directly, they could not help but feel a deep respect for her.

    Previously, they had thought that Shouyi had relied on fawning on Qin Yaoguang to be the executive director. They were somewhat unconvinced. Now, they looked at Shouyi in a different light.

    Shouyi¡¯s gaze swept across the faces of these people, and she smiled almost imperceptibly.

    She had always known how to control people¡¯s hearts with ease.

    Coming out of the meeting room, Shouyi brought her secretary and bodyguards to the elevator.

    She wanted to see how Chengjian was doing and see if there was anything that could be salvaged.

    At worst, she would bring Aunt Qin out and say that she could help wake Zhichu up.

    Shouyi knew very well that although Zhichu¡¯s condition looked serious, it was actually not fatal.

    She was just a little regretful.

    Zhichu was just a little bit away from being hers..

    When they arrived at the elevator, the elevator door opened just in time. Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary walked out.

    He brought a few guards with him and held an arrest warrant in his hand.

    When he saw Shouyi, his hand trembled and he disyed the arrest warrant, remarking coldly, ¡°Director Wen, shouldn¡¯t you exin why this hospital has a secret room? Why is there a source of infrasound in the secret room? Why did you attack Major General He with an infrasound weapon?!¡±

    Shouyi took a step back and replied calmly, ¡°We were just in a meeting. There is indeed a loophole in the hospital¡¯s management system. I don¡¯t know why there is a source of infrasound in the hospital. However, I have already asked the relevant person-in-charge of this hospital to take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then we won¡¯t stand on ceremony. He has toe with us.¡± Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary gave Shouyi a meaningful nce. ¡°You are really swift and decisive. You found the person who took responsibility very quickly.¡±

    ¡°The hospital is under the management system of the people-in-charge. Everyone has their own scope of management. If something happens within his scope of management, of course he has to take responsibility,¡± Shouyi said in a deep voice and stepped aside.

    Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary followed Shouyi back to the meeting room.

    ¡°It¡¯s him. If you have any questions, you can ask him.¡± Shouyi pointed at the person they had collectively pushed out to take the me.

    When that person saw a group of soldiers rushing in like wolves and tigers, his vision went ck and he was so scared that he fainted on the spot.

    ¡°Take him away.¡± Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary waved his hand. At the same time, he turned around and said to Shouyi, ¡°Director Wen, this is just the beginning.¡±

    Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary left with his team. Shouyi looked at their backs and thought to herself that she had to quickly go and see Aunt Qin and Old Master Qin.

    ..

    When they arrived at the hospital gate, they were immediately stopped by armed soldiers.

    Shouyi¡¯s personal secretary stepped forward and quietly handed a bank card to the soldier. She said softly, ¡°This is the Executive Director of our General Hospital. We are in a hurry to return to the headquarters for a meeting. May I ask if you can let us go out first?¡±

    The soldier crossed his arms, rejecting the bank card that the secretary had handed over. With a click, he loaded the rifle in his arms. Without saying a word, he tapped the butt of the rifle on a sign beside him.

    Only then did Shouyi¡¯s secretary see the sign at the door: [ Military Area, kill without permission ].

    The secretary was speechless.

    ¡°This is our hospital! When did it be a military area!¡± Shouyi¡¯s secretary was so anxious that her face grew red and her neck swelled. She wanted to shout.

    Shouyi frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯ve already found the thing and caught the person responsible. Why do you still want to lock down our hospital?¡±

    The soldier looked ahead with his gun in his hand,pletely ignoring her.

    His duty was to stand guard, not to exin to others.

    The troops Chengjian brought this time were his direct subordinates, the elite of the elite, and they were only ountable to him.

    Each of them was colder than he was, and they never talked to irrelevant people.

    They drew their guns faster than they spoke.

    Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, a convoy drove over.

    Shouyi nced at it and saw that they were all carrying military tes. The one in the middle was Chengjian¡¯s bulletproof car. She recognized it.

    The convoy slowly stopped in front of the gate.

    A soldier pushed open the car door and ran to the soldier on guard. he shouted, ¡°The chief has instructed that this hospital will be taken over by the police. Retreat!¡±

    There was a full squad of soldiers on guard. After they finished handing over to the police, they left in formation and got into the military vehicle. They surrounded Chengjian¡¯s convoy and left in a grandiose manner.

    From the beginning to the end, Shouyi didn¡¯t have any chance to talk to Chengjian, nor did she have the chance to inquire about Yaoguang¡¯s situation.

    Her eyes dimmed, and her expression hardened.

    She still had a tough battle to fight, and she couldn¡¯t back down.

    Yaoguang and grandfather Qin had been taken away by Chengjian. If she wanted to see them, she needed Chengjian¡¯s special permission.

    Shouyi ordered someone to drive to the He residence.

    ..

    Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng sat side by side in Chengjian¡¯s bulletproof car.

    Nianzhi was giving Chengjian advice. ¡°General He, now that we know the cause of He¡¯s ident, we can treat him ordingly and save him.¡±

 Chapter 1681 - Pity For the Worldâ€™s Parents

    <h4>Chapter 1681: Pity For the World¡¯s Parents</h4>

    ¡°The damage caused by the infrasound weapon can berge or small.¡± He Chengjian sighed. ¡°I still have to go back to the doctor... the experts will discuss it, and we¡¯ll proceed with caution.¡±

    He still had to drag Qin Yaoguang out and force her to save He Zhichu.

    Because the military¡¯s best doctor had alreadye to examine He Zhichu, even he was helpless. He Chengjian knew that his final choice was Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi guessed that he was looking for Qin Yaoguang. After all, he had already captured her, so he wouldn¡¯t be He Chengjian if he didn¡¯t make full use of her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want Qin Yaoguang to get close to He Zhichu again.

    She immediately said, ¡°General He, do you want to discuss this with Qin Yaoguang? Do you really trust Qin Yaoguang that much? If she does something, it¡¯ll be toote for you to even bury the entire Qin family with her.¡±

    He Chengjian pursed his lips and said coldly, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare. If she wanted to do something, she would have done it when she treated Zhichu back then.¡±

    At that time, to treat He Zhichu¡¯s congenital gic defect, Qin Yaoguang had the genes of He Zhichu, He Chengjian, and Qin Suwen to experiment on her gene therapy.

    Although she had failed time and time again, she was not discouraged.

    In the end, the concept of ¡°Gene editing¡± was finally put forward. Not only had it opened up a new world of gic science, but it had alsopletely cured He Zhichu.

    Of course, Gu Xiangwen, who participated in the test and seeded, had already been ignored by He Chengjian.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Chengjian in surprise. She did not understand why he still trusted Qin Yaoguang so much....

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say, but she would never allow Qin Yaoguang to get close to He Zhichu again.

    ¡°She really doesn¡¯t dare? She hasn¡¯t done it before, but that doesn¡¯t mean she won¡¯t do it now.¡± Gu Nianzhi argued. ¡°Actually, I have another question. Theoretically speaking, there¡¯s no difference in the attack power of a subsonic weapon. Why would they dare to ce a subsonic weapon in old Mr. Qin¡¯s secret room? At that time, there were Qin Yaoguang and old Mr. Qin in the room, but why only young Master He was affected? Have you thought about it?¡±

    He Chengjian frowned,¡±... Qin Yaoguang should have been affected as well. As for Qin Baye, it doesn¡¯t matter if he was affected or not.¡±

    Because she had also fainted.

    Gu Nianzhi did not agree with He Chengjian¡¯s opinion. She had Lu Jin, a super intel informant, so she said confidently, ¡°Qin Yaoguang definitely wasn¡¯t affected. She is so cunning, how could she be affected? She must be faking it!¡±

    He Chengjian indeed hesitated. Was he wrong? Qin Yaoguang was actually fine?

    He remembered that when he arrived, Qin Yaoguang had already fainted, but she had fainted at the door, not in the ward.

    ording to He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary, Qin Yaoguang hade out to talk to them for a while, but she suddenly said she had a headache and fainted.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that He Chengjian was indeed hesitating, so she immediately said: ¡°If she was also affected, then she should be like him, still unconscious. I want to ask how is she now? Is she awake?¡±

    He Chengjian nced at his personal secretary.

    His personal secretary immediately called the ce where Qin Yaoguang and Grandmaster Qin were being held and asked, ¡°How is the situation there? Is the suspect in custody, Qin Yaoguang awake?¡±

    The guard on the other side looked over and said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang is awake. Qin Baye is still sleeping.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary immediately said to He Chengjian, ¡°Qin Yaoguang is indeed awake.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Look! Am I right? If Qin Yaoguang was also attacked by a subsonic weapon and she can wake up, then so can young Master He!¡±

    ¡°But young Master He didn¡¯t wake up, which means that Qin Yaoguang wasn¡¯t injured by the subsonic weapon. If she fainted, there must be another reason.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s analysis was logical, and she was extremely convinced of her reasoning.

    The corners of He Chengjian¡¯s eyes twitched, and the expression on his face was extremely stiff as if he couldn¡¯t believe this fact.

    Qin Yaoguang, the woman who had loved him since she was 18 years old and for decades, also dared to y tricks on him?!

    He epted that she had yed tricks on him. He had indeed let her down in the past.

    However, she would be sorry if she yed tricks on his son.

    He Chengjian narrowed his eyes, and his fingers gradually clenched into fists.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to suggest, ¡°But I still find it strange. The three of them are in the same room, so why is it that only young Master He has suffered the most damage from the infrasound weapon? Should we check Grandmaster Qin¡¯s oxygen mask and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s clothes?¡±

    She realized that He Chengjian did not have enough doubts about the Qin family. She was also worried that Wen Shouyi woulde up with some dumb idea to absolve Qin Yaoguang and Grandmaster Qin of their crimes, so she leads He Chengjian to confirm his doubts.

    He Chengjian also thought of this at that moment and immediately said to his personal secretary, ¡°Get someone to move everything in that ward to the station¡¯sboratory and have them inspect it carefully! Don¡¯t miss out on a single thing!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary quickly called the police and soldiers guarding the ward in the hospital to convey He Chengjian¡¯s instructions.

    The soldiers and police quickly moved out and packed up all the pieces of equipment in the ward, from a piece of tissue to the entire bed.

    The blockade of the entire hospital had ended after He Chengjian found the source of the infrasound and took away the person in charge. However, this ward was still a crime scene and remained sealed.

    The entire ward had been moved out, but He Chengjian¡¯s soldiers were still guarding the door, not allowing anyone to enter or leave.

    By the time, all the equipment and furniture in the ward had been moved to the military base¡¯sboratory, He Chengjian had already returned to his home.

    He wanted to take Gu Nianzhi to see He Zhichu, to apany him and talk in his ear. This is so that He Zhichu would not give up and persevere.

    He turned around and saw that far east ace Peter was still not leaving her side. He felt that he was an eyesore and said coldly, ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯t you have to go to work?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°My job now is to apanywyer Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    He Chengjian nced at him and said inly, ¡°Then wait outside. I want to bring Nianzhi in to talk.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reached out and made a ¡°Go ahead¡± gesture.

    He Chengjian pushed open the door to He Zhichu¡¯s suite and walked in first.

    Gu Nianzhi walked to the door and suddenly turned around to look deeply at Huo Shaoheng.

    Her eyes were firm and clear. Her dark jade-like eyes werepletely ck as if there was a light shining from the depths of her pupils.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat and then sank. He looked over again and saw Gu Nianzhi already smiling mischievously. She stretched her slender snow-white fingers and scratched her cheek. She said softly, ¡°Mr. Peter, you¡¯re so shameless! How can you say such things? It¡¯s a pity that I won¡¯t fall for your tricks. You can save your breath.¡±

    She cast a sidelong nce at him and locked her eyes on his face for about five seconds. Then, she lowered her eyes gently and covered her eyes with her long, crow-wing eyshes. Her expression did not change, but she had already turned her head and left.

    That nce almost saw through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart.

    He stood there alone and watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s straight and graceful back.

    This was the first time he had felt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mature charm. Her aura was almost on par with his.

    Gu Nianzhi was also excited, but she could already hide her emotions skillfully. Even He Chengjian only looked at her in confusion and waved. ¡°Nianzhi,e in quickly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked in and followed He Chengjian into He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom.

    He Zhichu was still lying in the oxygen mask. The equipment in the room showed that he was normal, but his brain waves were still not very active.

    He Chengjian looked at his son and felt a little sad. ¡°Nianzhi, I only have this one son. I¡¯m willing to do anything for him to grow up safely and be happy for the rest of his life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    What a pity for the parent.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Lu Jin and her heart softened. She said in a low voice, ¡°General He, actually, young Master He¡¯s injuries may not be as serious as we thought. I can go online and find out how to treat them.¡±

    ¡°You can go online and find out? How?¡±He Chengjian said lightly. ¡°Are you trying to convince me not to listen to the experts and only listen to the information you found online?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed lightly and said, ¡°If you agree, I can go look it up now. I guarantee it¡¯s not some random piece of information. It must be well-founded and can directly guide the treatment.¡±

    ¡°So powerful?¡±He Chengjian looked at her suspiciously. However, at this time, more ways mean more possibilities of recovery. To save He Zhichu, He Chengjian could ept any situation.

    The two talked for a while, before hearing the orderly knock on the door: ¡°Reporting to the Chief! Wen Shouyi, the executive director of Qin¡¯s private hospital group wants to see Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1681, ¡°Poor parents¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1682 - Heart to Heart

    <h4>Chapter 1682: Heart to Heart</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin had been brought back by He Chengjian to ¡°assist the treatment.¡± Wen Shouyi needed He Chengjian¡¯s permission to see them.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened. Wen Shouyi had indeede...

    She was quite brave.

    She pressed her step by step. It seemed that she not only didn¡¯t take her seriously but strongly believed that He Chengjian would ept her suggestion in the end.

    In fact, if Lu Jin had not interfered, Gu Nianzhi was certain that Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi would have gotten their way again.

    Her crow-like eyshes fluttered, Gu Nianzhi calmly said, ¡°General He, no matter what, I hope you can wait until the test results are out before making a decision. Mr. He¡¯s current condition was still stable. If we do not have full confidence but try to ask someone to treat him... As you know, a skilled doctor could make him wish to die rather than live if he did anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi imed a serious consequence since she wanted to nt more seeds of doubt in He Chengjian¡¯s heart.

    He Chengjian listened quietly, his hands behind his back as he paced around the room. After a while, he looked up at her and said with a frown, ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything back then. If she does something now, it will only anger me. What good will it do her and the Qin Family?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing in it for her. Even if Qin Yaoguang wanted to do it, Qin Baye wouldn¡¯t let her do.¡± He Chengjian knew Old Master Qin very well.

    This man had developed the Qin family from a small wealthy family in the south into a wealthy family. His knowledge and insight were not something ordinary people couldpare to.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know Old Master Qin very well, and didn¡¯t want to analyze the problem from his perspective.

    She was only trying to figure out Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin¡¯s thoughts and actions from the worst perspective.

    ¡°General He, of course, what you said makes sense, but there¡¯s a premise to what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯ll find out what they did to Mr. He in secret, and that¡¯s why you were angered and took revenge on them.¡±

    ¡°But what if they¡¯re certain that they did something that no one else will find out about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head slightly, revealing her slender and fair neck. Her expression was calm andposed, ¡°For example, if you were frightened this time and thought that Mr. He had rpsed, then who knows where there¡¯s a secret room? Who knows that there¡¯s a subsonic weapon in the secret room? And who knows that Mr. He was attacked by a subsonic weapon 24 hours a day? !¡±

    He Chengjian was stunned.

    Yes, from a different point of view, the conclusion seemed to bepletely different.

    ¡°From your own point of view, you think that all the conspiracies against Mr. He will be discovered by you. The people who carry out the conspiracies will definitely be mercilessly retaliated by you. Therefore, those people will definitely not do anything strenuous and unrewarding, nor will they carry out any conspiracies against Mr. He.¡±

    ¡°But this is your mentality, not the mentality of the people who carry out the conspiracies.¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, if the people who do bad things feel that they will definitely be discovered, then there is really no one in this world who does bad things.¡±

    ¡°In fact, there are many people who do bad things in this world. Why? Don¡¯t they know that they will be punished if they are discovered? Of course they know, but they think that they will not be discovered. This is their motive and starting point.¡±

    ¡°From this angle, Qin Yaoguang and Old Master Qin might have done something to hurt Mr. He, only if they are sure that you won¡¯t find out who did it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wordspletely changed He Chengjian¡¯s view.

    He rarely tried to read others¡¯ minds from this angle.

    ¡°Are you saying that they are sure that I will agree that it was a ¡®rpse¡¯ at the beginning?¡± He Chengjian muttered, ¡°So I¡¯ll definitely invite Qin Yaoguang to treat it, so I¡¯ll definitely let her out. I won¡¯t be able to tell what she¡¯ll do during the treatment process even if I see it with my own eyes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°You¡¯re right, that¡¯s exactly what it means. We¡¯re not medical experts, so it¡¯s too risky to hand over the person we value the most to someone we don¡¯t trust.¡±

    He Chengjian did not say a word after hearing this. He put his hands behind his back and paced back and forth repeatedly.

    With looking at his movement, she felt like she was going blind. The knocking on the door finally stopped He Chengjian.

    He looked up at the inte and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Reporting to the Chief! The test result report is out!¡± The person who spoke was He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary. His voice trembled slightly.

    He Chengjian quickly opened the door. ¡°Come in and talk.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary walked into the living room of He Zhichu¡¯s suite with an inspection report in a semi-transparent red folder. He closed the door behind him, and said excitedly, ¡°Sir! Qin Baye¡¯s oxygen mask and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s surgical gown are both mysterious!¡±

    He Chengjian snatched the folder and opened it to read through the information quickly.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to be curious and asked He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary with eyes open widely, ¡°What¡¯s the mystery? Can I know?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary quickly looked at He Chengjian and said, ¡°Sir, can I tell Miss Gu?¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t even look up and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s mywyer. You can tell her.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary puffed out her chest, and gestured to Gu Nianzhi with great delight. ¡°Lawyer Gu, can you imagine that Qin Baye¡¯s oxygen mask can defend against the nuclear bombs! It can defend against all kinds of maic energy, light energy, and electricity. Of course, there¡¯s no need to mention sound waves. The ultrasound and infrasound waves are perfectly blocked!¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang is even more interesting. Her surgical gown, surgical cap, and mask are all vacuum!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi already knew that vacuum was the most effective way to block infrasound weapons.

    But she could only ask with a confused expression, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the vacuum? What¡¯s so interesting about it?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know this, but vacuum can block the infrasound!¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary reached out and almost pped her thigh like a rural olddy. But halfway through, she felt that it was inappropriate and too embarrassing, so she quickly turned around, she pped her other arm.

    Gu Nianzhi heard the crisp sound and saw He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary clench her teeth in pain, she held back herughter and pped loudly. ¡°I get it! They all knew that there would be an infrasonic weapon, so they took precautions in advance! It looks like only Mr. He was attacked!¡±

    He Chengjian also finished reading the test report at this time.

    Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye¡¯s evidence waspletely conclusive.

    If they wanted to say that they did not know anything, they could only lie to a fool.

    Not to mention that He Chengjian was a very cunning and suspicious person. How could he be fooled by them?

    But what if he did not think of checking the oxygen mask and the surgical gown? Or he had not thought of where there was a secret room, what the consequences would be.

    He Chengjian threw the report to the ground with a thud. He was so angry that he was panting heavily, with his chest rose and fell violently. He gritted his teeth and his face turned purple. He was so angry that he was about to explode.

    At this moment, the orderly¡¯s voice came from the door again. ¡°Reporting to the Chief! Wen Shouyi, the executive director of the Qin Private Hospital Group, requests to see the Chief!¡±

    This time, he did not say he wanted to see Qin Yaoguang, but he wanted to see He Chengjian.

    Of course, he must havee to plead on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s behalf.

    Gu Nianzhi originally thought that He Chengjian would definitely not see Wen Shouyi, but He Chengjian sighed heavily and said, ¡°Let her in.¡±

    He Chengjian left He Zhichu¡¯s suite and went downstairs to see Wen Shouyi.

    His personal secretary saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious look and shook her head sympathetically. Without saying anything, she turned and followed He Chengjian to go downstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi was so anxious that she ran out. Huo Shaoheng, who had been waiting at the door, grabbed her arm. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tugged at his iron-like hand and said anxiously, ¡°I can¡¯t let Wen Shouyi continue to be so glib!¡±

    ¡°Calm down.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was cold as he grabbed her. ¡°He Zhichu is He Chengjian¡¯s son. If he wants to court death, it¡¯s none of your business. Whether his son lives or dies is none of your business.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Peter, you¡¯ve gone too far.¡± Gu Nianzhi finally pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away. She frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Mr. He has saved me many times. I Can¡¯t just stand by and watch him be poisoned by Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi. I must stop them!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. His eyes were dark and his face was expressionless. He said word by word, ¡°You saved He Zhichu¡¯s life. You Don¡¯t owe him anything!¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was not a secret. The He family knew that Huo Shaoheng had heard it from Lu Jin when he used his KGB identity to nt the bug.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath to calm herself down, she said softly, ¡°Just like thest time, I didn¡¯t want you to be killed because of me. I would have taken a bullet for you. Now that he is unconscious, I know that those people have ulterior motives and won¡¯t help me. I will never forgive myself.¡±

    She finally forced Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away and ran towards the stairs.

    Huo Shaoheng stood quietly for a while and looked back, just in time to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back disappear on the spiral stairs.

    He smiled and put his hands in his pockets. He walked towards the stairs unhurriedly.

    In the living room of the He¡¯s residence, Wen Shouyi was already sitting opposite He Chengjian, trying to persuade him.

    ¡°General He, I know you have a lot of questions, and so do I, but now is not the time to pursue these questions.¡±

    ¡°The most important thing for us now is to save Mr. He.¡±

    ¡°And the only person who has the ability to save Mr. He now is Aunt Qin,¡± Wen Shouyi said confidently, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t believe me, you have to believe Aunt Qin. She is infatuated with you, and she once gave birth to a child with you. I still remember how happy Aunt Qin was when she found out that she was pregnant with your child. She was so happy that she almost passed out. It was as if she had the whole world.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s never been so happy in her life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard this and couldn¡¯t help snorting.

    She thought that this is what it means to persuade others by reasonable argument and emotional appeal.

    She walked over slowly and stood behind the sofa that He Chengjian was sitting on. She put her hands in her pockets, she casually put up a bridge to stir up the fire. ¡°Objection. Heart to heart, considering that Qin Yaoguang wants to have a child with General He so much, she must hate Mr. He so much. Why would she really want to save him?¡±

 Chapter 1683 - Entrapment

    <h4>Chapter 1683: Entrapment</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi was annoyed when Gu Nianzhi interrupted her. She raised her head and red at Gu Nianzhi, clenching her fists. ¡°Gu Nianzhi! Why do you have to think negatively about others? !¡±

    ¡°Aunt Qin is just happy to have a child with General He. Why would she hate young master He? Where¡¯s your logic? ! ¡ª you¡¯re not just spouting nonsense, you¡¯re ndering her!¡±

    Wen Shouyi was so agitated that her face turned red.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think of others as unbearably evil. I just don¡¯t take Qin Yaoguang as a saint who only cares about others¡¯ benefits but not hers.¡±

    She leaned forward slightly and said to He Chengjian, who was keeping silence, ¡°General He, if a woman really loves you, she¡¯ll definitely be jealous of her love rival. If she¡¯s not even jealous, then it¡¯s either she does not love you or she¡¯s lying to you.¡±

    ¡°But how genuine Qin Yaoguang¡¯s sincerity is when she doesn¡¯t even treat her own daughter like a human being? Right? I¡¯m just thinking from a human point of view.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi went all out. Her expression was still calm, her tone was still gentle and calm. ¡°The Ancients said, ¡®take care of other¡¯s child as how we take care ours¡¯, but they never said, ¡®kill other¡¯s child as how we kill ours.¡¯¡±

    But that was exactly what Qin Yaoguang had done to her, wasn¡¯t it?

    Qin Yaoguang wanted to exchange Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life for He Zhichu¡¯s.

    Wen Shouyi immediately caught the w in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. Sheughed and nced at He Chengjian, ¡°So you are still unwilling to save young master He? ... Aunt Qin did this to save young master He. If you have anyints, I think young master He has already repaid you by taking care of you these years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her calmly and said, ¡°How could youugh in such situation?¡±? Young master He was unconscious. General He was burning with anxiety. You were here to discuss on way to save young master He, yet you were still able tough during this moment. Hmm, I suddenly feel that you seem to know well about young master He¡¯s condition. Was this part of your n too?¡±

    Her words was like a p to Wen Shouyi¡¯s face.

    Her smile froze instantly, like the face wrongly molded when the ster mold gone wrong. Half of the face was in anger, and the other half was smiling. Her expression was terrible to look at.

    Wen Shouyi was furious. Gu Nianzhi was quick-witted.

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes darted between Wen Shouyi and Gu Nianzhi. Seeing that they were arguing, He Chengjian said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, bring Qin Yaoguang here and ask her what she can do.¡±

    He gave his personal secretary a signal, and the personal secretary quickly left the living room to bring Qin Yaoguang here.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and was about to speak then she caught sight of Huo Shaoheng shaking his fingers towards her.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately shut her mouth and stood there apathetically, not saying another word.

    Wen Shouyi, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

    She hade here to beg He Chengjian to let her see Qin Yaoguang so that she coulde out and treat He Zhichu¡¯s injuries.

    She thought that this n was gonna blew off when Gu Nianzhi interrupted. She did not expect that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words did not cause any effect. He Chengjian obviously still trusted Aunt Qin!

    Wen Shouyi was instantly filled with confidence. She told He Chengjian about the situation at the Qins¡¯ private hospital and expressed the determination of the hospital to be reformed and mustply with the government¡¯s regtions.

    After she talked for a while, Qin Yaoguang was brought in.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary followed her in and whispered into He Chengjian¡¯s ear, ¡°Chief, Miss Xie Qingying is here too. She waited outside for a long time and wanted to see young master He.¡±

    ¡°Xie Qingying?¡±He Chengjian frowned and thought for a moment. He nodded slowly, ¡°Let her in.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary quickly sent a message to the guard at the door, asking him to let Xie Qingying in.

    When Xie Qingying came in, she noticed that the living room was quite crowded.

    He Chengjian sat alone on a three-seater sofa facing the south. Opposite him was a three-seater sofa, with Wen Shouyi sitting on it.

    The one-seater sofa on the right sat the deputy chief of the Soviet Union, Peter, who was also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s admirer.

    On the one-seater sofa on the left was the famous neurosurgeon, Qin Yaoguang.

    Xie Qingying raised her eyebrows and looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing behind He Chengjian¡¯s sofa.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slowly at her, then slowly moved a few steps behind He Chengjian and stood on the right side of his sofa. It was right next to the one-seater sofa Huo Shaoheng was sitting on.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her and said with a half-smile, ¡°Do you want to sit down too, Ms.Gu?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and said calmly, ¡°You want to give your seat to me?¡±

    ¡°No, you can sit on myp.¡±Huo Shaoheng straightened his legs and smiled.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and ignored him.

    Her attention was focused on Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attention was on He Chengjian. She looked at him greedily as if she hadn¡¯t seen him for a long time.

    Seeing this, Xie Qingying found a spot in the corner of the living room and stood there quietly.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary whispered, ¡°Miss Xie, there are seats over there.¡±

    He pointed at the two European style single-seater sofas by the window.

    The style of this sofa was gorgeous and dignified. In the middle of it was a small high table withplicated carvings. It was a good ce to enjoy afternoon tea.

    Xie Qingying nodded and said softly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She walked over and sat down.

    Wen Shouyi had already asked, ¡°Aunt Qin, are you feeling better?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang knew that Wen Shouyi was asking about her fainting.

    She rubbed her forehead and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just have low blood sugar, so I couldn¡¯t hold on much longer and fainted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said expressionlessly, ¡°A surgeon has low blood sugar? Director Qin, did you have low blood sugar before or you just have it now?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang did not want to talk to Gu Nianzhi and pretended not to hear her. She continued to ask Wen Shouyi, ¡°Why did youe to see me?¡±

    Wen Shouyi saw that Qin Yaoguang was ignoring Gu Nianzhi and listening to her, so she was very pleased. Her expression became even gentler.

    ¡°Aunt Qin, young master He hasn¡¯t woken up yet. He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s had a rpse. He was injured by the infrasound. I¡¯d like to ask you to save young master he. Your medical skills are brilliant...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued, ¡°Director Qin is the head of the neurology department, but young master He¡¯s injury has nothing to do with the neurology department, Right?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked at Gu Nianzhi, frowned and reprimanded her in a low voice, ¡°No manners! Why are you interrupting when others are talking? !¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s mywyer. Her words are my words.¡± He Chengjian spoke, and his tone was not very polite.

    Qin Yaoguang felt squashed for a moment and red at Gu Nianzhi. She said to He Chengjian, ¡°Brother He, don¡¯t spoil her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me brother he. We have no blood rtion, nor are we friends. Do not call me your brother.¡± He Chengjian was trying to distance himself from Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face immediately turned pale. ¡°He... General He, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Director Qin, if you want to reminisce, why don¡¯t we wait until young master He wakes up?¡±Gu Nianzhi retorted rudely. She looked at He Chengjian. ¡°General He, are you still insisting on letting this person who doesn¡¯t care about young master He to treat him?¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t even born when I treated young master He.¡± Qin Yaoguang snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t y smooth talk in front of me. It makes me sick.¡±

    She was nowpletely indifferent to Gu Nianzhi. She treated her worse than a stranger.

    However, the more she acted like this, the happier Gu Nianzhi was.

    If Qin Yaoguang acted like a good mom, she would have vomited to death.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t cure young master He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said.

    Qin Yaoguang froze and was speechless .

    He Chengjian said, ¡°Young master He¡¯s injury are serious. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°General He, I¡¯ve already said that I¡¯ll find a way to save young master He. Please don¡¯t make a hasty decision.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was also worried. She was afraid that He Chengjian would not let Qin Yaoguang treat He Zhichu, so she quickly added, ¡°General He, since we¡¯ve found out that young master He was injured by infrasound, we must be more cautious!¡±

    ¡°Do you trust a person who knows nothing about medicine to look for unreliable treatments online, or do you want a doctor who is experienced and knows young master He¡¯s condition thoroughly to treat young master He?¡±

    Just listening to her words, was there a need to hesitate any more?

    Of course he should believe in Qin Yaoguang. Gu Nianzhi looked just unreliable.

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes darted between Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang and he said, ¡°Have you treated the same type of injury before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    Of course not, she wasn¡¯t a doctor.

    Even if she was a doctor, medical case of harmed by infrasound was rare.

    Qin Yaoguang was also stunned and her eyes shed. She had never treated the same type of injury before, but she had done so many surgeries before, so it should be not much difference.

    Therefore, Qin Yaoguang insisted, ¡°Although I haven¡¯t handled the simr injury before, I will done the most detailed examination and construct the most perfect n, so that he can be treated by the most capable specialist in our hospital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered and looked up at the Italian chandelier hanging on the ceiling. ¡°So director Qin hasn¡¯t done it either. We¡¯re even.¡±

    ¡°Howe we¡¯re even?¡± Qin Yaoguang was about to get angry again. She red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Where did you get that bad habit of cutting in when someone¡¯s speaking? Can¡¯t you behave?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darted over to Huo Shaoheng, thinking that the person who used to spoil me was sitting right here. It was a pity that you can¡¯t see it...

    Before Huo Shaoheng looked at her, Gu Nianzhi had already move her eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that no one spoiled me. I was born from nowhere and I grew up eating wind and drinking dew.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang: ¡°...¡±

    Wen Shouyi coughed and couldn¡¯t help smiling. She said, ¡°General He, I don¡¯t have to tell you what your choice is, do I?¡±

    He Chengjian leaned back on sofa and said with a frown, ¡°None of you have experience... I still think it¡¯s not reliable. What should we do?¡±

    ¡°General He, Aunt Qin actually has experience. It¡¯s just that they¡¯re not exactly the same injuries. When ites to surgery, the true expert who masters one method is able to use it on others as the principle is same, unlike those who have never entered medical school. They think they can be medical masters by doing a little research.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was obviously mocking Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s confidence came from Lu Jin. Lu Jin had drawn up the treatment protocols for He Zhichu, so she argued with Wen Shouyi confidently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like you won¡¯t do the research ,¡±Gu Nianzhi replied with a smile. ¡°The key is to know how to do the it.¡±

    He Chengjian listened to them argue for a while before he slowly said, ¡°In that case, I want you to treat someone else with the same injury first. If you can cure it, then use it on He Zhichu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Chengjian, the smile on her face turning cold.

    Indeed, He Chengjian was ruthless and cunning as expected.

    He actually wanted to use a living person as an experiment!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand such things. He Zhichu¡¯s life was important, but the lives of ordinary people were not?

    She asked slowly, ¡°General He, what do you mean? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    He Chengjian looked at her, then at Qin Yaoguang, he said, ¡°I will prepare a room duplicated with the entire environment of that ward, including the secret room. Then, ce two men in the simted environment for 24 hours. After their injuries have stabilized, you can use your own method to treat the them separately.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see who has the best method then we¡¯ll use it on He Zhichu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. It was same as she expected.

    She pursed her lips and resisted the idea, because she did not want to practice on civilian.

    Wen Shouyi and Qin yaoguang were pleasantly surprised. ¡°That¡¯s great! Let¡¯s do it! ¡ª General He, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely save that person.¡±

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that.¡±

    He waved expressionlessly and gave order, ¡°Rebuild the ward and the secret room. Transfer Qin Baye to that ward. Don¡¯t use oxygen masks. Use their infrasound weapons to send infrasound waves at him for 24 hours.¡±

    Qin Baye was the father of Qin Yaoguang, the Chairman of Qin¡¯s private hospital group.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second updates of today: Chapter 1683, Entrapment.

    Remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets.

    Mwah, all my Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1684 - Wouldnâ€™t Refuse This

    <h4>Chapter 1684: Wouldn¡¯t Refuse This</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin Yaoguang looked up abruptly, her misty eyes almost popping out of their sockets. She said subconsciously, ¡°What? You want to use my father as an experiment? How can you do this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were also wide open. She was about to say ¡°No¡±, but when she heard the words ¡°Qin Baye¡±, it was like an automatic silencer. She couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Although she couldn¡¯t stand the idea of using a normal person for an experiment, but Qin Baye..

    This old man couldn¡¯t be called a normal person at all, and he wasn¡¯t an innocent passerby.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly pursed her lips, and her agile eyes looked between Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang with interest.

    He Chengjian sat up straight and slowly replied to Qin yaoguang, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? I didn¡¯t hear you say ¡®no¡¯ when you shot infrasonic waves at my son.¡±

    Although his voice was slow and his tone wasn¡¯t particrly harsh, the meaning in his words made Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi shudder.

    They had almost forgotten how ruthless He Chengjian was..

    In the past, He Chengjian¡¯s methods had never been used on them, so they really didn¡¯t feel it deeply.

    When He Chengjian relentlessly chased after Gu Xiangwen and Gu Xiangwen could only burn himself to death in public, they were quite impressed by He Chengjian¡¯s abilities and methods.

    However, when these abilities and methodsnded on them, they realized that this was truly an unbearable weight in their lives.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s mind spun rapidly, as she thought, she said, ¡°General He, it was an ident that young master He was injured by the infrasound weapon. I believe Aunt Qin and Old Master Qin did not know about it. Where the infrasound weapon came from is also a problem. You can¡¯t possibly think that our Qin private hospital group alone can obtain such an excellent weapon, right?¡±

    He Chengjian looked at her without blinking. If he had not discovered the mysteries behind the oxygen mask on Qin Baye¡¯s body and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s surgical gown, Wen Shouyi¡¯s words would have convinced him.

    He would never believe that this matter had anything to do with the Qin group.

    He might even wonder if someone was trying to frame them.

    Gu Nianzhi also broke out in a cold sweat.

    If Lu Jin had not found the problem with the oxygen mask and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s surgical gown, she would not have reminded He Chengjian to do these tests.

    Perhaps they would eventually discover the problem, but by then, He Zhichu would have already been ¡°operated on¡± by Qin Yaoguang.

    By that time, what else could they do even if they discovered the ¡°mystery¡± behind the oxygen mask and the surgical gown?

    He Zhichu had already be their ¡°bargaining chip¡±. No matter how strong He Chengjian was, he would not watch his only son die..

    After thinking through this series of arrangements, Gu Nianzhi could only secretly call herself ¡°ashamed¡± and ¡°lucky¡±.

    Perhaps the only thing the other party had not expected was that Gu Xiangwen was not dead.

    So she did as she was told and acted without restraint.

    After all, there were many technical details involved in this. Only Lu Jin, a genius like Gu Xiangwen, could quickly detect them from a video surveince.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in his seat calmly with his legs crossed and did not speak. He lookedzy, but he was actually paying attention to the expressions and movements of the people in the room.

    Perhaps it was because he was a bystander, but he noticed something interesting after observing for a while.

    Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang were biological mother and daughter. The two of them did look very simr, especially their lips. They were so alike that it was as if they were measured with a ruler.

    However, when Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes widened, Huo Shaoheng suddenly realized that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes did not look like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s at all.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were very big. Her pupils were round and full, and they were so dark that they were sparkling. Her eyshes were long and thick. They had the effect of eyeliner and mascara.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were actually long, thin almond-shaped eyes. It was just that the center of her eyes was round, so at first nce, they looked somewhat simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big eyes.

    When she opened her eyes wide, the difference was clearly revealed.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were alsopletely different from Lu Jin¡¯s.

    Generally speaking, children¡¯s facial features will be somewhat simr to their parents¡¯. Some were like their father¡¯s, and some were like their mother¡¯s.

    For example, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips were like Qin Yaoguang¡¯s, her tall and straight nose was like Lu Jin¡¯s, and her face was simr to Lu Jin¡¯s. Only her eyes were simr, and she did not look like either of them.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t pay too much attention to this.

    It ismon to have a child¡¯s facial features different from that of a father and mother, and it was verymon in the crowd. His discovery didn¡¯t prove anything.

    Huo Shaoheng suppressed this thought in the depths of his heart and continued to observe the situation of the people in the room.

    He Chengjian put down his crossed arms and stared at Wen Shouyi, he said calmly, ¡°Yes, it is indeed a problem where this kind of sophisticated weapon came from. This kind of situation urred in the ce where I am in charge, and it was used on my own son. I have to bear the main responsibility, and I can not absolve myself of it.¡±

    Wen Shouyi did not expect He Chengjian to take the initiative to take responsibility. She quickly said, ¡°General He, don¡¯t me yourself too much. We don¡¯t even know what exactly happened. Besides...¡±

    She looked in the direction where Huo Shaoheng was sitting, ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) and the CIA are the only other countries that have the ability to smuggle such arge weapon into our country without anyone noticing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was suddenly a little nervous.

    She had to admit that Wen Shouyi had some skills. She was pretty good at throwing the me around.

    To be honest, if it hadn¡¯t been for the hard evidence provided by Lu Jin, He Chengjian would most likely have believed that this was a plot by foreign forces against He Zhichu.

    Everything had been thrown to the Soviet KGB, but in reality, it had been thrown to ¡°Peter¡±. It was perfect.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t forgotten that He Zhichu had shot and killed a few Soviet snipers outside the hospital..

    Her hand unconsciously dropped to the side of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sofa.

    Huo Shaoheng saw it from the corner of his eye and couldn¡¯t help reaching out to hold her hand.

    Her hand was very cold, but her palms were sweating.

    This girl, she was tough on the outside but weak on the inside..

    Huo Shaoheng gently squeezed her hand, telling her not to worry too much.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately felt her courage increase, and her brain spun faster than usual.

    She shook off Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, raised her arms, and said sarcastically, ¡°Oh, Director Wen, you¡¯re really breaking the rules.¡±

    ¡°It was clearly something that happened in your hospital, and the management of your hospital was the one you pushed out to take responsibility for it. You¡¯vepletely forgotten about it.¡±

    ¡°I say, if it was the Soviet KGB and the CIA, why would they need to use such a stupid method to deal with young master He?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and made a pistol gesture with her hand. She pointed it at Wen Shouyi, and with a ¡°bang¡± sound, she imitated the sound of the gun being fired, she said,¡±... they¡¯re best at sniping and assassinating. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if the sniper hid inside a secret room and shoot him dead? It takes 24 hours to leave a subsonic source inside, but it would only make young master He faint.¡±

    ¡°Such a stupid way to frame the KGB and the CIA. You¡¯re lowering their IQ.¡± Gu Nianzhi said meaningfully, her bright eyes narrowing as sheughed, obviously mocking her.

    Wen Shouyi was extremely annoyed with Gu Nianzhi.

    She had messed up a perfectly good game of chess. Why was such a person still alive in this world?

    Wen Shouyi scoffed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Lawyer Gu to know so much about the methods of the Soviet KGB. Is it because you have contact with the Soviet KGB?¡±

    ¡°Director Wen, if you¡¯re stupid, you should read more books. Everything I knowes from books. ¡°The history of the development of the Soviet KGB¡±, ¡°The Secret Service agent: The Autobiography of a KGBmissioner¡±, ¡°My days as the director of the CIA¡±. Learn more about these books.¡±

    These books were actually the bedtime story book that Huo Shaoheng had given Gu Nianzhi back in the day.

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi was still young and did not dare to make any requests. Huo Shaoheng also did not know how to take care of children, so he gave her the entertainment books that he read during his leisure time as a bedtime book.

    Gu Nianzhi, who had an excellent memory, had read these books once and memorized their contents.

    She could recite them now with just a casual mention.

    Wen Shouyi red at Gu Nianzhi and pursed her lips. ¡°Okay, Lawyer Gu, we all know that you¡¯re knowledgeable and talented, but this is not the time for you to be clever. Young master He is still unconscious...¡±

    ¡°You finally remembered that young master He is unconscious.¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I saw you ramble on and on just now, even bringing up the Soviet KGB and CIA. That¡¯s why I was helping you. Since you don¡¯t appreciate it, then forget it.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was so angry that she was about to explode.

    She had been trying so hard to persuade Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Nianzhi had ridiculed her for performing crosstalk!

    If she hadn¡¯t been at the He family¡¯s house, Wen Shouyi felt that she wouldn¡¯t have been able to let her off so easily.

    He Chengjian also said at this time, ¡°You two have gone too far. What we need to do now is to wake Ah Chu up. My opinion will not change. Qin Baye must go to the reconstructed ward to be attacked by 24-hour infrasonic waves. Only then can ah Chu¡¯s injuries be perfectly replicated. ¡±

    ¡°But my father is so old! He won¡¯t be able to survive for 24 Hours!¡± Qin yaoguang shouted and threw herself at him, almost kneeling on the ground. ¡°General He, I beg you! I beg you! Please change to someone else!¡±

    She raised her hand and pointed at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing diagonally behind He Chengjian. She said loudly, ¡°Change to Nianzhi! She¡¯s young and healthy! Young master He treats her so well. She definitely won¡¯t object, right? Nianzhi?! ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, ¡°Why should I, apletely unrted person, pay for what you¡¯ve done? This isn¡¯t fair. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t agree. I¡¯m willing to save young master He, but I¡¯m not taking the me for you like this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and saw Wen Shouyi, who had a faint smile on her face. She raised her chin, ¡°General He, if Old Mr. Qin is too old, you can rece with Wen Shouyi. ¡°. She is the executive director of the Qin Private Hospital Group. Other than old Mr. Qin and Qin Yaoguang, she have the highest status. Moreover, she¡¯s about the same age as young master He. She¡¯s also very healthy. She is the best material to be used for human experiments.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s smile froze on her face.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t allow her to retort. She continued, ¡°Dean Wen, as the saying goes, a drop of water is repaid with a gushing spring. You¡¯ve received so many benefits from the Qin family, and the Qin family has almost given you a second chance at life. You won¡¯t refuse such a small favour, will you?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1684, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t refuse this¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets.

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1685 - Putting Life and Death on the Line

    <h4>Chapter 1685: Putting Life and Death on the Line</h4>

    The light in Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes dimmed.

    Gu Nianzhi was so evil that she had set a trap that she had no choice but to fall into.

    How was she supposed to answer that?

    The Qin family had indeed been a great help to her. Her current status was entirely due to the Qin family.

    He Chengjian raised an eyebrow and looked Wen Shouyi up and down as if thinking about the feasibility of this proposal.

    Qin Yaoguang saw this and quickly said, ¡°Shouyi can do it too! She is indeed young and healthy! If Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t want to, Shouyi will! ¡ª isn¡¯t that right, Shouyi?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was helpless, but the situation was better than anyone else. She couldn¡¯t bepared to Gu Nianzhi, who was capricious and had a backer. She could do whatever she wanted and could directly say no.

    Wen Shouyi lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly. ¡°Old Mister Qin is indeed too old. It¡¯s really not good to let him be attacked by a subsonic weapon for such a long time. It¡¯s better for me to go. I believe in Aunt Qin. Aunt Qin will definitely cure me.¡±

    ¡°Good girl! It¡¯s not a waste that my father and I love you.¡±Qin Yaoguang turned around and came to Wen Shouyi¡¯s side. She held her hand tightly and said with great heartache.

    He Chengjian nodded. ¡°Alright, then Wen Shouyi should go in as well. You can stay with Qin Baye inside. If anything happens to him, you can take care of him while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±Qin Yaoguang suddenly turned her head and looked at He Chengjian. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask Shouyi to rece my father? Why are both of them inside?¡±

    He Chengjian picked up the Golden Brandy Teacup on the coffee table in front of him, blew on it lightly, and took a sip, he said, ¡°When did I say that I would let her rece me? But since she took the initiative to go, I Won¡¯t stop her. With an additional experimental target, the data will be moreplete. ¡ª Okay! It¡¯s a deal.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart was as bitter as if it had been soaked in Coptis juice. It was simply unbearable.

    However, looking at He Chengjian¡¯s cold and vicious appearance, she actually still loved him. Moreover, her love for him did not decrease in the slightest but instead became even more intense.

    This man was really going to get her.

    Qin Yaoguang sighed in her heart. She reached back and caressed Wen Shouyi¡¯s face. ¡°Good girl, you can stay with my father. I¡¯ll definitely cure you both.¡±

    Wen Shouyi closed her eyes. She knew that Qin Yaoguang was unreliable.

    She could only take this opportunity to win Old Master Qin over. She would settle the score with Gu Nianzhi after she recovered from her injuries.

    She looked up abruptly and red at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. There¡¯ll be two of us. One can test director Qin¡¯s treatment method, and the other can test mine.¡±

    Wen Shouyi gritted her teeth and said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up. Old Master Qin and I went there for Aunt Qin. If you want to do an experiment, find someone else!¡±

    She would never do anything for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t take it seriously. She smiled at He Chengjian. ¡°General he, what do you think? Which one will be assigned to me for the experiment?¡±

    Unexpectedly, He Chengjian turned to look at her and said with a smile, ¡°Then I have no choice. If they don¡¯t want to, I can¡¯t force them to do the experiment for you, can I?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost choked and coughed.

    It was as if he hadn¡¯t forced her just now!

    Who was the one who said they wanted to do the experiment with living people?

    Whether it was Qin Baye or Wen Shouyi, did they have the right to say no?

    To y this game with her at this time.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that He Chengjian didn¡¯tpletely trust her either.

    Or rather, once his suspicions were aroused, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to dispel them.

    She clenched her fists and said stubbornly, ¡°Then what should I do? I can¡¯t find two living people to do the experiment with. General He isn¡¯t willing to do it for you? If that¡¯s the case, why should I be a viin in vain?¡±

    She turned to look at He Zhichu¡¯s room upstairs and said loudly, ¡°Young Master He! I tried my best! It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to save you, but your father made things difficult for me and put the Qin family¡¯s free will above your life and death. If you¡¯re unhappy, go find your father!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s face instantly turned ck from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! What did you say? !¡± He Chengjian red at her. ¡°When did I put the Qin family¡¯s free will above my son¡¯s life and death? !¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t willing to give me the experimental materials just now. You said it yourself. You said you couldn¡¯t force them. Isn¡¯t that putting their free will above your son¡¯s life and death?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi argued with He Chengjian fearlessly.

    He Chengjian stared at her for a while and suddenlyughed. ¡°Okay, okay, okay! No one has ever dared to yell at me. You, Gu Nianzhi, are considered the first!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always a beginning. You just have to get used to it,¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted bluntly. She was so angry that she couldn¡¯t care less.

    He Chengjian waved his hand and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll let Wen Shouyi practice on you.¡±

    He had agreed to let Gu Nianzhi use Wen Shouyi as a test subject.

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. She was about to say yes when Qin Yaoguang spoke again.

    ¡°No.¡±She objected firmly. ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. My father is too old. Even if he was attacked by the infrasonic waves 24 hours a day in the ward, the damage he would suffer would be very different from that of the young master He.¡±

    ¡°People of different ages have different vital signs. Treatments that are useful to young people may not be useful to old people.¡±. And vice versa. ¡°Therefore, my father is only going to be tied up. Shouyi is the one who can really let me test the treatment method.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked at Gu Nianzhi coldly. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, if you really want to joke about human lives, you have to find someone else. Wen Shouyi is the only suitable candidate to test my treatment method. ¡°Otherwise, you can use my father as an experiment.¡±

    She was certain that Gu Nianzhi would not use Qin Baye, an old man in his seventies, as an experiment.

    Gu Nianzhi was indeed put in a difficult position.

    She did not feel bad about Qin Baye¡¯s age, but Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words made a lot of sense.

    Age did y a role in this treatment method.

    But where was she going to find a young man around He Zhichu¡¯s age?

    Wen Shouyi coughed and nced over at Huo Shaoheng, she said softly, ¡°Actually, isn¡¯t there a very suitable candidate over there? Since Mr. Peter is pursuing Miss Gu, he can¡¯t let Miss Gu make things difficult for him, can he? Why Don¡¯t Mr. Peter Help Miss Gu find someone to do the experiment?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face instantly turned cold when she saw that he was actually targeting Huo Shaoheng, she snapped, ¡°Wen Shouyi! Are you trying to start an international dispute? ! Mr. Peter is the deputy chief of the Soviet Union and he¡¯s conducting experiments on living people. Do you think your life is too long? Or do you think our country is too peaceful and there¡¯s no war? !¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) will kill you if you dare touch him!¡±

    He Chengjian also felt that Wen Shouyi was too ridiculous.

    Using Peter as an experiment, he really felt that his life was too long.

    ¡°Alright, how about I find someone else?¡± He Chengjian waved his hand. ¡°Wen Shouyi will do the experiment for Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely conflicted.

    She trusted Lu Jin¡¯s method very much and knew that it would definitely work.

    However, she had to convince He Chengjian, which was more difficult.

    He Chengjian looked like he wouldn¡¯t give up until he saw a rabbit. There was no evidence to support his words. He would only let her help He Zhichu if he saw the actual effect.

    However, Gu Nianzhi felt that it was too cruel to simply find someone to ept this kind of experiment. She couldn¡¯t get over this hurdle.

    ¡°General He, this isn¡¯t good! Why don¡¯t I use aputer to demonstrate it to you?¡±Gu Nianzhi was anxious and thought of an idea. ¡°I¡¯ll use ab rat to do the experiment, and the effect will be the same!¡±

    ¡°How will it be the same? You have to use a living person as an experiment.¡±Wen Shouyi added fuel to the fire. ¡°If we can use ab rat, why would general He let us into the ward, right?¡±

    She used He Chengjian¡¯s words to shut Gu Nianzhi up, and Gu Nianzhi was speechless for a moment.

    As the group was in a stalemate, a gentle and firm voice came from the corner of the room. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll stay in the ward for 24 hours. Then Miss Gu can use me as an experiment to test your treatment method.¡±

    Everyone turned around and saw Xie Qingying slowly stand up from the single sofa in front of the window.

    The sunlight shone in through the window, creating a golden border around her body.

    He Chengjian was both surprised and delighted. ¡°Is it Qingying? Are you really willing? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m willing.¡±She walked over slowly and stood in front of He Chengjian. ¡°General he, as long as you can save young master He.¡±

    She had been listening in the corner for a long time and had finally pieced the whole thing together.

    The power of love could make a woman disregard life and death.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her with mixed emotions, not knowing what to say.

    Xie Qingying smiled at her. ¡°Lawyer Gu, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m doing this voluntarily, it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    She could already tell that Gu Nianzhi had been put in a difficult position because she did not want to experiment on ordinary people.

    She admired her innocence, but she had to save He Zhichu now. She couldn¡¯t dy any longer.

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, Let¡¯s start as soon as possible. I hope we can save young master He as soon as possible,¡± Xie Qingying said calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t as serious as it seemed, but no one else knew.

    Xie Qingying, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have to suffer.

    But other than that, she had no other way to convince He Chengjian.

    ¡°General He, what do you think?¡± She turned to ask He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian had already returned to his normal self and nodded calmly. ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose. We¡¯ll begin immediately. But before that, you need to sign a contract stating that you¡¯re willing to participate in this experiment.¡±

    He looked at them and slowly said, ¡°After you enter, life and death are determined. No one is special.¡±

 Chapter 1686 - Okay, I Wonâ€™t Say It

    <h4>Chapter 1686: Okay, I Won¡¯t Say It</h4>

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyelids twitched heavily as she became more and more fearful of He Chengjian.

    She was still nning to make use of the Qin Corporation¡¯s influence to sue He Chengjian for abusing his power and for coercing others to make confessions after this matter was over.

    Even if she could not bring him down, she could still drag this matter out in court for a period of time to wear down his prestige and let his political enemies discover his weakness. It would be enough to make him suffer.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect He Chengjian to actually want them to sign a voluntary agreement before sending them to the simted hospital ward.

    Wen Shouyi was very clear that this was actually a disimer agreement.

    Many rich and powerful people had to sign a prenuptial agreement before they got married. It was a way for them to protect themselves.

    As long as this so-called ¡°voluntary agreement¡± was signed, Wen Shouyi would find it challenging to make things difficult for He Chengjian legally.

    This was because she had to prove that this ¡°voluntary agreement¡± was invalid before she could sue He Chengjian for abusing his power.

    One case had be two cases, so the difficulty was redoubled.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was also surprised.

    He Chengjian was still thinking of asking the Qin family to sign such a voluntary agreement at this time. It was obvious that he had been prepared and knew the Qin family very well. That was why he had been so careful to block every possibility that they could turn the tables.

    Gu Nianzhi only needed to look at Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression to know that He Chengjian had indeed yed tricks well.

    As the husband of the famouswyer Ms Qin, his legal knowledge was really quite strong.

    Gu Nianzhiughed mockingly.

    Only Huo Shaoheng remained out of the picture. His eyes, as dark as the night sky, looked quietly at them in the room.

    Xie Qingying pursed her lips and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll sign it.¡±

    He Chengjian couldn¡¯t bear it, but when he thought of his son, his heart hardened again.

    He waved his hand behind him. ¡°Bring the agreement up. Also, send one to Qin Baye to sign.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary silently handed over two voluntary agreements. One was ced in front of Xie Qingying and the other in front of Wen Shouyi, along with two pens. He gestured to them, indicating that they should sign the agreements, and left.

    He took the third agreement and went to the ce where Qin Baye was being held.

    Old Master Qin had just opened his eyes and was lying on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary walked in and said evenly, ¡°Old Master Qin, this is a voluntary agreement. Please sign it.¡±

    ¡°Voluntary agreement? What voluntary agreement?¡± Old Master Qin sat up and said in surprise, ¡°I was just asking them where this ce is, but none of them answered me.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re at the military headquarters, but Mr. Qin, don¡¯t panic. Our young master was injured by a infrasonic weapon in your hospital ward. Your daughter, Qin Yaoguang, wants to experiment with the treatment method, so you have to enter the simted ward with Wen Shouyi. You also have to endure the infrasonic weapon for 24 hours.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Old Master Qin cried out involuntarily. ¡°Young master was injured by an infrasonic weapon?! How could this be?! There¡¯s an infrasonic weapon in our ward? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary thought to himself, ¡°If I didn¡¯t know that your oxygen mask could even protect you against nuclear bombs, I would have really been fooled by your acting skills..¡±

    However, the personal secretary didn¡¯t say anything of that sort, but merely smiled and told Old Master Qin, ¡°We just found it. It¡¯s in the CT Room of your hospital. In order to let Young Master He get better as soon as possible, please cooperate with us to help with the treatment.¡±

    Old Master Qin¡¯s expression changed instantly. He wiped his tears with his hand and said shakily, ¡°I understand. You don¡¯t have to say anymore. No matter who the mastermind is, Major General He was injured in our hospital. He was also injured because of me. It ispletely reasonable that I will help Young Master He with his treatment. Being on the receiving end of the infrasound weapons 24 hours a day in the simted ward is nothing, and even if you want to take my life, I¡¯ll have noints! Bring me the agreement. I¡¯ll sign it!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary almost thought he had wronged Old Master Qin.

    When he took out the voluntary agreement, he felt almost ashamed, as though he were bullying others.

    But as he walked out of Old Master Qin¡¯s ward with the agreement in hand, He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary seemed like he was suddenly jolted awake.

    The old man was so good that he¡¯d nearly been fooled.

    ...

    After the three voluntary agreements were signed and filed, Qin Baye, Wen Shouyi, and Xie Qingying were all sent to the newly constructed ward. The two subsonic emitters were ced in the secret rooms on both sides of the ward and aimed in the direction of the ward.

    They were to stay in the ward for twenty-four hours beforeing out to receive treatment.

    ording to the agreed-upon method, Qin Yaoguang would be in charge of Qin Baye and Wen Shouyi, and Gu Nianzhi would be in charge of Xie Qingying.

    Qin Yaoguang asked for a room to rest and prepare for the surgery which was to take ce after twenty-four hours.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t idle either.

    She collected information from the suite in the He Residence and memorized the method Lu Jin had given her. She hacked into the system of the CIA and the Soviet KGB and downloaded their methods for treating those attacked with infrasonic weapons. Gu Nianzhi summarized the ns Lu Jin had given her one by one and finally came up with a decent n.

    Th treatment blueprint was still based on Lu Jin¡¯s framework, but Gu Nianzhi added in some details about the methods of the CIA and the KGB. She then sent it to Lu Jin to see if it was feasible.

    Lu Jin received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s email and read it carefully. He praised her greatly.

    ¡°Good idea! It¡¯s even better than my method!¡±

    ¡°If you do this, there won¡¯t be any side effects. It won¡¯t even harm your body.¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu will recover very quickly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin¡¯s message and pursed her lips speechlessly.

    What did he mean?

    Could it be that Lu Jin¡¯s previous method would still cause harm to He Zhichu?

    Gu Nianzhi used the encryption software to chat with Lu Jin online and asked him about this idea.

    Lu Jin giggled and replied: [I was too anxious at the time. The method was a little simple and crude, but it worked, it worked... ha-ha-ha-ha...]

    Looking at Lu Jin¡¯s continuousughter on the chat, Gu Nianzhi felt as if she could see his guilty conscience.

    She was angry and amused, and she did not scold Lu Jin.

    Time was indeed very tight then, and it was indeed difficult for him toe up with a perfect n in such a short time.

    Lu Jin had said that their goal was to save He Zhichu first, so it was understandable that he had used some extreme methods.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s revised n could be said to have made up for the deficiencies in Lu Jin¡¯s n. It was a textbook-like standard procedure for treating infrasonic weapon injuries.

    [Dad, please give me a clear answer. To be honest, is this n really feasible? I can¡¯t risk their lives. I don¡¯t like to see Dad¡¯s indifferent attitude toward these matters.]

    Gu Nianzhi replied to Lu Jin word by word.

    Lu Jin looked at it and was very ashamed. He quickly replied: [This n is really perfect. It¡¯s even better than mine. I swear, I¡¯ve studied it carefully several times.]

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips and replied: [That¡¯s good. Actually, the structure of this n is still your method of treatment. I just used other people¡¯s methods to improve it.]

    After receiving a positive response from Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi printed out the n and went to look for He Chengjian.

    He Chengjian met her in the small meeting room.

    ¡°Nianzhi, what is it you want to see me about?¡± He Chengjian held an amber pipe in his hand and asked kindly.

    Gu Nianzhi could smell the thick smoke from He Chengjian¡¯s body.

    It was obvious that he hadn¡¯t slept at all and had been worried about He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart softened again.

    She said, ¡°In devising this treatment n, I did refer to the KGB and CIA¡¯s past treatment methods. It¡¯s definitely not some random n derived from dubious resources¡±

    He Chengjian saw that she was still brooding over the words ¡°dubious resources¡±. He smiled. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were deeply sunken in, making the ends of his eyes look even longer.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes, shaped like peach blossoms, were exactly the same as He Chengjian¡¯s.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be counting on you tomorrow.¡± He Chengjian told her the truth. ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but I can¡¯t let my son suffer in vain.¡±

    ¡°Everyone who dares to hurt him will experience the same or more pain.¡± He Chengjian put the amber pipe into the ashtray on the conference table and tapped it lightly twice before lowering his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood. This person¡¯s acting skills were almost on par with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    She had thought yesterday that he really did not believe in her treatment method...

    That ruthless and unreasonable look had probably be a psychological trauma for Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°I only hope that Miss Xie will be fine.¡± Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes. ¡°Did you send someone to monitor the situation in the ward?¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. Xie qingying is fine.¡±He Chengjian lowered his head and chuckled. ¡°I gave her Qin Yaoguang¡¯s surgical gown, surgical cap, and mask.¡±

    The surgical gown had a vacuum barrier in it. Once worn, it would be impossible for infrasonic weapons to harm the wearer.

    ¡°Ah? Really?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, and her mood brightened. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±

    But after the excitement, Gu Nianzhi was confused again. ¡°Then who should I practice with?¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi, of course.¡± He Chengjian put the amber pipe in his mouth disapprovingly. ¡°I said Wen Shouyi. It¡¯s Wen Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°But yesterday, Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t agree and said it was about age...¡± Gu Nianzhi said hesitantly.

    She had never dealt with someone like He Chengjian before.

    He was cruel and merciless, but he seemed to have a bottom line.

    But he was definitely not a kind person.

    Gu Nianzhi was certain of this.

    But as long as Xie Qingying didn¡¯t suffer that kind of harm, it was fine.

    If she really suffered for He Zhichu¡¯s sake, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think He Zhichu would necessarily be happy.

    He Chengjian said lightly, ¡°Because of the age issue, Qin Yaoguang can treat her father, Qin Baye, properly. When the 24 hours are up, you can give Wen Shouyi a test of your treatment method. As for Xie Qingying, she¡¯ll be in the other room and will fall into a deep sleep. She won¡¯te out until Ah Chu wakes up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat up straight and smiled. ¡°Thank you for believing in me, General He. I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    He Chengjian gave her a serious look. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t tell Xie Qingying.¡±

    He was trying to make it seem that Xie Qingying was the one who saved everyone else.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t say it.¡±

 Chapter 1687 - The Daughter of a Genius

    <h4>Chapter 1687: The Daughter of a Genius</h4>

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell Ah Chu either,¡± He Chengjian said faintly.

    Holding an amber pipe in his hand, he looked at her calmly, ¡°In short, you can¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    ¡°There will only be you, my personal secretary, and I who know about this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been thinking that if she had only kept this from Xie Qingying, even if she hadn¡¯t told Xie Qingying, there would have been someone nosy to tell her.

    But now knowing He Chengjian¡¯s further request, it didn¡¯t seem to be that simple.

    ¡°Do you really think you can keep this as a secret?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help asking.

    She didn¡¯t want to argue, but she just felt that it was a little unreasonable.

    After all, Wen Shouyi, Old Master Qin, and Xie Qingying were in a same room. Even if they could hide it from the people outside, they wouldn¡¯t be able to hide it from them.

    He Chengjian gave a faint ¡°hmm¡± and stood up. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    He led Gu Nianzhi to a room next to the small conference room and said, ¡°We can monitor the simted room from here.¡±

    The person sitting in front of the monitor was He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary.

    His expression was calm as he stared intently at the big screen in front of him.

    It was only then that Gu Nianzhi realized that there was something else going on in this simted ward.

    The entire ward was indeed identical to the one in the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. However, in the middle of the ward, there was a hard, white curtain that stretched from the ceiling to the floor, separating the ward in half.

    There were two people on the left side of the curtain. One was Wen Shouyi, and the other was Qin Baye.

    There was only one person on the right side of the curtain. It was Xie Qingying.

    She was wearing a surgical gown, a surgical cap, and a mask. She looked drowsy.

    ¡°They are in the same ward, but they can¡¯t see each other,¡± He Chengjian said softly. ¡°They should be unconscious after twenty-four hours.¡±

    So they couldn¡¯t know what happened after that.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary continued, ¡°Miss Wen is really vignt and suspicious. She had been talking to Miss Xie through the curtain just now.¡±

    ¡°She was talking to Xie Qingying? What was she talking about?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. ¡°Were they close?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they were close, but I understand what Miss Wen meant. She wanted to make sure that Xie Qingying was on the other side.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretaryughed and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief.

    In this regard, she particrly admired Wen Shouyi.

    This person was particrly tenacious and energetic.

    After all, it was very tiring to scheme against others all the time and n for yourself at the same time.

    Not only was it mentally taxing, but it was also physically taxing.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that she needed to learn from Wen Shouyi in this area and should not remain passive all the time.

    He Chengjian¡¯s gaze moved from the surveince footage to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side profile. He looked at her quietly for a while and said, ¡°If you tell anyone about this, I¡¯ll have no choice but to marry you to my son, He Zhichu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi kept silent.

    Her heart was in her mouth and the air in the surveince room was almost frozen.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at He Chengjian in disbelief. She felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe, and waspletely suffocated.

    The personal secretary wanted to cover his ears.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? If you don¡¯t believe me, you can try.¡± He Chengjian finished speaking and turned to leave the monitoring room.

    Once he left, Gu Nianzhi finally felt like she could breathe freely.

    She took a deep breath, patted her chest, and left the surveince room without saying anything.

    ..

    When she returned to her suite, she saw Huo Shaoheng sitting leisurely on the sofa in the living room, flipping through a military magazine.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly calmed down.

    She walked over to him and sat down listlessly. ¡°Mr. Peter, can you cook?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her and shook his head. ¡°I said I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to learn?¡± Gu Nianzhi leaned forward and asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re so smart. You¡¯ll learn quickly,¡± she continued.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not interested in cooking,¡± said Huo Shaoheng. He then closed the military magazine and threw it on the coffee table in front of him. He gestured with his finger at Gu Nianzhi, he smiled faintly.

    ¡°But ifwyer Gu is willing to give me a kiss, I¡¯ll get someone to cook for you,¡± He said.

    ¡°Then forget it.¡± Gu Nianzhi rubbed her fingers and said listlessly, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for a while. It¡¯ll be about time when I wake up.¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Huo Shaoheng took the military magazine over and continued reading. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had always been nervous in the He family¡¯s home, but this time, Huo Shaoheng was just outside the bedroom. She felt extremely safe and at ease.

    Lying on the bed, she almost fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

    When she opened her eyes again, it was the time for the surgery experiment.

    Wen Shouyi, Qin Baye, and Xie Qingying had already been in the simted ward for twenty-four hours.

    Gu Nianzhi rushed to the monitoring room to check on the three of them.

    Wen Shouyi and Old Master Qin were not in good condition.

    Wen Shouyi rubbed her temples with one hand with her pained expression and rubbed her chest with the other hand, as if she was going to vomit at any moment.

    Old Master Qin, who was beside her, was also pale and paralyzed on the sofa.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s already been twenty-four hours, and they are still conscious? It looks like the infrasonic weapons aren¡¯t powerful enough, right?¡±

    ¡°Soon.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary stared at the surveince video as she operated the dashboard.

    In a few seconds, Gu Nianzhi saw Wen Shouyi and Old Master Qin pass out one after another.

    Wen Shouyi copsed on the corridor leading to the door.

    Old Master Qin passed out on the sofa.

    Xie Qingying, on the other hand, rubbed her head and leaned to the side, fainted as well.

    Gu Nianzhi looked over in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡±

    ¡°We injected some gas, and she passed out when she smelled it,¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary said in a reserved tone.

    Gu Nianzhi understood and did not ask further. She heard the door behind her and turned to see He Chengjian walking in.

    ¡°The operating room has been prepared ording to your request. Do you want to go take a look?¡± He asked Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi put down her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look. I also want to check on Wen Shouyi¡¯s vitals first.¡±

    ¡°Send her to the operating room immediately,¡± He Chengjian ordered.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary ordered someone to bring the three unconscious people out of the simted ward and send them to the three operating rooms.

    ..

    Qin Yaoguang was brought to the operating room where Qin Baye was.

    She was confused. ¡°Why is it my father? Where¡¯s Shouyi? I thought I am operating on Shouyi?¡±

    ¡°Director Qin, your father is old and his condition may be more serious. Don¡¯t you want to operate on your father first?¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary said politely. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    When Qin Yaoguang heard that his words made sense, she quickly said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll treat my father first. You guys bring Shouyi to the infirmary next door and wait. After I finish operating on my father, I¡¯ll immediately go and operate on him.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary did notment. He made a ¡°please¡± gesture and closed the door of the operating room.

    In another operating room with a strangeyout, Gu Nianzhi wore a full set of surgical clothes. She wore a surgical cap, arge mask, and dark sses to cover her eyes.

    Because of the damage caused by the infrasound weapons, it was actually not difficult to recover.

    The simplest and most brutal method was to directly put it into a vacuum environment andpletely rely on the human body¡¯s ability to heal itself.

    This would have some seque, such as some organs¡¯ functions being damaged and not as good as before.

    After reintegrating the information she had downloaded, Gu Nianzhi chose a n to first repair and then heal.

    This meant that she would first use a CT scan to identify the injuries to her body. Those that needed to be repaired would first be repaired and then ced in a vacuum.

    The infrasound injuries Wen Shouyi and He Zhichu had suffered were neurological. There was no damage to the internal organs, which meant that there were no external injuries visible to the naked eye. Therefore, there was no need to use a scalpel to repair them.

    Gu Nianzhi then measured the damage to the nerves caused by the infrasound frequency. Finally, she used aputer to operate a Gamma Knife to repair the nerve septum.

    She had never operated a Gamma Knife before, and did not know exactly where it wouldnd on the human body.

    However, she had opened a backdoor to herputer and allowed Lu Jin to hack in. Lu Jin directly used herputer to operate the Gamma Knife.

    She pretended to be focused on the surgery and hid it from the people in the operating room.

    In fact, the people in the operating room did not see that Gu Nianzhi was just pretending.

    Lu Jin had actually performed the surgery, but to the outsiders, Gu Nianzhi was the one who had performed the wless Gamma Knife surgery.

    The surgery waspleted quickly, and Wen Shouyi was sent to a vacuum ward. She should be able to wake up in six hours.

    After the surgery, He Chengjian, who had been standing in front of the monitor watching Gu Nianzhi perform the surgery, was speechless.

    He said to his personal secretary in confusion, ¡°Is there really a genius like Gu Nianzhi in this world? She has never studied medicine before, but she was able to perform this Gamma Knife surgery almost perfectly.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was very open-minded. He smiled and said, ¡°Sir, the Gamma Knife is not a real scalpel. It is a ray that is controlled by aputer. Miss Gu¡¯sputer skills are very good, so it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to control the Gamma Knife well, right?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He Chengjian looked at the surveince video with emotion and said to himself, ¡°Maybe she is a genius. After all, she is the daughter of a genius.¡±

    This was the first time in eight years that He Chengjian stopped calling Gu Xiangwen a ¡°madman¡±.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1687, ¡°The daughter of a genius¡±.

    It¡¯s Monday. I forgot to ask for a rmendation this morning.

    Monday¡¯s rmendation ticket is very important

    Mwah, brothers and little angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1688 - Sleeping Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 1688: Sleeping Beauty</h4>

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary was keenly aware of this change, but he was smart enough to pretend that he did not hear anything. He had a strong desire to live.

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the operating room, took off her mask, and let out a long sigh.

    Although she was not the chief surgeon, she had been nervously watching Lu Jin¡¯s operation the entire time. It was no different from performing a surgery of her own.

    Her back was covered in sweat, and her temples were soaked through with sweat. A few strands of ck hair hung wet on her forehead.

    Huo Shaoheng had been leaning against the wall beside the operating room door, quietly waiting for her.

    Seeing that she hade out, he quickly went up to her with a soft, fluffy white towel and patiently wiped the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead and face.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and almost drowned in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rare gentleness.

    However, she only allowed herself to be weak for a moment before pushing him away.

    She took the towel from him and wiped it herself. She smiled at him. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Peter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng adjusted the tie on the back of her scrubs and said calmly, ¡°Are you tired? What do you want to eat? The He family¡¯s chefs are all ready.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Her eyes darkened, and she shook her head. She whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat. I have no appetite. I want to sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, who was wearing wide scrubs, looked exceptionally frail and slender.

    Huo Shaoheng almost couldn¡¯t resist the urge to hug her tightly.

    Just then, someone rushed over from the other side of the corridor and shouted at them, ¡°Where¡¯s Shouyi? I still have to operate on Shouyi!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand and stood beside Gu Nianzhi, looking over together with her.

    The person who had run over was actually Qin Yaoguang.

    It was as if she had juste out of a surgery. She did not even change into her scrubs and had already run over to operate on Wen Shouyi.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Qin Yaoguang¡¯s anxious expression and suddenly did not feel tired at all.

    She yed with the white towel in her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Director Qin, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve already finished operating on Wen Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°You?! Didn¡¯t you operate on Xie Qingying? !¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s pupils constricted. ¡°Why did you operate on Wen Shouyi?¡±

    ¡°I did it much faster than you.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. She said lightly, ¡°After I operated on Xie Qingying, I saw that you were still busy, so I applied to General He. After obtaining his consent, I also operated on Wen Shouyi. ¡°I¡¯m happy to tell you that the surgery was very sessful. Wen Shouyi¡¯s health was not damaged at all. She has already been sent to the vacuum ward.¡±

    Her fingers caressed Wen Shouyi¡¯s hair and blood samples in her inner pocket, and her heart was bursting with joy.

    She had left these behind while the surgery was being prepared. If there was a chance, she would send them back to Lu Jin so that he could quickly do a DNA test.

    ¡°What?! That¡¯s impossible!¡± Qin Yaoguang shouted, ¡°You mean you¡¯ve done two surgeries in the time it took me to perform one surgery?! Oh My God! What do you think they are?! Are they your guinea pigs?! Can you even look at the experiments you¡¯ve done in such a hurry?! Are you trying to kill someone?!¡±

    ¡°... I can¡¯t help it if you don¡¯t believe me. Wen Shouyi is in the vacuum ward now anyway. If you¡¯re worried, you can perform the surgery yourself.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened as well, ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re very good at taking credit for other people¡¯s results. If you perform the surgery that I did well and perform it again, the credit will be yours. Do you think no one knows what you¡¯re nning?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was enraged by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    She was also a proud person. She was so agitated that her entire body trembled. She pointed at Gu Nianzhi with her trembling finger and said, ¡°Okay, okay, okay! I¡¯m just waiting to see how badly you hurt Shouyi! When the timees, I¡¯ll sue you to death!¡±

    ¡°... Wen Shouyi signed the voluntary agreement. Director Qin, wake up. Don¡¯t daydream in broad daylight.¡± Gu Nianzhi said sarcastically, ¡°Besides, are you sure you want to fight awsuit against me? Your ownwsuit hasn¡¯t been settled yet. You should be concerned about whether your father will be safe and sound.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s chest rose and fell violently. Her expression changed, and it took her a lot of effort to suppress her anger. She said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. I want to see General He. I want to see how Shouyi is doing!¡±

    She had a feeling that Gu Nianzhi would take the opportunity to kill Wen Shouyi.

    He Chengjian saw this on the surveince camera and shook his head, not knowing whether tough or cry. ¡°This Gu Nianzhi really knows how to pick a fight with me! Old Zhou, I¡¯ll go out first. You can go back after you¡¯ve arranged everything.¡±

    He gave a few instructions to his personal secretary and headed towards Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Miss Gu¡¯s reaction is so fast!¡± He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, Old Zhou, clicked his tongue and quickly arranged everything.

    Xie Qingying was also sent to the vacuum ward and only waited for six hours beforeing out.

    The surveince cameras on her side had basically duplicated the surveince footage of Gu Nianzhi performing the surgery on Wen Shouyi, but the person on the hospital bed had been reced by Xie Qingying.

    All of this was done at the surveince terminal, so even Lu Jin couldn¡¯t tell if it was real or fake.

    ..

    He Chengjian walked over with his orderly and said with a frown, ¡°This is the surgery area. No noise is allowed.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang turned to see He Chengjian, and her eyes immediately turned red. She sobbed, ¡°General He, to be fair, did Gu Nianzhi really perform two surgeries?! Is Shouyi really okay?!¡±

    He Chengjian nced at her, he said calmly, ¡°Yes, Nianzhi finished performing the surgery on Miss Xie. When she saw that there was still time, she applied to me to perform Wen Shouyi¡¯s surgery. ¡°I saw that she was doing a good job for Xie Qingying, so I agreed. You were only halfway through the surgery. Couldn¡¯t you perform the surgery on Wen Shouyi earlier?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good, but she doesn¡¯t have any experience at all. How could she do it?!¡± Qin Yaoguang refused to believe that Gu Nianzhi had performed the surgery herself. ¡°This isn¡¯t an ordinary surgery!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a Gamma Knife?¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°With yourputer skills, you can do a gamma knife surgery, and I¡¯m even better. Qin Yaoguang, if I really had a scalpel, I wouldn¡¯t be as good as you, but what do you think about a Gamma Knife?¡±

    Her words seemed to make a lot of sense, and Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t know how to retort.

    He Chengjian saw her stunned expression and raised his chin toward the vacuum ward. ¡°Director Qin, I¡¯ll take you there to see Wen Shouyi. Her vital signs are all shown. You can see for yourself how the situation is.¡±

    ¡°Okay, take me there quickly!¡± Qin Yaoguang said anxiously. She was extremely distrustful of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s standards.

    He Chengjian took her to the vacuum ward.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the various numbers disyed on the instrument table in the operating room.

    ¡°How is this possible... is this real? ... She¡¯s recovering so well...¡±

    Qin Yaoguang muttered to herself, her eyes flickering.

    The heartbeat, pulse, blood pressure, and breathing rate disyed on the instrument were almost exactly the same as those of a normal person. The only difference was the brain activity.

    However, the brain activity was because Wen Shouyi had been given an injection to promote sleep. She was in a deep sleep, so the data was normal.

    Overall, Wen Shouyi¡¯s vital signs after the surgery were much stronger than Qin Baye¡¯s.

    In other words, the surgery Gu Nianzhi performed on Wen Shouyi was much more precise and perfect than Qin Yaoguang¡¯s surgery on Qin Baye.

    This realization hit Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mind like a heavy hammer.

    She only felt her brain buzzing, as if a ho¡¯s nest had just been poked open, and arge swarm of hos had all gone into her brain.

    The rampage caused her to be distracted, but also gave her a splitting headache.

    He Chengjian nced at Qin Yaoguang from the corner of his eyes and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this data either. Director Qin, can you exin it to me?¡±

    How was he not understanding it?

    He was deliberately stabbing her heart with a knife, wasn¡¯t he?!

    Qin Yaoguang rubbed her temples. Her face was so pale that there was not a trace of blood.

    ¡°Dean Qin? I heard you say that if Shouyi were to meet with any mishaps, you would sue Nianzhi to death, so you¡¯d better exin these data. If it¡¯s really not good, I support you suing her.¡±

    He Chengjian continued, as if he waspletely on her side.

    But Qin Yaoguang knew how unfathomable He Chengjian was..

    That was why the Qin family had never dared to y any tricks in front of He Chengjian before.

    Every word he said was ambiguous.

    Qin Yaoguang pursed her lips and reluctantly admitted, ¡°It¡¯s okay. These numbers are normal.¡±

    ¡°Then did Gu Nianzhi use the surgery to harm Wen Shouyi?¡± He Chengjian asked again, his voice even softer and slower.

    It seemed that He Chengjian had heard her shouting in the corridor.

    Qin Yaoguang was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t show her face. However, she could only shake her head and say, ¡°No, she didn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°What about the surgery?¡±

    ¡°... the surgery was done very well. Even if I did it, I could only do it so well.¡± Qin yaoguang sighed and said, ¡°She should study medicine. Her father and I are both geniuses in this field. She must be as well.¡±

    He Chengjian smiled. ¡°She is indeed a genius. She is the daughter of a genius.¡±

    After saying that, he pulled open the door of the operating room. ¡°Let¡¯s go. This is not a ce to rest. You just finished the surgery. Take a good rest.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang saw that He Chengjian still remembered to care about her, and a wave of excitement rose in her heart.

    Perhaps the situation wasn¡¯t that bad?

    Once she woke He Zhichu up, her case would definitely be closed.

    Perhaps she could return to He Chengjian¡¯s side..

    Qin Yaoguang smiled magnanimously at He Chengjian. She put on the airs of a scientist and said reservedly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go rest. Once I wake up, I¡¯ll perform the surgery on Young Master He. I¡¯m too tired now, so the effects of the surgery immediately won¡¯t be too good.¡±

    He Chengjian did notment. He turned around and walked out first.

    After Qin Yaoguang left, she was taken to a room that was specially guarded for her to rest.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng returned to the He residence¡¯s suite together.

    He Zhichu was sleeping soundly in the room next to hers.

    After Gu Nianzhi washed up, she went to the room next door with a ss of warm milk to visit He Zhichu.

    He Zhichuy on the bed with his eyes closed, like a sleeping beauty.

    His eyshes were long and ck, like two rows of crow¡¯s wings. They also had their own eyeliner and mascara effects, covering his pair of ¡°ruthless but also moving¡± shimmering peach eyes.

    His straight nose was proud of itself, and his thin lips curled up slightly. It seemed like he was smiling, but also seemed like he was mocking her.

    Gu Nianzhi took a sip of milk and thought to herself, ¡°Young master He, sleep a little longer. Your Princess will soon wake you up with a kiss.¡±

    He Chengjian did not allow her to tell anyone that Xie Qingying was wearing Qin Yaoguang¡¯s special surgical gown. It was clear that He Zhichu wanted Xie Qingying to do him a big favor.

 Chapter 1689 - Tighten Your Skin

    <h4>Chapter 1689: Tighten Your Skin</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and stood in front of He Zhichu¡¯s bed, gently tucking him in.

    After leaving He Zhichu¡¯s suite, Gu Nianzhi returned to her room and saw Huo Shaoheng still sitting on the sofa in the living room, casually flipping a magazine.

    ¡°Mr. Peter, do you really not need to go back to the Embassy?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned worriedly at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had been with her for the past two days and he had barely slept.

    Gu Nianzhi had been able to see the warm lights in the living room seeping through the cracks of the bedroom door whenever she awoke in the past two nights.

    It felt good, but s, they were at the He family¡¯s house, not somewhere else.

    Gu Nianzhi was very afraid of He Chengjian.

    This man did not y by the rules. It was hard to know what he would do next.

    He was very reasonable now, but who knew when he would go crazy again?

    He Chengjian always said that Gu Xiangwen was crazy, but Gu Nianzhi felt that He Chengjian was just as entric.

    Especially since he had power and was never afraid to use force. He was more lethal than Lu Jin.

    It could be said that he was decisive when it came to killing, and he had nock of it.

    Gu Nianzhi was very sure she wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to block the bullet by the time she sensed something amiss over the trap to take Huo Shaoheng¡¯s life again.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her and smiled lightly. ¡°Are you trying to get rid of me already, Miss Gu? Even He Chengjian didn¡¯t chase me away.¡±

    It was a cool and dry winter afternoon in the capital.

    The afternoon sun shone through the curtains, illuminating his face.

    He smiled quietly in the afternoon sun. He was absolutely stunning.

    Gu Nianzhi almost couldn¡¯t control herself. She hurriedly averted her gaze and said, ¡°Suit yourself then. I need to take a nap. I¡¯ll be able to operate on young Master He in six hours.¡±

    She ran back to her bedroom like a little rabbit and mmed the door.

    She leaned against the door, her mouth open as she exhaled and inhaled slowly. She was afraid that Huo Shaoheng would hear her breathing as she was not about to let him notice her at all..

    Under He Chengjian¡¯s watch, it was better for the two to keep their distance.

    Gu Nianzhiid back on the bed and counted sheep before finally falling asleep.

    Six hourster, Huo Shaoheng knocked the door to wake her up. ¡°Lawyer Gu? Wen Shouyi is awake. You can go and operate on young Master He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could survive as long as He Zhichu was alive.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and saw that the room was pitch ck. There was only a glimmer of light under the door.

    It was the light from the living room.

    Gu Nianzhi lifted the nket and got up. She raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯m up. I have to eat dinner. Has Mr. Peter had dinner?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at the dinner that had been delivered downstairs. ¡°Dinner is here. There¡¯s your favorite food, three-vored fried rice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She walked over to open the bedroom door and stuck her head out. ¡°Who made it?¡±

    ¡°The He family¡¯s cook.¡±Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets andmented casually, ¡°I told them that you wanted to eat Fried Rice and asked them if they knew how to make three-vored fried rice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on a small log table in the living room that was used as a temporary dining table.

    There were two dinner tes.

    The sweet white porcin te was piled with fried rice with green beans, red shrimp, and golden scrambled eggs.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately felt hungry. She casually tied her hair up and walked out of the bedroom. ¡°Eat first, then wash up .¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not stop her. He sat down on the other side of the table and said, ¡°I also ordered a bowl of Chicken Minced Sea Cucumber Soup for you. It would nourish the yin and the Qi. It was all stewed and easy to digest.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the rice and soup. Her mood was as radiant as a peach blossom. She smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Peter!¡±

    She picked up the spoon and scooped a spoonful of rice. She couldn¡¯t wait to taste it.

    As soon as she tasted it, she knew instantly that it wasn¡¯t the kind of three-vored fried rice that she had previously eaten.

    Huo Shaoheng, Song Jinning, and Lu Yuan knew the recipe to the special San Xian Fried Rice..

    Even though she could not describe it, her taste buds could distinct the difference, so she knew it was not the usual three-vored fried rice.

    She was slightly disappointed, but still, she ate up and finished the soup. Then she politely said, ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up. Thank you for the meal, Mr. Peter.¡±

    She proceeded to wash up. At the same time, she sent Lu Jin a message informing him that He Zhichu would be ready to be operated in 15 minutes.

    .

    After washing up, Huo Shaoheng sent her to the Operating Room.

    He Zhichu was sent there as well.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her scrubs again and walked in.

    This time, He Chengjian was there too and waited outside the Operating Room with Huo Shaoheng.

    The red light in the operating room lit up, indicating ¡°Surgery In Progress¡±.

    In the Operating Room, Gu Nianzhi sat in front of theputer and quietly opened the back door again to let Lu Jin in.

    Lu Jin had already operated on Wen Shouyi once, and this was the second time he had operated on He Zhichu. His movements were visibly skilful with the familiarity.

    After the Gamma Knife Surgery, he did a physical examination on He Zhichu and recorded his vital signs.

    ¡°Not bad, no problem was detected. I told you. How could a disease cured using Gene Therapy rpse ?¡± Hemented with triumph!

    Muttering to himself, Lu Jin worked fervently in front of hisputer.

    Lu Yuan was also in his studio and kept reminding him, ¡°Focus on the surgery. If you have anyints, keep it within yourself till after the surgery.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just muttering. What made you think I wasining?¡± Lu Jin red at him unhappily. ¡°Be quiet!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your daughter¡¯s sake. If you make a mistake here, your daughter won¡¯t be let off.¡±

    Lu Yuan casually threw out his trump card.

    Lu Jin was speechless.

    Lu Yuan discovered that as long as it was rted to Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin had no choice but to obey him unconditionally.

    As a result, he was bing more and more skilled at ying the ¡°Gu Nianzhi card.¡±.

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and stopped mumbling. He focused all his attention on the surgery.

    After checking again to make sure that there were no mistakes, he cut off the connection and exited the room.

    Gu Nianzhi was alerted as soon as he exited the room.

    She knew the surgery was over, so she quickly did a few finishing touches before turning off the Gamma Ray. She said to the monitor, ¡°The surgery is over.¡±

    The red light outside the operating room dimmed out.

    He Chengjian looked at his watch.¡±... It was two hours earlier than thest time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°The second time will always be better than the first and practice makes perfect, so the time was shortened. ¡±

    Even so, He Chengjian still felt that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s performance was simply unbelievable.

    However, he did not say anything. As long as Gu Nianzhi could save He Zhichu there would be no problem.

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the Operating Room. She looked much better than when she had operated on Wen Shouyi six hours ago.

    She smiled as she removed the mask on her face and said, ¡°The operation went well. Young Master He will wake up after staying in the Intensive Ward for three hours.¡±

    ¡°Really? ¡°He Chengjian was overjoyed. ¡°Nianzhi, thank you!¡±

    He reached out and shook Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand before pushing the door of the Operating Room door and walked in.

    Gu Nianzhi watched with a smile as they escorted He Zhichu out of the Operating Room and into the Intensive Ward.

    He Zhichu had just been sent away when Qin Yaoguang arrived.

    She was wearing a surgical gown and was in a hurry to put on a mask.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded at her. ¡°Director Qin, please do not trouble yourself. I havepleted the surgery on young Master He. You could return to the Detention Centre¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s pupils constricted. Her hand that was holding the mask froze momentarily before it slowly rxed.

    ¡°What did you say? ! You have actually operated on young Master He? Was General aware!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang did not believe that He Chengjian would agree to let Gu Nianzhi, who had never ever gone to Medical School, operate on his precious son!

    She subconsciously thought that Gu Nianzhi had acted on her own initiative, and that He Chengjian had been kept in the dark.

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed and shook her head, ¡°Director Qin, why do you think I could operate on young Master He if General He did not give his consent? How well do you know General He? You¡¯ve really loved him for so many years, and you don¡¯t even know who he was? Or have you been blinded by love?¡±

    That was true.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes flickered, and she sneered. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wait here and see how General He will deal with you. You must be tired of living if you dare hurt his son!.¡±

    ¡°The same goes to you and your Qin Family.¡±Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth and yawned. She saidzily, ¡°And you¡¯re wee.¡±

    She didn¡¯t argue with Qin Yaoguang and went straight to the He Residence¡¯s Suite with Huo Shaoheng.

    She looked at the time and saw that it was already midnight.

    It was New Year¡¯s Eve today.

    The Sun would be up in three hours, by which He Zhichu would have awoken.

    .

    Gu Nianzhi would be able to leave the He Family¡¯s home and returned to her own home for the New Year.

    She secretly sent Lu Jin a text message: ¡± I¡¯ll be home in three hours. I¡¯d like to try Mr. Lu¡¯s cooking.¡±

    Lu Jin was overjoyed when he saw the text message. He quickly pushed Lu Yuan and said, ¡°Boss Lu, go buy some ingredients! Nianzhi will be back in three hours!¡±

    Lu Yuan almost rolled his eyes. ¡°Big shareholder Lu, it¡¯s early in the morning. Where would I go to buy groceries?¡±

    As he spoke, he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. ¡°It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today. I¡¯ve already prepared everything. When Nianzhies back, I¡¯ll make her a big meal.¡±

    Lu Jin was ted when he saw Lu Yuan had everything prepared for the New Year. He smiled and gave him thumbs up. ¡°Boss Lu is indeed a boss! You¡¯re so thoughtful!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was certain that Gu Nianzhi would be back today as so would him.

    Lu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at the time and couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

    He decided to start preparing dinner for the New Year¡¯s Eve in the kitchen.

    This New Year would be the most meaningful for him ever!

    ..Three hourster, the first rays of dawn appeared.

    The golden rays of the morning sun fell from the evergreen holly trees in front of the hospital building. They bounced happily and shone through the ss windows of the building.

    It was still dark in the Intensive Care Ward.

    He Zhichu woke up from a deep sleep. He did not know where he was, but he felt as light as a feather.

 Chapter 1690 - Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 1690: Exposed</h4>

    In the next moment, just as he was about to move, a downward force pulled him back to reality.

    All his consciousness gushed into his mind, and He Zhichu waspletely awake.

    When he opened his eyes, his vision was pitch ck, and it seemed that he was wearing a mask.

    Oxygen poured into his mask continuously, and his spirit gradually recovered.

    While he was slowly awakening, Xie Qingying had already changed out of her hospital gown. She was talking to He Chengjian outside the vacuum ward.

    ¡°General He, I¡¯d like to ask you for a favor.¡± Xie Qingying said softly.

    She was still wearing her tailored Dior mauve cashmere dress. Her figure was slender, and her actions were graceful.

    He Chengjian admired Xie Qingying¡¯s demeanor and told her gently, ¡°General He sounds so distant. I¡¯m a family friend, so you can call me ¡®Uncle He¡¯ instead. I can afford that greeting.¡±

    Xie Qingying suddenly raised her head and looked at He Chengjian in surprise. She nodded and greeted him, ¡°Uncle He.¡±

    ¡°Okay, tell me. What¡¯s the matter?¡± It was obvious that General He saw her in new light.

    Xie Qingying was a smartdy, so she sensed his difference. However, what she wanted was not just an empty title, but He Zhichu¡¯s sincerity.

    Xie Qingying looked around and her voice turned into a whisper. ¡°Uncle He, I¡¯d like to ask you for a favor. Don¡¯t tell... tell Zhichu about me epting the experiment and surgery.¡±

    Her face was slightly red, as she still felt embarrassed over it.

    ¡°Oh? Why?¡± He Chengjian asked with interest. He tilted his head and looked at Xie Qingying¡¯s bashful look.

    ¡°... I don¡¯t want Young Master He to feel burdened,¡± Xie Qingying said frankly. ¡°I did the experiment willingly. It¡¯s my own business, and it has nothing to do with Young Master He.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say, you don¡¯t want Zhichu to feel grateful to you because of this?¡± He Chengjian smiled with an obscure look in his eyes.

    Xie Qingying blushed a deeper shade of red. But she still mustered up her courage and said, ¡°Since Uncle He put it in this way, I won¡¯t hide it from you. I like Young Master He very much, but I really hope that he will like me from the bottom of his heart. Feelings between two people should not beplicated by other things.¡±

    What she desired was the pure love between a man and a woman.

    She didn¡¯t want gratitude because that was something that should not be present between a man and a woman.

    He Chengjian narrowed his eyes and smiled. He put the pipe into his mouth, took a puff, and said, ¡°That¡¯s not easy. I can only promise you that I won¡¯t take the initiative to tell my son about this. But you stood up and said that you wanted to do this experiment in front of so many people. I have no way to shut everyone¡¯s mouths.¡±

    Xie Qingying recalled the situation at the time and felt a little regretful.

    She had been too impulsive to say that in front of so many people.

    She should have rmended herself to General He and Gu Nianzhi in private. It would be so much easier to conceal this incident.

    Xie Qingying pondered over this for a moment and replied calmly, ¡°Never mind then. Do what you have to do. I won¡¯t deliberately distance myself from Young Master He, just because he found out about this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± He Chengjian patted her shoulder. ¡°When ites to love, if you know what you want, then go after it. If you can¡¯t even stand how others look at you, how will you win the heart of the person you like?¡±

    As they spoke, He Chengjian noticed Gu Nianzhi and Peter walking over, from the corner of his eye.

    He Chengjian smiled at them and said to Xie Qingying, ¡°Look, Mr. Peter is the Deputy Chief Consul of the Soviet Union. He put his pride aside to woo Nianzhi, totally not afraid of others gossiping about him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless when she heard this.

    Who would dare to gossip about the KGB?

    Unless that person was tired of living?

    However, she did not say anything. She walked over with a smile and spoke to Xie Qingying, ¡°Miss Xie is also here to see Young Master He? He should be awake by now?¡±

    Xie Qingying nodded and smiled. ¡°He should be awake. I just wanted to confirm that before I go home.¡±

    It was New Year¡¯s Eve today. He Zhichu would regain consciousness soon and the He family would be able to enjoy the New Year.

    Gu Nianzhi saw how anxious He Chengjian was. If He Zhichu still hadn¡¯t regain his consciousness on New Year¡¯s Eve, General He would probably announce the cancetion of New Year¡¯s Eve and Lunar New Year within the country...

    She was doing this for the interests of all the families...

    Nianzhi thought silently to herself as she tried to make the best out of this situation.

    The few of them chatted in front of the vacuum ward. More and more people gradually came to wait for He Zhichu to regain consciousness. Soon, the entire corridor was almost full.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to squeeze with these people. Huo Shaoheng tugged her sleeve and the two of them walked to a corner.

    Not long after, the red light in front of the ward was finally turned off.

    The vacuum in the operating room was gradually lifted, and the people inside had to adjust back to the normal environment.

    A few people in white scrubs walked in and helped He Zhichu clean up before pushing him out of the operating theatre in a wheelchair.

    The corridor waspletely sealed. The white ceilingmps were bright and eye-piercing. He Zhichu¡¯s eyes felt a little prickly and he closed his eyes subconsciously.

    When he opened them again, the first person he saw was his concerned father.

    ¡°Ah Chu, are you feeling better? Are you still feeling unwell?¡± He Chengjian asked anxiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He Zhichu smiled as he continued, ¡°I¡¯ve caused Father to be worried.¡±

    When he realized that something was wrong in Old Mister Qin¡¯s ward, his first reaction was to send a message to his father.

    Because he knew that under such circumstances, only his father had the ability and condition to save him.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re alright.¡± The rims of He Chengjian¡¯s eyes turned slightly red. He quickly walked to one side to hide his emotions.

    He moved aside and He Zhichu saw Xie Qingying.

    She wore a mauve cashmere dress, which entuated her voluptuous figure and made her look refreshing.

    He Zhichu was a little surprised, but he still nodded at her. ¡°Miss Xie.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re alright now, Young Master He.¡± Xie Qingying smiled as she checked on him. ¡°Have a good rest when you are home. We¡¯ll meet again after the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± He Zhichu said politely with restrain. His gaze wandered through the crowd uncontrobly.

    He didn¡¯t say who he was looking for, but everyone seemed to know.

    They stepped aside, allowing He Zhichu to find the person whom he was seeking. ¨CGu Nianzhi.

    Many people hade to visit He Zhichu, but most of them were his subordinates. There was a portion of He Chengjian¡¯s subordinates as well. These people were considered a direct lineage of troops under the father and son.

    They would truly be relieved after finding out that He Zhichu was fine.

    Seeing so many people around, Gu Nianzhi walked to a corner with Huo Shaoheng consciously.

    She just wanted to ensure that He Zhichu was truly fine before she went home.

    However, He Zhichu¡¯s stare was so intent that Nianzhi could not continue to hide.

    She smiled, walked out from the crowd, and said yfully, ¡°Young Master He, are you really okay? Why do you need to be seated in a wheelchair?¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help beaming when he saw her smile. His almond-shaped eyes rippled as he bottled up all his emotions.

    Gripping the handle of the wheelchair, he used his feet to prop himself on the ground and stood up slowly.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±

    ¡°Young Master He is indeed fine!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha! I told you that Young Master He is blessed! Nothing will happen to him!¡±

    The surrounding soldiers burst intoughter, and everyone apuded at the same time.

    He Zhichu became a little emotional when he saw everyone being so weing.

    He waved to them and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve made everyone worried. Today is New Year¡¯s Eve. Everyone is right here instead of at your own home. Are you intending to go to my ce for reunion dinner?¡±

    ¡°Really! Can we do that?¡± Some of the soldiers and officers who were not going home for the New Year immediately got excited. ¡°Young Master He, are you going to treat us to a reunion dinner?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at He Chengjian, with obvious intent in his eyes.

    He was so happy that his son had regained consciousness, so just treating the soldiers and officers a reunion dinner at the He¡¯s was nothing. Even if Zhichu wanted to go to the moon, He Chengjian would get it done immediately.

    He waved his hand. ¡°No problem! Let¡¯s head over to my house for reunion dinner! Come, Old Zhou, bring them over first. As for the rest, go home to have reunion dinner with your family! We¡¯ll have an early holiday today!¡±

    The corridor was suddenly filled with a festive atmosphere.

    The people who came to visit He Zhichu had all left. Soon, only He Chengjian¡¯s orderly troops, Gu Nianzhi, and a few others were still there.

    He Zhichu held on to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand some time ago, and he asked with a faint smile, ¡°What about you? Do you want to go to my ce for reunion dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi certainly did not want to do that. She was just thinking of a way to decline his invitation without hurting his feelings when she heard the sound of footsteps and a high-pitched voiceing from her back.

    ¡°Young Master He, are you alright? Do you need me to examine you again?¡±

    It was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s voice.

    He Zhichu suddenly looked up and his expression changed. The cold light in his eyes swept across like an ice arrow.

    Qin Yaoguang was so intimidated by his gaze that she staggered and almost fell.

    Wen Shouyi, who was still in her hospital gown, quickly held on to her. ¡°Aunt Qin! Be careful!¡±

    He Zhichu pointed at Qin Yaoguang and spoke coldly, ¡°They had a lot to do with my ident this time. How can you let them move around freely?¡±

    He Chengjian replied indifferently, ¡°How can you say that they are moving around freely when there are so many people watching over them at all times?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart trembled and she subconsciously looked around.

    Why didn¡¯t she know that someone was watching her all the time?

    Where were these people hiding?

    Wen Shouyi lowered her eyes and gently pinched Qin Yaoguang¡¯s arm.

    She understood her meaning and turned her head to look at He Zhichu again.

    Her gaze gradually moved down from He Zhichu¡¯s face and she saw him holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Wen Shouyi also noticed that. Her gaze lingered on their hands for a while before she looked up and smiled. ¡°Young Master He, you¡¯re finally awake? You ought to show your gratitude to Miss Xie. To save you, she volunteered to stay in the infrasound weapon simtion ward for 24 hours to obtain the precious data for the treatment of infrasound injuries.¡±

    She totally did not mention that Gu Nianzhi was the Chief Surgeon, nor did she talked about herself. Wen Shouyi skimmed through the details and passed all the credit to Xie Qingying.

    He Chengjian did not say anything. He only shot a nce at Xie Qingying, as if to say, ¡°See! Even if I didn¡¯t tell him, someone else will.¡±

    Xie Qingying had not expected Wen Shouyi to be the one to expose this matter.

    He Zhichu was also stunned. ¡°What infrasound weapon? What does it have to do with Qingying?¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t know?¡± Qin Yaoguang said with a straight face. ¡°It looks like someone took all the credit. It wasn¡¯t just Miss Xie alone. Shouyi helped as well. Both of them were attacked by infrasound weapons in the simtion ward for 24 hours. Young Master He, your surgery was so sessful because we got thebined data from them.¡±

 Chapter 1691 - Let Her Go

    <h4>Chapter 1691: Let Her Go</h4>

    He Zhichu had no idea what Qin Yaoguang was talking about.

    His brows creased imperceptibly, and his expression turned indifferent. He said coldly to Qin Yaoguang, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a few days, and director Qin is also mentally ill. Could it be that you want to use mental illness as an excuse? What ultrasonics weapon? What simted ward? Have you switched to writing novels?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was excited, but when she heard He Zhichu¡¯s words, she couldn¡¯t breathe and almost choked to spit blood.

    ¡°Who¡¯s mentally ill? ! Mr. He, how can you nder me?¡± Qin Yaoguang said unhappily and continued to size up He Zhichu.

    Her face was rosy and natural, but her eyes were calm and cold. Her tall figure stood beside Gu Nianzhi, making Gu Nianzhi, who was tall, look slim and petite.

    She had recovered so well that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes began to flicker.

    Gu Nianzhi did not say a word. She looked quietly at Qin Yaoguang, and the familiar expression on her face made Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart skip a beat.

    Her gaze involuntarily jumped between Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu, and her vision gradually blurred.

    It was as if she could see the couple from decades ago, standing in the middle of the crowd to receive everyone¡¯s blessings, while she could only hide amongst the crowd and watch them.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s felt a swirl of dizziness. She quickly clenched her fists and nted her nails deeply in her palms, utilizing the pain to calm herself down.

    Wen Shouyi suddenly came to a realization. Could it be that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t said anything? !

    Ha, what a kind b*tch who didn¡¯t want anything in return.

    Looking at the slightly embarrassed Xie Qingying, Wen Shouyi smiled and said softly, ¡°Aunt Qin, don¡¯t worry. Miss Gu hasn¡¯t said anything yet. Well, she knows her own limits. Miss Xie is willing to risk her life for Mr. He¡¯s injuries. She¡¯s much better than someone who only knows how to talk.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at his father, He Chengjian, and asked in confusion, ¡°Dad, what ultrasonics weapon? And what¡¯s with the simted ward?¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s gaze went past Gu Nianzhi swiftly and finallynded on Xie Qingying¡¯s face. He said to He Zhichu with a pleasant expression, ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Let¡¯s go back first and talk about it after New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He Zhichu objected firmly, ¡°What¡¯s with it that you can¡¯t finish in three sentences? Tell me now.¡±

    He Chengjian thought for a moment and said, ¡°Here is the case. You suddenly fainted in the ward of the Qin¡¯s private hospital. After our investigation, you were ambushed there with an ultrasonics weapon.¡±

    He Zhichu now finally knew why he suddenly fainted.

    ¡°Ultrasonics weapon? This is not a small piece of equipment. I am sure I did not see that thing in the ward.¡± He Zhichu looked at Qin Yaoguang thoughtfully. ¡°Could it be in the secret room?¡±

    This was the only reasonable exnation.

    Infrasound weapon was a sonic weapon. It could not be subdued by bricks and stones and could be transmitted through walls.

    Therefore, even if it was ced in a sealed secret room, its effectiveness would not be affected.

    He Chengjian nodded slowly. ¡°It is the secret room. We found the secret room first before we found the infrasound weapons.¡±

    ¡°But the infrasound weapons attack indiscriminately. Could it be that Dean Qin was also affected? What about Old Master Qin? He was also in the ward at that time.¡± He Zhichu quickly recalled the situation then and locked his gaze on Qin Yaoguang.

    He Chengjian chuckled. ¡°Dean Qin and Old Master Qin are still fine. It¡¯s good that they were not affected.¡±

    He did not mention anything about Old Master Qin¡¯s oxygen mask or Qin Yaoguang¡¯s special surgical gown, so Qin Yaoguang did not know that this n had been exposed.

    In fact, she only knew about this n when she was guiding Old Master Qin in his surgery.

    When she heard it, she was shocked and praised it greatly.

    They did not think that anyone in this world could decode the mystery behind this scheme.

    Therefore, even the secret rooms on both sides of the ward were to be discovered, even if the infrasonic emissions were to be found, they were still nning to insist that they did not know about it beforehand.

    He Zhichu looked at He Chengjian who upheld a foxy expression. He pulled the corners of his mouth helplessly and forced a smile.

    He could tell that He Chengjian had hidden a lot of things probably because it was not appropriate for him to go into details under such circumstances.

    He Zhichu did not continue with the topic. Instead, he asked about Xie Qingying, ¡°Then why did you say that Qingying was attacked by an infrasound weapon for twenty-four hours?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that simple?¡±Qin Yaoguang crossed her arms and pouted at Xie Qingying. ¡°To save Mr. He, we must first test out the treatment method. We need someone to go into the simtion ward and go through the same infrasound weapon attack.¡±

    ¡°Xie Qingying and our Shouyi have been in that simtion ward for 24 hours, suffering a lot.¡± Qin Yaoguang held Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand sympathetically.

    Wen Shouyi smiled gently and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s my duty. Miss Xie is an outsider, but she took the initiative to go through the infrasound weapon attack. That should be the most amazing thing.¡±

    He Zhichu finally understood. His father must have been testing the remedy on people alive to make sure treatment was effective.

    Again, in order to save his own life, he had to appraise with someone else¡¯s life.

    He Zhichu felt aplicated sense of powerlessness.

    However, he slowly let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and unnoticeably slid his hands in the pockets of his hospital gown.

    He Zhichu had just let go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand when Huo Shaoheng, who had been watching coldly from the side, walked up quickly and wrapped his arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders. He looked up at He Chengjian and said coldly, ¡°General He, since Mr. He is awake, can we go back now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also wanted to leave this ce. New Year wasing soon, and she didn¡¯t want Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi to ruin her mood for it.

    ¡°General He, Mr. He is apparently safe and sound. I have to go back too.¡±Gu Nianzhi said with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s already New Year¡¯s Eve today, don¡¯t you want to leave after celebrating New Year?¡± He Chengjian called out gently. ¡°The house will be very lively today.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Huo Shaoheng answered on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s behalf. He nced at Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi scornfully and said, ¡°Since you can keep the two of them for New Year, we won¡¯t be joining the crowd. It¡¯ll make me sick to my stomach.¡±

    With that, he took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and strode towards the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi was ted to hear this and anxious to jump up and wrap her arms around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck in order to kiss him on the cheek, showing her joy.

    Qin Yaoguang watched the two of them leave coldly and sneered.

    He Chengjian was not totally apathetic towards her. She could feel it.

    After so many years of bitter love, he finally had her in his heart.

    ..

    He Zhichu felt lost, but he tried his best to control himself and not look in the direction where Gu Nianzhi had left.

    He nodded at Xie Qingying. ¡°Thank you, Qingying. You were also attacked by infrasound. How are you feeling? Is your health affected? I¡¯ll find a doctor to visit you at your house everyday.¡±

    He Zhichu said with great concern, trying his best to focus his attention on Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying felt the change in He Zhichu¡¯s attitude, and her heart felt warmed. Although she was still a little unwell, especially with a dizzy head and lethargy. But with He Zhichu¡¯s words, she was willing to go through another round of infrasound weapon attack for twenty-four hours.

    She shook her head with a smile and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m recovering very well.¡±

    After a pause, she said, ¡°Mr. He, this event was the result of my own decision. It has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t think too much.¡±

    He Zhichu understood what Xie Qingying meant.

    They had known each other since they were young. He Zhichu had some understanding of Xie Qingying¡¯s character and personality.

    People like them did notck anything, so their requirements for rtionships were purer.

    She did not want his emotions to be mixed with other things.

    He Zhichu¡¯s almond-shaped eyes shed with a hint of understanding. ¡°Yes, I know.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes lit up.

    He Zhichu understood what she meant!

    Although the two of them did not say it explicitly, but this feeling of mutual understanding should be very close to telepathy.

    Xie Qingying suddenly felt very confident about her emotions.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t do anything. I just stayed in a ward for 24 hours. The one who really contributed was Miss Gu. She was the one who suggested the treatment, and she personally performed the surgery on you and I. In fact, she did very well.¡±

    Xie Qingying looked at Qin Yaoguang and continued, ¡°Actually, Miss Gu didn¡¯t take credit for others¡¯ work.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang did not expect Gu Nianzhi to not say anything either. She was both embarrassed and angry. She clutched her chest and held Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand tightly, almost turning her wrist purple.

    Wen Shouyi smiled mockingly when saw that Xie Qingying was speaking up for Gu Nianzhi. She thought to herself, ¡°You are acting generous now but will cry in the future.¡±

    He Zhichu was indeed shocked, ¡°Nianzhi actually was the chief surgeon? ! She didn¡¯t even study medicine, so how could she know how to perform surgery? !¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Not only has she never studied medicine, but she is also practicing medicine without a license.¡± Qin Yaoguang had finally found the right perspective to diss Gu Nianzhi, so she quickly became arrogant again.

    He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, Lao Zhou, could not stand Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance and did not want her to return to the He family, heughed and said, ¡°Mr. He, it¡¯s actually not that exaggerated. It¡¯s a Gamma Knife surgery. As you know, Gamma Knife is operated by aputer. It¡¯s different from normal surgery. Miss Gu¡¯sputer skills seemed to be quite proficient. I saw her operating on theputer with my own eyes.¡±

    He Zhichu thought about it carefully and let out a sigh of relief. He lowered his eyes, and his long, darkshes obscured the exhaustion behind his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s good. Why didn¡¯t you guys say so earlier? I didn¡¯t even thank her personally.¡±

    ¡°... She might not want your thanks.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s expression darkened as he said lightly.

    It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t notice Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fleeing footsteps.

    Ha, she could leave because he was willing to let her go. Otherwise, even if ten Peters were here, they wouldn¡¯t be able to take her away.

 Chapter 1692 - The Path You Want to Take

    <h4>Chapter 1692: The Path You Want to Take</h4>

    He Zhichu caught a glimpse of his father¡¯s gaze and quickly rubbed his temples. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired. Can I go home first?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡± He Chengjian¡¯s attention immediately shifted to He Zhichu. He asked nervously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you want me to get another doctor to check on you?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang immediately became excited, ¡°I told you that no matter how smart Gu Nianzhi is, she can¡¯t be that smart where she can perform surgery just by reading a book... This is a technical job, after all. We came from medical school, so how long will it takes for us to stand by the operating table...¡±

    She chattered non-stop, wanting to get closer to He Zhichu to examine him.

    He Zhichu reached out his arm to block her. He said word by word, ¡°I suffered from a headache when I heard you speak. As long as you shut up, I¡¯ll be as lively as a tiger in no time.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was so embarrassed that her face was flushed red. However, when she looked at He Chengjian who did not say a word and only looked at his son. Qin Yaoguang held back her anger and moved aside, ¡°Then, young master He, please head back and rest. Today is New Year¡¯s Eve. I wish young master He and General He, a good Spring Festival in advance.¡±

    He Chengjian did not even lift his eyelids. He hummed and said, ¡°You can head back first. The investigation of the infrasound weapon will not be stopped because of the new year. You can wait for it.¡±

    ¡°General He, this thing has nothing to do with us. We were also framed!¡± Qin Yaoguang said nervously, ¡°My head still hurts now, I was also hurt by the infrasound weapon!¡±

    He Chengjianughed and did not look at her. He said with a profound meaning: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why we need to investigate. The real can not be fake, the fake can not be real. Your Qin Corporation has a big business. It is not easy to find someone who dares to frame your group.¡±

    Just as Qin Yaoguang was about to nod and agree, she understood He Chengjian¡¯s meaning. It seemed that he had began to doubt them. Her heart tightened and she said quickly: ¡°I believe General He will definitely return us our innocence!¡±

    Wen Shouyi quietly pulled her hand and signaled her to stop talking.

    At this time, there will be more mistakes if continued.

    Qin Yaoguang shut her mouth in embarrassment and went downstairs with He Chengjian¡¯s orderly.

    The prison van that was used to transport prisoners was already waiting for her downstairs.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face instantly turned pale when she saw the van.

    The detention center was very far from the main hospital here. It was impossible to transfer the van of the detention center just like that. They had to be prepared a few hours in advance.

    This thought of it was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head.

    Just now, she was still feeling smug. She felt that He Chengjian still had a ce for her in his heart..

    This detention center¡¯s van that aimed to escort prisoners had directly crushed all of her flukes and hopes.

    During the dawn of the New Year¡¯s Eve, in the Imperial City, where the cold wind pierced to the bone. However, what was colder than the severe cold of the New Year¡¯s Eve was the despair in her heart that hadpletely shattered her hopes.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was stiff as she stood stiffly in front of the hospital building.

    It was not until He Chengjian¡¯s orderly pushed her back with the tip of his gun and said coldly,¡±... Get in.¡±

    Wen Shouyi also had a face full of surprise. But deep inside, she had already thought it through.

    He Chengjian will not care about the consequences. He had decided to pin the me of He Zhichu¡¯s injury on them, while making a move on the entire Qin¡¯s Private Hospital Corporation.

    Wen Shouyi carefully helped Qin Yaoguang to get up into the detention center¡¯s van. She then lifted her feet and was about to follow into it.

    However, Qin Yaoguang pushed her down and said stiffly, ¡°What does it have to do with you? Get down.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Qin, today is the New Year¡¯s Eve. Let me apany you,¡± Wen Shouyi pleaded softly.

    Qin Yaoguang shook her head and said softly, ¡°I am not celebrating the New Year at the detention center, so don¡¯t you even think about celebrating the New Year. With such big incident happening, why don¡¯t you try to think of a solution outside instead? What¡¯s the point of you going in with me?¡±

    This had been a reminder to Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi thought for a moment and nodded awkwardly, ¡°Alright then, Aunt Qin. But I¡¯ve only been in office for a few days, so I¡¯m still confused about such a big incident. But don¡¯t worry, Aunt Qin. I¡¯ll have a meeting with the management and the board of directors to try to minimize the losses.¡±

    ¡°I am uncertain about business matters. It will be all up to you.¡± Qin Yaoguang looked at her and touched her face with her hand. ¡°Go ahead. Do remember to look for my father if you need anything. He¡¯s full of praise for you...¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s gaze moved slightly. ¡°I understand. Take care, Aunt Qin.¡±

    She stood by the sidewalk in front of the hospital building and waved gently at the departing prison van as if she was sending off her family and friends.

    When the prison van was out of sight, Wen Shouyi turned around to look at the hospital building.

    In the lobby on the first floor of the building, the elevator door opened just in time.

    He Chengjian strode out. Behind him was Xie Qingying pushing He Zhichu¡¯s wheelchair. He Shengjian and He Zhichu¡¯s orderly then escorted them out.

    Wen Shouyi stood alone at the bottom of the stairs in front of the building, watching them walk down the stairs.

    As he passed by her, He Chengjian said inly, ¡°Didn¡¯t director Wen go with director Qin?¡±

    ¡°General He, I have no criminal record. I am aw-abiding citizen and holds awyer¡¯s license. Why should I go to the detention center with Dean Qin?¡± Wen Shouyi refused to stand on ceremony with He Chengjian.

    She realized that He Chengjian could no longer be pleased, therefore she will not waste any more effort.

    ¡°Is that so? As expected of Dean Wen¡¯s background as a barrister. It seems like to convict you in court would be difficult. ¡°He Chengjian gave her a thumbs up. It was unknown whether he was praising her or belittling her.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes darkened a little as she said with a smile: ¡°Thank you for your praise, General He. I will protect my legitimate rights and interests. I will also protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Qin Corporation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, in this position, Dean Wen is indeed a good dean.¡± As He Chengjian spoke, he had already passed by her and got into his bulletproof car.

    Soon, He Zhichu also stood up from his wheelchair and got into He Chengjian¡¯s bulletproof car.

    Xie Qingying did not get into the car. She handed the wheelchair to He Zhichu¡¯s orderly. She bent down and waved at He Zhichu who was in the car. She smiled and said, ¡°Young master He, you should get more rest. I¡¯ll head home first. We¡¯ll contact each other after the New Year.¡±

    He Zhichu nodded and said coldly, ¡°Have my orderly send you back. Don¡¯t go around during the New Year. If you wish to head out, you can give me a call. I¡¯ll send someone to escort you.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s arrangement was purely for safety reasons.

    The Qin family¡¯s power was unexpectedly great.

    Having the thought about the Soviet sniper outside the hospital building, He Zhichu did not dare to let his guard down at all.

    However, Xie Qingying did not think that much. She was only very surprised at He Zhichu¡¯s consideration and thoughtfulness, but her heart felt extremelyforted.

    This feeling of being cared for and taken care of by her beloved instantly converged into a warm current that flowed in her heart.

    The weather was so cold, while she didn¡¯t wear a coat, but her back felt so hot that she almost started sweating.

    Her heart was pounding, and her eardrums were bulging. She was so happy that she couldn¡¯t hide it, as her happiness was about to fly out from the bottom of her heart.

    Wen Shouyi looked coldly at Xie Qingying, whose cheeks were blushed red and her eyes like the autumn waters. She looked like she was in love, and she suddenly felt disgusted by it.

    Why...

    Why wasn¡¯t it her?

    Hadn¡¯t she done what Xie Qingying had done too?

    Even if she couldn¡¯t bepared to Gu Nianzhi, how could she not bepared to Xie Qingying? !

    Wen Shouyi subconsciously touched her face with her hand.

    Her face was as cold as ice. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as rosy and delicate as Xie Qingying¡¯s.

    This was the power of love.

    Although the intelligence of a woman in love would reduce, but her beauty would increase.

    This was determined by an irreversible naturalw.

    He Chengjian also stuck his head out and said to Xie Qingying, ¡°Qingying, don¡¯t go out during the New Year. Have a good New Year at home. I will send someone to strengthen the security around your house.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, young master He. Thank you, General He.¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s voice was trembling as she replied

    Happiness came too quickly. She could hardly believe that it was all real.

    However, today was New Year¡¯s Eve. She could just take it as real and have a good New Year.

    Xie Qingying was sent to another car by He Chengjian¡¯s orderly. She waved at them before being sent away by the special car.

    He Chengjian¡¯s bulletproof car started leaving at this time and it was drove towards the He¡¯s residence.

    Wen Shouyi was left alone by the side of the road, and no one cared about her whereabouts.

    However, Wen Shouyi knew that there must be someone watching her from somewhere she couldn¡¯t see.

    She was also someone who had once received intelligence agent training. Although she wasn¡¯t as professional as a real intelligence agent, she still knew the basics.

    She stood by the side of the road for a while and called her secretary to drive her home.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi sat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s SUV and returned to Lu Jin and Lu Yuan¡¯s apartmentplex.

    After getting out of the car park, Gu Nianzhi smiled at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Peter. Today is New Year¡¯s Eve, and it¡¯s a traditional Chinese holiday. Therefore I will not allow you to stay.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side. He leaned over to her and said with a deep voice, ¡°You want to run away after using? Lawyer Gu, you¡¯ll destroy the bridge after crossing the river. But you never once ask if the bridge is willing to or not.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter. She put a finger onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and slowly pushed it away. She said calmly, ¡°... Mr. Peter must be joking. How daring of me to use Mr. Peter as a bridge? Am I tired of living?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m willing to be your bridge.¡±Huo Shaoheng held her finger to his chest and said with a smile, ¡°As long as you won¡¯t destroy me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked up into his deep eyes. ¡°Are you really willing to be my bridge?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m willing to be more than just a bridge. I¡¯m willing to be a boat, a ropeway, and a pair of shoes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and squinted. ¡°Mr. Peter, do you always speak such words so fluently? How many girlfriends did you previously had for you to practice?¡±

    ¡°Do you still need to practice for this?¡± Huo Shaoheng held her hand. ¡°Can I spend the Chinese New Year with you now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Gu Nianzhi said slyly. Neither she agreed, nor refused.

    The two of them got into the elevator together.

    No one spoke in the elevator.

    However, when the elevator door opened, Gu Nianzhi felt her phone vibrated.

    She took it out and saw that it was two messages from the ¡°King of Drama¡±.

    The King of Drama: [In the winding deep valley, I wade for the King; on the rocky high mountain, I cross for the King; when the road is long, I tread for the King. ]

    The trantion of this elegant sentence was: If you want to cross the deep valley, I will be your boat.

    If you want to cross the high mountain, I will be your rope.

    If you want to walk a long way, I will be your shoes.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face flushed red from the implicit and bold expression.

    The second text message was more simple, but it made her teared up instantly.

    King of Drama: [ Nianzhi, I¡¯lly a red carpet for you on the road you want to walk. In front of you, there¡¯ll only be sunshine and flowers from now on. ]

 Chapter 1693 - Unraveling the Cocoon

    <h4>Chapter 1693: Unraveling the Cocoon</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers were caressing on those words endlessly and her heart almost melted..

    She walked out of the elevator with her head lowered and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

    Lu Jin was waiting at the elevator door.

    ¡°Nianzhi! You¡¯re finally back!¡± Seeing Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the elevator, he quickly went up to her and held her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him with a smile and said softly, ¡°Dad, I missed you so much.¡±

    ¡°I missed you too.¡± Lu Jin¡¯s eyes quickly turned red but when he saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were even redder, as if she had just cried, he became enraged in an instant. ¡°Nianzhi? What¡¯s wrong? Who made you unhappy? Was it that stubborn old man, He Cheng Jian? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know whether tough or cry. She quickly shook her head and said coquettishly, ¡°How am I unhappy? I¡¯m so happy that I can almost fly!¡±

    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t try to coax me. You were clearly crying just now...¡±Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi, unconvinced with what she had just said. From the corner of his eye, Lu Jin caught a glimpse of Peter, the deputy chief of the Soviet Union, who had also walked out of the elevator. Lu Jin immediately came up with the reason why Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were red.

    ¡°Mr. Peter! If you have any grievances,e at me. Why are you making my daughter sad? !¡±Lu Jin was furious and sad, he held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly and stared at Huo Shaohen,. ¡°Mr. Peter, even if you¡¯re a diplomat, even if you have diplomatic immunity, I can still skin you alive if you bully my daughter!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi without saying a word.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm and interrupted him. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m so hungry! I haven¡¯t eaten properly these past few days! Although it¡¯s not night time yet, can I have my New Year¡¯s Eve dinner in advance?¡±

    The sky outside is still not so bright, it has be slightly yellowish.

    The sun was up yesterday, but from the way things are today, it did not look like the sun was going to rise.

    Lu Jin heard Gu Nianzhi said that she was hungry. No matter how slow he was, he could tell that she was trying to smooth things over for Peter.

    He could not help but feel a little jealous, but he did not pursue the matter any further.

    It seemed that this was not cause by Peter. Lu Jin nned to wait until Gu Nianzhi was full before asking her in detail what was going on.

    Gu Nianzhi took Lu Jin¡¯s arm and entered into her suite.

    ¡°Go take a shower and wash off the bad luck you brought back from the He family,¡± Lu Jin said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared new clothes for you for the New Year. They are on the bed in your room. See if you like them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go take a shower first. Daddy, prepare some food. I¡¯lle and eat after my shower.¡±

    She walked a few steps towards her bedroom and suddenly remembered something. She took out a small transparent stic bag from her pocket and said, ¡°Daddy, this is Wen Shouyi¡¯s hair and a tube of blood. Take it for DNA testing.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled as he took it and said ¡°No rush. Let¡¯s celebrate the New Year first. After the celebration, I¡¯ll perform a trick for you.¡±

    As he spoke, he winked at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Okay, okay! I love watching Daddy perform tricks!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was like a clear sky after a rainy, it was beautiful and carried a moist water color. All her fatigue was swept away.

    She was practically humming a song as she entered the bedroom.

    Although it was out of tune, it sounded like celestial music to Lujin¡¯s ears.

    He could not help but hum along to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s out-of-tune song.

    This kind of out-of-tune song indeed had the magical power to brainwash.

    Huo Shaoheng only listened to it for a while and felt that the out-of-tune song was echoing in his mind continuously. He could no longer remember the correct tune.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng looked at him, Lujin raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it very nice?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He shook his head speechlessly and asked calmly, ¡°Uncle Lu, where¡¯s President Lu?¡±

    Lujin pouted in the direction of the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m already preparing the food. Do you want to go take a look?¡±

    He waved his hand, not wanting to see this person hanging around in front of him.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to go and talk to Lu Yuan. He nodded at Lu Jin and said ¡°Then I¡¯ll help President Lu with the cooking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± said Lu Jin. He pleasingly took the small stic bag that Gu Nianzhi had given him and stored it at workce suite on the opposite side.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng went to the kitchen and saw Lu Yuan wearing a dark purple-blue trimmed shirt and khaki cks. His sleeves were rolled up and he was wearing stic gloves as he prepared for the big meal.

    However, there were already two high-voltage electric cookers plugged in to the left side of the kitchen. It showed that there was a stew going on inside.

    There were several chopping boards on the right side. Some had vegetablesid on them, while some had freshly prepared braised dishes. There were also eggsid out to prepare for slicing into egg skins.

    Huo Shaoheng naturally rolled up his sleeves and said, ¡°President Lu, let me help you.¡±

    Lu Yuan turned around and saw him. His gentle and genial face revealed that he was pleasantly surprised.

    However, he quickly restored to his normal self and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Peter, do you also want to celebrate the Chinese New Year?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spread his hands and smiled with a twinge of helplessness. ¡°But I have to. It¡¯s my fault for falling in love with your Chinese Girls.¡±

    Lu Yuan chuckled and thought to himself, if I had not recognized you, I would have really believed you..

    ¡°A Soviet man came all the way to our country and treated our Nianzhi¡¯s matter as if his own. What kind of spirit is this? This is the spirit of internationalism that does not benefit oneself, but only benefits others.¡±

    He teased Huo Shaoheng with a chuckle as he held a knife and quickly sliced the cucumber.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his nose and smiled as he took another knife to help Lu Yuan cut the egg skin. He asked again, ¡°What kind of dish are you going to make with the egg skin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to make an egg dumpling.¡± Lu Yuan nced at the fillings that had been prepared next to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a dish of salt and pepper tofu fish. Help me make a bowl of egg soupter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and quickly cut the egg skin. When he went to get the eggs, he asked Lu Yuan softly,¡±... are there surveince cameras here?¡±

    Lu Yuan did not look up, but shook his head gently.

    Huo Shaoheng was relieved. He leaned against the counter while he was looking for the eggs. He and Lu Yuan were facing inside and outside, talking in a low voice.

    ¡°... President Lu, how well do you know the Qin Family?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s knife paused for a moment and said thoughtfully,¡±... are they ying with fire again?¡±

    ¡°I keep feeling that their actions this time are very unusual.¡±Huo Shaoheng found the eggs and took them out to mix the egg liquid. His voice became even lower, ¡°He Chengjian is a suspicious and decisive person. I can imagine that he Qin family must be very cautious and would never dare to y tricks, in front of him, when ites to handling the He¡¯s family affairs.¡±

    ¡°... but this time, they yed tricks on He Zhichu directly. It¡¯s really unexpected.¡±

    Lu Yuan was also thinking about this matter.

    He said, ¡°He Chengjian is indeed a character. It¡¯s not exaggerate to say that he is a formidable person. After so many years, if the Qin family had always feignedpliance with him, they would have long been eliminated by He Chengjian and would not have waited until today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think so too. So my question is, for so many years, the Qin family has always been well-behaved and would never dare to reach out to the he family. Why would they suddenly dare to do so now? Is there any special reason for them to take the risk and make such a move?¡±

    It would have been fine if He Zhichu¡¯s assassination had not been found out to be rted to the Qin family.

    Once it was found out, no matter how big the Qin family¡¯s business group was, they would not be able to withstand the fury from He Chengjian.

    Lu Yuan stared intently at the thin cucumber slices in front of him and said thoughtfully, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be hard to guess the reason. One of them must be rted to Nianzhi. After Nianzhi came back, they couldn¡¯t sit still anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°That¡¯s one of my guesses. But is that really the only reason? Back then, Nianzhi had also lived in the He family for six years. During those six years, they had been well-behaved and hadn¡¯t done anything out of line. It wasn¡¯t until eight years ago that Qin Yaoguang made a move to take Gu Nianzhi away from the He family...¡±

    Lu Yuan thought back to that year when Lu Jin had intervened and saved Gu Nianzhi from the hands of the People Qin Yaoguang had sent out.

    The He family had mistakenly thought that Lu Jin was the one who had kidnapped Gu Nianzhi in the first ce. They had set up a nationwide arrest warrant for him.

    Lu Jin had no other choice. He almost wanted to take Gu Nianzhi with him and jump into the sea.

    In order to keep the poor little girl away from the people who had ¡°sucked everything out of her,¡± Lu Yuan gave up the chance to return to the world and instead gave the energy to Gu Nianzhi.

    That was because they had only stored enough energy for one person at that time.

    Gu Nianzhi was only twelve years old. She was neither too old nor too young. Who knew what would happen to her in the other world if she couldn¡¯t keep the secret?

    Therefore, Lu Yuan suggested to ask Lu Jin whether he was willing to hand Gu Nianzhi to his nephew, Huo Shaoheng, who was on the other side. He also promised that they would treat Gu Nianzhi well.

    Huo Shaoheng would handle everything with care and would not do what Qin Yaoguang had done.

    Lu Jin had a rtionship disorder, but he was not ignorant of the basic elements of rtionships.

    In his opinion, the most realistic and reliable type of rtionship between strangers was one where they have mutual benefits.

    Once the rtionship was established, benefits would naturally take a back seat.

    However, before that, he needed to give the little Gu Nianzhi an assurance that she would receive the kind and preferential treatment from the people over there.

    Therefore, he put a very advanced engine blueprint into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s backpack which he had self-taught.

    Lu Yuan was very touched seeing this.

    The Huaxia Empire over there would be able to ovee the problem of starting the fighter engine with just this blueprint.

    At the same time, the people on the other side would definitely treat Gu Nianzhi well before they found out the origins of the blueprint.

    That was because she was their only lead.

    Lu Yuan actually wanted to exin things properly to the people on the other side.

    Unfortunately, every very short contact with the people on the other side required a huge amount of energy.

    They were different from He Chengjian¡¯s side, who had a lot of money and resources. With the power of the entire nation, they naturally had more energy than they did.

    No matter what he and Lu Jin did, they had to carefully control the amount of energy they used.

    If they identally used too much, Gu Nianzhi would not be able to get over the other side.

    Recalling the situation that year, Lu Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, he said, ¡°I think the target is still Nianzhi. The difference is that Nianzhi¡¯s ability to give them benefits have be greater. It¡¯s so great that they can ovee their fear for He Chengjian and take the risk to attack He Zhichu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s brows gradually furrowed.

    He recalled the time when the Qin family was ambushed by a bomb at the revolving restaurant, and his thoughts gradually became clear.

    ¡°... since they want Nianzhi at all costs, then they must first get rid of the protection around Nianzhi. The first is of course He Zhichu, and the second is probably against me, the Soviet Peter.¡±

 Chapter 1694 - Mastermind Behind the Scenes

    <h4>Chapter 1694: Mastermind Behind the Scenes</h4>

    ¡°Targeting you?¡± Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Are you sure your identity hasn¡¯t been exposed? Do they really dare to target you?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly replied, ¡°The Qin family has been nning this for a long time.¡± On the day of the explosion at the revolving restaurant, He Zhichu found a Soviet sniper on the roof of the building opposite the restaurant, as well as a Soviet-made weapon. ¡°It was obvious that this was to draw the me for the explosion at the revolving restaurant onto the Soviets.¡±

    ¡°And I also announced publicly that I was pursuing Nianzhi. Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship with the Qin family is very poor, so this barely gives me a motive to deal with the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?!¡± Lu Yuan was very shocked. ¡°He Zhichu probably didn¡¯t believe that it had anything to do with you, right?¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu isn¡¯t that stupid. But the most important thing is that they didn¡¯t expect me to be there when the explosion happened. If I had really done it, would I have nted a bomb next to me?¡±

    ¡°To say the least, if I had really done it, and I had been there as well, no one from the Qin family would have been able to leave the revolving restaurant alive.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were stern and his expression was cold when he said that. His tone was unquestionable.

    Lu Yuan also believed that Huo Shaoheng had the ability, but that was not the point. He said sternly, ¡°You have to restrain yourself. This is not our mothend. What do they want to get by going against a Soviet diplomat?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed as if he had been enlightened. He suddenly understood how the other party had attacked.

    ¡°It looks as if their real goal should be to pave the way for the infrasonic weapon.¡±

    ¡°From the explosion, to Qin Baye being injured, to Qin Yaoguang being released from prison to guide the surgery, to He Zhichu being injured by the infrasound weapons, step by step, they lured everyone¡¯s attention away from Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°No wonder Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi have been so confident ever since He Zhichu was unconscious. In fact, they were already confident.¡±

    ¡°Of course, they can heal the injuries they caused.¡±

    ¡°When He Zhichu wakes up, they will take the opportunity to reveal the secret room and the infrasound weapons. This way, they can naturally pin the me on the Soviet KGB. He Chengjian and He Zhichu know very well who I am.¡±

    This was a trap that led them from shallow to deep and gradually to the clues of the KGB, in which Peter Huo Shaoheng was the trump card of the Far East.

    Lu Yuan sucked in a breath of cold air. ¡°You mean, their goals are not just Nianzhi and you?!¡±

    ¡°There must be the brains behind the scheme.¡± Huo Shaoheng told him everything he had been thinking and specting about for the past few days.

    ¡°At that time, He Zhichu, who was injured by infrasound, was saved by Qin Yaoguang. He must be under their control.¡±

    ¡°Then, they just need to pin the me for He Zhichu¡¯s injury on the Far East Ace, Peter. With how much He Chengjian loves his son, what do you think he will do?¡± Huo Shaoheng used the slender knife in his hand to cut a shallow line on the log-colored beech chopping board.

    Lu Yuan took off his stic gloves and rested his hands on the table. He lowered his head and thought for a while, he said, ¡°With He Chengjian¡¯s character, it¡¯s not impossible for him to kill Peter at the very least, and at the very most, shed all decorum with the Soviet Union, expel the diplomats, and eventually develop into an armed conflict...¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened even more. ¡°If I were the mastermind behind the scheme, I would predict the oue of the operation like this.¡±

    ¡°For them, the best oue would be for Huaxia and the Soviet Union to fall out, and return to the period of armies of Huaxia and the Soviet Union facing each other in thest century. It would even be possible for a military confrontation to lead to a border war.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded and followed up with an analysis, ¡°If this goal is not achieved, then the lesser oue would be He Chengjian killing Peter. You said that Peter¡¯s identity is the trump card of the Soviet KGB in the Far East.¡±

    ¡°Once Peter dies, the Huaxia agents in the Soviet Union, will be caught by the KGB in one fell swoop and killed in the cruelest way. Even though this will not result in an open armed conflict, the amount of blood shed on the hidden front will not be any less than an open armed conflict.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath and nodded. He used his long knife to draw a triangle on the chopping board. ¡°To them, the even lesser result is that Peter won¡¯t be killed, but expelled by He Chengjian, never able to step foot into Huaxia for the rest of his life.¡±

    ¡°This way, Peter and He Zhichu will be kept away from Nianzhi. On the surface, Nianzhi will be isted and helpless. No one will truly protect her.¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at the triangle drawn by Huo Shaoheng. He pursed his lips and a glint shed in his eyes. He said coldly, ¡°This is quite a scheme. It¡¯s a pity that they didn¡¯t predict that Gu Xiangwen was not dead. Besides, Gu Xiangwen has me, Huo Guanyuan, by his side.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen was Lu Jin, and Huo Guanyuan was Lu Yuan.

    Lu Jin had an outstanding IQ. Just the Nobel prizes he had won were enough to span the fields of biomedical science and high-energy physics. He was also skilled inputer technology and machinery manufacturing.

    Lu Yuan had been the most outstanding intelligence officer in the military for decades. Although he had been hiding in this world for more than a decade, he had never abandoned his professionalism.

    ¡°Yes, even if Nianzhi doesn¡¯t have the support of He Zhichu and me, she still has you and Lu Jin.¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°The other side hasn¡¯t been able to know all of us, so it¡¯s impossible for them to win every battle.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tter me.¡±

    He picked up his knife and started to cut the braised dish. He said, ¡°Also, since the other side was able to design a game to the level of a country-to-country rtionship, their vision is no longer limited to n feuds and romantic rtionships. This person has big ns.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°But I¡¯m more inclined towards these consequences. It¡¯s just a side effect of their pursuit of their ultimate goal.¡±

    In other words, their main goal was not to provoke a fight between Huaxia and the Soviet Union, but to achieve their own goals while also doing it at the same time.

    If they could provoke the fight, it would be great, but if they couldn¡¯t, it would also be OK.

    Lu Yuan suddenly raised his head to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Their ultimate goal? Is it really Nianzhi?!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded solemnly. ¡°That¡¯s the only exnation.¡±

    ¡°... Who is the mastermind behind all this?¡± Lu Yuan muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve been here for more than ten years. I know quite a few people in the upper echelons of the political and military circles, as well as in the business world. The most outstanding person in the academic world is Lu Jin.The most outstanding person in the military is He Chengjian, and the most outstanding person in the political world is Xie Beichen. They all have the ability to n, but they don¡¯t have the motivation to do so.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips slightly and teased, ¡°... You didn¡¯t say who the most outstanding business figure is. Maybe it¡¯s this person.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help kicking him and pointing at himself. ¡°The most outstanding business figure is preparing the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner in this kitchen. He doesn¡¯t have the motivation to do so!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help butugh loudly.

    His voice was deep and maic. When he smiled, he was especially charming.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi took a shower and changed into a spring festival suit that Lu Jin had prepared for her. It was a custom-made winter dress from Chanel.

    Lu Jin sent Gu Nianzhi¡¯s measurements to Chanel¡¯s custom-made department. It was a tailor-made dress for her.

    The dress was made of high-quality wool, with a short doll¡¯s skirt with red and ck stripes in herringbone. There were six silver-white copper buttons on the chest, and the waist line was slightly higher. Paired with Chanel¡¯s custom-made red calf leather boots, it made her legs look even longer.

    She really looked like an extremely cute and delicate Barbie doll.

    Gu Nianzhi liked the dress very much. After putting it on, she looked at herself in the mirror and let her hair down. The hair dryer quickly made a fewrge curls and draped them over her back. Finally, she applied some light pink lip gloss, instantly brightening up her entire face.

    She walked out of the bedroom happily and walked around the living room. She found that there was no one there. Even Lu Jin did not there. She didn¡¯t know where he had gone.

    Only a deep and maicughter could be hearding from the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    This was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s original voice that was music to others¡¯ ears .

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Did he really think that she couldn¡¯t recognize his original voice and he could release his feelingspletely?

    Or did he think that no one else could recognize him except for Gu Nianzhi who wasn¡¯t beside him, so he didn¡¯t need to disguise his voice?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mischievous mind began to work and she tiptoed toward the kitchen.

    Walking out of the living room carpet, she looked down at the hardwood floor beneath her feet and at her long boots. There was no way to hide the sound of her footsteps.

    She took off her boots and walked barefoot towards the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯sughter had stopped when she reached the kitchen door. He tilted his head and faced the kitchen door. His whole body was rxed as he spoke to Lu Yuan with a smile.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s back was facing the kitchen door. He didn¡¯t slow down cutting the vegetables with the knife in his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little puzzled.

    When did Huo Shaoheng be so familiar with Lu Yuan?

    Moreover, he did not seem to be on guard at all. Looking at him, she found it unbelievable.

    It did not look like they had only known for less than a month.

    There was an unspeakable rapport and familiarity between them.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Lu Yuan¡¯s Fried Rice with Three Ingredients.

    What a familiar taste.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help swallowing her saliva.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly noticed a tall and slender figure at the kitchen door.

    He looked up naturally and smiled. ¡°Miss Gu, are you done showering? What a beautiful dress.¡±

    He put down the long knife in his hand, wiped his hands with a tissue, and walked over to her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled very naturally as well. ¡°I just finished showering and I¡¯m famished. I came to the kitchen to find something to eat.¡±

    Sheined again, ¡°I don¡¯t know where my dad went. I told him to find me something to eat after I showered, but in the end, he was nowhere to be seen.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her attentively and saw that there was no w in her expression. Even he couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking, so he felt a little disappointed.

    Lu Yuan turned around and was also surprised by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s outfit today. He smiled and said, ¡°Your dad has good taste. This outfit does look good on you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood on her tiptoes and turned around. She held the hem of her dress with both hands and made a gesture of bowing in the ballet. She smiled and said, ¡°Director Lu, can you give me something to eat? I¡¯m starving...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bare feet and long legs.

    His gaze deepened and he carried Gu Nianzhi in his arms. He smiled and said, ¡°The floor is too cold. Miss Gu, why aren¡¯t you wearing your shoes?¡±

 Chapter 1695 - Coaxing My Girl to Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 1695: Coaxing My Girl to Sleep</h4>

    ¡°Mr. Peter, put me down! Can¡¯t you talk properly? Why are you pulling?¡± Gu Nianzhi blushed when she saw Lu Yuan looking over at her with a smile. She frantically tried to push Huo Shaoheng away.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms held onto her tightly.

    The more she struggled, the deeper she sank into his arms.

    In the end, she was held tightly in his arms, her face pressed against his muscr chest. Listening to his vigorous heartbeat, her own heart almost resonated with his..

    She was only distracted for a moment before Huo Shaoheng carried her back to the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and saw a pair of red boots on the edge of the carpet in the living room. His eyes moved slightly, and he smiled. ¡°Why did Miss Gu take off her shoes here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that she couldn¡¯t break free, so she decided not to struggle. She raised her feet and said, ¡°I like to be barefooted. Who wears boots at home? Are you stupid?¡±

    Her feet were very beautiful; they were small and exquisite, and the shape of her ankles were beautiful. They were tender and well-maintained.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly averted his gaze from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feet.

    Seeing this, Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her delicate and straight nose in disdain. Her slender, long and white legs continued to dangle before Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes.

    Once again, Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to look away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s white legs with difficulty.

    He carried Gu Nianzhi into the living room and ced her onto the L-shaped sofa that was most in trend.

    Huo Shaoheng did not get up immediately. Instead, he ced his hands on the low leather back of the L-shaped sofa and wrapped Gu Nianzhi in his arms. He stared into her dark, smoky eyes and said with a faint smile, ¡°Miss Gu doesn¡¯t wear boots at home? Then why did the bootse from the bedroom to the living room? Did they walk here by themselves?¡±

    ¡°How did you know they were in the bedroom? They were clearly in the living room...¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly.

    ¡°Really? But these boots look like they go along with the mini skirt you¡¯re wearing.¡±

    ¡°In other words, they¡¯re part of the New Year suit your father prepared for you, so they must be ced in the bedroom, together with the skirt you¡¯re wearing.¡±

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t wear them out, would the boots have turned into spirits and came out on their own?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Was it that great to be able to deduce?

    Who asked you to deduce and reason with me at a time like this?

    What a straight man..

    Gu Nianzhi saw that she couldn¡¯t bluff her way out of this and her eyes quickly blinked. Her long, fan-like eyshes flickered, and the bright lights of the living room were reflected in her eyes. She chuckled and said,¡±... you called me Nianzhi when you texted me just now. But now you¡¯re so unfamiliar with me, calling me Miss Gu and all...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart pounded wildly, but he quickly calmed down and lowered his body a little. Their faces were very close, and it seemed that if they moved a centimeter closer, they would be face to face.

    Both of them could feel each other¡¯s controlled breathing. It was a little hot, but because of their restraint, it was not obvious. Their faintly discernible breaths were even more seductive.

    In the past, Gu Nianzhi would not hesitate to dodge. She would not have such intimate physical contact with someone she was not familiar with.

    But this time, she justidzily on the sofa with her arms crossed in front of her chest. The back of the sofa was low, and she seemed to have be even slimmer.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly. Their eyes met, and both of them wanted to look into each other¡¯s hearts.

    However, their eyes were equally dark, like the best ck velvet. They were so dark that they seemed to be emitting light from within.

    The two of them looked at each other for a long time, until Lu Jin¡¯s loud shout broke their silence.

    ¡°Peter, what are you doing?! Let go of my daughter!¡±

    Lu Jin shouted and threw the folder in his hand over.

    Huo Shaoheng had eyes on his back. He heard the sound of the folder flying towards him, reached behind his back and caught the folder firmly. He quickly got up and turned around. He smiled at Lu Jin and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, please don¡¯t take offence. Miss Gu... Nianzhi ran to the kitchen to ask for food without her shoes on. I was afraid that she would catch a cold if she stepped on the wooden floor, so I carried her over.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze finally fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bare feet.

    ¡°Nianzhi, didn¡¯t I prepare boots for you? And they go well with your skirt. They¡¯re all in the bedroom. Why aren¡¯t you wearing them? Did you not see them?¡± Lu Jin asked in confusion.

    It was exactly the same as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deduction earlier on.

    Gu Nianzhi was so embarrassed that she almost flew into a rage.

    She sat up from the sofa and said with a red face, ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t I say I was hungry? Where have you been? Where¡¯s the food I asked you to prepare? I¡¯m starving to the point of low blood sugar...¡±

    She gently rubbed her forehead, which was sweating profusely.

    ¡°AH?! I forgot, I forgot! I forgot everything when I saw Peter like this just now!¡± Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng before saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to the kitchen to take a look. Nianzhi, don¡¯t move if your blood sugar is low. Sit properly, Dad will get you something to eat.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly walked into the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets and looked down at Gu Nianzhi. He teased, ¡°Low blood sugar? Nianzhi, you have low blood sugar, why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with a smile and brought her panda pillow over. She tilted her head and said, ¡°Are you familiar with me? How do you know if I have low blood sugar?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯re familiar. We¡¯ve known each other for... almost two months, right?¡± Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly and sessfully saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darken.

    He narrowed his eyes and straightened his body. Seeing that Lu Jin was already walking over with arge tray, he quickly walked over and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, can I help you?¡±

    Lu Jin red at him. ¡°Go help in the kitchen. Boss Lu can¡¯t handle it by himself.¡±

    Actually, he didn¡¯t want to see Peter and Gu Nianzhi alone together. The scene was very harmonious and pleasing to the eye, but Lu Jin still felt as if his heart was being stabbed by a knife.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. She was sitting on the sofa and didn¡¯t look back at him at all.

    Huo Shaoheng let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the kitchen again.

    Lu Jin carried a tray with mahogany carvings and walked towards Gu Nianzhi. He bent down and ced the tray on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

    ¡°Boss Lu made it with great care.¡± Lu Jin pointed at the dishes on the tray and introduced them proudly. ¡°I said you¡¯ve been too nervous these past few days and might be feeling a little weak, so Boss Lu made this first-grade sea cucumber.¡±

    He lifted the lid of the bowl and revealed a steamed sea cucumber in the steaming bowl.

    ¡°This method is veryplicated. First, you have to burn all the rough skin on the outside of the sea cucumber. Then you have to break it open, wash it, and nch it in boiling water twice.¡±

    ¡°Then, you have to mix the fat and lean pork with the south-east winter bamboo shoot, Jinhua ham, northeast mushroom, and dried scallops. Afterwards, you add them into the cut sea cucumber, tie it up with tofu skin, and steam it in the steamer.¡±

    As Lu Jin spoke, he poked the sea cucumber with his chopsticks.

    With one poke, a hole appeared, and it felt like it would melt in the mouth.

    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t it steamed well enough?¡± Lu Jin said proudly, as if he had cooked the dish.

    Gu Nianzhi listened with a smile. She couldn¡¯t help but swallow her saliva and poked it with her chopsticks.

    It was indeed soft, but she didn¡¯t know how it tasted.

    She took a small bite off the tip of the sea cucumber.

    It was different from the slightly crispy sea cucumber she had eaten before.

    This ¡°first-grade sea cucumber¡± waspletely steamed, but it still retained the original vor of the ingredients.

    She took a bite of the sea cucumber. There were also fillings of pork, winter bamboo shoots, ham, mushroom, and dried scallops.

    These fillings were very vorful and fresh when separated. But when put together, they all served as a foil to the sea cucumber.

    The bit of original fishy and astringent taste of the wild sea cucumber was perfectly neutralized, leaving only a soft, glutinous and fresh taste.

    Lu Yuan did not add any broth to season this dish. He only added a little salt,pletely relying on the taste of these fillings to permeate into the sea cucumber.

    When eating, just like Hong Qigong once tasted ¡°Who listens to the falling plum on the jade flute¡±, he could taste twenty-five different vors from five different kinds of meat.

    Every time he chewed, there would be a different taste. However, it was also a feast for the taste buds.

    Moreover, sea cucumbers had the unique freshness and sweetness of seafood.

    Therefore, the taste of this ¡°first-grade sea cucumber¡± was more varied than Huang Rong¡¯s ¡°Who listens to the falling plum on the jade flute¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi identally ate the entire first-ss sea cucumber.

    Seeing that she was eating so happily, Lu Jin smiled and said, ¡°Do you still want it? Boss Lu has made a lot.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s too much already. I think I can eat this bowl until tonight.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll eat it tonight for New Year¡¯s Eve.¡± Lu Jin sent the tray back to the kitchen.

    Since Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi had came out, Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng did not talk about any confidential topics.

    The two of them quietly cooked in the kitchen. Huo Shaoheng was only responsible for cutting and washing the vegetables, while Lu Yuan was in charge of cooking.

    Lu Jin ced the tray on the counter andplimented Lu Yuan with a smile, before returning to the living room to talk to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Dad, where did you go just now? I didn¡¯t see you when I came out.¡±

    ¡°I went back to my studio and stored the things you brought back in the fridge,¡± Lu Jin said casually. He took out a physics book to divert Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention. ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to learn some quantum mechanics?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±@¡±.

    She couldn¡¯t bear to disappoint him, so she nodded. ¡°Dad, please exin it to me. But I have to warn you, I¡¯m terrible at physics. If I can¡¯t learn it, please don¡¯t scold me.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? How can my daughter, Lu Jin¡¯s daughter, not be able to learn quantum mechanics?!¡±

    Lu Jin started exining to Gu Nianzhi in high spirits.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and listened for a while. Perhaps the entire sea cucumber had started to take effect, or perhaps she was tired.

    Anyway, as she listened, her eyelids started to twitch.

    She tried hard to stay awake, but in the end, she was no match for The Sandman¡¯s ferocity. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    Lu Yuan happened toe to the living room to answer the phone. Upon seeing this, he teased, ¡°... are you disappointed? Your daughter can¡¯t inherit your mantle.¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lu Jin was ted. ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯ve never felt that quantum mechanics is so useful!¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°... how is it useful?¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi sleeping soundly on the sofa and he smiled.

    ¡°How is it not useful? It can coax my girl to sleep!¡± Lu Jin said confidently and carefully covered Gu Nianzhi with a nket.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of the day: Chapter 1695, Coaxing My Girl to Sleep.

    Can We have an unanimous vote on the rmendation?

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1696 - Who Was He Doing This For?

    <h4>Chapter 1696: Who Was He Doing This For?</h4>

    Lu Yuan stared nkly at Lu Jin carefully taking care of the sleeping Gu Nianzhi.

    Even a person with an interpersonal disorder like Lu Jin would have an unreserved affection for his children.

    This was the nature of a normal human being.

    Of course, if some people did not have this kind of nature, it could only be said that he or she was not a normal person.

    Lu Yuan was immersed in being moved. Just as he was about to praise Lu Jin, Lu Jin said proudly, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand what it feels like to have a daughter.¡±

    With a smug look that reflected, ¡°I am proud of having a daughter.¡±

    Lu Yuan retracted his earlier feelings of being moved.

    He knew that it was an extravagant hope to speak properly to a person like Lu Jin.

    He would either infuriate or sulk him to death. It didn¡¯t matter as he was going to die sooner orter anyway.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face darkened as he took his phone to the balcony to answer the call.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the kitchen and saw that Gu Nianzhi was already asleep on the sofa.

    He raised an arm and rested it on the back of his head, revealing his fair and delicate arm.

    She was covered with a fresh crystal purple nket. The edge of the nket had fleece, which rubbed against the edge of her arm, making her skin look crystal clear. It was as if there was a white lotus knot wrapped around a tender purple lotus root.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He averted his gaze and walked over.

    Lu Jin was wearing a beige casual outfit and was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, right in front of the sofa where Gu Nianzhi was sleeping.

    There was aptop on hisp, and he was typing rapidly.

    It looked like he was coding or writing something.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw an introductory quantum mechanics book on the coffee table between the two sofas.

    He bent down to take the book and flipped through it for a while. It was quite interesting.

    He sat down on the sofa opposite Gu Nianzhi and began reading the book.

    Lu Jin finished coding a program and sent it back to the mainputer in his studio to start testing the program he had just written while he rubbed his stiff neck.

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. She was sound asleep and her breathing was slow and even. Her face was a little red. It was the kind of red that could be seen on the most delicate Ru Kiln white porcin with a few strokes of light rouge and red ze.

    She was charming but not bewitching, gorgeous but not seductive.

    She was his daughter she would look good no matter what.

    Lu Jin was filled with joy as he watched. He gently tucked Gu Nianzhi under the nket and put her exposed arm back into the nket.

    He turned his head and saw Huo Shaoheng sitting across from him. He was reading the introductory quantum mechanics book that he had brought over to exin to Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin snorted and whispered, ¡°Mr. Peter, were you able to understand it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng came back to his senses and looked up at Lu Jin. He smiled and said, ¡°I learned a little quantum mechanics when I was in university. This is an introductory book, so I could understand it.¡±

    As he spoke, he praised the introductory book for its simplicity writing, and depth.

    Lu Jin was delighted when he heard this, ¡°Looks like you do know quantum mechanics!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had never studied quantum mechanics when he was in university.

    To get closer to his mother, Song Jinning, he secretly looked for books on quantum mechanics so that he could talk to her about the topic that was the most interesting to her.

    He hadn¡¯t studied for long on his own, but with Song Jinning¡¯s guidance, he was better at quantum mechanics than the average person.

    Although he hadn¡¯t touched quantum mechanics for more than a decade, Huo Shaoheng felt a sense of familiarity when he saw this introductory book.

    Seeing that Lu Jin was addicted to studying, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He took the book and asked, ¡°Uncle Lu, if I want to study quantum mechanics on my own, what basic knowledge do I need to add?¡±

    This was exactly what Lu Jin was interested in.

    He immediately started talking non-stop.

    ¡°I like your attitude.¡±

    ¡°Quantum mechanics is an advanced subject. To understand it, you would need a solid foundation.¡±

    ¡°Some people say that quantum mechanics is a subject that couldn¡¯t be learned on your own.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was puzzled.

    Lu Jin waved his hand, ¡°However I don¡¯t agree. You could learn any subject on your own, as long as you¡¯re smart enough to find the right way of learning.¡±

    ¡°Take quantum mechanics as an example. No matter how advanced it was, it was still a subject. If quantum mechanics couldn¡¯t be learned on its own, then who created this subject? And where did he learn it from?¡±

    ¡°You could tell that the person who said this was belittling himself and the others.¡±

    ¡°He set his intelligence as the benchmark, believed that what he could not do, others could not as well. This kind of person had a restricted outlook and he treats himself as a machine. He only knew what to do when you gave him instructions. If you don¡¯t, he would be useless.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to this kind of person.¡±

    ¡°If you want to learn quantum mechanics on your own, start working on your foundation.¡±

    ¡°First would be advanced mathematics. You need to understand this aspect thoroughly. Otherwise, you won¡¯t understand the thinking method of quantum mechanics.¡±

    ¡°Second is linear algebra. When quantum mechanics involves the theory of multidimensional space, you would find that linear algebra is simply God¡¯s mathematics!¡±

    ¡°Third is probability. You must have some basic knowledge in this area. You could use some statistics courses.¡±

    ¡°Finally, it would be here,¡± Lu Jin pointed at his head, ¡°Your brain must be flexible to integrate the knowledge of various subjects. Although smart people may not be able to learn quantum mechanics well, those who were not smart would not be able to understand quantum mechanics.¡±

    One could not learn quantum mechanics well, and the other could not understand quantum mechanics. The difference between the two was obvious.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded continuously as he listened, opened the introductory book on quantum mechanics, and asked a few random questions.

    Of course, these questions had a certain level of proficiency. Huo Shaoheng was asking the quantum mechanics questions that Song Jinning had discussed before.

    Lu Jin was ted when he heard this. He almost wanted to drag Huo Shaoheng to his studio to give him aputer demonstration.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly nodded in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and said in a low voice, ¡°Uncle Lu, Nianzhi is still asleep...¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. He happened to see that her eyes were closed, but under those eyelids, her eyes were moving.

    Lu Jinughed, ¡°Nianzhi, were you awake? Did daddy woke you up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been awake for a while now. Shey on the sofa motionlessly and listened to Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin chatted about quantum mechanics.

    Lu Jin¡¯s attitude towards him hadpletely changed.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Huo Shaoheng was too cunning.

    Not only had he easily subdued Lu Jin with a book on quantum mechanics, but the key point was that Lu Jin had brought the book in an attempt to exin it to Gu Nianzhi!

    This was called using the spear to attack the shield.

    Now that she had been seen through pretending to sleep, she did not blush. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, you were so charming when you talked about quantum mechanics.¡±

    ¡°You little tterer! You fell asleep even though it was charming?!¡± Lu Jin smiled as he pulled her up. He was afraid that she would catch a cold, so he covered her legs with a nket to block Huo Shaoheng¡¯s line of sight.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled, ¡°I¡¯m awake again, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to make me fall asleep, but it would be really difficult to wake me up!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Lu Jin smiled as he patted her head and looked at his watch, ¡°Should we start cooking dinner now? It¡¯s the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner, the highlight of the day!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked around, ¡°Where¡¯s President Lu?¡±

    ¡°He went back to his room to take a call,¡± Lu Jin said nonchntly. ¡°It might be a call from a female confidant... Haha, he went to answer the phone behind our backs.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan pushed the door open and entered.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and turned around to ask, ¡°President Lu, was it a call from your female confidant? Do you want to invite her over for the New Year? It would be more lively!¡±

    Lu Yuan knew immediately that Lu Jin was making things up, holding the phone in his hand, he calmly said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any female confidants. Your father was the best back then. He spent all his time in the university doing experiments in theboratory. There were also a bunch of female graduate students who were infatuated with him. When he went out to give a lecture, he attracted so much attention.¡±

    ¡°My father, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention immediately turned to Lu Jin and said in surprise, ¡°Have you thought of finding a new girlfriend?¡±

    Lu Jin suddenly blushed and said, ¡°Youngdy don¡¯t talk nonsense, and weren¡¯t you hungry? Lu Yuan, hurry up and prepare New Year¡¯s Eve dinner!¡±

    He stood up and pushed Lu Yuan towards the kitchen.

    Lu Yuan nced at Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting on the sofa.

    Huo Shaoheng gave him a look.

    Lu Yuan understood and pulled Lu Jin along, ¡°You were so capable. Why don¡¯t you help me and prepare for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner and be my assistant? If you don¡¯t agree, I would go and tell your daughter about how popr you were back then...¡±

    ¡°Alright! I would help you!¡± Lu Jin hurriedly covered Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth andined, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. You would ruin my image in my daughter¡¯s heart!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried about your image now? You spared no effort to ruin mine,¡± Lu Yuan snorted coldly and closed the kitchen door. He started the smoking machine and began to cook New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.

    The preparations for the various dishes had beenpleted, and the steamed and stewed vegetables were ready. All that was left was to prepare the stir-fry and cold dishes.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were left alone in the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly and smiled without saying a word.

    Gu Nianzhi was holding back. She looked back at Huo Shaoheng with a smile and exchanged pleasantries with him, ¡°Mr. Peter, who was in your family? Are you Chinese? Did your family celebrate the Chinese New Year?¡±

    The Chinese New Year was a holiday shared by all the Chinese people in the world.

    No matter which country you were in, you would never neglect the most important holiday of the year.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his long legs and smiled casually, ¡°My parents died a long time ago and I grew up with my grandmother. Soon after, my grandmother also died on a mission and I¡¯m all alone.¡±

    He knew that if he said that, Gu Nianzhi would not probe further.

    Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi showed a sympathetic expression, ¡°Huh? Apologies, I shouldn¡¯t have asked. Pardon my ignorance.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied sorrowfully, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind. That¡¯s why I hope to spend the New Year with you guys and also experience the New Year atmosphere. Could I call you Nianzhi? Would you be willing to let me spend the New Year with you guys?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also thinking, ¡°Haha, this was like attacking her weak spot...¡±

    When she went back, she would in¡± to Ms. Song, who was ¡°long gone¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it, but the expression on her face became more cautious. She said softly, ¡°Sure, aren¡¯t you staying here now? You even got along with my dad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept quiet.

    What was she saying?

    What did she mean by getting along with her dad?

    Who was he doing this for? Why would he try to think back to the time when Ms. Song was interested in some quantum mechanics questions?

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and said, ¡°I understand now. Your parents weren¡¯t around when you were young, so youcked fatherly love and envied me for having a good father. That¡¯s why you had been following me, isn¡¯t it? You could treat my father as your godfather. That way, you don¡¯t need to pretend to woo me to get closer to my father.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled a long face.

    What was wrong with Gu Nianzhi?

    She had twisted his actions of wooing her and trying to gain Lu Jin¡¯s favor into ck of fatherly love¡±?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s darkened face in an instant, and the evil, horned man in her heart smiled like a little devil.

    ¡°Did I get to the point?¡± Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, I¡¯ll tell my dadter. Don¡¯t worry, as long as I make a request, my dad would agree to it. It¡¯s just another godson...¡±

    It was bing ridiculous.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and sat down. He held her hand and whispered into her ear, ¡°What godson? A son-inw was equivalent to half a son, I shall be your father¡¯s son-inw instead.¡± As he spoke, he bit Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobe with hatred.

    The lychee jelly that had seduced him for a long time was finally in his mouth. It was as soft and delicious as he remembered it to be.

    He couldn¡¯t let go of it once he bit it.

    He subconsciously wrapped his tongue around the soft, trembling piece of meat.

    Her round earlobe was almost sucked thin in his mouth, but as soon as he let go of the tip of his tongue, the thin piece immediately bulged up again, as if showing off to the tip of his tongue.

    So he sucked again and gently left a bite mark on the earlobe with the tip of his teeth before slowly letting go of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s earlobe.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect Huo Shaoheng to bite it. The earlobe almost melted in his mouth, and a warm current surged from the most sensitive part of the ear, turning half of her body numb.

    She could not move.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped what he was doing. Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and pushed him away. Her face was red as she said, ¡°If you continued this, you won¡¯t be able to live through the year!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept quiet and grabbed her arm forcefully. After Gu Nianzhi vented her anger, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Nianzhi, did you not have feelings for me?¡±

 Chapter 1697 - I Love You

    <h4>Chapter 1697: I Love You</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng quietly. Even though her heart was racing and her emotions were on the verge of breaking down, she tried her best to hold it in.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped. A person¡¯s endurance and self-control had grown through training over and over again.

    Gu Nianzhi was no exception.

    The living room was very quiet and the lights were bright. But with the addition of the white papermpshade, the light was made softer.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back was facing the light, and his muscr body leaned forward, casting a huge shadow.

    Although he did not press her down, she can feel his presence strongly.

    They were very close, but didn¡¯t sit together, still keeping a little distance between them.

    They were almost together, and yet no one moved be closer.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp and bright eyes gradually became gentle and hazy.

    She slowly reached out her hand and started caressing the side of his face.

    Her slender fingers caressed his temples and slowly moved down until they reached his lips.

    Huo Shaoheng did not move. He lowered his head and allowed her fingers to caress his face gently.

    Her hands were very soft, her fingertips delicate. It was indescribablyfortable to have her caress his face.

    It was not until her fingers reached his lips that Huo Shaoheng turned and kissed them.

    From the tip of her fingers down, he kissed her soft and boneless finger.

    He did not kiss her hard. His lips only touched her fingers gently. When reaching the the roots of her fingers, he started to go up slowly and rub his nose against her finger.

    Gu Nianzhi was both a voice and a face lover, but very few people knew that she was also a nose lover.

    A straight and perfectly shaped nose was something she could never resist.

    When Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng behaving like this, she felt both angry and amused.

    She withdrew her hand and wiped her fingers with a tissue from the coffee table. She lowered her eyes and said slowly, ¡°Mr. Peter, you asked me if I have feelings for you. Do you want to hear the truth, or do you want to hear the lie?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    He sat down next to Gu Nianzhi and rested his elbow on the sofa. He looked at Gu Nianzhi from the side and smiled. ¡°What if I want to hear the Truth and the Lie?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you both.¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled and started moving away from him until she was at the other end of the sofa and kept a safe distance from Huo Shaoheng.

    She took a deep breath and looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Mr. Peter, if I am lying to you then of course have feelings.¡±

    ¡°What about the truth?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled even wider.

    ¡°The truth is, I do have feelings.¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng was still smiling, and his expression did not change at all, deep down he was not so sure any more.

    He tilted his head and quietly moved towards Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like there¡¯s a difference between what the lie and truth you just told.¡±

    They both meant one thing: she had feelings for him.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. ¡°How could there not be a difference? There¡¯s a big difference.¡±

    She pressed her finger against the dimples by her lips and frowned. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, to be honest with you, everything you¡¯ve done has been my dream.¡±

    ¡°I used to hope that the person I loved would be like you, able to say nice things and always put me first in every situation. If there¡¯s anything I need,e and help me immediately, not to let me shoulder it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    He felt his uneasiness deepened.

    What did she mean by ¡°used to¡± ?

    Could it be that everything he had done as Peter was not what Gu Nianzhi wanted?

    ¡°I was also regretful that he didn¡¯t say those nice things and do things that I thought were necessary like other men.¡±

    ¡°So after you made up for all my regrets, how could I not feel anything?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°So you admit that you have feelings for me? Then why do you keep rejecting me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the feelings I¡¯m talking about are not feelings between a man and a woman, but pure feelings of understanding and enlightenment.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°... Enlightenment?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Peter, for helping me understand my heart and letting me know what I really want in a rtionship and the person I truly love.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng could only smile bitterly. ¡°... What am I supposed to say? Should I say that ¡®you¡¯re wee?¡¯ ¡ª No, the Committee of State Security (KGB) never admits defeat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t waste your time on me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±Huo Shaoheng tried to pretend to be angry. ¡°You said you have someone you love. Does this person really exist? If he¡¯s in this world, why didn¡¯t hee to you? Why did he make you go through so much by yourself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost stopped feigning her emotions. She quickly turned her head and averted her gaze so that Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t see the real emotion in her eyes.

    She looked at the other corner of the living room and tried not tough. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about where he is. As to whether or not he wille looking for me, that has nothing to do with you.¡±

    This person was really addicted to acting, wasn¡¯t he?

    Who couldn¡¯t put on an act?

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and looking at him, she said in the most sincere tone, ¡°Mr. Peter, thank you for everything you¡¯ve done. I¡¯m not a cold-hearted person. How could I not feel it?¡±

    ¡°But the more I feel, the more I understand that you¡¯re not the person I love.¡±

    ¡°The person I love won¡¯t say in public that he wants to pursue me, but he¡¯ll quietly get rid of those who want to do me harm.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t make those vows about forever love, but he¡¯ll use every day to tell me that he¡¯s right here with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a moment. She pressed her hand against her chest to suppress the surge of love that had nowhere to go.

    She realized that she wasn¡¯t putting on an act. Every word she said was from the bottom of her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and continued, ¡°Everything you said, everything you did made me realize that you¡¯re Peter and you¡¯re not him. If he were like you, he wouldn¡¯t be him.¡±

    ¡°Any man can be as sweet and attentive as you.¡±

    ¡°I used to think that it was a pity that he didn¡¯t pursue me like any other man.¡±

    ¡°But now, what you¡¯ve done has made me realize that there¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. I didn¡¯t even know that I didn¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯tugh. rtionship is like drinking water. You have to experience it before you know what you really want.¡±

    ¡°I thank you for letting me go through all this without hurting him. I also thank you for letting me see my true feeling.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slightly at Huo Shaoheng to express her gratitude.

    Huo Shaoheng was deeply shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    Indeed, he did not care who Gu Nianzhi loved, whether it was Huo Shaoheng or this Peter.

    It was him anyway. Why would he care?

    However, no matter what he had done here, he was very clear-headed. It was Peter who had done these things, not Huo Shaoheng.

    As the senior head of intelligence agents, the Great General¡¯s habit was deeply rooted in his bones. He didn¡¯t even realize that there was anything wrong with it.

    It wasn¡¯t until Gu Nianzhi sat there and told him softly and clearly that it wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng who had done it, therefore, she wouldn¡¯t take it...

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were a little bitter. He held his breath as he looked at her. The love in his eyes couldn¡¯t be suppressed any longer.

    Gu Nianzhi ced her hands on her chest and thought back to the time they had spent together. She said sincerely, ¡°Thank you for letting me understand that I love him so much.¡±

    ¡°I love everything about him, his strengths and weaknesses. I know the things that are better than others, and the things that are not as good as others.¡±

    ¡°I know that I am not the first in his heart, but I still love him. I love him as a whole, from inside out, his thoughts, his words and actions.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s unique. You¡¯re not him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d also like to thank you for not trying to imitate him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t control himself at all. Before he even noticing it, he had already sat next to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was already sitting next to the armrest of the sofa; she had nowhere to retreat to.

    She simply looked into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes and said word by word, ¡°I wish it was him who was with me. Even if it¡¯s just eating, walking, talking, and chatting together.¡±

    ¡°Say good night to each other when go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Wake up and smile at each other and say good morning.¡±

    ¡°This is the happiest and best life I can think of.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1697, I Love You.

    Eight o¡¯clock in the evening, second update.

    PS: What a perfect timing! Ladies and gentlemen, Happy 520

    Mwah,dies and gentlemen, Angels and angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1698 - Who Isnâ€™t Still a Baby?

    <h4>Chapter 1698: Who Isn¡¯t Still a Baby?</h4>

    If Gu Nianzhi had not looked into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes when she said this, Huo Shaoheng probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything.

    But when she looked at him, the emotions in her eyes were so clear and obvious.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heartstrings almost snapped.

    She saw it...

    She could see it...

    He realized these two things.

    Since she had already recognized him, he did not want to pretend anymore.

    He suddenly leaned down and bit her lips.

    Yes, kissing could no longer release his emotions. He had to bite to transmit the love from the bottom of his heart.

    His teeth sank into the softness of her lips. It was almost like he was biting into a marshmallow. Not only was it soft, but it was also sweet.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she regained her strength and frantically tried to push him away.

    She whimpered,¡±... Let me go... let me go... you can¡¯t do this...¡±

    She moved faster and faster, and struggled harder and harder. However, in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, this little bit of strength was not worth mentioning.

    Huo Shaoheng restrained her with one arm and wrapped his other hand around her waist and gave her a squeeze.

    Gu Nianzhi was still struggling, fighting against his kiss and against her own weakness.

    Huo Shaoheng bit her lips and felt her body¡¯s resistance.

    His bite slowed down.

    He loosened his teeth and pressed his lips against hers, gently touching the part of her lips that he had just bit.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her tightly, trying to calm her intense emotions. ¡°It¡¯s me, Nianzhi, it¡¯s me.¡±

    He whispered into her ear with his deep, natural voice full of maism, reaching into the depths of her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, thinking that she had misheard him.

    ¡°It¡¯s you? Who are you? What are you?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked subconsciously, her heart pounding and she became even more nervous.

    Was this true?

    Huo Shaoheng was going to admit his true identity to her? !

    ¡°... I want to have dinner with you, walk with you, talk and chat with you.¡±

    ¡°Say good night to each other when we go to bed.¡±

    ¡°When we wake up in the morning, smile at each other and say good morning.¡±

    ¡°The person with whom has the happiest life together.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pressed her head against his chest and kissed her on the top of her head. His suppressed voice could not contain his joy. ¡°Mrs. Huo, you still remember you are married, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered.

    Mrs. Huo, that was a long-lost title.

    But this title, this kind of love, other than Huo, no one would know.

    However, she did not push him anymore. She only asked suspiciously,¡±... who exactly are you?¡±

    She had guessed it, but it was just a guess.

    Before he admitted it himself, Gu Nianzhi still had a feeling of anxiety and uneasiness that would change at any moment.

    Huo Shaoheng had risked his life on the hidden battlefront in his entire life. He had never revealed his true identity when he was on a mission.

    But this time, he had failed.

    He remembered the first time he was with her. He had a vague feeling that if the enemy had sent Gu Nianzhi to seduce him, he didn¡¯t think he would be able to hold on.

    Now the facts had proven that his thoughts back then werepletely correct.

    He could only sigh at the fact that fate had been kind to him and that she was not his enemy.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already guess who I am?¡± Huo Shaoheng released his grip.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up from his arms. Her clear eyes were still filled with tears as she looked at him stubbornly. She looked soft, but deep down, she was a stubborn girl.

    He used his hand to stroke the tiny strands of hair on her forehead. She was sweating, which showed how nervous she was.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly felt his heart ache.

    It was really difficult for her.

    She had never received any professional training in this area, but she had buried this secret well. Not only had she deceived others, but she had also deceived him.

    It was only when he realized this that Huo Shaoheng truly felt that it didn¡¯t matter even if he told her the truth.

    This was a girl who loved him with her life. Of course, he trust her with his life.

    Huo Shaoheng inched towards her lips and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s me, Nianzhi. I¡¯m here to take you home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed his arm and let out an animal-like whimper. Her voice was trembling and blurred, ¡°It¡¯s really you? You¡¯re really here to take me home? But how...¡±

    At this point, Gu Nianzhi suspected that she missed him too much. All of this was just an illusion in her mind.

    Huo Shaoheng let out a low, hoarse sigh and finally kissed her again.

    His lips pressed against hers, feeling all of her beauty and trembles. Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°How could I not? Nianzhi, you underestimate yourself too much. You¡¯re not second to me. After you disappeared, I couldn¡¯t focus on my work.¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t find you, I won¡¯t stop. I¡¯ll keep searching until the day I die.¡±

    This was the only time in his life that he had been wilful, but he had never regretted it.

    This rtionship held a lot more weight in his heart than he had ever thought.

    Just like Gu Nianzhi had said, there were many things that only someone who had experienced them would know what they really wanted.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears finally flowed down her face. Her sparkling tears sparkled like shells under the soft light.

    She hugged his neck and kissed him on the cheek. She said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll keep this a secret until the day we go back.¡±

    It was the best they could do for the two of them to be able to recognize each other.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms tightened. ¡°I came for you. I¡¯ve said it before. Whether it¡¯s Peter or Huo Shaoheng, I¡¯m here for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled what Huo Shaoheng had said as Peter. It was to to tell if every word was true or false and they all had double meaning.

    She chuckled and whispered, ¡°Peter... do you know that Peter was the one who exposed you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned. ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯ve seen Peter?¡±

    Of course, he was talking about the real Peter.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slightly. ¡°On television. On New Year¡¯s Eve in New York, when the Big Apple fell, when two people from the Soviet Union were injured by a ¡®stray bullet¡¯ in Times Square. I saw you talking to Peter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was instantly embarrassed.

    He hadn¡¯t expected her to recognize him so early on. She had recognized him almost at the same time as his uncle, Huo Guanyuan, who was also known as Lu Yuan.

    However, Lu Yuan did not know Peter. He had recognized him from another angle.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, had seen the real Peter on the other side.

    ¡°... are you that sure? What if Peter¡¯s counterpart on the other side just doesn¡¯t have that name here...¡±

    He had actually revealed such a big w.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless for a long time. He raised Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin and looked at her with his deep eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly. ¡°But as long as that Peter¡¯s counterpart exists, your identity is fake. This isn¡¯t difficult to deduce, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not Peter, why did you assume his identity?¡±

    After that, Gu Nianzhi carefully observed and carefully deduced that he should be Huo Shaoheng on the other side. This also meant that there was no Huo Shaoheng and no counterpart on this side.

    For Huo Shaoheng on the other side, the existence of this counterpart was the safest and most confusing.

    ¡°Smart Girl.¡±Huo Shaoheng leaned over to her ear and whispered, ¡°I hope our child will have your IQ.¡±

    Child?

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly blushed. She was not more than a child herself.

    Who wasn¡¯t still a child?

    Looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blushing face, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He also thought about what he needed to do to have a baby.

    His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down, and he felt his body starting to heat up.

    ¡°... It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today. I¡¯ll apany you tonight and say good night and I¡¯ll say good morning to you tomorrow morning.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: chapter 1698 ¡°Who isn¡¯t still a baby¡±.

    Here¡¯s a friendly reminder on your monthly ticket and rmendation ticket.

    Mwah, all brothers and little angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)

 Chapter 1699 - Iâ€™ll Be the First to Not Let You Off

    <h4>Chapter 1699: I¡¯ll Be the First to Not Let You Off</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was also thinking about what she had to do in order to conceive a child. She covered her face shyly and whispered,¡±... not today, no condoms...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He had already tried his best to suppress the feeling in his body, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were like lighting a fire. He immediately felt a peculiar feeling in his body.

    He quickly moved away from Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed, but she was too embarrassed to let go of her hand to look at Huo Shaoheng. She could only secretly observe Huo Shaoheng from between the gaps of her fingers.

    Huo Shaoheng did not want Gu Nianzhi to notice that he had lost hisposure. He turned sideways, crossed his legs, and covered himself with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s panda pillow, and said with a smile. ¡°What are you thinking about? I said I¡¯ll say good night to you before you go to bed. When you wake up tomorrow morning, I¡¯lle to your bedroom and wake you up to greet you good morning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±.....¡±

    Damn it, this is so embarrassing.

    She had misunderstood....

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes but through the gaps between her fingers, she suddenly saw a panda pillow in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huh?

    He wasn¡¯t a fan of these furry little animal toys.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and released her blindfolded hand. She slowly moved towards Huo Shaoheng and whispered,¡±... that was not what you said just now...¡±

    Her bright and clear eyes seemed to be able to speak and firmly attracted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention.

    Gu Nianzhi moved closer to Huo Shaoheng and stretched out her arm as if she wanted to hug Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck. However, halfway through, she suddenly changed direction and grabbed the panda pillow by its two innocent ears.

    Huo Shaoheng had only held the panda pillow with one hand to protect himself, but was attracted by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s affectionate eyes.

    He didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to be so mischievous.

    Caught off guard, Gu Nianzhi snatched the panda pillow from hisp.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced at the area where Huo Shaoheng had used the panda pillow to cover himself. As expected, she saw something strange.

    She was instantly emboldened. She smiled and grabbed the panda pillow by the little paws, ashamed. ¡°HMPH! The evidence is conclusive, and you still dare to deny it?! Look at yourself!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was actually quite thick-skinned. Now that Gu Nianzhi had discovered him, he did not hide it anymore. He hugged her in his arms and said, ¡°Actually, I did it on purpose. If I didn¡¯t do this, why would you voluntarily throw yourself into my arms?¡±

    He let go of his arms and legs, and Gu Nianzhi was now the one who was embarrassed.

    She had to try her best to move her body to the side so that she wouldn¡¯t touch the part of Huo Shaoheng that was in trouble....

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head to kiss her face and whispered in her ear, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the condoms. I¡¯ll buy a dozen for your room in a few days...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both ashamed and embarrassed. She stuffed the panda pillow into his arms. ¡°If you dare to buy them, I¡¯ll show them to my dad! I¡¯ll say that you have bad intentions!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face froze.

    Gu Nianzhi had sessfully escaped and stood up with a smile on her face. She raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Now you know how amazing it is, right? My father is sharp-eyed!¡±

    Just then Lu Jin wasing out of the kitchen with a te of dishes when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯sst words. He asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nianzhi? Is there anything you want to show me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head andughed quietly.

    His shoulders were trembling and it took him a lot of effort to calm down.

    Lu Jin had already walked around the living room and into the dining room and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner is ready. You can head to the kitchen to help serve.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already returned to normal. He calmly ced the panda pillow on the sofa and stood up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go to the kitchen.¡±

    He walked over with his long legs, Gu Nianzhi pouted. Now that Lu Jin hade out, she couldn¡¯t continue to tease with Huo Shaoheng like this.

    She sat back down on the sofa alone, resting her chin on her hand as she thought about what had just happened. It was like a dream.

    But she also found it unbelievable.

    It really was Huo Shao...

    How could he have abandoned everything over there and came here to find her?

    Could it be that he wasn¡¯t afraid that there would be his counterpart here? !

    That would be a dead end!

    Gu Nianzhi was horrified at the thought of this. She still had a lot of questions to ask Huo Shaoheng.

    However, when she thought about her father, who was sometimes reliable and sometimes unreliable, she suppressed her curiosity.

    Huo Shaoheng had already revealed such an important information to her. She could not betray his trust.

    Of course, the more important reason was that this piece of information concerned Huo Shaoheng¡¯s life and death. It was impossible for Gu Nianzhi to not be careful.

    She thought about it carefully for a while, then took out her phone to y a game to distract herself.

    In the dining room, Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng brought out all the dishes and set them on the table.

    ¡°Where¡¯s director Lu?¡± Huo Shaoheng remembered that he hadn¡¯t seen Lu Yuan in the kitchen.

    Lu Jin was fully focused on cing the dishes on the table as he said nonchntly, ¡°Boss Lu is a very awkward person. He even has to take a shower before eating. He¡¯s already so old, who would want to see him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He could not respond to this.

    As much as he wanted to please Lu Jin, Lu Yuan was his uncle, so he couldn¡¯t afford to offend him.

    Huo Shaoheng felt that he actually had no status at home with two great Buddhas.

    However, he was willing to do so.

    He was willing to have no status when he was with these people.

    It was fine as long as Gu Nianzhi was high and mighty.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the dishes on the table. Most of them were Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorites. Huo Shaoheng was used to eating a small number of dishes, and some of them were probably Lu Yuan¡¯s and Lu Jin¡¯s favorites.

    ¡°Uncle Lu, should I call Nianzhi over for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It was almost time to start eating.

    After dinner, they could watch the Spring Festival G.

    Yes, he had already checked the television schedule and found out that there was actually a Spring Festival G in this world.

    Lu Jin nodded and continued to focus on setting the table. ¡°Go, please remember to be polite. Our Nianzhi has a bad temper. If you make her angry, I¡¯ll be the first to make you suffer.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    This wasn¡¯t the right way to educate her, was it?

    With such a temperament, did she need others to be more tolerant with her?

    However, these words were meant for him. Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t find the word ¡°No¡± to pick on.

    He replied and went to the living room to call Gu Nianzhi over for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.

    Gu Nianzhi put her phone away and followed Huo Shaoheng into the dining room. She saw Lu Jin making a round around the dining table, holding a small lighter-like tool and shining it between the tes.

    A small red dot appeared on the side of the te from time to time.

    ¡°Dad, what is it that are you holding? And what are you doing?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked over curiously and watched Lu Jin slightly adjust the position of the te from a few steps away.

    Lu Jin smiled and said, ¡°This is aser rangefinder. I¡¯m adjusting the distance between the tes using the Golden Section method. I have to adjust the positions between the foods to the best distance. This will increase appetite, promote digestion, and prevent weight gain.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knelt down. ¡°Dad! It¡¯s just a dinner te. Do you have to use such high-technology? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng asked professionally, ¡°Uncle Lu, is there a scientific reason for this?¡±

    ¡°Of course there is.¡± Lu Jin straightened up and finished adjusting thest te. He said seriously, ¡°Because vision can also affect appetite and digestion. The most obvious example is an ancient saying, ¡®beauty is appetising¡±¡¯.

    ¡°If a beauty is right in front of you, you¡¯ll be full just by looking at her beauty. You can eat less to achieve the goal of organic weight loss.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Weight loss can also be categorised it into organic and inorganic? !

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. He thought to himself ¡®beauty is appetizing¡¯ could actually be exined this way.

    However, when he looked at Gu Nianzhi, the more he looked at her, the hungrier he became and all the more he wanted to ¡°eat¡±..

    Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat for a while.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts wandered freely for a while.

    When he came back to his senses, he found Gu Nianzhi excitedly discussing ¡°organic weight loss¡± with Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly said, ¡°Miss Gu, your figure ispletely in line with the golden ratio. You do not have to lose any more weight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was sweet, like the first barrel of lychee honey that was brewed in spring. It was sweet with just the right amount of acid.

    Lu Jin asked suspiciously,¡±... Peter, how do you know the proportion of Nianzhi¡¯s figure?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°! ! !¡±

    She was at a loss, but Huo Shaoheng reacted quickly and said calmly, ¡°Miss GU has such a good figure. Anyone with eyes can see that.¡±

    Lu Jin turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. She was wearing a mini doll dress, which made her long legs look even longer. The curve of her waist was not obvious, but from the way the dress swayed and the proportion of her height.., he could urately calcte her waist circumference and leg length.

    It was indeed in line with the golden ratio.

    As for her chest circumference, Lu Jin politely ignored it.

    In his heart, Gu Nianzhi was still that chubby and adorable two-year-old child. When he experimented on her, he thought he was ying games with her....

    There was no such thing as growing up.

    If possible, Lu Jin hoped that he could be by her side for the rest of his life, protecting her from any outside interference and encroachment.

    Unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t have much time.

 Chapter 1700 - A Loved One Has Nothing to Fear

    <h4>Chapter 1700: A Loved One Has Nothing to Fear</h4>

    Lu Jin snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Huo Shaoheng. He reminded him sternly, ¡°Mr. Peter, we Chinese have a saying, ¡®Avoid looking at indecent things¡¯. Don¡¯t look around.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tugged awkwardly at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve and changed the topic. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s get ready for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner. What¡¯s good today? I¡¯m hungry...¡±

    Lu Jin immediately turned to look at her and smiled brightly. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s hungry? Come, sit down. You eat first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s more meaningful if everyone eats together for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.¡± Gu Nianzhi blinked, still smiling. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s wait for President Lu toe and eat together.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re hungry.¡± Lu Jin frowned. ¡°What if you¡¯re starving? Children can¡¯t handle hunger. You should eat smaller portions and more meals. Why isn¡¯t this Boss Lu here yet?¡±

    He rolled his eyes and said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Peter, can you help me get Boss Lu toe over for New Year¡¯s Eve Dinner?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go right away.¡±

    He turned and left without any hesitation.

    Lu Jin looked at his back with aplicated expression. He thought to himself that this person¡¯s overall qualities were indeed not bad. It was a pity that his daughter had someone else in her heart. Otherwise, it would have been good for him to protect his daughter.

    However, now that they had no power, it was impossible for Gu Nianzhi to go back. So was it possible to use Peter as a substitute?

    His gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face again. He looked at her bright, smiling eyes. They reminded him of someone else¡¯s...

    To be precise, the other pair of eyes were not as big as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, but they were very simr in shape.

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and suddenly asked, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you think of Peter?¡±

    If he could not continue to protect his daughter, then he would find another person to continue protecting her in his stead.

    If not for Lu Yuan¡¯s old age, Lu Jin would have thought that Lu Yuan was most suitable because he knew him the best and trusted him the most.

    Gu Nianzhi felt guilty and was shocked, but she still said casually, ¡°Dad, what does it have to do with me? Besides, I don¡¯t know him and I don¡¯t want to know him. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s good or bad.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡±, Lu Jin shook his head regretfully. ¡°Then forget it. I thought you had a good feeling about him. After all, he¡¯s the counterpart of your sweetheart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked.

    Amazing, my dad!

    You can even see that...

    Gu Nianzhi sat down with her head lowered. Otherwise, Lu Jin would have seen the look in her eyes. He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m more familiar with him. After all, I saved him, and he also rescued me. It can be considered a friendship of life-and-death.¡±

    Lu Jin sat next to her and scooped a bowl of ck chicken ginseng soup for her. ¡°Drink some soup first. This is ginseng and ck chicken. It¡¯s been boiling for an hour and thirty minutes. It¡¯s the best time to release the protein from the ck chicken into the soup. After the protein is released, the meat will be denatured and solidify. The ck chicken will be tough and won¡¯t be released into the soup. The soup won¡¯t be delicious and won¡¯t have much nutrition.¡±

    ¡°In addition to the improved ck chicken and ginseng, there are also red dates, longan, and goji berries in the soup. In addition, a little ginger is added. Salt is added after the soup is out of the pot.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re amazing! You know so much! Did you make this soup?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Lu Jin said confidently. There was even a hint of disdain in his tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook. Boss Lu made this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    If you didn¡¯t cook it, why did you make it sound like you did?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly. ¡°You knew so much, I thought you cooked it...¡±

    ¡°PFFT, you just have to know how to read. Just because I know how to eat doesn¡¯t mean I have to know how to cook. Do you have to learn how to make a refrigerator to use it?¡± Lu Jin waved his hand dismissively.

    So you¡¯re only knowledgeable from books.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself.

    Lu Jin said excitedly, ¡°When you drink soup, you have to take a small first sip, then slowly increase the amount at the second sip, and then the third sip. Only then can you fully enjoy the taste of the soup.¡±

    As he spoke, he handed Gu Nianzhi a set of soup spoons. There are different sizes. Like measuring cups, there were even scales on them.

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    This was ridiculous. Not only did she had to get a lecture about the time it took to cook food and the denaturation and solidification of protein, she also had to use a soup spoon with a scale on it. It felt like an scientific experiment...

    Gu Nianzhi really couldn¡¯t put her thoughts into words.

    However, when she saw Lu Jin looking at her eagerly with a face full of passion and excitement in anticipation of praise, Gu Nianzhi silently picked up the soup spoon and scooped up a spoonful with the smallest spoon. With due respect for this science experiment-like procedure, she drank it slowly.

    Then she switched to the second spoon, followed by the third spoon, and drank it one mouthful at a time.

    Needless to say, the soup was indeed rich and refreshing. When she first drank it, it might have felt a little light because of the small amount, but when she drank the second mouthful, the taste was obviously better than the first. When she drank the third mouthful, the soup was so rich that it could make one¡¯s eyebrows fall off.

    Gu Nianzhi had used different procedures and equipment when she drank the soup in the past, so she had never tasted the soup in such a gradual and orderly manner.

    Now that she was using Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°scientific method¡± to drink the soup, she felt that the taste of the soup had increased more than tenfold!

    Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised and nodded at Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re amazing! This soup is really delicious!¡±

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief, heughed. ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. It¡¯s good that you like it. I knew this soup would be the best!¡± His taste buds would remember the taste of food for a certain period of time. Gradually increasing the amount of soup would double the taste buds. ¡°I¡¯ve made this set of soup spoons for you in the past few days!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    That didn¡¯t sound right.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand that was holding the spoon stopped in mid-air. She looked at her own spoon, then at Lu Jin, and asked curiously, ¡°Dad, did you just make this set of soup spoons? Haven¡¯t you used it before?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Lu Jin said matter-of-factly, ¡°It¡¯s just soup. I don¡¯t have to be so particr about it.¡±

    But his precious daughter was different.

    She deserved the most beautiful and the best things in the world.

    He was willing to give her the best of what he can provide.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh.

    Her heart was filled with gratitude and gratefulness for being pampered by her father. Her eyes started to tear, and her nose was sore. She wanted to cry.

    But her heart was also happy and proud.

    People who were loved always had nothing to fear. This was what it felt like...

    She wanted tough and run under the sun, to tell everyone she met that she had the best father in the world!

    So this was what family love was like. It had no reason and did not ask for anything in return.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that the w in her heart had finally been filled.

    She thought that if she ever saw Ma Qiqi again, she must tell her, ¡°My father, Lu Jin, the best father in the world!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she picked up thest spoon and finished all the soup in the bowl.

    Only then did she realize that there was also a scale in the soup bowl..

    That was how she had grasped it so well and did not waste a single drop of soup.

    Gu Nianzhi put down the spoon with a smile and said, ¡°Dad, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you, Dad!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, you¡¯re wee! You¡¯re wee! It¡¯s what I should do! As long as you like it! As long as you like it!¡±

    Lu Jinughed loudly, so happy that every line on his face bloomed like a flower.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and entered. They heardughtering from the direction of the dining room.

    Lu Yuan heard this and frowned slightly. He whispered to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°... Lu Jin had been acting strangetely. He has neverughed so impudently before. If you have the chance, take good care of him.¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was a secret service organization. Lu Yuan was now the president of a cyber securitypany. His identity was limited, so the opportunity to work in secret was not as convenient as ¡°Peter¡±.

 Chapter 1701 - Second Spring

    <h4>Chapter 1701: Second Spring</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly, but he still had a faint smile on his face. He whispered, ¡°... could it be that you¡¯re excited as you¡¯ve reunited with Nianzhi?¡±

    Wouldn¡¯t heugh recklessly if he was happy?

    Lu Yuan nced at the two people in the restaurant. He kept quiet and took out his phone to text Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Yuan: [ That¡¯s not the only thing. ]

    Lu Yuan: [ Previously, Lu Jin obviously knew that you were ¡®coveting¡¯ his precious daughter, but he still allowed you to apany his precious daughter to the banquet. That¡¯s not right. ]

    Lu Yuan: [ It¡¯s good enough that he didn¡¯t chase you away with a cane. How can he let you stay close to her? ]

    Lu Yuan: [ Now I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s smiling like this... ]

    Huo Shaoheng still couldn¡¯t understand.

    He replied: [ ... He¡¯s justughing loudly. Isn¡¯t Lu too sensitive? ]

    Lu Yuan replied: [ ... Before this, I¡¯ve only seen himugh like this once. That was eight years ago when he sent Nianzhi to the other world and at the same time manipted the car to explode across the boundary between the two parallel worlds... ]

    ¡°Lu Jin was standing at the crossroads then,ughing so recklessly. Just like this time,ughing as if there was no tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°Behind him was a scene of dimly lit traffic and a car that suddenly exploded ...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately recalled the first time he had seen Gu Nianzhi eight years ago and rescued her from the burning car.

    His eyes darkened and replied immediately: [ Was he crazy? ! Nianzhi was in the car at that time! If I was one secondte, Nianzhi would have been as dead as the car! ]

    Lu Yuan gave a wry smile and quickly texted: [ No. Lu Jin controlled the explosive device in the car. He waited for you to rescue Nianzhi before activating the explosion... ]

    Even so, Huo Shaoheng still thought that Lu Jin was insane.

    He replied with a straight face: ¡°What if I didn¡¯t go that day?¡±

    ¡°What if I just happened to hesitate and didn¡¯t rush into the car to save her?¡±

    ¡°There were so many uncertainties, has he thought about that?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and replied: ¡°Of course he has. He has an extremelyplicated mathematical model in which he applied his understanding of human behavior to calcte the progress of things.¡±

    ¡°The result of his calction is that you have a 99.9999999% chance of saving Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled: ¡°It¡¯s not 100% ? He dared to do it?¡±

    Lu Yuan replied: ¡°From the probability, 99.9999999% is 100% to Lu Jin.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. For the first time, he thought that He Zhichu did have a point when he acknowledged andbelled Gu Xiangwen as a lunatic.

    Of course, perhaps in the mind of a genius, the perception of safety and danger was different from what ordinary people would say.

    Huo Shaoheng was nomittal as he followed Lu Yuan into the restaurant.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw their entrance. She quickly said, ¡°Dad, President Lu and Mr. Peter are here.¡±

    Lu Jin stopped smiling and turned to look at them. He said snappily, ¡°Why are you arriving now? If you were anyter, my girl would have been so hungry that she needed to go to the hospital!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Did he have to be so dramatic?

    She just had a bowl of delicious ck chicken ginseng soup. She was warm and not hungry at all.

    She did not refute Lu Jin of course.

    Lu Jin was so protective of her. How stupid would she be to go against him?

    Gu Nianzhi did not realize that she had given Lu Jin unconditional trust unknowingly.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng took a glimpse at Gu Nianzhi.

    Her pink little face, the little dimples on her lips, and her full red lips showing no signs of hunger.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the New Year, Lu Yuan was really eager to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng was worried that Lu Yuan might leave too, thus he tried to smooth things over. ¡°Uncle Lu sure knows how to joke. If she needs the hospital, I¡¯ll carry her to it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°With me around, when will it be your turn to carry her to the car?¡± Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°Hurry up and sit down. It¡¯s New Year today, I don¡¯t want to make things difficult for you guys.¡±

    Lu Yuan silently cursed, who was the one making a scene just now?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and sat down beside Gu Nianzhi. Lu Yuan sat next to him, and with Lu Jin on his other side.

    However, Lu Jin shifted his attention to Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, we can start eating now. You must be starving, right?¡±

    He winked at Gu Nianzhi as he spoke.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and nodded. ¡°I am a little hungry, but I can still endure it.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, my girl is so obedient and considerate. Those who bathe all day long should be aware. Don¡¯t be so selfish. Others are waiting for you to eat.¡±

    Lu Jin was practically referring to Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan smirked as he poured himself a cup of Maotai. He raised his ss and said, ¡°Today is New Year¡¯s Eve. It¡¯s been so many years. It¡¯s the first time we have so many people ushering the new year together. Come, cheers!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly filled his ss. He helped Lu Jin to fill his ss as well.

    However, when it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn, Huo Shaoheng only poured her a cup of fresh coconut water.

    Lu Jin was very satisfied and smiled, ¡°Peter did a good job. Nianzhi is still young and can¡¯t take alcohol. Juice and milk are enough.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin were surprisingly in sync on this matter.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly nodded, ¡°Yes, you really shouldn¡¯t take alcohol. Juice and milk is the best.¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He bottoms up as a sign of respect and said, ¡°Nianzhi is already 20 years old. She can actually take alcohol now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded hurriedly. ¡°Yes, yes. Actually, I¡¯d like to try the taste of alcohol...¡±

    Not that she had never tried before, but she barely had the chance to drink openly in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Jin red at her. ¡°Youngdy, why are you drinking? Besides, alcohol is bad for your skin. It will elerate the aging process.¡±

    ¡°AH? Really?! Then I definitely won¡¯t drink anymore.¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately dismissed the idea of drinking when she reached 22 years old once she got to know that drinking was bad for her skin.

    22 years old was the legal age for drinking that Huo Shaoheng had set for her.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Lu Jin hadpletely dispelled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s desire to drink with just one word, thus sincerely admired him.

    Apparently child care also required the support of scientific theories to be able to be more productive.

    Therefore throughout the dinner, Gu Nianzhi did not have the desire to taste alcohol. Apart from fruit juice and milk, she was indifferent to all other drinks.

    Lu Yuan, on the other hand, drank a little too much as he was delighted.

    By the time he finished the dinner, he was already drunk.

    However, the drunken Lu Yuan just kept quiet. He searched for pen and paper and started sketching.

    Gu Nianzhi took a nce at the paper which was filled with a young Miss Song..

    Sketches of her under the tree carrying her textbooks, doing experiments in theboratory with white coat on, bending over to sniff at a peony, also her sleeping on the desk, solving a physics question in front of the ckboard, and in the bustling crowd, only her smiling face was shown.

    Gu Nianzhi was ncing through the sketches in surprise. She suddenly recalled that she had seen this kind of sketch before.

    The same handwriting, the sameposition, and the same deep affection that could not be expressed through words...

    Gu Nianzhi looked up abruptly. Her full lips parted slightly. She subconsciously looked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng saw her expression and knew that she had guessed Lu Yuan¡¯s true identity.

    Gu Nianzhi had seen Huo Guanyuan¡¯s pencil sketch back then as well.

    Plus, all Lu Yuan¡¯s sketches were Song Jinning. How could Gu Nianzhi not have guessed it, given her intelligence.

    Gu Nianzhi had indeed thought of it, and the doubts she had for days were solved.

    No wonder Lu Yuan could make Miss Song¡¯s famous San Xian fried rice..

    Because he was Huo Guanyuan!

    Back then, he had lived under the same roof as Miss Song.

    Only that, Miss Song married his younger brother, Huo Guanchen back then.

    Therefore, all their feelings had been hidden. Before his ident, no one had ever known about this secret.

    Until one of his letters was shown..

    Although Gu Nianzhi was very curious as to why, with their status, Song Jinning and Huo Guanyuan, would make the same taste of San Xian fried rice, she restrained herself from asking further.

    This was someone else¡¯s privacy, and even gossiping had to be ethical.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and turned to help Lu Yuan. He said to Lu Jin, ¡°Uncle Lu, I¡¯ll send President Lu to rest. I¡¯lle and watch the Spring Festival G with you and Nianzhiter.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. After you send him back, you can go back as well.¡± Lu Jin waved his hand casually. He didn¡¯t want Peter to stay the night.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeves worriedly, ¡°Dad, President Lu is so drunk. If Mr. Peter goes back, can you take care of him? I¡¯m worried about leaving President Lu alone.¡±

    Lu Yuan had never been so drunk before. Thest time he had been so drunk was on the night Song Jinning and Huo Guanchen got married.

    Huo Shaoheng was also very worried about him, and he did not want to leave Gu Nianzhi on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    Lu Jin looked at Lu Yuan and saw that he was indeed very drunk.

    He had never seen Lu Yuan so drunk before, so he nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble Mr. Peter to take care of Boss Lu.¡±

    He then asked curiously, ¡°What happened? Why is Boss Lu so happy? Could it really be theing of his second spring?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

 Chapter 1702 - Do You Like Dolls?

    <h4>Chapter 1702: Do You Like Dolls?</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks, but quickly snapped out of his thoughts and helped Lu Yuan return to his suite.

    Gu Nianzhi whispered to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, CEO Lu¡¯s personal problems are his privacy. Please stop saying anything...¡±

    She spoke carefully, in fear of hurting Lu Jin¡¯s self-esteem. She was also worried that she would hurt Lu Jin¡¯s face, that was why she waited for Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan to leave her suite before saying anything.

    Surprisingly, Lu Jin wasn¡¯t angry at all. Instead, he nodded happily. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll listen to my girl!¡±

    He then continued to praise Gu Nianzhi happily. ¡°I know you¡¯re concerned of me, my daughter. I know you¡¯re afraid that I would say something to offend Boss Lu, so you tried to remind me. Nianzhi, do you know how touched I am?¡±

    Lu Jin even proceeded to wipe the corners of his eyes pretentiously and made a crying face.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    His acting skill really needs a lot of work.

    Gu Nianzhi said to herself, but her mood was rxed and happy. She no longer felt stressed.

    That was because she realized that no matter what she said to Lu Jin, it didn¡¯t matter. Lu Jin would automatically think that Nianzhi¡¯s words were for his own good.

    She had never felt this way before. Not even with Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but ask Lu Jin after some time, ¡°Dad, how did you know that Boss Lu would have a second chance at love?¡±

    Lu Jin nced at the sketches that Gu Nianzhi had collected from Lu Yuan. He then said, squinting his lips, ¡°Just take a look at his drawings. Even a fool can tell how much he likes her...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lifted an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you knew art, Dad?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, I just read a few art books.¡±Lu Jinughed heartily, his mood soaring.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked at the painting in her hand. She asked tentatively, ¡°Then do you know the woman in the painting? She¡¯s so pretty.¡±

    Lu Jin answered without hesitation, ¡°No, I don¡¯t.She¡¯s not bad, but she¡¯s not as pretty as my girl.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almostughed out loud with her hands covering her face, but she quicklyposed herself and smiled. ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t say that because I¡¯m your daughter. Cut it out. You¡¯re a scientist, aren¡¯t you? I thought scientists seek truth from facts?¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled and said seriously, ¡°I am telling the truth. In fact, there is no objective standard for how beautiful or ugly a person is. ording to psychology, if a person thinks another person is beautiful, it is either because that other person simr features or temperament with him or her, or because the other person looks like a rtive he or she is familiar with, or because they haveplementary features. Which means, that they like the features that they don¡¯t have.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re my daughter. You have features and temperament simr to mine, so I think you¡¯re the most beautiful. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi, indicating that he was very objective in this matter of beauty and ugliness.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say.

    She admitted that she had simr features with Lu Jin¡¯s. Although she had never seen what Lu Jin looked like before he was disfigured and had stic surgery, she had seen what Gu Xiangwen looked like in the other world.

    They must look exactly the same if they were counterparts.

    Gu Xiangwen in the other world was very handsome facial features, especially his straight and beautiful nose, which was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    Lu Jin must have had a nose like that before he was disfigured, right?

    But did they have the same temperament?

    She was very moved. (very moved but rejected)

    Gu Nianzhi stole a quick nce at Lu Jin¡¯s face, lowered her eyes, and smiled. ¡°Dad, I love it when you use scientific theories to state nonsense strongly and confidently.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted andughed. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯ve exposed me. Can we even chat pleasantly in the future? !¡±

    The father and daughter duo chatted andughed as they tidied up the table for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.

    Lu Jin put all the dishes into the dishwasher, poured in the dishwasher-specific detergent, and washed the dishes with the dishwasher.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for him for a while before the two of them left the kitchen and went to the living room to watch the Spring Festival G.

    By then, the Spring Festival G had already been going on for two hours.

    The joyous singing and dancing had already passed, and it was now time for the overseas tourists to pay their new year¡¯s greetings to the people of their mothend.

    Gu Nianzhi yawned out of boredom and sat cross-legged on the sofa. She hugged the panda-shaped pillow out of habit and rested her chin on her hands as she stared at the 100-inch television on the wall. She said, ¡°I like to watch skits, especially those about the military.¡±

    Lu Jin watched the television in excitement and said, ¡°There are very few skits like this. I haven¡¯t seen one in the past few years.¡±

    He didn¡¯t really like surfing the Inte, as it made himto do something dirty, so he would watch television whenever he had the time.

    This was the main way he interacted with people.

    As they were talking, Huo Shaoheng walked in.

    Lu Jin heard someone and turned to look. He said in surprise, ¡°Why are you here? You left boss Lu Alone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°President Lu is already asleep. He¡¯s fine now. I¡¯m here to see Uncle Lu. Are You Alright? You drank quite a lot tonight.¡±

    Lu Jinughed and said proudly, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of getting drunk. My liver is naturally endowed with more alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase than normal people.¡±

    ¡°So after drinking, it breaks down the alcohol very quickly. I Won¡¯t get drunk.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi looked at each other, but both wisely kept their mouths shut and didn¡¯t pursue the matter further.

    Huo Shaoheng took the opportunity to sit on the sofa on the other side of Gu Nianzhi.

    As soon as he sat down, Gu Nianzhi suddenly threw the panda pillow away ufortably.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips when he saw it and silently looked away to the television screen in front of him.

    Lu Jin was also sitting next to Gu Nianzhi. When he saw the panda throw pillow on the coffee table, he quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t You Like It?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to control her face so that it didn¡¯t turn red.

    She hadn¡¯t thought of a reason to speak yet, huo shaoheng suddenly said, ¡°Miss gu likes these furry toys? Then do you like dolls? We have a famous doll set in the Soviet Union. If you like it, I¡¯ll get my colleagues to send you a set as a new year¡¯s gift.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. What did Huo Shaoheng mean by that?

    Lu Jin did not respond, as if he did not know what Huo Shaoheng meant by that.

    However, he did quiet down.

    He leaned back on the sofa and stared at the television screen, lost in thought.

    He did not know if he was really watching television or thinking about something.

    Gu nianzhi could only say, ¡°I like them too. I¡¯ll have to trouble Mr. Peter.¡±

    Lu Jin nced at Gu Nianzhi, but did not say anything.

    The three of them watched television for a while, and the time for overseas visitors to pay their new year¡¯s greetings was over.

    He Chengjian¡¯s calm and determined face appeared on the television.

    He was sitting in his own small meeting room and giving a new year¡¯s speech. It was obviously a recorded video.

    ¡°Friends in front of the television, citizens of the Huaxia Empire, and all the Chinese people in the world, Hello, I¡¯m he chengjian. ¡°On the asion of the Chinese New Year, I Wish You All Peace, harmony, and beauty, and a sessful and smooth life. ¡°I also wish our country to prosper, and to change with each passing day!¡±

    After he finished speaking, he zhichu¡¯s face appeared immediately after.

    He was also dressed in a tuxedo in that small meeting room, looking very formal and elegant.

    ¡°Hello, friends in front of the television. I am he zhichu. Today is the Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve, our tradition, and our festival. I wish everyone a happy family, and all the best!¡±

    After he zhichu finished speaking, his shimmering peach blossom eyes twinkled and his thin lips parted slightly, as if he was smiling.

    Very quickly, he zhichu¡¯s little new year greeting video on Weibo was taken and uploaded.

    In an instant, it swept through the entire group of young girls on Weibo.

    [ did young master he break off the engagement today ] : ¡°Young Master he is so handsome! Ahhh!¡±

    [ there¡¯s only young master he in my heart ] : ¡°I want to kiss! I want to get married! I want to marry!¡±

    [ I¡¯m he shaokuang ] : ¡°Miss He, you¡¯re thinking too much. Do you think it¡¯s your turn to get married? At the very least, you have to be ranked behind me!¡±

    [ I¡¯m Mrs. He ] : ¡°Mrs. He is here. Let¡¯s get to know each other...¡±

    [ miss he is the mistress ] : ¡°Bah! Miss he is the mistress at most. I¡¯m the real wife!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi watched TV as she scrolled through Weibo.

    These trending topics quickly went to her home page.

    Gu Nianzhi found these young girls who were crazy fans very interesting and enjoyed watching them.

    On TV, after he zhichu and he chengjian had paid their new year¡¯s greetings, a host of the Spring Festival G walked out, he smiled and said enthusiastically, ¡°Hello Everyone, we¡¯ve also invited two important guests today, Mr. Zheng Yonghao, the Huaxia Regional Executive of The Mei Foundation, and Mr. Ishihara Baisan, the Chief Scientist of the United Nations Poption Fund.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears twitched.

    What name did she hear just Now.-ishihara Baisan?

 Chapter 1703 - Unbearable Lightness of Life

    <h4>Chapter 1703: Unbearable Lightness of Life</h4>

    The host of the spring festival g was very respectful towards the gentle and refined Ishihara Baisan in a decent suit.

    ¡°This Mr. Ishihara Baisan is an internationally renowned biomedical scientist. He has just made a major breakthrough in biological gic engineering, allowing the dream of human gic medicine to move from the theoretical deduction of scientists to the practical testing stage in theboratory, thus allowing various difficult andplicated diseases to have the possibility of being cured. Let¡¯s give Mr. Ishihara Baisan a round of apuse to say a few words to everyone!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    She was no stranger to the name Ishihara Baisan.

    In the opposite world, Ishihara Baisan was a Japanese expert in high-energy maic fields. He had once been a doctoral student with Gu Xiangwen, but his scientific research ability was not as strong as Gu Xiangwen¡¯s. Gu Xiangwen had called him ¡°Trash! You¡¯re not qualified topare your progress with mine.¡± He had been scolded to the point ofmitting seppuku.

    Eh, something is not right.

    In the other world, Ishihara Baisan was clearly a physicist who studied high-energy maic field. How did he be the Chief Scientist of the United Nations Poption Fund here, and also a biomedical scientist?

    Could it be that he did not study high-energy physics to study maic fields?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long eyebrows furrowed as she watched Ishihara Baisan, who was over 50 years old, on the television. She muttered, ¡°Did I hear correctly? He¡¯s a biomedical scientist?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention was also drawn to Ishihara Baisan.

    He had investigated the entire Ishihara Corporation in the opposite world, and his investigation of Ishihara Baisan was of the utmost importance.

    He also remembered very clearly that Ishihara Baisan was a high-energy physicist who studied maic fields.

    However, he quickly figured it out.

    This Ishihara Baisan was the counterpart of Ishihara Baisan in that parallel world.

    This counterpart was only gically identical but their identities, positions, and upations were not necessarily the same.

    Gu Nianzhi had also thought of this at that moment.

    For example, Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang from the other world hadpletely different backgrounds and positions from Zhao Liangze and Bai Shuang from this world.

    Perhaps for some reason, this Ishihara Baisan did not conduct high-energy maic field research, but engaged in biomedical research instead.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked at each other, then looked away to continue watching television.

    On the television, the elegant-looking Ishihara Baisan was speaking in Japanese.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Japanese was very ordinary, but Huo Shaoheng knew Japanese.

    However, as the television had Chinese subtitles, there was no need for Huo Shaoheng to trante.

    ¡°Hello, China viewers. I¡¯m Ishihara Baisan. I¡¯m very happy to be able toe to your country during the Spring Festival and celebrate this holiday with you.¡±

    He held the microphone with a faint smile on his face. His voice was deep and powerful, ¡°This youngdy was exaggerating when she praised me for my great achievements just now. The things I¡¯ve done are really limited. There¡¯s a very excellent biomedical expert in your country. More than ten years ago, not only did shee up with the concept of ¡®gene editing¡¯, but she also realized gene therapy.¡±

    ¡°This person is the pioneer of gic medicine. Her name is Qin Yaoguang. Ms. Qin Yaoguang is an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and one of the most important schrs in biogic engineering.¡±

    After a pause, Ishihara Baisan said regretfully, ¡°I came to your country to visit her, but unfortunately...¡±

    He did not say why it was a pity, but his words seemed to imply that he wanted to fight for justice for Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened as she clenched her fists tightly.

    ¡°Dad, do you know this Ishihara Baisan?¡±Gu Nianzhi recalled that in the other world, although Ishihara Baisan was more than ten years older than Gu Xiangwen, the two of them were PHD students.

    She wondered if in this world, Ishihara Baisan and Lu Jin, also known as Gu Xiangwen, were ssmates.

    Lu Jin stood up from the sofa and said seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t know him. I¡¯ve never heard of him before.¡± He stood up and left the living room, heading to the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze followed Lu Jin¡¯s back until she couldn¡¯t see him anymore. She asked Huo Shaoheng in a low voice, ¡°What do you think Ishihara Baisan means by mentioning Qin Yaoguang now? Are they working together?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡±Huo Shaoheng muttered, ¡°If they really are working together, he¡¯s too bold to mention Qin Yaoguang at the Spring Festival G, which has the highest viewership ratings in the country. Is he afraid that others won¡¯t know that they¡¯re rted?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that this person has an academic rtionship with Qin Yaoguang to begin with. As for whether there¡¯s any other rtionship, that depends on the evidence.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng cautiously raised his own point of view. He did not let the situation of Ishihara Baisan affect his judgment.

    Gu Nianzhi could not exin how she felt.

    First of all, this Ishihara Baisan was not studying high-energy maic field. He was studying biomedical science, which was already very different from the situation on the other side.

    Moreover, he did not seem to be Lu Jin¡¯s ssmate, so it was unlikely that he wouldmit hara-kiri suicide because of his anger.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed regretfully.

    Lu Jin came back from the kitchen with a jasper fruit bowl. There were bright saintly virgin fruits in it. The yellow, peeled ivory glow, the tender lychee meat, and a few egg fruits were ced in front of Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and said, ¡°Come, eat some fruit. Don¡¯t be hungry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished her New Year¡¯s Eve dinner. She couldn¡¯t be more full now.

    However, these fruits were all her favorites. Lu Jin washed them clean and ced them in front of her. She felt guilty if she didn¡¯t eat them.

    She smiled and picked up a small saintly virgin fruit. ¡°Dad, are you going to feed the piglets?¡±

    ¡°If you want to be a piglet, I¡¯ll be a piglet dad.¡± Lu Jin was in a good mood. He picked up a toothpick and stuck a piece of lychee meat into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth. ¡°Eat some lychee. Don¡¯t eat too much.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, dad.¡±Gu Nianzhi held the lychee in her mouth and mumbled. She also stuck a piece of Holy Maiden fruit with her toothpick and brought it to Lu Jin¡¯s mouth. ¡°Dad, Holy Maiden fruit is the king of fruits. Please eat more.¡±

    ¡°Good boy.¡± Lu Jin swallowed the Holy Maiden fruit in one gulp, just like eating a ginseng fruit.

    Huo Shaoheng saw the father and daughter feeding each other fruit as if there was no one else around. He couldn¡¯t help feeling an itch in his throat and coughed lightly.

    Gu Nianzhi heard him and her ears twitched, but she didn¡¯t turn around.

    Lu Jin was here. How would she dare feed Huo Shaoheng?

    Lu Jin would definitely cut Huo Shaoheng into pieces if he saw this.

    Lu Jin heard it too. He was even happier when he saw Gu Nianzhi ignored Huo Shaoheng. He nagged, ¡°Nianzhi, you have to remember to eat more fruits in the future, especially saintly virgin fruit. You also said that it¡¯s the king of fruits. Its nutrients and anti-aging ingredients are the highest.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and ate thest saintly virgin fruit.

    ¡°Also, if you¡¯re not feeling well, don¡¯t go to the hospital for a check-up.¡± Lu Jin paused, ¡°Dad left you a set of medical equipment. You can check it yourself. Your body is very healthy, so you won¡¯t get any random diseases. If you only have a fever and a headache, you don¡¯t have to go to the hospital to avoid being harmed by those quack doctors.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Why did these words sound more and more strange?

    She quickly said, ¡°Dad, with you around, of course I don¡¯t need to go to the hospital for a check-up. What do you mean by that? Are you going to leave me alone in the future?¡±

    Lu Jinughed and said, ¡°How can that be? I was just taking precautions.¡±

    He nced at Huo Shaoheng and felt that he was really an eyesore here. However, seeing that he could still protect Gu Nianzhi, he didn¡¯t ask him to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve finished all the fruits? Is there any more?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to wash some fruits. Dad, Wait for me, I¡¯ll wash the fruits for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Dad will wait for your fruits.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the jade fruit bowl and walked to the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up calmly and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, I¡¯ll go wash the fruit for Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at him from head to toe with a straight face. After a while, he snorted and raised his hand. ¡°Go ahead, but I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t get any ideas. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you regret messing with my girl.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and said sincerely, ¡°Uncle Lu, I really like Nianzhi. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here, Nianzhi¡¯s here.¡±

    Lu Jin was moved by his words.

    He had done so many things because he hoped that Gu Nianzhi would be able to live in peace in this world, undisturbed, like an ordinary person.

    Just like Mr. Peter had promised, with him, Gu Nianzhi would be here.

    It was such a pity. If only there was only one Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi was destined not to belong to this world.

    Lu Jin looked at Huo Shaoheng almost sympathetically. He thought to himself that this person was the KGB, so even if Nianzhi suddenly disappeared from his life in the future, he should be able to bear such a loss. The Committee of State Security (KGB) , the Committee of State Security (KGB) , and the Committee of State Security (KGB) .

 Chapter 1704 - Lowering My Style

    <h4>Chapter 1704: Lowering My Style</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng came to the kitchen and saw Gu Nianzhi rinsing the cherry tomatoes. He walked over naturally and took the fruit basket from her.

    Gu Nianzhi was immersed in her own thoughts and almost didn¡¯t notice that someone hade in.

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside her and started washing the fruit. Only then did she notice him.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly turned around to take a look. Seeing that Lu Jin had not followed her in, she quickly whispered, ¡°Do you also think that my father spoke strangely just now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly. His voice was even lower than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye on him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately relieved.

    She had absolute trust in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ability. If Huo Shaoheng said that he would keep an eye on Lu Jin, then Lu Jin would definitely be fine.

    She rxed and chatted happily with Huo Shaoheng. After washing the fruit, she ced it in the Jade Bowl and returned to the living room with him.

    On therge television screen hanging on the wall of the living room, the camera had shifted away from Ishihara Baisan to another person.

    This person was also speaking with confidence.

    ¡°Eh? Mr. Zheng Yonghao, the Huaxia Regional Executive Officer of the Bimai Foundation?¡±Gu Nianzhi nced at him curiously.

    He had been introduced by the female host earlier.

    Zheng Yonghao appeared to be in his forties. He was about 1.7 meters tall and looked a little greasy.

    He was so fat that his belly was sticking out. He wore a suit that fit him well, making him look even fatter.

    He wore a pair of ck-rimmed sses. He had rather thick lips, and liked to move when he spoke.

    He was in high spirits as he said, ¡°Our Bimai Foundation is the world¡¯srgest charitable foundation. We just signed a contract with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to cooperate in the clinical trials of gic drugs. Mr. Ishihara Baisan is the chief scientist and person-in-charge of this project.¡±

    It took a very period of time from developing a new drug to it being put into use.

    There were three stages of clinical trials in theter stages, each of which wasrger than thest. The time needed to develop a new drug was longer than thest, so the development of a new drug was not easy.

    If Ishihara Baisan had not been in charge of the project, Gu Nianzhi would have pped her hands in approval.

    Unfortunately, she just did not like Ishihara Baisan.

    Huo Shaoheng did not want his preconceived opinions to affect his judgment. However, Nianzhi was not that ¡°Fair and objective.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi could not stand the fact that this person was supporting Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi ced the jade fruit bowl on the coffee table in front of the sofa and said to Lu Jin, who was watching the television attentively, ¡°Dad, do you want some fruit?¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and nodded. He slowly took out a small and exquisite cherry tomato from the jade fruit bowl and started chewing.

    The sweet and sour taste filled his mouth. It was too tasty to stop eating.

    Lu Jin swallowed and took a sip of water from his ss. He wiped his mouth with a tissue and said disdainfully, ¡°Do people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have any brains? They actually let foreign NGOse to our country to conduct drug trials.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and said curiously, ¡°... but isn¡¯t it normal for everyone to share what they have and what they don¡¯t have in the Global Division of Labor? What are the benefits of being in seclusion?¡±

    Lu Jin nced at her, he exined patiently, ¡°Of course it¡¯s extreme to be in seclusion, but if you want to share what you have and what you don¡¯t have, have these organizations, whiche to our country to conduct drug trials, handed over the new drug form and shared it with the Chinese Academy of Sciences? If they haven¡¯t, then they shouldn¡¯t mention ¡°sharing what you have and what you don¡¯t have¡±.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But the new drug form should have a patent, right? Why would they casually share it with others?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, why would they just casually share it with others... but they want to conduct drug trials in our country. Do you trust them without the form?¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes unceremoniously. ¡°And even if they do, I don¡¯t believe that the form isplete. These foreign NGOs are used to hiding their true motives, so how would they tell you the truth? It¡¯s too naive to believe them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know anything about this, so she chose to believe Lu Jin.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Ishihara Baisan praised Qin Yaoguang so much just now. I wonder if he knows about you, father? You¡¯re ten thousand times stronger than Qin Yaoguang!¡±

    ¡°Who wants someone like him to know about me?¡±Lu Jinughed and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re bringing down my style.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butughed. She almost spat out the water she had just drank.

    However, she still choked and started coughing.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng both took a tissue and handed it over to her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and saw that both hands were doing the same thing. She was in such a good mood that she was like a begonia under the spring sun, blooming to the extreme.

    She smiled and took the tissues handed over from both sides. ¡°Thank you, father. Thank you, Mr. Peter.¡±

    Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng did not lower himself to Lu Jin¡¯s level. He smiled and retracted his hand. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    At that moment, the greasy middle-aged man on the television, Zheng Yonghao, had finished his speech and the performance had begun again.

    Gu Nianzhi was no longer interested.

    She really wanted to investigate this Ishihara Baisan.

    She quietly took out her phone and started searching.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attention was half on Gu Nianzhi and the other half on Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, had been watching the television the whole time and seemed very interested.

    Gu Nianzhi searched around but did not find anything wrong with Ishihara Baisan.

    His resume waspletely different from Ishihara Baisan¡¯s, and his research direction was also different.

    Was she really overthinking?

    ..

    Time flew by, and soon it was the time for the New Year¡¯s Eve Bell to ring.

    The song ¡°Unforgettable Tonight¡± yed, bringing people back to the atmosphere of decades ago.

    Gu Nianzhi put down her phone and smiled as she hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm. She said loudly to him, ¡°Happy New Year, daddy!¡±

    Lu Jin seemed shocked, but he quickly came back to his senses. He wrapped his other arm around Gu Nianzhi and said with a smile, ¡°Happy New Year, Nianzhi!¡±

    Huo shaoheng also said, ¡°Happy New Year, Uncle Lu. Happy New Year, Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him and blinked. ¡°Happy New Year, Mr. Peter.¡±

    Lu Jin stood up and stretched. ¡°Okay, there¡¯s no need to watch anymore. Everyone, rest early.¡±

    He waved at Gu Nianzhi and said tiredly.

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Dad, you should go to bed early too.¡±

    Lu Jin turned to leave the living room, but stopped at the door. He turned around with a frown. ¡°Mr. Peter, aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to stand up as well. He gave Gu Nianzhi a long look and said,¡±... Good Night.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help blushing.

    Fortunately, the living room was far away from the main door, or Lu Jin would have noticed something was wrong.

    ¡°Good night,¡±Gu Nianzhi said in a low voice as well, her heart overflowing with happiness.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her crystal clear face, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down, suppressing his desire to kiss her. He said hoarsely, ¡°I¡¯ll wake you Up tomorrow morning and greet you with good morning.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you...¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips barely moved and her voice was so soft that her answer could barely be heard.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had trained his hearing to be very sharp, and he could read lips. Even if he couldn¡¯t hear them, he knew what Gu Nianzhi was talking about.

    He was agitated, but it wasn¡¯t obvious on the surface.

    ¡°Hey! Why aren¡¯t you leaving yet? ! Are you dawdling to wait until next year¡¯s New Year?¡±Lu Jin shouted unceremoniously at the door.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded at Gu Nianzhi and strode out of the living room.

    When he reached the door, huo shaoheng said, ¡°Uncle Lu, I¡¯m going to stay at President Lu¡¯s ce for the night.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and said rudely, ¡°You can stay anywhere, as long as you¡¯re not with my girl.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    After Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng had left, Gu Nianzhi sat on the sofa alone for a while to calm herself down before going to sleep in the bedroom.

    It was just past midnight, and the sound of firecrackers could still be heard outside.

    The whole city was immersed in the atmosphere of weing the new and saying goodbye to the old.

    Just then, the door to Lu Jin¡¯s suite opened.

    Lu Jin was wearing a dark gray, matte coat, a cap on his head, and night-vision goggles with far-infrared and satellite transmission functions. He walked out of the room.

    He walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s door and touched it fondly. He left a kiss on her door before turning to leave and entering the elevator.

    The elevator door had just closed when the door to Lu Yuan¡¯s suite opened, and Huo Shaoheng walked out as well.

    His face had undergone aplete makeover, so that his original appearance could not be seen at all. He looked like a fierce fighter with broad shoulders, a broad back, and strong long legs.

    He also had a thick beard on his face, and a pair of sunsses with far-infrared and night vision on the bridge of his nose.

    He raised his hand to look at his watch, and a red dot was clearly disyed on it. It was Lu Jin¡¯s coordinates.

    He could see that the red dot was approaching the garage.

    Huo Shaoheng strode into the elevator and followed after Lu Jin.

    ..

    At that moment, not far from their apartmentplex, a group of well-dressed people walked out of the television station¡¯s building.

    The Spring Festival G was over, and the people attending the g were all still very excited.

    The Huaxia Regional Executive of the BIMAI Foundation, Zheng Yonghao, whispered to Ishihara Baisan, ¡°Mr. Ishihara, today is the Spring Festival G, and it¡¯s a day of celebration. Why did you bring up Mrs. Qin Yaoguang at such a time?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just show my condolences? You Chinese people have no concept ofw and order. She hasn¡¯t been convicted. She¡¯s just a suspect. This is her right,¡±Ishihara Baisan said disapprovingly as he got into the car.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update for today: Chapter 1704, ¡°Lowering my style.¡±.

    A warm reminder for everyone regarding the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket.

    All votes for the rmendation, please ~

    Kisses for everyone, my little angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1705 - Resist suChapter a Temptation

    <h4>Chapter 1705: Resist such a Temptation</h4>

    Lu Jin came out of the elevator in the apartment building and walked directly to the underground parking lot.

    He found a car in the underground parking lot that he didn¡¯t drive often. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get into the car. Instead, he put on a pair of transparent gloves and found two license tes from the trunk. He put them on the front and rear of the car.

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the elevator and saw this scene.

    He hid in the shadow of a corner of the parking lot and observed in secret with interest. He thought to himself that Lu Jin had been able to hide under the eyes of the shrewd He Chengjian for so many years. He must have umted a lot of ¡°fighting¡± methods...

    Lu Jin put the license te on and wiped the dust off his gloves with a tissue. He opened the door and got in the car.

    After he got in the car, he quickly nced at the parking lot. Seeing that there was no one else, he felt relieved and drove out.

    After Lu Jin drove off, Huo Shaoheng shed out and got into his car.

    Unlike Lu Jin, Huo Shaoheng had already changed the license te on his car, so there was no need to rush at thest minute.

    Coming out of the apartmentplex, Huo Shaoheng saw that the road ahead was empty. Lu Jin¡¯s car was nowhere to be seen.

    However, he was in no hurry. If he followed too closely, Lu Jin would find him.

    As an experienced intelligence agent, this kind of thing was not a problem at all.

    He sat in the car, took out his phone, and sent a message to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was not asleep yet.

    Too many things had happened that night. Although she pretended to be calm, her heart was like a volcano in Hawaii, erupting from the bottom of the sea and bursting hard.

    She had just been rolling on the bed for a while when she heard her phone ring.

    She took it and saw that it was a text message from the king of Drama.

    The King of Drama: [ do you have the location of your father¡¯s phone? ]

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and replied: [ why? ]

    The King of Drama: [ send me his current location. Don¡¯t let him know. ]

    Huo Shaoheng knew that no matter who Lu Jin was on guard against, he would not be on guard against Gu Nianzhi.

    Therefore, his phone was definitely open to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    Simrly, Huo Shaoheng believed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone was open to Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unease began to grow.

    She sat up on the bed, turned on her phone¡¯s GPS, and found Lu Jin¡¯s location.

    He wasn¡¯t next door!

    The GPS on her phone showed that Lu Jin had left the apartment block and was driving towards the highway.

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious and quickly sent Lu Jin¡¯s coordinates to Huo Shaoheng. She anxiously replied: [ what happened? It¡¯s the middle of the night, where is my dad going? ! ]

    Huo Shaoheng quickly replied with a voice message: [ it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here. ]

    He hung up the phone and followed the coordinates Gu Nianzhi had given him for Lu Jin. He drove and chased after Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t fall asleep anymore. She got out of bed and turned on herptop to keep in close contact with Huo Shaoheng.

    She didn¡¯t know if Huo Shaoheng would be able to pick up the phone at this time, so she only sent him a message: [ I¡¯m already online. Call me if you need anything. ]

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t look at his phone. He turned onto the highway and saw Lu Jin¡¯s car.

    There were very few cars on the road at this time, but it wasn¡¯t empty either.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t attract Lu Jin¡¯s attention when he was stuck in the middle of a few night-driving cars.

    In fact, Lu Jin¡¯s entire attention was focused on what he was going to doter.

    He could feel his heartbeat. He did not need to measure it to know that it was at least 25 times faster than usual.

    His blood pressure was rising rapidly, but it had yet to reach the threshold of high blood pressure.

    Meanwhile, all of Ishihara Baisan¡¯s resume was running through Lu Jin¡¯s mind.

    He had just lied to Gu Nianzhi in her living room.

    He had indeed been ssmates with Ishihara Baisan for a period of time, and they were PhD students.

    However, he had only stayed in Ishihara Baisan¡¯sboratory for a short period of time at that time. He had his own PhD student tutor, and because the two tutors were not on good terms. Also, he did not want others to know that he hade to thisboratory to further his studies, so he used a purely American pseudonym.

    He did not want credits or academic records. He only treated him as a student in theboratory to further his studies, so the management was not that strict.

    Just by looking at his name, no one could find out that he and Ishihara Baisan were once ssmates.

    Andter, because of Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death, he was wanted by He Chengjiang.

    To avoid He Chengjiang, he deleted his previous resume on the inte intermittently.

    The information that ordinary people could find about him was getting less and less.

    Of course, if they were familiar with him, they would still know.

    But there weren¡¯t so many traces on the inte.

    Lu Jin looked at his phone. He had already found out that Ishihara Baisan was staying at the Dunxi Road Hotel in the capital.

    After the Chinese New Year G, Ishihara Baisan would definitely go back to the hotel to rest.

    This person¡¯s schedule was actually very strict, and he didn¡¯t like to go to nightclubs, so he probably wouldn¡¯t go out with people to have fun.

    Driving to the parking lot of the Dunxi Road Hotel, Lu Jin took a real ¡°fake¡± identity card and asked for a room.

    This identity card was one of the few identities he had created for himself to avoid He Chengjian¡¯s arrest.

    These identity cards were all real in the government¡¯s identity card management system, so they were real.

    But the person was fake, so it was a real ¡°fake¡± identity card.

    He found out the floor where Ishihara Baisan was staying and asked for a suite next to his room.

    The Chinese New Year was the day that Chinese people reunite with their families all year round. Very few people went out on business at this time, so the upancy rate of the Imperial Hotel was not very high.

    Lu Jin easily got to his room.

    He took the key card and went to his room. Lu Jin went to the bathroom first and changed his appearance slightly.

    In fact, just by changing the shape of his eyebrows and nose and wearing ck-rimmed sses, he could look very different from his current appearance.

    After disguising himself, Lu Jin called the internal line of Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room.

    Ishihara Baisan had just finished showering. He came out of the bathroom in a kimono bathrobe and sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. He was about to light a cigar for himself to smoke.

    When he heard the internal phone in the hotel room ring, he didn¡¯t even look at the caller ID. He thought it a call from was the lobby, so he answered it and said ¡°Hello¡±.

    The person on the other side tried hard to speak in Japanese, ¡°Is that Mr. Ishihara? A friend of yours asked me to send you a gift.¡±

    ¡°Friend? Which friend?¡± Ishihara Baisan frowned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he contact me directly?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Lu Jin stuttered deliberately in Japanese. ¡°His name is Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Ishihara Baisan¡¯s pupils suddenly widened. ¡°Who? Who did you just say? !¡±

    ¡°I said, his name is Gu Xiangwen. This person asked me to give you a gift.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he dead? ! He died eight years ago!¡± Ishihara Baisan suddenly stood up from the sofa. ¡°Are you lying to me?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, he is dead. He died eight years ago. He entrusted this to me before he died.¡± Lu Jin¡¯s voice slowed down. ¡°He said that if youe to Huaxia, just give this to you. If you don¡¯te, then forget it.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen... left a gift for him before he died?

    Ishihara Baisan¡¯s heart pounded, and he felt the blood in his body boiling.

    Gu Xiangwen...

    Although that rare genius was younger than him by more than ten years, he had achieved something that he could never achieve in his entire life.

    Ishihara Baisan had always respected the strong, but Gu Xiangwen was too young. Moreover, when he worked with him in theboratory, he could not see that Gu Xiangwen was so powerful. Therefore, Ishihara Baisan could not have the same respect for Gu Xiangwen as he did for the strong, however, he still admired him.

    ¡°What... What Gift is it?¡±Ishihara Baisan stuttered.

    At that time, they were actually quite close. Gu Xiangwen had even told him his real name. Therefore, when he heard the name ¡°Gu Xiangwen,¡± he knew that Gu Xiangwen was the physics student who went to theirboratory to study under a pseudonym.

    Lu Jin looked at the things in his hands and grinned. ¡°A test tube and a few experimental notes.¡±

    In the spacious and quiet room, Ishihara Baisan could hear his heavy breathing.

    After a while, he suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked in a low voice, ¡°Test tube? Experimental notes? What are they about? Why are they left for me?¡±

    Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. If you want to know, you can go and ask him.¡±

    Ishihara Baisan¡¯s hands gripped the earpiece tightly, and he was in a dilemma.

    ¡®Should I take a look at what that brilliant scientist left behind before he died?¡¯

    ¡®Even if it¡¯s just a joke, there¡¯s no harm in taking a look, right?¡¯

    Ishihara Baisan thought to himself. In the end, he was still tempted by the test tubes and experimental notes left behind by Gu Xiangwen.

    It could be said that no one in the world of high-energy physics and biological gic engineering could resist such temptation.

    He heard himself say into the phone, ¡°Okay, give me the gift.¡±

    Then he asked, ¡°Where are you? What time shall we meet? I¡¯lle and find you.¡±

    Lu Jinughed, ¡°Come out in three minutes, the gift will be at your door.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1705, ¡°No one can resist such a temptation.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket.

    All votes for the ¡®Rmend¡¯ option, please

    8:00 p.m. Second update.

    Mwah,dies and gentlemen~~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1706 - I Know What You Did

    <h4>Chapter 1706: I Know What You Did</h4>

    Ishihara Baisan was stunned for a moment, ¡°Three minutes?¡±

    However, the other party had already hung up.

    At this moment, Ishihara Baisan subconsciously looked at the caller ID on thendline. Unfortunately, the phone number was no longer visible.

    He pressed the button on thendline to check thest phone number, but it turned out to be the hotel room¡¯s internal number!

    Could that person also be staying in this hotel?

    Ishihara Baisan became even more excited as he thought about it.

    It seemed like it was a gift from Gu Xiangwen...

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t a prank or a joke.

    After all, the person who could stay in Dunhill Hotel couldn¡¯t be those hooligans who had nothing to do.

    Ishihara Baisan walked to the door and looked through the peephole in the room.

    The corridor was silent and empty. He did not see anyone leaving anything at his door.

    However, what he did not know was that Lu Jin did not walk to his door and leave anything.

    He used a few yellowed experiment notes to hold the small test tube. He stood at the door of his room and casually threw it at the door of Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room.

    He was so quick that when Ishihara Baisan walked to his door and looked through the peephole, his things were thrown.

    Three minutester, Ishihara Baisan pulled the door open with a whoosh.

    The corridor was still empty, and he didn¡¯t see anyone else.

    He lowered his head and saw the gifts that Gu Xiangwen had given him before he died. A few yellowedb notes rolled up into thin strips the size of a test tube thatid quietly at his feet.

    Ishihara Baisan quickly picked them up and pinched them. They were hard, and there were indeed test tubes inside.

    He looked around suspiciously, quickly ran back in, and mmed the door.

    He leaned against his door and panted heavily.

    The scene just now was too exciting, as if it was a dream.

    He was extremely excited.

    If these things could provide him with clues and ideas for his experiments that had reached a bottleneck, they would be priceless treasures!

    Ishihara Baisan closed his eyes and tried his best to calm down.

    With trembling hands, he opened the yellowed notebooks in his hands.

    Before he could see what was inside the test tubes, he was attracted by the contents of the old notebooks.

    His pupils dted and his lips trembled violently. He could not believe that Gu Xiangwen knew about it back then!

    Because there was an experiment step written on the yellowed experiment notes!

    The mboyant handwriting looked extremely familiar.

    It was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s handwriting!

    However, this experiment was the design described in Ishihara Baisan¡¯s doctoral thesis decades ago!

    How did he know?!

    All the blood drained from Ishihara Baisan¡¯s ruddy and healthy face, leaving him pale and haggard.

    He slumped against the door and sat on the ground, hugging his head.

    He fell into a state of extreme fear.

    Just like now, his doctoral thesis had once been in a difficult situation. There was an experiment that he could not do no matter how hard he tried.

    That time, Ishihara Baisan almost couldn¡¯t graduate. On one fateful night, he stayed in theb and saw the experiment notes that Gu Xiangwen had forgotten to take with him.

    There was a simple experiment design written on it, and it was just enough to solve Ishihara Baisan¡¯s predicament!

    Ishihara Baisan remembered that he had looked at it repeatedly, and in the end, as if he was influenced by the devil, he took out a camera and took a few photos of the experiment design notes.

    At that time, theboratory did not have many surveince cameraspared to now. Ishihara Baisan did not take away Gu Xiangwen¡¯s experiment notes and left them as they were.

    Therefore, after so many years, Ishihara Baisan never thought that Gu Xiangwen would find out that he had done something.

    Later, when he defended his doctoral thesis, Gu Xiangwen had not only left theirboratory and returned to hisboratory, but he had also graduated earlier than him and returned to China.

    Ishihara Baisan did not copy Gu Xiangwen¡¯s experimental designpletely. He also made minor changes to the trivial parts and exined the experimental steps in his own words.

    Even if Gu Xiangwen saw his doctoral thesis, he would at most be confused. He would not think that Gu Xiangwen had stolen his experimental design, right?

    He was sure that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s experimental design had not been published in a formal journal, nor had it been used in his doctoral thesis experiment. It was like ast-minute idea, an abandoned experimental step.

    So he used it with a clear conscience. In the end, he even relied on this experiment to receive unanimous praise from the thesis defense team professors, and he even received the highest award for his doctoral thesis at Harvard University!

    There was so much content in his doctoral thesis, but this was the only experiment that the professors could not stop praising...

    At the thought of this, Ishihara Baisan broke out in a cold sweat.

    He was silent for a long while. Trembling, he flipped to thest page of the yellowing experiment notes. He saw that there were a few curved figures drawn on it, but he could not tell what they were.

    There were a few lines of words below the figures, which were written after.

    They should have been written by Gu Xiangwen when he was dying eight years ago, right?

    ¡°I know what you did...¡±

    ¡°Trash! You couldn¡¯t even create a perfect experiment result even if you copy it!¡±

    Ishihara Baisan looked at the curved figures and howled. He hurriedly threw the few pages of experiment notes and test tubes out like a hot potato.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trash... I¡¯m not trash... I¡¯m not trash...¡±

    He gradually went into a daze as he thought over and over again, I¡¯m not trash... I¡¯m not trash... I¡¯m not trash... I¡¯m not trash...

    It was like a program looping endlessly.

    Everything was over.

    Soon, everyone would know what he had done. He did not believe that Gu Xiangwen did not have any backup ns to expose what he had done back then.

    Since he had prepared all of this eight years ago, Ishihara Baisan was confident that Gu Xiangwen would have follow-up steps.

    From then on, the academic world would know that he, Ishihara Baisan, the best biogic engineer in the Great Japanese Empire and the Chief Scientist of the United Nations Poption Fund was a giarist.

    His reputation, status, and the results of his hard work over the years would be exposed by the truth that he giarized.

    ording to the rules of his alma mater, Harvard University, giarizing his graduation thesis would result in the cancetion of his degree.

    So, he was going to lose his doctorate?

    Ishihara Baisan knew better than anyone else how serious the consequences of giarism were in the academic world.

    Back then, he dared to do it on the premise that Gu Xiangwen would not discover it.

    Moreover, he had waited for two years. After Gu Xiangwen graduated, the Ph.D. thesis that he published publicly had nothing to do with these few pages of experimental design. Only then did he carefully apply it to his graduation thesis design.

    He didn¡¯t expect Gu Xiangwen to be so scheming and cunning...

    He had dug a hole and was waiting for him to jump into it!

    Ishihara Baisan was still in a daze as he slowly walked into his room.

    There was a long sword in his suitcase. It was a samurai sword that his father had given him.

    No matter where he went, he would take it with him as an encouragement.

    He had told Gu Xiangwen about this habit before and even showed Gu Xiangwen the long samurai sword.

    Because of this, he rarely took a ne, and security was increasingly strict these days, so his long sword could only be transported specially.

    He took out the long sword from his suitcase and wiped it with a towel.

    The light in the bedroom reflected the bright light of the sword. It was as beautiful as the snow in winter, without any impurities.

    Ishihara Baisan closed his eyes and removed his kimono bathrobe. He held the hilt of the long knife with both hands and shed at his abdomen!

    ...

    Lu Jin threw the thing at Ishihara Baisan¡¯s door and did not leave immediately.

    He sat in his room with his legs crossed and set a timer on his phone. Then, he began to study the Inte security system of Dunhill Hotel.

    When his timer rang, the sound of chaotic footsteps could be heard in the corridor outside the door.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°What was going on?¡±

    This floor was full of luxury suites. There were not many people staying there, but there were about seven or eight people.

    Everyone opened the door and looked outside.

    The hotel¡¯s service staff rushed into a room in a hurry.

    A man who looked like a manager said nervously to everyone, ¡°Something happened, please don¡¯te out.¡±

    ¡°What happened? We have the right to know!¡±

    These people were not easily fooled and questioned the hotel management.

    The manager could not handle it and urged, ¡°Everyone, please be quiet! Don¡¯t Panic! The police and the ambnce would being soon!¡±

    ¡°What? The police and the ambnce?! What happened?!¡±

    It would be better if the man didn¡¯t say it, but he did and everyone panicked even more.

    A chubby man walked out of the room and demanded, ¡°If you don¡¯t exin clearly, I won¡¯t dare to stay here!¡±

    He turned around and walked toward the elevator, but before he walked out of the corridor, a few hotel security guards shed out and blocked his way.

    The hotel¡¯s top management also came over and exined to the man with a pleasant expression, ¡°Please be patient. There was an international murder on this floor. The police told us to lock down the entire floor. We can¡¯t let anyone leave until they arrive.¡±

 Chapter 1707 - Seamless Cooperation

    <h4>Chapter 1707: Seamless Cooperation</h4>

    ¡°Huh? ! What is this based on? What does a murder here have to do with us? ! Based on what criteria are we not allowed to leave?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this. If you suspect someone to be a suspect, bring a court search warrant. If not, please move aside. We don¡¯t want to continue living here.¡±

    ¡°Who the F*CK would want to continue living in a ce where a murder has just urred...¡±

    People with the louder voice shouted out their dissatisfaction; People with the softer voices also muttered their discontent.

    The bustling sound was incessant, like a ho¡¯s nest being poked.

    In fact, the action of the hotel forbidding the guests of other rooms to enter and leave freely because a murder happened on this floor was indeed illegal.

    These guests were not at the scene of the crime, and the hotel management did not have any evidence to prove that the guests of these other rooms were rted to the murder.

    All the people who were able to live in the luxury suites of the Dunhill

    Hotel were not just ordinary people.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to grab their phones and call theirwyers, family, and friends.

    Although it was the early morning of the first day of the New Year, many people had not slept because the Spring G had just ended.

    Soon,wyers were driving over to the hotel.

    While these guests were arguing with the hotel management, Lu Jin unhurriedly logged into the hotel¡¯s intr in his room to erase any traces of him checking in.

    From the registration records in the lobby to his credit card, to the surveince video in the lobby, as well as the surveince video in the corridor on this floor, he had deleted all the marks of his presence.

    Perhaps the service staff in the lobby who had registered him had a vague impression of such a person, but it would be strange if that person could remember an ordinary person like him when this ce became chaoticter.

    The only problem was the key card in his hand.

    If the hotel management sorted out all the key cards on this floor, they would discover that the key card in his room was missing.

    And this room happened to be next to Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room.

    If they began to search, the person who checked him in might remember him.

    Lu Jin pondered if he should hypnotize the service staff in the lobby when he went downstairs.

    Suddenly, the ear-piercing fire rm rang outside!

    Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

    The sharp sound of the fire rm instantly reverberated throughout the entire corridor.

    The faces of the guests who were confronting the hotel management immediately changed drastically.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and run!¡±

    When the fire rm sounded, the hotel management had no more reason to stop these guests from leaving.

    In fact, even if the police came now, they could only run down together with the guests at this time.

    The hotel management staff were the first to turn and run down the stairs.

    The rest of the guests also ran down the stairs with a whoosh.

    Because the elevator would automatically shut down when there was a fire. So no one ran to the elevator.

    At the same time, Lu Jin shed out of the room and ran down after these people.

    Just as he went down to the middle floor, the firemen finally came up.

    One of them, a big fireman in a yellow fireman¡¯s uniform, rushed over quickly and bumped into Lu Jin, then continued to the run-up.

    Lu Jin hurriedly dodged, but he was still knocked down to the railing of the stairs.

    However, that person didn¡¯t hit him hard. His back hit the railing, but it didn¡¯t hurt at all.

    Lu Jin wasn¡¯t in the mood to argue with this person. He thought that it was understandable that the fireman was rushing to put out the fire. He just wanted to hurry home.

    Finally, he got downstairs. Lu Jin recalled his key card and looked around for the service staff who had checked him in. He tried to hypnotize that person, but when he touched his pocket, the key card was gone!

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression changed drastically and quickly looked around.

    Some guests had juste down from upstairs. All of them were disheveled. Many were still wrapped in the hotel¡¯s nightgowns and bathrobes.

    It was obviously an emergency, and there was no time for them to change.

    Although there were not many people on their floor, there were still quite a few guests in the entire building.

    For a building like this, if a fire broke out on one floor, all guests on all floors would be evacuated.

    Lu Jin squeezed himself into the group of people and calmly looked for the service staff who had checked in for him.

    When the fire rm sounded, the hotel service staff had their own evacuation tasks. They were all working in an orderly manner ording to the n. Lu Jin did not find the person he was looking for.

    The first group of firemen who rushed upstairs sprint to the floor where the murder happened.

    ording to the fire rm records, the fire started from that floor. The source of the fire should be there.

    The tallest firefighter, the one who bumped into Lu Jin, was the first one to rush into Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room.

    He wore a fire mask and quickly looked around. Then, he entered Ishihara Baisan¡¯s bedroom and found the room pitch ck.

    Holding a high-brightness shlight, he saw two things besides the dead body that didn¡¯t fit into the luxury environment around him.

    A small test tube and a few pieces of yellowed paper that looked like they had been torn from a notebook.

    The man did not think too much about it. He quickly walked over to pick up the two things and stuffed them into the thick fire jacket.

    Because of the fire rm, the power in the building had been suspended. Only the backup power in the corridor was still running.

    The man exited the darkroom and entered the suite that Lu Jin had just stayed in next door. He casually flipped the tables, chairs, and sofas, making them appear to be caused by someone running out of the room in a panic.

    He then used the fire extinguisher to spray the room fiercely, wiping away all the fingerprints and footprints that Lu Jin might have left behind.

    After exiting Lu Jin¡¯s room, he carried the fire extinguisher to another few rooms. After doing the same thing, he quickly exited the room.

    The entire operation took less than five minutes. The other firefighters were still looking for a possible source of fire in the various rooms. He had already sessfully retreated.

    He found a remote utility room, took out a folded travel bag, opened it, took off the fire uniform on him, and stuffed it in. Then he carried the travel bag, pretending to be one of the guests, and quickly rushed down the fire escape.

    When he came to the lobby, it was crowded. He quickly walked to the ce where the lobby registration office was located.

    It was also crowded here. The hotel¡¯s service staff was not checking in here at the moment.

    He stood at the ce where the service staff was registering and threw the key card into the drawer that was used to store the key card before anyone noticed.

    At this moment, the sound of police cars could be heard at the entrance of the hotel.

    The police finally arrived.

    Just as therge group of police rushed in, a few firemen hurried down from upstairs.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! There¡¯s a problem with the fire rm. There¡¯s no fire!¡±

    ¡°It was a false rm! A false rm!¡±

    ¡°For safety¡¯s sake, everyone, please wait another half an hour. It won¡¯t be toote after we¡¯ve checked and eliminated the fire rm in the entire building for everyone to go upstairs.¡±

    As the firemen announced about the situation upstairs, many people heaved a sigh of relief.

    Lu Jin was also paying attention to the development of the situation in the crowd.

    When he heard that it wasn¡¯t a real fire rm, he raised his eyebrows and felt it was a little strange.

    Just as he was about to look for the hotel¡¯s check-in attendant, a tall man walked over and said to him in a low voice, ¡°Sir, the car you requested is here.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately became alert when he heard this voice.

    This was the voice of the Soviet KGB¡¯s Peter Huo Shaoheng!

    He examined the figure of this person. It was clearly the fireman who had hit him before!

    Lu Jin understood everything now.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) must have stolen the key card that he had lost, right?

    It was Huo Shaoheng.

    He grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°The key card has been returned. Let¡¯s go, the car is outside.¡±

    Lu Jin heaved a huge sigh of relief.

    He saw that the hotel management had also walked to the lobby and startedmunicating with the police. He quickly followed Huo Shaoheng to exit.

    Because of the fire rm earlier, arge portion of the guests had also run out of the building.

    At this time, the hotel¡¯s main entrance did not restrict people from entering and leaving.

    He followed Huo Shaoheng out of the lobby quickly and saw that Huo Shaoheng was carrying a travel bag in his hand.

    When they walked near the fire truck, Huo Shaoheng took out the fire uniform from the travel bag and threw it into the back of the fire truck when no one was around.

    There was a clutter of fire equipment and some scattered fire uniforms.

    Huo Shaoheng threw the fire uniform from his travel bag into the middle of the pile of fire uniforms. No one could tell that a fire uniform had just been lost here.

    Lu Jin noticed that when Huo Shaoheng did these things, he always kept his back facing the surveince cameras.

    ¡°... you don¡¯t have to be so careful, do you? There¡¯s a fire rm here, and the power has been cut off.¡±Lu Jin pointed to the surveince cameras over there.

    Huo Shaoheng said lightly,¡±... the surveince cameras in the Soviet Union usually have backup power. Of course, the surveince cameras in this hotel don¡¯t have backup power, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and thought to himself, so what if he was caught on camera?

    With his ability, hacking into and deleting it would be a piece of cake.

    However, he had to admit that Peter¡¯s meticulousness was indeed a sign of professionalism.

    He stopped arguing and obediently followed Huo Shaoheng through the crowd on thewn of the hotel building. They walked out of the main door and headed across the street.

    There was also a crowd on the other side of the road. Some of them had rushed over to see what happened, some werewyers, friends, and rtives of the guests that got called, and some were hotel guests that worried about the spread of fire and ran directly to the opposite side of the hotel.

    After Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin left the hotel, they did not walk very quickly. Instead, they strolled casually into the crowd of people on the other side of the road to watch themotion.

    The two of them quietly moved back among the crowd and walked to the back. They looked up at the situation at the Dunhill Hotel for a while before slowly leaving the ce.

    The two of them walked to the corner of the street. Huo Shaoheng remotely opened a car and raised his chin at Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin got into the passenger seat of the car without a word.

    Huo Shaoheng got into the driver¡¯s seat. He stepped on the elerator and sped away from the ce.

    They were not the only cars that were leaving the hotel area. So they did not draw much attention.

    Lu Jin was full of praise for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions, but he also asked curiously,¡±... how did you know I was here? I was sure no one was following me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t answer him, but asked coldly, ¡°Ishihara Baisan is dead?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and smiled, ¡°Guess how he died?¡±

    ¡°Why did you want him to die?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked again, his mood a little heavy.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1707, ¡°Working together as one¡±.

    Please remind everyone of the monthly and rmendation tickets.

    Please vote for all the rmendation tickets, okay ~ ~

    The second update is at 8:00 pm.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1708 - He Had Nothing Better to Do

    <h4>Chapter 1708: He Had Nothing Better to Do</h4>

    Lu Jin blinked. He still wanted to y dumb.

    ¡°... What do you mean you want him dead? What does his death have to do with me?¡± Lu Jin¡¯s line of sight drifted as he looked out of the car window at the night sky.

    The streetlights drew a long, shining line under the night sky, guiding towards an unknown direction.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched, and he gripped the steering wheel tightly. He stepped on the elerator abruptly and sped some distance forward before saying, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Why did you use a fake ID to stay next door to Ishihara Baisan? And in the middle of the night?¡±

    Lu Jinughed and said proudly, ¡°Mr. Peter, you need evidence before you speak. Go to the Dunhill Hotel and check it out. If you can find my registration record, I lose. Even if you discover my fake ID, I lose!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng alsoughed and said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t need to check theputer records. You left sufficient fingerprints and footprints in the room next to Ishihara Baisan. Just these two are enough for the police in the imperial capital to confirm your identity.¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment and let out a long ¡°Ah¡±. He said in frustration, ¡°Damn! How could I forget this!¡±

    ¡°If you can remember this, I lose.¡± Huo Shaoheng imitated Lu Jin¡¯s tone, ¡°Your life has always been on the inte. You have paid more attention to removing your traces on the inte, but what about traces in your life? Don¡¯t forget, what can really convict you are your traces in the real world.¡±

    Therefore, not only did he spray the fire extinguisher, he also disarranged several uninhabited rooms to confuse the public.

    ¡°Convicted? !¡± Lu Jin did not buy it, and his expression darkened. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything illegal! Why are you convicting me? !¡±

    ¡°Nothing illegal? Then why did you go to Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room in the middle of the night? And after you checked in, he died. You im that it had nothing to do with you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tilted his head to look at him and said, ¡°... Nianzhi already knows that you¡¯re out at night. She has your location.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! H-h-how would she know? ! Isn¡¯t she sleeping at this time? !¡±

    Lu Jin immediately turned off his engine as soon as Huo Shaoheng brought out Gu Nianzhi.

    His eyes darted around as he started to conceive a ¡°perfect¡± excuse to fool Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng caught the way his eyes darted around. It was so simr to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mannerism that he couldn¡¯t help but exim in admiration.

    The power of heredity was too strong..

    After waiting for a while, Huo Shaoheng softened his tone and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, please tell me the details so that we won¡¯t be exposed in front of Nianzhi.¡±

    He added, ¡°You know that Nianzhi can detect the slightest mistake.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could even see through Huo Shangheng¡¯s disguise. In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes, Gu Nianzhi was almost as adept at ¡°reading expressions¡± as experts in his industry.

    The idea that Lu Jin just came up with was like a fully inted balloon pricked by a needle. The air had all escaped.

    He leaned weakly against his seat and sighed deeply. ¡°Of course I have my reasons. Also, I really didn¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°... You didn¡¯t kill him, which means you didn¡¯t physically kill him, right?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked ahead quietly and said lightly, ¡°I didn¡¯t kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me. I¡¯m notpletely free from responsibility, am I?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just not responsible for any of it.¡± Lu Jin snorted. ¡°He had a guilty conscience that I exposed. He lost face andmitted seppuku.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng recalled the condition of the corpse he had just seen. It really looked like he hadmitted seppuku.

    The ground was covered in blood. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he would have been stained.

    Huo Shaoheng, with his agility and keen observation, avoided contamination. However, if Lu Jin had entered that room, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid it.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly nced at the sole of Lu Jin¡¯s shoe.

    Fortunately, the edge of the shoe was pure white, and there wasn¡¯t a speck of blood on it.

    Lu Jin must not have entered Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room.

    Huo Shaoheng felt relieved and rxed.

    ¡°Then how did he die?¡± Huo Shaoheng finally asked. ¡°It can¡¯t be that you ordered him to die and he justmitted seppuku, right?¡±

    Lu Jin had a cynical look on his face. He said, ¡°... more or less. I exposed the fact that he giarized my experiment design decades ago.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately thought of the small test tube and a few yellowed papers beside Ishihara Baisan¡¯s body.

    It was obvious that Ishihara Baisan cared about these two things, because the ce where he had ced them had not been stained by blood at all.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He muttered to himself, and his fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel. After a while, he took out the small test tube and the yellowed papers, and said, ¡°Uncle Lu, did you know? Ishihara Baisan did not die so easily. When he was dying, he left these two things in the best position by his side. They didn¡¯t even get stained by the blood from his seppuku suicide.¡±

    Lu Jin blinked. ¡°You got these too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, what else would I have done? Leaving them there would be giving clues to someone with ulterior motives.¡± Huo Shaoheng flipped his hand and put the two things away. ¡°What do you think would happen if someone with ulterior motives saw these two things?¡±

    ¡°What would they think?¡± Lu Jin understood and his face turned pale.

    Huo Shaoheng enunciated each word clearly, ¡°... will he think first that Gu Xiangwen is actually not dead?¡±

    ¡°F*ck! That¡¯s too cunning! Ishihara Baisan went so far as to having a backup n!¡± Lu Jin was absolutely furious, ¡°This old fart! Turn the car around, I want him to die again!¡±

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng did not listen to Lu Jin¡¯s crazy words.

    He calmly drove the car until Lu Jin was done throwing a tantrum, thenforted him. ¡°Actually, it makes sense that hemitted suicide after you exposed his giarism. The Japanese always try hard to keep up appearances .

    ¡°But he wasn¡¯t willing to die just like that, so he tried to leave something behind. However, by doing so, he also gave us clues.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at Lu Jin, ¡°That is, Ishihara Baisan wasn¡¯t alone. He must have had an aplice. He ced these clues next to his body to remind his aplice that Gu Xiangwen isn¡¯t dead. He found him.¡±

    Lu Jin hadn¡¯t expected Ishihara Baisan to try to trick him before his death. He gasped and looked at Huo Shaoheng with even more admiration, ¡°Peter, you are indeed the Soviet KGB. You are even able to think of this! I think you are better than boss Lu!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But why did you pick today to expose him for giarizing your experiment design?¡± Huo Shaoheng changed the topic again. He would not let Lu Jin off so easily.

    Huo Shaoheng discovered two suspicious points from today¡¯s incident.

    One, why did Lu Jin want to expose Ishihara Baisan now and incite him tomit suicide instead of attacking him when he found out that Ishihara Baisan had giarized him decades ago?

    Two, Ishihara Baisan wasn¡¯t alone. He had an aplice. But why did he have an aplice? Who was his aplice? What were they working on together?

    All the secrets shouldnd on Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng continued to ask, ¡°ording to what you just said, that was decades ago. Why didn¡¯t you expose it decades ago but only now?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s excitement faded away like the tides. He rubbed his foreheadzily and said, ¡°Can¡¯t I be happy?¡±

    ¡°I was too busy decades ago and didn¡¯t have time to expose him. If he copied me, so be it. What else could he have done?¡±Lu Jin¡¯s eyes shed with a sly glint.

    Huo Shaoheng happened to look up at the rearview mirror. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Lu Jin¡¯s eyes and a barely discernible smile.

    ¡°What about a few decadester? You¡¯re not busy anymore?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked with a faint smile.

    ¡°Yes, just finding something convenient to pass the time with, since I have nothing to do.¡± Lu Jinughed dryly, he quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking. How could I bear to hit my precious daughter? Only teaching someone as shameless as Ishihara Baisan a lesson would not be a waste of time.¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered why you suddenly wanted to expose him decadester, and why you still wanted to do it on the first morning of the New Year.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not someone who was easily fooled. He always managed to change the topic back to the original subject.

    Lu Jin became a little anxious by his question and said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t like him when he appears on the Spring Festival G, okay? What the hell! He ns toe to our country to conduct biological gic research!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you jealous of his abilities?¡± Huo shaoheng said deliberately, ¡°You can¡¯t stand seeing people who weren¡¯t as good as you in the past catch up to you now?¡±

    Lu Jin opened his mouth and was about to say no, but suddenly, he was reminded of what he intended to do. He pursed his lips tightly and said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just jealous of his abilities. I can¡¯t stand seeing him being celebrated and more capable than me, so it¡¯s best that he dies.¡±

    The corner of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched imperceptibly.

    Lu Yuan was right. Something was wrong with Lu Jin. Something was very wrong.

    Huo Shaoheng just didn¡¯t think that using a small test tube and a few yellowing experiment designs would be enough to provoke Ishihara Baisan tomit seppuku, which still wasn¡¯t Lu Jin¡¯s true objective.

    What exactly was he trying to do?

 Chapter 1709 - Nothing Had Happened

    <h4>Chapter 1709: Nothing Had Happened</h4>

    A genius scientist who rather fakes his death and hides his identity is jealous of Ishihara Baisan, a second-rate scientist who never had any significant achievements?

    Huo Shaoheng did not believe a word of it.

    However, this person was Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological father. Therefore, he could not use any means against him...

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and said lightly, ¡°Uncle Lu, do you think Nianzhi will believe the reason?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face fell again.

    He rubbed his messy hair and muttered,¡±... If you don¡¯t tell her, then she won¡¯t know it, right?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face suddenly lit up looked at Huo Shaoheng excitedly as if he had found a great idea. ¡°Yes! Just say that I came out for a drive and didn¡¯t do anything. I just went for a stroll and came back!¡±

    He pped his hands, ¡°Nothing will happen! Everything will be fine!¡±

    If this was a post on social media, he would have liked his posts countless times.

    Huo Shaoheng coughed and said seriously, ¡°Uncle Lu, I have never lied to Nianzhi.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng said that, he thought that it was a good thing Nianzhi wasn¡¯t here. If she had heard him say that, she would have scoffed at him...

    He had lied to her countless times, but there were always legitimate reasons, so she didn¡¯t care.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression became a little twisted after hearing Huo Shaoheng say this.

    He was naturally happy when he heard this man say that he never lied to his daughter.

    What kind of father would like someone who lies to his daughter so often?

    But now that Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t lie, he will be the one who will suffer.

    This seems a little tricky.

    Lu Jin stared at Huo Shaoheng for a long time but couldn¡¯t find the right words to rebut.

    If Lu Yuan were here, he would have definitelyughed out loud because he had finally ¡°Gotten his big revenge.¡±.

    How many times had he been scolded by Lu Jin? It was sad to even talk about it.

    The two didn¡¯t speak a single word the way until they drove back to the parking lot below the apartment building. Lu Jin looked at the apartment building and sighed endlessly.

    He had never thought that he would be able toe back...

    He had decided that he would roam the world again from today onwards and not contact anyone until he aplished his n.

    He had never thought that he would be able toe back alive.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. As he was about to get out of the car, he saw that Lu Jin was still sitting there with no intention of getting out.

    ¡°Uncle Lu? We¡¯re here.¡± He reminded him and pushed open the door to get out of the car.

    Lu Jin was still sitting in the car motionlessly with a conflicted expression on his face.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at him.

    Lu Jin still did not get out of the car and stammered,¡±... How about I don¡¯t go back? Just tell Nianzhi that you lost me...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Uncle Lu, are you questioning my level of professionalism?¡± Huo Shaoheng looked displeased. ¡°If I, someone from the Committee of State Security (KGB), can lose someone who has a GPS, I would have tomit hara-kiri just like what the Japanese do.¡±

    The corners of Lu Jin¡¯s eyes twitched. He was actually a little afraid to face Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questioning.

    He stuck his head out of the car and stuttered,¡±... Then what should we do? Do... do we really have to tell the truth?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng already had an idea.

    He calmly walked to the other side and opened the car door for Lu Jin. He politely said, ¡°Uncle Lu, maybe Nianzhi won¡¯t ask, though I¡¯m not too sure about this.¡±

    After all, ¡°Peter¡± and Gu Nianzhi had only known each other for a short while...

    Lu Jin actually knew that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be fooled so easily, but he was always hoping for the best.

    What if she was too tired and fell asleep?

    Then he should be able toe out with aplete set of excuses by the next day.

    Lu Jin pulled himself together and got out of the car. He smiled at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Thank you so much for today. You don¡¯t have to go up. Go home and get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±

    He looked at his watch. It was almost three in the morning.

    He wanted to send Huo Shaoheng away so he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to in¡± to Gu Nianzhi about him.

    Lu Jin smiled smugly.

    Huo Shaoheng also smiled. He put one hand in his trouser pocket and secretly sent Gu Nianzhi a text message: [ Call me ].

    How could Gu Nianzhi fall asleep?

    She had been anxiously waiting for news.

    She had already found out about what had happened at Dunxi Road Hotel from the Inte. Although it wasn¡¯t evident, a lot of gossips had already surfaced.

    For example, the ¡°international murder case¡±, the capital¡¯s crime squad, and then there was the fire rm...

    Although it was early in the morning, the Inte was bustling with activity. It also happens to be the New Year.

    She looked at Lu Jin¡¯s GPS and saw that he had arrived at her apartment but hadn¡¯te up. She had initially nned to send Huo Shaoheng a text message to ask what was going on.

    She happened to see the text message that Huo Shaoheng sent to ask her to call. Gu Nianzhi immediately dialed the ¡°King of Drama¡± shortcut key.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone thus started to ring.

    He quickly picked up the call and asked with a smile, ¡°Nianzhi, are you still awake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked anxiously, ¡°How can I sleep! What¡¯s going on? Why aren¡¯t you guys up yet? Are you dawdling in the parking lot for the New Year?!¡±

    Her voice was already so loud. On top of that, Huo Shaoheng deliberately turned his phone volume up to the maximum.

    The parking lot was as quiet as a deste wastnd in the early morning. It sounded as if the speaker had been turned on.

    Lu Jin was embarrassed.

    It turned out that his girl had been monitoring his movements the entire time...

    Huo Shaoheng looked troubled. He nced at Lu Jin and mouthed, ¡°What should we do?¡±

    Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng and waved his hand vigorously. Huo Shaoheng then said, ¡°Nianzhi, your father is here. I want you to talk to him.¡± As he spoke, he shoved the phone into Lu Jin¡¯s hands.

    Lu Jin found himself stuck between whether he should answer the phone. He was so annoyed by Huo Shaoheng.

    However, Gu Nianzhi called out, ¡°Dad... Dad... say something!¡±

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t resist when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice.

    He picked up the phone helplessly and whispered, ¡°Nianzhi, why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡±

    ¡°Is it even possible for me to sleep now?¡± Gu Nianzhi was furious. ¡°I¡¯ll give you five minutes! After that, if you don¡¯te up, I¡¯ll go down!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Lu Jin immediately surrendered. ¡°We¡¯lle up right away! Don¡¯te out! It¡¯s cold outside. It¡¯s warm in your room. No matter how many coats you wear, it¡¯ll be cold outside. Be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    As he nagged on, he was already walking towards the elevator.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief.

    It was a good thing they had Gu Nianzhi.

    Otherwise, they really wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle Lu Jin.

    As the two entered the lift, Lu Jin pressed the button to go up. He didn¡¯t even look at Huo Shaoheng as he held his phone and muttering to Gu Nianzhi about something.

    Huo Shaoheng did not care. Instead, he stood next to him with a calm expression and practically escorted him into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    ¡°Dad! Where did you go in the middle of the night?!¡± Gu Nianzhi rushed out of the bedroom in a light pink coral casual dress.

    She was wearing a pair of fluffy panda slippers. As she ran, she almost tripped in the living room.

    Lu Jin saw his daughter and forgot to maintain himself. He immediately ran over to catch her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t scare me!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nose was red, and her eyes were watery. She tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s shirt and finally burst into tears. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for me to find you, Dad... and you are going to abandon me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be an orphan anymore... Dad... don¡¯t abandon me... I don¡¯t want to be an orphan without parents anymore...¡±

    In the beginning, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really care who her biological parents were. Huo Shaoheng had taken excellent care of her, so she didn¡¯t have any regrets in this regard.

    Butter, when she interacted with the outside world, she gradually realized that having parents was different. They werepletely different from the kind of feelings Huo Shaoheng had given her.

    It wasn¡¯t until she came here that she felt Lu Jin¡¯s meticulous care and care for her. He had unconditionally doted on her and cared for her. Only then did Gu Nianzhi truly realize that children who had been doted on by their parents were genuinely different. They were incredibly confident.

    Even when they lost their temper, they were wildly unbridled.

    Lu Jin felt his heart sinking from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s crying, and tears began to flow down his cheeks.

    ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t cry... Nianzhi, don¡¯t cry... Daddy wasn¡¯t going to leave you... Daddy was...¡±

    Lu Jin wanted to say that he was doing this for her to live a better life.

    But seeing Gu Nianzhi like this, she would never ept this reason.

    He didn¡¯t say anything either. He just held her in his arms, patted her back gently, and brought her towards the bedroom. He said, ¡°It¡¯ste, go to bed first. If there¡¯s anything, we can talk about it tomorrow, okay?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also said from behind them, ¡°Nianzhi, you sleep for a while. I¡¯ll stay here and take care of Uncle Lu for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Mr. Peter will watch Daddy for me. I¡¯ll go and sleep for a while.¡±

    She was indeed very sleepy. When shecks sleep, her brain doesn¡¯t process information as well.

    She couldn¡¯t think of any good ideas at this time.

    Lu Jin had wanted to chase Huo Shaoheng away, but now that his daughter had asked him to stay and watch over him, he didn¡¯t dare to say no.

    After Lu Jin finally managed to coax Gu Nianzhi to sleep, he gently closed her bedroom door and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

    The ceiling light in the living room was switched off, leaving only a tiny gray tablemp on the small table next to the sofa.

    Lu Jin sat in the shadow of themp and wiped his face tiredly. ¡°What should we do? What should we tell Nianzhi tomorrow?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat opposite him and said calmly, ¡°To be honest, Nianzhi is not an ignorant girl. She has experienced more things than we thought. You have to learn to treat her like an adult.¡±

 Chapter 1710 - Why Say Again

    <h4>Chapter 1710: Why Say Again</h4>

    Lu Jin half-lowered his head as he sat listlessly on the sofa.

    Half of his body was hid in the shadows, and the expression on his face could not be seen.

    Huo Shaoheng thought that it was a good thing that Lu Jin had another person he couldn¡¯t resist, and that person was Nianzhi.

    If only Nianzhi asked him, Lu Jin probably would not lie to her.

    The two of them did not speak and just sat quietly in the living room.

    When dawn broke, the two of them had dozed off.

    Lu Yuan woke up in his room with a splitting headache.

    Having a hangover truly made him ill.

    However, he hadn¡¯t been drunk in so many years. He was really very happy yesterday, so he indulged himself with alcohol.

    But as he remembered what he had done when he was drunk after indulging himself, he couldn¡¯t help pounding his head despite the headache.

    He could only hope that Huo Shaoheng had helped him put away his pencil sketches in time so that Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin would not see them.

    However, when Lu Yuan also remembered who he had drawn and if Huo Shaoheng had really put the sketches away, his face instantly paled.

    It was over. He was too ashamed to face anyone.

    Lu Yuan did not want to get out of bed at all. He wished he could dig a hole to bury himself and never wake up to face these people.

    It was so embarrassing.

    It was already nine o¡¯clock in the morning when Gu Nianzhi woke up.

    She washed up and came out of the bedroom. She found Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin still sleeping on the sofa with their bodies tilting sideways.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh.

    It was great to have Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng by her side.

    They were the two most important men in her life.

    She took out two nkets and gently covered them.

    Lu Jin was really asleep. When Gu Nianzhi covered him with a nket, he was not aware of it at all. He just changed to a morefortable sleeping position.

    Huo Shaoheng had woken up the moment when Gu Nianzhi came out after pushing the door open, but he still kept his eyes closed and did not move.

    When Gu Nianzhi covered him with a nket, he gently kissed her cheek that was leaned closer.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and pinched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s muscr waist with her hand under the nket.

    Huo Shaoheng was in pain, but he didn¡¯t utter a sound. He just narrowed his eyes and looked at her with a winsome smile.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips and didn¡¯t say anything. She got up and went to the kitchen to take a look.

    It was all the dishes she didn¡¯t know how to cook. She might as well wait for Lu Yuan to cook breakfast.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and took the pencil sketches that Lu Yuan had drawn yesterday. She went to Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment and rang the doorbell.

    Initially, Lu Yuan didn¡¯t want to get up. But when he saw from the security camera that Gu Nianzhi was ringing the doorbell, he nevertheless got up and opened the door.

    ¡°Good morning, Nianzhi.¡± Lu Yuan, who was wearing casual clothes, smiled as he opened the door. ¡°You¡¯re up so early?¡±

    ¡°I just came to see if you¡¯re feeling better, Director Lu.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled as she hid the pile of sketches behind her. ¡°I didn¡¯t disturb your sleep, did I?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been awake for a while.¡± Lu Yuan went to the kitchen to get a bottle of milk for Gu Nianzhi, warmed it in the microwave oven, and also brought her two small pieces of crackers.

    ¡°Thank you, Director Lu.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled with her eyes curved. ¡°How did you know that I am hungry?¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°If you weren¡¯t hungry and didn¡¯te to find someone to make breakfast, why did you knock on my door?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a face. ¡°Director Lu, you¡¯re wrong.¡±

    She leisurely took out the pile of pencil sketches. ¡°I actually came to return these to their rightful owner.¡±

    She pped the pencil sketches onto the mahogany dining table in front of her. Lu Yuan¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi held her tongue and slowly drank the milk.

    Looking at the pile of pencil sketches, Lu Yuan¡¯s mind went nk.

    He had never expected that Huo Shaoheng had failed to put these things away and they had, instead, fallen into the hands of Gu Nianzhi.

    But on second thought, it was better than falling into the hands of Huo Shaoheng, wasn¡¯t it?

    After all, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mother was Song Jinning and Lu Yuan was the biological older brother of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father. This rtionship was too messy andplicated.

    Lu Yuan did not know what Huo Shaoheng thought about him.

    Now, the pencil sketches were in the hands of Gu Nianzhi. Even though she was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e, she did not know that this Peter was in fact Huo Shaoheng. So there shouldn¡¯t be any problem, right?

    However, she knew Song Jinning, who lived in the opposite world. So he had to chew over the exnation of this problem.

    Gu Nianzhi finished the bottle of milk and after enjoying Lu Yuan¡¯s expression, she deliberately asked, ¡°Director Lu, who is this girl? She¡¯s so pretty.¡±

    Lu Yuan raised his head to look at her and said frankly, ¡°You don¡¯t know her. She¡¯s someone I like. I haven¡¯t seen her for many years.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? She also looks like someone I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi pretended not to know Lu Yuan¡¯s secret. ¡°It could be that we know the same person, couldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lu Yuan put away the pencil sketches in a calm andposed manner and said, ¡°Really? Who is it?¡±

    ¡°But that person is in the opposite world.¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°How did youe to know the people in the opposite world?¡±

    ¡°The person I know is in this world, not in the opposite world,¡± Lu Yuan said without hesitation. ¡°Maybe she is her counterpart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised the corners of her mouth. She thought to herself: if it wasn¡¯t for that bowl of fried rice with mixed seafood, I would have really believed you.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up the crackers on the white porcin te and said smilingly, ¡°Let me meet her when you have the chance. It turns out that Director Lu truly has a second romance.¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your father¡¯s nonsense. I don¡¯t even have a first romance. Where does the second romancee from?¡±

    ¡°Oh? So it turns out that this is your first romance,¡± Gu Nianzhi said meaningfully as she stood up. ¡°Okay, Director Lu, you do have time to prepare lunch for us, don¡¯t you? There¡¯s no need for breakfast. My father and Peter are still sleeping.¡±

    Lu Yuan had no idea that so much had happened overnight.

    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go wash up first, then I¡¯ll go over to your ce to cook.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Director Lu.¡± Gu Nianzhi beamed with delight. She turned to leave, but was stopped by Lu Yuan.

    He took out a red packet and handed it over. ¡°Nianzhi, this is your New Year¡¯s money.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took it, pleasantly surprised. ¡°It¡¯s a real red packet! I also have New Year¡¯s money!¡±

    This was great!

    She used to be a guru in red packets on the Inte, but now she no longer really gave out red packets.

    She opened it on the spot and saw that it was a stack of brand-new RMB, and they were of the highest denomination.

    Gu Nianzhi kissed the red packet and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Director Lu. This is the best gift ever!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled as he patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it.¡±

    He was as caring and protective as an elder to a younger generation.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a terrific mood. She hummed her song of magical tune and returned to her suite located opposite.

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng was no longer on the sofa.

    Lu Jin was sitting alone on the sofa. His body was still covered with the nket, and he was panic-stricken.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and sat next to him. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Dad, are you okay?¡±

    As she spoke, she used her hand to check Lu Jin¡¯s forehead temperature. She was worried that he had a fever and was sick.

    Lu Jin was extremely touched. He raised his hand to hold Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand that was checking his forehead temperature. His voice was almost choked with sobs. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve made you worry. It¡¯s Dad¡¯s fault.¡±

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t say that.¡± Gu Nianzhi brought Lu Jin a bottle of water. ¡°Drink some water. Diector Lu will cook lunch for uster.¡±

    Lu Jin lifted the nket and sat up straight. He asked with concern, ¡°Nianzhi, have you had breakfast?¡±

    ¡°I had milk and a few pieces of small crackers at Director Lu¡¯s ce.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin and said sternly, ¡°Dad, can you tell me why you went to Dunhill Hotel in the middle of the night yesterday?¡±

    She could see clearly from the GPS that Lu Jin had gone to Dunhill Hotel.

    Lu Jin looked away and mumbled, ¡°Had I known earlier, I would have canceled the GPS first.¡±

    He had originally thought that Gu Nianzhi would certainly have gone to bed on New Year¡¯s Eve. He would still have time to cancel the GPS on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mobile phone after he had dealt with the matters.

    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that Peter would interfere tantly. Gu Nianzhi had been ¡°monitoring¡± his movements from beginning to end.

    It was all a strangebination of circumstances.

    Lu Jin had a sweet feeling and was proud of Gu Nianzhi, but he also felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

    The godsend GPS. What a double-edged sword!

    ¡°What did you say about GPS?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her voice. Her sharp gaze didn¡¯t allow Lu Jin to dodge. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to trick me, are you?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head hastily. ¡°No, no! Of course not!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up straight and asked seriously, ¡°I read the news. An ¡®international murder case¡¯ urred at Dunhill Hotel yesterday. What the heck was that? Please don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s rted to you!¡±

    Lu Jin thought awkwardly. It was indeed rted to me.

    His gaze wandered, and he just didn¡¯t dare meet Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°It really is rted to you. What exactly is going on?¡±

    Seeing that Lu Jin wasn¡¯t going to say anything, she simply picked up her mobile phone and started searching for information about the ¡°International murder case¡± at Dunhill Hotel.

    After a night¡¯s development, the news about Ishihara Beisan had finally spread online.

    As she read all the news which made headlines and those which did not, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s alreadyrge eyes widened even more.

    She blurted out, ¡°What? Ishihara Beisan hasmitted seppuku again?¡±

    Lu Jin was immediately curious. ¡°Why did you say ¡®again¡¯?¡±

 Chapter 1711 - What a Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 1711: What a Coincidence</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was at a loss for words.

    Yes, why did he say ¡°Again¡±?

    She looked at Lu Jin with a slight headache, thinking to herself, ¡°Don¡¯t I have to ask the two of you, ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡±?¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her with great interest andughed, ¡°I get it! Is it possible that the counterpart of Ishihara Baisan alsomitted seppuku?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and frowned. ¡°Not only did Ishihara Baisanmit seppuku over there, he was also... cursed at by Mr. Gu Xiangwen to kill himself in that manner...¡±

    Lu Jin was instantly ted. ¡°Hahahaha... What a coincidence! It¡¯s the same here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She narrowed her eyes unkindly. ¡°Dad, does that mean that the ¡®international murder case¡¯ that happened at Dunhill Hotel really has something to do with you?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯sughter stopped abruptly.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi awkwardly, his eyes almost pleading.

    Gu Nianzhi would not be moved by his pleas for mercy.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled at the thought of what Lu Jin might have done.

    She thought back to what he had done to send her across the street..

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the panic and fear in her heart and said calmly, ¡°... Did you curse at him to death too? How did you curse at him? Where did you curse him? Who was there at the time? How many people saw you leave?¡±

    She asked a series of questions and was already in thewyer¡¯s interrogation mode.

    Lu Jin was a little afraid of Gu Nianzhi, when she is so strict and serious.

    He shrunk back and inconspicuously moved to the other side of the sofa. He said in a low voice,¡±... Then first tell me how Gu Xiangwen cursed at Ishihara Baisan to death...¡±

    He collected himself, trying to prevent from revealing too much information.

    Gu Nianzhi, however, saw through his thoughts andughed in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give you a temte to follow! You¡¯d better answer me honestly how you did it, and I¡¯ll tell you how Gu Xiangwen did it over there.¡±

    After a pause, Gu Nianzhi added, ¡°The Ishihara Baisan over there died many years ago, unlike the Ishihara Baisan over here who¡¯s still alive.¡±

    Lu Jin saw that he couldn¡¯t cover up anymore, so he let out a long sigh and sat up straight, he lowered his head and said, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t curse at him. I didn¡¯t even meet him. I just called him and put two small items in front of his hotel room.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Where did you call him? What was the contents of the conversation? Also, the things you put in front of Ishihara Baisan¡¯s hotel room. Did you put them there yourself, or did you get someone else to do it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully trace back Lu Jin¡¯s actions, trying to eliminate any possibility of being discovered.

    She did not want Lu Jin to be involved in this case because she was worried that Lu Jin would attract too much public attention and He Chengjian would discover his true identity.

    Lu Jin was intimidated by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s imposing attitude, he said honestly, ¡°It was in the room next to Ishihara Baisan¡¯s. I called him and told him that I knew what he had done. Then I ced a small test tube and a fewb notes in front of his room.¡±

    ¡°When he saw those two things, he knew that when he was writing his doctoral thesis, he had exposed the fact that he had giarized my experimental design,¡± Lu Jin said as he stole a nce at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression grew serious. Her delicate and lively little face turned stiff, and she exuded an aura that could prate hearts. It was exactly the same as that person¡¯s imposing manner in the courtroom.

    He Chengjian, that old fogey, didn¡¯t recognize such a simr temperament at all. He must be drunk..

    Lu Jin cursed silently in his heart. His gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, her expression was slightly moved and hurt.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned again, and her gaze was sharp and fierce. ¡°AH? Ishihara Baisan copied your experimental design in his doctoral thesis?! But didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t know him and weren¡¯t ssmates with him?!¡±

    Lu Jin closed his eyes in embarrassment, he forced himself to say,¡±... Well, in theory, we¡¯re not ssmates. I majored in high-energy physics in university, so I only went to Ishihara Baisan¡¯s biological gic engineeringb to listen in and do some experiments. I don¡¯t have a degree in that field of studies, and I don¡¯t want credits, so...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just ying games with me, aren¡¯t you?!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her voice angrily. ¡°Is it fun to pick your words?¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s quite fun,¡± Lu Jin muttered. ¡°Don¡¯twyers like to pick their words and y word games?¡±

    He spoke so confidently that Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She stared at Lu Jin for a while before saying firmly, ¡°Are you treating me like awyer? You want to be my client? Fine, then we¡¯ll talk like we are in a rtionship between awyer and a client. You are not allowed to hide anything from us!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be angry... Dad was just saying it casually. We have such a close and wonderful rtionship between father and daughter, why do we have to make it to such a cold and transactional rtionship like between awyer and a client?¡±

    Lu Jin immediately refused to be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s client.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression softened slightly and she nodded. ¡°Okay then, we¡¯re still father and daughter. I¡¯m asking you now, as a father, you can¡¯t lie to your own daughter. This is worse than the consequences of a client lying to his ownwyer.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    Alright, in terms of logic, he was trash in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her chin at Lu Jin. ¡°Tell me in detail how your experiment notes ended up in Ishihara Baisan¡¯s hands.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    He scratched his head. ¡°You want to tell me that? There¡¯s nothing to tell. It¡¯s just that my design was on my desk in theb and Ishihara Baisan saw it...¡±

    ¡°Really? Then Ishihara Baisan seems to be a genius himself. Why would he copy your experimental design?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled, ¡°You also said that your main profession is high-energy physics. You only went to their biological gic engineeringboratory to listen in and do a few experiments. Ishihara Baisan was the most talented doctoral student in theboratory at the time. Why would he need to copy the experimental design of one who is just sitting in?¡±

    Lu Jin smiled slyly and said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask him about that.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s already dead. I can¡¯t ask him. I can only ask you,¡± Gu Nianzhi said calmly. Her gaze was like aser detector, locked onto Lu Jin.

    Under such gazes, Lu Jin did not dare to make any unusual moves.

    He tried his best to maintain hisposure and said discontentedly, ¡°So what if I¡¯m just sitting in student? Even if I¡¯m sitting in in theirboratory, I¡¯m still better than them!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I know you¡¯re a genius. But in terms of academics, as a student who is just sitting in, have you ever disyed your intellect and knowledge in the subject matter?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in detail. She needed a lot of actual facts from the past to specte on all the reasons for Ishihara Baisan¡¯s suicide.

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opinion, the fact that he hadmitted suicide because his giarism had been exposed was indeed the Japanese way of doing things.

    But was that the only reason?

    Lu Jin rxed when he saw that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem to care about why Ishihara Baisan had giarized his experimental design, he smiled and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m still very low-key. I asionally show off my talents in high-energy physics andputer science. I was still in the learning stage when it came to biogic engineering.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You were still in the learning stage. Ishihara Baisan, as a doctoral student in thisboratory, would copy your experimental design and use it in his doctoral thesis? Why does it sound so unbelievable?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tapped her right cheek lightly with one of her fingers. Her expression was one of disbelief.

    ¡°Why is it unbelievable?¡± Lu Jin blinked in confusion. ¡°Are you looking down on my ability?¡±

    ¡°Of course you¡¯re a genius in my eyes.¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression softened slightly, and the corners of her lips curled up, ¡°But you just said that when you were in thatboratory, you were still in the learning stage. In other words, you didn¡¯t show off the depth of your knowledge and understanding in biogic engineering.¡±

    ¡°For example, if a university student writes a graduation thesis, no matter how much he giarizes, he wouldn¡¯t giarize an elementary school student¡¯s thesis, right?¡±

    ¡°With Ishihara Baisan¡¯s education and years of experimentation, you were almost like an elementary school student in front of him, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deliberately exaggerated her exnation.

    Lu Jin was very indignant. ¡°Why am I almost like an elementary school student? In thatboratory, I was at least an undergraduate student, okay?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, even if you were an undergraduate student in biogic engineering, Ishihara Baisan was already a PhD student. Why would he want to giarize an undergraduate student¡¯s experimental design? Unless you had already disyed outstanding talent in biogic engineering at the time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained expressionless as she returned to the topic step by step.

    Lu Jin had not noticed at the time. He happily jumped into the small pit Gu Nianzhi had dug and extended his right index finger to point at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, you don¡¯t know this. Although I didn¡¯t disy outstanding talent in biogic engineering at the time, my experimental design was just enough to solve Ishihara Baisan¡¯s experiment¡¯s bottleneck problem!¡±

    ¡°When he saw the experimental design on my desk, he was stunned...¡± Lu Jin was immersed in his memories, ¡°He thought I didn¡¯t know, but I actually installed a pinhole camera near theputer on my desk. I could see his every move clearly.¡±

    ¡°At that time, it was noon in theb. Everyone else had gone to lunch, but he was alone in theb. When he saw that no one was around, he took out a camera and took pictures of my experimental design.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and made the final decision. ¡°Oh, that means you knew he was going to giarize your experimental designs at that time, but why did you only threaten to expose him now?¡±

    It was the same question that Peter had asked.

    Lu Jin red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Did Peter ask you to ask me that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°Why Peter? I came up with this question myself. I haven¡¯t spoken to Mr. Peter today.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan had been listening for a while at the door of the living room.

    Seeing Lu Jin question Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng walked over unhurriedly and took out the small test tube and a few yellowed papers from his trouser pocket. He handed them to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to tell you. I found these in Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room.¡±

 Chapter 1712 - Harder to Deal than the KGB

    <h4>Chapter 1712: Harder to Deal than the KGB</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng stood in front of her, holding a small test tube and a few yellowed papers in his hand, as if he had torn them out of a notebook.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up.

    Her eyes were as clear as crystal, and she looked calm and peaceful, without the slightest emotion.

    However, from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s point of view, he could see the concern and worry hidden deep in her eyes.

    In fact, she had hidden it so deeply that if it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that it had happened so suddenly, she wouldn¡¯t have had time to hide the expression in her eyes, and even Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell what she was really thinking.

    Her gaze slowly slid down from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s perfect and chisseled jaw to the hand that Huo Shaoheng had extended.

    It was this pair of almost wless hands that had once swayed her..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind suddenly wandered.

    Perhaps she should ask Huo Shaoheng how he took care of his hands?

    However, this was only a fleeting thought.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly came back to her senses and her gaze fell on the two things in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands.

    She did not reach out to take them. Instead, she quietly looked at them for a while and said, ¡°What are these?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re test tubes and experimental designs!¡± Lu Jin rushed to say, as if he was eager to ¡°redeem himself¡±. ¡°The test tubes are the results of my experimental design. Those few pieces of paper are my experimental designs from back then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and lowered her eyes to write a few words on her phone. She then asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°You found it in Ishihara Baisan¡¯s room? Where in his room?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of admiration and he said lightly,¡±... it¡¯s next to the body where hemitted seppuku.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly reacted,¡±... it¡¯s next to him? Why isn¡¯t there any blood?¡±

    ¡°Because Ishihara Baisan was very urate in estimating the direction of the blood flow when he cut the abdomen,¡± Lu Jin added in an academic manner, ¡°For people who often conduct animal experiments, they should have a good understanding of the consequences of each cut, where the blood will flow from, and where it will end up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± Gu Nianzhi said lightly, silently ignoring Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°desperate for praise¡± look.

    Lu Yuan, who had followed Huo Shaoheng in, couldn¡¯t helpughing when he heard this.

    Lu Jin turned to see him and said angrily, ¡°Boss Lu, why aren¡¯t you cooking?! You¡¯ve already cked off and stopped cooking breakfast. You¡¯re not going to stop us from eating lunch, are you?!¡±

    Lu Yuan knew that he was venting his anger, so he didn¡¯t take it to heart. He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m just here to cook lunch.¡±

    He nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, interrogate your father properly. He¡¯s not afraid of anything. No one can handle him.¡± With that, he turned and left the living room to go to the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng had a listening device on him anyway. Lu Yuan could connect to his listening device through the Inte and hear the conversation in the living room, so he didn¡¯t have to stay here all the time.

    Gu Nianzhi heard Lu Yuan¡¯s words and nced at Lu Jin from the corner of her eyes.

    Lu Jin sat up straight and lowered his head to say, ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not. Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and said to Lu Yuan¡¯s back, ¡°Thank you, President Lu. I want to eat San Xian fried rice for lunch.¡±

    Lu Yuan stumbled, but he quickly walked to the kitchen and closed the translucent ss sliding door.

    ¡°You¡¯re being naughty again.¡± Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and silently mouthed.

    Gu Nianzhi did not look at him, but continued to look at her father, Lu Jin.

    ¡°Dad, I believe that you¡¯re fearless.¡± Gu Nianzhi said seriously, ¡°President Lu isn¡¯t talking nonsense, but I still hope that you have some respect, for example, respect forw and order.¡±

    Lu Jin lowered his head even more.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to do this.

    She didn¡¯t want to push Lu Jin too far, but if she think about it carefully, there were too many questions. If she didn¡¯t figure it out, she would be too passive.

    Especially since Ishihara Baisan held Qin Yaoguang in high esteem. Gu Nianzhi always felt that whenever Qin Yaoguang was involved, she had to put in 120% of her energy to deal with it.

    Therefore, she poured Lu Jin a ss of milk. ¡°Dad, you haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. Drink some milk first.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly took a big gulp to calm himself down.

    Gu Nianzhi watched as Lu Jin finished his milk, she then continued to ask, ¡°Since these two items are the best evidence to expose Ishihara Baisan¡¯s giarism, why would he protect them so unscathed? Under normal circumstances, shouldn¡¯t he try to destroy these two items?¡±

    ¡°Or rather, even if he doesn¡¯t destroy them, why would he carefully estimate which areas around him are the most conspicuous and not stained with blood when he wouldmit seppuku?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised a series of questions.

    The corners of Lu Jin¡¯s mouth twitched twice, and his eyes darted between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Did the two of them really not talk to each other?

    Why did they even have the same angle of analysis?

    Lu Jin felt like he was an outsider at the moment. He couldn¡¯t squeeze into their world no matter what..

    Didn¡¯t they say they had someone else in mind?

    Didn¡¯t they say they had a fianc¨¦ in that world?

    Looking at their tacit understanding, it seemed like they had been together for many years..

    As expected of their counterparts. could they even synchronize their thoughts and feelings?

    Lu Jin thought sourly. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he owed not only his daughter, but also himself, for being separated from his daughter for so many years.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored Lu Jin¡¯s little tantrum and looked at Huo Shaoheng inquisitively.

    ¡°... I think he was informing someone.¡± Huo Shaoheng analyzed, ¡°As you said, that position is indeed the most conspicuous. As long as an outsideres in, they can see it immediately.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    She stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, she said excitedly, ¡°Ishihara Baisan knew thatmitting seppuku would definitely cause a huge news effect. After all, it was the first day of the New Year, and he was a foreign scientist who had just attended the Spring Festival G.¡±

    ¡°He used this method to inform his own partner. But, what kind of message was he trying to send? Could it be that he was going to inform his partner that he had giarized?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned and muttered to herself, she crossed her arms and stood in front of the window, shaking her head in denial. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. Could it be...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around and saw Lu Jin staring at her back in a daze.

    ¡°Could it be that through this incident, he thinks... Gu Xiangwen isn¡¯t actually dead?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin in confusion.

    Lu Jin quickly looked away and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. I called him to tell him that Gu Xiangwen had given these things to me before he died. I didn¡¯t say that I was Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She walked over and leaned against Lu Jin¡¯s feet, she looked up at him and smiled. ¡°Dad, if you can deduce the truth from some clues, others can too ¨C especially people like Ishihara Baisan. He copied your experimental design...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused and suddenly thought of another question.

    ¡°Dad, how long has Ishihara Baisan been copying your experimental design?¡±

    ¡°At least 30 years.¡± Lu Jin thought for a moment and said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t remember it very clearly.¡±

    ¡°Look, you don¡¯t even remember how many years it has been. How could Ishihara Baisan react so quickly when he saw these few pages of notes?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng in confusion. ¡°And he was able tomit seppuku right away?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned slightly and said thoughtfully, ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I didn¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    Lu Jin tried his best to maintain a calm expression, but his back was already sweating slightly.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was even more difficult to deal with than his own daughter..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze quickly fell on Lu Jin again.

    Although Lu Jin looked no different from before, upon closer inspection, she could still see the fine beads of sweat on his forehead and hairline. His arms were trembling slightly, as if he had Parkinson¡¯s disease..

    Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand gently and firmly. What was he afraid of?

    However, Gu Nianzhi could not bear to see Lu Jin like this. She really did not want to continue questioning him.

    Today was the first day of the New Year. After so many years, this was the first time they were spending the new year together. They could not allow Ishihara Baisan to lead them astray..

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and changed the topic. ¡°Forget it. Maybe Ishihara Baisan has been feeling guilty about the giarism incident, so when he saw these few pages of notes, he thought, oh no, the other boot is finally on the ground...¡±

    ¡°Actually, he¡¯s up to no good, isn¡¯t he?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook Lu Jin¡¯s arm.

    Lu Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded hurriedly. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, that¡¯s it! That¡¯s it!¡±

    He stood up as he spoke. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve prepared a gift for you. I¡¯ll bring it to you!¡±

 Chapter 1713 - Want Some Peace and Quiet

    <h4>Chapter 1713: Want Some Peace and Quiet</h4>

    ¡°Great! This is my first new year¡¯s gift from Dad!¡± Gu Nianzhi pped her hands and smiled, a childlike innocence in her smile.

    Lu Jin looked at her in a daze and smiled as well.

    He didn¡¯t look like his original appearance at all, but when he smiled, he looked very much like Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the father and daughter without batting an eyelid and didn¡¯t say anything for the time being.

    He understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions.

    Today was the first day of the New Year, and she didn¡¯t want to push Lu Jin too hard.

    Let them have a real reunion for the New Year..

    Huo Shaoheng thought to himself and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and help President Lu make lunch.¡±

    Lu Jin wasn¡¯t as affectionate towards him. His eyelids drooped and he grunted, ¡°Remember to remind Boss Lu that my girl wants to eat San Xian fried rice.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and quickly said, ¡°Dad, hurry up and get the gift! I¡¯m waiting to see it!¡±

    Lu Jin looked away and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll get it right away!¡±

    He rushed back to his apartment and saved therge amount of internal information he had downloaded from the Qin private hospital group¡¯s intr into a carefully encrypted file.

    He took a few more legal documents and rushed back to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting alone on the sofa, staring intently at the yellowedb notes.

    Although she was reading them carefully, she did not understand them at all.

    She knew nothing about gic engineering, and was even more confused than high-energy physics.

    Lu Jin coughed lightly. ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up. ¡°Dad, you brought it here so quickly?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and sat next to her shyly. He handed her the soft drive first, he said, ¡°This is all the information I have on the Qin private group¡¯s internalwork. From the clients, suppliers, patient lists, and internal corporate structure, all the financial statements over the years are in there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°AH? You really got it all? ! Dad, you are amazing! You actually managed to hack into the internal securedwork of the Qin¡¯s private group!¡±

    Actually, if Gu Nianzhi had a supeputer system, with time, she could hack into it too.

    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have one, so it wasn¡¯t something she could just hack into it with just time on her side.

    Lu Jin was different. His studio had aputer system that wasparable to the central server room of the Huaxia Empire, so he could break the internalwork password of the Qin¡¯s private group in a short time.

    Lu Jin smiled happily. ¡°Unless they have content that they haven¡¯t posted online, all the content online is with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged Lu Jin¡¯s neck and kissed him. ¡°Thank you, Daddy! This is the best spring festival present ever!¡±

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± As he spoke, he ced the legal documents in front of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come, sign your name. Everything I have is yours.¡±

    He had originally wanted to leave these documents with his will. When he was no longer in this world, Gu Nianzhi would automatically receive his inheritance.

    However, he had been discovered by Gu Nianzhi and Peter this time. It would be difficult for him to escape in the future, so he might as well give all his assets to Gu Nianzhi first.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the names of the documents and was shocked.

    ¡°Dad, what kind ofpany is this?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an offshorepany in the Cayman Inds.¡± Lu Jin put on an enigmatic look, ¡°These offshorepanies hold the ownership of all my assets, including but not limited to the Lu Group¡¯s shares, bank deposits, investment funds, and stocks, as well as my collection of antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, as well as the patent trust fund under Gu Xiangwen¡¯s name.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to be familiar with these things.

    In the other world, when she was chasing after Gu Yanran¡¯s squandered Gu family assets, it seemed to be the same structure..

    It was indeed the counterpart of the parallel world.

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed.

    Lu Jin flipped through the legal documents and pointed to the ce where he wanted to sign. ¡°This is it. Sign your name. You are also one of the owners of these offshorepanies.¡±

    ¡°The ownership structure of offshorepanies is moreplicated. The shareholding structure I designed doesn¡¯t need to be reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission of every country, so don¡¯t worry. No one will know that I transferred my assets to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the astronomical sum of assets and was very nervous. She quickly said, ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to be like this. I¡¯m already very happy that you gave me a red envelope. You suddenly transferred half of your assets to me. I¡¯m timid. Please don¡¯t scare me...¡±

    Lu Jin said disapprovingly, ¡°You should be scared when I transfer all of my property to you. Now that I¡¯ve only transferred half of my property, what are you scared of? I still have half... actually, for me, as long as I have enough money for my research, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll just keep the extra money. You can use it to buy something that you like...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This money was more than enough to buy all the brands she liked. Even if she choose to buy over the brands she likes, there is still excess tost a few lifetimes.

    But why did she need these things?

    Previously, she had been struggling for the down payment of hundreds of thousands of dors, but now she was suddenly a major shareholder in a real estatepany..

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and caressed the legal documents, thinking that what she wanted most was to return to the other side of the world.

    No matter how much money she had, would she be able to return to the other side?

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi eagerly. He thought she would be even happier, but she didn¡¯t seem too happy.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw the look in Lu Jin¡¯s eyes. She smiled, ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll leave these with you. I¡¯m not familiar with the ownership structure, and I have an importantwsuit to attend to. I don¡¯t have time to take care of these assets.¡±

    Lu Jin was a little disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s just a signature...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just a signature anyway. What¡¯s the difference between signing and not signing?¡± Gu Nianzhi stuffed the legal documents back into Lu Jin¡¯s hands. ¡°Just help me take care of thesepanies. When I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll see how rich my dad is!¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she wrapped her arms around Lu Jin¡¯s neck and kissed him on the cheek.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart finally rxed, but before he could let it go fully, he said gloomily,¡±... Are you sure you don¡¯t want to sign it? Can¡¯t we hold the shares together after signing it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your only daughter anyway. Why are you in such a hurry? Between us, father and daughter, who holds different views?¡± Gu Nianzhi said with a half-smile, ¡°Or did you have a child with another woman, Father? If you have a son, then I have to sign it right away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sped her hands together and shook her wrists. She looked like she was threatening, but she was still very cute, like a little kitten that had an ¡°I¡¯m super fierce¡± expression on its face.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart almost melted. He rubbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and said repeatedly, ¡°Okay, okay, okay. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t sign it.¡±

    Annoyed, he said, ¡°How can I have a son? You¡¯re the only child in my life. Why would I want a son? I hate boys the most. I hate other people¡¯s sons too, because they¡¯ll trick my precious daughter away!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She quickly perked up and expressed to Lu Jin that she would not be swindled away.

    Seeing Lu Jin¡¯s nervous expression, Gu Nianzhi deliberately changed the topic. She tugged at him and asked, ¡°Dad, this experiment design of yours looks amazing, but I don¡¯t understand it at all...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand? Come, let me exin it to you!¡±

    Speaking of one of his specialties, Lu Jin got excited. He rolled up his sleeves and turned on Gu Nianzhi¡¯sputer. ¡°It¡¯s like this...¡±

    He exined it to Gu Nianzhi in pictures and text, but Gu Nianzhi was still as confused as ever.

    However, she still managed an expression to show that she was ¡°listening.¡±

    The two of them talked for a while before Lu Yuan finally finished making lunch.

    He ced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite San Xian fried rice in front of her and said with a smile, ¡°Eating only San Xian fried rice on the first day of the New Year. Nianzhi, you¡¯re so easy to feed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Of course. President Lu¡¯s San Xian fried rice is really delicious.¡±

    She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. She felt that it was even more delicious than what Lu Yuan had cooked before, she couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°It¡¯s so familiar! President Lu, where did you learn to eat this three-dish fried rice? It¡¯s almost exactly the same as what I¡¯ve eaten before!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lu Yuan said calmly. ¡°Then you can ask Peter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    She looked suspiciously at Huo Shaoheng and then at Lu Yuan. ¡°What does it have to do with Mr. Peter?¡±

    ¡°Peter is a culinary genius.¡± Lu Yuan said indifferently. ¡°I taught him how to cook this three-dish fried rice. It¡¯s said that it¡¯s his first time cooking and he can already cook to this level. Isn¡¯t he a genius?¡±

    So it was Huo Shaoheng who cooked this time. No wonder..

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. ¡°Mr. Peter is indeed the KGB. He even learned how to cook so quickly!¡± The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the most powerful organization in the KGB

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyelids twitched. He finally realized that Gu Nianzhi had long since seen through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true identity.

    Otherwise, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been so calm as to cover for him with such an obvious w.

    Lu Yuan was embarrassed when he thought about how he had said that the person in the painting was his counterpart.

    No one had known about his feelings for Song Jinning when he was there.

    Lu Jin, with his extremely low EQ, had no idea that he had such thoughts.

    Now, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t the only one who understood. Even Gu Nianzhi knew about it.

    Lu Yuan wanted some peace and quiet.

    Therefore, during lunch, only Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were talking animatedly, making the atmosphere very lively.

    Huo Shaoheng interjected asionally, while Lu Yuan maintained his smile.

    After eating, he said to Lu Jin, ¡°Boss Lu, there¡¯s something I want to talk to you about.¡±

    His expression was calm and peaceful, but Lu Jin knew that Lu Yuan was going to ask aboutst night.

    Although he was a little uneasy, he remembered that Gu Nianzhi and Peter already knew about it. He could say it again, so he got up and followed Lu Yuan out.

    Gu Nianzhi had something to discuss with Huo Shaoheng, so she didn¡¯t continue to joke around with Lu Yuan. She watched them leave.

    After Lu Yuan and Lu Jin left, Gu Nianzhi said to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°My father just showed me the contents of his experiment design. Although I couldn¡¯t understand it fully, I could still tell that it was an advanced and powerful experiment design. But I still couldn¡¯t understand it. My father is such a smart and cautious person. Why would he casually leave such a high-level experiment design on his desk in theboratory without taking any security precaution?¡±

 Chapter 1714 - The Polar Opposites

    <h4>Chapter 1714: The Pr Opposites</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng ced one hand on his forehead and looked at Gu Nianzhi without blinking. He smiled and said, ¡°... But I think this kind of thing is something your father would do.¡±

    What he meant was that Lu Jin was not a responsible person. Perhaps he didn¡¯t pay much attention sometimes and casually left such an important document on the table in theboratory.

    Hearing this, Gu Nianzhi was also puzzled.

    She also knew that her father was sometimes irresponsible, so she did not dare tell him the true identity of ¡°KGB Peter of the Soviet Union.¡±.

    However, when she thought about how Lu Jin had excitedly told her about the experiment, it was clear that he was very familiar with the experiment and was very proud of it.

    After so many years, not only had he been able to urately find the information and use psychological pressure to make Ishihara Baisanmit suicide, but he had also remembered the contents of the experiment. Wasn¡¯t that very suspicious?

    Moreover, to these researchers, if it was their own masterpiece, would they just casually leave it on the table for everyone to ¡°admire¡±?

    Gu Nianzhi had a nagging feeling that something was wrong.

    Huo Shaoheng had not seen Lu Jin exin the experiment design to Gu Nianzhi with his own eyes, but he could guess from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression that Lu Jin must have disyed something different to make Gu Nianzhi have doubts like these.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng said very gently, ¡°... Then what¡¯s your conclusion? Your father is not someone who just leaves things like that on the table?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged, she said resentfully, ¡°... I don¡¯t know anything about biological gic engineering. The design of this experiment is too advanced and technical. After all, it was copied by doctoral students for their graduation thesis. It¡¯s not something that a casual biological gic engineering reader like me can understand at a nce.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said softly, ¡°Give me a kiss and I¡¯ll help you find a good helper...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m frustrated now. Don¡¯t make fun of me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a look. Lu Jin still had no signs ofing in. He got up and sat down beside Gu Nianzhi. He held her waist with one hand and the back of her neck with the other. He hugged her tightly and lowered his head to kiss her.

    He bit her lip hard before letting go. ¡°Is there any more of the content your father showed you?¡±

    It would take a long time to get the real answer just by looking at the experiment design.

    However, if there was the content Lu Jin had just demonstrated to Gu Nianzhi, it would be easier for him to understand if he showed it to others.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted at theptop. ¡°There, it¡¯s right there, but there are only some pictures and instructions. Is that okay?¡±

    She then asked Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Who exactly are you going to show it to?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said,¡±... There are experts in gic engineering in the Soviet KGB.¡±

    Not only the Soviet KGB, but the CIA in the United States also had experts in this field.

    The contents of this experimental design had already been published by Ishihara Baisan in his doctoral thesis more than 30 years ago, so it was not considered confidential and there was no harm in showing it to others.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I just want to know how amazing this experimental design is, the benefits and convenience it provides for Ishihara Baisan¡¯s research.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Just wait for a bit. I¡¯ll convert the contents and send it back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands together and looked at Huo Shaoheng with eyes that were almost sparkling.¡±... You¡¯re so amazing...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help leaning over and kissing her for a while. He whispered in her ear, ¡°Not as good as you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Don¡¯t mock me.¡± Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her nose.

    Huo Shaoheng said inly, ¡°No matter how good I am, I still have to concede to you. Who do you think is better?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt the air was sweet as she said this. She rolled her eyes and sucked in her cheeks. She nudged him lightly. ¡°Nonsense, are you pretending to be Peter again?¡±

    How could the real Huo Shaoheng say something like that?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked at her intently.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was bursting with joy by his gaze. Her mood improved, and she became cheeky and yful. She reached out to him and said, ¡°Congrattions on getting rich! Give me a red packet!¡±

    This was a red packet for the new year.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her palm lightly with one hand and said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t have a red packet. I have a high five. Do you want it?¡±

    ¡°TSK, so stingy.¡± Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can not give me a red packet just because you¡¯re Peter now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her in amusement for a while, then slowly took out a big, bright red packet from his pocket and waved it in front of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Do you want it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes deliberately and looked away. ¡°Tacky. I don¡¯t want it.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t want it?¡± Huo Shaoheng pretended to put it away.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t looking in his direction, but her hand gestures were very urate. She grabbed the red packet in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand without looking back.

    She pinched it with her hand, feeling a little disappointed.

    ¡°It¡¯s so thin...¡± she opened the seal and shook it out, revealing a ck card.

    ¡°A ck card with unlimited overdraft?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Peter, I didn¡¯t expect you, the Committee of State Security (KGB) , to have such a card. Tell me, are you corrupt?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°Take a closer look. where is this ck card from?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell, can you?¡± Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head. ¡°This is the ck card from that side. You can use it when you go back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect it to be the ck card from that side. She lowered her head and after a while, she said softly, ¡°I first have to be able to go back...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her and kissed her. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely be able to go back. Trust me.¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could snap out of her daze, Huo Shaoheng had already stood up and left to send a message to his Soviet colleagues.

    ... ...

    Lu Jin was brought to his apartment by Lu Yuan and was feeling a little uneasy.

    Lu Yuan saw this and sighed. ¡°Tell me, what kind of trouble did you get into this time?¡±

    ¡°No, there was no trouble,¡± Lu Jin said, subconsciously praying that Lu Yuan did not know about Ishihara Baisan.

    However, Lu Yuan had already heard about it from Huo Shaoheng, so he did not stand on ceremony and said, ¡°Why did you want Ishihara Baisan to die?¡±

    Lu Jin covered his face and shouted, ¡°Are you done?! Ask both of them. He giarized my experimental design and was exposed. Hemitted suicide out of shame. What does that have to do with me?¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head and said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t even fool Peter and Nianzhi with your words, right?¡±

    Lu Jin wiped his hands on his face and heaved a heavy sigh, ¡°Actually, I just can¡¯t stand Ishihara Baisan. He¡¯s the descendant of a war criminal who relied on the information his ancestors obtained from the Japanese Digital Army military experiments to make a deal with the Americans behind the scenes to escape prosecution. He still has to and could continue his biological gic engineering research. If it were you, would you be happy?¡±

    Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment. ¡°Ishihara Baisan is rted to the Japanese Digital Army?¡±

    ¡°His grandfather, Ishihara Shiro, is the main scientist in the famous digital army in Japan. Since that war, he has been carrying out research on biological weapons in our country. Then, he used the data of biological weapons that gathered the blood and lives of our citizens to make a deal with the Americans in private. As a result, he escaped the judgment of the International Court of Justice for war criminals.¡±

    Lu Jin said hatefully, ¡°Ptui! The descendants of such people are not qualified to carry out biological gic engineering research!¡±

    Lu Yuan knew about the famous digital army in Japan.

    The Huaxia Empire had suffered great damage and losses in both this world and that world.

    However, he did not know as much as Lu Jin did. He even knew the name of a scientist who was not very famous. He could not help but ask in puzzlement,¡±... are you that familiar with that Digital Army?¡±

    Lu Jin sneered, ¡°It was on a whim that I studied biology in the United States... The basic data used by my professor¡¯sboratory is the data provided by the Japanese Digital Army!¡±

    As a Chinese man with a conscience, even Lu Jin, who had always been obsessed with academics, could not stand the shame and heartache when he saw the data that gathered the lives and blood of hispatriots.

 Chapter 1715 - The Polar Opposites (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1715: The Pr Opposites (2)</h4>

    Lu Yuan did not speak for a long time.

    After a while, Lu Jin thought that he had stopped, however, Lu Yuan asked faintly,¡±... because of this reason, you set up this trap more than 30 years ago? You¡¯re so amazing, you hid it so well, I didn¡¯t even notice. Don¡¯t call me Boss Lu in the future, you¡¯re the Boss.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll follow up on this matter. You don¡¯t have to bother about it anymore.¡± Lu Yuan raised his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t go out again for the next few days. Nianzhi and Peter are both extremely observant people. If you try to pull any more tricks, I think they¡¯ll lock you up in your studio.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°...¡±

    He stood up and wanted to leave, but Lu Yuan rubbed his temples and continued, ¡°Help me check again. Recently, I¡¯ve been having more headaches than before, and I often have insomnia.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s headache was caused by the maic resonance during the experiment.

    It hadn¡¯t been cured yet.

    The disease had nothing to do with genes, and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help him.

    Lu Jin took Lu Yuan to his studio in his apartment. There was aplete set of equipment there to give Lu Yuan a full physical examination.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was also in the middle of sending Huo Shaoheng a message.

    It just so happened that his colleague was on the line, and immediately started to study it after receiving the message.

    ...

    In the evening, Lu Yuan woke up from a nap and found himself still in Lu Jin¡¯s studio.

    Lu Jin was sitting in front of his supeputer, doing something.

    Lu Yuan got down from the hospital bed and asked Lu Jin, ¡°How is it? Is there nothing wrong with my body?¡±

    Lu Jin turned back to look at him and smiled. ¡°Your body is fine, but your mind isn¡¯t.¡±

    Lu Yuan: ¡°... Speak in humannguage.¡±

    Lu Jin snapped his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve been feeling lustful recently, causing changes in your body¡¯s hormone levels. You haven¡¯t vented your feelings for a long time, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with it when your hormones are low. But when your hormones are high, if you don¡¯t vent your feelings, there will be problems.¡±

    Lu Yuan awkwardly curled the corners of his mouth and directly ignored Lu Jin¡¯s next words. He nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that your body is fine.¡±

    He then asked Lu Jin, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Should I go make dinner?¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and waved at him. ¡°Go, go, go! I¡¯ll head over after I¡¯ve finished calcting this problem.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment and saw her and Huo Shaoheng sitting opposite each other on the sofa, as if they were talking.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as soon as he entered. ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re here to cook dinner?¡±

    Lu Yuan snickered. ¡°Peter,e to the kitchen. I¡¯ll teach you how to cook.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips into a smile and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°My colleague said there¡¯s a result and he¡¯ll send an update soon. This is my phone, take a look for yourself.¡± He handed his phone to Gu Nianzhi as he spoke.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want it. How can I take a look at your phone? You can show it to meter.¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help but feel his teeth ache for them when he saw how hypocritical they were.

    But he didn¡¯t say anything and turned to walk to the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi was adamant about not wanting his phone, so he didn¡¯t insist anymore. He stood up from the sofa and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the kitchen first. I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan had just gone to the kitchen when Lu Jin arrived.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was alone in the living room looking at her phone, Lu Jin smiled and said, ¡°Huh? Where are the other two?¡±

    ¡°They went to the kitchen.¡± Gu Nianzhi looked up and smiled at Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, have you rested?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be fine after I get some sleep tonight.¡± Lu Jinughed and sat down next to Gu Nianzhi.

    He had barely spoken to her when Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang.

    She picked it up and looked at it. Seeing that it was He Zhichu calling, she hesitated for a moment but still answered with a guilty conscience.

    ¡°Nianzhi, Happy New Year.¡± He Zhichu stood in the meeting room of a military camp and looked down, lost in thought as he stared at the geometric carpet on the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Happy New Year, Young Master He. I should be the one to wish you Happy New Year. However, I saw you and General He¡¯s New Year speech at the Spring Festival Gst night. I thought you might have been busy these past few days, so I didn¡¯t call.¡±

    He Zhichu had gone with He Chengjian early in the morning to pay New Year¡¯s greetings to the officers and soldiers.

    He was indeed very busy.

    He Zhichu smiled faintly and said coldly, ¡°No matter how busy you are, you still have time to call someone.¡±

    ¡°Some people use being busy as an excuse to not call anyone. They either don¡¯t care about you or they don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed and whispered, ¡°Young Master He is always so blunt.¡±

    He Zhichu was about to speak when the door to the conference room opened. Xie Qingying, who was dressed in camouge and winter military uniform, poked her head in and smiled. ¡°Young Master He, it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    She was one of the best in new media, and He Chengjian wanted to set her up with He Zhichu. Therefore, he allowed Xie Qingying¡¯s new mediapany to participate in this year¡¯s New Year¡¯s event, which was a supplement to traditional media.

    Gu Nianzhi heard Xie Qingying¡¯s voice on the phone and immediately recognized her.

    She said happily,¡±... did Cousin Xie call you? Young Master He, hurry up and go. I won¡¯t keep you any longer. Hahahaha...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone decisively, and the smile on her face grew wider.

    It was the first day of the New Year, and the good news came one after another..

    Lu Jin had wanted to criticize He Zhichu, but seeing that Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood after the call, he swallowed his words and said with a smile, ¡°Is it Xie Qingying? She¡¯s with He Zhichu on the first day of the New Year? Looks like good things areing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    At that moment, her phone rang again.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and saw that it was a text from Huo Shaoheng asking her to check her email.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly opened her email and saw that there was an attachment that Huo Shaoheng had forward over.

    She nced at Lu Jin and said calmly, ¡°Dad, I want to eat some mangoes. Can you help me check if there are any more in the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°Mangoes? Okay, okay, okay. I¡¯ll go check. I remember there are still some. But it¡¯s not good to just eat mangoes. I¡¯ll go check if there are any other fruits.¡± Lu Jin quickly stood up. ¡°Wait a while...¡±

    He happily went to the kitchen to prepare some fruits for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted mangoes because it would take longer to prepare, so Lu Jin would stay in the kitchen for a while longer.

    After Lu Jin left, Gu Nianzhi opened the attachment in her mailbox and looked at it.

    It was an attachment from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Soviet colleague¡±. It was mainly to exin to Huo Shaoheng the pros and cons of the experimental design.

    Gu Nianzhi saw a long string of data analysis in the attachment, the person wrote: ¡°The experimental design was indeed considered as very advanced when it was released more than 30 years ago. It was also very precise and perfect. It was proposed by the Japanese expert in gic engineering, Ishihara Baisan, in his doctoral thesis.¡±

    ¡°... Later, Ishihara Baisan¡¯s research and the entire Japanese research in gic engineering were carried out under this framework.¡±

    ¡°However, the strange thing is that Ishihara Baisan¡¯s research over the past 30 years has not produced any meaningful results.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw this.

    She quickly searched online for the academic papers that Ishihara Baisan had published over the past 30 years.

    Even if she did not know anything about gic engineering, Gu Nianzhi found out that although Ishihara Baisan had published a lot of research papers in top journals over the past 30 years, when she looked at the titles and abstracts of those papers, she immediately understood that they were just meaningless fluff. They were not as useful as the concept of ¡°gene editing¡± that Qin Yaoguang had proposed over a decade ago.

    This was strange...

    She held her phone in her hand as she pondered, until Lu Jin ced a fruit tter in front of her.

    There were sliced ivory rays, peeled lychees, and some fresh water chestnuts.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up a few slices of water chestnuts with a toothpick and ate them. She smiled as she chatted with Lu Jin in a roundabout way.

    ¡°Dad, can you tell me about our family? What do grandfather and grandmother do? Where are they?¡±

    Lu Jin was very happy to see Gu Nianzhi asking about the Gu family. He sat beside her and fed her lychee with a toothpick, he said, ¡°Your grandfather, Gu Haize, went abroad a long time ago. He used to be a very famous psychologist, but he¡¯s no longer around. Your grandmother lived a good life with grandfather, hardly ever see one without the other, but she¡¯s no longer around too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very regretful and continued to probe,¡±... Did grandfather go to Germany?¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    He frowned at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why Germany? What are you thinking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped beating around the bush, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about my counterpart. Gu Haize was a very powerful person in the other world. ¡°He knew extremely powerful hypnotism, but he was locked up in the Northeast Digital Army¡¯s concentration camp... Later, before the end of World War II, he was sent to Germany...¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head as if he was not surprised at all, ¡°This is different. Our Gu family is here, and we were never captured by the Japanese Digital Army. My father went abroad to study when he was in his teens. He finished his PhD in psychology in the United States and stayed there to settle down.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen, who was also Lu Jin¡¯s genius, was not a result of the Japanese ¡°Gic Enhancement n¡±.

    He was a natural-born descendant of Huaxia.

    ¡°So you were born abroad?¡± Gu Nianzhi perked up and became even more curious. ¡°What about the he family? is Young Master He¡¯s grandfather called He Shouwang? Is he also a good friend of my grandfather?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°I was born and raised abroad. After I finished my PhD, your grandfather asked me to return to China, so I returned to China to do research.¡±

    ¡°He Chengjian¡¯s father is indeed called He Shouwang. He also studied abroad and had a good rtionship with your grandfather. But he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. After he returned to China, he joined the revolution and died on the battlefield. He Chengjian inherited his legacy and joined the army.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard this and realized that He Shouwang and Gu Haize on this side werepletely different from He Shouwang and Gu Haize on the other side.

    He Zhichu had once said, ¡°My grandfather, He Shouwang, and your grandfather, Gu Haize, were both survivors of the Japanese Gic Enhancement n against Huaxia.¡±

    Now that he thought about it, was he actually talking about He Shouwang and Gu Haize in that world, and not He Shouwang and Gu Haize in this world?

 Chapter 1716 - The Polar Opposites (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1716: The Pr Opposites (3)</h4>

    Compared to He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi naturally trusted her father, Lu Jin, as known as Gu Xiangwen, more.

    Besides, He Zhichu had a legitimate reason for saying that.

    When he was in the other world, he had once tried to pin Little Nianzhi¡¯s background on Gu Nianzhi, so that she could have aplete family history and not be found as a person who came from nowhere.

    Therefore, what he told the people over there were actually the family histories of the Gu and He families in the other world.

    If He Chengjian hadn¡¯t kidnapped her and brought her back to this world, Gu Nianzhi would have really lived as Little Nianzhi.

    In fact, she was the parallel existence of Little Nianzhi, so the family history was almost wless on her.

    It was the same situation as how Huo Shaoheng used Xie Ziyan¡¯s KGB identify as his own family history when he first came to this world.

    Softly, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Dad, when Young Master He was in the other world, he said that his grandfather, He Shouwang, and my grandfather, Gu Haoze, were both victims of the Japanese ¡°Gic Enhancement n¡±.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted, ¡°He was putting the boot on the wrong foot.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the Gu family and the He family in the other world, but I understand well about our history here.¡±

    Lu Jin continued, ¡°Our Gu family was once a prominent family in the north. Our family members had left the country even before the war began. Some left for Europe, some left for America. Almost no one stayed in the country.¡±

    ¡°The He family stayed in the country. Their family sacrificed a lot of lives for the rebellion.¡±

    ¡°Although the old He Chengjian is headstrong and opinionated, the contributions the He family has made to this country can not be erased. He Chengjian¡¯s father, He Shouwang, was a highly respected general with great military talent. My father respected him, and I admired him.¡±

    ¡°That means you and General He were both, born naturally, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked awkwardly.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Lu Jin did not feel embarrassed at all about telling his daughter about this.

    ¡°We¡¯re all natural and organic products, with the best quality.¡±

    PFFT!

    Gu Nianzhi could hardly hold back herughter.

    ¡°Okay, okay, dad, I¡¯m just checking.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed and told him everything she knew about the Gu family.

    She learned about the He family through Gu Haoze¡¯s suicide note in the other world, especially on the things about He Shouwang.

    However, she did not know anything about He Chengjian and He Zhichu in the other world.

    She could only specte, ¡°If the parallel existence could never appear at the same time, then the He Zhichu on the other side must have passed away a long time ago. This exined why Young Master He was fine when he went to the other side.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°That¡¯s the only exnation. Otherwise, He Zhichu would not havee back.¡±

    Lu Jin sighed, ¡°But He Zhichu¡¯s feelings for you are real. He risked his life rushing to the other side for you even without knowing if there was a parallel existence of him over there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time. Then she said faintly, ¡°What about you? When you sent me over, weren¡¯t you worried that there would be a Gu Nianzhi there too?¡±

    Lu Jin held her hand and wanted to say something, but he hesitated. After a while, he then said, ¡°How could I send you over without knowing the situation there? Although the idea of sending you over was put forward by Boss Lu, I won¡¯t send you to die without verifying the situation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled. ¡°Then how did you verify it?¡±

    Lu Jin seemed excited as he was going to talk about his own invention.

    Full of excitements, he said, ¡°Nianzhi, you know that everyone has their own specific maic field. It¡¯s very weak, but it does exist.¡±

    ¡°And the maic fields of the two parallel existence in the parallel spaces are exactly the opposite of each other.¡±

    ¡°This is also why when the oppositese together to a same space, they will immediately die.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a collision of positive and negative particles, when they meet, the only oue is annihtion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood this part of the story. She turned on herptop and began to record about it. She put on a smiley face and said, ¡°Yes, I know that. What else?¡±

    Lu Jin stood up and walked around the living room, waving his big hands in the air.

    ¡°So after Boss Lu suggested sending you over, I thought of a way to build a human maic field detector that can detect and monitor the maic fields of the parallel existence in the other world.¡±

    ¡°Because the human maic field of the existence in the two worlds are opposite. When I have the data of your human maic field, I can detect if there is any maic field opposing to yours on the other side.¡±

    ¡°If the opposite maic field doesn¡¯t exist, that means your parallel existence is not there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°But there are billions of people in that world. How can you be sure that my parallel existence is not there?¡±

    ¡°Actually, the principle is very simple. Do you know how televisions receive images? To put it simply, television stations send signals, and television sets receive signals.¡±

    ¡°Applying this principle, I capture the weak maic field of the parallel existence just like a signal sent from a television station. Then, I receive it with my maic field detector through high-power quantum transmission.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, doing so requires a lot of energy. I can only focus on detecting the maic field of your parallel existence. I don¡¯t have that much energy to search for someone else¡¯s maic field.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood and asked, ¡°Then when you searched, did you really not find my parallel existence in the other world?¡±

    Lu Jin had a mixed expression on his face. He seemed disappointed, and then gratified.

    ¡°I detected your opposing maic field at the beginning and that was really disappointing as it meant that I could not send you over. But then, I found that the opposing maic filed was getting weaker and weaker. Soon, it has disappearedpletely.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was shaken. ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    ¡°This means that the other Gu Nianzhi¡¯s life was slipping away.¡± Lu Jin sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened over there, but on that day, I¡¯m very sure that the other Gu Nianzhi was dying.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ve decided to send you over right away to prevent any more trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so impressed by Lu Jin¡¯s abilities that she couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re amazing! But, have you thought of informing the Gu Xiangwen there? He really loved his daughter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the holographic image of Gu Xiangwen that she had seen in the submarine, and her eyes were tearing.

    ¡°He was also a good father who loved his daughter wholeheartedly.¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°I told you, I¡¯ve already used up a lot of energy to find your opposing maic field. If we go looking for the Gu Xiangwen over there, then neither of us could reach there.¡±

    Yes, he was being selfish.

    He had chosen his own daughter over someone else¡¯s daughter in that of a life and death situation.

    Gu Nianzhi understood and immediately said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t feel guilty. I know it¡¯s impossible. Her death has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t take my nonsense words to your heart.¡±

    Even if Lu Jin could inform that Gu Xiangwen , would he be able to save her in time?

    Who knew what had happened over there.

    Gu Nianzhi was very upset about what she said, as if things were so easy.

    Lu Jin looked at her and smiled.

    He patted her head, and he said softly, ¡°I understand. I don¡¯t feel guilty. If I had to make another choice, I would still choose you. Nianzhi, dad is not a selfless person. But to me, the most important thing is my daughter¡¯s happiness.¡±

    However, it was a little toote for him to realize this.

    He had let his daughter suffered four years of inhuman torture by Qin Yaoguang.

    For just a few seconds, Lu Jin¡¯s eyes were filled with ruthlessness.

    He would not let go of any of those people!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were really tearing, and her voice was almost choked with sobs.

    ¡°Dad, you have to be fine too. If anything happens to you, don¡¯t hide it from me. I will not forgive anyone who hurts you.¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly wiped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears.

    ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t cry. Dad won¡¯t. I hasn¡¯t seen my daughter get married, and I am still waiting to meet my little grandson.¡±

    Thinking that he might not be able to meet his cute and chubby little grandson, Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help feeling sad, and he started crying.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe Lu Jin¡¯s tears.

    The father and daughter cried together in the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan saw that sentimental scene when they came in to call them over for dinner.

    The two of them looked at each other. They were in surprise but of course no emotions were shown as they were both very calm and reserved people.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and looked at Gu Nianzhi with a deep gaze.

    Lu Yuan knocked on the wall of the living room and made a fake cough.

    ¡°Dinner is ready. You¡¯re not crying because you¡¯re hungry, are you?¡±

    Lu Jin quickly grabbed a tissue to blow his nose.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just crying because I¡¯m hungry. So what?¡± He said with a muffled voice.

    Lu Yuan has nothing to say.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes and nose were all red. Blowing her nose with tissue, she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m very hungry too.¡±

    And now even Huo Shaofeng has nothing to say.

    Lu Jin held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked to the dining room straight.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng followed them.

    Dinner for the day had already been served.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite dish, San Xian Fried Rice, was ced in front of her as usual. There were ten other dishes on the table, indicating prayers for a perfect uing year.

    Lu Yuan pointed at the dishes and said, ¡°There are shrimps cooked with vermicelli and garlic, also known as the ¡°Flowers Blooming with Wealth¡±. There are roasted chicken wings, bringing a meaning of ¡°Happy Couples¡±. There are also stir-fried lilies with celeries and cashew nuts, which means ¡°A Hundred Years of Harmony¡±.¡±

    He added, ¡°It¡¯s all made by Peter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a moment.

    Lu Jin snorted heavily. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s the New Year. Don¡¯t talk about such unhappy things.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and winked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Of course it¡¯s unhappy for Mr Lu but it¡¯s a happy thing for Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in shock.

    Lu Yuan must have found out that she had already knew who was ¡°Peter¡±.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: ¡°The Pr Opposites (3)¡±.

    There will be three updates for today, this is to continue getting the monthly votes back for April.

    Here¡¯s a reminder for everyone about the monthly votes and the rmendation tickets.

    Please give a full vote for all the rmendation tickets.

    The second update will be at 1pm today, and the third update will be at 8pmter.

    Mwah everyone ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1717 - The Polar Opposites (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1717: The Pr Opposites (4)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nced at Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan was smiling brightly and amiably, as if nothing has happened.

    Seeing that, Gu Nianzhi did not say anything further. She smiled and tried to smooth things over. ¡°Wow, there are so many dishes. They look really good!¡±

    ¡°I taught him how to make them.¡± Lu Yuan raised his wine ss.

    ¡°Come, it¡¯s the first day of the New Year. I wish us all the best for the uing year where we can get everything we want and throw away everything we don¡¯t want.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I like that!¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her ss filled with kiwi juice.

    ¡°President Lu, I wish you a prosperous new year and a new life partner!¡±

    Lu Yuan was so awkward that he could not say a word.

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head to hide his smile. He raised his ss as well and said to the unhappy Lu Jin, ¡°Uncle Lu, I wish you a major breakthrough in your experiment in the new year. Also, I wish you could walk Nianzhi down the aisle this year.¡±

    In western weddings, there is a red carpet ceremony where the father would walk his daughter to down to aisle and hand her over to the son-inw who was waiting at the end of the aisle.

    Lu Jin was even more unhappy when he thought of this.

    ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be so lucky. This Peter, he¡¯s really rubbing it in.¡± He whispered to himself in his heart.

    Lu Jin red at him, but still raised his ss.

    Gu Nianzhi said in a daze, ¡°Dad, you must be there with me on that day! I haven¡¯t decided what wedding dress I¡¯m going to wear. But yes! You have to be there!¡±

    Lu Jin took a sip of wine and smiled without saying a word.

    Gu Nianzhi tried to describe the western-style weddings she had seen.

    ¡°There were so many white chairs on the grassywn, and a red carpet in the middle that extended from the entrance to the ceremonial stage.¡±

    ¡°And there was an arch decorated with lilies on the ceremonial stage. The groom was wearing a tuxedo and standing under the arch.¡±

    ¡°The father walked his daughter, who was in a white wedding dress down the aisle slowly. He came before the groom and handed his daughter¡¯s hand to him.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I never thought that one day, my biological father would be the one who is walking me down the aisle.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes were filled with fervent yearning and anticipation.

    Lu Jin realized that that would be a beautiful future where he couldn¡¯t resist.

    He unconsciously held the his chopsticks tighter. He then scooped a bowl of ck ginseng soup for Gu Nianzhi.

    With a faint smile, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t even have a boyfriend, and you¡¯re already thinking about getting married? Don¡¯t worry, my daughter is so beautiful. She will definitely be the most beautiful bride!¡±

    To Gu Nianzhi, it was the happiest moment of her life. She had her father sitting on her left, and the man she loved sitting on her right. .

    She finished her dinner happily and offered to stay behind to help Peter clean up the dining table.

    Gu Nianzhi actually hated washing dishes, but now, she was willing to do it just to stay a little longer with Huo Shaoheng. She even offered herself to do it.

    Lu Yuan understood what she was nning. He tried to help her, ¡°That¡¯s good. Thepany is having a technical issue where I need to consult our major shareholder here, President Lu. We¡¯ll make a move to the living room first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, dad. You and President Lu go to the living room first. We will be there once we are done.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and she could wait to stay.

    However, Lu Jin did not allow it.

    He frowned, ¡°Nianzhi, there¡¯s a dishwasher. Why are you finding yourself a trouble? Come, let¡¯s hear what is the technical issue that Boss Lu¡¯spany is having. Thispany will be yours in the future. It¡¯s good for you to know more now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Well, well. It seemed like Lu Yuan¡¯spany was going to have a new major shareholder joining in. However, he did know that with how much Lu Jin treasured Nianzhi, all of his assets would sooner orter passed to her.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be done in five minutes. Nianzhi, go listen to Boss Lu¡¯s problems with Uncle Lu. Maybe you cane up with some ideas.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to follow Lu Jin and stand up. She shrugged. ¡°Okay then, I hate washing dishes anyway. But Mr. Peter is a guest, is it really good to let him doing the dishes?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? He doesn¡¯t even treat himself as an outsider, why should you worry about him?¡± Lu Jin said with a sullen face. He grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked out.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and smiled apologetically at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled backed and continued cleaning up .

    Lu Yuan could not help it but shook his head. He then followed Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi to the living room.

    When they reached the living room, Lu Yuan started to ask questions about the inte security. He frowned and said, ¡°Lu Jin, do you know that we maintain the inte security system of the Qin Corporation?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Of course I know. Didn¡¯t you hold a grand celebration after you signed the contract? You even held it in the H City.¡±

    ¡°Since you know that, what are you trying to do by breaching the inte security system of your ownpany repeatedly?¡±

    Lu Yuan unceremoniously attacked Lu Jin despite Nianzhi was just sitting beside him.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately knew that Lu Yuan had found out that Lu Jin had downloaded information about the intr of the Qin Corporation for her.

    Her eyes shed, and Lu Jin continued with a straight face when she was about to speak.

    ¡°You have to speak with evidence. Boss Lu, you said that I broke through the Qin Corporation¡¯swork security system. Where¡¯s the evidence? Did you find my IP address or catch me in the act?¡±

    Lu Yuan sneered, ¡°When one is asking for evidence, one is implicitly admitting he is the one who did it.¡±

    Lu Jin did not asnwer.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Lu Jin was rendered speechless by Lu Yuan, she quickly said, ¡°President Lu, it¡¯s not that I want to help my father, but your usations need to be supported by evidence. What¡¯s wrong with that? Besides, my father is only a shareholder of the Lu Corporation, not the management. He doesn¡¯t participate in the daily management, nor does he know that the Lu Corporation currently has a security framework for the Qin Corporation¡¯swork system. May I ask, what is the reason for you saying my father has breached the security system?¡±

    Lu Jin heard Gu Nianzhi speaking up for him, and he quickly regained hisposure.

    He said proudly, ¡°Boss Lu, my daughter is a barrister. When a barrister asks a question, you¡¯d better answer honestly.¡±

    Lu Yuan really envied Lu Jin for having such an intelligent and outstanding daughter.

    But sooner orter, this daughter would be part of their family.

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°Of course I have my reasons. My reasons are...¡±

    He pointed in the direction of Lu Jin¡¯s apartment. ¡°Lu Jin¡¯sputer. There must be a lot of information about the Qin Corporation in it.¡±

    ¡°In that case, you actually don¡¯t have any evidence.¡± Gu Nianzhi patted Lu Jin on the shoulder. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be fooled by President Lu. He doesn¡¯t have any evidence, so he was trying to trick you.¡±

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°My llittle girl is the best. I was really scared to death just now!¡±

    He patted his chest and made a ¡°scared¡± expression, which made Gu Nianzhi giggled.

    Lu Yuan could only shake his head helplessly. ¡°I know yourputer skills are excellent, but it¡¯s better not to do something like this.¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it. I, didn¡¯t do it! Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked in and asked casually,¡± What did I just miss ? What was it that Uncle Lu didn¡¯t do?¡±

    Lu Yuan told him about how the internalwork of the Qin Corporation being breached.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    ¡°Then how did you know? If there weren¡¯t any traces left behind?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, wondering if Lu Yuan was hiding something.

    Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°Of course it was your amazing father who helped me. He designed a software that can track and safeguard all our customers. As long as someone breaks into the intr system, this software will give a warning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed.

    So it was another problem of contradictions.

    Lu Jin pped his head. ¡°Oh, I forgot! I want to take back my system!¡±

    ¡°No returns, no exchanges,¡± Lu Yuan said with a half-smile. He sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that they had gone too far. He took out his phone and sent Gu Nianzhi a text message: [The experimental design that Ishihara Baisan copied. What¡¯s wrong with it? ]

    Gu Nianzhi saw it and she changed the subject without batting an eyelid.

    She held her phone and spun around. She looked at Lu Jin and asked, ¡°Dad, before dinner, you said that the Gu and He families in this world arepletely different from the ones in the other world. Is that true?¡±

    Not to mention about Lu Yuan¡¯s real identify, even before this, Gu Nianzhi knew that he knew about the other world.

    When Gu Nianzhi was kidnapped by He Chengjian, Lu Yuan was aware that Lu Jin had engaged in an energy battle with He Chengjian¡¯s troops.

    He had already known that Gu Nianzhi was Lu Jin¡¯s daughter, and that she was kidnapped by He Chengjian from the opposite world.

    Therefore, for sure he knew about the opposite world, and Gu Nianzhi had no intention of hiding it from him.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: The Pr Opposites (4).

    There will be three updates for today, this is to continue getting the monthly votes back for April.

    Here¡¯s a reminder for everyone about the monthly votes and the rmendation tickets.

    Please give a full vote for all the rmendation tickets.

    The third update will be at 8pmter.

    Mwah, everyone ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1718 - The Polar Opposites (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1718: The Pr Opposites (5)</h4>

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°Ya, It¡¯s different. I¡¯ve already exined before.¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help ncing at Gu Nianzhi. Why does she care so much about whether the things happened to the Gu and He families here and the Gu and He families there were the same?

    Lu Yuan thought so because he knew that the Gu Xiangwen in this world, Lu Jin, had apletely different experience from the Gu Xiangwen in the other world.

    In other words, for sure the Gu and He families of the two worlds hadpletely different experiences.

    Lu Yuan had a one-waymunication with Gu Xiangwen from the other world before. He knew better than Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng what kind of huge sacrifices the Gu and He families over there had made in the northeast.

    They had once worked together to destroy thergest research base of the Japanese Digital Army in the northeast. Unfortunately, the data had long been moved away by the Japanese. Otherwise, these Japanese researchers being war criminals, wouldn¡¯t have had the capital to make deals with the Americans after the war, to escape the punishment from the International Court of Justice.

    However, the parents of Gu Xiangwen and He Chengjian in this world, Gu Haize and He Shouwang, had never been caught by the Japanese Digital Army.

    Lu Yuan thought for a moment and asked inquisitively, ¡°Nianzhi, why do you care so much about this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed. Suddenly, she didn¡¯t know how to exin her feelings. She couldn¡¯t help looking at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi made an eye contact, and they looked at each other in silence.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what she meant with just that one look, he nodded at her.

    With that nod, Gu Nianzhi was encouraged. She quickly cleared her mind and said in a low, hoarse voice, ¡°I was thinking that Gu Xiangwen on both sides is a rare genius, but Gu Xiangwen and the Gu family on the other side have suffered too much.¡±

    ¡°The reason is that the Gu family on the other side was interfered with by the Japanese extreme right wing¡¯s Gic Enhancement n.¡±

    ¡°But Gu Xiangwen on this side, my father Lu Jin, has not been interfered with by the project. He is a natural-born descendant of Huaxia, but he is even more talented and capable than Gu Xiangwen on the other side.¡±

    ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    ¡°It means that the birth of geniuses in Huaxia has nothing to do with the Japanese Gic Enhancement n.¡±

    ¡°Even without that , geniuses will still be born in Huaxia.¡±

    ¡°In this sense, the Gic Enhancement n has killed so many true elites in Huaxia!¡±

    ¡°If not for their interference, Gu Xiangwen over there would have been even more talented, and the Gu family over there would not have suffered such a tragic fate.¡±

    ¡°But unfortunately, the Gu family over there is not as lucky as the one here. For the rest of their lives, they probably would not be able to get rid of the dangers brought by that Japanese project.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes turned red.

    Although the He family and the Gu family here were not affected by the research of the Japanese Digital Army, he hade into contact with the data that the army had given to the Americans when he was studying for a PhD in biological gic engineering in the United States.

    He could not forget that hot afternoon.

    Sitting in a chill air-conditioned room, strong shock and humiliation engulfed him when he read those data and information.

    Lu Jin had forgotten himself for a moment and said coldly, ¡°Nianzhi is right. That¡¯s why the descendants of the war criminals of the Japanese Digital Army are not qualified to continue their research in biological gic engineering. That¡¯s why I specially designed that experiment for him.¡±

    The moment Lu Jin said that, he knew something was wrong and immediately shut his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi caught on to this sentence and her mind suddenly lit up.

    It was like a chip loaded with arge integrated circuit. With the effects of quantum mechanics, various effects that could not be exined by ssical physics has urred. However, when these effects came together, they broke through the barrier of parallel spaces, this allowed Gu Nianzhi to understand Lu Jin¡¯s true intentions.

    She thought of the experimental design that Huo Shaoheng had asked a biologist from the Soviet KGB to exin. She thought of Ishihara Baisan¡¯s insignificant research results over the years.

    The biological gic research of the entire Japan was restricted within a framework.

    Her ck jade-like pupils sparkled as she looked at Lu Jin, suppressing the excitement in her heart, Gu Nianzhi enunciated each word clearly. ¡°Dad, you designed this experiment for Ishihara Baisan on purpose. You designed this experiment to resolve the bottleneck of Ishihara Baisan¡¯s experiments, but in fact, you were the one who has led him astray!¡±

    ¡°Many times, when one views a problem from a different angle, one wille to apletely different conclusion.¡±

    ¡°The wrong angle and direction will lead one to the opposite direction.¡±

    ¡°And the faster one runs, the farther one would be from the right direction.¡±

    ¡°Dad, you were using an experiment in apletely wrong direction to lead Ishihara Baisan, and even all of the other Japanese biological gic engineering researchers, to a dead end, thus blocking their progress in the industry!¡±

    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re really amazing!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan were shocked. Their eyes fell on Lu Jin¡¯s unassuming face, and they couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of respect.

    Thirty years ago, it was this person who looked such unreliable, with such a severe interpersonal disorder, who had carefully designed an experiment that froze the progress of Ishihara Baisan, or the development of the entire Japan¡¯s biological gic engineering industry.

    For more than thirty years, they had made no progress.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly realised why Lu Jin had chosen to expose the fact that Ishihara Baisan had copied his experimental design at this particr moment.

    ¡°Uncle Lu, do you know something that we don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°As the chief scientist of the United Nations Poption Fund, Ishihara Baisan had suddenlye to Huaxia and wanted to cooperate with the Academy of Sciences to conduct researches on gic therapy. Was there some ulterior motive behind this?¡±

    ¡°Or did he finally realise that his research direction for the past thirty years was wrong?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was keenly aware that there was something fishy about this coboration.

    Lu Jin ignored Huo Shaoheng.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi in a daze. He did not expect that it would be his own daughter who would discover his hidden intentions for more than thirty years.

    He was at cloud nine. The joy in his heart were in full bloom like colorful and dazzling flowers blooming in a garden.

    ¡°Yea dad, are you hiding some truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi held his hands and asked carefully.

    Lu Jin came back to his senses. His lips were trembling, and his mind was in an intense struggle.

    In the end, he lowered his head, and said in a low voice, ¡°At the moment where he publicly mentioned Qin Yaoguang at the Spring Festival G, I knew that he must have realised something was wrong about his research direction from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s research.¡±

    ¡°He is very smart. Once he is able to correct his research direction, his progress will catch up at a breakneck speed.¡±

    ¡°I cannot let that happen.¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and said stubbornly, ¡°His research direction is about the the gic fragment system that is unique to Huaxia people. I cannot let the Japanese or anyone else from other countries have that.¡±

    ¡°Letting foreigners to conduct gic therapy research in Huaxia is like asking a tiger for its hide. I firmly oppose it!¡±

    If this gic fragment system was identified and discovered by outsiders, it would be a catastrophe for the entire Huaxia nation.

    In this aspect, they would rather fall behind thanpromise.

    Ishihara Baisan was the most powerful gic engineering expert in Japan. Once he died, Japan¡¯s gic engineering would fall behind by at least fifty years.

    Of course, they were already thirty years behind.

    The gap of eighty years was not so easy to catch up.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect her father, who seemed to only care about studies and experiments, would have such a deep sense of national consciousness and patriotism.

    She had thought that he was merely a mad scientist, but he was actually a patriotic scientist too.

    Lu Jin was not used to seeing the three people in the living room looking at him with admiration and respect.

    He shrunk his neck, and whispered, ¡°Actually, most of the modern biological research still relies on a huge-crowd strategy. Only the researches in biological gic engineering and the high-energy physics, rely on a small group of people to achieve breakthroughs. So, with Ishihara Baisan¡¯s death, we can at least be safe for a few decades.¡±

    ¡°Ishihara Baisan has aplices. He has helpers.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng restrained his excitement and said calmly, ¡°Uncle Lu, do you know who are his helpers?¡±

    Lu Jin lowered his head even more, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, it¡¯s Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    From his perspective, he was actually also one of the aplices of Ishihara Baisan. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s learnt all her knowledge in biological genes, especially the Huaxia genes, from him.

    He had made mistakes that he needed to make up for himself.

    This was a war that belonged to him alone, and he would not back down.

    Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand even tighter, as if she had seen through his thoughts.

    She said calmly, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not your fault. Qin Yaoguang is a scum of the Huaxia people. She is selling herself for glory, but her n would not work. At least, I would not let that happen.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after the New Year, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s case will be heard again. This time, I¡¯m going to rip off all her skin!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the third update of the day: The Pr Opposites (5).

    There will be three updates for today, this is to continue getting the monthly votes back for April.

    Here¡¯s a reminder for everyone about the monthly votes and the rmendation tickets.

    Please give a full vote for all the rmendation tickets.

    Mwah, everyone ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1719 - Give No Chance to the Trolls

    <h4>Chapter 1719: Give No Chance to the Trolls</h4>

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi, touched. His daughter was so nice to him that even she would even go against her own mother for his sake.

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and advised her seriously, ¡°Qin Yaoguang is your mother after all. It¡¯s better not to have a public falling out with her and leave her for me to deal with, lest others say that you¡¯re UNFILIAL.¡±

    The other three people in the room fell into a strange silence.

    None of them expected to hear the word ¡°filial¡± or ¡°unfilial¡± from Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin had gone so far in science that they often felt that he had gone beyond the ethical boundaries of ordinary people.

    How could such secr words as thosee out of his mouth? It was too out of ce.

    Lu Jin turned his head and realised that they were all staring at him, so he red back at them, he said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I say something wrong? No matter what, Nianzhi was born of Qin Yaoguang. Even if Qin Yaoguang is an unpardonable traitor, if Nianzhi were to deal with her personally, for sure there will always be people who willment about it.¡±

    Actually, he was feeling a little guilty and had no choice but to use this kind of reason that he did not care about to cover it up.

    Lu Yuan rubbed his temples, feeling really tired.

    In front of Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin could be considered a great father who was extremely considerate. He could even consider the smallest details.

    ¡°You said that she was a gangster. Why bother with those people? If they want toment, let themment. Who cares about them?¡± Gu Nianzhi said.

    Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. Even if they¡¯re trolls, they can¡¯t talk about my little girl.¡± Lu Jin waved his hand without hesitation. ¡°I am not giving them any chance.¡±

    ¡°My girl is amazing! She is the best in anything! ¡ª I won¡¯t ept any rebuttal!¡±

    He defended Gu Nianzhi righteously and would rather face all the attack and vilification himself.

    Gu Nianzhi was a crybaby, hearing what he has said, she was now crying all she could.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He walked over to Lu Jin¡¯s specially made tissue on the coffee table and handed it to him. ¡°Why are you crying on the first day of the New Year? Aren¡¯t you Huaxia people the most particr about luck?¡±

    ¡°This is called crying from extreme joy. Don¡¯t talk nonsense if you don¡¯t know anything about it, you Soviets.¡± Lu Jin took the tissue from Huo Shaoheng confidently and wiped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears.

    His movements were so gentle as if he was doing the most delicate and fragile biological experiment.

    Lu Jin¡¯s words put Gu Nianzhi smiled through tears. She was so excited that she couldn¡¯t think properly. It was only when Huo Shaoheng sat down next to her that she calmed down.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have to say or do anything. As long as he was by her side, she would be able to develop boundless courage and confidence.

    Gu Nianzhi cleared her throat.

    She had cried too many times today, and her voice was truly hoarse.

    However, she still said to Lu Jin with her hoarse voice, with great caution, ¡°Dad, this is not a question of filial piety, nor is it a question of confronting a troll. To me, that is not the point.¡±

    ¡°But to me, it is the point¡± Lu Jin muttered, but immediately nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Then what do you think is the point?¡±

    ¡°What I concern is that we do have to deal with Qin Yaoguang, but we have to deal with her through legal means. I don¡¯t want my father to risk breaking thew for me.¡±

    ¡°Your daughter is a barrister. If you break thew, how am I going to stand as one? I might as well ask the Bar Association to revoke myw license.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had used her career as a stake to bet that Lu Jin would disregard her interests and career prospects.

    Lu Jin did not buy it. He said unhappily, ¡°How did I break thew? Did I ever break thew when it came to Ishihara Baisan¡¯s case? Tell me, did I force him to giarize? Or did I personally cut his stomach open with a knife?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted the back of his hand andforted him, ¡°Of course you did a great job for Ishihara Baisan¡¯s case. But if Mr. Peter did not step in and help you to clean up the mess, and if Ishihara hired a goodwyer, this could be awsuit that worth a fight.¡±

    Lu Jin nced at Huo Shaoheng and didn¡¯t say a word.

    Gu Nianzhi thought she had convinced him, so she smiled and said, ¡°Alright, then I would forgo my New Year celebration this year. Instead, I¡¯ll start preparing now, and when the court reopens after the 15th day of the New Year, I¡¯ll take it down once and for all!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes widened, he couldn¡¯t help but get worried. ¡°Don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy! Do you know how much financial power and influence the Qin Corporation has? Do you know how high Qin Yaoguang¡¯s reputation is internationally? Do you know how many lives of influential people she has saved over the years?!¡±

    In other words, Gu Nianzhi had to deal with Qin Yaoguang through legal means. The first thing she had to face was the entire Qin corporation, but not her alone.

    Gu Nianzhi curled the corners of her lips and said confidently, ¡°If I am not going to take down the entire Qin Corporation, would I, the greatwyer Gu, be needed?¡±

    Her self-confident and narcissistic expression was exactly the same as Lu Jin¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan looked at each other and smiled, finally rxed.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes were still sparkling, but he did not continue to argue with Gu Nianzhi. He only nodded. ¡°Okay okay, I believe that my girl is the best!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi observed Lu Jin¡¯s expression and realized that Lu Jin still did not fully believe her.

    However, that was not important. Lu Jin would believe her once she was in the court.

    As for whether it was ¡°unfilial¡± for her as a daughter to bring her own mother to justice, Gu Nianzhi did not have that in mind.

    Subconsciously, she did not see Qin Yaoguang as her biological mother at all.

    It was just like how Qin Yaoguang did not see her as her own daughter.

    So what is so big that she gave birth to her?

    During the four years where she had used her for experiments, Gu Nianzhi felt that she had already paid her back fully.

    Just like Nezha, she had already repaid her for the debt of her birth, using her ¡°flesh and bones¡±.

    ..

    For the next fourteen days, Gu Nianzhi did not go anywhere but she hid in her study room to study all the information about the Qin Private Hospital Group.

    However, she got nothing much even after fourteen days.

    After all, the Qin Private Hospital Group was a public listedpany. Even if it had illegal activities in the past, the evidence would have been cleared up by the time it was listed.

    What had to be destroyed had already been destroyed, and what had to be made up for had already been made up.

    It was indeed very difficult to get their hands on thepany¡¯s management.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was a person who became braver with every setback.

    If it was too easy for her to find a loophole, she would not be convinced too.

    On the 15th day of the New Year, Gu Nianzhi finally put down all her work and came out to celebrate the Lantern Festival with the others.

    Huo Shaoheng had not been at her house for the past ten days. Instead, he had gone back to the Soviet Conste General in C city.

    He had just flown from C city to the Imperial Capital today.

    Lu Jin had been closely watched by Lu Yuan for the past ten days, and had not had the opportunity to go out and move around freely.

    However, he was able to keep hisposure. Besides, he really wanted to see how Gu Nianzhi would fight thewsuit rted to Qin Yaoguang. He wanted to take the initiative to stand up for Gu Nianzhi when necessary to resist the pressure of public opinion, so he put on a rxed posture, and he cherished the days he spent with Gu Nianzhi.

    After Gu Nianzhi washed up, she put on her custom-made light cherry pink Chanel cashmere dress that Lu Jin bought for her. She also put on her high boots and got into the car with Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and Huo Shaoheng in high spirits. She nned to go to Xiangxuehai, the most upscale and mysterious clubhouse in the capital, for dinner and to admire thenterns.

    All of them had been to this ce, except for Lu Jin.

    However, Lu Jin wasn¡¯t very interested. He mumbled, ¡°I might as well roast some meat at home.¡±

    As for admiring thenterns, Lu Jin could have done it through browsing the inte.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored him and said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve never seen antern festival here.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately changed his words and smiled. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go and see thenterns!¡±

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng were already used to Lu Jin¡¯s double standards by now. One of them was driving in the front seat while the other sat in the passenger seat. They did not speak to each other.

    Whereas Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were gossiping non stop in the back seat.

    ¡°Dad, this invitation was sent by Young Master He. It¡¯s a free VIP card. It¡¯s a waste not to go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and showed Lu Jin Xiangxuehai¡¯s VIP card.

    He Zhichu was quite generous. He gave her four VIP cards in one go, and one of them was a long-term VIP card. She could have a visit in the future and spend it all for free.

    The other three VIP cards were only one day pass.

    Lu Jin nced at it and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    He continued to ask, ¡°Will He Zhichu and He Chengjian be there today?¡±

    ¡°Young Master He sent me a text message saying that the General He won¡¯t be there because he¡¯s attending the Military Lantern Festival and won¡¯t be able to go to Xiangxuehai.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi searched through the text messages from He Zhichu over the past few days and said to Lu Jin, ¡°Actually, Young Master He won¡¯t be there either. He said that he¡¯ll be on duty today on behalf of his colleagues and asked Cousin Xie to take good care of us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Lantern Festival today. What¡¯s he on duty for?¡± Lu Jin curled his lips contemptuously. ¡°To him, he could easily decide whether he want to be on duty or not.¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡± Gu Nianzhi covered Lu Jin¡¯s mouth in a hurry, not knowing whether tough or cry. ¡°Don¡¯t say it out even you know about it. Then, we could continue to be good friends.¡±

    Lu Jin pulled her hand down and said with a smile, ¡°It is for my girl. Today, my mouth is sealed.¡± He then made a zipper gesture at the side of his mouth to indicate that his mouth was ¡°sealed¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Dad, aren¡¯t you going to talk to me?¡±

    ¡°You the only exception to the rule.¡± Lu Jin patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder and threw a smug look at the front seat.

    Lu Yuan happened to be looking at the car in the rearview mirror. He almost spat out a mouthful of blood when he saw the smug and arrogant look in Lu Jin¡¯s eyes.

    He didn¡¯t want to say anything at first, but now he couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°There¡¯s a car following us. It¡¯s been following us since we left the apartment.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the update of the day: ¡°Give no chance to the trolls¡±.

    There will be three updates for today, this is to continue getting the monthly votes back for April.

    Here¡¯s a reminder for everyone about the monthly votes and the rmendation tickets.

    Please give a full vote for all the rmendation tickets.

    The second update will be at 1:00 pm, and the third one will be at 8:00 pm.

    Mwah, everyone ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1720 - Donâ€™t Go Too Far

    <h4>Chapter 1720: Don¡¯t Go Too Far</h4>

    Lu Jin quickly turned around and took out his own binocrs with a ¡°cloud search¡± function to carefully look at the license te of the car behind him.

    The license te number appeared in the binocrs¡¯ field of vision and automatically connected to the Inte to search for the owner of the license te.

    ¡°Eh? It¡¯s actually...Qin Haoshan?¡± Lu Jin asked curiously and took out the binocrs. ¡°Why is he following us?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard that and turned to look at him. He said casually, ¡°He should be following Nianzhi.¡±

    It was no longer a secret that Gu Nianzhi lived in this neighborhood. The He family knew, and so did the Qin family.

    Qin Haoshan was the son Qin family¡¯s second wife, ranked fourth. He was also a famous orthopedic doctor in the Qin family¡¯s Private Hospital.

    Gu Nianzhi even knew that Qin Haoshan had a crush on Xie Qingying.

    However, ever since theirst conflict in Xiangxuehai, Qin Haoshan had been too embarrassed to see Gu Nianzhi again.

    After that, whenever Gu Nianzhi appeared, he would avoid her.

    Now that he had suddenly followed Gu Nianzhi in a car, she really didn¡¯t know what he meant.

    Gu Nianzhi also looked back and said indifferently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. If he can, just let him follow me all the way to Xiangxuehai.¡±

    Xiangxuehai¡¯s entrance was heavily guarded, so even Qin Haoshan might not be able to get in.

    Lu Yuan drove the car and saw that Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were not taking it seriously, so he ignored him too.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Fortunately, he gave us four VIP cards. Otherwise, Peter and I would need to worry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Actually, he sent a total of eight VIP cards and asked me to invite my friends. But how could I have so many friends here? In the end, I kept four and returned the rest.¡±

    She understood He Zhichu¡¯s good intentions. He had deliberately given her a chance to make more friends.

    Xiangxuehai¡¯s free VIP cards could be very useful if they were used to make a friend, no one would dare to underestimate her.

    Chatting whileughing, they finally arrived at Xiangxuehai which was located in the prime area of Xiangshan after an hour¡¯s drive.

    Gu Nianzhi showed her permanent VIP card and the three other cards at the entrance.

    The club manager at the entrance checked the authenticity of the VIP card and let her in with a smile. He even bowed to her and said, ¡°Miss Gu, Happy New Year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Is my name on the record of this card?¡±

    The card itself did not have her name, it was different from a credit card.

    ¡°Your name is on the record.¡± The manager said to Gu Nianzhi respectfully, ¡°This card can only be used by you, it can not be transferred or lent.¡±

    In fact, there was only one permanent free VIP card in Xiangxuehai, and it was in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands.

    Even the club¡¯s shareholders did not have such a card.

    They had to pay for their own expenses.

    All expenses charged to this card would be on He Zhichu, so it was considered an unlimited spending card for her.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know the ins and outs of this.

    She only thanked He Zhichu for his generosity and consideration.

    The four of them drove to the parking lot of the Xiangxuehai.

    A handsome valet walked over and asked politely, ¡°Would you like me to park for you?¡±

    Lu Yuan got out of the car and gave him the car keys and a hundred-dor bill. Yes, sure, thank you.¡±

    The hundred-dor bill was a tip, and the car keys were for him to park for him.

    The parking fee was actually only ten yuan, but Lu Yuan had tipped him ten times over.

    The valet was overjoyed. He quickly got into the car and carefully parked Lu Yuan¡¯s Maybach 62S in the garage.

    When they entered the hall of Xiangxuehai, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walked together. Lu Yuan and Lu Jin walked behind them.

    In public, Gu Nianzhi could not be so intimate with Lu Jin.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was pursuing her as Peter, so the two of them walking together in public would not arouse suspicion.

    They had just walked in when Xie Qingying came up to them.

    ¡°Oh Nianzhi, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Xie Qingying was wearing a military-style rose-red suede dress with a girdle around the waist. Her shoulders and cuffs were decorated with leather buttons, and on her chest was a belted Victorian waistcoat. It made her breasts look bigger and her waist smaller.

    She walked with a graceful gait.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and hugged her. ¡°Cousin Xie is so beautiful today.¡±

    Xie Qingying only had light makeup on her face, but her inner glow from the her good skin made her look even more elegant.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re more gorgeous.¡± Xie Qingying held her hand and looked at the people who were together with her.

    Xie Qingying winked at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Nianzhi, haven¡¯t you say yes to Mr. Peter yet?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be an easy yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi gave Huo Shaoheng a sidelong nce with a half-smile. ¡°He is still under assessment.¡±

    ¡°Try harder then, Peter.¡± Xie Qingying smiled and turned to look at Lu Yuan and Lu Jin.

    She was more familiar with Lu Yuan, so she quickly nodded at him. ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re here too. What a rare guest!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu invited us here to have fun. I can¡¯t say no to her. Hahahaha!¡±

    He pointed at Lu Jin and said, ¡°This is the major shareholder of ourpany. My brother, Lu Jin, is also here to join in the fun.¡±

    Xie Qingying knew that He Zhichu had given Gu Nianzhi four VIP cards. And Gu Nianzhi had given them to Peter, and two big bosses of her partnerpany.

    This was indeed impressive.

    Xie Qingying thought that Gu Nianzhi was really smart and had a high EQ. To be able to get the big bosses here as friends, this was extraordinary.

    She smiled at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re really amazing. You even invited President Lu and Mr. Lu to be your guests.¡±

    Xie Qingying was not familiar with Lu Jin, but she vaguely knew that the Lu Corporation was founded by Lu Yuan and Lu Jin, so she extended her hand enthusiastically, wanting to shake his hand.

    Lu Jin¡¯s hands were in his trouser pockets, and he had no intention of shaking Xie Qingying¡¯s hand. He raised his chin, said arrogantly, ¡°Shaking hands is very unhygienic.¡±

    ¡°There are about 1,500 bacteria on every square centimeter of the skin of of a hand. And your hand is rtively big, I could estimate it is of 70 square centimeters. So there are at least 105,000 bacteria on that hand of yours.¡±

    ¡°Shaking hands with you once will increase the probability of me getting sick.¡±

    The corner of Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes twitched. She withdrew her hand naturally and said, ¡°Mr. Lu, you are really interesting. You even know how many bacteria are on my hand.¡±

    ¡°This is basic knowledge of health and physiology. You don¡¯t know about it ? Maybe you weren¡¯t paying attention in school.¡± Lu Jin continued to rebuke Xie Qingying rudely.

    Huo Shaoheng did not understand the reason of Lu Jin attacking Xie Qingying, it was as if he had taken a wrong medicine.

    However, Xie Qingying still smiled in a good mood, she did not refute. ¡°Yes, I might have been distracted. Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Lu. With that knowledge, I can show off in front of my friends in the future.¡±

    ¡°How ignorant are you to show off on all this basic knowledge?¡± Lu Jin waspletely unapologetic, and the disdain on his face was even more obvious.

    Xie Qingying was a little embarrassed now.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi, then motioned to Xie Qingying.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to smooth things over. She took Xie Qingying¡¯s hand and smiled. ¡°Cousin Xie, we haven¡¯t had lunch yet. Is there anything delicious here today? Show us! ¡±

    Lu Jin only stopped criticizing Xie Qingying when Gu Nianzhi said she was hungry and followed her to the dining hall without saying a word.

    Huo Shaoheng deliberately stayed behind and walked with Lu Yuan. He asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    He nced at Lu Jin¡¯s back.

    Lu Yuan took out his phone and sent him a text message: [Lu Jin is unhappy with Xie Qingying¡¯s cold treatment of Nianzhi in the past. He¡¯s taking revenge on behalf of her daughter.]

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    [When did this happen?] He replied on his phone.

    [It¡¯s been a month or two, just before you arrived.]

    [I see.]

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and put his phone away.

    Xie Qingying led Gu Nianzhi to the dining hall and brought her to the best seats in the hall.

    They were exactly for four people. The seats were facing the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside the window was the scenic view of Fragrant Hill. There was also a greenhouse in front of the window with flowers of all colors blooming in the winter.

    It was almost eleven o¡¯clock. It was a little early to have lunch elsewhere, but it was just the right timing to have it in Xiangxuehai.

    The dining time here was rtively long.

    Most people would start eating at eleven o¡¯clock to about two o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The dining hall was almost full. Waiters in ck vests, white shirts and bow ties were holding the menu and inviting the customers to order.

    At that moment, Xie Qingying received a call from the manager at the entrance.

    ¡°Miss Xie, there¡¯s a Mr. Qin here who says he¡¯s your friend. Would you like to let him in?¡±

    Xie Qingying quickly said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°I have to take this call. Excuse me for a moment.¡±

    She took her phone and walked to a leeward area at the entrance. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°Qin Haoshan.¡±

    Xie Qingying frowned, thinking about how Qin Haoshan and Gu Nianzhi had gotten into a big fight that day. She had also said that she wouldn¡¯t appear anywhere Qin Haoshan was around.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Qin Haoshan to be here.

    ¡°Tell him to visit next time if there¡¯s nothing important,¡± Xie Qingying said tactfully. ¡°We are having a full house today.¡±

    Qin Haoshan heard Xie Qingying¡¯s refusal at the entrance. He quickly grabbed thendline phone from the club manager and said, ¡°Miss Xie, I know it was my faultst time. I came here just to apologize to you.¡±

    ¡°No need. You didn¡¯t offend me,¡± Xie Qingying said disapprovingly. ¡°I¡¯m very busy. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡±

    Qin Haoshan gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Miss Xie, don¡¯t go too far. I have some photos here. You might want to take a look.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of the day: ¡°Don¡¯t go too far¡±.

    There will be three updates for today, this is to continue getting the monthly votes back for April.

    Here¡¯s a reminder for everyone about the monthly votes and the rmendation tickets.

    Please give a full vote for all the rmendation tickets.

    The third update will be at 8:00 pm.

    Mwah, everyone ~ ~ ~

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 Chapter 1721 - Pressure of Public Opinion

    <h4>Chapter 1721: Pressure of Public Opinion</h4>

    Just when Xie Qingying was about to hang up the phone, she hesitated when Qin Haoshan said ¡°photo.¡±

    ¡°What photo?¡± Xie Qingying asked suspiciously.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it.¡± Qin Haoshan¡¯s voice trembled slightly. ¡°I know that Miss Xie is actively nning to marry into the he family, so it¡¯s all the more reason for you to take a look at this photo.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s voice also turned cold. ¡°Qin Haoshan, don¡¯t act so strange. If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you stuttering there?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? ¡°Qin Haoshan took out a cigarette and lit it in his mouth. He said vaguely, ¡°Whether I¡¯m stuttering or not, you¡¯ll know when you see the photo. Miss Xie, have you forgotten your previous boyfriend?¡±

    Xie Qingying had a boyfriend when she was studying abroad.

    She was almost thirty years old. It was impossible for her to still be as pure and pure as a jade.

    Besides, what era was it now? There was nothing to be proud of as an old spinster.

    He Zhichu should know that she had had a boyfriend before.

    She did not hide it from him, and her circle of friends knew about it.

    But knowing was one thing, and seeing the photo was another.

    Xie Qingying thought that her ex-boyfriend would not be so bad, but what if he was?

    She had a crush on He Zhichu for so many years, so she did not want to fall short when it was finally about to seed.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes dimmed and she said, ¡°Thene up. I¡¯ll wait for you at the door. If you have anything to say, say it clearly. and the photo...¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll show it to you.¡± Qin Haoshan threw the cigarette on the ground.

    He then transferred the call to the manager.

    The manager received Xie Qingying¡¯s instructions and let Qin Haoshan in.

    Qin Haoshan soon arrived at the parking lot of the Xiang Xue Hai Club.

    After parking the car, he slowly walked to the front door of the lobby of the Xiang Xue Hai Club.

    Xie qingying held her phone and stood there with a cold face, waiting for him.

    ¡°Qin Haoshan, what photo are you talking about?¡± she inquired anxiously.

    Qin Haoshan looked at her and smiled. ¡°Miss Xie, if you let me see Gu Nianzhi, I¡¯ll show you the photo.¡±

    Instantly, Xie Qingying was enraged. ¡°That¡¯s not what you said just now! You¡¯re threatening me on purpose!¡±

    ¡°Think what you want.¡± Qin Haoshan was burning with anxiety. He reached out to push Xie Qingying away and quickly rushed into the Xiang Xue Hai Clubhouse¡¯s main hall.

    Because he had once been a regr customer of the clubhouse, he knew that it was time for lunch at the clubhouse.

    Gu Nianzhi and the other three had most likelye here to eat at the restaurant.

    Xie Qingying was suspicious about the photo, so she dismissed the two guards at the door.

    As Qin Haoshan used force, she didn¡¯t even have the strength to defend herself, so she watched as he ran in.

    Xie Qingying quickly turned on her walkie-talkie and called for help as she ran in after him.

    Qin Haoshan went straight to the restaurant of the Xiang Xue Hai clubhouse and saw Gu Nianzhi at first nce.

    She was sitting in the best seat in the restaurant, surrounded by crystal clear French windows. Outside the window was the scenery of mountains, as well as the various beautiful flowers in the greenhouse. However, her person was even more beautiful than the scenery around her.

    Qin Haoshan clenched his fist and walked quickly to the protruding stage in the middle of the restaurant.

    Usually, there were famous singers singing here. Today was thentern festival, so everyone wanted to have a happy reunion dinner with their family and friends, so there were no singers here.

    The microphone and musical instruments on the stage were ready-made.

    The moment when Qin Haoshan went on the stage, he took off the microphone and checked it. It had electricity and could be used.

    As Qin Haoshan coughed into the microphone, the sound of his cough was immediately amplified and transmitted to the entire restaurant.

    Many people could not help but look up at the direction of the stage.

    The entire restaurant was designed to ensure that every table of guests could see the performance stage. For this reason, Qin Haoshan instantly became the focus of everyone¡¯s attention.

    After he attracted the attention of these people, he took the microphone and pointed it in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, he said loudly, ¡°Miss Gu! Please show mercy and let my grandfather, Old Mr. Qin, Go! He¡¯s already in his seventies. He just had surgery, but he¡¯s been detained for more than two weeks!¡±

    Upon looking up, Gu Nianzhi saw Qin Haoshan holding the microphone and kneeling directly in front of her on the protruding stage in the middle of the restaurant!

    The restaurant was in an uproar.

    Someone who knew Qin Haoshan exchanged nces with each other. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Haoshan?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that Miss Gu?¡±

    ¡°I know her. That¡¯s young master he¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦e, Gu Nianzhi. I heard she¡¯s awyer.¡±

    ¡°Really? It¡¯s her? But isn¡¯t her mother Dean Qin? So Old Master Qin is her maternal grandfather? Well, she¡¯s suppressing her own maternal grandfather? That¡¯s a lot of power...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just her own biological grandfather...¡±someone who knew a little bit of background scoffed.

    Sure enough, Qin Haoshan continued on stage, ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s one thing for you to sue your biological mother, but don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to sue your grandfather whom you¡¯ve never even met?¡±

    After he finished speaking, he saw Xie Qingying¡¯s face turn ashen as she rushed in with two tall and muscr men dressed in security uniforms.

    Qin Haoshan immediately stood on the stage and kowtowed to Gu Nianzhi.

    Xie Qingying had been directing the two security guards to pull Qin Haoshan down, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to kowtow to Gu Nianzhi in front of so many people!

    The people in the restaurant had been whispering to each other just a moment ago, but now there wasplete silence. They were all watching the show with great interest.

    Without hesitation, two security guards rushed to the stage. Seeing that Qin Haoshan was still holding the microphone, the two of them did not say anything. They looked at each other and surrounded him one after the other.

    Qin Haoshan knew that he would not be able to defeat these two security guards alone, so he seized every opportunity to kowtow to Gu Nianzhi and beg for mercy.

    It was the new year this year. Without Old Master Qin, the Qin family would not be at ease.

    Qin Haoshan was even more filial, so he had been nning to ask Gu Nianzhi to let him go.

    ¡°Please, Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather is so old, and his health isn¡¯t good. He hasn¡¯t taken his usual medication these days, I wonder how he¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°Our family misses him very much. Please, Miss Gu, for the sake of my aunt Qin Yaoguang, let him go home!¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu, don¡¯t go too far! If you want to sue my grandfather, please show us the evidence and we will file a case.¡±

    ¡°There are no charges at the moment. If we restrict his personal freedom, we, the Qin family, will not ept it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not angry at all when she heard his usation. Instead, sheughed loudly.

    It was He Chengjian who had ordered the arrest of Old Master Qin. What did it have to do with her?

    If one have the ability, one should just go and confront He Chengjian directly. Why did youe here to stop me and embarrass me?

    Gu Nianzhi put down the chopsticks in her hand and took a sip of coconut milk. She ignored Qin Haoshan.

    Xie Qingying came back to her senses and knew that she had fallen into Qin Haoshan¡¯s trap.

    There were no photos?

    He had used this as an excuse to let her let him go up the mountain!

    ...

    This is the third update of the day: Chapter 1721 Pressure of Public Opinion.

    Kind reminder: Please continue to subscribe in April and the following months.

    Please vote for me too.

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 Chapter 1722 - Is There Any Royal Law?

    <h4>Chapter 1722: Is There Any Royal Law?</h4>

    Xie Qingying couldn¡¯t believe it when she saw Qin Haoshan kowtowing in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction on the stage in the middle of the restaurant. On a personal level, she had known Qin Haoshan for more than ten years.

    Qin Haoshan was born into the Qin family and was quite capable, although he was very modest and polite. He also had a bit of a nerdy temperament, and sometimes he didn¡¯t know how to be flexible.

    Moreover, he was also a well-known honest man. It was said that he had never lied to anyone.

    It was also this kind of person who had never lied to anyone. Once he lied to someone, he could really cheat them to death.

    At that moment, Xie Qingying¡¯s face was so dark that it other did not dare to approach her.

    She stood below the stage and said to the security personnel she brought, ¡°This person is looking for trouble. Take him away and send him directly to the police station. Our club is private territory. If you don¡¯t follow the rules, we will call the police.¡±

    Qin Haoshan turned his head and saw two burly men rushing up. His sweetheart, whom he had a crush on for many years, stood below the steps and looked at him angrily. He could not help but smile bitterly.

    When he chose to listen to that person¡¯s suggestion and made such a move, he gave up the possibility of being together with Xie Qingying for the rest of his life.

    But how could his wealth and happiness be more important than the safety of the old man?

    Qin Haoshan was burning with anxiety. When he was pulled down from the stage by two burly men, he was yelling, ¡°Miss Gu! Lawyer Gu! Please show your mercy! My grandfather is old and sick, and he just had a surgery. He can¡¯t withstand the torture of the prison!¡±

    Normally, those who coulde to the Xiang Xue Hai Club were either rich or noble.

    When they heard that the chairman of such a big group, the Qin Corporation, had been imprisoned without a trial, these people felt that something was wrong.

    Someone had already cried out in dissatisfaction, ¡°Let him go! Let him speak! Old Mr. Qin has done so much for the country, how can he be captured and locked up so easily? Is there still any Royalw?!¡±

    Raising her eyebrows, Xie Qingying uttered calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with old Mr. Qin, but he¡¯s making a ruckus here for no reason, which affects our club¡¯s business and vites our club¡¯s management regtions. I¡¯m also asking him to leave ording to thew.¡±

    With a smile, Gu Nianzhi looked at that these people who were still not convinced.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from her seat leisurely, after which she said lightly, ¡°Our country has its constitution, criminalw, civilw, and militaryw, but there is no royalw. That gentleman who ims to want the royalw, please travel back 300 years to the past, and there will be plenty of royalws waiting for you.¡±

    The person who had spoken earlier was also an executive of a listedpany, so he was even more sympathetic to his plight.

    He had originally wanted to fight for justice, but now that he had been humiliated like this, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He rolled his eyes and said sternly, ¡°You¡¯re thatwyer Gu, right? Are you that great? Does your family own the police station?! Can you simply arrest whoever you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood there in the custom-made military dress that Lu Jin had made for her. She had a valiant and heroic air about her, which was unique to military uniforms.

    Her clear eyes were like clear crystals. She swept her gaze across the dining room, and the crowd that had been whispering a moment ago instantly quieted down.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that at this point, she couldn¡¯t take Qin Haoshan away by force.

    She had to p him in the face wherever he spread the rumors. She couldn¡¯t do it earlier orter.

    Otherwise, the consequences of spreading the rumors would be something that even a media person like Xie qingying couldn¡¯t predict and control.

    Just then, Gu Nianzhi winked at Xie qingying, signaling for her to let go of Qin Haoshan.

    Xie Qingying was furious, but she did not let her anger get to her head.

    As she narrowed her eyes, she asked the two security guards to let go of Qin Haoshan¡¯s arm.

    Qin Haoshan immediately rushed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to reach out to stop him when Huo Shaoheng had already left his seat. He was as fast as lightning. He grabbed Qin Haoshan¡¯s arm with one hand and pressed his shoulder with the other, firmly holding him one meter away from where Gu Nianzhi and the others were sitting.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s outstretched hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then nodded at Qin Haoshan. ¡°One minute please. Let me finish talking to the gentleman who wants the royalw.¡±

    Lu Jin had already activated the cloud-based system on his t sses and conducted an identity search on the person who had just spoken. He then ryed the information he had found to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    Lowering her head, Gu Nianzhi quickly nced at the phone that had just vibrated. She skimmed through the information on the person.

    She raised her head. Her gaze was cold, and her usually soft voice was firm. She said in a clear and powerful voice, ¡°First of all, I am thatwyer Gu. I can be friendly when things are reasonable.¡±

    ¡°Second, the police station is not run by my family. Your words are suspected of ndering my personal reputation and professional conduct, and also of ndering the reputation of a public office. As long as I want to sue, I can join hands with the public office that you ndered and ndered just now, and sue the listedpany you work for until it goes bankrupt and is delisted.¡±

    ¡°Thirdly, old Mr. Qin was invited to ¡®assist in the investigation and treatment¡¯ because he was suspected of murdering a major general in the army. If I can really arrest whoever I want, you won¡¯t have the chance to sit here and listen to mey out the facts and reason with you.¡±

    The matter of Old Master Qin and Qin Yaoguang being suspected of using infrasound weapons to murder He Zhichu was still under investigation.

    Because there was a year¡¯s gap between them, the preliminary results of the investigation would not be out until tomorrow, which was the 16th of the first lunar month.

    Qin Haoshan had really picked a very good time to make a fuss today.

    When the senior manager of thepany, who had been acting all high and mighty just a moment ago, heard that this matter was rted to the military, he shivered and forced a smile on his face. Respectfully, he asked Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Um, so that¡¯s how it is? Thank you, Lawyer Gu, for your exnation! Those who don¡¯t know will not be punished. I¡¯ll drink three sses of brandy! Three sses of brandy!¡±

    He then poured himself three sses of brandy and quickly downed it in one gulp. Then he lit up the bottom of the ss as if he was really drinking with Gu Nianzhi.

    As Gu Nianzhi snorted, he uttered lightly, ¡°It¡¯s toote. Everyone here heard what you said just now. Three sses of brandy is not enough. Just wait for mywyer¡¯s letter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not need awyer¡¯s letter to suppress those who wanted the world to be in chaos. It would definitely be difficult for her to let go of today¡¯s matter.

    The man¡¯s flushed face instantly turned white, and his lips trembled. He wanted to plead with Gu Nianzhi, but in front of so many people, they were all people on the scene. It was impossible for them to be shameless and publicly plead for mercy. It was impossible for them to do so in this lifetime.

    He sat down uneasily while thinking about Qin Haoshan in anger, who had been shouting and shouting just now.

    Gu Nianzhi finished with the guests and then looked at Qin Haoshan.

    She looked him up and down, her gaze cold and emotionless, as if she was sizing up an item and estimating its value. It made Qin Haoshan very ufortable.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s goal was to make him ufortable.

    Xie Qingying red at Qin Haoshan and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Qin Haoshan, we¡¯ve known each other for so many years. I didn¡¯t expect you to lie to me in such a despicable way!¡±

    Qin Haoshan smiled bitterly and turned his head away, not daring to look at Xie Qingying¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and immediately understood. She said, ¡°Qin Haoshan, so you lied to cousin Xie to get in? I was just saying that the security here is so tight. How could I let you in again...¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s face was red.

    She had caused a ruckus here before the New Year. At that time, Xie Qingying had already broken up with Qin Haoshan. She had not expected that Qin Haoshan would lie to her with a photo today..

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s my fault today. I also didn¡¯t expect Qin Haoshan to lie. He wasn¡¯t like this before. He was a rare gentleman who never lied. He was just impulsive.¡±

    Xie Qingying shook her head. ¡°Qin Haoshan, how did you be like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought Qin Haoshan had done something he wouldn¡¯t have done before and misled Xie Qingying.

    This was going to be interesting.

    ¡°Cousin Xie, what did Qin Haoshan lie to you about?¡± Gu Nianzhi inquired curiously.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s face turned from red to white. She suddenly realized that Qin Haoshan¡¯s trick was really vicious. He wanted to make her feel bitter and unspeakable..

    She did have a crush on He Zhichu in the past, but she had never dreamed of the day when she would be together with He Zhichu.

    Therefore, she buried that love deep in the bottom of her heart and continued to live her life.

    She had dated a boyfriend before and had behaved intimately, but that was a normal reaction between couples.

    She did not have any special hobbies, nor did she take any outrageous photos. But what if her ex-boyfriend had secretly taken photos of her?

    This was also one of the reasons why Qin Haoshan could deceive her.

    Because the word ¡°photo¡± magnified the dark side of human nature.

    Xie Qingying had already decided that she would confess her past love history to he zhichu. However, this did not mean that she was willing to let someone take secretly taken photos of her for He Zhichu to see.

    The person who came up with this idea understood Xie qingying¡¯s mentality of being a woman in love too well..

    She knew that she did not want to be shown to He Zhichu the photos that were secretly taken. She knew that she wanted to maintain a beautiful image in front of the person she loved deeply. She knew that she valued the rtionship that she had just started with him..

    Nevertheless, now that she thought about it, there was no such thing as secretly taken photos. It was just Qin Haoshan using this despicable method to trick her.

    Xie Qingying gnashed her teeth and said, ¡°Qin Haoshan, you¡¯ve really disappointed me! How could you deceive me like this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Xie qingying was unwilling to say anything, and she vaguely understood something.

    What else could a woman say that she had been deceived but was too embarrassed to say it?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened.

    She hated it when men used such despicable methods to threaten women.

    ¡°Cousin Xie, you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. Qin Haoshan may have hidden his true colors too well in front of you in the past, but today he¡¯s the real Qin Haoshan.¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and snorted, ¡°Qin Haoshan, you¡¯ve already vited the rules of this clubhouse by lying to people first. You¡¯ve also publicly ndered my reputation. Let me ask you, what is the deep hatred between you and me that you¡¯ve repeatedly tried to make things difficult for me?¡±

    Qin Haoshan red at Gu Nianzhi and said hatefully, ¡°Didn¡¯t you personally send my aunt, your mother, to prison? Didn¡¯t you instigate general he to detain my grandfather?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost couldn¡¯t hold back herughter when she heard thesepletelyw-blind words.

    ¡°Who did you hear all this nonsense from?¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°If I Were you, I wouldn¡¯te here to embarrass myself. Instead, I would go back and beat up the person who misled you!¡±

    Qin Haoshan was so provoked by Gu Nianzhi that he blurted out the person who had given him the idea.

    ¡°She won¡¯t mislead me! She¡¯s been working hard for the Qin family and hasn¡¯t had a good new year. She¡¯s been in meetings and trying to find a way to get her grandfather and aunt out! On the contrary, you, the granddaughter of the Qin family, have gone insane and sent your own kin to prison!¡±

    Instantly, Gu Nianzhi understood and her voice became even colder, ¡°Did Wen Shouyi tell you to do this?¡±

    ...

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1722 Is There Any Royal Law?

    Today was thest day of May. Everyone should vote on their monthly votes. They would be invalid after the expiration date

    The third update will be out soon.

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 Chapter 1723 - Before Love

    <h4>Chapter 1723: Before Love</h4>

    Qin Haoshan did not expect Gu Nianzhi to be so smart. He was surprised that she could guess who he was talking about in such a short period of time.

    He was instantly tongue-tied and his eyes bulged out. He stared at Gu Nianzhi, unable to utter a word.

    Everyone knew Gu Nianzhi was right when they saw his silly look.

    Xie Qingying was so angry that the veins on her forehead popped out. She took a step forward and whispered, ¡°Did Wen Shouyi teach you to lie to me just now?!¡±

    Qin Haoshan pursed his lips and refused to speak again.

    In response, Gu Nianzhi smiled coldly and nodded. ¡°Okay, it looks like she can¡¯t wait any longer. I told everyone to have a good new year, but she¡¯s been pestering me all day. I really can¡¯t cure her, can I?¡±

    As awyer, Wen Shouyi was very good at skirting thew.

    She kept making moves and making mistakes, but she was always wandering in the gray area of thew.

    It was too hard to catch her off guard.

    Gu Nianzhi sometimes wanted to set her up, but she would always suppress her own thoughts after some consideration.

    As a legal practitioner, if she gave up self-discipline, the consequences would be worse than ordinary people who did not know thew.

    Xie Qingying, on the other hand, was not as calm as Gu Nianzhi.

    Because this incident had crossed her bottom line.

    She walked to the door without a word and took out her phone to call Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi stood in front of the French window of her luxury apartment on the top floor with a ss of wine in her hand, waiting for news of Qin Haoshan.

    Once she heard her phone ring, she quickly answered it. It was a call from Xie Qingying.

    Wen Shouyi narrowed her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t like Xie Qingying now. She really, really didn¡¯t like her.

    However, Xie qingying calling her on the fifteenth of the first lunar month was also very unexpected.

    Gradually, Wen Shouyi swiped the phone open and picked up the call.

    Before she could say hello, Xie Qingying¡¯s angry voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Wen Shouyi! You came up with such a vicious idea. Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution?!¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This is bad. Did that Idiot Qin Haoshan give her up?

    How is this possible?!

    Upon a quick thinking, Wen Shouyi immediately said, ¡°Is it Miss Xie? Did you call the wrong number? I had a meeting almost all night yesterday and I just woke up today. I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand?¡± Xie qingying sneered again and again, she imitated Qin Haoshan¡¯s tone and replied, ¡°She won¡¯t mislead me! She worked hard for the Qin family and didn¡¯t have a good new year. She kept having meetings and trying to find ways to save her grandfather and aunt! On the contrary, you, the granddaughter of the Qin family, went crazy and sent your own rtives to prison! Wen Shouyi, do you know who said that? Are you the one who had been in meetings all this time?¡±

    Wen Shouyi gritted her teeth so hard that they were about to shatter.

    It was indeed Qin Haoshan, the guy who couldn¡¯t do anything right and ruined everything...

    At the moment, she held back her anger and said gently, ¡°Miss Xie, I think there must be some misunderstanding. Why don¡¯t you just let Qin Haoshan talk to me? I¡¯ll ask him what happened.¡±

    Xie Qingying saw that Wen Shouyi still refused to admit it and didn¡¯t want to continue arguing with her.

    She held the phone and said word by word, ¡°Wen Shouyi, I have no grudge against you. You used such a vicious method to humiliate me. I¡¯m not done with you!¡±

    ¡°Listen, I am not a kind person. Don¡¯t expect me to show any mercy!¡±

    With that, Xie Qingying hung up the phone.

    She did not want to go back to the restaurant and face Qin Haoshan¡¯s hateful face again.

    Xie Qingying held her phone and walked a few steps in front of Xiang Xue Hai clubhouse. She then called He zhichu.

    He Zhichu was on duty at a military station at Xiangshan, which meant he would only go home after today.

    This ce was quite close to Xiang Xue Hai clubhouse.

    When he raised his head, he could see the direction of the Xiang Xue Club. He could imagine who had been eating there and what dishes they had ordered...

    He had specifically instructed the kitchen not to add onions to any of the dishes today.

    So when he heard his phone ring and saw that it was Xie Qingying, he answered the call without hesitation.

    ¡°Is it Qingying? What¡¯s the matter? Did Nianzhi and the otherse to Xiangxue?¡± He Zhichu stood in the empty space in front of the barracks with a cigarette in his hand.

    Once Xie Qingying could hear He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice, her restless heart gradually calmed down.

    She took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°I miss you. I want to see you.¡±

    He Zhichu dusted his cigarette and looked at the withered grass on the ground. Then, he said inly, ¡°I¡¯ll be off work in an hour. Let me pick you up.¡±

    ¡°But I want to see you now,¡± Xie Qingying said stubbornly. ¡°I have something else to tell you.¡±

    He Zhichu was also curious when he heard how serious she sounded and how she could not wait for even a minute.

    He looked at his watch. There was still an hour before his shift change.

    He could not leave the base, but Xie Qingying coulde and sit in the reception room for a while.

    He zhichu said, ¡°Thene down. I will wait for you at the entrance of the base.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s heart was warm, but she was also uneasy.

    She really wanted this moment tost longer. If He Zhichu could not ept her past, she would not have such a good time in the future.

    Xie Qingying went in to get her bag and called another manager to deal with Qin Haoshan¡¯s matter. She left Xiangxue Hai clubhouse in a hurry and went to the base at the foot of the mountain to see He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu was wearing a military coat in winter. He leaned against the wall at the entrance of the barracks and smoked.

    The sky was so blue that there was not a single trace of impurity.

    The winter sun was bright. The trees in front of the barracks were only left with their trunks and their leaves were all gone.

    He Zhichu stood under the withered tree. His slender figure was as lonely as the big tree.

    Seeing He Zhichu like this, Xie Qingying¡¯s heart softened beyond belief.

    She really loved him very much, but in the past, she loved him so much that she idolized him.

    She loved him so much that she never thought that she would be with him.

    She still lived like a normal person. Looking at him from afar, she hoped that he would live a happy life with the person she loved.

    Although she had envied Gu Nianzhi before, she had never been jealous.

    But now, she actually had the chance to grow old together with the person she loved deeply...

    This change in status and mindset made her realize that her secret love had be more substantial. She no longer loved him like a fan idolized him, but loved him as her own man.

    She did not want to lose him, but the first prerequisite for two people to be in love was to be honest with each other.

    If there were any secrets in their rtionship, it would be a ticking time bomb in the future.

    Xie Qingying wanted to be together with He Zhichu for a long time, so there couldn¡¯t be any shadows between them.

    Right then, He Zhichu raised his head and saw a tall and voluptuous woman standing opposite the gate of the base.

    It was the nervous Xie Qingying.

    He Zhichu waved his hand without batting an eyelid. ¡°Qingying,e here.¡±

    Xie Qingying walked over as if she had been summoned by a demon.

    He Zhichu held her hand and brought her to the small reception room of the base.

    This reception room was specially used for visiting rtives and friends outside the base, which was right outside the gate of the base¡¯s barracks.

    ...

    Xie Qingying sat on the sofa in the small reception room. He Zhichu brought her a bottle of fruit juice and ced it in front of her. He asked with a smile, ¡°How is the club? Is it lively today? Are you ready for the Lantern Festival tonight?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all ready. There are many people today, and it¡¯s very lively.¡± Xie Qingying was extremely nervous, and she answered He Zhichu¡¯s question mechanically. She was getting more and more afraid to look at his amorous eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Qingying?¡± He Zhichu leaned forward. ¡°You¡¯re a little distracted. Is there trouble in the club?¡±

    After pausing for a moment, He Zhichu inquired, ¡°Who is Nianzhi with? Are they in trouble?¡±

    Just then, Xie Qingying looked up at he zhichu and said slowly, ¡°They¡¯re fine. There¡¯s not much trouble. It¡¯s been resolved. I¡¯m here to confess something to you.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s fingers subconsciously dug into the corner of the conference table. She lowered her head and mustered up her courage to say, ¡°Young master he, I used to have a boyfriend, but we broke up a long time ago...¡±

    She did not dare to look into he zhichu¡¯s eyes.

    She was afraid that she would see disappointment, anger, and pain in his eyes. She could not bear any of these.

    If she had known that she still had a chance to be with him, she would have waited until she was thirty years old to keep her virginity.

    But there were no ifs in life.

    Xie Qingying did not hear He Zhichu¡¯s words before she braced herself and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve always had a crush on you, but I can¡¯t see any hope. In order to get out of this hopeless crush. When I was studying abroad, I dated a man who was pursuing me for a year.¡±

    He Zhichu chuckled and took a tissue from the conference table to wipe the sweat off her forehead. He said lightly, ¡°That¡¯s it? I thought it was something big.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t You Care?¡± Xie Qingying raised her head abruptly and stammered, ¡°I-I used to be a couple with him... W-We...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say it.¡± He zhichu gently covered her mouth. His palm was dry and warm, which was a huge contrast to his cold and clear voice.

    He said, ¡°I used to have a fianc¨¦e too. You have an ex-boyfriend. We¡¯re both adults. What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    He Zhichu was already thirty years old, and Xie Qingying was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

    ¡°Really? You really don¡¯t care?¡± Xie Qingying asked in surprise.

    He zhichu smoothed her hair and asked softly, ¡°Do you still love him now?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all.¡± Xie Qingying shook her head like a rattle-drum. ¡°In fact, he broke up with me because he thought I didn¡¯t love him that much.¡±

    ...

    This was the second watch of the day: Chapter 1723 Before Love.

    Today was thest day of May. Dear friends, please vote for me.

    The third update will be released at 8 pm today.

    Please vote for the chapters.

    Love you.

 Chapter 1724 - Subtle Intuition

    <h4>Chapter 1724: Subtle Intuition</h4>

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good.¡± He Zhichu smiled lightly. His peach blossom eyes sparkled like a gentle breeze blowing across the water with a few ripples. He then quickly regained his calm.

    Xie Qingying heaved a sigh of relief. Her wildly beating heart finally returned to normal.

    She raised her head and stared at HeZzhichu with a little infatuation. She mustered up her courage and continued,¡±... I haven¡¯t taken any photos with anyone. If there were, they were all taken secretly.¡±

    Upon hearing that, He Zhichu was stunned. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    Why did he suddenly mention photos?

    Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes were red.

    Thinking about the fear of being threatened by Qin Haoshan and the warmth of He Zhichu¡¯s gentle care, Xie Qingying couldn¡¯t help but feel even more wronged.

    ¡°Um, someone threatened me with photos... but I didn¡¯t take an photos! I really didn¡¯t take any photos!¡± Xie Qingying said excitedly, ¡°He actually used such a thing to trick me!¡±

    ¡°Him? Who? Your ex-boyfriend?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s eyes narrowed unkindly.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s rtionship with him was basically known to everyone. Who would dare to threaten her without an eye?

    Was he threatening the he family and him?

    After all, if Xie Qingying was shameless, He Zhichu would be too.

    Moreover, it was too low-ss for a man to use this to threaten a woman.

    Immediately, Xie Qingying shook her head and uttered, ¡°It wasn¡¯t him. He shouldn¡¯t be so low-ss. It was Qin Haoshan who deliberately tricked me!¡±

    ¡°Qin Haoshan? He still dares to threaten you? Why was he so brave?¡± He Zhichu asked in surprise. ¡°Where is he? I¡¯ll go and meet him when I¡¯m done with my shift. Let¡¯s see what he wants.¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s heart was ironed, and the grievance in her heart instantly disappeared.

    He Zhichu was much better than when she had a crush on him!

    She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled. ¡°Actually, you can¡¯t me him. He¡¯s a well-known honest man. He couldn¡¯t resist someone stirring up trouble for him, so he was taken advantage of brainless.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean someone else is stirring up trouble?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this kind of evil idea was given to him by someone else.¡± Xie Qingying hated Wen Shouyi deeply now. She knew that Wen Shouyi used to be close to the he family and even became He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary, but she still said it out loud, ¡°It was Wen Shouyi, your former personal secretary.¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi gave Qin Haoshan an idea? What¡¯s going on?¡± He Zhichu frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let me exin it to you.¡± Xie Qingying lowered her head in embarrassment, ¡°Just now at the Xiangxue Hai Clubhouse, Qin Haoshan called me and threatened me with a photo. He wanted toe up the mountain to see me. I-I was really worried that someone would secretly take a photo, so I let him go up.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression darkened. He stood up abruptly and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that Xiang Xue Hai would never receive Qin Haoshan in the future? Why did I let him go up again? Nianzhi was eating at Xiang Xue Hai. I was afraid he¡¯d go after Nianzhi.¡±

    He Zhichu stood up in an imposing manner.

    Xie Qingying looked up at him. She was almost unable to speak because of his imposing manner. She felt her mouth dry up, she quickly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t let him in, so I met him at the door. In the end, he pushed me away and ran in by himself. He even shouted at Nianzhi and said a lot of nasty things.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s peach blossom eyes were already brewing with a storm.

    He held his hand, his knuckles almost cracking.

    In respponse, Xie Qingying quietly held his hand and said softly, ¡°But Nianzhi is really good. Besides, Qin Haoshan is creating rumors and causing trouble. Nianzhi doesn¡¯t take it to heart at all.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s reaction was too big. She had a subtle intuition and was a little unhappy.

    ¡°How did he respond? ¡°He Zhichu looked down at Xie qingying. ¡°Was he still in Xiang Xue Hai?¡±

    Xie qingying paused, she thought about it and said, ¡°He was pleading with Nianzhi on behalf of his grandfather. He thought that Old Master Qin was arrested because of Nianzhi and didn¡¯t know the real reason. The person who gave him advice was Wen Shouyi, whom she took advantage of.¡±

    He Zhichu said coldly, ¡°So Qin Haoshan is still in Xiangxue Hai? !¡±

    ¡°That deputy chief of the Soviet Union, Peter, has Qin Haoshan under his control.¡± Xie qingying quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi will be fine.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart sank when he heard that Peter was here. He pushed open the conference room door with a bang and strode out.

    ¡°Young master he, where are you going?¡± Xie qingying ran out as well. ¡°You haven¡¯t finished work yet...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to Xiangxuehai to meet Qin Haoshan, the man who sold his body to bury his grandfather.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice drifted along with the cold winter wind in front of the empty barracks in the base, making it seem even colder.

    He Zhichu walked very quickly, and the small meeting room was at the entrance of the base, so he quickly left the base and disappeared on the mountain road.

    Xie Qingying bit her lip, but she still followed He Zhichu up the mountain.

    ...

    In Xiang Xue Hai Restaurant, Gu Nianzhi had no appetite for food.

    A perfectly goodntern festival meal had been ruined just like that.

    She looked at Qin haoshan, who was under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s control. With a frown, she said, ¡°Is Wen Shouyi mad? Why didn¡¯t she do it herself? Why did she make you, a brainless person,e over and disgust me? Did you really think that by doing this, you could bring your good grandfather home? Are you brainless, or do you have nomon sense?¡±

    Qin Haoshan had identally said Wen Shouyi out loud, and he was so regretful that his intestines had cleared up.

    He straightened his neck and argued with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What does it matter who said it? As long as it¡¯s the truth!¡±

    ¡°The problem is that she deliberately lied to you, and she still has the face to say the truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up the napkin on the table and wiped her hands, she said slowly, ¡°Do you think that just because you believe it¡¯s the truth, you can redeem yourself for your stupid actions? If you still have no idea about it, then use your little brain to think. What right do I have to arrest the chairman of such a bigpany like the Qin Corporation just like that?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about what he actually did?¡± Gu Nianzhi threw the napkin on the table and said to Lu Yuan and Lu Jin who were sitting on both sides of the table with a straight face, ¡°Guys, I¡¯ve lost my appetite. Can I excuse myself first?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost my appetite too.¡± Lu Jin quickly stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Lu Yuan had no choice but to stand up and said calmly, ¡°I really have no appetite.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was controlling Qin haoshan, and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Peter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted Qin Haoshan on the shoulder. ¡°What about this person? Are We just going to let him go?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a chess piece used by others to scout the way. What¡¯s the point of arguing with him? A brain-dead person is usually sick, but a brain-dead person like him is a criminal. We¡¯ll just have to wait for thew to punish him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered, picked up her bag, and walked towards the restaurant.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin quickly followed.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for them to leave before pushing Qin Haoshan away, he said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t provoke me. I¡¯ll let you off for Miss Gu¡¯s sake today. If you dare to spout nonsense again, I can teach you a lesson. I¡¯m a diplomat, and I have diplomatic immunity.¡±

    What he meant was that he would get nothing even if he beat the person up.

    He walked out of Xiang Xue Hai¡¯s Restaurant and saw He Zhichu, who was wearing a winter military coat, in the empty space in the lobby of Xiang Xue Hai. He Zhichu actually came and stood not far away from Gu Nianzhi and looked at her.

    ...

    This was the third watch of the day: Chapter 1724 Subtle intuition.

    Today is thest day of May. Please vote for me before the deadline.

    I will release another update today.

    Please vote and support me!

    Love you.

 Chapter 1725 - You Carry Me

    <h4>Chapter 1725: You Carry Me</h4>

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin stood on the left and right respectively behind Gu Nianzhi.

    They looked like they were waiting for her, but also like two bodyguards.

    He Zhichu stared at Gu Nianzhi. From the corner of his eye, he couldn¡¯t help but see Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and Huo Shaoheng, who had just walked out of the lobby of Xiang Xue Hai clubhouse.

    ¡°Nianzhi, so you invited President Lu and Mr. Peter.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. It was still cold and aloof, but his shimmering peach-shaped eyes were as ck as a speck of ink, ¡°Have you finished your lunch? There¡¯s still antern festival tonight. Are you leaving now?¡±

    Unhappily, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m too angry to have any meal now.¡±

    As she spoke, she took out the permanent VIP card He Zhichu had given her. She took a few steps forward and stuffed it into He Zhichu¡¯s hand. She said angrily, ¡°This gift is too expensive, I can¡¯t afford it. Happy Lantern Festival. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    She walked past He Zhichu and walked lightly towards the parking lot.

    As they brushed past each other, He Zhichu suddenly reached out and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Let go of her!¡±

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng shouted at the same time.

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips and said, ¡°Is there anything else, young master he?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly raised her head and looked from He Zhichu¡¯s hand to the side of He Zhichu¡¯s face.

    ¡°Young master he, is there anything else?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked lightly.

    Xie Qingying had already caught up to them.

    Standing at the entrance of Xiang Xue Hai clubhouse, she looked at the situation in front of her in shock and bewilderment.

    He Zhichu had his back to her. She couldn¡¯t see his expression, but she could see his movements.

    Gu Nianzhi faced the mountain road. She saw Xie Qingying as she walked over.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at Xie Qingying who was standing behind He Zhichu. ¡°Cousin Xie, did you find young master he? Thank you.¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly let go of her hand, but he still did not turn around.

    Xie Qingying let out a sigh of relief. She suppressed the strange and faint unease in her heart. She walked over and naturally took He Zhichu¡¯s arm. She smiled at Gu Nianzhi as if she was dering her sovereignty. ¡°Young master is worried about you. Nianzhi, where¡¯s Qin Haoshan?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed back with her finger. ¡°Probably he is too scared toe out.¡±

    She patted Xie Qingying on the shoulder. ¡°Thank you, Cousin. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to guess who was behind this.¡±

    Xie Qingying was secretly ashamed. She shook her head and said, ¡°It was all your doing. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too modest, Cousin.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Although you may not have gone to look for young master he for me, objectively speaking, if you hadn¡¯t gone to look for young master he, he wouldn¡¯t havee in time.¡±

    Xie Qingying was even more embarrassed, but she didn¡¯t say anything else.

    She realized that if she had to be eloquent, even ten of herself wouldn¡¯t be a match for Gu Nianzhi.

    What did other people do for a living?

    They just relied on their words.

    Although she also relied on her words for a living, she was still slightly inferior to a well-trained barrister like Gu Nianzhi.

    Xie Qingying could only hide her embarrassment.

    He Zhichu gave a soft ¡°hmm¡± and finally made way for her. He said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll give you an exnation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and asked in confusion, ¡°Exnation? Who? For Qin Haoshan?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t havee to this ce.¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved her hand, she said calmly, ¡°He will be taught a lesson, but I¡¯ll have to teach him a lesson myself. Young Master He, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. You can open the door and do business here. Anyone cane. Don¡¯t let me affect your club.¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips and said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing. You can teach him a lesson, but I can also teach him a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Fine, whatever makes you happy.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m going back now. I was going to have a good meal today, but that¡¯s a disappointment.¡±

    She did not hide her disappointment and displeasure in front of He Zhichu at all. She did not even say a word of courtesy.

    She did not treat herself as an outsider at all.

    Xie Qingying furrowed her brows and looked uneasily at He Zhichu¡¯s increasingly downcast face. She said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, young master he has tried his best. Young master he will be very sad if you say that.¡±

    Although she understood that Gu Nianzhi still held a very important position in He Zhichu¡¯s heart, Xie Qingying¡¯s heart still ached when she saw Gu Nianzhi speak without caring about He Zhichu¡¯s feelings.

    To a certain extent, she could almost feel He Zhichu¡¯s heartache and embarrassment.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head. ¡°Young master he is sad, you canfort him well. Go for it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He took a step forward and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm. He said coldly, ¡°The man and the woman are a match made in heaven. What does it have to do with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi staggered from his tugging and said unhappily, ¡°You¡¯re calling me a monster?! Peter, I¡¯m not done with you!¡±

    She screamed and pounced on Huo Shaoheng, almost hanging onto his broad back.

    Huo Shaoheng simply grabbed her legs and carried her on his back. With a smile, he said, ¡°You¡¯re a monster, I¡¯m a monster too.¡±

    ¡°What kind of monster are you?¡± asked Gu Nianzhi curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m the kind of monster you think I am.¡± Huo Shaoheng tried hard to hold back hisughter.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gu Nianzhi pinched his ear and whispered into his ear.

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°You¡¯re just a little pig.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Gu Nianzhi snapped. Was Huo Shaoheng referring to her as a pig?

    ¡°Hmph! The Pink Piggy taught you how to be a human!¡± Gu Nianzhi deliberately whispered in his ear, and then huffed at her hands. Suddenly, she reached under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s armpit and tickled him.

    Huo Shaoheng was only wearing a thin wool suit jacket and no coat. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were as soft as bones and did not have much strength. However, when she scratched his armpit, the quivering sensation almost made his scalp go numb.

    Immediately, Huo Shaoheng called out, ¡°Stop! If you scratch me again, we¡¯ll both flip the car!¡±

    ¡°Really? Where did the car?¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her hand to cover her eyes and looked around. ¡°We haven¡¯t arrived at the parking lot yet. What are you dreaming about?¡±

    ¡°You got into my car and still want to get out? ¡°Huo Shaoheng had a double meaning and pulled her behind him.

    Gu Nianzhiy on his thick and broad back, her long legs shaking around his waist. She was so beautiful that she almost wanted to sing.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately stopped her. ¡°Okay. No matter how happy you are, don¡¯t sing. You¡¯re tone-deaf. You¡¯re so out of tune that you¡¯re leading me astray.¡±

    ¡°PFFT! You¡¯re the one who¡¯s tone deaf!¡± Gu Nianzhi simply grabbed him by the neck and threatened him. ¡°Tell me! Who¡¯s tone deaf? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng coughed. ¡°I¡¯m mighty and unyielding, rich and noble. I¡¯ll never change my words for the rest of my life, unless you kiss me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°In your dreams. If you don¡¯t want to kiss me, then don¡¯t. Am I the kind of person who doesn¡¯t have a bottom line just to hear good things?¡±

    In response, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you? ¡ª then I¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡±

    The two of them continued to fight like there was no one else around as they walked towards the parking lot.

    He Zhichu stood in the open space in front of the Xiang Xue Hai Clubhouse¡¯s lobby and looked at them with aplicated gaze. He did not move until they were nowhere to be seen.

    The cold wind blew against the branches, making a soft rustling sound.

    The two people in front of him did not know what they were talking about. Theirughter was blown away by the wind, like broken pearls scattered on the withered grass.

    It seemed that as long as he bent down to pick them up, he would be able to tuck their joy into his arms.

    However, when he really bent down to pick them up, he realized that there was actually nothing on the withered grass.

    Xie Qingying was in a better mood. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s true that a strong woman is afraid of her husband. Mr. Peter will probably wait until the moon shines again.¡±

    Upon hearing that, He Zhichu closed his eyes. He wished he could force this scene out of his mind.

    Lu Yuan was in a good mood. He pulled Lu Jin, who could not stand it anymore, away from the couple.

    Lu Jin¡¯s face was sullen. He was pulled by Lu Yuan until they got into the car. He pulled Huo Shaoheng out of the back seat and pointed at the front passenger seat. He could not say a word.

    Huo Shaoheng was in an exceptionally good mood and didn¡¯t argue with Lu Jin. He even pulled the door of the back seat for Lu Jin to let him in.

    After Lu Jin entered, Huo Shaoheng sat in the passenger seat in front.

    Lu Yuan closed the car door and started his Maybach 62S. He smiled and said, ¡°Everyone hasn¡¯t had lunch. Where are we going to eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and said, ¡°I think the restaurants outside aren¡¯t as good as President Lu and Mr. Peter¡¯s. Why don¡¯t we go back and eat?¡±

    Lu Jin snorted and retorted, ¡°Forget about boss Lu, but Peter has only been studying for a few days. How can it be called Delicious?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Lu Jin was getting a little emotional, so she quickly changed the topic. ¡°Dad, where¡¯s the hair and blood sample I took from Wen Shouyi the other day? Have you started DNA testing?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his headzily, and his temper red. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    In response, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°Why? Maybe it¡¯ll work?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s her DNA?¡± Lu Jin pursed his lips. ¡°It¡¯s too dirty.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was rendered speechless.

    ...

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1725 You Carry Me.

    I wish everyone have a good day on June 1st.

    Today I will release the third update.

    Please vote for me.

    The second update will be released at 1 pm, and the third at 8 pm.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting points that President Moshi gave us the day before yesterday, which I didn¡¯t notice previously.

    Love you.

 Chapter 1726 - A Handsome Man

    <h4>Chapter 1726: A Handsome Man</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi grinned and said, ¡°Dad, is there a difference between good and bad DNA? I¡¯m not familiar with this field, so please don¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    Lu Jin burst outughing at the words, and the emotion he previously had just felt quickly dissipated.

    He then said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°The results of Luo Piaopiao¡¯s DNA sequencing test have been and Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA sequencing test is ongoing...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s arm in surprise and quickly said, ¡°Really? Really? When will the results be out?¡±

    ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, let¡¯s do it tomorrow.¡± Lu Jin deliberately yed it down, but looked provocatively at Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended not to see him and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s great! Dad, you¡¯re too good to me!¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not good to you, who else would I be good to? You...¡± Lu Jin rubbed her head. ¡°My girl is so good, I need to find the best man. There are some men who rely on their looks, we¡¯d better stay away from them.¡±

    Lu Jin red at the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head again.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed.

    She thought it was funny again.

    If Brother Xiong and Brother Ze on the other side heard this, they would probablyugh their heads off.

    Lu Jin was the great general of the special operations forces, who had made countless contributions to the military. In Lu Jin¡¯s opinion, he relied on his face to make a living..

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lu Yuan, who was driving in front of her, trembling withughter.

    While she rolled her eyes, the smile on her face faded. Her voice also became lower. ¡°Dad, actually, I have a man I like. I¡¯m even engaged to him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained silent.

    He suddenly felt something was wrong.

    This girl was going to be a demon again.

    Lu Yuan also nced at Huo Shaoheng quickly and admired his poker face.

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, was extremely happy. It was good news for him to be able to strike a blow at Peter at this time.

    ¡°Is that so? How is that man? Is He very good? !¡± Lu Jin said loudly on purpose.

    Actually, he knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦ over there was Huo Shaoheng, and that he was the opposite of Peter.

    But he didn¡¯t like either of them.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was worried, or that he didn¡¯t trust their character, but that he simply didn¡¯t like them.

    Only a man with a daughter would understand such feelings.

    Huo Shaoheng fidgeted uneasily in front and coughed lightly to remind Gu Nianzhi not to get carried away.

    However, Gu Nianzhi acted as if she hadn¡¯t heard him and said softly to Lu Jin, ¡°He¡¯s very good and knows everything: He¡¯s good in the living room, he¡¯s good in the kitchen, and he¡¯s a good man with a good home and family.¡±

    ¡°He knows how to cook?¡± Lu Jin could hear the question he was most concerned about. ¡°How¡¯s his cooking? Is it as good as boss Lu¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but he rarely does it.¡± Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and said. She lowered her head, and when she looked up again, the smile on her face was gone. She then uttered with a frown, ¡°But he¡¯s too capable, which makes me especially ipetent.¡±

    ¡°Ipetent?¡± Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°If he dares to despise you, we don¡¯t want him anymore!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that he despises me, it¡¯s that I feel inferior.¡± Gu Nianzhi lowered her head even more. Her gentle voice made her sound like an abandoned kitten under the eaves, waiting to be adopted home.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart was broken. Holding her hand, he said, ¡°What¡¯s there to feel inferior about? We can do whatever he can do!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook. What do you think we should do? I¡¯ve tried very hard to learn, but I just can¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so hard about cooking?¡± Lu Jin shook his head nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it all. I¡¯ll teach you when we get back.¡±

    Lu Yuan made no reply.

    He cleared his throat and said calmly, ¡°Major shareholder Lu, you know how to Cook?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook, but I can learn. What misunderstanding do you have about my ability to learn?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, we¡¯ll cook when we get back. Let me think about how to write a charter,¡± replied Boss Lu.

    ¡°Okay, Dad, think quickly. We¡¯ll do it when we get back!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hands in agreement and sessfully diverted Lu Jin¡¯s attention.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan, who were sitting in front, let out a sigh of relief.

    However, they had underestimated Lu Jin¡¯s ability to move.

    The four of them returned to the apartment. Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment to prepare lunch. Lu Jin took Gu Nianzhi to his apartment and used his kitchen as an experiment.

    Huo Shaoheng was a little uneasy and said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Do you want me to go take a look? I¡¯m always a little worried.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just cooking. What¡¯s there to worry about?¡± Lu Yuan didn¡¯t even raise his head. He heated the wok and added some eggs to stir-fry.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled bitterly.

    His first uncle didn¡¯t know about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s destructive power.

    Gu Nianzhi had once cooked for him at the official residence over there. She had almost torn down his official residence and attracted the special forces to clear the area.

    ¡°I¡¯d better go and take a look.¡± Huo Shaoheng took off his gloves and walked over to Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    He rang the doorbell and waited for a long time, but no one answered the door.

    He couldn¡¯t help but push the door open.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless when he saw the two people who were very anxious.

    He thus pushed the door open and walked in.

    The room was filled with the aroma of scrambled eggs. It was indeed not bad. There was no burnt or burnt.

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the kitchen curiously.

    Standing at the kitchen door, Huo Shaoheng saw bottles and jars of all sizes on the countertop, as well as scales, measuring cups, and other utensils.

    Lu Jin was holding a cookbook with pictures and text in his hands. He was reading the words on it to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡± Add a little sugar, a little salt, a little green pepper... how much is this little bit?¡± Lu Jin stared at the cookbook and said unhappily, ¡°This is called a recipe made by a special chef?! Do you dare to make the recipe to micrograms?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a mask, a panda apron, and a pair of yellow stic gloves.

    The gloves could cover half of her arm.

    She was holding a spat in one hand, or more urately, a spat in the other.

    Far away from the electric stove, she used her fingers to stir-fry the eggs in the pot asionally.

    ¡°Dad, the eggs seem to be cooked. Do you want me to scoop them up?¡±

    ¡°Scoop them up. Do you want me to add salt?¡± Lu Jin flipped through the cookbook and looked at the weight of the ingredients. In the end, he decided, ¡°I think ten grams of sugar should be enough.¡±

    As he spoke, Lu Jin took out an exquisite spoon with a scale. He scooped a spoonful of sugar from the ss bottle containing the sugar and weighed it on the scale.

    On the other end of the scale, there were a few small weights that kept the bnce.

    ¡°Ten grams, just right. Put It in.¡± Lu Jin handed the spoonful of sugar to Gu Nianzhi, who took it and sprinkled it into the eggs.

    ¡°Add the tomatoes.¡± Lu Jin looked at the picture. ¡°First cut a tomato in half, then cut it into four pieces, then cut it into eight pieces, then put it into the pot and stir-fry it with water and eggs.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally understood.

    These two were as ostentatious as high-end experiments. So they were going to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes!

    Undoubtedly, this was the most high-tech scrambled eggs with tomatoes in history.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. Seeing that these two had so many tools to assist them, the ¡°disaster¡± fromst time shouldn¡¯t happen.

    He turned around and returned to the kitchen of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment, focusing on preparing the food with Lu Yuan.

    Lu Jin happily brought over a te of scrambled eggs and tomatoes when all eight of their dishes were ready.

    He ced it in the middle of the table and said proudly, ¡°This is made by my girl. Have a taste. Boss Lu, it¡¯s not worse than yours!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and picked up a te of scrambled eggs and tomatoes.

    It was so sweet and bitter in his mouth, which made Lu Yuan speechless.

    He wanted to spit it out, but when he looked up and saw that Gu Nianzhi was also looking at him eagerly, he swallowed it down and praised, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s dishes really do have a different vor.¡±

    He turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Mr. Peter, you should try it too. You Russians love tomatoes the most.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him and replied calmly, ¡°The Italians love tomatoes the most. We Russians love borscht the most.¡±

    The main ingredients of borscht were tomatoes and onions.

    Unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t eat onions, or else a thick pot of borscht would be a nourishing dish in winter.

    Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi wrinkled her nose and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like borscht.¡±

    Lu Jin excitedly gestured to Huo Shaoheng to get out.

    Huo Shaoheng did not even look at him. He held his chopsticks and scooped up a bowl of San Xian fried rice for Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin scooped up arge spoonful of tomato scrambled eggs for himself. When he put it in his mouth, it was so sweet that he almost cried.

    However, this was the first time his daughter had cooked for him. No matter how sweet it was, he had to eat it!

    Lu Jin swallowed therge mouthful of tomato scrambled eggs with tears in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi happened to see it and asked in puzzlement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it not good?¡±

    She picked up a small piece of egg with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. Her face immediately turned red.

    ¡°Don¡¯t eat it, don¡¯t eat it. This dish is poisonous.¡± Gu Nianzhi stood up and was about to take the te of scrambled eggs away.

    ¡°How is it poisonous? It¡¯s just a little sweet. Nianzhi, how did you know that daddy likes sweet things?¡± Lu Jin said with a smile and continued to eat the sweet scrambled eggs inrge mouthfuls.

    Huo Shaoheng also gulped down the eggs.

    The two of them quickly swept the te of scrambled eggs away, leaving only a little soup.

    Gu Nianzhi was very grateful to Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng for giving her face.

    After lunch, she volunteered to wash the dishes.

    Lu Jin wanted to help her, but Gu Nianzhi said she wanted to see Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA results as soon as possible, so Lu Jin went to see his own experiment after lunch.

    Lu Yuan said he wanted to take a nap and asked Huo Shaoheng to help Gu Nianzhi wash the dishes.

    The two of them walked to the kitchen, and Huo Shaoheng asked with a smile, ¡°Did you put too much sugar in it?¡±

    They had already used a measuring cup and a scale to measure the amount of seasoning used, so how could they put too much?

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to cry, but no tears came. She mumbled softly, ¡°I should have put the sugar as salt... I said it wasn¡¯t salty, so I put a little more...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained quite.

    While holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, he said seriously, ¡°Nianzhi, promise me that you¡¯ll Never Cook again. It¡¯s a shame to waste.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to him in silence.

    ...

    In Lu Jin¡¯s multifunctionalboratory, he looked at the results of Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA sequence test and stroked his chin with a smile.

    ¡°Interesting, this is really interesting...¡±

    ...

    This is the second update of today: Chapter 1726 A Handsome Man.

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for me.

    Today, the third update will be released at 8pm.

    Love you, my little angles.

 Chapter 1727 - The Most Ordinary Friend

    <h4>Chapter 1727: The Most Ordinary Friend</h4>

    In the afternoon, Lu Jin brought the DNA sequencing results of Wen Shouyi and Luo Piaopiao to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    At first, Huo Shaoheng wanted to take Gu Nianzhi out to watch thentern festival.

    However, upon hearing Lu Jin¡¯s words, Gu Nianzhi became so surprised that she didn¡¯t want to go anywhere.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a little regretful, but he knew that business was more important.

    The 15th day of the first lunar month had passed, and the court was about to begin again.

    Lu Jin asked Huo Shaoheng rudely, ¡°Mr. Peter, is there nothing else?¡±

    The Committee of State Security and diplomat from the Soviet Union obviously didn¡¯t want Peter to know about the DNA sequencing results.

    Huo Shaoheng had no intention of staying. He gestured for Gu Nianzhi to make a phone call and smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be leaving first. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and waved goodbye to him with a smile.

    She would tell him anyway. It didn¡¯t matter if Huo Shaoheng stayed or not.

    Immediately, Gu Nianzhi closed the door after Huo Shaoheng left. She then asked Lu Jin excitedly, ¡°Dad, did you get any results?¡±

    Lu Jin took hisptop and ced it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. He connected it to therge wall TV and said, ¡°The results have been released. It¡¯s quite interesting.¡±

    As he spoke, he typed out the results of his DNA test on the television screen.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised that he couldn¡¯t understand it at all.

    Fortunately, Lu Jin¡¯s exnation was simple and easy to understand.

    ¡°Look at Luo Piaopiao¡¯s DNA fragment and then look at this fragment of Wen Shouyi¡¯s...¡± Lu Jin used aser pen to highlight the key points on the television screen. ¡°These two unique fragments are exactly the same, and this is the female X chromosome.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and quickly said excitedly, ¡°Does that prove that Luo Piaopiao and Wen Shouyi are really rted? And they¡¯re even rted from the mother line!¡±

    ¡°But Wen Shouyi is the gardener¡¯s daughter, and her mother¡¯s name is Liang Meili, not Qin...¡±

    ¡°The probability is more than 90%,¡± Lu Jin answered matter-of-factly.

    In science, he was always as careful as possible.

    ¡°There¡¯s only a 90% probability?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little disappointed. ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s also a 10% probability that the two of them are not rted?¡±

    She had thought that the two of them were definitely rted.

    As Lu Jin nodded, he said seriously, ¡°All this time, we¡¯ve only been able to use DNA to test for direct kinship. This area has already developed to a very mature level. For non-direct kinship, take Luo Piaopiao and Wen Shouyi for example. Let¡¯s assume that they are indeed rted, but they are at most cousins. It¡¯s actually very difficult to identify these two types of kinship.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already used my own improved experimental method to test for non-direct kinship. The current uracy rate can only be said to be more than 90%, but it¡¯s less than 99.99%.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists and encouraged herself, ¡°Okay, the 90% probability is high enough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just treat them as rtives. Can we say that Wen Shouyi¡¯s mother, Liang Meili, is actually a member of the Qin Family?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked tentatively.

    Lu Jin thought about it carefully. After a while, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s Test Wen Shouyi¡¯s immediate family rtions. It¡¯s more urate this way.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed without hesitation.

    If Lu Jin had suggested this before today, she might have hesitated.

    The grudge between her and Wen Shouyi had little to do with Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents.

    Furthermore, Wen Shouyi¡¯s parents were suspected of kidnapping the twelve-year-old Gu Nianzhi. They were already in custody for interrogation, so there was no need for her to step on them again.

    However, what Wen Shouyi had done today was too disgusting. Furthermore, she was clearly targeting Gu Nianzhi, so Gu Nianzhi did not want to continue tolerating her. She still had to investigate what needed to be investigated.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think of a way to get the DNA samples of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.¡±

    Today was the 15th day of the first lunar month. Rtives and friends could visit their rtives in prison.

    Immediately, Gu Nianzhi called the ce where Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were being held and asked if she could see Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    In the end, the other party said that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t on their visiting list and that they couldn¡¯t meet her today.

    However, they would be able to meet her after the 15th of the first lunar month.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to dy any longer.

    She thought about it in her room for a while, but still dialed He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    He Zhichu had already handed over his shift and wasn¡¯t on duty in the military camp.

    He sat in front of the bar counter in a small hall of the Xiang Xue Hai clubhouse. There was a ss of red wine in his hand, and he listened to Xie Qingying¡¯s words with an indifferent expression.

    Xie Qingying noticed that he was not in a good mood and advised him with a heartache, ¡°Young Master He, why don¡¯t you go back and rest? You haven¡¯t had a good new year either. You¡¯ve lost weight.¡±

    Just then, He Zhichu looked up at her and smiled.¡±... You Don¡¯t want me to apany you anymore?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯d love you to apany me.¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s cheeks were slightly red. ¡°But your health is more important. I see that you¡¯re quite tired, so I¡¯d better go back and sleep.¡±

    He Zhichu took a sip of red wine. He wanted to say something, but felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and nced at it.

    It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    He Zhichu instinctively slid the phone open to answer. ¡°Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked him anxiously, ¡°Young Master He, are you still on duty?¡±

    Just then, He Zhichu¡¯s voice softened. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry, we can talk slowly.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhiposed herself. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. Can you help me think of a way to get the hair or blood of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili? I want to test their DNA.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He Zhichu didn¡¯t ask why and agreed immediately. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll send someone to get it right away and send it to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you, Young Master He!¡± Gu Nianzhi was ecstatic as she hugged her phone and spun around.

    He Zhichu was in a better mood. He opened his contact list and found one of his most trusted personal secretaries. He sent him a text message asking him to immediately get the hair or blood of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili and send it to him immediately.

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary received the text message and also acted quickly. He went to the detention center where Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were temporarily detained.

    There was naturally no obstruction for him to go to the detention center.

    Moreover, he was not going to see the two people, for he was on official business.

    He followed the two medical personnel wearing masks and white coats to Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s rooms.

    ...

    Five minutester, they came out.

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary put two small test tubes containing hair, small stic bags, and two tubes of blood into his briefcase and drove away.

    Half an hourter, he arrived at Xiang Xue Club and saw he zhichu.

    After He Zhichu took the samples from the personal secretary, he praised him with a smile. ¡°Not bad. I¡¯ll give you a creditter.¡±

    His personal secretary quickly stood up and saluted. ¡°Thank you, Chief!¡±

    He Zhichu took the samples and personally delivered them to Gu Nianzhi.

    Xie Qingying did not follow him. She sat alone in the small hall of the Xiangxuehai clubhouse and looked at he zhichu¡¯s back and sighed softly.

    Only then did her best friend dare toe over and talk to her.

    She was quite afraid of He Zhichu. Besides, she did not want to be a third wheel. Therefore, as long as Xie Qingying was with he zhichu, her best friend would consciously not disturb them.

    Now that she saw He Zhichu leave in a hurry, her best friend asked curiously, ¡°Qingying, what happened? Did you have a fight?¡±

    ¡°No. Nianzhi has something on, so young master he went to help.¡± Xie Qingying smiled bitterly and shook her head. ¡°Young master he is not the type of person to fight with you. When he is unhappy, he will not say a word to you. In fact, I was hoping that he would fight with me...¡±

    That way, she would feel closer to him.

    He Zhichu¡¯s asional absent-mindedness made her heart ache and feel sad at the same time. There was also a hint of nervousness that she did not know how to approach him.

    Her best friend was relieved and patted her shoulder with a smile. ¡°This is how it is when you¡¯re in a rtionship with your idol. Good luck!¡±

    ¡°You speak as if you¡¯re very experienced.¡± Xie qingyingughed. ¡°Tell me, which idol have you been in a rtionship with?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t, but I have friends...¡±her best friend teased her with a smile. ¡°Like you, Miss Xie.¡±

    ¡°F*ck! You¡¯re Not Serious.¡± Xie qingying pushed her and poured herself a ss of red wine.

    Her best friend pressed her ss down and sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve had enough, stop drinking.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, let me drink a little more.¡± Xie Qingying pulled her best friend¡¯s hand away and downed the ss in one gulp.

    Her best friend looked at her worriedly, she whispered, ¡°I can finally see it now. Each time it has something to do with that Gu Nianzhi, young master he is always acting weird. And she¡¯s your cousin. What is she trying to do? Didn¡¯t they break up? The engagement has already been broken off, yet she still treats herself like an outsider. Is she deliberately keeping him hanging?¡±

    ncing at her, Xie Qingying lowered her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have much of a rtionship with her. We haven¡¯t seen each other for so many years, so I¡¯m not as close to her as I am to you. She probably treats me the same way.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you watch her call young master he away with just a phone call?¡± Her best friend was indignant for her.

    ¡°Maybe she has something important to do.¡± Xie Qingying poured herself another ss of red wine. The faint disappointment in her heart was eating away at her heart, and it hurt a little.

    ¡°If it¡¯s something important, why didn¡¯t I bring you along? You¡¯re so capable and have a widework. Maybe you can help her...¡± her best friend was very confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll keep her at arm¡¯s length from now on anyway.¡±Xie qingying took a sip of her wine. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. Let¡¯s just treat her like a normal friend.¡±

    ...

    He Zhichu drove to the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment block. It was an hour and a half drive, and it only took him 45 minutes to get there.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang. Seeing that it was He Zhichu, she quickly answered the call. ¡°Young master he?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought the things. Are youing out to get them, or do you want me to bring them in for you?¡±

    ¡°So soon? ! Young Master He, you¡¯re the best!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Where are you? At the entrance of themunity? Should I ask the guard to let you in?¡±

    After considering for a moment, she changed her mind. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go get them myself.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say anything. He got out of the car and leaned against the door to wait for her.

    Not long after, he saw a tall and slender young girl flying out of the entrance of the residential area like a little bird.

    She was running in a hurry. Her coat was not buttoned up. It was fluttering in the wind, and her forehead was wet with sweat. However, her big, bright Eyes were very bright. It was as if the winter sun was shining in her eyes. It was the only warmth in winter.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart was soft, but he did not do anything. He took out the two small stic bags of hair and two tubes of blood from his pocket, ¡°These are the hair and blood of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili. They were just taken. My personal secretary watched them take them out with her own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Young Master He!¡± Gu Nianzhi took the samples and was overjoyed. ¡°Today is thentern festival, so I won¡¯t hold up young master he¡¯s invitation to meet at dusk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked at He Zhichu. ¡°Goodbye, Young Master He.¡±

    As He Zhichu opened the car door with a half-smile, he replied, ¡°You¡¯re burning the bridge after crossing it. Nianzhi. I will never help you next time.¡±

    ¡°Please forgive me.¡± Gu Nianzhi waved at him. ¡°I¡¯ll definitelye to apologize in two days.¡±

    He Zhichu saw that she had something to do, so he stopped pestering her. He got into the car and waved. ¡°You can go back. I¡¯ll watch you get in before you leave.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Young Master He, you drive carefully.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled at him and turned to leave.

    He Zhichu sat in the car and watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back disappear at the entrance of the residential area before he drove away.

    In just a short while, someone in a tall building not far away had taken a long-focal lens and captured the entire scene.

    ...

    This is the third update of the day: Chapter 1727 The Most Ordinary Friend.

    Please vote for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1728 - You Like Him

    <h4>Chapter 1728: You Like Him</h4>

    There was a wide road between the tall building and the neighborhood.

    In the afternoon, the sun iszy andfortable, and the capital¡¯s winter is still immersed in the atmosphere of the New Year.

    The foreigners have returned to the capital because the empty streets of the New Year have be bustling again.

    The numerous neat windows on the tall building looked like a pigeon cage from a distance.

    In one of the pigeon cages, someone carefully removed the telephoto lens and immediately went to the dark room to develop the photos with the camera.

    In this era where digital cameras flooded the market and any iPhone could producerge-scale images, it was already very rare for a photographer to insist on using optical lenses and film.

    After staying in the dark room for a few hours, he was already carrying a ck backpack that contained the photos of a roll of film that he had just taken.

    He did not go downstairs. Instead, he called a delivery man from the same city. Upon paying the emergency fee and the holiday essories fee, he delivered the sealed ck backpack to the address of a luxury mansion on the top floor of a high-end residential area in the capital city.

    The address of this luxury mansion on the top floor was Wen Shouyi¡¯s new home.

    She had juste out of the Jacuzzi with two people. She was wearing a thick white bathrobe and had arge white towel wrapped around her head.

    ¡°Miss Wen, someone has delivered a package for you.¡± Her housemaid walked to the bathroom with a ck backpack and knocked on the door.

    In response, Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She reached out from behind the door. ¡°Let me take a look.¡±

    The housemaid ced the sealed ck backpack in her hand.

    Wen Shouyi took the ck backpack and closed the bathroom door.

    She sat down in front of the dressing table outside the bathroom. Wen Shouyi first made a face mask for herself before taking the ck backpack and taking a look.

    She only heaved a sigh of relief when she found the password she had agreed to with the person.

    Upon grabbing a small pair of scissors, she cut open the sealed package. She then opened the bag and took out a stack of photos.

    The person¡¯s photography skills were very good. He was a master at it.

    Theposition and color of the photos presented a texture that only optical photos could have.

    Outside the high-end residential area with a very design sense, a neat road surrounded the entire residential area like a jade belt.

    At the entrance of the residential area, there was a low-profile Mercedes-benz AMG S65 parked. The streamlined lines and the background of the entire residential area blended together perfectly.

    What was even more amazing was that not only did the photographer have a good lens sense, but he also used a very good long lens to take close-ups of the characters.

    The first photo was a panoramic view.

    In the slightly blurred background, there was only a man and a woman looking at each other.

    The second photo was a close-up of the girl¡¯s side profile. It was Gu Nianzhi.

    Her face was crystal clear and beautiful beyondpare.

    Even the beads of sweat on her forehead and the tip of her nose seemed to have been taken, and her eyes were shining brightly.

    The third photo was the side profile of the man opposite her, which was He Zhichu.

    He Zhichu looked at her intently, one hand hanging by his side, but his fist was clenched tightly, as if he had used all his strength to restrain himself.

    Anyone who wasn¡¯t particrly observant could see that there was an indescribable tension between the two of them. It could also be said that it was an attraction.

    There were dozens of photos at the back, all of which were taken of the two of them.

    He Zhichu took a step forward, which was followed by Gu Nianzhi.

    He stretched out his hand and handed something to Gu Nianzhi.

    His hand was very big, so the thing should be very small. Because he had patted it from the side, he could only see the back of He Zhichu¡¯s hand, but not the item in his hand.

    However, Gu Nianzhi took the object and held it with one hand, not revealing a single bit of it.

    She then looked up andughed, very happily, as if she had received her most beloved gift.

    Wen Shouyi looked at it and suddenly felt a little annoyed.

    What was the point of taking so many pictures of Gu Nianzhi?

    She threw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s picture aside and carefully looked at He Zhichu¡¯s picture.

    Although the angle of the photo was so high that both of them could only see the side of their faces from above, the truly good-looking people were all 360 degrees without any blind spots.

    Every single one of these photos was very good-looking, especially when Gu Nianzhi was not in the shot.

    He Zhichu¡¯s appearance was already engraved in her heart, and her feelings for him were deeply ingrained in her bones. However, she did not dare to say a single word to him.

    She did not dare to be like Gu Nianzhi,ughing and cursing at He Zhichu without restraint.

    She also did not dare to be like Xie Qingying, boldly dering her love and using surprise to capture his heart.

    She could only hide in a dark corner and look at him quietly.

    Wen Shouyi closed her eyes and picked the best photo of He Zhichu. She carefully ced it behind the mirror on her dressing table.

    For the rest of the photos, she picked out a few photos of the two of them in the same frame and ced them in a red envelope the size of an envelope.

    Aftering out of the bathroom, Wen Shouyi changed her clothes, looked at her watch, and called Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying had juste out of Xiang Xue Hai clubhouse.

    She had drunk and did not drive. Her best friend had driven.

    When she heard her phone ring, she picked it up to take a look. It was Wen Shouyi calling.

    She still had the face to call her?!

    Xie Qingying sobered up immediately.

    She sat up straight and answered the call. She said coldly, ¡°Wen Shouyi, are you done? If I didn¡¯t cause you trouble, you would have snickered. How dare you continue to harass me?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was not surprised by Xie Qingying¡¯s attitude. The angrier she got, the happier she became.

    ¡°Miss Xie, I told you, it was a misunderstandingst time, which had nothing to do with me. Qin Haoshan was the one who spoke nonsense.¡± Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t hesitate to put the me on Qin Haoshan, ¡°He wanted to save his grandfather, so I reminded him that he could ask Gu Nianzhi for help. I didn¡¯t say a word about Miss Xie.¡±

    She knew that people like Qin Haoshan were the type to suffer for their pride.

    He would never admit that she was the one who had taught him how to do that with the photos.

    Even if he spilled the beans, he would still bite the bullet.

    Therefore, Wen Shouyi was not worried that Qin Haoshan would testify against her.

    Xie qingying, on the other hand, was not that easy to fool.

    She sneered and said sarcastically, ¡°You¡¯re a thousand-year-old fox. Why are you acting like a Liaozhai for me? Miss Wen, I¡¯m a media person. I don¡¯t need you to show me how to do things with rhythm.¡±

    Wen Shouyi pursed her lips and said impatiently, ¡°Well, since you¡¯re a sensible person, I won¡¯t beat around the bush. What about young master he? Today is thentern festival. How does young master he n to celebrate with you?¡±

    ¡°What does it have to do with you how I celebrate with him?¡± Xie Qingying frowned. She felt that Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand was too long?

    ¡°Haha, does Young Master he have ns to celebrate with you?¡± Wen Shouyi scoffed. ¡°I happen to have a few photos here, do you want to take a look?¡±

    ¡°What photos?¡± It was another photo. Xie Qingying said angrily, ¡°You¡¯re still saying that you didn¡¯t order Qin Haoshan to spout nonsense?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was rendered speechless.

    She didn¡¯t say anything else and sent Xie Qingying a photo.

    It was the panoramic photo of He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi looking at each other.

    The photo was so lovely that it could have been framed and hung on the wall as a creative wedding photo.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s breathing stopped for a moment when she saw the photo.

    The photo was so beautiful that the two of them were like a beautiful man and woman in an oil painting, full of tension.

    Right then, Xie Qingying took a deep breath slowly to suppress her surging emotions.

    She picked up her phone and said to Wen Shouyi, ¡°Did you secretly take photos of them?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was stunned. She thought to herself that Xie Qingying looked kind and magnanimous, but it turned out that she was not someone to be trifled with..

    She avoided answering Xie Qingying¡¯s question, she smiled and said, ¡°This is the photo that was taken just now. It¡¯s the Lantern Festival today, right? Young master he isn¡¯t with you, is he? He left you to go see Gu Nianzhi. Don¡¯t you want to know what he¡¯s going to do? What did he give Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    As Wen Shouyi spoke, she sent Xie qingying another photo. It was the photo he zhichu had given Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Look, that thing isn¡¯t big. When Gu Nianzhi took it, it was all covered up. What do you think it is?¡±Wen Shouyi tried her best to imagine. ¡°This size, don¡¯t you think it looks like a ring...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s face was livid. ¡°Wen Shouyi, if you want to fan the mes, find something logical. They just broke off the engagement, why shouldn¡¯t they give you a ring? ! What are you thinking about all day?¡±

    At this point, Xie Qingying suddenly felt blessed and subconsciously said, ¡°You like him... Wen Shouyi... You like young Master He!¡±

    She was even like her, deeply in love with him...

    Wen Shouyi was caught off guard by Xie Qingying.

    She had never expected that Xie Qingying would be able to see through her thoughts even though she had only interacted with her a few times.

    Actually, Xie Qingying was deeply in love with He Zhichu and was exceptionally sensitive to these matters.

    And women in love also had a natural radar system for their love rivals.

    In a moment of desperation, Wen Shouyi immediately retracted the photo she had just sent Xie qingying.

    Fortunately, it was still within the retractable time frame.

    She could only hope that Xie Qingying did not have the habit of storing photos at all times.

    After Xie Qingying finished speaking, she realized that Wen Shouyi had fallen into a strange silence on the other end of the phone. She knew that she had guessed correctly.

    Therefore, all of Wen Shouyi¡¯s small actions had a reasonable exnation and exnation, especially her actions against Gu Nianzhi.

    Xie Qingying sneered. ¡°Wen Shouyi, don¡¯t even think of using me as a weapon. ¡°What are you trying to do? Don¡¯t drag me into this. ¡°I¡¯m pursuing young master he in an open and aboveboard manner. I Won¡¯t Be Like You, hiding in the dark like a rat in the gutter. I won¡¯t just do dirty things that can¡¯t be seen!¡±

    After Xie Qingying finished speaking, she blocked Wen Shouyi.

    Unfortunately, after she blocked her, she realized that the two photos Wen Shouyi had sent her earlier had been withdrawn.

    She had no evidence in her hands.

    Xie qingying held her phone and sat in the car, thinking silently for a while before dialing He Zhichu¡¯s number.

    At the moment, He Zhichu had already returned to the He residence and was working alone in the study.

    When he heard his phone ring, he looked at it. It was a call from Xie Qingying, but he did not pick it up.

    Xie Qingying dialed a few times, but it always went to voicemail. He did not know why.

    Ever since they started dating, He Zhichu had never stopped picking up her calls.

    Xie Qingying panicked and immediately dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number again.

    Gu Nianzhi was waiting in theb at Lu Jin¡¯s apartment, watching him sequence the DNA of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili with her own eyes.

    ...

    This is the first chapter of today: Chapter 1728 You Like Him.

    It¡¯s the third update today.

    Please vote for me.

    Second update will be released at 1:00 pm, while the third at 8:00 pm.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1729 - Believe It or Not

    <h4>Chapter 1729: Believe It or Not</h4>

    This kind of experiment was very boring, and most of it was done by machines. However, Lu Jin wanted to show Gu Nianzhi what he was capable of. He did it himself, and Gu Nianzhi watched with relish.

    When she heard her phone ring and saw that it was Xie qingying calling, she almost had the urge to hang up.

    Nevertheless, for He Zhichu¡¯s sake, she thought about it and answered the call.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi, did I interrupt you and Mr. Peter for the Lantern Festival?¡± Xie Qingying asked first, her voice a little stiff.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on between Mr. Peter and me. We¡¯re just friends. Why would we celebrate the Lantern Festival Together?¡±

    She really hadn¡¯t spent thentern festival with Peter...

    Xie Qingying felt very ufortable. Countless spections swirled in her mind. In the end, she suppressed her emotions and said in a low voice, ¡°Young Master He went to deliver something to you today. Someone secretly took photos of the two of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was rendered speechless.

    ¡°Secretly? who has so much free time?¡± Gu Nianzhi was speechless. ¡°It¡¯s the 15th of the first lunar month today!¡±

    Secretly taking photos outside of her home during the holidays?

    What the hell!

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xie qingying nodded lightly, ¡°Who else? Wen Shouyi. She sent me a photo. I was so angry that I cklisted her and forgot to save the photo. She then withdrew it. I don¡¯t have any evidence. It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe it or not, I¡¯ve already informed you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. Wen Shouyi was quite a character. She had kept such a close watch on her. Did she know that she was testing her and her parents¡¯DNA?

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and asked, ¡°Is it convenient for you to talk?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in the car.¡±Xie qingying looked outside the car. It waste and she was almost home.

    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s text then.¡± Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°You can be more specific.¡±

    ¡°Is it inconvenient for you to talk?¡± Xie qingying couldn¡¯t help probing. ¡°Am I still disturbing you?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m watching someone do an experiment. It¡¯s very interesting.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and hung up. She then sent a text to Xie Qingying.

    Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°When did Wen Shouyi send you a photo? Can you give me a rough description of what it looks like?¡±

    Xie Qingying heard that Gu Nianzhi was watching someone do an experiment and didn¡¯t believe it at all.

    Where was she going to watch the experiment on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year?

    But she didn¡¯t say much and only sent Gu Nianzhi a screenshot of Wen Shouyi retracting the photo.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the time Wen Shouyi retracted the photo. ¡°There¡¯s still time. I¡¯ll teach you a way to show the photo that the other party has already retracted.

    This was because the action of taking the photo back did not mean that the other party had really deleted the photo from your phone at the right time. Instead, they had reced the previous photo with an established message.

    The photo that the other party had sent was actually still in the cache on your phone. Most people did not know how to pull the photo out of the cache.

    The photo would only truly disappear after the phone had cleared the cache.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed that Wen Shouyi had only taken a few minutes to retrieve the photos. Xie Qingying¡¯s phone must still have photos of Wen Shouyi in the cache.

    Xie Qingying was especially surprised. ¡°The retraction message can still be recovered?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    She then sent Xie Qingying a series of instructions to follow her instructions.

    Xie Qingying used an iPhone, so it was more difficult to retrieve photos from the cache than it was on Android.

    However, with Gu Nianzhi around, these were not a problem.

    While she was there, she had learned a lot of practical hacking knowledge from Zhao Liangze.

    Jailbreaking an iPhone was just a normal operation for hackers.

    Xie Qingying followed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s instructions and operated the phone step by step, as if she had opened the door to a new world.

    When she pulled the two photos that Wen Shouyi had taken back from her phone, she was already full of admiration for Gu Nianzhi.

    This little girl was simply too amazing.

    Her beauty wasplemented with wisdom. It was no wonder He Zhichu still had feelings for her.

    Xie Qingying was determined to keep her distance from Gu Nianzhi. With mixed feelings, she saved the two photos on her phone and forwarded them to Gu Nianzhi.

    She then replied: ¡°I still have something to do. I just wanted to remind you.¡±

    ¡°Happy Lantern Festival.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also replied, ¡°Happy Lantern Festival.¡±

    Xie Qingying closed the chat and looked up to see that the car had stopped at her door.

    ¡°Qingying, are you okay?¡± Xie Qingying¡¯s best friend got out of the driver¡¯s seat, opened the car door for her, and helped her out of the car.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s drunkenness was almost gone. She smiled and nodded at her best friend. ¡°Thank you. Go and apany your boyfriend. I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡±

    Her best friend sighed. ¡°Let me help you in before you leave.¡±

    Xie Qingying was helped into the house by her best friend. After washing up, she went to bed.

    However, she could not sleep and was in a state of excitement.

    After her best friend left, Xie Qingying took out her phone and began to call He Zhichu.

    However, He Zhichu had been working all this time and did not pick up her call.

    ...

    While resting her chin on her hand, Gu Nianzhi looked at the photos on her phone in a daze.

    Lu Jin set up the equipment and had them start the DNA sequencing test for Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    He turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi holding her phone in a daze.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? who was on the phone just now?¡± Lu Jin was very focused when he was working, so he paid little attention to the things around him.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and raised her head. She showed the photo on her phone to Lu Jin and said in confusion, ¡°Look, how did you take this secretly? I can see that the quality of the photo is quite good, but I can¡¯t tell where the person who took it is at all.¡±

    If she could find the location of the person who took the photo and check the nearby surveince cameras, she should be able to trace it back to Wen Shouyi and find Satoshi Saito.

    Although she looked left and right, she still could not determine the location of the person who took the photo.

    Lu Jin looked at it and said, ¡°From the angle of the photo, it was taken from the top of the side. This angle is a little strange, and it doesn¡¯t look like an ordinary digital camera.¡±

    He pointed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯sputer and said, ¡°Send me the photo, I¡¯ll analyze it for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Gu Nianzhi cheered up and quickly sent the two photos to Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin turned on his desktopputer, which wasparable to a central server, and opened the photo with a mathematical analysis software.

    Soon, the t photo was three-dimensional on Lu Jin¡¯sputer screen.

    People, objects, and the surrounding buildings were all clearly disyed on the screen.

    Lu Jin pointed at the picture on theputer and said, ¡°With this model, you can deduce the exact location of the camera from the angle of the character¡¯s disy.¡±

    ¡°You can deduce that?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was extremely surprised. Her ck pupils seemed to be able to speak as she looked at Lu Jin.

    As Lu Jin smiled proudly, he clicked his mouse twice on theputer screen. ¡°Of course I can deduce that.¡±

    ¡°Do you know a gun ballistics expert? They can tell what type of bullet it is and what type of gun it came from from just by looking at a bullet hole.¡±

    ¡°An even better ballistics expert can even pinpoint which gun the bullet came from.¡±

    ¡°We used the same principle to calcte the location of the person who took the photo.¡±

    ¡°This person took the photo with an optical lens, and the photo was also developed with film, making it more difficult to track down.¡±

    ¡°If he used a digital camera and the photo was a digital image, I would be able to pinpoint his location in less than a second.¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head regretfully. ¡°But now, I have to model his photo and calcte from the angle of the light rays in order to find the end point of the light rays, which is where the person took the photo.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have surveince cameras in the residential area? Can you pull them up and take a look?¡± Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s in the surveince.¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°You can look at the surveince cameras, but don¡¯t get your hopes up. Looking at the angle and the texture of the photo, I feel like he used a telephoto lens to take the photo from a tall building in the distance.¡±

    The surveince cameras around the residential walls could not see this person at all.

    The optical lens also avoided being scanned by electromaic waves, so conventional methods would not be able to find this person.

    Only Lu Jin, who usedplex three-dimensional analytic geometry and linear algebra to perform modeling and calction, could urately find his location.

    Gu Nianzhi watched in admiration as Lu Jin programmed and calcted on theputer.

    Half an hourter, Lu Jin finally finished running his program.

    He pointed at the window of a high-rise building on the 3D model with his mouse. ¡°It¡¯s here. That person used a telephoto lens to secretly take photos of you.¡±

    As he spoke, Lu Jin wrote down the floor and house number of that person. ¡°Find He Zhichu and have him arrested.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded happily and immediately called He Zhichu.

    At this time, He Zhichu¡¯s work had juste to an end.

    In order not to be disturbed, he had set his phone to silent mode.

    As soon as he picked it up, he realized that there were a lot of missed calls in front of him. The most recent missed call was actually from Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu was slightly startled and immediately called Gu Nianzhi back.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to call again when she realized He Zhichu had already called. She quickly said, ¡°Young master he, are you still working? Did I disturb you?¡±

    He Zhichu grinned. ¡°I just finished. What¡¯s the matter? is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, something the matter.¡± Gu Nianzhi replied and sent He Zhichu an address, a set of coordinates, and two photos from Xie Qingying.

    ...

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1729 Believe It or Not.

    The third update of the day will be released at 8pm.

    Please vote for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1730 - An Issue

    <h4>Chapter 1730: An Issue</h4>

    As He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed, his voice turned cold. ¡°What¡¯s the issue with this photo?!¡±

    ¡°It was taken secretly. That address is the address of the person who took the photo secretly.¡± Gu Nianzhi hesitated, not sure if she should tell him about Wen Shouyi.

    But if she told him about Wen Shouyi, it would certainly implicate Xie Qingying.

    It was thus better not to alert the enemy.

    As long as the person who took the photo was caught, Wen Shouyi wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.

    He Zhichu still asked suspiciously, ¡°Why do you have this photo?¡±

    ¡°Someone sent it to me.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Young master he, you¡¯d better catch the person first.¡±

    He Zhichu immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the police to catch the person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried to persuade him again. ¡°You don¡¯t need to call the police, do you? You¡¯re a major general. If you¡¯re photographed secretly, it might involve national security issues. Why don¡¯t you bring your own people to deal with it?¡±

    With a single sentence from Gu Nianzhi, she had turned this matter from an ordinary affair between a man and a woman to a political one.

    Only when it became a political matter rted to national security could He Zhichu officially intervene.

    He Zhichu¡¯s current position was simr to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s over there. However, he did not set up a special operations forces corps like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s. Instead, he set up a special operations force under themand of the Supreme General Staff.

    He Zhichu understood and smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re the smart one. Alright, I¡¯ll bring my men to catch them personally.¡±

    He stood up and changed into his military uniform. He called for his most capable team and took a private car to the apartmentplex opposite Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    To avoid detection, they entered through the back door of theplex and guarded all the exits.

    When they reached the lobby of the building, He Zhichu sent a few men to guard the elevator entrance on the first floor while he led his men into the elevator.

    The security of the building was not as strict as the apartment where Gu Nianzhi lived. There was no need for a special key card to get into the elevator.

    He Zhichu followed the address Gu Nianzhi gave him and quickly reached the floor.

    They quietly surrounded the person¡¯s room.

    He Zhichu gestured when everyone was in position.

    Just then, the youngest member of their team came over and knocked on the door.

    The person inside was fiddling with his camera equipment.

    He felt something was wrong when he heard someone knocking on the door.

    He was a very vignt man, who was highly trained.

    As soon as he heard the knocking, he immediately turned on his cell phone and looked at the situation at the door.

    He had modified the cat¡¯s eye on the front door into a surveince device and attached it to his cell phone so that he could keep track of the situation around him at all times.

    When he saw those people standing at the door with murderous intent, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew that something was wrong.

    After he stood up in a hurry, he rushed into his dark room. He threw all the photos and film that had been developed or had not been developed into a stainless steel trash can and lit a fire.

    The mes rose and devoured the negatives and photos in an instant.

    He was relieved. When he came out of the dark room, he heard a loud bang from the door. Someone kicked the door open.

    A few people wearing bulletproof vests and carrying rifles rushed in.

    After the man raised his hands reflexively, he retreated step by step through the living room and followed the open ss door to the balcony.

    The balconies here were all closed, but they were protected by ss windows.

    He retreated to the ss window and stood still. He raised his hands and looked at them nervously.

    He Zhichu walked up from behind the soldier with the gun. He looked at him coldly and waved his hand. ¡°This man is suspected of secretly taking pictures of major generals in the army and endangering national security. Take him away.¡±

    The man¡¯s heart sank. He didn¡¯t understand why things had happened so quickly.

    Could it be that Wen Shouyi had betrayed him?

    The man¡¯s mind raced. In an instant, he had several ideas, but none of them worked.

    Therefore, he gritted his teeth and suddenly put down his hands. He put one hand into his trouser pocket as if he was going to take something out.

    The guards who were responsible for protecting He Zhichu did not hesitate to shoot first.

    This was an important part of their training.

    Just like the American police, when faced with a criminal suspect who was likely to return fire with a gun, the first thing they needed to do was to strike first.

    They had a saying, ¡°It¡¯s better to be used while standing than to be carried out while lying down.¡±.

    The Huaxia Empire forbade the use of guns. The police here did not need to be like the American police when they were on a mission.

    However, the enemies He Zhichu and the others faced were not ordinary criminals. Instead, they were spies or spies who had close ties with foreign countries.

    Most of these people had guns on them.

    Therefore, when the man put down his hands and dug into his pockets, the guards beside He Zhichu immediately fired.

    His marksmanship was very urate. ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Two shotsnded on each of the man¡¯s arms.

    The man¡¯s entire body shook, and he almost fainted from the pain.

    His arms hung limply by his side, and he did not have the strength to do anything else.

    He red at He Zhichu, then bit off the poison hidden in his teeth and swallowed it.

    ¡°I advise you not to resist for no reason,¡± He Zhichu said coldly. At the same time, he ordered his soldiers, ¡°Search!¡±

    The guards who came in with him immediately split into groups of three and went to the other room in the apartment.

    The man standing in front of the French window on the balcony of the living room had already started bleeding before He Zhichu¡¯s men could walk over.

    He put on a regretful and strange smile. As his legs went weak, he fell to the ground with a loud crash.

    ¡°He actuallymitted suicide by taking poison? As expected, he¡¯s not an ordinary photographer.¡± He Zhichu raised his hand with a cold smile. ¡°Call the police, then search his body. Also, take a sample of the poison in his mouth and bring it back for analysis.¡±

    He Zhichu walked around the man¡¯s apartment.

    His men found the secret room, but there was nothing inside except for the cleaning equipment and medicine.

    There was also burnt ashes in the stainless steel trash can, which indicated that the man had destroyed all the evidence.

    Not long after, the police arrived at the man¡¯s apartment, and they were shocked to see this scene.

    However, after checking the man, they found that although he was shot in the arm, it was not fatal. The real fatal factor was the poison in his mouth.

    He Zhichu tilted his head, and his guard threw a recording device to the police officer. ¡°This is the entire situation after we entered. Hemitted suicide out of guilt. The exact reason will have to be verified by the police.¡±

    The police officer who led the team recognized He Zhichu¡¯s face. He quickly took it with both hands and asked in confusion, ¡°Young master He, did someone report it? What did he do?¡±

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Someone found out that he secretly took pictures of my whereabouts and suspected that he might be a spy. We came to investigate, but not only did he try to resist, he evenmitted suicide.¡±

    The fact that the teeth in his mouth contained poison was what spies usually did. Now, some of the most vicious suspects did the same because they did not want to be arrested.

    The police officer immediately saluted and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, chief! We¡¯ll investigate immediately!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s men had already searched the apartment and found nothing.

    He did not stay any longer, for he soon left the apartment to the police.

    He walked out of the building and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment block not far away. He felt something was wrong.

    Then who was the one who had sent her the candid photo?

    Why had it been sent to her? Why hadn¡¯t it been sent to him?

    He Zhichu waved his personal secretary to bring the soldiers back to the base. He then dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    Without hesitation, Gu Nianzhi picked it up. ¡°Young Master He? How is it?¡±

    The streetmps in the block were very bright, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.

    On the fifteenth night, the Moon was as round as a fine piece of white jade, giving off a soft light that illuminated the entire night sky.

    He Zhichu was talking to Gu Nianzhi through a bluetooth headset as he walked towards her apartmentplex. He said inly, ¡°Who sent you the photos? The person who took them secretly is very unusual.¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Gu Nianzhi was surprised and delighted. ¡°Did you catch him?¡±

    ¡°No, he took poison andmitted suicide.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    The crime of secretly taking photos did not warrant death. Why did this personmit suicide?

    She knew that this matter had be more important, so she directly said, ¡°Wen Shouyi sent these two photos to cousin Xie, who then forwarded them to me.¡±

    ...

    This was the third update of the day: Chapter 1730An Issue.

    I will continue to update today.

    Please vote for me.

 Chapter 1731 - It Was Me

    <h4>Chapter 1731: It Was Me</h4>

    ¡°Wen Shouyi sent it to Qingying?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Where did Wen Shouyi get the photo? Or was she following me? Did she know that I gave her parents¡¯ hair and blood samples to you?¡±

    The time and ce shown in the photo was the exact afternoon when He Zhichu had sent Gu Nianzhi something.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. I thought that once I caught the person who had taken the photo, I would be able to trace it back to Wen Shouyi.¡±

    Following a pause, He Zhichu said, ¡°Although the person who took the photomitted suicide, Wen Shouyi has the photo and forwarded it to Qingying. That¡¯s enough evidence to investigate her.¡±

    He Zhichu was also a barrister. Although he had joined the army, he had studiedw for many years and had then gone to practicew in the opposite world. He was like Gu Nianzhi, who liked to think and act within the framework of thew.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. There¡¯s a screenshot on cousin Xie¡¯s phone. Even though she deleted it, there¡¯s evidence in the phone¡¯s cache that proves that she was the one who sent the photo.¡±

    Without hesitation, He Zhichu switched his phone to his personal secretary¡¯s number, after which he ordered coldly, ¡°Tell the police that Wen Shouyi is a suspect and that the evidence is with Xie Qingying. Go to Miss Xie and get the evidence so that the police can file a case and apply to the judge for an arrest warrant. Search Wen Shouyi¡¯s residence immediately.¡±

    Upon hearing that, He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary began to act ording to the instructions.

    Not long after, He Zhichu had already walked to the front door of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    He looked up at the apartment block where Gu Nianzhi lived, then turned to look at the high-rise apartment where the person who had secretly taken the photo was. The suspicion he had had just now deepened, and his brows furrowed even more.

    How did Gu Nianzhi find the location of the person who had secretly taken the photo based on a single photo?

    He Zhichu was certain that there was no connection between the photo and the person¡¯s location at all.

    Unless he could do a mathematical modeling based on the direction of the photo and the direction of the light...

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ability in this area was not particrly outstanding.

    She was good atw andputer programming, but superb mathematical modeling required a very deep mathematical foundation, especially advanced mathematics. It was not something that could be achieved by someone who only knew how to program.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat, as if he had thought of something.

    He Zhichu¡¯s sparkling peach blossom eyes shone with an inexplicable light. He had decided to suddenly attack her.

    He did not tell Gu Nianzhi that he wasing to see her, but the concierge¡¯s property did not have the consent of the residents, and generally did not allow outsiders to enter.

    However, He Zhichu took out his special military and police identification, and the concierge immediately opened the door.

    ¡°There¡¯s a criminal case nearby. I¡¯m here to take a look and hope that you can help with the investigation,¡± said He Zhichu calmly.

    ¡°Yes, sir. If you need anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to let me know.¡± The concierge saluted he zhichu respectfully.

    He Zhichu was wearing a military uniform. The tassel and star on his shoulder showed his military rank and status.

    This property guy happened to be a veteran. When he saw he zhichu, he subconsciously saluted him.

    ncing at him, He Zhichu uttered a few words to him with a pleasant expression. He asked him which unit he used to be in, what kind of military service, and how long ago he retired from the army.

    The property guy was so excited that his face was red.

    The biggest officer he had dealt with before he had retired was only theirpanymander, only a first lieutenant.

    He was now a major general!

    ¡°Well, do your job well and don¡¯t embarrass the army.¡± He Zhichu finished speaking and walked towards the apartment where Gu Nianzhi lived with a smile.

    The property guy had given him the elevator key cards of the nearby buildings to facilitate his investigation.

    Although the real estate agent did not understand why the military officers wanted to investigate the case, He Zhichu understood the special military and police identification.

    He Zhichu took the key card and leisurely walked around the neighborhood a few times.

    He consciously avoided the direction of the surveince cameras and quietly arrived at the floor below Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    He opened the elevator with the key card and pressed the button to go to the floor of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    Soon, the elevator arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s floor and stopped.

    The elevator door opened and He Zhichu, who was dressed in a crisp winter military uniform, walked out of the elevator.

    He looked at the location of this floor and walked to a more hidden spot beside the elevator. He took out his phone and calmly called Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, I found something at the scene. I wanted to tell you in person.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still in Lu Jin¡¯sb.

    He Zhichu had just hung up. She thought he had left.

    He Zhichu picked up the phone and realized He Zhichu hadn¡¯t left yet.

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously thought he was still waiting for her outside the apartmentplex. She quickly said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be right down. Wait for me for a while!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± With that, He Zhichu hung up, but his hand was still gripping his phone tightly. He felt nervous for no reason.

    He did not know if his guess was correct, but Gu Nianzhi had shown some unusual clues that led him to the same conclusion.

    Soon, the door of an apartment in the corridor opened, and Gu Nianzhi hurried out.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes shed, for that was not the direction to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door to her apartment across the street and went in to change.

    She had just opened the door to her apartment when she looked up and saw He Zhichu standing at her door with a smile on his face.

    Gu Nianzhi panicked for a moment, but he soon calmed down and said in surprise, ¡°Young Master He, how did you get up here? !¡±

    ¡°I just got here.¡± He Zhichu waved his military and police identification at her. ¡°With this, where can¡¯t I go?¡±

    ¡°Good for you, young master he.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and said loudly on purpose.

    Lu Jin was about toe out when he heard movement outside the door. He peeked through the peephole and saw the back of a tall man in military uniform.

    From the back and military uniform, He Zhichu should be the one.

    Lu Jin did not open the door and go out. Instead, he sent Gu Nianzhi a text message asking what was going on.

    Gu Nianzhi heard the sound of a text messageing in from her phone. Without looking at her phone, she turned to the side to open the door. ¡°Young master he, pleasee in.¡±

    He Zhichu grinned as he entered the building.

    Gu Nianzhi then quickly nced at her phone and sent Lu Jin a message to reassure him.

    Putting away her phone, Gu Nianzhi returned to the living room and asked he zhichu, ¡°Young master he, what would you like to drink?¡±

    He Zhichu sat on the sofa in the living room and said casually, ¡°Other than milk, what else can you drink here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and said, ¡°I have milk, juice, and water, as well as coffee, milk tea, and pu¡¯er.¡±

    ¡°Then please give me a cup of ck coffee, no sugar, no milk.¡±

    ¡°Okay, wait a moment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi went to the kitchen to make coffee and warmed herself a cup of milk. She also packed a te of four blueberry muffins, which Lu Yuan baked personally.

    She ced the coffee in front of He Zhichu and sat cross-legged on the sofa opposite he zhichu with the cup of milk in her hands. She asked casually, ¡°What did you find at the scene, young master he?¡±

    As He Zhichu took a sip of his coffee, he said calmly, ¡°I found a problem. Nianzhi, how did you know the person¡¯s location and address?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent and smiled awkwardly.

    She had been too anxious just now, so she hadn¡¯t been able to cover up her lie.

    But she hadn¡¯t expected He Zhichu to realize this so quickly.

    In her panic, Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°I figured it out! I used aputer to program a mathematical model...¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her with a half-smile. His long legs were crossed, and his posture was rxed. ¡°You figured it out? You built a mathematical model yourself?¡±

    His gaze seemed to see through everything, but it was not aggressive. He looked at her with tolerance, as if to say, ¡°Make it up, keep making it up.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi could not make it up anymore, but she was not willing to be defeated by He Zhichu just like that.

    She could not expose Lu Jin, not in this lifetime. She could only change the subject and barely maintain her dignity.

    Gu Nianzhi avoided answering the question, she smiled and said, ¡°Young master he, cousin Xie wasn¡¯t too happy when she called me today to tell me about these two photos. Young master he, you should be careful too. You¡¯re already in a rtionship. How can you just casuallye to another woman¡¯s house? Especially since it¡¯s the 15th of the first lunar month. You should apany cousin Xie to see the lights.¡±

    He zhichu scoffed and crossed his hands before his chest. He said coldly, ¡°Are you another woman? I thought everyone knew that I already recognized you as my sister. As an older brother, can¡¯t youe to your own sister¡¯s House?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say...¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darted around like two ck mercury pills on a silver te, ¡°Besides, we¡¯re not biological siblings, and we used to be engaged. You have to be considerate of Cousin Xie¡¯s feelings, young master he.¡±

    He Zhichu leaned back on the sofa and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m here on business. Qingying will understand. She¡¯s not a narrow-minded woman, so why wouldn¡¯t she be happy?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here on official business?¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up a blueberry muffin and took a bite, she said happily, ¡°Congrattions for finding such a magnanimous woman like cousin Xie. If it were me, I¡¯d be furious. You¡¯re talking about me because you¡¯re petty and jealous.¡±

    He Zhichu seemed to be proud of himself.

    As he stared at her, he thought, ¡°That¡¯s too horrendous for me...¡±

    However, whether she was kind or narrow-minded was none of his business.

    He Zhichu then put down the coffee cup in his hand and said calmly, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re good at changing the topic, but it does not work on me. Tell me, who did the mathematical modeling for you?¡±

    ...

    This is the first update today: Chapter 1731 It Was Me

    I will release the second update today, and the third update tomorrow.

    Please vote for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1732 - I Am Innocent

    <h4>Chapter 1732: I Am Innocent</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She looked at He Zhichu with her tinted eyes, in order to act dumb. ¡°Young Master He, what do you mean? Don¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and fixed herrge, agile eyes on He Zhichu.

    As he tilted his head, he asked in amusement, ¡°Are you going to remain silent?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked.

    ¡°Okay, you have the right to remain silent. As awyer, I can¡¯t force you to speak.¡± He Zhichu lowered his head and thought for a moment. ¡°However, I have some questions that I haven¡¯t been able to figure out until today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little uneasy, but she still acted as if she didn¡¯t know what He Zhichu was talking about.

    Just then, He Zhichu lifted his head and didn¡¯t look at Gu Nianzhi. Instead, he looked in the direction of the door and said slowly, ¡°Do you still remember that time when you were hit by the anti-materiel rifle?¡±

    ¡°There was a very good doctor who operated on you in time. However, when I sent people to investigate that time, I couldn¡¯t find any records of that doctor in that hospital.¡±

    ¡°The doctors in the hospital thought that he was an expert hired from Qin¡¯s private hospital, but the doctor from Qin¡¯s private hospital was stuck in traffic that day and couldn¡¯t make it in time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°I was seriously injured and unconscious at that time, so I had no idea what was going on.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a very strong reason.¡± He Zhichu nodded and continued, ¡°Before the New Year, I was ambushed and injured by a subsonic weapon. You were the chief surgeon and operated on me with a knife.¡±

    ¡°Although a gamma knife is not a real scalpel, you can perform a gamma knife surgery just because yourputer skills are strong? Doesn¡¯t that mean that everyone who studiesputer science can work part-time as a surgeon?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent, but her eyes started to wander.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I know you¡¯re very smart and a genius indeed, but your strengths arew andputer programming. Other than that, you haven¡¯t shown anything different in other fields.¡±

    ¡°And even if you¡¯re an all-rounded genius, you can¡¯t just be born with it. You need to learn. It¡¯s just that a genius¡¯s learning time is shorter than other people¡¯s and they learn more deeply.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t learned anything about medicine at all. How can you have the guts to perform surgery on Me?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze shifted over. The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face became even more obvious when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unfocused gaze.

    ¡°Moreover, my safety is not so unimportant to you. You can let a newbie practice his hands and perform a surgery, right?¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s the mathematical modeling today. This requires a lot of mathematical knowledge. Even a normal mathematics graduate student might not be able to do it. Nianzhi, do you still want to hide it?¡±

    Lowering her eyes, Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Young Master He, I don¡¯t know why you think that.¡±

    ¡°When you were injured by the infrasound weapon, it was better for me to perform the surgery than for Qin Yaoguang to perform the surgery on you. Would you rather have Qin Yaoguang perform the surgery on you?¡±

    ¡°As for how you found that person today, please forgive me for not being able to tell you. He insists that there is mathematical modeling, but I don¡¯t understand it either.¡±

    ¡°All I can say is that everything is within the scope of thew and no illegal acts have taken ce.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked stubbornly at He Zhichu and no longer looked away, ¡°Why do you keep staring at me? I didn¡¯t follow others to secretly photograph others, nor did I seduce others to seduce others. Why don¡¯t you shift your attention to tracking down those behind-the-scenes culprits?¡±

    In response, He Zhichu looked deeply at her for a while, then looked away as if nothing had happened. He said, ¡°How do you know I¡¯m not investigating? If I report everything to you in detail, are you willing to listen? If you¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll report to you twice a day, both early andte. Do you want it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was taken aback by the words, so she quickly put on a smile and waved her hand. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just reminding you. I don¡¯t have to worry about young master he¡¯s work.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then remember this well. If you can¡¯t give a good reason for these things, then don¡¯t let others notice them.¡± He Zhichu stood up from the sofa, ¡°It¡¯s okay if I know, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve seen what kind of storm it will cause if others find out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat as He Zhichu¡¯s words seemed to have a deeper meaning.

    Her gaze swept past he zhichu¡¯s face, but she couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking.

    Did he know the truth, or was he trying to trick her?

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to calm herself down and said lightly, ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard young master he talk about these things. If he doesn¡¯t tell me, I don¡¯t think anyone else will notice.¡±

    With a grin, He Zhichu revealed two rows of white teeth. ¡°So do you want me to keep it a secret?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any secrets to keep.¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°But young master he also knows that even if there¡¯s no wind, there will still be a three-foot wave. Besides, if young master he recites it, the wave will be even bigger. My boat can not be overloaded...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He Zhichu patted her head. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Today is the fifteenth of the first month.¡±

    He looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s almost over. Didn¡¯t you go out to look at the Lights?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the lights.¡± Gu Nianzhi yawned appropriately. ¡°Take care, young master he. I¡¯m going to bed.¡±

    He Zhichu looked back at her, turned around, opened the door, and left.

    Gu Nianzhi walked him to the elevator door and waved at him. ¡°Young master he, have you sent someone to arrest Wen Shouyi?¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s evidence, we can arrest her.¡± He zhichu nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll call you tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    At that moment, in Wen Shouyi¡¯s penthouse apartment, He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary knocked on the door and entered.

    Wen Shouyi saw that it was her former colleague and asked in surprise, ¡°Eh? Why are you here? What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Miss Wen, this is the arrest warrant signed by the judge. Pleasee with us.¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled lightly. ¡°Then may I ask why you are arresting me? I have never done anything illegal.¡±

    ¡°Whether or not I have done it, it¡¯s up to the court,¡± He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary said inly. ¡°We have conclusive evidence that Miss Wen was involved in a felony for stalking and secretly photographing a high-ranking military officer of our country.¡±

    ¡°Me? Why would I stalk your high-ranking military officer?¡± Wen Shouyi seemed to have heard a big joke, so she pointed at her own nose and asked, ¡°May I ask what kind of evidence do you have? I have real evidence to prove that I stayed in this apartment all day.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you didn¡¯t personally follow and secretly take photos. You sent someone to follow and secretly take photos.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary took out a printed photo. ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    When Wen Shouyi saw the photo, he knew that Xie Qingying had sold her out.

    She had helped her out of kindness, but she had not appreciated it.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi would teach her how to behave in the future..

    In a in manner, Wen Shouyi said, ¡°So it¡¯s this set of photos. I was just about to look for young master he. Can I show you something?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary ordered one of his subordinates to follow Wen Shouyi into the bedroom.

    Wen Shouyi then took out the package and put the two photos on the table back into the package.

    She returned to the living room and handed the package to He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary. ¡°Look, I received it today. I don¡¯t know who sent it, and there¡¯s no address on it.¡±

    ¡°I opened it and saw the photo inside. That¡¯s why I thought there was a problem. So I quickly sent it to Miss Xie Qingying, hoping that she could forward it to young master he and Miss Gu.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary smiled. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Miss Wen ispletely innocent?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded. ¡°I am innocent.¡±

    ¡°Since this photo was sent to you by someone else, why didn¡¯t you send it to young master he or Miss Gu, but directly to Miss Xie?¡±

    Wen Shouyi also shrugged, she said, ¡°Then I have to be able to send it to someone else. Young Master He and Miss Gu had already cklisted me long ago. I had no way of informing them in any way, so I sent it to Xie Qingying. She was young master he¡¯s girlfriend and was also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cousin. If I had to remind young master he and Miss Gu, Miss Xie would be the best choice.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary was rendered speechless by her words. Her instincts were terrible.

    This person had pushed the entire incident onto someone else, and she had no idea what was going on.

    However, the way she had gotten the photo had really been through the same city express delivery.

    The package only showed the address of the recipient, and the address of the sender had not been filled in at all.

    This also happened from time to time in the same city express delivery, where the management was not that strict.

    Wen Shouyi raised her hand. ¡°You have to help me speak properly. I have some misunderstandings with Young Master He and Nianzhi, which was a deliberate trap set up by some people. I can go with you, but I have to exin the truth to the judge.¡±

    ...

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1732 I Am Innocent.

    I will release the third update tomorrow.

    Please vote for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1733 - Theres a Way to Cure Her

    <h4>Chapter 1733: There¡¯s a Way to Cure Her</h4>

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary nced at her and said calmly, ¡°Please ask Miss Wen to tell the judge, especially to exin to the judge why this person sent these photos to Miss Wen.¡±

    With a smile, Wen Shouyi raised her hand to fix her hair and replied, ¡°Yes, I also want to know. But when others want to frame you, will they tell you the reason? I think asking such a question would lower his IQ.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary almost choked on Wen Shouyi¡¯s words.

    He turned around angrily and ignored her. He stood at the door with his own people and stared at Wen Shouyi with hostility.

    Turning her head, Wen Shouyi told her maid, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine. Call the legal team of the Qin Corporation and tell them that I¡¯ve been taken away. Tell them toe and see me.¡±

    As she spoke, Wen Shouyi asked the people guarding the door, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you won¡¯t allow my housekeeping staff to help me find awyer? This is my civil right. If you stop me, I¡¯ll sue you until you¡¯re discharged from the army and transferred to another career! Do you hear me?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary gritted her teeth.

    He snorted with a stern face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already ask your housekeeping staff to make a call? Or is it that Miss Wen is always the one who kills First and reportster?¡±

    ¡°How would I dare to do that? I¡¯m just worried that I¡¯ll offend the noble again, isn¡¯t it?¡± Wen Shouyi shook her head helplessly. ¡°When you don¡¯t like someone, everything that person does is wrong.¡±

    ¡°Why is everything wrong? I¡¯m already used to being misunderstood.¡±

    ¡°But no matter how big the misunderstanding is, it can¡¯t be used as evidence to frame me.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°I¡¯ll prove my innocence to the judge. Young master he is aw student, and young master he¡¯s mother, Lawyer Qin, is a pioneer in the country¡¯s legal field. I believe that thew will clear my name.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary could not utter a word. Her face was ashen as she escorted Wen Shouyi out of her high-ss apartment.

    ¡­

    After escorting Wen Shouyi to the detention center, He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary sent all the videos recorded in the recorder to him.

    He had just sat in the car when he received the video and opened it to watch.

    He scoffed when he saw Wen Shouyi push everything to the back of his mind. Even the photos she had sent to him had been framed.

    She really could y with thew.

    After that, he sent the videos to Gu Nianzhi with a message, ¡°Nianzhi, are you asleep?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had originally nned to sleep.

    He Zhichu¡¯s probing tonight had made her heart skip a beat. She didn¡¯t even dare to go to Lu Jin¡¯s apartment across the street.

    She had just gone to bed and was still trying to get some sleep when she heard her phone ring. Just then, another text message hade in.

    She took it over and saw that He Zhichu had sent her a video. She quickly opened it to receive it and replied to He Zhichu¡¯s text, ¡°Not yet. He Zhichu, are you home?¡±

    As He Zhichu shook his head, he replied, ¡°Not yet, it¡¯s at the entrance of your apartmentplex.¡±

    Immediately, Gu Nianzhi replied, ¡°It¡¯s toote, go back and rest early. I¡¯ll text you after I watch the video.¡±

    He Zhichu thought for a moment and started the car. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving, good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night.¡±

    After Gu Nianzhi replied, she slipped out of bed and turned on herptop. She connected it to Lu Jin¡¯s surveince system and turned it to the entrance of the apartmentplex. Sure enough, she saw that He Zhichu¡¯s car had already left.

    She let out a sigh of relief and turned off herptop. After returning to bed, she began to watch the video sent to her.

    After watching it, Gu Nianzhi was silent for a while.

    It turned out that it was his personal secretary who had gone to arrest Wen Shouyi.

    This personal secretary was really cautious. She had recorded the entire process of the arrest so that she wouldn¡¯t be backstabbed.

    However, Wen Shouyi wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with, for she had even mentioned something about framing.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless when she saw that the package had really been delivered to her by courier from the same city.

    She still couldn¡¯t get anything on her?

    This was too cautious¡­

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help sending He Zhichu a text message, ¡°Young Master He. Are You Home?¡±

    He Zhichu was driving when he heard the sound of a text message. He nced at his phone and saw that it was Gu Nianzhi. He quickly put on his bluetooth headset so that he could talk while driving.

    ¡°Not yet, we¡¯re almost there. What¡¯s wrong? Have you finished watching the video?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s cold and clear voice came from the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi also put on her bluetooth headset. She looked at her phone and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll talk to you when you get there, Young Master He. Don¡¯t call when you¡¯re driving. It¡¯s not safe.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He Zhichu then beamed and looked up to see that the he residence was already in front of them.

    He quickly drove the car in and parked it in the garage before dialing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number again. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then smilingly uttered, ¡°That¡¯s so soon. I can¡¯t believe it.¡±

    He Zhichu opened the video and showed her the he residence in front of them.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded lightly and went straight to the point. ¡°Young master he, what should we do? Isn¡¯t Wen Shouyi being too cautious?¡±

    He Zhichu walked to his suite on the second floor and said, ¡°If she wasn¡¯t so cautious, she would have gone to jail long ago. Why would she be so arrogant in front of us now?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you realize that she was such a person back then?¡±

    He Zhichu thought about it and said, ¡°I won¡¯t say anything without evidence. But she used to be a very serious and hardworking person, but now her serious efforts are all used in crooked ways.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gu Nianzhi thought back to the first time she had met Wen Shouyi and pursed her lips. ¡°Her attitude towards me has never changed. From the first time she saw me, she didn¡¯t like me and tried all sorts of tricks on me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi indeed did not have any concrete evidence. If she did, she would have dealt with her long ago.

    This was a type of intuition, especially a woman¡¯s intuition.

    He Zhichu sighed. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry. If you had told me earlier that you didn¡¯t like her, I would have chased her away long ago.¡±

    ¡°She was your right-hand woman. How could I dare?¡± Gu Nianzhi chuckled, ¡°Besides, I was only your student at the time, and you were so picky about me. I must have had a lot of guts to tell you that I didn¡¯t like your assistant, didn¡¯t I? Besides, don¡¯t you think I have no right to say such things?¡±

    As a student who was picky about his mentor¡¯s assistant, he was really tired of living.

    At the moment, He Zhichu closed his eyes and was speechless because he had almost gone crazy looking for Gu Nianzhi. He had desperately chased her to this world, and it had taken him another three years to find her.

    However, when he found her, he realized that she hadpletely forgotten about him.

    The heart-wrenching feeling made it impossible for him to face her with a normal state of mind.

    His attitude was temperamental, so he made Gu Nianzhi feel like she was above him and could not get close to him.

    It was all his fault. He had lost her and deserved to be punished.

    For a very long time, He Zhichu could not speak at all.

    Gu Nianzhi felt an awkward silence in the atmosphere between the two of them and quickly changed the topic. ¡°But no matter how much reason and evidence Wen Shouyi has, I still feel that this package is definitely not a frame-up.¡±

    After He Zhichu came back to his senses, he said lightly, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a frame-up. At this point, if it¡¯s still a ¡®frame-up¡¯, then the frequency of her encountering these ¡®frames-up¡¯ is too high. Logically speaking, it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°Young Master He also agrees with me?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she pulled herself together. ¡°But if we don¡¯t have any other evidence to refute her ims of ¡®frame-up¡¯, the court may not necessarily convict her.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily, but definitely not.¡± He Zhichu had a better understanding of this world than Gu Nianzhi.

    He exined to her gently and gently, ¡°She¡¯s now the executive director of the Qin Corporation¡¯s private group. She can mobilize more resources than before.¡±

    ¡°She has status, status, and the corresponding power and financial resources. If we want to convict her, we must have no loopholes for others to exploit.¡± When He Zhichu talked about legal matters, it was like Lu Jin talking about the experiments he had done, his attitude was very strict and serious.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded her head sincerely, ¡°Actually, whenwyers fight a case, what they can win is not absolute justice. It¡¯s just that the loopholes are smaller than the opponent¡¯s and the evidence is more abundant. If you face an opponent who is stronger than you, you can turn the case around in no time.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He Zhichuughed lightly. ¡°You¡¯ve never been awyer in the United States. If you¡¯ve really been awyer in the United States, you¡¯ll know why the percentage of rich people getting off scot-free is so high.¡±

    ¡°Because theirwyers are better than governmentwyers?¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some cases in the United States.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. In the United States, the bestwyers don¡¯t work for the government, they work forw firms. Therefore, if the prosecution makes a mistake and is caught by the opposingwyer, then the prosecution loses the case.¡±

    Just then, He Zhichu sighed. ¡°So to win the case, it¡¯s a battle of wits and courage with the other party. If your IQ and ability are not as good as the other party¡¯s, then you lose. This is justice in the eyes of thew.¡±

    Hearing this, Gu Nianzhi got worried. ¡°What about Wen Shouyi this time? Will she take advantage of the loophole again?¡±

    ¡°That depends on how much evidence we can gather.¡± He Zhichu responded slowly, ¡°The person who took the photo hasmitted suicide, so the most important clue is no longer present.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Gu Nianzhi was a little impatient. ¡°Are we really not going to get anything on her?!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a way.¡± He Zhichu entered his room, closed the door, and said softly, ¡°build the path in the open, and sneak in the dark.¡±

    ¡­

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1733 There¡¯s a way to cure her.

    The third watch of the day continues, and the monthly ticket for May is added.

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for me.

    Today is Monday, the vote is particrly important.

    The second update will be released this afternoon, while the third will be released in the evening.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1734 - My Cruel Blade

    <h4>Chapter 1734: My Cruel de</h4>

    ¡°Attack her in secret?¡± Gu Nianzhi repeated and asked doubtfully, ¡°Is this the only way to deal with her?¡±

    Where was the nk road, and what attack was that?

    ¡°ording to historical records, Han Xin, the admiral of Liu Bang, confused Xiang Yu by repairing the nk road for 500 miles. In addition, he and Liu Bang led arge group of people around the vast water and entered Chen Cang. Using this as a basis, they achieved the final victory.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and sat down in front of theputer, ¡°Of course, Wen Shouyi is more cunning than Xiang Yu, so can you confuse her and surprise her in unexpected ces without being sensed by her? We must win this time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood. She clenched her fists and said excitedly, ¡°I get it! It¡¯s just that I have to be more cautious, smarter, more meticulous, and more perfect than her! That¡¯s how I can make her have no chance! There¡¯s no way she could escape this time.¡±

    He Zhichu curled his lips and turned on hisputer. ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say, but it¡¯s not easy to do. I think you should take it one step at a time. I¡¯ll keep an eye on Wen Shouyi for you first. I¡¯ll call you when you¡¯ve settled Qin Yaoguang¡¯swsuit.¡±

    Without hesitation, Gu Nianzhi nodded. She was so excited that she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. ¡°That¡¯s great, professor he! My big knife is so thirsty!¡±

    He Zhichu remained silent.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth andughed like a sly little fox. ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re actually quite suitable to be a professor¡­¡±

    He Zhichu entered his own permissions into the encryption system and said, ¡°Then make your preparations. Tomorrow is the 16th day of the first lunar month¡­ Oh no! It¡¯s already past midnight. Today is the 16th day of the first lunar month.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yawned and whispered, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to bed first. I should be able to receive Qin Yaoguang¡¯s trial schedule from the court tomorrow. I have to make my preparations.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go to sleep now.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s voice had always been cold and aloof, like he was above everyone else. However, when he spoke to Gu Nianzhi today, he was more gentle and gentle every time, like he was coaxing a child.

    In fact, Gu Nianzhi was a sucker in this matter.

    She was in a good mood and pulled the nket aside to lie down. ¡°Good night, Young Master He.¡±

    He Zhichu could tell that Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood, and his mood miraculously improved.

    He was in high spirits and worked until dawn. He suddenly realized why he was so energetic and couldn¡¯t help frowning.

    He could not do this anymore.

    He Zhichu rubbed his temples and got up to go to the bathroom to wash up.

    At that moment, his phone rang again.

    It was only seven in the morning. Who would call so early?

    He Zhichu took the phone and nced at it. When he saw that it was Xie Qingying, he was silent for a moment before he answered the call.

    ¡°Morning, Qingying.¡± He Zhichu greeted her with a faint smile.

    Xie Qingying originally had a stomach full of grievances and anger. However, when she heard his simple greeting, she suddenly realized that all the grievances and unwillingness in her family were like snowmen under the sun, melting bit by bit.

    Xie qingying could not help but smile and say, ¡°Good Morning. I didn¡¯t disturb you, did I?¡±

    He Zhichu leaned against the windowsill and lit a cigarette for himself, he said leisurely, ¡°No, I just finished my work. Qingying, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. During the New Year, you¡¯ve apanied me to meet so many guests. Is there a need to be so distant?¡±

    In response, Xie Qingying blushed slightly, but her heart was very calm.

    She said in a low voice, ¡°I know that we¡¯ve spent most of the year together. I¡¯m very happy, but I¡¯m also very scared¡­ Young Master He, do you understand what I mean?¡±

    He Zhichu sighed. ¡°I understand. Qingying, you¡¯re a generous and kind woman. You don¡¯t have to be as petty as others. You don¡¯t have to hide what you¡¯re thinking in your heart and pretend to be someone else.¡±

    When Xie Qingying heard He Zhichu¡¯s words, she seemed to have a hidden meaning. However, she couldn¡¯t figure out who he was talking about, so she was even more embarrassed to ask him. She could only utter softly, ¡°I heard that you sent people to arrest Wen Shouyi?¡±

    Upon hearing that, He zhichu said lightly, ¡°To be precise, the court issued the arrest warrant. We¡¯re just assisting the Court.¡±

    Xie Qingying then said with a sigh, ¡°Young master he, do you know why Wen Shouyi did this?¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t want to know.¡±

    He didn¡¯t care about her motive for doing this. He only cared about how to bring her to justice.

    ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re really loyal¡­¡± Xie qingying responded with a half-smile. ¡°Actually, don¡¯t you know that Wen Shouyi has feelings for you?¡±

    He Zhichu was speechless.

    ¡°She has feelings for me?¡± He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°How did you know? Did she tell you herself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not really her own words, but when I said it, she didn¡¯t object.¡±Xie Qingying hooked her phone with her hand and sat on her bed, she asked uneasily, ¡°Young master he, I know that after Nianzhi left, Wen Shouyi took Nianzhi¡¯s ce and stayed by your side. If you¡¯re telling the truth, do you really not have feelings for Wen Shouyi?¡±

    Xie Qingying knew that she should have pretended not to know about this, but she chose not to remin He Zhichu that there was a woman who had a crush on him.

    The result was that it was a thankless task.

    However, she was like a possessed woman. She especially wanted to know if He Zhichu hadpassion for the women who had a crush on him. She also wanted to prove whether He Zhichu¡¯s feelings for her were friendship, family, or true love.

    Therefore, she chose toy everything out in front of He Zhichu. She wanted to observe how he made his choice and determine how sincere his feelings for her were.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Qingying, did I give you an illusion, or did Wen Shouyi give you an illusion? Why do you think I have feelings for Wen Shouyi?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Xie Qingying was surprised and delighted. ¡°Young master he, as long as you say it, I will always believe you.¡±

    ¡°It never happened in the first ce.¡± He Zhichu¡¯s head hurt. ¡°Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t rece Nianzhi when she was in my house for a few years. Nianzhi¡¯s position is irreceable. If someone says that again in the future, you can use this sentence to return the favor.¡±

    As Xie Qingying heard him, the smile on her face faded.

    Was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position irreceable?

    Her heart ached again. ¡°Young Master He, Nianzhi has always been the number one in your heart, right?¡±

    He Zhichu was bewildered.

    It was only then that he understood what Xie Qingying meant. The person she cared about was actually Gu Nianzhi, right?

    He Zhichu¡¯s head hurt even more.

    He and Gu Nianzhi had never started at all, and Gu Nianzhi had no romantic feelings for him. Xie Qingying¡¯s question was even more outrageous than the one about Wen Shouyi.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°Qingying, I was just saying that I admire your magnanimous and kind character, but why are you beating around the Bush?¡±

    At the moment, Xie Qingying was at a loss for words.

    Because she cared too much about him, she had nned every step carefully.

    Because she wanted him to fall in love with her too much, she kept testing his bottom line.

    She didn¡¯t want to lose him, but she wanted him to fall in love with her more.

    If she did not have love, she thought, she would still give up on this rtionship.

    She had her own pride. She would not be a backup in someone else¡¯s rtionship, even if that person was her idol.

    ¡°Young master he, it¡¯s my fault. I was too worried about gains and losses,¡± Xie Qingying said with difficulty. ¡°But I¡¯m a woman, and I love you. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so uncertain. In a rtionship, who is 100% sure of the other person¡¯s feelings?¡±

    Finally, He Zhichu understood. He rubbed his forehead and said inly, ¡°Although Nianzhi is young, she has never cared about these things and has never tested me.¡±

    Xie Qingying could not take it anymore. She shouted at her phone, ¡°That¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t love you!¡±

    She was flustered and hung up immediately. She turned off her phone and threw it into the bottom drawer of the bedside table to hide.

    She covered her face with the nket and thought to herself, ¡°I¡¯m really done for. I can¡¯t believe I said this in front of He Zhichu¡­¡±

    He Zhichu, however, seemed to have been enlightened. He understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude in front of him.

    Was that ack of love?

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and held the mouse tightly in his hand. Finally, with a bang, he crushed the mouse.

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi was so excitedst night that she was sleepy and woke upte in the morning.

    Lu Jin checked the security cameras several times to make sure that no one else hade to their floor. He ran to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment and knocked twice. He greeted her, then entered the password and opened the door.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Why aren¡¯t You up yet?¡± Lu Jin knocked on her bedroom door. ¡°There¡¯s a letter from the court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to move, but when she heard that it was a letter from the court, she immediately pushed the nket away and got out of bed. She pulled the door open. ¡°Where¡¯s the letter from the Court?¡±

    As Lu Jin handed the letter to her, she casually said, ¡°The DNA sequence tests for Wen Dayou and Liang Meili have all beenpleted. When are you going to myb? I¡¯ll show you something interesting.¡±

    ¡­

    This is the second update of today: Chapter 1734 The Cruel de.

    I will release the third update at 8 today.

    Please wait for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1735 - Good News

    <h4>Chapter 1735: Good News</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She then took the letter with one hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m so lucky toda . There¡¯s so much good news early in the morning!¡±

    She opened the letter from the court and saw that it was indeed the day of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s retrial.

    It was scheduled for next Monday.

    There were only a few days until the retrial.

    Just then, Gu Nianzhi put the court notice back into her file and turned to Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going to wash up. Would you like to sit down for a while?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll bring you breakfast.¡± Lu Jin smiled. ¡°Boss Lu will be at work soon, so we have to hurry him to make breakfast..¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re always like this. Aren¡¯t you afraid that Boss Lu will be angry? Wherever there¡¯s oppression, there¡¯s Resistance!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Lu Jin snorted. ¡°It¡¯s just cooking. Nianzhi, you¡¯re thinking too much. Go wash up, go wash up!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi went into the bathroom in a good mood.

    After washing up and changing her clothes, Gu Nianzhi went to the dining room and saw that breakfast was already on the table.

    There was a small and cute soup dumpling, a bowl of yellowish millet porridge, a te of purple sweet potato dumplings, and a bottle of warm milk.

    Gu Nianzhi was so excited that she sat down and ate everything like a whirlwind.

    Lu Jin, who sat opposite her, smiled with narrowed eyes. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten properly in the past few days, have you? Remember not to be so busy in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same?¡±

    There was no difference between day and night when it came to experiments. Even eating was enough to fill one¡¯s stomach.

    She did not urge Lu Yuan to cook anymore. She wanted nothing more than to eat a piece of bread to wrap her stomach.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s the same for you. I haven¡¯t eaten properly these past few days, and you haven¡¯t eaten properly either...¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and made a face at Lu Jin.

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi went to Lu Jin¡¯sb in the opposite apartment.

    Therge screen on the wall of theb disyed the results of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s DNA sequencing test.

    Lu Jin pointed to her with aser pointer. ¡°Nianzhi, look. Over here are Liang Meili¡¯s DNA sequencing results, and over here are Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA sequencing results.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA sequencing results had been tested a few days ago, so Wen Dayou had plenty of them.

    Gu Nianzhi rested her chin on her hand as she looked at the long and short ck curves. Her eyes were almost popping out of their sockets.

    Lu Jin continued to talk about his expertise in DNA testing, after which he said, ¡°The DNA test showed that Liang Meili is not Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bewildered.

    ¡°Liang Meili is not Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother?! I thought Liang Meili was the daughter of the Qin family who had been separated in the early years... Hahahaha! I was really thinking too much...¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing, ¡°That¡¯s simple then. Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother must be a woman of the Qin family, right?¡±

    Lu Jinughed along, ¡°Under normal circumstances, when Wen Shouyi¡¯s maternal genes are more than 90% rted to the Qin family, most people would first think from Liang Meili¡¯s side and conclude that Liang Meili is rted to the Qin family. However, the DNA test found that this doesn¡¯t apply to Wen Shouyi¡¯s situation.¡±

    ¡°Then there must be someone else who is Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she said, a series of voices asked, ¡°Who is it? Can you identify it? Does Wen Shouyi know that her mother is not her biological mother? And what about her father? Shouldn¡¯t we go ask her father who her biological mother is?¡±

    At the moment, Lu Jin¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s interesting.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, tell me about it!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait any longer. She sat up straight and looked at Lu Jin with the same curiosity as a primary school student.

    Lu Jin tapped on theser pen that was connected to theputer, and another set of DNAparisons appeared on the big screen on the wall.

    ¡°This is the result of Wen Dayou¡¯s DNA sequence test. This is still the result of Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA sequence test.¡±Lu Jin circled theser pen in two ces. ¡°The DNA test shows that Wen Dayou is Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Seeing Lu Jin¡¯s smug expression, Gu Nianzhi was confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal? What¡¯s so interesting about this? Isn¡¯t Wen Dayou Wen Shouyi¡¯s father?¡±

    Laughing hysterically, Lu Jin said loudly, ¡°This is abnormal!¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi, he said word by word, ¡°Wen Dayou and Liang Meili are infertile. Back then, they couldn¡¯t have children, so they went to the Qin orphanage and adopted a newborn baby girl, Wen Shouyi.¡±

    What?! This news was too shocking!

    Gu Nianzhi almost jumped out of her seat, ¡°What? ! Wen Shouyi was adopted from an orphanage?! I couldn¡¯t tell at all! I mean, Liang Meili was so good to her! Even her own daughter couldn¡¯tpare to her! She even took the me and went to prison for her. How could she let Liang Meili down?!¡±

    Lu Jin was also filled with emotion, he said, ¡°Back then, I was the one who diagnosed them and personally tested their fertility. Wen Dayou¡¯s sperm was not energetic enough to allow a woman to conceive naturally. Liang Meili¡¯s egg cells were born with defects and could not form a fertilized egg at all. Even a test-tube baby could not be made, so I suggested that they adopt a child to raise.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment and quickly said, ¡°Dad, you even gave Wen Dayou and Liang Meili a test diagnosis? Why was that so?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Lu Jin coughed ufortably, ¡°Mrs. He personally asked me to do it, so I just did the test.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. He?¡± Gu nianzhi asked in confusion, ¡°Which Mrs. He?¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu¡¯s mother...¡± Lu Jin knocked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head with his hand. ¡°Who else is fit to call her Mrs. He?¡±

    ¡°Dad! I didn¡¯t remember...¡± Gu Nianzhi hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm and acted coquettishly. ¡°Young Master He¡¯s mother is so nice...¡±

    ¡°She is. Wen Dayou and Liang Meili had been married for many years and had no children. Wen Dayou often beat and scolded Liang Meili. Mrs. He couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and asked me to help them see what was going on.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And then, the test showed that it was not a matter of one person, but of two people.¡± Lu Jin shrugged.

    Gu Nianzhi understood the matter now.

    Actually, there was no need for Lu Jin to personally deal with such matters, but He Zhichu¡¯s mother, Qin Suwen, had helped her gardener find a doctor to treat infertility and had found Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly and said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve been a infertility doctor before?¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological gicsb has arge business in treating infertility, and has also applied for a lot of funding from the state. I was coborating with Qin Yaoguang on the research of biological genes, so I would also do some tests for this difficult andplicated disease.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°But didn¡¯t you say that Wen Dayou¡¯s sperm was not vigorous enough to allow a woman to conceive naturally? Where did Wen Shouyie from?¡±

    She had originally thought that Wen Dayou had secretly given birth to a child with another woman, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt that something was not right. Lu Jin had just said that Wen Dayou¡¯s sperm was not vigorous enough to allow a woman to conceive naturally.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a woman¡¯s child...¡±Lu Jin¡¯s smile was much more restrained. ¡°I need to check the information on Wen Shouyi¡¯s adoption at the Qin orphanage to see what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Back then, he had not paid any attention to this small family of gardeners. He had conveniently helped Qin Suwen and after testing the reason for Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s infertility, he had left it alone.

    Qin Suwen had told him that they had gone to the orphanage to adopt a baby girl.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°But the headquarters of the Qin orphanage is in the south. Isn¡¯t it toote to investigate?¡±

    ¡°Have Boss Lu send someone to investigate. He has some capable people under him who are best at doing sneaky things.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained silent.

    ¡°Can you get some information before the trial starts next Monday? The most important thing is to not alert the enemy.¡± Gu Nianzhi paced around Lu Jin¡¯sb, trying to figure out what was going on.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Boss Lu.¡± Lu Jin quickly sent a text to Lu Yuan.

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and turned to look at the DNA test results on the big screen. Suddenly, she asked, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve tested the full sequence of their DNA. Can you prove that they have Chinese genes or Japanese genes?¡±

    She remembered that in the other world, all the human genes had been sequenced. Every race, even the main race of every country, had been tested.

    While nodding, Lu Jin said casually, ¡°Yes, they haveplete Chinese genes. They don¡¯t have any gene fragments unique to the Japanese.¡±

    ¡°Including Wen Shouyi?¡±

    ¡°Including Wen Shouyi,¡± answered Lu Jin firmly.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, thinking that Wen Shouyi was actually a Chinese through and through..

    ...

    This is the third update of the day: Chapter 1735 Good News.

    The third update will be released soon.

    Please vote for me. Your support is very important for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1736 - Gain From Loss

    <h4>Chapter 1736: Gain From Loss</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi slowed down and leaned her back against the wall of theboratory, muttering to herself.

    Ever since she had met Huo Shaoheng, he had told her about the other world. After she had disappeared, Huo Shaoheng had found something that he had never thought possible.

    For example, he had found Little Nianzhi¡¯s body, he had found He Zhichu¡¯s and He Chengjian¡¯s graves and bones. He had thought he had solved a mystery, but he had not expected there to be a bigger one waiting for him.

    Huo Shaoheng had once said, half joking and half rejoicing, that if it hadn¡¯t been for He Chengjian warning him not to go to the other world, he wouldn¡¯t have beenpletely sure that Gu Nianzhi was here.

    It wasn¡¯t until He Chengjian had used the video to shock them that Huo Shaoheng was certain that Gu Nianzhi hade from the other world.

    Gu Nianzhi was touched, but she also remembered how Gu Yanran had taken her ce after little Gu Nianzhi¡¯s death, which was very simr to Wen Shouyi¡¯s situation..

    She had never seen Wen Shouyi¡¯s counterpart in the other world, and she had never seen Gu Yanran¡¯s counterpart in this world either, so she subconsciously wondered if there was some unknown correspondence between the two.

    Gu Yanran was a Japanese disguised as a huaxia person, but what about Wen Shouyi?

    Could it be the same?

    Therefore, she specifically asked this question, hoping to prove her guess from Lu Jin.

    The result was actually different from what she had expected.

    In that case, Wen Shouyi could not bepared to Gu Yanran.

    Wen Shouyi was not so lucky that Gu Yanran could kill Little Nianzhi and rece her identity and status

    Right then, Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh and said to Lu Jin, ¡°Wen Shouyi is very proud. She has always been unwilling to be the gardener¡¯s daughter, so she tried her best to climb up thedder. Does she know that she was adopted?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that.¡± Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°Even He Zhichu and He Chengjian don¡¯t know about this.¡±

    He smiled slyly, as if this was a secret between him and Qin Suwen.

    ¡°How could she not know?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked in disbelief. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you examined them specifically and confirmed that they were infertile? Didn¡¯t their neighbors, colleagues, and friends know about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Lu Jin red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I only told you because you¡¯re my daughter. Why would I tell others about this? This is the patient¡¯s privacy! Do you hear that!¡±

    ¡°But Mrs. He knows¡­¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at Lu Jin.

    ¡°Mrs. He is the one who took the initiative to help them. What does it matter if she knows?¡± Lu Jin waved his hand dismissively. ¡°She¡¯s better at keeping secrets than I am. Look, she didn¡¯t even tell her son or husband.¡±

    ¡°Is infertility embarrassing?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°But after Liang Meili found out about her condition, she was so desperate that she almost jumped off a building tomit suicide.¡±

    ¡°Later, Mrs. He gave them a year off and told them to go treat their illness. A yearter, they came back with a newborn baby girl in their arms. They said that they had found a good doctor, and that they were finally cured and had a baby.¡± Lu Jinughed while winking at her. ¡°No one suspected it at the time because that baby girl really looked like Wen Dayou.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled a facial recognition system she had done before. She had used that system topare the looks of Wen Shouyi and Luo Piaopiao, and had concluded that there was an 87% chance that they were rtives.

    Furthermore, from the looks of it, Wen Dayou was tall and strong. His forehead was narrow, his nose was t, his nostrils were wide and his nostrils were big.

    Liang Meili¡¯s nose was straight and straight, and her nostrils were very small.

    Their daughter, Wen Shouyi, also had a t nose. Her nose was slightly wider, and her nose was slightly upturned, but her overall shape was still very small.

    So all in all, she indeed looked more like Wen Dayou.

    Moreover, through theparison of the bridge of the nose, at that time, she felt that Wen Shouyi did not seem to be the biological daughter of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    However, at that time, she still did not know that Wen Shouyi was adopted.

    ¡°So this secret is only known to you, Mrs. He, Wen Dayou, Liang Meili, and¡­¡± Gu Nianzhi paused. ¡°The Qin orphanage knows.¡±

    ¡°Yes. and Qin Yaoguang knows as well.¡± Lu Jin replied lightly, ¡°Because Wen Dayou and Liang Meili came to her clinic to be diagnosed. Although I was the one who made the diagnosis, Qin Yaoguang and I wereb partners at the time. Our medical records were interchangeable.¡±

    In response, Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°No wonder¡­ Although I hate Qin yaoguang, I still have to give her two thumbs up for this. She actually didn¡¯t mention that Wen Shouyi was adopted.¡±

    Because Qin Yaoguang had always maintained the image of a straightforward female scientist, the probability of her spouting nonsense was very high.

    However, she had kept her mouth shut all these years. She had interacted with Wen Shouyi so many times, but she had not revealed a single word.

    This was really something that Qin Yaoguang could not say.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue in praise and said, ¡°It shows that she really dotes on Wen Shouyi.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ncing at her, he asked tentatively, ¡°Nianzhi, you actually want a mother who loves you very much, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I Want One?¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°But I won¡¯t force it. I have the best father in the world, so it¡¯s okay if I¡¯mcking in mother-daughter rtionships. I¡¯ll only gain something if I lose something!¡±

    The Optimist thought about what he had obtained, so even if he saw a dark cloud, he would pay attention to the golden border on the cloud.

    The pessimist thought about what he had lost, so even if he saw a flower in full bloom, he would think about how the flowers were always good and the Moon was always round.

    Gu Nianzhi was a very optimistic girl.

    Lu Jin stroked her head, and there was a hint of pity in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad. I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡±

    ¡°Make it up to what? Can you make it up to a Mommy?¡± Gu nianzhi tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve with a cheeky smile. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re still young. Can you find me another Mommy?¡±

    ¡°Find another one? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being abused by your stepmother?¡± Lu Jin teased Gu Nianzhi and pulled her to sit on the postmodern ergonomic chair in theb.

    ¡°Which stepmother can abuse me? Can they be more ruthless than Qin Yaoguang?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at her own nose and teased, ¡°Those who escape from the hands of a snake like Qin yaoguang have nothing to fear!¡±

    Lu Jin stared nkly at the dainty and agile Gu Nianzhi. He felt sorrowful and gratified at the fact that Gu Nianzhi had turned a painful experience into a few jokes.

    He had done many wrong things in his life, but he did not regret giving birth to Gu Nianzhi or sending her away.

    Lu Jin felt a lump in his throat. He quickly lowered his head and turned on the massage switch on the chair for her, he nagged to change the topic, ¡°It¡¯s not good for your spine to always sit in front of theputer with your head lowered. Next time, move this chair to your apartment. I made it specially for you. Ites with a massage function to lose weight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi intended to say that she was still young and didn¡¯t need a massage chair, but when she heard that it also had a massage function to lose weight she immediatelyid downfortably and enjoyed the service of the ergonomic chair.

    ¡°Dad, are you really not going to consider finding another one?¡± Gu Nianzhi was actually very curious as to why Lu Jin had given birth to her with Qin yaoguang, but she was also worried that it would be a sad matter for Lu Jin, so no matter how curious she was, she wouldn¡¯t dig any deeper.

    ¡°I¡¯m already going to carry my grandson, what are you looking for?¡± Lu Jin red at Gu Nianzhi and pretended to be angry as he reprimanded her.

    Gu Nianzhi was not afraid at all, and even blushed a little.

    She held her face in her hands. Thinking about her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s baby, her heart was almost drunk.

    ¡­

    In the next few days, Gu Nianzhi immersed herself in preparing for court nervously.

    As expected, Lu Yuan agreed to help Gu Nianzhi investigate the Qin orphanage in the south. He took it very seriously and decided to personally take a few of his best men to South Z city.

    Before he left, he invited Huo Shaoheng over to have dinner with Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin, during which he said to Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I Won¡¯t be back for a while. I¡¯m worried about the two of you staying here, so I specifically asked Mr. Peter to apany you for a while.¡±

    ¡°You already know Mr. Peter¡¯s identity. He admitted to us himself that he used to be a member of the Soviet. The Committee of State Security can only go to the south with peace of mind with him around.¡±

    Lu Jin was unhappy and said with a sullen face, ¡°I can protect Nianzhi. I have all kinds of weapons. If necessary, I can also create a selective biochemical virus weapon that only targets the enemy.¡±

    With a frown, Lu Yuan replied, ¡°What¡¯s the use of making weapons? Do you know how to Cook?¡±

    Lu Jin was in trouble again.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter. She was ted and said seriously, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Peter. But you don¡¯t have to protect me. Just cook three meals a day for us.¡±

    ¡°Four meals and a midnight snack.¡± Lu Jin looked at Huo Shaoheng with embarrassment.

    ¡­

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1736 Gain From Loss.

    I will release the second update at 1 and the third at 8 today.

    Please vote for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1737 - Taught by a Master

    <h4>Chapter 1737: Taught by a Master</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng nodded lightly. ¡°My culinary skills are not good, but I can still eat. However, if you are not used to my cooking, I can order for you.¡±

    Lu Jin was not angry when he heard this. Instead, he happily said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Boss Lu, look, the person you found for us doesn¡¯t know how to cook either!¡±

    ¡°Although Mr. Peter learned it at thest minute, what right do you have to criticize a person like you who has been learning for so many years and can only cook rice and porridge with measuring cups?¡± Lu Yuan stood up with a sneer, ¡°Besides, Mr. Peter is mainly responsible for your personal safety. Cooking is just a side effect.¡±

    ¡°Ha, why are you throwing a tantrum?¡± Lu Jin shrunk his neck and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Anyway, if you have money, why are you afraid of not having food?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡± Lu Yuan did not intend to talk to Lu Jin anymore..

    Lu Jin did not know how to speak to begin with. Now that he had his women, he had nothing to worry about, which was why his words became more and more unpleasant.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°President Lu, you must be careful when you go to the south personally... I¡¯ve checked the history of the Qin orphanage. It¡¯s almost a hundred years old. It¡¯s deeply rooted in the south and has been standing for so many years, so it must have a foundation.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯splexion was slightly better. He smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s for sure, so I want to go personally. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be at ease.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi was worried and smiled. ¡°President Lu is very capable. No matter how capable the Qin orphanage is, it¡¯s still just a charity. How can it be as powerful as the mercenaries?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi became even more worried when she heard that. She said worriedly, ¡°It¡¯s over. What if they have mercenaries? No, they definitely have mercenaries! President Lu, why don¡¯t you stop going? I¡¯ll go look for Young Master He...¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t I Go?¡± Huo Shaoheng stood up quietly. He didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to go look for He Zhichu again.

    He Zhichu and He Chengjian might have a high position and power, but they had to follow the rules here. Every move they made was under the watchful eyes of countless people.

    The Qin orphanage had been established for too long. It had always been a well-known brand in the south.

    In the past twenty years, Qin Yaoguang and the Qin group of private hospitals had risen to fame throughout the country.

    If they were not careful when dealing with an organization that relied on its reputation, they would be caught in the crossfire and immediately be denounced by the Chinese on the Inte.

    Therefore, they were not as good as Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan. They could show off in private and cause trouble.

    Lu Yuan patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder and asked him to sit down. He said with a half-smile, ¡°Lian Po is old and can still eat.¡±

    What he meant was that he was not old and could still fight in the martial arts world.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi both understood what he meant.

    Lu Jin did not know whether he understood or not. He rolled his eyes. ¡°You only know how to eat, and you don¡¯t want to admit that you¡¯re old.¡±

    ¡°Lu Jin is not old at all. Young girls nowadays only desire a man like Lu Jin. He¡¯s a man of Uncle Quality, and he¡¯s worth it.¡± Gu Nianzhi kept trying to smooth things over for Lu Jin, and she was also mentally tired.

    Lu Yuan pointed at Lu Jin and said, ¡°For Nianzhi¡¯s sake, I won¡¯t argue with you. Keep an eye on Nianzhi. She¡¯s in danger, don¡¯t give her a chance to act alone.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my daughter, do I need you to tell me that?¡± Lu Jin was bragging, but he did not dare to look at Lu Yuan.

    He realized that Lu Yuan seemed to have noticed his actions and had been monitoring him.

    In the face of Lu Yuan¡¯s all-pervasive surveince methods, even Lu Jin¡¯s high had to keep himself in control.

    For example, he had once ced a small breathing detector in Lu Yuan¡¯s bedroom. It could detect whether Lu Yuan was really sleeping, or whether he was faking it, or if he was not in the bedroom at all.

    In the end, he was soon discovered by Lu Yuan and even took out the small sr panel from his breathing detector. How outrageous!

    Lu Yuan stared at him meaningfully. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Now that she has returned to your side, if you still can¡¯t take good care of her, you can just find a piece of tofu and kill yourself.¡±

    At the moment, his serious mind had been triggered, so he said seriously, ¡°Tofu can¡¯t kill people. Its hardness ispletely iparable to the skull. Boss Lu, you¡¯re actually saying this because you don¡¯t want me to die, right?¡±? ¡°Boss Lu still has me in his heart. Although your words are unpleasant, I appreciate your kindness.¡±

    Lu Yuan remained silent.

    Turned his gaze to Gu Nianzhi, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you a message back. Remember to receive it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, President Lu!¡± Gu Nianzhi was moved as she walked Lu Yuan to the elevator door.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s mood returned and he smiled at her. ¡°Go back and look after your father. I want to see what he¡¯s nning to do next...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of the strange things Lu Jin had said recently. Her heart sank and she quickly asked, ¡°Director Lu, you mean... ?¡±

    ¡°I mean it literally. Your father is a genius. A Genius¡¯s brain is different from ours.¡± Lu Yuan sighed. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re also a genius. You should be able to understand your father¡¯s thoughts.¡±

    With a bitter smile, Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°President Lu, my so-called genius,pared to my father, is like a fireflypeting with the Sun. They¡¯re not even on the same level.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re the most important thing in his heart, so as long as you pay more attention to him, he won¡¯t be willing to leave you.¡± After Lu Yuan finished speaking, the elevator door slowly closed in front of him.

    ...

    After Lu Yuan left, Huo Shaoheng stayed in Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi already knew that Lu Yuan was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uncle, Huo Guanyuan, so she didn¡¯t think it was inappropriate.

    It was just that Lu Jin still didn¡¯t like Huo Shaoheng staying in Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment. Sometimes, he would criticize Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was rtively busy himself. During the day, he was away from the apartment half the time, but he was definitely there at night. He had been there since the sun set.

    Gu Nianzhi had no time to ¡°mediate¡± the ¡°conflict¡± between Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin. She was fully focused on preparing for the trial on Monday.

    On Sunday night, she went to bed early.

    Huo Shaoheng came to her apartment and sat on the sofa in the living room, flipping through a few military and technology magazines.

    Lu Jin walked in with hisputer and sat on the sofa opposite Huo Shaoheng.

    n a polite manner, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Uncle Lu, I¡¯m here. You can go back and rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guarding against you!¡± Lu Jin blurted out.

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless.

    Lu Jin looked at him confidently. ¡°This is my daughter¡¯s apartment. What does it look like for a man and a woman to be in the same room together? I¡¯m here, so people won¡¯t gossip about me!¡±

    He spoke as if he cared about other people¡¯s ¡°Gossip.¡±.

    However, Huo Shaoheng knew that Lu Jin did not care about what other people said at all. Perhaps it was not that he did not care, but that he could not hear them at all. This was because he focused on his own scientific research so much that he had always ignored other people¡¯s gossip.

    But today, he used ¡°gossip¡± as an excuse. He was very helpless.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled up. He lowered his head and continued to read the military and science magazines here. He had learned a lot of good things.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi had a good night¡¯s sleep. She had no idea that in her living room, the two most important men in her life had ¡°confronted¡± each other all night for the ¡°ownership¡± of the sofa in her living room.

    After washing up, she went to the living room, which was when she saw that Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin were both there. Huo Shaoheng was still fine. He was in high spirits, no different from a good night¡¯s sleep.

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, was much more dispirited. His dark circles were frighteningly heavy, and his eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious that he hadn¡¯t sleptst night.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Dad, go and sleep. I have to go to court today, so I can¡¯t apany you.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. Even if I have to sleep, I have to go to court to sleep.¡± Lu Jin insisted, ¡°I promise I won¡¯t snore.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi uttered nothing in return.

    Huo Shaoheng said to her without batting an eyelid, ¡°Let¡¯s go together. I¡¯ll take care of Uncle Lu. If uncle Lu falls asleep, i promise he won¡¯t Snore in court.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly and she said, ¡°Okay then, you two take care of each other.¡±

    Nevertheless, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slight nervousness disappeared just like that.

    It wasn¡¯t until she stepped into Court No. 1 and saw He Zhichu and He Chengjian sitting inside that she became nervous again.

    ¡°Hello, young master he and general He.¡± Gu Nianzhi greeted them.

    ¡°Yes, Nianzhi, it¡¯s all up to you today.¡± He Chengjian nodded in satisfaction and turned to the people behind him. ¡°Qingying, will your media release today¡¯s court proceedings?¡±

    ¡°ording to thew, we can broadcast it live, but not video or audio.¡±Xie Qingying walked out from behind He Chengjian and He Zhichu.

    She was tall and voluptuous, but she didn¡¯t look too tall standing next to He Zhichu.

    ¡°Cousin Nianzhi, you can do it!¡± Xie qingying reached out her hand.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her hand. ¡°Cousin Xie, I will.¡±

    The two of them separated and walked to their respective seats.

    Xie Qingying sat with He Zhichu and He Chengjian, and in the middle of them.

    Huo Shaoheng led Lu Jin into the courtroom with arge group of people. They found a corner and sat down.

    There were a lot of people here today. They were the members of the Qin private group¡¯s legal team, the top management, the shareholders of the board of directors, the rtives and friends of the Qin family.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes darted over and saw Wen Shouyi at the witness stand!

    Without hesitation, she flipped through the file she had just received and realized that Qin Yaoguang¡¯swyer had summoned Wen Shouyi as a character witness for Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and immediately adjusted her defense n.

    She said to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, I also want to summon two people to appear in court.¡±

    The Qin Corporation¡¯swyer immediately objected, ¡°The other party can not simply add people.¡±

    ¡°Then how can you add Miss Wen as a witness?¡± Gu Nianzhi was not so easily fooled.

    ¡°We applied an hour and a half before the court session.¡± The other party was obviously trying to take advantage of the legal loophole to avoid the issue.

    Because ording to thew here, to call a new witness, one had to apply at least an hour before the court session to give the other party some leeway.

    It was apparent that Wen Shouyi had been taught by the same master.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately looked at her watch and replied, ¡°There¡¯s still one hour, three minutes, and fifteen seconds before the trial starts. I¡¯ve officially applied to the court to call Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, the two suspects.¡±

    ...

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1737 Taught by a Master.

    The third update will be released at 8 today.

    Please vote for me.

    Love you!

 Chapter 1738 - Routine

    <h4>Chapter 1738: Routine</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Thewyers of Qin¡¯s private hospital group were obviously stunned for a moment and looked at their watches at the same time.

    Indeed, there were still three minutes until the limit of one hour.

    Instantly, their expressions became somewhat unsightly.

    Who would feel good if their n was foiled by someone else?

    The leadwyer, who was standing at the front, said unhappily, ¡°Lawyer Gu, this is pointless. Is it fun to take advantage of the loopholes in thew?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°This is only allowed to be set on fire by the state officials, not by themon people¡­ You¡¯re making it sound like you¡¯re not taking advantage of the loopholes in thew. Aren¡¯t you just trying to catch me off guard?¡±

    .

    ¡°I¡¯m just learning from my mistakes, so please bear with me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said as she looked at the judge sitting in the courtroom. She reiterated, ¡°I¡¯d like to request for the suspects, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, to appear in court.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was sitting at the witness stand, guarded by a few police officers. She looked at Gu Nianzhi with a faint smile, thinking that she was at her wit¡¯s end. was there no other witness she could call?

    She was actually going to call her parents? Would her parents testify against her?

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi, who had never enjoyed the love of her parents, could not understand the selfless love that parents had for their children.

    As her confidence increased again, she held her head high and waited calmly.

    The judges in the courtroom discussed a few things with the judges on both sides and agreed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request.

    Soon, an hour had passed and no more people were allowed on either side.

    The defendant and the intiff returned to their seats and began to prepare for the trial debate that would begin in a moment.

    Qin Yaoguang was the defendant. Previously, her defensewyer had been Wen Shouyi. Now, Wen Shouyi was in danger. Her defensewyer was a team ofwyers formed by the legal department of the Qin Private Hospital Group.

    Their leadwyer also had the surname Qin and was from the side branch of the Qin family.

    Thirty minutester, the court doors opened again and Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were brought in.

    They were suspected of kidnapping Gu Nianzhi, who was still a minor eight years ago. The two of them had confessed to almost all of their crimes. Without any new clues, the case had been closed and the verdict would be announced soon.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s trial today was thest time she would appear in court for the kidnapping case that year.

    The He family¡¯s case was also waiting for her. He Zhichu had been attacked by a subsonic weapon, and He Chengjian would not let her off easily.

    ¡­

    Wen Dayou and Liang Meili were brought to the court once again. They were very dispirited and much older.

    In spite of that, when she saw Wen Shouyi, Liang Meili pulled herself together.

    She had truly treated Wen Shouyi as her own daughter. She had doted on her for so many years and was afraid that she would be wronged.

    She could not be defeated, for she had to protect her daughter.

    Wen Dayou stood timidly behind Liang Meili. He lowered his head and did not dare look at the people in the courtroom.

    The prison guards who had escorted Wen Dayou and Liang Meili in handed over their identification documents and the subpoenas summoned by the court. They had verified the identity of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.

    The judge in the courtroom saw that it was time and knocked on the gavel hard. ¡°The trial of Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s kidnapping case will continue. The prosecution and defense would like to prepare your testimony.¡±

    ¡°Your Honor, we¡¯re ready. ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer, Lawyer Qin, stood up gracefully.

    He was tall and his hair was neatlybed.

    The three-piece suit looked imposing on him.

    In a calm manner, Gu Nianzhi stood up.

    She was wearing an old-fashioned Louis Vuitton custom-made ck professional dress today. She wasn¡¯t wearing a skirt, but straight trousers.

    This style looked like a fashion from more than a decade ago. Although it fit perfectly, it looked outdated and old-fashioned. Her seaweed-like hair was tied up at the back of her head. If it weren¡¯t for her pair of lively ck grape-like eyes, she would have looked a little old.

    She deliberately wore high heels. She was 1.7 meters tall and seven centimeters high heels. Therefore, she was no shorter than the leadwyer.

    She stood elegantly in the courtroom, like the ink-and-ink painting of Mo He. She was beautiful and had a faint murderous aura.

    He Chengjian, who was sitting in the audience seats, couldn¡¯t move his eyes at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s outfit.

    This outfit, this outfit, how familiar she used to look..

    Wasn¡¯t this the outfit Qin Suwen had worn in court?

    She was dressed in a ck Louis Vuitton custom-made businesswoman¡¯s outfit. Her long hair was tied up, and her actions and words were crisp and clear. It was as if they had been printed from the same mold.

    From his perspective, he could only spot Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back. This back view had been engraved in his heart since he had first mistaken Qin Suwen for Qin Yaoguang decades ago.

    After so many years, he had never forgotten her, and it had only gotten better over time.

    He Zhichu was also slightly taken aback when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s outfit.

    This was the outfit his mother, Qin Suwen, had worn when she had appeared in court. He had been familiar with it since he was a child. Where did Gu Nianzhi get it from?

    Apparently, Gu Nianzhi had learned it from the videos of Qin Suwen¡¯s court arguments that Lu Jin had given her.

    Her goal was simple. She wanted to trick Qin Yaoguang. She wanted to Target Qin Yaoguang and Provoke Qin Yaoguang so that she would be greatly stimted.

    This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s two-pronged n. If she couldn¡¯t break through Wen Dayou and Liang Meili¡¯s defenses, then she would have to start with he chengjian and break through Qin Yaoguang¡¯s defenses.

    This man was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s demonic barrier. She had never stopped loving him for so many years.

    In that case, only He Chengjian¡¯s beloved Qin Suwen could drive Qin yaoguang crazy¡­

    Old tricks weren¡¯t afraid of old tricks, as long as they worked.

    ¡°Your honor, I¡¯m ready as well.¡± Gu Nianzhi bowed slightly, her gaze slowly sweeping over the huge lineup in the dock.

    It was obvious that the Qin family had invested a lot this time, and were determined to get Qin Yaoguang off the hook.

    The judge nodded. ¡°If there is no objection, counselor, please begin.¡±

    He waited for three seconds before striking the gavel again.

    Just then, Gu Nianzhi walked out from behind the intiff¡¯s bench.

    Judging from the lineup on both sides, she was indeed outnumbered. Compared to the seven or eight people in the opposing defendant¡¯s bench, she stood there alone, with an air of nonchnce and independence.

    Some people in the audience could not help but sympathize with her.

    It was as if she had single-handedly fought against the corporate machine of a rich and powerful listedpany, like Don Quixote challenging a windmill. Her courage wasmendable, but she had overestimated herself.

    Qin Yaoguang tried her best to suppress the anger in her heart and did not look at Gu Nianzhi.

    After so many years, the figure that had almost be her nightmare appeared in front of her again.

    How could this be?

    How could this be?

    She lowered her head and covered her rapidly beating heart with her hand. Even her eardrums were filled with the sound of blood rushing wildly.

    She had to stay calm. She had to be as calm as a scientist and not be intimidated by that little b*tch.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were half closed as she recalled the scene of her experiments on Gu Nianzhi. Only then did she feel better.

    Just as she was trying to control her emotions, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice suddenly rang in her ear.

    ¡°Eh? Ms. Qin Yaoguang, What¡¯s wrong with you? Your face is so pale, and your heart is beating so fast. Are you feeling guilty?¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1739 - A Confusion

    <h4>Chapter 1739: A Confusion</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin Yaoguang suddenly opened her eyes. She almost jumped out of the dock when she noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s familiar expression.

    ¡°Y-You... Get the hell away from me!¡± Qin yaoguang tried to dodge as if she didn¡¯t know Gu Nianzhi.

    In response, he raised an eyebrow and slowly straightened her back. She smiled and said, ¡°You want to pretend to be mentally ill? Miss Qin Yaoguang, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s toote to pretend now?¡±

    The leadwyer of the legal team next to Qin yaoguang gave her a gentle kick.

    When Qin Yaoguang snapped back to her senses, she realized that she had lost herposure just now.

    She sped her hands under the dock and sat back down.. Her eyes were tightly shut and her lips were pursed. She regained her silent expression.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer heaved a sigh of relief as he looked up at Gu Nianzhi and said loudly, ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer has used his imagination to humiliate and threaten my client. This has caused tremendous psychological pressure on my client!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and turned to look at the judge and the judges in the courtroom to see what they had to say.

    The three of them exchanged a few words in the courtroom and said to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°intiff¡¯swyer, please watch your words and don¡¯t stray too far from the topic.¡±

    They did not say that she should not say such things about Qin Yaoguang, but they also did not encourage her to continue.

    This was a p in the face.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She turned to Qin Yaoguang and spoke quickly, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, may I ask why you ordered Wen Dayou and Liang Meili to help you kidnap the 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi eight years ago?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi is your biological daughter. Why did you leave her in the He family for six years?¡±

    ¡°Six yearster, why did you kidnap her and take her away from the He Family?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone was very different from her usual tone when she asked these questions.

    Only three people present could tell that Gu Nianzhi was trying to imitate Qin Suwen¡¯s tone and speed of speech.

    These three figures were Lu Jin, he chengjian, and he zhichu. Oh, and perhaps the fourth person was Qin Yaoguang, whose emotions were once again on the verge of breaking down because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone and speed of speech.

    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re my daughter! Do I need you to agree to what I¡¯m going to do? !¡±Qin Yaoguang opened her eyes abruptly and screamed hysterically.

    When Gu Nianzhi asked the question, she treated herself as apletely different person and kept calling her ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡±. Not only did she give others the wrong impression, but she also had a sense of calmness and sharpness as if she was detached from the matter.

    She sessfully forced Qin Yaoguang to break her technique again. Gu Nianzhi quickly waited for Qin¡¯swyer to react, she continued to ask, ¡°You ordered Wen Dayou and Liang Meili to violently kidnap Gu Nianzhi on her birthday and take her to the airport in an attempt to smuggle her out of the country, didn¡¯t you?!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was about to shout when Wen Shouyi¡¯s voice pierced through her like a sharp thorn.

    She shouted, ¡°Aunt Qin! Calm down! This is a court of Law! You¡¯re facing Gu Nianzhi! The judge will definitely give us justice!¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s shout managed to pull Qin yaoguang back from the brink of insanity.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Gu Nianzhi. Her eyes were almost bloodshot.

    At the moment, the leadwyer beside her,wyer Qin, recovered from his shock and said to the judge again, ¡°My client is in an emotional state. We¡¯d like to request a ten-minute recess.¡±

    The judge looked at Qin Yaoguang, who looked like she was about to copse. He called the healthcare doctor prepared by the court to examine Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s blood pressure and heartbeat were unusually fast. She was also sweating profusely on her back, as if her mood had been greatly affected.

    The Healthcare doctor nodded at the judge. ¡°It¡¯s best for the defendant to take a 10-minute break to see what happens next.¡±

    The judge tapped his gavel. ¡°The court will adjourn for ten minutes.¡±

    As soon as the judge said that the court would adjourn, Qin Yaoguang was quickly led out of the court by the Bailiff to the lounge next door to get some oxygen.

    Her leadwyer followed her in and stayed by her side.

    Liang Meili looked at Wen Shouyi, who was sitting on the witness stand on the other side. The Love in her eyes was about to spill out.

    ¡°Wow, Shouyi, you¡¯ve lost weight...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, she was taken away by the bailiff.

    When Wen Dayou walked past Wen Shouyi, he stopped in his tracks. He looked at Wen Shouyi, his eyes gradually filled with confusion. ¡°Shouyi? What happened to your face?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I went to the south for a beauty treatment,¡± Wen Shouyi said calmly. ¡°Dad, you have to take care of Mom. I see that she¡¯s Haggard.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Wen Dayou nodded nonchntly. ¡°You have to take care of yourself.¡±

    He gestured with his eyes to reassure Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi heaved a sigh of relief. She watched as Wen Dayou and Liang Meili disappeared through the main entrance of the courtroom.

    She wasn¡¯t allowed to move around freely either. A policewoman had been watching her from the side.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t go out. She sat alone at the intiff¡¯s table, took out a bottle of ice-cold milk, and took a sip.

    She was actually very excited and nervous, and the milk had a calming effect. She needed to drink some milk to calm herself down.

    Although she had only asked a few questions, to her, it had been like a tsunami.

    It could be said that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s reaction hadpletely exceeded her expectations.

    She knew that Qin Yaoguang definitely had a knot in her heart with Qin Suwen, but she had not expected it to be so big..

    Her reaction was too strong.

    Was there really no other inside story?

    He Chengjian sat in the gallery and watched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back without moving. He was immersed in the memories of the past, and the expression on his face was sweet and sad.

    He Zhichu did not look at Gu Nianzhi. He supported his head with one hand and sat on the seat by the aisle, cold and distant.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s gaze never left He Zhichu.

    Whether she looked up, down, or sideways, she could not take her eyes off He Zhichu.

    However, He Zhichu did not speak. She also sat quietly on the side and did not speak. She just quietly apanied him.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng sat in the corner of the gallery. They were blocked by the Qin family and tried to minimize their presence.

    Lu Jin whispered to Huo Shaoheng, ¡°Nianzhi also has a talent for acting.¡±

    The character she was ying today was called ¡°Qin Suwen¡±.

    It could be said that she was very lifelike.

    ...

    In the waiting room next to the court, Lawyer Qin anxiously said to Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Director Qin, you can¡¯t do this. If you¡¯re emotionally unstable, we can request a psychiatric evaluation and then take a short break.¡±

    ¡°In your current state, you won¡¯t be able to face the opposingwyer¡¯s interrogation at all. She can make you say the wrong thing at any time and confess without beating yourself up!¡±

    Lawyer Qin was also very worried about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s condition. In fact, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem to have asked any extraordinary questions, but why was Qin Yaoguang reacting so strongly?

    ¡°Director Qin... Cousin, is there something you want to tell me?¡± Lawyer Qin was now alone with Qin Yaoguang; this was his right as awyer.

    He was now worried that Qin Yaoguang was hiding something from him. This would put him in a disadvantageous position in court.

    Qin Yaoguang sat beside him and breathed in oxygen.

    Sufficient oxygen entered her blood and was carried to all parts of her body, especially her brain.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mood finally stabilized.

    Of course, she knew that the main reason was not the oxygen, but the fact that she no longer needed to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ck Louis Vuitton custom-made professional dress, which she hated the moment she saw it.

    Gradually, her rationality returned to her, and her brain was able to think correctly.

    Qin yaoguang unplugged the oxygen inhaler and said lightly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi scared me just now by pretending to be a ghost. I¡¯m fine now, I won¡¯t be scared by her again.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lawyer Qin looked at her suspiciously, ¡°Butwyer Gu didn¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary?¡±

    How was she pretending to be a ghost?

    He didn¡¯t see it at all.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Qin Yaoguang shook her head lightly. ¡°But she can only use the same strategy once. If she uses it again, it won¡¯t be so effective.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang sneered and said, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll deny everythingter. There¡¯s no witness and no physical evidence. I¡¯ll see how she can testify against me.¡±

    ¡°OK, good to know that.¡± Lawyer Qin wiped the sweat on his forehead with a grayish-blue handkerchief and tidied up the few strands of hair on his head, he said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll go to courtter. Just deny her question and be careful not to fall into her trap.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Qin yaoguang was still very calm andposed when she was not threatened by Qin Suwen¡¯s shadow.

    ...

    Ten minutester, the court was once again in session.

    This time, Gu Nianzhi made it clear that she would let the opposingwyer ask the question first.

    Lawyer Qin did not expect Gu Nianzhi to stop pursuing Qin Yaoguang, and his heart rxed.

    He stood up with the information he had prepared beforehand and gracefully bowed to everyone in the court. He first went up to Wen Shouyi and said, ¡°Ms. Wen Shouyi, please introduce yourself.¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded calmly, her voice was steady and gentle. ¡°My name is Wen Shouyi. I¡¯m a graduatew student from Harvard Law School in the United States. I¡¯m awyer from the United States and China. I was once in the military and was major general he zhichu¡¯s personal secretary. ¡°After I retired from the military, I transferred to another profession. Now, I am the Executive Director of the Qin¡¯s Private Hospital Group.¡±

    When she mentioned her long list of titles, it seemed that her credibility had increased.

    The smile onwyer Qin¡¯s face widened. ¡°So, Ms. Wen Shouyi is such an outstanding professional woman. Then, please tell me, what is my client¡¯s character like?¡±

    ¡°Director Qin is a verypetent brain surgeon and biological gic engineering scientist. She has saved countless people and has many patents and inventions. ¡°The concept of ¡®gene editing¡¯ that she came up with twenty years ago almost altered the course of the development of gic engineering internationally

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that such a great scientist, a scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the evolution of the entire human race, would do such a thing.¡±

    Upon hearing the words, Wen Shouyi spoke with assurance, ¡°To say the least, with her IQ and status, if she really wanted to do it, she had 10,000 ways to take Gu Nianzhi away without leaving a trace, that is, thewyer Gu Nianzhi was when she was young

    ¡°What¡¯s more, she directly suggested to the He family that she take her daughter away. Well, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the two influential figures of the He family who are here today to see if they will stop director Qin from taking her own daughter away from their home.¡±

    ¡°Director Qin could have done it legally and openly, so why would she want to do it? It¡¯spletely illogical.¡±

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve said above, I don¡¯t think she would do anything that the intiff would use her of, regardless of Dean Qin¡¯s character, ability, or position.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s character witness.

    She had used her profession and position to endorse Qin Yaoguang¡¯s character, so it was quite convincing.

    The judge nodded repeatedly.

    Qin Yaoguang perked up and nodded at Wen Shouyi with a smile.

    Lawyer Qin came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intiff¡¯s table again and asked gently, ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you still remember when you were twelve?¡±

    This question was very sharp.

    If Gu Nianzhi said ¡°I remember¡±, she was lying.

    If she said ¡°I don¡¯t remember¡±, then she had been lying before.

    However, she had been prepared for this question ever since Gu Nianzhi had used Wen Dayou and Liang Meili of kidnapping her.

    Therefore, she answered calmly, ¡°That depends on what you¡¯re asking. ¡°I¡¯m 20 years old this year. If you ask me what I saw, what I wore, and what I ate on a certain day when I was 12 years old, that is, eight years ago, I definitely can¡¯t give you any answers.¡±

    Beforewyer Qin responded, Gu Nianzhi quickly said, ¡°If I askwyer Qin what kind of file you saw on a certain day eight years ago, do you remember?¡±

    Lawyer Qin¡¯s lips twitched and he said coldly, ¡°Lawyer Gu, as long as you answer yes or no, there¡¯s no need to say so much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your question is too broad. You Can¡¯t just answer it by remembering or not remembering.¡± Gu Nianzhi insisted on her own opinion, not giving the opposingwyer a chance to take advantage of her.

    Lawyer Qin looked down at the documents and had no choice but to change the specific question. ¡°Then may I ask you, do you still remember who took you away from the He family eight years ago?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Gu Nianzhi said lightly. ¡°It was the he family¡¯s gardener, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili.¡±

    ¡°How do you remember that?¡± Lawyer Qin asked sarcastically.

    ¡°Because this matter is very serious, so serious that it cast a huge shadow over my youth. Lawyer Qin, believe me, if you had been kidnapped when you were twelve, you would also remember the people who kidnapped you.¡±

    Lawyer Qin remained silent.

    He was speechless and had no choice but to continue, ¡°Are they in court?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you ask them to be witnesses in court?¡±

    ¡°Because they were only the executioners of the kidnapping n. Someone else was in charge of formting the kidnapping n.¡± Gu Nianzhi nced over at Qin yaoguang. Everyone could tell that she meant that Qin Yaoguang had ordered them to do it.

    ¡°But they denied that my client was behind the kidnapping n.¡± Lawyer Qin propped up his gold-rimmed spectacles on the bridge of his nose with his hand. ¡°Lawyer Gu, are you trying to frame me, beat me into a confession, or are you trying to mislead everyone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grinned and stood up. ¡°Are you done asking?¡±

    Bewildered, Lawyer Qin replied, ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±

    ¡°My answer is that I didn¡¯t frame anyone, nor did I beat them into a confession, nor did I mislead anyone. I¡¯m just speaking from the facts.¡±Gu Nianzhi stood up with a DNA test report in her hand, she said to the judge in the courtroom, ¡°Your honor, may i question Wen Dayou and Liang Meili Now?¡±

    ...

 Chapter 1740 - Adopted Child?

    <h4>Chapter 1740: Adopted Child?</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    As Lawyer Qin nced at Wen Shouyi, she lowered her eyes and gently rubbed the space between her eyebrows with her hand. Her slender fingers inadvertently made a few signs.

    Lawyer Qin understood what she meant, he said to Gu Nianzhi with a sullen face, ¡°Lawyer Gu, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili are the parents of my client¡¯s character witnesses. They¡¯re just ordinary gardeners and gardeners. They¡¯re honest people and can¡¯t withstand your threats.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and said gently, ¡°Eight years ago, someone who could kidnap a 12-year-old girl by violent means couldn¡¯t be that honest.¡±

    Qin¡¯s face turned red from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. He couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°They haven¡¯t even been sentenced yet, and you¡¯re already convicting them?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t convict them. I¡¯m just stating the facts.¡± Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even turn her head. She had already stood in front of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili..

    ¡°Mr. Wen Dayou, Ms. Liang Meili, please look up and tell me, is your daughter in this courtroom?¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked at Wen Shouyi.

    Liang Meili nced at Gu Nianzhi in confusion and said, ¡°Of course she is. It¡¯s Shouyi. My daughter, Shouyi, graduated from Harvard Law School. She¡¯s no worse than you!¡±

    In her heart, her daughter was the winner in life if she couldpete with Gu Nianzhi.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face instantly turned red. She bit her lower lip with her snow-white teeth, wishing she could shut Liang Meili up.

    Upon noticing her expression, Wen Dayou quickly stepped on Liang Meili under the table.

    Liang Meili felt the pain and red at Wen Dayou, but she did not say anything else.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head. She suddenly said, ¡°Miss Liang Meili, you¡¯re very proud of your daughter, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Liang Meili had no choice but to answer this question. Wen Shouyi, her daughter, was her pride.

    She puffed out her chest and said without hesitation, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s my pride.¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked at her mother and was suddenly moved.

    Although she was vulgar, she had given birth to her and raised her. She was even willing to go to jail for her future. Such motherly love was indeed great.

    Wen Shouyi smiled at Liang Meili.

    Liang Meili was encouraged and even happier. ¡°I only have this daughter. I¡¯ve never regretted giving birth to her!¡±

    ¡°Oh? You gave birth to her? Is she your biological daughter?¡± Gu Nianzhi seized the opportunity and finally led the conversation in the direction she wanted.

    For so many years, Liang Meili had been self-hypnotizing, and Wen Shouyi was her biological daughter.

    She thought this way, and so did all her colleagues, friends, and family around her, so she subconsciously took it as a fact. She hurriedly nodded. ¡°Of course she¡¯s my biological daughter! She¡¯s my only daughter, so who would I love if I didn¡¯t Love Her?¡±

    ¡°May I ask which hospital you gave birth to Wen Shouyi?¡± Gu Nianzhi inquired again.

    Lawyer Qin did not understand why Gu Nianzhi had brought up Wen Shouyi¡¯s birth hospital. He quickly raised his hand to object. ¡°Objection! The intiff¡¯swyer has already deviated from the case and is wasting everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°intiff¡¯swyer, please get to the point.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly answered, ¡°Your Honor, I will prove that everything I ask is closely rted to this case.¡±

    ¡°Please continue.¡± The judge rapped his gavel and looked at Gu Nianzhi with sparkling eyes as she continued to interrogate Liang Meili.

    Wen Dayou coughed ufortably.

    Liang Meili suddenly remembered something and fell silent.

    Gu nianzhi continued to ask, ¡°Ms. Liang Meili, please answer me. Which Hospital was Wen Shouyi born in?¡±

    Liang Meili mumbled for a while and stammered, ¡°I-I can¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t remember where you gave birth?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked surprised. ¡°Ms. Liang Meili, how many children did you give birth to? Why Can¡¯t you remember where you gave birth?¡±

    Liang Meili had just dered that she only had Wen Shouyi as her daughter. Why had she suddenly changed her mind?

    Her face was as red as a red cloth, and she was extremely embarrassed.

    To ease the situation, Wen Shouyi spoke up, ¡°My mother hasn¡¯t read many books. It¡¯s possible that she can¡¯t remember clearly after so many years.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not continue asking, as if she had already given up on the topic.

    Just as Liang Meili and Wen Dayou were starting to rx, Gu Nianzhi took out another dossier and said with a TSK tsk, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you don¡¯t remember the hospital where the child was born.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a pity?¡± Liang Meili had no idea what Gu Nianzhi was talking about. ¡°I just don¡¯t remember which hospital she was born in, but I remember that she was my daughter!¡±

    ¡°But...¡±Gu Nianzhi ced the file in front of Liang Meili and Wen Dayou, her brows slightly furrowed, she sighed and said, ¡°This examination report shows that your blood type is type O, and Wen Shouyi¡¯s blood type is type AB. ording to gics, Type O cannot give birth to children with type AB. What¡¯s going on? Did you have the wrong baby in the hospital?¡±

    She added, ¡°Look, you didn¡¯t say which hospital you had the baby in. Otherwise, you could have gone after that hospital.¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi uttered this, the courtroom fell silent.

    Liang Meili panicked and quickly waved her hand, saying, ¡°No, no! I didn¡¯t have the wrong baby! Shouyi is really my daughter! She¡¯s my biological... daughter!¡±

    Wen Dayou saw that things were not looking good and was worried that Gu Nianzhi would dig deeper. He quickly said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, my wife is not thinking clearly. Actually... Shouyi was adopted from an orphanage by us.¡±

    So her blood type was not something that Liang Meili could give birth to, so there was a reasonable exnation.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes instantly widened into a small full moon. ¡°So Wen Shouyi is not your biological child? But adopted?! Why? Why did you adopt a Daughter?¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t have a child, so we adopted one. What¡¯s there to ask?¡± Wen Dayou said impatiently.

    Liang Meili, on the other hand, kept looking in Wen Shouyi¡¯s direction, worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to take the blow.

    Wen Shouyi had never known she was adopted since she was a child.

    Dumbfounded, she sat on the other side of the witness stand in a daze, her eyes zed over as if a bolt of lightning had struck her brain.

    She... wasn¡¯t Liang Meili and Wen Dayou¡¯s biological daughter?!

    Then who were her parents?!

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s first reaction when she heard that Liang Meili might not be her biological mother was to hug the wrong person.

    When Wen Dayou proved that she had been adopted from an orphanage, Wen Shouyi suffered a second blow.

    In an instant, she became an orphan just like Gu Nianzhi.

    Oh, no, she was even worse off than Gu Nianzhi.

    At least Gu Nianzhi still had a biological mother in front of her. Although mother and daughter were like fire and water, they were still mother and daughter.

    But what about her?

    Was she going to lose even Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, her unpresentable parents?

    Wen Shouyi fell into an unprecedented panic.

    Liang Meili red at Gu Nianzhi like a tigress whose cubs had been hurt, she said fiercely, ¡°My daughter is biological or adopted. What does that have to do with you? ! You are so ungrateful! You sent your biological mother to prison! You¡¯re disloyal and unfilial! You¡¯ll die a horrible death!¡±

    She looked in Wen Shouyi¡¯s direction and saw her expression suddenly change as if she had suffered a huge blow. Her heart ached terribly, she quickly said, ¡°Shouyi! Mom and dad have always treated you as their biological daughter. What does it matter if they adopted you? You¡¯re the only daughter they have!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her silently, feeling a little guilty about what was about to happen next.

    No matter how bad Liang Meili was, she had nothing to say to Wen Shouyi.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and ced thest file in front of Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, she inquired lightly, ¡°Wen Shouyi was adopted at the orphanage. In other words, she shouldn¡¯t be rted to you or Wen Dayou. She¡¯s not your biological daughter, right?¡±

    ¡°What does it matter if she¡¯s rted? I said she¡¯s my biological daughter, and she is!¡±Liang Meili said firmly.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Wen Dayou, who had been silent the whole time. ¡°Mr. Wen Dayou, what do you think? You shouldn¡¯t be rted to Wen Shouyi either, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. He adopted Shouyi with me at the Qin Orphanage.¡±Liang Meili wiped her tears with the back of her hand and interjected.

    Wen Dayou was a little embarrassed, but he still nodded.

    ¡°This is strange.¡±Gu Nianzhi opened the DNA test report and showed it to everyone in the court, ¡°Everyone heard it just now. Wen Shouyi was adopted by Liang Meili and Wen Dayou at the Qin orphanage. She should not be rted to Wen Dayou or Liang Meili by blood. However, this DNA test proves that Wen Shouyi is Wen Dayou¡¯s biological daughter.¡±

    There was a moment of silence in the courtroom, and then there was suddenly a loud thud, like a drop of cold water sshed into a pot of oil. Instantly, oil sttered everywhere, and it was difficult for everyone to escape the impact.

    Qin Yaoguang did not expect Gu Nianzhi to find out so deeply. Her eyes instantly darkened. She kickedwyer Qin, who was listening with great interest, and said in a low voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to object? Let her control the tempo?¡±

    Lawyer Qin stood up immediately and called out, ¡°Objection...¡±

    Gu nianzhi rushed to say, ¡°Wen Dayou, why did you put your biological daughter in the Qin orphanage and let your wife adopt your biological daughter? Is Wen Shouyi your illegitimate daughter?¡±

    Liang Meili finally came back to her senses and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe it! How is it possible...¡±

    ¡°How is it impossible?¡± Gu Nianzhi hurled the DNA test to her. ¡°Look at it yourself. If you can¡¯t read it, find someone to read it to you. or drag your husband and your daughter to any DNA testing agency that verifies their rtionship.¡±

    Liang Meili¡¯s face twitched and trembled. She remembered that over the years, countless people had said that Wen Shouyi looked exactly like her father. At that time, she had beencent and assumed that she had good taste. She had adopted her daughter from an orphanage, she actually looked like her husband..

    Now it seemed that she was aplete fool!

    Wen Shouyi was clearly the daughter of Wen Dayou and his lover!

    It was a pity that she had been raising a daughter for a mistress for so many years!

    Abruptly, Liang Meili suddenly pulled her hair and howled. She pounced on Wen Dayou, she cried and hit him. ¡°You wretched man! How dare you find a mistress?! How dare you let me adopt the child that the mistress gave you?! You¡¯re not human! You¡¯re so cruel!¡±

    Liang Meili¡¯s words were so vulgar that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She continued, ¡°Liang Meili, do you want to know who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother is?¡±

    ...

    This is the update watch of today: Chapter 1740 Adopted Child?

    Please vote for me.

    All the best for your exam!

    Love you!

 Chapter 1741 - Self-Disclosure

    <h4>Chapter 1741: Self-Disclosure</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Liang Meili¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

    She shouted, ¡°Who was it? Tell me!¡±

    Liang Meili was furious. She would kill anyone who stood in her way!

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer, Lawyer Qin, quickly shouted, ¡°Objection! This question had nothing to do with this case!¡±

    The judge in the courtroom looked at Gu Nianzhi, but before he could ask, Gu Nianzhi interjected, ¡°Your Honor, I would be proving that this matter was closely rted to this case!¡±

    ¡°You were talking about who was Ms. Wen¡¯s biological mother. May I ask what would this matter had to do with my client?¡± Lawyer Qin was dissatisfied with the judge¡¯s favoritism towards Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Your Honor, please stop the intiff¡¯swyer from engaging in such tasteless behavior!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh. She nodded and repeated, ¡°Yes, what did the identity of Ms. Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother had to do with your client, Qin Yaoguang? I didn¡¯t say they had a rtionship. Look, there shouldn¡¯t be any rtionship at all.¡±

    .

    Gu Nianzhi was walking a tightrope as well.

    She had started by investigating Luo Piaopiao¡¯s DNA and found out Wen Shouyi¡¯s rtionship with the Qin family.

    However, Luo Piaopiao had already been blown to pieces. She couldn¡¯t bring up the results of Luo Piaopiao¡¯s DNA test, so she had to beat around the bush and let Wen Dayou and Liang Meili reveal it themselves.

    Liang Meili didn¡¯t know who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was but Wen Dayou knew.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze stopped on Wen Dayou¡¯s uneasy face. She said to Liang Meili, ¡°Why were you asking me, Ms. Liang Meili? You should be asking your husband, he would know who was your daughter¡¯s biological mother...¡±

    Liang Meili turned to Wen Dayou in anger, who was beside her.

    She screamed and pounced on Wen Dayou, pping him repeatedly on the head and back.

    Wen Dayou was in a sorry state as he shielded his head and dodged. With great difficulty, he was pulled to the side by a bailiff. Liang Meili was subdued by two female bailiffs.

    She was short and wide. While being detained, she lost a lot of weight and also aged quite a bit. She wore a well-made brocade coat and ck velvet trousers in court today, but now she was in a mess.

    Liang Meili was being held by two female bailiffs and was still scolding Wen Dayou hysterically, ¡°How could you cheat on me! I would kill you!¡±

    The judge frowned and knocked on the gavel, ¡°Silence! The court should remain quiet. Take Ms. Liang Meili out to calm down first.¡±

    The two female bailiffs led the stumbling Liang Meili out.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the cowering Wen Dayou, she walked over and stared into his eyes, ¡°Mr. Wen Dayou, could you exin why your illegitimate daughter appeared in the Qin Orphanage? When you adopted her, did you know that she was your biological daughter?¡±

    Wen Dayou crouched in a corner of the witness stand with his head in his hands, ignoring Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Gu Nianzhi waited patiently by the side for a while. When she saw Wen Dayou¡¯s fearless expression, her face turned cold and she said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell me, but you think nobody knew? Let me tell you, there were a lot of people who knew.¡±

    ¡°The adoption records of the Qin Orphanage, Wen Shouyi¡¯s birth certificate, and the entire empire¡¯s online census system. As long as I input her DNA data, I could find out the DNA of her immediate family members!¡±

    It was impossible to find Wen Shouyi¡¯s immediate rtives with this method.

    The government¡¯s census system did not have aplete DNA database. Currently, the only DNA database in the government system was the criminal DNA database created by the police system.

    Anyone with a criminal record would have their DNA stored in the system for easy inquiry.

    If these peoplemitted a second crime, they would be immediately detected.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother, based on her rtionship with Luo Piaopiao, was a woman of the Qin family. However, if this person did not have a criminal record, her DNA couldn¡¯t be stored in the police system.

    Therefore, it was impossible to use such a DNA data retrieval method to find out who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was.

    To put it bluntly, Gu Nianzhi was only using this kind of high-sounding gimmick to scare Wen Dayou.

    As expected, Wen Dayou was shocked.

    His hands that were holding his head loosened a little, and he slowly turned his head to look at Gu Nianzhi.

    But at that moment, Qin Yaoguang¡¯swyer finally rebutted.

    He quickly reacted and sneered, ¡°Lawyer Gu was good at scaring people. I never knew that our country¡¯s census system could still be used to check DNA data. This trick would only work on naive people!¡±

    Wen Dayou immediately turned back and continued to crouch in the corner with his head in his hands. No one could pull him up.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and slowly straightened her back. She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before deciding to continue with the psychological warfare.

    She couldn¡¯t directly point out Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother¡¯s rtionship with the Qin family nor take the initiative to hint at it.

    The only thing she could do was to make Wen Dayou expose himself.

    But how could she do that?

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer saw the opportunity and took it, ¡°My client¡¯s character witness, Wen Shouyi, was not doing very well. I¡¯d like to request a half-hour recess so that the doctor could take a look at her.¡±

    The judge discussed it with the other two judges and agreed, ¡°Fifteen minutes. The court will reconvene in fifteen minutes.¡±

    He told Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Lawyer Gu if you were unable to prove your question was rted to this case, the court will forbid you from bringing up any questions rted to Ms. Wen Shouyi¡¯s background.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only smile and say, ¡°Thank you, Your Honor, for giving me this opportunity to prove my point.¡±

    ...

    After the court adjourned, Gu Nianzhi did not speak to anyone and walked out of the court alone.

    She went to the locker where she kept her personal belongings and took out her phone. She wanted to look up some information, but Lu Jin sent her a text message, ¡°Check your email.¡± Gu Nianzhi quickly opened her email and found that Lu Jin had sent her a letter. This letter was Wen Dayou¡¯s details from the time he was born until now!

    All these years, where he had been to and what he had done, it was listed clearly!

    And most importantly, this data had been obtained from a public and legal ce!

    It could be used as court evidence.

    Unlike Luo Piaopiao¡¯s DNA data, which could only point them in the direction of the investigation, but could not be used as legal evidence.

    Gu Nianzhi looked through the data at a nce and came up with an idea.

    Some of the content was interesting.

    ...

    Fifteen minutester, Wen Shouyi and Liang Meili had both regained theirposure. Even Wen Dayou was much calmer.

    However, when they walked in, their faces still did not look good.

    Wen Shouyi did not look at Liang Meili and Wen Dayou at all.

    Liang Meili¡¯s feelings were even moreplicated.

    She thought that she would hate Wen Shouyi because she was the daughter of a mistress.

    However, she had raised her with her own hands and fed her with milk one mouthful at a time when she was a baby.

    Raised her with painstaking efforts for all these years, there was no difference if she wasn¡¯t her biological daughter.

    Liang Meili could not hate Wen Shouyi at all.

    Gu Nianzhi watched as they sat down on both sides of the witness stand.

    The witnesses were supposed to appear in court one by one, but Gu Nianzhi needed them to appear in court together, so she had specifically applied to the court.

    As far as the court was concerned, there were no set rules for how the witnesses would appear in court. It depended on the oue of the negotiations between the intiff and the defendant.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the message Lu Jin had just sent her. She had already printed it out and used it as a new copy of the Court¡¯s defense materials.

    The judge rapped the gavel and said in a clear voice, ¡°The prosecution shall continue. Please get to the point as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Thank you, Your Honor.¡±

    She took the document to Wen Dayou¡¯s witness stand and began to ask him, ¡°Mr. Wen Dayou, what was the date of your birth?¡±

    Wen Dayou was stunned and subconsciously nced at Lawyer Qin.

    Lawyer Qin nodded slightly at him.

    Wen Dayou told Gu Nianzhi the date of his birth.

    Gu Nianzhi asked again, ¡°When you were thirty years old, you participated in a medical experiment conducted by the United Nations Poption Fund in Huaxia. May I know what kind of experiment was that?¡±

    Wen Dayou looked up abruptly, he was bewildered.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi as he had no idea how she knew about this!

    He had participated in the medical experiment because he had been attracted by the sum that was offered in exchange for going through the experiment.

    He only had to donate his sperm and was offered a thousand dors. It was simply too easy to earn.

    However, this method was still rather shocking to the more conservative Huaxia back then, so they had tacitly kept it a secret.

    The people who came to participate in the experiment wore masks, so no one knew each other.

    After they left, they immediately went their separate ways.

    Wen Dayou wanted to make more money, so he came several times.

    ¡°Mr. Wen Dayou, may I know what kind of experiment was that?¡± Gu Nianzhi knocked on the witness stand in front of her and asked again.

    Wen Dayou¡¯s dark red face alternated between red and white, and the changes in his expression were obvious.

    Although he did not say anything, from his expression, it was clear that something had happened.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to tell me?¡± Gu Nianzhi continued to look at her information. ¡°What I had here was a publicly released document from the United Nations Poption Fund. It stated the purpose and results of the experiment.¡±

    ¡°This experiment was to study the reproductive gic functions of Chinese people, especially the gic fragments unique to Chinese people.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Wen Dayou, I was curious. You donated your sperm when you were thirty years old, and then Wen Shouyi was born. If you didn¡¯t have a mistress, then someone used your sperm to synthesize a fertilized egg with another woman¡¯s egg cells, and gave birth to Wen Shouyi?¡±

    She looked at the information in her hands and asked again, ¡°But that wasn¡¯t right. The sperm you donated at the United Nations Poption Fund, and the child who was bornter, why would she appear in the Qin Orphanage?¡±

    ¡°ording to the documents, Wen Shouyi was born not too long ago when you adopted her. It had been several years since you donated your sperms. Mr. Wen Dayou, did you think we would believe your clumsy lie? You had an affair!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone became harsh, ¡°You tried to use medical experiments to confuse us!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t cheat! I didn¡¯t have a mistress!¡± Wen Dayou was getting anxious.

    Liang Meili jumped from her seat again. She felt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words made sense and started to beat Wen Dayou again. She yelled, ¡°You were still lying to me! Tell me! Who the hell was that wretched mistress?!¡±

    Wen Dayou was flustered by Liang Meili¡¯s words, so he tried hard to prove his innocence and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t know why Shouyi was in the Qin Orphanage. Director Qin probably knew about it. She let me adopt Shouyi and told me that she was my biological daughter. At that time, Director Qin was also helping the United Nations Poption Fund with the medical experiment!¡±

 Chapter 1742 - Exposure

    <h4>Chapter 1742: Exposure</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes shed with panic, and she quickly nced in He Chengjian¡¯s direction.

    He Chengjian¡¯s expression was calm and indifferent. His gaze was fixed on Gu Nianzhi, and he did not look at her at all.

    Qin Yaoguang bit her lip. Her mood was like the pickled cabbage that had rolled in a soy sauce vat. It was so salty and bitter.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguang with a smile. Although she looked calm on the surface, she was in a sweat.

    It wasn¡¯t easy...

    She was finally pointing the finger at the Qin family.

    Gu Nianzhi also wanted to know why the egg cells of a woman from the Qin family had integrated with Wen Dayou, the gardener, and gave birth to Wen Shouyi.

    She didn¡¯t care which woman from the Qin family had donated the egg cells.

    This was not important to her at all.

    She wanted to catch Qin Yaoguang and have Liang Meilipletely target Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi coughed and smiled, ¡°Mrs. Qin Yaoguang, would you like to exin why Wen Shouyi appeared at the Qin Orphanage? Who was her biological mother? Mr. Wen Dayou mentioned that you were the one who told him that Wen Shouyi was his biological daughter and allowed him to adopt her...¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression was extremely cold, and her voice was bone-chilling. She replied with a straight face, ¡°This was just a scientific experiment. There were so many fertilized eggs, how would I know who was her biological mother?¡±

    ¡°Then how did you know who was her biological father?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked like a curious baby, ¡°That was strange, most people knew who their mother was and not their father. But you knew their father and not their mother... Could it be that Wen Shouyi jumped out of a rock?¡±

    ¡°I exined that it was a scientific experiment. Every sperm donor had a serial number, so it was easy to find out,¡± Qin Yaoguang craned her neck impatiently. ¡°What did this have to do with you? You crossed the line.¡±

    ¡°Scientific experiment? Only the serial number of the sperm donor? There was no serial number of the egg donor?¡± Gu Nianzhi walked to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s dock, she ced her hands on the table in the dock and looked down at Qin Yaoguang, her gaze darkening, ¡°Or were you saying that you were helping the United Nations Poption Fund conduct artificial insemination experiments using the donated sperm and egg cells?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang snorted coldly, ¡°This was a project funded by the United Nations Poption Fund and it was legal. If you don¡¯t believe me, you could look it up yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and pointed out deliberately, ¡°But I remember that our country has legition that prohibits such experiments. In other words, human gic reproduction experiments were explicitly prohibited.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why scientists like Dean Qin had to bypass thew and use their eggs to conduct human gic reproduction experiments, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qin Yaoguang looked up abruptly and said with a fake smile, ¡°That¡¯s how you were born. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was tripped up by her. Qin Yaoguangughed loudly and teased, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, weren¡¯t you a very goodwyer? Why didn¡¯t you know the principle of ¡®Thew doesn¡¯t apply to the past¡¯? When we assisted the United Nations Poption Fund in conducting this experiment, our country didn¡¯t have aw prohibiting the experiment!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and agreed, ¡°Now that I think about it, it seemed to be true. Ms. Wen Shouyi is twenty-six years old this year. When she was born, our country didn¡¯t have a relevantw prohibiting this experiment.¡±

    ¡°Because our country¡¯s relevantws were introduced 20 years ago with the strong support of Ms. Qin Suwen. That¡¯s right, Dean Qin you remembered very clearly when you guys did this experiment, it was before the relevantws were introduced. Of course, thews prohibiting experiments couldn¡¯t control you guys.¡±

    ¡°d that you know,¡± Qin Yaoguang felt that she had finally made aeback. She was delighted and nced at He Chengjian several times.

    However, He Chengjian had already retracted his gaze and was looking down at the back of the chair in front of him. No one knew what he was thinking.

    Gu Nianzhi ced her hands behind her back and emphasized again, ¡°So, Dean Qin, you admitted that before the relevantws were introduced, you were already conducting experiments on human gic reproduction. Not only did you conduct experiments, but you also sessfully gave birth to an artificial insemination baby, Like Ms. Wen Shouyi?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang snorted, ¡°Anyway, Wen Shouyi¡¯s birth was before thew prohibiting experiments took effect. Don¡¯t even think about suing me for breaking thew!¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to sue you for breaking thew. I was just thinking...¡± Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked in the direction of He Zhichu and He Chengjian, ¡°Dean Qin, you were working with the United Nations Poption Fund and used our citizens to conduct human gic reproduction experiments on our soil. Did the government know about this?¡±

    She shook the documents in her hands, ¡°These were all the relevant experimental data released by the United Nations Poption Fund on its official website. Although it has been more than 20 years, the online data would never fade.¡±

    ¡°I hope that the relevant parties would investigate the ¡®Medical Experiment¡¯ that the United Nations Poption Fund conducted in the Huaxia Empire more than 20 years ago and see what gic data they had collected.¡±

    ¡°As for Dean Qin, I have another question for you. You admit that Ms. Wen Shouyi was a guinea pig for your gic experiment, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang snorted and rolled her eyes at Gu Nianzhi from top to bottom and said, ¡°... So were you.¡±

    ¡°I know I was,¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head. ¡°But I was given birth by you. Who was the one who gave birth to Ms. Wen Shouyi?¡±

    Qin Yaoguangughed coldly in her heart and said calmly, ¡°I did not give birth to Wen Shouyi. What does it have to do with this case?¡±

    ¡°It had everything to do with this case...¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly. ¡°If Dean Qin doesn¡¯t say anything, then I would have to look into it myself...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her voice and turned to the judge in the courtroom, ¡°Your Honor, I request a search warrant...¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer shouted. ¡°The intiff¡¯swyer had wasted too much time on unrted matters. We request to quickly move on to the main topic and stop pursuing the issue of my client¡¯s moral character and the identity of the witness!¡±

    ¡°How was it irrelevant?¡± Gu Nianzhi was furious. She turned to look at Lawyer Qin and said coldly, ¡°Qin Yaoguang, don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t be able to find out who it was just because you haven¡¯t said anything...¡±

    She slowly walked through the courtroom, while thinking, and said, ¡°Actually, it wouldn¡¯t be that difficult to find this woman.¡±

    ¡°First of all, if Wen Shouyi was an inseminated IVF baby, then we would be able to find the woman who donated the egg cells. This woman would be Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother.¡±

    ¡°At that time, all the sperm donors had a list, and so did the egg cells. We just need to pull up the list andpare the DNA data of these people left at the United Nations Poption Fund.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang chuckled and boasted, ¡°Go and check it out if you could!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Gu Nianzhi did not back down. ¡°Before I check the data, I need to check the DNA of all the medical personnel who participated in the experiment!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression changed and she stood up abruptly, ¡°Ridiculous! Why are you checking the DNA of medical personnel? As awyer, you¡¯re seriously viting personal privacy!¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang, when you cooperated with an international organization and sold the gic data of our citizens, why didn¡¯t you think of viting personal privacy?¡± Gu Nianzhi retorted.

    Qin Yaoguang waved her hand and chided, ¡°That was different, they signed a consent form! You¡¯re investigating our medical personnel, but we didn¡¯t sign a consent form! Isn¡¯t this viting personal privacy?!¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Gu Nianzhi had been waiting for her to say this. ¡°This would be easier. Hand over the names of the people who signed the consent form, and I would investigate them one by one. I shall find out who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was!¡±

    ¡°If I couldn¡¯t find Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother on your list, either you¡¯re lying or Wen Dayou¡¯s lying,¡± Gu Nianzhi nced at the flustered Wen Dayou who was cowering with his head lowered, not daring to look at her at all.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice as she looked at Gu Nianzhi, as if knives were about to fly out of them.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to theorize, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s another problem. Qin Yaoguang knew that Wen Shouyi was Wen Dayou¡¯s biological daughter, which indirectly meant that Qin Yaoguang must be very familiar with Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother. Otherwise, with so many fertilized eggs, how could she remember Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological father?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was adamant that Qin Yaoguang knew who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological parents were. Liang Meili, who had been dumbstruck just now, was inspired and came up with an idea, she called out desperately, ¡°Dean Qin, tell me who Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was, or I would reveal the truth about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s kidnapping eight years ago!¡±

 Chapter 1743 - The Words That Shocked The World

    <h4>Chapter 1743: The Words That Shocked The World</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Liang Meili¡¯s sudden words had shocked the world.

    Gu Nianzhi finally let out a sigh of relief.

    Her back was covered in ayer of sweat, and her forehead was also wet. The tip of her nose was facing the light, her sweat was like tiny, sparkling, diamond-like glows.

    But in the end, the me was still on the Qin family, and even on Qin Yaoguang!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to throw her head back andugh.

    Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t. She felt exhausted.

    Liang Meili was not a smart person, and her IQ was lower than the average person. That was why she had to spend so much effort and repeated it over and over to make her talk. She almost had to point at her to make her speak and was at risk of being dissed by the judge.

    Liang Meili finally thought of this excuse.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and looked in the direction of Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang was in a bad mood.

    She sat in the dock and could not even put on an expression.

    The leadwyer beside her was stunned and at a loss for words.

    What did Liang Meili mean?

    Could there be an unknown ¡®truth¡¯ in the kidnapping case back then?!

    Lawyer Qin stood up with a whoosh and shouted at Liang Meili, ¡°Liang Meili! Did you know what you¡¯re doing?! Not only were you suspected of perjury and obstructing justice, you even threatened my client in court! Do you treat the court as a bargaining market?!¡±

    He turned to the courtroom and eximed, ¡°Your Honor, Liang Meili, and Wen Dayou are no longer suitable to be prosecution witnesses. I request that they be expelled from the court and be sentenced for their crimes ording to thew!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tutted and walked up to Lawyer Qin. She tilted her head and looked him up and down before she said slowly, ¡°Lawyer Qin, Liang Meili, and Wen Dayou were important suspects in this case. Do you think they were the witnesses that I found?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who requested for them to testify in court?¡±

    ¡°Yes, why not? If you don¡¯t understand, you could taint the witness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she looked at Lawyer Qin¡¯s face, which had turned from red to white. She nced in the direction of Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, I advise you to tell me who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was. Otherwise, if you hide it for others, you would be the one in trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bowed to Qin Yaoguang as she whispered, ¡°¡­ Are you that selfless? If you tried so hard to protect her, it makes me even more curious about who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was. Was it worth it for you to go to jail and not reveal her real identity?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang stepped back in disgust and uttered coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t get so close to me. I feel sick just looking at you.¡±

    ¡°Yet you still gave birth to me? You must be sick of her mother,¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. Words like that wouldn¡¯t hurt her at all.

    At that moment, she felt that it was great that she didn¡¯t have her memories from before she was 12 years old.

    Without those memories, it meant that she didn¡¯t have any burden of the past.

    If she still remembered, she would probably have some longing and dependence for her mother¡¯s love, right?

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attitude would hurt her a lot. Would it even be her greatest weakness as an adult?

    Freud said that the character and behavior of an adult were all created when they were young.

    When you were still ignorant and insensible, your behavior and life experiences were almost fixed in the same direction.

    Gu Nianzhi had always felt that this statement was particrly irresponsible.

    All bad habits and mistakes were attributed to childhood experiences. It was the subconscious mind of some western adults who were cowardly and evasive.

    Lu Xun had said that a real warrior dared to face the bleak life and face the dripping blood.

    This was the main difference between the eastern and western attitudes towards life.

    Gu Nianzhi was, of course, a standard believer in the eastern attitude towards life.

    She looked at Qin Yaoguang, her hands sped behind her back, and smiled meaningfully, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, are you going to say it or not? To be, or not to be. This is a Hamlet-like problem¡­¡±

    Qin Yaoguang felt weightless as if she had stepped on-air and was falling from a height of 100,000 feet.

    Her heart sank to the bottom of the valley. She was surrounded by imprable walls. There was no light or sound in the room.

    She was alone in the darkness. She could not find a way out, nor could she see the direction.

    However, she could not scream or call for help. It was just like how she had observed the two-year-old Gu Nianzhi in the surveince video when she was locked up in the small dark room.

    She closed her eyes and felt dizzy. Her face had lost all color as she vaguely thought about how Gu Nianzhi had walked out of the locked room when she was only two years old. She had even smiled at her and raised her hand to call her ¡°Mommy¡± and allowed her to be hugged¡­

    What had she done?

    She pped her to the ground and used a machine to test her brain waves, electrocardiogram, pulse data, blood pressure, and the healing of her injuries.

    The fair and plump little girl was stunned by her p. She sat on the ground and looked at her in a daze. Her small lips were slightly open, and the corners of her mouth were cut. Blood seeped out from her lips.

    She was annoyed by her look and stepped forward to kicked her chest. She watched as her small body rolled under the table, hugged the corner of the table, and trembled. She would never climb out again.

    This little bitch deserved to stay in the dark, just like her hateful father. She was like a rat in a ditch that everyone wanted to beat up.

    Qin Yaoguang recalled the situation and gradually calmed down.

    Opening her eyes, Qin Yaoguang stared at Gu Nianzhi. She thought to herself, bad things never die. From the age of two to six, this little bitch had been beaten up by her for all sorts of physical experiments, toxicology experiments, and pathology experiments. In the end, she was still alive and well¡­

    And she grew up to look like this.

    Qin Yaoguang was angry, jealous, and hateful at the same time. She tried her best to hide her true emotions, and the expression on her face almost twisted.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Qin Yaoguang did not say a word, and felt that she had not expected this much.

    She rolled her eyes and walked back to Liang Meili, who was looking eagerly at Qin Yaoguang. She sighed calmly and told her, ¡°Ms. Liang Meili, don¡¯t expect Dean Qin Yaoguang to reveal the true identity of Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother.¡±

    ¡°I think Dean Qin Yaoguang would rather you tell the truth about the kidnapping case than telling you who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was. Then what were you waiting for? Tell me¡­¡±

    ¡°No, Dean Qin, as long as you tell me, I won¡¯t say anything!¡± Liang Meili still had some fantasies about Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to take drastic measures, ¡°¡­ Just stop asking. Dean Qin would take the secret to her grave. What did this mean? This meant that this biological mother must be a much better woman than you, so good that even someone of Dean Qin Yaoguang¡¯s status would protect her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s younger than you, prettier than you, has a better figure than you, is smarter than you, has a better career than you, is more capable than you, has a higher status than you, and is more powerful than you. She¡¯s a fair, rich, and beautiful woman. That¡¯s why your husband, Wen Dayou, was willing to give birth to a child with such a woman. He even adopted the child behind your back so that you could raise her like your own daughter!¡±

    ¡°Tsk, is there anything more malicious than this?!¡± Gu Nianzhi deliberately used the words that could pierce a woman¡¯s heart the most.

    This was especially true for women like Liang Meili, who were more traditional and did not read much. Men were their life.

    Although they had the ability and opportunity to live independently, their thoughts were not independent. They could only exist if they were attached to men.

    To Liang Meili, those words were like a nuclear bomb.

    Her rationality and emotions had been dealt an indescribable blow.

    Liang Meili¡¯s eyes gradually turned red.

    Her hands slowly clenched into fists as she walked out of her witness box.

    The female bailiff next to her wanted to stop her, but Gu Nianzhi reached out to stop her and calmly said, ¡°¡­ I would take full responsibility.¡±

    The female bailiff looked at the judge anxiously.

    The judge was also in a difficult position.

    Logically speaking, Liang Meili, as a suspect and witness, should not be allowed to walk freely in the courtroom.

    But Lawyer Gu had a special intention, to find out the truth of the case.

    Should he allow it, or not?

    The things involved in this case seemed to be only the tip of the iceberg¡­

    The judge thought for a moment, then silently lowered his head and carefully looked at the file in front of him. It seemed that many words had suddenly appeared there. He wished that he could take a magnifying ss to look at it.

    When the female bailiff saw that the judge did not respond but was looking at the file, she slowly stepped back.

    Since the judge did not express his opinion, she did not need to care.

    Besides, Liang Meili was just an ordinary woman. If she had done anything out of the ordinary, the bailiffs¡¯ tranquilizer guns would be useful.

    The female bailiffs put one hand on the holster at her waist and nodded at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and winked at her, thanking her for her help.

    By this time, Liang Meili was already in front of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s dock.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer, Lawyer Qin, stood up nervously and went in front of the dock. He pointed at Liang Meili and warned, ¡°What are you doing?! If you mess around, you would be getting extra charges!¡±

    Liang Meili¡¯s eyes were nk. She did not even look at Lawyer Qin who was blocking her way. With a strong wave of her arm, she pushed the tall and thin Lawyer Qin to the side.

    Liang Meili was a gardener and did manualbor. Although she was much older than Lawyer Qin, her physical strength was stronger even Lawyer Qin could notpare to her.

    Lawyer Qin red at Liang Meili but did not dare to stop her.

    At that moment, Liang Meili¡¯s mind was only filled with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shocking words.

    ¡°She¡¯s younger than you. She¡¯s prettier than you. She has a better figure than you. She¡¯s smarter than you. She¡¯s more capable than you in her career. She has a higher status than you. She¡¯s more powerful than you. She¡¯s a fair, rich, and beautiful woman. That¡¯s why your husband, Wen Dayou, was willing to have a child with such a woman. He even adopted the child behind your back so that you could raise her like your own daughter!¡±

    ¡°Tsk, is there anything more malicious than this?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had only said that to provoke Liang Meili to get on bad terms with Qin Yaoguang and expose the truth about the kidnapping eight years ago. So that she could clear her father¡¯s name, Gu Xiangwen who was also known as Lu Jin whose name was sullied by Qin Yaoguang.

    But what she didn¡¯t know was that Liang Meili took her words even deeper than most women could ept.

    She had even found an imaginary enemy for herself without a teacher!

    Liang Meili stretched out her arm while her entire body was trembling. She pointed at the impatient Qin Yaoguang and yelled, ¡°¡­ Was it you? Was it you?!¡±

    ¡°You are younger than me! More beautiful than me! Your figure is better than mine, your brain is smarter than mine, your career is more capable than mine, your status is higher than mine, and your power is greater than mine. You are truly a fair, rich, and beautiful woman. That¡¯s why my husband, Wen Dayou, was willing to give birth to a child with a woman like you! You even hid this child from me and adopted it back, making me raise her as if she was my daughter!¡±

    ¡°¡­ What could be more malicious than this?!¡±

    Liang Meili shouted. Her words were sincere, and her face was covered in tears and snot.

    The courtroom was silent. Even the judge, who had his head lowered and was reading the case file, could not help but looked up to see what was going on.

    Gu Nianzhi was also dumbfounded.

    What was going on?

    Even though she said those words, but she would never have thought that what she had said would make Liang Meili think of Qin Yaoguang!

    She looked at Wen Dayou, who held his head in his hands and looked unattractive. Then she looked at Qin Yaoguang, who was still beautiful despite her age. No matter what, she could not connect the two of them, let alone have a child together!

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously grabbed Liang Meili¡¯s arm and mocked, ¡°Ms. Liang Meili, you can¡¯t say that. Dean Qin Yaoguang may be vicious and corrupt, but she would never be your husband¡¯s mistress¡­¡±

    Ms. Liang Meili was too good at ttering her husband.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly ridiculed her.

    Unexpectedly, Liang Meili pushed Gu Nianzhi away and pointed at Qin Yaoguang as she continued, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you don¡¯t know. It must be her! I have evidence!¡±

    Evidence?!

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly energized.

    She was a very open-minded person.

    If there was something beyondmon sense, she would choose to believe it as long as it was based on facts, no matter how ridiculous it was.

    Most importantly, it had to be based on facts, and that was the real deal!

    This show was even more exciting than she had nned!

    She quickly changed her train of thought and immediately questioned, ¡°What facts? Ms. Liang Meili, could you tell me in detail? As long as what you said was true and supported by the facts, the judge would decide for you!¡±

    Liang Meili only needed this bit of encouragement at this time.

    Or perhaps these words and these doubts had been hidden in her heart for a long time.

    In the past, she probably felt that it was too unbelievable and chose not to believe it.

    At this time, she suddenly realized that her doubts had a practical basis!

    Wen Shouyi was standing in front of her, the best evidence of her doubts.

    Qin Yaoguang gritted her teeth.

    Liang Meili was unbelievable. How did shee up with this idea?!

    How could she be Wen Dayou¡¯s mistress?!

    Qin Yaoguang suddenly stood up and taunted, ¡°Liang Meili! Don¡¯t be crazy! I was your husband¡¯s mistress? I¡¯m not blind!¡±

    Her falling for Wen Dayou was the biggest joke in the world!

    Wen Dayou rushed over to pull Liang Meili away and chided, ¡°Stop talking! There¡¯s nothing between me and Dean Qin¡­ You crazy woman, you only know how to mull things over!¡±

    He raised his hand and pped her without hesitation.

    Liang Meili shrieked, ¡°There¡¯s nothing between the two of you?! Eight years ago, why did you sneak out to see her in the middle of the night without telling me?! And you said you didn¡¯t have an affair?!¡±

    ¡°I, I, I¡­ I was talking to Dean Qin about business!¡±

    ¡°Business my ass!¡± Liang Meili spat at Wen Dayou and turned to point at Qin Yaoguang. ¡°Eight years ago, you sneakily went to talk to my husband in the middle of the night and you thought I wouldn¡¯t know!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang did not expect Liang Meili to know about what had happened that year. At that time, she had gone to look for Wen Dayou to n the kidnapping of Gu Nianzhi. How could she be so dirty?!

    But she was tongue-tied and found that she could not find the right words to refute.

    She could onlyugh coldly, ¡°You must be dreaming. When did I talk to your husband in the middle of the night? Where¡¯s the evidence? Don¡¯t tell me what you said was the evidence!¡±

    ¡°I swear to God, everything I said was true!¡±

    Liang Meili did not have any concrete evidence. She had secretly seen it all those years ago. At that time, she did not think about recording or video it, but now Qin Yaoguang was saying it was just empty words.

    Liang Meili made up her mind and wanted to say it out loud, ¡°You didn¡¯t dare to enter the He residence so you looked for my husband and went out for coffee alone!¡±

    ¡°You asked us to help you kidnap Gu Nianzhi and said that as long as Gu Nianzhi was gone, my daughter, Wen Shouyi, could take her ce!¡±

    ¡°¡­ I must be blind! I believed you and that jerk!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by my daughter?! She¡¯s your daughter! And you wanted me to take the me for your daughter¡¯s future?! No way!¡±

 Chapter 1744 - Crossing The Line

    <h4>Chapter 1744: Crossing The Line</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin Yaoguang made up her mind and gritted her teeth, refusing to admit it. She sneered, ¡°Is there really now in this day and age? Letting this crazy woman fabricate facts out of thin air and ruin my reputation?¡±

    She stood up from behind the dock, her hands hanging by her side as she clenched them into fists, she said sternly, ¡°I, Qin Yaoguang, was admitted to the best university in all of China at the age of 16 with the best results in the imperial capital. After entering the university, I skipped grades one after another. At the age of 20, I received a master¡¯s degree and went abroad to study. At the age of 24, I received a double doctorate degree in biomedical science from Harvard University. After I returned to China, I established my own biological geneboratory and proposed the concept of ¡®gene editing¡¯, which started a revolution in biological gene research.¡±

    ¡°After returning to China, I worked as a brain surgeon in Qin¡¯s private hospital. For decades, I performed brain surgery on countless patients and saved many of them who were on the brink of death.¡±

    ¡°Who did you think I am? A semi-illiterate woman who didn¡¯t graduate from middle school and dropped out to learn how to grow flowers?¡±

    ¡°You treated this man like a treasure, to me, he¡¯s no different from a passerby!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang said passionately as she looked in the direction of He Chengjian, ¡°I, Qin Yaoguang, have only loved one person in my entire life, and only him. That is my ex-fianc¨¦, also my ex-husband, General He Chengjian. No matter what conflicts I have with him, even if we were no longer together, the only person who could resonate with my heart is him!¡±

    Everyone could not help but look at He Chengjian, who was still handsome and powerful. Then, they looked at Wen Dayou, the humble gardener, who could not even straighten his back. All of them were biased towards Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words.

    That¡¯s right. How could she be interested in Wen Dayou?

    Even if Qin Yaoguang wanted to keep a man, she had a lot of choices.

    From a middle-aged man with a lingering charm to a fresh and handsome young man, she could have everything she wanted.

    Wen Dayou was only fit to be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s gardener.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mood gradually improved when she saw everyone looking at Liang Meili suspiciously.

    To be honest, the thought of her having an affair with Wen Dayou made her feel disgusted.

    How could she be interested in Wen Dayou?!

    ¡°So if you were finding the mistress, please look elsewhere. Don¡¯t be used by someone who has ulterior motives and sullies my reputation,¡± Qin Yaoguang pointed and cursed. She nced at Gu Nianzhi.

    Liang Meili was tongue-tied by her words, but she refused to give up. She shouted, ¡°Then why did you look for my husband in the middle of the night eight years ago?! I don¡¯t believe that you guys were really drinking coffee!¡±

    ¡°When did I look for your husband?¡± Qin Yaoguang denied tly, ¡°It¡¯s really baffling. Provide evidence, don¡¯t use your imagination and make a fool of yourself.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer, Lawyer Qin, also stood up and said with a straight face, ¡°Ms. Liang Meili, as Ms. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer, I have to warn you that you could be sentenced to imprisonment of not more than five years and a fine of ten million dors for civil ims.¡±

    Liang Meili was so angry that blue veins popped out on her neck, ¡°I¡¯m not lying! I¡¯m not spreading rumors! She went to look for my husband¡­¡±

    ¡°Looking for your husband, being your husband¡¯s mistress, and having children with your husband werepletely different concepts. Ms. Liang Meili, I think you should understand that my client is a scientist and brain surgery expert who is famous both at home and abroad. What about your husband? Did he graduate from high school? Or did he go to college?¡±

    Lawyer Qin¡¯s face was full of undisguised disdain, ¡°You¡¯re overstepping your boundaries!¡±

    ¡°Liang Meili, admit that you were misled, and I won¡¯t hold you responsible.¡± Qin Yaoguang pped her in the face, ¡°It¡¯s just that some people think they could do whatever they want just because they¡¯rewyers, but they¡¯ve got the wrong idea!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang narrowed her eyes at Gu Nianzhi, almost unable to hide her embarrassment and anger.

    Wen Dayou rushed over again and tugged at Liang Meili, ¡°You shrew! Come here!¡±

    Liang Meili was almost scared out of her wits when she saw Wen Dayou scolding her and wanting to hit her, while Qin Yaoguang stood at the side and watched her make a fool of herself. She was filled with grief, she roared angrily, ¡°So what if you¡¯re a scientist! You cheated! You fooled around with my husband! You had an illegitimate daughter from an affair!¡±

    She pounced on Qin Yaoguang, grabbed her hair, and pped her a few times.

    The female marshal who was staring at Liang Meili was shocked. She didn¡¯t expect this seemingly honest woman to dare to fight in court.

    ¡°Stop it! Stop right there!¡± The female bailiff quickly rushed over and grabbed Liang Meili¡¯s arm from behind.

    The other two male bailiffs also rushed over and grabbed Wen Dayou, preventing him from pouncing over and hitting Liang Meili.

    Seeing this, Gu Nianzhi also walked over and pretended to save Qin Yaoguang from Liang Meili¡¯s ¡®Iron ws¡¯ She grabbed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hair from behind and yanked it hard, pulling out a bunch of hair and holding it in her hand.

    She yelled at Qin Yaoguang, ¡°What were you arguing about?! Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re a scientist?! If you were, then stop talking nonsense and use your DNA!¡±

    She then turned and pointed at Wen Shouyi, whose face was as white as paper, ¡°¡­ Does it have anything to do with whether you¡¯re her biological mother, whether you¡¯re a doctor, or whether you¡¯re a scientist?!¡±

    ¡°Test the DNA directly! Test the direct rtionship! It¡¯s obvious at a nce!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so simple to test the direct rtionship in modern society. You¡¯re wasting everyone¡¯s time by spouting nonsense!¡±

    The court fell into a strange silence once more.

    Everyone had fallen into the illusion that the two of them didn¡¯t match at all. Very few people thought of DNA testing.

    No matter how they looked at it, Qin Yaoguang and Wen Dayou did not look like people who would bear a child together.

    He Zhichu curled his lips slightly and gave Gu Nianzhi a thumbs up from the spectator stand.

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of it and smiled at him.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng were sitting at the back of the crowd. When they saw this scene from afar, they both scoffed at the same time.

    After Lu Jin finished mocking, he realized that Huo Shaoheng was also mocking him. He turned to look at him and frowned, ¡°What were you sneering at? Were you dissatisfied with my daughter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched and he said slowly, ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll mock whatever you mocked.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at him suspiciously for a while and muttered, ¡°¡­ Both of them were staring at my daughter like wolves.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kept quiet.

    ¡­

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s flushed face instantly lost all color and she almost copsed in her seat.

    She gritted her teeth so hard that the people around her could almost hear the sound of her teeth chattering.

    No one knew whether she was scared or humiliated by her appearance.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s leadwyer was dumbfounded. After a while, he finally eximed, ¡°This is ridiculous! Does Lawyer Gu believed that my client was having an affair with Wen Dayou¡­ The gardener?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remained calm, ¡°I don¡¯t care if they were having an affair or not. I just want to know who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was. If it¡¯s Qin Yaoguang, then Liang Meili was telling the truth!¡±

    She took a step forward and spoke even more harshly, ¡°It meant that eight years ago, I was kidnapped from the He family by Wen Dayou and Liang Meili under Qin Yaoguang¡¯s orders!¡±

    ¡°If Qin Yaoguang is Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother, then she had a motive to act. In other words, she wants to make room for her biological daughter!¡±

    Lawyer Qin was puzzled, ¡°¡­ This was a motive? But you are also my client¡¯s biological daughter. Why would she kidnap another biological daughter for the sake of another biological daughter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    Yes, why?

    But she quickly came back to her senses. She would not be led around by others.

    Gu Nianzhi retorted, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Did you not know that parents are biased?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re both biological parents. Some people use their daughters to subsidize their sons, and they want their rich children to subsidize their poor children. Some biological parents dote on the older ones and not the younger ones or vice versa.¡±

    ¡°There were so many weird parents out there. Why can¡¯t Qin Yaoguang torture another biological daughter for the sake of one biological daughter?¡±

    The more Gu Nianzhi spoke, the more reasonable she became, ¡°Of course, you could only ask Qin Yaoguang yourself what the reason was.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was as pale as a ghost. Her pupils were dark, but her eyes were red. In addition, her messy ck hair hung by the side of her face, made her look like a medieval vampire.

    She waved her hand and said weakly, ¡°No, I¡¯m against DNA testing. I did biological gic research and DNA testing doesn¡¯t prove anything.¡±

    ¡°Are you freaking kidding me?!¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help and almost swear in English.

    ¡°DNA testing doesn¡¯t prove immediate family ties? You set this standard on the spot? Unfortunately, the internationally recognized standard is still DNA!¡± Gu Nianzhi stretched out her hand, in her palm was the hair that she had pulled from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s head, ¡°This is Ms. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hair. Everyone saw me pull it from her head with their own eyes.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lips trembled violently. She looked at Gu Nianzhi as if she was looking at the Devil. Finally, her eyes rolled back and she faintedpletely.

    Her leadwyer, Lawyer Qin, quickly helped her up and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, please don¡¯t put more psychological pressure on my client. Otherwise, we would request for a new trial date.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him lightly and said calmly, ¡°Lawyer Qin, does that mean I can¡¯t ask her anything? Your client is so fragile, but she could experiment on a two-year-old child.¡±

    ¡°A two-year-old child has grown up strong and overcame psychological trauma and stress, but she became a ss princess. The wind could blow her into pieces, right?¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Gu, you need to have evidence when you speak! What do you mean by using a two-year-old child as an experiment?! You have to be more reliable with your nonsense!¡± Lawyer Qin was furious at Gu Nianzhi, he only felt that this youngdy was particrly fond of speaking without evidence. It was as if she was telling the truth when there was no evidence.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted, ¡°That¡¯s one thing. Today¡¯s trial was a kidnapping case from eight years ago. When this case is over, I would show you Qin Yaoguang¡¯s evidence of using a two-year-old child as an experiment!¡±

    She ignored Lawyer Qin and walked up to the judge¡¯s bench. She spread her palms and said to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, I¡¯ll hand them over to the court now. I hope the court would do the DNA test at the militaryb.¡±

    The judge looked at her deeply and rapped his gavel, ¡°Bring Lawyer Gu¡¯s evidence over.¡±

    A female bailiff came over with a transparent stic bag containing the evidence. She wore white stic gloves and carefully took Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hair from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. She put it into the transparent stic bag.

    The judge immediately dered, ¡°As the prosecution had found new evidence today, this Court announces that after the results of the DNA test, the trial will be rescheduled.¡±

 Chapter 1745 - As Far Away As Possible

    <h4>Chapter 1745: As Far Away As Possible</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Because the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital was too powerful, Gu Nianzhi chose to have the militaryboratory do a DNA test so that it could be used as legal evidence in court.

    Of course, she would also have Lu Jin test it so that she could have a good idea. However, Lu Jin¡¯s test could not be used as legal evidence without a legal source.

    There were not many organizations that were qualified to test the DNA of their immediate rtives and could be epted as evidence by the court.

    The militaryboratory was one of them.

    Gu Nianzhi also believed in He Chengjian and He Zhichu¡¯s abilities.

    Once they realized the source of the danger, they would not hesitate to cut off their hands.

    Therefore, only the militaryboratory could guarantee that the test results were most likely correct and legal.

    ¡­

    After the judge left the courtroom, Qin Yaoguang was carried out by the bailiffs to the infirmary for an examination.

    Her huge legal team followed her in a sh.

    Wen Shouyi sat alone on the other side of the witness stand. She had a wooden face and was expressionless. It waspletely different from her usual smiling face.

    When the Qin family walked past her, they didn¡¯t know how to face her.

    Initially, they still had some opinions about her suddennding and bing the executive director of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital. However, after listening to the trial today, they did not know what to say.

    One by one, they walked past her. At most, they only nced at her. No one spoke to her and greeted her. No one even maintained their previous hypocritical courtesy.

    Liang Meili and Wen Dayou were escorted back to the detention center by the bailiffs.

    When they passed Wen Shouyi, Wen Dayou stopped to take a look at her. He wanted to say a few words, but he didn¡¯t know where to start.

    Liang Meili felt extremely ufortable. Although she knew it wasn¡¯t Wen Shouyi¡¯s fault, she still couldn¡¯t treat her as her daughter anymore.

    However, when she nced at Wen Shouyi and thought of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance, she couldn¡¯t help but shake her head, thinking that she had made a mistake?

    If Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang were rted, they didn¡¯t look alike at all¡­

    Then Wen Shouyi must look like her father, Wen Dayou.

    However, Wen Shouyi only had a nose that looked more like her father. Who else did she look like in other parts of her face?

    Liang Meili muttered to herself as she left the courtroom before Wen Dayou.

    In order not to be seen by He Chengjian and He Zhichu, Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng left the courtroom among the Qin family members.

    After they left, only Gu Nianzhi, He Zhichu, He Chengjian, and Xie Qingying were left in the courtroom.

    He Chengjian walked up to Gu Nianzhi and said ruefully, ¡°Nianzhi, you were amazing. You opened our eyes today!¡±

    ¡°Major General He, you ttered me,¡± Gu Nianzhi picked up her briefcase and said with a smile. ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s DNA is being tested in the militaryb. I hope Major General He could keep an eye on the militaryb to ensure that the test results are urate and confidential.¡±

    ¡°My personal secretary would keep an eye on this matter personally.¡± He Chengjian assured Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the test results would be urate and will be handed directly to the court.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Major General He,¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled at He Zhichu, who was standing next to He Chengjian. ¡°Mr. He, please help out. After thewsuit is over, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner.¡±

    When she said, ¡°treat you to a meal¡± she also included Xie Qingying.

    Xie Qingying was seated between He Chengjian and He Zhichu when she was listening in from the side. Now, she was standing behind He Zhichu.

    When she heard Gu Nianzhi say this, she stuck her head out and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Lawyer Gu.¡±

    She praised her, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you were imposing in yourwsuit. You would win!¡±

    However, even if she won, it was awsuit against her mother. Xie Qingying felt that she had mentioned the wrong thing and quickly responded, ¡°I would be leaving first. I¡¯ll wait for Mr. He and Uncle He outside.¡±

    He Chengjian waved at her, ¡°Qingying, you and Zhichu go first. I have something to say to Nianzhi.¡±

    He Zhichu gave Gu Nianzhi a deep look and turned to leave with Xie Qingying.

    Gu Nianzhi and He Chengjian were the only two people left in the courtroom.

    He Chengjian¡¯s guards and the personal secretary looked at them from afar, taking the opportunity to be on alert.

    In the empty courtroom, even breathing seemed to echo.

    However, He Chengjian¡¯s voice was even softer.

    He asked softly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you think that your mother, Qin Yaoguang, and Wen Dayou gave birth to Wen Shouyi?¡±

    He Chengjian said solemnly, ¡°I could prove that you were the first child Qin Yaoguang gave birth to. She can¡¯t give birth to Wen Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°Why did you say that?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked calmly, wanting to know more about the truth of the past.

    ¡°The year Wen Shouyi was born, I remembered that she spent most of her time researching the imperial capital and had never seen her pregnant before. It waspletely different from six yearster when she was pregnant and gave birth to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I only believe in DNA evidence,¡± Gu Nianzhi thought about it seriously, ¡°I¡¯m very happy that humans have mastered biological gic technology and could urately verify the human¡¯s immediate family rtionship. As for how they gave birth, I don¡¯t care.¡±

    He Chengjian always felt that Gu Nianzhi had a hidden meaning behind her words.

    But he hadn¡¯t thought about it for a while.

    At this time, he was also certain that the person who had nned to kidnap Nianzhi eight years ago was Qin Yaoguang, even though he couldn¡¯t understand why she had done it.

    He had never stopped Qin Yaoguang and Gu Xiangwen, nor had he forbidden them from seeing Nianzhi.

    On the contrary, he had specifically told them that they could visit Nianzhi at any time.

    The He family¡¯s door was always open to them.

    Qin Yaoguang was a ssic example of someone who wouldn¡¯t leave through the door but insisted on jumping over the wall and going down the wrong path.

    When Gu Nianzhi turned to leave, she saw He Chengjian furrowing his brows tightly, still pondering her words.

    She couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°¡­ Modern science became so advanced that artificial insemination was already a very mature technology. The sperm and egg cells werebined to form a fertilized egg, which is then transnted into the womb and imnted into the bed, and a child could be born.¡±

    She paused, then continued, ¡°If the fertilized egg of Qin Yaoguang and Wen Dayou is transnted into the womb of another woman, Wen Shouyi could still be born. Moreover, her DNA data will show that she and Qin Yaoguang are mother and daughter, and not the surrogate mother.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s brows rxed as he suddenly realized something, ¡°You¡¯re saying that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s egg cells were artificially inseminated with Wen Dayou¡¯s sperm before being born to the surrogate mother?¡±

    ¡°If you insist that Qin Yaoguang did not give birth to a child before giving birth to me, and Wen Shouyi is her direct rtive, then this would be the only answer.¡±

    ¡°But why would she do that? Why would shebine her egg cells with Wen Dayou¡¯s sperm?¡± He Chengjian was very confused, or perhaps a little uneasy.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, and I don¡¯t care,¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Major General He, if you¡¯re interested, you could ask Qin Yaoguang directly. I think Qin Yaoguang treats you differently and might tell you the truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked to the door and didn¡¯t turn back. She continued, ¡°If you want to ask her, please also ask her why she kidnapped me eight years ago and framed my father.¡±

    He Chengjian kept quiet.

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t ask Qin Yaoguang personally. After Qin Yaoguang woke up, she had immediately asked hiswyer to bring a letter to see him, but he had rejected it.

    He was an extremely suspicious person, to begin with.

    Qin Yaoguang was able to let his guard down and even married her because Qin Yaoguang did not have any selfish motives all these years. Other than doing her medical and gic research, she took care of He Zhichu¡¯s body and poured her heart and soul into his health.

    The Qin family had never disobeyed He Chengjian and harmed the interests of the country.

    That was why he had allowed them to grow.

    But now, starting with the infrasound weapon, the Qin family had begun to tease He Chengjian about the things he could not stand the most.

    Not only had the court today proved that Qin Yaoguang was the mastermind behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s kidnapping eight years ago, but she had also suddenly appeared as an ¡°illegitimate daughter¡±. How could He Chengjian continue to believe her?

    Strictly speaking, Gu Nianzhi was also an ¡°illegitimate daughter¡± because Qin Yaoguang and Gu Xiangwen had never been married.

    However, in He Chengjian¡¯s heart, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity was aboveboard and could not bepared to Wen Shouyi, who had no idea how she had been born.

    And once He Chengjian became suspicious, he would think very far ahead, very deeply.

    ¡­

    He walked out of the courtroom and got into his bulletproof car. He Chengjian realized that He Zhichu was the only one there.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Qingying?¡±

    ¡°She left first,¡± He Zhichu closed the window. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    He was in a good mood, but He Chengjian was in a bad mood.

    No matter who it was, they wouldn¡¯t be in a good mood if they found out that the person they used to sleep with had a face that he wasn¡¯t familiar with.

    ¡°Dad, I would be going to the militaryb in the next few days and personally watch them conduct the tests,¡± He Zhichu had made up his mind to help Gu Nianzhi secure this important piece of evidence.

    ¡°Okay,¡± He Chengjian answered lightly and closed his tired eyes. He told his personal secretary, ¡°Investigate the medical experiments that the United Nations Poption Fund had done in our country, especially the coboration projects from more than 20 years ago. Also¡­¡±

    He Chengjian thought for a moment, ¡°Call Speaker Long and Prime Minister Xie separately. Tell them that I don¡¯t agree to continue the coboration with the United Nations Poption Fund on pharmaceutical research in biological genes. Tell them to pack up and get lost, as far away as possible!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    ¡­

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her apartment, Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng came up to her.

    ¡°My daughter was so amazing!¡± Lu Jin was the first to walk up to her with open arms, wanting to hug her.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed him away with one hand and said bluntly, ¡°Dad, did you already know who Wen Shouyi was?¡±

 Chapter 1746 - One Of The "Very Few"

    <h4>Chapter 1746: One Of The ¡°Very Few¡±</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Lu Jin blinked his eyes and stretched out his arm, stopping in front of Gu Nianzhi. He did not seem to realize what Gu Nianzhi was asking.

    Gu Nianzhi repeated, ¡°Dad, did you already know who Wen Shouyi was?¡±

    What she meant was, did Lu Jin already know who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was.

    Lu Jin had already told Gu Nianzhi during the DNA test that Wen Shouyi was Wen Dayou¡¯s biological daughter and not Liang Meili¡¯s.

    How could an adopted child be rted to the adoptive father?

    This result was already shocking enough, but there were even more shocking things waiting for Gu Nianzhi in court today.

    To be honest, Gu Nianzhi had thought that Wen Shouyi was the illegitimate daughter of a certain woman in the Qin family, but she had never thought that Wen Shouyi would be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s illegitimate daughter!

    Not only did the two of them not look alike at all, but Qin Yaoguang had always been proud of herself and had only fallen in love with He Chengjian for so many years.

    She had been able to hold out for so long and finally married He Chengjian after Qin Suwen had passed away more than ten years ago. She had relied on this pure persistence and waiting.

    However, this perseverance and waiting had be aplete joke in front of Wen Shouyi, the ¡°illegitimate daughter¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. Her dark jade-like eyes stared at Lu Jin without moving. She did not allow him to dodge, nor did she allow him to talk about himself.

    Huo Shaoheng said leisurely, ¡°... Would Uncle know?¡±

    Lu Jin only regained his senses when he heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice. He immediately grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and said nervously, ¡°Nianzhi, I didn¡¯t know who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was!¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯d believe that?¡± Gu Nianzhi pushed Lu Jin¡¯s hand away and took a step back. She was standing right next to Huo Shaoheng, who was standing diagonally behind her.

    The handsome man and beautiful woman stood together formed a beautiful scenery, illuminating the dark living room at dusk.

    Lu Jin felt as if his heart had been scratched by a kitten¡¯s paw. It hurt, but it could also be bleeding, but he couldn¡¯t get angry at her.

    Lu Jin took a deep breath, scratched his head, and started to exin. ¡°Nianzhi, be reasonable. How would I know who Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother was?¡±

    ¡°I also helped you test her direct rtives with Wen Dayou and Liang Meili this time, and only then did I know that she wasn¡¯t adopted, but was Wen Dayou¡¯s child from an affair. Where could I test her mother¡¯s DNA?!¡±

    This logic seemed very strong.

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and asked in confusion, ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi was the gardener¡¯s adopted daughter. Why would I think of anywhere else? There¡¯s no reason as to why would I want to test her DNA?¡± Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi with a wronged expression, ¡°From the beginning to the end, she was only the gardener¡¯s adopted daughter to me. I never paid special attention to her.¡±

    ¡°But sheter took my ce and entered the He family...¡± Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and pped with one foot on the ground. She looked aloof.

    Lu Jin lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong in front of his only daughter and confessed, ¡°At that time, I was wanted. I changed my identity and hid with Boss Lu. As for the He family, we only paid attention to He Chengjian and He Zhichu. We never paid attention to her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s different from you.¡±

    From the age of six to twelve, Gu Nianzhi had grown up under the meticulous care of the He family. She was the little princess of the He family. The servants also knew that she was He Zhichu¡¯s fianc¨¦e and the future mistress of the He family, so they respected her very much.

    Gu Nianzhi was by He Zhichu¡¯s side, and he took care of her carefully.

    Wen Shouyi had entered the He family home after Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance. She was already 18 years old, she was more like a nanny beside He Zhichu as she took care of the chores around him.

    Therefore, Wen Shouyi took care of He Zhichu carefully when she was in the He family.

    From this, it could be seen that Wen Shouyi¡¯s position in the He family waspletely different from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position in the He family at that time.

    It was understandable that Lu Jin did not pay too much attention to a ¡°nanny¡±.

    Moreover, He Chengjian had also sent people to monitor Wen Shouyi at that time. On one hand, he was worried about Wen Shouyi and wanted to examine her. On the other hand, he was also protecting He Zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about Lu Jin¡¯s exnation and had to admit what he said made a lot of sense.

    ¡°In that case, you only found out today that Wen Shouyi¡¯s mother might be Qin Yaoguang?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was stern as she handed Lu Jin a few strands of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hair that she had left behind, ¡°Then you could test it again. These are Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hair.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and quickly took the hair. He smiled fawningly and said, ¡°I would look into it right away! Immediately!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to see Lu Jin like this.

    She put down her arms and mumbled, ¡°Dad, my attitude just now wasn¡¯t the best. Please scold me...¡±

    ¡°No, no, you were fine. It was dad¡¯s fault...¡± Lu Jin was worried to death. ¡°Nianzhi, be good. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Don¡¯t apologize. My daughter won¡¯t do anything wrong...¡±

    At this moment, he was somewhat d that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t grow up by the side of this crazy father who spoiled his daughter. Otherwise, he really wouldn¡¯t know how much she would have been spoiled...

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to have heard his thoughts. She nced at him from the corner of her eyes, snorted twice, and wrapped her arms around Lu Jin¡¯s. She beamed and said, ¡°I only want my father to stand on my side indiscriminately. Father, I¡¯ll always love you the most!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet words had always been very powerful.

    Even Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t handle it sometimes.

    Moreover, it was Lu Jin, who had always doted on his daughter for her good.

    When he left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and went back to hisb to do the test, his face was flushed, as if he had drunk 150 grams of Moutai...

    After Lu Jin left, Gu Nianzhi closed the door and saw Huo Shaoheng standing next to her.

    She suddenly felt tired and leaned against the door.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a while before walking over and supported the back of her neck with one hand. He wrapped his other hand around her waist and lowered his head to kiss her.

    Gu Nianzhi was pressed tightly into his warm and strong embrace, drawing strength from his kiss.

    Huo Shaoheng was unusually hard, but his lips were very soft. When they kissed, the touch of their lips could almost make one¡¯s soul tremble.

    After giving her a few hard kisses, Huo Shaoheng carried her in his arms and walked to the sofa to sit down. He held her in his arms and half-pressed her against his body. He held the side of her face with one hand and leaned against her head. As he spoke, he pecked her cheek gently.

    ¡°... Did you feel bad?¡± He whispered in her ear.

    ¡°Felt bad about what?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at him in confusion.

    Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°... When you know that your mother treats Wen Shouyi better than you.¡±

    They were both her daughters, why would she favor one child over the other?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were half-closed, and her soft voice was as soft as a whisper, ¡°... A little.¡±

    She didn¡¯t care about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ¡°motherly love¡± but when she knew that she was the one who had been abandoned, she couldn¡¯t remain calm.

    Only Huo Shaoheng could sense the subtle changes in her emotions.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, you have me,¡± Huo Shaoheng kissed her lips little by little. His kiss was like a dragonfly skimming the water, or a feather gently pping in the breeze,forting Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hurt feelings.

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped her arms around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and whispered, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t understand why she wanted to rece me with Wen Shouyi. I don¡¯t believe a word of it. She wanted Wen Shouyi to rece me for Wen Shouyi¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also her biological daughter. She doesn¡¯t like me, but the He family liked me and treated me well. Even from a profit point of view, she shouldn¡¯t have let Wen Shouyi rece me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment, ¡°... Do you mean that Qin Yaoguang might have other intentions?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly sat up and pulled Gu Nianzhi up as well.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if she had no bones at all. As soon as he pulled her up, shezily went from lying on the sofa to lying on Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp.

    His legs were as hard as steel. Gu Nianzhi did not feelfortable lying on them, but she felt more at ease than lying on the armrest of the sofa.

    Huo Shaoheng caressed her hair and started to think as well.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly exined her analysis, ¡°The Qin Yaoguang I knew is an extremely selfish person. The most selfless thing she had ever done in her life was probably her love for Major General He and saving He Zhichu.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s not selfless. Think about what kind of person Major General He was. Qin Yaoguang saved He Zhichu and look at how much the Qin family has benefited from the He family. Do you think she saved him selflessly? I¡¯m afraid He Zhichu himself doesn¡¯t think so.¡±

    She suddenly opened her eyes. Her dark jade-like pupils were extremely dark but also extremely bright, ¡°Didn¡¯t that mean that Qin Yaoguang is an extremely selfish person? She saved He Zhichu because she wanted Major General He to see her in a different light and would never be able to drive her away from him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and ran his other hand through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair, ¡°From a man¡¯s point of view, Qin Yaoguang was indeed very capable. She had high status, ability, and medical skills. She could even save Major General He¡¯s only son.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not clingy and doesn¡¯t ask for anything in return. She was willing to do anything to help him when he needed her. Not to mention, she even gave birth to a daughter to save his son.¡±

    ¡°Few men could resist a woman like her. Even if they don¡¯t like her, it doesn¡¯t stop them from being friends.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes when she heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s conclusion, ¡°You think Qin Yaoguang is good too?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡± Huo Shaoheng saw that she was about to go crazy, so he calmly ¡°smoothed out¡± her hair, ¡°I said that very few men could resist her, and I happened to be one of the ¡®very few¡¯.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted tough again. Her eyes were curved, and she said with a smile, ¡°You know how to tter yourself. What I want to say was that Qin Yaoguang sessfully deflected everyone¡¯s focus.¡±

    ¡°Everyone seemed to have subconsciously thought that Qin Yaoguang ordered Wen Dayou and Liang Meili to kidnap me because of her other daughter, Wen Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°But my focus was not on whether Qin Yaoguang was biased or not. Instead, I had a feeling that she ordered Wen Dayou and Liang Meili to kidnap me eight years ago from the He family for some other purpose.¡±

    ¡°She said she wanted Wen Shouyi to rece me, but she was just trying to trick the Wen couple.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused, ¡°She had another motive?¡±

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded affirmatively. ¡°Do you think my father knew the real reason why Qin Yaoguang ordered someone to kidnap me eight years ago?¡±

 Chapter 1747 - Dont Spout Nonsense

    <h4>Chapter 1747: Don¡¯t Spout Nonsense</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it carefully and said, ¡°That might be possible. Think about it. He sessfully stole from Qin Yaoguang eight years ago. He must know something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up and eximed. ¡°I remembered dad saying that he took me from the airport! I think it was an international flight! He must know where Qin Yaoguang was taking me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, ¡°... An international airport? Was she trying to smuggle you out of the country? You have to ask your father which country the international flight was going to. Only by knowing this can we infer Qin Yaoguang¡¯s true purpose.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go and ask now!¡± Gu Nianzhi jumped up from the sofa and ran towards the door.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi running away, speechless. He thought to himself, isn¡¯t this what you call shooting yourself in the foot?

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi tiptoed to Lu Jin¡¯sboratory.

    Lu Jin was sitting alone in front of the instrument table in the middle of theboratory equipment that was shing with post-modern silver stainless steel. He stared nkly in front of him.

    The DNA testing instrument was running, so he didn¡¯t have to stare at the instrument all the time.

    However, it was rare to see someone sitting in a daze like this.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little surprised, but she didn¡¯t show it. She knocked on the door quietly and beamed, ¡°Dad!¡±

    Lu Jin jolted back to his senses and turned to see Gu Nianzhi standing by the door smiling. His eyes lit up, ¡°Nianzhi! You¡¯re here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked in with a smile and said, ¡°Dad, what do you want for dinner? I¡¯ll get Mr. Peter to prepare it.¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips, ¡°What could he even make? He might as well go to a hotel and order.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter, ¡°Sure, whatever dad says. I¡¯ll get him to order from a hotel.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Lu Jin was amused by Gu Nianzhi and was in a great mood. He pulled her to the ergonomic chair in theb and assured her with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the DNA data will be out soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and sighed, ¡°Dad, did you think Qin Yaoguang is Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother? I didn¡¯t expect her to have an ¡®illegitimate daughter¡¯ before she gave birth to me.¡±

    ¡°It is ttering to call her an ¡®illegitimate daughter¡¯,¡± Lu Jin disagreed. ¡°Qin Yaoguang only contributed one egg cell.¡±

    ¡°You knew that Qin Yaoguang did not give birth to her personally?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Lu Jin¡¯s words were more believable than He Chengjian¡¯s, ¡°Back then, we spent at least ten hours a day in the sameb. Qin Yaoguang stayed up all night doing experiments every day. How could she have the time to get pregnant and give birth? Moreover, she had never gotten pregnant before.¡±

    ¡°No wonder,¡± Gu Nianzhi understood. She leaned back on the ergonomic chair and sighed, ¡°No wonder no one suspected Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi¡¯s rtionship all these years.¡±

    They lookedpletely different and had different ways of doing things. Their personalities were worlds apart.

    If Liang Meili hadn¡¯t been brooding over the fact that Qin Yaoguang had secretly looked for Wen Dayou eight years ago and insisted that Qin Yaoguang was Wen Dayou¡¯s ¡°mistress¡±, no one would have thought that Wen Shouyi had anything to do with Qin Yaoguang.

    And they wouldn¡¯t have bothered to verify their immediate family rtionship.

    Because the two of them looked too different.

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and stole a nce at Gu Nianzhi. He said in a low voice, ¡°If Wen Shouyi is Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Just throw it away,¡± Gu Nianzhi joked, Lu Jin looked a little nervous and Gu Nianzhi quicklyforted him. ¡°I just wanted Liang Meili to testify against Qin Yaoguang. Now that I¡¯ve achieved my goal, I don¡¯t care about anything else. Do you think that I would be sad because Qin Yaoguang treats Wen Shouyi better than me?¡±

    Lu Jin stared at her and emphasized, ¡°You don¡¯t care? Nianzhi, you need to tell me the truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was touched as she held Lu Jin¡¯s hand. It turned out that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed the change in her mood. It wasn¡¯t as if her father didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°So what if I do? And what if I don¡¯t?¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°I wished Qin Yaoguang wasn¡¯t my mother, but she is. Wen Shouyi might be my half-sister now. What could I do? Do I have to give up my life because of this? I¡¯ll just make do with it.¡±

    Lu Jin opened his mouth but quickly suppressed the thought.

    If he did say it, the consequences would be too severe. Not only would Qin Yaoguang go crazy, but there would also be another person who would scare him if he went nuts.

    He could not predict what these two lunatics would do.

    Would his daughter be like him, living in fear of hiding for the rest of her life?

    Moreover, he believed that if everything about Gu Nianzhi was exposed by Qin Yaoguang, there would be more people chasing after Gu Nianzhi than him.

    The Huaxia Empire would not only look for her, but other countries would also target her.

    Was he going to let his daughter be a ¡°guinea pig¡± again?

    Then what was the point of him living?

    Lu Jin lowered his head and said in a low voice, ¡°... Even a desperate dog would jump over a wall. You have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Gu Nianzhi replied in a rxed mood.

    Ever since she had met Huo Shaoheng, she no longer had that kind of deep-rooted fear.

    Because she knew that Huo Shaoheng would protect her.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered her purpose foring here. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and she smiled, ¡°Dad, do you think that a cold-blooded woman like Qin Yaoguang would kidnap me for Wen Shouyi?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised that she would do anything,¡± Lu Jin smiled slyly. ¡°You can¡¯t use a normal person¡¯s mind to figure out a crazy woman¡¯s thoughts.¡±

    ¡°But I always felt that she was such a selfish person. How could she offend the He family, especially Major General He, for a daughter that she had never taken care of? It¡¯s not logical.¡±

    Lu Jin listened quietly.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from the ergonomic chair and crossed her arms as she paced around Lu Jin¡¯sb. She said thoughtfully, ¡°Dad, how did you know they were taking me to the airport eight years ago? Also, which country were they taking me to?¡±

    He could answer this question.

    Lu Jin immediately replied, ¡°I was monitoring the He family at the time and identally discovered this plot against you. I nned to y along and take you away from the He family. You also know that I... couldn¡¯t openly go to the He family to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°How did you find out about their n?¡±

    ¡°I found out that Qin Yaoguang was the one who targeted you and tried to eavesdrop on her and got to know about their n.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled and quickly asked, ¡°Then where were they sending me?¡±

    ¡°Of course they were sending you...¡± Lu Jin was about to say something when he suddenly understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions. He quickly swallowed the words that were about toe out of his mouth and red at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. What¡¯s the use of asking these questions?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where they¡¯re sending you. The important thing was that they didn¡¯t seed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and her expression became calm, ¡°Dad, so Qin Yaoguang had another motive, right? What about letting Wen Shouyi take my ce? It was just a pretense to trick Wen Dayou and Liang Meili into working for her, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Her motive was to send me out of the country and into someone else¡¯s hands. What did she want to do? Was there anything on me that¡¯s worth taking such a risk for?¡±

    ¡°... Was it still my genes? She still wanted to use me as an experiment?!¡± Gu Nianzhi walked up to Lu Jin and looked down at him, slowly clenching her fists.

    Lu Jin did not expect Gu Nianzhi to guess her motive so urately based on her understanding of Qin Yaoguang.

    Hundreds of thoughts ran through his mind in an instant, trying to figure out how to answer Gu Nianzhi without arousing too much suspicion.

    His daughter¡¯s insight was as terrifying as The Committee of State Security (KGB), the Soviet KGB.

    Lu Jin shrunk his neck in fear and smiled sheepishly, ¡°If she dared to have such thoughts, how could I agree with that? Look, I took you away, right? Stop thinking too much...¡±

    ¡°So my guess was correct. She did have a motive, and it had something to do with my childhood. This meant that she had aplices abroad,¡± Gu Nianzhi said with certainty. ¡°Dad, thank you for your answer.¡±

    Lu Jin was tongue-tied, ¡°When did I answer? That was a rhetorical question! Nianzhi, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat.

    He had told her not to think too much!

    How did she get so close to the truth?!

    Amid the panic, the DNA testing equipment in theb rang. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s DNA data had been tested.

    Now, she had topare her DNA data with Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA data to verify her immediate family rtionship.

    Lu Jin was relieved and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to verify the DNA of Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi. Nianzhi, wait for me here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention immediately shifted.

    At this moment, she was more interested in whether Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi were biological mother and daughter.

    If they were, then the case of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s kidnapping could be closed very quickly.

 Chapter 1748 - Genetic Optimization

    <h4>Chapter 1748: Gic Optimization</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Lu Jin came to hisboratory table and took the DNA fragments of Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi for verification andparison.

    Logically speaking, the uracy of DNA identification when excluding the possibility of not being a parent-child rtionship could be 100%.

    In other words, when there was no blood rtionship between two people, it was 100% urate.

    But to confirm that there was a direct parent-child rtionship between the two, the uracy was only 99.99999%.

    The nine after this decimal point could vary ording to the number of alleles intercepted.

    However, under normal circumstances, when the uracy of confirming that the two had a direct parent-child rtionship was 99.99%, it could be confirmed that the two were direct parent-child rtionships.

    Lu Jin¡¯s DNA test for Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi was a full sequence.

    This was not only a sequence that ordinary people could not afford, but even many people who were worth millions might not be able to afford it. Of course, it was not a big deal for Lu Jin.

    He tested the full sequence, and the alleles that he cut off were as diverse as possible. Therefore, the uracy of the paternity test that he tested was the highest, even if it was not 100%.

    Before the test, he had to run electrophoresis. In simple terms, he had to make the DNA double helix ¡°swim¡± under a certain voltage. The speed of ¡°swimming¡± of different functional DNA fragments was different, so he could separate different DNA fragments.

    Then, he had to intercept the alleles and use software to analyze andpare them.

    Lu Jinpleted a whole set of procedures, and Gu Nianzhi watched with great interest from the side.

    Even though she couldn¡¯t understand the pictures and data at all.

    To be urate, Lu Jin spent half an hour using software to analyze andpare the extracted allele fragments.

    Finally, he let out a long sigh, ¡°... They are biological mother and daughter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was somewhat at a loss about this result.

    She had been mentally prepared, but when this prediction was confirmed, she felt incredulous again.

    ¡°... Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi?! Are they, biological mother and daughter?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Then they must have been surrogates? But why did she put Wen Shouyi in the Qin Orphanage? And then let Wen Dayou and his wife adopt her?!¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°Surrogates must be the only exnation. But why did Qin Yaoguang put Wen Shouyi in the orphanage? We could only ask Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°... But do you think she would tell the truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked quietly, her eyes were so dark that they couldn¡¯t see the bottom.

    Lu Jin answered seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t think she would. But I think this is her private matter. Do we have to ask?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously. ¡°This concerns the integrity of the court¡¯s evidence chain. Dad, you knew Qin Yaoguang better than I do. Can you reason why she would do this?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes began to spin as soon as Gu Nianzhi started speaking in legal terms, just like how Gu Nianzhi had heard high-energy physics terms.

    He said in a daze, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know much about Qin Yaoguang. But I¡¯ve worked with her on experiments for so many years, so I roughly knew

    about her attitude towards gic research.¡±

    ¡°What attitude?¡± Gu Nianzhi questioned quickly.

    ¡°Gic research was one of her specialties. She used her egg cells to synthesize fertilized eggs and had other women surrogate them to give birth. It was like catching ab rat from a cage.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen an experimenter pour their love into ab rat? Or treated them like a human?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and mumbled, ¡°I was ab rat too, but if Qin Yaoguang used me for an experiment, she might as well throw me into an orphanage. Why didn¡¯t she use Wen Shouyi as an experiment?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart ached, and he didn¡¯t know how tofort her.

    In a moment of desperation, he subconsciously said, ¡°... Maybe Wen Shouyi was the product of a failed experiment, so she wasn¡¯t used.¡±

    Even though she wasn¡¯tforted, it was still a miracle that her mood had improved...

    Gu Nianzhi still had a straight face and said seriously, ¡°Looks like I was useful.¡±

    Lu Jin rubbed his hands awkwardly and pleaded, ¡°... Nianzhi, Daddy knows that he was wrong...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed and went forward to hold Lu Jin¡¯s hand. She pulled him to the sofa and sat down, ¡°Daddy, I was just joking. But...¡±

    She rolled her eyes, ¡°You mean, Qin Yaoguang started researching embryo genes long before I was born?¡±

    This question could be answered.

    Lu Jin replied academically, ¡°I don¡¯t have any concrete evidence, but since Wen Shouyi was born this way, Qin Yaoguang must have researched this.¡±

    ¡°At that time, she didn¡¯t ask me for advice, so I didn¡¯t know that she had been doing this experiment for a long time.¡±

    In other words, six years before Gu Nianzhi was born, Lu Jin still knew nothing about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secret experiment.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and continued to ask curiously, ¡°But why would she use her egg cells and Wen Dayou¡¯s sperm to make a fertilized egg and give birth to an embryo? I thought she would use someone else¡¯s egg cells for research.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and responded casually, ¡°If she already had such an experiment, it wouldn¡¯t be her first time doing it, and it wouldn¡¯t be herst.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Could it be that she had done many research experiments in this area, and even used other people¡¯s egg cells?¡±

    ¡°From a scientific point of view, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Lu Jin patiently exined to her, ¡°This kind of human embryo experiment takes a long time. Generally, from fertilization to the birth of the fetus, it takes at least seven months, including premature babies.¡±

    ¡°Normally, it takes nine months. Together with the preparation before and after, the process of screening the pregnant men and women would take a year.¡±

    ¡°When an experiment takes a year from preparation to the result, the person experimenting would not only do one experiment at a time. Do you understand what I meant?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully digested Lu Jin¡¯s words in her mind. After a while, she replied thoughtfully, ¡°You meant to say that doing such an experiment was no different from doing other biological experiments. We need to do arge number of experiments to screen out the effective results.¡±

    ¡°She would prepare many of these fertilized eggs and transnt them into the pregnant woman¡¯s stomach to get pregnant and then observe the results.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded heavily, ¡°Exactly. The failure rate of experiments on biological genes was quite high. Therefore, she needed to umte the number of eggs to achieve a qualitative change from a quantitative change.¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t just use her egg cells for so many experiments,¡± Lu Jin used a scientific tone to exin themon sense of egg cells to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°All mammalian females have immature egg cells in their ovaries when they were born.¡±

    ¡°The number of female eggs was fixed at birth. It won¡¯t increase, only gradually decrease.¡±

    ¡°So it was impossible for Qin Yaoguang to conduct such arge-scale experiment using only her eggs. She must have used other people¡¯s eggs before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood. She covered her mouth with her hand and gasped, ¡°Oh my god! How many embryo experiments did Qin Yaoguang conduct?! And how many Wen Shouyi and Gu Nianzhi were born this way?!¡±

    Lu Jin smiled wryly, ¡°Nianzhi, did you think that such experiment would seed easily?¡±

    ¡°Did you think it¡¯s grafting?¡±

    She thought so!

    ¡°Was it... Harder?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long ck eyshes fluttered, and her big eyes were full of curiosity.

    ¡°Not just harder, it is very difficult,¡± Lu Jin didn¡¯t know how to exin it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I just checked Wen Shouyi¡¯s DNA sequence. I could see that Qin Yaoguang tried to gically edit her, but it didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, ¡°That means she started to gically edit the embryo before she gave birth to me, or was it because of... He Zhichu¡¯s illness?¡±

    ¡°I was not sure if she wanted Wen Shouyi to be born because of He Zhichu¡¯s illness, but that could be the prototype of her idea. From then on, she started experimenting with this method.¡±

    ¡°But you have to know that the human body¡¯s genes are veryplicated and huge. Decades ago, our understanding of genes was not asprehensive as it is now, and the equipment and technology were not as advanced as they are now.¡±

    ¡°In that kind of situation, there were very few fertilized eggs that could sessfully get into the bed. It could be said that out of a thousand fertilized eggs that had been gically edited, only one could sessfully get into the bed and impregnate the mother.¡±

    ¡°And after these fertilized eggs developed into embryos, it would be amazing if one out of a hundred could be born sessfully.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very confused, ¡°Did you mean, those embryos that were pregnant would miscarry?¡±

    ¡°Of course, and the probability of miscarriage would be very high,¡± Lu Jin sighed. ¡°Because these embryos were gically edited, many of them had gic defects.¡±

    ¡°The human body has the function of self-selection. Embryos with gic defects are called congenital defects. In a natural state, they would miscarry unless you use unconventional methods to preserve the fetus.¡±

    ¡°For scientific experiments, we would not preserve the fetus of embryos with congenital defects. Did you understand what I mean? Very, very few children were sessfully born and survived through gic editing. I suspect that in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experiments, Wen Shouyi was probably the only embryo that was born and survived.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slowly. She understood a little, but she had a new question.

    ¡°... You mentioned that embryos that had been gically edited all had congenital gic defects. So... am I the same as Wen Shouyi?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head first, then nodded and answered, ¡°You¡¯re not. Wen Shouyi is.¡±

    ¡°Why am I not?¡± Gu Nianzhi was very suspicious. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t say things like that just tofort me.¡±

    ¡°I was notforting you. You were questioning my professionalism!¡± Lu Jin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I edited your genes!¡±

    ¡°My method waspletely different from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s. She was disrupting the sequence of the original gene fragments and only nurturing the genes with He Zhichu¡¯s ws.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, I was excluding those non-human viral genes based on your original genes, and then using your genes to expand and express them before adding them in.¡±

    ¡°As a result of this, your genes had not been altered. Instead, it had been optimized to the greatest extent on the original basis.¡±

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help feeling smug, ¡°As it turned out, I seeded. You own the first perfect set of genes in human history! And it¡¯s based on not changing your original genes!¡±

    She was slowly getting confused in the conversation.

    She knew every word Lu Jin said, but she couldn¡¯t understand it when they were put together.

 Chapter 1749 - Could Not Say Thank You

    <h4>Chapter 1749: Could Not Say Thank You</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Lu Jin saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s confused but polite smile and could not help butugh, ¡°You couldn¡¯t understand, do you? It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to understand these technical problems.¡±

    ¡°All you need to know is that not only is your gene wless, it¡¯s also perfect. It¡¯s even...¡± His voice suddenly paused, and he quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s even better than I expected.¡±

    She asked sharply, ¡°... Why was it better than you expected? Was there anything that you couldn¡¯t grasp from your experiments?¡±

    Hearing the word ¡°experiment¡±, Lu Jin was a little ashamed. He lowered his head silently and whispered, ¡°The path of science is endless. I¡¯m just an ordinary pathfinder on this path. There were many things that I couldn¡¯t grasp.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rarely saw Lu Jin so humble. She asked curiously, ¡°Huh? Are you serious?! I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±

    Lu Jin lowered his head and nodded. He raised his head and exined to her in detail, ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Think about artificial intelligence.¡±

    ¡°Artificial intelligence starts from humans entering machinenguage and givingmands toputers.¡±

    ¡°In theory, no matter how powerful an artificial intelligence was, it was only because the person who created the programming instructions was powerful.¡±

    ¡°For example, the Beta Dog, which is very powerful now, could learn to y Go by itself and defeat all human yers.¡±

    ¡°But is this the victory of artificial intelligence? No, this was just theputing ability ofputers that were better than that of ordinary humans. There¡¯s still a long way to go before it bes a real artificial intelligence.¡±

    Lu Jin pointed at his head, ¡°Humans only know 5% to 10% of their brains, and 95% or 90% of the parts are still unexplored.¡±

    She was puzzled, ¡°How could there be a 5% to 10% range? I thought that the results of scientific development were ultimately shared. If someone recognized 10%, then shouldn¡¯t it be said that human¡¯s understanding of the brain is 10%?¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s not the same. The range I¡¯m talking about depends on how conceited a scientist is.¡±

    ¡°A scientist who is very conceited and arrogant would think that his understanding of the human brain has reached 10%.¡±

    ¡°A more modest scientist would think that their understanding of the brain is only 5%.¡±

    Lu Jin pointed at his nose, ¡°I¡¯m one of the more modest scientists. I think that our understanding of the human brain is only 5%.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was amused and made a face, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re a more modest scientist?¡±

    Looking at Lu Jin¡¯s expression, Gu Nianzhi thought he didn¡¯t know how to spell ¡°humble¡±...

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t need to be humble, though.

    His research results were enough to make him stand out among all the scientists in the world.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m very humble and serious in front of scientific research,¡± Lu Jin said seriously. ¡°The function of the human brain is amazing, and I¡¯m not focused on this area of research, so it¡¯s only 5%.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of artificial intelligence, you see, humans don¡¯t even have aplete understanding of their brain function, so how could he develop artificial intelligence?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a saying, You don¡¯t know what you don¡¯t know, it means that you don¡¯t know how many things you don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°And artificial intelligence was only used in simple chess, what a wonderful irony.¡±

    ¡°That was only based on the powerfulputing capabilities of theputer. The so-called master of Go could move one step forward and look at ten steps.¡±

    ¡°Beta Dog as aputer, with its super powerful CPU, could move forward and look at fifty steps.¡±

    ¡°What did this mean? This could only mean that in terms ofputing capabilities, theputer is better than humans, but is this artificial intelligence? Hehe, this only reflected the shallow and ignorant understanding of the big human brain of those programmers.¡±

    Lu Jin scoffed and waved his hand, ¡°Aputer defeating a human in Go is not called artificial intelligence.¡±

    ¡°When aputer is defeated by a human without a program, it would be so angry that it would electrocute its opponent to death. That will be called artificial intelligence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally burst intoughter, ¡°Dad, you mean that when aputer has human emotions and could act on its own, it would be called Real Artificial Intelligence?¡±

    ¡°More or less, hahaha... Although that day is too far away, gene editors are doing simr things, but it¡¯s not theputer that¡¯s improving, it¡¯s the person themself.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi withment and reached out to touch her face, ¡°You are the most perfect gic experiment I had ever done. I knew I was wrong but I don¡¯t regret this mistake. Without this mistake, you wouldn¡¯t have been born and I would never have a daughter as good as you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She pushed Lu Jin¡¯s hand away, ¡°Dad, I realized I couldn¡¯t say thank you.¡±

    ¡°... Haha, you didn¡¯t have to say it. I should be the one saying thank you.¡± Lu Jin grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and said sincerely, ¡°Nianzhi, you made my lifeplete. I don¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but before she could process her emotions, Lu Jin had already changed his tone, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He said cheerfully, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wait for the results from the militaryb! It¡¯s not difficult, they should be able to get the same results as mine soon.¡±

    ¡°Really? What if it was different?¡±

    ¡°If it was different, it¡¯s either they¡¯re ipetent or they¡¯re faking it. There must be a reason.¡±

    Lu Jin said casually and rubbed his stomach, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Shall we go and eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded excitedly and went to her apartment with Lu Jin to try Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cooking.

    ...

    The results of the military¡¯s experiment came out the next day.

    He Zhichu sat in the small meeting room, the military scientist reporting the test results, and did not speak for a long time.

    His eyes were lowered, and his thick ck eyshes were like two rows of small fans, covering his shimmering peach blossom eyes and concealing all his thoughts.

    A hand knocked on the conference table.

    The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy, and the scientist standing in front of He Zhichu felt that he could hardly breathe.

    He Zhichu finally opened his mouth and said, ¡°... So, Wen Shouyi is Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    ¡°The uracy was greater than 99.9999 percent.¡± The scientist nodded affirmatively, ¡°In the paternity test, this probability is equal to 100 percent.¡±

    This result was too surprising.

    He Zhichu had originally been leaning towards Liang Meili, that semi-illiterate, making up nonsense under the influence of jealousy and distortion.

    How could Wen Shouyi be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter?

    But now, the DNA test results hadpletely smacked his face.

    Liang Meili did not spout nonsense. They were the arrogant and stupid ones, and they were not as incisive and directpared to a person who was semi-illiterate.

    The military¡¯s entire test was conducted under He Zhichu¡¯s supervision. There was no possibility of faking it.

    He nodded and stood up, ¡°Prepare a report of the results for me. All relevant equipment and information for the test would be temporarily sealed. Without my orders, it shall not be given to anyone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief,¡± The military scientist was also a soldier. He quickly saluted He Zhichu.

    Thirty minutester, He Zhichu sent the report written by the military scientist in triplicate. He had his personal secretary send one to He Chengjian, one for archiving, and one to the court himself.

    The court was waiting for the DNA test report to decide when the court would be held again.

    ...

    Wen Shouyi had been in a daze for the past two days. She didn¡¯t know how she had gotten over it.

    What had happened in court the past two days had been amazing. She had never thought that she was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter!

    Although she was shocked and confused, she was secretly delighted.

    If the DNA test could prove this, then she would be able to stand on the same starting line as Gu Nianzhi.

    She was also from an extraordinary family.

    Although she did not know why Qin Yaoguang had ced her in an orphanage for Wen Dayou to adopt, Qin Yaoguang had been good to her all these years. Even if she was not as good as Liang Meili, she was much better than everyone else.

    Especially when it came toparing with Gu Nianzhi, she could be said to be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s favorite.

    After leaving the court that day, Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t wait to go to a private institution that specialized in DNA testing to test her and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s DNA in private.

    It turned out to be true!

    She was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter, and she was also a daughter of the Qin family...

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s lips curled up, and her mood gradually improved.

    Just as she was looking forward to returning to the Qin family, even changing her surname to Qin and bing the eldest daughter of the Qin family, the court¡¯s schedule for the next court session was sent to her.

    ¡°Director Wen, this is the court session that Lawyer Qin sent over. The court session will be held next Monday, please attend it,¡± Her secretary sent over a letter.

    Wen Shouyi nodded and said with a big smile, ¡°I would go. Oh, right, arrange a time for me this week. I¡¯m going to see Dean Qin.. Oh, no, I¡¯m going to see my Mommy.¡±

 Chapter 1750 - You Cant Be Compared to Her

    <h4>Chapter 1750: You Can¡¯t Be Compared to Her</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s secretary quickly wrote it down and said, ¡°At the Procuratorate, the legal team had received the decision not to file a case and not to prosecute. So the case of secretly taking photos has been settled.¡±

    Wen Shouyi replied with an ¡°um¡± and said in a good mood, ¡°That case was set up to frame me. Someone sent me a package and yet they didn¡¯t pursue the mastermind behind it instead they used me. As if I had a lot of free time.¡±

    She picked up the pen and quickly signed the document. Sometimes, she would discuss the things she didn¡¯t understand with her secretary.

    Being He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary and assistant for so many years, Wen Shouyi¡¯s ability was revealed. No matter how much she had on her te, she could do them in an orderly manner.

    Her secretary was very impressed with her, she smiled and said, ¡°Our country isw-abiding. If they think that the photo was rted to you, they should be the ones to prove it, not us. Fortunately, the Procuratorate enforces thew impartially. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle one case after another.¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled and casually signed a document, ¡°I¡¯m also awyer. I know they can¡¯t sue me. They just want to vent their anger on others...¡±

    Her legal literacy had allowed her to think of all possible ways to avoid thew before nning everything.

    If she hadn¡¯t thought of a backup n after being exposed, she wouldn¡¯t have done that.

    For so many years, she had no family background to rely on and could only rely on herself.

    The children of the poor were in charge early, and she had walked through it step by step.

    Her secretary looked at her admiringly and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s our blessing to have Miss Wen as our hospital director.¡±

    Wen Shouyi could feel that the hospital¡¯s administrative department¡¯s attitude towards her hadpletely changed.

    In the past, they were a little reluctant to carry out her orders in feignpliance.

    Now, all of them were bowing, wishing they could finish what she had asked them to do.

    Before she could officially acknowledge Qin Yaoguang, she had already tasted the benefits of being a descendant of the Qin family.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s biggest knot in her heart was her birth. She had once thought that she couldn¡¯t change it, but it was like a pie falling from the sky onto her head.

    Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t help but wonder if He Zhichu would look at her differently when she had a birthparable to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s and Xie Qingying¡¯s?

    ...

    When she came out of Wen Shouyi¡¯s office, the secretary called the detention center.

    When Qin Yaoguang knew Wen Shouyi wasing to see her, she angrily rejected her.

    She hugged her knees and sat on the small wooden bed in the detention center. Her face was ashen, and her mood was at rock bottom.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s secretary felt very embarrassed. She immediately returned to Wen Shouyi¡¯s office and whispered, ¡°Director Wen, Dean Qin doesn¡¯t agree to visit.¡±

    Actually, it was Qin Yaoguang who had rejected, but Wen Shouyi¡¯s secretary was embarrassed to say it directly.

    Wen Shouyi frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t agree? Was it the detention center that didn¡¯t agree? Or was someone deliberately obstructing it?¡±

    Could it be that the He family had interfered?

    All the more reason for her to go and see Qin Yaoguang.

    In the end, the secretary said with a red face, ¡°... Dean Qin said no.¡±

    She lowered her head desperately, not daring to look at Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression.

    Wen Shouyi was in high spirits and didn¡¯t care at all. She quickly said, ¡°I could understand if mommy is in a bad mood. How about you arrange a visit for me in the name of the legal team. That would do.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang definitely wouldn¡¯t refuse to see the people from the legal team.

    Sure enough, when the secretary suggested seeing Qin Yaoguang in the name of the legal team, Qin Yaoguang agreed.

    The meeting was scheduled for the next day at three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    On this day, Wen Shouyi had been working hard all morning. It was almost two o¡¯clock in the afternoon when she hurriedly grabbed a piece of wholemeal bread, wrapped a piece of Turkey breast, and got into her private car. She drove to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s detention center.

    ...

    Getting out of the car, Wen Shouyi raised her head to take a look at the detention center.

    The gray walls and the square buildings looked unremarkable, but no one had evere out of this ce without permission.

    She sized herself up again.

    For today¡¯s special meeting, Wen Shouyi specially wore a light gray custom-made cashmere blend professional dress from Carolina Herrera. She held Hugo Boss¡¯s ck handbag in her hand and wore ck high heels that were ten centimeters high from Prada.

    She was not tall, but this outfit made her legs longer and her height higher.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s secretary got out of the car behind her and looked at Wen Shouyi¡¯s outfit with envy.

    If she was not mistaken, Wen Shouyi¡¯s outfit was the same as the Spanish queen, Leticia, who was visiting a molecr biology center.

    The Spanish queen was tall with long legs and a graceful figure. She was dressed elegantly and elegantly.

    Wen Shouyi imitated her and was also dignified and elegant.

    The two of them walked in through the detention center¡¯s main door. After registering with Wen Shouyi¡¯swyer¡¯s license, they entered the reception room.

    Qin Yaoguang was already waiting in the reception room.

    However, when she saw that it was Wen Shouyi who walked in, her face immediately darkened.

    Wen Shouyi turned around unhurriedly and said to her secretary, ¡°You go out first. Wait for me outside.¡±

    The secretary nodded and quickly opened the door to go out, then closed the door behind her.

    Wen Shouyi turned around and looked at the ashen-faced Qin Yaoguang with a look of admiration. She slowly walked over and knelt in front of her. Holding her hand on her knee, she said softly, ¡°... Mommy, you¡¯re my mother, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang retracted her hands and sneered, ¡°Are you crazy? Who¡¯s your mommy?! Your mother, Liang Meili, is still waiting for you in the detention center next door!¡±

    The corners of Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes twitched. She looked at Qin Yaoguang in shock and muttered, ¡°But, I asked someone to test my DNA...¡±

    p!

    Qin Yaoguang pped her face without hesitation and said sternly, ¡°Who allowed you to test my DNA? ! Who do you think you were?! Do you think you could acknowledge me as your mother just because you¡¯ve tested my DNA?!¡±

    Wen Shouyi covered her face with her hand and slowly turned her head, looking at Qin Yaoguang with an obscure gaze.

    A stream of blood flowed from the side of her mouth.

    Qin Yaoguang had treated her extremely well when she didn¡¯t know that she was her biological daughter.

    She had thought that the truth behind Qin Yaoguang treating her well was because she was her biological daughter.

    This ppletely woke her up.

    However, no matter how smart Wen Shouyi was, she couldn¡¯t understand the reasoning behind this.

    She slowly stood up and let go of her hands. She unconsciously clenched her fists and hung them by her side. She stared at Qin Yaoguang and took a deep breath, saying, ¡°Why? You are obviously...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Qin Yaoguang yelled angrily. ¡°You have nothing to do with me! So what if you tested the DNA?! The uracy rate of the DNA test was only 99.99%! It¡¯s not 100%!¡±

    ¡°But the testing agency said that 99.99% of the DNA test is equivalent to 100%.¡± Wen Shouyi was not a person who gave up easily. She patiently argued with Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin Yaoguang crossed her arms and looked at her coldly from bottom to top. Her lips curved into a mocking arc, a string of harsh words came out of her mouth, ¡°... Take a look in the mirror, we look nothing alike. What does DNA mean? You only have half of my genes. Legally or psychologically, I won¡¯t admit that you¡¯re my daughter.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m clearly your daughter!¡± Wen Shouyi was a little anxious.

    She had already said that she had half of her genes, yet she imed that she wasn¡¯t her mother?!

    ¡°Whose daughter are you? It¡¯s none of my business,¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes were cold, and her voice was even colder. ¡°To me, you¡¯re just the carbs in my culture medium. You don¡¯t have the right to call me your mother.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face instantly turned pale. She tried her best to remain calm, but her whole body was still trembling like a fallen leaf in the wind.

    ¡°... But, you allowed Gu Nianzhi to call you mommy...¡± Wen Shouyi said with a pale face. ¡°You still love her the most...¡±

    Qin Yaoguangughed strangely. ¡°Yeah, of course, Gu Nianzhi had to call me mom. No matter how unwilling she was, she¡¯s still my biological daughter. I wouldn¡¯t have agreed if she didn¡¯t call me mom!¡±

    ¡°As for you, you don¡¯t have the right to call me mom. You could only me yourself for not having a decent father. If...¡±

    Her eyes zed over for a moment, but she quickly shook her head,pletely shaking off those distant memories.

    Qin Yaoguang crossed her arms and stood up from her seat, her back facing Wen Shouyi. She didn¡¯t want to see her face.

    When this secret hadn¡¯t been exposed, Qin Yaoguang had still felt some pity for her.

    Now that this secret could not be hidden anymore, Qin Yaoguang could only be annoyed and disgusted with Wen Shouyi.

    Seeing her was like seeing her disgusting father, Wen Dayou.

    Wen Shouyi clenched her fists tighter and tighter, her nails digging deeply into her palms, but she could not feel any pain because the pain in her heart was a hundred times worse than this.

    This was giving her hope and bringing her on the ne, but after taking off, she felt weightlessness and panic as she was thrown down from a high altitude.

    ¡°Mommy...¡± Wen Shouyi called out again as if she was pleading.

    Qin Yaoguang sneered, ¡°Wen Shouyi, do you really treat me as your mommy?¡±

    When Wen Shouyi heard that there seemed to be a turn for the better, her eyes immediately lit up with hope. She nodded heavily. ¡°Really! Mommy! I¡¯ve always admired and worshipped you. I didn¡¯t dare to think about it in the past, but now...¡±

    ¡°Now you think you could turn over a new leaf and be the Master?¡± Qin Yaoguang turned around, not hiding the mocking smile on her voluptuous lips. ¡°Tsk, do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking?¡±

    ¡°You finally have a chance to climb up thedder. Why aren¡¯t you hugging a thigh?¡±

    ¡°You despised your parents, but they brought you up and didn¡¯t mistreat you at all. Yet, you didn¡¯t hesitate to abandon them.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang narrowed her eyes, ¡°And taking me as your mommy and as the granddaughter of the Qin family would bring you more benefits, so you don¡¯t even want your own foster mother.¡±

    ¡°... No! It¡¯s not like that!¡± Wen Shouyi shook her head frantically. ¡°I¡¯m just too happy... I didn¡¯t mean anything else... Mommy...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Qin Yaoguang heard Wen Shouyi calling her mommy repeatedly as if she was pping her in the face.

    She strode forward and grabbed Wen Shouyi¡¯s neck with one hand. Gritting her teeth, she said, ¡°Be a good executive director and don¡¯t think too much! You¡¯re not my daughter. Even if there¡¯s a DNA test in court, I would say the same thing!¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± The police who were monitoring the reception room from outside rushed in quickly and separated Wen Shouyi and Qin Yaoguang.

    Wen Shouyi held her neck and panted heavily. There was a visible bruise on her throat that Qin Yaoguang had just pinched.

    Qin Yaoguang was dragged by the arms of the two female police officers and pressed against the door. Wen Shouyi shouted in front of her, ¡°Dean Qin! In your heart, do you think I would never be able topete with Gu Nianzhi?!¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯tpete with her at all,¡± Qin Yaoguang looked up and nced at her with a half-smile.

    ¡°But what you did to her...¡± Wen Shouyi knew what Qin Yaoguang had done to Gu Nianzhi, but she still couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°What did I do to her? I told you, she had to call me mom no matter what, but I didn¡¯t treat her like my own daughter,¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was dark. ¡°Even though you two seeded in being born, it wasn¡¯t what I wanted.¡±

    ¡°As for you, although you couldn¡¯t call me Mom, I do not feel sorry for you, so don¡¯t be too greedy. Don¡¯t be greedy for things that don¡¯t belong to you,¡± Qin Yaoguang said calmly, she waved her hand and said, ¡°You should leave. Mywsuit hasn¡¯t been settled yet.. You have to contribute.¡±

 Chapter 1751 - People Who Know What Theyre Doing

    <h4>Chapter 1751: People Who Know What They¡¯re Doing</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Wen Shouyi left Qin Yaoguang¡¯s detention center in a daze.

    She got into her car like a wandering soul. There was no expression on her face, but anyone could tell that she was not in a good mood.

    Her secretary was not in the reception room at the time, so she did not know what had happened inside.

    Moreover, the soundproofing of the reception room was very good. She did not hear the two of them talking or even the sound of Qin Yaoguang attacking.

    During that time, two female police officers rushed in. Later, when Wen Shouyi came out, there was blood at the corner of her mouth and a palm print on her face. She could roughly guess that Wen Shouyi probably argued with Qin Yaoguang...

    Her secretary cleverly didn¡¯t mention this matter again. Instead, she sent a copy of the schedule for the next few days to Wen Shouyi¡¯s phone, she said, ¡°Director Wen, your schedule for the next few days is in your mailbox. Shall I have the chauffeur take you home now? I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow.¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded subconsciously but didn¡¯t say anything.

    She didn¡¯t even dare close her eyes, afraid that her tears would start flowing the moment she closed them.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ck off while she waited for the next court hearing.

    She flipped through the various documents and financial statements of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital, almost memorizing them by heart.

    However, she could not find any loopholes.

    ¡°Thispany is amazing. It¡¯s wless. This is...¡± Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue as she flipped through the financial statements of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital that she had printed out over the years.

    Thepany¡¯s financial data had been audited by the ounting firm, and the expenses and ie of thepany were all very clear.

    Lu Jin sat at theputer desk opposite her. His hands were typing rapidly on the mechanical keyboard, making cracking sounds, but it was not noisy.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to mutter to herself, ¡°I could see that around 20 years ago there was a time when the expenses were very high. The hospital almost lost money in those years, but the money was invested in Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb.¡±

    ¡°... Yes, it was the period before and after Wen Shouyi was born.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the sofa to her right and looked up from a military magazine, ¡°How was the money spent?¡±

    ¡°Volunteers...¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°It was stated they¡¯re volunteers who would participate in scientific experiments, but they had to give money. However, that money wasn¡¯t called ¡®reward.¡¯ It waspensation for hard work or transportation.¡±

    ¡°That much?¡± Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze fluttered past Lu Jin. ¡°I wonder if there was anyone who would know about this?¡±

    Lu Jin was the only person in the room who knew.

    Under the watchful eyes of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, he finally felt uneasy.

    After a while, he could only look up and pretend to be at a loss, ¡°What were you guys talking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled, ¡°Dad, your acting was terrible. Stop pretending.¡±

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Kid, can¡¯t you give your dad some confidence?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you...¡± Gu Nianzhi knocked on the table. ¡°Tell me, did it cost a lot of money to do this kind of scientific experiment?¡±

    ¡°Experiments rted to gic reproduction were never cheap,¡± Lu Jin stretchedzily. ¡°That¡¯s why only big countries could conduct this kind of research.¡±

    ¡°After the volunteers were recruited, the volunteer would have a year. Theboratory would pay for all the food, drinks, and toilets, including all the costs of the prenatal checkup and production. You could calcte it yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°... I¡¯m not familiar with this, so I can¡¯t calcte it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and flipped to a page of a military magazine. He calmly exined, ¡°If there¡¯s medical insurance, the prenatal checkup would be included in the medical insurance. They definitely can¡¯t use medical insurance for their experiments, so they should calcte it ording to the market price.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked the cost of a prenatal check-up here. If there¡¯s no medical insurance, the cost of a single check-up could range from 5,000 to 20,000 dors. It depends on the fees charged by the doctor and the hospital.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that expensive?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Then how many prenatal checks do we have to do?¡±

    ¡°For pregnant women who don¡¯t have any idents, the standard number of prenatal checks is 13.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi calcted the cost of an antenatal check-up without medical insurance in her mind and clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s too expensive. I can¡¯t afford it...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the price,¡± Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°I have money. We could buy the next hospital.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Lu Jin and said, ¡°If you want to buy it, I¡¯ll buy it. Don¡¯t worry, Uncle.¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t react at first and quickly said, ¡°How could I? It¡¯s not cheap to buy a hospital. I¡¯m going to investigate whether it¡¯s cheaper to buy a hospital or...¡±

    He was halfway through his sentence when he came back to his senses. He pounded theputer table and said angrily, ¡°Peter! You wish! What has it got to do with you?!¡±

    ¡°If Nianzhi is pregnant, of course, it has to do with me,¡± Huo Shaoheng said calmly as if it was normal for him to add clothes when the weather was cold.

    Lu Jin looked at him, tongue-tied. He hadn¡¯t expected Peter to be so thick-skinned!

    ¡°You, you... Get out!¡± Lu Jin pointed at the door angrily, wanting to chase Huo Shaoheng out.

    Huo Shaoheng put down the magazine in his hand and slowly stood up. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Uncle and Nianzhi, rest early. I¡¯m going back to my room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at him and suddenly remembered to ask, ¡°... Wait, how did you know about the cost of a prenatal checkup?¡±

    Even she didn¡¯t know about this and had to check online at thest minute.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly and turned to leave Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. He returned to Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment.

    Lu Yuan had gone to South Z City to investigate the Qin Orphanage. He didn¡¯t know how the investigation was going.

    Huo Shaoheng wanted to contact him, but he was worried that it would disrupt their ns.

    ording to their working principles, field personnel who were on a mission were usually in contact with the people on the base. The people in the base were not allowed to contact the field personnel who were on a mission.

    After thinking about it for a while, he gave up on the idea for the time being. The Committee of State Security (KGB) contacted the Soviet KGB and asked them about the United Nations Poption Fund.

    After Huo Shaoheng left, Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin with amusement and whispered, ¡°Dad, What¡¯s there to be angry about? I don¡¯t even have a boyfriend. How could I have a child?¡±

    ¡°... That¡¯s not contradictory,¡± Lu Jin looked at her and said seriously, ¡°If you want to have a child, I could make you pregnant even if you¡¯re a virgin, not to mention a boyfriend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheeks turned a thin shade of red, like the glow of a budding flower in the morning sun.

    She said embarrassedly, ¡°... Isn¡¯t that the Holy Mother Mary? A virgin pregnant... Is it possible that she was imnted with a fertilized egg?¡±

    Lu Jin felt even more stifled when he saw her like this. He said gloomily, ¡°... It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not a virgin. You could have a child whenever you want. You can choose a boy or girl.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Lu Jin was getting more and more ridiculous, so she quickly said, ¡°Dad, I know you¡¯re amazing, but I still hope that my baby will be born normally, with a father and a mother.¡±

    Hearing this, Lu Jin¡¯s anger towards Peter suddenly dissipated.

    What right did he have to stop his daughter from getting the happiness of an ordinary person?

    Moreover, his daughter was already old and ready to get married. No matter how reluctant he was to part with her, he had to let her go.

    Besides, he couldn¡¯t stay with her for too long.

    Lu Jin sat back at hisputer table and typed in the program for a while. Suddenly, he asked, ¡°Nianzhi, do you prefer Huo Shaoheng over there or Peter over here?¡±

 Chapter 1752 - Visiting Relatives and Friends

    <h4>Chapter 1752: Visiting Rtives and Friends</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Do you prefer Peter over here or Huo Shaoheng over there?

    How was she supposed to answer that question?

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed.

    But she picked decisively, ¡°Of course it¡¯s Huo Shaoheng. I had nothing to do with Peter.¡±

    Indeed, nothing to do with Peter because this ¡°Peter¡± was not the real Peter at all.

    Lu Jin looked at her for a while and nodded, he said calmly, ¡°I think so too. Although this Peter was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s counterpart on the other side, they were not the same person after all. They just shared the same DNA. Their temperaments, personalities, as well as their identities and experiences, werepletely different.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously, ¡°Yes, yes, so you didn¡¯t have to ask this question at all.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled sheepishly, ¡°I saw that you two had been quite close recently, so I thought...¡±

    He thought that she had already moved on.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but frown. Was it that obvious between her and Huo Shaoheng?

    It seemed that she had to be more careful in the future.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and said sheepishly, ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t that we were close. He¡¯s a good person, and President Lu entrusted him to protect us here...¡±

    Lu Jin snorted, ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) doesn¡¯t have any good people. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple.¡±

    If Huo Shaoheng was the Soviet KGB¡¯s Far East ace, Peter, then he must have other motives to get close to them. She was certain of this.

    However, the problem was that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t the real Far East ace Peter. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trust in him was deeply rooted in her bones. It seemed quite difficult for her to act as if they had nothing to do with each other.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that she still had to hone her acting skills. After all, the best actor could notpete with the ¡°king of actors¡±.

    She lowered her head and thought for a while. Gu Nianzhi said softly, ¡°Dad, you were right. I shall distance myself from him in the future.¡±

    Lu Jin rarely saw Gu Nianzhi being so obedient. His heart suddenly felt like he had eaten a bucket of H?agen-Dazs berry ice cream. It was sour and sweet.

    He smiled and nodded, ¡°Okay, but you don¡¯t have to be too distant. He¡¯s quite skilled. I can trust him to protect you.¡±

    ...

    Huo Shaoheng returned to Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment. He read the military literature and magazines that Lu Yuan had collected there for a while and then decided to go to sleep.

    He went to the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, he saw his phone vibrating on the bedside table in the bedroom.

    He walked over to it and checked. It was a text message from a stranger.

    There was nothing in it, only an unfamiliar phone number.

    Huo Shaoheng took a look and dialed the number without batting an eyelid.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s voice soon came from the other end.

    ¡°Good evening, Mr. Peter,¡± Lu Yuan spoke politely, but there was a faint smile in his voice as if he was joking.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as well, ¡°Director Lu, you¡¯re in a good mood...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lu Yuan was currently holding a ss of red wine, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the luxurious suite on the top floor of the Shangri hotel in Z city, looking out at the night view of the entire city.

    Looking from his direction, he happened to see the Qin Corporation building across the street.

    Thendmark in the center of Z City was the building where the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital headquarters was located.

    The name of this building was very simple. It was called the ¡°Qin¡±. It had a total of one hundred floors and was more than four hundred meters tall. The shape of the building was strange and looked like two military knives standing side by side. There was a circr hole on the top of the building, which was said to be a wind tunnel design, it could slow down the wind speed when the tall building encountered a hurricane.

    At night, when the lights were lit up, the silver floor of the building was like two swords shining with cold light, stabbing into thend in the center of Z City.

    Lu Yuan took a sip of red wine and said with a smile, ¡°The Qin family is really interesting.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew immediately that Lu Yuan was implying something. ¡°President Lu, you had a lead?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you could say so,¡± Lu Yuan elegantly ced his wine ss on the windowsill and looked at the Qin building across from him, he said leisurely. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Qin Private Group or the Qin Orphanage, there were no loopholes. The management was perfect, the ounts were clear, and the social charity was done well. They were impressive.¡±

    Although he was a little anxious, he still said unhurriedly, ¡°Then there is no progress. The court is going to be held again next Monday, and we have a little progress here.¡±

    As he spoke, Huo Shaoheng recounted thest time Gu Nianzhi had appeared in court to fight the case. Finally, he said with pride, ¡°Nianzhi was very impressive. With just a few words, she provoked Liang Meili and Qin Yaoguang to kill each other. She just sat back and benefited from it.¡±

    Lu Yuan was shocked when he heard this. ¡°Wen Shouyi is the daughter of Qin Yaoguang and Wen Dayou, the gardener of the He family?! Are you sure?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what the DNA test showed,¡± Huo Shaoheng shrugged. ¡°What does this have to do with me not being sure?¡±

    Lu Yuan held his phone and paced around the suite, constantly thinking about this fact. He asked, ¡°How old is Wen Shouyi this year?¡±

    ¡°Around twenty-six or twenty-seven?¡± Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t very sure.

    ¡°That was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years ago,¡± Lu Yuan suddenly looked up and smiled. ¡°I have an idea. Nianzhi was smart. She gave me a lot of inspiration. Alright, you guys wait for my good news!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned, ¡°What did you think of?¡±

    ¡°If we can¡¯t find a loophole, we would have to start from where they started. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯ve found out,¡± Lu Yuan said hurriedly, he couldn¡¯t wait to find someone to start the investigation again.

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°We would be in court again next Monday. Would you be able to find some clues before then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Lu Yuan said and hung up the phone.

    He walked around the room with his phone in his hand before walking into the bathroom.

    A few minutester, he walked out. His entire appearance had changed.

    He had a full beard on his face and had thick eyebrows and sharp eyes. He lookedpletely different from his original appearance.

    However, he looked the same as the ID card he had used when he checked into the hotel.

    This time, he came to Z city with this appearance.

    No one knew that he was the president of the Lu Group.

    His current identity was a coal boss from the north.

    He wore a thick gold chain around his neck and several gold rings on his fingers. His clothes were all branded and a pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers, which were suitable for walking.

    He left the Shangri hotel dressed like this and found a taxi on the street. He asked the driver to take him to a nightclub at the edge of Z city.

    A nightclub was a ce where there were all kinds of people. There were many people and the light was dim. It was a good ce to hide dirty things and also one¡¯s identity.

    The taxi driver saw Lu Yuan¡¯s outfit from the rearview mirror and smiled knowingly. He thought that Lu Yuan¡¯s anxious look was to find ady.

    Without saying anything, he drove him to the entrance of a nightclub in the suburbs of Z City and let him down.

    After getting off the car, Lu Yuan went straight into the nightclub. He bought a ss of wine inside and went to the bathroom without drinking.

    When he came out of the bathroom, he was already dressed as a slovenly middle-aged man with a ck faux leather bag tucked under his arm.

    After passing through the crowded and chaotic crowd, he left the nightclub and wandered around the area where the city and countryside met. He found a very old-looking family hotel and walked in.

    ording to the information he had found, this family hotel had almost a hundred years of history here, even longer than the Qin family¡¯s history.

    Yes, this was the home of the Qin family.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s famous private hospital group started from here.

    Lu Yuan walked into the family hotel. He opened his eyes wide and looked at the price list on the opposite wall. Then he inquired, ¡°How much is the cheapest room here for one night?¡±

    An old woman in her sixties raised her head from behind the reception and answered, ¡°The cheapest is twenty dors for one night. It¡¯s just a bed-and-breakfast. It¡¯s shared with eight people.¡±

    ¡°What about the cheapest single room?¡± Lu Yuan took out a worn wallet from his leather bag and asked shabbily.

    ¡°The cheapest single room is 50 dors a night. There¡¯s no bathroom, only a bed, and no windows.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I want a single room for 50 dors,¡± Lu Yuan rummaged through his wallet for a long time, took out a 50 dor bill, and handed it over.

    The old woman took the money and handed him the key, ¡°Turn in from here and go straight ahead. It would be the first room on the right.¡±

    Lu Yuan was a little surprised, ¡°... Aren¡¯t you going to register my identity card?¡±

    The old woman smiled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to give it to me, I would register it.¡±

    It was indeed a family hotel. After 100 years, it was still a small family hotel.

    Of course, Lu Yuan did not take the initiative to give him his identity card. He smiled and nodded, ¡°Thank you, Granny.¡±

    This ce addressed all unfamiliar old women as ¡°Granny¡±.

    Seeing that he was quite polite, the old woman had a good impression of him.

    Walking out from behind the reception desk, she took the initiative to bring him to the room over there. As she nagged, ¡°Be careful when you go out. Although my ce is cheap, it¡¯s very safe. No one dares to cause trouble here.¡±

    Lu Yuan had long investigated it. The olddy¡¯s family name was Chen. In this ce, they were considered the local tyrants. Indeed, no one dared to cause trouble in their small hotel.

    ¡°Thank you, Granny,¡± Lu Yuan followed behind her gratefully, nodding and bowing.

    ¡°My husband¡¯s surname is Chen. Everyone calls me Granny Chen,¡± The olddy was more and more satisfied with him. ¡°Why don¡¯t I change a bigger room for you?¡±

    The single room door opened. Lu Yuan took a look and sure enough, it was a bed. The entire room was almost the size of this bed.

    After he opened the door, he could get on the bed. His shoes could only be stuffed under the bed, or else there would be no ce to put them.

    He was not picky. In their line of work, what ce had he not lived in before?

    Lu Yuan ced a ck leather bag in his hand on the bed and said, ¡°No need, no need. This is good enough. I came from the city today. If I can find my rtives tomorrow, I would have a ce to stay.¡±

    ¡°Your rtives?¡± Granny Chen was excited. She loved to help people find rtives and friends. ¡°I know all the people here. Who are your rtives? What are their names? Maybe you could find them tonight.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Lu Yuan asked in surprise, ¡°My rtives¡¯ surname is Qin.¡±

    ¡°Surnamed Qin?¡± Granny Chen looked at him with understanding.. ¡°Is it the Qin family who owns a private hospital? They are not here anymore. Why did youe here to find them?¡±

 Chapter 1753 - First Bucket of Gold

    <h4>Chapter 1753: First Bucket of Gold</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Yuan scratched his head with a puzzled expression. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be. I don¡¯t remember them being so rich in the past. Could you be mistaken?¡±

    ¡°How could I be mistaken? We only had one Qin family here,¡± Granny Chen pursed her lips and was unhappy. ¡°Although I¡¯m old, I don¡¯t have dementia. I remembered it very clearly!¡±

    ¡°Oh really? If there¡¯s only one Qin family, then they must be my rtives,¡± Lu Yuan grinned. ¡°When did they get rich? Howe I didn¡¯t know about it?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Granny Chen looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were looking for your rtives? How could you not know?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°The poor are ignored in the busiest city; the rich will find rtives in the deepest mountain. If I wasn¡¯t poor, how could I not know their contact details?¡±

    Granny Chen felt that she had been told the truth. She pped her thigh and said, ¡°The Qin family is not being kind. How could they care about their wealth and ignore their rtives? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get my grandson to find the Qin family¡¯s contact information for you online.¡±

    Lu Yuan quickly stopped her and said, ¡°Granny Chen, there¡¯s no need. I can look it up on the inte myself.¡±

    He sat down on the bed and said to himself, ¡°¡­ They¡¯re so rich? I didn¡¯t expect it to be them.¡±

    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t see them. Old Man Qin doesn¡¯t like to be on TV, and the people of the Qin family don¡¯t like to be in the limelight. If you haven¡¯t seen them, you probably couldn¡¯t imagine it,¡± Granny Chen felt that she could understand this person¡¯s feelings.

    Lu Yuan lowered his head and let out a long sigh. He said, ¡°Back then, my grandfather and the grandfather of the Qin family left home with our family. Our family went to the north to explore, and they went to the south.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that after so many years, they would be so much stronger than us.¡±

    Granny Chen nodded repeatedly, ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Look at you, I think you can¡¯t even afford to eat anymore. and the Qin family became one of the richest families in our country! Not only did they open a hospital, they even established an orphanage!¡±

    Lu Yuan put on an embarrassed look and muttered, ¡°¡­ Back then, their family was just like ours, they were all bumpkins. How did they manage to open a private hospital? I heard that opening a hospital is very expensive! Where did they get the capital?¡±

    Capital. This was the direction that Lu Yuan had just thought of to investigate.

    Just like Gu Nianzhi, he couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and the Qin Orphanage. However, he felt that something was wrong.

    He had just spoken to Huo Shaoheng on the phone and he mentioned that Gu Nianzhi had revealed the secret of Wen Shouyi¡¯s background in court. It was then that he had a sudden realization.

    If he couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with the current Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital and the Qin Orphanage, he should investigate their origins.

    The current Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital was already a well-known publicpany locally and abroad. Whatever needed to be cleaned up would have been done long ago.

    If there was a loophole, the big shots in the stock market who liked to sell short would have taught the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital a lesson long ago.

    Therefore, there was still a problem with the direction of his previous investigation. Fortunately, he had adjusted it in time.

    Of course, he would only have a say in this conclusion after his investigation.

    After listening to him, Granny Chen clicked her tongue and said, ¡°They were destined to be rich!¡±

    She raised her hand and pointed in the direction to the south, ¡°Over there, who knew it would be circled as a special district? Later on, the higher-ups gave the order, and their family immediately became rich!¡±

    ¡°Huh? What you meant was¡­ The family had theirnd?! Howe I didn¡¯t know? I have never heard my grandfather mention it!¡± Lu Yuan pretended to be surprised and asked carefully.

    The official website of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital had written about the Qin group¡¯s rich experience.

    Lu Yuan knew that their first bucket of gold came from thend.

    The Qin family had a piece ofnd in Z city. It was originally in a rtively remote area, but the higher-ups gave the order to include thend in the special district, immediately making it worth a hundred times more.

    The old master of the Qin family, Qin Baye, was a very courageous and discerning person.

    He used this piece ofnd as coteral and borrowed a huge amount of money from the bank to establish the first private hospital in the country.

    Previously, Lu Yuan did not pay much attention to this portion, but now that he thought about it, there were some problems.

    The Qin family was previously poor and could make a fortune. Qin Baye, the Old Master Qin, was the first generation. The Huaxia Empire was founded after the country began to develop its economy. It was not arge family with a deep background.

    How could such a family have their privatend in Z City?!

    Granny Chen pursed her lips and said disapprovingly, ¡°Old Man Qin was capable. There was no news at that time, and he just hoarded a piece ofnd. I heard that¡­¡±

    Granny Chen frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly said, ¡°¡­ This is strange. There had been quite a few people who came to ask about the Qin family¡¯s prosperity in the past few days. You¡¯re not with them, are you?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but there was still a nk look on his face, ¡°What do you mean, Granny Chen? If I had a helper, would I have toe to this ce by myself?¡±

    He looked around the ¡°single room¡± helplessly and smiled bitterly.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s appearance made Granny Chen lowered her guard slightly. She waved her hand and said indifferently, ¡°Actually, it was okay to ask. I¡¯m not lying. I was telling the truth. I had nothing to be afraid of.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! Granny Chen, you look like a good person. I was really lucky to you!¡± Lu Yuan looked at Granny Chen gratefully.

    Granny Chen was ttered by him and could not help but say more. She had not even told the people who hade to inquire about this a few days ago.

    ¡°¡­ Let me tell you how the Qin family was able to make a fortune. I heard that they once looked for an expert to read their fortune and said that their eldest daughter had a good life and could prosper the family. Look, isn¡¯t that already true?! The eldest daughter of the Qin family might be doing it now. I heard that she¡¯s a great doctor and also a great scientist! I¡¯m not convinced by Old Man Qin at all, but his eldest daughter, I¡¯m convinced!¡±

    As she spoke, Granny Chen took out her phone and showed it to Lu Yuan. ¡°Look, this is the eldest daughter of the Qin family. She was very capable!¡±

    Granny Chen showed Lu Yuan a photo of Qin Yaoguang wearing a green mask and a whiteb coat. She was experimenting.

    Lu Yuan pointed at the photo and made a dumbfounded expression, ¡°¡­ This is the eldestdy of the Qin family?! I thought she had the same name as my rtive¡¯s daughter! So she¡¯s my rtive¡¯s daughter!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha¡­ You¡¯re muddle-headed!¡± Granny Chenughed so hard that she staggered back and forth. She seemed to be in a good mood.

    She was getting on in years. Once she opened her mouth, she could not stop.

    She nagged, ¡°I heard from my husband that Old Man Qin had his eyes on that piece ofnd, but he did not sell it at first. Later, he went to read his fortune and said that his eldest daughter would bring prosperity to the family, so he brought his daughter to C city to talk to someone. Finally, the talk was sessful and he bought that piece ofnd.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, ¡°The original owner of that piece ofnd was from C City?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that it used to be a big family, but I heard that the other members of that big family went abroad in the early years, and only their family stayed behind. You know what happened after that¡­ Sigh, why did they sell thend? It was such a good ce, even if it wasn¡¯t encircled by the special district, it was stillnd! It¡¯s worth too much money¡­¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded without batting an eyelid, ¡°I also think that the Qin family was quite lucky. Even if they were willing to sell, they would need to have the money to buy it¡­ No matter how cheap it was, they won¡¯t give it away for free, right?¡±

    Granny Chen was stunned for a moment and subconsciously said, ¡°Oh right, where did Old Man Qin get the money to buy thend?¡±

    Their attention was drawn to the Qin family¡¯s low-pricednd hoarding and then the soaringnd prices.

    But after careful consideration, they knew that this nd hoarding at a low price¡± was untenable.

    No matter which era it was, thend was a scarce resource.

    The so-called nd hoarding at a low price¡± was also rtive to the current era.

    Under the price conditions at that time, 10,000 dors was equivalent to the purchasing power of 1 million dors now.

    So the question returned to the original point. Where did the Qin family get the initial funds to buynd from the start?

    Lu Yuan recalled the history of Qin Baye¡¯s family on the official website and asked, ¡°I heard that Qin Baye used to run an orphanage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, his family¡¯s orphanage was opened at the same time as our hotel for almost a hundred years. He was loyal and had a bunch of brothers under him,¡± Granny Chen pouted again. ¡°It was a pity that my husband was not as smart as him. He became the boss of a bigpany and our family is still guarding this small hotel.¡±

    Lu Yuan had an idea.

    He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Granny Chen and yawned appropriately.

    Granny Chen quickly said, ¡°Look at me, I couldn¡¯t stop talking. It¡¯s already veryte. Go to sleep, go to sleep!¡±

    After Granny Chen left, Lu Yuan climbed onto the bed, closed the door, and began texting Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Find out who bought thend in Z city from the Qin family.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was still awake when he heard his phone vibrate on the bedside table again. He casually swiped it open.

    When he saw the text message, he immediately sat up from the bed.

    The Qin family¡¯snd in Z City?

    It should be the real headquarters of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital, right?!

 Chapter 1754 - Hiding Alone From The World

    <h4>Chapter 1754: Hiding Alone From The World</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Lu Yuan sent the information to Huo Shaoheng for him to check because Lu Jin was the one who set up theputer in Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment. It had the most advanced hacking software, allowing him to enter and leave the majorwork systems freely as if he owned the ce.

    Lu Yuan was running around with a few of his subordinates. Of course, it was not convenient for him to investigate these things.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately turned on Lu Yuan¡¯sputer and logged in to the hacking software. With quiet confidence, he found the City Z Government Land Administration Department¡¯s internalwork system.

    With Lu Jin¡¯s hacking software, he could even ¡°take a tour¡± around the internalwork of the American CIA. essing the City Z governmentwork was a piece of cake.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ownputer was very powerful too. After logging in, he quickly performed an index search ording to the era.

    He was able to find the specific era to make an inquiry. This was with reference to the borate details the Qin¡¯s Private Group had stered all over their official website as to when they acquired thisnd. Subsequently, the first hospital of the Qin¡¯s Private Hospitalwork was built on thisnd.

    Based on this information, Huo Shaoheng uncovered the transaction records of that year in no time.

    Just like the other ounts and information of the Qin¡¯s group, this transaction was also clearly recorded in the book.

    A few decades ago, the founder of the Qin¡¯s Private Hospital Group, Qin Baye, bought a piece of marginalnd from C City¡¯s Qin Huichang and his wife.

    At that time, Z City was not a city yet. It was merely a small town.

    That piece ofnd was not far away from the town.

    At that time, no one could imagine this piece ofnd so quickly prospered within half a year and was redrawn as economd, bing a part of the National n.

    Moreover, looking at the price at that time, it was also pretty much fair. It was thirty percent higher than the market price at that time.

    All the data was simr to what was on the Qin¡¯s official website.

    Moreover, the official Qin¡¯s website stated that in order to take this piece ofnd, not only did Qin Baye sell all the properties in his family, he had used up all his savings and even borrowed a sum of money from a loan shark. It was only then he sessfully bought thend from the ¡°Greedy¡± Qin Huichang¡¯s couple.

    No one knew but they believed the Qin Huichang¡¯s couple had regretted selling thend so much that they were permanently green with envy.

    While they sold thend off at a rtively ¡°high price¡±, prices had risen dramatically after half a year, and thend price had increased by almost a hundred times.

    This was truly a lucrative business!

    Huo Shaoheng sighed while shook his head, wondering if it was Qin Baye¡¯s luck, or if there was something else going on?

    However, with his experience, he was sure that there was something else going on.

    It was possible to make a small fortune through luck, but it was definitely impossible to make such a big fortune through luck alone.

    If there were a billionaire who rendered his ¡°luck¡± like this, then it must be a part of the hidden truth that he had not revealed.

    The hidden truth was the real reason why he became a huge tycoon.

    Anecdotes from the Chicken Soup for the Soul were no doubt interesting and make good stories. They were, at the end of the day, delicious, but works of fiction. Taking them as they are would sabotage oneself, as one would have taken poison to quench his thirst.

    You¡¯d be a fool if you believed it.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in front of hisputer and spent the whole night checking. He remained energetic until dawn the next day.

    After he sent the information he had found to Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng went to the bathroom to wash his face. He would next go to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment to make breakfast for her.

    It was only seven in the morning now, and Gu Nianzhi was still asleep.

    Lu Jin had returned to his apartment but also hadn¡¯t woken up yet.

    However, by the time Huo Shaoheng finished making breakfast, Lu Jin was already stirred awake by the aroma of breakfast.

    Sitting down with his eyes closed in the dining room, Lu Jin inhaled deeply and said, ¡°¡­ this porridge is really good. It tastes exactly like Boss Lu¡¯s.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°¡­¡±

    He wondered if he should put some salt in Lu Jin¡¯s porridge?

    He shrugged away the fleeting thought before sending the porridge bowl over. There were also two small dishes and a te of tofu buns.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breakfast usually was just a ss of milk in the morning with a toast and sunny-side up.

    Huo Shaoheng handily made the breakfast that she is used to,

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and opened the bedroom door. She was taken aback by the familiar aroma.

    She released her hand and saw Huo Shaoheng standing in front of her. He was expressionless but appeared to be rxed.

    He reached out and caressed her head. ¡°Would you have breakfast, or wash up first?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said subconsciously, ¡°Have breakfast first, then wash up.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Huo Shaoheng released his hand and smiled. He turned sideways. ¡°Remember to eat the egg yolk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not like egg yolk, especially the runny yoke in sunny side ups.

    In the past, she would secretly pick them out for Brother Xiong or little Brother Ze.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°¡­¡±

    She walked straight to the dining room and sat down. When she saw the familiar breakfast on the te in front of her, she took a deep breath and felt a lump in her throat.

    She really wanted to go back to that world¡­

    The father and daughter finished their sumptuous breakfast without saying a word. They had a pleasant sleep and it turned out the mood that morning was great.

    Gu Nianzhi sat for a while and went to the bathroom to wash up. When she came back, Huo Shaoheng had already cleared the dining table and was sitting in the living room talking to Lu Jin.

    ¡°¡­ Uncle Lu, do you know Qin Huichang?¡± Huo Shaoheng had already told him about Qin Baye¡¯s purchase of thend.

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment and nodded. ¡°Yes, why?¡±

    ¡°Do you know him?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lu Jin was a little embarrassed. ¡°I know about him. It¡¯s on the news.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, ¡°¡­¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly walked over and sat beside Huo Shaoheng. She asked curiously, ¡°What are you talking about? Who is Qin Baye? Is he from the Qin¡¯s Family?¡±

    The ¡°Qin¡¯s Family¡± she was referring to was, of course, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Qin¡¯s family.

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°Of course not. Do you think everyone with the surname Qin in the world is Qin Yaoguang¡¯s rtive?¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s not, but when you guys talk about it, it seems like it is.¡± Gu Nianzhi giggled as her gaze swept past the side of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her with a serious expression. He said calmly, ¡°Director Lu found something in Z City yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Nianzhi sat up immediately and said nervously, ¡°What did you find?¡±

    ¡°Director Lu found out that thend where the Qin¡¯s family made their fortune was where the headquarters of the Qin¡¯s Private Hospital Group in Z City located. It was bought from a family in C City. He asked me to find out who that family was.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused for a moment and said, ¡°I sent the information to your email.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly took out her phone to check her email.

    She looked through the transaction records in one nce and was a little disappointed. She asked in confusion, ¡°What does this mean? This is almost exactly the same as the information as what the Qin¡¯s family wrote on their official website¡­ except there¡¯s no seller¡¯s name.¡±

    In other words, the information Huo Shaoheng found proved that the Qin¡¯s family was not lying. Their information on the official website was very urate.

    ¡°So we have to check on the seller.¡± Huo Shaoheng tapped on his phone screen. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can still find them.¡±

    Lu Jin lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, ¡°Stop checking. You won¡¯t be able to find them.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Gu Nianzhi was even more surprised. ¡°Dad, you know who the sellers are?¡±

    Lu Jin struggled in his heart. He didn¡¯t want to say it, but Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng had already uncovered the truths about the family. What difference would it make if he said it or not?

    This matter had been a piece of big news at that time, and there were still many reports from the past avable now. What was the use of him hiding it all by himself?

    ¡°Dad, just tell us! If you don¡¯t tell us, we¡¯ll go find it ourselves. It¡¯s a waste of time. It¡¯s not worth it¡­¡± Gu Nianzhi sat next to Lu Jin and hugged his arm, tugging at it vigorously. She acted coquettishly, hoping that Lu Jin would give in and tell her.

    Lu Jin smiled bitterly and patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Actually, you can find out even if I don¡¯t tell you. Qin Huichang is Qin Suwen¡¯s father.¡±

    ¡°¡­ it is He Young Master¡¯s mom¡¯s father?! That¡¯s He Young Master¡¯s grandfather?! But isn¡¯t Auntie He an orphan?!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s alreadyrge and glistening eyes further widened. Lu Jin did not dare to look at her. He was afraid that he would be able to see the reflection of his deepest self through her eyes.

    He lowered his head and nodded. ¡°Qin Huichang¡¯s couple died in a car ident, leaving only Qin Suwen, who was less than ten years old at that time. They had no other rtives in the country, so Qin Suwen was adopted by the orphanage in C City.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. ¡°I remember Auntie He was adopted by the Qin¡¯s Orphanage? How did it be an orphanage in C City again?¡±

    Lu Jin whispered, ¡°At the beginning, it was an orphanage in C City, but the director of this orphanage was dishonest. He embezzled much of the orphans¡¯ property and waster found out and sentenced to imprisonment. The orphanage in C City was subsequently closed down.¡±

    ¡°After C City Orphanage closed down, the Qin¡¯s Orphanage opened its first branch in C City and took in all the children from the C City Orphanage.¡±

    ¡°Because of this, the Qin¡¯s Orphanage became renowned throughout the country. Even the Qin¡¯s Private Hospital became a symbol of benevolence.¡± Lu Jinughed mockingly.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Qin Huichang and his wife died in a car ident right after they sold theirnd? Isn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence?¡± Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but think there was a conspiracy behind this supposed coincidence.

    She had a bad impression of Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye¡¯s family, she inevitably thought badly of them, in her subconscious.

    Lu Jin shook his head and said, ¡°The police investigated this matter. Qin Huichang couple¡¯s car ident had nothing to do with Qin Baye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flipped through the information. After a while, she nodded slowly and said, ¡°That makes sense. Qin¡¯s couple ident happened after they sold theirnd. Qin Baye paid for it with real money.¡±

    ¡°If he wanted to kill the Qin¡¯s couple and seize theirnd, he could have done it before he bought it. He wouldn¡¯t have had to borrow money from loan sharks then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s not the reason,¡± Lu Jin said with a straight face. ¡°We did not know about this at that time.¡±

    ¡°Then what was the reason?¡± Gu Nianzhi remained very curious.

    ¡°It was Qin Suwen. She told the police herself that her parents were drunk and had an argument in the car. They argued and fought, causing the car to go out of control.¡±

    It was a DUI.

    Gu Nianzhi, ¡°¡­¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up in surprise and asked, ¡°Qin Suwen was in the car at that moment?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She suffered some burns,¡± Lu Jin tried his best to control his expression, ¡°but her life was not in danger.¡±

    ¡°It was because of this that, the investigation was dropped after a period of time without any new developments.¡± Lu Jin looked up, his expression had returned to normal.

    Gu Nianzhi exchanged gazes with Huo Shaoheng and did not notice the traces of sadness in Lu Jin¡¯s eyes.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1754 ¡°One Person Concealing¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    To remind everyone of their monthly tickets and rmended tickets.

    The second update was at 8 p.m.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting points from ¡°Heavenly tent candy¡± yesterday.

    Mwah, Every Big and Little Angels~~~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1755 - Making up for Regrets of the Past

    <h4>Chapter 1755: Making up for Regrets of the Past</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked at Lu Jin with sparkling eyes. She asked curiously, ¡°... Did Auntie He subsequently investigate the case on her parents¡¯ deaths?¡±

    Qin Suwen was a mere child, young than ten when the ident happened decade ago.

    When she became an adult, Qin Suwen studiedw and became a topwyer. She married into a family simr to the likes of the He family.

    How could she not investigate the cause of her parents¡¯ deaths?

    Lu Jin nodded, and replied, ¡°She did. Many of the things I am sharing with you now were uncovered through her own investigation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little disappointed. Hemented, ¡°Ah, so it was Auntie He who investigated it herself.¡±

    She was sure of it. With the He family¡¯s status and power, coupled with Qin Suwen¡¯s own abilities, there was no way in the world she would let the matter go. Especially if her parents¡¯ passed unjustly.

    But if even she couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with it, then, could there really be nothing wrong?

    Gu Nianzhi reyed every word Lu Jin said in her mind. Suddenly, she asked, ¡°Wait, what about the money from the sale of thend by Qin Huichang and his wife?¡±

    The couple died in a car ident shortly after selling thend, leaving behind Qin Suwen. Qin Suwen was a minor then, who had to be sent to an orphanage. This was strong enough evidence that they did not have any other rtives in the country to help adopt Qin Suwen.

    ¡°Of course the money was left to Suwen,¡± Lu Jin said without hesitation. ¡°Later, the C City Orphanage said they needed to treat Suwen¡¯s injuries, so they spent most of her assets. There wasn¡¯t much left.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    ¡°This director is evil!¡± Gu Nianzhi was furious. ¡°He even embezzled money meant for orphans! How does he sleep at night? Isn¡¯t he afraid that their parents would haunt him in his dreams?¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s afraid, he wouldn¡¯t have embezzled the inheritance of others.¡± Lu Jin scoffed and shook his head. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re also awyer. You should see more of the dark side of human nature than others, right?¡±

    Some people said that journalists because of the nature of their job, are the ones who see the darkest side of society, andwyers, the ones who see the darkest side of human nature. Both groups were at risk of having their sense of sympathy gradually erode.

    Perhaps it was because she was young, or perhaps it was because of her personality, Gu Nianzhi disagreed strongly. ¡°Seeing it doesn¡¯t mean you should get used to it. Otherwise, why would you need thew? Thew is meant to punish the evil that happens in the dark side of society.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her with pride and admiration, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re doing great. You¡¯re not cynical just because you¡¯ve seen too much of the dark side. It¡¯s actually just like doing an experiment. At first, it seems like there are many difficulties. However, as they are solved one by one, slowly, the path will be clear, and the dark side will gradually diminish.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Nianzhi smiled, crinkling her eyes.

    From Huo Shaoheng and the other soldiers, more than anything else, Gu Nianzhi had learned about the determination and faith to never give up.

    They protected this country and people with their lives. Were they going to give up just because there was a dark side?

    Of course not.

    There were people who were in the dark but yearned for the light.

    There were also people who faced the darkness but believed that the light would eventually dispel the darkness.

    Huo Shaoheng listened to the father and daughter¡¯s rambling conversation in silence. He brought the conversation back on track without batting an eyelid. He said calmly, ¡°I feel that there is still a problem, but there must be a reason why thewsuit was withdrawn and Young Master He¡¯s mother did not pursue the matter further.¡±

    ¡°What other reason could there be?¡± Gu Nianzhi frowned.

    Based on the intuition of an excellentwyer, she also felt that there was a problem. But even a barrister like Qin Suwen had given up, what other reason could there be?

    Thinking about Qin Suwen¡¯s personality and character Gu Nianzhi asked doubtfully, ¡°... Could it be that there wasn¡¯t enough evidence?¡±

    As she said this, she suddenly saw the light.

    It was as if the dense fog before her floated away, as it was illuminated by the sun. In an instant, she could see through to the shadows of the hidden past.

    ¡°There really is a possibility that there¡¯s not enough evidence!¡± Gu Nianzhi was excited. Her brain was working extremely fast. She quickly connected it to the events that they had experienced.

    ¡°Look at this modus operandi. Doesn¡¯t it appear to be very simr to Wen Shouyi¡¯s trick?!¡± Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. She said excitedly, ¡°Just take the photo incident. We all thought she was definitely behind it, but she actually had the ability to get away with it legally!¡±

    Qin Suwen was a barrister. Everything had to be done in respect to thew.

    Without evidence, she could not use the He family¡¯s influence against Qin Baye¡¯s family.

    ¡°Look at Auntie He. She must have doubts about her parents¡¯ car ident. That¡¯s why she investigated it when she was an adult and had the ability to do so, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin at that moment, her bright eyes looking at him.

    Lu Jin was dumbfounded. ¡°... Su Wen really investigated her parents¡¯ car ident because she had doubts about it?¡±

    ¡°Is there another reason?¡± Gu Nianzhi asked seriously. ¡°Then tell me, what was the real reason for Auntie He¡¯s investigation?¡±

    Lu Jin looked away awkwardly. ¡°She didn¡¯t say. I thought she just wanted to make up for regrets of the past.¡±

    ¡°What regrets?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked sharply, not letting Lu Jin get away with being vague about it.

    Lu Jin sighed. ¡°It was her who told the police that her parents¡¯ car ident was a DUI...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dark jade-like eyes flickered earnestly as she whispered, ¡°Auntie He was still underage at the time, but her words were already considered legal evidence? Did the police not continue their investigation?¡±

    ¡°They did, but they couldn¡¯t find any other reason. Besides, there were no surveince cameras at the time, and the eyewitness testimony and Su Wen¡¯s words could be corroborated. So in the end, the case was closed as an ident that was caused by a DUI and had nothing to do with anyone else.¡±

    If even their biological daughter said that, what else was there to investigate?

    Gu Nianzhi felt terrible. She mumbled, ¡°But if Auntie he was in the car, wouldn¡¯t she have been scared silly? Would she have been able to testify clearly? I saw the fire in the car at the time, and I was devastated. It took me a long time to recover... It was difficult for me to say aplete sentence, let alone testify...¡±

    She tried her best not to look at Huo Shaoheng, but Huo Shaoheng still reached out and patted her on the shoulder gently.

    His palm was warm and his touch calmed Gu Nianzhi greatly.

    Lu Jin was stunned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. He asked anxiously, ¡°Did it really scare you?! Actually, my calctions were very urate. I wouldn¡¯t have hurt you!¡±

    Even if no one hade to save her at the time, Lu Jin would have put out the fire after sending her over.

    The car would only self-destruct after Gu Nianzhi left the car.

    But Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know about all this.

    Gu Nianzhi was both annoyed and amused by Lu Jin¡¯s words. She said, ¡°I was already twelve years old at the time, and I was so scared that I had to see a psychiatrist. Auntie He was even younger then, wasn¡¯t she? She really wasn¡¯t scared?¡±

    Lu Jin said sheepishly, ¡°Maybe, but Suwen was a very strong person. She wouldn¡¯t be easily defeated.¡±

    He carefully recalled the situation at the time and added, ¡°There was another reason why Suwen stopped the investigation.¡±

    ¡°What reason?¡± Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng asked in unison.

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze lingered between them for a while before he said,¡±... She was pregnant at the time. In order to prepare properly for giving birth to the child, she didn¡¯t continue the investigation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood and continued, ¡°After the baby was born, she found out that there was a problem, and Qin Yaoguang took the initiative to treat her son¡¯s illness, how was she going to investigate? Right?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?!¡± Lu Jin asked in surprise and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°It was all a deduction?! My girl is so smart!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said nothing.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled into a smile.

    However, Lu Jin didn¡¯t want to say anything more after he said this. He stood up and stretched. ¡°I stayed up tootest night for the experiment. I¡¯m going to catch up on my sleep now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng watched Lu Jin leave in a hurry and disappear at the door. He then asked softly, ¡°Is your father very close to Young Master He¡¯s mother?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment. ¡°... My father has always admired Auntie He, but I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s familiar with her. It seems strange, but I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s strange about it.¡±

    She also had a hunch that something was wrong, but she still hadn¡¯t sorted out what she was thinking.

    ¡°... He used to keep his distance deliberately, but today, he called her ¡®Suwen¡¯ directly. A man and a woman who aren¡¯t familiar with each other wouldn¡¯t call each other by name like that, would they?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood and winked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°That¡¯s true! Geez, you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi continued excitedly, ¡°Also, if Auntie He was the one who investigated all of this, then it should be the contents of the dossier. Lawyers don¡¯t usually show their dossiers to unrted people, nor do they discuss the contents of the dossiers with unfamiliar people.¡±

    She shrugged and sighed. ¡°It would be great if I could see Auntie He¡¯s dossiers from the past.¡±

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t at all want to remind Gu Nianzhi that she could look to He Zhichu to investigate this matter.

    He changed the subject without batting an eyelid. ¡°Next Monday, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s case will be brought to court again. How do you n to use her biological mother-daughter rtionship with Wen Shouyi?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: Chapter 1755, Making up for Regrets of the Past.

    There are two updates today.

    Reminder to everyone on monthly tickets and rmendation tickets.

    Mwah, big shots and little angels ~ ~

    ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1756 - Picked up

    <h4>Chapter 1756: Picked up</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Speaking of next Monday¡¯s court appearance, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright eyes quickly dimmed, like a floating cloud blocking out the starlight at night. Only a few sparse shadows could be seen through the clouds.

    She said in a low voice,¡±... I really don¡¯t want to be sisters with Wen Shouyi...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered the subtle changes in Wen Shouyi¡¯s appearance, and his heart stirred. He sat closer to her and said, ¡°Have you noticed? Wen Shouyi seems to have made some minor adjustments recently.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. Wen Shouyi¡¯s appearance shed across her mind.

    ¡°... Right, don¡¯t you think she looks more like a person now?¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng and asked slyly.

    ¡°Like who? Xie Qingying?¡± Huo Shaoheng saw through her little trick and leaned back on the sofa with a half-smile.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and gave him a hard p. ¡°That¡¯s right! She looks just like Cousin Xie!¡±

    Xie Qingying looked simr to Gu Nianzhi, especially her straight nose bridge. This was the typical appearance of the Gu family.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s mother and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father were biological siblings, so the two of them were more simr in this regard.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s minor adjustments were on her nose and face.

    Undeniably, she looked much more beautiful after she adjusted her nose and done a face-lift.

    ¡°Before she adjusted her face, she didn¡¯t look like Qin Yaoguang.¡± Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and pulled out Wen Shouyi¡¯s photo. She ced it next to Luo Piaopiao¡¯s and said doubtfully, ¡°Before that, she looked more like Luo Piaopiao.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi only had the idea of testing her DNA after discovering this. She thought that Wen Shouyi might be rted to the Qin family in some way.

    She just didn¡¯t expect that the blood rtionship was closer than she had expected. Wen Shouyi was actually Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter!

    Huo Shaoheng wrapped one arm around Gu Nianzhi and held the back of her hand as he looked at her phone.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone disyed a photo of her meeting with Luo Piaopiao at the revolving restaurant.

    Other than Luo Piaopiao, there were many other members of the Qin family who attended the meeting, including Old Master Qin.

    Gu Nianzhi started to feel that something was wrong when she saw the faces of the Qin family members.

    ¡°... These are the sons, grandsons, nephews, daughters-inw, nephews-inw, and even granddaughters-inw of the Qin family. What about the daughters of the Qin family? They didn¡¯t attend the dinner party because they were married away? Well, that makes sense,¡± Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself, her hand continues to scroll through the photo album on her phone as she flipped through the photos from that day.

    Before the explosion that day, she had secretly taken quite a number of photos.

    Huo Shaoheng also looked at them for a while, then took out his phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll look for them ourselves.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked at him with a smile. She instantly understood what he meant.

    The two of them silently picked up their phones at the same time and began searching for photos left behind by the Qin family on the Inte.

    With the development of modern social media, most people are used to putting the details of their lives on the Inte.

    After having a meal, they would post on their moments on Weibo. One would also post online when they went shopping, woke up in the morning, and go to bed at night.

    Life on the Inte has be inextricably linked with a part of people¡¯s modern real life.

    Under such circumstances, they have a high chance of directly finding traces of the Qin family¡¯s daughter on the Inte.

    This was legal and safer than directly investigating or even secretly taking photos.

    The twoputer experts, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, set out to search for the Qin family¡¯s names. It didn¡¯t take long for them to find the Qin family¡¯s social media ounts.

    They followed the clues and found that the Qin family had about five daughters starting from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s generation. Qin Yaoguang was the eldest, and the other four were the daughters of Qin Baye and Satoshi Saito.

    Gu Nianzhi counted and smiled. ¡°The Qin family have quite a few daughters. Qin Yaoguang should be the eldest, and the next younger Qin family¡¯s daughter after her... eh?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused and said doubtfully,¡±... is there a mistake? Qin Yaoguang¡¯s four cousins have already passed away.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clicked his tongue. ¡°These four cousins are younger than her. How did they die?¡±

    ¡°Let me see...¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at the information they have found, ¡°Out of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s four cousins, only two lived to adulthood and got married. The other two died prematurely. Of the two cousins who lived to adulthood, one of them was Luo Piaopiao¡¯s mother. However, she passed away shortly after giving birth to Luo Piaopiao. ¡°Although the other one managed to get married, she had a difficultbour and passed away too due to dystocia.¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡± Gu Nianzhi shook her head as she hit the nail on the head. ¡°The Qin family have the best private hospital in the country, but the survival rate of their own daughters has been so low. This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned as well. ¡°The third generation of the Qin family also has many sons, but no granddaughters. It looks like Luo Piaopiao is the only granddaughter who has lived to adulthood.¡±

    ¡°It was Luo Piaopiao who alerted us to the fact that something was awry. What does this imply?¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers unconsciously caressed the phone. She began to feel that the truth was ready to be revealed.

    But what is the breakthrough point?

    She looked up and saw her face reflected on the diamond mirror wall on the opposite wall. She was instantly enlightened.

    She patted her forehead and said excitedly, ¡°I think I understand now! Quick! Find the photos of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s cousins! Whether it¡¯s their photographs before death or their deceased portraits!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find these,¡± Huo Shaoheng said. ¡°When they died, the inte wasn¡¯t that developed yet. If you only search for them online, you might not be able to find their photos.¡±

    This was true.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect this oue either, but she became more interested now, and her brain was working faster than usual.

    ¡°Look online first, especially for thest two cousins who lived into adulthood and got married. Look for their rtives, such as husbands, sons, brothers, and parents¡¯ social media ounts, and see if you can find anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied, ¡°I¡¯ll look for the photos of the cousin who died duringbour and you will look for the photos of Luo Piaopiao¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Nianzhi agreed and immediately cooperated with Huo Shaoheng.

    She was lucky, or rather, she was looking in the right direction.

    Within a few seconds, Gu Nianzhi made a major discovery.

    ¡°Look! This is Luo Piaopiao¡¯s brother, Luo Yaozu¡¯s Weibo! He mourned his sister and mother on Weibo and put their photos side by side to form a six-square grid!¡± Gu Nianzhi excitedly handed her phone to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Look!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and saw that on the glossy screen of the phone, six photos were neatly arranged.

    The top three were in color and had a higher resolution. They belonged to Luo Piaopiao.

    The bottom three were in ck and white. They were obviously scanned photos. They were photos of Luo Piaopiao¡¯s birth mother!

    The woman in the ck and white photograph was still very young. Her eyes were small, and her face was as t as a silver te. Her nose was tter and wider. Her nose was slightly upturned, and she smiled tenderly.

    She looked very simr to Luo Piaopiao, and also somewhat resembled Wen Shouyi.

    Huo Shaoheng already had a guess in his heart. He calmly said, ¡°Save the photo, and save the entire Weibo page as well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve saved it all. Do you still need to remind me about this? Have you found anything?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything else and continued to search on the inte.

    He searched?for a long time and eventually found a funeral photo from?Qin Yaoguang¡¯s other cousin¡¯s husband.

    This cousin had the same big, silver face and a t nose that had be the trademark of the Qin family¡¯s daughter. She had a slightly wider nose and a slightly raised nose.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°Just by looking at her nose, you can tell that Wen Shouyi is a descendant of the Qin family!¡±

    She suddenly looked up at herself in the mirror and touched her nose. ¡°My nose looks like dad¡¯s, and not mom¡¯s.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s nose isn¡¯t copsed either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand paused.¡±... Why isn¡¯t Qin Yaoguang¡¯s nose the typical nose of a daughter of the Qin family?¡±

    ¡°Not only her nose, but her face, mouth, and eyes aren¡¯t the typical features of a daughter of the Qin family.¡± Huo Shaoheng ced the photos of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s two cousins, Luo Piaopiao, and Wen Shouyi together, he thenpared the photos of Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang side by side.

    ¡°Look, you and Qin Yaoguang seem like they were picked up from the streets.¡± Huo Shaoheng joked.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t find it funny at all. She mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m the one who was picked up. Qin Yaoguang definitely isn¡¯t...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± Gu Nianzhi pointed at the photos, ¡°Look, Wen Shouyi looks so much like the girls from the Qin family, and Wen Shouyi had been proven that she¡¯s Qin Yaoguang¡¯s daughter, so Qin Yaoguang must be the daughter of the Qin family. Otherwise, she couldn¡¯t have given birth to Wen Shouyi who had that appearance. But I don¡¯t look like them at all...¡±

    ¡°But you look like Qin Yaoguang.¡± Huo Shaoheng hit the nail on the head and exposed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡®hope¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re her daughter, just from the look of it.¡±

    ¡°Just from appearance? Then why would you need DNA?¡± The more Gu Nianzhi looked at Wen Shouyi, the more annoyed she became. She did not look at Qin Yaoguang at all.

    This was because seeing Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face, which looked very much like hers, made her even more annoyed.

    ¡°No, I need to get my dad to do a DNA test to see if Qin Yaoguang and I are truly mother and daughter!¡± Gu Nianzhi leapt to her feet and dashed to Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    ..

    Lu Jin was in a daze in hisb.

    Gu Nianzhi rushed in and gave him a fright.

    He turned around and saw her running in with a red face. He quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled out a strand of hair and handed it to Lu Jin. She shouted, ¡°Dad! Test my rtionship with Qin Yaoguang!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face turned pale, but he quickly calmed down. He smiled and stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why would you want to test your rtionship with Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t resemble the girls from the Qin family. Can¡¯t I be suspicious about it?¡± Gu Nianzhi said stubbornly. ¡°I¡¯m terrified at the prospect of having to call the same person as mother as Wen Shouyi!¡±

    ¡°This has already exceeded my limit!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be willful. Promise me that you will never go to anyone else for DNA testing, blood testing, or even go to a hospital that you don¡¯t trust for treatment!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1756, ¡°Picked up outside.¡±.

    Two updates today.

    Remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets.

    8:00 p.m. Second update.

    Mwah, big and small angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1757 - Mom Did Not Even Recognize Me

    <h4>Chapter 1757: Mom Did Not Even Recognize Me</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi nodded hurriedly, and said, ¡°Dad, I definitely would not have gone to another ce for a DNA test. When I was there, Huo Shao and the others assigned me a specialist doctor. I¡¯ve never gone to another ce for a doctor before.¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered the time when she had been in an ident in Germany. Reinitz seemed to have sent her to a German hospital for an infusion.

    She closed her eyes and decided not to think about it for the time being. She looked intently at Lu Jin and said coquettishly, ¡°Dad, hurry up and give me a test! I can¡¯t wait any longer!¡±

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at her in confusion and asked,¡±... just because of Wen Shouyi, you want to test the DNA between you and Qin Yaoguang? But you two look so much alike...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious. Wen Shouyi and I look nothing like each other. Even if we have the same mother, we could never be half-sisters,¡± Gu Nianzhi said matter-of-factly. She evenpared the photos of the daughters of the Qin family that she had found with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Look, these are Qin Yaoguang¡¯s two cousins who have lived to adulthood. This is Luo Piaopiao, and this is Wen Shouyi¡¯s photo from before... are they really a family?¡±

    ¡°Look at the photos of me and Qin Yaoguang again...¡± Gu Nianzhi said. He pointed at the two photos below and continued, ¡°Although they look simr, Qin Yaoguang was also Wen Shouyi¡¯s mother. This doesn¡¯t make sense to me. How could she have given birth to a daughter with Wen Shouyi¡¯s looks? Even if she really did, then Qin Yaoguang should look simr to her cousin. Unfortunately, she doesn¡¯t. She doesn¡¯t look like them at all!¡±

    ¡°You see what a huge contradiction this is, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m afraid that even gic theory can¡¯t exin it, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin in anticipation. She harbored great hope and hadplete trust in him.

    Lu Jin looked away. Then he replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do the test, for you.¡±

    ¡°Yay! Dad, you¡¯re the best!¡± Gu Nianzhi stood on her tiptoes and kissed Lu Jin on the cheek.

    Lu Jin patted her head, and said, ¡°You can go out first. I¡¯m busy here and you won¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Okay! I won¡¯t interfere with Daddy¡¯s work anymore!¡± Gu Nianzhi chirped, then happily left Lu Jin¡¯sb.

    ...

    Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood when she returned to her apartment.

    She couldn¡¯t help but pose and dance her way into the living room like a joyful ballerina.

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the living room with his back to the door. When he heard the sound, he turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi dancing.

    Even though she wasn¡¯t very good at dancing, a lover¡¯s eyes could see beauty. Huo Shaoheng was watching her with great interest. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her.

    Gu Nianzhi twirled her way to Huo Shaoheng and stuck out a hand confidently like a white swan.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and held her hand. He nted a kiss on the back of her hand and gently pulled her into hisp.

    ¡°Look at you, all happy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my father has agreed to do the paternity test for me! If it proves that I¡¯m not rted to Qin Yaoguang by birth....then, aha!¡± Gu Nianzhi was beaming with joy as she spoke, like a little bird that had broken free from its shackles.

    It was obvious that even though she had said that she did not treat Qin Yaoguang as her biological mother, she still felt a certain amount of psychological pressure.

    As a child, she could not choose her own parents. There was nothing she could do about it.

    But what if she was not her biological mother?

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and reminded her,¡±... Don¡¯t forget, you were born by her. Don¡¯t be too confident about the oue.¡±

    ¡°... So what if she was born by herself?!¡±Gu Nianzhi retorted nonchntly. ¡°Wen Shouyi was born by someone else, but it turned out to be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s. How could I not be in the same situation?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you were born to Qin Yaoguang, but your biological mother could be someone else?¡±Huo Shaoheng was deep in thought. He muttered, ¡°That¡¯s not impossible...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one of the possibilities!¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded resolutely. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any doubts at first. After all, I was indeed ¡®born¡¯ by her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi emphasized the word ¡®born¡¯ to indicate that it was a verb.

    ¡°... and I look so much like her. Who would suspect that their parents, who look so much like them, aren¡¯t their own biological parents?¡±

    That was until her looks made people suspicious.

    But Gu Nianzhi was suspicious of her looks. She didn¡¯te from Qin Yaoguang.

    She didn¡¯t even doubt Qin Yaoguang herself.

    Her suspicion of her looks started with Luo Piaopiao.

    This girl was like a ray of light, shining into the dark and obscure history.

    After investigating the looks of the Qin girls, Gu Nianzhi felt even more out of ce.

    Qin Yaoguang did not have the unique facial features of the Qin girls, the t nose.

    However, Wen Shouyi, who she had given birth to, had one.

    A high nose bridge was a dominant inheritance, while a t nose was a recessive gic trait. Therefore, both parents should have a t nose to give birth to a child with a t nose.

    One side had a high nose bridge, while the other side had a t nose. It was very likely that the child would have a high nose bridge.

    Gu Nianzhi hade to this conclusion when she had identally discovered that Wen Shouyi and Luo Piaopiao looked the same.

    She had thus discovered the truth about Wen Shouyi¡¯s background.

    Now that the DNA test had proved that Wen Shouyi was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter, it was also very likely that Qin Yaoguang had a t nose bridge!

    Although there were exceptions to everything, and it was impossible for such a deduction to be 100% urate, the probability was very high.

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped her arms around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and smiled. She licked and pursed her luscious lips repeatedly, causing others¡¯ thoughts to go wild.

    She spoke quickly and hurriedly, as clear and melodious as ss beads falling on a jade te.

    ¡°... Judging from Wen Shouyi¡¯s looks, it¡¯s very likely that both her biological parents have t noses!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back on the sofa and said calmly, ¡°But Qin Yaoguang doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°In terms of probability, perhaps she happens to have the lowest probability, which means that a child with a high and t nose has a t nose.¡± Gu Nianzhi did not deny this possibility, and continued, ¡°But we can¡¯t give up the highest probability just because of the lowest probability. That¡¯s why I must test the rtionship between me and Qin Yaoguang!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he leaned over and nuzzled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate nose. He teased, ¡°What are you implying? Is there something wrong with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance? Is she also a surrogate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. I just asked Dad to test the paternity test!¡±

    Her excitement onlysted until the next day. When Lu Jin brought the test results over, he said regretfully, ¡°Nianzhi, Qin Yaoguang is indeed your biological mother.¡±

    He ced the DNA test results in front of Gu Nianzhi and patted her shoulder regretfully. He didn¡¯t even notice Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting next to Gu Nianzhi. He didn¡¯t say anything and turned to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if she had been sshed with a bucket of cold water. She didn¡¯t recover for a long time.

    Huo Shaoheng sat next to her and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    She stared at the DNA test results in front of her and wished she could shred them into pieces and throw them into the sea.

    In the silence, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang.

    She didn¡¯t want to answer it. Huo Shaoheng nced at the screen and saw that it was He Zhichu. He didn¡¯t want to remind Gu Nianzhi to answer the phone either.

    However, the other party did not give up. After a full five minutes of unrelenting phone calls, Gu Nianzhi finally took a look at the phone screen.

    She took the phone and swiped to answer the call with a solemn expression. She answered the call softly.

    He Zhichu was not in a good mood. He asked, ¡°Nianzhi, what are you doing? Why haven¡¯t you answered the call for so long?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t convenient just now,¡± Gu Nianzhi said rigidly, ¡°is anything the matter, Young Master He?¡±

    He Zhichu sensed that Gu Nianzhi was also not in a good mood. Thinking that she already knew, he said,¡±... you also know, right? Wen Shouyi just picked up Old Man Qin from the detention center.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately came back to her senses and almost jumped up from the sofa. ¡°What did you say?! Old Man Qin was picked up by Wen Shouyi from the detention center? ! What is the He family doing?! He¡¯s trying to harm you, Young Master He! How could you let him go?!¡±

    Even though Gu Nianzhi wasining and criticizing their family, He Zhichu¡¯s mood miraculously improved.

    He could tell from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious tone that she genuinely cared and was concerned about him.

    Even if this kind of care and concern was not what he wanted, it was still better than her aloof attitude and indifference towards him.

    Nianzhi, whom he treated like a treasure, would not be so heartless.

    She had always been a warm-hearted and sincere little girl.

    He Zhichu smiled slowly. ¡°Our country is a legal society. No matter how powerful our He family is, we cannot vite thew.¡±

    ¡°Yesterday, Old Man Qin turned 80 in the detention center. ording to thew, those over 80 years old have a certain level of immunity.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, he was unconscious the entire time. Wen Shouyi also took out evidence and put all the me on Qin Yaoguang, so Old Man Qin could only be acquitted.¡±

    He Zhichu spoke confidently, ¡°Or, we can arrest him again when we find more evidence. But now, we can only release him. But I¡¯ve applied for an injunction to leave the country. He and the Qin family cannot leave the country.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clutched her chest, her head spinning from Wen Shouyi¡¯s actions.

    ¡°She, she, she... She¡¯s letting Qin Yaoguang take the me?!¡±

    How was that possible?

    Wen Shouyi was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter. Didn¡¯t she secretly test her own DNA?!

    Gu Nianzhi had proposed in court to test the rtionship between Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi, and Wen Shouyi wasn¡¯t locked up. If she was Wen Shouyi, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to wait for the court to conclude. She would have had to secretly test her own DNA!

    What exactly had happened that she did not know?!

    Gu Nianzhi could not helpining to Zhichu,¡±... she and Qin Yaoguang could be biological mother and daughter!¡±

    Wen Shouyi was eager to climb up the socialdder and get rid of her family background. How could she let Qin Yaoguang, her noble biological mother, take all the me?!

    He Zhichu said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s not a possibility. They are biological mother and daughter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi would not reveal that she had secretly done a paternity test on the two of them. She said in surprise,¡±... I was right?!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±He Zhichu smiled. ¡°You may not know this, but Wen Shouyi did a paternity test on her own and went to the detention center in advance to im her mother. In the end, her mother beat her so badly that her mother refused to acknowledge her.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1757: Mom Did Not Even Recognize Me (2nd update)

    Remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1758 - Forced Into a Desperate Situation

    <h4>Chapter 1758: Forced Into a Desperate Situation</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Wen Shouyi went to meet her mother in advance?! And her mother beat her up?!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi repeated He Zhichu¡¯s words subconsciously and was extremely curious.

    ¡°Why did Qin Yaoguang refuse to reunite with her?!¡±

    ¡°If she wished to reunite, she would have done it long ago and Wen Dayou won¡¯t be able to bring her home as an orphan.¡± He Zhichu scoffed, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Wen Shouyi to have such a naive side.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know whether she was too narrow-minded or not, but she was getting more and more annoyed when anyone say something good about Wen Shouyi.

    Although Wen Shouyi was her half-sister, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t able to be objective and be wise when she thought about what Wen Shouyi did to her.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and said inly, ¡°Innocent? What misunderstanding does Major General He have for the word ¡®innocent¡¯? Since Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t recognize her, so she threw all the me on Qin Yaoguang and ride the Old Master Qin¡¯s coattails. How could such a person be innocent?¡±

    He Zhichu could tell that Gu Nianzhi was unhappy, so he paused and exined awkwardly, ¡°I mean, she still wants to reunion with her mother, which makes her seems unthoughtful.¡± Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t reunite with her for so many years, was it because she didn¡¯t know that Wen Shouyi was her biological daughter? Qin Yaoguang clearly knew that and even asked Wen Dayou to adopt Wen Shouyi. It was clear that she didn¡¯t consider Wen Shouyi as her biological daughter at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi disagreed and retorted, ¡°At most, it means that she didn¡¯t think it through, that¡¯s the IQ problem. Saying her is naive, it¡¯s about personality problems. Wen Shouyi has no issue with her personality. She¡¯s just as bad and bitchy as usual.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were mean and sarcastic. It was obvious that she was extremely unsatisfied with Wen Shouyi.

    He Zhichu was speechless for a long while. He thought of all the things that Wen Shouyi had done over the years, and couldn¡¯t help feeling even more guilty towards Gu Nianzhi. He quickly said, ¡°I was wrong. She¡¯s not naive, she¡¯s stupid and evil. Nianzhi, can you forgive me for my unintentional mistake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed by He Zhichu¡¯s solemn apology.

    She slowly sat down and leaned back on the sofa. She smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to me you. I just wanted to emphasize my opinion on Wen Shouyi.¡±

    He Zhichuforted her nicely again.

    Gu Nianzhi back to her senses and quietly changed the topic. ¡°Major General He, do you mean Wen Shouyi did this because she gave up on Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Since Qin Yaoguang did not want to reunite with her, she had to find another way.

    He Zhichu nodded. ¡°Of course. Do you know what me Wen Shouyi put on Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and asked curiously,¡±... could it be that Qin Yaoguang was the one who used the infrasound weapon to hurt you?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Gu Nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang was in custody during that time. How did she get the ability to ¡®strategize an attack from a thousand miles away¡¯? Wen Shouyi can be med, but whether she can be med it on Qin Yaoguang or not, this will depend on the cognitive ability of the Law Enforcement Officers.¡±

    He Zhichu sighed, ¡°Wen Shouyi came with well prepared. How could she not thought about this?¡± She took out the evidence to prove that all of this was nned before Qin Yaoguang was taken into custody. Later, when she was imprisoned in the detention center, she even treated this n as a life-saving straw. She sent a message through the people who came to visit her and told them to carry out the n.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered from his surprise. ¡°She did found a good reason but she would have to betray a group of the internal management of the Qin¡¯s Private Corporation, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is a good opportunity to clear out the dissidents. All the Qin Yaoguang¡¯s promoted subordinates, as well as those who only listened to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words and did not listen to her, were all sent to the detention center by her.¡± He Zhichu took a look at the street through the car window.

    On the opposite side of the road, it was the headquarters of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Private Hospital in the capital.

    At this time, many police cars were parked outside the hospital. Managers of thepany were being brought out of the hospital one by one with handcuffed.

    He Zhichu did not interfere with the police matters, but this did not prevent him froming over to ¡°watch the show.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed a few more times until she heard He Zhichu was talking to his subordinates and she hung up the phone.

    She said to Huo Shaoheng ruefully, ¡°You heard what I just said to Major General He, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly. ¡°I heard it. Qin Yaoguang refused to acknowledge Wen Shouyi, so Wen Shouyi gave up on Qin Yaoguang and became more ruthless than Qin. She directly put the me on Qin Yaoguang for the felony.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not all...¡±Gu Nianzhi said excitedly. ¡°She killed three birds with one stone!¡±

    ¡°First, she took revenge on Qin Yaoguang for refusing to acknowledge her.¡±

    ¡°Second, she gets to ride Old Master Qin¡¯s coattails.¡±

    ¡°Third, she took the opportunity to eliminate dissidents within the group. Anyone who only listened to Qin Yaoguang and didn¡¯t listen to her was sent to the police.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°Did she actually do these?¡±

    ¡°How could it be fake news? Major General He personally admitted it, she was that powerful!¡± Although Gu Nianzhi extremely dislike Wen Shouyi, she had to admit that this girl¡¯s vitality was really strong.

    It was like the weeds which the wildfire would not burn all out and when the Spring breeze started to blow, they will all grow again.

    ¡°... But how did she me the incident of infrasound weapon on Qin Yaoguang?¡± Huo Shaoheng was also a little confused. ¡°Qin Yaoguang was already in custody at that time, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she was already in custody but Major General He told me that Wen Shouyi had evidence to prove that Qin Yaoguang had been nning this for a long time. Therefore, regardless of Qin Yaoguang was in custody or not, she will use this method to deal with He Zhichu and achieve her goal by controlling him. So that she can further control He zhichu¡¯s father, the General He.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi analyzed the situation for Huo Shaoheng and exined it in a clear and logical manner.

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time before he finally started to talk again. ¡°With the evidence, it will be very difficult for Qin Yaoguang to turn the tables.¡±

    ¡°After Qin Yaoguang was detained, she refused to give up in order to get out and secretlymunicated with her subordinates who came to visit her and carried out the n. So, they wanted to perform the surgery on Old Master Qin and tried to get Qin Yaoguang to do it for him.¡±

    ¡°They knew the Major General He very well. They knew that he would be worried and would definitelye to watch her performing in the surgery. So they ced the infrasound weapon in the secret room in advance and aimed it at Major General He...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi folded her arms around her neck as she leaned back on the sofa, she said ruefully, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my father, Major General He would already be under Qin Yaoguang¡¯s control, and General He might have remarried Qin Yaoguang by now...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help but start tough. He rubbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°What are you thinking about? You should be thinking about what you¡¯re going to do when we go to court on Monday. Do you actually believe that Old Master Qin had nothing to do with this?¡±

    ¡°Of course he had something to do with it, but we don¡¯t have enough evidence,¡± Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Wen Shouyi was able to hand over all the evidence and push it all on Qin Yaoguang, which means that she had already reprocessed the evidence.¡±

    ¡°If the court epts the evidence, then the Old Master Qin couldn¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± Huo Shaoheng was curious.

    Even though he wasn¡¯t as proficient in thews as Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu, he still knew about some fundamentals.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and said, ¡°The murder of Major General He with a subsonic weapon and the kidnapping of a minor by Qin Yaoguang are two different cases. They cannot be confused. The case that I¡¯m going to court the next Monday is the same case that Qin Yaoguang kidnapped me eight years ago. I n to dig deeper. For example, after she ordered someone to kidnap me, why did she send me to the airport? Which country was she heading to?¡±

    ¡°Also, what was her motive for kidnapping me?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe that she kidnapped you to make room for her daughter, Wen Shouyi?¡± Huo Shaoheng asked with a smile. He picked out a piece of mango with a bamboo stick for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi ate the piece of mango and said, ¡°Of course not. If she actually treated Wen Shouyi like a loving mother, she wouldn¡¯t have been put Wen in the orphanage and wouldn¡¯t refuse to reunite with her after publicized about it.¡±

    ¡°The second reason is on point.¡± Huo Shaohengplimented her and stood up. ¡°Then take your time to prepare. I¡¯ll drop by the embassy ande back to cook dinner for you tonight.¡±

    ¡°Okay,e back earlier then!¡± Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were shone and none of the stars in the night sky were as bright as her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help himself and leaned over to kiss her on the lips before mumbling, ¡°... Be hurry and finish up here. I want to take you home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart almost dropped for a few seconds before it pounded loudly.

    Blood was rushing through her veins, and the gurgling sound filled her eardrums. Her vision got blur and she felt dizzy.

    Going home, what a beautiful phrase. Could she able to wait till that day?

    By the time Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her reverie, Huo Shaoheng had already left.

    He drove to the Soviet embassy in the capital while he contacted Lu Yuan.

    He had never taken the initiative to contact Lu Yuan, but this time, he couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    Lu Yuan was free by then and he was reading a book in his hotel room.

    Realizing that it was a call from Huo Shaoheng, he immediately picked it up and asked, ¡°Have you found out who sold thend?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied ¡°Yeah¡± and quickly said, ¡°I got it, the sellers of the Qin Huichang and his wife¡¯snd are actually Qin Suwen¡¯s parents.¡±

    Lu Yuan was stunned. ¡°Qin Suwen? He Zhichu¡¯s mother? He Chengjian¡¯s wife? ! Didn¡¯t she passed away?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she passed away a long time ago.¡± Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say much, ¡°But thend originally belonged to Qin Suwen¡¯s family. No one knows why she sold it.¡±

    ¡°Have you found out why they sold thend?¡± Lu Yuan feltplicated.

    He knew that Qin Suwen was an orphan, so her parents were definitely dead. It would be hard to find out the reason.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled wryly, ¡°That¡¯s too difficult. I heard that most of Qin Suwen¡¯s family members left the country for a long time, leaving only their family in the country. After Qin Huichang and his wife died, Qin Suwen, who was underage during that time had no choice but to go to an orphanage.¡±

    ¡°What about their old friends? Qin Huichang and his wife didn¡¯t have any rtives in the country. They didn¡¯t even have any friends or colleagues?¡± Lu Yuan didn¡¯t want to give up yet, he was trying to find out any possible clues.

    ¡°Even if they were willing to say anything. Those are friends and colleagues from decades ago, the court might not ept it,¡± Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Because too much time has passed, it might have already passed the retroactive period. The memories of these people might not be reliable.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±Lu Yuan nodded, but he did not give up. ¡°I¡¯ll look for people from back then to ask about Qin Baye¡¯s family. There are more people who know them than Qin Huichang.¡±

    ...

    Times flew. Just as Lu Yuan, Huo Shaoheng, and the others were anxiously investigating, Gu Nianzhi ushered in the time to appear in court once again.

    This time, there were still people sitting behind her, but Qin Yaoguang was sitting alone. Not to mention the Qin family, rtives, and friends, even their legal team only had a fledglingwyer sitting there, she looked especially lonely and pitiful.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, Wen Shouyi was really going all out. She wasn¡¯t even willing to try and hadpletely given up on Qin Yaoguang.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up slightly.

    Without Wen Shouyi, who liked to y the side of thew, stirring up trouble here, she might have been able to get more information out of her.

    In her heart, she still thought Wen Shouyi¡¯s decision to give up on Qin Yaoguang was very stupid.

    Qin Yaoguang was irreceable to the Qin Corporation.

    Even Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t know the secrets in her heart.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly stood up from the intiff¡¯s stand and walked up to Qin Yaoguang to begin her first interrogation today.

    Qin Yaoguang looked at Gu Nianzhi with a cold expression. She had no idea that Gu Nianzhi was going to force her into a dead end.

    ....

 Chapter 1759 - Seize the Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 1759: Seize the Evidence</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side could be said to be pletely deserted¡±pared to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°outnumbered¡± side.

    The previous time she appeared in court, her side was really ¡°packed.¡±

    In just a short week, she didn¡¯t even have a leadwyer of the legal team.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed with deep emotions at Wen Shouyi¡¯s great methods as she showed the court-approved DNA evidence to Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, this is the court-approved DNA evidence. This evidence shows that your character witness, Wen Shouyi, is actually your biological daughter, so she is no longer qualified to be your character witness.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang replied indifferently, ¡°She has nothing to do with this case to begin with. It doesn¡¯t matter whether she bes a character witness or not.¡±

    The youngwyer next to Qin Yaoguang was extremely embarrassed. He quickly whispered, ¡°Ms. Qin, you should let me answer the opposingwyer¡¯s question.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was brimming with anger. On hearing that, she vented it all on this youngwyer. ¡°Then tell me! If you don¡¯t say anything, how will I know if you can speak or not!¡±

    The youngwyer¡¯s face turned visibly red immediately.

    He stammered, ¡°ording to the procedure, I should be the one to answer...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled amiably, her voice soft and moving. ¡°Defensewyer, actually, there are no set rules as to who should answer the questions.¡±

    ¡°To speak fairly, you¡¯re just the defendant¡¯swyer. The defendant can use you, or she can choose to defend herself and answer the questions herself.¡±

    The youngwyer suddenly felt that the cor of the white dress-shirt he was wearing today was a little tight¡ª so tight that he could barely speak.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored him and turned to look at the gloomy-looking Qin Yaoguang. She continued to ask, ¡°May I ask, you clearly knew that Wen Shouyi was your biological daughter, so why did you put her in the orphanage and not care for her? Then asked Wen Dayou to adopt her?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang resisted the urge to roll her eyes and said snappily, ¡°Are these past events rted to this case?¡±

    The youngwyer next to her was elicited and quickly raised his hand, ¡°Objection! Objection! The questions raised by the defensewyer have nothing to do with this case.¡±

    ¡°Defensewyer, did you read the case file before going to court? Do you know the ins and outs of the entire case? If you knew, you wouldn¡¯t think that the questions I asked had nothing to do with this case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said indifferently, not even ncing at the youngwyer next to Qin Yaoguang.

    The youngwyer had indeed been assigned at thest minute.

    It was Wen Shouyi¡¯s original intention to not assign anywyers and leave Qin Yaoguang to fend for herself.

    But Old Master Qin couldn¡¯t bear it and asked her to find awyer.

    Now it seemed like it was as good as not having one.

    Besides, there were so many files on this case, and the situation was constantly changing. The youngwyer had only been temporarily assigned in the morning. He had only briefly looked at the case in the car but was quickly disgraced by Gu Nianzhi. He straightened his neck and said, ¡°The main parties of this case are my client, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, and the Wen couple. What does that have to do with the mother-daughter rtionship between my client and Dean Wen?!¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll tell you what it has to do with.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi calmly raised her slender neck, the exquisite curve of her jaw was as beautiful as God¡¯s careful sculpting.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes shed with jealousy and hatred upon seeing it.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored her and smiled faintly. ¡°First of all, in this case, your client, Qin Yaoguang, is the mastermind, Wen Dayou and his wife are the perpetrators, and the ¡®Dean Wen¡¯ you mentioned is ying the role of the ¡®witness¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Now that the DNA has been identified, Wen Shouyi, the ¡®witness¡¯ from eight years ago, turns out to be the mastermind¡¯s biological daughter, and the mastermind, Qin Yaoguang, had an intimate husband-wife rtionship with one of the perpetrators, Wen Dayou.¡±

    After she finished speaking, she deliberately looked at Qin Yaoguang provocatively. She had picked the most heart-wrenching topic to provoke Qin Yaoguang.

    This cut-in point was indeed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s taboo. It was the topic that she was most unwilling to let anyone else know, and have it be brought up.

    She deeply regretted it now. Back then, when she had confirmed that Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes werepletely useless to He Zhichu¡¯s illness, she should have just killed her directly.

    It was not worth it to let her live until now to make things difficult for herself.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mouth twitched as she said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! When did I ever marry Wen Dayou?! You¡¯re awyer, you have to speak with evidence!¡±

    ¡°Of course I speak with evidence.¡± Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows as she showed the DNA test in her hand. ¡°You even gave birth to a child. Yet you still im that you and Wen Dayou are not husband and wife? Please forgive my ignorance, I don¡¯t understand the logic behind it.¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t understand. With Your IQ, it would be a miracle if you could understand this logic!¡± Qin Yaoguangughed coldly as she pped the table and stood up. Pointing at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nose, she said, ¡°Proving that someone¡¯s rtionship with mere DNA testing?! This is the biggest joke in the world!¡ªDo you know about artificial insemination? Do you know about IVF?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡± Gu Nianzhi seized the opportunity and questioned Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Artificial insemination is the collection of both parties¡¯ sperm and egg cells. The fertilized eggs are synthesized in theboratory and imnted into the womb of the surrogate mother, allowing them to be impregnated in bed. In this process, where is the ¡®true love between husband and wife¡¯ing from?!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was flushed red, and her expression was ferocious and scary.

    Gu Nianzhi replied with an ¡°oh¡± nonchntly and nodded. ¡°I see. But why did you use your egg cells and Wen Dayou¡¯s sperm to synthesize the fertilized eggs? Weren¡¯t you trying to seduce a married man?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang did not want to lose face in front of He Chengjian, so she immediately said, ¡°This was just an experiment. The sperm was randomly extracted. If it wasn¡¯t Wen Dayou, it would have been someone else. Besides, we¡¯ve done so many experiments...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately caught on to what Qin Yaoguang had revealed. She said loudly, ¡°So the defendant is saying that you didn¡¯t just do this one experiment, you also did many other experiments? Ms. Qin Yaoguang, then how many children did your egg cells give birth to?!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by how many children?¡± Qin Yaoguang scoffed. ¡°I only have two biological daughters, what ¡®many children¡¯?! Didn¡¯t I tell you previously?that this was a project run by the United Nations Poption Fund? The sperm and egg cells came from volunteers!¡±

    ¡°Yes, there were so many volunteers. What about the children they gave birth to? Don¡¯t tell me that only Wen Shouyi survived!¡± Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguang, not ignoring the anger and hatred in her eyes.

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry, but she was the only one who survived.¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s voluptuous lips curled up. ¡°Precious, right? Unexpected huh?¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s so precious, you should have kept her in theb. It¡¯s your fault for letting her out to harm people.¡± Gu Nianzhi also curled her lips and said lightly.

    Her attitude once again angered Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°Haha, if you want to talk about being locked in theb, I should have kept you in theb the entire time and not let you go to the He family! It was my fault that I let you out to harm people!¡± Qin Yaoguang sessfully returned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words back to her and was feeling very smug.

    To her, verbally insulting people had never been her strong point.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her with pity immediately said, ¡°So you¡¯re admitting that you once locked me up in ab to conduct experiments on living people? Then, eight years ago, you ordered your lover, Wen Dayou, to kidnap me. Were you going to continue using me as an experiment?!! You ordered someone to send me to the airport where the international flights are taking ce. Were you going to send me abroad?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one thing for you to use me as an experiment, but you were going to send me abroad to conduct experiments on foreigners? Qin Yaoguang, you¡¯re insane!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deliberately raised her voice, and her sharp voice was like a sharp knife, shing at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s head.

    ¡°Watch your mouth! Who¡¯s whose lover?! How could a girl say such things?!¡± Qin Yaoguang¡¯s attention was only focused on the word ¡°lover,¡± and shepletely ignored everything else Gu Nianzhi said.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reasoning happened to be true, thus Qin Yaoguang subconsciously did not refute it.

    ¡°Yes, I shouldn¡¯t have said that Wen Dayou is your lover. I apologize.¡± Gu Nianzhi nodded calmly. ¡°But you can¡¯t deny that you had been experimenting on me since I was two years old!¡±

    Amotion suddenly broke out in the gallery behind Gu Nianzhi.

    Everyone couldn¡¯t help looking over. It was He Zhichu who was about to stand up, but He Chengjian and Xie Qingying held onto him tightly from both sides.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was dark. He had always been a cold person, but now he was even colder. Everyone around him could clearly feel the murderous chill.

    He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking. He seemed to be extremely angry.

    Qin Yaoguang saw this and felt that her luck has arrived. She pointed at He Zhichu and said, ¡°Yes, in order to cure the illness of the young master, I had to test the gene therapy, again and again, to extract blood and bone marrow from your body. If you say this is a live experiment, then I¡¯ll admit to it.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s mind went nk when he heard that his guess was confirmed. He even lost the ability to control his body and was pulled to sit down by He Chengjian and Xie Qingying.

    There was no one else in his eyes except for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at He Zhichu worriedly. He Zhichu¡¯s face was too pale. Was he unable to couldn¡¯t bear the truth behind this?

    However, she was going to interrogate Qin Yaoguang today. She couldn¡¯t stop asking just because she was worried about He Zhichu¡¯s feelings.

    She blinked apologetically at He Zhichu and turned to look at Qin Yaoguang. She said calmly, ¡°You admit to using me as a live experiment?¡±

    ¡°If extracting blood and bone marrow counts,¡± Qin Yaoguang retorted immediately.

    ¡°If extracting blood and bone marrow doesn¡¯t count? Then what defines a live subject experiment?¡± Gu Nianzhi quietly dug a hole for Qin Yaoguang.

    As expected, Qin Yaoguang fell into her trap. She began exining to everyone, ¡°Of course, a real live subject experiment isn¡¯t extracting blood and bone marrow.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen ab experiment with mice? Real live experiments are the same as experiments with mice. They are divided into physical resistance experiments, chemical reflex experiments, toxicology experiments, immune experiments, and many more.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang looked Gu Nianzhi up and down andughed softly. ¡°Do you look like I¡¯ve done live experiments on you? If I had done live experiments on you, would you still be standing here as awyer?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang is so familiar with the procedures and consequences of experiments, so you must have done a lot of them, right?¡± Gu Nianzhi rested her hands on the dock and narrowed her eyes at Qin Yaoguang, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, when I was six years old, my father, Gu Xiangwen, took me away from you and sent me to the He family for protection. You didn¡¯t even dare to fart. Did someone have something on you?! Was it evidence of you using me as an live experiment subject?!¡±

    ....

 Chapter 1760 - The Best Ending for Our Relationship

    <h4>Chapter 1760: The Best Ending for Our Rtionship</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question was actually very wed.

    If Qin Yaoguang had a decentwyer by her side, they would have immediately stood up and objected to her question, because her words had a strong sense of leading and supposition.

    However, what she had done could only be said to be unrighteous, but it was not illegal.

    Even the judge would not take the initiative to say that she could not induce the defendant, or that she could not use conjecture as evidence to interrogate the defendant.

    This was to leave room for thewyers on both sides to fight it out.

    If yourwyer¡¯s skills were inferior, you would inevitably lose.

    Sometimes, things in court were as simple as that.

    The young and inexperiencedwyer next to Yaoguang was dizzy from listening to her. He was no longer in the proper state of mind to object to her question.

    Therefore, Nianzhi repeated herself, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, eight years ago, you conspired with Wen Dayou and his wife, along with your biological daughter, Wen Shouyi, to kidnap me. What was the reason for that? What were the results you were hoping to achieve by using me to conduct human experiments?!¡±

    Yaoguang¡¯s pupils instantly constricted, and the thoughts in her mind bounced around violently. It felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat anytime.

    She stared at Nianzhi in disbelief. She couldn¡¯t believe that she was still clinging to this topic.

    In a moment of desperation, Yaoguang suddenly caught a glimpse of He Chengjian sitting in the gallery. She looked at him affectionately and turned to look at the aggressive Nianzhi in front of her, she sneered, ¡°I won¡¯t admit to something I didn¡¯t do. I won¡¯t deny what I did. I only used you to donate bone marrow to Mr. He to treat his illness. When have I ever used you as a human experiment? Show me the evidence! Otherwise, stop speaking nonsense, framing the innocent, and misleading the judge!¡±

    Donating bone marrow was amon method of treatment, so it couldn¡¯t be said to be human experimentation.

    Everyone knew this fact.

    Soon after hearing that, everyone in the court became relieved.

    Nianzhi followed Yaoguang¡¯s gaze in surprise.

    How did Yaoguang suddenly be smarter?

    Her gaze wandered over to the side of the gallery. Chengjian suddenly spoke to the personal secretary next to him.

    The personal secretary immediately signaled the bailiff stood nearby.

    The bailiff then quickly walked over from the corridor next to the gallery and stood behind the judge. He lowered his head and whispered into the judge¡¯s ear, ¡°The chief is not feeling well. Can we adjourn for ten minutes?¡±

    The judge immediately nodded, ¡°Does he require a healthcare doctor toe over and check on him?¡±

    ¡°They said it¡¯s not necessary. They have an apanying healthcare doctor.¡±

    The judge promptly rapped his gavel and announced, ¡°Someone is not feeling well, hence we¡¯ll take a 10-minute break. The court will be back in 10 minutes.¡±

    Nianzhi did not know what was going on, but Yaoguang secretly smiled.

    Nianzhi was naively hoping to expose that incident, but Yaoguang knew full well that someone didn¡¯t want it to be exposed, so he would definitely protect her.

    Yaoguang raised her head and slowly sat down while looking at Nianzhi with an enigmatic smile, ¡°I advise you to stop rambling around. Didn¡¯t you say that I shouldn¡¯t have kidnapped you? Can¡¯t I just admit to my crime?¡±

    She scoffed and was led out by the bailiff to a holding cell to be locked up.

    Nianzhi turned around in confusion and happened to see He Zhichu with a frosty expression on his face. He swiftly followed Chengjian out.

    Xie Qingying chased after him for a short distance but was held back by Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary.

    He politely said, ¡°Miss Xie, Mr. He has something important to discuss with the chief. Please wait a moment.¡±

    Qingying had no choice but to stop in her tracks. She gripped the handle of her Hermes Kelly bag tightly with both hands and asked worriedly, ¡°Uncle He didn¡¯t look well just now, is he ill?¡±

    ¡°We have a healthcare doctor apanying us. Please don¡¯t worry,¡± he replied as he quickly chased after Zhichu.

    Chengjian did not stop walking and left the court without turning back.

    He did not stop by any of the rooms but instead just left for his private car.

    Zhichu followed closely behind him to the car.

    ¡°... Get out of the car!¡± he growled at Chengjian¡¯s driver.

    The driver looked back at his employer at a loss, ¡°Chief...¡±

    He only obeyed Chengjian¡¯s orders.

    Chengjian then raised his hand expressionlessly.

    Upon receiving the order, the driver hastily opened the car door and got out. He then closed the car door and stood guard around the bulletproof car with both their personal secretary and the guards.

    They stood a good distance apart from each other. It was just enough to protect the entire car, but not too close with one another.

    Even if they stood close to the car door, they would not be able to hear anything from within the car.

    This was because the car was specially designed. Once the doors were closed, it was as if it became a separate world of its own. The soundproofing effect was exceptionally good.

    The curtains were raised over the dark tinted car windows, blocking the view from the outside world.

    Now that no one else was around, Zhichu gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Dad, is what Nianzhi said true?! Did Yaoguang really use her as a human experiment?! Just to treat my illness?!¡±

    Yaoguang had said in court that she was only helping to ¡°donate bone marrow¡±. Those words could fool any ordinary person, but not Zhichu, the main person involved in this incident.

    Judging from Yaoguang¡¯s attitude towards Nianzhi all these years, he did not believe at all that Yaoguang merely made Nianzhi ¡°donate some bone marrow¡±.

    Moreover, he also believed that Nianzhi¡¯s sudden usal of Yaoguang performing ¡°human experiments¡± on her was definitely not a random frame-up.

    He looked at his father in shock and doubt. His heart sank when he recalled how Chengjian had left the courtroom in a hurry.

    However, he felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless pit. He just kept falling, without ever reaching the bottom. It was the most torturous feeling he had ever experienced.

    Chengjian snorted coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know if she did it or not. I only know that she cured your illness. This matter ends here! Don¡¯t pursue it any further!¡±

    Zhichu was extremely disappointed and shocked.

    It was as if someone had scalded him from the inside out with boiling water, and proceeded to put him in ice water to freeze him from the inside out.

    He could barely think properly in the sh of heat and cold.

    His head hurt so much that it felt like it was about to split open. He suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice, ¡°Dad, tell me the truth. My illness, how exactly was it cured?!¡±

    He had originally thought that it was as stated by Yaoguang, that Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow was the same as his, and a ¡°bone marrow donation¡± could be used to cure his congenital gic defect.

    But judging from Yaoguang and his father¡¯s reactions today, it was not that simple.

    He even remembered the earth-shattering argument between his mother, Qin Suwen, and his father when she was still alive.

    Although he had not heard what the argument was about first-hand, he could still recall how his mother had packed up and was preparing to leave home and live apart from his father.

    The person who had stopped his mother from leaving at that time was none other than little Nianzhi, who had been sent over by Gu Xiangwen.

    The six-year-old Nianzhi was pale and timid. When no one was looking, she would hide under the table.

    That pair of timid, frightened, and helpless eyes would forever remain in the memories of the sixteen-year-old boy.

    Zhichu closed his eyes, and tears quietly seeped out from the corners of his eyes.

    He slowly raised his hand, revealing a revolver in his hand, pressing against his temple.

    ¡°Dad, are you still not going to tell me? Fine, if you don¡¯t, I don¡¯t want to live anymore. If I¡¯m alive because of a human experiment on another innocent girl, this kind of life is sinful and shameful. Dad, I can¡¯t continue living like this. I am going to meet my mother.¡±

    Zhichu said coldly. Right when his finger was about to pull the trigger, Chengjian quickly took out a gun and aimed it at his temple, and replied, ¡°Fine, if you¡¯re not alive anymore, I have no reason to live either. Your mother is gone, and you are my only hope of survival. If you want to leave, I¡¯ll go with you, and our family of three can be reunited in the afterlife.¡±

    Zhichu was stunned for a moment. Chengjian quickly reacted by grabbing Zhichu¡¯s revolver wielding arm with his other hand and aimed it at his other temple, ¡°Ah Chu, you don¡¯t have to die. You can kill me to pay Nianzhi with my life!¡±

    Zhichu felt a strong burning sensation within him. It was as if he was being tormented in a pot of boiling oil. He held back the tears that were about to pour out of his eyes and roared in a low, hoarse voice, ¡°Are you admitting that you know about the immoral and inhumane things Yaoguang did to Nianzhi?!¡±

    ¡°How old was she then? Two years old?! How could you do that to a two-year-old child?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Chengjian closed his eyes and yelled, ¡°But if this is the only way to save your life, I will dly oblige!¡±

    He did not know nor did he want to know how Yaoguang had treated his illness. He only wanted to save his son. It was that simple.

    It did not matter if his wife disagreed.

    It also did not matter if his son did not understand.

    He had only done what he had to do as a father.

    He wouldn¡¯t tell Zhichu about Yaoguang¡¯s promise, that she would only use Nianzhi¡¯s blood, bone marrow, and genes.

    Chengjian didn¡¯t understand medicine or biology so he fully believed in Yaoguang¡¯s ability to work on this matter.

    Indeed, he had made the right bet, but he hadn¡¯t expected the truth behind this matter to be so ugly and unbearable.

    However, if he had to do it all over again, if Yaoguang personally told him that his son could only be saved by carrying out human experiments, what would he do?

    Would he rather have his son die than agree to the terms?

    Chengjian knew that he would not, that¡¯s why he did not shirk the responsibility.

    ¡°Regardless of what happened, I would never interrupt in this matter, because she was the only one who could save your life.¡± Chengjian¡¯s voice was old and deep, unyielding and stubborn, ¡°If you are not satisfied, I will give you an answer. Once I have arranged my work properly, I will resign andmit suicide. I will pay with my life!¡±

    Zhichu looked at his father in a daze. He deeply understood the feelings of his mother.

    Had she ever been so helpless too?

    Had she also been in so much pain that she wished she could die instead of letting them harm that innocent little girl?

    ¡°No, Dad, you don¡¯t have to die. The one who deserves to die is me,¡± Zhichu said word by word, ¡°If I had died earlier, Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been tortured like this. I shouldn¡¯t have been born!¡±

    ¡°Ah Chu!¡± Chengjian looked at him sternly, ¡°I forbid you to say that! You are the son of Suwen and me, our pride! Your illness is because Mom and Dad have let you down. If there¡¯s anything wrong, I will bear it alone!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of bearing it? The damage has already been done...¡± Zhichu¡¯s heart was empty as if he was dreaming, ¡°I used to hate her for losing her memories before she was 12 years old. I hated her for forgetting me. But now knowing that she had forgotten me, that feels like the best ending for our rtionship.¡±

 Chapter 1761 - an not give her any more fantasies (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1761: Chapter 1761 can not give her any more fantasies (second update)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Ah Chu!¡±He Chengjian was extremely sad. When he saw he zhichu¡¯s dejected look, his eyes immediately turned red. He sobbed and said, ¡°If you still like her...¡±

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t like her!¡±He zhichu came back to his senses. He held back his tears and shouted loudly, ¡°I F * cking don¡¯t like her anymore!¡±

    He took back his revolver and swung his palm at he chengjian¡¯s wrist, snatching his revolver as well.

    ¡°... This isn¡¯t over.¡±He zhichu calmed down and took a deep breath. He twirled a revolver in each of his hands with a cold expression on his face, ¡°I will definitely find out whether Qin Yaoguang did those live experiments or Not! Before I find out, you can¡¯t do anything to stop me.¡±

    He chengjian looked at he zhichu deeply. As long as he did not seek death, what could he not agree to?

    ¡°You can investigate, but you can not go to court on this matter!¡±He chengjian drew a line in he zhichu¡¯s line. ¡°If it¡¯s true, Qin Yaoguang will also be tried in secret by the court martial.¡±

    He Zhichu looked down and thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. ¡°I will consider the matter of thew. Please do not interfere in this matter anymore. I will take over now. Right or wrong, I have to give Nianzhi an exnation!¡±

    He chengian quickly agreed. ¡°As long as you keep it a secret, I Won¡¯t Stop You. I said that you¡¯re not allowed to investigate, but you can¡¯t do what Nianzhi did in court.¡±

    He Zhichu opened the curtains of the car window expressionlessly. ¡°Why? Are you afraid that what you did will affect your personal image?

    ¡°Ha... ¡°he chengjian turned his head in disapproval and leaned against the back seat of the car, he said lightly, ¡°When have I ever cared about my personal

    image? I¡¯m doing this for Nianzhi¡¯s sake. ¡°If there¡¯s ever an experiment, and Nianzhi¡¯s constitution is so special, if you want her to be a live experimental target coveted by other countries for the rest of her life, you can investigate it with great fanfare! ¡°I won¡¯t Stop You.¡±

    He Zhichu held the two pistols in his hands tightly. He had a strong urge to shoot at the target. Only the sound of the bullets could vent the anger in his heart.

    But he couldn¡¯t do anything.

    After sitting quietly in the car for a while, he zhichu returned the gun to he chengjian. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go. I¡¯ll go and listen in. I Can¡¯t give Qin Yaoguang any more illusions.¡±

    He Chengjian put away the gun with a bitter smile. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go back. I Won¡¯te and listen in from now on.

    Although he wouldn¡¯te to the scene to listen in, the video of the court hearing would still be sent to his office.

    If he wanted to watch it, he could do so at any time.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t turn back. He pushed open the car door and left.

    At that moment, in the Qin family¡¯s vi in Fragrant Hill, Old Master Qin, who had just returned from the exercise room, took a towel from the maid and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    Wen Shouyi smiled and greeted him. ¡°Chairman, you¡¯re really something. I can¡¯t even perform this set of Taiji fist well.¡¯

    ¡°This is something for the elderly to keep healthy. Why do you want to learn it?¡±Old Master Qin chuckled as he sat down on the mahogany sofa. He picked up the teapot of Kung Fu tea from the coffee table in front of him and gave himself a small cup of tea to drink slowly.

    Wen Shouyi said uneasily, ¡°Director Qin is in court today. Are We really not going to assign her a betterwyer?

    Old Master Qin put down his purple y martial arts teacup, he said calmly, ¡°Your mother is sometimes too stubborn. It¡¯s good to let her suffer a little. But she knows her limits. Besides, general he is here. Don¡¯t worry. She will be fine.¡± Wen Shouyi lowered her head, not daring to look old master Qin in the eye.

    ¡°Chairman...

    ¡°You still call me chairman?¡±Old Master Qin looked at her andughed. ¡°Do you think our Qin family¡¯s background is too low, or Am I too old?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no...¡±Wen Shouyi hurriedly waved her hand to deny it. ¡°The Qin family is too good. I Can¡¯t match up to them. The chairman is still strong, and even a young man like me can¡¯t match up to him!¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t You Call Me Grandfather? You can call me grandfather like Haoshan and the others,¡±Old Master Qin said gently, he stroked his white beard. ¡°Yaoguang has a big temper and can¡¯t bring herself to lose face, so she won¡¯t recognize you. But think about it, Yaoguang has been treating you well for so many years. It¡¯s not fake.¡±

    Wen Shouyi still lowered her head. After a while.., then she said softly, ¡°I know, and I don¡¯t me... Director Qin. ¡°But the case of young master he being attacked by a subsonic weapon, no matter what, the chairman is innocent. I¡¯m also awyer, so I know how to deal with them, so I can smoothly take the chairman out. I¡¯ll work hard on Dean Qin¡¯s side as well. I won¡¯t let them humiliate him. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good that you can save him. If you can¡¯t, you don¡¯t have to put in too much effort, ¡°grandfather Qin said disapprovingly. ¡°With the rtionship between young master he and general he, they won¡¯t dare to do anything to Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°But... I thought Dean Qin had offended the he family badly this time...¡±Wen Shouyi said carefully. ¡°I didn¡¯t take Gu Nianzhi¡¯s case to heart. I was worried about the infrasound weapons attack on young master he.¡±

    ¡°This case is rather tricky, so I asked you to withdraw your legal team and only give her a inexperiencedwyer. It¡¯ll be good for the he family to vent their anger. ¡°Old Master Qin sighed, ¡°Although Yaoguang is old and stubborn, she¡¯s still my biological daughter. I won¡¯t ignore her.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was half relieved, but she was worried that Qin yaoguang would be forced by Gu Nianzhi to talk nonsense in court.

    Old Master Qinughed loudly and said proudly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, someone is more worried about Yaoguang talking nonsense than we are! With him around, Yaoguang will never talk nonsense!¡±

    Old Master Qin knew his daughter¡¯s obsession with he chengjian.

    Wen Shouyi thought for a moment and asked curiously,¡±... is it general he? I know both general he and young master he will be there.¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be?¡±Old Master Qin said with a mixture of emotion and helplessness, ¡°This is all a coincidence. The heavens are ymg tricks on us...¡±

    Wen Shouyi saw that Old Master Qin was implying something and took the opportunity to ask, ¡°Chairman... How did my mommy get engaged to general

    ¡°You still call me chairman? If I call you chairman, you¡¯re an outsider. Why should I tell outsiders about the Qin family¡¯s matters?¡±Old Master Qin bowed and went to the Birdcage ced on the shelf beside the sofa to y with the birds.

    Wen Shouyi felt awkward for a while before saying softly, ¡°... grandfather, please tell me about it...¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, okay, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±Old Master Qin turned his head with a big smile on his face and sized Wen Shouyi up, he said, ¡°When Yaoguang came to the imperial capital to attend university at the age of sixteen, she got to know he chengjian, the young master of the He family. The two fell in love at first sight.

    At that time, the old master of the He family was still alive and loved Yaoguang very much. When Yaoguang was eighteen years old, under the auspices of the

    Old Master of the He family, she got engaged to he chengjian.¡±

    Wen Shouyi recalled the situation back then and said longingly,¡±... so it was love at first sight...¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a pity that love at first sight is not reliable. ¡°Old Master Qin shook his head regretfully, ¡°Otherwise, it would not have been snatched away by an orphan from our Qin orphanage.¡±

    ¡± . You Mean Mrs. He, Qin Suwen?

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s her.¡±Old Master Qin narrowed his muddy eyes. There was a trace of reverence towards fate in his tone, ¡°Besides her, who else could it be?¡±

    Actually, Wen Shouyi also didn¡¯t understand why he chengjian would shift his love towards Qin Suwen.

    She had seen Qin Suwen before, and she remembered that she was an ordinary-looking woman. Although she had a good temperament and was very capable, and was a famous barrister, in Wen Shouyi¡¯s opinion, if her face wasn¡¯t good, all her other good points would be discounted.

    After all, this was an era that depended on her face.

    Therefore, it was a mystery why he chengjian had moved from the Beautiful Qin Yaoguang to the ordinary-looking Qin Suwen.

    Wen Shouyi could not understand it. She did not believe that men would even see a woman¡¯s inner self more than her outer self.

    She touched her face. Young master he would probably like this look, right?

    Ten minutester, the court was once again in session.

    The people outside filed in. When everyone was seated, Gu Nianzhi and Qin yaoguang both noticed that he chengjian had not returned to the gallery.

    He Zhichu and Xie Qingying sat together. Xie qingying¡¯s other seat was empty. He chengjian used to sit there.

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. As long as he chengjian wasn¡¯t here, she wouldn¡¯t be afraid of Qin Yaoguang.

    Qin yaoguang, on the other hand, was more surprised than stressed.

    He Chengjian wasn¡¯t listening? What did that mean?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t give Qin yaoguang any more time to think.

    When the judge announced that the trial would continue, Gu Nianzhi asked directly, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, did you order Wen Dayou and his wife to kidnap me to continue your experiment?¡±

    Qin yaoguang denied it loudly, ¡°No! My experiment has been sessfullypleted. There¡¯s no need for more experiments!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Gu nianzhi smiled faintly, ¡°So you admit that you did do live experiments, but you¡¯ve sessfully achieved your goal, so there¡¯s no need for more experiments?¡±

    ************************************************************

    This was the second watch of the day: chapter 1761, ¡°Don¡¯t give her any more fantasies.¡¯ .

    It was the second watch of the day.

    To remind everyone of the monthly tickets and the rmendation tickets.

    Today was Monday, especially the rmendation tickets.

    Remember to vote unanimously, dear friends!

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

    *...*

 Chapter 1762 - was only three minutes away (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1762: Chapter 1762 was only three minutes away (first update)</h4>

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin Yaoguang red at Gu Nianzhi, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. ¡°When did I ever say that I did a live experiment? ! I only said that my experiment had seeded and that I didn¡¯t need to do any more experiments!¡±

    ¡°¡­ then what kind of experiment is your experiment?¡±Gu Nianzhi followed closely. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t a live experiment, why did you have to kidnap me?¡±

    ¡°Then I have noment.¡±Qin yaoguang rolled her eyes. ¡°My Experiment is a top-secret national secret. You¡¯re not qualified to know.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°You said your experiment was sessful, so do you have evidence to prove that your experiment was sessful?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered Lu Jin saying that four yearster, he had returned to theb and destroyed all of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experimental data and surveince videos..

    This way, on the bright side, no one knew the secret of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution.

    But on the bad side, it was destroying all the evidence of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s live experiments.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she couldn¡¯t directly prove that Qin Yaoguang had abused her inhumanely when she was a child.

    So she used the method he zhichu had suggested: cultivate the path of cultivation while secretly crossing the river.

    This method worked.

    Qin Yaoguang was led by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nose. She was obsessed with the experiments she had done when Gu Nianzhi was young.

    She didn¡¯t remember at that moment that she had done many other experiments before Gu Nianzhi¡­ experiments on living people, and that was how Wen Shouyi had been born..

    Qin yaoguang only remembered that Gu Xiangwen had destroyed all the records of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s experiments. They had hired the bestputer experts from abroad but couldn¡¯t recover them, so she wasn¡¯t afraid of Gu Nianzhi applying for a search warrant at all.

    She said confidently, ¡°Of course I have evidence. There are plenty of them in theb. I¡¯ve done all sorts of experiments over the years, and there are hundreds if not a thousand of them. If you want to investigate any one of them, go and do it yourself!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi choked.

    Qin Yaoguang had alsoe to y the fool. She had deliberately changed the concept and made the experiment on Gu Nianzhi into an ordinary biological gic experiment.

    Her mind raced, and she quickly thought of another breakthrough point.

    The data and records that Qin Yaoguang had used to experiment on her had all been destroyed, but Qin yaoguang must have done simr experiments before her!

    Gu Nianzhi instantly thought of what Lu Jin had said.

    The sess rate of gene editing for human embryos was very low.

    Lu Jin had said that Wen Shouyi could be born, which meant that Qin Yaoguang had been conducting experiments in this area for a long time.

    Screening for gically superior embryos with this method of reproduction was a huge, time-consuming and expensive project.

    The fact that Wen Shouyi could be born and survive meant that Qin Yaoguang had done a lot of experiments in this area before her.

    This was because her method was a rtively stupid one, relying purely on umtion to achieve a qualitative change.

    And before Gu Nianzhi was born, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experiments were likely to still have data.

    At this moment, she thought of the financial statements of the Qin private hospital group that she had seen before. Around the year Wen Shouyi was born, it was the time when the Qin private hospital group had the most expenses.

    She remembered clearly that the money had all gone to aboratory that Qin Yaoguang had set up in Z city.

    In other words, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s early experiments had been done in Z city, the ce where the Qin family had made their fortune, as well as their headquarters and sphere of influence.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately looked up and said to the judge in the courtroom, ¡®Your honor, I request that all the experimental records of the period before and after the 26th year of Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory be sealed and reviewed as evidence in court.¡¯

    Qin Yaoguang had thought that she had defeated Gu Nianzhi and that victory was in her hands. However, when she heard the experimental records of the period before and after the 26th year, her face suddenly turned pale, she said coldly, ¡°26 years ago, you weren¡¯t even born yet! What do you care what experiment I do? 1¡±

    As she spoke, she called out to the judge, ¡°0bjection!¡±She said, ¡°The intiffswyer is being unreasonable. What happened 26 years ago has nothing to do with this kidnapping case!¡±

    Even if they were going to try it, it would be another case.

    It had to be said that Qin Yaoguang had appeared in court many times and had already understood some of the key points of the confrontation between thewyers in court.

    The judge had no choice but to ept Qin Yaoguangs objection. He slowly knocked on the gavel. ¡°Sustained. intiffsvvyer, please don¡¯t involve too much irrelevant content. Focus on the issue of the motive for this case.¡±

    This was a reminder to Gu nianzhi that the case was now only missing one motive, and it could be concluded.

    This was because in a court trial, it did not mean that the defendant would admit his or her guilt, and that he or she would definitely be found guilty. It also required theprehensive consideration of witnesses, physical evidence, and the motive for the crime to form a rtivelyplete chain of evidence, only then would the trial be finally concluded.

    Now that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s kidnapping case had witnesses and physical evidence, the motive was still unclear.

    Although Qin yaoguang, Wen Dayou, and Liang Meili all imed that they were trying to make room for Qin Yaoguangs other biological daughter, Wen Shouyi, because Gu Nianzhi was also Qin Yaoguangs biological daughter.., therefore, this motive did not make much sense.

    However, he zhichu listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request and silently took out his phone. He sent a text message to his subordinates, asking them to apply for a search warrant, he was going to the south, Z city, to seal the records of Qin Yaoguang¡¯sboratory there.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on he zhichu. She was relieved when she saw he zhichu nod at her slightly.

    She knew he zhichu would not let this lead go.

    Since someone had already gone to investigate, Gu Nianzhi focused her attention on Qin Yaoguangs motive for kidnapping her eight years ago.

    The motive she wanted to prove was that Qin Yaoguang wanted to use her as a living experiment.

    To be honest, Gu Nianzhi felt that this motive was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s real motive.

    Unfortunately, the data from that year had beenpletely destroyed by Lu Jin, Gu Xiangwen, there was no physical evidence to support her conclusion if she wanted to prove this motive.

    So she had to find another way.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her intiffs seat and looked through all her records and evidence. She did not know which direction she could go in to break through theyers of barriers Qin Yaoguang had set up.

    She had originally prepared two ns, n A and n B, to prove Qin Yaoguang¡¯s motive.

    n A was to prove that Qin Yaoguang was not her biological mother. Qin Yaoguang had made this n to kidnap her for the sake of her biological daughter, Wen Shouyi.

    However, Lu Jin¡¯s paternity test proved that she was indeed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter.

    Without further evidence, she could only give up this n and switch to n B.

    Her n B was to risk exposing her constitution to prove that Qin yaoguang still wanted to use her as a living experiment. However, Qin Yaoguang had already refuted it.

    So n B was no longer valid.

    This was going to be difficult for her.

    Where was the breakthrough point?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender and dexterous fingers rummaged through the dossier in front of her, and her gaze suddenly swept across a piece of AZ+ paper with printed photos.

    These were the photos she had used topare the faces of the women of the Qin family.

    The four photos on top were Luo Piaopiao¡¯s mother, Luo Piaopiao, Wen Shouyi, and the other cousin of the Qin family, Qin yaoguang, who had lived to adulthood but died in childbirth.

    The next two photos were of Gu Nianzhi and Qin yaoguang.

    Looking at these photos, Gu Nianzhi felt a strong sense of dissonance.

    Qin Yaoguang was definitely the daughter of the Qin family, and Wen Shouyi was the bridge to prove it.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not look like the daughter of the Qin family at all, and Qin Yaoguang did not look like the typical daughter of the Qin family.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Yes, she could start with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance.

    Perhaps there was more to Qin Yaoguangs background!

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and said to the judge in the courtroom, ¡°Your honor, I request to provide new evidence. Your Honor, please give me ten minutes. I¡¯ll present the new evidence in ten minutes.¡±

    The judge looked at her for a while and was getting impatient.

    But for the sake of the he family, he still nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you another ten minutes. But I have to remind the intiffsvvyer that if there is no new evidence in ten minutes, this case can not be dyed any longer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was immediately overvvhelmed with pressure.

    However, she still nodded. ¡°Thank you, your honor. We will soon prove Qin Yaoguang¡¯s motive.¡±

    The judge did not look at her and knocked on the gavel with a deadpan expression. ¡°In view of the intiff¡¯s need to provide more evidence, the court will adjourn for ten minutes. The court will resume in ten minutes.¡±

    After the judge finished speaking, he immediately stood up and left the court.

    Qin yaoguang smiled at Gu Nianzhi and waved her chin. She was taken to the dark room by the bailiff to continue her detention.

    Gu Nianzhi took her briefcase and left the court. She went to the storage area to retrieve her cell phone andptop. She went to the small conference room where the court allowed Inte ess. She connected to the WIFI there and began frantically searching the inte.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng had been quietly listening in from the back of the court gallery.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi enter the small conference room alone, Lu Jin had no idea what she was going to do.

    Lu Jin held his phone and paced the corridor for a while before sending Gu

    Nianzhi a text message: [ What are you looking for? ]

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied: [ I¡¯m Looking for a photo of Qin Yaoguangs mother and a photo of Qin yaoguang when she was young. Baby, childhood, youth, anything. Do you have any? ]

    Lu Jin asked in confusion: ¡°Why are you looking for photos of her mother and her when she was young?

    Gu Nianzhi was very anxious, she simply sent a voice message: ¡°I have important uses.¡±. Dad, if you have any, hurry up and send them to me! I only have ten minutes. Now that six minutes have passed, I only have four minutes! If I don¡¯t find these photos within four minutes, Qin Yaoguang will be acquitted!¡±

    Lu Jin did not expect the consequences to be so serious.

    He hesitated for a moment.

    Thirty secondster, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s deceased biological mother and a few photos of herself as a teenager were sent to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the photos and was instantly very disappointed.

    Qin yaoguang had looked like this since she was a teenager. She had not changed much!

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mother was still considered pretty, but there was no trace of her mother¡¯s features on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face.

    The round face and t nose of the Qin family¡¯s daughter hade from the side of the Qin family¡¯s men.

    So she was still going in the wrong direction?

    There was nothing strange about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance. Was it just a gic mutation?

    So she did not look like her father, nor did she look like her mother?

    Gu Nianzhi stroked the photos on her phone and sent Lu Jin a text message reluctantly: [ do you have photos of Qin Yaoguang when she was a baby and when she was a child? ]

    Lu Jin quickly replied: [ no, I only met her when she was in college. I just hacked into the Qin family¡¯s internalwork and found all the photos of her when she was a teenager. ]

    Lu Jin¡¯s second reply was: [ there are no photos of Qin Yaoguang when she was a baby in the Qin family¡¯s internalwork. Maybe it¡¯s because there¡¯s no scan and upload. ]

    The photos from decades ago were all on film, and they needed to be developed before they could take shape. It was not the digital photos of today, and it was rumored that they would be uploaded to the Inte.

    So even if the Qin family had photos of Qin Yaoguang when she was a baby and when she was a child, it was toote to search for them now.

    Looking at her watch, another minute passed. She had only three minutes left.

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 1762, there are only three minutes left.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ¨C

 Chapter 1764 - There seemed to be something wrong with chapter

    <h4>Chapter 1764: There seemed to be something wrong with chapter 1764(first update)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Qin yaoguang¡¯s entire body trembled, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat. She was so angry that she was about to faint.

    Her face turned purple, and her tongue trembled as if it had been tied in a knot. She said,¡±... I¡¯ve never heard of using such a method to reconstruct the appearance of a living person! This isn¡¯t scientific! It can¡¯t be used as legal evidence in court!¡±

    ¡°Now not only have you heard of it, but you¡¯ve also seen it with your own eyes.¡±Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back and leaned forward as she said lightly.

    ¡°This is simply not believable!¡±Qin yaoguang knew that she was experiencing the greatest crisis of her life.

    If she wasn¡¯t careful, she would be doomed forever!

    At this critical moment of life and death, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s strict and disciplined habits, which she had developed over the years from her academic research, finally gained the upper hand.

    herShecalm her herheart,oppositiontohertocontrol loudly.breathing, expressand tried to poundingbest

    Gu Nianzhi had also thought of this idea in a hurry. Moreover , this kind of software was specialized in the forensic system, and relied on algorithms and powerful databases.

    She was still in the ¡°Know it, but don¡¯t know whVstage, and now that she was suddenly questioned by Qin yaoguang, she was a little out of her depth. She wanted to search for more information, but in court.., she was fighting alone and did not have an assistant to look up information for her.

    It Guwas only that team.advantageNianzhi therealized thenasfightingof

    However, at the end of the day, she had to force herself to get this thing over with.

    Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought and was about to stall for time when she suddenly heard a clear and powerful male voice from the side of the gallery.

    zhichu¡¯svoice.he was It

    ¡°Your honor, I am one of the intiffs in this case, and I am also an expert witness for the police. I believe I have the right to say a few words.¡±

    Everyone in the courtroom looked over.

    and Zhichustraight He walkedolive¡ªgreenup an Hetheuniform. wasmilitary fromstooddr essed out.ingallery

    He walked slowly to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and stood side by side with her.

    The judge remembered that he zhichu had once been a barrister, and that he still had avvyer¡¯s license, so he quickly nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    He Qinshifted saiddown. which very Zhichu¡¯sHe ato gazenot¡±Skulreadyis calmedcoldly, had technique.¡±scanning face, novelYaoguang¡¯s

    *¡¯Its theoretical basises from the Soviet anthropologist , Academician Gracimov, a century ago. He once wrote a book called ¡®The principle of Skull Reconstruction¡¯. ¡±

    ¡°¡®The skull restoration technique in the early years was based on the principles of anatomy. Using the method of sculpture to restore the appearance of the skull, the deviation was indeed quiterge

    bigtechnologyputer ofthe qualitativeof made¡±But has data, the rise adevelopment le ap this with technologyand

    ¡°¡®The skull scanning restoration technique is essentially the result of calcting

    functions used for human body analysis. It looks like aputer program, but the real foundation is mathematics and algorithms

    ¡°¡®The appearance of the human body is determined by the bones. Although there is a difference in size and weight, the general direction of the bones will not change

    the algorithm¡±Our medical analyze hasthecan forensic to ordingthesystemcountry¡¯s d ata, Aftermost matchingthputer powerfulworld¡¯sthe facialbestfind tousingskull faci al wedatabase.

    ¡°More importantly, this set of software and database was obtained by forensic scientists from scientific practice. May I ask if the defendant has any scientific evidence to support your argument that it¡¯s ¡®unscientific¡¯?¡±

    After he zhichu finished speaking, he looked at Qin Yaoguang quietly.

    Eyes. Peachpeachto chengjian¡¯s almostidentical father,blossomHiswereeyes he his Bloss om shimmering

    Qin yaoguang was tongue-tied by the question. The psychological defense that she had just built up had almostpletely copsed under he zhichu¡¯s sharp gaze.

    ¡± ? this... This was a mistake to begin with... Besides, I¡¯m standing here perfectly fine, yet you insist on using bones to reconstruct my appearance and even purposely make it look different. Who would believe you?

    Qin yaoguang pinched her face with her hand and continued, ¡°1f you mean that I Ve had stic surgery, then show me the evidence. Don¡¯t use such an illusory thing to deliberately defame me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very grateful that he zhichu had stood up for her.

    She finally felt a sense of relief that she was not ¡°Fighting alone.¡±

    In addition to her happiness, her acumen and intelligence had returned.

    Seeing that Ojn Yaoguang had tly denied that she had had stic surgery, Gu Nianzhi pointed at the silver face on the big screen and said calmly, ¡°If this isn¡¯t evidence, what evidence do you need? ¡±

    ¡°Besides, do you really think we won¡¯t be able to tell whether you¡¯ve had stic surgery or not?¡±

    ¡°Looking at the difference between your appearance and your restored appearance, I can conclude that your stic surgery is definitely not a minor one. It¡¯s not a minor one like a hyaluronic acid injection or botox injection. It¡¯s a major stic surgery that requires a knife.¡±

    ¡°There are usually two methods for stic surgery that require a knife. One is a self-tissue transnt, and the other is an allogeneic tissue transnt.¡±

    ¡°The methods that can be detected with a 3D scan are allogeneic tissue transntation, which means that the tissue that does not belong to your body is transnted into your body. ¡°For example, to raise the bridge of your nose, you can use silicone to raise it, or you can use your own cartge to raise it. ¡°The former can be detected, while thetter can only be confirmed after an operation

    ¡°Are you willing to lie on the operating table and let us examine your face?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands. ¡°I can guarantee that it will be painless and will have no side effects. I don¡¯t even need general anesthesia. ¡±

    By this point, she had already confirmed that Qin Yaoguang had undergone stic surgery.

    After all, Gu Nianzhi trusted software and data more than anything Qin Yaoguang said.

    In the face of big data and algorithms, a person¡¯s words were much more unreliable.

    Qin Yaoguang was furious. She pointed at Gu Nianzhi, her arms trembling with excitement.¡± Don¡¯t even think about it! Why should I lie on the operating table and be tested by you? ! Do you think I¡¯m ab rat? !¡±

    ¡®You¡¯re only allowing state officials to start fires. You¡¯re not allowing people to lightmps, ¡°Gu Nianzhi said casually, ¡°You¡¯re only allowing people to think you¡¯re ab rat and not allowing people to think you¡¯re A Lab Rat? Besides, at your age, you¡¯re still just ab rat. you still have the nerve to call yourself a ¡®Lab Rat¡¯ , and you¡¯re so willing to unt yourself?

    ¡°1t doesn¡¯t matter what you say. No one can force me to do something I don¡¯t want to do! ¡°Qin yaoguang expressed her opposition firmly.

    Gu nianzhi smiled slightly, ¡°1f you don¡¯t want to, then that proves that you¡¯re hiding something. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to test what exactly is wrong with your appearance. Let¡¯s find out with the reverse method.¡±

    ¡®You !¡±Qin Yaoguang was rendered speechless by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    She agreed to the test. It was a trap.

    If she didn¡¯t agree to the test, it was also a trap!

    ¡®You what?¡±Gu Nianzhi used her hand to push Qin Yaoguangs finger away and continued, ¡°Now let¡¯s move on to the next question. Why do I look so much like you after your stic surgery.

    Qin yaoguang heard this and sat down. She smiled coldly, ¡°Because you¡¯ve had stic surgery too! Do you dare to let everyone examine your appearance? Do you dare to lie on the operating table and let me take a scalpel to open your face and see what¡¯s underneath? !¡±

    ¡°Why did you say Nianzhi immediately caught the loophole in Qin Yaoguangs words, she said to the judge in the courtroom, ¡°Your honor, it¡¯s now confirmed that Qin Yaoguang has had stic surgery. She admitted it herself!¡±

    ¡°Since when did I admit it myself? ! ¡°Qin yaoguang retorted anxiously, ¡°1 was just going along with what you said! You said that I had stic surgery, so I said that you had stic surgery too. Can this be used as evidence?

    ¡°Fine. ¡°Gu nianzhi tilted her head in disdain, ¡°Then I¡¯ll make youpletely convinced.¡±

    She looked at the judge and said calmly, ¡°I also want to try the skull scan restoration software to see how effective it is!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was stunned. ¡°You really want to test it?

    ¡°Of course. ¡°Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the judge in the courtroom and said loudly, ¡°I ask the judge to send a staff member who can operate the software to test me.¡±

    The judge also wanted to see if the software would be effective on living people.

    He discussed it with the clerks on both sides and agreed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request.

    He Zhichu saw this and sat next to Gu Nianzhi to apany her. He did not go back to the gallery.

    The camera on the device also turned around and aimed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    Soon, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s charming and lively smiling face appeared on the big screen.

    Her eyes were dark and bright, moist and full of emotion.

    Her face was small to begin with, and under the contrast of therge silver face just now, her face was even smaller than a fist.

    Her voluptuous lips were slightly curved, and she was as beautiful as the first begonia that bloomed on a branch in spring.

    As the camera zoomed in, the uracy increased step by step. Finally, the X-ray scanned the shape of the skeleton and appeared on the big screen.

    It was as if in an instant, the beautiful girl had turned into a skull.

    The world had changed, and the image of the skull had shocked everyone.

    After a while, the programmer took a screenshot of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s skull, connected it to the database, and reconstructed her appearance.

    Fifteen minutester, the image of a dainty girl appeared on the big screen again.

    She looked at least ny percent simr to Gu Nianzhi herself!

    The only differences were her hairstyle and the shape of her eyebrows.

    This was the easiest part to change. In terms of the reconstruction, the difference was negligible.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with satisfaction and smiled. ¡°See, I said this software is reliable, right? And this proves that I¡¯ve never had stic surgery before.¡±

    She looked at Qin Yaoguang and sneered. ¡°Defendant Qin Yaoguang, you¡¯re still a scientist. You Don¡¯t even know how to Lie!¡±

    ¡°So how do you prove that there¡¯s a huge difference in our looks? ! Is it a gic mutation?¡±

    Qin yaoguang stared at Gu Nianzhi in a daze and suddenlyughed sinisterly. ¡°It¡¯s a

    gic mutation! Don¡¯t forget, I edited your genes in order to treat young master he¡¯s illness! That¡¯s how you grew up to look like this!¡±

    ¡± ? then you¡¯d better admit that you¡¯re not really like this. You did have stic surgery. ¡°Gu Nianzhi held onto this tightly. ¡°But how did you get to look like me when I grew up?

    There seemed to be something wrong with that sentence.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t react for a moment and just blurted it out.

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1764, ¡°There seems to be something wrong with that sentence.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    PS: Dear Friends, you can update the qidian APP. Thetest version has a very interesting character tag. Dear friends, you can go under your favorite character to post a tag and click ¡®like¡¯.

    No matter where you read the article, I hope you cane to Qidian girls like the heart for your favorite characters, with their own tags.

    8:00 pm second update.

    Mwah Big Angel ¨C

 Chapter 1765 - My Biological Mother (Second Update)

    <h4>Chapter 1765: Chapter 1765: My Biological Mother (Second Update)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    However, Gu Nianzhi was only stunned for a moment before she snapped back to her senses.

    An idea shed through her mind, and she pursued Qin yaoguang relentlessly.¡±... No, how could you have made me look like this before I was even born? !¡±

    ¡°... your imagination is too rich.¡±Qin yaoguang pursed her lips, ¡°I¡¯ve always been like this since I was a child. My family still has photos of me around ten years old. If you don¡¯t believe me, go and see for yourself. Even if I did it ording to someone else¡¯s appearance, how could I make it look like decadester? Don¡¯t you think too highly of our country¡¯s stic surgery technology from decades ago?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words made a lot of sense..

    She recalled the photos of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s youth and youth that Huo Shaoheng had obtained. Indeed, she looked exactly the same as she did now.

    Now, Qin Yaoguang had even taken the initiative to take out photos of herself when she was about ten years old.

    Did that mean that the reason for the stic surgery was still untenable?

    Gu Nianzhi felt a headacheing on.

    What was going on?

    She had been very confident that she could refute Qin Yaoguangs im and insist that she had had stic surgery.

    But the timing was wrong.

    If Qin Yaoguang had really had stic surgery, it would have been done when she was about ten years old.

    Back then, even if she could have stic surgery, she was still young. There was no such seamless technology in that era.

    Hyaluronic acid, botox, and autologous tissue transnts and fillings were all products of recent technological developments.

    Decades ago, stic surgery was still limited to silicone, a universal cosmetic material.

    If it had been filled with silicone, their 3D scan would have shown it long ago.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was speechless, Qin Yaoguang felt refreshed. She felt as if she had suddenlye back to life.

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi with a wide smile and pursed her lips. Her smile was especially amiable, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t overthink it. I know I¡¯m not a good mother to you, but I¡¯m still your biological mother. Our looks prove it.¡±

    ¡°As for Wen Shouyi, I can tell you that she¡¯S just a product of that experiment. ¡°I¡¯ve also edited her DNA and filled in the Qin family¡¯s original genes, so she can look like the other girls in the Qin family.¡±

    Qin yaoguang was especially kind and amiable as she exined the ¡°Secret¡±0f Wen Shouyi¡¯s looks to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi did not believe a word of it, but she could not find any reason to refute it.

    She seemed to remember Lu Jin saying that Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes were wed, but he did not say what it was, nor did she ask about it at the time.

    Now that Qin Yaoguang had taken the initiative to verify that she had edited Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes and filled in the Qin family¡¯s original genes, Gu Nianzhi frowned andpared it to what Lu Jin had said at the time.

    Lu Jin had said at the time, ¡°My method ispletely different from Qin Yaoguangs. She is disrupting the sequence of the original gene segments and only cultivating the genes with he zhichu¡¯s defects.¡±

    ¡°I am using your original genes to exclude the non-human viral genes, and then using your own genes to expand and express them before adding them in.¡¯

    ¡°As a result, your genes have not been altered, but have been optimized to the greatest extent on the original basis.¡±

    ¡°As it turns out, I seeded. You have the first perfect set of genes in human history! And it¡¯S on the basis of not changing your original genes!¡±

    Lu Jin had also mentioned that before Qin Yaoguang had sessfully allowed Wen Shouyi to live and be born, she had also conducted many embryo experiments. However, only Wen Shouyi had been born and had grown so big.

    What did this mean?

    Gu Nianzhi had a bold guess.

    She had been with Lu Jin for the past few days. She had watched him do biological experiments and watched him sequence DNA. She had also gained some basic knowledge about biology.

    Of course, in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opinion, this ¡°Basic knowledge¡±would cause a stir in the field of biology, but she did not know about it.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and controlled her excitement. She continued to ask Qin yaoguang, ¡°Are you saying that you edited Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes and changed her original genes?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Qin Yaoguangs face lit up when she mentioned her profession and experiments, ¡± . I was the one who came up with the concept of ¡®gene editingand found the perfect gene editing method.

    Only I can sessfully do this kind of experiment!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips to stop Qin yaoguang from further boasting.

    She made a ¡°Pause¡±gesture for the basketball game, she said to Qin yaoguang, ¡°Okay, I know you were in the sameb as my father back then and learned a lot from him. You Don¡¯t have to show off here.¡¯

    Qin yaoguang choked on her words. ¡°The fetus died in the womb.¡±She was so angry that her facial features were slightly distorted.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguangs face carefully as she spoke.

    ¡°The concept of gene editing is indeed excellent, but unfortunately, a fertilized egg that has been gically altered is either unable to get pregnant in bed, or it will quickly miscarry after conception.¡±

    ¡°Because human genes are veryplicated, and with the current technology of humans, we can only optimize the current gene and can not change it.¡±

    ¡°So I believe that the defendant, Qin yaoguang, said that she had ¡®edited¡¯Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes and inserted them into the Qin family¡¯s genes. This method is impossible for her to survive.¡±

    ¡°So I believe that the defendant, Qin yaoguang, was lying just now. She did not insert the Qin family¡¯s genes into Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes. She only tried to optimize Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes, but it was obvious that she had failed.¡¯

    Gu Nianzhi had said all these things based on Lu Jin¡¯S ¡± Stealing?conclusions.

    Lu Jin was sitting in the corner of the gallery. He was ted as he listened to Gu Nianzhi. He had liked her countless times in his heart.

    He could not help but suppress his voice and gloat at Huo Shaoheng, ¡± Peter, did you see that? This is the difference between a genius and a mediocrity.¡±

    ¡°A genius can write an academic paper just by talking to you.¡±

    ¡°And a mediocrity can spit out all these ideas to you even if you force them down his throat!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Qin yaoguang, on the other hand, was more and more shocked as she listened. She couldn¡¯t understand how Gu Nianzhi had such a deep understanding of gene editing!

    It was not that Gu Nianzhi had a thorough understanding of the details of gene editing, but that she had a high level of understanding and confidence in this method.

    This kind of understanding, not to mention the average biology graduate student, even Qin Yaoguang herself had only juste to understand this painful result after decades and countless failures.

    That was, human genes could not be changed based on current technological conditions.

    Adults who had their genes changed basically could not leave the operating table.

    The survival rate of the fertilized eggs after their genes were changed was also very low.

    After they were lucky enough to conceive, they all miscarried. None of them were sessfully born.

    Qin Yaoguang was very clear that Wen Shouyi was born because she made a mistake during the gene editing of the fertilized egg. In fact, the editing was not sessful, it was just that she had identally weakened a certain DNA fragment of the fertilized egg.

    In the end, Wen Shouyi became the only child that was sessfully conceived and sessfully delivered.

    It was also because of this reason that she tolerated her survival. Later on, she even asked Wen Dayou to directly adopt her from the orphanage.

    In other words, with their current technological means, the human genes could only be optimized or weakened. Now, they wanted to change the human gene?

    That would only lead to death.

    Currently, no scientist had the strength of a creator.

    The higher the level of an animal, the weaker its ability to withstand gic changes.

    With Lu Jin¡¯S amazing scientific research ability, he had only optimized Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gene, but had not changed her gene.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, to Qin yaoguang, were a summary of her decades of failed experiments.

    She couldn¡¯t help looking at Gu Nianzhi in a daze. Her heart was filled with bitterness, bitterness, and hatred.

    Seeing that Qin Yaoguang was speechless, Gu Nianzhi was even more convinced that her thoughts were correct.

    So she continued, ¡°The result of our reverse deduction is that Wen Shouyi wasn¡¯t sessfully edited because she survived. This also means that she wasn¡¯t filled with the so-called ¡®Qin family gene.¡±

    ¡°Her appearance is exactly the same as her biological mother, the defendant, Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi carefully looked at Qin Yaoguangs face, and the clues in her mind gradually became clear.

    She walked to the machine and asked the court staff to put the two pictures of the skull restoration side by side.

    Looking at the twopletely different pictures.., gu Nianzhi analyzed

    them as if she was peeling skin from their bones. ¡°Let¡¯s make another deduction. If the defendant, Qin yaoguang, really had stic surgery since she was young, then this technology... is definitely the work of an epoch-making expert.¡±

    ¡°Because the stic surgery was too natural and too smooth.¡±

    ¡°And after decades, there are no signs of copse at all. Even the X-ray and 3D scans can¡¯t find any traces of stic surgery.¡±

    ¡°Compared to a major stic surgery country where stic surgery onlysts for two to three years, the ¡®stic surgery¡¯0f the defendant, Qin yaoguang, can be said to be an ¡®epicstic surgery.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯S just like artificial intelligence, it can even grow and evolve on its own...¡±

    The people in the courtroom burst into a round of friendlyughter.

    Qin Yaoguang was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t help covering her face.

    The youngwyer next to her was so engrossed in listening that he almost called Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a friendly smile and turned to speak to the people in the courtroom, ¡°stic surgery has always been known to be the most demanding and sophisticated surgery other than brain surgery.¡±

    ¡°Many of the real stic surgeons who graduated from the Department of stic surgery were once excellent brain surgeons.¡±

    ¡°But no matter how good a stic surgeon is, he¡¯S still just a doctor.

    Even if he has the technology to change the world, he¡¯S not a prophet. How could he have made the defendant, Qin yaoguang, look like me when I grew up decades ago?¡±

    ¡°After thinking about it, I can only think of one reason. The defendant, Qin yaoguang, must have had a temte for her stic surgery!¡± ¡°That temte should be more simr to what I look like now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked slowly through the courtroom, her gaze sweeping across everyone¡¯s faces. Finally, she stopped at Lu Jin in the corner for a second.

    She quickly retracted her gaze and looked at the judge in the courtroom. She said thoughtfully, ¡°Let¡¯s analyze it further. If the defendant, Qin yaoguang, is like this because of her stic surgery, then I¡¯m not her biological daughter.¡¯

    Qin yaoguang was shocked and suddenly shouted, ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re my biological daughter! I have evidence! The video...¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±Gu Nianzhi was impatient. ¡°The proof is not the birth video, but the DNA!¡±

    She rolled her eyes at her, thinking that she would have to ask her father about this when she got back, she could only say with a cold face, ¡°But the defendant, Qin yaoguang, imed that she was the one who gave birth to me personally, so we can deduce that she is most likely a surrogate mother.¡±

    ¡°Everyone knows that my biological father is Gu Xiangwen.¡¯

    ¡°If the defendant, Qin Yaoguang, is only a surrogate mother, then who is my biological mother?¡±

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1765, my own mother.

    ¡± can we reasonably infer that my biological mother is the woman who was used as a stic surgery temte by Qin Yaoguang? !¡±

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels

 Chapter 1766 - was waiting for you with a bigger surprise (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1766: Chapter 1766 was waiting for you with a bigger surprise (first update)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±Qin yaoguang stood up abruptly and threw out herst trick. ¡°What nonsense! Where¡¯s the stic surgery temte? ! If you don¡¯t believe that I¡¯m your biological mother, go straight to the DNA test!¡±

    She bet that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t dare to go to the hospital to do a DNA test with her..

    However, Lu Jin had already reminded Gu Nianzhi that she couldn¡¯t directly do a DNA test with Qin yaoguang, so she used this roundabout way to find out the truth.

    She smiled at Qin yaoguang and said, ¡°Now you know about DNA testing? You¡¯ve been using your pregnancy and birth records as evidence...¡±

    ¡°Besides, how do you know I haven¡¯t done it?¡±

    Qin yaoguang felt as if she had swallowed a fly. She looked at Gu Nianzhi in disbelief.¡±... You¡¯ve done it? Where did you do it? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nomittal. She thought to herself, would I tell you it was my father who gave me the test? And I was tricked by my father..

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and looked down.

    She did not look at Lu Jin, who was sitting in the corner of the gallery. Lu Jin had already slipped down his seat again.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business how I tested you.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked up. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need for a paternity test. Just by looking at the difference in our appearances, we cane to the right conclusion.¡±

    ¡°The difference in our appearances?¡±Qin yaoguang pointed at her nose. ¡°You look exactly like me, and you still dare to say that we¡¯re not biological mother and daughter?¡±

    ¡°I look exactly like my biological mother, but you¡¯re not my biological mother.¡±Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh. She had finally removed the heavy stone weighing on her heart.

    Qin yaoguang couldn¡¯t be her biological mother, definitely not.

    She turned around and pointed at the two photos on the big screen on the wall, side by side. ¡°How do these two look alike? The picture of your round face is

    your real face!¡±

    Qin yaoguang sneered. ¡°So you still think I¡¯ve had stic surgery?

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°It¡¯s a real stic surgery.¡±

    She suppressed the excitement in her heart and looked at the crowd in the courtroom, she said word byword, ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s doctor was able to follow the temte and give her stic surgery. This means that the stic surgery temte should be someone close to them, or even someone they know.¡±

    ¡°If this person is an acquaintance, then Qin Yaoguang has a great chance of obtaining her egg cells in more than ten years. She can synthesize a fertilized egg and ce it in her own womb to be impregnated.¡±

    ¡°Qin yaoguang, if you can tell me the name and identity of this person, as well as her current address, I will plead with the judge and give you a lighter sentence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin yaoguang eagerly. Although she knew that the possibility of Qin yaoguang showing her kindness was very low, she still did

    not give up the slightest bit of hope.

    He zhichu also breathed a sigh of relief. It was best that Qin Yaoguang was not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. Having such a biological mother was better than not having one.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was so eager to see her biological mother, he zhichu also pleaded on her behalf. ¡°Qin Yaoguang, if you tell me who this person is and where he is, I promise you that I will also plead with the judge and give you a lighter sentence.¡±

    Qin yaoguang¡¯s face darkened when she saw he zhichu plead on her behalf.

    She sat down without hesitation and crossed her arms, she said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re speaking the truth. It¡¯s a pity thatwyer Gu has such an imagination. You shouldn¡¯t be awyer, you should be a scriptwriter. Such a good subject matter is enough for you to perform in seventy to eighty episodes.¡±

    Qin yaoguang still refused to admit that she had had stic surgery, much less admit that there was a stic surgery temte.

    She raised her head and said with a sneer, ¡°Either you do a paternity test, or shut up! I don¡¯t want to hear your nonsense!¡±

    This trick really worked.

    Even he zhichu did not want others to test Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA, not even for a paternity test.

    He did not have much trust in these medical institutions andboratories. He did not even want the militaryboratories to discover the uniqueness of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s physique and genes for the time being.

    He could not open this loophole. Once it was opened, there would be endless trouble.

    At this moment, he thought of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Gu Xiangwen.

    If he was still alive, wouldn¡¯t it be a piece of cake for him to do a paternity test?

    . If he was still alive..

    He zhichu narrowed his almond -shaped eyes and nced at GU nianzhi without batting an eyelid.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was a little rebellious because of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s scoundrelly attitude.

    What? !

    She couldn¡¯t confirm the paternity without testing the DNA? !

    She didn¡¯t believe it!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguang and smiled. ¡°Miss Qin still insists that you¡¯re my biological mother, right?¡±

    ¡°Do you want the results of the paternity test to be a p in the face before you confess?¡±

    Qin yaoguang snickered and looked at her with a smug look in her eyes. ¡°Then go do it... I have a bigger surprise waiting for you after the test!¡±

    This was a tant threat to Gu Nianzhi. As long as she dared to test it, Qin yaoguang would tell everyone about her special constitution and perfect genes.

    At this point, he zhichu had no choice but to intervene.

    He made a prompt decision and said to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, in view of the increasing number of mysteries surrounding the defendant, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, this case has already involved important state secrets. I will apply to the Senate, the cab, and the military for a secret military court with the highest level of security to hear this case.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses.

    He Zhichu was trying to pull a ¡°Dirty trick¡±!

    If it really entered the highest level secret court martial, then her threat was not worth mentioning!

    Qin Yaoguangwas shocked and quickly stood up. ¡°I object! I don¡¯t have any mysteries on me! It has nothing to do with any state secrets!¡±

    ¡°No?¡±He Zhichu looked at her sharply. ¡°Then may I ask the defendant, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, who was the expert who had stic surgery with you decades ago?

    ¡°His technology is beyond the level of the modern era. Isn¡¯t this kind of high-tech important state secrets?¡±

    Gu nianzhi added, ¡°I agree withwyer he. The high technology of an average doctor was science. The stic surgery your doctor did for you was practically metaphysics. It was prophetic. ¡°It¡¯s a state secret!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was furious when she saw the two of them trying to twist the truth. He Zhichu obviously didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution to be exposed, but he had pinned the me on her. Did he think she was easy to bully?

    She clenched her fists and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can cover up the sky with one hand! I¡¯m telling you, if you lock me up now, someone will let the truth out!¡±

    He Zhichu was threatening him.

    He zhichu immediately said, ¡°So you still have aplices. Okay, I¡¯ll apply for a search warrant and an arrest warrant from the court martial now. I¡¯ll go and investigate your aplices immediately.¡±

    As he zhichu spoke, he bowed slightly to the judge. ¡°Your honor, I am now using the name of the Secretariat of the Military Supreme Council to take the defendant, Qin yaoguang, away. The court martial will take over this case.¡±

    The judge also noticed that the case was out of his control. He quickly said, ¡°As long as the procedures areplete, we will cooperate with the court martial¡¯s actions. ¡±

    ¡°Thank you, your honor.¡±He zhichu saluted the judge and waved his hand at the audience.

    A few of his guards and personal secretary quickly walked over and surrounded Qin Yaoguang in the dock.

    Qin Yaoguang red at them. Before she could say anything, he zhichu¡¯s

    guards shed the back of her neck with a knife and knocked her unconscious.

    The youngwyer sitting next to her fainted from shock.

    Gu Nianzhi felt bad. She watched as he zhichu¡¯s men took the unconscious Qin yaoguang away before she asked someone to send the unconsciouswyer back to the Qin corporation¡¯s Private Hospital Group.

    Her case was merged with He Zhichu¡¯s case of being injured by a subsonic weapon, and was taken over by the court martial.

    In future trials, other than the intiff and the defendant, only those with the highest security clearance would be able to attend and listen in.

    Qin yaoguang could hire awyer, but herwyer had to go through the most stringent political and security review, and had to sign a lot of confidentiality agreements before appearing in court.

    Such people were not easy to find.

    But that was not what Gu Nianzhi had to worry about.

    She went straight from the court to her apartment. She did not even change her clothes, and unlike before, she took a shower as soon as she came back.

    She put down her briefcase and sat on the sofa, deep in thought.

    The door to the apartment opened, and Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng walked in one after the other.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and looked coldly at Lu Jin, who was walking at the front. She said, ¡°Director Lu, you¡¯re amazing. You can even produce a fake paternity test. ¡±

    She immediately said that Lu Jin¡¯sst paternity test was fake, and Lu Jin was caught off guard.

    He stood stiffly at the entrance of the living room and said embarrassedly,

    ¡°Nianzhi, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°What am I talking about? Don¡¯t you understand, director Lu?¡±Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and asked in an imposing manner, ¡°I¡¯ll ask you one more

    time! What exactly is going on with that paternity test? ! Stop using those fake certificates to fool me!¡±

    Lu Jin sighed in his heart, but his face was still full of smiles. He slowly walked over to her and said, ¡°It¡¯s not good for my daughter to be too smart. Nianzhi, I¡¯m so proud of you for being able to find out the truth on your own!¡±

    He didn¡¯t look ashamed. Instead, he looked proud. Gu Nianzhi thought she had med the wrong person..

    Huo Shaoheng walked out from behind Lu Jin and sat down beside Gu Nianzhi. He easily changed the topic. ¡°It looks like uncle Lu knows who Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother is.¡±

    Lu Jin was shocked, he quickly waved his hand. ¡°No, no! I don¡¯t know who her biological mother is! How could I possibly know? Qin yaoguang edited the fertilized egg for me after it was done. It was clearly her egg cells and my sperm. How would I know that she was cheating on me?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe him and asked suspiciously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you test the DNA

    of the fertilized egg again?

    Lu Jin spread his hands. ¡°I did. I tested the DNA in the egg that she gave me, and it proved to be the same as the DNA in the fertilized egg. Who knew that the egg that she gave me was also someone else¡¯s?

    ¡°I can¡¯t Watch Qin Yaoguang take the egg with my own eyes, can I?¡±Lu Jin said with some grievance and lowered his head silently.

    It sounded reasonable.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said, ¡°Okay, even if you don¡¯t know who actually provided the egg, you¡¯ve now confirmed that Qin Yaoguang and I are not biological mother and daughter, right? l¡±

    She stared at Lu Jin. Her big eyes were full of tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

    Her pure ck eyes were washed by the tears until they were sparkling and clear, making one¡¯s heart ache at the sight of them.

    Under such a tearful gaze, Lu Jin was even more defeated.

    He raised his hands and said with a wry smile, ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I admit that I lied to you. You and Qin Yaoguang are not biological mother and daughter.¡±

    This was the first watch of the day: chapter 1766, ¡°An even bigger surprise awaits you.¡±

    The second watch of the day.

    A reminder of your monthly and rmended tickets!

    The second watch of the night at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (*-*)

 Chapter 1767 - the Little Princess of the slightly chubby world (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1767: Chapter 1767 the Little Princess of the slightly chubby world (second update)</h4>

    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears suddenly disappeared.

    She stood up from the sofa and said unhappily, ¡°Then why did you lie to me? ! Is it fun to lie to me? !¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you.¡±Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi no longer had any intention of crying, so he breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to stand in front of her, he said carefully, ¡°Qin yaoguang knows about your condition. Your special constitution and perfect genes have been her coveted goal for a long time.¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t tell her about this, she¡¯ll keep hoping for luck and won¡¯t reveal anything about you.¡±

    Lu Jin grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and said seriously, ¡°Nianzhi, in my heart, nothing is more important than your safety. As long as you¡¯re alive, I can live free and unfettered.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the danger of being hunted down in the Alps in the other world. The despair of being cornered allowed her to understand Lu Jin¡¯s feelings.

    However, she had a different personality from Lu Jin, or perhaps it could be said that a newborn calf was not afraid of Tigers. She was a person who liked to face problems head-on and solve them.

    In her dictionary, there was no word to avoid.

    Gu nianzhi also said seriously, ¡°Dad, if someone really covets my constitution and my genes, do you think they¡¯ll let me go if you don¡¯t tell them about it?¡±

    ¡°Think about the kidnapping eight years ago. If it wasn¡¯t for you intercepting it halfway, I would either be a living dead person in theb or a specimen.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s hands tightened and his brows furrowed, ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t let them seed. Qin Yaoguang is your biological mother. With her abilities, those people won¡¯t go beyond her to deal with you. So we only need to deal with Qin Yaoguang. If Qin Yaoguang finds out that her secret has been exposed, she will take the risk and use you to make a deal with someone else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°After all, you just don¡¯t dare to confront the Qin family head-on.¡±

    The Qin family stood behind Qin Yaoguang, and the Qin family¡¯s financial power had be ¡°Unrivaled.¡±.

    Lu Jin was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Just think of me as a coward and don¡¯t dare to fight the Qin family head -on.¡¯

    Gu Nianzhi saw how worried Lu Jin was and quickly said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Young master he will help us. No matter how powerful the Qin family is, we still have to depend on the he family...¡±

    Lu Jin almost didn¡¯t dare to look Gu Nianzhi in the eye.

    How was he afraid of the Qin family? !

    He was afraid of someone else!

    But when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright smile and Bright Eyes, Lu Jin didn¡¯t say a word.

    He nodded. ¡°Young master he is indeed not bad. He helped you a lot in court today. He is also an outstanding barrister.¡¯

    Gu Nianzhi pulled Lu Jin to sit down on the sofa and said, ¡°Of course! He is also my graduate professor. Besides, Mrs. He is also a barrister. Young master he is from a family background.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded silently. ¡°Mrs. He is naturally the best.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that she passed away too early. Otherwise, I could have asked her for advice. ¡°Gu Nianzhi was very regretful. She rested her chin on her hand and was lost in thought for a while.

    Huo Shaoheng followed her and sat down opposite Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin. He said inly, ¡°Qin Yaoguang refuses to admit to stic surgery now. Looks like we still have to look for photos of her infancy and childhood before she turns ten.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were pulled back. She frowned and asked in confusion, ¡°Did she really have stic surgery? Although I insisted in court, I still think that this kind of stic surgery is too magical...¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s two thumbs moved slightly. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, then at Huo Shaoheng. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Uncle Lu, do you have any opinions? To be honest, I¡¯m also very confused. I believe that Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery, but how did she happen to look so much like Nianzhi when she grew up?

    Huo Shaoheng recalled the first time he had met Gu Nianzhi. At that time, Gu Nianzhi had also looked a little different from how she looked now.

    However, she was different. She was not as shocked as Qin yaoguang.

    Gu nianzhi understood what Huo Shaoheng meant. She rolled her eyes and asked Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, when I was young, did I look a little like the daughter of the Qin family? I remember that I was quite fat when I was 12.¡±

    Lu Jin looked away ufortably. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t really understand this at first, but I¡¯ve understood it recently. ¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...

    Was this some kind of amazing problem?

    Lu Jin nced at Huo Shaoheng and frowned. ¡°Peter is here, so there are some things I don¡¯t want to say.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng: ¡°.

    He had no intention of leaving this time. Instead, he said frankly, ¡°Uncle Lu, feel free to say anything. I will never tell the Committee of State Security (KGB) anything about Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Seeing Lu Jin¡¯s doubtful expression, huo shaoheng added, ¡°If I wanted to say anything, I would have said it long ago. The Committee of State Security (KGB) wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them if they knew about Nianzhi¡¯s situation.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Then I¡¯ll believe you for now. If you¡¯re really up to no good, I won¡¯t Let You Go!¡±

    Gu nianzhi trusted Huo Shaohengpletely. She smiled and hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm. ¡°Dad, tell me, what¡¯s going on?

    Lu Jin took out Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop and opened it. He connected it to theputer in hisb and opened a software. ¡°This is the gic analysis software.¡±

    ¡°I checked your gic data again after you told me about the uniqueness of your body.¡±Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi with emotion. ¡°I just realized what ¡®perfect¡¯means!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and asked in confusion, ¡°You mean you don¡¯t seem to know much about my body?¡±

    ¡°I used to think I did, but no matter how much I know, I didn¡¯t expect your body to be this strong! ¡°Lu Jin opened the software and showed Gu Nianzhi all the data with his mouse.

    ¡°This is the data of your physique when you were young, and the DNA sequencmg.¡±

    ¡°This is the data of your physique after you came back this time, and the DNA sequencmg.¡±

    Lu Jin opened up the two sets of data side by side and disyed them on the disy screen.

    When it came to experiments, he started talking nonstop.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you said that you were in danger over there, that your leg was fractured, and that you were shot, right?¡±Lu Jin confirmed.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°When I was in the Alps, I was hunted down. My leg was broken and my arm was grazed by a bullet.¡±

    ¡°Then the next day, your leg recovered and the wound on your arm waspletely healed, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded again and said with lingering fear, ¡°That time scared me. It could be said that I was never afraid of the people who were hunting me, but I was terrified of my own body.¡±

    Lu Jin grunted and opened another document to open another set of gic maps.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you have to know that the human body has the ability to heal itself.¡± ¡°For example, if a normal person¡¯s finger is cut, the wound will heal itself.¡± ¡°If the leg is broken, it will heal after a few months.¡±

    ¡°No matter where it is cut, as long as it is not fatal, it will heal in the end.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the healing process varies from person to person, but everyone has a self-healing ability.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that this kind of self-healing takes a long time, and the effect is not perfect.¡±

    ¡°As long as it has been injured, it can leave a scar. Even if you can¡¯t see it on the surface, the tissue below the surface will remain.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have it. The injuries you have received have already healed to the point that they arepletely invisible. From the inside out, it is as if you have never been injured.¡±

    ¡°This is the true power of the perfect gene.¡¯

    ¡°Not only is it theplete human gene, but it also has a powerful self-repair and self-improvement ability.¡±

    ¡°But it didn¡¯t have such a powerful ability from the start.¡±

    ¡°For example, when you were young, when you were tested by Qin Yaoguang, your healing ability was only slightly better than that of an ordinary person. You didn¡¯t have a heaven-defying self-recovery ability.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, when I heard about the self-healing speed you mentioned, I was very surprised. I took the opportunity to test your gic data again during the paternity test

    ¡°I found that your genes showed a much higher ability in tissue repair than when you were young

    ¡°In short, the perfection of a perfect gene lies in self-evolution and self-correction ability

    ¡°In terms of physique, the most obvious manifestation is your heaven-defying ability to heal.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze moved from theputer screen to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s calf, where she had once broken it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart instantly tightened when he heard this.

    It turned out that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s physique was only slightly better than that of an ordinary person when she was young..

    Therefore, the torture that she had gone through was very difficult for an ordinary person to endure..

    Huo Shaoheng had never been so sad before. A violent emotion rose in his heart. He wanted to destroy everything and use all the methods he had learned to torture that vicious woman.

    Gu Nianzhi did not remember anything about her childhood at all. She only asked curiously, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that Disappoint Qin Yaoguang? She can¡¯t figure out

    why either, right?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°I guess that¡¯s why she won¡¯t give up. Also, the people behind her who were watching the experiment didn¡¯t take you away. It¡¯s probably because you didn¡¯t show this kind of physique back then.¡±

    If she had this kind of physique back then, even Qin Yaoguang wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep her.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes shed with anger.

    Huo shaoheng listened carefully and asked thoughtfully, ¡°Are you saymg that during the years when Nianzhi was young and Qin Yaoguang used her to do research, she didn¡¯t show too much of her ¡®perfect genes ?

    ¡°You can say that. ¡°Lu Jin nced at Gu Nianzhi uneasily. ¡°When Nianzhi was six, I came back and found out what Qin Yaoguang had done. I took you away and nned to send you to the he family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...

    ¡°Because you were tortured by Qin Yaoguang until you were skinny and Bony, I wanted to give you a good check-up to see if your genes were damaged by her experiments.¡±

    It was during the gic test that Lu Jin found the genes rted to appearance. He secretly weakened some of the genes and strengthened the obesity genes.

    In the six years that she had lived in the He family, Gu Nianzhi had grown from a skinny little girl to a chubby little princess, all the way until she was sent to the other side of the world.

    However, Lu Jin had not expected that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perfect genes would automatically repair the genes that he had deliberately weakened, and the obesity genes that had been strengthened would also be repaired, returning to normal.

    The power of genes was really too strong..

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, I was indeed quite fat at that time. I seemed to have lost weightter on.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled awlwvardly. ¡°Actually, you¡¯re very good-looking no matter what you look like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t talk about him all the time. Let¡¯s talk about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s stic surgery. Could it be the evolution of this perfect gene? But you also said that I¡¯m the first perfect gene in the world.¡±

    Lu Jin widened his eyes and said unwillingly, ¡°How is that possible? ! What perfect genes does Qin yaoguang have? ! ¡ª she is just a biological stic surgeon!¡±

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1767, the Little Princess of the slightly fat world.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~~

    **************

 Chapter 1768

    <h4>Chapter 1768: Chapter 1768: stic Surgery (first update)</h4>

    ¡°Biological stic surgery? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was extremely curious. She tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s arm. ¡°What kind of stic surgery is this? I¡¯ve never heard of it...¡±

    Lu Jin snorted. ¡°Of course not. And it¡¯s not something an ordinary rich person can afford!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Not even an ordinary rich person can afford it?¡±Gu Nianzhi frowned suspiciously. ¡°Then is there a need for this kind of technology?¡±

    It was obviously a technology that could not bemercialized on arge scale.

    Withoutrge-scalemercialization, technology could not be poprized because the cost was too high.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts were not as free-spirited as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. He was fixated on the main point and asked casually, ¡°Uncle Lu always knew that Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery? When did uncle Lu know Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to her senses and closed her hands. She said angrily, ¡°Dad! You knew? ! Why didn¡¯t you expose her? !¡±

    Lu Jin did not expect that his words of ¡°stic surgery¡±would cause these two to misunderstand.

    He quickly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know she had stic surgery before. I saw Nianzhi interrogate her in court today, and I couldn¡¯t find any traces of stic surgery even with an X-ray 3D scan. That¡¯s when I realized that she had undergone stic surgery.¡±

    Lu Jin paused, lu Jin emphasized again, ¡°Only biological stic surgery can keep her face from copsing after so many years, and continue to grow in the direction of her stic surgery temte. ¡°If I¡¯m right, she will gradually age ording to the appearance of the stic surgery temte.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth was wide open. ¡°What? ! She can age? ! I thought it was like wearing a shell, forever young and never old!¡±

    ¡°PFFT! Forever Young is stic!¡±Lu Jin scoffed, ¡°At the moment, the real secret stic surgery is biological stic surgery. You can even perform surgery on children. You Don¡¯t have to worry about side effects, and you don¡¯t have topare it to those shoddy stic surgeries that will fall apart in two or three years. They don¡¯t deserve it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the sofa, her elbows resting on her knees. She cupped her cheeks with both hands, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lu Jin. She said in surprise, ¡°There¡¯s such a powerful stic surgery technique? ! It¡¯s been around for decades? !¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s raised eyebrows darkened slightly.

    He smiled wryly, he said listlessly, ¡°Yes. In fact, the achievements I know of in the field of biological stic surgery have been circting in the high-end biological beauty circle for the past few years. They don¡¯t publish papers and don¡¯t publicize it. You¡¯re not at the top of the food chain in this circle. You won¡¯t even hear about it.¡±

    ¡°... then how could Qin yaoguang have epted this kind of stic surgery decades ago?¡±Huo Shaoheng was still doubtful. ¡°And is there really no way to detect it?¡±

    Lu Jinughed at this moment. He happily put his arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Of course there is. This detection method was identally used by Gu Nianzhi. It¡¯s called the skull scan restoration method.¡±

    ¡°But no matter how good a creature¡¯s cosmetic surgery is, it still has a congenital defect. It can¡¯t change the facial bones, so the only way to see through it is to reconstruct the skull¡¯s appearance.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her long eyebrows in surprise. ¡°What? ! It really is such a coincidence? !¡±

    ¡°It really is such a coincidence.¡±Lu Jin sighed. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not really a coincidence. All smart people would think of this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°This is not something an average smart person would think of.¡±

    This was a rarepliment from him to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to appear calm, but the blush on her face and her watery eyes couldn¡¯t hide her pride and joy.

    She shot a quick nce at Huo Shaoheng. There seemed to be honey in her eyes, and it was sweet just by looking at it.

    Even someone as neurotic as Lu Jin could feel the sweet and sickly atmosphere in the air.

    He shook his shoulders and patted gu nianzhi on the back. ¡°Of course my daughter isn¡¯t an ordinary smart person. She¡¯s a genius!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and avoided him. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t praise me. I still haven¡¯t been able to find out Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secret. I actually didn¡¯t win thiswsuit either.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand paused. He looked away and said seriously, ¡°You¡¯ve done your best. No one can do it better than you.¡±

    ¡°Really? But I don¡¯t know who did the stic surgery on Qin Yaoguang decades ago...¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, she looked at Lu Jin with a thirst for knowledge. ¡°Dad, since you¡¯re from this circle, you should know who¡¯s so good, right?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head in shame, ¡°I¡¯m not from this circle anymore... I didn¡¯t know much about this circle before. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t think of anyone who was this good decades ago.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear anything about it?¡±Huo Shaoheng followed up with another question. ¡°No one bragged about it?¡±

    ¡°Everyone in this circle has technology as their primary goal. What¡¯s bragging about? Why would people like them care about that?¡±Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng in disdain, ¡°And there are only a few of them. Some of them are even younger than me. You¡¯re saying that they performed surgery on Qin Yaoguang when she was a child? Even I¡¯m not heaven-defying!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked away in disappointment.

    The trail went cold again.

    But she was silent for a moment, she quickly pulled herself together and analyzed the situation. ¡°Actually, we didn¡¯te up empty-handed. At least we confirmed that Qin Yaoguang had indeed undergone stic surgery when she was a teenager. ¡°But dad, can you tell me more about biological stic surgery? ¡°Although I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, it sounds amazing!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was also very interested. ¡°Uncle Lu, I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted and said, ¡°As far as I know, the concept of biological stic surgery was first inspired by the circus¡¯s method of raising ¡®dwarf¡¯children.¡±

    ¡°In the early years, some vicious circus ss leaders or beggars put normal children in jars for a few years to create ¡®dwarf¡¯people. When they were released, their heads would be bigger and their bodies smaller. They would never grow tall again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped and could not help trembling.

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hear it, I won¡¯t say it.¡±

    ¡°No, no, I want to hear it. Please tell me!¡±Gu Nianzhi held back her difort and listened to Lu Jin continue.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression darkened.

    He sighed and said, ¡°Such a heartless method was called ¡®cutting and cutting¡¯in ancient times. Only the most evil people would dare to do such a business. Once caught by the government, they would be executed by a thousand cuts.¡±

    ¡°If ordinary people knew about it, they would only condemn such vicious criminals. But in the eyes of the scientists in a certain country, they saw something different.¡±

    ¡°If a simple jar can stop a child¡¯s normal growth trajectory, what about other more advanced methods? Will itpletely change a person¡¯s figure and appearance?¡±

    ¡°The first to put it into practice were the biomedical scientists of a certain country

    ¡°With the improvement and perfection of biomedical knowledge, their experiments also achieved greater results.¡±

    Lu Jin paused for a moment and said faintly, ¡°As you all know, during World War II, our country, with its rich resources, vastnd, and weak military strength, lived up to expectations and became the battleground for the hegemonic powers

    ¡°At the same time, our country, which at that time ounted for one-fifth of the world¡¯s poption, also became an inexhaustible database of experimental materials that the ¡®scientists¡¯of a certain country were ecstatic about...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to her senses.¡±... another Japanese digital army? ! Could it be that the people who gave Qin yaoguang stic surgery back then were Japanese? !¡±

    Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°Listen to me, I actually don¡¯t know who did the surgery on her. I¡¯m just telling you how I know the origin of this technology.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng winked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Listen to your father. Don¡¯t interrupt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a face at him and stopped interrupting.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t want to talk about that painful history, so he just brushed it off, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you more about the various experiments that the digital army did on living people. At that time, their standards were actually very low and they didn¡¯t achieve much.¡±

    ¡°But they used such a cruel method to umte a wealth of knowledge about viruses, bacteria, living cells, tissues, bones, fertilized eggs, and embryos. These are the real priceless treasures.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart ached.

    Behind this wealth of knowledge about living cells, tissues, bones, fertilized eggs, and embryos, there was a mountain of Huaxia corpses..

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, trying tofort her. He wasn¡¯t feeling too good himself, but he was calmer than Gu Nianzhi. He didn¡¯t show it on his face.

    ¡°After World War II, the Japanese digital forces used these experimental data to reach an agreement with the United States not to pursue their World War II crimes. I don¡¯t need to say more.¡±

    Lu Jin opened Gu Nianzhi¡¯sptop and searched for two web pages. He asked, ¡°Do you know which countries are the best at stic Surgery in the World?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng and asked tentatively,¡±... is it Korea?¡±

    After all, it was known as a powerful country in the universe.

    Lu Jin shook his head and smiled. ¡°Korea isn¡¯t the best. Their stic surgery period is too short. Technically speaking, they haven¡¯t even started.¡±

    ¡°The only countries in the world that are really good at stic surgery are the United States and Japan.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had also guessed it by now. She said resentfully, ¡°These two countries have shared resources after all...¡±

    What was so great about sharing bicycles?

    If they had the ability to share the data of living experiments during World War II..

    From this point of view, Huaxia was still notparable to a certain superpower.

    ¡°As for the top experts in biological stic surgery, they are either Americans or Japanese

    ¡°They use advanced technology to analyze and predict the direction of the bones of the stic surgery temte, then collect the data of the muscleyer and skinyer. Finally, they cultivate self-tissue with the same data and transnt it to the face of the stic surgeon

    ¡°These self-tissue is like a membrane, covering the original subcutaneous tissue and muscleyer of the stic surgeon

    ¡°After a period of cultivation, the self-tissue will grow together with the stic surgeon¡¯s muscles and subcutaneous tissue, as if it grew out of their own muscles

    ¡°No matter what X-ray 3D scan you use, it won¡¯t be able to show ¡ª unless you perform a skull restoration scan, which is how Nianzhi hit the jackpot today

    ¡°And the self-tissue that covers the skin of the stic surgeon will grow ording to the appearance of the stic surgeon. After a certain period of time, it will naturally age.¡±

    ¡°This type of stic surgery is veryplicated and risky. As far as I know, there are only a few sessful cases, and it is still in the scope of developing self-tissue on a small scale.¡±

    ¡°A sessfulrge-scale stic surgery like Qin Yaoguang¡¯s was done decades ago. I have never heard of it. If someone has done it, then this person is also a very low-key person.¡±

    As Lu Jin spoke, he wrote a few names for them and continued, ¡°I am more familiar with these people. They are not the people who did stic surgery for Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°Firstly, their ages don¡¯t match. They¡¯re all younger than Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, none of their family members are specialized in biology or medicine, so they shouldn¡¯t be their family elders.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at the names and nodded, he agreed with Lu Jin¡¯s analysis. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be from these people. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to think that someone has made great achievements in stic surgery since a long time ago, but for some reason, he hasn¡¯t disclosed his skills to anyone in the academic world.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened in a daze and suddenly said, ¡°Even if this person doesn¡¯t say it himself, if he had operated on Qin yaoguang, Qin Yaoguang or Qin Yaoguang¡¯s father, Qin Baye, would definitely know who this person is!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: chapter 1768, ¡°stic is what never grows old.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmended tickets!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting coins that the president of ¡°Momo Moshi¡±tipped yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1769

    <h4>Chapter 1769: Chapter 1769: you have indeed improved (second update)</h4>

    Huo shaoheng calmly retorted, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about Qin Yaoguang. She was still young at that time, so she might not have known who was going to perform the surgery on her. But even if he knew about Qin Baye, would he have said anything? ¡°And how are you going to exin the stic surgery to everyone?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. ¡°Even the academicmunity doesn¡¯t know about stic surgery, so there won¡¯t be any expert witnesses.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin in surprise. ¡°Dad, you know about expert witnesses?¡±

    She had thought Lu Jin was the type of schr who ¡°Didn¡¯t know anything about the outside world and only wanted to be an experimenter.¡±She hadn¡¯t expected him to be so knowledgeable.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I know?¡±Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly tried to cover it up. ¡°I¡¯m extremely smart and have a photographic memory. I can easily tell by reading a feww books!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re really going all out to brag about yourself regardless of the asion...¡±

    Lu Jin crossed his arms and said unmodestly, ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said I¡¯m not smart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and shook her head. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re thinking too much. Actually, we don¡¯t have to know who did the stic surgery on Qin Yaoguang. We just have to be sure that she did.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Well, at the moment, there¡¯s really no need to pursue the person who did the surgery, unless he has something else to do with it.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t found anything else to do with it yet,¡±gu nianzhi said as she calmed herself down, ¡°What we should be focusing on now is, first, Qin yaoguang, or why Qin Baye did the stic surgery on Qin Yaoguang when she was so young.¡±

    ¡°Second, who was the woman she used as a stic surgery temte?¡±

    ¡°Third, why did she use this woman as a stic surgery temte?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help touching her face as she spoke. She added, ¡°This woman, even if she¡¯s not my biological mother, has a lot to do with my biological mother.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled with satisfaction. ¡°These three points are indeed the most important. Nianzhi, you have indeed improved.¡±

    Lu Jin frowned almost imperceptibly.

    He had already revealed the secret of his ¡°Biological stic surgery¡±, but it still did not divert Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention..

    Why didn¡¯t he look for the person who performed the surgery on Qin Yaoguang?

    Why was he so obsessed with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s stic surgery temte? !

    Lu Jin felt very helpless, but he was never good at dealing with people, so he did not know what to say at this time. He could only sit aside and say nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng discussed it for a while before asking Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, which direction do you think we should start from?¡±

    Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi was asking about him, so he thought for a moment and rubbed his temples, he said, ¡°I think the first question is worth investigating. For example, why did Qin Baye give Qin yaoguang stic surgery when she was a teenager? As for who her stic surgery temte is, does it matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little surprised.

    Lu Jin¡¯s question was very sharp.

    Gu Nianzhi had insisted on finding this stic surgery temte because she wanted to find her biological mother.

    However, Lu Jin was obviously not interested in this question. He seemed to only want to know why Qin Baye wanted to give Qin yaoguang stic surgery.

    What did this mean?

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and looked at Lu Jin with his dark eyes for a while. When Lu Jin looked over, he looked away as if nothing had happened and looked at the floor-to-ceiling curtains opposite him.

    Gu Nianzhi knew what she was thinking, but she still stubbornly believed that this question was rted to the entire case and not entirely for her own selfish reasons.

    Of course, Lu Jin¡¯s question was also very important. This was also the first question she had to solve.

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s start with the first question. Why did Qin Baye give Qin yaoguang stic surgery when she was still a teenager?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wrote the question in her notebook.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless to question Qin Baye directly.¡±Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms in thought. ¡°He won¡¯t say anything, and we have no reason to question him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded bitterly. ¡°Qin Yaoguang took the me. Wen Shouyi took Qin Baye back.¡±

    This was equivalent to acquittal.

    If Qin Baye didn¡¯t go to court, she wouldn¡¯t have the chance to interrogate him.

    After the revolving restaurant explosion, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to see Qin Baye again, even in public.

    A person who could use his own family as bait, what was he afraid to do?

    After a long pause, Gu Nianzhi looked up and said firmly, ¡°It¡¯s okay if he doesn¡¯t say anything. Sometimes, if you want to convict someone, you don¡¯t need a confession from the suspect.¡±

    As long as there was strong documentary evidence, physical evidence, and an effective logical chain, it didn¡¯t matter if the suspect confessed or not.

    ¡°What do you want to Do?¡±Huo Shaoheng was already nning to help.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was also avable when necessary.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the information she had organized in her notebook, she frowned and said, ¡°First of all, we need to find out the exact time Qin Yaoguang had her stic surgery. At the very least, we need to find out the exact year. Of course, it would be even better if we can find out the exact month and day.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s very difficult. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s surgery isn¡¯t public information. The Qin family must have carried out the surgery in private, so it would take them only a few minutes to cover it up.¡±

    ¡°But we can roughly guess that Qin Yaoguang was around ten years old when she had her stic surgery.¡±Gu Nianzhi remembered what Qin Yaoguang had said and the photos they had found of Qin Yaoguang when she was a teenager, ¡°We couldn¡¯t find any photos of her before this, and she didn¡¯t mention it.¡±

    Lu Jin listened for a while and said softly, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s another benefit of biological stic surgery. You can extrapte the approximate time when it was cultivated ording to the degree of aging of the self-tissue, and you can be urate to the Moon.¡±

    ¡°Huh? That Works? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was very surprised, but she asked again, ¡°But what if the self-tissue was cultivated and not immediately transnted into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face?¡±

    ¡°... Once the self-tissue is cultivated, it needs to be transnted immediately. Otherwise, it would be difficult to control its growth rate...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not understand at all. She had heard that Lu Jin had a way to measure the time when the self-tissue on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face had been cultivated, which was the exact time when she had undergone stic surgery.

    ¡°Then how do we test it?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked hurriedly. ¡°Do we need Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial self-tissue?¡±

    Lu Jin gestured with his hands. ¡°The best way is to extract a certain amount of skin tissue from her face. But right now, she¡¯s locked up tight, so it doesn¡¯t seem possible.¡±

    Gu nianzhi said without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ll go find young master he. He must have a way to get it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not stop Gu Nianzhi this time.

    This matter was very important, so Huo shaoheng only said lightly,¡±... I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll call young master he.¡±

    She took her phone back to her bedroom and dialed he zhichu¡¯s number.

    ¡°Young master he, can I ask you to do me a Favor?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked softly.

    He Zhichu was currently in he chengjian¡¯s study discussing the trial with him.

    Seeing that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s call, he quickly picked up and asked, ¡°What favor?¡±

    ¡°Can you help me get some of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial subcutaneous tissue?¡±Gu Nianzhi whispered. ¡°I just need a thick needle to pull out a tube.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1769, you have indeed grown.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1770

    <h4>Chapter 1770: Chapter 1770 face-saving (first and foremost, monthly pass)</h4>

    He Zhichu thought he had misheard. He took out his phone and looked at the number on it for a while before asking in confusion,¡±... What are you going to use a thicker needle for?¡±

    ¡°... Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial tissue.¡±Gu Nianzhi was also puzzled. was her speech so vague that others couldn¡¯t hear her clearly?

    He Zhichu pursed his lips. ¡°You still want to prove that she had stic surgery?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she had stic surgery.¡±Gu Nianzhi gnashed her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize her as my mother!¡±

    Actually, it was very easy to prove this point. They could just do a paternity test.

    However, he zhichu also knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA could not be casually taken out for testing.

    It was obvious that Qin Yaoguang had relied on this fact to deny that she had undergone stic surgery. Of course, she also refused to admit that she was not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother.

    Seeing that this line was about to reach a dead end, he zhichu heard that Gu Nianzhi wanted Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial tissue..

    He automatically understood that Gu Nianzhi was unwilling and wanted to use other means to prove that Qin yaoguang had undergone stic surgery.

    This was not a difficult matter.

    Qin Yaoguang was already in the custody of the military. He Zhichu¡¯s henchmen were watching over her, so he would personally go over and give her a tube.

    He Zhichu answered his phone with an ¡°Okay,¡±¡±When do you want it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect he zhichu to be so easy to talk to. She was extremely grateful and quickly said, ¡°Thank you, Young Master He! You must make sure it¡¯s from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself, okay?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s almond-shaped eyes shed with a smile, and his cold face was like a melting iceberg.

    He chengjian saw that he zhichu was in a good mood, and so was he. He smiled and asked,¡±... It¡¯s Nianzhi?¡±

    After asking, he immediately said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to break off the engagement, but your rtionship is better than before.¡±

    He Zhichu put his hand to his lips and coughed lightly. He didn¡¯t want to mention Gu Nianzhi, so he continued,¡±... you¡¯ve already seen the video of the trial. What do you think happened to the Qin Family?¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s expression turned cold. He took out a document bag from the drawer and threw it in front of he zhichu.

    The document bag had a stamp on it. Anyone who had seen this stamp knew that it belonged to the category of ¡°Top Secret¡±documents. There was a special exemption for customs clearance, and customs had no right to examine it.

    He Zhichu took the document bag in surprise but did not open it. He asked first,¡±... what is this?¡±

    ¡°This is the history of the Qin family¡¯s rise decades ago!¡±He chengjian pped the table with his hand. ¡°Back then, your mother only investigated your grandparents¡¯car ident and did not allow me to interfere. Otherwise, how could the Qin family be so arrogant to this day!¡±

    In fact, he chengjian had started to send people to investigate the Qin family ever since he heard that Wen Shouyi¡¯s background was problematic.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°What did you find out?¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s precisely because I didn¡¯t find anything! That¡¯s why I felt that there must be a problem!¡±

    He chengjian, who was naturally suspicious, had never trusted many people in his life. However, his wife, Qin Suwen, was one of the few people he trusted.

    Therefore, when Qin Suwen¡¯s investigation into his parents¡¯car ident had reached a dead end, she had stopped and told he chengjian that there was no problem.

    His most trusted wife, who was also a big shot in the legal world, had said that there was no problem with her parents¡¯death. What reason did he chengjian have to not believe it?

    However, now that he was suspicious, he sent people to investigate again. Only then did he understand what his wife meant when she said that there was no problem.

    ¡°... how is there no problem with the Qin family? ! There is clearly no evidence!¡±He chengjian pounded the desk again, ¡°Your mother believes in ¡®proper means¡¯too much. If she had told me back then, those people from the Qin family would have captured any one of them and interrogated them. I would have let him say that the sun rises from the west, but he wouldn¡¯t dare to say that it rises from the East!¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head with a bitter smile. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s because of you that mom said ¡®no problem¡¯. You have to respect mom¡¯s professionalism. As awyer, she can¡¯t know thew and break thew.¡±

    He Zhichu opened the folder and looked at the results of the investigation he chengjian had sent to the Qin family in Z city.

    He had also seen what Lady Chen had said, as well as the testimony of other people.

    He looked through the whole thing and sighed. ¡°There is indeed no evidence.¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is no evidence, but there is definitely a problem!¡±He chengjian frowned, ¡°How could it be such a coincidence? Your grandparents had just sold theirnd and had a car ident when they returned to C city. Your mother was tightly protected by your grandparents at that time and was severely burned...¡±

    He Zhichu sealed the document bag, he said in a low voice, ¡°But the contract was signed and thend was transferred. Why did Qin Baye do this? ¡°I also felt that there was no need for them to do this. ¡°Even if there was a problem with the car ident at that time, it should not have had much to do with Qin Baye.¡±

    It was not as if Qin Huichang and his wife were dead, so they could not pay the money..

    At that time, the money had already been deposited into Qin Huichang¡¯s bank ount, and Qin Suwen had inherited all of it.

    It was all the fault of the director of C City Orphanage for being too greedy, even for the inheritance of the orphan¡¯s parents.

    ¡°That director was sentenced to ten years in prison, and after only five years in prison, he suffocated himself to death with a stic bag.¡±He Zhichu pushed the document bag back to he chengjian, his voice very indifferent, ¡°Dad, have you investigated the situation of this director?¡±

    When the director of the orphanagemitted suicide in prison, he chengjian still didn¡¯t know Qin Suwen. He didn¡¯t even know Qin Yaoguang.

    He Chengjian put the document bag into the password safe and locked it, he said, ¡°I investigated itter. This corrupt director of the orphanage was intentionally locked together with some serious criminals in prison. You know, this kind of people are extremely vicious. They do everything, and being locked up together is like raising a venomous insect. ¡°To be able to live under their hands for five years beforemitting suicide, this director can also tolerate it.¡±

    If an ordinary criminal was not such a vicious heavy criminal on death row, he would be courting death if he was with these people for less than half a year.

    That was really not a life for humans.

    ¡°Have you checked why the director of the orphanage was intentionally locked up with a heavy criminal?¡±He Zhichu said with some regret. ¡°If he didn¡¯t die, we might be able to get some interesting information out of him.¡±

    He chengjian shook his head. ¡°If there¡¯s really something wrong with this matter, the director won¡¯t be able to live. No matter where he is, he won¡¯t be able to survive.¡±

    Being locked up with a felon in prison and forcing him tomit suicide was already a more tactful way of doing things.

    This way of doing things was more brilliant and less eye-catching.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that some people had a preconceived idea that there was something wrong with this matter, no one would have thought that the death of the director of the orphanage for the embezzler was nned by someone.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then there really is something wrong.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s fingers tapped on the desk one after another, and the expression on his face became colder and colder, ¡°All the people involved, even the criminals who were imprisoned, are dead. They really did it cleanly.¡±

    ¡°So I think there¡¯s a problem. ying Zhang Liang¡¯s trick in front of me, do you really think I¡¯m made of paper? !¡±He chengjian sneered, he closed his hands and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Ah Chu, don¡¯t meddle in this matter. Leave the matter of dealing with old man Qin to me.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t do anything rash.¡±He Zhichu sat up straight, he said nervously, ¡°If the Qin family is really involved in this matter, they should have already made sufficient preparations. We must be more careful than them in order to catch them. ¡ª Don¡¯t dirty your hands for them. It¡¯s not worth it.¡±

    He chengjianughed. ¡°Ah Chu, I¡¯m very happy that you still care about your old father.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°I will pay attention. The passports of the Qin family have been confiscated, they can not go abroad. As long as they are on this Chinesend, I am not afraid that they will dig out the palm of my hand.¡±

    He chengjian spread out his hand and made a gesture of clenching his fingers.

    He zhichu rubbed the space between his eyebrows with a slight headache and said, ¡°Dad, the Qin family is not an ordinary family now. With the size of the Qin private hospital, you can not be rash.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t alert the enemy, don¡¯t worry.¡±He Chengjian¡¯s eyes were dark. ¡°I have a feeling that Qin Baye has something to do with the death of your grandparents, but Qin Yaoguang saved your life.¡±

    ¡°No, Nianzhi saved my life.¡±He zhichu said without hesitation, ¡°Qin Yaoguang is just a surrogate mother. My illness is cured, it has nothing to do with her.¡±

    He chengjian looked at him deeply and said, ¡°Ah Chu, Nianzhi did save your life, but if Qin Yaoguang hadn¡¯t proposed this treatment, Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been born and your illness wouldn¡¯t have healed...¡±

    ¡°So in the end, Qin Yaoguang did you a favor.¡±

    ¡°Their family has relied on our family to develop such a big business. Is this the end of the debt of Gratitude?¡±He zhichu sneered. He thought about how Qin Yaoguang had used the excuse of ¡°Treating¡±him to treat gu nianzhi, and how she had treated her like an animal, he Zhichu felt ashamed to face Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright and clear eyes.

    He was very d now that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t remember what had happened when she was young..

    He chengjian raised his eyebrows and said calmly, ¡°Their hospital has reached its end. This private hospital has almost monopolized half of the medical market in Huaxia. It¡¯s time to break it up.¡±

    He zhichu understood what he chengjian meant and stood up from his seat, he said with a smile, ¡°Then you should find someone to advise the Senate to prepare to break up the Qin private group and find something for Old Master Qin and Wen Shouyi to do. I will go see Qin Yaoguang and borrow something from her.¡±

    He chengjian was stunned for a moment, ¡°You borrowed something from Qin Yaoguang? Borrow what?¡±

    ¡°I borrowed her face.¡±He zhichu pointed at his own cheek andughed mockingly.

    ..

    Qin Yaoguang was now under the strict custody of the court martial. The level of confidentiality was even higher than when she was he chengjian¡¯s wife.

    Sitting alone in a room surrounded by rubber walls, Qin yaoguang only wanted to sneer.

    She was being guarded like she was mentally ill.

    She wouldn¡¯t be able to crash into the wall in this room even if she wanted to.

    But all of this was useless to her.

    She closed her eyes and began to recite the periodic table of chemical elements. After she finished reciting, she began to silently recall the base pairs in DNA, which were known functions and which were unknown functions.

    On this day, she woke up. She didn¡¯t stay in the small ck room in the detention center for long before she heard the rubber door open with a creak.

    A man wearing a whiteb coat and a mask walked in.

    He held arge, thick needle measuring five hundred milliliters and six centimeters in diameter in his hand and gestured at Qin Yaoguang.

    This man was he zhichu, who hade to help Gu Nianzhi remove the tissue under the skin of her face.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1770, ¡°Borrowing a face.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmended tickets!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1771

    <h4>Chapter 1771: Chapter 1771: Substantive Progress (Chapter 2: Monthly Pass)</h4>

    Qin yaoguang saw the syringe and thought that the military was going to lynch her. She was so scared that she fell off the bed and trembled as she held onto the bed.

    ¡°... who are you? ! Don¡¯te over! If you dare to touch a single hair on my head, our Qin family will definitely not forgive you! General he will also not forgive you!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang did not mention he chengjian, but the moment he chengjian was mentioned, he zhichu¡¯s face darkened.

    He walked over without saying a word, took out handcuffs from his back, and Cuffed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s arms to the edge of the bed.

    Then, he swung a knife with his right hand at the back of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s neck, knocking her unconscious.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s head hung down at an extremely ufortable angle.

    He zhichu aimed the needle at the side of her face and first extracted about ten milliliters of subcutaneous tissue from her right cheek.

    This was originally enough, but when he zhichu withdrew the needle, he saw that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lips were not pleasing to the eye. He took the needle and aimed it at her lips as well, extracting sufficient amount of subcutaneous tissue from her upper and lower lips.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lips sessfully deted, like the rough skin of a withered peach curled up on her lips. The shape of her lips could hardly be seen.

    He Zhichu put away the needle in satisfaction and Untied Qin Yaoguang¡¯s handcuffs.

    Qin yaoguang, who was unconscious, lost her handcuffs and fell to the ground with a thud.

    The floor was made of rubber, so it did not hurt to fall.

    He Zhichu did not bother to help her up and left Qin Yaoguang¡¯s small ck rubber room directly.

    When he came out of the cell, the two people standing guard at the door were his subordinates. They quickly saluted him. ¡°Hello, Chief.¡±

    He zhichu nodded and said, ¡°Watch carefully. No one is allowed to visit the prison without my permission to send a video message.¡±

    This meant that he zhichu had to personally send a video message to confirm that anyone who wanted to visit Qin yaoguang would be allowed to see Qin yaoguang.

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    He zhichu came out of the military¡¯s heavily guarded detention center and drove to the entrance of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartmentplex. He called her.

    ¡°Nianzhi, do you want me to send the stuff in, or do you want toe out and get it?¡±He Zhichu asked calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re so fast! You¡¯ve already gotten Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial tissue? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, I extracted it myself.¡±He Zhichu looked at the medicine cab beside him and thought about the contents of the syringe. He averted his gaze in disgust.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly put on her shoes and ran out of her apartment.

    She came to the entrance of the apartmentplex and saw he zhichu in a thin military uniform. He was leaning against the front of a ck Humvee, his back facing the door, waiting for her.

    The weather in early spring was not very warm, but the greenery had already begun to decorate thewns and ornamental trees on the streets of the capital.

    He Zhichu stood there, looking very pleasing to the eye.

    Gu Nianzhi admired him for a while, then walked over with a smile and said, ¡°Young master he.¡±

    He Zhichu turned his head and saw Gu Nianzhi standing gracefully in front of him.

    She was wearing a thin yellow cashmere cocoon-style coat, revealing a white cashmere sweater with a turtleneck cor. She was wearing water-washed blue skinny jeans on her legs, which made her legs look as straight as if they had been measured with a ruler.

    He was wearing a pair of UGG woolen boots that were made of wool. The style of the house was very rxed.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rxed mood could be felt just by looking at her outfit.

    He zhichu pursed his lips into a smile and walked over to open the car door. He took out the medicine box with a frozenyer and handed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I just extracted it. What do you want to Do?¡±

    ¡°Check if she has stic surgery.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and winked at him. ¡°Thank you, young master he. I¡¯ll let you know when I have the results.¡±

    He zhichu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m going on a business trip in a few days. be good and don¡¯t go anywhere. When Ie back, I¡¯ll go with you wherever you want to go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°Young master he, you can go and do your work. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not a child, I don¡¯t need to be apanied every day.¡±

    ¡°You have to be careful.¡±He Zhichu was always worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety when he thought about the Qin family.

    ¡°I will.¡±Gu Nianzhi ran her fingers through her long hair, her dark, shiny eyes shing with anger and malice. ¡°I can¡¯t give up eating because I¡¯m choking, right? They have bad intentions towards me. Do I have to hide from them forever?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless to hide from bad people. They¡¯re all bullies. We have to confront them head-on!¡±

    He zhichu shook his head, not knowing whether tough or cry. He caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s right to be bold, but you can¡¯t be stupid and bold. No matter what, you have to remember that living is the most important thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°I know, young master he. You¡¯re getting more and more wishy-washy...¡±

    She missed the temperamental professor he who had always rushed over to help her in the opposite world.

    He Zhichuughed and was in a good mood. ¡°Now you dislike me? Then I won¡¯t talk about it anymore. When you have something to do, you wille find me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young master he. If I can¡¯t handle it, I will definitelye find you.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and cupped her hands to show her gratitude.

    He Zhichu saw that she was about to leave, so he said without batting an eyelid, ¡°The Qin family¡¯s private hospital can¡¯t be taken down anymore. It has too much market share. The Senate should be working with the cab to hold a meeting to discuss breaking up the Qin Corporation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Breaking up the Qin Corporation? ! What a drastic move!¡±

    He zhichu said lightly, ¡°Wen Shouyi and Old Master Qin will be busy for a while. When the Senate starts the process of breaking up the Qin Corporation, they will often be called to the Senate for questioning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said with a smile, ¡°Then can we go to the Senate to listen in?¡±

    ¡°During the debate, but not during the interrogation. You Need a special pass.¡±He zhichu said, ¡°If you want to listen, I can get someone to send you a special pass.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Young Master He.¡±Gu Nianzhi graciously expressed her gratitude and chatted for a while before returning with the small frozen medicine box.

    He Zhichu watched her back disappear on the sidewalk of the neighborhood, then turned around to open the car door and get into the car.

    The sun was very bright outside, and the sky was as saturated as pure blue crystal.

    He sat in the car and looked at the sudden appearance of spring, but his heart was as deste as winter.

    He sat quietly for a while and was about to drive back when his phone rang.

    He Zhichu picked it up and nced at it. It was Xie Qingying¡¯s phone.

    After thinking for a while, he zhichu picked it up and said lightly, ¡°Qingying?¡±

    Xie qingyingughed and said, ¡°Young master he, I¡¯m not disturbing you, am I?¡±

    He Zhichu started the car and put on his Bluetooth headset. As he drove, he talked to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m on the way.¡±

    ¡°AH? Why don¡¯t I call backter? Drive well.¡±Xie qingying wanted to hang up the phone.

    He Zhichu stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s fine, go ahead.¡±

    Xie qingying saw that his tone was unquestionable and hesitated for a moment, she said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. My Uncle Just received a call from speaker long from the parliament asking him to discuss something. I heard it at the door. It¡¯s rted to the Qin Corporation. Tell nianzhi to be careful.¡±

    He zhichu responded with an ¡°MHM¡±and his tone was obviously much better.

    ¡°Thank you for thinking of Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s also my cousin, and she¡¯s very close.¡±Xie Qingying was rushing to the parliament building with her uncle, Prime Minister Xie.

    She had the intuition of a media person and felt that there would be big news today.

    He zhichu chatted with her for a few more sentences and said, ¡°I¡¯m almost there. Talk to youter.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Xie qingying hung up the phone reluctantly.

    The prime minister, Xie Shenxing, was sitting opposite her. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s young master he. How are the two of you?¡±

    Xie qingying smiled embarrassedly and said, ¡°Just like that. Not Good, not bad, not too far, not too close.¡±

    ¡°Then work harder! Young master he is not a person who takes the initiative. You have to work harder,¡±Xie Shenxing said with a smile.

    Young master he was currently the most important single young man in their circle.

    Ever since he broke off the engagement with his little fianc¨¦e, Gu Nianzhi, the unmarried girls in the upper circles of the capital were going crazy.

    They tried every possible means to get close to he zhichu, but he zhichu did not bother with them and only treated Xie qingying differently.

    During the New Year, he zhichu and Xie qingying even went to a few banquets together.

    Therefore, after the new year, almost all the upper echelons of the imperial capital saw Xie Qingying and he zhichu as a couple.

    It was a pity that their rtionship had not made any substantial progress..

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi carried the small frozen medicine box and entered her apartment.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng both looked up at her from theputer in front of them at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi waved the small frozen medicine box at them. ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s facial tissue is here. I thought it was too embarrassing, so I didn¡¯t open it to take a look.¡±

    Lu Jin rushed over and took the small frozen medicine box from her hands. He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get it tested right away. This isn¡¯t as easy as DNA sequencing. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take two days.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and turned to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I just heard from he shao that the Senate and the Cab are going to split up the Qin Private Hospital Group. I¡¯m afraid Wen Shouyi and grandfather Qin won¡¯t have time to deal with other things recently.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew Gu Nianzhi was up to something. He narrowed his eyes and asked,¡±... What do you want to Do?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second chapter of today: Chapter 1771, substantive progress.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1772

    <h4>Chapter 1772: Chapter 1772 was too familiar (the first one asked for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhiughed out loud and snapped her fingers. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll go check for loopholes. How about we go to C City?¡±

    ¡°C City?¡±Huo Shaoheng stared at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I thought you were going to Z city.¡±

    Z city was the birthce of Qin Baye and his family. It was also the ce where they earned their first fortune.

    Gu Nianzhi had her own ideas. She was particrly quick-witted and was always able to find evidence and suspicions from unexpected ces.

    She pulled up the documents on herptop, gu Nianzhi used her mouse to point at the news about Qin Huichang¡¯s family selling theirnd. ¡°I Guess Qin Yaoguang¡¯s family has been able to clear their name all these years. If president Lu can¡¯t find anything useful there, we won¡¯t be much better than him.¡±

    ¡°Besides, since President Lu has already gone, it would be impolite for us to go. It would make president Lu worry and think that we look down on his ability.¡±

    ¡°But Qin Huichang¡¯s family is different.¡±Gu Nianzhi listed out her views very seriously.

    ¡°On the surface, Qin Huichang and his wife died in a car ident. Their only daughter, Qin Suwen, was injured in a car ident andter entered an orphanage in C city. The orphanage in C city was bought by the Qin Corporation and became part of the Qin Corporation¡¯s Orphanage. Qin Suwen, also known as Auntie He, grew up under such conditions.¡±

    ¡°For such a family, although they don¡¯t have any rtives and no one seems to know about their affairs or the situation back then, other than rtives, could it be that Qin Huichang and his family didn¡¯t have any friends? There were also neighbors and colleagues. Could it be that these people also knew nothing about the situation back then?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that the mastermind behind this is so powerful that he could kill all the friends, neighbors, and colleagues who were not rted to the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°So we can only find more evidence by looking at the friends, neighbors, and colleagues of the Qin family.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rested his hands on his chin and leaned over to look at her, he said thoughtfully, ¡°The Qin family was originally a big family, and even had a higher status than Qin Baye. ¡°But because the other members of the Qin family had all left the country in the early years, they were indeed the only rtives in the country. After the incident with the Qin couple, Qin Suwen had no other rtives to adopt her, so she was sent to the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±Gu Nianzhi closed her palms, she said confidently, ¡°Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining are the sons of Qin Suwen¡¯s cousin. They went back to the country to meet Qin Suwen. It was Qin Suwen who grew up and married he chengjian.¡±

    ¡°So after the incident, the Qin family was in a state of ¡®extinction¡¯.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood and continued gu Nianzhi¡¯s sentence,¡±... so it seems that the Qin family has been resolved on the surface. The other party has nothing to worry about and will no longer pay attention to this clue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the only clue is that their daughter, Qin Suwen, is in their hands...¡±Gu Nianzhi was confused again.

    ¡°Our analysis is based on the fact that the ident of Qin Huichang and his wife was really man-made, and that it was Qin Baye¡¯s family who did it. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand. At that time, if Qin Baye and his wife really did it, why did they let Qin Suwen Live?¡±

    ¡°Logically speaking, shouldn¡¯t Qin Suwen be killed directly? Look, she was seriously injured at that time, so she could have done it in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°If she hadn¡¯t been killed in the hospital, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for a few orphans to die in the orphanage, would it?¡±

    ¡°As long as Qin Suwen died, Qin Baye and his family would have been truly ¡®wiped out.¡¯wouldn¡¯t that be the best oue for Qin Baye and the others?¡±

    ¡°Why would they do such a superfluous thing, let Qin Suwen Live, go to a prestigious university, and get married to a young man from a prestigious family like he chengjian?¡±

    This was what Huo Shaoheng had always been suspicious about.

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡±Huo Shaoheng was pleased that Gu Nianzhi could think of it herself. He leaned over and kissed her soft lips, he said, ¡°Little girl, it¡¯s amazing that you could think of this on your own.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips felt as if they had been electrocuted. They were numb to the bone, and her cheeks were dizzy. Her dark eyes were filled with a seductive charm.

    In order to hide the different feelings in her body, she pouted coquettishly and said reluctantly, ¡°Was I not good before? HMPH! You still look down on me...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not dare to look her in the eyes again. He was afraid that he would not be able to resist and ¡°Punish¡±her on the sofa..

    He quietly turned his head and looked in the direction of the door. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was a little hoarse.¡±... Don¡¯t make a scene, little girl. We¡¯re talking about serious business.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly, but did not continue to flirt with Huo Shaoheng. Her voice returned to normal. ¡°To find out, we should go to C city to investigate Qin Huichang¡¯s family.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath to calm his body down and said calmly, ¡°Do you want to go ask he zhichu? After all, it¡¯s his grandfather¡¯s house. I think his mother might have investigated this case as well.¡±

    Gu nianzhi whispered,¡±... I know, but I still want to investigate it myself first. I don¡¯t want to be influenced by other people¡¯s information...¡±

    Actually, there was another reason. She didn¡¯t want he chengjian to know what they were investigating.

    This person had too much power and influence. If he interfered, it would alert the people behind the case.

    Huo Shaoheng understood and nodded approvingly. ¡°That makes sense. We do need to get some first-hand information.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s split up and look through the information to see how many friends, neighbors, or colleagues Qin Huichang¡¯s family had in C City.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s split up and look through the information.¡±

    The two of them worked separately. Gu Nianzhi looked through the inte while Huo Shaoheng looked through the Soviet KGB¡¯s channels.

    A dayter, theypiled a list of names and confirmed the current addresses of these people. They nned to go to C city.

    However, before they went to C city, they still had to find out the results of Lu Jin¡¯s test, which was to determine the exact year and month Qin Yaoguang underwent stic surgery.

    It was said that this was the maximum Lu Jin could reverse engineer.

    Early that morning, Gu Nianzhi got up early. She washed up casually and went to knock on Lu Jin¡¯s apartment door.

    Lu Jin had been experimenting in his apartment¡¯sb for the past two days.

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi knock on the door, Lu Jin looked at his test results and sighed.

    It was indeed that year.

    He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He saw that his face was unkempt and unkempt. He quickly washed his face with water beforeing out to open the door.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that Lu Jin hadn¡¯t woken up yet and was nning toe backter.

    The moment the door opened, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes immediately sparkled. ¡°Dad! have your resultse out?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re out.¡±Lu Jin turned to let her in.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped in happily and sat upright on Lu Jin¡¯s sofa, like a very obedient primary school student, suddenly, her big bright eyes sparkled as she asked,¡±... which year was it? Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery, which year was it?¡±

    Lu Jin gave her a copy of the information. ¡°This is the result of my test. Look at the time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the information and quickly flipped through it.

    It wasn¡¯t until she flipped to thest page that she saw the time Lu Jin had written down.

    Gu Nianzhi calcted and looked up in surprise.¡±... Qin Yaoguang was only eight and a half years old at that time!¡±

    She was even younger than they had thought she was.

    Lu Jin nodded solemnly. ¡°To be precise, it was a year before Qin Huichang¡¯s family¡¯s car ident.¡±

    ¡°How did this happen?¡±Gu Nianzhi closed the file in disappointment. ¡°I thought... it was after that.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, it was indeed a year before their car ident,¡±Lu Jin said seriously. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Dad, I know that if you lie to me, your eyes and actions will bepletely different.¡±

    It was enough that she had been lied to once, but even Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t lie to her a second time.

    Lu Jin nodded seriously. ¡°I know that with your intelligence, you won¡¯t be unable to see this.¡±

    ¡°... but I was still lied to once by you...¡±Gu Nianzhi was still brooding over that ¡°Being lied to¡±time.

    Lu Jin exined in all seriousness, ¡°You were deceived by me that time because you were blinded by family love. You trusted me unconditionally, so you epted every word I said without hesitation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She said faintly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡±

    ¡°I also had losses. My actions made you lose your unconditional trust in me.¡±Lu Jin sincerely admitted his mistake to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, but I don¡¯t regret it. At that time, I did everything I could to do what I could. In the end, you found out the truth. You were too smart, so smart that even I didn¡¯t expect it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed instead, she quickly said, ¡°Dad, I know you had your reasons for doing that, and I don¡¯t me you. But we each have different views on things, and our thoughts and methods are also different. That¡¯s why we need tomunicate.¡±

    ¡°If you have something to say, you can say it and we can analyze it together. One person is short, two people are long, and Three Stooges are as good as one Zhuge Liang!¡±Gu Nianzhi was a very optimistic person, she patted Lu Jin on the shoulder. ¡°Dad, with us here, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything in the world that can stop us!¡±

    A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger..

    Lu Jin sighed. He caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and said with a smile,¡±... okay.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that Lu Jin¡¯s words were not sincere, but she did not pursue the matter further.

    Everyone had their own privacy, and she could not pursue the matter indiscriminately. She had to give Lu Jin some privacy.

    Gu Nianzhi changed the subject. ¡°Then can you send a copy of this information to my email? I want to figure out what exactly is going on at this time.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send it right away.¡±

    He asked her again, ¡°Have you had breakfast? Peter hasn¡¯t made breakfast yet, has he?¡±

    Then he mumbled, ¡°Boss Lu has been in the south for so long, I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and turned to go back to her apartment. ¡°I¡¯ll go see if Mr. Peter has made breakfast. Oh right, can you contact director Lu? See if he has any new developments.¡±

    ..

    Back at her apartment, she saw that Huo Shaoheng had already made breakfast and ced it on the dining table.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly called Lu Jin and asked him toe over for breakfast.

    After the three of them finished breakfast, Gu Nianzhi turned to Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, Mr. Peter and I are going to C city. Do you want toe with us?¡±

    ¡°What are we going to C city for?¡±Lu Jin frowned. He didn¡¯t really want Gu Nianzhi to go.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to tell him the truth, but Huo Shaoheng beat her to it. ¡°Uncle Lu, it¡¯s like this. I¡¯m the Deputy Consul of the Soviet conste general in C city. I¡¯ve been in the capital for so long, I should go back and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi is going back to C city to handle some matters at her partner¡¯sw firm. She may have to withdraw her shares from thatw firm.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had concealed their true intentions, so she could only remain silent and take a sip of milk.

    There was a white milk mark on the edge of her upper lip.

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and naturally picked up the napkin on the table and wiped it for Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin narrowed his eyes. This was the first time he realized that this Peter seemed to be overly familiar with Gu Nianzhi..

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 1772, too familiar.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1773

    <h4>Chapter 1773: Chapter 1773: awsuit between a man and a woman (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi had been paying attention to Lu Jin¡¯s situation. She caught a glimpse of Lu Jin¡¯s narrowed eyes from the corner of her eye, and his thoughtful expression. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away, she red at him unhappily and said, ¡°What are you doing? Do I Know You Well?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Almost instantly, he understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. He gave her an awkward but polite smile and said embarrassedly,¡±... I saw the milk on your mouth, and my hand itched...¡±

    ¡°TSK! Your Hand itches! Don¡¯t rub it on someone else¡¯s face!¡±Gu Nianzhi pulled out a tissue herself and wiped the spot Huo Shaoheng had just wiped.

    Lu Jin blinked when he saw this, wondering if he was overthinking things?

    It didn¡¯t look like they were too close..

    At least Nianzhi still hated Peter¡¯s touch. In order to pursue her, Peter had always taken her to heart.

    Lu Jin was already a person with a serious rtionship disorder, so his feelings for this kind of rtionship between a man and a woman were like a nk sheet of paper.

    He looked suspiciously at Gu Nianzhi, who had a straight face, and then at Peter, who was smiling apologetically. He searched for a long time, but still could note to a conclusion.

    Lu Jin sighed, thinking that he would rather study the unsolved mysteries of high-energy physics, such as what substances were made of, or the ¡°Copy-transcription¡±dilemma in gic research, such as.., why did nt genes copy arge amount of non-coding DNA? Why did animal genes transcribe extra RNA?

    It was better than studying the face-to-facewsuits between men and women.

    Besides, he had his own things to do.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He frowned and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for Nianzhi to go with Peter when he returns to C city. You can handle the handover with thew firm over there, or do it online. You Don¡¯t have to go back yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect Lu Jin to object. Her mind raced as she thought of an idea, she said with a smile, ¡°But I was taken care of by Jin Dazhuang in C City. How impolite is it to handle the handover online? Besides, I still want to go to C city¡¯s Disnend to y...¡±

    Lu Jin had yed the game of Lion King with Gu Nianzhi in h city, and Gu Nianzhi had been deeply moved by it. She really wanted to go to Disnend again to remember how touched she had been at that time.

    Coincidentally, C city also had a Disnend, so she had let the cat out of the bag.

    Lu Jin had also thought of that game, and could not help but soften his heart. He smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you?¡±

    But if Lu Jin went, Gu Nianzhi felt that it would be inappropriate for them to act in private and investigate Qin Huichang¡¯s family background.

    ¡°Dad, you have to stay in the capital,¡±Gu Nianzhi said very seriously, ¡°We¡¯re going to C City, and president Lu is going to Z city. It¡¯s not as safe as being in the capital. If anything changes, you can mediate immediately and help us solve the problem.¡±

    Lu Jin looked troubled. After a while, he reluctantly nodded, he stared at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°You, Peter, Listen carefully. Don¡¯t do anything to my girl that she doesn¡¯t want to do! If I find out, I¡¯ll Never Forgive You!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng opened his mouth and was about to say that he wouldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi do anything that she didn¡¯t want to do, lu Jin said fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about diplomatic immunity! Do you believe that I can make it so that you won¡¯t have to use this diplomatic immunity? !¡±

    ¡°I believe you, I definitely believe you.¡±Huo Shaoheng only needed to raise his hands to show his submission.

    Lu Jin smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Okay, then you can help me take care of Gu Nianzhi as well. I Won¡¯t be at ease with her going out of town alone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. I¡¯ll book a ne ticket with her.¡±

    ¡°What ne ticket? Take my private jet.¡±Lu Jin waved his hand. ¡°Our Lu Corporation has two private jets. Boss Lu is taking one to Z city, and the other one is my private jet. You guys can take it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very happy. She grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s arm and shook it. ¡°Daddy is so nice! Thank you, daddy!¡±

    ¡°You are such an extrovert!¡±Lu Jin pinched her little nose and happily made his decision.

    ..

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi started packing. She nned to take Lu Jin¡¯s private jet to C city with Huo Shaoheng in the evening.

    Huo Shaoheng also returned to the Soviet embassy and informed them that he was going back to the conste general in C City.

    His official position was actually in the conste general in C City, but because of his special status, he spent most of his time in the embassy in the imperial capital and no one said anything.

    He was now going back to the conste general in C City, and the staff of the Soviet embassy in the imperial capital quickly helped him pack his luggage.

    Huo Shaoheng had very few things. He only carried a small suitcase and aptop bag before leaving.

    That night, the two of them boarded Lu Jin¡¯s private ne. Huo Shaoheng saw that there was already a pilot in the cockpit, so he greeted Lu Jin and knew that he was the pilot sent by Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin did not send Gu Nianzhi off. Instead, Huo Shaoheng went to the apartment to pick Gu Nianzhi up.

    Gu Nianzhi sat by the window of the private ne and watched as the ne slowly took off.

    It was drizzling in the night sky, and the ground was brightly lit.

    The night view of the imperial capital looked like a giant go board from high up in the sky. The shing lights were like pieces of go, scattered all over the board.

    The drizzle was dim under the light, and the misty rain was hazy, like the night view of Jiangnan.

    Huo Shaoheng sat beside her and turned his head. It was unclear whether he was looking at Gu Nianzhi or the scenery outside the window.

    However, he was getting closer and closer to Gu Nianzhi. Just as his face was about to touch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side profile, Lu Jin¡¯s angry voice suddenly came from the loudspeaker above their seats. ¡°Peter! What are you doing? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were both stunned.

    Both of them looked up at the sky at the same time.

    It turned out that there was a small camera right above their seats facing their direction.

    Lu Jin was furious in his own apartment. ¡°Peter, if you do this again, I¡¯ll have someone throw you down from the sky!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    She quickly distanced herself from Huo Shaoheng and said to the camera, ¡°Dad! Mr. Peter didn¡¯t do anything! Please don¡¯t do this, I¡¯m scared...¡±

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Fear¡±, Lu Jin¡¯s anger immediately dissipated.

    He reached out and touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s delicate face on the disy screen with a trembling hand. Tears silently flowed down his face, but his voice did not change in the slightest, he continued to bluff, ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t be afraid. Daddy is just scaring those stinky men! They¡¯re all like this. If you don¡¯t beat them up for three days, they¡¯ll kick your ass!¡±

    He spoke as if he wasn¡¯t a man himself.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quietly sat down to the side and distanced himself from Gu Nianzhi.

    He had also forgotten that this was Lu Jin¡¯s private ne. He must have installed all sorts of surveince cameras inside.

    Trying to make out with Gu Nianzhi under Lu Jin¡¯s nose was asking for a beating?

    Putting himself in Lu Jin¡¯s shoes, Huo Shaoheng thought that if his daughter were to be so intimate with another man in the future, his first thought would be to break that man¡¯s legs as well!

    Gu Nianzhi now felt that she had figured out the reason why Lu Jin wanted her to take his private jet.

    He wanted to spy on her and Huo Shaoheng..

    Was Lu Jin suspecting Peter¡¯s true identity?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to ck off, so she nned to keep a distance from Huo Shaoheng the entire way. She couldn¡¯t help it anymore.

    After Lu Jin finished yelling at Huo Shaoheng, he looked at Gu Nianzhi greedily. He wanted to remember her every move, every smile, every word, and every action in his mind.

    This was his daughter, the daughter he loved the most.

    It was time to remove all obstacles for her.

    Turning off the surveince cameras, Lu Jin stood up and looked longingly at the apartment and theb he had meticulously designed and maintained.

    He put the research results from hisb into the safe in the bank and left the key to Gu Nianzhi.

    The rest of the assets had already been allocated in the will and were all set up in different trust funds, with Gu Nianzhi as the beneficiary.

    He also transferred the apartment to Gu Nianzhi.

    To him, these things were all worldly possessions, so he didn¡¯t really miss them.

    Walking to the window, Lu Jin opened the curtains and looked outside. He found that the rain outside was getting heavier.

    Previously, it was only a light drizzle, but now it was so dense that he couldn¡¯t see the building across from him.

    Spring had arrived, so the next rain would be warmer.

    He no longer needed to wear bulky winter clothes.

    Lu Jin walked into the bathroom and took a shower. He changed into an extremely simple casual outfit and put on a raincoat, covering himself from head to toe.

    Carrying a suitcase, leaving the luxury apartment, walking alone into the heavy rain of spring and dark night in the imperial capital.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 1773, ¡°Between men and women between the eyes of the court.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmended tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1774

    <h4>Chapter 1774: Chapter 1774: Growing Old with you</h4>

    The flight from the imperial capital to C City took three hours before it finallynded at C City International Airport.

    After alighting from the private ne, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng boarded the special car from the Soviet conste general to pick up ¡°Peter.¡±.

    The apartment that Gu Nianzhi had rented in C city was already being demolished. She had moved to Lu Jin¡¯s penthouse apartment in the Western District.

    This time, she still stayed there.

    Huo Shaoheng asked the chauffeur to send them over.

    ¡°You rest here for a while. I¡¯ll report to the Conste and bring the things over to live with you.¡±Huo Shaoheng sent Gu Nianzhi to the penthouse and said as he stood at the door.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little shy, but also a little excited. She nodded silently and said softly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand to adjust gu nianzhi¡¯s cor. His fingers brushed across her corbone, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, smiled at Huo Shaoheng, and gently closed the door.

    Huo Shaoheng checked the security cameras and confirmed that everything was normal before walking into the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the luxury penthouse. She had once recuperated here, and it was also here that she had met Lu Jin.

    The room was still familiar to her. The furnishings were exactly the same asst year. It was as if she had never left in the past few months.

    On the sofa was a light pink nket that she had once covered herself with. It was made of high-quality cashmere. It looked very big, but it was so soft that it could be dragged through a ring.

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of satisfaction. She carried her luggage to the bedroom and put it away.

    She did not have time to wash up. She immediately took out her phone and connected to the WIFI.

    Although no one had lived here for the past few months, all the surveince equipment and WIFI were working normally.

    Gu Nianzhi dialed Lu Jin¡¯s number and wanted to video chat with him.

    Lu Jin¡¯s number rang three times before it was picked up.

    Lu Jin¡¯s face appeared on the phone, wearing a turtleneck sweater.

    He smiled as he greeted her. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here. Dad, I¡¯m still staying in your penthouse apartment fromst time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a good ce to stay. Have fun and video chat with me whenever you¡¯re free.¡±Lu Jin smiled kindly.

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved. ¡°Okay, Dad. You have to remember to keep watch for us! If we¡¯re in danger, we¡¯ll need your help!¡±

    ¡°No problem. If you need anything, just call this number. I¡¯ll definitely help you solve the problem as soon as possible!¡±

    The two of them chatted for a while more before Gu Nianzhi hung up and went to the bathroom to wash up.

    In Lu Jin¡¯s apartment in the capital, his supeputer-likeputer was humming.

    In the middle of the spacious bedroom, a hologram of a virtual human that looked exactly like Lu Jin had just ended the call and was slowly disappearing into the changing light and shadow.

    Lu Jin, who had just boarded the ne, had also received a message from hisputer. He knew that Gu Nianzhi had already contacted him.

    He believed that theputer that he had arranged with a certain degree of artificial intelligence would be able to use his holographic avatar to temporarily fool Gu Nianzhi for a period of time.

    He did not think that he would be able to keep it a secret forever. He just wanted to see when she would be able to see that the ¡°Lu Jin¡±who was talking to her was not a real person, but a holographic avatar.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi took a bath in the bathroom with rose essential oil. Lu Jin had prepared all kinds of bath products for her. Not only could they nourish her skin and protect her skin, but they could also regte her nervous system. They were very beneficial to her body.

    After washing up, she felt extremely hungry.

    She came out of the bathroom in her bathrobe and saw that there was lighting through the crack in the bedroom door.

    She had turned off the lights in the living room when she came in, but it was Huo Shaoheng Now?

    Gu Nianzhi turned on the surveince video in the bedroom and saw that it was indeed Huo Shaoheng, dressed in a Soviet military uniform, walking towards her bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to open the door. She smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re here. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped at the door with his hands in his pockets. He looked at her with a half-smile and said,¡±... I¡¯m hungry too. Do you want to feed me first, or do you want me to feed you first?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned red.

    Women were never a match for men when it came to dirty talk.

    She tried her best to calm herself down. She looked up at the surveince cameras in the room and said with a half-smile, ¡°This is my father¡¯s apartment...¡±

    What she meant was, you can decide how many surveince cameras there are!

    Huo Shaoheng shrugged nonchntly.

    He was just taking advantage of her verbally. No matter how horny he was, he would never act like this with his daughter at his father-inw¡¯s house..

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll feed you first.¡±Huo Shaoheng turned and headed to the kitchen. ¡°I made beef noodle soup with minced pork, and I put Chinese wolfberry and American ginseng in it. It¡¯s very nourishing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately felt even hungrier.

    The two of them had a full meal in the dining room and then discussed the next day¡¯s operation to digest food.

    ¡°Qin Huichang¡¯s rtives all went abroad in the early years, but they lost contact with themter.¡±Huo Shaoheng turned on his phone and pulled up the information, ¡°It wasn¡¯t until Qin Zhiyuan¡¯s father¡¯s family returned to the country to do business that they finally got in touch with Qin Suwen.¡±

    ¡°I heard that general he was the one who helped...¡±gu nianzhi whispered, ¡°Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been so easy to find him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. We¡¯ve been out of contact for so many years, how could we possibly find him on our own? This country went through a lot during those years, and was separated from the rest of the world for a period of time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew the history of the Huaxia Empire here, and it was basically the same as their own country over there.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and asked with a frown, ¡°Then should we ask Qin Zhiyuan or Qin zhining as well?¡±

    Qin zhining was the one who had brought Gu Nianzhi over from the other world.

    It was also him who had tried to assassinate Huo Shaoheng under he chengjian¡¯s orders, but had been blocked by Gu Nianzhi.

    Because of this, Qin zhining had been arrested and had almost been shot to death.

    Qin zhining¡¯s brother, Qin Zhiyuan, personally came to he zhichu and begged Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi agreed not to pursue the matter, and Qin zhining was released.

    After that, she had no contact with him.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and said, ¡°Not for now. Look, when they returned to the country, Qin Suwen was already married to he chengjian. What¡¯s the use of asking them?¡±

    They wanted to investigate Qin Suwen¡¯s childhood.

    It was also the whole story of Qin Suwen¡¯s father, Qin Huichang, selling hisnd back then.

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at the timeline listed on the information and sighed softly. ¡°Then we can only look for their former colleagues, friends, and neighbors.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out a photo from his phone.

    The photo showed an old man with a white beard and hair sitting in a wheelchair.

    The background was the lush greenwn of a nursing home.

    ¡°Qin Huichang was an associate professor at the university. After so many years, many of his colleagues have passed away. This is one of the few who are still alive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it curiously for a while and said, ¡°Where are the others?¡±

    ¡°Those people have Alzheimer¡¯s. It¡¯s useless to find them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°So we only have this one colleague to ask.¡±Gu Nianzhi sighed lightly. ¡°It¡¯s been too long. I wonder if Auntie he found these people back then...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled up the information on the nursing home and said as he read, ¡°Qin Suwen didn¡¯t need to find these people back then. She was the person involved and knew better than these people. Why did she look for them?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡±Gu Nianzhi pondered, ¡°But we have to ask. First of all, we don¡¯t have the information on Qin Suwen back then. Second, those who are in the middle of this are in the dark, and those who are watching are clear. We should investigate and obtain evidence ourselves.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡±Huo Shaoheng studied the information on the nursing home and said, ¡°In order to prevent someone from spying on this person, we have to modify it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°No Way? ! Will someone really be spying on him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of 10,000, just in case.¡±Huo Shaoheng was very cautious. ¡°He¡¯s the only colleague Qin Huichang can talk to.¡±

    ¡°... Okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s upation was different from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, so she chose to listen to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s opinion. ¡°How do we modify it?¡±

    ¡°Volunteer at the nursing home.¡±Huo Shaoheng pulled up a message, ¡°Look, there¡¯s a volunteer group made up of ordinary citizens around this street. They go to the nursing homes regrly every week to socialize with the elderly there. We¡¯ll go in with this volunteer group.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Great!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled and she smiled. ¡°Even if someone is watching us, they¡¯ll definitely not notice us!¡±

    If they had specificallye to visit this person, it would have been too sudden and would have alerted the enemy.

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°They¡¯re going to this nursing home for an activity tomorrow. We¡¯ll follow them in.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and left Huo Shaoheng in charge.

    Early the next morning, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi woke up and Huo Shaoheng put on a middle-aged and elderly make-up for Gu Nianzhi.

    He was skilled and no less skilled than the professional make-up artists.

    When Gu Nianzhi saw herself and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s aging faces in the mirror, she couldn¡¯t help but be stunned for a moment. She muttered,¡±... I grew old with you...¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±Huo Shaoheng tilted his head and kissed her. ¡°The most romantic thing is to grow old with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count. I Won¡¯t ept you stealing lyrics...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as well. He changed into an old-middle-aged coat from Taobao and left the apartment with her.

    They went to the street office and met up with the volunteer group there.

    Huo Shaoheng used some unknown method to get along with the organizers of the street. He quickly expressed his interest in joining the volunteer group and going to the nursing home.

    As a volunteer, the more the merrier.

    They didn¡¯t have to pay for it, so of course they were happy to agree.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng got into the volunteer car and drove to the nursing home.

    The nursing home was near an eco-farm on the outskirts of C city. The location was pretty good.

    The air was fresh and the scenery was beautiful. Old people in twos and threes basked in the sun on thewn.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately saw Qin Huichang, a university professor, sitting alone in a wheelchair under a tree. He was looking down at the ants as they moved.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1774, ¡°Growing old with you¡±.

    It was to remind everyone of their monthly tickets and rmendation tickets!

    Today was Monday, especially the rmendation tickets!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah everyone big and small Angel ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1775

    <h4>Chapter 1775: Chapter 1775: A Dream of Nanke (second request for monthly pass)</h4>

    The man was very old. ording to his information, he was almost ny years old.

    It was said that he was very taciturn in the nursing home and did not like to participate in group activities.

    Apart from eating, sleeping, and looking at the scenery, he read books every day.

    His children were also old and could not visit him often, and his grandchildren came even less often.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walked over with the group of volunteers.

    They were new here, so they watched the others do what they were told and followed the rules.

    Gu Nianzhi observed them for a while and realized that there didn¡¯t seem to be any set rules.

    The volunteers talked to the elderly people in the nursing home in groups of two or three, yed games, yed cards, yed mahjong, and sang, sang, yed the erhu, and yed the pipa. They were like eight immortals crossing the sea, each disying their own abilities.

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed.

    She whispered to Huo shaoheng, ¡°The people whoe to see these old people are all middle-aged and old...¡±

    No young people came to the old people¡¯s home to volunteer.

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°People have a sense ofpassion, especially when they are about to enter old age.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and followed him slowly on thewn in front of the old people¡¯s home.

    Thewn was lush and green. As they walked, the early morning dew drenched her and her pants.

    When they reached the tree where the man was staying, Gu Nianzhi smiled and handed him a book that they had prepared. ¡°Hello, we¡¯re from the volunteer group. You¡¯re in a good mood today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very good with her words. She didn¡¯t care whether the man replied or not. She practically forced the book onto the man¡¯sp, she continued, ¡°This book is very interesting. It¡¯s a novel that was written decades ago. Are you interested?¡±

    The person heard this and pushed her book to the ground indifferently. He said stiffly, ¡°I¡¯m not interested. I never read novels.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost couldn¡¯t control her expression. ¡°You never read novels? ! Then what do you do in Your Spare Time?¡±

    The man frowned. ¡°What do you care what I do in my spare time?¡±

    There was really no way to talk today..

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and quickly changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s not about me. I¡¯m just curious. Sir, what were you reading just now?¡±

    The Man¡¯s face rxed slightly. He lowered his head and said, ¡°Ants move. What can I see under the tree? Only ants move, of course.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and bent down to follow the ants under the tree.

    The ants were busily moving things into a pile of loose soil under the tree.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said,¡±... they¡¯re moving to the Great Huai an kingdom, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    The man looked up and looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise. His voice had softened and was no longer as stiff as before. He asked, ¡°You know the Great Huai an kingdom?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±Gu Nianzhi straightened her body and stood under the tree, with her hands behind her back, she said, ¡°It was a dream from Nanke. Chunyu identally entered the Great Huai an kingdom in his dream and married the princess as his son-inw. He had five sons and two daughters and was a prominent official. When he woke up, he realized that he had just had a dream. The so-called Great Huai an kingdom was just an ant hole under the Great Huai Tree in front of his house.¡±

    ¡°Yes, life is just a dream, an empty joy.¡±The man let out a long sigh and became even more depressed.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that he seemed to be very moved, she immediately took the opportunity to ask, ¡°Why do you say that? I feel that life is not a dream. Although everyone will eventually return to the dust and return to the earth, the meaning of life is not in the results, but in the experience.¡±

    The man looked up and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. He said very kindly, ¡°It¡¯s so interesting to talk to young people. They are indeed full of vitality. A newborn calf is not afraid of a Tiger...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She really wanted to take a mirror to look at herself. was there something wrong with the modification on her face.

    Huo shaoheng said quietly, ¡°We are also quite old. Although we are younger than you, we are still quite far from the word ¡®young¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Is That So?¡±The Man¡¯s eyes were a little cloudy, and he couldn¡¯t really see Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s faces clearly.

    However, because he couldn¡¯t see their faces clearly, he wasn¡¯t fooled by their disguises.

    However, from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, the speed and tone of her speech, and the natural vitality in her words, the man concluded that the woman in front of him was only in her early twenties.

    However, since Huo Shaoheng said that they were old, this person did not expose him.

    He only looked at Gu Nianzhi and said to her, ¡°Can you please push me back? I¡¯ll treat you to some tea.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°Sorry to bother you then. We¡¯re here with the volunteer group today, and it¡¯s our first time here. What do you usually do with the Volunteers? Do you want to y cards?¡±

    She pushed the man¡¯s wheelchair and walked towards the building of the nursing home.

    This nursing home was a very high-end nursing home in C city.

    The building had elevators, and there were several professional nurses stationed on each floor. There were also doctors who regrly came to check on the elderly.

    Each elderly person had their own small suite, less than 30 square meters, but with a bedroom, living room, and bathroom. There was no kitchen.

    Food was delivered on time every day.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng pushed the old man up to his floor, all the way to his small suite.

    The old man stood up from his wheelchair, leaned on his cane, and asked shakily, ¡°What kind of tea do you like? I have green tea, ck tea, coffee, and fruit juice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng actually didn¡¯t know how to eat or drink the things here, but they still said politely, ¡°I¡¯ll do it. What kind of tea do you want?¡±

    The old man nodded and smiled. ¡°Thank you, then. I¡¯d like ck tea.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw a row of cabs facing the wall in the corner of the living room. There was a coffee machine and a water heater on the counter below.

    Gu Nianzhi boiled some water and brewed some tea. She ced it in front of the old man and found a bag of muffins in the cab. She opened it and brought it over on a te.

    The old man was very happy and said, ¡°ck Tea with muffins is also good. In the early years, we all ate buttercream, put it on our bread, and Colombian ck coffee.¡±

    C city had always been the Huaxia Empire¡¯s earliest international city, and it had also been thergest city.

    The people here were well-informed, especially the older generation. Many of them had experienced traveling overseas in the early years.

    The old man in front of her had had such an experience.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she sat opposite him. She swirled a cup of green tea in her hand, but did not drink it. She asked, ¡°What did you do in the past? You must have gone abroad, right?¡±

    ¡°I came back from studying abroad.¡±The old man opened his mouth and began to chat with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°There were many people who went abroad at that time, and many came back. We didn¡¯t want to stay abroad.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s better to stay at home.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly. ¡°What major did you study? Did you work here after you came back?¡±

    ¡°I studied mechanical manufacturing. After I came back, I taught at the university here until I retired.¡±The old man recalled the past and smiled more, ¡°Are you young people interested in things that happened so long ago?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m interested!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes seemed to glow, and her expression was very infectious, ¡°I¡¯m very interested in that era! A few decades ago, there was a big change in policy, and everything was different. Reform, opening up, it was really something!¡±

    ¡°... Oh, reform and opening up...¡±the old man chuckled, obviously not as enthusiastic as before.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed the change in the old man¡¯s mood and her heart skipped a beat, she said, ¡°That¡¯s right, reform and opening up is a huge opportunity. Look at how many rich people have been created. From the initial 10,000 Yuan family to the current one million Yuan family, they¡¯re not considered rich. They¡¯ve only started from 10,000,000 yuan. It¡¯s really a world of Change...¡±

    ¡°World of Change... ? Haha...¡±The Old Manughed again. ¡°It¡¯s not a good thing to expand the yearning for wealth in people¡¯s hearts.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable,¡±Gu Nianzhi said perfunctorily, trying to figure out how to bring the topic to Qin Huichang¡¯s family.

    Huo Shaoheng took a sip of his coffee, he said calmly, ¡°Yes, putting too much emphasis on the pursuit of wealth is indeed not conducive to social stability. Especially in the early days, people often had the opportunity to get rich. It¡¯s already very difficult now.¡±

    ¡°Get rich quickly...¡±the old man seemed to have thought of something. He muttered to himself and said regretfully, ¡°Yes, get rich quickly... but some people just don¡¯t have that kind of Fate!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up when she heard that and quickly said, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t have that kind of fate, then it means he doesn¡¯t have the opportunity to get rich quickly. What¡¯s there to regret?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that.¡±The old man put on a chatterbox and spoke sincerely to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°I used to have a colleague whose family owned a piece ofnd in Z City in the south. You know, back then, Z city was just a small fishing vige. Having a piece ofnd there was nothing.¡±

    ¡°But he suddenly sold that piece ofnd. In less than half a year, that piece ofnd was encircled in the special economic zone of Z City. It was instantly worth a hundred times more!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was excited and tried her best to suppress her emotions. She asked carefully, ¡°Your colleague hasnd in Z City? Why did he suddenly sell it? Is He regretting it now?¡±

    The old man looked even more regretful. He shook his head and said, ¡°He won¡¯t have a chance to regret it. Not long after he came back from z city, his family of three was hit by a car ident and died.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t even see thend take off.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 1775¡åA dream of Nanke¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmended tickets!

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket oh!

    PS: Thanks for the $10,000 worth of tips yesterday from ¡°Reading is the only thing that makes you happy.¡±.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1776

    <h4>Chapter 1776: Chapter 1776¡°The chosen one¡¯s luck¡±(first and foremost, monthly votes)</h4>

    That was right. The old man must have been talking about Qin su asking about her family¡¯snd sale.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palms were sweating. The teacup in her hands seemed to be on fire, burning her palms.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly ced the teacup on the coffee table in front of her. She sighed softly and said,¡±... that¡¯s such a pity. This is also fate. Why couldn¡¯t they have waited another six months?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all fate.¡±The old man nodded with emotion. ¡°At that time, there was no news at all about the special economic zone that was to be established in the small fishing vige in Z city. Who would have known that the higher-ups woulde up with such a move?¡±

    ¡°We teach at the same school as him. His family¡¯s rtives all emigrated abroad in the early years. You all know the situation when the country was first established. Anyway, he was the only one who decided to stay in the country.¡±. His family left the small fishing vige in z city to him as a token of their affection. It wasn¡¯t worth much, but who knew he would sell it... sigh...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    The old man didn¡¯t seem to think Qin Huichang had any reason to sell thend.

    ¡°... then was your colleague in urgent need of Money?¡±Gu Nianzhi thought about what had been written on the official website of the Qin Private Hospital Group, at that time, the hospital¡¯s founder, Qin Baye, had paid 30% more than the market price to buy thisnd.

    He had also exaggerated that in order to get thisnd, Qin Baye had not only sold all of his family¡¯s properties, but had also used up all of his savings, and had even borrowed a sum of money from loan sharks, he had just bought thisnd from the Qin Huichang couple, who had ¡°Demanded a lot of money¡±.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi had figured out the hidden meaning behind the words ¡°Qin Huichang and his wife¡±. The official website did not use such a direct description of the originalndowners, Qin Huichang and his wife.

    They had only used a lot of space to describe how the couple had repeatedly made things difficult for them and raised the price, but Qin Baye had refused to give up. He had called them again and again, and only then had he ¡°Moved¡±them. In the end, he had agreed to sell thend.

    The style of writing in this description was very obvious. It was very demeaning to Qin Huichang and his wife. It made Qin Baye, the founder of thepany, look even taller and more powerful.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question was very sharp. The old man was probably old and had a bad memory. He frowned and thought for a long time before saying, ¡°I can¡¯t remember. I think I do, but I don¡¯t think I do...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    If there is, then there is. If there isn¡¯t, then there isn¡¯t.

    If there is, then there isn¡¯t. What does that mean?

    Huo Shaoheng coughed lightly and said, ¡°Can you exin it more clearly? There seems to be, what is the situation? If there isn¡¯t, then what is the situation?¡±

    The old man looked at Huo Shaoheng nkly, then looked at Gu Nianzhi. He had a feeling that there was, but he couldn¡¯t remember why there was. They shouldn¡¯t have needed money so urgently..

    After a while, the old man looked embarrassed, he said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m getting old, I really can¡¯t remember. I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going on either. There¡¯s only one girl in their family, and they¡¯re both university professors. They have their own house, so they shouldn¡¯t be short of money. But I vaguely remember that they were short of money...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also confused.

    But this old man was almost 90 years old. It was perfectly normal for him to not remember things from decades ago clearly.

    She wanted to try harder and see if she could guide this old man to remember more, but Huo Shaoheng stopped her with his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you can¡¯t remember clearly, don¡¯t think about it anymore. We¡¯re just curious, we¡¯re just asking.¡±Huo Shaoheng changed the topic without batting an eyelid and pushed the muffin on the coffee table to the old man to eat.

    The Old Man took a small muffin and chewed it slowly.

    He no longer had teeth, and now he had dentures, so the taste was not obvious.

    Gu Nianzhi could only sigh and say, ¡°Then this family is really pitiful. The three of them died in a car ident just like that?¡±

    The old man finished a muffin, wiped his hands with a tissue and said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not true. Their little girl survived. How Old was she at the time? Anyway, she was quite miserable, and waster adopted by the orphanage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to be surprised. ¡°AH? Really? It¡¯s been so long. Do you still remember?¡±

    ¡°How could I not remember?¡±The old man looked regretful, ¡°I don¡¯t remember their family¡¯s situation, but I still remember their little girl. She used to be so cute and lively. She could speak well and even learned ballet. When she was young, she wore a pink tutu and came to our office with her father. She called US ¡®uncle¡¯and ¡®Auntie¡¯, and everyone was so happy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the excitement in her heart and quickly said, ¡°A cute little girl? I like her very much too! Do you have any photos of her when she was young? Can you show us how cute she is?¡±

    The old man shook his head, he said regretfully, ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t easy to take photos back then. How could she take photos with her phone whenever and wherever she was like now? ¡ª she didn¡¯te here many times. I still remember it because she was so miserable after that. Her entire face was burned by the fire and she looked like a ghost...¡±

    The old man¡¯s eyes turned red as he spoke, ¡°It was even in the newspaper that year. Everyone was shocked, and it caused a huge sensation in society. ¡°Many people went to the hospital to see the little girl. They sent her flowers, clothes, and food. Our faculty and Research Department even organized several donations. After they found out that she had an inheritance, everyone stopped donating.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heaved a long sigh of relief. She had finally figured out one of the keys..

    Therefore, Qin Baye became even more suspicious.

    She and Huo Shaoheng continued to talk to the old man about other things. They only left when the old man was so sleepy that he was about to fall asleep.

    They left the nursing home together with the members of the street volunteer group and returned to their residential area. Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng found an excuse to sneak away. They took a few detours before returning to the penthouse in the west side.

    Gu Nianzhi rushed to the bathroom as soon as she entered and washed off all the makeup on her face.

    This kind of thing really hurt her skin.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair and delicate face was covered in small red rashes.

    Huo Shaoheng took a tube of ointment and carefully applied it to every small red rash as he said, ¡°We gained a lot today.¡±

    Gu nianzhi grunted andy on Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp. She closed her eyes and said, ¡°I finally figured it out. If it really was Qin Baye and the others, why didn¡¯t they just kill Qin Suwen?¡±

    ¡°He was seriously injured in a car ident and was sent to their orphanage. Killing him to prevent future trouble should be the work of a wily old fox.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also figured it out. He closed the lid of the ointment and ced it in the small medicine box, he said lightly, ¡°The car ident back then must have be big news and Qin Suwen has be the focus of society¡¯s attention. If they kill her again, I¡¯m afraid that someone will find out that something is wrong and alert the enemy, causing trouble.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the reason!¡±Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You¡¯re thinking the same thing as me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled slightly and looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair little face, which was dotted with red spots and covered with ayer of white ointment. He actually didn¡¯t find it ugly at all. Instead, he found it extremely cute and yful.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look in the mirror and didn¡¯t know what she looked like now. She sat up on Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp and said excitedly, ¡°So Qin Baye¡¯s suspicion has increased by another level!¡±

    ¡°Basically, we can conclude that he¡¯s the one who did it,¡±Huo Shaoheng said in a low voice. ¡°What weck is direct evidence.¡±

    Qin Suwen was stumped on this point back then, so he chose to ¡°Stop the investigation,¡±right?

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from the sofa and walked around the living room, starting to recount what they had learned.

    ¡°... First of all, Qin Baye must have taken a fancy to that piece ofnd and wanted to buy it.¡±

    ¡°Then he found the owner of thend and started to negotiate the price.¡±

    ¡°Qin Huichang and the others definitely didn¡¯t want to sell it. From the looks of his colleague today, they didn¡¯tck money either, but for some reason, they agreed to sell thend again.¡±

    ¡°And it wasn¡¯t cheap, so I subjectively thought that Qin Huichang and the others must have needed money for something.¡±

    ¡°After selling thend, they returned to C city. ording to the memories of this old man, there should have been a car ident very soon. Qin Huichang and his wife died, and Qin Suwen was severely injured and disfigured.¡±

    ¡°Then, he was adopted by the orphanage in C city. Then, the director of the orphanage in C city was exposed for embezzling the properties of the orphans and was sent to prison. Five yearster, hemitted suicide in prison.¡±

    ¡°The orphanage in C city waster purchased by the Qin orphanage. Qin Suwen grew up in the Qin orphanage... until he went to university, when the young general he mistook Qin Yaoguang for Qin yaoguang because of her back view.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused at this point and asked doubtfully,¡±... why does Qin Suwen¡¯s back view look simr to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s?¡±

    Huo shaoheng stretched his long legs and sat on the sofa. His entire body was in the backlight. He rested his elbows on the armrest of the sofa and supported his chin with one hand, he thought deeply and said, ¡°To be able to make he chengjian admit his mistake, the degree of simrity must be extraordinary.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure out how simr it was and was toozy to think about it anymore. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask young master he when I have the chance in the future.¡±

    As his son, he would definitely be able to tell how simr he zhichu was.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and said inly, ¡°You think he zhichu is your consultant. If you have any questions, ask him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s more than just a consultant. He¡¯s my expert!¡±Gu Nianzhi blinked slyly. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t like her mentioning he zhichu, Gu Nianzhi changed the subject, she continued, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the wholend purchase incident. We have some questions to resolve.¡±

    ¡°One, why did Qin Baye suddenly take a liking to that piece ofnd? Was it purely luck? He just bought this piece ofnd and was encircled in the Special Economic Zone half a yearter?¡±

    ¡°Two, why did Qin Huichang and the others not sell thend and agree to sell thend? What happened in between?¡±

    ¡°Third, why did Qin Suwen look so simr to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s back? How simr was it? Was it purely a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°Look, we only listed three questions, and two of them are rted to ¡®coincidence¡¯. Tsk Tsk...¡±Gu Nianzhi scoffed, ¡°Qin Baye and Qin Yaoguang are really going to heaven. This luck is simply ¡®The chosen one¡¯...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1776, ¡°The Luck of the chosen one¡±.

    A reminder to everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    Is it almost the end of the month?

    PS: it¡¯s impossible not to ask for a monthly ticket, it¡¯s impossible in this life ~ ~

    8 pm, second update.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1777

    <h4>Chapter 1777: Chapter 1777 passed the Bright Road (the second is the monthly vote)</h4>

    ¡°The Chosen One?¡±Huo Shaoheng shook his head in amusement. ¡°You really know how to make things up.¡±

    ¡°Of course! The Chosen One!¡±Gu Nianzhi recalled The origin of this joke andughed so hard that she almost couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°You know that people often ask ¡®Am I the only one¡¯on the Inte, and everyone gets bored of it. Whenever they see someone ask this question, everyone answers:

    Yes

    Only you

    The unique

    The limited edition! You¡¯re a limited edition

    The chosen one! You¡¯re the Chosen One

    Just like that old song from more than ten years ago, ¡®you¡¯re electricity, you¡¯re light, you¡¯re the only myth...''¡±

    Gu nianzhi winked at Huo Shaoheng and almost started singing.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately called for a time-out. ¡°Okay, okay, I know the joke. Let¡¯s study why Qin Baye insisted on buying thatnd back then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and sat down opposite Huo Shaoheng. She sat cross-legged on the sofa and rested her chin on her hand, she suggested, ¡°I think it¡¯s better to study why Qin Huichang and his wife went from not agreeing to sell thend to agreeing to sell it. ¡°And we¡¯re here to investigate their colleagues, friends, and neighbors. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to start with that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had a hunch that there was a bigger secret behind Qin Baye¡¯s decision to buy thend. But for now, it was more realistic to investigate why the Qin couple had agreed to sell thend instead of saying no.

    He nodded. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll continue the investigation tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi reached out her hand and gave him a high-five. She smiled and said, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll continue the investigation tomorrow ording to the list!¡±

    As she spoke, she turned on her phone again and sent Lu Jin a video invitation.

    ¡°Lu Jin¡±quickly epted the invitation.

    This time, ¡°Lu Jin¡±was wearing a navy blue nightgown and was sitting on the bed. He smiled at her. ¡°Hello, nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced. ¡°Dad, is this a bad time? Are you going to bed?¡±

    ¡°I just went to bed, and you¡¯re going to bed too. It¡¯ste.¡±¡±Lu Jin¡±said and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s next to you? is Mr. Peter staying at Your ce Tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head subconsciously. ¡°No, no, he¡¯s going back to his conste.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better for him to stay here with you.¡±¡±Lu Jin¡±seemed to be very reasonable this time. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you living alone.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled guiltily and chuckled. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re So Nice!¡±

    She blew two kisses at the video call and quickly turned it off.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a half-smile and said, ¡°So I¡¯ve crossed the Bright Road?¡±

    ¡°TSK! What Bright Road! Can¡¯t you see that my dad only sees you as his bodyguard?¡±Gu Nianzhi put on a disdainful look.

    She stood up from the sofa and stretched. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy too. I¡¯m going to bed. I don¡¯t want to eat dinner.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng disagreed and grabbed her. ¡°How can we not eat dinner? We¡¯ll order takeout.¡±

    There were no ingredients in the fridge, and he couldn¡¯t make it. He couldn¡¯t let Gu Nianzhi eat rice without any vegetables.

    Gu Nianzhi yawned. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go take a shower first.¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng was ordering, Gu Nianzhi took a shower and almost fell asleep in the bathtub.

    After the takeout was delivered, Huo Shaoheng went downstairs to get it. He asked Gu Nianzhi to eat with him before sending her to bed. He went to the guest room himself.

    Huo Shaoheng was very well-behaved because he was worried about Lu Jin¡¯s surveince. He didn¡¯t contact Lu Yuan and didn¡¯t even send him a text message.

    The two of them worked hard for the whole day and were a little sleepy. They did not say a word the whole night and slept veryfortably.

    When they woke up the next day, they started to prepare to visit the second person on their list.

    This person was one of the few remaining neighbors.

    However, she was the only one who remained in the country. The other two had left the country more than a decade ago.

    Back then, the Qin Huichang couple lived in their own house. In the heart of C City, where every inch ofnd was worth a fortune, there was a small foreign house. It was at the innermost end of the alley.

    This house was now worth tens of millions of dors, but it still could not bepared to thend they had sold back then.

    Their neighbors were also in the same small western-style house and were very close to each other.

    However, the old man next door was also very old, even older than the old man in the nursing home. He was almost 100 years old.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the list and sighed. ¡°Why are you so old...¡±

    ¡°The young ones weren¡¯t even born yet, or even though they were, they were about the same age as Qin Suwen. They wouldn¡¯t know so much about what happened back then.¡±Huo Shaoheng said as he led Gu Nianzhi into the depths of thene.

    They were dressed as ordinary tourists today. They wore big sunsses and sun hats, SLR cameras on their chests, Apple watches on their hands, and Under Armour white sneakers on their feet.

    The two of them arrived near Qin Huichang¡¯s house. They happened to see a recliner in the front yard of the house next door. An old woman with wrinkles all over her face was lying on it, resting with her eyes closed, another middle-aged woman was beside her, taking care of her.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the appearance of the old man lying on the ground, then looked at the information they had found. She was sure that this was the living neighbor.

    This was great. They didn¡¯t have to think of a way to get into the old man¡¯s house.

    It was just in the courtyard. They could just casually chat as if they were asking for directions.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over first. She held up her camera and spoke Chinese with a foreign ent, she said stiffly to the middle-aged woman, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Grace. Do you mind if I take a picture of you? You¡¯re a perfect match for this ancient building!¡±

    She pretended to be a Chinese tourist and came up with an English name for herself, Grace.

    The middle-aged womanughed and said, ¡°How is this an ancient building? Foreigners don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them. This is obviously a modern building!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This person must be the architect, that¡¯s right.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to be not fluent in Chinese and smiled sweetly. ¡°Okay, can you let me take a Picture?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±The middle-aged woman was unforgiving. ¡°You can take pictures of these buildings as you please. No one is allowed to take pictures.¡±

    Fine, she was a middle-aged woman who cared a lot about her privacy.

    Gu Nianzhi could only nod and pretend to take a few pictures of the courtyard with her SLR camera.

    Her camera inevitably aimed at the courtyard next to the courtyard, which was the courtyard of Qin Huichang¡¯s small foreign house next door.

    The front courtyard of the two houses was only separated by a low fence. Standing in this courtyard, she could clearly see the opposite courtyard.

    Gu Nianzhi gestured for a while and asked curiously, ¡°The courtyard over there is even more beautiful! Can I go take a look? !¡±

    The old man who had been sleeping opened his eyes and looked at her quietly for a while. Suddenly, he asked,¡±... What did you say your name was?¡±

    ¡°Grace.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked back at him and tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯re Awake? What¡¯s wrong? Is that a bad name?¡±

    She stood in the middle of a cluster of blooming hydrangeas with her back facing the direction of the Sun. However, her eyes were brighter than the sun.

    The old man narrowed his eyes at her, as if he saw a little girl named Grace from many years ago. She was standing on a small bench on the other side of the courtyard wall, smiling as she waved at her.

    Especially her well-defined lips. When she smiled, there was a faint dimple at the corner of her mouth. It was too impressive.

    It had been almost a century, but it was still deeply imprinted in her mind.

    However, she did not speak again. She closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at the middle-aged woman next to the old man in surprise. ¡°May I ask this olddy... ?¡±

    The expression on the middle-aged woman¡¯s face softened. She sighed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. My grandmother has Alzheimer¡¯s disease. She can¡¯t even recognize us as her family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°But she was talking to me just now...¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like she did.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes she¡¯ll say something casually, but she¡¯ll forget it after she¡¯s done. Don¡¯t mind her.¡±The middle-aged woman tucked the old man¡¯s nket in and made a gesture to send him off.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: chapter 1777, ¡°Past the Bright Road.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    PS: Thank you to the digital readers for the 10,000 starting point coins you tipped yesterday.

 Chapter 1778

    <h4>Chapter 1778: Chapter 1778: The Light at the end of the tunnel</h4>

    No matter how unwilling Gu Nianzhi was, there was no way she could continue to ¡°Interrogate¡±an old man who was almost 100 years old and suffering from Alzheimer¡¯s.

    She could only nod with a smile and say, ¡°Sorry to bother you then. Can I go to the courtyard next door and take a few photos? I think the courtyard there is quite nicely maintained.¡±

    The middle-aged woman did not even raise her head. She said inly, ¡°The courtyard next door used to be the Qin family¡¯s. It¡¯s now under the name of the He family¡¯s young master. It has nothing to do with us.¡±

    This meant that she could not make the decision over there.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the courtyard over there.

    The flowers and trees there were sparse and well-arranged. There was also a row of hydrangeas nted by the side of the courtyard wall. They were clustered together with the hydrangeas here. It was bustling with activity, with bees and butterflies surrounding it.

    There was a huge camphor tree nted by the courtyard door. It was green and had a faint fragrance.

    She saw that there was no one around and impatiently walked out of the door. She walked in again and walked directly to the side of the courtyard wall that was half the height of a person. With one hand on the brick railing, she leaped over it like a hurdle.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    She was quite agile, like a thief..

    Huo Shaoheng was angry and amused at the same time, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. He followed behind Gu Nianzhi and jumped over as well.

    The middle-aged woman turned around and saw the two people who had been in her courtyard just a moment ago had run over to the opposite courtyard. They had also jumped over the wall on her side of the courtyard. Her face instantly darkened, she softly used C citynguage toin about ¡°Little Red Man.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi flipped over the wall and realized that the courtyard on her side was actually much bigger than the one next door. It was only because it was in the innermost part of the courtyard that it did not look obvious from the outside.

    She walked around the courtyard and saw that there was a hand-copied corridor inside. It was all teak.

    The main building was a western-style house. Therge round stone columns made of white marble were very imposing, but they were not particrly eye-catching because they were hidden in the deep corridors of the trees.

    Gu Nianzhi walked around the house and took a few photos before walking back to the courtyard. She stood behind the cluster of Hydrangeas and smiled as she waved at the people in the courtyard next door, she said, ¡°Sorry for disturbing you today. We have to go home.¡±

    She had wanted to say goodbye to Huo Shaoheng together, but perhaps she had spoken a little louder, and the old woman who seemed to have fallen asleep had woken up again.

    She opened her eyes and saw Gu Nianzhi poking her head out from the flowers next door and waving at her.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was almost half the height of the little girl in her memory, the smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, the curved corners of her lips, and the small dimples on her lips were all very familiar to this old man, they all brought back a vague memory that she had not had for a long time.

    In an instant, Gu Nianzhi and the seven-or eight-year-old neighbor girl magically ovepped.

    The old woman suddenly sat up and looked directly in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, she blurted out in fluent English, ¡°Grace,e here, don¡¯t do that again. Your Mom and Dad will be home soon.¡±(Grace,e here, don¡¯t do that again. . Your Mom and Dad will be home soon.)

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned as well.

    He quickly reacted and took a step back from the camphor tree. He hid himselfpletely, leaving Gu Nianzhi alone in the old woman¡¯s sight.

    The middle-aged woman next to the old woman was shocked as well, but she quickly recovered and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°See, my grandmother remembered wrongly again. She thought you were her neighbor from many years ago...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and said in confusion,¡±... but my name is Grace. Could it be that your neighbor has the same name as me?¡±

    This was obviously a name that she had just made up.

    When she first saw the old woman, Gu Nianzhi somehow remembered that she had seen the name Grace somewhere before, so she used it for some reason.

    The middle-aged woman nodded with a smile, ¡°My grandmother said that there was a little girl next door. Her name was Grace, and she was very close to my grandmother. She practically watched her grow up. ¡°Look, so many years have passed. My grandmother has forgotten her own children, but she still remembers the little girl next door. Sometimes she would take her out and Nag about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Alzheimer¡¯s patients had no concept of time.

    They remembered things from a long time ago, but did not remember recent events.

    Their memories did not follow a regr pattern. They might forget most of the people and things in their lives, but they would never forget the most profound things in their memories, they would also constantly pull them out of their memories and rey them over and over again, just like watching a faded ck and white old movie.

    They did not have a specific concept of time. They might have thought that what had happened decades ago had only happened yesterday.

    Or they might have moved what had happened yesterday to decades ago.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know much about Alzheimer¡¯s disease. She only remembered that amnesia and memory disorders were one of the main symptoms.

    But just because they had the same name, could this nearly 100-year-old man with Alzheimer¡¯s disease have mistaken her for someone else?

    Gu Nianzhi had a hunch that it wasn¡¯t that simple.

    She thought for a moment, then supported herself with one hand on the courtyard wall, which was half the height of a person, and flipped over like a hurdle.

    The old woman panicked, and pushed the middle-aged woman away. She stumbled down the steps to meet Gu Nianzhi, still speaking standard Oxford English.

    ¡°Grace! I¡¯ve told You many times! Don¡¯t do that again! You Naughty Girl!¡±(Grace, I¡¯ve told You many times! Don¡¯t do that again! You¡¯re Too Naughty!)

    Gu Nianzhi quickly went up to support the old woman and said in surprise, ¡°Your English is really good!¡±

    The middle-aged woman followed her and also supported the old woman on the other side. She said with slight pride, ¡°My grandmother was the first batch of overseas students to study in the UK. There were very few female students studying in the UK at that time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and smiled. ¡°I can hear that the olddy¡¯s English is impable.¡±

    The old man looked at Gu Nianzhi from a closer distance and felt that she looked familiar. He frowned and looked gu nianzhi up and down before muttering,¡±... taller...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This time, she heard it clearly. The old woman really thought of her as her neighbor¡¯s little girl!

    Was It Qin Suwen? !

    Judging from the time, Qin Suwen had lived here before his family was destroyed in the car ident..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She smiled and said in English, ¡°Auntie, would you know when my Mom and Dad Will Be Home? I am really hungry.¡±

    The olddy patted her hand and smoothed her hair. She stroked her lips and said,¡±... you¡¯ve grown up, Little Darling. What do you want to eat? Do you still want to eat caltrop cake?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not move, allowing the old woman¡¯s bony hand to brush past her face. She said softly, ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person. I¡¯m not your neighbor, Grace.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±The old woman seemed to understand what she was saying and frowned, ¡°You¡¯re her. I remember very clearly that your lips were very special. They were like pointy little caltrops, and there were small dimples on the sides of your lips. You loved to eat water chestnuts flour cake when you were a child, and you loved the water chestnuts flour cake that I made the most. Your mother always said that it was because you loved to eat water chestnuts that you grew water chestnuts lips...¡±

    The old man would never stop talking about the past.

    She looked up at the camphor tree opposite her and fell into deep thought. She murmured,¡±... it¡¯s been a hundred years, right? This tree is so tall.¡±

    She looked up at Gu nianzhi again, ¡°Even if it¡¯s been a hundred years, I still remember how you didn¡¯t get burned.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart shook, and her body swayed a few times.

    That¡¯s right, the old woman was talking about Qin Suwen, the girl who used to live next door!

    And from the old woman¡¯s words, Gu Nianzhi learned for the first time what Qin Suwen looked like before he got burned!

    He had a pair of sharp lips and a small dimple..

    The middle-aged woman noticed the change in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression and quickly said apologetically, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. My grandmother is sick. She doesn¡¯t remember it very well, so it doesn¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°I remember it very well!¡±The old woman emphasized firmly, ¡°I remember it very well. In a hundred years, I¡¯ll remember it for a century! Grace is a very beautiful little girl! She¡¯lle back! She¡¯lle back here, climb over the wall, and ask me for some caltrop cake!¡±

    As she spoke, she looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair and tender face and was confused again. She reached out and touched her face, she asked in confusion, ¡°Your Face has recovered? It¡¯s so badly injured... When I read the newspaper, I was almost scared to death... now I see that you haven¡¯t changed at all... Have you had stic surgery?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled that Qin Huichang¡¯s colleague had said yesterday that the car ident back then had be a sensational piece of social news, and that the photo of Qin Suwen being burned had even been published in the newspaper.

    If it had been in the present, that kind of photo would never have appeared in the newspapers and other media. Even if it had, the mosaic would have been so hard to make out.

    But in that era, the photo of her being burned had been published in the newspapers. It was probably uncensored, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t have caused such a huge impact on these people.

    Look at this old woman next door. She was already suffering from Alzheimer¡¯s, but she still remembered some of Qin Suwen¡¯s past.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the things that left the deepest impression on them, these old people with dementia wouldn¡¯t have remembered.

    And this kind of exclusive memory was even clearer and more urate than the memories of healthy old people.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to feel at that moment.

    She should be happy. After all, after investigating for so long, there was finally a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

    However, this glimmer of light made her shudder.

    It was spring in C city, and the temperature was gradually rising. The sun shone through the treetops, making people feel warm. Even wearing a thin coat was too hot.

    Gu Nianzhi stood in the sunny courtyard, but a chill rose from the soles of her feet. She felt cold all over her body. For the first time, she was a little timid and did not dare to face this potentially terrifying truth.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1778, ¡°The chilling dawn.¡±.

    It was a reminder to everyone of the rmended tickets!

    And the monthly ticket ~ ~

    8 p.m. Second Update.

 Chapter 1779

    <h4>Chapter 1779: Chapter 1779 was in a bad mood (chapter 2: Monthly Pass)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng, who was hiding behind the camphor tree in the opposite courtyard, could vaguely hear the old woman¡¯s words.

    ¡°... you¡¯re her. I remember very clearly that your lips are very special, like a sharp and perky little caltrop, and there are small dimples on the edges of your lips. You loved to eat caltrop cake when you were young, and you loved to eat the caltrop cake I made the most. ¡°Your mother always said that it was because you loved to eat caltrop that you grew caltrop lips...¡±

    ¡°... I remember it very clearly. I will remember it for a hundred years, a century! Grace is a very beautiful little girl! She wille back! She wille back here, climb over the wall, and ask me for caltrop pastries to eat!¡±

    Did she think of Gu Nianzhi as the Qin Suwen of her youth?

    Just like Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng suddenly thought of a possibility and was instantly petrified.

    If his guess was true, then it would be too shocking.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands, which were hanging by his side, gradually clenched into fists. He suddenly released them and calmly put them into his trouser pocket.

    He calmly walked out from behind the camphor tree and came to the front of the courtyard wall that was half the height of a person. He propped one hand on the decorative brick and wood wall and leaped lightly over the wall.

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside the old man and asked nkly,¡±... are you sure she looks the same as me?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean she looks the same? You¡¯re her. Are you sick in the head too?¡±The old woman said as she reached her hand out to touch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead.

    Gu Nianzhi did not dodge and allowed the old woman¡¯s hand to caress her forehead gently.

    For the first time, herrge, manga-like eyes lost their luster as she silently looked at the old woman who was a head shorter than her.

    The middle-aged woman next to the old woman quickly said, ¡°My grandmother¡¯s words can¡¯t be taken seriously. She can¡¯t remember clearly. But...¡±

    The middle-aged woman looked at Gu Nianzhi for a while and smiled. ¡°I was still young at the time, and I didn¡¯t live here. But I vaguely remember that Mrs. He looked a little like you when she was young.¡±

    ¡°Really? How much?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked over. She tried to sound as calm as possible so that no one would notice that her rolling thoughts were like a boiling kettle that was about to bubble. The heat was almost unbearable.

    ¡°From what I can see, your lips are the most simr, and your eyes are also quite simr. When Mrs. He was young, her eyes were also this big and pretty, but her nose wasn¡¯t quite like hers. But to be honest, after so many years, I really don¡¯t remember much. Mrs. he came back once more, more than thirty years ago. At that time, she hadn¡¯t given birth yet, but when my grandmother saw her, it was as if she didn¡¯t recognize her. I didn¡¯t recognize her either.¡±

    ¡°It was only after I heard that she was the daughter-inw of the famous he family that I found out that she had married so well aftering out of the orphanage!¡±

    The middle-aged woman sighed and shook her head. ¡°But after she was burned in the car ident, her stic surgery was really...plicated.¡±

    If Qin Suwen¡¯s original appearance was as delicate and lively as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, then her appearance after the car ident could only be described as ¡°Unremarkable.¡±.

    It couldn¡¯t be said that she was ugly, but there was nothing special about her. It could only be said that she looked like a passerby.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face had been extremely pale just a moment ago, but now it was gradually turning red. That red color seeped out from her jade-white cheeks and extended all the way to her eyes.

    She was so angry that her entire body was trembling, her hands and feet were cold, and her entire body was stiff. Her brain was almost unable to think properly.

    Huo Shaoheng came to her side and quietly held her hand.

    Hisrge palm was dry and warm, and it quickly warmed her hand. It was as if he had injected his strength into her body.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rationality slowly returned to her.

    She blinked and suppressed the sour tears, she smiled faintly at the grandfather and grandson in front of her. ¡°This is really a coincidence. Fate is ying tricks on people. I¡¯m not that Grace, but you guys insist that I look like her. The real Grace came once, but you guys don¡¯t recognize her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how else can you call it a coincidence...¡±the middle-aged woman nodded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should have lunch, so we won¡¯t keep you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t really want to leave. She gritted her teeth and took a step forward to ask, ¡°Do you have any childhood photos of Mrs. He?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t.¡±The middle-aged woman shook her head regretfully. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy to take photos back then. You Didn¡¯t get to take photos of your own family once a year. Who would take photos of their neighbors?¡±

    Even if they were wealthy families, they couldn¡¯t bepared to the Qin family.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at Qin Huichang¡¯s house. She pretended to be curious and said, ¡°I really want to see that house. Maybe there are photos there...¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any.¡±. Because the house had never been upied, there had been a burry and a fire. Almost all the things in the house had been stolen, and those that hadn¡¯t been stolen had been burned down. Mrs. he came back to visit her family, only to find that the house was in a terrible state.¡±

    ¡°AH? How could this be? Didn¡¯t Mrs. He call the police?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    Qin Suwen was a barrister. How could he let go of those who had stolen things and those who had set the house on Fire?

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of calling the police? By the time she called the police, it had already been a few years. Where would the police go to catch the burrs?¡±The middle-aged woman helped the old woman into the house, after walking up the stairs, she looked back and saw that the young girl was looking at her silently. Her big eyes were dark and shiny under the sunlight, like a ck hole in the universe. Once light entered, it would note out.

    Gu nianzhi sighed softly and waved at the grandparents. Finally, she turned to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng followed her and did not say anything. He just held her hand tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to say anything.

    After getting into the car, she leaned her head against the window and quietly looked at the scenery outside the car.

    The parasol trees on the side of the road began to grow green leaves. The mottled trunks still had the scent of winter.

    She looked at all of this, but it only shed through her mind like a fleeting sh, leaving no trace behind.

    Her mind was only filled with one sentence.

    Qin Suwen, he zhichu¡¯s mother. It was very likely that she was also her mother..

    Huo Shaoheng was very worried about her. As he drove, he advised, ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions too early. Maybe the grandfather and grandson remembered wrongly...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not turn around. She leaned against the car window and said calmly, ¡°Do you still remember the submarine in that world? Do you remember the first time you saw the bodies of Gu Xiangwen and his wife?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything.

    How could he forget?

    Gu Xiangwen was also a strong-willed genius scientist.

    ¡°... I remember his wife¡¯s appearance.¡±Huo Shaoheng paused.¡±... his wife¡¯s English name seems to be Grace.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned to look at him. ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen the name Grace somewhere before!¡±

    ¡°It was because she looked exactly like Qin yaoguang that I came to this world. When I saw Qin Yaoguang for the first time, I was shocked beyond words.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I really thought Qin Yaoguang was my biological mother. Even if she treated me badly and used me as an experiment, I never doubted her.¡±

    ¡°Because Mrs. Gu over there looked exactly like Qin yaoguang. ording to the corresponding body principle, Qin yaoguang over here should be my biological mother.¡±

    Gu nianzhi muttered, ¡°She looks so much like Mrs. Gu over there. I immediately assumed that she was my biological mother.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to have such an ostentatious operation...¡±

    She hadn¡¯t expected that Qin Yaoguang had undergone stic surgery..

    And Qin Suwen had also undergone stic surgery after being burned and disfigured in a car ident.

    ¡°Are the two of them going to change their faces?¡±Gu Nianzhi let out a breath, and her entire body went limp.

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Qin Yaoguang may have undergone stic surgery to look like Qin Suwen, but Qin Suwen didn¡¯t have the typical appearance of a daughter of the Qin family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and thought for a moment. She supported herself with her hand and pursed her lips, ¡°That¡¯s true. How could they be so stupid? If they changed Qin Suwen into the typical appearance of a daughter of the Qin family, wouldn¡¯t that be too obvious? So Qin Suwen must only look like a passerby.¡±

    ¡°Then do you want to do a DNA test and do a paternity test?¡±Huo Shaoheng suddenly thought that if Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother was Qin Suwen, then... wouldn¡¯t he zhichu be her half-brother?

    This... was too outrageous.

    Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip on the steering wheel and asked indifferently,¡±... does your father know about this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brows furrowed,¡±... I don¡¯t think he knows, right?¡±

    If he knew, why would he send her to the he family and agree to her engagement with He Zhichu? !

    Gu Nianzhi came to her senses.

    If Qin Suwen was really her biological mother, then he zhichu was her half-brother!

    OMG! She had almost married her own brother!

    Gu Nianzhi was in a bad mood!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 1779, ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood¡±.

    It was a reminder of the rmendation tickets!

    There were also monthly tickets ~ ~

 Chapter 1780

    <h4>Chapter 1780: Chapter 1780-choosing the lesser of two evils (first, asking for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng in panic, her manga-like eyes filled with unease and fear.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and reached out to hold her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. This isn¡¯t that simple. Go back and ask your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly. She couldn¡¯t bear to go back to the apartment and immediately took out her phone to video chat with Lu Jin.

    It took a while for Lu Jin to answer the call.

    ¡°He¡±was wearing a whiteb coat and looked like he had juste out of theb. He smiled and asked gu nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding. After a while, she squeezed out a sentence from between her teeth, ¡°Dad, who is my biological mother? !¡±

    ¡°Lu Jin¡±didn¡¯t seem to expect her to ask such a question. He paused for a few seconds before saying,¡±... have you eaten lunch?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought Lu Jin was deliberately changing the subject and said angrily, ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t interrupt! I¡¯m not hungry, I don¡¯t want to have lunch! Tell me, who is my biological mother? !¡±

    ¡°How can I not have lunch? Your stomach won¡¯t be able to take it. If you don¡¯t have lunch at noon, your blood sugar will also rise. If you don¡¯t have the energy to work in the afternoon, it¡¯s bad for your health. Hurry up and have lunch, I still have experiments to do.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s phone rang, and Lu Jin¡¯s profile picture disappeared.

    ¡°He¡±cut off the video call.

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, this was a sign of ¡°Guilty conscience¡±!

    ¡°He knows! He really knows!¡±Gu Nianzhi was furious. She couldn¡¯t wait to fly back to the imperial capital and confront Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng thought so too. After all, the way ¡°Lu Jin¡±changed the subject in the video call was too clumsy.

    However, Lu Jin was already a person with severe interpersonal disorder. Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi did not suspect anything from his behavior.

    ¡°What should we do? Huo Shao? Should we go back to the capital now?¡±Gu Nianzhi was restless and could not calm down at all.

    It would be strange for a normal person to be able to calm down after such a thing.

    Huo Shaoheng understood gu nianzhi¡¯s feelings, but he was much more mature and steady than Gu Nianzhi. Although he was also shocked, he was not so impulsive as to make a decision.

    He patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, go back and have a good rest. Take a shower, I¡¯ll take you out for a good meal. We¡¯ll discuss the next step tomorrow, Okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very disappointed. ¡°Why wait until tomorrow? ! I Can¡¯t wait any longer!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patiently analyzed with her. ¡°What can you do if you go back to your father now? Don¡¯t forget, he lied to you once.¡±

    ¡°Verify your rtionship with Qin yaoguang. You¡¯re clearly not biological mother and daughter, yet he lied to you and said yes.¡±

    These words were like a bucket of cold water pouring over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hot head.

    She began to calm down.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and saw that she was no longer so agitated that she couldn¡¯t sit still. He breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed her hand, he continued, ¡°Your DNA can not be randomly tested, and Qin Suwen has passed away for so many years. How are you going to test him? Are you really going to verify your rtionship with he zhichu?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked away, a little embarrassed.

    She was so close to ¡°Falling in love¡±with he zhichu..

    It was extremely awkward to think about it.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that she was listening to him, so he let go of her hand and held the steering wheel with both hands. He stepped on the elerator and sped up towards their apartment in the Western District.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep voice had a maic quality that moved one¡¯s heart, and it soothed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious emotions.

    ¡°... you¡¯ll know when you check the DNA test. With our current technology, it¡¯s almost impossible to directly verify the rtionship between you and he zhichu.¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng was not a biogicist, he had seen Chen Lie do many DNA tests for professional reasons to support their work.

    Chen Lie had told him many times about the shorings of DNA testing. In other words, this method could be used to verify that there was no parent-child rtionship between the two and achieve a 100% uracy rate.

    However, to verify that there was a parent-child rtionship between the two, the probability given would never be 100% .

    ¡°... If you check it, you¡¯ll know that the DNA simrity between humans and goris is 98.8% , and that between humans and dogs is 96% .¡±

    ¡°The difference between species¡¯genes really exins what it means to be a thousand miles away from the truth.¡±

    ¡°So, look, how difficult is it to verify that there are various kinds of blood rtions between two people?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that more specialized methods are needed to conduct the test, and it can¡¯t give you a 100% answer.¡±

    ¡°The farther the blood ties are, the harder it is to determine whether there are rtives or not.¡±

    ¡°So for now, only the identification of a direct rtionship between a parent and child is legally valid.¡±

    The sibling rtionship was not counted as a direct rtionship.

    Gu nianzhi listened to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep and deep voice ring out in the car, as if it was reverberating in her ears.

    She listened quietly to him finish, and then asked in a hoarse voice,¡±... then what do we do? Aren¡¯t we going to verify it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s really no way to directly verify whether young master he and I are half-siblings or not.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly calmed down after the panic. She was no longer afraid, but wanted to find a way to solve the problem.

    ¡°But we can verify it through indirect methods.¡±Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and found he zhichu¡¯s phone number, ¡°First, we can verify young master he¡¯s rtionship with his mother, Qin Suwen, and then we can verify my rtionship with his mother, Qin Suwen. That¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    Just like solving an equation, if a was equal to B, and C was equal to B, then a was equal to C.

    Qin Suwen was the bridge to determine if he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were rted by blood.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly. ¡°Of course, but is there any blood or hair left on young master he¡¯s mother¡¯s side?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be difficult. Auntie he passed away more than ten years ago, right? I wonder who still has some of her belongings?¡±

    At this point, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng thought of he chengjian at the same time.

    It could be said that everyone in the Huaxia Empire knew that he chengjian was madly in love with his wife, Qin Suwen.

    The year Qin Suwen suddenly passed away, he chengjian almost turned the entire country upside down, all because he wanted to arrest Gu Xiangwen, who had seen Qin Suwen for thest time.

    That kind of omnipresent pursuit was only ended when Gu Xiangwen appeared eight years ago and ¡°Burned¡±himself to death in front of everyone.

    If he found out that Qin Suwen had a child with Gu Xiangwen..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help shuddering.

    For the first time, she suddenly understood Lu Jin¡¯s intention to avoid talking about this matter. He had even lied to her and said that the Annoying Qin Yaoguang was her biological mother..

    Gu Nianzhi weighed the pros and cons in her heart. which was more important, her dislike of Qin Yaoguang or her fear of he chengjian?

    She couldn¡¯t tell the difference between them. She even felt that it would be better for Qin Yaoguang to wear her own mother¡¯s hat and not provoke that lunatic he chengjian..

    Her back, which had been hit by the anti-materiel rifle, began to hurt.

    She had clearly fully recovered, but the pain had already entered her memory. It was a psychological pain that could not be erased.

    Thest trace of blood on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face disappearedpletely.

    Huo Shaoheng also had a headache.

    He chengjian was too much of a variable. No Wonder Lu Jin would rather lie to Gu Nianzhi than tell her who her biological mother was.

    He looked up at Gu Nianzhi, his heart aching for her.

    To distract Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng quietly changed the topic, he said, ¡°But it¡¯s weird. If young master he¡¯s mother, Qin Suwen, looked like you when she was young, didn¡¯t she feel anything when she saw Qin Yaoguang when she grew up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback.

    This was an interesting angle.

    She pulled down the mirror on the roof of the car and carefully looked at it.

    ¡°... my nose is exactly the same as my father¡¯s, and the same as cousin Xie¡¯s. They¡¯re both from the Gu family.¡±Gu Nianzhi used her hand to point at her straight and exquisite nose, then slid her finger to her mouth, she poked two dimples on herself. ¡°ording to the two neighbors¡¯words and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance after stic surgery, my mouth, dimples, and eyes should look like my biological mother.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded, ¡°Your lips are very unique. Qin yaoguang looks like you. First of all, she looks like you on her lips. When she smiles, she looks especially simr.¡±. ¡°But if you look closely, when she¡¯s not smiling, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes aren¡¯t as big as yours.¡±

    Gu nianzhi raised her eyelids and widened her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, ¡°Do you know why? It¡¯s because you can¡¯t have stic surgery on your eyes. Usually, when you open the corners of your eyes and the ends of your eyes, you¡¯re just lengthening the length of your eyes. You¡¯re not lengthening the depth of your eyes, which is the width.¡±

    ¡°And whether your eyes are really big or not depends on the size of your pupils and the width of your eyes.¡±

    ¡°No matter how much she does, she can¡¯t have stic surgery on her pupils or change the width of her eyes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned the steering wheel and drove into the residential area. He said, ¡°You¡¯re right, but you still can¡¯t exin why Qin Suwen didn¡¯t recognize Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun quickly. She closed her hands and said, ¡°Yes, but she didn¡¯t recognize her, so there¡¯s only one reason.¡±

    ¡°What reason?¡±

    ¡°... She forgot.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and pointed at her own head. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s like me, forgetting everything that happened before the ident.¡±

    This forgetting, of course, included forgetting everything.

    If Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t look at the photos, she wouldn¡¯t remember what she looked like when she was young.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and thought about it carefully. He nodded slowly and said, ¡°That seems to be the only reason.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think that¡¯s why Auntie he couldn¡¯t find any evidence.¡±Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and caressed her phone again, she said, ¡°I heard dad say that Auntie he had investigated her parents¡¯car ident, but she didn¡¯t continue the investigation because she didn¡¯t have any evidence.¡±

    ¡°I was confused at the time. She was the person involved, so she could testify directly?¡±

    ¡°If she had lost her memory at the time, that would exin why she was looking for other evidence.¡±

    Huo shaoheng immediately said, ¡°But I remember that your father also said that Qin Suwen had personally testified to the police after the car ident, saying that his parents were drunk drivers...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1780, ¡°The lesser of two evils¡±.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    The end of the month, dear monthly tickets to hand it ~ ~ ~

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1781

    <h4>Chapter 1781: Chapter 1781 preconceived ideas (chapter 2: Monthly Pass)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned by the question. She frowned and thought about it for a while, but still couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    ¡°... Auntie he said that her parents were drunk when they were driving and that it was after the car ident. has she recovered from her injuries?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked doubtfully. ¡°How could she answer the police¡¯s questions with such serious injuries?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, there were now enforcement recorders in those days, and there were no driving recorders in the car. After so long, it¡¯s really not easy to find out the truth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with emotion. ¡°Is this one of the reasons why Auntie he gave up in the end?¡±

    ¡°Although the entire case is suspicious, firstly, she has no direct evidence, and secondly, she doesn¡¯t remember it herself...¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed as he pulled out his car keys. ¡°You¡¯ve already confirmed that she has amnesia, but what if she doesn¡¯t? Get out of the car and rest well. We¡¯ll make a decision tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car first, then went around to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side to open the car door for her.

    When Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, the matter was still in her mind, and she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it.

    ..

    In the bustling metropolis, Lu Jin, who had juste out of the hotel, received an automatic message from hisputer.

    Every time Gu Nianzhi contacted him, theputer would send him the contact details so that he could be prepared.

    He turned on his phone and clicked on the video recording of the call.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face appeared on his phone screen.

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    Gu nianzhi blurted out, ¡°Dad, who is my biological mother?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s smile froze on his face.

    Why did she ask this question all of a sudden?

    Could it be that they had found something when they went to C city to investigate Qin Huichang¡¯s family?

    Lu Jin looked at his phone in disbelief.

    Back then, Qin Su had asked Lu Jin if he had gone there to investigate. In the end, he hadn¡¯t found anything, so Lu Jin hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to find anything either.

    Could he have been wrong?

    Was he better than her?

    On the video call, because his AI couldn¡¯t find the right topic to answer, he had to use the pre-set ¡°Eat¡±program to answer. When Gu Nianzhi heard this, she was furious, ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t interrupt! I¡¯m not hungry, I don¡¯t want to eat lunch! Tell me, who is my biological mother? !¡±

    She looked like she had really discovered something amazing..

    Lu Jin¡¯s face was suspiciously red. His fingers were trembling and he wanted to turn off the video call with embarrassment.

    However, his smartputer had the same thought as him and quickly cut off the video call on its own.

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief, but the guilt in his heart made him not dare to think too much about it.

    He was a despicable person. After doing such a thing, even if he couldn¡¯t forgive him, his daughter wouldn¡¯t forgive him either..

    Lu Jin raised his head and looked at the towering building opposite him, his hand gripping his phone tightly.

    He was too ashamed to see Gu Nianzhi. If he could settle the people here, he would feel less guilty.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the apartment with a solemn face. She didn¡¯t talk as much as she used to. Instead, she went to the bathroom in silence and came out to eat in silence.

    Huo Shaoheng originally wanted to take her out to eat, but seeing that she was in a low mood, he did not want to go out anymore. He called a hotel that was good at making Spanish food and ordered takeout.

    On the dining table was the Spanish seafood fried rice that Gu Nianzhi liked to eat. Although it was not made by Huo Shaoheng, it was still very authentic for the hotel.

    The fried rice looked very good and was very particr about the ingredients.

    It could be said that the quality of this fried rice was not in the cooking skills of the cook, but in the ingredients.

    The ingredients used were good, but the ingredients used were better than ordinary ingredients.

    The te of Spanish seafood fried rice in front of them was made with the best ingredients.

    The white and chubby Spanish Bahia Rice was wrapped in saffron seasoning. It was a bright yellow color like a fried egg, making one¡¯s appetite soar at the sight of it.

    There were also ck ms, red prawns, big green peppers, and almost transparent squid whiskers that were sprinkled in the yellow and chubby fried rice. It was full of heat, it was like a passionate Spanish girl inviting you to taste it..

    Because Gu Nianzhi did not eat onions, Huo Shaoheng specifically instructed the hotel staff not to add onions.

    However, this Spanish seafood fried rice would not taste the same without onions.

    Therefore, under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions, the hotel¡¯s chef reced the entire piece of onion with a seasoning made from onion powder and nutmeg. Not only was the taste not bad, it was even better than just adding arge piece of onion.

    Gu Nianzhi took a bite with her spoon and paused.

    She looked up at Huo Shaoheng and said in surprise,¡±... you made this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was the only one who could make the authentic Spanish seafood fried rice without using onions.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head. ¡°I ordered takeout, but I shared a little of my secret recipe with the hotel¡¯s chef.¡±

    Of course, he did not mention the exact recipe, but the hotel¡¯s chef also ate this rice, so he figured out a good ratio himself.

    Gu Nianzhi was famished and quickly buried her head in her food.

    After a full meal, her mood improved.

    Good food had always had the function of calming nerves.

    This was the reason why some people liked to eat when they were depressed.

    It was the human body¡¯s self-protection and repair function.

    Back in the living room, Gu Nianzhi slumped on the sofa. She took out her phone to look at tomorrow¡¯s schedule and said lightly, ¡°Do you still want to continue the investigation tomorrow? If not, then go back...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t wait to go back and investigate Qin Suwen¡¯s DNA.

    There was onest person on their list. This person was a friend of Qin Huichang and his wife from back in the day. He was younger than them by more than ten years, so they could be considered old friends.

    ording to the information, this person was originally in a small business. When they first opened, he had stocked up more than a dozen houses in a good location in C city.

    The houses at that time were outrageously cheappared to now, but it was still difficult for people who were paid at that time to buy them.

    This person was in a small business. He had probably umted some initial funds back then.

    He did not use them to expand his business. Instead, whenmercial houses first appeared, he used them to buy a house in one go. He could be considered as a person with a financial mind.

    Later, the houses he bought were gradually demolished. He received more than a dozen new houses in the city with the housing subsidy alone, not to mention the cash subsidy.

    Gu Nianzhi checked the current prices of these houses and said with a TSK tsk, ¡°This person is a hidden billionaire...¡±

    One of his houses was worth tens of millions. More than a dozen, he was definitely a billionaire.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°This man is the youngest person we¡¯ve investigated. He¡¯s also the closest to Qin Huichang and his wife. I hope he has more clues.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°If he had more clues, Mrs. He and Qin Suwen wouldn¡¯t have ¡®stopped investigating¡¯.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instincts told him that even if this man knew something, he wouldn¡¯t say it.

    Otherwise, he would have told Qin Suwen already. Why would he wait for them to ask?

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and turned her head stubbornly. ¡°I¡¯m different from Auntie He. Auntie he probably can¡¯t remember anything. It¡¯s too difficult to find clues.¡±

    She pointed at her own head and said righteously, ¡°But I¡¯m different. I know things that Auntie he might not remember. More importantly, I¡¯ve already made assumptions! What do you think? !¡±

    Lawyers were different from police officers.

    When police officers were handling cases, they should not have preconceived ideas. This would affect their normal handling of the case and restrict their thinking.

    Butwyers were defending their clients. If they could not ¡°Preconceived ideas¡±and find the right direction for their arguments, it would be difficult for them to win the case.

    And forwyers, their duty was not to present the truth to the public, but to help their clients win the case.

    As for whether they were presenting the whole truth or the one-sided truth, it was up to the judge and the jury to decide.

    Whether it was the whole truth or the one-sided truth, as long as it was not fabricated, it was legal.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and stroked her head. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go look for this person tomorrow.¡±

    ..

    The weather the next day was not very good.

    When they went out, they found that it was starting to drizzle again.

    The rain was heavy and soft on their faces. It also carried the unique fragrance of the nts in spring. It was as soft as water, just like the beauties of C City.

    Gu Nianzhi got into the car and used the map on her phone to point Huo Shaoheng in the right direction.

    Ten minutester, they stopped in front of a chinese-style courtyard.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the quaint chinese-style courtyard and clicked her tongue. ¡°This is too extravagant! A house like this in this ce is even more valuable than the Qin family¡¯s little mansion!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1781, ¡°First Impressions first.¡±.

    It was a reminder to everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    The end of the month, dear monthly tickets to hand it ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1782 - Living Off Your Face (first and foremost, monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1782: Chapter 1782: Living Off Your Face (first and foremost, monthly pass)</h4>

    This chinese-style courtyard was close to a green area in the center of the city. The front yard was a widewn, built around a fence with white walls and ck tiles. It extended all the way to the private garden in the backyard.

    Around it was a row of evergreen camphor trees. The roof of the hilltop, which was in the shape of a shed, was hidden under the trees. It looked like a mountain range, and visually expanded the size of the courtyard.

    Gu Nianzhi had only taken a casual nce and already felt that it was extraordinary.

    This chinese-style courtyard took up a lot of space and had a spacious courtyard in the center of the city..

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and whispered,¡±... This can be used as a museum, right?¡±

    In such a location and in such an area, how could anyone without power and influence dare to live like this?

    At this point, it was impossible to live in a house like this with just money.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and sized them up.

    He had the same question, but he did not mumble it out like Gu Nianzhi.

    The two of them hade to explore the area today. It was another way of dressing up. They did not dress up like ordinary tourists like they did yesterday.

    Today, the two of them were dressed very fashionably, and it was the kind of fashionability that had a special cultural atmosphere. It was the kind of fashionability that the free artists of Brooklyn, New York, had.

    They wore big sunsses on their faces, and their hair was deliberately messed up, but it wasn¡¯t really messed up. It was a mess that had been carefully groomed with hairspray, and in the midst of the mess, there was order. There was only arrogance and insolence.

    They wore a Panama hat on their head, a ck suede vest vest on their body, and Harlem pants on their legs. They looked like overseas Chinese who had just returned from New York.

    He held up his SLR camera and kept taking pictures of the yard, making very exaggerated gestures and tones.

    Updates by vip novel.

    ¡°Oh, my God!¡±

    ¡°This is so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Fabulous!¡±

    They had just taken two pictures at the door when a young girl in a white suit and ck pants, dressed as a nanny, came out of the chinese-style house.

    She walked along the small gray gravel road that wasid on thewn in front of the door.

    Standing in front of the wooden fence at the door, she smiled and asked, ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly put away her camera and gave her a thumbs-up in Chinese with a thick foreign ent.¡±... So Beautiful! So great!¡±

    The young girl pursed her lips into a smile. ¡°You¡¯re foreigners? Where are you from?¡±

    ¡°New York. We came here from New York to get some fresh air and sketch.¡±Gu Nianzhi stuttered as she spoke, her arms gesticting wildly, just like those Chinese children who were born and raised abroad.

    The young girl¡¯s attitude was even better. She smiled and said, ¡°Our master happened to be at home today. He saw you hanging around the door and wanted to invite you in for a cup of tea.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was on high alert, but she still acted nonchnt on the surface. She smiled and said, ¡°No... I Won¡¯t disturb you. We¡¯re just photos, sketches.¡±

    ¡°Our yard is very beautiful.¡±The young girl pushed open the fence door. ¡°If you don¡¯te in today, you might not be able to see it in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to be surprised. She pushed her sunsses to the top of her head and widened her eyes. ¡°Why? Why?¡±

    ¡°Our master is going to emigrate. He donated this house to a museum in the city.¡±The young girl made way. ¡°The furniture inside is all red sandalwood. It will be left behind and will not be taken away.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±Gu Nianzhi eximed and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Your master is so great!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out a cigarette and took a puff. He put it in his mouth and pretended to be careless. He mumbled,¡±... Let¡¯s see...¡±

    It was the same feeling of a foreigner speaking Chinese.

    The young girl nced at Huo Shaoheng. She smiled and pointed at the wooden trash can hidden on the other side of the fence. ¡°You can¡¯t smoke here. Sir, please throw the test here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grunted and reluctantly threw the cigarette away.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng did not object, so she followed him into the courtyard.

    The youngdy gently closed the door behind them and led them to the main house.

    The steps at the door were made of stone, so it was hard to tell what material it was made of. However, the arrangement of the steps was well-arranged, and it had an ancient charm to it.

    The owner of the house seemed to like traditional culture?

    Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself as she walked in.

    ¡°Sir, they¡¯re here.¡±The youngdy stopped in front of them and bowed respectfully.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes.

    What era was this? Even as a servant, it was still a proper job. They earned money by working hard. Why did they have to be so subservient?

    Did they really think that the British prime minister, Aunt Mei, couldn¡¯t wait to kneel down and kiss Prince Wim¡¯s feet when she saw him?

    Speaking of which, the person opposite them wasn¡¯t even a prince yet..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but curse in her heart.

    Huo Shaoheng was already sizing up the old man sitting on the sofa in the middle of the living room.

    The Man wasn¡¯t young anymore, but he had maintained his appearance well. He looked like he was in his early fifties, but ording to his information, he was already sixty-five years old.

    His hair wasn¡¯t bad, only slightly white. It wasn¡¯t dyed ck, and his face was slightly plump, so his wrinkles weren¡¯t obvious.

    There was a set of kung fu tea set on the mahogany coffee table in front of him. Seeing that they had entered, he raised his hand casually and said with a smile, ¡°Nice to meet you both. We are guests from afar. Would you like to sit down and have a cup of tea?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out from behind Huo Shaoheng. Gu Ling wrinkled her little nose strangely and said with a look of disdain, ¡°I hate drinking tea! I only drink coke!¡±

    The man stared at Gu Nianzhi. After a while, he smiled and said to the young woman standing next to him, ¡°Mei, go buy two bottles of coke.¡±

    The young woman smiled and replied, then turned and left.

    Huo Shaoheng took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked with her to the sofa to sit face to face with the man.

    ¡°Hello, sorry to bother you. We just came from New York. We¡¯re art students. We¡¯re here to sketch and take photos.¡±Huo Shaoheng gestured, and his ent was perfect.

    As a former field agent, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s disguise skills were impable.

    In order to not cause any trouble for him, Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to speak as little as possible.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡±The manughed, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes showed. He looked a little worn out.

    His gaze shifted between Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, and finallynded on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. He smiled and said, ¡°Miss, did you juste back from abroad?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°This ce is cleaner than New York. I like it here.¡±

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, the manughed out loud and dispelled some of his doubts.

    Only someone who had lived in New York for a while could say that C city was cleaner than New York.

    The man poured himself a small cup of kung fu tea and held it in his hand. He took a deep breath and sniffed it, then blew on it. He took a sip and closed his eyes to taste the tea.

    Gu Nianzhi resisted the urge to look at Huo Shaoheng. She only looked curiously at the furniture in the room.

    The youngdy had said that the ce was made of rosewood, but Gu Nianzhi did not know much about it. At a nce, she felt that the room was rather dark. In the corner of the room, there was an old cab with intricate carvings, it looked exquisite, but she was still respectful of its dark color.

    To be honest, if no one lived here, it would be a museum of ancient furniture..

    The man finished his cup of tea and opened his eyes to see Gu Nianzhi turning her head to look around. There was an almost ignorant innocence in her big eyes, just like those children who grew up well-off and did not understand the hardships of the world.

    Gu Nianzhi had also been modified today. Her eyes were dark blue and she looked blue. Her hair was dyed light and her nose was straight. She looked like a mixed-race Chinese.

    Although her lips were still very prominent.

    However, there were a lot of people with lips like that. Lips alone didn¡¯t mean much.

    The man looked away and smiled as he told them about New York.

    ¡°I just came back from New Yorkst year. It¡¯s a good ce. I have an apartment in New York¡¯s Central Park. I can see the green space in the park from the window. The scenery is pretty good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly looked even more surprised. ¡°You have an apartment in Central Park? ! You must be very rich! The houses there are too expensive!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m old, and I just want to find a good ce to spend my old age. What does it matter if it¡¯s expensive? Money is for spending anyway. I don¡¯t have any offspring, so I won¡¯t bring them with me when I¡¯m born or when I¡¯m dead. When I¡¯m done spending them, I¡¯ll give them back to society.¡±

    The man smiled at Gu Nianzhi as he spoke. ¡°Miss, You¡¯re American? What do your parents do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°My father is a primary school teacher, and my mother is a housewife. They don¡¯t have much money, so I have to work to pay for school.¡±

    She pointed to the camera on her chest and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m taking a job at a magazine. I¡¯ming to Huaxia to take some photos of ancient buildings so I can go back to work and earn some tuition fees for the next semester.¡±

    The man smiled even more amiably and praised Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re ambitious! There are too few girls like you these days. You can rely on your looks to make a living, but you have topete with others in terms of talent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched her face and pretended not to understand. She pretended to be confused and said,¡±... What do you mean by relying on your looks to make a living? Can your face make a living?¡±

    ¡°AH? hahahaha...¡±the manughed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and shook his head. ¡°No, no... Your Chinese is really...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo shaoheng and whispered, ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also looked confused and said,¡±... it should be right, right?¡±

    The two of them looked like young Chinese people who didn¡¯t know much about Chinese.

    As they talked, the young girl came back with a bag of coke and some cold drinks.

    She put the things in an ice box and said to Gu nianzhi and Huo shaoheng, ¡°Our master doesn¡¯t eat these things, so we don¡¯t have them at home. We just went out to buy them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a can of coke and nced at it quickly. Seeing that there was no problem, she opened the bottle and took a sip. She said emotionally, ¡°How can there be no coke? What would life be like without coke?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also took a bottle of coke, but he did not drink it. He put it on the coffee table in front of him and nodded at the old man. He then asked the young girl standing next to him, ¡°May I know where the washroom is? Can I borrow it?¡±

    The young girl quickly said, ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    She took Huo Shaoheng to the washroom. There were only Gu Nianzhi and the old man in the living room.

    Gu nianzhi stretched her long legs and hummed an out-of-tune English song, looking very rxed.

    The old man stared at her again and said slowly, ¡°What¡¯s your name? How Old Are you this year?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°My name is Grace. I¡¯m 18 this year. Why?¡±

    She deliberately said that she was two years younger, like a college student who had just entered university.

    The man¡¯s pupils shrank when he heard that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s English name was Grace, but he quickly came back to his senses and said nonchntly,¡±... you just said that you had to pay for your own tuition when you went to University?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±Gu Nianzhi frowned and put the coke on the coffee table. ¡°My family doesn¡¯t have money, and I didn¡¯t apply for a schrship. s, you don¡¯t know, working is too tiring...¡±

    The man smiled slowly and reached out to cover Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand that she had yet to pull back. He said, ¡°You can find someone to pay for your tuition...¡±

    ¡°I tried, but I couldn¡¯t find it...¡±Gu Nianzhi pulled her hand back without batting an eyelid and smiled cheekily. ¡°How can it be so good? Who would pay for my tuition for no reason?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1782, ¡°Face for a living.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    The end of the month, dear monthly tickets to hand it ~ ~ ~

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1783

    <h4>Chapter 1783: Chapter 1783 re-enacted (1)(the second is asking for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    ¡°How can that be?¡±The old man squinted at Gu Nianzhi, his gaze lingering on her lips, he said,¡±... Since You¡¯re from New York, you must know that the college girls there love to look for Sugar Daddy, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly enraged. This was aplete insult to her.

    However, she had to pretend to be interested and said, ¡°Some of our ssmates do look for Sugar Daddy. I also know of a website that lets them look for Sugar Daddy...¡±

    The old man smiled and slowly stood up. ¡°Think about it. If you¡¯re interested, you cane to New York¡¯s Central Park to look for me anytime.¡±

    He ced an English business card in front of Gu Nianzhi. He did not rush her, but was clearly ying hard to get.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and looked at the business card, her mind racing to figure out what this person meant.

    Gu Nianzhi did not think she was beautiful enough for someone she had just met to suggest that she was a mistress.

    But this person did not seem to be joking.

    Gu Nianzhi reached out and picked up the business card. She raised her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Her beauty was dynamic. She was delicate and lively, and when she spoke, it was especially moving.

    However, when she looked up and smiled, it was as if spring had returned to thend. Everything was revived, and her eyes were filled with the light of spring. Her beauty was dazzling.

    The old man¡¯s eyes were dark. He seemed to have thought of something and nodded at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Think about it. I¡¯m tired and need to rest. Help yourself. The furniture here is good, and the garden outside isn¡¯t too bad either. You can take as many pictures as you want.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and agreed. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She asked again, ¡°May I know your surname? How should I address you?¡±

    Updates by vip novel.

    The man did not turn around. He paused and said inly, ¡°No, your surname is Xu. You can call me Mr. Xu.¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Xu.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±The man answered and headed for the stairs.

    Huo Shaoheng only came out of the bathroom after the man had gone upstairs. He still looked nonchnt and kicked the sofa Gu Nianzhi was sitting on. ¡°Grace, are youing? I¡¯m hungry. I want to eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and stood up. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. I want to eat too.¡±

    She walked out with Huo Shaoheng.

    The old man upstairs had already pushed aside a painting on the wall and opened the hidden safe on the wall behind the painting. He took out a yellowed photo and examined it carefully.

    The photo had been taken with film decades ago. After all the years, the rity of the photo was now very low.

    But even if it was beginning to blur, it could still be seen the delicate and lively smiling face of the little girl sitting between the two elegant men and women.

    The way she smiled was too simr to the girl downstairs who imed to be from New York..

    The old man¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    He put the photo back into the safe and put the painting back in front of him.

    When he walked to the window, he saw the two young men who imed to be from New York walking through the front yard, about to go out.

    The old man picked up his phone, he said to the young servant who was seeing them off, ¡°Pleasee back. I have an old photo from decades ago. The girl in the photo looks a bit like that girl. They should be interested. Ask them if they want to see it.¡±

    The young servant was a little surprised, but she did as she was told.

    She stopped Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng and said with a smile, ¡°Please Wait a moment. Our master said that there is an old photo from decades ago. The girl in the photo looks a bit like you. Are you interested? Do you want to see it?¡±

    ¡°An old photo from decades ago? !¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up.

    Finally, there¡¯s a photo!

    There was also a little girl that looked a little like Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi had a hunch that it was a photo rted to Qin Huichang¡¯s family.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, felt a little ufortable with the old man. He did not want to go back and look at the photo.

    Gu Nianzhi was very stubborn. She squeezed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and said to the young servant, ¡°You go back first. I¡¯ll discuss it with my partner. He¡¯s in a hurry to go back for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±The young servant saw that the two of them didn¡¯t know what to do and didn¡¯t listen to her master. She was a little disdainful of them, but she still looked polite on the surface. She turned around and went back to the main house.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the man had gone far away, so she whispered to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look. Maybe there¡¯s a big breakthrough?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her and said indifferently, ¡°I saw him touching your hand in the living room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned red and she muttered, ¡°I was just ying along. I did it on purpose. He asked me if I should find someone to help pay for Sugar Daddy¡¯s tuition... I was just ying dumb with him...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ran his hand through her hair and said helplessly, ¡°We can¡¯t y along. We don¡¯t know how to do this kind of thing. This kind of trick is the worst, and it usually doesn¡¯t pay off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed his hand away and said sullenly, ¡°I won¡¯t look for Sugar Daddy, but I have to see the photos. After so long, this is the first time I¡¯ve had the chance to see an old photo of Qin Huichang¡¯s family.¡±

    The photo must have shown Qin Suwen¡¯s face before the car ident.

    Huo Shaoheng watched as Gu Nianzhi turned and left for the main house, so he had no choice but to follow her.

    The old man hid behind the antique windows upstairs and watched everything silently.

    Seeing that they had turned around, the old man took out a remade photo and put it in an envelope. He rang the bell to call for another male servant, he said, ¡°Give them this photo and tell them it¡¯s a remake. The original is on the table in the small reception room on the first floor, the small table in the middle of the room.¡±

    The male servant agreed and went downstairs with the envelope containing the photo.

    The old man went downstairs as well. He went to the small reception room to put his things in, then came out and went out through the back door.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had just walked in.

    The male servant handed them the envelope containing the remake photo and said, ¡°This is from our master.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took it and opened the envelope. She took out a photo that was obviously a remake. The photo was very old and blurry.

    She could tell that the original photo was old, so the remake was even more blurry.

    However, she could also tell that it was a family photo of three people.

    It had the characteristics of that era.

    Sitting in front of her house was a tall table with a pot of flowers on it.

    Between the man and the woman sat a little girl with two braids. Her face was very small, and the photo was so blurry that it was almost impossible to see her face clearly.

    However, the man and the woman could still see her face clearly. She could vaguely make out her handsome and elegant appearance. Judging from her age, she should be in her early thirties.

    It was exactly the same as the photo of Qin Huichang and his wife that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had collected!

    They had found the photo from the university documents that Qin Huichang and his wife had entered in the past, but it was a one-inch-square registration photo.

    Gu Nianzhi was excited and quickly asked, ¡°Do you have the original? This seems to be a remake, right?¡±

    The male servant was very impressed with his master¡¯s resourcefulness and quickly said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s in the room over there. Our master treasured this photo very much, so we can¡¯t just show the original to anyone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in understanding and quickly walked over.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feelings were veryplicated.

    He hadn¡¯t expected this old man to really have an old photo of Qin Huichang¡¯s family at that time.

    What did this mean?

    This meant that this person¡¯s rtionship with Qin Huichang¡¯s family was unusually close..

    Compared to his previous two colleagues and neighbors, he should know more.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instincts didn¡¯t like the way that person acted.

    How Could Qin Huichang and his wife be good friends with such a person?

    Huo Shaoheng was a little puzzled. He followed Gu Nianzhi into the small reception room next door.

    The reception room was indeed very small. It was filled with furniture, and the originally small room was packed to the brim. There was practically no ce to stay.

    Antique curtains hung in front of the windows, and ancient pcenterns hung on the four corners of the roof.

    There was no natural light in the room, and the pcenterns were dim, illuminating everything in the room. It was as if they had walked into the dust of history.

    Gu Nianzhi stared straight ahead at the small table in the middle of the small reception room.

    There was a standing doll on the table. It was a pink and purple princess dress, with thick bangs, slender eyes, a face like a silver te, and a voluptuous figure. It looked like a little girl from an ancient painting, it was not a typical western-style doll, but a doll that had the characteristics of the ancient empire.

    There was an envelope in front of the doll, exactly the same as the envelope that the male servant had brought.

    It must be the original.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded.

    She had seen that doll before, and it was almost exactly the same as the doll she had held in the photo of her eleventh birthday.

    Later, Huo Shaoheng and the others had copied a batch of dolls from the doll in the photo, intending to soothe the 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi¡¯s frightened emotions.

    Gu Nianzhi had always liked these dolls. They were the best memories of her youth, because she thought they represented her forgotten childhood.

    It wasn¡¯t untilter that she realized that this doll¡¯s facial features and demeanor were simr to Wen Shouyi¡¯s. She no longer liked them.

    But why would dolls like this appear here?

    Could it also be rted to his maternal grandparents and biological mother?

    Was the envelope in front of the doll the original one?

    She was finally going to see her mother¡¯s childhood photos..

    Huo Shaoheng followed her in and quickly scanned his surroundings.

    Suddenly, his gaze froze and he stood still.

    He was about to ask Gu Nianzhi not to move, but Gu Nianzhi was so excited that she quickly reached for the envelope in front of the doll on the table.

    The envelope was stuck to the doll.

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously grabbed the doll with some force and pulled it up, trying to pick up the doll and the letter.

    She pulled both the doll and the letter up, but at that moment, she seemed to have triggered some kind of mechanism.

    There was a loud bang, and she felt the ground beneath her feet empty. The floor she was standing on suddenly split apart, revealing a hole in the ground below. She didn¡¯t have time to scream before she fell down.

    Huo Shaoheng only had half a second to think.

    The door behind him was closing automatically, and the floor in front of him was closing automatically as well.

    In a sh, Huo Shaoheng pounced on the loose floor and chased after Gu Nianzhi before it closed.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1783, scene reenactment (1) .

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    The end of the month, dear monthly tickets to hand it ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1784

    Chapter 1784: Chapter 1784 re-enactment (2)(the first request is for a monthly ticket)

    With a light click, the floor was tightly shut.

    It was as if nothing had happened.

    In the quaint little reception room, the curtains hung low, and the pce lights shined an apricot-yellow light on the head of the doll standing on the table in the middle of the room.

    The doll¡¯s Cherry Lips seemed to be smiling, but also seemed to be crying.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi fell from the sky with a thud and fell heavily to the ground.

    After the floor was closed, the space below was so dark that one could not see one¡¯s fingers.

    Her head hit the ground hard, and she was dizzy.

    Fortunately, there was not much space under the floor, so she did not break her legs and fall so hard that her head was not bleeding.

    She had just raised her head when she felt a whistling sounding from above her head. She subconsciously rolled to the side.

    Boom!

    Another heavy object fell down, not far in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t see what had fallen down, but she quickly heard shallow breathing.

    She didn¡¯t dare to breathe loudly. She didn¡¯t know who hade down, but she hugged her legs and hid in a hard corner.

    When Huo Shaoheng fell, he held his breath and didn¡¯t know what was down there.

    When he fell to the ground, he immediately felt the sound of someone holding their breath nearby. It was slow and light, but he could feel who was breathing.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately turned to the direction of his breath and whispered,¡±... Grace?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up abruptly. Her big eyes, which couldn¡¯t see anything in the darkness, looked in the direction of the sound.

    It was Huo Shaoheng!

    He jumped down with her? !

    Gu Nianzhi jumped over without thinking and happened to fall into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng had just sat up when Gu Nianzhi pounced on him and threw him to the ground..

    The two of them crossed their legs and hugged each other, chest to chest. They did not move for a moment.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s whole body was on fire. The girl in his arms was like a pool of spring water, but it could not extinguish the fire in his heart.

    His arms suddenly tightened around Gu Nianzhi, and his lips urately found her lips and pressed them against hers.

    ¡°... are you okay?¡±He asked softly beside her lips, his hot breath on her face, warm.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, and the fear and panic from before were swept away.

    As long as Huo Shaoheng was by her side, she would dare to go anywhere. This cave was nothing!

    Gu nianzhi chuckled softly and kissed Huo Shaoheng on the lips. She whispered, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Why did youe down? We¡¯re both trapped here now...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held the back of her neck with his hand and rubbed it against her forehead. His voice was low and maic. ¡°I didn¡¯t think too much. I¡¯ll be wherever you are.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The faint warmth in her heart instantly became a torrent that flowed through her limbs and bones.

    She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead as tears silently flowed down her cheeks and dripped onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    Huo Shaoheng was shocked and sat up abruptly. He was a little anxious.¡±... Are you hurt? !¡±

    He thought Gu Nianzhi was crying because of pain.

    Gu Nianzhi buried her head in his arms and shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just too happy... haven¡¯t you heard of crying because of joy?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He raised his hand for a long time before he put it down. He patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back helplessly.

    So he was acting coquettishly.

    He hugged her and sat against the wall of the basement. He waited quietly for a while.

    It was still quiet up there. No one was moving from up there, and there was no other sound around.

    Huo Shaoheng waited until Gu Nianzhi had calmed down before he took out his phone from his pocket with one hand and swiped it open.

    In the end, there was no signal on the phone.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°There¡¯s actually an electromaic shield here...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out of his arms and whispered, ¡°If they don¡¯t bother us, I don¡¯t mind staying here with you for the night.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He tapped gu nianzhi on the forehead and said in a low voice, ¡°You think you can make fun of your troubles and treat this ce like a vacation cabin?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±Gu Nianzhi hugged his broad shoulders and leaned over to kiss him again, he smiled and said, ¡°The Ancients said that if we steal for half a day, they can plot and scheme against us, but they won¡¯t allow us to cheat and cheat on them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He rubbed gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°What are you thinking about? Aren¡¯t you afraid? We¡¯ve fallen into someone else¡¯s trap.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled. ¡°Of course I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m afraid I Can¡¯t go out. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to grow old with you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had always been a cold-hearted person. He didn¡¯t show any emotion towards Gu Nianzhi.

    However, when he heard this, his cold heart actually felt a rare sourness.

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. ¡°I¡¯ve just analyzed it. Although this is a basement, there won¡¯t be any particrly dangerous ces because this ce is the center of C City. The other party has a big family and is very cautious. They probably won¡¯t do anything to us here.¡±

    ¡°... but they tricked us intoing here and keeping us here. Are they going to imprison us?¡±Gu Nianzhi relied on the darkness to hide herself. She looked around and even took advantage of Huo Shaoheng from time to time.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He grabbed her hand and said hoarsely, ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, we¡¯ll kill you on the spot.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and went up to kiss his chin. ¡°Do you really dare? Don¡¯t think that just because it¡¯s dark here, others won¡¯t be able to see it. There¡¯s another thing called an infrared camera.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°I already checked this ce when I turned on my phone just now. There were no hidden cameras, let alone infrared cameras.¡±

    ¡°... There aren¡¯t any...¡±gu nianzhi scoffed. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re not that brave after all...¡±

    As she spoke, she took out her phone and said proudly, ¡°What¡¯s with the electromaic shielding? My Dad¡¯s unshielded phone!¡±

    She unlocked her phone and activated the electromaic shielding anti-interference system. Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long for her phone to get a signal.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Alright, Hurry up and call someone to save us.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and dialed Lu Jin¡¯s number first.

    ¡°Dad! Hurry up and call someone to save us! I¡¯ll send you the location!¡±

    She sent a text message first and then asked for a video call.

    The call was quickly connected, but after hearing gu nianzhi¡¯s request, ¡°Lu Jin¡±actually hesitated for a moment before saying,¡±... Have you guys had lunch?¡±

    F * ck lunch!

    How many times had this been? !

    Gu Nianzhi was furious. ¡°Dad! Are you kidding me? ! I¡¯m being held captive in the basement! Do you know that? !¡±

    The call was cut off.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She finally realized that something was wrong.

    ¡°... No, my dad would never do this to me.¡±Gu nianzhi muttered, ¡°If my dad saw me like this, he would run over to save me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also felt that something was wrong. He remembered Lu Yuan asking him to look at Lu Jin before he left, and his heart sank. He said, ¡°Oh no, your dad might have left the capital long ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also remembered that there was something wrong with Lu Jin and Lu Jin when they left the capital. She became anxious, ¡°That¡¯s right! My dad must have left a long time ago. The person who spoke to me... the person who spoke to me... wasn¡¯t even real!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded as well. ¡°It should be a hologram of him, just like... Gu Xiangwen¡¯s performance on the submarine over there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost cried. ¡°Those were hisst words! You¡¯re not allowed to use such metaphors!¡±

    She had beenzy and didn¡¯t want to go out immediately.

    She had been investigating for so long and finally had a breakthrough. She didn¡¯t care even if she was set up by someone.

    If you don¡¯t go into the Tiger¡¯s Den, you won¡¯t get the Tiger¡¯s cub.

    In addition, Huo Shaoheng was by her side. She was even morewless and daring.

    But now that she realized that something might have happened to Lu Jin, or that he was going to cause trouble, she couldn¡¯t stay.

    Gu Nianzhi supported herself against the wall and stood up. Using the light from her phone screen, she looked at the basement.

    The ce wasn¡¯t big, only about four or five square meters. It was surrounded by gray cement walls, and the floor was covered with ayer of stic flooring to protect it from moisture.

    The ceiling was not high, at most two meters.

    Huo Shaoheng was 1.88 meters tall. He straightened his body slightly, and his head was almost touching the ceiling.

    It was no wonder that when they fell, it was only a little painful. They were not really hurt.

    ¡°What should we do? It seems like there¡¯s no way out except for the movable floor above us.¡±Gu nianzhi said in confusion, ¡°What are they doing? Are they just going to leave us here and starve us to death?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything. He stood up and reached his hand out to the area above them where they had just fallen. He pressed down inch by inch.

    Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself as she spun around, unable to calm down for a moment.

    She wished she could fly out with wings!

    Huo Shaoheng took out the toolsmonly used by field workers from his trouser pocket and began to drill holes in the floor above them.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at his work without the slightest bit of worry. She wanted nothing more than to hang onto his strong arm.

    Huo Shaoheng focused on drilling the hole and suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

    He looked down at Gu Nianzhi and asked,¡±... is there a problem with your breathing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took two deep breaths. ¡°No? What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt that the tightness in his chest was getting worse.

    He endured the pain and used more strength to drill the hole.

    Fortunately, the house was made of wood, and the floor above his head was made of solid wood. Although it was very solid teak, it was nothingpared to the small tools that the field staff carried with them.

    It just needed time because the floor was too thick.

    Gu Nianzhi watched Huo Shaoheng drill the hole with rapt attention and raised her phone to light him up.

    Gradually, she noticed that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was getting paler and paler. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, and his arms were trembling slightly, as if he couldn¡¯t even hold the tools in his hands.

    However, he still stood there like a mountain, shielding her from all possible dangers and obstacles.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils constricted. She grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and ced her hand on his pulse to roughly sense it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pulse was very slow, and even his heartbeat seemed to have slowed down.

    By this time, Huo Shaoheng already knew what was going on here.

    The space here was exceptionally well-sealed, and there was insufficient oxygen supply.

    The floor above his head was not drilled through, and he could barely hold on any longer.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm. ¡°Stop drilling!¡±

    She growled and pulled him down. ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her nervous little face and tried to say,¡±... nothing, just a little stuffy.¡±

    ¡°Stuffy?¡±Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    But Huo Shaoheng¡¯s symptom was ack of oxygen.

    Gu Nianzhi understood that the space was sealed, so they had stayed inside for a while and ran out of oxygen, so Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest was stuffy and he couldn¡¯t breathe.

    She didn¡¯t have time to think about why she didn¡¯t have this symptom, so she pulled Huo shaoheng away and said, ¡°Let me do it!¡±

    Just as she was about to make a move, she heard footsteps above her head.

    Someone wasing..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1784, ¡°Scene reenactment (2)¡±.

    A rmendation ticket to remind everyone!

    June is thest day, dear monthly tickets to hand it ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1785

    Chapter 1785: Chapter 1785 re-enactment (3)(second request for monthly pass)

    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

    Although Huo Shaoheng was almost out of breath, his instincts from years of special training had allowed him to react quickly. He pulled Gu Nianzhi down, turned off his phone, and hid in a corner on the other side.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely anxious, but Huo Shaoheng held her tightly. She couldn¡¯t break free, and she didn¡¯t dare to struggle too hard. She was worried that if Huo Shaoheng used too much force, he would be deprived of oxygen and pass out.

    But if she didn¡¯t struggle, would she just sit there and wait to die?

    Gu Nianzhi was in a state of anxiety when she heard a thud above her head. The movable floor had been pushed away.

    A gust of fresh air instantly flowed through the open floor into the small basement.

    Huo Shaoheng was instantly energized.

    He controlled his breathing so that no one would notice that he hadn¡¯t fainted. At the same time, he whispered in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear, ¡°Pretend to faint.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi fell into his arms, motionless.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Someone was lying on the floor, holding a shlight and shining it down.

    Huo Shaoheng could feel the light hovering around his eyelids. He remained in a motionless position, perfectly disying the word ¡°Faint.¡±.

    The person took the photo for a while and then waved his hand.

    A few burly men jumped down from above.

    The man at the front jumped down with a baseball bat and hit Huo Shaoheng hard on the back of his neck.

    People who really knew how to hit people would choose a weapon simr to a baseball bat, because this kind of weapon could cause serious injuries and internal bleeding, but not a single drop of blood would flow out, making it easier to clean up the scene.

    Otherwise, if there was blood, the police would be able to detect it with chemical methods no matter how clean it was.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes were still closed, but he could sense the direction from the sound of the man waving the bat.

    Just as the bat was about to hit the back of his neck, Huo Shaoheng suddenly opened his eyes and quickly reached out to grab the man¡¯s arm and snap it back.

    The man screamed in pain as his lower arm was snapped by Huo Shaoheng and the baseball bat in his hand was snatched away by Huo Shaoheng.

    Immediately after, Huo Shaoheng jumped up and swung the baseball bat in his hand repeatedly, beating up the burly men who had jumped down from the back until they cried for their parents. Very quickly, they were all beaten to the ground and fainted without moving.

    The man who had been lying on the open floor watching the movements of the basement widened his eyes in shock. He had not expected this seemingly casual young man to be so powerful!

    He knew that things were not looking good. The other party hade prepared and immediately changed his mind. He nned to leave this ce immediately.

    However, he was not willing to leave just like that. He wanted to close the floor and suffocate Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, and the others in the basement.

    It was because of this evil thought that he had dyed the time.

    Huo Shaoheng had already rushed out from the floor. The baseball bat in his hand swung in a circle in the air and suddenly hit the gray head that was trying to close the floor.

    He did not really hit the man¡¯s head. Just as he was about to hit the man, Huo Shaoheng swung the baseball bat to both sides, breaking both of the man¡¯s arms, then he hit the knee joints of the man¡¯s legs twice.

    The man was already sixty-five years old. Although he looked like he was in his early fifties, that was only on the surface. His bones did not look like they belonged to a man in his early fifties.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strikes with the baseball bat were even more precise and powerful than those of the thugs who specialized in hitting people with baseball bats. They all aimed at the most vulnerable parts of the joints of the arms and legs. With a single hit, they were all shattered into pieces.

    They were all trained students. Before they fought, they had to learn human anatomy. They had to use the fastest speed and the shortest time possible to inflict the greatest damage to the enemy.

    Moreover, the requirements were stricter for them ¡ª they had to be able to control the damage.

    In other words, they had to know how the fight was going to end.

    The man could not stand the intense pain. He screamed, rolled his eyes, and fainted.

    Huo Shaoheng hit him with one hit. He quicklyy on the ground, holding a baseball bat, and looked around vigntly.

    Fortunately, the door to the small reception room was still closed.

    Even if there were people outside, they would only think that the two young men ¡°Their master¡±had captured were being tortured and would not think of anything else.

    Huo Shaoheng listened for a while more, then slowly crawled on the ground and moved to the door of the small reception room. He locked the door and only got up after making sure that no one could break in for the time being.

    He carried the baseball bat and returned to the open floor. He half-bent his knees and looked at it, almostughing out of anger.

    Gu Nianzhi was standing in the basement with a baseball bat in her hand, staring at the burly men that Huo Shaoheng hadid on the floor.

    As long as any of them moved, even if it was to shrink their legs, Gu Nianzhi would hit them with the bat like whac-a-mole.

    Those people had already been knocked unconscious by Huo Shaoheng. One of them woke up, but was once again knocked unconscious by Gu Nianzhi.

    Moreover, Gu Nianzhi did not hit them lightly, unlike Huo Shaoheng, who knew his limits.

    Therefore, those who had been knocked unconscious by her would not be able to wake up for a while.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was still eager to give it a try, with a headache. He looked at her with a sullen face and stretched out his hand towards the basement. ¡°Come up quickly!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up. ¡°Everything¡¯s settled up there?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded.

    Gu Nianzhi stood on her tiptoes and grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s outstretched hand.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her up with a little force.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and muttered, ¡°What about the old man?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pointed at the person lying on the wall not far away and said, ¡°Right there. I broke his knee and elbow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She held a baseball bat in one hand and hit it with the other. She said hatefully, ¡°Where¡¯s his hand? I want to break his hand too!¡±

    She had just touched her hand, Pooh!

    Old Fart!

    Huo Shaoheng came to his senses and walked over with a sullen face. He stepped on the back of the man¡¯s hand a few times and woke him up. He screamed twice and fainted from the pain.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. His hand is also crippled. The bones in his hand arepletely shattered.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief and said with a cold smile, ¡°This man has finally delivered himself to our doorstep. We were worried that we wouldn¡¯t be able to find a chance to put him in jail!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Call the police and give young master he a call while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°OH.¡±She lowered her head guiltily and muttered, ¡°Just call the police. Why do we still need to look for young master he?¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to see he zhichu at all right now. The thought of him made her feel ufortable.

    She wasn¡¯t ready to believe that the two of them were biological siblings.

    Huo Shaoheng stroked her head and said with a half-smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sorry? Would you rather he wasn¡¯t your brother? HMM?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1785, reenactment (3) .

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    June is thest day, dear monthly tickets to hand it ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * *

 Chapter 1786

    Chapter 1786: Chapter 1786: all men make mistakes

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng, not feeling guilty anymore, ¡°I just can¡¯t ept it right now. Besides, it¡¯s already so hard for me to ept. I don¡¯t know what young master he will think, so I¡¯d better not trouble him for the time being...¡±

    ¡°You have to separate your work from your personal life,¡±Huo Shaoheng said meaningfully. ¡°Call him immediately. The police can¡¯t handle things here alone.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be?¡±Gu nianzhi frowned and looked around. ¡°Isn¡¯t he just an old man with a little stinky money? What kind of background can he have?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng obviously had more experience than Gu Nianzhi.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was extremely intelligent, she was born with an IQ.

    Experience was not something that could be born with. It could only be honed through time and experience.

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and searched for historical information about the house. He said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Look at who owned this house in the past. How could someone with no background own a house like this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had thought of this immediately because there was a house like this in the same area of C City in the opposite world. However, that house had already been owned by the government more than a decade ago and had been set up as a museum.

    On the other side, the house had not yet been owned by the government, but it would be owned soon.

    Huo Shaoheng remembered the maid saying that the house would soon be ¡°Donated¡±to the government as a museum.

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head out to take a look. ¡°Huh?¡±She eximed. ¡°This house was once upied by the representative of the United States government in China before the founding of the People¡¯s Republic?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The property rights were transferred to himter, and he donated it to a charitable foundation in the United States.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng spoke based on the information he had on the other side of the world. He nced at the old man lying on the ground and said,¡±... he must have gotten this house from that charitable foundation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Why did the American charity foundation sell the house to him?¡±Gu Nianzhi was curious. ¡°How much did it cost?¡±

    ¡°You can ask young master he to look into it.¡±Huo Shaoheng put away his phone and walked over to the old man. He dragged him up, put him on the sofa, and sshed a bottle of mineral water on his face.

    The old man was shocked by the cold water and slowly opened his eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at him with a cold expression on his face. He wore sunsses and ced a baseball bat on the old man¡¯s head. He said calmly, ¡°You have guts to kidnap us.¡±

    The old man came back to his senses and retorted angrily, ¡°You were the ones who attacked me! You came to rob me and hurt me! I want to call the police!¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±Huo Shaoheng crossed his legs and sat down across from him. He rested one hand on the armrest of the sofa, he said coldly, ¡°Your thugs are still lying in your basement. When the police arrive, are you going to pretend you don¡¯t know them?¡±

    ¡°What thugs?¡±The old man endured the pain in his hand and rolled his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to find an opportunity to escape from this small meeting room.

    However, when he moved his legs, a piercing pain hit him. It was no less painful than the pain in his hands.

    He looked down and saw that his two soft legs were propped up at a strange angle. He was instantly dumbfounded.

    He wanted to touch his own legs, but his arms did not listen to him at all. The moment he moved, he was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat.

    There was no part of his body that did not hurt. It was as if someone had used a knife to pick out all the bones in his body.

    His vision went ck, and he fainted again.

    Huo Shaoheng was impatient. He walked over and poured another ss of water. At the same time, he pinched the person in the middle and forced him to wake up. He said coldly, ¡°If you faint again, I¡¯ll Bury You Alive.¡±

    The voice was cold and stern. No one who heard it would doubt his words.

    The old man shuddered. He endured the waves of pain and trembled as he said,¡±... did you beat me up like this?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Huo Shaoheng firmly denied it. ¡°Which eye of yours saw me beat you up? Where¡¯s the evidence?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stood up and took the baseball bat from Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I beat you up! You Bitch, you¡¯re still doing such a dirty thing at your age! I¡¯m going to sue you for molestation! I was defending myself!¡±

    The old man red at Gu Nianzhi and spat angrily. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Molestation? You have evidence? !¡±

    ¡°Of course I do,¡±Gu Nianzhi replied quickly, he pointed at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°He saw it with his own eyes. He¡¯s my witness. Also, you have surveince cameras installed in your living room, so you can pull them up. You touched my hand and said Sugar Daddy¡¯s words, so you haven¡¯t deleted them yet, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    The old man¡¯s lips opened and closed. He wanted to retort, but couldn¡¯t because there were indeed surveince cameras in his living room..

    ¡°It was just a touch of your hand. is that considered molestation?¡±The old man quickly found another reason. ¡°I wanted to shake your hand! It¡¯s just basic etiquette!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, your family¡¯s etiquette is to shake hands with the back of your hand.¡±Gu Nianzhi bashed her hand with a baseball bat in disdain, she said, ¡°Cut the crap. Tell Me, why did you set up a trap to catch me? ! I have no enmity with you, why are you so vicious ? ? ! You¡¯re already so old, yet you still do such a heartless thing. Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution soon? !¡±

    ¡°This is a misunderstanding...¡±the old man said and suddenly shouted,¡±... save...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was quick to react. He covered his jaw with one hand and removed it.

    The old man¡¯sst word was silenced before he could say it.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him and calmly said, ¡°We¡¯ll call the police too. Just wait for the police to take care of you!¡±

    The old man¡¯s eyes were filled with obvious fear as soon as she finished speaking. His throat was making sounds as if he was begging for mercy.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and calmly said, ¡°If you promise not to make any noise, I can push your chin up. But if you make any more noise, I won¡¯t care about the weight of my hands.¡±

    The old man could already feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strength and speed. His body was in excruciating pain, and he knew that he had met his enemy this time.

    An evil person would only submit to someone more ruthless than him.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that he seemed to have surrendered, so he reached out to help him reattach his chin.

    The Old Man¡¯s chin was reattached, and he immediately said, ¡°I was wrong... I know I was wrong... I shouldn¡¯t have started with lust... I¡¯ll give you money, and I¡¯llpensate you. One million, ten million, or 100 million? It¡¯s fine!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re that Rich?¡±Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to look at him. ¡°Is it really that simple?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault, it¡¯s all my fault.¡±. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re too beautiful. I liked you the moment I saw you, so I was obsessed with you. Please spare me, this old man... I¡¯m almost 70 years old... Even if you sue me in court, it¡¯ll only be an apology, not even criminal liability...¡±

    ¡°You know thew quite well,¡±Gu Nianzhi said sarcastically. ¡°You know...¡±

    She had wanted to say that she was awyer, but on second thought, wouldn¡¯t that expose her?

    Therefore, she quickly stopped and said, ¡°Do you know that I can also hire awyer?¡±

    The old man was stunned for a moment, then he began to beg for mercy even more pitifully. ¡°Please, Miss, please spare me this time. I Won¡¯t pursue the matter if you beat me up like this, and I won¡¯t do this again in the future. Even if I want to, I can¡¯t. Please spare me. I¡¯ll give you a lot of money and gifts without any conditions. As long as you don¡¯t call the police, please spare me this time!¡±

    He even offered to transfer the money to them immediately, begging them not to call the police.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with amusement and pointed at herself. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m Stupid? Or do you think money can buy everything?¡±

    The old man smiled weakly. ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re still young and don¡¯t know the power of money. In fact, money can really buy everything.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Gu Nianzhi held the baseball bat and patted the old man on the head, she said coldly, ¡°Can money buy your life? Look, no matter how rich you are, you won¡¯t be able to live through life. Of course you can¡¯t live without money. But if you think you can do whatever you want with money, that¡¯s pretty pathetic.¡±

    ¡°... Money Can¡¯t buy your own life, but it can buy the lives of others.¡±The old man¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°For example, right now, as long as you show mercy and don¡¯t report me to the police, my life will be bought by me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too early.¡±Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back and held the baseball bat in her hands. She was like a cat¡¯s tail, walking leisurely around the small reception room, she said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you admit that you¡¯re molesting yourself, you can divert our attention.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and looked up at the small, quaint reception room. It was as if she had returned to ancient times, and at the same time, she had also returned to the atmosphere of inequality between people in ancient times.

    ¡°I¡¯m giving you onest chance. Tell me why you set up a trap to catch me.¡±Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the old man and looked down at him. ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie. Do you believe that I can analyze the truth from your words?¡±

    The Old Man:¡±...¡±

    He saw that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t budge, neither would she budge. He was at a loss for what to do, he could only bite the bullet and say,¡±... When did I Lie? I was just a womanizer and made a mistake that every man in the world would make. What¡¯s the matter? You want to shoot me for such a small matter?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just avoiding the important and trying to hide your true purpose.¡±Gu Nianzhi saw that he was being stubborn, so she didn¡¯t beat around the bush.

    The old man¡¯s pupils constricted.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow, not letting go of the change in his expression.

    ¡°I was right?¡±Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you were the one who invited us in in the first ce. This means that you¡¯re familiar with our faces.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared into the old man¡¯s evasive eyes. ¡°Stop pretending, it¡¯s our faces. Do they look like the people you know?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±The old man retorted subconsciously. ¡°How could I know someone who looks like you? ! Didn¡¯t youe back from America? !¡±

    ¡°Haha! That means we do!¡±Gu Nianzhi was the best at making logical deductions, she immediately said, ¡°I said ¡®We¡¯, but you subconsciously denied ¡®i¡¯as the only person who looks like me. This means that you really know someone who looks like me. It was because of this person that you had the idea to invite us in. In the end, you set a trap and tried to kidnap me, didn¡¯t you?¡±? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1786, ¡°All men make mistakes.¡±.

    A reminder of your rmendation tickets!

    On the first day of July, please hand in your guaranteed monthly tickets

    Second Watch, 8 pm.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1787

    Chapter 1787: Chapter 1787 came with ill intentions. (chapter 2 asked for a monthly pass.)

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were not groundless.

    Ever since they hade to C city to investigate Qin Huichang and his wife¡¯s former colleagues, neighbors, and friends, they had ssified them ording to how close they were to each other.

    Of the three people they had found, the first was a colleague who had been admitted to a nursing home. This person was not very close to them, but he still remembered what had happened decades ago.

    The second person was the old woman they had found in the neighborhood yesterday.

    From this old woman, they had a qualitative breakthrough.

    Gu Nianzhi could almost guess who her biological mother was.

    So today, Gu Nianzhi had long been mentally prepared for the third person.

    This person was definitely the one who knew the most about the past.

    He could have been good or bad. Of course, he could have been a bystander.

    If this person hadn¡¯t done anything, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to guess what kind of person he was.

    But not only had this person done it, he had even tried to kidnap her with a trap.

    He had already done so much. Wasn¡¯t the good and the bad obvious?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the uncontroble look of fear on the person¡¯s face. She raised her chin slightly, and her dark and deep eyes were filled with suppressed anger.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you denying it anymore?¡±She held the baseball bat in her right hand and slowly tapped it on her left hand. ¡°Where¡¯s the original photo of you? And what¡¯s with this doll? !¡±

    The old man¡¯s eyes suddenly stopped flickering when he heard these questions.

    He probably knew that he had finally lost. He had waited for so many years for his other shoe to finally fall to the ground, but he had instead calmed down.

    ¡°... So You¡¯re admitting that you¡¯re not some Chinese from New York?¡±He said slowly, a disdainful smile on his face.

    Gu Nianzhi did notment. She smiled and said, ¡°When have I ever said that I¡¯m not?¡±

    ¡°Ha, a Chinese who returned from New York would be interested in that doll?¡±The old man asked in return. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m Stupid? You two sneakily took photos of my house. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice?¡±

    ¡°We were just taking photos. To be honest with you, before today, we took photos in many other ces.¡±Gu Nianzhi sneered as she raised her baseball bat, ¡°No one else invited us in like you did, but they all told us to leave! What else could it be but a guilty conscience? !¡±

    The old man¡¯s eyes twitched.

    He saw Gu Nianzhi at the door on the second floor, and the more he looked at her, the more familiar she became. He then thought of asking her toe in and see what was going on.

    When he saw the way she took off her sunsses, she looked very simr to Qin yaoguang, who had a knife in the brain surgery department of the Qin family. He knew what was going on.

    This person should be Gu Nianzhi.

    She had definitelye to C city with ill intentions.

    He had been paying attention to Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang¡¯swsuit, but he hadn¡¯t gone to the capital personally. He had only asked someone to inquire about the progress of thewsuit and the trial.

    Ever since he had found out that Gu Nianzhi had discovered that Qin Yaoguang wasn¡¯t her biological mother, he had been restless and had immediately decided to go abroad to settle down.

    He was so rich that he had already prepared a foreign passport and identity for himself.

    He had originally nned to leave C city in two days and ask someone to sell and transfer all the properties here.

    But two days before he was about to leave the country, Gu Nianzhi hade looking for him.

    She had arrived so quickly..

    The old man closed his eyes and said indifferently, ¡°I won¡¯t talk to you anymore. If you have the ability, call the police. I want awyer. Before thewyer arrives, I won¡¯t say another word.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood idly by the side and listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Now that the old man hade up with a ¡°Non-violent and non-cooperative¡±strategy, Gu Nianzhi had no choice.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment, then took out his phone and swiped it open. Seeing that there was still a signal, he sent he zhichu a text message: ¡°Lawyer Gu, C city is in danger and needs help.¡±

    Not even a second after he sent the message, he zhichu replied: ¡°Someone informed me about the Chinese courtyard next to the green space in the center of C City, right? I¡¯m already on the ne and will be there in two hours.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at he zhichu¡¯s reply on his phone and was a little confused.

    Who informed him?

    He Zhichu did not reply to Huo Shaoheng. In fact, he only received a GPS address on his phone and a message: [ Gu Nianzhi is in trouble in C city. I hope you can help me. ]

    He Zhichu immediately turned on his phone and found that Gu Nianzhi was indeed at that location.

    He did not dare to call Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone right away. He was worried that she would not be able to answer the call or expose his whereabouts, so he immediately gathered his men and flew over on a private ne.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that he zhichu was no longer replying, so he handed the phone to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and saw that it was he zhichu¡¯s reply. Her heart trembled slightly, but she quickly recovered and said in confusion, ¡°Who informed him? He¡¯s here so quickly...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng used the elimination method to think for a while. He took the phone and wrote a few words: [ it could be your father. ]

    ¡°AH? No Way. Didn¡¯t he leave alone?¡±Gu Nianzhi was very confused, but she remembered that Lu Jin was also very good atputers. She thought about it and also wrote on the phone: [ ... could it really be my father? ]

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°It can only be him.¡±

    That meant that even though Lu Jin wasn¡¯t at the apartment in the capital, he was still in constant contact with theputer in the apartment and was getting information from the artificial intelligence hologram?

    It made sense now that she thought about it.

    Knowing that Lu Jin hadn¡¯tpletely disappeared and was still worried about her safety, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious mood finally calmed down.

    He Zhichu was also on his way here.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that she had Huo Shaoheng on her left, he zhichu on her right, and Lu Jin behind her!

    These three people were all by her side to protect her, so she didn¡¯t have to be afraid of anyone.

    [ there are still two hours left. Wait until young master he arrives before calling the police? ]

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. [ I¡¯ll send him a message. ]

    As long as he zhichu was here, they would be able to deal with the aftermath.

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief and immediately said, ¡°Send a message to the pilot of the private ne as well. Tell him that we¡¯re ready to go back.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng agreed and picked up his phone to send a message to the pilot of their private ne, Lu Jin, to arrange for their return.

    Their private ne had to contact the airport¡¯s dispatcher for takeoff. They couldn¡¯t just leave like he zhichu did.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a little regretful.

    This wasn¡¯t his country, after all. It was his territory.

    He waspletely on his own here, unlike in the other world where he had the entire country behind him.

    Now that he zhichu was sure toe, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in a hurry to search the entire house. She just stood in front of the small table and looked at the doll carefully.

    This doll looked exactly like the doll she had yed with when she was young. Why was it here?

    The doll¡¯s appearance was from the Qin family¡¯s daughter. It looked more like Wen Shouyi and Luo Piaopiao.

    Gu Nianzhi did not look like this when she was young. She was just a little chubby..

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the envelope in front of the doll again. She was a little itchy, but she did not touch the envelope.

    Since he zhichu had to take care of everything, Gu Nianzhi did not want to get involved.

    She nned to give he zhichu some time to buffer himself while he zhichu investigated the matter. Otherwise, it would be too awkward.

    The two of them sat in the small reception room and quietly swiped their phones.

    Gu Nianzhi was texting Lu Jin on her phone. She kept asking: ¡°Dad, where are you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was contacting lu yuan: ¡°Lu Jin is missing.¡±

    Soon, Lu Yuan called him directly.

    He stood in front of the military-style building in Z city and asked anxiously: ¡°What do you mean? What do you Mean Lu Jin is missing? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hung up and sent a message: ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to talk, you can text me.¡±

    Lu Yuan had no choice but to text him: [ didn¡¯t I ask you to keep an eye on him? ! He disappeared right under your nose. Are you ipetent, or is he too arrogant? ]

    Huo Shaoheng: [ ... ]

    Lu Yuan was burning with anxiety: [ What¡¯s Going On? When did you realize he was missing? ]

    Huo Shaoheng replied: [ ... Nianzhi and I came to C city. He probably left after we left. ]

    Lu Yuan was even angrier: [ I told you to keep an eye on him! How could you leave your post without permission? ! ]

    Huo Shaoheng replied apologetically: [ I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault. Nianzhi wanted toe to C city to look for clues about the Qin Huichang couple, so I came with her. ]

    Lu Yuan knew that the Qin Huichang couple were the family that sold thend. They were the parents of general he¡¯s wife, Qin Suwen, and general he chengjian¡¯s parents-inw.

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips and typed with a sullen face, ¡°Hurry up and think of a way to find him. I think he might have already gone abroad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    If he had already gone abroad, how was he going to find him?

    Would he have to search the entire Blue?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1787, ¡°Coming with ill intent.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    On the first day of July, please hand in your guaranteed monthly pass

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1788

    Chapter 1788: Chapter 1788: Remembering Someone When you see them (first and foremost, monthly pass)

    Two hours passed. Gu Nianzhi did not receive a reply from Lu Jin, and Huo Shaoheng did not continue to text Lu Yuan.

    He put away his phone and jumped down to the basement to tie up the people whose legs had been broken.

    When he came up, he heard he Zhichu¡¯s voice at the door. ¡°Open the door.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise. ¡°Young master he? You¡¯re here so soon?¡±

    She walked to the door and unlocked it.

    He Zhichu was dressed in a ck uniform. He stood tall and straight at the door of the small reception room.

    His sparkling peach blossom eyes were frosty, and his handsome face was foggy.

    However, the frosty look in his eyes disappeared the moment heid eyes on Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay?¡±His voice was still cold and clear. There was no fluctuation in his voice.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be fine as long as you¡¯re here.¡±

    She turned around and let he zhichu walk in.

    As she closed the door, she took a quick nce at the situation outside.

    She was slightly taken aback.

    Several men in ck uniforms like he zhichu had already taken care of everyone in the chinese-style courtyard.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were sharp. She saw the young maid who had opened the door for them. She was dressed in white and had ck pants. She was standing at the entrance, shivering.

    Before the girl could look over, Gu Nianzhi gently closed the door to the small reception room.

    She turned around and saw he zhichu standing in front of the unconscious old man. He had his hands behind his back and asked Huo Shaoheng, who was standing to the side, ¡°What¡¯s Going On?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand and led him to the basement, where the floor could be opened and closed. He said, ¡°Look Down.¡±

    He zhichu could see a few burly men lying around in the basement under the dim lights.

    Their legs and arms were propped up at strange angles. It was obvious that they had been broken.

    He Zhichu narrowed his eyes. ¡°These people were beaten up by you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rushed up and said, ¡°I was the one who beat them up! I was...¡±

    She pointed at the old man lying on the ground. ¡°It was him. He tricked me intoing in, lured me with this doll and a letter, and dropped me into the basement over there! Fortunately, Mr. Peter was alert and jumped down with me.¡±

    ¡°The basement was well sealed, and soon the oxygen was almost depleted. When Mr. Peter and I passed out, these men jumped down. They were holding baseball bats and trying to kill us! I had to defend myself!¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her quietly. After a while, he said, ¡°Nianzhi, how many people do you think will believe what you just said in court? !¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re a barrister. Your excuse is so clumsy. In the future, don¡¯t tell anyone that you were my student.¡±He Zhichu raised the back of his hand and coughed lightly under his nose. He nced at Gu Nianzhi casually, just as she was looking away, he stole another nce at him.

    His gaze was filled with admiration and shame.

    He Zhichu was slightly taken aback. He felt strange.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled with a red face.¡±... If I go to court, I¡¯ll revise my statement.¡±

    She had indeed made a lot of mistakes earlier.

    Huo Shaoheng was right here. He would rather admit it openly than say that there was no silver in this ce.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was themittee of State Security (KGB) . Huo Shaoheng was now a former KGB member and a Soviet diplomat in China.

    Such a person must be quite skilled.

    She was trying to cover it up..

    Gu Nianzhi thought quickly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want Mr. Peter to get involved. He¡¯s a Soviet diplomat and doesn¡¯t want to cause a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.¡±

    This was a good way to save her dignity.

    Huo Shaoheng listened quietly from the side and said, ¡°The Soviets have always been able to make a move and never say much. We can¡¯t just watch the woman we like fall into a trap and be unmoved.¡±

    He Zhichu ignored him and looked at the doll on the table in the middle of the small meeting room. He let out a soft ¡°Eh¡±.

    This doll was almost identical to the doll that Gu Nianzhi liked to y with when she was young.

    However, he knew that this doll was a fake and the real doll was in his house..

    He zhichu walked over with an indifferent expression, put on his white gloves, and reached out to grab the doll.

    Just like Gu Nianzhi, he did not pick up the doll.

    He Zhichu exerted a little more force, and the table seemed to make a soft thud. He pulled the doll up in mid-air, and a few pieces of wobbly stic thread emerged from the bottom of the doll¡¯s skirt.

    On the table, where the doll was originally standing, a small round hole appeared. Inside the round hole was a simple mechanical device that was powered by a battery.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed to the device and said, ¡°This is the thing. Whenwyer gu tugged on the doll, the floor over there opened automatically. Lawyer Gu fell from there.¡±

    It was in the direction of the basement and was right across from he zhichu.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face turned cold.¡±... Is it this old man?¡±

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and asked softly, ¡°Do you know anyone here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and answered honestly, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°How dare youe in here if you don¡¯t know anyone?¡±

    He Zhichu chided,¡±... you dare to enter any room and touch anything. You¡¯ve suffered, haven¡¯t you? Serves you right.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s awkwardness and uneasiness were dispelled by this well-timed rebuke. She smiled mischievously and said, ¡°Young master he, I won¡¯t do it again. You¡¯d better watch how this ce is cleaned up...¡±

    She pointed at the old man who had fainted on the floor and said, ¡°He was very stubborn at first, saying that we had entered the house to attack him. Later, when I said that I was going to call the police, he relented and admitted that he had been possessed by lust and wanted to have an affair with me. He was going to pay me arge sum of money to settle it privately.¡±

    ¡°In his dreams.¡±He zhichu snorted. ¡°You didn¡¯t agree, did you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t agree.¡±Gu Nianzhi spread her hands, she said helplessly, ¡°But... you know... We did make a move. Even though it was self-defense, thew says that it was excessive. I¡¯m worried that if he gets a goodwyer, we¡¯ll still be in trouble.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched and he said mockingly, ¡°Now You¡¯re afraid? Then what are you doing here?¡±

    He looked at the doll in his hand. He had always thought that things would not be so simple.

    He nced at the letter out of the corner of his eye and remembered that Gu Nianzhi had also said that the old man had used the doll and a letter to seduce her..

    What kind of letter was it?

    He Zhichu put down the doll and opened the envelope.

    There was nothing in the envelope except for a yellowed ck and white photo.

    He Zhichu took out the photo and was stunned when he saw it.

    There were three people in the photo.

    He knew two of them, or rather, they looked familiar. He had seen the photo before.

    They were his maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother.

    His mother, Qin Suwen, had experienced a tragic car ident when she was young. In that car ident, not only did she lose her parents, but she also lost her memory.

    Later on, the photos of his grandfather and grandmother had been taken by his father, he chengjian, in order to please his wife. He had gone to great lengths to obtain the registration photos from the school where they had started their careers.

    He Zhichu had seen the photos of the two of them when he was a child, so he recognized them at a nce.

    However, he was not too surprised by the two of them. What shocked him even more was the little girl sitting between his grandfather and grandmother.

    This little girl was exactly like Gu Nianzhi!

    Of course, she was also exactly like Qin yaoguang..

    He Zhichu¡¯s mind went nk for a moment, and he asked in a trembling voice,¡±... who is this person? Could It Be Qin Yaoguang? !¡±

    How Could Qin yaoguang have photos of her childhood with her grandfather and grandmother? !

    But that wasn¡¯t right. Qin yaoguang had obviously undergone stic surgery..

    ¡°Who is this person? ! She is definitely not Qin Yaoguang!¡±He Zhichu said firmly.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little flustered and subconsciously wanted to escape.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng and slowly moved closer to him.

    He Zhichu saw that she actually wanted to run, so he grabbed her arm without thinking. His voice was as cold as the Arctic. ¡°Speak! Who Is this person? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said coldly to he zhichu, ¡°Let Her Go!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was being pulled around by the two men. She was very afraid that the two men would identally break her arm, so she quickly said, ¡°Calm down! Calm down, both of you! If you have something to say, say it properly. Don¡¯t do anything!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down, and his sparkling peach blossom eyes suddenly became Misty. It filled his eyes that were as moving as spring water.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. He pried open he zhichu¡¯s fingers one by one, then pulled gu nianzhi behind him to protect her. He said, ¡°We don¡¯t know who this person is.¡±

    Gu nianzhi only felt safer after hiding behind Huo Shaoheng.

    Her heart was still thumping, almost jumping out of her throat.

    She looked up and saw that he zhichu¡¯s originally fair face had be as white and cold as winter snow. Only his eyes were ck, and they were exceptionally ck.

    ¡°... young master he, calm down. I was also very surprised when I saw the remake of this photo. That¡¯s why I was tricked by him toe in and see the original...¡±

    Gu nianzhi said sheepishly, ¡°How else would I have fallen for his trap?¡±

    The three people they had found, the first was a colleague from the nursing home. He was kind and amiable. Although he did not know much, he told them everything he knew.

    The second was a neighbor of an elderly woman who had Alzheimer¡¯s disease. He had given them crucial information.

    Therefore, when it came to the third friend, Gu Nianzhi subconsciously felt that this person would give them more useful information.

    This was the nature of human thinking.

    If there were one, there would be two, then there would be three.

    It just so happened that the other party had attacked them here, catching them off guard.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi was with Huo Shaoheng. Even if such an ident happened, they would be able to save themselves.

    The most powerful person was not someone who could alwayse up with a n. Of course, such a person did not exist.

    The most powerful person was someone who could adapt to changes in the environment to protect themselves.

    Such a person would always be invincible.

    He Zhichu did not know how Gu Nianzhi and the others had happened to find this ce, but he knew that they definitely had not ¡°Just happened¡±to be here.

    How could there be so many coincidences?

    It was just that someone had been nning everything meticulously.

    He Zhichu suppressed his racing heart and looked at the photo again.

    The three people in the photo had an intimate and natural attitude. It was obvious that they were a family.

    Since the two adult men and women were his grandfather and grandmother, then who else was the little girl sitting with them intimately?

    He Zhichu looked at the photo for a long time. Suddenly, he looked up at Gu Nianzhi.

    She smiled at him embarrassedly.

    Her voluptuous lips curved into a smile, and her big eyes curved into a crescent moon, just in time to coincide with the Smile of the little girl in the photo..

    A thought shed through he zhichu¡¯s mind.

    It was like a bolt of lightning that exploded in his heart, leaving him battered and bruised all over. All his support and faith copsed at that moment.

    He Zhichu staggered back two steps and stopped when he bumped into the corner of the table behind him.

    He turned around in some panic, not daring to look Gu Nianzhi in the eyes again, and even more so, not daring to look straight into his own heart..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1788, ¡°Looking at things and thinking of people.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    The beginning of the month was also a Monday. Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets were both very important ~ ~

    The second update was at 8 p.m.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1789

    Chapter 1789: Chapter 1789: Listening and believing (second, more rmendation tickets)

    Gu Nianzhi looked at he zhichu¡¯s back and the smile on her face faded.

    He should have thought of that too, right?

    The photo was of Qin Huichang¡¯s family of three.

    Even if he zhichu did not know who the little girl was at first, as long as he saw the photo of his grandfather and grandmother, he would know who the little girl really was..

    Gu Nianzhi touched her face, thinking that the power of genes was too terrifying..

    Huo Shaoheng quietly walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, he said to he zhichu, ¡°Young master he, continue interrogating these people. I heard that they are rted to the case of your mother¡¯s car ident. ¡°This old man was your grandfather and grandmother¡¯s friend back then... Also, you have to get the surveince cameras in this house quickly, or this old man will turn the tables on you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had told him everything he could. He believed that with he zhichu¡¯s skills and abilities, he would be able to get the old man to talk.

    Gu Nianzhi also sent the video of her and Huo Shaoheng in the basement to he zhichu, he zhichu said, ¡°This is the video of the two of US being locked in the basement. We couldn¡¯t see clearly in the front. Later, a few men jumped down with baseball bats and tried to kill us, but the video was very clear. The camera was a little shaky.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... we¡¯re leaving. The ne is waiting for us at the airport.¡±Huo Shaoheng said as he grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and quickly walked out of the door.

    Gu Nianzhi took a few steps and suddenly looked back.

    He zhichu just happened to turn his head as well.

    The two of them looked at each other in silence. Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly and waved at he zhichu, shouting,¡±... Go, brother!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s body shook and he quickly turned around. His back was still facing Gu Nianzhi. His eyes were sour and bitter, but he couldn¡¯t shed a single tear.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around as well. Seeing that he zhichu didn¡¯t turn around, he sighed in his heart and quickly took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and left.

    At this time, it was probably better to let he zhichu calm down alone.

    After an unknown amount of time, he zhichu turned around with a solemn expression, he gestured to the person outside the door. ¡°Call the police over and say that the military is taking over this ce. This old man is suspected to be involved in the car ident of my mother¡¯s family and needs to be brought back for investigation.¡±

    He was still holding the doll and envelope in his hands.

    He looked down and said, ¡°Send someone to the court to apply for a search warrant. I want to search this ce thoroughly from top to bottom. Don¡¯t let even a rat¡¯s nest go!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    He zhichu gave the order, and his men immediately took action.

    As he called the police, he went to the court to apply for a search warrant. At the same time, he negotiated with the police from beginning to end, hoping that the military would take over the case.

    When the other party heard that he zhichu was personally handling the case, they immediately agreed. At the same time, they sent many police officers over to closely guard this ce.

    Half an hourter, he zhichu¡¯s personal secretary ordered someone to push the stretcher to the unconscious old man and the few burly men in the basement who had their arms and legs broken.

    They had to be sent to the military hospital to bandage their wounds before they were sent to the capital to be judged.

    He Zhichu led his men to personally search the chinese-style courtyard.

    He did not know if it had been too long, or if the old man had disposed of everything because he was going abroad. In short, they had searched the mezzanine of the walls of the house, but they had not found anything else.

    Only the doll, the original photo, and the video of the thugs that Nianzhi had sent her were the only evidence.

    In the end, he zhichu ordered someone to pull up the surveince cameras in the house. Only then did he see what had happened in the living room.

    When he saw the old man groping at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand while Huo Shaoheng was not around, he zhichu¡¯s teeth almost broke.

    ..

    He Zhichu went to the hospital to see the old man.

    He stood in front of the hospital bed and looked coldly at the old man who was bandaged like a dumpling, he said coldly, ¡°You are friends with my grandfather and grandmother. Why Don¡¯t you have any photos of the two of you in your house? Not a single one.¡±

    The old man had already woken up. His arms, legs, and hands were all shattered. He knew that he had suffered a great loss this time. He closed his eyes and said, ¡°I want to hire awyer.¡±

    No matter how he zhichu asked, he would always say, ¡°I want to hire awyer.¡±

    ¡°Hire awyer? Sure.¡±He Zhichu crossed his arms and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m the bigwyer. Where¡¯s yourwyer? Tell him toe and see me.¡±

    The old man saw that he zhichu had relented, so he told him hiswyer¡¯s phone number.

    He Zhichu ordered someone to call thewyer, saying that his client was looking for him.

    Thewyer immediately rushed to the military hospital in C City. When he saw that his richest client was wrapped up like a dumpling, he was shocked. ¡°What happened? The old man is fine, how did he get hurt so badly? !¡±

    Without waiting for the old man to speak, he zhichu threw down a few photos of the scene, he said calmly, ¡°Your client is suspected of kidnapping, imprisoning, and violently beating up a young couple. He also hired a group of thugs. By the way, the thugs he hired have already confessed.¡±

    The old man¡¯swyer picked up the photo and looked at it carefully.

    When he saw a hole-like basement suddenly appear in the room, sweat broke out on his forehead.

    How could he defend himself?

    Without this basement, he could still forcefully turn the matter around, even saying that the young man beat his client.

    But now that the basement was out, there seemed to be a trap. It was hard to exin.

    He mumbled,¡±... What about the young couple? Can I talk to them?¡±

    ¡°No,¡±he zhichu said coldly. ¡°They are victims. They will not meet with you until they appear in court.¡±

    ¡°But my client is also seriously injured. Please don¡¯t say that these injuries were caused by him...¡±thewyer took out a tissue to wipe his sweat.

    He Zhichu raised his chin and put his hands behind his back. He said calmly, ¡°In order to defend themselves, that young man had a conflict with your client and his thugs. I will exin this to the judge when we go to court.¡±

    To be honest, thewyer did not believe that two young men could beat seven or eight burly men and even knock them down.

    He was in a hurry to talk to the old man and find out what the truth was.

    ¡°Mr. HE, there¡¯s something fishy about this. Could you let me talk to my client for a Moment?¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    He turned around and walked out of the old man¡¯s room. He leaned against the wall at the door and lit a cigarette.

    Recently, his addiction to cigarettes had been getting stronger.

    He zhichu blew out a smoke ring and looked ahead expressionlessly. He tried his best to let his mind go nk and not think about the real rtionship between Gu Nianzhi and him.

    In the room, thewyer was leaning against the old man¡¯s ear. He asked softly, ¡°What exactly is going on? You have to tell me the truth...¡±

    The old man closed his eyes and said hoarsely, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t do it. I was attacked.¡±

    Thewyer smiled bitterly, ¡°But a basement with traps suddenly appeared in your house. If the other party has evidence, prove...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where my house hides things.¡±The old man said in a deep voice, ¡°It was two thieves who broke into my house to steal things! I found them and severely injured my bodyguards and me! They actually dare to backstab us!¡±

    Although there were surveince cameras in the living room, there were no surveince cameras in the small meeting room and basement, so the old man chose to backstab them.

    Thewyer¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. ¡°That¡¯s a good reason!¡±

    The Old Man:¡±...¡±

    He opened his eyes angrily and couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°What are you saying? ! This is obviously the truth! What Reason? ! Believe it or not, I¡¯ll fire you!¡±

    ¡°Old Sir, don¡¯t be angry! Don¡¯t be angry!¡±Thewyer tried tofort the old man, his back straighter than before.

    He originally thought that this case could not be fought, but after hearing the old man¡¯s words, it seemed that it could still be reversed, and he was immediately full of confidence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will go and exin the situation to young master he right now!¡±Thewyer said as he pushed the door open and came out to look for he zhichu.

    He zhichu leaned against the wall by the door and smoked. When he saw thewyere out, he threw the cigarette into the trash can by the corridor and said, ¡°Are we done?¡±

    Thewyer said seriously, ¡°My client said that he was attacked. The two young men were thieves who tried to steal the things that my client hid in the basement. My client called for bodyguards to catch the thief, but he was seriously injured by the two thieves! Young Master He, you can¡¯t be biased, you must enforce thew impartially!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 1789, partial listening and partial faith.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    The beginning of the month is also a Monday. Both the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket are very important

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1790

    Chapter 1790: Chapter 1790 who gave him the courage

    He zhichu touched his chin and suppressed the anxiety and difort in his heart. He said without batting an eyelid, ¡°Are those two thieves? Trying to steal something from the basement? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure,¡±thewyer said firmly. He had full trust in his client.

    Because his client was very rich. Although he kept a low profile, everyone in their circle knew about it.

    The two young men had sneaked into his basement. weren¡¯t they trying to steal something?

    Thewyer had a preconceived idea and had already concluded that the two men were definitely up to no good.

    To him, the rich were the reason.

    Those without money were not worthy to reason with him.

    ¡°HMM, then what did your client lose?¡±He Zhichu asked expressionlessly with his hands in his trouser pockets.

    Thewyer:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... we¡¯ll find out after we do an inventory.¡±He sounded like he was bluffing, trying to blur his vision.

    ¡°So, your client lost a lot of things?¡±He zhichu focused on the word ¡°A lot.¡±His gaze was indifferent as he stared coldly at thewyer in front of him.

    Thewyer thought about the basement he saw just now... The basement of a rich man?

    There must be a lot of good stuff hidden in there..

    For example, thendlords and old-money capitalists who had just founded the country did not keep the good stuff in the bank. Instead, they dug a hole in their home and buried it.

    He nodded. ¡°Yes, a lot of things were lost.¡±

    ¡°Then, make a list now.¡±He Zhichu took out a lighter and tossed it up and down in his hand. ¡°Without the list, the police can¡¯t file a case.¡±

    ¡°AH? Then I¡¯ll go ask now.¡±Thewyer said as he hurried into the ward.

    ¡°Old Sir, can you remember what was lost? Master he said there¡¯s no lost and found list outside, so the police can¡¯t file a case.¡±

    The old man was stunned. ¡°Lost and found list? When did I say something was lost?¡±

    ¡°... didn¡¯t you just say...¡±thewyer was also stunned. He had just said that!

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about an attempt! Do you understand an attempt? !¡±The old man gnashed his teeth and red at thewyer. ¡°Two thousand dors an hour. How could I hire a trash like you? !¡±

    Thewyer was shocked and hurriedlyforted the old man. ¡°I understand! I understand! Don¡¯t be anxious! I¡¯ll go and talk to young master he right now! They are trying to steal, right?¡±

    The old man panted.¡±... Get lost!¡±

    Thewyer was as fat as a ball. When he was anxious, more sweat appeared on his forehead, and his entire face was shiny.

    He ran out of the ward again and said to he zhichu, panting, ¡°Young master he, it¡¯s a misunderstanding... a misunderstanding... my client didn¡¯t lose anything. The other party was trying to steal, but he didn¡¯t seed...¡±

    ¡°Trying to steal?¡±He zhichu scoffed and narrowed his almond-shaped eyes. ¡°I also said that your client was trying to murder! But the murder was attempted!¡±

    Thewyer felt as if he had been struck by lightning, he red at he zhichu and said, ¡°Young master he, you can¡¯t just say that! My client was beaten half to death by them. He might have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. You¡¯re actually saying that he attempted murder? ! Where¡¯s the evidence?¡±

    ¡°Of course the evidence has to be handed over to the police. Why should I show it to you?¡±He Zhichu put away his lighter and his face turned cold. ¡°That¡¯s enough. After the police and the court havepleted the formalities, immediately escort them to the capital!¡±

    The search of the ce hade to an end. All assets under the old man¡¯s name were temporarily sealed, and all funds were frozen.

    He wanted to return to the imperial capital to properly interrogate this ¡°Old friend¡±who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    Why did he have a doll that looked just like the doll that Nianzhi had yed with when she was young.

    Why did he have a family photo of his grandfather and grandmother, as well as a photo of his mother before she was suspected to have undergone stic surgery..

    He Zhichu could not look directly at the photo.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng came out of the old man¡¯s chinese-style courtyard and immediately called a taxi to go straight to the airport.

    Lu Jin¡¯s private pilot had already made arrangements with the airport and would be flying back to the capital soon.

    They rushed to the airport and went through a simple security check before they finally returned to Lu Jin¡¯s private ne.

    When he zhichu brought the old man and his goons to C city¡¯s hospital to be treated and bandaged, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were already on the flight back to the imperial capital.

    Gu Nianzhi did not speak or look at her phone. She sat in the ne in a daze, staring at the screen in front of her.

    There was an old movie ying on the screen, but she did not look at it at all.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that she had suffered quite a shock, so he did not disturb her for the time being. He just let her get used to it slowly.

    The nended at the Capital Airport at about nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the clear night sky and felt the cool and fresh air of the capital¡¯s spring night. She sighed lightly.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and did not speak. He just held her hand and brought her all the way home.

    When they reached Lu Jin¡¯s apartment on the Third Ring Road of the imperial capital, Gu Nianzhi immediately knocked on the door of Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    ¡°Dad! Open the door! It¡¯s nianzhi! How could you run away from me again? !¡±

    She banged on the door and shouted. Gradually, her voice turned into crying. It was as if she wanted to vent all the pain and pain she had been suppressing ever since she learned about the news about her biological mother.

    Huo Shaoheng had been watching from the side. It was only when he saw her bawling loudly that he went over to pick her up.

    Gu Nianzhi turned andy in his broad and strong arms, burying her head in her tears.

    ¡°... What on Earth is he trying to do? First, he hid my biological mother... and then he sneaked away... does he really want me to be an orphan?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sobbed, her eyes and nose red from crying.

    Huo Shaoheng took out a tissue and patiently wiped her tears. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look. Aren¡¯t you allowed to go in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She turned around and ced her palm on the fingerprint lock at Lu Jin¡¯s door.

    Lu Jin¡¯s fingerprint lock contained Gu Nianzhi¡¯s palm prints and could open his door.

    The door opened with a click, revealing the living room that she was extremely familiar with.

    For the past few months, she had practically treated this ce as her second home.

    When she walked in, everything in the room was still the same as when Lu Jin had lived here. However, without the owner, this ce inevitably revealed a deste feeling.

    The loneliness in the brocade bushes was the most deadly destion.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around and rushed to the secret door of Lu Jin¡¯sb. She opened the door and the lights in theb lit up.

    A few beams of light shone down from the roof and Lu Jin¡¯s holographic image gradually took shape.

    ¡°Nianzhi, my daughter, you¡¯re finally here.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s holographic image looked at his watch. ¡°You spent... time to find me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears were almost dry. She wiped her face with her hand, she shouted, ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t do this! I know you¡¯re still alive! You¡¯re not dead! Don¡¯t make yourst words sound like this! I Won¡¯t believe it! Not a word!¡±

    Even though she said she didn¡¯t believe it, she was still panicking when she saw the holographic image that was exactly the same as Gu Xiangwen¡¯s.

    They were opposites. Would the life trajectories of their opposites be the same?

    Would Lu Jin die in the struggle just like Gu Xiangwen on the other side?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legs gave way and she sat on the floor of theboratory. She looked up at the holographic image and muttered, ¡°Dad, What are you doing? Tell me and I¡¯ll help you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t bear to see her like this. He bent down to pull her up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You should think of a way to find out where your father is.¡±

    Lu Yuan said that he had gone abroad, but he wasn¡¯t sure which country he had gone to.

    Huo Shaoheng also wanted to analyze Lu Jin¡¯s possible whereabouts with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the holographic image of Lu Jin in front of her. Seeing that ¡°He¡±seemed to hesitate for a moment, her heart skipped a beat.

    She immediately thought of the urgent message he zhichu had received, asking him toe and save her..

    So Lu Jin didn¡¯tpletely cut off contact with this side, did he?

    Whatever, she had nothing to lose. She was going to gamble onest time!

    Huo Shaoheng bent down and pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm. ¡°Get up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand, she shouted at the holographic image, ¡°Dad! Did you see that? He¡¯s not Peter! He¡¯s Huo Shaoheng! It¡¯s Huo Shaoheng over there! He¡¯s my fianc¨¦! No! He¡¯s not my fianc¨¦! We¡¯ve been married for a long time!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was gradually petrified.

    He maintained his posture of bending over to pull Gu nianzhi, his face expressionless.

    His profile was reflected on the wall by the overhead lights on the roof. His peerlessly handsome silhouette was a masterpiece that the creator had painstakingly crafted.

    Gu Nianzhi held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and raised it, her eyes glistening with tears. ¡°Dad! Did you see that? He¡¯s already my husband! But I don¡¯t have a wedding!¡±

    ¡°Everyone else has a wedding, but I don¡¯t have one...¡±

    ¡°Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t have a dad who can walk me down the red carpet, and I don¡¯t have a dad who can hand me over to my husband at the wedding...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an orphan, an orphan with no parents... I don¡¯t deserve a wedding... I don¡¯t want a wedding for the rest of my life...¡±

    ¡°When you have a baby in the future, I want to tell him that your mother doesn¡¯t have a wedding because your grandfather doesn¡¯t want her and doesn¡¯t want to hand her over to her husband at the wedding...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi used moving words to describe the beautiful and tragic scene of an empty wedding and a cute baby.

    Lu Jin, who was far away in New York, could not stand it anymore when he saw this scene through hisputer that was connected to the Inte.

    His excited and manic voice was transmitted through the 3D holographic image. ¡°Nianzhi! Are you really married? ! Did this guy lie to You ? ! ¡ª how dare he marry my daughter without giving her a grand wedding? Who gave him the guts? ! Tell him to wait ! I Won¡¯t be Lu if I don¡¯t chop him up!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1790, ¡°Who gave him the guts?¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly votes and rmendation tickets!

    How many more monthly votes do you vote for today?

    I¡¯ll try for the Third Watch Tomorrow!

    The second watch of tonight at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1791

    Chapter 1791: Chapter 1791 was about to be exposed. (chapter 2 requested a monthly pass.)

    Gu Nianzhi held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and stood up from the ground.

    ¡°... Dad, your surname isn¡¯t Lu...¡±Gu Nianzhi stared at the 3d hologram and knew that Lu Jin was watching her from somewhere.

    The entire apartment was under Lu Jin¡¯s surveince, and the AI here was only a rough prototype.

    Lu Jin had no intention of keeping it from Gu Nianzhi.

    He just didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to force him to make a move so quickly.

    He thought that by the time Gu Nianzhi realized he was gone, he would have finished his work and said goodbye to her forever..

    Lu Jin rubbed the space between his eyebrows in annoyance.

    His holographic 3D avatar also rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her chin slightly and pouted. She said unhappily, ¡°Dad, what else do you want? Is there anything more important than living a good life with me?¡±

    This reminded Lu Jin.

    If Gu Nianzhi wanted to live a good life, he had to help her get rid of any future troubles..

    Lu Jin cleared his throat and calmed himself down. ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t overthink it.¡±

    Before he could finish, Gu Nianzhi cut him off and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯lle find you! Let¡¯s Talk Face to face! I just discovered a secret, and I need you to exin it to me properly!¡±

    ¡°What secret?¡±Lu Jin wanted to cut off themunication, but he couldn¡¯t bear to. His eyes kept darting around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach. After hesitating for a long time, he asked tentatively,¡±... Are You Pregnant?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    His mind was jumping around too fast!

    ¡°... So what if I¡¯m Pregnant?¡±Gu Nianzhi deliberately made it vague and ambiguous, ¡°Anyway, even if my child is born, it won¡¯t have a grandfather. In the eyes of others, it might be an illegitimate child.¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt awkward.

    She herself seemed to be an ¡°Illegitimate child¡±..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered. Before she could exin further, Huo Shaoheng had already rubbed her head in displeasure. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? How can our child be an illegitimate child?¡±

    Lu Jin had initially backed off and nned to ignore Gu Nianzhi no matter how much she cried. However, when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intimate behavior and thought of the strange nature of this ¡°Peter¡±that he had noticed earlier.., lu Jin was furious again. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, let go of your hand! You Don¡¯t even have a wedding, what right do you have to call yourself a husband? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... But we¡¯re really married, and we have a marriage certificate.¡±Huo Shaoheng understood gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions and started to add fuel to the fire.

    ¡°Marriage certificate, my ass!¡±Lu Jin blurted out. He was so angry in front of theputer that he almost had high blood pressure. He mmed theputer table and said angrily, ¡°No wedding, no marriage! This is the Gu family¡¯s rule!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interjected casually,¡±... Huh? Isn¡¯t your surname Lu?¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin was furious when he saw his daughter marry him without a wedding and even try to take advantage of him!

    But what could he do?

    Of course, he could only forgive her.

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and held the mouse in his hand. He paced back and forth in front of the close pattern on the screen for a long time, but still couldn¡¯t do it.

    When he hadn¡¯t seen Gu Nianzhi, it was easy to make a decision.

    But when he saw him, his resolve began to waver. Now, there was one more thing that worried him even more. What should he do about her wedding?

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t tolerate the fact that he had gotten the marriage certificate but didn¡¯t have a wedding.

    He took a deep breath. ¡°Nianzhi...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was afraid that he would back out again, so she quickly said, ¡°Dad, where are you? Tell me where you are, I want to be with you!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±Lu Jin¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°How could youe? ! Stay here and don¡¯t cause any more trouble!¡±

    ¡°Dad! Without your protection, I¡¯m in danger again...¡±Gu Nianzhi looked pitiful, her hands covering her abdomen.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that it was impossible for her to be pregnant, but he couldn¡¯t help but look over.

    Lu Jin could see even more clearly.

    The star patient with OCD couldn¡¯t stand this ambiguous situation. He used his hands to rake his messy hair and said helplessly and weakly,¡±... is it really possible for you to be pregnant? Then it¡¯s even more impossible for you toe...¡±

    ¡°No, no! I¡¯m not pregnant!¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head repeatedly, putting on a ¡°I¡¯m obviously pregnant, but I won¡¯t admit it¡±pose.

    Huo shaoheng also said, ¡°No, no, how is that possible?¡±

    However, when he said this, his eyes deliberately shifted. It was obvious that he was not speaking from the bottom of his heart.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart was about to jump out of his throat. His eyes were red. He mmed his hands on the keyboard and said, ¡°Stop pretending! How can you take a long-distance flight if you¡¯re pregnant? ! High-altitude radiation is very strong. It¡¯s not good for the fetus!¡±

    Gu nianzhi keenly grasped the words ¡°Long-distance flight¡±and thought to herself that they had indeed gone abroad..

    She perked up and patted her stomach. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Daddy is the most important. At most, I¡¯ll give birth...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±Huo shaoheng and Lu Jin kept scolding her, and their voices were almost identical.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked her big ck grape-like eyes. She looked at Huo Shaoheng for a while, then at Lu Jin¡¯s 3D hologram, she felt wronged. ¡°Then what can I do? Pregnant women are temperamental... What If I¡¯m depressed?¡±

    She covered her face with her hand, not daring to let Lu Jin¡¯s lips curl up.

    At this moment, she didn¡¯t dare mention the fact that she had found out who her biological mother was, for fear of scaring Lu Jin away again..

    Huo Shaoheng put his arm around her shoulder, he said to Lu Jin¡¯s 3D hologram, ¡°Mr. Lu, I¡¯ll call you dad along with Nianzhi. Please Be Considerate of Nianzhi. She¡¯s very unstable right now, and I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s pregnant. She has a special constitution, and she can¡¯t just go to a random hospital for a blood test or a prenatal checkup... sigh, it¡¯s also troublesome...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng deliberately spoke in a vague manner to mislead Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin¡¯s brows were knotted.

    That¡¯s right, Gu Nianzhi was pregnant at this critical moment..

    What about her prenatal examination?

    Lu Jin was worried about letting someone he wasn¡¯t familiar with do a prenatal examination for her. Of course, he couldn¡¯t do it himself.

    He pondered for a long time, so long that Gu Nianzhi was almost desperate enough to give up on this idea and think of another way. Lu Jin finally spoke.

    ¡°I have a radiation suit in myb that can withstand cosmic radiation. Put It on her,¡±Lu Jin said to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯ll go find it right away and put it on Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Jin then said to Gu nianzhi seriously, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re going to be a mother, so don¡¯t be willful anymore. ¡°Remember to put on your radiation suit and take my private ne to New York with that Huo Guy. I¡¯ll find someone I can trust to give you another full prenatal check-up.¡±

    Gu nianzhi: ¡°Qaq.¡±.

    What should I do? It¡¯s going to be exposed..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1791, ¡°It¡¯s going to be exposed.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    How many more monthly votes do you have today?

    I¡¯ll try for the Third Watch Tomorrow!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1792

    Chapter 1792: Chapter 1792: Getting a marriage certificate means you can do whatever you want (first, get a monthly pass)

    She had already acted out..

    Where was she going to get a pregnancy certificate?

    Could a pregnancy test be faked?

    Gu Nianzhi did not realize that she had also been led astray by Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, was a veteran intelligence officer. He quickly extracted useful information from Lu Jin¡¯s words.

    ¡°Okay, where are you in New York? Nianzhi and I went to New York. How can I contact you? Is it okay to call your old cell phone?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked immediately.

    Lu Jin waved his hand. ¡°Sure, I received every call you made. It¡¯s just that I forwarded it from my homeputer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched involuntarily.

    She silently cursed Huo Shaoheng for being the king of Drama. He didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid even when he was in danger of being ¡°Exposed.¡±He spoke as if he was telling the truth.

    She silently shut her mouth, her two index fingers almost touching each other.

    In Lu Jin¡¯s eyes, it was as if he had done something bad and had been found guilty by his parents.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart ached even more when he saw this.

    He couldn¡¯t helpforting Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be afraid. With your father around, you can safely give birth to the child. If anyone dares to speak ill of you, your father will teach them how to behave! ¡°As for the man who took your marriage certificate without having a wedding, we¡¯ll just ignore him.¡±

    Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng.¡±... Don¡¯t think you can do whatever you want just because you have a marriage certificate!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was expressionless and didn¡¯t say anything, but he was silently cursing in his heart. I¡¯m sorry, but just because I have a marriage certificate doesn¡¯t mean I can do whatever I want to my wife..

    Gu Nianzhi was about to cry again. She was touched, but also guilty and anxious. She quietly moved behind Huo Shaoheng and tugged at hispels.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her, and she quickly pouted at the room next to her.

    She was blocked by Huo Shaoheng, so Huo Shaoheng could see her when he turned back. Lu Jin couldn¡¯t see her at all through the 3D hologram.

    Lu Jin stretched his neck and controlled theputer to drop the 3D hologram to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Dad, What are you doing? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m checking on you. Are you hiding and crying again?¡±Lu Jin¡¯s 3D hologram reached out to Gu Nianzhi, wanting to touch her face.

    However, thebination of light and shadow was still an illusion. He stood there, unable to touch anything.

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and looked at the scene, she whispered, ¡°Dad, let me tell you, Gu Xiangwen also left a 3D hologram like this as hisst words. When I came back and saw this, I was so scared that I almost went into shock...¡±

    As she spoke, she suddenly had an idea. She clutched her stomach and said, ¡°Ouch! My stomach hurts! I Can¡¯t take it anymore! I¡¯m going to bed for a while. Dad, give me the address so I can get ready to board the ne and see you!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Are you okay? !¡±Lu Jin was also terrified. ¡°Go lie down! I¡¯ll contact my pilot and have him get ready immediately! You Child, how could you be so careless? You¡¯re already pregnant...¡±

    Gu nianzhi said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m not, I don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t talk nonsense...¡±

    Who couldpete with a series of denials? !

    Lu Jin pretended not to hear her and was extremely worried.

    After the call ended, Lu Jin sat in hisrge room in his luxurious condominium on the top floor of Central Park in New York. He was lost in thought as he looked out the window at the green space outside.

    It was 90 p.m. in the country, but it was 90 a.m. in New York.

    The sun was shining brightly outside. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the small central park was filled with greenery.

    A few pots of rhododendrons were nted on the windowsill outside the French windows. They were blooming vigorously, echoing the few pots of apricot-yellow weing the spring.

    He remembered that he had noticed that ¡°Peter¡±was not very familiar with Gu Nianzhi. He had even expressed his doubts, but Gu Nianzhi had fooled him without batting an eyelid.

    At the thought of this, the corners of Lu Jin¡¯s mouth curled up slightly.

    She was so cute when she lied!

    No matter what, a daughter like this was his heart and soul. Good or bad, the only thing he could not part with was her.

    However, Nianzhi was her daughter, so there was no way she had a bad side.

    Lu Jin realized that he had no principles or stand in front of this daughter.

    She was his greatest weakness.

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

    Perhaps he needed to review his n again.

    Or perhaps he could ask his daughter¡¯s cheap husband to help advise him..

    After all, this was what he did for a living.

    Huo Shaoheng, the great general of the special operations forces of the Huaxia Empire.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression became cold and aloof.

    And Lu Yuan, did this guy already know who ¡°Peter¡±was?

    Was he hiding it from him?

    Lu Jin, who had always prided himself on his high IQ, suddenly felt as if his IQ had taken a 10,000-point hit!

    He picked up his phone and called Lu Yuan directly.

    Lu Yuan was currently packing his luggage in the hotel and was preparing to return to the imperial capital immediately.

    Lu Jin had left without a word. Lu Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat just thinking about it.

    Thest time Lu Jin had disappeared without a word was eight years ago when they had coborated to send Gu Nianzhi to the other world.

    When he reappeared, he had nned that earth-shattering explosion and fire..

    Lu Yuan, who had been hiding at the side, was stunned.

    Lu Jin was really seeking death!

    Fortunately, Lu Yuan had made preparations beforehand, and the tunnel he had dug at the ce where the high-energy maic resonance had been attempted hade in handy at this time.

    However, when he had rescued Lu Jin from the fire, Lu Jin had already been severely burned.

    Only Lu Yuan knew how many stic surgeries and skin grafts Lu Jin had gone through to get to where he was today.

    Every time this person disappeared, he was nning something bigger. Lu Yuan could not believe what Lu Jin would do this time..

    Therefore, when he saw Lu Jin¡¯s phone number appear on his phone, Lu Yuan immediately picked it up.

    ¡°Lu Jin, where have you been? Do you know that your daughter is in danger? !¡±Lu Yuan immediately scolded Lu Jin. Moreover, he was using Gu Nianzhi as a sacrifice. This was what made Lu Jin feel soft-hearted and guilty.

    Lu Jin did not expect Lu Jin to have the attitude that he used to listen to him. He also started to ask, ¡°Boss Lu, you¡¯re so hical! That Peter is your nephew, right? ! Stop pretending!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Why was Lu Jin so sensitive? !

    This was not logical!

    People with severe interpersonal disorder could not tell if ¡°Peter¡±was real or fake!

    Lu Yuan coughed and was about to continue trying to trick Lu Jin when Lu Jin said, ¡°Don¡¯t try to trick me!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°My daughter told me herself! She said that she and your nephew are married, but they didn¡¯t have a wedding!¡±

    ¡°My Daughter is pregnant!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±! ! !¡±

    ¡°Married? When did that happen? Howe I didn¡¯t Know? ! and pregnant? ! Really? !¡±Lu Yuan didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to hold back and not tell him this important news!

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of knowing! Boss Lu, your nephew kidnapped my daughter to get married, but didn¡¯t give her a wedding. And you still say your nephew is a good person. How can a good person be so shameless? !¡±Lu Jin felt ufortable whenever he thought about what his daughter had said, he vented all his anger on Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan was also anxious and quickly said, ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll ask what¡¯s going on! This kid didn¡¯t tell me...¡±

    ¡°This kid? ! Now You admit that you already know who he is? !¡±Lu Jin was furious. ¡°You really hid it from me alone! Is it fun to y with me? !¡±

    He was so angry that he threw his phone away and sat alone in the apartment, holding his head and sulking.

    No matter how much Lu Yuan tried to call him, he couldn¡¯t get through. He thought for a moment and called Huo Shaoheng directly.

    Huo Shaoheng was currently packing his luggage in the apartment. He was going to take Lu Jin¡¯s private jet to New York with Gu Nianzhi the next day.

    They had to rush to New York to meet up with Lu Jin. Of course, they couldn¡¯t afford to dy for even a second.

    Gu nianzhi had used her ¡°Stomachache¡±to trick Lu Jin, just so she could pack her things and get ready to leave.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that it was Lu Yuan calling and was just about to inform him of Lu Jin¡¯s whereabouts. He didn¡¯t expect to Hear Lu Yuan¡¯s rare loud voice as soon as the call connected.

    ¡°You¡¯re so capable, Kid! Are you trying to bully a girl who doesn¡¯t have an adult to back her up and send her away with a marriage certificate? ! Our Old Huo family doesn¡¯t have a son like you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s voice was so loud that Gu Nianzhi could hear it clearly from the side.

    She did not have any intention of defending Huo Shaoheng. Shey on the sofa alone and swiped her phone, but the corners of her mouth curled up happily.

    She finally understood what it was like to have a family to take care of you.

    This feeling waspletely different from the love between a man and a woman.

    There was no need to worry about gains and losses in family love. There was no need to care about who loved more and who loved less.

    A child who was loved by his family would never feel lonely.

    The missing part of her heart was finallypletely filled.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t just shut his ears and not listen. He could only smile bitterly as he listened to Lu Yuan scold him before saying,¡±... it was a special situation. It was a stopgap measure.¡±

    ¡°Stopgap measure? You have the nerve to say that? You can make someone pregnant with a stopgap measure? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He nced at Gu Nianzhi with a dark expression. It was all her good idea. Now that she had caused such a mess, he had to clean up the mess.

    Gu Nianzhi felt his gaze on her and turned to look at him. She didn¡¯t have time to hide the sly smile on her face.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart softened when he saw her like this. He reached out and stroked her head. He couldn¡¯t bear to me her, so he coughed and said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Uncle Lu is in New York. He asked me to send Nianzhi to New York. Do you want toe with us?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: chapter 1792, ¡°Taking a marriage license means you can do whatever you want.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    It¡¯s three o¡¯clock today, dear, Yesterday¡¯s monthly ticket is too awesome ~ ~ ~

    Second Watch, 1:00 p.m.

    8:00 p.m. , third watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1793

    Chapter 1793: Chapter 1793: Do You Want Me? (chapter 2: ¡°Billions chasing you¡±+ 1)

    Lu Yuan had wanted to ask Lu Jin where he was, but Lu Jin had told him that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had been married for a long time and that they might be pregnant, so he had beenpletely misled.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng had told him, he came back to his senses and quickly said, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going back to the capital right away. When is your flight? Are you taking a private jet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all arranged. The flight is tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the airport right now. I¡¯ll take the next flight and arrive at the capital at midnight.¡±

    Although he had his own private jet at the airport, even if he arranged the departure time right away, he would have to wait until tomorrow morning to find a flight route that could take off.

    Therefore, it would be faster to find amercial flight that could take off immediately, as long as he paid more money to buy first-ss cabins.

    The flight from Z City to the imperial capital was about four to five hours.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at the airport,¡±Huo Shaoheng said quickly, mainly looking for a n to talk to Lu Yuan alone.

    Huo Shaoheng felt that it would not be peaceful on this trip to New York. He wanted to know more about Lu Jin.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t decline and said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the flight number. Remember toe pick me up. Drive carefully.¡±

    After discussing with him, Huo Shaoheng hung up the phone and said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Go to bed early. I¡¯ll sleep for four hours and get up to pick up director Lu at the airport.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yawned. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to bed. Have you packed everything for the Flight Tomorrow Morning?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve packed everything I need.¡±Huo Shaoheng took out the protective clothing that Lu Jin had specifically instructed him to wear to prevent cosmic rays. He smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to wear it tomorrow.¡±

    Chapter 1793

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°How would you not know if I¡¯m pregnant or not? Who are you trying to fool with this thing...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was tickled by her teasing. He went over and carried her in his arms. He walked towards the bedroom and said, ¡°What if I¡¯m not pregnant? Do you want to try harder?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face instantly turned red. It wasn¡¯t the faint pink, but the delicate red of a begonia. Under the skin that was torn by the wind, the Red was seeping out from the bottom of the skin.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help kissing her face when he came to the bedroom and put her down. He whispered in her ear,¡±... Did you miss me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She stared at him and the sly smile on her face gradually faded.

    She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him down. She kissed his lips and murmured, ¡°I do.¡±

    She had thought so much about him that she thought she would never see him again.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her lips for a while and felt that the room was getting hotter.

    Beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead. He didn¡¯t have time to wipe them off, so he pressed his hand against her head to calm her intense heartbeat.

    His body began to mor again. Every inch of his body was yearning for her.

    Huo Shaoheng asked again,¡±... Do You Want Me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She wanted to say no, but her legs had already wrapped themselves around his muscr waist.

    Huo Shaoheng was tall and sturdy, and his waist and back were particrly strong.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender legs wrapped around his waist like she was holding onto a stone statue. Her legs were wide open, and her whole body was open.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help it. He lowered his head and kissed her again and again, letting her bare her teeth and ws like a fierce and cute cat, tearing at his clothes.

    In the end, he was only left with a pair of underwear. Huo Shaoheng finally held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands down.

    His hands were like iron pincers, trapping Gu Nianzhi in ce.

    ¡°... didn¡¯t you want it?¡±Gu Nianzhi was shocked when she opened her mouth, and her tone was so seductive that it was dripping with water.

    It was so embarrassing..

    Huo Shaoheng held her hands tightly and stretched them over his head.

    This position made Gu nianzhi have no choice but to straighten her chest.

    Their skin was touching, and the heat was spreading between the two of them. It was as if they could see steaming steam spreading between them, blurring their vision. Everything was blurry, as if they had added a beauty filter.

    She looked at him with infatuation. His masculine body was tall and strong, and his mature man¡¯s temperament was as meaningful as the autumn birch forest.

    Huo Shaoheng felt his entire body heat up under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze, but he tried his best to suppress his burning desire.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips parted slightly as she looked at him longingly. He did not take any further action, so she was a little anxious. She said aggrievedly,¡±... I¡¯m not pregnant yet. Aren¡¯t you afraid of being exposed?¡±

    The word ¡°Pregnantpletely woke Huo Shaoheng up.

    He turned over andy down with Gu Nianzhi. He panted slightly and said, ¡°No, we can¡¯t get pregnant here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I want to take you back. I want my child to be healthy and live in a ce I can control without any danger.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stroked her head. ¡°I also want you to live peacefully with me for the rest of your life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely touched.

    A man who could ¡°Step on the brakes¡±at such a critical moment either loved you to the extreme or did not love you at all.

    Gu Nianzhi believed that Huo Shaoheng was the former, without a doubt.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of her hand and watched Huo Shaoheng get up from the bed and walk towards the bathroom.

    Not long after, the sound of running water could be heard in the bathroom.

    Gu Nianzhi originally wanted to wait for Huo Shaoheng to sleep together, but he never came.

    The sound of running water in the bathroom was like a luby as Gu Nianzhi slowly fell asleep to the sound of running water.

    Huo Shaoheng finished his business in the bathroom and took a shower. When he came out, he saw that Gu Nianzhi was already asleep.

    He smiled and shook his head as he slept next to her.

    He had been here for several months, and for the first time, he could sleep next to her openly.

    ¡°Good night.¡±Huo Shaoheng kissed Gu Nianzhi on the cheek, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

    ..

    Four hourster, Huo Shaoheng woke up on time.

    After he went to the bathroom to wash up, he took the car keys and left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment to pick up Lu Yuan at the airport.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that Lu Yuan¡¯s ne arrived at a much different time than their ne¡¯s departure time, they would have taken Lu Yuan directly to the United States.

    Lu Yuan walked out of the exit and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall figure at first nce.

    Both of them wore sunsses and looked like brothers. They didn¡¯t look like they were from the same generation.

    Huo Shaoheng took the suitcase from Lu Yuan and said, ¡°How was your investigation in Z City?¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head. ¡°Qin Baye still has some skills. He cleaned himself up very well. There¡¯s almost no evidence.¡±

    ¡°There can¡¯t be no evidence at all, right?¡±Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t believe him.

    When his uncle had been working in the military, Huo Shaoheng had still been a junior high school student.

    ¡°Of course there can¡¯t be no evidence at all.¡±Lu Yuan smiled, his attitude very amiable. ¡°I found the old neighbors of the Qin family and found some very interesting things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±Huo Shaoheng drove out of the airport and onto the highway.

    Lu Jin rubbed his forehead, he said, ¡°I learned from Lady Chen, who did business with the Qin family back then, that the Qin family¡¯s orphanage has been open for many years, starting from Qin Baye¡¯s ancestors. It¡¯s not like what was written on the official website of the Qin family¡¯s private hospital group. The Qin family¡¯s orphanage was founded by Qin Baye.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was very surprised. ¡°Is this true?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I checked the local county records and found that more than a hundred years ago, there were two orphanages in that ce. One was opened by a foreigner, and the other was opened by the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°Although it was said to be an orphanage, it was actually a business.¡±

    ¡°The orphanage opened by a foreignerter closed down. Only the Qin family¡¯s orphanage was left here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pondered deeply. ¡°But it required a lot of capital to open an orphanage. Where did the Qin family get so much money from in the beginning?¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head regretfully, ¡°I haven¡¯t found out yet. ¡°I even lied to Lady Chen and told her that we were the same as Qin Baye and that we were all from humble backgrounds. Why did Lady Chen only talk about that piece ofnd when they opened the hospital? It was also the Qin family¡¯snd.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°The timing isn¡¯t right. That hospital was opened because they hadnd. What I want to know is, where did the first fund for opening the orphanagee from?¡±

    ¡°Also, I received information from the Soviet KGB. The Committee of State Security (KGB) said that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s memory removal surgery was a technique passed down through the Qin family. The Qin family member who taught her this technique has passed away, so she¡¯s the only one who knows how to perform this surgery now.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: chapter 1793, ¡°Do You Want Me?¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    PS: the 100,000 starting coins that the president of the ¡°Billions of people chasing you¡±gave in April will be sent to you for the first time.

    8:00 pm, third update.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1794

    Chapter 1794: Chapter 1794: Salt in the wound

    Lu Yuan snorted. ¡°What a coincidence! You want to pass on the skills of a woman but not a man? Do you believe it?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I believe it or not. The Committee of State Security (KGB) only knows that they are ¡®members of the Qin n¡¯and don¡¯t know who they are. They are pretty good at keeping secrets.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng drove the car into the underground garage and returned to the apartment upstairs with Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan was travel-worn and would be going to New York with them soon, so he said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower first. What time is the flight to New York?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°There are still two hours left.¡±

    ¡°Okay, see youter.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi was woken up by the smell of breakfast.

    She had smelled it in her dreams. She had drooled as she looked at the table full of crystal soup dumplings, crab-shell yellow pastries, red bean and purple rice congee, and glutinous pumpkin and glutinous rice balls.

    Unfortunately, she woke up before she could eat them.

    She yelped and kicked the quilt aside to get out of bed.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and came in. He smiled and said, ¡°Get up and have breakfast. President Lu is back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°President Lu made breakfast? ! No wonder it smells so good!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cooking skills were indeed good, but he was still slightly inferior to Lu Yuan.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips. ¡°I made it. What¡¯s the matter? Are you disappointed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. It must have been made by President Lu. I can smell the difference in the aroma.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do.¡±Huo Shaohengughed and shook his head. ¡°Okay, you guessed it right. It was indeed made by President Lu. I¡¯ll help him out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi changed into her home clothes and ran out after raking her hair.

    In the dining room, Lu Yuan was dressed in a slim ck casual coat, beige wool trousers, and a newspaper in his hand. He was leisurely basking in the morning light in front of the full-length windows of the dining room.

    Gu nianzhi called out joyfully, ¡°Good Morning, president Lu!¡±

    Lu Yuan put down the newspaper and looked at her with a smile. His gaze casually swept past Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach and he nodded. ¡°Good morning. Eat your breakfast quickly. It¡¯s all prepared for you.¡±

    At the rectangr dining table, in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usual seat was a bowl of ck sesame whole grain cereal milk soup. It was very thick and had a seductive fragrance.

    Two round jam, walnuts, and sesame sweet buns were ced on a small sweet white porcin te. They were roasted until they were yellow and glistening, making people want to eat them one by one.

    There was also a bowl of chicken stewed rice.

    The chicken was a field chicken raised in the wild. It had not eaten any additives and was fresh and tender. It was a delicacy that was not found in cage chickens that were raised on arge scale.

    It was made from naturally grown rice. The grains were plump, with ck shiitake mushrooms, green peas, and white winter bamboo shoots in the middle. They were all cut into small pieces to taste good.

    Next to the chicken stewed rice was a cup of low-fat milk. It was a nutritious drink that Gu Nianzhi drank all year round.

    In front of Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan was a big te of white and fat buns. Gu Nianzhi sniffed and could tell that it was beef-vored.

    There was also arge bowl of cornmeal and millet congee. There was also an open te of burritos to roll up shredded meat, coriander, and green peppers.

    There was also a cup of ck coffee with a strong aroma.

    Gu Nianzhi was very envious and said, ¡°Can I have a beef bun? and a burrito.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say anything.

    Lu Yuan said calmly, ¡°No, you¡¯re in a special situation right now, so you can¡¯t eat like us. I¡¯ve prepared breakfast for you that¡¯s suitable for pregnant women. You have to eat like this in the future. Pay attention to the nutrition, and don¡¯t be picky.¡±

    Gu nianzhi: ¡°Qaq.¡±.

    As expected, you can¡¯t lie..

    She smiled sheepishly and said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not certain yet. We can¡¯t even get a pregnancy test right now.¡±

    She had toy a solid foundation for herself and slowly show them the ¡°Cruel¡±fact that she wasn¡¯t pregnant.

    Lu Yuan said nonchntly, ¡°The pregnancy test isn¡¯t urate at all. When we get to New York, ask your dad to give you a blood test.¡±

    The blood test and the ultrasound were the only two tests that confirmed the pregnancy.

    The pregnancy test and the strip were only household aids.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She thought to herself, ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re a man. Is it really okay for you to know so much? !¡±!

    She braced herself and finished her ¡°Pregnant breakfast¡±before rushing back to wash up.

    Not long after, the three of them were already on Lu Jin¡¯s private ne.

    The destination of the flight was New York¡¯s Kennedy Airport.

    The flight from Huaxia to the United States would take 12 hours.

    Gu Nianzhi got on the ne and fell asleep again. Because she didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, she had to catch up on her sleep on the ne.

    However, in Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes, this was anotheryer of ¡°Pregnancy¡±proof.

    He also told Huo shaoheng, ¡°Don¡¯t Disturb Nianzhi¡¯s rest. Come over to my side and talk to her. Let her sleep well alone for a while.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±? ? ?¡±

    However, he didn¡¯t dare disobey the orders of his elders. However, seeing how serious Lu Yuan was, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t dare to continue hiding anything. He walked over to Lu Yuan and sat down, he said in a low voice,¡±... Actually, Nianzhi isn¡¯t pregnant. We used this method to force her father to show himself...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He wanted to ask, ¡°No way?¡±But the person in front of him was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s husband. He said Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t pregnant, so how could he persist?

    Lu Yuan red at Huo Shaoheng and kicked him angrily. ¡°What a good thing you did! You can exin it to her father when you get to New York! Don¡¯t expect me to help you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and smiled at Lu Yuan, he said calmly, ¡°Director Lu, this matter can be big or small, it depends on what you say. Moreover, the purpose of our trip to New York is not to examine Nianzhi¡¯s pregnancy, but to find her father and ask him what he wants to do.¡±

    This was indeed a serious matter.

    Lu Yuan stared at him for a while and couldn¡¯t helpughing. He punched him hard. ¡°You¡¯re good, Kid! You even thought of this!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued to smile. ¡°How could I have thought of such a ¡®genius¡¯idea? It was Nianzhi¡¯s nonsense, and her father actually believed it.¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head with emotion. ¡°How could he not believe it? Even if Gu Nianzhi said that the sun rises from the west, Lu Jin will do a physical verification for her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°If you love her so much, why did you leave her ande to New York alone? Why did you pretend to cut off the connection?¡±

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know either, that¡¯s why I¡¯m worried. Lu Jin is a genius, and the brain of a genius is sometimes not something that ordinary people like us can understand.¡±

    As he spoke, he told Huo Shaoheng about the incident from eight years ago in detail.

    Huo Shaoheng knew about the other world, but he didn¡¯t know what had happened in this world.

    It was only when Lu Yuan told him that he finally understood.¡±... Uncle Lu intentionally caused the car to explode that time?¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°He wanted to die for real, but fortunately no one continued to investigate.¡±

    ¡°He Zhichu didn¡¯t give up. He chengjian couldn¡¯t bear to see his son be dispirited, and he also found the maic resonance instrument, so he sent people to the opposite world to take the lead.¡±

    ¡°They first found the location of the He family in the other world. Unfortunately, he chengjian and he zhichu were not in their hometown at that time. I don¡¯t know where they went.¡±

    ¡°They used the identity of the He family as a cover. They used the technology and financial resources of this world to rise up in South America in that world. They killed the biggest drug dealer in Colombia almost overnight, rose up strongly, and became the underground godfather of South America.¡±

    ¡°They even cooperated with the CIA on the other side to secretly look for Nianzhi all over the world, but found nothing

    ¡°Three yearster, he zhichu recovered from his depression and insisted on going to the other side to look for Nianzhi in person

    ¡°He chengjian originally didn¡¯t allow it because he chengjian and he zhichu on the other side had lost contact. What if he was still alive? He zhichu would be sending himself to his death if he went. He didn¡¯t dare to let his son take the risk

    ¡°However, he zhichu didn¡¯t care about anything else. He also said that if he didn¡¯t go to Nianzhi, he wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡±

    ¡°He threatened to die, so he chengjian finally let him go.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, he didn¡¯t die. This means that he zhichu died a long time ago.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened attentively andpared the situation with his own side. ¡°No wonder he zhichu became a professor at Harvard Law School four years ago. He quickly made a name for himself in the legal world.¡±

    This was probably due to the help of the CIA over there.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he contact us?¡±Huo Shaoheng said regretfully.

    Lu Yuan understood this very well, ¡°They used the He family¡¯s identity to gain a foothold in South America. It¡¯s more convenient for them to work with the Americans. Besides, you¡¯ve Protected Nianzhi wlessly. They couldn¡¯t get any information, so they could only sit back and do nothing.¡±

    The CIA was the best at searching for people on a global scale.

    Huo Shaoheng understood,¡±...ter, we couldn¡¯t find out about Nianzhi¡¯s background, so we simply let her go to university and interact with society. That way, if someone were to look for her, they would be able to find her.¡±

    If Gu Nianzhi had been in the Special Operations Forces¡¯base all this time, he zhichu would have turned this world upside down for the rest of his life, but he would never have found Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°We can still talk about who¡¯s the Oriole and who¡¯s the mantis.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood the whole story, and because he zhichu¡¯s current identity was most likely Gu Nianzhi¡¯s half-brother, Huo Shaoheng no longer held any grudges against him, he smiled and said, ¡°Young master he is very thoughtful. If there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯d like to thank him for taking care of Gu Nianzhi when she was young.¡±

    Lu Yuan rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You sure know how to rub salt into a wound.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused for a moment, remembering that Lu Yuan still did not know about this. He picked up his phone and sent a message to Lu Yuan. ¡°We have a lead on Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. It¡¯s very likely to be Qin Suwen.¡±Lu Yuan felt his phone vibrate, he looked down and widened his eyes. He cried out involuntarily,¡±... What? ! Are you serious? !¡±

    How could he not know about the famous Qin Suwen?

    It was too shocking to suddenly say that it might be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother.

    Even someone as experienced and calm as Lu Yuan almost lost hisposure.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third update today: Chapter 1794, ¡°Salt in the wound.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1795

    Chapter 1795: Chapter 1795: ¡°You know, I know, I know.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately sent another text message: ¡°Don¡¯t say it. This is Uncle Lu¡¯s private ne.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no doubt that Lu Jin was watching them.

    He did not want to reveal the truth for the time being.

    Lu Jin had chosen to hide the truth from Gu Nianzhi, which meant that there was a lot going on.

    Moreover, he chengjian, who was an unpredictable ¡°Ticking time bomb,¡±was involved. It was best to keep it between him, Gu Nianzhi, and he chengjian.

    Lu Yuan quickly understood what was going on. He put away his shocked expression and also lowered his head to send Huo Shaoheng a text message: [ how did you know? ]

    Huo shaoheng only replied with one sentence: [ we saw a family photo of young master he¡¯s maternal grandfather¡¯s family. The girl in the photo looked very simr to Nianzhi. ]

    Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows.

    He did not reply to the text message. He turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and asked in confusion:¡±... you guys came to such an earth-shattering conclusion just by seeing a photo? Isn¡¯t that a little too rash?¡±

    ¡°... not only that, but we were also in danger because of it.¡±Huo Shaoheng cut to the chase. ¡°Why else would you be on the ne with us?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a little strange...¡±Lu Yuan¡¯s brows furrowed as he thought about the past of the two Qin families.

    ¡°... have you ever thought that they both have the surname Qin? Do they have some sort of history?¡±Lu Yuan asked thoughtfully.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back in his seat indifferently and said lightly, ¡°Even if they do, they have a very distant rtionship. Otherwise, Qin Baye wouldn¡¯t have wanted to buy thend, and Qin Huichang wouldn¡¯t have been willing to sell it.¡±

    A piece ofnd that seemed insignificant at the time. If the two families were close rtives, there was no need to be soplicated.

    Moreover, from the perspective of the ancestors of the two families, they shouldn¡¯t be a family either.

    However, they just happened to share the same surname.

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time, and I¡¯vee to the conclusion that this is the only reason. The Qin family is currently being held up by the He family, so we don¡¯t have to worry about them for the time being. It¡¯s more important to take care of Lu Jin first.¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied with an ¡°MHM.¡±He thought about gu nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Pregnancy¡±and wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

    He had a headache about how to exin it to Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan saw that there seemed to be something he wanted to say, so he snorted discontentedly. ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t say to Me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng forced a smile and lowered his head, thinking that he would talk about it after he got off the ne.

    He didn¡¯t even dare to use text messages right now.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi took a nap on the ne and woke up to find that she was already at New York¡¯s Kennedy International Airport.

    She rubbed her eyes, went to the bathroom to freshen up, put on her sunsses, and followed Huo Shaoheng off the ne.

    Lu Yuan was already waiting in the car downstairs.

    She bent down and got into the car, asking, ¡°Are we going straight to my dad¡¯s ce?¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded and said in an unusually amiable manner, ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon. Are You Hungry? What do you want to eat? Uncle will make it for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Did he even give up on his identity as CEO Lu?

    He just called himself uncle.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shrunk her neck guiltily.¡±... thank you, CEO Lu... uncle... I¡¯m not hungry now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep so that she wouldn¡¯t be scanned by Lu Yuan¡¯s probing gaze.

    However, in Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes, this was already one of the symptoms of a pregnant woman¡¯s lethargy. Was she really not pregnant?

    He doubted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words..

    Lu Yuan took a nket from the car and carefully covered gu nianzhi with it.

    Gu nianzhi shivered and grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand from under the nket to call for help.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he sat next to her. He said to Lu Yuan, who was sitting across from him, ¡°Don¡¯t trouble yourself, President Lu. I¡¯ll take care of her.¡±

    Lu Yuan snorted. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

    He took out arge newspaper and opened it to block his way.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand under the nket and looked at her with a half-smile.

    Gu Nianzhi opened one of her eyes and nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng mouthed,¡±... I¡¯ll skin you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ..

    The luxurious limousine drove through the narrow streets of New York. The driver was a local and drove smoothly and quickly through the traffic. It didn¡¯t take long for him to arrive at Lu Jin¡¯s apartment in Central Park.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and covered her eyes with her hand to block the sunlight. She looked up at the tall apartment building.

    Lu Jin lived in the penthouse of this building.

    The three of them carried their simple luggage up the elevator and went straight to Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    The elevator door opened, and Lu Jin rushed over anxiously. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and looked her up and down. ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay? is the baby okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This was called a baby?

    Who Wasn¡¯t a baby?

    She was a baby too!

    Gu Nianzhi was feeling a little irritable.

    She pushed Lu Jin¡¯s hand away and said coldly, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t change the subject. Let¡¯s talk about why you ditched us and came to this godforsaken ce alone!¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment and corrected her seriously, ¡°This is New York¡¯s Central Park luxury residential area. It¡¯s the most prosperous ce in the entire United States. It¡¯s not a godforsaken ce.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still trying to pick your words with me at a time like this, aren¡¯t you?¡±Gu Nianzhi tapped Lu Jin¡¯s chest with her hand and walked out of the elevator step by step.

    Lu Jin took a step back every time she took a step. He even had to look at her carefully, afraid that she would fall..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head hurt even more as he watched from behind. He quickly stepped forward and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Nianzhi, this is your father. You Can¡¯t Be Rude.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t even said anything yet, but Lu Jin wasn¡¯t willing.

    He pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, he said angrily, ¡°My girl can talk to me however she wants. I¡¯m willing! I¡¯m willing! What does it have to do with you? ! Don¡¯t pretend to be a good person to gain a good impression. I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t buy it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan, who was watching from behind,ughed. He came out with his suitcase and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside. Are you sure you want to do a big show in front of the elevator?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head shyly.

    She was the first one to start a ¡°Big Show¡±in front of the elevator. Was Lu Yuan talking about her?

    Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed, he quickly frowned at Lu Yuan. ¡°Boss Lu, why are you being so long-winded?¡±? I Can¡¯t just be happy that I¡¯m reunited with my girl after a long time. What¡¯s a big show? If It¡¯s a rap show, who¡¯s better than you and your nephew? The two actors act like nothing¡¯s wrong all day long, and they still have the nerve to say that we¡¯re singing a big show today!¡±

    The ¡°We¡±he was referring to was, of course, him and his biological daughter, Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was actually a little embarrassed, but when Lu Jin said it, she suddenly felt very confident and didn¡¯t feel embarrassed at all.

    That¡¯s right!

    Who was the king of Drama and the King of Drama¡¯s uncle? !

    He actually said that she and her father were performing a Big Show!

    PFFT!

    Gu Nianzhi wished she could p the side of her mouth and give lu yuan a ¡°Slight slight¡±with her tongue sticking out.

    Lu Yuan sighed, he said, ¡°See, this is why we didn¡¯t tell you. ¡°You have to know that if you bring it out at any time and ce, do you think we¡¯re surrounded by steel and no one is watching us? ¡°If anyone hears us, both he and I will die.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and quickly pulled Lu Jin into the house. She said, ¡°Dad, let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Lu Jin had refused toe in when Lu Yuan had asked him to.

    However, Lu Jin had followed Gu Nianzhi into the house immediately.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng cautiously closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief when they entered.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly sized up Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    The penthouse apartment was decked out in a simple and crisp style. The post-modern style was obvious, and everything was practical andfortable. However, the furnishings and furniture were stylish and aesthetically pleasing.

    It was in line with Lu Jin¡¯s scientist aesthetic.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down on the sofa at the corner of the living room. She crossed her legs and looked at the lush greenndscape of the Central Park through therge ss window opposite her. She stretched, she said, ¡°Dad, you really know how to enjoy yourself. You left me behind and came here alone to enjoy such a beautiful view.¡±

    Lu Jin sat down next to her. He did not even blink as he observed her expression. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her pulse.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Oh No, she was exposed so quickly?

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively wanted to withdraw her hand, but Lu Jin held it tightly.

    She couldn¡¯t help looking in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback.

    He didn¡¯t expect Lu Jin to know how to check her pulse?

    Lu Yuan sat on the sofa opposite Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin and asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up?¡±

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and felt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pulse.

    After a while, he let go of her hand and heaved a huge sigh of relief. He opened his eyes and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not pregnant, I¡¯m not pregnant!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart trembled. Why wasn¡¯t Lu Jin angry at her for lying to him?

    He didn¡¯t even ask why!

    Lu Jin saw her slightly open lips and looked puzzled. He stroked her head and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been worried that you¡¯d get pregnant before marriage. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m still upset that someone didn¡¯t want to hold a wedding.¡±. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m not mad at you. I¡¯m mad at that Coward!¡±! ¡°It¡¯ll be a lightning strike to fool a little girl into holding a marriage certificate and not holding a wedding!¡±

    Huo wushuang Shaoheng rubbed his nose with his hand and decided to fight back. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to take the me if Lu Jin kept pointing at his nose and saying that he was fooling a little girl.

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Uncle Lu, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to hold a wedding, but I want to wait until Nianzhi finds her father and hold a grand wedding. Then, we¡¯ll invite all of our rtives and friends to celebrate and give Nianzhi a good memory.¡±

    His words were extremely sharp and directly hit Lu Jin on the head.

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    All of a sudden, it was his fault for not having a wedding.

    Lu Jin wanted to retort, but he opened his mouth and felt so guilty that he couldn¡¯t say a word.

    After all, he had decided to face all his problems alone not too long ago, just to clear the way for Gu Nianzhi..

    Gu Nianzhi felt that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were too harsh, and that the reason why he had gotten the marriage certificate first was not the reason that Huo Shaoheng had said.

    She coughed lightly and whispered, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not pregnant. I was angry that you had left without saying goodbye, so I said that on purpose.¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and patted her hand, he smiled magnanimously and said, ¡°I know, I know, I know. But Dad is also worried about what if? What if you¡¯re pregnant and you don¡¯t have dad by Your Side to support you? Dad Won¡¯t be at ease...¡±

    Then he thought that his previous decision was indeed a bit hasty. Maybe there was a better way to discuss it with them.

    It was not easy to be reunited with his daughter, and he did not want to be separated from her forever..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: Chapter 1795, ¡°You know, I know, I know.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1796

    Chapter 1796: Chapter 1796: the most important person in my heart

    Lu Yuan heaved a long sigh of relief when he saw that Lu Jin had finally turned the corner, he said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be fine once we talk things out. By the way, major shareholder Lu, you must remember to keep his matter a secret. Otherwise, if that person finds out, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t let it go.¡±

    Lu Yuan pointed at Huo Shaoheng and emphasized.

    Lu Jin nodded heavily. ¡°Am I that kind of person who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s important?¡±

    The other three people looked at him in unison and didn¡¯t reply.

    It was obvious that in their eyes, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know what was important, but that he didn¡¯t know what was important and what was light.

    Perhaps his concept of ¡°What¡¯s important¡±wasn¡¯t the same as an ordinary person.

    Lu Jin also understood his own shorings and shrunk his neck, he said embarrassedly, ¡°Okay, okay, I understand. Even if I don¡¯t have to give face to your boss Lu, I have to give face to my daughter and my future grandson. I Won¡¯t let anything happen to your eldest nephew.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your son-inw!¡±Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t count if there¡¯s no wedding. I think he¡¯s still my fianc¨¦. This identity suits him quite well.¡±Lu Jin was very firm on this point.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at lu yuan and said, ¡°Uncle Lu is right. Actually, there are five people who know that we¡¯re married over there. Most people think that we just got engaged, including my mother.¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng mention song Jinning, Lu Yuan¡¯s mind wandered for a moment and didn¡¯t continue.

    Lu Jin rxed his brows and nodded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Ady should be more noble. You¡¯re a man, so be more tolerant.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your understanding, uncle Lu,¡±Huo Shaoheng said in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and saw that she had her head down and did not say a word. No one knew what she was thinking.

    Lu Jin patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm. ¡°Nianzhi, what do you think?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with a smile in her voice, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to Dad.¡±

    It was rare for Gu Nianzhi to be so obedient. Lu Jin was so moved that he was ¡°In tears¡±and ¡°In tears.¡±.

    ¡°Okay, since my daughter has said it, as her father, I will definitely remember the wedding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was speechless. was she dragging the wedding on?

    He quietly changed the topic. ¡°Uncle Lu, we came here to ask if you need our help.¡±

    Lu Yuan came back to his senses and quickly said, ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve already run away twice. We can¡¯t let you continue. No matter what you want to do, can you discuss it with everyone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also pulled Lu Jin¡¯s arm, she said nervously, ¡°Dad, what are you going to do? Don¡¯t do anything stupid... those people aren¡¯t worth it for you to do something stupid. The people from both worlds aren¡¯t as important as you in my heart. Just remember that.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±are you sure it¡¯s the people from both worlds added together?

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was a little strange. He didn¡¯t know where to start.

    Because this matter involved too much, he only wanted to perish together with the other party..

    ¡°Speak. If there¡¯s a problem, let¡¯s discuss it. Perhaps it¡¯ll be better than the idea you came up with alone,¡±Lu Yuan encouraged, ¡°Although we¡¯ll never be as good as you in high-energy physics and gic science, Peter and I are both experts when ites to figuring out people¡¯s minds, formting action ns, and getting out unscathed.¡±

    Lu Yuan still referred to Huo Shaoheng as ¡°Peter¡±in order to keep his mouth shut

    Lu Jin looked at them hesitantly and said, ¡°You¡¯re able to get out of this unscathed even when faced with thebined power of the entire country? That impressive?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Lu Jin and Lu Yuan when he saw that Lu Jin still doubted their abilities.

    ¡°What misunderstanding do you have about their abilities?¡±Gu Nianzhi praised Huo Shaoheng with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him and Lu having received professional training. Let¡¯s talk about me. I only learned a little from him. I even made the German Gestapo fall over there!¡±

    ¡°The German Gestapo? How did you offend the German Gestapo?¡±Lu Jin was very confused.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She quickly nced at Huo Shaoheng. Seeing that he was looking at her with a faint smile, she could only grit her teeth and cut the matter to the chase, she said sinctly,¡±... that¡¯s how it was. I hacked into their internalwork and packed up all their information and put it in our Mailbox!¡±

    ¡°My Miss is so amazing!¡±Lu Jin clicked his tongue and gave her a thumbs up.

    Lu Yuan did not know about this yet, but with his experience, he could tell that Gu Nianzhi was not telling the truth. She was a ssic example of ¡°Only reporting the good news and not the bad.¡±.

    However, he did not expose her and said, ¡°Do you believe me now? Your Girl is already better than many people. What are you worried about?¡±

    Lu Jin started to think, finally, he said, ¡°Okay, but I can¡¯t tell you about this for the time being. ¡°How about this? I¡¯m going to Luo Le¡¯s building for a meeting today. I¡¯ll wear a video instant messaging camera. You¡¯ll understand when you watch it on TV.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re going to a meeting with a video camera? Isn¡¯t it too troublesome and obvious?¡±

    Lu Jinughed. He took out a pair of gold-rimmed sses from his pocket and put them on. He said,¡±... This is my video instant messaging camera.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned on the curved wall TV in the living room. Soon, everything he saw in the sses appeared on the TV screen.

    ¡°That impressive?¡±Gu Nianzhi was amazed and smiled at herself on the television.

    ¡°Will this be detected by security?¡±Huo Shaoheng did not know what kind of meeting Lu Jin was going to attend, but a public event in the United States, even if it was a meeting, would require security checks.

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°How will this be detected? The only people who know that there¡¯s something wrong with my sses are you guys. If you don¡¯t sell me out, no one will.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. ¡°Why would we sell you out? You¡¯re thinking too much.¡±

    The three of them were thest people in the world who would sell Lu Jin out.

    Even if they wanted to sell him out, they didn¡¯t know who to sell him to!

    Lu Jin smiled and nodded. ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I told you.¡±

    He took off his gold-rimmed sses. ¡°I still need to modify them. Excuse me.¡±

    Lu Jin went to his bedroom to change. Lu Yuan looked thoughtfully at the closed bedroom door and said, ¡°I know where he¡¯s going.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked at him together.

    ¡°... your father has another identity.¡±Lu Yuan said awkwardly. ¡°Lu Jin, the major shareholder of the Lu Corporation, is only one of his identities.¡±

    ¡°Another identity?¡±Gu Nianzhi was so surprised that she couldn¡¯t close her mouth. ¡°What exactly does my father want to Do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either,¡±Lu Yuan said in a low voice, ¡°After you were sent away, your father¡¯s body recovered, so he started working on this matter. ¡°At the time, he told me that the reason he did this was because he couldn¡¯t let go of his scientific research work. He wanted to keep up with the scientific achievements in the world and pay close attention to thetest developments in gic science.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief and rxed her nervous mood. She smiled and said, ¡°So you¡¯re a scientist... then it¡¯s fine. My Dad has made full use of himself...¡±

    It was a huge loss for humanity not to be a scientist with such a genius.

    Lu Yuan smiled at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s relieved smile. ¡°I¡¯m not a scientist.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it? What else pays more attention to thetest developments in gic science than scientists themselves?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Of course there is.¡±Lu Yuan sighed, ¡°Capital. Only capital and financial groups pay more attention to thetest developments in gic science than scientists themselves. Because in the capital society, only capital and financial groups are the supporters and financial providers of all scientific developments.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: chapter 1796, ¡°The most important person in my heart¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    PS: the chapter in the morning has been slightly modified, so you can go back and look at it again.

 Chapter 1797

    Chapter 1797: Chapter 1797, his circle (the first one asked for a monthly pass)

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±? ? ?¡±

    Capital? Consortium?

    To be honest, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even take Lu Jin¡¯s identity as a major shareholder of the Lu Corporation seriously.

    She had always thought of Lu Jin as the type of person who was ¡°A scientist¡±and ¡°A major shareholder in a side business.¡±.

    But now Lu Yuan had actually told her that in addition to the identity of ¡°Lu Jin¡±that they knew of, there was another identity, and it was the identity of a very expensive capital consortium..

    This was too shocking.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng was also very surprised, but he didn¡¯t show it like Gu Nianzhi did.

    He asked calmly, ¡°Uncle Lu¡¯s other identity, what¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°Von Rolstead.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±Gu Nianzhi thought she had heard wrong, and her eyes widened. ¡°Did you just say the name of a foreigner?¡±

    ¡°Yes, von Rolstead.¡±Lu Yuanughed. He heard the door of Lu Jin¡¯s bedroom open. Lu Yuan raised his hand. ¡°Look, Mr. Von Rolstead hase out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around nkly and saw a white Mediterranean man with ck hair, ck eyes, and fair skin walking out.

    He was wearing a tailored tuxedo with a bow tie. He was tall and elegant, with deep eye sockets, a tall and narrow nose, and naturally curly ck hair. He lookedpletely different from Lu Jin¡¯s previous appearance.

    ¡°... Dad? Is That You?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked hesitantly and couldn¡¯t help rubbing her eyes.

    Lu Jinughed loudly. ¡°I¡¯m von Rolstead, a Corsican, the seventh generation descendant of the Rolstead family.¡±

    He spoke English with an Italian Tuscan ent. It wasn¡¯t difficult to understand, but it wasn¡¯t easy either.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to a closed-door roundtable meeting at the Rohrer Center today, so I won¡¯t be back for dinner,¡±Lu Jin rolled up his sleeves and said in an extremely reserved manner.

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve already made the arrangements?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand paused, he quickly looked up and smiled as if nothing had happened. ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. Take today¡¯s closed-door roundtable meeting for example. I don¡¯t want to go at all. ¡°But since you¡¯re here and want to know what I¡¯m doing, you should go. You¡¯ll know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and said, ¡°You¡¯re going alone? Without bodyguards?¡±

    Lu Jin said, ¡°I have bodyguards. They¡¯re all here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was still worried and quickly said, ¡°Dad, take Peter with you. He¡¯s good. If there¡¯s a problem, he can solve it in time.¡±

    ¡°But if he goes like this, people will know.¡±Lu Jin looked at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯ll affect me too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll modify it so that even Nianzhi won¡¯t recognize me.¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly. This was his old profession, and his ability to modify was no worse than Lu Jin¡¯s.

    Lu Jin looked at him for a while, then raised his chin and said arrogantly, ¡°That¡¯s fine too. Go and pretend to be my personal bodyguard. Remember to dress up as the same race as me. Can you do that? Not only do you look like me, but you also have to have a simr ent.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring anything modified, but since you can modify it, you should have these things, right?¡±

    Lu Jin turned around and pointed to his bedroom. ¡°Go to the south wall and push open the sofa. There¡¯s a secret door at the back. Open the password and lock it. There¡¯s everything modified inside.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked in.

    Lu Jin returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and sat down. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, do you think I look good in this outfit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted him on the shoulder and praised him. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have this skill, Dad! Who Did you learn it from?¡±

    Lu Jin nced at Lu Yuan and said, ¡°I learned it after seeing him modify it once. I learned it by myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t give him any pointers. He did learn it after watching it once.¡±

    The key was Lu Jin¡¯s incredible skills. He could make fake hair and color-changing contact lenses.

    The disguises on his face, such as his extended nose and protruding brow bones, were all made from new materials.

    Lu Jin pointed at his own face and said,¡±... These things are also a type of biological stic surgery, but I made them into temporary ornaments. They weren¡¯t nted under the skin of the face like Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and touched them. Sure enough, they felt no different from real skin and bones!

    Lu Jin pointed at his own eyes again. ¡°This contact lens can even mimic the structure of the iris, so even if I have an iris recognition detector, it won¡¯t be able to check if I¡¯m real or fake.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very interested in this kind of contact lens. She smiled and said, ¡°Is itfortable to wear it? Do you need to take it off and change it often?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same as not wearing them. It¡¯s also very easy to take them off. I have a big box of them that can be changed at any time.¡±Lu Jin said proudly, ¡°What color of invisible sses do you like? I¡¯ll make them for You When I¡¯m free.¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Then remember this. When I¡¯m free, I want contact lenses of all colors!¡±

    ¡°All colors? Do you think your eyes are rainbows?¡±Lu Jin rubbed her head. His eyes were full of affection, as if no amount of love was enough.

    Lu Yuan felt that the father and daughter pair were a little irritating, so he casually took out a newspaper and opened it to block his line of sight.

    Gu Nianzhi nagged at Lu Jin on the topic of the makeover until Huo Shaoheng came out of Lu Jin¡¯s bedroom.

    Standing in front of them was an image of a Caucasian Mediterranean man, but he was taller and stronger than Lu Jin. He had broad shoulders, long legs, and a strong waist. His pitch-ck eyes were especially charming, like velvet, he gave off a satin luster, and when he looked up, his eyes seemed to shine, firmly attracting people¡¯s attention.

    He wore a ck suit with his arms open, revealing his small vest and the two revolvers in the pocket of his vest.

    Under his straight suit pants was a pair of shiny leather shoes, and when he walked, it made a steady clicking sound.

    It was obvious that he was wearing a Bluetooth headset. He took out a pair of sunsses from his pocket that were the same model as Lu Jin¡¯s and put them on. He looked just like a mafia boss in the Mediterranean.

    Lu Jin stared at him in shock and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t even tell you the password. How did you get into my secret room? !¡±

    It was obvious that he didn¡¯t tell Huo Shaoheng the password on purpose so that he could put Huo Shaoheng in his ce..

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She coughed and said, ¡°Dad, Peter is very good at decrypting passwords... this is one of his specialties...¡±

    He wasn¡¯t just good at it, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything more.

    Lu Jin gasped in surprise and was obviously in a much better mood. ¡°He knows how to decrypt passwords? ! I like it! People who know how to decrypt passwords are all highly intelligent people. You can barely carry my daughter¡¯s shoes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±? ? ?¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He looked up from the newspaper and said inly, ¡°What¡¯s the point of just being intelligent? If you have the ability to cause trouble, then you can get out of this unscathed!¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Alright, he seemed to have offended boss Lu badly.

    Lu Jin scratched his head. He didn¡¯t know how to apologize to Lu Yuan so that he wouldn¡¯t get angry.

    Just like many times before, he pretended to be confused and muddled through.

    Huo Shaoheng helped him out of his predicament and said in English, which agreed with the Italian Tuscan ent, ¡°Mr. Rolsted, I¡¯m happy to be of service to you.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±Lu Jin pped loudly and praised Huo Shaoheng with all his might. Only then did Lu Yuan¡¯s face brighten up and no longer get angry.

    Lu Jin introduced the schedule of the meeting to Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°The people who are going today are all famous people on this blue. If you see any familiar faces, remember not to lose yourposure.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±? ? ?¡±

    In Lu Jin¡¯s heart, how stupid was he? How Low was he?

    However, he knew that it was useless to reason with Lu Jin. The logic and logic of a genius were different from that of ordinary people, so don¡¯t try to reason with a genius.

    They would use their superior intelligence to defeat you and make you feel like you were too stupid to live.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched as she watched Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s backs disappear at the door.

    As the door closed with a click, Gu Nianzhi turned around, she looked at Lu Yuan and said, ¡°Director Lu, are you sure that my father, who has severe interpersonal disorder, can be on the same level as those big capitalists and tycoons and have efficientmunication? !¡±

    And not offend all the global tycoons?

    Lu Yuan chuckled softly. His voice was as maic as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s, and Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help eximing in admiration.

    Lu Yuan walked to the sofa next to her and sat down. ¡°In front of capital, there¡¯s no such thing as interpersonal rtionships.¡±

    ¡°Capitalists only look at money.¡±

    ¡°As for whether you can talk or offend people, it¡¯s not in their consideration at all.¡±

    ¡°Capital can even produce a rope to hang itself for profit. Who cares about a supercilious look or an unpleasant remark?¡±

    ¡°Von Rolstead¡¯s wealth is enough to make those capitalists look down on his ipetence as if he were a superior being.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She said faintly, ¡°To put it simply, in their world, whoever has more money makes sense.¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡±Lu Yuan thought for a moment and smiled. ¡°As for interpersonal rtionships and conversation skills, these are the areas that we ordinary people need to consider.¡±

    ¡°For a group of people who are especially rich, they have already jumped out of this social category.¡±

    ¡°When they speak, they don¡¯t need to consider anyone¡¯s opinion. Unless that person can affect their profits.¡±

    ¡°They are the mostplete followers and worshippers of status and hierarchy. They only submit to the strong, that is, those who are richer than them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°So that means my dad is doing well in that circle...¡±

    ¡°Like a fish in water.¡±Lu Yuan turned on the television. ¡°You¡¯ll know his status in that circleter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the local television news that appeared on the television. It happened to be showing the Lawler Center.

    It was a hugeplex of buildings that upied a few blocks on Manhattan¡¯s Fifth Avenue. It was the perfect embodiment of the modernist architectural style of thest century.

    Almost a hundred years had passed, and these buildings had even more of the beauty of time. They were like works of art.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the wide and clean streets on the television. In the past, there had always been a lot of traffic and a lot of people, but now a one-way street was blocked by rows and rows of traffic barriers.

    A variety of luxury cars drove over.

    The live host of the local television station was a blonde beauty. She was instantly excited and said to the audience in front of the television, ¡°They¡¯re here! They¡¯re the most powerful people on our!¡±

    ¡°Theirbined wealth ounts for 95% of the world¡¯s wealth!¡±

    ¡°Today, they¡¯re going to hold a closed-door roundtable meeting at the Luo Le Center to discuss the development and future of Humanity!¡±

    ¡°Only they have the right to discuss such topics!¡±

    Not far away, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sharp eyes saw someone waving a g, waving his fists, and shouting slogans.

    ¡°Down with the flesh-eating capitalists!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re bleeding from head to toe and filthy things!¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t deserve to rule our fate!¡±

    These slogans greatly stirred the hearts of passers-by who were united in their hatred for the enemy.

    Passers-by who were only passing by or had to take a detour due to the curfew of the main passage also joined in the chanting.

    The procession, which was getting more and more excited, finally got out of hand. Someone threw a burning gasoline bottle at the center of the conference entrance.

    Boom!

    The gasoline bottle exploded in front of a car.

    The car was unharmed, while the young man who threw the gasoline bottle was targeted by a sniper on a building not far away.

    With a bang, a bullet went straight through the man¡¯s arm, knocking him to the ground and making him howl like a pig being ughtered.

    Soon, police cars whizzed by with shing lights, even armored vehicles, and heavily armed policemen got out of their vehicles and charged the crowd with shields and batons.

    The burning gasoline bottles at the entrance of the venue were quickly cleaned up.

    The car continued to drive toward the underground parking lot of the venue.

    The luxury cars, unaffected by the turbulence around them, filed in and drove toward the entrance.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1797, ¡°His Circle.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and the rmended ticket!

    8 p.m. Second Watch.

 Chapter 1798

    Chapter 1798: Chapter 1798, free, was the most expensive

    Gu Nianzhi really wanted to see what the venue looked like, but Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s images hadn¡¯t been sent back yet, so they could only continue watching the demonstrations outside.

    Gu Nianzhi asked lu yuan worriedly, ¡°Director Lu, do these people know that there will be a meeting here today?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve already closed the road ahead of time, and didn¡¯t specifically block the news. Someone must have known.¡±Lu Yuan satfortably on the sofa, sipping a cup of tea. He blew on the hot air and smiled at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°... Worried?¡±

    ¡°Looks like the parade isn¡¯t small.¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t tell how she was feeling.

    As a young person with a strong sense of justice, she could understand the young people who were demonstrating.

    The term ¡°Capitalist¡±was not a good word in history or reality.

    It was not meant to defame the capitalists, but it was true that the capitalists had done nothing good.

    Their pursuit of profits determined their weakness, and it could be considered a congenital defect.

    However, the world was in their hands. A few countries had once escaped the control of the capitalists, but they were now being ckmailed by the capitalists who held global financial power.

    Now, Gu Nianzhi had just learned that her father was actually a man at the top of the capitalist food chain. He was truly at the top of the pyramid.

    ¡°... President Lu, my dad... where did he get so much money?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked worriedly. She was very worried that Lu Jin¡¯s money was not from the right source.

    Lu Yuan could hear her concern and smiled tofort her. ¡°Your dad is so smart. If he wants to make money, it¡¯s very easy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to hear the details.¡±Gu Nianzhi immediately sat up straight and pricked up her ears to listen to Lu Yuan talk about the ¡°History of the rise and fall of von Rolstead,¡±or the first bucket of gold.

    ¡°More than ten years ago, there was a global financial crisis in this world.¡±

    ¡°That financial crisis started from the subprime crisis in the United States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened attentively and quickly said, ¡°We also had a financial crisis like this over there.¡±

    She had read about it in a book.

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°It seems that everything has happened, but I think the reasons for it must be different.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan took out his phone and searched for news about the financial crisis that year. He showed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Look, you know Lehman Brothers, thergest investment bank that copsed, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at it and said, ¡°Yes, because the United States government refused to rescue Lehman Brothers, this investment bank eventually copsed.¡±

    Lu Yuan sighed. ¡°At the beginning of that year, someone suddenly warned the financial market about the severity of the subprime crisis. It quickly caused panic in the market, which led to a full-scale default in the financial derivatives and bond markets.¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, it was like a bank being squeezed out of debt. The debt that had been issued had yet to be recovered, but all the depositors suddenly rushed over to withdraw their money. The banks definitely didn¡¯t have that much cash to take out. This was a default, and the banks were going bankrupt.¡±

    ¡°At that time, manyrge, medium, and small banks and investment banks in the United States were on the verge of bankruptcy overnight. The stock market was filled with short sellers, and all of them were short. ¡°Your father only used 10,000 US dors as capital. Through continuous short selling and short cashing, he almost emptied out Lehman Brothers¡¯market value.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened without blinking.

    The financial crisis had happened before she was 12 years old. She did not remember anything about it.

    All she remembered was the financial crisis in the other world, which she had read about in books and the media.

    ¡°After the copse of Lehman Brothers, your father entered the highly leveraged derivatives market.¡±

    ¡°That was the era of the financial bear market. It was an era of starvation and cowardice.¡±

    ¡°Your father used his genius-like mind to obtain a sky-high fortune from the stock market in a short period of time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Does the person who suddenly jumped out to warn about the subprime mortgage crisis have anything to do with my father?¡±

    Lu yuan smiled meaningfully, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°... but how did my father know that the subprime mortgage crisis would break out? He¡¯s not a professional in finance either?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Your father is not a professional in finance, but he¡¯s a big shot in physics. It¡¯s no longer news that Wall Street is willing to hire physics majors to build financial models for them.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Wall Street can¡¯t afford to hire your father, but your father once helped people build a credit analysis model out of friendship. Later, this model was used by the three major credit rating agencies in the United States to predict the default rate of the financial market in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan talked about what had happened in the past and was full of admiration for Lu Jin¡¯s ability.

    ¡°...ter, when the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, I knew it had something to do with Lu Jin¡¯s warning, so I asked him what was going on.¡±

    ¡°Your father said that the credit rating model had a logical w. When he was helping others build the model, the other party did not say that it would be used to build a credit rating system, and he did not expect it to be fully adopted by the three major credit rating agencies.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately understood and said in surprise,¡±... so my father already knew that the credit rating system of the American credit market was based on a wrong prediction!¡±

    ¡°Yes, since the credit rating of the entire financial market has a fundamental w, then the credit ratings of the various bonds, financial derivatives, and stocks that are evaluated using this system have a w. This w determines that the entire credit rating and the financial market will copse within a certain period of time.¡±

    ¡°Your father calcted the time when the entire market would copse. After he was fully shorted, he issued an early warning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought back to how her father had stayed indoors all those years ago, scheming in front of aputer and relying entirely on his knowledge of mathematics and physics to earn huge profits. She was truly intoxicated.

    With such a heaven-defying father, it was no wonder that Huo Shao¡¯s sense of danger had increased..

    Gu Nianzhi secretly grimaced in her heart, and a wisp of a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

    Lu Yuan continued,¡±... the entire western financial credit system could be said to have been destroyed by him alone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She coughed lightly, indicating that she would not take the me for this.¡±... CEO Lu, what you said doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°First of all, my father has no intention of destroying the western financial system. You just said that he made a credit rating model for people out of friendship, so that means it¡¯spletely free.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, this is a lesson. Free things are the most expensive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Yes, so the other party actually took advantage of my father.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, after he was infringed on, he still let bygones be bygones and gave an early warning at the right time. This was equivalent to saving the western financial system from a devastating blow. Wasn¡¯t this enough? ¡ª this is already considered great!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tapped her fingers on the coffee table in front of her, ¡°My father has already done his best. As for the small fortune he madeter, that was just to receive the reward he deserved. Don¡¯t you have to pay for using his credit model?¡±

    ¡°This is probably the biggest loss caused by piracy in history...¡±

    Lu Yuan was amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s quibbling andughed out loud. He pointed at her and said, ¡°Your mouth is so eloquent! It¡¯s reallyparable to the greatwyer Qin Suwen of the past!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1798, ¡°Free is the most expensive.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1799

    Chapter 1799: Chapter 1799: Superhuman (Number One: Monthly Pass)

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was slightly different when she heard the name ¡°Qin Suwen.¡±.

    It was no longer the same as before. She was merely expressing her curiosity and admiration.

    She thought that the biological rtionship between her and Qin Suwen was probably only one step away from the paternity test.

    Lu Yuan realized that Gu Nianzhi had a strange expression when he finished speaking. He then awkwardly remembered the text message Huo Shaoheng had sent him: [ we have a lead on Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. It¡¯s very likely to be Qin Suwen. ]

    If they were biological mother and daughter, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they had something inmon.

    Gu Nianzhi was only stunned for a moment before she asked curiously,¡±... is that so? Why do you think so? Have you met Barrister Qin Suwen before?¡±

    Lu Jin did not say anything when he saw that Gu Nianzhi was nomittal. Moreover, he did not dare to speak recklessly in Lu Jin¡¯s apartment, he nodded with a smile,¡±... your father was very close to Barrister Qin Suwen back then. I had a few meals with them.¡±

    ¡°This is how barrister Qin Suwen views capital. She opposes the excessive pration of capital into the national economy and People¡¯s livelihood projects. On this point, she greatly influenced general he chengjian.¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s state-owned projects had maintained their state-owned status thanks to the support of the military. They had not been contaminated by those newly-minted capitalists.

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°OH.¡±She admired Qin Suwen, but also yearned for him. There was also a hint of unexinable admiration for him.

    However, she was also very open-minded. It did not matter whether Qin Suwen was her biological mother or not. What was important was that Qin Yaoguang was not her biological mother.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind that her biological mother was an ordinary person. As long as she was a kind and honest ordinary person, she was ten thousand times better than Qin yaoguang, that disgusting woman.

    She chatted casually with Lu Yuan while watching TV.

    Finally, Lu Jin¡¯s video was transmitted back.

    On the big TV screen in front of them, the live broadcast of the local television station was suddenly cut off.

    After a tumultuousmotion, an exquisite and small room appeared on the television screen. It did not look at all like the Magnificent Hall Gu Nianzhi had imagined.

    ¡°Where is this?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked over in surprise. ¡°Why are there only seven or eight people in this room?¡±

    It was easy to count with just one nce.

    Lu Yuan smiled. He held the remote control in his hand and adjusted the volume. He smiled and said,¡±... What do you think? The number of plutocrats who can influence the world¡¯s financial markets can be counted on five fingers.¡±

    Therefore, among the seven or eight people, there were still some people who were not particrly influential.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the people on the television and quickly recognized the first person.

    This person was in his fifties. He had dark golden hair, wore sses, and had a long nose. He was Mr. Bates, who had rapidly risen to be the richest man in the United States with aputer control system.

    Of course, he was no longer the richest man in the United States.

    Apart from this man, Gu Nianzhi also recognized Mr. Bart, who was known as the ¡°God of stocks.¡±This man was almost eighty years old, but he was still Hale and hearty, and his mind was clear, he did not look at all like many old people who were so old that they could not even recognize a person.

    Apart from these two people, Gu Nianzhi realized that she did not recognize anyone else.

    Lu Yuan introduced her, ¡°The man with ck hair and a big nose is sitting on the Victorian sofa by the window. He¡¯s the heir to the OSS family, the ship¡¯s king. ¡°I¡¯m afraid they don¡¯t even know how much wealth their family has, but your father should know.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°And this middle-aged white man who just stood up to look at his pocket watch. He¡¯s Luo le the third,monly known as Little Luo Le. He¡¯s the person in charge of the Luo Le family, and the Luo le center is controlled by his family.¡±

    ¡°The two people sitting at the lower end of the table are more remote. They look a little excited. This is probably their first time attending a closed-door roundtable like this.¡±. ¡°Their families are also very rich, but they can¡¯t bepared to the previous few. The reason why they can attend such a meeting is because their family is an old political family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°The position of Senator in the United States, especially in the Senate, is almost hereditary. So it¡¯s not too much to say that they¡¯re a political family.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Lu Yuan¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile, ¡°And it¡¯s a hereditary system that allows you to vote. Because in the end, you realize that only these people can participate in the election, and everyone else is just a running mate. ¡°asionally, one or two dark horses win, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. Because very soon, the dark horse senator who doesn¡¯t have the foundation and capital will definitely not be able to get elected the next time.¡±

    ¡°These people are sitting together to discuss the future and development of mankind?¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°It sounds like a group of wolves having a meeting to discuss how to maintain the sustainable development of the sheep...¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... your metaphor is really good!¡±Lu Yuanughed heartily.

    This was the first time he hadughed without holding back in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at his face, which was no longer young, and felt a stronger attraction than a young man.

    This was a type of charm that had been umted over time. It could no longer be described as simply beautiful on the surface. Of course, there was no doubt that Lu Yuan was outstanding and handsome.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought of Huo Shaoheng. When he reached Lu Yuan¡¯s age, she didn¡¯t know how charming he would be..

    She blushed slightly and shifted her gaze to the television.

    On the screen, Lu Jin seemed to be looking in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    Gu Nianzhi saw a tall and burly young man who was no less than the other northerners. He stood expressionlessly with his hands behind his back under a giant oil painting.

    No matter how Huo Shaoheng dressed, he would always be the first to catch Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention.

    It was a kind of breathless beauty, because you would forget to breathe when you saw him.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t seen enough yet when the image on the television changed again.

    This time, Lu Jin was probably looking at the middle-aged man who had stood up. He was the Luo Le III that Lu Yuan had just told her about.

    He bowed slightly to the people in the room and said politely, ¡°Good afternoon, Gentlemen.¡±

    ¡°We are gathered here today to discuss the future development of mankind and its future.¡±

    ¡°What do you think is the most critical question for the future development of mankind?¡±

    A few whispers sounded in the room. Then, one of the young men who was from a political family sitting in the corner mustered up his courage and said,¡±... is it the development of the economy and Technology?¡±

    Luo Le III smiled and shook his head.

    Another young man said,¡±... is it to reduce the risk in the financial market?¡±

    Luo Le III still shook his head and gave the correct answer,¡±... it is the poption and evolution.¡±

    ¡°Since the development of human civilization until now, there are already 7.5 billion people in our world. The world¡¯s food has already exceeded its ie. There will definitely be a food crisis in the future.¡±

    ¡°This poption scale is still the result of US implementing birth control in backward regions and countries through the United Nations Poption Fund. Otherwise, there will be even more garbage poption born.¡±

    ¡°Please forgive my bluntness. In the entire human race, only 20% of the elite poption is eligible to live. The other 80% are garbage poption. It¡¯s not a pity to die.¡±

    At this moment, Mr. Bart shook his head and objected, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, your view is too radical and narrow-minded. ¡°The world may have arge poption, but food is definitely not to the point of not being able to make ends meet. ¡°Moreover, technology is constantly developing, and food production is constantly increasing. I don¡¯t think there will be a food crisis in the foreseeable future.¡±

    The others in the room also agreed with his view, saying, ¡°As long as the poption doesn¡¯t continue to explode, the current food production can meet the global human demand.¡±

    Luo Le III was opposed by everyone in unison, but he did not pay much attention to it. He shrugged, ¡°Since you think it¡¯s not that serious, I won¡¯t say anymore. ¡°I¡¯m just reminding everyone that in backward areas and countries, we should continue to enforce birth control. Low-level people are not worthy of having too many children. ¡°They will only pollute human genes.¡±

    As he said that, he looked in the direction of the round table and said, ¡°Mr. Bitz, you are a master at switching fromputer technology to biological genes and biopharmaceuticals. I want to ask you, how is the research in this area going?¡±

    Mr. Bitz said vaguely, ¡°It¡¯s still under research and hasn¡¯t made any significant progress.¡±

    Luo Le III smiled slowly and said, ¡°Hasn¡¯t made any significant progress? I¡¯ve already said that you don¡¯t have to spend money to do gic and biopharmaceutical research in Africa again. What else is there other than mineral deposits there?¡±

    ¡°Africa is known as the cradle of human origin. I think it¡¯s very reasonable to do gic and biopharmaceutical research there.¡±Mr. Bart spoke up for Bitz because he was also one of the major shareholders of the Bitz Foundation.

    ¡°The cradle of human origin proves that their genes have not yet evolvedpletely. It is a waste of money to study their genes.¡±Luo Le III looked down on it, ¡°Our group¡¯s research is different. We are targeting thergest country in East Asia.¡±

    His expression was somewhat fanatical. ¡°That country has thergest poption, the highest average IQ, and the most diversity in the gene pool. The most important thing in conducting gene experiments is to have an inexhaustible supply of gic materials!¡±

    Bitz¡¯s expression was somewhat unsightly.

    He had invested several hundred million in gene and pharmaceutical research in Africa, yet he was looked down upon by this person who was younger than him. This was really intolerable.

    He said coldly, ¡°Oh? Are you still going to publicize that ¡®Super Human¡¯project of your family that is like a fairy tale? May I ask if your n has made any significant progress?¡±

    Luo Le III¡¯s expression darkened, he said, ¡°How can our n be ridiculous? ¡°In theory and probability, it is indeed possible for humans to have ¡®perfect genes¡¯. ¡°As long as we do enough experiments and find enough gic material to edit it

    ¡°As long as we can develop the first set of ¡®Perfect Genes¡¯, there will be a second set and a third set, which will usher in the greatest evolutionary leap in human history!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Why did this person say ¡°Perfect genes¡±? !

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1799, ¡°The Super Human.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmended tickets to remind everyone!

    8 pm, second update.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 1800

    Chapter 1800: Chapter 1800¡°Drama Queen¡±Gene (Chapter 2: Monthly Pass)

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face immediately darkened.

    Was this the reason why Lu Jin wanted to leave them?

    Because the enemy he had to face was not an ordinary person, but a corporation that truly controlled the world¡¯s financial lifeline!

    The resources and manpower these people could use were much more powerful than he chengjian¡¯s.

    Lu Jin thought that they would be able to avoid he chengjian¡¯s pursuit, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the pursuit of these tycoons who controlled the financial lifeline of the world? !

    Gu Nianzhi stared intently at the television, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists as she waited nervously for these people¡¯s reactions.

    In fact, the small meeting room was filled with lightughter for a moment.

    Then, more and more people startedughing. Although there were only seven or eight people in the room, the sound of everyoneughing together was quite impressive.

    On the television, Luo Le seemed to be angered by everyone¡¯s reaction, he sneered, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s funny? Do you think it¡¯s a fantasy? ¡°But our Luo le family¡¯sboratories in New York, Berlin, and China are in the midst of intense work. Recently, we¡¯ve made a breakthrough! ¡°I believe that soon, you will be lining up with money to beg me to improve your genes!¡±

    So Powerful?

    The people in the room looked at each other in dismay. They could see the doubt in each other¡¯s eyes.

    Everyone sitting here was smart. To them, a beautiful blueprint and an exciting slogan were not enough to convince them, because they were very good at doing so.

    Only by taking out real evidence, and only real evidence, just like real gold and silver, could they convince them, make them worship them, and then be followers.

    Luo Le¡¯s gaze swept across these people¡¯s faces. Seeing their expressions change from disbelief to doubt, he secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

    As long as they could believe a little bit, it would be fine.

    Because he needed money, a lot of money, to support his biological gicboratory all over the world.

    He needed to convince more people to join his project, thus injecting new funds, to maintain the better operation of the project.

    Luo Le waited for a while, letting this doubt settle down. Just as he was about to add fuel to the fire, he suddenly saw the silent Corsican sitting opposite him stand up.

    This person was the von Rothschild that Lu Jin was pretending to be.

    He was wearing a tailored tuxedo with a silver-white pocket watch chain hanging on his chest.

    He asked in puzzlement, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, I remember that your project started from your great-great-grandfather, right? Has It been almost a hundred years since then?¡±

    Luo Le choked and quickly said with a smile, ¡°Yes, my great-great-grandfather was the initiator of this project.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, your family¡¯s project made great progress after World War II. Can you tell me in detail how you made a breakthrough after World War II?¡±

    The corner of Luo Le¡¯s mouth twitched imperceptibly. He still smiled very gentlemanly and said, ¡°These are our research secrets. Please forgive me for not being able to tell you.¡±

    ¡°... But you want us to invest money.¡±Lu Jin hit the nail on the head. He was very sharp. ¡°You don¡¯t even tell us your specific n, but you want us to invest money. Even if it¡¯s a Ponzi scheme, it¡¯s not that outrageous, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just drawing a cake to satisfy your hunger, you have to at least draw a cake for us to see...¡±

    The people in the roomughed again.

    Even Gu Nianzhi and Lu Yuan, who were in front of the television, could not helpughing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you believe in our family?¡±Fortunately, Luo Le¡¯s face was already very red from the sun, so no one noticed that he was actually blushing in embarrassment.

    In front of the television, Gu Nianzhi TSK TSK tsk and said, ¡°Why do white people like to tan themselves to the color of a pig¡¯s liver? Look at the dark look on his face. It can be said that he¡¯s very thick-skinned.¡±

    On the television screen, Lu Jin¡¯s hands were in the pockets of his tuxedo and he shook his head disapprovingly. ¡°Business is business. I believe that everyone here is smarter than me and knows what kind of n is worth investing in.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Luo, what do you mean?¡±Luo Le¡¯s expression became even more unsightly, ¡°If you are willing to invest, I wee it. If you are not, I understand. But please don¡¯t stop other people¡¯s desire for gic technology.¡±

    Lu Jin sneered, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, don¡¯t talk about him. ¡°Please answer my question. How much money has been spent on theboratory supported by your family all these years? What results have you achieved? What is the market conversion rate? What is the profit model and prospects?¡±

    ¡°If you want to take this opportunity to look for us to invest, don¡¯t you have to prepare a powerpoint presentation beforehand?¡±

    Luo Le narrowed his eyes, he sized up Lu Jin from head to toe. ¡°Mr. Luo, I still have the same words. The experiments that ourboratory does have patent rights and can not be casually announced to the public. ¡°As for the profit prospects, I can say that we are only one step away from sess. ¡°When the perfect genes appear, everyone¡¯s return will not be one or two times, but a hundred, thousand, or even ten thousand times!¡±

    ¡°Your words are better than your singing. However, you still refuse to tell me the reason.¡±Lu Jin raised his gold-rimmed sses and said coldly, ¡°Then, let me tell you the reason.¡±

    His gaze swept across the face in the meeting room. It was cold, sharp, and unreasonable.

    ¡°Mr. Luo Le found this opportunity to promote his family¡¯s business because they have invested for so long, nearly a hundred years. Even now, they still have nothing!¡±

    Lu Jin picked up the remote control on the round table and opened the projection screen on the wall. He connected it to the special IPAD he brought and said, ¡°I have a copy of the Luo Le family¡¯s bnce sheet and cash flow here.¡±

    On the projection screen, a few financial statements were disyed.

    The people in the room were familiar with these financial statements. With a casual nce, they found that there was a big problem with the Luo Le family¡¯s finances.

    ¡°... do you know why Luo Le wanted to publicize their results? Because he wanted to find someone to take over.¡±Lu Jin pointed at the numbers on the projection screen with the remote control, ¡°Look, they spent so much money, but the rate of return was still zero. What does this mean? This means that their experiment didn¡¯t produce any results!¡±

    ¡°This so-called ¡®Super Human¡¯perfect gic experiment is simply a fantasy that goes against thews of nature and Science!¡±Lu Jin said passionately, ¡°I won¡¯t even give you the word ¡®sci-fi¡¯because you don¡¯t deserve it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was bbergasted.

    She finally understood where her ¡®drama queen¡¯gene came from..

    Lu Jin¡¯s words would have convinced anyone who did not know the truth that it was impossible for humans to have a ¡®perfect gene¡¯.

    In fact, it was in Lu Jin¡¯s hands that the first ¡®Perfect Gene¡¯in human history was born!

    ¡°We have a result!¡±Luo Le was forced into a corner by Lu Jin and had no choice but to reveal thetest results in hisboratory, ¡°Ourboratory in the Huaxia Empire has recently achieved significant results! A DNA sample that is very close to the ¡°Perfect gene¡±will arrive in New York Tonight and will be taken over by our scientists for full verification!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second chapter of today: Chapter 1800, ¡°Drama gene¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1801

    Chapter 1801: Chapter 1801 was an unprecedented achievement (the first one asked for a monthly ticket)

    ¡°Haha...¡±Lu Jin smiled but did not say anything. He looked as if he was saying, ¡°Do you think I would believe you?¡±.

    Everyone in the room alsoughed along.

    Did they think that everyone was an idiot?

    Luo Le was a little anxious. ¡°Mr. Roald, do you not believe what I Said?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe what you said, but I think that there is no such thing as ¡®perfect genes¡¯because this goes against themon sense of science. Or rather, in the gic science that we know now, there is no theoretical basis for the existence of ¡®perfect genes¡¯.¡±

    Lu Jin said slowly and spread out his hands towards everyone, ¡°I have invested the most in biological pharmaceuticals over the years, so I can say that I am very familiar with this industry, so I know a little about the Luo le family¡¯s ancestral project. Of course, they have a lot of money, so they can burn it however they want. It has nothing to do with us, so I have never said anything.¡±

    ¡°But, Mr. Luo Le wants to take money from us to support their family¡¯s experimental project. I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t y with him.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Luo Le, please listen to my exnation!¡±When Luo le heard that Luo Le had also invested in biopharmaceutical, his arrogance immediately decreased, ¡°I know that this experiment sounds incredible, but it¡¯s notpletely impossible!¡±

    ¡°You all know about the bacteria research that Japan did in China during World War II, right? In fact, they also have a secret research, which is the research on biological gics. It¡¯s very close to our family¡¯s Super Human Project.¡±

    Luo Le gritted his teeth. He knew that he couldn¡¯t kill the wolf if he didn¡¯t want to. He still had to throw out some of the dry goods in their hands to get everyone to invest in it.

    He continued, ¡°This part of the information was exchanged between Japan and the United States after the end of World War II. ¡°Our Luo le family also happened to get a copy. We shared this information with ourboratories around the world.¡±

    ¡°You know that world-famous brain surgery expert, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, right? ¡°She is the backbone of ourboratory in China. She came up with the concept of ¡®gene editing¡¯and finally made a breakthrough in our n

    ¡°But she wasn¡¯t the most amazing person. Our Huaxia Lab once had a genius named Kevin Ku. His Chinese name was Gu Xiangwen. He was the genius of all geniuses!¡±

    Luo Le praised Gu Xiangwen endlessly, his face full of admiration.

    This was a little awkward.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched, and she didn¡¯t know where to look.

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips into a smile and teased, ¡°Your father doesn¡¯t even feel embarrassed. Why would you feel embarrassed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the television screen and saw that the ¡°Von Rolstead¡±on it was indeed very interested. She could not tell that he was the ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡±that Luo le was praising.

    Luo Le said excitedly, ¡°He and Ms. Qin Yaoguang both sessfully ¡®gically edited¡¯the fertilized egg and allowed it to survive!¡±

    Lu Jin blinked and asked curiously, ¡°Gu Xiangwen? Who is he? Is he famous? Why haven¡¯t I heard of Him?¡±

    ¡°... he was famous many years ago.¡±Luo Le wiped the sweat on his forehead awkwardly. ¡°Later, hemitted a crime in China and was wanted. In the end, he was burned to death.¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK...¡±Mr. Bart shook his head regretfully, ¡°Ordinary people are so ignorant. They always use fire to burn the heretics to death. ¡°The true geniuses among us are the heretics in their eyes. ¡°Bruno, who propagated the theory of the Sun¡¯s heart, and Prometheus, who obtained the Tinder for mankind, are inextricably bound to fire.¡±

    ¡°May God bless him.¡±

    Bart made a cross on his chest.

    Lu Jin also pretended to say ¡°Amen¡±and seemed to be more interested, he asked Luo Le, ¡°Then what is the DNA sample that is very close to the ¡®perfect gene¡¯? Where did you get it? ¡°Gu Xiangwen died many years ago. Is this DNA sample of the ¡®perfect gene¡¯rted to him?¡±

    Luo Le shook his head regretfully and said, ¡°Unfortunately, Gu Xiangwen¡¯s genius is not in biological genes, but in high-energy physics.¡±

    ¡°After the fertilized egg that he edited grew into an adult, it did not disy the characteristics of a ¡®perfect gene¡¯. In the subsequent research, she also did not disy the qualities of a ¡®super human¡¯, so our experimenters determined that she failed.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen only edited Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA.

    If Gu Xiangwen¡¯s experiment was deemed to have failed, then who was the DNA sample that was sent over?

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was a little strange. He had thought that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA sample had been sent to him..

    Although he had destroyed all the information about Gu Nianzhi in Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb, Gu Nianzhi hade back to this world and had interacted with Qin Yaoguang and the others many times, any hair that had fallen off of her could be analyzed for DNA.

    Therefore, he had a preconceived idea that this matter could not be hidden anymore.

    However, Luo Le¡¯s words made him doubt his own analysis.

    Lu Jin sat down with a twinkle in his eyes. ¡°Oh,¡±he said. ¡°If Gu Xiangwen¡¯s experiment ultimately failed, then whose experiment seeded?¡±

    Luo Le smiled. ¡°Of course it¡¯s Ms. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experiment. ¡°The fertilized egg that she edited is now an adult. During the follow-up research in theb, it was found that her gene is the gene sample closest to the ¡®perfect gene¡¯so far

    ¡°We even think that perhaps the ¡®perfect gene¡¯is like the Infinity Infinity in mathematics. You can approach it infinitely, but you will never reach it. Therefore, I think that our DNA sample this time is the best chance for humans to approach the ¡®perfect gene¡¯

    ¡°As long as our scientists verify it sessfully, our ¡®Super Human¡¯project will enter the real practical stage! Just like a new drug, it has entered the third phase of clinical practice!¡±

    For Pharmaceuticals, entering the third phase of clinical trial meant that there was only one drug approval process between the trial and the market.

    ¡°So, do you still want to wait and See?¡±Luo Le looked at the people in the room with a smile. ¡°This is thest chance for you to keep up with thetest developments in technology. If You Miss Today, you will lose tomorrow!¡±

    Bart and Bitz looked at each other and were a little tempted.

    They knew better than anyone else how profitable pioneers were in the technology market.

    Everyone waspeting on speed, speed, foresight, and efficiency.

    Lu Jin had wanted to stop these people from continuing to invest, but realized that the so-called ¡°Perfect gene¡±sample had nothing to do with Gu Nianzhi, so he decided not to interfere.

    It was obvious that the DNA sample closest to the ¡°Perfect gene¡±mentioned by Luo Le was the only sessful fertilized egg of Qin yaoguang ¡ª Wen Shouyi, right?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t understand why Lu Jin didn¡¯t say anything.

    He nced at Lu Jin, walked over, bent down, and whispered something into his ear.

    Lu Jin nodded and said to the person in the room, ¡°I have a call to take. Excuse me for a moment.¡±

    ¡°Please do as you wish.¡±Luo Le saw that he had said enough, so he was no longer nervous. He smiled and gestured for someone to open the door, letting Mr. Rolsted and his bodyguard go out together.

    When they reached the corridor outside, Lu Jin entered a small room next door that was used for making calls. Huo Shaoheng stood guard at the door.

    He turned on the electromaic shielding signal and then spoke to Lu Jin through his Bluetooth headset.

    This way, he wasn¡¯t afraid of being monitored.

    ¡°... Why didn¡¯t you stop them?¡±

    Lu Jin held his phone in his room and looked out the window at the mesmerizing Manhattan skyline. He smiled and said,¡±... the sample they mentioned had nothing to do with Gu Xiangwen, so it definitely wasn¡¯t Nianzhi. Why should I Care?¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t forget, in the eyes of outsiders, Nianzhi is Qin Yaoguang¡¯s sessful test subject. They don¡¯t know what role you yed in the process.¡±

    ¡°Even the He family once saw Qin Yaoguang as he zhichu¡¯s Savior.¡±

    ¡°Not many people knew about Wen Shouyi¡¯s existence back then. Probably only you, Wen Dayou, and Qin Yaoguang knew about it, or even Qin Baye.¡±

    If not for the recentwsuit, no one would have known that Wen Shouyi was the product of Qin yaoguang¡¯s ¡°Gene editing.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng patiently persuaded Lu Jin, ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯t just walk away. I suspect that the DNA sample they sent over was actually Nianzhi¡¯s.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression instantly turned ugly, ¡°... then why did they say that it was the DNA sample closest to the ¡°Perfect gene¡±? ! If it was Nianzhi¡¯s DNA sample, then it can¡¯t be said to be the ¡°Closest¡±because it was the ¡°Perfect gene¡±!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said without changing his expression, ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, so I think we can¡¯t let our guard down. It¡¯s best if we can intercept the DNA sample they sent over and check whose gene it is first.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask him where his sample is right away. We must check it before they do!¡±

    ¡°Luo le just said that he¡¯ll arrive in New York tonight.¡±Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. We can¡¯t let themnd in New York tonight. Do you have any ideas?¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°Of course I do. After I get the flight number, I¡¯ll make sure that ne can¡¯tnd in New York Tonight!¡±

    Huo shaoheng immediately said, ¡°Just let the nend at the nearby New Jersey Airport. I¡¯ll rush over right now and swap out their DNA samples before they enter customs.¡±

    ¡°New Jersey Airport? It¡¯s not far...¡±Lu Jin asked, puzzled. ¡°Are you in time?¡±

    ¡°I can make it in time. You¡¯re in charge ofnding the ne at New Jersey Airport. I¡¯ll be leaving first,¡±Huo Shaoheng said as he walked towards the elevator.

    Lu Jin came out of the small room and searched a few times with his phone. He returned to the small conference room and sat back in his seat.

    Luo Le was giving an impassioned speech at the moment. ¡°Gentlemen, I still have a difficult problem that I need your help with!¡±

    ¡°Our Genius Scientist, Qin yaoguang, has made such an unprecedented achievement. However, because of a small dispute, she was sent to court by her adopted daughter. Now, she is facing a prison sentence. ¡°I hope that everyone here can exert their influence and work together with the Luo Le family to pressure the Chinese government to release Qin Yaoguang! Bring her to America!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: Chapter 1801, ¡°Unprecedented achievement.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1802

    Chapter 1802: Chapter 1802 had a better chance of winning (Chapter 2 requested a monthly pass)

    Before Lu Jin could react, Gu Nianzhi had already jumped up from the sofa in front of the television. ¡°No! We can¡¯t Let Her Go!¡±

    Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself,¡±... so that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    The Qin family was willing to take out the so-called ¡°Perfect genes¡±in order to save Qin Yaoguang, right?

    Moreover, they would pin the achievements of Gu Xiangwen, which was Lu Jin, on Qin Yaoguang. That way, their chances of winning would be higher.

    On the television, Lu Jin sat down with a slight frown. He looked at Luo Le and said,¡±... What did you say? Say It again. I wasn¡¯t here just now. I didn¡¯t hear it clearly.¡±

    Luo Le quickly repeated it again, ¡°It¡¯s like this. The achievements that Ms. Qin Yaoguang has made can be awarded the Nobel Prize. No, it¡¯s even more significant than the epoch-making significance of the Nobel Prize! How can we let her go to jail because of a small matter in the past?¡±

    He nced at the people in the room, he tried his best to incite them. ¡°If the DNA sample sent tonight is really the closest to the perfect gene, then we need Ms. Qin Yaoguang to continue her research and turn this closest gene into a real perfect gene! ¡°Don¡¯t you want to?¡±

    ¡°By then, the ¡®Super Human¡¯won¡¯t be a dream. Everyone¡¯s health will be significantly improved!¡±

    The people in this room were undoubtedly people who could directly talk to any head of state in this world. As long as they wanted to, as long as they were willing to take action and get Qin yaoguang out of prison, it waspletely feasible.

    The Huaxia Empire could also directly negotiate with Luo Le himself, but just in case, he felt that it was better for everyone to take action together.

    Lu Jin listened expressionlessly, heughed. ¡°Your request is too urgent. The DNA sample hasn¡¯t been sent yet, and it hasn¡¯t been verified yet. You¡¯re already thinking so far ahead. ¡°I want to ask, what crime did that Qin Yaoguangmit? ¡°Will she be sentenced to death immediately?¡±

    Luo Le shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. It¡¯s just a small matter from back then. I heard that it had something to do with her adopted daughter when she was young.¡±

    He spoke vaguely and intentionally blurred his vision.

    Lu Jin sneered. ¡°There¡¯s no need for all of us to take action for a small matter, right? Mr. Luo Le, isn¡¯t your family¡¯s strength enough?¡±

    Luo Le was checkmated. He forced a smile and said,¡±... of course it¡¯s enough. But if everyone takes action together, it¡¯s safer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as your family¡¯s strength is enough. There¡¯s no need for all of us to take action together.¡±Lu Jin decisively made a decision for the people in the room, ¡°It won¡¯t be toote for us to act when your family doesn¡¯t have enough power to rescue Ms. Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°However, if even the Luo Le family doesn¡¯t have enough power to rescue Ms. Qin Yaoguang from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s prison, then it means that Ms. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s crime is definitely not a small matter.¡±. ¡°Mr. Luo Le, it¡¯s not good for you to intentionally hide it, right?¡±

    The people in the room had been instigated by Luo Le. Moreover, to them, getting someone out was just a phone call or a statement. They didn¡¯t care about it at all.

    Now that they heard Mr. Von Roelsted¡¯s words, they became alert.

    That¡¯s right. Luo Le¡¯s words seemed to be a little contradictory.

    If it was just a trivial matter, the Luo le family could have stepped in. Why would they drag everyone down with them?

    If the Luo Le family couldn¡¯t get Qin yaoguang out even if they stepped forward, then what Qin Yaoguang did was definitely not a ¡°Small matter¡±.

    Everyone still had this simplemon sense and logical reasoning. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to be the true head of a financial magnate family.

    Luo Le¡¯s face turned red from Lu Jin¡¯s words. Of course, it could also be due to his anger.

    He stared at Lu Jin for a while and nodded stiffly, ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s wait for the DNA sample to arrive tonight.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled slowly, he said, ¡°What Time is the flight tonight? Will your scientists wait at the airport? As far as I know, if it¡¯s a blood sample, it needs to be preserved under a certain temperature using special methods, or it might be contaminated.¡±

    Because Lu Jin had just said that he had always been investing in biological pharmaceuticals, it was not strange that he knew thismon sense.

    No one doubted it. Instead, they all nodded and said,¡±... this is very important.¡±

    Lorelei smiled proudly, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The flight willnd at JFK International Airport at Nine o¡¯clock Tonight. There are still a few hours left. Of course, our scientists are waiting at the airport. Once we get the samples, we will immediately start testing.¡±

    ¡°Is it a direct flight from Huaxia¡¯s capital?¡±Lu Jin pretended to be casual and tried to gather as much information as possible to confirm the flight number and change the direction of the flight.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a direct flight from H City.¡±Luo Le looked at the information in his hands.

    This matter was extremely important within their organization, so Luo le personally took part in organizing and dispatching the personnel.

    Lu Jin¡¯s face froze.

    H City?

    Could that sample really be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA? !

    He immediately thought of how Gu Nianzhi had taken the anti-materiel rifle for ¡°Peter¡±in M city and had almost been blown to pieces by the sniper rifle before being sent to H City for emergency treatment.

    At that time, he had performed a temporary surgery on Gu Nianzhi at the west camp hospital in H city and removed all the shrapnel.

    After the operation, he had also removed the surgical equipment that was stained with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blood. He had instructed ¡°Peter¡±, who had been standing by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hospital bed, to handle the remaining blood-stained clothes.

    Now that he knew that ¡°Peter¡±was Huo Shaoheng, he should have handled it very carefully, right?

    There couldn¡¯t be anything missing, right?

    Lu Jin pondered and asked calmly,¡±... from H City? is yourboratory headquarters in Huaxia in H City?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±Luo Leughed and said, ¡°Ourboratory headquarters in Huaxia is in Z city, but we can¡¯t go directly from Z City to New York. Only H city has a direct flight to New York.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and didn¡¯t ask any more questions.

    Seeing that everyone had heard enough, Bitz stood up and said, ¡°This matter is of great importance. I need to discuss it with my board members before making a decision.¡±

    Bart also said, ¡°If we want to invest, it will be an investment that won¡¯t show any profit for the time being, so I can¡¯t make a decision right away.¡±

    Luo Le also knew that these people would not immediately pay for his words. They would definitely go back to do all kinds of research and discussion.

    He nodded with a smile and said, ¡°Our group has been working with the CIA for years, so you all know that this time, the CIA¡¯s most powerful secret service agent will be escorting us.¡±

    He was deliberately trying to show the importance of this experiment.

    Lu Jin lowered his head and sent the message to Huo Shaoheng.

    After leaving the meeting room at the center of Luo Le, Lu Jin sat in the car and locked onto the flight number based on what Luo Le had said.

    He hacked into the airline¡¯s website and found the list of all the members on that flight.

    He quickly found the names and passport numbers of a few Americans.

    Actually, it would have been fine if Luo Le had not said that there was a secret service agent escorting them. If he had, he would have directly sent Lu Jin¡¯s head.

    Because there were hundreds of people on international flights, most of the flights from China were Chinese.

    It was not something that could be done in a short period of time to find the person who was transporting the DNA sample.

    However, if it was an American secret service agent escorting them, then the scope was much smaller.

    First, they searched for the identity of the Americans on the flight. With Lu Jin¡¯s heaven-defyingputer skills, it took him about five minutes to lock onto the two Americans.

    Once these two Americans were locked onto, the Chinese person sitting in the middle of them would be very problematic.

    Lu Jin carefully looked through this person¡¯s information and found that he was a very smart and capable man. One look and he could tell that he was very skilled in the country.

    He quickly pulled up the passport photo of this person stored in the airline¡¯s backstage system.

    Lu Jin looked at it expressionlessly for a while and sent the information of these three people to Huo Shaoheng, including their passport photos, so that it would be easier for Huo Shaoheng to confirm.

    After the flight number was confirmed, Lu Jin directly hacked into the flight control panel and changed their flight path.

    At the same time, he found the information of the other ne in the control panel of the International Airport¡¯s dispatch tower in New Jersey, and it arrived almost at the same time as this ne.

    He also changed the flight path of this ne and switched the two nes.

    Thus, without the people on the two nes and the ground control team noticing, he had them switch the airports without them knowing.

    Because the information on theputer had been changed.

    When the people on the ground control desk and the people on the ne confirmed the location of each other, they confirmed it ording to the information given on theputer. Therefore, they did not react for a moment. They still talked as usual, they confirmed the local temperature, air, and weather conditions so that it would be easier tond.

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng was driving the SUV that had been modified by Lu Jin. He was driving quickly on the way to the New Jersey Airport.

    There were quite a number of cars going to New Jersey at this time. They were all people who had left work in New York and were returning to their homes in New Jersey.

    Huo Shaoheng ran all the way. The cars on the road were so scared that they all backed off. The car owners were unwilling to give up and honked at him wildly. For a moment, the road was full of beeps that resounded through the sky.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1802, ¡°Better odds¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    PS: Thank you to the president of ¡°Enigmayanxi¡±for the 10,000 starting point coins he gave yesterday.

    Mwah, dear big shots and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1803

    Chapter 1803: Chapter 1803 waspletely destroyed

    Generally speaking, if you took Route 95 from Manhattan to Newark International Airport in New Jersey and didn¡¯t get stuck in traffic, you would arrive there in half an hour.

    However, it was just after work time, and countless cars drove out of New York City and onto Route 95.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s driving skills were superb, and he could squeeze through even the smallest gap.

    The driver was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He couldn¡¯t help but exim at him.

    Huo Shaoheng obviously didn¡¯t care about these people. He watched as the car in front of him slowed down, and his heart burned with anxiety.

    If this was his territory, he would have called a helicopter over right now.

    However, this was his territory now. He should at least ride a Harley to get here. It would be more flexible.

    Right now, he was driving a tall and heavy SUV in the middle of the long line of people getting off work. He was in the fastne, looking at the road ahead. He was almost one centimeter away from the car in front of him. If he took another step forward, he would definitely have to rear-end the car.

    He didn¡¯t care about rear-end, but the problem was that once he rear-ended the car, the owner of the car in front would definitely call the police, which would be more troublesome.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to waste a minute right now.

    Even the fastne was full of anxiety, what else could he do?

    Huo Shaoheng opened the GPS navigation map in the car and looked at the situation of the nearby cars.

    Right in front of him, a thick red line showed that this section was extremely crowded. Moreover, there was a car ident in front of him, so it was even more crowded than usual after work hours.

    What should I do?

    As his thoughts raced, he saw that the other side of the emergency parkingne could still move cars.

    He looked around with a sullen face. When the nextne showed a gap that only allowed one car to pass, he quickly stepped on the elerator, held the steering wheel tightly, and made a beautiful parallel drift, in the blink of an eye, he changed fournes in a row and drove the car from the leftmost fastne to the rightmost emergency parkingne.

    The few cars he passed were so frightened that they mmed on the brakes. Behind them, there was a series of braking sounds, horns, and the sound of people pointing their middle fingers and cursing at him from the car window.

    Huo Shaoheng turned a deaf ear to them. He sped down the right-most emergency parkingne, got off Highway 95, and drove towards the country road.

    When there was traffic on the highway, especially when there was a traffic jam, the fastest solution was to get off the highway and take the country road, if there was a road to take.

    Huo Shaoheng found another road on the GPS that led to Newark International Airport. From a straight line, it was a bit further than the highway, and there were more traffic lights on the road.

    However, given the severe traffic jam on the highway, it was better to take the country road.

    After Huo Shaoheng got off the highway, he drove much faster.

    However, it was time to get off work, and there was traffic even on the country road.

    He found every opportunity to overtake and tried to cross the intersection before the traffic team turned red. Just like that, it took him nearly three hours to reach the parking lot of Newark International Airport.

    After parking the car, he dialed Lu Jin¡¯s number.

    ¡°Uncle Lu, I¡¯m already at the airport.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, he said, ¡°I¡¯m already home.¡±. The flight would arrive at Newark International Airport in about an hour, but the CIA had already arrived at New York¡¯s JFK Airport to pick them up. Boss Lu went to JFK Airport to create chaos.¡±

    ¡°President Lu went to JFK Airport?¡±Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Is that necessary?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wore a bluetooth headset and shared all the iing calls with Lu Jin.

    Hearing this, she said briskly, ¡°It¡¯s like this. The DNA samples were supposed to be sent to New York¡¯s JFK Airport, but my dad switched them to Newark International Airport in New Jersey.¡±

    ¡°I just changed the flight schedules of the two airports, and they still show the original flight numbers.¡±

    ¡°So up until now, the CIA, the airport, and the people on the flights still don¡¯t know about this news.¡±

    The flight schedules of the two airports still showed the original flight numbers.

    ¡°But once the flightsnd and enter customs, everyone will know. President Lu, in order to give you more time, intends to create a little chaos at JFK Airport first to dy the time of the CIA.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice and smiled slightly. ¡°Okay, got it. Tell President Lu to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡±Gu Nianzhi said sweetly. ¡°You too.¡±

    Lu Jin had already returned to his high-end penthouse apartment in Manhattan¡¯s Central Park.

    This was his other base. Theb andputer room in the apartment were all top-notch.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in front of theputer opposite him and was also focused on her work.

    Five 24-inchputer screens lined up in front of Lu Jin, covering the floor like a wall.

    He had already connected to the surveince cameras at the two airports, Kennedy and Newark, and shared the footage with them.

    Lu Jin frowned when he heard Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s affectionate conversation. ¡°I¡¯m also in danger. Look, I¡¯ve hacked into the surveince systems at the two airports. There¡¯s a chance I¡¯ll be discovered at any moment.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi with hope.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Yeah, dad is also very dangerous. You have to be careful too!¡±

    Lu Jin smiled in satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. Actually, none of them were able to catch me. It was just a hypothesis. The possibility is zero.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he put on his Bluetooth headset. He looked at his watch. ¡°I¡¯ll go to Newark Airport to make some arrangements.¡±

    ..

    JFK International Airport.

    This airport was located in Queens, New York. It had been built to divert the passenger flow from another busy airport.

    Therefore, the airport itself was not big, but because it was small, it was easy to manage.

    There was only a two-story terminal with six runways.

    The nes from China were usually full, so the airport needed the most service personnel.

    A few CIA agents in in clothes were scattered around the exit area of the airport.

    A tall ck man was sitting on an iron bench with atte in his hand.

    Two young Hispanic agents were standing not far from him, one on his left and the other on his right, ying with their phones.

    But they had bluetooth headsets in their ears, so they couldmunicate easily.

    There were also two sniper teams lying in ambush not far away, aiming at the passage out of the customs.

    If anyone made a move, they would not hesitate to shoot.

    For them, the only order they received was to eliminate anyone who tried to take the suitcase of the target.

    They did not know what was in the suitcase, but they knew that it was the highest-level secret of the CIA, and only the director and Deputy Commissioner of the CIA knew about it.

    Normally, when such ssified information came to the United States, they should report it to the president of the United States.

    However, they could not trust the president, who was always tweeting, so they chose to remain silent.

    This kind of thing was also a routine operation in the history of the CIA in the United States.

    Usually, the head of the CIA would know more secrets than the president of the United States.

    There was a saying in American politics that it was better to offend the president of the United States than to offend the head of the CIA.

    Because they knew more secrets than the president of the United States, and their level of secrecy was higher.

    They also did not have term limits. They did not need to disclose their budget, nor did they need to disclose their employees. They were directly involved in the National Security Council, and they had a lot of power.

    The photos that appeared on the phones of the two young agents were their targets.

    This was a Chinese man, but he was tall and sturdy. One look and you could tell that he was good at fighting.

    He was carrying a suitcase in his hand. In the invisible cuffs, this suitcase was connected to his wrist with a ck tungsten carbide alloy chain.

    Tungsten carbide was known as the ¡°Hard King¡±and was known as the hardest metal

    If someone wanted to snatch this suitcase, they would have to cut off this person¡¯s wrist first.

    ¡°Attention, the ne willnd in five minutes.¡±

    The ck supervisor who was holding a cup of Latte sat on the iron bench. He was reading the newspaper while giving orders softly.

    The CIA agents who were already very nervous became even more energetic. Their body posture was rxed, but their attention was constantly scanning the crowd around them.

    There were a lot of peopleing to pick them up, most of them were Chinese.

    There were also some white, ck, and Hispanic people mixed in with arge number of Chinese people.

    The Huaxia Empire was the main passenger of this flight. However, there were also white, ck, and Hispanic Americans.

    Everyone was looking forward to the reunion with their long-lost rtives and friends. Their faces were filled with brilliant joy, andughter filled the entire hall.

    At that moment, three tall men in Middle Eastern white robes and white headscarves walked over from the other side of the hall.

    The person in the lead had a high nose and deep eyes. He had a full beard, and he walked like a tiger.

    Gu Nianzhi saw this scene from the surveince footage of the Exit Hall at JFK Airport. She sighed. ¡°Director Lu is also a drama queen. Look at this Middle Eastern Tycoon¡¯s attire. He can practically see the ak47s underneath the robe if he lifts it up...¡±

    Lu Jin did not even raise his head. ¡°This is his old profession. He¡¯s been here for more than a decade and still refuses to let go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Dad, he also has ideals and pursuits.¡±

    She stared at the footage of Lu Yuan pretending to be a Middle Eastern man andughed for a while. Then, she realized that someone was also looking at the surveince camera, whether intentionally or not.

    Her heart tightened.

    At this moment, the two flightsnded at Newark Airport and JFK Airport almost at the same time.

    The CIA quickly contacted the airport dispatch and requested for their target and colleagues to get off the ne early.

    The airport dispatch immediately contacted the captain of the flight and asked, ¡°Can you get these three passengers off the ne early?¡±

    Then, he reported the three names that the CIA gave them.

    Afterparing the information of the flight attendants with their own, they were surprised and said, ¡°These three people are not on our ne...¡±

    Before the airport dispatcher could pass the news to the CIA, a series of firecrackers-like gunshots had already sounded in the airport¡¯s customs hall!

    The mes came from the dark and first blew up the disy screens of the airport¡¯s flight schedule!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: chapter 1803¡åAll blow up.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Today is Monday, special rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    PS: Chapters 2 through 10 have beenpletely revised. You can read them now. All you have to do is redownload the nine chapters.

    Mwah, you big and small angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1804

    Chapter 1804: Chapter 1804 Trust theputer or trust the human brain

    The LCD screen emitted thick ck smoke, like the bottom of a perforated pot, upside down on the wall.

    The CIA sniper team hidden in the dark was dumbfounded.

    Because the exit hall suddenly became a mess.

    Countless people ran and cried, even the sound of police cars outside could be heard.

    These snipers couldn¡¯t even fire a single shot at this time. There were people running everywhere in front of them. Where could they find a target to aim at?

    Moreover, where was the target?

    They didn¡¯t even see a person¡¯s shadow before they realized that the other party had fired!

    ¡°Boss! What the hell is going on? !¡±

    The ck captain, who was sitting steadily on the fishing tform with a cup of Latte in his hand, raised his head calmly, he pointed in the direction of the three Middle Eastern men who had just walked over and said, ¡°Tell the police that the three men in white robes who just walked over are very suspicious.¡±

    The CIA was not allowed to meddle in domestic affairs and could only assist the police and the FBI.

    Their snipers were also targeting people rted to their mission.

    Of course, their mission was not a domestic matter, but involved the foreign affairs of other countries.

    The CIA agents hurriedly went out to contact the local police to report the clues and situation.

    At this time, the airport dispatcher finally came back to his senses. He called the CIA and said, ¡°Sir, there are no three people on the flight that you want to pick up.¡±

    ¡°No? ! How is that possible? ! Are you mistaken? !¡±The CIA liaison was stunned. ¡°And we have confirmed that they really got on the ne? !¡±

    The airport dispatch didn¡¯t understand what was going on either. Seeing that the CIA was so confident, he didn¡¯t dare to let down his guard. He immediately said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask again!¡±

    He contacted the flight again and said loudly, ¡°These three people are very important. The other party confirmed that they got on the ne! They are from the Huaxia Empire!¡±

    At this time, the captain was stunned and said,¡±... We are not from the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    ¡°No? !¡±The airport dispatcher felt like his hair was standing on end, ¡°How could it not be? ! The Huaxia Empire¡¯s flight today is only your flight? !¡±

    The captain understood that he had made a mistake and quickly said, ¡°No, no, we really are not from the Huaxia Empire. We are from Southeast Asia.¡±

    The airport dispatcher pulled all the flight records for today, but he didn¡¯t see any Southeast Asian aircraft.

    He scratched his head and still couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on.

    At this time, the person next to him looked out of the window and just happened to see the big words on the ne. He pushed the dispatcher in confusion and said,¡±... that ne seems to be from Southeast Asia Airlines.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±The airport dispatcher also looked out of the window and then retracted his gaze. He looked at theputer records in front of him and said, ¡°Are you flight XXX?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You flew from the Huaxia Empire?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    The airport dispatcher broke out in a cold sweat. He thought that he had remembered wrongly and that his eyes were ying tricks on him, he said, ¡°But ourputer records say that. The Huaxia Empire only has one flight every day that flies from the Huaxia Empire to our JFK Airport.¡±

    The captain on the ne came back to his senses. ¡°Wait, wait, wait! What Airport did you say you are?¡±

    ¡°... JFK International Airport in New York. You know JFK, right? The American president who was assassinated.¡±

    The airport dispatcher patiently exined,¡±... is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°The problem is really big!¡±The captain on the other side cursed. ¡°Our destination is clearly Newark International Airport in New Jersey!¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±The eyes of the airport dispatcher almost popped out. ¡°Theputer records here show clearly! It¡¯s your flight number! We confirmed it before!¡±

    The captain looked at the data on the screen in front of him and was in a daze. He struggled desperately,¡±... but I clearly remember that we are going to Newark International Airport in New Jersey? ! Did I remember wrong?¡±

    In front of people andputers, people seemed to have given up their advantages and perseverance. They subconsciously believed thatputers could not make mistakes. If they made mistakes, it was also a human mistake.

    For example, at this time, the airport dispatcher only believed in their ownputer records.

    Even the captain on the flight faced the ¡°Irrefutable proof¡±of the data in the ne and wondered if he had remembered wrongly.

    They had not expected that theputer records of both parties could have been ¡°Tampered with¡±!

    The airport dispatch was silent for a while, then he dialed back to the CIA agent just now, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, there are indeed no three people you want to pick up on this XXX flight. May I ask if you have remembered wrongly? They are not on this flight?¡±

    The CIA agent on the other side did not remember this flight number, he quickly said, ¡°You contacted the wrong flight. It¡¯s not XXX flight, but YYY flight. I just saw this flight number on the flight schedule disy board. It always says that they will arrive on time.¡±

    Airport Dispatch:¡±...¡±

    This was impossible.

    The record in front of him showed XXX flight. How could it be YYY flight on the flight schedule disy board in the Customs Hall? !

    That LCD disy board was clearly using the same database as theputer in front of him!

    He perked up.¡±... Sir, could you have remembered wrongly? Our data shows that today¡¯s flight is flight XXX, not YYY.¡±

    What he didn¡¯t know was that at this time, the passengers on that flight started to make a scene.

    That was because the captain said in the broadcast,¡±... We¡¯ve arrived at JFK International Airport.¡±

    Everyone almost jumped up in excitement.

    ¡°Are you F * cking kidding me? !¡±

    ¡°JFK International Airport? ! We¡¯re clearly going to Newark International Airport!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Newark International Airport is in New Jersey! JFK International Airport is in New York! Do you think we¡¯re country bumpkins who don¡¯t know anything? !¡±

    These people from Southeast Asia were much more valiant than those from China. They cursed on the ne, wishing they could drag the flight attendant over and beat him up!

    However, the entire crew members were also puzzled. They were clearly flying to Newark International Airport, so how did they end up at JFK International Airport? !

    When the captain found out about this situation, he did not get angry or me everyone. Instead, he said excitedly, ¡°I remember that too! Oh My God! I thought there was something wrong with my memory!¡±

    However, looking at the data in front of him, his destination was still JFK International Airport!

    At this moment, the captain somewhat understood.

    There were so many people on the ne, so it was impossible for them to remember their destination wrong at the same time.

    Then there was only one possibility. There was something wrong with theputer data in front of him!

    But who was so resourceful that they could hack into his flight data and tamper with it? !

    With that thought, he broke out in a cold sweat.

    Fortunately, they hadnded safely..

    If the other party had altered his ne a little more, their flight would have been a mystery..

    Meanwhile, in the Exit Hall of JFK International Airport, the armed American anti-riot police had already rushed in.

    ¡°Get Down! All of you, get down!¡±

    They were wearing bulletproof vests, ck sunsses, and bulletproof helmets. They were holding semi-automatic micro-charges in their hands, ready to fight at any moment.

    However, someone had to ¡°Provoke¡±them. From time to time, bullets would shoot out from the dark. The riot police immediately fired in the direction of the bullets with micro-charges without hesitation!

    They were beating up the enemy and friends, and blood and flesh flew everywhere!

    Behind them, several huge armored vehicles were blocking the door tightly, not letting any of them go!

    The CIA agents were so angry that their noses were crooked.

    Could there be such a troublemaker police? !

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: Chapter 1804, ¡°Trust theputer or trust the human brain¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket!

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket!

    PS: the opening from Chapter 2 to Chapter 10 has beenpletely revised. You can download these nine chapters from the official subscription website.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1811

    Chapter 1811: Chapter 1811 was the most likely (the second was more demanding for a monthly ticket)

    After sending off about a hundred people with great difficulty, Luo Le sat alone in his room and closed his eyes to rest.

    Too many things had happened recently, so much so that even someone as experienced as him almost capsized.

    But fortunately, other than having the ¡°Perfect genes¡±as his trump card, he had other methods that he could use.

    He really thought that Luo Le was a sick cat.

    A vicious look shed across Luo Le¡¯s eyes.

    He picked up thendline phone in his study and dialed the Huaxia Empire¡¯s number.

    ¡°... who does the sample you sent belong to?¡±Luo Le narrowed his eyes and asked in a rxed tone.

    The voice of the person who picked up the phone in Huaxia sounded a little old.

    After confirming Luo Le¡¯s identity, the person did not answer directly. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, have you finished your verification? We have done what you asked us to do. When will you do what we want you to do?¡±

    The person who picked up the call was none other than Qin Baye.

    He was ying with two walnuts the size of a child¡¯s fist in his hands, and they were almost pulpy.

    Luo Le was a little impatient, but he was worried that the Qin family was their only partner in China, he still said patiently, ¡°As long as the results are out, of course, I will help you get Ms. Qin yaoguang out. I just want to know, who does this DNA sample belong to?¡±

    He was no longer satisfied with just a little sample. Now, because of the plight of the Luo Le family, he was eager to get his hands on the whole person, not just a little gic sample. That would be more convincing.

    Qin Baye was a shrewd old man, he said slyly, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask my daughter, Qin Yaoguang. ¡°She did so many experiments to obtain this ¡®perfect gene¡¯. If she doesn¡¯t tell us, none of us will know. ¡°You also understand that this kind of experiment is highly confidential. Even the staff of theboratory might not know what¡¯s going on. As an old man who doesn¡¯t know anything, I definitely don¡¯t know.¡±

    Luo Le was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He mmed the table and roared, ¡°You better not be lying to me! Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡±

    After saying that, Luo Le threw away the phone and propped himself up on the table with his hands covering his face.

    ..

    Wen Shouyi was sitting next to Qin Baye in a big house in Z City of the Huaxia Empire, she asked carefully,¡±... what about the Luo Le Family?¡±? ¡°I heard that their family¡¯s actions have been exposed in Europe and the United States. Theizens on Twitter are taking their turn. The Luo Le group¡¯s stock has already fallen beyond recognition. Will it affect our family?¡±

    Qin Baye closed his eyes and tapped lightly on the seat with his finger. He said lightly, ¡°More than a hundred years ago, the Luo Le family sponsored our family to run an orphanage. However, that was only the initial capital. It wasn¡¯t much and had always been a small matter.¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded, ¡°Mother told me a little about what happened in the past. She said that at that time, our Qin orphanage was only responsible for providing the gic library materials for the Luo Le group¡¯sboratory in the country. ¡°Later, after the country was founded, the foreignboratory could no longer stay and was ordered to close down. All the foreign scientists were chased out. Only then did our Qin family start to build our ownboratory.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If these people had not been chased out, our Qin family would not have had any further development.¡±Qin Baye opened his eyes and said proudly, ¡°You are Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter, which is also my biological granddaughter. I can tell you that I have already returned the initial capital that Luo le group funded us with interest.¡±

    ¡°Now, our two families are in a cooperative rtionship, not a superior-subordinate rtionship, nor is it a rtionship between shareholders and employees.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Wen Shouyi smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. She supported her silver face, which had lost a lot of weight, with one hand. ¡°Grandpa, you are still amazing. You know how to buy thend here in advance. Otherwise, it would not feel good to be controlled by others.¡±

    Speaking of thend in Z city, thend that truly allowed the Qin family to enter the upper ss, Qin Baye¡¯s expression became a little unnatural.

    He sighed, ¡°Actually, we should still thank the Luo Le family. ¡°Later, when the situation in the country stabilized, the person in charge of the Luo Le family, who is now Luo Le¡¯s father, followed the United Nations Poption Fund to visit our country. Only then did they contact us again.¡±

    The external line, which had been cut off for a whole twenty years, was finally connected again.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s special circumstances made it difficult for foreign funds to be transferred directly to domestic ounts. Therefore, they used other methods to help the Qin family.

    ¡°... Remember, we didn¡¯t take a single cent from them. We made our fortune by ourselves. We don¡¯t owe them anything. We are in a cooperative rtionship.¡±

    Qin Baye recalled the events of the past and repeatedly emphasized this point to Wen Shouyi. He was also brainwashing himself.

    Wen shouyi smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s for sure. The one who paid was the boss. Since we didn¡¯t take their money, then they can¡¯t order US around.¡±

    After saying that, she sighed and said, ¡°I just want to do my part and help mother regain her freedom as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°You will be of the greatest help to us if you help us manage the Qin private hospital group. As for your mother, I will make sure that they have no choice but to send her out of the country.¡±

    A trace of coldness shed across Qin Baye¡¯s eyes.

    ..

    In the mansion of the Luo Le family in New York City, Luo Le looked at the documents in front of him and said to this tall figure, the handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes said, ¡°Reinitz, are you sure that this DNA sample came from one of these two people?¡±

    The Man in front of him had a muscr body, and his muscles were extremely muscr. His back was facing the sunlight from the study window, and his light-colored skin was wless.

    Reinitz was wearing a suit that fit him, but the muscles on his arms were bulging, and his shoulders were wide. His waist suddenly contracted, revealing a perfect inverted triangle that had the physical beauty of an ancient Greek sculpture.

    There was a cigarette in his mouth. He had a high nose and deep eyes. He had blond hair and blue eyes. His two ck eyebrows were very neat, as if they had been measured with a ruler, which made his eyes look exceptionally good.

    He squinted his eyes and exhaled a puff of white smoke. There was a casual indifference and calmness, as if they were thousands of mountains and rivers away, but there was also a kind of calmness that was close at hand.

    His facial features were the typical handsome features of a Germanic. There was a small groove on his chin. When he was expressionless, he carried a religious-like air of abstinence. It formed a strong contrast with his aggressive figure.

    Reinz dusted the cigarette ash in his hand and spoke in standard Hanover German.¡±... ording to our investigation, it can only be one of these two.¡±

    He pointed to the information on the left. ¡°The first one is called Wen Shouyi. It¡¯s the first fertilized egg that Qin yaoguang sessfully created with gene editing. She grew up in the Qin orphanage.¡±

    He pointed to the information on the right. ¡°The second one is called Gu Nianzhi. She was the fertilized egg that Qin yaoguang created with herb partner, Gu Xiangwen, after her gene editing technology had matured.¡±

    ¡°We once thought that she was her biological daughter, but the recent court case in Huaxia has shown that Gu Nianzhi is not Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter. Her biological mother is still a mystery, so I¡¯m inclined to think that Gu Nianzhi is the most likely.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 1811, ¡°The most likely.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1812

    Chapter 1812: Chapter 1812: a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo

    Luo Le looked at the two photos for a long time and said with a frown, ¡°Didn¡¯t you get their DNA samples? Why don¡¯t you justpare them?¡±

    Reinitz smiled faintly and bowed slightly. ¡°If it were that easy, you wouldn¡¯t have paid us, the federal intelligence service, so much money.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s Federal Intelligence Service was Germany¡¯s intelligence agency. This agency was very low-key. At the very least, it was not as famous as the CIA in the United States and the KGB in the Soviet Union.

    However, the predecessor of this agency was the famous Gestapo.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) in the United States and the KGB in the Soviet Union had yet to be established when the Gestapo turned the tables in Europe.

    Therefore, these intelligence agencies were inextricably linked to the Gestapo in Germany.

    This was because many of their training methods had been inherited from the Gestapo.

    The Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany, which had inherited the Gestapo¡¯s true core resources, was full of hidden talents.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) in Germany would definitely be pleasantly surprised if they looked for the federal intelligence service for some matters that the KGB and the CIA could not handle.

    As the head of one of the top ten families in the world, Luo Le was no stranger to this.

    Therefore, he did not ce all his hopes on the agents of the CIA. Instead, he secretly hired Reinitz, an elite agent of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany, to help him investigate the ¡°Perfect genes¡±.

    The reason he found Reinitz to help him investigate the biggest secret of the Luo Le family was also because of the ¡°Perfect genes¡±. For the Germans.., especially for the Germanic people who were once known as the ¡°Noble Race¡±, it was not considered a secret at all.

    Back then, Hitler had done something simr.

    The Germans did not seed, and they felt that this method was too ridiculous. Therefore, after the end of World War II, the Germans gave up their research in this area and gave all the information to the Americans.

    However, the federal intelligence service of Germany still kept all the original information..

    However, these original information were scattered and kept in the vast sea of Gestapo data. Only a few of them still had the keys to find these information.

    These keys were passed down from generation to generation, and now, they were in the hands of Reinitz.

    He was already the agreed-upon nextmisioner of the Federal Intelligence Service.

    He was only waiting for his immediate superior, Reedy, to retire next year, and then he would take over immediately.

    It was easy to imagine that Luo Le had paid an astronomical price for him toe forward.

    Luo Le had mortgaged his family¡¯s mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to the bank, so he had paid so much money to Reinitz¡¯s federal intelligence service.

    Reinitz had proved that he was indeed worth it the moment he made his move.

    It only took him ten days to narrow down the clues to Wen Shouyi and Gu Nianzhi.

    Reinitz¡¯s fingers caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s photo and said inly, ¡°I¡¯ll investigate her situation first.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±Luo Le Shook Reinitz¡¯s hand gratefully.

    Reinitz slowly put the two photos away and said, ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job. You Don¡¯t have to thank me.¡±

    Luo Le:¡±...¡±

    ..

    After leaving Luo Le¡¯s mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Reinitz sat in the back seat of a low-profile Dark ck Mercedes-benz. He said to the driver in front of him expressionlessly, ¡°Drive. Go to the Central Park Mansion area.¡±

    The car window slowly rose, blocking the sight of the people around him.

    There were still a few people sitting in the car. They were all his subordinates.

    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s the next step?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to visit an old friend,¡±said Reinz calmly.

    The rolsted family used to be the oldest and most mysterious aristocrat in Europe, but it was said that their family members all had congenital gic diseases, and they did not live long.

    Hundreds of years had passed, and their family members were almost all dead.

    The only surviving descendant was the seventh generation grandson, von Rolsted.

    He actively invested in biological genes and pharmaceuticals. It was said that he wanted to treat the people of the Rolsted family.

    Reinitz had met this Mr. Von Rolsted once when he was in Europe.

    This time, he came to the United States to help the Luo Le family. He also wanted to visit this Mr. Rolsted and hear his views on this matter.

    From Luo Le¡¯s mansion to the Central Park Mansion District, the distance was only five blocks, less than 0.2 miles.

    It was as convenient as going to the next door.

    Reinitz had just raised his head from the photo when he suddenly saw a young girl¡¯s smiling face sh by outside the car.

    His mind suddenly buzzed, and his entire body was boiling.

    He hurriedly looked over, only to find that the young girl had already run into the entrance of a high-ss apartment in Central Park.

    Wasn¡¯t this the girl in the photo he had been looking at? !

    Was Gu Nianzhi in the United States? !

    Reinitz narrowed his eyes and looked up at the luxury apartment building in front of him.

    What a coincidence, living in the same building as Mr. Von Rolsted?

    Thinking about how Mr. Von Rolsted was also investing in biogics and biopharmaceuticals, the situation became delicate for a moment.

    Reinitz had a bad feeling. He immediately changed his mind and asked the driver in front to stop, but he did not get out of the car.

    The few of them sat quietly in the dark car, staring at the entrance of the apartment building.

    But from the afternoon until the evening, they did not see the beautiful elf-like girl again.

    Reinitz¡¯s driver yawned and said, ¡°Boss, do we still have to wait?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for an entire afternoon, and it¡¯s already useless,¡±one of his subordinates mumbled.

    Reinitz shook his head with a smile and said meaningfully, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not useless. She hasn¡¯te out for an entire afternoon, which means that she should be staying here. This is much easier.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±Reinitz waved his hand, and the driver started the car excitedly and drove away.

    Reinitz rolled down the car window and let the cool night wind blow on his face. His hot mind gradually cleared up.

    Under the light of the streetmps, he looked at the photo in his hand and thought to himself, this girl really doesn¡¯t look photogenic. She¡¯s much more beautiful in person than in the photo.

    Of course, her photo was also a beauty, but this kind of beauty couldn¡¯t bepared to the vibrancy and liveliness of a real person.

    With just a nce, that delicate and lively smiling face was reflected in his mind.

    Reinitz smiled. ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had taken two screenshots of the Luo Le family over the past ten days, and had been quietly observing them on the inte.

    Now that she did not have to do anything, the inte celebrities and self-media practitioners all over the world who wanted to use their lives to increase their poprity jumped out in a frenzy.

    They went to the orphanage funded by Luo Le for interviews and posted all kinds of sensational news that had the literary temperament of a street vendor.

    Between the truth and falsehood, the atmosphere of ¡°Everyone gathering firewood, the me is high¡±was created.

    In the end, the police from all over the world intervened and filed all kinds of civil and criminalwsuits against the Luo Le family. The whole thing finally reached a climax.

    Lu Jin took this opportunity to short all the way, and when the Luo le group¡¯s shares fell below ten dors, he began to close out his positions.

    He was very cautious, but because he had shorted too much, the stocks of Luo Le group were on the rise as soon as he bought a little too much.

    So he could only buy his positions slowly, bit by bit, as nned.

    Before the close of the market at 3:30 in the afternoon, Lu Jin finally bought all the short stocks to close out his positions.

    However, when he had sold them, they had been around one thousand to five hundred dors. Now, he had only spent about ten dors to close out his positions. The difference in price was his huge profit.

    Gu Nianzhi watched excitedly from the side. When the stock market closed at thest minute, Gu Nianzhi jumped up happily and said, ¡°I¡¯ll Go Buy You Something Good!¡±

    She had recently found out on the Inte that there was a Chinese restaurant not far from here that owned a roujiamo shop. It was said that the roujiamo inside was very authentic.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan had not been back for the past few days. She and Lu Jin had been eating western food for a few days and could not take it anymore. They nned to buy some delicious Chinese snacks to improve their lives.

    She carried the lunchbox with the roujiamo into the house and shouted, ¡°Dad! The ROUJIAMO is here!¡±

    Lu Jin came out of hisputer room and said excitedly, ¡°How many did you buy? Are they delicious? They must be delicious. I can smell the fragrance!¡±

    ¡°Of course they¡¯re delicious.¡±Gu Nianzhi proudly ced the roujiamos on an exquisite gold-rimmed bone china te, ¡°Look, there¡¯s green coriander, red meat with soy sauce, and brown and yellow sauce. The pancakes are so soft, you can drool just by looking at them!¡±

    Lu Jin swallowed his saliva and said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you buy a few more? There are only four. Is that enough?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten two. You can eat all four.¡±Gu Nianzhi pushed the te and said generously.

    Lu Jinughed. ¡°I can¡¯t eat four. Three is more like it.¡±

    He picked up the ROUJIAMO and ate it in big bites. As he ate, he kept eximing in admiration.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled widely and said, ¡°Dad, why did you close out all your stocks today?¡±

    Lu Jin nced at her and smiled. ¡°Because Tomorrow Luo Le will announce his discovery. When that timees, guess how the market will react?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Will he risk everything to announce the sess of the ¡®perfect gene¡¯experiment?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±Lu Jin took a big bite of the ROUJIAMO and chewed on it with a face full of enjoyment. After swallowing it, he took another sip of water and said, ¡°They usually do this when they¡¯re trading the stock price.¡±

    ¡°First, use a piece of news to suppress the stock price so that they can take advantage of the low price to buy.¡±

    ¡°Then, use a piece of news to raise the share price again so that they can sell.¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m doing now is more or less the same, but in the opposite direction.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m selling short before the share price is suppressed.¡±

    ¡°Then, before the newses out, hurry up and close out your positions and buy another batch at a low price.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, he will announce Big News. I¡¯ll let him gloat for a few days and let the shares rise a bit. After I sell all my stocks, I¡¯ll teach him a lesson!¡±

    Clich¨¦! It¡¯s all clich¨¦!

    This was clich¨¦!

    Gu Nianzhi was in awe. She smiled and said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re making money, but you¡¯re also making money.¡±

    ¡°You tter me. It¡¯s all the power of knowledge.¡±Lu Jin winked at her, and the father and daughter smiled in tacit understanding.

    Just then, the door to the apartment was suddenly pushed open. It was Huo Shaoheng who had entered.

    His expression was extremely serious as he said, ¡°Hurry up and get chief Lu back. Luo Le has hired Reinitz as a helper. He seems to have discovered Nianzhi.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1812, ¡°A bloody case caused by a roujiamo¡±(1) .

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    8 p.m. Second Update.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1813

    Chapter 1813: Chapter 1813: a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo (2)(second update)

    ¡°Reinitz? !¡±Gu Nianzhi felt like a lifetime had passed when she heard this name again. She asked in surprise, ¡°How did he get here? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and flicked her forehead with his finger. ¡°What are you thinking about? Of course it¡¯s Reinitz over here. Reinitz over there is a priest in the church.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her forehead with her hand and heaved a sigh of relief. She smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good. As long as it¡¯s not Reinitz over there, who would be afraid?¡±

    However, she thought of a few more questions and quickly asked, ¡°But how did he recognize me? I¡¯ve never seen him here before! Also, how did you find Him?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out the dining chair beside Gu Nianzhi and sat down beside her. He took out his phone and texted Lu Yuan, he said, ¡°Am I not monitoring Luo Le? I happened to see him meeting an important guest at his house today. It turned out to be someone we know, Reinitz.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and snorted disdainfully. ¡°How can you say you know him? At most, I know his face. He¡¯s Not Reinitz, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly raised his head and looked at her with a half-smile. ¡°Disappointed? Still thinking about Reinitz?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She widened her eyes and said, ¡°How am I disappointed? You¡¯re so baffling...¡±

    Lu Jin interrupted, ¡°Is Reinitz very good? You two look like you¡¯re facing a great enemy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him and said with lingering fear, ¡°Do you still remember the Chase I told you about in the Alps? I fell into Reinitz¡¯s trap after that.¡±

    She remembered that incident, but smiled again, her face beaming with joy. ¡°But they didn¡¯t get anything either. I took the opportunity to break into their internalwork and send all their information to our people!¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s him!¡±Lu Jin nodded repeatedly and asked Huo shaoheng, ¡°So this Reinitz here is also in the intelligence business?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said thoughtfully, ¡°On the way back, I looked up the information on Reinitz here. Yes, he¡¯s in the same position as Reinitz over there. They¡¯re both core members of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany. ¡°How did he recognize Nianzhi? I can only specte that Luo le provided the relevant information.¡±

    He paused and added, ¡°And Luo Le¡¯s information was undoubtedly obtained from the Qin family in the country.¡±

    Lu Jin agreed with this spection, he quickly said, ¡°Luo le has worked with the Qin family for so many years. They already knew about Nianzhi. But they had thought that Nianzhi¡¯s genes were not the ¡®perfect genes¡¯they had imagined. Because she did not disy these abilitiester on, they did not continue to pay attention to her. ¡°But all the initial information should be there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat at the side, her bright eyes twinkling like paint. Suddenly, she said, ¡°This time, he doesn¡¯t know that I know him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin looked at her together and asked in unison, ¡°What do you want to Do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment and then smiled. ¡°You two think the same thing.¡±

    Lu Jin could not help but re at Huo Shaoheng before saying to Gu nianzhi, ¡°You should stay as far away from this kind of person as possible. They are all ruthless people.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng actually agreed with Lu Jin and nodded. ¡°Indeed, don¡¯t get in contact with him.¡±

    She had only said one sentence, but the two of them had already guessed what she was going to do.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her earlobe awkwardly. Gu Nianzhi looked around at him and said with a smile, ¡°Actually, I just want to make use of this trash. Who knows, maybe there¡¯ll be more surprises?¡±

    ¡°Besides, he already recognized me. What¡¯s the point of hiding? It¡¯ll only make him even more determined to track me down. It¡¯s better to just y along and pretend he doesn¡¯t know about this. We¡¯ll see what he does next.¡±

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng looked at each other, as if thinking about the feasibility of this matter.

    However, after much thought, they shook their heads and refused, saying, ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do it.¡±

    Huo shaoheng immediately suggested, ¡°Let Nianzhi not return to the country first. There¡¯s young master he in the country, so the protection provided is moreplete.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng was no longer worried about he zhichu. She nced at him in surprise, but quickly understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intentions.

    He Zhichu was now almost certain to be her half-brother. He Zhichu and she both knew this, so he zhichu was no longer his love rival.

    Since he was not a rival in love, he could be a rtive in the future, so of course he was happy to be generous..

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips speechlessly and refused, ¡°I¡¯m not going back alone. I want to be with you guys!¡±

    Lu Jin also wanted Gu Nianzhi to return to the country now, so she would be safer than in the United States.

    But as soon as Gu Nianzhi refused and made a pitiful expression, he immediately pulled up the white g and surrendered.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay, I¡¯m not going back! I have money now, I can protect you!¡±

    Lu Jin acted like a rich ¡°Nouveau riche¡±and waved his right hand in front of him.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and hugged Lu Jin¡¯s left arm, saying sweetly, ¡°Daddy is the best! Daddy, I Love You!¡±

    Lu Jin suddenly felt like he was inted and was about to float up into the sky. He was so dizzy that he couldn¡¯t hear Gu Nianzhi clearly. Anyway, he agreed to whatever she said.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his temples. He had never been so eager for Lu Yuan toe back as soon as possible.

    Half an hourter, Lu Yuan was really back.

    Lu Jin saw him and stood up happily. ¡°That¡¯s great! Boss Lu, you¡¯re really back! There¡¯s no need to eat Western food tonight!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also quite happy, but she wasn¡¯t as straightforward as Lu Jin. She only said implicitly, ¡°American Chinese food is really terrible, even worse than Western food. But it¡¯s okay to eat western food asionally, but it¡¯s also disgusting if you eat too much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan were already used to it.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t care, he smiled generously. ¡°People who just came from the United States won¡¯t be able to adapt to the taste of most Chinese food in the United States. There are some Chinese restaurants in California that are okay, but they¡¯re so rare that they can be ignored.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes almost looked like they were trying to butter him up. ¡°I suspect that the Chinese food in the takeout is made with boiling water. It¡¯s terrible! Director Lu, even if you open a Chinese restaurant, you¡¯ll still make a Fortune!¡±

    Lu Jin said proudly, ¡°I¡¯ve suggested it many times, but boss Lu just won¡¯t listen.¡±

    The more he said, the more ridiculous he got.

    Huo Shaoheng had called him back not to make dinner for the two of them, right?

    Lu Yuan looked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and stood up. ¡°Please sit, director Lu.¡±

    He then said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Tell director Lu what we just talked about. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and make dinner.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she heard that there would be delicious food for dinner. She looked at Huo Shaoheng admiringly and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Huo Shao, you go and do your thing. I¡¯ll talk to President Lu.¡±

    In her eyes, Reinitz was not as important as a good dinner.

    Huo Shaohengughed, but his mood improved again. He turned and walked to the kitchen.

    Lu Yuan sat down where Huo Shaoheng had been sitting and listened to Gu Nianzhi quietly.

    Gu Nianzhi was quick-witted and told him everything that had happened. She added, ¡°I wonder if Reinitz is as good as Reinitz over there!¡±

    Lu Jin added, ¡°If they¡¯re doing the same job, they should be equally good.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not expect this to happen and was speechless for a long time.

    He had been monitoring the movements of Luo Le¡¯sboratory outside for the past few days. He had been wandering around Luo Le¡¯sboratory in New York for a long time, but he still had not found an opportunity to nt the surveince camera and eavesdropping device in Luo Le¡¯s Secret Laboratory.

    He stroked his chin and said slowly, ¡°Luo Le¡¯sboratory in New York is extremely heavily guarded. I suspect that the results of their family¡¯s experiments over the past hundred years are all kept in theirboratory in New York.¡±

    ¡°Now they¡¯ve invited the German intelligence chief to track down Nianzhi. They¡¯re really determined to get her...¡±

    Lu Jin exploded. ¡°I told you not to interfere! If we had followed my n, they would only be rebuilding on the ruins now!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair stood on end. She quickly tugged at the corner of Lu Jin¡¯s shirt and said pitifully, ¡°Dad, we agreed that you wouldn¡¯t abandon me...¡±

    ¡°No, no, Dad was just saying it casually.¡±Lu Jin quickly coaxed Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi pretended to be wronged as she secretly observed Lu Yuan¡¯s movements.

    Lu Yuan happened to look over and his eyes met hers like a little fox.

    Lu Yuan smiled faintly and pointed at her with his finger, he said, ¡°There¡¯s no point in dying together with them. As long as there¡¯s money, they can rebuild in a minute. Nianzhi¡¯s suggestion to destroy all their sources of funding is more reliable.¡±

    Lu Jin was implying that Lu Jin¡¯s method was not reliable.

    Lu Jin was not angry at all. He just spread his hands and said, ¡°With the Luo Le family¡¯s wealth and power, they won¡¯t sit still and wait to be killed. Just you wait. If they don¡¯t retaliate crazily, my surname won¡¯t be Gu!¡±

    This time, he did not use the surname Lu to brush them off.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Yuan¡¯s expressions became serious.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s second watch: chapter 1813¡åA roujiamo caused by the ¡°Bloody case¡±(2) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1814

    Chapter 1814: Chapter 1814: a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo (3)

    ¡°This Reinitz is the retaliation method of the Luo Le Family?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, slightly puzzled. She still couldn¡¯t figure out how Reinitz had targeted her.

    She hadn¡¯t had a chance to get to know Reinitz aftering here..

    ¡°Dad, logically speaking, that thing has already been reced. They should be targeting Wen Shouyi now...¡±Gu Nianzhi supported her chin with her hands, very confused.

    ¡°Because of Reinitz¡¯s interference, this matter is indeed not optimistic.¡±Lu Yuan frowned.

    He had been here for many years and had not given up on his identity and mission. He had secretly done a lot of research and had a certain understanding of how powerful this organization was in Germany.

    Huo Shaoheng finished preparing dinner. When everyone was having dinner together, Huo Shaoheng started to talk about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s past dealings with this organization.

    When Lu Yuan found out that Gu Nianzhi had single-handedly sent all theputer information of this organization to her own country, his eyes lit up, he couldn¡¯t help toasting Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, I knew you were good. I didn¡¯t expect you to be this good!¡±

    The most important thing for people in intelligence work was the data. It was a valuable asset that they could use their lives to protect and fight for.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed by thepliment, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t drink. She only used grape juice as wine to return thepliment to Lu Yuan, she smiled and said, ¡°President Lu, you tter me. I didn¡¯t think too much back then. I was just... doing my part.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew that she was determined to die back then, which was why she was so reckless.

    He felt extremely guilty and reached under the table to hold Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly and nced at him without batting an eyelid. Her eyes were watery, like the sshes of jade on a spring day when the branches of a green tree stirred the water.

    Lu Jin¡¯s lips twitched as he looked at her. He knocked on his bowl and said, ¡°Eat properly! Eat without speaking, sleep without speaking. Where have you learned the rules?¡±

    Lu Jin obviously did not care about these rules.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that he was feeling ufortable, so she smiled and scooped a bowl of Soup for Lu Jin, she said, ¡°Dad, have some soup. This is the dried bamboo shoots and job¡¯s tears soup that Huo Shao specially prepared for you. Look at how clear this soup is, but it¡¯s delicious and mellow. The duck meat isn¡¯t old at all. Instead, it¡¯s full of the soup, soft and tender.¡±

    Lu Jin was in a better mood. He nced at Huo Shaoheng proudly and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you eat too. I remember a few days ago you said you wanted to eat salted duck, especially salted duck cooked with potatoes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to say, ¡°We¡¯ll make salted duck tomorrow. Cook it with potatoes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±Lu Jin nodded and finally let him go. He focused on his soup.

    Lu Yuan smiled and continued to praise Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Big shareholder Lu, don¡¯t Nitpick on Nianzhi. TSK TSK, if I had a daughter like this and achieved so much, even if I didn¡¯t know how to cook, I would still learn to cook well and cook well for my daughter every day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of his cheap daughter, Huo Jin, and her face turned slightly red, she whispered,¡±... Actually, CEO Lu, you¡¯re really ttering me. Although I managed to get my hands on the information, the amount was toorge. They¡¯re still coting and searching through all the information, so there¡¯s not much information avable.¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t seem to remember that he had a cheap daughter at all. He reached out his chopsticks and paused, he understood. ¡°That¡¯s right. If it¡¯s all the contents of the German FBI, then it must be a huge amount of data. It would take many years to manually search it all. But there are shortcuts.¡±

    ¡°What shortcuts? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She quickly asked, ¡°Chief Lu, do you know how to get there? !¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to get there.¡±Lu Yuan smiled, ¡°But I know that the Federal Intelligence Service of Germany has certain rules regarding the storage of their important information. To find the most confidential information in their vast database, you need their secret key index.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood immediately. He said in surprise, ¡°So this is how the federal intelligence agency of Germany keeps their secret information!¡±

    Their method of encryption was like hiding a needle in a huge pile of straw.

    It wasn¡¯t difficult, but even if someone removed this pile of straw, they wouldn¡¯t have thought that the tiny needle was the most important thing inside.

    Or even if they knew, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find it.

    However, it was different with a secret key. It was like a locator or a ma that could suck iron out of things.

    They only needed someone to hold the key.

    Gu Nianzhi perked up and immediately thought of something. ¡°Could it be that Reinz knows the secret key? Should we start with him? !¡±

    Lu Jin had just finished his soup. He was still savoring the taste of the soup, but he couldn¡¯t care less now. he shouted, ¡°Nianzhi, he¡¯s looking for you, and you want to deliver yourself to him? !¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t go into the Tiger¡¯s Den, how will you get the Tiger¡¯s Cub?¡±Gu Nianzhi was eager to give it a try. She clenched her fist, she said excitedly, ¡°So they can plot against us and chase us from behind, but they won¡¯t allow us to fight back and collect some interest at the same time? I¡¯m guessing that the key to the two worlds should be the same, right?¡±

    Lu Jin thought about it. ¡°It might not be exactly the same, but the rules and logic of the key should be the same.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even better. We must not let this opportunity slip away!¡±Gu Nianzhi put down her chopsticks. She rolled her eyes and said sweetly, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not saying this to be brave and ruthless, but after careful consideration.¡±

    She counted with her fingers. ¡°First of all, if we can get the secret key from Reinitz here, we can unlock the most important secrets in the huge amount of information on the other side of the world. This is for the National Interest!¡±

    Lu Yuan could not help but be moved when he heard this.

    Although Huo Shaoheng did not want Gu Nianzhi to make an appearance, he was persuaded and wanted to give it a try.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the two of them were still unmoving and did not agree with her, but she could still see their interest from their twinkling eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly and turned to look at Lu Jin. ¡°Second of all, we also have a major advantage here.¡±

    ¡°Although there are only four of us, each of us can fight against ten or one against a hundred. A person like my father can fight against an entire army!¡±

    When the famous Qian Xuesen was about to return to the US, the US military refused to let him leave. They imed that he could fight against ¡°Five divisions¡±by himself.

    Gu Nianzhi felt that her father was more powerful than Qian Xuesen, so she upgraded to an army.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan smirked at the same time.

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, wasughing so hard that his eyes couldn¡¯t see his teeth. He was dizzy from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s p.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that she had taken care of Lu Jin, so she turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan.

    She gave Lu Yuan a thumbs up. ¡°Also, the Committee of State Security (KGB) has unfathomable abilities. One person is able to toy with the elite agents of the American police force and the CIA. They still don¡¯t know who the ¡®Middle Easterner¡¯who stole the Apache helicopter and threw it into the sea is. They¡¯re still guessing if it¡¯s the Soviet KGB...¡±

    ¡°As the saying goes, a strong dragon does not suppress a local snake. But as the dragon of China, themittee of State Security even suppressed the local snake in New York. How can we not defeat the few ¡®snakes¡¯of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany? !¡±

    No matter how calm andposed Lu Yuan was, when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unreserved praise, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly gave herself an OK sign in her heart.

    Okay, president Lu is done. Huo Shaoheng is the only one left.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng with a grin.

    Huo Shaoheng stared at her warily and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s no use. There¡¯s nothing you can say. No Means No.¡±

    ¡°Is it really no?¡±Gu Nianzhi sighed. She put her hand on her cheek as if she was very sorry, she leaned against the dining table and said in a low voice,¡±... I thought you would want to help me get revenge... back then, at the foot of the Alps, you saw me get electrocuted by them with your own eyes...¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±

    Lu Jin and Lu Yuan shouted at the same time.

    Lu Jin was so excited that he almost flipped the table over.

    ¡°Electrocution? ! You Didn¡¯t say she was electrocuted!¡±Lu Jin yelled at Huo Shaoheng, his face grim. ¡°What else are you hiding from me? !¡±

    Lu Yuan clenched his right hand into a fist and said coldly, ¡°If it¡¯s true, then we really can¡¯t let him go!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stared at Gu Nianzhi and pursed his lips. He really wanted to remind the two indignant elders that the person who had electrocuted Gu Nianzhi was on the other side of the world, not here.

    And the person who had electrocuted her had already been killed by him..

    But he didn¡¯t say a word.

    Because it was undeniable that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words had hit his soft spot.

    It was true that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s experience of being captured and electrocuted in Germany was still a sore point in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart.

    He couldn¡¯t forget how he felt when he saw the video of her being electrocuted, and he definitely didn¡¯t want to relive it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened slightly. ¡°It¡¯s exactly because you suffered so much at the hands of Reinitz over there that I can¡¯t let you take the risk.¡±

    Gu nianzhi said anxiously, ¡°But this time is different! Reinitz knew me when we were there, but I didn¡¯t know him. I was caught because of the asymmetry of information!¡±

    ¡°But this time, Reinitz knew me and I knew him, but he didn¡¯t know I knew him! This is the asymmetry of information that is beneficial to me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t want to let go of this opportunity.

    She thought about it nervously and came up with another reason. She clutched her chest and said, ¡°Do you know that sometimes I still dream that I¡¯m being held hostage by them? It has already caused serious psychological damage to me!¡±

    ¡°You know that a mental illness needs to be treated with medicine. If I can¡¯t...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head was hurting from her questions. He raised his hand and only wanted to shut her up. He said, ¡°Stop, stop, stop. You¡¯re just trying to do everything in your power to provoke Reinitz, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±Gu Nianzhi was also annoyed. She shot to her feet, i know what you mean. You always want me to hide. You always want me to pretend. I Can¡¯t go anywhere. Even if I go out to buy a roujiamo, I will be in danger! If that¡¯s what you¡¯re capable of, how is my life any different from being locked up in ab? !¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 1814, ¡°A roujiamo caused by the ¡°Blood¡±(3) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1815

    Chapter 1815: Chapter 1815: a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo (chapter 4)(Chapter 2)

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were too harsh.

    She was actually a little regretful when she said it, but she really didn¡¯t want to be restricted all the time.

    The three people in the restaurant looked at her silently, feeling very upset.

    Because Gu Nianzhi was absolutely right.

    They were all people with outstanding achievements in their own fields, but when it came to matters rted to Gu Nianzhi, they couldn¡¯t help feeling restrained.

    Seeing that no one was talking, Gu Nianzhi was a little flustered. She was worried that her words would hurt their self-esteem, but she also felt wronged.

    Her eyes gradually turned red, and she looked like she was about to cry.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and walked over to put his arm around her shoulders. He ced her head on his chest, patted her back gently, andforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll think of a way together. We won¡¯t keep you locked up in the house forever.¡±

    His emotions were alsoplicated.

    If Gu Nianzhi took the initiative to attack, the risk to her safety would definitely increase.

    However, if she was the one to do it, many things would be much easier.

    Just like when they were in the other world, they had started to protect Gu Nianzhi tightly. She had lived in the base for four years and had no problems with her safety.

    However, there had been no results from investigating her background.

    Later, they had decided to let her out and take the initiative to contact the society. That had attracted he zhichu, who was truly rted to her background, and Gu Yanran, who was indirectly rted to her background.

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi was only 16 years old. When he made the decision, he was not lenient at all. He waspletely using the maximization of their interests as a criterion.

    Now that Gu Nianzhi was 20 years old and was about to turn 21 this year, he was actually full of worries. He was not as open-minded as before.

    He looked down at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little face, which was biting her lips hard to hold back her tears. His heart was full of pity and reluctance.

    Lu Yuan was shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, and he admired his niece-inw even more.

    He nodded and praised, ¡°As expected of a girl who grew up in our army. Her courage and tenacity have not let down the years of training and education the army has given her.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi in a daze. After a while, he said,¡±... I told you to follow my n, but you didn¡¯t listen. If we had followed my n, Gu Nianzhi would be safe now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses, and the tears in her eyes disappeared. She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and stuck her head out to say to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re here again. We have a better idea, so don¡¯t act on your own.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her worriedly and said, ¡°But, are you really going to get close to that Reinitz? They¡¯re the Gestapo, and they often turn on each other.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the three people in the room. Seeing that there was only concern on their faces, she knew that they had tacitly agreed. Her heart rxed, she smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to get close to him, it¡¯s that I want to wait for him to get close to me. I¡¯m Jiang Taigong fishing, and I¡¯m willing to take the bait!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Lu Jin looked at each other and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Then we have to n carefully.¡±

    ..

    A few days had passed, and the shares of the Luo le group were gradually rising, almost breaking through the 15-dor mark.

    Analysts in the stock market said that as long as they broke through the 15-dor mark, the next price breakthrough would be 20 dors!

    This price was a mockery of the Luo Le Group¡¯s shares, which had been trading at 1,000 dors a month ago.

    However, it was 50% higher than the 10-dor stock price from 10 days ago!

    For those who bought stocks below $10, the rate of return was unusually high.

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi watched from the sidelines and did not continue what they had done in the past.

    In other words, Gu Nianzhi did not send new screenshots, and Lu Jin did not stir up trouble in the stock market.

    They were just quietly waiting for the results.

    Lu Jin was holding a batch of Luo le group shares that he had bought for around ten dors a few days ago. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to sell them.

    ..

    Luo Le was even more nervous these few days.

    The Huaxia Empire had sent over a DNA sample, and the official results would be out today.

    The goal that he and his family had been working on for hundreds of years was finally going to be achieved today, right?

    On this day, he put on the ck tuxedo that fitted him the best. His face was clean, and he went to his family¡¯sboratory in New York first.

    Thisboratory was indeed thergest in his family. It had thergest number of people and the strictest security.

    The results that his family had invested in gic science for over a hundred years were all here.

    The driver parked the car in the parking lot of theboratory. He got out of the car and went to the other side to open the door for Luo Le.

    The moment Luo Le got out of the car, he walked toward the elevator.

    From this elevator, he could directly reach the sixth floor of the basement of this building.

    Their family¡¯sboratory was built underground.

    Luo Le pressed his palm on the palm print sensor at the entrance of theboratory. The silver-white stainless steel door of theboratory slowly opened.

    This door was extremely heavy. It was said to be able to defend against nuclear attacks.

    Luo Le Strode in and nodded to the receptionist at the door. He greeted her.

    The ordinaryboratory staff were also very excited.

    For the past month, it was as if they were in a dream. They were doing the test of this mysterious gene and had seen many things that they had never seen before.

    However, the main scientists in theboratory were not so optimistic.

    When Luo Le walked into the meeting room, they were still arguing.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still discussing?¡±Luo Le sat down with a smile. ¡°How much is the difference between this DNA sample and the ¡®perfect gene¡¯? China ims to be the sample closest to the ¡®perfect gene¡¯.¡±

    The few scientists looked at each other and simultaneously pushed up the sses on the bridge of their noses.

    The Chief Scientist of theboratory, Mr. Rum, said seriously, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, I want to emphasize that we don¡¯t know what the ¡®perfect gene¡¯is, so we don¡¯t know how to define the difference between the ¡®perfect gene¡¯and the ¡®perfect gene¡¯.¡±

    Just like how two peoplepare in height, if you don¡¯t know how tall the other person you want topare with is, then how do youpare?

    Luo Le frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what a ¡®perfect gene¡¯is?¡±

    A few scientists shook their heads in shame and said, ¡°A ¡®perfect gene¡¯needs theoretical support and guidance. Unfortunately, our definition of a ¡®perfect gene¡¯is still in the exploratory stage.¡±

    ¡°Then, based on the information you know, how much of the DNA sample this time oveps with your exploratory conclusion?¡±

    It was easy to exin.

    Chief Scientist rum turned off the lights in the meeting room and pulled down the projection screen on the wall. He then turned on theputer and connected it to the projector to demonstrate their verification results to Luo Le.

    ¡°Mr. Luo Le, please take a look. The human gic genes are all on these 23 pairs of 46 chromosomes.¡±

    ¡°The coding system of the human genes is alsopleted by these chromosomes.¡±

    ¡°Each chromosome is a deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA molecule.¡±

    ¡°And there are multiple gene segments on each DNA.¡±

    ¡°These gene segments control the gic characteristics of humans.¡±

    As rum spoke, he pointed at a gene segment that looked like a baby silkworm with hisser pointer. ¡°But not every gene segment is healthy and normal.¡±

    ¡°If we use the analogy of a person¡¯s physical appearance and constitution, it means that some people are healthy, some are weak, some are tall and fit, and some are short and ugly. All of these are determined by genes

    ¡°It is expressed at the gic level. Look, isn¡¯t it the same as a person¡¯s appearance? Some of the gene fragments are obviously much shorter than other normal people, and also much more fragile. ¡°Such gene fragments are very unstable, and it¡¯s extremely easy for diseases to ur

    ¡°And the ¡®perfect gene¡¯that we have imagined should exclude all the unhealthy and fragile genes. Only the healthy and strong genes will not cause gic diseases

    ¡°The person who grew up under the expression of such a ¡®perfect gene¡¯should be the peak of human evolution, which is very close to the ¡®Super Human¡¯proposed by the ancestors of ourboratory!¡±

    Luo Le was extremely excited. He rubbed his hands and said, ¡°Good, good, good! Then what are we waiting for? ! Can you use this ¡®perfect gene¡¯sample to make a new fertilized egg? !¡±

    Rum hesitated for a moment. He did not want to discourage Luo Le¡¯s enthusiasm, but he had to say it.

    In the field of science, there was no room for faking.

    A person who faked could fool others for a moment, but they would be exposed at any moment.

    ¡°Mr. Luo Le, the problem is that we feel that there¡¯s something wrong with this set of gic samples.¡±

    ¡°Every gene fragment seems to have been edited. The diseased and weakened genes have been deleted, and normal gene fragments have been added.¡±

    ¡°But the problem is that the normal gene fragments that were addedter still have the same diseased and weakened genes.¡±

    The smile on Luo Le¡¯s face disappeared. ¡°What do you mean? Exin it clearly!¡±

    ¡°What I mean is that this so-called DNA sample that is closest to the ¡®perfect gene¡¯can only be said to be an ¡®attempt to get close¡¯, but this attempt is unsessful.¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s face instantly turned pale. His voice suddenly became high-pitched and shrill, almost breaking his throat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that your verification failed? !¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s not that our verification failed, but we verified that this DNA sample is not the sample closest to the ¡®perfect gene¡¯.¡±

    Another scientist sneered and said, ¡°Actually, I have long suspected that our American and European scientists have not touched the door of the ¡®perfect gene¡¯, so how can those Chinese scientists be better than our people?¡±

    ¡°They are the best at cheating.¡±The scientist sitting next to him snorted. ¡°And stealing other people¡¯s scientific achievements. Mr. Luo Le, do you really trust them so much?¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s mood was as if he had been thrown down from Mount Everest after climbing it.

    He covered his chest and panted heavily. He waved his hand and said, ¡°You guys go out first. Mr. Rum stays. I still have some questions to ask.¡±

    After the other scientists left, Luo Le put down his hand that was covering his chest and asked him with red eyes, ¡°Mr. Rum, is there no room for negotiation?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±Chief scientist rum asked curiously, ¡°What kind of negotiation do you want?¡±

    The DNA sample sent by China itself was wed. How could he ¡°Negotiate¡±with it?

    ¡°... What If, I have to say, this is the sample closest to the perfect gene?¡±Luo Le went all out for the stock price.

    He had to force it to be perfect!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: chapter 1815, ¡°A roujiamo caused a ¡°Murder case¡±(4) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1816

    Chapter 1816: Chapter 1816: a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo (5)(first request for a rmendation ticket)

    ¡°But it¡¯s not,¡±the chief scientist, rum, insisted. He was a white German man in his sixties. His hair was already bald and he didn¡¯t have a beard, but his appearance made him look more intelligent.

    ¡°I know!¡±Luo Le kicked over the seat next to him impatiently. ¡°I¡¯m only asking you to hold on for a few days! Anyway, I¡¯m not going to apply for a patent right away. Why are you in such a hurry? !¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not public yet, people will believe whatever you say.¡±Luo Le took a deep breath and patiently persuaded the chief scientist, rum.

    ¡°Also, I won¡¯t let you bear the responsibility for nothing.¡±Luo Le vaguely told him the truth. ¡°As long as you help me tide over this storm, if the stock price can rise to 500 US dors by tomorrow, I¡¯ll give you stock options!¡±

    The pupils of the chief scientist, rum, suddenly constricted. He immediately asked shrewdly, ¡°Options? How much?¡±

    ¡°This number.¡±Luo Le wrote a number on the paper and pushed it in front of him. ¡°As long as the stock price rises to 500 US Dors Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be a billionaire.¡±

    For rum, although the field of science was fascinating, only the charm of money could not be resisted.

    ¡°Deal!¡±He immediately high-fived Luo Le and took the note that he had just written. Of course, he did not forget to ask Luo Le to sign it..

    After rum left, Luo le stayed in the meeting room alone for a while. The expression on his face was vtile, just like the weather in New York in June.

    He was thest one to leave the meeting room.

    As he walked out of the meeting room, his face had changed into a genial and elegant smile. His two arms were swaying unhurriedly by his side as he calmly left the New Yorkboratory.

    Tomorrow, he would go to the New York Stock Exchange. He would give an important speech here, and it would also be an important speech to the entire world and humanity.

    ..

    The New York Stock Exchange was located at 11 Lower Manhattan in New York. It was a ten-story building with the style of the ancient Greek Renaissance.

    At seven o¡¯clock the next morning, the streetmps on both sides of the street were still vaguely lit.

    Luo Le rode on the custom-made bulletproof rolls-royce Phantom and arrived at the entrance of the New York Stock Exchange.

    This was the stock exchange with thergest trading volume in the world. It was also the stock exchange with the longest history. This building alone had a history of more than a hundred years.

    Of course, the history of stock trading itself was even longer, at least two to three hundred years.

    Luo Le¡¯s speech here would undoubtedly cause a huge response around the world.

    Standing on the balcony above the New York Stock Exchange¡¯s trading hall that protruded out to ring the bell, Luo Le felt as if he was facing the history of all mankind.

    Below the stage was the electronic trading screen that was shing with blue light in the exchange.

    The bustling traders hung their name tags and looked warily at the man standing on the balcony.

    This man had oncemanded the world¡¯s financial markets and had been suppressed by the plummeting stock prices until his hair turned white overnight.

    Today, he was standing here again, facing his battlefield, facing the whole world, facing all mankind.

    After the market closedst night, they received a notice saying that before the market opened today, the chairman of the Luo Le Group, Mr. Luo Le III, woulde here to give a speech and announce a very important discovery.

    Just this news alone had caused the shares of the Luo Le Group on the world¡¯s stock exchanges to rapidly soar to 100 US dors per share, far exceeding the ¡°Big Mark¡±of 20 US dors that stock analysts had previously estimated, it even made the 30 US dor long-term target that they had estimated be a joke.

    The trading before the opening this morning also showed that countless short day traders were frantically unwinding their positions and buying.

    Everyone¡¯s mood was just like the stock price of the Luo Le group before the opening of the market, rising steadily.

    Luo Le also noticed this point.

    This was all within his expectations.

    He had long known that as long as the ¡°Perfect gene¡±became a reality, those short sellers who had bet against their big market would all lose their pants!

    However, his expression was still very calm. It was the kind of indifference and gentleness that had gone through great storms and waves, and had already returned to its original simplicity.

    Only he himself knew that if he wanted to do this, the sharp awl in his palm had already pierced him until he was bleeding.

    Because his calm waspletely achieved by intense pain. Otherwise, he was afraid that he would not be able to control his violent heartbeat and directly jump off the small balcony..

    ..

    At nine o¡¯clock, Luo Le calmly held the small hammer and knocked on the control desk in front of him.

    The bell rang for a total of ten seconds.

    The bell ended and the stock market opened.

    All the traders began to multitask. They stared at the stock price in front of them while listening to the white-haired middle-aged man, Luo Le, on the balcony in the trading hall.

    Not long after, his English with a British ent rang in every corner of the New York Stock Exchange Hall. It was also broadcasted live on television and spread around the world.

    ¡°Hello,dies and Gentlemen.¡±

    ¡°I am Luo Le III, the chairman of the Luo Le Group. I am also the decision maker of the orphanage,boratory, and various scientific research institutions funded by the Luo Le Group.¡±

    ¡°I know that over the past month, there have been a lot of rumors about the Luo le group spreading around the world.¡±

    ¡°Here, I will first reserve the right to sue all the media andizens who create and spread rumors.¡±

    ¡°What I want to tell you is that everything they say is false

    ¡°Luo le group has always beenmitted to giving back to society and working hard to build a better and higher-level human society

    ¡°Our Orphanage has adopted tens of thousands of orphans

    ¡°Ourboratory has made countless discoveries that are beneficial to human health

    ¡°Our research organization has been working hard for the future of mankind!¡±

    ¡°Today, I stand here to tell everyone that the gic research that our Luo le group has invested a huge sum of money in for over a hundred years has finally made a breakthrough!¡±

    His voice paused. He looked into the distance, as if he was looking into the distant future.

    Everyone¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and they could not help but stop what they were doing. They looked even more nervously at Luo Le, who was standing on the small balcony of the trading hall. They did not know what kind of sensational words he was going to say.

    Luo Le waited until everyone¡¯s attention was on him before he retracted his gaze. His voice suddenly raised an octave.

    ¡°Today, I want to announce that theb under the Luo Le Group has sessfully edited the ¡®perfect gene¡¯that belongs to Humans!¡±

    In the trading hall, in front of the television, almost everyone who was listening to this speech started to get restless.

    ¡°Perfect gene? !¡±

    ¡°What is a perfect gene? !¡±

    ¡°Is there really such a thing? !¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s eyes revealed an irrepressible fanaticism, because he saw the stock prices rising in the trading hall!

    200 USD!

    300 dors!

    400 dors!

    500 dors!

    600 dors!

    ..

    Luo Le¡¯s stock price jumped by 100 dors every minute, and in less than 10 minutes, it had returned to the highest price of 1,000 dors per share a month ago!

    But it had not stopped, it was still rising!

    The falling stock price was limited, it could only fall to zero at most.

    But the rising stock price was unlimited, because you did not know when it would reach the top!

    Originally, the stock price shouldn¡¯t have skyrocketed like this, but because there were too many short sellers before, now that the system forced them to close their positions, they almost lost control of their own ounts. At the critical point, they would be forced to buy, that was why the stock price could soar so quickly.

    And this soaring stock price was the most powerful booster.

    Luo Le was so excited that he couldn¡¯t control himself. He even publicized the prospect of the ¡°Perfect gene¡±even louder.

    ¡°Do you know what the perfect gene means to mankind?¡±

    ¡°This means that we can unravel the mysteries of all gic diseases and find a suitable treatment!¡±

    ¡°This means that all kinds of incurable diseases, led by cancer, will bepletely cured by gene therapy!¡±

    ¡°This means that everything that is not good for you can be solved at the gic level!¡±

    ¡°This means that for the first time, we, human beings, will be the god who can control our own lives

    ¡°We believe in God

    ¡°Because God has sent his son, Jesus, to preach the Gospel to us

    ¡°The perfect gene is a gift from God

    ¡°The perfect gene is a huge technological advancement that Luo le group has spent hundreds of years and billions of assets to exchange for

    ¡°People in thest century often said that the next century is the century of biological gic science

    ¡°I believe that this is the most urate prediction made by mankind in thest century

    ¡°Because in this century, with the arrival of the ¡®perfect gene¡¯, we are truly weing the golden age of biological gic science!¡±

    Luo Le extended his hands toward the sky like a priest preaching the gospel. His body was almost shining with holy light.

    Just as he finished his sentence, the shares of the Rohrer group had broken through the $2,000-a-share Mark!

    It¡¯s a hundred times higher than the $20 mark that stock analysts estimated a few days ago!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 1816¡åA roujiamo caused by the ¡°Blood¡±(5) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets!

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket oh!

    8 p.m. Second Update.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1817

    Chapter 1817: Chapter 1817: a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo (6)(second update)

    The fund managers who had gritted their teeth and refused to sell Luo le group¡¯s shares were overjoyed and cheered in front of theirputers.

    Following the principle of ¡°Chasing the rising but not the falling¡±, arge amount of money poured into the stock market at this time, just to buy Luo le group¡¯s shares.

    After the short positions of Luo Le Group¡¯s shares were closed, the growth rate was not as scary anymore, but it continued to rise in a straight line.

    Gu nianzhi, Lu Jin, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Yuan sat in front of the television, quietly watching Luo Le¡¯s speech. They also watched the spectacr rise of Luo Le¡¯s shares.

    Gu nianzhi gave Lu Jin a thumbs up and smiled. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re amazing! You¡¯re really making money in reverse, you¡¯re making money in reverse!¡±

    A few days ago, Lu Jin had used a portion of his profits to buy a lot of shares in the Rohrer group for around ten dors.

    At that time, everyone had been trying to sell their shares, and Lu Jin had taken advantage of the situation.

    He smiled and nodded. He cupped his hands in front of his chest and said, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my peers... hahahaha...¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead. ¡°Dad, your peers are physicists or biologists, right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Lu Jin cleared his throat and said seriously, ¡°Von Rolstead¡¯s colleagues are the big shots in the stock market.¡±

    Although his expression was serious, there was a yful glint in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi was amused and cupped her hands. ¡°Okay, Mr. Von Rolstead, you¡¯re amazing. Please ept my respects!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan did not speak for a long time. They did not feel anything as they watched the stock prices rise and fall, but they were very wary of Luo Le¡¯s actions.

    Huo Shaoheng waited until gu nianzhi and Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Boasting¡±hade to an end before he calmly said,¡±... Luo Le¡¯s boasting means that his counterattack will be even more severe.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded and pointed at the green numbers that were rising rapidly on the New York Stock Exchange on the television screen, he said indifferently, ¡°To these people, this is their life. To expose their conspiracy is to block their path to wealth. It¡¯s equivalent to killing their parents and taking their lives.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and said disapprovingly, ¡°It¡¯s to take their lives. Are they allowed to take my life and not mine?¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, didn¡¯t you say you studiedw and didn¡¯t do anything illegal?¡±Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help asking.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled lightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t break thew. When I said I wanted their lives, I meant their money... if they lost their money, wouldn¡¯t they lose their lives?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t smile. ¡°Reinitz should being out soon. Nianzhi, have you really thought this through?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him calmly. ¡°If I can fight him the first time, I can fight him the second time.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any help the first time. I didn¡¯t know anything, but I was still able to severely injure them.¡±

    ¡°I have you guys this time, and I have the foresight to see things through. Why should I be afraid of them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was lying when he said he wasn¡¯t worried, but he didn¡¯t say anything to stop her.

    Since she wanted to try, no matter how worried he was, he had to let her go.

    ..

    When he returned to the guest room at night, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t sleep, so he got up to n the operation.

    Lu Yuan knocked on the door and asked, ¡°Shaoheng, are you asleep?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got up and opened the door. He turned sideways to let Lu Yuan in.

    Lu Yuan wore olive-green pajamas and walked to the sofa in his room to sit down.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote, why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±Huo Shaoheng brought Lu Yuan a ss of water and ced it in front of him.

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep either, can you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat across from him and knocked lightly on the table with one hand. He said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m making a n of action. Nianzhi wants to take the initiative to attack, so I have no choice but to provide her with external assistance.¡±

    ¡°... do you really think this is a good idea?¡±Lu Yuan thought about it again and again, but still felt that he couldn¡¯t act on impulse.

    ¡°I admire her courage, but she is not in our line of work after all. She can not achieve her goal just by being clever and acting on impulse.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the coffee table in front of him and said in a low voice, ¡°I was careless. If I had known earlier, I would have prepared more delicious food for them to put in the fridge. They would not have gone out to buy things...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±Lu Yuan came back to his senses, he was puzzled. ¡°We took Lu Jin¡¯s private ne to America, and we weren¡¯t followed along the way. How did Reinitz find this ce? And he recognized Nianzhi? Did he recognize her before?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said with certainty, ¡°Reinitz definitely didn¡¯t recognize Nianzhi before. ¡°As for how he found this ce, I¡¯ve been analyzing it for a few days. When I was looking at the stock market this morning, I suddenly remembered.¡±

    ¡°What reason?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly said a name,¡±... von Rolstead.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes narrowed and he said thoughtfully, ¡°You¡¯re saying that it¡¯s because of Lu Jin¡¯s identity?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only reason I can think of.¡±Huo Shaoheng took out a pen and paper and drew out the possible logical connection between them.

    ¡°Look, Reinitz is German, and von Rolstead is French Corsican. They¡¯re both in Europe. Maybe they knew each other back then.¡±

    Lu Yuan immediately shook his head in denial. ¡°No, Lu Jin definitely doesn¡¯t know Reinitz. If they¡¯ve met before, based on Lu Jin¡¯s memory, it¡¯s impossible that he doesn¡¯t remember this person.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t know each other.¡±Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment, then he said, ¡°They know each other unterally.¡±. The name von Reinitz was very famous in certain circles. As the sessor of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany, Reinitz definitely had a detailed understanding of the wealthy andmisioner aristocrats in Europe

    This statement made sense.

    Lu Yuan nodded and agreed. ¡°That¡¯s more likely.¡±

    ¡°This means that Reinitz might havee to look for von Rolstead, but Nianzhi happened to go out to buy roujiamo and ran into Reinitz.¡±

    ¡°Now we only have one question left. How did Reinitz recognize Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it as he drew a logical diagram on the paper and pointed an arrow at the person¡¯s name, he said, ¡°If we look backwards, Reinitz was Luo Le¡¯s hired helper, and Luo Le had a close rtionship with the Qin family, we can infer that Nianzhi¡¯s photo was once passed from the Qin family to Luo Le, or that Luo le already had nianzhi¡¯s photo.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for Luo Le to show Reinitz the photo.¡±

    Lu Yuan asked in confusion, ¡°But we¡¯ve already changed the DNA sample, so why are they still targeting Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simple.¡±Huo Shaoheng put down his pen and crossed his hands on his crossed legs, he said calmly, ¡°They should have already discovered that the DNA sample wasn¡¯t the real ¡®perfect gene¡¯, or even the closest ¡®perfect gene¡¯. So, when they were fooling others, they didn¡¯t give up on finding the real ¡®perfect gene¡¯.¡±

    The faint smile on Lu Yuan¡¯s face gradually disappeared, and he said solemnly, ¡°This means that they have actually been paying attention to nianzhi. From the moment she was born until she came back from there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I think so too. That¡¯s why they have pictures of Nianzhi and her information. Perhaps they also have a sample of her genes from when she was an infant.¡±

    ¡°... if that¡¯s the case, they should also have samples of Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes.¡±Lu Yuan had a strange expression on his face. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll... just ept the fact that they¡¯re Wrong?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t rule out that possibility.¡±Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°That depends on whether the qin family will cooperate.¡±

    ..

    At that moment, Luo Le¡¯s upper east side mansion was brightly lit. Almost everyone from the Luo Le family hade. There were also many friends and colleagues who hade to attend a grand party.

    In order to celebrate the Luo le group¡¯s stock hitting a new high!

    Everyone¡¯s faces were filled with excited smiles. They swayed their bodies on the dance floor, drank cocktails made by the best bartenders in Manhattan, and ate the sweet lobsters that were flown in from Maine, they sang andughed at the full moon in the sky.

    Luo Le himself did not celebrate with everyone. Instead, he sat in his study and was talking to Reinitz.

    The thick, light-gold, silenced curtains covered the entire window and flowed like water all the way to the floor.

    The light in the room was very dim. There was only a white handmp in the corner of the desk, and the letters on the keyboard could barely be seen.

    Luo Le said to Reinitz with a dark face,¡±... Your task now is to get Gu Nianzhi for me as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll also send someone to Huaxia to invite Wen Shouyi over.¡±

    ¡°I want to find out whose gene is the perfect gene!¡±

    Luo Le did not tell anyone that the so-called ¡°Perfect gene¡±experiment had not seeded at all..

    Reinitz nodded coldly and indifferently, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll arrange the operation as soon as possible.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s second watch: chapter 1817¡åA roujiamo caused by the ¡°Bloody case¡±(6) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket oh!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1818

    Chapter 1818: Chapter 1818 a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo (7)(first part)

    Over the past 100 years, the Rohrer Group had funded so many orphanages,boratories, and research institutes all over the world. However, they did not just provide money, they did not care about anything else.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s orphanages andboratories were especially valued and guarded against.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s orphanages could not be funded directly after the founding of the country due to various reasons, so they could only help them in a roundabout way.

    But because of this, they did not have as much control over the Huaxia Empire¡¯s institutions as they did over other countries.

    Therefore, they had second-hand preparations.

    Luo Le looked at the photos of Wen Shouyi and Gu Nianzhi in front of him, he sighed. ¡°I had a sample of their DNA back then. I had someone get it from there when they were born. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t sessful, so I put it aside. Now that I¡¯m looking for it again, I can¡¯t find it.¡±

    ¡°So I can only give you their photos and simple identification materials.¡±

    In fact, not only could they not find the DNA sample from back then, even the test records from back then were gone.

    Of course, theputer system from twenty years ago was rtively simple and crude. Thework had just appeared, and there was no encryption or anti-virus software avable yet. They did not even know when those records had been lost.

    The scale of Luo Le Group¡¯sboratory in New York was veryrge, and they had done many experiments.

    They did not take to heart the experimental records that had been deemed to have failed twenty years ago.

    It was toote to regret it now.

    Reinitz raised his eyes and stared quietly at Luo Le with his dark blue eyes. He asked doubtfully,¡±... can¡¯t find any of it back?¡±

    ¡°The experiment data is stored in the hard drive. When we were about to verify the DNA sample recently, we discovered that there was a permanent damage to the hard drive that stored the data back then. There¡¯s no way to recover the data.¡±

    This was a physical damage. It was impossible to recover it.

    Reinitz raised an eyebrow. ¡°This can¡¯t be a coincidence, right? Aren¡¯t you going to check it out in theb? Maybe there¡¯s a Mole?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too difficult to check,¡±Luo le said frankly, ¡°It¡¯s been 26 or 27 years since Wen Shouyi was born. And now, at this juncture, there¡¯s no time to check. There are people around here who don¡¯t want me to know who the DNA sample belongs to. Since I¡¯ve hired you, you can do whatever you want. Just get Gu Nianzhi here for me.¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi doesn¡¯t need my help?¡±Reinitz bowed slightly and nodded.

    ¡°She¡¯ll do it herself.¡±Luo Le smiled slyly. ¡°Unlike Gu Nianzhi, she has a falling out with the Qin family. We have to find a way to get her here ourselves.¡±

    Reinitz nodded and said elegantly, ¡°Gu Nianzhi is in New York. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get her here as soon as possible.¡±

    After leaving Luo Le¡¯s mansion, Reinitz ordered his men to drive slowly through the streets of Manhattan, thinking about something.

    It was a pity that Luo Le had to be captured alive. Otherwise, it would have been much easier to just kill him and send him over.

    ..

    That morning, the sky was clear, like a blue crystal in clear water, giving off a watery blue color.

    Gu Nianzhibed her long hair into a bun and used a Hermes sea-blue gold sunflower silk scarf to tie it around her head as a headband. She even tied a red sports headband around her forehead as a headband.

    Her face was still unpowdered, and her skin was fresh and clear.

    She looked even more energetic and youthful in contrast to the sea-blue, gold-yellow, and bright red.

    Wearing a light smoky gray sports suit and running shoes of the same color as Under Armour, she walked out of the luxurious penthouse apartment in Central Park and jogged down the path to Central Park.

    The Central Park area in New York could be said to be very expensive, but because of the high trees and dense forests, it was also a good ce to hide dirt and dirt.

    Drug addicts and prostitutes traded here in secret ces.

    There were also murder cases here from time to time.

    Therefore, the locals of New York no longer ran here.

    Most of the people who came to y and run were foreigners like Gu Nianzhi, who had juste to New York for a vacation.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s main purpose foring here was not to run.

    She had a Bluetooth headset in her ear, a four-centimeter wide forehead, and a one-centimeter thick headband. There was a small camera in the middle of the headband, which could transmit the image back to Lu Jin¡¯s apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi hated running the most, but in order to participate in this operation, she didn¡¯t even care about running, which she hated the most.

    She had been jogging here for a few days, and finally, her ¡°Prey¡±had arrived.

    Just across the path where she often ran, a ck man suddenly jumped out from the corner. He flipped his palm, revealing a ck pistol that was aimed at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately stopped and looked at the man calmly. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    The ck man nervously brandished the pistol and mumbled, ¡°Money! Give me Money!¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and replied calmly, ¡°Okay.¡±

    She put her hand into her pocket and fumbled around inside. Just then, she felt someone approaching her from behind, stirring up the air and causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously moved to the side, and the ck man opposite her immediately fired a shot out of reflex.

    Bang!

    The people behind her also pulled out their guns and fired back.

    The sound of gunfire instantly rang out like firecrackers in the quiet forest.

    The birds were startled awake and flew into the sky.

    Gu Nianzhi covered her head and hid by the side of the road. She saw that although these people had pulled out their guns and shot randomly, they had miraculously avoided where she was standing. She quickly understood.

    This was a trap. They wereing for her.

    More and more footsteps wereing this way. Not far away, she could even hear the sound of a police car.

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to move towards the bushes behind her.

    Not far away, Huo Shaoheng was wearing a hoodie that looked like a ck man. He leaned against the tree and observed carefully. His hood was lowered over his head, and the front cor of his shirt was up to cover his entire face.

    He held a pistol in his hand and aimed it at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position.

    As long as the group of ck men dared to shoot at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s position, Huo Shaoheng would not hesitate to shoot them in the back..

    However, the group of ck men seemed to have agreed that no one would really shoot at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side.

    However, they gradually joined forces and surrounded Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back and supported little tree as she stood up. She took out the special ¡°Pepper spray¡±that Lu Jin had given her from her pocket and sprayed it at the group of ck men in front of her.

    A thick white smoke spewed out from the small and delicate lipstick-like object in her hand, almost blurring everyone¡¯s vision.

    The group of ck men were all experienced criminals. How could they put a mere pepper spray in their eyes?

    They charged forward without a care!

    However, the moment they came into contact with the white smoke, they found that they suddenly had no strength left in their bodies. Not only did they have no strength left, but their eyes also felt sore, as if they had encountered tear gas, a few ck men with asthma even held their throats and began to roll their eyes.

    Fortunately, these asthmatic men all carried asthma sprayers with them. They quickly took them out and sprayed a few times in their mouths to alleviate the symptoms.

    However, they could no longer muster the strength to chase after them. Each of them leaned against a tree trunk and gasped for breath. Their hands were sore and weak, and they could not even hold their guns.

    What they did not know was that if they could walk out of this small forest alive, they would find that they would suffer from ¡°Permanent loss of male function¡±, which meant that they would never be able to use violence against women.

    But they could not wait for that day.

    A man in ck turned from the back of the woods, holding a silent pistol with a silencer in his hand. He fired several shots at the paralyzed ck men, killing all of them in the woods.

    Huo Shaoheng witnessed all of this from not far away. He silently used the high-definition pinhole camera to record all the scenes of the men in ckmitting crimes. Then he pulled down his hood with his hand and chased after Gu Nianzhi.

    The police car finally whizzed over. What awaited them was only a pile of corpses.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi ran for a while in the small forest in Central Park, nning to exit through another exit.

    Just then, the Bluetooth headset in her ear rang. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice.

    ¡°... behind you, at seven o¡¯clock, there¡¯s a man in ck following you. Don¡¯t be afraid, Don¡¯t turn back, keep moving forward.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice and instantly calmed down.

    She took out a small powder box and opened it to take a look at herself.

    The Man in ck disappeared behind her in a sh.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended not to see him and adjusted her bangs in front of the mirror. She then closed it and put it back into her pocket. She then half-squatted down to tie her shoces.

    She dawdled for a long time before standing up and moving forward.

    The Man in ck behind her seemed to be impatient. Suddenly, he rolled forward from behind the bushes he was hiding in. He half-knelt on the ground, pulled out his gun, and pointed it steadily at Gu Nianzhi. He said hoarsely, ¡°Freeze! (don¡¯t move)¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze.

    She stood there in a motionless position, her back facing the man in ck.

    The Man in ck smiled smugly. Just as he was about to stand up, another man in a white sportswear rushed out from behind him and kicked him in the wrist where he was holding the gun!

    The Man in ck felt a sharp pain in his wrist and could not hold the gun at all. The gun flew out of his hand and flew towards Gu Nianzhi like a parab.

    The man who had rushed over from behind raised his head. His blue eyes stared intently at Gu nianzhi as he shouted, ¡°Hold it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw a ray of sunlight shining through the gaps in the trees. It fell on the man¡¯s pure blonde hair, adding a touch of otherworldly color to his sculpted features.

    It was Reinitz!

    Gu Nianzhi instinctively reached out to catch the pistol that had flown in front of her.

    The Man in ck was unwilling to be captured. He knelt on one knee and pulled out another pistol from his belt, aiming it at Reinitz.

    At the same time, Reinitz had already dashed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side. He covered her eyes with one hand and held her gun with the other. He pressed down on her finger and pulled the trigger!

    There was a dull gunshot!

    It hit the man in ck right on the forehead!

    Reinitz released his hand. Gu Nianzhi saw a round ck hole on the man¡¯s forehead, and a stream of ck blood slowly flowed out.

    The Man in ck looked like a Hispanic man. His eyes were nk as he looked at them. He fell to the ground with a thud and twitched a few times before he could no longer move.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 1818¡åA roujiamo caused by the ¡°Bloody case¡±(7) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1819

    Chapter 1819: Chapter 1819: a ¡°Bloody case¡±caused by a roujiamo (8)(second update)

    A new green forest, a tender greenwn, and the Golden Morning Sun shining through the treetops.

    Reinitz stood on his side, holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. His warm palm felt that her hand was soft and smooth, but a little cold, as if she was holding a piece of jade.

    His gaze gradually fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, which was wrapped in a turban. He was thinking about how to pull out a strand of hair without alerting gu nianzhi.

    Not far away, the shouts of the police had already surrounded them from all directions.

    Gu Nianzhi did not waste a second. She quickly stuffed the gun into Reinitz¡¯s hand and rubbed it. She turned around, clutched her head, and squatted on the ground, shouting, ¡°Help!¡±

    Reinitz held the gun in his hand. Before he could react, he was pointed at by the police officers who had rushed out of the forest.

    ¡°Freeze! (don¡¯t move!)¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged her head and cried. She kept screaming, just like a frightened little girl.

    The police officers, who always arrivedter, suddenly felt a sense of heroism.

    A female police officer pointed the gun in Reinitz¡¯s direction. She moved to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and slowly squatted down. She then pulled her up abruptly and shielded herself behind her.

    Reinitz was still pointing the gun in the direction of the man in ck on the ground. In the eyes of the police, he had not only killed the man in ck on the ground, but had also attempted to kill the poor, weak, and helpless young girl, Gu Nianzhi..

    ¡°Drop your gun! Put Your Hands Up!¡±

    The police ordered Reinitz loudly, the guns in his hands fully loaded.

    As long as Reinitz made any unusual movements, they would not hesitate to shoot him, turning him into a beehive full of holes.

    For the first time, Reinitz felt that things were out of his control. He smiled bitterly and closed his eyes. He threw the gun in his hand onto the grass and raised his hands, he said unhurriedly, ¡°I want to call mywyer. I¡¯m trying to save this girl. She¡¯s being chased by the people on the ground.¡±

    ¡°You can call yourwyer, but right now, you have toe back to the police station with us.¡±A policeman walked over with a sullen face and handcuffed Reinitz.

    Gu Nianzhi peeked out from behind the policewoman and looked at Reinitz in shock. Her voluptuous lips opened and closed slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t.

    Reinitz looked back at her deeply and said, ¡°Miss, would you be willing to testify for me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so scared that she pulled her head back and crossed her arms. She mumbled,¡±... it was... it was the man in ck who wanted to kill me...¡±

    The policewoman looked at her in surprise and said, ¡°You were squatting on the ground and shouting for help.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and whispered,¡±... I heard gunshots. I was so scared... I didn¡¯t react...¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s eyes shed, thinking that if he hadn¡¯t reacted, then his reaction would have been really slow.

    However, from the police¡¯s point of view, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were in line with the normal reactions of most girls her age. The female police officer immediately patted her shoulder sympathetically and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, we¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    However, in view of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, the police officers were much more polite to Reinitz. They no longer pointed their guns at him and also removed his handcuffs.

    Gu Nianzhi was considered a witness and was also present at the scene. She was brought into the nearby police station by the police officers and Reinitz.

    ¡°Can you repeat what happened just now?¡±

    Because Reinitz refused to say anything, the police officers had no choice but to question Gu Nianzhi as a witness.

    Gu nianzhi bit her lip, her face pale. She began to speak in broken English.

    She did not pin everything on Reinitz. After all, she was going to ¡°Take the initiative to attack.¡±If Reinitz was sent to prison, what would she do next?

    Therefore, she recounted everything that had happened in the beginning. She only mentioned that Reinitz had pressed her finger to kill the man in ck. She did not say anything, but only said that Reinitz had snatched the gun from the man¡¯s hand, he had shot the man in ck to death.

    Gu Nianzhi had already wiped the gun¡¯s fingerprints off when she shoved it back into Reinitz¡¯s hand. The police could only find Reinitz¡¯s fingerprints on the gun.

    As for the man in ck, Gu Nianzhi remembered that he seemed to be wearing gloves..

    This had indeed ¡°Tricked¡±Reinitz a little, but Reinitz had pressed her finger to shoot. Wasn¡¯t he also tricking her?

    If it wasn¡¯t for her quick reaction, she would have been suspected of murder just like Reinitz.

    Now that she was a witness, proving that Reinitz was saving people and defending himself, his problem would be much smaller.

    The police did notpletely trust her, nor did they not trust her. Several people took turns interrogating her.

    Gu Nianzhi was annoyed. She thought to herself, if others don¡¯t speak, you won¡¯t dare to ask. Are you trying to pick the soft persimmon?

    But now that she was pretending to be a ¡°Pitiful, weak, and helpless¡±ignorant girl, she couldn¡¯t act like awyer..

    Just as she was feeling regretful, she suddenly heard the door of the interrogation room open with a click. Lu Yuan walked in in a suit and tie, looking very elite. Beside him were two white men in the same suit and tie with serious expressions on their faces.

    The two white men were carrying briefcases in their hands. One of them said, ¡°This is CEO Lu of our Lu Corporation. I¡¯m hiswyer.¡±

    The other said, ¡°I¡¯m thewyer President Lu hired for this youngdy. Please don¡¯t continue to break thew and pester my client.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face was livid. He said, ¡°Is this the standard of the NYPD? ! What did my friend Do? Instead of arresting those who tried to hurt her, you¡¯re interrogating her as a suspect!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi began to cry appropriately and threw herself into Lu Yuan¡¯s arms

    The NYPD officer was very embarrassed and quickly said, ¡°This youngdy is a witness. We just want to find out what happened.¡±

    ¡°When did a police officer be a Judge?¡±? ¡°If you want to find out what happened, shouldn¡¯t you investigate it yourself?¡±? ¡°My client is in shock. We¡¯ll discuss how to sue the NYPD for misconduct after we go back for a psychiatric evaluation!¡±

    Thewyer Lu Yuan hired for Gu Nianzhi said sternly.

    Gu nianzhi tugged at Lu Yuan¡¯s cor and whispered,¡±... a man saved me today, but he was arrested as a suspect.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is That So?¡±Lu Yuan pretended to be concerned. ¡°Who is it? Can I see him? I want to thank him.¡±

    The policeman who had interrogated gu nianzhi said reluctantly, ¡°He¡¯s a major suspect. He can¡¯t see anyone right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh? He can¡¯t even see hiswyer?¡±One of the whitewyers standing next to Lu Yuan said mockingly.

    Gu nianzhi whispered again, ¡°I heard that man say he wanted to call hiswyer...¡±

    The Policeman:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan snorted and led Gu Nianzhi out of the interrogation room.

    When they reached the parking lot and were about to get into the car, they saw Reinitz¡¯swyer pick him up.

    The two of them talked as they walked in their direction.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at Reinitz and said, ¡°That¡¯s the person who saved me.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled as he walked over and reached out his hand to Reinitz, he said, ¡°Thank you, sir, for saving my friend.¡±He then took the initiative to say, ¡°Miss Gu followed me to New York. We live in an apartment near Central Park. If you have time, pleasee to my house as a guest. I¡¯ll definitely treat you well.¡±

    This quietly exined why Gu Nianzhi would appear in the top luxury residential area near Central Park.

    Reinitz looked up at him, but did not shake his hand. He simply nodded casually and said, ¡°No need to thank me. As a man, I would save someone under those circumstances.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was cowering behind Lu Yuan, and asked with a faint smile, ¡°You live together? Is she your girlfriend?¡±

    Lu Yuanughed heartily, ¡°Of course not. Look at our age, how can we be boyfriend and girlfriend? Actually, Miss Gu is a partner of ourpany and came to New York to study.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1819, ¡°A bloody case caused by a roujiamo¡±(8) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1820

    Chapter 1820: Chapter 1820 only a woman like this would be interesting (first update)

    Reinitz sped his hands behind his back and looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was standing beside Lu Yuan, with interest. He said,¡±... not a boyfriend and girlfriend? But she just threw herself into your arms.¡±

    Lu Yuan still smiled warmly, he said, ¡°Miss Gu was scared out of her wits by the way you killed her. No matter how good she was in her profession, she was only a young girl in her early twenties. When she encountered danger in this unfamiliar ce, her first reaction was naturally to seek protection.¡±

    ¡°Besides, apart from my work rtionship with Miss Gu, we have a good personal rtionship. I treat her as my niece. It wouldn¡¯t be too much for an elder tofort a junior, would it?¡±

    Reinitz did not have any specific information on Lu Yuan for the time being, but looking at his appearance, he also knew that the Lu Corporation¡¯s reputation was not fake.

    Moreover, Lu Yuan was polite and well-mannered. He was tactful and experienced in dealing with people. This was the typical way of a businessman.

    Reinitz gave a nomittal smile and said meaningfully, ¡°But this youngdy is really good at acting. The way she threw the pistol at me was very skillful. You¡¯ve practiced it many times, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and pointed at her fingers. She shook her head quickly with a pitiful look on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve never thrown a pistol, and I¡¯ve never practiced throwing a pistol...¡±

    She had obviously stuffed the pistol back in her hand.

    And she had indeed never practiced throwing a pistol. She had only practiced marksmanship.

    The two werepletely different.

    Gu Nianzhi did not feel guilty at all and denied it.

    There were some things that could be done, but could not be admitted, such as the fact that she had tricked Reinitz just now.

    This was still the New York Police Department¡¯s territory. She had to be out of her mind to admit that she had ¡°Framed¡±Reinitz.

    Reinitz was also surprised.

    He had thought that Gu Nianzhi was a typical obedient girl, but what she had done today had really opened his eyes.

    But this kind of girl was more interesting..

    Reinitz¡¯s gaze lingered on Gu Nianzhi for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi was still in shock. She tugged at Lu Yuan¡¯s sleeve and was about to get into the car to go home.

    Reinitz¡¯s mouth twitched twice.

    She had really gone too far. Did she think he didn¡¯t know she was a barrister? She had even sent her own mother to prison.

    How could such a person be a scared and innocent little rabbit?

    But he couldn¡¯t expose her.

    Because he probably ¡°Didn¡¯t know¡±Gu Nianzhi now. The two of them were strangers whom he had just met..

    Otherwise, he would be exposed.

    Reinitz smiled and bowed slightly. ¡°Miss Gu, is it? Can you leave a number for mywyer? You¡¯re my most important witness. Whether or not I can be acquitted is entirely up to you.¡±

    He performed the standard Western etiquette.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and turned her head. ¡°The police station left my number. If you want it, you can ask the police station...¡±

    The more she refused to give it to him, the more interested Reinitz became.

    He put his hands in his pockets and said helplessly, ¡°Miss Gu, you really can¡¯t help me. There are only my fingerprints on that pistol. If you don¡¯t testify, I¡¯ll really be wronged to death.¡±

    He paused and continued, ¡°Can you really watch your savior be wronged to death?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up timidly, her bright eyes darting across him.

    Reinitz looked at her with a smile, his gaze as clear as water. He raised his chin at her, revealing the small indentation on his chin.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled gratefully at him and gave him a phone number.

    This was the ¡°Mission phone¡±that Lu Jin had prepared for her. It was not a phone and number that she often used.

    Reinitz had a good memory. He immediately remembered the number and took out his cell phone to make a call. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cell phone rang.

    She took out her ¡°Mission cell phone¡±and entered Reinitz¡¯s number into her contact list. She waved at him. ¡°Okay, thank you for today. I¡¯m going home.¡±

    She and Lu Yuan got into Lu Yuan¡¯s car.

    Back at the penthouse in Central Park, Gu Nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Reinitz to be so arrogant. This time, he¡¯s even more ruthless than that Reinitz over there!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to help her unwrap her headscarf and the sports headband on her forehead. He said calmly, ¡°His men really don¡¯t hesitate to kill. What¡¯s worse is that they can sacrifice themselves at any time.¡±

    Lu Yuan took off his suit jacket and hung it in the closet by the door. He said calmly, ¡°From the video that Shaoheng sent back, the man in ck who killed those ck men should be the assassin that Reinitz paid for his life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took off the headband on her forehead and handed it to Lu Jin, who was walking over. She said in surprise,¡±... an assassin can pay for his life?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Lu Yuanughed. ¡°This world is brighter than you think, and darker than you think.¡±

    ¡°Some assassins don¡¯t want to live anymore for various reasons, or they can¡¯t live anymore. They¡¯ll offer to kill to buy their lives.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll do onest job for you. At the same time, he¡¯ll sell his life to you. You can kill him to silence him. As long as you give his family a sum of money to buy their lives, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t hold the employer responsible.¡±

    Huo shaoheng also said, ¡°Reinitz¡¯s n should be to have Nianzhi kill someone. Then he¡¯ll go to the police station to testify and get nianzhi out.¡±

    Lu Jinughed so hard that he couldn¡¯t stand up straight. ¡°Who would have thought that the Goose Hunter would be pecked in the eye! In the end, it turned out to be him who killed someone. Nianzhi went to the police station to testify!¡±

    ¡°When Nianzhi put the pistol back, I saw Reinitz staring nkly for a full minute!¡±

    At that moment, one minute was enough to turn everything around.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled more subtly, but his facial features were slightly rxed, and a trace of pride shed across his eyes.

    Lu Yuan patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Nianzhi is indeed flexible. This is her natural instinct and reflexes. I think she¡¯s qualified.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a long time, and said ruefully,¡±... I didn¡¯t expect Reinitz to be so rich.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    In the face of such a ruthless and murderous head of the Gestapo, Gu Nianzhi was amazed that he was actually ¡°Rich¡±.

    This angle was really unique.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t say anything and nced lightly at Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin was in a heated discussion with Gu Nianzhi,¡±... I wonder if the money he used to buy the killer¡¯s life can be reimbursed by Luo Le.¡±

    ¡°It should be considered a public expense, right?¡±Gu nianzhi said hesitantly, ¡°After all, it¡¯s a mission. Could it also be reimbursed by the Federal Intelligence Service?¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t want to hear it anymore and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m going back to my apartment. You guys can discuss it slowly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also followed them out.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that they had all left, so she dragged Lu Jin along to Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment for lunch.

    In order to find another ce for Gu Nianzhi, Reinz had linked gu nianzhi to ¡°Von Rolstead¡±and Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment here woulde in handy.

    Lu Yuan had once bought an apartment here under the name of the Lu Corporation. It wasn¡¯t as big as the luxury apartment on the top floor of ¡°Von Rolstead¡±, but it wasn¡¯t small either. It was close to 2,500 square feet, it was quite spacious for an apartment.

    Gu Nianzhi stayed in Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment and waited quietly for two days before she went out for a run in the morning again.

    This time, she chose a small path on the other side of Central Park, avoiding the path where many people had been killed two days ago.

    Perhaps it was because there had been a lot of murders two days ago, Central Park was much quieter.

    She jogged for a mile and did not see anyone else.

    But when she turned the corner, she almost bumped into someone who was also jogging.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped the car and looked up. It was Reinitz again!

    ¡°... why is it you again?¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at him with a frown. ¡°You... What¡¯s Your Name? I forgot to askst time.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s eyes sparkled as he said gently, ¡°My name is Reinitz. What¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    ¡°My surname is Gu, and my English name is Cereus.¡±Gu Nianzhi stretched out her hand generously. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to meet you again.¡±

    Reinitz saw that she was wearing a pair of sports gloves on her hand and couldn¡¯t help smiling. He gently touched her hand and said, ¡°Nice to meet you, nice to meet you.¡±

    He turned around naturally and jogged in the same direction as Gu Nianzhi. He said, ¡°Thank you for your testimonyst time. I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Really? Yourwyer is amazing!¡±Gu Nianzhi looked very happy. ¡°I thought I¡¯d have to go to the police station a few more times!¡±

    ¡°The policeter investigated the pistol and found out the identity of the man in ck.¡±Reinitz spoke with confidence, he smiled. ¡°They found out that the man was a wanted criminal who had once robbed the New York Police Department¡¯s Armory. The pistol was stolen and lost by that man, and had already been registered with them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood.

    Was this also one of Reinitz¡¯s ns?

    He had arranged for that man to be there, so the man¡¯s pistol must have been part of his n.

    So he pressed her finger and fired, leaving her fingerprints on the pistol.

    After she was arrested by the police, he would jump out and be a good person to testify. The police would eventually find out the origin of the gun and the real identity of the man in ck, so she would be fine.

    She fired in self-defense, even if there were fingerprints.

    The result of a false rm was that she would be grateful to reinz..

    Unfortunately, she had refused to take on the role he had chosen for her in the script he had written. Instead, she had performed exceptionally well on her own.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly amused. On the surface, she said cheerfully, ¡°That¡¯s great! That¡¯s more like it! We were defending ourselves. We won¡¯t be held legally responsible!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Cereus, you seem to be very familiar with thew?¡±Reinitz deliberately brought up the topic of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s career.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m aw student and a practicingwyer. But what I¡¯m interested in now is not thew, but the key settings of theputer database.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±Reinitz raised his eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s rare for a woman to be interested in the key to the database.¡±

    ¡°You said it¡¯s rare, but it¡¯s not impossible.¡±Gu Nianzhi stopped jogging and began to stretch her arms as she walked, ¡°Director Lu and I are working together on the security ofputer databases. He brought me to New York on a business trip because he wanted to see what the most advanced database security system in the world is like.¡±

    ¡°... the most advanced database security system in the world?¡±Reinitz was very confused. He also stopped jogging and walked an arm¡¯s length away from Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You mean in New York?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the New York Stock Exchange.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile was even brighter than the morning sun in early May.

    Reinitz saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest in the database key and immediately went along with it. He scoffed, he said, ¡°The New York Stock Exchange¡¯s database security system can also be called the most advanced? Miss Gu hasn¡¯t been in the industry for long, right? I know apany that has a wless database security system.¡±

    ¡°Really? which system? Can I see it? !¡±Gu Nianzhi asked in surprise.

    ¡°If you¡¯re interested, go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City Tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring myputer here and show you a very interesting database security system.¡±

    Reinitz was very confident in his country¡¯s database security system and thought that Gu Nianzhi was just a novice. How good could she be?

    The branch system of their bureau¡¯s database was enough to blind Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge eyes, which seemed to reflect the early summer sun.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: chapter 1820, ¡°Such a woman is interesting.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1821

    Chapter 1821: Chapter 1821 Princess and attendant (Second Update)

    After jogging home, Gu Nianzhi went to the bathroom to take a shower and tidy up her hair.

    She was holding a hair dryer and talking to Huo Shaoheng, who was leaning against the bathroom door.

    ¡°I ran into Reinitz today. I said I was interested in the security system for theputer database. He asked me to go to the Metropolitan Museum Tomorrow and Show Me thepany¡¯s database security system.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City?¡±

    ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡±Gu Nianzhi finished drying her hair and turned to look at him.

    Huo Shaoheng thought of something and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Change ande out for dinner. I have something to ask director Lu.¡±

    Lu Yuan was checking his email in the living roomputer.

    He was still the president of the Lu Corporation. He couldn¡¯t be like Lu Jin, who didn¡¯t care about anything.

    He still had to reply to work emails.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down next to him and suddenly asked, ¡°Did you send a coordinate signal to your cell phone at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s hand paused. He looked up at him and said, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±? ¡°You guys received the signal. Did you get any inspiration from decoding it?¡±? Lu Jin said that decoding the signal could find the pattern and frequency of maic resonance, which would be helpful for you guys to contact us. Unfortunately, before you could contact us, Nianzhi was kidnapped...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had long guessed that it was rted to Lu Yuan. Now that he had confirmed it, he felt much more at ease. He said, ¡°No wonder we received the signal and found traces of an abnormal maic field, but it disappeared very quickly.¡±

    ¡°... we don¡¯t have enough maic field energy storage. It¡¯s impossible to send such an enlightening signal without limits.¡±

    Lu Yuan closed hisputer and couldn¡¯t help but think of song jinning.

    After a moment of silence, he finally asked,¡±... who received the signal?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head away indifferently.¡±... Ms. Song.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s emotions surged when he heard the name. The images of the two of them interacting in the past shed past his mind like pencil drawings with ink-colored lines. They were both clear and illusory.

    His self-control was extremely strong. Even if he missed him, he would not indulge himself.

    He stood up quietly and walked to the window. He stood still and looked out at the Central Park.

    It was early summer there. Tender green leaves had just climbed onto the branches. As far as the eye could see, it was all lush green.

    After a while, Lu Yuan turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, who was even calmer than him. The corners of his mouth twitched.¡±... did Ms. Song send you here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not look up to meet Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes. The corners of his lips curled up as he nodded, there was a hint of pride in his deep, maic voice. ¡°Of course it was Ms. Song. The only person who could decipher the two maic codes left behind by Gu Xiangwen was Ms. Song.¡±

    Lu Yuan thought back to that stunning young girl from back then. Not only was she incredibly intelligent, but she was also incredibly beautiful. She was just a little slow in love.

    He raised his head and smiled. Several years had passed in his mind. Qiu Hong had sent him a letter, but his dreams were still intact.

    There was an indescribable sense of peace and serenity in the living room.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over with her hair in a bun. She looked at the two of them standing and sitting in confusion and asked, ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±

    Her soft and gentle voice was like the early summer wind blowing through the treetops. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s throat tightened and he felt a little hot.

    He stood up and pulled out the chair next to him. He said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Come, sit down. Let¡¯s demonstrate tomorrow¡¯s action.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly ted. ¡°Great! I¡¯ve done well these past few days, haven¡¯t I? !¡±

    Her big eyes suddenly lit up, and her face was filled with the words ¡°Praise me¡±!

    Huo Shaoheng gently scratched her straight and delicate little nose. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I passed by just so-so.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! I had to use all my strength to pass? ! Huo Shao, aren¡¯t you being too strict? !¡±Gu Nianzhi sensed that Lu Yuan was feeling a little down, so she deliberately made an exaggerated joke to make him happy.

    Lu Yuan turned around and sat on the windowsill with a smile on his face as he watched Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng Act shamelessly.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head and his fingers lightly touched the soft skin on her cheek, as if he had been electrocuted.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly averted his gaze and turned on Lu Yuan¡¯sptop to show her.

    This scene was a little jarring and familiar. The decades of time before him seemed to have disappeared, and he returned to the time he had spent with that young girl.

    The two of them did not spend much time alone together, and it was all for business, but every minute and every second was precious.

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips and walked out of the living room.

    ..

    The next day, the weather was not very good. It often rained in New York in early summer, and April and May were the most rainy months.

    Gu Nianzhi held an umbre with a picture of M¡¯s most famous lotus pond on it and walked towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City.

    The museum was also near Central Park, not far from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment and within walking distance.

    Reinitz wore a medium-length ck poncho and stood upright on the steps of the museum. He held a ckptop bag in one hand and scanned the crowd.

    His blond hair, blue eyes, and handsome and tall appearance were too eye-catching for ordinary tourists. From time to time, bold young girls would approach him, trying to get his contact information.

    Reinitz calmly used German to express that he did not understand English.

    Not long after, he saw the unique umbre and the woman who was smiling under it.

    She looked up at him on the steps. Her Bright Eyes were the most dazzling scenery on a rainy day.

    Reinitz immediately revealed his most perfect smile. He walked down the steps gracefully and extended his hand to her. ¡°Is the road easy to walk on? It¡¯s raining today. I should have gone to pick you up, but you weren¡¯t willing.¡±

    He spoke English with a pure English ent.

    The girls who had been rejected by him for ¡°Not understanding English¡±:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held the umbre in her other hand and silently avoided Reinitz¡¯s outstretched hand. She nodded with a smile. ¡°I live very close to you. You Don¡¯t have to go through so much trouble.¡±

    Her gaze fell directly on theptop bag in Reinitz¡¯s hand. ¡°Is this what you wanted to show me?¡±

    Reinitz took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s umbre and defused the awkwardness. ¡°Go in, I¡¯ll take you to a good ce.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never been to this museum before. Although it was very famous here, it was considered a tour for inte children to read the pictures of other people¡¯s travel notes.

    So even though she had never been here before, she was no stranger to the decorations and exhibits.

    She followed Reinitz into the museum and walked all the way until she reached a corner that was rarely visited by tourists.

    Reinitz turned around with a smile and winked at her. ¡°Come, sit here. I brought you here because this is the mostfortable sofa in the entire museum.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked around.

    It turned out that this was the Lehmann Gallery, where Mr. Lehmann¡¯s life-long collection of famous paintings was kept.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the biography of the man next to the oil painting and her mood became even moreplicated.

    This man was actually the founder of thergest investment bank, Lehmann brothers, which her father, Lu Jin, had ¡°Destroyed.¡±.

    Reinitz did not know what Gu Nianzhi was thinking. He saw her staring nkly at the oil painting that was hanging right in front of her and said, ¡°This is the portrait of Princess Debroy, the masterpiece of the neo-ssical Master Angor.¡±

    He looked at the painting and then at Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and whispered into her ear,¡±...pared to you, she¡¯s just a maid. You¡¯re the Princess.¡±

    He teased her again,¡±... I¡¯m your maid.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re joking. She¡¯s a proper princess, and I¡¯m not a princess. Besides, I can¡¯t afford to hire a maid like you...¡±

    Reinitzughed at her retort and did not continue to argue.

    He sat down on the sofa, turned on hisputer, and said, ¡°Here, let me show you myputer database security system.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi keenly caught on to his words. ¡°Your Computer Database Security System? Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s apany¡¯sputer database? Thispany is yours?¡±

    Reinitz pursed his lips and thought to himself, this girl is really not to be underestimated. She¡¯s really too sharp. She identally let slip and caught him off guard.

    However, this aroused his fighting spirit even more.

    It¡¯s only fun if they¡¯re evenly matched, right?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 1821, ¡°The princess and her attendants.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets!

    PS: Thank you for the 60,000 starting points that the Alliance leader gave yesterday!

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1822

    <h4>Chapter 1822: Chapter 1822 stated that humans have their weaknesses</h4>

    Reinitz smiled faintly. His sparkling eyes were like the clear blue sky washed by rain. They were extremely moving.

    His voice was clear and bright. He chuckled softly. ¡°You could say that, but thispany is not mine. I¡¯m just a member of it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with admiration.¡±... You are so great!¡±

    Reinitz simply gave her the mouse on hisptop. ¡°y by yourself.¡±

    ¡°... isn¡¯t it too difficult? What if I can¡¯t read it?¡±Gu nianzhi acted like a ¡°Little white¡±and hesitantly took the mouse from Reinitz and randomly clicked on it on hisptop.

    Reinitz crossed his legs and sat in a corner of the sofa. He rested one hand on the back of the sofa and supported his head with the other. He smiled as he stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s profile and her hair. He couldn¡¯t help but notice with regret.., today was another day where he wouldn¡¯t be able to pull out her hair..

    Gu Nianzhi had changed into a new headscarf. It was still a Hermes scarf, and her hair was wrapped tightly. However, there was a small bow tied on the left side of her head, making her face look small and yful.

    He didn¡¯t notice that Gu Nianzhi had already quickly connected to the Metropolitan Museum¡¯s WIFI. She was checking all kinds of root directory files on hisputer. She had also secretly opened the back door and let Lu Jin in, who was currently lying dormant on the inte..

    When Reinitz came back to his senses, he nced at theputer screen and saw that Gu Nianzhi had opened a lot of programs. He could not help frowning and said, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°The database!¡±Gu nianzhi said confidently, ¡°I can¡¯t find it no matter how hard I Try!¡±

    Reinitz bent over to take a look and secretly sighed in relief. He raised his index finger and gave Gu Nianzhi a gentle knock on the forehead. He said softly,¡±... Little Fool!¡±

    As he spoke, he found the connection system to the database and opened it for her to click on.

    This database system was a branch system of a branch of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany. However, anyone who used the database knew that the so-called branch system was just a difference in terms of name. In fact, they were all interconnected.

    Otherwise, how could it be called a database?

    Updates by

    It was just like storing goods in different warehouses. In the end, they could be integrated into arge system.

    However, without a secret key, it was impossible to integrate the ¡°Warehouses¡±that were stored in different locations.

    Gu Nianzhi looked curiously at the structure menu inside. From time to time, she would ask for some very basic information about the database.

    Reinitz was quite attentive. He exined everything to her one by one and even gave her various demonstrations.

    Finally, Gu Nianzhi asked curiously about the ¡°Secret key.¡±.

    Reinitz did not directly tell her the answer. He only smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s an opera of ¡®The Lion King¡¯at the Broadway theater in two days. Can Miss Gue and watch the opera with me?¡±

    He added, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in detail the rules and logic of how we set the secret key.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself.

    She didn¡¯t want to dig into all the information on the federal intelligence agency of Germany, but she wanted to figure out the rules of their ¡°Key.¡±.

    She felt that the key settings of the same agency in both worlds should be the same. Even if they weren¡¯t exactly the same, the rules and logic would definitely be the same.

    But she didn¡¯t agree immediately. She stuttered, ¡°But I might not be free in two days. The key sounds difficult, and my foundation is so poor right now, I won¡¯t be able to understand it even if I listen...¡±

    ¡°I guarantee you¡¯ll understand,¡±Reinitz promised, patting his chest.

    In order to pique Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest, he exined the basics of the key to her and demonstrated the database system of their branch office.

    The two of them, one speaking and the other listening, both lost track of time.

    It was only when the museum staff informed them that the museum was closing that they came back to their senses.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Listening to your words is better than studying for ten years. Thank you, Mr. Reinitz.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s my honor to be able to serve a princess like you,¡±Reinitz said warmly and immediately went with the flow, he invited her again, ¡°There¡¯s an opera called ¡®The Lion King¡¯on Broadway in two days. Do I have the honor to invite Miss Gu?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally smiled and nodded, ¡°Okay, I like ¡®The Lion King¡¯a lot too!¡±

    This Disney cartoon had once been a bridge between her and her father.

    Reinitz¡¯s lips curled up, revealing two adorable dimples.

    ..

    It was already evening when they left the Metropolitan Museum. The rain had stopped long ago, and the streetmps by the roadside lit up one by one.

    Not far away, the sky was a dark, sea-blue color.

    The Manhattan skyline was filled with tall buildings. The setting sun passed through the forest of tall buildings and finally slowly descended below the horizon.

    Reinitz insisted on sending Gu Nianzhi back to the luxurious apartment in Central Park.

    The road was not far, and the two of them walked for a few blocks before arriving.

    Gu Nianzhi held her umbre and smiled. ¡°Thank you so much for today. I learned a lot.¡±

    Reinitz smiled and did a western-style salute.¡±... It¡¯s my pleasure.¡±

    The two of them then agreed on the time and ce to go to the opera. Reinitz took the opportunity to set up a dinner date with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi did not immediately agree this time. She hesitated and said, ¡°I¡¯m only staying in New York for a few days. I¡¯ll be going home soon after the opera. I still have work to do.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go to dinner after the opera.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it toote?¡±Gu Nianzhi said uneasily. ¡°I have to be home by 10 pm.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a good girl,¡±Reinitz said, reaching out to pat her head.

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head and avoided him. She said angrily, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, we don¡¯t know each other that well, do we? Why are you always so interested in my head?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡±Reinitz retracted his hand and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re so cute. When you smile, it reminds me of that Kitten I had in Berlin.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She stopped smiling and gave him a cold nce. She gracefully walked up the stairs and entered the lobby of the apartment.

    Reinitz knew that Gu Nianzhi was unhappy, but he wasn¡¯t angry. He smiled as he watched her back disappear into the brown revolving ss door before turning to leave.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to Lu Yuan¡¯s apartment. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Huo Shaoheng looking up at her from the living room.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and put her umbre in the small cupboard by the door. She changed into her slippers and said, ¡°Are you guys lining up to wee me?¡±

    Lu Jin winked at her. ¡°Nianzhi, you look so good together with Reinitz when you¡¯re watching theputer!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    How are they good together?

    Lu Yuan noticed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s displeasure, he deliberately smiled and said, ¡°Actually, they don¡¯t really match. ck hair and ck eyes are the best match for ck hair and ck eyes. Blonde hair and ck eyes can¡¯t give birth to blonde children.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    It was getting more and more ridiculous.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter until she was almost trembling. She quickly said, ¡°Regarding gic issues, president Lu can ask my dad for advice.¡±

    She nodded at Huo Shaoheng to appease him. She then looked at Lu Jin and quickly asked, ¡°Dad, did you enter Reinitz¡¯sputer? Did you find anything good?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°Reinitz is very cautious. Hisputer doesn¡¯t have much content, and the database is amon product. The key is that we don¡¯t know the secret key, so we can¡¯t find the headquarters from his database branch.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down beside him and said, ¡°Reinitz said that he would tell me the rules and logic of their department making the secret key in two days. Do you think I should go?¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s great! What did he say? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi repeated what Reinitz had told her about the secret key this afternoon. Of course, Reinitz did not exin the specific rules and logic.

    Lu Jin fell into deep thought after hearing this.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan looked at each other and said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi,e to the study.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed them into the study.

    With Lu Jin around, Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng did not have to spend time on the secret key.

    They had more important things to do.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the desk and sat down. He crossed his arms and stretched his long legs. He said in a low voice, ¡°Reinitz asked you to go to the opera in two days.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°You all know.¡±

    This time, her umbre was specially made and had a miniature webcam attached to it.

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Based on my observations over the past few days, Luo Le has transferred arge sum of money to Reinitz.¡±

    Huo shaoheng continued, ¡°Reinitz has also mobilized a lot of manpower. Two dayster, they¡¯re going to make a move no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°Based on these two points, you¡¯re sure they¡¯re going to make a move?¡±

    ¡°... also, the results of Luo Le¡¯s research have been questioned by the authorities. Luo Le needs to release a portion of the research information within a certain period of time. So we¡¯ve concluded that they can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±

    Lu Yuan sat on the sofa with a cup of tea in his hand. He smiled and said, ¡°Also, Luo Le has already lured Wen Shouyi over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi is so cunning. How did Luo Le trick her?¡±Gu Nianzhi was very curious.

    Lu Yuanughed at her words. ¡°Everyone has a weakness. As long as we can find her weakness, it won¡¯t be difficult to trick her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also smiled.¡±... Luo Le promised her a bigger development and made her the vice president of the legal department of the Luo Le Group.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. ¡°The VP of the legal department of the Luo Le Group? ! This temptation is indeed hard for Wen Shouyi to resist!¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi is most eager for sess in her personal career. This is probably her ultimate goal,¡±Lu Yuan said humorously. ¡°Luo Le is also a person who knows how to attack her heart.¡±

    ¡°... But I remember that Wen Shouyi¡¯s passport was confiscated.¡±Gu Nianzhi remembered something else. ¡°She can¡¯t Go Abroad?¡±

    ¡°I have to thank your big brother he for that.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°President Lu asked him to cooperate, and he agreed. He allowed Wen Shouyi to look for connections everywhere, and spent a lot of money to ¡®get¡¯her passport back.¡±

    ¡°Her ne will arrive tomorrow.¡±Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°There will be a good show to watch then.¡±

    ¡°So from the various phenomena, we think that the opera performance in two days will be the time for them to act.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°What will they do then?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan shook their heads. ¡°This ispletely under Reinitz¡¯s responsibility. We can¡¯t eavesdrop on them.¡±

    Reinitz was an expert in this area. It would probably be slightly easier to eavesdrop on him than on Huo Shaoheng.

    Even Lu Jin, who had entered Reinitz¡¯sputer through the back door today, couldn¡¯t find anything useful.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression gradually turned serious. ¡°Nianzhi, think carefully. Two days from now, it could be extremely dangerous. Do you still want to go?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: Chapter 1822, ¡°Every man has his weakness.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1823

    <h4>Chapter 1823: Chapter 1823¡¯s most distinguished guest (Chapter 2 requested a monthly pass)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    She thought about the ¡°Secret key¡±rules and logic that she had yet to obtain, and the vast amount of information she had obtained in the other world. If she didn¡¯t have the ¡°Secret Key,¡±how many years would it take for them to make effective use of the information?

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and nodded heavily. ¡°I want to go. They¡¯ve already set up their. If I don¡¯t go, Will They let me go?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked deeply at her and caressed her head. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be too nervous. Reinitz was ordered to be captured alive, so your safety is temporarily guaranteed.¡±

    This was also the main reason why Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan felt that they could involve gu nianzhi in this fight.

    They did not know the enemy¡¯s specific n, but they knew that the enemy did not want to kill Gu Nianzhi, so their chances of winning were much higher.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she could deal with the other party, but her biggest reliance was that the other party did not want to kill her for the time being.

    It seemed that she was really important to Luo Le..

    Gu Nianzhi thought coldly in her heart.

    ..

    The Huaxia Empire Flight to New York, Wen Shouyi sat in the first ss cabin, elegantly drinking caterpir fungus soup.

    This was not her first time sitting in the first-ss cabin, but it was the happiest she had ever been.

    The ne arrived at New York¡¯s Kennedy Airport. She quickly got off the ne and saw the people sent by Luo Le. Under his leadership, she quickly cleared the customs and left the airport.

    Sitting in the long, bulletproof Cadic Real Estate, Wen Shouyi looked back at the airport, which was leaving step by step. She then looked at her watch. It was as if she was in a dream. She had already arrived at the highest position in the world, she had walked into the world of veteran plutocrats like Luo Le.

    Updates by

    And all of this..

    She silently touched her chest.

    It was all brought about by her genes.

    And her genes were given by her mother, Qin Yaoguang.

    At this moment, all of Wen Shouyi¡¯s anger had dissipated. She was no longer resentful and conflicted about why Qin Yaoguang was unwilling to acknowledge her.

    She understood the principle that a man was innocent, but a man with a treasure was guilty.

    Her entire body was full of treasures..

    She was truly a ¡°Treasure girl¡±worthy of the name.

    ..

    The car arrived at the Luo Le family¡¯s mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The driver respectfully opened the car door for her.

    Wen Shouyi stuck her head out to take a look at this very historic mansion, but it was maintained as if it was new. She drew a cold breath in her heart.

    To be able to live in such arge house on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, it was even more amazing than the he family¡¯s mansion with awn in the second ring of the Huaxia Imperial capital, Erhuan.

    The snow-white floor was decorated with many curved surfaces, so it didn¡¯t seem out of ce. Instead, it was full of Baroque architectural style, a low-key but arrogant disy of wealth.

    Wen Shouyi was a little nervous, but at that moment, she wasn¡¯t very confident.

    She uneasily got out of the car and entered Luo Le¡¯s House under the guidance of two female butlers wearing ck and white uniforms and skirt suits.

    The living room of Luo Le¡¯s mansion was also in the Baroque style.

    This style of decoration tested the quality of the building materials and soft clothes. The slightest inappropriateness would make it seem cheap and cumbersome.

    The Luo Le family didn¡¯t have this feeling at all.

    All kinds of marble, gemstones, bronze, and even gold were fully utilized to decorate the spacious space. It did not seem crowded, only making people feel at a loss, not even daring to breathe hard.

    Wen Shouyi held her breath and held her breath. Only then was she able to walk over to the entrance hall, where the famous Rembrandt Painting Hung, trembling with fear.

    Luxury, it was really too extravagant!

    When other rich people obtained a famous Rembrandt painting, they would ce it in the most secret safe in the bank.

    Unlike the Luo Le family, who hung it casually on the wall at the entrance hall, it was like an ordinary person buying a ten-yuan printed decorative painting..

    This was power!

    As Wen Shouyi waited at the entrance hall, she carefully looked at the paintings and confirmed that they were all authentic.

    However, it was obvious that a family like Luo Le¡¯s had no need to hang fake prints in front of their own door?

    Wouldn¡¯t theyugh their heads off if they were seen by those who were either rich or noble?

    That would be too demeaning..

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s respect for Luo le deepened.

    When she saw Luo Le¡¯s face, which she had seen on television, she almost trotted over. She bowed to him and said in fluent English, ¡°Hello, Mr. Luo Le. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    Luo Le looked her up and down and smiled. ¡°Miss Wen, is it? You¡¯re finally here. I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡±

    He shook Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand affectionately and took her to sit down on the Golden Velvet Sofa.

    After sitting down, Wen Shouyi saw a man sitting in the corner of the long sofa.

    The German man with blonde hair and blue eyes looked at him silently, his gaze sharp and cold.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed. Why was he here?

    Luo Le saw Wen Shouyi Notice Reinitz, who was sitting at the corner of the sofa, and took the initiative to introduce him. ¡°This is my friend, Reinitz.¡±

    He then said to Reinitz, ¡°This is my most distinguished guest, Miss Wen Shouyi.¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled and nodded, greeting them.

    ¡°Mr. Reinitz, right? Is He also from our Luo Le Group?¡±Wen Shouyi asked as if she was familiar with him, already treating herself as a member of the Luo Le family.

    Luo Leughed. ¡°I would like to! But what can I do if he doesn¡¯t want me to?¡±

    He said implicitly, ¡°Mr. Reinitz is a public servant in Germany.¡±

    He didn¡¯t mention Reinitz¡¯s specific identity, but Wen Shouyi had already understood.

    She nced at Reinitz, no longer paying attention to him, and started chatting with Luo Le instead.

    Wen Shouyi intended to curry favor with him, and the conversation between the two was very pleasant. It could be said that both the guest and host were very satisfied.

    After exchanging pleasantries, Luo Le stood up with a smile and said, ¡°Miss Wen, you¡¯re new here. Take a good rest today. I¡¯ve prepared a room for you on the second floor. The Butler will bring you up in a while.¡±

    Wen Shouyi hurriedly stood up and nodded with a smile. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Luo Le, but I¡¯ve already booked a hotel.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If you¡¯ve booked it, so be it. Anyway, it¡¯s our group¡¯s long-scheduled room in the hotel. It doesn¡¯t matter whether the room is upied or not.¡±Luo Le¡¯s face was full of smiles as he expressed that it didn¡¯t matter, he then said, ¡°Tomorrow, Broadway¡¯s most famous opera, ¡®The Lion King¡¯will be staged. I hope Miss Wen will attend. It can also be considered a wee for you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was ttered and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Then it would be impolite to decline. Thank you, Mr. Luo Le!¡±

    As they spoke, the Butler had already arrived. He helped her carry her luggage and brought Wen Shouyi to the second floor.

    After Wen Shouyi left, Luo Le raised his eyebrows at Reinitz and teased, ¡°How is it? I¡¯ve already taken care of things here. What about you? Isn¡¯t thatdy a little more difficult than Miss Wen?¡±

    Reinitz stretched out his long legs and smiled reservedly, ¡°We¡¯re not the same type of people. It¡¯s not easy topare like this.¡±

    Luo Le did not say anything more and nodded, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know your limits. I¡¯ll See You Tomorrow at the Broadway Theater.¡±

    Reinitz nodded.

    ..

    The next evening, Reinitz ordered someone to drive down to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment to pick her up.

    She was wearing a custom-made Chanel pink pantsuit. There was no headscarf on her head, but she seemed to have used hair oil. Her long hair was braided into a braid and tied behind her head, giving her delicate and lively face a touch of maturity and beauty.

    Reinitz¡¯s gaze swept past Gu Nianzhi¡¯s extremely smooth hair bun. He thought to himself, this is even more troublesome than wrapping a headscarf..

    However, thinking about it again, she was already in his pocket today. Why should he care about her hair?

    Reinitz smiled brightly and opened the car door for Gu Nianzhi.

    When they arrived at the entrance of the Broadway theater, they took the VIP passage to avoid the queue in front of them and went straight to the private room on the second floor.

    The view was wide and there were thick floors between them and the people on both sides, so they would not be disturbed.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in afortable and exquisite rococo-style soft chair, feeling very rxed.

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and the others had already brought their men to infiltrate the theater.

    Lu Jin controlled the surveince equipment inside and outside the theater, so she could hear everyonemunicating with each other through her Bluetooth headset at all times.

    Gu Nianzhi felt at ease and chatted leisurely with Reinitz, listening to him talk about the rules and logic of setting up a secret key in the Bureau.

    This was the most important purpose of her visit today. Gu Nianzhi listened carefully and smiled knowingly from time to time.

    She was too focused to see Wen Shouyi, who was observing the theater through binocrs in the private room on the third floor. She was extremely surprised when she saw her and Reinitz whispering to each other!

    ¡°Mr. Luo Le, is that Mr. Reinitz over there?¡±Wen Shouyi asked, blinking her slender eyes.

    ¡°Yes.¡±Luo Le smiled and nced at her. He was very impressed by Reinitz¡¯s ability to seduce women.

    TSK TSK, it¡¯s only been a few days, and they¡¯re already so intimate..

    ¡°Then who¡¯s next to him?¡±Wen Shouyi asked uneasily. ¡°He looks quite familiar to me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know him?¡±Luo Le continued to smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t Know Her?¡±

    ¡°I know her, that¡¯s why I¡¯m surprised.¡±Wen Shouyi bit her lip, her heart churning.

    ¡°Shh!¡±Luo Le raised an index finger and leaned against his lips. He said mysteriously, ¡°Then don¡¯t talk and Don¡¯t disturb others. This is a fish that Reinitz spent a lot of time catching. Don¡¯t scare him away...¡±

    Wen Shouyi suddenly changed her expression and blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s over! You¡¯ve fallen into a trap! She clearly knows Reinitz! She also knows his true identity!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1823, the most distinguished guest.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)

 Chapter 1824

    <h4>Chapter 1824: Chapter 1824 hunters be prey (first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    Luo Le¡¯s eyebrows jumped, wondering what was going on with Wen Shouyi. Did she know Reinitz¡¯s true identity?

    That was impossible..

    Reinitz¡¯s true identity was a top secret, even the average CIA agent didn¡¯t know.

    Luo Le remembered that he had only said yesterday that Reinitz was his friend, a German public official, and nothing else..

    He asked calmly, ¡°What do you mean? What is Reinitz¡¯s true identity? Do you know something I don¡¯t?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was so regretful that she wanted to bite off her tongue.

    Sheined to herself. How could she have forgotten herself and told him about this?

    However, it was really eye-piercing to see Gu Nianzhi sitting in a private room on the second floor, whispering to Reinitz and asionally covering her face and smiling coquettishly.

    Luo Le saw that Wen Shouyi was staring in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and did not say anything. His face darkened as he continued to ask, ¡°Miss Wen, you¡¯re already a member of our Luo le group. Do you still want to keep a secret from me, the Chairman?¡±

    Wen Shouyi came back to her senses. She knew that she had to be careful. Besides, she did not know who Reinitz was on this side. What if he was different from the other side?

    Even if he was different, Gu Nianzhi would definitely recognize him as Reinitz. She had been wary of him for a long time.

    No matter what Luo Le and Reinitz¡¯s n was, it would definitely not seed.

    They did not know that Gu Nianzhi looked as cute and harmless as a little white rabbit, but she was actually cunning and intelligent..

    Wen Shouyi suddenly had an idea. She felt it was her duty to remind Luo le. This could be considered her ¡°Pledge of allegiance¡±.

    Updates by

    Therefore, she turned to look at Luo Le with a smile and blinked at him. Fluttering her long and thick eyshes, she said, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, have you forgotten what I used to do?¡±

    Luo Le:¡±...¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he had forgotten, he simply didn¡¯t know!

    Who would care what ab rat used to do?

    Moreover, it was a ¡°Lab rat¡±that had ¡°Failed¡±in an experiment and had been abandoned in an orphanage.

    However, Luo Le did not show it at all. His smile was still elegant and calm as he said gently,¡±... I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±

    Wen Shouyi found herself a very good excuse, she said vaguely, ¡°I used to be a personal secretary for Major General He Zhichu of the Huaxia Empire. I was also a member of their secret army. ¡°In our information... We have Mr. Reinitz. ¡°You should know his real identity better than I do, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is That So?¡±Luo Le looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Can you be more specific? In your information, what is his real identity?¡±

    Wen Shouyi raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t Know? Mr. Luo Le? Isn¡¯t he your friend?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my friend. I also know that he¡¯s a German public official. That¡¯s all,¡±Luo le said without missing a beat, repeating his introduction from yesterday.

    Wen Shouyi came back to her senses. After weighing the pros and cons in her heart, she decided to take a gamble. She would take it as if Reinitz on this side had the same identity and position as Reinitz on the other side. If she was wrong, she could push the me to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s intelligence agency..

    With this thought in mind.., wen shouyi boldly said, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, to be honest, in our Huaxia Empire¡¯s Secret Army¡¯s database, this Mr. Reinitz is an elite agent of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany. He is also the sessor of the head of their bureau, Right?¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s heart trembled and his expression changed.

    The Huaxia Empire had already found out about such a secret identity!

    ¡°... What about Gu Nianzhi? How did she know?¡±Luo Le¡¯s voice became anxious.

    Wen Shouyi calmed down and knew that she had made the right bet. The smile on her face became even more rxed as she said calmly, ¡°She used to be major general he zhichu¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Even I know about it. How do you think she didn¡¯t Know?¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s expression was uncertain. He did not know if he should trust Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes rolled when she saw this, she suggested, ¡°How about this? Call Mr. Reinitz out first and tell him the truth. This way, he¡¯ll be prepared. No matter what your n is, it won¡¯t affect him. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle...¡±

    Luo Le could no longer sit still. He hurriedly stood up and said, ¡°I have something to attend to. Miss Wen, please wait a moment.¡±

    He got out of the private room and returned to his car. He closed all the windows and had his bodyguards stand guard around the car. He began to contact Reinitz himself.

    Reinitz had just finished exining the rules and logic of their n to set up the secret key to Gu Nianzhi.

    Because Gu Nianzhi was more meticulous and sensitive, Reinitz had to use all his strength this time to answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s endless questions. He was so thirsty.

    He picked up a bottle of Vitasoy and drank it.

    At that moment, the Mini Bluetooth headset he had hidden in his ear rang.

    Reinitz picked up the call and coughed lightly.

    Luo Le heard the cough and knew that the call was connected. He immediately lowered his voice and said, ¡°Oh no, Gu Nianzhi is putting on an Act! I just got the news that she doesn¡¯t recognize you at all! She knows your real identity!¡±

    Reinitz was rmed, but his expression did not change at all. He hummed softly to show that he was listening.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! Our n has to change immediately! Our target was her, but not only was she not afraid, she even pretended not to know you and got closer to you step by step!¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, there¡¯s someone behind Gu Nianzhi! I don¡¯t know why they let her get close to us!¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s head was drenched in cold sweat. He had originally nned to trap Gu Nianzhi or at least get a DNA sample from her, but he had never expected that he would be someone else¡¯s prey..

    The feeling of a hunter bing prey was so f * cking terrible!

    Luo Le cursed under his breath and kicked the seat in front of him hard.

    ..

    Reinitz heard a beeping sound from his Bluetooth headset and ended the call.

    His expression turned cold as he looked coldly at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting next to him.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little hot. She took out a packet of tissues from her pocket and gently pressed it against her forehead, drying the sweat bit by bit.

    Reinitz suddenly reached out his hand and said with a smile,¡±... let me help you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist quietly circled around to avoid Reinitz¡¯s hand.

    Reinitz slowly retracted his hand and took a sip of his vitamin water. He smiled and said, ¡°Miss Gu, have you been to Germany?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No, I rarely go abroad.¡±

    He then asked curiously, ¡°Why would Mr. Reinitz ask that? Do I look like someone who¡¯s been to Germany? I don¡¯t even speak German...¡±

    Actually, she did. She was quite good at speaking in Germany.

    Reinitz smiled meaningfully and leaned close to her. He whispered in her ear,¡±... but I feel like we¡¯ve hit it off with Miss Gu. If Miss GU has never been to Germany, then maybe I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Hit it off doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ve met before.¡±Gu nianzhi patiently exined the idiom ¡°Hit it off¡±to Reinitz, ¡°It means that the first time we meet, we¡¯re like old friends. It¡¯s fate.¡±

    She felt that something was wrong, but didn¡¯t think too much about it. She was secretly on guard, her eyes darting around the audience below, searching for familiar figures.

    However, Huo Shaoheng and the others had hidden themselves too well. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t find any figures. They were the two people she was familiar with.

    She did not mind. She looked at the stage and said, ¡°The opera has started, right?¡±

    Reinitz nodded. A ruthless look shed in his eyes. He said calmly,¡±... it¡¯s about to start.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the lights in the theater dimmed.

    Reinitz lowered his head silently, took out his phone, and gave a fewmands.

    ..

    At that moment, Luo Le had already returned to his private room on the third floor. He returned to his usual self and was all smiles as he told Wen Shouyi about the situation in thepany. He expressed his heartfelt joy at her arrival.

    Wen Shouyi understood that Luo le must have gone out to rearrange his men to deal with Gu Nianzhi. She felt an indescribable joy and joy in her heart.

    She chatted cheerfully with Luo Le and had her own unique insights in every aspect.

    Luo Le nodded in his heart, thinking that Wen Shouyi was indeed a talent. As expected of someone who had the closest to a ¡°Perfect gene.¡±.

    After the lights in the theater dimmed, the two of them didn¡¯t speak anymore. They both turned their gazes toward the stage.

    At that moment, only the stage in the entire theater was bright.

    On the set board, the vast Central African prairie scene was majestic and magnificent. It looked as if it was real, allowing everyone to experience it.

    A red sun rose from the set, and a waterfall flowed down. Falcons soared in the sky, and the Snowy Mountains in the distance were faintly discernible. Tall giraffes, cheetahs, antelopes, and zebras ran across the scene one by one.

    Then, the theme music of ¡°The Lion King¡±sounded, and a heavenly song reverberated throughout the theater. Everyone¡¯s emotions were stirred.

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, and Lu Yuan, who were sitting in the audience seats, were instantly attracted by the scene and song.

    A tall man with a painted face and a long scepter in his hand walked onto the stage. As he sang ¡°Circle of Life,¡±he raised the scepter to the audience on the first floor below!

    Da Da Da da da!

    mes and bullets suddenly shot out from his scepter!

    This was not a scepter at all, but an Ak-47!

    The people in the theater were stunned for a moment, and then the audience let out an earth-shattering scream!

    ¡°Help! Help!¡±

    Everyone shouted, and it was unknown how many of the audience members had fallen in a pool of blood.

    There was no cover in the audience on the first floor, so everyone only had time to hide under their seats and tremble.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped up from her seat in shock and rushed to the window of the private room. She watched as the man pulled the trigger on the audience seats without hesitation and massacred the unarmed audience.

    The security guards of the theater heard the gunshots and rushed in, but were knocked down by the man¡¯s bullets.

    Immediately after, two of his aplices in the same outfit stood in the east and west corners of the theater with guns in their hands, and continued to shoot at the crowd!

    Reinitz hugged gu nianzhi from behind and shouted, ¡°Are you crazy! Are you standing at the window like a target? ! Run for your lives!¡±

    As he spoke, he ignored Gu Nianzhi¡¯s struggle and carried her out of the box and ran to the back door.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1824, ¡°Hunters be prey.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~

 Chapter 1825

    <h4>Chapter 1825: She was the only person in chapter 1825. (chapter 2, requesting a monthly pass.)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of how she had been chased like a stray dog in the Alps of that world, and ended up in the hands of Reinitz.

    She had clearly recognized him this time, but in the end, the same thing had happened out of the blue. What exactly had gone wrong?

    However, this thought only shed through her mind and did not linger.

    She hade prepared this time. If the other party¡¯s trap of the same nature had worked, she could have died too..

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly took out a bottle of spray from her pocket and sprayed it fiercely on Reinitz¡¯s face.

    This was not the pepper spray she had used on the ck manst time. It was a fast-acting anesthetic gas.

    Reinitz held Gu Nianzhi with both hands. He had no chance to free his hands to deal with her.

    He did not have time to hold his breath. He identally inhaled a little anesthetic gas and instantly felt his hands and feet go soft. He fell down before he reached the parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi held her breath and rolled away from his shackles. She looked up and saw that this was an empty training room. There was a door at the front and back, and the back door seemed to let her out.

    She quickly put on a mask and ran to the back door.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the audience in the theater hall. When he saw that the singer on the stage was not moving properly, he immediately ducked under his seat.

    He calmly took out the equipment he had on him and quickly assembled a small pistol.

    The equipment was specially made by Lu Jin and could prevent ordinary security checks.

    Updates by

    Lu Yuan, who was sitting in the private room on the second floor, did not sit idle either. He assembled his weapon and fired a shot at the electric gate inside the theater!

    The second shot hit the wiring of the stagemps on the stage.

    A series of crackling sounds could be heard. It was as if fireworks had been set off on the stage. The colorful lights exploded one by one and then went out.

    Only the person in the middle of the stage who was still carrying an AK47 had a bright red me in his hand. It became the only bright spot.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his body slightly from under his seat. He raised his hand and pulled the trigger at the spot where the me had shot out!

    Bang!

    The bullet shot straight through the barrel of the man¡¯s Ak-47!

    The ak-47 that was shooting intensely was a rtively old assault rifle,monly known as an assault rifle. It was the assault rifle that had killed the most people with a single weapon in the world.

    This type of gun was developed by the Soviet Union¡¯s weapons experts. It was called the Ak-47, and the 47 actually referred to the year it was born.

    However, although it was powerful, it also had obvious shorings. For example, the barrel was not long, and the aiming baseline was also very short. It could only be used in closebat, and shooting from a distance of more than 300 meters could not guarantee its uracy.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that it was an Ak-47 the moment he heard the gunshot, so he fired at the barrel without thinking.

    The gunshot on the stage paused for a moment, then exploded with a bang. The ¡°Scepter¡±in the man¡¯s hand ignited a ball of fire from the explosion, directly blowing a hole in the man¡¯s heart.

    The man fell to the ground, no longer shooting wildly at the crowd.

    The aplices standing in the other two directions were shocked when they saw this.

    They had never seen such a method of fighting.

    In that moment of shock, Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and calmly fired a second shot like a cheetah aiming at its prey!

    Bang!

    The barrel of the gun exploded in the hands of the gunman standing on the east side, and a ball of fire instantly surrounded him.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately turned his hand and fired a third shot.

    The gunman standing on the west side did not have time to throw away the gun in his hand, and the barrel of the gun that had been shot into the bullet exploded!

    The same spark engulfed him and turned him into a Burning Man.

    In the dark theater, there were only three burning bonfires, like human-shaped torches.

    The people in the theater survived and found that the guns of the three gunmen had inexplicably exploded, killing them. They knelt on the ground and began to Cry and pray, thanking God for saving them.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s panicked voice came through the bluetooth headset: ¡°Quick! Reinitz has taken Nianzhi!¡±

    Huo shaoheng immediately said: ¡°Location.¡±

    His calm and steady voice was very imposing, and Lu Jin¡¯s panic was instantly smoothed out.

    Lu Jinposed himself, found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location, and told Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his infrared night vision goggles and looked around. He found the direction to the back door.

    The people in the theater were all kneeling in front of their seats. Fortunately, they did not squeeze into the corridor.

    Under the cover of the darkness, they bent over and left the theater.

    ..

    Luo Le, who was in the private room on the third floor, looked at the scene of the gunman¡¯s massacre. He was so excited that his face turned red, as if he was drunk. Heughed loudly for a while, then immediately brought Wen Shouyi to the private room. Under the escort of his bodyguards, they returned to the parking lot.

    Because of this, they did not see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s superb marksmanship. He fired three shots cleanly. Not only did he kill the three gunmen, but he also destroyed the weapons in their hands.

    Wen Shouyi recalled the scene of the gunmen¡¯s massacre and smiled knowingly.

    This time, she wanted to see how Gu Nianzhi would die.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi wore a mask and fled to the parking lot. She hid in a corner and did not dare move for the time being. She wanted to contact Huo Shaoheng.

    At that moment, she heard the sound of many people walking over. She wondered if they had escaped from the hall of the theater and slowly looked over.

    Suddenly, she felt a chill on the top of her head. A cold gun barrel was ced on top of her head.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She rolled her eyes and saw a pair of shiny leather shoes and straight pants in front of her.

    She recognized the shoes and pants. They were Reinitz¡¯s attire.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head slowly even though she was pointing a gun at him. She looked at the person who was squatting in front of her.

    As expected, it was Reinitz, who had just been anesthetized by the anesthetic gas.

    Gu Nianzhi grumbled inwardly,ining about how the gas didn¡¯t work on Reinitz..

    Reinitz¡¯s face was dark and cold. He sneered and whispered into her ear, ¡°It¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it? Why isn¡¯t your anesthetic gas working?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything. She pursed her lips and rubbed her legs. ¡°What do you want? Don¡¯t be rash. Let¡¯s talk this out.¡±

    ¡°That kind of thing is more suitable for dealing with those bastards. It¡¯s not good enough for me.¡±Reinitz said as he took out a handkerchief with his other hand and pressed it against his nose.

    The medicine on this handkerchief could cure many types of anesthetic gases. As spies, they could paralyze others at any time and also prevent others from paralyzing them.

    At that time, Gu Nianzhi had paralysed Reinitz and did not dare to stay any longer. She did not have the strength or tools to kill Reinitz in one fell swoop. She was also worried that he had aplices nearby, so her first reaction was to run.

    As expected, Reinitz had aplices nearby and had helped him detoxify the anesthetic.

    Reinitz put the handkerchief back and picked her up with one hand. He walked towards Luo Le¡¯s group and said, ¡°Looks like they were right. You Do Know Me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She finally understood what she had done wrong.

    So Reinitz had found out that she had pretended not to know him!

    But how did Reinitz know that she knew him?

    She and Huo Shaoheng had only recognized him because they had seen Reinitz on the other side of the world?

    Gu Nianzhi was certain that the people on this side of the world did not know about this secret.

    The other two people who knew were Lu Yuan and Lu Jin.

    She would never believe that these two would betray her.

    In a moment of doubt, Reinitz had already carried her to Luo Le.

    Luo Le turned around and saw Reinitz walking over with a young girl in a pink dress. He was overjoyed. ¡°This is Gu Nianzhi? !¡±

    Wen Shouyi, who was standing beside him, was ecstatic.

    She had been treated as an honored guest by Luo Le¡¯s side, while Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped by a stray dog.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed with unspeakable malice and hatred.

    Gu Nianzhi was lost in her thoughts when she looked up and saw Wen Shouyi¡¯s thin, silver face.

    Although she had slimmed down, the outline of her bones was still there. At best, it had changed from a thick, gilded silver te to a thin, white porcin te.

    Reinitz looked at Luo le and said inly, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, your information is very urate. She does know who I am.¡±

    Luo Leughed heartily and patted Wen Shouyi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is all thanks to Miss Wen. If it wasn¡¯t for her, how would we know that this little girl was putting on an Act?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were like a chemical reaction vessel, instantly boiling.

    She instantly understood that Wen Shouyi had betrayed her.

    But how did Wen Shouyi know that she recognized Reinitz?

    Wen Shouyi was clearly on the other side of the world. When she was being hunted down in the Alps, Wen Shouyi had already been chased back to her ¡°Home¡±by HE Zhichu.

    In other words, Wen Shouyi had already returned to this side of the world by then. The person who had hunted her down on the other side was Yamaguchi Aiko, who had worked with Huo Jin!

    The name Yamaguchi Aiko was like a ray of light in the fog, illuminating Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chaotic thoughts.

    She slowly raised her head and gave Wen Shouyi a meaningful smile.

    They had only guessed that Yamaguchi Aiko and Yamaguchi Youko were the same person.

    Now she understood that Yamaguchi Aiko, Yamaguchi Youko, and Wen Shouyi were the same person!

    From beginning to end, there is no Yamaguchi Aiko, Yamaguchi Aiko, only Wen Shouyi!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1825, only her.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    PS: Thank God for the 10,000 starting point candy candy from heaven yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~

 Chapter 1826

    <h4>Chapter 1826: Chapter 1826 Perfect Bait (first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    Wen Shouyi was frightened by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze and couldn¡¯t help looking away. She frowned and said, ¡°Why are you staring at me? Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡±

    Gu nianzhi chuckled and said, ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so thick-skinned. It turns out you have more than one face!¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she pursed her lips. ¡°Just put up a fight. Mr. Luo Le and Mr. Reinitz aren¡¯t easy to deal with!¡±

    The two of them spoke in Chinese, so Luo le couldn¡¯t understand them. However, judging from their expressions, he could roughly guess that they were arguing.

    Luo Le coughed and interrupted them, asking, ¡°Miss Gu, you clearly know Reinitz, but you pretended not to know him. Why did you approach him?¡±

    Wen Shouyi looked around uneasily and said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, take her back and ask her again. This is someone else¡¯s ce.¡±

    ¡°Haha, It¡¯s okay. We have people here.¡±Luo Le looked around and said with confidence.

    They had a lot of people here, both in the open and in the dark.

    However, he also felt that Wen Shouyi was right. They should take her back and question her again.

    However, he was too curious.

    He had never seen a prey approach a hunter on its own initiative. He had always been a sensitive person, so he couldn¡¯t help overthinking things.

    Luo Le judged others based on himself. He had a feeling that there was a deeper meaning behind gu nianzhi¡¯s unusual behavior.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, what deeper meaning could i possibly have? Of course, she wanted to use this opportunity to get more information about the federal intelligence agency of Germany¡¯s ¡°Secret Key¡±..

    But even Wen Shouyi had no way of knowing this.

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. She didn¡¯t seem to be flustered at all after being caught. Luo Le was even more suspicious now that she was acting so freely.

    What if she was someone else¡¯s bait?

    If he wanted to take her back, wouldn¡¯t he be falling into someone else¡¯s trap?

    With that thought in mind, he didn¡¯t want to take Gu Nianzhi away immediately.

    Luo Le¡¯s face darkened, and he raised his chin at Reinitz.¡±... Let Her speak! Why would she take the opportunity to get close to you? !¡±

    Reinitz first shot the lights in the parking lot and destroyed all the surveince cameras. He then walked up and grabbed Gu Nianzhi by the throat. He held the gun against her forehead again, he said coldly, ¡°Speak! or I¡¯ll shoot you in the head!¡±

    In the dimly lit parking lot, only a tall figure could be seen standing next to Luo Le¡¯s bulletproof car.

    Luo Le¡¯s bodyguards surrounded him and Wen Shouyi in the middle. Even a sniper could not hurt them through theyers of human shields.

    Behind Luo Le and Wen Shouyi was a bulletproof car. Beside them were bodyguards. Opposite them were Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz.

    Reinitz was tall, and Gu Nianzhi was almost lifted by his neck. Her feet were off the ground, and she was iling in mid-air. It was unbearable.

    She coughed violently and struggled in Reinitz¡¯s hands. She was deliberately ¡°Mighty and unyielding¡±but refused to tell the truth, as if she really had other motives.

    Lu Jin saw this on the monitor and almost went crazy. He yelled at Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan, ¡°Hurry up and do it! or I¡¯ll rush out and shoot!¡±

    He had a gun, but his marksmanship was not urate. If he rushed out, he would die together with them.

    Gu Nianzhi had a mini bluetooth earpiece in her ear. She heard Lu Jin¡¯s shout and was anxious. She quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious! Don¡¯t be anxious! I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll Talk!¡±

    She had a dedicatedmunication system with Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Huo Shaoheng. If any of them spoke, everyone could hear them.

    Huo Shaoheng heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words and immediately understood what she meant.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t feel good either, but he tried his best to control himself and said in a low voice, ¡°Uncle Lu, don¡¯t be anxious. Nianzhi has her ns.¡±

    Reinitz only let go of Gu Nianzhi when he saw that she was willing to talk.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legs went limp as she fell to the ground. She clutched her throat and started coughing violently.

    Luo Le was getting impatient. He walked up to Gu Nianzhi and kicked her in the back. ¡°Speak! Don¡¯t Dawdle!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bit down on the corner of her mouth, and almost fell to the ground.

    She endured the pain and looked back at Luo Le. She said fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me again! The Committee of State Security (KGB) is not to be trifled with! They will break every bone in your body! Then they will grind your bones into pieces and feed them to the dogs!¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) ?¡±Luo Le was shocked again and retracted his foot. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with the Committee of State Security (KGB) ? !¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ? Huo Shaoheng had a rough idea of what Gu Nianzhi was going to do the moment she said ¡°KGB¡±.

    He immediately discussed a new n of action with Lu Jin and Lu Yuan, and quickly made his way into the dark parking lot.

    Compared to the noisy hall of the theater that was waiting for the police, the parking lot that was a distance away from the theater was extremely quiet.

    Reinitz was also shocked when he heard gu nianzhi say ¡°Soviet KGB.¡±.

    He took a step forward and grabbed Gu Nianzhi by the neck again to pull her up from the ground. This time, he held a gun to her right cheek and said coldly, ¡°Tell me everything! Otherwise, I¡¯ll shoot you and you¡¯ll be disfigured!¡±

    He knew that to a beautiful girl, looks were more important than life.

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Line of defense¡±crumbled under his threat.

    She burst into tears and pointed at Wen shouyi, shouting, ¡°It¡¯s her! It¡¯s her! It¡¯s her! The Committee of State Security (KGB) wants her! I¡¯m just the front line! Don¡¯t ruin my face! Don¡¯t! Sob, sob, sob...¡±

    She cried until her whole body trembled and her heart was broken. She portrayed the image of a young girl who had ¡°Broken down because of fear.¡±.

    Wen Shouyi was surprised and nervous when she heard this, but deep down, there was also an indescribable joy.

    This was a dream that she had liked to have since childhood.

    She dreamed that she was no longer the gardener¡¯s daughter, but a very important person!

    She did not have to work hard to get the approval and approval of others, just like Gu Nianzhi..

    Was Her dream reallying true now?

    Wen Shouyi secretly pinched the side of her thigh.

    It hurt. It really hurt. It wasn¡¯t a dream.

    Reinitz and Luo Le looked at each other. They both felt that this was a bit tricky.

    From the moment they had learned that Gu Nianzhi had deliberately gotten close to Reinitz, they had assumed that Gu Nianzhi had someone behind her.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had never expected that Gu Nianzhi had someone behind her!

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) is also here for Wen Shouyi who is the closest to perfect gene!

    That¡¯s a damn good reason!

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was a secret service agent. Luo Le thought about how hard he had worked to get the perfect gene. He even hired the most elite Secret Service agent from the United States and Germany. What was so strange about the KGB¡¯s interference?

    The more he thought about it, the more he felt like the truth.

    He immediately grabbed Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm and protected her as if she was his precious treasure. he shouted, ¡°Get in the car!¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had even tried to steal Wen Shouyi from the KGB. They had even used Gu Nianzhi, one of the candidates for the perfect gene, as bait. It was clear how determined the KGB was to get Wen Shouyi!

    Luo Le hadpletely believed that Wen Shouyi was the closest to the perfect gene, and Gu Nianzhi was just a piece of trash!

    He regretted making such a stupid n..

    Fortunately, it was still in time.

    Luo Le thought with lingering fear. He had just opened the car door when the entire parking lot suddenly changed!

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    An earth-shattering explosion suddenly erupted from the four corners of the parking lot!

    The raging mes lit up the dark parking lot.

    A man in ck rushed over from the roof of a car in the distance like a hawk.

    Every time he stepped on a car, the car would explode behind him and burst into mes!

    A series of mes became his backdrop. He waved his hand and a shiny stainless steel grappling rope caught the steel beam of the parking lot. With the strength of the steel rope, he quickly pounced over.

    When he was close to where Luo Le and the others were standing, the man raised his other hand and a strange-looking assault rifle appeared in his hand. It was two-thirds shorter than a normal assault rifle and only a little longer than a pistol, however, its power was not inferior to a normal assault rifle at all!

    His body followed the arc of the steel cable and flew into the air. His other hand, which was holding the gun, raised up. Just as he flew to the highest point, he pulled the trigger!

    Da Da Da da da! Da Da Da da da!

    mes spewed out from the extremely short barrel of the assault rifle. Bullets rained down on the group of bodyguards around Luo Le!

    These people had been fighting back just now, trying to kill the man in ck who was flying over on a steel rope. However, that man¡¯s movement was too fast, and they couldn¡¯t aim properly. They were shot, and they fell to the ground, screaming miserably.

    In the midst of the soaring mes, that man fell from the sky. His handsome and suffocating face was covered with ayer of frost, as if the fiery explosion couldn¡¯t shake him in the slightest.

    Wen Shouyi saw the man¡¯s face and cried out in shock, ¡°Peter! He¡¯s the Soviet diplomat in China! The Committee of State Security (KGB) !¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Shaoheng had already arrived on the roof of the bulletproof car behind her. Hended lightly on the car, then quickly kicked out with a sweep leg, kicking Luo le until his body was like a spinning top, spinning for more than ten rounds, he then mmed into the wall next to the garage with a bang!

    Reinitz raised his hand and fired a shot, but it didn¡¯t hit Huo Shaoheng. Instead, it hit Wen Shouyi¡¯s arm!

    Huo Shaoheng had already picked up Wen Shouyi and used her as a meat shield!

    Reinitz¡¯s pupils constricted, but he didn¡¯t dare to fire another shot. He was about to grab Gu Nianzhi from the ground and use her as a meat shield as well. Gu Nianzhi might as well take a flying kick and kick him in the lower body!

    Reinitz retreated abruptly to avoid gu nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Crippling kick.¡±Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to roll backwards until she reached the position Lu Yuan had told her through the Bluetooth headset.

    Lu Yuan dashed out from behind, raised his hand and fired a few shots. He then threw down a tear gas grenade, picked Gu Nianzhi up, and turned to run. He quickly disappeared into the corner door on the other side of the parking lot.

    He and Huo Shaoheng happened to be in two different directions.

    Reinitz quickly contacted his own people and wanted them to chase after him, but his phone couldn¡¯t be called out. All he could hear was the sound of electricity!

    ¡°Electromaic shielding!¡±Reinitz mmed his phone to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s really themittee of State Security (KGB) !¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the only one in the KGB that had the ability to conduct such a small-scale, fixed-point electromaic shielding.

    Luo Le was beaten ck and blue, but he still stumbled over and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Go save Wen Shouyi! We can¡¯t let her fall into the hands of the KGB!¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) didn¡¯t know what to do with Luo Le

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) took away the research results that his family had spent hundreds of years and billions of assets to obtain. He wanted to die.

    ¡°Go!¡±He yelled at Reinitz.

    Reinitz¡¯s instinct was still to chase after Gu Nianzhi, but Luo le was the boss and the Payer was the boss. He had to help Luo Le save Wen Shouyi!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 1826, ¡°Perfect Bait.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1827

    <h4>Chapter 1827: She was also part of Chapter 1827(the second request was for a monthly pass)</h4>

    At the exit on the other side of the parking lot, Huo Shaoheng had already run far away with the injured Wen Shouyi in his arms.

    Reinitz had no choice but to chase in that direction, giving up on the other direction where the second man in ck had escaped with Gu Nianzhi.

    The loud explosion in the parking lot drowned out the noise in the theater hall. The New York Police, who were alwayste, had finally arrived.

    Fortunately, although the police were sometimeste, the police were never absent.

    Luo Le looked at his own people lying on the ground, and the top of the luxury bulletproof car behind him had a big dent. He could not help but kick the body of the car hard.

    Di ¡ª !

    The automatic rm that no one had fallen from the sky and made a dent did not sound. Now that he kicked it, the automatic rm of the car started to sound crazily.

    The New York police surrounded the parking lot. All they saw was Luo le hiding under the door of a luxury car with his head in his hands. There were corpses all around him.

    The surroundings were filled with raging mes. Many cars were on fire and there were traces of explosions everywhere. The roof of the steel beams in the parking lot was about to copse.

    ¡°Bring him back to the police station for interrogation! Leave this ce to the fire engine!¡±

    The New York Police never set up a dangerous wall. Upon seeing this, they immediately took away the only living person at the scene, Luo Le, and gave the parking lot that was still burning to the fire department to put out the fire.

    Luo Le only said his name, then said that he had been attacked and requested for awyer.

    The New York police were not unfamiliar with Luo Le. This person was the person who had delivered the ¡°Perfect genes¡±speech at the New York Stock Exchange that day, causing the stock price of the Luo le group to suddenly go from less than 100.., the ¡°God of stocks¡±Luo Le, who had soared to 2,000!

    Therefore, they were very polite to him. They did not think that Luo le was the one who had done this. They all believed that someone was trying to assassinate Mr. Luo Le.

    Updates by

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) . The Committee of State Security (KGB) . Luo Le did not dare to say that the KGB did it for the time being. First of all, he did not want to cause a diplomatic dispute. If he really angered the KGB, even if he was a world-ss plutocrat, he would not be able to handle it.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was omnipresent and would definitely make it impossible for him to see the Sun Tomorrow.

    Secondly, he had his own tricks up his sleeve. He didn¡¯t want the police to notice the problem and get himself burned.

    Therefore, he was only a ¡°Poor victim¡±and didn¡¯t know who had harmed him.

    When hiswyer arrived, a carefully prepared story was published.

    In this story, there was no Reinitz, no gu nianzhi, no two ¡°Soviet KGB¡±, and no Wen Shouyi, who had been kidnapped by them.

    There were only two ¡°Men in ck¡±who had gone insane. Not only had they bombed the parking lot, but they had also killed all of Luo Le¡¯s bodyguards. They had originally wanted to kidnap Luo Le and extort him for a huge sum of money, however, the ¡°Wise and divine¡±police ¡°Rushed to the scene¡±and rescued Luo Le from the abyss of suffering.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi sat cross-legged on the sofa in the living room of arge mansion in the suburbs of New York. She ate the mango Sago Lu Yuan had made for her and watched the television interview with Luo Le¡¯swyer.

    The corners of her mouth twitched as she listened to thewyer¡¯s carefully crafted story. She said disdainfully, ¡°Just make it up. Why didn¡¯t you say that there were aliens who wanted to capture you for research? TSK, you still have a guilty conscience after all!¡±

    Lu Jin sat next to her and examined her body. All the equipment around him showed that her body was in normal condition.

    Twelve hours had passed sincest night. The shocking abrasions on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body had disappeared without a trace, as if they had never happened.

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief and carefully caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, as if she was fragile and delicate porcin.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him with a smile and handed him her mango sago. ¡°Dad, do you want some? It¡¯s Delicious!¡±

    ¡°Do you like it? I¡¯ll ask boss Lu to make you another bowl?¡±Lu Jin smiled and pushed the mango sago back. ¡°You can eat more if you like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and scooped herself a big mouthful of Mango. She stuffed her mouth all over the floor and her big eyes curved into two bright crescent moons.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng walked into the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng was sweating profusely. He was wearing a light gray t-shirt and camouge sweatpants. He had juste out of the gym.

    Lu Yuan was dressed in white, and he looked as gentle and elegant as if he had just returned from a stroll in the woods.

    The two of them sat down on the sofa next to Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin and watched television for a while.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s over. You guys are too good at hiding. What if they can¡¯t Find Us Now?¡±

    Wouldn¡¯t this scene be a waste of time?

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Lu Jin and smiled faintly. ¡°Where¡¯s Wen Shouyi? How¡¯s her condition?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face darkened as he said stiffly,¡±... she¡¯s not dead.¡±

    She was just not dead, but she couldn¡¯t escape punishment.

    If he hadn¡¯t kept Wen Shouyi as a shield for Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin would have cut her into pieces and experimented on her!

    Gu Nianzhi put down the small white porcin bowl of mango, tapioca, and said angrily, ¡°We can¡¯t let her off so easily! Did you know that Yamaguchi Aiko was the one who hunted me down in the Alps? !¡±

    ¡°The Feng family was the one who drugged me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Lu Jin had all heard what Luo Le had said. They knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s identity had been exposed because Wen Shouyi had been the snitch.

    But only now did they understand how it had been exposed.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was so calm and collected, could not help but change his expression. ¡°The Yamaguchi Sisters were all faked by Wen Shouyi? !¡±

    ¡°How could it be fake?¡±Gu Nianzhi analyzed for him, ¡°We were just specting when they drugged me, but when I was being hunted in the Alps and ran into Reinitz, only Yamaguchi Aiko knew!¡±

    ¡°Young master he chased Wen Shouyi back to her ¡®hometown¡¯.¡±Gu Nianzhi spread her hands. ¡°Young master he really couldn¡¯t tell the truth at that time. Even if he did, I probably wouldn¡¯t believe him.¡±

    Who would have known that a parallel space really existed?

    Not only did it exist, but she had alsoe from the other side.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her head. Amnesia was a double-edged sword.

    There were both good and bad sides to it.

    Huo shaoheng frowned thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Wen Shouyi had secretly gone back to her ¡®hometown¡¯at that time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. And that was her most important ¡®alibi¡¯. Only then would she be able to carry out her n without restraint!¡±

    At that time, someone had taken advantage of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gift to Gu Nianzhi to change the delivery location. Then, using Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity, he had sent Gu Nianzhi a text message to meet him at King¡¯s Lake near Munich, Germany.

    ¡°... at that time, I believed it without a doubt because their technology was too advanced. and the invalid IP we foundter showed that it was sent from this world!¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she connected all the clues in her heart, ¡°After theyout waspleted, she went from this world to that world and personally went to deal with me. In the end, I didn¡¯t expect to be intercepted by Leinz on the other side. Of course, she had a deep impression.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°Calling from this world to that world, or logging in to that world¡¯s website, to that world, all that was disyed were invalid IP addresses and invalid phone numbers. This is determined by thews of physics, not some high-tech technology.¡±

    Lu Yuan listened for a while and asked tentatively, ¡°Then is it possible that Yamaguchi Aiko gave Wen Shouyi information and told her the whole story?¡±

    ¡°If they weren¡¯t the same person and Wen Shouyi wasn¡¯t in our world at the time, how could Yamaguchi Aiko have contacted her? ¡°I don¡¯t think Wen Shouyi would have revealed such confidential information to her.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head and denied this possibility.

    Given that Wen Shouyi had ¡°Gone back¡±at the time, such a connection was impossible.

    Huo shaoheng also said, ¡°You said before that it requires a lot of energy tomunicate with the other world from this world. ¡°How could Wen Shouyi have so much energy to support hermunication with the other world? And she cane and go as she pleases without he chengjian noticing?¡±

    That was a doubtful point.

    But Gu Nianzhi quickly figured it out.

    She said, ¡°Wen Shouyi can¡¯t do these things by herself. Don¡¯t forget, she has Qin Yaoguang¡¯s full support. and Qin Yaoguang is in charge of the memory-stripping surgery. Who knows if she did anything to it?¡±

    ¡°So, among the people who were chasing me, Qin Yaoguang must have participated in it!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1827, ¡°She also had a part in it¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

 Chapter 1828

    <h4>Chapter 1828: Chapter 1828: serious people are the scariest</h4>

    ¡°Why did Qin Yaoguang want to kill you?¡±Lu Yuan asked, puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t she always want to bring you back for research?¡±

    Lu Jin said disapprovingly, ¡°Qin Yaoguang had no idea that Nianzhi¡¯s gic modification was sessful. She did so many experiments from the age of two to six without any results. She wanted to give up a long time ago.¡±

    Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Does that mean Nianzhi was only interested in Nianzhi because she was kidnapped this time?¡±

    Lu Jin sighed and stared at Huo Shaoheng with an unfriendly gaze, he snorted. ¡°It¡¯s all because of that time when Nianzhi took a bullet for someone... and then recovered very quickly. She was as lively as if nothing had happened. Do You Think Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t suspect anything?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had only been recovering for less than a month from such a serious gunshot wound. She was now like a normal person.

    Others might not know the crux of the matter, but Qin Yaoguang was definitely suspicious.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, his expression cold.

    Gu Nianzhi said faintly,¡±... President Lu, when I was being hunted over there, she was probably pregnant with general he¡¯s child...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat next to her and ced his arm on the back of the sofa behind her, propping up one of his legs, he said lightly,¡±... and because Nianzhi isn¡¯t her biological daughter. Although no one knows about this, it¡¯s a ticking time bomb. If someone were to reveal it one day, how would she face the he family?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t thought of this and was reminded by Huo Shaoheng, she suddenly thought of another reason. ¡°That¡¯s right! Wen Shouyi, the ¡®Treasure Girl¡¯, is her biological daughter! In order for Wen Shouyi to be with young master he, I have to die too!¡±

    Lu Jin pped the coffee table in front of him angrily. ¡°This is outrageous! I thought I would be able to escape her clutches if I sent Nianzhi over!¡±

    ¡°I could have, but he zhichu actually went after her. Not only did he go after her, but he also brought Wen Shouyi with him,¡±Huo Shaoheng said sullenly, ¡°He caught a rat and put it in a rice vat. Shouldn¡¯t he be held responsible for this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not me he zhichu at this time.

    She shook her head, she said, ¡°Actually, young master he was being kind. Wen Shouyi must have behaved differently in front of him. He only brought her here alone, so he must have trusted her. ¡°Butter, he also realized that Wen Shouyi¡¯s attitude towards me wasn¡¯t right, so he chased her away.¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°But who would have known that Wen Shouyi would sneak over again? You Can¡¯t me the people around you for everything, can you?¡±Gu Nianzhi said frankly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then wouldn¡¯t young master Huo take full responsibility for the betrayal of his own people? Would Chen Lie be locked up in prison because ye Zitan betrayed me?¡±

    Lu Jin did not like what he heard. Heughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re so open-minded. Why are you making excuses for that kid, he zhichu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not making excuses for him.¡±Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s arm helplessly. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m just speaking objectively. All I can say is that Wen Shouyi and the Qin family have hidden themselves too deeply. Or maybe they¡¯re not the right people for me.¡±

    ¡°When I didn¡¯t show up, they could have stayed out of trouble.¡±

    ¡°When I showed up, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to stay out of trouble.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°But that¡¯s not a reason for them to do anything to me, and I won¡¯t forgive them.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded heavily and said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s for sure! But he zhichu didn¡¯t run away either! I Won¡¯t let him off easy!¡±

    As Lu Jin spoke, he stood up and walked towards the basement.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly followed. ¡°Dad! What are you doing? ! Don¡¯t do anything rash, young master he won¡¯t believe a one-sided story.¡±

    Lu Jin stopped in his tracks and said angrily, ¡°What¡¯s a one-sided story? ! My Daughter is telling the truth!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both amused and touched. She pulled Lu Jin¡¯s arm and deliberately changed the topic. ¡°How¡¯s Wen Shouyi¡¯s condition? She¡¯s been shot, and you haven¡¯t treated her yet...¡±

    ¡°... What¡¯s the rush? She Won¡¯t die anyway...¡±Lu Jin groaned as he pushed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go get the bullet for herter.¡±

    Lu Jinughed sinisterly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she enjoy being the most closely watched person with the perfect gene? I¡¯ll satisfy her for a while!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash!¡±

    ¡°Why would I do that? !¡±Lu Jinughed strangely. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯m going to operate on her right now!¡±

    As he spoke, Lu Jin called out to the living room, ¡°Boss Lu! Come and help me!¡±

    Lu Yuan stood up with a smile and walked slowly towards them.

    When he came to stand beside them, Lu Yuan said to Gu Nianzhi with a pleasant expression, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t worry, your father has a way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to make way for the basement.

    ..

    She waited anxiously in the living room for nearly five hours before Lu Jin and Lu Yuan came up from the basement.

    Both of them were wearing green surgical gowns, and the surgical caps on their heads were still on.

    ¡°How¡¯s Wen Shouyi?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked quickly.

    Lu Jin took off his mask and winked at her. ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll be ¡®cured¡¯by tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°So Fast? ! She was shot!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±Lu Jin smiled mischievously. ¡°She¡¯s the closest human being to perfect genes... of course she¡¯ll be cured quickly...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and stood behind Gu Nianzhi with his arms crossed. ¡°Did you also improve Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Lu Jin pursed his lips in disdain, ¡°Wen Shouyi¡¯s gic defect is a human error. It can not be repaired or treated. I only used some biological therapy to promote muscle growth, so her gunshot wound healed quickly at the muscle level.¡±

    Just like growing human ears on rats, Lu Jin also used stem cells to grow human tissue.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up.¡±... but the effect seems to have been self-healing, isn¡¯t it? !¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and stretched out a finger at her. Suddenly, he said, ¡°Buddha said, don¡¯t tell, don¡¯t tell.¡±

    ¡°When will she wake up?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. ¡°I want to ask her a few questions.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow Morning.¡±Lu Jin looked at his watch as well. ¡°We still have 20 hours. Then we¡¯ll have to leave from here.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°Why? Did they find us?¡±

    ¡°20 hours is enough time for them to find us.¡±Lu Jin said with a smile. ¡°The owner of this house is a Soviet... so...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood andughed. ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) is really going to take the me for this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly taking the me.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twinkled and he said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve already reported Wen Shouyi¡¯s situation to the higher-ups. The Committee of State Security (KGB) is very interested in her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Is this going to be confirmed?

    TSK TSK, what¡¯s the scariest thing?

    The scariest thing is someone who is serious about faking it.

    ..

    Early the next morning, Gu Nianzhi put on light makeup and went to the room where Wen Shouyi was in the basement.

    The moment she pushed the door open, she was almost blinded by the shiny silver-gray stainless steel equipment inside.

    Anyone with eyes would be able to tell at a nce that this was ab, and a very advanced one at that.

    Theb equipment here wasbeled in Russian, and theputer was also in Russian. Even the experimental records were made in Russian!

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what to say.

    She walked in with a high stance and came to Wen Shouyi¡¯s hospital bed.

    Wen Shouyi had already woken up and was sitting on the bed. She raised her hand and touched her shoulder, lost in thought.

    She clearly remembered that she had been shot here yesterday, but when she woke up this morning, there was no problem at all. There was no bandage, no wound, and no pain!

    What was going on?

    She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t even feel anyone walking in.

    It was only when Gu Nianzhi walked up to her that she looked up abruptly.

    Seeing that it was Gu Nianzhi, she breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly revealed a look of disgust. She said coldly, ¡°What are you doing here? Are you here to watch me make a fool of Myself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and said with a deliberately aggrieved expression, ¡°What¡¯s the point of watching you make a fool of yourself? I just want to know why you hate me so much.¡±

    ¡°First it was Yamaguchi Youko, then Yamaguchi Aiko. You were pretending to be them, weren¡¯t you? !¡±

    Wen Shouyi smiled and looked at Gu Nianzhizily. ¡°You have to have proof when you speak. What proof do you have to prove that I¡¯m the two of them?¡±

    She rubbed her shoulder, which had been shot, with her hand. It felt amazing.

    She remembered that she had been injured in the other world, but had never recovered so quickly..

    Gu Nianzhi pulled over a chair and sat down in front of her. She clenched her fists and said indignantly, ¡°You still deny it? ! Yamaguchi Aiko is Yamaguchi Youko! The two of them are the same person!¡±

    ¡°The person who chased me in the Alps in the other world called himself ¡®Yamaguchi Aiko¡¯and had contact with Huo Jin. ¡°Miss Wen, you should have already returned to this world by then. You probably don¡¯t know that I know Reinitz.¡±

    ¡°But you knew everything. This means that you are Yamaguchi Aiko!¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes shed.

    Indeed, she had exposed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions to Luo Le. It was Luo Le¡¯s fault for selling her out so quickly..

    Wen Shouyi lowered her eyes and said inly, ¡°Miss gu is also a barrister. Isn¡¯t this logical deduction too imprecise?¡±

    ¡°How is it imprecise?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be unconvinced. ¡°If a equals B, B equals C, then a equals B equals C. isn¡¯t this logical chain very clear?¡±

    Wen Shouyi sneered and leaned forward, she asked Gu Nianzhi directly,¡±... What¡¯s a equals B equals C? Are You Out of your mind? I know about you and Reinitz. Can¡¯t Yamaguchi Aiko call me and tell me what¡¯s going on over there? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow, her voice drifting. ¡°AH? Really? She called you? But you¡¯re over here, she¡¯s over there. How Do you make this call? I heard it requires a lot of energy...¡±

    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t Have to worry about that. I have the authority to make as many calls as I want.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Gu Nianzhi stood up at this moment, her tone suddenly calm andposed. The anger from earlier disappeared in an instant, ¡°You don¡¯t admit that you¡¯re Yamaguchi Aiko and Yamaguchi Youko, but you admit that you¡¯re in cahoots with Yamaguchi Aiko! ¡°So You¡¯re the mastermind behind my being hunted down in that world. ¡°Otherwise, why would someone who¡¯s personally hunting me call you to report the situation? !¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s face stiffened, and her hands gripped the white sheets tightly.

    ¡°Also, I¡¯d like to ask young master he how you should be punished for using the maic fieldmunicator tomunicate with the other world.¡±

    Wen Shouyi was anxious. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? ! I didn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡±Gu Nianzhi took out her phone. ¡°The video was taken. It¡¯s useless for you to deny it. As for whether or not you¡¯re the Yamaguchi Aiko and Yamaguchi Youko sisters, it doesn¡¯t matter to me at all.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s important is that I¡¯ve proven that whether or not you¡¯re them, you¡¯re the mastermind behind the two things that harmed me!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 1828, ¡°Serious people are the scariest.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    8:00 p.m. Second Update.

    * Mwah * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 1829

    <h4>Chapter 1829: Chapter 1829 you only lost your life, but I lost his heart!</h4>

    The corner of Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly, and her originally delicate face looked a little twisted.

    ¡°You actually made a video without me knowing? !¡±Wen Shouyi looked at Gu Nianzhi angrily. ¡°Do you know that this is illegal evidence? The court will not ept it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her with amusement and shook her phone. ¡°Who said I wanted to take it to the court? I said I wanted to show it to young master he. It¡¯s none of my business what he wants to do with you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi sucked in a breath of cold air, and her long, narrow eyes widened into a blunt triangle.

    Her hands trembled violently, and her entire body was trembling.

    The thought of he zhichu knowing everything..

    Wen Shouyi couldn¡¯t help covering her face with her hands and whimpering, ¡°How could you do this? ! You¡¯re too vicious! You killed people without even nodding your head. Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution for being so vicious? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Vicious? !¡±The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Wen Shouyi, is there something wrong with your understanding of vicious?¡±

    ¡°No matter how vicious I am, am I as good as you? You¡¯re seriously trying to ruin my reputation and take my life!¡±

    Gu nianzhi thought back to what ¡°Yamaguchi Youko¡±had done to her with the help of the Feng family. She was furious, ¡°Have you forgotten about H3AB7? ! Have you forgotten what kind of gic drug this is? ! How much do you hate me so much that you want my children and grandchildren to have their genes degraded into brainless idiots? !¡±

    Chen Lie had told her about the effects of H3ab7ter, and Gu Nianzhi had felt her blood run cold when she had heard about it.

    So the aphrodisiac effect of this drug was just a side effect of the drug¡¯s development.

    Its real effect was to destroy the immune system and gic system from the gic level. It would weaken the mother¡¯s children from generation to generation, and lower their IQ, but their physical abilities would be stronger and stronger, in the end, they would end up like those brainless trolls in western legends, like pigs, dogs, cows, and sheep. They would end up like other people¡¯s livestock, worse than ves.

    ¡°... you¡¯re calling me vicious? How can someone like you have the face to say that? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was furious. She stepped forward to pull Wen Shouyi¡¯s hand away and pped Wen Shouyi hard on the face with her other hand.

    Updates by

    p!

    Wen Shouyi was pped so hard that her face turned to the other side. Her face was burning, and the pain made her nose ache. She was on the verge of tears.

    She turned and red at Gu Nianzhi, wen Shouyi sneered. ¡°But you¡¯re fine! How can you me me for this? ! You¡¯re ming me for something that didn¡¯t happen, and now you¡¯re telling young master he about it. What will young master he think of me ? ? ! You just can¡¯t stand to see me get better. You Can¡¯t stand to see me take your ce in young master he¡¯s heart! To put it bluntly, you¡¯re both a green tea whore!¡±

    ¡°Haha, right? You¡¯re a pure and innocent White Lotus?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked in return, ¡°That¡¯s right. I just lost my life, and You Lost Your Prince Charming¡¯s heart! It¡¯s hard, isn¡¯t it? The whole world is copsing, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re about to have a mental breakdown, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Wen Shouyi, I¡¯ll let you see which is harder for you to endure, physical pain or mental breakdown!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed the back of Wen Shouyi¡¯s head and forced her to look at her, ¡°And your face. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t tell that you¡¯ve had stic surgery like your cheap mother. You want to have stic surgery like Xie Qingying? What a pity. No matter how much you do, young master he won¡¯t even look at you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi knew by now that she and Gu Nianzhi were no longer on good terms.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had captured her, and she was convinced that they hadn¡¯t gone to all this trouble just to get Gu Nianzhi to take revenge.

    She was more useful to them, and she could use that as a condition to negotiate with the KGB.

    As for Gu Nianzhi, how important did she think she was?

    Wen Shouyi angrily spat at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi was quick-witted and quickly tugged at her hair.

    Wen Shouyi was forced to raise her head at a 90-degree angle and spit at her. When it fell, itnded squarely on her own face!

    An unpleasant smell almost made her vomit.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of her hand and took a step back, she said inly, ¡°Do you dislike the fact that your saliva is dirty and smelly? That¡¯s right. Seeing yourself clearly will help you develop a correct outlook on life, the world, and your values. ¡°This lesson is free for you. I Won¡¯t charge you.¡±

    Wen Shouyi wiped her face with the back of her hand, she looked at Gu Nianzhi and sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t be so smug. Do you think I don¡¯t Know? You¡¯re just a pawn. What about the people behind you? Let them out. If they want something from me, they naturally have to cooperate with me.¡±

    ¡°Cooperate?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°Wen Shouyi, what misunderstanding do you have about your own situation? You¡¯re a prisoner now. What right do you think you have to negotiate with them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a Prisoner?¡±Wen Shouyi rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m a prisoner and they¡¯re letting me stay in such a good hospital? And they¡¯re giving me such a high-quality surgery?¡±

    She put her hand on her shoulder, which had been shot yesterday, and asked tentatively.

    Gu Nianzhi found it funny in her heart. She said without hesitation, ¡°Stop Dreaming. What good hospital? What high-quality surgery? They only removed the bullet. How sophisticated do you think they are?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was so excited that her face turned red and her voice trembled slightly.¡±... you mean they only removed the Bullet for me yesterday? They didn¡¯t use any other medicine? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and pulled wen shouyi¡¯s cor away to reveal her shoulder. She suddenly widened her eyes as if she had seen a ghost. ¡°What happened? ! Where¡¯s your gunshot wound? !¡±

    Her shoulder was as white as ever and did not look injured at all.

    Wen Shouyiughed out loud and pushed gu nianzhi away forcefully. She said arrogantly, ¡°Stop talking. You Don¡¯t know anything. Go get the head of the Committee of State Security (KGB) . I have something to tell them.¡±

    She elegantly straightened her cor and leaned against the bed, acting like a bossy queen.

    Wen Shouyi felt like she had vented her anger when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pale face and her back view as she stumbled out of the room!

    After living in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shadow for so many years, Wen Shouyi and Gu Nianzhi had long been enemies.

    Now that the tables had turned, it was time for her to start shaking.

    At that moment, Wen Shouyi even suspected that the gene that had cured he zhichu¡¯s illness was actually Wen Shouyi¡¯s, not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s!

    She didn¡¯t know what her mother, Qin Yaoguang, was thinking, but she had actually pushed Gu Nianzhi to get engaged to he zhichu, regardless of her own daughter..

    Just as Wen Shouyi was feeling sorry for herself, bashful and sweet, and terrified, Gu Nianzhi had already arrived in the room next door and was observing Wen Shouyi¡¯s condition through therge, one-way ss wall.

    ¡°... she looks like she¡¯s having a psychotic break.¡±Gu Nianzhi was worried. ¡°Thew is lenient towards mental patients.¡±

    She had originally wanted to send Wen Shouyi to court so that she could receive the punishment she deserved.

    But what if she couldn¡¯t take so much stimtion and really became mentally ill?

    If that was really the case, Gu Nianzhi felt like she was going to vomit blood.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms as he stood beside her and said thoughtfully, ¡°In her condition, whether she¡¯s schizophrenic or not, she can¡¯t go to court.¡±

    Lu Jin also stood beside her with his hands behind his back and sneered,¡±... her genes are so ¡®perfect¡¯, so of course she has to make the most of it. Just you wait, I¡¯ll hypnotize her and see how much more I can get out of her.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together,¡±Gu Nianzhi suggested. ¡°Wait until she¡¯spletely hypnotized and doesn¡¯t recognize anyone.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 1829¡åYou just lost your life, and I lost his heart!¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1830

    <h4>Chapter 1830: Chapter 1830 the truest response -LRB-first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    Wen Shouyi sat alone in the ward, looking around at her surroundings.

    She didn¡¯t get out of bed because her legs were fixed with thin iron chains, so she couldn¡¯t run at all.

    Moreover, she had never thought of running.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) wouldn¡¯t let her escape if she fell into the hands of the KGB?

    She might as well negotiate with them and strive for greater benefits.

    Wen Shouyi felt that she was a person who would not give up easily, so she waited patiently in the ward.

    She could not understand a single word of the room full of Russian signs, so she did not bother to study them carefully.

    After waiting quietly for a while, the ward door was pushed open again.

    Wen Shouyi looked up and saw a man in a white coat and a white doctor¡¯s hat walking in.

    He was tall and thin, typical of a vic. He had deep-set eyes, curly brown hair, and gray eyes, but his pupils were slightly moss-green.

    Wen Shouyi was sure that he was a Soviet with just one look.

    She smiled at him and said in English, ¡°Hi, would you have several minutes?¡±

    The man spoke a string of Russian expressionlessly.

    Wen Shouyi:¡±...¡±

    Updates by

    The man then took out an old pocket watch and waved it at Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi was baffled. She couldn¡¯t help but take a look at it, and then nothing happened..

    This ¡°Typical vonic Caucasian¡±was Lu Jin¡¯s disguise.

    He took out the pocket watch and quickly hypnotized Wen Shouyi.

    Then he sat down in front of her bed and began to ask, ¡°What¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s expression was very normal. She did not look as dull as normal people when they were hypnotized.

    She slowly said,¡±... Wen Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever used the names Yamaguchi Yoko and Yamaguchi Aiko?¡±

    This was the question that Lu Jin was most concerned about.

    Wen Shouyi nodded her head normally. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s anger soared to its peak. Without hesitation, he picked up the electrode sensor beside the bed and pressed it on Wen Shouyi¡¯s ten fingers. He then turned on the power switch and gradually increased the voltage.

    Wen Shouyi was expressionless at first, but slowly, as if a knife was moving through her nervous system, it swept away almost all the neurons in her body.

    This pain was the pain that directly affected the nervous system. It was faster and more intense than any other pain.

    Wen Shouyi suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream. Her entire face turned red, as if she had been on a beach in the tropics for an entire day, and even her skin was burnt red.

    Her facial features were extremely twisted. She opened her mouth, and her tongue could be seen trembling rapidly in her mouth. The air vibrated through her vocal cords, and the sound frequency was so high that it almost broke through the roof.

    Gu Nianzhi had just pushed the door open and entered when she was frightened by the ear-piercing scream and quickly retreated.

    She closed the door tightly, and only then did the ear-piercing sound disappear.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan followed and also heard Wen Shouyi¡¯s scream.

    Huo shaoheng asked worriedly, ¡°Will such intense pain wake her up? Will the hypnosis fail?¡±

    Lu Yuan shrugged and pushed the door open as if nothing had happened. He walked in first and said, ¡°It¡¯s to make her wake up and forget at times so that she can better reconstruct her memories.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan was also wearing a white doctor¡¯s robe and a white doctor¡¯s hat. He also pretended to be a vonic.

    He came to Lu Jin¡¯s side and asked him in Russian, ¡°Is that enough? Is she awake now?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and saw the deep fear in Wen Shouyi¡¯s eyes. He nodded with satisfaction and said,¡±... This is an anti-shock experiment. She¡¯s in good condition. As expected of the person closest to the ¡®perfect gene¡¯.¡±

    When he said ¡°Perfect genes¡±, he was speaking in English.

    Wen Shouyi understood.

    She was in so much pain that her head was covered in sweat, but she couldn¡¯t pass out. She was more than half dispirited and didn¡¯t even have the strength to raise her head.

    She asked weakly, ¡°What are you doing? I want to see your boss! You Can¡¯t treat me like this!¡±

    Lu Jin was expressionless as he took out the pocket watch again.

    Wen Shouyi tried her best not to look at the pocket watch, but her peripheral vision was still attracted by the rhythmic movement of the pocket watch.

    She seemed to hear a person¡¯s question in her ear. She tried her best to hear what the person was saying, but the person¡¯s voice seemed toe and go at times. Every time she was close to hearing it, the voice drifted away again.

    Her thoughts were like a child chasing a butterfly in the wilderness, drifting away with the beautiful butterfly..

    Lu Jin ended his low-frequency singing and said into the bluetooth headset, ¡°Okay, she¡¯s in deep hypnosis. You cane in now.¡±

    Lu Yuan took out his earplugs, or else he would be hypnotized as well.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and entered.

    Seeing that they had both entered, Gu Nianzhi mustered her courage and followed behind them.

    In the ward, Wen Shouyi was sitting on the bed, deep in thought, her eyes unfocused.

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside Huo Shaoheng and said ruefully, ¡°Yamaguchi Youko, Yamaguchi Aiko, it really is her.¡±

    Although they had no concrete evidence, the chain of logic pointed to Wen Shouyi, and she had just admitted it herself.

    Unfortunately, such information could not be used as evidence in court.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was unsightly. He stepped aside and said, ¡°Which one of you is going to ask? I¡¯ll observe her from the side.¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at Huo Shaoheng and gu nianzhi and said, ¡°You can ask. We don¡¯t know much about her.¡±

    Their understanding of Wen Shouyi had indeed only begun after Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped.

    They hadn¡¯t paid any attention to her before. From what Lu Yuan and Lu Jin knew, she had always been like a servant girl, taking care of He Zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and raised his hand. ¡°You can ask first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and stood unceremoniously in the middle, looking at Wen Shouyi¡¯s flushed face from the shock, clenching her fists, she asked, ¡°Why did you pretend to be Yamaguchi Youko and use the Feng family to harm Gu Nianzhi? What did she do to offend you?¡±

    At that time, Wen Shouyi had just arrived in this world with he zhichu and had no interaction with Gu Nianzhi at all.

    Although Gu Nianzhi had her suspicions, they had not been proven.

    She wanted to know why Wen Shouyi¡¯s hatred for her had started so early?

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi deserves to die. She took my ce,¡±Wen Shouyi said calmly. ¡°She should never have lived in this world.¡±

    Gu nianzhi tugged at the corner of her lips. ¡°I think you took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ce. Did you say it the other way around?¡±

    Wen Shouyi did not speak for a moment, as if she was thinking, then she said, ¡°No, her ce was mine to begin with. I¡¯m Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological daughter, so I should be the one engaged to young master he. Gu Nianzhi is the dove in the magpie¡¯s nest.¡±

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s words were the truest response in her heart.

    Therefore, in her heart, she truly believed that Gu Nianzhi was in her way.

    Therefore, if she was in her way, she would kill God and Buddha. If she was in her way, of course she would kill people.

    Just as Gu Nianzhi had guessed, Wen Shouyi looked at Wen Shouyi and asked, ¡°Does Qin yaoguang know that you went after Gu Nianzhi and framed her?¡±

    Wen Shouyi suddenly giggled, she said, ¡°Of course Qin Yaoguang knows. Not only did she know, but she also gave her all to help me go after Gu Nianzhi. From that moment on, I felt that Qin Yaoguang was too good to me, so good that I didn¡¯t know how to repay her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed and shook her head. ¡°Yes, after all, she was willing to sacrifice her biological daughter¡¯s life to help someone who didn¡¯t belong to the same world. Such a biological mother is rare.¡±

    Wen Shouyi continued,¡±... actually, I should have known that she was my biological mother and not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. That¡¯s why I did this. I just don¡¯t understand why she tried so hard to set Gu Nianzhi up with young master he instead of helping me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt sullen at the thought of this. She had wanted to get more clues from Wen Shouyi, but Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t understand either.

    She didn¡¯t give up and continued to ask, ¡°Do you really not know why Qin Yaoguang tried so hard to get Gu Nianzhi and he zhichu engaged? Gu Nianzhi was still very young back then, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    Wen shouyi replied calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wanted to ask Qin yaoguang, but she refused to see me.¡±

    It looked like she really didn¡¯t know.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and asked in a different direction, ¡°Does Qin Baye Know About This?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was silent for a moment, then slowly said,¡±... maybe he does, maybe he doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Qin Baye was so well-hidden?

    Gu Nianzhi cursed in her heart. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s turn to ask.

    Huo Shaoheng asked more about the details of Wen Shouyi¡¯s involvement in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s internal affairs as Yamaguchi Aiko and Yamaguchi Youko.

    He looked at his own records and asked coldly, ¡°Why did you pretend to be a Japanese?¡±

    Lu Jin had confirmed that Wen Shouyi did not have Japanese genes.

    Why did she pretend to be a Japanese instead of an ordinary Huaxia Person?

    It had been a long time since this had happened. Wen Shouyi thought hard for a while before saying,¡±... Old Mr. Qin told me that if I needed help, I could ask the Japanese over there for help.¡±

    ¡°Young master he is working with the Americans over there. I Can¡¯t work with the Americans as well, otherwise he¡¯ll find out.¡±

    ¡°So you didn¡¯t go to the other world with young master he to help young master he find Gu Nianzhi. You also have your own ns?¡±

    Wen Shouyi nodded. ¡°I never wanted Gu Nianzhi toe back. This is what the He father and son wanted, not what I wanted.¡±

    Huo shaoheng immediately asked, ¡°Who did you contact in Japan?¡±

    Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t say anything.

    Huo Shaoheng changed his tone and asked again, ¡°Old Mr. Qin asked you to ask for help in Japan?¡±

    Wen Shouyi was silent for a long time this time. She seemed to be thinking hard, and her forehead was sweating. Finally, she said, ¡°Old Mr. Qin didn¡¯t say who he was looking for. He asked me to... use the shortwave signal to contact the Japanese over there.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who specifically. I¡¯ve never seen him before. I only know that his code name is Queen of Hearts.¡±

    Huo shaoheng frowned and said thoughtfully, ¡°From what you said, could it be that the people from the Huaxia Empire over here are not the only ones who are in contact with the other world? Are there other countries as well?¡±

    Wen Shouyi replied very quickly this time. ¡°Yes, the United States, Japan, and Germany are all in contact with their counterparts in the other world to varying degrees. Their technology is just not as advanced as the Huaxia Empire¡¯s. Moreover, their technical level can not allow them to achieve maic resonance.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: No. 1830, ¡°The most authentic reaction.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone!

    PS: Thank you for the 50,000 starting point coins you gave yesterday, ¡°Reading is the only way to make one happy on the journey of life.¡±THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLESSINGS ~ ~

    In addition, everyone could see that yesterday¡¯s chapter title, ¡°You just lost your life, and I lost his heart!¡±was ironic, right?

    This was Wen Shouyi¡¯s inner voice. If she used this title to say that I didn¡¯t have a correct outlook on life, I would really be at a loss whether tough or cry. This was the standard embarrassment.

    When I¡¯m cold, can you be a little more careful? If you do this, you¡¯ll be dragged out and beaten up ~ ~

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 1831

    <h4>Chapter 1831: Chapter 1831: Scientists¡¯Revenge (Second Request for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng immediately thought of the trap that Reinitz and Reidge had set up for Gu Nianzhi in the other world.

    If Reinitz had not fallen in love with Gu Nianzhi, and if he zhichu had not acted quickly, Gu Nianzhi would have been doomed in the other world.

    At that time, Huo Shaoheng had been set up and had even helped save others in New York..

    Thinking of this, cold sweat broke out on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back.

    ¡°How do theymunicate? Do theymunicate much?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked worriedly.

    Wen Shouyi thought for a moment.¡±... probably not much.¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡±

    ¡°Because they don¡¯t have enough energy.¡±

    Wen Shouyi said with a hint of regret on her face, but also as if she had been lucky. She added,¡±... not as much as the Huaxia Empire.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that Germany, Japan, and the United States don¡¯t have as much high-energy maic field energy reserves as the Huaxia Empire? But how can you use it recklessly? Since when can you enter and Exit Two Worlds at will? Does General he know?¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help interjecting.

    Wen Shouyi¡¯s lips curled into a smile, but her gaze was still unfocused. Her expression was a little creepy.

    ¡°... General he doesn¡¯t know. Everyone who knows about this has had their memories erased by Qin Yaoguang. No one else knows about it.¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately asked, ¡°Who else knows about the memory erased surgery? How was it invented in the first ce?¡±

    Wen Shouyi said proudly, ¡°Only Aunt Qin knows about it. It¡¯s a surgery passed down in the Qin family for generations. You¡¯ll have to ask Qin Yaoguang and old Mr. Qin who invented it in the first ce.¡±

    Updates by

    Lu yuan interjected, ¡°Looks like she doesn¡¯t know much either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°She only knows her identity now. Before this, Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye couldn¡¯t have let her know so many secrets. After all, they didn¡¯t intend to recognize her.¡±

    Lu Jin rubbed his hands together and waited for a while before asking, ¡°Are you done asking? We¡¯ll start our next move once we¡¯re done.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi looked at each other, and Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s enough. She doesn¡¯t know any more than that. If we ask her again, she¡¯ll just keep going on and on.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then we won¡¯t ask.¡±Huo Shaoheng agreed with her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He reached out his hand to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi took his broad and warm hand and walked out together.

    Lu Jin and Lu Yuan started their next n together.

    Lu Jin picked up the syringe and injected it into Wen Shouyi.

    Wen Shouyi soon fell into a deep sleep.

    Lu Yuan asked in a low voice, ¡°What is this? Is it an anesthetic or a sedative?¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°When she was dealing with my daughter, she didn¡¯t think about using any sedative or anesthetic. I¡¯m giving her a taste of her own medicine.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±... What exactly is that?¡±

    ¡°Even if I tell you the exact chemical name, you won¡¯t know. All you need to know is that this kind of thing can make her nerve endings highly excited and her body¡¯s senses magnified by a hundred times, but it can¡¯t be as simple as dying from pain.¡±

    Lu Yuan thought for a while and suddenly felt a numbness on his back. He couldn¡¯t help but take a step aside and stay away from Lu Jin.

    Those who had offended a scientist, especially one at Lu Jin¡¯s level, were really miserable to the extreme..

    As Lu Jin performed a surgery on Wen Shouyi to remove all the hippocampus in her brain, he muttered in a low voice, ¡°This way, everything will be settled once and for all. There¡¯s no need to select memories to be removed.¡±

    When Lu Yuan heard that, he looked at him in shock.¡±... You can also perform a memory removal surgery? !¡±

    Lu Jin red at him. ¡°The principle of this surgery is so simple. I can do it with just a nce.¡±

    The corners of Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly.

    How did the surgery that had been passed down in his family be a cheap product that he could do with just a nce?

    As Lu Jin performed the surgery, hemented, ¡°Actually, this surgery has something to do with my old man.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about your father, Gu Haize?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s an expert in psychology. He has a deep understanding of the mechanism of human memory. He came up with this principle many years ago. It¡¯s just that most people have never thought of using this principle to perform partial memory removal. It¡¯s only used for psychological research.¡±

    ¡°Only a scientist from a certain country would think of doing something unorthodox.¡±Lu Jin curled his lips in disdain.

    He didn¡¯t mention which country, but Lu Yuan already understood.

    The two of them then quietly performed a full set of surgeries on Wen Shouyi. Apart from removing all the hippocampus in her brain that was responsible for memory, they also damaged the nervous system in her arms and legs, making her unable to walk.

    They also removed her vocal cords, making her unable to speak.

    In the end, they even finished all the experimental sections and ced them under the microscope, as if they were observing the results.

    Wen Shouyiy on the hospital bed, unable to move her body.

    She had lost all her memories, but the feeling in her body was even clearer.

    Every time the surgical de cut into her body, she could clearly feel the pain, but she couldn¡¯t cry out.

    All the pain was confined to her body. She was like a huge container, only carrying something called ¡°Pain¡±.

    The pain was endless.

    As long as she was alive, the pain would continue.

    She screamed in her heart, feeling that she should hate someone, but she couldn¡¯t remember the name..

    She felt that it was a long time, but only a few hours had passed.

    Suddenly, someone surrounded the country house outside New York.

    These people were all dressed in in clothes, but they were all elites of the federal intelligence agency of Germany.

    Reinitz and his men chased after them.

    When they broke through the door, they happened to see two people in white coats and masks surrounding the hospital bed for surgery.

    ¡°Freeze! (don¡¯t move)¡±Reinitz¡¯s men shouted and pointed their guns at the two people in white coats.

    The bodies of the two men stiffened. They slowly turned around and raised their hands.

    Reinitz¡¯s men were about to walk over when the man in white on the left suddenly threw his right hand forward.

    With a loud bang, the entire ward was filled with thick smoke.

    Reinitz¡¯s men covered their faces and started coughing. They choked on the thick smoke until tears flowed out.

    When the thick smoke dispersed, they realized that the two men in White had disappeared. Only the patients who had undergone surgery were still lying on the hospital bed.

    When these men walked over to take a look, they were instantly overjoyed. They said, ¡°We found her! Miss Wen, we found her!¡±

    Reinitz walked over to take a quick look and made a hand gesture. ¡°Bring her back to Mr. Luo Le.¡±

    As he spoke, he led a few of his trusted men and chased after them.

    He had just received news that a Hummer SUV had left from the forest path behind the house.

    Reinitz got into his car and drove over with two men.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng were the only two people in the Hummer SUV.

    The two men in white were also in disguise.

    Lu Yuan had already taken Gu Nianzhi to the airport an hour ago.

    Lu Jin still had a few things to do, so Huo Shaoheng decided to stay and apany him.

    Although Lu Jin still did not like Huo Shaoheng, he no longer spoke out to tease him.

    The two cars drove out from the forest path and arrived at a natural clearing in the forest.

    Huo Shaoheng looked back and raised his hand. He suddenly fired a few shots, and with two bangs, the tires of the car behind him were punctured.

    When the two people jumped out of the car to check the tires, Huo Shaoheng used a tranquilizer gun to knock them out again.

    Only Reinitz, who was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, was left in the car.

    Reinitz narrowed his eyes and got out of the car with a gun in his hand. He said to the car in front, ¡°What do you mean by deliberately luring me here?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: 1831 Revenge of the scientist.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Today is Monday, the rmendation ticket is very important OH ~ ~

    Vote by unanimous vote

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~

 Chapter 1832

    <h4>Chapter 1832: Chapter 1832 thoughts of a scientist</h4>

    <h4><strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin were still wearing white doctor¡¯s robes when they got out of the car, but they had taken off their masks. Under the masks, they still looked like vs.

    Reinitz nced at them and asked in Russian,¡±... vs? The Committee of State Security (KGB) ?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied in fluent Russian, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re more interested in you, that¡¯s why we stopped to have a chat with you.¡±

    Reinitz snickered and waved the gun in his hand. ¡°More interested in me? What a coincidence. I¡¯m also very interested in you guys. How about it? Let¡¯s go back and have a good chat?¡±

    Lu Jin walked over at this time and sized Reinitz up for a while. Suddenly, he raised his hand and waved at him.

    Reinitz fired back instinctively, but of course he didn¡¯t hit the target because the gas from the opposite side had momentarily slowed him down and distracted him.

    However, he quickly recovered and sneered, ¡°Gu Nianzhi is indeed on your side! She also used this type of anesthetic spray on me! Unfortunately, this type of anesthetic spray doesn¡¯t work on Me!¡±

    It was for this reason that Lu Jin decided to have a face-to-face conversation with Reinitz.

    The self-defense spray that he had carefully prepared for Gu Nianzhi actually didn¡¯t work on Reinitz and allowed Gu Nianzhi to be taken away by Reinitz.

    Lu Jin secretly remembered this ¡°Great humiliation¡±. He had to find out the reason.

    Huo Shaoheng was actually speechless, but he couldn¡¯t dissuade the persistent Lu Jin and could only agree to his n.

    Lu Jin knew very well that the precision and dosage of the anesthetic spray he had carefully developed was enough to make an elephant lose consciousness within a minute.

    However, it only worked on Reinitz for less than a minute.

    This was really too strange.

    Updates by

    Lu Jin thought about it and decided that he could only find the answer by personally talking to Reinitz.

    He raised his hand and walked up to Reinitz and said, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, I have a question. Can you answer me?¡±

    Reinitz pursed his lips. ¡°That depends on what the question is. I¡¯m not obligated to answer any of your questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know, but this time it¡¯s more special. It has something to do with you personally,¡±Lu Jin said very seriously. The typical vonic gray-green eyes were very calm and collected.

    Reinitz raised his eyebrows. ¡°This kind of trick won¡¯t work on me. You¡¯d better save it.¡±

    Lu Jin was not discouraged and said, ¡°It¡¯s very strange that you don¡¯t have much reaction to my anesthetic spray.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? We have received professional training and have a certain degree of resistance to this anesthetic.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB-RRB- scientist stared at the anesthetic and said something funny.

    He really didn¡¯t know when he was about to die.

    His men were on their way here. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was destined to be unable to escape!

    Lu Jin shook his head, with a serious expression, he said, ¡°Impossible. No matter how much training I had, it was impossible for them not to react to my anesthetic. You have to know that my special technique allowed my anesthetic to paralyze an elephant within a minute. ¡°Do you think you are better than an elephant?¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ! What kind of Soviet KGB did he meet? !

    Lu Jin ignored Reinitz¡¯s disdain, he continued, ¡°My anesthetic is an inhtion general anesthetic. It will mix with a certain proportion of air and enter your lungs. It will spread into your blood and eventually flow through your entire body, paralyzing all of your nervous system

    ¡°Therger the creature, the longer it needs to be paralyzed. Because size and weight determine how long the nervous system can function

    ¡°Your weight may only be one percent of an elephant¡¯s. Tell me, how did you train to be more powerful than an elephant?¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    Although it sounded very nerve-racking, it seemed to make sense.

    Reinitz did not know whether he should think about this question orpletely ignore it.

    His well-trained self was conflicted at this moment.

    As an elite of the Gestapo, his education was to doubt everything and not trust anyone easily.

    Furthermore, the other party was his opponent, his enemy. He should think twice before acting on what they said.

    However, the other party¡¯s words were questioning the training methods of the Gestapo, or rather, the results of their training..

    Reinitz¡¯s expression did not change, but Huo Shaoheng could tell from the way he held the gun that he was already suspicious of the training methods of the Bureau.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief.

    Lu Jin was indeed too unexpected.

    Scientists¡¯thinking was really hard to guard against.

    Let¡¯s hope this time there¡¯s no danger..

    Lu Jin took another step forward and carefully observed Reinitz¡¯s appearance, he clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, your reaction to this specially-made anesthetic reminds me of a n that Germany once carried out during World War II.¡±

    ¡°What n?¡±Reinitz asked subconsciously.

    ¡°... The Eugenics n.¡±Lu Jin took another step forward, and was less than a meter away from Reinitz.

    Reinitz took a step back, still holding the gun in his hand, but the muzzle of the gun was no longer pointed at Lu Jin.¡±... you mean the n that the head of state once carried out?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That Crazy n that your German head of state once carried out.¡±

    ¡°But that n has already failed. Are you really not stalling by saying this now?¡±Reinitz raised his gun and aimed it at Lu Jin¡¯s forehead.

    Lu Jin was all smiles. He reached out and patted Reinitz¡¯s shoulder, holding a few strands of pale golden hair on his shoulder in his palm, he said, ¡°Why should I be stalling? Your situation reminds me of a distant story, and I want to share it with you.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s earpiece had already heard the voices of his own people. He knew that they were approaching in this direction and were about to surround this ce. His heart rxed, and he also smiled as he tried to stall for time, he said, ¡°Is that so? Then tell me.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Back then, the person who presided over this eugenics project for your head of State was a young scientist named Li Dexi.¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    His immediate superior, who was also his godfather, was also called Li Dexi.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) mentioned Li Dexi, what did he have to do with it?

    Lu Jin continued, ¡°This Li Dexi really wants to revive the royal family of Germania, the House of Hohenzollern.¡±

    ¡°He chose an outstanding man from the House of Hohenzollern to mate with hundreds of blond-haired and blue-eyed Germania women and gave birth to many children.¡±

    ¡°They carried out gic screening on these children, and in the end, only one child survived

    ¡°After World War II ended, their n had no choice but to go underground and was renamed the ¡®Spring Seedling Project¡¯. They established an orphanage and received funding from the Luo Le family

    ¡°The child who survived grew up and gave birth to many children through the same method. After the gic screening, only one child survived

    ¡°Thest child was not an ordinary child. After his genes were screened, it was possible that his genes had been improved and optimized. Therefore, he was smarter, Sharper, able to fight, and able to resist.¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) of the USSR made a special anesthetic that this child could resist. This is not something that ordinary people can do. Only super soldiers who have been gically modified can do this.¡±

    ¡°Where do you think this child is now? What¡¯s his name?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted.

    Project spring seedling, orphanage, what a familiar term..

    He grew up in the orphanage. He had never met his parents, nor did he have any rtives or friends.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ?

    Lu Jin deliberately waited for a while before saying, ¡°You didn¡¯t expect this, right? This child is right in front of me right now. His name is Reinitz Hohensoren.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s hand gradually tightened around the gun, and veins popped out on the back of his hand.

    He pressed the gun against Lu Jin¡¯s forehead and said through gritted teeth, ¡°You really know how to make up stories... unfortunately, I¡¯m not a person who likes to read novels.¡±

    His fingers tightened, and he was about to pull the trigger.

    At this time, Lu Jin¡¯s gaze became very deep, and his pupils were as ck as ink, bottomless. He softly chanted, and a series of iprehensible sentences came out of his mouth. Reinitz was extremely nervous, but he was still distracted.

    At the same time, Reinitz¡¯s men had already reduced the encirclement and surrounded the open area.

    Huo Shaoheng motioned for Lu Jin to put on a mask, then took out Lu Jin¡¯s special spray and sprayed it all around.

    Soon, many people fell to the ground in the forest. They were all Reinitz¡¯s men.

    Reinitz came back to his senses and roared. He raised his hand and fired a few shots in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction!

    Huo Shaoheng kicked a nearby tree and leaped into the air. At the same time, he fired a few shots in Reinitz¡¯s direction!

    In the blink of an eye, the two of them had already exchanged a few rounds.

    Huo Shaoheng was unharmed, but Reinitz¡¯s cheek had already been grazed by the stray bullet.

    He wiped the blood on the back of his hand with the back of his hand. He snorted coldly and suddenly took out a miniature grenade from his trouser pocket and threw it in Lu Jin¡¯s direction.

    With a loud bang, the grenade exploded!

    Reinitz¡¯s actions were too fast. Huo Shaoheng did not have time to intercept the grenade. In a moment of desperation, he flew up and grabbed Lu Jin. He used his back to help Lu Jin block the flying bomb debris.

    He grunted and also threw out a tear gas grenade with thick smoke. Then, he pulled Lu Jin into the car, stepped on the elerator, and drove away.

    Reinitz did not have a mask. He was so blinded by the tear gas that he could not open his eyes.

    When he opened his eyes, he found that the two Soviet KGB officers had disappeared without a trace. The Committee of State Security (KGB) car was the only one standing quietly in the open space.

    The people around him were all knocked down by the man¡¯s special anesthetic.

    Reinitz walked over with a dark face and kicked his nearest subordinate. He sent the man flying, but after hended on the ground, he was still unconscious.

    Reinitz was shocked.

    These subordinates of his had received anti-anesthetic training just like him. He knew very well that ordinary anesthetics on the market were indeed ineffective against them.

    However, Lu Jin¡¯s anesthetic seemed to be more powerful than ordinary anesthetics on the market.

    But why was it still ineffective against him?

    Reinitz knew that he should not be influenced by the enemy¡¯s words, but he could not help but think..

    The habit of doubting everything had already seeped deep into his bones. He couldn¡¯t help but start to wonder what was going on with Chunmiao orphanage, Li dexi, and the ¡°Super Soldier¡±that person had mentioned.

    ..

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng finally returned to his penthouse apartment in New York¡¯s Central Park Mansions.

    The moment they entered, Huo Shaoheng fell to the ground.

    He had already taken off his white coat, revealing the ck t-shirt and camouge pants he was wearing underneath.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly ran over to help him up.

    Her hand identally brushed against his back, instantly covering his hands with blood.

    ¡°Huo Shao!¡±Gu Nianzhi cried out in a trembling voice, ¡°Dad! What happened to Huo Shao?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: 1832 the scientist¡¯s mind.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1833

    <h4>Chapter 1833: Chapter 1833: Piercing A Thorn (Chapter 2: requesting a monthly pass)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Lu Jin suddenly thought of the grenade thrown by Reinitz, and his eyelids twitched. He hurried over to help Huo shaoheng up and said, ¡°Hurry up and prepare the operating room!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan had already rushed over in quick steps. He carried Huo Shaoheng on his back before Lu Jin could and ran towards Lu Jin¡¯sboratory and operating room.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to follow him, but Lu Jin pushed her away. He frowned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble. He won¡¯t die as long as I¡¯m here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst into tears.

    She thought she should be fine, but she couldn¡¯t help feeling flustered. A wave of panic washed over her, and her mind was in a mess. She couldn¡¯t care less about many things she wanted to ask.

    Lu Jin and Lu Yuan entered theboratory and operating room and closed the door tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the wall by the door. She thought of the time she had been shot and wasn¡¯t sure if she was dead or alive. Huo Shaoheng must have felt the same way, right?

    This feeling was too unbearable. She would rather the unconscious person lying inside be her..

    ..

    Four hourster, the door finally opened.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around and saw that the first person to walk out was Lu Jin. She rushed over and asked, ¡°Dad, what happened to Huo Shao? Is He Okay Now?¡±

    She looked at Lu Jin eagerly. Her usually cheerful little face was wrinkled, and she could only see sorrow and unease.

    Lu Jin took out a tissue from his pocket to wipe her tears with lingering fear. He said sheepishly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯ll be fine tomorrow after he sleeps.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, choking with sobs. ¡°Thank you, Dad.¡±

    Updates by

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand stopped moving. His lips opened and closed. After a while, he muttered,¡±... Don¡¯t thank me. It¡¯s all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t insisted on doing what I wanted, he wouldn¡¯t have been hurt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at Lu Jin eagerly. She really wanted to know why, but seeing Lu Jin in pain, she didn¡¯t want to burden him any further.

    However, she had underestimated Lu Jin¡¯s endurance.

    Lu Jin took the initiative to say,¡±... I wanted to nt a thorn in Reinitz¡¯s heart so that he could ¡®rebel¡¯with Li Dexi, so I proposed to have contact with Reinitz.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Reinitz to be so strong-willed. With so much evidence in front of him, he still did what he was supposed to do and threw a grenade at me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was in her throat. She clenched her fists and covered her chest as she said in a trembling voice, ¡°Y-y-you... are you okay? ! Do you want to go and have a check-up?¡±

    Lu Jin still remembered to care about his irresponsible father¡¯s health at this critical moment. Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help feeling even more guilty as he caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, ¡°Good girl, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s Huo Shao who¡¯s in trouble. He took a grenade for me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was mentally prepared, but when she heard that it was a grenade, her heart tightened and snapped.

    Her vision went dark, and her body fell limply to the ground.

    Lu Jin quickly picked her up and turned to enter the operating room.

    Lu Yuan was inside looking after Huo Shaoheng, carefully wiping the blood off his body.

    Hearing the sound of the door, he turned around and saw Lu Jin carrying Gu Nianzhi, who was obviously not right. He frowned and asked, ¡°What happened to Nianzhi?¡±

    She was fine when he saw her just now?

    Lu Jin said awkwardly, ¡°I told her the truth about Huo Shao¡¯s injury. She was scared...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°You can tell a little girl about this? !¡±He red at Lu Jin. ¡°Huo Shao is her sweetheart!¡±

    This kind of injury was double fatal.

    Lu Jin did not argue with him for once. He silently ced Gu Nianzhi on another bed in the operating room.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi was only in a moment of anger. As soon as Lu Jin ced her on the bed, she opened her eyes and woke up. She looked at Lu Jin with tears in her eyes and held his hand, she asked pitifully, ¡°Dad, is Huo Shao okay? Did the grenade hit him?¡±

    ¡°No, no, it was just a shrapnel wound on his back...¡±Lu Jin had learned his lesson and didn¡¯t tell him everything about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s injuries.

    Lu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief and went to get a basin of water.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t see that the basin had almost turned into a basin of blood..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back was injured like a beehive. Fortunately, they were wearing bulletproof vests and protected their critical parts, which was much better than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s injury.

    However, there was too much blood from the parts that were not protected by the bulletproof vests. He managed to hold on until he brought Lu Jin home before fainting on the ground.

    With Lu Jin around, this kind of injury was not worth mentioning.

    However, the loss of blood was too much, and there was no doubt about the damage to the body.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng lying on the hospital bed. From her angle, she could not see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face, only the back of his head.

    She pursed her lips to stop the surging tears. She looked down and said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m fine. You should go rest.¡±

    Lu Jin had gone through a series of nervous ¡°Escapes¡±and four hours of surgery. His body couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    But he didn¡¯t want to leave Gu Nianzhi at this time. He said, ¡°No need.¡±But he couldn¡¯t help lying on the edge of her bed and falling asleep.

    The operating room was silent for a moment.

    Lu Yuan sat in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hospital bed to take care of him, while Lu Jiny asleep in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hospital bed.

    Gu Nianzhi had also experienced some setbacks today. She had been very nervous, but in the end, she could not hold it in and fell asleep.

    When she woke up the next day, she subconsciously looked in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    He had also woken up. He was still lying on the hospital bed, but he turned his head around and looked in her direction.

    Gu Nianzhi had never felt such a gentle gaze in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. There seemed to be a hand reaching out to gentlyfort her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her scalp go numb and closed her eyes in embarrassment. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Lu Jin still lying on the edge of her hospital bed in a deep sleep. She suddenly smelled the fragrance of egg fried rice and was instantly energized. Her eyes sparkled like stars.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly and smiled slightly.

    He loved watching her jump around and be curious about everything.

    Gu Nianzhi sniffled and whispered,¡±... President Lu went to make breakfast?¡±

    Eating egg-fried rice for breakfast was a rare treat!

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. His voice was even more deep and maic with a hint of huskiness. ¡°Yes, I went to make it. Can you get up and walk?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi moved her legs. Although they were extremely sore and weak, she could still move.

    Gu Nianzhi gently lifted the nket and wanted to get out of bed.

    Her movements were already very gentle, but it still woke Lu Jin Up.

    He looked up sleepily and saw that Gu Nianzhi was about to put on her shoes. He was shocked and subconsciously bent down to put the slippers on her feet. He said vaguely, ¡°You must be hungry. Hurry up and eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Suddenly, she felt like a foodie in Huo Shao¡¯s and Lu Jin¡¯s hearts!

    When she arrived at the restaurant, she saw that Lu Yuan had indeed prepared breakfast. He had even made a big pot of Angelica, ginger, and mutton soup for Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi took a sniff and smiled. ¡°CEO Lu¡¯s cooking is amazing!¡±

    Lu Yuan became more and more amiable to her. ¡°Hurry up and eat. You¡¯ve obviously lost a lot of weight since yesterday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it better to be thin? She touched her face and suddenly didn¡¯t want to eat anymore.

    Lu Yuan smiled and shook his head. He scooped a bowl of Angelica mutton soup for Huo Shaoheng. He skimmed the oil off the top and only had clear soup.

    After a while, Lu Jin staggered out and sat next to Gu Nianzhi. He carefully looked at her expression and said fawningly, ¡°Nianzhi, are you still angry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She wasn¡¯t angry; she was just scared.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head and said, ¡°No, Dad, I¡¯m not angry. I¡¯m just worried about you and Huo. Come, let¡¯s have breakfast!¡±

    Her spirits were obviously much better. She smiled so widely that her eyes were curved. She didn¡¯t look angry at all.

    Lu Jin was still a little uneasy and continued to apologize, ¡°It¡¯s dad¡¯s fault. Dad shouldn¡¯t have dragged Huo Shao into danger with him.¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Dad, if you want to talk about this, you can¡¯t go into danger alone! Otherwise, why did we chase you here? Have you forgotten?¡±

    She held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and realized that it was cold.

    Lu Yuan came out at this time. Seeing that Lu Jin was really guilty, he snorted, he said, ¡°Huo Shao is fine, but you really can¡¯t do this in the future.¡±. ¡°Reinitz is not Qin Yaoguang or Wen Shouyi. He¡¯s a trained intelligence agent. It¡¯s ridiculous for you to sway his position with just a few words!¡±

    Seeing Lu Jin¡¯s embarrassment, Gu Nianzhi quickly changed the topic. ¡°Dad, why did you remove all of Wen Shouyi¡¯s hippocampus and make her lose her memorypletely? Isn¡¯t it good to keep her memory?¡±

    ¡°... let her know how ¡®precious¡¯She is!¡±

    Lu Jin shot a quick nce at Lu Yuan. Seeing that he was no longer mentioning Huo Shaoheng, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m doing this to make sure nothing goes wrong. After all, Wen Shouyi is going to be left for Luo Le to do his experiments.¡±

    ¡°And hisb has recruited the world¡¯s top biomedical talents. What if theirb also produces a genius in the future and cures Wen Shouyi? You have to know, it¡¯s no longer a problem to grow human tissue biologically.¡±

    ¡°Only by physically removing her hippocampus can we ensure that they can¡¯t repair her memory cells. Otherwise, it will always be a disaster in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: no. 1833¡åStick a thorn¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1834

    <h4>Chapter 1834: Chapter 1834: If the skin doesn¡¯t exist, there¡¯s no way Mao will attach himself to it</h4>

    Lu Yuan gave Lu Jin a look of approval.

    Lu Jin was such a brilliant genius, and he was very conceited, but he never thought that he was the best in the world.

    He did not look down on other scientists, and he was always on guard against the development of science.

    Only such a person could always be invincible.

    Gu nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°After all the hippocampus in the brain is removed, can memory really not be restored?¡±

    ¡°... there are cells in the hippocampus that are responsible for memory. These cells are the carriers of memory. If they are all gone, where can memory be restored?¡±Lu Jin said with amusement, ¡°If there is no skin left, how can the hair be attached to it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and said, ¡°Does that mean that even if one of them is able to save her, she won¡¯t have any memory?¡±

    ¡°Not only would she not have any memories, she wouldn¡¯t have any new memories.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°She¡¯s like an idiot. Her brain is an empty hole. The wind can pass through it, the water can flow through it, and nothing can be left behind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered.

    This was too cruel.

    Compared to this, amnesia was nothing..

    ¡°She has no memories, but she has consciousness. This is even worse.¡±Lu Yuan did not want to talk about this topic anymore, he said, ¡°Nianzhi and I went to the airport and made arrangements. When are we going back?¡±

    He had stayed in the United States long enough.

    Lu Jin nced at them and hesitated. He did not hide it anymore, he said, ¡°When we go back, we have to face the Qin family. The only people who know the truth about Nianzhi and Wen Shouyi are the Qin family. To be precise, it¡¯s the two giants of the Qin family, Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye.¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°Are you saying that our tricks can fool Lawler, but not Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye?¡±Lu Yuan said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the dining table. The smile on his face did not change, but he had already made the final decision, ¡°Then we can¡¯t keep these two.¡±

    He said it so casually, as if he was only talking about the removal of the two trash cans.

    Gu Nianzhi hadpletely lost her temper.

    The people in this room were all Buddhas. She couldn¡¯t afford to offend them..

    ..

    After dinner, Lu Jin went to another room in theb to conduct a DNA test on Reinitz¡¯s hair.

    A dayter, the results of the test were out. He said to Gu nianzhi with a sigh, ¡°As expected, Reinitz¡¯s genes were also selected...¡±

    However, Reinitz¡¯s technology was not up to par, so Reinitz¡¯s genes were also wed.

    ¡°... His body¡¯s functions have been activated too much, but the corresponding genes have not been significantly enhanced. Therefore, there are hidden diseases in his body.¡±Lu Jin looked closely at Reinitz¡¯s DNA fragment and shook his head regretfully, ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the hematopoietic mechanism. He won¡¯t be able to live much longer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously thought of Reinitz in the other world.

    That man was now a priest. She didn¡¯t know if there was anything wrong with his body.

    ¡°... can¡¯t this disease be cured?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s leukemia, right? It¡¯s not incurable, is it?¡±

    In thest century, leukemia had once been rampant, but now there were many drugs and treatments that could cure it.

    Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with his genes. The root of the problem, of course, has to be cured at the root. Otherwise, even if it¡¯s just a symptom, it won¡¯t cure the root of the problem. Everything will be over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin. She wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut.

    Lu Jin knew what she wanted to say and patted her shoulder. ¡°How about this? If Reinitz lets you go, I¡¯ll do him a favor. Otherwise, I¡¯ll let him die.¡±

    Lu Jin said, ¡°Let him die.¡±Then he would really die.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted tough, but she couldn¡¯t. She forced a smile and said, ¡°He harmed Huo Shao. This is unforgivable.¡±

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°We each serve our own master. Shaoheng fell into a little somersault in his hands, so he¡¯s not very good at it. When he¡¯s better, I¡¯ll give him a special training.¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead, she said helplessly, ¡°CEO Lu, don¡¯t say nice things. If something had really happened to Huo Shao, would you say that it was ¡®we each serve our own Master¡¯? You would have torn Reinitz to shreds by now, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Lu Yuan picked up the newspaper nomittally and said with a smile, ¡°Peace and harmony are the most important things in business. Am I such an unscrupulous person? Don¡¯t you dare put abel on me.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at the DNA fragments that he had tested one by one and was ted.

    He praised himself, ¡°Look at these fragments. They¡¯re perfect. I¡¯ve never seen anyone make such a perfect picture before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin had seen enough of Reinitz¡¯s DNA fragments, so he sent him an encrypted email.

    Of course, Lu Jin had used an unfamiliar ount with a hidden IP address.

    Reinitz was standing in the undergroundb of Luo Le¡¯s group.

    Beside him stood the obsessed Luo le.

    Wen Shouyiy motionless on a fully equipped operating table in theb.

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) indeed did it!¡±Several biogicists in white coats eximed excitedly

    ¡°Her hippocampus has been removed! That¡¯s great! It saves us a lot of effort!¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, this surgery is really something! Her hippocampus has been cut clean. One look and you can tell that she¡¯s someone who does a lot of work.¡±

    ¡°Not only that, look, the nerves in her arms and legs have been destroyed perfectly. Her vocal cords have also been removed. This is to use her as an experimental subject!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve done a lot of experiments ourselves, but I¡¯ve never seen an experimental subject that was so perfectly prepared!¡±

    A few scientists surrounded Wen Shouyi¡¯s body and praised her endlessly.

    ¡°Also, look at this part of her shoulder. She¡¯s clearly suffered a gunshot wound, but her healing speed is really amazing!¡±

    ¡°Is this the ability of the perfect gene?¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) scientists from the Soviet Union performed the surgery well. They were also thankful that they had taken back the body of the ¡°Perfect gene¡±.

    From now on, they had enough work to do in the next 50 years!

    Thinking about how many world-shocking discoveries they would make, these scientists were so excited that they could not even hold their scalpels properly.

    Luo Le took a good look at the scientists in hisboratory who were usually arrogant and rarely lost theirposure. He asked, ¡°Then can we publish her gic map and verify it for the outside organizations?¡±

    The chief scientist in theboratory nodded, he said mysteriously, ¡°Of course, but don¡¯t publish theplete gic map. Just a few fragments will do. To prove the perfect gene, it doesn¡¯t mean that we have to hand over all our experimental results.¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s mood was even better. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°But why did you say that there were many problems with the DNA sample before? It wasn¡¯t the sample that was closest to a perfect gene?¡±

    The chief scientist was a little embarrassed. His gaze wandered and he chuckled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a long story. We haven¡¯t seen a perfect gene before, so we can¡¯t help but me it all...¡±

    ¡°AH? So you¡¯re saying that you made a mistake before?¡±Luo Le couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw his chief scientist¡¯s embarrassment.

    The corner of the Chief Scientist¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Well, we still have to continue to observe and test. Now that we have an experimental subject that¡¯s the closest to a perfect gene, all the problems can be solved easily.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡±Luo Le admired the experiments of these scientists for a while more before he left theboratory with Reinitz.

    The two of them walked out of the Luo Le group¡¯s building. The sky was filled with stars. It was alreadyte at night.

    Luo Le happily said to reinitz, ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied this time. As expected, I still need you to make a move... I¡¯ll talk to your godfather, Li Dexi, about itter and ask him when he will retire. ¡°It¡¯s also time to give up his position so that young people can achieve greater results!¡±

    Reinitz bowed slightly. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Luo Le. I¡¯m still young and like working at the front line. I don¡¯t want to sit in the office and give orders for the time being.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay. After you take over, you can still work at the front line. No one can control you. You can make your own decisions, isn¡¯t that good?¡±Luo Le was in a much better mood, and all kinds ofpliments were thrown at Reinitz for free.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t even bother to talk to Luo Le after that. He only silently thought about Lu Jin¡¯s words.

    After sending Luo le back to his mansion in Manhattan, Reinitz came to the vicinity of the luxurious residential area in Central Park. He stood under a streetmp next to a small flower bed and silently smoked.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s words didn¡¯t bother him, but because of the inertia of ¡°Suspecting everything,¡±he hacked into his own system and found the spring seedling project back then. He also found it.., his own DNA data map.

    When he saw the folder marked ¡°Top secret a¡±and found that it contained his gic data, he suddenly felt like the whole world had been turned upside down in front of him.

    In addition to his gic data, he also found his father¡¯s and mother¡¯s gic data.

    These two people were long gone.

    He thought they really died in a car ident, but now he knew that they had actually died of illness..

    Those who were born in the eugenics program of their race did not seem to have long lives.

    Most of them died before they were thirty, and a small number of them lived until they were close to forty.

    But none of them were over forty.

    Reinitz thought of his age. He was already thirty years old.

    Would he die before he was forty like these ¡°Seniors¡±of his?

    Reinitz¡¯s heart was in a mess. He did not know what to do.

    He took out a small transparent stic bag from his pocket. There was a ck hair inside.

    The hair was very hard. Although it had been away from its owner for several days, it was still shiny and ck.

    It was not a vic hair, but it was found on the ¡°vic¡±who was talking to him.

    The screen of the phone suddenly lit up and showed that an email hade in.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: No. 1834, ¡°If there is no skin, there will be no hair.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8 p.m. Second Update.

    PS: thank you to ¡°Mcmug loves blue¡±for the 10,000 starting points yesterday.

    Congrattions to ¡°Mcmug loves blue¡±for bing the 30th president of ¡°Hello, Major General¡±! (I even wrote it down in a small notebook)

    I don¡¯t know how many alliance leaders there will be by the time this book ends. Is it enough to open a group of alliance leaders

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

 Chapter 1835

    <h4>Chapter 1835: Chapter 1835 an email from a stranger (second update)</h4>

    Reinz looked down at the phone in his hand and was slightly surprised to find that it was an email from a stranger.

    His phone and his email were all specially made and confidential. Someone could send it to him from an unknown address.

    He swiped open the phone and opened the email. After confirming that there was no virus in the email, he opened it.

    A group of pictures appeared.

    It was the gic map that he had just seen.

    It was also his own gic map.

    There was no nonsense in the email. It only clearly pointed out which gene segments had problems, what problems, why there were problems, and finally.., what would the consequences of these problems be for his health..

    Looking at thest shocking sentence, Reinitz¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted.

    Leukemia? !

    He would get leukemia? !

    But when he thought of the top-secret information he had just found in his own system and the fact that the people who passed this experiment would not live long, he had no choice but to believe it.

    Leukemia was not a difficult andplicated disease now, nor was it an incurable disease.

    However, there were many types of leukemia. The cause was different, the treatment method was different, and the oue of the treatment was different.

    For someone like him, the person clearly wrote in the email: only through gene therapy, and this method, the people on Reinitz¡¯s side had not yet mastered..

    Updates by

    Who was this person?

    Reinitz¡¯s gaze fell on the small transparent stic bag in his other hand.

    There was a very hard ck hair there.

    Was it that person?

    That ¡°v¡±, the ¡°Soviet KGB¡±?

    Reinitz narrowed his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar email address on his phone, as well as the even stranger IP address. He pressed the reply button.

    In the reply, he wrote: [ I have your hair, you are not a v, you are... Asian. The Committee of State Security (KGB) , what is your intention in pretending to be the Soviet KGB? ]

    He expressionlessly clicked send, then sat on the bench, smoking one cigarette after another.

    ..

    Not long after Lu Jin sent the email, he received Reinitz¡¯s reply.

    He originally wanted to set this email address to not reply, but after thinking about it, why bother? Anyway, his IP address was hidden, the other party definitely did not know where he was, so he did not set it.

    This Reinitz was really daring, he actually replied to him right away.

    Lu Jin happily opened the email, thinking that his threat had seeded. In the end, when he looked at the contents of the email, Lu Jin¡¯s face turned half ck.

    ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±Lu Yuan was very familiar with Lu Jin¡¯s emotional changes.

    He was originally a person in this line of work. In addition, he was more familiar with Lu Jin¡¯s usual behavior, so he quickly realized that Lu Jin¡¯s emotions were not right.

    Lu Jin said angrily, ¡°Look at this Reinitz! He¡¯s so arrogant! He actually turned the tables!¡±

    ¡°Why did he turn the tables?¡±Lu Yuan moved closer and stuck his head out to take a look.

    ¡°How did he get your hair? !¡±Lu Yuan was also surprised. ¡°When did this happen?¡±

    Lu Jin said with a bitter face,¡±... probably, when I went to get his hair, he also quietly got his hair from me.¡±

    The corners of Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth twitched, and he said sarcastically, ¡°I told you to shave your hair, but you refused.¡±

    ¡°Why would I shave my hair? ! Why would I shave my hair when a fake head cover can solve the problem? !¡±Lu Jin flew into a rage, and said fiercely to the email on his phone, ¡°If you want to threaten me, you¡¯re Dead!¡±

    ¡°The point is that a fake head cover didn¡¯t solve the problem for you. Now that your hair is in Reinitz¡¯s hands, what do you think we should do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head hurt when she heard this, and she quickly said, ¡°Buddha, can we talk properly? Reinitz has Daddy¡¯s hair, we can¡¯t just ignore it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more nervous than Reinitz when he got his own hair.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be concerned about?¡±Lu Jin stared at his phone angrily,¡±... Let Him Die!¡±

    ¡°... Dad, have you thought about it? Once he has your hair, he¡¯ll know that the two vonic kgb people are fakes. At the same time, he¡¯ll also know that the two of them are most likely Chinese.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) was very worried about Gu Nianzhi

    Gu Nianzhi patiently analyzed and exined, ¡°Check the DNA again and contact Huaxia. Who knows, your identity might be exposed!¡±

    Lu Jin was ¡°Dead Man Gu Xiangwen¡±in Huaxia.

    He had escaped with his life. Otherwise, why would he chengjian stop investigating?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about her own background and the unverified rtionship between Qin Suwen, her ¡°Biological mother,¡±and he chengjian. Her head hurt.

    Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback and nodded. ¡°Nianzhi is so quick-witted. Her analysis is even faster than mine.¡±

    Actually, he and Gu Nianzhi were basically in sync.

    However, with his age, experience, and experience, he could only be in sync with Gu Nianzhi. This was already enough to show Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intelligence, and it was even more than what he had expected.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand nonchntly. ¡°CEO Lu, now is not the time to talk about this. I don¡¯t want my father¡¯s identity to be exposed. We have to think of a way to win Reinitz over.¡±

    As she spoke, she also told him the rest of what had happened with Reinitz.

    Previously, she had only told him about how she had been hunted down in the Alps and how Reinitz had set a trap for her.

    Later, when Reinitz found out about his background, he had changed from an enemy to a friend. Not only had he helped Gu Nianzhi hide the truth, he had also left the federal intelligence agency of Germany and entered the church to be a priest.

    After she finished speaking, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°Dad, if the two worlds¡¯counterparts have the same life path, do they make the same choice?¡±

    Lu Jin spread his hands, he honestly said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know about that. This is not the field of biological gics research. This is the field of behavioral science and psychology. ¡°If your grandfather was still alive, he might be able to make some spections. But I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve never put in any effort in this area.¡±

    He was able to hypnotize people, so he knew what was going on, but he didn¡¯t know why.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and looked up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go see Reinitz. I¡¯ll definitely get my father¡¯s hair back. It¡¯ll be a disaster if it falls into his hands.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±Lu Yuan put down the newspaper and said implicitly, ¡°I have more experience, and if Reinitz doesn¡¯t give up, it¡¯ll be easier for me to deal with him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, then immediately objected, ¡°President Lu, we don¡¯t want to see him. This will give him an opportunity!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough manpower in America. Even Huo Shao was injured. We can¡¯t continue to take risks.¡±

    ¡°But your father¡¯s hair... Don¡¯t you want it back?¡±Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°I¡¯m used to cleaning up after your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She was very grateful to Lu Yuan, but she still said firmly, ¡°No, we¡¯ll think of another way. You Can¡¯t go see him, and neither can I, and neither can dad.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said as she gave Lu Jin a warning look.

    Lu Jin raised his hands reflexively, his eyes looking especially innocent. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. I Won¡¯t...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Anyway, we definitely have other ways to deal with this. If we don¡¯t see Reinitz, we can make him stop.¡±

    ¡°And if we take the initiative to see him now, Reinitz will know that the hair in his hands isn¡¯t just a proof that the KGB is a fake. He¡¯ll even hang it up and sell it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and tried her best to think of a way.

    Lu Yuan, who was far-sighted, strongly refused to let everyone contact Reinitz directly. He also did not want her, who was only 20 years old, to be worried about them, so he did not insist. ..

    After thinking for a while, he looked up and said calmly, ¡°Then there is only one way. Equivalent Exchange.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: 1835, an email from a stranger.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1836

    <h4>Chapter 1836: Chapter 1836, the hand of God (Dazhang)</h4>

    ¡°Equivalent exchange?¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself. Lu Jin shouted, ¡°What equivalent exchange? ! I don¡¯t agree! ¡ª let him die!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood.

    ¡°... CEO Lu means to use his leukemia treatment in exchange?¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded,pletely ignoring Lu Jin, who was fuming beside him.

    ¡°I said I don¡¯t agree!¡±Lu Jin was so angry that he was rambling. ¡°I don¡¯t agree, I don¡¯t agree, I don¡¯t agree! I¡¯m never threatened!¡±

    Lu Yuan opened the newspaper again as if nothing had happened, blocking his line of sight. He said to Gu Nianzhi,¡±... talk some sense into your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at the steady Lu Yuan and then at Lu Jin, who had a look of rejection on his face. She felt a dull pain in her temples.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was Lu Jin¡¯s biological daughter after all. She quickly rolled her eyes and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. What equivalent exchange? ! Where did the equivalent exchangee from? I don¡¯t agree either!¡±

    Lu Yuan lowered the newspaper in his hand. He peeked his eyes out from the top of the newspaper and looked quietly at Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin¡¯s anger turned into joy. He said happily, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Look, mydy agrees with me! I¡¯ve confirmed with her eyes that she¡¯s really my biological daughter!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... Dad, don¡¯t surf the Inte anymore.¡±Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly and looked at Lu Jin ingratiatingly, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not an equal exchange. My father¡¯s life is much more important than Reinitz¡¯s. Reinitz¡¯s life is only as important as a single strand of my father¡¯s hair, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±Lu Jin patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder vigorously. ¡°My Lady Is Right!¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll listen to me?¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly followed. ¡°We¡¯ll use Reinitz¡¯s life in exchange for just one strand of your hair. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s making the most of it.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    It sounded like something was wrong, but there was nothing wrong with the logic.

    Lu Jin was instantly caught in an endless loop of logic. Was it his hair that was more important, or was it Reinitz¡¯s life that was more important.

    He then confusedly agreed to help Gu Nianzhi design a gene therapy that could specifically treat Reinitz¡¯s special leukemia..

    ..

    Aftering out of Lu Jin¡¯sb, Gu Nianzhi sat directly in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bed and tucked him in.

    She rarely saw Huo Shaoheng injured.

    It wasn¡¯t that Huo Shaoheng had never been injured, but that if he was seriously injured during a mission, he would recover before meeting Gu Nianzhi at the base.

    She had only seen minor injuries.

    This was the first time she had seen injuries like this.

    Reinitz¡¯s miniature grenade was particrly powerful. Although Huo Shaoheng had tried his best to avoid it, the shrapnel had still injured the parts of his back that were not covered by the bulletproof vest.

    His face was a little pale, and his lips were so white that they were almost transparent.

    These were all symptoms of severe blood loss.

    Lu Jin had not given him a blood transfusion. Instead, he had used an alternative treatment that directly stimted the human body¡¯s hematopoietic system, speeding up his metabolism and stimting his own blood cirction.

    This type of treatment was much safer than blood transfusions, but it also required much higher medical skills.

    Lu Yuan walked in at this time and stood in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bed. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and said softly, ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s designing his gene therapy in theb.¡±Gu nianzhi whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll contact Reinitz, but it¡¯s best if you don¡¯te forward. I don¡¯t want Reinitz to think of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely wary of Reinitz. Although Lu Yuan was an expert in this area, Reinitz had met Lu Yuan before. If Reinitz found out about Lu Yuan, the chances of Lu Jin being exposed would be even higher.

    Just like Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi did not want this to happen.

    ¡°But I¡¯m even more worried if you step in.¡±Lu Yuan objected. ¡°This kind of thing is too dangerous. It¡¯s better if I step in.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and said inly, ¡°I¡¯m not surprised at all to Reinitz. But you¡¯re different. I don¡¯t want him to find out more.¡±

    Lu Yuan thought for a long time and said, ¡°Then if you¡¯re going to see him, I¡¯ll have to stay close to you.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Just don¡¯t show up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished her discussion with Lu Yuan and started to take action.

    However, before she could go to the bank to rent a safe deposit box, she received a call from Reinitz.

    ¡°Miss Gu? Do you have time to chat? I have a strand of hair here. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be very interested.¡±

    Having said that, Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to go.

    Reinitz had arranged to meet her at a small flower bed in front of a five-star hotel in New York.

    The ce was bustling with people and bustling with activity.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Reinitz as soon as she got out of the taxi.

    He was wearing a medium-length Burberry trench coat and looked as if he hadn¡¯t slept in a long time. The ckness in his eyes was obvious, and stubble had grown on his thin face. He didn¡¯t look scruffy, but looked unruly and unruly.

    She was on one side and he was on the other, separated by a small flower bed.

    Tulips of all colors were nted in the flower bed, and they were in full bloom.

    The Sky was dark, and the rosy glow of the sunset lit up half of the sky.

    Reinitz had a cigarette in his hand. He dusted it off, narrowed his blue eyes, and smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still here.¡±

    He had thought that Gu Nianzhi had fled New York long ago. In fact, he had received news that Gu Nianzhi had already flown back to the Huaxia Empire with another person. The Huaxia Empire was the only ce where she could be found.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she had gone to the airport with Lu Yuan to fool a lot of people. She had never thought that she would be able to fool Reinitz as well, but she had never expected that he would call her directly to stop her.

    ¡°... are you here to arrest me?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be uneasy. ¡°But I¡¯m just a front for themittee of State Security (KGB) ...¡±

    Reinitzughed and raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Stop acting with me. I know that your aplice is Chinese, not Russian.¡±

    Gu nianzhi calmly retorted, ¡°Themittee of State Security (KGB) also has Chinese people. For example, the Committee of State Security (KGB) had ady with the surname Xie. She is Chinese.¡±

    She was talking about Xie Ziyan in this world.

    Huo Shaohengter told her that Xie Ziyan in this world had indeed joined the KGB, but she had never married or had children. She had already passed away.

    The fake news about Xie Ziyan getting married and having children in the KGB was deliberately released to cover up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity.

    Reinitz shrugged. ¡°So What? Why don¡¯t we test the hair for DNA?¡±

    He took out a small transparent stic bag and waved it at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she smiled. ¡°Mr. Reinitz is really something. He can threaten us with just a strand of hair from anywhere. I¡¯m impressed!¡±

    She cupped her hands and looked rxed.

    Reinitz was slightly taken aback.

    Was this strand of hair really not important?

    He was not confused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s performance and continued to probe. ¡°How about we make a Deal?¡±

    ¡°You want to make a deal with just a strand of hair.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Then will I be able to make you abdicate by cutting off a piece of your flesh?¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, then I¡¯ll have to give this strand of hair to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States. What do you think? The Committee of State Security (KGB) in the United States will definitely be interested in it, right?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s n failed, and he had another n.

    Gu Nianzhi finally looked a little scared, but she still said, ¡°Go ahead and say it! See if they¡¯ll talk to You!¡±

    ¡°Haha, then I¡¯ll report them.¡±Reinitz pretended to take out his phone and dialed a number.

    Gu nianzhi said anxiously, ¡°Okay! I¡¯m done with you! What kind of deal do you want to make? !¡±

    Reinitz narrowed his eyes and sized her up, his voice sinking,¡±... is the person who told me I was sick the owner of this hair?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nomittal. ¡°What do you want? What do you want in exchange for this hair?¡±

    ¡°Since he can see that I¡¯m sick, there should be a cure...¡±Reinitz said slowly. ¡°Tell me the cure, and I¡¯ll return the hair to you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? !¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you out of your mind? A hair is worth a life. Why Don¡¯t you go to Heaven? !¡±

    She turned to leave angrily.

    Reinitz quickly stopped her and said patiently, ¡°You can¡¯t make the decision. Go tell him that I¡¯m sincere about the deal.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Reinitz. Suddenly, sheughed. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a deal. A strand of hair isn¡¯t enough. Unless you can take something else.¡±

    ¡°That depends on how much your life is worth.¡±Gu Nianzhi deliberately didn¡¯t say what she wanted, but she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get her hair back.

    This attitude greatly eased Reinitz¡¯s suspicions.

    He had never intended to rely on this hair to exchange for resources to keep him alive, but how could he be at ease if he did not test it out?

    On the contrary, if the other party agreed immediately, he would know that the owner of this hair was very important to Gu Nianzhi and the others.

    Then he would really have to hang it up and sell it.

    Reinitz took a drag on his cigarette and tossed the stic bag over. ¡°Okay, this is my first step of sincerity.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the stic bag and nodded. ¡°Yes, is your sincerity directly proportional to your hair?¡±

    Reinitz shook his head with a smile. ¡°I only have this hair. Believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I believe it or not. What matters is whether you want to live or not.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s smile faded. ¡°How can I not want to live? But how do I know that your method will save my life?¡±

    ¡°You came to us because you believe in it.¡±Gu Nianzhi patiently tried to persuade him. ¡°So do your best! Show me your sincerity!¡±

    Reinitz watched as Gu Nianzhi waved and called a taxi to leave.

    He had no intention of following Gu Nianzhi, because it was no longer important to him what Gu Nianzhi was like now.

    He was now taking action for his own life.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi hade back in Lu Yuan¡¯s taxi.

    This time, Lu Yuan¡¯s disguise as a taxi driver was so perfect that even Reinitz did not notice.

    The two of them returned to the luxurious apartment on the top floor of Central Park where Lu Yuan and Lu Jin lived. Lu Jin happened toe out of theb.

    Huo Shaoheng had also woken up and was eating at the dining table.

    In front of him were a few pieces of t-shaped steak that had just been roasted. They were half-cooked and were lightly pressed with a knife and fork. The sauce was overflowing, fragrant and tender.

    Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised. She ran towards him with a smile. ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re Awake? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng cut a piece of steak and put it into his mouth. He chewed slowly and smiled at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding from the smile.

    She sat next to Huo Shaoheng and looked him up and down. She wished she could take off his shirt and take a look at the injury on his back.

    Huo Shaoheng knew what she meant. He chuckled and said, ¡°When I¡¯m done eating, I¡¯ll go back inside and show you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mean anything by it, but Huo Shaoheng seemed to mean something else when he said it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face slowly turned red. She lowered her head and rubbed the tassels on the tablecloth. She spat lightly.

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips and shook his head. He went to theb to look for Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin was wearing a whiteb coat and was observing the slices he had made under a microscope.

    ¡°How is it? Have you designed the method?¡±Lu Yuan knocked on the door and asked calmly.

    Lu Jin turned around to look at him. ¡°Nianzhi is back too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s talking to Shaoheng in the restaurant.¡±Lu Yuan walked over slowly. ¡°Where did you get the steak?¡±

    The steak was obviously made by a chef. It looked, smelled, and tasted perfect. It was the most difficult toe by among Western chefs.

    Lu Jin said disdainfully, ¡°Of course I got the chef of a three-star Michelin Hotel to order it. Could it have been made by me?¡±

    ¡°You are quite self-aware.¡±Lu Yuan sat down with a smile and asked softly, ¡°Do you really intend to help Reinitz treat his leukemia?¡±

    At present, Reinitz was the strongest opponent that Lu Yuan had encountered. It could also be because Reinitz was also a person who had been gically modified.

    His intuition was much sharper than the average person¡¯s.

    And to do intelligence work, he was simply a talent.

    Lu Jin said arrogantly, ¡°Of course I have to treat him. However, before receiving my treatment, his life is in God¡¯s hands. After receiving my treatment, his life is in my hands.¡±

    Lu Jin made a gesture with his right palm facing upwards, his five fingers slowly closing into a fist, as if he had already grasped Reinitz¡¯s little life in his hands.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Can you speak properly?¡±

    ¡°Illiterate. I¡¯m speaking in medical terms,¡±Lu Jin said seriously. ¡°Do you know what real gene therapy is?¡±

    ¡°Real gene therapy will make him open up all his DNA to me. When I use gene therapy to treat his leukemia, I will also nt another ¡®bomb¡¯in his genes.¡±

    ¡°If one day, he is ungrateful and wants to go against us, I will ¡®detonate¡¯This ¡®bomb¡¯and let him die without a sound.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: 1836 the hand of God.

    We¡¯re moving tomorrow, and there¡¯s a lot of unpacked stuff, so today¡¯s the chapter.

    There is a chapter for tomorrow, because the new homework is not yet installed.

    It¡¯s the only way to keep up. Bear with me, I will be busy for a while to make up for everyone. O (* *) O.

    Mugs to you big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1837

    <h4>Chapter 1837: Chapter 1837, coincidences. They were all coincidences (big chapter)</h4>

    Lu Yuan was shocked. He quickly nced at Lu Jin and asked doubtfully,¡±... is it really that powerful?¡±

    Lu Jin snickered. ¡°Do you know what the carrier of gene therapy is?¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a virus,¡±Lu Jin said casually, as if he was talking about an unimportant matter.¡±... because only viruses can invade the DNAyer inside human cells.¡±

    ¡°The treatment i designed for Leinz is a special virus. ¡°This virus will block the treatment for his gic defects, but at the same time, some DNA fragments carried by this virus will lie dormant in his genes.¡±

    Lu Yuan understood and was even more surprised.¡±... isn¡¯t this the principle of a virus weapon?¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember how thatrge-scale special respiratory tract infection came about a few years ago?¡±Lu Jin sneered, ¡°That was a virus weapon. It targeted certain DNA fragments that were unique to Chinese People¡¯s genes.¡±

    ¡°So that disease only had the greatest lethality against Chinese people. Although other races had the infection, it was not as deadly as it was in China.¡±

    When the infection happened, Lu Yuan had just arrived and was still traumatized by the experience.

    ¡°Viruses are like water, and the human body is a boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn a boat,¡±Lu Jin continued to boast.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn a boat. is that how it¡¯s used?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important. Anyway, as long as you understand what I mean.¡±Lu Jin waved his hand and looked at his experimental records, his lips curled up, ¡°There¡¯s a price to pay for everything. He recklessly provoked me and even got my hair. Then don¡¯t me me for keeping a backup n for myself.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not understand the professional knowledge in this area, but seeing that Lu Jin was confident, he did not say anything more, he only said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re confident. Moreover, your idea is correct. Reinitz¡¯s position is unclear, so we have to guard against him.¡±

    Lu Jin thought of Reinitz¡¯s skill and decisiveness and sighed. He was no longer as excited as before, he muttered,¡±... That¡¯s why I wanted to die with them... I actually didn¡¯t have the chance to kill such a person.¡±

    Updates by

    However, with Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Gu Nianzhi working together, Lu Jin had the possibility of achieving his goal without exposing himself.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was also injured because of this.

    Lu Jin was a little dejected.

    Lu Yuan patted him on the shoulder andforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself too much. Shaoheng¡¯s injury looks serious, but it¡¯s actually not that serious. It¡¯s nothing to us in this line of work.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and said seriously, ¡°He saved my life. I know that. I Won¡¯t let him have any seque.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything to Shaoheng¡¯s genes, did you?¡±

    Lu Jin red at him, he pointed at his own nose and said, ¡°Am I the kind of person who would repay kindness with enmity? ! I even helped remove those hidden genes from he zhichu, so why would I do anything to Huo Shaoheng The reason The logic In your heart, am I just a scientific freak with no principles and no bottom line ¡°? !¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at him indifferently.¡±... You helped he zhichu get rid of the hidden genes? What do you mean? Does the he family know?¡±

    Lu Jin did not expect him to say such a long sentence. Lu Yuan only noticed this and could not help shrinking his neck, he wanted to change the topic. ¡°Um, Nianzhi is back, right? I¡¯m going to visit mydy. I haven¡¯t seen her for a few hours, and I miss her...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about him.¡±Lu Yuan grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s cor, his expression still indifferent. ¡°Speak clearly!¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips tightly, determined to be a mussel.

    He would never speak of this matter even if he was beaten to death.

    This was because he was doing this not because he was noble, but purely for Qin Suwen.

    He did not want Qin Suwen¡¯s son to one day be a puppet and hostage in the hands of others.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze gradually became serious, but under his sharp gaze, Lu Jin surprisingly resisted it.

    Lu Yuan looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, ¡°No wonder you helped Qin Yaoguang design the gene therapy and personally performed the surgery on HE ZHICHU... you did it for Qin Suwen, right?¡±

    Although Lu Yuan did not see it with his own eyes, he knew that there were only two people in the operating theater at that time.

    On the surface, Qin Yaoguang was the chief surgeon, and she also had an assistant.

    In fact, the assistant was Lu Jin, which was also Gu Xiangwen.

    After the surgery door was closed, the positions of the two people were switched.

    Qin yaoguang became the assistant, and Lu Jin was the chief surgeon.

    Lu Jin¡¯s body trembled, and he subconsciously retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not! I¡¯m Not! Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s it.¡±Lu Yuan loosened his cor and patted his shoulder. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s nothing to hide. After all, both of you have already given birth...¡±

    After saying that, Lu Yuan quickly left Lu Jin¡¯sboratory. He was afraid that Lu Jin would be angry out of humiliation and jump up to beat him up.

    However, Lu Jin did not chase after him. Instead, he looked around guiltily and said to the camera in theboratory, ¡°Delete that segment just now! Delete it! Permanently delete physics!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±The artificial intelligence of the camera made a cold metallic female voice and started to delete the surveince footage.

    ..

    Reinitz returned to his hotel in New York. Just as he was about to take a shower, he received a phone call. ¡°Boss, Mr. Li Dexi is here. He wants to see you.¡±

    Reinitz frowned. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Okay, where is he?¡±

    ¡°By the Hudson River.¡±The person on the other side sent the specific coordinates to Reinitz¡¯s phone.

    The Hudson River was arge river that ran through New York State. Its downstream was at the junction of New York City and New Jersey state.

    The river water was clear. Willow trees were nted along the river in this part of New York City. The scenery was even more beautiful.

    Reinitz did not n to take a shower and began his own preparations.

    When the time was up, he took a taxi to the ce where the two of them had arranged to meet.

    When Reinitz arrived at his destination, he found that Li Dexi had already arrived.

    He was dressed casually and casually. He wore a straw hat and was holding a fishing rod as he sat on an iron chair by the Riverside. He was fishing.

    The slender weeping willows by the riverside blocked most of the sunlight, and the temperature was not too hot. From time to time, the wind would blow over from the river with water vapor. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and leaves.

    Li Dexi was a typical Germanic. He was not very tall and was not considered handsome, but he had a square jaw and sharp eyes. When he looked at people, he had a strong sense of oppression. One look and one could tell that he had been in a high position for a long time and was used to giving orders.

    However, he was still rtively gentle to Reinitz. After all, he was the child that he had watched grow up, and he was the sessor that he had carefully groomed.

    Li Dexi had never married or had children in his entire life, but he had ¡°Handled¡±a lot of children in the past.

    Looking up and seeing a tall figure standing beside him, Li Dexiughed. ¡°Reinitz, my child, you¡¯re here. sit.¡±

    He pointed to the seat beside the iron chair.

    Reinitz sat down beside him and looked at the light green water in front of him. With a smile, he asked, ¡°Sir, are you here in New York on Business?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for a holiday,¡±Li Dexi said kindly. ¡°I heard that youpleted the task given to Mr. Luo Le very well, so I came to see you.¡±

    Reinitz shrugged. He could not tell what the cause and effect was between the two.

    However, Li Dexi said so, so he listened and would not expose him.

    It could be said that a few days ago, Reinitz still had a father-like respect for Li Dexi, but after knowing the truth of his background, this respect disappeared.

    Li Dexi looked at him and felt that his attitude was a little strange, but on the surface, he looked unusually respectful. There was nothing unusual about him at all.

    Li Dexi was also a suspicious person, he couldn¡¯t help but probe,¡±... ording to the information we received, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA is the closest to the perfect gene. Why Is It Wen Shouyi Now? I heard that you helped Mr. Luo Le steal it from themittee of State Security (KGB) ?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, you never told me where your source of information came from. Do you think I should trust an unknown source like you, or our old enemy, the KGB?¡±

    Li Dexi hesitated.

    Reinitz took the opportunity to say, ¡°There was once a great man in the east who said something like this. If the enemy insists, we must oppose it. ¡°I also have the same opinion. If the enemy values it, we must snatch it because it must be something of special significance.¡±

    Li Dexiughed,¡±... why do I only remember that great man in the East said the first sentence, but did he say thest sentence?¡±

    Reinitzughed and said, ¡°Thest sentence I snatched was caused by myself, but the basic meaning is the same.¡±

    Li Dexi closed his eyes and said indifferently, ¡°But the people around you said that you often disappeared alone these two days. What did you do?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°You asked someone to follow me?¡±

    He knew that someone was following him, but he had already shaken them off several times.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡±Li Dexi opened his eyes and said earnestly, ¡°Your identity is important, and what you do is very dangerous. I Won¡¯t let anyone watch you. What if something happens to you? Don¡¯t be ungrateful.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare.¡±Reinitz smiled and narrowed his blue eyes. The Hudson River reflected in his eyes was sparkling and glistening. ¡°I know Sir is doing this for my own good.¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ve been running outside for the past few days, and I haven¡¯t had a good rest. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re tired too?¡±Li Dexi frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you do things like tracking the enemy without sleep for a few days and nights in the past? I¡¯ve never seen you say you¡¯re tired.¡±

    ¡°Just because I didn¡¯t say it before doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not tired.¡±Reinitz looked down at Li Dexi and said word by word, ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m old, sick, and my body¡¯s functions have deteriorated.¡±

    If Li Dexi looked up, he would see theplicated look in Reinitz¡¯s eyes. There was the eagerness to find out the truth, the regret that his many years of kinship had been destroyed, and the unwillingness to submit to fate, the determination and ruthlessness to control fate in his own hands.

    Unfortunately, Li Dexi had a ghost in his heart and didn¡¯t dare to look up at Reinitz.

    He just nodded and looked at the fishing line hanging down from his fishing rod on the river. He said, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, take a rest, take a shower, and sleep. I¡¯ll inform you if there¡¯s a mission.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile. He didn¡¯t say anything else and turned to leave.

    The hem of his long windbreaker drew an arc in the wind, covering the pair of long legs under the windbreaker. Soon, he left the Hudson River.

    Li Dexi sat by the river for a long time. During this time, he caught a few fish, but he let them go after he saw them.

    For him, fishing was a leisure activity that allowed him to think and rest.

    When the sky was about to turn dark, Li Dexi finally put away his fishing rod and left the Hudson River to return to his residence.

    He was staying at the Westin Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

    This ce was close to the United Nations building. It was usually crowded with people of all races and colors.

    When he got out of the taxi, it was already dark and a little cloudy at night. The Moon in the sky was like a white jade pendant covered in gauze. It made people feel like they could reach out and take it off, so they yearned for it endlessly, in fact, it was out of reach.

    Li Dexi did not know why he suddenly looked up at the Moon on the sidewalk.

    He had never been a person who felt sad, but at this time, perhaps he had a feeling in his heart, or perhaps it was his superior intuition that made him suddenly have a bad premonition about his fate.

    At this time, a big truck suddenly rushed from the road and rushed onto the sidewalk!

    The crowd let out a series of screams. Everyone hurriedly fled in all directions to avoid thisrge truck that was driving erratically.

    By the time Li Dexi reacted, he was already flying in the air.

    The ident happened too quickly. The moment before he closed his eyes and fainted, he was still looking at the moon above his head. He vaguely thought that he was indeed closer to the moon..

    Among the fleeing crowd not far away, Reinitz looked back at the scene as he ran. A hint of viciousness shed in his eyes.

    The truck stopped. A driver in a Middle Eastern robe stepped out of the truck. He held a long knife in his hand and shed at anyone he saw. Everyone fled even faster.

    Li Dexi had not been killed, but he had been trampled to death by the fleeing crowd..

    ..

    The next morning, Gu Nianzhi had just showered. Her hair was still wet as she sat at the dining table eating breakfast.

    Lu Yuan had made her a western-style egg pancake with a spoonful of maple syrup that was as thick as chocte.

    There was a cup of warm milk and a small bowl of oatmeal doughnuts next to her.

    Huo Shaoheng sat next to her, in front of the Huaxia People¡¯s breakfast.

    There was a te of fourrge meat buns filled with beef. It was unknown what ingredients were used, but the unique fragrance of beef was not greasy at all. Furthermore, the buns were fully cooked and tender.

    There was a bowl of yellowish millet and corn porridge. It was cooked well enough that the millet and corn were almost melted.

    There was also a bowl of beef noodles in clear soup and a few pot stickers that had juste out of the pot.

    The pot stickers were made from Spanish free-range ck pork. They were seasoned with eggs, vermicelli, and mushroom. Not only did they taste good, but they also tasted natural.

    Gu Nianzhi almost drooled when she saw them.

    However, these things were for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s health. Gu Nianzhi was only looking at them and would not eat them.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a funny expression and pushed the pot stickers to her. ¡°Eat, I can¡¯t eat that much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do you a favor. We can¡¯t waste food.¡±

    The two of them ate happily. The sun shone through the white curtains and shone on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Her smile was so bright that it was hard to look away.

    Lu Yuan walked into the restaurant and turned a blind eye to the scene. He quietly picked up the remote control and turned on the curved wall TV on the wall.

    The TV was ying the news fromst night.

    ¡°...st night, a truck severely injured a crowd on the sidewalk in front of the Westin Hotel.¡±

    ¡°Fifteen people were injured, two were seriously injured, and one was hit to death.¡±

    ¡°The person who was just found dead was a senior employee of the federal government of Germany, Mr. Li Dexi.¡±

    Li Dexi¡¯s work photo was shown on the television.

    Lu yuan gasped and said, ¡°This person is Reinitz¡¯s direct superior.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put down the pot stickers and looked at it attentively for a while. She whispered,¡±... What a coincidence! He¡¯s the only one who died?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no surprise that people who do evil things will die.¡±Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng said in unison.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: chapter 1837, ¡°Coincidences, it¡¯s all coincidences.¡±.

    They were moving today. This was uploaded in advance and released at a fixed time.

    It was released on behalf of the author, who asked everyone for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket.

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 1832

    <h4>Chapter 1832: Chapter 1832 thoughts of a scientist</h4>

    <h4><strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin were still wearing white doctor¡¯s robes when they got out of the car, but they had taken off their masks. Under the masks, they still looked like vs.

    Reinitz nced at them and asked in Russian,¡±... vs? The Committee of State Security (KGB) ?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng replied in fluent Russian, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re more interested in you, that¡¯s why we stopped to have a chat with you.¡±

    Reinitz snickered and waved the gun in his hand. ¡°More interested in me? What a coincidence. I¡¯m also very interested in you guys. How about it? Let¡¯s go back and have a good chat?¡±

    Lu Jin walked over at this time and sized Reinitz up for a while. Suddenly, he raised his hand and waved at him.

    Reinitz fired back instinctively, but of course he didn¡¯t hit the target because the gas from the opposite side had momentarily slowed him down and distracted him.

    However, he quickly recovered and sneered, ¡°Gu Nianzhi is indeed on your side! She also used this type of anesthetic spray on me! Unfortunately, this type of anesthetic spray doesn¡¯t work on Me!¡±

    It was for this reason that Lu Jin decided to have a face-to-face conversation with Reinitz.

    The self-defense spray that he had carefully prepared for Gu Nianzhi actually didn¡¯t work on Reinitz and allowed Gu Nianzhi to be taken away by Reinitz.

    Lu Jin secretly remembered this ¡°Great humiliation¡±. He had to find out the reason.

    Huo Shaoheng was actually speechless, but he couldn¡¯t dissuade the persistent Lu Jin and could only agree to his n.

    Lu Jin knew very well that the precision and dosage of the anesthetic spray he had carefully developed was enough to make an elephant lose consciousness within a minute.

    However, it only worked on Reinitz for less than a minute.

    This was really too strange.

    Updates by

    Lu Jin thought about it and decided that he could only find the answer by personally talking to Reinitz.

    He raised his hand and walked up to Reinitz and said, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, I have a question. Can you answer me?¡±

    Reinitz pursed his lips. ¡°That depends on what the question is. I¡¯m not obligated to answer any of your questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know, but this time it¡¯s more special. It has something to do with you personally,¡±Lu Jin said very seriously. The typical vonic gray-green eyes were very calm and collected.

    Reinitz raised his eyebrows. ¡°This kind of trick won¡¯t work on me. You¡¯d better save it.¡±

    Lu Jin was not discouraged and said, ¡°It¡¯s very strange that you don¡¯t have much reaction to my anesthetic spray.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? We have received professional training and have a certain degree of resistance to this anesthetic.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB-RRB- scientist stared at the anesthetic and said something funny.

    He really didn¡¯t know when he was about to die.

    His men were on their way here. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was destined to be unable to escape!

    Lu Jin shook his head, with a serious expression, he said, ¡°Impossible. No matter how much training I had, it was impossible for them not to react to my anesthetic. You have to know that my special technique allowed my anesthetic to paralyze an elephant within a minute. ¡°Do you think you are better than an elephant?¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ! What kind of Soviet KGB did he meet? !

    Lu Jin ignored Reinitz¡¯s disdain, he continued, ¡°My anesthetic is an inhtion general anesthetic. It will mix with a certain proportion of air and enter your lungs. It will spread into your blood and eventually flow through your entire body, paralyzing all of your nervous system

    ¡°Therger the creature, the longer it needs to be paralyzed. Because size and weight determine how long the nervous system can function

    ¡°Your weight may only be one percent of an elephant¡¯s. Tell me, how did you train to be more powerful than an elephant?¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    Although it sounded very nerve-racking, it seemed to make sense.

    Reinitz did not know whether he should think about this question orpletely ignore it.

    His well-trained self was conflicted at this moment.

    As an elite of the Gestapo, his education was to doubt everything and not trust anyone easily.

    Furthermore, the other party was his opponent, his enemy. He should think twice before acting on what they said.

    However, the other party¡¯s words were questioning the training methods of the Gestapo, or rather, the results of their training..

    Reinitz¡¯s expression did not change, but Huo Shaoheng could tell from the way he held the gun that he was already suspicious of the training methods of the Bureau.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief.

    Lu Jin was indeed too unexpected.

    Scientists¡¯thinking was really hard to guard against.

    Let¡¯s hope this time there¡¯s no danger..

    Lu Jin took another step forward and carefully observed Reinitz¡¯s appearance, he clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Mr. Reinitz, your reaction to this specially-made anesthetic reminds me of a n that Germany once carried out during World War II.¡±

    ¡°What n?¡±Reinitz asked subconsciously.

    ¡°... The Eugenics n.¡±Lu Jin took another step forward, and was less than a meter away from Reinitz.

    Reinitz took a step back, still holding the gun in his hand, but the muzzle of the gun was no longer pointed at Lu Jin.¡±... you mean the n that the head of state once carried out?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That Crazy n that your German head of state once carried out.¡±

    ¡°But that n has already failed. Are you really not stalling by saying this now?¡±Reinitz raised his gun and aimed it at Lu Jin¡¯s forehead.

    Lu Jin was all smiles. He reached out and patted Reinitz¡¯s shoulder, holding a few strands of pale golden hair on his shoulder in his palm, he said, ¡°Why should I be stalling? Your situation reminds me of a distant story, and I want to share it with you.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s earpiece had already heard the voices of his own people. He knew that they were approaching in this direction and were about to surround this ce. His heart rxed, and he also smiled as he tried to stall for time, he said, ¡°Is that so? Then tell me.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Back then, the person who presided over this eugenics project for your head of State was a young scientist named Li Dexi.¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    His immediate superior, who was also his godfather, was also called Li Dexi.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) mentioned Li Dexi, what did he have to do with it?

    Lu Jin continued, ¡°This Li Dexi really wants to revive the royal family of Germania, the House of Hohenzollern.¡±

    ¡°He chose an outstanding man from the House of Hohenzollern to mate with hundreds of blond-haired and blue-eyed Germania women and gave birth to many children.¡±

    ¡°They carried out gic screening on these children, and in the end, only one child survived

    ¡°After World War II ended, their n had no choice but to go underground and was renamed the ¡®Spring Seedling Project¡¯. They established an orphanage and received funding from the Luo Le family

    ¡°The child who survived grew up and gave birth to many children through the same method. After the gic screening, only one child survived

    ¡°Thest child was not an ordinary child. After his genes were screened, it was possible that his genes had been improved and optimized. Therefore, he was smarter, Sharper, able to fight, and able to resist.¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) of the USSR made a special anesthetic that this child could resist. This is not something that ordinary people can do. Only super soldiers who have been gically modified can do this.¡±

    ¡°Where do you think this child is now? What¡¯s his name?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted.

    Project spring seedling, orphanage, what a familiar term..

    He grew up in the orphanage. He had never met his parents, nor did he have any rtives or friends.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ?

    Lu Jin deliberately waited for a while before saying, ¡°You didn¡¯t expect this, right? This child is right in front of me right now. His name is Reinitz Hohensoren.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s hand gradually tightened around the gun, and veins popped out on the back of his hand.

    He pressed the gun against Lu Jin¡¯s forehead and said through gritted teeth, ¡°You really know how to make up stories... unfortunately, I¡¯m not a person who likes to read novels.¡±

    His fingers tightened, and he was about to pull the trigger.

    At this time, Lu Jin¡¯s gaze became very deep, and his pupils were as ck as ink, bottomless. He softly chanted, and a series of iprehensible sentences came out of his mouth. Reinitz was extremely nervous, but he was still distracted.

    At the same time, Reinitz¡¯s men had already reduced the encirclement and surrounded the open area.

    Huo Shaoheng motioned for Lu Jin to put on a mask, then took out Lu Jin¡¯s special spray and sprayed it all around.

    Soon, many people fell to the ground in the forest. They were all Reinitz¡¯s men.

    Reinitz came back to his senses and roared. He raised his hand and fired a few shots in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction!

    Huo Shaoheng kicked a nearby tree and leaped into the air. At the same time, he fired a few shots in Reinitz¡¯s direction!

    In the blink of an eye, the two of them had already exchanged a few rounds.

    Huo Shaoheng was unharmed, but Reinitz¡¯s cheek had already been grazed by the stray bullet.

    He wiped the blood on the back of his hand with the back of his hand. He snorted coldly and suddenly took out a miniature grenade from his trouser pocket and threw it in Lu Jin¡¯s direction.

    With a loud bang, the grenade exploded!

    Reinitz¡¯s actions were too fast. Huo Shaoheng did not have time to intercept the grenade. In a moment of desperation, he flew up and grabbed Lu Jin. He used his back to help Lu Jin block the flying bomb debris.

    He grunted and also threw out a tear gas grenade with thick smoke. Then, he pulled Lu Jin into the car, stepped on the elerator, and drove away.

    Reinitz did not have a mask. He was so blinded by the tear gas that he could not open his eyes.

    When he opened his eyes, he found that the two Soviet KGB officers had disappeared without a trace. The Committee of State Security (KGB) car was the only one standing quietly in the open space.

    The people around him were all knocked down by the man¡¯s special anesthetic.

    Reinitz walked over with a dark face and kicked his nearest subordinate. He sent the man flying, but after hended on the ground, he was still unconscious.

    Reinitz was shocked.

    These subordinates of his had received anti-anesthetic training just like him. He knew very well that ordinary anesthetics on the market were indeed ineffective against them.

    However, Lu Jin¡¯s anesthetic seemed to be more powerful than ordinary anesthetics on the market.

    But why was it still ineffective against him?

    Reinitz knew that he should not be influenced by the enemy¡¯s words, but he could not help but think..

    The habit of doubting everything had already seeped deep into his bones. He couldn¡¯t help but start to wonder what was going on with Chunmiao orphanage, Li dexi, and the ¡°Super Soldier¡±that person had mentioned.

    ..

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng finally returned to his penthouse apartment in New York¡¯s Central Park Mansions.

    The moment they entered, Huo Shaoheng fell to the ground.

    He had already taken off his white coat, revealing the ck t-shirt and camouge pants he was wearing underneath.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly ran over to help him up.

    Her hand identally brushed against his back, instantly covering his hands with blood.

    ¡°Huo Shao!¡±Gu Nianzhi cried out in a trembling voice, ¡°Dad! What happened to Huo Shao?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: 1832 the scientist¡¯s mind.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8:00 p.m. Second Watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1833

    <h4>Chapter 1833: Chapter 1833: Piercing A Thorn (Chapter 2: requesting a monthly pass)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Lu Jin suddenly thought of the grenade thrown by Reinitz, and his eyelids twitched. He hurried over to help Huo shaoheng up and said, ¡°Hurry up and prepare the operating room!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan had already rushed over in quick steps. He carried Huo Shaoheng on his back before Lu Jin could and ran towards Lu Jin¡¯sboratory and operating room.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to follow him, but Lu Jin pushed her away. He frowned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble. He won¡¯t die as long as I¡¯m here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst into tears.

    She thought she should be fine, but she couldn¡¯t help feeling flustered. A wave of panic washed over her, and her mind was in a mess. She couldn¡¯t care less about many things she wanted to ask.

    Lu Jin and Lu Yuan entered theboratory and operating room and closed the door tightly.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the wall by the door. She thought of the time she had been shot and wasn¡¯t sure if she was dead or alive. Huo Shaoheng must have felt the same way, right?

    This feeling was too unbearable. She would rather the unconscious person lying inside be her..

    ..

    Four hourster, the door finally opened.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around and saw that the first person to walk out was Lu Jin. She rushed over and asked, ¡°Dad, what happened to Huo Shao? Is He Okay Now?¡±

    She looked at Lu Jin eagerly. Her usually cheerful little face was wrinkled, and she could only see sorrow and unease.

    Lu Jin took out a tissue from his pocket to wipe her tears with lingering fear. He said sheepishly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯ll be fine tomorrow after he sleeps.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, choking with sobs. ¡°Thank you, Dad.¡±

    Updates by

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand stopped moving. His lips opened and closed. After a while, he muttered,¡±... Don¡¯t thank me. It¡¯s all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t insisted on doing what I wanted, he wouldn¡¯t have been hurt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at Lu Jin eagerly. She really wanted to know why, but seeing Lu Jin in pain, she didn¡¯t want to burden him any further.

    However, she had underestimated Lu Jin¡¯s endurance.

    Lu Jin took the initiative to say,¡±... I wanted to nt a thorn in Reinitz¡¯s heart so that he could ¡®rebel¡¯with Li Dexi, so I proposed to have contact with Reinitz.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Reinitz to be so strong-willed. With so much evidence in front of him, he still did what he was supposed to do and threw a grenade at me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was in her throat. She clenched her fists and covered her chest as she said in a trembling voice, ¡°Y-y-you... are you okay? ! Do you want to go and have a check-up?¡±

    Lu Jin still remembered to care about his irresponsible father¡¯s health at this critical moment. Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help feeling even more guilty as he caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, ¡°Good girl, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s Huo Shao who¡¯s in trouble. He took a grenade for me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was mentally prepared, but when she heard that it was a grenade, her heart tightened and snapped.

    Her vision went dark, and her body fell limply to the ground.

    Lu Jin quickly picked her up and turned to enter the operating room.

    Lu Yuan was inside looking after Huo Shaoheng, carefully wiping the blood off his body.

    Hearing the sound of the door, he turned around and saw Lu Jin carrying Gu Nianzhi, who was obviously not right. He frowned and asked, ¡°What happened to Nianzhi?¡±

    She was fine when he saw her just now?

    Lu Jin said awkwardly, ¡°I told her the truth about Huo Shao¡¯s injury. She was scared...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°You can tell a little girl about this? !¡±He red at Lu Jin. ¡°Huo Shao is her sweetheart!¡±

    This kind of injury was double fatal.

    Lu Jin did not argue with him for once. He silently ced Gu Nianzhi on another bed in the operating room.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi was only in a moment of anger. As soon as Lu Jin ced her on the bed, she opened her eyes and woke up. She looked at Lu Jin with tears in her eyes and held his hand, she asked pitifully, ¡°Dad, is Huo Shao okay? Did the grenade hit him?¡±

    ¡°No, no, it was just a shrapnel wound on his back...¡±Lu Jin had learned his lesson and didn¡¯t tell him everything about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s injuries.

    Lu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief and went to get a basin of water.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t see that the basin had almost turned into a basin of blood..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back was injured like a beehive. Fortunately, they were wearing bulletproof vests and protected their critical parts, which was much better than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s injury.

    However, there was too much blood from the parts that were not protected by the bulletproof vests. He managed to hold on until he brought Lu Jin home before fainting on the ground.

    With Lu Jin around, this kind of injury was not worth mentioning.

    However, the loss of blood was too much, and there was no doubt about the damage to the body.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng lying on the hospital bed. From her angle, she could not see Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face, only the back of his head.

    She pursed her lips to stop the surging tears. She looked down and said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m fine. You should go rest.¡±

    Lu Jin had gone through a series of nervous ¡°Escapes¡±and four hours of surgery. His body couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    But he didn¡¯t want to leave Gu Nianzhi at this time. He said, ¡°No need.¡±But he couldn¡¯t help lying on the edge of her bed and falling asleep.

    The operating room was silent for a moment.

    Lu Yuan sat in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hospital bed to take care of him, while Lu Jiny asleep in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hospital bed.

    Gu Nianzhi had also experienced some setbacks today. She had been very nervous, but in the end, she could not hold it in and fell asleep.

    When she woke up the next day, she subconsciously looked in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    He had also woken up. He was still lying on the hospital bed, but he turned his head around and looked in her direction.

    Gu Nianzhi had never felt such a gentle gaze in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. There seemed to be a hand reaching out to gentlyfort her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt her scalp go numb and closed her eyes in embarrassment. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Lu Jin still lying on the edge of her hospital bed in a deep sleep. She suddenly smelled the fragrance of egg fried rice and was instantly energized. Her eyes sparkled like stars.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her quietly and smiled slightly.

    He loved watching her jump around and be curious about everything.

    Gu Nianzhi sniffled and whispered,¡±... President Lu went to make breakfast?¡±

    Eating egg-fried rice for breakfast was a rare treat!

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. His voice was even more deep and maic with a hint of huskiness. ¡°Yes, I went to make it. Can you get up and walk?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi moved her legs. Although they were extremely sore and weak, she could still move.

    Gu Nianzhi gently lifted the nket and wanted to get out of bed.

    Her movements were already very gentle, but it still woke Lu Jin Up.

    He looked up sleepily and saw that Gu Nianzhi was about to put on her shoes. He was shocked and subconsciously bent down to put the slippers on her feet. He said vaguely, ¡°You must be hungry. Hurry up and eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Suddenly, she felt like a foodie in Huo Shao¡¯s and Lu Jin¡¯s hearts!

    When she arrived at the restaurant, she saw that Lu Yuan had indeed prepared breakfast. He had even made a big pot of Angelica, ginger, and mutton soup for Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi took a sniff and smiled. ¡°CEO Lu¡¯s cooking is amazing!¡±

    Lu Yuan became more and more amiable to her. ¡°Hurry up and eat. You¡¯ve obviously lost a lot of weight since yesterday.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it better to be thin? She touched her face and suddenly didn¡¯t want to eat anymore.

    Lu Yuan smiled and shook his head. He scooped a bowl of Angelica mutton soup for Huo Shaoheng. He skimmed the oil off the top and only had clear soup.

    After a while, Lu Jin staggered out and sat next to Gu Nianzhi. He carefully looked at her expression and said fawningly, ¡°Nianzhi, are you still angry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She wasn¡¯t angry; she was just scared.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head and said, ¡°No, Dad, I¡¯m not angry. I¡¯m just worried about you and Huo. Come, let¡¯s have breakfast!¡±

    Her spirits were obviously much better. She smiled so widely that her eyes were curved. She didn¡¯t look angry at all.

    Lu Jin was still a little uneasy and continued to apologize, ¡°It¡¯s dad¡¯s fault. Dad shouldn¡¯t have dragged Huo Shao into danger with him.¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Dad, if you want to talk about this, you can¡¯t go into danger alone! Otherwise, why did we chase you here? Have you forgotten?¡±

    She held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and realized that it was cold.

    Lu Yuan came out at this time. Seeing that Lu Jin was really guilty, he snorted, he said, ¡°Huo Shao is fine, but you really can¡¯t do this in the future.¡±. ¡°Reinitz is not Qin Yaoguang or Wen Shouyi. He¡¯s a trained intelligence agent. It¡¯s ridiculous for you to sway his position with just a few words!¡±

    Seeing Lu Jin¡¯s embarrassment, Gu Nianzhi quickly changed the topic. ¡°Dad, why did you remove all of Wen Shouyi¡¯s hippocampus and make her lose her memorypletely? Isn¡¯t it good to keep her memory?¡±

    ¡°... let her know how ¡®precious¡¯She is!¡±

    Lu Jin shot a quick nce at Lu Yuan. Seeing that he was no longer mentioning Huo Shaoheng, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m doing this to make sure nothing goes wrong. After all, Wen Shouyi is going to be left for Luo Le to do his experiments.¡±

    ¡°And hisb has recruited the world¡¯s top biomedical talents. What if theirb also produces a genius in the future and cures Wen Shouyi? You have to know, it¡¯s no longer a problem to grow human tissue biologically.¡±

    ¡°Only by physically removing her hippocampus can we ensure that they can¡¯t repair her memory cells. Otherwise, it will always be a disaster in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: no. 1833¡åStick a thorn¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1834

    <h4>Chapter 1834: Chapter 1834: If the skin doesn¡¯t exist, there¡¯s no way Mao will attach himself to it</h4>

    Lu Yuan gave Lu Jin a look of approval.

    Lu Jin was such a brilliant genius, and he was very conceited, but he never thought that he was the best in the world.

    He did not look down on other scientists, and he was always on guard against the development of science.

    Only such a person could always be invincible.

    Gu nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°After all the hippocampus in the brain is removed, can memory really not be restored?¡±

    ¡°... there are cells in the hippocampus that are responsible for memory. These cells are the carriers of memory. If they are all gone, where can memory be restored?¡±Lu Jin said with amusement, ¡°If there is no skin left, how can the hair be attached to it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and said, ¡°Does that mean that even if one of them is able to save her, she won¡¯t have any memory?¡±

    ¡°Not only would she not have any memories, she wouldn¡¯t have any new memories.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°She¡¯s like an idiot. Her brain is an empty hole. The wind can pass through it, the water can flow through it, and nothing can be left behind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered.

    This was too cruel.

    Compared to this, amnesia was nothing..

    ¡°She has no memories, but she has consciousness. This is even worse.¡±Lu Yuan did not want to talk about this topic anymore, he said, ¡°Nianzhi and I went to the airport and made arrangements. When are we going back?¡±

    He had stayed in the United States long enough.

    Lu Jin nced at them and hesitated. He did not hide it anymore, he said, ¡°When we go back, we have to face the Qin family. The only people who know the truth about Nianzhi and Wen Shouyi are the Qin family. To be precise, it¡¯s the two giants of the Qin family, Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye.¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°Are you saying that our tricks can fool Lawler, but not Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye?¡±Lu Yuan said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the dining table. The smile on his face did not change, but he had already made the final decision, ¡°Then we can¡¯t keep these two.¡±

    He said it so casually, as if he was only talking about the removal of the two trash cans.

    Gu Nianzhi hadpletely lost her temper.

    The people in this room were all Buddhas. She couldn¡¯t afford to offend them..

    ..

    After dinner, Lu Jin went to another room in theb to conduct a DNA test on Reinitz¡¯s hair.

    A dayter, the results of the test were out. He said to Gu nianzhi with a sigh, ¡°As expected, Reinitz¡¯s genes were also selected...¡±

    However, Reinitz¡¯s technology was not up to par, so Reinitz¡¯s genes were also wed.

    ¡°... His body¡¯s functions have been activated too much, but the corresponding genes have not been significantly enhanced. Therefore, there are hidden diseases in his body.¡±Lu Jin looked closely at Reinitz¡¯s DNA fragment and shook his head regretfully, ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the hematopoietic mechanism. He won¡¯t be able to live much longer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously thought of Reinitz in the other world.

    That man was now a priest. She didn¡¯t know if there was anything wrong with his body.

    ¡°... can¡¯t this disease be cured?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s leukemia, right? It¡¯s not incurable, is it?¡±

    In thest century, leukemia had once been rampant, but now there were many drugs and treatments that could cure it.

    Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with his genes. The root of the problem, of course, has to be cured at the root. Otherwise, even if it¡¯s just a symptom, it won¡¯t cure the root of the problem. Everything will be over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin. She wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut.

    Lu Jin knew what she wanted to say and patted her shoulder. ¡°How about this? If Reinitz lets you go, I¡¯ll do him a favor. Otherwise, I¡¯ll let him die.¡±

    Lu Jin said, ¡°Let him die.¡±Then he would really die.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted tough, but she couldn¡¯t. She forced a smile and said, ¡°He harmed Huo Shao. This is unforgivable.¡±

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°We each serve our own master. Shaoheng fell into a little somersault in his hands, so he¡¯s not very good at it. When he¡¯s better, I¡¯ll give him a special training.¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead, she said helplessly, ¡°CEO Lu, don¡¯t say nice things. If something had really happened to Huo Shao, would you say that it was ¡®we each serve our own Master¡¯? You would have torn Reinitz to shreds by now, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Lu Yuan picked up the newspaper nomittally and said with a smile, ¡°Peace and harmony are the most important things in business. Am I such an unscrupulous person? Don¡¯t you dare put abel on me.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at the DNA fragments that he had tested one by one and was ted.

    He praised himself, ¡°Look at these fragments. They¡¯re perfect. I¡¯ve never seen anyone make such a perfect picture before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin had seen enough of Reinitz¡¯s DNA fragments, so he sent him an encrypted email.

    Of course, Lu Jin had used an unfamiliar ount with a hidden IP address.

    Reinitz was standing in the undergroundb of Luo Le¡¯s group.

    Beside him stood the obsessed Luo le.

    Wen Shouyiy motionless on a fully equipped operating table in theb.

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) indeed did it!¡±Several biogicists in white coats eximed excitedly

    ¡°Her hippocampus has been removed! That¡¯s great! It saves us a lot of effort!¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, this surgery is really something! Her hippocampus has been cut clean. One look and you can tell that she¡¯s someone who does a lot of work.¡±

    ¡°Not only that, look, the nerves in her arms and legs have been destroyed perfectly. Her vocal cords have also been removed. This is to use her as an experimental subject!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve done a lot of experiments ourselves, but I¡¯ve never seen an experimental subject that was so perfectly prepared!¡±

    A few scientists surrounded Wen Shouyi¡¯s body and praised her endlessly.

    ¡°Also, look at this part of her shoulder. She¡¯s clearly suffered a gunshot wound, but her healing speed is really amazing!¡±

    ¡°Is this the ability of the perfect gene?¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) scientists from the Soviet Union performed the surgery well. They were also thankful that they had taken back the body of the ¡°Perfect gene¡±.

    From now on, they had enough work to do in the next 50 years!

    Thinking about how many world-shocking discoveries they would make, these scientists were so excited that they could not even hold their scalpels properly.

    Luo Le took a good look at the scientists in hisboratory who were usually arrogant and rarely lost theirposure. He asked, ¡°Then can we publish her gic map and verify it for the outside organizations?¡±

    The chief scientist in theboratory nodded, he said mysteriously, ¡°Of course, but don¡¯t publish theplete gic map. Just a few fragments will do. To prove the perfect gene, it doesn¡¯t mean that we have to hand over all our experimental results.¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s mood was even better. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°But why did you say that there were many problems with the DNA sample before? It wasn¡¯t the sample that was closest to a perfect gene?¡±

    The chief scientist was a little embarrassed. His gaze wandered and he chuckled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a long story. We haven¡¯t seen a perfect gene before, so we can¡¯t help but me it all...¡±

    ¡°AH? So you¡¯re saying that you made a mistake before?¡±Luo Le couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw his chief scientist¡¯s embarrassment.

    The corner of the Chief Scientist¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Well, we still have to continue to observe and test. Now that we have an experimental subject that¡¯s the closest to a perfect gene, all the problems can be solved easily.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡±Luo Le admired the experiments of these scientists for a while more before he left theboratory with Reinitz.

    The two of them walked out of the Luo Le group¡¯s building. The sky was filled with stars. It was alreadyte at night.

    Luo Le happily said to reinitz, ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied this time. As expected, I still need you to make a move... I¡¯ll talk to your godfather, Li Dexi, about itter and ask him when he will retire. ¡°It¡¯s also time to give up his position so that young people can achieve greater results!¡±

    Reinitz bowed slightly. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Luo Le. I¡¯m still young and like working at the front line. I don¡¯t want to sit in the office and give orders for the time being.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay. After you take over, you can still work at the front line. No one can control you. You can make your own decisions, isn¡¯t that good?¡±Luo Le was in a much better mood, and all kinds ofpliments were thrown at Reinitz for free.

    Reinitz didn¡¯t even bother to talk to Luo Le after that. He only silently thought about Lu Jin¡¯s words.

    After sending Luo le back to his mansion in Manhattan, Reinitz came to the vicinity of the luxurious residential area in Central Park. He stood under a streetmp next to a small flower bed and silently smoked.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s words didn¡¯t bother him, but because of the inertia of ¡°Suspecting everything,¡±he hacked into his own system and found the spring seedling project back then. He also found it.., his own DNA data map.

    When he saw the folder marked ¡°Top secret a¡±and found that it contained his gic data, he suddenly felt like the whole world had been turned upside down in front of him.

    In addition to his gic data, he also found his father¡¯s and mother¡¯s gic data.

    These two people were long gone.

    He thought they really died in a car ident, but now he knew that they had actually died of illness..

    Those who were born in the eugenics program of their race did not seem to have long lives.

    Most of them died before they were thirty, and a small number of them lived until they were close to forty.

    But none of them were over forty.

    Reinitz thought of his age. He was already thirty years old.

    Would he die before he was forty like these ¡°Seniors¡±of his?

    Reinitz¡¯s heart was in a mess. He did not know what to do.

    He took out a small transparent stic bag from his pocket. There was a ck hair inside.

    The hair was very hard. Although it had been away from its owner for several days, it was still shiny and ck.

    It was not a vic hair, but it was found on the ¡°vic¡±who was talking to him.

    The screen of the phone suddenly lit up and showed that an email hade in.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: No. 1834, ¡°If there is no skin, there will be no hair.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    8 p.m. Second Update.

    PS: thank you to ¡°Mcmug loves blue¡±for the 10,000 starting points yesterday.

    Congrattions to ¡°Mcmug loves blue¡±for bing the 30th president of ¡°Hello, Major General¡±! (I even wrote it down in a small notebook)

    I don¡¯t know how many alliance leaders there will be by the time this book ends. Is it enough to open a group of alliance leaders

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

 Chapter 1835

    <h4>Chapter 1835: Chapter 1835 an email from a stranger (second update)</h4>

    Reinz looked down at the phone in his hand and was slightly surprised to find that it was an email from a stranger.

    His phone and his email were all specially made and confidential. Someone could send it to him from an unknown address.

    He swiped open the phone and opened the email. After confirming that there was no virus in the email, he opened it.

    A group of pictures appeared.

    It was the gic map that he had just seen.

    It was also his own gic map.

    There was no nonsense in the email. It only clearly pointed out which gene segments had problems, what problems, why there were problems, and finally.., what would the consequences of these problems be for his health..

    Looking at thest shocking sentence, Reinitz¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted.

    Leukemia? !

    He would get leukemia? !

    But when he thought of the top-secret information he had just found in his own system and the fact that the people who passed this experiment would not live long, he had no choice but to believe it.

    Leukemia was not a difficult andplicated disease now, nor was it an incurable disease.

    However, there were many types of leukemia. The cause was different, the treatment method was different, and the oue of the treatment was different.

    For someone like him, the person clearly wrote in the email: only through gene therapy, and this method, the people on Reinitz¡¯s side had not yet mastered..

    Updates by

    Who was this person?

    Reinitz¡¯s gaze fell on the small transparent stic bag in his other hand.

    There was a very hard ck hair there.

    Was it that person?

    That ¡°v¡±, the ¡°Soviet KGB¡±?

    Reinitz narrowed his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar email address on his phone, as well as the even stranger IP address. He pressed the reply button.

    In the reply, he wrote: [ I have your hair, you are not a v, you are... Asian. The Committee of State Security (KGB) , what is your intention in pretending to be the Soviet KGB? ]

    He expressionlessly clicked send, then sat on the bench, smoking one cigarette after another.

    ..

    Not long after Lu Jin sent the email, he received Reinitz¡¯s reply.

    He originally wanted to set this email address to not reply, but after thinking about it, why bother? Anyway, his IP address was hidden, the other party definitely did not know where he was, so he did not set it.

    This Reinitz was really daring, he actually replied to him right away.

    Lu Jin happily opened the email, thinking that his threat had seeded. In the end, when he looked at the contents of the email, Lu Jin¡¯s face turned half ck.

    ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±Lu Yuan was very familiar with Lu Jin¡¯s emotional changes.

    He was originally a person in this line of work. In addition, he was more familiar with Lu Jin¡¯s usual behavior, so he quickly realized that Lu Jin¡¯s emotions were not right.

    Lu Jin said angrily, ¡°Look at this Reinitz! He¡¯s so arrogant! He actually turned the tables!¡±

    ¡°Why did he turn the tables?¡±Lu Yuan moved closer and stuck his head out to take a look.

    ¡°How did he get your hair? !¡±Lu Yuan was also surprised. ¡°When did this happen?¡±

    Lu Jin said with a bitter face,¡±... probably, when I went to get his hair, he also quietly got his hair from me.¡±

    The corners of Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth twitched, and he said sarcastically, ¡°I told you to shave your hair, but you refused.¡±

    ¡°Why would I shave my hair? ! Why would I shave my hair when a fake head cover can solve the problem? !¡±Lu Jin flew into a rage, and said fiercely to the email on his phone, ¡°If you want to threaten me, you¡¯re Dead!¡±

    ¡°The point is that a fake head cover didn¡¯t solve the problem for you. Now that your hair is in Reinitz¡¯s hands, what do you think we should do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head hurt when she heard this, and she quickly said, ¡°Buddha, can we talk properly? Reinitz has Daddy¡¯s hair, we can¡¯t just ignore it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more nervous than Reinitz when he got his own hair.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be concerned about?¡±Lu Jin stared at his phone angrily,¡±... Let Him Die!¡±

    ¡°... Dad, have you thought about it? Once he has your hair, he¡¯ll know that the two vonic kgb people are fakes. At the same time, he¡¯ll also know that the two of them are most likely Chinese.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) was very worried about Gu Nianzhi

    Gu Nianzhi patiently analyzed and exined, ¡°Check the DNA again and contact Huaxia. Who knows, your identity might be exposed!¡±

    Lu Jin was ¡°Dead Man Gu Xiangwen¡±in Huaxia.

    He had escaped with his life. Otherwise, why would he chengjian stop investigating?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about her own background and the unverified rtionship between Qin Suwen, her ¡°Biological mother,¡±and he chengjian. Her head hurt.

    Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback and nodded. ¡°Nianzhi is so quick-witted. Her analysis is even faster than mine.¡±

    Actually, he and Gu Nianzhi were basically in sync.

    However, with his age, experience, and experience, he could only be in sync with Gu Nianzhi. This was already enough to show Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intelligence, and it was even more than what he had expected.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand nonchntly. ¡°CEO Lu, now is not the time to talk about this. I don¡¯t want my father¡¯s identity to be exposed. We have to think of a way to win Reinitz over.¡±

    As she spoke, she also told him the rest of what had happened with Reinitz.

    Previously, she had only told him about how she had been hunted down in the Alps and how Reinitz had set a trap for her.

    Later, when Reinitz found out about his background, he had changed from an enemy to a friend. Not only had he helped Gu Nianzhi hide the truth, he had also left the federal intelligence agency of Germany and entered the church to be a priest.

    After she finished speaking, Gu Nianzhi asked, ¡°Dad, if the two worlds¡¯counterparts have the same life path, do they make the same choice?¡±

    Lu Jin spread his hands, he honestly said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know about that. This is not the field of biological gics research. This is the field of behavioral science and psychology. ¡°If your grandfather was still alive, he might be able to make some spections. But I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve never put in any effort in this area.¡±

    He was able to hypnotize people, so he knew what was going on, but he didn¡¯t know why.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and looked up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go see Reinitz. I¡¯ll definitely get my father¡¯s hair back. It¡¯ll be a disaster if it falls into his hands.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±Lu Yuan put down the newspaper and said implicitly, ¡°I have more experience, and if Reinitz doesn¡¯t give up, it¡¯ll be easier for me to deal with him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, then immediately objected, ¡°President Lu, we don¡¯t want to see him. This will give him an opportunity!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough manpower in America. Even Huo Shao was injured. We can¡¯t continue to take risks.¡±

    ¡°But your father¡¯s hair... Don¡¯t you want it back?¡±Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°I¡¯m used to cleaning up after your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She was very grateful to Lu Yuan, but she still said firmly, ¡°No, we¡¯ll think of another way. You Can¡¯t go see him, and neither can I, and neither can dad.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said as she gave Lu Jin a warning look.

    Lu Jin raised his hands reflexively, his eyes looking especially innocent. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. I Won¡¯t...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Anyway, we definitely have other ways to deal with this. If we don¡¯t see Reinitz, we can make him stop.¡±

    ¡°And if we take the initiative to see him now, Reinitz will know that the hair in his hands isn¡¯t just a proof that the KGB is a fake. He¡¯ll even hang it up and sell it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and tried her best to think of a way.

    Lu Yuan, who was far-sighted, strongly refused to let everyone contact Reinitz directly. He also did not want her, who was only 20 years old, to be worried about them, so he did not insist. ..

    After thinking for a while, he looked up and said calmly, ¡°Then there is only one way. Equivalent Exchange.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: 1835, an email from a stranger.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1836

    <h4>Chapter 1836: Chapter 1836, the hand of God (Dazhang)</h4>

    ¡°Equivalent exchange?¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself. Lu Jin shouted, ¡°What equivalent exchange? ! I don¡¯t agree! ¡ª let him die!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood.

    ¡°... CEO Lu means to use his leukemia treatment in exchange?¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded,pletely ignoring Lu Jin, who was fuming beside him.

    ¡°I said I don¡¯t agree!¡±Lu Jin was so angry that he was rambling. ¡°I don¡¯t agree, I don¡¯t agree, I don¡¯t agree! I¡¯m never threatened!¡±

    Lu Yuan opened the newspaper again as if nothing had happened, blocking his line of sight. He said to Gu Nianzhi,¡±... talk some sense into your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at the steady Lu Yuan and then at Lu Jin, who had a look of rejection on his face. She felt a dull pain in her temples.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was Lu Jin¡¯s biological daughter after all. She quickly rolled her eyes and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. What equivalent exchange? ! Where did the equivalent exchangee from? I don¡¯t agree either!¡±

    Lu Yuan lowered the newspaper in his hand. He peeked his eyes out from the top of the newspaper and looked quietly at Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin¡¯s anger turned into joy. He said happily, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Look, mydy agrees with me! I¡¯ve confirmed with her eyes that she¡¯s really my biological daughter!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... Dad, don¡¯t surf the Inte anymore.¡±Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly and looked at Lu Jin ingratiatingly, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not an equal exchange. My father¡¯s life is much more important than Reinitz¡¯s. Reinitz¡¯s life is only as important as a single strand of my father¡¯s hair, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±Lu Jin patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder vigorously. ¡°My Lady Is Right!¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll listen to me?¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly followed. ¡°We¡¯ll use Reinitz¡¯s life in exchange for just one strand of your hair. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s making the most of it.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    It sounded like something was wrong, but there was nothing wrong with the logic.

    Lu Jin was instantly caught in an endless loop of logic. Was it his hair that was more important, or was it Reinitz¡¯s life that was more important.

    He then confusedly agreed to help Gu Nianzhi design a gene therapy that could specifically treat Reinitz¡¯s special leukemia..

    ..

    Aftering out of Lu Jin¡¯sb, Gu Nianzhi sat directly in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bed and tucked him in.

    She rarely saw Huo Shaoheng injured.

    It wasn¡¯t that Huo Shaoheng had never been injured, but that if he was seriously injured during a mission, he would recover before meeting Gu Nianzhi at the base.

    She had only seen minor injuries.

    This was the first time she had seen injuries like this.

    Reinitz¡¯s miniature grenade was particrly powerful. Although Huo Shaoheng had tried his best to avoid it, the shrapnel had still injured the parts of his back that were not covered by the bulletproof vest.

    His face was a little pale, and his lips were so white that they were almost transparent.

    These were all symptoms of severe blood loss.

    Lu Jin had not given him a blood transfusion. Instead, he had used an alternative treatment that directly stimted the human body¡¯s hematopoietic system, speeding up his metabolism and stimting his own blood cirction.

    This type of treatment was much safer than blood transfusions, but it also required much higher medical skills.

    Lu Yuan walked in at this time and stood in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bed. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and said softly, ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s designing his gene therapy in theb.¡±Gu nianzhi whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll contact Reinitz, but it¡¯s best if you don¡¯te forward. I don¡¯t want Reinitz to think of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely wary of Reinitz. Although Lu Yuan was an expert in this area, Reinitz had met Lu Yuan before. If Reinitz found out about Lu Yuan, the chances of Lu Jin being exposed would be even higher.

    Just like Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi did not want this to happen.

    ¡°But I¡¯m even more worried if you step in.¡±Lu Yuan objected. ¡°This kind of thing is too dangerous. It¡¯s better if I step in.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes and said inly, ¡°I¡¯m not surprised at all to Reinitz. But you¡¯re different. I don¡¯t want him to find out more.¡±

    Lu Yuan thought for a long time and said, ¡°Then if you¡¯re going to see him, I¡¯ll have to stay close to you.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Just don¡¯t show up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished her discussion with Lu Yuan and started to take action.

    However, before she could go to the bank to rent a safe deposit box, she received a call from Reinitz.

    ¡°Miss Gu? Do you have time to chat? I have a strand of hair here. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be very interested.¡±

    Having said that, Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to go.

    Reinitz had arranged to meet her at a small flower bed in front of a five-star hotel in New York.

    The ce was bustling with people and bustling with activity.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Reinitz as soon as she got out of the taxi.

    He was wearing a medium-length Burberry trench coat and looked as if he hadn¡¯t slept in a long time. The ckness in his eyes was obvious, and stubble had grown on his thin face. He didn¡¯t look scruffy, but looked unruly and unruly.

    She was on one side and he was on the other, separated by a small flower bed.

    Tulips of all colors were nted in the flower bed, and they were in full bloom.

    The Sky was dark, and the rosy glow of the sunset lit up half of the sky.

    Reinitz had a cigarette in his hand. He dusted it off, narrowed his blue eyes, and smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still here.¡±

    He had thought that Gu Nianzhi had fled New York long ago. In fact, he had received news that Gu Nianzhi had already flown back to the Huaxia Empire with another person. The Huaxia Empire was the only ce where she could be found.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she had gone to the airport with Lu Yuan to fool a lot of people. She had never thought that she would be able to fool Reinitz as well, but she had never expected that he would call her directly to stop her.

    ¡°... are you here to arrest me?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be uneasy. ¡°But I¡¯m just a front for themittee of State Security (KGB) ...¡±

    Reinitzughed and raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Stop acting with me. I know that your aplice is Chinese, not Russian.¡±

    Gu nianzhi calmly retorted, ¡°Themittee of State Security (KGB) also has Chinese people. For example, the Committee of State Security (KGB) had ady with the surname Xie. She is Chinese.¡±

    She was talking about Xie Ziyan in this world.

    Huo Shaohengter told her that Xie Ziyan in this world had indeed joined the KGB, but she had never married or had children. She had already passed away.

    The fake news about Xie Ziyan getting married and having children in the KGB was deliberately released to cover up Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity.

    Reinitz shrugged. ¡°So What? Why don¡¯t we test the hair for DNA?¡±

    He took out a small transparent stic bag and waved it at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she smiled. ¡°Mr. Reinitz is really something. He can threaten us with just a strand of hair from anywhere. I¡¯m impressed!¡±

    She cupped her hands and looked rxed.

    Reinitz was slightly taken aback.

    Was this strand of hair really not important?

    He was not confused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s performance and continued to probe. ¡°How about we make a Deal?¡±

    ¡°You want to make a deal with just a strand of hair.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Then will I be able to make you abdicate by cutting off a piece of your flesh?¡±

    Reinitz:¡±...¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, then I¡¯ll have to give this strand of hair to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States. What do you think? The Committee of State Security (KGB) in the United States will definitely be interested in it, right?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s n failed, and he had another n.

    Gu Nianzhi finally looked a little scared, but she still said, ¡°Go ahead and say it! See if they¡¯ll talk to You!¡±

    ¡°Haha, then I¡¯ll report them.¡±Reinitz pretended to take out his phone and dialed a number.

    Gu nianzhi said anxiously, ¡°Okay! I¡¯m done with you! What kind of deal do you want to make? !¡±

    Reinitz narrowed his eyes and sized her up, his voice sinking,¡±... is the person who told me I was sick the owner of this hair?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was nomittal. ¡°What do you want? What do you want in exchange for this hair?¡±

    ¡°Since he can see that I¡¯m sick, there should be a cure...¡±Reinitz said slowly. ¡°Tell me the cure, and I¡¯ll return the hair to you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? !¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you out of your mind? A hair is worth a life. Why Don¡¯t you go to Heaven? !¡±

    She turned to leave angrily.

    Reinitz quickly stopped her and said patiently, ¡°You can¡¯t make the decision. Go tell him that I¡¯m sincere about the deal.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Reinitz. Suddenly, sheughed. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a deal. A strand of hair isn¡¯t enough. Unless you can take something else.¡±

    ¡°That depends on how much your life is worth.¡±Gu Nianzhi deliberately didn¡¯t say what she wanted, but she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get her hair back.

    This attitude greatly eased Reinitz¡¯s suspicions.

    He had never intended to rely on this hair to exchange for resources to keep him alive, but how could he be at ease if he did not test it out?

    On the contrary, if the other party agreed immediately, he would know that the owner of this hair was very important to Gu Nianzhi and the others.

    Then he would really have to hang it up and sell it.

    Reinitz took a drag on his cigarette and tossed the stic bag over. ¡°Okay, this is my first step of sincerity.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the stic bag and nodded. ¡°Yes, is your sincerity directly proportional to your hair?¡±

    Reinitz shook his head with a smile. ¡°I only have this hair. Believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I believe it or not. What matters is whether you want to live or not.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s smile faded. ¡°How can I not want to live? But how do I know that your method will save my life?¡±

    ¡°You came to us because you believe in it.¡±Gu Nianzhi patiently tried to persuade him. ¡°So do your best! Show me your sincerity!¡±

    Reinitz watched as Gu Nianzhi waved and called a taxi to leave.

    He had no intention of following Gu Nianzhi, because it was no longer important to him what Gu Nianzhi was like now.

    He was now taking action for his own life.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi hade back in Lu Yuan¡¯s taxi.

    This time, Lu Yuan¡¯s disguise as a taxi driver was so perfect that even Reinitz did not notice.

    The two of them returned to the luxurious apartment on the top floor of Central Park where Lu Yuan and Lu Jin lived. Lu Jin happened toe out of theb.

    Huo Shaoheng had also woken up and was eating at the dining table.

    In front of him were a few pieces of t-shaped steak that had just been roasted. They were half-cooked and were lightly pressed with a knife and fork. The sauce was overflowing, fragrant and tender.

    Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised. She ran towards him with a smile. ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re Awake? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng cut a piece of steak and put it into his mouth. He chewed slowly and smiled at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding from the smile.

    She sat next to Huo Shaoheng and looked him up and down. She wished she could take off his shirt and take a look at the injury on his back.

    Huo Shaoheng knew what she meant. He chuckled and said, ¡°When I¡¯m done eating, I¡¯ll go back inside and show you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mean anything by it, but Huo Shaoheng seemed to mean something else when he said it.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face slowly turned red. She lowered her head and rubbed the tassels on the tablecloth. She spat lightly.

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips and shook his head. He went to theb to look for Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin was wearing a whiteb coat and was observing the slices he had made under a microscope.

    ¡°How is it? Have you designed the method?¡±Lu Yuan knocked on the door and asked calmly.

    Lu Jin turned around to look at him. ¡°Nianzhi is back too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s talking to Shaoheng in the restaurant.¡±Lu Yuan walked over slowly. ¡°Where did you get the steak?¡±

    The steak was obviously made by a chef. It looked, smelled, and tasted perfect. It was the most difficult toe by among Western chefs.

    Lu Jin said disdainfully, ¡°Of course I got the chef of a three-star Michelin Hotel to order it. Could it have been made by me?¡±

    ¡°You are quite self-aware.¡±Lu Yuan sat down with a smile and asked softly, ¡°Do you really intend to help Reinitz treat his leukemia?¡±

    At present, Reinitz was the strongest opponent that Lu Yuan had encountered. It could also be because Reinitz was also a person who had been gically modified.

    His intuition was much sharper than the average person¡¯s.

    And to do intelligence work, he was simply a talent.

    Lu Jin said arrogantly, ¡°Of course I have to treat him. However, before receiving my treatment, his life is in God¡¯s hands. After receiving my treatment, his life is in my hands.¡±

    Lu Jin made a gesture with his right palm facing upwards, his five fingers slowly closing into a fist, as if he had already grasped Reinitz¡¯s little life in his hands.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Can you speak properly?¡±

    ¡°Illiterate. I¡¯m speaking in medical terms,¡±Lu Jin said seriously. ¡°Do you know what real gene therapy is?¡±

    ¡°Real gene therapy will make him open up all his DNA to me. When I use gene therapy to treat his leukemia, I will also nt another ¡®bomb¡¯in his genes.¡±

    ¡°If one day, he is ungrateful and wants to go against us, I will ¡®detonate¡¯This ¡®bomb¡¯and let him die without a sound.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: 1836 the hand of God.

    We¡¯re moving tomorrow, and there¡¯s a lot of unpacked stuff, so today¡¯s the chapter.

    There is a chapter for tomorrow, because the new homework is not yet installed.

    It¡¯s the only way to keep up. Bear with me, I will be busy for a while to make up for everyone. O (* *) O.

    Mugs to you big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1837

    <h4>Chapter 1837: Chapter 1837, coincidences. They were all coincidences (big chapter)</h4>

    Lu Yuan was shocked. He quickly nced at Lu Jin and asked doubtfully,¡±... is it really that powerful?¡±

    Lu Jin snickered. ¡°Do you know what the carrier of gene therapy is?¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a virus,¡±Lu Jin said casually, as if he was talking about an unimportant matter.¡±... because only viruses can invade the DNAyer inside human cells.¡±

    ¡°The treatment i designed for Leinz is a special virus. ¡°This virus will block the treatment for his gic defects, but at the same time, some DNA fragments carried by this virus will lie dormant in his genes.¡±

    Lu Yuan understood and was even more surprised.¡±... isn¡¯t this the principle of a virus weapon?¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember how thatrge-scale special respiratory tract infection came about a few years ago?¡±Lu Jin sneered, ¡°That was a virus weapon. It targeted certain DNA fragments that were unique to Chinese People¡¯s genes.¡±

    ¡°So that disease only had the greatest lethality against Chinese people. Although other races had the infection, it was not as deadly as it was in China.¡±

    When the infection happened, Lu Yuan had just arrived and was still traumatized by the experience.

    ¡°Viruses are like water, and the human body is a boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn a boat,¡±Lu Jin continued to boast.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn a boat. is that how it¡¯s used?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important. Anyway, as long as you understand what I mean.¡±Lu Jin waved his hand and looked at his experimental records, his lips curled up, ¡°There¡¯s a price to pay for everything. He recklessly provoked me and even got my hair. Then don¡¯t me me for keeping a backup n for myself.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not understand the professional knowledge in this area, but seeing that Lu Jin was confident, he did not say anything more, he only said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re confident. Moreover, your idea is correct. Reinitz¡¯s position is unclear, so we have to guard against him.¡±

    Lu Jin thought of Reinitz¡¯s skill and decisiveness and sighed. He was no longer as excited as before, he muttered,¡±... That¡¯s why I wanted to die with them... I actually didn¡¯t have the chance to kill such a person.¡±

    Updates by

    However, with Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Gu Nianzhi working together, Lu Jin had the possibility of achieving his goal without exposing himself.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was also injured because of this.

    Lu Jin was a little dejected.

    Lu Yuan patted him on the shoulder andforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself too much. Shaoheng¡¯s injury looks serious, but it¡¯s actually not that serious. It¡¯s nothing to us in this line of work.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and said seriously, ¡°He saved my life. I know that. I Won¡¯t let him have any seque.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything to Shaoheng¡¯s genes, did you?¡±

    Lu Jin red at him, he pointed at his own nose and said, ¡°Am I the kind of person who would repay kindness with enmity? ! I even helped remove those hidden genes from he zhichu, so why would I do anything to Huo Shaoheng The reason The logic In your heart, am I just a scientific freak with no principles and no bottom line ¡°? !¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at him indifferently.¡±... You helped he zhichu get rid of the hidden genes? What do you mean? Does the he family know?¡±

    Lu Jin did not expect him to say such a long sentence. Lu Yuan only noticed this and could not help shrinking his neck, he wanted to change the topic. ¡°Um, Nianzhi is back, right? I¡¯m going to visit mydy. I haven¡¯t seen her for a few hours, and I miss her...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about him.¡±Lu Yuan grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s cor, his expression still indifferent. ¡°Speak clearly!¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips tightly, determined to be a mussel.

    He would never speak of this matter even if he was beaten to death.

    This was because he was doing this not because he was noble, but purely for Qin Suwen.

    He did not want Qin Suwen¡¯s son to one day be a puppet and hostage in the hands of others.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze gradually became serious, but under his sharp gaze, Lu Jin surprisingly resisted it.

    Lu Yuan looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, ¡°No wonder you helped Qin Yaoguang design the gene therapy and personally performed the surgery on HE ZHICHU... you did it for Qin Suwen, right?¡±

    Although Lu Yuan did not see it with his own eyes, he knew that there were only two people in the operating theater at that time.

    On the surface, Qin Yaoguang was the chief surgeon, and she also had an assistant.

    In fact, the assistant was Lu Jin, which was also Gu Xiangwen.

    After the surgery door was closed, the positions of the two people were switched.

    Qin yaoguang became the assistant, and Lu Jin was the chief surgeon.

    Lu Jin¡¯s body trembled, and he subconsciously retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not! I¡¯m Not! Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s it.¡±Lu Yuan loosened his cor and patted his shoulder. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s nothing to hide. After all, both of you have already given birth...¡±

    After saying that, Lu Yuan quickly left Lu Jin¡¯sboratory. He was afraid that Lu Jin would be angry out of humiliation and jump up to beat him up.

    However, Lu Jin did not chase after him. Instead, he looked around guiltily and said to the camera in theboratory, ¡°Delete that segment just now! Delete it! Permanently delete physics!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±The artificial intelligence of the camera made a cold metallic female voice and started to delete the surveince footage.

    ..

    Reinitz returned to his hotel in New York. Just as he was about to take a shower, he received a phone call. ¡°Boss, Mr. Li Dexi is here. He wants to see you.¡±

    Reinitz frowned. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Okay, where is he?¡±

    ¡°By the Hudson River.¡±The person on the other side sent the specific coordinates to Reinitz¡¯s phone.

    The Hudson River was arge river that ran through New York State. Its downstream was at the junction of New York City and New Jersey state.

    The river water was clear. Willow trees were nted along the river in this part of New York City. The scenery was even more beautiful.

    Reinitz did not n to take a shower and began his own preparations.

    When the time was up, he took a taxi to the ce where the two of them had arranged to meet.

    When Reinitz arrived at his destination, he found that Li Dexi had already arrived.

    He was dressed casually and casually. He wore a straw hat and was holding a fishing rod as he sat on an iron chair by the Riverside. He was fishing.

    The slender weeping willows by the riverside blocked most of the sunlight, and the temperature was not too hot. From time to time, the wind would blow over from the river with water vapor. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and leaves.

    Li Dexi was a typical Germanic. He was not very tall and was not considered handsome, but he had a square jaw and sharp eyes. When he looked at people, he had a strong sense of oppression. One look and one could tell that he had been in a high position for a long time and was used to giving orders.

    However, he was still rtively gentle to Reinitz. After all, he was the child that he had watched grow up, and he was the sessor that he had carefully groomed.

    Li Dexi had never married or had children in his entire life, but he had ¡°Handled¡±a lot of children in the past.

    Looking up and seeing a tall figure standing beside him, Li Dexiughed. ¡°Reinitz, my child, you¡¯re here. sit.¡±

    He pointed to the seat beside the iron chair.

    Reinitz sat down beside him and looked at the light green water in front of him. With a smile, he asked, ¡°Sir, are you here in New York on Business?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for a holiday,¡±Li Dexi said kindly. ¡°I heard that youpleted the task given to Mr. Luo Le very well, so I came to see you.¡±

    Reinitz shrugged. He could not tell what the cause and effect was between the two.

    However, Li Dexi said so, so he listened and would not expose him.

    It could be said that a few days ago, Reinitz still had a father-like respect for Li Dexi, but after knowing the truth of his background, this respect disappeared.

    Li Dexi looked at him and felt that his attitude was a little strange, but on the surface, he looked unusually respectful. There was nothing unusual about him at all.

    Li Dexi was also a suspicious person, he couldn¡¯t help but probe,¡±... ording to the information we received, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s DNA is the closest to the perfect gene. Why Is It Wen Shouyi Now? I heard that you helped Mr. Luo Le steal it from themittee of State Security (KGB) ?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°Mr. Li Dexi, you never told me where your source of information came from. Do you think I should trust an unknown source like you, or our old enemy, the KGB?¡±

    Li Dexi hesitated.

    Reinitz took the opportunity to say, ¡°There was once a great man in the east who said something like this. If the enemy insists, we must oppose it. ¡°I also have the same opinion. If the enemy values it, we must snatch it because it must be something of special significance.¡±

    Li Dexiughed,¡±... why do I only remember that great man in the East said the first sentence, but did he say thest sentence?¡±

    Reinitzughed and said, ¡°Thest sentence I snatched was caused by myself, but the basic meaning is the same.¡±

    Li Dexi closed his eyes and said indifferently, ¡°But the people around you said that you often disappeared alone these two days. What did you do?¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°You asked someone to follow me?¡±

    He knew that someone was following him, but he had already shaken them off several times.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡±Li Dexi opened his eyes and said earnestly, ¡°Your identity is important, and what you do is very dangerous. I Won¡¯t let anyone watch you. What if something happens to you? Don¡¯t be ungrateful.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare.¡±Reinitz smiled and narrowed his blue eyes. The Hudson River reflected in his eyes was sparkling and glistening. ¡°I know Sir is doing this for my own good.¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ve been running outside for the past few days, and I haven¡¯t had a good rest. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re tired too?¡±Li Dexi frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you do things like tracking the enemy without sleep for a few days and nights in the past? I¡¯ve never seen you say you¡¯re tired.¡±

    ¡°Just because I didn¡¯t say it before doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not tired.¡±Reinitz looked down at Li Dexi and said word by word, ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m old, sick, and my body¡¯s functions have deteriorated.¡±

    If Li Dexi looked up, he would see theplicated look in Reinitz¡¯s eyes. There was the eagerness to find out the truth, the regret that his many years of kinship had been destroyed, and the unwillingness to submit to fate, the determination and ruthlessness to control fate in his own hands.

    Unfortunately, Li Dexi had a ghost in his heart and didn¡¯t dare to look up at Reinitz.

    He just nodded and looked at the fishing line hanging down from his fishing rod on the river. He said, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, take a rest, take a shower, and sleep. I¡¯ll inform you if there¡¯s a mission.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile. He didn¡¯t say anything else and turned to leave.

    The hem of his long windbreaker drew an arc in the wind, covering the pair of long legs under the windbreaker. Soon, he left the Hudson River.

    Li Dexi sat by the river for a long time. During this time, he caught a few fish, but he let them go after he saw them.

    For him, fishing was a leisure activity that allowed him to think and rest.

    When the sky was about to turn dark, Li Dexi finally put away his fishing rod and left the Hudson River to return to his residence.

    He was staying at the Westin Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

    This ce was close to the United Nations building. It was usually crowded with people of all races and colors.

    When he got out of the taxi, it was already dark and a little cloudy at night. The Moon in the sky was like a white jade pendant covered in gauze. It made people feel like they could reach out and take it off, so they yearned for it endlessly, in fact, it was out of reach.

    Li Dexi did not know why he suddenly looked up at the Moon on the sidewalk.

    He had never been a person who felt sad, but at this time, perhaps he had a feeling in his heart, or perhaps it was his superior intuition that made him suddenly have a bad premonition about his fate.

    At this time, a big truck suddenly rushed from the road and rushed onto the sidewalk!

    The crowd let out a series of screams. Everyone hurriedly fled in all directions to avoid thisrge truck that was driving erratically.

    By the time Li Dexi reacted, he was already flying in the air.

    The ident happened too quickly. The moment before he closed his eyes and fainted, he was still looking at the moon above his head. He vaguely thought that he was indeed closer to the moon..

    Among the fleeing crowd not far away, Reinitz looked back at the scene as he ran. A hint of viciousness shed in his eyes.

    The truck stopped. A driver in a Middle Eastern robe stepped out of the truck. He held a long knife in his hand and shed at anyone he saw. Everyone fled even faster.

    Li Dexi had not been killed, but he had been trampled to death by the fleeing crowd..

    ..

    The next morning, Gu Nianzhi had just showered. Her hair was still wet as she sat at the dining table eating breakfast.

    Lu Yuan had made her a western-style egg pancake with a spoonful of maple syrup that was as thick as chocte.

    There was a cup of warm milk and a small bowl of oatmeal doughnuts next to her.

    Huo Shaoheng sat next to her, in front of the Huaxia People¡¯s breakfast.

    There was a te of fourrge meat buns filled with beef. It was unknown what ingredients were used, but the unique fragrance of beef was not greasy at all. Furthermore, the buns were fully cooked and tender.

    There was a bowl of yellowish millet and corn porridge. It was cooked well enough that the millet and corn were almost melted.

    There was also a bowl of beef noodles in clear soup and a few pot stickers that had juste out of the pot.

    The pot stickers were made from Spanish free-range ck pork. They were seasoned with eggs, vermicelli, and mushroom. Not only did they taste good, but they also tasted natural.

    Gu Nianzhi almost drooled when she saw them.

    However, these things were for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s health. Gu Nianzhi was only looking at them and would not eat them.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with a funny expression and pushed the pot stickers to her. ¡°Eat, I can¡¯t eat that much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do you a favor. We can¡¯t waste food.¡±

    The two of them ate happily. The sun shone through the white curtains and shone on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Her smile was so bright that it was hard to look away.

    Lu Yuan walked into the restaurant and turned a blind eye to the scene. He quietly picked up the remote control and turned on the curved wall TV on the wall.

    The TV was ying the news fromst night.

    ¡°...st night, a truck severely injured a crowd on the sidewalk in front of the Westin Hotel.¡±

    ¡°Fifteen people were injured, two were seriously injured, and one was hit to death.¡±

    ¡°The person who was just found dead was a senior employee of the federal government of Germany, Mr. Li Dexi.¡±

    Li Dexi¡¯s work photo was shown on the television.

    Lu yuan gasped and said, ¡°This person is Reinitz¡¯s direct superior.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put down the pot stickers and looked at it attentively for a while. She whispered,¡±... What a coincidence! He¡¯s the only one who died?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no surprise that people who do evil things will die.¡±Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng said in unison.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: chapter 1837, ¡°Coincidences, it¡¯s all coincidences.¡±.

    They were moving today. This was uploaded in advance and released at a fixed time.

    It was released on behalf of the author, who asked everyone for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket.

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 1838 - Chapter 1838 have a safe journey

    <h4>Chapter 1838: Chapter 1838 have a safe journey</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at them strangely.¡±... You Don¡¯t have to say it in unison like this, do you? Did you guys agree?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan said in unison again.

    They also felt awkward after saying that. They looked at each other and then looked away.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Li Dexi in the other world. His death had not been so straightforward.

    They had also sacrificed Bai Shuang¡¯s life to kill Li Dexi.

    When she thought of Bai Shuang, she naturally thought of Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Nianzhi put down the ss of milk in her hand, her mood low. She whispered,¡±... I want to go back.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled andforted her, ¡°We¡¯ll be able to go back to the country soon.¡±

    ¡°... I miss brother Ze and Brother Xiong.¡±Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said in a low voice.

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned.

    So Gu nianzhi meant ¡°Go back¡±to the other world.

    ¡°... We¡¯ll go home after we finish dealing with things here.¡±Huo Shaoheng put his arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and kissed her on the forehead.

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t eat breakfast anymore.

    Updates by

    He stood up and said calmly, ¡°We don¡¯t have any energy here. We¡¯ll have to think long and hard before we go back.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister.¡±

    He naturally changed the topic. ¡°Li Dexi¡¯s dead. Luo Le shouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore.¡±

    Lu Jin had just walked into the restaurant when he heard this, he chuckled. ¡°Of course.¡±. They treated Wen Shouyi like a treasure. Even though Wen Shouyi wasn¡¯t a perfect gene, Qin yaoguang still had a few tricks up her sleeve. She had edited her genes quite well. To the scientists in the United States, she could be fooled for a while.¡±

    ¡°... for a while?¡±Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°That means they¡¯ll find out the truth sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡±Lu Jin calmly sat down next to her and put down his te. ¡°But sooner orter, it¡¯ll be at least 50 years, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Reinitz was originally a variable, but because uncle Lu found out the truth about his background through his genes, he¡¯spletely neutral.¡±Huo Shaoheng poured Lu Jin a ss of milk as he spoke.

    Lu Jin was just like Gu Nianzhi, he loved drinking milk.

    Lu Jin saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was gradually returning to normal, and nodded with a smile. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if he¡¯s not neutral. He used my gene therapy to live, so he put his life in my hands.¡±

    Gene therapy was a double-edged sword.

    Sometimes even the person who treated the patient did not know that while he was treating the patient, he had also nted a hidden danger.

    At this time, Lu Yuan turned around and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s better to let him bepletely neutral. We Can¡¯t take his life when there¡¯s a problem. By then, it¡¯s already toote.¡±

    Lu Jin thought for a moment and nodded very seriously. ¡°That makes sense. Boss Lu is still the one who sees things from afar. Then, how are you all sure that Reinitz is already neutral?¡±

    ¡°Just now, I saw on the news that Li Dexi encountered an ¡®undeserved disaster¡¯and suddenly died in a car ident from a terrorist attack.¡±Lu Yuan picked up the remote control and turned on the television yback function, he showed Lu Jin the news report.

    Lu Jin clicked his tongue as he ate his breakfast. ¡°Impressive, impressive. The design of this game is indeed like an antelope hanging its horns, like a fragrant cross over a river, untraceable.¡±

    ¡°This is a design game?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°But Huo Shao and director Lu both said that Li Dexi was the one who mitted many wrongdoings, and he will surely die¡¯.¡±

    She looked suspiciously at Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°Nianzhi, the two of them are smart people. They must have known that this was a trap, and it was a trap set up by Leinz. But they didn¡¯t want you to know.¡±

    He then sighed in a self-pitying tone. ¡°How Pitiful. They look down on us, both father and daughter. They hide everything from us and don¡¯t tell us...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She thought to herself, they¡¯re just not telling you, they¡¯re not hiding anything from me.

    However, the two of them had noticed something was amiss with Li Dexi¡¯s death, so they had chosen to change the subject to trick her.

    It wasn¡¯t exactly a cover-up, but it wasn¡¯t honest enough.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and ate a spoonful of doughnuts, she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. You and Reinitz are in the same business, and so is Li Dexi. ¡°Li Dexi has a lot of bodyguards with him, both in the open and in the dark. If anything happens to him, he¡¯ll be heavily protected.¡±

    ¡°But this time, he doesn¡¯t seem to have anyone with him,¡±Gu Nianzhi analyzed. ¡°In their organization, who has the ability to move Li Dexi¡¯s people away? Besides Reinitz, there¡¯s no one else, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re analyzing the reason from the results.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head, ¡°So your target was already Reinitz. In fact, no one in Reinitz¡¯s organization would suspect him because he didn¡¯t have any motive or interest to kill Li Dexi.¡±

    Gu nianzhi understood and gasped, ¡°Reinitz is really decisive... before those people could react, he had already killed Li Dexi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded approvingly. ¡°This is indeedmendable. If it were me, I would have made the same choice.¡±

    ¡°The best enemy is a dead person.¡±

    ¡°Li Dexi and he are irreconcble enemies. As soon as he figured this out, he immediately took Li Dexi¡¯s life. All of Li Dexi¡¯s resources will be inherited by him.¡±

    ¡°This will be the biggest blow to Li Dexi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood. She clutched her chest and said, ¡°This person is indeed scary, but is he doing this to show his sincerity?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one less person keeping an eye on Nianzhi now.¡±Lu Jin peeled his hard-boiled egg and said with a smile, ¡°When Reinitz contacts us again, we can return to the country.¡±

    This time, they waited patiently for two weeks. Just when they were almost in despair and thought Reinitz would not contact them, Reinitz finally called Gu Nianzhi again.

    At this time, they had just received the news that Reinitz had officially been promoted to the head of the federal intelligence agency of Germany.

    From then on, Reinitz was the head of the Gestapo.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Reinitz¡¯s phone number that appeared on her phone and shook it in Lu Jin¡¯s hand, she said, ¡°Reinitz is really something. He can be ruthless, but he can also be patient. He¡¯s colder and more cold-blooded than Reinitz over there.¡±

    Lu Jin shrugged and said nonchntly, ¡°They¡¯re twopletely different people. If you want to treat them as one person, you¡¯ll be at a disadvantage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and walked to another room to answer the phone.

    ¡°Miss Gu,st time you asked me for the secret key to our department¡¯s data storage.¡±Reinitz¡¯s deep voice came from the phone. It was exactly the same as Reinitz¡¯s voice on the other side of the phone.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a daze for a moment. She had a feeling of ¡°I don¡¯t know what day it is or what day it is.¡±.

    ¡°... I don¡¯t think you need to go to so much trouble. I¡¯ve already physically deleted all the information about you from our bureau.¡±Reinitz continued, ¡°Is that sincere enough?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s it? How did Li Dexi Die?¡±

    Reinitz also smiled. ¡°Terrorists are everywhere. We have no choice. You have to believe me. God will give us the best arrangement.¡±

    Hearing this, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking of Reinitz, who had be a priest in the other world.

    But the Reinitz on this side waspletely different from the Reinitz on the other side.

    Gu Nianzhi understood this very well.

    Sheughed softly. ¡°Mr. Reinitz is really sincere. Alright, since you can keep your promise, I¡¯ll give it to you as well.¡±

    Reinitz¡¯s mood suddenly rxed.

    The Damocles¡¯sword that had been hanging over his head all this time had finally disappeared.

    He said excitedly, ¡°Is it a gene therapy that can treat my illness? !¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°MHM¡±, ¡°I still need to make some preparations. I¡¯ll send the information to your email at 9 pm. Oh right, where¡¯s your email?¡±

    Reinitz sent her his private email via text message.

    After Gu Nianzhi received it, she immediately told Lu Jin to store the details of the gene therapy in an anonymous email ount and set it to be sent at a regr time.

    ..

    At 8:45 PM, New York¡¯s JFK International Airport was still bustling with people.

    More than ten flights took off andnded one after another. The staff at the airport tower and customs were all working hard.

    Gu Nianzhi, Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Huo Shaoheng were on Lu Yuan¡¯s private ne. They had just flown into the night sky and were heading to the imperial capital International Airport of the Huaxia Empire.

    Reinitz was wearing a half-long windbreaker. He was leaning against a pir in the airport¡¯s second-floor lounge. His eyes were narrowed as he watched the ne gradually disappear into the distance.

    At Nine o¡¯clock Sharp, Reinitz received an email in his private mailbox. He opened it and saw that it was the ¡°Gene therapy¡±that Gu Nianzhi had told him about.

    He could use this information to find a suitable doctor for treatment.

    Reinitz skimmed through it. Although he did not understand it very well, he had a hunch that this information was a special gene therapy for his leukemia. As long as he found a suitable specialist doctor to verify it, it should be enough.

    This was the only way Reinitz could ept this kind of treatment.

    Because he would never put himself in an unfamiliar medical environment.

    Even if it was a surgery, it had to be done in his territory.

    Their bureau had many excellent biomedical experts.

    When the time came, these people would be able to take over.

    The corners of Reinitz¡¯s lips curled up. He waved his hand in the direction of the ne and sent a text to Gu nianzhi: ¡°Have a safe trip.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned pale when she received the text on the ne.

    ¡°... Reinitz knows we¡¯re leaving today!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over to look at the text on her phone. He was speechless for a long time. He rubbed his temples and said: ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve underestimated his power.¡±

    The ability to lock onto their ne and chase them to the airport without Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan noticing was impressive.

    ¡°Then we can only be thankful that we won the bet,¡±Lu Yuan said lightly and put on the headphones for Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Listen to the music and go to sleep.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been through a lot the past two weeks, afraid that Reinz wouldn¡¯t take the bait.

    She smiled embarrassedly.¡±... I¡¯m really good at what I do. I¡¯m more suited for the legal profession.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled gently. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have a lot of work to do when we get back. There are twowsuits waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Twowsuits?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Howe I don¡¯t know about them? Isn¡¯t there only one case, Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°Yes, including the Qin Yaoguang case.¡±Lu Yuan looked at Lu Jin, who was sitting next to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°And the case to wash your father¡¯s reputation. Don¡¯t you want to fight it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do, but why now?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve solved the external problem, we should solve the internal problem, which is the Qin family¡¯s problem.¡±

    The people who knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution had already been solved overseas. Only the father and daughter, Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye, were left in the country.

    Lu Yuan opened the curtains on the ne and looked out at the starry night sky. ¡°These two things are actually the same thing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting on the other side of Gu Nianzhi, quickly understood.¡±... are we going topletely eliminate Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°The most important thing for a family is to be organized. We can¡¯t let Wen Shouyi suffer alone, can we?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was enlightened. Her eyes lit up and she couldn¡¯t help pping andughing. ¡°That¡¯s great! I finally understand! CEO Lu, can you not talk so loudly? I¡¯m almost fooled...¡±

    ¡°Who can fool you?¡±Huo Shaoheng teased her. ¡°If you don¡¯t fool others, everyone will be burning incense.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. I¡¯m not that good.¡±Although Gu Nianzhi said that, deep down, she was overjoyed.

    Lu Jin, who had been silent the whole time, objected vehemently. ¡°No! You Can¡¯t do that! You Don¡¯t have to restore my reputation!¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s going to restore your reputation?¡±Lu Yuan said casually. ¡°We¡¯re restoring Gu Xiangwen¡¯s reputation.¡±

    Lu Gu Xiangwen:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s arm and said coquettishly, ¡°Dad ¡ª ! Just Say Yes! I don¡¯t want my father to be used of being a ¡®murderer¡¯... and don¡¯t you think thatwyer Qin¡¯s death had many questions?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression became even more unnatural. He turned his head away, not looking at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. He said awkwardly, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. Gu Xiangwen is no longer in this world. Why drag the past out?¡±

    ¡°Dad, look into my eyes!¡±Gu Nianzhi pulled Lu Jin over with all her might, she said seriously, ¡°Dad, I heard that you were thest person to see Barrister Qin Suwen. After that, she passed away due to an acute illness. That¡¯s why her husband, he chengjian, thought that you had something to do with her death and issued a high-level arrest warrant for you.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I believe that you¡¯re not a murderer. Barrister Qin Suwen¡¯s death has nothing to do with you!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±Lu Jin suddenly shouted, ¡°It has to do with me! I am a murderer! It is because of me that she died!¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, why didn¡¯t Ie out and say anything for so many years? ! Otherwise, why do you think I didn¡¯t defend myself? !¡±Lu Jin¡¯s face was red, the blue veins on his neck were showing, ¡°I am guilty! I am guilty! You Don¡¯t have to overturn the case for me. I will turn myself in when I return to China!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: 1838¡åBon Voyage¡±.

    It¡¯s not finished yet. It¡¯ll be two or three days.

    The end of the month, remind everyone of the monthly vote, can vote oh ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1839 - Chapter 1839 -- Did I come at a bad time

    <h4>Chapter 1839: Chapter 1839 ¡ª Did Ie at a bad time</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect Lu Jin to react so strongly and was stunned.

    She sat there alone and suddenly felt at a loss.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and pulled the slightly lonely figure into his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, but his warm embrace was the bestfort and support.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed, and she moved closer to Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin were nervously looking at each other, so they did not notice Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, who were not trying to hide their animosity.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression did not change, but there was a hint of anger in his voice.¡±... Do you have to be like a patient who refuses to be treated? Can¡¯t You Face Reality?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by reality? Reality is that I¡¯m a murderer! Since Nianzhi is fine now, it¡¯s time for me to go back and confess.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s face was livid. This time, he did not back down at all.

    ¡°Okay, you say you¡¯re a murderer. Then tell me, how did you do it? And how did Qin Suwen Die? Tell me the details! ¡°Let me tell you, if you don¡¯t make up the details, the police won¡¯t convict you just because you said ¡®I¡¯m a murderer¡¯.¡±

    Lu Yuan patted the armrest of his seat and lost his temper, which was rare.

    He pointed in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and said,¡±... why don¡¯t You Consult Your Daughter Again? She¡¯s also a barrister, she can make it up for you!¡±

    Lu Jin also turned to look and saw Gu Nianzhi snuggling in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, staring at him in a daze. Her dark, jade-like eyes were already filled with tears.

    Lu Jin only took one look before averting his gaze, he said stiffly, ¡°I¡¯m the murderer anyway. The police need the details, but he chengjian doesn¡¯t. As long as I show up, he¡¯ll shoot me immediately. Don¡¯t make trouble for him, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to hold it in, but she choked out her sobs.

    Updates by

    She quickly buried herself in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, and her tears quickly wet Huo Shaoheng¡¯s frontpels.

    He took out a tissue and wiped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears away. He said inly, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this when we get back. Don¡¯t make things difficult for Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin finally realized that Gu Nianzhi had buried her entire face in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. From their angle, they could only see her shoulders trembling slightly. There should still be a slight whimper, but it was drowned out by the sound of the ne, they couldn¡¯t hear it at all.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart ached for his daughter, and his pride softened.

    He opened his mouth and hesitated for a long time before saying softly, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t cry. Daddy... Daddy will exin it to you when we get back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t turn around, but nodded.

    Lu Jin and Lu Yuan both saw the back of her head move a few times.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He could just bury her in his arms and move her head around. Did she really think he was a pillow that couldn¡¯t feel anything?

    Huo Shaoheng quietly crossed his legs and pulled up the nket beside the seat to cover himself and Gu Nianzhi.

    No one spoke on the way.

    Lu Yuan turned on the TV in front of him and started to watch the news alone.

    Huo Shaoheng silently thought about his n of action.

    Lu Jin took out his IPAD and started to program to relieve the pressure.

    Gu nianzhi buried herself in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. She smelled theforting and pleasant scent on his body and fell asleep without realizing it.

    Huo Shaoheng simply carried her across his arms like he was carrying a child. He let her head rest on his shoulder, and her bodyy in his arms as she sat on hisp.

    A soft and wide nket enveloped both of them.

    She was in his arms, only her head sticking out from under the nket.

    Her breathing was steady and even. She weakly swept her nose across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side profile and chin. It was a little warm, but also a little itchy.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chin faintly touched her warm and delicate forehead. It was as if he was not in the sky, but in a warm and soft boudoir.

    The two of them acted as if no one was around, greatly easing the tension between Lu Yuan and Lu Jin.

    The Huaxia Empire was the first ce Gu Nianzhi woke up from her stupor. She had almost forgotten the fierce argument ten hours ago.

    She opened her eyes and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s beautiful and handsome profile. She squinted to enjoy the beautiful scenery before her.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°You¡¯re Awake? You can really sleep. We¡¯re already here.¡±

    As they spoke, the ne had already stopped steadily at the airport.

    Gu Nianzhi stretched and poked her head out from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. She looked out of the window at the familiar airport and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯re finally back!¡±

    She turned her head and saw Lu Jin¡¯s uneasy face. The scene from ten hours ago suddenly returned to her mind.

    Gu Nianzhi had a good night¡¯s sleep, and her mental and physical strength had returned to their peak. Her mood was also at its best.

    She smiled at Lu Jin and said gently, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t wash your ¡®reputation¡¯, okay?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eagle-like gaze suddenly turned towards her.

    Gu Nianzhi pretended not to see it. She lifted the nket and sat up. She pulled Lu Jin¡¯s arm and continued, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I Won¡¯t say a word about you. I can still take care of Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye, these two animals!¡±

    Lu Yuan opened his mouth, but from the corner of his eye, he saw Huo Shaoheng shake his head slightly at him. He had no choice but to shut his mouth.

    However, his jaw was very square. It was clear that he was biting his back teeth.

    Although Lu Jin still did not speak, the corners of his lips had already curled up uncontrobly.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to encourage him. She helped Lu Jin stand up with his arm and walked towards the cabin door, she said, ¡°Actually, your case is a long time ago. It doesn¡¯t matter if you mention it or not. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to bring it up, we won¡¯t. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m fine with it. ¡°I just feel sorry for you. You were a great scientist, but now you¡¯re forced to conceal your identity...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Yuan actually had the same idea, but Lu Yuan didn¡¯t go along with it. Lu Jin had always liked to disagree with him, so he immediately blew up.

    Lu Jin also knew that he didn¡¯t have a clear conscience on this matter, so he didn¡¯tin or take any active action to clear his ¡°Grievance.¡±.

    He patted the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, Dad really did letwyer Qin suwen down. Dad was indeed in the wrong. Dad Isn¡¯t as innocent as you think...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, that¡¯s for sure.

    How else could she have been born?

    From what she knew, Qin Suwen probably knew nothing about her birth.

    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to her engagement to he zhichu..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head hurt again when she thought about it.

    How could she have forgotten?

    He Zhichu was still waiting for them in the imperial capital..

    Back then, when she had gone abroad with Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan, she had been busy chasing after Lu Jin to prevent him from doing anything stupid.

    So she had only left the results of their investigation to he zhichu, and the photo of Qin Suwen before she had been disfigured in a car ident when she was a child..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t imagine how much impact this incident had had on he zhichu.

    How awkward it would be when the two of them met again.

    ¡°... It¡¯s all because of that B * Tch Qin Yaoguang!¡±Gu Nianzhi cursed angrily. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for her, I believe things wouldn¡¯t be this bad!¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips tightly and looked away shyly.

    ..

    The four of them got off the ne and quickly passed through customs.

    However, when they got out of customs, they saw he zhichu among the crowd waiting to pick them up.

    It was because his tall and elegant figure was too eye-catching.

    He was wearing a straight, dark olive-green summer uniform. He did not wear a military cap on his head, revealing his unusually handsome face. His aura was even colder than before.

    His peach-petal-shaped eyes were no longer shimmering with emotion. It was as if there was ayer of ice. All the fire and heat were frozen at the bottom of the water.

    He stood there alone with his hands behind his back. There were four tall and strong security guards beside him.

    The four of them stood around him with murderous intent. There was no one else within a three-meter radius around he zhichu.

    It was such an obvious sign. Gu Nianzhi and the others couldn¡¯t even pretend not to see it.

    He Zhichu saw the four of theming out of the customs and immediately walked up to them.

    ¡°You¡¯re back? Come with me.¡±

    His expression was cold, and even when he looked at Gu Nianzhi, there wasn¡¯t a trace of warmth in his eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Lu Jin stopped in their tracks and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned in surprise.

    How did he zhichu know that they were back? They were already waiting at the airport..

    What did he mean by that?

    She thought to herself as she walked up to he zhichu. Even though she was mentally prepared, she still blushed.

    She pursed her lips, she smiled and said, ¡°Young master he, What¡¯s the matter? We just returned to China and we¡¯re still jetgged. Can We go back and take a shower and have a meal? I slept on the ne for ten hours and didn¡¯t eat anything. I¡¯m starving.¡±

    He zhichu nced at her indifferently and looked straight ahead. He said coldly, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I Won¡¯t starve you there.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to talk anymore, so he turned around and said,¡±... take him away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked at each other, then turned back to look at Lu Yuan and Lu Jin.

    The Huaxia Empire was an international airport, so they couldn¡¯t ¡°Do whatever they want¡±like they did at foreign airports.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want he zhichu and he chengjian to notice her close rtionship with Lu Jin, so she quickly made up her mind.

    She jogged to catch up with he zhichu, then turned and walked backwards, she smiled and said, ¡°Young master he, if there¡¯s anything, can you ask Me First? I can go with you, but can you let Mr. Peter and the others go back first?¡±

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks and looked down at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rare expression of fawning over him. He unconsciously clenched his fists.

    Feeling the prickling pain in his fingernails, he quickly let go of his hands and ced them behind his back. His gaze shifted to the door in front of him and he said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s fine. You cane with Me First.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved at Huo Shaoheng, then pointed in the direction of the door, then pointed at herself and he zhichu. She then raised her hand to let them go to the parking lot through one of the exits.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what she meant. Although he was very reluctant, this was he zhichu¡¯s territory, he Zhichu¡¯s home ground. He still had Lu Jin on his side, a bomb that could ¡°Explode¡±at any time. He had to weigh the pros and cons.

    He nodded slowly at her. Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan gave each other a look. The two of them sandwiched Lu Jin in the middle and walked towards the other exit of the airport.

    Lu Jin was worried about Gu Nianzhi and struggled to not leave. Lu Yuan said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi has her own ns. Don¡¯t drag her down.¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes in anger and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m dragging her down? ! Have you ever questioned your conscience when you say that? !¡±

    Lu Yuan chuckled. ¡°My conscience was left behind on the other side.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi got into he zhichu¡¯s car and realized that he zhichu was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat instead of the other guards.

    Gu Nianzhi looked around and asked curiously, ¡°Young master he, are you driving yourself?¡±

    He Zhichu started the car and ignored her. He stepped on the elerator and the car sped up like an arrow leaving a bow.

    The traffic on the highway was orderly.

    He Zhichu¡¯s car, however, seemed to have gone mad as it passed through the cracks of the car, continuously overtaking, overtaking, and overtaking.

    The surrounding cars were originally very angry, but when they saw his license te, they all stopped. Some even hurriedly made way for him.

    Gu Nianzhi gripped the handle above her head tightly and said in fear, ¡°Young master he, slow down! You¡¯re already speeding!¡±

    Where were the police cars? Why didn¡¯t they catch the speeding police cars?

    She had forgotten that with he zhichu¡¯s license te, which police would dare to catch him speeding?

    This was a license te that had priority, just like an ambnce, a police car, and a fire engine.

    The road in front of her was almost a straight line that skidded past at lightning speed.

    Gu Nianzhi finally had no choice but to close her eyes and beg, ¡°Young master he, slow down, I¡¯m Dizzy...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s reply was to m on the elerator again.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    It was like she was on a roller coaster. He Zhichu took her all the way back to the he family¡¯s mansion in erhuan.

    The car door opened, but Gu Nianzhi did note out for a long time.

    It was not that she did not want toe out, but that she could not get up.

    Her legs were weak, and she had no strength left.

    She had just been on a long flight for twelve hours, but she had been forced to ride the roller coaster for two hours before she had finished her repairs.

    Gu Nianzhi had initially felt a sense of affection and closeness towards he zhichu when she had first met him, but now he zhichu¡¯s actions hadpletely ruined everything.

    At that moment, she deeply suspected that he zhichu was really her half-brother?

    She wanted to get a DNA test!

    He Zhichu pulled on the car door and looked down at her for a long time before saying hoarsely,¡±... why aren¡¯t youing out yet? Are you going to sit in the car for the rest of your life?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She rolled her eyes unceremoniously and said snappily, ¡°I wish I could, but my legs are weak. What if I can¡¯t get up?¡±

    He Zhichu mmed the car door and bent down to get in. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and pulled her out of the car.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s legs were so weak that she almost fell into his arms.

    She quickly reached out to separate he zhichu¡¯s chest before she could steady herself.

    However, he zhichu¡¯s arms were wrapped around hers as if he was hugging her.

    At that moment, another car drove over and stopped behind them with a squeak.

    Xie qingying, who was wearing a neat and simple Miyake Miyake white dress, got out of the car. She looked up and saw this scene. She couldn¡¯t help but stop.

    ¡°... Did Ie at a bad time?¡±Xie qingying stood there, hesitating.

    He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi turned their heads at the same time and looked towards the sound. They said in unison,¡±... No.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1839, ¡°Did Ie at a bad time?¡±.

    The end of the month, remind everyone of the monthly vote, you can vote oh ~ ~ ~

    Mwah You Big Angel ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1840 - It would be great if chapter 1840 could be ignored

    <h4>Chapter 1840: It would be great if chapter 1840 could be ignored</h4>

    ¡°... no...¡±Xie qingyingughed awkwardly.

    Although the two people in front of her had denied it, it was still particrly ring when they spoke in unison.

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity when he zhichu turned to look at Xie qingying to push him away, she smiled and said, ¡°Young master he, cousin Xie is here. Why Don¡¯t you entertain her first? I¡¯m very tired today, so I need to go back and rest. We can talk about what you just said another day, okay?¡±

    He Zhichu grabbed her arm again and stared at Xie qingying without looking at her. ¡°Qingying, something came up today, so I can¡¯t have dinner with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Xie qingying¡¯s gaze lingered on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm for a moment. She still had a decent smile on her face as she ran her hand through her hair, she said flirtatiously, ¡°Okay, we have dinner together every day anyway. It¡¯s okay if we don¡¯t have dinner together all day.¡±

    She opened the car door and was about to sit back down when.., she looked up and smiled. ¡°But young master he, if you need anything in the future, can you let me know earlier? I¡¯ve rejected several invitations from rtives and friends to have dinner with you.¡±

    Her voice was clear and mellow, and there was a hint of coquettishness in her voice when she said this. She tilted her face slightly, and her tall and delicate nose was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. It was the nose of the Gu family.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart softened.

    Today, when he learned that Gu Nianzhi had taken a ne back to the country, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Of course, he couldn¡¯t have called Xie qingying to cancel their dinner appointment.

    It was true that he had broken his promise first, and he had let Xie qingying down.

    He zhichu nodded slightly. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll definitely inform you in advance next time.¡±

    Xie qingying was stunned for a moment. The smile on her face was almost gone. She quickly got into her car and said to the driver, ¡°Drive.¡±

    The car she was in was a custom-made sky-blue Chevrolet bulletproof sedan. It was tall and spacious, and had the thick and heavy weight typical of American cars.

    Updates by

    Compared to her exquisite dress and appearance, it was a strange contrast and cuteness. It made her look even more slender and dainty, and the car was unintentionally more stylish.

    It was a rarebination of a famous car and a beautiful woman.

    Gu Nianzhi watched the car drive away and clicked her tongue. ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re too careless with your words. Cousin Xie isn¡¯t happy...¡±

    He zhichu nced at her and frowned. ¡°Why isn¡¯t she happy? Isn¡¯t she quite happy?¡±As he spoke, he pulled Gu Nianzhi by the arm and walked towards the door.

    Gu Nianzhi was dragged by him and walked quickly to catch up with him. She deliberately made conversation to ease the tension between the two of them.

    ¡°... How Can I Be Happy? She said to tell you to inform her earlier, but she was actually acting coquettishly andining... what she really meant was to tell you not to do this, but you said ¡®I¡¯ll definitely inform you in advance next Time¡¯as if there would be many more such things in the future. Why would cousin Xie Be Happy?¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°How troublesome,¡±he muttered. ¡°Is there a need to think so much?¡±

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi. He opened his mouth, but hesitated.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and smiled at him. ¡°Young master he, you¡¯ve been having dinner together a lot recently? It looks like it¡¯s going well...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s frown deepened. He walked silently for a while until he reached the front door. He pushed the door open and pulled her all the way up the stairs.

    They went up to the second floor and he led her into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite at the He residence.

    The furnishings inside were exactly the same as thest time she had left.

    He Zhichu pulled her in and pushed her onto the single-seater sofa nearest to the door. He leaned over and supported himself with his two arms on the armrest of the single-seater sofa. He encircled her on the sofa and stared into her eyes, he bowed and asked in a hoarse voice,¡±... What¡¯s going on? ! That photo... And why did you suddenly go to New York? Was Luo Le looking for you? You used Wen Shouyi to cover for him, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Young master he, didn¡¯t you already know?¡±Gu Nianzhi could tell that he zhichu was emotionally unstable, so she had no choice but to calm herself down, she tried to speak as calmly as possible. ¡°Wen Shouyi was originally not allowed to leave the country. After Mr. Peter contacted you, you instructed the relevant authorities to return her passport and let her leave the country.¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes, Peter said at the time that this was the only way to confuse the scientists in Rohle. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t let you go.¡±

    The only thing that could make he zhichu let go was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety.

    Gu Nianzhi was very touched and said gently, ¡°Young master he, thank you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, we would really be in trouble this time. You saved me!¡±

    He Zhichu was not fooled by her thanks, he said calmly, ¡°Then tell me, why did you suddenly go to New York? When you went there, three people left the country. When you came back, there were four people. ¡°The person who came back with you was Lu Jin, Lu¡¯s younger brother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression did not change. She said lightly, ¡°We went to New York to follow up on the leads on Luo Le¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°... Luo Le tried every possible means to find you, and you still walked right into his trap?¡±He Zhichu was unmoved. He moved closer to her. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll believe you?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it if you don¡¯t believe me,¡±Gu Nianzhi said calmly. ¡°Or rather, you only believe what you want to believe and what you don¡¯t want to believe. Even if the truth is right in front of you, you can pretend that you didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡±He Zhichuughed dryly. ¡°If only I could pretend that I didn¡¯t see it... Unfortunately, I can¡¯t.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her expression finally changed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±He Zhichu stood up and threw down a photo. ¡°Look at it yourself. What do you think I mean? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and her gaze fell on the photo.

    It was the photo she had found at the man¡¯s house in C City before she left the country. It was a photo of Qin Suwen¡¯s entire family when he was young.

    It was also the only photo of Qin Suwen before he was disfigured.

    The young girl on the photo might not have been more than ten years old, but herrge, bright, dark eyes were very eye-catching. They could be seen clearly in the yellowing ck-and-white photo.

    She had a childlike innocence when she smiled. It was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile when she was a child.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the photo in a daze and whispered,¡±... young master he, who is the person in this photo?¡±

    He zhichuughed coldly. ¡°You gave me this photo. Don¡¯t you know who the person in this photo is?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked up at he zhichu and frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen them before, nor do I know them.¡±

    He Zhichu crossed his arms and paced back and forth in front of Gu Nianzhi, his emotions gradually stirring.

    ¡°I saw photos of these two older people when I was young. They should be my grandfather and grandmother. ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen a family photo of them. ¡°The photos I saw were all taken by a single person. ¡°Because at that time, they had passed away a long time ago. My father used a lot of connections, but could only find work photos of these two people at the time.¡±

    ¡°So you haven¡¯t seen the photo of your mother when she was young.¡±Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought. ¡°What about the person who had this photo? How is he? Did he tell you?¡±

    He zhichuughed coldly. ¡°If he didn¡¯t tell you, his bones would have been crushed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Young master he, you didn¡¯t do anything overboard, did you?¡±Gu Nianzhi was worried. ¡°He¡¯s a citizen of our country, after all.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not anymore.¡±He Zhichu waved his hand, he said coldly, ¡°After our investigation, we found out that he already has a foreign nationality. ording to our country¡¯sws, our country doesn¡¯t recognize dual nationality, so when he acquires a foreign nationality, his Huaxia nationality will automatically be lost.¡±

    ¡°For a foreigner whomits crimes in our country, do we have to give him special treatment?¡±He Zhichu mocked, ¡°Of course, he can¡¯t enjoy national treatment, and he doesn¡¯t have the right to be protected by our country¡¯sws.¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°So? You Did It?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±He Zhichu sat back down on the sofa opposite him with a half-smile. ¡°We want to torture a foreigner and dirty our own hands?¡±

    ¡°Then how did you do it?¡±Gu Nianzhi was very curious and deliberately rambled on to ease he zhichu¡¯s mood.

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°We locked him up with a group of ck smugglers... two dayster, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and started crying and wanting to tell us everything.¡±

    ¡°... he was released so easily?¡±Gu Nianzhi was dissatisfied again. ¡°We just had to lock him up for a few more days. Let him reflect on what he did in the past.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so after he exined everything, I locked him up again.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s voice was cold and reserved, but the meaning behind his words was chilling.

    ¡°... so he¡¯s been locked up with those ck smugglers for so many days?¡±Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth. ¡°Then is he still alive?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worse than death.¡±He Zhichu crossed his legs. ¡°Those ck smugglers don¡¯t care if he¡¯s a man or a woman. If he¡¯s disobedient, they¡¯ll punish him. He¡¯s been in the hospital a few times already.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°After he¡¯s cured, he¡¯ll be locked up again.¡±He Zhichu clenched his fists. ¡°If you knew what he did, you wouldn¡¯t feel sorry for him.¡±

    Gu nianzhi sighed and rubbed her temples. She said weakly, ¡°I didn¡¯t agree with him. On the contrary, he must have done something unspeakable in the past. By the way, what did he say he did?¡±

    ¡°He said he finally convinced my grandfather, Mr. Qin Baye, to agree to sell thend because he took Qin Baye¡¯s money.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s it? You believe him?¡±

    ¡°... There¡¯s no other evidence to prove that he¡¯s lying.¡±He zhichu spread his hands. ¡°So I wanted to ask you, how did you find Him? How did you find this photo? Why did hee after you?¡±

    ¡°But you left the country in a hurry, and I couldn¡¯t get through to you.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s mood worsened again.

    God knows what kind of torture he had gone through these past few days.

    Gu Nianzhi could not be contacted, and the photo reminded him of another terrifying fact.

    He did not dare to think further, and could only keep his work schedule full every day, not allowing himself the time toe down.

    Xie qingying invited him to dinner, but he quickly agreed and immediately returned the invitation.

    Xie qingying saw that he was interested, so she naturally seized the opportunity.

    After a while, it became a tradition for the two of them to have dinner together.

    Until today, when he zhichu¡¯s people at Customs sent him a message saying that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ne had returned to the country.

    He then rushed to the airport to pick her up.

    He had too many questions and couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    Gu Nianzhi heard he zhichu¡¯s words and felt ufortable. She silently lowered her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I should have said it more clearly.¡±

    At that time, she had been preupied with the safety of her father. She really didn¡¯t have the time or energy to answer he zhichu¡¯s questions.

    Moreover, she also thought that giving he zhichu some time to calm down would be beneficial to everyone.

    She did not expect he zhichu to not calm down in the past few days. Instead, the fire of suspicion grew stronger and stronger.

    He zhichu listened to Gu Nianzhi exin in detail the whole process of discovering this photo. He let out a deep breath and said,¡±... I see. You discovered this person during the process of reverse investigation of the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°The Qin family was too thorough. They couldn¡¯t find any loopholes at all, so they could only start from the side that sold thend.¡±

    ¡°We studied a lot of information, and in the end, we found that only the Qin family¡¯s first bucket of gold was problematic. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a criminal offense, but it was definitely from an unknown source.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I remember that my mother also investigated this matter.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s emotions finally calmed down, but perhaps it was because Gu Nianzhi was sitting in front of him, she had a natural power that made him calm and steady.

    He zhichu continued, ¡°In the end, they also found out that the Qin family¡¯s first pot of gold came from thend that my grandfather owned. ¡°But the process of buying thend was all legal, and even the transaction price was higher than the market price at the time. There was no case of lowering the price or buying thend fraudulently.¡±

    ¡°... Yes, it was higher than the market price. Butpared to the market price a yearter, it was too low.¡±Gu nianzhi said implicitly, ¡°Did your mother investigate why the Qin family suddenly wanted to buy thatnd?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that they might have gotten some insider information?¡±He zhichu propped his forehead with his hand and thought for a while, he said, ¡°Back then, only the leaders at the highest level knew about the construction of the special zone in Z city. I don¡¯t think the Qin family could reach out that far back then.¡±

    At that time, the Qin family only had a small orphanage, and it was in the remote city of Z.

    Also, at that time, Z city was only a small fishing vige, not a bustling metropolis.

    In other words, the Qin family did not have the financial resources and connections toe into contact with such high-level information.

    Gu Nianzhi pondered for a moment and asked tentatively, ¡°Then did your mother investigate who was behind the Qin Family?¡±

    ¡°You mean, there was someone supporting them?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°She did, but there were no people in the higher-ups who were familiar with the Qin family, nor did anyone have any interest in the Qin family.¡±. ¡°My mother even checked the meeting records at the time. My mother did background checks on every higher-up who attended the meeting, and she didn¡¯t find anything new.¡±

    ¡°So she just assumed that the Qin family was lucky and the case was closed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and leaned back on the sofa. She said disdainfully, ¡°Do you believe that a free lunch will fall from the Sky?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. How can the Qin family be so lucky? I¡¯m not convinced.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly and raised her right index finger to wave it. ¡°I think I can provide another line of thought.¡±

    ¡°What line of thought?¡±He zhichu leaned forward and asked nervously, ¡°What did we miss?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever thought that maybe there is no one at home to help the Qin family, but there are people abroad?¡±

    ¡°But the country was not open at that time. It was almost impossible for people from abroad to get in touch with people from home...¡±

    He Zhichu was puzzled, but his heart skipped a beat and he remembered something.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: 1840¡åIf only I could just ignore it¡±.

    The end of the month, remind everyone of the monthly vote, can vote oh ~ ~ ~

    Today is Monday, right? Remind me to rmend the ticket oh ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1841 - Chapter 1841 fragrant bait (a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1841: Chapter 1841 fragrant bait (a monthly ticket)</h4>

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was a little strange.

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of his expression and quickly asked, ¡°Have you thought of something?¡±

    He Zhichu got up and left. He went back to his room and took hisptop over.

    ¡°I want to show you something.¡±He opened hisptop, entered the biometric and electronic passwords, and entered an encrypted folder.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away from him when he entered the password, and smiled sheepishly. ¡°Young master he, what is it? Do I have permission to see it?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s fingers flew around, and he opened a file. ¡°It¡¯s almost decryption time, you can see it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was really curious. Her agile eyes quickly nced at he zhichu¡¯s screen, and she was suddenly stunned.

    ¡°... These are the records of the high-level meetings from decades ago? !¡±

    He zhichu nodded and sat next to Gu Nianzhi. He supported himself with one hand and said coldly, ¡°It was during this secret meeting at the highest level that the guidelines for openness were set. There were eight people participating in the meeting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not right. Shouldn¡¯t there be seven people with such high authority?¡±

    Who was the extra person?

    He Zhichuughed sarcastically. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t found out that Luo Le was in contact with Qin Baye, Qin yaoguang, and the others, I think this important clue would never have been found out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck in guilt.

    Her father, Lu Jin, should have taken the me.

    Updates by

    Lu Jin knew that the Qin orphanage was secretly colluding with the Luo le group, but he had never mentioned it to the He family. He had never even mentioned it to anyone.

    If he zhichu asked her how she knew the Qin family was rted to Luo Le, she really didn¡¯t know how to answer him..

    Fortunately, he zhichu didn¡¯t continue to ask. Instead, he pointed at the important document and said, ¡°Look, who¡¯s the eighth person?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to avoid suspicion anymore. She quickly went over to look at the list of attendees.

    When she saw thest line, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened and she stuttered,¡±... Luo Le the third? ! He, he, he actually attended such a high-level meeting? !¡±

    He was a Native American! This did not make sense.

    The smile on he zhichu¡¯s face became even more sarcastic, ¡°Not only that, the entire opening n has the participation of the United Nations Poption Fund and the development agency. And King Rohle III is the full representative of the United Nations Entrance Fund and the development agency. He is the only foreigner who has attended such a high-level meeting in our country.¡±

    ¡°On what basis? !¡±Gu nianzhi blurted out angrily, ¡°On what basis? !¡±

    ¡°... on the basis of his money.¡±He zhichu said faintly, ¡°You have no idea how much our seniors yearned for money at that time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... actually, we also yearn for money now.¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think much of it, ¡°But a gentleman loves money and has his own way of taking it. We can¡¯t be indiscriminately generous with money.¡±

    He zhichu nodded heavily. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the truth. But our country has experienced this truth for decades before we understand it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what to say anymore and changed the topic, she said excitedly, ¡°I understand now! Was it this Luo Le who attended the highest-level meeting and found out about the country¡¯s opening n, and then leaked it to that Old Fart Qin Baye? !¡±

    ¡°He was the one who suggested that ce.¡±He Zhichu flipped through the meeting records, ¡°Look, this ce is clearly remembered. He suggested this ce. Although it¡¯s located in the south, it¡¯s adjacent to H city, which was very developed at the time. It also has a natural port, so it¡¯s very suitable for developing foreign trade.¡±

    ¡°I have to say, this person¡¯s vision is indeed very sharp.¡±

    ¡°Of course they are.¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°Firstly, he¡¯s an old capitalist who has been around for more than a hundred years. Secondly, he¡¯s a bait wrapped in poison. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll take the bait.¡±

    ¡°He used this method to make the Qin family rich without leaving any traces.¡±He Zhichu said with a cold face. ¡°Even my grandfather, my father, and my mother didn¡¯t find out about his rtionship with the Qin family.¡±

    Naturally, they didn¡¯t find anything wrong with the Qin family¡¯s first pot of gold.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°As you can imagine, when Luo Le informed Qin Baye to buy thend, he must have done it very discreetly. They had contact before the founding of the country, so they must have their own uniquemunication channels.¡±

    He Zhichu closed the documents and mmed theputer shut, he sneered. ¡°After the founding of the country, the state¡¯s iron fist cut off the connection between foreign capital and domestic agents. Moreover, financial controls were strict at that time, so foreign consortia couldn¡¯t give any funds to domestic enterprises. If they did, they would have long been targeted by the state¡¯s financial institutions.¡±

    ¡°So this is the only path he can take.¡±Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°But to be honest, when he cane into contact with such a high level, he can make his subordinates rich with just a little bit of information.¡±

    ¡°To him, money is no longer important. He wants something else.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    His gaze was obscure and contained a hint of oppression.

    Gu Nianzhi avoided his gaze and said sarcastically, ¡°Of course, he¡¯s trying to add fuel to the fire of human evolution...¡±

    He Zhichu couldn¡¯t help holding her hand and asked nervously, ¡°Luo le really didn¡¯t do anything to you, right? Your DNA...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi silently shook off he zhichu¡¯s hand and smoothed her hair back. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m so powerful, how can Luo Le beat me? Of course he didn¡¯t get my DNA!¡±

    ¡°... but how can Qin Baye let you go?¡±He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t telling the truth, or that she was only telling part of the truth and hadn¡¯t told him the rest.

    But he didn¡¯t press on.

    If Gu Nianzhi was willing to tell him, she would tell him.

    If she wasn¡¯t willing to tell him now, it would be useless even if he forced her.

    It was funny that he had to go through so much to understand Gu Nianzhi¡¯s temperament.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at he zhichu thoughtfully and sneered,¡±... of course they won¡¯t let me go, but why didn¡¯t you ask me if I would let them go?¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up. Her slender figure was the most beautiful sight.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of their bullying and use of me. This time, it¡¯s my turn to bully and use them,¡±Gu Nianzhi said casually, her clear voice was filled with unquestionable killing intent. ¡°They¡¯ve done so much evil, yet they still want to be rich and famous. Dream on, are they trying to reincarnate?¡±

    He Zhichu raised his head and looked deeply at Gu Nianzhi.

    This little girl, who had only known how to hide under the table and look at others, had really grown up.

    Not only had she grown up, but she had also umted enough strength and experience to take revenge on the evil people who had used her as a guinea pig back then!

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes filled with tears.

    In his shimmering peach blossom eyes, the things that no one knew about, the feelings that had been buried deep in his heart and could not be spoken, had all turned into tears at that moment.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and saw he zhichu¡¯s face filled with tears. She was stunned. ¡°He Zhichu, you...¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her with a smile in his eyes. He slowly stood up and tried his best to hide the sobs in his voice. He pulled her into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m happy for you. Nianzhi... sister...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears flowed down her cheeks as well.

    She could finally feel the kinship between her and he zhichu.

    ¡°... young master he... can I call you brother?¡±She asked carefully. She couldn¡¯t believe how lucky she was.

    He zhichu nodded. His tears were silent, and they flowed even more violently.

    He couldn¡¯t speak.

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped her arms around his neck and called out to him repeatedly.

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    ¡°I have a biological brother!¡±

    He Zhichu took a deep breath and patted her head before letting go of her. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t tell anyone about this yet. We still have a lot of work to do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I understand. I don¡¯t want anyone to know about this for the time being, but I still want to take a DNA test.¡±

    She had her own n.

    ¡°I can¡¯t find a suitable candidate to do a DNA test for you for the time being.¡±He zhichu shook his head and took out a tissue to wipe her tears. Gu Nianzhi also took a tissue to wipe his tears.

    The two of them looked at each other and felt a little silly.

    Gu Nianzhi obviously wouldn¡¯t say that she had an all-purpose weapon like Lu Jin on her side. She could only giggle and Ramble on. ¡°Young master he, your appearance just now reminded me of a poem: ¡®No matter how heartless you are, it¡¯s still moving.''¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    His index finger curled up and knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°You only know how to talk nonsense. Is this how you describe a man?¡±

    ¡°Reading poetry depends on the mood. What does it have to do with men and women?¡±Gu Nianzhi pushed he zhichu¡¯s hand away. ¡°You¡¯re getting angry out of humiliation!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a scene and cried again. The knot in her heart had been lifted and she was in a better mood.

    It was only then that she realized that she was so hungry that she could barely stand. She said weakly, ¡°Young master he, you said you wouldn¡¯t be short of my food...¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    He Zhichu was so angry that he had no appetite at all, but Gu Nianzhi could still feel hungry.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get the kitchen to prepare some of your favorite dishes for you.¡±He Zhichu said and called the kitchen security.

    Dinner was prepared quickly. In less than half an hour, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite dishes were delivered to the dining room.

    Gu Nianzhi and he zhichu went to the dining room to have dinner.

    He chengjian returned and was surprised to see Gu Nianzhi in the dining room. ¡°Nianzhi? Why Is it you?¡±

    He turned to look at he zhichu and frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you invite Qingying to dinner? where is she?¡±

    He zhichu scooped a bowl of sea cucumber millet soup for Gu Nianzhi and said without looking up, ¡°I have something to do. I¡¯ll meet up with Qingying another day.¡±

    ¡°You have something to do? What do you have to do?¡±He chengjian nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°She¡¯s Your Business?¡±

    It was rude of him to say that.

    If it was before, Gu Nianzhi would have rebuked him directly.

    But now that she thought of Qin Suwen, Gu Nianzhi actually had a feeling that she didn¡¯t know how to face he chengjian, so she didn¡¯t say anything and silently took a sip of the delicious sea cucumber millet soup with a spoon.

    He chengjian sat down and was a little surprised by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unusual silence.

    But since she didn¡¯t reply, he chengjian didn¡¯t bring up the topic anymore.

    But seeing that the table was full of dishes that Gu Nianzhi liked to eat, he chengjian sighed again in his heart.

    He Zhichu had had dinner with Xie qingying for so many days, but he didn¡¯t know what Xie Qingying liked to eat.

    He remembered exactly what Gu Nianzhi liked to eat.

    This son..

    He chengjian shook his head and started eating quietly.

    After dinner, he chengjian still had a meeting to attend. After drinking a cup of tea, he took his private car to the military headquarters.

    Gu Nianzhi also got up to leave.

    He zhichu said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t bring it up, I still wanted you to take me home. It¡¯s already sote, I wouldn¡¯t dare go home alone.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t Let You Walk Alone at night.¡±He Zhichu took the car keys. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you home.¡±

    The two of them walked out of the he residence side by side.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood and chatted andughed with he zhichu.

    He Zhichu seemed to have a lot on his mind, but he still looked at Gu Nianzhi with undisguised gentleness in his eyes.

    Xie qingying got out of the car with a food box and walked towards he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi, who were about to get into the car.

    ¡°Young master he, have you finished dinner?¡±She asked with a smile. ¡°I made you some supper. You¡¯ve been working too much at night recently, and you only go to bed at three or four in the morning every day. If this continues, your body will copse.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also surprised. ¡°Young master he, you¡¯ve been so busytely? Don¡¯t go to bed sote anymore. It¡¯s really bad for your health.¡±

    He Zhichu was expressionless. He said lightly, ¡°I can¡¯t help it if I¡¯m busy, but I¡¯m almost done. I Won¡¯t go to bed sote in the future.¡±

    He turned his head and saw Xie qingying. He did not ignore the trace of embarrassment and disappointment that shed in her eyes.

    He Zhichu took the food box from her and said, ¡°Eat it when I get back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±Xie qingying quickly said, ¡°Do you want me to bring it in for you?¡±

    He Zhichu hesitated.

    Xie qingying was even more embarrassed. Under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze, she was so embarrassed that she was about to turn around and leave.

    Gu Nianzhi stopped her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble cousin Xie.¡±

    He Zhichu had no choice but to say, ¡°Okay, wait for me at home.¡±

    He stuffed the food box back into Xie Qingying¡¯s hands.

    Xie qingying¡¯s downcast mood suddenly brightened up.

    She pursed her lips into a smile and nodded lightly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you toe back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved politely at her. ¡°Goodbye, cousin Xie. I¡¯m going home.¡±

    Xie qingying quickly smiled. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s not safe for you to go back alone. Young master he, you must send my cousin home and see her go in before youe back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±He Zhichu opened the car door and let Gu Nianzhi in.

    Xie qingying watched he zhichu¡¯s private car speeding away in front of her. She smiled and turned around to carry the food box into the he family¡¯s mansion.

    Gu Nianzhi texted Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng from the car that she would be home soon.

    Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and Huo Shaoheng had not been idle since they had returned home. They had been keeping an eye on the he family.

    They were relieved when they received a text from Gu Nianzhi.

    Fortunately, it had been a close call.

    ..

    He Zhichu¡¯s car stopped in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment block. ¡°Do you want me to walk you in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi unfastened her seatbelt and shook her head with a smile. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. This block is very safe. I can just walk you in.¡±

    He Zhichu got out of the car and leaned against the front of the car. He lit a cigarette and watched her back disappear into the forest-lined path at the entrance of the residential area.

    It was a summer night, and the dense shade of the trees drew silhouettes under the night sky.

    Another tall figure turned from the back of the big tree and walked towards he zhichu.

    ¡°Thank you, young master he, for bringing Nianzhi back.¡±The person who spoke was Huo Shaoheng.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: 1841¡åFragrant Bait.¡±.

    It was thest day of July, so everyone was reminded of their monthly votes. They could vote now

    There were also rmendation votes

    * Mwah * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * *

 Chapter 1842 - Chapter 1842: the price of a monthly ticket

    <h4>Chapter 1842: Chapter 1842: the price of a monthly ticket</h4>

    He Zhichu put out the cigarette in his hand and threw it into the trash can at the corner of the wall. He straightened up and didn¡¯t even look at Huo Shaoheng. He said inly, ¡°It¡¯s my duty. You Don¡¯t have to thank me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for the best, Young Master He.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled. His attitude towards he zhichu was unusually gentle, and he didn¡¯t sound like he was holding a gun in his mouth.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes sparkled as he suppressed the churning emotions in his heart. He sneered and pointed at himself. ¡°Mr. Peter managed to woo Nianzhi so quickly? Have you asked me?¡±

    ¡°... This is between me and Nianzhi. Why do you have to ask young master he?¡±Huo Shaoheng pretended to be confused, ¡°I¡¯m being polite to you, but you¡¯re taking it too seriously. Forget it, I¡¯m going back to the Soviet Union in a few days. Don¡¯t worry about Nianzhi, young master he.¡±

    ¡°... you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Aren¡¯t you afraid that when youe back from the Soviet Union, Nianzhi will change her mind again?¡±He Zhichu opened the car door and was about to get into the car.

    Huo Shaoheng waved his hand without looking back. ¡°I¡¯m confident that she won¡¯t change her mind.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression changed. His fingers gripped the car door handle tightly. He held it in and out, but still blurted out,¡±... do you think I would let her be with you if it wasn¡¯t for you? !¡±With that, he jumped into his car, he stepped on the elerator.

    The car let out a low growl and rushed forward, leaving a trail of dust behind.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly turned around and narrowed his eyes at the direction he zhichu had disappeared in. His eyelids twitched uncontrobly.

    It seemed that he had underestimated he zhichu too.

    ..

    He Zhichu returned to his own house and walked into the living room with his head lowered.

    Xie qingying, who was reading a magazine in the living room, looked up in surprise and said with a smile, ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re back!¡±

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks and looked at Xie Qingying in a daze. ¡°Why are you still here?¡±

    Updates by

    Xie qingying:¡±...¡±

    She stood up awkwardly and said softly,¡±... It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. I¡¯ll take my leave then. Young master he, you should rest early. The supper is in the kitchen. Let the staff heat it up for you and you can eat it.¡±

    She lowered her head and hurried to the door. Her light chiffon sleeves brushed past he zhichu¡¯s shoulders and brushed gently against the back of his hand.

    He Zhichu¡¯s hand seemed to have been scalded. He reached out as if it was a reflex and grabbed Xie qingying¡¯s arm.

    Xie qingying was stunned for a moment. She looked up at he zhichu and asked hesitantly, ¡°Young master he, What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    At this moment, she could tell that he zhichu¡¯s emotions were not right.

    He Zhichu looked normal, but he was in fact extremely depressed. His expression was absent-minded and his consciousness was in a mess.

    He zhichu lowered his eyes to look at Xie qingying. From this angle, he could see her tall and straight nose, casting a perfect shadow under the light.

    ¡°... young master he?¡±Xie qingying asked softly again.

    His gaze seemed to have no focus. It was as if he was looking at her, but also as if he was looking further into the distance through her.

    He Zhichu¡¯s mind was filled with the battle between heaven and man. He was moring to chase away a certain figure that should not be there.

    Forget it. She would not belong to him, and she could not belong to him.

    He should recognize the reality, abandon all unrealistic fantasies, and close the door in his heart.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and pulled Xie qingying into his arms.

    Xie qingying was both surprised and happy. She did not expect he zhichu to do this.

    She was so excited that her body was trembling. She leaned against he zhichu¡¯s broad and warm chest and felt that everything was not real.

    This was the first time he zhichu had taken the initiative to make out with her.

    She stood on tiptoes and offered her lips devoutly.

    It was an unforgettable kiss, with a surge of emotions.

    Xie qingying was almost out of breath.

    Her legs were weak, and she couldn¡¯t support her body. She waspletely hanging in he zhichu¡¯s arms.

    He Zhichu scowled as he picked her up and strode towards his bedroom.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi walked very slowly along the tree-lined path in the apartmentplex.

    It was not too hot in the early summer night in the imperial capital, and the air was filled with the fragrance of grass and the asional croak of frogs. It came from the pond in theplex and broke the silence of the night.

    She walked with rxed steps and smiled at the people walking in theplex.

    After the people were stunned, they smiled at her and silently greeted her.

    They walked and stopped before finally returning to their apartment.

    They reached out and pressed the password lock on the door.

    Before the door opened, arge hand came from behind and covered her hand.

    A warm breath came from behind; she was very familiar with it.

    Gu Nianzhi did not turn around. She leaned back and a warm embrace came up from behind to catch her.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her from behind and kissed her head.¡±... Wee Home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re not home yet.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew what she was talking about and hugged her even tighter. ¡°We¡¯ll go back. When we get back, we¡¯ll have a wedding. Russian president Putin even said he¡¯d be our witness.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°And Little Corgi. I wonder if he still remembers Mommy and Daddy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Actually, he didn¡¯t want to be the Little Dog¡¯s Daddy.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t interrupt gu Nianzhi¡¯s fantasy because she kept talking about how much she missed Little Corgi.

    The two of them were chatting at the door and forgot to go in.

    Lu Jin had clearly seen Gu Nianzhi return from the surveince camera in the room, but he had not seen her enter for a long time. When he looked at the camera again, there was no longer any image. It was pitch ck and nothing could be seen.

    ¡°What happened? is the surveince camera broken?¡±Lu Jin muttered and pulled open the door, just in time to see Huo Shaoheng raise his head.

    He leaned against the Lazy Gu Nianzhi in the crook of his arm, and her lips were bright red.

    Lu Jin¡¯s face instantly darkened. However, since Huo Shaoheng had once sacrificed himself to save him, he had to swallow his anger.

    ¡°Come in! Who are you kissing at the door for?¡±Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng and turned to go back into the house.

    His old heart..

    Where¡¯s the quick-acting heart-saving pill?

    He was sick, and he needed to take his medicine!

    Lu Yuan Saw Lu Jin walk in with a dark face, followed by Huo Shaoheng, who looked calm, and the embarrassed Gu Nianzhi. He immediately understood.

    However, this time, he did not speak up for Huo Shaoheng. Instead, he said lightly, ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re too careless. I see that you¡¯ve lost a lot of your basic skills recently. From tomorrow onwards, I¡¯m going to give you special training.¡±

    ¡°Director Lu.¡±Huo Shaoheng quickly raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the Soviet Union tomorrow. Regarding the special training, can we talk about itter?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to Moscow?¡±Lu Yuan¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°Oh right, we haven¡¯t asked you yet. You¡¯re from the Soviet Union, right? How did you get involved with the Soviet KGB?¡±

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s a deal.¡±Huo Shaoheng said casually.

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t let him go. ¡°What kind of Deal did you make with the Soviet Union?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat down calmly and said with a smile, ¡°I brought a documentary for Mr. Putin, the head of the Soviets. It¡¯s called ¡®the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union.''¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was enlightened and quickly said, ¡°I understand now! No wonder that Ye Lixin and Gorbachev died in New York before they could stir up trouble!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s identity had been exposed at the New Year Countdown Party in New York¡¯s Times Square.

    Lu Yuan also came to his senses and sighed repeatedly. ¡°No wonder... So Ye Lixin and Gorbachev¡¯s deaths weren¡¯t ¡®idental injuries¡¯from stray bullets... ?¡±

    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t idental injuries, but urate shooting.¡±Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Themittee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s Far East Ace, Peter, personally took action. No one has a chance of surviving.¡±

    ¡°... you¡¯re talking about the true far east ace, Peter, Right?¡±Gu Nianzhi thought of the man with droopy eyelids who couldn¡¯t wake up. TSK TSK. ¡°He¡¯s really sneaky...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Far East Ace¡±was fake. No wonder the Soviets deliberately exposed his identity..

    The True Far East Ace was still in the dark behind the scenes.

    This was the real trump card..

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°At the time, I was still in the process of convincing Putin. He didn¡¯t really believe that Yelisin and Gorbachev would do the same thing here.¡±

    ¡°I set up a trap for him to see what Yelisin and Gorbachev were doing in New York.¡±

    ¡°When Yelisin and Gorbachev had a secret conversation with the president of the United States aboutunching the Moscow Spring, Putin made up his mind to get rid of them.¡±

    ¡°If they don¡¯t die, the same history might appear here in the Soviet Union.¡±

    ¡°This ispletely uneptable to Putin.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was terrified. She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and said worriedly, ¡°Then why are you still going back to the Soviet Union? Are you done with your deal with them now?¡±

    Lu Yuan also said worriedly, ¡°Shaoheng, you don¡¯t have any leverage now. What if the Soviet Union suppresses you? They know you¡¯re from the other world, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly. ¡°Only Mr. Putin knows. No one else knows.¡±

    This kind of thing was too inconceivable. Moreover, as the leader, Putin had to consider the interests of his country. As for the other world, he was no longer interested in it.

    There was no Soviet Union there. The ideals they had fought for had already been stolen by others. He didn¡¯t want to contact the other world at all.

    Huo Shaoheng had also calcted this point, so he chose the ce where he would settle down in the Soviet Union.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes shed. He suddenly understood why Huo Shaoheng wanted to return to the Soviet Union at this time.

    ¡°You go ahead. I¡¯ll be here to protect Nianzhi.¡±Lu Yuan nced at Lu Jin indifferently, he continued, ¡°Great scientist Lu, if you want to do something evil again, please do it after Shaoheng returns. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I Won¡¯t be able to protect your daughter all by myself.¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Director Lu, I¡¯ll protect myself. There¡¯s no need for you to worry.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze swept over her and he said lightly, ¡°The same goes for you. When you¡¯re a demon, you¡¯re even more powerful than your father. With the two of you working together, I think the two of you will be able to tie for first ce in the demon world. There¡¯s no difference in ranking.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She nced at Lu Jin guiltily.

    Lu Jin did not hesitate to protect her behind him. He was furious at Lu Yuan. ¡°My Nianzhi is the most reasonable person. When has she ever been a demon? !¡±

    Gu nianzhi tugged at the hem of Lu Jin¡¯s shirt in amusement. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m tired. I need to go to bed.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately turned around and said, ¡°You should go rest. Oh right, did you eat at the He family¡¯s house? That bastard he zhichu didn¡¯t do anything to you, did he?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and shook her head. ¡°Yes, he did. Young master he didn¡¯t do anything to me.¡±

    She thought about it and said, ¡°Dad, I want to take a DNA test in two days. Can you help me?¡±

    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡±Lu Jin agreed without hesitation. He had forgotten to ask Gu Nianzhi whose DNA she wanted to test.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi rested for two days before recovering from jetg.

    Actually, she was in good health. Under normal circumstances, one day would be enough for her to recover from jetg.

    However, she was in a low mood and Huo Shaoheng was not by her side. It took her an extra day to recover.

    After recovering from jetg, Gu Nianzhi immediately called he zhichu.

    He Zhichu was in a meeting at the military.

    After the meeting, his orderly handed his phone back to him and said, ¡°Young master he, Miss Gu called several times.¡±

    They saw the caller ID, but no one answered.

    He zhichu quickly dialed the number.

    ¡°Nianzhi, when you called me, I was in a meeting at the military.¡±

    They were in a meeting now, so they couldn¡¯t bring their phones into the meeting room.

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the bay window in the bedroom and looked at the blue sky and white clouds in the distance. She said in satisfaction, ¡°Young master he, I want to ask you for a favor.¡±

    ¡°What favor? Tell me, as long as I can do it,¡±he zhichu answered without hesitation.

    ¡°I want to know if your mother still has any blood samples or teeth and hair left.¡±

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks.¡±... you want to do a DNA test?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Gu Nianzhi had already calmed down. She wasn¡¯t like before, when she thought of this question, she would feel awkward when she faced he zhichu.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice was also very calm. ¡°What¡¯s the point of having it? Where can I get it tested for DNA? Even if it¡¯s a military hospital, I can¡¯t guarantee that it¡¯s safe.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She had wanted to refute him, but remembered that even in the other world, Huo Shaoheng had not asked the military hospital to keep her medical information. He had only asked Chen lie to be her personal doctor.

    On He Zhichu¡¯s side, he did not have a trusted military doctor like Chen lie that he could entrust to a secret medical officer.

    And Lu Jin could not be exposed.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and said, ¡°How about this? First, help me get a sample of your mother¡¯s blood or hair. When I have the chance, I¡¯ll do a DNA test myself. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll do a DNA test yourself?¡±He Zhichu hesitated. ¡°Will you?¡±

    ¡°How hard can it be...¡±Gu Nianzhi patted her chest and promised, ¡°If you don¡¯t know how, then you can learn... Don¡¯t forget, DNA tests now are done with instruments. I just need to know how to operate the instruments. I¡¯ve even performed Gamma Knife Surgery on you...¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1842, the price.

    On the first day of August, I hope everyone has a guaranteed monthly ticket

    Come,e,e,e. On August 1st, the founding of the Army Day, my dear friends, give the monthly ticket to Huo Shao to celebrate the happy holiday

    PS: This chapter has been deleted by nearly 1,000 words. It doesn¡¯t affect the plot, but perhaps my dear friends don¡¯t want to see this detail, so I won¡¯t release it for the time being. The whole thing¡¯s gonna be in the group.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1843 - Chapter 1843: What Else Do You Want

    <h4>Chapter 1843: Chapter 1843: What Else Do You Want</h4>

    He Zhichu could easily recall the mysterious person who had gone to the hospital in H City when Gu Nianzhi had performed the ¡°Gamma Knife¡±surgery on himst time..

    It was this person who had performed the surgery on the critically injured Gu Nianzhi and saved her life..

    His eyes shed and he chuckled softly. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can do it.¡±

    His voice was cold and clear, but his tone was familiar with a hint of doting.

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced. ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t doubt me. It¡¯s true, I¡¯m a quick learner...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I believe you. If I don¡¯t believe you, who else can I trust?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s smile was even more meaningful, even a little sinister.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t see him like this, or else she would have been even further away from him.

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t notice at all. She smiled and quickly said, ¡°Young master he, that¡¯s great! When are you going to give me your mother¡¯s blood sample?¡±

    He Zhichu thought about it carefully.

    His mother, Qin Suwen, had died suddenly. His father, he chengjian, didn¡¯t understand why Qin Suwen had died so suddenly.

    Even though the medical examiner had determined that he hadn¡¯t killed Qin Suwen, his father still held a grudge against him. He had always believed that Gu Xiangwen was the cause of Qin Suwen¡¯s death.

    Even if he had not killed Qin Suwen himself, it was because of him. That was why he had spared no expense to set up an inescapable across the country to arrest Gu Xiangwen.

    He wanted to know why, exactly why. After Gu Xiangwen had met Qin Suwen, Qin Suwen had died in her study.

    Gu Xiangwen had been hiding for several years. Later, he had appeared and taken Gu Nianzhi away for the sake of the 12-year-old Gu Nianzhi. Soon after, he had died in a car ident in a raging fire.

    Updates by

    The car had exploded right in front of him. He still remembered the loud explosion and the raging mes.

    ¡°... Nianzhi, I need to think about how to find my mother¡¯s DNA sample. Don¡¯t worry,¡±he zhichu said with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll wait for Master He¡¯s good news then!¡±

    He zhichu nodded.

    He hung up the phone and shook his head in self-mockery.

    How could it be so simple?

    Ever since his mother¡¯s sudden death, all the information about his mother, including the medical reports she had received from the family doctor, and the blood samples she had taken.., as well as all the medical records, blood, and dental samples that had been kept by the dentist and ophthalmologist, had been kept by his father, he chengjian, and ced under special supervision.

    He zhichu frowned slightly. He stood under the sunlight for a while before he turned around and got into the car. He ordered the orderly to drive to look for he chengjian.

    He chengjian¡¯s office was also in the military, but it was on the other side of the military. It would take about five minutes to drive.

    When he zhichu was in the car, he called he chengjian. After confirming that he chengjian was not in a meeting and that he had no urgent business to deal with, he made an appointment with he chengjian to meet him.

    Ever since he zhichu returned from the other world, this was the first time he had spoken to he chengjian in a serious and serious manner.

    He chengjian was a little ¡°ttered¡±.

    His mood improved. He asked the orderly to prepare some snacks that he zhichu liked and two cups of tea, waiting for him toe over.

    After he zhichu arrived, he was brought into the small meeting room in the office by HE Chengjian¡¯s orderly.

    The soundproofing here was excellent, and there were all kinds of anti-surveince devices and electromaic interference devices.

    In this ce, they could only contact each other byndline phone, and their cell phones could not be used.

    The security was top-notch.

    The floor was covered with a thick wool carpet. When he walked up, it was soft and silent.

    He chengjian sat on the sofa behind a small table made of red sandalwood, holding a cup of tea and sipping it.

    Seeing he zhichue in, he chengjian waved at him and said warmly, ¡°Ah Chu,e and sit.¡±

    He Zhichu sat down in front of him, picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he asked casually, ¡°Dad, mom has passed away for so many years. Aren¡¯t you going to bury her?¡±

    ¡°... why should I bury her?¡±He chengjian said coldly, ¡°Your mother died for no reason. As long as I¡¯m alive, I Won¡¯t give up on finding the real reason for her death! As long as I can¡¯t find her, I won¡¯t Bury her!¡±

    ¡°Then how long do you want to wait?¡±He zhichu frowned. ¡°She has already passed away. After so many years, I can¡¯t let her rest in peace. Are you really thinking about my mother?¡±

    ¡°How long do you want to wait? ! Wait until the day I Die!¡±He chengjian stood up angrily and red at He Zhichu with his fists clenched. ¡°You unfilial son! Aren¡¯t you afraid that your mother will be sad when she sees you in heaven? !¡±

    ¡°A person¡¯s death is like amp going out. Where does the spirit of Heavene from?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s voice was exceptionally cold and emotionless. ¡°And the only person who could possibly know the truth is already dead. How are you going to investigate?¡±

    ¡°Moreover, even if you¡¯re buried, it won¡¯t stop you from investigating the truth,¡±he zhichu said frankly. ¡°If you don¡¯t have the face to see my mother, I¡¯ll handle my mother¡¯s funeral.¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡±He chengjian waved his fist at he zhichu. After trying for a long time, he still couldn¡¯t bear to continue the fight, so he could only bluff and shake it, he said, ¡°I¡¯m warning you! Don¡¯t think about your mother¡¯s body! She¡¯s fine in the liquid nitrogen, Don¡¯t disturb her!¡±

    ¡°... Dad, ept the reality. Mom has already passed away, and you¡¯ve already remarried,¡±he zhichu said calmly and cruelly. His almond-shaped eyes no longer carried the cold and self-conceited affection.

    He Chengjian¡¯s vision went dark. He clutched his chest and panted heavily. He almost fell down.

    He Zhichu was shocked. He stood up abruptly and strode over, just in time to support he chengjian, who was on the verge of copse.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your medicine?¡±He Zhichu hurriedly helped him back to the sofa and sat down. Then, he pressed the internal line and asked the healthcare doctor toe over quickly to treat he chengjian.

    Three minutester, the health care doctor came with a full set of medical equipment. He immediately started emergency treatment in the small reception room.

    He Chengjian¡¯s face slowly turned from pale to pale, and then it turned a little more red. Although he did not wake up, he was not as scary as he looked just now.

    The health care doctor pushed the door open and came out. He saw he zhichu with his hands in his pockets, standing at the door of the small reception room with an expressionless face, he quickly said, ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t worry. General he was just in a moment of anger. After all, he is old, and his coronary heart disease and high blood pressure are more serious. The blood vessels in his head are also blocked. We are nning to perform an angiogram on general he to unblock the blocked blood vessels in his brain.¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±He then asked, ¡°Then does my father need to be hospitalized for treatment?¡±

    ¡°He can be hospitalized now. In any case, he will need to undergo the contrast-enhanced surgery in a few days. Let¡¯s go to the hospital to rest for a few days first.¡±The Healthcare doctor guessed that it was probably because the father and son had quarreled again that general he had be so angry.

    However, he did not say it out loud. After all, this was his family¡¯s matter.

    He Zhichu agreed with the healthcare doctor¡¯s opinion and personally led his men to send he chengjian directly to the special VIP ward of the military hospital to rest and recuperate. He was the medical officer of the military hospital.

    The attending doctor and the hospital director rushed over to wee them. They even discussed the surgical n with HE Zhichu for the entire afternoon.

    By the time they finished discussing all the surgical matters, it was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    It was a night in the imperial city. When thenterns lit up, the entire city was like a huge crystalmp, dazzling to the point of being dazzling.

    When he zhichu came out of the hospital, he received a call from Xie qingying.

    ¡°Young master he, when are youing back? I¡¯ve asked Xiao Lin in the kitchen to prepare dinner. Where¡¯s uncle? He hasn¡¯te home yet.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at his watch and said calmly, ¡°Yes, my father is in the hospital. I¡¯m going home now.¡±

    ¡°AH? Uncle is in the hospital? !¡±Xie qingying was shocked. ¡°What illness? Is It Serious?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s an old illness. I n to have surgery in a few days, so I¡¯m going to the hospital to rest.¡±He zhichu rubbed his temples, not knowing what to tell Gu Nianzhi.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s body was still preserved in liquid nitrogen and had not been buried yet.

    However, she was really dead. He zhichu understood his father¡¯s obsession and shook his head before getting into his car.

    When he returned to the He family¡¯s mansion, he zhichu saw Xie qingying sitting alone in the dining room. He could not help but feel a little guilty.

    Xie qingying looked up and saw he zhichue in. She immediately smiled.

    It was a smile that came from the bottom of her heart. It was very infectious.

    ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re back.¡±She quickly stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll get the kitchen to prepare the dishes.¡±

    He Zhichu had been busy the whole day and had not eaten anything. He was indeed a little hungry.

    However, he did not have much of an appetite.

    However, when he saw Xie Qingying¡¯s eager gaze, he reluctantly ate a bowl of rice.

    Xie qingying looked at the leftovers on the table and said hesitantly, ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t you like these dishes?¡±

    She remembered that these were all dishes that he zhichu liked to eat..

    He Zhichu smiled and reached out to shake her hand. ¡°No, these are my favorite dishes.¡±

    He paused and said, ¡°But I¡¯m not in a good mood today, and I don¡¯t have much of an appetite. If I neglect you, don¡¯t worry and don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    Xie qingying was ttered and quickly shook her head. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not angry.¡±

    Then she said carefully, ¡°Young master he, are you in a bad mood? ... You can tell me. Don¡¯t keep it to yourself...¡±

    The rtionship between the two of them had a major breakthrough yesterday, and they were still in the process of getting used to each other.

    He Zhichu saw her like this and shook his head. He said coldly, ¡°I told you not to think too much. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be fine in a while.¡±

    He stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m tired. If you¡¯re fine, you can go home earlier.¡±

    Xie qingying did not have to stay. She knew that she and he zhichu had a long day ahead of them, so there was no rush.

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go back. Young master he, if you want to talk, you can call me anytime.¡±

    As she spoke, she picked up her bag and was about to leave.

    He Zhichu¡¯s cell phone rang.

    He took it out and looked at it. He wasn¡¯t going to pick it up, but when he saw that it was Gu Nianzhi calling, he answered without hesitation,¡±... What¡¯s wrong? Calling me at this time?¡±

    ¡°Young master he, how are things on Your End? When can you give me your mother¡¯s DNA sample?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked anxiously.

    She knew that she was too anxious, but she really couldn¡¯t help it.

    She was very eager to know if she and Qin Suwen were biological mother and daughter..

    She understood that it was impolite, but this time, she really couldn¡¯t help it.

    He zhichu sighed. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve been busy all day. I¡¯ll think of something.¡±He hung up the phone.

    Xie qingying didn¡¯t seem as hostile towards Gu Nianzhi as before. Instead, she walked over and asked worriedly, ¡°Young master he, is something wrong with my cousin? Can I help?¡±

    He Zhichu looked back at her. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like Nianzhi?¡±

    Why was she suddenly so nice to him?

    Xie qingying smiled and said frankly, ¡°I used to think that you still had a crush on her. I was jealous of her, so I couldn¡¯t be nice to her.¡±

    ¡°But now, I know that she¡¯s no longer an obstacle between us. I don¡¯t hold any grudges against her. Besides, I¡¯m helping her as well as you. If you¡¯re too tired, my heart will ache for you.¡±

    Actually, a woman was petty and jealous. She was bitter and mean. Arge part of the reason was because she was worried about gains and losses, and she did not feel safe in her rtionship.

    When she felt safe enough, she would no longer carry a gun with her.

    He Zhichu narrowed his eyes. ¡°Qingying, you¡¯re a good woman.¡±

    Xie qingying was slightly startled, but she soon smiled again. ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t give me a good person card. You know that¡¯s not what I want.¡±

    He Zhichu smiled and leaned in to say, ¡°My people are all yours. What more do you want?¡±

    His voice was soft and airy, like a feather brushing past her ear, causing her to soften half her body.

    He zhichu patted her blushing face, he smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much of a woman, especially a man. Don¡¯t meddle in Nianzhi¡¯s matters. You Can¡¯t help her. But I¡¯ll thank you on her behalf.¡±With that said, he turned around and walked away gracefully.

    She pped her hands without a trace of affection.

    Xie qingying gritted her teeth as she watched he zhichu walk away. She wanted tough, but it was a little bitter. She had the urge to cry, but she couldn¡¯t. Her eyes were sour, as if she had eaten an olive, and she was chewing it with a different taste.

    This was the taste of love, wasn¡¯t it?

    Xie qingying kicked the car hard and lightly. She didn¡¯t step on the gas for a long time because her legs were weak.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had been pacing around her apartment uneasily.

    As usual, Lu Yuan held a newspaper and sat on the sofa to read it carefully.

    Lu Jin moved his desktopputer into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small study and did high-energy physics research alone.

    Lu Yuan saw that Gu Nianzhi had circled around more than ten times and could not help asking, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? Is Something on your mind?¡±

    She wanted to test the DNA, but she had kept it from Lu Jin and Lu Yuan.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t dare to tell the truth now. She stammered, ¡°Huo isn¡¯t here, so I¡¯m upset...¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t suspect anything and smiled. He said gently, ¡°Shaoheng will be back soon, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He reminded her again, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to deal with Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye? How are the preparations going?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her phone again. He Zhichu had not replied to her text message.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. She massaged her forehead and perked up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go prepare first.¡±

    Even if she could not verify the DNA, it would not stop her from sending Qin Baye and Qin Yaoguang to their deaths.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: 1843, ¡°What else do you want?¡±.

    I beg you for a guaranteed monthly ticket oh ~ ~

    Today is my moderator and group administrator Mo Mo¡¯s birthday, I Wish Mo Mo a happy birthday!

    I was going to celebrate Mo Mo¡¯s birthday with today¡¯s double update, but unfortunately the Inte at home was cut off, and the cell phonework in my new home is very weak, I don¡¯t know if I can still connect tomorrow, so today is still the first update.

    Tomorrow the Inte is restored, so let¡¯s celebrate Mo Mo¡¯s birthday with today¡¯s double update.

    * Mwah * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1844 - Chapter 1844 was not worth it (the first one asked for a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1844: Chapter 1844 was not worth it (the first one asked for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    <h4><strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio</h4>

    At this time, the Qin family was in a luxurious house in the western suburbs of the imperial capital. Qin Baye sat in front of the sofa and watched the television without blinking.

    The television was broadcasting news from the United States.

    Qin Baye was already over 70 years old, but because he had dealt with foreigners in his early years, he had learned English very well.

    There was no problem in watching English television programs.

    As he watched, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. He was very confused.

    They had sent over a DNA sample from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s birth, and it was the only DNA sample they had left. How did it be Wen Shouyi?

    A few days ago, Luo Le had sent someone to send him a letter asking Wen Shouyi to go to the United States. Qin Baye had thought that they were going to discuss saving Qin yaoguang.

    In the end, Wen Shouyi had be the person closest to the perfect gene!

    What was going on?

    Qin Baye had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

    However, on the television, Luo Le was beaming with joy as he testified at the Congressional hearing in the United States. He told the people in power in the United States that Luo Le¡¯s group had achieved a small achievement in human gene research.

    However, their small achievement was a huge improvement in the history of human evolution!

    Qin Baye stood up with his cane and slowly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. He was lost in thought as he looked at the night sky outside the window.

    As far as his eyes could see, there was a small garden. It was early summer night, and the wind was a little hot. It blew in through the half-open floor-to-ceiling window.

    Updates by

    The evening fragrance in front of the window was as white as jade. It was as moving as the Epiphyllum, and there was also a faint fragrance.

    Qin Baye¡¯s gaze fell on the evening fragrance, and he suddenly felt a wave of irritation. He took his cane and went out to destroy all the evening fragrance before he felt a little better.

    ¡°Cousin-grandfather, are you okay?¡±Qin Baye¡¯s grandnephew, Qin Haishan, walked over and held his arm as they walked up the stairs.

    Qin Baye smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just can¡¯t stand the smell of this flower.¡±

    After saying that, he sighed and said, ¡°Your Aunt Hates Night Epiphyllum the most, but she likes this night fragrant jade that is somewhat simr to night epiphyllum the most. There are so many at home. Sigh... She¡¯s so stubborn. Otherwise, how would she end up in this state today? !¡±

    Qin Haoshan felt very ufortable when he heard that and quicklyforted him, ¡°Cousin-grandfather, aunt will definitely be fine. Won¡¯t the United States put pressure on the government? Just you wait...¡±

    ¡°Mm, let¡¯s see what they will do tomorrow. I¡¯m old. From now on, this family will depend on you guys.¡±Qin Baye raised his head and looked at his tall and handsome grandnephew, he nodded kindly, ¡°Haoshan, you¡¯re a good person, but just like your Auntie, you¡¯re a little stubborn. There are plenty of fish in the sea, why do you have to fall in love with a single flower?¡±

    Qin Haoshan:¡±...¡±

    He smiled awkwardly, unwilling to talk about this topic. He helped Qin Baye to lie down on the bed and covered him with a thin nket. He said, ¡°You should rest early. You still have to wait to see how the government will respond tomorrow.¡±

    ..

    That night, many people in Imperial City did not sleep well.

    At three o¡¯clock in the morning in Imperial City, which was three o¡¯clock in the afternoon in the United States, the United States Congress released the White Paper on human rights in China.

    The central topic of this five-hundred-page White Paper was Qin Yaoguang.

    The Huaxia Empire had ignored the basic human rights of the famous female scientist Qin Yaoguang and had severely corrupted the administration of justice.

    A certain high-ranking general had used his power for the sake of women and had listened to the nderous words of a viin. Without a formal trial, he had brazenly thrown Qin yaoguang into prison.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s government was almost fully approved by the United States Congress. They also announced that if they did not release Qin Yaoguang unconditionally, they would start a trade war, the Huaxia Empire would impose high tariffs on all products exported to the United States!

    ..

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Cab Prime Minister, Xie Beichen, the Senate¡¯s speaker, Long Zhixue, and major general he zhichu of the military were all woken up by the secretary almost at the same time.

    ¡°Prime Minister Xie, the news from the United States hase out.¡±

    Xie Beichen immediately woke up.

    They had received the news long ago and knew that the United States would do something evil. Although they had been prepared, they were still a little nervous when they heard that the other party had finally made a move.

    ¡°... What kind of news is it? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s for Ms. Qin Yaoguang,¡±the Secretary said in a low voice as she read the news summary to Xie Beichen.

    Xie beichen hurriedly changed his clothes and said, ¡°Where are speaker long and major general he?¡±

    ¡°Someone went to call them. Are we still going to hold the meeting ording to the original n?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going to hold the meeting ording to the original n.¡±

    ..

    At four o¡¯clock in the morning in the imperial capital, the Cab Prime Minister, Xie Beichen, the Senate¡¯s upper house, Long Zhichu, and he zhichu from the military were already sitting in the meeting room of the Supreme Committee of the Imperial Army, which had the most stringent security measures, they re-watched the brief news sent by the United States.

    The white paper sent by the United States Congress was very long, but the content was very poor.

    It was a clich¨¦, but the topic was very novel.

    This time, they brazenly named only Qin Yaoguang.

    ¡°... using all the trade between China and the United States as a condition to exchange for Qin Yaoguang¡¯s freedom, they are really determined.¡±Speaker long flipped through the ¡°China¡¯s white paper on human rights.¡± He said expressionlessly.

    ¡°China¡¯s foreign trade with the United States reached 500 billion US dorsst year. 500 billion US dors, only one person is needed.¡±Xie Beichen¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed. ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s brows were stern. ¡°Do the two of you still want to agree?¡±

    Xie beichen sighed. He looked like he had aged ten years. ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of whether I want to or not. With our financial situation, do we really have to go head-to-head with the Americans?¡±

    ¡°This is a method of killing a thousand enemies and harming a thousand of ourselves. They can both lose, but we can¡¯t...¡±speaker long also looked at Xie Beichen with some hesitation.

    Xie beichen nodded at him. The two of them had simr thoughts.

    Only he zhichu firmly expressed his opposition.

    This meeting should have been attended by his father, but his father was currently recuperating in the hospital. The surgery was scheduled for tomorrow, so after he obtained the consent of prime minister Xie and speaker long, he temporarily attended on behalf of his father.

    He ced his hands on the conference table and said seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t understand your diplomacy or your economy, but I do understandw and military affairs

    ¡°I only know that when the other party wants a person at all costs, they must not agree

    ¡°It¡¯s just like fighting a war. Even if we are not as strong as the other party, when the other party goes all out to seize a hignd that is unimportant to us, I know that we must defend this hignd no matter what

    ¡°Because the other party spent so much effort to seize this hignd, it must be because this ce has benefits that exceed their cost.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we don¡¯t understand it now. As long as the person is in our hands, the other party will definitely carefully weigh the pros and cons and won¡¯t go all out.¡±

    ¡°Major general he sounds nice, but are you sure?¡±Xie Beichen asked unhappily, ¡°You also said that you don¡¯t understand the economy. ¡°Then let me tell you. If a trade war really breaks out, how many factories will close down, foreign trade will fall sharply, the surplus will decrease, and even expand to the deficit. The economic situation will be very ugly.¡±

    Speaker long nodded. ¡°Yes, we are such a big country. Once the economy is in trouble, the people will not agree.¡±

    ¡°... If the other party imposes a tariff, our economy will be in trouble. Forgive me for being blunt, prime minister Xie, but this is a grave breach of duty,¡±he zhichu said calmly.

    The corner of Xie Beichen¡¯s mouth twitched twice, and he said with a wry smile, ¡°Major General He, you really dare to say that. I¡¯m not wearing this hat. I was just telling you about the serious consequences of the trade war. Why Is it rted to my breach of duty?¡±

    ¡°May I ask how I derelict my duty? I¡¯ve been racking my brains for the sake of the cab, for the sake of developing the economy...¡±

    Speaker long saw that the two of them were about to quarrel, so he quickly came out to smooth things over. ¡°Alright, Alright. Don¡¯t be anxious, both of you. Everyone is doing this for the country and the people. It¡¯s all out of kindness. Let¡¯s sit down and talk slowly.¡±

    ¡°Talk about what?¡±He zhichu pped the table, he said coldly, ¡°ording to me, it¡¯s not even daybreak yet, so shoot Qin Yaoguang immediately! Tomorrow morning, during office hours, respond to the white paper from the United States and tell them that they were a step toote. Qin Yaoguang is already dead!¡±

    Prime Minister Xie and speaker long stared at he zhichu, unable to believe their ears.

    Qin Yaoguang was once he chengjian¡¯s remarried wife, which was also he zhichu¡¯s stepmother. Moreover, she was his savior. How could she be so ruthless? !

    ¡°... Major General he, with all due respect, may I ask if there is any real evidence in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s case?¡±Xie Beichen couldn¡¯t help sneering.

    Wasn¡¯t it because of that Gu Nianzhi?

    He felt bad for his niece, Xie qingying.

    Gu Nianzhi used to be he zhichu¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Gu Nianzhi was the main lead in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s case.

    ¡°... so the United States said that a certain high-ranking general used his power for personal gain for the sake of women. Major General He, do you know who this person is?¡±Speaker Long also spoke up for Xie Beichen.

    ¡°Why is there no real evidence?¡±He zhichu said calmly. ¡°She cooperated with Qin Baye and used a subsonic weapon to deal with me. She attempted to murder me. Isn¡¯t this called real evidence?¡±

    ¡°... but this case hasn¡¯t been tried publicly.¡±Speaker long frowned, ¡°And I heard that the Supreme Court of the military is reviewing this case. They feel that Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t have the conditions to mobilize the subsonic weapon because she was imprisoned by the military at that time. How would she have the opportunity to n this operation?¡±

    Speaker Long had the right to know the whole story regarding matters rted to thew.

    However, most of the time, he didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to every case, so he could only devote his limited energy to a few important cases.

    Every year, Speaker Long would have a copy of the cases sent to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Military Court for review.

    He wouldn¡¯t interfere with the administration of justice, but he would understand the direction of the administration of justice and the demands of the people. This way, he could be more targeted when formting thew.

    Indeed, he zhichu¡¯s case of he zhichu being injured by the infrasound weapon could not be tried publicly because there was too much confidential information involved.

    Gu Nianzhi had told Qin yaoguang about the kidnapping case eight years ago because it was rted to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background. He Zhichu did not want others to notice Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special genes, so he did not want this case to be tried publicly.

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±Speaker long shook his head, he sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t know how fast the Americans are. They¡¯ll stir up online public opinion and incite someizens who want to see the world in chaos to be online judges. They¡¯ll demand that a lot of information they don¡¯t have the authority to know be made public, and then the online trial will take ce.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t do this, it¡¯ll be a problem with our judicial system. Each and every one of us is more capable than judges,wyers, prosecutors, and police officers with real professional backgrounds.¡±Xie Beichen also pped the table and said angrily.

    Any judicial system would have a wrong judgment. This point existed in any country and had nothing to do with the system.

    However, using a wrong judgment to attack the entire social system and system would be harboring evil intentions. It was both stupid and poisonous.

    He Zhichu thought for a long time and finally said, ¡°Let¡¯s not respond first. We¡¯ll decide after we see the public¡¯s reaction.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I agree.¡±Speaker long immediately nodded. He did not want to submit to the United States, but he also did not want his country¡¯s economy to be damaged, so he was in a dilemma.

    Prime Minister Xie nodded reluctantly. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll wait another day. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs can not respond toote. It will be very passive.¡±

    After the meeting ended, it was already bright outside.

    He Zhichu had a meeting in the middle of the night and was very tired.

    He took a private car back to the he family¡¯s mansion and saw a familiar silhouette standing by the iron gate of the mansion. He was looking down at his phone.

    He Zhichu smiled and got out of the car, striding over. ¡°Nianzhi, why are you here so early?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: 1844, ¡°Not worth it.¡±.

    I hope everyone has a guaranteed monthly ticket

    Today was the second update for my moderator and group administrator, Mo Mo¡¯s birthday.

    There¡¯s a second update at 8:00 pm.

    PS: Thanks to Mo Mo for the 10,000 starting credits she gave me yesterday.

    Mwah, you big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1845 - Create Chapter Chapter is created successfully!

    <h4>Chapter 1845: Chapter 1845: The Ocean flows, revealing the true nature of a businessman</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw he zhichu. She quickly put away her phone and said with a smile, ¡°I was going to ask you this. It¡¯s so early, and you¡¯re Not Home?¡±

    She looked up at the morning glow in the sky, then raised her hand to show he zhichu her watch. ¡°Look, what time is it? Did you work overtime yesterday?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked closely at he zhichu¡¯s face. There was undisguised exhaustion on his face, and there was a hint of ckness in his eyes.

    It was obvious that he did not get enough sleep.

    He zhichu shook his head disapprovingly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m used to it. Come in, have you had breakfast?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck guiltily.¡±... Not Yet.¡±

    When she woke up in the morning, Lu Yuan and Lu Jin were still in bed. She had sneaked out.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat together.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s expression did not change, but his steps were much more steady.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue in her heart, and a meaningful smile hung on her lips.

    The two of them arrived at the He family¡¯s restaurant. He Zhichu asked the orderly in the kitchen to prepare breakfast, and ordered everything that Gu Nianzhi liked to eat.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and sat down opposite him. After he zhichu drank a cup of coffee, she asked in a low voice,¡±... young master he, have you been very busy recently?¡±

    He zhichu nced at her and casually ced his coffee cup on the table. ¡°A little, but I can handle it. What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    ¡°... well, I just wanted to ask when I can get a DNA sample fromwyer Qin Suwen. I... I... I want to take a DNA test.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was a little red as she stuttered.

    It was really rude to go to someone¡¯s home and ask for a DNA sample from their mother.

    Updates by

    However, she really couldn¡¯t help it. He Zhichu didn¡¯t reply to her text messages and had hung up after a short conversation on the phone. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare to say too much in front of Lu Yuan because she was afraid of giving herself away, so she had toe see him in person.

    In order to see her, she had even woken up early in the morning to stop him at the main entrance.

    She didn¡¯t expect he zhichu to really not be at home.

    She had thought that the guards at the gate were just giving her the runaround.

    He Zhichu lowered his eyes and picked up some food with his chopsticks. He ced it on a small white porcin te in front of Gu nianzhi and said calmly, ¡°Are you that impatient?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Who wouldn¡¯t be impatient?

    This was about her biological mother!

    Gu Nianzhi red angrily at he zhichu.

    How could he not know how anxious she was?

    Her eyes reddened as she thought about it.

    He Zhichu¡¯s gaze swept over her face. He froze for a moment, and an unknown emotion welled up in his heart.

    Hepletely lost his appetite. He put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth symbolically with a napkin. He said, ¡°This is more difficult because my father kept all of my mother¡¯s things with my mother¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°That ce is heavily guarded. It Won¡¯t be easy for me to get in. Don¡¯t worry, give me some time. I¡¯ll find a chance to go in and help you get it out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly startled.¡±... Your Mother¡¯s body? What do you mean? She¡¯s not buried?¡±

    He Zhichu looked down and said mockingly, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s not buried. She¡¯s still preserved in liquid nitrogen. Ironic, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head, her heart pounding.

    Did this mean that she could... she could have a chance to see Qin Suwen¡¯s body with her own eyes? !

    After all, this was the person most likely to be her biological mother..

    He Zhichu sat upright in his seat and looked over calmly, not ignoring the twinkling stars in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    He could see that she was very excited and self-deprecatingly curled the corners of her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. No one can see the body that was preserved in liquid nitrogen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly and said, ¡°I was just thinking. Don¡¯t overthink it, young master he.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not overthinking it.¡±He zhichu pointed at the bowl of porridge in front of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Drink this sea cucumber porridge. You haven¡¯t had a good rest these days, have you? You¡¯ve lost weight.¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her face and said narcissistically, ¡°Being thin is a good thing. I used to feel like there was a lot of flesh on my face.¡±

    The baby fat on her face hadpletely faded. The young girl¡¯s beautiful face had already grown into a flower. It was about to bloom, but it seemed like it would bloom in the next moment. The flourishing and beautiful scenery was right in front of her eyes, however, he was not the kind of person who would be able to enjoy it unscrupulously.

    He Zhichu felt his heart burn. He did not want to continue this topic, so he picked up the remote control and turned on the television in the restaurant.

    The television turned on the news channel.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw the morning news. He thought to himself that this was bad. He had forgotten about the grudge between Gu Nianzhi and Qin yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi had been chasing after Qin Suwen¡¯s DNA samples for the past few days. She had really neglected her previouswsuit.

    Gu Nianzhi heard the news and turned around in surprise. ¡°What is this? A trade war? For one person? ! Qin Yaoguang is giving us so much face? !¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the United States is dreaming. Do they really think we¡¯re Scared?¡±He Zhichu didn¡¯t think much of it and his eyes were cold.

    ¡°But Qin Yaoguang is a fake anyway. Since the Americans are so interested in her, we should just send her over.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged, he zhichuughed. ¡°You can¡¯t reason with that crazy president of the United States. He only knows one thing, and that is to ask for sky-high prices and pay back the money while sitting on the ground. The ocean really flows like a river, showing the true nature of a businessman.¡±

    ¡°No matter how fake Qin Yaoguang is, she knows about you,¡±he zhichu said lightly. ¡°If you let her out, do you still want to be on your own? Or do you want to lead the charge and say, ¡®If I don¡¯t go to Hell, who will?''¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and knew that she hade up with a bad idea. She pursed her lips in embarrassment and turned back to look at the news, she said nonsense. ¡°But the usations of the United States are quite infuriating. What do you mean by ¡®judicial corruption¡¯? ¡°What does it have to do with them whether or not our cases have been tried in public? ¡°Their courts are not allowed to be open to the public yet. Up until now, they can¡¯t broadcast or take photos of the court¡¯s situation. They can only use a sketch artist to draw out the court¡¯s situation

    ¡°Besides, not all cases can be tried in public? ¡°For example, cases involving minors, cases involving sexual assault and rape, as well as cases involving national security, as well as cases involving court martial. ording to thew, these cases can not be tried in public. It¡¯s the same overseas. Who Are you to judge us?¡±

    ¡°If you say that, people will say that you¡¯re terrible and that you¡¯re trying to clean up your own country¡¯s wrongdoings,¡±he zhichu said leisurely, his mood gradually improving.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was not bothered by Qin Suwen¡¯s DNA, he zhichu felt that he could still talk to her nicely.

    ¡°How is this terrible? Is this because someone deliberately dragged in the situation overseas?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clear eyes suddenly lit up, ¡°If we¡¯re talking about the facts, it¡¯s good that we¡¯re not talking about other countries. Who would have the time to exin it to him?¡±? He Zhichu was obviously ignorant. He was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage when he was exposed. He had forgotten that they were the ones who had started thepetition. In the end, they found out that the foreign country was worse than them. How could he not be hysterical when he was pped in the face? TSK, I can make a group of people like this on the inte all by myself without even taking a breath.¡±

    He Zhichu was amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smug look. He put his hand to his lips and chuckled. He said in a low voice, ¡°Okay, what do you think we should do about this?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers tapped lightly on the dining table. She said in a deep voice,¡±... their main goal is to say that we¡¯ve convicted Qin yaoguang without a trial, so they¡¯re not convinced. Why don¡¯t we have a public trial then?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±He Zhichu was adamant in his objection. ¡°First, the infrasound weapon case can not be made public, and second, your case can not be made public either. This involves the DNA test between you and Qin Yaoguang. Would you be willing to make your DNA public?¡±

    Of course not.

    Gu Nianzhi rested her chin on her hand and leaned on the dining table. She waspletely listless. ¡°Then what do we do? Do We just have to bite the bullet?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. Of course we have to fight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips in disapproval. She was deep in thought as her gaze fell on the photo hanging on the wall of the dining room.

    This was a photo of the He family. Of course, it was taken when Qin Suwen was still alive.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s appearance in the photo was very ordinary. It was the kind of appearance that couldn¡¯t be found in a crowd.

    Thinking back to the photo of Qin Suwen when he was a child, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger slowly rose.

    Did he think that she wouldn¡¯t be able to expose the past without a DNA test? !

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly sat up straight and asked, ¡°Young master he, Where¡¯s your father?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s sick and is recuperating in the hospital. He needs surgery today.¡±

    ¡°What surgery?¡±

    ¡°He needs a cerebrovascr surgery. He can¡¯t be stimted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grunted in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with general he? He¡¯s not feeling well...¡±

    ¡°My Father¡¯s health has actually been poor ever since my mother passed away. He¡¯s just a stubborn person. He also has some taboos against medical treatment, so he dragged it out.¡±. ¡°He can¡¯t drag it out now. He had a fight with me a few days ago, and passed out. He hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡±

    ¡°The Doctor said that if we don¡¯t do the surgery, he¡¯ll probably be half paralyzed and won¡¯t even wake up.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t say the reason, but Gu Nianzhi vaguely guessed one thing. She said shamefully,¡±... is it because of what I asked for? Young master he, your father didn¡¯t agree, did he?¡±

    She did not need he zhichu to say it out loud, but she had already guessed most of it.

    Such an intelligent girl, in this world, in his heart. They were all unique and irreceable..

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart suddenly contracted uncontrobly, and then suddenly expanded. Blood flowed through his veins twice as fast as usual, but on the surface, his expression did not change at all. Even his voice was normal.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡±He Zhichu shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this. With the support of the bigwigs above, the sky won¡¯t fall.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not the kind of person who would pretend not to know anything and just watch.

    She also had some doubts about he chengjian¡¯s condition. She did not want he zhichu¡¯s father to be in danger after he lost his mother.

    If that was the case, then it was her fault.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to take a life.

    She gritted her teeth and whispered, ¡°Master he, who will you find to perform the surgery on your father?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: 1845, ¡°The ocean flows, only then can one show one¡¯s true colors as a businessman.¡±.

    Everyone¡¯s guaranteed monthly tickets and rmendation tickets, OH ~ ~

    For my moderator and group administrator Mo Mo Mo¡¯s birthday, please send me more.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

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 Chapter 1847 - Carelessness (second request for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1847: Chapter 1847: Carelessness (second request for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Xie qingying smiled and pushed a strand of her hair to the back of her head. She said in a low voice, ¡°Thank you for your kind words. I¡¯m with young master he now.¡±

    When it came to being together, her cheeks were red and her eyes were full of tears. Women in love were always more beautiful than she used to be.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, then she let out a sigh of relief and beamed. ¡°Congrattions, cousin! Do I have to call you sister-inw from now on?¡±

    Xie qingying curved her lips and said generously, ¡°I hope you can call young cousin he brother-inw when you have the chance in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Brother-inw would be brother-inw, just like how she called Xie qingying ¡°Sister-inw.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi was very open-minded. She leaned back in the back seat and nodded. ¡°There¡¯s definitely a chance. Good luck, cousin!¡±

    Xie qingying did not think so far ahead. Her long-cherished wish had finallye true, and she no longer held any grudges against Gu Nianzhi, therefore, she told her frankly, ¡°We¡¯ve only just started, but you also know that if we really want to be together for a long time, love alone is not enough. ¡°I don¡¯t know young master he that well, and young master he doesn¡¯t know me very well either. So what happens in the future really depends on whether we get along with each other or not.¡±

    Xie qingying saw it so clearly that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help looking up to her. She nodded emotionally, she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s easy to fall in love with each other, but difficult to get along with each other. If you can get along with each other, you can grow old together. Don¡¯t you love young master he very much? So, cousin, you¡¯d better work hard!¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±Xie qingying smiled contentedly, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of You Laughing at me. In the past, the extent of my infatuation with young master he was like a small fan¡¯s infatuation with his idol. That¡¯s why he was willing to ept me. Regardless of whether he really liked me or not, I would never give up this opportunity. ¡°If you¡¯ve never chased a star before, you probably don¡¯t understand my feelings.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, why haven¡¯t I chased a star before?

    I¡¯ve chased the brightest star in the night sky..

    At that time, wasn¡¯t Huo Shao also the star that she could only dream of but could never reach?

    If Huo Shao had been willing to ept her from the start, she would have been like Xie qingying, throwing herself into the fire regardless of anything, even if she had to die.

    Updates by

    Because she was young, she still had a lot of time and love to Squander.

    If she did not work hard when she was young to pursue her love goals, would she have to wait until she was old before she could ¡°Settle down¡±?

    Moreover, Huo Shao was so good-looking and single. She felt that she couldpletely ignore his heart, as long as he was with her..

    Gu Nianzhi made a face in her heart and understood Xie Qingying¡¯s choice a lot more.

    ¡°Cousin Xie, I treat young master he like a big brother, and you¡¯re my cousin. I hope that the two of you can treat each other sincerely and spend the rest of your lives together,¡±Gu Nianzhi said sincerely.

    It wasn¡¯t impossible. wasn¡¯t Huo Shao moved by her in the end?

    The person she loved finally loved her in the same way she loved him.

    With a husband like this, what more could a woman ask for?

    Xie qingying nodded her head heavily, the corners of her eyes reddening. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely work hard. Actually, this isn¡¯t about me. It¡¯s about young master he. As long as he falls in love with me, I¡¯ll definitely spend the rest of my life with him.¡±

    She then said teasingly, ¡°Young master he is so handsome. Even if you usually argue with him, it¡¯s still more pleasing to the eye than fighting with others, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud.

    This was exactly what she was thinking. It was clear that she and Xie qingying were really rted. They were both obsessed with looks!

    ..

    After sending Gu Nianzhi back, Xie qingying took he zhichu¡¯s private car back to the he family¡¯s mansion.

    As she walked in, the orderly soldiers were very respectful and polite to her.

    Xie qingying sighed in her heart and greeted them politely. She asked, ¡°Where¡¯s young master he?¡±

    ¡°The chief has gone back to his room to rest. Miss Xie, do you want to go to the reception room for a while?¡±

    Xie qingying thought for a moment and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on young master he.¡±

    As she said that, she did not stop walking and gracefully walked into he zhichu¡¯s bedroom.

    He Zhichu¡¯s bedroom was in his suite.

    There was arge living room outside. It was bigger than the living room of an average family. The full-length windows half-covered the curtains.

    Xie qingying walked through the living room and pushed open the door to he zhichu¡¯s bedroom.

    He zhichu fell asleep facing the door. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was troubled by something in his sleep.

    Xie qingying sighed softly and walked over to sit on the single-seater sofa next to his bed. She took out her phone and browsed through it.

    The most popr news on the inte was the ¡°Huaxia White Paper on Human Rights¡±released by the United States Congress.

    Theizens were all discussing whether they should hand over Qin yaoguang to avoid retaliation from the United States.

    Xie qingying was a new media person, so she paid a lot of attention to public opinion in this area.

    She read for a while, she used her cell phone to give instructions to her employees, ¡°Direct public opinion to the aspect of not surrendering to the United States. Attack the capittorsments, but avoid personal attacks. The capittors are the best at pretending to be pitiful. If they have something on you, they will immediately change the topic.¡±

    Xie qingying was a mature entrepreneur. She would not go against money, but she would not go against he zhichu either.

    He Zhichu would definitely oppose the United States¡¯surrender. If she handed over Qin Yaoguang, she would definitely help he zhichu.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her apartment and went back to her bedroom, clueless. Shey on the pink and purple chaise longue in her bedroom and let out a long sigh.

    Her heart was in a mess. She was thinking about what she should do to convince the big shots to let her help with He Chengjian¡¯s surgery?

    She also thought that it might not be a major surgery. Other doctors could do it too. She didn¡¯t have to do it herself.

    Gu Nianzhi fell asleep while her mind wandered.

    ..

    He zhichu woke up at 9:30 in the morning.

    The bedroom was very quiet. The thick curtains not only blocked out the light, but also blocked out the noise outside.

    Of course, the He family mansion was quiet in the midst of all the noise. There was no way to hear the noise of the traffic on the road in the distance.

    In the slightly dim light, the first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Xie Qingying¡¯s side profile with her head lowered.

    He stared at her straight and beautiful nose bridge for a while before sitting up from the bed. ¡°Qingying, you¡¯re back.¡±

    Xie qingying looked up and averted her gaze from her phone. She smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re back. Have you slept well? Do you want to sleep for a while more?¡±

    He zhichu rubbed his forehead. ¡°No need. My father is about to undergo surgery. I have to rush to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°I can help you go to the hospital to take care of him. You should sleep for a while more.¡±Xie qingying looked at he zhichu carefully. Although he had slept for a while, his face had turned even paler.

    ¡°I¡¯m Not Sleepy.¡±He zhichu lifted the nket and got out of bed. He went to the bathroom to wash up.

    ..

    At 9:45, he zhichu and Xie qingying arrived at the military general hospital in his private car.

    He Chengjian¡¯s ward was in the special VIP ward on the highest floor of the hospital building.

    When he zhichu arrived, there were already several personal secretary waiting there.

    ¡°Young master he.¡±

    ¡°Chief.¡±

    They greeted him one by one.

    He zhichu shook hands with them one by one.

    Among these people, there was his personal secretary, he chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, and the personal secretary of the standingmittee members of the military. They were all waiting for news.

    The corridor on this floor was tightly sealed, and outsiders were not allowed to enter.

    When the nurses came to prepare for the surgery, they had to go through strict security checks.

    Every doctor and nurse who coulde here had to go through the highest level of political review.

    He Zhichu and Xie Qingying sat on the bench in front of the ward and watched the nurses and doctorse in and out.

    Soon, the red light in front of the operating theater lit up, showing the words ¡°During the surgery.¡±.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart also lit up with the red light, and he started to feel uneasy.

    The operating area was abnormally quiet. It was actually the normal state of the operation, but he zhichu¡¯s eyelids began to twitch unconsciously.

    He endured for a while and asked Xie qingying beside him in a low voice, ¡°Is it the left eye twitching, or is there a Twitch?¡±

    Xie qingying was slightly startled, and then she smiled. ¡°Young master he, you also believe in this? Isn¡¯t it too superstitious?¡±

    He zhichu smiled bitterly as he rubbed his eyelids. ¡°I hope it¡¯s superstition.¡±

    ..

    In the operating theater, an attending physician was performing a gamma knife surgery in front of aputer.

    Although the gamma knife was called a ¡°Knife,¡±it was actually not a real scalpel. Instead, it was used to radiate arge amount of gamma rays from the radioactive element cobalt-60 to the lesion, thus achieving the effect of treatment.

    He Chengjian¡¯s condition was in his brain. Other than themon coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and brain obstruction in the elderly, there was also a small tumor in his brain that was pressing on the blood vessels.

    He was now more and more prone to fainting because this tumor was growingrger andrger, and the pressure on the blood vessels in his brain was also growingrger andrger.

    However, this tumor was not a malignant tumor, but a benign one.

    In theory, as long as the tumor was removed with a gamma knife, it could be cured.

    However, this was only a theory. To truly remove the tumor and not hurt the important blood vessels next to it, one needed to have a very precise location.

    If one missed by even a hair, it would be a thousand miles away. The uracy of the location could be clearly described.

    A few doctors who were sitting in front of the color disy screen watched the progress of the surgery nervously. Dense beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

    Because of a moment of carelessness, he chengjian would probably die in the operating theater on the spot.

    With his status, he could not afford to make any mistakes.

    The attending doctor stared at the progress of the surgery on the color disy screen. He did not even dare to blink his eyes.

    An hour passed. His eyes were bloodshot. His heart was beating faster and faster. He could even hear the sound of blood gurgling in his eardrums.

    Gradually, his vision became more and more blurry. He could barely see the screen in front of him.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±He muttered. He subconsciously reached out his hand to touch the screen, but because he could not see, he could not control his strength properly. With a bang, he pushed the device in front of him away.

    Although it was only a small movement, it had a huge impact on the device.

    He Chengjian¡¯s side suddenly emitted an ear-piercing rm.

    The doctors and nurses in the ward turned pale with fright.

    When the attending doctor, who was blurry in front of him, heard the rm, he secretly thought that it was bad. There was still an ident..

    His vision went dark, and he fell to the ground.

    The ward immediately became a mess.

    A few backup doctors quickly rushed forward and gave emergency treatment to he chengjian.

    However, he chengjian was injured by important blood vessels in the brain, a rapid rise in cranial pressure, blood from the blood vessels spread out, the color disy screen on an overwhelming red..

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: 1847¡åCarelessness¡±.

    Please give me your guaranteed monthly ticket

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1848 - detection (first request for a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1848: Chapter 1848 detection (first request for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The red light outside the operating theater suddenly shed violently. The rm sounded with a sizzling sound, almost tearing everyone¡¯s eardrums.

    Many people could not help but cover their ears. They looked at the dazzling red light outside the operating theater in horror.

    He Zhichu stood up abruptly and rushed to the door of the operating theater. He banged on the door and shouted, ¡°What happened? ! Speak to the people inside!¡±

    In the operating theater, a few backup doctors were helpless as they looked at the images on the color disy screen and the data transmitted from the equipment. Large beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

    ¡°What should we do? The blood vessels are already broken.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the gamma rays. The concentration is a hundred times higher than the safe range...¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and make a decision! The patient can¡¯t be exposed to such a high concentration of gamma rays for too long!¡±

    A few doctors discussed the surgical n in low voices. Their voices were slightly trembling.

    Although they were wearing white masks that covered their entire faces, everyone could see the fear and unease in their eyes.

    The pressure on them to treat a big shot was extraordinary.

    If something went wrong, they might go to jail..

    The few of them discussed for three minutes. When they saw that he chengjian¡¯s intracranial bleeding had reached the warning line, they braced themselves and walked to the door to open it.

    He Zhichu did not know how he passed these three minutes.

    In his mind, he recalled his father¡¯s care and concern for him all these years. The remorse and guilt in his heart reached its peak at this moment.

    He really regretted arguing with his father.

    His father, who had stood tall and strong behind him to support him, was already old and sick. He had be a frail old man.

    He was really unfilial.

    He Zhichu ced his head on the door of the operating theater. His eyes were red, but there was not a single tear.

    Xie qingying¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She walked over to stand beside him and held his arm to apany him.

    Three minutester, the door to the operating theater opened. He Zhichu rushed over and grabbed the throat of the doctor who was walking at the front. He squeezed out a curse through the gaps of his teeth. ¡°What the hell are you doing in the operating theater? ! Are you waiting to give birth? !¡±

    The doctor was almost suffocated by He Zhichu¡¯s grip. He used his hand to pry he zhichu¡¯s hand. Half of his mask was pulled off, revealing his flushed face.

    Xie qingying was pushed so hard that she staggered and almost fell to the ground.

    However, when she saw he zhichu grab the doctor¡¯s neck as if he had lost his mind, she quickly rushed forward and shouted, ¡°Young master he! The most important thing now is to save General He!¡±

    He Zhichu snapped back to his senses and snorted coldly. He released his grip and threw the doctor to the ground. He frowned and stared at the doctors behind him as he shouted, ¡°What happened? ! What are you all dawdling for? !¡±

    The doctor behind him was so scared that he immediately said, ¡°Chief, general he... General he¡¯s surgery has malfunctioned. The Gamma Knife is a little off, and the cerebral blood vessels... have ruptured.¡±

    When he zhichu heard this, his vision went dark and he almost did not faint.

    He leaned against the wall and stood firm. He clenched his fists tightly in his hands and resisted the urge to rush up and beat him up, he said word by word, ¡°Then stop the bleeding! What are you all doing? ! Are you waiting for orders from the higher-ups? ! You¡¯re doctors! Don¡¯t you have any professionalism? !¡±

    The doctors¡¯faces turned ashen from he zhichu¡¯s scolding. They were already tens of years old. They stood in a row in front of him in shame and said,¡±... Chief, we are indeed not professional enough in this area. We don¡¯t dare to perform such an urate surgery.¡±

    He zhichu nced at them and suddenly realized that there was one less doctor. It was he chengjian¡¯s attending physician this time. He narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the attending physician? where is he? !¡±

    ¡°... he fainted. That¡¯s why the surgery went wrong,¡±one of the doctors said in a low voice. He could not care less about his colleagues¡¯re.

    What he said was the truth. If the attending physician had not fainted and touched the instrument, how could the surgery go wrong? !

    They had performed many Gamma knife surgeries. Even if they were not the top people in the country, they were still the top ten doctors.

    However, he chengjian¡¯s current situation was not something that could be solved with a gamma knife surgery.

    ¡°Then who can perform this surgery? ! Who can stop my father¡¯s bleeding? !¡±He Zhichu roared angrily and punched the wall next to the operating theater, causing the back of his hand to bleed.

    Xie qingying¡¯s heart ached terribly. She quickly ordered the orderly to bring the temporary medical kit over and carefully bandaged the back of He Zhichu¡¯s hand.

    A doctor looked at his colleague beside him and suddenly mustered up his courage, he said to he zhichu, ¡°Now that things havee to this, we can only let Doctor Qin Yaoguang personally perform the surgery on general he. ¡°Doctor Qin Yaoguang is a famous brain surgeon in the entire world. Only she has a 90% chance ofpleting this surgery.¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly looked over and his gaze swept across his face like ice thorns. ¡°Qin Yaoguang? Is there no one else in this country? ! Only Qin Yaoguang can perform this kind of surgery? What benefits did you receive from the Qin family? !¡±

    ¡°No, no!¡±The doctor panicked.

    He did not directly receive benefits from the Qin family, but the Qin family¡¯s private hospital was second only to public hospitals in the country.

    Although they were military doctors, there was still a day when they would transfer to a local medical officer.

    And he was about to transfer to a local medical officer. He really wanted to enter the Qin family¡¯s private hospital¡¯s general hospital.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t need the Qin family to bribe him. He would speak up for the Qin family and fight for Qin Yaoguang¡¯s chance.

    Besides, Qin Yaoguang was indeed capable. After so many years, they had witnessed it for themselves.

    This doctor straightened his neck and said, ¡°Chief, you are killing me by saying this. I didn¡¯t take any benefits from the Qin family, but you can¡¯t avoid treating general he just because you have a personal grudge with the Qin family. You Can¡¯t stop general he from getting the treatment he deserves!¡±

    He zhichu smiled coldly and pointed his finger at the doctor, ¡°Very good, now it¡¯s my responsibility. It¡¯s clearly your ipetence and malfeasance! In the end, it¡¯s the patient¡¯s family that¡¯s unwilling to give the patient effective treatment. Very Good, you¡¯re so capable, why are you still a doctor? ¡ª Get Out!¡±

    The Doctor was so angry at he zhichu that he couldn¡¯t speak. However, he zhichu¡¯s words were watertight. If he wanted to argue forcefully, how could he argue against he zhichu, who was once a barrister?

    The other doctors quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Chief, don¡¯t be anxious. He was just giving a kind suggestion. In fact, Qin Yaoguang was not the best candidate. If nothing had happened to Mr. Gu Xiangwen back then, he would have been the best person to perform brain surgery. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Mr. Gu Xiangwen is no longer alive. We can only look for Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyelids twitched. ¡°Who are you talking about? !¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen... it¡¯s a pity that he¡¯s already dead...¡±the doctor shook his head once again, ¡°Actually, we¡¯ve been doctors for so many years. Even if our abilities aren¡¯t good enough, we still have the foresight. ¡°It¡¯s obvious who has the ability, who doesn¡¯t, who has the ability, and who has the ability. ¡°Doctor Qin Yaoguang indeed has some skills, but her skills aren¡¯t good enough in front of Mr. Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! More than ten years ago, we saw Mr. Gu Xiangwen demonstrate a brain surgery. It can only be said to be a perfect textbook temte. We still use it as a teaching video.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s ambition is not in medicine, but in high-energy physics.¡±

    ¡°... stop talking. Everyone knows what Gu Xiangwen has done. He is a wanted criminal!¡±

    The Doctor Who Rmended Qin yaoguang earlier growled angrily out of embarrassment. He did not want to hear everyone say good things about Gu Xiangwen.

    The other doctors saw that he did not know what was good for him. They had clearly helped him out, but he had refuted everyone¡¯s opinions. He was really shameless.

    Therefore, the other doctors stopped talking.

    He Zhichu thought for a while and suddenly said, ¡°You guys should go back and check on my father¡¯s condition. I¡¯m going to make a call.¡±

    He asked them again, ¡°How much longer can you hold on?¡±

    A doctor said, ¡°At most an hour. After an hour, even if Gu Xiangwen resurrects, he probably won¡¯t be able to save him.¡±

    He zhichu pursed his lips and nodded. ¡°You guys go in first. You, stay here.¡±

    He zhichu left the Doctor Who Rmended Qin yaoguang behind and ordered his orderly, ¡°Keep him under guard. Remember not to let anyone get close to him. If anything happens to him, you will be the one to answer!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    ¡°Why are you keeping watch over me? What have I Done? ! Can¡¯t you say a word? ! Are you trying to set up a ¡®word prison¡¯? !¡±

    Of course, the Doctor did not want to be kept under guard. He mored and refused to leave with the orderly.

    The orderly did not try to reason with him. He took out a piece of tape to seal his mouth and took him away.

    He zhichu walked to the corridor at the side, took out his phone, and called Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was still asleep when she heard the phone ring. She reached over to open the phone and answered it. She said ¡°Hello¡±sleepily.

    He zhichuposed himself and said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, there was a big problem with my father¡¯s surgery. His brain was bleeding, and he had been exposed to gamma rays for too long.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and sat up straight. ¡°What should we do? !¡±

    The thing she was most worried about had happened, but there was nothing she could do!

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, can you do me a favor?¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°No problem, as long as I Can Help!¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯d like to invite the Doctor Who operated on your gunshot wound in H city to operate on my father. I know you know that person, and I know where he is.¡±He Zhichu looked at his watch, ¡°My father still has an hour. In an hour, even if your father, Gu Xiangwen,es back to life, he won¡¯t be able to save him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart instantly pounded.

    What did he zhichu mean?

    Did he notice something? !

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: 1848¡åNotice.¡±.

    Everyone¡¯s guaranteed monthly tickets and rmendation tickets ~ ~

    It was the third update of the day.

    The second update of the afternoon was for ¡°EMEM1313¡åto be promoted to president in April.

    Third Watch, 8:00 pm.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1849 - important personâ€™s visit (second update EMEM1313 President +)

    <h4>Chapter 1849: Chapter 1849 important person¡¯s visit (second update EMEM1313 President +)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face gradually lost its color and turned snow-white. It was as translucent as ice and jade.

    She held her phone and her mind was in a mess. She did not know how to respond.

    He zhichu then said slowly, ¡°I swear to you with my life that I will never pursue that person¡¯s identity, nor will I try to find out where he is. I am only asking you as a son who is worried about his father¡¯s life, to do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°... for the sake of my mother, Qin Suwen, do me a favor.¡±

    After he zhichu finished speaking, he waited quietly for a while before Gu Nianzhi finally spoke with difficulty, ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t say that. I will look for that person¡¯s contact information. However, I can not guarantee...¡±.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I only have an hour. If you¡¯re willing to look for him, I¡¯ll be grateful to you. If you¡¯re not willing, I won¡¯t force you. This isn¡¯t your fault, it¡¯s a coincidence,¡±he zhichu said again.

    If Gu Nianzhi and the people behind her refused to help, he zhichu wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge against her. All of this would be on Qin Yaoguang and the Qin family.

    The Qin family¡¯s private hospital should not exist!

    He zhichu hung up the phone and leaned against the wall in the corridor, silently waiting for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reply.

    Gu Nianzhi put down the phone and was stunned for a second. She rushed out of the bedroom and came to the door of her little study.

    Lu Jin was concentrating on programming in front of theputer. Seeing his tall and slender back, Gu Nianzhi choked.

    She reached out and gently knocked on the door. ¡°Dad.¡±

    Lu Jin turned around. ¡°Nianzhi? What¡¯s wrong? Come in,e in.¡±

    He turned around from theputer and smiled at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to him and suddenly knelt on one knee in front of him. She rested her head on his knee and said longingly, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re still alive.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and reached out to rub her head. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s great too. But if it weren¡¯t for Boss Lu, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to see your weak, helpless, and pitiful old father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Weak, pitiful, and helpless?

    Exo?

    How could Lu Jin have the nerve to say something like that!

    Lu Jin (Gu Xiangwen) was a two-time Nobelureate who could single-handedly solve the maic resonance of two worlds, develop a ¡°Perfect gene¡±, and had a deep reputation. He was as strong as an army! He actually said that he was weak, pitiful, and helpless? !

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotions werepletely gone. She stood up expressionlessly and said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t surf the inte too much. Is it interesting for you to learn so much online emojinguage?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s very interesting.¡±Lu Jin took off his sses and wiped them, he said seriously, ¡°Emojinguage is concise andprehensive, but it also has a profound meaning. Ordinary people can understand it. It has the most powerful feature ofnguage, which is that it is easy to understand and is widely spread. It is very lively.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to hear about the study of folklore rted tonguage.

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand and said in one breath, ¡°Dad, general he chengjian¡¯s brain gamma knife surgery just failed. He¡¯s bleeding inside his head and his condition is very serious.¡±

    Lu Jin sneered. ¡°Then he¡¯s really unlucky. I think they¡¯ll have to ask his ex-wife, Qin yaoguang, to help him save his life, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little surprised. If that was the case, it was no wonder he zhichu would rather beg her to ask Lu Jin for help than Qin Yaoguang.

    She was nomittal and asked directly, ¡°Dad, do you want to help him?¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°Why would I want to help him? When he wanted to arrest me, he didn¡¯t think of sparing me!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you deserved it? But I can see that you still have a lot of grievances. If you really deserved it, shouldn¡¯t you think of a way to atone for your sins?¡±

    Lu Jin stared at Gu Nianzhi with his mouth agape.

    His daughter was too smart, and also mentally tired..

    This smart-mouthed girl was definitely not like him, she must be like her mother..

    Lu Jin was a little dazed when he thought of the woman who was also eloquent and intelligent.

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to bend down in front of him again and said, ¡°Dad, just do me a favor. I¡¯ll return your favor in the future.¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and pinched her little face. ¡°Look at how capable you are. It¡¯s he zhichu who¡¯s causing trouble for you, isn¡¯t it? Did he recognize me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She denied it. ¡°No, why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°... No? Ha...¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes disapprovingly. ¡°Besides me, who else has the ability to save you from such a serious gunshot wound?¡±

    ¡°Besides me, who else can expose the rtionship between the Luo Le family and the Qin family?¡±

    ¡°Other than me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a headache listening to this. She quickly made a ¡°Pause¡±gesture to stop lu Jin from ¡°Boasting¡±.

    ¡°Stop, stop. I know you¡¯re very capable, so just give me one thing. Are you going or not? There¡¯s only one hour anyway. It¡¯s already been ten minutes.¡±Gu nianzhi stretched out her wrist, she showed Lu Jin her watch. ¡°Look, there¡¯s still fifty minutes left.¡±

    ¡°After 50 minutes, you won¡¯t be able to save him even if you want to.¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious? He¡¯s actually going to die soon?¡±Lu Jin became serious. ¡°It¡¯s just a gamma knife surgery. have those people¡¯s brains been degraded by too much gamma radiation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    It seemed that the person who had been exposed to gamma knife radiation was he chengjian.

    Lu Jin stood up from his seat and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and modify it. You cane with meter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was both happy and worried. ¡°Dad, are you really going? But what if general he finds out about you?¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t find out about me.¡±Lu Jin was very confident. ¡°I¡¯ll give him a full-depth anesthetic. He Won¡¯t wake up until five dayster.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ..

    Lu Jin quickly returned to his room and smeared some special materials on his face. Soon, his appearance hadpletely changed, and even the equipment couldn¡¯t detect that he had changed his appearance.

    This was because the materials he had modified were all grown using bioengineering, and were a perfect match for his own DNA.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly called he zhichu. ¡°Young master he, prepare the surgical equipment. Don¡¯t let anyone else in the operating room, and don¡¯t record anything. Turn off all the surveince cameras. I¡¯ll go in and help him.¡±

    He zhichu heaved a sigh of relief.

    Not only was his forehead covered in sweat, but his back was also drenched.

    Gu Nianzhi finally agreed. He zhichu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to set up the equipment right away, but I need to go in and help.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he was worried, but he chengjian¡¯s security level was too high. There should be surveince cameras when he performed the surgery.

    If he wanted to turn off the surveince camera, he needed someone he could trust inside to keep an eye on him the entire time.

    Who better to keep an eye on him than he chengjian¡¯s biological son, he zhichu?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask further. He Zhichu already knew what was going on, so she didn¡¯t say anything more. She nodded. ¡°Send someone to wait at the entrance of Friendship Mall on the Third Ring Road. We¡¯ll meet up there.¡±

    He zhichu would then send a police car to clear a path for them.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her call and came out to see aplete stranger standing in front of her with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She looked at him for a long time before asking tentatively,¡±... Dad?¡±

    The manughed loudly, and even his voice changed.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head in amazement.

    Lu Yuan walked over and asked worriedly, ¡°Is there no danger? How did Young Master he know?¡±

    Gu nianzhi said embarrassedly, ¡°It was me who implicated dad. Otherwise, young master he wouldn¡¯t have found out.¡±

    She told him about the surgery.

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°It has nothing to do with you. He Zhichu is quite smart.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to go with them, because once he did, Lu Jin would bepletely exposed.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s analysis suggested that he zhichu might have guessed that Gu Xiangwen was still alive, but he had yet to connect Lu Jin to Gu Xiangwen.

    Perhaps he zhichu would connect the two of them in the future, but not now.

    They were not ready yet.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and the modified Lu Jin arrived at Youyi Mall. A shiny ck rolls-royce phantom, two police cars, and a police motorcycle were already waiting there.

    The person driving the rolls-royce phantom was he zhichu¡¯s driver.

    Gu Nianzhi greeted him and led Lu Jin into the car.

    The police car in front cleared the way, and a police car was escorting Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi to the military general hospital.

    All the cars gave way along the way, and no one knew which big shot hade to visit.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day, for ¡°EMEM1313¡åpro-april promotion to leader and more: the 1849th ¡°Big shot came to visit¡±.

    I hope you have a guaranteed monthly ticket, and a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the third watch today.

    There¡¯s the third watch at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Mwah, big shot and Little Angel ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1850 - slipped away (Chapter 3 requested a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1850: Chapter 1850 slipped away (Chapter 3 requested a monthly pass)</h4>

    Because of the urgency of the situation, the entire imperial capital gave the green light to this matter.

    It only took ten minutes to transport Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi from the third ring road¡¯s Youshang City Gate to the Military General Hospital.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin¡¯s car drove all the way in and stopped in front of a building inside the military general hospital.

    He chengjian was undergoing surgery on the highest floor of the building.

    He zhichu anxiously came out of the building to wee Gu Nianzhi.

    He saw a tall and thin man standing next to Gu Nianzhi. Although he did not look impressive, he had an air of arrogance about him.

    It must be the ¡°Mysterious person¡±who had saved Gu Nianzhi. He was gradually matching up with the person in his memory, even though they lookedpletely different.

    However, for someone like he zhichu, looks were never an important feature in determining a person¡¯s true identity.

    He reached out his hand. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m he zhichu. Thank you for taking the time toe here and help my father with the surgery.¡±

    Lu Jin did not shake his hand. He frowned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so obtuse. Hurry up and save him!¡±

    He Zhichu was not angry at all at his rudeness. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°This way, please. My father is on the top floor.¡±

    Xie qingying hurried out of the building and saw he zhichu respectfully inviting a tall and skinny man in.

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside the man with a nervous look on her face.

    Xie qingying hurried over and nodded at Gu Nianzhi and the man. ¡°Hello, both of you. Uncle he is upstairs. He and I can take you upstairs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to say thank you when Lu Jin rolled his eyes at Xie qingying. ¡°The elevator is too crowded. Don¡¯t follow us if it¡¯s not rted to you.¡±

    He then mumbled,¡±... I can¡¯t stand to see some people pretending to be generous. Are you close to them? The He family¡¯s mistress is not someone that just anyone can be.¡±

    His voice was not soft at all, and he did not try to hide it. Everyone knew who he was referring to.

    Xie qingying¡¯s face instantly turned red.

    Gu Nianzhi coughed lightly and smiled as she pulled Xie qingying into the elevator. ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t be angry. This gentleman has a bad temper and is very arrogant. I¡¯m used to him speaking in such a strange manner.¡±

    She winked at Xie qingying.

    Xie qingying took the opportunity to walk down the stairs. ¡°Is that so? Capable people always have their own personalities, because they have the right to be arrogant.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, cousin.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled widely. She pulled Xie qingying along and stood at the corner of the elevator, leaving most of the floor to Lu Jin and he zhichu.

    As the elevator rose, he zhichu had already told Lu Jin everything that had happened in a few words. He asked again, ¡°What¡¯s your surname, sir? How should I address you?¡±

    Lu Jin waved his hand and said impatiently, ¡°I¡¯m here to save your father¡¯s life, not to introduce myself.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead. She had no choice but to help Lu Jin smooth things over and change the topic. ¡°Young master he, are you going to hold the attending doctor ountable for the sudden fainting that caused the surgery to fail?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to hold him ountable. I¡¯ve already sent people to investigate who these doctors have met and what they have done in the past few days to see if there are any clues.¡±

    Although there was a strict political review before the surgery, it was to examine the families and history of these people. They had indeed been negligent in the recent situation.

    Soon, the elevator door opened and they arrived at the top floor.

    Lu Jin and he zhichu walked out of the elevator first, followed by Gu Nianzhi and Xie qingying.

    Lu Jin turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Follow me to prepare for the surgery. Remember to disinfect and change your clothes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    He zhichu gave a few instructions to his personal secretary outside. He also went in to disinfect and change his scrubs before entering the operating theater.

    ..

    In the snow-white, snow-white operating theater, Lu Jin was wearing arge green mask and a whiteb coat. He stood expressionlessly under the shadowlessmp and looked at he chengjian, who was lying on the hospital bed.

    It had only been more than ten days since he hadst seen this man on television. He looked much more haggard now,pletely different from the lively figure he remembered.

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and stretched out his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get the surgery ready. Let¡¯s anesthetize the patient first.¡±

    Lu Jin did not want anyone else in the operating room, so he had to do the whole procedure alone. Gu Nianzhi and he zhichu only watched from the sidelines.

    Gu Nianzhi also had an extra function to hand Lu Jin the surgical equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly brought Lu Jin the anesthesia tray that had already been marked on the side. All kinds of anesthetic injections had been prepared inside.

    He Zhichu helped her hang the drip bottle on the side of the drip.

    Lu Jin picked up a very thick needle and started to inject the anesthetic into Lu Jin¡¯s body, inserting a deep vein.

    This was what the anesthetist was supposed to do, but Lu Jin had taken care of all of them.

    After the anesthetic, while waiting for the anesthetic to take effect, Lu Jin used a machine to shave off all of He Chengjian¡¯s hair. Then, he drew a line on he chengjian¡¯s head and put it on a headstand to stabilize his brain.

    Next, he had to operate the machine to open the skull.

    The human skull was very hard, and the risk of craniotomy was very high. A moment of carelessness could easily cause all kinds of side effects, such as aphasia, memory loss, blindness, hemiplegia, sensory disorders, mental disorders, and so on, in severe cases, it could even lead to death.

    Therefore, unless it was absolutely necessary, the hospital would usually not carry out a craniotomy.

    However, with he chengjian¡¯s current situation, he had no choice but to open up his skull.

    He Zhichu watched Lu Jin¡¯s surgery from the side, holding his breath.

    Although he already knew who this person was and knew that he was a genius, after seeing his surgery, he knew that the word ¡°Genius¡±was unable to describe this person¡¯s ability.

    Although he was not a specialist and had probably not been able to perform many surgeries over the years, when he stood in front of the operating table, his abilities and abilities had all returned.

    All the skills were in his mind. No matter what his current identity was, and no matter how many things they had taken away from him, they were unable to take away the knowledge in his mind.

    Lu Jin used a machine to open a triangr skull above he chengjian¡¯s head. Then, he began to clear the blood clots in his brain and remove the embolism in he chengjian¡¯s severely blocked blood vessels, he even used a very delicate method to repair the broken blood vessels.

    Lu Jin did not use the artificial blood vessels that weremonly used to repair the blood vessels in the brain. Instead, he used a method that he had developed himself to let the patient¡¯s blood vessels heal automatically. This way, there would not be any rejection after the surgery.

    Performing a brain surgery was indeed a surgery that required the highest level of precision.

    Qin Yaoguang had a long reputation in this area because she had a pair of very nimble hands. The side effects of the brain surgery that she performed were very small, almost negligible, and her recovery was very good.

    However, in Lu Jin¡¯s case, it was not that the side effects were very small, but that there were no side effects at all.

    He Zhichu saw every step of his surgery, and the more he looked at him, the more he admired him.

    An hourter, Lu Jin sutured he chengjian¡¯s skull and said to he zhichu, ¡°When do you want your father to return to normal?¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    How could he ask for this?

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, she said proudly, ¡°What this gentleman means is that he can control the patient¡¯s recovery. ¡°If you want your father to recover in three days, then he will recover in three days. If he recovers in half a month, then he will recover in half a month. There won¡¯t be any side effects.¡±

    He zhichu nced at her, pursed his lips, and said in a low voice, ¡°I hope he can recover in half a month.¡±

    He Zhichu had too many things to do recently, so he didn¡¯t want he chengjian to worry too much.

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes again. ¡°He only recovered in half a month? You¡¯re underestimating my methods. Five days. After five days, when he wakes up from the anesthesia, he will definitely be fine.¡±

    ¡°Really? ! He¡¯ll be fine? !¡±He Zhichu was so shocked that he lost hisposure. ¡°But besides the benign tumor in his brain, my father also has...¡±

    ¡°Coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and cerebral obstruction.¡±Lu Jin had already gone to wash his hands, he said casually, ¡°High blood pressure and coronary heart disease can not be cured in a short period of time, but the cerebral obstruction ispletely gone. Also, his benign tumor has been removed, but his brain cells have been exposed to gamma rays for a long time. You¡¯d better do post-operation observation and care to ensure that there are no cancerous cells.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression changed and he immediately said, ¡°Okay, can you write down a detailed medical order?¡±

    Lu Jin pointed at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°You do it. I¡¯ll talk. You type and use theputer to record it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood. She wore transparent stic gloves and found aputer. She began to input lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Medical Order.¡±.

    Soon, the medical order was finished typing. She saved and printed a copy and handed it to he zhichu. He Zhichu felt relieved and bowed 90 degrees to Lu Jin, ¡°Thank you for saving my father. If there¡¯s anything you need help with, just let me know.¡±

    Lu Jin said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you and your father don¡¯t cause trouble for me. I don¡¯t need your help with anything.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious. How could he say that? !

    She was so close to writing the words ¡°I¡¯m Gu Xiangwen¡±on her forehead.

    He zhichu smiled and said, ¡°I know. I¡¯m not the type to repay kindness with enmity.¡±

    Lu Jin realized that he had let the cat out of the bag. He threw away the towel and quickly slipped away.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third watch of the day: the 1850th ¡°Slipped away¡±.

    Please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    It was the third watch of the day.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1851 - Chapter 1851â€™s Most Admired Person -LRB-number one recommendation ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1851: Chapter 1851¡¯s Most Admired Person -LRB-number one rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely embarrassed. If there was a crack in the floor, she would have gone straight into it.

    He Zhichu watched the Doctor leave with his hands behind his back. He nced at Gu Nianzhi and couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your... Friend is quite interesting.¡±

    Gu nianzhiughed dryly. ¡°Young master he, you have to remember what you told me.¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember. I owe you for this.¡±He Zhichu removed his mask. ¡°The surgery should have been a sess. I¡¯ll call the doctors in to clean up the mess.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then you can turn on your surveince camera. Aren¡¯t you going to watch from the side?¡±

    He Zhichu hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. ¡°I do have to watch from the side.¡±

    He then said in a low voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that even the military hospital would be infiltrated by the Qin¡¯s private hospital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed, ¡°It can¡¯t be said to be infiltration. They are a system, a medical system. A military doctor can¡¯t be a medical officer for the rest of his life. He has to find a way out for himself. It¡¯s only the state¡¯s fault for allowing the hospital to be privately owned. It¡¯s really... sigh...¡±

    He Zhichu put on his mask again and said coldly, ¡°The state has already reconsidered this matter. No matter what, there must be something wrong with the Qin private hospital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything else. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    She hurriedly followed Lu Jin¡¯s footsteps and walked out.

    When she reached the door, she saw Xie qingying looking at the operating room with concern. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi hade out, Xie qingying quickly went up to ask, ¡°Nianzhi, how¡¯s general he¡¯s condition?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew immediately that Lu Jin hadn¡¯t paid any attention to Xie qingying. Otherwise, if Lu Jin had left first, Xie qingying wouldn¡¯t have had to ask her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind and nced at the operating room. ¡°The operation was a sess. General he is still recovering. The doctors still have to go in and record his data before they transfer him to the rehabilitation ward.¡±

    Xie qingying sighed. She put her palms together and muttered to the heavens, ¡°God bless!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just walked over when she heard that. She turned to look at Xie qingying. ¡°Cousin Xie still believes in God?¡±

    Xie qingying retracted her hand and smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe in it at first, but this time, it¡¯s better to believe in it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Lu Jin had already entered the elevator and was impatiently waiting for her. She nodded at Xie qingying. ¡°Yes, that makes sense, but I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    She ran a few steps, entered the elevator, and went down with Lu Jin.

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary was also in the elevator. He was the person who had picked them up at the entrance of Youyi Mall. The person walked Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin back to the entrance of youyi mall and said, ¡°Are you two still getting off here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and thanked him. ¡°Yes, I still have to go buy some things. You can go back first.¡±

    The man opened the car door for them and watched the two of them enter the mall before driving away.

    As soon as he left, a few inclothes men followed Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin into the mall.

    Lu Jin had already taken off his doctor¡¯s Scrubs and was only wearing a pair of sunsses. He was wearing a casual striped shirt, khakis, and a pair of white sneakers from Under Armour. He strolled leisurely through the mall.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin parted ways at the stairwell of the mall.

    She went to the women¡¯s and jewelry stores on the second floor, while Lu Jin went to the electronics and bookstores on the first floor.

    The people following them had to split into two groups and follow Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin respectively.

    However, they soon realized that there were too many people in the mall. Their positioning was no longer useful.

    Gu Nianzhi and the mysterious doctor disappeared into the bustling crowd of the mall. They could no longer be found.

    The people had no choice but to scatter to the exits.

    At the other exit of the mall, Lu Jin had already changed his appearance. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed sses and a suit.

    He deliberately brushed past a man in in clothes who had been following him. The man did not realize that his target had just walked past him.

    Lu Jin calmly got into Lu Yuan¡¯s car that hade to pick him up. He smiled and said, ¡°These people are too useless. They can¡¯t bepared to you, Boss Lu.¡±

    Lu Yuan snorted. ¡°They¡¯re not bad. If it wasn¡¯t for meing to pick you up, you would have already been discovered by them.¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and said unwillingly, ¡°Tsk, I didn¡¯t expect he zhichu to have this trick!¡±

    ¡°No, they are not from the he family.¡±Lu Yuan shook his head, ¡°They are the subordinates of the other big shots in the military. They should not have any ill intentions. They are just worried about he chengjian¡¯s condition, so they want to know your whereabouts and identity.¡±

    ¡°They still need to worry about my surgery?¡±Lu Jin scoffed. ¡°What a Worrywart!¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t know it¡¯s you, Gu Xiangwen.¡±Lu Yuan nced at Lu Jin who was sitting in the back row from the rearview mirror and smiled with narrowed eyes, ¡°If you reveal your true identity to them, they won¡¯t take photos of you and will only treat you as a guest.¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°Guest? More like a prisoner.¡±

    ¡°You know yourself well...¡±Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°You know yourself very well.¡±

    Lu Jin was about to say something when he saw Lu Yuan drive around and stop in the parking lot of another shopping mall across the street.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Gu Nianzhi to open the car door and get in. She sighed and said, ¡°Young master he is so unscrupulous. He actually sent people to follow us!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not from the He family.¡±Lu Yuan patted the steering wheel and stepped on the gas pedal, ¡°I just told your father that they were the subordinates of a few big shots in the military. I think it¡¯s because of the surgery. ¡°The shopping mall even talks about after-sales service. You guys did such a big surgery and left with a wave. If something goes wrong, who are they going to look for?¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°OH.¡±¡±Oh, so that¡¯s how it is. You¡¯ve made too many mistakes.¡±

    She had been quite angry and had even nned to ignore he zhichu. Now that she heard what Lu Yuan said, she finally understood.

    However, she asked curiously, ¡°But, director Lu, how do you know so much?¡±

    Lu Jin sneered. ¡°That¡¯s what he does. He¡¯s always sneaky and prying into other people¡¯s situations. He pays close attention to these bigwigs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure out how Lu Yuan, as a businessman, was able to keep an eye on these big shots in the military.

    However, she also knew that before Lu Yuan came to this world, he was the same as Huo Shaoheng in that world. In fact, he was more than ten years older than Huo Shaoheng, so his skills must have been even more profound.

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t ask any further. There were specializations in different fields of study. This was Lu Yuan¡¯s profession, just like her profession wasw.

    Thinking about her profession, Gu Nianzhi had an idea. She said excitedly, ¡°I¡¯ve thought of a way to fight back against the Huaxia White Paper on Human Rights that the Americans published!¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at her. ¡°What do you want to Do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and twirled it in her hand. She smiled and said, ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll hold a public trial against Qin Yaoguang!¡±

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°No, the Things Qin Yaoguang is involved in can not be made public.¡±

    Lu Jin was also uncharacteristically unsupportive of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, instead, he said very seriously, ¡°Boss Lu is right. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s case can not be made public. Whether it¡¯s her previous case rted to the infrasonic weapon or the case of kidnapping you eight years ago, it can not be made public.¡±

    The previous case involved he zhichu, a high-ranking general. It was impossible for the whole world to know the whole story of this case.

    Thetter case involved Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s unusual mother-daughter rtionship. It was even more impossible for others to know about her special existence.

    Lu Jin had gone through a lot of trouble to go to New York. He had the idea of dying together with Luo Le. He wanted to eliminate the source of this matter.

    However, he was stopped by Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Yuan. They then used a smarter method to resolve this matter.

    However, Luo Le¡¯s side was temporarily stabilized, so they couldn¡¯t be considered sessful.

    There were still two people in the country, Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye. They knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special constitution and special genes.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety could not be guaranteed if the two of them were not eliminated.

    However, Luo Le still tricked them. He used the hands of the United States Congress to push Qin Yaoguang to the front of the stage and embarrass the entire Huaxia Empire.

    Now, they could not even secretly kill Qin yaoguang because this would confirm what the United States Congress had said in the Huaxia Human Rights White Paper.

    Therefore, they could no longer use secret methods to deal with Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and subconsciously twirled her fingers a few times, she looked at Lu Jin tentatively and said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve thought of a way to deal with Qin Yaoguang. This method involves a person. Can You Promise me that you won¡¯t oppose it? ¡°I can guarantee that I will never do anything disrespectful to you or the person you admire the most.¡±

    Lu Jin was confused and looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Nianzhi, what are you thinking? What do you mean by me and the person I admire? Who is the person I admire? Is there anyone in this world that I admire?¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at the rearview mirror without batting an eyelid.

    Lu Jin noticed it and immediately covered his lips with his hand and coughed. ¡°Of course. Other than boss Lu, is boss Lu rted to Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked back at him from the passenger seat and said inly, ¡°I want to sue Qin Yaoguang for causing Qin Suwen¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±Lu Jin jumped up in shock, but the seatbelt on his waist and shoulder pulled him back.

    He grunted and clutched his chest as he said nervously, ¡°Nonsense! You know that Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t cause Suwen¡¯s death!¡±

    ¡°... who knows... I think she was the one who killed her, so I¡¯m going to sue her and find out if it was really her...¡±Gu Nianzhi said faintly, ¡°This is a criminal case. It has nothing to do with military secrets and has nothing to do with me directly. We can use this opportunity to publicly interrogate Qin yaoguang, and then conveniently drag Qin Baye into this, as well as the entire Qin family and the Qin family¡¯s private hospital.¡±

    Lu Jin gritted his teeth and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°How many times have I told you! I¡¯m the one who killed Suwen! If you want to talk about what happened back then, I¡¯ll turn myself in!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi unexpectedly did not stop him this time. She nodded. ¡°Okay, you can turn yourself in, and then I¡¯ll file awsuit for you. To prove that you¡¯re not the murderer, I have to find a new murderer.¡±

    ¡°This is the 101 use of a criminal case: introduce a new suspect.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s identity had already been exposed to he zhichu. He chengjian was still in aa and recovering, while Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye had already reached the point where they could see the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly realized that there was no better time than now to clear Lu Jin, her father, Gu Xiangwen, of the guilt he should not have borne.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: 1851, ¡°The most admired person.¡±.

    Please give me your guaranteed monthly tickets and your rmendation tickets

    Today was Monday, especially your rmendation tickets

    It was still the third update.

    The second update at 1:00 p.m. was the 50,000 starting point for ¡°Suzhiwei¡±in April.

    There¡¯s a third watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1852 - The Dagger in the end (second chapter: Suzhiwei +)

    <h4>Chapter 1852: Chapter 1852: The Dagger in the end (second chapter: Suzhiwei +)</h4>

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi in shock. For the first time, he realized that his threat was no longer effective.

    Not only was it no longer effective, but Gu Nianzhi had a new way to stop him.

    Lu Jin started to panic, his facial features scrunched up, he pleaded with gu nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, I beg you, don¡¯t bring this up again... I¡¯m doing fine now, I don¡¯t want to go back to Gu Xiangwen¡¯s era. ¡°Actually, Gu Xiangwen isn¡¯t as good as you think he is. He also did something wrong, so he¡¯s paying with his life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you tell me in detail what happened back then?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head desperately. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, I can¡¯t tell you... Nianzhi, I can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell me, right? Is there anything I don¡¯t Know About You?¡±

    ¡°There are many things you don¡¯t know.¡±Lu Jin became serious. ¡°When I set up the Joint Laboratory with Qin Yaoguang, I did a lot of illegal things to give birth to you. Do you want to hear all of them?¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly made a ¡°Pause¡±sign. ¡°Stop, stop. Dad, if you don¡¯t want to talk about it, then forget it. I¡¯ll find a way to find out the truth about Qin Suwen¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°The truth is that she died because of me. If you really want to uncover this matter, then step over my corpse.¡±Lu Jin saw that he could not stop Gu Nianzhi from turning himself in, so he had no choice but to use his strongest move.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly stunned. She really did not understand why Lu Jin would not allow her to bring up the matter of Qin Suwen¡¯s death that year. ¡°...¡±Lu Yuan, on the other hand, somewhat understood Lu Jin¡¯s mentality.

    He coughed lightly and said, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be anxious. Let¡¯s go back and take a long-term n.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suppressed the doubts in her heart and nodded. ¡°Okay, chief Lu. We¡¯ll discuss it after we go back.¡±

    Back at the apartment building where they lived, Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin who was returning to his own apartment with a gloomy expression. She looked at Lu Yuan thoughtfully.

    Lu Yuan nodded at her. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Lu Yuan took her to his apartment.

    There were three apartments on this floor, and they had all been bought by Lu Yuan and Lu Jin.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s own apartment was very unique. All the decorations were normal, not particrly outstanding, and not particrly ugly. It was very popr in terms of decoration and furnishings, no one had any impression of it after looking at it. It was just like his own house. After looking at it for a long time, one would be numb to it.

    He had the ability to make himself ¡°Invisible¡±to everyone.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down in Lu Yuan¡¯s living room and looked at Lu Yuan sitting opposite her. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Director Lu, do you know anything about the situation?¡±Lu Yuan recalled what had happened at that time with a pained expression on his face, he wiped his face with his hand and said very gently, ¡°That was more than ten years ago. I¡¯m not very clear about it either, but I was already here at that time, so I still know a little bit of the details.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi perked up and quickly said, ¡°Please speak, president Lu. Even if it¡¯s just a little bit of the content, it doesn¡¯t matter. I just want to know how Qin Suwen¡¯s death was med on my father.¡±

    ¡°To be precise, your father was an important witness at the beginning of the case. That¡¯s because thest person Qin Suwen saw before he died was your father.¡±

    ¡°After he chengjian reported the case, the police wanted to find your father to assist in the investigation. In the end, he immediately ran to where I was and asked me if there was any way to avoid the police¡¯s investigation.¡±

    ¡°It was because he escaped that the police upgraded him from an important witness to an important suspect and increased the intensity of their wanted list.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She was depressed for a long time and said, ¡°He didn¡¯t kill him, so why would he run?¡±

    ¡°Your father has always insisted that Qin Suwen¡¯s death was rted to him, and has been doing all sorts of things to atone for his sins over the years.¡±

    ¡°He once said that he would not investigate anything, and that he would let these things sink to the bottom of the sea along with the ¡°Loss¡±of some documents and information.

    ¡°The ¡°Loss¡±of documents and information? What¡¯s going on? What kind of documents are they?¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly pressed on, and automatically enteredwyer mode.

    Lu Yuan tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, ¡°I actually don¡¯t know what exactly happened, and I didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°Since he came to seek refuge with me, I invited him to join me in business and work for him.¡±

    ¡°But Lu Jin quit after working for a day and said that he was still suitable for scientific research.¡±

    ¡°Later, I asked him to directly be the behind-the-scenes boss. I asked him to invest in technology and set up awork securitypany with me.¡±

    ¡°His technology was too advanced. I gave him more than half of the shares in the hope that I could keep him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened with relish, but until Lu Yuan finished, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t hear the reason she wanted to hear, she couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Why did my father prefer to bear the reputation of an important suspect in the first ce, rather than bring up the case of Qin Suwen?¡±

    ¡°Qin Suwen died suddenly, that¡¯s for sure.¡±Lu Yuan said firmly, ¡°Your father is not a person who likes to do things casually, so if he says he did something, it must be him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡±Gu Nianzhi sat back on the sofa disapprovingly. ¡°He once told me that he wasn¡¯t my father.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    This sentence was really hard to wash away.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s teeth hurt. In the end, he could only stiffen his hair and say, ¡°Your father originally thought that the two of you wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize each other, so he didn¡¯t admit his true identity.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine now. What else can he not say?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°Is it because I might be his and Qin Suwen¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    Lu Yuan looked away awkwardly and said, ¡°This is still just spection, right? Do you have proof that you¡¯re Qin Suwen¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Of course I have proof. In fact, as long as we verify the DNA, we can confirm the paternity.¡±

    ¡°But as you know, my DNA is special.¡±

    ¡°Young master he, Huo Shao, and father went to great lengths to conceal my DNA. I Can¡¯t take the risk of getting into trouble and expose this matter again.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. How Do you n to fight this case?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged nonchntly. ¡°This case has actually been filed in court and is still in effect.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not know much about thew, but he smiled and looked at Gu Nianzhi as she rambled on, like a kind elder. He asked softly, ¡°After so many years, has the retroactive period still not passed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°This is a criminal case. If a person¡¯s life is involved, there is no retroactive period. In other words, as long as the case is not solved, the case can not be closed. We can only stay in the ¡®Cold Pce¡¯.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that there is no retroactive period. Otherwise, if Qin Suwen was killed by him, then the murderer would go unpunished.¡±

    Speaking of this, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help feeling resentful. ¡°This person is so lucky to have someone like my father as his scapegoat.¡±

    She waved her arm. ¡°If I find out who he is, I¡¯ll definitely make him pay!¡±

    ¡°Thew will make them pay,¡±Lu Yuan reminded her. ¡°But now you insist that Qin Yaoguang is the murderer. Have you thought of how to convince the court to listen to your argument?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I Need Dad¡¯s help. Only if he gives me the most detailed clues at that time can I think of a way to restore the truth of that year.¡±

    Lu Jin was also feeling uneasy. He wanted to talk to Lu Yuan and ask him to help exin things to him, or to think of a way to deal with Gu Nianzhi.

    He did not expect Gu Nianzhi to have already arrived at Lu Yuan¡¯s ce to question him.

    Lu Jin listened silently at the door, and Lu Yuan did not stop him. Gu Nianzhi sat with her back to the door,pletely unaware that Lu Jin had arrived.

    It was not until he heard Gu Nianzhi say that she wanted to restore the truth of the past that Lu Jin said, ¡°Qin Suwen¡¯s death was directly caused by me. Nianzhi, what truth do you want to hear?¡±

    ¡°Dad, are you willing to tell me? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was both surprised and happy. She got up from the sofa and ran over to Lu Jin to hold his hand.

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand was cold. Gu Nianzhi was shocked and quickly said, ¡°Dad, can you sit here?¡±

    Lu Jin pushed her hand away and frowned. ¡°What do you want? I told you this has nothing to do with Qin Yaoguang...¡±

    ¡°How can you say it has nothing to do with me? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was finally angry, she took out her phone and took out the photo of Qin Suwen when she was a child. She handed it to Lu Jin, she said in a deep voice, ¡°Then exin why Qin Suwen¡¯s childhood photo looks so much like me!¡±

    ¡°And why did Qin Yaoguang change herself into Qin Suwen¡¯s appearance!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s second update, for ¡°Suzhiwei¡±pro-april tip of 50,000 starting points more sent: chapter 1852, ¡°The poor picture dagger¡±.

    May everyone have a guaranteed monthly ticket oh, and a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket oh ~ ~ ~

    There¡¯s a third watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1853 - Do Your Own Thing (Chapter Three: ask for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1853: Chapter 1853: Do Your Own Thing (Chapter Three: ask for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the yellowed old photo on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. He reached out his trembling hand to stroke the phone screen and stuttered, ¡°Where... where did this photoe from? !¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t done anything for a while.¡±Gu Nianzhi wanted to take her phone back, but Lu Jin grabbed her phone and refused to let go. His eyes were filled with longing, and he wished he could imprint the photo in his heart.

    Seeing Lu Jin like this, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to take the phone away. She sighed and said, ¡°Do you know what Qin Suwen looked like when he was young?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head subconsciously.

    ¡°... You Don¡¯t Know?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°No wonder. When you saw how I looked when I grew up, didn¡¯t you think of the tricks involved?¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned. He looked away in panic, retracted his hand, and quietly sat back down on the sofa.

    Lu Yuan had been watching the father and daughter silently the whole time. Seeing this, he got up and made two cups of tea. He ced one cup in front of Lu Jin and the other in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin took the tea and sipped it slowly.

    The tea tasted good, but it was a little bitter in the mouth. Only then did it slowlye back to taste and fill the mouth with a sweet aroma.

    Lu Jin licked his lips and put down the Teacup. He lowered his head and said, ¡°After you came back, I saw how you looked when you grew up. I had a guess... but I didn¡¯t verify it.¡±

    ¡°What was your guess? Why didn¡¯t you verify it?¡±Gu Nianzhi softened her voice and tried not to pressure Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin was a person with a serious interpersonal disorder. This mental illness meant that when dealing with interpersonal rtionships, he would try his best to take responsibility for everything, and would not seek help from others, he would also not think in other people¡¯s shoes. Moreover, because he was too smart and had a much higher IQ than ordinary people, he would often feel lonely and unable tomunicate with others. Over time, this would aggravate his rtionship disorder.

    Gu Nianzhi was one of the few people that he could open his heart to care about andmunicate with. The other person was Lu Yuan, but he still had reservations about Lu Yuan because Lu Yuan also had reservations about him.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi could only choose this method and not provoke Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin shook his head, ¡°What does that have to do with anything? She¡¯s already dead. If we really verify it, we¡¯ll let others know. She¡¯s perfect and shouldn¡¯t have any ws. Whether it¡¯s morally or in reality, these aren¡¯t things that she should bear.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood.

    Her eyes suddenly sharpened.

    ¡°Dad, you know who my biological mother is, but you¡¯ve never thought of making this matter public. You Wanted Qin Yaoguang to continue living under this name, right?¡±

    That was why you lied to her when you used DNA to test their rtionship.

    ¡°It just so happens that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s stic surgery looks very simr to the way I grew up, so you¡¯ve epted your mistake.¡±

    ¡°That way, no one will question the rtionship between Qin Yaoguang and my mother and daughter. After all, we¡¯re so simr. Apart from the slightly different nose, the rest of our faces, eyes, eyebrows, lips, and face shapes are exactly the same.¡±

    Lu Jin was a little embarrassed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze, so he could only look up at the sky and remain nomittal.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Lu Jin was not speaking, so she nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯re not speaking, I¡¯ll take it that I guessed correctly.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s mouth twitched twice, and he looked askance at her. He wanted to deny it, but in front of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s determined and unyielding gaze, he couldn¡¯t say a word of denial.

    These eyes looked at him like the eyes he had seen when he was a teenager when he was on rounds with his father in the hospital.

    The best memory in Lu Jin¡¯s mind was triggered, and he couldn¡¯t help talking about it.

    ¡°... the first time I saw her was after she had a car ident.¡±

    ¡°I followed my father, Gu Haize, to the hospital for rounds and saw her.¡±

    ¡°She was still a little girl, less than ten years old. She had extensive burns all over her body, and her entire face was covered with gauze. Only a pair of eyes were exposed outside the gauze.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such beautiful eyes. It¡¯s not the appearance of her eyes that made me feel good, but her eyes were tough and tenacious. She didn¡¯t have the usual panic and panic that burn patients often had.¡±

    ¡°Her eyes are abnormally lively. Even if her entire face is wrapped in gauze, it doesn¡¯t affect the look in her eyes.¡±

    Lu Jin paused at this point, as if he was trying hard to find words to describe his feelings.

    Then he said,¡±... Her eyes are like a pair of glowing bodies. No one can ignore the look in these eyes. It makes you think of all the beautiful things. It¡¯s like the clear sky after a summer rain. It has a power that cleanses the heart. ¡°It¡¯s exactly the same as Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She touched her eyes. She had never thought that her eyes would be so beautiful..

    Lu Jin was immersed in his memories. There was a smile on his lips, and his eyes were distant. It was as if he had returned to that afternoon when he had followed his father down the long corridor of the hospital.

    ¡°My father, Gu Haize, was a famous psychologist. He was in charge of helping these burn patients with psychological counseling so that they could ovee their psychological fears during the fire and live a normal life

    ¡°My father had counseled countless burn patients, but he praised this little girl who had been burned endlessly. He said that she had a strong mind and that she was the first person he had seen in his entire life. There was almost no need for psychological counseling

    ¡°Therefore, they just chatted normally and did not carry out any formal psychological treatment.¡±

    At that time, Lu Jin had an inexplicable interest in this little girl. He did not know what this kind of emotion was. He only knew that when he saw her and was by her side, his heart would be safe and happy, he felt that there was nothing in this world that he could not conquer.

    He was able to solve all of his difficult high-energy physics problems one by one. He was also able to continue reading the books in foreignnguages that gave him a headache.

    ¡°... I often visited her. I sat in front of her bed for a few hours until a doctor came to change her dressing. until... an assassin sneaked into the ward in the afternoon when there were many people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A killer? ! A killer wanted her dead at that time? !¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°I happened to visit her that day and could tell at a nce that the person who was changing her dressing in the drip was not a nurse from the hospital. Although the person was wearing a nurse¡¯s uniform and a big mask, and he was very skilled, I still found a lot of ws.¡±

    Lu Jin stretched out his finger and gestured,¡±... There Wouldn¡¯t be gun calluses on the fingers of the hospital nurse, and there wouldn¡¯t be wirelessmunication headphones in her ears. She would change the IV bottle whilemunicating with the outside world.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I was just interested in the electromaic field. I did a lot of small programs to test the electromaic field around me.¡±

    ¡°I looked at the abnormal electromaic signal disyed on myptop. I was sure that it wasing from the ¡®nurse¡¯who was changing the dressing, so I released the electromaic interference and turned it into sound.¡±

    ¡°The ¡®nurse¡¯was wearing a wirelessmunication headset, so she must have heard a loud bang in her ears. Because her expression changed abruptly, she couldn¡¯t continue to change the IV drip. She covered her ears and almost lost her bnce. She took a breath, then hurriedly turned around and left

    ¡°After making sure that there was no other aplice of this ¡®nurse¡¯, I walked out of the crowd.¡±

    At that time, Lu Jin was still a little boy who was not even ten years old. No one would have noticed that he had just foiled a murder case.

    ¡°I took the medicine bottle left behind by the ¡®nurse¡¯and put it in my backpack. Then, I called the Nurse I know to change her medicine.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, she was in a deep sleep and had no idea what had happened,¡±Lu Jin said happily. He did not feel any regret that he had saved her, but the other party had not discovered it.

    He was simply happy that this little girl didn¡¯t have to face such a terrible situation.

    ¡°After I went back, I tested that bottle of medicine and found that there was a drug in it that could make people die of heart failure silently

    ¡°And theplication that burns patients are prone to is heart failure.¡±

    If that was the case, Qin Suwen would have been killed quietly.

    ¡°... I thought about it for a minute in theboratory and decided to use public opinion to save her life.¡±

    ¡°Because the people who wanted to kill her would not only send one assassin.¡±

    ¡°If this one failed, there would be more people behind.¡±

    ¡°And I only had one person. At that time, I was still a child and could not stay by her side 24 hours a day, seven days a week.¡±

    ¡°So, I needed to mobilize other people to make the mastermind behind the scenes retreat

    ¡°So, I submitted an article to the biggest newspaper in C city. It talked about her family¡¯s car ident, and her parents would rather burn themselves to death to protect their daughter

    ¡°I knew that this kind of touching family love was the positive energy that the newspapers at that time liked to promote

    ¡°Soon, the article was published. Countless reporters were sent to the hospital and the traffic police to cover the ident

    ¡°More details of the ident were revealed, which aroused great sympathy from the public

    ¡°More and more people started to visit her in the hospital. There was an endless stream of visitors. The hospital naturally sent more nurses to apany her at her bedside 24 hours a day

    ¡°The result was exactly as I expected. Ever since the report had caused a huge stir in society, the mastermind behind it was very afraid and stopped sending people to kill her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened attentively and couldn¡¯t help frowning. ¡°You were still so young back then. Why didn¡¯t you tell your father, my grandfather Gu Haize, about this?¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned. ¡°Why would I tell my father about something that I could solve myself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... so this whole thing was a battle between you and the Mastermind?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched twice, and she gasped in amazement.

    If the person behind this had known that the person who had foiled their long-simmering plot was only a teenager under the age of ten, she wondered if he would have vomited blood and died.

    Lu Jin nodded seriously, ¡°Yes, of course. They are no match for me. Although I¡¯m not good at interpersonal rtionships, my father has always taught me to do my own things and not to pretend to be someone else¡¯s hands.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly and looked at Lu Yuan. They both saw the same meaning in each other¡¯s eyes.

    You know how to do too many things yourself..

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the third watch of today: Chapter 1853, Do Your Own Thing.

    May everyone have a guaranteed monthly ticket oh, and a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket oh ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1854 - the biggest denial (first, a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1854: Chapter 1854, the biggest denial (first, a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the results of her investigation with Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan. At the time, she had spected that it was because Qin Suwen¡¯s car ident had be a hot topic in society. It had caused a huge sensation and became the focus of everyone¡¯s attention.

    Under such circumstances, it was already too much of a price to pay to secretly kill Qin Suwen.

    Gu nianzhi said thoughtfully, ¡°The other party was very cautious and didn¡¯t want to expose themselves. That¡¯s why they were cautious and didn¡¯t continue to pursue Qin Suwen.¡±

    Lu Jin beamed and nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought! If they wanted to continue the murder, the cost would be too high, and it might not be worth it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes and tried to be as pleasant as possible. ¡°Dad, have you checked who the mastermind is?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head without hesitation. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even ten years old at the time, how could I be that good? Besides, my specialty wasn¡¯t criminal investigation.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Then what happened after that? You grew up and became capable, but you didn¡¯t investigate?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression became dispirited, he mumbled, ¡°After that, she became famous and people from all walks of life came to visit her. Even the public rtions department of the Qin Private Hospital came forward and offered to donate a sum of money for Su Wen¡¯s burn treatment and postoperative recovery.¡±

    ¡°Burn treatment and post-operative rehabilitation?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Does it include the cost of stic surgery?¡±

    ¡°Burn treatment, in a broad sense, includes the cost of stic surgery,¡±Lu Jin said affirmatively, ¡°Later, Su Wen¡¯s burn passed the critical period and began to enter the rehabilitation period. After that, she was transferred to another hospital.¡±

    ¡°She underwent skin grafting and face surgery there to remove all traces of the burn.¡±Lu Jin sighed, ¡°After her injury healed, she left the hospital and entered an orphanage. After school, she was very outstanding, so outstanding that she was only slightly inferior to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Having a father who liked to show off his intelligence whenever and wherever was tiring.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and ignored Lu Jin¡¯s almost conceited attitude. She said in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯ve been paying attention to her all these years?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and shook his head again. ¡°I didn¡¯t pay attention. I just checked her condition regrly to make sure that she was still alive and that no one was looking for trouble with her.¡±

    ¡°... What happened after that?¡±

    ¡°After that, she went to university and got to know he chengjian on the first day.¡±Lu Jin was a little sad when he thought about the situation at that time.

    He said, ¡°Actually, I went to talk to her first that day, but she didn¡¯t remember me at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Did you talk to her before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Lu Jin looked away unconfidently. ¡°But I always went to apany her. When she wasn¡¯t unconscious, she would look at me. I know she should know who I am.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that something was wrong. She opened her mouth, but didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Lu Yuan said gently,¡±... She¡¯s gone through so many surgeries, and the recovery period for her Burns is very painful. She¡¯s lucky to have survived. What does it matter if she remembers you or not?¡±? ¡°As long as she¡¯s doing well, you don¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help looking at Lu Yuan. No wonder these twopletely different people had been friends for so many years. It turned out that they shared the same sadness..

    Lu Jin lowered his head, his shoulders sagging as he leaned against the sofa, he said weakly, ¡°Don¡¯tfort me. I know I¡¯m not good enough. She made the right choice. You haven¡¯t seen he chengjian when he was young. He¡¯s even more handsome and dashing than he zhichu is now. ¡°I admit that I¡¯m also a handsome man, but I¡¯m still a little worse than he chengjian.¡±

    Lu Jin extended his right thumb and index finger and gestured a distance the size of a grain of rice.¡±... But it¡¯s just a little bit, and it¡¯s decided that I can¡¯t be with Suwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh.

    Lu Jin finally admitted his feelings for Qin Suwen.

    She sat over and gently held Lu Jin¡¯s hand, a gentle smile on her face, she said,¡±... But, you and Qin Suwen have a smart and cute daughter, and that¡¯s me. So, you¡¯re no worse than he chengjian.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded subconsciously and agreed, ¡°Of course, our daughter is more promising than their son.¡±

    He suddenly raised his head and looked at Gu Nianzhi in horror. He said in a trembling voice, ¡°Nianzhi, you even tried to trick me into talking! You¡¯ve gone too far! Believe it or not, I¡¯ll die right now!¡±

    He struggled free of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and covered his face in embarrassment as he tried to escape.

    Gu Nianzhi was so desperate that she couldn¡¯t care less about anything else. She threw herself at him and hugged Lu Jin¡¯s leg tightly. She started to cry, ¡°Dad, are you doing this because you think that my birth is a disgrace to others? Is that why you¡¯re still refusing to tell me who my biological mother is?¡±

    Lu Jin froze. He held onto the door frame, one foot inside and one foot outside. He was caught in a dilemma.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unacknowledged grievance had been umting in her heart for a long time, and it finally erupted today.

    She let go of Lu Jin¡¯s legs and stood up from the ground, her hands clenched into fists, she cried at Lu Jin, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to have a biological mother, then I don¡¯t want a biological mother! I don¡¯t even want my biological father anymore! I¡¯m yourb experiment to begin with, so you don¡¯t have to be my father! I don¡¯t need one!¡±

    She pushed Lu Jin away and ran out first.

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment and quickly chased after her, but Gu Nianzhi had already closed the elevator.

    The number of elevators dropped rapidly, and Lu Jin was sweating profusely. He mmed the elevator button with all his might, but the elevator did not stop.

    Lu Yuan walked out and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, he said inly, ¡°Why are you doing this? ¡°I think Nianzhi is right. You think she came from a bad background and tarnished the reputation of your goddess. ¡°You¡¯re not even afraid of death, but you¡¯ve repeatedly sought death for your goddess. I Won¡¯t Stop You. ¡°Even your own daughter can¡¯t stand it, let alone an outsider like me.¡±

    These words were like sharp thorns piercing into Lu Jin¡¯s heart. Even if he was a person with severe interpersonal disorder and couldpletely ignore the words of others, he could not ignore Lu Yuan¡¯s words.

    He turned around in a panic and said repeatedly, ¡°No! I don¡¯t think Nianzhi¡¯s birth is bad! She¡¯s my biological daughter! Why would I think her birth is bad? !¡±

    ¡°But you won¡¯t tell me who her biological mother is...¡±Lu Yuan said calmly, ¡°This is the biggest denial. Besides, are you sure you treat her as your biological daughter? A person who can¡¯t even tell her biological mother is indeed unfit to be a father.¡±

    Lu Jin had never expected that his actions to protect Qin Suwen would hurt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart so deeply.

    He was flustered. ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean it like that... I just... I just... It¡¯s all my fault... It¡¯s all my fault!¡±

    Lu Jin had never felt so stupid before.

    His proud IQ could not help him find a way to get the best of both worlds.

    Lu Jin was so anxious that he banged his head against the wall.

    Soon, his forehead was red from the impact and another big bump appeared.

    Lu Yuan shook his head and said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to bang your head against the wall here. Nianzhi has already run out. The more you bang your head against the wall, the more time will be wasted. Nianzhi will also run further and further away.¡±

    Lu Jin stopped banging his head against the wall and red at Lu Yuan. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you chasing after Nianzhi? ! When Huo Shaoheng returns and finds that Nianzhi is missing, he will definitely fall out with you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to worry about, major shareholder Lu.¡±Lu Yuan took a step back and grabbed the doorknob. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep. You two have a good talk, father and daughter. I Won¡¯t get involved.¡±

    Lu Yuan shut the door in front of Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin red at the door and kicked it angrily. He then quickly returned to his room and turned on the GPS on hisputer to find Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location.

    It turned out that she hadn¡¯t gone far and was staying in the park near the neighborhood.

    Lu Jin let out a sigh of relief and rushed downstairs with his phone to look for Gu Nianzhi.

    His mind was still a little muddled.

    He had never thought that Qin Suwen and Gu Nianzhi, the two most important women in his life, would be enemies.

    In order to protect Qin Suwen, he had inevitably hurt Gu Nianzhi.

    However, if Gu Nianzhi was satisfied, Qin Suwen¡¯s name would be ruined both in life and in death.

    Lu Jin really didn¡¯t want this to happen, but he couldn¡¯t think of any other way to untie this knot.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi felt a rush of anger in her chest. She immediately ran out of the neighborhood and went straight to the street park near the neighborhood to rx.

    It was alreadyte, and the moonlight was like a veil in the street park. The dark green trees carried a faint mist, and the air was extremely fresh.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, but the stifling feeling in her chest was still lingering.

    She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and sat down on the stone bench in the park.

    Not far from her was a small children¡¯s yground.

    Inside a square sand table was a red and green slide, and two swings made of brown bark.

    A few children in shorts and undershirts were ying in the sand with small buckets and shovels.

    Their mother stood by the side and watched them y gently.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect to see such a scene. Her nose turned sour and tears began to fall again.

    Just as she was about to continue wiping her tears with the back of her hand, a folded square handkerchief was handed over.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up from the handkerchief and saw he zhichu standing in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised. She looked up at him and said, ¡°Young master he, why are you here? How¡¯s Your Father¡¯s condition?¡±

    He Zhichu sat down beside her and continued to pass the handkerchief to her, he said lightly, ¡°He¡¯s been sent to the VIP intensive care unit. The doctors have checked on the surgery and said that it¡¯s done very well. There¡¯s basically no need to worry about rejection, but he hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡±

    He added, ¡°I was worried about you, so I came over to take a look.¡±

    Actually, he chengjian had been waiting here ever since he had settled in.

    He sat in the car until it was dark. When he wanted to go back, he happened to see Gu Nianzhi running out of the neighborhood.

    Gu Nianzhi took the handkerchief to wake up her nose and said in a low, muffled voice,¡±... that person said he¡¯s fine, so he¡¯s fine. Trust me.¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°Yes, I trust you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt bad and couldn¡¯t help crying again.

    He Zhichu turned to look at her for a while. After a while, he put his hand on her shoulder.

    He took the handkerchief with his other hand and threw it to the side. He took out a packet of tissues to wipe her tears and said gently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying here alone?¡±

    He was as amiable as a big brother.

    And he was most likely his own big brother.

    Gu Nianzhi no longer avoided suspicion. She pulled he zhichu¡¯s sleeve to cover her face and sobbed, ¡°Young master he, Tell Me, was my birth a disgrace to your mother?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1854, ¡°The biggest denial.¡±.

    May everyone have a guaranteed monthly ticket oh, and a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1855 - The Best Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1855: Chapter 1855: The Best Mother</h4>

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened, and his breathing stopped.

    He gripped the tissue gu nianzhi had used to wipe away her tears. He raised his arm and froze, like a statue. There was no expression on his face, and his eyes were as calm as the water from an ancient well.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while. Seeing that he zhichu was still silent, she started to feel awkward. could he zhichu think the same way?

    It was no wonder.

    If it was her parents, who were very loving in her eyes, suddenly having a child with an outsider, even though she knew it was not the child¡¯s fault, she would still feel very ufortable.

    She was forcing him to do this by asking he zhichu this question.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and slowly let go of He Zhichu¡¯s sleeve. She looked up and saw that he zhichu was not moving at all. She forced a smile, ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t take it to heart. I was just making an analogy. It has nothing to do with your mother. I shouldn¡¯t have said anything.¡±

    The tears in her bright eyes were about to fall. They were like pearls in a halo. It was the first time a flower had been born, and it was beautiful beyondpare.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart, which had almost jumped out of his throat, gradually returned to its normal speed.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was still trying to force a smile. His eyes were a little bitter. His other hand fell on the back of her neck, and he slowly pulled her into his arms, he said coldly, ¡°Stop lying to yourself. We both know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    He lowered his head and kissed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead, ¡°Nianzhi, do you know? Why did my mother oppose using human reproduction as a gic experiment before she died? It was because she considered that people were different. Everyone had their own feelings and dignity. Gic experiments were conducted in animals and nts. The most a human body could do was cultivate human organs and tissues. Using gic experiments to cultivate a living person... the price was too high. She had always been adamant in opposing it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears welled up again, and she tried her best to hold them back, she nodded lightly and said, ¡°I know, Barrister Qin. She¡¯s a very outstanding and perfect woman. Her reputation is wless. People who like her and respect her will protect her. I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. My mother is a very brave person, and she faces reality head-on. ¡°If she knew that you were her biological daughter, even if you were born without her knowledge, she would never consider you a disgrace. She would only make those who gave birth to you pay the price.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi buried her head in her thoughts for a moment. She was happy to see Qin Yaoguang pay the price.

    But Lu Jin..

    Although she had said that she didn¡¯t want him to be her father, she still didn¡¯t want anything to happen to him. She didn¡¯t want anything to happen to him at all.

    Gu Nianzhi broke away from he zhichu¡¯s embrace and sat up straight. She ran her hands through her sweat-soaked hair and said in a low voice, ¡°I believe that Qin Yaoguang has an inescapable responsibility in this matter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and said resolutely, ¡°Young Master He, I want to sue Qin Yaoguang for the murder of Qin Suwen. Will you help me?¡±

    He Zhichu was shocked and blurted out, ¡°What did you say? ! My mother was murdered by Qin Yaoguang? ! That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡°Why is that impossible? Do you still think my father did it?¡±Gu nianzhi said stubbornly, ¡°You know he¡¯s not that kind of person. He would never hurt your mother.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, I don¡¯t think your father is the murderer either.¡±He Zhichu clenched his fist, ¡°Actually, no one is the murderer. My mother died suddenly because she was already sick. My father wanted your father to find out what happened. He didn¡¯t say that he was the murderer.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen had escaped and was now a suspect.

    He Zhichu was afraid that Gu Nianzhi would be even sadder.

    Gu Nianzhi had already learned about the incident from Lu Jin, although Lu Jin was still unwilling to tell her about thest time he had seen her.

    ¡°Yes, I know this is the result of the incident. But your mother¡¯s life and the death of your grandparents are all rted to the Qin family. Don¡¯t you want to find out the truth?¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m interrogating that person right now...¡±

    He was referring to the person Gu Nianzhi had found in C city. It was said that he was an ¡°Old friend¡±of Qin Suwen¡¯s father.

    ¡°Interrogating that person alone is not enough.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were dark and bottomless, ¡°He might just be an errand boy. Even if he says everything, he can¡¯t touch the Qin family in the slightest. Our breakthrough should be Qin Yaoguang. and...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave a half-smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t the U.S. government and Congress speak up for Qin Yaoguang? Let¡¯s show the Americans what kind of person they¡¯re cheering for!¡±

    He zhichu understood. ¡°You mean, a public trial?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°My case, your case, can¡¯t be tried in public, but what about your mother¡¯s sudden death? I remember general he saying that the case isn¡¯t closed yet, right?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s mind was in turmoil as he considered this possibility.

    Personally, he did not want his mother, who had been dead for so many years, to be pushed into the limelight again.

    Once the trial was made public, the Qin family would do countless dirty things to protect themselves.

    Qin Suwen had already passed away, so he did not even have the chance to defend himself.

    However, he also knew that if he could find a breakthrough to publicly try Qin Yaoguang, not only would he be able to shut the Americans up, but he would also be able to change the public opinion in the country. He would also be able to calm the People¡¯s hearts so that they would not panic and worry.

    This matter would not only make him and his father, he chengjian, ufortable, but it would also make the Qin family panic. It would only benefit the others and not harm them.

    He lowered his head to look at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s aggrieved little eyes and reached out to stroke her head.¡±... okay. But my father will wake up in five days. Are you confident that you can find evidence to sue Qin Yaoguang in five days?¡±

    If he really wanted to sue Qin Yaoguang for Qin Suwen¡¯s murder, of course, he couldn¡¯t just have a thought.

    Whether or not the court would be able to ept this case would depend on the evidence submitted by the Procuratorate.

    The evidence of the Procuratorate was obtained from the police station.

    After so many years, the evidence from the police station had long been handed over to his father, he chengjian, for safekeeping. But the problem was that none of the evidence pointed at Qin Yaoguang.

    It would be extremely difficult for them to use Qin Yaoguang of murder.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded without hesitation, ¡°As long as young master he agrees, I¡¯ll extract oil from her stone! It¡¯s just evidence. I refuse to believe that after everything the Qin family did to your grandfather, there are no traces left behind!¡±

    ¡°There are traces, but does it have anything to do with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s murder of my mother?¡±He Zhichu corrected her without batting an eyelid. ¡°Is there a definite connection between the Qin family¡¯s purchase of my grandfather¡¯snd and my mother¡¯s sudden death decadester?¡±

    ¡°Maybe there is.¡±Gu nianzhi thought to herself, ¡°I¡¯m sorry this time, but I¡¯ll give you the presumption of guilt.¡±.

    ¡°Maybe?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s expression became calm, as if he was talking about somethingpletely unrted to him and his family, ¡°What did I teach you in the past? In court, you can¡¯t use uncertain words like ¡®maybe¡¯, ¡®probably¡¯, or ¡®maybe¡¯. You have to speak in thenguage of thew.¡±

    ¡°And thenguage of thew is the most precise,prehensive, and logical.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I understand. Young master he, as long as you understand that I didn¡¯t do it to humiliate your mother, I can start looking for evidence.¡±

    He zhichu sighed softly and finally said,¡±... and also your mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly looked up, her clear eyes filled with disbelief. ¡°Young master he? ! You Really Don¡¯t Mind? !¡±

    He Zhichu touched her face. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to have a sister like you. Why would I mind? Even if my mother knew about this when she was still alive, she wouldn¡¯t be unhappy.¡±

    He zhichu paused, then continued, ¡°Actually, when you came to my house, my mother was the one who personally brought you here.¡±

    ¡°In the beginning, you didn¡¯t like to see the light, you didn¡¯t like to see people, and you didn¡¯t like to talk.¡±

    ¡°It was my mother who gave up her work and took a long vacation for half a year. She stayed at home with you every day and slept in the same room with you at night. In the middle of the night, when you woke up from a nightmare, she would hug you andfort you

    ¡°In the morning, she would wake you up,b your hair, wash your face, make you delicious food, talk to you tirelessly, read story books, and tell you about the outside world

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you on a trip, see the beautiful scenery everywhere, and find a lot of children to y games with you.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, even though she didn¡¯t know you were her biological daughter at the time, she did more for you than a biological mother.¡±

    Tears welled up in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes. She covered her face with her hands, and tears rolled down her cheeks again.

 Chapter 1856 - never spoils a girl no matter how you pamper her

    <h4>Chapter 1856: Chapter 1856 never spoils a girl no matter how you pamper her</h4>

    Tears seeped through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers and rolled down her slender fingers. They flowed down her wrist and onto her snow-white arm. They dripped all the way to her elbow and then gathered into a shiny oval at the bottom of her elbow, it was like a teardrop-shaped pearl that dripped down gently and sshed onto the grass.

    He zhichu stared at the direction where her tears were falling. After a long time, he took out a tissue and wiped her tears.

    He continued,¡±... at that time, you did not speak. My mother consulted a child psychologist and gave you a psychological test and an IQ test

    ¡°They found that your IQ was very high, but your perception was selectively closed to the outside world

    ¡°In other words, you only hear what you want to hear, see what you want to see, don¡¯t want to hear, and don¡¯t want to see. Everything is automatically filtered

    ¡°Your IQ is very high, and your mental strength is very strong. Your self-control is far beyond that of a child of your age, but you refuse tomunicate with others

    ¡°They said that you might have been frightened when you were young, so you used the tendency of autism to protect yourself. Therefore, my mother listened to the advice of the psychologist and talked to you nonstop every day, so that you coulde out of your hard shell and see the world

    ¡°As long as you were awake, she would speak in front of you, and she spoke at a very steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, and her voice was very gentle and pleasant.¡±

    ¡°Her efforts were not in vain. You finally reacted to her voice. As long as she spoke, your eyes would involuntarily follow her figure.¡±

    ¡°But as soon as she turned around, you would immediately lower your head and hide behind the curtains.¡±

    He Zhichu remembered that day when he had returned home from school. He stood by the door, half of his body hidden in the shadows of the lights. He watched silently as his mother, Qin Suwen, tidied up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room and folded her clothes, he continued to ramble on to her.

    ¡°When you¡¯re done with your children¡¯s stories, I¡¯ll tell you about thewsuit she fought in the past. From logical reasoning to gathering evidence, from debating skills to reconstructing one¡¯s worldview, she repeated it over and over again. As long as you have even the slightest reaction, she will be ecstatic. She will hug you and give you a big kiss.¡±

    ¡°... my mother¡¯s throat was hoarse, her throat was inmed, and her throat was swollen and painful, but she refused to give up for a day.¡±

    ¡°Half a year passed in a sh, and my mother couldn¡¯t take it anymore. One day, she fainted in your room.¡±

    ¡°There were only the two of you in your room. You came out of your room alone and came to the door of my father¡¯s study. You told the guards at the door that Susu was sick.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... SUSU? I called Your Mother Susu?¡±Gu Nianzhi was very surprised.

    ¡°Yes.¡±He zhichu nodded. ¡°My father called my mother ¡®susu.¡¯You heard him say it too much and thought my mother¡¯s name was Susu.¡±

    ¡°That was the first time you spoke. My father heard it through the walkie-talkie in the study and quickly opened the door. He saw you holding your doll and looked up at him. He said very clearly, ¡®Susu is sick.¡¯¡±

    ¡°My father understood. He immediately came to your room and saw my mother lying unconscious on the floor.¡±

    ¡°He called our family doctor and a specialist from the military general hospital to give my mother a consultation. He found that she was just overtired and had a high fever caused by an inmmation of her throat.¡±

    He Zhichu remembered that day when he heard that his mother had fainted at school. He had rushed back from school in a hurry. In the end, he saw doctors in white coats walking in and out of the suite where his father and mother lived, they were all busying themselves anxiously. The Little Gu Nianzhi was alone with her little doll. She squatted by the door, her head lowered, staring at the patterns on the carpet in a daze.

    No one was paying attention to her, and no one said a word to her.

    At that moment, the sixteen-year-old he zhichu felt an indescribable pain and bitterness in his heart.

    He walked over without hesitation and bent down to pick up the six-year-old Gu Nianzhi. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and said, ¡°Susu is sick.¡±

    This was the first time she had spoken to he zhichu, but he zhichu immediately understood who she was talking about. He nodded. ¡°Yes, Susu is sick. Let¡¯s Go See Susu, okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him in confusion for a moment, as if trying to determine whether he meant her harm or good.

    In her six years of young life, she had met too many ¡°People¡±who had coaxed her into doing cruel experiments on her.

    She had shut herself off to protect herself.

    He Zhichu looked at her quietly, his eyes filled with undisguised pity and pity.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tiny body slowly softened. She leaned her head on his shoulder and said,¡±... Go See Susu.¡±

    ¡°... I¡¯ll take you to my mother¡¯s room to see her. You see her lying motionless on the bed, with needles stuck in the back of her hand, and a bottle by the side of the bed. You immediately scream and desperately try to reach her to remove the bottle, as well as the needle on the back of my mother¡¯s hand.¡±

    ¡°The doctors in the room were shocked...¡±he zhichu paused. He did not say that his father immediately berated him and asked him to carry Gu nianzhi away, instead, he continued, ¡°I was shocked too. I quickly carried you away, but you were so angry that you pped me across the face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She said shyly, ¡°I was too young and insensible then...¡±

    She did not remember anything, but she was not unfamiliar with what he zhichu had said. She listened with relish.

    He zhichu rubbed her head. ¡°You hated needles when you were young. You Were Afraid of Needles.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi touched her arm and said sheepishly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid now.¡±

    He zhichu smiled, his almond-shaped eyes shing with a strange light. He looked away and looked up at the sky.

    The moonlight was separated by the nting branches of the trees, like an ancientttice window.

    ¡°... my mother was ill. You went to see her every day, stayed by her bed, covered her with a nket and carried water. You could even wake her up to take her medicine on time.¡±

    ¡°My father heard you call my mother Su Su, and was both angry and amused. He asked you to call her auntie, but you refused and stubbornly called her ¡®Su Su¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But my mother protected you and said you could call her whatever you wanted. What does it matter? It¡¯s just a form of address.¡±

    ¡°My father joked that it would spoil you.¡±

    ¡°But my mother said that she could take care of her when she was sick. No matter how much she spoiled a child like that, she could never spoil her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed her hand against her chest, suppressing her pounding heart. She muttered,¡±... did mother really say that?¡±

    He zhichu nodded slightly and whispered, ¡°Everything About You is still fresh in my memory.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart was filled with emotion. It was because during the years when he had lost her, he had brought up these memories over and over again, and they had sustained him through his entire decadent period.

    Gu Nianzhi was touched. She gently held he zhichu¡¯s hand and said with admiration, ¡°Young master he, no, brother, is our mother the best mother in the world?¡±

    He zhichu smiled. ¡°In our hearts, she is indeed the best mother in the world. Everyone¡¯s mother is different and irreceable. I feel very lucky to have the same mother as you.¡±

    It seemed that he really did not mind.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then, please let me do onest thing for my mother. I want to get justice for her.¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her silently for a long time before closing his eyes, ¡°Okay, do what you want to do. Don¡¯t worry about my father. He¡¯s not an unreasonable person. All these years, he only wanted to find out the truth and give my mother an exnation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi collected her thoughts and turned her head to look at thewn not far away. She said in a low voice, ¡°I remember you saying that I came to your house when I was six years old. For the first six months, it was your mother... it was mother who personally took care of me.¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°After six months, you were able to speak, but you only spoke to my mother and me. You ignored everyone else.¡±

    ¡°After two years, you were almost fully recovered, but in that year...¡±he zhichu paused, trying to hold back the sobs in his throat, ¡°Your father suddenly came to my house to see her. The two of them had a secret talk in the study for more than an hour.¡±

    ¡°After your father left... my mother was found dead in the study.¡±He zhichu lowered his head, his shoulders seemingly unable to bear the weight. ¡°Her heart was not very good to begin with. She could not be stimted, and she could not be too tired.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to he zhichu¡¯s words. He zhichu must have said something or done something to provoke Qin Suwen, which led to Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes dimmed. She didn¡¯t want to bring up the topic of Lu Jin. She thought for a moment and asked quietly, ¡°Why is mother¡¯s heart not very good? What caused it?¡±

    ¡°... the doctor diagnosed it to be congenital.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s hereditary?¡±Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought. ¡°Then we need to check whether there is a history of hereditary diseases in the maternal grandparents¡¯family.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1856, ¡°You can¡¯t spoil her no matter how much you spoil her.¡±.

    Please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    It¡¯s the second update of the day.

    There¡¯s the second update at 8 pm.

    PS: Thank you for the tips from the readers over there, especially the 10,000 reading points given by ¡°You Ling¡±on August 3rd and the 10,000 reading points given by Moshi foam in July.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

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 Chapter 1857 - Perfect Logic

    <h4>Chapter 1857: Chapter 1857: Perfect Logic</h4>

    ¡°Your grandfather¡¯s family went abroad before the founding of the country. They were the only ones who stayed behind. So did your grandmother¡¯s family. Also, we haven¡¯t found any rtives on her side. ¡°Why else would mother go to the orphanage when she was young?¡±He Zhichu shook his head, ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°... but isn¡¯t there Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining on grandfather¡¯s side?¡±Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of Qin zhining, who had taken her over, saved her life on Snake Ind, and then shot her, ¡°Where is Qin zhining? No one else can do it. Can We at least test him?¡±

    He Zhichu thought for a moment. ¡°We can, but his rtionship with mother¡¯s rtives is quite distant.¡±

    ¡°Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining¡¯s grandfather was his mother¡¯s second cousin in the first ce. They¡¯re not blood brothers. Their father and mother¡¯s second cousin are even more distant. Qin zhining, on the other hand, is almost out of service. Are you sure you can check Qin zhining¡¯s condition and confirm his mother¡¯s family history of heart disease?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She knew it wasn¡¯t that simple.

    ¡°Then let me think about it.¡±Gu Nianzhi said listlessly, but her mind began tob through all the clues she had found.

    At that moment, he zhichu¡¯s phone rang. It sounded a little out of ce in the Quiet Street Park.

    He Zhichu looked at his phone and saw that it was Xie qingying calling. If it wasn¡¯t, her mind would run wild again.

    After hesitating for a moment, he zhichu picked up the call. ¡°Qingying, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Xie qingying was visibly relieved. She smiled and said, ¡°Young master he, have you finished your business? Are youing back? I¡¯ll Make You Supper.¡±

    Before he zhichu could say anything, Gu Nianzhi had already stood up and smiled. ¡°Young master he, it¡¯s already veryte. I have to go back. You should hurry home too.¡±

    Xie qingying heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice on the other end of the line and her eyebrows jumped. ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re with Nianzhi?¡±

    He Zhichu did not hide anything and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±¡±Nianzhi saved my father¡¯s life. I¡¯m here to thank her and her friends.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    He Zhichu had no choice but to leave with her and escort her back to the apartmentplex.

    They were about to leave when Lu Jin, who was standing in the bushes not far from the park, quickly turned around and left.

    He Zhichu walked Gu Nianzhi back to the entrance of theplex. He only turned around and left when he saw her disappearing around the corner of the boulevard.

    He got back into the car and started the engine. He suddenly remembered something and stopped the car. He got out and went back to the park.

    He zhichu came to the stone bench where he and Gu Nianzhi had sat earlier. He saw his handkerchief still lying alone on the stone bench. There were also tissues nearby that he had used to wipe Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears.

    He zhichu pursed his lips and walked over. He folded the handkerchief and put it back into his pocket. He then collected the tissues and took them to the small pool in jiexin park. He lit them with a lighter and saw that they had been burned to ashes, he fell into the water and turned to leave.

    ..

    After returning to the He family¡¯s house, he zhichu went to the dining room. He saw Xie qingying sitting alone at the dining table. She was busy typing on herptop and writing a work n.

    He zhichu rubbed his temples and did not exin. He sat down opposite her and said, ¡°What did you make for Supper Tonight? I didn¡¯t have dinner. I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±

    Xie qingying was surprised to hear that he zhichu did not have dinner. ¡°You didn¡¯t treat Nianzhi and her friends to dinner?¡±

    ¡°No. I had some business to attend to earlier. I went to visit Nianzhi and realized that her friends had already left. She had already had dinner, so we chatted casually,¡±he zhichu said without batting an eyelid, he was also surprised that he could lie so easily.

    Xie qingying did not say much. She looked up at He Zhichu and said with a smile, ¡°Since you haven¡¯t had dinner, don¡¯t eat this little glutinous rice ball. I¡¯ll go make chicken soup and clear noodles for you.¡±

    There was chicken soup in the kitchen all year round. There were also pork bones, Yao Zhu, pigeons, cinnamon and ginger. It was the best way to make clear noodles.

    He zhichu nodded and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll have to Trouble You Then.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡±Xie qingying quickly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to visit Xie Nianzhi and her friend some other day. I can¡¯t thank her enough for helping us out this time.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±He Zhichu objected subconsciously. ¡°I¡¯ve already thanked her. You¡¯re not close to her either.¡±

    Actually, he was a little worried that Xie qingying would find out who her ¡°Friend¡±was after spending so much time with Gu Nianzhi.

    After all, Xie qingying was gu nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Friend¡±¡®s biological niece.

    Even though they weren¡¯t familiar with each other most of the time, Gu Xiangwen had been hiding his identity for more than a decade.

    Xie qingying didn¡¯t retort and said gently, ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t want me to go, I won¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go.¡±He Zhichu was a little embarrassed. ¡°If you really want to go, you can go.¡±

    Xie qingying wisely dropped the subject and went to the kitchen to make noodles.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her apartment and Lu Jin immediately followed her in.

    He closed the door and saw Gu Nianzhi turn around. He quickly said, ¡°I was worried about you. I didn¡¯t mean to follow you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was still cold. She said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you follow me. After all, I¡¯m your guinea pig. You have to follow the results of your guinea pig, Don¡¯t you?¡±

    Lu Jin was very upset. He knew that he had really hurt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feelings.

    He walked over carefully and followed gu nianzhi to the kitchen. Seeing that she was thirsty and wanted to drink water, he quickly stepped forward and poured her a ss of water.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°What do you want to Do?¡±Gu Nianzhi sat down at the dining table. ¡°I¡¯m very tired and want to go to sleep.¡±

    Lu Jin rubbed his hands against his pants and muttered, ¡°Nianzhi, I heard what he zhichu said to you just now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°You hid it really well.¡±

    She was so excited that she didn¡¯t even notice that there was someone nearby.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know if he noticed or not, but he had said so much since then, so it couldn¡¯t be ruled out that he had said it on purpose. He could kill two birds with one stone.

    This was because the key to the whole case was actually Lu Jin, or Gu Xiangwen.

    Only if he stood up and told them the contents of the one-hour secret conversation would they be able to guide them in the right direction in investigating the case.

    However, Gu Nianzhi felt that Lu Jin would not say anything no matter what. As for why, she could not figure it out, so she could not be bothered to think about it for the time being.

    Lu Jin also knew that Gu Nianzhi and he zhichu probably wanted to know what he and Qin Suwen had talked about during the one-hour conversation. He did not want to say it because Qin Suwen had made him swear not to mention this topic to anyone else.

    Lu Jin had never made many vows in his life, but he kept his word.

    Besides, he couldn¡¯t say it out loud.

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s displeased face and tried to find something to say. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Suwen was so nice to you. I know my decision wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±

    ¡°... wasn¡¯t wrong? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was furious again. ¡°Then do you admit that Qin Suwen is my biological mother? !¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... Since you know she¡¯s my biological mother, why do you still want me to get engaged to young master he? ! Young master he is my half-brother! Do you know what you¡¯re doing? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pounded the sofa and roared angrily.

    Lu Jin thought to himself, I can answer this question.

    He blinked, he said very seriously, ¡°In theory, rtives who are rted by blood can not be together to form a family and have children because they have too many of the same genes. It¡¯s easier for the disease-causing genes to be expressed, which will greatly increase the probability that the offspring will have gic defects, which will be detrimental to the continuation of humanity.¡±

    ¡°But you are a perfect gene. There is no disease-causing or defective gene in your genes, and you also have powerful repair and correction functions.¡±

    ¡°I have also cured he zhichu¡¯s gic defects. Your children will not have any gic diseases or defects, and there will be no obstacles to reproduction.¡±

    Lu Jin asked in confusion,¡±... So why can¡¯t we get engaged?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Damn it, this logic was so perfect that she didn¡¯t even know how to refute it!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1857, ¡°Perfect Logic.¡±.

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 Chapter 1858 - high-level and low-level -LRB-number one asks for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1858: Chapter 1858 high-level and low-level -LRB-number one asks for a monthly pass)</h4>

    ¡°But, he¡¯s my biological brother! This has nothing to do with genes.¡±Gu Nianzhi racked her brains trying to convince Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin waved his hand disapprovingly, he said, ¡°The first survival need of a living creature is to reproduce. This is a biological instinct. Males have the instinct to spread their genes to the maximum extent, and females also have the instinct to choose the strongest genes to reproduce.¡±

    ¡°In the animal kingdom, females will choose the strongest males to reproduce, and males will also disy their strengths in front of as many females as possible.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same in human society.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±.

    She rubbed her forehead and said with a headache, ¡°You¡¯re talking about low-level animals that have yet to break away from their animal instincts. Humans are already high-level animals and have broken away from these instincts. So...¡±

    Lu Jin sneered disdainfully. ¡°Humans have broken away from low-level animal instincts? You make it sound like those men and women who fool around are very evolved.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She was so tired. Discussing the issue of men and women with a sharp, intelligent, and knowledgeable scientist was asking for trouble.

    She took a deep breath and said in a huff, ¡°You¡¯re so clear-sighted. Then why did you agree to do a reproductive experiment with Qin Yaoguang and use your own genes tobine with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s genes to form a fertilized egg?¡±

    In the beginning, Lu Jin and Qin Yaoguang had used their own sperm tobine with the egg cells to avoid legal supervision and carry out biological gic experiments.

    ¡°How is that the same?¡±Lu Jin answered seriously, ¡°We were doing it for scientific experiments. It was just like donating blood. We donated our own reproductive cells to carry out experiments. There was no emotion in it.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t I have a few half-siblings?¡±

    Unexpectedly, Lu Jin said with disdain, ¡°Qin Yaoguang isn¡¯t as smart as I am. She¡¯s not eloquent, she doesn¡¯t speak logically, and there are more ws in her genes. She doesn¡¯t match my genes at all. ¡°So her and my genes didn¡¯t sessfullybine to form a fertilized egg.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin was in high spirits, ¡°Actually, there was something wrong with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s egg cells. Her egg cells only sessfullybined with the gardener¡¯s sperm to form a fertilized egg. They were then imnted into the womb of the surrogate mother and imnted into the bed. She was born Wen Shouyi.¡±

    ¡°TSK tsk, this means that she is only worthy of Wen Dayou, the gardener.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing, but didn¡¯t want to forgive Lu Jin too easily. She tried her best to keep a straight face and said coldly, ¡°Then do you admit that you deliberately chose Qin Suwen... tobine thewyer¡¯s genes with yours to create a fertilized egg?¡±

    She pointed at her own ¡°Fertilized egg.¡±.

    Lu Jin¡¯s face suddenly turned red, and his two index fingers quietly extended. He couldn¡¯t help pointing at her for a while and whispered,¡±... I didn¡¯t choose. I didn¡¯t dare...¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You didn¡¯t choose? !¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t even know where to look. He stammered,¡±... I, I, I really didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then how was I born? !¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her voice. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know!¡±

    Lu Jin was forced into a corner by Gu Nianzhi. He was also worried that he would anger Gu Nianzhi again. He didn¡¯t know what she was up to. Lu Jin was really afraid of her.

    He raised his eyes and stole a nce at Gu Nianzhi. His heart softened when he met her determined and stubborn eyes. He turned his head away and said, ¡°It was Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°I was fooled by her at the beginning. She said that she and my sperm had sessfullybined to form a fertilized egg. She wanted me to edit the gene.¡±

    Lu Jin said awkwardly and wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

    ¡°But when I started editing the gene, I definitely had to test the entire sequence. Otherwise, how would I edit it? ¡°My goal at the time was the perfect gene. I wanted to remove the non-human genes from the human genes and make up for it with the human genes.¡±

    ¡°As soon as the sequence was sequenced, I discovered that the DNA on the fertilized egg¡¯s side was not Qin Yaoguang¡¯s at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and was even more surprised. ¡°You Mean, you knew Qin Yaoguang was lying from the start, but you pretended to be confused and cooperated with her to lie? !¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and looked at her uneasily, he said, ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not as good as you think. I was indeed lying. ¡°I knew that the DNA was not Qin Yaoguang¡¯s, but at the beginning, I didn¡¯t know whose DNA it was, but I only found out that the person¡¯s DNA was not very healthy

    ¡°Later, I found out that the fertilized egg after her DNAbined with mine was unusually healthy and strong. I was a little interested and secretly went to check Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experimental records.¡±

    Lu Jin paused for a moment and could not help smiling.

    ¡°Through her experimental records, I found the egg cell she used, and naturally, I found the owner of this egg cell.¡±

    ¡°... is it Qin Suwen¡¯s?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked coldly.

    Lu Jin finally nodded obediently this time. ¡°It¡¯s her. Because we wanted to treat he zhichu¡¯s illness, our original n was to use his parents¡¯genes for research, so we have his parents¡¯reproductive cells.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very upset and said, ¡°Since you have their reproductive cells, why don¡¯t you just let them give birth to another child to treat young master he¡¯s illness?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯ve already given birth to a child with a defect. If they give birth to another child, the probability of having a defect will be higher,¡±Lu Jin said honestly. ¡°So this possibility has been ruled out from the start.¡±

    ¡°... you must be very happy, right?¡±Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Are you really going to hide it?¡±

    Lu Jin still nodded and said sheepishly, ¡°I thought it was a spur of the moment and thought it was a good idea, so I gave it a try.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t Expect Qin Yaoguang to be a surrogate mother herself, moving the fertilized egg into her womb and cing it in bed.¡±

    ¡°This fertilized egg, Qin Yaoguang announced to the public that it was her fertilized egg and mine. No one in theb knew about it, and she kept her experimental records herself. But after I found out the truth, I set fire to herb and burned all her experimental records.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression did not change as he spoke, as if he did not realize what he had done.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless for a long time before she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so evil.¡±

    Lu Jin red at her. ¡°I told you that I¡¯m not as good as you think I am. And I¡¯ve carefully spected that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experiment records were burned. She would only be happier and would never pursue the identity of the person who burned down herb.¡±

    Qin yaoguang was indeed very happy. The only record was gone. Everyone thought that this child was her biological daughter, and even Qin Suwen did not know about it.

    Therefore, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mood throughout her pregnancy was exceptionally good. She did not have the usual morning sickness of a pregnant woman, nor did she have pregnancy spots or stretch marks. She was extremely healthy, and she did not be ugly when pregnant like other women, not only did she not be ugly, but she had also be more beautiful. She was like a piece of polished jade that was about to burst into dazzling brilliance.

    Gu Nianzhi listened attentively to Lu Jin¡¯s memories and said thoughtfully, ¡°Because of your concealment, she didn¡¯t know that you already knew who my biological mother was.¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head repeatedly. ¡°Of course she didn¡¯t know. She always thought that I was kept in the dark. She thought that this secret was only known to her and her father, Qin Baye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Qin Baye knows about this too? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, Qin Baye must know. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s affairs are all rted to her father, Qin Baye,¡±Lu Jin muttered, ¡°You said Qin Baye should just be a businessman and earn his money. Why is he so interested in gic research?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand?¡±Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°Because he didn¡¯t earn these assets on his own. He only became rich because of the foreign financial group behind him. Of course he can¡¯t just earn money.¡±

    ¡°Those people paid for him, not to make money for them. Those people wanted something else.¡±

    Since Qin Baye was in the boat, he couldn¡¯t just jump on and off whenever he wanted to.

    Lu Jin pursed his lips like a mussel, afraid that he would identally spill the beans.

    Gu Nianzhi was indeed Qin Suwen¡¯s biological daughter. Her words were almost exactly the same as what Qin Suwen had said all those years ago.

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi. Suddenly, a trace of guilt and pain shed through his eyes.

    However, when Gu Nianzhi looked up, Lu Jin¡¯s gaze had already shifted elsewhere.

    Gu Nianzhi did not notice the change in Lu Jin¡¯s expression. She was immersed in her own thoughts and muttered to herself,¡±... does barrister Qin Suwen Know The Truth?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyelids twitched, but he did not answer the question. He quickly changed the topic. ¡°What does it matter? She¡¯s not in this world anymore anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked deeply at Lu Jin and did not continue asking.

    Indeed, whether Qin Suwen knew the truth or not would not help her in any way. It might even affect her logic.

    Gu Nianzhi let Lu Jin go and looked at him quietly for a while, she said, ¡°Dad, if you still want me to call you dad, don¡¯t Stop Me from doing what I¡¯m about to do, and don¡¯t cause any trouble. Turn yourself in. I don¡¯t want to see youmit suicide or anything like that.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. ¡°No... no... But nianzhi, what do you want to Do?¡±

    ¡°I still want to sue Qin Yaoguang for the murder of Qin Suwen.¡±Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists and suppressed the bitterness in her heart, ¡°Qin Suwen... my mother¡¯s family was so badly harmed by Qin Yaoguang¡¯s family. I refuse to believe that my mother¡¯s sudden death has nothing to do with them!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Nianzhi, you still insist onining? What if the truth is harder to ept than you think?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her head, revealing her snow-white, delicate neck, ¡°If you want to tell my mother what you told me at the time, so that I don¡¯t take any detours, I would certainly wee it. But if you don¡¯t want to tell me, Ipletely understand and won¡¯t pursue the matter further.¡±

    ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to tell me, then don¡¯t refuse me to find the truth on my own.¡±Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists, ¡°I believe that I can find the evidence I want. I can convince the Procuratorate to submit aint to the Court!¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her silently. He was certain that if he didn¡¯t tell her, Gu Nianzhi would never know what he and Qin Suwen had said on the day she died.

    He just didn¡¯t expect that Qin Suwen would suddenly die on that day.

    Lu Jin nodded slowly. ¡°If you want to find the truth yourself, of course I won¡¯t Stop You. As long as you remember not to involve yourself in it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, how could she guarantee that?

    But she still nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. I¡¯ll try my best toplete the case in two days and send it to the Procuratorate.¡±

    She would give the Procuratorate and the court another two days to review the case. She hoped that the case would be officially filed on the day he chengjian woke up and that the court date would be set.

    Lu Jin sighed, feeling very depressed. ¡°You should still ask he zhichu to go to the Procuratorate with you. His identity is different, and it¡¯s also for his mother¡¯s sake. He can¡¯t stay out of this matter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin in surprise. ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so thorough.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s mood gradually improved after being praised by Gu Nianzhi. He raised his head and said, ¡°I actually know all about interpersonal rtionships, but I don¡¯t want to do it. I feel especially stupid.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1858, ¡°High and low¡±.

    I hope everyone has a guaranteed monthly ticket, and also a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    It was the second update of the day.

    There was the second update at 8 pm.

    PS: Remember to like the characters every day. It was best to like the female lead, Gu Nianzhi, and the male lead, Huo Shaoheng, because the husband and wife had both entered the finals. O (* *) O.

    The book club¡¯s book lovers should also like the reading APP. It¡¯s free!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1860 - presumption of guilt (2)(first, please approve the monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1860: Chapter 1860 presumption of guilt (2)(first, please approve the monthly pass)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was no longer surprised by the two men¡¯s ¡°Daily bickering.¡±Without looking up, she said, ¡°No, you heard it wrong.¡±

    ¡°Heard it wrong?¡±Lu Yuan and Lu Jin looked at each other. ¡°We both heard it. Could it be that both of US heard it wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled cheekily at the two middle-aged men as she closed the door. ¡°Both of you are old, so it¡¯s entirely possible that both of you heard it wrong.¡±

    She then quickly closed the door.

    She was mocking the two of them for being ¡°Deaf and blind¡±and suffering from the syndrome of the elderly.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin were thoroughly disheartened by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    The two of them looked at each other, who were ¡°Old¡±, and smiled wryly at the same time.

    Lu Yuan shook his head. ¡°The daughter of major shareholder Lu is indeed extraordinary. I think her ability to criticize others is definitely better than her father¡¯s.¡±

    Lu Jin could not help but want to retort, but his daughter had just said that he was ¡°Old.¡±He was in a terrible mood.

    The issue of age was not only a sore spot for women over 30, but also for men over 40.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her suite and began to read the medical reports Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining had brought with them, especially the ones rted to the heart. She was sure that neither Qin Zhiyuan nor Qin zhining had any problems in this regard.

    As for the rest of the Qin family, she could talk about itter.

    After putting the two men¡¯s medical reports into the files, Gu Nianzhi took the two small transparent stic bags and went to Lu Jin¡¯s door to ring the doorbell.

    Updates by

    She only pressed the doorbell reluctantly and opened the door to Lu Jin¡¯s suite.

    Lu Jin had already stored her palm prints and Iris data in his Smart Door Lock¡¯s database.

    She only needed to shake the door a little and press her palm to open it.

    After entering, she found Lu Yuan cooking in Lu Jin¡¯s kitchen.

    The air was filled with the delicious aroma of food.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help swallowing her saliva. She smiled and said, ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re showing off again? What did you cook this time?¡±

    Lu Yuan said lightly,¡±... It¡¯s all for older people. Maybe it¡¯s not for a young girl like you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at Lu Yuan strangely and smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect President Lu to be angry.¡±

    ¡°Not only will I be angry, but I can also hit people.¡±Lu Yuan turned around and nced at her.¡±... So naughty that I want to beat you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and walked over to say fawningly, ¡°President Lu, please don¡¯t say that. I know I¡¯m wrong, and I won¡¯t say that again. President Lu is still handsome and dashing. Anyone who wants to marry President Lu can go from the second ring to the third ring!¡±

    Lu Jin saw Gu Nianzhie in and quickly walked over. When he heard this, he asked curiously, ¡°Why from the second ring to the third ring? Since you said he was so good, why are there only so few people lining up to marry him?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Because there aren¡¯t many women who are good enough for president Lu. They¡¯re only good enough to go from the second ring to the third ring. Our President Lu isn¡¯t a match for any Tom, Dick, or Harry.¡±

    Lu Jin thought about it seriously and said,¡±... if that¡¯s the case, then there are quite a few people who can go from the second ring to the third ring.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She ignored Lu Jin and continued to curry favor with Lu Yuan. ¡°President Lu, what delicious food are you cooking?¡±

    ¡°What delicious food can there be in summer?¡±Lu Jin said indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s just Loofah and egg soup.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi poked her head into the stainless-steel soup pot and happened to see slices of fresh loofah floating in the almost transparent clear soup. The middle part was snow-white, and the golden egg flowers were interspersed with the slices of loofah, it was very delicious with just a little salt.

    The taste of Loofah was smooth, and the egg flowers were as tender as soup. A mouthful of Loofah wrapped around the egg flowers was so fresh that water could be squeezed out of it.

    Gu Nianzhi was full of praise. ¡°Director Lu¡¯s cooking skills are getting better and better. To be able to create the signature style of a luxurious restaurant with home-cooked side dishes, that¡¯s amazing!¡±

    Lu Yuan clicked his tongue. ¡°The tastes of older people are nd, so they can only eat home-cooked side dishes. The signature dishes of those luxurious restaurants are for young people like you.¡±

    ¡°... No Way, right? Everyone can eat it...¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention waspletely drawn to a simple loofah egg soup, so she casually replied.

    Lu Yuanughed, ¡°You young people are easier to fool. Those signature dishes are meant to fool you young people. We older people only care about the benefits, we won¡¯t be fooled by those signature dishes that are ¡®good on the outside but bad on the inside¡¯.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knelt down, cupped her hands and bowed. ¡°President Lu, I know I¡¯m wrong. Please forgive me, I won¡¯t say anything else... President Lu, please forgive me once. When I go back, I¡¯ll praise you more in front of Ms. Song!¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s hand that was holding the spoon paused. He still smiled faintly and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you say. I¡¯m not going back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She shut her mouth at the right time and knew that she shouldn¡¯t continue speaking.

    When she returned with her two small transparent stic bags, she saw Lu Jin watching her and Lu Yuan bicker with interest.

    Seeing that Lu Jin was about to open his mouth, Gu Nianzhi quickly went up to him and carried the two small transparent stic bags to Lu Jin. She said loudly, ¡°Dad, look at what these are! You have to help me with two things!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to the small transparent stic bags used for experiments.¡±... whose saliva and hair samples are these?¡±

    ¡°These belong to Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining.¡±Gu Nianzhi ced the two small transparent stic bags into Lu Jin¡¯s hands. ¡°Please check if there are any congenital heart disease gic defects in their genes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy, I¡¯ll check right away.¡±Lu Jin said as he took the two small transparent stic bags and returned to his suite¡¯sboratory.

    Lu Yuan happened to put the loofah egg soup into a white porcin bowl that looked like a round bowl.

    There were a few green aquatic nts on the bottom of the white porcin bowl. Once the loofah egg soup was put in, the aquatic nts seemed toe to life and swayed in the clear soup.

    The Loofah was snow-white, the egg flowers were golden yellow, and the aquatic nts were green. One look was enough to whet one¡¯s appetite.

    Gu Nianzhi thickened her skin and followed Lu Yuan into the dining room. She said politely, ¡°I¡¯ll set the table.¡±

    Lu Yuan let her busy, and went to call Lu Jin over himself to have dinner together.

    Lu Jin had already put the samples into the equipment to start sequencing, and now he had time to have dinner.

    The three of them sat at the dining table and chatted as they ate.

    Lu Yuan asked again, ¡°Was that Qin zhining proposing to you just now? After all, he also has a trust fund?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a headache, but she had already offended Lu Yuan and Lu Jin just now. She did not dare to act rashly now, she said honestly, ¡°The Qin family is the Qin Huichang family. Qin Suwen¡¯s father¡¯s family was quite rich in the country back then. Their home base was originally in the south. A few hundred years ago, their family had a ce in the 13 rows of city G.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no wonder.¡±Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°The Qin family has a piece ofnd in City Z. So it was passed down from generation to generation.¡±

    ¡°Yes. City Z was a part of City G before it became a special district. Now it¡¯s under the jurisdiction of Province G.¡±gu Nianzhi had done her homework on this.

    Since they couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with Qin Baye, she and Huo Shaoheng started with Qin Baye.

    ¡°It can be said that the Qin family in Qin Huichang is the famous Qin family in the south. If we go back a few hundred years, their ancestors didn¡¯t have the surname Qin at all. They came to the south to work for the Qin family, so they changed their surname to Qin.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, everyone only knows about the Qin family in Qin Baye now. Some people even say that they are the Qin family from the thirteen rows.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled as she knocked on her soup bowl with her spoon, ¡°Qin Baye never exined himself. He deliberately made things right.¡±

    Lu Jin listened attentively, he nodded and said, ¡°Qin Huichang¡¯s rtives emigrated overseas a long time ago. Qin Huichang and his family were the only members of the Qin family who stayed. However, Su Wenter married he chengjian, and he chengjian did everything he could to help her find Qin family members in the country. Among them were the brothers Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining. They were also in the orphanage at the time. However, they were in another orphanage in the south, not the Qin orphanage.¡±

    ¡°He chengjian also helped them contact the Qin family overseas. The brothers should have gotten their share of the inheritance.¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°Oh¡±, ¡°I guess so. Actually, Wen Shouyi didn¡¯t know how to appreciate her blessings. Qin zhining likes her a lot. If she were to be with Qin zhining, she would definitely marry into a wealthy family!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that she doesn¡¯t like Qin Zhining.¡±Lu Jin shook his head and scooped a spoonful of loofah egg soup. ¡°She only has he zhichu in her eyes. Just like her mother, she won¡¯t stop until she gets him.¡±

    Lu Yuan was relieved and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think Qin zhining has a good taste. People like him usually have problems with their IQ. Nianzhi, you have to take a good look at him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and said, ¡°Thank you for the reminder, President Lu.¡±

    After the three of them finished their dinner, Gu Nianzhi returned to her suite to continue organizing the files.

    Lu Yuan carried a cup of pu¡¯er tea to her room and asked with a smile, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him and said cautiously,¡±... President Lu, you¡¯re not angry anymore, are you?¡±

    Lu Yuan waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°I was just teasing you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She sat back behind her desk and typed as she asked, ¡°Lu, I feel that my presumption of guilt should start from which direction?¡±

    She already had the Qin family¡¯s medical report, but this only proved that qin suwen¡¯s ¡°Congenital heart disease¡±was untenable.

    Lu Yuan thought deeply,¡±... I still remember that Barrister Qin Suwen¡¯s heart did not seem to have any problems before her car ident.¡±

    A thought suddenly shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind,¡±... What do you mean there was no problem before the car ident? Do you have the medical report from before her car ident?¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head, ¡°It was decades ago. How could there still be the medical report from that year?¡±? ¡°I heard it from your father. I remember that it was on the way back from a court appearance. Perhaps Qin Suwen was too tired and suddenly fainted in the car.¡±. ¡°After being sent to the hospital, the diagnosis was that the congenital heart disease had caused a vascr malformation in the heart. The blood supply was insufficient, so she fainted.¡±

    ¡°Your father knew about the diagnosis and mumbled for a few days. He said that if Qin Suwen had a congenital heart disease, she would not have been able to survive the car ident, and she would not have been able to survive the post-ident burn recovery treatment.¡±

    Hearing this, Gu Nianzhi was enlightened. She eximed in surprise, ¡°I know where to start!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1860, presumption of guilt (2) .

    Please give me your monthly ticket and your rmendation ticket

    It¡¯s the second update of the day.

    There¡¯s the second update at 8 pm.

    PS: Remember to like your characters every day. It¡¯s best to like the female lead, Gu Nianzhi, and the male lead, Huo Shaoheng. The link is in the author¡¯s speech at the end of the chapter.

    Everyone in the book store, please click on the ¡°Like¡±button of the book App Too!

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~

 Chapter 1861

    <h4>Chapter 1861: Chapter 1861 presumption of guilt (3)(second request for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had a clue, Lu Yuan stood up and said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t bother you anymore. Make good preparations.¡±

    After Lu Yuan left, Gu Nianzhi spent the whole night writing theint and filling in the evidence that she wanted to submit.

    After carefully checking all the materials, it was already dawn outside.

    The first rays of the morning sun shone through the gaps in the curtains. Gu Nianzhi sat in the study facing north, the light flickering on her face, which had been awake all night.

    However, she was not tired at all. On the contrary, she was full of energy, as if she had gotten enough rest and sleep.

    Her spirit could be said to be high, and her cheeks were faintly flushed, just like the pink of the heart of the most delicate rose.

    Gu Nianzhi read through theint from beginning to end, then took out her phone to call he zhichu.

    She wanted to ask he zhichu to go with her to the Procuratorate to file theint.

    In the past, she had disdained to do such a thing, but this time it was special. She needed to get the Procuratorate to approve herint as soon as possible, and at the same time, get the court to ept herint and file a case.

    Because murder was a criminal case, if she wanted to seek criminal punishment for Qin yaoguang, she needed the procuratorate to file a public prosecution.

    Individuals could only Sue Qin yaoguang for civilpensation rted to murder, and could not directly file a criminalwsuit.

    Her phone rang a few times, but no one answered.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. It seemed to be too early, it was only five in the morning.

    The Procuratorate went to work at eight o¡¯clock, but he zhichu still needed time to go through theint and the evidence she had collected. It would take at least two to three hours, so Gu Nianzhi knew it was too early to bother he zhichu, she still braced herself and made a few phone calls.

    Updates by

    He Zhichu still did not pick up.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and dialed he zhichu¡¯s officendline.

    There were people on duty 24 hours a day. Even if he zhichu didn¡¯t answer the call himself, his operator, orderly, and personal secretary would all answer.

    As expected, someone answered the call very quickly and asked politely, ¡°Hello, May I know who you are? What do you want from our chief? I¡¯ll make a note of it and give it to him when he goes to work.¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Sorry to trouble you, I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you, major general he zhichu. Can you please wake him up now? It¡¯s really urgent!¡±

    The person who picked up the phone was he zhichu¡¯s orderly. He immediately said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you wake up the chief now.¡±

    He Zhichu knew how important Gu Nianzhi was to he zhichu. Although the two of them had already broken off their engagement, he zhichu still instructed them to inform him immediately if miss gu had any matters to discuss with him.

    Therefore, everyone in the He family did not show any signs of neglecting gu nianzhi.

    The orderly went to he zhichu¡¯s bedroom and rang the doorbell.

    It was Xie qingying who opened the door after a while.

    She was wearing a tight long-sleeved nightgown and asked sleepily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something wrong? It¡¯s only five in the morning.¡±

    The orderly said politely, ¡°Miss Xie, please call the chief. Miss GU has something urgent to ask the chief.¡±

    He paused for a moment before adding,¡±... it¡¯s extremely urgent.¡±

    Xie qingying:¡±...¡±

    She stuck her head out to take a look. ¡°Gu Nianzhi? She¡¯s here? where is she?¡±

    ¡°Miss Gu didn¡¯te. She called the chief¡¯s Office.¡±

    Xie qingying nodded. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll get the chief to call her back.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Thank you for your concern, Miss Xie.¡±The orderly gave her a military salute.

    Xie qingying smiled faintly. ¡°It¡¯s my duty.¡±

    After closing the door to the suite, Xie Qingying looked down at He Zhichu¡¯s phone in her hand.

    She couldn¡¯t open the phone, but she could still pick up the call.

    Gu Nianzhi had called he zhichu¡¯s phone several times, but he zhichu hadn¡¯t woken up. Xie qingying had woken up. She saw that he zhichu had only returned at two o¡¯clock in the morning the day before. He was too tired and had fallen asleep. He had only slept for three hours, she could not bear to wake him up, so she did not pick up.

    She did not expect Gu Nianzhi to call he zhichu¡¯s office again. Could it really be an emergency?

    Xie qingying pondered whether she should wake he zhichu up.

    As she was walking towards the bedroom, he zhichu¡¯s phone rang again.

    It was probably Gu Nianzhi who had called at the right time. It was probably the orderly who had replied to her, saying that he zhichu would call her back with his phone. She could not wait any longer, so he zhichu called again.

    Xie qingying picked up the call and said softly, ¡°Is that Nianzhi? It¡¯s cousin Qingying.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little taken aback, but her face quickly turned red. She said embarrassedly, ¡°Cousin Xie? Can you let young master he answer the phone? I have something urgent to talk to him about.¡±

    ¡°Okay, he¡¯s still sleeping. He only came back at 2 am yesterday and had only slept for three hours. I¡¯m sorry about earlier. I wanted to let him sleep a little longer and call you back when it¡¯s time for work.¡±Xie qingying said with a smile, actually, there wasn¡¯t much of an apology in her tone.

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that she was in the wrong to call someone at 5 am, so she quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, cousin Xie. This is thest time. I really have something urgent to attend to, so I won¡¯t call young master he so early in the future.¡±

    As long as she could file a case right away, Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t need to rely on he zhichu¡¯s power anymore.

    Her only remaining wish here was to help Qin Suwen and his family clear their name.

    Xie qingying smiled and said gently, ¡°I know. It¡¯s not an emergency. Cousin Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t disturb us so early.¡±

    She had already reached the bed. Xie qingying nudged he zhichu and said, ¡°Young master he, it¡¯s an emergency.¡±

    He Zhichu was indeed very sleepy. He had been interrogating that person the day before, but that person¡¯s knowledge was really limited. There wasn¡¯t much information he could get, so there wasn¡¯t much new information.

    He zhichu woke up a little angry after being pushed awake by Xie qingying. He turned his head away in a childish manner and hugged the pillow as he said,¡±... I¡¯m not picking up!¡±

    Xie qingying found it funny. Her eyes curved into crescents, and she continued to push him while holding back herughter. ¡°It¡¯s a call from Nianzhi. You¡¯re not picking up either?¡±

    He Zhichu instantly woke up. He opened his eyes abruptly and sat up. He looked at the rm clock on the bedside table and frowned. ¡°Quick, give me your phone. It¡¯s so early to call. There must be something urgent.¡±

    Xie qingying handed the phone over and said considerately, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and make you breakfast. Get Up early and see what¡¯s going on with cousin Nianzhi.¡±

    She was indeed a little unhappy, but she knew what was important.

    Gu Nianzhi must have had something urgent to ask he zhichu, so she could understand.

    After Xie qingying left, he zhichu wiped his face and picked up the phone. He asked, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? What Happened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had overheard the entire conversation between Xie Qingying and he zhichu. She felt a little awkward, as if she was peeping into someone else¡¯s privacy. Her face was burning, she stuttered, ¡°Um... young master he... I¡¯ve finished myint. I wanted to ask if you¡¯re free today. We¡¯ll send theint in as soon as the procuratorate opens in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Young master he, do you want to read the petition first and then go to the Procuratorate and the court with me?¡±

    This was the first time Gu Nianzhi had used the back door. She asked nervously, afraid that he zhichu wouldn¡¯t be willing.

    Fortunately, he zhichu wasn¡¯t unwilling. He agreed immediately and said as he put on his clothes, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no car on the road now. I¡¯ll drive 15 minutes to your ce.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in gratitude. ¡°Okay, thank you, young master he. You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet, have you? I¡¯ll go make you a sandwich.¡±

    The kind of sandwich that only needed to be heated in the microwave was one of the few foods that she could cook.

    He Zhichu grunted in agreement. He did not care so much about food.

    After putting on his clothes, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He then took the car keys and came out.

    In the living room downstairs, she met Xie qingying who had juste out of the kitchen. She was holding a tray of food in her hand.

    Seeing that he zhichu had gone downstairs, she quickly said, ¡°Young master he, please have some breakfast before you leave.¡±

    He Zhichu waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s toote. I¡¯m going to eat at Nianzhi¡¯s ce.¡±

    After saying that, he left without looking back.

    Xie qingying looked at the food on her tray and smiled bitterly. She shook her head and sent the food back to the kitchen.

    She said to the orderly in the kitchen, ¡°Thank you for your trouble. Young master he has already gone out. You can share the breakfast. It¡¯s all freshly made and clean. No one has touched it.¡±

    ¡°Miss Xie, you¡¯re too kind.¡±A few orderly in the kitchen quickly expressed their gratitude to her. They happily took the tray and ate it.

    Xie qingying had no appetite at all. She went upstairs to get her bag and left the he residence.

    It was a summer morning in the imperial capital. It was past five in the morning. The air was still fresh and cool, and there weren¡¯t many cars on the road.

    Xie qingying was driving alone, wondering what was going on with Gu Nianzhi.

    She was a little regretful. She should have suggested going with he zhichu to take a look.

    There were some things that he zhichu couldn¡¯t do directly with his current status.

    In fact, she could help he zhichu do some things. That way, even if something was not right, she could push the me onto him and not make things difficult for he zhichu.

    Xie qingying thought about it. She turned the steering wheel and drove back. She called he zhichu and wanted to ask if she could go over to see Gu Nianzhi with him.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1861, presumption of guilt (3) .

    Please give me your monthly tickets and your rmendation tickets

    PS: Remember to like your characters every day. The link is in the author¡¯s speech at the end of the chapter.

    Everyone in the book store, please click on the reading APP to help like them!

 Chapter 1862

    <h4>Chapter 1862: Chapter 1862 presumption of guilt (4)(first update)</h4>

    He Zhichu had just gotten out of the car when he received Xie Qingying¡¯s call.

    His car was parked in the underground parking lot of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment block.

    His phone rang. He thought Gu Nianzhi was rushing him, so he quickly took it out and swiped it open.

    When he realized it was Xie qingying calling, he frowned slightly and asked coldly, ¡°Qingying? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Xie qingying quickly smiled and said, ¡°I happen to be free today. I thought you only slept for three hoursst night. If Nianzhi needs any help, I can see if I can help her. You can also sleep more.¡±

    He zhichu smiled and said in a gentle voice, ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy. Nianzhi has me. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Xie qingying was so angry that sheughed. Why would I be worried about Gu Nianzhi? I¡¯m clearly worried about you..

    But she couldn¡¯t say that to he zhichu, xie qingying had no choice but to say tactfully,¡±... you¡¯ve been working too hard these past few days. Is it really okay? I drove the car over. Nianzhi¡¯s address is in my phone. I¡¯ll look for you. ¡°I¡¯ll pick up some breakfast on the way and bring it over? ¡°I don¡¯t remember Nianzhi being a good cook.¡±

    He Zhichu was slightly moved. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know how much Xie Qingying cared for him, but he was also trying to ept her feelings.

    Up until now, he felt that the two of them were quitepatible.

    Perhaps they would develop feelings once they were together.

    He Zhichu took a deep breath and said as he entered the elevator, ¡°There¡¯s really no need. Nianzhi and I have some work matters to discuss. You Won¡¯t be able to help even if you¡¯re here. Go home. I¡¯ll call youter. Be Good.¡±

    Xie qingying had always been an independent woman. She had studied abroad for many years and relied on herself for everything. She was no longer the pampered and pampered woman she used to be at home.

    However, deep in her heart, she yearned to be taken care of and pampered by others.

    Updates by

    He Zhichu¡¯s unintentional pampering and perfect decisiveness made her more and more addicted.

    Xie qingying parked her car by the side of the road. She felt that the side of her ear that was pressed against her phone was numb. She did not dare to touch it with her hands. She was only worried that if she touched it, her melted ear would fall off.

    She buried her head in the steering wheel and felt that it was filled with emotion.

    He zhichu¡¯s words of ¡°Be obedient¡±really took her life.

    She thought that it was worth it no matter how much she sacrificed for these two words.

    Xie qingying stopped by the roadside for a while before she started driving again.

    It was still early, and she did not want to go home.

    Driving alone on the street, her heart felt like it was boiling. She could not calm down.

    She really wanted to see he zhichu right away. Even if she did not do anything, she would be satisfied if she just sat at the side and watched him quietly.

    However, she couldn¡¯t go. He Zhichu wouldn¡¯t let her go.

    Xie qingying couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She called her best friend and invited her out for breakfast.

    Her best friend was called out by Xie Qingying at six in the morning. It wasn¡¯t without resentment.

    But on ount of their many years of good friends, what else could she do?

    Of course, she had to forgive her!

    She hit Xie qingying with her fist and said, ¡°You really value your lover over your friend. You¡¯ve been together with your own Prince Charming these past few days. Have you forgotten about us old friends?¡±

    Xie qingying said with a smile, ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t know who was in a rtionship at that time. They didn¡¯t contact us for half a year. Have I everined?¡±

    Later, when she appeared again, she was cheated on and broke up with him.

    Her best friend Thought for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I was hurt by a scumbag and you apanied me for a month without any regrets, I would have sent you to the court today. Disturbing Qingmeng is against thew. Let me tell you!¡±

    Xie qingying smiled and made a fearful expression. She said, ¡°Spare me. In order to atone for my sins, I¡¯ll take you to a good ce to eat and kill some time.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±Her best friend yawned. ¡°Let me say this first. If it¡¯s too noisy, we shouldn¡¯t go. It¡¯s best to go to a quiet ce where there are fewer people. After we eat, we can sleep on our stomach.¡±

    Xie qingying smiled. ¡°There really is a ce. I¡¯ll take you there to broaden your horizons.¡±

    The two of them drove to a building near Erhuan that looked like an ancient mansion.

    It had a tall roof with heavy eaves and a white door with the words ¡°Guanglu Temple¡±written on it.

    After they entered, they found arge courtyard with green nts all over the ce. The temperature was at least five degrees lower than the outside, and they suddenly felt cool.

    The courtyard seemed to be emitting a faint moisture, and the pavilions and pavilions inside seemed a little hazy.

    Xie qingying¡¯s best friend was dumbfounded. ¡°Where is this ce? You brought me to eat at the temple? I¡¯m not a vegetarian!¡±

    Xie qingying smiled with her eyes curved. ¡°This isn¡¯t a temple. This is a restaurant.¡±

    She coughed softly. ¡°Guanglu Temple was the ancient institution in charge of the royal cuisine. All the delicacies in the world came from Guanglu Temple. This restaurant is named Guanglu temple, so the dishes are naturally extraordinary.¡±

    She paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Besides, this ce is not open to the public. It¡¯s even harder to get in than Xiangxue Hai.¡±

    ¡°I know, no wonder I¡¯ve never heard of this ce even though I¡¯ve eaten four or nine cities.¡±Her best friend looked around and was suddenly no longer sleepy. She rubbed her palms together and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to have a good meal today!¡±

    Actually, she could tell that Xie qingying had a lot to tell her, and she was willing to listen.

    ..

    He Zhichu had already arrived at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s house. He ate the sandwich that she had just heated up in the microwave and went to her study to discuss the case.

    He Zhichu finished reading Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint in one nce, and his expression became serious.

    He looked up at Gu Nianzhi and said coldly, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m making a presumption of guilt. It doesn¡¯t conform to thew.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°But you¡¯ve also taught us that in an emergency, we should act ording to our rights. Aswyers, the most important thing is to think of the interests of the client. We should try our best to seek the best interests of the client without breaking thew.¡±

    The first rule of awyer was never to uphold the fairness of thew. It was to protect the interests of the client under legal circumstances.

    Whether thew was fair or not was a matter for the person who made thew to consider, not thewyer.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression softened and he nodded. ¡°Yes, at least you didn¡¯t throw away the things I gave you back then.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes narrowed and he asked, ¡°But the congenital heart disease you¡¯re talking about doesn¡¯t exist before mother was in a car ident when she was young. Is there any evidence other than reasoning?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed the doctor¡¯s diagnosis to he zhichu. ¡°This is the diagnosis of ¡®congenital heart disease¡¯after mother became an adult. At that time, mother was almost 30 years old.¡±

    ¡°When mother and grandfather¡¯s family were in the car ident, mother was not even 10 years old. She was still a child.¡±

    ¡°If mother really had a congenital heart disease, how did she survive the car ident?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi showed he zhichu the medical paper she had printed out on ¡°Congenital heart disease.¡±.

    ¡°Young master he, take a look. ording to the Doctor¡¯s diagnosis, mother¡¯s ¡®congenital heart disease¡¯is pulmonary stenosis. The symptoms can berge or small for an average person. ¡°But for a person who has experienced such a serious car ident and recovered from burns, it¡¯s impossible to survive

    ¡°Also, congenital heart disease is acquired by the fetus in the mother¡¯s body. It has a lot to do with heredity. However, I have checked Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining¡¯s DNA and health reports. They are both very healthy in terms of their hearts

    ¡°Of course, my temte may be a little small. I still need to test more people before I cane to a conclusion. ¡°However, we don¡¯t have much time now. Let¡¯s first report our doubts. As long as the court agrees to open a case for trial, we can continue to improve our evidence chain.¡±

    He Zhichu thought silently for a long time before nodding. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go to the Procuratorate.¡±

    The two of them got into he zhichu¡¯s car and drove over to the procuratorate.

    It was almost eight in the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi still drank a bottle of milk at five in the morning. Later, when he zhichu ate a sandwich, she did not eat anything.

    Now she was so hungry that her chest was pressed against her back.

    However, she still didn¡¯t want to waste time, so she endured it.

    Unexpectedly, when the car passed by a cake shop, the aroma of freshly baked cake wafted out from the shop.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stomach started to growl.

    He Zhichu actually heard it. He mmed on the brakes and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet, right? Let¡¯s Find a ce to have breakfast. We can still go to the procuratorate after we finish.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No, no. The people from the Procuratorate go to work at 8:30, right? It¡¯s already 8:15.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±He Zhichu turned the steering wheel. ¡°There¡¯s a ce close to here. I¡¯ll take you to breakfast.¡±

    As he spoke, he took out his phone and called his personal secretary.

    ¡°... I¡¯m bringing people to Guanglu Temple for breakfast. Help me book a table and order two breakfasts. I want their signature dish.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heard the words ¡°Signature dish¡±and thought of Lu Yuan. Her expression instantly became strange.

    He Zhichu turned to look at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You Don¡¯t want to go? Trust me, you¡¯ll know when you get there. This trip is definitely worth it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt you. I was just thinking, if the food is really delicious, can I take a photo as a souvenir?¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t. You¡¯re not allowed to take photos there.¡±As he zhichu spoke, he had already parked the car. He pulled out the car keys and waved at her. ¡°Get out of the car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw he zhichu parked the car in front of an ancient mansion-like building. She couldn¡¯t help gulping. She was even hungrier now.

    She pursed her lips and struggled in her mind. She got out of the car and followed he zhichu into the restaurant called ¡°Guanglu Temple.¡±.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1862, presumption of guilt (4) .

    Please give me your monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    It was the second update of the day.

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    PS: Remember to like your character every day. The link is in the writer¡¯s speech at the end of the chapter.

    Buckle the book city friends also to start reading APP to help like it!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1863

    <h4>Chapter 1863: Chapter 1863 presumption of guilt (5)(second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked by the furnishings inside as soon as she followed he zhichu in.

    The courtyard here waspletely imitated the Tang dynasty style. The structure was simple and open, but the small ce was also very ingenious.

    The atmosphere was vigorous and the exquisite and small miraculously blended together. It was not out of ce at all.

    A waiter in simple white clothes and ck pants walked over. He led the two of them through a small path paved with bluestone. They walked towards a small octagonal pavilion next to the water.

    ¡°This is the best scenic spot of the meandering stream. Please take a seat. Breakfast will be served soon.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction the waiter had pointed and realized that theyout of this ce was indeed very unique.

    A meandering two-foot-wide stream had been built into the shape of a small stream. The bottom of the stream was filled with cobblestones of various shapes, and koi fish of various colors could be seen swimming around inside.

    Around the ¡°Meandering stream,¡±there were many small houses of various colors, just like the octagonal pavilion they were in. The windows shone on the water, in front of the houses, there were ntains, guanyin dripping water, bonsai palm leaves, and otherrge-leafed nts. It was just like a private room in an ordinary restaurant, but the ¡°Private rooms¡±here were more grand and luxurious, the few of them were like a small house or pavilion, giving everyone a sense of privacy.

    The waiter left. He Zhichu saw that Gu Nianzhi was still standing and looking at the scenery elsewhere, so he pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and sat down.

    He zhichu found her stunned expression very interesting, so he raised his hand to stroke her hair, he smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been back for so long, but you haven¡¯t had a good time to y around. When the case is over, I want to y host and show you around the capital.¡±

    Xie qingying saw he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi holding hands in a private room not far from them. He zhichu even stroked gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair intimately, and her face instantly burned, it was as if someone had pped her in the face.

    Her best friend, who was sitting next to her, also saw this scene. Her eyes widened and she said indignantly,¡±... is this what you mean? They¡¯re talking about work? ! A SCUMBAG! I didn¡¯t know young master he was such a Scumbag!¡±

    ¡°And that cousin of yours! She has already broken off the engagement with young master he, but she¡¯s still so intimate with him. Is it really okay?¡±Xie qingying¡¯s best friend had experienced a man she deeply loved cheating on her, so she could empathize with this kind of situation.

    Xie qingying held the chopsticks in her hand. The joints of her fingers gradually turned white due to the force.

    Updates by

    ¡°Qingying, don¡¯t hold it in. In terms of rtionships, the two of you are equal. ¡°You used to admire him and look up to him, but now that you¡¯re in a boyfriend-girlfriend rtionship, are you really going to turn a blind eye to this?¡±Her best friend pointed at the two people who were smiling at each other and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t Make Me Look Down on you! You weren¡¯t like this in the past!¡±

    Xie qingying had a few boyfriends in the past, and she was very principled towards them. She wouldn¡¯t use them even if they were unfaithful once, and she wouldn¡¯t give them any room to argue.

    But now..

    Xie qingying pursed her lips. Although she felt very ufortable, she still said with difficulty,¡±... maybe it¡¯s after we finish talking about work, and we¡¯re going out for breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you believe that? Qingying, you¡¯re hopeless.¡±Her best friend mmed the table hard.

    The sound was so loud that it traveled out through the open window.

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting facing the two of them. When she heard the sound, she subconsciously looked up and suddenly realized that it was Xie qingying and her best friend sitting across from her.

    The clear stream flowed between them, and the colorful koi swam back and forth in the water.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think too much of it. She nodded at Xie qingying as a form of greeting.

    She smiled and winked at He Zhichu. She teased, ¡°Young master he, cousin Xie is here for breakfast as well. You had an appointment, didn¡¯t you? Did I interrupt your date? Should we ask cousin Xie and her friend toe over?¡±

    She was just being polite. What she and he zhichu were discussing right now could not be heard by anyone else.

    However, she could not figure out where he zhichu and Xie qingying were at. If they really wanted to discuss marriage, they were on the same side. It was impossible for them to keep it a secret from her.

    Therefore, she kicked the ball to he zhichu to see how he would handle it.

    He Zhichu looked up in surprise. Seeing that Xie qingying was forcing a smile at them, he felt a burst of anger in his heart.

    His first thought was that Xie qingying was following him.

    However, Gu Nianzhi and Xie Qingying¡¯s best friends were beside them, so he couldn¡¯t just ignore them and throw a tantrum at Xie qingying.

    Even if he wanted to talk about her, he had to do it after he got back.

    He Zhichu had always given Xie qingying face in front of outsiders.

    He looked away expressionlessly and said, ¡°I said I had something to do. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s here. Maybe it¡¯s a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°OH.¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t try to persuade him further. ¡°Then hurry up and serve the dishes. I¡¯m really hungry.¡±

    He Zhichu looked behind him. ¡°They¡¯re here. Eat slowly. Don¡¯t be too hasty. It¡¯s not good for your stomach.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°I want to have a good taste of the signature dishes here.¡±

    She could go back and argue with Lu Yuan.

    The waiter brought over a table full of breakfast snacks.

    He zhichu scooped out a bowl of the peach kernel soup and pushed the ck pepper and okra truffles in front of her.

    ¡°... and the purple potato bun and the fried rice with termite fungus. It¡¯s not dry at all. It¡¯s good for breakfast. They¡¯re all vegetarian.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the purple purple potato bun. It was only the size of a thumb and was neatly ced on a small te. She could eat two of them in one bite.

    The fried rice with mushrooms and asparagus was very brightly colored. The fried rice was like pearl rice, and it was indeed not too loud for her to eat in the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi took a bite. It was surprisingly delicious, and it was obvious that there were no extra seasonings. She tried her best to maintain the aroma of the food.

    She couldn¡¯t stop after one bite, and only focused on eating.

    Xie qingying, who was sitting across from him, saw that he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi had noticed her and were still eating their breakfast as if nothing had happened. She had no appetite at all.

    She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. She stood up and said in a low voice,¡±... I¡¯ll Go Say Hi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±Her best friend pushed her. ¡°Sister, you can go ahead boldly! If young master he is a scumbag, I don¡¯t want him no matter how good he is!¡±

    Xie qingying walked along the winding water goblet path. Her heart was in a mess, and she felt as if she was walking on the edge of a knife with every step.

    When she arrived at the octagonal pavilion where he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were, her smile was a little stiff. ¡°Young master he, Nianzhi, you¡¯re here too? If I knew you guys wereing, I would have ordered the food for you guys first.¡±

    She was showing that she was here first, and not intentionally following them.

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and smiled. ¡°Good morning, cousin. The food here is really good. This is my first time here, and I was out on business with young master he. I was passing by, and he was kind enough to invite me over for breakfast.¡±

    He zhichu understood and said inly, ¡°You guys are here for breakfast too? Nianzhi and I will go do some work after we finish eating. You guys take your time. I¡¯ll tell themter and put it on my tab.¡±

    Xie qingying held back her anger and said, ¡°No need. I can charge it to my ount here too. Why don¡¯t I treat you guys to this meal?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the two of them were about to start arguing, so she quicklyughed and said, ¡°Okay, okay. Young master he will treat you to that meal. Cousin will treat us to this meal. How does that sound?¡±

    She gave he zhichu a look to signal for him not to pull a long face.

    He zhichu rubbed his chin, the expression on his face softened, and the corners of his lips curled up. ¡°That¡¯s fine too.¡±

    He looked back at Xie qingying. ¡°Can I?¡±

    Xie qingying thought to herself, you two have already made your decision. Can I say no?

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi seriously, she said, ¡°Cousin, if you want to go around the imperial capital, I can apany you. Young master he has been very busy recently. He sleeps for at most three or four hours a day. I¡¯m an idle person, so I don¡¯t have much to do. If you don¡¯t mind, I can apany you to eat and y.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also noticed Xie qingying¡¯s slight resistance and was a little unhappy. She thought to herself, ¡°If I really want to go on a trip and still have to look at other people¡¯s expressions, wouldn¡¯t that be asking for trouble?¡±?

    However, on second thought, Xie Qingying did not know about her rtionship with he zhichu, nor did she know what they were doing. It was very normal for her to be in such a mood.

    Gu Nianzhi put herself in his shoes. If she had seen Huo Shaoheng being so intimate with another woman, she would have been unable to hold back and wanted to make a scene with Huo Shaoheng.

    Of course, she would not make a scene outside, but she would definitely make a scene when she got home.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of this and looked at he zhichu with a strange expression, then at Xie qingying. She could not imagine how the elegant Xie qingying would make a scene with the cold and indifferent he zhichu, she couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    In Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes, it meant something else.

    She only felt that her anger was on the verge of breaking down.

    Gu Nianzhi could see that she and he zhichu had a conflict, so she was very pleased, wasn¡¯t she?

    And she wasughing secretly. She really didn¡¯t know what to do!

    Xie qingying opened her mouth, but her upbringing since she was a child made it impossible for her to be rude in public.

    In the end, her eyes dimmed and she said, ¡°Young master he, I have some matters to attend to recently, and I need to leave the capital for some time.¡±

    This meant that the two of them needed to calm down.

    He Zhichu looked at Xie qingying, who had endured for so long, and felt a little guilty.

    Looking at her back view as she left in a panic, he took out his phone and sent her a message. [ we are going to the Procuratorateter to do some serious business. Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. ]

    Xie qingying returned to her room with her best friend. When she heard her phone ring, she took it out and saw that it was actually a text message from he zhichu exining.

    This was something that had never happened before.

    The grievance she had suffered earlier and the anger that had risen in her heart had actually disappeared in an instant.

    She touched her face and thought to herself, Xie qingying, you¡¯re really hopeless..

    Her best friend saw her like this and snorted,¡±... useless. I¡¯m going to eat and drink a lot today. Only when my wallet bleeds will you remember this bloody lesson!¡±

    On the other side, Gu Nianzhi saw that the two of them had fallen out, so she stopped joking. She hurriedly finished her breakfast and left the Guanglu Temple restaurant with He Zhichu to go to the Procuratorate in the Third Ring Road.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1863, presumption of guilt (5) .

    Please give me your monthly tickets and a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    PS: Remember to like your characters every day. The link is in the author¡¯s speech at the end of the chapter.

    Everyone in the book store, please click on the reading APP and help to like it!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1864

    <h4>Chapter 1864: Chapter 1864 presumption of guilt (6)(first of all, please give me a monthly pass to get a like from the character)</h4>

    When the people in the Procuratorate heard that it was major general he zhichu who had apanied thewyer, and that it was a case rted to his deceased mother, Barrister Qin Suwen, they immediately sent someone to invite them to the Attorney General¡¯s office.

    The moment the person saw he zhichu, he stood up and quickly walked over to shake his hand. ¡°Young master he, is there any progress on Professor Qin¡¯s Case?¡±

    Professor Qin?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at he zhichu in confusion.

    He Zhichu introduced him to her. ¡°My mother used to be a visiting professor in the Law Department of Imperial University. Chief Procurator Lin was her student.¡±

    No wonder..

    With Qin Suwen¡¯s talent and achievements inw, even without the he family¡¯s influence, he was still an important figure in China¡¯s legal world.

    Unfortunately, he had passed away too soon.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help sighing. She quickly shook hands with chief procurator Lin and said, ¡°Hello, we¡¯re here for this case.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. This way, Please!¡±Chief procurator Lin was very polite to her and he zhichu. Without a word, he let them into the chief procurator¡¯s office and closed the door to discuss the case.

    Gu Nianzhi handed over theint file she had made.

    Chief procurator Lin looked at the thick file and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s so thick. It looks like Miss GU has done a lot of preparation!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°In order for the Procuratorate to approve myint and for the court to file a case as soon as possible and set a date for the trial, I had to use all my skills...¡±

    Chief procurator Lin had thought that it would take him a few days to read through such a thickint file.

    Updates by

    However, as soon as he opened the file, he was immediately captivated by the index and summary of the case.

    Although the entire file was more than 100 pages long, chief procurator Lin had only spent half an hour going through the 100-page file because the index and summary were surprisingly well done.

    He had not missed anything important.

    Looking at the thick file, chief procurator Lin could not help asking in confusion,¡±... Miss Gu, are you also a student of Professor Qin?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem,¡±chief procurator Lin said enthusiastically. ¡°It¡¯s just that the way you do the file and the writing process are almost exactly the same as what Professor Qin taught us.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had learned a lot of thew from he zhichu, and he zhichu was probably carefully nurtured by his mother, Qin Suwen.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at he zhichu, not daring to admit that she was a little jealous of he zhichu. She was jealous that he had been able to live openly with his mother for so many years, and had even received his mother¡¯s teachings, she had even taken him in hand by hand.

    As for herself..

    In the end, she was just an amateur.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed lightly and forced a smile.¡±... I¡¯m not that Lucky. These things were all taught to me by young master he.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s the same! That¡¯s the same too!¡±Chief procurator Lin rubbed his head andughed. ¡°Young master he is Professor Qin¡¯s only son.¡±

    He Zhichu noticed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappointment and patted the back of her hand with a faint smile. He asked chief procurator Lin, ¡°How is it? Can this case be established?¡±

    Chief procurator Lin leaned back in his ck chair, he said with a serious expression, ¡°Whether a case can be ssified as murder depends on whether the victim¡¯s death was caused by himself or someone else. If it was caused by himself, it must have been a suicide or an idental death. If it was caused by someone else, it can be ssified as intentional or improvised.¡±

    ¡°If it was caused by someone else, it means that the victimmitted a crime even though he knew his actions would cause the death of someone else. In other words, the murder was premeditated. This is murder.¡±

    ¡°A murder conviction requires witness, physical evidence, logical chain of evidence, and most importantly, the body of the deceased.¡±Chief procurator Lin looked at theputer with a sigh, ¡°Do you know how many cases can not charge the murderer for murder because the body of the deceased can not be found?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, she continued, ¡°Myint clearly states that Qin Yaoguang deliberately provoked Qin Suwen when she knew that she had a heart attack, causing her death. ¡°Moreover, I have evidence that Qin yaoguang, with the support of the Qin family, had tortured Qin Suwen mentally for more than ten years. ¡°To be more precise, the mental persecution of Qin Suwen by the Qin family only stopped temporarily when Qin Suwen married general he chengjian.¡±

    The corners of chief procurator Lin¡¯s mouth moved slightly. He nced at He Zhichu and probed,¡±... This statement seems a bit far-fetched. What do you think, young master he?¡±

    He Zhichu said without batting an eyelid, ¡°The doctor¡¯s diagnosis back then was that my mother¡¯s sudden death in the study was due to a congenital heart attack. ¡°And you and I both know that if a person with a congenital heart attack takes good care of himself, he or she will not have an attack. ¡°Once an attack urs, he or she must have been stimted.¡±

    Chief procurator Lin turned on theputer and found the documents rted to Qin Suwen¡¯s case. He opened the documents and looked at the summary of the case, he said, ¡°But it says here that thest person she saw before she died was Gu Xiangwen. So even if she was provoked to death, she was provoked by Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°This Gu Xiangwen is wanted and has died in a car ident. I don¡¯t understand. What does this have to do with Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself. Of course, this rtionship was a long one. But now, in order to build a case, she couldn¡¯t care less.

    ¡°Chief procurator Lin, that¡¯s actually not the case.¡±Gu Nianzhi took out a few pieces of information that she had found in Qin Suwen¡¯s medical records, ¡°Look at this information. This is the medicine that Qin Suwen had taken a month before he died.¡±¡± These medicines seemed to bemonly used, but the problem was that these medicines were actually prescribed by Qin yaoguang. ¡°She¡¯s a brain surgeon. Why would she prescribe medicine for Heart Patients?¡±

    He Zhichu had copied Qin Suwen¡¯s medical records back then.

    Chief procurator Lin looked at the medical records and still felt that it was a little forced. He said, ¡°I remember that the health care doctors of the He family all listened to Qin yaoguang. Qin Yaoguang was in charge of the He family¡¯s health care issues.¡±

    He nced at he zhichu.

    Those who were more familiar with Qin Suwen and the He family knew that Qin Yaoguang was the one who cured he zhichu¡¯s illness. Therefore, the He family trusted Qin yaoguang very much when it came to health care issues.

    Although Qin Yaoguang¡¯s specialty was not the cardiology department, as the director of arge hospital, it was perfectly normal for her to sign on the daily medication.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were indeed unreasonable in the eyes of outsiders.

    However, it was understandable for Gu Nianzhi toe to this conclusion based on what she knew that was not known to outsiders.

    He zhichu understood both sides of the situation, so he understood chief procurator Lin¡¯s hesitation and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reasoning.

    It wasn¡¯t very rigorous, but they only had two days to prepare, so if they weren¡¯t rigorous, they could only give her ¡°Additional rigor.¡±.

    He zhichu said calmly, ¡°Yes, we all listened to her at the time, so it¡¯s very likely that we were blinded by our habitual thinking. Sometimes, the case that the most impossible person did would indeed cause everyone a lot of trouble.¡±

    ¡°... Okay, even if there¡¯s something wrong with this signature, are there any problems with these medicines?¡±Chief procurator Lin pointed at the names of the medicines recorded in the medical records, ¡°These were examined by different doctors, and the person who took the medicine was also a member of the He family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was waiting for him to ask about these medicines, she immediately said, ¡°I checked in the He family. After Qin Suwen passed away, her things were originally kept in her room, but as soon as Qin Yaoguang married into the family, she collected and threw away Qin Suwen¡¯s things. ¡°It¡¯s said that Qin Yaoguang threw all the medicine into the trash.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s no problem, why did she throw away the medicine? Isn¡¯t she trying to destroy the evidence?¡±

    Actually, Gu Nianzhi had taken advantage of this loophole.

    This was because if the medicine was still there, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, because there was actually no problem with the medicine.

    When Qin Suwen had just passed away, the medicine had been tested.

    It was only returned when there was no problem.

    But now that the medicine was gone and thrown away, it could be suspected that there was something wrong with it. Although it could not be confirmed, the doubt was established.

    When Qin Yaoguang threw away the medicine, it was most likely because the medicine had expired and was useless. She threw it away.

    Of course, there was also a high possibility that she did not want to see Qin Suwen use them.

    Therefore, she could not me anyone. She could only me her hands for throwing other people¡¯s things away for no reason?

    In the end, Qin Suwen¡¯s room was still locked up by He chengjian, and Qin Yaoguang could not move in.

    Chief procurator Lin was also puzzled. ¡°But the tests back then showed that there was nothing wrong with the drugs.¡±

    ¡°... the test will be wrong, too.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Chief procurator Lin, can you guarantee with 100% certainty that the drug test back then waspletely correct and there were no errors or errors?¡±

    Of course, no one could guarantee that. Not to mention that the errors in the test were bound to exist, and even if it was a fraud, it was not unheard of.

    Gu Nianzhi was able to raise this question because after so many years, everyone either did not remember what happened back then clearly, or the procedures were not strict.

    If she wanted to overturn the case, she could.

    Moreover, this was a case that hadn¡¯t been solved yet.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that chief procurator Lin was starting to loosen up, she immediately asked again, ¡°Qin Yaoguang has a deep affection for general he. She¡¯s only willing to be with him for the rest of her life. Also, when Qin Yaoguang was engaged to general he, general he didn¡¯t even know Qin Suwen.¡±

    ¡°In addition, after Qin Suwen¡¯s death, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s 20-plus years of wishes were fulfilled and she married General He.¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, this is the motive.¡±

    ¡°Also, Qin Yaoguang has been in charge of the He family¡¯s health care work for a long time.¡±

    ¡°In summary, Qin Yaoguang has motive, means, and the ability tomit Qin Suwen¡¯s murder.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and bowed respectfully to chief procurator Lin. ¡°Chief procurator Lin, whether or not you can clear Professor Qin¡¯s name is up to you.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: Chapter 1864, presumption of guilt (5) .

    Please give me your monthly ticket and your rmendation ticket

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    PS: Remember to like your character every day. The link is in the writer¡¯s speech at the end of the chapter.

    Buckle the book city friends also to start reading APP to help like it!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1865

    <h4>Chapter 1865: Chapter 1865 presumption of guilt (7)(second update)</h4>

    Chief procurator Lin had been handling cases for many years. He could tell at a nce that the evidence in Gu Nianzhi¡¯sint file was not rigorous and solid.

    If one were to be serious, it would not meet the standard of filing a murder case.

    However, he also knew that this case had been going on for so long, and most of the people involved were people of status and status. Many things could not be treated like normal cases.

    His fingers unconsciously caressed the file. After thinking for a long time, he slowly asked, ¡°Are you saying that Dr. Qin Yaoguang murdered Professor Qin Suwen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood the meaning behind chief procurator Lin¡¯s words, he said tactfully, ¡°At the moment, yes. ¡°But we also know that after the actual trial, perhaps things will change. No one can guarantee that. I can only guarantee that Ms. Qin Suwen was murdered.¡±

    Chief procurator Lin nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Let me be honest with you. If you want to sue Qin Yaoguang for murder, the weight of thiswsuit is indeed not enough. If the other party finds a betterwyer, they will refute a lot of your evidence. You have to be mentally prepared.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that her preparations were not perfect. Even she could pick out a few points and refute them directly.

    However, she was in a hurry and was in a race against time. She did not have any more time to perfect theint file.

    Only after the Procuratorate had filed a case and the court had epted the Procuratorate¡¯sint and set a date for the court hearing would gu nianzhi have more time to prepare for the court hearing.

    Moreover..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile. The opposingwyer probably did not know what her goal was.

    They could only refute the evidence that she hadid out. Whether it would work or not, they would have to wait and see.

    Chief Procurator Lin saw that Gu Nianzhi had made up her mind, so he looked at he zhichu inquisitively. ¡°Young master he, what do you think? My opinion is that we can ept and build a case on this file, but if it really goes to court, our chances of winning will not be very high.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that it wouldn¡¯t be very high, but it would be very low.

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi was fully aware of this, so she immediately said, ¡°Chief Procurator Lin, I won¡¯t cause you any trouble. I can be your trialwyer,pletely volunteer.¡±

    This was because murder cases could only be prosecuted by the procuratorate, but the Procuratorate could hire externalwyers to defend them in court. This had been done before.

    There was no problem with that.

    Chief procurator Lin told the truth, ¡°Your case is very urgent because of the time requirements. I¡¯m afraid that we don¡¯t have anyone on our side who can familiarize themselves with the case and your case files in two or three days. If that¡¯s the case, it will be very passive in the court debate. ¡°You don¡¯t want the evidence that you¡¯ve painstakingly gathered and the chain of evidence that you¡¯ve assembled to be refuted by the opposing defensewyers one by one, do you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s why I want to be your external defensewyer and face the opposing counsel¡¯s questioning in person.¡±Gu nianzhi said without hesitation, ¡°I hope chief procurator Lin will give me this opportunity.¡±

    Chief procurator Lin looked at Gu Nianzhi and asked hesitantly, ¡°Forgive me for asking, but how old are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, but you look quite young and don¡¯t have much court experience...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s experience in court was all in the opposite world. On this side, she had only fought against Qin Yaoguang in the case where she had been kidnapped when she was a child.

    Although that case had been exciting, it had not been as difficult as this one. Moreover, there had been ample evidence, and Gu Nianzhi was the victim herself. Although she had won, it had not been taken seriously by the industry insiders.

    And she had only won onewsuit.

    If Gu Nianzhi had gone to court personally to represent the public prosecutor, then she would not have had to face a team ofwyers as strong as the previouswsuit.

    Chief procurator Lin did not know if Gu Nianzhi had been mentally prepared.

    He Zhichu saw this and took the initiative to say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, chief procurator Lin. I¡¯ll vouch for Nianzhi. If she loses thewsuit, she definitely won¡¯t me chief procurator Lin.¡±

    Chief procurator Lin smiled. ¡°Winning or losing the case isn¡¯t as important to us as it is to your client. I hope you¡¯ll be mentally prepared.¡±

    Speaking of which, Gu Nianzhi knew that there was no problem with filing the case.

    She then helped chief procurator Lin redo the materials and put them into the Procuratorate¡¯s official document system before sending them to the court.

    Now they could send them electronically, much faster and more convenient than before.

    The court epted theint filed by the Procuratorate and received a call from chief procurator Lin, as well as he zhichu¡¯s guarantee. Therefore, the next morning, the court informed the Procuratorate, Gu Nianzhi, and he zhichu, they epted theint and began to schedule the trial date.

    Gu Nianzhi hoped to catch the other party by surprise and asked for the trial date to be as soon as possible.

    He Zhichu contacted the people in the court system again and confirmed that the trial date was three dayster.

    ..

    The court subpoena was sent to the Qin family¡¯s Old Master Qin.

    He looked at the letter sent by his subordinate and asked in surprise,¡±... What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Old Master Qin, this is the court summons for the He family to sue Ms. Qin Yaoguang for murdering Qin Suwen.¡±Old Master Qin¡¯s subordinate didn¡¯t even dare to raise his head to look into his eyes. ¡°The court date is three dayster.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±Old Master Qin roared, ¡°They dare to falsely use my daughter! When did my daughter Harm Qin Suwen? ! Her sudden death was clearly gu Xiangwen¡¯s fault! What about general he? Does General he know?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure about that. But I heard that general he is still recuperating after the surgery and hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡±

    ¡°No Wonder!¡±Grandfather Qin snorted, ¡°Find me a legal team and coordinate with the court to request an extension of the trial. When general he wakes up, we¡¯ll see what he has to say.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±His subordinate nodded, ¡°How long do you want to postpone it?¡±

    ¡°How long can it be postponed?¡±

    ¡°... a murder case involving a human life can be postponed for up to six months. However, this case is already very long. The court will not agree to postpone it for that long. Usually, it will be one month.¡±This subordinate of Old Master Qin was in charge of legal affairs, he was still very clear about this basic knowledge.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll postpone it for a month first.¡±Old Master Qin snorted. ¡°Then we¡¯ll form a legal team as soon as possible and follow me to the detention center to see Yaoguang.¡±

    Qin yaoguang already had a kidnapping case. If there was another murder case, she wouldn¡¯t be able toe out alive.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted.

    Also, why would the other party suddenly use Qin Yaoguang of murdering Qin Suwen? !

    It was obviously impossible?

    Qin Suwen¡¯s death had nothing to do with Qin Yaoguang.

    Old Master Qin didn¡¯t have to worry, but when he thought of another matter, his face turned gloomy.

    He couldn¡¯t let the other party catch any ws.

    Qin yaoguang had nothing to do with Qin Suwen¡¯s death, but the other party¡¯sint was rted to the he family, so Old Master Qin didn¡¯t dare to ck off.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: Chapter 1865, presumption of guilt (7) .

    Please give me your monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    PS: Remember to like the characters every day. The link is in the author¡¯s speech at the end of the chapter.

    Fellow readers of Koukou Book City, please help me to like the book APP!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1866

    <h4>Chapter 1866: Chapter 1866 presumption of guilt (8)(first, more rmendation tickets)</h4>

    Two dayster, after the Qin family¡¯s legal team sessfully postponed the trial date for a month, Old Master Qin brought the leadwyer of the legal team to the detention center to visit Qin Yaoguang.

    In the detention center, Qin Yaoguang could only read the newspapers and books designated by the detention center. In addition, she could watch television at a fixed time, usually at seven in the evening. She could watch Huaxia Central TV¡¯s news programs for half an hour.

    She couldn¡¯t surf the Inte or watch other channels, let alone watch TV dramas and movies.

    People who were imprisoned for crimes were not qualified to enjoy the entertainment activities of ordinary people.

    Otherwise, what was the point of locking them up?

    Could they still punish criminal acts and deter those potential criminals?

    But this was what Qin Yaoguang couldn¡¯t stand the most.

    Seeing that Old Master Qin hade, Qin yaoguangined, ¡°Dad, when can you apply for bail for me to get out? I heard that even if I¡¯m convicted, I can be released on parole after serving a few years in prison.¡±

    The leadwyer brought by Old Master Qin quickly smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Qin, it¡¯s not impossible to be released on parole, but usually you can only be released on parole after you have made an important contribution in prison. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we are coordinating with the relevant parties, and the United States is also very angry about your situation.¡±

    ¡°Oh? The United States also knows about my situation?¡±Qin yaoguang pretended to be surprised, as if she knew nothing about this situation. ¡°What did they say?¡±

    ¡°They condemned the human rights situation in China, especially your situation. They said that China ignored the basic human rights of the famous female scientist, Qin Yaoguang, and that the justice system was seriously corrupted.¡±.

    ¡°A certain high-ranking general used his power for personal gain for the sake of women and listened to the nder of a viin. Without a formal trial, he brazenly sent you to prison.¡±

    ¡°The Huaxia Empire¡¯s human rights bill was passed by almost all the members of the United States Congress. They also announced that if they did not release you unconditionally, they would start a trade war and impose high tariffs on all the products of the Huaxia Empire that are exported to the United States!¡±

    Qin yaoguang¡¯s eyes lit up. Luo Le was really amazing. He actually managed to get the United States Congress to help!

    Updates by

    She pressed on, ¡°Then how did the Huaxia side respond? Did they say when they were going to take me out?¡±

    A while ago, when grandfather Qin came to visit her in prison, he had vaguely mentioned Luo Le¡¯s conditions to her. He had hinted that as long as Qin Yaoguang handed over the DNA sample from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s infancy, Luo Le would agree to help her get out.

    Qin Yaoguang agreed and told Old Master Qin where she had hidden the DNA sample from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s infancy.

    Qin yaoguang was very confident that as long as the thing was delivered, Luo Le, the guy who wouldn¡¯t give up until he saw the rabbit, would be as if he had found a treasure and would do anything to get her out.

    The reaction from the United States was exactly as she had expected.

    Qin yaoguang raised her eyebrows and nced at Old Master Qin quickly.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s eyes were very gloomy.

    He knocked on the table with his finger and coughed, saying, ¡°Yaoguang, there¡¯s another case for you to appear in court now.¡±

    ¡°Another case? !¡±Qin Yaoguang was really shocked at this time. ¡°What other case? ! I¡¯ve already helped you once...¡±

    She was talking about he zhichu¡¯s infrasound weapon case. In the end, she was in charge of this case.

    However, everyone knew that she was not the mastermind at all.

    At that time, she was locked up in the detention center and did not have the time or opportunity to n such an operation.

    Old Master Qin red at her and said angrily, ¡°You still have the cheek to say that? ! If you had not been too harsh on nianzhi, why would she have held onto US and not let us go? ! Do you know what she¡¯s going to do this time? !¡±

    ¡°Her again? !¡±Qin Yaoguang was bbergasted. ¡°She really doesn¡¯t care about me anymore? I¡¯m her biological mother!¡±

    ¡°She still says she¡¯s her biological mother, but she doesn¡¯t acknowledge you.¡±Old Master Qin narrowed his eyes. ¡°She even ¡®restored¡¯your appearance.¡±

    Qin yaoguang recalled that time in court. It was as if she had been skinned alive. She was angry and resentful. She hated Gu Nianzhi so much.

    The corners of her mouth twitched. She mmed the table and said, ¡°She won¡¯t admit it? ! If she has the guts, she¡¯ll do a paternity test in public!¡±

    ¡°As long as she does a paternity test in public to prove that I¡¯m not her biological mother, I¡¯ll give in to her!¡±Qin yaoguang straightened her neck and said through gritted teeth, ¡°The court won¡¯t even admit it if it¡¯s just a matter of looks!¡±

    Only a paternity test was admissible in court.

    She was certain that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t dare to publicly verify the DNA.

    They all knew the consequences of doing so. It was much more serious than proving that Qin Yaoguang wasn¡¯t her biological mother.

    Qin yaoguang also relied on this fact to insist that Gu Nianzhi was her biological mother even if she died.

    Because she was indeed her ¡°Biological mother,¡±there was no doubt about that.

    She still had a scar from a c-section on her stomach. Gu Nianzhi dared to deny it?

    So what if her looks were different?

    No one could guarantee that their child would look exactly like them.

    This was decided by DNA.

    If you have the guts, go and verify the DNA..

    Old Master Qin heaved a sigh of relief, he smiled and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t get too worked up. It¡¯s also because you¡¯ve always been bad to Nianzhi, that¡¯s why she¡¯s feeling resentful. Actually, mother and daughter don¡¯t have overnight feuds? Only if you put aside your temper and treat her well will she naturally change her mind.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s heart was filled with resentment, but the situation was better than anyone else. Now was not the time for her to make the decision.

    She nodded reluctantly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll remember. But you said there¡¯s another case. What case is it?¡±

    Old Master Qin asked the leadwyer he had brought with him to exin it to Qin yaoguang.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. The He family is suing you for the murder of the He family¡¯s mistress, Qin Suwen, more than ten years ago. ording to the information we received, thisint was written by Gu Nianzhi, the barrister. She will also be the prosecutor¡¯swyer for the prosecution.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. ¡°What did you say? ! Gu Nianzhi is suing me for the murder of Qin Suwen? ! Is She Shameless? ! She wants to sue her own mother for the murder of a woman who has nothing to do with her? !¡±

    The leadwyer raised his spectacles in embarrassment, he corrected her in a low voice. ¡°Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t sue you, the He family did. Gu Nianzhi has nothing to do with the He family, so she can¡¯t Sue You for this case. ¡°But she¡¯s the one who drafted theint, so I¡¯ll go to court with her in the future.¡±

    Qin yaoguang felt as if the anger in her heart was about to burst through the roof, and her face flushed red. ¡°I know she¡¯s the one who¡¯s behind this! Otherwise, the He family wouldn¡¯t have sued us sooner orter, but now they¡¯re suing us. Do they think we¡¯re Stupid? !¡±

    ¡°... we can only doubt that. After all, we can¡¯t say that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s idea.¡±The leadwyer coughed lightly and reminded Qin yaoguang to watch her words.

    There were some things that could only be done and not said.

    For example, they all knew that this case was definitely rted to Gu Nianzhi, but on the surface, Gu Nianzhi really had nothing to do with this case.

    In the past, when she was engaged to he zhichu, she could barely say that she was seeking justice for her deceased mother-inw.

    Now that she and he zhichu had broken off their engagement, in everyone¡¯s eyes, Qin Suwen and she had nothing inmon. What was the benefit of doing this?

    Was she really going to kill Qin Yaoguang?

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I Say It?¡±Qin Yaoguang red at the leadwyer. ¡°Even if it¡¯s not for the He family, she¡¯s doing it for her dead father!¡±

    ¡°... we¡¯ve thought of that.¡±The leadwyerughed. ¡°We will work hard in this direction as well.¡±

    Qin yaoguang replied with an ¡°En¡±and calmed down, ¡°That¡¯s right. She must be trying to overturn her dead father¡¯s case and throw dirty water on me. I can use all my academic reputation to guarantee that Qin Suwen¡¯s death has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°We came here today to confirm this question,¡±the leadwyer hurriedly said. ¡°Do you still remember where you were and what you were doing on the day of Qin Suwen¡¯s death more than ten years ago?¡±

    Qin yaoguang immediately replied, ¡°Of course I remember. I will never forget what happened that day for the rest of my life.¡±

    The leadwyer:¡±...¡±

    He thought for a moment and asked tentatively, ¡°Can I ask why?¡±

    Qin yaoguang tilted her head and smiled. Her lips curled up. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Does this have anything to do with this case?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because if it goes to court, you will still remember what happened that day. The prosecutionwyer will definitely ask you why.¡±

    ¡°Can I not have a good memory?¡±Qin Yaoguang asked back. ¡°I have always been a straight-a student since I was young. I have a photographic memory. I still remember what happened more than ten years ago. What¡¯s strange about that?¡±

    The leadwyer was stunned for a moment, he nodded and said, ¡°You can say that. ¡°But the other party will definitely find another time and ask you about what happened at another time. Can you guarantee that you can remember everything that happened every day in the past ten years?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Qin yaoguang frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not aputer. How can I remember everything that happened every day for more than ten years clearly? I must be picking out the key points to Remember!¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is the suspicious point. Why was the day Qin Suwen passed away the ¡®Key Point¡¯for you?¡±The level of this leadwyer was obviously much higher than thewyers Qin Yaoguang had met before.

    His questions were very sharp and each of them hit the nail on the head.

    Qin yaoguang narrowed her eyes and suddenly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Shouyi? I have a case again. Why isn¡¯t she here?¡±

    Grandfather Qin coughed. ¡°Shouyi went to the United States. Mr. Luo Le asked her to take up an executive position at the Luo Le Group. Have you forgotten?¡±

    Qin yaoguang said, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. But even if she¡¯s an executive at the Luo Le Group in the United States, she still has time off, right? She can¡¯t even leave for a week? She can¡¯te back to help?¡±

    Grandfather Qin had no choice but to spread his hands. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about that. She hasn¡¯t contacted US since she went to the United States. Luo Le said that she¡¯s in theirboratory...¡±

    Qin yaoguang understood what he meant. She stopped asking about Wen Shouyi¡¯s whereabouts and turned to the leadwyer. ¡°I can answer the question you asked just now.¡±

    The leadwyer quickly turned on the recording pen.

    Qin yaoguang smoothed her hair and sighed. ¡°I remember it very clearly. It was because on that day, the person I loved was heartbroken because the person he loved had passed away.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1866, presumption of guilt (8) .

    Please give me your monthly ticket. Today is Monday, and the rmendation ticket is especially important

    It was the third update of the day.

    The second update of the afternoon was for the president of ¡°Billions of people chasing you¡±.

    The third update was at 8 p.m.

    PS: Congrattions to ¡°2674282¡±for bing the 31st leader of ¡°Hello, Major General¡±! (total owes eight tips and leader update)

    It seems that we really need to build a group of leaders ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1867

    <h4>Chapter 1867: Chapter 1867 presumption of guilt (9)(the second is to court your President +)</h4>

    The headwyer of the Qin family¡¯s legal team was silent for a while before he understood the meaning behind Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words.

    She said, the person I love is definitely general he chengjian.

    And the person general he chengjian loves is his wife, Qin Suwen.

    Those who were familiar with the Qin family all knew about the love history between the three of them.

    Qin yaoguang said bluntly, ¡°When I came to the capital at the age of 16 to attend university, I fell in love with He Chengjian at first sight. When I reached adulthood at the age of 18, I got engaged to him. ¡°Unfortunately, not long after the engagement, he chengjian mistook Qin Suwen for me, so he got to know Qin Suwen. ¡°Then...¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°He chengjian insisted on breaking off the engagement with me and getting engaged to Qin Suwen.¡±

    ¡°... They got married very quickly and soon gave birth to he zhichu.¡±Qin yaoguang took a deep breath, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that this child has a congenital gic defect and wouldn¡¯t have lived past the age of 16. I think he is he chengjian¡¯s only son. Without him, he chengjian would be in so much pain that he would wish he was dead, so I came up with a cure.¡±

    She lowered her eyes and smiled mockingly. ¡°I gave birth to a daughter, Gu Nianzhi. I edited her genes and inserted them into he zhichu¡¯s genes to cure his gic defect.¡±

    The leadwyer gasped. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why would they use you of murdering Qin Suwen? ! You should be their Savior!¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s a long story,¡±Qin Yaoguang said tactfully. ¡°My daughter and I have a very tense rtionship. She loves her father very much, but it¡¯s a pity that there¡¯s something wrong with him...¡±

    Qin yaoguang pointed at her head. ¡°He¡¯s very strong in scientific research, but he doesn¡¯t have any moral values. He uses scientific research as his starting point, and he can use his daughter... as an experiment...¡±

    ¡°Yaoguang!¡±Grandfather Qin stopped her sternly. ¡°Gu Xiangwen has passed away, so don¡¯t talk about this anymore. It¡¯s not good for Nianzhi.¡±

    Qin yaoguang covered her mouth with her hand and looked apologetically at the leadwyer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you take away what I said just now? Is it about me saying that her father used her as an experiment?¡±

    The leadwyer was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t speak.

    Updates by

    ¡°... he really used his own daughter as an experiment? ! I didn¡¯t expect Gu Xiangwen to be even worse than we knew ¡°... So what if he¡¯s a two-time Nobelureate ¡°... he has no moral values. Using people as guinea pigs for experiments should definitely be prohibited!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression was unnatural for a moment, but she quickly recovered, she smiled and said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t agree with his approach, I can understand. ¡°After all, when you climb to the peak of biomedical science, you¡¯re like a God who ¡®overlooks the mountains¡¯. To a god, it is above worldly morality.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, he is not a god. No matter how smart and capable he is, he is still a human being.¡±The leadwyer was very stubborn on this point. ¡°Scientists¡¯experiments must be strictly restricted by thew. They can not do as they please.¡±

    Qin yaoguang raised her eyebrows and could not help but say, ¡°Use thew to restrict science? Forgive me for being blunt, but this will only hinder the development of science, and even be a sinner of mankind!¡±

    ¡°Sinners? I¡¯m trying to save the scientists who are at the edge of the world.¡±The leadwyer suddenly felt sympathetic towards Gu Nianzhi, he couldn¡¯t figure it out again. ¡°Since Gu Nianzhi was used by her father as an experiment, she must hate her father very much, right? Why is she trying to overturn her father¡¯s case again?¡±

    He nced at Qin yaoguang. ¡°And she¡¯s ming you?¡±

    In the eyes of the leadwyer, Qin Yaoguang was a mother, and Gu Xiangwen was a father. Based on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s experience, she should have distanced herself from Gu Xiangwen and gotten closer to Qin Yaoguang. Why was Gu Nianzhi acting the exact opposite?

    Qin yaoguang smiled without a change in expression, she said, ¡°This is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s craftiness. ¡°Eight years ago, he took Nianzhi away from me and sent her to an unknown ce overseas to hide. ¡°Before he died, he probably said a lot of bad things about me and med me for a lot of things he did, which caused Nianzhi to misunderstand me.¡±

    ¡°But, eight years ago, Gu Nianzhi was also 12 years old, right? She already remembers things and has the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, so she wouldn¡¯t me you for other people¡¯s actions, right?¡±The leadwyer thought deeply, ¡°Is there something I don¡¯t know about?¡±

    Cold Sweat broke out on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s back. She tried her best to calm herself down and said, ¡°There is indeed something. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s important or not.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi came back eight yearster, but I discovered that she had lost her memory. She doesn¡¯t remember anything before she was 12 years old.¡±Qin yaoguang pretended to sigh, shaking her head, she said, ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡¯s father, Gu Haize, is a world-famous psychologist. He¡¯s very good at hypnosis.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen learned a very exquisite hypnosis technique from his father,¡±Qin Yaoguang said word by word, ¡°I have reason to believe that Gu Xiangwen took nianzhi away from me eight years ago and hypnotized her, causing her to forget her memories before she was 12 years old. Then, he reversed the facts and med me for what he did!¡±

    The leadwyer was enlightened. ¡°I see! That makes sense.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±he changed the subject, ¡°But Gu Xiangwen is dead, and there¡¯s no evidence to prove his death. We can¡¯t find out what Gu Xiangwen did to Gu Nianzhi eight years ago or what he said.¡±. ¡°So what you said today can only be used as circumstantial reasoning, not as evidence.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±Qin yaoguang spread her hands, ¡°I¡¯m only telling you these things. As for how to use them, it¡¯s up to you. You¡¯re thewyer that my father personally hired. Could it be that you¡¯re one of those ipetent Mr Nanguo?¡±

    Although these words were ttering the headwyer, they were very unpleasant to hear.

    The corner of the headwyer¡¯s mouth twitched twice, he said with a faint smile, ¡°It¡¯s not up to me to decide whether or not it¡¯s Mr. Nanguo who is just an imposter. It¡¯s up to my client. After all, even if it¡¯s really Mr. Nanguo, he won¡¯t admit that he¡¯s just an imposter, right?¡±

    Qin yaoguang immediately became embarrassed and said somewhat at a loss, ¡°Did I say something wrong again?¡±

    Seeing this, Old Master Qinughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Yaoguang is a straightforward person. After all these years, she only knows how to do knowledge and study medical skills. She¡¯s not very good at dealing with people. You Won¡¯t mind, right?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, of course not.¡±The leadwyerughed dryly. ¡°You are my clients. It¡¯s my duty to make my clients happy and satisfied.¡±

    Old Master Qin nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Okay, I knew I didn¡¯t invite the wrong person!¡±

    After asking a few more questions, the leadwyer took his leave to prepare the materials for the trial.

    Old Master Qin stayed behind and looked at Qin Yaoguang for a while before saying, ¡°Do you know why Luo Le left Wen Shouyi behind? Didn¡¯t Wen Shouyi... fail?¡±

    He was saying that Wen Shouyi was a failed gene editing product.

    Qin yaoguang nodded. ¡°Indeed, she failed. I also don¡¯t know why they are so interested in her.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±Qin yaoguang paused, she continued, ¡°Their interest in her is more beneficial to us. Shouyi has more feelings for me. She must be very important to Luo le now. I hope she can speak up for us.¡±

    ¡°I think she is already speaking up for you.¡±Grandfather Qin smiled, he said meaningfully, ¡°Otherwise, why would the United States make such a big fuss?¡±? ¡°Look, our country¡¯s cab and Senate have been meeting for the past few days to discuss how to deal with the United States¡¯White Paper on human rights and the trade war. ¡°From top to bottom, it¡¯s a mess...¡±

    The corner of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lips curled up, she smiled sarcastically. ¡°Well, let them sue. ¡°I have a clear conscience towards Qin Suwen. Although she had stolen my fianc¨¦, I had never yed any tricks on her. I knew very well that this was not her problem, but a man¡¯s problem.¡±

    ¡°After she died, general he married me with sincerity. I was the one who kept the promise. Gu Nianzhi wanted to falsely use me, so I wanted to make sure she didn¡¯t get away with it!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1867, presumption of guilt (9) .

    Here is an additional update for the president of the ¡°Billions chasing you¡±faction.

    Please give me your monthly tickets. Today is Monday, so the rmendation tickets are very important

    The third update was at 8 pm.

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

 Chapter 1868

    <h4>Chapter 1868: Chapter 1868: How Am I acting coquettishly? (chapter three: Monthly Pass requested)</h4>

    Old Master Qin did not speak for a long time. After a while, he rubbed his temples again, he probed, ¡°In fact, you two are biological mother and daughter. You Don¡¯t need to be at each other¡¯s throats because of other people¡¯s lies, right? Why don¡¯t I help you contact Nianzhi and see if you two can reconcile?¡±

    ¡°Reconcile? Settle out of court? You can settle out of court for a murder case?¡±Qin yaoguang retorted in surprise, as if she knew a thing or two about thew.

    Old Master Qin chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s not an out-of-court settlement for a murder case. It¡¯s a reconciliation between you and Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°You mean, as long as Gu Nianzhi forgives me, she won¡¯t insist on suing me for murder? Then can I drop the charges?¡±Qin yaoguang thought for a while and couldn¡¯t help asking.

    Since it was a family matter, it would be better to settle it at home.

    Grandfather Qin shook his head and said with a wry smile,¡±... murder cases are prosecuted by the procuratorate, not the he family or Nianzhi dropping the charges as she pleases.¡±

    Actually, he still had something to say.

    If he could drop a murder case as he pleases, it would be child¡¯s y, and the credibility of thew would cease to exist.

    Qin yaoguang frowned slightly, as if she was not very satisfied with this statement. She muttered,¡±... she has gone so far... then what¡¯s the point of reconciling with her?¡±

    Old Master Qin red at her, he said, ¡°You still have the cheek to say that?¡±? When Nianzhi had just returned, I had advised you not to go too far. Nianzhi was only a little girl. If you did not treat her as a human being, she would not treat you as her biological mother. Rtionships are born out of love. It¡¯s not because you gave birth to her that she has to be filial to you. But look at yourself. What have you done? ¡ª you had a good hand in your hand, but now it¡¯s all gone to shit!¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression froze. ¡°If we don¡¯t reconcile, then we won¡¯t reconcile. Does she think she can use the he family¡¯s power to bully others? The United States Congress won¡¯t just sit by and do nothing, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a call to ask the leadwyer,¡±grandfather Qin said as he took out his phone and pressed the speakerphone, he said to the leadwyer, ¡°What does the US side say about this case? Will they put pressure on this side? After all, our Yaoguang was wronged.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course.¡±The leadwyer quickly smiled on the other side of the phone and said, ¡°This trial will be held in public in front of the entire world under the surveince of international human rights organizations.¡±

    Grandfather Qin¡¯s pupils contracted imperceptibly.¡±... In public in front of the entire world? !¡±

    Updates by

    Qin Yaoguang was also in disbelief, but she was even happier. ¡°No way! She wants to lose face in front of the whole world? She knows that she helped an outsider use her own mother? !¡±

    She had not tampered with Qin Suwen. Qin Suwen had either died in her short life or had been killed by Gu Xiangwen. What did it have to do with her?

    She did not believe that Gu Nianzhi would be able to twist the truth in front of the whole world!

    Or, in order to clear her name, Gu Nianzhi would have to do a paternity test in front of the whole world to verify her DNA!

    Then there would be even more fun to watch..

    A strange smile appeared on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face.

    She loved to see Gu Nianzhi hate her so much, but she couldn¡¯t help admitting that she was her biological mother.

    The leadwyer saw that Qin Yaoguang was absolutely certain that she had nothing to do with the murder case. Gu Nianzhi was purely venting her anger and taking revenge for her personal vendetta, so she was relieved, she held her phone and repeatedly reminded her, ¡°Mrs. Qin, remember this. You must tell me everything, no matter how big or small, so that we can be fully prepared. Otherwise, if we go to court and are questioned by the other party, we won¡¯t be able to exin ourselves properly and will be very passive.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I Won¡¯t deny what I¡¯ve done, but don¡¯t even think about ming me for something I haven¡¯t done!¡±Qin yaoguang said firmly, not backing down at all.

    The leadwyer breathed a sigh of relief and asked some more questions before he put down the phone and ordered his driver to drive back to thew firm as soon as possible. He needed to organize the materials he had collected.

    ..

    A monthter, it was almost time for the trial.

    Gu Nianzhi had finished preparing for thest trial. She stretched in her study and nned to have a good rest today. She would go to court the next day if she had enough energy.

    She looked out the window at the white fish belly and rubbed her face. She wanted to take a bath and go to sleep.

    For the past month, she had worked until dawn almost every day. She then took a three-hour nap in the morning and continued to work.

    She had lost a lot of weight.

    Her face had gotten smaller, and her chin was pointy, almost like an oval face. Her bright and beautiful eyes were even bigger, as if they had been painted, and they shone brightly in the dark.

    When she looked at people, she was unusually focused, giving people the illusion that she was the only one.

    Lu Yuan knocked on the door of her study, pushed it open, and said, ¡°Breakfast is ready. Eat quickly and go to bed.¡±

    He and Lu Jin had been feeling sorry for Gu Nianzhi for the past few days, but were unable to convince her. They had no choice but to try their best to make nutritious food and force her to eat it so that it would nourish her body.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up with a smile and said cheerfully, ¡°CEO Lu, what delicious food are you making today? !¡±

    She gave him a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯m really impressed. The food is so different after a month! With your skills and thoughts, you should really open a restaurant. It¡¯ll definitely be famous all over the world and earn a lot of money!¡±

    ¡°Little Sycophant!¡±Lu Yuan smiled and nodded at her. ¡°Don¡¯t be a sycophant in front of me. Hurry up and eat. Today, we have crab dumplings, purple potato porridge, and milk, oatmeal, and dragon fruit soup. They¡¯re all your favorites.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cheered and ran to the restaurant.

    Just as she reached the entrance of the restaurant, she suddenly stopped and widened her eyes at a figure sitting in the restaurant.

    He was sitting with his back to the window. The morning light shone down on him from behind. His perfect, wless silhouette was the most beautiful dream of the morning.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes. She thought she was so tired that she was hallucinating.

    However, he looked up at her from the halo and smiled at her quietly. His indescribable handsomeness shot straight into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart like an arrow, releasing the longing and longing that had been locked in the depths of her heart for the past few days.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if her entire body had been hollowed out, but it was instantly filled up again. Her heart contracted violently. She felt a pain in her chest, but it was not ufortable. It was as if she was relying on this pain to prove that this was not a dream and that it was real.

    Gu nianzhi shouted, ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re back!¡±

    She pounced on him without hesitation.

    Huo Shaoheng only had time to stand up and embrace her.

    He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.¡±... Yes, you¡¯re back. I miss you very much.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who had been away for a month, had finally returned from the Soviet Union.

    She buried her head in his arms and rubbed it. She said vaguely, ¡°I miss you too... Why did you onlye back...¡±

    Thest ¡°AH¡±was soft and hoarse, almost like a lingering sound. It could be heard for three days, and it was very moving.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her even tighter and patted her on the back. ¡°Eat first, then go to sleep. You¡¯ve lost so much weight. It¡¯s not toote to act like a spoiled child after you¡¯ve eaten and slept.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve lost weight.¡±Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°When did I act like a child? I¡¯m showing my true feelings. I¡¯m about to cry from joy.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better stay away from me. Don¡¯t Rub Your Tears on me. I just changed.¡±Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°Come and eat. I made the fried dumplings. I brought back the king crab meat from the Soviet Union.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third update of the day: Chapter 1868, ¡°When did I act coquettishly?¡±.

    Everyone¡¯s monthly tickets, please. Today was Monday, and the rmendation tickets were especially important

    PS: it was written in the morning that the inte had been cut off again. I don¡¯t know what went wrong, but I had to use my phone to surf the inte and post. The cell phone signal wasn¡¯t good either. It seemed that I really had to change to a new cell phonework.

    That¡¯s all for today. I¡¯ll try to get more tomorrow.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 1869

    <h4>Chapter 1869: Chapter 1869: mad at her Prince Charming (number one: Monthly Pass)</h4>

    ¡°The king crab from the Deep Sea of the Soviet Union?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then I must have a good taste!¡±

    The king crab meat, which had been peeled and made into fried dumplings, was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s favorite!

    She liked eating crabs, but did not like peeling shells.

    Sitting next to Huo Shaoheng, she happily ate breakfast.

    The fried dumplings were very small. Gu Nianzhi ate them one by one and instantly destroyed half of the te.

    She ate another half of the purple potato porridge and scooped a few spoonfuls of milk, oatmeal, and fire dragon fruit soup. It was smooth and veryfortable.

    Half of the food on the table was gone. Gu Nianzhi was about to rest for a while when her phone on the table rang.

    Gu Nianzhi picked it up and looked at it. It was an unfamiliar phone number.

    She looked down and thought for a moment, but still dialed the number.

    She did not speak, and neither did the person on the other side.

    Just as Gu Nianzhi thought someone had dialed the wrong number, the person on the other side finally spoke. ¡°Excuse me, is this Gu Nianzhi¡¯swyer?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Yes, who is this? What can I do for You?¡±Gu Nianzhi changed into afortable position and sat back in her chair.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. I¡¯m the Secretary of your grandfather, Old Mr. Qin. Old Mr. Qin wishes to see you. May I know when you¡¯re Free?¡±The person on the other end of the line was very polite, but it was difficult to put into words.

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯ll be very busy recently. I¡¯ll probably be free only after the case is over.¡±

    The person on the other end obviously did not expect Gu Nianzhi to answer like this. He was embarrassed for a moment before mumbling,¡±... I wonder if you¡¯re free today? If you¡¯re free, our chairman cane to your house to see you.¡±

    They knew that Gu Nianzhi would never go to the Qin family¡¯s house, and they were also unwilling to go to other public ces. Therefore, they hadpromised by offering to go to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s house and hand over the home court to her. She should have agreed, right?

    Gu nianzhi still refused, ¡°That¡¯s not good, right?¡±? ¡°I think you know that I¡¯m currently fighting awsuit against your chairman¡¯s biological daughter, Qin Yaoguang. Also, I¡¯m going to be the prosecutor¡¯swyer for the prosecution tomorrow and fight against the Qin family¡¯s legal team in court. ¡°I¡¯ll see you today. If something happens tomorrow and I can¡¯t appear in court, I¡¯ll be at a huge loss.¡±

    The phone on the other end was actually recording.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s answer was wless. They couldn¡¯t even find a loophole.

    Grandfather Qin sat on the sofa at the side with his eyes closed. His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa.

    In the study, soft music flowed out. It was Tchaikovsky¡¯s Fifth Symphony in E minor.

    Old Master Qin had headphones in one ear, so he could hear the conversation between Gu Nianzhi and his secretary.

    The secretary held the phone receiver and looked at Old Master Qin for help.

    Old Master Qin did not open his eyes. He only spread his palms in the direction of the secretary.

    The secretary understood what he meant. She quickly held the phone receiver with both hands and ced it neatly in Old Master Qin¡¯s palm.

    Old Master Qin took the receiver and took out the earpiece from one ear. He held the receiver with his other hand and chuckled, he said kindly, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s me. You Child, Why Are You So Angry? Your mother did have a bad temper and was very strict with you when you were young. I¡¯ve already told her. She deserves to go to jail for her temper!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Feeling a little annoyed, Gu Nianzhi held her phone in a different hand, she said lightly, ¡°Your Daughter¡¯s problem is not a problem of her temper, but a problem of breaking thew andmitting crimes. She Won¡¯t go to jail just because she has a bad temper.¡±

    Grandfather Qinughed. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re really the smartest person in the Qin family. It¡¯s a pity that your mother pushed you out herself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed as well. ¡°Mr. Qin, my surname is Gu, not qin.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t a member of the Qin family.

    Grandfather Qin¡¯s eyes flickered, finally, he got to the point.¡±... Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry about your father. I also think that Qin Suwen¡¯s death back then may not have had anything to do with him, but he fled because he was afraid of punishment and died in a car ident. That makes this a muddle-headed matter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile disappeared and she said lightly, ¡°Please forgive me for not being able to discuss matters rted to the case with you. Do you have anything else? If not, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±

    She didn¡¯t wait for Grandfather Qin to speak and hung up the phone. She blocked the number as well.

    Huo Shaoheng sat silently next to her the whole time. He waited for her to hang up before saying, ¡°Is that Qin Baye Calling?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°This old man is trying to fool me. He keeps saying that Qin Yaoguang is my mother... doesn¡¯t he know if Qin Yaoguang is my mother or not?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s certain that you won¡¯t dare to do a paternity test in public.¡±Huo Shaoheng yed with a round golden coin in his hand. Under the bright morning light.., his solemn face had an otherworldly charm. ¡°Because you don¡¯t dare to let other institutions get your DNA data.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t do a paternity test, I can still skin Qin Yaoguang Alive!¡±

    ..

    Not long after grandfather Qin hung up, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang again.

    She was a little impatient and wanted to turn off her phone, but she nced at the phone number from the corner of her eye. It was the he family¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn¡¯t help answering the call.

    The person on the other end of the line was a familiar voice. It was one of He chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, Ol¡¯Zhou.

    ¡°Miss Gu? It¡¯s Ol¡¯Zhou. Is it convenient for you to pick up the phone?¡±Ol¡¯Zhou asked with a smile.

    Ol¡¯Zhou had been especially nice to Gu Nianzhi when she was at the He family¡¯s. Although she had avoided he chengjian, she still had some affection for Ol¡¯Zhou.

    ¡°Ol¡¯Zhou? It¡¯s convenient for me. Why are you up so early to work?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice rxed.

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Lu Jin looked at each other but did not speak.

    Gu Nianzhi was the only one speaking in the restaurant.

    She heard ol¡¯Zhou say, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s like this. Our chief just got out of the hospital today. He wants to see you...¡±

    The ¡°Chief¡±Ol¡¯Zhou was referring to was definitely he chengjian, not he zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a moment before saying,¡±... does young master he know about this?¡±

    Ol¡¯Zhou nced at the tall figure standing opposite him, looking out the window with his arms crossed. He smiled and said, ¡°Young master he knows. He¡¯s standing opposite me.¡±

    Ol¡¯Zhou paused and smiled. ¡°Actually, I asked young master he first if I could give you this call.¡±

    ¡°Young master he said he wouldn¡¯t object as long as you agree.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed. She remembered that this case was rted to Qin Suwen, so it would be strange if he chengjian didn¡¯t ask.

    She was about to say yes when old Zhou said urgently, ¡°If you don¡¯t want toe over, the chief said he cane over to see you.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no! I shoulde over! How could I trouble the Chief!¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly objected, and beads of sweat began to trickle down her forehead.

    Compared to Old Master Qin, she was even more afraid to let he chengjiane to her house!

    Seeing that she had agreed, old Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll get young master he toe pick you up?¡±

    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly stood up. ¡°I just finished breakfast. I¡¯ll go pack up and then I can leave.¡±

    ¡°Okay, young master he will be here soon.¡±As Old Zhou spoke, he gestured ¡°Okay¡±to he zhichu.

    He Zhichu was a little surprised.¡±... She agreed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she agreed. Miss Gu is actually very easy to talk to. I don¡¯t understand why you guys always think that she¡¯s unreasonable,¡±Ol¡¯Zhou said with a smile.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression was the same as usual. He smiled slightly, and his sparkling peach blossom eyes sparkled. ¡°She¡¯s been very obedient since she was young.¡±

    Ol¡¯Zhou picked up his briefcase. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the chief¡¯s room and report my work first. When Miss Guester, you can bring her directly to the chief¡¯s convalescent suite.¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°Ol¡¯Zhou, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no.¡±Ol¡¯Zhou yawned loudly.

    He Zhichu pretended not to see him and left with his car keys.

    It was still early, not even seven o¡¯clock.

    There were not many cars on the streets of the capital.

    He zhichu only took ten minutes to drive to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartmentplex and waited quietly by the side of the street.

    Fifteen minutester, Gu Nianzhi walked out of the apartmentplex with a small bag in her hand.

    She looked up and saw he zhichu¡¯s car. She ran over with a smile and bent down to say, ¡°Young master he, you¡¯re up this early too?¡±

    He zhichu nced at Gu Nianzhi. She seemed to be wearing make-up on her face. There was a lightyer of foundation on her face, which covered the greenish-ck color of her eyes.

    He zhichu paused.¡±... how many nights have you been up?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She smiled and touched her face. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you look in the Mirror?¡±He Zhichu pulled down the mirror in the car and looked at her. ¡°Look at yourself.¡±

    It had indeed been a few days since Gu Nianzhi had looked in the mirror properly.

    However, she looked at herself carefully today and touched her face with delight. ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight. You look good in the mirror.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    She was both angry and amused. She flicked a finger on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°What are you talking about? Do you just remember to look good on camera?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu nianzhi deliberately said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that Camera adds ten pounds? !¡±(a Camera makes people look ten pounds fatter.)

    He Zhichu looked at her deeply and said in a low voice, ¡°I know you don¡¯t want us to worry.¡±

    Gu nianzhi awkwardly smoothed her hair and fastened her seatbelt, she said yfully, ¡°Actually, I just want you to worry, but I don¡¯t want you to say it out loud, so I can only hold it in... hahahaha... am I a bad person?¡±

    He zhichuughed it off, stepped on the gas, and drove off.

    He took Gu Nianzhi back to the he residence. Just as he and Gu Nianzhi got out of the car, his phone rang.

    He took it out to take a look. It was Xie qingying, so he didn¡¯t pick it up.

    Gu nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Who¡¯s calling? It¡¯s so early.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t hide it from her. ¡°It¡¯s your cousin Xie.¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°OH¡±and didn¡¯t ask any further.

    The two of them came out of the garage and walked along the winding path towards the mansion.

    Xie qingying carried her suitcase and stood at the entrance of the He residence, looking travel-worn. She watched as he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi walked over from the parking lot.

    She had gone abroad to rx a month ago and wanted to calm herself down.

    When she finally came back to her senses, the first thing she saw was Gu Nianzhi and he zhichu together again.

    Moreover, he zhichu had not picked up her call just now. Xie qingying was trembling with anger.

    He Zhichu happened to look up and saw Xie qingying standing beside the wrought iron gate, as well as the luggage beside her.

    He Zhichu stopped in his tracks, and Gu Nianzhi followed his gaze.

    ¡°... it¡¯s cousin Xie.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved at him, then said, ¡°Young master he, you go apany cousin Xie. I¡¯ll go see General He alone.¡±

    She did not allow he zhichu to refuse, and quickly walked to the steps at the entrance of the mansion.

    He zhichu sighed and walked towards the gate. He pulled open the wrought-iron gate and said inly, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    Xie qingying saw he zhichu¡¯s nonchnt tone and immediately became angry.

    ¡°He Zhichu! Aren¡¯t you going to exin what happened just now? !¡±

    Xie qingying never knew that she could still be angry at her beloved Prince Charming, but she couldn¡¯t help it.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1869, ¡°Being mad at my Prince Charming¡±.

    Please give me your monthly ticket and rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    The third update of the day.

    The second update of the afternoon at 1:00 p.m. , the second update of the 100,000 starting point coin reward for ¡°Billions of people chasing you¡±in April.

    The third update of the evening at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1870

    <h4>Chapter 1870: Chapter 1870 will take you to see her (second, you will be rewarded with billions of dors)</h4>

    He Zhichu was expressionless and said indifferently, ¡°What do you want to exin? Don¡¯t I have the right to have normal rtionships with other women?¡±

    He Zhichu was indeed a greatwyer. One sentence from he zhichu almost made Xie qingying cry.

    She tried her best to hold back her tears and pointed in the direction where Gu Nianzhi had disappeared. She growled, ¡°Is Gu Nianzhi an ordinary woman? ! She was your fianc¨¦e!¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself. She used to be my fianc¨¦e.¡±He zhichu rubbed the space between his eyebrows. ¡°The past is the past. It¡¯s all in the past. Why do you have to be so hostile the moment you see me with her?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? ! After all this, it¡¯s still my fault? !¡±Xie qingying was speechless. She didn¡¯t know how he zhichu had gotten into her head.

    She raised her head to look at He Zhichu¡¯s cold face. She felt very upset.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve realized your mistake.¡±He Zhichu turned around and walked into the house. His voice was cold. ¡°If you continue to act like this in the future, you¡¯ll only remind me that Gu Nianzhi used to be my fianc¨¦e. It will only deepen my memories.¡±

    Xie qingying stood rooted to the ground with her mouth agape. She realized that she was no match for he zhichu at all.

    He did not even need to argue with her. He had merely said a few words and she had already thrown away her armor. She felt a strong sense of guilt.

    Indeed, she should not feel jealous and uneasy every time she saw he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi together.

    But she understood the logic. It was too difficult to do it.

    She stood in front of the Iron Gate of the He family¡¯s mansion, tears streaming down her face.

    The grievance in her heart was like a sh flood that could not be suppressed.

    He zhichu walked for a while and turned around to see Xie qingying. She was actually crying.

    Updates by

    She stood under the camphor tree at the gate, crying like a weeping pear blossom.

    He Zhichu was a little dazed, as if he remembered that once in the other world, Gu Nianzhi had gotten into a fight with someone. He was angry at Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Nianzhi did notpromise. She fought him head-on and ran away from his house with a red and swollen face..

    That little girl had always had such a bad temper. She was also sharp-tongued. She had never lost a fight with him..

    Xie qingying had never cried in front of he zhichu. This was the first time.

    She thought this would be thest time.

    If he zhichu still ignored her, she would... she would...e back to look for him in a few days.

    However, before she could pick up her suitcase, he zhichu had already walked back.

    He took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it over.

    Xie qingying took it and wiped her tears, feeling extremely embarrassed.

    He Zhichu helped her pick up the suitcase, held her hand with one hand, and said calmly,¡±... I treat Nianzhi as my younger sister, and you will be her sister-inw in the future. Don¡¯t always be calctive, you are not that kind of person.¡±

    When Xie qingying heard this, a burst of ecstasy rose in her heart.

    She had been so angry that she had almost said the word ¡°Break up¡±.

    But in the blink of an eye, he zhichu had promised her that she could be gu nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Sister-inw¡±..

    Was he proposing to her? !

    Xie qingying¡¯s mind was suddenly covered in ayer of paste and she couldn¡¯t think at all.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had already been brought to his suite by He Chengjian¡¯s personal secretary, Lao Zhou.

    Thankfully, he chengjian was not lying on the bed. Instead, he was sitting on the sofa in the living room of the suite.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him and noticed that he was looking very well, she couldn¡¯t help but praise him. ¡°General he, you¡¯re recovering well, aren¡¯t you? I told you that there are plenty of good doctors. You Don¡¯t have to beg the Qin family all the time. Don¡¯t tell me that without Qin yaoguang, everyone will just be waiting to die when they get sick? What a big face!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s mouth twitched twice.

    It was only then that he realized that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personality waspletely different from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I heard that you rmended the Doctor.¡±He chengjian reached out his hand to her. ¡°Come, sit. Uncle he owes you a favor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and wondered why he chengjian¡¯s attitude was so good?

    It was terrifying.

    She slowly moved over and carefully sat down opposite he chengjian. ¡°General he, are you okay?¡±

    In her memory, he chengjian had never been so kind to her.

    He chengjian¡¯s health improved, and his mood and temper also improved.

    In addition to he zhichu and Xie Qingying¡¯s smooth progress, he was even happier when he heard he zhichu talking about the engagement with Old Zhou yesterday.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi no longer had the prejudice and prejudice of the past and was more and more pleasing to the eye, he couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Nianzhi, Ah Chu treats you as his sister, and I also treat you as a junior. Don¡¯t be shy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved her hand. ¡°You¡¯re wee. You¡¯re making me scared. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did I?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±He chengjian smiled. ¡°Of course not. It was my fault in the past. I apologize.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat up straighter. ¡°General he, you¡¯re too kind. It¡¯s all in the past. We need to...¡±

    Her heart was pounding, but she still said,¡±... what we need now is to work together to uncover the truth behind Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death.¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes dimmed instantly. It was as if his entire spirit had been taken away by the name.

    He supported himself with his chair and stood up. He walked over to the firece opposite him and picked up the family portrait from the mantelpiece, he looked at it carefully and said,¡±... you don¡¯t think your father had anything to do with my wife¡¯s death, but your mother did?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very ufortable with the word ¡°Mother¡±and quickly said, ¡°It had something to do with your ex-wife, not my mother.¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s face darkened even more. He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and snorted. ¡°That¡¯s just a title. She and I have a title but not a title.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had always thought that she was thick-skinned, but now she couldn¡¯t help but blush.

    ¡°... Well, the marriage is governed by the marriagew. You¡¯ve been married to her before. Whether or not she lives up to her name, she¡¯s still your ex-wife in the eyes of thew.¡±

    He chengjian saw that Gu Nianzhi was always quoting thew, so he shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Gu nianzhi thought to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t want to understand.¡±.

    He Chengjian put down the family photo, turned around, and sat down on the sofa, he said, ¡°I saw yourwsuit and consulted the legalmunity. They all said that your argument was far-fetched and that the chain of evidence wasn¡¯t perfect enough to win. Why did you file thiswsuit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not answer the question directly. Instead, she said, ¡°General he, do you want to know the truth about your wife¡¯s sudden death?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do,¡±he chengjian said without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ve kept my wife¡¯s body in liquid nitrogen for so many years, just waiting for the day when the truth wille out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already learned the truth from he zhichu, but she still widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°Really? Then... then can we see whatwyer Qin Suwen looks like?¡±

    In theory, liquid nitrogen was used to freeze the human body to an extremely low temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius, so that the organs and tissues of the human body would not be invaded by microbes and rot.

    Liquid nitrogen was now avable on the market to freeze the human body. It was hoped that in the future, when those fatal diseases could be cured, they could be resurrected.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Qin Suwen could also be resurrected?

    But so far, no human body that had been frozen in liquid nitrogen had been resurrected. Not even animals that had been frozen in liquid nitrogen could be resurrected.

    So the concept of ¡°Resurrection¡±was still in the theoretical stage.

    But liquid nitrogen could indeed preserve the human body from decay.

    He chengjian smiled and said gently, ¡°We can go and take a look. I¡¯m sure Suwen won¡¯t be angry. We can show her that the little girl she personally took care of has returned.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi followed he chengjian out and saw he zhichu waiting at the door.

    ¡°Dad, where are you going?¡±He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi suspiciously.

    Gu Nianzhi tried her best to remain calm, but there was a hint of joy and yearning in her voice. ¡°General he is taking me to seewyer Qin Suwen.¡±

    He zhichu quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡±

    He Zhichu had not seen Qin Suwen since she had been frozen by the liquid nitrogen.

    He chengjian nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    He Zhichu followed he chengjian and Gu Nianzhi downstairs. On the first floor, he saw Xie qingying, who was instructing the servants in the living room to arrange the nts.

    He zhichu said to her, ¡°We¡¯re going out for a while. Tell the kitchen to prepare lunch. We¡¯lle back for lunch.¡±

    Xie qingying nodded and said gently, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you guys toe back.¡±

    She even smiled at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled back at her. Without saying anything, she followed he chengjian into the car.

    They went together to the underground hospital where Qin Suwen was frozen.

    The central air conditioner here controlled the temperature, which was 15 degrees Celsius all year round.

    Gu Nianzhi felt cold as soon as she entered the room.

    The three of them put on white protective clothing so that it wasn¡¯t so cold anymore.

    When they arrived at Qin Suwen¡¯s cold room, Gu Nianzhi saw a cylindrical stainless steel object ced in the middle of the room.

    He chengjian caressed the cylindrical object and said, ¡°Suwen is inside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    This was a sealed stainless steel cylindrical steel column. How was she supposed to look at it?

    He Zhichu did not know how to look at it either.

    He chengjian called over the management staff of the underground medical warehouse and said, ¡°Can you see the human body inside the liquid nitrogen freezing column?¡±

    The person nodded. ¡°We can connect it to theputer and observe the situation inside.¡±

    ¡°Can you show it to us?¡±

    The person quickly said, ¡°You have to sign the authorization first.¡±

    He chengjian had never signed a document before, so the people here could not pry into the situation inside the liquid nitrogen freezing column.

    He chengjian nodded. ¡°Give it to me to sign.¡±

    He felt that the truth of the past was about to be revealed, so he was no longer afraid of others mentioning Qin Suwen.

    Moreover, he hoped to give Gu Nianzhi more clues so that she would be able to uncover the truth of the past more smoothly.

    After the administrative staff hadpleted the procedures, they connected the liquid nitrogen frozen column that belonged to Qin Suwen to theputer.

    After entering the password, it was connected to the surveince camera inside the frozen column.

    Not long after, a fog appeared on theputer screen. It was blurry, and only a faint figure could be seen.

    When the administrative staff had processed the image and adjusted it clearly, the figure was also more clearly disyed in front of them.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a low cry and covered her mouth.

    Because what appeared on the screen was a white skeleton.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of today: chapter 1870, ¡°Take you to see her.¡±.

    The second update of the 100,000 starting point for the ¡°Billions chasing you¡±kiss of April.

    To remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    There¡¯s a third watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1871

    <h4>Chapter 1871: How could chapter 1871 end up like this? (third request for rmendation ticket)</h4>

    He chengjian¡¯s heart seemed to have fallen into the liquid nitrogen freezing column, directly dropping from the normal temperature to absolute zero.

    His face was ashen as he pointed at the disy screen and shouted, ¡°What¡¯s going on? ! Where¡¯s the person? ! Didn¡¯t they say that the frozen body wouldn¡¯t damage the remains? !¡±

    The manager of the underground medical warehouse was also dumbstruck, and his hands and feet were at a loss.

    His fingers trembled as he typed on the keyboard for a long time, in the end, he said with a sad face, ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened either... But our records show that after your wife¡¯s body was put into this liquid nitrogen freezing column, absolutely no one opened it!¡±

    He was only in charge of managing the medical warehouse, not the medical staff in charge of freezing the body, so he could not say much.

    He chengjian looked at him coldly, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Immediately call a meeting with the medical staff who did the freezing! DNA test! I want to see who¡¯s behind this!¡±

    He Zhichu was also full of indignation, and a bloodthirsty look shed across his cold face.

    Gu nianzhi quietly left, not bothering the father and son to find out the reason.

    She walked out of the freezer and into the open space outside.

    It was already seven in the morning. The scorching sun had risen high, and the temperature had begun to rise rapidly. When Gu Nianzhi had juste out of the freezer, she had still felt warm, but now her forehead was covered in ayer of fine sweat.

    It seemed warm, but also like she was shivering.

    The sparkling white bones from before kept shing in her mind. She did not feel fear, only regret and sadness.

    She was destined to not see her mother onest time.

    Outside the cold storage was a square, and around the square was a circle of parasol trees.

    Updates by

    In the hot summer, the green leaves of the parasol trees covered the sky and the sun, casting ayer of shade over the empty space in front of the cold storage.

    Near the cold storage was a residential area. Everyone woke up in the morning and exercised in the square in twos and threes. There were dog walkers, and some people rushed home with breakfast.

    Everyone¡¯s faces were filled with a thick smoke and fire. There was a sense of happiness and contentment that belonged to the mortal world.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears welled up, but she did not cry. She calmly took out her phone and called Lu Jin.

    ¡°Dad...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi? What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay? Huo Shao is right beside you. Don¡¯t be afraid!¡±Lu Jin heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, he could clearly sense that she was in a bad mood. His first reaction was that she was in danger, so he quickly sold Huo Shaoheng out.

    Standing not far from Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng sighed. He could hear Lu Jin¡¯s voice through the Bluetooth headset in his ear because Lu Jin had modified it, it was connected to Lu Jin¡¯s surveince andmunication equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the square and quickly locked onto a dog walker wearing sunsses.

    This person was very tall and fit. Compared to the group of elderly and fat people in the square, he stood out from the rest.

    He was walking a little corgi dog.

    She didn¡¯t know where he had rented it from..

    Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    Even though they lookedpletely different, Gu Nianzhi still recognized Huo Shaoheng after Lu Jin¡¯s reminder.

    However, she didn¡¯t walk over to greet him. Instead, she turned around and turned her back to Huo Shaoheng. She said to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, I just went to seewyer Qin Suwen¡¯s body. She was originally frozen in liquid nitrogen.¡±

    Lu Jin was obviously silent for a moment when he heard Qin Suwen¡¯s name. He then asked, ¡°Is she okay?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°No, she¡¯s not okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Her body hasn¡¯t been preserved properly. It¡¯s already a white bone.¡±

    ¡°White bone? !¡±Lu Jin almost choked on the phone and shouted in shock, ¡°Are you sure that the white bone is her? ! How did it turn into a white bone? !¡±

    ¡°General he is having a meeting with the medical staff who treated Qin Suwen¡¯s body coldly back then to verify the DNA.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice was choked with sobs. ¡°What if it¡¯s her? How did this happen?¡±

    Lu Jin heard that she was about to cry and quicklyforted her,¡±... Nianzhi, don¡¯t cry. Let me think about how this happened.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s mind spun even faster when Gu Nianzhi cried.

    He mumbled to himself over the phone, ¡°Think about it carefully. It¡¯s not impossible.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Not Impossible?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled.

    ¡°To turn into white bones...¡±Lu Jin began to analyze the situation.

    ¡°The human body is frozen with liquid nitrogen. It needs to be treated before it can be put in.¡±

    ¡°This is because freezing will cause the water in the body to form ice crystals at low temperatures. The ice crystals will puncture the cell walls.¡±

    ¡°In order to prevent the liquid nitrogen from destroying the human body¡¯s tissues and organs, we must first rece the blood and water in the body with a special antifreeze.¡±

    ¡°First, the human body must be injected with anticoagnts, anti-oxidants, and drugs to maintain the central nervous system. We must also inject ice and salt water into the human body through the circtory system to lower the temperature

    ¡°Then, we must intubate the trachea, activate the venttor, and the cardiopulmonary support equipment to ensure the physiological functions of the human body

    ¡°In this process, there are too many steps that can be tampered with.¡±Lu Jin shook his head, ¡°If it were me, I would have directly used the antifreeze to rece the blood and water in the human body. Even the bones would have melted away.¡±

    ¡°This person could only melt the flesh and blood of the corpse, and still leave behind a skeleton. This means that his skills are not up to par.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Dad, this is not the time to discuss whether or not his skills are up to par!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened.¡±... that¡¯s the body ofwyer Qin Suwen!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s voice sank. ¡°She¡¯s already dead. What¡¯s the point of doing anything else? Why didn¡¯t you protect her when she was still alive?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She had still harbored a little hope that Lu Jin would be able to bring Qin Suwen back to life.

    But now, Lu Jin had told her that it was impossible. She wouldn¡¯t be able toe back to life.

    It was as if she had been hit in the head. She felt dizzy and disoriented.

    Gu Nianzhi held her phone and stood in a daze under a parasol tree at the edge of the square. She could feel the bone-chilling cold. Even the summer heat couldn¡¯t make her feel hot.

    After an unknown amount of time, he zhichu came to her side and held her hand as they walked towards the cold storage. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look again. We¡¯re going to take her out of the liquid nitrogen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers involuntarily shrank in he zhichu¡¯s palm.¡±... Do We know who the skeleton is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mother,¡±he zhichu said calmly. ¡°Fortunately, there¡¯s still bone marrow in the bones. We¡¯ve already verified the DNA just now.¡±

    ¡°... we¡¯re going to take her out? Isn¡¯t that...¡±

    She had wanted to say destroy the body, but then she thought about it. It was already a skeleton. How else could they destroy it?

    She closed her eyes.¡±... Should we bury it?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll hold the funeral after the case is over and there are results.¡±He Zhichu turned to look at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it. Then what¡¯s the reason? Have you found it?¡±

    ¡°My dad called another group of people to investigate. The initial proof is that there was a problem with the refrigerant. It contained corrosive microorganisms that could resist low temperatures. They corroded the flesh and blood of the body, leaving only the skeleton.¡±

    ¡°... they can still leave the skeleton?¡±Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°Why don¡¯t they just corrode itpletely?¡±

    ¡°Do you think they don¡¯t want to?¡±He zhichu sneered as well. ¡°It¡¯s just that their technology isn¡¯t up to par. Because they haven¡¯t been able to corrode into the bones yet, those microorganisms can¡¯t withstand a temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius.¡±

    So they found the ¡°Culprit¡±¨C the frozen microorganisms,

    gu Nianzhi was silent.

    It was exactly as Lu Jin had deduced.

    He didn¡¯t even have toe here to know everything.

    ¡°Then do we find out who did it?¡±

    ¡°Soon. There are only a few people. It¡¯ll be easy to find out.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s voice was exceptionally cold. ¡°But so what if we find out? Even if we cut him into a thousand pieces, we won¡¯t be able to recover my mother¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°... if we find out, at least we¡¯ll make him pay.¡±Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists. ¡°We¡¯ll make him tell us who¡¯s behind this!¡±

    Very good. She had one more witness against her.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third update of the day: chapter 1871, ¡°How could this be?¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    Also, I¡¯d like to give Nianzhi and Huo a thumbs up ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1872

    <h4>Chapter 1872: He knew about Chapter 1872(the first one asked for a monthly pass)</h4>

    No one dared to stop or hide the people he chengjian wanted to investigate.

    Within an hour, several doctors from severalrge hospitals in the imperial capital were arrested.

    They were all medical staff who had frozen Qin Suwen¡¯s body with liquid nitrogen.

    The changes in the hospital system naturally could not escape the ears and eyes of the people from the Qin¡¯s Hospital, thergest private hospital in the country.

    ..

    ¡°Old Mister Qin, a few of the key doctors from the public hospitals in the imperial capital have been taken away by the police to assist in the investigation.¡±

    Under a maple tree in the peace courtyard, Qin Baye was wearing a pair of silk clothes. He sat before a stone table and sipped the kung fu tea in a white porcin cup.

    After a while, he smiled and said, ¡°Go ahead and investigate. What does it have to do with us? ¡ª Go ahead and investigate.¡±

    He put down his Teacup and stood up. ¡°The court is going to be held tomorrow. Go back to the city and prepare. Go to the court and Listen in tomorrow.¡±

    ..

    At this moment, in the interrogation room of the imperial capital police station, the doctors were tricked a few times. Some of them couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and confessed everything.

    ¡°... Police Sir, you have to believe me. I was forced to do it too!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that Gu Xiangwen. It wasn¡¯t enough for him to killwyer Qin Suwen. He was worried that others would find out what he had done. He took the opportunity when General he was about to freezewyer Qin suwen with liquid nitrogen to find me and force me to add the contents of a small test tube into the refrigerant...¡±

    ¡°Is it really Gu Xiangwen? !¡±He chengjian, who was watching the interrogation in the next room, was furious. ¡°How can he be so vicious? ! It¡¯s not enough that he killed Suwen, but he still wants to turn her into a skeleton? !¡±

    Updates by

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows moved slightly as he held he chengjian down and said coldly, ¡°Father, Gu Xiangwen is already dead. Now, everything can be med on him. It can¡¯t be any easier. This matter is not that simple. We have to investigate it carefully.¡±

    He chengjian already had a prejudice against Gu Xiangwen. In addition to the fact that Gu Xiangwen had fled in fear of being convicted, he had already determined that Gu Xiangwen was inextricably linked to him.

    He pointed at the one-sided ss wall in front of him, he chengjian frowned and said angrily, ¡°Investigate! Why didn¡¯t you investigate? ! He said that it was Gu Xiangwen who instigated it, so of course he had to produce evidence! If he just opened his mouth and made us believe it, does he think that we are fools? !¡±

    He zhichu patted the back of He Chengjian¡¯s hand. ¡°Father, I¡¯ll go over and interrogate him. Please sit down first.¡±

    He poured he chengjian a ss of water and looked at He chengjian¡¯s expression. He asked softly, ¡°Father, don¡¯t you feel unwell?¡±

    In the past, when he chengjian was angry, his blood pressure would rise and he would have a headache. When it was serious, he could not even see clearly.

    However, this time, he was so angry that he waspletely fine.

    He chengjian rubbed his temples and said curiously, ¡°I really don¡¯t feel anything. The Doctor You Found was really good. The surgery was so worth it!¡±

    ¡°... it was Nianzhi who helped find the Doctor.¡±He Zhichu said this, then pushed open the door and went to the interrogation room next door.

    In the interrogation room next door, a few police officers were taking notes, and one of them was interrogating.

    This time, they were interrogating separately, and then locked up together.

    This way, they could find out the truth from their answers.

    Everyone had their own thoughts when they were questioned separately, but they would feel different when they were locked up together for questioning.

    If it was the truth, the answers would not change in either case because there was only one truth.

    However, if someone was lying, the answers would definitely be different in both cases.

    Fortunately, among these doctors, only one doctor had given twopletely different answers, which was why they had locked him up as an important target for the third round of interrogation.

    He Zhichu pushed the door open and entered. He raised his hand and signaled for the police officers in the interrogation room to leave. He said, ¡°I¡¯ve already told yourmisioner that the third round of interrogation will be conducted by me personally.¡±

    The police officers quickly stood up and bowed to him before turning around to leave.

    They could watch the interrogation from the side when they were in the room next door anyway. However, the doctor did not know that there was a group of people in the room next door who were looking at him through the single-sided ss wall.

    The door to the interrogation room closed with a bang.

    He Zhichu sat down opposite the man and crossed his legs with a cold expression. He asked calmly, ¡°What is your rtionship with Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    The man was shocked by He Zhichu¡¯s imposing manner. He was stunned for a long time before he said,¡±... he used to be my mentor in medical school.¡±

    He zhichu frowned. ¡°You are about the same age as him, right? How can he be your mentor?¡±

    The Man¡¯s face flushed red. He quickly said, ¡°I went to schoolte, he went to school early, and he skipped grades many times...¡±

    Therefore, by the time he went to medical school, Gu Xiangwen was already a visiting professor at the most famous medical school in the capital.

    He zhichu nodded and took out his phone to send a message, indicating for his subordinates to go to the most famous medical school in the capital to check this person¡¯s academic records.

    After sending the message, he zhichu raised his head and said expressionlessly, ¡°At that time, Gu Xiangwen was already on the wanted list. How did he contact you?¡±

    The person lowered his head and muttered, ¡°Hemunicated with me through email. You know he¡¯s also very good atputers. Myputer was hacked by him...¡±

    He Zhichu was slightly moved. It sounded like it was true.

    He sat up straight and asked again, ¡°And then? Where¡¯s the email?¡±

    ¡°... I deleted it. It happened many years ago...¡±the man twisted his neck ufortably, he told the truth, ¡°He gave me ten million yuan. After the matter was settled, he deposited it into my bank ount. At that time, I urgently needed to buy a house and get married. The houses in the capital¡¯s good areas were too expensive. They were all worth a few million yuan. I couldn¡¯t afford it...¡±

    ¡°So you were tempted to use the things that person gave you to corrode my mother¡¯s body? !¡±He Zhichu¡¯s voice turned cold as he mmed the table. ¡°You¡¯remitting a crime!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±The man suddenly raised his head and argued with he zhichu. ¡°Gu Xiangwen told me that even if I was found out, the most serious crime would only be the crime of destroying the body. The maximum sentence would be three years, and it¡¯s very likely to bemuted to criminal detention or surveince!¡±

    He Zhichu was so angry that heughed. ¡°Oh? You even got punished. You sure know a lot!¡±

    ¡°... I really didn¡¯t mean it. He said that if the body was ced in liquid nitrogen, no one would want to see the appearance of the body for ten years, so it doesn¡¯t matter even if the bones turn white...¡±

    Looking at the time, it had indeed been ten years.

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death was an indelible scar in his and his father¡¯s hearts.

    He and his father would not be able to face this fact for a very long time.

    He chengjian kept all the photos of Qin Suwen away at one point. Because he could not look at them, he felt a deep pain in his heart. He wished that he could go with her.

    But he could not because he still had a son.

    He couldn¡¯t leave Qin Suwen¡¯sst bit of blood behind.

    He Chengjian was in the interrogation room next door. The expression on his face gradually became sorrowful.

    He originally thought that when he zhichu got married and had a son, he would be able to exin to Qin Suwen and he wouldn¡¯t live anymore.

    His health was getting worse and worse. There was also a reason why he deliberately indulged qin suwen.

    But now, he realized that everything he had done had be a joke!

    He took a deep breath to suppress his crumbling emotions.

    In the interrogation room on the other side, he zhichu looked at the man¡¯s confession and scoffed nomittally. His slender fingers tapped on the transcript. ¡°Sign it. Wait for court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already said that she wanted to use this man as a dirty witness.

    He Zhichu could tell that there was something wrong with this man¡¯s confession, but he did not want to remind him.

    He had to save it for Gu Nianzhi to skin these people alive in court.

    The man was shocked. ¡°Why should I go to court? ! Didn¡¯t I already confess? !¡±

    ¡°... you want to confess just like that? Too bad the court isn¡¯t run by your family.¡±He Zhichu stood up with a cold face. ¡°You¡¯re a dirty witness summoned by the prosecution. It¡¯s up to you what you say when the timees.¡±

    After that, he pointed at the camera on the ceiling of the interrogation room, ¡°There are surveince cameras here. Don¡¯t even think about changing your confession. Every Word and action of yours has been recorded and stored in the cloud. It¡¯s useless even if you destroy the cameras here.¡±

    Aftering out of the interrogation room, he zhichu and he chengjian returned to the He family¡¯s mansion.

    It was already dark outside, and the lights were on. It was a bustling summer night in the capital.

    Their car passed through the most bustlingmercial street in the city. He chengjian felt a little emotional as he looked out the window at the men and women. The night scene was filled with lights and wine.

    He thought about it silently for a while and asked, ¡°Ah Chu, do you think this matter has anything to do with Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    ¡°Father, what do you think?¡±He Zhichu asked back.

    He knew that his father had a prejudice against Gu Xiangwen.

    He used to have this prejudice too, but after experiencing a few things, he hadpletely changed his view.

    He chengjian pursed his lips. Thew marks on his face were very obvious, making him look gloomy and dignified.

    ¡°... if Gu Xiangwen wasn¡¯t the murderer, why did he run away? Why did hemit suicideter?¡±He chengjian asked slowly, ¡°There are some things that I don¡¯t want to tell you, but now that you¡¯re older, I Won¡¯t hide it from you. Gu Xiangwen has always had a perverted crush on your mother.¡±

    He Zhichu suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise shed in his eyes,¡±... Gu Xiangwen has a crush... On My Mother?¡±

    ¡°You think I don¡¯t Know? I just don¡¯t put him in my eyes.¡±He chengjian sneered, ¡°I know that Susu only has me in her heart and treats him as a good friend. I¡¯m not the kind of jealous husband who wants to lock his wife up at home and not allow others to see her. Of course, I¡¯m pretending not to know.¡±

    Not only did he not show it, but he alsopletely trusted Qin Suswen and Gu Xiangwen in their rtionship. Therefore, Qin Suswen had a lot of trust and love for him.

    Because of this, he chengjian had once thought that Gu Xiangwen would not harm Qin Suwen. It was not until that day, when Qin Suwen had suddenly died in her study after meeting Gu Xiangwen, that he chengjian realized that he had made a huge mistake..

    ¡°I now understand that rtionships that are too persistent can easily go bad when they are not avable,¡±he chengjian said meaningfully. ¡°I have suffered a loss, so don¡¯t suffer a loss like me.¡±

    He Zhichu thought to himself that he would never suffer a loss in his life, because he no longer had any extravagant hopes for a rtionship.

    When he returned home, he zhichu briefly told Gu Nianzhi about today¡¯s trial and then told her, ¡°Go to bed early. I¡¯ll attend Court Tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said in high spirits, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young master he. There¡¯s something wrong with that person¡¯s confession. I¡¯ll ask the court to allow him to testify in court tomorrow.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 1872, he knows it all.

    Ask for your monthly ticket and rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    System (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *) research-+

 Chapter 1873

    <h4>Chapter 1873: Chapter 1873 can not be lost (chapter 2 requires a monthly pass)</h4>

    He Zhichu was still very confident in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ability. He gave her a few more words before putting down the phone.

    Back in his room, he took a quick shower and went downstairs to the restaurant for dinner. Seeing that he chengjian was alone, he looked around in surprise and asked the orderly beside him, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Xie?¡±

    The orderly said loudly, ¡°Miss Xie has left.¡±

    He Chengjian knocked on the seat beside him and said expressionlessly, ¡°Look here, Qingying left a note for you.¡±

    He zhichu walked over and saw the note. [ Zhichu, remember to have dinner with uncle. I¡¯m going home now. We¡¯ll listen in together tomorrow. ]

    ¡°Qingying is such a good girl. You have to be nice to her too.¡±He chengjian thought of Qin Suwen and felt sad. He didn¡¯t even want to eat anymore.¡±... It¡¯s fate for the two of them to be together. You have to cherish it.¡±

    He zhichu stared at the note for a while, then put it aside and began to eat dinner.

    He didn¡¯t remember how long it had been since he and he chengjian had had dinner together. There were so many things that had happened today that the two of them didn¡¯t want to talk.

    After the meal, he zhichu only said ¡°Goodnight¡±and went back to his room.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi ended the call with HE Zhichu and decided to go to bed early.

    She went to bed early and slept soundly. She had no dreams the entire night, and when she opened her eyes, it was the next day, the day of her court appearance.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up early in the morning and changed into a custom-made ck trouser suit. Her long hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head.

    Her small face was crystal clear, like a freshly peeled boiled egg. It was tender and very textured.

    Updates by

    Her eyes were big, and her facial features were more three-dimensional. There was only a handful of bright peach-colored lipstick on her lips, and she looked very energetic.

    She looked at herself in the mirror and chose a tinum brooch in the shape of a night epiphyllum to wear on her chest. It was a small memorial for Qin Suwen.

    She looked at herself in the mirror and whispered,¡±... Mom, I won¡¯t Let You Down.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, dressed in a Soviet military uniform, walked out the door with her without any reservations.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin would dress up as passers-by and go to the courtroom to listen in. Huo Shaoheng would directly act as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal bodyguard as Peter.

    ..

    When they arrived outside the courtroom, Gu Nianzhi met up with the people from the Procuratorate and briefly went through the brief description of the case.

    The prosecutor from the Procuratorate was a very steady middle-aged man. He looked to be almost 50 years old. Not only was he very experienced, but he had also been promoted to a very high position.

    The fact that he was appointed as the prosecutor meant that the Procuratorate had high hopes for this case.

    In cases like this, which were more difficult and less certain of sess, the Procuratorate would usually send younger rookies to y and give them a chance to train.

    Because they were young and inexperienced, there was no harm in losing the case.

    It was simr to how professional teams would send in substitutes for unimportant or doomed matches.

    But this case was different.

    This case had to be tried in front of the whole world. They had to convict Qin Yaoguang in a fair and square manner. They could not afford to make any mistakes.

    That was why the Procuratorate had sent out their strongest prosecutor to work with Gu Nianzhi. They had to win this case well.

    Even if there wasn¡¯t enough evidence and logic, they had to win against the other party¡¯s team ofwyers.

    Sometimes, winning a case didn¡¯t depend on how strong one¡¯s evidence was, but sometimes, it depended on the other party¡¯s mistakes.

    Many cases that they thought were certain to be won were caught by the other party because of their negligence, and they lost miserably.

    The prosecutor looked at Gu Nianzhi, he said very seriously, ¡°Barrister Gu, I don¡¯t know why the higher-ups agreed to let you be the prosecution¡¯swyer. To be honest, I don¡¯t agree. This case has been around for a long time, and there isn¡¯t much evidence. The chain of evidence that you put forward looks like it¡¯s going to be hard to win.¡±

    Then he changed the subject. ¡°But we can¡¯t lose. Do you understand?¡±

    If they lost, it would confirm that the previous charges against Qin yaoguang were untenable. The foreign media wouldn¡¯t care, not to mention that the fewwsuits werepletely irrelevant.

    They were very good at stirring up trouble.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that most of the people here didn¡¯t know about her experience in the courtroom, so she wasn¡¯t angry. She just smiled and said, ¡°I hope that after the trial, you¡¯ll change from disapproving to approving.¡±

    The trial was based on true ability, so it was useless to say anything more now.

    However, after Gu Nianzhi discussed it with him in detail, she changed her steps again.

    The two of them talked for a while, and it was time to go in.

    Putting away theirputers, the two of them walked into the a-ss courtroom for the trial.

    Once they entered, both of them were slightly surprised.

    They both knew that the trial would be broadcast live to the whole world, but they had not expected it to be so big!

    In the room, other than the intiff¡¯s and defendant¡¯s seats, as well as the witness seats, the other seats were all full.

    The Qin family only brought Old Master Qin and his grandnephew, Qin Haoshan, but they brought a lot of staff with them. Just the members of the legal team took up half the seats.

    Looking at the scale, one could tell that the Qin family had invested a lot this time. They had hired first-ss criminal litigation experts andwyers from both domestic and foreign countries. If they wanted to fight this case for Qin Yaoguang, they also wanted to p the face of the domestic judiciary, they would confirm that Qin yaoguang had been ¡°Wronged¡±in the publicity campaign and then seek her release on parole to recuperate abroad.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze swept past grandfather Qin and the Qin family¡¯s legal team. The corners of her lips curled into a meaningful smile.

    Her gaze shifted to the surroundings of the room.

    The room in this courtroom was thergest in the entire court. However, there were already all sorts of live broadcast equipment and cameras on the empty space near the wall.

    Television stations, newspapers, websites, new media, and even radio stations had joined in.

    Not only the domestic media, but also foreign media reporters stationed in the country hade to watch.

    At this moment, the reporters, anchors, and anchors were in their respective live broadcast rooms, ready to show their faces in this rare trial that was going to take ce all over the world.

    Everyone knew that for Qin Yaoguang¡¯s sake, the United States was willing tounch a trade war to threaten her. They had always used domestic justice as an argument.

    Today¡¯s trial was also exposed in front of the whole world to shut up those foreign media that liked to blindly force the domestic judicial process.

    After all, the United States¡¯court trial couldn¡¯t even take a photo, let alone broadcast it live around the world. Until now, only a sketch artist could draw the scene of the court trial.

    Unfortunately, the Procuratorate and the court did not have a high chance of winning this case.

    Their hands were full of sweat.

    But when they saw that the prosecutor of the Procuratorate and the externalwyer of the prosecution, Gu Nianzhi, were still calm and collected, they heaved a sigh of relief.

    It should be fine, right?

    After all, major general he zhichu and general he chengjian had rmended Gu Nianzhi to be a barrister, saying that she would definitely be qualified to act as awyer for the prosecution.

    He Zhichu had even said that if there was only one person who could win this case, it would be Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu himself had been a barrister before, and his mother was the most famous barrister in the Empire, Qin Suwen.

    His family background and his familiarity with Gu Nianzhi made everyone more inclined to believe his judgment.

    Hence, they looked at Gu Nianzhi with even more fervent eyes.

    Everyone was looking forward to the ability of this youngdy, who had just turned 20, to make major general he zhichu praise her endlessly. Even the extremely picky he chengjian would nod in agreement to her right to be a prosecutionwyer.

    After all, this case not only concerned the face of the country, but also concerned the beloved wife of general he chengjian, Qin Suwen.

    Back then, Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death was also a sensation in the country. Now, the people over 30 years old still remembered this case.

    They brought along the younger generation. Therefore, he chengjian, Gu Xiangwen, Qin Suwen and Qin Yaoguang¡¯s love and hate entanglements became like a melodramatic soap opera, bing popr among the public.

    There was no other content on everyone¡¯s phones these days. They were all searching for information rted to this case.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s new media organization was also popr among theizens because of her close rtionship with the He family.

    In herpany¡¯s special news live broadcast room, the number of people watching the live broadcast was the highest.

    For the television station, this was also a rare opportunity. The ratings of daytime programs were far better than those of old entertainment programs like the Spring Festival G.

    Looking at the steadily rising ratings, the heads of the television stations were grinning from ear to ear.

    Ever since the rise of the Inte, the viewership ratings of the television stations had been steadily declining.

    Gu Nianzhi walked into her seat, and Huo Shaoheng was sitting behind her, the closest to her.

    He was not a Soviet diplomat today. He was only her bodyguard, and her bodyguard alone.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at him, and her gaze swept past Lu Yuan and Lu Jin, who had been modified from the crowd. She then returned to he chengjian, who had a serious expression on his face and was sitting upright. She nodded slightly.

    He Zhichu was sitting next to he chengjian, and to his right was Xie qingying, who was dressed in a Chanel white suit.

    Xie qingying was dressed simrly to Gu Nianzhi. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she wore a white jade midriff hairpin on the side.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her as well, thanking Xie qingying for her kindness.

    Only a few people knew what today meant to her.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down, and as the judge in the courtroom struck the gavel, the trial began.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1873, Don¡¯t lose.

    Ask for your monthly ticket and rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1874

    <h4>Chapter 1874: Chapter 1874 Visual Impact (1)(first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    The judge cleared his throat and announced, ¡°The case of the imperial capital Intermediate People¡¯s Procuratorate against Qin Yaoguang for the murder of Qin Suwen has officially begun. The defendant, Qin Yaoguang, is hereby summoned to the Court.¡±

    The doors of the court opened on both sides, and two female bailiffs escorted Qin Yaoguang in.

    She expressionlessly walked to the dock and sat down.

    It was obvious that she had put in a lot of effort today. She was dressed in an appropriate cigarette-gray custom-made professional dress, and her hair was cut short and thin. It stuck to her scalp, making her look very capable.

    The makeup on her face was very light, but it perfectly entuated her delicate features, especially her sharp lips.

    Anyone who saw her in the courtroom and looked at Gu Nianzhi knew that they were definitely biological mother and daughter.

    The judge looked at her and then looked at the documents in his hands, he said, ¡°The defendant, Qin Yaoguang, was born on the X day of the X month in the year XXXX. She was born in G City, and has a doctorate degree in education. She is a professional brain surgeon, a biomedical specialist, and the president of the Qin family¡¯s private hospital group.¡±

    ¡°Thewyer representing thewsuit is Lu Anpeng, a partner from the Jin family¡¯sw firm. May I ask if this is true?¡±

    Qin yaoguang nodded and said faintly, ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    Lu Anpeng, Qin Yaoguang¡¯swyer, who was the leadwyer of the legal team that Old Master Qin had hired for her, stood up and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    The judge knocked on his gavel and asked, ¡°Has the defendant ever been punished by thew? If so, please state the reason and type of punishment.¡±

    The defendant¡¯swyer, Lu anpeng, said calmly, ¡°Your honor, my client does still have twowsuits pending, but those twowsuits are highly suspicious and have not been concluded yet. Therefore, my client has not been punished by thew for the time being.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly entered the courtroom, she immediately said, ¡°Objection.¡±. Your honor, the other party only needs to answer yes or no to your question. ¡°Counsel for the defendant, please do not exaggerate matters that have nothing to do with this case. Please do not waste everyone¡¯s time and divert everyone¡¯s attention.¡±

    Updates by

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s gaze was focused as he quickly nced at Gu Nianzhi. He thought to himself, ¡°This femalewyer is so young, but she reacted very quickly.¡±.

    What he had said just now was thatwyers would usually y to the side in court. But knowing that was one thing, being able to react in time and not let everyone be led was another.

    Gu Nianzhi was able to cut him off in time. She was indeed very experienced at this point in time.

    The judge nodded. ¡°I agree with the prosecution¡¯swyer. The defendant¡¯swyer, please watch your words. There¡¯s no need to mention cases that have nothing to do with this case.¡±

    Lu Anpeng smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, your honor. We will take note.¡±

    After confirming the identities of the defendant and the defendant¡¯swyer, the judge began to announce the cause of the case. He also announced the names of the clerks, prosecutors, and defenders of both sides.

    After everyone had made it clear that there were no objections, the case entered the trial stage.

    After the trial began, the prosecutor¡¯s side of the Procuratorate would first state their pleas and their factual basis.

    ¡°Based on the results of the police investigation and the evidence presented by the victim¡¯s family, our Court has charged Qin Yaoguang with the murder of Qin Suwen ording to thew.¡±

    After the prosecutor finished speaking, he raised his hand to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Now, the greatwyer Gu Nianzhi hired by our court will represent our court in the case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and bowed in the direction of the courtroom. ¡°Your Honor,dies and gentlemen, the reporters in the courtroom, friends and rtives, and the public, Hello.¡±

    ¡°I am Gu Nianzhi, the barrister hired by the prosecution for this case. Today, I would like to present to you a murder case that hassted for more than ten years. The inside story is extremely dark, to the extent that it is shocking.¡±

    Lu Anpeng, the leadwyer for the defendant, pursed his lips.

    He had been secretly praising Gu Nianzhi for her young and promising youth, but now he retracted his previous thoughts.

    What was with this storyteller-like tone!

    Lu Anpeng immediately raised his hand and said, ¡°Objection, the prosecutionwyer should state the facts of the case, and not exaggerate them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Defensewyer, I¡¯m just stating the facts of the case. Don¡¯t you know that there are many things in life that are more melodramatic and dark than novels?¡±

    ¡°Novels need to be about logic and cause and effect. In reality, many cases can only be summed up in the words ¡®unbelievable.''¡±

    Lu Anpeng nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t deny that some real cases are indeed bizarre and tortuous. However, no matter how bizarre a case is, it has its inherent logic. Please don¡¯t deviate from thew.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi secretly gave Lu Anpeng a thumbs up in her heart.

    This was probably the most reliable opponent she had ever encountered in her two careers.

    Unfortunately, this case could not be fought with conventional methods.

    Gu Nianzhi could already tell that Lu Anpeng was used to the standard procedure of court debates.

    She did not know if Lu Anpeng would be able to respond to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s next move and adapt ordingly.

    Gu Nianzhi was still looking forward topeting with an evenly matched opponent.

    She smiled. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ept the defensewyer¡¯s suggestion. I Won¡¯t use rhetoricalnguage to describe the case. I¡¯ll use an intuitive method to show everyone the case.¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi made a hand gesture to the technical staff of the court.

    The technical staff understood and gradually dimmed the lights in the court. A square white projection screen descended from the roof.

    The white projection screen was about the size of an outdoor movie from thest century.

    Gu Nianzhi connected herptop to the projector in the courtroom and began to y the presentation of her case.

    The first thing that appeared on the projection screen was an old photo.

    The photo showed a simple and low-key study room.

    There weren¡¯t many fancy decorations in the study room. The most prominent spot was a particrlyrge mahogany desk.

    Under the desk, a little girl holding a doll timidly poked her head out from under the desk and looked at the camera vigntly.

    The little girl was a little chubby. Her big eyes were like purple jade grapes. They were dark and purple, but they were moist. She was extremely agile.

    This little girl was Gu Nianzhi, who had just arrived at the he family when she was six years old.

    Not only did the people in the courtroom see this photo, but the people watching the live broadcast of the trial all over the world had also seen it.

    For a moment, the social media in China and abroad were in an uproar.

    On the search engine, the search engine was searching for the name of the little girl in the case of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s murder of Qin Suwen? The title of the hashtag was growing exponentially.

    The whole world was asking who this little girl with a pair of bright and big eyes,¡±¡± but a timid expression that made people¡¯s hearts break, was.

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to be stunned as well, as if she had forgotten to speak for a moment.

    It wasn¡¯t until the opposingwyer, Lu Anpeng, felt that something was wrong and immediately asked, ¡°Counselor, what¡¯s wrong with this photo?¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°OH¡±and hurriedly changed the photo, she said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I misced the photo.¡±. The photo did show Qin Suwen¡¯s study, but it was taken two years before she died. The little girl in the photo was me. I was six years old at the time. My father, Gu Xiangwen, had just taken me away from Qin Yaoguang and sent me to the He family. Qin Suwen had personally raised me.¡±

    ¡°What? That little girl is actually Gu Nianzhi, thewyer? !¡±

    The people inside and outside the court were even more excited.

    Just this photo reminded everyone of the kidnapping case that Gu Nianzhi had sued Qin Yaoguang in the past.

    In that case, Gu Nianzhi had personally proven that Qin Yaoguang had ordered someone to violently kidnap the 12-year-old gu nianzhi out of the he family.

    In that case, although the fact that Qin Yaoguang had kidnapped her was true, her motive was a mystery. She had not said anything, and Gu Nianzhi had not exposed her.

    But at that moment.., gu Nianzhi suddenly said,¡±... When I was six years old, my father, Gu Xiangwen, took me away from Qin Yaoguang. He found out that I had started to be autistic following Qin Yaoguang. I was afraid of light, people, and voices. I nevermunicated with anyone and never spoke. My favorite ces were under the table, behind the curtains, and everywhere I could hide.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember why I had this tendency, butter on, the psychiatrist said that I was cruelly abused as a child, which was why I had this tendency to be autistic to protect myself.¡±

    When she mentioned that she had been abused when she was by Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side as a child, and that her biological father had taken her away from Qin yaoguang, her ¡°Biological mother,¡±and sent her to the He family, which had nothing to do with her.., it was obvious that she had been taught by Qin Suwen himself.

    Without needing her to say anything more, theizens, who were full of imagination, had already yed out the truth to the best of their ability.

    One by one, the rted posts were trending.

    ¡°A tiger does not eat its own child. Qin Yaoguang is even more poisonous than an animal!¡±

    ¡°Blue is too scary! How can there be such a cruel mother? !¡±

    ¡°If my child is being abused like this, I promise to beat her to death!¡±

    The audience watching the live broadcast of the trial around the world was instantly enraged by Qin Yaoguang. They began to criticize her verbally, directly implying that she could even abuse her own daughter to the point of being inhuman, it would be so easy to kill another person..

    Lu Anpeng was almost led astray by Gu Nianzhi. He was stunned for a moment before he quickly stood up and said loudly, ¡°Objection! The prosecution¡¯swyer¡¯s words have nothing to do with this case. They are suspected of deliberately tarnishing my client¡¯s reputation and morals.¡±

    ¡°My client has practiced medicine for decades and has countless living people. These are tangible evidence that the prosecution¡¯swyer can not overturn with just a photo and a few sensational words.¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s words finally brought back the public opinion that was almost biased by Gu Nianzhi on the Inte.

    After all, Qin Yaoguang and the Qin hospital had indeed saved a lot of people over the years. These people were still emotionally biased towards Qin Yaoguang and the Qin private hospital.

    As soon as they saw Lu Anpeng¡¯s words, they immediately followed suit and posted in support of Qin Yaoguang.

    For a time, the inte was divided into two factions.

    One faction had already impulsively convicted Qin yaoguang, while the other faction was calmer. They believed that the current evidence was not enough to determine Qin Yaoguang¡¯s guilt, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s exposure of what had happened to her when she was a child was even more sympathetic.

    But this statement angered even more ordinary onlookers.

    They generally did not speak, and were the silent majority.

    But they also had a reverse scale, and this reverse scale was the child.

    If someone said something bad about the child, the majority of the Silent Ones would definitely not remain silent.

    The number of retweets on this topic on Weibo skyrocketed, and thements also skyrocketed.

    ¡°If the greatwyer Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t lie, then why couldn¡¯t she tell the truth about what happened to her when she was young?¡±

    ¡°To gain sympathy?¡±? ¡°I¡¯ll torture you first, and then I won¡¯t let you talk. Will you agree?¡±? You Won¡¯t agree? What should I do? If you tell us, then we¡¯ll gain sympathy... Where¡¯s your face? Oh. It¡¯s gone. Where¡¯s your conscience? Eaten by a dog?¡±

    ¡°If Qin Yaoguang really abused her young daughter, then not only is she guilty, but she¡¯s also mentally ill, because only psychopaths abuse children.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense upstairs. You Said Qin Yaoguang is mentally ill. Are you teaching her to use mental illness to get away with it?¡±

    ¡°Upstairs + ID number. Qin yaoguang is not mentally ill. People with mental illness will only hurt themselves, and only psychopaths will hurt others. Be careful, psychopaths are not psychopaths.¡±

    The online public opinion was instantly drowned out by posts using Qin Yaoguang of abusing young children.

    Gu Nianzhi had already calmly switched to another photo.

    This photo was of Qin Suwen¡¯s study. It was in the same ce as the one she had ¡°Misced¡±earlier, and the angle was almost the same.

    The difference was that there was no longer the timid and wary child under the table.

    On the empty space in front of the table, there was a figure on the ground, drawn with white chalk.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 1874, ¡°Visual Impact (1)¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~

    Today¡¯s second update.

    There is a second update at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    PS: Thanks to my big league, ¡°Ji Yu¡¯er¡±, for the 100,000 starting coins that he gave yesterday. O (¡É¡É) O.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 1875

    <h4>Chapter 1875: Chapter 1875, visual impact (2)(the second is a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The second photo that Gu Nianzhi released was the police photo from that year. It was a photo of Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death.

    The one on the ground was drawn with white chalk. It was the image of Qin Suwen lying on the ground.

    He Zhichu had helped her get this photo. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had seen it, but now that she looked at it, she still felt stifled.

    However, she was able to control her emotions and continued to exin in a slow and clear voice. + ¡°This is the scene photo of Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death in her study twelve years ago. The forensic examination at that time proved that Qin Suwen had died of a congenital heart attack.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused and pressed the keyboard to show the third photo.

    This photo showed the entrance to the Qin orphanage.

    She said, ¡°This is the orphanage the Qin Corporation acquired in C City. The deceased, Qin Suwen, lost both her parents after the car ident. She didn¡¯t have any rtives in the country who could adopt her, so she was sent to this orphanage.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi typed out the fourth and fifth photos as she spoke.

    The two photos were arranged side by side, and the contrast was very distinct.

    The fourth photo showed a rather depressing small room. On both sides of the room were two rows of rudimentary wooden beds. Each row had three beds. There were six beds in total, and they could sleep twelve people.

    ¡°This is the dormitory where Qin Suwen lived in the orphanage when he was a teenager.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then pointed to the fifth photo with aser pointer.

    It was a very luxurious andfortable girl¡¯s bedroom. It was gray and low-key, decorated in pink. It was elegant and romantic. The pony logo that could be seen everywhere in the room showed that the furnishings inside were all high-end Herm¨¨s brands.

    ¡°This is Qin Yaoguang¡¯s bedroom in the Qin family.¡±

    Updates by

    The shabbiness and extravagance instantly formed a stark contrast, sessfully arousing the sympathy of the audience for Qin Suwen.

    She had gone from awyer who was high and mighty in the eyes of ordinary people, the mistress of the powerful he family, to an orphan girl who was helpless and at the mercy of others.

    Qin yaoguang, on the other hand, had gone from a simple scientist who had made great achievements to a rich second generation who loved luxury goods.

    Lu Anpeng, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lead defensewyer, instantly understood Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions. He immediately raised his hand and said, ¡°Objection! The prosecutionwyer is using aparison that has nothing to do with this case to continue to insinuate and defame my client.¡±

    This kind of psychological insinuation would cause the judge and the audience to involuntarily lean towards the weaker side. It would be extremely disadvantageous for Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu nianzhi immediately said, ¡°Your honor, I¡¯m justying out the facts of the case. I¡¯ll also prove that this has a lot to do with ourwsuit.¡±

    The judge thought for a moment, ¡°The prosecution witness, please get to the point as soon as possible and state the facts of the case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that she had already achieved her goal, so she did not continue.

    She understood the principle of going too far.

    She nodded, ¡°Yes, your honor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped ying the photos and looked at the crowd in the courtroom, speaking in a low, excited tone.

    ¡°Qin Suwen grew up in an orphanage like this when he was young. Qin Yaoguang is the daughter of the Qin family. She had the means to borrow the power of the Qin family and mentally torture Qin Suwen for years until Qin Suwen got engaged to general he chengjian. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mental torture of Qin Suwen was temporarily suspended.¡±

    ¡°But Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t let it go. A few months before Qin Suwen died, the medicine she took was written by Qin Yaoguang herself. We have the prescription from that year.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out a photocopy of the prescription and waved it at everyone.

    ¡°The judge confirmed her identity just now. Qin Yaoguang is a brain surgeon and a biomedical specialist, not a cardiologist. Why would she prescribe medicine for a Heart Patient?¡±

    ¡°When Barrister Qin Suwen was young, he was once diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease was not a disease that was certain to lead to death. If one took good care of it, it would not happen. ¡°And once it happens, it must be a strong physiological and psychological stimtion.¡±

    ¡°Then why did Qin Yaoguang want to agitate Qin Suwen?¡±

    ¡°There is a fact here that I think everyone knows. Back then, Qin Yaoguang was first engaged to general he chengjian, but general he chengjian broke off the engagement.¡±

    ¡°After general he chengjian broke off the engagement, the one who got engaged to him was barrister Qin Suwen.¡±

    ¡°The eldest daughter of the Qin family was robbed of her engagement by the orphan daughter of her own orphanage. This was a great humiliation that Qin yaoguang will never forget.¡±

    ¡°In the ten years that followed, Qin Yaoguang did not leave the he family because of her emotional trauma. Instead, she actively participated in the social circle of the He family and even became the family healthcare doctor of the He family.¡±

    ¡°After Qin Suwen passed away, Qin Yaoguang finally got what she wanted and married the general he chengjian that she adored.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more, after she murdered Qin Suwen, she was worried that her evil deeds would eventually be discovered. She even bribed a doctor who had frozen Qin Suwen¡¯s body in liquid nitrogen and mixed corrosive microorganisms into the refrigerant. In the end, the body of Qin Suwen, which should have been perfectly preserved, turned into a skeleton.¡±

    Thest photo that Gu Nianzhi typed out was the photo of the skeleton in the liquid nitrogen frozen column.

    The impact of this photo was too strong. In front of it was a living person, and behind it was a skeleton.

    The people inside and outside the courtroom did not react in time. For a moment, they fell into a dead silence.

    He chengjian frowned even more. His lips trembled violently, and he could barely control himself.

    He Zhichu quickly grabbed the back of his hand and patted it lightly.

    He chengjian nced at him and said in a low voice,¡±... how did it be Qin Yaoguang¡¯s doing? Didn¡¯t that doctor admit that it was someone else?¡±

    Because it was in court, he chengjian did not mention Gu Xiangwen¡¯s name.

    He zhichu whispered, ¡°Nianzhi has her reasons for saying that. Don¡¯t worry, continue listening.¡±

    The defendant¡¯s side already knew who the doctor had confessed to.

    They just didn¡¯t know why Gu Nianzhi still pinned the crime on Qin Yaoguang.

    Lu Jin, who was sitting in the crowd, had a hostile expression on his face. He stared unkindly at the back of He Chengjian¡¯s head, as if he wanted to poke a hole in the back of his head.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the courtroom. She dropped another hint and ended her case.

    ¡°All in all, we have reason to believe that in order to achieve her goal of marrying general he chengjian, Ms. Qin Yaoguang had the motive, means, and opportunity tomit the crime. She knew that Qin Suwen had a congenital heart disease, so she was directly stimted by drugs and psychological stimtion, which led to her sudden death.¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang is the murderer of Qin Suwen.¡±

    ¡°We demand that Qin Yaoguang be brought to justice and pay with her life for the murder of Qin Suwen twelve years ago.¡±

    ¡°Your honor, this is the case.¡±

    After she finished speaking, the lights in the courtroom gradually lit up again.

    From Darkness to light, it was only a blink of an eye, but it was enough to make people feel the beauty of light.

    The judge nodded and looked at the defensewyer. ¡°Does the defensewyer have anything to say?¡±

    The defensewyer, Lu Anpeng, stood up calmly.

    He was almost 50 years old, but he had taken good care of himself. He also paid attention to exercise, and his figure was not bad. He could hold himself up in a suit, and he had an imposing manner.

    He also had a dignified and righteous look. As soon as he stood up, some people had a good impression of him.

    Lu Anpeng politely nodded at the judge and said, ¡°Your Honor...¡±

    He raised his head and looked at the densely packed crowd in the courtroom, as well as the cameras and various live broadcast equipment in the corridors in front of the walls on both sides of the courtroom, he smiled and said, ¡°Anddies and gentlemen who are listening in from the sidelines, Hello, viewers andizens in front of the television and mobile phones.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Lu Anpeng, a partner at thew firm of the Jin Corporation. I¡¯ve been practicingw for 30 years, and I¡¯ve never heard such a beautiful court case. It¡¯s even better than a radio drama.¡±

    He smiled humorously, and the tense and oppressive atmosphere in the courtroom dissipated instantly.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

    This Lu Anpeng was indeed an expert. He was also well-versed in psychological cues and the tai chi posture of ¡°Two against one¡±.

    As soon as he started, he pointed out that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s statement of the case had been exaggerated.

    Gu Nianzhi would not let him continue with his innuendo. She smiled and retorted, ¡°You tter me,wyer Lu. My eloquence is limited. I failed to express one percent of the twists and turns of this case. I¡¯ve disappointed everyone.¡±

    Everyone:¡±...¡±

    How could this be called limited eloquence? !

    They were speechless at the sight of awyer who was lying to them and belittling them.

    Lu Anpeng smiled generously and shook his head. ¡°No, Lu Anpeng is wrong. This case is not at all twists and turns.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, this case is very simple. That¡¯s why I¡¯m surprised that our procuratorate and the court have epted such a ¡®groundless¡¯case.¡±

    As he spoke, Lu Anpeng gestured to the technical staff in the courtroom.

    The lights in the courtroom went out again, and the white projection screen lit up.

    Lu Anpeng also had a personally produced video waiting for Gu Nianzhi.

    When Gu Nianzhi saw this, she also said humorously, ¡°In these days of going to court, it¡¯s not enough to just memorize the legal provisions and do case analysis. Awyer also needs to know how to be a film producer...¡±

    Everyone inside and outside the courtroomughed.

    However, Lu Anpeng knew that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t just being humorous. She was derogatory of the evidence he was about to present. It was ¡°Film and television production.¡±.

    Lu Anpeng smiled and nced at her. ¡°Same here.¡±

    He didn¡¯t let her lead the way and pressed the y button on hisptop.

    As the gentle music flowed, Lu Anpeng¡¯s beautiful baritone voice was like a TVmentator, whispering in everyone¡¯s ears.

    In the video, the study room where Qin Suwen died was also disyed. However, what appeared next was an outdoor scene. It was a photo of Qin Suwen and a tall and tall man standing together.

    Everyone could see that it was an autumn day. The two of them were standing under a fiery red maple tree.

    The light shone through the gaps of the maple leaves. Qin Suwen raised his head, his eyes seemed to be jumping with sunlight.

    The man standing in front of her was exceptionally handsome. However, the arrogance on his face made him appear distant and unapproachable.

    Lu anpeng continued, ¡°This man is Gu Xiangwen. He has a good rtionship with Qin Suwen and is also a partner of my client, Qin Yaoguang. They run a biomedicalboratory together.¡±

    ¡°Oh, by the way, this Gu Xiangwen is also a double Nobel Prize winner in Biology and Physics.¡±

    ¡°He is thest person that Qin Suwen saw when she was alive.¡±

    ¡°We have evidence from the police at that time that Qin Suwen had a congenital heart attack and died in her study. Thest person she saw before she died was this great scientist, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°So there is no prosecutionwyer said that it was Qin yaoguang directly stimted Qin Suwen, which led to her sudden death.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 1875, Visual Impact (2) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1876

    <h4>Chapter 1876: Chapter 1876 visual impact (3)(first, monthly votes requested)</h4>

    Following Lu Anpeng¡¯s narration, the video camera on the white projection screen turned and began to show the scene of the Qin orphanage in C city.

    Unlike the dormitories of the orphans that Gu Nianzhi showed back then, what Lu Anpeng¡¯s video showed was arge area of greennd, trees, tall and clean school buildings in the Qin orphanage, there were also the sunny smiling faces of the orphans who were dressed neatly in their school uniforms.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s voice continued to echo in everyone¡¯s ears.

    ¡°... This is the branch of the Qin orphanage in C city. It was also the orphanage where the deceasedwyer, Qin Suwen, was when he was a teenager.¡±

    ¡°This ce is located in the suburbs of C City, a bustling metropolis. It upies a veryrge area. ¡°There was a reason why the conditions here were not good decades ago. At that time, it was a turning point for the country. Not only did the Qin orphanage not have money, but the people of the country also did not have money

    ¡°In terms of the standard of living per capita at that time, the Qin orphanage at that time was not worse than the average standard of living of the people of the country. ¡°Moreover, the orphans enjoyed free medical examinations once a year, as well as free medical treatment and tuition fees

    ¡°If the prosecutionwyer thinks that this is abuse, then the entire nation was abused at that time.¡±

    A burst ofughter resonated in the courtroom and outside.

    Back then, everyone¡¯s days were not considered hard. They had enough to eat and wore warm clothes, but they did not have any money. This was also a fact.

    Lu Anpeng knocked on the table to remind everyone to pay attention, he said solemnly, ¡°And the prosecutionwyer just used my client, Qin yaoguang, of using the power of the Qin family to torture Barrister Qin Suwen mentally for more than ten years until she married general he chengjian. Wepletely oppose this usation. ¡°The other party has not produced any evidence of mental torture. They can not nder my client without any evidence.¡±

    After Lu Anpeng finished speaking, he nced at Gu Nianzhi as if waiting for her to refute him. However, Gu Nianzhi had no intention of refuting him. Instead, she looked at the white projection screen on the opposite wall in a daze, she seemed to have been attracted to something.

    Seeing this, Lu Anpeng did not wait any longer. He immediately followed the content of the video and began the next round of presentation.

    Immediately after, the video showed a white building that had an extremely postmodern style.

    On the top of the building that was dozens of stories high, the words ¡°Qin Hospital Group¡±were written inrge ck letters across the blue sky and the white roof of the building. They appeared very striking and striking.

    Updates by

    Lu anpeng followed and said, ¡°This is the headquarters of the Qin private hospital group in City Z. There is also an identical building in the imperial capital. It is reported that in the future, the headquarters of the Qin private hospital will all move to the imperial capital to better manage the group¡¯s affairs.¡±

    As he narrated, the video footage entered the interior of the building.

    The clean white marble walls, the wide and bright corridor, and the warm smiles of the doctors and nurses wearing white medical uniforms walked back and forth in the corridor.

    Ward rounds, consultations, meetings, and entering the operating theater were all being carried out in an orderly manner.

    The patients were also dressed in neat patient uniforms and were moving in an orderly manner within the permitted range.

    Lu Anpeng continued,¡±... the third point that the prosecution¡¯swyer raised just now was why the medicine that greatwyer Qin Suwen took a month before he died was prescribed by my client, Qin Yaoguang

    ¡°Their reason is that my client, Qin Yaoguang, is a brain surgeon. Why would she prescribe medicine for a Heart Patient?¡±

    ¡°I want to exin the concept of a family healthcare doctor here. ¡°Simply put, my client, Qin Yaoguang, once sessfully treated the only son of general he chengjian and greatwyer Qin Suwen, he zhichu. From then on, she gained the mutual trust of the He couple.¡±

    ¡°They chose her to be the family healthcare doctor of the He family.¡±As he spoke, Lu Anpeng held aser pointer and pointed at a table that had just appeared on the white projection screen. At the bottom of the table.., there was a signature file that was specially circled in red.¡±

    Lu Anpeng said, ¡°This is the signature of the He couple personally. They have appointed my client, Qin Yaoguang, as the Chief Healthcare Doctor of the He family.¡±

    ¡°This signature allows my client, Qin yaoguang, to have the right to sign on issues rted to the He family¡¯s healthcare. In other words, she can write prescriptions for daily healthcare.¡±

    ¡°The medicine that Barrister Qin Suwen took a few months before his death is the daily healthcare medicine for heart patients. After verification, there are no problems. Therefore, the prosecution¡¯s question is not valid.¡±

    As Lu Anpeng spoke, the music on the small video that he had created became heavy and urgent.

    The image of a ne appeared on the projection screen, and then the scene of a tropical ind appeared.

    Lu Anpeng said, ¡°This is the Hawaiian conference center in the United States. ¡°In fact, when greatwyer Qin Suwen died, my client, Qin yaoguang, was not even in China. Instead, she was attending an international conference overseas. I have the ne tickets from that time, the invitation to the conference, and the news and video proof that my client, Qin Yaoguang, attended the conference that year.¡±

    ¡°In the end...¡±Lu Anpeng pointed at the new image that appeared on the white projection screen once again, ¡°The prosecution¡¯swyer imed that after my client, Qin Yaoguang, murdered Qin Suwen, she was worried that her evil deeds would eventually be discovered. She bribed a doctor who had frozen Qin Suwen¡¯s body with liquid nitrogen and mixed corrosive microorganisms into the freezing agent. In the end, Qin Suwen¡¯s body, which should have been perfectly preserved, turned into a skeleton.¡±

    ¡°But this is the surveince video that I obtained from the police to interrogate this medical staff member.¡±

    The short video of the police interrogating those doctors yesterday appeared on the white projection screen.

    These doctors were the ones who were in charge of Freezing Qin Suwen¡¯s body twelve years ago.

    In the video, the Doctor Who Did the trick had a pale face and was almost crying. He was confessing to the police.

    ¡°... Police Sir, you have to believe me. I was forced to do it!¡±

    ¡°It was that Gu Xiangwen!¡±! It was not enough that he had killed Qin Suwen. He was worried that others would find out that he had done the trick. When General he was about to freeze Qin suwen with liquid nitrogen, he found me and forced me to add the contents of a small test tube into the refrigerant...¡±

    ¡°... He gave me ten million yuan. After the matter was settled, he deposited it into my bank ount. At that time, I urgently needed to buy a house and get married. The houses in the capital¡¯s good areas were too expensive. They were all worth a few million yuan. I couldn¡¯t afford it...¡±

    The video that Lu Anpeng had created came to an abrupt end.

    He took out a small test tube and showed it to the people inside and outside the court. He said, ¡°The thing that the doctor in the video told him to put into the freezer was this kind of microorganism that could corrode flesh and blood.¡±

    ¡°Now that we are here, we are very clear that the medical staff who tampered with the freezer was ordered by Gu Xiangwen and had nothing to do with my client, Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Finally, Lu Anpeng closed the file and spread his hands regretfully, ¡°In the end, we believe that the evidence presented by the prosecution is illusory and the logical chain is groundless. It can not stand scrutiny at all and should not be put on trial at all. It should be the procuratorate or the court who should call back the petition at the first moment

    ¡°Unfortunately, such a wed petition actually passed the two hurdles of the Procuratorate and the court. It was actually able to hold a court session, and it even received a lot of preferential treatment and care in terms of scheduling.¡±

    As Lu Anpeng spoke, he turned to face the judge and said word by word, ¡°Now, on behalf of my client, Qin Yaoguang, we formally request the court to call back the prosecution¡¯s petition and dere the case invalid!¡±

    What Lu Anpeng wanted was not to win the case at all, but topletely invalidate the case!

    This was even more serious than simply winning the case. For the defendant, it was the best result because it would not affect any of her records.

    Otherwise, even if she won the case and did not have a criminal record, she would still have the defendant¡¯s record.

    This was as serious as having a criminal record in many strict security qualification checks.

    It was also reasonable for the defensewyer to refute all the evidence of the prosecution and then ask for the petition to be invalidated.

    The judge and the prosecutor of the Procuratorate sighed with regret in their hearts.

    They turned to Gu Nianzhi and asked gently, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, do you have any objections?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything for a long time.

    The inte outside the court was in a mess again.

    The people who had previously used Qin Yaoguang of being inhuman and abusing her own daughter had been rebuffed by those who supported Qin Yaoguang and the Qin hospital. They were in a state ofplete disarray.

    Lu Jin was a little anxious and wished he could step forward and tell the truth.

    Lu Yuan quickly held him down and said in a low and stern voice, ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble for Nianzhi! ¡ª you have to believe her!¡±

    ¡°But... But...¡±Lu Jin stuttered, ¡°But why isn¡¯t Nianzhi talking? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only been three minutes.¡±Lu Yuan looked at his watch disapprovingly. Gu Nianzhi finally stood up.

    She said slowly, ¡°Barrister Lu, could you y the first part of your video again?¡±

    Lu Anpeng:¡±...¡±

    He looked in the judge¡¯s direction. ¡°Your honor, can you dere the case invalid?¡±

    The judge raised his hand and pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I can dere the case invalid as long as the prosecution agrees.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally snapped back to her senses and immediately said, ¡°Objection. Your honor, can the defendant¡¯swyer please y the ce where his video started again?¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°Defendant¡¯swyer, please do as the prosecution¡¯swyer asks.¡±

    Lu Anpeng felt that Gu Nianzhi was stalling for time. He nodded and smiled. ¡°Sincewyer Gu likes watching it, I can rey it as many times as you want, but it won¡¯t change the final fact.¡±

    He felt that victory was within his grasp and was much more lenient towards his defeated opponent.

    He pressed the rey button and started ying the short video he had made.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Yes, no matter how many times a lie is repeated, it won¡¯t be the truth.¡±

    Lu Anpeng remained calm and said, ¡°No matter how many times the truth is repeated, it won¡¯t be a lie.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t reply because the photo appeared on the white projection screen again.

    Under the fiery maple tree, two men and women with outstanding temperaments looked at each other and smiled.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1876, Visual Impact (3) .

    Monthly tickets and rmended tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    It was the second update of the day.

    There was the second update at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1877

    <h4>Chapter 1877: Chapter 1877 Mutual Routines (Chapter 2: Monthly Votes)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the photo on the white projection screen and was momentarily in a daze.

    She had seen Gu Xiangwen¡¯s appearance in the other world, but even though their DNA and looks were exactly the same, their different temperaments and expressions made it impossible to confuse them.

    They were both extremely intelligent people, but their EQ was one in the sky and the other on the ground.

    On the other side of the world, Gu Xiangwen was gentle and refined. He had heard from a few people who knew him that he was extremely patient and was kind and generous to others, so his temperament was like the spring rain. It was quiet and smooth, and also like the moonlight, it was quiet and refreshing.

    On the other side of the world, Gu Xiangwen was proud and unshakeable. He had no patience and spoke harshly. He was a person with a serious rtionship disorder. His entire body was like a thorn. Anyone who approached him would be pricked.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and suddenly asked, ¡°Barrister Lu, where did you find this photo? Can you give me one?¡±

    Lu Anpeng was a little speechless and pursed his lips. ¡°This is the photo that the police found when they searched Gu Xiangwen¡¯s house. Haven¡¯t you seen it before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said absent-mindedly,¡±... This is the first time I¡¯ve seen this photo.¡±

    The first photo was of her father and mother together.

    Because she needed to avoid suspicion and didn¡¯t want he chengjian to be unhappy with her, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask the police for too much evidence regarding Gu Xiangwen when she was sorting out the evidence rted to the case.

    Of course, the more important reason was that Gu Xiangwen had changed his name to Lu Jin and was by her side every day. She didn¡¯t need to go to the police to ask for information about Gu Xiangwen.

    However, she still wanted to see how her father looked before his face was disfigured and stic surgery.

    Although she was mentally prepared, she was still shocked by this photo.

    Lu Anpeng saw her strange expression and looked over as if he was asking for help. There seemed to be tears in her eyes.

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    When he looked again, he saw Gu Nianzhi smiling. The tears that shed past just now seemed to be his illusion.

    Lu Anpeng thought it was strange, but he didn¡¯t think too much about it, he shook his head and said, ¡°This is a photo of the police. Outsiders are not allowed to get their hands on these photos unless they are used for the purpose of a case, or if they are rted to the person in the photo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said lightly, ¡°The man in the photo is my father. I think as the biological daughter of the person in the photo, I have the right to ask the police for this photo and the negative.¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s eyes sparkled. He thought to himself thatwyer Gu had gotten himself into this trap before he had even set it up.

    Of course, he knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological father was Gu Xiangwen, and her biological mother was Qin Yaoguang..

    Lu Anpeng put his hand on hisptop, he smiled faintly and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu has reminded me that your biological father, Gu Xiangwen, is an important suspect in this case. Your biological mother is the defendant in this case, but you appear in court as the prosecution¡¯swyer. Aren¡¯t your clients worried that you will affect your professional performance because of your family¡¯s interests? ¡°If I Were you, I would take the initiative to withdraw and not be the prosecution¡¯swyer in this case.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned to face the court and said, ¡°I request the court to reconsider the reasonableness of barrister gu as the prosecution¡¯swyer, and to consider the principles of justice and fairness in thew. Barrister Gu¡¯s right to appear in court to defend this case will be revoked.¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s words stunned everyone in and out of the court.

    This was a ruthless move!

    He was going to remove gu nianzhi from the casepletely!

    Even if he didn¡¯t remove her, it would damage her credibility and reduce the effectiveness of her court arguments by at least 30% .

    Old Master Qinughed.

    This money was not wasted. The best criminal trialwyer in the capital was Lu Anpeng. He had been practicing for more than 30 years and had a 95% sess rate in criminal cases!

    Excluding the unrealistic and intentional percentage sess rate, this sess rate was the highest in fact.

    He had taken on all the cases he could, and had never deliberately refused to take on any cases he wasn¡¯t confident of winning.

    It was because he had put in all his effort in every case that he had, that he had been able to reach his current height.

    Qin yaoguang also had a funny expression on her face as she gave Gu Nianzhi a fleeting nce.

    Fine, I¡¯ll see how eloquent you are this time.

    How dare you tell everyone in and out of the court that she wasn¡¯t her biological daughter? !

    How dare you do a paternity test in front of the whole world? !

    Besides, why should she be the scapegoat for something she didn¡¯t do?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, she said casually, ¡°Barrister Lu, first of all, there is no system ofwyer evasion in our country¡¯sw. As long as I abide by thew and defend the case in ordance with thew, what right do you have to ask thew to consider my qualifications as the prosecution¡¯swyer in this case?¡±

    ¡°Secondly, as far as the two important suspects in this case are concerned, one is Gu Xiangwen, my father, and the other is Qin Yaoguang. Everyone knows that she is my mother. ¡°The most important point in my defense for the prosecution is that I believe that Qin Yaoguang is the real murderer, and Gu Xiangwen is not the murderer. ¡°Therefore, to me, there is no such thing as disregarding the principles of justice and fairness of thew because of the rtionship between rtives.¡±

    The emotions that had been boiling inside and outside the courtroom suddenly quieted down because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    It was as if a cup of cold water had been added to a boiling pot of water. There was only time for a sizzling sound to be heard, and a few wisps of steam and white smoke rose up.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, he said with a half-smile, ¡°That¡¯s right. Barrister Gu, Why did you prove that your mother murdered Barrister Qin Suwen and not your father? Was it not because you held a grudge against your mother ever since you were young? Barrister Gu, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that old, so don¡¯t hold a grudge!¡±

    His words were full of hidden needles, and he began to belittle Gu Nianzhi¡¯s character.

    Gu Nianzhi was waiting for Lu Anpeng to say this, she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Why do I have to prove that my mother murdered Barrister Qin Suwen and not my father? Even though my father was wanted and charged with a crime, he had already died in a car ident in front of everyone. ¡°Why? ¡°Thank you for asking such a good question, barrister Gu.¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s expression changed. He was afraid that he had fallen into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap.

    However, he quickly returned to normal and closed hisptop. He motioned for the technicians in the courtroom to turn on the lights again and looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi did not give him time to refute and began to speak with confidence.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I think there¡¯s something that everyone is familiar with. A prince riding a white horse may not be a prince, and an angel with wings may not be an angel.¡±

    ¡°Simrly, the person who appears at the scene of the crime may not be the murderer

    ¡°Just because my father, Gu Xiangwen, was thest person to meet Barrister Qin Suwen, he is said to be the murderer of Barrister Qin Suwen. May I ask, barrister, what is your basic logic? ¡°Have you forgotten the three basic elements of a murder case

    ¡°A murder case is a case of intentional murder. There are three basic elements, motivation, timing and means. All three are indispensable

    ¡°Among the three elements, my father only had one element, opportunity. However, he only appeared in the wrong ce at the wrong time. He did not have any motive or means tomit the crime

    ¡°Qin yaoguang, on the other hand, was different. She had the motive and means tomit the crime, but only the opportunity might not be avable. Because ording to the barrister, she was not in the country at that time and did not have the opportunity tomit the crime

    ¡°No matter what, you don¡¯t suspect a person who has two out of the three basic elements of the crime, but you insist on suspecting a poor person who has only one basic element. May I ask what your intentions are? ¡°How much money did the Qin family give you to disregard your own legal justice and conscience to defend Scum Like Qin Yaoguang? ¡°!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had barely finished speaking when the courtroom buzzed with whispers.

    Lu Jin caressed his heart and whispered, ¡°Finally, someone knows I¡¯m pitiful... weak, pitiful, and helpless.¡±

    Lu Yuan, who was sitting next to him, pursed his lips. He couldn¡¯t be bothered with him.

    As long as Lu Jin didn¡¯t act Rashly, Lu Yuan wouldn¡¯t care about him.

    At that moment, the public opinion on the Inte changed again.

    The people on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side started to be active.

    [wyer Gu is amazing! He actually thought of using the three elements of murder to defend himself! 2 to 1, Qin Yaoguang is more of a suspect, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that! ]

    [ upstairs + 1! I didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to be such a greatwyer! It¡¯s only the second trial, but she¡¯s already on par with an old veteran like Lu Anpeng! ]

    [ upstairs, everyone, the He family is the best, right... to actually hand such an important case to a rookie like Gu Nianzhi, it¡¯s not simple... ]

    [ this is the rtionship between Bo Le and thousand-mile-horse. The He family is Bo Le, they have a good eye for people! ]

    The people who supported Qin yaoguang were a little angry, but they didn¡¯t know how to fight back against the people who supported Gu Nianzhi.

    It was only now that Lu Anpeng truly valued gu nianzhi as an opponent.

    He stood up straight and looked in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, he said very politely, ¡°I want to correct the prosecution¡¯s argument. Yes, the three basic elements of a murder case are motivation, timing, and means. But Gu Xiangwen definitely doesn¡¯t only have the basic element of timing. He also has motivation and means, but I haven¡¯t had the time to start. Howe when ites to the prosecution¡¯swyer, he doesn¡¯t have motivation and means?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that he can pretend that he doesn¡¯t exist without a Reason?¡±

    Lu Anpeng said as he swept his deep gaze across everyone in the courtroom.

    Gu Nianzhiughed lightly. ¡°Then I¡¯d like to hear the details. May I ask, what motive and means does Gu Xiangwen have to kill Barrister Qin Suwen?¡±

    ¡°Does he hate that Barrister Qin Suwen stole his fianc¨¦e? Or is it that as Barrister Qin Suwen¡¯s chief healthcare doctor, he can prescribe medicine for her?¡±? ¡°Please tell me. I think everyone who cares about this case inside and outside the court is willing to hear it, right?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: Chapter 1877, ¡°Mutual routines¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~ ~

    PS: I made it up that today is Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day. Giving gifts to characters has double heart rate? What is a cardiac value? I have no idea..

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1878

    <h4>Chapter 1878: Chapter 1878: A Bted Confession</h4>

    Lu Anpeng narrowed his eyes. Gu Nianzhi was being sarcastic, wasn¡¯t she?

    Why would qin suwen steal Gu Xiangwen¡¯s fianc¨¦e?

    It was Qin Suwen who had stolen Qin Yaoguang¡¯s fianc¨¦..

    Therefore, Qin Yaoguang had even more motive tomit the crime than Gu Xiangwen did.

    But Gu Nianzhi probably only knew one thing and not the other.

    Lu Anpeng had not been idle for the past month. He only slept two or three hours a day and worked hard with his team of more than a dozen people to study the prosecution¡¯sint and prepare all kinds of materials and evidence, he had conducted more than a dozen court debates and deductions.

    However, he had to admit that although they had rehearsed the court debates so many times, they had still underestimated Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ability.

    She was several times more powerful than the ¡°Imaginary enemy¡±that they had set up during the rehearsals.

    Lu Anpeng also smiled at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smiling face. ¡°Gu Xiangwen is the prosecution¡¯s biological father. Don¡¯t you know your father?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°Please get to the point as soon as possible. Tell us all what Gu Xiangwen¡¯s motive is for killing Qin Suwen.¡±

    Lu Anpeng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a simple question.¡±

    He walked to the empty space in the middle of the courtroom and turned around to face everyone. He raised his arms like he was giving a speech, he said, ¡°Older people still remember that more than 20 years ago, there was a big debate in our country about human gic experiments

    ¡°At that time, gic science was booming all over the world. The birth of Dolly the sheep gave scientists the illusion that they had be god and could replicate and cultivate life indefinitely

    ¡°At that time, my client, Qin Yaoguang, proposed the ¡®gene editing¡¯technology, which caused the voices of human embryo gic experiments to rise

    Updates by

    ¡°Many scientists had even begun to conduct secret experiments in private

    ¡°At that time, Qin Suwen, the greatwyer, stood up and resolutely opposed such radical human embryo experiments. He proposed that the Senate enact legition to prohibit scientists from conducting human embryo experiments on other people.¡±

    When Lu Anpeng mentioned this ¡°Science and ethics¡±big discussion back then, everyone in the court and outside of the court who were in their 40s and 50s had an impression of it.

    And the younger generation had only seen the hot topic back then on the Inte.

    When they heard greatwyer Lu Anpeng mention this topic, they immediately started searching on the Inte.

    # Human Embryo Experiment #

    # gene editor #

    # genes and Ethics #

    ..

    The number of searches rted to this topic soared like a rocket.

    The fervent discussions in the past had broadened the horizons of the younger generation. At the same time, they also gained a deeper understanding of the greatwyer Qin Suwen, who had pushed for legition and initiated a great discussion on ¡°Science and ethics¡±.

    [ greatwyer Qin Suwen is really amazing! This is the role model of our generation ofw schrs! ]

    [ not only has she never lost in court, but she has also insisted on free legal aid! ]

    [ no way? ! A person of Qin Suwen¡¯s stature would also do free legal aid? ! ]

    Just as everyone was discussing enthusiastically on social media, Qin Suwen¡¯s image became more and more distinct.

    Everyone was eagerly searching for every single bit of information about Qin Suwen, worshipping her more and more. They were also filled with sympathy for her unfortunate experiences during her youth. They were also filled with indignation for the murderer who caused her sudden death. No matter who it was, they were all filled with indignation.

    At the beginning, everyone thought that they were just watching a feud between rich and powerful families.

    But as the curtain slowly rose, they realized that this drama was actually closely rted to each and every one of them.

    They realized that in the society that they lived in, there was once a person like Qin Suwen who had an overwhelming sense of justice. A truly kind and loving person who maintained the social justice and justice.

    But why did such a good person die so early?

    Amidst everyone¡¯s regret and regret, Lu Anpeng slowly said,¡±... because ofwyer Qin Suwen¡¯s push for legition in the Senate, the human embryo experiment in the scientificmunity was finally banned.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±Lu Anpeng nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Xiangwen, as the most outstanding scientist and the smartest schr in Huaxia in the past 500 years, is unwilling to be bound by thisw.¡±

    ¡°He wants to do gic experiments, he wants to do human embryo experiments, he wants to win another Nobel Prize and be a world-famous scientist!¡±

    ¡°But Qin Suwen blocked his path, he thought he was a stumbling block on the road to sess.¡±

    ¡°So, Gu Xiangwen used his genius brain to design a murder.¡±

    ¡°In thisyer of murder, he didn¡¯t make a move, but let Qin Suwen die in front of him.¡±

    ¡°And...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched, and she raised her handzily, ¡°Objection. The defensewyer¡¯s analysis of the motives ispletely illogical. It¡¯s equivalent to making up nonsense. Please dismiss the defensewyer¡¯s novel in court and return thew to its dignity.¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s face reddened slightly at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, but he still said in a refined manner, ¡°Please be careful, counselor. May I ask what is illogical about our analysis of the motives?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and picked up a file. She walked to the center of the courtroom and stood opposite Lu Anpeng, she said, ¡°Barrister Lu, you¡¯re saying that Gu Xiangwen wanted to kill Qin Suwen because of thew that prohibits scientists from conducting gic experiments on human embryos, right?¡±

    Lu Anpeng adjusted the gold-rimmed sses on his nose and nodded. ¡°Yes. But...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not allow him to continue, she immediately said, ¡°But most people know that thew became aw because the Senate voted for it. ¡°If you want to repeal aw, you just need to pass the Senate. What¡¯s the use of killing Barrister Qin Suwen? ¡°Is thisw going to be repealed automatically if she dies?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands and turned to face the audience in the courtroom, she said mockingly, ¡°The defensewyer just said that Gu Xiangwen is the best scientist and the smartest schr in the Huaxia Empire in the past 500 years. ¡°The smartest schr came up with such a thing just to repeal aw? ¡°Are you too arrogant, or are you looking down on our intelligence?¡±

    The people in the courtroom burst intoughter, especially Lu Jin, whoughed the loudest and most exaggeratedly.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but give him a warning look.

    Lu Jin felt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cold gaze in the crowd. He shrunk his neck and almost slipped down his seat.

    Lu Anpeng waited for everyone¡¯sughter to stop before he said inly, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m too arrogant, nor that I can¡¯t see everyone¡¯s IQ. It¡¯s just that the brain of a genius is not something you or I can understand.¡±

    As he spoke, Lu Anpeng walked back to his seat and pulled out a document from the file. He handed it to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Barrister Gu, take a look for yourself. Does Gu Xiangwen have a bone-deep hatred for Qin Suwen?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the document Lu Anpeng handed over.

    It was a piece of stic A4 paper with four manga drawings on it.

    From top to bottom, the first picture was of a car on fire. In the raging fire, there was a man standing with an arrow above his head. The arrow was connected to a dialog box, the words ¡°Gu Xiangwen¡±were written on it.

    The second picture was of the scene in the hospital. A girl was lying on the operating table. Four or five doctors wearing masks were performing surgery on her.

    The girl¡¯s eyes were wide open, and her face was hideous. However, her eyes were calm and clear, like Namtso Lake reflecting the blue sky in September.

    There was an arrow pointing at the girl¡¯s head, and behind the Arrow was a dialog box with the words ¡°Qin Suwen¡±written on it.

    The third picture was still of the hospital, but the hospital beds here were a little shabby, not as exquisite and luxurious as the one in the second picture.

    The girl was lying on the hospital bed, and a sneaky ck figure was trying to inject medicine into her drip bottle.

    There was also an arrow pointing at the girl¡¯s head, and the dialog box behind the arrow was still ¡°Qin Suwen¡±.

    In the fourth picture, it was also a car on fire, just like the first picture. In the car, a girl was burning in the fire, and there were two figures hugging her tightly in front and behind her.

    Then, on top of the girl¡¯s head, there was an arrow frame with the words ¡°Qin Suwen¡±written on it.

    Also, wherever there was an empty space on the paper, the words ¡°Qin Suwen¡±were written densely. With arrows piercing through one¡¯s heart, the sight of it would cause one to have a panic attack.

    Then, on the four corners of the paper, there were four bold words written in ck. When they were connected, it looked like ¡°Life, life, death, death¡±.

    It was supposed to be a very interesting and romanticic, but it also carried the secret thoughts that Gu Xiangwen had about Qin Suwen. However, because of these densely packed names that were pierced through by arrows, and the four corners that read, ¡°Life, life, death, and death,¡±became strange and dark.

    It was like a patient with a mental illness drawing her most terrifying dream in front of a psychiatrist.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t even smile.

    Where did thise from? !

    She looked up and asked Lu Anpeng expressionlessly, ¡°Barrister Lu, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°... This is the information I got from my client.¡±Lu Anpeng put his hands in his trouser pockets and said calmly, ¡°Gu Xiangwen and my client, Qin Yaoguang, used to run a biomedicalboratory together. This is what he left behind in his desk in theboratory.¡±

    ¡°After Gu Xiangwen escaped, the police searched his residence and office many times. However, this stic painting was sandwiched in arge book of English original documents. The police did not find it.¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°OH¡±and looked meaningfully at Qin yaoguang, ¡°... the police did not find anything, but your client, Qin yaoguang, did. She probably searched Gu Xiangwen¡¯s office earlier than the police did, right? After all, she has always coveted Gu Xiangwen¡¯s research results...¡±

    ¡°Objection.¡±Lu Anpeng¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°Barrister Gu, please don¡¯t use groundless reasoning to specte about my client¡¯s character.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I really don¡¯t need to specte about your client¡¯s character. She knows what she¡¯s done.¡±

    Lu Anpeng ignored Gu Nianzhi and raised his hand to show the dark-styledic to the people inside and outside the courtroom.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s drawing has been drawn for at least a decade.¡±

    ¡°He drew several scenes on it, which reflects his subconscious.¡±

    ¡°He wanted Qin Suwen dead for almost a decade.¡±

    ¡°In the end, he could no longer control the devil in his heart, so on that day, he tried to contactwyer Qin Suwen and said he had something important to discuss with her in person...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    To hell with the subconscious!

    To hell with ¡°Thinking about Qin Suwen¡¯s death for more than ten years¡±!

    However, the biggest culprit behind all these misunderstandings was her own good father, Lu Gu Xiangwen Jin!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t control herself and turned around to re angrily at Lu Jin, who was sitting in the gallery.

    She really had to hand it to him. He could draw a dark and scary style even with a love confessionic!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1878, the bted confession.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1879

    <h4>Chapter 1879: Chapter 1879: Fight! Fight! (chapter 2: Monthly Votes)</h4>

    Lu anpeng continued, ¡°Such a terrifying picture shows the abnormal psychology of a genius scientist like Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Everyone knows that being a genius means being outstanding in a certain aspect, but it also means their immature minds and emotions...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi jerked her head back. She did not have time to avert her angry gaze as she looked coldly at Lu Anpeng, she enunciated each word clearly, ¡°Objection!¡±! The defendant¡¯swyer, in order to achieve his goal of framing her, had ndered a genius without any basis. He had reced theoretical analysis and legal logic with illusory ¡®minds¡¯and ¡¯emotions.¡¯

    She walked up to Lu Anpeng, who was less than a meter away from her, and her expression was as cold as ice, ¡°Barrister Lu, geniuses are not monsters, they are people! They have a higher IQ, more perfect emotions, and a purer mind than ordinary people like you and me. You can save on your embarrassing personal attacks!¡±

    ¡°Without geniuses, we humans would still be eating raw meat and drinking blood. Without Geniuses, we would still have to conquer many diseases and infectious diseases. The average lifespan of humans would be less than 30 years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked Lu Anpeng up and down, she said harshly, ¡°And you, Lu Anpeng, without geniuses, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to live to your current age. You would already be dead!¡±! ¡ª how dare you denigrate geniuses? What right do you have to beat all geniuses to death with a single blow?¡±

    ¡°Geniuses are all mentally and emotionally immature? Can they be more despicable and cunning than the mentally and emotionally mature Lu Anpeng?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s description of geniuses had burned Gu Nianzhi, and she had attacked Lu Anpeng with all her might.

    No matter how bad her father was, it was not her ce for a person who defended Qin Yaoguang to criticize her.

    Lu Anpeng was also shocked by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reaction. After a while, he said angrily, ¡°Objection! The prosecutionwyer is suspected of personally attacking me!¡±

    The judge pursed his lips. ¡°Counselors from both sides, please control your emotions and your words. Counsel for the defendant, please do not generalize. Counsel for the prosecution, please do not make a personal attack on counsel for the defendant.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and came back to her senses. She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just stating the facts. If counsel for the defendant can¡¯t stand this kind of argument, then please don¡¯t do to him what you don¡¯t want him to do to you.¡±

    Lu Anpeng, despite his shrewdness and shrewdness, had argued in court for so long, but he still blushed and nodded stiffly.

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi snatched the horrible and dark ¡°Murder (infatuation) action (table) machine (white) picture¡±from Lu Anpeng¡¯s hands and turned to face the people inside and outside the court.

    Her gaze paused in Lu Jin¡¯s direction for a moment.

    Lu Jin was already in tears. He quickly looked up at the huge oval LED suctionmp on the ceiling of the courtroom, trying not to let his tears fall.

    He actually didn¡¯t care what others said about him, because his mentality was strong enough, so strong that he could block all negativements about him.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t care that someone would defend him.

    No, he cared a lot. People like Lu Jin, who had a rtionship disorder, cared about this more than ordinary people.

    They just would not say it out loud, but they would remember every person who stood up to protect them in their hearts, and then use their own way to thank those who stood up to protect them.

    Not to mention that the person who stood up to protect him this time was his most beloved daughter, his daughter whom he felt extremely guilty about.

    Lu Jin thought that if he hadn¡¯t been worried about Qin yaoguang, he would have stood up and told the truth.

    But if he had, the person who would have been hurt the most would have been Gu Nianzhi..

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and tried hard to control his emotions.

    It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t control himself, it was just that he had no need to control himself in the past.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Lu Jin¡¯s raised head and the corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

    Looking away, Gu Nianzhi raised the picture that Lu Anpeng had taken as evidence, she spoke clearly and slowly, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, when you first saw this picture, I could understand, but you were a little ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Because it was drawn with an oily ck mark. The ck color was already depressing, not to mention the fact that this picture didn¡¯t know how to leave any white space. The space on the paper was filled with it.¡±

    ¡°But no matter how depressing it was, it couldn¡¯t prove that Gu Xiangwen wanted to kill Qin Suwen.¡±

    ¡°Because it wasn¡¯t saying that Gu Xiangwen wanted to kill Qin Suwen at all.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at Old Master Qin, who was sitting upright in the gallery, and said expressionlessly, ¡°It was saying that someone wanted to kill Barrister Qin Suwen. Ever since Qin Suwen¡¯s family got into a car ident when she was a teenager, someone wanted to kill her! They wanted to kill their entire family!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words shocked everyone.

    More than a hundred people in the courtroom stared at Gu Nianzhi with their mouths agape.

    On the social media outside the courtroom, on the online forums, and on the bullet screen in the live stream room, a series of¡±...¡±,¡±! ! !¡±was flying around.

    What did they just hear?

    A ¡°Murder case¡±from 12 years ago that involved an even bigger ¡°Murder case¡±from more than 40 years ago? !

    [ what grudge, what grudge? ! If what barrister gu said is true, then someone wants Qin Suwen¡¯s entire family to be wiped out! ]

    [ what¡¯s more terrifying is that after a few decades, they seeded in wiping out their entire family... ]

    [ good heavens, big case! Big Case! ]

    [ fight! Fight! ]

    On the inte outside the court, there was already a new wave of building frenzy, a wave of bullet screens and a wave of retweets.

    The people in the court, including the presiding judge and the clerk, started to talk, head to head. The Buzz was endless.

    Old Master Qin¡¯s face was expressionless. He even snorted in disdain. ¡°Ridiculous.¡±.

    Qin Yaoguang wasn¡¯t that shrewd. Her eyes were already filled with panic and fear.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at the two of them, revealing her snow-white teeth.

    Her smile was so delicate and quick, but to grandfather Qin and Qin yaoguang, it looked like a small beast that was about to pounce on them and tear them to shreds.

    ..

    Gu nianzhi shook the ¡°Murder motive diagram¡±in her hand and said loudly, ¡°The three elements to determine a murder case are motive, timing, and means.¡±

    ¡°But for Gu Xiangwen, other than the timing being unfortunate, the other two elements are not established.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a Frankenstein...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±? ? ?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not mentally and emotionally immature either.¡±

    Lu Jin: ¡°O (* *) O.¡±.

    ¡°He¡¯s a very righteous and talented scientist with an IQ so high that his enemies fear him. He has made great contributions to our country, and will not tolerate you little scoundrels ndering him!¡±

    Lu Anpeng, scoundrels:¡±...¡±

    To defend a murder case, the three elements were to prove that the motive, timing, and means were untenable.

    For Gu Xiangwen, there was no way to argue about the timing.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi would focus on proving that the motive and means were untenable.

    To prove that the motive and means were untenable, she would have to prove that, for the defendant, Qin Yaoguang, both the motive and the means were tenable.

    When both the motive and method were valid, Qin yaoguang¡¯s ¡°Alibi¡±would be evidence of her ulterior motives and deliberate murder.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know what kind of situation she was about to enter. She just did not want to let Qin Yaoguang go, nor did she want to let go of the Qin family, Old Master Qin, who was the main culprit.

    Qin Baye was shrewd and very cautious. And after so many years, he had long since cleared his name.

    But the only person he couldn¡¯t clear his name was Qin Suwen.

    Not only had Qin suwen survived, but he had also married he chengjian and given birth to he zhichu.

    With these two people around, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for Qin Baye to prove that he had nothing to do with the tragedy of Qin Suwen¡¯s family.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind giving him a hard push.

    For a person like Qin Baye, the phrase ¡°To be old and not dead is to be a thief¡±suited him best.

    ..

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s mind was buzzing, and for a moment, he couldn¡¯t think.

    The first time he saw this picture, he felt very depressed and almost didn¡¯t want to look at it again. He had never thought that the content of this picture would be so rich.

    Heposed himself and met the cold gaze of Old Master Qin in the gallery. He quickly raised his hand and said loudly, ¡°Objection! The prosecution¡¯swyer used overly emotional words to divert his gaze and asked the prosecution¡¯swyer to pay attention to the defense in this case.¡±

    The judge picked up the gavel and struck it. ¡°Quiet!¡±

    Then he said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Prosecution¡¯swyer, please watch your words. Do not involve anything unrted to this case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held up the picture and showed it to everyone. She said, ¡°Your honor, I didn¡¯t get involved in anything unrted to this case.¡±

    She raised her hand and patted Lu Anpeng on the shoulder, ¡°I want to thank the defendant¡¯swyer for getting this picture from his client. This is the best circumstantial evidence to prove that Qin Suwen was murdered! ¡°Because this murder started when Qin Suwen was eight years old. It didn¡¯t officially end until the day she died more than 30 yearster!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 1879, ¡°Fight! Fight!¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~

 Chapter 1880 - the CAUSE OF DEATH -LRB-first request for a recommendation ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1880: Chapter 1880: the CAUSE OF DEATH -LRB-first request for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    The twowyers stood in the middle of the courtroom, both facing the direction of the gallery.

    Gu Nianzhi simply held up theic and walked around the gallery. After showing it to everyone in close proximity, she walked back to the middle of the courtroom.

    Lu Anpeng was somewhat disdainful of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sensationalism, but he did not show it.

    Lu Anpeng waited for Gu Nianzhi to stand still before he said, ¡°Barrister Gu, are you sure that the murder of Qin Suwen started when she was eight years old and only ended on the day she died?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Lu Anpeng chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s good. This proves that my client, Qin Yaoguang, was not the murderer of Qin Suwen at all.¡±

    He turned to face the judge, he said loudly, ¡°When Qin Suwen was eight years old, Qin Yaoguang was only nine years old. If the murder really started at that time, then it has nothing to do with my client, Qin Yaoguang. ¡°I request the court to dere the case invalid again and not pursue my client¡¯s responsibility and trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and tapped Lu Anpeng¡¯s shoulder again. She said crisply, ¡°Barrister Lu, who says that a nine-year-old can not participate in murder? Aren¡¯t you being too prejudiced by saying that?¡±

    Lu Anpeng turned to look at her. He really felt that Gu Nianzhi was being unreasonable, he frowned and said, ¡°Even if a nine-year-old can participate in murder, ording to our criminalw, minors under the age of 14 do not have to bear any criminal responsibility no matter what crimes theymit. ¡°So, your honor, can this case be dismissed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Barrister Lu has always wanted to dismiss this case, but unfortunately, the facts are not satisfactory.¡±

    Before the judge could make his judgment, Gu Nianzhi had already said quickly, ¡°Your honor, a person under the age of 14 does not have to bear criminal responsibility formitting a crime, but what about when they reach adulthood?¡±

    She took a step forward, she almost forced the question onto Lu Anpeng¡¯s face. ¡°Barrister Lu, Don¡¯t forget, I just said that this murder took more than 30 years. Qin Yaoguang is already an adult. Do you think she can¡¯t bear legal responsibility?¡±? ! ¡ª who made thew ? You?¡±

    Lu Anpeng frowned and took a step back, he said unhappily, ¡°Barrister Gu, are you saying that my client started nning the murder when she was nine years old and only seeded after more than 30 years? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s ridiculous?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Updates by

    She praised Lu Anpeng again. ¡°As expected of a barrister, to be able to see the truth of this case at a nce!¡±

    Lu Anpeng chuckled. ¡°Barrister Gu, I didn¡¯t mean that. From the beginning to the end, I don¡¯t think my client had anything to do with the death of Barrister Qin Suwen!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Gu Nianzhi waved the darkic that she had snatched from Lu Anpeng in front of him. ¡°But look, how do you exin this?¡±

    Lu Anpeng took another step back, pursing his lips and not saying another word.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to face the people in the gallery and the cameras by the wall, she calmly said, ¡°I just proved that Qin Yaoguang had the motive to murder Qin Suwen. Now, we¡¯re talking about how Qin Yaoguang murdered Qin Suwen. In other words, how she killed Qin Suwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment, then walked back to her intiff¡¯s seat. She opened herptop and connected it directly to the courtroom projector. She projected a forensic report and a doctor¡¯s diagnosis report onto the white projection screen.

    The court technicians immediately dimmed the lights in the courtroom, but it did notpletely darken like before.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the two reports on the white projection screen.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the medical examiner¡¯s report and said, ¡°It says here that Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death was caused by a heart condition.¡±

    ¡°The doctor¡¯s diagnosis next to the report was made when Qin Suwen was young and proved that she had a congenital heart disease.¡±

    ¡°ording to the information I found, congenital heart disease is rted to heredity and is determined by genes.¡±

    ¡°People who have congenital heart disease will have heredity in their families.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said as she clicked the mouse again and switched to the other two medical reports and doctor¡¯s certificates.

    ¡°I have two more pieces of evidence here. They were provided by Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining, the two nephews of Qin Suwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced in the direction where Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining were sitting and nodded at them.

    Lu Anpeng also took a look and recognized Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining.

    He represented Qin Yaoguang and had a thorough understanding of the people and things rted to Qin Suwen. Of course, he had also investigated Qin Suwen¡¯s rtives.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. In these two newly made diagnoses, it proves that Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining do not have congenital heart disease. Moreover, their DNA tests also prove that they do not have the genes in this area. Then may I ask, where did Qin Suwen¡¯s congenital heart diseasee from?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back and walked up to Qin Yaoguang. She looked at her with a smile, she said, ¡°May I ask, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, as a scientist in the field of biological gics and medicine, can you exin to us why Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining do not have the genes to do with congenital heart disease?¡±

    Perhaps it was because Lu Anpeng had always had the upper hand, but Qin Yaoguang was not impatient. She maintained herposure and did not immediately answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. Instead, she looked at her own defensewyer, Lu Anpeng.

    Lu Anpeng walked over, reached out, and lightly tapped the dock twice, he said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Lawyer Gu, I don¡¯t need my client to answer this question. I¡¯ve already hired an expert witness. He¡¯s a world-renowned heart surgeon and has absolute authority in congenital heart disease. He can answer your question.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be confident. She tilted her head and said proudly, ¡°Then can I trouble your expert witness to exin?¡±

    Lu Anpeng immediately applied to the court for the expert witness to appear in court.

    His list of witnesses had been submitted to the court a long time ago, and all the procedures had beenpleted.

    Therefore, the judge quickly agreed to his application and had someone bring in the expert witness who was waiting in the next room.

    The expert witness who followed the bailiff in was a middle-aged man who was about the same age as Lu Anpeng. He was very tall and looked very strong and fit. At a nce, one could tell that he was the kind of person who often exercised.

    He wore a light gray thin wool suit and a silver gray striped tie. He stood on the witness stand and read the witness oath with the bailiff before sitting down.

    After the judge verified his identity, he said, ¡°Doctor Cen, the prosecution has a question about congenital heart disease. I hope you can answer it from an academic point of view.¡±

    Doctor Cen nodded. ¡°Your honor, I will do my best to answer the prosecution¡¯s question.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded at him. She repeated her question.

    Lu Anpeng also introduced the background of the question. ¡°The prosecution¡¯swyer just said that congenital heart disease is determined by genes, that is, heredity.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, she started with Qin Suwen¡¯s family to prove that her family did not have the gic inheritance of congenital heart disease, and thus proved that Qin Suwen did not have congenital heart disease. Then, the cause of her death is worth discussing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and almost apuded him. ¡°Greatwyer Lu, you¡¯ve summed it up well! That¡¯s what I meant!¡±

    Lu Anpeng:¡±...¡±

    He seemed to feel that something was wrong, but his logic andmon sense were impable.

    Doctor Cen took out a document from his briefcase with a serious expression and retorted, ¡°The premise of what the prosecution¡¯swyer just said about congenital heart disease is wrong.¡±

    ¡°This is an authoritative article on congenital heart disease in medicine. It proves that there are many causes of congenital heart disease, and genes, which are also gic factors, actually ount for only 8% of the incidence of congenital heart disease.¡±

    ¡°And 92% of congenital heart disease is caused by environmental factors. It is especially affected during the critical period of fetal heart development, which can also cause the fetus to suffer from congenital heart disease.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put on a surprised expression and interjected, ¡°No way! External influences can cause congenital heart disease in the fetus? ! Doctor Cen, what are the external influences? Can you tell us?¡±

    Doctor Cen said very professionally, ¡°The early period of fetal heart development is very critical. If the mother takes inappropriate drugs at this time, or is infected with a virus, or is exposed to environmental pollution, radiation, and other conditions, it will seriously affect the fetal heart development and greatly increase the probability of the fetus suffering from congenital heart disease.¡±

    Gu nianzhi eximed very professionally, ¡°The virus? ! The virus infection will also cause the fetus to suffer from congenital heart disease ? ! ¡ª thispletely overturns my understanding of congenital heart disease? I thought it was caused by genes, which is also gic...¡±

    Doctor Cen smiled gently, ¡°No, your understanding is wrong. ¡°Most congenital heart diseases have nothing to do with heredity. ¡°The influence of the virus is indeed greater. If the mother is infected with the rube virus in the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus has a 90% chance of suffering from congenital heart disease.¡±

    Lu Anpeng interrupted at this time, ¡°Our expert witness has already confirmed that most congenital heart diseases have nothing to do with heredity. So even ifwyer Gu proves that Qin Zhiyuan and Qin zhining brothers don¡¯t have the heredity of congenital heart disease, it still can¡¯t prove that Qin Suwen doesn¡¯t have congenital heart disease.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then the sudden death of Qin Suwen was caused by a congenital heart attack ¡ª and it has nothing to do with my client, Ms. Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him with a smile, but did not continue his sentence. Instead, she continued to question the expert witness.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that after the mother is infected by the virus, the virus is transmitted to the fetus through the centa, centa, and blood, causing the fetus to be ill, is that right?¡±

    Doctor Cen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s like this. The fetus must be infected with the virus before it can be sick.¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately asked, ¡°That means that the virus is what makes a person sick. It has nothing to do with how it¡¯s transmitted.¡±

    ¡°As long as the human body is infected by the virus, whether it¡¯s acquired in the mother or after birth, it will be sick, right?¡±

    Doctor Cen hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. ¡°Theoretically, yes.¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately asked, ¡°Then if someone injected the virus directly into a person, would it cause the same congenital heart disease symptoms in that person?¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s face instantly darkened.

    He finally understood where Gu Nianzhi was going to start!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1880, ¡°The cause of death.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    Oh, my mistake. Today was not Monday, but rmendation tickets were still very important ~ ~

    There was a second update at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

 Chapter 1881

    <h4>Chapter 1881: Chapter 1881 goes against themon sense of medicine (chapter 2 requires a monthly ticket)</h4>

    <h4><strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio</h4>

    Doctor Cen, the expert witness invited by Lu Anpeng, answered seriously, ¡°Theoretically, it is possible, but it is too difficult to do so, and as far as I know, this virus has never appeared before.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±Gu Nianzhi did not interrupt doctor Cen¡¯s exnation, but continued to ask tirelessly.

    ¡°The reason is very simple. When a fetus is infected by a virus, it will develop symptoms of cardiac hyposia. This is a congenital heart disease.¡±

    ¡°And if the infection is after birth, the body¡¯s organs have already fully developed. How can there be symptoms of cardiac hyposia? can fully developed organs reverse growth?¡±

    Doctor Cen thought he was joking, andughed.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was suddenly enlightened. She suddenly understood many things that she was not very clear about.

    When she stood in the courtroom, the strategy she used to argue in court was ¡°If you want to take it, you must give it to him first.¡±.

    It seemed that she was at a disadvantage. At first, she had released the wed evidence and arguments that had been refuted by the other party time and time again. However, she had taken every step to find out what was beneficial to her from the other party¡¯s rebuttal, and she had severely injured the other party!

    Her eyes shed. ¡°Then what if there is this virus? Will it be able to produce this kind of symptoms?¡±

    Doctor Cen was a very professional person. He did not force ¡°Authority¡±in areas that he did not understand. Instead, he said humbly, ¡°This belongs to the field of gics. I don¡¯t know much about it, so I can¡¯t give an answer.¡±

    Lu anpeng quickly added, ¡°So in reality, it¡¯s impossible. Please don¡¯t think too highly of yourself, barrister Gu. It¡¯s theoretically exhaustive, but it has no practical significance to our case.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her right index finger, ¡°No, no. Barrister Lu, I can say that theoretically, there¡¯s no practical significance to other cases.¡±

    She then pointed at Qin yaoguang, ¡°But don¡¯t forget, what is the identity of your client, Mrs. Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s an internationally renowned brain surgeon, a biomedical gic expert, and the first person to suggest ¡®gene editing¡¯internationally!¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°How can you say that something rted to gics has no practical significance in this case?¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she nced at he zhichu and he chengjian, who were sitting in the gallery.

    As expected, their expressions were more focused and nervous than the others.

    This was because they were part of Qin Suwen¡¯s family, and were also the real parties involved.

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t said it out loud yet, but they had already realized the importance of it, so they sat up straight at the same time.

    Both of them had been in the military for many years, so their sitting posture waspletely different from that of ordinary people. It was easy to tell.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s back started to sweat, but he remained calm on the surface. He adjusted the gold-rimmed sses on the bridge of his nose, he said calmly, ¡°This is even more ridiculous. My client, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, is indeed an internationally renowned biomedical gics expert. She is even one step away from winning the Nobel Prize in Biology.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t forget, she is almost the same age as Ms. Qin Suwen. Don¡¯t tell me that Ms. Qin Yaoguang is so talented that she can do gic research since she was young?¡±

    This was indeed a problem.

    But for Gu Nianzhi, it wasn¡¯t a problem.

    Because her target had never been Qin Yaoguang alone.

    Qin Yaoguang was just a pretense to get her to drag out another person through her, even if she lost the case.

    ¡°Well said, barrister Lu!¡±Gu Nianzhi pped directly at Lu Anpeng this time.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s face was as ck as the bottom of a pot.

    It was definitely not a good thing for him to be apuded and praised by the opposingwyer in court.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Anpeng¡¯s dark face with amusement, she went on to say, ¡°Miss Qin Yaoguang is indeed the same age as Barrister Qin Suwen, so Miss Qin Yaoguang is not the only murderer in this murder case that started when Barrister Qin Suwen was eight years old!¡±

    Lu Anpeng came back to his senses and quickly said, ¡°But the defendant in our case is only Ms. Qin yaoguang. If there is anyone else...¡±

    ¡°If there is anyone else, we have to find out whether that person is an aplice of Ms. Qin Yaoguang or the mastermind of this case.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°Lu, don¡¯t forget that although the defendant in this case is Qin yaoguang, the purpose of this case is to find the real murderer for the death of Qin Suwen!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re twisting the facts!¡±Lu anpeng said loudly, ¡°Your Honor, I request the court to forbid the prosecution from continuing to talk about people or things that have nothing to do with this case!¡±

    The judge folded his hands and ced them on the file in front of him. He sighed lightly and raised his hand to say, ¡°Barrister Lu, please be careful not to spread your opinions too far. If there is someone else in this case, we can retry the case at ater date.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Your honor, I will soon be able to prove that Qin Yaoguang is definitely one of the murderers. We can not say that there is someone else.¡±

    The judge pondered for a moment and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Then please continue to prove your point.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in agreement, she immediately asked lu anpeng, ¡°Just now, you and your expert witness proved that Ms. Qin Suwen indeed had a congenital heart disease. Moreover, this congenital heart disease was not inherited, but because of other factors. It was contracted when Ms. Qin Suwen was still a fetus, right?¡±

    Lu Anpeng hesitated for a moment.

    If he said no, then Gu Nianzhi could prove that Qin Suwen¡¯s congenital heart disease was acquired after birth. In other words, there was a virus that could make people sick after birth.

    But Doctor Cen also said just now that this situation was only possible in theory. In fact, there was no such virus, and whether or not organs could reverse growth belonged to the field of gics.

    Although doctor Cen did not borate further, Lu Anpeng knew that Doctor Cen was just being very cautious. He would not give any authoritative testimony in court on matters that were not in his field of expertise.

    However, in reality, this was no different from denying it.

    Lu Anpengposed himself and nodded. ¡°Yes. Since there isn¡¯t a problem with the Qin family¡¯s gic inheritance, then there must be a problem with Ms. Qin Suwen¡¯s mother when she was pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Either she was infected with the rube virus, or she had an ident. It could have been environmental pollution or radiation.¡±

    Gu nianzhi spread her hands and said regretfully, ¡°Unfortunately, Lawyer Qin Suwen¡¯s mother died in a car ident when she was eight years old. She was also burned to death.¡±

    ¡°In that case, we don¡¯t seem to be able to prove when Qin Suwen was born with heart disease.¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s brows were tightly knitted together, and his well-defined facial features revealed a stern expression. He was like the school¡¯s political science director, or the military instructor.

    He said in a low voice, ¡°Do we still need to prove this? It must have been diagnosed when Qin Suwen was still a fetus. I thought we had reached an agreement.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t reach an agreement with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at her own head. ¡°I think the problem is very open-minded. It¡¯s definitely not limited to one set of questions.¡±

    ¡°In other words, I¡¯m very good at brainstorming.¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi held Gu Xiangwen¡¯s darkic again and showed it to the people in the courtroom.

    ¡°Take this picture for example. Most people look at the picture from top to bottom, but some people are used to looking from bottom to top.¡±

    ¡°If you look at this picture from bottom to top, its meaning willpletely change.¡±

    ¡°This first picture is like a car on fire. A girl is burning in the fire, and two figures are hugging her tightly in front and behind her.¡±

    ¡°From the name on the arrow frame, we know that this girl is Qin Suwen. Then this picture should be the scene when Qin Suwen¡¯s family was in a car ident.¡±

    ¡°In other words, this is what happened when Qin Suwen was eight years old.¡±

    ¡°And the picture of the shabby hospital bed became the second picture.¡±

    ¡°In this picture, we can see Qin Suwen lying on the hospital bed. A sneaky ck figure is trying to inject drugs into her IV bottle.¡±

    ¡°From this order, the third picture is still the scene in the hospital. Qin Suwen is lying on the operating table. Four or five doctors wearing masks are performing surgery on her.

    Her eyes are open, and her face is scary and hideous, but her eyes are calm and clear.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice trembled slightly. Anyone who was familiar with her would be able to tell that she was trying her best to hold back her sobs.

    Huo Shaoheng had been sitting not far away from her the whole time. He had not said a word from beginning to end, but now he nodded slightly at her. There was a gentleness in his gaze as he stared at her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tumultuous emotions werepletely soothed.

    She took a deep breath and continued, ¡°This way, the time sequence is very obvious.¡±

    ¡°The first picture of the car ident is of Qin Suwen¡¯s family of three who had an ident when she was eight years old.¡±

    ¡°The second picture is of Qin Suwen being treated for Burns in the hospital after the car ident. From this, we can already see that someone is trying to harm her.¡±. ¡°Look at this sneaky figure. It¡¯s definitely not a doctor or nurse. ¡°What is he adding to Qin Suwen¡¯s IV?¡±

    ¡°And the third picture shows Qin Suwen undergoing stic surgery after her face was disfigured by the car ident.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment before she changed the topic and looked at the expert witness, Doctor Cen.

    ¡°Doctor Cen, as an authoritative expert in the heart surgery department, can you tell me how to take care of a patient who has a congenital heart disease so that she can grow into an adult?¡±

    Doctor Cen said in a low voice, ¡°Of course, the first thing to do is to rest and not be stimted by anything. The stimtion I¡¯m talking about is not only mental, but also physical.¡±

    ¡°In fact, for those who are born with weak bodies, the mental stimtion is most likely caused by physical stimtion.¡±

    Gu nianzhi spoke faster, ¡°Then do you know thatrge-scale burns like Ms. Qin Suwen¡¯s when she was young are very stimting to the body?¡±

    Doctor Cen:¡±...¡±

    Lu Anpeng:¡±! ! !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw the pale faces of the two people and did not allow them to refute, so she immediately said, ¡°Barrister Lu thinks that Qin Suwen acquired congenital heart disease from the mother when she was still a fetus.¡±

    ¡°Then how did Barrister Qin Suwen, who was born with congenital heart disease, survive the severe burns when he was eight years old? The recovery period after the Burns? And then the stic surgery recovery period after that? !¡±

    ¡°Doctor Cen, as an authoritative expert in this field, can you exin to us all how such a vition of medicalmon sense happened? !¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 1881, ¡°Against medicalmon sense.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1882

    <h4>Chapter 1882: Chapter 1882: Tracing back to the source (first, more rmendation tickets)</h4>

    Doctor Cen was tongue-tied by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question. He thought about it carefully for a moment, he said honestly, ¡°In that case, it is indeed contradictory. ¡°However, I didn¡¯t know that Barrister Qin Suwen had undergone such a surgery when he was a teenager. ¡°Barrister Lu invited me here to answer the question of congenital heart disease.¡±

    ¡°So You Know Now?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone softened. ¡°From an academic point of view, can an eight-year-old child with congenital heart disease undergo burns and stic surgery like this?¡±

    ¡°That depends on the specific circumstances,¡±doctor Cen answered very professionally, ¡°It depends on the condition of her burns at the time, the recovery period she went through, and the extent of her stic surgery before we can determine whether her body will be able to withstand it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was already prepared for this.

    She walked back to her intiff¡¯s seat and took out a copy of the medical records from the hospital from her briefcase. She ced it in front of Doctor Cen, she said, ¡°Then take a look. With this degree of Burns and surgery, will an eight-year-old with congenital heart disease be able to withstand it?¡±

    Doctor Cen put on his sses and carefully read the copy of the medical records.

    The data on it was shocking. He frowned as he read it.

    The people inside and outside the court held their breath and waited for him to announce the results.

    After a long while.., doctor Cen Sighed and shook his head. ¡°If this medical record is true, I really can¡¯t figure out how she survived. ¡°To be honest, even a healthy adult would find it difficult to survive such arge area of Burns, let alone an eight-year-old with congenital heart disease.¡±

    ¡°But she really did manage to survive and even recovered,¡±Lu Anpeng said immediately. He even turned on hisputer and connected it to a projector to put up a photo of Qin Suwen.

    ¡°Doctor Cen, look. This is a photo of Qin Suwen after she grew up. Her appearance has already recovered. It is clear that she has indeed survived the recovery period of the burn surgery and stic surgery.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and shook her head. ¡°Returned to normal? Barrister Lu, have you seen the appearance of Barrister Qin Suwen before he was burned in the car ident?¡±

    Lu Anpeng looked back at her and asked in confusion,¡±... could it be that this is not the appearance of Barrister Qin Suwen before he was burned in the car ident?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for you. After all, you were the one who said ¡®returned to normal¡¯. I can only infer that you have seen the appearance of Barrister Qin Suwen before he was burned.¡±

    Updates by

    Lu Anpeng had no choice but to say, ¡°I¡¯ve never seenwyer Qin Suwen¡¯s appearance before he was burned at the age of eight. I thought...¡±

    ¡°Lawyer Lu, we need evidence when we speak in court. ¡®I thought¡¯is the worst kind of preconceived words.¡±Gu Nianzhi interrupted Lu Anpeng with a smile, but her words were sharp.

    Lu Anpeng smiled shyly. ¡°Okay, I misspoke. I Can¡¯t say thatwyer Qin Suwen has ¡®as good as new,¡¯but she has indeed recovered. Look, there¡¯s not a single scar on her face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Indeed, there are no scars at all, so she has indeed recovered. Then, doctor Cen, can such arge area of Burns really be recovered from an eight-year-old child who has a congenital heart disease?¡±

    Doctor Cen Thought for a long time and slowly shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense, but...¡±

    ¡°But what? But there might be a medical miracle, right?¡±Gu Nianzhiughed, she turned around and said seriously, ¡°But how can we ce our hopes on an illusory medical miracle? We¡¯re in a court ofw, so we need evidence when we speak. If medical science doesn¡¯t support this kind of ¡®recovery,¡¯then there¡¯s no such thing as recovery!¡±

    Lu anpeng sneered, ¡°Butwyer Qin Suwen did recover. Not only did he recover, but he also grew up, got married, had children, and lived to be in his forties before he passed away.¡±. ¡°Doesn¡¯twyer Gu know what is reasonable when it exists?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is reasonable when it exists.¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her hand, ¡°Why would it be reasonable? There is only one reason. That is, beforewyer Qin Suwen was eight years old and had a car ident, she did not have the so-called ¡®congenital heart disease¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Only, and only for this reason, could she have survived such a severe burn recovery period and could exin this ¡®recovery¡¯!¡±Gu Nianzhi said firmly, ¡°Lu Anpeng, have you never thought that Qin Suwen¡¯s congenital heart disease was not congenital?¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s eyes were almost popping out of his gold-rimmed sses as he stuttered,¡±... Y-y-you... Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Congenital heart disease, how could it not be congenital? !¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask Ms. Qin Yaoguang or her father, Mr. Qin Baye.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was cold as she looked at Qin Baye, who was sitting behind the dock, ¡°When Qin Suwen was eight years old, her entire family was in a serious car ident. Her parents gave up their own lives to protect her in the middle, saving her life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard people say before that Qin Suwen is a particrly strong person. She suffered such a tragedy. From her family to her own body, she suffered a devastating blow, but she still gritted her teeth and endured it.¡±

    ¡°She had passed through the most difficult recovery period for burn patients and also passed through the recovery period of stic surgery. However, after a few years in the Qin orphanage, she actually got a ¡®congenital heart disease¡¯?¡±? ¡ª¡ª Mr. Qin Baye, do you want to exin what is going on ? !¡±

    The cameras and live broadcast equipment on the corridor beside the court wall turned their cameras at the same time and aimed at the serious-looking Qin Baye.

    Although his expression did not change much, it could still be seen from his slightly stiff neck that he was under a lot of pressure.

    However, he was not the defendant, nor was he a witness. He was just an innocent bystander, so Gu Nianzhi could not force him to speak.

    Even if he did not speak, Gu Nianzhi could not do anything to him.

    She had pointed out this matter in court to he chengjian and he zhichu.

    She couldn¡¯t do anything to Qin Baye, but he chengjian and he zhichu could.

    He chengjian, who was sitting on the other side of the court, was already staring at Qin Baye. He Zhichu had already stood up and left the court, his face cold.

    Gu Nianzhi understood that the father and son had already understood what she meant.

    She only looked at Qin Baye quietly for a while, then turned to look at Qin yaoguang, who was sitting behind the court with her eyes darting around.

    Compared to the wily and scheming Qin Baye, Qin Yaoguang was a much easier target to break through. Therefore, Gu nianzhi only ced thebel ¡°Murderer¡±on Qin Yaoguang.

    She walked to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s dock, she said, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, your father, Mr. Qin Baye, refused to exin. Then, can you exin from the gic point of view, can a person be born with a congenital heart disease?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was stiff, she said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but even from the gic point of view, I¡¯ve never heard of a case where a person can be born with a congenital heart disease. Barrister Gu, do you have some misunderstanding about gic science?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, yourwyer just praised you like a flower. You¡¯re practically the number one person in our country¡¯s gic science after Gu Xiangwen! But in my eyes...¡±

    She bent forward and walked past the dock to get close to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s ear. She said in a low voice,¡±... you¡¯re not even worthy of carrying my father¡¯s shoes!¡±

    Qin yaoguang jerked her head back to avoid Gu Nianzhi. She said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m not worthy? ! Do you think my achievements all these years are fake? !¡±

    ¡°So many academic articles, huge cited data, and the results that ourb produces every year. Do you think you can wipe them out with just a few words?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi straightened her back and put her hands behind her back. She tilted her head to look at her in amusement. ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, can you exin it from a gic point of view? Can a congenital disease be acquired the day after tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±Qin yaoguang blurted out. She immediately came back to her senses and quickly shook her head. ¡°No, no! It¡¯s only a theoretical possibility at most!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand decisively and interrupted her. She turned to face the courtroom and said solemnly, ¡°Your honor, I¡¯d like to call the prosecution¡¯s first expert witness.¡±

    The judge nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±

    Soon, Gu Nianzhi called the first expert witness into the courtroom.

    This was Lu Jin¡¯s suggestion to her. The person he had found was not as famous as Qin yaoguang, but he was very knowledgeable and only studied the gic makeup of congenital diseases. He was much more reliable than the average expert.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded at him and said politely, ¡°Schr Lin, can you tell us if congenital diseases can be acquired after birth?¡±

    Schr Lin nodded seriously. ¡°From a gic point of view, it¡¯spletely possible.¡±

    ¡°Because the root of congenital diseases is a problem during the development of the fetus, which is when the DNA is differentiated andbined.¡±

    ¡°From the acquired perspective, it is also possible to use a virus as a carrier to infect the patient¡¯s DNA to a certain extent. The patient¡¯s body tissue will have the same symptoms as the congenital disease.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°So, if a person does not have congenital heart disease at birth, it is entirely possible that the person was infected by the virus and the DNA tissue had some kind of pathological change that formed it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±Schr Lin nodded confidently. ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of research in this area. Although ourw forbids experiments on living people, it¡¯s possible to cultivate human tissues and organs.¡±

    ¡°Because I want to study the gic changes of congenital diseases, I¡¯ve done a lot of experiments on human tissues in this area. Congenital heart disease is the mostmon research target in ourboratory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pretended to be surprised and asked, ¡°Then why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because congenital heart disease is actually verymon and the incidence is very high, so ourboratory is actively researching treatments. ¡°I can tell everyone with certainty that the gene therapy for this disease is almost sessful, which means that congenital heart disease can bepletely cured.¡±

    A new uproar broke out in the courtroom and outside.

    Everyone was very excited. They had not expected that the research of gic science had developed to such an extent.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waited for everyone to calm down before she asked again, ¡°Then if a person¡¯s genes have been infected by a virus and they have congenital heart disease, will this disease be inherited?¡±

    Schr Lin Thought for a moment and said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, because the gic factor in the incidence of congenital heart disease is only 8% . But...¡±

    He hesitated, but he still said, ¡°But under these circumstances, although the probability of inheriting congenital heart disease is very low, because this person¡¯s genes were infected by a virus and there were errors and deletions, this person¡¯s gic deletions have a high probability of being passed on to future generations.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly stood up and turned to look at he chengjian, who was sitting in the gallery behind the defendant¡¯s box, she said word by word,¡±... so ifwyer Qin Suwen¡¯s genes have been infected by a virus, there is a high probability that her next generation will have a gene deletions!¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted.

    So this was where his son he zhichu¡¯s gene deletions came from!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: Chapter 1882, back to the source.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket ~ ~

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket is very important ~ ~

    There is a second update at 8 pm.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1883

    <h4>Chapter 1883: Chapter 1883 Hawaii is not an isted ind. (chapter 2 requires a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Gic deficiency disorders can be big or small. Sometimes, the missing genes are not that important. They may not show up in a lifetime, and there will not be any symptoms.

    But sometimes, if the missing genes are important, it will have an important impact on the health of the person who has the missing genes.

    He Zhichu was unfortunate. He had lost some important genes, so much so that he had been weak and sickly since he was young. He had even been diagnosed as someone who would not live past the age of sixteen.

    However, after Qin yaoguang had proposed the ¡°Gene editing¡±therapy, she had used Gu Nianzhi, the daughter of Gu Xiang and Wensheng, topletely cure he zhichu¡¯s gene deficiency, allowing him to sessfully live past the age of sixteen.

    He chengjian thought of how grateful he and Qin Suwen were towards Qin yaoguang, and he felt like he had been blinded!

    He red at Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye. If his gaze could peel off their skin, he would have already stripped them to the bones!

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of he chengjian¡¯s expression and nodded slightly. She understood that her words had worked.

    She breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the dark cameras and live broadcast equipment along the corridor beside the court wall. The reporters, who were so excited that they wanted to stir up trouble, had connected the Luo le group to the Qin orphanage.

    The reason why this trial was being broadcast live to the entire world was to silence the United States Congress. It was also to expose their unspeakable conspiracy under those tant ¡°White Papers on human rights.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up like the morning stars.

    She had a pained expression on her face, she said, ¡°A while ago, a huge scandal broke out in the orphanage of the Luo Le group in the United States. Their real goal was to use these orphans who had no parents to support them and no family to protect them as human gic experiments!¡±

    This scandal was still fresh in many people¡¯s minds.

    Firstly, it had not been long since the incident. Secondly, the fluctuating stock price of the Luo le group was like a roller coaster. It was an eye-opener for everyone in the world.

    When she said this, many people remembered.

    Updates by

    Gu nianzhi continued, ¡°Also, in this case, the greatwyer Qin Suwen had undergone stic surgery when he was a teenager. Even his genes were infected by a virus. Doesn¡¯t this phenomenon seem familiar to everyone?¡±

    ¡°Why? Because the Qin orphanage has been close to Luo le group since before the founding of the nation!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi threw out this bombshell.

    The entire Inte was once again in an uproar.

    [ holy shit! I¡¯m So Scared! ]

    [ no way? Luo Le group¡¯s hands are really that long? ]

    [ Haha, the person upstairs is too nave. Go look for Luo Le III yourself. What does he have to do with our country? ]

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not explicitly state Luo Le III¡¯s rtionship with our country¡¯s open policy in court. Instead, she focused on the rtionship between the Luo Le group and the Qin orphanage.

    She connected to herptop and typed out one piece of evidence after another. It was a video clip of newspapers, magazines, and television stations from decades ago.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. In the lineup of doctors who performed stic surgery on Qin Suwen back then, there were two foreign experts who were funded by the Luo Le Group¡¯s charity fund.¡±

    ¡°And the entire capital for the stic surgery onwyer Qin Suwen¡¯s Burns was donated by the Qin orphanage. Because of this incident, the Qin orphanage¡¯s reputation in society was once very high.¡±

    ¡°When the Qin orphanage controlled the progress of the surgery from capital to manpower, it was already self-evident what they did towyer Qin Suwen when he was still a teenager.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt it was a pity that there were no surveince cameras in the operating room at that time, and no footage of the surgery was left behind.

    Otherwise, the other party¡¯s tricks would have been exposed to the world.

    But it was not toote. With her around, even if there were no surveince cameras, she would restore it.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s defensewyer, Lu Anpeng, immediately raised his hand and retorted, ¡°Objection!¡±! What happened when Qin Suwen was eight years old had nothing to do with my client! The prosecutionwyer can not me everything on my client, Ms. Qin Yaoguang!¡±

    ¡°Nothing?¡±Gu Nianzhi did not wait for the judge to speak. She took a step forward and stood in front of Lu Anpeng, she asked calmly, ¡°The cause of Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death was the so-called ¡®congenital heart disease.¡¯now we have proven that her congenital heart disease was not acquired by birth. It was acquired by the Qin Corporation under the pretense of cosmetic surgery and by infecting her genes with a virus!¡±

    ¡°This ticking time bomb was nted decades ago. Barrister Lu, you¡¯re telling me this has nothing to do with your client? How dare you say your client doesn¡¯t know about this? !¡±

    Lu Anpeng waved his arm and said firmly, ¡°You have no evidence! You¡¯re just specting! My client didn¡¯t have the time to murder Qin Suwen!¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately retorted, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already admitted that your client, Qin yaoguang, had motive and means to murder Qin Suwen, then let¡¯s prove that Qin Yaoguang had the opportunity to do so.¡±

    ¡°What opportunity? I¡¯ve already proved it just now. Whenwyer Qin Suwen passed away, my client, Qin Yaoguang, was attending an international conference on Biological Gics in Hawaii!¡±Lu Anpeng calmly retorted, ¡°With this alone, your proof is not valid at all!¡±

    ¡°In a murder case, the motive and means are not the most important. The most important thing is whether there is a chance to actuallymit murder. If this is not valid, then nothing else is valid.¡±

    ¡°Also, I have not admitted that my client, Qin yaoguang, had the motive and means tomit murder. Don¡¯t add to the drama.¡±

    Lu Anpeng turned to look at the audience in the courtroom and spoke with confidence, ¡°Every one of us has a dark ce in our hearts, and we also have a sh of resentment toward others. This is the most primitive motive. ¡°But most people only think about it and don¡¯t do it. So it doesn¡¯t constitute a motive for murder.¡±

    ¡°Whether it constitutes a motive depends on whether she makes any subsequent moves.¡±Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Lu Anpeng.

    She strolled slowly to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s dock. She stood up straight and looked down at the pale-faced Qin Yaoguang, she said, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, you were attending an international biomedical conference in Hawaii at the time, right?¡±

    Qin yaoguang nced at Lu Anpeng.

    Gu Nianzhi was impatient. She tapped her finger on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s dock table. ¡°What¡¯s so shameful about this question? Do you need your defensewyer to answer it? are your meeting minutes fake too?¡±

    Qin yaoguang had always been a headstrong person, so she had no qualms about arguing with Gu Nianzhi.

    However, this time, Lu Anpeng had shown that he was almost as capable as Gu Nianzhi. Therefore, ¡°Mu Qiang¡±Qin Yaoguang was full of admiration for Lu Anpeng. She listened to him and was afraid that she might say something wrong, the whole game was lost.

    Lu Anpeng gestured to Qin Yaoguang, indicating that she should answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question, he said to Gu nianzhi unhappily, ¡°Counselor, please don¡¯t put mental pressure on my client and affect his thinking and memory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted, without turning her head, she said mockingly, ¡°Counselor, don¡¯t think too highly of your client. Do you really think that your client is a person with a rtionship disorder who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on outside the window and only wants to be an experimental subject?¡±

    Lu Jin, who was sitting in the gallery, was innocent and felt his knees hurt.

    Lu Yuan smiled slightly and silently mouthed to Lu Jin,¡±... you deserve it.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Lu Anpeng frowned. ¡°There was nothing that could not be said at the international conference back then, but counselor, can you be nicer to my client? After all, she is your biological mother.¡±

    Biological Mother?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotions were in turmoil. She clenched her fists and continued to look at Qin Yaoguang. ¡°Now that your defensewyer says you can speak, can you answer my question?¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was relieved to have Lu Anpeng¡¯s permission. She was indeed attending an international conference in Hawaii at the time, so there was nothing to be ashamed of, so she red at Gu Nianzhi, she nodded. ¡°Yes, I was attending an international conference in Hawaii.¡±

    ¡°Then the hotel in Hawaii where you were attending the conference didn¡¯t have a phone or Inte?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked casually.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes widened and her lips parted, she asked incredulously, ¡°Hawaii isn¡¯t an isted ind!¡±! Moreover, that was only 12 years ago, and the Inte had already appeared. It was only used by fewer people, but it was already verymon in the United States. As for the phone, how could there be no phone in a five-star hotel? Miss Gu, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Please call mewyer for the prosecution, thank you.¡±

    She turned around and returned to her intiff¡¯s seat. She opened a file on herptop and said, ¡°This is a phone record that I got from our country¡¯s telmunications bureau.¡±

    ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s a phone record from 12 years ago, when Ms. Qin Yaoguang was attending an international conference in Hawaii.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see who you called!¡±

    ¡°First of all, the phone number that appeared the most frequently was a call from the he residence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi showed him a number with a few digits in the middle that had been cked out, because he chengjian¡¯s number could not be made public.

    She pointed at the cked-out number in the middle and said sarcastically, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, you¡¯ve only been in Hawaii for three days and you¡¯ve already called General He chengjian 36 times!¡±

    ¡°An average of 12 calls a day!¡±

    ¡°Although each call doesn¡¯tst long, what exactly is your motive for tirelessly calling someone else¡¯s husband? !¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 1883, Hawaii is not an ind.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation ticket is very important OH ~ ~

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1884

    <h4>Chapter 1884: Chapter 1884 is for you. (the first chapter requires a monthly pass.)</h4>

    Qin Yaoguang did not expect that Gu Nianzhi would be able to dig up something so long ago.

    When she heard herst sentence, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s gaze swept across the courtroom again. Suddenly, she felt that everyone wasughing at her for chasing a married man, she immediately said aggrievedly,¡±... I had something to do! and general he is so busy with work that no one picks up. That¡¯s why I called so many times!¡±

    ¡°No one picked up?¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve never stayed at the He family¡¯s house?¡±? The He family¡¯s phone calls were answered by a dedicated operator from thendline in the living room to the internal line in every study and office. ¡°No one picked up? You¡¯re putting yourself on the spot, aren¡¯t you...¡±

    He chengjian was the one who had refused to pick up her calls, but she was the one who had refused to pick up.

    TSK, I¡¯ve really given you face.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around, her back facing the camera, and curled her lips in disdain.

    Qin yaoguang blushed at her words, but she still forced herself to say,¡±... General he didn¡¯t have time to pick up his calls, so I made a few more calls. At that time, it was a critical period for young master he¡¯s recovery. I had a meeting with my colleagues and hade up with some new ideas. If he¡¯s illness rpses in the future, we¡¯ll have a way to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°... Rpse?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and raised her voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t he recover from his illness when he was 16? Why is it still possible for him to rpse when he¡¯s 18?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Although gene therapy is very effective, it takes several years to consolidate the effect and confirm that there won¡¯t be any other side effects.¡±Qin yaoguang spoke of her profession in an orderly manner, she spoke very logically, ¡°Young master he¡¯s illness is a gic defect. We have to make sure that there are no problems with the genes that he has replenished and there are no new changes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at he chengjian, who was sitting in the gallery. She thought for a moment and quickly looked away.

    She did not want he chengjian to be a witness in court.

    This case was going to be heard live all over the world, and he chengjian was the highestmander of the national military. If he was asked to testify in court, if anything were to happen, not only would he chengjian lose face, but the entire country would also lose face.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to Qin Yaoguang and asked in a low voice, ¡°So you¡¯re confirming that you called the He family more than once on the day and two days before Qin Suwen¡¯s death?¡±

    ¡°So what if I did? You already said that there was an operator on the line. What else could I do?¡±Qin yaoguang was getting impatient, ¡°If there¡¯s really something wrong with me, do you think the He family¡¯s security measures are weak? Why did you think the General would let me go? And then marry me? !¡±

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi actually knew that with he chengjian¡¯s status, even if he did not investigate, the national security system would not sit idly by.

    Moreover, he chengjian loved Qin Suwen deeply. Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death, it would be a wonder if he would let go of any traces..

    They had already investigated everything, and Qin Yaoguang had sessfully married he chengjian in the end. That meant that Qin yaoguang must have undergone the strictest political and most meticulous security checks.

    So many security professionals had failed to find anything wrong with Qin yaoguang. She should be fine, right?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Yaoguang silently, as if she was calmly saying, ¡°I¡¯ll quietly watch you act like a B * TCH.¡±In fact, her mind was racing as she thought of the most likely breakthrough point.

    Lu Anpeng saw that Gu Nianzhi was silent, so how could he allow her to have more time to think of a solution, he immediately said, ¡°Counselor, that¡¯s enough, right? My client is not in the country. Even if I call the he family, there will be an operator to connect me. You can even call the recording of the phone call at that time. Don¡¯t dwell on this issue anymore, right? That¡¯s not the main point.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked over. Her eyes were clear and bright, like two ck mercury balls that had fallen into an ice cer.

    Lu Anpeng actually felt a little cold.

    He quickly averted his gaze, he said, ¡°The prosecution¡¯s witness just now, whether it was to prove my client¡¯s motive or methods, was all her spection. It could even be said to be conjecture. And the most important time, she could not prove it. ¡°My client, Ms. Qin Yaoguang, was indeed not in the country at that time. She did not have any opportunity tomit a crime.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked herself. ¡°Barrister Lu, Don¡¯t forget that Barrister Qin Suwen¡¯s congenital heart disease was acquired. This was the main reason for her death.¡±

    ¡°As for how Barrister Qin Suwen got his congenital heart disease, we¡¯ll have to ask Ms. Qin Yaoguang.¡±Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and looked in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s direction again, ¡°Ms. Qin Yaoguang, do you know that Qin Suwen has a congenital heart disease?¡±

    Qin yaoguang subconsciously wanted to say no, but before she could say it, she nced at Lu Anpeng. Seeing that he didn¡¯t have any special expression, she could only nod and say, ¡°I know.¡±

    She added, ¡°A lot of people know. It¡¯s not a secret.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I heard that Barrister Qin suwen fainted once when he was young. He went to the hospital for a checkup and found out that he had a congenital heart disease.¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is such a thing. That¡¯s why I said a lot of people know about it. It¡¯s not a secret,¡±Qin Yaoguang said casually, ¡°The he family is so well-off, and her condition is not serious. As long as we don¡¯t agitate her, she will be fine.¡±

    ¡°What a pity. I don¡¯t know what heinous words Gu Xiangwen said to Qin Suwen, but she died of anger.¡±Qin yaoguang said with a look of pity on her face, as if she was really sad.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed in her heart, but still maintained her usual smile. She walked back to her intiff¡¯s seat and sat down, somewhat defeated.

    The road ahead was still impassable. She tried her best, but was unable to disrupt Lu Anpeng¡¯s rhythm.

    Was she really going to use herst trick?

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t want to reveal her DNA to the public, so she had never thought of doing a paternity test with Qin yaoguang.

    But now, it seemed like she had no choice but to use this trick.

    While Gu Nianzhi was hesitating, the judge in the courtroom knocked on the gavel and said, ¡°The court will adjourn for 30 minutes. The intiff and the defendant, please take a break. If there is no new evidence or witnesses, the verdict will be announced at ater date.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. The morning trial had taken three hours, and it was already noon.

    She was famished, but she did not want to go out to eat at all.

    The prosecutor asked her sympathetically, ¡°Gu, are you okay? Don¡¯t me yourself. This case is already very difficult. We¡¯re already very surprised that you can do it to this extent.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to have dinner together?¡±He invited Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m Not Hungry, you can go. I need to organize my thoughts. I still have a tough battle to fight in the afternoon.¡±

    The prosecutor saw that she still hadn¡¯t given up. He was both moved and respectful. He was much more respectful to her now. ¡°Then you can take your time, counselor Gu. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded slightly and watched the prosecutor¡¯s back disappear in front of the court gate.

    By now, most of the people in the court had left in twos and threes.

    In order to not attract attention, even Lu Jin had been pulled away by Lu Yuan.

    Only Huo Shaoheng, he chengjian, and Xie qingying were left behind.

    The cameras in the courtroom and the live broadcast equipment stood quietly in the corridor, like steel monsters staring at them, ready to devour them at any moment.

    He chengjian walked up to Gu Nianzhi and asked in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, can I talk to you in My Car?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him and saw that although he looked good, his expression was deathly still and his eyes were lifeless.

    The person who had suffered the most during today¡¯s interrogation was not Qin Yaoguang or Qin Baye, but he chengjian.

    Gu Nianzhi could understand his feelings, but she did not have much sympathy for him.

    She asked coldly, ¡°What do you have to say that you can¡¯t say here?¡±

    He chengjian shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s safer in my car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The person she wanted to ask the most was he chengjian. She wanted to ask him about what had happened that day.

    She thought for a moment, then stood up and said, ¡°I only have 30 minutes. Can you finish?¡±

    He chengjian nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep it short.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around. Huo Shaoheng had already stood up and quietly followed behind her. They left the courtroom together and arrived in front of He Chengjian¡¯s bulletproof car.

    Huo Shaoheng and Xie qingying did not get into the car. Instead, they stood in front of the car.

    He chengjian and Gu Nianzhi got into the car.

    He chengjian ordered someone to lower the curtains on the window and let the person out.

    He and Gu Nianzhi sat face to face in the quiet and soundproof bulletproof car. After a moment of silence, he said,¡±... are all the things you said just now true?¡±

    ¡°Do you believe it?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at him indifferently. ¡°If you believe it, then it¡¯s true. If you don¡¯t, then it¡¯s fake.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Because I have no evidence,¡±Gu Nianzhi said frankly. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears, ¡°I have no evidence! Even the so-called congenital heart disease was acquired after birth by logical reasoning... if Qin Suwen¡¯s body hadn¡¯t turned into white bones...¡±

    She could still prove that Qin Suwen¡¯s congenital heart disease was acquired after birth.

    But now that he had lost his heart, how could she prove that she had a congenital heart disease?

    ¡°... This move of his is really ruthless...¡±gu nianzhi muttered as she gripped her briefcase strap tightly.

    He chengjian looked at her quietly and said, ¡°I believe you. I know what you said is true.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced back her tears, he said, ¡°So what if you believe me? We¡¯re trying this in front of the whole world. We need the court to believe that it¡¯s true, so that the people watching the live broadcast of the trial all over the world can believe it¡¯s true.¡±

    He Chengjian was silent for a moment, and began to recall the day Qin Suwen passed away.

    Over the years, he had recalled that day countless times. It was as if he was torturing himself. He remembered every minute and second of that day clearly.

    There were some things that he had not noticed at the time. After today¡¯s trial, he chengjian realized that they had a new meaning.

    He sped his hands and looked ahead indifferently. ¡°If you want, I can tell you what happened that day. I can even repeat the phone calls Qin Yaoguang made over the past three days to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°You remember it so well. Do you still remember the phone call Qin Yaoguang made 12 years ago?¡±

    ¡°I was very busy during those three days, so I only had time to take a call from her on the morning of Suwen¡¯s death,¡±he chengjian said in a deep voice.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1884, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1885

    <h4>Chapter 1885: Chapter 1885: A Premeditated n (Chapter 2: A Monthly Ticket)</h4>

    He chengjian ignored the sarcasm in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, he said inly, ¡°I remember it very clearly because in the past 12 years, there wasn¡¯t a day that I didn¡¯t recall the situation at that time. I just wanted to find some clues and piece together the real situation. But it was very difficult...¡±

    ¡°Your father... can not be reasoned with by ordinary people. He came and left. Su Wen died in the study...¡±

    He chengjian looked up at Gu Nianzhi. His eyes were already red, but the expression on his face did not change. It was as cold and distant as before, as if he was wearing a mask.

    He only had a smile from the bottom of his heart when he was facing his son, he zhichu.

    ¡°That¡¯s why, nianzhi, I have no choice but to arrest him... I want to find him and ask him what he told Suwen...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed lightly.

    It was so difficult tomunicate with someone like her father.

    Gu Nianzhi could even imagine how stubborn, arrogant, and arrogant Lu Jin would not listen to anyone at that time.

    No one could change his decisions and decisions.

    It was not until Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s imminent death that he changed his mind.

    ¡°But your father disappeared without a trace. All of a sudden, he was nowhere to be found. He had destroyed all of theb records and everything rted to you, including the hard drive. Everything looked like a premeditated n.¡±

    He chengjian lowered his voice.¡±... Nianzhi, you should be d that I didn¡¯t testify in court. Otherwise, your father, Gu Xiangwen, would have beenpletely convicted.¡±

    Gu Xiangwen had been hiding for so many years, but in reality, he had only been a ¡°Wanted suspect¡±. He hadn¡¯t really been convicted in court.

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time before she said softly, ¡°Then should I thank general he for being so kind and showing mercy?¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. I just wanted to tell you what happened. I Can¡¯t control what you think, nor can i.¡±he chengjian looked away and looked at the geometric patterns on the window curtains, he continued, ¡°But this happened that morning after Qin yaoguang called.¡±

    ¡°I think what you want to know more is about Qin yaoguang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Of course. I never believed that my father was the murderer, but Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye were too suspicious.¡±

    He chengjian stared at her intently, suddenly, he asked,¡±... Where did you find out about some things? Suwen and I tried to investigate her parents¡¯car ident andnd sale back then, but even Suwen couldn¡¯t find out what you know now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, I have my father as my cheat, so of course I can find out more than you guys..

    Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t say it out loud, but at the thought of this, she closed her eyes and stretched out her right pinky finger, gesturing at the tip of her pinky finger, she said, ¡°But now I forgive you a little, just a little, no more.¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s heart was heavy, but he was still amused by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s childish behavior.

    He looked at her, his eyes dazed, he mumbled,¡±... Nianzhi, sometimes your expression and actions are really like pixels... she doesn¡¯t have the memories of her childhood like you do, and she¡¯s just like you ¡ª smart, yful, strong, and strong. When she¡¯s stubborn, she can¡¯t be pulled back by even a few tractors.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll inadvertently reveal a little bit of childish mischief. People can¡¯t hit her, they can¡¯t scold her, but they can¡¯t spoil her too much. Otherwise, she¡¯ll really go to Heaven...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were red from listening to him. She hurriedly turned her head away and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about that day? Let¡¯s start from when Qin yaoguang called.¡±

    He chengjian realized that he had lost hisposure. Heposed himself and said, ¡°I was rude.¡±

    He was silent for a moment before he continued, ¡°The weather was fine that day. It was just autumn, and the weather was the best in the capital.¡±

    ¡°Susu didn¡¯t have to go to thew firm that day. You were throwing a tantrum and pestered susu to say that she didn¡¯t want to go to the tutor¡¯s ce for lessons and wanted to go to the amusement park for a day.¡±

    Perhaps he hadpletely let down his guard against Gu Nianzhi, he chengjian felt much more rxed when speaking to her. He even used the intimate term he used to call Qin Susu.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around.¡±... Me? I was... There that day?¡±

    He chengjian nodded and looked at her sadly. ¡°Of course you were. Ever since you entered my house, Su Su only had eyes for you.¡±

    When he said this, there was a hint of jealousy and envy in his tone that he did not have time to hide.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She smiled uneasily. ¡°I was still a child back then...¡±

    He chengjian smiled as well. ¡°You were already eight years old at the time... you¡¯ve lived in our house for two years. It¡¯s very different from when you first came to our house. You¡¯re no longer timid and introverted, and you¡¯re no longer hiding from everyone.¡±

    ¡°The only thing that¡¯s the same is you. As long as she¡¯s at home, you¡¯re her little tail.¡±

    ¡°When she goes to the bathroom to take a shower, you¡¯ll hand her a towel outside the shower curtain.¡±

    ¡°When she¡¯s working overtime in the study to read the files, you¡¯ll be holding dolls of all sizes and ying court in the children¡¯s yground in her office...¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re the best at cheating... Su Su has no resistance against you. She knows that it¡¯s not good to dote on her child, and she¡¯s also strict with Ah Chu. But when ites to you, she can be said to have no principles at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard he chengjianining about her, but her heart was actually warm. Her resentment and dissatisfaction towards he chengjian gradually dissipated.

    She rested her chin on her hands and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. Her big, Bright Eyes were like stars in the sky in the dim carriage, blinking and blinking, she said energetically, ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m too cute. I¡¯ll definitely be obedient!¡±

    He chengjian stared into her eyes and smiled. ¡°Cute is cute, but obedient is not necessarily so.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°And then?¡±

    She wanted to hear more about Qin Suwen and her, but he chengjian did not say anything more. He changed the subject and talked about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s phone call that day.

    ¡°... I got up very early that day too. I was in the study preparing the materials for the meeting that day. The operator called me at that moment and said that Qin Yaoguang had called from Hawaii. She also said that she had made a lot of calls over the past three days. This time, it seemed to be very important.¡±

    ¡°I was very busy the past few days. I told her to leave a message on my phone, but she didn¡¯t. I had three minutes that morning, so I asked the operator to pick up the call.¡±

    ¡°Then what did she say?¡±Gu Nianzhi was nervous. She clenched her fists and sat up straight. Her back was slightly bent, like a bow ready to be fired.

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t say it right away. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, folded his arms, and narrowed his eyes. He looked exactly like he zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched.¡±... general he, please don¡¯t keep me in suspense, okay?¡±

    He chengjian studied her for a while before saying, ¡°She first told me about some consolidation measures for gene therapy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the same as what she said in court, so she probably wasn¡¯t lying. What else?¡±

    ¡°Then she asked about you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The difort in her heart grew. ¡°Asked about me? Does she really care about me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help sneering.

    He chengjian continued to look at her and said, ¡°She asked me about your daily life. She asked me if Su Su was still as good to you as before, and if she was with you every day.¡±

    ¡°I said, you¡¯re much better now, and you don¡¯t Need Su Su to apany you every day. However, Su Su was still worried and wanted you to study at home, so she hired four or five tutors for you. ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t go to work or appear in court, she¡¯ll be with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully and mumbled, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that...¡±

    Was she really overthinking things?

    He chengjian continued, ¡°Then, Qin Yaoguang asked again, where are Nianzhi¡¯s dolls? Does she still like them? Should I make a few more for her to send over?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered. ¡°Dolls? She gave me those dolls? !¡±

    ¡°... Yes, they¡¯ve always been your favorite toys. You¡¯ve been carrying that doll ever since you came to our house. Later, when the doll got old, Qin Yaoguang gave you a bunch of dolls of the same size.¡±

    ¡°Just put them in your room and y with them when you don¡¯t go to ss.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s usually in SUSU¡¯s study. She has a small children¡¯s yground for you there and has a lot of toys. You y with your dolls.¡±

    ¡°Most children y with their dolls, but you y with your dolls in court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1885, ¡°nned premeditation.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    It was said that today was thest day for the roleparison activities. Everyone, remember to give a thumbs up to nianzhi and Huo Shao. Thank you ~ ~

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1886

    <h4>Chapter 1886: Chapter 1886 ¡ª one thought of Heaven, one thought of Hell (the first one asked for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head, her long eyshes fluttering like a crow¡¯s wing, concealing the waves in her heart.

    He chengjian¡¯s description, to Gu Nianzhi, was simply the joy of being together with Qin Suwen.

    She wished she could turn back time and go back to the carefree days when she was eight years old, living by Qin Suwen¡¯s side, and enjoying the pampering of her mother again.

    But she did not have that much time.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s family was still waiting for her to take revenge.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She asked angrily, ¡°Is she so kind as to give me a doll?¡±

    He chengjian frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with it before. It wasn¡¯t until today, after hearing you talk about so many things in court, that I remembered that it didn¡¯t seem normal.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not normal.¡±Gu Nianzhiposed herself and gradually calmed down, ¡°You know, she never doted on me and never treated me as her biological daughter. Why would she suddenly care about my dolls?¡±

    He Chengjian didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. After a while, he sighed, ¡°... Later, when I married her and she married into my family, she threw away all your old dolls and made a new batch. She put them in the treasure house in your room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought back to when she had first arrived in this world. She had seen dolls of all sizes in the he residence¡¯s old room. They wore all sorts of clothes and had long and short hair.

    The pink and purple dresses were old-fashioned, but it was obvious that none of the dolls had been yed with before. They were brand new.

    Gu Nianzhi had long forgotten that she was 12 years old, so even if the dolls were old, she had no recollection of them at all.

    ¡°... For no reason at all, why did she throw away all my dolls? So what if she threw them away? She even reced them with a new batch... there¡¯s no silver in this world...¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered, her long, mountain-like eyebrows were furrowed, but she couldn¡¯t understand Qin Yaoguang¡¯s intentions.

    He chengjian saw that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was upied by the dolls. He hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°Then do you still want to hear about what happened that day?¡±

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise. ¡°Of course.¡±She paused and asked again, ¡°What else?¡±

    She thought he chengjian had finished talking.

    He chengjian stared at her and asked slowly,¡±... you really don¡¯t remember anything? Didn¡¯t you say you remembered everything?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitched.

    She had said in court that she remembered some of the past events, such as how Qin Yaoguang had sent the Wen couple to kidnap her.

    Actually, she had deduced all of that. She hadn¡¯t remembered anything at all.

    Now that he chengjian had found a loophole, she admitted frankly, ¡°General He, I Won¡¯t hide it from you. I actually don¡¯t remember anything. My Memories Before I was 12 years old are still nk.¡±

    He chengjian looked at her with aplicated expression. After a long while, he sighed and rubbed his temples with his hands. His brows furrowed into a frown.

    He thought about it again and again, and finally decided to say it.

    He chengjian closed his eyes and said to Gu Nianzhi,¡±... After I answered the call, I hung up without saying anything. I only had three minutes.¡±

    ¡°Then I left the study and went to the dining room to have breakfast with Su Su. After breakfast, I went to the military for a meeting.¡±

    ¡°I went there for a few hours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard this and rolled her eyes,¡±... you had breakfast with Su Su. How Long did you have?¡±

    ¡°Not long, just half an hour.¡±He chengjian said disapprovingly. ¡°I didn¡¯t have much time, so I had no choice.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have time to talk to Qin Yaoguang, but he would rather spend his time with his wife over breakfast.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s impression of he chengjian had changed a little.

    He chengjian still looked at Gu Nianzhi and said slowly, only to see the smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face stiffen, and her expression almost contorted.

    Her hands were trembling, and even her voice was trembling. ¡°What... What did you say? !¡±

    ¡°I said...¡±he chengjian repeated what he had just said. ¡°I received a call from the orderly saying that something had happened at home.¡±

    ¡°I interrupted the meeting and rushed back from the military.¡±

    ¡°I met Ah Chu at the door. He also heard that something had happened at home and rushed back.¡±

    ¡°... Su Su¡¯s study has been strictly guarded. The doctors, the police, and the gendarmerie are on guard around our house.¡±

    He chengjian closed his eyes. His voice was hoarse, and he was sobbing, but he still forced himself to recount the scene.

    ¡°... when Ah Chu and I walked into Su Su¡¯s study, we saw her lying not far from the door. Her face was purple, and her eyes were about to pop out. Her expression was even a little ferocious. She held her neck with both hands. Her fingers were covered in blood, and her neck was covered in bloody marks. It was as terrifying as strangling herself to death..

    ¡°As for you, you were holding your doll and squatting by the wall at the door, screaming hysterically

    ¡°Ah Chu carried you out of the wall, and you kicked and hit him as if you didn¡¯t know him

    ¡°Ah Chu had no choice but to knock you out. He carried you back to his room personally and asked my personal secretary to take care of you

    ¡°Later, Ah Chu and I looked at the surveince footage in the corridor and found out that you were holding your doll and banging on the door in front of Su Su¡¯s study, crying and screaming

    ¡°Su Su, open the door! Su Su, open the door! Su Su,e out! Su Su,e out!¡±

    He chengjian could still hear the young Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sorrowful cries.

    He propped his head up with his hand, seemingly overwhelmed by the weight of the situation, and even his voice sounded much older.

    ¡°... the surveince footage in the corridor showed that the orderly heard your cries and ran upstairs to push the door of the study, but found that it couldn¡¯t be pushed open. He couldn¡¯t even get the spare key to open it. They were anxious and broke the lock of the door with their guns before kicking it open.¡±

    He chengjian lowered his head.¡±... you were still young at that time. Once the door was opened, you rushed in first. When you saw Susu¡¯s death, you could not stand such a scene at all. When you saw it, you immediately screamed hysterically.¡±

    ¡°You returned to the situation when you first came to our house. You were like a frightened little beast, holding its doll and hiding everywhere. No matter who approached you, they would be beaten and kicked by you. There was no way tomunicate at all.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I was shocked by Susu¡¯s sudden death. I couldn¡¯t care about you at all. It was Ah Chu whoforted me while dealing with Susu¡¯s funeral. At the same time, he stayed up all night to take care of you

    ¡°I was running around outside, forcing the police to solve the case within a time limit. However, the forensic examination showed that Susu died of a sudden death due to a congenital heart attack

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but her heart suddenly became active, causing the contraction to be weak. The blood supply was insufficient, and she gradually suffocated. That was why she desperately scratched her own throat, wishing that she could pierce her own throat

    ¡°And you became autistic again. Ah Chu moved back home from school, just like SUSU did in the past. He took care of you without sleep or rest, and only then did you gradually recover

    ¡°Later on, the police psychologist came to look for you several times, but you only knew that Su Su refused to open the door for you. As for what happened after that, you don¡¯t remember any of it

    ¡°Every time the psychologist came to ask you questions, you would break down for a long time

    ¡°Ah Chu couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. He refused to let the police psychologist question you again. He also asked me not to involve you in this anymore

    ¡°The police considered that you were young at the time and had a history of mental illness, so ording to the rules, they erased all the information about you from this case.¡±

    ¡°The orderly at home only knew that it was your father, Gu Xiangwen, who came to see Susu at that time. The two of them went to the study room to have a secret talk.¡±

    ¡°Not long after Gu Xiangwen left, the orderly heard your cries. He went upstairs to take a look and realized that Susu¡¯s study room door had been locked.¡±

    ¡°They couldn¡¯t open the door no matter how hard they tried, so they forced their way in.¡±

    ¡°... Call Ah Chu and me as soon as you find out what happened.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened when she heard that. She clutched her chest and said anxiously,¡±... It Can¡¯t be my dad! It really can¡¯t be my dad! General he, please believe me!¡±

    ¡°... I want to believe you. I used to believe that he wouldn¡¯t do this.¡±

    He chengjian still had one more thing to say. He could tell that Gu Xiangwen had a perverted crush on Qin Suwen. He had never believed that Gu Xiangwen would really harm Qin Suwen.

    However, when they went to look for Gu Xiangwen to help with the investigation, they found that he had already ¡°Escaped.¡±.

    He had left in such an orderly manner that he had managed to clean up his own affairs.

    All the information about theb he and Qin Yaoguang had worked together in had been destroyed. Even the information about Gu Nianzhi from Qin Yaoguang had been destroyed.

    ¡°... our investigation showed that your father had disappeared in a very premeditated manner.¡±

    ¡°You said that at this time, he was thest person to see SUSU. If we don¡¯t suspect him, who else can we suspect?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head desperately. ¡°No! No! My father...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anymore.¡±He chengjian raised his hand to stop her from continuing. ¡°Your father has passed away anyway, so I won¡¯t pursue his fault anymore.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±he chengjian¡¯s tone suddenly became murderous. ¡°If there¡¯s any proof that Susu¡¯s sudden death isn¡¯t that simple, I¡¯ll never let go of those who stretched their hands too far!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. ¡°General he, can I go out now? I want to be alone.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±He chengjian also rubbed his temples. ¡°I want to be alone too.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi pushed open he chengjian¡¯s car door and got out. A gust of wind blew. It was summer, and she actually shivered.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to see here out, but his little face was so pale that there was not a trace of blood on it.

    He walked over silently, put his arm around her shoulder, and took her away from he chengjian¡¯s bulletproof car.

    Gu nianzhi snuggled into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s warm embrace and felt her courage returning to her little by little.

    She took out her phone and rubbed it for a while. She recalled what he chengjian had said just now, and her heart skipped a beat. She called he zhichu.

    ¡°Young master he?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice was very low. She did not know what he was doing, but he lowered his voice and said, ¡°Yes.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi also whispered,¡±... I remember when you went over there, you brought a doll that I used to y with when I was a child.¡±

    He Zhichu was surprised that Gu Nianzhi had suddenly brought this up. He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I did bring it, but you don¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    He Zhichu had once been furious about it.

    But at that time, Gu Nianzhi had no idea why he zhichu had lost his temper. She had only thought that he was moody, like a lunatic..

    But now, Gu Nianzhi only wished that she was a lunatic.

    ¡°... that doll, was it really the one I yed with when I was young?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was your first doll. You¡¯ve had it with you since you were six years old. Butter... When you were taken away, this doll was with me.¡±

    It was ced by his bedside, and he could see it every day when he opened his eyes.

    Later, when he had gone to the other world, he had brought it with him to escape the fate of being ¡°Purged.¡±.

    ¡°That¡¯s Great!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice suddenly became high.

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Young master he, is that doll still with you? I mean, did you bring it with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was pounding. She was afraid that he zhichu would say that he didn¡¯t bring it with him. That would really be ¡°Heaven for one thought, hell for one thought¡±!

    Fortunately, he zhichu was silent for a while, but still said awkwardly,¡±... I brought it with me. What else do you need it for?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1886, ¡°Heaven for one thought, hell for one thought.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    There¡¯s a second watch at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1887

    <h4>Chapter 1887: Chapter 1887 this doll was personally made by me (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi, who had almost died from holding her breath, came back to life.

    She let out a long breath and asked nervously,¡±... where is that doll? ! Can you hurry up and bring it to me? !¡±

    He Zhichu was standing in the open space in front of the Qin Private Hospital¡¯s Hospital building in the imperial capital. The summer sun shone on his body, so hot that it almost burned his skin.

    Behind him were teams of inclothes security personnel. They were searching the administrative floor of the Qin private hospital building and constantly moving things out.

    At the same time, they were searching the headquarters of the Qin Private Hospital in City Z.

    He Zhichu¡¯s face was expressionless. ¡°Why do you want it? You haven¡¯t answered me.¡±

    ¡°Your father just told me personally that this doll was given to me by Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°On the morning of Mother¡¯s death, when Qin Yaoguang called your father, she specifically asked about my doll.¡±

    ¡°I suspect that there¡¯s something wrong with this doll!¡±

    He Zhichu had one hand in his trouser pocket and was talking to Gu Nianzhi through a Bluetooth headset.

    He asked calmly, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I suspect that this doll has something to do with Mother¡¯s death!¡±Gu Nianzhi said excitedly. She had finally found physical evidence.

    He zhichu shook his head and retorted, ¡°Even if there¡¯s a problem, do you have time to examine that doll now?¡±

    ¡°Also, if there¡¯s a problem, why are you fine, Me Fine, and My Father Fine? The only one who¡¯s not fine is my mother?¡±

    Updates by

    ¡°Also, everything that enters our house has gone through many rigorous tests. Do you think everything can be sent in so easily?¡±

    ¡°If it were really that easy, my mother would have been killed by the Qin family before she even gave birth to me.¡±

    He Zhichu nowpletely believed that Qin Baye harbored ill intentions towards his mother¡¯s family. He had to put Qin Baye to death.

    Gu Nianzhi was tongue-tied by He Zhichu¡¯s question. She couldn¡¯t find any words to refute him.

    She looked at her watch. Half of the thirty minutes had passed, and there were fifteen minutes left before the court would begin again.

    Gu Nianzhi stomped her feet in desperation. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! That doll belongs to Me Anyway! You have to give it back to me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and reached out with his long arm to take the phone from Gu Nianzhi. He said to he zhichu, ¡°Young master he, I¡¯m Peter.¡±

    ¡°Bring the doll over first. It¡¯s best if you do it yourself. Don¡¯t let anyone elsee into contact with this doll.¡±

    He Zhichu was slightly taken aback, but he quickly reacted. wasn¡¯t ¡°Peter¡±Huo Shaoheng?

    Stop pretending!

    However, seeing how much Huo Shaoheng valued this doll, he zhichu suppressed the difort in his heart. He turned to look at the progress of the search and waved for his personal secretary, ¡°Watch this. I want to go back to the court. Call my orderly if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    He zhichu nodded. If he entered the court, he would not be able to answer calls from outside.

    The orderly standing guard at the door would be able to answer.

    His personal secretary nodded in agreement. She raised her hand and saluted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, chief. I¡¯ll watch as they search for anything suspicious!¡±

    He zhichu nodded and got into his personal car. He ordered the driver to drive back to the He residence first and took out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s doll from his suitcase.

    This was the doll that Gu Nianzhi had held in her arms when she first arrived at their house.

    Later, Qin Yaoguang had given her many dolls that looked exactly the same, but this doll had always been her favorite.

    He Zhichu had studied child psychology in order to take care of Gu Nianzhi. He knew that children who did not have a sense of security would ce their sense of security on familiar things around them.

    For example, a small quilt for sleeping, a furry toy, or even a pacifier.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Safety quilt¡±should be her doll, right?

    He Zhichu had once thought that with a doll, he could awaken Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memories.

    Now he did not want to do that, but Gu Nianzhi was somehow interested in this doll again.

    Did It really have something to do with the death of her mother, Qin Suwen?

    He Zhichu looked at the doll and wrapped it in stic wrap. He then took a paper bag and ced it inside before carrying it downstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng saw that there wasn¡¯t much time left, so they returned to the entrance of the court to wait for he zhichu.

    Ten minutester, he zhichu arrived at the court. He pointed to a small conference room next to the court and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that this small room was supposed to be a ce for witnesses to stay before they went to court.

    It was very safe and secretive, and there were no surveince cameras.

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and leaned against the door, like a door god, not allowing anyone to get close.

    In the small meeting room, he zhichu handed the paper bag to Gu Nianzhi and asked in confusion,¡±... are you sure this thing is rted to... The Case?¡±

    While he was in the car, he had already watched the live broadcast of the trial that he had missed.

    He knew Gu Nianzhi¡¯s predicament better than anyone else.

    Gu Nianzhi had no evidence, no witnesses, and no physical evidence.

    All of her arguments were based on her logical reasoning.

    Now that Gu Nianzhi was so eager to get the doll, he zhichu realized what she was going to do.

    ¡°You want to use this doll as evidence? What do you want to prove?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything. She lowered her head and took out the doll that she didn¡¯t like muchter.

    The more she looked at the doll, the more it looked like Wen Shouyi.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and looked closely at the doll that she had already forgotten.

    The doll was indeed very old. The pink and purple princess dress had lost its color, and the edges of the dress had been ruffled, indicating that it had been rubbed countless times. There was even ayer of abrasions on the doll¡¯s cheeks.

    After turning the doll over, there were three words written on the back of the doll¡¯s neck: ¡°Gu Nianzhi¡±..

    It was probably written in some kind of ink used for tattoos. The traces of the ink had prated deep into the doll¡¯s skin, even though so many years had passed and the color had not faded.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the three words that looked like crabs crawling all over the ce. The corners of her mouth twitched. It was indeed her handwriting, and she had verified it correctly.

    Many years ago, when she was a child, she used to take a pen and solemnly write her name on her favorite doll, indicating the ownership of the doll?

    It was indeed the childish things she did when she was a retarded Lolita..

    ¡°... why do I like this kind of doll?¡±Gu nianzhi muttered, ¡°Is it that important?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the door and saw that there was no one around. He calmly said,¡±... When I first met you, you had a photo with you. In the photo, you were holding this doll.¡±

    ¡°When you were emotionally unstable, our psychiatrist suggested that we give you something familiar to calm your emotions.¡±

    ¡°So we copied this doll from the photo.¡±

    ¡°It can indeed calm you down.¡±

    This was something that wasmon in child psychology.

    Gu Nianzhi held the doll and looked at it over and over again, wondering if she should take it for testing, like for viruses or bacteria.

    But then she remembered that he zhichu¡¯s words made sense.

    If the doll really had a virus or bacteria that could cause death from infectious diseases, then how could she, he chengjian, and he zhichu be okay?

    The orderly soldiers, personal secretary, housekeepers, and gardeners of the He family were also fine..

    As far as she knew, even the most urate gic weapon could only target the genes of one race, not a specific person!

    She wondered if she should check with Lu Jin when her phone rang.

    She picked it up and took a look. It was Lu Jin calling.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She gestured to he zhichu and Huo Shaoheng and walked to the window alone. She swiped her phone and answered the call.

    ¡°... can I ask you a question?¡±Gu Nianzhi was very cautious when she was outside. She rarely called Lu Jin ¡°Daddy¡±directly because she was afraid that others would hear her and make a bad connection.

    He Zhichu was here, so she couldn¡¯t give herself away.

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°I want to ask, are there any viruses, bacteria, or gic weapons that only work on one person?¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t expect Gu Nianzhi to ask this. He was stunned for a moment before saying, ¡°What do you think viruses, bacteria, and gic weapons are? Bullets that can be aimed at? ¡ª No, at the moment, it¡¯s absolutely impossible.¡±

    ¡°Is it really impossible?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that if you tampered with the genes...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s tampering with the genes, not gic weapons! These are two different concepts.¡±Lu Jin rubbed his temples, his head aching, ¡°It¡¯s like a targeted poison, and a indiscriminate shooting with a gun. It¡¯spletely different.¡±

    ¡°The most advanced virus weapons are actually gic weapons, but they can only target the genes of a particr race.¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember that I once told you that the gic difference between humans and animals is actually not as big as we think.¡±

    ¡°The gic difference between humans is even smaller.¡±

    ¡°So if you¡¯re not careful, those gic weapons will be a sharp weapon that will destroy you. No one is that stupid.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had stopped talking, Lu Jin was silent for a while before asking, ¡°Nianzhi, are you really sure that Qin Yaoguang murdered Su Wen?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely.¡±Gu Nianzhi actually felt that not only was she being unreasonable, but it was also her obsession.

    In her current state, she was basically setting up her own argument first and then looking for an argument based on it. She waspletely putting the cart before the horse.

    If the defensewyer did this, it would be very easy for the other party to defeat the logical reasoning in a real court.

    This was because the argument that was found this way might not be able to directly point to the only argument. There were many loopholes.

    Only when there was an argument, and then the argument was logically deduced to the only possible argument, would it be an unassable defense.

    She came back to her senses, unwilling to admit defeat, she said, ¡°I actually have evidence. Do you still remember the doll that I liked the most when I was young? Of course, I already didn¡¯t like it at first, because that doll looked like anyone. It actually looked like Wen Shouyi, like the looks of the girls in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s family.¡±

    She pursed her lips and looked at the doll in her hand with some disdain.

    Why was her taste so bad when she was a retarded Lolita? She really wanted to stab her own eyes in!

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression suddenly changed.¡±... Why did you say that the doll was evidence? What did you find out? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly realized that Lu Jin¡¯s tone was off.

    Her eyes lit up, ¡°You also know that there¡¯s something wrong with that doll? !¡±

    ¡°No Problem!¡±Lu Jin suddenly became violent and shouted resolutely, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that doll! Because I personally made that doll for you!¡±

    However, in the eyes of outsiders, it was Qin yaoguang, the mother, who had given it to Gu Nianzhi when she was still a baby.

    Lu Jin did not defend himself then, nor did he want to.

    It was Qin Yaoguang who had given it to Gu Nianzhi, so that when Gu Nianzhi grew up in the future, he would not be able to exin why he had made such a doll.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1887, ¡°I made this doll with my own hands.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    PS: for the story of the doll, you can look back at the previous chapter. The details were tweaked a year ago. He Zhichu took out this doll when there were more than 400 stamps. Didn¡¯t the rtives feel that something was wrong at that time? O (¡É) O ~ .

 Chapter 1888

    <h4>Chapter 1888: Chapter 1888 he doesn¡¯t Love You (First Update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was so shocked that her phone almost fell to the ground.

    She trembled as she held the phone with one hand and rested the other hand on the windowttice. She said in a low voice, ¡°Are you sure? You really made it? ! Could it have been switched?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I made myself? The person who can switch my bag hasn¡¯t been born yet in this world,¡±Lu Jin said disdainfully. His mind was also nervously thinking about how to divert Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze.

    Gu Nianzhi heard this familiar tone. Although she was extremely anxious and surprised, she couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud.

    She chuckled, and her hot brain calmed down.

    She slowly turned around and sat on the windowsill. She smiled and said, ¡°Even if the doll wasn¡¯t switched, who knows what¡¯s on it that can¡¯t be seen by the naked eye...¡±

    She had actually only said it casually to shut Lu Jin up.

    Besides, Qin Yaoguang was a proud person on the surface, but she was actually a dark person on the inside. What could she not do?

    This wasn¡¯t a crime against her.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart was in his throat when he heard this. He stuttered, ¡°What do you mean by what can¡¯t be seen by the naked eye... Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    ,

    Gu Nianzhi knew Lu Jin too well. When she heard his tone, she immediately understood. ¡°Great! There really is something to hide!¡±

    ¡°I mean, how can this Bitch Be So Nice to me... You¡¯re an experimenter. Do you have toys for yourb rats? Do you care if yourb rats are depressed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°If she wasn¡¯t guilty, why would she care about my dolls? Also, why would she throw away all my old dolls and rece them with new ones?¡±

    Updates by

    Lu Jin felt relieved when he heard this. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s an old thing anyway. It¡¯s okay to throw it away. It¡¯s no big deal.¡±

    However, he also realized that Gu Nianzhi was obsessed with Qin Yaoguang and was determined to bring her down.

    If she didn¡¯t get what she wanted, he didn¡¯t know what she would pull out..

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was a little unsettled, and finally turned into a long sigh.

    He sat in Lu Yuan¡¯s car and finally said,¡±... actually, Qin Yaoguang is very jealous of Su Wen. She¡¯s been thinking about he chengjian for a long time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Why did he sound like he was gossiping? !

    Gu Nianzhi quickly looked at her watch and said, ¡°I still have five minutes, hurry up and tell me. After that, I¡¯ll go to court and peel off Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Skin!¡±

    She had wanted to peel off Qin Yaoguang¡¯s skin for a long time, but she had no choice. Ever since Qin Suwen married he chengjian, Qin Baye¡¯s family had been keeping a low profile in the business world, they had never been arrogant or domineering before.

    She didn¡¯t know whether to say that he chengjian or Qin Baye was better.

    In short, they didn¡¯t dare to provoke the he family.

    The previous kidnapping case wasn¡¯t painful at all. After the infrasound weapons case, Qin Yaoguang was pushed out as a scapegoat.

    However, in the blink of an eye, Qin Baye contacted Luo Le from the United States and gave them a show of force.

    Look, for the sake of that B * tch, Qin yaoguang, he was willing to sacrifice the entire huaxia trade..

    Gu nianzhi spat angrily.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at her.

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck in guilt and quickly said to Lu Jin on the other side of the phone, ¡°Hurry up and say it!¡±

    He zhichu walked in front of Huo Shaoheng and yed with a cigarette in his hand. He said calmly, ¡°Huo Shao, aren¡¯t you going to pretend anymore?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already recognize him? How am I pretending?¡±

    He Zhichu had already recognized him since the day he had shouted those words behind his back.

    Now that he knew that he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were half-siblings, Huo Shaoheng had nothing to worry about.

    Besides, they needed he zhichu¡¯s help.

    He zhichu saw that Huo Shaoheng had actually admitted to it. He stared at him for a while and tapped his finger twice.¡±... you win.¡±

    On the other hand, Gu Nianzhi let out an uncontroble scream.

    He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng turned to look and said in unison, ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already jumped down from the windowsill and said excitedly, ¡°She really did this? ! When did this happen? ! Do you have proof? !¡±

    If she really did have proof, she would crucify Qin Yaoguang this time.

    Lu Jin knew that Gu Nianzhi would not let this matter rest until he took out something.

    In order to bring Qin Yaoguang to justice as soon as possible so that Gu Nianzhi would not continue digging deeper, Lu Jin sent her a copy of the experimental data that he had kept for many years, he also said, ¡°The aborted embryos are all kept in her secretb. Wait for me to check again and make sure that there is nothing rted to you before you throw out that secretb.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed and quickly nodded. ¡°Okay, okay! Go Check! I¡¯m going to court soon!¡±

    She put away her phone, her face beaming with joy. Her smile was as bright and radiant as the summer sun.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and found it hard to look away from her face. He asked calmly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What did you find out?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t divulge the secrets of heaven. You can only tell me when we go to court.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile became even more charming.

    She was indeed very beautiful, but she was not considered a peerless beauty. However, she had an indescribable charm that was unforgettable at first sight.

    He Zhichu was burned by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile, which was like the scorching summer sun.

    He turned his head silently and followed Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng into the courtroom.

    There were more people in the courtroom in the afternoon than in the morning!

    There were twice as many media outlets with cameras and live broadcast equipment as there had been in the morning!

    At this time, the courtroom could be said to have swept the ratings charts of all the television stations in the world.

    Seeing this, Gu Nianzhi did not have any stage fright at all. Instead, she was like those ¡°Crazy people¡±actors. The more people there were, the more excited she became and the more outstanding she performed.

    She was born for the court.

    The prosecutor, who had been feeling uneasy, could not help smiling when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s glowing face. He said, ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t need me tofortwyer Gu anymore. Lawyer Gu has a clear victory in his hands.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu Nianzhi reached out and high-fived the prosecutor in the air. ¡°We¡¯ll win for sure! Justice Will Prevail!¡±

    Lu Anpeng, who was sitting in the defendant¡¯s seat, pursed his lips. He deeply felt that even if he won this case, he would still be considered an unfair winner in everyone¡¯s eyes. It would be like bullying a child.

    However, if he lost, he would be using his decades of fame to be the stepping stone for this young and beautifulwyer Gu..

    Lu Anpeng looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly, not letting go of her every move.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down elegantly, waiting for the judge to strike the gavel.

    The judge saw that there were too many people in the courtroom, and that there was a steady stream of peopleing in to listen in. He finally struck the gavel and said, ¡°The number of people in this courtroom has reached its limit. Close the door.¡±

    After closing the door, the people outside could only watch the live broadcast of the trial from outside, and could not watch the live broadcast.

    He chengjian, he zhichu, and Xie qingying were still sitting in their old seats.

    Xie qingying saw that he zhichu had returned and quickly asked, ¡°Are you done with your work?¡±

    He zhichu nodded and turned to he chengjian, who was beside him, and said softly, ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve already sent people to seal the area.¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s expression did not change. He just nodded.

    Their gazes were fixed on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back.

    She was dressed in a very mature ck business suit with her hair in a bun. From the back, they could see her slender, fair and tender neck, and her graceful figure.

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes narrowed again.

    This back view was too familiar.

    Why hadn¡¯t he noticed it before?

    His vision was a little blurry, as if he had seen the back view from decades ago that had made him mistake her for someone else.

    Qin Suwen, Qin Yaoguang, and Gu Nianzhi, their backs really looked alike..

    But Qin Yaoguang¡¯s appearance had undergone stic surgery. How could she look so much like Gu Nianzhi when she grew up?

    He chengjian¡¯s emotions were churning, like a cat eager to try a brazier. He always wanted to reach out his ws to poke at the heart of the fire, but he didn¡¯t dare, because he knew that once he reached out, he would be burned.

    In the courtroom, the presiding judge had already started to ask gu nianzhi, ¡°Does the prosecution have any new evidence and witnesses?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up calmly, her eyes bright and her voice clear. ¡°Your honor, we do have new evidence.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s really evidence? !¡±

    ¡°What evidence? !¡±

    ¡°What kind of evidence? ¡ª is there really something wrong with Dean Qin?¡±

    The people inside and outside the courtroom began to whisper to each other again.

    The people who had rushed over to watch the scene were even happier.

    It was not a waste of their hard work toe all the way here. They had to watch the show, right?

    Gu Nianzhi knew the psychology of these bystanders very well. She did not me them. It was because of these bystanders that she was able to broadcast the truth in the shortest amount of time possible.

    She gestured to the technicians in the courtroom again and had them dim the lights in the courtroom. She connected to herptop and opened up the information that Lu Jin had just sent her to everyone.

    This was a handwritten record of the experiment. It was obvious that it had been a long time, and the paper was a little yellow.

    However, the handwriting on the experiment record was very formal and stiff. It was also very vigorous, and did not look like a woman¡¯s handwriting at all.

    Before Gu Nianzhi could say anything, everyone who was familiar with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s handwriting had a change of expression.

    Could it be that Qin Yaoguang had personally written this experiment record? !

    Gu Nianzhi took a good look at the expressions on Qin Baye¡¯s side before she said with a smile, ¡°This is the evidence I just obtained.¡±

    ¡°I have to say, thew of the jungle is always in ce.¡±

    ¡°This trial, which is being broadcasted live all over the world, has caused many insiders toe forward and provide us with evidence to helpwyer Qin Suwen Get Justice!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi picked up theser pen and circled the experimental records on the white projection screen. She said loudly, ¡°These experimental data were written by Qin Yaoguang herself more than 20 years ago.¡±

    ¡°What are these experimental records? I think everyone who has done an embryo experiment knows about them. Even those who have given birth know about them!¡±

    ¡°These are the records of artificial insemination and childbirth

    ¡°In the past two years, Qin Yaoguang has secretly conducted twenty-eight artificial insemination experiments with surrogate mothers without anyone knowing. However, none of them seeded in giving birth to a child

    ¡°The provider of the failed artificial insemination experiments is Qin Yaoguang herself, and the provider of the paternal line is general he chengjian

    ¡°Now everyone can see how insane this woman is! How perverted she is to be infatuated with general he chengjian, the husband of Qin Suwen

    ¡°Twenty to thirty years ago, not long after Qin Suwen gave birth to his only son, she used the excuse of treating the only son of Qin Suwen to collect his parents¡¯reproductive cells, iming that she was going to research gene therapy

    ¡°But in reality, she used her work for personal gain and secretly satisfied her own selfish desires!¡±

    ¡°She dreamed of giving general he chengjian a child. So she didn¡¯t hesitate to use the excuse of doing experiments to steal other people¡¯s reproductive cells andbine them with her own reproductive cells in an attempt to get pregnant and have a child.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said as she walked up to the ashen-faced Qin yaoguang and said meaningfully, ¡°Unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t love you, so even his genes reject you.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1888, ¡°He doesn¡¯t love you.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    There was a second update at 8 pm.

    PS: When I was talking about the 400 chapters, he zhichu took out the doll. Did his friends feel that something was wrong? In the end, they thought it was too magical.

    In fact, it was a contradiction with the original beginning. At that time, the details about the doll at the beginning were modified. It did not affect the main plot.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1889

    <h4>Chapter 1889: Chapter 1889: The Real Hammer of murder (second update)</h4>

    Qin yaoguang stared at the recording of the experiment on the white projection screen. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t hear what Gu Nianzhi was saying at all.

    Of course, she might have heard it, but her subconscious still refused to believe it.

    There was only one sentence echoing in her mind: ¡°Oh no, how did they discover this thing?¡±

    She said subconsciously,¡±... What did you say?¡±

    ¡°You Didn¡¯t hear me? Then I¡¯ll say it again. Because he doesn¡¯t love you, even his genes reject you!¡±

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips became even more exquisite, and in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes, it was even more dazzling.

    To Qin yaoguang, these words were no less than a nuclear bomb or a strong acid solution. They melted her whole body from head to toe, leaving not even a trace of her bones.

    She recalled the experiments that she had secretly done all those years ago. Those frustrations, pain, and indescribable jealousy were like poison that nibbled at her heart.

    Of course, she was unwilling and unwilling, but she still had to help that B * Tch treat her son. On what basis? !

    She, Qin Yaoguang, was extremely intelligent, beautiful, and had an outstanding family background. How could she lose to an orphan girl who had nothing? !

    She stood up abruptly and blurted out the words that had been hidden in her heart for more than thirty years.

    ¡°... you say it as if his genes don¡¯t reject her! Otherwise, how could he give birth to a sick son? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still a gic defect! Do you know what a gic defect is? !¡±Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression was ferocious as her hands gripped the edge of the defendant¡¯s table tightly. She wished that the wooden block could be mistaken for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    ¡°What kind of good thing are you? ! You have to know your own limits. You¡¯re his medicine! I used you to cure her son¡¯s illness. She owes me! She owes me more than she¡¯ll ever be able to repay in two lifetimes!¡±

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged her shoulders disapprovingly and pointed at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s sharp lips. She said sarcastically, ¡°You cured Qin Suwen¡¯s son¡¯s illness? Qin yaoguang, have some dignity.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve stolen everything in your life. Do you even have anything of your own?¡±

    ¡°Your lips only caved in for a few days, and you¡¯ve already fixed them? You¡¯re so good with your hands and eyes... in the detention center, you can even have stic surgery...¡±

    Lu Anpeng quickly stood up and said, ¡°This is just a small surgery. It¡¯s just filling up your lips with hyaluronic acid. It¡¯s not real stic surgery. ¡°My client¡¯s lips caved in because she was abused in the detention center.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to release the photo of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s skull and her face after stic surgery. She pointed at the two contrasting photos and said loudly, ¡°Counsel for the defense, please stop quibbling!¡±

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face was originally stic surgery. She doesn¡¯t look like this at all!¡±

    These two pictures had been released in court before, but the trial was not public at that time, and the court records did not allow records, so not many people had seen them.

    However, this time, it was a live broadcast of the trial to the whole world. These two contrasting pictures instantly caused an uproar on the inte worldwide.

    [ TSK TSK! I Can¡¯t look at it before stic surgery! ]

    [ actually, it¡¯s not ugly before stic surgery, but withoutparison, there¡¯s no harm. The appearance after stic surgery is too beautiful, so it makes it look ugly before stic surgery! ]

    [ Qin Yaoguang¡¯s family runs a hospital, so she can do whatever she wants! ]

    [ add her ID number upstairs! Look at her, if she wants to have stic surgery, she can do it, even if she¡¯s locked up in a detention center! ]

    [ if she wants to do artificial insemination, she can do it no matter how many times she wants! ]

    [ do you want to give birth to the child of the person you like? Come to the Qin private hospital, as long as the other party masturbates, you can give birth to as many children as you want! ¡ª free shipping, Dear! ]

    Just as the online public opinion was furiously denouncing Qin yaoguang, as soon as one of the posts was posted, it was blocked by the Sea of posts on the Inte.

    The post said: [ speaking weakly, don¡¯t you find it strange? If Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery, how could she look so much like her own daughter? ]

    This post did not stir up any waves and instantly sank to the bottom of the valley.

    ..

    Lu Anpeng saw that Qin Yaoguang¡¯s emotions had almost copsed, so he immediately stood up and said, ¡°Your Honor, my client, Qin Yaoguang, is a little emotional. I request for a recess, and the trial will be held next time.¡±

    Qin yaoguang was still clinging to the table in the dock and shouting,¡±... No! He loves me! He married me in the end! I was pregnant once! You¡¯re lying!¡±

    ¡°He married you, but he didn¡¯t sleep with you.¡±

    ¡°You were pregnant, but it was an artificial insemination. You didn¡¯t give birth in the end and miscarried within a few months.¡±Gu Nianzhi continued to agitate Qin yaoguang.

    She knew that her feelings for he chengjian were Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Achilles¡¯heel.

    It was only when she felt a bone-piercing pain that it would truly break through her psychological defenses and make her say whatever she wanted.

    Qin yaoguang burst into tears as she red angrily at Gu Nianzhi and cried, ¡°She deserves to die! She¡¯s an orphan girl with nothing! What right does she have topete with me? ! She should have died a long time ago!¡±

    ¡°So you admit that you killed Barrister Qin Suwen? Just because of the deep hatred you have for her for decades? !¡±Gu Nianzhi immediately pressed, her expression turning cold.

    ¡°Objection! The prosecution¡¯swyer is trying to coax a confession out of my client!¡±Lu Anpeng strode over and ced his hand on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s shoulder.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s body shook and her pupils constricted. She came back to her senses and quickly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t kill her! She died so quickly, who would have time to...¡±

    ¡°You still want to Quibble? ! You really won¡¯t shed tears until you see the coffin!¡±Gu Nianzhi strode back to her intiff¡¯s seat, she took out the paper bag he zhichu had given her, took out the doll wrapped in stic wrap, and quickly walked back.

    Standing in front of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Dock, Gu Nianzhi held up the somewhat old doll, she said coldly, ¡°Qin yaoguang, do you still recognize this doll? Don¡¯t you know what you¡¯ve done to this doll? !¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes widened abruptly, and her eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. The ck pupils in the middle seemed so small, and she could only seerge patches of white around her eyes. They were so wide that she couldn¡¯t even see the sky or the ground, it was the standard four white eyes.

    She fell back into her seat and only a voice echoed in her mind.

    ¡°It¡¯s over... why is this thing still here? ... where did she find it? !¡±

    Qin yaoguang carefully stared at the doll in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. She was getting more and more dizzy. She almost couldn¡¯t support herself.

    It was really the doll. The doll that she hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.

    Gu Nianzhi had taken out this doll on purpose to test it out.

    She was certain that there was something wrong with this doll, but she could not figure out what it was.

    Lu Jin had also been involved in this, saying that he had made this doll himself, so the situation was even more confusing.

    So she took it out unexpectedly to see Qin Yaoguang¡¯s reaction, so that she could have more information to refer to.

    Now that she had seen Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mournful expression, Gu Nianzhi knew what to do.

    If there was nothing wrong with the doll, she could cut off its head and kick it like a ball!

    ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held the doll in her hand and turned to face the audience in the courtroom. She also faced the cameras and the live broadcast equipment. ¡°Everyone, please take a look at this doll.¡±

    She was wearing a pink and purple princess dress, with thick bangs, slender eyes, a face like a silver te, and a voluptuous figure. She looked like a little girl who had walked out of an ancient painting. She was not a typical western-style doll doll, instead, she was a doll that had the characteristics of the ancient empire. An expert could tell at a nce that these dolls were not avable on the market, but had been custom-made.

    ¡°This is a doll that I yed with when I was a child. Qin yaoguang gave it to me.¡±

    ¡°She used this doll as a medium to murder Barrister Qin Suwen!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi jumped to a conclusion.

    Lu Anpengughed in anger. ¡°Ridiculous!¡±

    ¡°Barrister Gu, you have to be more reliable when you speak!¡±! ¡°Just based on this old doll that you found out of nowhere and im it was a murder weapon, if this can be used as evidence, then what¡¯s the point of going to court?¡±? ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just sentence my client to death?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and was about to retort when she suddenly felt someone sending her a message on her phone.

    She picked it up and saw that it was he chengjian and Lu Jin who had sent her a message at the same time.

    He chengjian¡¯s message was: ¡°I got someone to find the recording of Qin Yaoguang Calling Me 12 years ago in the morning to prove what Qin Yaoguang said to me that morning.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s message was: [ I sent you a surveince video of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Secret Lab. The time was the day Qin Yaoguang left for Hawaii to attend an international conference. There was also a virus model. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secretb had already been checked. There was no information on you, so you can use it as evidence to provide evidence to the court. ]

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

    Finally, there was concrete evidence of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s murder!

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said loudly, ¡°I have evidence and witnesses!¡±

    As she spoke, she connected her phone to herputer and yed the evidence that the two of them had sent her.

    The first thing that yed was the contents of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s phone call to he chengjian on the morning of Qin Suwen¡¯s sudden death.

    When the recording was yed to Qin yaoguang saying, ¡°Where is Nianzhi¡¯s doll? Does she still like it? Do you want to make a few more for her to send over?¡±The court was in an uproar.

    The judge said seriously, ¡°The court needs to examine this recording. The prosecution would like to submit new evidence to the court.¡±

    He chengjian stood up and said, ¡°I can prove that this recording is real. She called me.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s expression was extremely twisted, like an earthworm crawling under her skin.

    He chengjian had not expected he chengjian to publicly p her in the face!

    She had been in love with him for so many years. Did he really not take her feelings to heart at all?

    Qin yaoguang had always thought that she had a ce in he chengjian¡¯s heart, until today, when she heard gu nianzhi say, ¡°He doesn¡¯t love you, so even his genes reject you!¡±

    She leaned back in her seat dejectedly, no longer interested in life.

    Gu Nianzhi unexpectedly did not let her go and continued, ¡°I have another piece of evidence. It¡¯s Something Qin Yaoguang and her assistant did in her secretboratory twelve years ago.¡±

    ¡°Everyone, look closely at the time of the video. It was the fourth day before Qin Suwen passed away, the Morning Qin Yaoguang left for Hawaii to attend an international conference.¡±

    ¡°What a great alibi.¡±

    She said mockingly as she turned on the yer. After a hiss, the image of aboratory appeared.

    Theboratory was very simple and exquisite. It had a low-key luxury of a postmodern style.

    Theboratory utensils were all silver and shimmering with a dull silver light.

    Qin Yaoguang was wearing a whiteb coat and sitting in front of theboratory table. She was looking up and talking to her assistant who was standing in front of her.

    From the angle of the surveince camera, this angle perfectly highlighted her face.

    It was undoubtedly Qin Yaoguang herself.

    ¡°... The virus sample on the doll can be upgraded. These experimental data show that the original virus is no longer effective against Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Her voice was cold and deep, very different from her usual high-pitched tone.

    The assistant hesitated and said, ¡°Director Qin, the virus is indiscriminately aggressive. Aren¡¯t you afraid... that you¡¯ll make general he sick?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m the He family¡¯s family doctor. General he and his son have already been vinated against the virus. They won¡¯t be infected. The only one who will be infected is Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°And Qin Suwen,¡±his assistant reminded.

    ¡°Qin Suwen isn¡¯t a person in my eyes. She¡¯s infected with the virus. It¡¯s her bad luck. What does it have to do with me?¡±Qin yaoguang said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m only concerned about the virus¡¯s ability to destroy Gu Nianzhi¡¯s genes, and whether Gu Nianzhi¡¯s resistance can be upgraded.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had never expected that the video Lu Jin had sent her was actually rted to her!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 1889, ¡°The Real Hammer of murder.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1890 - Perfect Exhumation (first and only monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1890: Chapter 1890: Perfect Exhumation (first and only monthly ticket)</h4>

    What happened to not having any information about her?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched imperceptibly.

    She knew Lu Jin was unreliable.

    What was she supposed to do?

    Should she continue ying, or should she pause it immediately?

    She felt that if she continued ying, her special constitution and even her gic problems would be exposed.

    Even though her existence was no secret to those people.

    That was because from the moment she was born, those people knew that she was one of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s targets for experimenting with perfect genes. However, because Lu Jin had tampered with the process, those people did not know that her genes were already perfect.

    However, if she paused it immediately, she would lose a great opportunity to take down Qin Yaoguang!

    It might even be herst chance!

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for so long, but it was actually only for a moment.

    Her fingers did not press the pause button, but calmly continued to watch.

    The audience inside and outside the courtroom saw this scene and eximed in surprise.

    The way they looked at Gu Nianzhi was also very strange.

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi held her head high, her posture was straight, and she had an aura that would rather bend than bend.

    The video continued to y.

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s assistant stood still.

    After a moment of silence, the assistant hesitated. ¡°Director Qin, are we really going to continue this experiment?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±Qin Yaoguang red at him. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing this experiment for six years, and you¡¯re telling me to stop today? !¡±

    ¡°... But we haven¡¯t achieved much in the past six years.¡±The assistant said as he pressed a button on the experimental table in front of Qin Yaoguang.

    On the entire wall opposite them, an LED screen appeared, and images appeared one after another.

    The assistant pointed at the images and said calmly, ¡°Dean Qin, look, this is the experiment we did on Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°From the time she was two to six years old, we brought her to this secretboratory and did physical experiments, toxicology experiments, and pathology experiments on her. We were just short of slicing her up and studying her. What was the result?¡±? ¡°We didn¡¯t find anything abnormal.¡±

    ¡°Other than helping young master he treat his gic defects, her genes are of no help to other diseases or people.¡±

    As the video zoomed in, the people inside and outside the court also saw the video yed in the surveince video.

    They only saw a young child falling from a high ce. There was only a thinyer of cushion under her to prevent her from really falling to her death.

    She seemed to be crying, but the video that Qin Yaoguang and the others watched did not have any sound, so they could not hear it.

    However, the heart-wrenching pain that they couldn¡¯t hear was even more unbearable.

    Then, as the scene zoomed in, the child grew bigger and bigger.

    She was fixed on the experiment table..

    She was locked in a sealed room and tied to a pir. Qin yaoguang pressed the button with her own hands, and the room began to fill with fog.

    The surveince camera captured the button next to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hand. On it was written ¡°Chemical Experiment¡±..

    ¡°Stop! You Evil Woman!¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang, you beast! How could you do such a thing to your own daughter? !¡±

    ¡°Beast! She¡¯s worse than a beast!¡±

    When the rest of the footage was released, the people inside and outside the courtroom could not stand it any more than Gu Nianzhi herself.

    Everyone felt that their conscience had been severely challenged and could not stand it anymore. They wanted to rush to the courtroom and beat Qin Yaoguang to death!

    On social media outside the court, on online forums, whether it was in China or abroad, all the people watching the live broadcast of the trial were stunned.

    There was actually someone who was really experimenting on a living person!

    In wartime, this kind of thing was not unfamiliar, and everyone might be numb to it.

    But now was the era of peace. Everyone had sacrificed countless lives to fight for this era of peace, and it was not for people like Qin yaoguang to continue trampling on!

    Some people were the first toe back to their senses and started to attack America¡¯s ¡°White Paper on human rights¡±on the Inte.

    [ everyone, take a look. This is the Qin yaoguang that the Americans are willing to fight a trade war with the Huaxia Empire to protect! ]

    [ this is what the great scientist Qin Yaoguang, whom the Americans call ¡°Persecuted¡±, has done! ]

    [ I just want to say that such a great scientist... Please continue to persecute! Don¡¯t let her off! ]

    This ¡°Please continue to persecute her, don¡¯t Let Her Go!¡±Received the most likes, and it was forwarded by countless people from home to abroad, from the Northern Hemisphere to the southern hemisphere.

    The US Congress also watched the live broadcast of the trial. When they saw this scene, the senator was stunned.

    Although the Huaxia side had yet to announce the verdict, they had already immediately organized a vote and swiftly passed it with andslide victory, abolishing the ¡°Huaxia White Paper on human rights¡±that they had previously passed.

    The Huaxia Empire also immediately announced that they would stop the trade war with the Huaxia Empire and demand that the Huaxia Empire severely punish Qin Yaoguang, the culprit who used children as living experiments!

    In the court, the judges had no choice but to mobilize more bailiffs to maintain order, so as to prevent the angry people from rushing up and beating Qin Yaoguang to death on the spot.

    However, the more bailiffs that came in, the more chaotic the order became.

    This was because these bailiffs did not help to hold back the angry people. Instead, they joined in the ranks of beating up Qin Yaoguang.

    In the end, he chengjian stood up and said loudly, ¡°Everyone, retreat! This is a court! Everyone, control yourselves! Otherwise, I will mobilize the army to maintain order.¡±

    Then, he looked at the angry crowd and said calmly,¡±... it¡¯s not toote to beat them up after the trial is over.¡±

    Of course, he would not let Qin yaoguang off, and he would not let Qin Baye off either. He would not let go of anyone in the Qin family.

    But before that, he had to let Qin Yaoguang get the trial she deserved.

    Because he believed that this was also Qin Suwen¡¯s wish, and the thing she was most willing to do.

    Gu Nianzhi stood at the intiff¡¯s table and looked at the scenes on the white projection screen. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s mind was nk as she used her childhood self as an experiment.

    Those were memories that she had already forgotten. She really couldn¡¯t remember them at all.

    At this moment, she was starting to understand why she had forgotten these memories forever.

    She rubbed her forehead. Finally, when the scene was over, she turned around and made a hand gesture to everyone. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Everyone, sit down first. We want to give Qin yaoguang a fair trial.¡±

    After all, it was a live broadcast of the trial.

    The scene of the audience rushing up to Qin Yaoguang and beating her up had not been cut off. The entire world had seen it, and most people had liked it and were happy to see it.

    Although there were some people who liked to stand out and express their opinions, they were quickly taught a lesson by the ordinaryizens who had nowhere to vent their anger.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand, and the courtroom fell silent again.

    Qin Yaoguang was beaten ck and blue, but she did not say a word.

    The pain in her heart was worse than the pain in her body.

    She firmly believed that he chengjian had feelings for her, and that he was the only pir of support in her life for so many years.

    Now that the pir had copsed, her secret world, where she could not see anyone, had been dug out. Not only had it been dug out, but it had also been revealed to the world in such a way!

    She was at a loss. She could not even think of resisting. All she wanted was to find a hole to hide in and never climb out again to be seen by others.

    Lu Anpeng red at her with a livid expression. He did not intend to say anything else.

    Before he could figure out whether the video was real or fake, even Lu Anpeng could not ept what he had just seen on the white projection screen.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were once again fixed on the white projection screen on the wall of the courtroom.

    In the surveince video that Gu Nianzhi was ying, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s assistant had just turned off the recording of the experiment and wiped the sweat from his forehead, he said in a low voice, ¡°She went to the He family¡¯s house for the past two years. The He family is heavily guarded, and Qin Suwen brought her along to take care of her. There¡¯s no way to conduct any other experiments.¡±

    ¡°But the virus experiments have never stopped.¡±

    ¡°Our virus is a new type of virus. The He family¡¯s quarantine equipment can¡¯t detect it, and it¡¯s a contact virus. As long as the dosage is strictly controlled, she can be infected without showing any signs of a particrly serious illness.¡±

    ¡°But over the years, her resistance has not evolved, and her genes have also been infected. There¡¯s nothing special about her at all.¡±

    ¡°Director Qin, I don¡¯t understand. Why do you insist on using Gu Nianzhi as an experiment?¡±

    Qin yaoguang, who was in the surveince video, was furious. She shouted, ¡°She¡¯s my daughter! I can do whatever I want to her. No one can stop me!¡±

    The assistant quickly patted Qin Yaoguang on the shoulder. ¡°Director Qin, please don¡¯t let your emotions get the best of you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that the virus didn¡¯t work on her because she had been infected multiple times. Like normal people, she automatically developed antibodies.¡±

    ¡°This is the human body¡¯s own immune system working. It has nothing to do with her genes. From an experimental point of view, it has failed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because it failed that it needs to level up and increase the dosage!¡±In the surveince video, Qin Yaoguang said with a sneer.

    The assistant became even more excited, ¡°You still want to level up the virus now? Increase the dosage? ! ¡ª if the change is too big and even greatwyer Qin Suwen gets sick and general he finds out about it, then you¡¯ll just have to wait for general he¡¯s wrath...¡±

    This sentence seemed to have touched Qin yaoguang. She sighed and said to herself,¡±... Okay, maybe I¡¯ve thought too much of him?¡±

    The assistant asked curiously,¡±... Who? Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    Qin yaoguang rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Of course it¡¯s him. Gu Nianzhi was his gene editor. I thought Gu Nianzhi¡¯s genes would be different.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s genes haven¡¯t made any breakthroughs and are still a failure?¡±

    ¡°Dean Qin, there¡¯s no shame in admitting defeat. We do scientific experiments because we¡¯ve grown up from countless failures.¡±

    ¡°Dean Qin, Let¡¯s give up on this experiment! Or do we do it from another angle? Find someone else to edit the genes?¡±The assistant was very wise and made a reasonable suggestion.

    At this moment, a strange smile appeared on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face in the surveince video. ¡°No, let¡¯s do thest experiment. Thest time, increase the dosage. If we can take one down, it¡¯s one...¡±

    The assistant was very confused. ¡°But if we do this, Gu Nianzhi might get sick. The Barrister Qin Suwen, who has been in close contact with her, is also very likely to get sick.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I didn¡¯t do anything to Qin Suwen. I experimented on my own daughter, and she was infected with the virus from her. What does that have to do with me? Even if I go to court, I¡¯m Innocent!¡±Qin yaoguang rolled her eyes, ¡°Get out. I need to do some more preparations on my own.¡±

    The assistant pushed the door open and went out.

    In the video, Qin Yaoguang had been sitting still the whole time.

    Just when Gu Nianzhi thought the video was about to end, Qin Yaoguang suddenly walked to the wall and opened a safe. She took out a silver-white tray from it.

    She opened the white veil covering the tray, revealing a few crystal-clear bottles and a well-packed disposable syringe.

    Then the scene changed. Qin yaoguang was injecting herself with medicine.

    After the injection waspleted, she walked to her instrument and sat down. She connected various circuits to herself and began to record the data.

    On the screen, the data on the instrument was disyed rapidly. It was as dazzling as a passingntern.

    Qin yaoguang raised her head and happened to be facing the direction of the surveince camera.

    The smile on her face was not only strange, but also smug.

    Her bright red lips curled up. She looked at her own data and could not help butugh out loud.¡±... none of you know that I only have the perfect gene!¡±

    ¡°Everything about me is perfect!¡±

    The surveince video stopped abruptly at this point.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart pounded violently. It was only then that she understood Lu Jin¡¯s full intention.

    Suddenly standing up, Gu Nianzhi walked quickly to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s dock, she said loudly, ¡°So you¡¯ve already modified your own genes! No wonder you haven¡¯t aged! Tell me, you tried to kidnap me eight years ago. Are you going to continue using me as an experiment to perfect your gic map?¡±

    Qin yaoguang stared at the scene that hade to an abrupt end and couldn¡¯t find a way to defend herself.

    Of course, she wasn¡¯t a perfect gene. She was just bragging in a moment ofcency!

    She soon realized she was wrong because her gic data had not improved and had worsened.

    But that hateful video didn¡¯t say anything about the rest of it..

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first of today¡¯s chapters: chapter 1890, ¡°Perfect Hulling.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    The second watch is at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1891

    <h4>Chapter 1891: Chapter 1891: her efforts (Second Update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi saw Qin Yaoguang¡¯s lips moving, so she knew she would be aggrieved.

    She knew very well whether Qin Yaoguang had perfect genes or not.

    This person was just habitually arrogant.

    Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t let her have a chance to speak, so she continued, ¡°You used so many people to do experiments to perfect your genes.¡±

    ¡°Because you knew that nationalw didn¡¯t allow it, you secretly built ab? ! If I¡¯m not mistaken, thisb was built four years after your partner, Gu Xiangwen, left, right?¡±

    ¡°You used a new virus that you synthesized yourself, so the he family couldn¡¯t find out.¡±

    ¡°But how did you get the virus on my doll?¡±Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment. ¡°Such an important matter requires a very professional method. If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll be exposed, so you did it yourself?¡±

    It was only because of this that the he family didn¡¯t suspect anything.

    After all, who would suspect their biological mother when she tidied up her daughter¡¯s doll?

    Besides, she was he zhichu¡¯s Savior. At that time, Qin Suwen and he chengjian had been so grateful to her that they had shed tears of gratitude. Why would they suspect her?

    ¡°Amazing, Qin Yaoguang, Amazing!¡±Gu Nianzhi apuded her, ¡°You passed the virus to me through my doll, and then passed the virus to Barrister Qin Suwen Through Me! What a perfect murder!¡±

    Qin yaoguang trembled violently, her teeth chattering as she stammered, ¡°I¡¯m not... I didn¡¯t... Don¡¯t talk nonsense...¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? Do you deny that this video is fake?¡±Gu Nianzhi wrote down the address of the secretb on a piece of paper, she handed it over to the judge and said, ¡°Your honor, I request the court to send people to search this secretb. We¡¯ll definitely find more evidence.¡±

    Qin yaoguang covered her mouth as if she was mourning her mother¡¯s death. She couldn¡¯t say aplete sentence.

    Updates by

    Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t let her off the hook, she continued,¡±... and that assistant of yours on the video. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he¡¯s one of the 36b workers who died in the car ident a few days ago, right? ¡°... Qin yaoguang, you¡¯re really vicious to the point where you have no blind spots!¡±

    ¡°This person should be your confidant. After painstakingly helping you conduct six years of Inhuman experiments, not only did you not reward him, you even turned around and killed him and all of them when the matter was likely to be exposed!¡±! ¡°TSK tsk, no wonder you¡¯re so ruthless to your own daughter.¡±

    Hearing this, Qin Yaoguang raised her head abruptly, and a glimmer of rity appeared in her extremely confused mind.

    She thought, Gu Nianzhi still doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m not her biological daughter?

    This is great, I won¡¯t tell her this secret, I won¡¯t tell her for the rest of my life!

    So what if I look different?

    As long as I don¡¯t dare to do a paternity test, I have to acknowledge her as my biological mother!

    Qin Yaoguang¡¯s eyes lit up at the thought of a paternity test. She suddenly shouted, ¡°She¡¯s the perfect gene! Not Me! It¡¯s her!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Qin Yaoguang, What¡¯s wrong? You still want to Lock Me Up For Your Inhuman Gic Experiment?¡±

    She suddenly leaned out and grabbed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hair. She aimed her face at the white projection screen opposite her, she pointed at the still screen and said, ¡°Take a good look! You personally admitted that you are the perfect gene! Do you think we are all blind and stupid? ¡ª isn¡¯t it toote to go back on your words and throw the me on someone else?

    Indeed, when everyone saw the secretboratory and surveince footage with their own eyes, no one believed Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words.

    On the contrary, because Qin Yaoguang had denied everything, everyone believed that she was the perfect gene.

    The reason was simple. She did not dare to admit it. Once she did, she would be the guinea pig for the rest of her life, right?

    At this point, she still wanted her daughter to be the scapegoat. This woman was truly beyond redemption.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored her, she turned to face the courtroom and said, ¡°Your Honor!¡±! The evidence was conclusive. Qin Suwen had indeed been infected by Qin Yaoguang¡¯s virus and caused her congenital heart disease, resulting in her sudden death. ¡°I request the court to convict her severely and give justice to Qin Suwen!¡±

    The presiding judge at the courtroom rapped his gavel and said solemnly, ¡°Defensewyer, do you have anything else to say?¡±

    Lu Anpeng stood up with a pale face. He was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°I hope the court can verify the authenticity of the video and the secretb that barrister gu mentioned. It must be verified to prove my client¡¯s guilt.¡±

    The judge nodded and turned to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Counsel for the prosecution, do you agree with the defensewyer?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded immediately. ¡°I agree. Your honor, please send someone to search this secretb immediately.¡±

    The judge rapped his gavel. ¡°In view of the emergence of new and important evidence in this case, today¡¯s trial has temporarilye to an end. The verdict will be announced after the court has verified that there are no mistakes.¡±

    The live broadcast of the trial ended here. The technical staff of the court cut off the Inte connection.

    Qin Yaoguang was still shouting in the dock, and couldn¡¯t help but reveal Gu Nianzhi¡¯s true identity. At that moment, he zhichu jumped up from the gallery and Strode over, knocking her unconscious with one punch, with a livid face, he said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang was originally under the custody of the military, but now it involves important information about the country, so it must continue to be under the custody of the military.¡±

    The judge immediately agreed, ¡°Major General He, please carry out your duties. Thank you, Major General He, for maintaining order in the court.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s punch had crossed the line, but everyone understood his feelings. Furthermore, Qin Yaoguang had indeed shouted in the court and disrupted the order of the court. The judge had agreed to shut her up, so it was legal.

    This kind of thing also had precedent in the United States.

    A defendant kept nagging in the court, interrupting the judge¡¯s conversation with others. In the end, the judge ordered him to use a tape to seal his mouth.

    He Zhichu waved his hand and had his personal secretary take Qin yaoguang away.

    He chengjian also ordered people toe over and take Qin Baye, who had already reached the door, away.

    ..

    The people in the Court left one after another. Soon, only Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, he zhichu, he chengjian, and Xie qingying were still there.

    He Zhichu walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and pulled her into his arms. He tried his best to suppress his sobs and said, ¡°Sister, I¡¯ve made you suffer... if it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much...¡±

    He shouldn¡¯t have survived.

    It was the first time he zhichu had thought ofmitting suicide.

    He finally understood what Gu Nianzhi had paid to keep him alive..

    How could he deserve all of her sacrifices?

    He would rather die as soon as possible, just like the little he zhichu in the other world who had died when he was only 16.

    He chengjian also walked over sadly and pulled he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi into his arms, he said, ¡°Nianzhi, Ah Chu will take you as his sister, and I¡¯ll take you as my adopted daughter. If you¡¯re not willing to be the he family¡¯s daughter-inw, are you willing to be the he family¡¯s Daughter?¡±

    ¡°Suwen used to like you so much. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll agree.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Qin Suwen and felt her heart ache, but she still shook her head decisively, ¡°I have my own parents, general he. I hope you can remember why I¡¯ve done so few things. If I¡¯ve done anything wrong, you can let me off easy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so obedient and amazing. How could you have done something wrong?¡±He chengjian said calmly. ¡°But even if you¡¯ve done something wrong, uncle he won¡¯t do anything to you.¡±

    He would remember that he zhichu had survived because of Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi quickly added, ¡°General he, you saw it today. My father, Gu Xiangwen, was not the murderer ofwyer Qin Suwen. Can you get the police to remove all the wanted posters and give my father justice?¡±

    He chengjian nodded and sighed. ¡°Of course we have to cancel it. Since your father was not the murderer... Sigh, why didn¡¯t he defend himself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, I want to know too..

    Lu Jin had such an important hammer in his hands, but he had never taken it out to defend himself. He would rather hide outside in the name of a murderer.

    If he had not insisted on pulling Qin yaoguang down this time, but he had no evidence, he would have reluctantly sent it to her.

    Otherwise, he might not have taken it out, right?

    Did he have something to hide?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 1891, ¡°Her efforts¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind you ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1892

    <h4>Chapter 1892: Chapter 1892: avenging her (first, asking for a monthly pass)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    He chengjian sighed and tried his best to suppress his anger and anger.

    The events that had happened to him today had overturned his decades of impressions and beliefs.

    The guilt, Regret, grief, and grief in his heart could not be described with words.

    If his health had not improved, he would have died from a burst of blood vessels when he heard the truth about Qin Suwen¡¯s murder in court today.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little guilty, she quickly said, ¡°My father is not good at socializing. I heard that he has a serious interpersonal disorder. He was suddenly used of being a murderer and wanted for murder. He didn¡¯t know how to deal with it, so he had no choice but to leave, right?¡±

    She raised her hand to stroke her hair and said, ¡°But even though my father has passed away, I still want to restore his reputation. General he, please grant my wish.¡±

    Xie qingying listened quietly for a while before she stepped forward and held he chengjian¡¯s arm. She said to Gu Nianzhi in all seriousness, ¡°Thank you, Nianzhi. I just found out that for young master he, you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi coughed and interrupted her, she smiled and said, ¡°I was young at the time, so I don¡¯t even remember it. Actually, I didn¡¯t do anything. If Qin Yaoguang had any credit, it would have been for me being born and saving young master he¡¯s life.¡±

    Although she resented Qin Yaoguang for using her as an experiment, she never regretted using her genes to save he zhichu.

    Speaking of which.., gu nianzhi immediately said, ¡°General he, you heard it yourself. The reason I was able to save he zhichu was actually my father¡¯s credit, not Qin Yaoguang¡¯s. She was just a thief, from head to toe, and none of it was real!¡±

    He chengjian nodded heavily. ¡°I know, I was wrong about your father.¡±

    However, he didn¡¯t want to talk about it anymore. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°When Su Wen was alive, I didn¡¯t take good care of her. Now that she¡¯s dead, I must take myst breath for her! Goodbye!¡±

    He chengjian gave Gu Nianzhi a deep look, then turned and strode out of the courtroom.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped forward and pushed he zhichu¡¯s arm away. He pulled Gu Nianzhi into his arms and said coldly, ¡°Young master he, Nianzhi is also very tired today. I want to take her back to have a good rest.¡±

    Updates by

    He Zhichu¡¯s fingertips were cold, as if the warmth of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder was still lingering.

    He clenched his fists and his eyes dimmed. He followed Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng out of the courtroom.

    Xie qingying walked quickly and followed behind he zhichu. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, sheforted him softly, ¡°Young master he, this is not your fault. It¡¯s all Qin Yaoguang¡¯s fault. Who would have thought that a biological mother could be so vicious?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes twitched. He nced at her and said quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t say things that you don¡¯t understand. This has nothing to do with you.¡±

    Xie qingying pursed her lips. She understood the shock he zhichu had received today. She did not argue with him. She just followed him quietly and stayed by his side.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and did not say anything. He got into the car and drove quickly. It only took him half the usual time to get back to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment.

    The two of them entered the room and Huo Shaoheng mmed the door shut.

    He suddenly turned around, grabbed gu nianzhi¡¯s slender waist with one hand, and wrapped his other hand around her slender neck. He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

    From the moment he saw Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experiment video in court, he felt that something was wrong.

    He realized that even though he had spent more than ten years of patience and restraint in the military, he could not erase the anger and rage in his heart.

    At that moment, Qin Yaoguang had died a hundred and eighty times in his eyes. Every death was different, but equally tragic!

    He cupped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little face and sucked on it hungrily. A big hole had been dug in his heart, and only Gu Nianzhi could fill it.

    ¡°... Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°... Nianzhi...¡±

    ¡°... Nianzhi...¡±

    As the two of them continued to whisper in each other¡¯s ears, his deep, cello-like voice kept repeating her name.

    Gu Nianzhi had also recovered from her shock today. She desperately needed someone by her side tofort her, protect her, and love her.

    She jumped onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body and was wrapped around his legs as he hugged her in front of his chest.

    The two of them passionately kissed each other. It wasn¡¯t even a kiss, but a lick.

    They could only feel each other¡¯s presence through their mutual affection.

    Huo Shaoheng held her leg, kicked open the bedroom door, and carried her in.

    ..

    He kept kissing her forehead, her temples, her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, and her red lips. It was like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water.

    There was a beauty vase in the corner by the window. The peacock tail feathers in the vase moved rhythmically in the air even though there was no wind.

    After an unknown amount of time, the peacock tail feathers finally stopped.

    Huo Shaoheng still held Gu Nianzhi tightly and refused to let her go. It was as if this was the only way to feel that she was still there and that she was still by his side.

    He caressed her smooth shoulders and was silent for a long time before saying,¡±... I will avenge you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so tired that she was about to fall asleep.

    She replied in a daze, ¡°I¡¯ve already avenged myself.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not enough.¡±Huo Shaoheng looked out the window at the gradually darkening night sky and repeated, ¡°No, it¡¯s Not Enough...¡±

    He wanted to seek justice for her. He would pay for all the suffering she had suffered.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt strangely rxed and at ease. She tilted her head and finally fell asleep.

    However, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t sleep. Hey on the bed with his eyes open for a long time before finally getting up and going to the bathroom to take a shower.

    ..

    After tidying himself up, he pulled open the door to the suite. Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly felt a strong gust of winding from the side of the door.

    Huo Shaoheng was about to dodge and retaliate when he saw from the corner of his eye that it was Lu Jin who had kicked him.

    He immediately retracted his leg, turned slightly, and used his back to carry Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Sweep leg.¡±.

    Lu Yuan did not stop him. He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been blocking for you all afternoon. Now it¡¯s your turn to block.¡±With that, he leisurely returned to his suite opposite him.

    Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng and scolded him again,¡±... are you still human? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Afraid that Lu Jin would say something unpleasant again, huo shaoheng quickly said, ¡°Uncle Lu, I¡¯m going to find young master he to take care of Qin Yaoguang now. Do you want to go with me?¡±

    Speaking of Qin yaoguang, Lu Jin¡¯s rationality returned. He pursed his lips. ¡°Who has the patience to take care of her? She¡¯s dead for sure. How else can I take care of her? He Chengjian won¡¯t let her go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°They are them, and I am me. I don¡¯t have the habit of letting others take revenge for me.¡±

    He adjusted his cor and said calmly, ¡°Nianzhi is asleep. Don¡¯t disturb her. Let her sleep a little longer.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me!¡±Lu Jin¡¯s nose was not his nose, and his eyes were not his eyes. No matter how he looked at Huo Shaoheng, he did not like him.

    Seeing that he was still going to provoke her, Huo Shaoheng was also worried that Gu Nianzhi would be embarrassed, therefore, he casually rebuked Lu Jin,¡±... you really have the time of your life. If I Were you, I would think about what to say about the surveince video now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the surveince video?¡±Lu Jin red at him. ¡°I¡¯m the one with the skills! I didn¡¯t fake it!¡±

    ¡°Yes, but why did you only take it out now? Where have you been for the past ten years?¡±Huo Shaoheng walked forward and smiled as he finished speaking. The elevator door slowly closed in front of him.

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood. He jumped three feet high.¡±... I slipped away... it¡¯ll be troublesome when Nianzhi wakes up!¡±

    However, when he rushed to open the elevator, he realized that Huo Shaoheng had done something. The elevator could only go down, not up!

    Just as he was about to rush to the stairs, Lu Yuan had already received a text from Huo Shaoheng. He came out of the room and shook his head at Lu Jin, who was about to slip away. ¡°Come in, let¡¯s have a proper discussion about this video.¡±

    ¡°... Hehe, Boss Lu, why don¡¯t you go make dinner first? We¡¯ll talk about this after dinner, okay?¡±

    Lu Yuan stared at Lu Jin until he entered the room. He then closed the door and locked it, he said, ¡°Stay here. When Nianzhi wakes up from her hunger, she¡¯lle looking for food. When that happens, it¡¯ll either be you and your daughter hugging each other and crying, or you¡¯ll be beaten to tears by Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Jin scratched his head and said in distress, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do either of those things. Why Is it so troublesome? I helped her, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Now that Qin Yaoguang has been convicted, she won¡¯t be able to escape either the death penalty or the punishment. Why is Nianzhi still so stubborn?¡±

    Lu Yuan walked into the kitchen and began to cook dinner. He said casually, ¡°Do you think Nianzhi is as reckless as you? She¡¯s so logical and meticulous. How could she let go of such a big doubt?¡±

    ¡°How is it Big?¡±Lu Jin followed him into the kitchen and started to pick vegetables for him under Lu Yuan¡¯s instructions, he was stillining. ¡°It was wless. Not only did she remove Nianzhipletely, but she also shifted all the focus to Qin yaoguang. What else does she want? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what she wants, it¡¯s what you want.¡±Lu Yuan said meaningfully. ¡°Big shareholder Lu, you¡¯re pretty amazing. You hid such a big secret under my nose. You¡¯re really not simple.¡±

    ¡°The same goes for you.¡±Lu Jin said sarcastically, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a lot of things you haven¡¯t told me? We¡¯re all adults, we should have our own privacy, right?¡±

    ¡°This is privacy?¡±Lu Yuanughed. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything rted to a murder case being privacy.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes flickered, and his brain was already starting to think of reasons to shut Gu Nianzhi up.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng stepped on the gas pedal, and the huge Soviet SUV whizzed out of the parking lot of the apartmentplex.

    He opened the car window, and the cool night breeze blew past his ears. His impatience finally calmed down.

    He had thought that nothing would ever make him lose hisposure again, but today was the first time.

    As he drove, he called he zhichu.

    ¡°Young master he.¡±

    He Zhichu picked up the phone and said indifferently, ¡°Mr. Peter, it¡¯s sote. What can I do for You?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard he zhichu¡¯s tone and the faint sound of winding from the other end of the phone. He immediately understood.¡±... You¡¯re not at home?¡±

    He zhichu nodded with a cigarette in his hand. He turned to look coldly at Qin yaoguang, who had just been thrown down from a height. He said coldly,¡±... I¡¯m doing an experiment.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1892, ¡°Avenge her.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    There was a second update at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    PS: someone said, ¡°This book is not sweet, but refreshing...¡±

    What kind of logic is this? ! Could it be that sweet and refreshing are one or the other? ! ? This book is both love and pleasure, and it doesn¡¯t ept any rebuttal. ! Dog Head. . JPG.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1893

    <h4>Chapter 1893: Chapter 1893 Learning Advanced Experience (second update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes.¡±... can I observe? The path of scientific research is endless. I hope young master he will give me the opportunity to learn from your advanced experience.¡±

    He zhichu walked over with his phone in hand and kicked Qin Yaoguang in the head with the tip of his foot, he frowned and said to his subordinate, ¡°How could you be so careless? This is our great scientist. He has a perfect gene that is unique in the world. How could he fall and have his face covered in blood?¡±

    As he said this, he zhichu sent over the coordinates of his location.

    Huo Shaoheng received the address and immediately turned the steering wheel, driving towards the foot of the western mountains in the outskirts of the imperial city.

    ..

    From the outside, it looked like a valley surrounded by mountains. It was densely packed with trees. Even if there were high-resolution satellites looking down from the sky, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see the situation in the valley clearly.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. It seemed like the two worlds had the same thoughts.

    He walked in. As expected, a soldier with a loaded gun suddenly came out from behind the tree. He pointed his gun at him and asked coldly, ¡°There¡¯s a scientific experiment going on ahead. Don¡¯t move forward.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and smiled. ¡°I was invited by you, young master he, to observe the scientific experiment.¡±

    The soldier stared at Huo Shaoheng and used his walkie-talkie to confirm.

    Hearing he Zhichu¡¯s order, the soldier let Huo Shaoheng in.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes brightened when he arrived at the valley.

    The Moon was bright and the stars were few. The Moon was high and the Moon was small. It was actually a good ce to admire the moon and the flowers.

    Updates by

    However, there were people in white coats standing around the valley. They looked like medical staff and various equipment.

    Not far from him, there was a blurry figure lying on the ground.

    He walked in and saw that it was Qin yaoguang herself.

    She was still wearing the custom Louis Vuitton suit that she wore in court, but there was mud and weeds everywhere.

    Under the moonlight, she was lying on the ground with her head tilted. Her face was covered in blood.

    Huo Shaoheng clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s just an experiment. Is there a need to be so violent? Come, let me show you what it means to be ¡®unscathed¡¯. It¡¯s all subcutaneous injuries that can¡¯t be seen from the surface.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    The corners of his mouth twitched as he crossed his arms and took a step back. ¡°Then let¡¯s wait and see Mr. Peter¡¯s godly skills.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to the medical equipment and looked at it for a while before putting on a pair of white stic gloves.

    He Zhichu had already noticed that the military boots on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feet were actually covered in ayer of stic film. There were no footprints even when he walked on the soft grass between the mountains.

    He was really an expert..

    He Zhichu silentlymented.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s side. He held a medical disinfectant napkin in his hand and handed it to a medical staff member. ¡°Go, wipe her face clean.¡±

    The medical staff member was actually he Zhichu¡¯s trusted soldier. He looked at he zhichu.

    He zhichu nodded slightly before he walked over and wiped Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face clean.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and knelt down on one knee. He half-squatted in front of Qin yaoguang, grabbed her hair, and lifted her head to face him, he said casually,¡±... do you think I don¡¯t know who Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother is? A person like you is only fit to be Wen Shouyi¡¯s biological mother. ¡°You mother and daughter are the same, disgusting and vicious. This is your biological mother.¡±

    Qin Yaoguang was already on the verge of death. Every bone in her body was screaming, and the pain was so deep that her throat was hoarse. She was in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t speak, however, she was still shocked by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words.

    ¡°... You, you, you... What did you say? I Am Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. After you treat me like this, Nianzhi wille to her senses...¡±

    ¡°Are you still dreaming?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was soft and deep, like a life-threatening charm that came from the distant horizon. It was ice-cold and also indescribably heavy. His aura was very intimidating.

    Qin yaoguang couldn¡¯t help but shiver. The corner of her mouth twitched in pain. ¡°Otherwise, would you dare to do a paternity test?¡±

    ¡°Of course, but you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±As Huo Shaoheng spoke, a silver needle appeared out of nowhere in his left hand. His right hand pinched Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face, and her mouth opened involuntarily, just like that, she watched as the silver needle that had inhaled cow hair pierced her throat.

    ..

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng withdrew the silver needle and kneaded it casually. It formed a small metal ball and was thrown into a small pond nearby.

    Qin yaoguangy on the ground with her limbs stretched out weakly. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, but could only cry out in vain. She couldn¡¯t say a word.

    He zhichu strolled over and clicked his tongue. ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s methods are indeed extraordinary. I can see that you¡¯ve pierced her vocal cords, but why did you stab her in the joints of her limbs?¡±

    ¡°Why? To break her tendons, of course.¡±Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back in disapproval and said, ¡°Do you have any other ces?¡±

    If he wanted to do the kind of ¡°Experiment¡±that Qin Yaoguang had done on Gu Nianzhi when she was young, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to just do it here.

    He zhichuughed. ¡°Of course we do. Mr. Peter, do you want to continue watching and guiding us?¡±

    ¡°Of course I want to learn from your country¡¯s advanced experience.¡±Huo Shaoheng looked around and his gaze stopped at arge rock that was as tall as a person not far from here.

    He Zhichu saw him and praised, ¡°Mr. Peter is indeed sharp. That¡¯s the ce.¡±

    He walked over and did something on therge rock. Therge rock suddenly moved and slowly slid to the side, revealing the cave inside.

    It was pitch ck, and no one knew how big or deep it was.

    He Zhichu turned around and made a hand gesture. His men quickly lifted Qin Yaoguang and walked into the cave.

    Huo Shaoheng followed them in.

    ..

    After walking in for five minutes, they made many turns before their eyes lit up.

    It was obvious that this was a biochemical defense facility.

    He Zhichu said coldly,¡±... this was supposed to be a biochemical defense facility for the World War, but now it hase in handy.¡±

    Huo shaoheng nodded and praised, ¡°Young master he is wise and thoughtful.¡±

    Following that, they began experimenting on Qin yaoguang ording to the sequence of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s experiment videos.

    The physics experiments, chemistry experiments, and biological experiments were carried out in an orderly manner.

    Qin yaoguang¡¯s vocal cords were punctured and she couldn¡¯t make any sound. Her limbs were weak and she couldn¡¯t stand up at all. She was tied to a pir.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the one-way ss room and looked at the poison gas room next door. He put his fist to his lips and coughed,¡±... Qin yaoguang¡¯s genes seem to be really good. They can fight poison with poison.¡±

    ¡°Perfect genes. She has to leave us more data.¡±

    He zhichu basked in the sun and watched the experiments on Qin yaoguang without blinking.

    By dawn, Qin Yaoguang had already passed out.

    He Zhichu stopped her. ¡°You can¡¯t do experiments if you¡¯re unconscious. The data will only be useful when you¡¯re awake.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took off his mask and walked out, he said lightly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be awake for too long. The subject doesn¡¯t need to be awake, otherwise how can you do the experiment? It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t use anesthetics. You Need the experiment data, and with anesthetics, it won¡¯t be urate.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    Fine, Huo Shaoheng was still more ruthless than him.

    Where did he learn all these torturous methods?

    Huo Shaoheng caught a glimpse of his expression and smiled faintly. ¡°This is themittee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s standard operating procedure. There are others who are more ruthless than this. I¡¯m a soft-hearted person, and I¡¯m usually not willing to use them.¡±

    ¡°Soft-hearted¡±?

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were about to cramp up.

    Huo Shaoheng had just proposed to increase the concentration of his injection by ten times!

    Huo Shaoheng patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Young master he, I¡¯m not as good as you in awsuit, but you¡¯re not as good as me in torturing people.¡±

    He zhichu pursed his lips and pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away. ¡°When she¡¯s in a vegetative state, I¡¯ll send her to an experimental facility. After all, she¡¯s the only perfect set of genes in our country. We have to make the most of it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    The corners of his lips curled up. ¡°Alright, I take back what I said. I¡¯m still not as good as you when ites to torturing people.¡±

    ..

    At that moment, in a secret base on the outskirts of the imperial city, he chengjian was pping the table angrily. He looked at an old man in front of him who had a flushed face and a figure that looked exactly like Qin Baye. He lookedpletely different, he roared furiously, ¡°Where¡¯s Qin Baye? ! Why are you pretending to be him to go to trial? !¡±

    The ¡®Qin Baye¡¯that they had captured from the court was actually a fake!

    This person was able to deceive the court and all of them. It could be seen that Qin Baye had long nned this and had been waiting for this day.

    That old man had no hair at all and was bald.

    He blinked his eyes and suddenlyughed out loud, ¡°This old man has lived for more than 80 years. It¡¯s enough. He gave my family 10 million. I, an old man, can not earn this much in two lifetimes!¡±

    As he said that, hisughter came to an abrupt end. A wisp of ck blood flowed out of his mouth and he fell straight down.

    Very quickly, after the examination, he chengjian¡¯s personal secretary said to him regretfully, ¡°Chief, this person is already dead.¡±

    ¡°Find out who he is!-Qin Baye is too shrewd to run away with 10 million yuan!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s fist cracked.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 1893, learning from advanced experience.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1894

    <h4>Chapter 1894: Chapter 1894 was not small (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was really too tired.

    After getting out of the courtroom, she was extremely nervous and mentally exhausted, but also very excited.

    When she got home, she was tormented by Huo Shaoheng until it was dark again. Even her body was extremely tired.

    After Huo Shaoheng left, she immediately fell into a deep sleep. She didn¡¯t even have a dream.

    When she opened her eyes, it was already the next morning.

    Lu Jin waited for Gu Nianzhi to settle the score with him. After waiting for a whole night, he fell asleep on the sofa, but Gu Nianzhi was nowhere to be found.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up from the bed and rubbed her almost broken waist. She bared her teeth and cursed Huo Shaoheng in her heart,¡±... you¡¯re so physically strong. You¡¯re Inhuman!¡±

    However, she could forgive him when she thought about how it had been more than a year since he had acted this way.

    It was just that yesterday¡¯s situation was too... inappropriate for children.

    Gu Nianzhi did not even dare to think about it now. She wished she could box up all those sexy and crazy memories and lock them up tightly in the dark room.

    She leaned against the headboard with one arm over her head and the corners of her lips curled up high.

    After lyingfortably for a while, she supported her waist as she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

    The rose essential oil form that Lu Jin had specially prepared for her was very soothing. He dripped some into the jacuzzi and theny inside with his eyes closed to rest.

    After taking a shower, she finally felt that her stomach was rumbling with hunger. Even her throat was smoking from hunger.

    Updates by

    She quickly changed into the home clothes that she wore at home. Gu Nianzhi ran to Lu Yuan¡¯s room without hesitation and knocked on his door. She shouted, ¡°Chief Lu, are you there? I¡¯m Hungry!¡±

    Lu Yuan was making breakfast in the kitchen, while Lu Jin was sitting on the sofa in a daze, wondering if he should go check on Gu Nianzhi.

    She hadn¡¯te out... since yesterday.

    Lu Jin had checked the surveince cameras, but hadn¡¯t seen here downstairs.

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft voicee through the phone, Lu Jin immediately jumped up with a smile. He ran to open the door and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re awake? Hungry, right? What do you want to eat? Boss Lu knows how to Cook!¡±

    He fawningly allowed Gu Nianzhi to enter the room and then took her to the kitchen to see Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan turned around and looked at her with a smile. ¡°Where¡¯s Shaoheng?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and ufortably twirled her earlobes with her hands. She pretended not to care and said, ¡°I don¡¯t Know? How would I know where Huo Shao went? Did he go back to the embassy?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you to call him and ask him if he wants toe back for lunch.¡±Lu Yuan looked at his watch, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not breakfast time anymore, but do you want to have breakfast or wait for lunchter?¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Give me something to fill my stomach first, then we can have lunch together!¡±

    ¡°You wish.¡±Lu Yuan humorously pointed at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°But, okay! Your performance in court yesterday was Amazing! Uncle Will Cook Something Delicious for you today to reward ourwyer Gu! ¡°Go wait in the restaurant first. I¡¯ll Cook You a bowl of Shepherd¡¯s purse, shrimp skin, and fresh meat wontons from yesterday. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned to the restaurant with a smile and sat down, waiting to eat the wontons that Lu Yuan had personally made.

    Seeing that she was fine, Lu Jin was in a good mood and immediately forgot about what Lu Yuan had said the day before.

    He busied himself around gu nianzhi, sometimes warming milk for her, and sometimes bringing muffins. He ced them neatly on small tes and brought them over.

    The te of muffins was pushed to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi looked up and smiled at Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday. Her face darkened and she said, ¡°Dad, you haven¡¯t told me clearly. When did you get that video surveince footage? You¡¯ve been keeping it from us for a long time!¡±

    Lu Jin thought to himself, this is bad. It¡¯s time to settle the score. He instinctively took a step back and turned to run away.

    However, just as he opened the door, he saw Huo Shaoheng standing at the door. He was about to ring the doorbell with one hand.

    Gu Nianzhi had already rushed over and shouted, ¡°Stop him! He¡¯s trying to run again!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly put one hand on Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder and Strode in. He also closed the door and locked it. He pulled out the key from the door and put it in his pocket.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands were clenched into fists and her face was full of anger. She looked at Lu Jin and said, ¡°Dad, are you tired? ! You¡¯re doing it again!¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Why did he say ¡°Again¡±again?

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t pretend with me.¡±Gu Nianzhi was emboldened when she saw Huo Shaoheng return and spoke more confidently, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t even think about running away this time!¡±! You should have thought of a reason since you sent me that surveince video. ¡ª it¡¯s such an obvious w, why would I not ask? Then why should I still be awyer? I should just go home and get married and have children.¡±

    ¡°Getting married and having children is good!¡±Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help but reply, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes gradually widen, he quickly changed his words, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be angry, I¡¯m not running... I¡¯m... I¡¯m... I didn¡¯t react in time, it was just a reflex...¡±

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m used to running.¡±

    Lu Jin spoke very seriously and did not lie at all.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart immediately ached.

    Lu Jin had been hiding and concealing his identity for so many years. Although he could be considered sessful in his career, it was not easy for him to reveal his identity to others.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression softened. She went forward to hold Lu Jin¡¯s arm and apanied him back to the dining room to sit down.

    There was already a bowl of bright shepherd¡¯s purse, shrimp skin, and fresh meat wontons in front of her seat. There were also some finely chopped scallions andtro sprinkled on top. The Smell was appetizing.

    Gu Nianzhi ate the wontons while staring at Lu Jin, asking him to tell the truth.

    Lu Jin scratched his head. He knew Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t easy to deal with.

    Moreover, there were two gods, Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng, watching from the side. He had to tell them even if he didn¡¯t have to.

    Lu Jin took a sip of his coffee and massaged the space between his eyebrows. He said with a headache, ¡°What do you want to say? Didn¡¯t I tell you everything? I sent you the surveince video.¡±

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t interrupt. Tell me honestly, when did you get this video?¡±

    Lu Jin looked up at the pure white ceiling in the restaurant, not daring to look gu nianzhi in the eye, he said snappily, ¡°I found it recently. ¡°Because you¡¯ve always wanted to pin the crime of murder on Qin yaoguang, so I wanted to help you find evidence. ¡°It just so happened that Qin Baye sent someone to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secretb to retrieve something, and I found out about it by ident. I installed a remote monitoring device on that person, and only then did I discover this secretb.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°Was it really discovered only recently?¡±

    If it really was found recently, then it would indeed exin why Lu Jin had only been on the run and hadn¡¯t cleared himself of suspicion of murder.

    Lu Yuan chuckled from the side. ¡°You even knew to install a remote monitoring device and didn¡¯t follow him directly. You¡¯re smart.¡±

    He picked up a newspaperzily and flipped it open. He said casually, ¡°If you had followed him directly, you would have be Qin Baye¡¯s hostage by now. Shaoheng and I would have had to rack our brains to save you.¡±

    ¡°Am I that stupid?¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°Even he chengjian couldn¡¯t catch me. Who the hell is Qin Baye? !¡±

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°Qin Baye is still very smart. I heard that the Qin Baye that he chengjian caught in court was a fake. The real Qin Baye has already escaped.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attention was immediately diverted. She put down her spoon in shock. ¡°That Qin Baye is a substitute? ! How long has he been preparing a substitute?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±Huo Shaoheng shrugged, ¡°I only heard about it when he was on the phone. I don¡¯t know the details, but I heard that it¡¯s hard to chase after him. He is discussing with his father whether to use the military.¡±

    ¡°If he chengjian can¡¯t even deal with Qin Baye, he should take the me and resign. He shouldmit suicide to atone for his crime.¡±Lu Yuan flipped through a page of the newspaper and did not seem to be worried.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely worried. ¡°How could we let him escape? ! How many times have I hinted? ! Why didn¡¯t general he and young master he take it to heart? !¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t me them for that,¡±Lu Yuan said from behind the newspaper. ¡°All I can say is that Qin Baye and Qin Yaoguang are too good at pretending. They even hid what they did from their own people.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re so secretive. They must have a lot of ulterior motives,¡±Gu Nianzhi said faintly. ¡°The Qin family has been working for the Luo Le family in the United States for almost a hundred years.¡±

    ¡°Luo Le Won¡¯t leave him alone, will he?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. He even urged the United States Congress to fight a trade war to get Qin yaoguang out of the country.¡±Lu Yuan scoffed, ¡°Fortunately, your father¡¯s video surveince has pped them in the face and made the United States Congress quickly give up on Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°This way, Luo Le can¡¯t ignore Qin Baye.¡±

    ¡°After all, Qin Yaoguang is currently under the most strict supervision of young master he. It¡¯s very difficult for Luo Le to get his hands on her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Luo Le can¡¯t ignore Qin Baye? Then can we assume that the person who picked Qin Baye up from the other side during his escape this time is definitely Luo Le? !¡±

    Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Huo Shaoheng all looked at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly and gently tapped the edge of the white porcin bowl with her spoon, she said softly, ¡°Why is Luo Le protecting Qin Baye? Does he really have feelings for him? Actually, it¡¯s not because of the experiments Qin Yaoguang has done over the years.¡±

    ¡°Dad also said that Qin Baye sent someone to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secretb not long ago to take away her experimental data and some of her samples.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that he must have made a deal with Luo Le in exchange for these data and samples.¡±

    ¡°So what Luo le values is actually only perfect genes.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pure ck eyes moved quickly and she said with a smile, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t general he take the upper-ss route and contact Luo le directly?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was the first to understand, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He said,¡±... do you mean to ask general he to use Qin Yaoguang to trade with Luo Le in exchange for Qin Baye¡¯s whereabouts?¡±

    Since Luo le only valued perfect genes.

    The live broadcast of their trial this time had already convinced the whole world that only Qin Yaoguang was truly perfect genes!

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s imperial capital was now filled with spies from all over the world, trying to get information about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s whereabouts.

    Needless to say, Luo Lei knew that Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes were not perfect enough. Now that she had Qin yaoguang, her credibility was even higher.

    ¡°You¡¯re a child to be taught!¡±Gu Nianzhi giggled and reached out to Pat Huo Shaoheng on the cheek.

    Huo Shaoheng held her mischievous hand with a half-smile,¡±... you still want to be taught a lesson?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned red again.

    She was actually like her father, always remembering the punishment but not the beating..

    ¡°You guys eat first, I¡¯ll go find young master he.¡±Huo Shaoheng stood up and said calmly, ¡°Since Qin Baye is so cunning, I¡¯ll go see if I can help.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1894, ¡°Not small¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    There was a second update at 8 pm.

    PS: it¡¯s not scientific to have a rtive. Ask little he zhichu on the other side of the world why he also had a gic defect, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be Qin yaoguang on the other side..

    So, he looked at the back and forgot about the front?

    He remembered that on the other side of the world, the He family and the Gu family met with a rtive. Could you exin it to him? ¡û

    Kiss me, Big Brother and Little Angel ~ ~

 Chapter 1895

    <h4>Chapter 1895: Chapter 1895: cutting off his escape route (second update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng left the apartment building where Gu Nianzhi lived and went to the underground parking lot to get his car. He quickly drove out.

    He was not in a hurry to find he zhichu and he chengjian. Instead, he drove around the road for a while, sorting out his thoughts and ns for the next step.

    Luo Le was not a fool. If he wanted to exchange terms with him, he would need the highest level ofmunication to gain his trust.

    However, if the highest level ofmunication was allowed to do this, if Luo Le were to reveal it in the future, then the highest level ofmunication in Huaxia would probably lose their reputation and be disgraced.

    Huo Shaoheng was used to taking three steps at a time. He also had to evaluate the follow-up effects of the operation. This way, he could deal with the possible adverse consequences in advance.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strategy would work, but the consequences would be endless.

    He drove aimlessly through the imperial capital¡¯s Third Ring Road. As he drove past the Embassy District, his heart skipped a beat.

    He was a Soviet diplomat, and the United States and the Soviet Union had always been arch-enemies..

    Perhaps he could use this rtionship?

    Huo Shaoheng slowly outlined a n in his mind.

    He put on his Bluetooth headset and picked up he zhichu¡¯s call.

    ¡°... Young Master He, do you have any leads?¡±

    He Zhichu had just left the meeting room. He stood by the window in the corridor and lit a cigarette. He said coldly, ¡°We¡¯re still setting up. Do you have any leads?¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi just spected that the person who picked up Qin Baye could be Luo Le?¡±

    Updates by

    He Zhichu was slightly taken aback, and then he revealed a smile that he didn¡¯t even notice, he said lightly, ¡°She¡¯s really quick-witted. Yes, we¡¯ve confirmed that Qin Baye contacted Luo le. We¡¯ve also received news that Luo Le¡¯s private ne is flying over to the imperial capital International Airport.¡±

    It seemed that he zhichu and he chengjian were already prepared.

    Huo Shaoheng turned the steering wheel back to the Soviet embassy and asked, ¡°Then what are your ns?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to cut off Qin Baye¡¯s escape route.¡±He Zhichu took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled slowly towards the window. ¡°What Luo Le wants is only Qin yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re prepared.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and got out of the car. ¡°However, don¡¯t contact Luo Le on your own initiative. Don¡¯t do anything that will be exposed in the future.¡±

    He Zhichu threw his cigarette into the trash can under the window with a headache and said, ¡°I told the old man that he¡¯s determined to deal with Qin Baye. He doesn¡¯t care even if it will hurt him in the future.¡±

    He chengjian and Gu Nianzhi were thinking the same thing, and he zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were thinking about the same thing.

    It wasn¡¯t necessarily that he chengjian didn¡¯t think about the consequences. He was much more experienced than he zhichu, but the reason he didn¡¯t care was probably because... he didn¡¯t want to live anymore..

    Huo Shaoheng walked towards the door of the Soviet embassy. After thinking for a long time, he said, ¡°If we haven¡¯t started contacting each other yet, tell your people to stop immediately. I n to do this...¡±

    On the phone, Huo Shaoheng vaguely expressed his thoughts. He Zhichu understood immediately.

    This way, he chengjian wouldn¡¯t be held responsible, but it would also allow Luo Le to enter the game and give up on Qin Baye.

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll find someone else for a meeting.¡±

    He turned around and entered the meeting room. He announced that the operation had been suspended and called the people who had been in the meeting back for a meeting.

    He chengjian also received a message from he zhichu: [ the situation has changed. The Soviet Union has intervened. ]

    He chengjian frowned. The Soviet side was also interested in Qin yaoguang¡¯s ¡°Perfect genes¡±?

    It was not impossible..

    But with the ¡°Far East Trump card¡±of the Soviet KGB, Peter, would the Soviet Union really be interested in Qin Yaoguang? The Committee of State Security (KGB) was not interested in Qin Yaoguang?

    He chengjian was not unsuspicious.

    He sat in his study and stared at Qin Suwen¡¯s photo for a long time. His fingers gently stroked Qin Suwen¡¯s smiling face in the photo and whispered,¡±... Suwen, tell me, what should I do?¡±

    ..

    Luo Le¡¯s private ne finallynded at the T-3 terminal of the imperial capital International Airport.

    He was an old friend of the higher-ups in Huaxia. It was a pity that the people he used to be familiar with had already retired. Those who passed away were no longer in their positions.

    He chengjian, speaker long, and Xie Beichen were the three people who held power. He was not familiar with them.

    But even though he was not familiar with them, his position was still there. No one could be disrespectful to him.

    Luo Le calmly lit a cigar and sat in thefortable seat of his private ne, waiting for the Huaxia government to send someone to pick him up.

    But he waited for an hour, but he did not see the Huaxia government¡¯s reception staff. He only waited for the imperial capital International Airport to urge him to quickly get off the ne to go through the customs formalities.

    Luo Le cursed in his heart, ¡°The tea is cold when people leave.¡±His expression was already a little ugly.

    He stood up and left the private ne under the escort of his bodyguards and staff to go through the customs formalities.

    There was no red carpet, no special passage, and he still had to queue up with those third world pariahs to go through the customs. It was truly a great humiliation!

    Although Luo le appeared to be polite to everyone and treated everyone equally, in reality, deep down, he was a white supremacist who looked down on those third world countries, he even discriminated against those who thought that they were ants that wasted the resources of the Blue and needed to be eliminated.

    It was just that due to the political correctness that was in full swing in the United States, he never dared to mention it.

    However, the hidden meaning behind his action n and all the charity funds was to reduce the poption of the third world as much as possible, whether it was through violence or civilization.

    It was a pity that after more than a hundred years of gic experiments, the ¡°Perfect genes¡±that appeared in the end were actually born from Chinese people.

    Regardless of whether it was Wen Shouyi or Qin yaoguang, they were both Chinese yellow people, not European or American white people.

    ..

    As soon as Luo Le walked out of the customs, he received a call from Qin Baye.

    This was the private line ofmunication between him and Qin Baye. It was amunication channel provided by a proprietary satellite, and the level of confidentiality was even higher than the level ofmunication between leaders of various countries.

    This was because when they were talking, this satellite could guarantee that only two calls could be made each time. Other calls simply could not connect to themunicationwork provided by this satellite.

    This kind of physical exclusivemunication method was the most secure and secretive. No matter how high the hacker was, they could not hack in because they were excluded from the beginning.

    Of course, this was also an extremely expensivemunication method. Only an organization like Luo Le consortium could afford it.

    Luo Le held his phone and asked as he walked,¡±... Where Are you now? Have you prepared what I Want?¡±

    Qin Baye was currently in an old and chaotic residential area on the Fifth Ring Road of the imperial city, waiting to be demolished.

    He had bought the house here many years ago. At that time, he didn¡¯t think about demolishing it. He was just prepared to be a crafty rabbit with three burrows.

    Once he was discovered, he knew that he would not be able to escape death, so he definitely had to n ahead.

    The houses in the neighborhood were the same as the low bungalows in the 1960s and 1970s. They looked like old-fashioned courtyard houses. The smoke-gray brick walls, the gray-ck roof, and the locust tree in front of the door were exactly the same as the densely packed houses around them, there was nothing outstanding about them.

    However, there was a different world inside the quadrangle. The decoration was veryfortable and modern.

    Most importantly, there was also a cer here. In fact, it was a tunnel that opened up and could lead all the way to the entrance of the highway.

    Qin Baye stood in front of the window of the converted study room in the east wing of the quadrangle. He looked at the four corners of the sky in the courtyard. He held his phone in one hand and yed with two iron walnuts that were wrapped in starch in the other, the voice said in a heavy tone, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, we have agreed on the terms. If you take me abroad, I will hand the things over to you. You can not go back on your word.¡±

    Luo le smiled and said, ¡°You, don¡¯t be anxious. I am already here. What do you have to worry about? Don¡¯t worry, I will personally take you out on my private ne. No one will dare to stop me.¡±

    His Chinese was very authentic, and even had the unique rhymes of the people of the imperial capital.

    However, he had never disyed this ability in front of others.

    In order to make Qin Baye feel at ease, no matter how unwilling he was, he treated him as one of his own.

    Qin Baye nodded slightly, but he didn¡¯tpletely trust Luo le.

    If this person really kept his word, he wouldn¡¯t have asked the United States to cancel the trade war.

    However, he really needed Luo Le¡¯s help now. He chengjian, this old fogey, had cast an inescapable in the capital, just like how he had hunted Gu Xiangwen all those years ago. Qin Baye was filled with anger, but he had no choice but to hide.

    He had tried to leave the capital countless times over the past two days, but whether it was by road, water, or in the air, he had no way of leaving.

    Every time, he would retreat from the checkpoints that had almost been discovered by the other party, and the number of people around him grew smaller and smaller.

    For the first time, Qin Baye felt like he was at the end of his rope.

    He raised his hand and made a posture of observing in Beijing opera, singing a line from ¡°Lost in the Air sh.¡±.

    ¡°I was watching the mountain scenery from the city tower, and I heard the chaos outside the city. The banners fluttered in the air, but it turned out to be the soldiers sent by Sima.

    ¡°How Lucky are you to have three cities in a row? How greedy and insatiable are you to take my West City again. ¡°Zhuge waited at the enemy tower, waiting for Sima toe here to have a heart-to-heart talk...¡±

    After singing ¡°Lost in the air¡±, Qin Baye¡¯s phone rang again.

    He looked down and saw that it was an unknown number. To be exact, it was a phone number from the Soviet Union.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1895, cutting him off.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1896

    <h4>Chapter 1896: Chapter 1896: Happy Cooperation (first request for rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Why would a Soviet call him?

    Did a Soviet liar make a wrong call?

    Qin Baye muttered in his heart, but he still picked up the phone.

    It was because his number was only known to the most trusted and important people. Ordinary people would not know.

    He is afraid of missing any important news.

    When the call went through, it was a man with a Russian ent, speaking Chinese in a strange tone, speaking fast, his tongue almost clicking like a bullet.

    Qin Baye frowned with a headache, but still understood the other party¡¯s words, because the other party repeated a sentence three times, like a repeater.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Qin Baye.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Qin Baye.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Qin Baye.¡±

    Qin Baye said with a headache, ¡°May I know who you are? Why do you have to repeat the same sentence three times?¡±

    The person paused and said, ¡°I am an outreach worker from the Soviet KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau. Isn¡¯t there a saying in your country that says ¡®important things are said three times¡¯?¡±

    Qin Baye:¡±...¡±

    Howe he didn¡¯t know this saying?

    Updates by

    However, the other party directly said that he was a member of the KGB from the Soviet Union, making Qin Baye¡¯s heart beat a little faster.

    He probed,¡±... themittee of State Security (KGB) from the Soviet Union? Please forgive my ignorance, but what kind of organization is this?¡±

    The other partyughed. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend with me. The Huaxia Empire, is there anyone who doesn¡¯t know what kind of organization the KGB is?¡±

    Qin Baye:¡±...¡±

    The corners of his mouth twitched. ¡°Is that so? Is it really the KGB we know? But why would the KGB call me again? I¡¯m not from the Soviet Union.¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) said, ¡°You are indeed not from the Soviet Union, but I know that you urgently need help. You want to leave the Huaxia Empire¡¯s imperial capital, Don¡¯t You?¡±

    Qin Baye¡¯s heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked around.

    Outside the window, the Moon was still bright and the stars were sparse. A few fragrant jade branches swayed in front of the window, and a different kind of flower branches reflected on the window paper. The sparse shadows nted horizontally, and it was silent.

    Qin Baye, on the other hand, felt his heart skip a beat, and he felt as if he was bowing in fear.

    He hurriedly walked to the window and closed the curtains. Then he said with a straight face, ¡°You have the wrong number...¡±

    ¡°Still not admitting it?¡±The other partyughed loudly, ¡°If I can know your phone number, I can know your current location. Mr. Qin Baye, if you really want to leave this country, you can only ept our help now. I can say that other than us, no one can help you.¡±

    Qin Baye almost threw his phone to the ground!

    This phone of his was once sent to him by Luo Le from the United States. It was said to be thetest high-tech product.

    Didn¡¯t Luo le say that this type of phone was absolutely confidential and that no one would be able to monitor the location of this phone? !

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had obtained the phone number?

    They had even found his location.

    Qin Baye¡¯s back was covered in sweat. He suppressed his intense heartbeat and pretended to be calm as he said, ¡°Is that so? You really know my location? Then tell me, where am I?¡±

    That person really gave out the address. It was the ce where Qin Baye was at.

    His heart sank to the bottom of the valley. His first reaction was to immediately drill into the cer and run out through the tunnel.

    However, before he could take action, the other party said sincerely, ¡°Mr. Qin Baye, don¡¯t panic and don¡¯t worry. We are sincere in cooperating with you to save you.¡±

    Hearing the word ¡°Cooperate,¡±Qin Baye¡¯s uneasy heart suddenly calmed down.

    ¡°... You Want to cooperate with me?¡±The corner of his mouth revealed a proud smile. ¡°What can I cooperate with you for?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t keep you in suspense.¡±The other party¡¯s tone became very sincere, ¡°We Russians are very honest when we speak and do things. ¡°We know that you have important research data and samples of your daughter, Qin Yaoguang. We hope that you can consider our country. Our country can give you shelter and be your sanctuary.¡±

    Qin Baye heaved a sigh of relief and began to y Tai Chi, ¡°Really? Well, it¡¯s easy to discuss. I have to think about it carefully. How about this, send me your action n. If it¡¯s suitable, of course I¡¯m willing to work with you.¡±

    In the past, he had worked with Western countries. This time, even the Soviet Union was involved.

    It could be seen how important the thing in his hands was.

    The other party said repeatedly, ¡°Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll send you our action n right away.¡±

    Not long after, Qin Baye¡¯s phone received the action n sent by the other party.

    He took a rough look and immediately felt that the Soviet people were indeed real. If they said they would protect him, then they would protect him. They were not crooked at all.

    ..

    At this moment, Luo Le had just arrived at the room he had booked in the five-star hotel in the imperial capital. Before he had a sip of water, his subordinate called him, he said nervously, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, our phone surveince shows that themittee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union has just called Qin Baye!¡±

    ¡°What? The Committee of State Security (KGB) again? !¡±Luo Le was furious. ¡°They just won¡¯t leave!¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) also made a move for Wen Shouyi in New York a while ago, but they didn¡¯t seed.

    He didn¡¯t expect that they still wouldn¡¯t give up. This time, they directly found Qin Baye!

    Luo Le knew how cunning Qin Baye was. He was a real fox that wouldn¡¯t let go until it saw a rabbit.

    This time, he even asked him toe to China personally. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t negotiate with them.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) of the Soviet Union had even handed over the operation n with both hands. It would be strange if this old man did not hang up and sell it!

    Luo Le kicked over the ss coffee table in the living room and shouted with lingering anger,¡±... pick up his call!¡±

    His subordinates quickly picked up Qin Baye¡¯s call again for Luo Le.

    Qin Baye¡¯s oldughter came from the phone. Luo Le was so disgusted that he wanted to throw up, but his face had already changed into the standard smile of a Western gentleman, he said gently and elegantly, ¡°Old Sir Qin, have you thought about it? When can we meet?¡±

    Qin Baye smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s toote today. Another day, I need to rest. You know, I¡¯m Old and I don¡¯t Sleep well every day. It¡¯s not easy for me to feel sleepy, so I won¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡±As he said that, he immediately turned off the phone.

    He felt that if the Russians knew his location, Luo Le might also know. Moreover, this phone was given to him by Luo Le. There might be some surveince software inside..

    Thinking of this, Qin Baye immediately instructed his men to buy a phone for him online and send it to another location by express delivery tomorrow.

    He didn¡¯t n to continue using the phone that Luo Le gave him.

    Luo Le saw Qin Baye hang up on him and confirmed that Qin Baye was going to hang it up and sell it.

    The conditions he had previously mentioned were definitely not suitable.

    Qin Baye was a standard businessman, a businessman who was willing to sell anything as long as someone was willing to buy it.

    The most obvious characteristic of a businessman was that the one with the highest price would get it. or to put it more colloquially, he was only interested in profit.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was now involved, so Luo le could only bid against the KGB.

    After pondering for a long time, Luo Le sent a text message to Qin Baye¡¯s phone: ¡°I will double the previous price and give you American citizenship. You will be protected by the CIA for life.¡±

    Luo Le knew that the previous conditions were fine, but Qin Baye was not short of money. Thetter condition, which was carefully protected by the CIA, the elite of the CIA, was what attracted Qin Baye the most.

    At his age, wasn¡¯t Qin Baye Afraid of Death?

    ..

    The next morning, Qin Baye woke up very early. The phone that he had ordered online had not arrived yet, so he could only take the phone that Luo Le had given him and open it to take a look.

    The moment he opened it, he saw the text message that Luo Le had sentst night.

    Looking at this simple sentence, the smile on Qin Baye¡¯s face could not help but expand.

    Sure enough, only withpetition can one improve..

    Thisst condition was once hinted by Qin Baye to Luo Le, but Luo le pretended to be deaf and dumb, unwilling to guarantee his personal safety after he went to America.

    Qin Baye took a good look at Luo Le¡¯s text message, then, he used a finger to tap on his reply: [ not only me, but also the personal safety of the descendants of my Qin family, you have to guarantee it too. Including my daughter, Qin Yaoguang, you have to be responsible for getting her out. ]

    Qin Baye was very clear that Qin yaoguang was not the so-called ¡°Perfect gene¡±. He had seen the surveince video of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Secret Laboratory on the Inte, but he also knew what happened after that.

    Because Qin Yaoguang had indeed tried to modify her own gene, she had once thought that it was a sess. Butter, she found out that she had not seeded, and her gene had even deteriorated.

    However, Qin Baye would not say a word now. He still hoped to use this condition to trick Luo le into sending Qin yaoguang out of the country at all costs.

    Qin Baye truly knew that all the data and samples he had were not as important as Qin Yaoguang alone.

    She was the one who truly understood gu nianzhi¡¯s gic situation.

    Qin Baye could smell something unusual from the recent series of events. It was that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gic situation was even more confusing.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the first step of Qin Baye¡¯s n. The first step was to confirm Qin yaoguang¡¯s identity as a ¡°Perfect gene¡±before Luo Le or the KGB could get her out of the country.

    After they had sessfully left the country and settled down abroad, he would carry out the second step of the n with Qin Yaoguang.

    Gu Nianzhi was the trump card of their second step, and also theirst trump card.

    He would never reveal his trump card unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Once he was exposed, he and Qin yaoguang would be of no use to Luo Le and the Soviet KGB.

    He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to reveal all his trump cards and trump cards before he could leave the country safely.

    ..

    Luo Le saw Qin Baye¡¯s text message and silently cursed him for being ¡°Insatiable¡±, but he wasn¡¯t particrly angry.

    This was because his main purpose ofing to China wasn¡¯t to help Qin Baye, but to get rid of Qin yaoguang.

    He sat up from the bed and only replied with two words: [ Deal ] .

    Qin Baye saw the reply and smiled in satisfaction. He also replied: [ Happy Cooperation ] .

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had extended an olive branch to him, but he had never thought of cooperating with the KGB.

    The Soviet Union was not a suitable ce for him.

    He still preferred the free and rich Western countries like the United States.

    However, what he didn¡¯t know was that Luo Le had just received a call.

    ¡°Is this Mr. Luo Le? I¡¯m Peter, the Deputy Chief of the Soviet embassy. I have a cooperation n and would like to discuss it with you.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: chapter 1896, ¡°Happy Cooperation.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    Today is Monday. Rmendation tickets are especially important ~ ~

    The second update is at 8 pm.

 Chapter 1897 - Whoâ€™s The Boss? (chapter 2: Monthly Votes)

    <h4>Chapter 1897: Chapter 1897: Who¡¯s The Boss? (chapter 2: Monthly Votes)</h4>

    Luo Le immediately became alert.

    What was the Soviet Union trying to do?

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) first came to Qin Baye to help him escape.

    Then the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union came to him..

    Luo Le said coldly, ¡°Mr. Peter? You have something to discuss with my secretary.¡±

    He was about to hang up the phone.

    The person on the other end of the line was none other than Huo Shaoheng.

    He stood in front of the window and looked out at the clear blue sky and the shade of the trees below. Seeing that Luo Le had refused, he did not mind and continued, ¡°I¡¯m in the room next to your hotel. If you want, we can talk in person.¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s eyebrows twitched uncontrobly.

    In the room next to his? !

    Could it be that his whereabouts had been leaked? !

    He was silent for a few seconds and nodded. ¡°Alright, if you have something to do, you cane to my room.¡±

    There were more than ten staff members and bodyguards inside and outside his room. The other party was only one person. No matter how powerful his methods were, he could not kill them all in one go.

    Moreover, this was China, not the Soviet Union. He did not believe that the other party had the guts to openly fight with him here.

    Updates by

    After saying that, Luo Le put down the phone and rubbed the space between his brows.

    After a while, the doorbell of the hotel room rang.

    One of Luo Le¡¯s bodyguards opened the door and saw a dignified and handsome man standing at the door.

    He was wearing a straight suit, but the tightly wrapped shirt and pants did not make him civilized. Instead, he exuded a strong sense of aggression and an extremely imposing manner.

    It was as if no matter who stood in front of him, he would not hesitate to break his neck.

    Although the person who opened the door was a seasoned bodyguard, he was still stunned by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s imposing manner. He was almost immediately respectful and bent his waist to make way for him.

    To these bodyguards, they had more animal-like instincts than ordinary people. They could instantly know who was the boss, who was someone they could not afford to offend, and who was a scumbag who they could bully at will.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in calmly and reached out his hand to the serious-looking Luo Le in the living room, he smiled widely and said, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, I¡¯m Peter, the Deputy Chief Consul of the Soviet conste general in C city. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Luo Le did not shake his hand. He looked at Huo Shaoheng arrogantly from head to toe.

    He had to admit that, from the perspective of a yellow person, this person was indeed a rare elite.

    Compared to the white elite, he was not inferior, or even worse.

    However, he did not think that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ability could bepared to the white elite.

    It was just that he looked good. Luo Le did not think much of it.

    He slowly stood up and did not shake Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. Instead, he took out a cigar and tapped it on his palm.

    The staff next to him immediately stepped forward and took out a small knife to cut the end of the cigar for him before lighting it for him.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s outstretched hand seemed a little awkward, but he naturally followed the flow and raised his arms to spread out in front of him. He said, ¡°I¡¯m here to negotiate. Don¡¯t be nervous, everyone. I¡¯m not armed.¡±

    He spoke as if Luo Le was afraid of him!

    Luo Le could no longer maintain hisposure. The corners of his mouth twitched as he nodded. ¡°What does Mr. Peter Want to talk about?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and nced at the people in the room. ¡°Are these your trusted aides?¡±

    What he meant was, do you really want to talk about our n in front of so many people?

    Luo Le turned around and said, ¡°Come in with me.¡±

    He took Huo Shaoheng to the small reception room in the hotel suite. His bodyguards and staff closed the door and stayed outside to guard the door.

    Huo Shaoheng followed him in and sat down in front of Luo Le.

    Luo Le crossed his legs and took a puff on his cigar. He asked nonchntly, ¡°What can I do for You, Mr. Peter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward slightly and stared into Luo Le¡¯s eyes. He went straight to the point, ¡°Mr. Luo Le III, you came to China for Qin Yaoguang, not for Qin Baye, right?¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s pupils constricted and he retorted subconsciously,¡±... neither. I came to Huaxia for sightseeing.¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed silently. He looked at Luo Le mockingly and raised his eyebrows slightly. His entire being was indescribably romantic, as if the aggressive aura just now was just an illusion.

    Luo Le felt very ufortable under his gaze, but he still forced himself to say, ¡°Mr. Peter, there¡¯s nothing I can do if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back on the sofa and casually crossed his legs. One of his arms rested on the armrest of the sofa, and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa, he calmly said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. There¡¯s no conflict between finding someone and going sightseeing.¡±

    Luo Le:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Alright. Since Mr. Luo Le wants to beat around the bush, I don¡¯t have that much time to apany you.¡±Huo Shaoheng stood up, ¡°You have your ns, and I have mine. Since we can¡¯t cooperate, then let¡¯s see what we can do.¡±

    Luo Le hadn¡¯t expected the Soviet to be so impatient. He was going to quit just because something was wrong.

    He quickly stood up and probed, ¡°Mr. Peter, are you really a diplomat of the Soviet embassy? Why are you talking about cooperation with me? I¡¯m not a public official.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and took out his identification card. ¡°Take a look for yourself. You can also have your people go to the Soviet Union to check if I¡¯m a diplomat from the Soviet Union.¡±

    Luo Le quickly nced at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Russian identification card. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with it, he changed his expression and rxed. He smiled and said, ¡°Then what exactly does Mr. Peter Want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Luo Le hasn¡¯t answered me yet. Are you here for Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Luo Le confessed. ¡°Not only Qin yaoguang, but also Qin Baye. I want to take both of them with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and stood upright. He was a head taller than Luo Le. ¡°You¡¯re really confident that you can really take these two people away from the he family? The He father and son Hated Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I have my ways.¡±Luo Leughed heartily, looking very happy.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, and his expression became serious, ¡°But we also want Qin Yaoguang. What should we do? Mr. Luo Le, Can You Be Merciful? You want Qin Baye, we want Qin Yaoguang. We¡¯ll work together and take what we need. How about that?¡±

    ¡°We can take what we need for this kind of thing?¡±Luo Leughed and shook his head. ¡°No, we want both of them. Not one less.¡±

    ¡°If you can part with your love, I can tell you where Qin Baye is right now.¡±Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Our people just talked to him on the phone and confirmed his coordinates.¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s expression changed the moment he heard that. The Committee of State Security (KGB) had locked on to Qin Baye¡¯s location!

    But on second thought, Qin Baye¡¯s cell phone is special, he personally sent people to his hands.

    This high-tech phone can¡¯t be cracked by any means avable. How did the Soviets do it?

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) , the Committee of State Security (KGB) , the Committee of State Security (KGB) , the Committee of State Security (KGB) !

    Many diplomats are intelligence agent, which is also the tacit secret of all countries.

    Luo Le¡¯s pupils shrank again. ¡°Mr. Peter, are you really a diplomat? Aren¡¯t you the Committee of State Security (KGB) of the USSR?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked surprised as well. ¡°You knew we had spoken to Qin Baye? !¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you talked to him?¡±Luo Le looked away uneasily.

    ¡°But what I just said was that our people just talked to him on the phone. ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) ?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked. ¡°If you only got the information from me, you wouldn¡¯t have thought of the KGB. ¡°I¡¯m just aw-abiding diplomat.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly, ¡°But you brought up the KGB all of a sudden. That means you know who the person who called Qin Baye was.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB)

    There was no one else who could make such a deduction.

    Luo Le red at Huo Shaoheng, refusing to admit or deny it. ¡°I don¡¯t care what your motives are, but don¡¯t even think about taking these two away from me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clicked his tongue, ¡°You make it sound like you already have them. Do you know where Qin Yaoguang is? And where Qin Baye has been transferred to? If you don¡¯t believe me, try using the phone you gave him and see if you can get through.¡±

    Luo Le stared at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously and dialed Qin Baye¡¯s number again.

    Just as Huo Shaoheng had said, Qin Baye¡¯s phone was switched off. He could no longer find any trace of him.

    ¡°That old bastard!¡±Luo Le gritted his teeth and cursed, ¡°What the hell is he trying to do? !¡±

    ¡°What is he trying to do? Of course, the higher the price, the better. Hang him up and sell him...¡±Huo Shaoheng said meaningfully, he then took out his phone and yed a recording of Qin Baye¡¯s phone conversation with the Committee of State Security (KGB) .

    ¡°If you really want what I have, you have to at least give me this amount and then give me the legal status of the United States. Also, you have to send your people to protect the safety of my family for a hundred years.¡±.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Mr. Luo Le from the United States also wants what I have. He has offered this number.¡±.

    Luo Le:¡±! ! !¡±

    Qin Baye was on both sides of the fence. The Committee of State Security (KGB) price that he had offered to the Soviet KGB had already increased by several times over his own foundation. It was almost half of the wealth that the Luo le family had umted over the past few hundred years!

    If his guess was correct, Qin Baye would soon be using the price of the KGB toe back and negotiate with him. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was themittee of State Security (KGB) .

    His mind was racing, and before he could make a decision, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, there was also a text message: ¡°This is Qin Baye. This is my new number. The phone you gave me earlier identally fell into the bathtub. The water in it won¡¯t work.¡±.

    Luo Le was expressionless as he picked up the phone in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Sure enough, Qin Baye had demanded an exorbitant price from Luo le over the phone. It was more than half of Luo Le¡¯s entire family fortune!

    Luo Le¡¯s fingers were cracking.

    However, he did not show it in his tone. Instead, he said amiably, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll consider it. Do you want to repair your phone? It¡¯s not safe to call me from another phone.¡±

    Qin Bayeughed heartily and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I asked someone else to help me buy the phone. No one will know that I¡¯m using it.¡±

    He had bought it online anyway. The person who had bought the phone had nothing to do with them. It had taken him a few rounds to get it to him.

    Moreover, the phone had a program with a hidden IP address. No one could locate him anymore.

    Only now did Qin Baye feel safe.

    After putting down the phone, Luo Le¡¯s expression immediately changed, and he extended his hand to Huo Shaoheng.¡±... Let¡¯s get these two out of the country together, and then we can study them together!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and smiled as he shook Luo Le¡¯s hand. ¡°Deal.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1897, ¡°Who¡¯s The Boss?¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Today is Monday, the rmendation tickets are particrly important ~ ~ ~ ~

    PS: Thank you to ¡°My Love Tang¡±for yesterday¡¯s tip of 10,000 starting point coins.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1898 - Each of us has our own special abilities

    <h4>Chapter 1898: Chapter 1898: Each of us has our own special abilities</h4>

    Luo Le held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand as well, and his expression returned to normal.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Since we¡¯re working together, let¡¯s discuss how to get the father and daughter out of here.¡±

    Luo Le had been relying on his own power to begin with, so it was still a little difficult. Plus, what he really wanted was Qin yaoguang.

    Moreover, he was not facing an ordinary person. He was facing he chengjian, who had the entire country behind him, and he zhichu.

    Huo Shaoheng looked troubled. He nodded and said, ¡°I also think it¡¯s a little difficult to rely on the strength of our country alone. Think about it, he chengjian and Qin Yaoguang killed their wives. How could he let her go?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±Luo le sighed.

    He had watched the entire trial, which involved the entire world. The developments had taken a turn for the better, and it was truly mesmerizing.

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious. How did Gu Nianzhi manage to pull out the surveince video?¡±Luo Le pped his forehead and sat down on the sofa, no longer putting on airs, ¡°Even I can¡¯t find the exact address of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Secret Lab.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shrugged. ¡°Perhaps it was the he family¡¯s father and son who helped her. After all, it was he chengjian¡¯s deceased wife who was involved in thewsuit. I don¡¯t need to tell you how powerful the he family is, do I?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lie was so convincing that even Luo Le was intimidated. He chengjian¡¯s reputation was well known, and most people wouldn¡¯t dare to confront him head-on.

    ¡°I see.¡±Luo Le narrowed his blue eyes. ¡°Then what does Mr. Peter Want to Do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pretended to think about it. After a while, he said hesitantly, ¡°We¡¯ll see what kind of sincerity Mr. Luo Le can bring to our cooperation.¡±

    Luo Le also pretended to think about it, he said, ¡°How about this? Let Qin Baye hide in the Soviet embassy first.¡±. ¡°You know, the embassy is the same as the country¡¯s territory. The Huaxia Empire won¡¯t be able to do anything to him once he enters the embassy. ¡°Even if he chengjian is the head of a country, he can¡¯t do anything to him.¡±

    This was exactly what Huo Shaoheng wanted, but he didn¡¯t agree immediately. Instead, he became troubled and said,¡±... but this way, if word gets out, it will affect our country¡¯s diplomatic rtions with Huaxia.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t know, our country¡¯s diplomatic rtions with Huaxia have always been very good.¡±

    Luo le smiled and said, ¡°Really? I¡¯m not sure about that.¡±

    In his heart, he was actually saying, ¡®of course I know, that¡¯s why I asked you to hide Qin Baye.¡¯.

    The Huaxia Empire would have been happy if they hadn¡¯t discovered it.

    If they had, the ones whose diplomatic rtions had been destroyed would have been Huaxia and the Soviet Union, and had nothing to do with the United States.

    The United States was still as innocent as a white lotus in the prime of time.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Mr. Luo Le, isn¡¯t this hical? Have you ever seen cooperation that only enjoys rights but doesn¡¯t fulfill its obligations?¡±

    Luo Le saw that Huo Shaoheng had seen through his thoughts, so he wasn¡¯t embarrassed. Heughed heartily, ¡°Sure, sure. Of course, I won¡¯t just let you take the risk.¡±. ¡°How about this? Qin Baye will be taken in by the Soviet embassy, and I¡¯ll Let the American embassy take in Qin Yaoguang. How about that?¡±? ¡°You can¡¯t just enjoy your rights and not fulfill your obligations, right?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then why don¡¯t we let the Soviet embassy take in Qin Yaoguang, and the American embassy take in Qin Baye? Isn¡¯t that better?¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and tapped the coffee table in front of him, ¡°And you still have to rely on us to get Qin yaoguang out. It Won¡¯t be good for you to y second fiddle. Let¡¯s just make a happy decision like this.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª !¡±Luo Le felt a little ufortable when he saw that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t willing to be taken advantage of, but Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t wrong.

    Luo Le had no way to get Qin yaoguang out.

    He believed that if anyone in the world could get Qin yaoguang out from under he chengjian, it would be the Soviet KGB. The Committee of State Security (KGB) would be able to get Qin yaoguang out.

    Therefore, he couldn¡¯t refute Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suggestion at all.

    However, he was still unwilling to ept it. He said, ¡°Are you so sure that you can get Qin Yaoguang Out? What if my people got Qin Yaoguang Out?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±Huo Shaoheng reached into his shirt pocket and took out a few photos, throwing them in front of Luo Le, ¡°These are the photos my people took just now. Look at how they¡¯re keeping an eye on Qin yaoguang. Are you sure that your people have the ability to get her out of such a tight security?¡±

    Luo Le picked up the photo and looked at it. His eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

    Qin yaoguang was wearing a white striped prison uniform. She was tied up on a hospital bed by a few four-finger-wide canvas straps.

    The hospital bed was surrounded by instruments. Slender tentacles stretched out and stuck to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s head, wrists, chest, and legs.

    ¡°What are they doing? !¡±Luo Le cried out in surprise.

    Actually, he was very familiar with this set of equipment. Qin Yaoguang¡¯s daughter, Wen Shouyi, was currently ¡°Being studied¡±under almost the same set of equipment.

    ¡°What else can they do?¡±Huo Shaoheng snickered and put away the photos. ¡°Of course they¡¯re doing experiments.¡±

    He said meaningfully, ¡°You and I aren¡¯t the only ones who know the temptation of ¡®perfect genes.¡¯The Huaxia Empire isn¡¯t a fool. If they don¡¯t do their own research, why would they give it to you and me for free?¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s expression became even gloomier.

    If the Huaxia Empire really thought that way, it meant that even hisst move ¡ª bribery ¡ª might be useless.

    That was becausepared to the ¡®perfect genes¡¯that could greatly improve a human¡¯s physique, money was really an external object.

    To the higher-ups, this was more important than any money.

    In a word, perfect genes were priceless.

    Those who could climb to the top were good at weighing the pros and cons.

    Which was more important, the priceless perfect genes or the valuable money?

    They didn¡¯t have to choose at all.

    Luo Le gritted his teeth. ¡°How about this, let¡¯s do it together. Whoever can get Qin yaoguang out, Qin Yaoguang will enter the embassy.¡±

    ¡°... are you sure you want to do this?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°Then there¡¯s no need to cooperate. We¡¯re under such tight surveince, and you still want us to do it together? Or do you want us to do it separately? Are you looking down on Huaxia¡¯s security system? Aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll make things worse?¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    He was actually thinking of ¡°Themittee of State Security (KGB) and the Huaxia Empire¡¯s security system.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) and the Huaxia Empire¡¯s security system would be at odds with each other, and the CIA elites of the United States would be able to take advantage of it.

    Peter, on the other hand, had once again seen through his ploy.

    This time, Huo Shaoheng did not relent. He stood up, he said calmly, ¡°Forget it. Just pretend that I didn¡¯t say anything. I haven¡¯t been here today, so I won¡¯t cooperate. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and set up the operation myself. Isn¡¯t it just a few more people dying? ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) is willing to make such a small sacrificepared to the perfect genes.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng strode towards the door.

    Luo Le¡¯s eyes flickered. It was only when Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand was on the doorknob and was about to pull the door open that Luo le said, ¡°Mr. Peter, Please Wait!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said without turning his head, ¡°If you still want to cooperate andpete with us, then let¡¯s not talk about it anymore.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Luo Le stepped forward quickly and pulled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sleeve back to sit down. ¡°Mr. Peter, don¡¯t be anxious. Let¡¯s discuss this properly.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression softened when he saw that Luo Le had given in, he said, ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll stick to my conditions. After Qin Yaoguang is released, she¡¯ll go to the Soviet embassy first. Your American embassy will protect Qin Baye and then transfer them out of the country.¡±

    Luo Le nodded. ¡°Okay, I agree. But how do you n to get Qin yaoguang out of the country? That¡¯s not an easy task.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be difficult for us. Mr. Luo Le, do you remember Dresden? It was our people who got him out of China. The old-fashioned way is to get Qin yaoguang to Siberia first.¡±

    Luo Le frowned. ¡°Siberia? That¡¯s in your Soviet Union...¡±

    ¡°Yes, the far east of the Soviet Union. That ce is vast and sparsely popted. There are primitive forests everywhere. Even satellites in the sky can hardly monitor the situation on the ground.¡±

    ¡°From Siberia to the north, through the Bering Strait, you will reach ska in the United States. How is it? Is this route secure?¡±

    Luo Le put his hands behind his back and started pacing around the room. He said to himself, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we definitely can¡¯t transport them away by ne.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Huo Shaoheng did not think much of it. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to be so lucky. With the current level of security checks, can Qin Yaoguang get on the ne lying down?¡±

    ¡°And Qin Baye. He¡¯s so old. If something happens to him on the ne, you¡¯ll have let down your ¡®old friends¡¯...¡±

    Luo Le thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it again and give you an answer tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You have to make a decision early.¡±Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°If you don¡¯t Give us an answer tomorrow, we¡¯ll do it ourselves. We Won¡¯t wait for you.¡±

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng left the five-star hotel where Luo Le was staying. He deliberately smoked a cigarette in front of the hotel before getting into his car and leaving.

    Once he left, a small car parked across the street from the five-star hotel also drove away.

    The driver in the car was calling Qin Baye.

    ¡°Sir, the Soviet man just went to see Luo Le.¡±

    Qin Baye had moved to another ce at the moment.

    He lived in a small courtyard not far from his previous residence.

    In fact, he had bought several houses in different names.

    It could be said that the entire alley was his property, but it was owned by different people.

    When Qin Baye received the call, he was not surprised at all and snorted, ¡°As I expected, they are all birds of a feather.¡±

    To be honest, he had never truly believed either of these two families.

    ¡°Sir, what should we do?¡±Qin Baye¡¯s secretary asked carefully.

    Qin Baye nodded and walked around the room with his walking stick. He chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything. Just wait and see.¡±

    ..

    Early the next morning, Xie Qingying¡¯s new mediapany suddenly received a piece of news. It said that the Lu Corporation, which provided Inte Security to the Qin Private Hospital Group, had faked it and installed a Trojan horse back door to the Qin private hospital group¡¯sputers, they had stolen a lot of internal information from the Qin Private Hospital Group!

    Usually, most of this kind of news was sensational and Xie qingying would not do anything.

    However, this time, she found that the news that the other party had sent was not just a piece of news. Instead, it was reasonable and had many screenshots that had leaked from within, it showed that the Lu Corporation¡¯s security system had really stolen the other party¡¯s internal information.

    Moreover, the LU group did sign a cooperation agreement with the Qin group¡¯s Private Hospital Groupst year. The Qin group¡¯s private hospital group even moved its servers to the LU group¡¯s building in C City.

    These were all news that could be checked.

    After careful consideration and careful verification, Xie qingying still posted the news online.

    Within a day, the Lu group¡¯s stock plummeted. It ended its 300-day rise and fell by the daily limit for the first time.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: chapter 1898, ¡°The supernatural¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone ~ ~

    There is a second update at 8 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1901

    <h4>Chapter 1901: Chapter 1901: Me and my final stubbornness (second update: I am immortal Turtle + 1)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi and Xie qingying both drove over. Xie qingying¡¯spany was indeed very close to this ce, so the two of them soon arrived at Xie Qingying¡¯spany.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the skyscraper.

    It was estimated to be more than 50 floors.

    ¡°Mypany is on the 18th floor.¡±Xie qingying led Gu Nianzhi to the elevator.

    ¡°Huh? Anyone can get on the elevator here?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. She noticed that Xie Qingying did not use her card to swipe the floor.

    Xie qingying pressed the button for the 18th floor, she said, ¡°I originally needed a key card to swipe the elevator floor, but the elevator seems to be broken recently. I can get on without a key card. The property is under repair, but they can only repair it after we get off work. We don¡¯t have time to worry about that when we go to work.¡±

    This was amon urrence. It was better to have an elevator than to take the stairs, not to mention that there were more than fifty floors.

    The elevator quickly climbed up and brought them to the eighteenth floor.

    When they came out of the elevator, Gu Nianzhi saw that the elevator was located in the middle of the floor, with office areas on both sides of the elevator.

    Two transparent ss doors blocked the left and right areas.

    Xie qingying led Gu Nianzhi to the left side and pushed open the ss door. She smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s mypany over there. Ourpany isn¡¯t big, but it¡¯s developing well. We¡¯ve just hired a few people recently.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cupped her hands and said, ¡°Congrattions! Cousin Xie is so capable!¡±

    She had thought that the Xie family and her uncle, prime minister Xie Beichen, were the reason why Xie Qingying had been able to do so well in the new media.

    But now, it seemed that her own abilities were not to be underestimated.

    Perhaps her intentions were higher than the average person¡¯s, butpared to her peers, there were very few people who could do what she had done.

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡±Xie qingying smiled and nodded. ¡°Compared to you, I¡¯m nothing.¡±

    Xie qingying used to think that Gu Nianzhi had be a barrister at such a young age because of the He family¡¯s influence.

    However, after seeing her in court a few times, her opinion of her had changed.

    However, she still kept a respectful distance from Gu Nianzhi and did not want Gu Nianzhi to frequently appear by HE Zhichu¡¯s side.

    The two of them put on professional smiles and walked into Xie Qingying¡¯s new mediapany together.

    It was a new industry after all. The name of ¡°Qingying Online Media Co. , Ltd.¡±was printed on the gray tiles at the entrance of thepany.

    Behind the ss door, which was so transparent that it was almost invisible, was the mahogany reception desk.

    A beautiful little girl was sitting in the back and answering the phone.

    Seeing that Xie qingying hade in, she quickly covered the phone with her hand and said to her, ¡°President Xie, there are a few television stations that would like to make an appointment with you to talk about working together on the show.¡±

    Xie qingying stopped at the reception desk and said, ¡°Contact my secretary to see if I¡¯m free in the next few days.¡±

    The receptionist agreed immediately and stole a nce at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled politely at her.

    The receptionist was a little embarrassed. She picked up the Chocte Bowl on the table and handed it to Gu Nianzhi.¡±... this chocte is quite delicious.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t eat candy, thank you.¡±

    Xie qingying turned around and smiled. ¡°This is my cousin.¡±

    The receptionist felt that Gu Nianzhi looked very familiar.

    After she followed Xie qingying in, the receptionist patted her head and said to herself, ¡°Isn¡¯t this barrister Gu? ! He just watched the live broadcast on TV a few days ago!¡±

    She excitedly picked up her phone and took a photo of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back.

    This photo happened to capture the backs of Gu Nianzhi and Xie qingying.

    Both of them were not short in stature. Gu Nianzhi was taller and more slender than Xie qingying, and Xie qingying was more voluptuous and mature.

    Their backs were very pleasing to the eye.

    The receptionist posted the photo on Weibo.

    # so excited! The big shotwyer Gu came to ourpany a few days ago #

    # our boss is so awesome! Lawyer Gu is actually her cousin! #

    Soon, this photo was discovered by someone and immediately forwarded.

    Because the photo of the receptionist girl had a location tag, many people knew where Gu Nianzhi was right now.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Xie qingying walked into herpany.

    Xie Qingying¡¯spany was located in a rectangr area.

    The deeper they went, the quieter it became.

    Xie qingying exined, ¡°Because we¡¯re a new mediapany, the live broadcast rooms are all in the inner area, so it¡¯s quieter. Even if the soundproofing isn¡¯t good sometimes, it won¡¯t affect the live broadcast.¡±

    There were four live broadcast rooms here.

    As she spoke, she led Gu Nianzhi into the most luxurious live broadcast room they had.

    ¡°This is my live broadcast room.¡±Xie qingying walked up to the host¡¯s seat and turned on the headlights in the room.

    The lights poured down from the roof like a waterfall. They were bright, but not dazzling. When they shone on a person¡¯s face, not only were they extremely clear, but they also had a soft light effect, as if they had automatically added a beauty filter.

    From the television monitor, she could see that her skin was wless, but it was not the kind of effect that a normal beauty camera would have on a mannequin.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°Cousin Xie, this set of lights is the most expensive equipment in the entire live broadcast room, right?¡±

    ¡°Smart!¡±Xie qingying snapped her fingers and said with a smile, ¡°To us new media people, looks are justice. Also, if there¡¯s not enough news, let¡¯s make up for it with looks. This is not a good job!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by her.

    The two of them chatted for a while before Xie qingying took her out of the live broadcast room and went back to her office.

    Xie qingying¡¯s office was next to the live broadcast area.

    ¡°Here, this is the news I received.¡±Xie qingying ced a parcel in front of Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Take a look for yourself. I still have some work to do, so I won¡¯t be apanying you.¡±

    ¡°Cousin Xie, you go ahead.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look for myself.¡±

    Xie qingying went to the conference room for a meeting. Gu Nianzhi was alone in her office, looking through the information in the parcel.

    It was obvious that the other party was trying to hide her identity, so she only used the mostmon A4 paper and the mostmon ck and white ink.

    There were many fingerprints on the paper. It was likely that everyone from Xie qingying to herpany hade into contact with them.

    It was probably impossible to find the fingerprints of the informant on the paper.

    Gu Nianzhi searched the parcel carefully, but could not find any useful information.

    She frowned and took out her phone. She took photos of the inside and outside of the parcel and nned to take them back to Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan to take a look.

    They were in the business, so they might be able to see something different.

    After taking photos of the package, Gu Nianzhi put on the stic gloves she had prepared earlier and picked up the document to read it carefully.

    The entire report was more than 100 pages long, and the content was very detailed.

    Gu nianzhi only read a dozen pages and understood why Xie Qingying had tidied it up and posted it on the headlines.

    Because this evidence... was simply too much!

    She thought to herself and remembered that Xie qingying had said that there was no problem with the information, but there was definitely a problem with the motive of the informant.

    Then what was the motive of the informant?

    Gu Nianzhi continued to read.

    After an unknown amount of time, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang.

    She picked it up and saw that it was Lu Jin calling.

    She quickly swiped open the phone and answered,¡±... Hello, Can I help you?¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m about to go to a press conference with boss Lu to answer the reporters¡¯questions about the Qin corporation¡¯s data leak. Where are you now? Do you want toe over and y?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch; it was already past four in the afternoon.

    During this time, Xie qingying had not returned to the office.

    She was really busy..

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced and said to Lu Jin, ¡°I¡¯ve been at cousin Xie¡¯spany all afternoon. I¡¯m leaving too. Where are you guys?¡±

    Lu Jin said, ¡°The press conference is at the Hilton Hotel in Sihuan District. It looks like you won¡¯t be able to make it in time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was at the north side of Sihuan District, but the Hilton hotel that Lu Jin was talking about was at the southwest side of Sihuan District. It spanned almost the entire imperial capital.

    And it was almost time to get off work. One could imagine how crowded it was.

    Gu nianzhi said regretfully, ¡°Then I won¡¯t go. I¡¯ll go home first. By the way, is there anything to eat at home? Let me see if I can eat outside, or...¡±

    ¡°I asked Boss Lu to make you some wontons in the fridge. You can eat them after you boil them in boiling water.¡±Lu Jin nagged her about the things to watch out for. He was afraid that Gu Nianzhi would identally burn down the kitchen again.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... I know how to boil water.¡±Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and looked at the oval mirror on the opposite wall.

    In the mirror, Gu Nianzhi had a look of ¡°Me and myst stubbornness¡±on her face. She couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    After hanging up the phone, Xie Qingying¡¯s office door was quietly pushed open. A refined man in a decent suit and gold-rimmed sses stood at the door and asked softly, ¡°Are You Gu Nianzhi¡¯swyer?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, who are you?¡±

    The man put his hand in his pocket. Gu Nianzhi was suddenly rmed. ¡°What are you doing? !¡±

    Before the man could speak, two more men appeared behind him. One of them held his arm. ¡°Sir, what are you doing?¡±

    The man turned around in shock. They were two men dressed in very ordinary clothes. They had crew cut hair, but their eyes were sparkling. It was obvious that they were not ordinary people.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±The man frowned. ¡°Let go of me. I¡¯m director Xie¡¯s director.¡±

    The two men looked at each other, then stuck their heads out and said to Gu Nianzhi in the room, ¡°Miss Gu, we¡¯re young master he¡¯s people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

    So they were the people he zhichu had sent to protect her in secret.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s you guys. Come in and have a seat.¡±

    She turned to the male director. ¡°It was a misunderstanding. What can I do for You?¡±

    The male director said unhappily, ¡°President Xie thought that Miss Gu was still here, so he sent me to ask you what dinner you¡¯re having. We¡¯re going to order a work mealter.¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°No need. I¡¯ll be leaving right away.¡±

    She sealed the package that had leaked the news and said, ¡°Where¡¯s president Xie? I have to return this to her personally.¡±

    The male director nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go get President Xie.¡±

    He turned around and walked away from the two of them. As he walked past them, he snorted lightly.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. She put the package back into the drawer that Xie qingying had just pulled out and pulled out the key.

    Just as she was about to leave, the room went dark.

    The power went out.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: chapter 1901, ¡°I and myst stubbornness¡±.

    The 100,000 starting coins that I am master Roshi gave in April have been added for the first time.

    To remind you of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket, it seems to be the end of the month again?

    There is the third update at 8 pm.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1902

    <h4>Chapter 1902: Chapter 1902: Time of crisis (1)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, her eyes quickly adjusting to the dimmer light.

    She looked at her watch. It was still 15 minutes to five, so it should still be bright outside.

    Xie qingying¡¯s office was draped with a thin curtain, so it looked dark.

    She quickly asked, ¡°Why is the power out? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The three of them walked towards the entrance of Xie Qingying¡¯spany.

    It wasn¡¯t even time to get off work yet, but the ce was eerily quiet.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Xie? Which one of you is going to look for her?¡±

    The two people following her said, ¡°Miss Gu, our orders are to protect Miss Gu¡¯s safety.¡±

    What they meant was that Xie Qingying wasn¡¯t on their radar, so they wouldn¡¯t look for her.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°But I¡¯m safe now. Aren¡¯t you going to see Miss Xie? I feel like something¡¯s not right.¡±

    The two of them looked at each other and said, ¡°We also felt that something was wrong, so we came to see you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart almost skipped a beat. ¡°What did you say? ! What problem?¡±

    The uneasiness in her heart gradually grew.

    ¡°... We were originally protecting your safety in secret, but after you entered Miss Xie¡¯spany, we discovered that your location had disappeared.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we took the initiative to show ourselves.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Could it be that there¡¯s an electromaic shield here? !¡±

    The two of them quickly took out their phones to take a look.

    ¡°There¡¯s no signal.¡±

    ¡°Looks like there really is an electromaic shield.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone had been specially made for her by Lu Jin, so she wasn¡¯t afraid of an electromaic shield.

    She quickly unlocked her phone and called Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, Huo Shaoheng, and he zhichu to send messages.

    Just then, she suddenly heard a dull thud from the corridor.

    It was as if Thunder had exploded in the narrow space. The sound waves shook faintly, and even the floor seemed to shake slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi stood unsteadily. The two of them quickly held her arms from left to right.

    However, they only held her for a moment before separating. They were very careful with their actions.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly steadied herself. She looked down at her phone and found that it was already out of battery.

    Her expression suddenly turned ugly. She said in surprise, ¡°How did it run out of battery? ! It was still 90% full just now!¡±

    A dead cell phone was a killer. Even though Lu Jin had given her a special cell phone that was not afraid of normal electromaic shielding, it could not withstand a dead cell phone.

    But why was the battery suddenly dead?

    The other two also took out their cell phones to take a look.

    Their cell phones were also useless.

    These two people were more knowledgeable than Gu Nianzhi.

    Thinking of the muffled sound they had heard just now, they came to their senses.

    The man on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s left blurted out, ¡°There¡¯s an XM-40 maic grenade gun here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Yes, this gun is equipped with the XM-40-CDTE system, which is also known as the single soldier semi-automatic maic storm system. Other than its lethality beingparable to a smallser cannon, it can also disable all electromaic and radio short-wavemunication systems within a ten-mile radius with a single shot. It has the ability to block counterfactual quantummunication.¡±

    A single shot could block electromaic and radio short-wavemunication systems within a ten-mile radius. This meant that it could also interfere with allwork signals. To put it simply, a single shot could cut off thework and power.

    Gu Nianzhi did not understand the meaning of counterfactual quantummunication for a moment, but she understood the ability of this weapon to cut off thework and power with a single shot. Also, ¡°What the hell is it that its lethality isparable to a smallser cannon? !¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s Go!¡±The man on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right came back to his senses and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, sprinting towards the door.

    The two of them, one in front and one behind, blocked Gu Nianzhi in the middle. However, before they could reach the door, a man in a suit came out of an unknown room and directly raised his hand to shoot!

    The Man in front of Gu Nianzhi could have dodged, but when he thought of Gu Nianzhi behind him, he endured it and immediately raised his hand to shoot back.

    Both of them were shot at the same time and fell to the ground with a scream.

    The man behind Gu Nianzhi saw that the situation wasn¡¯t looking good and immediately pulled gu nianzhi back.

    They ran towards Xie Qingying¡¯s live broadcast room, which was also the innermost room.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the person who had fallen and felt very sad. She said to the man who was pulling her, ¡°Sir, if anything happenster, you have to run out by yourself. You Don¡¯t have to take a bullet for me anymore!¡±

    The man did not even turn his head. He quickly pulled her to open the door to the innermost live broadcast room and said, ¡°Our orders are to protect miss gu at all costs. We will do anything even if it means sacrificing ourselves!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said in a low voice, ¡°Listen to me. The people this time are probablying for me. They won¡¯t want to kill me. They won¡¯t even touch a hair on my head.¡±

    If the other party¡¯s target was really her, then they were definitelying for the ¡°Perfect gene.¡±.

    However, she had already been stripped of thebel of ¡°Perfect Gene¡±during the court hearing a few days ago. Who else would be staring at her?

    Luo Le?

    Wasn¡¯t he busy trying to get Qin yaoguang out?

    Huo Shaoheng had been setting up outside for the past few days, preparing to lure her into his trap.

    If it wasn¡¯t Luo Le, then who was it?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced as she suddenly thought of someone.

    Qin Baye!

    It was only him.

    If there was one person in this world who wouldn¡¯t be confused by the video of the trial that day, it would be Qin Baye!

    Gu Nianzhi said hatefully,¡±... I know who ordered this. If you have the chance, you must run out and report this yourself! It¡¯s Qin Baye! He won¡¯t give up and wants to kidnap me!¡±

    She had thought that this old man was already a stray dog who had been chased by he chengjian¡¯s inescapable all day long. She had not expected him to have such a trick up his sleeve!

    She had really underestimated him.

    The man beside Gu Nianzhi was unmoved and said, ¡°Miss Gu, we only listen to young master he¡¯s orders. I Won¡¯t leave you unless young master he says so.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the man and did not know what to say.

    It was even darker in the live broadcast room, and she couldn¡¯t see anything at all.

    The man dragged Gu Nianzhi inside and used his instinctive sense of direction to locate the window.

    He wanted to open the window, but the window was welded shut.

    Gu Nianzhi said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy. This is a live broadcast room, so the window won¡¯t open.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just wait. If you don¡¯t want to go out, we¡¯ll just have to wait for our deaths.¡±Gu nianzhi said disapprovingly, ¡°How about we rush out together?¡±

    The man hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Do you really think they won¡¯t hurt you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true that they want to capture me, but they won¡¯t hurt me,¡±Gu Nianzhi said confidently. In fact, her confidence and courage came from the small silent pistol in her bag.

    Thankfully, the pistol was mechanical, not electronic. It was not afraid of the maic grenade gun!

    The man thought about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suggestion in the dark.

    She was right. The two of them were hiding here, waiting to die.

    They didn¡¯t know how many people the other party had, nor did they know how many weapons they had.

    However, an XM-40 maic grenade gun was enough to send everyone in this building to hell.

    ¡°... What happened to cousin Xie?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s frown deepened.

    In the corridor outside, another man in a suit walked out.

    If Xie Qingying had been here, she would have recognized him. He was one of the two people she had met in the elevator at noon.

    The other man had fallen in the corridor and was shot at the same time as one of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bodyguards.

    Xie Qingying¡¯s mouth was gagged. Her arms were tied behind her back and she was thrown under the table in the conference room.

    There weren¡¯t many people in herpany. After the meeting in the afternoon, someone suggested that she leave work early, so she agreed.

    The people in herpany had been working overtime for the past few days because of the explosive headlines.

    There weren¡¯t many things to do today, so she had to entertain Gu Nianzhi again, so she let them leave first.

    It didn¡¯t take long before someone knocked her out from behind.

    When I woke up, I was tied up under a table.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the third watch of today: Chapter 1902, critical moments (1) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket oh, it seems to be the end of the month?

    Mwah everyone Big Angel ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1903

    <h4>Chapter 1903: Chapter 1903 time of crisis (2)(first update, second update, monthly pass)</h4>

    Xie qingying¡¯s head hurt so much that it was about to split open. Her mind was buzzing as if tens of thousands of bees had flown in and were boiling inside.

    For a long time, she could neither hear nor see. When she opened her eyes, she saw stars and her ears seemed to be isted in a vacuum.

    She almost thought that she was really deaf and blind.

    When she finally recovered, she realized her situation.

    She was tied up like a dumpling and thrown under the table.

    She blinked and tried to see her situation clearly.

    The room was very dark. Her arms were tied behind her back, and she didn¡¯t know what time it was.

    Her eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, and she found that this was the meeting room where she called the meeting to end.

    So it was the meeting room..

    Her memories came back to her as if they had been turned upside down.

    The new director she had hired looked like an elite, but it turned out that she was the one who had led the wolf into the room!

    Xie qingying gnashed her teeth in hatred.

    Soon, she thought of Gu Nianzhi, who had seen the original of the explosive package, and her heart sank.

    Oh No, Gu Nianzhi isn¡¯t still here, is she? !

    This girl¡¯s Luck was really bad. It was all her fault..

    If she hadn¡¯t invited her to herpany, she wouldn¡¯t have suffered such an undeserved disaster.

    He Zhichu cared so much about Gu Nianzhi. If he knew that she had suffered at her hands, would they still be able to continue their rtionship?

    Xie qingying had countless thoughts running through her mind, but none of them were enough to let her escape sessfully.

    What should she do?

    Xie qingying looked around and suddenly remembered that when she had renovated the conference room, there was an rm under the conference table. It was connected to the rm phones of the building¡¯s security department and the police station!

    At that time, the rm had only been installed as a general security measure.

    It was mainly prepared to prevent the employees she had fired from causing trouble on the spot.

    Now it coulde in handy!

    Xie qingying slowly moved her body under the table and slowly sat up.

    Fortunately, the conference table was rtively high, so she did not have to hunch over to move under the table.

    Her arms were tied behind her back by a hard nylon rope. The rope was so tight that her arms were in so much pain that she had lost consciousness.

    Xie qingying suspected that if she was not rescued in time, even if her arms were not broken, she would be crippled due to theck of blood flow for a long period of time..

    She cursed those gangsters, especially the male director that she had recruited. She also hated herself for being blind to recruit such a person.

    She knelt on the ground and used her knees to move forward step by step. Finally, she arrived at the location where the rm was installed under the conference table.

    She half stood up and used her head to push against the rm. However, she did not hear any response after pushing for a long time.

    Logically, she would only be able to connect to the rm system when she heard a slight crack.

    What was going on?

    Xie qingying thought that she did not push against the rm. She gritted her teeth and used more strength.

    However, she did not manage to control her strength properly. Her head hit the conference table with a loud thud.

    Crash!

    The conference table was kicked open by someone, revealing Xie qingying who was under the table.

    That personughed sinisterly. ¡°You¡¯re Awake? What do you want? ! You want to find someone to save you? !¡±

    Another voice sounded. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s an rm under the conference table!¡±

    ¡°You want to call the police? ! B * Tch!¡±The person whoughed sinisterly just now grabbed Xie qingying¡¯s hair and pulled her up.

    With a few backhand ps, Xie qingying¡¯s mouth was bleeding.

    Xie qingying had never been tortured like this before.

    The pride in her bones waspletely stimted. She spat out a mouthful of blood on that person¡¯s face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so arrogant! I¡¯ve already called the police! The police wille to arrest you soon!¡±Xie qingying said loudly, ¡°If you let us go now, I can let bygones be bygones! If you continue to do evil, you¡¯ll be waiting to go to jail!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already called the police? !¡±The two men in the meeting room looked at each other and then burst intoughter.

    ¡°Call the police? ! Who Are You Fooling? How are you going to call the police? !¡±The man standing in the front wiped the blood off his face and pped Xie qingying again.

    This time, Xie Qingying was directly hit and fell to the ground. Her left cheek fell to the ground first.

    Her tender face scraped off a piece of skin on the hard Brazilian cherry wood floor. It was so painful that tears came out of her eyes.

    That person raised the oddly-shaped gun in his hand, he said loudly, ¡°I have a grenade maic storm gun. Just now, a bullet paralyzed all thework and electrical systems here. You called the police? You also have to ask if the grenade maic storm gun in my hand agrees? !¡±

    Xie qingying did not know what a ¡°Howitzer maic storm gun¡±was, but when she heard this person say that a bullet paralyzed all theworks and electrical systems in this ce, she recalled that the rm did not seem to work, then, she looked at the electrical switches in the meeting room and realized that there really was no electricity because all the lights were gone.

    Usually, even if the lights were turned off, there would always be a small red dot shing at the light switch, which was the indicator light.

    Now that the meeting room was dark, the indicator lights could not be seen at all.

    Seeing that she could not bluff them, Xie qingying had toe up with another n, she pleaded, ¡°Do you want money? ¡°I have money. I can transfer as much as you want... Why do you need to hurt people? ¡°Think about it carefully. Who is my uncle? If he really harmed me, where do you think you will run to?¡±

    The manughed even harder. ¡°Miss Xie, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    He knelt on one knee in front of Xie qingying, grabbed her hair again, and looked her in the eye. He asked, ¡°Where is your cousin, Gu Nianzhi? where is she?¡±

    Xie Qingying¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Why did this man ask for Gu Nianzhi by name?

    ¡°Tell me!¡±The man was a little agitated. He pressed the gun in his hand against Xie Qingying¡¯s temple. ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? ! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll Shoot You!¡±

    ¡°If you shoot me, you¡¯ll never find Gu Nianzhi!¡±Xie qingying sneered. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an idiot for ying this game with me?¡±

    The man was stunned by Xie Qingying¡¯s words. He stared at her with his mouth agape. He really didn¡¯t know how to refute her.

    In the midst of the stalemate, another man came in from outside and whispered to the man, ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve searched every office here. We don¡¯t see anyone. We don¡¯t know where they¡¯ve gone to hide.¡±

    Another man said,¡±... could there be a mistake in the information? Did she actually note? Or has she already escaped?¡±

    ¡°No, she must still be in the office. I¡¯ve locked the main door and checked the security cameras at the entrance. No one has gone out since the power went out.¡±

    Xie qingying heard the familiar voice and nced at it. She realized it was the male director she had hired. She red at the man angrily, wishing she could shoot the man in the head with a bullet in her eye!

    The man noticed Xie Qingying¡¯s gaze and looked over. He smiled.¡±... President Xie, why don¡¯t you tell me where Gu Nianzhi is hiding?¡±

    Xie qingying was half relieved.

    She was certain that as long as they didn¡¯t catch anyone, they wouldn¡¯t do anything to her.

    Gu Nianzhi was so important to he zhichu. If he knew that Gu Nianzhi was in danger, he zhichu would havee to save them immediately..

    Xie qingying¡¯s heart felt slightly sour at the thought of this, but she quickly suppressed it.

    At this time, it was still more important to save their lives. No matter who he zhichu came to save, as long as he could save them all, it would be fine.

    Xie qingying understood this logic and said with a deadpan expression, ¡°How would I know? I¡¯ve been having meetings here, how could you not know?¡±

    The male director chuckled, ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    He turned to the man with the bad temper and said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve checked the four live broadcast rooms and even the boxes next to the cameras. There¡¯s really no one there.¡±

    Xie qingying lowered her head, wondering where Gu Nianzhi had gone?

    Could she have really run out?

    If she had really run out, she would have thought of a way to contact the outside world, right? Would he zhichu have rushed over to save her?

    Xie qingying¡¯s heart was in turmoil. For a moment, she felt sweet, but for a moment, she was desperate. In this moment of high tension, this was the only way she could calm herself down.

    The male director walked over and said with a smile, ¡°But I guess she¡¯s still in the biggest live broadcast room. I was thest person to see her, and I was in that live broadcast room.¡±

    ¡°She still has two bodyguards. One of them was killed by our people. She only has one bodyguard with her.¡±

    The leader of these people stood up immediately and said, ¡°Go to that live broadcast room! Dig three feet into the ground and find her for me!¡±

    The few of them walked towards the door of the conference room. Halfway there, the leader turned around and pointed at Xie qingying. ¡°Bring her along!¡±

    Four or five men dragged Xie qingying to thergest live broadcast room.

    There was no electricity here, so they used their shlights to illuminate the room.

    A few bright beams of light swayed about in the pitch-ck live broadcast room, looking for a ce to hide her.

    But after searching for a long time, they did not see a single person.

    ¡°This is really strange. Can She Fly? !¡±

    The leader of the group became impatient. He rushed to Xie Qingying angrily, grabbed her by thepels of her clothes, and shouted again, ¡°Hurry up and tell us! Where is Gu Nianzhi? ! If you don¡¯t tell us now, do you believe that we will kill you here today? !¡±

    Xie qingying finally panicked. ¡°You, you, you... What are you doing? ! Don¡¯t do anything stupid! My uncle is prime minister Xie Beichen, and my fianc¨¦ is major general he zhichu! If you dare touch me, they won¡¯t Let You Go!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha! Do you think your uncle is the prime minister? !¡±

    ¡°Your fianc¨¦ is major general he zhichu? ! That¡¯s great! I¡¯ve never tasted a major general¡¯s woman before, so I¡¯m going to give it a try today!¡±

    The man was not intimidated by her words. He put the grenade on his back, stepped forward, and ripped Xie Qingying¡¯s blouse open.

    Her voluptuous chest was wrapped in a high-end bra with pink and purplece, and it was so irritating that the man¡¯s eyes almost turned red.

    Xie qingying screamed uncontrobly.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi hid in the ceiling of the live broadcast room alone.

    The people protecting her had already sneaked out to call for help. Before they left, they stood on the table in the broadcast room, lifted her up, and ced her in the sunken area of the ceiling.

    When the power was on, it was obviously not safe for Gu Nianzhi to hide here.

    But now that the power was out, as long as she didn¡¯t move, no one would think of this ce.

    Of course, she could not hide here forever.

    Those people might think of this ce in a while.

    Gu Nianzhi believed that if she could hold on for a few more minutes, someone would arrive soon.

    In the end, she did not wait for her rescuers to arrive. Instead, she waited for the gangsters to assault Xie qingying..

    Gu Nianzhi could not watch such an atrocity happen right under her nose.

    Even though she knew that it would be useless for her to go down there, and that she might even end up in the same situation as Xie qingying, she still could not tolerate it.

    She touched the gun in her small bag and silently took it out.

    With a thud, she loaded the gun.

    Using the light from the shlights in those people¡¯s hands, Gu Nianzhi saw that the man was about to pounce on her andmit violence!

    She expressionlessly aimed the gun at the back of the man¡¯s head and pulled the trigger!

    After the shot, the man¡¯s brain exploded. The other men jumped in fright and pulled out their guns one after another.

    The male director even bent down to retrieve the grenade maic gun from the back of the man who had been shot by Gu Nianzhi!

    Gu Nianzhi was very anxious when she saw this.

    She couldn¡¯t let him use this gun!

    Once he took it out, she and Xie qingying would die without a burial!

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care how many bullets she had. She didn¡¯t care. She aimed at the back of the man¡¯s head and fired again!

    Bang!

    The man also fell to the ground.

    Then, the third, fourth, and fifth!

    All of them had died under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gun when they were picking up the gun!

    Actually, although Gu Nianzhi¡¯s marksmanship was good, it wasn¡¯t to the point where she could shoot without missing a shot.

    But this time, she had the upper hand. She had the advantage in position, so it was easy to shoot.

    In addition, these people had risked their lives to snatch the grenade-fired maic gun. This gave Gu Nianzhi an opportunity to take on five people by herself and bury them all here!

    Xie qingying didn¡¯t expect that Gu Nianzhi would actually be able to kill these people.

    She had just escaped death, so she quickly put on her clothes and looked up at the Dent in the ceiling above her. She bumped into Gu Nianzhi, who had poked her head out.

    Gu nianzhi whispered, ¡°Cousin Xie, bring me a table. It¡¯s so high up here, I don¡¯t dare jump.¡±

    Xie qingying:¡±...¡±

    You Don¡¯t dare jump, but you dare kill..

    How dare this girl?

    Xie qingying was both grateful and ashamed of Gu Nianzhi, so she quickly pushed the table over.

    But just as Gu Nianzhi jumped down from the ceiling, another group of people rushed in.

    This group was obviously much more powerful. They were all wearing gray tight-fitting gun suits, low-brimmed hats, and masks. Their bodies were strong and their movements were swift and fierce, unlike the five bastards from before.

    The leader of the group raised his hand and shot Xie qingying in the shoulder. The other person rushed up to Gu Nianzhi and covered her mouth. He turned the butt of the gun upside down and hit the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.

    The other three people searched the five bastards on the ground and took away any documents that could prove their identity. They then fired several shots at their heads, smashing their faces into pieces.

    Xie qingying could no longer bear the shock of today¡¯s ups and downs. She rolled her eyes and fainted.

    ..

    When she woke up, she saw he zhichu¡¯s anxious face.

    ¡°Ah Chu!¡±Xie qingying felt extremely wronged. She threw herself into he zhichu¡¯s arms and cried.

    He zhichu patted her patiently and asked, ¡°Where is nianzhi? where is Nianzhi Going?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first and second watch of today¡¯s Big Chapter: Chapter 1903, the time of crisis (2) .

    It was thest day of August, so everyone¡¯s monthly votes should be cast soon!

    Today was also considered the third watch!

    There was the third watch at 8 p.m. , so they continued to tip the president of the General Alliance and send him more checks.

    PS: Thank you, ¡°My Love¡±, for the 10,000 starting point coins that the president of ¡°Mcmug loves Blue¡±sent yesterday. Thank you for the 10,000 Qidian coins given yesterday by the president of ¡°Mcmug loves Blue¡±.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1904

    <h4>Chapter 1904: Chapter 1904: Time of crisis (3)(third update: I am immortal Turtle + 2)</h4>

    Xie qingying shuddered at the thought of what had just happened.

    She grabbed he zhichu¡¯spel and said in a trembling voice,¡±... those people are too scary... Nianzhi is so powerful. If it wasn¡¯t for her, I would have been bullied by those people...¡±

    It was fortunate that Gu Nianzhi had fired a shot at that person at the critical moment to stop those people frommitting violence. Otherwise, Xie qingying would not have dared to imagine what would have happened.

    He zhichu paused and looked at Xie qingying quickly. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re okay. What about Nianzhi? Where did she go?¡±

    Xie qingying closed her eyes.¡±... she was taken away. After she jumped down from the ceiling, another group of people rushed in. These people are even more terrifying than the five men from before...¡±

    Xie qingying touched her bandaged shoulder and grimaced in pain.

    He Zhichu pushed her away. ¡°Hurry up and get the bullet out of your shoulder. Take care of yourself.¡±

    With that, he strode out of the ward.

    Xie qingying looked at he zhichu with disappointment. Her lips were agape. She wanted to stop him, but when she thought of Gu Nianzhi, who had been taken away, she stopped talking.

    Gu Nianzhi was in danger now, and she still owed her a favor for saving her life.

    Xie qingying slowly leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes.

    The scene from before slowly reyed in her mind, and she began to think of some details that she had not noticed before.

    The people had said that they were here to capture Gu Nianzhi, and the people who had rushed inter had taken her away.

    Did this mean that she, Xie qingying, was the one who had really been caught in the crossfire?

    But what was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s benefit in making those people target her?

    In Xie Qingying¡¯s eyes, Gu Nianzhi was very capable and very capable, but she was like fire and water with the Qin family. After she broke off the engagement with he zhichu, Gu Nianzhi was just an ordinary person.

    What was so special about a person like her that she was worth the other party scheming against and going through all this trouble..

    Was there a secret about Gu Nianzhi that she didn¡¯t know about?

    Xie qingying¡¯s instincts as a media person had allowed her to sense that there was still big news here. However, when she thought about what Gu Nianzhi had done for her, she suppressed her thoughts.

    One should distinguish between kindness and hatred. She wasn¡¯t someone who didn¡¯t have a bottom line.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head hit something like a metal te with a thud.

    The pain made her squeal and open her eyes.

    She was still shaking and her hands were tied behind her back, so her center of gravity was unstable and she always wanted to stagger.

    She blinked and gradually came back to her senses and saw her situation clearly.

    It seemed like she was in an RV. The car was driving very fast and the ground was bumpy. She was tied up and thrown to the ground, and her head hit the bumper of the car.

    As she was thinking, she hit her head again with a thud.

    Her face was dark.

    These people were all tied up. Why didn¡¯t they let her stay away from the bumper? !

    Was it fun to let her hit the wall?

    The sound of her head hitting the car attracted the attention of the people in front.

    A person walked towards her. Without saying a word, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up to sit in the back seat.

    In the dim car, the streetlights outside the car shed by and shone on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fair and pretty face. It was as if there was ayer of soft light covering her face. The man could not help but swallow his saliva and reached out to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chest, he wanted to pull her clothes.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more speechless.

    These people kidnapped her. weren¡¯t they targeting her perfect genes?

    Shouldn¡¯t they be holding her hostage? !

    And they wanted to vite her?

    They must be out of their minds!

    Gu Nianzhiughed coldly and shouted, ¡°Stop it! You want a woman? How can you not have one? If you insist on making things difficult for me, I don¡¯t believe that your financial backer didn¡¯t order you to take me away unscathed!¡±

    ¡°If you dare to hurt me, I¡¯ll see if your financial backer will pay you or Not!¡±

    The man¡¯s hand stopped moving.

    That was indeed what their employer said.

    How did this woman know?

    Just as he was hesitating, another man walked over. Seeing the two of them in a stalemate, he pped the back of the man¡¯s head, he said in a low voice, ¡°Get Out! If you touch her again, I¡¯ll kill you! ¡ª the boss told us to take her away unscathed, or else we won¡¯t get the money!¡±

    The man suddenly came to his senses and quickly said, ¡°Boss, I was just trying to scare her! This girl is too hot to touch. She can at least let us have a good look at her! ... Her figure is really good!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the boss who had just walked in.

    He looked to be in his thirties and was not very tall. He was at most 1.74 meters tall and could not be any taller.

    He was not tough either. He was thinner than the man he had just scolded away, but he had an imposing aura that could not be ignored.

    His appearance was also very ordinary, and the color of his eyes seemed to be a little faint.

    It was very dark in the car, so Gu Nianzhi could only use the light outside the car to size up the boss.

    The man quietly allowed her to size him up, and leaned over to untie her hands.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to say thank you, but the man turned around and handcuffed her with another pair of stic handcuffs.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    I don¡¯t know if I should say this or not!

    Fine, she had misunderstood. This was a rtively sane kidnapper, but he was still a kidnapper at heart.

    Was it possible to convince them to let her go?

    But even if it was impossible, she had to give it a try..

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and asked softly, ¡°Who asked you to kidnap me? How much did he pay you?¡±

    ¡°Ha, who asked us to kidnap you? What Do You Care?¡±The kidnapper who had wanted to assault Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°Besides, he gave you this amount...¡±

    He gestured with his hand. ¡°You can afford tens of millions of dors?¡±

    ¡°No matter how much he gives you, I¡¯ll double it.¡±Gu nianzhi said calmly, ¡°Give me a call if you don¡¯t believe me, and I¡¯ll have someone transfer half of the money to your bank ount.¡±

    The man was stunned again. ¡°You¡¯re really that Rich?¡±

    ¡°... What do you think? Otherwise, why would the man Let You Kidnap Me? People die for money, birds die for food.¡±Gu Nianzhi was eloquent, she used her skills in court and continued to bluff, ¡°Look, I have so much money. As long as the financier behind you gives you a small portion, he¡¯ll get a big chunk of it. Are you guys stupid?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the ones who put in the effort, but you can only eat soup and watch him eat meat.¡±Gu Nianzhi continued to encourage them, ¡°I promise I won¡¯t call the police. Even if I do, I¡¯ll only arrest the person behind you and won¡¯t arrest you. I¡¯ll treat it as making friends, and then I¡¯ll hire bodyguards for the money. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Is it really that good?¡±The kidnapper was a little tempted.

    It was just as Gu Nianzhi had said. They had onlye out to work on this case for the sake of money.

    The kidnapper had promised such arge sum of money. As long as they left the country, they could immediately start a new life.

    However, they still had a case, so they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the country in the future.

    ¡°... how¡¯s that? Boss, is it... ?¡±

    The boss was more rational than the simple-minded, well-developed kidnapper. He shook his head expressionlessly, ¡°We¡¯ve already signed a contract. We¡¯re in the underworld, so we can¡¯t go back on our word. It¡¯s her business if she¡¯s rich. Do you really think she¡¯ll give you twice as much?¡±

    The man gave Gu Nianzhi a sideways nce. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by her.¡±

    He paused, then said, ¡°Lawyers are the best liars.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°The boss is indeed the boss. He sees further than others and thinks deeper than others. He¡¯s so capable, so why would he want to be a kidnapper, a career with no future? Don¡¯t you want to wash your hands of this and Go Legit?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re so contractual, you should get a proper securitypany to go public. You¡¯ll be rich overnight and make your ancestors proud. In the future, you¡¯ll be able to marry a rich, beautiful woman and reach the pinnacle of your life!¡±

    The boss acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard her. No matter how Gu Nianzhi tried to paint a picture for them, he was still unmoved.

    But the other kidnappers heard her and came over in a daze.¡±... boss, are you really not going to consider her suggestion?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what if what she said is true?¡±

    The calm boss¡¯s lips twitched. He took out a piece of tape and sealed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth. He warned her lightly, ¡°You¡¯d better behave yourself. If you continue to incite my men, I won¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at him hatefully, as if he was being very polite now!

    She really wanted to p the handcuffs on his face!

    In the midst of the stalemate, the car suddenly screeched to a halt and Gu Nianzhi fell out of the car seat.

    The man subconsciously held her up and turned around to ask, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Boss, the police have set up a checkpoint in front. All the cars have to stop for inspection... and there are so many police dogs...¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the third watch of today: Chapter 1904, time of crisis (3) .

    The 100,000 qidian coins for ¡°I am Master Oogway¡±in April were sent again.

    It¡¯s thest day of August. Let¡¯s vote for the monthly votes!

    The first and second watch have been updated in the morning.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1905

    <h4>Chapter 1905: Chapter 1905 time of crisis (4)(first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    ¡°Checkpoint?¡±The leader of the kidnappers frowned and sat back next to the car window. He looked out of the dark brown car window for a while.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and find another way.¡±The leader waved his hand. ¡°There are many cars ahead. We can just follow behind them. Don¡¯t panic and don¡¯t drive too fast.¡±

    There was a long line at the checkpoint ahead. Many police dogs were wagging their tails in front of the cars and sniffing them.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that the police must be looking for her.

    She suddenly stood up from her seat and mmed her head into the car window!

    She did not think that she would be able to break the car window. She only wanted to create a hugemotion and attract the police and police dogs in front.

    However, the leader of the kidnappers sitting next to her was surprisingly fast.

    Gu Nianzhi had not even touched the side of the car window when she was pulled back by the man with one hand.

    His hand was so strong that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder was almost dislocated.

    Gu Nianzhi could not help falling back into her seat and watched as the man put a very deep hat on her head.

    There seemed to be a smell in the hat. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have time to hold her breath and gradually lost consciousness.

    The kidnapper, the admiral, hugged Gu Nianzhi in his arms and said to the other four people in the car, ¡°What are you looking at? Hurry up and turn around.¡±

    In two hours, they had run through seven or eight different roads. They had run through all the roads and alleys leading from the third ring road to the south of the capital.

    However, these roads were all tightly blocked. Not even a fly could fly out.

    If they wanted to go through, they would have to undergo a temporary inspection.

    At that time, they would all be caught.

    Forget about disguising themselves, it would be useless.

    They would even be checked for fingerprints at the temporary inspection point. If they wanted to avoid this kind of inspection, they would have to change their skin immediately.

    But was this possible?

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    The other four kidnappers in the car were anxious. ¡°Boss, could this woman really be very powerful? If what she said is true, why don¡¯t we cooperate with her... ?¡±

    They had kidnapped her for money. If they couldn¡¯t get money from the business, then they shouldn¡¯t do it.

    The leader of the kidnappers snorted and looked at them. ¡°If any of you want to change your mind, raise your right hand.¡±

    The four of them thought for a while, and only the kidnapper who had tried to assault Gu Nianzhi raised his right hand.

    ¡°You want to cooperate with her?¡±The head of the kidnappers looked him up and down, his words were very harsh. ¡°How could I have such a useless subordinate like you? You¡¯ve offended her the most, and you still want to cooperate with her and ask her for money? The thing in your pants grew in the wrong ce and grew on your head, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Boss! You Can¡¯t Talk Like That!¡±The kidnapper was anxious. ¡°Look outside! There are police everywhere! Since we can¡¯t escape anyway, it¡¯s better to...¡±

    Bang!

    A dull gunshot rang out. The kidnapper¡¯s boss had a small silver-white silent pistol in his hand. The bullet hit the kidnapper¡¯s forehead, and the strength of the bullet was just right. The bullet did not fly out from the back of the head, therefore, there was no scene of the brain being torn apart.

    The other three kidnappers were stunned.

    The leader of the kidnappers blew on the muzzle of his gun and said casually, ¡°Throw him into the moat over there. Thene up and we will go north.¡±

    The man¡¯s shooting stancepletely stunned the other three kidnappers. They did not dare to have any other thoughts. They obediently dragged the dead kidnapper out of the car and covered his head with his clothes, not even a trace of blood could be seen.

    It was the darkest moment before dawn. The streetlights here were broken again, and the surveince camera was in a blind spot. It was pitch ck.

    The kidnappers threw the dead kidnapper into the moat not far away and obediently returned to the car. ¡°Boss, where are We Going?¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll call the boss.¡±

    As the kidnapper spoke, he took out his phone and got out of the car. He found a more secluded ce and dialed a number on the other side.

    He briefly exined the situation, and the person on the other side seemed to be speechless. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Where are you now?¡±

    ¡°Boss, please forgive me for not being able to say this. This call is not considered very safe. If someone were to listen in, all our efforts would be in vain.¡±

    The kidnapper leader spoke like this, but the people on the other side were not angry at all, instead, they said with great emotion, ¡°Sir, you are really a person who can do great things. Those five B * stards deserve to die. They were originally found to be scapegoats to divert the attention.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you guys rest first. I¡¯ll Call You Again Tomorrow Morning at dawn.¡±The person coughed a few times on the phone.

    ¡°Okay, tomorrow morning at eight o¡¯clock. If I can¡¯t get any news from you, I¡¯ll make my own decision.¡±The head kidnapper sounded like someone who was used to giving orders.

    The boss who answered the phone on the other side was also very respectful to him.

    After all, he was the head of the foreign mercenaries that the boss spent an astronomical sum to hire. He was once a ruthless person who couldunch a coup in a Middle Eastern country by himself and decide the crown prince!

    ..

    Lu Jin had been feeling uneasy during the Lu Corporation¡¯s press conference.

    He did not even hear what Lu Yuan was saying to the reporters.

    In any case, he did not need to care about this matter. Lu Yuan alone was enough to handle it.

    However, as the Lu Corporation¡¯srgest shareholder, he had to be present at this time, even if he did not say a word.

    There were especially many people at the press conference today, and the reporters¡¯questions were endless. Even if Lu Yuan was good at handling such situations, he was somewhat tired from being asked.

    Under normal circumstances, the press conference onlysted for half an hour, and itsted for a full three hours.

    In the end, Lu Jin could not hold it in any longer. He directly grabbed the microphone and said, ¡°That¡¯s all for today. You spent three hours today, and the questions you asked were all nonsense. It¡¯s aplete waste of our time!¡±

    ¡°If the shareholders believe the fake news you made up, will youpensate them if they lose everything?¡±

    When he said this, all the reporters were stunned.

    No one had ever said that about them!

    But before these reporters could retaliate, the inte had already started to cause a ruckus.

    Because Lu Jin had sessfully shifted the focus, the shareholders started to attack the news media organizations that released the news about the Lu Corporation.

    Lu Jin¡¯s words, ¡°If the shareholders listen to your fake news, will youpensate them if they lose all their money?¡±Aroused themon hatred of the shareholders.

    They no longer besieged the LU Corporation¡¯s official ount and turned to tear up the news media.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin finally got out of the press conference.

    By the time they came out of the hotel where the press conference was held, it was almost midnight.

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°We¡¯ve been dyed for so long. I wonder if Nianzhi is starving.¡±

    He took out his phone and immediately called Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number, but it rang for a long time and was cked out.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s GPS and realized that she wasn¡¯t at Xie Qingying¡¯spany or at home. She was at a police station!

    Lu Jin was terrified and immediately said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Boss Lu, quickly call Nianzhi. She seems to be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°What kind of trouble?¡±

    ¡°Her GPS shows that she¡¯s at the police station.¡±

    Lu Yuan was stunned. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    He immediately took out his phone and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number as well.

    This time, it didn¡¯t ring for long before someone answered the call, but he didn¡¯t hear the person on the other end.

    Lu Yuan knew something was wrong and asked cautiously, ¡°May I ask if you¡¯rewyer Gu? I¡¯m Lu Yuan, mypany is a client of yourw firm. I have some legal issues that I¡¯d like to consult you about.¡±

    Lu Jin stared at Lu Yuan in shock, not knowing what he was doing.

    The person on the other end of the line finally spoke, ¡°Mr. Lu? I¡¯m notwyer Gu Nianzhi. Lawyer Gu Nianzhi was in a bit of trouble. ¡°She¡¯s missing. We¡¯re from the police station. We received a report tonight and went to Qingying mediapany. Her bag and cell phone were found at the scene.¡±

    ¡°Missing? ! Are you serious? !¡±Lu Yuan was a little anxious. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have any family here. I¡¯m her client and also her friend. Can Ie to the police station to take a look at her things?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±The people at the police station were very polite. ¡°We have people on duty. This case has been ssified as a major case by the higher-ups and will be dealt with quickly. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lu Yuan was not in the mood to talk to them like a bureaucrat. He put away his phone and said to Lu Jin, ¡°Something might have happened to Nianzhi. Let¡¯s go to the police station first and see what she left behind.¡±

    Once Lu Jin heard that something had really happened to Gu Nianzhi, he could no longer hide his identity and immediately called Xie qingying.

    However, Xie Qingying did not pick up for a long time.

    Lu Jin gritted his teeth and called Xie Qingying¡¯s home directly to find Xie Qingying¡¯s father, Xie Dezhao.

    Xie qingying¡¯s mother, Gu Tian, was Lu Jin, who was also Gu Xiangwen¡¯s biological sister. However, the siblings did not have a good rtionship and had not contacted each other for many years.

    Xie qingying had never been close to her biological uncle, Gu Xiangwen, ever since she was young. Later, Gu Xiangwen was wanted for murder in awsuit. Xie qingying was even more ashamed to mention her uncle who was suspected of murder to others.

    However, Lu Jin still clearly remembered Xie Qingying¡¯s family¡¯s phone number. Even if they changed the number, it would be a piece of cake for him to find it.

    ¡°Xie Dezhao, where¡¯s Your Daughter?¡±Once the call was connected, Lu Jin asked bluntly.

    Xie Dezhao had just returned from the hospital. He packed his things and was about to apany the bed.

    His daughter, Xie qingying, had been shot today. She had just undergone surgery and the bullet fragment on her shoulder had been removed.

    Xie Dezhao, who had always been gentle and polite, was already very nervous and upset when he heard the rude phone call. He said angrily, ¡°Who are you? ! Why are you looking for my daughter? !¡±

    ¡°Your daughter called... Nianzhi to herpany today. Now that Nianzhi has gone missing, has your daughter gone missing? !¡±Lu Jin asked, ¡°If she hasn¡¯t gone missing, ask her to... Hand Nianzhi over! Otherwise, I¡¯ll make her new mediapany go bankrupt tomorrow!¡±

    Lu Jin threatened aggressively.

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t take it anymore and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the police station to see what Nianzhi left behind. Help Yourself.¡±

    However, after getting into the car, he stuck his head out of the window and warned Lu Jin, ¡°You have to be careful not to expose yourself. If something really happens to nianzhi, she needs you to save her even more, so you can¡¯t put yourself in danger.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s words finally calmed Lu Jin, who had almost lost his mind.

    He had been so anxious that he had almost said the words ¡°My daughter¡±a few times, but luckily he had held it in.

    ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    As Lu Jin spoke, he no longer nagged Xie Dezhao. He directly hacked into Xie Dezhao¡¯s phone and obtained all the text messages that Xie Dezhao had received today.

    He also knew that Xie qingying had been shot and sent to the hospital. She had just finished her surgery.

    Even the name and address of the hospital were there.

    Without saying anything else, Lu Jin asked the driver to send him to the hospital to meet Xie qingying.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1905, ¡°Time of crisis (4)¡±.

    Monthly ticket, pleasee to the major general¡¯s Bowl!

    Today is also the third chapter!

    However, the second and third chapter is the big chapter at eight o¡¯clock in the evening, the two are in sync.

    This kind of plot, I will try my best to write a big chapter

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

 Chapter 1906

    <h4>Chapter 1906: Chapter 1906 time of crisis (5)(Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Monthly Pass)</h4>

    Xie qingying¡¯s surgery was very sessful. However, after the surgery, the anesthetic had worn off. The burning pain in her shoulder woke her up.

    The Doctor gave her a special prescription for painkillers to make her feel better.

    Lying on the hospital bed, Xie qingying, who had been excited for the whole day, finally felt sleepy under the effects of the strong painkillers. She wanted to sleep.

    At this moment, the door of her ward was suddenly pushed open. A tall and thin figure quickly rushed to the side of her hospital bed.

    Xie qingying¡¯s eyshes trembled, and her heart tightened. She thought that the kidnappers would not let her off and would run to the hospital again.

    However, when she opened her eyes, she saw a tall and average-looking middle-aged man.

    He looked a little familiar.

    Xie qingying blinked and quickly remembered that this was Lu Jin, the majority shareholder of the Lu Corporation.

    This person had an average appearance. He did not usually speak much and kept a low profile.

    Why was he here?

    Xie qingying tried her best to sit up from the hospital bed, but before she could say anything.., lu Jin had already asked, ¡°You invited Gu Nianzhi to yourpany, and then she was kidnapped. How can you still sleep here? ! Doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt? !¡±

    Xie qingying:¡±...¡±

    Where did this lunatice from? !

    Xie qingying¡¯s expression changed.

    She had thought that she was here to visit her injuries, but it turned out that she was here to fight for Gu Nianzhi?

    Xie qingying held back her anger, she frowned slightly and said, ¡°Mr. Lu, why are you talking like that? I¡¯m also very upset that Nianzhi has gone missing. But there¡¯s nothing I can do. It¡¯s the police¡¯s business to chase after the thief, and I¡¯m injured, so I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze lingered on the bandage on Xie qingying¡¯s shoulder for a moment, he snorted. ¡°You¡¯re not dead yet. What¡¯s there to be wronged about? Hurry up and tell me how Gu Nianzhi is and why she went missing. You were supposed to tell me everything, or else I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Do you believe that I¡¯ll get rid of all the fans you¡¯ve gained recently?¡±

    Xie qingying was so angry at Lu Jin¡¯s words that she started coughing violently.

    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Gu Nianzhi? Why should you care about her?¡±Xie qingying covered her chest and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve already told the police what I should have said. I don¡¯t have the obligation to tell you again. Please leave, I need to rest.¡±

    ¡°Why do you care about my rtionship with Gu Nianzhi?¡±? ¡°She¡¯s my friend. If something happened to my friend, even an outsider like me would be anxious. How can you be so calm and distinguish between a police officer and an outsider? I can suspect that you conspired with someone to kidnap Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Lu Jin saw that Xie Qingying was unwilling to tell him the truth, so he was angry as well. He scolded Xie Qingying¡¯s nose.

    Xie qingying was also angry. She ignored the sharp pain from the wound on her shoulder, she shouted, ¡°I conspired with someone? ! I conspired with someone and was almost vited? ! I conspired with someone and got shot? ! Mr. Lu, you¡¯ve thought this through before, haven¡¯t you? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought this through?¡±Lu Jin clenched his fists and was extremely anxious. ¡°Do you know the art of self-pity? Were you raped? Did you get shot to death? ! No! This is the art of self-pity!¡±

    ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? ! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m really going to call the police.¡±Lu Jin took out his phone, he deliberately provoked Xie qingying. ¡°I¡¯ll testify that you conspired with someone to kidnap Gu Nianzhi. Because she was the woman you loved the most, you were dissatisfied and wanted her to disappear, so you conspired with someone to kidnap her!¡±

    What she said made sense. If Xie Qingying was not the person involved, she would have believed it.

    At that moment, she even felt a sense of panic.

    Would he zhichu think the same thing? !

    His attitude just now seemed a little perfunctory?

    Xie qingying suppressed her difort and grievance. She took a deep breath and slowly leaned against the bed, she said in a low voice, ¡°You have to give evidence when you speak. From the beginning to the end, it was Nianzhi who contacted me first, and she was the one who wanted to see the original report. I originally wanted to show her the scan, but she refused.¡±

    ¡°Later, I suggested asking her if she wanted to go to mypany. After she went, I was in a meeting, and she was in another room looking at the information.¡±

    ¡°Later, I was ambushed, and someone colluded with me from the inside to the outside. They arrested me and interrogated me about where Nianzhi was hiding.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say a word until they were about to... Nianzhi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so she pulled out her gun and saved me...¡±

    Lu Jin heard this and quickly said, ¡°And then? She saved you. What did you do? ! Why didn¡¯t you get someone to help? !¡±

    ¡°At that time, the entire building had a power outage. We were on the 18th floor, and the elevator couldn¡¯t be used. There was no signal on my phone, and there was no power. I wanted to call the police, but even the power to the rm was gone.¡±

    Lu Jin thought to himself: power outage, no signal on my phone, and even the power to my phone was gone. Could the other party have used a high-powered grenade maic gun?

    ¡°... What else?¡±He continued to ask Xie qingying.

    ¡°Also, they dragged me to the room where Nianzhi was hiding and tried to rape me,¡±Xie qingying said with a straight face. ¡°Nianzhi stopped them and killed them all.¡±

    ¡°Killed them all? ! Where¡¯s Nianzhi? !¡±Lu Jin raised his voice. ¡°Why is she missing again? !¡±

    She covered her face with her hand. ¡°Nianzhi saved me. I moved the table over and had her jump down from the ceiling. But just as she jumped, another five men rushed in.¡±

    ¡°These people are much more brutal than the previous five...¡±

    They fired decisively and hit Xie qingying. Then they drugged Gu Nianzhi and took her away.

    Xie qingying finished speaking and finally shed tears.¡±... Who Did Nianzhi offend? Why did those people treat her like that?¡±

    ¡°There were five more people? !¡±Lu Jin now understood that it wasn¡¯t a simple kidnapping case. With Xie Qingying¡¯s ability, she wouldn¡¯t be able to find the five ruthless kidnappers.

    From her description, Xie Qingying¡¯s skills had already reached the level of an elite mercenary. She was also the type of mercenary who was particrly brutal and good at assassination.

    It should have nothing to do with her.

    However, even so, in Lu Jin¡¯s heart, Xie Qingying could not escape the me.

    Therefore, he continued to pester her. ¡°Who did she offend? Didn¡¯t she offend you? ¡°You are the niece of the Prime Minister, the daughter of the Xie family. She is just an ordinary orphan girl without a father or mother. ¡°If you want her to die, can she live past tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡±Xie qingying was so angry that her face was pale. Her breathing was rapid, and her heart was beating violently. She was about to go into shock, ¡°I don¡¯t like her, but that¡¯s one thing! If you don¡¯t like someone, you want her to die? Murder is a felony! I¡¯m not that crazy!¡±

    ¡°Besides, what has she got against me? She clearly has more against the Qin family!¡±

    As Xie qingying said this, she suddenly narrowed her eyes, ¡°... what is the role of the Lu Corporation in this?¡±? Someone told me that you used the name of the Inte securitypany to secretly install the back door of the Qin Corporation¡¯s internalwork, and even hacked into other people¡¯s systems to download internal financial reports. ¡ª¡ª why did you suddenly get dragged in?¡±

    Lu Jin sped his hands together and his knuckles cracked. ¡°To be able to think of this, it means that you are not stupid.¡±

    He did not say anything else. He turned around, pushed open the door, and left like a whirlwind.

    The two people he had brought with him guarded the door like doorkeepers and did not let anyone in.

    After Lu Jin left, the nurse outside came in tofort Xie Qingying and apologize to her for the incident of someone breaking into the ward.

    However, Xie qingying could no longer fall asleep.

    The more she thought about what had happened recently, the more she felt that something was wrong.

    It just so happened that her father, Xie Dezhao, pushed the door open and came in. He frowned and said, ¡°Who was that person just now? He was so aggressive in the elevator and kept staring at me.¡±

    Xie qingying:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Was it a tall, thin, and average-looking man?¡±

    ¡°Yes, how do you know?¡±

    ¡°That man is a major shareholder of the Lu Corporation. He even questioned me just now.¡±

    Xie qingying smiled bitterly.

    However, as a major shareholder of a listedpany, the content of his questioning was not rted to her revtion, but to an ¡°Ordinary friend¡±. It was really puzzling.

    Xie qingying searched the hospital bed.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°My phone.¡±Xie qingying recalled that her phone seemed to have run out of battery in an instant.

    Later, when she was sent to the hospital, no one should have charged her phone, right?

    Xie Dezhao took out his phone and it rang.

    He took a look and handed it to Xie qingying. ¡°It¡¯s Your Mommy.¡±

    Xie qingying¡¯s mother, Gu Tian, was recently at an art exhibition overseas. She had just received news that Xie Qingying was injured.

    Xie qingying quickly took the phone. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Gu Tian said anxiously, ¡°How can I Be Fine? Your father said that I was shot! How can I be fine after being shot? !¡±

    ¡°Just you wait. I¡¯ll buy a ne ticket back to China right away!¡±

    Xie qingyingforted her mother for a few more words before hanging up.

    She then said to Xie Dezhao, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m hungry. Can you go buy me ou Ji¡¯s preserved egg and lean meat porridge?¡±

    Ou Ji¡¯s preserved egg and lean meat porridge was in Sihuan district. It would definitely take Xie Dezhao a lot of time to buy it.

    After sending Xie Dezhao away, Xie qingying dialed he zhichu¡¯s number.

    ..

    He Zhichu hade out of the hospital earlier and went to the centralwork department of the military. He sat there and monitored all the channels in the capital, receiving instant messages at any time.

    When Xie qingying called, he had just set up all the checkpoints in the city.

    Seeing that it was Xie qingying, he zhichu picked up the call.

    ¡°Qingying, what¡¯s the matter?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s cold voice came from the phone with a hint of hoarseness.

    Xie qingying¡¯s heart softened instantly. She hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Young master he, what is Nianzhi¡¯s identity? Why would those people use such a huge force to deal with her? What is her rtionship with the Lu Corporation?¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    Xie qingying relied on her reporter¡¯s intuition and eloquence to continue asking, ¡°From the moment I received the news to the moment I made the headlines and caused the Lu Corporation¡¯s stock to plummet, and then Nianzhi came looking for me, was this chain of events a continuous one?¡±

    ¡°The person who leaked the news to me wasn¡¯t aiming for the Qin private hospital group, nor was it the Lu Corporation. It was Gu Nianzhi, wasn¡¯t it? !¡±

    ¡°Was the person who leaked the information behind the scenes? !¡±

    ¡°What did he have against Nianzhi? Why did he n to kidnap her?¡±

    ¡°What is it about nianzhi that makes her worthy of being schemed against at all costs?¡±

    He Zhichu did not speak for a long time.

    To be honest, Xie qingying was indeed in trouble this time.

    Moreover, she did not know anything about theirplicated situation. She was like an outsider who had suddenly been pulled into the circle. However, there was still ayer of fog in front of her eyes, and she could not see the undercurrents beneath the shy appearance.

    He zhichu said apologetically, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I will take care of Nianzhi¡¯s matters. You should recuperate properly. Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting my imagination run wild.¡±Xie qingying hated he zhichu¡¯s tone the most.

    She could see now that he zhichu still had a lot of things to hide from her. How could she be med for letting her imagination run wild? !

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, don¡¯t tell me that I won¡¯t investigate it myself?¡±Xie qingying said stubbornly, ¡°Besides, we¡¯re lovers. Shouldn¡¯t lovers be honest with each other? Young master he, what other concerns do you have about me? Do you think I won¡¯t stand on your side?¡±

    ¡°Will you?¡±He zhichu calmed down. ¡°When you received the news, you didn¡¯t hesitate to expose it.¡±

    ¡°... are you ming me?¡±Xie qingying¡¯s heart turned cold. Gu Nianzhi was right.

    She took a deep breath, her heart aching. It was as if someone had grabbed her by the neck and shoved pebbles down her throat.

    Her chest and stomach felt heavy, and the wound on her shoulder hurt even more.

    Xie qingying panted slightly, her eyes red. ¡°If you had told me everything earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing.¡±

    ¡°How could I have known that the Lu Corporation was so close to Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°How could I have known that their target was actually nianzhi! If you had known earlier, you would have reminded me to avoid these traps!¡±

    Indeed, she could not be med for all this.

    However, he would not have exined everything to Xie qingying. It waspletely impossible.

    He zhichu rubbed his temples. ¡°You Know Now? That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you this time. Don¡¯t meddle in this matter. Even if you¡¯re a reporter, it won¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll interfere with official business and affect our rescue of Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°If you still remember that Nianzhi saved your life, then don¡¯t try to use her to sensationalize the news.¡±

    Xie qingying¡¯s expression turnedpletely cold. ¡°Young master he, in your heart, am I such a person who has no principles, no bottom line, and even has to use her savior to sensationalize the news? ! You¡¯re questioning my professional ethics and character!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you for the details because I want to know the truth, so that I won¡¯t make the same mistake again.¡±

    ¡°Besides, everyone knows that you¡¯re with me now, so this time, the other party even used me.¡±

    ¡°You still want to hide it from me? Do you think that I¡¯m Superman and can see through the ulterior motives and conspiracies behind every incident?¡±

    He Zhichu had nothing to say in the face of Xie Qingying¡¯s questioning.

    He looked at his watch. ¡°Qingying, you¡¯ve already dyed the ten minutes I saved Nianzhi. Can I answer your questions after Nianzhi returns safely?¡±

    ¡°In the meantime, can you promise me that you won¡¯t report anything rted to Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Xie qingying¡¯s mood improved a little after hearing he zhichu¡¯s words. She only needed a simple promise from the person she liked.

    ¡°I Promise You That I won¡¯t report anything rted to Nianzhi until she¡¯s rescued. Also, I¡¯ll keep an eye on my colleagues. I won¡¯t allow them to explode.¡±

    ¡°Okay, take care of your injuries. Don¡¯t work so hard.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s tone also softened.

    He Zhichu put down the phone and went back to work.

    He had been busy for almost the whole night, but when it was almost dawn, another piece of news came.

    ¡°Young master he! There was a sudden fire in ourboratory! After putting out the fire, Qin Yaoguang disappeared!¡±

    He Zhichu raised his head and asked with a cold gaze, ¡°What did you say? who disappeared?¡±

    ¡°Qin... Qin Yaoguang!¡±His personal secretary mustered up his courage and said, ¡°She was originally tied up on theboratory table to conduct experiments, but... but theboratory next door suddenly caught fire and everyone evacuated in an emergency.¡±

    ¡°When the fire rm was lifted and the experimenters returned, they found that Qin yaoguang, who was on theboratory table, was already gone!¡±

    ¡°Our people quickly investigated and found that someone took advantage of the fire rm to kidnap Qin yaoguang from the experiment table and headed south!¡±

    He Zhichu punched theputer control panel in front of him, ¡°Qin Baye! It must be Qin Baye! Pass my orders, speed up the search onnd, sea, and air. Especially the vehicles and pedestrians heading south, don¡¯t let any of them go!¡±

    Qin Baye was already on their wanted list. Now, Qin Yaoguang was also on their wanted list.

    There was still no news of Gu Nianzhi.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second and third watch of today¡¯s big chapter: chapter 1906, ¡°The moment of crisis (5) .¡±.

    Monthly tickets, pleasee to the major general¡¯s Bowl!

    It¡¯s also the third watch today!

    PS: Thank you for reading the pro-¡°Autumn clouds¡±over there, the 10,000 reading points yesterday.

    Mwah, big and small angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1907

    <h4>Chapter 1907: Chapter 1907: Time of crisis (6)(first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary first said loudly, ¡°Yes!¡±But then asked hesitantly,¡±... What about the north? Should we take precautions against the north?¡±

    He Zhichu raised his hand and said without batting an eyelid, ¡°The south is more important, but the north shouldn¡¯t be rxed either.¡±

    By the evening of the next day, all the roads leading south from the imperial capital were blocked, and even the nes were grounded.

    Luo Le saw Qin yaoguang, who had been rescued by the Soviet diplomat Peter, at the Soviet embassy. He was full of admiration for Luo Le.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you. We¡¯ll head north to Siberia and then pass through the Bering Strait to return to the United States.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. He stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back and said coldly, ¡°Do You Believe Me Now?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! Why wouldn¡¯t I believe you? !¡±Luo Le took a drag on his cigar. ¡°Since I¡¯m determined to get Qin Yaoguang, there¡¯s no need to talk about the Huaxia people. They¡¯re Crazy!¡±

    ¡°Did you see those roads heading south? They even grounded their nes! This is crazy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around, his eyes bloodshot.¡±... that was just bait we threw out. As long as they believe us, it means we¡¯ve seeded.¡±

    He looked at his watch. ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose. Our embassy¡¯s car will depart at Eight o¡¯clock Tonight and head north. As long as we can leave the capital, we¡¯ll be halfway there.¡±

    Luo Leughed heartily. ¡°No Problem! I¡¯ll take the car and leave first. I¡¯ll wait for you in Siberia. We Won¡¯t leave until we meet!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and said politely, ¡°Where¡¯s Qin Baye? He hasn¡¯t contacted you yet? ording to our agreement, if I Get Qin Yaoguang, you¡¯ll have to take Qin Baye with you.¡±

    ¡°This old man is smart!¡±Luo Leughed coldly. ¡°Mr. Peter, you were right. He doesn¡¯t trust mepletely.¡±

    ¡°He just wanted to use my connections to apply for an American identity for him!¡±

    ¡°Qin Baye is so rich, but he didn¡¯t apply for an American green card in advance?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked in surprise.

    ¡°No.¡±Luo Le shrugged. ¡°Hispany is in Huaxia. What¡¯s the use of him applying for a green card? He can¡¯t stay in the United States for more than half a year.¡±

    ¡°Unless he¡¯s a citizen. But if he¡¯s a citizen, he bes a foreigner. and Huaxia doesn¡¯t allow foreigners to open hospitals.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t be a permanent resident of a foreign country yet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, so no matter which way he goes, he¡¯ll definitelye and find me to go to the United States.¡±Luo Le said proudly. ¡°When the timees, we can meet in Siberia.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Qin Baye is also determined to get his daughter, Qin Yaoguang. Please don¡¯t let your guard down, Mr. Luo Le.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that.¡±Luo Le had actually been stood up by Qin Baye this time, and he had lost face in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    After he left, Huo Shaoheng called he zhichu.

    ¡°Young master he, what happened to Nianzhi? Didn¡¯t your men follow her all the time? This is your territory!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was a little stifled as he asked unhappily.

    He zhichu said expressionlessly, ¡°My people are setting up checkpoints everywhere. Don¡¯t you watch the News?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put down his phone and opened his social media site.

    Indeed, the news about the checkpoints was flooding the inte.

    ¡°... What¡¯s the use of setting up checkpoints now? If your people were useful, you wouldn¡¯t have lost her in the first ce!¡±

    The two of them argued for a while before Huo Shaoheng finally said to he zhichu, ¡°You¡¯d better send more people to look for her. If you still can¡¯t find her, you can kill yourself!¡±

    He zhichuughed coldly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go look for her? Everyone knows how capable your Mr. Peter is. Even though this is my territory, your Mr. Peter is like a ghost in my territory!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He was silent for a moment. ¡°I have something urgent to attend to, so I can¡¯t spare the time for now. Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts will depend on you.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... Peter, Oh Peter, you¡¯re nothing more than that to Nianzhi!¡±He zhichu suddenlyughed maniacally.

    The person who was listening to the call almost thought he had heard wrong.

    Huo Shaoheng had already hung up and did not continue speaking.

    However, he had just hung up on he zhichu when Lu Jin and Lu Yuan¡¯s calls came in almost at the same time.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a second and picked up Lu Jin¡¯s call first.

    ¡°... Uncle Lu.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shaoheng, what are you doing? ! Do you know that Nianzhi is missing? !¡±

    Lu Jin yelled at him.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded expressionlessly. ¡°I just called he zhichu and urged him to send someone to investigate.¡±

    ¡°Of course he wants to investigate, but what about you? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not going to do anything about it!¡±

    Lu Jin panicked and stomped his foot on the phone.

    ¡°... I still have something to do, so I can¡¯t leave for now.¡±Huo Shaoheng said hesitantly, one hand holding the window frame and almost making a handprint.

    Lu Jin was so angry that he blurted out, ¡°You have something to do? ! What could be more important than Nianzhi? ! Huo Shaoheng, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. If you don¡¯t Get Nianzhi back this time, I won¡¯t let her marry you!¡±

    Lu Jin dropped the phone before Huo Shaoheng answered Lu Yuan¡¯s call.

    He didn¡¯t talk to Lu Yuan Like Lu Jin did.

    Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t as easy to fool as Lu Jin.

    ¡°... Shaoheng, tell me, what¡¯s going on? Why didn¡¯t you go look for Nianzhi?¡±Lu Yuan had been standing by the side the whole time, and had overheard Lu Jin¡¯s conversation with Huo Shaoheng.

    He also found it unbelievable.

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°The situation is veryplicated, and it¡¯s beyond our expectations. But I¡¯ve already sent people out, and I hope they can find Nianzhi in time. Please don¡¯t tell Uncle Lu.¡±

    Lu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Okay, got it. What do you need us to do?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better get to the bottom of the Lu Corporation quickly. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be too passive.¡±Huo shaoheng said implicitly, ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted my mother. She¡¯s very much looking forward to your return.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±Lu Yuan was shocked. He could barely hold his phone. ¡°What did you say? ! When did you contact her? ! How did I not know? ! How did you contact her? ! Where did the energye from? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was also very anxious, however, he still said patiently, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about these things in detail when we have time.¡±. ¡°Please hurry and deal with the Lu Corporation. Although the crisis this time was out of our expectations, from another perspective, it¡¯s not an opportunity. ¡°As long as we make good use of it, we¡¯ll be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±Lu Yuan remembered that Huo Shaoheng had just returned to the Soviet Union a while ago and seemed to have understood something.

    Lu Jin saw that Lu Yuan had stopped talking and immediately came over to ask nervously, ¡°What did Huo Shaoheng say? Did He go look for Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°He has his ns. Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t cause trouble for him.¡±Lu Yuan could onlyfort him this way. ¡°Also, why don¡¯t we straighten out the Lu Corporation¡¯s matter first?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face darkened and he red at Lu Yuan. ¡°What¡¯s his n? Don¡¯t y dumb with me!¡±

    Lu Yuan had promised Huo Shaoheng that he wouldn¡¯t tell Lu Jin about this because he was worried that he would act on impulse and affect Huo Shaoheng¡¯s n.

    If Lu Jin went crazy, no one knew what earth-shattering things he would do.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say what his n was. He only said that the situation was veryplicated and had exceeded their expectations.

    Lu Yuan thought about it and said, ¡°Shaoheng and the others originally had their own ns, but I heard that something had exceeded their expectations. I¡¯m guessing that Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance was not part of their n.¡±

    ¡°HMPH! They¡¯re all a bunch of trash!¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°They¡¯re usually so arrogant, but in the end, they can¡¯t even protect a little girl!¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t say anything and just looked at him quietly.

    Lu Jin fidgeted with his hair and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me! I¡¯m also one of those trash! So what if I¡¯m Good? ! I¡¯ll still be led by the nose by that old fart, Qin Baye!¡±

    Lu Yuan was slightly startled. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Qin Baye was behind this?¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be?¡±Lu Jin paced around the room. ¡°You said that Huo Shaoheng had a n, but the situation was beyond his expectations, so I understood.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he always n to deal with Qin Baye and Luo Le? Qin Baye must have used Luo Le and Huo Shaoheng to confuse them and then kidnapped Nianzhi!¡±

    Lu Yuan said calmly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then Qin Baye must have acted against us as well. Why do you think the Lu Corporation and the Qin corporation¡¯s privatepany were suddenly exposed?¡±

    Why else would they have been trapped in the press conference and allowed those people to kidnap Gu Nianzhi?

    ¡°Haha, Qin Baye, that old fart, really thinks he can fight me!¡±Lu Jin¡¯s expression was extremely perverse, just like that time when he had decided to send Gu Nianzhi to the other world, he was determined to die..

    Lu Yuan immediately grabbed his arm and said seriously, ¡°Look, now you understand why Shaoheng asked me not to tell you about this. It¡¯s all my fault. If I say one more word, you might mess up their n!¡±

    ¡°Screw your n! I just want my daughter toe back safe and sound!¡±Lu Jin roared and pushed Lu Yuan away, his eyes red. ¡°Nianzhi isn¡¯t your daughter! It¡¯s easy for you to say that!¡±

    ¡°Do you know how much suffering she¡¯s been through since she was a child?¡±

    ¡°Do you know what kind of bad luck a youngdy like her might suffer if she¡¯s kidnapped? !¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s hands trembled as he pointed at Lu Yuan and berated, ¡°I was impulsive. I Can¡¯t control your grand ns! But as long as you give me a clue, I¡¯ll be able to find her as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°Find her one minute earlier, and she¡¯ll be spared one minute of suffering!¡±

    ¡°I beg you! As a father, I beg you!¡±

    Lu Jin hadn¡¯t hung up on Huo Shaoheng when he said this.

    On the other end of the line, Huo Shaoheng heard Lu Jin¡¯s words clearly.

    At that moment, his insides were burning, and he was under tremendous pressure.

    His chapped lips opened and closed several times, but in the end, he still said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Director Lu, if uncle Lu really wants to find her, I can send him a message, but I hope he doesn¡¯t alert the enemy.¡±

    Lu Jin snatched Lu Yuan¡¯s phone and shouted at Huo shaoheng, ¡°What are you trying to do? ! You better tell me now!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips, ¡°We only received news that the car that has Nianzhi is heading north. It might be heading out of the country to Siberia. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, you can follow that car, but if they find out, I won¡¯t be able to save two people.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: Chapter 1907, the hour of crisis (6) .

    Monthly ticket,e to the major general¡¯s Bowl!

    It¡¯s the third watch today!

    The second and Third Watch is also the big chapter at 8:00 pm.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1908

    <h4>Chapter 1908: Chapter 1908, Feng Yun Hui (1)(second, third watch, Moshi +)</h4>

    ¡°Why are we going to Siberia? ! Isn¡¯t that in the Soviet Union? !¡±Lu Jin eximed, but quickly came back to his senses. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll Go! I Won¡¯t let them find us!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his temples with a headache, he continued to exhort, ¡°If you discover their tracks, do not alert them. The leader of the kidnappers is the elite of the mercenaries. They are ruthless killers who will give up their lives at any time toplete their mission!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart sank.

    Who had allowed Gu Nianzhi to fall into such a dangerous situation? !

    He thought about it and realized that he chengjian was the only one who was left behind even though he had already med everyone.

    He said unhappily,¡±... This is Huaxia, he chengjian¡¯s territory. How could he let such a person sneak in? Isn¡¯t he afraid that these people are targeting him? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not continue this topic. ¡°I¡¯m very busy. Don¡¯t contact me before you arrive in Siberia.¡±

    He hung up the phone.

    He knew that by doing this, he must have greatly offended Lu Jin, his ¡°Father-inw,¡±but he had no other choice.

    Qin Baye¡¯s power was hidden too deeply. He had been in business for too long and was too cunning. It was impossible to uproot him in a short period of time.

    If Qin Baye had just escaped quietly, they really wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything to him.

    Fortunately, Qin Baye had been prepared for so long. Of course, he wasn¡¯t willing to be defeated. He was always ready to give himself a chance to make aeback, so he would never give up on Qin Yaoguang. This gave them an opportunity to take advantage of Qin Baye.

    To be honest, they hadn¡¯t expected Qin Baye to be so greedy and conceited. Not only did he want Qin yaoguang, but he also wanted Gu Nianzhi..

    Gu Nianzhi was only shocked.

    Fortunately, Huo Shaoheng and he zhichu were both in the same line of work. They were used to adapting to the situation and were able to control the situation in time. It was not to the point where it was out of control.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi slowly woke up in the car. The Sun had already risen in the horizon.

    Another night had passed, she thought.

    Her heart sank when she looked at the scenery outside the car window.

    Had they already left the capital?

    How long had she been asleep?

    It was no longer bustling with high-rise buildings, but a lush green field with low bungalows.

    She watched silently until the sun rose. With the direction of the Sun, she was sure that they were heading north.

    Where were they going?

    She looked for a while before arge piece of bread was suddenly handed to her.

    ¡°Daliba, Breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head, her gaze shifting from therge piece of bread to the face of the person who had spoken.

    It was the head of the kidnappers.

    Her heart skipped a beat.

    Daliba meant ¡°Bread¡±in Russian.

    Daliba, of course, meant big bread.

    What did this person mean by calling bread ¡°Daliba¡±in Huaxia?

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and assumed an arrogant posture. She raised her chin and said coldly, ¡°I want milk and Xiaolongbao. This bread is dry and hard, I can¡¯t eat it.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t eat it, then you¡¯re hungry.¡±The man had no intention of giving her special treatment. He retracted his hand and began to eat inrge mouthfuls.

    Gu Nianzhi red at him hatefully and scanned the interior of the car quickly.

    It was a modified SUV,rger than an ordinary SUV. There were two kidnappers sitting in the front row. One was driving and the other was sitting next to him. Their heads were tilted in the car seat. They were probably still asleep.

    There was only one person in thest row. He was lying on the seat and his feet were almost against the window. He was also sleeping.

    She and the leader of the kidnappers were sitting in the middle row, one on the left and the other on the right.

    She was slightly relieved.

    Fortunately, she was not sitting next to her. It was not bad to keep a distance from her.

    She had no appetite at all. She was in a bad mood and had been knocked out twice. Her head hurt badly and her face was very ugly.

    The kidnapper on the right finished the bus in his hand in a few mouthfuls and took out a bottle of mineral water to drink.

    Gu Nianzhi licked her lips. She was thirsty.

    She could choose not to eat, but she couldn¡¯t choose not to drink.

    After a moment of silence, Gu Nianzhi asked,¡±... There¡¯s still one more of you? Aren¡¯t there five of you?¡±

    The kidnapper on the right snickered. ¡°Do you remember how many of us there are? You have guts...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°You need guts to count five fingers? You¡¯re underestimating me too much.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±The man bowed slightly. ¡°The one who was missing was tricked by you. He wanted topromise, so I killed him.¡±

    He said it lightly, but Gu Nianzhi could hear the sarcasm in his words.

    She closed her lips and stopped talking. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes to rest.

    She slept again. When she woke up, it was dark outside. The Sky was dark, and the clouds above her were so thick that she could reach them with her hand.

    It should be evening.

    The car sped along the highway. It didn¡¯t take long before it stopped in front of a small shop.

    The kidnapper stretchedzily. ¡°Get out of the car and eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him. She couldn¡¯t believe that this man was willing to let her go.

    She stood up eagerly, wanting to find a chance to escape, but the kidnapper¡¯s leader stretched out his long legs and blocked her way. ¡°You, sit down.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell us to get out of the car and eat?¡±Gu Nianzhi tried hard to suppress the annoyance in her heart. ¡°Howe they can go, but I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll buy it. You just sit there and don¡¯t think about it.¡±The man¡¯s eyelids drooped as he said lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas, or I¡¯ll break your beautiful neck.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    He really thought highly of her for being so vignt.

    She sat down indignantly and said angrily, ¡°I want milk! and egg fried rice!¡±

    The man said to the kidnappers who were about to get out of the car,¡±... Remember, buy a box of milk and a te of egg fried rice.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything else. Her stomach was growling, and she didn¡¯t know when the kidnappers would buy something to eat.

    She leaned her head against the dark brown car window and let out a gentle breath. She then used her fingers to scratch on the window and wrote SOS.

    The kidnapper leader folded his arms and took a nap beside her, as if he didn¡¯t care what she was doing.

    It was as if he was Buddha. No matter how capable she was, she was just monkey sun, unable to escape his grasp.

    They walked and stopped. By the evening of the third day, the sky was even gloomier. The weather forecast said that a typhoon might pass through and rain heavily.

    The kidnappers had been on the road for a few days and were about to leave the country.

    However, there seemed to be more checkpoints along the way.

    They were worried that they would be discovered, so they decided not to continue on the road. They wanted to find a remote inn to stay in for the night.

    Gu Nianzhi had only wanted to resolve her personal problems for the past few days, so the kidnapper had taken her out of the car and borrowed her from those small shops.

    Now that she was going to stay, he wouldn¡¯t let her get out of the car like that.

    He stuck a wet tissue on her and Gu Nianzhi quickly fainted.

    She thought angrily, and fainted again... !

    When she woke up, she was already in a small room.

    The room was very clean and tidy, but it was also very simple and simple. There were really only two single beds and two bedside tables.

    Gu Nianzhi turned over and sat up. She only felt a sore back, like a traveler who had traveled thousands of miles on foot.

    It had been very ufortable to be cooped up in the car for the past few days.

    The head kidnapper pushed the door open and came in, holding a tray in his hand. ¡°This is milk and egg fried rice. Eat quickly and go to sleep. It¡¯s going to rain heavily tonight. We¡¯ll stop early tomorrow morning and continue on our journey.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took the milk bottle, bit open the mouth of the bottle, and silently drank it.

    After drinking the milk, she went to get the egg fried rice. Her gaze inadvertently nced out of the window, and suddenly saw a tall and slender figure alighting from an RV the size of a bus.

    That figure couldn¡¯t be more familiar.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart raced.

    That was Lu Jin, her biological father!

    He was here... He must havee to save her!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes reddened instantly. She quickly lowered her head, afraid that the seemingly unfathomable kidnapper next to her would see through her.

    She knew her father too well. If he really found out about her, she didn¡¯t know what earth-shattering things he would do.

    She hoped that he could save her, but she could not act rashly. If she allowed her father to die here because of her, she would never forgive herself.

    After all, the leader of the kidnappers was really capable of murder.

    ..

    Lu Jin got out of the car and nced casually at the few cars in the small parking lot in front of him.

    The SUV in the middle was the most obvious.

    He had chased after it for a few days and finally caught up with it..

    If Huo Shaoheng was right, Nianzhi should be in this car.

    He suppressed his excitement and walked towards the inn.

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her face with the back of her hand and sat in front of the window. She picked up the egg fried rice and started eating again.

    After eating a few mouthfuls of the hard and astringent egg fried rice, Gu Nianzhi took another bottle of milk and looked back. She saw another person.

    It was Huo Shaoheng!

    He was getting out of a soviet-made SUV.

    He looked a little tired, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle¡¯s.

    He was dressed in casual hunting attire, and his pockets were bulging.

    Gu Nianzhi did not hesitate to think that it must be full of guns and ammunition!

    She was not afraid, but was filled with joy.

    The more weapons and ammunition her people had, the safer she would be!

    Her father was here, and so was Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi finally believed that they had not given up on her. They had chased her all the way here!

    Gu Nianzhi was so excited that her hands were shaking. The egg fried rice on her te was about to be shaken out by her.

    A hand quietly reached out and held the bottom of her te.

    ¡°... Why are you shaking? Did you see something good?¡±The kidnapper said casually, his gaze casually passing through the window.

    Fortunately, Huo Shaoheng had already returned to the car and was not seen by this person.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly heaved a sigh of relief and shrugged without batting an eyelid. ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength anymore. You¡¯ve been starving me for days, and you still expect me to be full of energy?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s you who didn¡¯t eat. You deserve to starve.¡±The person no longer seemed to doubt her. He red at her, snorted, and returned to his bed. He held his phone in both hands and started ying games.

    Gu Nianzhi watched him y the game for a few days.

    A real sharpshooter yed ¡°Eat chicken¡±and beat up all the yers inside. Every one of them fled when they saw him. They were all drunk.

    Sometimes, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but want to ask this man to bring her to y with him..

    He was really amazing. If he waspared to Huo Shaoheng, she didn¡¯t know who was better in this game..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was running wild, and even her appetite was much better.

    This time, she slowly finished the whole te of egg fried rice.

    The head kidnapper took the tray out of the house and bumped into a tall, thin man at the door.

    Before he could react, the man quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t see you. I¡¯m highly myopic, and I couldn¡¯t find my sses, so I didn¡¯t see you.¡±

    The kidnapper¡¯s mouth twitched.

    He was a living person, and yet he couldn¡¯t see. This wasn¡¯t myopic, this was blind!

    Shaking his head, the kidnapper went down without saying a word.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room was, of course, locked from the inside.

    Lu Jin stopped at the door and quickly went over.

    He lived in the room next door. When he bumped into the kidnapper, Lu Jin had already taped a small bug to the man¡¯s sleeve.

    As long as he didn¡¯t change his clothes, he could hear everything in the other room.

    Of course, it didn¡¯t matter even if the kidnapper changed his clothes. After all, the bug was very easy for him to make. A miniature battery the size of a fingertip would be as useless as an old piece of stic once it was used up.

    Lu Jin went to his own room and stood in front of the window to take a look at the car of the Soviet embassy.

    He hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to follow him all the way here.

    However, it seemed like Huo Shaoheng had other matters to attend to. There was still someone in his car, and he hadn¡¯t gotten off the road.

    He had just gotten off to smoke a cigarette, and now he was back in his car.

    Not long after, anotherrge car drove over.

    Lu Jin could tell at a nce that this was also an RV with a bedroom, kitchen, and living room, but it was one-third smaller than his.

    These tworge cars almost filled up the small parking lot.

    This could not be helped. Because of the sudden change in the weather, the typhoon actuallynded from here. None of them had expected it.

    This year¡¯s typhoon did not take the usual route, so they could only adapt to it.

    ..

    Qin Baye did not get out of the car. He only nced at the parking lot outside.

    He first saw the car from the Soviet embassy and smiled.

    Luo Le was really capable. He could even buy off the people from the Soviet embassy.

    With this car, they had a much more rxed journey.

    At least at the checkpoints, Qin Baye clearly saw that the car was driving straight past.

    After all, diplomacy was no small matter. Who would dare stop the Soviet ambassador¡¯s car for a checkpoint? !

    He knew that his daughter, Qin yaoguang, was in this car.

    He turned his gaze and saw the modified SUV gu Nianzhi was in. The smile on his face grew wider.

    This car was provided by him. Not only did it have surveince equipment, but it also had an automatic explosive device.

    Even if this car was discovered, he would have the chance to detonate the entire car and let everyone in it meet their maker.

    The real perfect gene could only be in his hands!

    If he couldn¡¯t control it, no one else in the world deserved it!

    In the end, the RV that was bigger than his RV caught his attention.

    How could such a big RV suddenly appear in such a remote ce?

    This was not something that ordinary people could afford.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second and third watch of today¡¯s big chapter: chapter 1908, ¡°Meeting in the wind and clouds (1)¡±.

    With a tip and an update, the 50,000 qidian coins that President Moshi tipped in April will be delivered!

    A monthly ticket and a monthly ticket, quicklye to the major general¡¯s Bowl!

    It¡¯s also the third watch today!

    Mwah, Big Brothers and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1909

    <h4>Chapter 1909: Chapter 1909, the gathering of the winds and clouds (2)(first, I would like to ask for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Qin Baye stared at therge trailer for a while, feeling a little uneasy.

    He waved to his trusted subordinate and pointed at therge trailer.¡±... Go and see whose trailer it is.¡±

    His subordinate nced at therge trailer and also felt a little strange. ¡°Boss, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go and have a look.¡±

    He got out of the RV and took out a cigarette. Pretending to borrow a light, he went to Lu Jin¡¯srge RV and poked his head out to take a look.

    There was no one in such arge RV. It seemed that there was only one driver. Now that the driver had gotten out of the RV, there was no one else in the RV.

    He looked around and walked into the small hotel.

    Thedy boss of the small hotel was overjoyed today.

    The hotel that usually didn¡¯t have many people staying in had more than half of the rooms booked today.

    This person walked over with a cigarette in his mouth and said to thedy boss with a smile, ¡°Lady boss, business is booming.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your blessing.¡±Thedy bossughed so hard that her teeth couldn¡¯t see her eyes, ¡°Are you also staying in the hotel? We still have some rooms here, but the second floor is already full. There are only rooms on the first floor. Do you want them? I can give you a cheaper price.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡±the man took out his wallet and waved it. ¡°I want to ask you, where is the person in the RV?¡±

    ¡°Why are you looking for him?¡±The Lady Boss asked curiously.

    She remembered the Big RV, because in their small ce, it was rare to see such a luxurious RV.

    ¡°Well, he parked the car in the wrong ce. Our boss¡¯s RV can¡¯t Park,¡±the man said with a smile. ¡°So I want to ask him for some amodation.¡±

    The Lady Boss didn¡¯t suspect him. Besides, the small hotel in a small ce was simple and honest. There weren¡¯t so many privacy uses. She said straightforwardly, ¡°He lives on the second floor...¡±

    Just as she was about to say Lu Jin¡¯s room number, she suddenly saw Lu Jining down from the second floor.

    She quickly pointed at him and said, ¡°Oh, look, he¡¯sing down. Can you tell him to his face?¡±

    The man nced at Lu Jin and saw that the man was tall and thin. He looked ordinary and wore gray clothes. He looked like a driver and didn¡¯t look like a big boss at all..

    However, he did not dare to be negligent. He knew that there were all kinds of rich people in this world. What if this man just liked to keep a low profile and show off?

    He leaned over and handed a cigarette to him. He smiled and said, ¡°Hello, boss. I¡¯m the driver of that car...¡±

    He pointed outside the door. ¡°I want to ask you if you can move your car. My Car Can¡¯t park inside.¡±

    Lu Jin saw this car upstairs. He used his own equipment to check and found that the car could actually block electromaic signals..

    Needless to say, this was not a simple car.

    Lu Jin was not sure if Qin Baye was in this car. He did not want to and did not dare to alert the enemy, so he immediately went downstairs, he said to the person who came to inquire about the news, ¡°Okay, no problem. I¡¯m not the boss. This car is bought by our boss. I¡¯ll drive it back for him.¡±

    ¡°... Drive it back?¡±The person suddenly realized, ¡°It¡¯s someone else¡¯s Car?¡±

    ¡°Yes, our boss has a mine at home,¡±Lu Jin said seriously, ¡°Do you know there¡¯s a mine?¡±

    ¡°I know, I know...¡±Qin Baye¡¯s subordinate was almost amused. He thought to himself, so it turned out to be a wealthy man from the northeast. No wonder he ordered such arge RV with such arge amount of money.

    Looking at the direction, it should be a car that he bought from the capital. He was driving all the way back.

    The wealthy man from the northeast had always given people the impression that he was a fool with a lot of money. Therefore, this person dispelled his doubts andplimented him a few more times before returning to his own car.

    ¡°Boss, this car was ordered by a wealthy man from the northeast who has a mine in his home. The driver is the driver,¡±this person said respectfully to Qin Baye.

    Qin Baye replied with an ¡°OH¡±, ¡°Do you see the driver? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s the driver, and he¡¯s from a small ce. He hasn¡¯t seen the world at all,¡±the man said with a smile, ¡°Boss, you¡¯re too cautious.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to be careful. If you know who our opponent is, you can¡¯t be too careful.¡±Qin Baye snorted and looked at the sky outside the window, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark soon. I heard that there¡¯s a typhoon tonight. It¡¯s a good time to take action.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±The person in the car became serious.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make another n.¡±Qin Baye said and turned on hisputer. What appeared on theputer was the aerial view of this ce.

    ¡°It¡¯s the car of the Soviet embassy. My daughter, Qin Yaoguang, is in the car. We have to get her down when no one is paying attention.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another person. She shouldn¡¯t be in the car right now. She¡¯s staying in a hotel. You guys go and get her out.¡±

    ¡°At nine o¡¯clock, we¡¯ll meet here and head south together.¡±

    Qin Baye closed hisputer. ¡°Do you remember?¡±

    ¡°Boss, aren¡¯t we going north? Didn¡¯t we say we¡¯re going to Siberia?¡±His subordinate asked in confusion. ¡°Why did we suddenly change our route?¡±

    ¡°Yes Boss, the search in the south is so tight. If we head south, wouldn¡¯t we be walking right into a trap?¡±

    Qin Baye narrowed his eyes, ¡°I keep feeling that the way we¡¯re going north is too smooth... there are some problems.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±His subordinate looked at each other and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    The few of them began to divide the work and went out to scout the area. Once the typhoon came and the heavy rain poured down, it would be easy to make a move.

    It was a dark and windy night. The typhoon and heavy rain could erase all traces.

    However, just as they were waiting to make their move, they suddenly heard the sound of an rm.

    Qin Baye¡¯s heart suddenly shrank and he hid in the middle of his RV without hesitation.

    The registration information of this car was not his name. The owner of the car was someone else. Qin Baye was not afraid of the police investigating the car, but he was afraid of the police investigating the person.

    He had been hiding from he chengjian for a long time. He had thought that he could not hide anymore, so he had taken Luo Le¡¯s lead and followed him from the Soviet Union to the United States.

    However, he still did not trust this lead. He had gone all the way north, but he had not been found. He was suspicious again.

    He had more faith in the route he had established from Southeast Asia to the United States.

    If possible, he hoped to get Qin Yaoguang and Gu Nianzhi before they left the country, and then get rid of Huo Shaoheng

    Qin Baye¡¯s men immediately took up their positions and acted as if they were about to get out of the car and move to a hotel.

    However, not long after these people got out of the car, a few police cars surrounded the small parking lot.

    Some fully armed police officers got out of the car and began to search the cars parked there one by one.

    They did not dare search the cars of the Soviet embassy, but surrounded the two rvs in the parking lot and made it a priority search.

    ¡°Everyone in the car, get down! The police are conducting a raid!¡±

    Those people shouted loudly, their aura was very fierce.

    Qin Baye hid in thepartment of the RV, his back was covered in sweat.

    He was just wondering if the other party was deliberately letting him go north, but the other party caught up.

    It seemed that he was overthinking.

    At this moment, Qin Baye decided to go north and follow Luo le.

    If he still couldn¡¯t make it, he would have no choice but to get into the car of the Soviet embassy..

    The police searched Qin Baye¡¯s RV very professionally. They even knocked on his car with tools, as if they were looking for the mezzanine.

    Qin Baye broke out in cold sweat.

    When the other party was closest to him, he was only a hammer¡¯s distance away.

    Fortunately, he had spent a lot of money on this car back then. The mezzanine was very hidden. Just by knocking on it, there was no difference at all.

    However, the police still searched his car for a full two hours. It was not until the heavy rain poured down outside that they reluctantly got out of the car, finally, they warned the driver, ¡°Someone reported that there are illegal items in your car. Although they were not found, you must remember that you must not do anything illegal.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Mr. Police. We absolutely did not do anything illegal.¡±Qin Baye¡¯s driver nodded and bowed, ¡°Someone is using US falsely! Someone must be using US falsely!¡±

    The police got out of the car and went to check Lu Jin¡¯s RV.

    They stayed there for more than an hour.

    At this time, the typhoon had passed and the rain had stopped.

    The thick clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing the bright moonlight.

    Qin Baye¡¯s subordinate quietly asked him, ¡°Boss, are we still going to jerk people off?¡±

    ¡°Jerk My A * s! The operation is cancelled!¡±Qin Baye pped him on the head. ¡°It¡¯s so bright outside. Are you going to snatch people in front of others?¡±

    The man was beaten so badly that he did not dare to say anything. The Operation Tonight had to be aborted.

    They looked at the other property nervously. They only heaved a sigh of relief when they saw the police getting out of the RV with nothing.

    The police got into their own police car in twos and threes. One of the police officers was sitting in the police car alone, holding a walkie-talkie and talking to he zhichu.

    ¡°Sir, everything is normal.¡±

    He Zhichu was sitting in a very low-key, ordinary-looking ck bulletproof car. He was staring intently at the operation here.

    The car was in this small parking lot.

    He had been waiting here before Huo Shaoheng and the others arrived.

    He knew that Huo Shaoheng and the others would stay here for the night, and he guessed that Qin Baye would definitelye here.

    He and Huo Shaoheng had worked together to set up a trap to force Qin Baye from the south to the north step by step.

    Now that they were almost out of the country, he still had to pretend to chase Qin Baye to the north in order to ¡°Reassure¡±him.

    Otherwise, the cunning qin Baye might sense that something was wrong and suddenly turn around to the south. Then their n would be ruined.

    In fact, he zhichu had a very good grasp of Qin Baye¡¯s thoughts.

    If he had not called the police over for a ¡°Surprise inspection¡±, Qin Baye would have really turned around and run south.

    ..

    At this moment, the imperial capital¡¯s cab and Military Ministry were experiencing a huge earthquake.

    He chengjian, the general of the military ministry, acted swiftly and swiftly, and suddenly arrested several high-ranking generals of the military ministry.

    Among them, the person with the highest position and military rank had already entered the military supreme council, but he had yet to enter the standingmittee.

    ¡°Lieutenant General Lin, you are suspected of eavesdropping on the conversations of high-ranking generals and informing the Wanted Criminal Qin Baye. This is the arrest warrant of the Military Supreme Court.¡±

    ¡°Major General Zhao, you are suspected of taking bribes from foreign forces, leaking confidential meeting records, viting the Secrecy Law and national securityw. The Supreme Court Martial has issued an arrest warrant.¡±

    In the cab, the prime minister, Xie Beichen, personally issued an arrest warrant from the imperial capital¡¯s Coroner¡¯s court.

    The Minister of the Medical Department and the Vice Minister of the Finance Department were also suddenly arrested. They were all suspected of colluding with Qin Baye to provide convenience for the private hospitals to flourish.

    This action was transmitted to Qin Baye almost at the same time.

    He looked at the Misty night sky outside the car window. His hand that was holding his cell phone was trembling. He asked in disbelief,¡±... they¡¯ve all been arrested? ! Not a single one of our people is left? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1909, ¡°Meeting in the wind and clouds (2)¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone OH ~ ~

    Today is Monday, rmendation tickets are particrly important ~ ~

    It¡¯s also the third watch of the day!

    The second watch and the third watch of the night are the big chapters at eight o¡¯clock in the evening, the two watch in one.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1910 - Feng Yun Hui (3)(second, third update: â€œMcmug loves Blueâ€alliance leader +)

    <h4>Chapter 1910: Chapter 1910: Feng Yun Hui (3)(second, third update: ¡°Mcmug loves Blue¡±alliance leader +)</h4>

    The person who called Qin Baye was his nephew, Qin Haoshan.

    These people who were arrested were all inextricably linked to the Qin family. As Qin Baye¡¯s most favored sessor, Qin Haoshan had some understanding of these situations.

    Especially when Qin Baye nned to go abroad to avoid the limelight. Before he left, he told Qin Haoshan about his family¡¯s situation.

    In the end, not long after Qin Haoshan took over, he discovered that these people were all captured.

    This was too ¡°Coincidental¡±!

    On the phone, Qin Haoshan¡¯s voice was not loud. Perhaps it was because the signal was not good, it was still a little intermittent.

    ¡°Uncle, if one or two people were caught, I think it¡¯s quite normal. Now, all the people on the list that you gave me have been caught! This is somewhat abnormal.¡±

    Of course it was abnormal.

    Those who had an interest in the Qin family were all in the cab and the military, and there were even people in the senate..

    It was just that the people in the Senate had immunity, so the court could not approve the arrest for the time being.

    But these were all evidence.

    If they directly exposed these things through the media during the change of the Senate, who could still choose?

    When they could not choose, the court¡¯s arrest warrant would naturallye..

    Qin Baye was thinking about the matters in the Senate when Qin Haoshan gave him another blow.

    ¡°... and those few senator you mentioned in the Senate, I just learned that they were restricted from leaving the country...¡±

    Qin Baye¡¯s expression became gloomier and gloomier.

    At the end, he immediately said, ¡°Alright, since everything in the country is in your hands, you can decide for yourself. I¡¯m hanging up. Don¡¯t call this number again in the future to prevent being traced.¡±

    After saying that, he hung up and activated the electromaic shield again.

    Qin Haoshan¡¯s call couldn¡¯t havee in originally.

    However, when Qin Baye¡¯s people got out of the car to check the news, they received a text message from Qin Haoshan and agreed on a time to talk to Qin Baye.

    Qin Baye then temporarily canceled the electromaic shield and called Qin Haoshan.

    He looked at the two cars in the parking lot again and said with a gloomy face, ¡°We¡¯ll leave at dawn and go directly to the agreed location in Siberia.¡±

    His RV was more eye-catching. It had been following the Soviet embassy and the SUV the whole time. It might have alerted the police.

    He had brought the inteyer RV with him. It had originally been used to hijack people on the way.

    Now, he did not dare. He was like a groundhog that felt wintering. He wished he could go straight underground.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi woke up and found that it was already bright outside.

    She rubbed her eyes and saw that there was no one on the single bed next to her.

    Where did the kidnapper leader go?

    She sat up in confusion and held the bed in her arms.

    As she was thinking, the door to the room was kicked open with a bang.

    The kidnapper leader said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re finally awake? If you¡¯re awake, then leave. It¡¯s past breakfast time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi got up in a huff.

    She sneered. ¡°You want me to get on the car with an empty stomach?¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never been hungry.¡±The leader of the kidnappers scoffed. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t starve to death and sessfully hand you over to the boss, we¡¯ll be done. Whether you¡¯re hungry or not is none of our business.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi red at him for a few seconds before lifting the nket and getting out of bed. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

    She had been in the car for the past few days, so everything was inconvenient. She felt like her body was rotten.

    However, she did not dare to take a shower at a random hotel.

    She would rather be dirty.

    She just needed to brush her teeth and wash her face.

    When she came out of the bathroom, the kidnapper leader threw a bag of ice-cold milk and a bottle of eight treasures porridge, which wasmonly seen in small counties, to her. He said expressionlessly, ¡°It¡¯s a poor rural area. There¡¯s nothing else to eat. Just make do with it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She took the milk and eight treasures porridge, held them in her hands, and walked out of the room with the head kidnapper.

    The head kidnapper naturally held her arm, as if he were supporting her. In fact, he was holding her in a cage, worried that she would run away.

    Gu Nianzhi went downstairs and saw that there was no one there. The Lady Boss hadn¡¯t even gotten out of bed the day before, and she was a little discouraged.

    She had wanted to call out ¡°Help¡±, but now it seemed that calling out ¡°Help¡±would only alert the enemy.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin hadn¡¯t done anythingst night, so Gu Nianzhi understood that they must have had other ns.

    She nced sideways at the kidnapper next to her. To be honest, she felt that this person was somewhat familiar to her..

    She quietly got into the car. Gu Nianzhi obediently sat in the middle seat and lowered her head to drink her milk.

    The head of the kidnappers saw that she was not crying or making a scene, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He thought to himself, this girl is really big-hearted. She¡¯s so cooperative. Maybe people will think they¡¯re aplices..

    The car quickly started. The first to leave the parking lot of the small shop continued north.

    Lu Jin sat in his RV, his Bluetooth headset in his ear to receive messages.

    He had bumped into the head of the kidnappers yesterday, and had already attached a small listening device to his clothes.

    He had heard everything that had happened in the room next doorst night.

    He had not slept for almost the entire night and had only been quietly guarding Gu Nianzhi.

    If there was any movement in the room next door, he would rush in regardless of the consequences.

    In the end, everything in the room next door was quiet and normal. He had even heard Gu Nianzhi discussing the game with the leader of the kidnappers.

    This discovery made him both angry and amused. He swore that after everything was over, he would practice the game of ¡°Eating chicken¡±and show off in front of his daughter.

    His daughter had to be well-off. He couldn¡¯t let the little tricks of those brats scare her away.

    For example, he knew how to y games!

    He silently watched Gu Nianzhi get into the car, and then watched her car leave. Only then did he start the RV and continue driving.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Huo Shaoheng and the others to get out of the hotel and into the Soviet Embassy¡¯s car. They also drove in the direction of the car in front of them.

    In the car, he looked at his watch out of habit.

    This watch was actually a smallputer with many functions.

    One of the functions was to watch videos.

    What Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know was that throughout her journey, Huo Shaoheng and he zhichu were able to check on her condition through special channels to ensure that she was safe and sound.

    On the rectangr watch screen, Gu Nianzhi was eating eight treasures porridge. She red at the side from time to time, like a little kitten that was getting impatient from being teased. She raised her little paws and sent out a ¡°I¡¯m super fierce¡±signal.

    Huo Shaoheng did not notice that the corners of his lips had curled up.

    He used his fingers to caress Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face on the watch screen. Reluctantly, he turned off the screen and put on his Bluetooth headset.

    This way, he could use a bluetooth headset to listen in and stop staring at his phone screen.

    Not long after, he received a call from he zhichu. ¡°The target has just left the parking lot.¡±

    It turned out that Qin Baye was a wily old fox. He was thest one to leave after all the cars in the parking lot had left.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mind. He sent he zhichu a message: [ see you at the Tungus Hotel in Siberia ].

    ..

    After leaving the country, their journey sped up.

    Because they didn¡¯t have to ¡°Hide¡±from the police motorcade that appeared from time to time, they didn¡¯t have to take detours to affect their speed.

    It only took them two days and one night to arrive at the Tunguska region of Siberia.

    On the way, everyone had different moods, and very few people enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way.

    Gu Nianzhi was an exception.

    She looked at this piece ofnd and thought of the tense and exciting days she had spent with Huo Shaoheng and themittee of State Security (KGB) back in the other world.

    The scenery was still the same, but the people were different.

    The sky gradually darkened. In the distance, the in forest and Momo looked like the famous oil painting ¡°The Birch Forest¡±by the most romantic painter in the Soviet Union, Kuinzhi.

    She leaned against the car window and looked at the primitive forest getting closer and closer, sighing softly.

    Surprisingly, the leader of the kidnappers did not mock her. He just looked around vigntly.

    Just before getting out of the car, the leader of the kidnappers suddenly moved to thest row, reached out, and covered the man¡¯s face with a wet tissue.

    The kidnapper had been sleeping there the whole time. When the wet tissue covered his face, he tilted his head without saying a word.

    The leader of the kidnappers retreated again.

    As soon as the car came to a stop, the leader of the kidnappers suddenly stretched out his two arms and grabbed the necks of the two kidnappers in front of him. He gradually tightened his grip.

    The two kidnappers in the front row werepletely unprepared for their own people to attack them.

    Out of reflex, they could only try their best to pull the man¡¯s arms.

    However, the man¡¯s arm was like cast iron and could not be pulled at all.

    Seeing that his arm was getting tighter and tighter, the two men in the front row kicked their legs twice. The driver waved his arm and identally hit the horn on the steering wheel.

    The car made a few rapid sirens and then went silent.

    Gu Nianzhi watched as the sudden change urred and her whole body stiffened.

    What is this man doing?

    He¡¯s not going to kill me too, is he?

    She nervously rubbed herself against the car window, almost sticking to it.

    However, after the kidnapper had killed the other three kidnappers in the car, he calmly honked the horn a few times. It was as if he was signaling them.

    Gu Nianzhi was still in shock when she saw the car door being yanked open. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s figure appeared in front of the car door.

    Gu Nianzhi thought she was seeing things and was rubbing her eyes when Huo Shaoheng had already darted into the car and came to her side. He bent down to pick her up and kissed her passionately on the lips.

    The kidnapper looked at them with a smile and patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder. He said in Russian, ¡°Mr. Huo, your fianc¨¦e is perfectly fine. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do my job.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help himself. No amount of self-control could make him control himself.

    Hearing the kidnapper¡¯s words, his self-control and forbearance returned to normal.

    Gu nianzhi clutched the front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shirt tightly and said in a trembling voice, ¡°You asked them to kidnap me? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said in a low voice, ¡°How could that be? It was my fault. I didn¡¯t Expect Qin Baye to be so crazy. He managed to contact Peter in time... It¡¯s a long story. We¡¯ll talk about it when we get back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at the ¡°Kidnapper leader¡±who always had his eyelids drooping. He reached out his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The ¡°Kidnapper leader¡±smiled and held his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the two of them in surprise. ¡°He¡¯s the real Peter? !¡±

    The ¡°Kidnapper leader¡±looked at her in surprise. ¡°You know me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and blinked. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have known he was fake.¡±

    The ¡°Leader of the kidnappers¡±was the real trump card of the KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau, Peter. The Committee of State Security (KGB) .

    He had never appeared in front of anyone, and only two people knew his real identity.

    Who would have thought that there would be two more now.

    Peter cursed the people from the secret service in his heart for being unreliable, but he still had to keep a smile on his face, he nodded slightly and said, ¡°You two are too smart, but I hope you can keep this a secret. Even young master he and general he don¡¯t know that I¡¯m the real Peter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought to himself that he zhichu and he chengjian might know, but they just didn¡¯t want to expose him.

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything and nodded. ¡°Of course we won¡¯t.¡±

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said to Peter, ¡°I¡¯ll take her to the second floor of the hotel. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take her out tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±Peter whistled and said with a half-smile, ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to monitor me anymore, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not monitoring you.¡±

    He was telling the truth. He was only looking at Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu had shared the surveince equipment with him, so he had nothing to do with it.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng brought her to the second-floor room of the Tunguska Hotel. She had thought he would stay and spend some time with her.

    Unexpectedly, the moment the door opened, the two people who had been waiting inside stood up.

    A tall and slender figure rushed over.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw Lu Yuan and Lu Jin in the room.

    Lu Jin ran over even faster. His face was abnormally happy, as if a lost treasure had returned to his hands.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She threw herself into Lu Jin¡¯s arms. ¡°Dad! How did you get here earlier than us? !¡±

    She had secretly watched the limousine on the road.

    However, they parted ways at a fork in the road before they crossed the border.

    They took a small road to cross the border, and the limousine continued to run wildly on the main road.

    Lu Jin rubbed her head. ¡°Boss Lu got here earlier than me. If I had known earlier, I would have taken a ne with him.¡±

    Even though he said that, he was still worried..

    It was better for him to follow along.

    Huo Shaoheng stood at the door, smiling at the surprise of their reunion. He Zhichu¡¯s voice came through the Bluetooth headset. ¡°Huo Shao, the target¡¯s car has arrived.¡±

    Qin Baye finally arrived.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly responded and said to Lu Yuan and Lu Jin, ¡°Qin Baye is here. You guys have to hide well. At least wait until we set off again tomorrow before you can show yourselves.¡±

    ¡°Okay, no problem.¡±Lu Yuan walked over and pulled Lu Jin¡¯s arm. He said to Gu nianzhi and Huo shaoheng, ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving first. We¡¯re in the next room. What time do we set off tomorrow?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch,¡±... The agreed time is nine in the morning. But general he still has things to do, so we have to be there at seven.¡±

    ¡°Seven? Where? The appointment is at nine? What are we doing?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng curiously, then at Lu Yuan.

    She couldn¡¯t tell anything from their faces.

    She looked at Lu Jin again. He had the same dumbfounded expression as her.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m too tired. I need to take a shower. It¡¯s been rotten for the past few days. No, it¡¯s rotten already.¡±

    She thought back to how Huo Shaoheng had kissed her with all his might, but the smell on her body..

    Gu Nianzhi blushed instantly and pushed Lu Jin away. ¡°Go, go, Go! I want to take a shower!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to Lu Jin and Lu Yuan to let them out, but he shed in and said, ¡°Let me check if there are any surveince and listening devices here for you.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second and third chapter of today¡¯s big chapter: Chapter 1910, ¡°Meeting in the wind and clouds (3)¡±.

    With tips and updates, the ¡°Mcmug loves blue¡±will be promoted to the alliance chief in July!

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and monthly passes! ! !

    It was also the third chapter of today¡¯s Big Chapter!

 Chapter 1911 - The Gathering of the winds and clouds (4)

    <h4>Chapter 1911: Chapter 1911: The Gathering of the winds and clouds (4)</h4>

    Lu Jin¡¯s ears twitched and he quickly said, ¡°Do you want to check if there are any surveince devices in the bathroom? I¡¯ve already checked, there are no surveince devices here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth and snickered as she poked her head out from behind Huo Shaoheng, she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. Dad, but I¡¯m too timid. I feel safer with someone waiting outside. What if you all leave and someone breaks in?¡±

    Lu Jin struggled to get back into the house. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll stay here with you... Nianzhi...¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He grabbed his arm and strode out while saying, ¡°What can you do? If someone really breaks in, do you know how to shoot or fight? Do you want Nianzhi to help you when the timees?¡±

    Lu Jin reluctantly turned to look at the door that had just been closed, he mumbled,¡±... do I need to fight and shoot when I¡¯m in a fight with someone? Directly using high-frequency sonic weapons to make the enemy lose their mind... or using pepper spray that can rival chemical weapons, one tube can paralyze an entire squad of soldiers...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ..

    After closing the door, Huo Shaoheng looked down at Gu Nianzhi and held her tightly in his arms again.

    Even though gu nianzhi didn¡¯t really ¡°Regain what was lost¡±this time, when he found out that Xie Qingying¡¯spany had suddenly entered the kidnapper¡¯spany, his heart instantly stopped beating for a few seconds.

    This experience had once again made him realize that this wasn¡¯t his home, not his territory.

    Fortunately, he zhichu was strong and they had already reached a cooperation agreement.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed him away in embarrassment. ¡°I really need to take a shower. I don¡¯t feel bad if you don¡¯t feel bad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held her arms with both hands and said, ¡°You¡¯re fine. Thank God you¡¯re fine...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. I know you guys wille and save me.¡±Gu Nianzhi wrapped her arms around his neck and tiptoed to kiss him on the lips. ¡°I really need to take a shower now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reluctantly followed her, but Gu Nianzhi pushed him out of the bathroom door.

    He was in a good mood and didn¡¯t mind, so he turned on the TV in the living room alone.

    He switched to the news channel and saw a news item.

    Even though it was Russian, he could understand it.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s general he chengjian was on a five-day state visit to the Soviet Union at the invitation of the head of the Soviet Union, Putin.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled.

    It seemed that he chengjian had arrived as well.

    He chengjian had already arrived in the Soviet capital, Moz.

    He watched television for a while. When Gu Nianzhi came out of the shower, his phone rang again.

    He picked it up and looked at it. It was he zhichu¡¯s phone.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He gestured to Gu Nianzhi and answered the call.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice was vast and distant, as if he was calling him from a very empty ce.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up. ¡°Young master he, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Have you settled everything with Luo Le?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s notpletely settled. I need Luo Le to be present tomorrow. Young master he, I¡¯ll leave the cleanup to you.¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. But Luo Le is not an ordinary person. You have to have a foolproof n.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng decided to personally see where they were going the next day.

    He said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    After hanging up, Huo Shaoheng looked apologetically at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I still have something to do, so I can¡¯t apany you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, go do your thing.¡±Gu Nianzhi wiped her hair with a towel and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s young master he? He¡¯s here too? Why isn¡¯t heing to see me?¡±

    ¡°He still has a mission.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression did not change. ¡°Qin Baye is here too. Don¡¯t go out at night. Peter will be staying in the living room for the night.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows had just raised when Huo Shaoheng added, ¡°Your father and president Lu will be here to apany you.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t bear to share a room with Peter again.

    Huo Shaoheng called Lu Yuan and waited for them to knock on the door before he got up and left.

    Lu Jin walked in with a smile and patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan closed the door and said, ¡°Sit down first, or it won¡¯t be good if someone sees you.¡±

    There was only one night left.

    As long as she could get through this night, she would be done tomorrow!

    Gu Nianzhiughed and joked with Lu Jin and Lu Yuan before yawning and going to sleep in the bedroom.

    Not long after, Peter arrived.

    He pretended not to see Lu Yuan and Lu Jin in the room. He came in and found a sofa to lie down on. He rested his head on his arm and closed his eyes to rest.

    Lu Yuan gave Lu Jin a look, telling him not to say anything.

    Lu Jin could not help but take out his phone and shout, ¡°I¡¯m here to y games. Do you know how to y chicken?¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Peter¡¯s eyelids trembled and he went back to sleep.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng came out of the hotel and called Luo Le first.

    Luo Le had arrived this morning, more than ten hours earlier than Huo Shaoheng and the others.

    Luo Le was also very excited that Huo Shaoheng and the others had finally arrived.

    He picked up the phone and asked with a smile, ¡°Mr. Peter, you¡¯ve brought her here, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve brought her.¡±Huo Shaoheng lit a cigarette to wake himself up and said lightly, ¡°Should we talk about how to deal with her problem?¡±

    ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t we agree? From Siberia to the north, through the Bering Strait to the United States. Of course she has toe with me.¡±

    ¡°No Way?¡±Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°We agreed that Qin Baye would go to the United States with you. Qin yaoguang, we still have to discuss it.¡±

    ¡°Discuss what?¡±Luo Le¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You know that my only goal is Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°Yes, our goals are the same.¡±Huo Shaoheng exhaled a smoke ring. ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) also needs her to conduct experiments.¡±

    ¡°Besides, the people who contributed to her rescue are all our people. You want a share of the spoils for nothing? Is there such a Thing?¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s doubts werepletely dispelled when he heard this, and he trusted Huo Shaoheng even more.

    In his opinion, the only way to do business was to keep asking for more.

    How could they negotiate if they didn¡¯t offer a price?

    If the other party really didn¡¯t want anything and just gave Qin yaoguang away, he would even suspect that the whole thing was a scam..

    Fortunately, the other party didn¡¯t do that. Instead, they kept haggling with him and wished they could leave him alone.

    Luo Le¡¯s method was exactly what Luo Le wanted. He had tied him firmly to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chariot.

    Luo le smiled and said, ¡°Then what do you want to Do? Name Your Price.¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s genes are priceless,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly, but didn¡¯t back down at all. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s useless for you to discuss money with us.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want to Do? I must get her perfect genes.¡±Luo Le stopped smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t care what the conditions are. Otherwise, I¡¯ll call he chengjian right away.¡±

    Luo Le acted as if both sides were injured and threatened Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng refused to let go. It was just a ¡°Please fall into the trap¡±tactic.

    He pretended to be in a difficult position and was silent for a while, he said, ¡°Since both sides need Qin Yaoguang¡¯s perfect genes, why don¡¯t we sign a cooperation agreement and set up a new undergroundboratory here to specifically study Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi¡¯s perfect genes?¡±

    Luo Le also thought for a while, ¡°I agree to cooperate, but theboratory has to be located in the United States, on my territory. Wen Shouyi is already in my hands, and Qin Yaoguang is her biological mother. If the two of them work together, I¡¯m afraid the progress will be even faster.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care where theboratory was, but he would definitely oppose it. He couldn¡¯t let Luo Le think that it was too easy.

    Things that were too easy to obtain, no one would take them seriously.

    The two of them continued to talk for almost two hours, and it was already midnight, luo Le said wearily, ¡°I can¡¯t give in anymore. Theb can be built in ska, close to the Bering Strait. Is that okay?¡±

    This ce was also the closest ce to the Soviet Union.

    Huo shaoheng reluctantly said, ¡°Then sign the contract for a year first. If it¡¯s not okay, we¡¯ll discuss the terms.¡±

    ¡°Peter, don¡¯t go too far!¡±Luo Le was furious, he pounded the table and said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for theb, I¡¯ll pay for theb staff. You just have to wait to share the results. What else are you not satisfied with? !¡±

    ¡°Our people want to monitor theb. Otherwise, how would we know if you¡¯ve done anything?¡±Huo Shaoheng fought for thest condition.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything with the KGB¡¯s surveince.

    Luo Le hesitated for a long time before nodding and saying, ¡°Okay then, sign it for a year first. We¡¯ll see the results after a year.¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) wouldn¡¯t be afraid of the KGB going back on their word. After all, Luo Le was already in his hands by that time.

    They had each other¡¯s weaknesses and shared the same interests. Such a cooperation would be longsting.

    ..

    Qin Baye arrived at the parking lot of the Tungus Hotel. He didn¡¯t get out of the RV. Instead, he deactivated the electromaic shield of the RV and called Luo Le.

    However, Luo Le¡¯s phone was always on the line. He couldn¡¯t get through.

    Qin Baye asked one of his men to get a room in the hotel while he brought his bodyguards and trusted men to stay in the RV.

    He asked his men to call Luo le constantly, but Luo Le¡¯s call only got through in the middle of the night.

    Qin Baye coughed twice and said unhappily, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, you¡¯re really busy...¡±

    Luo Le smiled, ¡°Mr. Qin, I¡¯m so busy, and I came to pick you up to go to the United States. You have to understand my sincerity.¡±

    Qin Baye felt better and said, ¡°Of course I understand Mr. Luo Le¡¯s sincerity. But what are your ns? Where¡¯s My Daughter? When can she leave the Soviet KGB?¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) asked

    ¡°I have an appointment with the Soviets,¡±Luo le said happily. ¡°Tomorrow Morning at seven o¡¯clock, we will go to Tunguska sinkhole to trade. See you there.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1911, ¡°Meeting in the wind and clouds (4)¡±.

    To remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets

    It¡¯s the third watch today!

    The second watch and the third watch are the big chapters at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1912 - the gathering of the winds and clouds (5)(second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1912: Chapter 1912, the gathering of the winds and clouds (5)(second update)</h4>

    Qin Baye nodded slightly. ¡°Seven o¡¯clock? Alright, I¡¯ll See You Then.¡±

    After putting down the phone, Qin Baye waved for his subordinates toe over. ¡°Go and take a look at the Tunguska sinkhole. Go and make some arrangements now and find out if there are other people there.¡±

    To Qin Baye, he was extremely cautious.

    Qin Baye¡¯s men brought two men and reached the area where the Tunguska sinkhole was located overnight.

    It was already the end of September and the beginning of October. In the Huaxia Imperial capital, it was still the time when the Autumn Tigers were at their peak. However, in the Tunguska region of Siberia, the temperature had already dropped.

    Especially at night, it was almost zero degrees Celsius.

    They wore their jackets that did not keep them warm and sneakily looked forward.

    It waste at night and the sky was covered with thick clouds. There were no stars or moon, but it was not particrly dark. The color of the sky was a little dark yellow.

    Looking far ahead, one could see the shadows of the mountains in the distance. There were trees everywhere, and one could not see the edge at a nce.

    Tunguska crater was actually a butterfly-shaped area that spanned fifty kilometers at its widest point. The deepest part was connected to a dark river.

    However, in the center was a circr depression.

    How could the few of them be able to detect such arge area?

    Hence, they only found the coordinates that Qin Baye had told them and checked the surrounding ten meters carefully. After confirming that there was no one else, they returned home.

    ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve looked over there. It¡¯s extremely deste and cold. There can¡¯t be anyone else. If we stay there for a night, we¡¯ll definitely freeze to death.¡±

    His underlings rubbed their hands together and exhaled. They were shivering from the cold, and even their eyebrows were frosted.

    However, when they got into the warm RV, the frost quickly melted.

    Although Qin Baye¡¯s heart was still pounding, he felt that it was because he was about to achieve his goal, so he was naturally nervous.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi slept very soundly this time.

    The next morning, she was woken up by Lu Jin at about five in the morning, but she still couldn¡¯t bear to open her eyes.

    However, Lu Jin said,¡±... Boss Lu made breakfast.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly lost all her sleepiness and sat up immediately. Her voice was still husky when she had just woken up,¡±... Really? What do you want to eat in the morning?¡±

    Lu Jin knew her better than anyone else. This was the best way to wake up.

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°Boss Lu made beef buns. There¡¯s only beef and flour. Otherwise, you can make pork buns.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi instantly felt famished.

    She had a good meal in the dining room, then went to the bathroom to take a shower and change into a new set of clothes.

    Lu Jin had brought her clothes. He had also brought a few sets of clothes and left them on the bed in the bedroom for her to choose from.

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised, but then she thought about Lu Jin¡¯s ostentatious RV and felt relieved.

    She picked out a grey and pink hunting suit jacket, with mid-boots that reached her calf, and grey hunting pants of the same style. She was wearing a close-fitting primrose cashmere turtleneck hoodie that kept her warm. She looked valiant and valiant as she pushed the door open.

    Lu Jin saw her and smiled. ¡°This one is good. This one has an anti-materiel rifle in it. It can protect against heavy snipers and even missiles.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. ¡°Dad, can you not talk like that? It sounds scary.¡±

    Lu Jin did not think it was a curse. He said disapprovingly, ¡°It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. Who knows what they¡¯re up to?¡±

    ¡°Dad, are you going to wear something like this too?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin and then at Lu Yuan. They looked the same as usual.

    Lu Jin took out two khaki-grey windbreakers and said, ¡°Of course, this is it.¡±

    He threw one to Lu Yuan and put on the other.

    Lu Yuan looked at him and wanted to say something, but stopped himself. He put it on silently and did not say anything.

    He understood Lu Jin now. He did not know what else he would say if he said anything more.

    Peter, who was sitting on the windowsill, looked at them with interest. He reached out his hand and asked, ¡°Is there anything else? Give me one?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Lu Jin rejected him without hesitation. ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) is bulletproof, right? Why are you afraid of Bullets?¡±

    He was still angry at Peter.

    Peter rubbed his nose in amusement.

    What was wrong with the Committee of State Security (KGB) ? The Committee of State Security (KGB) was also a human being, so of course they were afraid of bullets..

    Lu Yuan smiled and looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s already half past six. Should we leave?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked out the window. The clouds were still thick and the sky was extremely yellow.

    She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going to snow.¡±

    In Siberia, the temperature started to drop in October and it often snowed. It was already the end of September, so it wasn¡¯t impossible for it to snow.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to snow...¡±Lu Jin sighed. ¡°The whitend is so clean.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She rubbed her forehead. ¡°Dad, where did you park your limousine? No one will see it, right?¡±

    Qin Baye was so cautious that he had sent people to check out Lu Jin¡¯s limousine at the roadside inn in Huaxia a few days ago.

    Gu Nianzhi could see it through the window.

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Huo Shao found me a quiet ce to park the car. No one will see it.¡±

    Actually, Huo Shaoheng had asked him to park his car at the ce where the hotel staff parked their car. The ce was surrounded by a tall wall, and the hotel¡¯s customers were not allowed to enter.

    Qin Baye had never thought of going to the hotel¡¯s underground parking lot to look at all the cars. He had never thought that Lu Jin¡¯s car would be on the same road as his.

    Lu Jin was not on the same road as him, but they were on the same road.

    Gu Nianzhi put down her worries and did not ask any more questions. She put on the hood of her hunting suit and followed Peter out the door.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin waited for a while before going out. They missed the time.

    While Peter was driving, he received a phone call.

    He calmly said, ¡°Boss, no problem. Everything is fine. We¡¯re going to the ce you specified.¡±

    The boss on the other end of the phone was none other than Qin Baye.

    He had used a voice-changing device to make the call, and it soundedpletely different from his own voice.

    However, the asional cough still gave him away a little.

    Peter did not pay much attention to it. He was driving in the Siberian wilderness at six in the morning with his hands on the steering wheel.

    At the beginning, there were no other cars on the road, but when they were about to reach their destination, Gu Nianzhi saw two other cars.

    One was the Soviet embassy¡¯s car that Huo Shaoheng was in, and the other was a very high-end rolls-royce phantom custom-made car.

    She nced at it casually and looked away. She looked ahead and suddenly had an idea.

    She was familiar with this ce!

    Wasn¡¯t this the Tunguska sinkhole in Siberia? !

    The Sun was about to rise, and the gorgeous morning glow fell on the distant hills like a heavy-colored oil painting.

    The mountains in the distance rose and fell, and there were towering trees everywhere. The branches and leaves were thick, and the morning light shot out from the east, sprinkling on the peaks of the mountains.

    But near them was a round in, and the trees from high to low surrounded this area.

    Their car had already arrived at the entrance of this round in.

    Peter parked the car in a hidden ce in the forest, and contacted Qin Baye by phone.

    Qin Baye had changed to a new car. It was not the big limousine, but a very sturdy, custom-made Cadic bulletproof sedan.

    He took Peter¡¯s call and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Stay there and don¡¯te out. When I¡¯m done with the deal, you can hand her over to me.¡±

    He told Peter over the phone that he had to dress gu nianzhi up so that she could not speak. In any case, he could not let Luo Le see who this person was.

    Peter readily agreed. He took out a metal suitcase under the car seat and opened it. It was full of disguises and modifications.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was a standard outfit for KGB missions.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the seat motionlessly and let Peter paint her face. He also put on a fake nose and lips to cover the two most prominent features of her face.

    She couldn¡¯t hide her big eyes, so he put on two gray-green contact lenses and a x-colored wig to make her look like a Caucasian girl.

    It matched her valiant hunting suit.

    Not far away, Qin Baye¡¯s custom-made bulletproof car drove past the small road and entered the Tunguska sinkhole area.

    Gu Nianzhi clearly remembered that in the same ce in the other world, it was once a ce where scientists like song Jinning did scientific experiments and observed high-energy maic fields..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1912, ¡°Meeting in the wind and clouds (5)¡±.

    To remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets, OH ~ ~

    Sorry, dear, I was dyed this morning. I have to go to work now.

    I owe you one today, but I¡¯ll make up for it tomorrow.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1913 - - going to a meeting alone (first, monthly pass requested)

    <h4>Chapter 1913: Chapter 1913 ¡ª going to a meeting alone (first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi took another look at Qin Baye¡¯s Cadic. She pursed her lips and thought to herself, this old man is so rich..

    Not only did he ride in the limousine, he even brought a Cadic with him.

    The car drove to the empty space in front of them and slowly stopped.

    Seeing that he had arrived, the people in the other two cars also got off.

    One was Luo Le, and the other was the deputy chief consul of the Soviet embassy, Peter and Huo Shaoheng.

    Luo Le was the first to walk out and wave at Qin Baye¡¯s car. He smiled and said, ¡°Old Mr. Qin, you¡¯re finally here.¡±

    Qin Baye nced at Luo Le and then at the diplomat, Peter, who got out of the Soviet Embassy¡¯s car. He snorted lightly and signaled for his men to open the car door for him.

    With his crutches, he stepped on the grass beside Tunguska sinkhole.

    The early morning wind blew from the sinkhole, bringing with it water vapor. It was bone-chilling.

    Qin Baye shivered and pulled his mink coat together. Then, he held Luo Le¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, sorry to have kept you waiting. I¡¯m old and it¡¯s not convenient for me toe in and out. Please forgive me.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. We just got here too.¡±Luo Le smiled and waved his hand, ncing at Qin Baye.

    Qin Baye was very cautious. He had four bodyguards with him, and there were two muscr men sitting in the car.

    It was obvious that he was a mercenary.

    Luo Le¡¯s pupils contracted imperceptibly, but his smile quickly crept up to the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. His deep eye sockets were almost invisible.

    Qin Baye nodded and asked directly, ¡°Where is she?¡±

    Luo Le waved at Huo Shaoheng, who was standing beside the Soviet embassy¡¯s car, and said,¡±... where is she?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not look back. He pulled open the car door expressionlessly, revealing Qin yaoguang inside.

    She was lying on the temporary stretcher bed in the car, with a drip bottle hanging beside her.

    In the spacious SUV, the back seat had beenid down. Only Qin Yaoguang¡¯s temporary stretcher bedy there, and there was no one else.

    Huo Shaoheng hade alone.

    Luo Le narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly.

    Qin Baye was shocked. He walked quickly to the side of the car and asked in surprise, ¡°What happened to her? What happened to My Daughter?¡±

    ¡°What happened to her? Don¡¯t you know?¡±Huo Shaoheng pushed Qin Baye away rudely and mmed the car door shut. ¡°How much manpower did we put in for her perfect genes? Shouldn¡¯t you pay us?¡±

    Qin Bayeughed dryly. ¡°You guys are so capable. How can I afford to ask for your help?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡±Huo Shaoheng straightened his cor and said coldly, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve seen it, I¡¯ve gotten her out for you. Shouldn¡¯t you fulfill your promise and hand over those things?¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had once asked him for the things in Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Secret Lab. Qin Baye had used Qin yaoguang¡¯s ¡°Perfect genes¡±to hang Huo Shaoheng, iming that he wanted to rescue Qin yaoguang, only then would he be able to give them the samples in the secretboratory.

    Now that Qin Yaoguang had been rescued, Qin Baye pretended to be unwilling. He took out a small box and opened it. Inside were rows of small test tubes, each containing a tube of fresh blood.

    The test tubes numbered from A to G. There were seven tubes in total.

    He ced the small box in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands, he said meaningfully, ¡°These are the samples you found. When my daughter was experimenting with the ¡®perfect gene¡¯, these seven samples were the DNA closest to the ¡®perfect gene¡¯. Unfortunately, most of these children did not survive. Only two survived so far.¡±

    Luo le asked curiously, ¡°Who is it? Wen Shouyi? Where¡¯s the other one?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one is Wen Shouyi, and the other is Gu Nianzhi.¡±Qin Baye smiled meaningfully.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly stuffed the small box into his trouser pocket and said casually, ¡°Unfortunately, these are all failed samples. The most sessful samples are still with Qin Yaoguang herself.¡±

    Luo Le nodded in agreement, ¡°Wen Shouyi¡¯s genes can only be said to be passable, but it¡¯s actually not the ¡®closest¡¯to perfect genes. ¡°As for Gu Nianzhi, our foundation has been paying attention to her since she was born, but unfortunately, her genes didn¡¯t show any perfection.¡±

    ¡°Later on, Qin Yaoguang said that her genes changed a lot after she became an adult, and it was worth studying carefully. I don¡¯t know what happened.¡±

    Luo Le shrugged and turned to ask Huo shaoheng, ¡°Are you interested in Gu Nianzhi? Aren¡¯t you very close to her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly, ¡°I was originally interested in her as a test subject... but I sent her DNA back to the country and had our experts study it. Just like you said, there¡¯s too much of a difference between it and a perfect gene, so much so that our scientists even questioned my ability to move and judge.¡±

    Qin Baye¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes flickered.

    Could it be that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s genes were really not that good?

    However, he clearly remembered Qin Yaoguang telling him that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s genes seemed to have ¡°Evolved¡±after she went to the other world..

    Luo Le looked at Qin Baye again and asked tentatively, ¡°What do you think, Mr. Qin? I remember that you captured Gu Nianzhi as well. Why don¡¯t we send her to the States for research?¡±

    Qin Baye smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Huo Shaoheng snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in suspense. I think that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gic problem is Qin Yaoguang¡¯s smokescreen to cover up the fact that she¡¯s the ¡®perfect gene¡¯!¡±

    Luo Le paused and thought about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. He felt that it made sense.

    After all, the video of the Secret Laboratory had left a deep impression on him. It was too real.

    Their experts had checked the video countless times, and in the end, they came to the conclusion that the video was real and not fake.

    Moreover, Qin Yaoguang herself did not deny the video.

    She only denied that she herself was not a ¡°Perfect gene.¡±.

    But in Luo Le¡¯s opinion, who would really admit that she was a ¡°Perfect gene¡±?

    Only someone with a screw loose like Wen Shouyi would take this as a good thing and hurriedly tter herself.

    Qin Baye¡¯s eyes shed again.

    He didn¡¯t agree with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t want to deny his words.

    After all, he was pointing at Luo Le to get Qin yaoguang out. If Luo Le found out that Qin yaoguang¡¯s genes were not actually ¡°Perfect genes,¡±would he still go to such great lengths?

    Besides, there was also that treacherous Soviet diplomat, Peter Huo Shaoheng. He might even kill Qin yaoguang right away..

    After thinking about it, Qin Baye could onlyugh dryly. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know anything about genes. Only my daughter does. I¡¯ve already given everything in herb to Mr. Peter. I don¡¯t have anything else.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t believe a single word he said.

    However, he still had to pretend to be skeptical. He smiled and said, ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s talk about today¡¯s arrangements.¡±

    He pointed to the car behind him and said, ¡°Qin Yaoguang will be sent to the United States for experiments, but we in the Soviet Union want to share the results of the experiments.¡±

    Qin Baye and Luo le nodded together and agreed readily.

    Actually, they had no choice but to agree. They were under the same roof, and they had no choice but to lower their heads. Who owned this ce? Whose home ground?

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and said, ¡°But I¡¯m still a little worried about sending him to the United States, so I¡¯d like to invite old Mr. Qin to live in our Soviet Union. How about it?¡±

    When he said this, he was talking to Luo Le. He didn¡¯t put Qin Baye in his eyes at all.

    Qin Baye was furious, but he had to suppress his anger on the surface, he chuckled and said, ¡°How can I do that? I don¡¯t know Russian. I¡¯m already so old. What¡¯s the point of living in the Soviet Union? I¡¯d better go to America with Mr. Luo Le...¡±

    He looked at Luo le and said slowly, ¡°Mr. Luo Le, didn¡¯t you promise me?¡±

    Luo Le was very dissatisfied with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sudden whim. He frowned and said, ¡°This is not part of our agreement.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve thought about it again and again, and I feel that the Soviet Union has suffered too much.¡±Huo Shaoheng put on an expression of being in a difficult position, but he was actually trying to raise the price. Luo Le and Qin Baye cursed him to death in their hearts.

    The few of them were negotiating on the grass beside the Tunguska sinkhole. The more they talked, the more they didn¡¯t get along.

    Luo Le and Qin Baye¡¯s faces darkened.

    ¡°Mr. Peter, are you really going to be so unreasonable?¡±Luo Le said coldly. He made a hand gesture and the bodyguards in his car got out.

    Qin Baye saw this and called his bodyguards over.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately turned around and opened the car door to get in.

    Qin Baye and Luo Le looked at each other. They remembered what they had seen in the car, which meant that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t bring any helpers.

    They shouted in unison,¡±... Do It!¡±

    A total of seven or eight strong bodyguards immediately surrounded them.

    They all took out silenced pistols, but they were too close, so it was inconvenient to shoot.

    Four or five people held their pistols and gestured for a long time. Who knew that Huo Shaoheng was even more slippery than a fish? He hid between them, making it impossible for them to aim.

    One of them mustered up his courage and fired a shot. With a bang, he almost hit one of his own..

    ¡°Let¡¯s attack together! Kill him!¡±Luo Le waved his hand, holding his silenced small pistol, and stepped aside.

    A bodyguard had already grabbed the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck and punched him.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the sound of wind behind his head. He tilted his head slightly to avoid the man¡¯s fist.

    Bang!

    The man¡¯s fist smashed into the car door, causing it to cave in.

    Huo Shaoheng red at Luo Le and Qin Baye. ¡°What do you mean? ! Take a look at whose territory this is!¡±

    ¡°Haha... So What If It¡¯s your territory? You¡¯re amazing. You brought my daughter here alone. You¡¯re Amazing!¡±Qin Baye gave him a thumbs up.

    Luo Le understood. If he killed Huo Shaoheng, Qin yaoguang would be his, and he wouldn¡¯t have to share her with the Soviet Union!

    The Temptation of perfect genes was too great. What was a Soviet diplomat?

    And who knew if he was doing business with them on behalf of the Soviet Union, or if he was trying to make some money in private..

    Luo Le had seen too many people like this. He didn¡¯t take them seriously at all.

    He was only working with Huo Shaoheng because he wanted to borrow the power of the Soviet diplomats to Transport Qin yaoguang out of the Huaxia Empire. The Huaxia Empire was the only ce he could think of.

    He had originally wanted to make a move on Huo Shaoheng in ska after he left the Soviet Union.

    But now, it was only a step ahead of schedule.

    Moreover, the Tunguska sinkhole had swallowed countless lives..

    He smiled darkly and stepped aside.

    The seven or eight bodyguards understood what he meant. They struggled with Huo Shaoheng and finally pushed him to the edge of the sinkhole.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting in the car in the forest and observing the situation with binocrs, suddenly became anxious. She threw down the binocrs and was about to rush out to save Huo Shaoheng.

    Peter pulled her back. His eyelids drooped as he said indifferently, ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble. Your Man isn¡¯t that cowardly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She didn¡¯t think it was right either, but knowing was one thing, seeing it with her own eyes was another.

    Her heart was in a ball, and she could barely breathe.

    ¡°... Really? is he really going to be okay?¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered. She used her hand to pull on the car door handle, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t pull it away.

    She looked up and saw that the fight seemed to have gone out of control.

    She didn¡¯t know who had suddenly shot Huo Shaoheng in the chest!

    Then the person flew forward and kicked hard at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body.

    Huo Shaoheng clutched his chest, and the expression on his face froze. He fell backward and fell into the sinkhole in the blink of an eye!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1913, ¡°Going to a meeting alone.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~ ~

    Today¡¯s fourth update, make up for yesterday¡¯s update.

    Second Update 1:00 pm.

    Third Update and fourth update is the big chapter at 8:00 pm, the two update in one.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1914 - Black Eat Black (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1914: Chapter 1914 ck Eat ck (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned pale. She desperately struggled to open the car door and jump out.

    Peter grabbed her and said coldly, ¡°Calm down, the y is not over yet.¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) : the Committee of State Security (KGB) : the Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security: The Committee of State Security (KGB).

    ¡°You say that as if you didn¡¯t know bulletproof vests existed.¡±Peter snorted contemptuously and gave her a sidelong nce. ¡°They all say you¡¯re smart, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that smart.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Damn it, she was being looked down on when she was in the most pain. was she going to find a piece of tofu to bump into?

    Peter shoved the binocrs into her hands. ¡°Keep looking. Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m not in the mood to coax you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She took a deep breath and suppressed the uneasiness and anxiety in her heart. She raised the binocrs again.

    At that moment, she saw that the people on the other side seemed to be arguing again.

    There were only Qin Baye and Luo Le¡¯s group left. What else were they arguing about?

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, indicating that she didn¡¯t understand.

    Peter was wearing a Bluetooth headset, so he could hear what the people on the other side were saying.

    It turned out that Qin Baye and Luo Le had a disagreement over Qin Yaoguang¡¯s treatment.

    Luo Le said with a cold face,¡±... and Gu Nianzhi! I know you kidnapped Gu Nianzhi! If she¡¯s useless, why did you kidnap her? !¡±

    He hadn¡¯t said a word to Peter, the Soviet diplomat, because he didn¡¯t want to attract the attention of the Soviets towards Gu Nianzhi.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had fought with the Soviet KGB for Wen Shouyi, and now Qin Yaoguang wanted to fight as well.

    If Gu Nianzhi continued to fight, he really wouldn¡¯t be able to handle these people.

    So he pretended not to be interested in Gu Nianzhi, and waited for Qin Baye to make a move so he could reap the benefits.

    ¡°... didn¡¯t you say that my daughter, Qin Yaoguang, is the ¡®perfect gene¡¯? What do you want Gu Nianzhi for?¡±Qin Baye asked coldly, ¡°I didn¡¯t take Gu Nianzhi with me. If you don¡¯t believe me, Go Search My Car!¡±

    ¡°Why did you put Gu Nianzhi in your car? ! Do you think I¡¯m Stupid? !¡±Luo Leughed coldly. ¡°I won¡¯t let go of anyone who has anything to do with the perfect gene!¡±

    ¡°You just said it yourself, there are three people alive who have something to do with the perfect gene! One is Wen Shouyi, one is Qin yaoguang, and the other is Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Luo Le¡¯s expression was ferocious. ¡°Tell me! Where is Gu Nianzhi? !¡±

    Qin Baye had clearly seen that the Soviet diplomat, Peter, had been shot in the chest by Luo Le¡¯s men and kicked into the crater.

    Seeing that Luo le was staring at him like a tiger, and that his bodyguards seemed to be even more powerful than his bodyguards, Qin Baye couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of panic.

    He suddenly realized that he had no one to rely on now.

    If Luo Le dealt with him the same way he dealt with Peter, would he still have a chance of survival? !

    Qin Baye gritted his teeth and walked quickly to the car with his walking stick. He said, ¡°Since we can¡¯te to an agreement today, we¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You want to leave?¡±Luo Leughed loudly, his face filled with the ecstasy of victory. ¡°Catch him! I Don¡¯t care what you do! Open his mouth for me! I want to know where he kidnapped Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    As he spoke, Luo Le waved his hand, and his bodyguards immediately surrounded Qin Baye.

    Qin Baye hardened his heart and suddenly turned around, a pistol in his hand. He fired several shots at Luo Le¡¯s bodyguards!

    His marksmanship was unexpectedly urate. One of the bodyguards died on the spot, while the other was injured in the leg. Only one managed to dodge.

    Qin Baye¡¯s bodyguards immediately raised their guns and fired a few more shots at Luo Le¡¯s bodyguards, killing all of them.

    Now it was Luo Le¡¯s turn to panic. He had not expected Qin Baye to be so ruthless and actually dare to attack him!

    He said nervously,¡±... don¡¯t do anything rash! Aren¡¯t you going to the United States? Without Me, do you want to enter the United States safely? ! Dream On!¡±

    ¡°... believe it or not, as long as I have my daughter, Qin Yaoguang, and my granddaughter, Gu Nianzhi, I will be weed by any country I want to go to and treat me like an honored guest.¡±

    Qin Bayeughed, his face glowing with vigor.

    He put away his gun and walked towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Soviet embassy car, he said, ¡°But I¡¯ve worked with Mr. Luo Le for many years and still have some kinship with him. I¡¯ll let you off today. You can go now, before I change my mind.¡±

    Actually, he didn¡¯t dare kill Luo Le.

    He could kill Luo Le¡¯s bodyguards, mainly to protect himself. Killing them wouldn¡¯t be a big problem.

    But it was different for Luo Le.

    Qin Baye was more afraid of Luo Le from the bottom of his heart. Even if he had the upper hand, he wouldn¡¯t dare to attack Luo Le.

    But just as he was walking towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, a bullet suddenly flew from behind them and hit Luo Le¡¯s leg with iparable uracy.

    Luo Le had been pushed to the edge of the sinkhole by Qin Baye¡¯s bodyguards, and now that he had been shot in the leg, he screamed in pain and lost his bnce. He fell backwards and fell into the sinkhole.

    Qin Baye turned around and saw Luo le fall.

    He quickly raised his walking stick and pointed to the side. ¡°Who would dare to shoot without my orders? ! Who Was It? !¡±

    His bodyguards all shook their heads, not daring to admit who it was.

    Actually, they didn¡¯t know who it was either. They were all worried that their guns had identally gone off..

    Qin Baye red at them, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going to save them? !¡±

    His bodyguards quickly pulled on the rope and climbed down the sinkhole.

    But they had already reached a very deep ce in the sinkhole, and they still didn¡¯t see Luo Le¡¯s figure.

    Not only did they not see Luo Le, but they did not even see the corpse of the Soviet diplomat Peter.

    ¡°Where did he go?¡±

    ¡°I think he probably rolled into the underground river below. Do you dare to go down?¡±

    A few people stuck their heads out to look at the unfathomable underground river and shook their heads together.

    After climbing up from the sinkhole, they said to Qin Baye in unison, ¡°Luo Le and the diplomat fell into the underground river. The bodies are in the middle of the river and it is difficult to fish them out.¡±

    ¡°Fell into the underground river? Did you see the bodies?¡±Qin Baye asked, as he opened the car door, he saw his daughter, Qin Yaoguang, lying on the temporary stretcher bed. Her eyes were closed and she didn¡¯t move. It was as if she was dead. His heart felt a little bitter.

    They used to live the best life. They had their own listedpanies and respected social status. But now, they had nothing.

    Qin Baye¡¯s bodyguards nodded in agreement. ¡°I saw it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go down and see for yourself.¡±

    Qin Baye was so old. How could he climb down the sinkhole himself?

    Even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t go.

    What if someone took advantage of him and shot him in the back?

    Qin Baye snorted and stepped aside. He waved and said, ¡°Hurry up and bring my daughter out.¡±

    He then called Peter,¡±... You cane out now. Gu Nianzhi followed you here, right?¡±

    Peter answered the phone and nodded with a smile. ¡°Of course she¡¯s here. Are you guys done? Is there anything else I can help you with?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my trump card. Of course you have to be thest to appear.¡±Qin Baye was in a good mood. ¡°Come here first and help me go down and find the bodies of those two people.¡±

    If they were alive, they had to see them. If they were dead, they had to see their bodies.

    If they could not see the bodies, Qin Baye was still worried.

    Peter snorted, ¡°This is not in our contract. I will only help you kidnap the living.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just asking for more money?¡±Qin Baye was very satisfied, ¡°I also want to ask you to be my lifetime bodyguard. You can name the price!¡±

    Peter smiled. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re Rich? Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    As he said that, he sent the video he recorded to He Zhichu and sent him another message: [ done ].

    He zhichu, who had been watching from not far away, received the message and immediately said to his father beside him, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s done over there.¡±

    Then, he showed the video that Peter had recorded to he chengjian.

    They had been waiting here since six in the morning. Everything had been set up, and they were only waiting for Qin Baye and Luo Le to get in.

    He chengjian sat in the bulletproof car, his face expressionless.

    He nced at the video and said calmly, ¡°I really underestimated Qin Baye. Not only did he dare to kill a Soviet diplomat, he even dared to kill Luo Le.¡±

    Actually, the person who had shot Huo Shaoheng was Luo Le¡¯s bodyguard. However, from the video, it seemed that he had fired from Qin Baye¡¯s bodyguard.

    He zhichu chuckled,¡±... what else does he not dare to do?¡±

    As the two of them spoke, they got out of their cars and led a team of security personnel from the special forces to cover the Tunguska sinkhole silently.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of today: chapter 1914, ¡°ck Eat ck.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~ ~

    Today is the fourth watch, to make up for yesterday¡¯s update.

    The third watch and the fourth watch are the big chapters at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1916 - Regrouping of the past (1)(first, requesting a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1916: Chapter 1916: Regrouping of the past (1)(first, requesting a monthly pass)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was looking at this ¡°Friend¡±who was sprawled on the ground, but she was observing Qin Baye from the corner of her eye.

    Qin Baye was being held down by Peter and the other ¡°Bodyguard¡±. His eyes were tightly shut, and his brows were furrowed.

    His face was full of wrinkles, revealing his age.

    There was no change in his expression.

    As expected, he was shrewd and did not easily provoke him.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked and took another step forward. She knelt on one leg on the grass beside the man, looked down, and reached out to Lu Jin.¡±... give me a pair of gloves.¡±

    Lu Jin understood instantly. He quickly took out a pair of transparent stic gloves from his pocket and ced them in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands.

    Gu Nianzhi slowly put on the gloves.

    Lu Yuan was a little confused and asked softly,¡±... why do I have to wear gloves? Is it because I¡¯m afraid of leaving behind fingerprint evidence?¡±

    Lu Jin ced his hands in front of him and said with a smile,¡±... No, she thinks that person¡¯s hair is too dirty.¡±

    Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, Gu Nianzhi had already grabbed the person¡¯s hair and forced him to raise his head.

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    This weirdo¡¯s focus and brain!

    Just like father, just like daughter!

    He had better stay away from them.

    Lu Yuan silently stepped aside.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the man¡¯s pale face with some disgust and said coldly, ¡°What are you afraid of? You haven¡¯t told me anything yet and you want to pretend to be unconscious? Believe it or not, I¡¯ll give you a shot so that you won¡¯t be able to close your eyes and sleep until you die.¡±

    She did not hit or scold the man, but that one sentence had already caused the man to feel endless fear, and his eyes were almost popping out of their sockets.

    ¡°What are you staring at? Are We using you of something?¡±Gu Nianzhi tightened her grip, she tightened the man¡¯s hair. ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? How exactly did you convince your old friend, Mr. Qin Huichang, from not agreeing to it to agreeing to it?¡±

    The man¡¯s scalp was tingling, but he could tolerate it. No matter how strong Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand was, it was no more than a scratch from a kitten to an average person.

    He was only afraid of the medicine that Gu Nianzhi had told him would make him unable to close his eyes even if he was given a shot..

    ¡°Tell me? If you¡¯re not going to tell me, do you want me to make a Guess?¡±Gu Nianzhi let go of his hand, and the man¡¯s head fell to the ground with a thud.

    Gu nianzhi pped her hands and stood up from the ground. She walked a few rounds between the man and Qin Baye before raising her head to ask he zhichu, ¡°Young master he, what did you find out?¡±

    He zhichu said casually, ¡°He and Qin Baye got to know each other through business, and Qin Baye pulled him along to get to know my grandfather, Mr. Qin Huichang. Later, when they talked about thend in Z city, Qin Baye expressed great interest and hoped that my grandfather could part with his love, but my grandfather refused.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked.

    ¡°Then, Qin Baye invited my grandfather¡¯s family to go to Z city for a visit, and then signed a contract to sell thend there.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s cold gaze fell on the back of the ¡°Old friend¡±lying on the ground. He clenched his fists, he wanted to step on it.

    ¡°... When I came back, my grandfather¡¯s family was in a car ident, but my mother survived, but she was badly burned. This guy knew that the Qin family was involved in the car ident, but he didn¡¯t say a word. He didn¡¯t even help my mother. He just stood by and watched.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°He said all this. There¡¯s no doubt that he¡¯s hiding a lot of the truth.¡±

    He Zhichu didn¡¯t want to hide the truth, so he answered lightly. Of course, he couldn¡¯t hide it from he zhichu.

    However, no matter how much they interrogated him, he was adamant that he knew everything.

    Therefore, they cooperated with Huo Shaoheng and rearranged the situation. They wanted to capture Qin Baye and Qin Yaoguang in one fell swoop. Let¡¯s see what else he could hide.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and asked he zhichu, ¡°Then do you want to ask, or should I?¡±

    He Zhichu could do it himself, but he wanted Gu Nianzhi to take care of the two of them personally and help Qin Su Ask.

    He knew that this was very important to Gu Nianzhi.

    Although he also wanted to personally seek justice for his mother, he still gave the opportunity to Gu Nianzhi.

    He raised his hand. ¡°You first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and walked back to the man. She once again knelt on one knee, her hand wrapped around the man¡¯s ear with a rubber glove and pulled his head over, she asked, ¡°Then can you prove that Qin Baye was the one behind the car ident between Qin Suwen and her parents?¡±

    The man nodded repeatedly, but his ears ached as soon as he nodded.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of his hand and snorted. ¡°Since Qin Suwen¡¯s father, Qin Huichang, has already signed the contract to sell thend, why would they set up the car ident and take their family¡¯s lives?¡±

    Qin Baye opened his eyes and shouted, ¡°He¡¯s lying! He has no evidence! The car ident had nothing to do with us! It was an ident!¡±

    ¡°An ident?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked back at Qin Baye and stood up from the ground. She walked quickly to his side. ¡°Thend you wanted wasn¡¯t for sale, so I went to Z city and changed my mind about selling it to you.¡±

    ¡°After selling thend, that family was immediately hit by a car ident and almost all of them died!¡±

    ¡°... Why Are You So Lucky? You¡¯re the son of God? You Want Light, and there¡¯s Light?¡±Gu nianzhi spat on Qin Baye¡¯s face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you look in the mirror and see if you¡¯re Worthy!¡±

    Qin Baye¡¯s mouth twitched twice. He turned his head and chuckled. ¡°Barrister Gu, You¡¯re awyer. Don¡¯t do such undignified things.¡±

    ¡°My style is only for people who deserve it. As for you, are you worthy to talk about style with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a step back. ¡°Do you really think I can¡¯t guess what happened?¡±

    She turned around and looked at the ¡°Old friend¡±who was still lying on the ground, she said coldly, ¡°You said that Qin Baye only met your old friend Qin Huichang through you. So, you must know that Qin Baye wanted to buynd but was rejected.¡±

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t side with Qin Huichang and his family. Instead, you sided with Qin Baye, whom you just met. This means that there must be a huge benefit to it. It makes you think that your friendship with Qin Huichang can¡¯tpete with this benefit.¡±

    Gu nianzhi paused and said, ¡°We just investigated your rtionship with Qin Huichang a few months ago. In fact, Qin Huichang is not only your friend, but also a benefactor to you.¡±

    ¡°Back then, you came to C city to earn a living without any money. Because you knew how to y chess, you got to know old Mr. Qin Huichang.¡±

    ¡°He treated you as a friend. Not only did he help you find a job, he also helped you find a master to learn how to cook.¡±

    ¡°This skill not only made you a key technician in a factory that was very difficult to enter, but you also came out to work on your own and earned your first bucket of gold.¡±

    ¡°But you weren¡¯t satisfied. You wanted to earn more money, and that¡¯s when Qin Baye found you.¡±

    ¡°He had a n, and you had ambition. The two of you almost hit it off, and ced your hopes of making a fortune on Qin Huichang and his family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said as she observed the expressions and movements of Qin Baye and the ¡°Old friend¡±, especially their micro expressions.

    Sure enough, when Gu Nianzhi said, ¡°You¡¯re not satisfied, you still want to earn more money,¡±Qin Baye nced at her andughed mockingly.

    It was obvious that she had guessed it wrong.

    Gu Nianzhi thought quickly and immediately said,¡±... No, you don¡¯t want to earn more money, but you still need money. This means that something happened to you and you need money.¡±

    Hearing this, the ¡°Old friend¡±couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. He couldn¡¯t help looking up at Gu Nianzhi with a venomous gaze that was like a poisonous snake, wishing he could spit out his tongue.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly. ¡°I guessed right.¡±

    ¡°As for why you suddenly need money, it¡¯s very simple. Either you¡¯re sick and need high medical fees. ¡°But in that era, prices were very cheap, and medical fees were no exception. Even if you paid for it yourself, you didn¡¯t have much money. So this doesn¡¯t hold up.¡±

    ¡°Then you owe someone a lot of money. In that era, there was no stock market, and there were no loan sharks, so you probably didn¡¯t owe them money in that regard.¡±

    ¡°Then you must have gambled in private and owed a gambling debt!¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi finished speaking, Qin Baye closed his eyes again.

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Qin Baye, why are you closing your eyes? Are you worried about revealing the secret in your heart?¡±

    ¡°I can even specte that the gambling debt that this ¡®amnesiac¡¯owes is rted to you, Qin Baye!¡±

    The ¡®amnesiac¡¯immediately turned his gaze to Qin Baye and spoke for the first time,¡±... Qin Baye, tell me the truth. Back then, when I was gambling with those people, was it you who set up the trap? !¡±

    Qin Baye closed his eyes and did not say a word.

    Gu nianzhi pped her hands andughed,¡±... not saying a word? That¡¯s a tacit agreement.¡±

    Qin Baye was so angry that his liver hurt. He opened his eyes abruptly, ¡°How is not saying a word a tacit agreement? ! Not saying a word is a clear denial! I didn¡¯t even know him when he was in debt! How could you set me up? !¡±

    ¡°Ha, denying that the debt he owed was rted to you? Don¡¯t even think about fishing in troubled waters.¡±Gu nianzhi crouched down again with confidence, she pointed at Qin Baye and said to the ¡°Friend¡±, ¡°Do you believe that he set you up first?¡±

    The man¡¯s gaze wandered, and he was somewhat at a loss.

    He said in a hoarse voice,¡±... I really want to believe you, but you don¡¯t have any evidence to make me believe you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any evidence?¡±Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and walked over to Qin yaoguang, who was lying on the makeshift stretcher. She pointed at her face and said,¡±... This is the evidence.¡±

    The man propped himself up on the ground and slowly sat up.

    He looked at the Motionless Qin Yaoguang in confusion. ¡°Where¡¯s the evidence?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±Gu Nianzhi poked Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face with her finger. ¡°Did you know that her face was stic surgery?¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes shed twice before he pretended to be shocked. ¡°Really? ! How did you know? ! I couldn¡¯t tell at all!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, stop acting. It¡¯s too much. It¡¯s too fake.¡±

    ¡°You know what Qin Suwen looked like when she was a child. How could you not know that Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery?¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed out.

    He Chengjian was shocked. This was the first time he had heard anything about Qin Suwen¡¯s appearance when she was a child. He couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°What does Suwen¡¯s appearance when she was a child have to do with Qin Yaoguang¡¯s stic surgery? !¡±

    He Zhichu stood in the morning light expressionlessly, with one hand in his trouser pocket. He held a photo tightly. It was the family photo that Qin Suwen took with her parents when she was young.

    For various reasons, he didn¡¯t show this photo to he chengjian.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update today: Chapter 1916, ¡°Reorganizing the past (1)¡±.

    Your monthly ticket and rmendation ticket are reminded

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch of the day is at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1917 - Regrouping of the past (2)(second request for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1917: Chapter 1917: Regrouping of the past (2)(second request for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at he zhichu in surprise.

    He zhichu gave her an almost imperceptible look.

    She knowingly changed the subject and said to he chengjian, ¡°General he, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll understand why after I ask about Qin Suwen¡¯s family first.¡±

    He chengjian had no choice but to suppress the growing anxiety and anxiety in his heart and patiently listen to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions.

    The ¡°Best friend¡±who had already sat up opened his mouth awkwardly and mumbled,¡±... it¡¯s been so long, I¡¯m not familiar with them either...¡±

    ¡°Who are you not familiar with?¡±Gu Nianzhi was a little annoyed. ¡°The Qin family or the Qin Baye Family? Are you really not familiar with them? Qin Baye gave you such a big mansion? Or is it in the center of C city where every inch ofnd is expensive? !¡±

    ¡°Or are you not familiar with Qin Huichang¡¯s family? If you¡¯re not familiar with them, how can you stay in their home for so many years, just like their family? ¡ª Oh, no...¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°How can I say that you¡¯re like their family? This is really the worst ¡®Family¡¯ever!¡±

    The ¡°Old friend¡±blushed and muttered, ¡°I mean... I¡¯m not familiar with Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pped Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face so hard that her face almost caved in, ¡°Okay, even if you¡¯re not familiar with Qin yaoguang, let me tell you now. Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery when she was a child, and it was done using the most advanced biological stic surgery!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an additional benefit of biological stic surgery. I don¡¯t think Qin Baye or Qin yaoguang know about it.¡±Gu Nianzhi turned around, the smile on her face almost mocking as she looked at Qin Baye, she enunciated each word clearly, ¡°That is, if you perform the surgery using a biological stic surgery method, you can find out the exact age of her stic surgery by looking at the biological body on her face!¡±

    Qin Baye couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

    He had never expected that Gu Nianzhi would be able to find out all the details of an event that had happened so long ago without any evidence at all! He had never expected that Gu Nianzhi would be able to find out all the details through Satoshi Saito!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile grew sweeter when she saw him trembling. She looked at Satoshi Saito, who was sitting on the floor, and said in a clear voice, ¡°What would you think if I told you that Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery when she was eight and a half years old?¡±

    ¡°... eight, eight and a half years old? !¡±Satoshi Saito was obviously confused as well. He began to calcte in his head when Qin Yaoguang was eight and a half years old.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t wait for him to figure it out and immediately said, ¡°It was a year before Qin Huichang¡¯s family had a car ident. You can also say that it was a year before Qin Huichang sold hisnd to Qin Baye.¡±

    ¡°Sir, when did Qin Baye Meet You? Was it a year before your old friend sold hisnd and had a car ident?¡±

    The ¡°Old friend¡±suddenly raised his head and red at Qin Baye.¡±... It was six months before their ident!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±Gu Nianzhi folded her palms in front of her chest, her eyes shining, ¡°So Qin Baye was prepared! It was no coincidence or ident that he met you! He hade prepared! ¡ª do you still think that you were just unlucky to suddenly fall into a gambling game and owe a huge debt? !¡±

    The ¡°Best friend¡±remembered what had happened that year and stood up from the ground, stumbling over to Qin Baye.¡±... It¡¯s You! It¡¯s all you! Why Are You So Crazy? !¡±

    Qin Baye roared in anger, scaring the man into stopping.

    Seeing Qin Baye, who was still in a state of hostility, the man cowered and did not dare to go forward.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was beside him, instigated, ¡°Why are you afraid of Him? Didn¡¯t you see that he¡¯s been arrested? You¡¯re so cowardly...¡±

    Qin Baye snorted. ¡°He¡¯s so cowardly? When he sent his old friends and family to their deaths, he wasn¡¯t cowardly at all!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯m Not!¡±The ¡°Best friend¡±¡®s eyes flickered, and he pounced on Qin Baye, trying to cover his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled him away and eximed, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could it be that Qin Baye didn¡¯t cause the car ident at Qin Huichang¡¯s house, but you did? !¡±

    The man waved his hands and said frantically, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me!¡±

    ¡°... Haha, it wasn¡¯t you, of course!¡±Qin Baye rolled his eyes. ¡°You were the one who gave me the idea back then... otherwise, how could I have gotten Qin Huichang to sell thend obediently? !¡±

    ¡°Are you admitting that you did something?¡±Gu Nianzhi chased after him.

    ¡°So what if I admit it?¡±Qin Baye threw caution to the wind. ¡°Anyway, at this point, do I still have a way to live? Even if I didn¡¯t do it, those two people won¡¯t let me live.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her finger. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s not that these two won¡¯t give you a way to live, it¡¯s that the three of Us Won¡¯t give you a way to Live!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at herself and continued, ¡°Then how did he give you an idea?¡±

    Qin Baye suddenly stopped talking and gave a strange smile.¡±... guess?¡±

    The ¡°Best friend¡±recovered from his shock and realized that he had said too much wrong, so he simply stopped talking.

    ¡°You want to y dead?¡±Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°Then let me guess again.¡±

    She drew a circle around Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face with her finger, and her fingernails left faint white marks on Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s think about the circumstances under which a person would do something they didn¡¯t want to do.¡±

    ¡°First, he was forced to do it. However, there were no traces of Qin Huichang being forced to do it. Based on our investigation, Qin Huichang had always been free to do whatever he wanted, including selling hisnd in Z city and then getting into a car ident in C city. ¡°So we can rule that out for now.¡±

    ¡°Second, he was threatened. There are a lot of things that could have happened.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and stared at Qin Yaoguang¡¯s face. ¡°If he was threatened, then what could threaten him?¡±

    ¡°Generally speaking, it¡¯s the life and death of one¡¯s family.¡±

    ¡°Then whose life and death was used to threaten Qin Huichang?¡±

    ¡°Now we¡¯re thinking about why Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery a year in advance to look like this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head and looked at He chengjian, who was staring at her, ¡°... Qin Yaoguang changed her appearance to Qin Suwen¡¯s a year earlier. She should know who Qin Baye is using to threaten Qin Huichang.¡±

    He chengjian had already made some guesses, but because this guess was too shocking and too painful, he refused to face it or admit it.

    Now that Gu Nianzhi had said it herself, he chengjian immediately denied it. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! How Could Qin Yaoguang¡¯s stic surgery look like Su Wen¡¯s? ! Did you make a mistake? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, her eyes already starting to tear up, ¡°Why is that impossible? Otherwise, why would she have stic surgery ahead of time? ¡ª in fact, after thinking about it, the only way to change the whole case is to put Qin Yaoguang¡¯s stic surgery a year ahead of time into the cycle ofnd-selling car idents.¡±

    ¡°No... no... impossible... this is impossible...¡±he chengjian seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, and his entire spirit and energy were waning, he mumbled in denial, ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense... it¡¯spletely impossible!¡±

    ¡°How is it impossible?¡±Gu Nianzhi did not think much of it. ¡°If an animal walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and barks like a duck, then it¡¯s a duck. What¡¯s so hard to understand?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s impossible!¡±He chengjian looked up abruptly, he denied it outright. ¡°If Qin Yaoguang really looks like Su Wen, then Su Wen has known Qin Yaoguang for so many years. Could it be that she can¡¯t recognize her? ! She even investigated the truth of her family¡¯s ident back then!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡±Gu Nianzhi said lightly, her tone tinged with pity. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Qin Suwen recognize her? Qin yaoguang looks like her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°General He, did you forget that Qin Yaoguang knows a type of surgery, the memory stripping surgery?¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Qin Yaoguang knows how to perform a memory stripping surgery when she¡¯s nine years old? ! Gu Nianzhi, aren¡¯t you being a little too wishy-washy? !¡±

    Qin Baye burst intoughter. He looked at Gu Nianzhi andughed. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, oh Gu Nianzhi, look at your glib tongue. Even general he doesn¡¯t believe you!¡±

    He Zhichu walked over, raised his arm, and gave Qin Baye two tight ps on the face. He almost fainted from the pain.

    The back of his teeth werepletely loosened, and he grimaced in pain.

    ¡°Shut up! You Don¡¯t have to say anything anymore!¡±He Zhichu had already figured out the whole situation and warned Qin Baye in a low voice.

    Qin Baye could still order Gu Nianzhi around, but he did not dare to act rashly towards he zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him, she said to He chengjian, who still had a look of resistance on his face, ¡°Did you forget that Qin Yaoguang has always emphasized that her memory-stripping surgery is an ancestral skill? Did you ever think that before Qin yaoguang, there were still people in the Qin family who knew how to perform this surgery?¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s face was livid.¡±... Do You Think Qin Yaoguang¡¯s words are true? What proof do you have?¡±

    ¡°The proof is him.¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at Qin Baye and said, ¡°When the Qin family¡¯s private hospital was founded, Qin Yaoguang was still young and was still in school. But what right does Qin Baye have to run a private hospital? Didn¡¯t he run an orphanage in the past?¡±

    ¡°... ording to the collusion between him and the Luo Le family, Luo Le¡¯s grandfather had sent medical experts to China many times before. Qin Baye must have learned his medical skills from that person at that time.¡±

    Qin Baye¡¯s mouth twitched twice. His swollen eyes, which had been beaten by HE Zhichu, opened a line. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and muttered,¡±... you¡¯re so smart. If only you were my biological granddaughter...¡±

    ¡°You tter me,¡±Gu Nianzhi said sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯d rather be an ordinary person than have the perverted genes of your family.¡±

    She then said to he chengjian, ¡°But no one knew that Qin Baye was skilled in medicine. He hid this advantage well and tried to hire other doctors to work in his hospital. ¡°After that, Qin Yaoguang¡¯s talent in medicine must have been inherited from Qin Baye.¡±

    ¡°Qin Baye is the real medical genius.¡±

    ¡°That evil memory removal surgery, I guess, was actually created by Qin Baye. He opened an orphanage for so many years and adopted so many normal and abnormal orphans in the orphanage. They could all be his practice subjects.¡±

    ¡°Later, he passed the technology to Qin Yaoguang. So Qin yaoguang kept saying that her family¡¯s memory removal surgery was passed down from her ancestors. This was not a cover-up, nor was it an exaggeration. It was the truth.¡±

    Qin Baye suddenly understood something when Gu Nianzhi was able to start from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s half-truth and half-truth humility to such an extent.

    This was the real perfect gene!

    Qin yaoguang¡¯s ¡°Perfect gene¡±experiment had actually seeded.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of today: Chapter 1917, ¡°Reassembling the past (2) .¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone

    It was the second update of today.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1918 - reorganizing the past (3)(first, asking for monthly votes)

    <h4>Chapter 1918: Chapter 1918: reorganizing the past (3)(first, asking for monthly votes)</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Qin Baye himself is also a doctor? ! He also knows medical skills? !¡±He Chengjian was shocked, he looked at Qin Baye in disbelief, then at Gu Nianzhi, and his expression turned serious. ¡°Do you have proof? How can you prove something like this out of thin air?¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded confidently. ¡°He knows medical skills, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a doctor.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a doctor who cares for his parents, helps the needy, and helps the people. How did he do that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°Qin Baye¡¯s medical skills were all learned by harming others, but he never used them in the right way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡±Qin Baye couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°How dare you speak without evidence? Do you really think you can frame others just because you¡¯re a barrister? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°No evidence? Then where did Qin Yaoguang¡¯s memory-stripping surgerye from? And where did the memory-stripping surgery Qin Suwen underwent when he was a childe from? !¡±

    ¡°What evidence do you have to prove that Qin Suwen underwent a memory-stripping surgery when he was a child?¡±Qin Baye sneered. ¡°Qin Suwen¡¯s corpse has already be a skeleton, and you still want to lie to people?¡±

    Qin Suwen¡¯s corpse had already turned into a skeleton and had been disyed in court before, so everyone knew about it.

    ¡°You want evidence?¡±He Zhichu spoke at this moment. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you evidence. Although my mother¡¯s corpse has already been turned into a skeleton by you guys, the skeleton can still speak.¡±

    As he spoke, he zhichu waved his hand behind him.

    A few of his orderly soldiers carried three instruments over and ced them in a zigzag pattern in the middle of the grasnd.

    It was almost eight o¡¯clock, but the sun was blocked by the clouds. The sky above the open space beside the sinkhole had already darkened.

    ¡°Show it to him.¡±He Zhichu put his hands behind his back and stood behind one of the instruments.

    The orderly soldiers immediately began to operate the three instruments.

    Not long after, three beams of light shot out from the instruments and converged in the middle of the open space.

    A holographic virtual scene appeared in front of everyone.

    Everyone was shocked.

    Because what appeared here was a white skeleton.

    He zhichu calmly said, ¡°This is the skeleton of my mother, Qin Suwen.¡±

    Following that, green lines began to encircle the white skeleton¡¯s skull, like a painting, constantly pulling and stretching, adding and deleting.

    Not long after, a lifelike female figure appeared in front of them. She was wearing a ck suit that Qin suwen usually wore when he appeared in court. It was the size of a real person.

    This female figure was almost exactly the same as Qin Yaoguang!

    He Zhichu raised his chin, he said calmly, ¡°This is the original appearance of my mother using the Craniofacial Reconstruction Technology approved by the court. Take a closer look. You can make my mother lookpletely different. You can remove all her memories before she was nine years old, but you can not change her bones

    ¡°Genes determine bones, bones determine appearance. Qin Baye, is this not evidence?¡±

    He chengjian stared nkly at the beautiful woman with an indifferent expression on the empty ground in front of him. He could not hold it in anymore. His eyes turned hot and tears welled up in his eyes.

    He clenched his fists tightly and staggered towards the direction of the portrait.¡±... SUSU... SUSU... is that you? Is this what you look like? SUSU...¡±

    He wanted to hug the gentle-looking woman, but he reached out and missed her.

    His arms passed through the air, and the woman¡¯s virtual eyes were looking straight ahead, right in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    Gu Nianzhi also stared nkly at the person. Although she had been mentally prepared, she was still shocked speechless when she saw a life-sized virtual figure appear in front of her.

    Her heart was suddenly filled with a nameless yearning and longing, as well as a heart-wrenching pain. It was as if someone was holding a small file and rubbing it against her heart, trying to grind it into a crisp bit by bit.

    Qin Baye was still stubborn and sneered. ¡°Magic tricks can also be used as evidence? Major General He, you can just kill me. Why do you have to use these fake evidence to try and convince me? ¡ª I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s impossible!¡±

    He Zhichu finally took out the family photo.

    He showed the photo to Qin Baye coldly, ¡°What about this photo? ! ¡ª Qin Baye, you old fool! Take a good look at it!¡±

    His heart was filled with indescribable anger and sorrow. He strode forward and pulled Qin Baye out of Peter and the bodyguard¡¯s hands. He pressed his neck with one hand and kicked him in the knees, forcing him to kneel in front of the photo.

    ¡°Look carefully! You took theirnd! You killed their people! You even took away their daughter¡¯s face! You took away their daughter¡¯s memory! Now You Want Proof from me? !¡±

    He grabbed the back of Qin Baye¡¯s neck and pressed his head against the ground, forcing him to kowtow to the photo of his grandfather¡¯s family.

    Seeing this, Gu Nianzhi quickly found a rtively t stone from the forest next to the grass and shoved it in front of Qin Baye. She said to he zhichu, ¡°Young master he, let him kowtow to this! The grass is too soft! It¡¯s too easy for him!¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    However, he still listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s advice and once again grabbed Qin Baye by the back of his neck and kowtowed to the stone.

    Kowtowing on the grass was nothing, but kowtowing to a stone was different.

    Qin Baye¡¯s head began to hurt violently, and his forehead was rapidly damaged. Blood gradually dyed the stone red.

    He chengjian heard the sound of kowtowing and finally snapped out of his daze.

    He turned his head to take a look and immediately strode over. He asked he zhichu, ¡°What kind of photo is this?¡±

    He zhichu pursed his lips and stopped what he was doing. He handed the photo to he chengjian.

    He chengjian took it over. With one nce, he could tell that the two adults in the photo were his inws. After he married Qin Suwen, he had once helped Qin Suwen investigate the matters of her parents, however, all he could find was a photo of the two of them.

    This was the photo of the whole family.

    And the little girl nestled between the two of them was undoubtedly Qin Suwen¡¯s childhood.

    She looked exactly like Gu Nianzhi when she was young!

    He chengjian looked up in surprise at Gu Nianzhi and then at the photo. He suddenly became excited and stretched out his arms towards her, he said, ¡°Nianzhi! So You¡¯re my biological daughter! Come here! I¡¯ve Wronged You! I¡¯ve let you down!¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡±! ¡°You¡¯re so good at litigating. You always remind me of SUSU. and SUSU was so good to you back then, even better than her own son. I should have known that you were my daughter!¡±! ¡°You¡¯re not Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter!¡±

    Lu Jin, who had been quietly watching from the side, suddenly wanted to rush over angrily, but Lu Yuan reacted quickly, grabbing his hands with one hand and covering his mouth with the other.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s hand strength was much stronger than Lu Jin¡¯s. Moreover, Lu Yuan was a martial artist, and he had never abandoned his kung fu for so many years.

    Therefore, Lu Jin had no chance of struggling.

    Huo Shaoheng saw this when he climbed up from the bottom of the sinkhole.

    He raised his eyebrows, patted the dust off his body, and stood up straight.

    However, no one noticed that someone had climbed up from the bottom of the sinkhole.

    Even Peter, who was the most vignt, was attracted by the Big Show in front of him.

    It was only when Huo Shaoheng walked to his side that he was shocked.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the trump card of the Far East, and yet there was still a day when someone would be able to sneak up on him. Peter immediately reviewed his mistake and took a big step to the side to stay away from Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng happened to be standing in Peter¡¯s position with his hands behind his back. He was in the exact same position as the bodyguard and quietly blended in.

    Gu Nianzhi, of course, did not notice that someone hade.

    She was also confused by He chengjian¡¯s reaction.

    Shouldn¡¯t she be furious right now and not be able to tolerate the child Qin Suwen had secretly given birth to behind his back?

    But why would he think that she was his biological daughter?

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched and she said calmly, ¡°General he, you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m not your biological daughter.¡±

    ¡°How could I not be?¡±He chengjian was agitated, ¡°You look almost exactly like Susu when she was young. You look quite simr to SUSU now. Just by looking at your appearance, you can tell that you¡¯re definitely her biological daughter! And you¡¯ve also inherited her legal talent! ¡ª how could I not be? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had a headache. She spread her hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m the biological daughter ofwyer Qin Suwen, but I¡¯m not your biological daughter.¡±

    Lu Jin was watching from the side. Gu Nianzhi did not want Lu Jin to misunderstand her, nor did she want him to be sad.

    He chengjian blinked, as if he found Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words hard to understand.

    He frowned and said, ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re Susu¡¯s biological daughter, and of course you¡¯re my biological daughter. What are you implying? ! I won¡¯t allow you to speak ill of SUSU! Not even if you¡¯re her biological daughter!¡±

    Qin Baye sat on the ground, heughed out loud. ¡°He chengjian, he chengjian!¡±! Aren¡¯t you disgusting? ! Your wife cheated on you, and you still can¡¯t figure it out ? TSK TSK, if she¡¯s your biological daughter, you want your biological daughter to marry your biological son ? ? ! ¡ª hahahaha...¡±

    ¡°What right do you have tough? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was furious. She gave Qin Baye a backhanded p that almost broke his neck.

    ¡°Your daughter, Qin yaoguang, is very supportive of my engagement to young master he!¡±Gu Nianzhiughed coldly as she rubbed her red palm. ¡°She knew from the start whose biological daughter I was! who was the more disgusting one? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to keep this a secret anymore.

    He chengjian had to face this fact, and there was no better ce to tell the truth.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at he chengjian and said, ¡°Back then, Qin Yaoguang proposed gene editing therapy in order to treat young master he¡¯s illness. ¡°She made a lot of artificial fertilized eggs, and one of them was a fertilized egg that she made from the reproductive cells of Qin Suwen and my father, Gu Xiangwen. She then transnted it into her own womb and impregnated it before giving birth to me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why Qin Yaoguang was the one who started it. If you want to me someone, me Qin Yaoguang. She has evil intentions. She did it on purpose to disgust you and Qin Suwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes. Her thin body looked extremely lonely in the dark sky, she said in a low voice, ¡°Qin Suwen is innocent. She didn¡¯t betray you. She didn¡¯t even know that I existed until the day she died.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: chapter 1918, ¡°Reorganizing the past (3)¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    8:00 p.m. on the second night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1919 - regrouping of the past (4)(the second is asking for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1919: Chapter 1919 regrouping of the past (4)(the second is asking for a monthly pass)</h4>

    ¡°... I don¡¯t know until I die...¡±he chengjian chewed on these words. His bloodshot mind gradually calmed down, and his heart was filled with emptiness.

    The person he loved the most in this world had experienced so much pain, but he did not know it at all.

    Not only did he not know it, even she herself did not remember it.

    This kind of knowledge made his heart ache, and his chest felt a sharp pain.

    He didn¡¯t cover his chest, but only shifted his gaze to look at the calm 3D holographic female figure in front of the empty space. It was his familiar posture and gaze, but not his familiar appearance.

    He had never dreamed that Qin Suwen¡¯s true appearance would be so beautiful..

    Although her facial features were extremely simr to Qin Yaoguang¡¯s, their temperaments werepletely different, resulting in a slight difference in their appearances.

    It was like they were on the same rose tree. Qin Suwen was the flower on the rose tree, while Qin Yaoguang was just an annoying thorn on the rose tree.

    No, it was a poisonous thorn, a poisonous thorn that could kill.

    He chengjian suddenly retracted his gaze and strode towards the ¡°Friend¡±who was sitting on the other side.

    When he arrived in front of him, he chengjian bowed slightly and suddenly made a move. He grabbed that person¡¯s neck and slowly tightened his fingers.

    It was like a red-hot iron mp on his throat.

    The man did not expect he chengjian to be stronger than he zhichu at such an old age!

    The color of blood crawled up his face at a speed visible to the naked eye. His face quickly turned purple.

    His breathing was rapid, and his eyes were bulging like goldfish eyes.

    The oxygen supply in his brain was insufficient, and he was about to hallucinate.

    He Chengjian was holding the family portrait he zhichu had given him. He was so close to pasting it on the ¡°Friend¡±¡®s face.

    ¡°... you still dare to say that you don¡¯t know what Su Wen looked like when she was young? ! You really don¡¯t know that you would set up a trap to capture Nianzhi the moment you saw her? !¡±

    He chengjian¡¯s grip grew stronger and stronger. The man was almost suffocating, and his heart was constricting as he desperately tried to absorb oxygen from the air that was bing thinner and thinner.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. You Can¡¯t just deny it.¡±He zhichu said calmly from the side, ¡°There¡¯s tangible physical evidence and logical chain. You can get a sentence without a confession.¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s understand the sentence of zero confession!¡±

    ¡°Zero... Zero Confession? Why did you sentence me for something I didn¡¯t admit? !¡±The man¡¯s eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Of course, the so-called sentence of no confession is not theplete absence of your confession, but the confession that you admitted tomitting the crime yourself.¡±

    ¡°Just Like Your Excellency, you stubbornly refused to admit that you personally participated in the criminal acts against Qin Suwen¡¯s family.¡±

    ¡°In this case, we have tangible physical evidence, witnesses and logic [ motivation ] to form aplete chain of evidence and the court can sentence you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly thought about the man¡¯s actions, trying to find a breakthrough point.

    She suddenly remembered what he chengjian had said earlier.¡±... you still dare to say that you don¡¯t know what Su Wen looked like when she was young? ! You really don¡¯t know that you would set up a trap to capture her the moment you saw her? !¡±

    The memory of the time she had fallen into this man¡¯s cer in C City suddenly reyed in her mind.

    She recalled her previous deduction that Qin Huichang must have been threatened, and that his loved ones¡¯lives were in danger. That was why he had changed his mind and agreed to sell thend!

    She said loudly, as if her heart had been blessed, ¡°I know! He was the one who made the first move!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed excitedly at the purple-faced ¡°Old friend¡±.¡±... He was the one who had set up a trap to kidnap Qin Suwen, the greatwyer! Just like the time he kidnapped me!¡±

    ¡°He helped Qin Baye kidnapwyer Qin Suwen, who was only eight years old at the time, and used her life to threaten Mr. Qin Huichang!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was just in time to say,¡±... if Qin Suwen had gone missing when she was eight, why didn¡¯t her father, Qin Huichang, call the police?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eardrums vibrated when she heard this voice, and her heart was filled with joy.

    She raised her head to look at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes shining like the sun shining through the clouds and into her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±Her eyes could speak.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and responded with the same look: [ I¡¯m here. ].

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze was almost glued to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    Huo Shaoheng felt that her gaze had honey in it, and it was sweet just by looking at it.

    Although he did not like sweet food, he could not reject Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweetness.

    He smiled at her, his eyes filled with an undisguised love and affection.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that she was no longer alone.

    Even if the whole world abandoned her, she still had Huo Shao!

    With the nourishment and nurturing of love, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind spun even faster.

    She had even broken through a crucial point.

    ¡°... I know! I know why Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery a year earlier to look like Qin Suwen! I also know why Mr. Qin Huichang didn¡¯t call the police!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s crisp voice echoed in the empty space near Tunguska crater.

    The clouds were low, the sky was dark, and the temperature dropped rapidly. Tiny Snowkes were falling slowly from the sky.

    Just like that, the first snowfall of the long Siberian winter arrived.

    Gu Nianzhi did not feel cold at all. On the contrary, her entire body was hot, as if the Sun had prated the thick clouds and was shining on her alone.

    Almost everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on her.

    Except for he zhichu, he only took one look before he looked away with a frown.

    He could no longer look at the woman he had once deeply loved... deeply loved..

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to he chengjian¡¯s side and gently but firmly took the yellowed family portrait from his hands. She said clearly, ¡°Qin Yaoguang had stic surgery a year earlier to look like Qin Suwen in order to deceive and Deceive Qin Huichang!¡±

    ¡°I just spected that this ¡®old friend¡¯kidnapped Qin Suwen and then used her life to threaten Qin Huichang!¡±

    ¡°Generally speaking, when such a thing happens, the victim¡¯s family will choose to call the police. The police will help you find the person who kidnapped and extorted you.¡±

    ¡°But Qin Huichang didn¡¯t call the police. Why? From Qin Suwen¡¯s personality, Qin Huichang and his wife are not the kind of weak and ignorant people. They wouldn¡¯t avoid the police and directly contact the kidnappers to negotiate conditions.¡±

    ¡°And Qin Suwen¡¯s personality is even more resolute and resolute. She would rather die for the sake of the jade than for the sake of the house.¡±

    ¡°Even though she is still young, her personality will not change.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the kidnappers are cautious because their ultimate goal is to get Qin Huichang to agree to sell thend, not to really take Qin Suwen¡¯s life.¡±. ¡°Or perhaps, before Qin Huichang agrees to sell thend, they can not kill this family and want her to live well so that their goal can be achieved.¡±

    ¡°But why would barrister Qin Suwen cooperate with them? I can imagine that Barrister Qin Suwen, who was only eight years old back then, wouldn¡¯t give these people any chance topromise.¡±

    ¡°Under such circumstances, or rather, this wily old fox, Qin Baye, who had long understood the temperament of Qin Huichang¡¯s family, had no intention of letting Qin Suwen personally threaten her father, Qin Huichang.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to Qin yaoguang, who was lying on the makeshift stretcher, and pointed at her face.¡±... His n should be to have Qin yaoguang, who had undergone stic surgery a year ago, appear on camera in ce of Qin Suwen!¡±

    ¡°At that time, there was no inte, so the kidnappers had to contact their families, usually over the phone.¡±

    ¡°Considering that the kidnappers this time were not ordinary people, and that they had the support of the American Financial Group, Luo Le, behind them, they must have hand-held video cameras.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, they must have used Qin Yaoguang to pretend to be Qin Suwen and filmed a video of her crying and begging for mercy. They personally requested Qin Huichang to sell hisnd in exchange for her freedom and not to call the police. They explicitly hinted that if they did, these people would kill her..

    ¡°Then, the video could be sent to Qin Huichang without anyone noticing through the hands of this ¡®old friend¡¯

    ¡°What Will Qin Huichang, who knows his daughter very well, think when he sees the videotape

    ¡°They will never know that someone looks exactly like their daughter

    ¡°They will never know that someone is pretending to be their daughter. Instead, they will wonder why their daughter, who has such a strong and stubborn personality, is so scared

    ¡°What did the other party do to her to make her so scared? !¡±

    ¡°To the biological parents who love their children, money and other worldly possessions are far less important than their own children.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, Qin Huichang, who originally had no intention of selling thend and might have called the police, changed his mind in an instant. He agreed to sell thend and did not n to call the police, but only if he saw that his daughter was unharmed!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused at this point and observed the expressions of Qin Baye and the ¡°Old friend¡±.

    Qin Baye was mature andposed, but the corners of his mouth twitched from time to time. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

    However, the ¡°Old friend¡±¡®s eyes flickered even more intensely. It was clear that her spection was correct, and that the man¡¯s psychological defenses were beginning to crumble.

    He Zhichu clenched his fists and restrained his impulse to shoot this person to death. He said coldly,¡±... if you are willing to turn into a dirty witness, I can plead with the judge and have a lighter sentence.¡±

    That person¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up as if he had found hope. His body was instantly filled with strength as he held he chengjian¡¯s hand, try to squeeze out a sentence:¡±... you let go first... As long as General Ho... also agrees to let me be... a witness... I will say...¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1919, reorganizing the past (4) .

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    Mwah, Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1920 - reorganization of the past (5)(the first request is for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1920: Chapter 1920 reorganization of the past (5)(the first request is for a monthly pass)</h4>

    He chengjian¡¯s face was expressionless. It was as if he was extremely sorrowful and had lost all hope.

    He lowered his eyes and looked at the ¡°Old friend¡±whose eyes were flickering. He slowly let go of the hand that was gripping his throat and straightened up.

    ¡°Speak,¡±he only said one word.

    The ¡°Friend¡±covered his throat and coughed twice. He only rxed when he saw he chengjian¡¯s attitude.

    He propped himself up on the grass and pointed at Qin Baye who was sitting not far away, he gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°It was him. He took the initiative to talk to me at a dinner party and said that he wanted to open a clinic. He had his eyes on a piece ofnd in Z city. However, after he went to the industry andmerce department, he found out that thend had an owner.¡±

    ¡°He contacted the owner of thend, but that person said that he wouldn¡¯t sell thend.¡±

    ¡°I asked him. After the founding of the country, didn¡¯t all thend go to the state? Why is there still privatend?¡±

    ¡°Qin Baye told me that most of thend was owned by the state. Only a few of thend¡¯s ownership rights were clear. After the liquidation, thend returned to the previous owner.¡±

    ¡°Thend that he took a fancy to was in such a situation.¡±

    ¡°I could only express my sympathy. He didn¡¯t say whosend it was.¡±

    ¡°Then I... I was set up by him. I lost arge sum of money gambling. Those people were so fierce. They said that if I didn¡¯t pay them back, they would seize my house and cut off my business!¡±

    ¡°I returned all the money in my bank to them, but they didn¡¯t stop. They imed that if I didn¡¯t pay them back, they would go to the police station and sue me for gambling!¡±

    ¡°At that time, gambling was a serious punishment. I was scared to death...¡±

    ¡°Then, Qin Baye came again. He knew about my situation and said that he had a way to earn money. As long as I could help him, he would give me a sum of money to pay off my gambling debts.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I was already desperate. My rtives and friends had borrowed everything they could. I really didn¡¯t have any money, so I could only listen to him...¡±

    Qin Baye said coldly, ¡°You were the one who listened to me. Your old friend Qin Huichang¡¯s family actually had such arge piece ofnd in Z city. Moreover, most of his family members had gone abroad and had very strong overseas connections. ¡°When his rtives went abroad, they let Qin Huichang take care of their domestic assets. Qin Huichang was actually very rich...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re so resentful. You think your friends are rich, but they won¡¯t help you pay off your gambling debts. They¡¯re not friends at all!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any!¡±The ¡°Old friend¡±cried out in panic, his head shaking quickly. ¡°I really don¡¯t have any! I just want to borrow money! I never thought of asking them to help me pay off my gambling debts!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. ¡°I think you do have some. That would exin why you would suddenly go crazy and help an outsider harm someone who has done you a favor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡±. ¡°Money is one of the reasons, but to see a familiar friend suddenly be rich while you have almost nothing is even more uneptable to some people than to see an outsider be a millionaire.¡±

    He zhichu added calmly, ¡°This is not a conflict of opinion. This is a snake swallowing an elephant when its heart is not enough.¡±

    The ¡°Friend¡±flew into a rage out of humiliation. ¡°Do you still want me to be a witness against Qin Baye? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. Is it possible for you to be a ¡°Witness against Qin Baye?¡±?

    Why Don¡¯t you take a look at the person you¡¯ve harmed..

    But she didn¡¯t say anything else.

    He chengjian put his hands behind his back and stared at the beautiful 3D hologram in Siberia¡¯s first snow. He said in a low voice,¡±... Continue!¡±

    The ¡°Old friend¡±thought for a while and said, ¡°Later on, I actually don¡¯t remember it very clearly. It was Qin Baye who asked me to help him kidnap Qin Huichang¡¯s only daughter, Qin Suwen.¡±

    ¡°How did you kidnap her?¡±He Zhichu interrupted him. ¡°Tell me clearly.¡±

    The person paused for a moment. He didn¡¯t want to say it at first, but he was shocked by he zhichu¡¯s sharp and cold gaze, he couldn¡¯t help but say,¡±... one day after school, I said I had something fun for her to y with, and when she came...¡±

    The man nced at Gu Nianzhi as he spoke.

    Gu Nianzhiughed,¡±... it can¡¯t really be like tricking me into falling into a trap, right?¡±

    The man¡¯s mouth twitched, and he said, ¡°More or less, but that¡¯s not the point. The point is, Qin Baye instructed me to do this!¡±

    Qin Bayeughed mockingly and admitted frankly, ¡°Yes, I was the one who asked you to do this. But I didn¡¯t point a gun at your head and you agreed without saying anything. It was really out of my expectations at that time.¡±

    ¡°I thought I would have to spend more effort and money.¡±

    This person was almost unable to raise his head after Qin Baye¡¯s words.

    It was easy to do bad things behind someone¡¯s back, but it was embarrassing to be exposed in front of someone.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Baye in surprise.

    He had actually taken the initiative to confess.

    Needless to say, he zhichu had already arranged for people to record the whole thing and upload it to the cloud to be saved at the same time. He had to capture all the confessions of these two people on camera.

    He chengjian was still expressionless. He looked at the ¡°Friend who forgets age¡±and then looked at Qin Baye. He hummed lightly,¡±... What else?¡±

    ¡°Next, I¡¯ll say it myself.¡±Qin Baye waved his hand, and his aura returned.

    The ¡°Friend who forgets age¡±was anxious and quickly said,¡±... I¡¯m the Dirty Witness! You guys aren¡¯t going to change your mind, right? !¡±

    He was afraid that because Qin Baye had taken the initiative to confess, these people would make Qin Baye a ¡°Dirty witness¡±to testify against him..

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head speechlessly and looked away. She didn¡¯t want to look at this person¡¯s ugly appearance. It was really eye-piercing.

    Qin Baye also gave this person a contemptuous nce and snorted. He didn¡¯t pay any attention to him. He thought to himself, ¡°You still want to be a ¡°Dirty Witness¡±?¡±? How could he chengjian, this old Sly Fellow, be trusted?

    Not to mention, who was the target of their murder back then? It was Qin Suwen..

    The person he chengjian had in mind.

    It would be fine if he didn¡¯t know about these things. Once he knew, Qin Baye knew that there was absolutely no chance for him to survive.

    Therefore, now that things hade to this, he had to throw caution to the wind.

    Only by risking death would there be a chance of survival.

    He said in a deep voice, ¡°I did need that piece ofnd back then because Luo le told me that this piece ofnd would be transferred to the special district

    ¡°When it was transferred to those areas of the special district, only this piece ofnd was privately owned and could be transferred. The other pieces ofnd were all state-owned and could not be bought even if one wanted to

    ¡°Moreover, he also revealed that ording to the special district policy set by the country, after it was designated as a special district, privately ownednd would be able to enter the cirction area. When that time came, this piece ofnd alone would be worth millions and millions. ¡°Several decades ago, even ten thousand yuan households were revered by everyone, not to mention millions and tens of millions

    ¡°If we had this piece ofnd, even if we didn¡¯t sell it, we could use this piece ofnd as coteral and go to the bank to borrow money to open a hospital

    ¡°I knew who this piece ofnd belonged to the moment I heard it. My ancestors used to work in the Qin family, and our family¡¯s surname waster changed to the same surname as the owner

    ¡°They used to be famous in our ce.¡±

    ¡°Later on, their family went abroad and went north. No one was in z city anymore.¡±

    ¡°I happened to know that Qin Huichang¡¯s family didn¡¯t go abroad and went to C city.¡±

    ¡°So I started to prepare. I first investigated the situation of their family and then came up with an idea. When I came back, I gave my daughter Qin yaoguang stic surgery... and then, this friend has already told me what happened.¡±

    Qin Bayeughed. ¡°To be honest, many of the ideas were put forward by this friend.¡±

    ¡°He is the most familiar with Qin Huichang, so his ideas are the most effective.¡±

    ¡°From the kidnapping of Qin Suwen, to Qin yaoguang pretending to be Qin Suwen to take the emergency video, and the car ident that Qin Huichang¡¯s family encountered after returning to C city, all came from this person.¡±

    Qin Baye made a gesture to count the money. ¡°I know people the best. I¡¯m only responsible for providing the money. There will be capable people to do things for me.¡±

    That ¡°Friend¡±was sweating profusely. He was so anxious that he couldn¡¯t even speak clearly. ¡°He¡¯s talking nonsense! It¡¯s all his fault! It¡¯s all his doing! I¡¯m just helping!¡±

    He chengjian turned his head abruptly, and a pistol was already in his hand.

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    A series of firecrackers-like gunshots rang out in the wilderness next to the Tunguska sinkhole in Siberia.

    The ¡°Best friend¡±lowered his head in disbelief. He saw that his heart had almost been pierced through, and a beast-like howl burst out from his throat. Halfway through his howl, his legs went weak, and he fell to his knees.

    It happened to be facing Qin Suwen¡¯s long-haired holographic 3D virtual human figure. He fell straight down, as if he had knocked her head on the ground. Then, hey on the ground, dead.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue.¡±... how could he be killed just like that? It¡¯s too easy on him.¡±

    He zhichu said coldly, ¡°No, for someone who¡¯s afraid of death, only death is the greatest punishment.¡±

    However, he still walked over to He chengjian and took the pistol from his hand with gloves on. He said, ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to do it yourself. Let me do it.¡±

    He chengjian shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°This is what I owe Su Wen. I should be the one topensate him.¡±

    He knew it was toote, but it was better than nothing.

    The Snowkes in the sky were getting bigger and bigger. The ground was covered with ayer of white snow, and the blood of that person dyed the snow red.

    He chengjian moved step by step and came in front of Qin Baye. He muttered,¡±... why...¡±

    Before Qin Baye could answer, he chengjian shouted again, ¡°Why? ! You¡¯ve been scheming to steal thend and property just to make a fortune opening a hospital? ! Don¡¯t treat us like fools!¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly added, ¡°His private hospital has been working with Luo Le for God knows how many unspeakable things. We must have a proper trial.¡±

    He Zhichu put his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, preventing her from taking a step forward. He said lightly, ¡°He¡¯s using the private hospital as a cover to cover up theirb.¡±

    Qin Bayeughed disapprovingly. ¡°My Daughter is a great scientist. I used the money I earned from my own hospital to fund herb. Why would I need to cover it up?¡±

    ¡°Just to fund herb?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s investigations over the past few days were not without results.

    He ordered someone to bring a suitcase and threw it on the snowy ground in front of Qin Baye. ¡°Take a look for yourself! Your Daughter¡¯sb is just a pretense. You even have your ownb!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi was right when she said you were a medical genius!¡±

    ¡°All these years, you¡¯ve also been researching medical skills and genes!¡±

    ¡°But unlike your daughter researching ¡®Perfect Genes¡¯, you¡¯re coborating with foreigners to research the absolute weakness of Chinese race genes!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes widened and he questioned Qin Baye, ¡°Why are you coborating with foreigners to study the absolute weakness of Chinese genes? ! What are you trying to do? !¡±

    Qin Baye¡¯s pupils constricted. His final secret had been exposed by he zhichu and Gu Nianzhi. What was he still worried about?

    He looked up at the sky andughed loudly. His aura was not weaker than he chengjian¡¯s at all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what I¡¯m going to do? !¡±He raised his head and looked proudly at the crowd around him. He said loudly,¡±... measure the genes of China and form a friendship with the country!¡±

    ¡°Inferior races are only worthy of being used as gene banks to breed with other higher races!¡±

    He Chengjian¡¯s eyes were about to split open. Realizing that he did not have a gun in his hand, he simply pounced forward and grabbed Qin Baye¡¯s throat.

    Qin Baye seemed to have been waiting for him to do so.

    As soon as he chengjian pounced on him, Qin Baye quickly grabbed he chengjian¡¯s hand that was grabbing his throat and said loudly, ¡°There¡¯s a time bomb in my body! Hurry up and give me a helicopter to let me leave! Otherwise, I¡¯ll perish together with him!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update today: chapter 1920, ¡°Reorganizing the past (5)¡±.

    Your monthly ticket and rmendation ticket are reminded

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch of the day is at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s .

 Chapter 1921 - s most smug person (the second most requested monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1921: Chapter 1921¡¯s most smug person (the second most requested monthly pass)</h4>

    There was a time bomb in his body? !

    What kind of trick was this? !

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded, but she was also a little impressed by this old Fogey, Qin Baye.

    How many backup ns had he prepared?

    He Zhichu was very anxious when he heard this, but he didn¡¯t dare to shoot. What if he fired and detonated the time bomb in Qin Baye¡¯s body?

    He was an insider, and knew that the time bomb imnted in a person¡¯s body was much more powerful than an ordinary time bomb. Once it was detonated, not only he chengjian, but the people around him might also suffer!

    He had no choice but to throw himself at he chengjian, trying to pull him away.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pulled him back, but he zhichu was too strong and ran too fast. She staggered and followed him to Qin Baye¡¯s side.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped forward and pulled gu nianzhi away. He spun around quickly and pulled her into his arms.

    Qin Bayeughed until he was almost out of breath when he saw all these people gathered around him. ¡°Hahaha... with all of you buried with me... I won¡¯t feel wronged even if I Die... !¡±

    ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two...¡±

    As he spoke, he activated the time bomb in his body and began counting down frantically.

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. While Lu Yuan¡¯s expression was grave and his attention was focused on Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, he pushed Lu Jin away and took out his phone from his pocket, he quickly opened his electromaic detection and shielding software and ran towards Qin Baye.

    As he ran, he quickly adjusted the signal and cracked the detected time bomb password.

    It only took nine seconds for him to break free from Lu Yuan and reach Gu Nianzhi, who was right in front of Qin Baye.

    Qin Baye¡¯s countdown had already reached ¡°Two.¡±Lu Jin pressed on his phone and shouted, ¡°Stop counting! I¡¯ve already intercepted your time bomb signal!¡±

    Qin Baye¡¯s mouth was still open as he said ¡°Two.¡±His expression was a little strange.

    A second passed. The countdown for the time bomb waspleted, but the bomb did not explode.

    It seemed that the danger of the time bomb had indeed been averted.

    He Zhichu¡¯s forehead was covered in cold sweat.

    He grabbed he chengjian¡¯s arm and forcefully pulled it away, but he could not move it at all.

    ¡°Father!¡±He Zhichu¡¯s heart sank. He remembered what he chengjian had just said. His father looked like he didn¡¯t want to live anymore... ¡°Father! We won¡¯t let him go! Let Go of him First!¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling a inferior race? !¡±He Chengjian didn¡¯t care at all about Qin Baye saying that there was a ticking time bomb. He ignored he zhichu and only tightened his grip on Qin Baye¡¯s throat and roared, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Huaxia Person? !¡±

    Gu nianzhi snuggled in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and felt safe. She thought quickly and said loudly, ¡°Qin Baye is a huaxia person! He¡¯s the same as his daughter, Qin Yaoguang. They both have Huaxia genes! We¡¯ve tested them!¡±

    ¡°... you call yourself inferior even though you¡¯re a Huaxia Person?¡±Peter muttered, ¡°There are too many Huaxia people...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are all kinds of birds in this big forest.¡±Gu Nianzhi snorted, ¡°There are also a lot of spiritual foreigners in Huaxia. Qin Baye was probably the kind of spiritual foreigner who would put in the most effort and money. There were always Huaxia people who would say things like ¡°You support, you support¡±to humiliate Huaxia people. Get to know them.¡±

    ¡°So What If I¡¯m Chinese? ! I¡¯m ashamed to be Chinese! I want to change my genes! I want to be Caucasian!¡±Qin Baye shouted with all his might, ¡°... I¡¯m going to turn into a Caucasian soon!¡±

    Lu Jin was already standing next to Gu Nianzhi. He pulled her out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms with one hand and sneered. ¡°Stop Dreaming. Turn into a Caucasian? You¡¯re an Albino!¡±

    ¡°What did you say? !¡±Qin Baye¡¯s expression changed. He was even more devastated than when he had shouted that he was going to blow up a time bomb and die with he chengjian. ¡°Who are you calling an albino? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Talking About You!¡±Lu Jin would not stop until he made the other party¡¯s life a living hell, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re a Caucasian just because your skin is getting whiter and losing its pigment? That¡¯s your gic mutation that caused you to be an albino! What Caucasian? !¡±

    ¡°You might as well be basking in the sun every day. If you get tanned, you can say that you have a gic mutation and that you have the genes of a ck person. I¡¯ll Still Believe You More!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin Baye curiously.

    No wonder every time she saw Qin Baye, she felt that his hair and face had be a little more ¡°Youthful¡±. It turned out that his skin had gradually lost its pigment..

    She couldn¡¯t help giggling. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is! No wonder his hair is so white that there aren¡¯t any impurities in it. His face is also getting redder and redder. Qin Baye, why do you hate your own race so much?¡±

    Qin Baye was enraged by Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin¡¯s insults, he shouted, ¡°Huaxia is a inferior race to begin with! They should have been divided up among the various countries and powers back then! Wouldn¡¯t it be better to be a colony of the various powers? ! Why did you resist ? ! The inferior race still wants to be the world¡¯s number one, and the various powers won¡¯t let you off!¡±

    Gu nianzhi spat at him and retorted, ¡°Huaxia¡¯s average standard has only been lowered because of you!¡±

    TSK TSK, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of spiritual foreigners online over the years. There are exquisite, elite, elite, elite, elite, virtuous, elite, and even imprints, but I¡¯ve never seen a spiritual foreigner like you!¡±! ¡°Those spiritual foreigners are just keyboard warriors who blindly do things online. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who sincerely contributed money and manpower to help the ¡®foreign powers¡¯prepare to exterminate Huaxia...¡±

    Huo shaoheng said inly, ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. When Japan invaded China, there were many spies in Huaxia leading the way, but we still won.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded continuously. ¡°Who does this old man think he is? He still wants to exterminate Huaxia by himself? Does he have the ability and IQ? He really knows how to put on a good show for himself.¡±

    Lu Jin joined in with sarcasm. ¡°It¡¯s not strange for him to have such a wish. After all, he¡¯s a spiritual foreigner. But if he has such a wish and truly believes that he has the ability, then he¡¯s just going crazy.¡±

    ¡°And he wants to take mydy down with him. Did you ask me? ! He¡¯s so stupid!¡±

    PFFT!

    Qin Baye was enraged by Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin¡¯s joint attack. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, all on he chengjian¡¯s chest.

    He Zhichu was even more anxious. ¡°Father, let go! Let Go! I¡¯ll take care of him! Let me take care of him!¡±

    He chengjian refused to let go. He tightened his grip on Qin Baye, and Qin Baye¡¯s eyes quickly rolled back. He was almost out of breath.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed Huo shaoheng away. ¡°Go and help bring general he back. It¡¯s not worth it to die with someone like him.¡±

    The ticking time bomb in Qin Baye¡¯s body had been neutralized. Gu Nianzhi trusted Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin scanned Qin Baye with his phone and pursed his lips. ¡°The ticking time bomb is in his stomach. How uncreative. If I was faking it, it would be much more concealed than this position...¡±

    He chengjian suddenly turned around and stared at Lu Jin. He frowned. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Lu Jin was stumped. His eyes darted around as he started to talk about him.

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth, thinking that this was the best opportunity.

    She shouted, ¡°He¡¯s my father, Gu Xiangwen! He¡¯s not the murderer of Barrister Qin Suwen! General he, your arrest warrant has been revoked. Don¡¯t me My Father Anymore!¡±

    He chengjian seemed to remember something and his face darkened.

    He roared, ¡°Gu Xiangwen! How dare youe in front of me? ! Tell me! Did you know about the birth of Gu Nianzhi with Susu? !¡±

    Even though it was said that Qin Yaoguang had secretly synthesized the fertilized egg, he chengjian did not believe that Gu Xiangwen did not know about it!

    Lu Jin was tongue-tied. After a while, he honestly said,¡±... I really did not know at first. It was not until I went to do the gene editing for the fertilized egg that I realized...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly exined to Lu Jin and said anxiously, ¡°General He, the gene editing was actually done by my father! The person who really saved young master he was my father! It wasn¡¯t Qin Yaoguang! You have to think this through!¡±

    He chengjian stared at Lu Jin. It was this person who had given birth to a child with his beloved SUSU!

    Susu was innocent. He just wanted to tear this person into pieces!

    But he saved he zhichu.

    Qin Suwen and he zhichu were the two people he chengjian valued the most in this world.

    At that moment, he chengjian couldn¡¯t decide whether he should hate Gu Xiangwen or thank Gu Xiangwen.

    In his daze, his grip loosened a little.

    At that moment, Qin Baye took this opportunity to bite the back of He Chengjian¡¯s hand.

    He had bitten so deeply that he chengjian¡¯s hand was bleeding.

    Gu Nianzhi saw it and was shocked. ¡°Let Go! Qin Baye is biting!¡±

    The snow was getting heavier and it was almost blocking everyone¡¯s view.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were red. He finally pulled he chengjian away and used all his strength to kick Qin Baye away.

    Qin Baye had been standing next to the sinkhole, and now he was directly kicked into the sinkhole!

    He Zhichu immediately pulled out his gun and fired three shots at the rapidly falling Qin Baye¡¯s stomach!

    Bang Bang Bang!

    After the gunshots, an earth-shattering explosion almost shook the entire valley.

    Heavy snow fell from the tree branches with a rustling sound. Large chunks of snow fell to the ground, raising clouds of snow mist.

    Before Qin Baye could make a sound, the time bomb in his body was detonated by HE Zhichu¡¯s bullet. He was instantly blown into ashes.

    Literally, ashes into ashes.

    The intensity of the time bomb in his body would form extremely high temperatures in a very short period of time. The human body could not withstand that temperature at all.

    Even the bottom of the sinkhole had been sted into a radiation-shaped ring. It was clear to see the power of the time bomb in his body.

    If it had been detonated in the open space next to the sinkhole, no one would have survived within a five-meter radius.

    Seeing this, everyone felt some lingering fear.

    Peter¡¯s mouth twitched, and he said,¡±... It¡¯s a good thing young master he intervened, or else everyone would have been finished. Qin Baye is too powerful!¡±

    Lu Jin was still brooding over Qin Baye¡¯s attempt to harm Gu Nianzhi. He sneered, ¡°With me here, he doesn¡¯t have the right to be smug!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The person who was the most smug was obviously you!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1921, ¡°The most smug person.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone

    It was the second update of the day.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 1922 - was really poisonous (Chapter 1 requested a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1922: Chapter 1922 was really poisonous (Chapter 1 requested a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The snow was getting heavier and heavier. Qin Suwen¡¯s holographic 3D virtual avatar was still smiling in the heavy snow. He chengjian could not take his eyes off it.

    He seemed to have forgotten about the people and things around him. He just quietly looked at the person who was once the most important person in his life.

    He zhichu walked over with some worry and said softly, ¡°Father, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    He chengjian did not speak.

    He had been standing for a long time and his head was a little dizzy. The wound on the back of his hand that had been bitten by Qin Baye was still bleeding.

    He Zhichu saw that he did not speak, so he asked again and patted him on the shoulder.

    He chengjian actually fell straight down like that.

    Everyone was shocked and quickly rushed over to help him up.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart tightened. He turned to look at Lu Jin, pursed his lips and begged,¡±... can you help me check on my father¡¯s condition?¡±

    Lu Jin did not have any ill feelings towards he zhichu, but he still frowned and said, ¡°Your father once wanted Nianzhi¡¯s life. If I save him, he won¡¯t continue to want our father and daughter¡¯s lives when he wakes up, right?¡±

    He Zhichu was still brooding over the time he chengjian had set up a trap to severely injure Gu Nianzhi.

    He zhichu smiled wryly. ¡°No, my father isn¡¯t someone who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s right and wrong. He¡¯s just... He¡¯s just been deceived for too long.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to see this happen. She pushed Lu Jin away and said in a low voice, ¡°Dad, just help general he take a look... Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover. General he¡¯s contributions to the country over the years are indelible.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what contributions he makes to the country.¡±Lu Jin red at her. ¡°He almost killed you back then!¡±

    ¡°... that incident was tooplicated.¡±Gu Nianzhi sighed. She knew she had to use other methods to convince Lu Jin. She rolled her eyes, she deliberately said, ¡°But general he was hurt by Qin Baye. Who knows if this sly old man has any tricks up his sleeve? It¡¯s understandable if you don¡¯t want to see. After all, this old man is quite powerful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of Him? !¡±Lu Jin jumped up and immediately said to he zhichu, ¡°Send your father to my RV. I have a full set of medical testing equipment there.¡±

    He Zhichu was overjoyed and quickly said, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Gu.¡±As he spoke, he picked up his father and headed to his own car.

    Lu Jin followed Lu Yuan back. When he passed by the SUV that Peter and Gu Nianzhi were in.., lu Jin said to Lu Yuan, ¡°There¡¯s a time bomb in this car too. You have to get someone to defuse it. Even though I¡¯ve disabled the automatic detonator, it¡¯s not foolproof. If someone shoots the car, it will still explode.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°You¡¯re only saying this now because it¡¯s so important?¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes confidently. ¡°How is this important? With me here, you still want to remotely control the time bomb? Do you think I¡¯m Dead? !¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    If he had known earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have said anything. Countless facts had proven that he shouldn¡¯t have argued with someone like Lu Jin.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Qin yaoguang, who was still lying alone on the temporary stretcher bed, and said, ¡°What about her?¡±

    ¡°What else can we do?¡±Huo Shaoheng walked over at this time. ¡°I heard that she was given to themittee of State Security (KGB) for research.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Peter had already called for people toe and take Qin yaoguang away.

    He Zhichu and he chengjian¡¯s men were cleaning up the scene, leaving no traces behind.

    The three machines were also packed and taken away.

    In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone, as if nothing had happened.

    When Huo Shaoheng pulled gu nianzhi away, Gu Nianzhi was still looking back at the scene at the sinkhole. She had a nagging feeling that something wasn¡¯t right.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°What are you still looking at? Can¡¯t bear to part with it?¡±

    ¡°No. I just think it¡¯s a little strange.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m overthinking it.¡±

    She thought her eyes were ying tricks on her. The scene above the sinkhole looked a little strange.

    She couldn¡¯t tell what was strange about it, but she felt it was different.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. He led them back to the staff parking lot of the Tunguska Hotel.

    Lu Jin¡¯s limousine was parked here.

    They were thest to return.

    He zhichu, he chengjian¡¯s inclothes soldiers, and their personal secretary were standing around the front of the limousine, waiting anxiously.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and knocked on the door. ¡°Young master he, Can Ie in?¡±

    After a while, he zhichu opened the door and let her in.

    Just as he was about to close the car door, Huo Shaoheng used his hand to block the door and squeezed in as well.

    He Zhichu was not in the mood to argue with him anymore. He turned around and walked back to Lu Jin¡¯s temporary ward in the RV.

    He chengjian was lying on the hospital bed with his eyes closed, surrounded by a lot of equipment. Lu Jin was sitting in front of aboratory table not far away, doing a virus test.

    ¡°How¡¯s general he doing?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked softly with concern.

    He Zhichu sat in front of he chengjian¡¯s bed and said in a low voice, ¡°He¡¯s awake, but he¡¯s still not feeling well. Uncle Gu is testing my father¡¯s blood for the virus.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°No way! Qin Baye¡¯s bite was really poisonous? !¡±

    He zhichu nodded helplessly. ¡°Sort of. There¡¯s a virus.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped. ¡°Young master he, it¡¯s a good thing you detonated the time bomb in his body with one shot! Otherwise, who knows how many of us would have been harmed!¡±

    It was obvious how serious the consequences would be if Qin Baye retaliated before his death!

    Huo shaoheng also said, ¡°Young master he said that Qin Baye¡¯s research was aimed at the gic weaknesses of the Huaxia people. could his virus this time be rted to this?¡±

    This was what he zhichu was most worried about.

    He sighed and looked at he chengjian without blinking. He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what to say. She looked around and saw that Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t around. She asked curiously, ¡°Where¡¯s director Lu?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remembered something and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to director Lu. Nianzhi, you stay here and don¡¯t move around.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled mischievously and said, ¡°Sure, but Huo Shao, you don¡¯t have to buy me oranges. I¡¯ll never eat oranges in my life.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Naughty.¡±

    He got up and left the RV. He asked Gu Nianzhi to stay with he zhichu and wait for Lu Jin¡¯s test results.

    Not long after, he chengjian opened his eyes and looked around.

    He Zhichu rushed over and asked happily, ¡°Dad, are you feeling better? !¡±

    He chengjian nodded slightly and his gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi, who was standing beside he zhichu.

    He looked at her in dismay and slowly reached his hand out from under the nket, saying,¡±... Nianzhi,e here, let me take a good look at you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and tried her best to keep a smile on her face, saying, ¡°General he, are you feeling better?¡±

    He chengjian looked at her for a long time before finally saying, ¡°Nianzhi, are you willing to call me father?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She lowered her eyes and softly declined, ¡°Uncle He, your illness will soon be cured.¡±

    He chengjian sighed and looked away at the shadowlessmp above his head. He muttered, ¡°If Susu and I had a daughter, she wouldn¡¯t be any worse than you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin happened to walk over with the results of the virus test at that moment. He said angrily, ¡°He chengjian, if you say that again, don¡¯t me me for falling out with you!¡±

    He chengjian turned his head and red at Lu Jin. ¡°Gu Xiangwen! How dare youe over here! Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll let you go just because you saved us!¡±

    Lu Jin spread his hands. ¡°Look, Look! Is this kind of person worth saving? !¡±

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t be angry.¡±He zhichu tucked he chengjian under the nket and turned back to Lu Jin. ¡°Uncle Gu, my father only said it in a moment of anger. He won¡¯t do anything to you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you make it sound like he¡¯s never wanted to kill me before.¡±Lu Jin snorted and passed the virus test report to he zhichu. ¡°See for yourself. Your father is indeed infected with the virus.¡±

    ¡°Huh? !¡±He Zhichu suddenly became nervous. He hurriedly read the virus test report but still did not understand.

    ¡°... Uncle Gu, can you exin what virus my father is infected with?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin inquisitively and said, ¡°Dad, tell me quickly. How can usymen understand such a professional report?¡±

    Lu Jin was in a good mood after hearing this.

    He smiled and said, ¡°This virus should be a new type of virus developed by Qin Baye and the others. It specifically targets the gic weaknesses of Chinese people.¡±

    ¡°This virus mainly infects the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls memory. In the most severe case, it can wipe out all the memory of the patient

    ¡°Moreover, after the memory is wiped out, the brain function will deteriorate, and the patient will eventually be a mentally retarded patient with a low IQ.¡±

    Lu Jin paused for a moment. ¡°Qin Yaoguang¡¯s so-called ¡®Memory Removal Surgery¡¯. In my opinion, it should be used during the surgery to infect part of the hippocampus with this virus, causing the patient to lose their short-term memory permanently

    ¡°Because she was working with the military at that time, I didn¡¯t think she would dare to use a more powerful virus. So after she was infected, she could use the excuse of follow-up observation to give the patient drugs specifically to resist this virus, so that the patient would recover and there wouldn¡¯t be any seque of brain deterioration.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression changed abruptly, and the corners of his mouth twitched twice. He said hatefully, ¡°They¡¯re really too daring!¡±

    Gu nianzhi whispered, ¡°Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye are still quite afraid of my father. ¡°Look, young master he, when my father was around, they didn¡¯t dare to do this kind of experiment in public. ¡°It was only after my father died in a car ident that they dared to jump out and brazenly propose the ¡®memory-stripping surgery¡¯and cooperate with the military.¡±

    He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi had said this to defend Lu Jin, so that he zhichu wouldn¡¯t feel ufortable and think that Lu Jin knew someone was harming him, but still stood by and did nothing..

    But he didn¡¯t think about it at all.

    Qin Baye had been so secretive that even he had focused his attention on Qin Baye only after he realized that something was wrong with the things that Qin Baye had told him.

    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have thought that there was an even bigger secret behind Qin Yaoguang¡¯sb!

    ¡°I know, uncle Gu is a good person,¡±he zhichu said calmly, ignoring Lu Jin¡¯s rolling eyes.

    He continued to ask, ¡°Then, does uncle Gu have any way to cure my father of this virus infection?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Qin Baye¡¯sb must have anti-virus drugs in this area. Have you sent people to search hisb?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just blocked. Not all of it.¡±He Zhichu picked up the phone and instructed his men to search Qin Baye¡¯sb immediately.

    ¡°But...¡±Lu Jin paused for a moment and said, ¡°Because this virus is affecting the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory. Even if it¡¯s cured, your father¡¯s memory will be lost forever.¡±

    ¡°... which part of his memory?¡±He Zhichu asked with a frown.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t say anything.

    He zhichu frowned and understood. ¡°Could it be all of his memories? !¡±

    Lu Jin nodded slowly. ¡°Qin Baye¡¯s counterattack before his death was probably the most powerful virus he developed. It infected the entire hippocampus.¡±

    ¡°So even if he found a drug to resist the virus, his memories would be erased.¡±

    He chengjian, who was lying on the hospital bed, said slowly, ¡°No, I¡¯d rather die than erase all of my memories.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1922, ¡°It¡¯s really poisonous.¡±.

    To remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at 8 pm.

    PS: thank you, ¡°Ling Luo Luo¡±, for the rmendation red packet of 100,000 starting point coins yesterday. I heard that it was a mistake? Pi Pi.

    In addition, it was really time to build a group of alliance leaders. At Qidian and after reading a certain book on both sides, any family that became a leader could join.

    The group number would be announced in the near future.

    The group of alliance leaders should be a core group of a certain Han. Any benefits would be shared in the group of alliance leaders.

    Mwah, dear big shots and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1923 - Love at First Sight (second, monthly pass requested)

    <h4>Chapter 1923: Chapter 1923 Love at First Sight (second, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    He zhichu hurried over and knelt on one knee in front of he chengjian¡¯s bed, he said carefully, ¡°Father, your memory is gone. We can help you find it again. But if you don¡¯t treat it, what awaits you will not only be the loss of your memory.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and said crisply, ¡°Yes, there¡¯s also the deterioration of your IQ. With your age, it¡¯s not just dementia. So why did you refuse?¡±

    He chengjian looked straight at the shadowlessmp above the temporary hospital bed and said firmly but slowly, ¡°No, you can¡¯t help me get my memory back.¡±

    He zhichu closed his eyes and lowered his head silently, but his back was still straight and his shoulders did not fall.

    Gu Nianzhi could not bear it, but she understood what he chengjian meant.

    To He chengjian, living with Qin Suwen was the most precious memory of his life, wasn¡¯t it?

    Before he zhichu was born, he chengjian and Qin Suwen had met and fallen in love. How could he zhichu, his son, know all about it?

    ¡°Ah Chu, when I met your mother, it was her first day of University.¡±

    ¡°When I saw her back view, I thought it was very familiar. I thought she was Qin Yaoguang.¡±He chengjian chuckled, his voice was already a little unclear.

    ¡°At that time, I was already engaged to Qin yaoguang. I never thought that there was another person in this world who had such a simr back view to another person.¡±

    ¡°When she turned around, I knew that I had mistaken her for someone else. But she smiled at me generously and said, ¡°You must have mistaken me for someone else, right? It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°She waved at me, turned around, and left.¡±

    ¡°My heart actually started beating faster, and I felt like I was possessed and wanted to listen to her again.¡±

    ¡°Her voice wasn¡¯t the best, and her appearance was also average. However, her every move, every action, and every word she spoke, in my eyes, were all very much to my liking.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t know what this meant. Onlyter did I realize that this was called love at first sight.¡±

    He chengjian was immersed in his memories of the past.

    The temporary ward in the RV was quiet. Only his voice was echoing.

    ¡°I found all kinds of opportunities to visit her and create all kinds of opportunities to meet her by chance

    ¡°I have already graduated from the school¡¯s library, dining room, and ssroom. I started to show my talent in the military and was promoted to lieutenant colonel, but I was still like a hothead. Every day, when I was free, I would go and create ¡®coincidences¡¯

    ¡°She¡¯s so smart. She must have known long ago, right?¡±

    ¡°But she didn¡¯t say anything. When she saw me, she only exchanged a few words with me, just like a normal friend.¡±

    ¡°Until that day, on her birthday, I prepared a small birthday meal for her. There was no one else, just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°I baked the cake myself, even though it was burnt.¡±

    ¡°All kinds of seafood are boiled. As long as it¡¯s cooked, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never cooked before, but for her, I can learn from the beginning

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have the talent, and I can¡¯t do it well. So I choose to cook seafood in white water

    ¡°Because the seafood itself is delicious. If you boil it in white water and add a little dipping sauce, it will be very delicious

    ¡°She ate a bite of the cake I made and picked up a piece of the seafood i cooked in white water. She smiled and said that I was ¡®wasting the god¡¯s gift¡¯

    ¡°Then she asked me if I still had the ingredients to make the cake

    ¡°I said I did. I took her to the kitchen and watched her make a beautiful birthday cake

    ¡°It was the best birthday cake I¡¯ve ever eaten in my life.¡±

    He chengjian licked his lips as if he was reminiscing about the delicious birthday cake from more than 30 years ago.

    ¡°... Then I told her that I liked her and wanted to be with her and... marry her

    ¡°She smiled and smoothed her hair, clearly saying that she couldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°She told me all the clues that she had noticed, and finally said that your identity was definitely not ordinary. You hid your identity in front of me. You either had a wife at home or a fianc¨¦e or a girlfriend. ¡°And she wouldn¡¯t be with someone like me.¡±

    ¡°I was very surprised by her sensitivity, but I broke off the engagement with Qin Yaoguang not long after I met her. Because I knew her, I knew what the person I liked was like. And I¡¯m not a shallow man who specializes in looking at faces.¡±

    ¡°Qin Yaoguang has puzzled me before. I don¡¯t know why this happened. I admit that when I first saw Qin yaoguang, I did have a feeling of being moved, so I agreed to get engaged with her, but that was only limited to the stunning and attractive appearance.¡±

    He chengjianughed again when he said this,¡±... until today, I didn¡¯t know that the appearance that surprised and moved me at that time was also Su Su, and not Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    He sighed, ¡°Can you say that I¡¯m a man who doesn¡¯t look at his appearance but focuses on his inner qualities? I don¡¯t think so, but I¡¯m also not a shallow man who only looks at his appearance. At least, Su Su was the only one that attracted me from the beginning to the end.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was filled with sorrow.

    This was a story that belonged to Qin Suwen and he chengjian. She and her father, Gu Xiangwen, were both excluded.

    Although she did not want to admit it, she had to admit that she was not the product of two people who had fallen in love.

    Gu Nianzhi could not help walking over to the dejected Lu Jin. She hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

    Lu Jin also hugged her skinny shoulders tightly. It was as if a drowning man had grabbed thest straw and refused to let go.

    He chengjian was silent for a while, then he continued, ¡°On that day, I confessed my identity to her. I even said that I once had a fianc¨¦e, but after knowing her, I broke off the engagement with that fianc¨¦e. I asked her if she could give me a chance to pursue her.¡±

    ¡°She smiled and nodded. She said, did she really break off the engagement? Then it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s such a generous and straightforward person.¡±

    ¡°She never pestered me about whether I love my ex-fianc¨¦e. Those who defended Qin Yaoguang against injustice once mocked her.¡±

    ¡°She said, so what if I loved her in the past? Now that I don¡¯t love her, isn¡¯t it very reasonable to break up and break off the engagement? If I don¡¯t like her, why do I have to force us to be together?¡±

    ¡°Those people said that he chengjian likes you today and will like other people in the future. Don¡¯t think that a yboy like him will be loyal to you for the rest of his life.¡±

    ¡°In the end, she choked these people back with just one sentence. She said, ¡®How can you be sure that I¡¯ll like him for the rest of my life?''¡±

    ¡°This is a two-way choice. I don¡¯t like him anymore. I can break up with him. If he doesn¡¯t like me anymore, he can break up with me too. It¡¯s that simple.¡±

    ¡°After I heard what she said, I was scared out of my wits. I was afraid that if I didn¡¯t do well, she would break up with me.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention that I never loved Qin yaoguang, even if I did, the feeling of liking her and being together with SUSU waspletely different.¡±

    ¡°Every day I was with her, I was mesmerized, and I was constantly worrying about gains and losses.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I put in all my effort to marry her and get her pregnant and have a child right away. That¡¯s why I was slightly relieved.¡±

    However, such days did notst forever.

    ¡°...ter on, we started arguing about treating Ah Chu¡¯s illness and had a disagreement. She really kept her word and intended to divorce me.¡±

    Although it was such an ufortable and embarrassing thing to talk about, he chengjian still looked forward to it.

    ¡°I tried everything, but I couldn¡¯t get her to change her mind until that day...¡±he chengjian turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, ¡°That day, Gu Xiangwen sent you here and finally saved our marriage that was about to fall apart.¡±

    Lu Jin was so regretful when he heard this that his intestines were about to turn green.

    He couldn¡¯t help but beat his chest and stomp his feet. He said regretfully, ¡°I just need to wait a few more days!¡±

    It could be said that if he waited another day, he would not have to send Gu Nianzhi to the he family. He would directly propose to Qin Suwen, and the three of them would be able to live happily together..

    Lu Jin began to imagine the happy days of the three of them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡±He chengjian suddenly propped himself up from the hospital bed and said sternly. His expression was ferocious. ¡°I will never let go! I will never divorce Su Su! Never!¡±

    His voice was so loud, as if he had used up the rest of his life to shout.

    After saying this, he copsed on the bed.

    The instruments around the temporary hospital bed let out ear-piercing screams, and the numbers on the dashboard began to jump rapidly.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression changed abruptly.¡±... His heart has stopped beating!¡±

    As he spoke, he quickly walked to the front of the hospital bed, picked up the pacemaker, and began to shock he chengjian¡¯s heart.

    Lu Jin¡¯s actions were swift and urate. Not long after, he chengjian¡¯s heartbeat recovered, but it was much weaker than before.

    He opened his eyes again and saw he zhichu¡¯s pained face.

    He felt extremely guilty towards he zhichu. He tried to raise his hand and caress he zhichu¡¯s head, but he could not reach he zhichu.

    Lu Jin said, ¡°We have to find an anti-virus medicine and a vine immediately. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable.¡±

    He could also develop vines and drugs himself, but the problem was that it would take time.

    No matter how Smart Lu Jin was, it was impossible for him to synthesize vines and drugs in an instant.

    Since Qin Baye was able to hide the virus in his teeth, he must have immunity. In other words, he had injected himself with vines.

    It was a pity. If Qin Baye had not been blown up into ashes, he chengjian might have been saved faster.

    However, seeing he zhichu¡¯s sorrowful look, it was the first time Lu Jin had such a thing as ¡°Emotional intelligence¡±. He did not say it out loud to add salt to He Zhichu¡¯s wound.

    He Zhichu jumped up abruptly, picked up his phone, and called the people he had left behind in the capital. He roared, ¡°How¡¯s the search of Qin Baye¡¯sboratory going? !¡±

    ¡°Chief, we found a lot of vines and medicines. What do you n to do with them?¡±

    ¡°Send them over! Find the fastest private jet!¡±He Zhichu said without hesitation.

    He chengjian shook his head weakly. ¡°Ah Chu, there¡¯s no need. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m going to see your mother...¡±

    As he spoke, he used thest of his strength to pull off the oxygen mask.

    His heart, which had just been stimted by the electric shock, quickly lost its supply of oxygen and stopped again.

    The piercing pain spread from the heart and quickly spread to the limbs and bones, but he chengjian did not feel ufortable.

    He looked calmly in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and slowly closed his eyes.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 1923, Love at first sight.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1924 - the closest distance (first request for recommendation ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1924: Chapter 1924, the closest distance (first request for rmendation ticket)</h4>

    ¡°... Father!¡±He Zhichu roared. His usually cold and clear voice was terrifyingly hoarse, like the sound of sandpaper scraping against a rough steel te.

    He jumped up, grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Uncle Gu! Save My Father! Save My Father!¡±

    Lu Jin quickly pushed him away and walked over to observe he chengjian¡¯s condition.

    Five minutester, he said regretfully, ¡°Young Master He, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to save your father, but your father has already passed away. No matter how powerful I am, I can¡¯t Save a dead person.¡±

    If I could, I would have saved Su Wen long ago..

    Lu Jin thought regretfully, shook his head, and took a step back to make way for he chengjian¡¯s bed.

    He Zhichu stood alone in front of he chengjian¡¯s bed. His lower lip trembled violently. He tried for a long time, but he could not speak aplete sentence.

    He watched as his father closed his eyes in front of him. There seemed to be a trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

    There was a moment of emptiness in his mind. It was as if he was not thinking about anything, but he seemed to be thinking about a lot of things.

    His knees buckled. He knelt on the ground and buried his head in front of he chengjian¡¯s bed. He thought about how his father had doted on him the most since he was young.

    In their family, it was not a strict father and a loving mother, but a strict mother and a loving father.

    He had been immersed in his own world for so many years, chasing after the woman he liked. He rarely thought about what his father would do.

    Perhaps in his subconscious, he had always known that no matter what happened, his father would always be by his side to support him.

    Therefore, he could be more willful and more self-centered than others.

    Even though he had grown up to be able to fend for himself and had gone through many life-and-death missions, he still had a smooth path in his heart. It was all given to him by his father.

    Now, his father could no longer hold on. He wanted to look for his mother, and he had finally abandoned himself.

    He Zhichu did not me his father for making a choice. If he was in his father¡¯s position, he would have made the same choice.

    But he was also his father¡¯s son.

    How could he let go so quickly after so many years of living together as a father and son?

    Moreover, in the past seven years, his entire attention had been focused on tracking down Gu Nianzhi¡¯s whereabouts, and he had neglected his father too much.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at he zhichu kneeling in front of he chengjian without saying a word, and her heart ached terribly.

    She knelt beside him and held his shoulder. ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t be too sad... General he doesn¡¯t want to see you so sad...¡±

    He Zhichu shook his head. His face was deathly still and he didn¡¯t say a word.

    If he zhichu continued to hold it in like this, he would be in big trouble.

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious. ¡°Young master he? Young master he? ... brother! Don¡¯t Be Like This! If you want to cry, Just Cry!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s emotions suddenly broke down. He turned around and hugged Gu Nianzhi tightly. He rested his chin on her neck as if he wished he could embed himself in her body.

    Gu Nianzhi shook his arm andforted him gently. ¡°Brother, your father is gone, but you still have us! General he... He doesn¡¯t want to live anymore. Just let him go with dignity...¡±

    She said angrily, ¡°In the end, it¡¯s all because that Old Bastard Qin Baye is too evil! He even used such a disgusting method! General he subdued him to rid the people of Evil!¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s tears finally flowed down and fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder.

    When Lu Jin saw this, he wanted nothing more than to pick he zhichu up and throw him outside. He said impatiently, ¡°He zhichu, you¡¯re already 30 years old. Think About My Nianzhi. She¡¯s been called an orphan since she was young!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at Lu Jin speechlessly. She wanted to say that he zhichu had gone too far and wanted to stab he zhichu in the heart at this time.

    He Zhichu did not expect that his sobs would gradually stop after hearing this.

    Yes,pared to Gu Nianzhi, he had no reason to feel sorry for himself.

    Nor did he have any reason to be weak.

    He gradually let go of Gu Nianzhi and looked at her concerned expression. Hisrge eyes were filled with undisguised worry, and beads of sweat were dripping down his forehead.

    She really cared about him, even though it wasn¡¯t the kind of care he wanted.

    But this was the closest they could get to each other.

    He Zhichu took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°SIS, thank you for not dismissing your useless brother...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears came out of her eyes.

    She buried her head in he zhichu¡¯s arms and cried.¡±... brother, I didn¡¯t dislike you... you¡¯re not a useless brother either. Without You, I would have been cut into pieces by Qin Yaoguang in theb a long time ago...¡±

    ¡°But if it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have been born to suffer like this.¡±He Zhichu took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tears patiently and meticulously.

    ¡°But I still want to be born.¡±Gu Nianzhi held his hand, she smiled through her tears. ¡°No matter what the reason is, it¡¯s always good to give me life. And I¡¯m happy to be able to save my brother¡¯s life. This will make me feel less guilty.¡±

    ¡°What do you feel guilty about?¡±He zhichu calmed down and pulled her up from the ground. ¡°What happened in the previous generation has nothing to do with you. You saved me, and I only acknowledge you... as my younger sister.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyebrows had just been raised, but then he put them down in relief.

    It was good enough to acknowledge his younger sister. If it was something else, although Lu Jin did not care, Lu Yuan would care.

    This was a big shot that Lu Jin could not afford to offend. He was a man who knew how to adapt to circumstances.

    He would only lower his head to those he truly admired.

    Gu Nianzhi had her own selfish motives.

    She wanted her father to be able to regain his identity and gain he chengjian¡¯s forgiveness, but doing so would inevitably hurt he chengjian.

    He chengjian could have died not knowing that Qin Suwen had a child with someone else.

    ¡°Brother, I hope you won¡¯t me me for making your father sad and regretful because of my father,¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered. ¡°But he¡¯s my father...¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±He Zhichu no longer had any ill feelings towards Lu Jin. On the contrary, he was filled with gratitude towards him.

    This person was the one who had truly saved his life. He had saved his father twice and he chengjian once.

    Moreover, this person was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological father.

    He zhichu nodded at Lu Jin, took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, and handed her over to Lu Jin, he said inly, ¡°Uncle Gu, I know that Nianzhi actually longs to live with her father and mother. Mother won¡¯t be able to live again, but you can still be with her and make up for the regrets of the first half of your life.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. ¡°Of course. She¡¯s my daughter, and I¡¯ll never leave her again.¡±

    Gu nianzhi also heaved a sigh of relief. This was great. She didn¡¯t have to worry about Lu Jin doing anything crazy anymore.

    Just then, the door of the RV was pulled open again, and Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan got into the car.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan looked at he chengjian¡¯s lifeless face on the temporary hospital bed, and he zhichu, whose eyes were red. Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan looked at each other and asked, ¡°What happened to general he?¡±

    He zhichu replied calmly, ¡°My father passed away.¡±

    He then looked at Huo Shaoheng,¡±... do you still want to carry on with your n?¡±

    ¡°What n?¡±Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin looked at each other and then at Huo shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, what other ns do you still have that you haven¡¯tpleted?¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had taken Qin yaoguang away for ¡°Experiments¡±.

    Qin Baye had been shot by He Zhichu to detonate the time bomb in his body.

    Even Luo Le had been kicked into a sinkhole by them. What other ns did they have?

    Huo Shaoheng had gone to look for Lu Yuan because of this.

    It had taken him a lot of effort to convince Lu Yuan, and now he had to convince Lu Jin.

    However, he chengjian had already passed away. This was a little out of his expectations.

    Huo Shaoheng did not immediately answer Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin¡¯s questions, instead, he looked at he zhichu and said,¡±... what would you do if general he suddenly passed away?¡±? Just now, your military surveince had recorded everything. General he hadmitted a lynching. This is a very serious problem.¡±

    He was talking about he chengjian¡¯s random shooting of that ¡°Old friend¡±.

    He Zhichu had a legitimate reason for killing Qin Baye, because at that time, Qin Baye threatened the safety of all of them. He shot in self-defense.

    However, he chengjian randomly shot to death the ¡°Friend¡±who betrayed Qin Huichang, but he shot a person who did not have the ability to fight back.

    Although that personmitted a serious crime, he chengjian should not be the one to carry out a lynching.

    Especially since he chengjian was the head of the Military Supreme Council. If he was still alive, the problem would be even more serious.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she said in a low voice, ¡°Could this be the reason why general he was so determined to die?¡±

    He had passed away. The mistake he had made could be dealt with lightly, at least it would not affect he zhichu.

    ¡°No, it can be said that ever since he shot that ¡®friend¡¯to death, he didn¡¯t want to live anymore.¡±Huo Shaoheng sighed,¡±... in the end, he wanted to die together with Qin Baye.¡±

    He Zhichu was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I can handle these things. You Don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    When he said this, his expression was solemn and resolute. The pain of losing his father did not break him, but instead allowed him to truly grow up. He could strategize, and he could also support the people he wanted to protect.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and did not waste time. He continued, ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s Talk About My n.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin¡¯s ears perked up as they listened.

    His gaze swept past Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sped hands, he said calmly,¡±... I¡¯ve already contacted the other side. In another 15 minutes, they¡¯ll open the maic field channel. ¡ª nianzhi, Uncle Lu, you can go with me and President Lu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t reacted yet, lu Jin was already shocked. ¡°Go... Go? ! Go Where? ! How? ! You have enough power? ! You can open the maic field tunnel too? ! Don¡¯t you need to use DNA markers in your maic resonance machine? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s parting mood was instantly shattered by such a professional question.

    She looked up at the roof of the RV and her thoughts drifted to the other side.

    She was going to see Miss Song, qiqi, Brother Xiong, and brother Ze soon!

    And she was going to bring her father with her!

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said loudly, ¡°Dad, you¡¯reing with us! If you don¡¯t leave, I won¡¯t recognize you as my father anymore!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay...¡±Lu Jin waspletely obedient to Gu nianzhi. He was pleasantly surprised and continued to ask Huo shaoheng, ¡°How did you guys do it? !¡±

    Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Of course we need DNA markers. However, when I went back a month ago, I had already taken the DNA samples of the three of you to be marked. Therefore, after 15 minutes, the maic field channel opened again and we could go back together. ¡ª for other questions, you can go there and consult our chief scientist in person.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 1924, ¡°The nearest distance¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and the rmended ticket oh ~ ~

    Today¡¯s second update.

    The second update is at 8 pm.

    PS: thanks to ¡°Disc love reading¡±for the 70,000 starting point coins that he tipped yesterday. Thank you for the 20,000 qidian coins given by ¡°My Love¡±yesterday, and the 10,000 qidian coins given by ¡°Mcmug loves Blue¡±yesterday.

    Congrattions to ¡°Disc love reading¡±and ¡°My Love Hall¡±for bing the 32nd and 33rd presidents of ¡°Hello, Major General¡±!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1925 - Near at hand: the worldâ€™s End (second most requested monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1925: Chapter 1925: Near at hand: the world¡¯s End (second most requested monthly pass)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    Why didn¡¯t he just say it was Ms. Song? Instead, he said it in a roundabout way, ¡°Chief Scientist¡±?

    She didn¡¯t believe that there was a more talented candidate than Ms. Song among the high-energy physicists over there..

    However, looking at president Lu Yuan standing behind Huo Shaoheng with a rare expressionless and cold expression, she seemed to have understood something.

    She looked at how her father was still excitedly ¡°Discussing¡±academic issues at this juncture and shook her head in her heart.

    It was true that the more capable one was, the more unbreakable one was.

    Gu nianzhi tugged at the corners of her lips and said with a faint smile, ¡°Dad, of course they can open the maic field channel. Otherwise, how did Huo Shao Get Here?¡±

    As she said this, she nced at he zhichu again.

    When Huo Shaoheng brought up his n, he did not care about he zhichu who was standing there. Did this mean that he zhichu actually knew Huo Shaoheng¡¯s true identity?

    Gu Nianzhi had once had doubts, but now it was finally confirmed.

    He zhichu noticed her gaze and said calmly,¡±... Huo Shao yed a big part in this entire n. He also showed his sincerity to father and me. That is his true identity.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and their fingers interlocked, he exined, ¡°There are some things that need to be resolved once and for all, so we have to rely on the power of the other side. Fortunately, general he and he are both reasonable people and don¡¯t make things difficult for us, so this n can be carried out smoothly.¡±

    That was only natural. It was impossible for the Soviet Union to mobilize their true trump card, Peter, without the help of someone at he chengjian¡¯s level.

    Moreover, Huo Shaoheng did not have to give up more of his benefits as long as he chengjian made an appearance.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at he zhichu in shock. She did not expect he chengjian to not kill Huo Shaoheng even though he knew the truth..

    She had suspected that the ¡°Trump card of the Far East, Peter¡±Huo Shaoheng was actually Huo Shaoheng from the opposite world, so she would rather kill the wrong person than let Qin zhining use the anti-materiel rifle against him.

    Gu Nianzhi had taken a bullet for him and had almost lost her life..

    He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi with aplicated expression. He thought that as long as he gave up on Gu Nianzhi and stayed with another woman, his father wouldn¡¯t have to kill Huo Shaoheng..

    He hadn¡¯t thought clearly about the stakes involved, but how could he let go of a person¡¯s feelings so easily?

    Unless he hadn¡¯t used his heart.

    He rubbed gu Nianzhi¡¯s head sadly and tried to act like an older brother. ¡°Nianzhi, have a safe trip. I Won¡¯t be seeing you off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi broke free from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and walked over to hug he zhichu. ¡°Brother,e visit us on vacation when you¡¯re free.¡±

    He Zhichu took a strand of hair from he zhichu¡¯s body.

    He zhichu smiled wryly.

    He wanted to contact them, but his heart was willing, but his strength was insufficient.

    Because they no longer had the energy to activate the high-energy maic field on their side.

    Therefore, the other side had been in regr contact with Huo Shaoheng to keep track of the situation on their side.

    Huo Shaoheng was unable to initiate contact with them.

    He took a deep breath and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I hope you can seal the maic field passage and stop contacting us.¡±

    ¡°The two worlds are bing more and more different. If we continue to contact each other, it will be detrimental to both of us.¡±

    This was the truth.

    Lu Jin immediately gave scientific evidence. ¡°In fact, parallel worlds will eventually go inpletely different directions. This is a y-shaped curve, not a permanent parallel to type II.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely confused about high-energy physics, but she trusted Lu Jin¡¯s level and ability, so she was even more upset when she heard this.

    ¡°Brother, you have to be fine. I¡¯ll use the quantummunicator to call you.¡±She gestured for him to make a call. ¡°That¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded as well. ¡°The quantummunicator doesn¡¯t use much energy, and it¡¯s at the microscopic level. Even if we contact each other, it won¡¯t cause a fission between the two worlds.¡±

    He Zhichu was actually unwilling to even make a call.

    But seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s insistence, he nodded.¡±... I¡¯ll be very busy during this period. If I don¡¯t pick up your call in time, don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°No, no...¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head quickly. ¡°I have a lot of things to do too. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m free. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t pick up.¡±

    Lu Yuan listened for a while, then walked over and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. He said to he zhichu seriously, ¡°Young master he, I have something else to tell you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to take a step back and wait for Lu Yuan to discuss business with he zhichu.

    Lu Yuan took out his phone and sent he zhichu a series of documents, he continued, ¡°I¡¯ve justmunicated with thepany and have authorized the LU Corporation to change its shares. The documents signed by Lu Jin and I have been sent to the Securities Regtory Commission. From now on, the Lu Corporation will be state-owned. ¡°I hope you can send someone reliable to manage the Lu Corporation.¡±

    Lu Yuan wanted to leave. The Lu Corporation, which he and Lu Jin had created, was the only thing that he could not let go of.

    He Zhichu was shocked. ¡°You want to give the entire Lu Corporation to the state? !¡±

    That was not a small amount of property.

    ¡°Take it from the people and use it for the people,¡±Lu Yuan said calmly. ¡°To me, the reason I created this business was so that I could have a ce to live. Now That I¡¯m going home, I naturally have to hand it over to you.¡±

    He zhichu paused for a moment, then said in a reserved tone, ¡°The inte security and medical education industries should not be under private control in the first ce. Young master he, you do have a lot of things to do.¡±

    He Zhichu kept his feelings to the bottom of his heart and nodded in agreement, ¡°Yes, I understand. In this position, you should not shirk your responsibilities. I will discuss these issues with the cab and the Senate, and I will definitely be busy in the future.¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi again, there was a hint of reluctance in his hoarse voice. ¡°Nianzhi, you have to protect yourself when you¡¯re there. ¡°I can¡¯t attend your wedding, but your father can. Just Remember to send me your wedding photos.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°Of course, of course! Brother, are you really not going to attend our wedding?¡±

    ¡°... Brother has been very busytely...¡±he zhichu felt that once Gu Nianzhi returned to the other side, Huo Shaoheng would probably be eager to hold a wedding and tie her up.

    Gu nianzhi said, ¡°I won¡¯t hold a wedding right away. I have a lot of things to do too. Besides...¡±

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I just found out who my biological mother is. I want to be filial to her for a year.¡±

    Although she wouldn¡¯t marry next to the grave like the ancients, there wouldn¡¯t be a wedding party.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t object. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll observe filial piety for my mother-inw with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin again, only to see Lu Jin¡¯s evasive gaze.

    She snorted in her heart.

    Lu Jin still had something to say. She still had questions about the cause of Qin Suwen¡¯s death.

    Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye were the main culprits behind Qin Suwen¡¯s death, of course, but Qin Suwen had been sick for so many years. How did he suddenly die on that day.

    What was the catalyst, or trigger, behind all this?

    Gu Nianzhi had deliberately overlooked this point in order to nail Qin Yaoguang to death in thewsuit.

    She did not want to involve Lu Jin in this.

    However, the case was already closed, and Lu Jin had gone to the opposite world with them. She had the time to properly n this matter.

    However, she still had a sweet smile on her face. She held Lu Jin in one hand and Huo Shaoheng in the other. She nodded at he zhichu. ¡°Brother, we¡¯ll be leaving now. Take Care.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s fingers moved, but he still put his hands behind his back. ¡°Okay, you take care too.¡±

    Lu Jin walked up and ced the keys to the RV in he zhichu¡¯s hands, he also said heroically, ¡°I gave you this RV as well, but only for you, not for the country. Remember to take good care of it. Several of our properties have been transferred to Nianzhi¡¯s name, so I¡¯ll entrust them to you for safekeeping. Is that okay?¡±

    When he said this, he looked at Huo Shaoheng as if he was trying to show off.

    He was giving Gu Nianzhi a way out.

    He Zhichu¡¯s mouth twitched. Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry, but he remained calm.

    He zhichu held the key tightly. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Gu.¡±

    Lu Yuan red at Lu Jin and turned to leave.

    Gu nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Jin followed behind.

    When they reached the door, Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around and saw he zhichu standing alone in the temporary ward of the RV. Behind him was a temporary hospital bed, and on the temporary hospital bed.., he chengjian was lying motionlessly.

    The world seemed to have turned into an old-fashioned ck-and-white photo in an instant. He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering peach eyes became the only highlight of this ck-and-white world.

    ¡°Brother, take care.¡±Gu Nianzhi said goodbye to he zhichu again.

    He zhichu nodded slowly and watched the four of them disappear outside the door of the RV.

    ..

    The snow outside was so heavy that it had already reached the instep.

    The hunting suit Gu Nianzhi was wearing was specially made by Lu Jin. It could keep her warm, so she did not feel cold at all.

    Moreover, her heart was warm, so hot that it was burning.

    The four of them took a deep and shallow step and returned to the empty space beside Tunguska crater.

    The ce had been cleaned up.

    The white snow covered all traces, as if nothing had happened just now.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. ¡°One more minute.¡±

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly while he held Lu Yuan¡¯s hand tightly on the other side.

    Gu Nianzhi also held Lu Jin tightly, afraid that he would do something evil again.

    Lu Yuan also held Lu Jin¡¯s other hand. The four of them held each other¡¯s hands and stood in a square shape.

    The surroundings were covered in white snow, and the mountains were silent. There was no one else around except for them.

    Soon, the one-minute countdown was up.

    Gu nianzhi only felt that everything before her eyes was beginning to ripple like waves.

    It was just like how she had felt that something was wrong in the sky above Tungus sinkhole earlier.

    She felt a little dizzy and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found that the surroundings were still snow-white, no different from the previous scene.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng nkly, then at Lu Jin. She didn¡¯t know if they hade.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, had already started looking around. ¡°Where¡¯s Your Chief Scientist? where is he? I want to discuss high-energy physics with him!¡±

    Lu Yuan suddenly felt something. He turned around and saw a beautiful figure standing under the snow-white birch tree, smiling in their direction.

    Eighteen years had passed, and this woman was exactly the same as when he left. There was no trace of time on her body, only making her beautiful to the extreme.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: chapter 1925, ¡°Near and far.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1926 - a lot of you

    <h4>Chapter 1926: Chapter 1926, a lot of you</h4>

    How could this be? !

    Was he seeing things? !

    Eighteen years had passed, and she couldn¡¯t possibly still look exactly the same as she did eighteen years ago!

    Could it be that there was something wrong with his eyes?

    Or was it due to the maic field that he was hallucinating?

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart was beating at an unprecedented rate.

    The mental preparation that he had been preparing for all this time crumbled at this moment, and his hands subconsciously clenched tightly.

    Lu Jin, who was looking around, suddenly screamed, ¡°Boss Lu, you¡¯re Crazy!¡±

    He forcefully shook off Lu Yuan¡¯s hand, shaking his own hand and grimacing. ¡°It hurts so much... it hurts so much... Boss Lu, what¡¯s wrong with you? You Can¡¯t afford to pay for breaking my hand!¡±

    Lu Yuanpletely ignored Lu Jin. His gaze could not leave the figure that was getting closer and closer.

    He had seen it so many times in his dreams, but now it was more like he had just walked out of his dream. It hadn¡¯t changed at all.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She quickly looked at Lu Jin¡¯s hand and saw five red marks on it. It was almost swollen.

    How much strength had he used..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but re at Lu Yuan resentfully.

    But she saw Lu Yuan turn his head to look behind him like he was possessed.

    What was he looking at?

    Gu Nianzhi followed Lu Yuan¡¯s line of sight.

    A woman in a white overcoat and a ck ferret warm hat was carrying a shiny ck suitcase. She was walking towards them step by step through the creaking snow.

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She jumped up and waved at her. ¡°Miss Song! Miss song! I¡¯m Back!¡±

    Song Jinning had seen Gu Nianzhi since the beginning of the day, and her eyes had never left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    Seeing her wave, she waved back and smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re finally back!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took two quick steps and ran towards song jinning. Then, as if remembering something, she turned and grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s arm, she said excitedly, ¡°Dad! This is Miss Song Jinning! She¡¯s our genius high-energy physicist! She¡¯s also the chief scientist to open the maic field tunnel this time!¡±

    Lu Jin was ted when he heard this. ¡°What? ! She¡¯s the Chief Scientist! That¡¯s great! I have so many questions to discuss with her!¡±

    He immediately followed Gu Nianzhi forward.

    Gu Nianzhiughed and threw herself into song Jinning¡¯s arms. ¡°Ms. Song! I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡±

    ¡°Little Nianzhi, I¡¯ve missed you too.¡±Song Jinning couldn¡¯t help tears welling up in her eyes.

    For more than a year, day and night, no one knew how she had survived.

    She was worried about Gu Nianzhi and her son, Huo Shaoheng. She also had to mobilize all the manpower and resources to control the entire maic field experiment.

    After a year, she felt like she had aged more than ten years. The corners of her eyes almost had crow¡¯s feet.

    Song Jinning put down her suitcase and hugged Gu Nianzhi affectionately for a while before Gu Nianzhi hugged song Jinning¡¯s arm and introduced her, ¡°Miss Song, This Is Me...¡±

    She suddenly thought of something and couldn¡¯t help looking at Huo Shaoheng. She didn¡¯t know how to introduce Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly at her and said calmly,¡±... Miss song already knows.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved and continued to introduce, ¡°Miss song, this is my father, Lu Jin. He also has a name, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked at her. ¡°But we shouldn¡¯t use the name Gu Xiangwen, lest we make those people think bad things.¡±

    Song Jinning understood, she held Lu Jin¡¯s hand in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re Lu Jin? ! I heard from Shaoheng that you were the one who sent Nianzhi here eight years ago? ! I have a lot of high-energy physics questions. Do you have the honor of talking to Mr. Lu?¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem! I also have a lot of questions to ask Ms. Song!¡±Lu Jin was very interested in the development of high-energy physics in this world.

    He remembered that they clearly did not develop at such a fast speed, but how did they suddenly obtain sufficient energy and achieve maic resonance?

    In the year that he was unable to contact this world, what huge changes had happened that he did not know about?

    Song jinning nodded repeatedly. ¡°I hope that Mr. Lu can teach at our institute of High Energy Physics and train our reserve talents. It would be even better if we can do experiments together with Mr. Lu!¡±

    ¡°Really? Can you let me take a look at yourboratory?¡±Lu Jin was in high spirits, he couldn¡¯t wait to roll up his sleeves and go to the podium. ¡°But let me be blunt. I don¡¯t know how to speak, and I¡¯m a serious interpersonal disorder patient. If I say something wrong and offend your students and researchers...¡±

    Unexpectedly, Song Jinning didn¡¯t care at all, she immediately said, ¡°People who really do research don¡¯t have the energy to engage in interpersonal rtionships. ¡°I wish ourboratory was full of people with interpersonal disorder, so that everyone would only focus on doing experiments. Even if there were disputes, it would be rted to the experiment. How good would that be?¡±

    ¡°AH? ! You really think so? !¡±Lu Jin was stunned.

    This was the first time he heard someone redefine ¡°Interpersonal disorder¡±in such a fresh and refined way.

    ¡°Really? Why would I lie to You? I have never shown any mercy to my students in theboratory. If you do something wrong, you will be punished. It¡¯s as simple as that,¡±song Jinning said without hesitation.

    Lu Jin shook her hand vigorously, he was as excited as if he had found a confidant. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Being ridiculed for doing something wrong is already the lightest punishment. If you aren¡¯t even willing to listen to the ridicule, I¡¯m sorry. Please go back to your kindergarten and let your nanny hug you and hold you up high. ¡°No one in the field of science will take care of those fragile self-esteem!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s mood finally calmed down.

    He put on that warm smile again and silently walked over. He bent down to pick up the ck suitcase song jinning had ced beside her and stood behind her, shielding her from the snowstorm that wasing from the col diagonally behind her.

    Lu Jin caught a glimpse of a tall figure standing behind song jinning. His heart skipped a beat. He squinted at song Jinning and asked curiously,¡±... you look familiar. Where Have I seen you before?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shot a quick nce at Lu Yuan.

    As expected, the warm and harmless mask on Lu Yuan¡¯s face was about to crack.

    She held back herughter and pulled Lu Jin away. ¡°Dad, can you try a new way to strike up a conversation? How did you meet Ms. Song?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and said to song jinning, ¡°Ms. Song, there¡¯s someone else. Do you remember?¡±

    Song Jinning turned around and looked up at Lu Yuan, who was standing diagonally behind her.

    Huo Shaoheng hade backst month to do a DNA test. He had mentioned to her that he would be bringing two more people along with Gu Nianzhi.

    One of them was Lu Jin, who was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological father, Gu Xiangwen.

    The other person was Lu Yuan, whom everyone had thought to have been blown up in an experiment 18 years ago.

    He was indeed much older than he remembered.

    However, they had been separated for 18 years, so Lu Yuan had taken good care of himself.

    Song Jinning graciously reached out her hand to him and smiled. ¡°Should I call you president Lu Yuan or colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan?¡±

    Lu Yuan had thought he had calmed down after being interrupted by Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi.

    But with one look and one movement from song jinning, the peace he had just built crumbled once again.

    Lu Yuan had not heard anyone call him by the name ¡°Huo Guanyuan¡±for many years.

    After returning to his hometown that he had not seen for eighteen years, he did not expect that the first person to call him ¡°Huo Guanyuan¡±would be her.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart instantly rippled like a sea, and he could almost hear the sound of the waves in his ears.

    However, on the surface, he still maintained a decent smile and extended his hand elegantly, as if he was about to shake hands. However, before he could touch song Jinning¡¯s hand, he quickly moved it away.

    ¡°Just call me Huo Guanyuan,¡±Lu Yuan said in a gentlemanly manner.

    Song Jinning did not mind. She withdrew her hand with a smile and nodded. ¡°Okay, Mr. Huo Guanyuan. Wee home.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Song.¡±Huo Guanyuan bowed slightly. He was friendly and polite, and his bearing was impable.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Yuan, who was still immacte in front of Song Jinning. She almost looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh. Lu Yuan and Lu Jin had been friends for so many years, so there was indeed a degree of simrity. They were both single because of their abilities..

    But to be more precise, Lu Yuan was better than her when it came to being single.

    Because no matter what, Lu Jin still had her eldest daughter, and Lu Yuan had nothing.

    She was sighing when Lu Jin suddenly pushed her away and walked over.

    He stood next to Lu Yuan and looked carefully at song jinning. He suddenlyughed and pointed at song jinning. ¡°I remember now! I was wondering why you looked so familiar! I¡¯ve really seen you before! I¡¯ve seen a lot of you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She quickly walked over and pulled Lu Jin¡¯s arm. ¡°Dad, What are you talking about? What do you mean you¡¯ve seen a lot of you? I Saw You in a dream, right? Can we stop being so unconventional?¡±

    Lu Jin panicked. ¡°I¡¯ve really seen a lot of her!¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes twitched imperceptibly. He quickly raised his hand to block Lu Jin¡¯s mouth, but he was still toote.

    Lu Jin said quickly,¡±... Boss Lu has drawn many of her portraits!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely embarrassed. She didn¡¯t even dare to look at Lu Yuan¡¯s expression. She quickly said, ¡°Dad, you remembered wrong...¡±

    ¡°No. My memory is like a camera. How could I remember wrong?¡±Lu Jin said seriously, ¡°Boss Lu¡¯s pencil drawings are very beautiful and realistic. I¡¯ve really seen many of them. That¡¯s his sweetheart, his second love.¡±

    No matter how generous song Jinning was, she did not expect someone like Lu Jin to exist.

    It was clear that the diagnosis of this serious ¡°Rtionship disorder¡±was not wrong.

    Her fair cheeks were slightly red, as if a thinyer of rouge had been applied to them. The redness seeped out from the bottom of her skin, like a halo from a traditional Chinese painting, all the way up to the corners of her eyes and brows.

    Song Jinning had always been slow when it came to romantic rtionships, and she was not a glib talker.

    She did not know how to respond, so she could only look at Lu Yuan and smile politely.

    Lu Yuan originally wanted to beat Lu Jin up, but when he saw that song jinning did not show any signs of disgust, he blushed slightly and smiled at him.

    He could not help butugh as well. His deep and mellow voice seemed to have warmth, like a warm spring breeze, warming people¡¯s hearts.

    ¡°... Lu Jin is such a person. His words are a bit exaggerated, so don¡¯t mind him. If he has been rude, I apologize on his behalf,¡±Lu Yuan said gently, his tone slow and unhurried.

    ¡°How am I exaggerating? I¡¯m a scientist, and I¡¯m the most practical.¡±Lu Jin was extremely displeased and mumbled,¡±... I even remember how many pencil drawings he drew...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was worried that Lu Jin would say something else that would embarrass Lu Yuan, she immediately rubbed her hands together and stomped her feet, saying, ¡°It¡¯s so cold! So cold! I¡¯m freezing! Huo Shao, let¡¯s go back quickly. Where¡¯s the ne? Do We have a private ne? Is there anyone else? Why is Mrs. Song the only oneing to pick us up?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Cold?¡±Lu Jin¡¯s attention was indeed diverted. He quickly took off his coat and put it on Gu Nianzhi. He waved his hand, saying, ¡°Hurry up and find a ne to leave this ce!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1926, ¡°Many, many, many you.¡±.

    It was to remind everyone of their monthly tickets and rmendation tickets

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    PS: Thank you for the 20,000 starting coins that the president of My Love Hall gave yesterday.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1927 - Sand between the fingers (chapter 2: Monthly Pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1927: Chapter 1927: Sand between the fingers (chapter 2: Monthly Pass)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the valley surrounded by mountains. It was covered in white snow, so white that he couldn¡¯t tell it was anyone else.

    However, he knew that the Huaxia military conducted such an experiment. How could there be no one around?

    It was just well hidden.

    Song Jinning was also worried that Gu Nianzhi would freeze. She naturally held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°There¡¯s a private ne at the hotel. The snow has stopped. We should be able to leave now.¡±

    She turned around and reached out to Huo Guanyuan. ¡°Huo Guanyuan, give me the suitcase.¡±

    ¡°This suitcase isn¡¯t light. I¡¯ll help you carry it,¡±Huo Guanyuan said gently but firmly.

    Unexpectedly, song jinning shook her head and insisted, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t conform to the rules.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan understood when she said that.

    This must be a highly confidential instrument. It was probably the core control of the maic resonance instrument rted to the activation of the maic field.

    He did not ask further and silently handed the suitcase over.

    Huo Shaoheng casually took it and said, ¡°Ms. Song, I¡¯ll be fine once i carry it.¡±

    His security level was the highest, so song jinning did not continue to object. She pulled gu nianzhi along and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back quickly. Your hands are so warm.¡±

    Gu nianzhi: ¡°Qaq.¡±.

    Her lie had been exposed..

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, said happily, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re warm! That¡¯s because my coat is very good at keeping warm!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Lu Jin was only wearing a very ordinary casual outfit and felt very apologetic. She quickly took off his coat and forced it on Lu Jin, she smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not cold anymore. Dad, I¡¯ll go with you and talk to you.¡±

    Naturally, she took Lu Jin¡¯s arm and walked very intimately with him.

    Lu Jin was ted and extremely pleased with himself. He even turned to Huo Guanyuan and ¡°Swaggered¡±with his chin.

    Huo Guanyuan did not have the time to pay attention to him. His attention was on song jinning.

    He turned to song jinning and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to disturb the conversation between the two of them. He walked quickly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Nianzhi. She doesn¡¯t know her way around very well. Maybe she¡¯ll get lost with Uncle Lu.¡±

    The corners of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s mouth twitched as he thought to himself, Lu Jin doesn¡¯t have too many directions-detecting devices on him, so why would he get lost?

    Lu Jin would probablyugh his head off if he heard that.

    However, he was more than happy to be alone with song jinning, so he naturally didn¡¯t expose Huo Shaoheng¡¯s nonsense.

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°Yes, Huo Guanyuan, I happen to be free now. Can you tell me how the experiment ident happened 18 years ago? This question has been on my mind for a long time.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan:¡±...¡±

    ..

    At this moment, in another space, the heavy snow gradually stopped.

    He Zhichu sat beside his father¡¯s body and did not speak.

    After an hour, he stood up and walked out of the RV.

    The world outside was crystal clear, like a world of white snow and ss.

    The empty space beside the sinkhole was empty, and even the footprints were covered in snow.

    It was as if he was the only person left in the empty space.

    There was no one like him in the past, and no one like him in the future. The world seemed to be filled with sorrow and tears.

    However, he did not even cry.

    Who was he going to cry for?

    From then on, he was alone.

    He Zhichu stood quietly beside the sinkhole for a while. He took out his phone and pulled out a photo of Gu nianzhi from the ¡°Recently deleted¡±photo album on his phone.

    She was smiling very happily. It was the same time when he had taken her out to y when she had first arrived in this world. It was a photo taken secretly by his father, he chengjian.

    In the photo, Gu Nianzhi was protecting a cute little child in front of her. She was looking up at the blue sky and white clouds above her head. It was clear that she was in a good mood, and her smile was sincere and refreshing.

    He zhichu, who was beside her, was as cool and elegant as a magnolia tree.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was delicate and beautiful, like a blooming crabapple.

    And the little boy was lively and cute, like a child of two people.

    The three of them were talking andughing, like a family of three enjoying a happy family reunion.

    At that time, he was really angry when he found out that his father had sent someone to secretly take photos of them, but the photo was really well taken, so he secretly kept it and hid it in his mobile phone photo album.

    Later, when he found out that she was his half-sister, he deleted all of her photos.

    Only this one photo was kept, deleted, restored, restored, and deleted.

    Was he reluctant to permanently delete it, or did he restore it again.

    It didn¡¯t matter now that he had restored it.

    She was separated from him by an entire space-time boundary.

    He could think of her unscrupulously, and he didn¡¯t have to worry about any consequences.

    Because he could not cross over, he and she would never be together.

    ¡°Chief, should we ship general he¡¯s body back to the country?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary waited for a long time, and finally could not help but step forward to interrupt he zhichu¡¯s unusual silence.

    He zhichu recollected his thoughts, put his phone back into his pocket, and nodded lightly, ¡°Yes, inform the country that general he died fighting with the traitor Qin Baye to protect state secrets and protect our lives. Let them use the state funeral to wee him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±He Zhichu¡¯s personal secretary saluted and immediately went back to arrange for manpower.

    He chengjian passed away on Soviet soil. When the leaders of the Soviet Union found out about it, they all rushed over to send him off.

    The head of the Soviet Union, Putin, was the only one among these leaders who knew the truth.

    He was also very impressed and respectful of he chengjian. He ordered the National Military Band and Honor Guard of the Soviet Union to send him off with a state funeral.

    ..

    He Zhichu took his father¡¯s body back to the imperial capital International Airport. The ce was already under martialw.

    The top leaders of the cab, the Senate, and the military were all here. They stood neatly on the tarmac and waited for he chengjian¡¯s body to get off the ne.

    He Zhichu wore a formal suit and carried the coffin with the Military Committee and an alternate member.

    This was the highest qualification for a funeral in the Huaxia military.

    Xie qingying was dressed in in clothes and stood with everyone with a Haggard expression.

    She had not fully recovered from her injuries, but when she knew that something had happened to the he family, she ignored her parents¡¯dissuasion and struggled to get up. She came to the airport to personally wee he zhichu.

    She did not know what had happened in the Soviet Union. Why had general he suddenly passed away?

    When she saw he zhichu disembark from the ne with a solemn expression, her heart tightened.

    The ceremony was held in an orderly manner. Xie qingying followed everyone in a daze. She did not have the time to talk to He Zhichu until she returned to the He family.

    ¡°Young master he, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±Xie qingyingforted him with a heartache.

    He Zhichu responded lightly. Seeing that Xie qingying had lost a lot of weight, he said, ¡°Your injury hasn¡¯t recovered. Go back and rest. I¡¯m fine here.¡±

    ¡°My injury is much better. I was worried about you...¡±Xie qingying walked over to him and sat down. ¡°Why did uncle he suddenly pass away? Isn¡¯t the Soviet Union responsible?¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with them. It was Qin Baye who did it,¡±he zhichu said calmly. ¡°My father passed away to protect us.¡±

    ¡°It was him? ! What about Nianzhi?¡±Xie qingying came back to her senses. ¡°How is she? Have you found her? Did Qin Baye kidnap her?¡±

    He Zhichu did not say anything for a while. After a while, he said,¡±... I found her. She left with Peter and will nevere back.¡±

    Xie qingying¡¯s mood suddenly lightened. She approached he zhichu and rested her forehead on his. She said softly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You still have me. I¡¯ll be with you.¡±

    He Zhichu moved his body away and leaned back on the sofa. He supported his head with his hand and said expressionlessly,¡±... actually, she¡¯s my half-sister. You Don¡¯t have to target her anymore.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±Xie qingying blinked and didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°She, she, she... She¡¯s your biological sister? ! Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? !¡±

    If she had known earlier, she wouldn¡¯t have been so jealous.

    Not only had she gotten into a bad rtionship with Gu Nianzhi, but she had also affected her rtionship with he zhichu. The loss outweighed the gain.

    For the first time, Xie Qingying was unhappy with he zhichu, ¡°Young master he, remember to tell me everything in the future, okay? The most important thing in a rtionship between two people is to be honest, so that we can get along well. Otherwise, no matter how good the rtionship is, it will be worn out.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched, he said with a half-smile, ¡°I thought that the most important thing in a rtionship between two people is to be tolerant. As for being honest, I¡¯m sorry. My job determines that I won¡¯t be honest with anyone, and I can¡¯t be honest with anyone.¡±

    Even if it was an intimate couple, they had to give each other a distance of privacy.

    Otherwise, no matter how good the rtionship was, it would suffocate the other party.

    Just like the sand in one¡¯s hand, the tighter one clenched it, the more it would fall through the cracks of their fingers.

    Xie qingying thought about it and realized that this was not a bad statement. She knew about he zhichu¡¯s work nature.

    However, she did not want to know about he zhichu¡¯s work matters. Xie qingying smiled and said, ¡°Of course. I Won¡¯t ask you about your work matters, but when ites to personal feelings, it¡¯s okay to be honest with each other, right?¡±

    He zhichu raised his hand nomittally. ¡°I¡¯m very tired. I want to be alone for a while. You should go back first.¡±

    Xie qingying really wanted to apany he zhichu at this time. She insisted, ¡°Young master he, I¡¯ll go to the other room. You should rest. You¡¯re the only one at home. I¡¯m worried.¡±

    He Zhichu looked up at her for a while, closed his eyes, and went to the bedroom alone.

    Xie qingying saw that he zhichu did not object and heaved a sigh of relief. She went to the kitchen and instructed the orderly to prepare dinner for he zhichu.

    He Zhichu had just woken up. It was evening, so he should be able to have a good meal by then.

    He still had a lot of things to do tomorrow.

    ..

    As night fell, the imperial capital International Airport on the other side of the world was brightly lit.

    A ne from Russianded steadily on the tarmac of the imperial capital International Airport.

    The cabin door opened and Huo Shaoheng, dressed in a major general¡¯s uniform, walked out of the ne.

    The bright red carpet stretched from the entrance of the ne all the way to the concrete floor of the airport.

    General Ji, speaker long, and the Prime Minister stood excitedly on the red carpet, waiting with their heads held high.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped down from the ne¡¯sdder and steadily walked in front of the three of them.

    He raised his right arm and gave a standard military salute to the three of them.

    ¡°General Ji, speaker long, Prime Minister Bai, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s special operations department, Huo Shaoheng, has returned to the team! End of report!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1927, ¡°Sand between the fingers¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1928 - the year of the living (the first is a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1928: Chapter 1928, the year of the living (the first is a monthly pass)</h4>

    General Ji¡¯s eyes were red. He held back his tears and extended his hand. ¡°Shaoheng, Wee Back!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his hand tightly. He was also very excited.

    At that time, if it hadn¡¯t been for general ji removing all obstacles and using the entire military to support him, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to go to the other side of the world. He would never have been able to find Gu Nianzhi in this lifetime.

    ¡°General Ji, Shaoheng didn¡¯t disappoint!¡±He said in a low voice. ¡°In addition to Gu Nianzhi, I also brought back colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan and the great scientist who created the maic resonance instrument, Lu Jin.¡±

    General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai all knew about this.

    The three of them decided to use the highest order to wee Huo Shaoheng back. At the same time, they also wanted to wee colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan, who had been lost in the other world for 18 years, and the genius scientist they had been looking forward to the most, Lu Jin!

    Huo Shaoheng had only shown them some news reports about Lu Jin¡¯s deeds in the opposite world.

    The Nobel Prize winners in physics and biology alone had amazed them.

    Not to mention Lu Jin¡¯s genius performance in biomedical science, high-energy physics, and weapons research and development. The Huaxia Empire, which was desperate for talent, was a priceless treasure.

    Speaker long sighed. ¡°Old Ji, my taste is not as good as yours... back then, when Shaoheng wanted to leave the army to look for Nianzhi, I was still angry. If it wasn¡¯t for Old Bai¡¯s advice, I would have be a sinner of the country and nation...¡±

    ¡°Yes, at that time, the three of US voted to decide whether Shaoheng should stay or leave.¡±

    ¡°In the end, Old Bai stood on Old Ji¡¯s side and voted ¡®stay.¡¯It was a two-to-one vote. Speaker long followed the majority, and Shaoheng didn¡¯t have to leave the army. He agreed to use the country¡¯s high-energy maic field energy reserves to support Shaoheng¡¯s decision to leave.¡±

    General Ji Sighed. ¡°In the end, Shaoheng was the one to bear the responsibility. We all know that the ce Shaoheng is going to is extremely dangerous. He might even die there.¡±

    Speaker long also nodded. ¡°Yes, I really can¡¯t bear to see such a promising major general like Shaoheng die just like that.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if Shaoheng has a counterpart over there, nor do we know if general he¡¯s warning is true... that both of them will die at the same time.¡±

    Prime Minister Bai was also very excited, ¡°At that time, Shaoheng insisted that even if he really died in the past, he wouldn¡¯t me anyone. He even made a military order. ¡°I¡¯m just the Prime Minister, and I don¡¯t have as much prestige as the two of you. However, I feel that with Shaoheng¡¯s contributions to the country and the people, we shouldn¡¯t let such a good soldier sacrifice his life¡¯s happiness.¡±

    Fortunately, the goddess of luck was still on their side.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that although the three supreme leaders were talking about him going to the other world, they were all very vague. Even if someone heard them, they wouldn¡¯t be able to guess where he was going.

    They were all very secretive!

    Huo Shaoheng was also very grateful for the support of the three supreme leaders. In fact, without them and without the backing of the country, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to find Nianzhi in his next life if he had only relied on himself.

    He raised his hand to salute the three of them again and said seriously, ¡°Three chiefs, I¡¯m going to wee colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan Home!¡±

    General Ji was even more excited and waved his hands repeatedly. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Let him down! We haven¡¯t seen each other for 18 years. Does he still recognize me? !¡±

    Before Huo Shaoheng, Huo Guanyuan had been general Ji¡¯s preferred sessor and was a key candidate for training.

    In the end, he had been blown up by an earth-shattering experimental ident. They had all thought he was dead.

    They had never thought that he would see Huo Guanyuan again in his lifetime.

    General Ji couldn¡¯t help wiping the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.

    Speaker long and Prime Minister Baiughed at him together. ¡°Old Ji, didn¡¯t you always say that a man shouldn¡¯t shed tears when he shed blood? What are you shedding? Is it horse urine? !¡±

    ¡°PFFT! You¡¯re the ones who shed horse urine!¡±General Ji red at speaker long and said to prime minister bai, ¡°Old Bai, you used to be the kindest person, but now you¡¯re learning from Old Long.¡±

    As the three of them were chatting andughing, Huo Shaoheng had already led Huo Guanyuan down from the ne.

    He had already changed his clothes on the ne.

    He was wearing the military uniform of a colonelmandant from eighteen years ago. It looked a little old and out of ce, but Huo Guanyuan looked unexpectedly valiant and valiant in it.

    It was clear that the military uniform was not the style of the military uniform, but the person wearing it.

    ¡°General Ji! Colonelmandant of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military intelligence department, Huo Guanyuan, return to the team!¡±

    Standing in front of General Ji, Huo Guanyuan gave a military salute that was even more standard than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    He was reporting his military rank and position from 18 years ago.

    General Ji could not stop his tears. He was even more excited than when he saw Huo Shaoheng.

    He patted Huo Guanyuan¡¯s shoulder hard. Other than saying, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back,¡±he was choked with sobs.

    Huo Guanyuan stood solemnly opposite General Ji and held his hand, trying hard to control his emotions.

    He was already past the age of knowing destiny, but he had maintained his appearance well. He looked to be in his early forties.

    He was tall and straight, with deep facial features, but he was not European at all. He was the most handsome among the Chinese people.

    The weather on his face did not diminish his masculinity and handsomeness. Instead, it added some years to his charm, making him look like a mellow wine. The longer he stayed, the more fragrant he became.

    The prime minister and speaker long were also very familiar with Huo Guanyuan in the past. Now that they saw himing back, the two of them surrounded him.

    ¡°Guanyuan, it¡¯s been hard on you all these years. The country and people have not forgotten you, and we have not forgotten you either.¡±The Prime Minister was only one year older than Huo Guanyuan. The two of them used to be ssmates from the same school, and they had a good personal rtionship.

    Huo Guanyuan found out from Huo Shaoheng that his old ssmate was already the prime minister. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s my honor that Prime Minister Bai Still Remembers Me.¡±

    ¡°Guanyuan, what are you talking about? We haven¡¯t seen each other for many years. We definitely need to have a drink. If we don¡¯t drink today, we¡¯ll drink to our heart¡¯s content some other day!¡±Prime Minister Bai held his hand tightly andughed heartily.

    ¡°Guanyuan, go home and rest well for a few days. When you¡¯ve rested enough,e to work in our Senate.¡±Speaker long spared no effort to poach general ji.

    General Ji came back to his senses and quickly pushed speaker long away. He red at him and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough! You¡¯ve already poached my corner, and you still want to poach it? !¡±

    ¡°When did I poach your corner? !¡±Speaker long red back at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because both of your generals are back, you can ignore me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have Shaoheng and Guanyuan. I can do whatever I Want!¡±General Ji acted arrogantly, and Speaker Long was so angry that he almost flipped out.

    He pushed Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Didn¡¯t you go pick her up? Nianzhi is my person!¡±

    General Ji was stunned for a moment, thenughed loudly. ¡°Hahahaha! Nianzhi is your person? ! Ask Shaoheng if he agrees!¡±

    The three of them joked, and Gu Nianzhi had already followed Huo Shaoheng off the ne.

    She walked briskly down the red carpet. Speaker long ran in front and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. He wanted tough, but tears started to fall.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re back! You¡¯ve suffered...¡±he held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as tears welled up in his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi had always loved to cry, and now was the time to be emotional. She had long considered this ce her real home since she had been away for more than a year.

    The two of them hugged their heads and cried.

    General Ji had already recovered from his shock and couldn¡¯t helpughing at speaker long. ¡°Old long, old long, just now you said I peed on a horse. Who¡¯s peeing on a horse now? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped crying and quietly rolled her eyes at General Ji.

    General Ji was taken aback by her words and chuckled. ¡°Little Nianzhi is very unhappy with me...¡±

    ¡°General Ji, I just got back, and you¡¯re alreadyughing at me and speaker long. We members of the Senate are not to be trifled with!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said arrogantly.

    She now had Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, and Madam Song and Speaker Long to back her up. She was starting to show off again.

    Speaker Long was ted and quickly wiped away his tears, he held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°This is what we call our own people!¡±! ¡°Nianzhi, you still have the position of chief legal advisor. Everyone in your department is waiting for you toe back.¡±. ¡°I told them that you had something to do at home and took a long vacation. ¡°Now, you can return to the team, right?¡±

    He was actually very envious of Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanyuan¡¯s imposing manner when they saluted General Ji and said that they were returning to the team. Unfortunately, Gu Nianzhi was not a soldier, and he was not a soldier, so he did not receive that kind of treatment.

    Before Gu Nianzhi could say anything, Huo Shaoheng had already said on her behalf, ¡°Nianzhi has just returned and will need to rest for a few more days. Speaker long, don¡¯t be anxious. Wait until she has rested, then think about what work she wants to do.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Shaoheng, you can¡¯t say that! Nianzhi is the chief legal advisor of the Senate based on her ability. You Can¡¯t just tell her not to do it and let her quit!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Speaker long, don¡¯t listen to him. I make my own decisions. Huo Shao¡¯s words are at most a reference.¡±

    She winked at Huo Shaoheng as she spoke.

    The few people present were all shrewd. Seeing her like this, they couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you two! Flirting in public isn¡¯t something we old bones can handle. Mind your influence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head. ¡°General Ji, speaker long, Prime Minister Bai, I have one more person I want to introduce to you!¡±

    As she spoke, she retreated to the side and waved her hand in the direction of the cabin door. ¡°Ta-da! My father, Lu Jin, is right!¡±

    The cabin door opened in response, and the tall and handsome Lu Jin appeared at the cabin door.

    He pretended to wave his hand down and walked down the ne¡¯s stairs step by step. He had the posture of a great scientist.

    General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai could not help but restrain their earlier humor and ease. They looked solemnly in Lu Jin¡¯s direction.

    Lu Jin walked up to them and nodded slightly, ¡°Hello, three elders. I¡¯m Lu Jin. I heard that you treat my daughter, Gu Nianzhi, well. I came to your country because of her. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint her.¡±

    General Ji, speaker long, and prime minister white immediately understood.

    This was a living ve to her daughter!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1928, ¡°In my lifetime.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at 8 pm.

    PS: Thank you, president ¡°Enigmayanxi¡±, for the 10,000 starting point coins you gave yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1929 - was really well-kept under wraps (the second request was for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1929: Chapter 1929 was really well-kept under wraps (the second request was for a monthly pass)</h4>

    General Ji was the first to react. He shook Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Mr. Lu, don¡¯t worry. I watched Nianzhi grow up. She¡¯s also engaged to Shaoheng. That means she¡¯s half a member of the military. I¡¯ll definitely treat her better!¡±

    Speaker Long was unwilling to be left behind. He also extended his hand to Lu Jin and said, ¡°Mr. Lu, Nianzhi is the chief legal advisor of the Senate. I want to groom her as my sessor!¡±

    Prime Minister Bai saw that Lu Jin¡¯s hands were both gripped, and he could not squeeze in, he could only say from the side, ¡°Mr. Lu, when you¡¯re free, help us look at the sybus developed by the Education Department and the Scientific Development n of the science and Technology Department. We need someone like you!¡±

    Because Prime Minister Bai had not mentioned Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin pretended to be deaf and dumb. He pretended not to hear him and only exchanged a few words with General Ji and speaker long.

    Gu Nianzhi was worried that Lu Jin¡¯s severe interpersonal disorder would re up, so she smiled and watched from the side for a while before interrupting them, she smiled and said, ¡°If you have anything to say, we can talk about itter. But this time, don¡¯t forget the great contributor who made use back!¡±

    Lu Jin understood and quickly said, ¡°Miss song is too amazing. I have a lot of questions to discuss with her. We¡¯ll contact her when I¡¯m Free!¡±

    After saying that, he turned around and looked at the entrance of the ne with a smile on his face.

    At this time, Song Jinning was walking down quietly alone.

    Huo Guanyuan couldn¡¯t help but walk over and stand under the flightdder to greet her.

    General Ji then remembered the case of the death of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s wife, Luo Xinxue. In that case, the love letter that Huo Guanyuan had written to song jinning was exposed..

    Although he hadn¡¯t sent it, his ¡°Coveting¡±heart was ¡°Obvious¡±!

    Song Jinning stepped over thest flight of stairs and smiled at Huo Guanyuan, who was waiting there.

    Prime Minister Bai was smart now, he quickly said, ¡°Ms. Song is the director of Our Institute of High Energy Physics. She is outstanding and intelligent. If Mr. Lu has any questions, feel free to ask. ¡°Oh right, Mr. Lu, we have prepared a courtyard house for you in the Second Ring Road for you to live in. ¡°In addition, should we add an office in the Institute of High Energy Physics and prepare aboratory for you? ¡°If you need anything, feel free to say it. Our cab will definitely give you great support!¡±

    The Institute of High Energy Physics was a research institution under the cab¡¯s education department. Prime Minister Bai was in charge of the cab, so he had this bit of power.

    General Ji¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°Mr. Lu will be an important scientist in our military. His residence,boratory, and office will be supported by our military. He will need a very high level of security.¡±

    As he spoke, he gave the task to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ll leave your father-inw¡¯s security to you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was about to nod when Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°No need. I live with Boss Lu. I n to prepare theboratory and office myself.¡±

    ¡°I like to be free and unfettered. Your cab or the military sounds scary. I don¡¯t want to be locked up in a cage and be watched by others!¡±

    In less than three sentences, Lu Jin¡¯s severe interpersonal disorder red up.

    Gu Nianzhi had already lost her temper.

    But she had also thought it through.

    As the saying went, eating salted fish makes one thirsty. This was Lu Jin¡¯s temper. If he wanted to work with Lu Jin and make use of his talents, he would have to endure his bad temper and ¡°Inhumanity¡±..

    If he couldn¡¯t take it, then he would give up on the idea of working with Lu Jin as soon as possible.

    Fortunately, General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai had long known about Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Severe interpersonal disorder,¡±and they had seen all kinds of people in their careers?

    Therefore, they didn¡¯t care and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Lu, you must be joking. We didn¡¯t even have time to protect you. Why would we lock you up in a cage and let others watch?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stepped forward and held Lu Jin¡¯s arm. She smiled at the three of them and said, ¡°General Ji, speaker long, Prime Minister Bai, don¡¯t be too anxious. Colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan has his own arrangements regarding my father¡¯s matter.¡±

    She winked at Huo Guanyuan.

    Huo Guanyuan smiled, he said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the three of you. Lu Jin is actually very easy to get along with. I¡¯ll slowly tell him that we¡¯re too tired today. Pleasee to the airport to pick us up. When we¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll go to the military and report to the Chiefs.¡±

    General Ji nodded repeatedly. In fact, he did not care at all whether Lu Jin was easy to get along with.

    What he valued was Lu Jin¡¯s talent, not his ttery?

    To put it bluntly, there were still many people around him who ttered him?

    It was not to the extent that he had to be submissive and respectful in front of a great scientist.

    Moreover, people with ability had tempers. They all understood this principle.

    ¡°Guanyuan, you¡¯ve been on this mission for eighteen years. Today, you finally seeded,¡±general ji said with a sigh, ¡°Unfortunately, after so many years, things have changed. Your wife passed away a few years ago, and your daughter... Ah, forget it. You should go back and rest first. We¡¯ll go back and have a meeting.¡±

    He waved at Huo Guanyuan, Lu Jin, and Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a special car for you. It¡¯s from Shaoheng¡¯s department. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. She ¡°Forcefully¡±held onto Lu Jin¡¯s arm and practically dragged him away.

    Lu Jin knew why Gu Nianzhi was in such a hurry to take him away, but he didn¡¯t care at all. Instead, his lips curved into a smile, he said to Huo Guanyuan delightedly, ¡°Mydy really cares about me. She was worried that I¡¯d say something wrong, so she even gave those people a warning shot!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan was just about topliment Gu Nianzhi, lu Jin said, ¡°Boss Lu, you were married here, and you have a daughter? ! You really hid it well! You haven¡¯t said a word for 18 years, and I thought you were alone here!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s expression turned ugly. He quickly nced at song jinning. Luckily, song jinning was talking to Huo Shaoheng, so she probably didn¡¯t hear them.

    However, how could Lu Jin let him go? He immediately closed his palms andughed. ¡°Oh, Ha! I was right! Ms. Song is your second love! You have your own first love!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of song Jinning¡¯s gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tried to divert Lu Jin¡¯s attention, she said, ¡°Dad, you have no idea how hateful director Lu¡¯s cheap daughter, Huo Jin, is! She even coborated with someone and tried to kill me!¡±

    ¡°What? ! Why haven¡¯t I heard about it from you before? !¡±Lu Jin was immediately enraged and shouted at Huo guanyuan, ¡°Boss Lu! Where¡¯s your cheap daughter? ! How Dare You Bully My Daughter! I will make her suffer!¡±

    ¡°You want to kill someone? ! She has guts! Does she have the IQ? ! I can say bluntly that the woman who killed my daughter, Lu Jin¡¯s closest rtive, hasn¡¯t even been born yet!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had mentioned Luo xinxue and Luo Jin to Huo Guanyuan before, but he had only said that Luo Jin was already in prison. He had not said that she had already been silenced in prison.

    Therefore, Huo Guanyuan only smiled faintly and said, ¡°Luo Jin is in prison. You Won¡¯t let her have it easy, so you can only go to the prison to find her.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at him in confusion and said,¡±... Why aren¡¯t you angry? Are you happy that your daughter is in prison?¡±

    ¡°She is not my girl,¡±Huo Guanyuan said casually, ¡°She is thest child of myrade-in-arms. Although I was married to her mother, Luo Xinxue, we are not husband and wife. I haven¡¯t even touched Luo xinxue¡¯s finger.¡±

    As Huo Guanyuan said this, he couldn¡¯t help but look in song Jinning¡¯s direction.

    Song Jinning looked sideways at him. He couldn¡¯t see the expression on her face, but Huo Guanyuan, who had excellent eyesight, noticed that song Jinning¡¯s fair earlobes were slightly red.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 1929, ¡°How tightly hidden.¡±.

    To remind everyone of the monthly tickets and rmendation tickets

    It was the second update today.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * *

 Chapter 1930 - Iâ€™m sorry, too

    <h4>Chapter 1930: Chapter 1930. I¡¯m sorry, too</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Guanyuan¡¯s gaze was constantly on song jinning. She pursed her lips and chuckled, she tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Dad, that was a long time ago. Why are you still bringing it up? Besides, I¡¯ve already sent that Luo Jin to prison.¡±

    ¡°I told you... the person who can kill you hasn¡¯t even been born yet!¡±

    Lu Jin stroked Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head with a big smile on his face.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. You¡¯re smart, so you can say anything you want.¡±Gu Nianzhi gave a perfunctory reply and finally pulled Lu Jin away. She gave Huo Shaoheng a meaningful look and ended the conversation with Song Jinning, she said in a low voice, ¡°Miss song, colonelmandant Huo has lived in that world for 18 years. If you have any questions, you can ask him.¡±. ¡°Although colonelmandant Huo is not a professional like Nianzhi¡¯s father, he is notpletely ignorant of high-energy physics. Otherwise, he would not be able to represent the military to assist you and grandfather in their experiments. ¡°Moreover, he is much more reliable than Nianzhi¡¯s father...¡±

    Song jinning nodded repeatedly, she said very seriously, ¡°I understand. I do have some questions to ask him. When I boarded the ne in Tunguska, Siberia, Russia, I kept asking him about his experiments back then. I didn¡¯t have the chance to ask him about his situation there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He looked up and saw that Huo Guanyuan had quietly strolled over. He smiled at him. ¡°Colonelmandant Huo, are you going back to the Huo family or to my ce?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan thought for a moment and said, ¡°I have my own dormitory too...¡±

    ¡°Your dormitory has been taken back by the organization,¡±Huo Shaoheng said tactfully. ¡°At that time, everyone thought you had died and even the title of Martyr was given to you.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan did not mind and said casually, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back to the Huo family.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng coughed again. ¡°It¡¯s good to go back to the Huo family, but my father is also at home and grandfather is in the hospital. You can take my car and go to my ce to rest first.¡±

    He pointed in the direction of his car, but before he could walk over, General Ji stopped him.

    He followed General Ji, speaker long, and the Prime Minister to General Ji¡¯s car.

    Huo Guanyuan nodded and walked over to song Jinning¡¯s side. He asked calmly, ¡°Director song, where are you staying now?¡±

    Song Jinning smiled. ¡°I¡¯m in all the dorms at the Institute of High Energy Physics. I spend most of my time in the dorms, but I bought a suite at the Third Ring Road and will be staying there on the weekends.¡±

    She and Huo Guanchen were divorced, so of course she wouldn¡¯t go back to the Huo family.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi pulled Lu Jin around a corner and saw an SUV parked in the backlight of the airport parking lot.

    What a familiar car..

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she was seeing an old friend. She couldn¡¯t wait to kiss the hood of the car.

    She had just lifted her foot when the doors on both sides of the car suddenly opened at the same time. Two men in military uniforms stepped out of the car.

    The man who had stepped out of the door on the left was wearing a military cap. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was handsome and always had a smile on his face. It was Yin Shixiong.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s footsteps suddenly stopped. She jumped on the spot and pounced on Yin Shixiong.

    ¡°Brother Xiong! Brother Xiong! I¡¯ve finally met you!¡±

    Yin Shixiong caught Gu Nianzhi who had pounced on him. He hugged her and spun her around on the ground like when he was a child.

    Gu Nianzhi almost flew into the air. She giggled, and herughter was clear and melodious. It was very infectious.

    Lu Jin had been worried and wanted to stop ¡°Brother Xiong,¡±but when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s unrestrainedughter, he knew that Gu Nianzhi was happy from the bottom of her heart. He swallowed his words.

    The man who had gotten out of the car door on the right was more handsome and refined, but he had no expression on his face. He wasn¡¯t as emotional as ¡°Brother Xiong.¡±.

    He just stood quietly by the side and waited for Yin Shixiong to put Gu nianzhi down before he nodded slightly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head to see him and cheered again. She rushed up to him and said, ¡°Brother Ze! Brother Ze! You¡¯re back from Africa? !¡±

    She really had to bring it up!

    The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched. He curled his right index finger and lightly tapped gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead, ¡°I came back from Africa a long time ago. You heartless little thing. I thought you were so dangerous. Look at how lively you are. Are you so happy that you don¡¯t want to Go Home?¡±

    ¡°How am I?¡±Gu Nianzhi covered her forehead and cried out, ¡°I miss you guys every day. I Miss Brother Xiong, brother Ze, and QIQI, but none of you are going to save me!¡±

    Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t pretend anymore and massaged her forehead, feeling sorry for her. ¡°Brother Ze was joking with you. Don¡¯t be angry, Nianzhi. Brother ze apologizes to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry!¡±Gu Nianzhi made a face. ¡°I was just joking with you!¡±

    ¡°... you¡¯re still as cheeky as ever.¡±Zhao liangze shook his head with a smile.

    He looked up and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father, Lu Jin, walking over. He quickly put away his teasing attitude and said with a smile, ¡°Hello, Mr. Lu. I¡¯m Zhao Liangze, Major General Huo¡¯s personal secretary.¡±

    Yin Shixiong also walked over to introduce himself. ¡°Mr. Lu, I¡¯m Yin Shixiong, Major General Huo¡¯s personal secretary.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held onto Lu Jin¡¯s arm and said proudly, ¡°Brother Xiong, brother Ze, he¡¯s my father, my biological father!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other, thinking that this ¡°Lu Jin¡±didn¡¯t look the same as that ¡°Gu Xiangwen.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi recalled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions on the ne, saying that only general ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai knew where she had gone. Everyone else thought that she had been kidnapped and sent abroad..

    Even Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t know.

    It wasn¡¯t that they were hiding it from them, but that their security level wasn¡¯t high enough.

    Huo Shaoheng had repeatedly warned Lu Jin, afraid that he would be exposed.

    However, Lu Yuan, or Huo Guanyuan, had only said one sentence, and Lu Jin had listened.

    Huo Guanyuan had said that if others knew that Gu Nianzhi had gone to the other world, she would not be able to live her life in peace.

    Huo Guanyuan had to admit that he knew Lu Jin the best.

    To Lu Jin, his daughter¡¯s happiness and well-being were more important than anything else.

    Therefore, when he heard this, he immediately said that there was absolutely no problem.

    No matter how unreliable he was, when it came to matters rted to Gu Nianzhi, he had never failed to do so.

    Now, facing the puzzled gazes of Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, Lu Jin said very seriously, ¡°Eight years ago, I was the one who sent Nianzhi to Huo Shao¡¯s side. Thank you for taking care of her.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze understood and did not continue asking. They smiled and nodded at him. ¡°Mr. Lu, you¡¯re too kind. Nianzhi is very obedient, very smart, and very sensible. We don¡¯t need to worry about her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, with Huo Shao around, there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about.¡±Lu Jin said in all seriousness.

    In less than three sentences, his true colors were revealed again.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze felt their faces hurt at the same time!

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and looked behind her. ¡°Get in the car! Miss Song and colonelmandant are here, and Huo Shao... eh? Where did he go?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan and song jinning walked over together. Huo Guanyuan looked at General Ji¡¯s private car. ¡°Shaoheng is in general Ji¡¯s car.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could only nod. ¡°Then let¡¯s get in the car and wait for him.¡±

    General Ji¡¯s car was now only upied by General Ji, speaker long, Prime Minister Bai, and Huo Shaoheng.

    Even the driver and personal secretary had been driven off to stand guard.

    General ji asked seriously, ¡°Shaoheng, it¡¯s good that you brought Nianzhi, Lu Jin, and Huo Guanyuan back, but what happened to that person?¡±

    He pointed to a ck van parked behind his private car.

    There was a coffin with a Caucasian man lying inside.

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s Luo Le from the other world. Luo Le III, the owner of the Luo Le Consortium.¡±

    ¡°Luo Le¡¯s financial group? It¡¯s Luo Le¡¯s financial group from our world? !¡±The white prime minister gasped in shock. ¡°It¡¯s really him? !¡±

    ¡°How could you bring him here? Didn¡¯t you want to mark the DNA?¡±General Ji looked at the car window in confusion. ¡°I heard that you came back once, but wasn¡¯t that to mark the DNA for Huo Guanyuan and Lu Jin?¡±

    Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°I just happened to have met Luo le once, so I took a few strands of his hair along the way. When I came back to mark him, I also marked him.¡±

    General Ji and the other two looked at each other.

    He knew Huo Shaoheng very well and found it hard to believe that he had only ¡°Conveniently¡±marked Luo le.

    ¡°Tell me honestly, why did you Mark Luo Le?¡±General Ji asked in a low voice. ¡°Don¡¯t try to y tricks on us!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°There¡¯s really no special reason. I just wanted to invite him over as a guest and do us a small favor...¡±

    ¡°... what favor?¡±The Prime Minister didn¡¯t understand. ¡°He came from the other world, not from this world...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±General Ji chided Huo Shaoheng coldly, ¡°Luo Le isn¡¯t a good person at all. I¡¯m sure Luo Le isn¡¯t any better... you still want to invite Luo Le to be your guest? Who Are You Fooling?¡±

    Speaker long also became serious and said in a low voice, ¡°The respiratory infection that suddenly appeared in our country a few years ago, didn¡¯t your special operations forces confirm that it was a virus strain that came from Luo Le¡¯s Lab?¡±

    ¡°Maybe Luo le over there did the same thing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng unhurriedly took out his phone and swiped open the financial news while looking for the information he was looking for, he said, ¡°Yes, we have reported our investigation to the military and the Senate¡¯s Special Task Force.¡±

    ¡°That epidemic was indeed a small test for Luo Le¡¯sb.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Luo Le here is very cautious and well-guarded. Our special operations forces organized several operations, but none were sessful. We almost alerted the enemy.¡±

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°In the end, I also met Luo Le in the other world.¡±

    ¡°He was relentlessly pursuing Nianzhi and me, so I had no choice but to y along and invite him into the trap.¡±

    As he spoke, Huo Shaoheng had found the information he was looking for and showed it to General Ji.

    ¡°... do this for me.¡±

    General Ji, speaker long, and the prime minister looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone together.

    He saw that his phone was disying important financial news from the United States.

    ¡°... Mr. Luo Le III, the president of the Luo Le Financial Group, suddenly had a heart attack. Resuscitation was ineffective and he died on the spot.¡±

    General Ji raised his eyebrows and looked up with joy.¡±... you used the principle of the corresponding body to kill Luo le here? !¡±

    Huo shaoheng said innocently, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I just wanted to invite him as a guest. Unfortunately, he passed away as soon as he arrived. I¡¯m very sorry too.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: Chapter 1930, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, too.¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    8:00 p.m. on the second night.

    PS: Thank you for the 120,000 Qidian coins that the president of Our Love Hall gave us yesterday! A new major league is emerging ~ ~ (tip will be more, don¡¯t worry)

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1931

    <h4>Chapter 1931: Chapter 1931, high-profile intimidation (second update)</h4>

    Pity my ass!

    General Ji red at Huo Shaoheng, his teeth itching.

    This guy was really going to heaven!

    Speaker long held back hisughter and spread his hands. ¡°Mr. Luo Le is an old friend of ours. It is indeed regrettable that he suddenly passed away.¡±

    Prime Minister Bai seemed to have understood something and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll send a message of condolence to the Luo Le consortium when I get back. What a pity... Mr. Luo le is really worried about our country¡¯s poption problem...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. These old guys obviously hated Luo le more than anyone else, but each of them was better at acting..

    He put away his phone and nced at the van behind him. He whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll take him to the military to be cremated right now...¡±

    General Ji nodded meaningfully. ¡°You have to personally watch him be cremated with the coffin. You Can¡¯t let others see his face.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡±Huo Shaoheng replied solemnly. ¡°I promise toplete the mission!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng got out of General Ji¡¯s car and gestured a few times to his private car.

    Yin Shixiong saw it from inside the car and reached out his hand to signal that he understood.

    He retracted his hand and said to the driver in the front seat, ¡°Drive back to Huo¡¯s official residence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng and did not ask anything.

    She suppressed her doubts in her heart and started joking with Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze with a rxed expression.

    Huo Shaoheng watched as his private car drove Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin far away and let out a soft sigh.

    He turned to look at the minivan beside him and thought, without you, we really wouldn¡¯t have been able to let Luo Le die without making a sound.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private car stopped in front of the official residence of the Special Operations Forces Headquarters.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze got out of the car first and opened the door for them.

    Gu Nianzhi got out as well and happily said to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, this is Huo Shao¡¯s home. We lived in C City for six years. I moved here two years ago because I was going to be a graduate student in Imperial City.¡±

    Actually, she had only lived in imperial city for more than a year before she was kidnapped and brought to the other side of the world.

    Lu Jin got out of the car and squinted his eyes to take a look. He then raised his hand to look at his watch as if he was looking at the time, he then said, ¡°It¡¯s not bad. The security here is pretty tight. Apart from the people standing guard on the surface, there are also snipers lurking in the dark.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    It was one thing to stand guard on the surface, but how did the snipers lurking in the dark figure it out?

    Lu Jin nced at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s undisguised confusion and smiled. ¡°Do you want to know how I figured out that there were snipers lurking in the Dark?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly.

    ¡°... if I said it was a guess...¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡±Gu Nianzhi was furious. ¡°Can we talk properly? !¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±Lu Jin was especially happy to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s angry face. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. These snipers aren¡¯t very well-hidden because they don¡¯t iste heat sources. I¡¯ve detected them.¡±

    He showed Gu Nianzhi the watch. ¡°Look, the number on the LED disy of this smartwatch is how much human heat source radiation there is around here.¡±

    ¡°Using the number on this, subtract the number of people I see, and the remaining number is the number of people I can¡¯t see.¡±

    ¡°What does it mean to be unable to see people in this ce? Of course it¡¯s an ambush sniper! ¡ª and it also shows that the heat source is from a sniper gun...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in awe.

    She had to hand it to him!

    How high could the human heat radiation be?

    The most important thing was that the device was too sensitive!

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were shocked.

    The snipers lying in ambush around the residence of the great general of the Special Operations Forces¡¯headquarters were known to be the most secretive in all of China!

    Lu Jin had detected them in less than a second? !

    If the enemy had detected them, the consequences would have been unimaginable..

    Zhao liangze immediately walked over and respectfully said to Lu Jin, ¡°Mr. Lu, can you share with us the sensitivity of your heat detection? We can improve our work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is worth improving,¡±Lu Jin said bluntly. ¡°But no matter how you improve it, I can detect it here. But don¡¯t panic, I¡¯m probably the only one who can detect it. It¡¯s impossible for others to detect it.¡±

    Zhao Liangze:¡±...¡±

    Gu nianzhi tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Dad, I often live here... if it¡¯s not safe here, I really don¡¯t know where is safe...¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±Lu Jin thought for a moment and took off his modified smartwatch and ced it in Zhao Liangze¡¯s hand, ¡°You can experiment with it, but let me tell you, the key is that the materials used to iste the heat source are not up to standard, so in front of the more sensitive heat source detector, your ambush can not be hidden.¡±

    Song Jinning was also listening and asked curiously, ¡°Do you have the materials to iste the heat source?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡±Lu Jin said without hesitation, ¡°But with your technology, it shouldn¡¯t be to this extent, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze¡¯s faces hurt, but their knees also hurt!

    Gu Nianzhi smiled awkwardly at them and stammered to exin, ¡°What my dad means is that you guys have done well enough, so don¡¯t think too much about it...¡±

    Yin Shixiong was angry and amused at the same time. He patted her head lightly and said, ¡°You little girl, you might as well not say it. Listen, what¡¯s the difference between worrying over nothing and worrying over nothing?¡±

    ¡°... that¡¯s exactly what I mean. It¡¯s just a different way of saying it.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled cheekily.

    Zhao Liangze had already dragged Lu Jin to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. He was earnestly asking him about electromaic signal shielding and physical heat source shielding, as well asputer programming for intelligent signal detection.

    Song Jinning also joined in the discussion, and the three of them quickly entered the academic atmosphere.

    Yin Shixiong did not know much about these things, so he was left behind. He smiled at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Nianzhi, that¡¯s great. As your father, I think the military will worship him like a Bodhisattva!¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡±Gu Nianzhi said proudly. ¡°My father¡¯s abilities are awesome! If you don¡¯t like it, don¡¯t hang him. Just die of anger.¡±

    Yin Shixiongughed loudly, and even the calm Huo Guanyuan curled his lips.

    He had lived with Lu Jin for eighteen years, so how could he not know Lu Jin¡¯s abilities?

    He also understood Lu Jin¡¯s intentions..

    In order to ¡°Intimidate¡±the people in the military, Lu Jin had to rack his brains before he could show off his abilities.

    He was actually not such a high-profile person, but he was now very clear that his presence was a great help to Gu Nianzhi.

    So he no longer hid it.

    The few of them entered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. Zhao liangze, Lu Jin, and Song Jinning had already gone upstairs to investigate.

    Yin Shixiong led Huo Guanyuan to a suite on the first floor with familiarity and said, ¡°Colonel Commandant Huo, you¡¯ll be staying here for the time being. I see that the military will have other arrangements for you, so you don¡¯t have to rush.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡±Huo Guanyuan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good to have a ce to stay. I¡¯m Not Picky.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking about Huo Guanyuan¡¯s huge businesses and assets in the other world.

    That was the Inte Security Empire he had built with his bare hands after he had gone there!

    But he had given up just like that. He wasn¡¯t reluctant at all.

    Gu Nianzhi was very impressed with Huo Guanyuan. She rolled her eyes and went to her room on the second floor to get a key card and a bunch of keys, she said to Huo guanyuan, ¡°Uncle Huo, this is one of my apartments. I Won¡¯t be staying there for the time being. If you¡¯re free, you can stay at my ce.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan obviously would not want Gu Nianzhi¡¯s apartment. He smiled and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s fine for me to stay here. Besides, the military probably has ns for me. Thank you for your kindness.¡±

    Seeing that Yin Shixiong wasn¡¯t in the house, Gu Nianzhi waved her keys and whispered, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go? I live in the same apartment block and building as Ms. Song...¡±

    Huo Guanyuan naturally reached out to take the key and key. He smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay here for a few days. I¡¯ll return it to you when I have a house.¡±

    ¡°No need, no need. You can stay here as long as you want.¡±Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Huo Shao actually bought this house. I can be considered to have returned it to its owner.¡±

    ¡°Is it Shaoheng¡¯s money? He bought it for you. Uncle is only borrowing it for a few days.¡±Huo Guanyuan spoke openly, as if he had no selfish motives at all.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes in her heart. Boss Lu, you¡¯re not young anymore. Why are you still so reserved? !

    But she still smiled and said, ¡°Colonelmandant, Huo Shao paid for this money from his trust fund. You also have a share in grandmother¡¯s inheritance.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s eyes shed with sadness at the mention of Xie Ziyan.

    Instead, he returned the key card and key to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to chase after him and ask him where he was going, but when she heard that he had gone out, she called Yin Shixiong and asked him to help prepare a car. He said he wanted to go back to the Huo family mansion, so she did not follow him.

    She walked up the spiral staircase and headed to Lu Jin and song jinning on the second floor.

    She pulled song jinning to the side and whispered, ¡°Miss song, Colonel Commandant Huo Guanyuan has returned to the Huo family mansion. Do you want to follow him?¡±

    Song jinning asked curiously, ¡°Why should I follow him? I¡¯ve already divorced Huo Guanchen. That¡¯s not my home.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She thought to herself, I only let you go because you divorced Huo Guanchen..

    That jerk of yours didn¡¯te to the airport to wee them. He probably didn¡¯t know that his big brother, Huo Guanyuan, had returned, right?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1931, ¡°High profile shock and awe.¡±.

    To remind everyone of their monthly tickets and rmendation tickets

    It was the second update of the day.

 Chapter 1932

    <h4>Chapter 1932: No one could rece Chapter 1932(first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi thought of something when she looked at song Jinning¡¯s beautiful face and her confused eyes.

    Beauty is beauty, but no soul..

    No, it wasn¡¯t that song Jinning didn¡¯t have a soul, it was that she didn¡¯t have the love between a man and a woman, wasn¡¯t it?

    Then how did Huo Guanchen, the scum, catch up to song jinning?

    Just as she was having a headache, she suddenly heard Lu Jin¡¯s voice approaching from afar.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Where¡¯s Nianzhi? And where¡¯s boss Lu?¡±

    Lu Jin hade down from upstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She quickly poked her head out of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s suite and waved at Lu Jin. ¡°Dad,e here for a moment!¡±

    Lu Jin beamed the moment he saw Gu Nianzhi. His mood was as clear as a clear sky after a rainy day.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What are you doing here?¡±Lu Jin walked in.

    Lu Jin stopped in his tracks when he saw that song Jinning was also in the house. He quickly scanned the room. ¡°Eh? Boss Lu isn¡¯t Here?¡±

    Song jinning knew that the ¡°Boss Lu¡±Lu Jin had mentioned was Lu Yuan, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s alias in the other world.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Lu is looking for Shaoheng¡¯s uncle, right? He went back to the Huo family.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and said politely to song jinning, which was rare for him. ¡°Ms. Song, you can call me Lu Jin. Mr. Lu is too polite.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you can call me jinning too.¡±Song Jinning tried her best to get close to Lu Jin.

    She had only talked to Lu Jin about a few high-energy physics issues. Lu Jin¡¯s knowledge and insights had been an eye-opener for her, and she was full of admiration for him.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that the two of them were bing more and more friendly, and felt a little guilty, she quickly said, ¡°Dad, colonelmandant Huo went back to his house. I heard that his younger brother is at home. Sigh, I wonder if colonelmandant Huo can handle his powerful younger brother...¡±

    Lu Jin was confused,¡±... There are still people that boss Lu can¡¯t handle? Nianzhi, you¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was serious, and her expression was unusually serious as she said, ¡°Why would I fool you? The person who can fool you has never been born in any world!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±Lu Jin was very satisfied with this answer, but he still asked in confusion, ¡°But boss Lu is only slightly weaker than me. His brother can¡¯t be more powerful than him, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how powerful colonelmandant Huo¡¯s brother is.¡±Gu Nianzhi coughed, ¡°I only know that colonelmandant Huo¡¯s younger brother is able to get the woman that colonelmandant Huo couldn¡¯t get. Also, colonelmandant Huo is his younger brother¡¯s biological son! Someone who can give birth to such a powerful son, is he even more powerful in person? !¡±

    Lu Jin immediately said, ¡°That may not be the case.¡±. From a gic perspective, there was also the possibility of a gene mutation. Although the possibility was not high, there were so many people in the world. If the number of mutations wasrge enough, there was always the possibility of a mutation. Otherwise, why would there be such a thing as a good bamboo shoot?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was almost at a loss for words because of Lu Jin, so she had no choice but to follow him.

    She stomped her feet and said coquettishly in a long voice, ¡°Dad! Are you going or not? ! If colonelmandant Huo gets sick from his brother¡¯s anger, who¡¯s going to cook for us? !¡±

    Lu Jin suddenly looked up and was in high spirits. ¡°You¡¯re right! Boss Lu may be amazing, but he doesn¡¯t directly go against people. Everyone says he can talk, but I actually think he¡¯s angered himself to the point of internal injury.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    He had a high eq!

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, but seeing that Lu Jin had already decided to go to the Huo family, she didn¡¯t continue to argue.

    As she held Lu Jin¡¯s arm, Gu Nianzhi turned to look at song jinning, she smiled and said, ¡°Miss Song, my father is unfamiliar with this ce, and he doesn¡¯t know how to talk. Do you want to follow him? If my father says something wrong and offends general Huo Guanchen, would you still be able to speak up for him?¡±

    ¡°... actually, my words are useless,¡±song Jinning said tactfully. ¡°Huo Guanchen has no feelings for me, and I have no feelings for him either. I don¡¯t want to see him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little frustrated and asked in confusion, ¡°Miss Song, can you really control your feelings so freely?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Song jinning nodded and said directly, ¡°My feelings are very simple. It¡¯s like having an on-off switch in my mind.¡±

    ¡°If I like it, I¡¯ll turn it on and let the emotions flow.¡±

    ¡°Once I hate it and don¡¯t like it, I won¡¯t hesitate to withdraw my feelings and turn it on and off.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    It was really thenguage of a scientist. Gu Nianzhi felt very tired.

    Lu Jin listened with relish and nodded quickly. ¡°Well said, well said! I¡¯ve always thought that rtionships can actually be quantified.¡±

    ¡°Some people say that it¡¯s meaningless to be calctive in rtionships, but that¡¯s actually not the case.¡±

    ¡°But I feel that it would be great if we could be calctive in rtionships. This way, we can derive a form to verify whether this rtionship will seed in advance.¡±

    ¡°If the sess rate is very low, there¡¯s no need to start at all. It¡¯s a waste of time and life.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s eyes lit up, and she almost shook Lu Jin¡¯s hand. ¡°Bosom friend! Lu Jin, I really didn¡¯t expect someone to be able to express my feelings so clearly!¡±

    ¡°I just felt that it was too time-consuming to talk about rtionships, so when I was young, I cut the Gordian knot and married the person who chased after me the most,¡±song Jinning said regretfully, ¡°Of course the results weren¡¯t satisfactory. They were all the result of not properly deducing the form.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head was about to explode when she saw that the two of them were already walking away and discussing the variables and functions that their ¡°Love inequality¡±required in order to obtain the optimal results.

    With these two talented scientists together, she could foresee that in the near future, they might invent anguage that only the two of them could understand tomunicate!

    Was director Lu really going to suffer a tragedy?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the backs of the two people in front of her in panic, not knowing what to do.

    She did not want to get involved in the love lives of the elders, but it was only because Huo Guanyuan¡¯s decades of bitter love had been too hard that she felt sympathetic and wanted to help him.

    But her father and song Jinning really got along..

    She liked all three of them very much and did not want any of them to be sad.

    What should she do?

    Zhao liangze walked over with Lu Jin¡¯s smartwatch. Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anxious expression, he asked in surprise, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s wrong? We¡¯re already here. Is there anything else you¡¯re worried about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him. ¡°Brother ZE, did you use my father¡¯s invention to pay for the patent fee?¡±

    Zhao liangze immediately put on a smile. ¡°Little Nianzhi, we¡¯re family. Uncle¡¯s invention is your invention. Why would you be so calctive with brother Ze?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. She suddenly thought of Bai Shuang in the opposite world, and of course, Zhao Liangze in the opposite world.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have any feelings for Zhao liangze. As expected, she wasn¡¯t someone who looked at faces..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood improved again. Her dark jade-like eyes were filled with a smile. She suddenly asked, ¡°Brother ze, if there was a girl who looked exactly like Bai Shuang, would you... fall in love with her?¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s smile froze on his face.

    It had been a long time since he had heard the name ¡°Bai Shuang.¡±No one around him, be it family, friends, colleagues, or even their superiors, would mention the name in front of him.

    They thought that the moment the name was mentioned, he would be heartbroken and in pain.

    Yes, he would be heartbroken and in pain, but he actually hoped that someone would mention Bai Shuang in front of him and talk about Bai Shuang with him. That way, he would not be the only one missing her.

    He would feel that she had not left yet and that she had always lived in everyone¡¯s hearts.

    Moreover, as long as he heard the name, his mood would be like a roller coaster, one moment high, one moment low.

    To him, the feeling of weightlessness was like a stimnt. He could not resist it.

    He was the only one who had tasted the mixed feelings of sweetness and bitterness. Now, there was finally someone else.

    Zhao Liangze looked at Gu Nianzhi with aplicated expression and said softly,¡±... No, even if she looks exactly like Bai Shuang, I know it¡¯s not her.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember? When Bai Shuang started chasing me, I thought she was interested in Huo Shao...¡±Zhao liangze said with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She wasn¡¯t interested in hearing that!

    Anything rted to Huo Shao was blocked.

    Gu Nianzhi turned and left to chase after Lu Jin and song jinning.

    Yin Shixiong had juste out of the restaurant and asked, ¡°Nianzhi, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk with my dad and Miss Song.¡±Gu Nianzhi waved back without looking back. ¡°Brother Xiong, go back and tell Qiqi that I¡¯ll be free in a few days, so I¡¯ll go visit her.¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded quickly. ¡°Qiqi has been thinking about you. Why Don¡¯t you go look for her tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°I might not be free tomorrow.¡±Gu Nianzhi was thinking about Lu Jin. She had to make arrangements for her father¡¯s life and work before she had the time to do her own thing.

    Yin shixiong quickly said, ¡°Then call Qiqi Yourself Tonight!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call herter.¡±Gu Nianzhi had actually wanted to contact Ma Qiqi as soon as she got back, but she wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing now, so she didn¡¯t dare disturb her.

    Now that Yin Shixiong said he was fine, she could call him.

    She looked up and saw that Lu Jin and song Jinning had already arrived at the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly looked for yin shixiong and said, ¡°Brother Xiong, give me a car. I¡¯ll drive them around.¡±

    Yin Shixiong called the orderly to bring a car over and said, ¡°This car is more stable. Don¡¯t drive too fast.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±Gu Nianzhi ran quickly to the door and stopped Lu Jin and song jinning. ¡°Please Wait a moment, I have someone drive over.¡±

    Not long after, a ck SUV stopped in front of them.

    The orderly got out of the car and handed the car keys to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi thanked him with a smile and sat in the driver¡¯s seat.

    Lu Jin opened the car door and invited song jinning to get into the car first. He also sat in the car.

    Gu Nianzhi had been feeling a little uneasy, but when she saw Lu Jin let song jinning sit in the back seat while she sat in the passenger seat next to Gu Nianzhi, Gu Nianzhi was happy again.

    It seemed that in Lu Jin¡¯s heart, the most important thing was still his daughter..

    Gu Nianzhi was ted, but after she started the car and drove off, she felt a little guilty.

    After thinking for a long time, she didn¡¯t know if the subtle hints would work on Lu Jin and song jinning. She decided to go straight to the point and simply asked, ¡°Dad, do you want to find me another Mother?¡±

    Lu Jin was looking at the scenery outside the car window attentively. He was stunned when he heard this.¡±... Why should I find you another mother? ! Nianzhi, no one can rece your mother!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She asked song jinning again, ¡°Where¡¯s Mrs. Song? You¡¯re so beautiful. Are you nning to start a Second Life?¡±

    Song jinning frowned. ¡°Talking about rtionships is a waste of time. My work schedule is full right now, so I don¡¯t have time to talk about rtionships.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. ¡°If you have the time, you might as well do experimental programming!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s what I said. Besides, I¡¯m already so old, and I¡¯m about to have a grandson. How can I have the time to fall in love like a young man?¡±Song Jinning and Lu Jin had a lot inmon.

    When it came to the topic of ¡°Grandchildren,¡±the two of them had even more inmon.

    Lu Jin turned around happily and looked at song jinning. ¡°By the way, after Nianzhi and Huo Shao get married, do you think it would be better to have a few children?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1932, no one can rece it.

    It was to remind everyone of their monthly tickets and rmendation tickets

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    PS: to announce that a certain Han¡¯s book group after the streamlining, there are only three groups.

    Cambrian major group: group number 229600548, any of a certain Han any book leader can join, including the starting point and deduct reading (Yunqi) on both sides of the book. The benefits of this group are all shared.

    Cambrian full subscription group: Group Number 146941331, this group is for the legitimate full subscription of the book. This group also has benefits, the specific conditions see group announcement.

    Ordinary fan group: group number 657793292, anyone who likes the major general¡¯s book can join, no fan value requirements.

    Wee to the group to y, exchangements or even urge to update can ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Mwah You Big Angel ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1933

    <h4>Chapter 1933: Chapter 1933: Brothers Meet Again (second update)</h4>

    Song Jinning was a woman after all, so she knew what she was doing.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi said she¡¯ll have as many as she wants. I Won¡¯t rush them.¡±

    Lu Jin took her seriously. ¡°But you said you wanted grandchildren just now? Why aren¡¯t you rushing them now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and was about to smooth things over for song jinning, unexpectedly, song Jinning exined with a straight face, ¡°I was just being polite. The main point is that I¡¯m old enough to have a grandchild. I don¡¯t have to have a grandchild, nor do I have any intention of hastening the birth process.¡±

    Lu Jin understood and nodded. ¡°Yes, Ms. Song is very serious. I misunderstood.¡±

    Song Jinning saw that Lu Jin had corrected his mistake and had a better impression of him.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was still driving silently in front, she was worried that she would be unhappy, she said guiltily, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t overthink it. I really didn¡¯t mean to hasten the birth.¡±. Actually, you¡¯re only 20 years old and have just started your career. You Don¡¯t have that much time to have children. I understand. Besides, I¡¯m also so busy. I probably only have time to visit my grandson on the weekends. I don¡¯t have time to take care of your children.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, Mrs. Song had never even taken care of her own son. It was her mother-inw, Xie Ziyan, who had personally raised Huo Shaoheng. How could she have time to take care of her grandson?

    She had never counted on it, but she had no ns to have a child in the near future..

    Gu Nianzhi gripped the steering wheel tightly and smiled sheepishly. ¡°Mrs. Song, I Know You¡¯re joking. But to be honest, having a child is indeed taking too much time...¡±

    ¡°Why is it taking too much time?¡±Lu Jin whispered. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m going to make a fertilized egg and find a surrogate...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cast a sidelong nce at him. Lu Jin immediately pursed his lips and did not dare to say another word.

    After a while.., gu nianzhi slowly said, ¡°A baby is definitely going to be born. It¡¯s impossible not to have one. But only one, no more. Also, I don¡¯t want to ¡®make a fertilized egg¡¯or ¡®find a surrogate.''¡±

    ¡°I want to have a child. I want to have one myself.¡±

    Lu Jin was restless. He thought Gu Nianzhi was angry and racked his brain to make her happy.

    ¡°Nianzhi, Dad doesn¡¯t want to hasten the birth. Actually, you can have as many children as you want. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have one.¡±Lu Jin reflected on himself, ¡°Dad wants you to have your own family and children. Don¡¯t be like dad and spend your whole life alone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes reddened immediately. She quickly said, ¡°Dad, I know. You¡¯re doing fine. If I could be like you, I¡¯d wake upughing even in my dreams.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s So Good About Me?¡±Lu Jin looked at himself in confusion. ¡°I¡¯ve never been married, not even to my own children...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless again. She quickly changed the topic. ¡°Dad, you know high-energy physics! I fell asleep when I read physics books.¡±

    Song Jinning was interested in this topic and immediately started talking to Lu Jin again. She said, ¡°Nianzhi is so smart. It would be a shame if she didn¡¯t study physics andw. I¡¯ve been trying to persuade her to study high-energy physics with me, but she just wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±

    Lu Jin had nothing inmon with song jinning again, he immediately said, ¡°That won¡¯t do. Nianzhi was born to studyw. Her biological mother is a very famouswyer. I¡¯m very happy that she inherited her mother¡¯s legal talent.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t you want her to inherit your mantle and learn physics from you?¡±Song Jinning was surprised, but also curious about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother. ¡°What about Nianzhi¡¯s mother? Why didn¡¯t shee with you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, of course, had never mentioned Qin Suwen to Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning had no idea that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother was an unspeakable taboo for Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi nced worriedly at Lu Jin. As expected, his expression had darkened. He pursed his lips tightly and looked stubbornly out the window, but did not speak.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to say vaguely and tactfully, ¡°Mrs. Song, it¡¯s a long story. But My dad doesn¡¯t want to talk about it, so please bear with me.¡±

    Song Jinning understood that she was not a gossipy person, so she immediately apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nianzhi. Mr. Lu, I shouldn¡¯t have asked this question.¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s good to know one¡¯s mistakes and be able to correct them.¡±

    Both he and song Jinning had admitted their mistakes once, and their understanding of each other had deepened.

    Gu Nianzhi listened to their conversation and smiled slightly. She drove faster and faster.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to arrive at the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the militarypound.

    There was already a car parked in front of the carved iron gate. Judging from the license te, it was the special operations forces car.

    This must be the car Huo Guanyuan was in.

    Gu Nianzhi parked the car and got out. She asked the driver of the car, ¡°May I ask when colonelmandant Huo arrived?¡±

    The driver stood upright beside the car like he was standing guard. He quickly said, ¡°Colonelmandant Huo just arrived. He just went in.¡±

    He knew Gu Nianzhi and was very respectful to her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She turned to Lu Jin and song Jinning, who had just gotten out of the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Song Jinning had lived here for more than 30 years. Although she had been ill for more than a decade, she was still very familiar with this ce.

    Gu Nianzhi had only been here a few times, but she had a good memory and had a deep impression of this ce. Therefore, she led Lu Jin in with familiarity.

    The soldier standing guard at the Huo family¡¯s entrance recognized Gu Nianzhi and song jinning, but not Lu Jin.

    When they walked over, he reached out to stop them and asked, ¡°May I ask who this gentleman is? Do you have a pass?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°This gentleman is my father. He¡¯s here to meet my fianc¨¦¡¯s father.¡±

    The soldier standing guard thought silently for a moment before figuring out the rtionship between these rtives.

    He retracted his hand and saluted Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Lawyer Gu, pleasee in.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in return. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The three of them walked through the carved iron gate at the entrance of the courtyard and along the bluestone path to the main house of the Huo residence.

    Lu Jin looked around and shook his head. ¡°The houses here don¡¯t have the grandeur of the He family.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, how could theypare?

    The He family was like an emperor in the opposite world. They were the absolute number one family.

    The Huo family, on the other hand, had a rtively ordinary status in the upper echelons.

    If it weren¡¯t for Huo Shaoheng, a rising star who had been specially groomed by General Ji, the Huo family would probably be in decline with just Huo Xuenong and Huo Guanchen.

    Song jinning nced at Lu Jin. She knew that things in the other world weren¡¯t that simple, but these weren¡¯t things that an educated person like her could ask. She pretended not to hear anything and walked up the stairs with Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi led the way.

    Pushing open the door, Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Guanyuan¡¯s tall figure standing in the middle of the living room with his back to the door.

    In the slightly sunken middle of the living room, an l-shaped navy blue sofa circled the middle of the living room. Another tall man stood in front of the sofa and looked at the person in front of him in surprise.

    The man standing in front of the sofa was, of course, Huo Guanchen.

    His eyes widened as he watched the man walk in with steady steps.

    ¡°... Big... Big Brother? !¡±He took a few quick steps forward and was about to shake Huo Guanyuan¡¯s hand when he said in pleasant surprise, ¡°You¡¯re Really My Big Brother? ! You¡¯re still alive? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alive. I must have disappointed you, right?¡±Huo Guanyuan put one hand behind his back. He had no intention of shaking Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand, but his fist was clenched tightly behind his back.

    The scenes that Huo Shaoheng had told him in the other world appeared in his mind, and the expression on his face could not help but grow colder.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1933, ¡°Brothers meet.¡±.

    Monthly tickets and rmendation tickets to remind everyone

    It was the second update of the day.

 Chapter 1934

    <h4>Chapter 1934: Chapter 1934</h4>

    ¡°Big Brother? ! You really are my big brother! It¡¯s been eighteen years, where have you been? ! Back then, everyone thought you were really in that failed experiment!¡±Huo Guanchen was pleasantly surprised as he strode forward.

    He wanted to shake hands with Huo Guanyuan, but Huo Guanyuan had both his hands behind his back.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s outstretched handnded in mid-air with an awkward expression.

    However, he quickly recovered. After all, the surprise of seeing his big brother all of a sudden overshadowed the awkwardness he felt just now.

    ¡°... Big Brother, how have you been all these years? Did You... Go On a Mission?¡±Huo Guanchen greeted him warmly, ¡°Quick, sit down. What do you want to drink? I¡¯m so happy today! Big Brother, we haven¡¯t seen each other for eighteen years. We must get drunk today!¡±

    He had already realized that Huo Guanyuan was the backbone of the intelligence department.

    In intelligence work, sometimes people would ¡°Fake their deaths¡±and change their identity to carry out missions.

    Of course, it was very rare to see someone like Huo Guanyuan go away for 18 years.

    Huo Guanchen did not continue to ask where Huo Guanyuan had gone for the past 18 years. He had alreadye back to his senses and knew that these things were not for him to ask.

    However, Huo Guanyuan did not sit down. His expression was slightly cold as he said in a gentle tone, ¡°What have you been doing all these years? What have you been doing for the past 18 years when I was not at home? !¡±

    Huo Guanchen had always admired and respected his big brother since he was young. He had always thought that his big brother was a mountain that he could not cross.

    However, after Huo Guanyuan¡¯s ¡°Sacrifice,¡±Huo Guanchen worked hard. Now that his military rank was far higher than his big brother when he went missing, his confidence was back.

    ¡°... brother, you¡¯re not here anymore. Father ced all his hopes on me. I¡¯m under too much pressure. However, I¡¯ve always followed your example and didn¡¯t dare to ck off.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t disappoint father and brother¡¯s expectations. I¡¯m already a general now,¡±Huo Guanchen said with a smile, ¡°Brother, are you really not going to sit down? Do you know how many things have happened in the past 18 years... Oh, right, your wife, Luo Xinxue, has passed away many years ago.¡±

    Huo Guanchen could not help but sigh when he thought of Luo Xinxue and Luo Jin.

    ¡°Brother, you hid it so well! Luo Jin is actually not your biological daughter!¡±Huo Guanchen shook his head, he said regretfully, ¡°She made a big mistaketer and was sentenced to prison. She has already died in prison. What a pity...¡±

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s tone that had just eased up suddenly seemed to freeze.¡±... pity? Luo Jin abused your seriously sick ex-wife for more than 10 years, and you actually think she¡¯s a pity? !¡±

    Boom!

    Huo Guanyuan took a step forward and punched Huo Guanchen in the chest, sending him flying backward andnding on the l-shaped couch behind him.

    Although he did not fall to the ground, Huo Guanchen almost vomited blood from the punch to the chest.

    He felt a sharp pain in his chest and saw stars. He held his throat so tightly that he was tongue-tied and his face turned purple.

    Gu Nianzhi, song jinning, and Lu Jin walked in at this moment.

    They did not see Huo Guanyuan make a move. They only saw Huo Guanchen lying on the sofa, half-dead, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

    It was obvious that he had been beaten up.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and almost pped her hands in approval.

    Lu Jin walked to Huo Guanyuan¡¯s side and stood still. He looked between Huo Guanyuan and Huo Guanchen and asked hesitantly,¡±... This is your biological brother?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan nodded. He was no longer gentle and calm. Instead, he said in a cold voice, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know me, but I do know him!¡±

    ¡°... not so good...¡±Lu Jin walked over and tilted his head to look at Huo Guanchen carefully. ¡°Not as handsome as you, and not as capable as you. It seems that you can¡¯t fight either.¡±

    He turned back to look at song Jinning and asked curiously,¡±... Ms. Song, What¡¯s wrong with your taste? Why did you choose such a thing and not our boss Lu?¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s face instantly turned red.

    This was the first time she had experienced the lethality of Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Severe interpersonal disorder.¡±.

    He was truly a fair and impartial person who attacked without discrimination.

    Gu Nianzhi had wanted to mediate the situation, but she saw Huo Guanchen¡¯s angry expression from the corner of her eye as he struggled to get up from the sofa. She immediately shut her mouth.

    Huo Guanchen finally saw song jinning and, of course, Gu Nianzhi. However, at that moment, he was so excited that he didn¡¯t even take Gu Nianzhi and the tall, skinny man seriously.

    With one hand on the sofa and the other on his chest, he finally stood up and said hoarsely,¡±... Big Brother? Are you really my real Big Brother?¡±

    ¡°Are you disappointed that I didn¡¯t sacrifice you?¡±Huo Guanyuan clenched his fists again and said coldly with dark eyes, ¡°Or do you not want to acknowledge me?¡±

    Huo Guanchen wiped the difort at the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at Huo Guanyuan. He said word by word, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to acknowledge you, but you don¡¯t treat me as your real brother! My Real Big Brother has never hit me!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan pursed his lips and put his hands in his trouser pockets. He said to Huo guanchen, ¡°There¡¯s a first time for everything. You have to get used to it. Besides, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to acknowledge me. General Ji can just acknowledge me.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was shocked and even more surprised. ¡°General Ji Knows You¡¯re back? ! Why didn¡¯t anyone inform me? !¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re getting off the ne today. General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai are all at the airport to personally wee colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan back to the country.¡±Gu Nianzhi deliberately made it sound like it was all because of Huo Guanyuan.

    Although he was also one of the reasons, the biggest reason was actually Lu Jin.

    However, Huo Guanchen did not need to know.

    ¡°As for why no one told you that your brother, colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan, had returned to the team, don¡¯t you know that?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s venomous tongue was also very hateful.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s chest was filled with even more resentment.

    His face turned the color of a pig¡¯s liver. He pointed at Gu Nianzhi with trembling hands and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, the elders are talking. Don¡¯t interrupt!¡±

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t bear to see others talking about his daughter. He took a step forward and pushed Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand away. He raised his head and said, ¡°Speak properly! What nonsense are you pointing at? ! When did my daughter interrupt? She has the freedom of speech provided by the Constitution!¡±

    ¡°Tell me, which section of thew is that? I can¡¯t interrupt when the elders are talking?¡±

    Huo Guanchen red at Lu Jin and said in a low voice, ¡°Who are you, sir? Didn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father pass away? Where did he get a father?¡±

    ¡°PFFT! You¡¯re the one who passed away!¡±Lu Jin was furious. He tapped Huo Guanchen¡¯s forehead with his finger. ¡°Listen carefully! I¡¯m Nianzhi¡¯s biological father! I have DNA as proof!¡±

    ¡°Chief, are you okay?¡±The orderly soldiers of the Huo residence gathered around.

    They wouldn¡¯t just stand by and watch this group of peoplee knocking on their chief¡¯s face.

    However, there were four people who came knocking. One was the chief¡¯s ex-wife, one was the chief¡¯s son¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and the other sounded like the chief¡¯s biological brother. As for the tall and thin man, he was the chief¡¯s son¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡¯s father, he was also the chief¡¯s future inw..

    Speaking of which, they were not outsiders..

    Therefore, they were also cautious and did not rush forward rashly.

    If not for these peopleing to visit, these orderly soldiers would have already arrested all these intruders before they made a move.

    The guns on their bodies were not toy guns..

    Huo Guanchen waved his hand at his orderly. ¡°I¡¯m Fine, you guys can go down.¡±

    He tried to stand up straight and looked deeply at song Jinning, who had been silent the whole time. He then said to Huo guanyuan, ¡°Big Brother, we haven¡¯t seen each other for 18 years. I didn¡¯t expect you to beat up my little brother the moment we met.¡±

    ¡°What did my little brother Do to You, Big Brother? You want to hit me so hard?¡±

    ¡°Why should I hit you? Don¡¯t you know?¡±Huo Guanyuan was unconsciously influenced by Gu Nianzhi and used her words.

    Huo Guanchen looked at song jinning again and saw that she didn¡¯t even look at him. She looked extremely distant and he was furious, he continued, ¡°I really didn¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯m an idiot. Back then, my own big brother coveted my wife. I didn¡¯t know either!¡±

    ¡°So when Big Brother returns eighteen yearster, the first thing he does is not go home to see me and father, but to see his little brother¡¯s wife and bring her to his house to show off. I¡¯d rather not have such a big brother!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan was furious. He took a step forward and grabbed Huo Guanchen by thepel of his shirt. He said angrily, ¡°Do you only see men and women in your eyes? ! No wonder you¡¯re so Shameless!¡±

    Without turning his head, he pointed at song Jinning who was standing diagonally behind him, ¡°Back then, Mrs. Song was seriously ill. You divorced her when she was seriously ill. You¡¯vepletely disgraced the men of the Huo Family!¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m angry just because of Ms. Song? ! Huo Guanchen, have you forgotten how our biological mother passed away? !¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes darkened, and he looked like a deted balloon in front of Huo Guanyuan.

    ¡°Do you want me to remind you?¡±Huo Guanyuan carried Huo Guanchen upstairs and brought him to the former residence of their biological mother, Xie Ziyan.

    ¡°Open the door!¡±Huo Guanyuan held Huo Guanchen¡¯s arm and put his palm on the fingerprint lock at the door.

    The lock was unlocked.

    Huo Guanyuan looked up. Fortunately, the ce was still as decorated as it had been when his mother, Xie Ziyan, was still alive.

    Huo Guanyuan gritted his teeth and threw Huo Guanchen in. He walked in himself and mmed the door shut.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin caught up with him, but only heard the door close in time.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction the two of them had disappeared in and said thoughtfully, ¡°That was Huo Shao¡¯s grandmother¡¯s old room, the biological mother of Huo Guanyuan and Huo Guanchen.¡±

    Lu Jin replied with an ¡°OH¡±and looked around the Huo family¡¯s small building. He nodded and said, ¡°The security here is good. Huo Shao did it himself, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t too sure. ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs and talk to Ms. Song.¡±

    Lu Jin said, ¡°Boss Lu is better at fighting than Shaoheng¡¯s biological father. We don¡¯t have to worry about him losing out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. Ms. Song will be bored by herself downstairs.¡±Gu Nianzhi said as she turned and went downstairs.

    She had originallye to help Huo Guanyuan, in case he couldn¡¯t beat Huo Guanchen, so she had to help him.

    But now it was Huo Guanchen who couldn¡¯t beat Huo Guanyuan, so Gu Nianzhi naturally pretended not to see. She hid as far away as she could..

    In Xie Ziyan¡¯s room, Huo Guanchen was pressed down by Huo Guanyuan and knelt in front of Xie Ziyan¡¯s photo.

    ¡°... take a good look. Are you worthy of Our Mother?¡±Huo guanyuan knelt beside Huo Guanchen with one leg and pinched the back of his neck with his hand, forcing him to look up at the photo on the mantel. His face was livid, ¡°I knew long ago that the head nurse surnamed Zhang was having an affair with her father. I warned her many times.¡±

    ¡°You actually let her into the house and brought her illegitimate son and family in. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1934, ¡°Need to be taught a lesson¡±.

    Remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~

    Today¡¯s second update.

    Second Update 8:00 pm.

    PS: thanks to ¡°Helen 3500 balls¡±for the 30,000 starting point coins given yesterday, congrattions to ¡°Helen 3500 balls¡±for bing Major General¡¯s 34th President!

    Mwah, big and small angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1935

    <h4>Chapter 1935: Chapter 1935 blood-rted brothers, clear ounts (second update)</h4>

    Hearing his eldest brother, who had been away from home for eighteen years, mention his mother, Xie Ziyan, huo guanchen said bitterly, ¡°Eldest brother, you know that you didn¡¯t clean up early and let nurse Zhang continue to stay by Father¡¯s side. Now You Want to me me?¡±

    He pushed hard and got rid of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s hand and stood up from the ground.

    Although Huo Guanyuan was pinching the back of Huo Guanchen¡¯s neck, he did not use too much force. Otherwise, Huo Guanchen would not be able to stand up.

    However, Huo Guanchen only felt that he had grown stronger. Although his big brother was powerful, he was not an easy target!

    He turned around and looked at his big brother who was half a head taller than him, he sneered, ¡°Big Brother, what do you do? And what do I do? ¡ª I did not have your insight into people¡¯s hearts in my life. I really did not know that head nurse Zhang had an unspeakable rtionship with father.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan¡¯s gaze fell on Xie Ziyan¡¯s photo, his expression slightly cold, ¡°Don¡¯t try to justify yourself. Even if you didn¡¯t know at the beginning, you would have known that her whole family had moved in. No matter how slow you are, you would have known. Otherwise, how did you climb to such a high position?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... Big Brother, you¡¯re finally telling the truth! You just can¡¯t stand to see me being better than you!¡±

    Under the bright lights in the room, Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression turned ferocious for a moment.

    ¡°Since I was young, you¡¯ve been better and more capable than me. I ept it! Who asked you to be my biological big brother? !¡±

    ¡°And in my memories, my biological big brother was harmonious with his brothers, caring for hisrades, and respectful to his parents. He was so perfect that he didn¡¯t have any ws. He was a good person that everyone bragged about! ¡°Such a big brother, I respected and worshipped him, because he was worth it!¡±

    ¡°But now you...¡±Huo Guanchen reached out his hand and ced it on Huo Guanyuan¡¯s chest. He said angrily, ¡°Why don¡¯t you look in the mirror and see what you look like now? !¡±

    ¡°Extreme! Narrow-minded! Selfish! Jealous! And you hit people! I really doubt that you are an imposter!¡±

    The corner of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s mouth twitched as he grabbed Huo Guanchen¡¯s wrist. He almost broke it.

    However, Huo Guanchen tried his best to endure the pain and did not lower his head in front of Huo Guanyuan.

    Huo Guanyuan looked down at his own brother. When he was young, he was like a follower who was waving the g around him. Now, his back was firm, and he would push all the mistakes onto others.

    ¡°Huo Guanchen, if you think that I¡¯m perfect without any ws and a good person that everyone is bragging about, then you don¡¯t know me at all.¡±

    As Huo Guanyuan said that, his face returned to its calm andposed look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what I do for a living? People who do this kind of work are the best at disguising themselves. You Can¡¯t see through the appearance to see the essence. That¡¯s your own ipetence.¡±

    Huo Guanyuan pushed hard and let go of Huo Guanchen¡¯s wrist, he said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m not a perfect person. My loyalty has been dedicated to my work and my country. I don¡¯t have so many feelings for people who are irrelevant. ¡°Huo Guanchen, since you won¡¯t admit your mistake and won¡¯t repent, then we have nothing to say.¡±

    As he spoke, Huo Guanyuan knelt before Xie Ziyan¡¯s portrait and kowtowed three times respectfully.

    ¡°Mom, my son came backte. I¡¯ve made you suffer!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan felt a little guilty when he saw Huo Guanyuan like this. He didn¡¯t know what Huo Guanyuan was going to do, so he couldn¡¯t help but kneel as well. ¡°Big Brother, I really didn¡¯t know, and it wasn¡¯t intentional...¡±

    He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Besides, when you suddenly ¡®sacrificed¡¯, father and mother were so sad that they fell sick on the bed. I alone could take care of this end, but I couldn¡¯t take care of that end.¡±

    ¡°Head nurse Zhang took care of father¡¯s body for so many years. With her around, I had the time to take care of mother.¡±

    ¡°Andpared to mother, father suffered a greater blow. You didn¡¯t see father¡¯s sad face...¡±

    ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t know that you are father¡¯s hope. Since Young, father has always had higher expectations for you. In fact, he didn¡¯t have such high expectations for me.¡±

    ¡°At that time, head nurse Zhang suddenly said that the family was short of manpower and wanted to bring her son and daughter-inw¡¯s family in to help our family. Father readily agreed.¡±

    ¡°I saw that father was so happy and seemed to be able to make up for the loss of you, so I acquiesced.¡±

    Huo Guanchen stood up with Huo Guanyuan and said with a bitter smile, ¡°I only found out after the Zhang family moved in... I found out about nurse Zhang and father, and I also found out that Zhang Baochen is father¡¯s illegitimate son...¡±

    ¡°But what do you want me to do? If I shout it out then, I can drive them away, but father¡¯s everything will be ruined!¡±

    Huo Guanchen was extremely excited. ¡°Do you think Mother Doesn¡¯t know? ! Mother didn¡¯t say anything for the sake of father¡¯s reputation...¡±

    p! p!

    For the first time, Huo Guanyuan realized that he couldn¡¯t control his emotions. Without thinking, he raised his hand and pped Huo Guanchen in the face!

    Huo Guanchen was hit so hard that he staggered. He turned around and fell on the mantelpiece behind him.

    Huo Guanyuan was so strong that Huo Guanchen almost broke the mantelpiece.

    Xie Ziyan¡¯s photo swayed twice and fell off the mantelpiece.

    Huo Guanyuan quickly reached out and took it. He wiped it with his sleeve and held it in his arms.

    ¡°Big Brother, you hit me again and again. What did I do wrong? !¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I found out about Zhang Baochen¡¯s background and kept it a secret? !¡±Huo Guanchen was extremely aggrieved and full of grief and indignation. ¡°That was to make up for the loss of his father¡¯s most beloved son!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how happy father was after Zhang Baochen¡¯s family entered the house? Only then did his body gradually recover!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan waved his hand and grabbed Huo Guanchen¡¯s neck. His voice was even colder as he said, ¡°You used Zhang Baochen to rece me? In your heart, I¡¯m just like that piece of trash? !¡±

    ¡°Also, you keep saying that you¡¯re the saddest and the sickest father. He¡¯s been alive and well until now, but you only said one word, and my mother, who cared about the overall situation, passed away long ago!¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the saddest? Huo Guanchen, do you have eyes? !¡±

    Huo Guanyuan was furious. ¡°We¡¯re brothers, but I didn¡¯t know that your IQ was so low!¡±

    ¡°My IQ is low?¡±Huo Guanchen felt that he had retreated to a corner. He had no choice but to fight back, ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say that! Do you think that my father is not dead because he doesn¡¯t care about you? ¡ª Huo Guanyuan, I didn¡¯t know that you were such a cold-blooded and heartless person!¡±

    ¡°You really have a low IQ. You Don¡¯t even understand what I¡¯m saying.¡±Huo Guanyuan let go of his hand, extremely disappointed with his brother, ¡°Not only did you not understand, you even twisted my meaning on purpose. You¡¯re good, now I see your ability. You¡¯re able to rise to the top and didn¡¯t learn anything good, but you¡¯ve learned all these messy things!¡±

    ¡°My brother learned it from my brother Too!¡±Huo Guanchen adjusted his cor and sneered, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not as capable as you, but I married the person I love the most and even gave birth to the most powerful son with her!¡±

    ¡°What About You? ! You have no sense of shame and covet your own sister-inw!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I didn¡¯t recognize your true colors!¡±! ¡°When you suddenly married the Woman of yourrade-in-arms, you gave birth to a child seven months after your marriage. So many people in the military talked about your style. It was father and I who firmly stood on your side and attacked those who spread rumors!¡±

    ¡°But how did you repay father and me? !¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes were about to split open, and he was also extremely angry. ¡°You think father is not sad enough because he is not so sad that he will die!¡±

    ¡°You also think I am not smart enough to hold back your heroic image!¡±

    At this moment, the door behind them was suddenly pushed open. Lu Jin stood at the door with song jinning, wanting to talk to Huo Guanyuan.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s attention was focused on Huo Guanyuan. He wasn¡¯t paying attention and blurted out, ¡°But so what? ! Not only did I get the Goddess in your heart, I even married her and even divorced her!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so powerful, but you still want to pick up the broken shoes that I¡¯ve worn before!¡±

    Song Jinning originally didn¡¯t want to get involved in the Huo family¡¯s matters, but when she heard Huo Guanchen¡¯s words, she was so angry that one Buddha was born, and two Buddhas ascended to heaven.

    She pushed Lu Jin aside and stomped in. She raised her hand and pped Huo Guanchen¡¯s swollen face again.

    ¡°Huo Guanchen! I¡¯m really blind! That¡¯s why I married a scumbag like you!¡±

    Song Jinning was even more furious because she once loved this man with true feelings!

    Huo Guanchen just wanted to provoke Huo Guanyuan to the greatest extent, so he found the words that could provoke a man the most.

    He did not expect that song jinning would hear his words.

    A trace of panic shed in his eyes. He immediately ignored the presence of outsiders and pulled song jinning along, he choked and said, ¡°Jinning, I was wrong... I just quarreled with my big brother just now. I didn¡¯t... I didn¡¯t mean to belittle you... I was furious. After so many years, don¡¯t you know how I treated you?¡±

    Lu Jin followed him in, a hint of craftiness shed in his eyes, but on the surface, he said seriously, ¡°From a psychological point of view, the angry words thate out of your mouth are a person¡¯s most genuine emotional reaction. Because these words are actually in the deepest part of your consciousness, and also the part that is closest to your nature

    ¡°If you have never thought about these words, then no matter how angry you are, you can¡¯t say these hurtful words

    ¡°So when you say that Ms. Song is a broken shoe, it¡¯s definitely not out of anger. It¡¯s your most genuine reaction and opinion.¡±

    This kind of argument, which seemed fair but was actually biased from an academic point of view, only added fuel to the fire.

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart was not only cold, but also disgusted.

    She gave a fierce kick. Huo Guanchen reflexively covered his vital parts and took a few steps back, letting go of Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning turned around and ran out of Xie Ziyan¡¯s room.

    Huo Guanyuan was worried about song jinning, so he gave Huo Guanchen a cold nce, ¡°Huo Guanchen, there¡¯s nothing to talk about between us. I don¡¯t have a younger brother like you. Don¡¯t worry. From now on, I¡¯m no longer Huo Guanyuan, and I won¡¯t restore my identity and name.¡±

    His gaze fell on Lu Jin, who was at a loss, and he said word by word, ¡°I¡¯m still Lu Yuan, and Lu Jin is my real brother!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 1935, ¡°Blood Brothers, clear ounts.¡±.

    To remind everyone of the monthly ticket and rmendation ticket OH ~ ~

    It was the second update today.

    PS: once again, a certain Han¡¯s book group had been simplified. Now there were only three groups, all of which were deducted groups.

    The main group of Hanwu Ji: group number 229600548. Any leader of a certain Han¡¯s book (with more than 100,000 fans) could join, including the Friends of qidian and deducted reading (yunqi) . All the benefits in this group are shared.

    The full subscription group of Cambrian Records: Group Number 146941331, this group is for the legitimate full subscription of the book. This group also has benefits, the specific conditions see the group announcement.

    Ordinary fan group: group number 657793292, anyone who likes the Major General¡¯s book can join, no fan value requirements.

    Wee to the group to y, exchangeints or even urge the update can ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1936

    <h4>Chapter 1936: No Wonder Chapter 1936 went crazy (first update)</h4>

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes lit up instantly. ¡°Boss Lu, are you serious? ! Don¡¯t lie to me when I¡¯m not well-educated!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, who had just run up, was speechless

    What was so amazing about this?

    However, she didn¡¯t have time to ask further. She hurriedly said to Huo guanyuan, ¡°Colonelmandant! Miss song is leaving now. I can¡¯t even hold her back! What Happened?¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and pointed at the regretful Huo Guanchen. ¡°Him! He identally said what he really wanted to say!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan nced at him. ¡°Stop talking. Go and see Chief Song. Don¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡±He then said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Don¡¯t call me colonelmandant anymore. Huo Guanyuan has already been sacrificed. I¡¯m Lu Yuan.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that it was a little strange, but she still nodded. ¡°Okay, chief Lu.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was worried about song jinning, but Huo Guanyuan did not hide his concern for song jinning in front of him. He felt terrible.

    He snorted and rushed out first. ¡°I can take care of my wife! No one else has to worry about her!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately dodged to avoid being bumped by Huo Guanchen.

    Lu Jin quickly ran over to protect Gu Nianzhi and asked nervously, ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s wrong with General Huo? Miss song divorced him, and he still says she¡¯s his wife. How Shameless...¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered and quietly pulled Lu Jin to the side.

    Huo Guanyuan, Lu Yuan, walked out with a sullen face.

    Song Jinning had already reached the entrance of the Huo residence. Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯te out, so she couldn¡¯t leave either.

    Song Jinning stood beside the car they had been in when they had arrived. She took out her phone and called Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s go. I told you, we don¡¯t need to get involved in the Huo family¡¯s mess. Call your dad too, and we¡¯ll go together.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already gone downstairs with Lu Jin when she received a call from song jinning. She immediately said, ¡°We¡¯re out, but General Huo has already gone after you. President Lu, also known as Mr. Lu Yuan, is out as well.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, song jinning saw Huo Guanchen¡¯s figure appear on the small path outside the Huo family¡¯s mansion.

    Song Jinning¡¯s face was as dark as water as she watched Huo Guanchen approach step by step.

    ¡°... Jinning, it¡¯s my fault. I was so angry that I lost my mind. Don¡¯t be angry. I apologize. I sincerely apologize!¡±

    Ignoring the guards at the door, Huo Guanchen lowered his head humbly to song jinning.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t buy it at all. She said lightly, ¡°General Huo, we divorced a long time ago. It¡¯s my fault today. I brought it upon myself. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll never set foot in this house again for the rest of my life.¡±

    Lu Yuan came out of the wrought iron gate. Hearing this, his eyes dimmed. He walked slowly to song Jinning¡¯s side and said, ¡°Director song, Shaoheng¡¯s car is over there. Let Shaoheng¡¯s driver take you back first, okay?¡±

    When Lu Yuan came over, he sat in the car that Yin Shixiong had sent him. It was not wrong to say that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car.

    Song Jinning nodded without hesitation. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    With that, she turned around and walked towards the car that Lu Yuan was pointing at.

    Huo Guanchen knew that song jinning was a person who kept her word. Since she was so resolute, it seemed that there was really no room for redemption. He grabbed her arm anxiously. ¡°Jinning! You Can¡¯t Leave Now! Listen to my exnation!¡±

    Lu Yuan strode forward and raised his hand to press Huo Guanchen¡¯s shoulder.

    Huo Guanchen only felt a wave of soreness on his shoulder. His arm felt numb and itchy, and his fingers involuntarily loosened.

    Song Jinning broke free from Huo Guanchen and quickly walked to the car that Lu Yuan was in when he came. She opened the car door and sat inside. She said quickly, ¡°Take me home first, Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    The driver had already heard Lu Yuan¡¯s words. He reached out from the car window and gestured to Lu Yuan, then started the car.

    The car roared and quickly drove away from the militarypound.

    Only then did Lu Yuan let go of Huo Guanchen¡¯s shoulder and warned him, ¡°You¡¯ve already divorced superintendent song. If you¡¯re a man, don¡¯t continue to say such disgusting words! If I hear it again in the future, do you believe that I¡¯ll make you unable to speak again?¡±

    ¡°... Haha, you really have designs on my wife.¡±Huo Guanchen rubbed his sore arm and snorted disdainfully, ¡°For the sake of this woman, you even gave up the Huo family¡¯s surname. You¡¯ve also been scheming and putting in a lot of effort. But as long as I¡¯m alive, don¡¯t even think about getting what you want!¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at him indifferently. ¡°Just take it that I¡¯m dead. For the past 18 years, haven¡¯t you already taken me as a dead person? Don¡¯t mention the Huo family to me. I¡¯ve already said that I don¡¯t have any extra feelings for people who don¡¯t have anything to do with me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a general, so you¡¯d better be careful. If you make the slightest mistake, what¡¯s waiting for You isn¡¯t just a beating.¡±

    Huo Guanchen put his hands behind his back and looked up at Lu Yuan with a sneer, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know I¡¯m a general, Colonel Commandant. Since you don¡¯t treat yourself as a member of the Huo family, then everything you¡¯ve said to me today is disrespectful to the chief. Don¡¯t worry, I Won¡¯t let you have it easy either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin followed them out of the wrought-iron gate.

    Hearing Huo Guanchen¡¯s words, Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Yuan and Huo Guanchen had really fallen out with each other.

    However, she didn¡¯t feel sorry at all.

    Huo Guanchen had always been dissatisfied with her. He always felt that she was an orphan with no family background and couldn¡¯t bring Huo Shaoheng any official benefits, so he didn¡¯t approve of her being with Huo Shaoheng.

    He had even introduced Huo Shaoheng to several women on blind dates..

    Not to mention that she had been in an ident in Germany and had been unable to seek help afterward. This had a lot to do with Huo Guanchen¡¯s deliberate procrastination.

    Gu Nianzhi was a very vengeful person.

    Because Huo Guanchen was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s biological father, it was probably impossible for her to seek revenge. However, she absolutely did not like Huo Guanchen and did not even want to pretend.

    Lu Jin nced at Huo Guanchen and suddenly asked, ¡°Are you the general?¡±

    Huo Guanchen ignored Lu Jin and had no intention of talking to Lu Jin. He pretended not to hear Lu Jin and turned around to enter the house.

    The magnificent wrought-iron gate slowly closed behind him and he looked a little lonely.

    He deserved it..

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself.

    Because song Jinning had already left in Lu Yuan¡¯s car, Lu Yuan could only take Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin¡¯s car.

    After the three of them got into the car, Gu Nianzhi started the car and asked curiously,¡±... what did general Huo say that made madam song so angry?¡±

    This time, not only was she angry, but they had broken up.

    Lu Yuan did not speak, but Lu Jin spoke quickly, ¡°You mean Huo Guanchen? He said Madam song was a broken shoe, and that boss Lu picked up his broken shoe...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±Lu yuan shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that ever again. You Can¡¯t even repeat it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t close her mouth when she heard this. She could fit an egg into her mouth.

    These words were really too much. However, when she thought about the torture song jinning had suffered over the past 10 years, Gu Nianzhi felt that these words were actually quite mild.

    At least, they couldn¡¯tpare to the mental and physical torture song Jinning had experienced over the past 16 years.

    Her eyes darted around and she sighed. Her voice was tender and alluring. ¡°CEO Lu, please don¡¯t be angry. Actually, these words may sound unpleasant, but in reality, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s not a big deal? What about your worldview?¡±Lu Yuan said sullenly as he sat in the back seat of the car.

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±Gu Nianzhi turned the steering wheel and went onto the main road, ¡°Actually, Miss song was ill for more than ten years. She was delirious and her memory was forever stuck at the age of eighteen. During those ten years, the mental and physical torture she suffered was far more severe than this sentence.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart was in his throat. He fidgeted uneasily in his seat and said, ¡°Tell me in detail, what exactly did director song go through during those years when he was ill?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at the rearview mirror and asked softly,¡±... I thought Huo Shao had already told you.¡±

    ¡°He only said that Luo Jin abused his mother under the pretext of taking care of her. He didn¡¯t go into detail.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll fill in the details.¡±Gu Nianzhi still had a say in the matter.

    Gu Nianzhi had single-handedly exposed Luo Jin¡¯s abuse of Song Jinning.

    ¡°... Luo Jin worked with general Huo¡¯s confidante, Bai Jinyi. First, she was mentally abused. She used the increasingly cramped room to force Mrs. Song into living quarters. Later, she was physically abused, like not having enough to eat...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi told her everything about the evidence she had found when she was preparing the case.

    Lu Yuan sat in the back seat, one arm propped up against the car window. His Hand was clenched into a fist, his chin resting on his hand. He looked out the window without saying a word.

    Although Gu Nianzhi could not see Lu Yuan¡¯s face through the rearview mirror, her sharp eyes could still see the tears glistening in the corner of Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes

    She was slightly relieved, so she decided not to do it. She would not rest until she told him what Bai Jinyi had done.

    ¡°And Bai Jinyi, did you know? The person she has a crush on is you, not general Huo Guanchen.¡±Gu Nianzhi paused, ¡°So Ipletely understand why general Huo Guanchen was so agitated when he saw youe back alive. But I don¡¯t agree with his behavior.¡±

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t helpughing when he heard this.

    ¡°Boss Lu, your brother is such a tragedy!¡±

    ¡°He thought his wife was having an affair with his big brother, but then realized that the person his lover had a crush on was also his big brother! hahahaha, no wonder he went crazy!¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s lips twitched, and he turned around. His expression had returned to normal.

    He said lightly, ¡°I have nothing to do with Bai Jinyi. Bai Jinyi has always been close to Guanchen.¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, what should we do? She admitted it herself.¡±

    Lu Jinughed for a while, and suddenly had a strange expression on his face.

    ¡°... Bai Jinyi? She¡¯s secretly in love with Boss Lu? But didn¡¯t you say that she¡¯s in prison?¡±Lu Jin quickly asked.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, she murdered Lu¡¯s wife, Luo xinxue. I personally sent her to prison.¡±

    ¡°Huh? !¡±Lu Jin screamed. ¡°Eight years ago, I called someone here to pick you up. I think it was her who answered the call!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°It was her, but Huo Shao was there too. The ident happened suddenly, and she hid far away. Huo Shao saved me.¡±

    Lu Jin let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead. ¡°That was a close call! I almost had an ident...¡±

    Lu Yuan said in a low voice, ¡°It was my fault. I didn¡¯t know such a thing could happen.¡±

    Lu Yuan looked out the window at the view of the street and recalled, ¡°When I married Luo Xinxue, it was all to give her child a legal identity.¡±

    ¡°A few decades ago, Huaxia¡¯s customs were still very conservative. A woman who got pregnant before marriage would have her spine stabbed.¡±

    ¡°Even if the child was born, it would still be difficult to get a household registration. Most likely, it would be an unregistered household and wouldn¡¯t even be eligible to go to school.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. This was a matter belonging to the previous generation, and she had no right to interfere.

    Using the current social situation to me the people of the past, she could only say, ¡°Why not eat minced meat?¡±.

    She was silent the entire way. She drove back to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces. When she looked up, she saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tall figure standing under the camphor tree by the wall of the official residence, he was looking up at the branches sticking out from the wall.

    Gu Nianzhi followed his line of sight and saw that he was looking at the treehouse!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1936, ¡°No Wonder You went crazy.¡±.

    It was to remind everyone of their monthly tickets and rmendation tickets

    It was the second update today.

    The second update was at 8 pm.

    PS: I have to go back to China for a week next week on business. In order to keep updating, I have to save some manuscripts.

    Do My dear friends want to have two updates a day, 2,000 words per update, or one update a day, 4,000 words per update?

    You can find my two posts about the update in the book review section and click ¡°Like¡±to vote.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1937

    <h4>Chapter 1937: Chapter 1937 Sweet Troubles (Second Update)</h4>

    The low-key and luxurious ck SUV screeched to a stop on the small road in front of the official residence.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was standing under the camphor tree by the wall of the official residence not far away, did not turn around until he heard Gu Nianzhi calling out to him. He turned around and smiled as she got out of the car.

    ¡°Huo Shao!¡±Gu Nianzhi waved at him with a face full of joy. ¡°Is everything done?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had broken up with them at the airport and had only just returned. He must have something to take care of.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. He knew from Yin Shixiong that they had gone to the Huo family¡¯s mansion at the military headquarters. However, when he nced at the car, he saw that Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin, and Huo Guanyuan had gotten out, he did not see song jinning.

    Yin Shixiong had said that Huo Guanyuan had taken the car alone to the Huo family¡¯s mansion first. Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin, and song Jinning had arrivedter. The two groups of people had taken two different cars.

    Now that the number of people taking the car had changed, Huo Shaoheng was keenly aware that something was wrong.

    He walked over and naturally took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. He nodded at Lu Jin and Lu Yuan, who were walking towards him. ¡°Uncle Lu, colonelmandant.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°Colonel Commandant died 18 years ago. I¡¯m Lu Yuan. Don¡¯t mistake me for someone else.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Huo Guanyuan had reported to General Ji in his true identity at the airport.

    It had only been a few hours. Why was he in Lu Yuan¡¯s temporary identity again?

    Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s confusion. She gently dug her fingers into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Lu Jin looked closely at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interlocking hands. He felt a little sore, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He just followed them into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Huo Shaoheng led them directly to the study on the second floor.

    This was also his home office, so it was the most secure and confidential ce. If they spoke here, they wouldn¡¯t be afraid of being heard.

    Gu Nianzhi obediently went to make tea for the three of them, and did not say why.

    This was Huo Guanyuan¡¯s decision, and Gu Nianzhi respected his choice.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that Gu Nianzhi was like a hostess, much more mature and sensible than before. He was happy, but also a little bitter.

    The price of his Nianzhi¡¯s growth was more intense and painful than others.

    Lu Jin followed her to the small tea room in the study, leaving only Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng to talk.

    Gu Nianzhi heard someone enter and turned to find Lu Jin. She chuckled. ¡°Dad, what would you like to drink? I¡¯m making tea, but if you want something else, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Tea it is. Do you have a Wuyi da Hong Pao?¡±Lu Jin walked over to her side and looked at the wide array of tea leaves in the opened cab door.

    The top row was filled with small purple y pots. They were about two inches tall and neatly arranged in the frosted ss cab.

    The middle row was filled with small blue and white porcin pots. They looked the same as the purple y pots on top, but they were made of different materials.

    There was a smallbel attached to each pot that could be removed and reced.

    The purple y pots were filled with ck tea, while the blue and white porcin pots were filled with different types of green tea.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up the small purple y pot with thebel ¡°Wuyi da Hong Pao.¡±She gave Lu Jin a pinch of tea leaves and put them into an exquisite cup of tea.

    She then went to the induction cooker next to her to boil water.

    Lu Jin watched Gu Nianzhi make tea and asked curiously,¡±... do you guys always have to go through so much trouble to drink tea?¡±

    Although he liked to drink ck tea, he spent most of his time using simple tea bags that could be brewed in boiling water.

    Scientists¡¯time was precious, and they would rather spend it onplicated experiments than on food, clothing, and transportation.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and Winked at Lu Jin. ¡°No, today is special, so I made a full set of tea.¡±

    Lu Jinughed and asked, ¡°Why is today special?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t put on the tea bag and rolled her eyes. ¡°Today is Daddy¡¯s first time here, so of course I have to treat him well!¡±

    ¡°Naughty! Dad is not an outsider.¡±Lu Jin smiled and knocked her head.

    While waiting for the water to boil, gu nianzhi asked softly, ¡°Dad, you can stay here for a few days. We¡¯ll need time to find you a house...¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head, he insisted, ¡°It was fine for me to stay here, but boss Lu has fallen out with the Huo family. If he stays here, Huo Guanchen will definitelye looking for trouble. Why Bother? It would be better if we stayed outside.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment, then took out the key and key to the apartment on the third ring road and put them in Lu Jin¡¯s hands, she said, ¡°Then you and president Lu can stay at my ce.¡±. ¡°This apartment is under my name, although it¡¯s paid for by Huo Shao. ¡°Although it¡¯s not as spacious and luxurious as your apartment over there, it¡¯s still my house. Don¡¯t worry about the security. It¡¯s 10,000% insured.¡±

    Lu Jin did not decline. He happily took the key card and key and said with a smile, ¡°Of course I want to live in my daughter¡¯s house. But...¡±

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°What About You? Where do you live?¡±

    ¡°... I live here...¡±Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed, but she had been separated from Huo Shaoheng for so long, and she did not want to be separated from him again.

    Lu Jin knew that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were actually married. When Gu Nianzhi was there, she had already told Lu Jin about this in order for him to ept Huo Shaoheng.

    But he still didn¡¯t agree.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you can stay here for a few days, but when boss Lu and I find a house, you have to move in with us. You Can¡¯t stay at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s house until you have a public wedding with him.¡±

    Lu Jin was very insistent on this point. Although he couldn¡¯t have good rtionships with others, he knew about the things in rtionships.

    It was just that he was too arrogant and didn¡¯t care about these things.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was different. She was his daughter. He could ignore ordinary people, but his own daughter couldn¡¯t be looked down upon by these people.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded awkwardly, ¡°Okay, Dad. I¡¯ll move in with You When you find a house, but are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay in my apartment forever? Mrs. Song lives in the same building as me...¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±Lu Jin asked in surprise. ¡°She has a house there too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I bought it first. She bought itter.¡±Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and thought of another house. It was a house that Gu Yanran had bought upstairs from her.

    Gu Yanran¡¯s embezzlement of the Gu family¡¯s property waster exposed, and she was sent to prison. The house then belonged to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Dad, actually I have another apartment in that building, but I don¡¯t know if I should want this house.¡±Gu Nianzhi said with some mncholy and told him about Gu Yanran and the Gu family.

    Lu Jin listened and couldn¡¯t shut his mouth for a long time. After a while.., ¡°You¡¯re saying that the person rted to the Gu family is this Gu Yanran. She once killed Little Nianzhi and seized the Gu family¡¯s property? ! And then you seized the property and now it¡¯s in your name?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded in annoyance. ¡°But I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! I had no idea that I wasn¡¯t the Gu Nianzhi here...¡±

    She felt wronged. ¡°I thought Gu Xiangwen here was my father...¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes were red with sadness. He put his arm around her shoulder and tried his best tofort her, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s not your fault. When I sent you here, I assumed that Little Nianzhi here was already dead. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have sent you here.¡±

    There seemed to be something wrong with her words.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly looked up. ¡°Dad, when you sent me here, you assumed that Little Nianzhi was already dead?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if I hadn¡¯t assumed that she was already dead, I wouldn¡¯t have sent you here no matter how Crazy I was. ¡°I sent you here to find a way out for you, not to send you to your death.¡±Lu Jin was no longer burdened, he spoke naturally.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately chased after him, ¡°But, how did you deduce that Little Nianzhi was dead? From your tone, it didn¡¯t sound like a normal guess, but almost a 100% certainty. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have said that you wanted to find a way to live for me, not to kill me.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he thought with embarrassment and relief that having a smart daughter was also a sweet trouble.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1937, ¡°Sweet Trouble.¡±.

    Please remind everyone of the monthly ticket and the rmended ticket

    It was the second update of the day.

    PS: I will be very busy when I am on a business trip. I don¡¯t have time to write more words, so I need to save the manuscript now. Four Thousand Words a day is the maximum. I don¡¯t have time to write any more.

    Dear friends, please forgive me. After looking at everyone¡¯s likes, I will start from Monday, 4,000 words a day. I will try my best to update on time in the morning, about 8:00 in the morning.

    Two weekster, I will be back, and I can start to update.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1938

    <h4>Chapter 1938: Chapter 1938 already knew of his existence (Dazhang asked for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    ¡°Yes, I told you before, I have a device that can detect the maic field of the human body here, but it consumes a lot of energy...¡±

    Lu Jin scratched his head awkwardly and added,¡±... it¡¯s only enough to find your own maic field corresponding to the energy fluctuations of the body...¡±

    He knew that this was very selfish, and he was also worried that Gu Nianzhi would think he was being too selfish.

    His daughter, who hadn¡¯t grown up by his side, was actually quite different from him.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that she had asked Lu Jin why he had informed Gu Xiangwen to save his daughter, Little Nianzhi..

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was the same as now.

    ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t mean to criticize you.¡±Gu Nianzhi quicklyforted Lu Jin. She was a little ashamed, but more than that, she was content to be surrounded by her father¡¯s love.

    Lu Jin said very seriously, ¡°Nianzhi, you are more important to me than anyone else. If God had given me another chance, I wouldn¡¯t have minded saving someone else¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°But unfortunately, God only gave me one chance at that time. I would only choose to let my own daughter live, not someone else¡¯s daughter.¡±

    He spread his hands calmly. ¡°I am young, and I am young. God only gave me a chance to take the first step.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said sentimentally, ¡°Dad, I am very lucky, because I am your daughter.¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much.¡±Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help crying when he thought about what Gu Nianzhi had gone through when she was two to six years old.

    Gu Nianzhi took out a tissue and wiped Lu Jin¡¯s tears away, thinking about what had triggered the idea in her mind just now..

    It probably wasn¡¯t about Little Nianzhi. Lu Jin had told her about it a long time ago. Although she hadn¡¯te back to her senses, she remembered it immediately after being reminded.

    But why did she still feel like something was wrong?

    Lu Jin looked at her. ¡°Nianzhi, dad is different from Huo Shaoheng. I know you admire Huo Shaoheng a lot...¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Dad, I admire you too. You and Gu Xiangwen only have the same DNA, the rest arepletely different...¡±

    Speaking of Gu Xiangwen, Gu Nianzhi was suddenly enlightened. She remembered why she felt like something was wrong.

    She suddenly asked, ¡°Dad, I remember you said that everyone has a different human maic field, and that the corresponding human maic field is the opposite.¡±

    Lu Jin was d that Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t bring up this topic anymore. He quickly nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I have your human maic field mark. If I detect the energy fluctuations of the opposing maic field, I¡¯ll know if there¡¯s a corresponding body in the opposite space.¡±

    ¡°If the opposing maic field in the opposite space doesn¡¯t exist, then that means you don¡¯t have a counterpart over there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s clear eyes narrowed, and her lips curved into a sharp smile. Her smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze, she said softly, ¡°There are billions of people in the other world. I remember that you used the principle of television to exin to me how to confirm the existence of my counterpart over there.¡±

    Her smile at this moment was full of coaxing. If Huo Shaoheng or he zhichu were here, they would be able to tell at a nce that she was about to dig a hole.

    However, Lu Jin was not very familiar with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression, so he smiled very happily, he said kindly, ¡°Yes, the principle is actually very simple. It¡¯s the principle of using television to receive images. The television station sends a signal, and the television receives a signal.¡±

    ¡°I use this principle to capture the weak maic field of the corresponding body as a signal sent by the television station. I use my maic field detector, just like a television set, to receive the signal through high-power quantum transmission.¡±

    Lu Jin seemed to have thought of something after he finished speaking, he immediately added, ¡°But unfortunately, doing so requires a lot of energy. I can only lock onto your maic field corresponding body signal. I don¡¯t have that much energy to search for someone else¡¯s maic field corresponding body.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. She only looked at Lu Jin meaningfully.

    Lu Jin was a little ufortable staring at her for a while. She then asked,¡±... is your human maic field detector really based on the same principle as a Television?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded vigorously. ¡°Of course it¡¯s the same.¡±

    ¡°But in the case of a television, regardless of whether it receives a signal or different signals, the energy it uses is the same.¡±Gu Nianzhi pressed on, ¡°But why did you say that you can only lock on to the signal that receives my maic field?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This was bad. He had been worried that Gu Nianzhi had thought of this when she had brought up the topic earlier, so he had quickly used his previous words to divert her train of thought. He had not expected her to go around in circles.., she hade back on her own again.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes flickered, but his face revealed a contemtive expression.

    Gu Nianzhiughed lightly and shook her finger at Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t think about interrupting. I know I¡¯m not good at physics, and I was tricked by youst time. This time, if you don¡¯t exin in detail, I¡¯ll go ask Ms. Song for advice.¡±

    ¡°... I can¡¯t think of anything, but I¡¯m sure MS. Song will understand it better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pulled out song jinning. Lu Jin knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to get around her this time.

    He said awkwardly,¡±... actually, it¡¯s not a big deal. Let¡¯s not rm Ms. Song...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and almost started to beat her feet.

    She nted her dark, watery eyes and didn¡¯t hide her disdain. She seemed to be saying, ¡°Keep pretending. Keep pretending.¡±

    Under gu nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Strong¡±gaze, Lu Jin¡¯s shoulders finally copsed.

    He said with a sad face, ¡°Miss, please save your father some face. Can You Not Be So Sharp?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious. Since your human maic field detector is like a television, does that mean that once it¡¯s activated, it can receive the corresponding maic field energy from the opposite side?¡±

    ¡°So as long as there¡¯s information on the other side that has the same frequency as the maic field set by you, it can receive it?¡±

    Lu Jin stared at her, his lips moving up and down. He seemed to want to deny it, but he was afraid that it would cause more problems, so he hesitated for a moment and did not know how to say it.

    Gu Nianzhi did not allow Lu Jin to quibble, she continued, ¡°Here¡¯s what I think. We can think of the maic field energy frequency of different people as the TV channel set by the TV. As long as that side matches the frequency of the channel, the TV set can receive information from different TV channels?¡±

    At this point, Lu Jin had no choice but to nod his head.

    He lowered his head, not daring to look gu nianzhi in the eye. He nodded slightly and said,¡±... you can say that.¡±

    ¡°Then when you set the maic field frequency of my counterpart, did you set the maic field frequency of your counterpart?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She finally understood why she felt that something was wrong.

    ¡°In other words, before you searched for the frequency of my counterpart¡¯s maic field, did you already confirm that your counterpart¡¯s maic field frequency existed in the opposite world? !¡±

    Lu Jin raised his head in surprise, pursed his lips, and finally admitted,¡±... you thought of that too!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help raising her right hand and smacking it proudly, ¡°That makes sense. Logically speaking, you have to confirm the existence of your counterpart before you search for my counterpart.¡±

    ¡°Because ording to the principle of the parallel world counterpart, if you can confirm the existence of your counterpart from the beginning, then my counterpart definitely doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t need to create a human maic field detector to search for information about my counterpart¡¯s maic field. Just send me there directly!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was in high spirits, and Lu Jin quietly took a step back as he was dazzled.

    His daughter¡¯s logical thinking was simply too strong. These were all Su Wen¡¯s genes..

    Lu Jin sighed in his heart, but he was also a little flustered.

    Gu Nianzhi looked closely at Lu Jin, and felt as if there were circles in Lu Jin¡¯s eyes.

    He was probably confused by her..

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi quickly came to her own conclusion. She wanted to get the answer she wanted while Lu Jin¡¯s brain was temporarily frozen.

    ¡°So before you searched for information on Little Nianzhi¡¯s human maic field, did you already know that your counterpart, Mr. Gu Xiangwen, existed here? !¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s body visibly trembled, and he took another step back. His eyes sparkled, as if he was looking for a door to escape.

    Gu Nianzhi was the first to block the entrance to the small pantry. She did not stop until she had achieved her goal. She continued, ¡°Then when did you know that there was a Gu Xiangwen Here?¡±

    ¡°Was it eight years ago, or eighteen years ago, or even earlier? !¡±Gu Nianzhi thought of another possibility, and her eyes widened.

    ¡°Could it be that you already knew about Mr. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s existence in this world? ! You even contacted him? !¡±

    Lu Jin was on the verge of tears. He immediately pounced on Gu Nianzhi and covered her mouth with his hand. ¡°Stop talking! If you say anything else, boss Lu will be finished if he finds out!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that her guess was right. She shook her head vigorously under Lu Jin¡¯s hand, indicating that she would definitely not say anything.

    Lu Jin asked uncertainly,¡±... you really won¡¯t say anything?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously again.

    Lu Jin finally let go of her hand and said softly,¡±... actually, it¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s going on?¡±Gu Nianzhi grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s hand. ¡°You tell me, and I Promise I won¡¯t tell anyone, not even Huo Shao.¡±

    This was a secret between her and Lu Jin, and Gu Nianzhi would never betray her father.

    However, she did not like being kept in the dark either, because this was something that had to do with her.

    Lu Jin poked his head out of the pantry and looked at Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan, who were sitting on the sofa in the middle of the study. He saw that the two of them looked serious, as if they were talking about something important. They did not pay attention to them, so he looked away, he whispered,¡±... There must be no surveince cameras here, right?¡±

    ¡°Are you unable to find out if there are any surveince cameras?¡±Gu Nianzhi rebuked Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°There definitely aren¡¯t any electromaic surveince cameras here, but it¡¯s very difficult to find out if there are any physical acoustic surveince cameras.¡±

    ¡°Definitely not.¡±Gu Nianzhi remembered that Huo Shaoheng had once told her about the principles of physical acoustic surveince.

    Since Huo Shaoheng knew about it, then his study, which had the highest level of security, must have taken precautions against it.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±Lu Jin took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked into the small pantry. He whispered, ¡°I can tell you, but you really shouldn¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was very anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just tell me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡±Lu Jin looked around, trying to organize his words, ¡°My major was originally high-energy Physics. When I was in university, I already had the prototype of the ¡®multiworld¡¯theory. But you know, toe up with a physics theory, you still need a lot of evidence to verify it.¡±

    ¡°So I started to verify this since university.¡±

    ¡°The first method I came up with was to use the human maic field as a signal to detect the world on the other side.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°So your human maic field detector wasn¡¯t created eight years ago to send me here? !¡±

    ¡°... Well, in theory, it was indeed a ¡®new¡¯human maic field detector built eight years ago.¡±Lu Jin tried to y word games with Gu Nianzhi.

    Unfortunately, a physicist¡¯s word games were definitely not as good as a barrister¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin coldly.¡±... A new instrument? Is it because the basic theory is different, or is the basic principle different? Or is it just that the materials used to make it are used in exchange for a new one?¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Damn it, he was showing off in front of a barrister.

    Fortunately, this barrister was not someone else, but his own daughter.

    Lu Jin was embarrassed for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal, heughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that when I was young, I had a lot of wild ideas in my mind. I casually invented this human maic field detector, but it was just a small matter.¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t have that much energy, and it¡¯s impossible for me to use someone else¡¯s human maic field to detect it.¡±

    ¡°ording to my theory, there are our counterparts in the parallel world, and although the DNA of the counterparts is the same, the frequency of the maic field should be exactly the opposite

    ¡°Just like positive and negative particles, so I believe that two counterparts can not exist in the same space-time. Once they appear in the same space-time, the two people will die immediately

    ¡°I only measured the frequency of my own human maic field. Using this as a basis, I set the reverse frequency of my own human maic field and began to use instruments to detect and receive information from the opposite parallel space.¡±

    ¡°This kind of detection requires a lot of energy, but because no one else knew about this theory at the time, it was rtively easy for me to obtain a high-energy maic field,¡±Lu Jin said with a sigh.

    Gu Nianzhi also remembered that he chengjian had told her that Lu Jin had announced his ¡°Multiworld¡±theory to the world more than a decade ago.

    In other words, Lu Jin had been studying it in private before this.

    And his exploration of the parallel space had started not more than a decade ago, but several decades ago.

    ¡°After more than a year, my human maic field detector suddenly received a signal from the other world!¡±Lu Jin¡¯s face lit up when he talked about the discovery from that year.

    ¡°The frequency of the human maic field that I received was exactly the same as my settings! Do you know what this means? It means that my multiworld theory is valid!¡±

    ¡°There is indeed a parallel space outside the world we live in!¡±

    ¡°And in this parallel space, at least there is a counterpart who is exactly the same as me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so focused on listening that she didn¡¯t even notice that the water was boiling.

    The Kettle made an ear-piercing sound, and Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were shocked.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan rushed into the small pantry together.

    ¡°What happened? !¡±

    They asked in unison.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1938, ¡°I knew he existed¡±.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation ticket oh ~ ~

    Today is Monday, the rmendation ticket is particrly important.

    PS: next week to return to the country on business for a week, in order to keep updating, this week began to draft.

    ording to the likes of voting results, a daily update, one more 4000 words.

    Two weekster will start to update.

    Oh, I heard that at the end of the month, there are three days to double the monthly vote, you can save the monthly vote to vote at the end of the month..

    Mwah, big and small angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1939

    <h4>Chapter 1939: Chapter 1939: sleeping with her until she wakes up naturally</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi immediately turned to look at the kettle on the induction cooker.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was faster than her. He had already made his way to her side in three steps and turned off the induction cooker. At the same time, he picked up the kettle.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly and shrunk her neck.¡±... well, I wasn¡¯t paying attention and forgot to boil the water.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Look, the kettle has an automatic rm...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the father and daughter and asked gu nianzhi, ¡°Where¡¯s the Teacup?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pointed at the Teacup that she had prepared earlier. ¡°It¡¯s over here.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held the kettle and skillfully brewed four cups of tea.

    Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed and brought it out on a tray.

    Lu Yuan frowned and asked Lu Jin, ¡°What were you two doing just now? Why didn¡¯t you turn off the heat when the water was boiling?¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled and said, ¡°I forgot about the kettle when I was talking to mydy.¡±

    ¡°How can you forget about that?¡±Lu Yuan shook his head. ¡°Alright, you cane out now. From now on, you and your daughter can not stay in a ce with a stove at the same time. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    Lu Jin wanted to retort, but could not find the right words. He had no choice but to follow Lu Yuan out dejectedly.

    Gu Nianzhi sat beside Huo Shaoheng. She picked up her cup and blew on it. She tried to find something to say. ¡°Huo Shao, what were you talking about with director Lu just now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng red at her. ¡°I should be asking what you were talking about with your father. You were so engrossed that you didn¡¯t even know the water was boiling?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was just about to snuggle up to him and act coquettishly when she saw Lu Yuan and Lu Jin walking over from the corner of her eye. She had no choice but to give up, she said snappily, ¡°Tell my dad where they live. Huo Shao, I want to buy Gu Yanran¡¯s house there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly startled.¡±... Isn¡¯t it already in your name? Why do you still want to buy it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not my house, that¡¯s Little Nianzhi¡¯s. I Can¡¯t take over her property.¡±

    Although she had already handed over most of the Gu family¡¯s property to the state, a portion was still in her hands.

    Just this portion of property, trust funds, stocks, bonds, antiques, and savings was already an astronomical figure.

    After the court¡¯s verdict, the few houses under Gu Yanran¡¯s name were ¡°Returned to their original owners¡±and transferred to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name.

    Now that Gu Nianzhi knew her background, she couldn¡¯t sit still with the money anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng understood her concerns. He didn¡¯t care much about the money and muttered, ¡°It should be. But how are you going to do it?¡±

    Was he going to sell it to himself?

    No matter what, the secret of the other world couldn¡¯t be made public.

    There could be another way to describe Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background, but it definitely couldn¡¯t be from the other world.

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a while and said irritably, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll donate it to a charity first, then give a sum of money to buy it from the charity.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things. How about this? You give your father a sum of money and let him buy the house from you. Then you can donate the money to the charity fund you set up.¡±

    ¡°Okay! That works too!¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded happily. ¡°That makes more sense.¡±

    It made more sense than selling it to herself.

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°Why would I want Nianzhi¡¯s money? I can borrow it from the bank...¡±

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t decline. Just take it as a loan from me. When you have the money, you can return it to me.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled widely and made an OK gesture. ¡°It¡¯s decided!¡±

    Lu Jin wanted to say something else, but Lu Yuan shook his head at him, he said kindly, ¡°I still have some money. Shaoheng said that my mother left me a portion of her inheritance, and it¡¯s in his hands now. He¡¯ll transfer it to my name. I¡¯ll pay for the House.¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes and said, ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s buy one each. I¡¯ll borrow money from Nianzhi to buy her one. You can buy Gu Yanran¡¯s one. I heard that these two sets happen to be upstairs and downstairs.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s convenient, we can find a ce to add a staircase between the two sets. This way, it¡¯ll be a two-story Deluxe Suite!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi coughed and winked at Lu Jin, she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s not good. Dad, it¡¯s more convenient for you to have one set each with President Lu. Besides, it¡¯s a direct elevator to the house. It¡¯s also very convenient for you to visit each other from the first floor to the first floor.¡±

    Lu Jin understood andughed heartily. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll listen to my girl. We¡¯ll each have a floor!¡±

    Lu Yuan pretended not to see Gu Nianzhi winking at Lu Jin. He smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s indeed convenient. I wonder if Nianzhi is free today to take us to see the House?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up. ¡°No problem, let¡¯s go see it now.¡±

    She looked down at Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting on the sofa. ¡°Huo Shao, is that house cleaned?¡±

    It had been a year since they had been here. If no one cleaned it, who knew how much dust there would be.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Everyone is cleaned.¡±

    He raised his hand and called Yin Shixiong over, he said, ¡°Big Xiong, take Mr. Lu and Mr. Lu to look at Nianzhi¡¯s two third-ring apartments. Also, take them to get their ID cards, open a bank ount, and buy some daily necessities as well as clothes and utensils.¡±

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin arrived empty-handed without anything.

    However, they were not worried at all.

    A problem that could be solved with money was not a problem.

    Besides, Huo Shaoheng had already given a ck card to Lu Yuan.

    Spend it however you like.

    Gu Nianzhi actually wanted to follow them, but Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Nianzhi, stay here. I have something to ask you.¡±

    She stayed obediently.

    Yin Shixiong smiled and called for Lu Yuan and Lu Jin. ¡°Come with me, you two. I just called the Special Affairs Department of the police. There will be someone to help you with your ID cards and household registration today.¡±

    This was no ordinary ¡°Special Affairs Department.¡±General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai had jointly instructed this ¡°Special Affairs Department.¡±They had to ensure that Mr. Lu Jin had huaxia citizenship.

    Lu Jin was still reluctant to part with Gu Nianzhi and wanted to invite her along. Lu Yuan understood what Huo Shaoheng meant and tugged at Lu Jin, he said, ¡°Hurry up and tidy up your house. Give nianzhi a room and she¡¯ll be able to live with you legally.¡±

    Lu Jin came back to his senses and nodded vigorously. ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll get it ready right away!¡±

    The most important thing now was to make money.

    Should he go to the stock market, Gamble, or buy a horse?

    These were the few things that could make money the fastest.

    With Lu Jin¡¯s superputational ability, these were all easy toe by.

    Lu Yuan shook his head without knowing whether tough or cry and said, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? Wait until you¡¯ve tidied up the house, print out a copy of Your Maic Storm Gun Blueprint, apply for a patent first, and then sell it to the military. You can just sit at home and count the money.¡±

    Lu Jin scratched his head and said embarrassedly, ¡°AH? You still want to apply for a patent? I was going to give it to them as a wee gift...¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡±Lu Yuan walked side by side with him, he said casually, ¡°No one will cherish a gift that is given for free. Moreover, you gave it for free right from the start. It¡¯s a bad start. Do you still expect to receive money for your future products?¡±

    ¡°... No Way?¡±Lu Jin blinked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you on good terms with them? Besides, Huo Shaoheng is their leader...¡±

    ¡°Never use benefits to test others, whether it¡¯s a person or an organization,¡±Lu Yuan said meaningfully, ¡°It¡¯s better to do business with money. ¡°Also, don¡¯t let them think that good thingse too easily. ¡°Although I¡¯m also one of them, I don¡¯t want the entire military to lose their ability to innovate because of a cheat like you.¡±

    In the end, the military had to have their own talent echelon n in order to maintain their vigor and vitality.

    A genius like Lu Jin, who could only be encountered by chance but not sought after, he would rather let him be a teacher and teach everyone the way to think.

    It was better to teach a man to fish than to teach a man to fish.

    Lu Jin was indeed not as smart as Lu Yuan in business. Originally, Lu Yuan was also the main decision maker in the business of the Lu Corporation.

    Lu Jin was the major shareholder, but he only cared about the quality of the products. He did not do business management, nor did he care about sales.

    ¡°Then I will listen to you,¡±Lu Jin said without hesitation, ¡°When the house is tidied up, I will print out the blueprint of the maic storm gun. But for the first blueprint, I will not give them the best configuration, but the basic configuration.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction. ¡°We can only take things one step at a time so that we won¡¯t push things too far.¡±

    ..

    After sending Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Yin Shixiong out, Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng to the second floor uneasily.

    Pushing open the door to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite, Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and kept guessing what Huo Shaoheng was going to ask her.

    Huo Shaoheng closed the door. Seeing her like this, he immediately understood that she must have said something to Lu Jin in the study¡¯s pantry. That was why she looked so guilty.

    Actually, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was already very calm. Those who did not know her well would not be able to tell.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had brought her up and knew her emotions like the back of his hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something you can¡¯t tell me?¡±Huo Shaoheng lifted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin and gave her a thumbs-up.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes like a kitten. She stuck out the tip of her delicate tongue and licked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thumb.

    In that instant, an electric current flowed through his fingers. Huo Shaoheng let go of her reflexively.

    However, he quickly tightened his grip on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s chin and lifted it up again.

    He lowered his head and was very close to her. As he breathed and breathed, his unique aura pounced on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face intermittently.

    Gu Nianzhi liked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s smell very much. There was a hint of ck pine¡¯s refreshing coolness in his piercingly masculine scent, just like his person, steady as a mountain and firm as a pine tree.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she snuggled into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace. He wrapped her tightly, making her feel safe.

    Everyone had a different origin of love. Gu Nianzhi knew that the beginning of her love hade from this extreme sense of security.

    She had no idea why she had been so infatuated with Huo Shaoheng before. She had never experienced any hardships, so why was she still so desperate for security?

    Later, she found out that this deep-rooted desire for security came from the inhuman experiences of her childhood..

    Although her memories of those years were gone, this desire for security was indelible.

    She could even imagine that when she had been hiding under the table in the dark, what she had yearned for the most was someone to reach out to her and lift her out of the darkness?

    When her father had sent her to this world and tied her up in the burning car, it was Huo Shaoheng who had reached out to her and rescued her.

    In the days that followed, it was he who had given her all-round protection and gave her an absolute sense of security.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help sticking closer to Huo Shaoheng when she thought of this.

    Her soft body lines perfectly matched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s rigid body.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her and held her firmly. This feeling waspletely different from when he was there.

    Only here did he feel that Gu Nianzhi belonged to himpletely.

    She was a treasure that he had lost and regained.

    ¡°... Nianzhi, give it to me...¡±he said slowly, but his movements were not slow at all. He quickly carried her into the bedroom.

    ..

    From day to night.

    From night to sunrise.

    The two hearts of love ovepped without any distance, tirelessly experiencing each other¡¯s love.

    He was unprecedentedly gentle, but she was unprecedentedly eager.

    Apart from going to the bathroom to wash up, the two of them ate in bed.

    The next morning, Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes when the first rays of sunlight shone through the curtains and onto the bedroom floor.

    He was momentarily stunned, as though he did not know what day it was.

    He moved his hand and subconsciously grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    He turned around and saw that she was still sleeping soundly beside his pillow. He instantly woke up and his anxious heart waspletely at ease.

    She and he had finally returned home.

    He squeezed his hand a little harder, and Gu Nianzhi frowned in her sleep and snorted.

    Huo Shaoheng watched with interest, so he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

    He kissed her very quickly, and their lips parted as soon as they touched. It was even more gentle than a dragonfly touching water.

    Gu Nianzhi, of course, did not feel anything. She did not even snort.

    Her long ck hair hung loosely in the pillow. Huo shaoheng smoothed her hair behind her ears, revealing her petite face. Her cheeks were still flushed.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze moved from her bright red lips to her high nose bridge. Hisrge eyes were closed, and he could only see two rows of long ck eyshes that looked like Crow¡¯s wings.

    He still remembered how he had bullied herst night, and the crystal tears that rolled down her long eyshes.

    He took another look at her slightly sunken eye sockets, and her two eyebrows seemed to be a little messy.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows were very beautiful. They were very distant and elegant, but had not been trimmed for a while. Although the natural shape of her eyebrows did not change, some of them seemed to be out of bounds.

    Huo Shaoheng used his finger to smooth her hair.

    Gu Nianzhi felt extremelyfortable and nodded in her sleep.

    She raised her hand to rub her eyebrows, and in the blink of an eye, her two eyebrows were messed up again.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her with amusement. When she fell asleep again, Huo Shaoheng stretched, took out his phone from under the pillow, and swiped it.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly moved and moved closer. She didn¡¯t open her eyes and mumbled a few words. She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and put it under her neck.

    Huo Shaoheng had originally nned to get up, but now he couldn¡¯t.

    However, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry. General Ji had given him a month off, so he had enough time to apany Gu Nianzhi and wait for her to wake up naturally.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1939, ¡°Sleep with her until she wakes up naturally.¡±.

    Remind everyone to rmend tickets

    PS: Thank you for the 30,000 starting coins that the president of My Love Hall gave yesterday

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1940 - two-handed grip, both hands must be hard

    <h4>Chapter 1940: Chapter 1940 two-handed grip, both hands must be hard</h4>

    Autumn in the capital was the best season of the year.

    The early morning sky was almost transparent and bright blue. The color was full and beautiful, like the reflection of the sea on the blue sky. It had an atmosphere of the sea and the sky, and was distant.

    It made people feel refreshed just by looking at it.

    Gu Nianzhi gradually woke up from her deep sleep. She seemed to hear the chirping of birds and the faint fragrance of flowers.

    It was as if she was in nature¡¯s open-air garden. Gu Nianzhi sighed in satisfaction and let go of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm. Shey on her back on the bed.

    The snow-white silk slipped down, revealing one of her fair shoulders. However, there were still crisscrossing hickeys on her shoulder, indicating the intensity ofst night¡¯s ¡°Battle.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. His throat felt hot, so he unnaturally pulled the quilt for her. Then, he lifted his quilt and got out of bed.

    Gu Nianzhi saw him and instinctively moved over. She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s muscr waist from behind and gave him a peck on the back of his waist.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help tensing up. He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands around his waist and said calmly, ¡°If you kiss me again, I guarantee you won¡¯t be able to get out of bed for a week.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered. Her body felt as if it had been crushed by a stone. She was so soft that she looked like a sheet of paper.

    She narrowed her eyes to hide from the sunlight that shone through the curtains. She rubbed her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lower back and mumbled,¡±... What Time is it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at his phone. ¡°Eight o¡¯clock in the morning. It¡¯s time to get up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi groggily took out her phone from under her pillow and swiped it open to take a look.¡±... eight o¡¯clock? In the morning?¡±

    Her Heart jolted, and her mind cleared up.

    Didn¡¯t that mean that she and Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯te out of this room since they entered this room yesterday afternoon? !

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly rolled into the bed and yelled, ¡°I¡¯m not getting up! I¡¯m not getting up! I¡¯m so embarrassed when I go out!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around to see her acting shamelessly and couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    He turned around and pulled her out of the bed. He said lightly, ¡°Now you know how to be shy? You pestered me again and again yesterday...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it!¡±Gu Nianzhi covered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth with her hand. In that instant, her cheeks seemed to have been dyed with two rays of the morning sun. She looked dainty and innocent, and one couldn¡¯t help but want to hug her and rub her hard.

    Huo Shaohengughed in her palm. His deep, maic, mature male voice had an extraordinary prative power.

    Gu Nianzhi felt the heat in her palm. She quickly retracted her hand and covered herself tightly with the nket.

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m noting out!¡±

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t say it, then don¡¯te out!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped herself tightly in the nket. She nned to be a coward for the rest of the day.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head. He looked at Gu Nianzhi huddled under the nket and wanted to tease her.

    He picked up his phone and dialed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number.

    ¡°... who was the one who used the war bow at the temple of the priest? I like the image of you being mine in the crowd...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s special ringtone for Huo Shaoheng rang in the bedroom.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly startled. He looked at the ringtone and realized that Gu Nianzhi had not put her phone under the nket.

    He reached out to pick up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and saw that the caller ID on GU NIANZHI¡¯s phone was actually ¡°King of drama a¡±..

    Huo Shaoheng stared at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone for a while and threw it on the bedside table as if nothing had happened.

    He didn¡¯t get out of bed, but leaned over and reached under the covers to grab Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feet and rub them a few times.

    Gu Nianzhi could not help butugh. She lifted the nket and sat up. ¡°What are you doing... stop it!¡±

    Huo Shaohengy on his side beside her, smiling and narrowing his eyes,

    gu Nianzhi quickly covered her ears.¡±... Shut Up! I¡¯m still a baby! I don¡¯t understand your (lewd) words (erotic) banquets!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lifted the nket and pulled her hands away from her ears. Heughed softly, as if it wasing from his chest. It was a very infectiousugh.

    He said slowly,¡±... of course, the King of drama has to be skilled in bed, cook with both hands, and be hard with both hands. Otherwise, how can you be the King of Drama?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    How did he know about the ¡°King of Drama¡±? !

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered and felt so remorseful that she wanted to vomit blood.

    If she had known earlier, she wouldn¡¯t have asked for it.

    The phone she used was the one Lu Jin had specially made for her. This type of phone could be used on both sides of the world.

    In a moment of foolishness, she had marked the phone numbers on both sides of Huo Shaoheng as ¡°King of actors¡±, but one was ¡°King of actors a¡±and the other was ¡°King of actors b¡±..

    She pushed Huo Shaoheng away in a flurry and scratched the bed. She flew into a rage out of humiliation. ¡°Where¡¯s my phone? Where¡¯s my phone? Why did you look at someone else¡¯s phone without their permission? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng leaned leisurely against the headboard and curled his long legs. He saidzily, ¡°I didn¡¯t look at it. You might not believe this, but someone called your phone and it showed itself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Someone called? ! You have the nerve to say that? !¡±Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It was you who called me! Otherwise, why would there be a disy of ¡®The King of Drama¡¯! I¡¯m right in front of you, why would you call me? !¡±

    ¡°... Don¡¯t you like to chat on your phone?¡±Huo Shaoheng took the phone from the Nightstand and handed it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll chat with you for a whole month.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so embarrassed that her head was about to explode.

    ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re getting worse!¡±Gu Nianzhi tapped Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead with her phone and said unwillingly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be hugging me and Calling Me Baby Kissy? Shouldn¡¯t you be pampering me, loving me, and giving in to me for the rest of your life? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held her finger and raised his eyebrows.¡±... hugging you and Calling You Baby Kissy? It¡¯s so mushy, you might as well kill me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you right now!¡±Gu Nianzhi threw away her phone and pounced on him in a huff, grabbing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck.

    Of course, she wouldn¡¯t really pinch him. It was toote for her to feel sorry for him.

    She only pretended to use both hands to ¡°Measure¡±the circumference of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck. Gu Nianzhi put her hand on his shoulder and began to kiss his protruding Adam¡¯s apple.

    It was heavier than a feather, but lighter than a touch. Her plump lips brushed against the hard part of the man¡¯s throat, soft but also hard. The blood rushed up and up into the sky.

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s waist tightly with both hands. He was so strong that he almost twisted her slender waist.

    Gu Nianzhi kissed him for a while, and her legs went limp.

    ..

    The two of them continued to mess around for the entire morning. Huo Shaoheng only let go of Gu Nianzhi when she was too hungry and rubbed her head, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it for today. We¡¯ll continue tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±Gu Nianzhi could barely keep her eyes open as she pleaded, ¡°I know you¡¯re good. All your roles are textbook-level acting. I beg you to let me go...¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t want it anymore?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it, I don¡¯t want it...¡±if Gu Nianzhi could shake her head, she would be shaking it like a rattle-drum right now.

    Unfortunately, from head to toe, even her hair was so soft that it couldn¡¯t move.

    Her entire body was so soft that she couldn¡¯t even be supported by her hands.

    ¡°Then the remarks in your phone...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng obviously still cared about the nickname ¡°King of Drama¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and told him her phone password,¡±... boss, you can change the note yourself. I Won¡¯t do it again...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone to enter the password. He opened the contact list and changed ¡°King of actors a¡±to ¡°My man¡±, ¡°King of actors b¡±was ¡°Peter¡±¡®s phone number, so he deleted it.

    Then he gently caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and warned her,¡±... change it back again, today is the rehearsal.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was really scared of Huo Shaoheng.

    Although the process was beautiful and the ending was wonderful, after it was over, she felt as if her whole body had been hollowed out. The feeling of being on the verge of death really felt like she had survived a disaster.

    With this experience, she felt that she could ¡°Not know the taste of meat in March.¡±She quickly promised, ¡°I definitely won¡¯t change it. Whatever the Big Boss says...¡±

    Seeing how obedient she was, Huo Shaoheng gave her a kiss as a reward. ¡°I won¡¯t tease you anymore. Get Up. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±

    This was the best way to wake Gu Nianzhi up.

    Gu Nianzhi had felt so tired that she could barely open her eyes, but now she suddenly opened them. Her eyes were as bright as stars, and there was a sly smile in her watery eyes.

    ¡°I want pork, shrimp, bamboo shoots, and Shumai! Crab Meat, saut¨¦ed! Beef dumplings! Oh, and porridge and fried dough sticks!¡±

    These were all authentic C city breakfasts. Gu Nianzhi had often eaten them when she had been with Huo Shaoheng in C city, but Huo Shaoheng had not made them. Instead, the orderly in the kitchen had made them.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his shoes and stood up. He said casually, ¡°It¡¯s already noon. Are you sure you want to eat breakfast?¡±

    ¡°I want to eat breakfast at noon.¡±Gu Nianzhi propped herself up from the bed andbed her messy hair. She leaned against the headboard and raised her chin slightly. ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±Huo Shaoheng gently pinched her cheek and coaxed her. ¡°You can say whatever you want, Little Princess Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°You admit that I¡¯m a Princess?¡±Gu Nianzhi giggled and put on an arrogant princess look.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take two hours just to boil the porridge. It¡¯ll take half an hour even with the pressure cooker. You don¡¯t like the porridge made with the pressure cooker.¡±Huo Shaoheng pretended not to see her smug look, he pinched her straight nose. ¡°Can you really wait?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi swatted his hand away and tilted her head. ¡°Then I¡¯ll only eat one thing... I¡¯ll eat the rest tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to Eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll eat pork, shrimp, bamboo shoots, and Shumai with a little bit of glutinous rice.¡±

    She gulped.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and agreed.

    ¡°... I want to eat at the Tree House!¡±Gu Nianzhi raised another condition and said arrogantly.

    ¡°Okay,¡±Huo Shaoheng said simply. He got up and went to the bathroom to wash up before going to the kitchen.

    He changed into his military uniform and walked downstairs with a faint smile on his face. He seemed to be in a good mood.

    ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    The soldiers at the official residence immediately greeted him when they saw him.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded as if nothing had happened and pretended not to see the strange looks in the soldiers¡¯eyes.

    Zhao Liangze was eating lunch and watching TV in the dining room. He looked up and saw Huo Shaoheng walking towards the kitchen, so he quickly chased after him, he winked and smiled. ¡°Huo Shao, sure! Is Nianzhi unable to get out of bed today? Do you want to bring the food in again?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him calmly.¡±... I heard that you did well in the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Do you want to open up a new ind?¡±

    Zhao liangze immediately raised his hands in surrender and said seriously, ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re very busy, so I Won¡¯t disturb you while you¡¯re working.¡±As he spoke, he left the dining room in a sh and ran out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to return to his office.

    Yin Shixiong walked in from outside the door with a briefcase in his hand. He was muttering to himself, obviously on the phone with someone wearing a Bluetooth headset.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him, then turned to the fridge to get the roasted wheat rind. He said, ¡°You and Qiqi are talking on the phone during dinner time three times a day?¡±

    Yin Shixiong smiled and said to the phone,¡±... wait.¡±He hung up.

    He said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°It¡¯s not qiqi, it¡¯s Xiao Ye. She heard that you¡¯re back and wanted to see you and Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced into the fridge and said, ¡°Nianzhi and I should go see her. Tell her not to be anxious. Once Nianzhi has settled down, I¡¯ll take her to see Xiao Ye.¡±

    He then asked Yin shixiong, ¡°How¡¯s Xiao Ye¡¯s recovery?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still the same. Even Chen lie can only do so much.¡±Yin Shixiong shrugged regretfully. ¡°Physical damage is irreversible. She can only be demobilized or transferred to a civilian position. She can¡¯t go to the front line anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and continued to take out a piece of sandwich meat from the fridge near the 70% pork heart and handed it to Yin Shixiong. ¡°Go and mash it up.¡±

    He took out a packet of fresh prawns and began shucking them to make the filling.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi sat on the bed for a while before she dared to look at her phone.

    She swiped open her phone and saw that other than ¡°My man,¡±there were several missed calls.

    They were all from the same unknown number.

    Gu nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone and noted ¡°My man¡±on it. She secretly despised the steel straight man¡¯s taste in beauty.

    However, when she thought of the ¡°Poems¡±that Huo Shaoheng had just recited, she felt that the steel straight man was the most dangerous and irresistible..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: chapter 1940, ¡°Both hands must be firm, both hands must be firm.¡±.

    The monthly votes could be reserved for the end of the month, but the rmendation votes had to be cast every day

    PS: well, the two ¡°Poems¡±in today¡¯s chapter are a cold original, giarism must be investigated. ¡û

    (those who can understand will naturally understand, those who can not understand will pretend not to see Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ha o (¨Œ¨Œ¡Ü) O)

    Again PS: Thank You ¡°My Love Hall¡±the President of the 80,000 starting point coins yesterday. Thank you ¡°Old Z number 2¡åthe pro-80,000 starting point coins yesterday.

    Congrattions to the second son of old Z for bing the 35th President of Hello, Major General!

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1941

    <h4>Chapter 1941: Chapter 1941 wouldn¡¯t think of anything else</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi blushed and secretly spat at the words ¡°My man.¡±She rubbed her phone screen a few times and then looked at the unfamiliar phone number.

    Who would know her phone number was calling her?

    She had just returned. Even Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t know her phone number.

    As for he zhichu in the other world, if he was the one making the call, he had to use a quantummunicator. The number disyed on the quantummunicator was invalid.

    So after thinking about it, she concluded that this was either Lu Jin¡¯s or Lu Yuan¡¯s new number.

    Yesterday, Yin Shixiong had brought the two of them to get an identity card and a household registration, as well as to buymon household items.

    To them, a cell phone and aputer were definitely indispensable.

    Lu Jin had his own special cell phone, but it was a private cell phone. Only a few close rtives and friends knew the number, so he must have bought another cell phone to use for business.

    So this number should be the number of the new cell phone that Lu Jin or Lu Yuan had bought.

    Gu Nianzhi remembered that she had to get another cell phone too. The Senate would be going to work in a few days, so she had to get ready.

    Her spirits lifted, and Gu Nianzhi immediately dialed that unknown number.

    Someone answered the phone. It was indeed Lu Jin.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re Awake? Have you rested for the past two days? I just got someone to renovate my house. You can move in in two months.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded happily. ¡°Where will you be staying for the next two months? Will you be staying at CEO Lu¡¯s house?¡±

    Lu Jin was a little embarrassed, but also a little happy. He covered his phone and looked around. Seeing that Lu Yuan was not in the house, he quickly whispered,¡±... Boss Lu¡¯s house is also under renovation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Then where will you two be staying? Do you still want to stay at Huo¡¯s ce?¡±Gu Nianzhi was anxious, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to stay here, I have a small apartment in Sihuan district. It¡¯s a little smaller than the apartment in Sihuan District, but it¡¯s still okay for two people to live there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had bought the second-hand apartment with the money she had earned. It was much cheaper than the deluxe apartment in Sihuan District.

    Lu Jin was stunned. ¡°Nianzhi, you have so many apartments? Looks like you¡¯re doing really well here.¡±

    He was happy, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling a little jealous.

    There was actually someone in this world who was as good to his daughter as he was. He was... convinced.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled contentedly. ¡°Yes, Dad. Thank you for bringing me here, but I still love dad the most! Mua!¡±

    She gave her phone a resounding kiss.

    Lu Jin said proudly, ¡°Of course! Dad must be the best to you! I Won¡¯t be outdone by someone else!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t encourage this kind ofpetitive mentality.

    She quietly changed the subject and continued to ask, ¡°Dad, what are you going to do? Should I bring you the keys?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, no...¡±Lu Jin quickly shook his head, he smiled and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you still have a house... that shameless boss Lu went straight to Mrs. Song and said that our house was under renovation and that we didn¡¯t have a ce to stay, so he shamelessly went to live at Mrs. Song¡¯s House!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    CEO Lu was a real man!

    When it¡¯s time to make a move, make a move. I have high hopes for you!

    Gu Nianzhiughed so hard that she copsed on the bed. Her slender and fair calves swayed in the air as she said, ¡°Alright then, I hope CEO Lu¡¯s wish wille true this time!¡±

    However, afterughing, Gu Nianzhi remembered and asked,¡±... But Dad, did you also move in with them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ms. Song¡¯s house is very big, even bigger than yours and Gu Yanran¡¯s. It has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a study, living room, dining room, and game room. It¡¯s a duplex suite.¡±

    Lu Jin said excitedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the scientists here to be so rich!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Ms. Song was a person who devoted her life to scientific research, and had spent her entire life in the National Laboratory. It was said that all patented inventions belonged to theboratory and were not under her personal name.

    How could such a person have so much money?

    It was highly likely that Huo Shaoheng had secretly bought a house for Mrs. Song.

    Gu Nianzhi was not unhappy. Instead, she was very touched.

    The man she had fallen in love with had always taken good care of the people around her within his means, but he had never been ostentatious.

    Compared to those hypocritical men who couldn¡¯t wait to brag about their achievements, Huo Shaoheng could be said to be an example of a man.

    She had once indulged in the writings of the CEO when she was still young and had just begun her adolescence.

    Many of the male protagonists in those writings were mean to everyone except the female protagonist.

    Huo Shaoheng had once grabbed a few of her books to read in order to understand the psychological problems of teenagers.

    He didn¡¯t say anything after reading them, but he arranged for the best psychiatrist in the military, a big shot with a degree from a famous foreign university and a doctor¡¯s license, to specially teach her.

    The topic was to use psychological structures to analyze the personality characteristics of the male protagonist in the CEO¡¯s essays, and help teenagers form a correct view of the world, values, and life.

    Poor Gu Nianzhi was only 14 or 15 years old at the time. She had just passed her university exams and was able to study university courses in advance.

    Her first year and second year were at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces in C City. They had specialized professors and special teaching materials, and only taught her.

    In the end, after the psychologist had analyzed the male protagonists in the CEO¡¯s essays, he hade to a conclusion.

    That was, 95 percent of the male protagonists in such novels belonged to the paranoid type of antisocial personality.

    Gu Nianzhi clearly remembered that the psychology guru had said in ss, ¡°This male protagonist¡¯s personality looks pretty good in books, but in reality, people with this personality are emotionally extreme. They are people with psychological problems and are also potential domestic violence men.¡±

    ¡°If you meet such a man, you should advise him to immediately see a psychologist and then run as far away as possible. Don¡¯t get involved with him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for young girls to have fantasies when they fall in love, but don¡¯t think that this kind of man only has true love.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, because of this kind of man¡¯s extreme personality, after he goes out into the world, he usually doesn¡¯t have a good rtionship with his colleagues and boss. His career development will not go smoothly.¡±

    ¡°Even if there¡¯s a mine in the family, it¡¯ll be a matter of time before it¡¯s all gone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned when she heard that. She felt sorry for her teenage bird, who hadn¡¯t even had the chance to spread the wings of her dreams when Huo Shaoheng snapped it with a snap.

    She could no longer look directly at the male leads in the CEO¡¯s little writings, and remembered those words in her heart.

    Under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s influence, she liked to admire people who had great love. Regardless of whether they were men or women, only with great love would they be upright, worthy of being friends, or evenmitted to life.

    And this kind of good man was now her husband.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was filled with sweetness, she smiled and asked,¡±... Dad, are you really going to be a third wheel?¡±? It wasn¡¯t easy for president Lu to get into the house...¡±... do you think I don¡¯t understand? !¡±Lu Jin snorted. ¡°I originally said that I would go live with mydy, but boss Lu didn¡¯t agree. He said that it would be scandalous for him to live alone in Ms. Song¡¯s house, but it would be different if he lived with me. Everyone would only praise Ms. Song for being willing to help others, and wouldn¡¯t think of going anywhere else.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Boss Lu!

    How dare he y tricks on Mrs. Song!

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and whispered,¡±... Boss Lu, you¡¯re so thoughtful. Didn¡¯t you think that Mrs. Song would be the same as everyone else and wouldn¡¯t think of other ces to go?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±Lu Jinughed until he fell, ¡°That¡¯s what I said as well! He¡¯s only doing this to make a blind man look at him! The more well-rounded he was, the less people would think about it. Even if they had a little bit of a good impression of him, seeing that he was so clear-minded, they would start to wonder if they were overthinking things!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Dad, you know so much. When ites to romantic rtionships, there are so many ways to go about it. Why didn¡¯t you... go after my mother back then?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed when she mentioned Qin Suwen.

    After all, she was an ¡°Illegitimate child.¡±.

    Lu Jin¡¯sughter stopped abruptly, and he fell silent.

    Gu Nianzhi thought she had asked Lu Jin about his sad past. She was secretly regretting it, and was about to change the subject when Lu Jin spoke.

    His voice was already very calm and unperturbed.

    ¡°... it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to go after her, but I can¡¯t.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth opened into a round O shape. ¡°Why can¡¯t I? !¡±

    ¡°Because she was always in danger. At that time, I wasn¡¯t strong enough to protect her...¡±Lu Jin said frankly.

    ¡°When I found out that he chengjian had taken a liking to her, I rationally analyzed that this was the best way to protect her. If she could be with he chengjian, the Qin family wouldn¡¯t dare to attack her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart seemed to be blocked by something as she said in a muffled voice,¡±... but she still didn¡¯t escape the Qin family¡¯s vicious hands in the end.¡±

    Lu Jin was silent for even longer this time.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t change the topic anymore. She waited for Lu Jin to give her an answer.

    After a while, Lu Jin¡¯s voice seemed toe from the distant wilderness. His voice was fleeting and distant.

    He said,¡±... but at least the Qin family didn¡¯t dare to use other violent methods against her.¡±

    ¡°Under the protection of the He family and he chengjian, she lived steadily until she was forty.¡±

    ¡°Without the he family, she would have died before she was 20.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Are you saying that the Qin family has been trying to murder my mother?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡±Lu Jin stood in front of the window and looked out at the blue sky and white clouds. He let out a long sigh, he said, ¡°At that time, my ability and family background were not strong enough to fight against the Qin family. My protection of her had always been a small matter in the dark.¡±

    ¡°As the Qin family¡¯s patience ran out, their methods escted.¡±

    ¡°That year, Su Wen went to the imperial capital to attend university. I followed her there and nned to discuss with her how to fight against the Qin family.¡±

    ¡°That day, I met he chengjian in the crowd on campus.¡±

    ¡°I saw with my own eyes that he had mistaken me for someone else...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips.

    Perhaps everything had been predestined from the moment Qin Suwen had turned around.

    ¡°... but it doesn¡¯t matter. I can ept this result,¡±Lu Jin said gloomily. ¡°Only the He family can make the Qin family afraid and not dare toy a hand on Suwen again.¡±

    ¡°Later, when Suwen and he chengjian got together, the Qin family could only suffer in silence from their rtionship to their marriage. Qin Yaoguang didn¡¯t even dare to make a scene and had to swallow her pride and pretend to be magnanimous.¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°God really doesn¡¯t know when to stop. They had been scheming for so many years, but in the end, they still managed to get everything back on track.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know why, but she felt even more ufortable when she heard this.

    Yes, with the protection of the He family, Qin Suwen had indeed survived peacefully. She didn¡¯t have to worry about others plotting against her anymore.

    However, ever since Gu Nianzhi was born, Qin Suwen had once again been in unknown danger.

    Gu Nianzhi said faintly,¡±... if it weren¡¯t for me, would the Qin family have never plotted against Barrister Qin Suwen again?¡±

    Lu Jin was stunned for a moment, and quickly shook his head. ¡°Nianzhi, you mustn¡¯t take the me of others on yourself. Remember, you¡¯re the victim here. Just like your mother, you¡¯re all innocent victims!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, the virus that Qin yaoguang infected your doll was meant to be used against you...¡±Lu Jin couldn¡¯t bear to say this. ¡°She was testing your gic resistance to the virus...¡±

    ¡°Su Wen¡¯s congenital heart disease worsened after that. She waspletely implicated.¡±

    These things had already been exposed in the court across the world through the secretly recorded video of Qin Yaoguang¡¯s Secret Laboratory.

    Gu Nianzhi was still in a bad mood. Fortunately, Lu Jin was not in front of her and could not see her, so she held back her sobs and said nonchntly, ¡°Dad, I know. I¡¯m going to take a shower. Have You had lunch?¡±

    Lu Jin did not hear Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strange mood. He was d that Gu Nianzhi had changed the subject, he quickly said, ¡°Not yet. Boss Lu is cooking in the kitchen. After he¡¯s done, he wants me to send it over to Mrs. Song. I¡¯m going to pack up the lunch box. Okay, I Won¡¯t talk to you anymore. Remember toe over when you¡¯re free!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and hung up the phone. She went back to the bathroom in her room and burst into tears.

    After she was done crying, she realized that her eyes were red and swollen. She used an eye mask for a long time before putting on a concealer to cover her eyes.

    After she was done, she carefully checked her bottles of skincare products and cosmetics.

    Fortunately, they were all within their expiration date. Huo Shaoheng had taken good care of the things he had given her. He had thrown away the expired ones and even restocked them for her once.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood lifted when her phone rang and Huo Shaoheng told her that brunch was ready and that he wanted her to go to the treehouse.

    She changed into a pair of washed and aged water-blue leggings, jeans, and white sneakers. Her upper body was loose and baggy, and she wore a knitted sweater made from Morandi powder. Her hair was tied into a bun, and she walked towards the treehouse with a youthful air.

    In addition to her bedroom, the treehouse also had a wooden staircase that allowed one to walk up from the courtyard on the first floor.

    Huo Shaoheng hade directly from the first floor.

    Gu Nianzhi entered the treehouse and saw that it was tidied up.

    The bedding was ced in a few waterproof wooden boxes against the wall.

    The treehouse had solid wood floors and was painted with waterproof varnish.

    There was a short rectangr table on the floor with white porcin bowls and tes on it. There was also a bamboo steamer that was steaming hot, and the fragrance wafted into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s nostrils.

    Gu Nianzhi had just opened the steamer to take a whiff when she suddenly heard a few loud dog barks from under the tree.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She moved to the door of the treehouse and peeked through the gaps in the green leaves.

    A small, short-legged Kogi dog looked up at her. It was using all its strength to jump and bark on the ground.

    ¡°Ah Ke! Are you here to see Mommy? !¡±Gu Nianzhi waved in surprise and almost fell out of the treehouse.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the update of today¡¯s big chapter: Chapter 1941, ¡°Won¡¯t think of going anywhere else.¡±.

    The monthly ticket can be reserved for the end of the month, but the rmendation ticket must be cast every day Ah Ah Ah ~ ~ ~

    PS: two original poems from yesterday. Look at the author¡¯s words at the end of the chapter.

    I put that paragraph at the end of today¡¯s chapter, the author¡¯s words, the whole paragraph.

    PS: I posted a survey on Weibo to see how many parents are willing to buy the general¡¯s physical book, We Have Weibo, help toment on the like to repost it.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1942

    <h4>Chapter 1942: Chapter 1942: Integrity</h4>

    Woof! Woof! Woof!

    The short-legged little ah ke heard his familiar voice and cheered even more.

    Gu Nianzhi pushed away the branches and watched as little ah ke hopped up the woodendder and climbed up to her treehouse.

    As soon as he reached the entrance of the treehouse, Little Ah Ke happily rushed into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms and knocked her into his arms.

    Gu Nianzhi was knocked onto the floor of the treehouse and wasughing uncontrobly.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that little ah ke had started to lick gu Nianzhi¡¯s face with his tongue and coughed calmly.

    As soon as he heard this voice, Little Ah Ke instinctively jumped up from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body. He sat upright in front of Huo Shaoheng and looked at him with a serious expression, however, the little tail behind him quietly swung left and right.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Stupid Ah Ke!

    He forgot about Mama the moment he saw him pull it out!

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and knocked on the small table in front of him. He said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Come and eat. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Why aren¡¯t you hungry? ! I¡¯m so hungry that I Can Eat Little Ah Ke!¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and rubbed the short-legged little ah KE¡¯s dog head.

    Little Ah Ke still looked at Huo Shaoheng, not daring to act coquettishly and shamelessly towards Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Huh? Why is it so obedient to you? Was it because I wasn¡¯t around this year? But you weren¡¯t around most of the time either...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not an ordinary Ke Ji Dog. It¡¯s now a military dog, Ke Ji.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really going to make it a military dog? ! How is it going to go to war? Is it going to kill its enemies with its cuteness?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked suspiciously. She looked up and down at the cute, short-legged little corgi from Russia. She really couldn¡¯t see how it was worthy of the name ¡°Military dog.¡±.

    In Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart, military dogs were all majestic, tall, strong, and fierce.

    Huo Shaoheng reached out to scratch little Ah Ke¡¯s chin and said, ¡°Go down.¡±

    Ah Ke shot out of the tree house like an arrow, and climbed down the woodendder.

    Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out and only had time to see him wag his little tail.

    ¡°... he really listens to you,¡±Gu Nianzhi said resentfully, and lowered her head to eat her brunch.

    Huo Shaoheng sat behind her and practically pulled her into his arms. He smiled faintly and said, ¡°If you want to give me a son, I promise he will listen to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    He pretended not to hear her, but the corners of his lips curled up as he ate the SHUMAI. It even affected his chewing.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her face.¡±... It smells like Shumai.¡±

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t Kiss it...¡±Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Besides, I haven¡¯t even asked you for money yet. How dare you look down on My Shumai?¡±

    ¡°You have to pay for a Kiss?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay to kiss me, but you smell my shumai. Rounding it up means you¡¯re eating my shumai. It¡¯s free, right?¡±Gu Nianzhi picked up another shumai with relish and put it in her mouth.

    It was awesome!

    The pork was fat and lean, and the taste was different from the shrimp. Together with the chopped bamboo shoots, thebination was perfect.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as she ate. She couldn¡¯t wait to make a sound to express her satisfaction.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that she was enjoying her meal, so he picked up a shumai and brought it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi swallowed the Shumai in her mouth and opened her mouth to bite the shumai that was brought to her mouth. However, Huo Shaoheng only took half of the Shumai and suddenly lowered his head to bite the other half.

    How Big Could A Shumai be?

    When the two of them bit, their lips could not help but stick together.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly bit off the other half of the Shumai and swallowed it. She frowned and said, ¡°What are you doing? Why are you fighting with me? How unhygienic is it to eat like this?¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m notining about you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mining about you!¡±Gu Nianzhi wiped her mouth with a tissue.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the wall of the treehouse. He bent his long legs and said leisurely, ¡°Think of it as an early rehearsal for the wedding ceremony.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... There¡¯s a shumai segment at the wedding ceremony?¡±She blinked, unable to keep up with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s train of thought.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm. He raised his fist to his lips and coughed, saying,¡±... It¡¯s a traditional show, bite the apple.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Old-fashioned.¡±Although Gu Nianzhi said it with disdain, the corners of her lips curled up. She was a ssic example of someone who disliked integrity.

    After a sumptuous brunch, Gu Nianzhi sat contentedly on the big pillow in the treehouse. She wanted to call little ah ke up to digest her food.

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°You should go down. You can sleep in your treehouse. Ah Ke came up and dirtied it. Clean it yourself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯sziness red up. She thought about it and decided to go down and y with Ah Ke.

    She went down the woodendder in the treehouse to the front yard. Little Ah Ke, who had been sitting upright on the grass under the treehouse, suddenly jumped up happily.

    Unfortunately, his legs were too short. No matter how high he jumped, he could still reach Gu Nianzhi¡¯s knees.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and bent down. She rubbed little ah KE¡¯s dog head and whispered, ¡°Little Ah Ke, how about we go out for a walk?¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for her to walk around the headquarters of the special operations forces.

    Besides, her enemies had already been brought to justice, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about anyone taking her life every day.

    The short-legged little corgi wagged its tail and jumped up. It turned nimbly in the air and ran towards the entrance of the courtyard.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She understood what she was saying!

    She followed behind Little Ako and walked out.

    Gu Nianzhi was tall and had long legs. Little Ako was running happily on his four short legs, but Gu Nianzhi only needed to walk a few steps to catch up. Gu Nianzhiughed so hard that she almost suffocated.

    Fortunately, Little Ah Ke wasn¡¯t human, so he didn¡¯t know that humanughter had many meanings.

    He only knew that if he made his masterugh, it meant that he had done his duty.

    Therefore, he ran around Gu Nianzhi happily.

    Gu Nianzhi yed with little ah ke for a while and thought about how she had said she would call Ma Qiqi, but it had already been a day and a night, and she still hadn¡¯t called.

    So she chased after Little Ah Ke and took out her phone to call Ma Qiqi¡¯s number.

    It was only noon, so Ma Qiqi should be at lunch time. She could pick up the phone and wouldn¡¯t disturb her work.

    Gu Nianzhi held her phone and waited for a while before she heard the call go through.¡±... Hello, who is this?¡±

    It had been a year since she hadst heard Ma Qiqi¡¯s clear and beautiful voice, and Gu Nianzhi almost choked up again.

    She took a deep breath.¡±... Qiqi...¡±

    Ma Qiqi heard the familiar yet unfamiliar voice and did note back to her senses for a long time.¡±... You Are... Nianzhi? ! Nianzhi! You finally called me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed until tears came out of her eyes. She nodded repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me! QIQI, you still remember me!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been back for a day or two, and you only called me today!¡±Ma Qiqi seemed to be in a very noisy ce. She barked for a while before walking to a rtively quiet ce to continue speaking.

    ¡°Nianzhi! How do you think I Should Punish You? !¡±

    ¡°You can punish me however you want! I ept the punishment!¡±Gu Nianzhi held her phone andughed happily.

    A man and a dog jogged over from the tree-lined path. Gu Nianzhi was on the phone as she looked down at Little Ah Ke, who was pacing back and forth at her feet. She suddenly heard the sound of the car brakes screeching. She was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat.

    She stopped in her tracks in a hurry. She almost jumped onto the hood of the car, which had just turned the corner.

    The people in the car were so scared that their hearts almost stopped beating.

    The two of them stared nkly at each other for a while before gu nianzhi shouted happily, ¡°Chen Lie! Long time no see! You¡¯re trying to murder me!¡±

    The person sitting behind the steering wheel of the car looked rounder. It was the Miracle Doctor from the Military General Hospital, Chen Lie.

    His chubby forehead was covered in sweat. Gu Nianzhi had really scared him to death just now.

    Seeing Chen Lie, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She said to Ma Qiqi on the other end of the phone, ¡°Qiqi, where are you? Can I Come and See You Now?¡±

    Ma Qiqi heard Gu Nianzhi yell from the other end. After she married Yin Shixiong, she was also very familiar with Chen Lie and Zhao Liangze. Hearing this, she quickly asked, ¡°What happened to you just now? Was It Chen Lie?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Tell me the address quickly. Brother Chen has a car. I¡¯ll drive it to see you.¡±She walked over to Chen Lie¡¯s car and knocked on the window. ¡°Brother Chen, open the door.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s limbs went limp. He slumped into the driver¡¯s seat and smiled bitterly at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll open the doorter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t hear Chen lie through the window, but she could roughly guess what he meant.

    She grimaced at Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen, are you so timid?¡±

    Little Ah Ke was sitting upright at her feet.

    Gu Nianzhi asked Ma Qiqi to send her the address and coordinates.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that they were in the capital¡¯s CBD business district. They had agreed to meetter, so she hung up.

    Once Chen Lie had rested and opened the car door, Little Ah Ke let out a Yelp, jumped up, bared his white teeth, and pounced on Chen Lie!

    He bit on Chen Lie¡¯s cor and couldn¡¯t shake it off.

    Gu Nianzhi held onto the car door andughed until her back hurt. When she was doneughing, she said, ¡°Ah Ke, go away. I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    Only then did little ah ke let go of Chen Lie. He jumped into the passenger seat next door and looked at Chen Lie vigntly.

    Chen lie waved his fist at Little Ah Ke. ¡°You Silly Dog! If you bite me again, I won¡¯t feed you meat!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nudged Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen,e down. I need to use the car.¡±

    Chen lie quickly said, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re back. I came all the way from C City to see you. What do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I made an appointment with Qiqi to meet her. Brother Chen happens to have a car, so I¡¯m borrowing it to take a look around.¡±

    She looked at the scenery around her and sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t been here in over a year.¡±

    Although the other world was simr to this world, it was this ¡°Difference¡±that hadpletely separated the two worlds.

    Logically speaking, the other world was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s home, but she couldn¡¯t find the feeling of home there.

    Chen lie saw how pitiful she sounded and his heart immediately softened. He quickly said, ¡°No problem, you drive. Where¡¯s Ma Qiqi? Is She Far?¡±

    He asked again, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. Does Huo know you¡¯re out?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked quickly and smiled. ¡°He should know, right? Qiqi isn¡¯t far. She¡¯s at the CBD. She¡¯s probablying out for lunch from the office building.¡±

    ¡°Oh you, what should I say...¡±Chen lie sighed and picked up his phone to call Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s me, Chen Lie. Nianzhi wants to go with me to the CBD to see Ma Qiqi. I just wanted to let you know!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the treehouse and did not see Gu Nianzhi. He asked the security guard at the door and found out that she had gone out for a walk with Ah Ke.

    This was the headquarters of the special operations forces, his territory. Huo Shaoheng was not worried about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety at all.

    Therefore, he went back to his room and turned on hisputer to process his emails.

    Even though General Ji had given him a month off, he still checked his emails when he was free.

    Huo Shaoheng turned the pen in his hand when he received Chen Lie¡¯s call. After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°Where are you guys?¡±

    ¡°Just around the corner of the boulevard at the headquarters.¡±Chen Lie said guiltily. He did not dare to say that he had almost hit Gu Nianzhi just now..

    His driving skills weren¡¯t very good. He could drive by himself normally, but he was especially careful when he encounteredplicated road conditions.

    He had been too anxious today, and had almost gotten himself into an ident.

    Huo Shaoheng turned off hisputer. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    He picked up his military jacket and walked out in a hurry. He soon arrived in front of Chen Lie¡¯s car.

    Gu Nianzhi sat behind the steering wheel. When she saw that Huo Shaoheng hade, she waved at him in surprise. ¡°Huo Shao! Why are you here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Chen Lie, who was sitting in the passenger seat next to Gu Nianzhi, and said bluntly, ¡°Chen Lie, you sit in the back.¡±

    How could Chen Lie Dare to disobey?

    Pouting, he unhappily carried little ah ke out of the car door.

    Little ah ke called out to Huo Shaoheng twice. Huo Shaoheng nced at him and obediently hid in Chen Lie¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng then said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Sit over there. I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands itched and begged, ¡°Huo Shao, can¡¯t I Drive? I¡¯ll Just Drive!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t even have a driver¡¯s license. How Can You Drive?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and was about to say, ¡°I have a driver¡¯s license.¡±She immediately realized that her driver¡¯s license was still in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, and that her driver¡¯s license was from the opposite world!

    The driver¡¯s license from this world had been left in the living room of the third ring road apartment when she had been kidnapped a year ago..

    ¡°You remember now, right?¡±Huo Shaoheng pointed to the front passenger seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to move to the front passenger seat.

    Huo Shaoheng got into the car and fastened his seatbelt. He asked her, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the car window with her hand. She said resentfully, ¡°To see Qiqi. I said I¡¯d call her, but I never did...¡±

    As she said this, her eyes drifted. She didn¡¯t dare look Huo Shaoheng in the eye.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that she was thin-skinned, so he smiled in satisfaction at the thought of the flirtatious couple of days. He said in a good mood, ¡°Send me the address, I¡¯ll send you there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and shared the address that Ma Qiqi had just sent her to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was a better driver than Gu Nianzhi, and the CBD was not too far from the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground.

    It was noon, and there were no traffic jams on the roads of the imperial capital.

    Their journey was smooth, and it only took them ten minutes to reach their destination.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the car door and got out. She saw the Tall Ma Qiqi in a smoky-gray professional dress, standing in front of a hotel and waving at her.

    Gu Nianzhiughed and was about to run over when a woman in an eggnt-purple professional dress hurried up the steps as she made a phone call. She bumped into Ma Qiqi on the steps.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1942, ¡°Integrity in the mouth.¡±.

    The monthly votes could be reserved for the end of the month, but the rmendation votes had to be cast every day

    PS: thank you to the ¡°Penins Princess¡±for the 100,000 starting coins she gave yesterday. Congrattions to the ¡°Penins Princess¡±for bing the 36th president of ¡°Hello, Major General¡±!

    PS: I posted a survey on Weibo to see how many rtives are willing to buy major general¡¯s physical book. Everyone has Weibo, please help toment, like, and repost. In particr, the number of likes and reposts isrge, so I have the motivation to fight for it ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 1943

    <h4>Chapter 1943: Chapter 1943 all single dogs are mine</h4>

    Ma Qiqi staggered and was almost knocked to the ground by the woman in the eggnt purple business suit.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m Sorry!¡±The woman apologized repeatedly in a rare female bass voice. She looked about the same age as Ma Qiqi, but because of her voice, she looked more mature and mature.

    She bent down to help Ma Qiqi pick up her bag that had fallen to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. This is my business card. If you needpensation, you can look for me.¡±

    As the woman spoke, she took out a business card and ced it in Ma Qiqi¡¯s hand, she then said to her phone, ¡°I¡¯m here. You can start ordering. I was at the hotel entrance and identally bumped into ady. I hope she¡¯s okay.¡±She then hurriedly walked in.

    Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t refuse her even if she wanted to.

    She watched the woman walk into the hotel and turned to see Gu Nianzhi walking over. She quickly waved the business card at her, she exaggeratedly said, ¡°You¡¯re finally here. Look at the price I paid to see you! I was almost crippled by someone!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took her hand and nced at the business card. ¡°Carlyle Investment Co. , Ltd. . Chief Analyst for Pacific Rim, Yi Xinyan.¡±

    ¡°What a badass... chief analyst at such a young age.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and patted Ma Qiqi on the shoulder. ¡°Are you okay? I think that woman is quite thin, but she¡¯s quite strong.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s okay. It¡¯s mainly because I didn¡¯t notice. When I saw you, I didn¡¯t see anyone else!¡±Ma Qiqi smiled and took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Have You had lunch? Let¡¯s go get something to eat. It¡¯s my treat!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and turned to say, ¡°You did only see me. You didn¡¯t see Huo Shao or brother Chen behind you.¡±

    Ma Qiqi looked up in the direction Gu Nianzhi was pointing at and saw Huo Shaoheng and Chen lie standing in front of the car. One of them was tall and straight, and he looked extraordinary. He had no expression on his face.

    The other was of medium build. He was a little chubby and had round, ck-rimmed eyes, but his smile was very endearing.

    It was Huo Shaoheng and Chen Lie.

    ¡°Huo Shao! Chen Lie! You¡¯re here too?¡±Ma Qiqi greeted them with a smile. ¡°Would you like to join us for dinner?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng usually did not get involved in gatherings between Gu Nianzhi and her best friends, but Gu Nianzhi had only been back for two days, so he was still a little worried that she might not be used to it.

    Therefore, he did not refuse and walked over with Chen Lie and Ma Qiqi. ¡°Did you make a reservation?¡±

    Ma Qiqi suddenly remembered. ¡°Aiya! I only booked a table for two people!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and dialed a number. He casually said a few words and then said to MA qiqi, ¡°I¡¯ve booked another table for four people. I¡¯ll also return the table you booked.¡±

    ¡°As expected of Huo Shao! You can even make ast-minute phone call to increase the number of seats in such a busy hotel!¡±Ma Qiqi gave him a thumbs up, tSK TSK. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone who has the face to temporarily add a seat in this hotel. Even ourw firm¡¯s boss can¡¯t do it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took Ma Qiqi¡¯s arm and walked into the hotel with a smile. She asked curiously, ¡°Qiqi, where do you work?¡±

    ¡°I just graduated. I was an intern at aw firm before, but now I¡¯m a full-time employee. My job is mainly to do legal consulting for investment banks on mergers and acquisitions and securities underwriting.¡±Ma Qiqi shrugged casually, ¡°It¡¯s a lot of work, but it¡¯s not difficult. My eyes are tired from reading documents every day.¡±

    Ma Qiqi was also a graduate student at B University¡¯s Faculty of Law, just like Gu Nianzhi. They were studying the bestw major in the country.

    Most of the graduates from the faculty went tow firms and courts, and a small number went to the legal departments ofmercialpanies.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Then congrattions, qiqi! You¡¯re going to be rich. Don¡¯t forget your wealth!¡±

    ¡°Screw You!¡±Ma Qiqiughed as she scratched her head and walked into the hotel with her.

    A man in a suit stood at the front desk of the hotel. He looked elegant, but his face was a little long. His hair wasbed so smooth and shiny that it could make a fly fly fly fly.

    He looked as if he had just arrived, his phone still in his hand. His eyes lit up when he saw Gu Nianzhi and the others walk in. ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re finally here!¡±

    He excitedly walked over to Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi and held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand.

    The hotel manager, Foreman, and receptionist stood respectfully to the side with a decent smile on their faces. They nodded politely at them. ¡°Hello, Wee!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held out his hand in a reserved manner and shook the man¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, boss Hong. I was just having lunch with a friend. Unfortunately, I forgot to make a reservation, so I asked Xue Jingjiang for a favor.¡±

    It turned out that this hotel was the property of the Hong family in the capital, and was currently managed by Hong Ziqi.

    Huo Shaoheng was not very close to Hong Ziqi, but Xue Jingjiang, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s childhood friend, was good friends with Hong Ziqi. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng passed through Xue Jingjiang and made a reservation at the hotel managed by Hong Ziqi.

    This hotel was a high-end hotel in the CBD, and lunch was especially difficult to book.

    ¡°Just Call Me Ziqi,¡±Hong Ziqi said cheerfully. His gaze swept past Huo Shaoheng and caught sight of the other three.

    He did not recognize Chen lie and Ma Qiqi, but he had had a meal with Gu Nianzhi and had a deep impression of her.

    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t this miss gu? It¡¯s been two years since west met. Nice to meet you!¡±He warmly extended his hand to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi shook his hand and smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Hong to have such a good impression of me. We Met once two years ago and he still remembers me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to forget someone as beautiful as Miss Gu. hahahaha...¡±Hong Ziqiplimented her with a smile. His tone was just right, showing that he was familiar with her without arousing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dislike.

    ¡°Actually, I only had a deep impression of Huo Shao and Miss Gu¡¯s engagement in Mosi City a year ago when I saw it on TV... I haven¡¯t congratted the two of you yet!¡±

    Hong Ziqi was also a good boy. Two years ago, when Gu Nianzhi had a party with Huo Shaoheng, she had been a little shy and had called Huo shaoheng ¡°Uncle.¡±.

    Now, she was so magnanimous and her big, bright eyes were shining brightly. Just a casual nce with Huo Shaoheng could make people feel that the two of them were unusually involved and flirtatious.

    What was there that he didn¡¯t understand?

    Moreover, the engagement ceremony hosted by Russian President Putin a year ago had let the whole world know about the rtionship between Gu and Huo.

    He enthusiastically tried to attract business. ¡°When will the two of you hold your wedding? Our Hotel will also be hosting a wedding banquet. We will ensure that the atmosphere is high-end and high-ss!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had previously said that because of her mother¡¯s funeral, the wedding would be postponed for a year, and Huo Shaoheng had agreed to it. However, thinking of the many things that needed to be prepared for the wedding, it would be good to investigate the hotels that could host the wedding banquet.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m working on it. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll let brother Jingjiang and the others know that we¡¯ll get together again when we¡¯re Free!¡±Hong Ziqi had just finished speaking when his phone rang again.

    He picked it up and was amused. ¡°Oh, speak of the Devil! Jingjiang is here. Huo Shao, shall we go to the private room and get a table?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi.¡±... Do you want to go?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°Huo Shao, you can go. I¡¯ll eat outside with brother Chen and Qiqi.¡±

    Ma qiqi only wanted to chat with Gu Nianzhi now. She waved at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, help yourself. I haven¡¯t seen Nianzhi in a long time. We need to have a good chat!¡±

    Chen lie put little ah ke down with a bitter expression. ¡°Huo Shao, take ah ke to the private room. I¡¯m hungry. I just want to eat. I¡¯ll go with Nianzhi and Qiqi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Chen Lie didn¡¯t want to deal with Xue Jingjiang and the others, so he didn¡¯t force him. He nodded. ¡°Okay, then help me keep Nianzhi and QIQIpany. Order whatever you want to eat. Put It on my tab.¡±

    He looked down and whistled at the short-legged little corgi that was quietly squatting on the ground.

    Little Ke immediately stood up and wagged his tail at Huo Shaoheng in a fawning manner.

    Little sycophant..

    Gu Nianzhi red at Ah Ke, who immediately wagged his tail at her even more happily.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately lost her temper and squatted down to smooth out ah KE¡¯s fur.

    ¡°Okay!¡±Chen lie rubbed his hands excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll eat as much as I want! I¡¯ll lose weight after eating!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and asked in surprise, ¡°Brother Chen, you¡¯re losing weight? !¡±

    Her dark jade-like eyes scanned Chen Lie¡¯s body. Chen lie felt her undisguised teasing and red at her. ¡°Can¡¯t a fat person lose weight? ! What misunderstanding do you have about a fat person? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly suppressed herughter and tried to act nonchnt. ¡°Of course I can. Why Can¡¯t I? I start to lose weight after eating every day until the next meal.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as he pulled her over and kissed her on the forehead.¡±... Be Good, I¡¯ll be down in a moment.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was like a burning cloud in the summer sky. It was so hot that it felt like it was going to explode.

    Ma Qiqi and Chen Lie¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

    Huo Shaoheng acted as if nothing had happened. He led Little Ah Ke and Hong Ziqi to the private room on the second floor.

    Chen lie and Ma Qiqi shouted at his back, ¡°Just sprinkle dog food on Little Ah Ke! We¡¯re humans! We reject dog food!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her face, feeling ashamed to see anyone.

    Huo Shao, this is too much!

    Chen lie and Ma Qiqi turned around to TSK TSK at her. They rolled their eyes and followed her into the hotel.

    Gu Nianzhi followed them with a red face. The three of them were led by a waiter in a red vest to a four-seater seat by the back window.

    The back window faced the hotel¡¯s back garden, which was decorated with a tropical rainforestndscape.

    There were interesting booths among therge rocks of various shapes. The branches and leaves of the trees spread out, forming an overwhelming green. There were also oddly shaped pools of water made of stone, which looked extremely wild and interesting, it was a feast for the eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi calmed down and said with a faint smile, ¡°The scenery here is indeed better than over there.¡±

    The only view from the opposite side of the window was the busy street and the people passing by. The view from the back window was the best.

    Although Ma Qiqi had just expressed her anger at Huo Shaoheng for ¡°Throwing out dog food¡±, she was still very happy to see her best friend and her fianc¨¦ getting along so well.

    She winked at Gu Nianzhi and sat down intimately next to her.

    Chen lie had no choice but to sit across from them. He picked up the menu and said, ¡°Let me see what I Can Eat.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was curious. ¡°Brother Chen, why did you call yourself ¡®me¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m all alone! All single people can call themselves ¡®me¡¯! I don¡¯t ept rebuttals!¡±Chen lie said resentfully as he pped the table. ¡°Order and order!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqiughed so hard that they almost copsed on the table.

    Afterughing, Gu Nianzhi remembered that Ma Qiqi was actually getting married. She said regretfully, ¡°You Said You wanted me to be the maid of Honor! In the end, you secretly got married while I was away...¡±

    Ma qiqi quickly said, ¡°No, no! We just got married... you can still be my maid of honor at the wedding!¡±

    ¡°Really? !¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°You guys are really fast. Is Something Wrong?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deliberately nced at Ma Qiqi¡¯s abdomen.

    Ma Qiqi smiled and pushed her. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Actually, it¡¯s you... after the ident, Huo Shao was so upset that Big Xiong went crazy. He was afraid that we would be like you guys and desperately want to get married and get married.¡±

    ¡°My parents agreed, but the wedding can¡¯t be rushed. It¡¯s still in preparation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡±Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh. The two of them looked at each other and smiled. They took the menu and began to focus on picking the dishes they were interested in.

    Because Hong Ziqi had taken special care of them, the hotel kitchen immediately provided the dishes they ordered and put in a lot of effort.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi had barely spoken when the dishes they had ordered were delivered.

    Ma Qiqi ordered charredmb chops with small potatoes in sauce as a side dish. They could also be used as a staple food, as well as spinach sd.

    Themb chops were grilled until they were tender on the outside, and when they were cut open, a strong aroma of mutton wafted into their nostrils. No one knew what secret sauce the hotel had used, but the mutton did not have a hint of mutton vor at all.

    Chen Lie had said that he wanted to lose weight. He had asked for fried sea bass, but he had asked for two servings for one person.

    The fried sea bass was apanied by mashed potatoes and minced pepperoni. It also had coriander grape cheese to enhance its vor. It smelled very good.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was not fond of cheese, could not help but sniff it a few more times.

    She had just eaten a basket of shumai, so she was not hungry. She did not order any staple food. She only ordered a dessert, rose milk bird¡¯s nest.

    When the waiter in the red vest brought the dessert to her, he especially praised her, ¡°Thisdy really has good taste. This bird¡¯s nest with rose milk is our hotel¡¯s signature dish.¡±

    ¡°We only sell 100 servings a day. Do You Want More?¡±

    ¡°The selected roses from the Kazanlek region of Bulgaria were flown in and used to boil the milk. After cooling it, they were added with dried rose petals from the same region. After that, the stewed bird¡¯s nest was filtered with water and put in. Then, they were added with rock sugar water to vor it. Finally, freeze it in the fridge for one minute. It¡¯s perfect for eating.¡±

    ¡°The bird¡¯s nests in our hotel are all golden thread swallows¡¯blood bird¡¯s nests imported from Sarawak, Mysia. They are all natural and have very few impurities. Miss, you will know that they are different from ordinary bird¡¯s nests after one bite.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was intoxicated by the refreshing Rose fragrance. She scooped up a spoonful and ate it, but could not open her eyes for a long time.

    She had just eaten the delicious shumai, and now she was eating a sweet, refreshing, rose-scented bird¡¯s nest with milk. It was a perfect match.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and said, ¡°No wonder it¡¯s so hard to get a reservation here. The taste is so authentic. It¡¯s Delicious!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1943, ¡°All single dogs are me.¡±.

    Monthly votes can be saved for the end of the month, but the rmendation vote must be cast every day

    PS: Only one breed of Corgi is born with a short tail or no tail. Other breeds have tails, and some are very long.

    Tail cutting is not necessary, but based on tradition or breed standard needs. Many people in the United States have stopped cutting the tail of corgi dogs.

    Besides, our little dog here is a military dog. hit the ckboard and draw the key? After cutting off the tail of a military dog, is it still called a military dog? ? ?

    Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwa

 Chapter 1944

    <h4>Chapter 1944: Chapter 1944 had already been arranged</h4>

    ¡°Is it really that good?¡±Chen lie was surprised. ¡°Then you have to try it!¡±

    Ma Qiqi looked at Chen Lie with amusement and said, ¡°Everyone has different tastes. If Nianzhi thinks it¡¯s good, we might not think it¡¯s good. Chen Lie, are you sure you want to eat something that women eat?¡±

    Chen lie asked the waiter in the red vest for the same dessert. He smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t discriminate against women. How is this exclusive to women?¡±

    ¡°Also...¡±he winked at Ma Qiqi with a smile. ¡°You don¡¯t know how picky Huo Shao has raised Nianzhi¡¯s taste. If she says it¡¯s delicious, it must be especially delicious!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Ma Qiqi did not know what he meant. She winked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, is that so?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and ask Huo Shao and president Lu if they know how to make this rose and milk bird¡¯s nest.¡±

    ¡°I want to use this dessert as a midnight snack. I want to eat it every night before I go to bed. It¡¯s calm and good-looking, as long as I don¡¯t add any rock sugar.¡±

    The waiter in the Red Vest took the opportunity to peddle their hotel¡¯s custom-made midnight snacks, which could be delivered on time every day.

    Gu Nianzhi said she would consider it, and the waiter stood behind her in satisfaction.

    The three of them ate happily, and couldn¡¯t be bothered to chat.

    Not long after, another waitress in a blue vest walked over.

    She looked at the table awkwardly, and whispered to the waitress in the red vest who had brought Gu Nianzhi and the others in,¡±... isn¡¯t this table reserved? It¡¯s always empty.¡±

    ¡°... Yes, but Master Hong just said that he wanted to make this table smaller for him...¡±the waitress in the red vest also whispered.

    ¡°Smaller?¡±The waitress in the blue vest nced at GU Nianzhi and the other two. ¡°Which one is young master Hong¡¯s childhood friend?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s not here. Young Master Hong went to the private room upstairs with that gentleman, and young master Xue is also here...¡±the waitress in the red vest said with a smile on her face, her hands behind her back.

    She only managed to squeeze out a few words from between her teeth. Her voice was very soft, and she mainly used her bluetooth headset tomunicate with her colleagues.

    As a result, Gu Nianzhi and the others did not hear her.

    ¡°So Young Master Hong¡¯s childhood friend isn¡¯t here...¡±the waiter in the blue vest heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright then, please ask them to make way...¡±

    ¡°Make way for what?¡±The waiter in the Red Vest thought he had misheard her. ¡°They¡¯re already seated, and it¡¯s young master Hong¡¯s order again. How big of a face are you to ask Young Master Hong¡¯s guest to make way? !¡±

    The waiter in the Blue Vest¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Watch Your Mouth!¡±! I¡¯ll be honest with you. Miss Guo is here. She¡¯s having a working meal with a few friends from the investment industry. There are four of them. Miss Guo¡¯s friend said that the scenery here is good. Miss Guo remembered that there is a reserved seat here, so she asked me to clean it up. They areing over soon.¡±

    The waiter in the red vest shrugged and said indifferently, ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry. Go and tell them that they¡¯rete. The reserved seat has been booked today.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡±The waiter in the blue vest pushed the waiter in the Red Vest. ¡°Miss Guo is young master Hong¡¯s fianc¨¦e. You know that, right?¡±

    ¡°Also, you know why Miss Guo invited her friends from the investment world to dinner, right?¡±

    The waiter in the Red Vest rolled his eyes, ¡°Save it. You¡¯re just a waiter in a hotel, and you really think highly of yourself. Miss Guo is young master Hong¡¯s fianc¨¦e, but what does this have to do with low-level employees like you and Me?¡±

    ¡°What does it have to do with us if she wants to invite her friends from the investment industry? Could it be that if you get her this table today, when the group goes public, you¡¯ll get a share of the shares? !¡±

    The waiter in the Blue Vest was ridiculed by the waiter in the Red Vest. His face turned red and he could not bear it, he straightened his neck and said, ¡°I¡¯m a low-level employee, but I¡¯m never willing to be a low-level employee for the rest of my life! You Don¡¯t know how to grasp an opportunity when it¡¯s right in front of you. I wish you a lifetime of being a low-level employee!¡±

    Her temper red up and she could not care less.

    She quickly walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s table and put on a professional smile, she said in a crisp voice, ¡°Are you almost done eating? Can you move to the next table a little earlier? We still have important guestsing soon...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just praised the hotel¡¯s rose milk bird¡¯s nest for its delicious taste, but now she realized that the slippery bird¡¯s nest in her mouth had suddenly be sour.

    She slowly put down the spoon and wiped her hands with a napkin on the table. She waved and said, ¡°Where¡¯s the menu? I haven¡¯t ordered yet.¡±

    The smile on the waiter¡¯s face was almost stiff. She pursed her lips. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re almost done with your food...¡±

    The rose milk bird¡¯s nest wasn¡¯t veryrge, and the taste was especially to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s liking. She had already eaten until there was only a little left.

    Gu nianzhi raised her eyelids and nced at the waiter in the Blue Vest. She said lightly, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m only eating dessert? I haven¡¯t ordered the main course yet. ¡ª who are you? You weren¡¯t the one who ordered for us just now.¡±

    The smile on the waiter¡¯s face could no longer be maintained, she said with a straight face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. This seat is reserved. It¡¯s already been reserved, and they didn¡¯te. That¡¯s why they let you sit here for a while. ¡°Now that you¡¯re almost done eating, could you please continue at the seats next to Yours?¡±

    ¡°This seat is reserved? who reserved it?¡±Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. ¡°Let your boss speak, and I¡¯ll yield. Otherwise, there¡¯s no deal.¡±

    She refused to believe that she didn¡¯t know who Hong Ziqi was?

    Reserved seats in hotels were not reserved for other people. They were reserved for the hotel¡¯s interior, especially for the big boss in case of an emergency.

    Ma Qiqi and Chen Liepletely ignored the waiter in the blue vest.

    They were not new to society. Did they not understand what was going on here?

    Anyway, Huo Shaoheng was here today. Even if the sky fell, he would be there to take care of it. So the two of them continued to eat their lunch in peace.

    Gu Nianzhi had nothing better to do. Besides, she didn¡¯t like being chased away by the waiter in a blue vest.

    Since Hong Ziqi had given them this table, it meant that no one had reserved this table. Why was he being chased away without finishing his meal? He wasn¡¯t giving young master Hong any face.

    The waiter in a blue vest saw that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t budge, so he was scared and didn¡¯t dare to pull her away.

    He stared at her for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll Call Our Lady Boss over!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Oh My, did the boss anddy boss notmunicate with each other beforehand?

    Thedy boss had ¡°Arranged¡±a table for her?

    She was even more interested now. She smiled as she scooped up thest mouthful of rose milk and swallow¡¯s nest and ate it slowly.

    Not long after, the waiter in the blue waistcoat walked over with a valiant and spirited look on his face. He was followed by another capable and efficient woman.

    The woman was dressed in a white Miyake Miyake professional suit with a neat, first-rate cut. She wore an appropriate smile on her face.

    She looked to be in her thirties. She was mature and generous. Her hair was permed and Puffy, but it was still noticeable that her hair was a little thin.

    Gu Nianzhi recognized her at a nce. This woman was Hong Ziqi¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Guo Huining.

    She had met her once before, and even had dinner with her once.

    However, she had been his fianc¨¦e two years ago, so she should be Hong Ziqi¡¯s wife now, right?

    Didn¡¯t the waiter in the Blue Vest say that this was a reservation for the ¡°Lady Boss¡±?

    He must be referring to this Guo Huining, right?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile.

    However, Guo Huining did not recognize Gu Nianzhi.

    She had only met Gu Nianzhi once two years ago. At that time, Gu Nianzhi was still a little shy, and under Huo Shaoheng¡¯s strong protection, she did not have a strong sense of presence.

    Guo huining herself was very busy and did not have the time to often surf the Inte or watch TV. Therefore, after two years, she was still not as familiar with Gu Nianzhi as Hong Ziqi.

    She politely took out her business card and ced it in front of Gu Nianzhi, she said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the Director of the Legal Department of the Hong Corporation. My name is Guo Huining. Today, I¡¯m meeting three friends from the investment bank for a working lunch. I specially reserved this seat. I¡¯m sorry, Would You Please Make Way?¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could react.., she continued, ¡°There are only three of you, and four of us. This is a four-seater seat. You shouldn¡¯t be sitting here. It¡¯s my fault that I¡¯mte today. This meal is on me. Put It on my tab.¡±

    She apologized first and then offeredpensation. Her attitude was not very natural.

    Ma Qiqi and Chen Lie looked at each other. They both wanted to give up their seats.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Guo huining was very polite, so she didn¡¯t hit the smiling person. She also decided to take the opportunity to leave.

    However, the waiter in the Blue Vest had squeezed in to add drama in order to make a name for himself in front of Guo Huining. He said, ¡°Director Guo, you¡¯re too kind. People like them should be filmed and exposed online!¡±

    ¡°In the future, the Hong Corporation will refuse to receive them!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was furious. What was going on?

    As a hotel service employee, was there a reason to chase people away? !

    ¡°What do you mean by a VIP seat? Tell me clearly.¡±Gu Nianzhi stood up. Her eyes were cold, and she had a neutral smile on her face. She continued, ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Miss Guo, have you ever reserved this seat?¡±

    Guo Huining hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Reservations are not epted in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her chin at the waiter in the Blue Vest. ¡°But she said it was you who reserved it. You Didn¡¯te, so she let us sit.¡±

    Guo huining nced at the waiter in the Blue Vest and said nomittally,¡±... we were a littlete.¡±

    ¡°Miss Guo, don¡¯t be so vague. Did you book a seatte or did you not book a seat? Did you ask for a seat on the spur of the moment and realize you werete?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi asked seriously.

    Guo Huining was embarrassed by her question andughed dryly. ¡°What¡¯s the difference? We¡¯re here now and you¡¯re almost done eating anyway. Can You Make Way?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi alsoughed. ¡°There¡¯s a big difference. If you didn¡¯t make a reservation, then you can¡¯t say that we¡¯re overlords. Can¡¯t you see that your waiter is going to ban us?¡±

    Ma Qiqi added, ¡°We didn¡¯t pick this seat ourselves. Your Hotel arranged it for us. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the waiter.¡±

    She pointed at the waiter in the Red Vest who was standing in the corner, wishing he could curl up into a ball.

    Guo Huining looked back and said lightly, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t this a reserved seat?¡±

    ¡°... yes...¡±the waiter in the red vest walked over stiffly, lowered his head and whispered, ¡°Young Master Hong arranged for them to sit here...¡±

    Guo Huining looked at the three of them coldly. The two women looked quite beautiful, but they were dressed very modestly. One look and you could tell that they were not big shots.

    The Fat Man was even more annoying.

    Where did these three peoplee from?

    She asked the waiter in the red vest with a serious face,¡±... why did young master Hong arrange for them to sit here? There are four people here, and there are only three of them. Are you sure young master Hong said this is the ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. There were four of them, but young master Hong and his childhood friend went to the private room on the second floor, so there are only three of them left.¡±

    When Guo Huining heard this, she became even angrier in her heart.

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s childhood friends were all good-for-nothings. The only friend he had who was on good terms with him was Xue Jingjiang, but he was not his childhood friend..

    The Xue family was a level higher than the Hong family, so Xue Jingjiang¡¯s ¡°Childhood friend¡±level was also higher than Hong Ziqi¡¯s.

    Guo Huining had a preconceived idea, thinking that it was Hong Ziqi¡¯s real childhood friends, she immediately said bluntly, ¡°Tell Young Master Hong that I want to treat my friends from the investment bank to a working meal. I¡¯ve wronged his childhood friends. Put the bill for this table on my ount.¡±

    The waiter in the Red Vest thought to himself, young master Hong is treating that ¡°Mr. Huo¡±this time. Even ten of Miss Guo¡¯s friends from the investment bank are not as thick as one of his fingers..

    But she didn¡¯t dare say this in front of such a person, so she could only smile sheepishly and say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go ask Young Master Hongter.¡±

    Seeing this, the waiter in the blue vest actually took out his phone and threatened,¡±... looks like someone is crazy about being famous...¡±

    She actually wanted to film this scene.

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to film me. Filming my video without my consent is an invasion of my privacy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put down the napkin expressionlessly and said to the nervous waiter in the red vest, ¡°Come here, I want to order two more dishes. I haven¡¯t even ordered my main dish yet, how can I Leave Now?¡±

    She shrugged at the serious-looking guo huining, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, director Guo, I¡¯m not full yet. Can you let me have my fill before you give up your seat, Please?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it the hard way!¡±The waiter in the blue vest really took out his phone to take a video. ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ll post your domineering behavior on the Inte...¡±

    Ma Qiqi was also angry at this time. She put down her chopsticks, she said coldly, ¡°Do you think this is a bullet train? Domineering seat... are you crazy from browsing Weibo? ¡°Your colleague said very clearly just now that this seat was given to us by your boss. You didn¡¯t reserve it. If you don¡¯t ept it, you can hang yourself. What¡¯s there to eat? It¡¯s a waste of food!¡±

    The waiter in the blue vest saw that thedy boss was about to lose face, so he immediately raised his phone. Just as he was about to speak, two other women walked over.

    One was wearing an eggnt purple business suit, and the other was wearing a very fairy-like white dress.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback.

    She recognized the woman in the eggnt purple business suit at a nce.

    She was Yi Xinyan, the chief analyst of the Pacific Rim Region of Carlyle Investment Ltd. . She had bumped into Ma Qiqi at the entrance of the hotel and had given her a business card.

    The woman in the white dress was a long-lost acquaintance, Dou aiyan.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Ma Qiqi. Ma Qiqi recognized her, but she did not say anything.

    The two exchanged nces to see what they were up to.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1944, ¡°It¡¯s already arranged.¡±.

    The monthly ticket can be reserved for the end of the month, but the rmendation ticket must be cast every day Ah Ah Ah ~ ~ ~

    PS: pre-uploaded.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1945

    <h4>Chapter 1945: There was someone behind Chapter 1945</h4>

    Dou aiyan seemed to have been waiting by the side for a while. At this moment, her figure shed, and she took the initiative to walk in front of the waiter in the Red Vest. She came to Guo Huining¡¯s side, sheughed softly and said, ¡°Forget it, Huining. It¡¯s all my fault. I just made a joke and said that the scenery here is good, but it¡¯s a pity that it was taken by someone.¡±

    ¡°Actually, we were a littlete. Since it was young master Hong who gave us the seat, forget it. Young Master Hong is the boss after all. Miss Guo, you have to give him some face, hahahaha...¡±

    She said ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡±but the meaning in her words made Guo Huining very ufortable.

    This hotel was managed by her fianc¨¦, and it was one of the Hong family¡¯s properties.

    She was the director of the Legal Department of the Hong Corporation, and now she was preparing for the listing of the Hong Corporation.

    For today¡¯s dinner, she had already prepared for a few days. It was just that she did not use this reserved seat at that time, but booked another seat instead.

    She did not expect that when the dinner started today, the investment bank friend she invited actually said that the scenery here by the back window was better.

    She thought that this seat was reserved, so no one should have reserved it, so she immediately agreed to let them sit there.

    In the end, she discovered that the reserved seat, which usually had no one sitting for a few months, had to be taken today!

    Moreover, it was given away by Hong Ziqi as a favor!

    Guo Huining was unhappy, but seeing that the other party was about to finish eating, it was fine. As long as they gave up their seats, she would bring her friends from the investment bank over.

    What was even more unexpected was that someone would refuse to ept the toast and take the hard way, purposely finding fault with them.

    She saw that the ¡°Childhood friend¡±that Hong Ziqi valued was not here. There were only three followers of that person, so she did not stand on ceremony.

    Since Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan hade over, Guo Huining could not afford to lose face.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡±she said without turning her head. ¡°They¡¯re almost done eating anyway.¡±

    ¡°Who said we¡¯re almost done eating?¡±Gu Nianzhi knocked on the porcin bowl of rose milk and bird¡¯s nest in front of her. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I only ate dessert?¡±

    ¡°Normally, dessert is only used after the main course. You already ate dessert, so why are you still saying you¡¯re not done eating?¡±The waiter in the Blue Vest said indignantly.

    ¡°But I like to eat dessert first before the main course. Is it illegal for me to eat dessert first?¡±Gu Nianzhi felt that it was unfair to argue with such a person.

    The waiter in the blue vest was also very eloquent. He immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s not illegal, but there¡¯s no such rule for eating western food.¡±

    What he meant was that Gu Nianzhi was a country bumpkin and didn¡¯t know the rules for eating western food.

    ¡°The rules of Western Food?¡±Gu Nianzhi was even more amused, ¡°Miss, please understand that we¡¯re only having a working lunch, not a formal dinner. ¡°If you¡¯re telling me now that it¡¯s against the rules, then what kind of rules is it to interrupt a guest¡¯s meal and chase them out of their seats?¡±

    Dou aiyan saw that the two were about to start arguing, so she raised her eyebrows and teased guo huining with a half-smile.¡±... Huining, I heard that your fianc¨¦ manages the family business here? You Don¡¯te here often, do you?¡±

    What she meant was that the people in this hotel did not give her, the future Lady Boss, face. They did not have enough weight..

    Guo Huining¡¯s face darkened, she said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve already made it clear that this table is reserved for the hotel. The hotel management has full authority to exin. ¡°Now, I hope you can vacate your seat. Otherwise, do you really need me to call the security personnel to invite you out?¡±

    ¡°Please. If you don¡¯t call security today, I really won¡¯t be going out.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as she waved at the waiter in the red vest standing behind Dou Aiyan. ¡°Come here, I still want to order.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Our Hotel doesn¡¯t wee you. Please leave.¡±Guo Huining was furious. She snatched the menu from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands. ¡°Please have some self-respect!¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have some self-respect? You guys open the door to do business. Do you expect our guests to rush in and support you?¡±Gu Nianzhi stood up, she grabbed the blue vest waiter¡¯s phone. ¡°I warned you. You¡¯re viting my privacy. If I don¡¯t agree to shoot, you can¡¯t!¡±

    Guo Huining was also aw student. She had graduated from B University¡¯sw department with Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi, so they could be considered alumni.

    Guo huining pursed her lips when Gu Nianzhi said this, she said, ¡°You¡¯re in a public ce. You have no right to privacy. She can totally film you. On the contrary, you¡¯re viting her property rights by snatching her phone. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t try to talk to me about thew. It¡¯s better for you to pack up and leave.¡±

    She raised her hand arrogantly. ¡°If you don¡¯t Leave Now, you¡¯ll have to pay for the meal yourselves.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as well. She stood up slowly and narrowed her eyes at Guo Huining. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t talk to you about thew?¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully. In the traditional concept of the right to privacy, there is indeed no legal right to privacy in public ces.¡±

    ¡°However, with the development of thew, the legal profession and the judiciary have recognized the legal right to privacy in public ces.¡±

    ¡°A person does not automatically make all of his or her actions public just because he or she is in a public ce

    ¡°To paraphrase our current situation, although I was having a meal in your hotel and had an argument with you, and she wanted to shoot a video and put it on the Inte, I clearly objected. Then, she was trying to make our actions public without our consent. ¡°This is illegal.¡±

    ¡°But our hotel also has surveince cameras! Can you say that what the surveince camera captured is also illegal? !¡±The waiter in the Blue Vest felt a little guilty. ¡°Give me back my phone!¡±

    ¡°If Your Hotel¡¯s surveince camera is installed legally, of course it¡¯s not illegal. But if your hotel puts the surveince camera captured without the consent of the client online or provides it to someone other than thew enforcement agency, that¡¯s illegal.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can check the hotel surveince footage? Do you have a court summons? Do you have awyer¡¯s request?¡±

    ¡°As for your phone, the footage of something viting my privacy is one of the evidence. I brought your phone over in self-defense. ¡°I want to call the police. When the police arrive, I¡¯ll give my phone to him to delete the content that vites my privacy.¡±

    The waiter in the blue vest became even more anxious when he heard that he was going to call the police. He quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll delete it! I¡¯ll delete it, okay? !¡±

    Yi Xinyan, who was listening from the side, quickly tried to smooth things over. She praised, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this youngdy to be so proficient in thew. May I ask what you do for a Living?¡±

    Ma Qiqi patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder proudly and said, ¡°We both graduated from B University¡¯sw department, and she¡¯s a barrister! Talk to us about thew, and think about your own weight!¡±

    ¡°Oh? You guys graduated from B University¡¯sw department too?¡±Yi Xinyanughed. ¡°What a coincidence. It¡¯s like a flood has washed over the Dragon King¡¯s temple. One family doesn¡¯t recognize another.¡±

    She patted Guo Huining on the shoulder. ¡°Miss Guo is also a top student from B University¡¯sw department. She¡¯s your senior. Miss Dou also graduated from B University¡¯s Law Department.¡±

    Dou aiyan actually knew Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi, but she acted as if she didn¡¯t know them.

    Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi couldn¡¯t be bothered to talk to her if she didn¡¯t make it clear.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face was livid. She tried her best to maintain her poise and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth. ¡°I dare not, I dare not. The younger generation is formidable. Old people like us can only admit defeat.¡±

    ¡°Miss Guo is a practical person,¡±Gu Nianzhi said with a smile. ¡°The younger generation of the Yangtze River will push the younger generation forward, and the younger generation will die on the beach. As a person, it¡¯s best to know your own limits. Don¡¯t you agree, Miss Foreman?¡±

    She had said thest sentence to the waiter in the blue vest.

    The waiter in the red vest saw that things were about to get out of hand, and was afraid of taking responsibility. He quietly took a step back and used the walkie-talkie to contact Hong Ziqi, he whispered, ¡°Young Master Hong, Miss Guo is here for the seat you asked for today. She also wants that seat. She¡¯s asking the guests at that table to give up their seats...¡±

    Hong Ziqi was drinking with Huo Shaoheng and Xue Jingjiang when he heard this. He smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Is that so? Tell Huining to give me some face. I¡¯ll definitely thank her properlyter.¡±

    The waiter in the red vest then walked over to Guo huining and said boldly, ¡°Miss Guo, Young Master Hong said just now that he would like to ask for your forgiveness. He¡¯ll thank youter.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression softened, she forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m not an unreasonable person. Can¡¯t you speak properly? You always bring out thew so easily. People think that the B Universityw department is such a big talker and bullies.¡±

    She turned to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Stop right there. Who¡¯s not speaking properly? Who brought out thew first? If you don¡¯t make it clear today, I won¡¯t take the me.¡±

    Guo huining stopped in her tracks. She was furious and her hands were shaking. However, Hong Ziqi was still unwilling to let these people return their seats even though she was already in such a state. It was likely that these people had very strong backing.

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes turned red at the thought of this.

    She had worked hard for more than ten years and had done her best for the Hong Corporation, but she still couldn¡¯tpare to a single word from these people who had backing.

    She suddenly turned around and looked at Gu Nianzhi, she said coldly, ¡°This seat is reserved, and the hotel management already has priority. But you guys snatched the seat first and humiliated meter. Are you really taking advantage of the fact that you have someone backing you to do whatever you want?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare, I don¡¯t dare.¡±Gu Nianzhi bowed slightly. ¡°We¡¯re just customers here to eat. Whether or not your seats are reserved has nothing to do with us.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t find the seats ourselves. Your boss asked us to sit here.¡±

    ¡°You said that the hotel management has priority, but the management is also divided into different levels. Your boss is higher in rank than you, so the priority should be higher, right?¡±

    ¡°So this is obviously a reasonable and legal decision. Why did you say it was an insult to you?¡±

    ¡°Besides, I just think it¡¯s too unreasonable of you to ask us to give up our seats. You should go to your boss and ask him to give up his seat.¡±

    ¡°As long as young master Hong says the word, I¡¯ll leave immediately. I¡¯ll never set foot in your Hong Hotel for the rest of my life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and sat down. She asked the waiter in the red vest again, ¡°I said I wanted to order dishes. Does Your Hotel do business? !¡±

    The waiter forced himself to step forward and stammered, ¡°What... What would you like to order?¡±

    ¡°You... you... you¡¯re going too far!¡±Guo Huining¡¯s face was pale. She clutched her beloved Herm¨¨s tinum bag tightly, veins popping out on the back of her hand. It was obvious that she was in a rage.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°I just wanted to order a dish. How Can You Go Too Far? Miss Guo, your nerves are too sensitive.¡±

    Ma Qiqiughed and looked up at the sky, ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to me and give up your seat, and you don¡¯t want to give her face, of course you go too far. Nianzhi, I¡¯m not saying this, but sometimes your words are too sharp! Normal people can¡¯t Stand Your Truth!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to continue scolding her, but Guo Huining¡¯s eyes were red and she looked like she had been humiliated. She suddenly felt bored.

    It was just a meal. No matter how good it was, Huo Shao would make it better? Not to mention President Lu.

    Gu Nianzhi ced the menu on the table and said with a sullen face, ¡°Okay, you win. I Won¡¯t eat today¡¯s meal.¡±

    She walked out of her seat and nced at the hotel lobby¡¯s dining room. She said coldly, ¡°From now on, I Won¡¯t take a single step into the Hong Hotel.¡±With that, she left quickly.

    Ma qiqi quickly said, ¡°Wait for me! I will nevere here again!¡±

    Chen lie saw that Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi had left and stood up regretfully, he said to the waiter in the red vest, ¡°I just ordered rose milk bird¡¯s nest, but I can¡¯t eat it now. Please send that dish to the private room on the second floor for my little Ah Ke to eat. ¡°Remember, you must give it to Little Ah Ke.¡±

    The waiter in the red vest nodded uneasily. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Chen lie picked up the napkin on the table and wiped his hands. Looking at Guo Huining, who was still so angry that her chest was heaving up and down, he shook his head. ¡°Miss Guo, you¡¯re making a huge loss by fighting for free time.¡±

    Throwing away the napkin, Chen Lie also walked out.

    Dou aiyan suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Eh? They didn¡¯t pay the bill, so why did they leave? Do they really need huining to pay the bill? They really aren¡¯t polite...¡±

    The waiter in the Red Vest said softly,¡±... Young Master Hong¡¯s friend already said that he would charge it to his ount.¡±

    ¡°Friend? Which Friend?¡±The uneasiness in Guo Huining¡¯s heart became even more serious. ¡°I know Young Master Hong¡¯s childhood friend, which one do you think it is?¡±

    ¡°... uh, Miss Guo, I¡¯m not familiar with young master Hong¡¯s childhood friend. If you want to know who it is, you can go to the private room on the second floor to take a look yourself.¡±The waiter in the red vest lowered his head so low that it almost reached his chest.

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression was uncertain, and she was a little uncertain.

    Seeing this, Dou aiyan volunteered and said, ¡°Huining, why don¡¯t I go with you? If there¡¯s really a mistake, it¡¯s still not toote to apologize.¡±

    Guo huining nodded. ¡°Okay, Aiyan,e with me to take a look.¡±

    Yi Xinyan smiled and took a step back, saying, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back and wait. My Friend is still there.¡±

    Guo huining quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Yi. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    ¡°Please do as you please.¡±Yi Xinyan stepped back and watched Guo Huining and Dou aiyan walk towards the elevator with an indifferent gaze.

    When the two of them walked towards the private room on the second floor, Gu Nianzhi had already arrived at the parking lot outside the hotel. She called Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Huo Shao, we¡¯re leaving. Can you give us the car keys?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned. ¡°You finished eating so quickly?¡±

    ¡°What are you eating? I¡¯m so angry!¡±Gu Nianzhi said unhappily. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll never set foot in the Hong Hotel Again!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1945, ¡°There¡¯s someone behind you.¡±.

    The monthly votes could be reserved for the end of the month, but the rmendation votes had to be cast every day

    PS: pre-uploaded.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1946

    <h4>Chapter 1946: Chapter 1946 bullying the weak (request for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s just a meal. Who¡¯s going to make you suffer?¡±Huo Shaoheng did not hide his surprised expression and tone at all.

    Hong Ziqi immediately understood. His long, pretty face instantly flushed red. He stammered, ¡°Maybe there¡¯s some misunderstanding. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also stood up and said lightly, ¡°No need. I¡¯m here to apany my fianc¨¦e. She¡¯s not eating, so there¡¯s no need for me to stay. Goodbye.¡±

    He nodded casually at Hong Ziqi and then politely said to Xue Jingjiang, who had no idea what was going on, ¡°Jingjiang, there¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony. We¡¯ll contact each other again when we have time.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang knew the nature of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s work, so he never asked him what he was doing, nor would he take the initiative to inquire about his whereabouts.

    He only greeted Huo Shaoheng during new year¡¯s and New Year¡¯s, and coincidentally, they would get together. Usually, Huo Shaoheng was the one who contacted him, so he couldn¡¯t contact Huo Shaoheng.

    Today, Huo Shaoheng had asked him for a reservation at the Hong Hotel. Huo Shaoheng was overjoyed and rushed over to meet him.

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was about to leave, he quickly stood up and said, ¡°Did someone identally offend Mrs. Huo? who has the guts to do that? ! Huo Shao, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help Mrs. Huo vent her anger!¡±

    He had paid more attention to Huo Shaoheng than Hong Ziqi, so he naturally knew about the news of Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s engagement in Russia. He had also seen the engagement ceremony hosted by the Russian president, Putin.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. ¡°No need, it¡¯s just a meal. Just don¡¯t eat it in the future.¡±

    He had no leeway with the Hong Hotel. Besides, it wasn¡¯t worth it for him to have leeway with a business like this.

    His nianzhi had never been an unreasonable person. Now that she could say something like that, he didn¡¯t know how much she had suffered at the Hong Hotel.

    Although Huo Shaoheng did not show it on his face, he was in fact the same as Gu Nianzhi. The Hong hotel was on the ¡°Never set foot in¡±list.

    Huo shaoheng whistled softly and left with the short-legged little corgi, Ah Ke.

    Hong Ziqi couldn¡¯t even keep up with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s pace.

    Xue Jingjiang saw this and stopped him. ¡°There¡¯s no need to chase him. Let¡¯s go see what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s face was extremely gloomy. He clenched his fists and rushed to the lobby on the first floor in anger.

    The waiter in the Red Vest was about to go upstairs when he met Hong Ziqi. He quickly ran up and said softly, ¡°Young Master Hong, the three guests have left. They had a very unpleasant fight with Miss Guo.¡±

    ¡°Left? ! Why didn¡¯t you stop them? !¡±Hong Ziqi red at the waiter in the Red Vest. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I would treat them well? !¡±

    ¡°I know, but Miss Guo...¡±the waiter in the red vest smiled bitterly. He knew that he was no longer a human being.

    But he had no choice. Being a low-level worker was easy to me.

    She lowered her head and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    Hong Ziqi snorted. ¡°Take me to see Miss Guo. I want to ask what happened. If you dare to lie, watch how I Punish You!¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t just listen to the waiter¡¯s words.

    The waiter in the Red Vest silently led Hong Ziqi back to the window seat by the back window.

    After Gu Nianzhi and the others left, Guo Huining went all out and immediately called the three people from the investment bank over for dinner.

    The four of them just happened to fill up their seats.

    When Hong Ziqi and the others arrived, the three women and one man were talking about something happy, and the sound ofughter could be heard everywhere.

    Hong Ziqi frowned even more.

    He put his hands in his trouser pockets and walked over slowly, saying, ¡°Excuse me, can I have a word with huining?¡±

    Guo Huining looked up and saw Hong Ziqi standing in front of her with an unfriendly expression. She felt a little ufortable, but she still said with a smile, ¡°Ziqi is here. Come, let me introduce you.¡±

    She stood up and pointed at the other three people on the table. ¡°This is Yi Xinyan, the chief analyst of Pacific Rim for Carlyle Investment Ltd. .¡±

    ¡°This is Dou aiyan, an intern in the Asian Legal Department of Carlyle Investment Ltd. .¡±She paused and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Dou¡¯s father used to be the prime minister.¡±

    As for the matter of Prime Minister Dou going to prison for colluding with the Japanese, she never mentioned it.

    But Xue Jingjiang could not not mention it.

    He was very surprised to find Dou aiyan here.

    ¡°... Prime Minister Dou? Is it that Prime Minister Dou who colluded with the Japanese and tried to disrupt the election?¡±Xue Jingjiang said casually, ¡°I remember that Prime Minister Dou is already in prison. How did this be the capital to show off?¡±

    Dou Aiyan was furious. She suddenly turned around and saw that the person who spoke was actually Xue Jingjiang.

    The anger in her stomach was stuck in her body. It was like a pile of ck gunpowder that was on the verge of exploding, but it was suddenly doused with a basin of cold water. ck smoke rose into the sky and could only poison her.

    She knew Xue Jingjiang.

    When her father was still the prime minister, the Xue family still had a rtionship with their family.

    It was just that she was not very familiar with Xue Jingjiang. Her sister Dou Qingyan used to y with Xue Jingjiang and the others.

    When she thought of her sister, Dou Aiyan¡¯s eyes shed with a trace of viciousness.

    She would not die silently like her sister!

    Xue Jingjiang caught a glimpse of Dou Aiyan¡¯s unpredictable expression. It was as if she had opened a paint shop. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, and purple, all seven colors were present. It was very interesting.

    He bowed slightly. ¡°Second Miss Dou, didn¡¯t you drop out of B University¡¯sw department? Did you go abroad to study?¡±

    Before Dou Aiyan could think of what to say, Guo huining had already said, ¡°Prime Minister Dou made a mistake, but our society is not united. Prime Minister Dou¡¯s mistake has nothing to do with Dou Aiyan.¡±

    ¡°After Dou Aiyan dropped out of B University¡¯sw department, she went to Oxford University in the United Kingdom and continued her undergraduate degree there. She is now a senior and is working as an intern at Carlyle Investment Ltd. . ¡°Basically, she has already been appointed as an internwyer in the legal department of Carlyle Investment Limited.¡±

    Guo Huining took the opportunity to introduce the only male at the table, ¡°This is Mr. Jia from Carlyle Investment Limited. Mr. Jia is the deputy director of the Securities Underwriting Department and also the main contact person for the Hong Group¡¯s listing this time.¡±

    Finally, she said, ¡°Carlyle Investment Limited is thergest investment securities distributor in the world. Our Hong Group has gone through several rounds of selection before we have chosen to work with Carlyle Investment Limited.¡±

    Hong Ziqi¡¯splexion was slightly better. He nodded to Mr. Jia and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯ll have to trouble you with thepany¡¯s matters.¡±

    ¡°Good, good, good. In business, the Hong Group is indeed a high-quality asset. It¡¯s worth going public and giving more benefits to the shareholders.¡±Mr. Jiaughed in an official tone.

    After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hong Ziqi called Guo Huining to a small office on the other side of the hall. He closed the door and asked, ¡°Huining, what exactly happened today?¡±

    Following them in were two waiters in red and blue vests, as well as Xue Jingjiang, who looked like he was just watching the show.

    Guo Huining looked a little ufortable. She coughed and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside and talk about it?¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to lose face in front of the employees and Xue Jingjiang.

    Hong Ziqi didn¡¯t agree. He raised his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk here. It¡¯s convenient for you to confront each other.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t believe only one side of the story. So I need your statements to be mutually corroborated.¡±

    The corners of Guo Huining¡¯s mouth twitched.

    Statements?

    This ignorant yboy had been with her for so many years. did he understand thew?

    However, even though Hong Ziqi could not give her face, she could not not give Hong Ziqi face.

    She could not say what she really thought.

    After a moment of awkwardness, guo huining said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing serious. ¡°It¡¯s just that I invited three friends from the investment bank outside for a meal today. One of them said that the scenery here is good, so I remembered that we have reserved seats here, so I brought them over.¡±

    Hong Ziqi nced at the waiter in the red vest and said, ¡°She didn¡¯t tell you that I¡¯ve already arranged reserved seats for someone else?¡±

    The waiter in the red vest quickly said, ¡°Young Master Hong, I already told her. I specifically told her.¡±

    She did not dare point at Guo Huining, but instead looked at the waiter in the Blue Vest.

    In fact, at the beginning, it was indeed the waiter in the blue vest who hade over to ask Gu Nianzhi and the others to give up their seats.

    Hong Ziqi raised his chin at the waiter in the Blue Vest. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you know that my seat has already been given to someone else?¡±

    The waiter in the Blue Vest panicked. She had no idea that the people on that seat were so popr..

    She quickly tried to avoid it by saying,¡±... I told Miss Guo. Miss Guo said that she wasing to see if they had finished eating...¡±

    Guo huining understood, she continued, ¡°Yes, she told me. I heard that the three of them had almost finished eating, so I came over to take a look. I hoped that they could make some adjustments. I even said that I had this meal on me. In the end... In the end...¡±

    She felt wronged, and her eyes reddened again, ¡°In the end, that Gu Nianzhi spoke as if she had taken medicine. It was obviously a small matter, but she insisted on making a big deal out of it. ¡°If she didn¡¯t want to let me go, then so be it. I didn¡¯t chase her away, but she waspletely unreasonable. She threw away the menu and left.¡±

    It sounded reasonable, but Huo Shao¡¯s fianc¨¦e was too delicate.

    Hong Ziqi hesitated for a moment, then looked down and thought for a moment, ¡°Miss Gu is not old,¡±he said. ¡°I remember she was still in college two years ago. You¡¯re already 30 years old, can¡¯t you be more understanding? Why did you ask her to give up her seat?¡±

    Guo huining was trembling with anger.

    There were two things women hated the most. One was to say that she was fat, and the other was to say that she was old.

    She gritted her teeth, she straightened her neck and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I do it for the sake of thepany? Tell me, how many years has the group been preparing for the overseas listing? Don¡¯t you know how important it is to find a good foreign securities underwriter? If we don¡¯t build a good rtionship, can you and I bear the loss of thepany? !¡±

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s arrogance had subsided, and his heart was a little biased toward Guo Huining.

    Xue Jingjiang, on the other hand, seemed to know what was going on in his heart. He said with a smile that was not a smile, ¡°In the end, director Guo thinks that the importance of Miss Gu and the others is not as important as your investment bank friends, right?¡±

    Guo Huining thought to herself, that makes sense, but if you say it out loud, doesn¡¯t that make me look stupid?

    She smiled and said, ¡°You can¡¯t put it that way. Jingjiang, you don¡¯t know that overseas listing and securities underwriters are too important. They can influence almost half of the decisions of the Foreign Securities Regtory Commission. We have to be careful...¡±

    She said it as if Xue Jingjiang didn¡¯t know what it meant to list overseas.

    Xue Jingjiang sneered and shook his head, he said, ¡°Director Guo, I didn¡¯t say that overseas underwriters aren¡¯t important. But how important can the few people you hired today be in Carlyle Investment Limited? Forget about the vice president. The other chief analyst is from the Pacific Rim. And that Dou Aiyan is just an intern. You probably don¡¯t know that she has a personal grudge against Gu Nianzhi, right?¡±

    ¡°Did she say that the scenery here is good today and encourage you to change seats?¡±

    Guo Huining hesitated.

    It was indeed Dou aiyan who brought it up today. The other two did not object, and she agreed on the spur of the moment.

    It was not that she did not regret it now, but she did not think about how serious it was. She just felt that she had lost face in front of Hong Ziqi.

    ¡°... If you don¡¯t deny it, I¡¯ll take it as your acquiescence.¡±Xue Jingjiang shrugged. ¡°From this, I knew that it was definitely you who didn¡¯t pay attention today.¡±

    Guo Huining was anxious. ¡°How is it that we didn¡¯t pay attention? I said it, I just saw that they were almost done eating...¡±

    Xue Jingjiang saw that Guo Huining was still confused and did not want to tangle with her anymore, so he interrupted her without hesitation, he said, ¡°Director Guo, don¡¯t y word games with me. The person you¡¯ve offended is not me. There¡¯s no point in exining it to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you that Dou Aiyan¡¯s personal grudge with Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shao is extremely serious. If you listen to her and listen to her, you¡¯ve fallen into her trap. If you don¡¯t believe me, we¡¯ll just wait and see.¡±

    He turned to Hong Ziqi and said, ¡°Young Master Hong, I¡¯ll only remind you of one thing. Huo Shao is looking at his little fianc¨¦e like she¡¯s his eyeball. He can¡¯t stand the slightest bit of injustice. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you know that Gu Nianzhi is quite capable herself. ¡°She¡¯s now the chief legal advisor of the Upper House of the Senate. She¡¯s Speaker Long¡¯s favorite sessor...¡±

    Hong Ziqi looked up abruptly, his eyes wide open. ¡°What? ! Gu Nianzhi has risen so high? !¡±

    Guo Huining was also shocked, she eximed, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Gu Nianzhi just graduated, how did she be the chief legal advisor of the Senate? ! Speaker long really didn¡¯t pull strings for the Huo family¡¯s sake? !¡±

    ¡°The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor? Do you think this highly publicized position can be privately taught through favors?¡±

    Xue Jingjiang gave the couple a contemptuous look.

    They really weren¡¯t a family.

    They were all the same ignorant and arrogant.

    He finally understood why the Hong family had been so slow to agree to their marriage registration and wedding.

    Which couple had been engaged for so many years and still hadn¡¯t gotten married?

    It was obvious that they were still unhappy with Guo Huining.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Hong Ziqi was a little stupid and had no other major problems, and that he had been on good terms with Xue Jingjiang for so many years, Xue Jingjiang wouldn¡¯t have bothered to remind them.

    He patted Hong Ziqi on the shoulder, he said cautiously, ¡°Don¡¯t say that brother didn¡¯t remind you. Hurry up and prepare a generous gift for Gu Nianzhi. Ask her to be merciful and forgive director Guo for his momentary stupidity. Otherwise, just you wait...¡±

    He still wanted to go public overseas?

    Wait for the domestic liquidation..

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression grew uglier and uglier, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°The Huo family may be powerful, but they don¡¯t have to go against USmercialpanies, do they? Besides, they are powerful and powerful, but if they really want to use their power to attack us, wouldn¡¯t we report them? Would the supervisory department stand by and watch these powerful people suppress usmoners?¡±

    ¡°If they dare to do this, I¡¯ll go online and let everyone judge me!¡±

    This was a hint that she would use public opinion against the Huo family.

    Xue Jingjiang thought to himself, the Huo family would certainly not go against the Hong family over such a small matter. You haven¡¯t reached that level yet.

    However, no one could say for sure whether Huo Shaoheng would support his little fiancee.

    Besides, Gu Nianzhi herself was also very powerful. Xue Jingjiang was also not sure if Gu Nianzhi would stand up for herself and take the Hong family¡¯s side.

    At this time, he still did not know that Gu Nianzhi had a devil behind her. He only considered the abilities of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Moreover, Guo Huining was clearly the one who did not care about this matter. However, she kept putting on a ¡°I¡¯m weak, I¡¯m right¡±attitude and bullying the strong. She was also drunk.

    Did she really think the stone was made of tofu?

    Xue Jingjiang stopped exining and said to Hong Ziqi, ¡°Young Master Hong, that¡¯s all I have to say. You take care of yourself.¡±

    ..

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng ran out of the parking lot of the Hong Hotel. He saw Gu Nianzhi leaning against the car door with her hands behind her back. She had her head down and was kicking the small stone in the parking lot with one foot.

    Chen lie and Ma Qiqi stood by her side, one on her left and the other on her right, as if they were trying tofort her.

    She looked like she had been wronged.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over quietly and handed her the car keys,¡±... Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: chapter 1946, ¡°Bullying the strong.¡±.

    The monthly ticket can be reserved for the end of the month, but the rmendation ticket must be cast every day Ah Ah Ah ~ ~ ~

    PS: thanks to ¡°Helen 3500 meatballs¡±for the 10,000 starting coins the day before yesterday.

    Thank you for the 10,000 Qidian coins that our master and Beth1211 master each gave us yesterday. Thanks to ¡°Book friend 20180911055357719¡åyesterday tip 10,000 Qidian.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1947

    <h4>Chapter 1947: Chapter 1947: spoiling her to the point of making her ufortable (request for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t actually feeling very wronged by what had happened today. She was just feeling ufortable.

    However, the moment she saw Huo Shaoheng, the grievance in her heart immediately overwhelmed her and her eyes instantly turned red.

    ¡°... Huo Shao...¡±she didn¡¯t take the car keys. Instead, she pursed her lips and threw herself into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. She rubbed her forehead against his chest and mumbled, ¡°Are you done eating? Do you want to go back with us?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her and bent down to touch her face as if there was no one else around. He smiled and said, ¡°My main purpose today is to apany you. If you leave, I¡¯ll leave. If you stay, I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    The maic bass voice resonated from his chest. Gu Nianzhi listened until her ears went numb. Of course, the meaning behind Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words made her heart beat even faster.

    This was the best image of Huo Shao that she had ever dreamed of!

    To be able to be intimate with her in public without any reservations, to love and pamper her.

    She couldn¡¯t help but wrap her arms around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist. She raised her head to kiss his chin and said softly, ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re so kind! To make it up to you, I¡¯ll make you something to eat when we get back!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He lowered his head and smiled slowly. ¡°Are you sure this ispensation? Not Punishment?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s depressed mood was swept away. Sheughed hysterically in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you a chance to make it up to me. Make me something to Eat!¡±

    ¡°Look at what you can do. You¡¯re almost wagging your tail.¡±Huo Shaoheng pulled her to her feet.

    Chen lie and Ma Qiqi werepletely dumbfounded.

    The two of them stared at Huo Shaoheng with their mouths agape. They were screaming in their hearts: ¡°Who is this man who is lying? ! ¡ª we don¡¯t know him!¡±

    ¡°Is he an enemy impersonator? Our Huo Shao can¡¯t possibly spoil him this much!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bright and clear eyes narrowed into crescent moons. Although she tried her best to endure it, the dimples on her lips still showed.

    Huo Shaoheng turned her around and saw Chen lie and Ma Qiqi¡¯s stunned expressions. She curled her lips. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two? Your eyes aren¡¯t working?¡±

    Ma Qiqi snapped back to her senses and spoke first,¡±... I didn¡¯t expect you to be like this, Huo Shao!¡±

    Sigh! That doting voice just now made her almost drunk. Even her teeth were aching!

    Chen lie pointed at Huo Shaoheng and almost stomped his feet. ¡°Huo Huo... Huo Shao! Tell me, what exactly happened that I don¡¯t know about? ! How can you be so unprincipled, unorganized, and undisciplined in spoiling her? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t bear to hear others talk about Huo Shaoheng like that, not even Chen Lie.

    She raised her eyebrows and said with a half-smile, ¡°How can you be so unprincipled, unorganized, and undisciplined? Brother Chen, we may be close, but if you say that, I¡¯ll still sue you for nder!¡±

    ¡°He pampers you to the point of making people ufortable. If you continue like this, I will report you to the relevant authorities!¡±Chen lie adjusted his round gold-rimmed sses on the bridge of his nose and said with a serious expression.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous. Brother Chen, I¡¯m in a good mood today, so I won¡¯t argue with you. But...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°If you do this again in the future, I will show no mercy and let Little Corgi Bite You!¡±

    The short-legged Little Corgi jumped up and barked at Chen Lie a few times. ¡°I may be young, but I¡¯m Super Fierce!¡±!

    Chen Lie:¡±...¡±

    This stupid dog!

    He red at Ah Ke and said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Leave Your Dog on the leash and wait for someone toin!¡±

    Gu nianzhi patted her forehead and smiled. ¡°Oh right, how could I have forgotten? Ah Ke, Go! Let brother Chen carry you home.¡±

    The short-legged little corgi took a few steps back and trotted away. With a leap, it jumped into Chen Lie¡¯s arms.

    Chen lie instinctively bent down and caught it. He stared at it for a while before he pointed at the Little Corgi¡¯s nose resentfully, ¡°You Stupid Dog, you don¡¯t have a sei anymore. Just listen to her, faster than an imperial edict! I¡¯ve been feeding you for a year in vain!¡±

    In the year that Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had been away, Chen Lie had been in charge of guarding Ah Ke at the military dog training center.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to smooth ah ke¡¯s fur and smiled. ¡°Thank you, brother Chen, for taking care of our Ah Ke. Look, he kisses you so much... It¡¯s clear that as long as you give, you¡¯ll get something in return!¡±

    She winked at Chen Lie and turned to act coquettishly to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, can I drive today?¡±

    She regretted acting coquettishly just now and not picking up the car keys..

    Huo Shaoheng immediately rejected her. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°But you gave me the car keys just now!¡±

    ¡°I was just teasing you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm as he said this. He opened the car door and shoved Gu Nianzhi into the front passenger seat. He leaned over to fasten her seatbelt, he whispered in her ear,¡±... I¡¯ll let you be the driver when we get back. You can drive all you want...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Why does that sound so weird?

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng in confusion, unable to react.

    Ma Qiqi still had to go back to work, so she didn¡¯t get into the car. She waved at Gu Nianzhi in the car. ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll look for you this weekend. Let¡¯s Get Together Again!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and waved. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡±

    When Chen Lie got in the car, she heard Chen Lie mumble in the back seat,¡±... young master Huo, you¡¯re so good at flirting with girls...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood what Huo Shaoheng meant when he said she had to ¡°Go back and drive.¡±Her cheeks flushed as red as the morning sun, and her face was gorgeous.

    Huo Shaoheng started the car. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s blushing face, and the smile on his face widened.

    He knew that she only now understood what he meant.

    ..

    When they returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was so red that she couldn¡¯t look at it anymore.

    She didn¡¯t say a word. She sat cross-legged in the tree house with her hands on her cheeks and recalled Huo Shaoheng¡¯s every move. Not only was her heart weak, even her bones were weak.

    She looked at the faint shadows on the camphor tree, and thought with lingering fear, ¡°No wonder the Ancients said that wine is a poison that prates the intestines, and color is a bone-scraping steel knife. With a man in front of you, you can¡¯t resist...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was a little worried about her, so he walked to the balcony and nced at her. He rested his hands on the balcony railing and asked with a smile, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want to Eat Tonight?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, not daring to look Huo Shaoheng in the eye. She stared at Little Ah Ke, who was squatting beside her, and said with a smile,¡±... I want to eat pae fried rice.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Just this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I just want to eat pae fried rice.¡±Gu Nianzhi turned her head away and gave Huo Shaoheng a good look at the back of his head.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±... think about it. Other than pae fried rice, what else do you want? Text me when you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll check my email.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not press her further. He simply turned around and went back to his suite to continue his work.

    Gu Nianzhi did not feel lonely by herself. At this time, she wanted to be alone more.

    She had been bored with Huo Shaoheng for a few days. She needed to take a break.

    Happiness came too quickly. If she did not savor it properly, she would really be like pig bajie, who ate ginseng fruit whole.

    Lying in the treehouse with her head in her hands, Gu Nianzhi thought back to everything that had happened since she had met Huo Shaoheng. She was also very surprised at how she had persevered.

    It was probably because Huo Shaoheng had her in his heart that the two of them had been able to achieve true love.

    Because in love, it was not enough for only one person to work hard.

    Her ¡°Unrequited love¡±was not really ¡°Unrequited love¡±.

    It could be imagined that in those days when she felt like she could not hold on any longer, if Huo Shaoheng did not respond in time and forcefully pulled her along, she would not be allowed to have even the slightest deviation in her heart, she could not perform a one-woman show alone.

    Now that everything was in ce, even the pain she had suffered at that time had turned into thick honey.

    Gu Nianzhi thought happily and subconsciously gave the short-legged little corgi to the dog.

    The Little Corgi was toofortable. It simplyy on the ground with its four legs facing the sky, exposing its short legs and small belly for Gu Nianzhi to scratch.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and mischievously clenched her hands into fists, touching the Little Corgi¡¯s paws one after another.

    The Man and the dog yed for a while, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone rang again.

    She took it out and saw that it was Lu Jin¡¯s number again.

    She quickly picked up the call and said sweetly, ¡°Dad, What¡¯s up?¡±

    Even Huo Shaoheng would drop his teeth if he heard her tone.

    However, the person who picked up the call was Lu Jin, who said, ¡°No matter how much Honey Your Daughter gives you, you won¡¯t get tired of it.¡±Therefore, he did not feel any difort at all, instead, he said delightedly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want toe over to Mrs. Song¡¯s ce for dinner tonight? Boss LU bought a lot of delicious food today and wants to cook us a big meal!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she sat up straight. She cried out, ¡°What? ! Boss Lu wants to cook a big meal! He didn¡¯t even inform us!¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled,¡±... boss Lu is selfish. I¡¯m guessing that he wants to cook it especially for Mrs. Song... I heard him muttering in the kitchen today that Mrs. Song is too thin and needs to be nourished...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Although she really wanted to eat lu Yuan¡¯s meticulously prepared ¡°Love Meal,¡±Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Yuan had prepared it specially for song jinning. If she were to join him, she would be asking for trouble..

    Gu Nianzhi even wanted to pull Lu Jin out. It would be best if Lu Yuan and Mrs. Song could have a warm dinner for the two of them.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Dad, is this really okay? You know very well that President Lu¡¯s meal is specially prepared for Mrs. Song. Why don¡¯t youe to Huo Shao¡¯s ce and I¡¯ll ask him to make pae fried rice!¡±

    ¡°Pae fried rice? ! You like this too? hahahaha!¡±Lu Jinughed heartily. He was also tempted toe to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to have dinner with Gu Nianzhi.

    The father and daughter were discussing the topic of ¡°Who would be less regretful if they gave up on making dinner?¡±When Gu Nianzhi realized that another call hade.

    The number was also a little unfamiliar.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to answer it. After she hung up, she found that the number had sent her another text message. ¡°This is my new number. It¡¯s Lu Yuan.¡±

    So it was Lu Yuan¡¯s new number? !

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She quickly said to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, I need to take this call. Please wait a moment...¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Okay, you take the call first. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and take a look.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s number called her again.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up at that moment and said cheerfully, ¡°CEO Lu! Long time no see!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, we haven¡¯t seen each other for only two days, right?¡±

    ¡°I miss you, director Lu! A day of not seeing each other feels like three years...¡±Gu Nianzhi said with a smile, her sweet words falling into Lu Yuan¡¯s ears like they were free.

    Lu Yuan was also in a good mood and said, ¡°Okay, since you miss me so much, thene to director song¡¯s House for Dinner Tonight. Call Shaoheng over too, I¡¯ve prepared a lot of dishes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    She asked in bewilderment,¡±... didn¡¯t you want to cook for Ms. Song? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for all of us to go, right?¡±

    Lu Yuan said without a change in expression, ¡°I¡¯m cooking for director song, but I¡¯m not going to cook for her alone. Can¡¯t everyonee and eat?¡±? Director song happened to say yesterday that she hadn¡¯t spoken to her since you guys came back. She really wanted to meet you and Shaoheng.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely embarrassed.

    Aftering back, she and Huo Shaoheng had been at loggerheads for so long and hadn¡¯t contacted anyone. It was indeed a little too much.

    Lu Yuan chuckled and continued, ¡°I told her that you guys just got back and are still a little tired. I told you to rest well. In two days, I¡¯ll prepare a table full of good dishes, and Nianzhi will definitelye over.¡±

    ¡°When Nianzhies over, Will Shaoheng still be far away?¡±

    ¡°Superintendent song happily agreed, so I prepared to go.¡±

    ¡°How about it? Come over and eat with us, or else I won¡¯t be able to exin myself.¡±

    Lu Yuanughed heartily, as if he really had no selfish motives at all..

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She wanted nothing more than to shake Lu Yuan¡¯s shoulder and shout, ¡°Director Lu, if you continue to be so reserved, you¡¯ll really lose Ms. Song. Let me tell you!¡±

    However, Lu Yuan insisted that he had prepared a table of good dishes for everyone to get together.

    If Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t go, it meant that she wouldn¡¯t give face and spoil the other person¡¯s heart.

    In fact, deep down, she really wanted to go. She simply couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of delicious food.

    Especially after today¡¯s unexpected disaster, she was in desperate need offort food.

    She finally nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright then. Huo Shao and I wille over together.¡±

    She took the initiative to say, ¡°President Lu, why don¡¯t wee over earlier to help you? Huo Shao and I have nothing to do today.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been checking his work emails for a long time. He should have finished checking them by now.

    Gu Nianzhi still had to tell him that they didn¡¯t have to make pae fried rice tonight. The two of them would go to Mrs. Song¡¯s house for a feast!

    Lu Yuan looked at the things in the kitchen and said, ¡°Okay, you and Shaoheng cane over earlier, but you can apany your father and Mrs. Song. Shaoheng will be my assistant.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and hung up the phone. She got up and went to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room to look for him.

    Little Ah Ke wagged his tail and walked in front of her. When he reached Huo Shaoheng¡¯s suite door, he was the first to jump up and m the door with his two front paws.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She pointed at the doorbell on the door.¡±... There¡¯s a doorbell here.¡±

    She felt like she was being silly.

    Because even little ah ke was staring at her.

    The doorbell was so high that little ah ke had to jump on the trampoline to reach it..

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and rang the doorbell.

    Huo Shaoheng heard the sound of Ah Ke knocking on the door and came over.

    When the doorbell rang, Huo Shaoheng had already opened the door.

    He saw Gu Nianzhi and little ah ke standing at the door.

    Little Ah Ke¡¯s tail was wagging very quickly.

    Although Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have a tail, Huo Shaoheng felt that if she had one, she would be wagging it even faster than Ah Ke.

    ¡°Come in, what¡¯s the matter?¡±Huo Shaoheng leaned to the side to open the door.

    Gu Nianzhi had no intention of going in. She smiled and said, ¡°President Lu just called. He wants us to go to Mrs. Song¡¯s for dinner.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her nomittally.

    Gu Nianzhi could only swallow her saliva and add, ¡°My dad said President Lu bought a lot of delicious food!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update: chapter 1947, ¡°Spoiling people to the point of difort.¡±.

    The monthly ticket can be reserved for the end of the month, but the rmendation ticket must be cast every day Ah Ah Ah ~ ~ ~

    PS: Please Forgive me. I¡¯ve been on a business trip recently, so I don¡¯t have a lot of free time to code. We¡¯ll make it up to you when we get back.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1948

    <h4>Chapter 1948: Chapter 1948: I Am Your Greatest Weakness (request for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips speechlessly.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly for a while and calmly said, ¡°I really didn¡¯t realize that one of your two weaknesses was your true nature as a foodie.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and asked with a smile, ¡°You only understand now? Then what is my other weakness?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡±Huo Shaoheng pointed at himself impolitely. ¡°I¡¯m your biggest weakness.¡±

    This time, it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s turn to be speechless.

    She tried not tough as she tiptoed and patted Huo Shaoheng on the head. ¡°Huo Shao, I didn¡¯t realize before that you¡¯re this narcissistic.¡±

    ¡°Wrong, this isn¡¯t narcissism, this is confidence.¡±Huo Shaoheng bowed and kissed her face. ¡°Mrs. Huo, as long as you put your heart into it, you¡¯ll still discover more of Mr. Huo¡¯s strengths.¡±

    ¡°If narcissism is also a virtue, it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t know too much about him.¡±Gu Nianzhi giggled and kissed him back. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Mr. Huo, let¡¯s go to Mrs. Song¡¯s house, Okay? !¡±

    A sly light shed through her jet-ck eyes. At that moment, her expression was lively and lively, like a beam of light illuminating the unknown course of his life.

    Because of her, there was one more reason for the world to be worth fighting for.

    Huo Shaoheng obeyed her. ¡°Alright, since Mrs. Huo wants to go, let¡¯s go and be three big, shiny lightbulbs.¡±

    He closed the door behind him and led Gu Nianzhi downstairs.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with a smile and whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, do you think highly of President Lu and Mrs. Song? Does your father know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took her hand and said nonchntly, ¡°They¡¯re adults now. It doesn¡¯t matter if I think highly of them or not. What matters is that they know what they¡¯re doing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and leaned her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Huo Shao, then you¡¯re so relieved of me because I¡¯m an adult and know what I¡¯m doing, right?¡±

    ¡°Dream on.¡±Huo Shaoheng knocked her head without hesitation. ¡°When have you ever let anyone rest assured?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gnashed her teeth. She wanted to bite him.

    Huo Shaoheng pretended not to see her and walked down the stairs with a solemn expression.

    The orderly standing guard downstairs immediately straightened up and saluted him continuously.

    ¡°Hello, Chief.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Chief.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded without batting an eyelid and led gu nianzhi out of his official residence.

    ..

    At that moment, in a four-person booth near the back window of the Hong Hotel Lobby, Yi Xinyan was gently shaking a ss of red wine in her hand. She nced at Dou aiyan, who was still in a daze, she asked inly, ¡°Dou aiyan, didn¡¯t you go to the second floor with Miss Guo to see Mr. Hong Just Now? Why does it seem like Mr. Hong doesn¡¯t know that you guys have been there?¡±

    Dou aiyan rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Miss Yi, we wanted to go to the second floor just now, but before we went up, we saw an extremely handsome maning down from the second floor.¡±

    ¡°Miss Guo hesitated.¡±

    ¡°She pulled me to a ce that the person at the corner of the corridor couldn¡¯t see. She waited for that person to leave before she came out.¡±

    ¡°Later, she said that since he had already left, it was useless to go. The two of US came back.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is That So?¡±Yi Xinyan lowered her head and sipped a ss of red wine. ¡°You came back just like that?¡±

    After returning, she brought them here.

    ¡°Yes.¡±Dou aiyan nodded, lookingpletely innocent as if she did not know what had happened.

    Yi Xinyan continued to ask, ¡°Mr. Hong gave up this reserved seat just for the person you saw? Who is that person? Miss Guo should know him, right? Otherwise, why would she not dare to go upstairs the moment she saw him?¡±

    Dou Aiyan did not want to say that name. She frowned and turned her head away. She looked at him and said, ¡°Why is Hui Ning still noting down? She has been gone for half an hour, right?¡±

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s expression was slightly cold. She put down the wine ss in her hand and lowered her voice, which was eight degrees lower than her normal voice.

    ¡°Dou aiyan, you went to the second floor with Miss Guo. who exactly did you seeing down? Did Mr. Hong give up this reserved seat just for this person? I don¡¯t want to ask a third time.¡±

    Dou aiyan pursed her lips and secretly looked at associate director Jia who was sitting beside her. However, even associate director Jia seemed to be submissive to Yi Xinyan.

    Dou aiyan was very puzzled.

    One was clearly the VP, and the other was only the chief analyst. Why would the VP have to look at the Chief Analyst¡¯s face? This didn¡¯t make sense.

    Then, she nced at Yi Xinyan¡¯s delicate and beautiful face from the corner of her eyes. Dou aiyan thought maliciously that this woman, whose surname was Yi, had a very ordinary family background.

    However, she had be the chief analyst of the world¡¯srgest Carlyle investmentpany at such a young age. It was probably either the man who slept with her was awesome or the man who slept with her mother was awesome..

    Yi Xinyan frowned slightly and waited for a while. Seeing that Dou aiyan still did not speak, she did not ask anymore. She picked up her bag and stood up. She said coldly to Dou aiyan, ¡°You¡¯re fired.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go back to the Carlyle branch office. I¡¯ll inform the IT department to invalidate all your ounts. I¡¯ll have your personal items sent to your contact address by express delivery.¡±

    Dou aiyan was shocked. She stood up abruptly and said, ¡°Miss Yi, you can¡¯t Fire Me! I¡¯m not from your department!¡±

    She was clearly an intern in the legal department of Carlyle Investment Company Limited, while Yi Xinyan was the chief analyst of the Pacific Rim Region. They werepletely unrted!

    Even if you crossed the line to gain power, you shouldn¡¯t do it like this!

    Yi Xinyan raised her eyebrows and looked at her. She said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t think you know that apart from being the chief analyst, I am also a member of Carlyle¡¯s board of directors.¡±

    The appointment and removal of a small intern naturally had absolute authority.

    Would the human resources department send back the opinions of thepany¡¯s board of Directors for an intern?

    Moreover, thepany¡¯s board of directors was the true manager of thepany.

    Dou aiyan¡¯s expression changed abruptly. She opened her mouth and wanted to beg for mercy, but she could not say a word as she watched Yi Xinyan leave without turning her head back.

    Only then did associate director Jia Stand Up and say in a low voice,¡±... why didn¡¯t you say anything just now? She is famous in ourpany for having a sour face and a hard heart. People call her demoness Yi.¡±

    ¡°Demoness Yi asked you a question, and you still dare not answer?¡±

    Dou aiyan said with a bitter face, ¡°Associate director Jia, I really didn¡¯t know that this matter was so serious... and I thought that I was an intern in the legal department. No matter how powerful demoness Yi is, how could she control me? !¡±

    If she had known that Yi Xinyan was a member of the board of directors, she would have told everything that she knew!

    ¡°Associate director Jia, please help me plead for mercy, okay? !¡±Dou aiyan begged bitterly, ¡°My uncle has a deep rtionship with you, you must help me this time!¡±

    Associate Director Jia Sighed, ¡°Aiyan, I do have a good rtionship with your uncle, but you can¡¯t rely on my rtionship with your uncle to cause trouble again and again in ourpany... no matter how good I am, I can¡¯t stop you from seeking your own death.¡±

    Dou aiyan spat in her heart and cursed silently. If you¡¯re really good, I¡¯ll be fine no matter how much I seek my own death.

    Now, I¡¯ve only failed to answer a person¡¯s question in time, and I¡¯ve been made to lose my position. This shows that you¡¯re not good at all..

    Of course, although she cursed silently, she didn¡¯t dare to say it in front of him.

    She still begged associate director Jia in a low voice and called her uncle and aunt.

    Dou Aiyan¡¯s aunt took pity on her because she was the only daughter of her sister. She still loved her very much.

    Her uncle also interceded on her behalf. Associate Director Jia finally relented.

    He called Yi Xinyan and saved Dou Aiyan¡¯s internship position at the cost of giving her a few new cases.

    Dou aiyan learned a little from this incident.

    ..

    In the small meeting room on the other side of the hall, Hong Ziqi walked around with his arms crossed and a heavy expression on his face. He recalled every detail of the time he had known Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    From his own point of view of women, Huo Shaoheng probably treated gu nianzhi like a pet.

    However, if the pet was not only cultured, but also intelligent, it would be more troublesome.

    It was highly likely that men would not be able to escape this type of woman.

    Moreover, the two of them were engaged to be hosted by the Russian president, Putin. He used to watch the grand ceremony as a soap opera, but now that he thought about it, the significance was truly extraordinary.

    Guo Huining had offended Gu Nianzhi. It seemed that she had really offended Huo Shaoheng..

    The more Hong Ziqi thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong. After a while, he took out his phone and nned to give Huo Shaoheng a call to exin himself. He would say some soft words to salvage the misunderstanding.

    He would also give Huo Shaoheng a big gift.

    Although Xue Jingjiang had asked him to give Gu Nianzhi a gift, he was somewhat unwilling.

    He wasn¡¯t short of money, but this gift had to be given to the right person.

    Huo Shaoheng was obviously more powerful than Gu Nianzhi.

    However, judging from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s behavior, he probably wouldn¡¯t ept the gift.

    So he could only give it to the Huo Family?

    Hong Ziqi thought as he dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    However, after dialing for a long time, the line was still busy.

    He was anxious and sent a text message to Huo Shaoheng.

    That text message couldn¡¯t be sent at all!

    Hong Ziqi finally understood. His face turned pale and his voice trembled as he said,¡±... Huo has cklisted me.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Her entire body went cold, but she still forced herself to remain calm. She said in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Huo is such a high-status person. is he really that narrow-minded?¡±

    She had offended the Hong family for the sake of a woman. Guo huining was both afraid of Huo Shaoheng and disapproved of him at the same time.

    Hong Ziqi red at Guo Huining. ¡°He¡¯s not narrow-minded. He only stood up for her because he has that woman in his heart. You Don¡¯t understand men at all.¡±

    Guo Huining was furious again. She was so angry that her hands were clenched into fists. She wanted nothing more than to punch Hong Ziqi¡¯s annoying horse face!

    But how could she dare to hit this man?

    Although he was stupid and stupid, he was the only grandson of the Hong family¡¯s patriarch. He was also the great-grandson that the Hong family¡¯s ancestor doted on the most.

    In the future, he would inherit most of the family business.

    She took a deep breath and warned herself not to go against the rich and powerful, while holding back her anger, she said, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of whether or not you understand men.¡±. Huo was in a high position, so many eyes were on him. He was not a fool. Why would he stake his own future for the sake of a meal?¡±

    Hong Ziqi was puzzled. ¡°Why would he stake his own future?¡±

    Guo huining pointed at herself and said confidently, ¡°Because of me. Do you think I¡¯m easy to deal with? Or do you think I¡¯m a soft persimmon that can be easily manipted by others?¡±

    Hong Ziqi was slightly relieved that she was so confident.

    He had been together with Guo Huining for so many years, and the only thing he admired was that she was smarter and more capable than him. She was a very important bargaining chip for him to inherit the family business.

    It was just that his ancestor had never agreed to the marriage between the two of them. After being engaged for so many years, Guo Huining still had not been able to enter the Hong family.

    Therefore, this was also the reason why Guo Huining valued the Hong Group¡¯s overseas listing this time.

    As long as she seeded, Guo Huining would be a great contributor to the Hong family. Not only would she have a generous bonus, but she would also have very generous initial shares.

    At that time, the Hong family would definitely agree to her marrying Hong Ziqi, because initial share of thepany meant that she had a say in the Hong Corporation.

    The Hong family would not push someone who had a say out of thepany.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Huining, you have always been very smart. I believe that this time, you will solve this problem properly.¡±Hong Ziqi could not think of a way himself, so he could only shift the me to Guo Huining as usual.

    Guo huining heaved a sigh of relief and nodded reluctantly. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something.¡±

    She had been thinking of a countermeasure ever since she had seen Huo Shaohenge down from the second floor.

    Anyway, she had already offended him. It was impossible for her to apologize to Gu Nianzhi, not in this lifetime.

    The two of them left the small office, Hong Ziqi returned to the Hong family, and Guo Huining returned to the ce where she had hosted her friends.

    She realized that Dou Aiyan was the only one left.

    Guo Huining could not help but raise her eyebrows and sit down in front of Dou aiyan. She looked around and asked, ¡°Where are associate director Jia and Miss Yi?¡±

    Dou aiyan said listlessly, ¡°They left.¡±

    The scene just now really scared Dou aiyan out of her wits.

    She could not help butin to guo huining, ¡°Huining, why do you think I¡¯m in the way of that Demoness Yi? I¡¯m from the legal department! She¡¯s from the stock analysis department! It¡¯spletely unrted!¡±

    ¡°What right does she have to fire me just because she wants to fire me? !¡±

    Guo Huining was shocked,¡±... you¡¯re fired? !¡±

    ¡°No, no!¡±Dou aiyan quickly waved her hand and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not fired. My uncle has a good rtionship with associate director Jia.¡±

    ¡°But why would yi Xinyan dare to say that she would fire you?¡±Guo huining frowned, feeling that it didn¡¯t make sense.

    Dou Aiyan was still young. She wasn¡¯t as shrewd as Guo Huining. After a few words, Guo Huining was able to get the truth out of her.

    She cried and said, ¡°Sister huining, I¡¯ve only been at Carlyle for a few days. How would I know that Demoness Yi is also a member of the Carlyle¡¯s board of Directors? ! HMPH! She doesn¡¯t have any family background. I only heard that she graduated from a famous school. She must have a man backing her up! ¡°Or maybe her mother has a man backing her up!¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s face looked like she had been pped in the face by someone. Her expression was very ugly.

    Don¡¯t scold the bald donkey in front of a monk. Dou aiyan saying that about Yi Xinyan was like pping Guo Huining¡¯s face!

    That was because she, Guo Huining, also had an average family background. However, after graduating from a famous school, she relied on her fianc¨¦e rtionship with Hong Ziqi to be a high-ranking official in the Hong Corporation at a young age..

    She didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with her, but if others said it out loud, it would be as sad as stepping on the tail of a cat.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face darkened and she said unhappily, ¡°Aiyan, if you continue to speak like this, I don¡¯t think that associate director Jia will be able to save you!¡±

    If Yi Xinyan was a member of Carlyle¡¯s board of directors, that would exin why associate director Jia kept looking at Yi Xinyan¡¯s expression today.

    Guo Huining weighed the pros and cons in her heart. While she was perfunctory with Dou aiyan, she was thinking about how to get closer to the Huo family.

    She nced at Dou aiyan and remembered what Xue Jingjiang had said today. She suddenly asked, ¡°Aiyan, are you familiar with the Huo Family? If I want to apologize to the Huo family, who do you think is the most suitable person for me to look for?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1948, ¡°I am your greatest weakness.¡±.

    Monthly votes can be reserved for tomorrow, but the rmendation votes must be cast every day Ah Ah Ah ~ ~ ~

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting coins that the president of ¡°Mcmug loves blue¡±tipped the day before yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1949

    <h4>Chapter 1949: Chapter 1949 time reveals a person¡¯s heart (Dazhang requests Double Monthly Pass!)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Guo Huining did not want to get close to the minions on the periphery. She wanted to shoot the horse first and capture the leader first. She wanted to hit the target with one strike and build a rtionship with the most powerful person in the Huo family. This way, there would be no mistakes.

    For example, the most powerful person in the Hong family was that old ancestor.

    The Hong family listened to her.

    Her goal in life was to be a person like the old ancestor of the Hong family.

    Dou aiyan nced at Guo huining. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she felt very ufortable.

    What kind of person was Gu Nianzhi to be able to make professor he and major huo hold both of them in their hands?

    She had originally thought that no matter how much Huo Shaoheng liked women, he would not separate work and personal matters.

    Back then, her sister and Huo Shaoheng had been colleagues for many years. They had clearly hit it off and were about to get married, but because of a small mistake, Huo Shaoheng had still sent her sister to prison without hesitation, he had caused her sister¡¯s tragic death in Japan without a sound.

    How capable could Gu Nianzhi be now? ! How could she make major general Huo, who had a heart of stone, be angry for her? !

    At that time, she had wanted to follow Guo Huining to watch the show. She wanted to see with her own eyes how Huo Shaoheng would p Gu Nianzhi in the face.

    After all, he had forcibly upied a seat in a high-end ce like the Hong Hotel. It was extremely embarrassing.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Huo Shaoheng to leave the Hong Hotel without a word. He didn¡¯t even eat.

    She had been shocked as well. She had followed Guo Huining to hide and didn¡¯t dare meet Huo Shaoheng face to face.

    Now that Guo Huining had asked her for an apology from the Huo family, she had been ying right into her hands. She didn¡¯t even need to guide her anymore and had immediatelye up with her own idea.

    ¡°Huining, the Huo family¡¯s words carry the most weight. In the past, it was grandfather Huo, but I heard that grandfather Huo became a vegetable and was admitted to the Military General Hospital. There¡¯s nothing you can do even if you go,¡±Dou Aiyan said with a chuckle, ¡°He should be major general Huo¡¯s father now, general Huo Guanchen, right? How dare his son not listen to him when he speaks? From the military rank, he¡¯s superior to him!¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart skipped a beat.¡±... grandfather Huo is in the military general hospital? where is general Huo Guanchen? How can I See Him?¡±

    Dou aiyan:¡±...¡±

    She didn¡¯t even know how to see him. How did this Guo Huining get along? !

    Dou aiyan rolled her eyes in disdain, however, she still smiled and suggested, ¡°How about this, you go to the military general hospital to see grandfather Huo who is in a vegetative state, and then you can take the opportunity to see General Huo?¡±? I¡¯ll go and ask my friend when General Huo goes to see his father.¡±

    Guo Huining thought that as long as she could see grandfather Huo, she should be able to see General Huo..

    She quickly smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll go and see grandfather Huo first. Aiyan, don¡¯t bother your friend. Anyway, our Hong family has many people. When the timees, we¡¯ll send a nurse to guard the hospital. No matter what, we¡¯ll be able to meet General Huo.¡±

    ¡°Huining, do you think that the military general hospital is a vegetable market? Can you casually send someone to guard grandfather Huo?¡±Dou aiyan did not hide her contempt anymore, ¡°If you really do this, I think you should just forget it. The Huo family is not only a wealthy family, but also many times more powerful than the Hong Family!¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s face burned as if she had been pped in the face.

    But she knew that Dou Aiyan had a point.

    Suppressing her anger, embarrassment, and unwillingness, Guo Huining put on a sincere attitude and asked carefully and attentively, ¡°Aiyan, tell me, what should I do?¡±

    Dou aiyan thought, I¡¯ve been waiting for you to say that..

    But she still pretended to be troubled. She thought for a while and said, ¡°Huining, do you really want to fix the negative impact of this matter?¡±

    ¡°I want to redeem Gu Nianzhi¡¯s negative impact on major general Huo,¡±Guo Huining said stubbornly. ¡°I believe that with the Huo family¡¯s status and intelligence, they should be able to prioritize.¡±

    Dou aiyan nodded perfunctorily. ¡°Then how about this? My uncle-inw knows a very famous neurologist. It¡¯s said that he has a good understanding of the treatment of vegetative patients. Why don¡¯t we get him to help take a look?¡±

    Guo Huining looked at her in confusion.¡±... you mean, treating grandfather Huo in a vegetative state? Will it work? The key is, even if it does work, how long will it take? I Can¡¯t Wait.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. Let him try first.¡±

    Dou aiyan was indeed not sure. ¡°This person happens to be teaching at B University¡¯s medical school recently. I¡¯ll give his secretary a call to see if he¡¯s free toe over.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±Guo Huining was skeptical. ¡°But if that person agrees, how can he go to the hospital to check on grandfather Huo¡¯s condition? You also said that it¡¯s the military general hospital... ordinary people can¡¯t enter.¡±

    Dou aiyan was annoyed to death by Guo Huining¡¯sck of understanding. She put on a fake smile and said,¡±... Sister Huining, you¡¯ll have to think of a way. I can only help you up to here.¡±

    This time, Guo Huining believed Dou aiyan. If Dou Aiyan was trying to trick her, she could have just sent her over directly.

    Now that she could not send her over directly, she had the chance to investigate the doctor¡¯s background and abilities.

    Seeing that Guo Huining had agreed, Dou Aiyan took out her phone and made a few calls. After chatting with the people over there for half an hour, she finally had a lead.

    She hung up the phone and said to Guo huining happily, ¡°Doctor Tony happens to be free these few days. When do you n to find an opportunity to visit grandfather Huo at the Military General Hospital?¡±

    ¡°Doctor Tony?¡±Guo Huining did not sound like a Chinese person. ¡°Is he a foreigner?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s an American doctor. Hees from the best Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States. He¡¯s only in his thirties, but he¡¯s already a big shot in the neurology department there.¡±

    Hearing that she was an American, Guo Huining felt more at ease. She smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Aiyan. You¡¯ve helped me a lot this time. How can I thank you?¡±

    Dou aiyan nodded with a half-smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s what I like about you, Huining. Don¡¯t use empty words like ¡®no thanks for a great favor.¡¯Let¡¯s not talk about feelings. Let¡¯s talk about money, okay?¡±

    The other half of Guo Huining¡¯s heart waspletely put down.

    After years of immersing herself in the workce and the business world, what she was most afraid of was the kind of help that did not require any return on the surface. Experience told her that this kind of favor was the hardest to repay.

    And this kind of favor that was clearly priced, she liked it the most.

    ¡°Okay, Aiyan has made a great contribution this time. Tell me, how much do you want?¡±

    ¡°Sister huining, don¡¯t be so vulgar. Just talk about money!¡±Dou aiyan said angrily and gently pushed Guo Huining. ¡°The money I¡¯m talking about is just an empty promise.¡±

    As she said this, Dou Aiyan put away her cheeky smile and said seriously, ¡°I hope that in the Hong Group¡¯s overseas listing agreement, I will be appointed as Carlyle¡¯s legal consultant.¡±

    She was only an intern, but she would soon be a full-time employee.

    She hoped that her first case would be a big deal like the Hong Group.

    Guo huining was so shocked by Dou aiyan that she could not speak for a long time.

    This Dou aiyan even said that talking about money was too vulgar. It was not vulgar at all. She wasining that the method of only giving benefits and fees limited the quantity and quality of her first bucket of money.

    If she were to be a legal consultant for the Securities Underwriters, themission she would receive would be determined by a percentage based on the market value of the Hong Group¡¯s final listing..

    The Hong Group¡¯s current valuation was ten billion US dors. After the listing..

    That Commission was simply unimaginable!

    Guo Huining was in a difficult position for a long time, she said softly, ¡°Aiyan, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t make the decision on this matter. ¡°Moreover, your qualifications are too shallow. You haven¡¯t been promoted to a full-time position yet. You¡¯re just an intern. ¡°Even if I wanted you to do it, ording to the regtions of the overseas listed National Securities Regtory Commission, you won¡¯t be able to be an official legal consultant.¡±

    Dou aiyan smiled slightly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about that. In any case, I promise that the day I send Dr. Tony over will be the day I be a full-time legal consultant.¡±

    ¡°As long as I be a full-timewyer, our deal will officially begin.¡±

    However, even if she became a full-timewyer, she was still just a rookiewyer. There were norge-scale overseas listing cases, so she would be a legal consultant for such a rookie.

    Even if Guo Huining agreed, the bunch of smart people from the Hong family would definitely not agree.

    Guo Huining was not a person without principles.

    She would only agree to other people¡¯s conditions as far as she could handle.

    Therefore, she said very tactfully, ¡°Aiyan, you¡¯re forcing me. The Hong Corporation is not mine alone. Even the chairman of the board of directors can¡¯t make such a decision. Then I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll find another way.¡±

    Dou Aiyan did not expect Guo huining to be willing to give up such an opportunity to curry favor with the Huo family to the greatest extent and not agree to help her as a legal consultant on this case.

    She was not undisappointed.

    But she also knew that her conditions were indeed a little high.

    She originally thought that Guo Huining would do anything to help her achieve her wish, but Guo Huining actually refused.

    Dou aiyan was slightly surprised, and her eyes shed, she changed her mind and said the second n. ¡°Sister huining, I really want to help you. ¡°Alright, even if I can¡¯t be a legal consultant for Carlyle, you can still invite me to be a senior employee in your legal department at the Hong Corporation, right?¡±

    ¡°No Problem!¡±Guo huining immediately agreed upon hearing that she was going to be a senior employee in the Hong Corporation¡¯s Department.

    This was because this was an area where she could make decisions, and she had absolute power.

    ¡°But, don¡¯t you feel that it¡¯s a pity?¡±Guo huining said tactfully, ¡°Although our corporation is big, it¡¯s not as good as the Carlyle Corporation for your career development. Furthermore, you¡¯re about to be a full-time employee soon...¡±

    Dou aiyan put on an aggrieved look, her tears almost flowing down, ¡°Sister huining, I know that you¡¯re sincerely looking out for me, but you also know that after my quarrel with demoness Yi at Carlyle, even if I force myself to go back, I definitely won¡¯t have any chance of promotion in the future.¡±

    ¡°Instead of being tormented by others, I might as welle out and find another world.¡±Dou aiyan put on apletely sincere stance, ¡°Previously, I thought that if sister huining could help me once, I wouldn¡¯t have to look at Demoness Yi¡¯s eyes. In the end, I didn¡¯t think properly and forced her.¡±

    Only then did Guo huining nod her head in satisfaction. ¡°Aiyan, you¡¯ve helped me a lot this time. I definitely won¡¯t mistreat you.¡±

    After the two of them had settled the matters of entering thepany, Dou Aiyan immediately went to contact doctor Tony.

    Because Dou Aiyan had already decided to leave Carlyle, there was no need to wait any longer. She quickly made an appointment with Doctor Tony.

    Guo Huining was also looking for her own people to inquire about grandfather Huo¡¯s ward in the military general hospital and general Huo Guanchen¡¯s contact information.

    It was not difficult to inquire about grandfather Huo¡¯s ward in the military general hospital, but General Huo Guanchen¡¯s contact information was not something that ordinary people could find.

    Guo huining called Hong Ziqi again. After exining to him for a long time, Hong Ziqi finally agreed to ask Xue Jingjiang if he had general Huo Guanchen¡¯s contact information.

    However, Xue Jingjiang refused to reveal it. He said a few words and hung up on Hong Ziqi. If she called again, she would not be able to get through.

    Guo Huining was shocked when she learned of the situation. She thought to herself, have I really kicked an iron te?

    Just when she was at a loss, the person she sent to inquire about grandfather Huo¡¯s condition in the hospital gave her a piece of news.

    It turned out that in addition to Huo Guanchen, there was another family taking care of grandfather Huo, Zhang Baochen¡¯s family.

    This Zhang Baochen was the illegitimate son of grandfather Huo and his head nurse.

    They went to the hospital to take care of grandfather Huo.

    Huo Guanchen had a high position and power, so it was difficult for them to find his contact information. However, Zhang Baochen¡¯s family were just ordinary people, so it was much easier to find their contact information.

    Guo huining only heaved a sigh of relief when she got the contact information of Zhang Baochen¡¯s family.

    Saving the country by a curve was also saving the country, right?

    ..

    At this moment, Huo Guanchen was smoking outside grandfather Huo¡¯s ward.

    Ever since grandfather Huo was expelled from the military and stripped of his military rank, he had been greatly stimted and his condition had worsened. He had be a vegetable and was admitted to the military hospital.

    He was now an ordinary patient and could no longer enjoy any privileges and care.

    It was only because his eldest son, Huo Guanyuan, was a martyr, his second son, Huo Guanchen, was a general, and his grandson, Huo Shaoheng, was a major general that he was able to continue to stay in the intensive care unit of the Military General Hospital.

    Huo Guanchen was used to visiting grandfather Huo once a week on Fridays. He did not have to do anything but sit by his bed and talk to him.

    Grandfather Huo was in a vegetative state. ording to Chen Lie¡¯s diagnosis, grandfather Huo¡¯s condition could be considered a chronic mental disorder, and he still had a certain level of perception of the outside world.

    Sometimes, he could hear other people talking, and his mind would also have a short period of consciousness. However, he could not move or speak, because his actions and speech required more cooperation from his brain cells. He was temporarily unable to do so.

    For the past year and a half, Huo Guanchen and Zhang Baochen, grandfather Huo¡¯s illegitimate son, had taken turns to take care of grandfather Huo. They each took half of the responsibility. This was the result of Huo Shaoheng having the Zhang family sign the nursing responsibility document.

    Of course, in reality, Huo Guanchen was unable to take care of grandfather Huo personally. He had hired a specialized nurse for three to five days a week.

    The other four days were taken care of by Zhang Baochen¡¯s family personally because they did not have the energy to afford a professional nurse.

    Fortunately, the care for the vegetative state was very simple. Many things were done by the doctors and nurses in the intensive care unit, so the two families continued to live in peace.

    Huo Guanchen himself came to visit grandfather Huo when he was free, but he did not have any specific time.

    Today was only Thursday, but he was also here.

    Because he knew that Huo Guanyuan had returned alive, he wanted to talk to grandfather Huo about this matter.

    But when he thought about Huo Guanyuan¡¯s feelings for song jinning, he felt terrible.

    After sitting in front of grandfather Huo¡¯s bed for a long time, he couldn¡¯t say a word, so he had to go outside and smoke alone.

    And today was the day that Zhang Baochen¡¯s family took care of grandfather Huo.

    Zhang Baochen came alone with a small leather bag.

    Seeing Huo Guanchen standing in the corridor smoking, Zhang Baochen bowed humbly and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s general Huo.¡±

    Huo Guanchen turned his head and saw Zhang Baochen. He hummed in acknowledgment. His attitude towards him was neither too far nor too close. He could still talk normally.

    ¡°Baochen, how have you been recently?¡±He greeted casually.

    Zhang Baochen was surprised that Huo Guanchen¡¯s attitude seemed to be much better than before.

    His eyes immediately lit up. He went over and took out another cigarette. He held it with both hands and offered it to him. ¡°General Huo, you smoke.¡±

    He then said, ¡°We¡¯re doing okay. Although we¡¯re not as rich as we used to be, we¡¯re more at ease when we¡¯re together as a family.¡±

    ¡°General Huo, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not people who don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for us. My mother made a mistake in the past and should be punished. ¡°We don¡¯t me the Huo family. Besides, old Mr. Huo is my biological father. No matter how heartless I am, I won¡¯t disown my father.¡±

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s words, simply said to Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart to go.

    He could not help but have a better impression of Zhang Baochen, said with emotion: ¡°Really know the horse power, a long time to see people¡¯s hearts...¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: Chapter 1949, ¡°Time is of the essence.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket begins, dear monthly ticket, if there is any left, give a few to the major general..

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1950 - Wait and see

    <h4>Chapter 1950: Chapter 1950: Wait and see</h4>

    Zhang Baochen was a little surprised, he quickly said humbly, ¡°This is because general huo is broad-minded and does not lower himself to the level of people like us. ¡°Besides, we also know that we were wrong back then. Let¡¯s not talk about my mother. A son does not mind his mother¡¯s ugliness and a dog does not mind his family¡¯s poverty. We can only try our best to do what we can to atone for my mother¡¯s sins.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded. His expression became more rxed, and his mood improved. ¡°I know. You guys have been very attentive over the past year and a half.¡±

    As the two of them spoke, they walked to grandfather Huo¡¯s ward together.

    Zhang Baochen put down his small leather bag and called the nurse over. He asked grandfather Huo about his recent condition eagerly.

    The young nurse saw that Huo Guanchen was here, so she did not dare to be negligent, she said with great concern, ¡°Old Mr. Huo¡¯s condition is not considered good, nor is it considered bad. Our Hospital has also sent the best doctors to take care of old Mr. Huo. During this period of time, old Mr. Huo¡¯s condition has not worsened.¡±

    ¡°It has not worsened? Then is there any possibility of it getting better? !¡±Zhang Baochen asked anxiously.

    He had had a really hard year and a half. Although he wanted to atone for his mother¡¯s sins, more than that, he still hoped that grandfather Huo could wake up from his vegetative state.

    Their only hope was grandfather Huo, who was still in a deep sleep.

    Once grandfather Huo woke up, their family would have something to look forward to.

    However, the young nurse only shook her head and said tactfully,¡±... I¡¯m not too sure about this, but from the current situation, there are no changes for now.¡±

    Zhang Baochen was extremely disappointed, but he did not ask any more questions. He quietly went to the bathroom to wash his hands and then came out to give grandfather Huo a leg massage.

    He had been lying in the hospital for a year and a half. He was getting older, and his muscles were already beginning to atrophy.

    Huo Guanchen watched from the side for a while. He felt ufortable and said, ¡°Baochen, you¡¯re busy. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    Zhang Baochen quickly turned around and said, ¡°Take care.¡±

    He was the only one left in the ward to take care of grandfather Huo.

    Zhang Baochen looked at grandfather Huo¡¯s slightly atrophied body, he said sadly, ¡°Dad, when will you wake up? With you like this, Wenjie and Wenna have no future... They are still young, unlike me, who is already old and has no hope in this life...¡±

    He sincerely hoped that grandfather Huo would wake up soon and stop Huo Shaoheng from continuing to cause trouble for the Zhang family.

    Over the past year and a half, Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna had both been fired from the state organs they worked for, all because they had failed the political review.

    Why had there been no problems with the political review in the past?

    Now there was a problem with the political review. It was obvious that Huo Shaoheng was the one who had caused the trouble.

    Zhang Baochen knew what Huo Shaoheng had done in the past.

    He stayed in grandfather Huo¡¯s ward with his head down for the whole afternoon. He only left the military general hospital when it was almost dark.

    However, he received a call not long after he got into the car.

    ¡°Are You Mr. Zhang Baochen, Mr. Zhang?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yes, who is this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Guo Huining, the director of the Legal Department of the Hong Group. I¡¯d like to have a meal with you. I have something to talk to you about. Is it convenient for you?¡±Guo Huining said politely over the phone, ¡°I know you don¡¯t know me, but I know Huo Shao. I¡¯ve had two meals with him. I¡¯m also very familiar with his childhood friend, Xue Jingjiang. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can call Xue Jingjiang¡¯s number.¡±

    Guo Huining gave out Xue Jingjiang¡¯s phone number.

    Zhang Baochen had lived in the Huo family for more than ten years. How could he not know one of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s childhood friends, Xue Jingjiang?

    He saw that Guo Huining even knew Xue Jingjiang¡¯s phone number. He was already halfway convinced. He deliberated and said, ¡°Sure, you can set a time.¡±

    Guo huining quickly said, ¡°Tomorrow is Friday. How about tomorrow afternoon? I¡¯ll send a car to pick you up. I¡¯ve booked a ce at Chengnan Mansion.¡±

    Chengnan mansion was a newly opened garden vi-style hotel in the imperial capital. Not only was the price extremely high, but it was also a membership system. Most wealthy people would not be able to enter it.

    This was the first time Zhang Baochen had heard of the name of this hotel, but when he heard it, he immediately agreed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±

    He asked again, ¡°Do You Know My Address?¡±

    Guo huining smiled and said, ¡°Can you send me your address?¡±

    Zhang Baochen shared his address and went home.

    When he got home and had dinner, he told his family about the dinner tomorrow.

    His son, Zhang Wenjie, and daughter, Zhang Wenna, looked at each other and asked curiously, ¡°Dad, who is this person? Is He a liar?¡±

    Zhang Baochen smiled bitterly and took a sip of the mung bean porridge, saying, ¡°Liar? You think too highly of your father. I have nothing now. Even if the other party is a liar, what can he lie to me about?¡±

    He chuckled, ¡°Maybe I can even get a meal from him. ¡ª Chengnan Mansion. It sounds very good.¡±

    Zhang Wenjie and Zhang Wenna looked up information about Chengnan mansion on the inte and said happily, ¡°Dad! You¡¯re right! Even if this person is a swindler, he¡¯s also a swindler who can spend money! It¡¯s not a loss for you to have a meal with him!¡±

    ..

    The lights were on, and the night in the capital was peaceful and peaceful.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng arrived at Mrs. Song¡¯s apartment with a bottle of red wine and rang the doorbell.

    Song Jinning opened the door and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re finally here. I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you for the past few days, but I felt like you had just returned and needed to rest more, so I didn¡¯t call.¡±

    Gu nianzhi gave her a big hug and blushed guiltily. ¡°Mrs. Song, I missed you too... but I just got back and was a little tired, so...¡±

    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t call you.¡±Song Jinning said affectionately and took her hand as they entered the house. She sized up Huo Shaoheng who had followed them in. ¡°Shaoheng doesn¡¯t look too bad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Fortunately, Lu Jin came out to help them out. ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s Here!¡±

    The first time he saw his precious daughter, he walked over happily and hugged her. He looked her up and down and kept saying, ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight, you¡¯ve lost weight. Eat more today!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm and rubbed it against him. She said happily, ¡°Dad, I love it when you say I¡¯ve lost weight!¡±

    Lu Jinughed heartily. He nced at Huo Shaoheng from the corner of his eye and said perfunctorily, ¡°Huo Shaoheng¡¯s here too. You talk to your mother, I¡¯ll talk to my daughter.¡±

    Without any further exnation, he pulled gu nianzhi away.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at song jinning, who patted him on the shoulder, suppressing hisughter, he said, ¡°Lu Jin is a very interesting and knowledgeable person. Shaoheng, don¡¯t look so glum. He and his daughter haven¡¯t seen each other for a few days. It¡¯s normal for them to talk together now.¡±

    His elbow was almost broken, wasn¡¯t it?

    Huo Shaoheng was used to it. He quietly looked around the room and changed the topic. ¡°Ms. Song, I¡¯m not angry. But why do you have extra luggage? Are the guest rooms upied?¡±

    Song Jinning was all smiles, ¡°Lu Yuan and Lu Jin¡¯s house is under renovation. They didn¡¯t have a ce to stay for a while, so they came to stay with me. Since I¡¯m not home often, they can stay first. It¡¯s more convenient for me to work in the physics department.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Just as he was about to speak, Lu Yuan called out from the kitchen, ¡°Director song, do you still have a chopping board?¡±

    Song jinning quickly replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll help you find it.¡±

    With that, she walked quickly to the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the strange harmony and tacit understanding between the two of them. He rubbed his forehead with his hand and walked to the balcony. Looking at the bright and sparkling night sky of the imperial capital, he took out his phone and called Xue Jingjiang.

    Xue Jingjiang had just finished his dinner and was in his room looking at some merger and acquisition materials.

    Hearing his phone ring, he nced at it and realized it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number. How rare..

    He immediately threw away the materials in his hand and opened the phone. He smiled and said, ¡°Huo Shao? Is It really you? My jaw is about to fall to the ground!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood on the balcony. His hand was a little itchy and he wanted to smoke a cigarette. However, he thought about it again and his eyes darkened. He twirled his fingers a few times and pushed himself onto the balcony. He asked, ¡°Young Master Xue, have you had dinner?¡±

    ¡°I just had dinner. What¡¯s the matter? You want to have another meal with me? I¡¯ll apany you!¡±Xue Jingjiang said cheerfully. ¡°Help me up! I can still eat!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled and ignored Xue Jingjiang¡¯s banter. He smiled and said, ¡°I want to ask you, what happened after we left the Hong Hotel Today?¡±

    Xue Jingjiang naturally assumed that Gu Nianzhi had already acted coquettishly to Huo Shaoheng andined about what had happened in the hotel.

    He frowned as well, he said, ¡°What happened today was indeed the fault of young master Hong¡¯s fianc¨¦e. ¡°She insisted on getting in on the reserved seat that young master Hong had already given away. She asked someone else to give up their seat, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She was acting all high and mighty. Who could stand it?¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied with an ¡°OH¡±and said lightly, ¡°I see. I was wondering why she was so angry.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang was stunned. ¡°Miss Gu didn¡¯t tell you what happened?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°She didn¡¯t say a word, so I didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°Really!¡±Xue Jingjiang patted his forehead, he smiled and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to weigh my sister-inw again. She¡¯s young, but she¡¯s still so sensible. She doesn¡¯t cause trouble among men¡¯s Bros. she¡¯s indeed a rare good girl!¡±

    Even Guo Huining, who had been immersed in the work world for more than a decade, could notpare to her self-restraint.

    Huo Shaoheng curled his lips and praised himself, which was rare. ¡°Of course. Who Did you grow up with?¡±

    Xue Jingjiang, who had been single for ten thousand years, instantly received a 100,000-point critical hit!

    ¡°Huo Shao! Look at how smug you are!¡±Xue Jingjiang could not help but mock, ¡°Let me tell you something. You have your sister-inw in your hands, but others may not. Otherwise, why would someone like Guo huining think that the three melons from the investment bank are more important than the guests that young master Hong is hospitable to!¡±

    ¡°If she didn¡¯t think that they were more important, why would she give up her seat?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed, and he said calmly, ¡°Really? which investment bank are they from? Who are they?¡±

    His tone was normal and his meaning was obvious.

    However, Xue Jingjiang could hear the goosebumps on his skin.

    ¡°... Huo Shao, what do you mean? Do you want to teach these blind people a lesson?¡±Xue Jingjiang asked with a smile.

    His heart was in a state of shock.

    He had never seen Huo Shaoheng use his power to make trouble for others.

    Was he going to make an exception? !

    Xue Jingjiang was excited.

    Huo Shaoheng denied it lightly. ¡°What are you thinking? Am I the kind of person who doesn¡¯t distinguish between personal and professional matters?¡±

    ¡°But someone bullied my woman, and I didn¡¯t even ask, and he was a man? Someone pped me, so I had to know who it was, right?¡±

    ¡°Actually, this has nothing to do with the investment bank.¡±Xue Jingjiang thought about it carefully, ¡°The main thing is that Hong¡¯s fianc¨¦e is unreliable, but she didn¡¯t seem to recognize miss gu at the beginning. You should be magnanimous and not hit her too hard. It¡¯s not a crime if you don¡¯t know...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me who those people at the investment bank were and which investment bank they were from.¡±

    Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was not going to let it go, Xue Jingjiang had no choice but to say, ¡°Actually, this investment bank may not bepletely innocent.¡±

    He spoke of the three people. ¡°One is Yi Xinyan, Carlyle¡¯s chief analyst for Pacific Rim. The other is associate director Jia, in charge of underwriting securities. The other is the sister of an old acquaintance of ours.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang paused for a moment before saying,¡±... Dou aiyan.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held the phone in his other hand. ¡°It¡¯s her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so it¡¯s more likely that Guo huining was instigated by someone. Perhaps she really didn¡¯t recognize miss gu at the beginning.¡±Xue Jingjiang analyzed honestly, ¡°And Dou Aiyan definitely knew who miss gu was.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°That makes sense. But why did Dou Aiyan suddenly return to the country? I remember that after her sister and her father¡¯s case, she was sponsored by her aunt to go abroad, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she went abroad. Isn¡¯t she back now? Through her uncle¡¯s connections, she became an intern at Carlyle.¡±Xue Jingjiang ran his fingers through his hair, he frowned. ¡°What do you think? Why would she deliberately target miss gu?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±Huo Shaoheng finally snorted coldly, his mood fluctuating. ¡°Such an obvious provocation, don¡¯t say you didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t see it, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t think her provocation would be of any use. Think about it, she¡¯s at most like a toad jumping onto someone¡¯s feet. Even if she doesn¡¯t scare people, she still has to disgust them, right?¡±

    ¡°Besides, with the Dou and Yan family¡¯s performance over the past year or two, they can only be described as people with their tails between their legs. Do you think they would be bold enough to deliberately provoke you?¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this is Dou Aiyan¡¯s behavior alone?¡±Huo Shaoheng walked slowly on the balcony, his eyes focused as he muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°First of all, Dou Aiyan is only in her fourth year, yet she can be an intern at Carlyle. Carlyle is not an ordinarypany in the international investment world. I don¡¯t think her uncle has such power.¡±

    ¡°Second of all, Dou Aiyan pretended not to know Nianzhi, but it was impossible for Nianzhi not to remember her. She also knew that Gu Nianzhi would remember her, but she still made a move.¡±

    ¡°Third of all, Dou aiyan became an intern, but she didn¡¯t perform well. Instead, she took the opportunity to sow discord and give Nianzhi a hard time. Did she really think that she would make Nianzhi feel bad and that I wouldn¡¯t know who she was? Would I just stand by and do nothing? As the daughter of the former Prime Minister Dou, she doesn¡¯t even have this little bit of political sensitivity?¡±

    ¡°Fourth, if she had considered all of these situations, but she still did it, and it wasn¡¯t because she suddenly lost her mind, then there must be someone else behind her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng finally came to a conclusion.¡±... This isn¡¯t over yet. We can wait and see.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the update of today¡¯s big chapter: chapter 1950, ¡°Wait and see.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket had begun. If there were any remaining monthly tickets, give a few to the major general..

    PS: Thank you for the 200,000 starting point coins that the alliance leader had given yesterday!

    Thank ¡°I am immortal turtle¡±the General Alliance of 100,000 Qidian coins yesterday!

    Thanks to ¡°Helen 3500 meatballs¡±the president of the 10,000 Qidian coins yesterday!

    Thanks to ¡°Beth1211¡åthe president of the 10,000 Qidian Tip Yesterday!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1951

    <h4>Chapter 1951: Chapter 1951: you have such low expectations of me</h4>

    Xue Jingjiang had never expected that Huo Shaoheng would be able to see so many things in the eyes of a small woman who was trying to sow discord between two people.

    He was speechless for a long time before finally saying in admiration, ¡°Huo Shao, is your upational disease acting up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°You call this an upational disease? Xue Shao, this is the worst attack of an upational disease.¡±

    Xue Jingjiang:¡±...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t afford to offend her.

    He didn¡¯t dare to continue this topic with Huo Shaoheng. He chuckled and said, ¡°Huo Shao, when are you going to have your wedding with your sister-inw? My red packet is so horny!¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to prepare arge portion.¡±Huo Shaoheng casually exchanged a few pleasantries before changing the topic.¡±... does Hong Ziqi Know? What does he have to say?¡±

    He had yet to see Hong Ziqi and Guo Huining apologize to Gu Nianzhi.

    Xue Jingjiang quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already instructed Young Master Hong and his fianc¨¦e. They should be prepared to apologize to sister-inw, right?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Huo Shaoheng took out a lighter and lit it on the balcony, then extinguished it, then lit it again, then extinguished it. The light from the lighter shone on the side of his face, bright and dark, it was as obscure as his gaze.

    ¡°... I think so...¡±Xue Jingjiang wasn¡¯t sure either, so he could only say, ¡°Huo, Hong Ziqi isn¡¯t a bad person, but his brain isn¡¯t very good. That¡¯s why he trusts his well-educated fianc¨¦e...¡±

    He didn¡¯t say it clearly, but he implied that Hong Ziqi didn¡¯t have the final say in this matter, and Guo Huining had the final say.

    Huo Shaohengughed when he heard this. He put out the lighter with a click and said, ¡°Hong Ziqi is a member of the Hong family. If he didn¡¯t agree with Guo Huining¡¯s actions, would he have allowed Guo Huining to do whatever she wanted?¡±

    Xue Jingjiang knew that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words had made things difficult for him.

    He silently gave Hong Ziqi and even lit a candle for the Hong family. He thought to himself, ¡°Young Master Hong, this bro can only help you so much...¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi went to Lu Jin¡¯s room and looked around curiously.

    This room was one of the guest rooms in song Jinning¡¯s apartment. It was about 20 square meters, and was decorated simply and cleanly.

    There was arge desk under the south window, and a beige post-modern chair that was in line with ergonomics was ced diagonally in front of the desk.

    There was a leopard-print nket on the back of the pink-blue Satin Chair.

    On both sides of the desk, there were two tall bookcases built from the wall. Inside, there were a lot of books.

    On the west and north walls, there was an l-shaped smoke-gray cloth sofa.

    Lu Jin smiled at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°If you pull this sofa apart, it¡¯ll be a bed. It¡¯s sofortable to sleep on!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and patted the back of the sofa to feel its hardness. Fortunately, the softness and hardness were moderate. This sofa bed was also morefortable to sleep on.

    She asked softly, ¡°Dad, are you used to sleeping?¡±

    In the other world, Lu Jin had never been a person who wronged himself.

    He did not have much concept of money, but his food, clothing, and amodation were all top-notch because he could afford it.

    Although the sofa bed wasfortable, it was still far from Lu Jin¡¯s custom-made high-tech bed in the other world.

    Lu Jin patted her head in understanding. ¡°Of course it¡¯sfortable. Do you think your father can only enjoy it and not suffer the slightest bit?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt even sadder. ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t ask you toe with me to make you suffer...¡±

    She suddenly felt very unfilial. She grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s arm with one hand and grabbed the corner of his shirt with the other, twisting it into a knot, she made up her mind. ¡°Dad, I still have a vi in Fragrant Hill. You can stay there... you sleep on the sofa here every day. Where can I put my face?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know why we¡¯re living here.¡±Lu Jin whispered into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Boss Lu! Don¡¯t ruin his reputation!¡±

    ¡°... but he asked you to sleep on the sofa!¡±Gu Nianzhi used Lu Yuan of being inhumane. ¡°I can¡¯t just let you down for his sake, can I? !¡±

    ¡°My Lady is so filial!¡±Lu Jin was extremely touched. ¡°But boss Lu didn¡¯t let me down. I don¡¯t want a bed. I¡¯ve never slept on a sofa bed before, so it¡¯s fun to sleep on it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be like this. Actually, it¡¯s not a big deal for you guys to be like this. If you guys lived here, Mrs. Song wouldn¡¯t havee back to live here. ¡°You might as well stay in my two houses and see Mrs. Songe back to the apartment every weekend...¡±

    Lu Jin tilted his head and thought about it. He nodded slowly and said, ¡°Yes... but boss Lu has just settled down. Let him be happy for a while. Anyway, our apartment will be finished in a month.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you move in a month.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go buy some furniture together!¡±Lu Jin said excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a room for you. What kind of furniture do you want? !¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go shopping together then.¡±Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. She sat on the ergonomic chair in front of Lu Jin¡¯s desk and touched the leopard-print nket, ¡°This nket is sofortable. The fur is so smooth. I¡¯ll have to ask Ms. Songter where she bought such a good leopard-print nket.¡±

    The simple and elegant decoration would have an unexpected effect if it was mixed with a little leopard-print soft clothing.

    Lu Jin chuckled, he shook his head and said, ¡°This is difficult... I didn¡¯t buy this... Boss Lu took it out from the safe that he used to store things in. ¡°It¡¯s said that when he was young, he went hunting in Africa and killed the first leopard...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±Gu Nianzhi jumped up in a hurry and instantly distanced herself from the leopard-print nket. ¡°This is real leopard skin? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s real!¡±Lu Jinughed and pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°So you¡¯re Lord Ye¡¯s Good Dragon!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and sat down on the single sofa beside the door. ¡°I¡¯m Green! Why is it Lord Ye¡¯s Good Dragon? !¡±

    The father and daughter chatted for a while before Lu Jin asked Gu Nianzhi,¡±... What have you been up to recently? I heard that you went to see your friends here this afternoon? How did it go? Do they still remember you?¡±

    ¡°Of course they do!¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her hair proudly, ¡°My best friend, Ma Qiqi, and brother Chen. Oh, by the way, Dad, you must meet brother Chen when you¡¯re free. He has outstanding medical talent and is a genius!¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her.¡±... A Genius?¡±

    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s a little worse than you.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly added with a smile, ¡°So if he meets you, he¡¯ll definitely have a lot to talk about with you!¡±

    He then whispered, ¡°Ever since I came here, brother Chen has taken care of all my medical tests, illnesses, and injuries. No one else knows about my constitution...¡±

    Lu Jin finally felt at ease and quickly said, ¡°Then I really have to meet him. Just because he takes care of you, I have to teach him a thing or two!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Great!¡±Gu Nianzhi jumped up from the sofa with a smile and walked over to Lu Jin. She stretched out her arm and pulled him to sit on the long, l-shaped sofa. ¡°Dad, you should take it easy too. Don¡¯t scare him!¡±

    Lu Jin flicked his fingers proudly and pretended to look down on her. ¡°Just a little bit of my finger is enough for him to enjoy for the rest of his life!¡±

    The two of them talked until Huo Shaoheng walked over and knocked on the door. He smiled and said,¡±... It¡¯s time to eat.¡±

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi stood up almost at the same time. Their eyes sparkled as they asked in unison, ¡°Can We Eat Now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Huo Shaoheng moved to the side to make way for the door.

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi walked out one after the other.

    When they walked past Huo Shaoheng, he quietly grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and whispered into her ear,¡±... did Hong Ziqi and Guo Huining call you to apologize?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little taken aback and couldn¡¯t think straight.¡±... Hong Ziqi and Guo Huining? Oh, I remember now.¡±

    She smiled and held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm as they walked towards the restaurant. As they walked, she asked, ¡°You knew?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask...¡±Gu Nianzhi said with a smile. When Huo Shaoheng looked over quietly, she touched her nose again, she said embarrassedly, ¡°Actually, I forgot... you were so good back then, and I was so happy. How could I have time to think about those irrelevant people?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and said after a while,¡±... you really have low expectations of me.¡±

    He had only said a few soft words, but she was so excited that she didn¡¯t even care about being humiliated by others.

    ¡°What? I have high expectations of you!¡±Gu Nianzhi disagreed, he said seriously, ¡°But what happened today is my own business. I don¡¯t need you to get back at me. Who are you to be angry with those people? ¡ª Huo Shao, you¡¯re someone who can do great things.¡±

    ¡°Your Business is a big deal to me.¡±Huo Shaoheng suppressed the feelings of affection and tenderness in his heart and kissed her forehead, ¡°In the future, if you¡¯re wronged, you have to tell me. I¡¯m your man. If I don¡¯t support you, who will?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart almost melted when she heard that. She couldn¡¯t help but go around and hug Huo Shaoheng¡¯s waist, she said softly, ¡°Huo Shao, did you get enlightened after a trip to the opposite world? You keep saying all these romantic things. I Can¡¯t hold it anymore!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say anything. He led her into the dining room.

    Lu Jin had just helped song jinning set the dishes on the table when he saw Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi walk in. He pursed his lips in annoyance.

    The two of them were just walking. Did they have to stand so close? !

    They weren¡¯t conjoined twins!

    Lu Jin said to Huo Shaoheng with a dark expression, ¡°Huo Shao, the bowls and chopsticks aren¡¯t here yet. Can you go get them?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get them! I¡¯ll get them!¡±

    She pushed Huo Shaoheng away and ran into the kitchen.

    Song jinning winked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, I¡¯ll go get the bowls and chopsticks for Nianzhi in the kitchen.¡±

    She left Huo Shaoheng alone to Bear Lu Jin¡¯s displeasure.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and bent over to help Lu Jin rearrange the dishes on the table. He said calmly, ¡°Uncle Lu, Nianzhi went to have dinner with her best friend today, but she was humiliated in the hotel.¡±

    Lu Jin was originally full of bitterness towards Huo Shaoheng, but when he heard that hisdy had been humiliated, he immediately threw his emotions out of his mind. His eyes widened. ¡°Who? ! who dares to humiliate mydy? !¡±

    He then remembered what Gu Nianzhi had said earlier.¡±... was it what happened when she went to see her friend this afternoon?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and pulled out a chair for Lu Jin to sit down. He also sat down beside him, he sighed and said, ¡°It was my fault. I went to the second floor to have lunch with my friends. Nianzhi wanted to have lunch with her friends, so I let the three of them eat downstairs. In the end...¡±

    He described the incident that had happened at the Hong Hotel in an emotionless and objective manner.

    Lu Jin was already enraged by this description.

    He mmed the table and stood up.¡±... What Hong Family? What Investment Bank? Where did this lowlifee from? ! How dare he take advantage of my girl! Do they think that money is too easy to earn? That it¡¯s too easy to go public? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng poured a ss of red wine for Lu Jin. ¡°Calm down, Nianzhi has already retorted.¡±

    Lu Jin red at him. ¡°Nianzhi retorted? How?¡±

    ¡°... she said she would never set foot in the Hong Hotel again.¡±Huo Shaoheng said without batting an eyelid, ¡°That¡¯s what I said. She would never go again.¡±

    The anger on Lu Jin¡¯s face quickly faded. His lips trembled as he sat down at the dining table.¡±... She... she fought back like this? ! This is called fighting back? !¡±

    Lu Jin covered his face as he spoke. He felt extremely ufortable, ¡°My poor girl. She went to a hotel for a meal and was chased out... the only counterattack she could think of was to never eat there again... how can they bully her like this!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long while before handing Lu Jin a tissue. ¡°It was my fault. If I had been there with her...¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s none of your business.¡±Lu Jin sniffled and took the tissue to wipe his face. ¡°You can¡¯t follow her around 24 hours a day.¡±

    How could he be so reasonable..

    Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows in surprise.

    However, when Lu Jin looked over, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression had already returned to normal, he nodded seriously. ¡°That¡¯s the truth, but Nianzhi is mine. I Can¡¯t let others treat her like this. Uncle Lu, if we could have the wedding with Nianzhi earlier...¡±

    Lu Jin interrupted him and said seriously, ¡°Nianzhi said that if she wanted to be filial to her mother for a year, she would have to be filial for a year. The wedding will be held in a year¡¯s time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still wanted to convince him, but Lu Jin had already raised his hand and said with a straight face, ¡°In everyone¡¯s eyes, Nianzhi is not married yet, so she is my responsibility. I will protect her from being bullied.¡±

    ¡°... but she has already been bullied.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers knocked on the dining table, making a clicking sound.

    ¡°Yes, then the person who bullied her will have to pay the price.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s fingers were crossed and clenched tightly, his knuckles making cracking sounds. His face was tense. ¡°I will not let anyone who bullied my girl have any chance of turning the tables!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He suddenly felt a little worried and said hesitantly,¡±... just teach them a lesson...¡±

    ¡°Of course, just teach them a lesson.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s expression calmed down and he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Gu Nianzhi and song jinninging out with bowls and chopsticks, he smiled and said, ¡°But this lesson will be etched in their hearts.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update: chapter 1951¡åWhat You Ask of me is really low.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket begins, dear monthly ticket, if there is any left, give a few to the major general..

    PS: Upload ahead of time, release on time.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1952

    <h4>Chapter 1952: Chapter 1952: The Opposite Sex has no humanity (first, I want a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi and song jinning chatted andughed as they walked to the dining room and sat down. They took a look at the dishes on the table. Although they tried their best to maintain a decent smile, the stars in their eyes still showed her surprise and joy at the dishes on the table.

    Unlike before, there were not many dishes on the table this time.

    There were only eight dishes in total. In the middle were threerge blue and white porcin cups. Around them were five white and beautiful white jade porcin tes that looked like peacocks opening their tails.

    Lu Yuan walked over with a smile. As he helped everyone with the cloth chopsticks, he said, ¡°There aren¡¯t many dishes today, but they¡¯re all kung fu dishes. Let¡¯s try them and see if they¡¯re delicious.¡±

    Song jinning smiled and said, ¡°Although there aren¡¯t many dishes, there¡¯s a lot of dishes. Lu Yuan, what are these dishes?¡±

    Lu Yuan pointed to the three blue and white porcin sea cups in the middle and said, ¡°These are clear soup bird¡¯s nest, braised shark¡¯s fin, and Oolong spit bead.¡±

    Gu nianzhi looked at the ¡°Oolong spit bead¡±. It happened to be a row of braised ck ginseng neatly arranged side by side, but there was a row of quail eggs next to it, in the shape of dragon spit bead.

    Huo Shaoheng sat next to Gu Nianzhi and scooped a bowl of clear soup bird¡¯s nest for her with a public spoon, he said casually, ¡°President Lu is cooking the tan family¡¯s official dishes today. The clear soup, braised shark¡¯s fin soup, and Oolong spit pearl are the three most famous dishes of the tan family¡¯s official dishes.¡±

    The clear soup was clear and smooth, and the Swallow Cup was intact. It floated in the cream-colored clear soup like pieces of magnolia. It was elegant and fresh, and the smell was surprisingly clear.

    Gu Nianzhi had only eaten desserts made from bird¡¯s nest before, and had never eaten a dish made from bird¡¯s nest before. She quickly took a bite.

    The soft and smooth bird¡¯s nest mixed with an extremely fresh taste. It was like a clear spring, washing away the taste buds and waiting for a feast of gluttony.

    ¡°Oh!¡±Gu Nianzhi dragged out her voice and said vaguely, ¡°How is this made? Bird¡¯s nest can make such a taste? ! As expected, ignorance has limited my imagination!¡±

    Lu Yuan sat next to song jinning with a smile and scooped her a bowl of clear soup bird¡¯s nest. He said, ¡°If you use western food as an analogy, this dish can be considered an appetizer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s made by soaking the bird¡¯s nest and washing it with clean water. Then, it¡¯s steamed with chicken soup made from organic ground chicken. Then, it¡¯s steamed in ck pig¡¯s elbow, dried scallops, and xuanwei ham for half an hour.¡±

    ¡°This way, the bird¡¯s nest will not break. Not only will it keep the bird¡¯s nest intact, but the nutrients will also not be lost.¡±

    Lu Jin was deep in thought. He reached for the spoon and scooped up a bowl of clear soup bird¡¯s nest.

    Lu Yuan was a little surprised to see that there was no argument, but he did not say anything. He picked up the chopsticks and scooped up a handful of braised shark¡¯s fin soup for Lu Jin, cing it in a small bowl next to him.

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°These dishes are most particr about the texture and heat of the ingredients. President Lu, how long did you prepare for this table of dishes?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t count the time it takes to find the ingredients, the whole preparation will take a day and a night.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped,¡±... these eight dishes took a day and a night? !¡±

    ¡°These dishes mainly take a long time to soak,¡±Lu Yuan exined unhurriedly. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to use chemical methods to soak them, I only use water, so it takes a longer time.¡±

    ¡°Also, the Soup for shark¡¯s fin and bird¡¯s nest has just been brewed, so it takes more than ten hours.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded ruefully. ¡°No wonder... these dishes are so delicious, I guess I can¡¯t eat them often.¡±

    Lu Jin heard her and turned to her. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you to eat them together! This kind of good food isn¡¯t something a busy man like boss Lu would cook often!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lived with Boss Lu for 18 years, and he¡¯s only cooked once! Once!¡±Lu Jin stuck out a finger to show how outrageous Lu Yuan¡¯s behavior was!

    Song Jinning ate a mouthful of clear soup, Swallow¡¯s nest, and a mouthful of braised shark¡¯s fin soup. She nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Yes, yes, yes! They¡¯re so delicious! Lu Yuan, I¡¯ll be satisfied with these dishes every new year!¡±

    ¡°You like them? I can make them once a week.¡±Lu Yuan quickly said, ¡°The soup is ready. As long as the ingredients are fresh, you can make them.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    PFFT! My Face Hurts!

    He red at Lu Yuan, who was inhumane. He pursed his lips and picked up a piece of ck ginseng for himself. He took a bite out of it as if he was venting his anger.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked at each other and secretly pursed their lips into a smile.

    Lu Yuan was really ¡°Going all out¡±for song Jinning!

    However, song jinning was ungrateful and quickly said, ¡°That won¡¯t do. These dishes are so troublesome to cook. How can I ask you to cook them every week? Besides, I don¡¯te back every week. I¡¯ll be satisfied with eating them once a year.¡±

    Lu Yuan wanted to say ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡±but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud in front of so many people. He looked around the table andnded his gaze on Gu Nianzhi, who was engrossed in her food, he said,¡±... Nianzhi has lost a lot of weight. She needs a good tonic. Anyway, I n to cook her a nutritious dish once a week. It Won¡¯t be a problem if everyone tries it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, who had been pulled over to take the bullet, suddenly realized that the soft and tender shark fin in her mouth seemed to have sprouted thorns and was about to pierce her throat.

    She looked up at Lu Yuan with a wry smile and thought to herself, ¡°Why bother, President Lu...¡±

    She was about to say that she wasn¡¯t taking any supplements, but unexpectedly, song jinning smiled happily, she said, ¡°Is that so?¡±? Nianzhi really needed to get some nourishment! She was going to have her wedding with Shaoheng next year, and she was going to have a baby soon. She had to get some nourishment! Lu Yuan, you¡¯re really thoughtful. I¡¯ll also eat this good food thanks to Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and thought that it was good that song jinning was also ¡°Nourishing¡±her. Perhaps there would be unexpected effects..

    Her wry smile immediately turned into a sweet smile. She said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, President Lu. I¡¯ll do as you say!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and gave her a piece of ck ginseng. He did not expose her intentions.

    Lu Yuan saw that Gu Nianzhi had agreed and heaved a sigh of relief, he calmly said, ¡°Even though my surname isn¡¯t Huo anymore, I¡¯m Still Shaoheng and Nianzhi¡¯s uncle. Your children are also my grandchildren. If I don¡¯t care about you, who do I care about? Nianzhi, medicine is better than food...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted him, she giggled and said, ¡°Director Lu is right!¡±! Actually, during the days when Mrs. Song was sick, she had been abused by those people on her diet. Mrs. Song¡¯s health wasn¡¯t very good either. Director Lu, do you know how to make medicinal cuisine? Do you want me to make a custom-made medicinal cuisine for Mrs. song that can nourish her body?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze darkened. He looked steadily at song jinning and said in a low voice, ¡°Director song, it¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯ll make up for the injuries you¡¯ve suffered.¡±

    Song Jinning had been abused, and Lu Yuan¡¯s cheap daughter, Luo Jin, was the main culprit.

    Song jinning smiled and said, ¡°Luo Jin is indeed in the wrong, but she¡¯s an adult now. What she did has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t take her fault on yourself.¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t marry her mother, she won¡¯t have the chance to get close to you in her life,¡±Lu Yuan said with a serious face, ¡°And even if she does get married, I should have moved out with her mother and daughter earlier. In short, I left her at home to stir up trouble and almost cost you your life.¡±

    Song jinning quickly said, ¡°Luo Jin¡¯s mother, Luo Xinxue, and I have a good rtionship, but Luo Jin is indeed a ruthless child. She could even let her own mother be killed.¡±

    Seeing this, Gu Nianzhi tried to smooth things over. ¡°President Lu, don¡¯t be too modest. You helped my father send me here so that Mrs. Song¡¯s illness would be cured. You also contributed to this.¡±

    Lu Jin was pleased with himself. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Boss Lu, let me tell you, without our Nianzhi, your superintendent song would never have recovered!¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s handsome face turned slightly red. He was stunned by Lu Jin¡¯s words of ¡°Your director song¡±and did not want to retort.

    Song Jinning did not understand the deeper meaning behind his words. She smiled and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Mr. Lu is right! My life was really saved by Nianzhi! Nianzhi, it¡¯s been hard on you. You¡¯re willing to donate your bone marrow even though it hurts so much.¡±

    She looked up at Huo Shaoheng and reminded him, ¡°Shaoheng, you must treat nianzhi well. She treats you and me very well!¡±

    Lu Yuan saw that song jinning did not object to Lu Jin¡¯s words at all. Instead, she agreed with him. Knowing that song jinning had not noticed the true meaning of the phrase ¡°Your chief song¡±, his mood improved like never before.

    Therefore, he smiled and scooped a bowl of braised shark¡¯s fin soup for Gu Nianzhi. He said, ¡°These dishes are peaceful and strengthen the body. It¡¯s good for a woman¡¯s health. Nianzhi, don¡¯t take advantage of your youth...¡±

    Lu Jin drank the clear soup with bird¡¯s nest and muttered to himself, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with My Nianzhi¡¯s health? She can heal herself from any injury... who cares about your medicinal cuisine...¡±

    However, in order to eat such a good dish once a week, he chose to keep his mouth shut and did not say a word.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and smiled lightly. He calmly picked up some bamboo shoots and stir-fried porcini mushrooms for Gu Nianzhi and let her eat some vegetarian dishes as well.

    The atmosphere at the dinner table was extremely harmonious. Lu Yuan was very good at livening up the atmosphere and quietly led the conversation. The guests and hosts enjoyed the meal to the fullest. Although Gu Nianzhi did not drink, when she left song Jinning¡¯s apartment.., she felt drunk.

    ..

    After sending Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng off, Lu Yuan and song Jinning went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes.

    In order to spend more time with song Jinning, Lu Yuan deliberately did not use the dishwasher.

    Song jinning rarely cooked and did not even remember that she had a dishwasher in the kitchen. Thus, one of them washed the dishes, while the other wiped the dishes with a cloth and spoke casually, it was as harmonious and natural as a married couple who had been married for many years.

    This was nothing special to song jinning, but to Lu Yuan, it was a scene that he had never dared to dream of for decades.

    He only hoped that he could wash the dishes more slowly.

    ..

    Lu Jin went back to his room alone, turned on hisputer, and began to study the scope of the Hong Group¡¯s business.

    From the information that was made public on the inte, he learned that the Hong group was only a small auto parts manufacturer in its early years. However, with the rapid development of the auto manufacturing industry in the Huaxia Empire in the past decade or so, the Hong Group invested the money earned from the parts into the auto manufacturing industry, allowing thepany to make a qualitative leap, and at one time, it became argepany with an annual output value of several billion.

    But in recent years, the Hong Group¡¯s auto sales began to decline, and the group decided to diversify its operations and not put eggs in one basket, it is now a diversifiedpany thatbines catering, entertainment, and manufacturing.

    And in order to go public overseas, the Hong Group put its chips on new energy vehicles, especially electric vehicles, an emerging industry.

    Compared to the traditional automobile industry, the most important thing about electric vehicles was the endurance of the car batteries.

    Currently, all the electric vehicle manufacturers in the world had this particr shoring. The cost and utility of the batteries were far from meeting themercial requirements.

    Simply put, the cost of the batteries used in electric vehicles was too high. They were neither practical nor cheap. It was simply impossible to promote them on arge scale.

    However, the concept of electric vehicles was very popr in the market now, and investors and the stock market recognized this concept.

    Lu Jin carefully studied the models and performance of the electric vehiclesunched by the Hong Group, especially to understand the patented technology they used.

    With one look, he found that the patented technology of the Hong Group was all signed back by Guo Huining.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1952, ¡°There is no humanity in the opposite sex.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October has begun. Those who have a guaranteed monthly ticket, hurry up and vote!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    PS: Congrattions, ¡°The Journey of life is only reading makes people happy.¡±The president tipped a million starting point coins on the 29th!

    Congrattions, ¡°Reading is the only way to make you happy in Your Life Journey¡±, the silver alliance of ¡°Hello, Major General¡±! It was also the first Silver Alliance of a certain Han dynasty!

    Thank you, ¡°My Love Hall¡±, the reward of 100,000 starting points from No. 29!

    Thank you, ¡°Beth1211¡±, the reward of 10,000 starting points from No. 29!

    It¡¯s the third watch today, 1:00 pm on the second watch. 8:00 p.m. on the third.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1953

    <h4>Chapter 1953: Chapter 1953 was a little strange</h4>

    Lu Jin searched the Inte for the patents that Guo Huining had signed for the Hong Group over the years. He then went to the patent datawork of various countries and had a good idea.

    In the other world, Lu Jin needed a strong energy supply for the maic resonance instrument. He had done specialized research on the battery problem. The battery used in electric cars was once a by-product of his research.

    However, this kind of battery was not as powerful as the high-energy maic field, so it was abandoned a long time ago.

    But in this world, it seemed to still be useful.

    Lu Jin downloaded the most advanced patent technical paper for electric car batteries in this world. After reading it for an entire night, he figured out the battery effectiveness in this world and then looked at the patented technology signed by the Hong Group, lu Jin chuckled.

    The patented technology of the electric vehicle battery in this world could allow an electric vehicle to have 6 to 30 kwh of power, and its endurance would range from 20 kilometers to 200 kilometers.

    Of course, the higher the power, the higher the endurance of the electric vehicle battery. The cost of building it was also very expensive.

    And among all theponents of an electric vehicle, the most expensive and most importantponent was the battery, which ounted for at least 37 percent of the cost of the entire vehicle.

    If the best graphene lithium battery was used, it could even ount for 77 percent of the cost of the car. Moreover, the battery had to be reced every three years, and the cost of the battery after recement was even more expensive.

    Therefore, in the eyes of the people in the auto industry, an electric car was actually just a concept.

    As for Guo Huining, not only did she not have a good eye for people, but she also had a bad eye for new energy and technology. Moreover, she was very petty.

    The patented technology that she signed was indeed very cheap. It could control the cost of the battery to less than 20% of the cost of the entire car, but it did not have much use.

    Because with these batteries, the electric car produced by the Hong Group could only run less than 10 kilometers per charge. What was the point?

    Moreover, when the batteries were reced in three years, the price would suddenly double.

    However, the Hong Group¡¯s publicity would definitely not tell you about these contents.

    These were all data provided by Lu Jin through the public documents on the patented technology signed by Guo Huining. He had used aplicated form to calcte it.

    Currently, the Hong Group¡¯s publicity advertisements were all praising the Hong group¡¯s electric cars as being cheap to build and having the same endurance as those more expensive cars.

    From Lu Jin¡¯s point of view, this was tant false advertising.

    However, the Hong Group was apany seeking to list overseas. What was the use of such false advertising?

    Once consumers bought a car, wouldn¡¯t they know the difference after driving for a day?

    For example, if you advertised that the endurance of your electric car was 50 kilometers, but the consumer only drove less than 10 kilometers before it wouldn¡¯t work and needed to be recharged. With such an obvious difference, as long as the owner¡¯s IQ was online.., it will be discovered at any minute.

    But the problem is that the Hong Corporation has been selling the new electric car they have made for almost two years, and until now, no one hasined about this.

    And the sales have been steadily rising.

    This is a little strange.

    Lu Jin pondered for a while, and finally stretched after daybreak and thought of a way.

    After he went to the bathroom to wash up, he went to the restaurant outside to take a look. As expected, he found Lu Yuan already cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

    Lu Jin walked over happily and said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Boss Lu, can you lend me some money?¡±

    Lu Yuan said without turning his head, ¡°Sure, how much do you want?¡±

    Lu Jin giggled. ¡°As long as it¡¯s enough to buy an electric car.¡±

    Lu Yuan turned his head and looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Didn¡¯t I buy a car? I¡¯m not driving it. You can use it anytime.¡±

    ¡°That car of yours is neither environmentally friendly nor energy-efficient. I don¡¯t want to drive it.¡±Lu Jin red at him. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to borrow it, I¡¯ll go look for Ms. Song!¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at him. ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you. How much do you want?¡±

    Lu Jin said a figure that was just enough to buy the best and most expensive electric car produced by the Hong Corporation.

    This number was equivalent to two years¡¯sry for an average working ss, but it wasn¡¯t much for Lu Yuan.

    Huo Shaoheng had already returned his share of the proceeds from the fund to him.

    Lu Yuan was now a fully-fledged member of the wealthy ss.

    He nodded. ¡°Wait for me for a while.¡±

    Turning off the stove, Lu Yuan returned to his room and took out his phone to transfer a sum of money to Lu Jin¡¯s bank ount.

    Of course, it was twice as much as what Lu Jin wanted to borrow.

    Lu Jin heard the sound of his phone and realized that the bank had already transferred the money. The amount was twice as much as what he wanted to borrow. He did not refuse and thanked him with a smile. Then, he sat down and hurriedly ate breakfast.

    After eating breakfast, Lu Jin left song Jinning¡¯s apartment alone and called a taxi to buy a car at a 4s store under the Hong Corporation.

    The Hong Group was a car manufacturer. At the same time, they also operated some 4s shops, which were directly sold to the public.

    Because they were self-made in the production of auto parts, they were very familiar with running a 4s shop.

    This 4s shop was located near a big shopping mall on the Fifth Ring Road of the capital. It had a spacious front, and people came and went. There was an endless stream of people, and there were more people walking around than in the big shopping mall next to it.

    On the other hand, on the side of the Hong Group¡¯s electric car, there were even more people walking around and trying it out.

    The fashionable men and women in the Imperial City were all proud of driving the Hong Group¡¯s electric car with its cool appearance. Moreover, the price of this car was much cheaper than other electric cars, and its functions were more or less the same. Therefore, it attracted even more consumers.

    Lu Jin waited for two hours before he got the chance to try it out.

    He immediately picked the most expensive electric car in the Hong Group. The sales staff at the 4s store immediately looked at him in a new light. They even sent someone to apany him in choosing the car and test drive it.

    Lu Jin walked around the ce a few times, and after selecting the style, color, and interior, he immediately put down a deposit and wanted to pick up the car next week.

    The sales staff at the 4s store agreed immediately and signed a contract with him to sell the car.

    It was already noon when Lu Jin left.

    He thought for a moment and then called a taxi to go to the Hong Hotel where Gu Nianzhi had lunch the day before.

    ..

    At that moment, Guo Huining was waiting for Zhang Baochen toe over for lunch at the newly opened hotel-style apartment in the south of the city.

    She looked at her watch. It had already been ten minutes since the appointment, but Zhang Baochen still hadn¡¯te.

    Guo huining frowned imperceptibly.

    She looked down on Zhang Baochen and his family from the bottom of her heart, but this man was grandfather Huo¡¯s biological son. Even if he was an illegitimate son, he was still her biological son!

    At least he was more capable than Gu Nianzhi, the granddaughter-inw who had yet to enter the Huo family.

    Guo Huining and Gu Nianzhi had gotten into an argument. She only hoped that she couldpensate the Huo family somewhere else so that she would not have to look down on Gu Nianzhi.

    Moreover, the only way to suppress Huo Shaoheng was through grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen.

    Zhang Baochen was just a stepping stone for her.

    Guo Huining waited patiently for another half an hour. Finally, Zhang Baochen arrived.

    He was wearing an ordinary gray jacket. He was thin and had sparse hair. He looked decent, but he looked a little timid and ufortable.

    Guo huining smiled and immediately became dignified.

    She nodded politely to Zhang Baochen, stood up, and gracefully reached out her hand. ¡°Mr. Zhang, I¡¯m Guo Huining, the director of the Legal Department of the Hong Group. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second reward of the day: chapter 1953, ¡°This is a little strange.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October is seven days before the beginning of the month. If you have a guaranteed monthly ticket, please vote quickly!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    PS: the extra 50,000 starting points for ¡°Jiyu¡¯er¡±in July will be delivered.

    The third bonus is at 8:00 p.m.

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    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1954

    <h4>Chapter 1954: Chapter 1954: Wait for My Good News (Chapter Three: Double Monthly Pass!)</h4>

    ¡°Hello, director Guo!¡±Zhang Baochen was overwhelmed by the favor and shook Guo Huining¡¯s hand twice. Then, he sat down under the guidance of the waiter.

    Guo huining carefully observed Zhang Baochen and found that he did not pay much attention to the luxurious furnishings here. He was a person who had seen the world.

    She could not help but put away her contempt and became more respectful to Zhang Baochen.

    ¡°Mr. Zhang, I invited you here today because I have something to discuss with you.¡±Guo huining smiled and handed the menu over. ¡°Let¡¯s order first. It¡¯s not toote to talk after we¡¯re full.¡±

    Zhang Baochen took the menu and flipped through a few pages. He handed the menu back and said with a smile, ¡°Please Order, director Guo. I¡¯m not familiar with this ce.¡±

    Guo Huining did not refuse. She took the menu and ordered the dishes. Then, she asked someone to serve a pot of good tea.

    Soon, the dishes were served. The two of them ate for a while before they started chatting again.

    Guo Huining asked with a smile, ¡°Mr. Zhang, I wonder how your father¡¯s illness is now?¡±

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s expression was a little ugly. He said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s still the same. The Military General Hospital can¡¯t cure it either.¡±

    ¡°Can it really be cured?¡±Guo Huining raised her eyebrows. ¡°I heard that there are many capable people in the military general hospital... did they not send the best doctor to treat old Mr. Huo?¡±

    ¡°They probably won¡¯t do that,¡±Zhang Baochen said in a low voice. ¡°With my second brother around, they won¡¯t dare.¡±

    ¡°Your second brother?¡±Guo Huining immediately jumped on the bandwagon and asked with concern, ¡°Your second brother is... ?¡±

    Zhang Baochen nced at her. ¡°My second brother, Huo Guanchen, is now a general.¡±

    ¡°Oh, OH, OH, right, right, right! Look at my memory!¡±Guo huining patted her forehead and smiled shamefully. ¡°Everyone knows the name of General Huo Guanchen!¡±

    Zhang Baochen smiled.¡±... director Guo, you hired me on leave. Is it true that you want to have a rtionship with my second brother?¡±

    He didn¡¯t know what Guo Huining was up to, but when he saw Guo Huining¡¯s eyes light up when she heard Huo Guanchen¡¯s name, he understood.

    Guo huining chuckled and poured Zhang Baochen a ss of wine. She said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I really did look for you!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±This time, it was Zhang Baochen¡¯s turn to be confused. He looked at Guo huining suspiciously, ¡°Look for me? I¡¯m penniless now and have no official job. What do you want to see me about?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s about old Mr. Huo¡¯s illness.¡±Guo huining saw that it was about time and said bluntly, ¡°Mr. Zhang, say something. Do you want old Mr. Huo to wake up from his vegetative state?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±Zhang Baochen blurted out.

    This was his biggest dream in the past year and a half. He even went to the temple to beg the bodhisattva. As long as his father could wake up, he could lose ten years of his life!

    ¡°... but that¡¯s impossible.¡±Zhang Baochen shook his head sadly and said sadly, ¡°Even the best doctor in the military, Chen Lie, said that my father couldn¡¯t wake up.¡±

    Guo Huining knew Chen Lie. She cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. She smiled meaningfully, ¡°Chen Lie? I¡¯m familiar with this person. I heard that he¡¯s Huo¡¯s close friend and only listens to Huo, right?¡±

    Actually, she had gotten this information from Hong Ziqi.

    Hong Ziqi had also heard it from Xue Jingjiang, so it shouldn¡¯t be wrong.

    Zhang Baochen blinked and didn¡¯t deny it. He said doubtfully, ¡°That¡¯s true. But...¡±

    He didn¡¯t think that if Chen Lie lied, his father¡¯s illness wouldn¡¯t be so serious?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡±Guo Huining put down her wine ss. ¡°I heard Ziqi say that.¡±

    Seeing that Zhang Baochen did not react to the name ¡°Ziqi,¡±she exined, ¡°My fianc¨¦, Hong Ziqi, is the young master of the Hong family, the great grandson of the Hong family¡¯s ancestors.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I remember now.¡±Zhang Baochen nodded. ¡°Then did he know something?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, you misunderstood,¡±Guo Huining quickly exined. ¡°Actually, he only knows that Chen Lie is Huo¡¯s good friend. Everything else is just a wild guess. If he said the wrong thing, please don¡¯t take offense. I¡¯ll punish him with three sses of Wine First!¡±

    She drank three times as much Maotai without changing her expression. Her alcohol tolerance was very good.

    Seeing that she could drink, Zhang Baochen¡¯s impression of her became even better. He raised his ss and clinked it with hers, ¡°Director Guo, what exactly do you mean? Just say it. If I can help, I will definitely help. But if I can¡¯t help, I can¡¯t help.¡±

    He was like a y Buddha crossing the river. He couldn¡¯t protect himself, so he couldn¡¯t think of anything that could help Guo Huining.

    Guo Huining took a tissue and printed it on her lips, she smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Zhang is straightforward. I Won¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°It¡¯s like this. I have a friend who knows Dr. Tony. He is the best neurologist in the United States. He is currently teaching at B University. ¡°If you agree, I will ask someone to invite him over to help old Mr. Huo. ¡°He might have a way to cure old Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°I heard that old Mr. Huo¡¯s vegetative state isn¡¯t serious. Maybe he¡¯ll wake up. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°AH? ! Can he really be cured? !¡±Zhang Baochen¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, and he became spirited. ¡°Director Guo, are you serious? ! Why Are You So Good to us? !¡±

    Guo huining choked for a moment, thinking to herself that there was a price to be paid for being good to them..

    However, she could not mention this ¡°Price¡±now.

    She smiled and waved her hand. ¡°What happened to Dr. Tony was just a coincidence. I heard that you often visited old Mr. Huo in the hospital over the past year and a half. I guess you really want old Mr. Huo to wake up, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Director Guo, do you really have a way? !¡±Zhang Baochen knew that Guo Huining was definitely not a lei feng who did good deeds without regard for returns, but he could not care less.

    As long as grandfather Huo could wake up, he would not hesitate no matter how big the price was!

    ¡°If Mr. Zhang can help and ask Dr. Tony to personally consult old Mr. Huo, the chances of old Mr. Huo waking up are quite high.¡±

    Guo Huining said tactfully, but she did not say it outright. ¡°But the problem now is that Dr. Tony can not go to the special care ward of the military Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±

    That kind of ce was not even a ce that ordinary Chinese people could go to, let alone foreigners.

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s heart was pounding. He looked at Guo Huining eagerly, as if she was his savior. He almost patted his chest to make sure. ¡°Director Guo, don¡¯t worry! I will definitely think of a way to get father out of the Military General Hospital!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±Guo Huining had achieved her goal. She nodded with a smile. ¡°It won¡¯t be too troublesome, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±Zhang Baochen denied. ¡°I had wanted to bring my father out a long time ago. It¡¯s just that the conditions outside aren¡¯t as good as those in the military general hospital, and there aren¡¯t any suitable doctors, so I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°What a pity. If you had brought old Mr. Huo out earlier, perhaps old Mr. Huo¡¯s illness would have been cured long ago.¡±Guo huining inconspicuously applied eye drops on Huo Shaoheng, hinting that he had tampered with it, old Mr. Huo had been in a vegetative state.

    Zhang Baochen understood what she meant and was puzzled.

    Was It Really Shaoheng who had interfered?

    How could he be so bad!

    Zhang Baochen thought angrily, but did not dare to face Huo Shaoheng directly. He said cowardly,¡±... let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. If director Guo really has a way, I can take father out and transfer him to an ordinary hospital.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then transfer him to this private hospital.¡±Guo Huining said as she ced a private hospital business card in front of Zhang Baochen. ¡°Transfer him as soon as possible, and we¡¯ll be able to treat old Mr. Huo as soon as possible.¡±

    Zhang Baochen was overjoyed. He took the business card with both hands and said repeatedly, ¡°Thank you, director Guo! Thank you, director Guo!¡±

    Guo huining nodded with a smile. ¡°Mr. Zhang, I have my own selfish motives. But I¡¯m not in a hurry. When Mr. Huo wakes up, you can talk about me again.¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem!¡±Zhang Baochen agreed immediately. ¡°As long as my father wakes up, no matter how big the conditions are, it¡¯s not a problem!¡±

    In fact, Zhang Baochen was truly relieved when Guo Huining said that she had her own selfish motives.

    As long as Guo Huining wanted something, he was not afraid of Guo Huining¡¯s tricks.

    Moreover, as long as his father could wake up, their situation would bepletely different. At that time, he would not be afraid of Guo Huining¡¯s tricks!

    The two of them quickly discussed the details of the transfer.

    Guo huining pretended not to care and reminded him,¡±... but if Mr. Huo wants to transfer, doesn¡¯t he have to get General Huo Guanchen¡¯s approval?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. As long as I convince him, he¡¯ll definitely agree.¡±Zhang Baochen was full of confidence. ¡°Just wait for My Good News!¡±

    ..

    Lu Jin was currently sitting in the lobby of the Hong Hotel Eating Lunch.

    He ordered a few random dishes and ate them slowly. He felt that the taste was very ordinary, but the legendary signature dish was really good. He ate the entire te of dishes all by himself beforezily standing up to pay the bill.

    He only sat for a while before he hacked into the hotel¡¯s surveince system and found the surveince video rted to Nianzhi from yesterday.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third update of the day: Chapter 1954, ¡°Wait for My Good News.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October was seven days before the beginning of the month. Everyone had guaranteed monthly tickets, so hurry up and vote!

    Today is Monday, and the rmended tickets are also very important!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1955

    <h4>Chapter 1955: Chapter 1955: A Ray of Hope (first, a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The surveince cameras at the Hong Hotel only recorded videos and did not make any sound.

    However, Lu Jin had learned lipnguage before, so he could roughly guess what these people were saying through the angle of their lips opening and closing, their facial expressions, and the movements of their tongues.

    However, the angle of the surveince cameras was not very good, because there was arge area of greenery in this corner to create a private atmosphere, which also blocked the surveince range of some of the cameras.

    Lu Jin could only clearly see half of the people¡¯s facial expressions and the direction in which their lips were moving.

    However, he also understood the whole story from this half of the people.

    It was just as Huo Shaoheng had said, not a single cent had gone up, not a single cent had gone down.

    It was hard for Lu Jin to admire a person, but Huo Shaoheng was gradually bing like Lu Yuan in his own professional field, gaining Lu Jin¡¯s respect and recognition.

    After confirming that Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t exaggerating, Lu Jin felt even worse about Gu Nianzhi.

    At one point, he even wondered if he had made the wrong decision.

    If Gu Nianzhi had been married to Huo Shaoheng earlier, and everyone in the world knew that Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wife, no one would have looked down on her and thought that she could be sacrificed at any time, right?

    Even though it was just a small matter like a reserved seat, Lu Jin was concerned about his daughter¡¯s personality and dignity.

    He did not give gu nianzhi a carefree and harmless childhood. In order to make up for it, he had to work harder than an ordinary father. He wanted his daughter to have a wide and unobstructed road in the future.

    Lu Jin silently downloaded the surveince video into his phone. He then went to check the surveince video elsewhere in the hall that day.

    He also saw that the two women named Guo Huining and Dou Aiyan had gone to the second floor. However, when they were halfway there, they saw Huo Shaohenging down and quickly hid.

    Huo Shaoheng did not see the two of them. After Huo Shaoheng came down, the two of them did not go upstairs. Instead, they returned to their reserved seats and called their friends from the other two investment banks over.

    Lu Jin snorted coldly as he watched them chatting andughing as if nothing had happened.

    ..

    For the next week, Lu Jin lived a routine life.

    He woke up in the morning, had breakfast, and then video-chatted with Gu Nianzhi about what had happened the day before. He also talked about what he wanted to do today.

    If Gu Nianzhi was interested, she woulde to Lu Jin¡¯s apartment and work with him.

    If she was busy, Lu Jin would continue with his research.

    However, most of the time, he was called by Song Jinning to the Institute of high energy physics to give lectures to her graduate students and researchers.

    Lu Jin had been hired by song Jinning as a visiting professor at the Institute of High Energy Physics. He had an official title, sry, and full benefits.

    Lu Yuan was very supportive of Lu Jin¡¯s lectures at the Institute of High Energy Physics. This way, he could take the opportunity to deliver food to Lu Jin and also give song jinning a well-prepared meal.

    Song Jinning had also spent the past 18 years in pain.

    Although she had recovered with the help of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bone marrow, her once out-of-control nervous system still needed to be repaired and nurtured.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s guilt was iparable, but he did not say a word.

    Song Jinning thought that she had benefited from Lu Jin. After eating for a few days, her mouth had be more and more cheeky. asionally, she would go to the cafeteria for breakfast, but she actually felt like she could not eat.

    It was Friday. Lu Yuan was a littlete when he went to deliver lunch to Lu Jin.

    Song Jinning did not eat breakfast. She had been waiting for Lu Yuan to deliver lunch, but in the end, she was so hungry that Lu Yuan still had not arrived.

    She was so hungry that her blood sugar was almost low. She sat in front of the experiment table listlessly. Her mind was full of thoughts, wondering if she should go to the cafeteria to buy lunch.

    In the end, hunger overcame everything. When she got up and was about to go to the cafeteria, Lu Yuan finally arrived.

    As soon as he entered, he smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was a littlete today. Before I left, I received a call. I have to rush outter. I just made a few simple dishes. You guys eat first. I¡¯ll Cook a big meal when I get back tonight.¡±

    Song Jinning immediately took the food box and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re finally here. I¡¯m about to faint from hunger!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Although he said ¡°Late,¡±he was only half an hourter than his usual delivery time. How could he faint from hunger?

    He raised his eyes to look at song Jinning¡¯sboratory, but he didn¡¯t see Lu Jin¡¯s figure. He asked lightly, ¡°Where¡¯s Lu Jin?¡±

    Song Jinning opened her food box and took out her food. She said, ¡°He¡¯s still doing experiments. He said he¡¯ll eat lunch after the results are out.¡±

    Lu Jin was obviously not hungry.

    Why was song Jinning so hungry?

    Lu Yuan looked at his watch and asked calmly, ¡°Director song, what did you have for breakfast?¡±

    Song Jinning put a mouthful of fried rice into her mouth and chewed contentedly. After swallowing it, she said,¡±... I was too busy in the morning and didn¡¯t have time to eat.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    It seemed that from next week, Lu Jin would have to bring two servings of breakfast over.

    Lu Yuan made a mental note in his heart and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be leaving first. After eating, put the food box in the fridge. I¡¯ll take it home to wash it tonight.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I washed it while I was at it.¡±Song Jinning was in a good mood as she ate. She waved her hand at Lu Yuan, ¡°Go do your work. I¡¯ll pass this lunch to professor Lu.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not say anything else. He smiled at her and turned around to leave the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    After getting into the car, he sped all the way to the Military General Hospital.

    Ever since he came back, he had not been to this ce once.

    He knew that his father, Huo Xuenong, had be a vegetable and was receiving treatment here.

    But he did not want to see his father at all.

    Moreover, his surname was no longer Huo. Legally speaking, Huo Xuenong had nothing to do with him.

    But thew was thew. He was Huo Xuenong¡¯s biological son. There was no doubt about that.

    Today, it was Huo Guanchen who took the initiative to call him, asking him toe to the military general hospital to see his father. He said that he had something important to discuss with him.

    Actually, it was Zhang Baochen who called Huo Guanchen and said that he would find someone else to try to save Huo Xuenong.

    Huo Guanchen heard Zhang Baochen¡¯s reason and felt that it was fine. However, he said that he would consider it for the time being and give Zhang Baochen an answer in two days.

    If Huo Guanchen did not agree, Zhang Baochen would not be able to make the decision to bring Huo Xuenong out of the military general hospital alone.

    Huo Guanchen also thought that since Huo Guanyuan was back, his father was also involved. Therefore, this kind of matter needed the three brothers to discuss properly before making a decision.

    Of course, because of Huo Guanyuan¡¯s special status, Huo Guanchen still had this bit of vignce. He did not tell Zhang Baochen that Huo Guanyuan had already returned. He only said that he needed to think about it, but in reality, he was calling Lu Yuan, he wanted him toe to the military general hospital to meet grandfather Huo.

    Lu Yuan thought for a long time before deciding toe and see Huo Xuenong.

    He didn¡¯t want to do anything else. He just wanted to see what had happened to this man.

    Just like Huo Shaoheng, he wasn¡¯t a person full of emotions.

    In fact, the most important characteristic of people who worked on the special front was their calmness. It was extraordinary calmness, a calmness that transcended all emotions and desires.

    Another important characteristic was their decisiveness. They would never make sloppy decisions.

    After such a long time, their feelings would be very deep. Sometimes, they would even be so deep that they would not be able to detect it.

    ..

    Lu Yuan parked his car in the parking lot of the Military General Hospital. He went to the ce that he had made an appointment with Huo Guanchen, which was Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward.

    As it was Friday, the nurse that Huo Guanchen had hired had just left. Huo Guanchen sat alone in grandfather Huo¡¯s ward, lost in thought.

    The door of the ward was open. Lu Yuan knocked on the door.

    Huo Guanchen turned his head and saw that it was Lu Yuan who hade. He nodded at him and said, ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Lu Yuan walked in slowly and said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. My surname is Lu, not your big brother.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled bitterly and turned to look at Huo Xuenong, who was still on the bed. He said, ¡°Okay, Lu Yuan, look at father. We haven¡¯t seen each other for eighteen years. Do you really not miss him at all?¡±

    Lu Yuan thought to himself, decades ago, after he found out that Huo Xuenong had an illegitimate child with his head nurse, he had no feelings for Huo Xuenong.

    Now, if he were to say that he missed him, he might not be able to say it even when he was on a mission.

    Lu Yuan put his hands in his trouser pockets and sat on the windowsill indifferently, saying, ¡°I have too many things to think about. My brain capacity is limited, so I temporarily exclude irrelevant people.¡±

    ¡°Our father is irrelevant? !¡±Huo Guanchen turned his head in shock and stared at Lu Yuan, ¡°You weren¡¯t like this back then! Where have you been these 18 years? ! How did you be like this? !¡±

    Where was his gentle, gentle, and kind big brother? !

    The Big Brother who had a big argument with him a few days ago, he had always refused to ept it. He even thought that his big brother had said it in anger.

    When he was in a good mood, the two brothers would definitely be able to bury the hatchet.

    Lu Yuan crossed his arms and looked at Huo Guanchen expressionlessly. After a while, he shook his head and said, ¡°Why did you ask me toe?¡±

    Huo Guanchen racked his brain and tried to find something to say. ¡°Zhang Baochen is our third brother. He said...¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±Lu Yuan was neither angry nor angry, but he firmly stopped him. ¡°I don¡¯t have a third brother. I only have a second brother. His name is Lu Jin.¡±

    At this time, even Huo Guanchen did not recognize him.

    Huo Guanchen was speechless for a moment, and then he was embarrassed into anger. He stood up and pointed at Lu Yuan, saying, ¡°Whether you admit it or not, you are my big brother! My Biological Big Brother!¡±

    Then he pointed at Huo Xuenong, who was still on the hospital bed, and said,¡±... He is also his son! His real son!¡±

    Lu Yuan put down his arms and stood up straight, he smiled estranged, ¡°No, your real big brother, his real son, died eighteen years ago. Now, the person standing in front of you is another person. Whether you believe it or not, that is the truth.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was suffocated by Lu Yuan¡¯s imposing manner.

    Lu Yuan put his hands back in his trouser pockets, slightly sunburned, and turned to leave Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s hands were trembling, and a sentence rolled in his chest, but he could not say it.

    He knew that General Ji and the others had already approved Lu Yuan¡¯s change of name.

    This kind of thing was also a routine operation for people like Lu Yuan in the industry.

    But he just didn¡¯t want to. He just didn¡¯t want to!

    He knew better than anyone else what Lu Yuan would do if hepletely gave up his identity as Huo Guanyuan..

    Watching Lu Yuan¡¯s back gradually disappearing into the distance, huo guanchen shouted, ¡°Big Brother! Do you really think that no one can control you? !¡±

    Lu Yuan heard his shout, but he didn¡¯t have any intention of stopping. He still walked forward unhurriedly.

    When he saw the old man on the hospital bed, his heart did not waver at all. He did not want tough.

    He just felt calm and indifferent. It was no different from seeing a stranger.

    As for Huo Guanchen¡¯s intense reaction, it was also within Lu Yuan¡¯s expectations.

    But he did not care. He did not want to care anymore.

    Huo Guanchen stood alone in Huo Xuenong¡¯s ward. It was not until the sky was dark that the nurse came in to check on the ward. He turned on the lights and came back to his senses as if he had just woken up from a dream.

    He picked up his phone and walked to the corridor at the door. He called Zhang Baochen and said, ¡°Baochen? Okay, I agree. You can help your father transfer to another hospital.¡±

    The worst oue for his father was the same as now.

    In Huo Guanchen¡¯s opinion, there was no worse oue than now. So why not let Zhang Baochen give it a try?

    There might still be a glimmer of hope.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1955, ¡°A glimmer of hope¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October has begun. Those who have a guaranteed monthly ticket, Hurry up and vote!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    PS: Thank you, ¡°Helen3500 balls¡±, president, for the 10,000 starting points on September 30th!

    Thank you for the 10,000 Qidian coins that the president of ¡°Enigmayanxi¡±tipped yesterday!

    Thank you for the 10,000 Qidian coins that the president of ¡°Heaven¡¯s tent candy¡±tipped yesterday!

    Today is the second watch, the second watch is at 8 pm.

    Tomorrow is the third watch.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1956

    <h4>Chapter 1956: Chapter 1956 measuring a person by himself (second request: Double Monthly Pass)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Even the most capable doctor in the military general hospital, Chen Lie, said that Huo Xuenong was hopeless.

    However, at this time, Huo Guanchen remembered Zhang Baochen¡¯s hint, saying that Chen lie was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direct descendant..

    Did this son really have the guts to leave his own grandfather in the lurch? !

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face darkened.

    After making the call, Huo Guanchen signed the discharge agreement and left the Military General Hospital.

    Not long after he left, Zhang Baochen arrived at the military general hospital in a spacious ck Van. Afterpleting the procedures, he picked up Huo Xuenong and grandfather Huo.

    Only his two sons could decide whether Huo Xuenong was discharged or not.

    Huo Guanchen signed and Zhang Baochen also signed, so the military general hospital could only release him.

    Chen lie received a call from the military general hospital saying that grandfather Huo had been taken out of the hospital by his son. It was already eight o¡¯clock on a Friday night.

    ¡°Taken out? Taken to where?¡±Chen Lie had finished his dinner and was reading a document in his office when he received a call from his own people from the Military General Hospital. He was shocked.

    ¡°I received a call from a private hospital.¡±The person on the other end of the phone was Chen Lie¡¯s assistant. He was also the person Huo Shaoheng and Chen lie had ced there to monitor Huo Xuenong¡¯s situation.

    Although Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to pay attention to grandfather Huo, he wouldn¡¯t just let him be.

    His basic personal safety had to be guaranteed, but that was all.

    Chen lie thought for a moment and said, ¡°Give me your name and the list of Old Mr. Huo¡¯s new attending physicians.¡±

    His assistant agreed and put down the phone to send Chen Lie a message.

    Chen lie dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number again.

    Huo Shaoheng answered the phone after a while.

    He was having dinner with Gu Nianzhi, Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Song Jinning at Song Jinning¡¯s apartment.

    It was still a big meal, and it was even more borate thanst week¡¯s.

    Gu Nianzhi was grinning from ear to ear. She did not notice that Huo Shaoheng had left the dining room to answer the phone on the balcony.

    ¡°You said that Zhang Baochen picked up the old man?¡±Huo Shaoheng wore a bluetooth headset and asked calmly, ¡°Did general Huo Sign It, too?¡±

    Without the signatures of Zhang Baochen and Huo Guanchen, it was impossible for the military general hospital to release Huo Xuenong.

    ¡°Yes, I checked the records of the Military General Hospital and they did sign it.¡±Chen lie said in confusion, ¡°Even I can¡¯t cure him, what are they trying to do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down and thought for a moment, then smiled faintly.¡±... They don¡¯t believe you, and think that you didn¡¯t give them your full treatment.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible!¡±Chen lie cried out, feeling wronged. ¡°Am I that kind of person? !¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of person you are, what matters is what kind of person they think you are.¡±Huo Shaoheng leaned against the balcony railing and looked at the bright lights of the imperial capital under the night sky. His expression gradually softened, ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t worry about it. They can do whatever they want. After all, he¡¯s their biological father.¡±

    ¡°But it really can¡¯t be cured!¡±Chen lie pounded his desk hard and said hatefully, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I try my best? !¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re on my side. They naturally thought that you would listen to me and deliberately didn¡¯t cure the old man.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly, ¡°These people who judge others by themselves, can you expect them to have normal empathy and sympathy?¡±

    Chen lie grimaced and waved his hand in the air. He was extremely angry, but he did not know how to vent it.

    Afterining for a while, he asked, ¡°Huo Shao, what are you doing? Where¡¯s Nianzhi? I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her for less than a week. Why has it been so long?¡±Huo Shaoheng turned to walk towards the dining room and said, ¡°We¡¯re having dinner at Ms. Song¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°I want to eat too!¡±Chen lie shouted confidently, ¡°Wait for me! I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    He was in a bad mood because his professional ethics had been questioned, and he desperately neededfort food.

    Before arriving at song Jinning¡¯s apartment, he had thought that Huo Shaoheng was personally cooking.

    Because song jinning and Gu Nianzhi, the mother-inw and daughter-inw, were not good at cooking.

    Song Jinning might have been better. As a genius physicist, she could still do well as long as she was willing to learn.

    Gu Nianzhi was different. Her genius seemed to have ws and shorings when it came to cooking. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t learn it well.

    However, when they arrived at song Jinning¡¯s apartment, Chen Lie realized how wrong he had been.

    It wasn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng who was cooking; it was even better than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cooking!

    He sat on the other side of Huo Shaoheng and buried his head in his food. He didn¡¯t even see Lu Jin¡¯s close gaze. It was almost benevolent.

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and whispered to Lu Jin, who was sitting next to her, ¡°Dad, this is doctor Chen Lie, our national miracle doctor.¡±

    Lu Jin sneered,¡±... this fatty? If you hadn¡¯t told me, I would have thought he was a chef...¡±

    Chen lie heard her and looked up at Lu Jin. However, he did not have the time to speak and only rolled his eyes.

    His mouth was too busy to speak.

    After the meal, Chen lie slumped on the sofa and spoke to Gu Nianzhi casually as if he was digesting his food.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin sat on the sofa opposite him. Father and daughter smiled the same way and looked at him quietly.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and talk about grandfather Huo.

    Song Jinning returned to the study to handle some official documents.

    There were only Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin, and Chen lie in the living room.

    Chen lie saw that they were all on the same side, so he spoke without restraint.

    He rubbed his stomach and said weakly, ¡°Nianzhi, did you know that Zhang Baochen, that B * tch, took grandfather Huo out of the hospital today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. She took a knife and cut a fire dragon fruit. She mixed it with a fine white sugar powder and ced it in front of Chen Lie. She said, ¡°Zhang Baochen took him out of the hospital? General Huo agreed to it?¡±

    ¡°Of course he agreed. Otherwise, would he have been discharged? Do you think our military general hospital is a vegetable market?¡±Chen lie rolled his eyes again.

    ¡°Why would he be discharged? Has Old Mr. Huo recovered?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked casually out of curiosity.

    ¡°My ass!¡±Chen lie snorted. ¡°He¡¯s still in a vegetative state. They don¡¯t believe me! They think I didn¡¯t do anything to save him!¡±

    ¡°Brother Chen, I believe you!¡±Gu Nianzhi sat down and picked up a piece of fire dragon fruit with a small fork. ¡°Come, brother Chen, eat the fruit.¡±

    Chen lieined that he couldn¡¯t eat anymore. He opened his mouth and ate the fire dragon fruit that Gu Nianzhi had specially prepared for him. He closed his eyes and chewed contentedly.

    Lu Jin looked at him for a long time, amused. He then asked, ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Chen lie did not open his eyes. He said in distress, ¡°Old Huo, that¡¯s Huo Shao¡¯s grandfather.¡±

    ¡°OH.¡±Lu Jin realized that it was Lu Yuan, Huo Guanyuan¡¯s biological father.

    It was strange that Lu Yuan did not mention anything about Lu Jin seeing his father.

    Was Lu Jin ipetent, or was he unable to lift the scalpel?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with old Mr. Huo?¡±Lu Jin asked casually.

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to her senses and suddenly thought of the same question.

    She looked at Lu Jin, then at Chen lie, and whispered, ¡°Brother Chen, my father also has some insight into medicine. Do you want to talk about old Mr. Huo¡¯s condition with my father?¡±

    Chen lie opened his eyes and said in confusion, ¡°Isn¡¯t Mr. Lu a high-energy physicist? Is He also a doctor?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really wanted to say that her father was a Nobel Prize winner in both Physics and biology. He was also a phd in Biology and medicine from Harvard University!

    How could she not understand?

    But she couldn¡¯t say that because there was a list of names for such grand prizes.

    In this world, Gu Xiangwen was a low-key and invisible existence. She had never won any of these grand prizes.

    Once he said it out loud, Chen Lie would definitely think that she was bragging.

    However, once Lu Jin showed off his skills, Chen Lie would fall into deep suspicion.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi rationally changed the topic. She smiled and said, ¡°My father is an all-rounder. He also studied medicine before.¡±

    Chen lie snorted. However, now was the time for him toin to others. Huo Xuenong¡¯s condition was not a secret, so he continued to talk to Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin listened carefully and roughly understood Huo Xuenong¡¯s condition.

    Although he was in a vegetative state, it was not a serious vegetative state. He still had some knowledge of the outside world.

    But this knowledge was not enough to wake him up.

    The level of medical development in this world was indeed not enough to cure a vegetative patient like Huo Xuenong.

    If he could wake up naturally, the probability of him waking up was almost zero.

    ¡°... do you think I, Chen Lie, am that kind of person? ! Why didn¡¯t I try my best to save him? ! Let me tell you, I can even save a murderer whomitted suicide before sending him to the execution ground!¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s face was flushed red as he shouted angrily.

    Lu Jin looked at him calmly and said seriously, ¡°Well, I believe that you tried your best to save him. With your current level, you can only make him half-dead. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    Chen lie choked on Lu Jin¡¯s words and almost died on the sofa.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1956, ¡°Measure Yourself against others.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October is on the seventh day of the month. If you have a guaranteed monthly ticket, hurry up and vote!

    Don¡¯t wait until the end of the month!

    There are still rmendation tickets!

    The third watch will continue tomorrow.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1957

    <h4>Chapter 1957: Chapter 1957: Fat Carp ying the upright position</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and pressed Chen Lie¡¯s chest to calm his breathing. She whispered, ¡°Brother Chen, don¡¯t worry about it. He¡¯s already out of the hospital. It has nothing to do with you and me.¡±

    She hated grandfather Huo even more than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen.

    It was this person who had wholeheartedly protected Luo Jin, who wanted to kill her, and had once supported Luo Jin¡¯s ¡°Fake marriage¡±with Huo Shaoheng!

    Gu Nianzhi did not think of herself as a magnanimous person, nor was she a saint. She still could not forgive the father and son.

    Of course, they had not asked for her forgiveness, so she would not ¡°Forgive¡±others.

    Chen lie groaned as hey on the sofa, unable to catch his breath. He was on the verge of tears.

    Lu Jin looked at him with an interested expression. After a while, he said,¡±... do you have grandfather Huo¡¯s medical records? Bring them over when you¡¯re free to see if they can be treated.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Chen Lie:¡±! ! !¡±

    He sat up straight on the sofa like a fat carp. His eyes suddenly widened into two smallnterns. ¡°You can really treat him? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi punched Chen lie and frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m Talking About You!¡±

    Chen lie immediately corrected himself.¡±... Professor Lu, you can really treat him? !¡±

    ¡°I said, show me his medical record and see if I can cure him. which ear of yours heard me say that I can definitely cure him?¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling in the living room arrogantly.

    Chen lie chuckled and took out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll pull up his medical record right away!¡±

    His files without security level were stored in the cloud, so grandfather Huo¡¯s medical record was quickly pulled up.

    Lu Jin asked him to put the files on hisputer and brought Chen lie to his room to analyze grandfather Huo¡¯s condition.

    Gu Nianzhi was very curious and followed him in.

    On Lu Jin¡¯s desk in his room, two hugeputer screens appeared with grandfather Huo¡¯s medical records, some X-rays, and CT scans.

    Lu Jin held the mouse and quickly flipped through grandfather Huo¡¯s medical records while using anotherputer screen to look at the X-rays and CT scans.

    Chen lie stood respectfully beside him. He kept pointing at the data and images on theputer screen while exining grandfather Huo¡¯s condition to Lu Jin.

    ¡°... the reason we can find out is that after the stroke, more than half of the cerebral blood vessels were blocked by blood clots. At that time, we quickly used minimally invasive surgery to remove the blood clots in the cerebral blood vessels, but he did not wake up. Instead, he became a vegetable.¡±

    Lu Jin looked carefully at Huo Xuenong¡¯s cerebral vessels before and after the surgery, and shook his head regretfully, he said, ¡°Your minimally invasive surgery technique is not up to standard, but this is not your fault. Your equipment only has this ability. This surgery technique is already very good, but it still can notpletely remove the cerebral blood clots.¡±

    Chen lie quickly said, ¡°Then you mean, it¡¯s still the cerebral blood clot problem? Then we can continue to give him the drugs to remove the cerebral blood clots!¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Lu Jin shook his head and pointed at a spot on Huo Xuenong¡¯s CT scan, he gradually clicked to zoom in. ¡°See this ce? Although there are still remnants of the cerebral thrombosis, it¡¯s not that serious. It¡¯s not a problem with the cerebral thrombosis, but here...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Here?¡±Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out to look at theputer screen, but still couldn¡¯t see any dangerous lesions.

    Lu Jin exined to her in detail, ¡°This is a central nerve cell in the brain. Grandfather Huo became a vegetable mainly because the central nerve cells were damaged.¡±

    ¡°If the brain is considered awork system, then these nervous systems are thework wires.¡±

    ¡°Only thework wires can coordinate the various functions of the brain and bring them into full y.¡±

    ¡°If the Inte cable is broken, the functions of the brain can not be coordinated and lose consciousness, bing a nt-like existence.¡±

    ¡°If the nervous system is damaged, the inte cable is broken.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, in order to restore consciousness in a vegetative state, the nervous system must be repaired, which means the inte cable must be connected.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded repeatedly as she listened, wishing she could give Lu Jin a thumbs up and praise him for his good words.

    Even an amateur like her understood what he meant.

    Chen Lie¡¯s face darkened as he listened. Finally, he interrupted Lu Jin, he said, ¡°We all know that vegetative state is caused by damage to the brain¡¯s nervous system, but the point is that the nervous system itself is soplex that it¡¯s no simpler than the brain¡¯s own function.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say, but the central nerve cells can¡¯t regenerate. So once the nervous system is damaged, who can really repair the nervous system? !¡±

    ¡°We can only hope that the patient¡¯s self-repair ability is the same as winning the lottery. The people who win the double-colored ball jackpot are only one in tens of millions? or even one in hundreds of millions?¡±

    Therefore, many people who woke up in a vegetative state did wake up on their own, and they were not woken up by a doctor with surgery.

    Lu Jin smugly patted his mouse. ¡°So, I¡¯ll show you some tricks and teach you how to wake up a vegetative state with surgery!¡±

    Chen Lie:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Are you really not bragging?¡±His face was full of suspicion. ¡°Are you going to practice on a few death row inmates?¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re the one practicing on death row inmates! Your whole family is practicing on death row inmates!¡±

    Chen lie scratched his head, thinking that he had really practiced on death row inmates..

    But that was to save the life of a death row inmate, not to experiment on a death row inmate.

    It was just that he had never performed that surgery before, nor had anyone else done it before.

    Gu Nianzhi hesitated.¡±... but grandfather Huo has already been taken away by his illegitimate son... how is he going to perform the surgery?¡±

    ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to perform the surgery on grandfather Huo?¡±Lu Jinughed. ¡°I know how to differentiate between kindness and hatred!¡±

    Even if he could save grandfather Huo, he wouldn¡¯t do it!

    What was he doing? was he trying to make things difficult for hisdy after he woke up?

    Tsk!

    Lu Jin curled his lips in disdain and asked Chen lie, ¡°Do you still have vegetative patients in your hospital? It would be best if they are those who have been unconscious for many years and are already waiting for death.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±Chen Lie¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Our hospital does have a few more such vegetative patients! However, they have already signed the body donation agreement, so they are just waiting...¡±

    Lu Jin waved at him. ¡°Take some information and let me take a look. I¡¯ll pick one and take you to do a central nerve cell repair surgery.¡±

    Chen lie rubbed his hands excitedly. ¡°Oh my God! How can I do this? !¡±

    As he said this, he had already picked up his phone and searched for those vegetative patients in the hospital.

    He pulled up the information of five patients, and Lu Jin picked a young man at a nce.

    He had been in a vegetative state for six years, and his parents had been taking care of him without leaving him. They even said that they would donate all of their assets to the hospital, hoping that the hospital would continue to take care of this child after they passed away, until he died of natural causes.

    This child had been ¡°Sleeping¡±from the age of 12 until the age of 18. This age made Lu Jinpassionate. Moreover, he was still young, so it would be easier for him to recover.

    Chen lie was overjoyed. He immediately contacted the patient¡¯s family members to go through all sorts of procedures.

    Because this surgery was an experimental and forward-looking one, the family members had to agree to it and sign a disimer agreement.

    If the surgery failed, it would be considered as giving up one¡¯s life for science.

    It was impossible to use this opportunity to ckmail the hospital.

    Of course, for people who were so sick, their family members were almost in despair. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, they would not give up, and they would not even think of using the lives of their loved ones to ckmail the hospital.

    Therefore, when Chen Lie contacted this person¡¯s parents, the parents immediately agreed and quickly came to the hospital to sign the consent form.

    The surgery was scheduled for next Friday.

    ..

    A week passed quickly, and it was Friday again.

    Gu Nianzhi waited anxiously outside the operating room, even more nervous than the patient¡¯s family members.

    This was the first surgery her father, Lu Jin, had performed in this world. Whether it was for her or for this world, it was extremely important.

    Huo Shaoheng stayed by her side and did not speak. He sat alone on the windowsill in the corridor.

    His long legs were propped on the ground, blocking almost half of the way.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her fists and paced back and forth in the corridor.

    Song Jinning and Lu Yuan had also arrived. They were also very curious about today¡¯s situation.

    Lu Yuan asked quietly,¡±... Superintendent song, what do you think the chances of Lu Jin¡¯s surgery seeding are?¡±

    Song jinning said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about medicine, but I know that Professor Lu has beening to the hospital sincest night. He said that he wants to cultivate the central nerve cells first.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    This was using Lu Jin¡¯s knowledge of biological genes again.

    That¡¯s right. The central nerve cells could not divide and reproduce themselves, let alone regenerate. They were basically in sync with the lifespan of a person.

    Many diseases rted to the brain were caused by problems with the central nerve cells, and could not be cured.

    However, Lu Jin was a rare genius in the field of biological genes. Even a perfect gene like Gu Nianzhi could be constructed, let alone duplicating the central nerve cells.

    If it were not for the fact that it took a certain amount of time to cultivate the central nerve cells, Lu Jin would have been able to perform the surgery a few days ago.

    Chen Lie had not left Lu Jin for even half a step this week. Looking at his skillful methods of cultivating cells, Chen Lie felt that his previous twenty years of learning had been in vain.

    He had always prided himself as a genius and wore the hat of a national godly doctor with a clear conscience.

    However, in front of Lu Jin, not only did he lower his noble head, but he also bent down his thick waist. He wished that he could prostrate himself on the ground and kiss the tip of Lu Jin¡¯s shoe like a believer paying respect to the god he believed in.

    ..

    At the same time, a surgery with almost the same technique was being carried out in a private hospital in the imperial city.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1957, ¡°Fat carp fighting.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October had begun. Those who had a guaranteed monthly ticket, hurry up and vote!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting points that the ¡°Beautiful Princess Silly Tiger¡±gave yesterday!

    It¡¯s the third watch, the second watch is at 1 pm, and the third watch is at 8 pm.

    Mwah dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1958

    <h4>Chapter 1958: Chapter 1958 woke up (SECOND UPDATE: 2674282 + President)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the windowsill. His face was expressionless, but he was listening attentively to the report on his Bluetooth headset.

    ¡°Huo Shao, old Mr. Huo¡¯s surgery at the Imperial Private Hospital has ended.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the red light in front of their operating room also went out, indicating that the surgery was over.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a little strange. He stood up and walked to the end of the corridor where there was no one. He said in a low voice,¡±... continue to observe.¡±

    Not long after, Lu Jin came out of the ward wearing a surgical gown. He smiled at the parents who were waiting at the door and said, ¡°The surgery went very smoothly. He will wake up in two days.¡±

    ¡°AH? ! Really? ! Professor Lu, my son will really wake up? !¡±The couple wept with joy. They hugged their heads and cried.

    It had been six years, and they had not given up on their seriously ill child, nor had they given birth to another healthy child. They had only guarded this one child and could not let go.

    Finally, they had waited for a miracle to happen!

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°You can always guard him. After he wakes up, he will have more things to do. Besides rehabilitation, he will also have to see a psychologist. Six years is not a short period of time, he will not get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay! Let¡¯s go and find a therapist and a psychologist now!¡±The couple was so happy that they did not even bother to wipe their tears. They must have knelt down and kowtowed to Lu Jin.

    In modern society, very few people would give such a big bow.

    However, Lu Jin epted it calmly and said with a smile, ¡°If you have any problems, you can look for him.¡±

    He pointed at Chen Lie who came out from behind him and turned around to leave the military general hospital.

    Chen lie was about to catch up to Lu Jin to express his respect, and had even made up his mind to take Lu Jin as his teacher, but he was grabbed by the excited couple and watched as Lu Jin walked away.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she chased after him. She said to Lu Yuan, who had caught up to her, ¡°President Lu, in order to celebrate the sess of my father¡¯s surgery, you must treat us to a big meal today!¡±

    Song Jinning walked beside Lu Yuan and covered her mouth with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s Friday today, Nianzhi. Even if your father didn¡¯t have the surgery, Lu Yuan is going to make a big meal anyway!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Sigh!

    I forgot!

    She quickly corrected herself.¡±... then we have to make a big meal tomorrow!¡±

    Lu Yuan agreed with a smile and said to song jinning without batting an eyelid, ¡°Director song,e with me to buy some foodter. There¡¯s not much food left in the fridge at home.¡±

    ¡°Okay, no problem. Everyone is resting today. Let¡¯s go to my ce for a feast!¡±Song Jinning waved her hand heroically. Her eyes darted around, and Lu Yuan¡¯s heart raced as he watched.

    Huo Shaoheng did not follow.

    He waited for the excited couple to leave before walking over to Chen Lie and handing him a ss of water.

    Chen lie took the disposable ss of water and drank it all in one gulp.

    He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and said in a low voice, ¡°Huo Shao, where did you find Nianzhi¡¯s biological father? ! He¡¯s even better than that Gu Xiangwen!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said nomittally,¡±... The surgery was sessful?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was very sessful!¡±Chen lie and Huo Shaoheng walked over to his office in the Military General Hospital and sat down. They didn¡¯t have time to greet Huo Shaoheng and hurriedly sat down in front of theputer to write down the surgery notes.

    Lu Jin was speechless. He wanted to write down everything he had learned from opening the way and performing the surgery.

    ¡°How can someone be so talented? ! and his surgical skills are so amazing! He¡¯s like a robot, not bad at all!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked to his desk and sat down. He waited for Chen Lie to finish writing down his notes before he said calmly,¡±... someone is also performing surgery on my grandfather.¡±

    Chen Lie was stunned for a moment before he slowly raised his head. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Someone is performing the same surgery on my grandfather.¡±Huo Shaoheng took out the round gold coin and twirled it between his fingers.

    Chen lie immediately understood. ¡°Zhang Baochen sent his father to a private hospital because he didn¡¯t want to give up and wanted to save grandfather Huo? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°That should be the reason.¡±

    ¡°... No wonder you didn¡¯t say anything.¡±Chen lie understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s situation and sighed. ¡°It was his grandfather after all. Although he did something wrong, he could only turn a blind eye to this kind of life-saving thing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let out a rare sigh and said in a muffled voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether this is right or wrong, so I simply didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    He watched coldly from the sidelines.

    Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°But don¡¯t think too much. There won¡¯t be any changes ¡ª unless professor Lu performs the surgery on your grandfather.¡±

    He then asked in confusion, ¡°If your father knew that Professor Lu could perform such a surgery, would he havee to beg him to perform the surgery on your grandfather?¡±

    If Chen Lie¡¯s guess was correct, in two days, when the young man they were treating today woke up, Lu Jin¡¯s reputation would spread like wildfire.

    Not only would the whole of Huaxia know that they had produced a doctor with superb medical skills.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. Uncle Lu won¡¯t treat him.¡±

    They all agreed that grandfather Huo wouldn¡¯t wake up.

    But this time, they were all wrong.

    Two dayster, not only did the young man in a vegetative state who had been in aa for six years in the military general hospital wake up sessfully, but grandfather Huo also slowly woke up in a private hospital.

    When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his illegitimate son, Zhang Baochen.

    ¡°Bao... Chen...¡±he called out his name while trembling, and tears uncontrobly flowed down his face.

    In the past year and a half, he had actually been conscious. Sometimes, he could even hear the people around him talking.

    It was just that he was too tired and could not move at all. He did not even have the strength to open his eyes.

    The feeling of his soul wandering outside his body was too unbearable!

    Zhang Baochen tried his best to wake him up. Grandfather Huo¡¯s heart waspletely on his side.

    ¡°Dad! You¡¯re finally awake!¡±Zhang Baochen cried and threw himself in front of grandfather Huo¡¯s sick bed.

    He cried with genuine emotion. He was so happy that he cried.

    In the past year and a half, he had almost fallen from heaven to Hell. He thought that he would never be able to turn over a new leaf in this life. He didn¡¯t expect that there would always be a way out. He stood up again!

    ¡°Dad! Dad! You¡¯re finally awake!¡±He could not say anything else but repeated the sentence over and over again.

    In grandfather Huo¡¯s ears, this sentence sounded better than anything else. It was like the sound of Buddha, making his entire body feelfortable listening to it.

    After Zhang Baochen cried bitterly, he called his two children and his wife and asked them toe to the hospital immediately.

    After thinking for a while, Zhang Baochen called Huo Guanchen again and said, ¡°Second brother, dad is awake.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he did not react for a long time. ¡°What did you say? ! He¡¯s really awake? !¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s awake. Second Brother cane to the hospital to see him.¡±He even turned on the camera on his phone and took a short video and sent it to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen saw the video on his phone and immediately sent it to Lu Yuan.

    At this time, Lu Yuan was in the Hong Corporation¡¯s 4s shop picking up the car with Lu Jin.

    When he heard his phone ring, he took it out and opened it. He found that Huo Guanchen had sent him a video.

    Lu Yuan opened it casually and his eyes suddenly widened.

    His father, who was in a vegetative state, had actually woken up!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the Alliance Today: Chapter 1958, waking up.

    For the ¡°2674282¡±pro-august promotion to Alliance master, this is the second watch.

    Come,e,e, where are your monthly tickets? The double monthly ticket for October is on the seventh day of the month!

    And rmendation tickets!

    8:00 p.m. on the third.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1959

    <h4>Chapter 1959: Chapter 1959 you contributed the most (the third request for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng also received a message from his subordinate: ¡°The old man has woken up.¡±

    He raised his eyebrows in surprise and was about to send a message to continue asking when he received another message on his phone. It was a short video, sent by Lu Yuan.

    When he finished watching the video, he was also shocked.

    Other than Lu Jin, there was actually someone else in this world who could perform such a surgery? !

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the people at the dining table, then at Lu Jin, who was chatting andughing with Gu Nianzhi. He narrowed his eyes, then looked at Lu Yuan and said,¡±... CEO Lu, do you want to go take a look?¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded with a dark expression. ¡°Of course I want to go. Your father invited me to go with him. What About You?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put down his phone and wiped his hands with a napkin. He said slowly, ¡°Of course I have to go.¡±

    His grandfather, who was in a vegetative state, had woken up after being operated on. Shouldn¡¯t he go visit him?

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and asked curiously, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Her eyes darted between Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan looked at each other. Seeing that neither of them had any intention of hiding anything, Huo Shaoheng said,¡±... to see the old man. He¡¯s awake.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, but quickly remembered that it was the old man. Her face fell.¡±... He¡¯s awake? What Luck.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not luck.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze swept past Lu Jin. ¡°Someone did the surgery on him.¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and was about to speak when his phone rang. It was Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie¡¯s surprised voice came through the phone. ¡°Professor Lu! The patient is awake! He¡¯s really awake! His parents are so happy that they want to bring him here to kowtow to you!¡±

    Lu Jinughed. ¡°So what if he¡¯s awake? There¡¯s no need to kowtow anymore. Take good care of them. You can do whatever you want with them!¡±

    Lu Jin was impatient with the follow-up work, and the gratitude of the patient¡¯s family was not something he cared about.

    After hanging up on Chen Lie, Lu Jin took the initiative to say, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go and take a look? I didn¡¯t expect to see such a good doctor here. I¡¯m just ignorant.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t go yet. Wait for me and President Lu to check out the situation.¡±

    Lu Jin was very convinced by Huo Shaoheng and nodded. ¡°Okay, you guys go first. But if it¡¯s convenient, check if there are any surveince cameras from his surgery and send them back to me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng agreed. He packed his things and went to the private hospital with Lu Yuan to visit grandfather Huo.

    Huo Guanchen had already gone there by car.

    He came to grandfather Huo¡¯s ward and found that apart from Zhang Baochen, his wife, and his two children, there were a few other people he was not familiar with.

    There was a capable woman in a ck business suit and a pretty girl in a white dress.

    The woman in ck was Guo Huining, and the woman in White was Dou Aiyan.

    Seeing that grandfather Huo, who had been in a vegetative state a few days ago, was now able to sit up and let his son feed him porridge, the smile on Guo Huining¡¯s face involuntarily widened.

    She hoped that she had made the right choice.

    She and Dou Aiyan walked in and stood behind Zhang Baochen. They said softly, ¡°Mr. Zhang.¡±

    Zhang Baochen turned around and saw that it was Guo Huining. He immediately rushed over to shake her hand and said, ¡°Director Guo! It¡¯s all thanks to you! Thank you! Thank you so much!¡±

    Guo Huining said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mr. Zhang. We were lucky to be able to save grandfather Huo.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too modest. This is not luck! I saw my father perform the surgery with my own eyes and wake up two dayster. This is definitely not luck!¡±

    Zhang Baochen shook Guo Huining¡¯s hand vigorously. He was extremely grateful.

    Dou aiyan tilted her head to the side and watched. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

    Huo Guanchen also walked over and nodded politely to Guo Huining. ¡°Thank you for helping to save my father.¡±

    Zhang Baochen quickly introduced, ¡°This is my second brother, General Huo Guanchen.¡±

    He then said to Huo Guanchen, ¡°This is the director of the Hong Corporation¡¯s legal department, Miss Guo Huining.¡±

    ¡°General Huo, you¡¯re too kind!¡±Guo huining was overwhelmed by the favor and reached out to shake Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand, ¡°Since I know someone, how can I not help? I¡¯m Old, how many years do I have left? We¡¯re both children, I understand how you feel.¡±

    Huo Guanchen shook her hand with emotion, thinking that it was rare to see such a magnanimous and sensible woman.

    Dou aiyan stood behind Guo Huining, not saying a word.

    Huo Guanchen pretended not to know her, and she had no intention ofing forward to join in the fun.

    She looked down at the wooden pattern on the floor and suddenly felt the vibration of her phone. She took it out to take a look and quickly said to Guo huining, ¡°Huining, I¡¯m a little hungry, shall we have breakfast first?¡±

    Guo huining had already dug Dou aiyan out of bed early in the morning. Dou aiyan was indeed a little hungry.

    Guo Huining saw her wink at her and nodded. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go and have something to eat first. Mr. Zhang, have a good family gathering. We Won¡¯t disturb you anymore.¡±

    Zhang Baochen quickly said, ¡°Director Guo, you don¡¯t have to be so polite! You Are the savior of our family! If there¡¯s anything you need, just say it! But if there¡¯s anything you need, I won¡¯t hesitate!¡±

    Guo Huining had been waiting for him to say that. She smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re too serious. I¡¯ll go eat breakfast first. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡±Zhang Baochen watched the two leave the ward, then turned around and went back to the colorful clothes in front of grandfather Huo¡¯s bed.

    Guo Huining and Dou aiyan came out of grandfather Huo¡¯s ward. They were not in a hurry to go downstairs. Instead, they walked to an empty ward nearby and waited.

    Guo huining asked curiously, ¡°Aiyan, what are you going to do?¡±

    Dou aiyan let go of her hand that was holding on to her sleeve. She put one of her index fingers to her mouth and whispered, ¡°Shh.¡±She told Guo Huining not to speak and to look outside.

    The ward they were in was empty. After they came in, they turned off the lights, so it was dark inside. They could see outside, but the people outside could not see inside.

    Not long after, two handsome men with distinctive features walked past their ward.

    The profile of the young man was impable, as if he could be drawn into a painting at any time.

    He unintentionally turned his eyes to look at the room, and Guo Huining almost lost her footing.

    She had forgotten to breathe. He was so handsome that it made her despair. It was as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss and could never climb out again.

    She was stunned for a moment before she remembered that this person was Huo Shaoheng!

    Dou aiyan, who was beside her, looked coldly at the two men who had just passed by outside.

    He was really handsome. Not only was he so young that people couldn¡¯t take their eyes off him, the older one had a mature and steady temperament. The Crow¡¯s feet at the corners of his eyes were filled with a seductive charm that made one not think that he was old.., one only felt that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes contained the vicissitudes of time, and that he was extremely manly.

    However, although both of them were extremely charming, they were not dou Aiyan¡¯s Cup of tea.

    Huo Shaoheng was the man that Dou Aiyan¡¯s sister, Dou qingyan, liked, so Dou Aiyan was not interested in him.

    However, when she saw him, she remembered that she used to have a crush on professor he. That was the kind of man that could make her heart beat faster and make her stutter with just one look..

    She didn¡¯t know where this Prince Charming had gone to now.

    Dou aiyan thought sadly as she silently watched Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan walk past the ward they were in. She then pushed Guo Huining. ¡°Huining, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Guo huining also saw Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan. She whispered in surprise,¡±... Aiyan, you did the most! They were all here as soon as old Mr. Huo woke up!¡±

    Dou aiyan smiled. ¡°Huining, I told you, I Won¡¯t lie to you. You¡¯ve helped the Huo family a lot now. As long as they help persuade Gu Nianzhi, they won¡¯t refuse such a small matter.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third watch of the day: Chapter 1959, ¡°You did the most.¡±.

    Come,e,e. Where are your monthly tickets? The double monthly ticket for October is on the seventh day of the month!

    There are also rmended tickets!

    Mwah, big and small angels ~ ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1960 - was similar in terms of people

    <h4>Chapter 1960: Chapter 1960 was simr in terms of people</h4>

    In Guo Huining¡¯s opinion, grandfather Huo was definitely the head of the Huo family.

    Although he was no longer in the military and no longer held a military rank, his biological son was still very capable.

    Huo Guanchen, the general, was obviously very devoted to his father.

    The Huo family did not have an olddy, so grandfather Huo was definitely the eldest.

    No matter how capable Huo Shaoheng was, how could he openly contradict his grandfather and father?

    She knew that people in the system like Huo Shaoheng were the most particr about personal virtue.

    If one¡¯s personal virtue was not good, even if one wanted to get promoted, they would not be able to get past the masses.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi would definitely be at a disadvantage.

    Guo huining smiled gently and shook Dou Aiyan¡¯s hand. ¡°Aiyan, I knew I wasn¡¯t wrong about you. Although something happened to your family, it has nothing to do with you, and I¡¯m willing to help you.¡±

    Dou aiyan looked touched. ¡°Huining, after something happened to my family, my old friends hid from me or pretended they didn¡¯t know me. You¡¯re the only one who treats me the same as before.¡±

    In fact, the two of them weren¡¯t familiar with each other in the past. They had only attended a few cocktail parties.

    Moreover, at that time, Dou Aiyan didn¡¯t want to know someone like Guo Huining.

    Guo huining had heard of Dou Aiyan before.

    Now, the two of them let bygones be bygones and left the private hospital, chatting andughing.

    ..

    In grandfather Huo¡¯s ward, Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan stood at the door and watched for a while.

    The Zhang family surrounded grandfather Huo¡¯s bed, asking about his well-being. They were indeed very happy and harmonious.

    Zhang Baochen and Huo Guanchen stood at the side and talked. Both of them had smiles on their faces, and they were very harmonious and natural.

    Lu Yuan looked at this scene, and for some reason, he thought of his mother, Xie Ziyan.

    When his mother passed away, he was no longer in this world.

    At that time, how bad was his mother¡¯s heart that she left a will before she died, wanting to be buried in the Xie family cemetery in France?

    She wouldn¡¯t forgive grandfather Huo until she died.

    Lu Yuan had always been calm and collected, but his gentle and kind eyes were gradually filled with wind, Frost, rain, and snow. However, he didn¡¯t reveal his sharpness, and just stood quietly at the door of the ward.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in.

    He had to see for himself what was going on with grandfather Huo.

    Huo Guanchen was chatting with Zhang Baochen when he caught a glimpse of someone approaching from the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw that it was his eldest brother, Huo Guanyuan, and his son, Huo Shaoheng.

    He could not help but feel happy.

    It seemed that even though the two of them did not say anything, they were still filial and still had their father and grandfather in their hearts.

    Thinking of this, Huo Guanchen looked much better.

    He turned around and walked towards the door. He smiled at Huo Shaoheng, who had walked in first. ¡°Shaoheng is here. Your grandfather is awake. It¡¯s all thanks to your third uncle this time.¡±

    He turned around and pointed at Zhang Baochen.

    Zhang Baochen rubbed his hands together and looked at Huo Shaoheng with a fawning expression. However, he was more confident than before, and his back was straight.

    Huo Shaoheng walked past Zhang Baochen and said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t remember my grandmother giving birth to my third uncle.¡±

    Zhang Baochen was so embarrassed that he wanted to find a hole to hide in.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face darkened and he said angrily, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? ! No matter what, your third uncle is your grandfather¡¯s biological son!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not retort in the face of his father¡¯s anger. Instead, he shut his mouth and continued to walk towards grandfather Huo¡¯s hospital bed.

    Lu Yuan walked in at this time and blocked Huo Guanchen¡¯s way. He said coldly, ¡°General Huo, when you said that, did you ever think about your mother?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s mouth twitched. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Mother has her own difficulties, and father has his own difficulties. You Can¡¯t afford to neglect one thing and neglect the other.¡±

    ¡°Neglect one thing and neglect the other?¡±Lu Yuan shrugged mockingly. ¡°No wonder you divorced your wife who was seriously ill and became engaged to someone like Bai Jinyi. So you were blind.¡±

    ¡°Who are you scolding? !¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s self-restraint was on the verge of breaking down. He endured it again and again so that he would not shed all pretense of cordiality with Lu Yuan in front of the Zhang family.

    ¡°I¡¯ll scold whoever finds the right person,¡±Lu Yuan said calmly. His expression became more and more calm as he mobilized his professional skills to deal with Huo Guanchen.

    Zhang Baochen saw that Huo Guanchen was about to quarrel with this person. He looked at him for a long time and felt that he looked familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen this person before.

    Lu Yuan had not returned for eighteen years, so he was not quite the same as he was back then. Perhaps only those who were very familiar with him could bear with his identity.

    Eighteen years ago, Zhang Baochen had not entered the house yet and had not even met Lu Yuan once. It was only after he had seen Lu Yuan¡¯s photos at grandfather Huo¡¯s ce that he felt that Lu Yuan looked familiar.

    However, he did not think about it at all now. It was only when he saw that Huo Guanchen seemed to be very familiar with this person that he thought of trying to get close to him.

    He walked up to stop the fight and said, ¡°Second brother, don¡¯t be angry. Aunt died early. If she was still alive, my mother...¡±

    ¡°Who gave you permission to call her aunt and second mother? !¡±No matter how well-mannered Lu Yuan was, he was still angered.

    He reached out and grabbed Zhang Baochen by the throat, pushing him against the wall.

    Zhang Baochen was almost suffocated to death by the strangtion. His face quickly turned purple, and his eyes almost popped out.

    He he cried out, his legs almost turning into noodles.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡±Huo Guanchen was anxious. He came over and twisted Lu Yuan¡¯s wrist.

    Lu Yuan ignored him and pushed him away with one hand, he sneered at Zhang Baochen and said, ¡°What era is this? Some people even take pride in their second wife and call themselves their second wife¡¯s son. Wake Up, you are just an illegitimate child that can not be seen in the light. Moreover, your surname is Zhang, not Huo!¡±

    The members of the Zhang family who were surrounding grandfather Huo¡¯s bed turned around and saw this scene. They were so scared that they cried out loud.

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s wife, Qian Shihui, pounced over and patted Lu Yuan¡¯s shoulder as if she had gone mad, asking him to let go.

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s son, Zhang Wenjie, and daughter, Zhang Wenna, also came over to help.

    However, their whole family together could not even move one arm of Lu Yuan¡¯s.

    He still held Zhang Baochen¡¯s throat with great force. He gritted his teeth tightly, trying his best to suppress his anger.

    The Zhang family dispersed, and only then did grandfather Huo see the situation here.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s back was facing the hospital bed, so he did not see his appearance. He only saw Zhang Baochen, who was facing the hospital bed, being strangled to death by a tall man, he immediately shouted angrily, ¡°Who are you? ! What are you doing? ! Call the guards! Quickly call the guards!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had already walked to the side of grandfather Huo¡¯s hospital bed. He looked down at him and was secretly surprised.

    Grandfather Huo had really recovered very well.

    If he was not mistaken, his condition was only slightly worse than the young man who had Lu Jin¡¯s surgery.

    However, the young man was still young, and his bodily functions were recovering quickly.

    Grandfather Huo was almost 80 years old. He had been in a vegetative state for a year and a half, and yet he was still in such a condition. He was truly amazing.

    Grandfather Huo lost his temper. He looked up and saw a tall figure approaching. He subconsciously shrank back and looked again. It was his favorite grandson, Huo Shaoheng, he immediately said, ¡°Shaoheng, are you here to see me? Go and save your third uncle!¡±

    Lu Yuan, who had his hands around Zhang Baochen¡¯s throat, cursed again. ¡°Where did this B * Starde from! Let Go of Me Now! Otherwise, my son¡¯s grandson will call a few security guards and make you suffer!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at grandfather Huo calmly. Seeing that his face was rosy and full of energy, he basked in the Sun. ¡°Grandfather, who are you calling a B * Stard?¡±

    ¡°Who else can I Call? ! Of course I¡¯m calling that jerk who strangled people!¡±Grandfather Huo shouted as he pounded the bed. However, after lying on the bed for a year and a half, he still couldn¡¯t move his legs.

    Lu Yuan heard grandfather Huo scolding him like this and slowly let go of his hand. He turned around and walked over to grandfather Huo¡¯s bed.

    Huo Guanchen closed his eyes and didn¡¯t dare to look at this scene again.

    Grandfather Huo clenched his fists, his face full of anger as he watched the tall man get closer and closer. He was thinking of taking this opportunity to teach this person who dared to hurt his third brother a good lesson.

    However, when the man stood in front of his bed, grandfather Huo saw the man¡¯s appearance clearly and was suddenly shocked.¡±... You, you, you... Who Are You? ! Are you a person or a ghost? !¡±

    This man looked almost identical to his eldest son, Huo Guanyuan, who had passed away eighteen years ago!

    The only difference was that eighteen years ago, Huo Guanyuan was still young, but now he looked older. However, he was more mature and steady, like a famous wine that had gone through the baptism of time. The longer it was, the more mellow it was.

    Lu Yuan looked at his father with mixed feelings, but there was no expression on his face.

    He and his younger brother, Huo Guanchen, had been different since they were young.

    He was closer to his mother, Xie Ziyan, but his younger brother, Huo Guanchen, liked his father, Huo Xuenong.

    However, Huo Xuenong loved him the most. Even if he was not close to him, it did not matter. His favorite son, his proudest son, had always been Huo Guanyuan.

    Today was the first time he was insulted by grandfather Huo in public.

    Lu Yuan looked at grandfather Huo quietly and said,¡±... I¡¯m a low-life.¡±

    Hearing this voice, grandfather Huo¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted. He suddenly understood and his eyes suddenly turned red, soon, tears rolled down his cheeks as he grabbed Lu Yuan¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah Yuan? ! Is My Ah Yuan back? ! You¡¯re back, Ah Yuan! You left so early. Father is sad... Ahhh... !¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face quickly turned ashen.

    He knew long ago that in his father¡¯s heart, he was still no match for his big brother even though he was about to have a grandson after decades.

    Even though his big brother had not been by his father¡¯s side for eighteen years, even if his big brother refused to change his surname to Huo, his father still only had eyes for his big brother, Huo Guanyuan.

    However, Lu Yuan was not moved at all.

    He pried open grandfather Huo¡¯s hand one by one and said in a deep voice, ¡°You have mistaken me for someone else. I am Lu Yuan, your son, Huo Guanyuan. He died eighteen years ago. Have you forgotten the title of martyr given by the military?¡±

    ¡°But... but...¡±grandfather Huo grabbed Lu Yuan¡¯s hand again and said eagerly, ¡°But you clearly look the same as him!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just alike.¡±Lu Yuan was determined not to acknowledge grandfather Huo anymore.

    He was still a little uncertain at first, but when he heard grandfather Huo ask Huo Shaoheng to call Zhang Baochen ¡°Third uncle¡±just now, he made up his mind.

    It was so disgusting that he almost threw up his dinner the night before.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: chapter 1960, ¡°People are alike.¡±.

    October double monthly ticket in the first seven days of the month Oh, dear friends have a minimum monthly ticket, quickly vote!

    And rmendation tickets!

    PS: thanks to ¡°Beth1211¡åthe president of the 10,000 Qidian Tip Yesterday!

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    The third watch will continue tomorrow.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    Read Books Online & Free Novels Online

    -

 Chapter 1961 - Daydream (second, monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 1961: Chapter 1961 Daydream (second, monthly ticket)</h4>

    Eighteen years had passed, but grandfather Huo had never thought that Huo Guanyuan was still alive.

    In addition, he had just woken up and had made a big fuss. His physical and mental strength could not bear it. He pulled Lu Yuan to look at him for a while, but he still pulled a long face and let go of his hand, with his eyes closed, he said with extreme disappointment, ¡°I¡¯m done, I¡¯m going to be discharged. You guys go and do the procedures.¡±

    Zhang Baochen could not care less about being pinched by Lu Yuan. He quickly rushed over to grandfather Huo and said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go and do the procedures right away!¡±

    ¡°Stop. Father is just fine. It¡¯s better to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation.¡±Huo Guanchen stopped Zhang Baochen. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. He¡¯s tired now. Everyone can go and let Father Rest.¡±

    Zhang Baochen obeyed Huo Guanchen¡¯s orders. He immediately nodded and said, ¡°Okay, okay. Then stay in the hospital for a few days for observation.¡±

    Huo guanchen said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the Nurse I hired toe here to take care of father. ording to the previous rules, I¡¯ll be the one to send people here on the first, third, and fifth days. You guys will have to work harder on the second, fourth, and sixth days.¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem!¡±Zhang Baochen saw that Huo Guanchen¡¯s attitude towards him was getting better and better. He thought that his hard work had not been in vain. He had finally managed to cling onto a leg..

    The two of them discussed things as if there was no one else around. Zhang Baochen¡¯s wife, son, and daughter looked at Lu Yuan curiously, secretly trying to figure out who this person was. Even grandfather Huo had recognized him wrongly.

    Huo Shaoheng took out his phone and connected to the WIFI of this private hospital. He searched for a loophole in the surveince system and attacked it, looking for the surveince video of the operating theater.

    The surgery was performed two days ago, and this private hospital did not perform many surgeries every day. Therefore, he quickly found the video of the surgery and uploaded it to the cloud, and shared it with Lu Jin.

    Lu Yuan stood silently in front of the bed and looked at grandfather Huo for a while before he turned around and left without saying a word.

    Huo Shaoheng followed him out, and Huo Guanchen quickly called out, ¡°Shaoheng! When your grandfather is discharged from the hospital in a few days, remember toe and help!¡±

    Huo Guanyuan could not be counted on, and Huo Guanchen did not stop him at all.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s footsteps paused at the door. He turned to look at him and said indifferently,¡±... I have to work overtime, I don¡¯t have time.¡±

    ¡°Overtime? !¡±Huo Guanchen frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t General Ji Give You a big break? What overtime?¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You still have to check your emails to arrange your work during your break. General Huo¡¯s memory is deteriorating. If this continues, he¡¯ll retire early sooner orter.¡±

    He quickly left grandfather Huo¡¯s ward.

    Huo Guanchen was so agitated by the words ¡°Early retirement¡±that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. However, in front of the Zhang family, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

    Zhang Baochen wanted to say a few words of advice, but his phone suddenly vibrated. He took it out and took a look. It was a text message from Guo Huining: [ ... can you do me a favor and say a favor for me? ].

    He quickly replied: [ no problem! ].

    He was just waiting for Guo Huining to open her mouth.

    She had helped him with such a big favor. How could she not ask for something in return?

    He knew very well.

    Guo Huining was too embarrassed to tell him in person, so she sent him a text message, she continued: [ it¡¯s like this. I offended miss gu nianzhi, general Huo¡¯s daughter-inw, a few days ago. I see that you have a good rtionship with him. Can you help me defend myself in front of general Huo so that Miss Gu won¡¯t hold a grudge against me? ].

    Zhang Baochen was shocked. He hadn¡¯t expected Guo Huining to help him because of Gu Nianzhi!

    Other people aside, Gu Nianzhi had left a deep impression on him.

    Although he knew it wasn¡¯t right, he couldn¡¯t help but secretly hate Gu Nianzhi.

    If it weren¡¯t for her meddling, their family would still be living happily in the Huo family mansion in the military headquarters!

    It was all thanks to her that they had nothing now. The family of four was squeezed into an apartment that was less than 200 square meters!

    Zhang Baochen couldn¡¯t help snorting and replying: [ Gu Nianzhi loves to cause trouble. She thinks she¡¯s awyer and wants others to be strong. She doesn¡¯t put us in her eyes. If you want us to intercede for her, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work. ].

    Guo Huining saw the text message and pursed her lips. She thought to herself, how is she asking you to intercede for her? Of course, she was asking grandfather Huo and Huo Guanchen to intercede for her through you!

    Of course, she knew that Zhang Baochen couldn¡¯t speak to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    But she had never underestimated the role of a person like Zhang Baochen.

    She had been in the Hong family for seven or eight years and knew that the richer the family, the less monogamous they would be.

    Even though many people thought that it was modern society, the rich families were still the same as they were in the past. They had all kinds of wives, concubines, and illegitimate children.

    Some wives and concubines even lived together and lived peacefully upstairs and downstairs.

    Did you say that thew did not recognize concubines¡¯legal status?

    They did not care about their status at all!

    Now that she had seen grandfather Huo¡¯s attitude toward Zhang Baochen and Huo Guanchen with her own eyes, she knew that her choice was not wrong.

    Therefore, she replied, [ Mr. Zhang, you are too modest. Please tell General Huo and old Mr. Huo that when old Mr. Huo is discharged from the hospital in a few days, I will treat you to a meal at thergest and most expensive restaurant in our Hong Hotel, the Phoenix Court. Please bring old Mr. Huo, general huo, major general Huo, and Miss Gu with you. I will apologize to her in person. ].

    The Feng Ting Restaurant of the Hong Hotel was not a single building, but a private room on the second floor of the hotel. It was very spacious and luxurious, and the starting price was very shocking.

    Zhang Baochen knew about the Feng Ting restaurant. Seeing that Guo Huining was so sincere, he agreed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go talk to her. You can set the time, and let us know when.¡±.

    Guo huining heaved a sigh of relief, she quickly replied, ¡°Of course, of course. I¡¯ll send an official invitation and invite you toe. I hope Mr. Zhang can ask old Mr. Huo and general Huo to talk to them and mediate between them.¡±.

    Zhang Baochen did not dare to speak to Gu Nianzhi or Huo Shaoheng himself, but if Huo Guanchen and old Huo were to look for the two of them, he would probably give them face.

    He knew his ce.

    Guo Huining and Zhang Baochen finished their discussion before walking out of the empty room with Dou aiyan towards the elevator.

    Dou aiyan saw the joy on Guo Huining¡¯s face and asked with a smile, ¡°Is everything settled?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made a deal with Mr. Zhang. When Mr. Huo is discharged from the hospital in a few days, I¡¯ll treat him to dinner at the Feng Ting Restaurant of the Hong Hotel. I hope they¡¯ll be there to apany me. I¡¯ll personally apologize to Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°... Will Gu Nianzhi be there? What if she doesn¡¯t ept your apology?¡±Dou aiyan asked curiously. ¡°She said that day that she would never set foot in the Hong Hotel again.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ll treat her to a meal at the Hong Hotel...¡±Guo Huining said slyly. She was very pleased with her little trick, ¡°She¡¯s being unreasonable if she doesn¡¯te. She also doesn¡¯t take the two eldest elders of the Huo family seriously. Does she still want to marry into the Huo family in the future? ! Dream On!¡±

    ¡°But if shees, it will be a p in the face.¡±Dou aiyan understood, pped her hands andughed: ¡°Huining you are too awesome! Even I did not think of it!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 1961, Daydream.

    October double monthly ticket in the first seven days of the month Oh, dear friends have a minimum monthly ticket, quickly vote!

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)

 Chapter 1962 - Advice from an expert

    <h4>Chapter 1962: Chapter 1962: Advice from an expert</h4>

    Guo huining and Dou aiyan left the private hospital in a good mood. They got into their own cars and went home.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan drove back to song Jinning¡¯s apartment at the Third Ring Road.

    They had been called out for dinner. By the time they got home, the dining table had been cleaned.

    Song Jinning sat alone in the living room, looking at the ingredients.

    She raised her head and saw Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng enter. Song Jinning put down the ingredients in her hands, rubbed her tired eyes, and said, ¡°You¡¯re back? How¡¯s grandfather Huo? is he really awake?¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded calmly and said, ¡°He¡¯s awake, but this is thest time I¡¯m going to see him.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    She turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, is your grandfather well?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked around the house but did not see Gu Nianzhi or Lu Jin. He walked towards Lu Jin¡¯s room and said, ¡°He¡¯s fine. Let me call him third uncle as soon as he wakes up.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    She shouldn¡¯t have asked that!

    Huo Shaoheng left Lu Yuan and song jinning in the living room and went to look for Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi by himself.

    They were indeed in Lu Jin¡¯s room.

    They were on theirputers and seemed to be running a program.

    Huo Shaoheng knocked on the door.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to see him and said happily, ¡°Huo Shao, look what my dad found!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his trouser pockets and strolled in slowly. ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t my dad just pick up an electric car from the Hong Group¡¯s 4s store?¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at theputer screen. ¡°After he came back, my dad disassembled the car and removed the engine battery.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    It was only then that he saw what was on Lu Jin¡¯sputer screen.

    So it was the electric car that he had dismembered!

    Lu Jin said excitedly, ¡°I knew something was wrong! The patent I bought was so bad, how could it have such good battery performance! This is not scientific at all!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed as he looked at the screen filled with data.

    Lu Jin pointed at the data and exined to him, ¡°This is the battery performance data that I tested after I removed the battery. Did you see it? This data is definitely not something that can be tested with the battery that she signed the patent for!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes,¡±... What do you mean? Can you be more specific?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? ! This means that their batteries are fake!¡±Lu Jin was almost dancing with joy, he pointed at the battery that he had removed by the desk and said, ¡°This is it! These are not the patented batteries that they imed to have!¡±

    To be more precise, these batteries were not low-performance batteries that could be produced with cheap patents.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and bent down to look at the batteries that Lu Jin had removed. She asked curiously, ¡°How can this be called fake? This is obviously a good recement!¡±

    To put it simply, they were selling pure gold jewelry at the price of gold-ted jewelry.

    ¡°... are they crazy?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood and thought deeply. ¡°You mean that they use good, high-price batteries and store them in their electric cars, iming that they are low-price batteries. This gives people the feeling that they are cheap and of good quality?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying!¡±Lu Jin walked over, he scratched the battery that had been removed for a while and pulled it aside to show Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi, ¡°Look here. There used to be an old model, but it¡¯s been polished and engraved with a new model.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth in surprise and said, ¡°They bought high-performance batteries from other manufacturers! Then they polished the model of someone else¡¯s battery and engraved it with their own model and put it in the electric car produced by their own factory!¡±

    Lu Jin nodded heavily. ¡°That¡¯s right! My Girl is so SMART!¡±

    ¡°But why would they do that? Are they stupid?¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure it out again, ¡°They buy other people¡¯s high-price batteries and sell them at the low-price batteries price. That way, every electric car they sell is a pure loss!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that people do business with their heads cut off, but no one does business with a loss. Why would they take the initiative to do business with a loss?¡±

    Lu Yuan also walked in at this time. Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question, Lu Yuan said gently, ¡°It¡¯s very simple. The reason the merchants do this is partly to upy the market.¡±

    ¡°They would rather dump at a low price and fight a price war to squeeze out other simr merchants to achieve a monopoly, and then raise the price in the future.¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for the Hong Group to dump at a low price, because the prerequisite for dumping at a low price to upy the market is for the merchants to have enough capital and strength.¡±

    ¡°The Hong Group¡¯s electric cars have just started, and the Hong Group itself isn¡¯t very rich. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be looking for an overseas listing to raise funds.¡±

    ¡°So where would they get the money topete with others on Price?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, the Hong Group can¡¯t be the first reason, so it can only be the second reason.¡±

    ¡°What reason?¡±Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng asked in unison.

    ¡°To make money by going public. Make the numbers look good.¡±Lu Yuan had been in the business world for 18 years, and had built his ownrge listedpany from scratch. He was quite familiar with these twists and turns.

    ¡°But they¡¯ll lose money. Will the results look good?¡±Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Could they be cooking the books?¡±

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°It¡¯s possible. But most importantly, investors don¡¯t usually look at the earnings of a newly listed IPO Company.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you looking at?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Yuan with almost adoration.

    Lu Jin felt a little ufortable and quickly said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s based on the earnings forecast. It¡¯s also based on whether yourpany has investment potential.¡±

    ¡°The profit forecast depends on your market share and the speed of your revenue growth.¡±

    ¡°For the electric car industry, the profit forecast is the number of electric cars you sell to consumers and whether they have the potential to grow rapidly. As for whether the cars you sell will make a loss, that is not considered for the time being.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood immediately and immediately said, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why the Hong Group uses good batteries to install in their electric cars. They advertise that they have low-cost batteries, and the selling price is very low.¡±

    ¡°And the average consumer likes products that are cheap and good quality. The Hong Group¡¯s electric cars are one-third cheaper than other electric cars, and some are even half the price of others, but their battery life is about the same. ¡°Under these conditions, there will definitely be more and more consumers willing to buy the Hong Group¡¯s electric cars!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Lu Yuan nodded approvingly. ¡°This is the Hong Group¡¯s earnings forecast for electric cars.¡±

    ¡°As you can imagine, their data will definitely be very good, and there will be a gorgeous growth curve.¡±

    ¡°These are the data that overseas investors like to see the most, so the Hong Group¡¯s overseas listing this time was indeed guided by an expert.¡±

    Hearing this, the corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°What expert¡¯s guidance? Isn¡¯t this data falsification?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 1962, ¡°Expert¡¯s guidance.¡±.

    The double monthly vote for October was on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, there were guaranteed minimum monthly votes, so hurry up and vote!

    There were also rmendation tickets!

    Today is the third watch, the second watch is at 1:00 p.m. , and the third watch is at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1963 - The First Act of an expert (Chapter 2: The Second Act of an expert + 1)

    <h4>Chapter 1963: Chapter 1963: The First Act of an expert (Chapter 2: The Second Act of an expert + 1)</h4>

    Gu nianzhi continued, ¡°But, they¡¯re using good batteries to recharge their batteries. They¡¯re drawing their own blood. This isn¡¯t sustainable development in and of itself.¡±

    ¡°If the bubble blows up, it¡¯ll blow up sooner orter. Haven¡¯t they thought of a way out?¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head and smiled. ¡°The capital market doesn¡¯t see it that way. They only see the Hong Group¡¯s excellent earnings expectations and have high hopes for it.¡±

    ¡°As long as they upy the market, there will be a profit one day. That¡¯s how Amazon in the United States grew into a bigpany second only to Apple.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how many years Amazon lost before it made a profit?¡±? ¡°But the loss doesn¡¯t prevent its stock price from soaring every year. From a low of more than twenty dors a share ten years ago to more than two thousand dors a share now, it has increased a hundredfold in ten years!¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the Hong Group¡¯s target for this overseas listing is definitely tens of billions of dors.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils constricted.¡±... So Much? ! That Guo Huining really has some skills!¡±

    Lu Jin sneered. ¡°No matter how many skills she has, I¡¯ll give her all of them!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi, Lu Yuan, and Huo Shaoheng looked at Lu Jin together.

    ¡°Dad, what do you mean?¡±Gu Nianzhi was confused again.

    She had originally thought that the Hong Corporation would run out of cash in the future, but Lu Yuan had said that as long as the profit forecast was good, the capital market would continue to inject capital into it to allow it to develop.

    From this perspective, the Hong Corporation would not be in danger of losing its funds.

    However, Lu Jin did not buy it. He pointed at the battery that had been removed from the floor, he said confidently, ¡°This battery is produced by another manufacturer. It has a patent and is only avable for one electric vehicle brand. ¡°The Hong Group did not buy a patent. They only bought the battery and used it to store it in their own electric vehicle for secondary sale. It is illegal in itself

    ¡°Also, they used high-performance batteries to sell their electric cars. They imed that they were using their own patented batteries. They used false profit expectations to deceive investors. Once the US Securities Regtory Commission finds out about this, they¡¯ll never be able to list their cars overseas!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. Even she hadn¡¯t thought of this!

    Only a technology fanatic like Lu Jin could catch the Hong Group¡¯s tracks from the perspective of patent data, right? !

    Lu Yuan was also taken aback. He turned to look at the battery on the floor and muttered, ¡°But you only found a problem with the battery. Can you sue the Hong Corporation like that?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately gave her professional opinion. ¡°Legally speaking, a battery is definitely not enough to prove that the Hong Corporation is faking it on arge scale. But we can¡¯t buy and dismantle all the electric cars produced by the Hong Corporation, can we? ¡ª that¡¯s not realistic.¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Why should I verify it myself? What does this have to do with me? I¡¯m just a poor, weak, and helpless consumer.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin walked over to theputer chair and sat down. He pulled a long face and made a ¡°Poor, weak, and helpless¡±expression, he said, ¡°I can¡¯t win against a bigpany like the Hong Corporation alone. I can only carry on the Lei Feng Spirit and write an open letter to the legal department of the electric car manufacturer that was infringed by the Hong Corporation. I want them to investigate the battery problem of the Hong Corporation¡¯s electric cars. They are the real experts.¡±

    Only when an expert made a move would one know if there was a problem.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She pounced on Lu Jin¡¯s back and clenched her little fists. She lightly massaged Lu Jin¡¯s back and said with admiration, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re amazing! You can even think of this!¡±

    This method could be said to be very profitable.

    And it wasn¡¯t a rumor. Every electric car produced by the Hong Corporation must have been tampered with with the battery.

    Of course, the consumers wouldn¡¯t notice. Even if they did, the average consumer wouldn¡¯t think of suing the Hong Corporation.

    Because to the consumers, they were the ones with a vested interest. Who would be so foolish as to go against their own money?

    However, Lu Jin was different. He did not buy the Hong Corporation¡¯s electric car to drive at all. In other words, he did not buy it for the purpose of consumption.

    His main purpose was to pick a fight.

    Of course, this fight was not a random one. It was a conclusion that Lu Jin had reached after careful data analysis and scientific reasoning.

    It was directed at the biggest weakness of the Hong Corporation, the data performance problem of the electric car battery.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Dad, what is Guo Huining Thinking?¡±? Why didn¡¯t she sign those better patents? She was spending money anyway. Could it be that if she bought a battery made by someone else and sold it in the car at a low price, she wouldn¡¯t have to spend money? I don¡¯t understand her logic.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±Lu Jin typed on hisputer while writing an open letter, he said seriously, ¡°Actually, batteries aren¡¯t expensive. What¡¯s expensive is the patented technology. And good patents are all exclusive licenses, so the price is astronomical. Of course, it¡¯s more cost-effective for the Hong Group to buy the finished battery.¡±

    ¡°Also, signing a cheap patent can further tamper with the cost of an electric car. No one will know. If it weren¡¯t for your father¡¯s keen eyes, this scam of the Hong Group might not have been exposed even if it went public.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled almost obsequiously. ¡°Yes, yes! Dad, you¡¯re the best! Do you want some water? What do you want to Eat Tonight? Let president Lu do it.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He curled his lips. ¡°Nianzhi, please please please your father. Don¡¯t use me as a favor, okay?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Gu Nianzhi turned around and made a face at Lu Yuan. ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re my trump card to please Dad!¡±

    Lu Jinughed heartily, he mmed the table and said, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re wrong. Your father¡¯s reputation is no longer useful. Boss LU is now focused on pleasing madam song. You said you wanted to make something delicious for Madam song, and it worked.¡±

    Song Jinning, who had just walked in:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and turned around. She was just about to make fun of Lu Yuan when she caught a glimpse of song jinning from the corner of her eye. She was embarrassed, she quickly changed the topic. ¡°Dad, are you going to post this open letter online? Do you want to post it on Weibo? I¡¯ll use my ¡®Troll Army¡¯to forward it to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi Winked at Lu Jin and said haughtily.

    This was her territory. Compared to being tied down in the opposite world, she was like a fish in water here.

    Lu Jin did not know that song jinning had entered, but he still joked,¡±... I want to eat pae fried rice tonight. Nianzhi, go and tell boss Lu that it¡¯s Mrs. Song who wants it. He will definitely make it.¡±

    Song jinning rubbed her forehead and said weakly, ¡°Professor Lu, I don¡¯t want to eat pae fried rice.¡±

    Lu yuan immediately replied, ¡°Okay, then we won¡¯t do it.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second reward of the day: chapter 1963, ¡°The expert makes a move.¡±.

    This was the first reward of 50,000 starting point coins for the ¡°Jiyu¡¯er¡±alliance leader in August.

    The double monthly ticket for October was on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, if you have a guaranteed monthly ticket, hurry up and vote!

    There were also rmendation tickets!

    , the third night at 8:00 pm.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1964 - Slow and steady (chapter three: Monthly Pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1964: Chapter 1964: Slow and steady (chapter three: Monthly Pass)</h4>

    Lu Jin was not angry. He smiled at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°See, what did I say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not dareugh out loud. She whispered into Lu Jin¡¯s ear,¡±... It¡¯s okay, let¡¯s go get Huo Shao to make Spanish seafood fried rice. Huo Shao¡¯s cooking is as good as president Lu¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Lu Jin¡¯s eyes lit up. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Then go ahead and tell him! We¡¯ll eat together tonight!¡±

    When they were having dinner that night, an open letter from anonymous suddenly went viral online.

    This open letter was written to a well-known electric car manufacturer, Raft.

    The electric car manufacturer, Raft, was a well-known brand that had risen in recent years. They had spent a lot of money on patents to get to where they were today.

    However, the emergence of the Hong Group¡¯s electric vehicle had a huge impact on the sales of this manufacturer.

    Simply put, the market share that this manufacturer had lost was secretly poached by the Hong Group.

    They had been staring at the strategy of the Hong Group and the new electric vehicle that they hadunched over the past year. They had been wondering how they had managed to achieve extremely high performance at extremely low prices.

    However, this open letter to the legal department of the ¡°Raft¡±manufacturer perfectly exined the questions they had been asking for for the past two years.

    The Inte was also abuzz.

    ¡°The Hong Group¡¯s showmanship! Other people use inferior goods to make up for inferior goods, but they use inferior goods to make up for inferior goods!¡±

    ¡°What a genius! They came up with such a way to ¡®p¡¯the face of the consumers. I want to say, please p them a few more times!¡±

    Theizens were all talking at once. Just as Gu Nianzhi had said, most of them were praising the Hong Corporation in a disguised way.

    As long as it did not harm the interests of the consumers, ordinaryizens would not care whether the Hong Corporation was infringing on their rights or faking it.

    Therefore, the target of Lu Jin¡¯s open letter was never the ordinaryizens, but the electric car manufacturer ¡°Raft¡±that the Hong Corporation had actually harmed.

    ..

    In the office building of the capital CBD, the electric vehicle manufacturer ¡°Raft¡±had a branch office here. Although their headquarters was not in the capital, because of the consumption ability of the people of the capital.., no car manufacturer would ignore the capital. Almost all of them had branches or offices here.

    ¡°Go and check! Apply for a subpoena to the court and request to check all the electric vehicle batteries produced by the Hong Corporation!¡±

    ¡°They dare to steal our patent and sell it? ! They are really anxious to go bankrupt!¡±

    The staff of the legal department of the ¡°Raft¡±were all furious. They rolled up their sleeves and wished that they could beat up the legal department of the Hong Group.

    ¡°Yeah, why don¡¯t you take a look at how much money we spent to sign this patent? Does the Hong Group have any shame? !¡±

    ¡°If they had any shame, they wouldn¡¯t do such shameful and dirty things!¡±

    ¡°You guys go and collect the owners of the electric cars produced by the Hong Group Online. Tell them that we, ¡®raft¡¯, can help them do free testing of their batteries. Not only will we not charge them for each car, but we will also subsidize them by 1,000 to 5,000 yuan!¡±

    The Legal Department of ¡®raft¡¯had received sufficient funds from the grouppany and could start collecting evidence.

    At the same time, they also submitted a writ to the court, demanding that the electric car production workshop of the Hong Group, especially the battery assembly workshop, be thoroughly tested on the grounds of infringement of intellectual property rights.

    ..

    In the top-floor office of the capital¡¯s Hong Group, a shareholders¡¯meeting was being held in full swing.

    Guo Huining sat in front of a group of major shareholders with her face covered in dirt, and she was almost pointed at her nose and scolded.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? ! is what this public letter says true? !¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you swear that our engineers are capable? That they can create super-performance batteries with cheap patents? !¡±

    ¡°You really screwed us this time! You might as well sign a better patent so that people won¡¯tugh at you for ¡®using good to rece bad¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Director Guo, you promised that this idea was legal. It was also your legal department who signed the cheap patent to shut others up!¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s face was as white as paper. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her eyes were bloodshot.

    Thirty-six hours had passed since she saw the open letter on the Inte. She had not slept or eaten a single minute. She had been operating nervously, investigating the situation, and using her connections, she wanted to suppress this matter.

    She had spent a lot of money to remove the trending topic, but no matter how she removed it, the trending topic would pop up again. Even the internal staff of Weibo did not know what was going on.

    They were also working overtime to check the code. They were just short of shutting down the entire Weibo.

    However, the Hong Group was obviously not that important. In other words, they could not afford to shut down Weibo, so this trending topic remained firmly in the top three rankings.

    The staff of Weibo said to her, ¡°Director Guo, did you offend someone? From the looks of it, the other party¡¯s strength is too fierce. We are not their match.¡±

    Especially in terms of theputerwork, they almost controlled the hot searches this time.

    Even the internal staff of Weibo could notpete with them.

    Guo Huining recalled the matter of withdrawing from the hot searches, and her mood became even worse.

    Moreover, her legal department had just received a subpoena from the court, saying that another electric car manufacturer, ¡°Raft¡±, had officially announced the Hong Group, not only iming sky-highpensation.., they had also requested that the Hong Corporation, which hadmitted fraud, be permanently banned from entering the electric car industry, because their actions had broken the rules of the industry.

    The old madam of the Hong Corporation was thergest shareholder. She was already in her eighties, but she had maintained herself well. She looked to be in her seventies, Hale and hearty, and very capable.

    She looked at Guo Huining, no longer as polite as before. She said coldly, ¡°Director Guo, what exnation do you have?¡±

    Guo Huining shuddered and quickly stood up. ¡°Chairman, shareholders, listen to me. This time, someone is messing with our Hong Group. We must work together and not let others take advantage of the loophole!¡±

    ¡°Messing with us? You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Who would mess with us? Who Could Mess with us?¡±The old madam scoffed, ¡°How many times have I said that we must do business steadily and steadily? The reputation of our Hong Group for decades has been destroyed by you!¡±

    ¡°Young people, it¡¯s understandable that you want to rise to the top in one go, but if you don¡¯t have a diamond in the rough, don¡¯t take advantage of others!¡±

    ¡°I was wondering why the annual financial report was losing money every year, but it turned out that you were ying tricks!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯te to an agreement with the battery sellers and subsidize them with our money, and then split the profits 50-50, did you? !¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good! You are enriching your own pocket!¡±

    ¡°Director Guo caused the disturbance this time. Does director Guo have to bear the responsibility?¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s face turned from white to red as she gritted her teeth, she couldn¡¯t help but say,¡±... but everyone, I¡¯m doing this for thepany¡¯s overseas listing! I¡¯m doing this to increase the profit forecast and increase the size of the listing. You all agreed!¡±

    ¡°We agreed to the listing, not for you to cheat!¡±The shareholders scolded her aggressively. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re Old Fellows who don¡¯t know about this new product, the electric car? Do you think we don¡¯t Know? !¡±

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s face was gloomy. She red at Guo Huining and pped the table. ¡°Alright, stop arguing. Director Guo, first submit a report to our shareholders on this matter. Tell them what other unpresentable things you¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°Within a day, the ounting department will submit an evaluation report to the board of directors to see how big of an impact this incident has on ourpany¡¯s finances.¡±

    ¡°In addition, the technical department will also carry out a seal inspection on the existing batteries of the Hong Group. If I find out that you really bought someone else¡¯s battery and engraved the Hong Group¡¯s trademark on it, Guo Huining, don¡¯t use the ¡®raft¡¯to sue you. I will personally send you to court!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the third watch of today: chapter 1964, ¡°y it safe.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October is on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, if you have a guaranteed monthly ticket, hurry up and vote!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    It¡¯s the third watch of today!

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1965 - took a sharp turn for the worse

    <h4>Chapter 1965: Chapter 1965 took a sharp turn for the worse</h4>

    Although Guo Huining¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good, she could still hold on.

    She sat in the oval-shaped meeting room of the Hong Group and looked at the shareholders and board members of the Hong Group in front of her. She tried her best to control her slightly trembling hands.

    She leaned back on the back of the chair and supported her body, which was already covered in cold sweat, guo huining forced herself to remain calm and said,¡±... Old Madam Hong, I still need to investigate this matter before I know what¡¯s going on. Please be patient, and don¡¯t me everything on me.¡±

    ¡°How could you not know what¡¯s going on?¡±The plump middle-aged woman beside Old Madam Hong screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, it was you who pushed the Hong Group¡¯s overseas listing! It was you who convinced the board of directors to agree to your n! It was also you who tricked everyone into giving you the original shares!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t admit that you¡¯re the only one responsible now? ! When you took the shares, you didn¡¯t share your ¡®credit¡¯with everyone!¡±

    This middle-aged woman was Hong Ziqi¡¯s mother. Guo Huining didn¡¯t dare to contradict her future mother-inw in public, but she also didn¡¯t want to let her shoulder such an important responsibility alone. However, she had to defend.., she realized that she didn¡¯t have much to defend herself with.

    Old Madam Hong put on her reading sses and took out the report of Guo Huining persuading the board of directors to agree to the overseas listing a year ago from the folder. She flipped to the most critical pages of the report and took a few nces at it, then, she threw the document in front of Guo Huining.

    ¡°Director Guo, take a look for yourself. How did you convince the Board of directors a year ago...¡±

    ¡°The board of directors only agreed to your opinion because of this report. They used a loss-making method to build up the brand of the electric car first and gain market share. After the overseas listing was achieved, they would turn a loss into a profit.¡±

    ¡°It was also at that shareholders¡¯meeting that you were selected as a board member to be in charge of the overseas listing of the Hong Group.¡±

    Old Madam Hong took off her reading sses and looked at Guo Huining with a frown, ¡°Electric cars are a new thing. We Old Guys Don¡¯t understand it, so we entrusted all the responsibility to you. In addition, you have been operating at a loss. Who would have thought that you would do such a thing? !¡±

    In fact, few of the major shareholders of the board of directors would look at the financial statements carefully, let alone know that thepany would always lose money, and no one cared about the financial statements.

    Besides, everyone was waiting to sell shares to make money after going public. Who would care about thepany¡¯s little dividend?

    Cold Sweat broke out on Guo Huining¡¯s forehead.

    In the beginning, she had asked the board of directors for full authorization in order to do a good job. Unexpectedly, now that something had happened, it waspletely her responsibility..

    But how had this matter been discovered by others?

    Guo Huining was nervous, but she could not figure it out.

    She pursed her lips, and Guo huining bit her lower jaw hard. After a while.., she said, ¡°Old Madam is right, but ording to the distribution of shares by the board of directors, even if I have to bear the responsibility, it is not the main responsibility. The ones who are truly fully responsible for the shareholders are the big shareholders. ¡°At most, I am just a small shareholder. At most, it is an administrative fault.¡±

    What she meant was that it was impossible to send her to court.

    Madam Hong sneered. ¡°In that case, you even prepared a backup n for yourself? Are you saying that you don¡¯t Like Us Old Fellows because we don¡¯t do anything and only take money?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare.¡±Guo Huining was after all an expert inw for many years. She nodded slightly, ¡°I just want to make it clear that we are all in the same boat. ¡°If something really happens to the Hong Corporation this time, it will be useless for you to hand me over alone. ¡°Everyone here has to bear their own legal responsibilities.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Old Madam Hong wasn¡¯t too frightened, ¡°Director Guo is directly rted to this matter. I propose to remove Guo Huining from her position as the director of the legal department, Expel her from the board of directors, and cancel all the original shares allocated to her. At the same time, thepany¡¯s legal department will file a civilwsuit against Guo Huining forpensation.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted, and she cried out involuntarily, ¡°Old Madam Hong! You Can¡¯t do this! Ziqi will not agree!¡±

    ¡°I am thepany¡¯srgest shareholder, and I have a veto power.¡±The corners of old Madam Hong¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You¡¯ve reminded me, your engagement with Ziqi will be canceled!¡±

    Guo Huining was so angry that her entire body was trembling. She suddenly stood up from her seat and said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t agree! I don¡¯t agree! You Can¡¯t just dismiss me like this! You Can¡¯t just cancel the engagement like this!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. If you¡¯re not satisfied, go to the court and sue me.¡±Old Madam Hong didn¡¯t want to talk to her anymore. ¡°Men, kick her out. Don¡¯t take anything away from thepany. Her authority will be revoked immediately!¡±

    ¡°If you dare to step into any property of the Hong Corporation, call the police immediately!¡±

    This was an injunction against her.

    Thepany¡¯s security personnel quickly rushed in. One on each side, they grabbed Guo Huining¡¯s arm and forcefully dragged her out of the meeting room.

    Two female security guards at the door dragged Guo Huining to the women¡¯s washroom to search her body. After making sure that she didn¡¯t have anything belonging to the Hong Group on her, they released her.

    She was dragged down from the employee elevator by a few people. She was almost pushed out of the Hong Group¡¯s headquarters building.

    The employees who came and went didn¡¯t know what had happened. A few of them even ran up to her and asked, ¡°Director Guo, what happened? Do you need my help?¡±

    The female security guard next to her shouted angrily, ¡°What director Guo? ! She has been fired by the Chairman!¡±

    The employee was shocked and immediately hid far away.

    Guo Huining pushed away the female security guard¡¯s hand and said with a dark face, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! If you touch me again, I¡¯ll call the Police!¡±

    The female security guard reluctantly let go of her hand and waved her fist at her. ¡°What are you showing off for? ! Hurry up and get lost! Remember, don¡¯t step into any of the Hong Group¡¯s industries in the future!¡±

    Guo Huining raised her head and sneered. ¡°Do you think I Care? ! You also remember, when that group of people invites me back, pack up your things and get ready to SCRAM!¡±

    Guo Huining had been in the Hong Corporation for more than ten years. The connections she had umted and the achievements she had made were all real. This was the only time she was eager to go public and took a shortcut, but in the end, she ended up like this.

    It was not that she did not regret it.

    However, in front of these low-level employees, she would not say a word. Moreover, she had to maintain her stance.

    She red fiercely at the headquarters of the Hong Corporation. She turned around and walked to the parking lot. As she took out her phone, she dialed Hong Ziqi¡¯s number. ¡°Ziqi!¡±

    Hong Ziqi had just received a call from his own ancestor saying that his engagement with Guo Huining had been canceled.

    Hong Ziqi was shocked, but before he could ask further, old madam Hong had already hung up.

    Hong Ziqi was in a hurry to call his mother when he realized that Guo Huining¡¯s call hade in. He quickly picked it up and asked, ¡°Huining, what exactly happened? ! Why did ancestor say that our wedding banquet was canceled? !¡±

    ¡°Ziqi!¡±Guo Huining heard this and the tears that she had been holding back earlier immediately fell. ¡°Ziqi, listen to me, I was framed!¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±Hong Ziqi was very worried about her. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯m here to pick you up.¡±

    Seeing that Hong Ziqi still did not leave her, Guo Huining¡¯s mood was much better.

    It did not matter if other things were lost. As long as Hong Ziqi¡¯s heart was still with her, she would have a day of recovery.

    ¡°I¡¯m in the parking lot of the Hong Corporation¡¯s headquarters.¡±Guo Huining¡¯s voice was very weak. ¡°I¡¯m very ufortable now and can¡¯t drive.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle and pick you up now!¡±Hong Ziqi immediately took the car keys and left the house.

    He and Guo Huining had been living together for four to five years. It was the Hong family who bought the house for him. Initially, they wanted to build a wedding house after the renovation, but Guo Huining kept saying that after they got married, they would move back to the Hong family mansion, this small house could be used as a ce for them to spend some time together.

    Hong Ziqi agreed, but before they got married, it was impossible for Guo Huining to stay in the Hong family¡¯s mansion, so the two of them moved in together.

    He sat in his car and just as he started the engine, he heard his earphone ring. He picked up the phone and realized it was Xue Jingjiang calling. He immediately asked, ¡°Young Master Xue, why do you have time to call?¡±

    Xue Jingjiang heard that his tone was still very normal. He sighed and said, ¡°Young Master Hong, you haven¡¯t been online recently, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would I go online?¡±Hong Ziqi said with a grin, ¡°Is it because the game isn¡¯t fun, or are the girls in the bar not pretty enough? Why would happy hour spend time online? ¡ª this is something that only losers without money do!¡±

    ¡°Ptui!¡±Xue Jingjiang scolded him. ¡°A dog¡¯s mouth can¡¯t spit out ivory! Your brother likes to go online! I don¡¯t like to y games! And I don¡¯t like to go to bars to pick up girls!¡±

    ¡°I told you why you did this...¡±Hong Ziqi drove the car and joined the traffic in Imperial City. He said proudly, ¡°You¡¯re so handsome, and your family is rich and powerful, but you¡¯re an otaku who likes to surf the Inte!¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you, the difference between us rich men and poor men is that they only know how to promote inte celebrities, and we¡¯re the ones who y inte celebrities!¡±

    Xue Jingjiang almost dropped his phone, but when he looked at the headlines on it.., then, he held back his anger and said, ¡°You don¡¯t surf the Inte, so you don¡¯t know that something happened to your Hong Corporation, right? Also, you broke off the engagement with Guo Huining? She was fired by the Hong Corporation?¡±

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s face changed. ¡°Fired? ! How do you know? ! What happened to the Hong Corporation? !¡±

    ¡°I told you not to go online! I told you to be an inte celebrity!¡±Xue Jingjiang red at his phone in disdain. ¡°Something happened to your electric car. The electric car manufacturer ¡®raft¡¯that you infringed on has already submitted awsuit to the court.¡±

    Hong Ziqi immediately understood.

    The Hong Corporation¡¯s electric car project was run by Guo Huining!

    No wonder the old ancestor personally called to say that he and Guo Huining had broken off their engagement. No wonder Guo Huining¡¯s tone was weird just now!

    Hong Ziqi hurriedly parked his car by the roadside, took out his phone, and casually searched for news. In an instant, he was led to Weibo.

    Of the top ten trending topics on Weibo, eight were now rted to the Hong Corporation and Guo Huining!

    Especially the decision of the Hong Corporation¡¯s board of directors to fire Guo Huining, it had already been on the trending topics!

    And the news of Hong Ziqi and Guo Huining breaking off the engagement was also trended with the hashtag # husband and wife are birds of the same forest, each flying separately in the face of Disaster # .

    Such a big thing had happened!

    Hong Ziqi stomped on the elerator and quickly drove towards the Hong Corporation¡¯s headquarters building.

    He stopped the car in the parking lot. Without looking at Guo Huining, he immediately rushed into the elevator and ascended to the oval conference room on the top floor.

    Guo Huining looked at Hong Ziqi¡¯s back view that left without a care, and her heart instantly sank to the bottom.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: Chapter 1965, the downward spiral.

    The double monthly vote for October is on the seventh day of the month. If you have a guaranteed monthly vote, hurry up and vote!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    Today is the second update, the second update is at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * * *

 Chapter 1966 - How did chapter 1966 be discovered? (chapter 2 requested a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 1966: How did chapter 1966 be discovered? (chapter 2 requested a monthly pass)</h4>

    When they reached the oval-shaped meeting room on the top floor of the Hong Corporation¡¯s headquarters, the board of directors was still in a meeting.

    Hong Ziqi pushed open the door of the meeting room with a bang, and everyone in the meeting room turned their heads to look at him.

    ¡°What the Hell Is Going On? !¡±Hong Ziqi walked over in surprise. ¡°Is it really Hui Ning¡¯s problem?¡±

    Old Madam Hong saw her favorite great-grandson enter and waved at him. ¡°Ziqi,e here.¡±

    Hong Ziqi quickly walked over. ¡°Ancestor, I saw the news online... it seems to be very serious?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be, it¡¯s very serious.¡±Old Madam Hong sighed. ¡°When you came, did you see Guo Huining?¡±

    Hong Ziqi blushed. ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t talk to her. I want to know what happened from you first.¡±

    He turned to look at his mother. ¡°Mom, do you know?¡±

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s father didn¡¯te back from abroad. Hong Ziqi¡¯s mother looked unhappy and said, ¡°Guo Huining is the one who knows the most about this. Do you think she can hide what she did? !¡±

    ¡°She bought someone else¡¯s patented battery and used it on her own electric car, selling it at a low price as a cheap product. She¡¯s really capable!¡±

    ¡°She yed us like monkeys!¡±

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s mother was indignant.

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s own ability was average, so he didn¡¯t hold an important position in the Hong Group.

    Old Madam Hong only managed the non-core business hotels in the Hong Group for him.

    Car manufacturing was the core business of the Hong Group, and Hong Ziqi had never interfered in it.

    Now, he was starting to build electric cars. In just a short year, the Hong Group had made a name for themselves. Guo Huining¡¯s talent was obvious to everyone, and she was given a lot of original shares, which were recognized by the Hong family, almost everyone was talking about his and Guo Huining¡¯s wedding date..

    Hong Ziqi¡¯s mother saw that her son¡¯s expression was very ufortable, and she hardened her heart, she said, ¡°Ziqi, I know that you and Guo Huining have been together for many years, and we didn¡¯t mean to make things difficult for her, but this matter was indeed her doing. It¡¯s also our fault that old guys like us don¡¯t know about electric cars, so she took advantage of the loophole!¡±

    Although Hong Ziqi was shocked, he could still say something fair.

    He said ufortably, ¡°Although huining is at fault in this matter, thepany can¡¯t treat her like this. Isn¡¯t she doing this for thepany?¡±

    ¡°When you heard that it can be listed overseas, didn¡¯t all of You Express your approval?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s sessfully listed overseas, your assets will increase tenfold or even hundreds of times!¡±

    Hong Ziqi was speaking the truth, and everyone present felt a little awkward when they heard it.

    Old Madam Hong said with a straight face, ¡°Ziqi, are you ming us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ming you.¡±Hong Ziqi wiped his face, he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I just hope that everyone can speak properly and not kick out huining all of a sudden. ¡°You still want to break off the engagement? Are you really going to ask me to break off the engagement with Huining at this juncture? ¡°What will people think of us?¡±

    He had been with Guo Huining for so many years, and they still had feelings for each other. He had long since decided that Guo Huining was his wife. However, his ancestors did not agree, so the two of them had never been able to get married.

    This time, if the overseas listing was sessful, he and Guo Huining would get married.

    Hong Ziqi had a good heart. It was also because of this that old madam Hong doted on him more than other grandsons and great-grandsons.

    However, although he was a good person, he did not have any talent. Moreover, he was indecisive. Every single point could not allow him to gain a foothold in the ever-changing business world, which was like a battlefield.

    Old Madam Hong waved her hand to dismiss the people in the meeting room, leaving Hong Ziqi alone, she said earnestly to him, ¡°Ziqi, great-grandmother knows that you still can¡¯t let go of Guo Huining. But think about it, if we don¡¯t do anything, our Hong Corporation will be finished!¡±

    ¡°... but this can¡¯t be her fault alone!¡±Hong Ziqi raised his head and said very discontentedly, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know anything. Even if she did this and you didn¡¯t know, you still indulged her!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fully in charge. Do you think she¡¯ll be happy that we¡¯re going to order her around?¡±Old Madam Hong Sighed, ¡°Yes, we were wrong. When we heard that we could list overseas, we were excited and let her do it. We didn¡¯t carry out the necessary internal control and verification.¡±

    In the end, it was because they all wanted to list overseas that they were mesmerized by the beautiful Qian Jing.

    Hong Ziqi himself was once a member who was full of expectations for listing overseas. However, he was still rtively young. He was still not used to this kind of naked falling out and disrespecting others.

    ¡°... I don¡¯t have any opinions on thepany¡¯s matters. However, I have the final say in my engagement with her.¡±Hong Ziqi gritted his teeth and said firmly, ¡°Even if you want to break off the engagement, you can¡¯t do it now. I Can¡¯t let others say that I¡¯m a selfish scumbag who used huining!¡±

    The words on the inte were so unpleasant that Hong Ziqi¡¯s face turned pale at the thought of it.

    Old Madam Hong patted his hand in heartache, ¡°Ziqi, those people are just saying it. Don¡¯t take it to heart. ¡°The matter with Huining has be too big. The other party¡¯s carpany has already filed a report to the court, requesting for investigation andpensation. You¡¯re still engaged to her. Don¡¯t tell me we have to bear civil liability together?¡±

    Hong Ziqi retreated for a moment, but in the end, he still said, ¡°She and I are only fianc¨¦s. We don¡¯t have to bear civil liability together.¡±

    Only a husband and wife could bear civil liability together.

    Old Madam Hong looked at him and smiled. ¡°Ziqi knows thew. It seems that all these years with Guo Huining were not wasted.¡±

    Hong Ziqi smiled bitterly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back. I¡¯ll go tell Huining that we¡¯re still fianc¨¦s. The ancestor¡¯s words were just a moment of anger. It¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡±

    Old Madam Hong thought to herself that this was not bad. At least she could temporarily calm Guo huining down.

    They were such a bigpany. Besides electric cars, they had many other businesses. If Guo Huining was forced into a corner, it would be troublesome for her to spread rumors about theirpany.

    Thus, she shook Hong Ziqi¡¯s hand and said with a kind expression, ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re pleading with her, then I¡¯ll pretend that I didn¡¯t know. After this matter is over, we¡¯ll talk about your engagement.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, old ancestor!¡±Hong Ziqi was in a better mood. ¡°Let me help you out!¡±

    After he helped old Madam Hong out of the meeting room, he began to call Guo Huining.

    However, Guo Huining¡¯s phone line was always busy.

    At this moment, Guo Huining was on the phone with Dou aiyan.

    ¡°Dou aiyan, how did this matter get known by others? It Can¡¯t be that you deliberately set me up, right? !¡±

    Guo huining was full of anger and started to scold her aggressively.

    Dou Aiyan was also confused.

    How did people find out about such a secret? !

    ¡°Huining, don¡¯t be angry. We are having a meeting here...¡±Dou Aiyan stood in the corridor holding her phone. As an intern, she was not qualified to participate in such a high-qualified meeting of an investment bank.

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of having a meeting now!¡±Guo Huining sat in her car and was so angry that she wanted to kick someone. ¡°There¡¯s definitely no problem on my side! The battery was purchased from a third party! This third party was provided by you!¡±

    It was impossible for the Hong Group to directly purchase the high-efficiency battery of the electric motor from the manufacturer that supplied the battery to the raft.

    Doing so would be too conspicuous and would be too easy to be discovered and jammed.

    Therefore, they bought from a third party. This third party was a short-sellingpany that Dou aiyan suggested to take the lead and set up.

    In fact, it was the address of a receiving station.

    Dou aiyan quickly said, ¡°Our third party is absolutely safe, and this third party doesn¡¯t order directly from that battery manufacturer. ¡°We all look for the owners who bought the ¡®raft¡¯electric car and let them buy the batteries. Then, we buy their new batteries and old batteries.¡±

    As a consumer of electric cars, it wasmon for them to change the batteries. Meanwhile, the Hong Group¡¯s electric cars had just started. The number of them was not muchpared to the ¡®raft¡¯, but the growth rate was very high.

    Therefore, the manufacturer of the ¡®raft¡¯did not find out anything fishy at all.

    As long as the Hong Group was listed overseas, Guo Huining could talk about better patents. That way, there would not be so much resistance to raising the price again.

    Unfortunately, their n suddenly fell apart on the eve of the sess of the listing.

    ¡°... how did they find out? !¡±Guo huining flipped through her phone and looked at the things that people on the inte had concluded. Her gaze fell on the first open letter to the electric car manufacturer, ¡°Raft.¡±.

    This open letter was directed at the battery problem of the Hong Group¡¯s electric cars.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: chapter 1966, ¡°How the hell was it discovered?¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October is on the seventh day of the month. Dear friends, you have guaranteed monthly tickets. Hurry up and vote!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1967 - was very awkward

    <h4>Chapter 1967: Chapter 1967 was very awkward</h4>

    Guo Huining pulled on her phone and read the letter. She couldn¡¯t help but break out in a cold sweat.

    The information in the letter was very detailed. The argument was short and powerful. It pointed to the huge difference between the price and the performance. It almost brought up the issue of the battery.

    However, with Guo Huining¡¯s years of experience as awyer and the ups and downs of the business world, this letter was definitely not written by an outsider..

    Because the data inside was too professional, so professional that Guo Huining did not believe that it was written by an unrted person.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face darkened. She picked up her phone and said to Dou aiyan, ¡°I got it. Someone from our internal department deliberately messed with me.¡±

    After saying that, she hung up Dou Aiyan¡¯s phone and turned around to call old Madam Hong.

    The people around Old Madam Hong originally didn¡¯t want to pass on the message to Guo Huining, however, Guo Huining said resolutely over the phone,¡±... I have evidence to prove that this matter didn¡¯t happen unintentionally, but that someone within ourpany was ying tricks! This person went to harm the interests of the entirepany and the interests of the major shareholders for his own personal gain. He is the main culprit!¡±

    Hearing Guo Huining¡¯s words, the person even said that she had evidence. In addition, she also had a part of the options of the Hong Group. Of course, she hoped that the Hong group would be good. She did not want to be ruined because of this matter, so she softened her tone, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and Tell Old Madam. Miss Guo, please wait a moment.¡±

    The person put down the phone and came to old Madam Hong¡¯s side. He bent over to her ear and repeated what Guo Huining had just said, finally, he said, ¡°There must be something wrong with this miss guo. But if someone from our internal department is really behind this and has betrayed the interests of the entirepany, shouldn¡¯t we find out who this person is?¡±

    ¡°Keeping such a traitor alive, what big things do you want to achieve in the future?¡±

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s eyelids twitched heavily. She hugged the Snowy White Persian cat in her arms and thought for a while. Then, she said, ¡°Huining said that she has evidence? Proof that it was done by someone from the internal department?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to disturb you.¡±That person quietly pointed to thendline phone in the room.

    Old Madam Hong nodded slowly. ¡°Then let huining go back to the mansion.¡±

    She had previously said at the board of directors that Guo Huining was not allowed to take even half a step into the Hong Corporation. Now that Guo Huining¡¯s suspicion had not been cleared, old madam Hong would not p her own face.

    Guo Huining received a reply. Just as she was about to drive, she heard someone knock twice on the car window. It was Hong Ziqi.

    Seeing him, Guo Huining was furious. With a straight face, she lowered the car window and said, ¡°Why are you still here? We are no longer engaged!¡±

    ¡°Old ancestor was speaking in anger. How can the engagement be annulled just like that?¡±Hong Ziqiforted her. ¡°Where are you going now? Let¡¯s go home first and think it over.¡±

    Seeing that Hong Ziqi¡¯s face was different from the other members of the Hong family, Guo Huining secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

    At least her efforts all these years were not in vain. Hong Ziqi was not a person without a conscience..

    However, she still kept a straight face and did not look at Hong Ziqi. She said, ¡°Old Madam asked me to go to the Hong family mansion. There are some things that we need to discuss in person.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going back to the mansion?¡±Hong Ziqi was a little surprised. ¡°Did old ancestor ask you to go back?¡±

    Guo huining nodded. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Move aside.¡±

    Hong Ziqi took a step back and watched as Guo Huining drove her red sports car far away.

    He thought for a moment, then returned to his car and drove back to the Hong family mansion.

    Guo Huining had already shown her evidence in old Madam Hong¡¯s room.

    When Hong Ziqi entered, an open letter was being disyed on the wide-screenptop in Old Madam Hong¡¯s room.

    Guo Huining also pulled out some other documents for old madam Hong topare, she said, ¡°Look, this is the battery data in this open letter. This is the test data of our group¡¯s internal technical department. The two data are almost identical. If it wasn¡¯t a mole, who on the outside would have the ability to obtain these data? And why would the people on the outside think of testing our battery data? !¡±

    Old Madam Hong looked at the two sets of data and finally believed Guo Huining¡¯s words.

    ¡°... could there really be a mole? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that, but there really is.¡±Guo Huining was very certain. ¡°I admit that my methods aren¡¯t aboveboard, but they¡¯re notpletely illegal either. They¡¯re just in a gray area.¡±

    ¡°Old Madam, you¡¯ve also been doing business for so many years. Can you honestly say that every business you do is aboveboard and wless?¡±

    Old Madam Hong chuckled. ¡°What are you saying? Every business our Hong Corporation does is aboveboard.¡±

    Guo huining chuckled as well. ¡°Really? Then what about the bribe? Is it considered aboveboard?¡±

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What bribe? Guo Huining, you have to speak with evidence. You ndered ourpany so much. No wonder you would do such a thing!¡±

    ¡°I did such a thing for the benefit of thepany, not to enrich my own pocket!¡±Guo Huining did not understand why old Madam Hong did not like her.

    She was clearly doing it for the good of thepany, so why did old madam Hong insist on such a small matter!

    Hong Ziqi saw the situation and quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Huining, how can you be so impolite when you are talking to the old ancestor? Apologize to the old ancestor immediately!¡±

    Guo huining came back to her senses and poured a cup of tea for Old Madam Hong obediently, ¡°Ancestor, I was too impatient. Even if you took away my position in the Hong Group, I¡¯m indebted to Young Master Hong for not abandoning me. I¡¯m still his fianc¨¦e, so I have to think about the interests of the Hong family.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a mole in the Hong Group. If you don¡¯t investigate thoroughly, this kind of matter will continue to emerge in the future. Not to mention listing overseas, even your own business will bepletely suppressed by others.¡±

    Old Madam Hong was not frightened by Guo Huining¡¯s words, she said lightly, ¡°We will investigate this matter, but before we find out the truth, we will not suspect any internal employees. Until we have evidence to prove that there¡¯s a mole.¡±

    The corners of Guo Huining¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Do you still remember the presumption of innocence...¡±

    ¡°Our ancestor was once a graduate of thew department of Yan University. How can we not understand?¡±Hong Ziqi rolled his eyes at Guo Huining.

    He had always thought that Guo huining could not speak, but now he realized that she really offended people at every turn.

    Guo Huining shut her mouth and stood beside Hong Ziqi, feeling very depressed.

    Old Madam Hong pointed at herptop and said, ¡°Alright, I will get someone to investigate this matter. ¡°Huining, you go back first. You will be temporarily suspended for the next few days. After the matter is investigated, if there really is a mole, I will give you an exnation.¡±

    Guo huining nodded. ¡°Thank you, old ancestor, for understanding my difficulties. However, I still hope that the group can properly handle this matter. We¡¯re already on the eve of going public, so I hope that all our previous efforts won¡¯t go to waste.¡±

    Old Madam Hong turned off theputer and said disapprovingly, ¡°After such a thing happened, we won¡¯t go public for the time being. Otherwise, going public will also be a rip-off for others.¡±

    Guo huining pursed her lips disapprovingly and walked out of the Hong family¡¯s mansion with Hong Ziqi.

    Hong Ziqi let her take his car back with him.

    Guo Huining got into the carzily and held her head without saying a word.

    Hong Ziqi nced at her and drove, he advised her, ¡°Huining, you need to change your temper. I know that you¡¯re very hard-working and hard-working. You do everything yourself. You put in so much effort for our Hong Corporation. ¡°But you can¡¯t think that you¡¯re superior just because you¡¯ve put in so much effort

    ¡°When you talk to others, be it shareholders or ordinary employees, don¡¯t be too aggressive

    ¡°Giving face to others is also giving face to yourself.¡±

    Guo huining sneered. ¡°Young Master Hong, are you lecturing me now? Believe me, I¡¯ve read more books than you¡¯ve eaten rice

    ¡°My ability is the least of your doubts.¡±

    As she spoke, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if she didn¡¯t want to say anything more.

    This arrogance was something she had never experienced before.

    Hong Ziqi was also angry when he saw this. He didn¡¯t speak anymore. He silently put on his Bluetooth headset and continued driving.

    Not long after, Guo Huining¡¯s phone rang.

    She took it out and saw that it was Dou Aiyan¡¯s phone. She immediately answered the call.

    ¡°Aiyan, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Dou aiyan smiled and said, ¡°I just remembered that it¡¯s going to be your treat soon. Have you talked to the Huo Family? Will Huo Shao and Gu Nianzhi be there?¡±

    Guo Huining suddenly opened her eyes.

    She had almost forgotten..

    She was not allowed to get close to any property of the Hong Group. How was she going to treat her guests at the hotel of the Hong Group? !

    This was very awkward. She would be beaten out before she could enter!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1967, ¡°This is very awkward.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October was thest day of the day. There was no double monthly ticket at the end of the month. Those who had monthly tickets, hurry up and vote!

    There were also rmendation tickets!

    It was the second update of the day. The second update was at 8 pm.

    PS: Thank you, ¡°Helen 3500 balls¡±, ¡°Kikokiko¡±, ¡°Lil Sis¡±, ¡°Book friend 20180911055357719¡±, the 10,000 starting point coins that each of you gave yesterday!

    Thank you, ¡°I am immortal turtle¡±, for the 100,000 starting point coins that you gave yesterday!

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1968 - was not an ordinary story

    <h4>Chapter 1968: Chapter 1968 was not an ordinary story</h4>

    What should she do?

    Guo Huining¡¯s gaze naturally fell on Hong Ziqi, who was sitting next to her.

    Right, Hong Ziqi was in charge of the Hong Corporation¡¯s hotel. As long as Hong Ziqi still recognized her, she could go in... right?

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes shed. She hung up on Dou aiyan and her tone softened, she said to Hong Ziqi, ¡°Ziqi, I¡¯m going to treat you to a meal at the Hong Corporation¡¯s Hotel. It was booked a few days ago. I¡¯d like to invite General Huo, old Mr. Huo, major general Huo, and his fianc¨¦e, Miss Gu.¡±

    Hong Ziqi was driving. He remembered the unhappy conversation he had with Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng that day. He quickly said, ¡°We should treat them to a meal. Let¡¯s have a proper conversation. You should apologize and let them calm down.¡±

    Guo Huining was a little unhappy. She thought to herself, if I make them happy, I should be unhappy..

    But now that they were under the same roof, she had no choice but to lower her head. This time, apologizing to Gu Nianzhi was a small matter. She wanted to use her rtionship with general Huo to return to the Hong family.

    Thest time she had heard Dou Aiyan¡¯s words and saved grandfather Huo, she had hit the nail on the head. A good person would be rewarded.

    Guo huining gradually became happy. She nodded and said, ¡°Yes, but you have to do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°What favor? Tell me.¡±Hong Ziqi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m still your fianc¨¦ now. You Don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡±

    ¡°... TSK, just now you told me not to be aggressive, and now you want me to not be polite. God is also you, and the Ghost is also you. You¡¯re the only one who makes sense, right?¡±

    Hong Ziqi felt stifled.

    Guo Huining didn¡¯t understand what he meant at all.

    The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, ¡°Huining, being aggressive and not being polite are two different things. Actually, I¡¯ve long seen that there¡¯s something wrong with your attitude toward people. You either put yourself too low, or you think too highly of yourself. You¡¯re too extreme. Take care of yourself.¡±

    Guo Huining was furious when she heard that. What right did Hong Ziqi, this ignorant and ipetent yboy, have to criticize her way of handling things? !

    She came from an ordinary background. When she didn¡¯t climb up, if she didn¡¯t bow and scrape to those people, would those people pay attention to her? !

    Back then, wasn¡¯t she able to get along with Hong Ziqi because she was more attentive than others? !

    Now that she said she didn¡¯t know how to handle things, could it be that she didn¡¯t want to be on the same level as those people? !

    It was really easy to talk while standing!

    But at this time, she was still pointing at Hong Ziqi and asking him to let her go to the Hong Corporation¡¯s hotel to treat her. Otherwise, she would lose face in front of Dou aiyan again.

    Actually, she hadn¡¯t sent out the invitation yet, so it was fine to change the venue now.

    There were so many ces in the capital to treat her to a meal, and it wasn¡¯t just the Hong Group¡¯s hotel.

    However, because she had boasted in front of Dou Aiyan and wanted gu nianzhi to swallow her words and p her in the face, she had no choice but to force herself to insist on the Hong Group¡¯s hotel and coax Hong Ziqi into agreeing.

    Guo Huining felt stifled just thinking about it, but in order to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s swollen face, she felt that it was worth it even if she had to suffer in front of Hong Ziqi and the Hong family.

    In this world where hierarchy was so clear, she sometimes felt very tired.

    ¡°... Ziqi, I know I¡¯mcking, and I¡¯ll definitely change in the future. But this time, you have to help me!¡±Guo Huining pleaded with a pursed lips, ¡°I¡¯ve already told people that general huo, major general huo, and grandfather Huo are all people of status and status. I Can¡¯t just change the ce at thest minute, can I?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know those people. The most important thing is face. If you change the ce to eat, people will think that you don¡¯t respect them.¡±

    ¡°Look, I finally found someone to cure grandfather Huo, and it just so happens that I can build a rtionship with them. It would be such a pity if all my efforts were for naught.¡±

    Hong Ziqi remembered that Huo Shaoheng had blocked his phone number, and wanted to apologize to him. He quickly said, ¡°I know, of course I can¡¯t change the location. But what does this have to do with my help?¡±

    ¡°Of course there is.¡±Guo huining blushed slightly. ¡°It¡¯s like this. I told them that the ce was the Hong Group¡¯s hotel, but... the old ancestor said that he won¡¯t let me step into the Hong Group¡¯s enterprise...¡±

    Hong Ziqi was stunned for a moment, then turned his head and said, ¡°The old ancestor really said that?¡±

    Guo huining nodded. ¡°He said it in front of the board members in the oval-shaped meeting room on the top floor of the headquarters.¡±

    ¡°... I see...¡±Hong Ziqi thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll give the old ancestor a call.¡±

    He dialed Mrs. Hong¡¯s number, he quickly said, ¡°The old ancestor, I have something to tell you. Huining was going to treat general Huo Guanchen and major general Huo Shaoheng to a banquet at our hotel, as well as their grandfather and major general Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Miss Gu. ¡°What do you think? Can you make an exception...¡±

    Old Madam Hong frowned. ¡°Guo Huining is going to treat the Huo family to a meal? Why? We can¡¯t treat them anywhere. must they be at our Hong Hotel?¡±

    She was actually not familiar with the Huo family because she was old and the Huo family¡¯s influence was mainly in the military. The high-ranking officials of the empire that old Madam Hong paid attention to were all cab and business bigwigs, not the Huo family.

    Hong Ziqi quickly exined, ¡°General Huo Guanchen is the director of the Political Department of the military, and major general Huo Shaoheng is even more powerful. I Can¡¯t tell you the details, but Huining offended miss gust time, and this time she wants to treat us to a meal and apologize in person...¡±

    ¡°... Guo Huining offended miss gu?¡±A glimmer of light shed across Old Madam Hong¡¯s almost cloudy eyes. ¡°When did this happen? The Miss Gu You¡¯re talking about is major general Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t you remember? The engagement ceremony between the two of them was even broadcasted live on television. In Russia, it was hosted by the Russian president, Putin.¡±Hong Ziqi avoided the important points, he smiled and changed the topic. ¡°You even praised miss gu for being pretty...¡±

    Old Madam Hong suddenly remembered.¡±... Is this miss gu called Gu Nianzhi? Or is she a Barrister?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Do you know her?¡±Hong Ziqi was even happier. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe over for dinner?¡±

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s frown deepened. She was keenly aware that something was wrong.

    Although she was not familiar with the Huo family, she was very familiar with the power structure of the upper echelons of the empire.

    ¡°When did Guo Huining offend Miss Gu? Why did she offend her?¡±Old Madam Hong was not so easily fooled as she asked persistently.

    Hong Ziqi stammered a few times. Unable to withstand old madam Hong¡¯s might, he finally confessed,¡±... that¡¯s it. Actually, it¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s just for a reserved seat...¡±

    Old Madam Hong was so angry that she wanted tough. ¡°Just for a seat? Ziqi, do you really think that she thinks the same?¡±

    ¡°... did Guo Huining ask you to make this call? I told her not to enter the Hong Corporation, and she came to you for help?¡±

    ¡°I really can¡¯t hide anything from you, Old Lady.¡±Hong Ziqi teased with a cheeky smile. ¡°Dear Old Lady, Kiss My Dear Old Lady! Just Promise me this once! This time is really important!¡±

    He blurted out,¡±... Huo has blocked my number! I still have to find Xue Jingjiang to help negotiate!¡±

    ¡°... Xue Jingjiang? He¡¯s very close to major general Huo?¡±Old Madam Hong stood up, her hand holding her walking stick trembling.

    She knew Xue Jingjiang. He was the heart and soul of the two elders of the Xue family.

    ¡°Yes, Huo is Xue Jingjiang¡¯s childhood friend. The two of them have been very close since childhood. and Xue Jingjiang has always listened to Huo¡¯s words and obeyed his orders!¡±

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s heart sank.

    The Xue family¡¯s foundation was much deeper than the Hong family¡¯s. Huo Shaoheng was Xue Jingjiang¡¯s childhood friend, and Xue Jingjiang obeyed his orders. That was no ordinary background!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1968, ¡°No ordinary background.¡±.

    The double monthly ticket for October was thest day of the month. There were no more double monthly tickets at the end of the month. Those who had monthly tickets, quickly vote!

    There are also rmendation tickets!

    PS: Thank you for the 50,000 starting point coins that the president of the ¡°Life journey only makes people happy through reading¡±alliance has given today.

    Thank you for the 100,000 starting point coins that the president of the ¡°Beth1211¡åalliance has given today.

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1969 - No Sense of judgment (first, more recommendation tickets)

    <h4>Chapter 1969: Chapter 1969: No Sense of judgment (first, more rmendation tickets)</h4>

    Old Madam Hong immediately said, ¡°Ziqi, where are you now? Where¡¯s Guo Huining? Is she with you?¡±

    The person who could make Hong Ziqi call to plead for mercy was definitely Guo Huining.

    Hong Ziqi thought that old Madam Hong had agreed, so he chuckled and said, ¡°Old ancestor, huining is with me...¡±

    ¡°The two of you return to the mansion immediately. I still have something to ask you.¡±

    Old Madam Hong put down the phone and rubbed her temples. She felt her head throbbing with pain.

    She was wondering why the situation was so strange this time..

    Someone must have gotten into trouble without realizing it, right?

    She wanted to figure out what was going on.

    While waiting for Hong Ziqi and Guo Huining to return, she sent someone to the Hong Hotel to retrieve the surveince footage from that day.

    When Hong Ziqi told Guo Huining about old madam Hong¡¯s words, Guo Huining was also delighted. She smiled and said, ¡°Then is old ancestor not angry with me? I can go to the Hong Corporation, right?¡±

    Hong Ziqi turned the steering wheel and said with a smile, ¡°When we meetter, I can beg old ancestor again. There will definitely be no problem. I¡¯ve already sent you back to the Hong family, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    Guo huining heaved a sigh of relief. When she thought about how Hong Ziqi actually did not break up with her at this time, she still felt quite apologetic.

    It was not in vain that she had spent all her youth on this man with a low IQ.

    Guo huining smiled and returned to the Hong family mansion with Hong Ziqi.

    This time, Old Madam Hong was sitting upright in her study, waiting for the two of them to enter.

    Before Hong Ziqi and Guo Huining entered, Old Madam Hong had already obtained the surveince video of Guo Huining and Gu Nianzhi arguing that day.

    Unfortunately, there was no sound on the video, only the image.

    However, even if it was only the image, Old Madam Hong could tell that Gu Nianzhi and the others had gone first. They had already ordered food for a while before Guo Huining sent someone to greet them.

    First, it was the waiter in the Red Vest, then Guo Huining herself. There was also a familiar-looking girl among them. Old Madam Hong looked at her eyes and wore her reading sses for a long time before she could barely recognize that she was the youngest daughter of the Dou family.

    Madam Hong had once paid a lot of attention to the two girls in the former Prime Minister Dou¡¯s family.

    Because of Dou qingyan, the eldest daughter of the Dou family, Madam Hong had once nned to introduce them to her great-grandson, Hong Ziqi.

    The two of them were about the same age, and Hong Ziqi and Xue Jingjiang were on good terms. Xue Jingjiang and Dou qingyan were also childhood friends.

    Relying on this rtionship, Madam Hong wanted them to be ¡°Childhood sweethearts.¡±.

    However, Dou Qingyan soon joined the army and disappeared from the circle of the second generation of the capital¡¯s influential families. At this time, Guo Huining began to pair up with Hong Ziqi, so she didn¡¯t say anything more.

    A few yearster, Dou Qingyan appeared again, but she was embroiled in a huge storm, and even prime minister Dou himself was implicated.

    Thinking of these past events, and looking at Dou aiyan, who was so close to Guo huining that she wished she could wear the same pants, old madam Hong shook her head.

    She didn¡¯t like Guo Huining that way, so she didn¡¯t relent and let her in.

    ..

    After waiting in the study for a while, Guo Huining finally walked in with Hong Ziqi.

    Old Madam Hong leaned back on the chair and raised her hand. ¡°Close the door.¡±

    Hong Ziqi quickly closed the door with his hand and sat down in front of old Madam Hong with a smile.

    Old Madam Hong quietly turned off theputer screen and said to Guo huining, ¡°You sit too.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s smile was a little more smug.

    She sat down properly and said with a smile, ¡°Old Madam Hong, are you agreeing?¡±

    Old Madam Hong looked at her calmly and said, ¡°Ziqi told me about that day just now. I want to hear about that day from you now.¡±

    Guo Huining did not mind and told her about what happened that day again. It was almost the same as what Hong Ziqi had told her, and there were even more details that Hong Ziqi did not know.

    Old Madam Hong listened attentively as shepared the footage with the surveince footage she had seen. Seeing that it was close to the truth, she nodded, she said, ¡°I understand now, Huining. The Hong Corporation¡¯s undeserved disaster this time was indeed because of you.¡±

    Guo Huining did not have time to hide the smile on her face. It was as if someone had pped her hard in the face. Her expression was almost twisted.

    ¡°... Old Madam, what are you talking about? ! How could it be them? !¡±She could not believe it, no matter what. She clenched her fists and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible, right? Are you saying that Gu Nianzhi did all this? Where did she get her skills from? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve shown you the open letter andpared it with the numbers. Those numbers are definitely not something... a liberal arts student who relied on the Huo family¡¯s power to rise to power could put together!¡±

    Guo Huining denied it tly.

    Old Madam Hong moved closer to her expressionlessly. ¡°Do you still think that there¡¯s a mole?¡±

    ¡°Definitely!¡±Guo Huining answered firmly.

    ¡°Huining, you have to know that if a noble family like the Huo family wants to mess with us, there¡¯s no need for them to do it themselves. There will naturally be countless capable people who will step up.¡±Old Madam Hong looked at Guo Huining almost sympathetically, ¡°... do you think the Huo family needs to personallye down and fight with you?¡±

    ¡°Is it really her? !¡±Guo Huining¡¯s expression changed drastically. She stood up abruptly and said excitedly, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! She¡¯s only engaged to major general Huo. She¡¯s not even married. She¡¯s not even a member of the Huo Family!¡±

    ¡°Why would the Huo family use so much manpower and resources to get back at her? !¡±

    Madam Hong sneered and shook her head. ¡°Guo Huining, you still don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done wrong?¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart sank when she saw Madam Hong¡¯s confident look. It was as if she had stepped on air, and she felt dizzy and weightless.

    She fell on the chair and muttered, ¡°Impossible! This is impossible! How can she be so petty! It¡¯s just a reserved seat, and she can make me lose everything? !¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes were red.¡±... Do I deserve to be bullied by her? !¡±

    Seeing that she had not turned around, old madam Hong tapped her finger on the desk a few times and said, ¡°You also know that it¡¯s just for a reserved seat. Then, why didn¡¯t you restrain yourself at that time? !¡±

    ¡°You were aggressive and didn¡¯t give face to others. When you bullied others in front of so many people and gave up your seat, were you very petty?¡±

    ¡°Did you think of the consequences when you did things? !¡±

    ¡°... But, that was only a reserved seat!¡±Guo Huining was still very unwilling, ¡°And I did it for the benefit of the Hong Group! At that time, the Friends of the investment bank wanted to take that seat. As a member of the Hong Group, What¡¯s wrong with helping them achieve their wish? !¡±

    ¡°Bullsh * T!¡±Old Madam Hong finally couldn¡¯t help but swear. ¡°Why do you have to support these people of the investment bank? !¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten that we are their customers! Not them, but our customers!¡±

    ¡°They should be the ones begging us to let them do business! Not US begging them!¡±

    Although Old Madam Hong didn¡¯t know much about the specific operation of the listing, she knew the general knowledge of the shopping mall and knew who was the customer and who was the supplier.

    ¡°Besides, you are only having a lunch meeting. Where can¡¯t you sit? Where can¡¯t you have a meeting?¡±

    Hong Ziqi couldn¡¯t bear to see Guo Huining cry, so he quickly said, ¡°Old ancestor, we can¡¯tpletely me huining. It¡¯s all because of Dou aiyan from the investment bank who instigated us.¡±

    ¡°Then she¡¯s even more wrong!¡±Old Madam Hong mmed the table. ¡°How old is Dou Aiyan? How Old is Guo Huining? ! She was instigated by someone so much younger than her, and she really jumped into a trap. Is she really that Shameless?¡±

    ¡°Actually, don¡¯t me others for provoking her.¡±

    ¡°If your mouth is on someone else¡¯s body, how can you stop others from speaking?¡±

    ¡°But whether you listen or not is up to you.¡±

    ¡°Dou Aiyan was able to sessfully provoke her, wasn¡¯t it because Guo Huining looked down on miss gu from the bottom of her heart?¡±Old Madam Hong was old enough to see through the ways of the world.

    Hong Ziqi was shocked and quickly said, ¡°No way! Why would huining look down on Miss Gu? !¡±

    ¡°Ask her yourself!¡±Madam Hong pointed at Guo Huining.

    Guo huining averted her eyes, not daring to look madam Hong in the eye.

    Madam Hong snorted. ¡°If you didn¡¯t look down on miss gu from the bottom of your heart, why would you chase her away when you knew she was Major General Huo¡¯s fianc¨¦e? !¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you, none of the vendors on the street would be as blind as you!¡±

    ¡°You Think You¡¯re the same as Miss Gu, so you want topete with her. Do you think I can¡¯t Tell?¡±Old Mrs. Hong hated Guo Huining so much that she would never give her a chance.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t...¡±Guo huining could only retort weakly, but she was no longer so confident.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡±Old Mrs. Hong curled her lips. ¡°Do you think Miss Gu is like you, aw graduate from B University? Like You, a child from an ordinary family?¡±

    ¡°But she can get major huo engaged to someone at that level, and the wedding date has been set for next year.¡±

    ¡°As for you, you can only put yourself through this. You¡¯re engaged to Ziqi, who you look down on, and you¡¯ve been engaged for so many years. Even the wedding date is far away! Do you feel indignant? !¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s face was pale. She didn¡¯t think that old Madam Hong, who was shrewd and experienced, would see through her little scheme.

    ¡°Do you really think that you¡¯re the only one who has achieved what you¡¯ve achieved today? Without the support of our Hong family, who knows how many people you¡¯ve offended!¡±

    Old Madam Hong red at Hong Ziqi in disappointment. ¡°Ziqi, think carefully. If you insist on being with this woman, you¡¯ll leave the Hong family. From now on, not a single cent of the Hong family has anything to do with you!

    ¡°I will immediately remove your name from the will!¡±

    Hong Ziqi was stunned for a moment and immediately said, ¡°Old ancestor, you can¡¯t threaten me like this!¡±

    He held Guo Huining¡¯s hand and said excitedly, ¡°Huining has never been with me for the money and status of our family!¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s feelings were extremelyplicated, but she did not want Hong Ziqi to leave the Hong family.

    The Hong family was much more attractive to her than Hong Ziqi himself.

    If Hong Ziqi left the Hong family, what would it be?

    Guo huining slowly freed her hand from Hong Ziqi¡¯s hand and stood up, saying, ¡°Young Master Hong, you don¡¯t have to fall out with old Madam Hong Like This. I¡¯ll go, you don¡¯t have to leave the Hong family.¡±

    As she said this, she turned around and left the Hong family mansion resolutely.

    Old Madam Hong nced at Hong Ziqi, who was still in a daze. She picked up the phone and said to her assistant, ¡°Get Me Miss Gu¡¯s number. Make an appointment for me. I want to treat her to a meal personally and apologize to her.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also major general Huo Shaoheng, general Huo Guanchen, and his father, old Mr. Huo.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1969, ¡°No color¡±.

    Today is Monday, the rmendation ticket is very important!

    It¡¯s the Third Watch, the second watch, 1:00 p.m. , the third watch, 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1970 - likes Karma (second update: Jiyuâ€™er + 2)

    <h4>Chapter 1970: Chapter 1970 likes Karma (second update: Jiyu¡¯er + 2)</h4>

    Hong Ziqi came back to his senses and quickly said, ¡°Huining found a very good doctor to save old Mr. Huo who was in a vegetative state. You Already Know About It, right?¡±

    Old Madam Hong nodded and red at him. ¡°I know, but I only just found out about it.¡±

    After that, she reprimanded Hong Ziqi. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about such a big matter earlier? ! What would you have done if you didn¡¯t wake him up? ¡ª what a bunch of ignorant fools!¡±

    Hong Ziqi was used to being scolded by Old Madam Hong, so he didn¡¯t think much of it. He still wanted to speak up for Guo Huining, ¡°... ancestor, look at this matter. Huining didn¡¯t contribute much, but she also did some hard work. Can¡¯t you show mercy to her? All these years, for our Hong family...¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Old Madam Hong pulled a long face. ¡°She has created such a huge mess for ourpany. Not to mention going public, it¡¯s even possible for her to be wound up! Why are you still so stubborn?¡±

    ¡°Wind it up? !¡±Hong Ziqi was truly frightened now. ¡°It can¡¯t be that serious? ! isn¡¯t it just some batteries? Can¡¯t you pay for it?¡±

    ¡°Pay for it? Do you know how much it costs?¡±Old Madam Hong red at him. ¡°I¡¯ve already entrusted the bestwyer in the capital to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with the other party¡¯spany.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what an out-of-court settlement means? It means to stretch out your neck and let the other party rip you off!¡±

    Hong Ziqi subconsciously touched his neck. His face was pale as he muttered,¡±... will you lose a lot of money?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Although I don¡¯t know much about electric cars, I also know that the battery of an electric car is definitely the key!¡±

    Old Madam Hong knew more about the traditional car industry, and the electric car was purely a gimmick to sell for a good price overseas.

    It wasmonly known as ¡°Concept stocks.¡±.

    Unfortunately, the concept was not yed well and was reced by a phantom.

    ¡°Then what should we do? !¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to do?¡±Old Madam Hong sighed. ¡°If the other party is so greedy, then we can only continue to fight thewsuit. The worst case scenario would be to liquidate and close the business.¡±

    Tears appeared faintly in her eyes. ¡°Our Hong Group, from the time your great-grandfather and I repaired other people¡¯s cars by the roadside, has developed into arge enterprise today. Do you think that we relied on luck?¡±

    ¡°That was the result of our family¡¯s hard work and hard work!¡±

    When Hong Ziqi was born, he was already the fourth generation of the Hong family, so he couldn¡¯t empathize with old Madam Hong¡¯s way of thinking.

    However, he knew how difficult it was to do business. Being a boss didn¡¯t mean that he could just lie at home and count his money.

    ¡°... old ancestor, it¡¯s all my fault...¡±Hong Ziqi felt guilty at this moment.

    If the Hong Corporation was really ruined because of Guo Huining¡¯s decision, Hong Ziqi knew that he couldn¡¯t escape the me.

    Old Madam Hong smiled bitterly and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not entirely your fault. We Old Fellows were too greedy and wanted to go public overseas, which led to such a disaster.¡±

    She waved her hand. ¡°You can go first. I need to make a good n. I hope that miss gu and the Huo family will be appeased before we consider settling the matter out of court.¡±

    Old Madam Hong had a hunch that the other party¡¯spany¡¯s asking price might be closely rted to her ¡°Apology¡±this time.

    After Hong Ziqi left, Old Madam Hong made a few calls and called a few big ount managers of international well-known jewelry brands. They brought their new jewelry this year to the Hong family¡¯s mansion.

    These brands had gship stores in Imperial City. They usually opened their doors to do business, but they were familiar with the wealthy and powerful people in Imperial City.

    The big ount managers were specifically there to take care of these wealthy people.

    Old Mrs. Hong rarely bought jewelry, but her name was there. No Big ount Manager would ignore her.

    Old Mrs. Hong called a few youngdies from the Hong family over and asked them to pick out a few pieces of jewelry that were suitable for young girls to wear. She also asked the brand to carve Gu Nianzhi¡¯s name on the jewelry and prepare it as an apology gift for Gu Nianzhi.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi was very surprised when she received a call from Old Madam Hong¡¯s assistant.

    She had thought that Guo Huining, Dou aiyan, or even Hong Ziqi would be looking for her.

    She had not expected it to be old Madam Hong.

    Although she hated Guo Huining, she did not have any particr dislike for Hong Ziqi. She was even less likely to speak ill of old Madam Hong, who was in her eighties.

    Gu nianzhi replied politely, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi. What can I do for You, Old Madam Hong?¡±

    The assistant replied very respectfully, ¡°Miss Gu, our old madam heard that you had been wronged at our Hong Hotel and was very apologetic. She specially booked a room for Miss Gu in our hotel and wanted to personally apologize to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°This has nothing to do with Old Madam Hong. It shouldn¡¯t be her who should apologize. Besides, I already said that day that I would never set foot in any building in the Hong Group for the rest of my life.¡±

    The assistant was so scared that he almost dropped his phone.

    He had never thought that Guo huining would offend someone like this!

    She had never mentioned this to Old Mrs. Hong before.

    The assistant didn¡¯t dare make the decision, he turned around and immediately said to old Mrs. Hong, ¡°Old Mrs. Hong, Miss Gu said that she had already sworn that she would never set foot in any of the Hong Corporation¡¯s buildings again! She also said... She also said that even if she wanted to apologize, it shouldn¡¯t be old Mrs. Hong.¡±

    ¡°Then does she want Guo Huining to apologize?¡±Old Madam Hong frowned. ¡°Find another ce to invite Miss Gu.¡±

    The assistant had no choice but to call Gu Nianzhi again, she said very politely, ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s true. Our Old Madam is very sincere in wanting to apologize to you. and Guo Huining, we¡¯ll also ask her to personally apologize to you. If you don¡¯t want to go to the Hong Corporation¡¯s hotel, we can find another ce. What do you think of Chengnan Mansion?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quiet there. There are no idlers.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. There¡¯s no need for Madam Hong or Guo Huining to apologize to me. I¡¯m a person who likes to be repaid in kind.¡±

    ¡°Usually, those who don¡¯t apologize to me on the spot won¡¯t ept itter.¡±

    She hung up the phone and blocked the assistant¡¯s number.

    The assistant dialed the number for a long time, but when he couldn¡¯t get through, he realized that Gu Nianzhi had blocked him.

    She braced herself and reported to old Mrs. Hong, ¡°Old Mrs. Hong, Miss Gu still doesn¡¯t want toe. She said she doesn¡¯t need your apology or Guo Huining¡¯s. She also said... She doesn¡¯t usually apologize on the spot, and she won¡¯t ept itter.¡±

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s expression changed after hearing this. She thought for a while, she said,¡±... Where¡¯s major general Huo? And where are general Huo and Mr. Huo? Oh right, let¡¯s contact general Huo first. I¡¯ve asked someone about the Huo family¡¯s situation just now, and they all said that General Huo is a filial son and is very filial to grandfather Huo.¡±

    Guo huining ¡°Showed mercy¡±to grandfather Huo. This move seemed to be the right one.

    The assistant quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go look for general Huo¡¯s phone number now.¡±

    However, Huo Guanchen¡¯s number was not easy to find. She searched around and finally secretly called Guo Huining to get Huo Guanchen and grandfather Huo¡¯s phone numbers.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face burned when she heard that old Mrs. Hong had personally invited Gu Nianzhi and the Huo family to dinner, but she still suggested,¡±... and Mr. Zhang Baochen, Mr. Zhang. He¡¯s old Mr. Huo¡¯s favorite son.¡±

    The assistant also got Zhang Baochen¡¯s phone number and went to consult Old Mrs. Hong.

    ¡°Old Mrs. Hong, we¡¯ve got the numbers of general Huo and old Mr. Huo. There¡¯s also Mr. Zhang Baochen. I heard that he¡¯s old Mr. Huo¡¯s favorite son. Miss Guo was able to rmend a doctor through Mr. Zhang Baochen.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second tip of the day: Chapter 1970 likes the present.

    The second 50,000 starting coins for the chief of ¡°Ji Yu Er¡±in August will be sent to you.

    Today is Monday, the rmendation ticket is very important!

    It¡¯s the third watch, the third watch, 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1971 - What She relied on (third update)

    <h4>Chapter 1971: Chapter 1971: What She relied on (third update)</h4>

    ¡°... Zhang Baochen?¡±Old Madam Hong looked down at the information she had just collected about the Huo family. ¡°This is... grandfather Huo¡¯s illegitimate child?¡±

    Her information showed that grandfather Huo had an illegitimate child with his head nurse, Zhang Feng.

    Zhang Feng was currently in prison, and had been sent there by Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    Because it had only been a short period of time, the information was not very detailed, but the basic facts were still there.

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s assistant was stunned for a moment. Then he remembered that Zhang Baochen¡¯s surname was Zhang, not Huo. He said hesitantly,¡±... I think so? Old Madam, I can go and confirm it again.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±Old Madam Hong raised her hand and said in a low voice, ¡°General Huo was born from old master Huo¡¯s first wife, and general Huo is general Huo¡¯s only son... It¡¯s better not to invite Zhang Baochen for the time being.¡±

    Madam Hong knew that this kind of thing could not be avoided in all the influential families, so it was understandable. However, she had to be clear about the priorities.

    She frowned and said, ¡°Guo Huining said that Zhang Baochen is old Mr. Huo¡¯s most beloved son?¡±

    The assistant quickly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what Miss Guo said. Are you really not going to invite him?¡±

    Madam Hong closed the folder with the Huo family¡¯s information and said unhappily, ¡°Invite him for what? To make things difficult for general Huo? Guo huining can only climb up to Zhang Baochen. I really thought too highly of her in the past!¡±

    The assistant shrunk his neck, thinking that if it was not for Zhang Baochen, Guo Huining would not even be able to reach the door of the Huo family. How could she rmend a doctor?

    However, seeing that Madam Hong was in a rage, the assistant did not dare to argue and quickly agreed.

    ¡°Go and call general Huo and Mr. Huo. Also, ask for Major General Huo¡¯s number. He and Ziqi are good friends. Ziqi also said that he and Huo are childhood friends, so he should have a way to contact them.¡±

    The assistant nodded repeatedly. She returned to her small office and continued to call the Huo family.

    She called Old Mr. Huo First.

    The person who answered the phone was a middle-aged man.

    He asked in puzzlement, ¡°May I know who you are looking for?¡±

    The assistant quickly said, ¡°Hello, May I know if Huo Xuenong and old Mr. Huo are in?¡±

    The person said in relief, ¡°Yes, old Mr. Huo is my father. Why are you looking for him? He just took his medicine and went to sleep.¡±

    After grandfather Huo was discharged from the hospital, Zhang Baochen brought him to his house to take care of him personally.

    Huo Guanchen had originally wanted to bring grandfather Huo back to the Huo family mansion, but he couldn¡¯t resist the fact that grandfather Huo wanted to live with Zhang Baochen and his family, so he didn¡¯t insist.

    Anyway, Zhang Baochen and his wife didn¡¯t have work now, so they had plenty of time.

    Huo Guanchen was busy with work. Even if he brought grandfather Huo back to the Huo family mansion, he wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of him personally.

    Huo Shaoheng was even more so. He didn¡¯t want to return to the Huo family mansion at all.

    The assistant put on a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. I¡¯m the assistant to the Chairman of the Hong Group, Old Madam Hong. Our Old Madam wants to treat Mr. Huo to a meal at the newly opened Chengnan mansion in the capital. Please doe!¡±

    The person who answered the phone was Zhang Baochen. When he heard about Chengnan Mansion and Old Madam Hong, his heart skipped a beat.¡±... treat my father to a meal? Why?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s like this. Our Old Madam found out that miss gu had been wronged in our Hong Hotel a few days ago. She felt very apologetic and wanted to treat miss gu and major general Huo to a meal and apologize to them in person.¡±

    ¡°Also, old Mr. Huo and general Huo. Our Old Madam also wants to treat them to a meal to express our sincerity in apologizing.¡±

    Zhang Baochen listened for a long time but still did not hear his name. He could not help but ask,¡±... only my father and my second brother?¡±

    The assistant smiled brightly. ¡°Mr. Zhang, right? Don¡¯t worry. For now, only Mr. Huo and general Huo are invited because they are the elders of miss gu and general huo...¡±

    Zhang Baochen was implying that Zhang Baochen could not be considered gu nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s elders, so his words were useless.

    Zhang Baochen understood what the assistant meant, and felt very ufortable. He was even more determined to borrow grandfather Huo¡¯s power and return to the top of the imperial capital.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask my father when he wakes up. Send me the location and time of the banquet, and send it to my phone.¡±

    After the assistant sent the message, he dialed Huo Guanchen¡¯s number again.

    Of course, Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t answer it himself, but his personal secretary did.

    ¡°Hello, General Huo Guanchen¡¯s office. May I know who you are?¡±

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s assistant quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m the assistant to the Chairman of the Hong Corporation, Old Madam Hong. We¡¯d like to treat general Huo to a meal at the newly opened Chengnan residence in the capital.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. General Huo is very busy.¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s like this. Our Old Madam is treating for miss gu and major general Huo. Miss GU and major general Huo will both be here, as well as old Mr. Huo.¡±

    When the personal secretary heard that it was a private matter for Huo Guanchen, he quickly went in to report it.

    Huo Guanchen thought for a moment. ¡°Will father be there too? If he¡¯s going, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    He recalled the call Zhang Baochen gave him yesterday, saying that he would help Guo Huining negotiate. Now, it was the chairman of the Hong Corporation, Madam Hong, who was personally going. She was even more important than Guo Huining, so she was very sincere.

    The personal secretary quickly said, ¡°The assistant said that he will be there.¡±

    Huo Guanchen picked up his phone and called Zhang Baochen. ¡°Baochen, is father going to the banquet? Madam Hong is treating.¡±

    Zhang Baochen nodded. ¡°Yes, they just called to invite him.¡±

    His voice was a little depressed.

    Huo Guanchen ignored him and put down his phone. He said to the personal secretary, ¡°Then go. But my time is limited, so I can only stay for half an hour.¡±

    Taking half an hour to go to the Hong family¡¯s banquet was already very respectful for someone of Huo Guanchen¡¯s rank.

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s assistant was overjoyed and quickly said, ¡°Thank you, then. I¡¯ll send someone to deliver the invitation right away!¡±

    After dealing with Huo Guanchen and grandfather Huo, the assistant went to call Gu Nianzhi again.

    This time, she changed her number, because Gu Nianzhi had probably blocked that number.

    ¡°Excuse me, is this miss gu? I...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Gu Nianzhi recognized her voice and snapped, ¡°Why is it you again?¡±

    She hung up and quickly blocked the assistant¡¯s second number.

    ¡°... Tsk, how arrogant...¡±the assistant pursed his lips and stopped trying to persuade Gu Nianzhi. Instead, he called Xue Jingjiang.

    ¡°May I ask who¡¯s calling?¡±Xue Jingjiang sat at the bar counter and asked nonchntly as he swirled the cocktail in his hand.

    The number disyed on the phone was very unfamiliar.

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s assistant quickly said, ¡°Hello, Young Master Xue. I¡¯m the assistant of Old Madam Hong, the chairman of the Hong Corporation. Hong Ziqi is our old madam¡¯s great-grandson.¡±

    ¡°Oh, old madam, what can I do for You?¡±Xue Jingjiang took a sip of the cocktail, his feet tapping to the music in the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. A few days ago, Miss Gu Nianzhi suffered a small grievance at our hotel. Our Old Madam would like to personally apologize to her.¡±

    ¡°I made a round of calls just now. I¡¯ve already invited old Mr. Huo and general Huo to the banquet.¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to ask if you have major general Huo¡¯s contact information...¡±

    ¡°Oh, about that...¡±Xue Jingjiang smiled mysteriously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have noment.¡±

    He hung up the call with old Madam Hong¡¯s assistant. Thinking about the electric car scandal in the Hong Corporation, he shook his head.

    Guo Huining, this woman, was really a failure. Let¡¯s see how much trouble she had caused the Hong Corporation.

    The assistant had no choice. He went back to Old Madam Hong¡¯s study anxiously and told her in detail about the call.

    Old Madam Hong frowned. ¡°Miss GU is still not willing toe?¡±

    This little girl was indeed quite arrogant.

    However, they had been unreasonable in the first ce, and the little girl felt ufortable, so it was understandable that she had rejected their apology.

    You Can¡¯t always be in charge of everything, can you?

    You¡¯ve offended her, and now you want to apologize, but she must ept?

    She silently looked at theputer screen in front of her and thought to herself, even old Mr. Huo and general Huo had epted the invitation, but Gu Nianzhi still refused.

    She was so strong-willed, what exactly did she have to rely on?

    After thinking about it, Huo Shaoheng was the only one left.

    Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and Old Madam Hong¡¯s assistant had not been able to speak to Huo Shaoheng until now.

    Mrs. Hong felt uneasy.

    After thinking for a while, Mrs. Hong stood up with her walking stick. ¡°Pack my things. I¡¯m going to visit Miss Gu in person.¡±

    ¡°Bring a gift. Also, do you know Miss Gu¡¯s address?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third watch of the day: Chapter 1971, ¡°Her support.¡±.

    Today is Monday, the rmendation ticket is very important!

    It¡¯s the third watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1972 - a strong desire to survive (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1972: Chapter 1972: a strong desire to survive (first update)</h4>

    Old Mrs. Hong¡¯s assistant quickly called Gu Nianzhi again.

    She knew Gu Nianzhi had blocked her second phone number, so she had to change the third number and let the other assistant talk to Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi did not hang up and block the call again immediately.

    The other assistant heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, he immediately spoke quickly, ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m Old Mrs. Hong¡¯s assistant, Old Mrs. Hong. I would like to personally visit you and apologize to you. May I know where your home address is? If it¡¯s convenient, our old Mrs. Hong will immediately visit you.¡±

    He finished speaking in one breath and did not even stop.

    Gu Nianzhi heard that it was the Hong family again. She really wanted to hang up and block it right away.

    However, the assistant spoke too quickly, as if she was frying beans. Before she could hang up, the other party had already finished bbering.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Fine, she could feel the other party¡¯s strong desire to live, she could onlyugh and say, ¡°There¡¯s really no need. I told you, it¡¯s not like old Madam Hong offended anyone. If your old madam didn¡¯t stay at home and enjoy her life, why did she have to travel all over the ce for her children and grandchildren?¡±

    Old Madam Hong took the phone and said in a low voice, ¡°Miss Gu? I sincerely want to apologize to you. I hope you can give me a chance to make things easier for me.¡±

    ¡°If your home isn¡¯t suitable, we can meet outside. Although I¡¯m old, I don¡¯t dare to take advantage of my age. We¡¯re different things.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not dislike old Madam Hong¡¯s way of doing things. Moreover, she thought about how old Madam Hong was in her eighties. It was indeed not easy for her to apologize to herself, who had just turned twenty, for her children and grandchildren¡¯s unworthy deeds.

    But she did not want Guo Huining to get away with it.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath, she said sincerely, ¡°Old Madam Hong, I don¡¯t need to exin myself. Guo Huining is not even the daughter-inw of the Hong family. If you value her so much, why did you keep her out of the Hong Family?¡±

    Old Madam Hong listened to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone and felt that she was quite reasonable.

    Could it be that the person who attacked the Hong Corporation had nothing to do with Gu Nianzhi?

    Old Mrs. Hong was confused again.

    However, after much thought, she decided to pacify Gu Nianzhi first.

    The revtion of the Hong Corporation¡¯s electric car battery was most likely rted to Gu Nianzhi.

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that it had nothing to do with her..

    Old Mrs. Hong had called Gu Nianzhi personally, but Gu Nianzhi still refused to see her. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t let Old Mrs. Honge to her house to apologize.

    Old Mrs. Hong had no choice but to say, ¡°Miss Gu, I understand your concerns. We were wrong about this matter. I hope you can give me a chance. I sincerely apologize to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Old Mrs. Hong, you¡¯re too kind. I¡¯m hanging up now. I hope you won¡¯t call me from another number.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hung up the phone as she spoke and threw her phone on the sofa speechlessly.

    This phone number was the one she had used to contact the outside world. It wasn¡¯t her personal number, so many people knew about it.

    She decided not to use this phone for the time being.

    ..

    Old Mrs. Hong refused to give up. She had her assistant contact Gu Nianzhi from multiple sources, but she couldn¡¯t contact her anymore.

    However, it didn¡¯t take long for Old Mrs. Hong to forget about contacting gu nianzhi, because the terms of their out-of-court settlement with the otherpany were out.

    ¡°... What? ! They want so much cashpensation? !¡±Old Mrs. Hong was shocked and furious. ¡°Did they see our books? !¡±

    The other party wanted all of the Hong Group¡¯s current cash, plus the amount of a loan they had just negotiated with the bank.

    If they really lost this money, the Hong group would be insolvent and waiting for liquidation.

    The sries of the employees could not be paid because the battery was ordered by the court not to continue to infringe on intellectual property rights, and electric cars could not be produced.

    Even the sales of traditional cars were falling because of the impact of this matter.

    Without ie, the monthly fixed expenditure was arge sum of money, and the Hong family were all using private housing to subsidize thepany.

    A month passed, and the otherpany was not willing to lower a single cent. They also said that their goal was to make the Hong Group, apany that infringed on intellectual property rights, go bankrupt!

    For a time, there were all kinds of things being said on the inte.

    Some sympathized with the Hong group, saying that the electric car was originally only a small part of the Hong Group¡¯s business, but because of this rat poop, the entire pot of soup was ruined.

    There were also some who said that the Hong Group had brought this upon themselves. Who asked them to secretly forge a fake for the sake of listing overseas? If they were discovered and exposed, they deserved it.

    Old Madam Hong had been nning and running around for the past month. She was old beyond recognition, but the Hong Group¡¯s business continued to deteriorate day by day.

    That night, the shareholders of the Hong Group, who were also members of the Hong family, returned to the Hong family¡¯s mansion for dinner.

    Tomorrow was the deadline for the other party¡¯spany to ask them to pay.

    If they did not pay, the settlement outside the court would be broken, and both parties would continue to go to court to fight their cases.

    Moreover, as long as the court was in session, the Hong Group would be supervised by the court. In order to prevent them from transferring their assets, the other party¡¯spany even hired the most powerful ounting firm to supervise the ounts of the Hong Group.

    Old Madam Hong sat at the head of the table and looked at the five big round tables in the restaurant that were filled with people.

    However, everyone¡¯s expressions were very ugly.

    A month ago, they were still full of ambition. They thought that once thepany went public, their assets would increase exponentially.

    At that time, they would be able to visit the list of the richest people in the country.

    Ironically, a monthter, they gathered together for a farewell dinner.

    Hong Ziqi curled up in a corner, not daring to make a sound.

    It was because of him that Guo Huining was so bold and reckless, causing such a big disaster.

    ¡°Everyone, eat. Don¡¯t look like the sky is falling.¡±Old Madam Hong said with a smile, ¡°Even if the Hong Corporation copses, you still have your own house and your own life. It¡¯s much better than when your great-grandfather and I were together.¡±

    ¡°At that time, we didn¡¯t have our own house. We rented someone else¡¯s basement to live in. Every day, we would get up early and go to the dark to set up a stall outside to do business. The sun was shining, the rain was pouring, and the wind was blowing. You Don¡¯t have to suffer that kind of hardship anymore.¡±

    She said with a smile, but the members of the Hong family in the house couldn¡¯t help but wipe away their tears.

    After a while, one of Hong Ziqi¡¯s uncles whispered, ¡°Grandmother, actually, it¡¯s not that there¡¯s no way.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What Way?¡±Old Madam Hong said inly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    This person stood up and mustered up his courage to say, ¡°Actually, our Hong Group has always been a high-quality industry. This time, the problem with the electric car business did not affect our other production lines. There are also many people who are optimistic about us.¡±

    Old Madam Hong raised her eyes and looked over. ¡°En, continue.¡±

    This person saw that his ancestor did not reject him outright, so he became a little bolder, he said, ¡°Since grandmother did not object, I will say it. ¡ª we all have shares of the Hong Group. Why don¡¯t we sell some of our shares and get some cash to save us?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do! Even if we sell our shares, the money will belong to us. How can we still fill in this hole?¡±

    Many members of the Hong family shouted in disagreement.

    They did not have many shares in their hands, and most of them were dry shares, so they could not participate in the decision-making.

    Currently, they were not listed. These shares would only be useful when they received dividends at the end of the year.

    Now that the Hong Group suffered heavy losses, they would not be able to receive dividends for a very long time.

    Another member of the Hong family stood up, drank a ss of wine, and bravely said, ¡°Old ancestor, I heard that there are people who are interested in the Hong Group. Why don¡¯t we take advantage of the fact that the Hong Group¡¯s brand is still useful, and quickly sell thepany!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, since it can¡¯t be listed, and now it has be a negative asset, it¡¯s better to sell it!¡±

    With that said, many people in the Hong family followed suit.

    Old Madam Hong didn¡¯t take it to heart at all.

    The majority of the shares of thepany were in her hands. She alone owned 95% of the shares, and the other 5% was distributed among the Hong family and some private equity funds. It wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    As long as she could control it and did not sell the shares in her hands, no one would be able to take away the decision-making and management rights of the Hong Group.

    But now, the shares in her hands were no longer of any use. Under the pressure of the outside world, these people had already begun to ¡°Rebel¡±from within.

    Old Madam Hong sat at the head of the table and looked coldly at these people shouting without saying a word.

    Seeing Old Madam Hong like this, most of the members of the Hong family were still quite afraid of her.

    A few of the troublemakers were causing trouble, but they did not receive any response from everyone.

    After shouting for a while, these people had no choice but to sit down resentfully and silently scold Old Madam Hong for being a thief even though she was old.

    The dinner was nd, and everyone¡¯s faces were full of resentment.

    ..

    At the same time, Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were sitting in the dining room of their apartment, watching the news as they ate dinner.

    The Hong Corporation had been a hot topic in the past month.

    They did not know how much exposure they had received, but it was a pity that it was all negative and did not help thepany¡¯s business at all.

    Gu nianzhi said regretfully, ¡°What a pity. Guo Huining was kicked out of the Hong Corporation. She¡¯s probably secretlyughing right now...¡±

    Lu Jin scooped a bowl of soup for her with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the best part is yet toe.¡±

    ¡°What else can I do?¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted, ¡°Actually, Old Mrs. Hong was lenient with Guo Huining. She didn¡¯t even take her to court for what she did, she just kicked her out of the Hong family. I¡¯m not convinced.¡±

    ¡°The Hong Corporation is now discussing an out-of-court settlement with ¡®raft¡¯. I heard that they¡¯re going to pay the amount tomorrow.¡±. ¡°We might not be able to pursue Guo Huining¡¯s legal responsibilities for the time being.¡±Lu Yuan calmly scooped a bowl of soup for song jinning.

    Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi looked at each other and buried their heads in the soup, listening to Lu Yuan and Lu Jin discuss business matters.

    Huo Shaoheng had been called away by General Ji that night, so he couldn¡¯t have dinner with them.

    Lu Jin saw that Gu Nianzhi was always looking in the direction of the door, so he knew that she was looking forward to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s return. He said sourly, ¡°What are you looking at? Eat well, and be careful of indigestion if you multitask.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and quickly scooped a bowl of soup for Lu Jin. She smiled as she held it with both hands and said sweetly, ¡°Dad, have some soup!¡±

    Lu Jin was happy and said with a smile, ¡°The number of settlements out of court happened to drain the Hong Corporation¡¯s working capital and a loan they just agreed on.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, follow dad to watch the show tomorrow and Watch Dad perform a magic trick for you.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1972, ¡°A strong desire to live.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1973 - was a complete set-up (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1973: Chapter 1973 was aplete set-up (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely surprised and quickly asked, ¡°Dad, how do you know the amount ofpensation the otherpany is asking for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been tracking this matter.¡±Lu Jin smiled happily. ¡°It¡¯s like eating salted fish that makes you thirsty. If they dare to cheat, they¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head as well. ¡°The Hong Corporation has dug a hole for themselves. They still want to go public in such a situation... do they really think those big shots in the stock market are fools?¡±

    ¡°To barge into the overseas stock market so rashly is to treat yourself like a fat pig that can be butchered by others.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless for a long time before she said,¡±... that¡¯s true. With such a big loophole here, it¡¯s like a time bomb that will explode sooner orter.¡±

    Lu Jin had identally discovered it, but he had brought the process forward.

    Only God knew if it would be a blessing or a curse for the Hong Corporation.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity I don¡¯t have the money. If the Hong Group was a listedpany, I would have gone to the stock market to do it right now.¡±Lu Jin was very regretful.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully for a moment and felt that it had nothing to do with her. She shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Then let¡¯s continue to watch. Dad, what trick are you going to do tomorrow? Can you spoiler me in advance?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Lu Jin refused tly and winked at her. ¡°Because it depends on how other people perform.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±.

    ..

    The next morning, the core members of the Hong family were still gathered at the Hong family mansion to have breakfast with old Mrs. Hong.

    Today was thest day of the settlement. They had to make a decision on whether or not to ept the amount ofpensation offered by the other party.

    The breakfast waspletely silent, and everyone¡¯s mood was very heavy.

    After breakfast, they went to the court venue that they had agreed to with the other party¡¯spany for thest out-of-court settlement negotiation.

    The other party¡¯spany had been defeated by the Hong Group over the past year, and they had long hated them to death.

    Now that they found out that the Hong Group was actually taking advantage of them, using the patent they had bought at a high price to build their own car, they were definitely going to beat them to death.

    The Hong Corporation knew that they were in the wrong, so they chose to settle out of court.

    An old man sitting next to Old Madam Hong said with a sigh, ¡°In the past, I thought that a problem that could be solved with money was not a problem.¡±

    ¡°Now I know that it¡¯s just that the other party doesn¡¯t want much money...¡±

    Old Madam Hong did not say anything. She was only thinking of a solution in her heart.

    She had been in business for so many years, what waves had she not seen?

    However, this was indeed the first time she had seen such a scale.

    As time passed, more and more people came in. Other than the reporters, there were also many onlookers.

    Although the court had limited the number of people, in the end, the entire room was still filled with people.

    However, the executives and major shareholders of thepany that had ¡°Raft¡±had not arrived yet.

    When Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin left the house in the morning, they were pulled by Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan to alter their faces and appearances.

    At that moment, they could sitfortably in the gallery and look at the core members of the Hong family with interest.

    The olddy in the middle, who had a head full of silver hair but a resolute expression, and had a straight back, caught her attention.

    ¡°... Dad, is that Old Madam Hong?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°The olddy is in good health and in good spirits. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s old and hasn¡¯t chosen a sessor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She pursed her lips and said in a low voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the olddy to be so soft-hearted. She actually let Guo Huining go.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s continue watching.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long before the court doors opened again. Guo Huining was dressed in a professional ck dress and carried a Louis Vuitton briefcase. She walked over to the Hong family with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Good morning, everyone. I¡¯m Guo Huining. Everyone knows me, so I won¡¯t introduce myself.¡±

    Seeing her, Hong Ziqi¡¯s mother was furious. She stood up and pointed at her, ¡°Guo Huining! You still have the face toe in? ! We haven¡¯t settled the score with you yet!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you! You dragged us into such a situation!¡±

    ¡°How can you me me?¡±Guo huining brushed the hair she had just spent a lot of money on behind her ears, ¡°If you want to me someone, me the person who wrote the letter. If he didn¡¯t expose this, how would the otherpany know?¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for him, your Hong Group would be listed on the stock market right now. You¡¯d all be at home counting your money.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been paying attention to the movements of the members of the Hong family. When she saw Guo Huining walk over and hear her giggling to the members of the Hong family and ming the person who wrote the letter, Gu Nianzhi was furious.

    She sat not far away from the members of the Hong family, so she said loudly, ¡°Tsk, how interesting. You¡¯re a thief, but instead of reflecting on yourself, you me the person who reported you. If no one reported you, would you be able to continue being a thief with Peace of mind? !¡±

    Lu Jin had written a letter to report Gu Nianzhi in order to save her face.

    After that, the otherpany had found a loophole and pursued her relentlessly. What did that have to do with them?

    The person Gu Nianzhi did not want to forgive was Guo Huining, and had nothing to do with the Hong Corporation.

    However, if the people from the Hong family did not reflect on themselves and did not look for the real culprit, but instead med the people who reported them, it could only be said that they had brought this upon themselves.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯sst trace of sympathy vanished into thin air.

    Her words were extremely sharp and sharp.

    There were indeed people in the Hong family who hadined about the person who had written an open letter to report them, but when Gu Nianzhi said this, their faces turned red and all their anger was directed at Guo Huining.

    If she hadn¡¯t faked it, they wouldn¡¯t have been reported!

    Guo Huining¡¯s face darkened slightly. She looked towards the source of the sound and saw that it was an ordinary-looking woman, so she didn¡¯t mind.

    Gossipers were everywhere, so there was no need to pay attention to these small fry.

    Therefore, Guo Huining only red at her and looked at the materials in her hands. She didn¡¯t want to cause any more trouble.

    She lowered her head and opened her briefcase. She ced a document in front of old Madam Hong and said with a smile, ¡°Old Madam, I respect you as the founder of the Hong Group. This is a share purchase agreement. Please take a look.¡±

    ¡°As long as you sign here, you don¡¯t have to worry about the amount of settlement and the deadline.¡±

    She said confidently. The Hong family members¡¯faces were gloomy, as if they had lost their parents.

    Guo Huining looked at the faces of these people, and the joy of ¡®Revenge¡¯rose in her heart.

    Old Madam Hong lowered her eyes and looked at the first party in the share purchase agreement, the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund. She immediately felt as if she had fallen into an icehouse.

    She understood that this was a trap!

    Aplete and utter trap!

    She raised her head and looked at the ce where the other party¡¯spany ¡°Raft¡±was located. It was still empty and there wasn¡¯t a single person there.

    Old Madam Hong was intensely pondering in her mind. Did this matter have anything to do with thatpany ¡°Raft¡±?

    Or... did it have something to do with thepany that took on the listing business for them?

    Guo Huining waited patiently and was not in a hurry. She was thinking about what Dou Aiyan had said to herst night.

    ..

    Last night, in a luxuriously decorated office in the Huaxia Branch headquarters of Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. , Dou Aiyan sat behind her desk with a cup of coffee in her hand, she smiled and said,¡±... still no news from the Hong Group?¡±

    Guo huining shook her head ufortably. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a pity. We originally nned to wait for the Hong Group to be listed overseas before the battery problem was exposed. That way, we can make another profit by shorting them, then conveniently acquire the Hong Group and resell them at a high price.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that being exposed in advance, the gains are limited!¡±Dou aiyan smiled regretfully.

    Guo Huining suddenly raised her head and looked at Dou Aiyan in surprise. As if she didn¡¯t know her, her mouth was wide open.

    After a while, she said,¡±... This wasn¡¯t your idea. It was Yi Xinyan¡¯s idea, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Haha! Who Do you care whose idea it was? ! It¡¯s none of your business!¡±

    Dou aiyan winked at her. She didn¡¯t admit it, but she didn¡¯t deny it either.

    Guo Huining lowered her eyes and thought of the smart and beautiful chief stock analyst who always spoke slowly. She sighed softly in her heart.

    She was indeed inferior to him..

    He was so ruthless and swift. No wonder he was able to do whatever he wanted in the capital market at such a young age.

    Dou aiyan said with a smile, ¡°Huining, it¡¯s like this. The Hong Group is almost like a rat crossing the street. Not only did their sales plummet, but the otherpany also demanded a huge amount ofpensation.¡±

    ¡°They are either waiting to be liquidated or taken over by the court. They are in a very bad situation.¡±

    Guo Huining thought of old madam Hong¡¯s ruthlessness toward her, and a sense of joy rose in her heart. She said calmly, ¡°What does it have to do with me? I have nothing to do with the Hong family anymore.¡±

    ¡°Good! You are really a role model for our generation!¡±Dou aiyan praised. ¡°Then, are you willing to be our legal representative and go to the court tomorrow to discuss the acquisition of the Hong Group?¡±

    ¡°Acquisition? !¡±Guo huining turned pale with fright. ¡°You want to acquire the Hong Group? !¡±

    ¡°Haha, What¡¯s The Rush? The Hong Group isn¡¯t yours... You¡¯ve already been kicked out by them.¡±Dou aiyan tossed out a contract, ¡°Here, take a look. If you¡¯re Willing, tomorrow you¡¯ll be the chief legal advisor of our Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund. Take this contract and throw it in front of Old Lady Hong, and you¡¯ll Have Your Revenge!¡±

    ..

    Guo huining smiled as her gaze fell on the contract that would allow her to ¡°Get your revenge.¡±.

    Old Mrs. Hong¡¯s face was ashen. She stood up on her walking stick and yelled at the smug Guo huining through gritted teeth,¡±... you want to buy ourpany? Dream On!¡±

    Old Mrs. Hong¡¯s voice was neither loud nor soft. Those sitting in the distance might not be able to hear her, but Gu Nianzhi could hear her clearly from her seat.

    Lu Jin had originally wanted to make Gu Nianzhi happy, so he had found a seat close to the members of the Hong family.

    Now that he saw Guo Huining walk in, heughed so hard that he couldn¡¯t see his own eyes. He said to Gu Nianzhi in a low voice,¡±... look, the show has begun.¡±

    ¡°Guess whichpany wants to buy the Hong Group?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Guo Huining and then saw Dou aiyan walk in after her. Her mind raced as she suddenly realized, ¡°This is a trap! It¡¯s aplete trap!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the day: chapter 1973, ¡°Aplete trap.¡±.

    It was the second watch of the day.

    * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 1974 - timely assistance (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1974: Chapter 1974 timely assistance (first update)</h4>

    The core members of the Hong family surrounded Old Madam Hong and looked down at the share purchase agreement. They were faintly moved by the number on the agreement.

    Although this price waspletely insignificantpared to the Hong Group¡¯s valuation a month ago, it was probably less than 1% .

    However, after a month of bloodshed, the sales of the Hong Group plummeted, and the valuation also decreased sharply.

    In addition to the impendingwsuit, the Hong Group was indeed on the verge of bankruptcy and liquidation.

    Seeing such a share acquisition agreement at this time was like sending charcoal in the snow, making it difficult for many people to resist the temptation.

    ¡°Guo Huining! You¡¯re a traitor! You actually colluded with outsiders to frame our Hong Group! I Won¡¯t let you get away with it!¡±Old Madam Hong was furious and threw the share acquisition agreement out.

    The white A4 papers scattered around the courtroom and drifted down to the nearby audience seats.

    Gu Nianzhi reached out and caught a few of the purchase agreements. She looked at them curiously.

    Guo huining tilted her head and avoided the Sharp A4 papers. Her smile did not change, she said, ¡°Old Mrs. Hong, don¡¯t say such old-fashioned things. What era is this? You¡¯re still colluding with outsiders... Do you still think you¡¯re the old feudal lord?¡±

    She had once envied old madam Hong¡¯s ability and imposing manner, and had once fantasized about bing a person like old Madam Hong in the future.

    Unfortunately, Old Madam Hong mercilessly chased her out of the Hong Corporation, which she had worked for many years, and shattered her beautiful dream.

    ¡°I dare not.¡±Old Madam Hong¡¯s face sank. ¡°Guo Huining, don¡¯t you know what you have done in our Hong Corporation? We didn¡¯t spare our hands to deal with you, and you really treated it as if nothing had happened?¡±

    Guo huiningughed. ¡°Old Madam Hong, I¡¯m waiting for you to deal with me. But before you deal with me, you¡¯d better pay the amount of their im first...¡±

    Her eyes were jumping with the joy of victory, and her rtively calm facial features seemed to have be lively.

    The moment the amount of the im was mentioned, these core members of the Hong family instantly became nervous.

    They began to advise Old Madam Hong One after another.¡±... old ancestor, let¡¯s sell our shares. At least we can get some money back.¡±

    ¡°Look here. As long as we sell 80% of our shares, the other party will bear all our debts!¡±

    ¡°Apart from cash, we also have 20% of our shares!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Old ancestor, if you insist on holding on, we will really have to liquidate and go bankrupt...¡±

    ¡°At that time, the shares in our hands would be just a few pieces of waste paper!¡±

    Guo huining ced her hands behind her back and listened at the side with great interest.

    The actions of these people were exactly as she had expected.

    She had long said that most of these core members of the Hong Group were idiots, except for Old Madam Hong who was exceptionally shrewd.

    However, Old Madam Hong¡¯s shrewdness alone could not resist the stupidity of the entire family.

    The eighty-something-year-old had no choice but to continue working. Every time there was a major decision, she had to make the decision herself.

    The electric car project this time was too new. Old Madam Hong was really powerless, so shepletely gave power to Guo Huining.

    It was not that Guo Huining did not feel regret in her heart.

    She did not want this either. She had sacrificed her youth and passion for the Hong Corporation. Her feelings for the Hong Corporation were not any worse than the Hong family.

    However, Old Madam Hong just didn¡¯t like her and refused to ept her.

    Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, Old Madam Hong¡¯s shriveled body became more and more hunched, like a pine tree that had finally been bent by the heavy snow. Only her old appearance was left, and she no longer had the feeling of vigor.

    The Joy in Guo Huining¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t be described with words.

    Just as these people were about to convince Old Madam Hong, Guo Huining slowly took out another agreement and ced it in front of the Hong family, she said with a smile, ¡°Before signing the share purchase agreement, please sign this disimer agreement first. Only when the disimer agreement is in effect will the share purchase agreement you signed be in effect.¡±

    Old Madam Hong was indeed very tired. She even wanted to use this opportunity to sell off the Hong Group.

    None of her descendants were able to take on such a big responsibility. They were only suitable to sit at home and collect money to eat off their savings.

    Such arge enterprise would soon be tormented by these unfilial descendants until there was nothing left after her death..

    This was also one of the reasons why Old Madam Hong was anxious to go public overseas.

    She wanted to use the opportunity of going public overseas to clean up the management structure of the group once again. She wanted to introduce a professional manager system so that members of the Hong family would gradually withdraw from the management of the group and only be shareholders who received money.

    She had been surrounded by these family members and forced to sell her shares just now. She was really disheartened and wanted to sign and sell it.

    Guo Huining was a traitor. She would look for Guo Huining to settle the score after she had settled the matter of thepany.

    But now, she saw Guo huining throw out another disimer agreement.

    Old Madam Hong put on her reading sses and took the disimer agreement and started reading.

    After reading a few lines, Old Madam Hong couldn¡¯t help but fly into a rage. She curled the disimer into a ball and threw it at Guo Huining¡¯s face, she said angrily, ¡°You want us to give up on holding you ountable? ! Dream On! ¡ª don¡¯t even think about me signing it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not selling it anymore! At most, I¡¯ll go bankrupt and liquidate!¡±

    Old Madam Hong and Guo Huining were at loggerheads.

    Guo huining dodged to the side, avoiding the lump of disimer that old Mrs. Hong had thrown at her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly stood up from the audience stand, grabbed the lump of paper, and sat down to open it.

    It turned out that this disimer was the one that Guo Huining had asked the shareholders of the Hong Group to give up on pursuing her.

    In other words, if the Hong family wanted to sell their shares, they had to sign this disimer, guaranteeing that they would not sue Guo huining for her actions in the Hong Group in the future.

    Only when this disimer came into effect would the purchase agreement for the Pacific Rim Private Equity Funde into effect.

    This way, she would not have to worry about the Hong Corporation suing her for corporate espionage.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue and said softly to Lu Jin,¡±... Guo Huining is aw student after all, so she¡¯s quite protective of herself...¡±

    Unfortunately, she was only protecting her own interests and did not care about the interests of others.

    Guo Huining looked at Old Madam Hong mockingly, as if she was looking at a flying insect struggling in a spider web.

    She dared to be the chief legal advisor of Pacific Rim Private Equity and was personally in charge of the acquisition of the Hong Group. Without additional protection, how could she stand out?

    This disimer agreement was the sincerity shown to her by Pacific Rim Private Equity.

    Lu Jin chuckled. He thought it was time and took out his phone to check.

    Just then, his phone rang and an email came in.

    Lu Jin quickly swiped open his phone and opened his email. As expected, he saw the email he had been waiting for.

    Lu Jin did not have the time to read the email carefully. He handed the phone to Gu Nianzhi as if it was a treasure. He smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, look, this is the first trick!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little confused. She looked at Lu Jin¡¯s phone with his hand.

    On the phone was an authorization notice from the National Intellectual Property Office!

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s National Intellectual Property Office was written inrge letters!

    Patent number: 202810295609.1. Serial number: 2028025825006262.

    Patent Holder: Lu Jin.

    Name of Invention: high-power, low-cost battery for electric vehicles.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly looked up and looked at Lu Jin in disbelief. She said in surprise,¡±... Dad, you applied for a patent? !¡±

    Lu Jin nodded with a smile, he said casually,¡±... your side is too backward. I Can¡¯t take out my real invention now, so I modified it and reduced the battery¡¯s function by 80% before applying for a patent. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s only three times better than the battery function of your best electric car.¡±

    ¡°And the cost is only one-third.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so excited that she suddenly opened her arms and hugged Lu Jin. She whispered in his ear, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re Amazing!¡±

    It was great to have a dad like that!

    Lu Jin wanted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reaction.

    He happily patted Gu Nianzhi on the back and said, ¡°There¡¯s a second trick. Do you want to see it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±

    As Lu Jin spoke, he forwarded the patent authorization notice from the state intellectual property office to the technical director of Raft.

    In less than a minute, the technical director of raft impatiently replied to Lu Jin¡¯s email.

    There was only one sentence on the email:¡±... just name your price!¡±

    Lu Jin showed the email to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°The second trick.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi read the email for a long time this time and finally understood. She said,¡±... is this thepany that was infringed on by the Hong Corporation and demanded a high amount ofpensation from the Hong Corporation? !¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s them.¡±

    ¡°Do you do business with them?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t do business with them before. I¡¯m nothing here. Why would they care about me?¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s different now. I have a patent, and they will cry and shout that they want to do business with me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±Gu nianzhi nodded thoughtfully. ¡°You really didn¡¯t have anything before. Why would they negotiate with you...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±Lu Jin wasn¡¯t angry at all. He said frankly, ¡°You have to have the ability to get other people¡¯s attention. I didn¡¯t bring those things with me. The only thing I brought was my own mind and knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Now I¡¯m going to use knowledge to create wealth.¡±

    His first pot of gold came from his invention, of course.

    ¡°Why did you think that your first patent was an electric car battery?¡±Gu nianzhi read the follow-up email from the technical director of the raft over and over again.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it. It was just a coincidence.¡±Lu Jin shrugged nonchntly. ¡°For me, choosing which patent to apply for is the most taxing.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, Guo Huining reminded me. Then I¡¯ll be the first to apply for the electric car battery patent. You guys are quite behind anyway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was already used to Lu Jin¡¯s style of speaking, but she still felt that Lu Jin¡¯s words were very annoying.

    ¡°Dad, that tone of yours when you¡¯re taking advantage of me...¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled as she nudged Lu Jin. ¡°To be honest, I quite like it.¡±

    Lu Jin was nervous at first, worried that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t like it when he spoke like that, but he became smug afterwards.

    He held his phone and replied to the ¡°Raft¡±technical director¡¯s email.

    This time, the reply took a little longer, but it only took ten minutes.

    ¡°... Deal!¡±

    Lu Jin handed the phone to Gu Nianzhi again and said with a smirk, ¡°Now, I¡¯ll do the third trick for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin¡¯s phone. It was an email from the CEO of Raft.

    They agreed to Lu Jin¡¯s conditions and voluntarily reduced the amount of the settlement with the Hong Corporation. It was limited to a one-year patent fee and five percent interest.

    This was like the difference between 100 million and 100,000 yuanpared to the sky-highpensation that they had previously proposed. It was like the difference between heaven and earth.

    At the front left not far away, Old Madam Hong had been threatened for a long time by the members of the Hong family, Guo Huining, and Dou aiyan. However, she refused to budge no matter what.

    Just as these people wished they could hold her hand and sign the acquisition agreement, someone pushed through the crowd and came to old Madam Hong¡¯s side. He said a few words to her.

    Old Madam Hong¡¯s shriveled face suddenly lit up. ¡°What did you say? ! ¡®raft¡¯took the initiative to lower the amount of the im? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, ourpany is willing to reach a settlement with Ms. Hong. This is the amount of our im. Please take a look.¡±

    Old Madam Hong lowered her head to look at the legally binding amount of the im. Her hands were so excited that they were trembling.

    Only this im said that they only needed to pay a one-year patent fee and 5% interest!

    Compared to the previous im amount, it was like a drop from 100 million to 100,000. For the Hong Group, it was like a rain after a long drought.

    The Hong Group was saved!

    Old Madam Hong immediatelyughed out loud.

    She waved the im form in her hand at Guo Huining and said with augh, ¡°Guo Huining, just wait to receive the letter from my Hong Group¡¯swyer!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first watch of the day: chapter 1974, ¡°Sending coal in the snow.¡±.

    It was the second watch of the day, and the second watch was at eight o¡¯clock at night.

    PS: the first watch of the morning might be postponed to between eleven and twelve o¡¯clock in the future. Recently, super was busy, and he only went home at about ten o¡¯clock in the evening. From now until the middle of November, he couldn¡¯t even rest on weekends. Please forgive me, dear friends

    Mwah, Dear Angels

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1975 - is going all out (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1975: Chapter 1975 is going all out (second update)</h4>

    Guo Huining was frightened and the corner of her mouth couldn¡¯t help but Twitch.

    She stuck her head out to look and found that the ¡°Raft¡±had actually changed the amount of their im!

    The drop in the amount of the im caused some people to be seriously ufortable.

    Dou aiyan even snatched the piece of paper from Old Madam Hong without caring about her manners, wishing that she could take a magnifying ss to look at it.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±She screamed. ¡°You¡¯re a liar! You¡¯re a liar!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the liar! Your whole family is a liar!¡±Gu Nianzhi shouted happily from below the stage, ¡°Just now, you wanted to lie about all the assets of the Hong Corporation! Now that your dream is broken, you¡¯re calling others a liar? Do You Think You¡¯re being fair? It makes sense to say the opposite, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    The dispute between the Hong group and ¡°Raft¡±suddenly changed, and the people in the room began to discuss it.

    Buzzing sounds were incessant, but Old Madam Hong¡¯s ashen face, rosy cheeks, and full of energy were all seen by everyone.

    Could it be that the Hong Group¡¯s turn of events this time had really changed?

    Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Guo Huining¡¯s forehead, and she couldn¡¯t even stand properly.

    If the Hong group and ¡°Raft¡±really reached a settlement, then their Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund wouldn¡¯t be able to acquire the Hong Group.

    The Hong Group wouldn¡¯t beg them to acquire it, so they wouldn¡¯t sign that disimer agreement.

    Without that disimer agreement, the Hong Group would be able to continue suing her!

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression changed abruptly. The sharpness and arrogance in her eyes instantly disappeared without a trace. She looked at Old Madam Hong as if she was begging for mercy. Her bright red lips opened and closed, trembling, but she couldn¡¯t say aplete sentence.

    Old Mrs. Hong no longer tried to hide the disgust in her eyes and tone. She pushed her away as if she was swatting away a fly, and snatched back thepensation agreement from Dou Aiyan, she sneered. ¡°Liar? Who gave you the face to say that? But don¡¯t worry, you and Guo Huining will both be in ourwyer¡¯s letter. We¡¯ll see you in court next time!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was eager to see the world in chaos, so she followed along. ¡°Yes, yes, yes! and the people from Carlyle International Investment Co. , they¡¯re all on the same list in thewyer¡¯s letter. They¡¯re in no particr order!¡±

    Old Mrs. Hong smiled and looked back at her. She waved at her, then turned around and left the courtroom with the core members of the Hong family with their heads held high.

    The executives andwyers from raft had just entered the courtroom. They only handed old Mrs. Hong thepensation agreement that they had changed at thest minute. They were in a hurry to find Lu Jin, the new patent holder, to sign the new contract.

    They carried their briefcases and chatted excitedly as they walked. They had long forgotten about the dispute with the Hong Group. Their gazes and attention were focused on the electric car battery patent that the Huaxia Empire had just granted.

    ¡°... is this patent really that powerful?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so powerful that you can¡¯t imagine it. The technical director only looked at a few supplementary data and persuaded the major shareholders to sign it, no matter the cost!¡±

    ¡°... isn¡¯t this too exaggerated?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not exaggerating, but the technical director is even more exaggerated!¡±

    ¡°He said that if we don¡¯t sign it and let someone else sign the exclusive license, all other electric cars on the market will go bankrupt within a year!¡±

    ¡°No way! Then should we sign the exclusive license? !¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re negotiating. Looking at the other party¡¯s asking price, the possibility is very low.¡±

    ¡°Why is it highly unlikely?¡±

    ¡°Because we can¡¯t afford to sign the exclusive rights.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin returned to Song Jinning¡¯s apartment. They were so excited that they couldn¡¯t close their mouths as they chattered away with Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s cheerful expression and thought back to the pale, frail, timid, and frightened little nianzhi who had been dragged out from under the table in theb when she was six. He felt a lump in his throat and quickly turned around to wipe away his tears.

    Lu Yuan looked up and saw the father and daughter walk in. He asked in slight surprise, ¡°So early, has the settlement already been reached?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded happily. ¡°It¡¯s settled. With my father¡¯s help, is there anything that can¡¯t be done? !¡±

    Lu Yuan understood and looked at Lu Jin with a smile. ¡°The patent has already been approved?¡±

    Lu Jin had already returned to normal and nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just been approved. I¡¯ll forward the first batch to the technical director of ¡®raft¡¯.¡±

    The rest of the matter was logical.

    Lu Yuan sat on the sofa with his legs crossed as he flipped through the military magazine. He said casually, ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s not in vain for Shaoheng to ask General Ji for a favor for this patent.¡±

    ¡°Heh, this favor isn¡¯t in vain.¡±Lu Jin said righteously. ¡°My Girl is already married to him. So what if he asks for a favor?¡±

    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t they want the Maic Storm Gun? I¡¯ll get the Blueprint Out Tomorrow!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°I know you¡¯re good, but can you not be so cocky?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was unhappy now. She hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm and red at Lu Yuan. ¡°President Lu, My Dad has the right to be cocky! If you don¡¯t like it, jump off a building!¡±

    ¡°... you don¡¯t have to hang yourself?¡±Lu Yuan looked up with a smile and looked away from the military magazine. He looked at the fuming gu nianzhi and said gently, ¡°Do you only have eyes for your dad and not your uncle?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s not true. I can¡¯t have anyone but my uncle! Without You, what would my father and I eat?¡±

    ¡°So I really am just a cook in your father and daughter¡¯s eyes.¡±Lu Yuan deliberately teased her. ¡°But I¡¯ve been in a bad mood recently and don¡¯t feel like cooking. What should I do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She thought Lu Yuan was joking, but what if there was even the slightest possibility that it was true? !

    After being fed with delicious food by Lu Yuan for so long, Gu Nianzhi felt eerily that she could no longer ¡°Make do¡±with food!

    No matter how big the world was, it was not as big as a foodie¡¯s obsession with delicious food.

    She immediately shook off Lu Jin¡¯s arm and sat next to Lu Yuan, smiling sweetly. ¡°CEO Lu, is there anything that you can¡¯t solve? Can you tell me? I¡¯m the best at helping people solve their problems...¡±

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she blinked her big, Bright Eyes too often, Lu Yuan might have believed her.

    Because when she wanted to be nice to someone, her stance was really irresistible.

    She was like a newborn kitten. Although she couldn¡¯t stand still, she still stubbornly wanted to curl up into a ball and lie in Lu Yuan¡¯s palm, showing her wholehearted dependence and affection for him.

    Lu Yuan smiled at her and thought about how to speak. Gu Nianzhi lowered her voice again and said in the tone and tone of an underground worker from the revolutionary era,¡±... is it for Ms. Song?¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Although it wasn¡¯t, it didn¡¯t seem that different.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi with a ¡°You know what I mean¡±expression.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. President Lu, I¡¯m only doing you a favor! I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ve never been a matchmaker!¡±

    ¡°Being a matchmaker can ruin three generations, and it can ruin one¡¯s life. President Lu, for the sake of your lifelong happiness, I¡¯m going all out!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1975, ¡°Going all out.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    PS: From now on, the first update in the morning might be pushed back to between 11:00 and 12:00. I¡¯ve been super busy recently, and I only get home around 10:00 at night. From now until mid-november, I can¡¯t even rest on weekends. Dear friends, please forgive me

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1976 - date (First Update)

    <h4>Chapter 1976: Chapter 1976 date (First Update)</h4>

    Lu Yuan smiled. The lines at the corners of his eyes were deep and clear, but he did not look old. Instead, he had a different kind of charm.

    How could anyone have the heart to reject such a man?

    Gu Nianzhi rested her chin on her hand and looked at Lu Yuan for a while. She smiled and said, ¡°President Lu, why don¡¯t I treat everyone to dinner today?¡±

    She blinked as she spoke.

    Lu Yuan ced the magazine on the coffee table in front of him and said lightly, ¡°This was your idea?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you looking down on me? Ideas aren¡¯t new, as long as they work.¡±Gu Nianzhi snapped her fingers. ¡°Then everyone will go to the movies tonight. I¡¯ll go online and buy tickets now!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and bought five movie tickets without waiting for Lu Yuan to refuse.

    ¡°This is the new movie that has been released recently, ¡®Once Upon a time¡¯. Not Bad, not bad! It fits the situation perfectly!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was beaming with joy.

    She used her phone to search again and found a chic and small restaurant. ¡°It¡¯s on theke. Well, this is it. The main dish is Huaiyang cuisine, which suits Ms. Song¡¯s taste.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately booked a private room, specifically stating that there must be a private room with a view of theke.

    Gu Nianzhi called song jinning only after she had booked a room in the restaurant.

    ¡°Miss Song? It¡¯s Nianzhi.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled as she walked to the balcony with her phone in her hand. She leaned against the railing and called Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning had just finished an experiment and was waiting for the results toe out.

    Gu Nianzhi happened to call when she had nothing to do.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi, what¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re not calling me at this hour to treat me to dinner, are you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°Mrs. Song is so smart! I¡¯m going to treat you to dinner!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really? ! That¡¯s Great!¡±Song Jinning smiled and looked at her watch. ¡°I¡¯m free tonight. You can treat me to dinner!¡±

    ¡°Sure, no problem!¡±Gu Nianzhi was very happy. That was great! She had ordered dinner!

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a happy event today, so I¡¯m going to treat everyone to dinner. Not only you, but also Huo Shao, my dad, and President Lu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deliberately left Lu Yuan to thest minute.

    Song Jinning nodded hurriedly and said, ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s have a lively dinner together!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded as well. ¡°After dinner, let¡¯s go to the movies. I¡¯ve already bought tickets for the movie!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi forwarded the tickets she had bought for the online movie to Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning naturally did not want to spoil the fun. She smiled and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s watch the movie after dinner. I¡¯m looking forward to a night like this!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡±Gu Nianzhi said sweetly. ¡°You can¡¯t do experiments in theb every day... you have tobine work and rest!¡±

    Song Jinning smiled in agreement and looked up the address of the restaurant.

    At six o¡¯clock in the afternoon, song Jinning drove straight to the restaurant.

    ¡°Hello, how may I Help You?¡±The waiter at the entrance of the restaurant greeted song jinning attentively.

    Song Jinning looked inside and said, ¡°Five people. Miss GU has reserved a table for us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know. This way, you cane to the private room on the second floor.¡±The waiter brought song Jinning to a fake private room on the second floor with ake view.

    The antique door was pushed open. The decorations inside were very traditional, but the details wereplicated and exquisite, making people unable to look away.

    Song Jinning quickly looked at the decorations, and then she saw a person standing up in the room. It was Lu Yuan.

    He seemed to have dressed up. His hair was neither long nor short, clean and refreshing. With a Little Cologne, song Jinning¡¯s nose was very sharp. She could smell that it was from Cool Water, that smell was the only male Cologne that she could ept.

    A beige shirt with fine stripes, khaki casual pants, a pair of Rauph Lauren beige tennis shoes on her feet, and a tennis bag on her back. It was as if she had just walked out of the tennis court.

    Instantly, he looked twenty years younger.

    Song Jinning looked at Lu Yuan¡¯s handsome and deep face and said with a smile, ¡°President Lu, you came first?¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at his watch and nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll order first. When theye, they can serve the dishes.¡±

    For more than a month, song jinning had been eating Lu Yuan¡¯s dishes.

    When she didn¡¯t go back to the apartment, Lu Jin would bring her three meals a day.

    If she returned to the apartment on the weekend, she would have a full meal. It was all Lu Yuan¡¯s good dishes, as well as supplements.

    He cooked for her in a variety of ways, making her unable to swallow the food in the canteen.

    Holding her handbag and sitting opposite Lu Yuan, song jinning smiled and said, ¡°The dishes chief Lu ordered are definitely good. Let¡¯s ck off today and have a good taste of Huaiyang dishes!¡±

    Lu Yuan took the menu and ced it in front of her, saying, ¡°See if there¡¯s anything else you want to eat. I ordered all the dishes that have been circled here.¡±

    Song Jinning pushed the menu away and said with a smile, ¡°No need. The dishes you ordered will definitely be delicious.¡±

    The two of them casually sat in the private room and chatted.

    Lu Yuan was good at chatting. As long as he wanted to, he could unwittingly uncover the stories of his ancestors for eighteen generations.

    Although song jinning was not very good at managing interpersonal rtionships, she was much better than Lu Jin in this aspect.

    Therefore, when talking to Lu Yuan and song jinning, as long as Lu Yuan threw away his head, she could continue to talk endlessly. It waspletely different from when she was eating with other people and spent most of her time smiling.

    Lu Yuan was also very happy that song jinning was rxing in front of him. They chatted all over the ce, just like two good friends who had helped each other for many years. One topic after another, they could not finish talking no matter how much they talked.

    The two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not even notice the time.

    The waiter knocked on the door and came in again. ¡°It¡¯s been half an hour. Would you like to serve the dishes? are your friends stilling?¡±

    Lu Yuan immediately said, ¡°Serve the dishes.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait. Nianzhi, Lu Jin, and Shaoheng aren¡¯t here yet.¡±

    Lu Yuan came back to his senses and nodded. ¡°I see that they¡¯re serving the dishes. Why Don¡¯t you call them to hurry them up?¡±

    Song Jinning picked up her phone and was about to call Gu Nianzhi when she saw that there were several missed calls on her phone. All of them were from Gu Nianzhi.

    Song Jinning was surprised. ¡°Nianzhi called me? I didn¡¯t even know!¡±

    Her phone was on vibrate mode. She really didn¡¯t feel it when the call vibrated, so she started chatting with Lu Yuan.

    The corners of Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth curled up in an almost imperceptible curve. He asked lightly, ¡°Is something the matter, Nianzhi?¡±

    Song Jinning quickly called back.

    It only rang once before Gu Nianzhi picked up the phone.

    She immediately said, ¡°Miss song, it¡¯s really unfortunate today. I¡¯m not feeling well. My dad and Huo Shao are sending me to the hospital. Please eat with President Lu, we won¡¯t be going over.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Not feeling well? Where are you feeling unwell? Do you want me toe back and take you to the hospital?¡±Song Jinning was so nervous that she didn¡¯t even eat.

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead.

    She had almost made a fool of herself.

    ¡°... No, no!¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly refused and said bluntly, ¡°My father and Huo Shao are enough. Mrs. Song, you¡¯re just adding to the mess bying back.¡±

    ¡°You Child, I¡¯m just being concerned about you, aren¡¯t I?¡±Song jinningughed.

    Gu Nianzhi was still able to tease her, which meant that her illness was not serious.

    ¡°Then should I go see you after dinner?¡±Song Jinning asked with concern.

    ¡°Of course not!¡±Gu Nianzhi would have jumped up if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t carried her on hisp and sat on the sofa, ¡°I even bought tickets for the movie! If you and president Lu don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll have bought the tickets for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Miss Song, I can¡¯t go to the banquet today. You must eat more. You¡¯d better eat mine too!¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled brightly, ¡°Also, I can¡¯t go to the movies. You have to watch it well too. Come back and tell me about it tonight!¡±

    Song Jinning smiled. ¡°You Child...¡±

    After hanging up, she smoothed her hair and looked at her phone for a while. She smiled and shook her head. ¡°Nianzhi really has a lot of ideas.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s face was slightly red, but he still said calmly, ¡°Then let¡¯s eat first and then go to the movies. Nianzhi¡¯s treating anyway. She gave me all the money for the treat.¡±

    Song Jinning subconsciously want to nod, but think again, just two people, after dinner to watch a movie, this is too like a date!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1976, ¡°The date.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    PS: Catch the worm in a couple of days.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 1977 - Shad Without Thorns (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1977: Chapter 1977 Shad Without Thorns (second update)</h4>

    Was this really necessary?

    Song Jinning¡¯s fair and creamy cheeks slowly turned pink.

    For a moment, she didn¡¯t know what to say, and she didn¡¯t dare to nod casually. She stood there frozen, not knowing where to look.

    After the waiter served the dishes, song jinning still maintained her original position. Lu Yuan looked on anxiously for her neck.

    Without thinking too much, Lu Yuan¡¯s hand went around her neck and ced it on the back of Song Jinning¡¯s neck. He pressed on one of the acupuncture points.

    Song jinning grunted, and her stiff neck came back to life.

    Her face turned even redder, and she stared at Lu Yuan helplessly. ¡°President Lu...¡±

    Before she could protest against Lu Yuan¡¯s ¡°Touching¡±, Lu Yuan had already retracted his hand. Taking the opportunity, he took the freshly squeezed coconut milk from the waiter and poured a cup for song jinning. He said with a smile, ¡°Do you want coconut milk?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Song jinning nodded and took a sip.

    Lu Yuan nonchntly picked up a crab roe soup bun for her and ced it on her te. ¡°This is good. Help Yourself.¡±

    Song Jinning picked it up with her chopsticks and took a bite. She frowned and said without thinking, ¡°It¡¯s not that good. It¡¯s not as good as yours.¡±

    Because Gu Nianzhi liked seafood, Lu Yuan had picked out seafood that he knew how to cook for her a few times in the past month. The Crab Roe Soup Bun was one of them.

    Lu Yuan also picked up a crab roe soup bun and put it in his mouth to taste, he said, ¡°The ingredients of the authentic crab roe soup bun are crab roe and crab meat. Add a bit of chicken soup and pork chops, and add the cooked meat jelly together. The emphasis is on making the noodles as thin as paper and breaking them with a puff of air.¡±

    ¡°The crab roe soup dumplings here were prepared by the restaurant after all. They didn¡¯t use fresh hairy crabs to break apart the crab roe and crab meat. They only used canned crab meat and salted duck egg yolks instead. The meat jelly wasn¡¯t made freshly either. The chicken soup was also canned chicken soup bought from the supermarket. Of course, it can¡¯t bepared to the homemade chicken soup.¡±

    Song Jinning was stunned when she heard that. Unknowingly, she forgot about her nervousness and embarrassment. She said,¡±... how can you tell? Although I can¡¯t Cook as well as you can, the difference is actually not that big...¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at her and smiled even more deeply. ¡°Really? If the difference isn¡¯t big, then eat more.¡±

    As he said that, he ced another crab roe soup bun on her te.

    Then, he picked up the steamed shad with his chopsticks. After picking off the spines, he ced it on her te and said, ¡°The shad here is still fresh.¡±

    Song jinning rarely ate fish because she hated fish spines.

    However, Lu Yuan actually noticed that the shad on her te had all been picked off.

    Shad without stingers was truly delicious. Song jinning almost swallowed her tongue.

    She smiled and said, ¡°If Nianzhi finds out, she¡¯ll be furious! She Won¡¯t be able to eat such delicious food.¡±

    As she spoke, Song Jinning had an idea. She took out her phone and took a photo. After she posted the photo, she added, ¡°Some people won¡¯t be able toe to dinner tonight. It¡¯s a pity that the shad is so delicious. It hasn¡¯t been stung yet!¡±

    In less than a minute, song jinning noticed that someone had replied to her wechat moments.

    It was Gu Nianzhi.

    She mischievously replied to the picture she had just posted: ¡°Important thing: Shad doesn¡¯t have thorns!¡±! Shad didn¡¯t have thorns! Shad didn¡¯t have thorns! How could shad not have thorns? Of course someone had picked them! Look at that hand hidden in the mirror... it¡¯s already taken a screenshot. Deleting it won¡¯t Help!¡±.

    Song Jinning¡¯s eyes widened as she searched the nine pce picture, and sure enough, she saw that she had identally smacked Lu Yuan¡¯s hand into it.

    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±Song jinning subconsciously apologized to Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback, and took out his phone to take a look as well.

    Lu Yuanughed when he saw song Jinning¡¯s recent moments and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mischievous message.

    He swiped his fingers on his phone and replied to Gu Nianzhi: [ it¡¯s really delicious. Have you recovered from your illness? Can you take screenshots now? ].

    Gu Nianzhi was in the kitchen of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence at the moment. She watched as Huo shaoheng cooked pae fried rice for her while she yed on her phone.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly clicked on it when she saw that someone had replied to her post.

    ¡°TSK TSK, president Lu is really going all out. Even a simple sentence can contain a hint of ¡®killing intent¡¯! A big shot trying to woo his girlfriend with threats and enticement, tsk!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi replied to Lu Yuan¡¯s message and only made a few ¡°Disdainful¡±emojis.

    Lu Yuan smiled and put away his phone. He said to song jinning, ¡°Nianzhi is a mischievous person, don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    Song jinning nodded lightly.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s attitude was normal and peaceful. He was neither distant nor polite, nor intimate.

    The uneasiness in song Jinning¡¯s heart gradually subsided, and she was able to start chatting with Lu Yuan.

    ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s one-month vacation ising to an end, and he¡¯s going to work in two days. Nianzhi is also going to report to the Senate, and Lu Jin is going to be a professor at our ce. CEO Lu, what do you n to do in the future?¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at song jinning and said, ¡°I have a two-year release period. I Won¡¯t be able to do any rted work for the next two years, so I want to help Lu Jin manage thepany first.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Professor Lu has set up apany?¡±Song Jinning was interested. ¡°What does he want to invest in?¡±

    ¡°Of course he wants to use his technology.¡±Lu Yuan said and showed song jinning the patent that Lu Jin had just applied for. ¡°Here, this is his first patent. Don¡¯t even think about it. He¡¯ll definitely make a lot of money in the future.¡±

    ¡°Electric car battery patent? ! That¡¯s Amazing!¡±Song Jinning eximed. ¡°If it¡¯s just a patent, then licensing is enough, right? What kind ofpany does he want?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll have a lot of patents in the future. It¡¯s better to run apany by himself.¡±What Lu Yuan said was not a trade secret. Anyone could listen to him.

    Of course, Song Jinning was not an outsider. Apart from state secrets, Lu Yuan was willing to share anything in his life with song jinning.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®many¡¯?¡±Song Jinning¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Will this dy professor Lu¡¯s teaching work?¡±

    ¡°No,¡±Lu Yuan said with a smile. ¡°We n to set up an investmentpany. At the moment, his patented technology is the biggest asset. If you want to cooperate with us, we don¡¯t want cash, we want the other party¡¯s shares.¡±

    Song Jinning was not very clear about these business things. She only listened to Lu Yuan¡¯s exnation, so she could only nod and look at him with adoration.

    Lu Yuan was overjoyed, but he could still remain calm.

    The mealsted from six to eight. The waiter came over and walked back and forth between the two seats several times. Only then did Lu Yuan and song Jinning pay the bill and leave unsatisfied.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go watch a movie.¡±Coming to the parking lot, Lu Yuan walked to song Jinning¡¯s car very naturally. ¡°I¡¯m not driving. I¡¯ll be your driver.¡±

    Song Jinning handed over the car keys and asked curiously, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you driving? Is it too congested? It¡¯s not bad today. When I came over after work, there wasn¡¯t much traffic.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled faintly and said, ¡°It¡¯s more convenient to take a taxi.¡±

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t figure out why taking a taxi was more convenient than driving herself, but she wisely didn¡¯t ask further. She pulled open the other car door and sat inside.

    Lu Yuan had just driven song Jinning¡¯s car away when Huo Guanchen got out of his own car.

    He looked at the familiar car with an obscure gaze. Naturally, he saw Lu Yuan get into the car just now.

    ¡°... second brother, what are you looking at?¡±Zhang Baochen got out of the car behind him. He did not see Lu Yuan and song jinning leaving together.

    Huo Guanchen came back to his senses and said lightly, ¡°Nothing, I saw an acquaintance... two acquaintances.¡±

    Zhang Baochen did not care. ¡°Go in. Miss Guo is already waiting inside.¡±

    What a coincidence. Guo Huining suddenly invited them to dinner today. It was also at the ¡°House on theke¡±.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: Chapter 1977, Shad Without Thorns.

    PS: Catch the worm in a couple of days.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1978 - a full man, a hungry man (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1978: Chapter 1978: a full man, a hungry man (first update)</h4>

    The incandescentmp in the parking lot gave off a pale light, illuminating the surroundings.

    Huo Guanchen felt that it was very dazzling.

    Withdrawing his gaze, he walked out of the parking lot with Zhang Baochen expressionlessly and came to the small private room that he had agreed to with Guo Huining.

    This was also a private room by the window near the water.

    Guo Huining sat alone in the room. Her face was a little haggard. She stared nkly at the smallke outside the window, and no one knew what she was thinking.

    The waiter who led them in knocked on the door and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Guo, your friend has arrived.¡±

    Guo Huining suddenly turned around and saw that Huo Guanchen had arrived. She was greatly relieved.

    ¡°The two of you are here. Please take a seat.¡±Guo huining greeted them warmly and asked the waiter to quickly serve the dishes.

    Huo Guanchen sat down opposite her and said calmly, ¡°I have already eaten. Just bring me a cup of tea.¡±

    Zhang Baochen sat down beside Huo Guanchen happily and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about the dinner that Miss Guo invited. I haven¡¯t had a bite at home!¡±

    Huo Guanchen:¡±...¡±

    He frowned slightly and said softly, ¡°Baochen, do you have to go this far?¡±

    ¡°Second brother, you are a man who knows nothing about hunger. Ever since we left the Huo family¡¯s mansion, we haven¡¯t dared to eat freely outside. Who knows when we will offend someone and even lose ourst job?¡±

    Zhang Baochen spoke very frankly and did not care about his reputation at all.

    Guo Huining knew a little about the Zhang family¡¯s situation and did not take it to heart.

    Her ultimate goal was to use Zhang Baochen to build a rtionship with Huo Guanchen, including treating grandfather Huo¡¯s illness. Her ultimate goal was Huo Guanchen.

    He had a high position and power. He was also Huo Shaoheng¡¯s biological father and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s future husband.

    If Gu Nianzhi wanted to enter the Huo family, it was impossible for her not to value Huo Guanchen.

    Guo huining heard from Dou aiyan that Huo Guanchen was actually not satisfied with Gu Nianzhi as his daughter-inw and despised her family background. It was only because Huo Shaoheng really liked her that he did not object.

    Guo huining could not help curling her lips in disdain.

    She was not optimistic about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s prospects at all.

    So what if they were engaged?

    She had been engaged to Hong Ziqi for so many years, but was still kicked out with a single kick..

    When she thought of Hong Ziqi, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the dispute with the Hong Corporation. Guo Huining¡¯s head hurt even more.

    She beckoned for the waiter toe in and refilled Huo Guanchen¡¯s Cup of tea.

    After the dishes were served, Guo huining asked the waiter to close the door when they left. She then raised her wine ss and said to Zhang Baochen and Huo Guanchen, ¡°I¡¯m very grateful to the two of you foring today.¡±

    She had only invited Huo Guanchen and Zhang Baochen to dinner after she had received the news in the afternoon.

    She had deliberately chosen this time.

    It had to be said that the timing she had chosen was too coincidental..

    Huo Guanchen was a very busy person. He would not go to such ast-minute invitation.

    But Guo Huining¡¯s matter was special.

    The doctor she had hired had cured grandfather Huo, so Huo Guanchen had to give her face and help her.

    He raised his teacup and said calmly, ¡°Did miss guo invite us to dinner today to apologize to Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    More than a month ago, Guo Huining had said that she would personally apologize to Gu Nianzhi during the dinner because she had offended Gu Nianzhi and wanted to invite them to dinner.

    Huo Guanchen had already promised her, but after waiting for a month, he still hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to have dinner.

    Today, Guo Huining finally couldn¡¯t sit still, right?

    Guo Huining, on the other hand, was even more embarrassed. She stuttered for a while before saying,¡±... it¡¯s like this. Miss GU¡¯s matter has already passed, there¡¯s no need to bring it up again.¡±

    ¡°Oh? She epted your apology? TSK TSK, the Sun has risen from the west, her character has really changed...¡±Zhang Baochen ate a mouthful of food and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head.

    Guo Huining did not want to talk about it. She coughed lightly and looked at Huo Guanchen. She used the most tactful tone and the most pleasant voice, she said softly, ¡°General Huo, I really have no choice. I have no other choice, so I want to ask you for a favor.¡±

    ¡°What favor?¡±Huo Guanchen put down his teacup. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t vite thew or our discipline, I will help you if I can.¡±

    It was just a favor. was there a need to add so many attributions in front of it?

    Guo Huining lowered her eyes, her fingers fidgeting with a snow-white napkin. After thinking for a while, she said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Because of my conflict with Miss Gu, the Hong family and I became enemies.¡±

    ¡°And because of the difference in business philosophy between me and the Hong family¡¯s elders, there was a slight mistake in business.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. In short, the old madam of the Hong family not only canceled the engagement between me and her great-grandson, but also... also... I have topensate for the loss, or else she will sue me in court!¡±

    As she spoke, she cried, feeling very wronged.

    Zhang Baochen looked at her in surprise, forgetting to eat his food. He quickly said, ¡°Weren¡¯t you engaged to Hong Ziqi for several years? !¡±

    ¡°... seven or eight years.¡±Guo huining smiled bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m already in my thirties... my entire youth has been spent on the Hong Corporation and Hong Ziqi. Now they want me to leave, so they let me go. They kicked me out with a single kick. They¡¯re not forgiving at all...¡±

    As she talked about her sadness, her eyes turned red.

    There was no need to pretend that she was suffering. She was truly heartbroken, and it was difficult for her to control her emotions.

    Huo Guanchen and Zhang Baochen looked at each other, feeling a little sorry for her.

    ¡°... then Miss Guo means that you want us to help you plead with the Hong Family?¡±Huo Guanchen pondered for a while, but he could not understand what Guo huining meant.

    ¡°But we are not familiar with the Hong family. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t help you.¡±Zhang Baochen spread his hands helplessly. He was too embarrassed to continue eating.

    Guo huining hurriedly shook her head and smiled with tears in her eyes. ¡°Of course not. You guys really don¡¯t know the Hong family at all. How could I let you guys plead on my behalf?¡±

    As she spoke, she raised her eyes and nced at Huo Guanchen. Then, she quickly lowered her eyes and said, ¡°I have nothing now. I¡¯ve been chased out by the Hong family. I can¡¯t find a new job and have nowhere to go.¡±

    ¡°The Hong family has taken back the house and the stocks. I have no home now, so I can only stay in a hotel.¡±

    ¡°My family is not in this city. The only friends I¡¯m familiar with here are the Hong family. Now that I¡¯ve fallen out with them, I can¡¯t even find a job...¡±

    She muttered, ¡°I want to ask you two if you can help me find a job... I¡¯m not picky, and it¡¯s not expensive. I can just provide food and amodation. I can be a private legal consultant or assistant.¡±

    Zhang Baochen frowned and said awkwardly, ¡°But I can¡¯t even protect myself. I haven¡¯t had a job for a long time.¡±

    As he said that, he looked at Huo Guanchen, carefully, he said, ¡°Second brother, why don¡¯t you help her? Miss Guo is also a top graduate from B University¡¯sw department. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to be your personal assistant and manage your personal affairs, right?¡±

    Huo Guanchen pondered for a moment. He thought to himself that his position was so high that he couldn¡¯t have a personal assistant at all.

    His personal affairs were all taken care of by a personal secretary.

    However, Guo Huining was really pitiful. She had indeed gotten into a conflict with Gu Nianzhi and had found someone to help him cure his father. He had to return the favor.

    He thought about it, he said, ¡°I can¡¯t have a personal assistant, but my father needs someone to take care of his personal affairs.¡±. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Miss Guo, you can be my father¡¯s assistant for a while. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to go when you find a job in the future.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes instantly lit up.

    ¡°Really? ! That¡¯s great! Thank you, General Huo! I¡¯ll take good care of grandfather Huo!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to take care of him yourself.¡±Huo Guanchen smiled, thinking that this Miss Guo was really naive..

    ¡°I¡¯ve hired some people to take care of the old man. There are rehabilitation doctors and nurses, nannies and chefs, as well as gardeners and part-time workers. Please help me take care of these people. When I¡¯m not at home, I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first watch of the day: Chapter 1978, ¡°A full man, a hungry man.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1979 - Easy to talk to (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1979: Chapter 1979: Easy to talk to (second update)</h4>

    Guo Huining was relieved. She gratefully held Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand and quickly turned her worry into joy. She excitedly held Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand, ¡°Thank you, General Huo! Thank you, General Huo! I will definitely help you take care of the people around grandfather Huo!¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled and slipped away from his hand, he said, ¡°I hope Miss Guo doesn¡¯t think that she¡¯s overqualified. You used to manage such a bigpany. Now that you¡¯re here to help take care of grandfather Huo, you¡¯re actually just like a Butler...¡±

    ¡°No, no! I have nothing to do now. I would love to help you!¡±

    Guo Huining was very enthusiastic and continued to ask, ¡°When do you need me to work?¡±

    Zhang Baochen frowned. ¡°Second brother, dad is staying with us now. We can take care of him ourselves, right?¡±

    He had even asked his father to go to Huo Guanchen¡¯s ce to ask for benefits for his family..

    They all knew that grandfather Huo had nothing left. The only person he could rely on was his filial son, Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s son, Huo Shaoheng, was also there. Although he wasn¡¯t very obedient, he was still a grandson. He couldn¡¯t ignore his own grandfather¡¯s matters.

    Huo Guanchen smiled. ¡°Baochen, it¡¯s not that easy to take care of the elderly, especially with father¡¯s situation. Professionals are needed. If you guys are willing, you cane and apany grandfather every day.¡±

    ¡°AH? Really? !¡±Zhang Baochen¡¯s spirits were lifted. ¡°Are we going to the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the military headquarters? !¡±

    Could their family go back like this? !

    As long as they could return to the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the military headquarters, at least Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie¡¯s jobs would not have to worry about.

    Those departments that had previously fired them would definitely regret it toote.

    Guo Huining was also a little excited.

    She did not expect someone of Huo Guanchen¡¯s status to be so easy to talk to. He was much easier to deal with than that Old Lady Hong!

    Her eyes widened, and her entire face lit up. ¡°Where is the military headquarters? General Huo, this is my cell phone number. Send me the address, and I will go to Your House Tomorrow to help you take care of old Mr. Huo!¡±

    Huo Guanchen raised his hand slightly, telling Zhang Baochen and Guo huining to calm down, he said, ¡°With my grandfather¡¯s situation, it¡¯s not good for him to stay at the military headquarters for the time being. I have a house outside, and it¡¯s been renovated in the past month. In two days, I¡¯ll send a rehabilitation doctor and nurse to Baochen¡¯s ce to pick up the old man.¡±

    ¡°AH? Father isn¡¯t staying at the military headquarters?¡±Zhang Baochen blurted out, unable to hide his disappointment.

    Huo Guanchen smiled nonchntly, ¡°The militarypound has very high confidentiality requirements. There are too many people taking care of the old man. It¡¯s unrealistic to spend too much time on background checks. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m busy with work right now and don¡¯t have time to stay at home. It¡¯s the same whether the old man lives in the militarypound or not.¡±

    How could it be the same!

    Guo Huining and Zhang Baochen almost cried out in their hearts at the same time.

    But in front of Huo Guanchen, they did not dare to say a word.

    Guo Huining was the first to react. She quickly smiled bitterly and said, ¡°That¡¯s good too. In my current situation, I reckon that the background investigation will not pass.¡±

    ¡°What exactly happened to you?¡±Huo Guanchen asked with concern, ¡°If the matter is not serious, I can think of something.¡±

    Guo Huining did not dare to hide it and told him about the Hong Group, she then said, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have hidden the matter of the battery, but for the sake of going public, it was also a temporary measure. Now, the otherpany is no longer pursuing the matter. They have reached a usage agreement with the Hong Group as long as they pay the patent fee and a little interest.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that old madam Hong has always looked down on me and wants to exterminate me!¡±Guo huining wiped her tears as she spoke, choking with sobs, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard for so many years without any merit. In the end, when something happened, not only did they chase me out, they even took back my house!¡±

    Her luxurious penthouse..

    Old Madam Hong was really crafty to the extreme!

    Guo huining gritted her teeth in hatred whenever she thought about it.

    ¡°... How Can You Take Back Your House?¡±Even Zhang Baochen was puzzled when he heard it. ¡°Could it be that your name isn¡¯t on the property certificate?¡±

    Guo Huining was choked by him. Her face turned red and she said vaguely, ¡°At that time, I bought it in the name of thepany. I¡¯m an executive, and I¡¯m also the fianc¨¦e of the young master of the Hong Group. I said that it was for me. Once I get married, I¡¯ll transfer the house...¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded in understanding, he smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s indeed the Hong Group being unkind. Although you¡¯re not married, you¡¯ve been engaged to the young master of the Hong Group for so many years. Even if you break up, you don¡¯t have to take back the house.¡±

    Guo Huining had never heard such thoughtful words before, and a strange feeling suddenly rose in her heart.

    Ever since she graduated from university, she knew what she wanted.

    For so many years, she had been attacking aggressively, relying on her ability and ability to achieve a leap in social ss. Not only was she engaged to a young master from a wealthy family like Hong Ziqi, but she had also umted a considerable amount of wealth.

    However, these things were all obtained through her hard work.

    She thought that every single cent of her money was earned by herself, but what was there to brag about?

    There were women who were not as capable as her, and there were men who gave them money, but what about herself?

    Guo Huining felt her heart ache.

    She looked deeply at Huo Guanchen.

    There had never been a man who could shake her heartstrings like Huo Guanchen. He had a high position and power, was mature and handsome, and was as tall and straight as a mountain. He could also take care of her emotions and give her the feeling that she could rely on him.

    She suddenly wanted to be a little woman. Even if she had to stay at home to take care of her husband and children, and never go out to work again, she thought that she would be willing to do so..

    ¡°Thank you, General Huo, for speaking the truth.¡±Guo Huining¡¯s eyes were red, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m too touched. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave Old Mr. Huo to me. I¡¯ll definitely help you take care of your other home. ¡°Also, I still have contact with Dr. Tony. ¡°If there¡¯s a need, we can find doctor Tony to give old Mr. Huo a regr check-up.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded slightly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Miss Guo. By the way, how much is Doctor Tony¡¯s surgery fee? Miss Guo, can you give us a Bill?¡±

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s heart tightened, and his face was a little twisted.

    He knew that Huo Guanchen had money, but he did not..

    He could not evenpare to Huo Guanchen.

    Fortunately, Huo Guanchen still understood Zhang Baochen¡¯s family situation and said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡±

    Guo huining smiled and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. When doctor Tony came to Huaxia to cooperate, there was a charity that was responsible for all the expenses. Old Mr. Huo¡¯s surgery expenses were also included.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯m a public official, so I can¡¯t use the donations from the charity.¡±Huo Guanchen became serious, ¡°If Miss Guo doesn¡¯t bring the bill over, then give me doctor Tony¡¯s contact information. I¡¯ll have my personal secretary contact him to ask for the bill.¡±

    ¡°General huo is really selfless...¡±Guo huining smiled embarrassedly, and her eyes flickered. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and ask Doctor Tony to see how they settle the ounts at the charity.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the money paid by the charity organization can be returned. I can pay the bill for Dr. Tony Myself.¡±

    Guo huining nodded and sent a text message to Dou aiyan.

    When Dou Aiyan received the text message, she quickly discussed the arrangements with the people above her.

    Huo Guanchen did not stay long. After drinking a cup of tea, he left, leaving Zhang Baochen and Guo Huining to continue eating dinner.

    Aftering out of the ¡°Hu Shang Ren¡¯s house,¡±Huo Guanchen leaned against the back seat of the car. He closed his eyes and thought for a while. Then, he said to his personal secretary in the front row, ¡°Get Someone to investigate Guo Huining¡¯s situation and see if what she said is true.¡±

    Even though Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t have to bring his personal secretary to attend a private banquet, he had othermunication devices on him. Not only could he record the voice, but he could also record the video, it was convenient for the security personnel and personal secretary who didn¡¯t follow him to know the situation and movements inside.

    If anything happened, they could deal with it immediately.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s people saw and heard what happened in the private room of the restaurant that day.

    Of course, they knew everything that Guo Huining said about what happened to him.

    ¡°Okay, chief, we have checked again.¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary showed him the information.

    Huo Guanchen nodded. He looked out of the car window and thought of what he had seen before.

    His big brother and his ex-wife got into a car together and left..

    Were the two of them on a date?

    And then?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 1979, ¡°Be Nice.¡±.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1980 - eight characters drawn (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1980: Chapter 1980: eight characters drawn (first update)</h4>

    Huo Guanchen could not help but clench his fists. He took a deep breath and said,¡±... Let¡¯s go.¡±

    In the parking lot, a few custom-made bulletproof cars quietly left the gate and drove to the road in front of the restaurant.

    Zhang Baochen and Guo Huining came out of the private room and stood by the window on the other side of the second floor, watching Huo Guanchen¡¯s fleet drive out.

    The two of them did not speak for a long time.

    After a long time, Guo Huining asked faintly,¡±... Mr. Zhang, does general Huo always go out in such a grand manner?¡±

    Although she had been engaged to Hong Ziqi for so many years, she had not met many of the truly powerful people.

    She had dealt with Huo Shaoheng twice in the past, but Huo Shaoheng had never been so cordial in front of his friends.

    Guo huining found it difficult to associate Huo Shaoheng¡¯s image with a high-ranking official like Huo Guanchen, who was surrounded by guards and drove by several cars.

    No wonder Mr. Huo Guanchen was a general. This was the proper pomp and circumstance..

    Guo Huining cursed silently in her heart.

    Zhang Baochen also looked enviously in the direction of Huo Guanchen¡¯s motorcade and said in a low voice, ¡°What is this? This is just an ordinary entourage. If it¡¯s a business trip, then the pomp and circumstance will be even bigger.¡±

    ¡°Bigger?¡±Guo Huining was extremely surprised. ¡°How bigger? Bigger than the Prime Minister?¡±

    ¡°Of course it would be bigger.¡±Zhang Baochen turned around disdainfully. ¡°My second brother is the director of Military Political Department. Do you know what rank this is? With the same military rank, the director of Military Political Department is half a rank higher than other military positions!¡±

    ¡°AH? So it¡¯s like that. You really know a lot!¡±Guo Huining had an idea, she respectfully invited Zhang Baochen back to the private room and ordered another bottle of good red wine. She poured him a ss and began to inquire about the Huo family¡¯s situation, especially Huo Guanchen¡¯s military position and rank.

    Zhang Baochen had lived in the Huo family for so many years, so he knew the basic information, so he couldn¡¯t stop talking.

    However, Zhang Baochen didn¡¯t know anything about the specific jobs of Huo Guanchen and Huo Shaoheng.

    He only knew their positions and military ranks. He didn¡¯t know anything else.

    But that alone was enough to broaden Guo Huining¡¯s horizons.

    It was like opening the door to a new world. Guo Huining couldn¡¯t help but secretly n.

    ..

    After dinner, it was already past 10 pm.

    Guo Huining and Zhang Baochen came out of the ¡°People on theke¡±and were already slightly tipsy.

    When the cold night wind blew outside, the goosebumps on Guo Huining¡¯s arms came out.

    The two of them had drunk alcohol and could not drive.

    However, Zhang Baochen did not have a car, so Guo Huining¡¯s car could not be driven out for the time being.

    Therefore, after the two of them said goodbye at the entrance of the restaurant, they each called a private car.

    Guo Huining waited for Zhang Baochen to get in the car and leave before she got into the private car that she had called.

    After the car was driven out, Dou aiyan, who was sitting in the front row, turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Huining, how¡¯s the situation today? Have they agreed to help?¡±

    Guo huining smiled and tucked her long hair behind her ear. She said slowly, ¡°General Huo is a good person and verypassionate. When he heard that the Hong family treated me like this, he was filled with righteous indignation.¡±

    ¡°AH? Does that mean that he is really willing to help you? !¡±Dou aiyan was overjoyed. ¡°How do they n to help? Old Lady Hong Won¡¯t let me off. I¡¯m very worried about you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Hong family won¡¯t dare to do anything to me.¡±Guo huining had confidence and said confidently, ¡°General Huo has already promised me to go to his house to help him take care of the housework. Although it¡¯s only temporary, I¡¯m now under General Huo¡¯smand. If the Hong family wants to make things difficult for me, let¡¯s see if they have the guts to challenge General Huo!¡±

    ¡°AH? ? ? ?¡±Dou aiyan screamed. If it weren¡¯t for the safety belt, she would have happily climbed from the front seat to the back seat.

    However, even if she couldn¡¯t climb over, she still stretched her neck. Her face was full of excitement and asked repeatedly, ¡°General Huo really agreed to let you stay at his house? ! He¡¯s trying to cover for You!¡±

    ¡°No...¡±Guo huining blushed. She deliberately didn¡¯t say that she wasn¡¯t actually going to the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the militarypound, but to Huo Guanchen¡¯s house outside.

    She pretended to be modest and said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just going to help take care of the housework, just like a housekeeper. ¡°You know that the Huo family has a lot of servants. General Huo can¡¯t handle it alone, and grandfather Huo has been discharged from the hospital. There are so many rehabilitation doctors, nurses, nannies, part-time workers, gardeners, and chefs in the family. There are at least 10 to 20 people in total. He¡¯s too busy with work and can¡¯t manage it, so he asked me to help take care of it.¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK... Huining, you¡¯re so lucky!¡±Dou aiyan gave her a thumbs up, she winked at her. ¡°As far as I know, General Huo is still single after his divorce! If you can develop with General Huo, why are you afraid of Gu Nianzhi? ! I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll have to kneel and beg you to be magnanimous!¡±

    Guo Huining felt veryfortable. She ran her hands through her hair and smiled from the corners of her eyes, ¡°Aiyan, you¡¯re exaggerating. I¡¯m just general Huo¡¯s butler, how can I be so powerful? However, general Huo did say that the Hong family is too much...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±Dou aiyan was not old, but she loved to think about the things between men and women. She quickly analyzed it for Guo Huining, ¡°For a single man to let a single woman live in his house, even if it¡¯s just to take care of the housework and manage the servants, it has a different meaning. At least he doesn¡¯t hate you, and even has a good impression of you.¡±

    ¡°No...¡±Guo Huining¡¯s face turned even redder, she denied tly, ¡°I really don¡¯t. Aiyan, don¡¯t talk nonsense. I¡¯ll treat it as a favor to a friend. General Huo has helped me so much and returned the favor. Even if he doesn¡¯t give me a sry, I¡¯ll help him take care of the family affairs so that he won¡¯t have any worries.¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK! That¡¯s virtuous and virtuous!¡±Dou aiyan teased, she deliberately exaggerated, ¡°Huining, I feel that you and Hong Ziqi didn¡¯t work out all these years because God helped you. He thinks that Hong Ziqi isn¡¯t good enough for you, so he won¡¯t let you get married.¡±

    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t a better marriage at the corner of the street? Huining, when you be General Huo¡¯s wife in the future, don¡¯t forget about ourpany!¡±

    Dou aiyan¡¯s ttery came from her family background and had a family background. Guo Huining, who came from an ordinary family, had never grown up in such an atmosphere, so her ttery methods were naturally not as good as Dou Aiyan¡¯s, moreover, it was not easy to distinguish between ttery and truth.

    She was ted by Dou Aiyan¡¯s words, so she could only maintain a trace of rationality. Sheughed and denied repeatedly, ¡°No, no! Aiyan, you¡¯re exaggerating! It¡¯s not even close to the eight-letter word...¡±

    In fact, in her heart, she had already secretly drawn the eight-letter word.

    ..

    After Dou aiyan sent Guo Huining to the hotel, she hurriedly took out her phone and dialed a number.

    ¡°The situation has changed. Guo huining is going to the Huo family to be a housekeeper.¡±

    The voice on the other end of the phone sounded like it was through a voice changer. It was a strange, high-pitched male voice.

    ¡°... Guo Huining is going to the Huo family to be a housekeeper? which Huo Family?¡±

    ¡°Which Huo family is there? Of course it¡¯s Huo Shao¡¯s Huo family. To be precise, it¡¯s Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen¡¯s family.¡±

    Dou aiyan said with certainty that she knew Guo huining was bragging, but there was no way to make up something like being a housekeeper. It was most likely true.

    ¡°Really?¡±The person on the other end of the line seemed to be excited as well. ¡°You¡¯re really going to be a housekeeper at the Huo Family? ! Did that Huo Guanchen not remarry after the divorce? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s still single. He doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend.¡±Dou aiyan said, slightly jealous of Guo Huining, she continued, ¡°But I don¡¯t think she went to the Huo family¡¯s mansion in the military headquarters. It¡¯s heavily guarded, so she can¡¯t get in. It should be the Huo family¡¯s mansion outside.¡±

    This idiot, I didn¡¯t expect his luck to be so good!

    Other than being a little older, Huo Guanchen was more than a dozen streets ahead of Hong Ziqi in every aspect!

    The person on the other end of the phone immediately said, ¡°Then our n has to change a little. Pay attention to Guo Huining¡¯s movements and encourage her to pursue Huo Guanchen.¡±

    ¡°If she can really be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother-inw, I¡¯ll give her a courtyard house in the second ring road as a dowry!¡±

    Dou aiyan snorted and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it a try. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. Huo Guanchen¡¯s level won¡¯t be interested in Guo Huining.¡±

    At most, it would be fun.

    ¡°How do you know? Guo Huining¡¯s conditions aren¡¯t bad.¡±The person on the other end of the line did not seem to agree with her.

    Dou aiyan smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t know that. I grew up in the upper ss. To them, if they really want to get married, they will be very cautious.¡±

    ¡°For someone at General Huo¡¯s level, getting married is even more difficult. They have to pass the most stringent political examination. Do you think Guo Huining will pass the political examination with all the loopholes in her body?¡±

    The other party fell silent.

    Dou aiyan continued, ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you afraid that the military will find out about us when they interrogate Guo Huining?¡±

    These words were too serious. The person on the other end of the phone paused and changed his words, ¡°Then forget it. The n will go on as usual.¡±

    Dou aiyan nodded in satisfaction. She thought to herself that Guo Huining was bragging and trying to raise her status. Who would really believe her?

    After hanging up the phone, she looked at the night sky outside the car window and suddenly thought that her boss, who had never shown his face before, didn¡¯t seem toe from a good background.

    He actually didn¡¯t know about the tacit rules of the upper ss..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1980, ¡°Drawing a stroke of the eight characters.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1981

    <h4>Chapter 1981: Chapter 1981 was the back view again (second update)</h4>

    Song Jinning and Lu Yuan walked into the cinema and went to the theater where they had bought their tickets. There were not many people there.

    Perhaps it was because it was an old movie, only a few people were sitting in the hall.

    Gu Nianzhi had bought a family ticket. It was a ce where several seats were connected together. There were baffles at both ends to block the sight of the people next to them. It was a private ce.

    However, because Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin, and Huo Shaoheng had note, song Jinning and Lu Yuan sat there like a couple.

    Song Jinning said ufortably,¡±... why don¡¯t we switch seats? There are so many empty seats...¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at her and smiled,¡±... most of the seats in this theater are empty. Where are you going to sit? Do you not like this movie? Then let¡¯s go buy tickets?¡±

    ¡°Which movies are there?¡±Song Jinning asked awkwardly.

    Lu Yuan took out his phone and searched for the names of the movies.

    ¡®Iron Man¡¯, ¡®Marvel¡¯s entrance to Heaven¡¯, ¡®Thor is awesome!¡¯..

    Just the names alone were unbearable.

    Song Jinning was even more embarrassed. She whispered, ¡°Are there only such movies? Looks like I¡¯m getting old...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just watch ¡®shback¡¯. Nianzhi¡¯s taste is pretty good,¡±Lu Yuan said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy drinks and snacks. What do you want to drink? What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°I just had dinner. How can I still eat?¡±Song Jinning came back to her senses and rejected him with a smile.

    Lu Yuan said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat, just leave it. What if you want to eat it?¡±

    He didn¡¯t allow him to say anything. He turned around and went out to buy drinks and snacks before putting them on the tray next to him.

    ¡°I bought you a bottle of water. Today¡¯s vegetables are easy to dry up after eating,¡±Lu Yuan said as he ced a bottle of pure water on song Jinning¡¯s side.

    ¡°Thank you,¡±song jinning thanked him out of habit.

    Lu Yuan wanted to say that there was no need to be so polite with him, but he felt that it was a little abrupt and too deliberate. He was afraid that song jinning would be scared off, so he didn¡¯t say anything and just nodded.

    Soon, the lights in the theater dimmed and the movie began.

    Just by looking at the movie¡¯s name, Song Jinning and Lu Yuan thought that it was a warm and nostalgic movie.

    Both of them felt that they were getting older, so this kind of movie was more suitable.

    They had been silently praising Gu Nianzhi in their hearts.

    But after the movie started, the two of them realized that they had made a huge mistake.

    This wasn¡¯t a warm and nostalgic movie. It was a very fast-paced 3D thriller!

    Song Jinning was a scientist. She had always been respectful towards such weird and confusing movies.

    However, this movie was not only full of visual effects, but it was also a psychological thriller. There were few people in the theater, and the realistic sound effects reverberated in the spacious hall. The terrifying atmosphere was perfect.

    When she saw the female leading out of the bathroom and heard the familiar voices of the people outside, she happily greeted them. However, when the other party turned around, she saw that it was not the person she remembered at all. The female lead hugged her head, she let out a hysterical scream.

    Song Jinning¡¯s scalp went numb, and she subconsciously hid in Lu Yuan¡¯s direction.

    Lu Yuan calmly stretched out his arm and hugged song jinning in his arms.

    Feeling the warmth in Lu Yuan¡¯s chest and the strength of his arm, song Jinning¡¯s nervous mood was relieved.

    The plot became even more tense. Song Jinning didn¡¯t dare to breathe loudly the entire time, but she couldn¡¯t bear to not watch, and she couldn¡¯t act like a little girl who covered her eyes but peeked through the gaps between her fingers.

    Fortunately, Lu Yuan was understanding and told her the progress of the plot as if nothing had happened.

    Song Jinning was so nervous that she was able to analyze how the special effects had been made after seeing the horrifying scene.

    When the music at the end of the movie started ying in the theater, the lights started to turn on.

    Song Jinning realized that she was still in Lu Yuan¡¯s arms, so she quickly moved away and said with a red face,¡±... Nianzhi is such a mischievous person to have chosen this kind of movie.¡±

    The two of them hadn¡¯t been interested in the movie, so they hadn¡¯t even seen the movie introduction. They had guessed the movie¡¯s attributes from the title. It was indeed a tragedy.

    Lu Yuan also secretly thought that he had been too careless. Gu Nianzhi was a mischievous person. She knew it wouldn¡¯t just be a simple movie.

    However, when they came out of the movie theater, Lu Yuan naturally held song Jinning¡¯s hand.

    Song Jinning was slightly startled. She wanted to break free, but Lu Yuan held on tightly.

    He did not look at her. His expression was calm. He looked ahead calmly and said calmly, ¡°This ce is dark. Be careful not to fall.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±? ? ?¡±

    Dark?

    She raised her head to look at the bright streetmp above her. Was she seeing things?

    She raised her head toin in her heart that Lu Yuan¡¯s excuse was toome. However, her feet suddenly became empty, and her body fell to the side.

    Lu Yuan was quick-witted. He half-carried her in one go to avoid the result of spraining her ankle.

    Song Jinning was embarrassed.

    Lu Yuan was really too sneaky. He hadpletely anticipated the consequences of his words, which was why he dared to be so ¡°Boastful¡±!

    There were streetmps here, but he said ¡°This ce is dark¡±. With song Jinning¡¯s temper, she would definitely raise her head to look at the streetmps and thenin in her heart that he was spouting nonsense.

    And if she didn¡¯t look at the road in an unfamiliar ce, she would fall.

    The logic was perfect.

    Lu yuanughed, ¡°Am I right? This ce is indeed dark.¡±

    Dark? There was no such thing.

    As long as there was a ce with Lu Yuan, he would feel the existence of light, warm light andpanionship.

    Song Jinning took a deep breath and looked at the white smoke that she exhaled drifting in the cold autumn night sky of the imperial capital.

    She really didn¡¯t feel cold.

    Thest time she felt so warm and down-to-earth was when she was in her teens when she first went to university.

    At that time, her parents were still alive and her life had just begun. She still had endless possibilities for her future.

    She was an extremely talented young girl, a peerless beauty, and also came from a schrly family. Such a girl was destined to be looked up to by everyone in university.

    However, she did not coddle the students, nor did she use her beauty tomit murder. What she liked the most was to do physics questions and discuss all kinds of cutting-edge physics theories and experimental results with others.

    Carrying a big backpack and going back and forth between the library and the dormitory every day was the most beautiful scenery in university, and it also stayed in the memories of many students.

    Just like song Jinning¡¯s brain, Lu Yuan also thought of the situation when Song Jinning went to university.

    When he opened the car door, he said slowly, ¡°The first time I saw you was when I went to your school to carry out a mission. I saw you arguing with your ssmates about the results of the experiment.¡±

    Song jinning smiled and said, ¡°It was quite fun back then. A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. It dared to challenge any theory.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°It was that night when you returned to the dormitory from theboratory. You met a few gangsters who were pestering you.¡±

    Song Jinning was stunned. She quickly recalled what had happened that day.

    She remembered very clearly that the school¡¯s physicsboratory had been built on the edge of the campus. At that time, the school had not been built yet, and the ce was huge. There were also hills and forests. There were many deste ces.

    She met those hooligans on the small road. She could not even call the school police, and at that time, she did not have a cell phone.

    She couldn¡¯t get rid of those hooligans, so she got on her bicycle and sped away when they weren¡¯t paying attention. However, those hooligans were all riding motorcycles, so it would have been difficult for her to escape.

    However, after riding for a while, she realized that those hooligans didn¡¯t catch up to her. She even looked back curiously, only to see a tall figure with his back facing her. His figure was vigorous and his movements were swift, in just a few moves, he had knocked those hooligans to the ground and stepped on them!

    That figure had left such a deep impression on her that one day, when she saw Huo Guanchen for the first time, she was attracted by his back..

    She remembered very clearly that it was because she had met Huo Guanchen the next day.

    As soon as he saw her, he started to pursue her crazily. She did not struggle much and ended up with him.

    Could it be that the one who saved her that night was not Huo Guanchen, but Huo Guanyuan (Lu Yuan) ? !

    They were blood-rted brothers. They were about the same height, and their backs were very simr.

    Song Jinning looked at Lu Yuan in surprise. She took a few steps back and looked at his back again.

    Was It really Lu Yuan?

    After she got together with Huo Guanchen, she had asked this question in a vague way.

    Huo Guanchen did notment. He just pulled her over and kissed her for a long time..

    She thought he had tacitly agreed.

    He only brought her home after he got together with Huo Guanchen.

    Song Jinning had never doubted Huo Guanyuan¡¯s back view, even though it was simr when she saw him.

    They were brothers after all. What was so strange about having the same back view?

    Song Jinning was not a person who liked to think about such things endlessly.

    If Huo Guanyuan did not bring it up, she would not know about this long-forgotten past.

    ¡°... This is the ¡®reappearance of the past¡¯.¡±She smiled and looked at Lu Yuan with a gentle gaze. ¡°What were you doing at our school that night? I remember it was already veryte.¡±

    It was a memory from decades ago. Unexpectedly, both of them remembered it.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s voice was also very gentle. ¡°I originally had a mission to go to your school and pass on our military¡¯s opinion to your teacher. Later, I found out that someone wanted to harm you, so I conveniently stayed behind.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    ..

    After eating dinner and watching another movie, it was already almost 11 o¡¯clock when Lu Yuan and song Jinning returned to the apartment.

    The two of them opened the door, said ¡°Good night¡±in the living room, and tiptoed back to their room.

    Song Jinning only shook her head with augh when she closed the door to her bedroom.

    What was wrong with her?

    She was just going out for dinner and a movie with her friends. Why did she have to sneak around like a thief?

    It was all because of Gu Nianzhi.

    She almost subconsciously didn¡¯t want to rm her.

    Perhaps she was also feeling guilty. Her heart had been beating very fast ever since she had talked about the matter at night. This kind of fluster was really speechless when it appeared on someone her age.

    She shook her head and wanted to take a bath in the bathroom to calm herself down. Suddenly, her phone rang.

    She opened it and saw that it was a text from Lu Yuan.

    [ I¡¯m very happy to watch the movie with you. I hope that I can continue to watch it with you in the future. ]

    Song Jinning originally wanted to refuse, but her fingers unexpectedly did not listen to her and sent a ¡°Okay¡±message.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: chapter 1981, ¡°The back view again¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~

 Chapter 1982

    <h4>Chapter 1982: Chapter 1982: When Boss Lu makes a move, there is no mistake (first update)</h4>

    When Lu Yuan saw the ¡°Good¡±message from song jinning in his room, his usually calm andposed face could not help but reveal a trace of joy.

    He could not help but dial song Jinning¡¯s phone number.

    Song Jinning regretted that her fingers did not listen to her. Although she could cancel the previous message, if Lu Yuan had already seen it, wouldn¡¯t it be even more awkward if she canceled it?

    While she was hesitating, she saw Lu Yuan calling.

    She pursed her lips and answered the call.

    Lu Yuan did not speak at the beginning, and she did not say anything either.

    The two of them held their phones and waited quietly for a while.

    It was Lu Yuan who came back to his senses first and said very gently,¡±... I just wanted to ask you if you want to have supper?¡±

    Song Jinning was so excited that her heart was about to jump out of her throat before it slowly returned to its normal position.

    She and Lu Yuan had dinner together, but it was their first time eating alone, so she was a little ufortable and didn¡¯t feel full.

    Later, she watched a movie, and after watching the movie, she went through another emotional shock. Now, she was really a little hungry.

    Covering her stomach, song Jinning¡¯s voice was also gentle,¡±... my stomach is a little ufortable, I want to have some porridge.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°I see that you didn¡¯t eat well tonight. I¡¯ll go make some millet porridge to nourish your stomach. You take a shower first. I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s done.¡±

    Song jinning nodded and suggested, ¡°Make some supper for Nianzhi and professor Lu as well. It¡¯s all thanks to Nianzhi today. Look at how much effort she put in to find such a ¡®heartwarming and nostalgic film¡¯for us.¡±

    Lu Yuan could hear some resentment in song Jinning¡¯s tone and chuckled. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll cook for them.¡±

    Actually, even if song jinning hadn¡¯t said anything, Lu Yuan would have prepared supper for the father and daughter.

    The consequences of only preparing supper for song jinning and not preparing supper for Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi were too much for Lu Yuan to bear in his life.

    Besides, the movie Gu Nianzhi had chosen was too much for Lu Yuan¡¯s liking. Even if it was a reward, he had to prepare a good supper for her.

    Half an hourter, song jinning came out of her room after taking a shower. When she arrived at the dining room, she found Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin already sitting in the dining room, grinning from ear to ear as they ate from their porcin bowls.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that? It smells so good...¡±song jinning sat down with a big smile on her face. She poked her head out to look at the food in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Wontons with three delicacies. President Lu made them himself!¡±Gu Nianzhi scooped out a delicate wonton with a spoon for song jinning to look at, ¡°There¡¯s shrimp paste, egg skin, and meat paste in it. The ingredients are nothing special, but thatbination... TSK, it¡¯s aplete master!¡±

    Lu Yuan came out of the kitchen with a tray and ced three bowls of desserts in front of the three of them.

    ¡°Bird¡¯s nest with rose milk. Try it and see if it tastes the same as the Hong¡¯s Hotel.¡±Lu Yuan said to song jinning, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you millet congee. You eat the millet congee first, then the bird¡¯s nest with rose milk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin did not say a word. They ate happily while smiling at Lu Yuan and song Jinning, who did not bat an eyelid.

    Song Jinning was indeed famished. She quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll get it myself. Do you have any more wontons? They smell good.¡±

    ¡°Also, you eat the congee first.¡±Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes swept over Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin immediately lowered their heads and focused on Lu Yuan¡¯s meticulously prepared night snack.

    Lu Yuan and song Jinning went to the kitchen together. The two of them did note out either, so they ced millet porridge on the kitchen table where they had breakfast.

    Song Jinning sat on a high stool, eating millet porridge as she watched Lu Yuan boil the wontons.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her supper and was about to clear the dishes and send them to the kitchen.

    But she stopped at the kitchen door.

    In the dimly lit kitchen, the background music was ying on the Bluetooth speakers. Song Jinning and Lu Yuan Sat and stood, talking casually. They looked at each other and smiled from time to time, exuding the calmness and warmth of the past.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to ruin the atmosphere between the two of them.

    She quietly turned around and put the tray back on the dining table. She pulled Lu Jin along and tiptoed out of the dining room, leaving the area for Lu Yuan and song jinning.

    She was so excited that she pulled Lu Jin into her bedroom.

    She closed the door and her eyes lit up.

    ¡°Dad, did you see that? ! CEO Lu and Ms. Song have a Chance!¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her with amusement and said, ¡°Why are you so excited?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited? ! The two of them have missed so much!¡±Gu Nianzhi almost thought of a book.

    Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°Why should I be excited? ¡ª boss Lu¡¯s attacks have never missed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Well, this person was really confident in Lu Yuan.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down on the sofa and held her head with her hand. She said admiringly, ¡°It¡¯s not strange for president Lu to make a move, but Mrs. Song can ept him... I think he¡¯s braver than President Lu.¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t understand. He walked over to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and sat down, he frowned and asked,¡±... why is Mrs. Song Braver? Shouldn¡¯t this kind of thing be between two people? Moreover, it was boss Lu who made the first move. It was clearly boss Lu who was braver.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Ms. Song¡¯s situation is moreplicated. Look, she was once married to CEO Lu¡¯s younger brother and even had a son...¡±

    Lu Jin was even more confused and interrupted her,¡±... she¡¯s already divorced. What¡¯s the problem?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°No problem, but what does she think?¡±Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t paying attention and tried to exin to Lu Jin the meaning of the word ¡°Rtionship¡±.

    Unfortunately, Lu Jin had been suffering from severe rtionship disorder for many years, so he couldn¡¯t understand Gu Nianzhi¡¯s concern at all.

    He frowned even more,¡±... but Mrs. Song and Huo Guanchen are already divorced, why can¡¯t she find another man?¡±

    ¡°So what if that man is Huo Guanchen¡¯s biological brother? There¡¯s no legal prohibition on that, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Gu Nianzhi felt like her mouth was about to dry up.

    She was such a retard!

    Why did she try to say such things to Lu Jin? !

    In Lu Jin¡¯s mind, as long as there was no gic defect, he did not think it was a big deal even if they were to marry next of kin!

    Not to mention the insignificant ¡°Public discussion¡±.

    ¡°Nianzhi, why do you care about thesepletely meaningless words?¡±Lu Jin was puzzled, he said disdainfully, ¡°Anyone who gossips about Madam Song and Boss Lu is a potential mental patient with a twisted mind. You should advise them to see a psychiatrist or, worse, see a psychiatrist directly.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She raised her hands. ¡°Dad, I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have said such things to you!¡±

    ¡°If you admit your mistakes, then you¡¯re still a good kid.¡±Lu Jin smiled as he stroked her head. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going back to my room. You should go to bed early too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was defeated. She stood up weakly to send him off. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going back to the Senate to work tomorrow. What are your ns for Tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any sses tomorrow. I¡¯ll send you to the Senate to work.¡±Lu Jin smiled. ¡°I want to see what my daughter¡¯s ce of work is like.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed. She and Lu Jin looked in the direction of the dining room and kitchen.

    The soft lights were still on, and the music was still as pleasant and soft as flowing water.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and whispered, ¡°Dad, please walk gently...¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and carefully returned to his bedroom.

    Gu Nianzhi closed the bedroom door, took out her phone, and sent Huo Shaoheng a text message: ¡°It¡¯ste, I¡¯m going to bed. Don¡¯te over today.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng was in the meeting room of the Special Operations Forces¡¯headquarters.

    After a month of long vacation, he officially canceled his leave and went to work.

    He had been away from his job for more than a year and had too many things to deal with.

    Today was an emergency. He was called back to the Special Operations Forces¡¯headquarters at around eight o¡¯clock to listen to his subordinates¡¯reports.

    He did not see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text message immediately. It was only after the meeting was over that he took back his phone and smiled.

    ..

    The next morning, when Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin woke up, they found their breakfast on the dining table. Lu Yuan had left a note saying that he had sent song jinning to work.

    Lu Jin was very unhappy and grumbled,¡±... I work at the Institute of High Energy Physics too. Why didn¡¯t boss Lu say that he would send me off?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and patted Lu Jin on the shoulder. ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you want to work with me at the Senate?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I almost forgot!¡±Lu Jinughed. ¡°Boss Lu values rtionships over friends. I Won¡¯t lower myself to his level!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right...¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled andforted him. ¡°You have a daughter, but boss Lu doesn¡¯t have anything...¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s indeed quite pitiful,¡±Lu Jin said sympathetically. His mood was bnced, and he began to eat his breakfast happily.

    As long as there was good food, Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were willing to maintain the status quo.

    However, Lu Yuan was indeed just taking song Jinning to work at the Institute of High Energy Physics on the way.

    He had made an appointment with his fund manager this morning to see how much the inheritance Huo Shaoheng had given to his mother was worth, and whether it was enough to start an investment bank.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1982, ¡°When boss Lu makes a move, he makes every move.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day, and the second update was at 8 p.m.

 Chapter 1983

    <h4>Chapter 1983: Chapter 1983 mine at home (Second Update)</h4>

    The fund manager that Lu Yuan had invited was just a low-level fund manager that he had randomly found at Carlyle International Investment Co. .

    Carlyle International Investment Co. was arge investment bank headquartered in the United States. It was the highest ranked investment bank in the world in terms of assets under management.

    Lu Yuan pretended to know nothing and ced the information that Huo Shaoheng had given him in front of the fund manager, he smiled and said, ¡°This is the inheritance I received not long ago. I¡¯ve been abroad for many years and have only just returned recently. I don¡¯t know how much these things are worth. Can you help me calcte?¡±

    The inheritance that Lu Yuan¡¯s mother, Xie Ziyan, had left behind was only a small portion of cash. Most of it was investment assets.

    For example, stocks, shares of privatepanies, bonds, antiques, jewelry, and precious metals.

    And the privatepanies that he owned were mostly mineral resources from all over the world.

    These things were not something that could be known with just a nce at the financial report. It required professional financial analysts to make an estimate.

    The fund manager took the printed information from Lu Yuan with a professional smile. In his heart, he was still a little disdainful. He thought to himself, what era was it now that they still needed paper to print so old-fashioned? They were indeed people who hade back from abroad, it was much more domestic than China..

    However, when he lowered his head and saw the brief description of the cash section on the first page of the document, he immediately felt awkward.

    He wiped the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief and said with a dry smile,¡±... Mr. Lu, is this the inheritance you received? Can you provide a bank certificate? Is this the bank certificate for this part of the cash?¡±

    Lu Yuan pointed at his own materials. ¡°It¡¯s all in there. Most of the cash is deposited in foreign banks, and a portion is transferred to domestic banks for daily expenses. Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No, no!¡±The man hurriedly waved his hand, but he still stood up, he nodded and said humbly, ¡°But this amount of money is too big and exceeds my authority. I¡¯ll ask our executive director and the chief analyst of the Pacific Rim Region toe and pick up your case.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not mind and nodded. He leaned against the chair opposite the fund manager and raised his hand. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    The fund manager was shocked by Lu Yuan¡¯s attitude. He thought that he might have offended an ¡°Invisible rich man¡±and did not even dare toin in his heart. He left his office in a hurry and went to report to his superior.

    In the capital society, everything was ssified ording to one¡¯s status.

    Investment banks, which were shining capital operationpanies, were even more money-based.

    The most obvious manifestation was in the customer¡¯s rank.

    Of course, the more money a customer had, the more important the rank was. The staff who managed the customers were also of higher rank.

    ording to the portion of assets that Lu Yuan had thrown out, the amount of cash deposits alone was enough for Carlyle to send an executive director and regional chief analyst to provide services for him.

    Lu Yuan sat calmly in the small office of the fund manager. His expression was calm and natural. He was neither cold and domineering, nor warm and humble. It waspletely impossible to guess what he was thinking.

    Associate Director Jia looked at Lu Yuan through the surveince screen. He twirled the pen in his hand and said with great interest, ¡°This person is too imposing. Is there really no information on him?¡±

    ¡°The time is too short. We only found that he came back from abroad and had just inherited a fortune.¡±

    ¡°Abroad? which country? If it was abroad, would ourpany not be able to find out his background?¡±Associate Director Jia raised his eyebrows. ¡°Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle. How Do You Support Departments Do Things?¡±

    ¡°Associate director Jia, we have found out about his overseas experience. It¡¯s just very ordinary, nothing special.¡±That person hurriedly showed Lu Yuan¡¯s overseas experience to associate director Jia, ¡°Look, he went abroad to study in his early years and then naturally stayed overseas to work, rising all the way up. But after he reached the director level, he resigned and started his own small business.¡±

    ¡°Not long ago, he returned to the country and rested for a while. He didn¡¯t continue working. Now it looks like he inherited the inheritance.¡±

    Associate Director Jia flipped through the information sent by his subordinate and had a good idea. He teased, ¡°Alright, there really is a mine at home. Go and ask demoness Yi if she¡¯s free to meet a big client with me.¡±

    The subordinate rushed to Yi Xinyan¡¯s office and knocked on the door. ¡°Miss Yi, a big client has arrived. Associate Director Jia is asking if you want to meet him together.¡±

    Yi Xinyan saw that associate director Jia was the one who wanted her to go, so she did not ask further. ¡°Alright, I have fifteen minutes.¡±

    She packed herptop and carried it to the meeting room.

    Lu Yuan had already been invited from the fund manager¡¯s office to a luxurious meeting room reserved for big clients.

    Associate Director Jia was already waiting there, introducing their meeting room to Lu Yuan. He smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s a special anti-eavesdropping device here. Don¡¯t worry, our conversation is absolutely confidential and will not be stolen by any third party.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and bowed slightly, saying, ¡°It¡¯s okay to hear it. I¡¯m not faking it.¡±

    Associate Director Jia could hardly hold back his smile.

    Yi Xinyan pushed the door open and came in. She saw Lu Yuan sitting against the light. His half-smile was like a ma, firmly attracting the attention of others and making it hard for them to look away.

    His posture was not arrogant at all. Instead, he was very calm and very polite. However, there was a hint of strangeness and estrangement in his politeness.

    It was this bit of strangeness and estrangement that made him seem even more unfathomable.

    This was a capable man.

    Yi Xinyan quickly came to a conclusion in her heart.

    She had met many rich people, but ordinary rich people could notpare to this man¡¯s imposing manner.

    Although she still did not know this person¡¯s true identity, Yi Xinyan could already tell that Lu Yuan¡¯s level was not something that ordinary rich people couldpare to.

    The smile on her face became more sincere as she walked in with a dignified manner. She sat beside associate director Jia and extended her hand towards Lu Yuan, ¡°Mr. Lu? I¡¯m Yi Xinyan, an analyst from Carlyle Company. This is the first time we¡¯ve met. Please take care of me.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze looked over and slowly slid from her beautiful face to her outstretched hand.

    Her fingers were slender and fair, and her nails were trimmed correctly. She did not apply nail polish and looked fresh and clean.

    Lu Yuan nodded and did not shake Yi Xinyan¡¯s hand. He said with a faint smile, ¡°Nice to meet you. Actually, the two of you don¡¯t have to put on such a big show. I just want to know the valuation of my assets.¡±

    Yi Xinyan and associate director Jia looked at each other and made up their minds to keep this big client¡¯s assets under the management of theirpany.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, we will use all the resources of ourpany to provide you with the most professional service,¡±Yi Xinyan spoke. Her voice was a little hoarse, but it was not obvious, only a little low, it was like the voice of a female bass singer.

    An ordinary person might sound pleasant to the ear, but Lu Yuan was not an ordinary person.

    The moment he heard it, he knew that Yi Xinyan¡¯s vocal cords had been injured, so there was a little abnormal low huskiness in her voice.

    There was a slight difference between a natural female bass and a low voice caused by an injured vocal cord.

    This kind of difference could normally only be detected with professional equipment.

    However, Lu Yuan had received so much intensive training, and his hearing was sharper than the average person¡¯s. This allowed him to determine whether the other party¡¯s voice was normal without relying on professional equipment.

    He smiled at Yi Xinyan and said, ¡°Miss Yi, do you talk a lot to your clients every day?¡±

    Yi Xinyan was stunned for a moment.¡±... It¡¯s not that much, right? What¡¯s wrong? Mr. Lu, if you have something to say, say it.¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s not that much, why would you say that your vocal cords are damaged?¡±Lu Yuan smiled meaningfully, ¡°When your investment bank does business, don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s all a bluff? I think I need to reconsider your professional abilities. I admire people who work hard, not people who only know how to talk big.¡±

    Associate Director Jia was furious, but Lu Yuan¡¯s assets were too tempting, so he could only suppress his anger, he smiled apologetically, ¡°Mr. Lu, you¡¯re worrying too much. Miss Yi is the best analyst in ourpany. She¡¯s the best at value estimation and also has an actuary¡¯s certificate. With her around, your valuation will definitely not be wrong!¡±

    ¡°So Powerful?¡±Lu Yuan seemed to have been convinced. He sized up Yi Xinyan again and praised with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Miss Yi to be so young and beautiful, and have such strong business skills. It¡¯s really rare.¡±

    Yi Xinyan gently stroked the Hermes scarf around her neck with one hand, she smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Lu¡¯s observation is really sharp. ¡°My throat was indeed injured. When I was young, I liked to eat fish, but it was stuck by a thorn. It was very serious, and I had to have surgery to remove the fish thorn. My vocal cords were damaged as a result, but it didn¡¯t affect my speech.¡±

    Lu Yuan showed a sympathetic look, ¡°That¡¯s a pity. But it¡¯s also a blessing in disguise. Miss Yi¡¯s voice is very nice. I apologize for what I said just now. I hope Miss Yi won¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡±Yi Xinyan said with a smile and mischievously blinked. ¡°I¡¯ll provide the best service and give you a valuation of your assets. I guarantee you¡¯ll be satisfied!¡±

    Only if the valuation went smoothly would she be able to further persuade Lu Yuan to let hispany be the manager of Lu Yuan¡¯s assets.

    Investment Banks did business with these rich people.

    Lu Yuan stood up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave this information here. You guys do the valuation first. I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    The bait has been left, and it¡¯s up to the fish to take the bait.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 1983¡åMine in the house¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    PS: thanks to ¡°Penins princess¡±and ¡°Beth1211¡åthe two leaders of the president yesterday, each of the 10,000 qidian!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1984

    <h4>Chapter 1984: Chapter 1984: The Handsome, beautiful, and powerful chief lu (number one, more rmendation tickets)</h4>

    Yi Xinyan watched Lu Yuan¡¯s tall figure disappear from the conference room door. She let out a long breath and whistled, with a smile, she said,¡±... truly the best in the world. If this man was twenty years younger, I would definitely chase him!¡±

    Handsome, beautiful, and powerful, but a little older.

    Associate Director Jia gave her a sour look,¡±... you women only know how to look at faces, shallow.¡±

    ¡°Who said that we women only know how to look at faces? ¡ª this is nder!¡±Yi Xinyan flipped through the information left by Lu Yuan, she said with conviction, ¡°We clearly still look at our figures! ¡ª If you¡¯re less than 1.7 meters, don¡¯t call yourself a Prince Charming. No matter how good your face is, it can¡¯t make up for your ws.¡±

    Associate Director Jia was exactly 1.7 meters. However, although he was only in his thirties, he looked about the same age as Lu Yuan, or even a little more decadent than him.

    He red at Yi Xinyan. ¡°No matter how good-looking Mr. Lu is, he¡¯s still more than twenty years older than you! Even if you chase him regardless of the age difference, your family won¡¯t agree.¡±

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s attention was almostpletely attracted by the information left behind by Lu Yuan. After a while, she said with emotion,¡±... I take back what I said just now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to pursue him anymore?¡±

    ¡°No, even if he¡¯s not twenty years younger, I can still pursue him! If he¡¯s not my client...¡±

    Yi Xinyan held her head and became distressed. ¡°Director Jia, do you think I should give up on this client and strive to be Mrs. Lu, or give up on being Mrs. Lu and strive for this big client to work with me for Life?¡±

    The corner of Associate Director Jia¡¯s mouth twitched, and his eyes almost rolled to the sky. ¡°You make it sound like if you chase after her, she will definitely want you! Do you really think that someone with such a background would be a nobody?¡±

    ¡°But we have never heard of this name... If it¡¯s not a nobody, then what is it?¡±Yi Xinyan nced at associate director Jia in amusement.

    The disdain on associate director Jia¡¯s face could almost be torn off like a mask.

    He snorted. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry up with the valuation. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve really decided to give up your body after doing a mental calction?¡±

    ¡°Just the part that can be done by mental calction is already worth a year¡¯s worth of our performance. Let¡¯s not talk about those industries that can¡¯t be directly done by mental calction.¡±Yi Xinyan sighed and gathered the materials together, she stood up and said, ¡°Those industries need to be evaluated usingplicated mathematical forms. I want to take it back and study it carefully. In addition, I want my department¡¯s people to work overtime over the weekend and try to calcte the value next week.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you for your hard work.¡±Associate Director Jia¡¯s expression returned to normal. ¡°But it¡¯s normal for your department to work overtime. Fortunately, your overtime pay is very generous. There are still many people who are willing to transfer to your department.¡±

    ¡°Of course. As long as my employees work hard, I won¡¯t mistreat them. They only want to work nine to five every day. It¡¯s not suitable for them to work in my department,¡±Yi Xinyan said, holding the documents in one hand and herptop in the other, she also left the meeting room.

    ..

    After Yi Xinyan left, associate director Jia sat in the meeting room for a while. He took out his phone and called Dou aiyan.

    Dou Aiyan was currently in a daze in the parking lot near a vi at the foot of the west mountain in the capital.

    Today, Guo Huining went to Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house to start a new job. Dou Aiyan was relieved and also curious about what Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house looked like, so she came along.

    However, she did not go in for the time being. Instead, she stayed in the parking lot and let Guo Huining enter the vi with a miniature camera.

    She used her phone to watch Guo huining¡¯s ¡°Job interview¡±in real time in the parking lot.

    Unfortunately, as soon as Guo Huining entered the house, Dou Aiyan couldn¡¯t receive the image sent back by the miniature camera.

    ¡°What happened?¡±Dou aiyan initially thought that the phonework was broken. After checking for a long time, she found that there was no problem with the otherworks. It was just that she couldn¡¯t see the image of Guo Huining entering the house. Only then did she realize that the other party¡¯s house had an electromaic shield, right?

    Only an electromaic shield could cut off the inte connection of the mini-camera.

    She tried to call Guo Huining¡¯s phone again, but found that she could not get through.

    ¡°... It¡¯s pretty impressive. Even a private house has to be equipped with an electromaic shield. Just how many secrets are there?¡±Dou aiyan smashed the car door with her phone in disdain.

    ..

    Guo Huining did not know that the mini-camera had no inte connection anymore.

    After she knocked on the door and entered, she did not see Huo Guanchen. She only saw a middle-aged woman in her forties. She looked very ordinary, but her clothes were not rustic. It was obvious that she was a local in the capital.

    She sized up guo huining and said, ¡°You are Miss Guo Huining, right?¡±

    Guo huining nodded and said with a smile, ¡°I was hired by General Huo to help him take care of this private house. May I ask who you are... ?¡±

    The middle-aged woman smiled and said, ¡°My surname is Zhao. You can call me Mama Zhao. I¡¯m the nanny hired by Mr. Huo to take care of old Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Mama Zhao? Nice to meet you!¡±Guo Huining put on a show of courtesy and shook hands with Mama Zhao kindly. ¡°Go do your thing. I¡¯ll see if General Huo has any instructions first.¡±

    As Guo Huining spoke, she took out her phone and was about to dial Huo Guanchen¡¯s number.

    Madam Zhao smiled as she watched her call for a long time before saying, ¡°There¡¯s no signal here. You Can¡¯t use the Inte or your phone.¡±

    ¡°AH? !¡±Guo Huining was stunned. ¡°Why? How can you live without the inte? !¡±

    ¡°Miss Guo is here to help Mr. Huo take care of his private residence. You¡¯re not here to take advantage of the Inte, right?¡±Madam Zhao said in amusement. ¡°You can use thendline tomunicate with the outside world.¡±

    She pointed to thendline in another room. ¡°This is the study. If Miss Guo doesn¡¯t mind, you can use this room. I usually take an afternoon nap here and go back to my home at night.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°But general Huo promised me food and amodation... Why don¡¯t you find me another room?¡±

    ¡°Food and amodation?¡±Mother Zhao was obviously stunned. ¡°Mr. Huo didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    ¡°He promised me face-to-face. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can call him.¡±Guo Huining walked around the house and looked around.

    This house was really not small. It was a european-style vi. There were six bedrooms and six bathrooms upstairs.

    There were two guest rooms with bathrooms downstairs. There was also a study, a game room, a living room, a dining room, and a family room. There were two bathrooms, and the kitchen was in the innermost position.

    There was a staircase in the kitchen that led to the basement. She only stuck her head out to take a look, but did not go down.

    There was a green field behind the house that was fenced off. The flower beds inside were well-arranged, and it could be seen that there was a special gardener taking care of them.

    It waste autumn, and the red leaves in the backyard were dazzling. A few chrysanthemums were in full bloom.

    She had never been to the Huo family mansion in the military headquarters. Just the private house here was enough to make her speechless.

    An independent vi with a garden! And it was at the best location in the West Mountains! It was really too extravagant!

    The Hong Corporation was arge financial group. The wedding room she shared with Hong Ziqi was only four rooms and two living rooms, only about 150 square meters.

    The smile on Guo Huining¡¯s face became even more respectful.

    She walked out of the study room and saw that Nanny Zhao had just finished her call.

    ¡°Have you asked General Huo?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Huo said that Miss Guo can stay in the guest room on the first floor.¡±

    Guo huining nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bring my suitcase in.¡±

    Then, she walked back to the study and called Dou aiyan on thendline. ¡°Mary, bring my suitcase in.¡±

    This was the code that she had agreed to with Dou aiyan.

    If everything went well, Dou aiyan would not have to go in.

    However, if there was a problem, such as they discovered that Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house had an electromaic shield, then Dou aiyan would have to go in and do something.

    Dou aiyan saw that it was an unfamiliar number and immediately said, ¡°Is this thendline of your new home?¡±

    Guo huining heard the word ¡°New home¡±and was happy. She smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. This is Mr. Huo¡¯s private house. Quickly bring my suitcase in.¡±

    Dou aiyan was wearing a cap and dressed as a delivery girl. She pushed Guo Huining¡¯s Samsonite suitcase to Huo Guanchen¡¯s private residence.

    She looked around curiously, pushed the suitcase carefully, and rang the doorbell of the private residence.

    Guo Huining opened the door for her personally.

    ¡°You¡¯re here? Help me bring it to my room.¡±Guo Huining led the way in front, looking a little like a hostess.

    Nanny Zhao looked at her with aplicated expression for a while, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first. Today¡¯s lunch will be prepared by a professional chef and sent over. There will be part-time workers in the afternoon. There will also be rehabilitation doctors and nursesing over to help old Mr. Huo with his rehabilitation. ¡°When old Mr. Huo wakes up, go and ask him if he needs anything.¡±

    Guo huining turned around and looked at her unhappily. ¡°You¡¯re the nanny. If you¡¯re not here when old Mr. Huo wakes up, what¡¯s the point of having you?¡±

    Mother Zhao:¡±...¡±

    She was also unhappy. She said lightly, ¡°There¡¯s another nanny. I¡¯ll split the day shift and the night shift with her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not even noon yet, and your day shift is already over?¡±Guo Huining quickly entered the role of a housekeeper. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask General Huo how you two nannies arrange your shifts.¡±

    Mother Zhao was frightened by Guo Huining¡¯s imposing manner. She shrunk her neck and said,¡±... Then I¡¯ll wait for the other nanny toe before I leave.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you go ahead. I don¡¯t need your service here.¡±Guo huining waved her hand and led Dou aiyan, who was dressed as a delivery girl, into her room.

    Dou aiyan locked the door as soon as she entered. She took off the cap on her head and threw it on the ground. She let out a long sigh, she said, ¡°Hey, what valuable items are in your suitcase? It¡¯s so heavy that I almost couldn¡¯t push it in!¡±

    ¡°Just some daily necessities.¡±Guo huining smiled and put the suitcase into the closet.

    She was very satisfied with this guest room.

    The whole room was 40 to 50 square meters, and the middle was divided into two rooms by a screen. The closet in the room was 10 square meters, and there was also a bathroom. It was a pleasant surprise.

    Dou aiyan said to her, ¡°Why did you stop that woman from going out just now? She went out so that we can properly investigate this house.¡±

    ¡°There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Why are you in such a hurry?¡±Guo Huining did not think much of it. ¡°I can¡¯t be taken down by that woman on the first try. Otherwise, how will I manage them in the future?¡±

    Actually, if that nanny had something to do, she could leave early. Guo Huining was not an unreasonable person.

    However, it was her first day at work, and the other party had already made a move to quit. Guo Huining could not ignore it.

    She wanted to establish her authority so that she could establish herself here in the future.

    ..

    After Lu Yuan left the Carlyle Company, he drove around the city aimlessly for a long time until he got rid of the few external detectives hired by the Carlyle Company. Only then did he leisurely drive back to the apartmentplex in the third ring road of the imperial capital.

    As soon as he opened the door, he saw Lu Jin holding a bowl of vani ice cream and looking up from the sofa in the living room.

    ¡°Boss Lu is back! We thought you¡¯d forgotten about us!¡±Lu Jin shouted.

    Gu Nianzhi also poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled. ¡°Director Lu, you¡¯re finally back, but we already have food!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±... Shaoheng¡¯s Here?¡±

    He strode into the kitchen.

    Huo Shaoheng was dressed in a dark olive-green military uniform. He stood in front of a ck stainless steel electromaic stove and was putting a pot of golden Spanish seafood fried rice on a te.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1984, ¡°Handsome, beautiful, and powerful general Lu.¡±.

    Today was Monday, so I wanted to remind everyone of their rmendation tickets!

    They hadn¡¯t asked for a monthly ticket for a few days, so they asked for a monthly ticket in the middle of the month

    It was the second update of the day, and it was eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 1985

    <h4>Chapter 1985: Chapter 1985 wouldn¡¯t miss a single one of them</h4>

    Lu Yuanughed and stopped in his tracks. He bent his index finger and knocked on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead.¡±... you finally got to eat Spanish seafood fried rice.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, this is already the second time!¡±Gu Nianzhi covered her forehead and took a step back, she grimaced and said, ¡°When you and Mrs. Song were eating shad without thorns outside, Huo Shao had already done it once tofort me!¡±

    Lu Yuan was in a good mood when he thought of his ¡°Date¡±with song jinning. He smiled and said, ¡°You still want to eat after eating once? Shaoheng¡¯s cooking is so good, can I have a taste?¡±

    ¡°... I can ask my dad to share some with you. Huo Shao made it ording to our appetite.¡±Gu Nianzhi thought about it, but still couldn¡¯t bear to give up her portion of pae fried rice, not even a little bit.

    ¡°Little miser, you¡¯ve eaten so much of my good food and you¡¯re not willing to share any of yours with me.¡±Lu Yuan pretended to be angry and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about me cooking for you in the future!¡±

    ¡°Lu, calm down! I¡¯ll make you some tea!¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and changed the topic, pulling Lu Yuan back to the living room.

    Lu Jin had just finished a bowl of vani ice cream and sighed in satisfaction. ¡°What would the world be like if humans didn¡¯t have ice cream?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°Dad, so you¡¯re saying that the humans before the invention of ice cream don¡¯t want to live anymore?¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m asking ¡®what would the world be like?¡¯¨C it would definitely be a cloud of misery, people living in poverty, unable to continue living, and desperate for food...¡±

    Lu Jin closed his eyes and began to revel in the four-word idiom.

    ¡°Stop!¡±Gu Nianzhi interrupted Lu Jin and changed the topic. ¡°President Lu is back, and Huo didn¡¯t make president Lu¡¯s food. Dad, why don¡¯t you give President Lu some of your pae fried rice?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡±Lu Jin rejected without hesitation. ¡°Boss Lu didn¡¯t even take me to work with him. I¡¯m so angry that I¡¯m on strike for the whole day! You want to give him food? Dream On!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin speechlessly. After a while, she said,¡±... Dad, you went to report to the Senate building with me today.¡±

    ¡°... So What? If I wasn¡¯t on strike, how could I report to the Senate building with You?¡±Lu Jin was still very convincing.

    Lu Yuan knew that he was angry and was throwing a tantrum, so he sat down and said, ¡°Forget it, just give me a little bit of Shaoheng¡¯s food. I¡¯ll eat more when I make supper tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious, so she quietly poked Lu Jin and winked at Lu Yuan.

    Lu Jin understood that if he continued to throw a tantrum, there would be no supper.

    He was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Lu Yuan.¡±... I can give you a little, but I want a big portion of supper tonight!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°Sure, no problem.¡±

    The dinner issue had been resolved!

    Gu Nianzhi hopped into the dining room and saw that Huo Shaoheng had alreadyid out the dinner.

    There were four tes, and Lu Yuan¡¯s te was especially small.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she sat next to Huo Shaoheng. She raised her hand to call Lu Jin and Lu Yuan over for dinner.

    Lu Yuan looked at his pathetically small portion of pae fried rice and picked up his spoon nonchntly. ¡°Let me see how good Shaoheng¡¯s cooking is.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao¡¯s pae fried rice doesn¡¯t use onions, but it does have the taste of onions. It¡¯s very delicious when mixed with seafood!¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait to take a big bite.

    It was a familiar recipe! A familiar taste!

    She wouldn¡¯t get sick of it no matter how many times she ate it!

    Lu Jin also buried his head in his food and mumbled,¡±... the master is better than the master. Huo Shao will soon be impressed by Boss Lu¡¯s culinary skills. My Lady is so lucky!¡±

    Lu Yuan also took a bite and chewed slowly for a while. He nodded and praised, ¡°Shaoheng really put in a lot of effort into this dish.¡±

    His eyes swept over Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face lightly and he smiled,¡±... He also put in a lot of effort.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Spanish seafood fried rice was even more delicious than the authentic Spanish seafood fried rice. The key was the handling of the onions.

    Because Gu Nianzhi did not eat onions, Huo Shaoheng thought of ways to find a substitute to take the taste and remove the appearance. This was what made this dish unique and good!

    ¡°If we open a restaurant and only sell this dish, we¡¯ll make a lot of money.¡±Lu Yuan continued to praise Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°This dish is not for sale. It¡¯s only made for Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was caught off guard. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were sweet to the core.

    She scooped up a spoonful of golden Spanish seafood fried rice with a red shrimp and snow-white scallops. She handed it to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, here, eat my fried rice.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to share your favorite food with others?¡±

    ¡°But Huo Shao isn¡¯t anyone else... what difference does it make if I share it with you or with myself?¡±Gu Nianzhi blinked her big, clear eyes and stared at Huo Shaoheng, her sweet words were much smoother than Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t like sweet food, but he couldn¡¯t resist the ¡°Sweet food¡±Gu Nianzhi had fed him.

    The sweetness came from the tip of his tongue and spread to all his taste buds. Then it rampaged through his body, up and down his hands, from his heart to his brain, all upied by her sweetness.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he lowered his head and silently ate the fried rice that Gu Nianzhi had fed him.

    Lu Jin said in surprise,¡±... you¡¯ve already given it to Huo Shao to eat, why didn¡¯t you give it to Boss Lu? You still want to give me my fried rice?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t see anyone else at this time. She waved her hand casually andpletely ignored Lu Jin. She continued to look at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ve fed you a spoonful of my fried rice. Shouldn¡¯t you return the favor?¡±

    I knew she wouldn¡¯t be so kind as to share her food with others..

    Huo Shaoheng, who knew Gu Nianzhi well, silently picked up his spoon and fed her a mouthful.

    Gu Nianzhi was beaming from eating and fed Huo Shaoheng another mouthful.

    Then both of them didn¡¯t eat the fried rice on their tes and only fed each other.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. They both felt so sweet that they were sick of it. They both picked up their tes at the same time and said,¡±... I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to see if there¡¯s any pickled vegetables.¡±

    The pickled vegetables mixed with shallots were actually a perfect match when they were eating fried rice.

    Huo Shaoheng actually knew that this was childish, but seeing that Gu Nianzhi was so happy, he could only cooperate.

    This girl rarely made any requests to him. asionally, she would show off their love, and he couldn¡¯t bear to reject her.

    After dinner, Lu Yuan looked at his watch and said, ¡°Superintendent song, have you had dinner? Is there anything left? Do you want to send her some?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up with a smile. ¡°I left some in the fridge. Chief Lu, can you send it over for me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and secretly gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up under the table.

    Huo Shaoheng did not look under the table, but he seemed to know what she was doing. He grabbed her thumb and stroked it.

    Lu Yuan stood up without hesitation. ¡°Then I¡¯ll send the food.¡±

    Lu Jin wanted to follow her.¡±... What about the supper? Why don¡¯t we send it over together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and called out to Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, Huo Shao and I are going to visit Xiao Yeter. Do you want toe with us?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Ye?¡±Lu Jin was stunned for a moment before he snapped out of his thoughts. ¡°Why do you want to visit her?¡±

    ¡°She was crippled by the people there to save me.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°She used to be very skilled. She was always in the field.¡±

    ¡°Now she can only use an electric wheelchair. She can¡¯t even walk.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately said, ¡°Okay, then go see her. Is it serious? I¡¯ll see what I can do. Where¡¯s her medical record? Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to treat Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she quickly stood up.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll repay anyone who treats mydy well! I Won¡¯t let any of them go!¡±

    This was really Lu Jin. Gu Nianzhi was toozy to correct him.

    Therefore, Lu Yuan, Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Jin went downstairs together and took two separate cars.

    Lu Yuan went to the Institute of high energy physics to deliver food to song jinning. Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, and Lu Jin went back to the headquarterspound to visit Xiao Ye, who was resting at home.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1985, ¡°Not a single one will be spared.¡±.

    Today was Monday, so let¡¯s remind everyone of the rmendation tickets!

    I haven¡¯t asked for a monthly ticket for several days, but I have asked for a monthly ticket in the middle of the month ~ ~ ~ ~

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1986

    <h4>Chapter 1986: Chapter 1986 caught in the Act (first update)</h4>

    It waste autumn in the imperial capital, and it was already dark past six in the evening.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the passenger seat next to Huo Shaoheng and watched as the gate to the military headquarterspound drew closer and closer.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car had a pass, so he didn¡¯t even have to stop when he entered. He only slowed down for a moment, and when the automatic railing at the gate was raised, he could drive straight in.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked around. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw a familiar figure at the entrance.

    ¡°Huo Shao, slow down.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly turned around and looked in the direction of the entrance.

    Huo Shaoheng stepped on the brakes and nced at the rearview mirror on the car.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it for a while and said in surprise,¡±... that woman seems to be Guo Huining? What is she doing here?¡±

    Guo Huining was wearing a half-length mustard-yellow merino cardigan, ck slim-fit wool pants, and a pair of nude ankle boots that were stylish andfortable. She had a gentle smile on her face and was carrying a thermal lunch box, she was patiently talking to the young soldier standing guard at the gate of thepound. ¡°Youngrade, can you let me in? I¡¯m here to deliver food to general Huo.¡±

    ¡°General Huo? Which General Huo? Do you have a pass?¡±The young soldier on guard said sternly, not willing topromise at all.

    Guo huining shook her head and said, ¡°Not yet, but call general Huo. He knows me. I¡¯m Guo Huining, and I¡¯m currently helping him take care of his father.¡±

    The young soldier replied with an ¡°OH.¡±¡±You¡¯re a nanny? Wait a moment.¡±As he said that, he returned to the sentry post to make a phone call.

    At that moment, Guo Huining saw that there was no one at the door. She carried the thermal lunch box, crossed the automatic railing that was thigh-high in front of her, and hurriedly walked into the courtyard.

    However, she had only taken a few steps when she heard the sound of a gun being loaded.

    A few soldiers in ck uniforms with masks on their faces appeared out of nowhere with automatic rifles.

    Guo huining screamed in fear and quickly raised her hands.

    The insted lunch box swayed between her fingers, looking somewhatical.

    However, the soldiers who were holding guns and wearing masks did not find it funny. They looked at her coldly, their actions full of killing intent.

    No wonder they were the guards of the headquarters of the military. No ordinary guards of the headquarters couldpare to them.

    The young soldier who had returned to the sentry post to make a phone call threw the phone away and ran out hurriedly, dragging Guo huining out, he said anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You said you can¡¯t go in, but you still dare to barge in? ! Don¡¯t you see what kind of ce this is? ¡ª Do You Want to die? !¡±

    Guo Huining was scared out of her wits just now, but after being dragged back by this little soldier, she became bolder again.

    Because those soldiers in ck uniforms with loaded guns had already retreated and disappeared.

    She patted her chest with lingering fear and pushed the little soldier fiercely, saying, ¡°Why are you touching me? ! I¡¯m warning you, I¡¯m awyer. You¡¯re suspected of abusing your power for personal gain and deliberately harassing me!¡±

    ¡°I... I... I didn¡¯t!¡±The little soldier became anxious and hugged his gun tightly, ¡°Don¡¯t nder me!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still arguing with themon people! How did you be a soldier? You only know how to bully themon people!¡±Guo Huining had been a senior executive for many years. Her face was stiff, but in fact, it was quite scary.

    The little soldier had just joined the army not long ago, so he was no match for Guo Huining, who often dealt with thew. After three sentences, Guo huining was forcing him to ask for his name and military number, saying that she was going to sue him for harassing her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t...¡±the little soldier could only say these words over and over again, and his eyes were red.

    Guo huining stretched out her arm and pointed at the ce where the little soldier had dragged her. ¡°You dare to say that you didn¡¯t touch me just now? ! I know you have a surveince camera here! If you don¡¯t believe me, Let¡¯s look at the surveince camera!¡±

    ¡°... you broke the rules! I pulled you out out of kindness!¡±The little soldier was very angry. He had saved her out of kindness, but he was actually med.

    But if she was not pulled, she might be shot to death..

    Although the little soldier was very angry, she still did not regret saving her.

    ¡°So you admit that you touched me? ! Touching my body without my consent is sexual harassment!¡±Guo huining sneered, ¡°Unless... you let me in now. I¡¯m going to deliver food to general Huo, not do anything else. If you don¡¯t believe me, you cane with me.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go.¡±The young soldier shook his head and said honestly, ¡°I¡¯m about to change shifts. You Can¡¯t go in.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯d rather be sued for sexual harassment than let me in?¡±Guo huining was very surprised. She didn¡¯t expect that a small soldier would be so principled. This was too rare in the business world where people were scheming against each other.

    The young soldier tried his best to hold back his tears, but he still shook his head and refused to leave his post without permission. He was even more unwilling to let Guo Huining in.

    It was alreadyte at night, and there were not many peopleing in and out of the military headquarterspound.

    There were a few tall ginkgo trees at the entrance, their leaves like small golden fans scattered all over the ground.

    The young soldier was not the only one on guard duty here, but everyone was at their posts, and no one came out to watch the fun.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin watched with great interest.

    Lu Jin could read lips, and from his point of view, he could only see Guo Huining talking, but not the young soldier.

    But it was enough to see Guo Huining talking.

    Lu Jin read her lips and ryed what she had said to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was both annoyed and amused. She said, ¡°Why would guo huining bring General Huo Dinner? What¡¯s their rtionship?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped the car and got out without saying a word. He walked towards the main door.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him out of the car excitedly.

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi walked behind Huo Shaoheng and secretly peeked behind a tree by the road.

    Huo Shaoheng came to the gate of thepound and said to the young soldier, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Go back and stand guard.¡±

    The young soldier turned around and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s epaulets. He immediately stood at attention and saluted, ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said in a low voice, ¡°Yes, go back and stand guard. I saw what happened just now. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The young soldier was overjoyed. Finally, someone had said something fair.

    ¡°Thank you, Chief!¡±He saluted Huo Shaoheng again and happily returned to his post.

    Guo huining saw that it was Huo Shaoheng and blushed slightly. She said embarrassedly, ¡°It¡¯s Huo Shaoheng. I was actually just joking with him just now. I won¡¯t really sue him.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t, but I will.¡±Huo Shaoheng turned on his bluetooth headset and answered the call with the legal department at the military headquarters, he said lightly, ¡°Legal department? I have a woman here who is deliberately harassing our soldiers on duty and trying to fish in troubled waters. Come and investigate, in case a spy spy sneaks in.¡±

    Guo Huining became anxious when she heard that, ¡°Huo Shao, you can¡¯t talk nonsense! I¡¯m here to deliver food to your father! How can I be a spy? ! If I were a spy spy, would general Huo entrust his father to me to take care of? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and said unhurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. General Huo has always had a bad eye. It¡¯spletely possible to lure a wolf into the house.¡±

    As he spoke, the Military Headquarters¡¯Legal Affairs Department had already arrived in their car.

    ¡°Hello, Chief.¡±The leading legal affairs department staff saluted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°May I ask who is harassing our soldiers on duty and trying to fish in troubled waters?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his chin in Guo Huining¡¯s direction. ¡°It¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just arrest people! I¡¯m here to deliver dinner to General Huo! I was invited by General Huo to help him take care of his father!¡±Guo Huining was in a moment of regret.

    She had asked the cook to make an extra dish for Huo Guanchen on purpose because she thought the cook¡¯s cooking was really delicious. She wanted to take the opportunity to see what the real Huo mansion looked like.

    Since she had made up her mind to be with Huo Guanchen, she wanted to know more about him.

    She didn¡¯t expect that she wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter the courtyard.

    Guo Huining was disheartened.

    The people from the legal department saw that Guo Huining kept saying that she was delivering food to general huo, but Huo Shaoheng had requested that Guo Huining be taken away for investigation, so they had no choice but to give Huo Guanchen a call.

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t pick up the call. It was his personal secretary who answered.

    The personal secretary saw that Huo Shaoheng was involved, so she quickly exined the situation to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen was reading a document in the study. He originally didn¡¯t want to see Guo Huining, but now that Huo Shaoheng was involved, he had no choice but to ignore her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Huo Guanchen brought his personal secretary to the entrance of thepound in a special car.

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes reddened when she saw him, and she immediately started crying in grievance.

    ¡°General Huo, you¡¯re finally here. I brought you dinner, but they wouldn¡¯t let me in... They even said I was a spy... sob sob sob...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Huo guanchen calmly and said, ¡°When did you hire such a powerful nanny? You even dare to falsely use our soldiers.¡±

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t know what was going on.

    The people from the legal department beside him quickly exined to him.

    The military legal department was under the Political Department.

    Huo Guanchen, the director of the Political Department, was the highest leader of the legal department.

    After listening to the exnation, Huo Guanchen frowned and said to Guo huining, ¡°You just take good care of the old man. You Don¡¯t have to bring me food. I have an orderly here to cook.¡±

    ¡°... I saw that the chef made a good soup. He stewed squab with gastrodia. I heard that you have a headache sometimes. This soup is very suitable,¡±Guo Huining said considerately and sent the insted lunch box to Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary.

    Huo Guanchen could refuse, but his personal secretary wouldn¡¯t dare refuse.

    Huo Shaoheng coughed lightly. ¡°Okay, the food has arrived. You guys take her away for investigation.¡±

    ¡°Why are you still investigating?¡±Guo Huining couldn¡¯t help but move a few steps towards Huo Guanchen. ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding. We¡¯ve already exined it clearly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re General Huo¡¯s personal nanny. You have to go through the most rigorous background investigation.¡±Huo Shaoheng waved his hand without hesitation, to the justice department: ¡°Take her statement, to the resume, check thest five years of social rtions, three generations within the immediate family, two generations within the coteral family.¡±

    ¡°For the safety of the chief and the father of the chief, you must not bend thew for personal gain. You must conduct a serious investigation!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 1986, caught red-handed.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1987

    <h4>Chapter 1987: Chapter 1987 entering the house (second update)</h4>

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart trembled. She was so scared that she forgot to cry. She looked at Huo Guanchen and said anxiously, ¡°General Huo, aren¡¯t you going to say something? I¡¯m just helping you take care of your father. Do you need a political review?¡±

    Huo Guanchen nced at Huo Shaoheng and said casually, ¡°Background checks are needed, but there¡¯s no need for the strictest political review, right? She¡¯s just an Assistant I hired to help manage your grandfather¡¯s affairs, not mine.¡±

    Guo huining nodded hurriedly. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Grandfather Huo is just an ordinary person...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just taking precautions, right? Miss Guo threatened our soldiers today to sue him for sexual harassment, wasn¡¯t it all for the sake of squeezing into the military headquarterspound?¡±

    He looked at Huo Guanchen with a calm expression. ¡°General Huo, if you can guarantee that Miss Guo won¡¯t use your name to intimidate others, I Won¡¯t ask the legal department to conduct the most stringent political review.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s face turned red. Fortunately, she was standing in the dark, so no one could see her. Otherwise, she would really have found a hole to hide in. In her heart, she cursed Dou aiyan, who had given her ideas, to death.

    If she had known that it was so difficult to enter the military headquarters, she would not have rushed here.

    At this moment, she realized the gap between herself and the Huo family, but at the same time, she wanted to be with Huo Guanchen even more.

    However, she could not be anxious. She had to take things slowly.

    Guo huining gathered her thoughts and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s my fault today. I will definitely listen to General Huo¡¯s orders from now on. I will not do what I should not do. I will definitely take good care of your father for you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nced at his personal secretary.

    His personal secretary understood and put the insted lunch box that Guo Huining had sent back into her hand. ¡°Miss Guo, don¡¯te to this ce anymore. If you want toe, you have to go through the strictest political examination.¡±

    This was not a ce where ordinary people lived. If anyone could just barge in, how could security be tight?

    Guo Huining took the insted lunch box in embarrassment and bowed to the people around her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have troubled everyone. I¡¯ll leave now.¡±

    She turned around. Her thin figure and staggering footsteps actually looked a little pitiful.

    Huo Guanchen sighed and red at Huo Shaoheng. He scolded, ¡°You Shouldn¡¯t be meddling in things that shouldn¡¯t be your concern. You¡¯re being very active!¡±

    ¡°General Huo, I¡¯m doing this for the safety and reputation of the chief.¡±Huo Shaoheng turned around disapprovingly, he said to the people from the legal department, ¡°You¡¯ve all seen it. Miss Guo was hired by General Huo. Although she¡¯s only in her private residence outside, aren¡¯t you worried about general Huo¡¯s safety in his private residence?¡±

    Huo Guanchen frowned. ¡°You still want to investigate?¡±

    He was already investigating, but it wasn¡¯t a public background check.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had said it in front of so many people, so Huo Guanchen had to give him face.

    Was Guo huining more important or his own son more important? was there a need to choose?

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m also worried about the safety of you and grandfather. I can understand why grandfather doesn¡¯t want to go back to the militarypound to recuperate. ¡°But the person you¡¯re looking for must have a clean background and must not be involved with any external forces.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the domestic side. You can get the special operations forces to investigate Guo Huining¡¯s overseas connections. I¡¯ll investigate her domestic background.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback, but he immediately reacted and said, ¡°Since general Huo has said so, I¡¯ll immediately get the special operations forces to apply for approval from the Senate and the Cab.¡±

    If not, the special operations forces would not be able to interfere with Guo Huining¡¯s matters.

    Huo Guanchen nodded and softened his tone. He asked Huo shaoheng, ¡°You came back to see your grandfather? Your grandfather is not here.¡±

    Since Huo Guanchen had given him face, Huo Shaoheng would not refuse to give him face, he smiled and said, ¡°I originally nned to see grandfather. Since grandfather is not here, I will visit grandfather at your private house another day. But since I am here today, I will go to the Xiao family to check on Xiao Ye.¡±

    He had actuallye to visit Xiao Ye, and now he could only make a feint.

    Huo Guanchen knew immediately that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s real purpose was to visit Xiao Ye.

    His eyes shed, and he said, ¡°Xiao Ye? I¡¯ll go with you. In order to save Nianzhi, she was almost disabled, so you should visit her often. By the way, where¡¯s Nianzhi? How many times has she visited Xiao Ye since she came back?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to walk to his car and said, ¡°Nianzhi was the one who insisted on visiting Xiao Ye, so I brought her along.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face immediately darkened. ¡°She¡¯s been back for more than a month. She hasn¡¯t seen your grandfather, has she?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. He got into the car.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin had already slipped back into the car from behind the tree, but Huo Guanchen hadn¡¯t seen the father and daughter.

    However, his security guards had seen them, but they knew that Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were both very high-level security guards, so they didn¡¯t stop them.

    Huo Shaoheng got into the car and saw Gu Nianzhi curled up in the car seat. He knocked her head in amusement. ¡°Why are you hiding? Let¡¯s go and see Xiao Ye.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat up straight with a smile. ¡°I was just worried that Huo Shao would be in trouble. General Huo is so aggressive, I was so afraid that he would tear you apart at the door!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried that I won¡¯t be able to win against General Huo?¡±Huo Shaoheng nced at her and fastened her seatbelt.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried that you won¡¯t be able to win against General Huo. I just don¡¯t want Guo Huining to be too pleased with herself.¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°To be able to make a man scold his own son for her, that must be amazing!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worrying too much. General Huo would never do such a thing.¡±Huo Shaoheng was still at ease on this point. Although he had mocked Huo Guanchen for hisck of taste, he knew that this person would never be unable to distinguish between priorities.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself that in terms of power and benefits, she did not have to worry that Huo Guanchen would choose the wrong side.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was still impressed by Huo Guanchen when it came to grandfather Huo.

    She nodded and whispered, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem that bad. Grandfather Huo has been out of power for so long, and general Huo is still quite filial...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng started the car and drove over to Xiao Ye¡¯s house. He said casually, ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubt General Huo¡¯s father-son rtionship with his father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°No wonder general Huo looks at Guo Huining differently. She¡¯s a good choice.¡±

    She knew Huo Guanchen was filial, so she had asked someone to save grandfather Huo. This was a great favor, so of course she would be able to enter the Huo family.

    However, she had only entered the private residence for the time being. She had not yet been able to enter the Huo family mansion.

    Lu Jin did not say anything in the backseat. He did not care about Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen¡¯s attitude towards Guo Huining. Guo Huining had humiliated gu nianzhi, so he would remember this.

    Getting the Hong Corporation to fire Guo Huining was just a small punishment.

    If she didn¡¯t repent, Lu Jin would let boss Lu teach her a lesson. Lu Jin looked at the night view outside the car with a smile and didn¡¯t take Guo huining seriously.

    The car soon stopped at the Xiao family¡¯s courtyard.

    Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, and Lu Jin got out of the car and rang the doorbell at the courtyard.

    The Xiao family¡¯s orderly opened the door and saluted Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Hello, Sir!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°Are general Xiao and President Chen Here? Let¡¯s see Xiao Ye.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for Huo Guanchen¡¯s car to arrive. Huo Guanchen got out of the car and his gaze fell on Lu Jin, who was standing beside Gu Nianzhi.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1987, entering the house.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1988

    <h4>Chapter 1988: Chapter 1988 changed his mind (first update)</h4>

    If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, this man was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological father, right?

    Huo Guanchen recalled the information his personal secretary had found out about Lu Jin.

    ¡°... He¡¯s a scientist who came back from abroad. He¡¯s not famous, but he saved colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan.¡±

    ¡°He came back to China with colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan. He was rewarded for his contributions, so he was naturalized in Huaxia.¡±

    He was just an ordinary academic.

    Huo Guanchen had originally thought that Gu Nianzhi was Gu Xiangwen¡¯s daughter, but it turned out that she wasn¡¯t. Gu Xiangwen¡¯s contributions to Huaxia couldn¡¯t be attributed to Gu Nianzhi, so it naturally had nothing to do with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Guanchen felt very sorry for Gu Nianzhi.

    Now that he heard that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological father was just an ordinary scientist, he felt even more regretful.

    He was not interested in people in the academic world. This time, he was able to spend some time and effort to get to Know Lu Jin. It was only because Lu Jin had gone to the Institute of High Energy Physics as a visiting professor and became a colleague of song jinning that he was able to inquire about Lu Jin¡¯s background.

    He did not look good, but he did not know how he had given birth to such a beautiful daughter like Gu Nianzhi..

    Lu Jin noticed that Huo Guanchen was looking at him, and could not help but think that Huo Guanchen was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, and that Huo Shaoheng had stolen his clever and cute girl. He could not help but feel angry.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had saved his life before, and that anger could not be directed at Huo Shaoheng anymore, so it naturally fell on Huo Guanchen.

    Lu Jin red at Huo Guanchen unhappily.

    Huo Guanchen was slightly taken aback.

    This man actually dared to throw his face at him?

    Was he stupid from his studies?

    His daughter wanted to marry into the Huo family, but wasn¡¯t he aware of her status?

    What good would his daughter get if she offended him?

    Huo Guanchen smiled coldly. He nned to teach this arrogant father and daughter a lessonter.

    ..

    A group of people followed Huo Shaoheng into the Xiao family¡¯s courtyard. Xiao Ye¡¯s father, General Xiao, and her mother, President Chen, came out to wee them.

    Xiao Ye sat in her wheelchair and was pushed out by her own family¡¯s nurse.

    ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re back!¡±Xiao Ye¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw Huo Shaoheng walking at the front. She urged the nurse to quickly push the wheelchair.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m back. I have some free time recently. I wanted to see how you¡¯re recovering.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked out from behind Huo Shaoheng and smiled. ¡°Sister Xiao Ye, thank you for saving me!¡±

    Xiao ye paused and looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile. ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re back too? Are You Okay?¡±

    Only the two of them knew what had happened back then. Xiao Ye wouldn¡¯t have brought it up in front of so many people.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It was a false rm.¡±

    She said it lightly because she did not want to reveal too many details.

    He chengjian had sent people to abduct her a year ago. The Huaxia Empire¡¯s upper echelons were top secret.

    The Huaxia Empire only had five people who knew the details.

    General Ji, speaker long, Prime Minister Bai, Huo Shaoheng, and song jinning.

    Only the five of them knew what had happened a year ago.

    Those who knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance were limited to the upper echelons of the special operations forces, as well as the core members.

    Xiao Ye was also one of the core members of the special operations forces.

    However, Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, President Chen, was very dissatisfied with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rxed attitude.

    However, she would not be angry at Gu Nianzhi in front of so many people, instead, she said lightly, ¡°Thank you all foring to see my daughter. My daughter was beaten to a cripple a year ago, and she still can¡¯t walk. Her arms are limp, and she can barely hold a bowl to eat.¡±

    After she said that, she nced lightly at Gu Nianzhi. What she meant was that it was a false rm, but my daughter¡¯s life was ruined..

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face froze, and she quickly said, ¡°Sister Xiao Ye was beaten to such a state because of me. I¡¯ll definitely find the best doctor to treat Xiao Ye. President Chen, don¡¯t worry, there will definitely be a way.¡±

    President Chen was furious. She thought to herself, this girl was really taking advantage of me and still acting like a good girl.

    There will definitely be a way?

    What Way?

    Even her nephew, Chen Lie, was severely injured, and she still had the face to try and trick them!

    However, she only thought about these words in her heart and was too embarrassed to say it out loud. She only gave a half-smile and gestured for them to sit down in the living room.

    Xiao Ye quickly nced at Huo Shaoheng. Seeing that Huo Shaoheng was still calm and collected, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She smiled and said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Miss Gu, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. I¡¯m fine too.¡±

    President Chen ced a memory cotton pillow behind Xiao Ye¡¯s waist and propped it up for her. He said, ¡°You¡¯re such a silly girl... Miss GU was just being polite, and you took it seriously.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened.

    She understood what Xiao Ye¡¯s mother meant.

    Gu Nianzhi did not retort. She silently took a few steps back and stood beside Lu Jin.

    Xiao Ye had been beaten into a cripple because of her. Her mother loved her dearly, so it was natural for her to be unhappy with her. Gu Nianzhi did not feel ufortable, but she felt very sad.

    She looked at Lu Jin as if she was asking for help. Her big eyes were as big as if they could speak. She kept winking at Lu Jin, wanting him to take a look.

    Lu Jin nodded at her, he took a step forward and said, ¡°Are you Xiao Ye¡¯s mother? I¡¯m Nianzhi¡¯s father. Thank you, your daughter, for saving my daughter. My daughter didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. She did find the best doctor to treat Miss Xiao.¡±

    President Chen:¡±...¡±

    General Xiao was very embarrassed. He quickly called out, ¡°Everyone, have a seat. What would you like to drink?¡±

    Huo Guanchen sat on the sofa with a big smile on his face and said to general xiao, ¡°Old Xiao, I see that Xiao Ye is recovering well. After she has rested enough, would you like to transfer to our political department to work as a civil servant?¡±

    President Chen, Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, was extremely surprised and asked excitedly, ¡°General Huo, are you serious? ! You can really let Xiao Ye work as a civil servant in the political department? !¡±

    The political department in the military headquarters was not an ordinary civil service organization. Those who had connections and ability would have to dig their way in. No one else could even dream of doing so.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. Xiao Ye has also made a great contribution. It¡¯spletely within the rules for her to work as a civil servant in the political department.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled and pointed at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng also cares about Xiao Ye very much. He told me more than once.¡±

    Actually, Huo Shaoheng had never told him about it once.

    However, in the face of Xiao Ye¡¯s parents¡¯earnest attention and the sudden smile on Xiao Ye¡¯s dispirited face, Huo Shaoheng could not deny it at all.

    Gu Nianzhi did not think about anything else. When she heard that Xiao Ye was going to the political department, she was happy for her. She sat on the stool next to her wheelchair and said carefully, ¡°Sister Xiao Ye, I will really find the best doctor for you.¡±

    President Chen sat on the other side of Xiao Ye¡¯s wheelchair. She stroked Xiao Ye¡¯s short hair, she smiled and said politely, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯ve been very kind. As long as Xiao Ye doesn¡¯t go out on field missions again, we don¡¯t need any other doctors. Her cousin is Chen Lie, and her cousin will take care of her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°But the Doctor I Found is really good. Sister Xiao Ye, are you sure you don¡¯t want to give it a try?¡±Gu Nianzhi was still unwilling to give up. She really wanted Lu Jin to take a look at Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries.

    It had already been a year. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could recover.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure either.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s father and mother didn¡¯t continue the conversation. They just smiled and changed the topic.

    On the other hand, Xiao Ye felt bad. She stretched out her hand with difficulty and touched Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm, she said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t take it to heart. I appreciate your kindness. I¡¯ll be able to walk after a year or two of rehabilitation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had seen how skilled Xiao Ye was, but now she was like this. Gu Nianzhi felt terribly guilty, she shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I Won¡¯t be angry no matter what uncle or Auntie says. I just want you to recover faster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±Xiao Ye smiled at her and changed the subject,¡±... Do you want some candy? This is chocte that I brought back from abroad. It¡¯s said to be packaged directly from the production line of the Chocte Factory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused to give up and insisted, ¡°Sister Xiao Ye, I know that brother Chen¡¯s medical skills are indeed very good, but there¡¯s always someone better. I really found you a Doctor Who¡¯s better than brother Chen!¡±

    ¡°A Doctor Who¡¯s better than Chen Lie? !¡±Xiao ye eximed in shock and raised her voice. Her mother, President Chen, heard her and turned to look at her. ¡°A Doctor Who¡¯s better than Chen Lie? Where?¡±

    ¡°He is here.¡±Lu Jin pointed at himself. ¡°I am a doctor who is better than Chen Lie.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª ? !¡±President Chen¡¯s face darkened again. ¡°Are you two here to make fun of us? My Xiao Ye has be disabled because of your daughter. What are you unhappy about?¡±

    Lu Jin said seriously, ¡°I am not unhappy. I am very grateful to your daughter, so I took the initiative to give her another checkup. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her saving my daughter, with your attitude, I wouldn¡¯t even look at you when you knelt on the ground and begged me for your daughter¡¯s life. I wouldn¡¯t even bat an eyelid.¡±

    President Chen stood up abruptly and pointed at the door angrily. ¡°Go Away! Go away right now! Even if my daughter is paralyzed on the bed...¡±

    ¡°Old Chen!¡±General Xiao roared and stopped President Chen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? ! She came to see her daughter out of kindness, but you¡¯re talking with guns in your mouth. Is it meaningful? !¡±

    ¡°Am I willing to do this? ! My daughter lost her mobility at a young age because of her, but she said it was a ¡®false rm¡¯without a care? ! Old Xiao, can you really endure it? !¡±

    President Chen finally exploded, and her eyes instantly turned red.

    ¡°She¡¯s a soldier! That¡¯s her mission!¡±General Xiao was so angry that his face was red. ¡°In order to protect the lives and property of the people, even if she sacrificed her life, it would be the honor of our family!¡±

    President Chen was speechless by General Xiao¡¯s reasoning. After a while, she choked, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her mission, but if her mission is just a ¡®false rm¡¯in the eyes of others, I¡¯d rather not have this honor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rosy little face gradually lost its color.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart ached so much that he wished he could tell the truth about Gu Nianzhi.

    However, he knew the severity of the situation. There were some things that he couldn¡¯t say even if he was beaten to death.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Xiao Ye, then at Gu Nianzhi, then at the Xiao couple who were already quarreling. He stood up from the sofa and reached out his hand to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Gu Nianzhi,e here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over silently.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and lowered it slightly.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to follow Huo Shaoheng and bow to Xiao Ye.

    Xiao Ye¡¯s face also turned pale.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his head, he said calmly, ¡°Xiao Ye, Nianzhi and I thank you for saving her life with this bow. ¡°Nianzhi indeed found the best doctor to examine your injuries. ¡°Yes, her biological father, Professor Lu Jin, is the best doctor. He¡¯s even better than Chen Lie. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Chen Lie yourself.¡±

    He nodded at the stunned general Xiao and President Chen, ¡°Sorry to disturb you, both of you. President Chen, I can understand how you feel about your daughter as a mother. But as a soldier, I¡¯m very disappointed in you. Goodbye.¡±

    He took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and turned to leave.

    Lu Jin was finally happy. He turned around and sneered at the Xiao couple. ¡°Keep arguing. I¡¯ve just changed my mind. I need to reconsider whether to treat your daughter or not.¡±

    Lu Jin turned to look at Xiao Ye and saw that she was staring unblinkingly in the direction where Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had disappeared. Lu Jin was a little ufortable and looked worried.

    Huo Guanchen finally stood up and smiled. ¡°Old Xiao, don¡¯t be angry. I understand how you¡¯re feeling. I¡¯ve always thought highly of Xiao Ye. I used to think that she and Shaoheng would be a couple...¡±

    Lu Jin hadn¡¯t even reached the door yet, and Huo Guanchen was practically saying this in front of him. He couldn¡¯t help but get angry.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first change of the day: Chapter 1988, change of heart.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1989

    <h4>Chapter 1989: Chapter 1989 stepped on explosives (second update)</h4>

    General Xiao waved his hand awkwardly, telling Huo Guanchen to stop talking.

    President Chen¡¯s tears flowed even faster, and she quickly turned around and imprinted it on the back of her hand.

    A trace of confusion and trance shed through Xiao Ye¡¯s eyes, but before she could react, Lu Jin had already walked back from the door.

    He did not hide his displeasure at all, he looked at Huo Guanchen and said bluntly, ¡°So you look down on my girl too? Not good enough for your son? Fine, simple. I happen to look down on your son too. Let¡¯s make decisions for the children. How about breaking off the engagement for the two of them today? ¡ª Let¡¯s see whether you don¡¯t want my girl to be your daughter-inw in the end, or your son doesn¡¯t want you as his father!¡±

    Huo Guanchen was stunned for a moment. He thought to himself, ¡°This person is really unpresentable. Why is he so good?¡±?

    How would he dare to make Huo Shaoheng¡¯s decision?

    However, he still said calmly on the surface, ¡°Professor Lu, don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m talking about the past.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the past? But if you say it in front of me, you¡¯re talking about the present!¡±Lu Jin was a senior patient with severe interpersonal disorder, so this little bit of drizzle was nothing.

    He was a person who could disregard his dignity whenever he was angry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable.¡±Huo Guanchen frowned. ¡°This is in someone else¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with someone else¡¯s house? You can be unreasonable in someone else¡¯s house? You can step on my girl in front of me? ! Let me tell you, you didn¡¯t step on a rock today, you stepped on Dynamite!¡±

    Lu Jin was aggressive. Just like how President Chen had criticized him for his daughter¡¯s injury, Lu Jin had gone all out for his girl.

    He pointed at Huo Guanchen and said to General Xiao and President Chen in a serious tone, ¡°Don¡¯t think that you are proud of being favored by him. Let me tell you, he has a bad taste!¡±

    ¡°When his ex-wife was seriously ill, he didn¡¯t favor her and divorced her. He got involved with some guy named Bai. They were boyfriend and girlfriend for many years and even got engaged. But then what happened? ¡°I heard that this guy named Bai killed someone and was sentenced to death and locked up in prison.¡±

    ¡°Then what happened? He favored the eldest daughter of your former Prime Minister Dou and thought that she was good enough for his precious son. In the end, that guy was also locked up in prison because he leaked important state secrets!¡±

    ¡°Also, he thought highly of the daughter of the former Prime Minister Tan and thought that she was a good match for his son. What happened in the end? Where did that girl go? She disappeared without a trace, right? !¡±

    ¡°Now, he thinks highly of your daughter. I don¡¯t think that you should feel happy or secretly happy. You should draw a clear line with him immediately. Don¡¯t let him think highly of you!¡±

    Lu Jin had been here for more than a month. He also knew everything that Lu Yuan knew about the Huo family.

    However, he paid more attention to the matters rted to hisdy, and was already full of resentment towards Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face instantly darkened, and he shouted sternly, ¡°Mr. Lu! Don¡¯t go too far!¡±

    ¡°This is called going too far?¡±Lu Jin pointed at himself and said frankly, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen me go too far before!¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re so great because you¡¯re a general? Mydyes from an ordinary family, and you can disregard her, my dignity and mood, and just say whatever you want?¡±Lu Jin sneered.

    In the opposite world, only he was unhappy to criticize others. It was the first time he had been criticized by others!

    Even general he chengjian, who was so domineering and arrogant, had set up an inescapable to chase after him. However, other than calling him a ¡°Madman,¡±he had never been so secretly disgusted by him!

    ¡°Huo Guanchen, are you still a man? ! If you don¡¯t like my girl, then just say it ! You¡¯re dragging others around to gossip. Are you worthy of the rank of general ¡°... I think you¡¯re in the wrong line of work. You¡¯re clearly a general among the gossips, a marshal among the Triads!¡±

    Huo Guanchen had always thought that he had a good self-control. After all, people who worked in politics would explode when they were talked about. How could he carry out his work?

    However, today, when he faced Lu Jin, he realized that he was so angry that he was about to jump up and down.

    The veins on his forehead popped up again and again, and the fists in his hands were cracking.

    If not for so many people watching from the side, he would have really thrown a punch!

    His personal secretary saw that the situation was not looking good and quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Professor Lu, please be careful with your words. Our chief is representing Miss Nianzhi to express her gratitude. Please don¡¯t read too much into it.¡±

    ¡°How can you express your gratitude like that? I¡¯m not well-read and haven¡¯t seen much of the world. Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes, ¡°But I don¡¯t me you. You have to rack your brains to wash the floor for such an ipetent and unreliable boss. It¡¯s really hard on all of you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary was stumped by Lu Jin¡¯s words and shut his mouth embarrassedly.

    Forget it, forget it. When Immortals fight, it was better for them not to get involved in this mess.

    Huo Guanchen red at his personal secretary and turned to Lu Jin with a cold smile. ¡°If you have a problem with me, we can talk about it at home. Why do you have to embarrass yourself in someone else¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you even know the words ¡¯embarrass yourself¡¯? What? ¡°You used me of stepping on my girl right in front of me. Haven¡¯t you ever thought of the words ¡®disgraced¡¯?¡±Lu Jin had not refuted someone in such a carefree manner for a long time, he instantly felt that it was better to return to being a person with severe interpersonal disorder.

    ¡°With your foresight, you¡¯re only worthy to be associated with Guo Huining, that low-life viin! No wonder you took her in for food and amodation!¡±

    ¡°Hurry up, I advise you to stop flirting with each other, sending food and letters to each other, this kind of young ything!¡±

    ¡°If you like each other, then just throw them away immediately, lest youe out and harm others again!¡±

    Lu Jin really hoped that Huo Guanchen would get together with Guo Huining as soon as possible, so that Lu Yuan would have a legitimate reason to marry song jinning right away..

    Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, President Chen, saw that the two of them were making a scene and was very disdainful. She said softly, ¡°If you two have something to do, I won¡¯t hold you back.¡±

    This was an order to leave.

    Lu Jin was not going to do it, and he was not going to stop. Gu Nianzhi was not around anyway, so he could y to his heart¡¯s content.

    He immediately turned around and pointed at President Chen with a cold smile. ¡°And you! I¡¯ve tolerated you for a long time today! I understand that you¡¯re upset about your daughter¡¯s injury, but you¡¯re venting your anger on others, or on the victim. Are you worthy of your military uniform?

    ¡°Do you have to see my daughter either dead or crippled before you feel that your daughter¡¯s sacrifice is worth it? !¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to give you a gun and shoot my daughter a few times, so that you can only calm down after she¡¯s crippled for life? ¡ª what are these things? !¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you, I could have healed your daughter, but because of you, your daughter can only be an ordinary person. She Can¡¯t be as agile as she used to be!¡±

    Xiao Ye suddenly raised her head. The confusion and trance in her eyes quickly faded away. She said with a trembling voice,¡±... can you really heal me? ! Can I really go back to the way I was before I was injured? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote. Let me tell you, I know best what it means not to speak carelessly. Once I say something, it¡¯s like pouring water on a pot of boiling water. You Can¡¯t take back what¡¯s spilled, understand?¡±

    Lu Jin did not show any emotion towards Xiao Ye.

    Gu Nianzhi was not in front of him, so he did not want to restrain his temper and emotions at all.

    At worst, he could go back and say that he had forgotten to take his medicine when he was ill.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1989, stepping on dynamite.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 1990 - Parental Love -FirstiUpdatedate)

    <h4>Chapter 1990: Chapter 1990 Parental Love -FirstiUpdatedate)</h4>

    Xiao Ye did not care about what Lu Jin said, ¡°What¡¯s done can not be undone.¡±She only persisted in asking,¡±... can it really be healed? ! You haven¡¯t even checked my injuries. I used to be very good at fighting!¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the first time that Xiao Ye had experienced such mental stress in the past year. From being an outstanding field officer who could be a team leader in the KGB, to being a paralyzed person who had almost no ability to move, it was more painful than being physically disabled.

    When she heard that someone could ¡°Heal¡±her, she couldn¡¯t believe her ears.

    Lu Jin curled his lips and said disapprovingly, ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t believe me. I have no obligation to make you believe me.¡±As he said that, he turned around and left.

    Looking at Lu Jin¡¯s tall and slim back, a glimmer of hope shed in Xiao Ye¡¯s eyes.

    Perhaps she should give it a try and give herself a chance?

    Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, President Chen, was very dissatisfied with Lu Jin¡¯s careless manner. She had been reprimanded by Lu Jin just now, and her face could not take it off, she sneered and said, ¡°Xiao Ye, don¡¯t listen to that person¡¯s bragging. If he really had the ability, and you saved his daughter, wouldn¡¯t he take the initiative to treat your injuries? ¡°He hasn¡¯t even examined your injuries yet, and he¡¯s already boasting and then refusing to treat you. Do you believe this kind of person? ¡°What? !¡±

    General Xiao looked carefully at his daughter, not letting go of the light that suddenly lit up in her eyes.

    Whether Lu Jin had the ability or not, he had to at least give it a try before he knew.

    Because his words just now had clearly given Xiao Ye Hope.

    General Xiao was not willing to give up Xiao Ye¡¯s newly-raised hope at all.

    He red at President Chen sternly. ¡°Enough! is your face more important, or is your daughter¡¯s happiness more important? ! If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯m not willing to treat your daughter¡¯s injuries!¡±

    ¡°Old Xiao, what are you saying? !¡±President Chen was blushing from his words. In front of Huo Guanchen, she was even more embarrassed and angry. She hated that General Xiao had a one-track mind and did not understand the true meaning of what she said in front of Huo Guanchen!

    ¡°How can I put my face more important than my daughter¡¯s lifelong happiness? !¡±President Chen started to cry again, ¡°But even Chen Lie said that he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Do you believe in Chen Lie or that rude stranger just now? !¡±

    Chen Lie was the youngest chief physician of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Military General Hospital. He was also the most brilliant doctor and was known as the ¡°Miracle Doctor of the nation.¡±.

    Even he could not do anything about Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries. He could only guarantee that she would be able to stand up. However, it was impossible for her to move like an ordinary person. She might have to rely on crutches for the rest of her life.

    They were not familiar with Lu Jin. His words were too unbelievable. President Chen did not believe it at all.

    General Xiao did not believe it either. However, he did not want to disappoint his daughter again.

    ¡°... General Huo, are you familiar with Professor Lu?¡±General Xiao asked Huo Guanchen tentatively. ¡°Is his medical skills really good?¡±

    Huo Guanchen recalled the information he had investigated and shook his head regretfully. ¡°Old Xiao, it¡¯s not that I want to discourage you, but this person is actually just an ordinary scientist who has just returned to China for more than a month...¡±

    President Chen quickly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to me, don¡¯t tell me you won¡¯t listen to General Huo as well? If he really has the ability, I would be willing to kowtow to him, but if he really has the ability... who wouldn¡¯t know how to Talk Big?¡±

    Xiao ye gritted her teeth and said, ¡°But just now, Huo Shao said that this person¡¯s medical skills are better than cousin¡¯s. I want to ask cousin!¡±

    As she spoke, she asked her rehabilitation nurse to bring her cell phone and dialed Chen Lie¡¯s number.

    Chen lie was in the middle of a surgery and did not pick up the phone, so she had to leave a message.

    Only then did Huo Guanchen say goodbye and leave, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go and ask someone I know to see if I can help you find another good doctor.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you!¡±President Chen wiped away his tears and enthusiastically sent him out, he said, ¡°Our Xiao Ye has followed Huo Shao through life and death for so many years. Huo Shao knows how much contribution she has made. ¡°Now that Xiao Ye is injured like this, I know it¡¯s a mission. She has to do it, but the person she saved looks like she¡¯s fine. I just don¡¯t like her!¡±

    ¡°I know. President Chen, don¡¯t worry. The organization will definitely consider Xiao Ye¡¯s contributions and give her the best arrangement.¡±

    Huo Guanchen left the Xiao family home and sat back in his personal car. After thinking for a while, he said to his personal secretary, ¡°Give Miss Guo a call. I have something to ask her.¡±

    His personal secretary quickly gave Guo Huining a call.

    Guo Huining was in a taxi at the moment. She had not returned to Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house in Xishan.

    Seeing that it was Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary, Guo Huining quickly answered the call and asked, ¡°Hello, is general Huo here for something?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary said ¡°Yes¡±and praised her for being smart.

    Guo huining pursed her lips and smiled.

    Huo Guanchen took the phone and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Miss Guo, the Doctor You introduced to my fatherst time, is he still in Huaxia?¡±

    Guo huining quickly said, ¡°He just returned to the United States a while ago. What¡¯s Wrong? Do you still want to look for him?¡±

    ¡°I want to ask him if he will do the rehabilitation surgery for gunshot wounds,¡±Huo Guanchen said straightforwardly.

    They were soldiers. It was verymon for soldiers to get gunshot wounds.

    ¡°What kind of gunshot wound?¡±Guo huining asked curiously, ¡°Can you tell me more about it? I can ask him.¡±

    Actually, she wanted to contact doctor Tony through Dou Aiyan. She did not have doctor Tony¡¯s contact information.

    Huo Guanchen thought for a moment and called General Xiao again. He asked him to erase Xiao Ye¡¯s medical record, name, and other personal information, and send it to his phone.

    General Xiao knew that Huo Guanchen had helped them find a doctor, so he was very grateful. He quickly followed his request and sent the medical record that erased their personal information to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen then forwarded it to Guo Huining.

    Guo Huining did not understand the medical record, but she agreed to help him ask Doctor Tony.

    In fact, Huo Guanchen did not know a better doctor than Chen Lie, except for Doctor Tony, who had performed a brain-filling surgery on his father a month ago.

    In his opinion, this person¡¯s medical skills seemed to be a little better than Chen Lie¡¯s.

    After all, Chen Lie had not been able to revive his father, but doctor Tony had done it.

    Guo Huining got Xiao Ye¡¯s medical record and injury report and immediately contacted Dou Aiyan.

    Dou aiyan knew that it was Huo Guanchen¡¯s request, so she immediately said, ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll send it to doctor Tony right away!¡±

    It waste at night in the capital, but it was noon in the United States.

    Doctor Tony, who was having a working lunch in his office, received a medical record and injury report from Huaxia.

    He looked at it carefully for an hour, then, he called Dou aiyan and said, ¡°This injury is too serious, and it¡¯s already been a year. Even if I perform the surgery, I won¡¯t be able to make her recover. She can only recover slowly. After two years, it¡¯ll be good enough if she can stand up and walk.¡±

    Dou aiyan was a little disappointed. ¡°Is there really no other way? If you can perform the surgery on this person, we will be even more confident!¡±

    ¡°If I could do it, would I not do it?¡±Tony said faintly, ¡°I really can¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°But why did you wake up that vegetable?¡±Dou aiyan asked unwillingly.

    ¡°This is different.¡±Doctor Tony looked at the medical records on theputer. ¡°The surgery on a vegetable is actually much simpler. All you need to do is to operate on a specific area of the brain.¡±

    ¡°But for this kind of injury, all four limbs suffered a devastating physical blow. After another year, even a god would not be able to heal her.¡±

    ¡°Is it harder than brain surgery?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not harder, it¡¯s even harder.¡±Doctor Tony was a little impatient, ¡°If you want topletely recover, do you know how many nerves you need to connect? Do you know the growth hormone that is needed for muscles and bones to recover to their original state? You Don¡¯t even know, so why are you telling me how to do my job!¡±

    Doctor Tony hung up on Dou aiyan. Dou aiyan¡¯s face turned red from his words, and her attitude toward Guo Huining was no longer good.

    She said to Dou aiyan, ¡°Stop dreaming! Such a serious injury and after such a long time, if you want to recover, just look for a deity!¡±

    Guo Huining was also unwilling to give up. After asking repeatedly, she finally understood that it was indeed impossible.

    A normal surgery could not change the patient¡¯s injuries significantly. Therefore, it was reasonable that Doctor Tony was unwilling to intervene.

    After working for an hour, there was no result.

    Guo Huining was a little embarrassed, however, she immediately called Huo Guanchen and told him, ¡°General Huo, after the doctor who performed the surgeryst time looked at the medical records, he said that there was no way for him to recover. At most, he can only recover after two years. He can stand up and walk.¡±

    It was more or less what Chen Lie had said.

    At this time, Huo Guanchen also believed that Lu Jin was bragging.

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Miss Guo. It¡¯s already sote, and you¡¯re still running around for us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m willing to do anything for you,¡±Guo Huining said meaningfully.

    Huo Guanchen smiled nomittally and hung up on Guo Huining.

    He then dialed General Xiao¡¯s number.

    General Xiao sighed heavily when he learned that there was nothing Huo Guanchen could do. He nned to find an opportunity to personally visit Professor Lu Jin the next day.

    ..

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression did not change when he returned to the car. Gu Nianzhi had no idea what had happened.

    Huo Shaoheng did not bring his guards and personal secretary with him to the Xiao residence at night, so he had no idea that Lu Jin had sent a message after he and Gu Nianzhi had left first.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t say a word the entire way.

    When he returned to Song Jinning¡¯s apartment, he saw Lu Yuan sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a newspaper. He raised his eyebrows slightly and suddenly asked, ¡°Boss Lu, do you think I have a chance if I run for Prime Minister?¡±

    Even Lu Yuan, who had always been calm and collected, was shocked.

    ¡°... What did you say? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help looking over as well.

    Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°What are you looking at? Can¡¯t I run for Prime Minister?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped out of her daze and immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t, it¡¯s That I definitely can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±Lu Jin looked at himself.¡±... Do you want to change?¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re a person with interpersonal disorder. Your EQ is zero.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t discriminate against people with a rtionship disorder.¡±Lu Jin shook his finger with a straight face, ¡°Besides, the current president of the United States doesn¡¯t have an EQ, but that doesn¡¯t prevent him from being elected president of the United States. He might even be re-elected. Why Can¡¯t I choose the Prime Minister?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1990, ¡°The heart of a parent.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day, and the second watch of the day is at 8:00 p.m.

    PS: Thanks to Moshi for the 10,000 starting coins he gave us yesterday.

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 1991 - Her knees gave way and she wanted to kneel (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1991: Chapter 1991. Her knees gave way and she wanted to kneel (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi did not understand why Lu Jin suddenly wanted to elect the prime minister after making a trip to Xiao Ye¡¯s house.

    She took a deep breath and tried to reason with Lu Jin patiently.

    ¡°Dad, think about it carefully. If you really want to run for office, it¡¯s not just because you have intelligence and no Eq. You have to think about why the voters will vote for you. What can you do to move the voters?¡±

    ¡°The National Development n, social welfare benefits, economic principles...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t finished her sentence, lu Jin suddenly said, ¡°I checked the data a few days ago. Currently, there are 114 million diabetics in Huaxia. If we include their rtives and friends, we can at least double that by four, which is 456 million.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°What does diabetics and their rtives and friends have to do with your campaign?¡±Gu Nianzhi felt that her IQ wasn¡¯t low, but she still couldn¡¯t keep up with Lu Jin¡¯s pace.

    Lu Jin looked up at her and said confidently, ¡°If I say that whoever votes for me, I¡¯ll give them a cure for diabetes and they won¡¯t have to continue to receive insulin for the rest of their lives. Will they vote for me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s knees instantly went weak, and she wanted to kneel.

    ¡°... Dad, I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have questioned your decision!¡±

    Lu Yuan understood now. He put down the newspaper with a smile and stood up. ¡°Professor Lu, what happened to you just now? Can¡¯t you just focus on being a great scientist who invented your invention? Who else would dare to make you angry?¡±

    Lu Jin wasn¡¯t paying attention and said angrily, ¡°Who else could it be? ! You look down on me because I¡¯m not the Prime Minister, but you look down on my girl! isn¡¯t she just a lousy prime minister? ! So what if she¡¯s not elected? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately reacted,¡±... did general Huo give you face just now?¡±

    Other than Huo Guanchen, he couldn¡¯t think of anyone who looked down on Gu nianzhi because her father was ¡°Not the prime minister.¡±.

    Lu Yuan sighed lightly and walked over to Pat Lu Jin on the shoulder, saying, ¡°I get it. You Don¡¯t want others to look down on Gu Nianzhi because of her family background, do you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had always been eloquent, but now she couldn¡¯t say anything.

    Her heart was warm. She was supposed to be very warm and touched, but there was a sour feeling in her heart. She broke out of the warm feeling and felt like crying. She didn¡¯t cry because she was sad, but because she was satisfied.

    Lu Jin nodded sullenly and said bluntly, ¡°I thought that the election wouldn¡¯t be that difficult. The main thing is that it would be the fastest way to raise your status and shut up that person who likes the daughter of the Prime Minister to be his daughter-inw.¡±

    Lu Yuan winked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over quietly, he said to Lu Jin sincerely, ¡°Dad, your status is much higher than that of the prime minister. The prime minister needs to run for office, and there is a term limit. Your knowledge and ability are priceless. I¡¯m proud to have a father-inw like you. I don¡¯t need the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, and I don¡¯t like the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter.¡±

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, who was still in the middle of the room, and smiled. ¡°I love Gu Nianzhi, and it has nothing to do with her family background. I love her for who she is, not her family, friends, and social connections.¡±

    This was the first time Huo Shaoheng had confessed his feelings for Gu Nianzhi in front of Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin nodded and said matter-of-factly, ¡°Of course my daughter is the best, I know that. But Can you really keep going?¡±

    ¡°Five years, ten years, twenty years, thirty years. You Won¡¯t regret it in the future? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better for you to find a wife with a good family background?¡±

    Although Lu Jin did not care about these things, he was not a person who was isted from the world. He saw everything that happened in other people¡¯s homes.

    If he did not care, it did not mean that other people did not care. Moreover, when it came to his own daughter, he could not help but care.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s entire heart was about to warm up.

    She quietly walked over and held Lu Jin¡¯s hand. She looked up at him and said admiringly, ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to be like this. If you¡¯re the kind of person who likes to be in the limelight, I Won¡¯t object to you running for the election. Just treat it as a joke.¡±

    ¡°But your nature isn¡¯t like this... I know that you only like to delve into your own knowledge and do experiments...¡±

    Lu Jin nodded honestly, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t like that kind of election. All of you stand in front of the public like idiots, either to prove that you¡¯re dumber than others, or to prove that you¡¯re worse than others. ¡°But if this can shut that Huo guy up, I don¡¯t mind choosing a prime minister to p his face.¡±

    The two ¡°Huo¡±in the room shut up together.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile, she said, ¡°Dad, you really don¡¯t have to do this. Don¡¯t forget, Huo Shao and I are already married. To be honest, even if you¡¯re not by my side, no one can bully me because I can protect myself.¡±

    She now had the ability and qualifications to settle down and live her own life. The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor couldn¡¯t possibly be a mere decoration?

    Lu Yuan also joked, ¡°Professor Lu, you¡¯re really worrying too much. Nianzhi, who grew up with Shaoheng, would be frightened by the so-called ¡®family background and filial Piety¡¯of a few ignorant elders?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not looking down on our nianzhi, but looking down on Shaoheng. Your son-inw will teach them how to behave.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said with a serious expression, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what president Lu said. ¡°Those who look down on Nianzhi look down on my judgment. ¡°Those who look down on Nianzhi and me have all paid a heavy price. No one is an exception.¡±

    After a series of promises and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s constant coquettish teasing, Lu Jin finally dismissed the idea of choosing the prime minister.

    They weren¡¯t worried that he wouldn¡¯t be chosen, but they were worried about what would happen if he was chosen!

    That would be the most fatal thing!

    It was alreadyte at night when the matter was settled, and everyone was in a good mood. They chatted andughed as they went back to their rooms to sleep.

    However, early the next morning, Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Yuan realized that they had been happy too earlyst night.

    When General Xiao came to knock on the door with a generous gift, Gu Nianzhi was still in bed.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng had just put breakfast on the table when Lu Jin went to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room to wake her up.

    When he passed the living room, he heard the doorbell ring. He turned on the walkie-talkie and looked inside.

    Seeing that it was general Xiao and Xiao Ye in the wheelchair, Lu Jin turned off the walkie-talkie expressionlessly and disabled the doorbell system at home.

    That way, he wouldn¡¯t hear anyone knocking on the door.

    Lu Jin was ted. He felt that he was both smart and sneaky, and couldn¡¯t help but give himself a thumbs up.

    Gu Nianzhi was woken up by Lu Jin. She sat up from the bed, her hair disheveled, and a little angry.

    ¡°Dad! Can¡¯t I just sleep a little longer?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep anymore. In order tofort your old man, boss Lu specially made doughnuts that he rarely made for breakfast this morning. Boss Lu made doughnuts! They don¡¯t have the same sweet taste as those sold outside. They¡¯re crispy, smooth, and melt in the mouth.¡±

    Lu Jin gulped and continued, ¡°It¡¯s best to eat it while it¡¯s Hot!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger only dissipated a little when she woke up with the delicious food in front of her.

    She slowly pushed the nket away and got out of bed, saying,¡±... Dad, you better not be exaggerating, or else I¡¯ll let you eat it all by yourself!¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll eat it. You make it sound like I¡¯ve never eaten it before!¡±Lu Jin smiled and patted her head, ¡°I¡¯m going out first.¡±

    When he came out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, he happened to see Lu Yuaning out of the dining room and walking towards the main door.

    ¡°Boss Lu, where are you going?¡±Lu Jin thought that Lu Yuan had left early in the morning. ¡°Are you bringing breakfast to chief song again? You¡¯re not allowed to give me doughnuts!¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at his phone and said in confusion, ¡°Jinning just sent me a message saying that two guests hade to visit. She gave them the address, but they said there was no one in the house. She asked what was going on.¡±

    Lu Jin blinked, thinking that something bad had happened. He had better go back to his room and take his medicine..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 1991, ¡°Knees weak, want to kneel.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * * *

 Chapter 1992 - Cruel and Merciless (Dazhang)

    <h4>Chapter 1992: Chapter 1992: Cruel and Merciless (Dazhang)</h4>

    Lu Jin quickly slipped back into his room and locked the door behind him.

    Lu Yuan came to the door and wanted to take a look at themunicator in the room. He found that it was no longer working, and the doorbell system was the same.

    He immediately understood. He nced in the direction of Lu Jin¡¯s room, then opened the door and nodded at the two people at the door, he said gently, ¡°Hello, are you general Xiao and Miss Xiao Ye?¡±

    General Xiao suddenly saw Lu Yuan and felt that he looked familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen him before.

    Xiao Ye sat quietly in the wheelchair and nodded at Lu Yuan to greet him. She said politely, ¡°I¡¯m Xiao Ye. Are You Mr. Lu Yuan? Superintendent song said that you¡¯re at home.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and let them in. He said, ¡°I was in the kitchen just now and didn¡¯t hear the doorbell. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    General Xiao came back to his senses and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. We were too presumptuous. I¡¯m really sorry to have disturbed you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi heard someone talking in the living room from the bedroom and curiously peeked out.

    The father and daughter sitting in the middle of the living room were general Xiao and Xiao Ye.

    Gu Nianzhi had an idea. She quickly changed her clothes, went to the bathroom, andbed her hair beforeing out, she said, ¡°Hey, sister Xiao Ye, why are you here so early? Have you had breakfast? President Lu made a very delicious doughnut. If you haven¡¯t eaten yet,e and have some with us...¡±

    Xiao ye saw Gu Nianzhi, and her hands couldn¡¯t help grabbing the nket covering her legs. She said nervously, ¡°Nianzhi, I came here today to apologize to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard the noise outside the dining room and wanted toe over to say hello, but he stopped when he heard Xiao Ye.

    He quickly scanned the living room and looked elsewhere, but he didn¡¯t see Lu Jin anywhere.

    Something was wrong. Something was wrong.

    He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go out. He carefully thought about Lu Jin¡¯s behavior after he came backst night. He concluded that Lu Jin must have had a conflict with his father, Huo Guanchen, after he and Gu Nianzhi went outst night.

    Xiao Ye apologized the moment she saw Gu Nianzhi. It was very likely that Lu Jin had a conflict with the Xiao family as well.

    He silently took out his phone and dialed Huo Guanchen¡¯s number.

    As he waited for Huo Guanchen to pick up the phone, he thought that Lu Jin¡¯s reputation as a person with severe interpersonal disorder was not in vain. He could have a conflict with both families the moment they met..

    Huo Guanchen had just woken up when he heard his private phone ring. He quickly took it over to take a look.

    The people who knew his number were all very close family, friends, and subordinates.

    The name that appeared on the phone was ¡°Shaoheng.¡±.

    Huo Guanchen was delighted. He quickly opened the phone and asked with a smile,¡±... Shaoheng? Why are you calling me so early? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    In his memory, Huo Shaoheng had called him five times on his own initiative.

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything and asked directly, ¡°General Huo, after we left yesterday, did you and the Xiao family get into a conflict with Professor Lu?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was stunned for a moment, and in his heart, he despised Lu Jin.

    Not only did this person not understand the ways of the world, but he also liked to snitch on others behind their backs..

    His expression darkened, he said unhappily, ¡°You called early in the morning to seek justice for your father-inw? ¡°Yes, we had a few words yesterday, but your father-inw is very capable. He can scold the heavens and the Earth, but he can¡¯t even scold President Chen!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Ye almost died because of Nianzhi. What¡¯s wrong with President Chen saying a few words? Is it necessary for him to lose his temper in front of everyone? President Chen is already a few decades old, and he scolded her like a grandson.¡±

    Huo shaoheng calmly listened to Huo Guanchen¡¯sints and continued to ask, ¡°Can you tell us in detail what kind of conflict professor Lu had with You Yesterday?¡±

    Huo Guanchen stood up unnaturally and said, ¡°He just said a few words, and then he jumped.¡±

    ¡°What exactly did he say, who said it, and under what conditions? Can you exin it clearly?¡±Huo Shaoheng was unwilling to let it go.

    ¡°You¡¯re interrogating a criminal!¡±Huo Guanchen was furious and hung up the phone.

    He was also a little guilty because Lu Jin had lost his temper yesterday. The main reason was that he had said that he thought highly of Xiao Ye and that he had wanted Xiao Ye to be with Huo Shaoheng.

    It was fine that he did not think highly of Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi. He was indeed capable, but if she also had a family background, wouldn¡¯t that be icing on the cake?

    Huo Guanchen also knew that it was impossible to break up Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, so he was even more indignant. He was taking advantage of Lu Jin¡¯s words so that he could bnce himself.

    Now That Lu Jin hadined, Huo Guanchen was both embarrassed and even more annoyed with Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his phone. He waspletely sure that something had happened yesterday, and that it was Huo Guanchen who had started it.

    No Wonder Lu Jin had been unusually quiet after he had left the restaurant. Later on, he had fantasized about choosing the prime minister. It seemed that it was all his father¡¯s fault.

    He just didn¡¯t know what was going on with the Xiao family.

    Huo Shaoheng only came out of the restaurant after he had figured it out.

    Gu Nianzhi was already sitting next to Xiao Ye. She asked curiously, ¡°Sister Xiao Ye, why are you apologizing to me? I should be thanking you!¡±

    Xiao Ye was slightly surprised. Did Gu Nianzhi not know what her father had said after that?

    In the midst of her hesitation.., general Xiao said bluntly, ¡°It¡¯s like this. After you guys left yesterday, Xiao Ye¡¯s mother was in a bad mood and said some things toin. She was indeed rude and shouldn¡¯t have said that. Wepletely ept Professor Lu¡¯s words. Today, we¡¯re here especially to apologize to miss gu and professor Lu.¡±

    Xiao ye nodded as well. ¡°Where¡¯s Professor Lu? I want to apologize to him personally.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood in a sh.

    Just like Huo Shaoheng, she had also thought of Lu Jin¡¯s strange behaviorst night. Now, just like Huo Shaoheng, her gaze swept across the room quickly. As expected, she did not know where she was hiding..

    She was angry, amused, and a little confused, however, she still said calmly, ¡°What are you talking about, sister Xiao Ye? Did you really offend my father? But if you want to apologize, why didn¡¯t You Apologize Last Night? Why did you wait until now to apologize?¡±

    Although Lu Jin did not go out, he was still very concerned about the situation in the living room.

    However, he had disabled the internalmunication system in the apartment just now. He could not even use the surveince cameras, so he took out a self-made device and stuck it on the door. This way, he could clearly hear the conversation in the living room.

    When he heard that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t angry with him and was even puzzled as to why the Xiao family hadn¡¯t apologized to him in personst night, Lu Jin was finally relieved.

    He was ted. After all, she was mydy. Her elbows were straight, and she didn¡¯t turn away at all!

    His heart rxed, and he was no longer so nervous. He quietly opened the door and looked in the direction of the living room through the crack of the door with his homemade sses.

    Xiao Ye was a little embarrassed when she heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She hesitated for a moment and said humbly, ¡°It was our fault. We should have apologized in person yesterday, but Professor Lu left in a hurry...¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? Then how did your Mother Offend My Father?¡±Gu Nianzhi was even more curious and deliberately said, ¡°No wonder my father was so angry when he came back yesterday.¡±

    Lu Jin heard this from his room and wondered,¡±... when did I get angry when I came back? I¡¯ve been doing so well...¡±

    Xiao Ye wasn¡¯t worried that Gu Nianzhi would get to the bottom of this. From what she could tell, Lu Jin hadn¡¯t said anything after he came back, which made her even more embarrassed.

    After some hesitation, general Xiao said sincerely, ¡°Miss Gu, it was Xiao Ye¡¯s mother who was upsetst night and med it on your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately interrupted him, she smiled and said, ¡°General Xiao, sister Xiao Ye, I thought apologizing was the best way to show my sincerity. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you want to apologize or if you¡¯re here toin.¡±¡±No, no, no! We¡¯re not here toin!¡±General Xiao was anxious, he wasn¡¯t as eloquent as Gu Nianzhi. Although he knew what Gu Nianzhi meant, he was worried that Gu Nianzhi would misunderstand. This would make it even more difficult to ask Lu Jin to operate on Xiao Ye.

    His forehead was soon covered in sweat. He didn¡¯t even bother to wipe it off and said in one breath, ¡°Miss Gu, you yed it too lightly yesterday. Xiao Ye¡¯s mother felt that it wasn¡¯t worth it for her, so it was inevitable that her words would be unpleasant...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows.¡±... Did you say that again after we left?¡±

    General Xiao quickly waved his hand. ¡°No, no! I said it when you were still around!¡±

    ¡°... Then why did you apologize to my father?¡±Gu Nianzhi chased after them relentlessly, her expression bing more and more indifferent. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this logic.¡±

    ¡°I was still here when sister Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, President Chen, said those words. But I didn¡¯t argue with President Chen for sister Xiao Ye¡¯s sake. What did you sayter that made my father angry?¡±

    General Xiao and Xiao Ye looked at each other, finding it difficult to resist Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at their exchanging nces and felt even more unhappy, she said lightly, ¡°Besides, even if it was for what President Chen said yesterday, President Chen should havee to apologize. How could it be General Xiao and sister Xiao Ye? ¡°Also, why didn¡¯t you apologize to me, but to my father? ¡°What Else Are You Hiding?¡±

    Lu Jin was overjoyed when he heard this.

    Not only did his daughter not me him for spouting nonsense outside, but she was also thinking of him from time to time. She insisted that it was someone else who had offended him, and she even wanted the ¡°Culprit¡±to personally apologize!

    Lu Jin could not help but shed tears like an old father.

    He pushed the door open abruptly and Strode out. He said excitedly, ¡°That¡¯s right! What Else Are You Hiding? ! You came to my house to apologize. Your intentions are not in the bar at all!¡±

    When he finally saw Lu Jine out, general xiao immediately said anxiously, ¡°Professor Lu, I apologize on behalf of Xiao Ye¡¯s mother. I also want to ask, you said that Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries can be restored to the way they were before she was injured. is that really okay?¡±

    Lu Jin immediately stopped in his tracks and nced at Gu Nianzhi guiltily.

    His medical skills were far too advanced for this world.

    Gu nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Yuan all advised him not to be too high-profile and to try to keep up with the times. He just needed to be a little more advanced.

    However, he had been so angry yesterday that he had blurted out all his secrets. He was indeed very unstable.

    However, before Lu Jin could think of a way to answer General Xiao, Gu Nianzhi had already stood up slowly, she said, ¡°So the two of you are not here to apologize, but to seek medical treatment. Actually, why are you doing this? Sister Xiao Ye saved my life. Even if you don¡¯t tell me, I will find someone to treat you.¡±

    Xiao Ye knew that Gu Nianzhi was unhappy. She was ashamed and sad, she said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, I should have saved you, but you did me a favor by helping me. I understand this. It¡¯s all my fault. I was too depressed this year, and my emotions affected my family.¡±

    ¡°My mother wasn¡¯t like that. She was too worried about me.¡±

    As a daughter, it was her duty to protect her own mother. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t say that Xiao Ye had done anything wrong.

    But she also had a father, and she had to protect her own father.

    Gu Nianzhi could take matters into her own hands, but she was very sensitive about her own father.

    You could look down on her, but if you dared to look down on Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi would risk her life.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and held Lu Jin¡¯s hand. She ignored everything and said seriously to general xiao and Xiao Ye, ¡°General Xiao, sister Xiao Ye, my father is a scientist. He¡¯s not good at handling interpersonal rtionships and doesn¡¯t know how to speak well.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s kind, soft-hearted, and kind, so people bully him all the time.¡±

    ¡°If anyone offends my father, that means they¡¯ve offended me, and it¡¯s even more serious than offending me. So if you want my father to treat your injuries, let your mother apologize to my father first.¡±

    General Xiao:¡±...¡±

    Xiao Ye:¡±...¡±

    He doesn¡¯t know how to talk?

    Then who was the person who ¡°Engaged in a war of words and massacred everyone¡±in his family yesterday?

    Not only did he embarrass President Chen, but even his future inw, Huo Guanchen, was humiliated by him..

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Nice, soft-hearted, and kind?

    Who would have thought that Gu Nianzhi was Lu Jin¡¯s number one fan!

    This fan filter was so thick that even Lu Yuan, who had always protected Lu Jin, couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    He tried to smooth things over,¡±... maybe it¡¯s just a misunderstanding. Come, sit down and talk. If you have anything to say, just say it.¡±

    Lu Jin was overwhelmed by gu nianzhi¡¯s indiscriminately ¡°Protective¡±joy. He said without hesitation, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a misunderstanding! That President Chen is just being sarcastic. She¡¯s singing along with Huo Guanchen!¡±

    ¡°Huo Guanchen doesn¡¯t think Nianzhi is good enough for his son. He even said that he used to think highly of Xiao Ye and that he wanted the two of them to be together! ¡°And he said it right in front of me! ¡°How can I tolerate such words? ¡°If I tolerate this, my daughter will be looked down upon by Huo Guanchen for the rest of her life!¡±

    ¡°And her mother...¡±Lu Jin pointed at Xiao Ye, who was getting more and more embarrassed. ¡°Her mother obviously wants the Huo family to feel like they owe them! It¡¯s best if my daughter takes the initiative to withdraw and make room for her daughter!¡±

    Xiao Ye¡¯s face instantly turned white, but she still firmly denied it. ¡°Professor Lu, my mother doesn¡¯t mean that...¡±

    General Xiao knew what President Chen was thinking. Although he didn¡¯t agree, now that it was clearly stated.., he still denied it. ¡°Professor Lu, you¡¯re really overthinking it. Although general Huo said those things, our family doesn¡¯t have the intention.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Lu Jin looked at Xiao Ye without hesitation and said, ¡°If you swear that you won¡¯t Steal My Girl¡¯s Man Now or in the future, I will treat your injury.¡±

    ¡°Let me put the ugly words first. If you go back on your words after I treat you in the future, I will make you return to your current state in a minute ¡ª don¡¯t me me for being ruthless when the timees!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter: chapter 1992, ¡°Cruel and merciless¡±.

    Today¡¯s two-plus-one, tomorrow¡¯s two-plus-one.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¡ï

 Chapter 1993 - medicine of Regret (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1993: Chapter 1993 medicine of Regret (first update)</h4>

    ¡°Dad ¡ª ? !¡±

    ¡°... I swear!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Xiao Ye cried out almost at the same time.

    At the same time, Huo Shaoheng, who was about to walk into the living room, stopped in his tracks.

    He did not continue walking forward. Instead, he quietly took a step back and stood at the back of the corridor from the dining room to the living room.

    ¡°Dad! Why are you talking like that? !¡±Although Gu Nianzhi would definitely protect Lu Jin, she was still shocked to hear Lu Jin say something like that.

    Was his interpersonal disorder getting worse?

    Or did something else happenst night that she did not know about?

    Xiao Ye had already raised his weak right arm, he looked in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction and said, ¡°I swear! ¡°I will never steal any of Miss Gu Nianzhi¡¯s men, be it in the past, the present, or the future. I, Xiao Ye, will never take a step closer to any man who has anything to do with Miss Gu Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so embarrassed that she wished she could find a hole to hide in. However, when she looked at Lu Jin beside her, who had a nervous expression on his face, she felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart.

    This person, who did not care about the price of face, was not afraid of ridicule and awkwardness, and only cared about her, truly loved her like her life.

    This kind of rtionship was something that only her parents could do.

    Looking at it from another angle, she was no longer embarrassed.

    Gu Nianzhi gently held onto Lu Jin¡¯s arm and nodded at him. She smiled and said, ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to do this. Are you looking down on your daughter¡¯s charm by doing this?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Lu Jin denied it. ¡°You¡¯re my girl. You¡¯re the smartest and most beautiful girl in the world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m the smartest and most beautiful girl in the world. Why wouldn¡¯t I Like My Man?¡±Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and smiled.

    ¡°But what if...¡±Lu Jin was a scientist. He preferred to exhaust all possibilities and did not want to leave any loose ends. He said with mixed feelings,¡±... some men will like the new and dislike the old.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and said with a smile, ¡°If that man likes the new and hates the old and is snatched away by someone else, then it¡¯s because I have poor taste in men.¡±

    ¡°And you should thank the woman who snatched him away... at least she helped me take away the trash, so that I won¡¯t spend the rest of my life living with trash without realizing it and think I¡¯ve picked up a treasure.¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and thought for a moment. ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±Gu Nianzhi patted Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder in satisfaction. ¡°I know you want to prepare for the future and try to nip all possible mishaps in the bud.¡±

    ¡°But when ites to rtionships, there¡¯s no need to prepare for the future.¡±Gu Nianzhi said as her gaze swept over the corridor leading to the restaurant.

    Even though she couldn¡¯t see it, Gu Nianzhi knew that Huo Shaoheng was definitely standing in the shadows.

    It would be fine if he didn¡¯te out, but if he did, Xiao Ye and general Xiao would have nowhere to hide.

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t a rtionship need to n ahead?¡±Lu Jin couldn¡¯t understand.

    A scientist¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t work in the face of a rtionship.

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face grew wider. Under the crystalmp in the living room, her face seemed to glow. Her face was so beautiful that it couldn¡¯t be stared at.

    Thinking back to everything that had happened along the way with Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and said, ¡°Because rtionships can not be nned or controlled. I don¡¯t want to restrict the other party...¡±

    Her eyes rolled around. ¡°Simrly, I don¡¯t want the other party to restrict me. Even if we¡¯re together, it doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re bound by the other party.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re independent individuals. We don¡¯t exist ording to the other party.¡±

    ¡°So if someone tries to snatch something from me, she won¡¯t be snatching it from me.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s not mine, then whether she steals or steals, or swindles or swindles, it has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t threaten sister Xiao Ye with something that doesn¡¯t belong to me.¡±

    Lu Jin understood her logic and nodded vigorously. ¡°Well said! That¡¯s right! My Lady is so good. There are plenty of people who like mydy! How few are there...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°Young master he is not suitable. Please don¡¯t think about it anymore.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s words made Gu Nianzhi feel even more guilty. She knew that he was her half-brother and did not take it seriously. Gu Nianzhi also admired Lu Jin¡¯s straightforwardness.

    General Xiao was even more ashamed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    He looked Gu Nianzhi in the eye again and sized her up carefully. He sighed in his heart.

    He had to admit that Gu Nianzhi was more suitable for Huo Shaoheng than his daughter, Xiao Ye.

    Putting everything else aside, her free and easy bearing and quick-witted improvisation were better than most of the daughters of wealthy families.

    Apart from being able to fight, her own daughter was inferior to Gu Nianzhi in every other aspect. Even her beautiful looks, which she used to be proud of, now seemed to be on par with Gu Nianzhi.

    As for her family background, Huo Shaoheng did not even care about the daughter of the Prime Minister, let alone the daughter of a lieutenant general like him.

    Xiao Ye was also embarrassed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    She pursed her lips and looked at Gu Nianzhi with aplicated expression. She said softly, ¡°Nianzhi, although you¡¯re much younger than me, you¡¯re much more mature in love than I am.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Xiao Ye really... had extraordinary feelings for Huo Shaoheng?

    Her father wasn¡¯t making things up out of thin air?

    If that was true, then she had really wronged Lu Jin just now.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. Her fine, Thick ck eyshes fluttered in the air like butterfly wings.

    ¡°... it¡¯s not illegal to like someone, but this kind of liking can¡¯tpare to how much I love myself.¡±Xiao Ye was going all out. She knew that it was useless to hide in front of smart people like Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin, it would only make the other party feel bad for her.

    For smart people, the most important quality was honesty.

    And it was only after she knew that she could fully recover that she realized that what she really cared about was not a vague crush on a man, but her own integrity.

    Lu Jin gave a look of ¡°I knew it.¡±He chuckled and said, ¡°Then can you really guarantee that if I let you recover, you won¡¯t be too greedy?¡±

    Xiao Ye didn¡¯t answer directly. Instead, she said in a deep voice, ¡°When I was intact, I didn¡¯t do anything. Later, I was beaten until I was disabled, and then I couldn¡¯t control myself.¡±

    When a person was in pain, they were more fragile than usual, and they would have many thoughts.

    ¡°I know this is wrong, and I haven¡¯t really thought about doing anything. Your words only let me understand my own thoughts.¡±

    She only wanted to return to her job. She realized that her desire for work was far greater than being married to a man.

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°But I¡¯ll still say it this way. If one day you regret it, I have the medicine of regret here. If you take it, I guarantee that you¡¯ll recover to your current state.¡±

    Xiao Ye:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan had been standing behind Lu Jin with a half-smile the whole time. When he saw that Lu Jin was almost about to agree to perform the surgery with a few words from someone else.., he then said, ¡°General Xiao, Miss Xiao Ye, don¡¯t be anxious. The surgery is such a big deal. Don¡¯t you want to discuss it with President Chen Before You Come Back?¡±

    ¡°President Chen has always been biased against Professor Lu. If the surgery goes wrong, you won¡¯t me Professor Lu, but it might be President Chen.¡±

    General Xiao and Xiao Ye understood Lu Yuan¡¯s hidden meaning.

    Both of them blushed.

    General Xiao said seriously, ¡°I know. Old Chen went too far yesterday. I¡¯ll go back and have a good talk with her today.¡±

    Xiao ye nodded vigorously. ¡°My mother was too anxious about my injury. If she knew...¡±

    Lu Yuan interrupted her and said gently, ¡°Miss Xiao Ye, even if professor Lu can¡¯t perform the surgery on you, your mother still owes professor Lu and Nianzhi an apology.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing. Are you going to stop apologizing if you don¡¯t perform the surgery?¡±

    Xiao ye lowered her head and said in a low voice, ¡°My mother is a very proud person, and I will try my best to convince her. However, as her daughter, I should apologize to Professor Lu and Miss Gu Nianzhi on behalf of my mother.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt very regretful. She had once liked Xiao Ye, a beautiful and capable youngdy, so much that she had been shot ten times in a row to protect her..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart softened at the thought of Xiao Ye¡¯s pain.

    ¡°President Chen, you can just apologize to my father. I ept Miss Xiao Ye¡¯s apology,¡±Gu Nianzhi said politely.

    From sister Xiao Ye to Miss Xiao Ye, they were close and distant.

    Xiao Ye looked at her and calmed down.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Gu, for giving me this opportunity.¡±Xiao Ye looked up at her and said stubbornly, ¡°Even if the surgery doesn¡¯t seed, I Won¡¯t me anyone. But as long as there¡¯s a glimmer of hope, I won¡¯t give up.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: Chapter 1993, medicine for regret.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 Qidian coins given by the two presidents, ¡°Little one kiss¡±and ¡°Mcmug loves Blue¡±yesterday!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1994 - , I forbid it (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1994: Chapter 1994, I forbid it (second update)</h4>

    General Xiao and Xiao Ye left song Jinning¡¯s apartment, and the noisy room suddenly quieted down.

    Lu Jin stole a nce at Gu Nianzhi, wondering if he had passed the test?

    Last night, he had indeed been particrly merciless, and had given Huo Guanchen, President Chen, and, in fact, Xiao Ye a good beating!

    Gu Nianzhi saw Lu Jin¡¯s expression and smiled. ¡°Dad, do you really have any regrets?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s just an analogy,¡±Lu Jin said embarrassedly. He looked at Gu Nianzhi in a fawning manner. ¡°Can we go eat doughnuts now?¡±

    Lu Jin had been hungry all morning, and felt that he could eat all of Lu Yuan¡¯s doughnuts by himself.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of Lu Jin¡¯s arm and said with a smile, ¡°You go eat first. I¡¯ll go back to my room and take a shower.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it for you.¡±

    He turned around and walked towards the dining room.

    Lu Yuan smiled and nodded at Gu Nianzhi. He sat down in the living room and did not go to the dining room.

    Huo Shaoheng finally walked out from the corridor leading from the dining room to the living room.

    Lu Jin saw him and asked curiously, ¡°Eh? You were here the whole time? Why didn¡¯t you go out?¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°I was just calling General Huo. What happened? Where are general Xiao and Xiao Ye? Did they both leave?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pretended not to see Huo Shaoheng and turned to go back to the bedroom.

    Lu Jin replied with an ¡°OH¡±and did not take it seriously. He went to eat breakfast alone.

    Huo Shaoheng took a few quick steps and caught up to Gu Nianzhi. He stopped her before she could close the bedroom door.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±Gu Nianzhi frowned.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled the door open and squeezed in. He closed the door and said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened. She knew that Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t be med for this. She also knew that it was best if Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯te out just now, but she still felt disgusted.

    ¡°... So Magnanimous? You really don¡¯t care that I was snatched away?¡±Huo Shaoheng said with a half-smile and raised his hand to pat her head.

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and refused to let him touch her, she angrily shook her little fist and said,¡±... The Hell I do! If you dare to hook up with someone else and flirt with Qin muchu, do you think I¡¯ll let you run away with someone else in one piece? ¡ª No matter what, I¡¯ll break your legs and make you a real piece of trash before I throw you out!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head with a smile. ¡°What kind of nonsense is this?¡±

    He stopped smiling and looked at Gu Nianzhi without batting an eyelid. He wrapped his arms around the back of her neck.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s neck, however, was stiff. She didn¡¯t want him to get any closer.

    Huo Shaoheng had no choice but to use some force to force Gu Nianzhi to raise her head. He slowly lowered his head and rubbed his forehead against hers. He said slowly,¡±... do you still want to draw the line with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were about to melt, and her legs were a little weak. Huo Shaoheng had forcefully restrained her in front of his chest, but she still said intermittently, ¡°Originally... it was like this. If you want to run, can I stop you?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t Stop Me, how do you know you can¡¯t Stop Me? Or do you want to run and set a trap for me?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was so low that it sounded dangerous, ¡°You and I are no longer separate entities. If you¡¯re attached to me, I¡¯m attached to you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that again. I won¡¯t allow it.¡±Huo Shaoheng kissed her forehead.

    Her skin was soft and delicate, with the freshness and warmth of the early morning. Huo Shaoheng had only wanted to touch her lightly, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from kissing her.

    He slid down naturally and kissed her straight nose, her pink cheeks, and her delicate chin. He circled her lips and kissed them before stopping on her plump lips, he sucked hard.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if he was taking her breath away.

    ..

    Lu Jin finished his breakfast and left two doughnuts for Gu Nianzhi before returning to his room to study Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries and medical records.

    When Xiao Ye and general Xiao returned home, general Xiao said, ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to your mother first. Don¡¯te in.¡±

    In front of his daughter, he had to give his mother some face.

    Xiao ye nodded. ¡°You go first. I¡¯ll go talkter.¡±

    General Xiao asked the rehabilitation nurse to push her back to her room and went to find President Chen himself.

    President Chen was also having breakfast in the dining room.

    For more than a year, the three of them had breakfast together, but today, she was alone.

    General Xiao saw this scene and sighed in his heart. He walked over and sat beside her, saying,¡±... Xiao Ye and I went to Professor Lu¡¯s house to apologize just now.¡±

    President Chen immediately exploded, ¡°Apologize? ! Apologize for what? ! He spouted nonsense in our house yesterday and didn¡¯t give me any face at all, yet you still want to apologize!¡±

    ¡°Old Chen!¡±General Xiao was also furious. He mmed the table and roared, ¡°How much longer do you want to keep this up? ! In your heart, is it really your own face that is more important than your daughter¡¯s injury? !¡±

    President Chen¡¯s eyes immediately turned red. ¡°Old Xiao! How can you say such heartless words? ! My Daughter is injured to this extent, and my heart hurts more than yours!¡±

    ¡°If your heart hurts, then don¡¯t persist in saving face.¡±General Xiao pointed at the door. ¡°Hurry up and go! Apologize to Professor Lu personally! Professor Lu...¡±

    He originally wanted to say that he would treat Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries after apologizing to Lu Jin, but when he thought of Lu Yuan¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t say the rest.

    Actually, before this, he and President Chen had simr thoughts.

    The difference was that he had realized his mistake and corrected it in time.

    President Chen had just not realized it yet.

    The anger on general Xiao¡¯s face suddenly disappeared.

    President Chen, who was about to cry, sat down and said earnestly, ¡°Old Chen, I know you¡¯ve been feeling bad this past year, but how can I feel good?¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t have what you want.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Ye¡¯s injury is her mission. You Can¡¯t me anyone, and taking out your anger on Gu Nianzhi is a huge mistake.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t have to thank us, but they came yesterday. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t appreciate them, but you still said those things. Do you think that¡¯s what we should do?¡±

    ¡°The President Chen That I know isn¡¯t this kind of person.¡±

    If general Xiao continued to make a scene with President Chen, pping the table and hitting the stool like before, President Chen would definitely not listen to him. She would feel wronged and would be even less willing to apologize.

    But if he sat by her side and patiently exined the truth to her, President Chen would soften.

    She wiped her face with a napkin, she sobbed, ¡°I know I have my own ns, but I¡¯m doing it for my daughter... think about it, her life is over. As parents, shouldn¡¯t we try our best to help her get the best treatment?¡±

    ¡°... Although we can¡¯t me others for getting hurt during the mission, it¡¯s for Huo¡¯s fianc¨¦e. If they extend their hand, our Xiao Ye will be safe...¡±

    ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t see through my daughter¡¯s thoughts for the past year, but I can... If there¡¯s a glimmer of hope to help my daughter fulfill her wish, I don¡¯t care about face or favor...¡±President Chen couldn¡¯t continue.

    General Xiao sighed. ¡°You have a daughter, and she has a father. It¡¯s all for the sake of our children. Forget it, Old Chen, we¡¯re in the wrong here. Go apologize first.¡±

    President Chen rarely saw her husband speak to her so softly. She couldn¡¯t help but nod. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What Are You Waiting for tomorrow? I¡¯ll go today!¡±General Xiao¡¯s voice became louder. ¡°She said yesterday that she could treat Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries. Aren¡¯t you in a hurry?¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±President Chen looked at General Xiao strangely. ¡°You don¡¯t believe my nephew?¡±

    Speak of the Devil.

    Chen lie happened toe to the Xiao family home at this time to give Xiao Ye a regr check-up.

    Seeing that there was no one in the living room, he called out, ¡°President Chen? Xiao Ye?¡±

    Xiao Ye sat in a wheelchair and was pushed out by the rehabilitation nurse. ¡°Chen Lie, you¡¯re here.¡±

    President Chen, who was in the room, heard Chen Lie¡¯s voice and quickly pulled General Xiao out. She said, ¡°Chen Lie, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. Do you know that Professor Lu?¡±

    ¡°Which Professor Lu? I know many people. Who are you talking about?¡±Chen lie was confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s Gu Nianzhi¡¯s father.¡±Xiao Ye looked up and said, ¡°Her new father.¡±

    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s Professor Lu Jin? !¡±Chen Lie¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with passion. ¡°That¡¯s a true genius! No, not a genius, a God!¡±

    President Chen was stunned for a moment.¡±... more powerful than you?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±Chen lie pointed at himself and said excitedly, ¡°President Chen, how can youpare me to Professor Lu? ! That¡¯s an insult to professor Lu!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not even qualified to carry professor Lu¡¯s shoes! My greatest dream in my life is to be an assistant to Professor Lu! Unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t need...¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 1994, I forbid it.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1995 - one step away from Godhood (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1995: Chapter 1995: one step away from Godhood (first update)</h4>

    President Chen¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She pointed at Chen lie in shock and said,¡±... Good for you, Chen Lie! You even want to make fun of your aunt? !¡±

    She did not believe Chen Lie¡¯s words at all.

    ¡°... why would I make fun of you? ! I¡¯m so full of myself!¡±Chen lie stomped his feet in exasperation, ¡°Who have I, Chen Lie, ever admired in my life? ! Only Professor Lu Jin! That is the height of a mountain to look up to, the scenery to walk to stop. Although I can not reach it, my heart yearns for it!¡±

    ¡°... Are you serious? !¡±President Chen took a step forward in disbelief, getting closer to Chen Lie. She scrutinized Chen lie carefully, trying to find any clues that he was joking.

    However, she was disappointed. Chen Lie was not joking.

    He said very seriously, ¡°President Chen, I don¡¯t know where you heard about Professor Lu Jin. What I can say is that his knowledge and ability are fifty years or even a hundred years beyond our era! ¡°Don¡¯t offend anyone. It¡¯s not too much to even worship him as a god!¡±

    President Chen¡¯s heart sank, and she suddenly felt that it was difficult to breathe. Soon, her vision turned ck, and she fell straight down.

    ¡°Old Chen! Old Chen!¡±General Xiao was shocked. He hurriedly picked her up and ced her on the sofa in the living room.

    Chen Lie took out his medical kit and immediately took out his own equipment and medicine. He quickly woke President Chen Up.

    Looking at President Chen¡¯s pale face, Chen Lie wondered,¡±... looking at you, did you offend Professor Lu? He came to your school for an interview for a job, and you rejected him?¡±

    This was the only reason that Chen Lie could think of.

    General Xiao smiled bitterly,¡±... It¡¯s worse than this.¡±

    As he spoke, he recounted the incidentst night and this morning when he went to song Jinning¡¯s house to see Lu Jin.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t say the words that Lu Jinter threatened Xiao Ye.

    When Chen Lie heard this, he also fell back to the floor and said with a bitter smile, ¡°President Chen, OH President Chen, have you reached menopause? How can you talk like that?¡±

    ¡°I. . . I. . . I didn¡¯t know that he was so powerful...¡±President Chen started to cry. ¡°If I knew, I wouldn¡¯t have said that even if you beat me to death. I would have knelt in front of him and begged him to treat my daughter¡¯s injuries!¡±

    General Xiao asked in surprise, ¡°Is Professor Lu really that powerful? Didn¡¯t you say that Xiao Ye¡¯s injuries can¡¯t be healed? It¡¯s already good enough that she can stand up and walk after two years?¡±

    Chen lie snorted. ¡°That¡¯s just what I said. How can you believe me if I don¡¯t believe in Professor Lu? !¡±

    ¡°Compared to Professor Lu, I¡¯m just a fallen doctor who went to the martial arts world to perform! Professor Lu is the director of the Imperial Hospital! No, he¡¯s even more powerful than that!¡±

    ¡°He should be one of those peerless experts who hides in the city! It¡¯s fine if he doesn¡¯t make a move, but when he does, he¡¯ll definitely amaze everyone!¡±

    ¡°... I saw him perform a central nerve cell repair surgery with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°The central nerve cells can not divide and reproduce themselves, and they can not regenerate. Basically, they are in sync with the lifespan of a person.¡±

    ¡°Many diseases rted to the brain are caused by problems with the central nerve cells. There is no way to treat them.¡±

    ¡°But Professor Lu is a rare genius in the field of biological genes. He actually used gic methods to replicate the patient¡¯s central nerve cells!¡±

    ¡°Do you know what this means? ! This means that he can replicate any system, organ, or tissue in the human body.¡±

    ¡°There is amon saying in the biological gics field. If you know all the secrets of genes, you can replicate anyone. You Are God!¡±

    ¡°Because only God can create humans!¡±

    ¡°And professor Lu is only one step away from bing a god.¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s eyes lit up as he spoke. He was the kind of passionate fan who talked about cooking himself.

    General Xiao and President Chen did not understand much, but theypletely believed Chen Lie¡¯s words.

    Lu Jin really had the ability topletely restore Xiao Ye!

    ¡°... I want to find Professor Lu. I want to apologize to him! I want him! I can kneel down to him! I will do whatever he wants me to do!¡±President Chen was extremely excited.

    General Xiao hurriedly said, ¡°Take a rest first. You fainted just now. Chen lie said that your blood pressure is a little high.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll take some blood pressure medicine.¡±President Chen looked around. ¡°Where are my blood pressure medicine?¡±

    Chen Lie took out a bottle ofmon blood pressure medicine from his medicine box. He went to the kitchen to get a ss of water. He poured some water for President Chen and handed it to her along with the medicine.

    President Chen took the antihypertensive medicine and sat on the sofa for a while. When she felt that she had returned to normal, she stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and look for Professor Lu now.¡±

    Chen lie also wanted to take the opportunity to observe another surgery, so he quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with President Chen. Xiao Ye is my cousin, and I¡¯ve been taking care of her injuries. I can provide more detailed information to professor Lu.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Chen Lie, help us. Help us put in a good word for Xiao Ye...¡±President Chen remembered what she had saidst night and was extremely embarrassed. However, no matter how embarrassed she was, as long as she could treat her daughter¡¯s injuries.., if she was embarrassed, she was embarrassed.

    Chen lie nodded. ¡°Since professor Lu can treat her, and Xiao Ye is also injured to save Nianzhi, professor Lu will not ignore it.¡±

    General Xiao sighed.

    ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±Chen Lie didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Nianzhi won¡¯t care. She¡¯s actually very soft-hearted. Xiao Ye was injured because of her. Even if you didn¡¯t beg her, she would have asked her father to treat her.¡±

    ¡°... They came to our house yesterday and did bring it up.¡±President Chen pounded her chest and said painfully, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault! I thought... I thought they were talking big!¡±

    Chen Lie:¡±...¡±

    He remembered what General Xiao had told him about what happenedst night and shook his head. ¡°President Chen, it¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but you really don¡¯t take Huo Shao seriously.¡±

    ¡°Even Huo Shao said that Professor Lu is stronger than me. How can you not believe him and only believe me? Huo Shao rarely praises others, but once he does, that person is really beyond the imagination of ordinary people!¡±

    President Chen was a little embarrassed. She silently averted her gaze and did not say anything else.

    She was really embarrassed to say it.

    Ever since she wanted Huo Shaoheng to be her son-inw, Huo Shaoheng was no longer the great general of the Special Operations Forces, who was a man of his word. He was now her junior..

    It had to be said that once a person had selfish motives, their judgment would be affected.

    After the ups and downs fromst night to this morning, Xiao Ye hadpletely calmed down.

    She did not have time to mourn the death of her secret love. Instead, she weed her new life with confidence.

    Over the past year, her mental state had copsed because of her disability.

    Only now could she face Gu Nianzhi rationally and objectively, and face the bloody kidnapping.

    She slumped in her wheelchair and took a deep breath, she said, ¡°Not only do I have to apologize to nianzhi, but I also have to admit to the special operations forces and Huo Shao that I failed the mission. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve the honor bestowed upon me by the country and the army. I will return all my medals and certificates. ¡°I want to start from the beginning.¡±

    President Chen was shocked again. ¡°Xiao Ye, what did you say? ! When has your mission ever failed? ! You risked your life to save Nianzhi!¡±

    Xiao ye closed her eyes and said patiently, ¡°I came back from the field more than a year ago, and I had a two-year break.¡±

    ¡°Being Gu Nianzhi¡¯s personal bodyguard was a mission given to me by the army. This mission has no confidentiality requirements, and you all know that.¡±

    Just like how those in high positions had to be equipped with guards and security personnel, Xiao Ye was the security personnel Huo Shaoheng had arranged for Gu Nianzhi.

    President Chen quickly nodded and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°But you were shot ten times! This is beyond your control!¡±

    Xiao ye recalled the thrilling scene from more than a year ago and calmly said, ¡°My mission was to protect the target at all costs.¡±

    ¡°But in the end, I wasn¡¯t able to protect the target. Instead, the target showed up and protected me.¡±

    She looked at President Chen and said in shame, ¡°Mom, if Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t shown up at that time, those people wouldn¡¯t have just shot me ten times. They would have beaten me to death!¡±

    ¡°... from the beginning to the end, Nianzhi didn¡¯t owe me anything. I owed her.¡±Xiao Ye¡¯s face was a little red. She was ashamed of her past self. She only hoped that she still had a chance to make up for her mistakes.

    General Xiao¡¯s eyes were also red. He pressed Xiao Ye¡¯s shoulder, he said heavily, ¡°Xiao Ye, Daddy supports you. Make things clear with the organization. Return the medals and certificates. We¡¯ll listen to the organization whether it¡¯s welfare or military rank.¡±

    With that, the father and daughter returned to Xiao Ye¡¯s room to pack their things.

    President Chen wanted to stop them, but General Xiao had already pushed Xiao Ye¡¯s wheelchair and left with the briefcase containing Xiao Ye¡¯s medals and certificates.

    Chen Lie shook his head. ¡°President Chen, Let¡¯s go find Professor Lu. As long as professor Lu and Nianzhi agree, Xiao Ye will be fine.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 1995, ¡°One step from God.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch, 8:00 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1996 - Good Intentions are rewarded (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 1996: Chapter 1996: Good Intentions are rewarded (second update)</h4>

    President Chen saw that General Xiao had gone with him and knew that she could not stop him. She could only say to Chen lie, ¡°Then let¡¯s go find Professor Lu. You have to help your cousin!¡±

    Chen Lie, on the other hand, felt that since Xiao Ye had suffered such a serious injury, as a mother, President Chen¡¯s heart ached for her daughter. It was not a big deal to say something sour.

    Gu Nianzhi was a reasonable person and would not take it to heart.

    Professor Lu was angry, probably because a person of his level had never encountered such a mess in terms of interpersonal rtionships.

    Even Chen Lie himself knew that no matter if it was his boss, subordinates, or rtives or friends, everyone was polite to him. No one would offend him.

    Of course, his temper was rising. Apart from Huo Shaoheng, he didn¡¯t buy anyone else¡¯s words.

    Now, of course, there was Lu Jin.

    Even if this person beat him up three times a day, he wouldn¡¯tin, let alone get angry at him. As long as he could stay by Lu Jin¡¯s side and learn some skills and knowledge.

    He drove President Chen to the address song Jinning had given him.

    When they were downstairs, he called Gu Nianzhi first to prepare her.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows when she received the call. She went to Lu Jin¡¯s room and knocked on the door. ¡°Dad, President Chen is here. She came with Chen Lie.¡±

    Lu Jin was working on the surgery n on hisputer, he didn¡¯t even look back when he heard this. ¡°So what if she¡¯s here? Do We have to go down and wee her? Tell them to wait. I haven¡¯t finished the surgery n yet. I don¡¯t want to give up Halfway.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. She knew that Lu Jin was stubborn but soft-hearted.

    He had done everything he needed to do, but his words were so harsh that the people he helped couldn¡¯t thank him even if they wanted to.

    So how else could he have been diagnosed with a severe case of ¡°Interpersonal disorder¡±?

    He was the kind of person in life who couldn¡¯t speak and did the most things but still had trouble getting anything done.

    But now that she was here, she wouldn¡¯t let Lu Jin fall into that situation.

    Gu Nianzhi gently closed Lu Jin¡¯s door and waited in the living room for a few minutes before she heard the doorbell ring.

    Because of Chen Lie, it was easy for President Chen to enter.

    Otherwise, she would have been stopped at the entrance of the residential area.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the door and smiled at Chen Lie, nodding. ¡°Brother Chen is here. Pleasee in.¡±

    President Chen felt ufortable when she saw that Gu Nianzhi was ignoring her like she didn¡¯t know her. But now that she was here to beg, she had no choice but to lower her head and say awkwardly, ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m sorry aboutst night. It was me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi interrupted her with a smile. ¡°President Chen, right? Pleasee in as well.¡±

    She brought President Chen and Chen Lie into the living room. Gu Nianzhi brought them a cup of tea and a ss of water and ced them in front of them.

    Chen lie was used to drinking water. If it was President Chen, a cup of tea at this age wouldn¡¯t be wrong.

    President Chen sat next to Chen Lie and moved uneasily. She gave Chen lie a gentle kick.

    Chen lie understood, he smiled and put in a good word for him. ¡°Nianzhi, it was really President Chen¡¯s faultst night. She¡¯s my aunt. She¡¯s usually very strict and doesn¡¯t know how to speak well. It¡¯s our fault for offending uncle Lu. My aunt came here to apologize.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Chen Lie had followed them and understood.

    It was only now that the Xiao family truly believed that Lu Jin was better than Chen Lie.

    This was because Chen Lie, the big fan of Lu Jin, would definitely spare no effort to benefit from Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Miracle¡±everywhere he went.

    Ever since Chen Lie had rescued the vegetative patient who had been in a hospital bed for six years, Chen Lie had admired Lu Jin so much that he wanted to be his assistant.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng did not stop him.

    Because Lu Jin had the ability, there was no need for them to hide it.

    Although President Chen was not worried, when she thought of her daughter, who had been depressed ever since she had woken up, her heart softened and she lowered her stance, she smiled apologetically at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Miss Gu, my attitude was indeed bad yesterday. It¡¯s all my fault for provoking Miss Gu. ¡°I came here today to apologize to you and professor Lu. ¡°I hope you can take into consideration that our Xiao Ye is almost paralyzed and not hold it against me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, thinking to herself that President Chen¡¯s words were stillced with sarcasm at this point in time.

    The apology was also a cover for Xiao Ye¡¯s injury.

    Perhaps if Lu Jin had not been able to treat her injuries, President Chen¡¯s apology would never havee out.

    However, this was only natural.

    This was how society was. Gu Nianzhi could understand, but she did not want to follow the crowd.

    She nodded slightly and said, ¡°President Chen, there¡¯s no need to apologize to me. Miss Xiao Ye has indeed protected me with her life. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. I remember what Miss Xiao Ye has done for me and will never forget it.¡±

    This was what President Chen had been thinking. She quickly nodded and said to Gu Nianzhi as if she had found a confidant, ¡°Miss Gu, that¡¯s Fair!¡±

    ¡°But our Xiao Ye, who is a one-track-minded person, and her equally one-track-minded father, has already taken the medal and Certificate to the organization to admit her mistake!¡±

    ¡°She said that she didn¡¯t protect miss gu well, that it was a mission failure, and that it was Miss Gu who protected her... but she was really shot ten times!¡±

    President Chen started to cry as she spoke.

    She felt wronged, sad, and a little unwilling to admit defeat.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked.¡±... She took the medal and Certificate to apologize to the organization? ! What¡¯s going on? !¡±

    She looked at Chen Lie, hoping that he would give a reasonable exnation.

    President Chen was crying now, probably because he wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk to her.

    Chen lie smiled bitterly. ¡°That was just now. Xiao Ye said that she didn¡¯t protect you well, but she actually failed the mission. She doesn¡¯t deserve those honors...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up from the sofa and walked around the living room with her arms crossed. She said excitedly, ¡°How could sister Xiao Ye do this?¡±

    ¡°Even if she protected me because of the military¡¯s mission, as the target of protection, how could I take sister Xiao Ye¡¯s protection for granted? !¡±

    ¡°At a critical moment of life and death, using her own life to protect me like sister Xiao Ye was enough to match any honor the military gave her!¡±

    ¡°No, I have to go to the military too. Who is sister Xiao Ye going to apologize to? I want to speak up. I Can¡¯t let Xiao Ye get hurt for nothing!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was anxious. She was worried that Xiao Ye would cause a misunderstanding between the military and the organization.

    She knew that in Xiao Ye¡¯s industry, the most taboo thing was to hide things from the organization.

    This was especially true when it came to field missions. It was a secret industry to begin with, and to hide it from the higher-ups of the organization was simply fatal.

    Moreover, Gu Nianzhi did not think that Xiao Ye was hiding anything.

    Her kidnapping was also an undeserved disaster for Xiao Ye.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the technology of the other world was too powerful, and with the level of protection Huo Shaoheng had given her, and with Xiao Ye¡¯s skills, things would not have developed to this extent.

    Xiao Ye still did not know what kind of enemy she had faced that day. It was unfair to her.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Chen Lie. ¡°Brother Chen, take me to the military. I have something to say too.¡±

    President Chen looked at Gu Nianzhi in disbelief. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°You, you, you... You Don¡¯t me our Xiao Ye Anymore?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything now. Take Me to sister Xiao Ye first. I¡¯ll speak up for her. I have the most say in this matter.¡±

    President Chen finally understood what she had done wrong.

    She walked over and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. She was already crying, but now she couldn¡¯t stop crying.

    ¡°Miss Gu, I¡¯m already tens of years old, but you don¡¯t understand. ¡°I was indeed wrong in this matter. I was the one who took Xiao Ye down with me. I was the one with bad intentions. It was my fault. ¡°I¡¯ve never admired anyone in my life. Even if your father could save Xiao Ye, I would be grateful to him, but I would never admire him

    ¡°Only you can speak up for Xiao Ye. I know that nothing I say can make up for what I¡¯ve done. However, there¡¯s something I haven¡¯t said. If you¡¯re interested, we can discuss it in detail when you¡¯re free.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded hurriedly. Her heart softened as she shook President Chen¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re doing this for your daughter. I understand. Alright, let¡¯s stop sister Xiao Ye first. Then we can talk about the surgery.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±President Chen wiped away her tears and followed Gu Nianzhi and Chen Lie out the door.

    As Chen Lie drove, Gu Nianzhi and President Chen sat in the back seat of the car.

    President Chen took out her phone and rummaged through it for a long time. Finally, she found a few messages she had received a year ago and read them with Gu Nianzhi.

    She said, ¡°Someone reminded us at the time that if we want Xiao Ye to recover, we can look for major general Huo. He said he has special resources that can help Xiao Ye recover.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the message from the ¡°Good Samaritan.¡±.

    ¡°[ Good Samaritan ] : President Chen, your daughter¡¯s injuries can be healed, as long as major general Huo is willing to help you. He has special resources that can help your daughter recover.¡±

    President Chen continued, ¡°I showed this message to Huo. You were missing at that time...¡±

    ¡°Butter, I received a few more messages. I didn¡¯t show the rest of the messages to anyone because the person who sent the message didn¡¯t want me to show it to anyone else.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: chapter 1996¡åGood intentions are rewarded¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    PS: it should be President Chen, not President Chen. I¡¯ll go back and revise the first few chapters.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1997 - Bastard

    <h4>Chapter 1997: Chapter 1997: Bastard</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi nced at President Chen, but did not take her phone. Instead, she held her hand and nced at it.

    The time of the text message disyed on the phone was exactly one year after she had left this world.

    She had sent three messages on and off.

    The first message was: [ Good Samaritan ] : Gu Nianzhi has already disappeared from this world. She will not return.

    Gu Nianzhi could clearly see the time of this message. It should be the day she returned to the He family from the Caribbean Snake Ind that had gone off course.

    The second message was more than a month after the first one.

    The second message: [ Good Samaritan ] : Xiao Ye was seriously injured in order to protect Gu Nianzhi. It was all because of major general Huo¡¯s selfishness. Gu Nianzhi should not have had such a high level of security. It was purely because major general Huo had arranged for your daughter to be her bodyguard in order to better protect his fianc¨¦e.

    Thest message was half a year ago.

    [ Good Samaritan ] : major general Huo has the ¡°Miracle drug¡±that can cure your daughter. Why didn¡¯t you go to him and ask him to be responsible for your daughter?

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked in a low voice,¡±... how many times have you looked for Huo?¡±

    President Chen shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t looked for him once.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem to believe her and asked suspiciously, ¡°But it says here that you¡¯re not tempted at all?¡±

    President Chen looked away in embarrassment and said, ¡°I¡¯m notpletely untempted, but I¡¯m not a fool. How could I lose confidence in Huo and the organization just because I read a few messages?¡±

    ¡°Also, in terms of treatment, because Chen lie said that Huo Shao had ordered him to use the best medicine to treat Xiao Ye, I believe that Huo Shao did not hide anything.¡±

    So what aspect of the content was she moved by?

    Gu Nianzhi understood and smiled, thinking that President Chen was notpletely brainless.

    She trusted Chen lie so much that she did not believe that Lu Jin could be better than Chen Lie. Although Gu Nianzhi was very dissatisfied, it had its benefits.

    It was because she trusted Chen lie so much that the messages from Lu Jin did not have the effect that they should.

    President Chen said softly, ¡°I did have some foolish thoughts, and I won¡¯t hide it from you, but I only thought about it. In the year that you were away, I couldn¡¯t even take care of Xiao Ye in time. How could I have the time to look for Huo Shao... to take responsibility?¡±

    ¡°I believe in Chen Lie wholeheartedly. I believe that Huo Shao will give Xiao Ye the best treatment.¡±

    As for whether or not she could recover, that was up to fate.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and felt relieved.

    As long as Xiao Ye and President Chen had not done anything, then it was nothing.

    Just as Xiao Ye had said, it was not against thew to like someone.

    Moreover, Huo Shao was so good that it was not surprising that he had a secret crush on a high-quality woman like Xiao Ye.

    It did not matter if he had a secret crush. As long as it was not because of a secret crush, he would be like people like Wen Shouyi, Dou qingyan, and Luo Jin, who would always resort to dirty tricks.

    Xiao Ye, on the other hand, was too different from people like Wen Shouyi, Dou qingyan, and Luo Jin.

    Even if she had a crush, she had never thought of hurting Gu Nianzhi. She had even used her own life to shield her from death.

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do this, so her admiration for Xiao Ye returned bit by bit.

    Chen Lie¡¯s car sped all the way back to the military headquarterspound.

    He called General Xiao and found out that he and Xiao Ye were in the political department¡¯s meeting room reporting to the chief.

    Gu Nianzhi rushed in and finally arrived at Xiao Ye¡¯s side before the political department director, Huo Guanchen, entered the room.

    ¡°Sister Xiao Ye, you don¡¯t have to do this. You did save me. We can¡¯t just look at the oue. In this matter, the process is far more important than the oue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed on Xiao Ye¡¯s shoulder and said anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t return your medal and certificate. You Deserve It!¡±

    Xiao Ye felt Gu Nianzhi¡¯s passion and straightforwardness, as well as her magnanimity and kindness. She felt even more ashamed.

    She stubbornly said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t deserve it. I didn¡¯tplete the mission. You Protected Me. I don¡¯t deserve these honors.¡±

    ¡°How could that be? !¡±Gu nianzhi bent her leg emotionally, she knelt on one knee in front of Xiao Ye¡¯s wheelchair and caressed Xiao Ye¡¯s numb leg, she said excitedly, ¡°Sister Xiao Ye, I remember the first time I saw you. Your skills shocked me greatly back then. I wished I could be as agile and valiant as you!¡±

    ¡°I was so happy that you came to my side and became my bodyguard!¡±

    ¡°Those days are always in my heart.¡±

    ¡°That day, when those gangsters rushed in and shot you, I went against your request and ran out without permission.¡±Gu Nianzhi was also very ashamed.

    At that time, she had been too afraid that Xiao Ye would be killed by those people, so she had rushed out recklessly.

    In fact,ter on, Qin zhining told her that they had been ordered not to see blood, and definitely not to kill anyone.

    So if she just hid and didn¡¯te out, she might be able to stall for time until Huo Shao and the others came to pick them up..

    But on second thought, those people obviously had other masters, so they didn¡¯t listen to He Chengjian¡¯s orders and didn¡¯t see blood.

    It was better for her toe out on her own.

    If Xiao Ye really died, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.

    Gu Nianzhi held Xiao Ye¡¯s hand, she said seriously, ¡°Sister Xiao Ye, let¡¯s not talk about anything else. ¡°I know you¡¯re not that kind of person. You¡¯re different from others, and I believe in you. ¡°Don¡¯t make me feel guilty. If you return your medal and Certificate, not only will you discredit yourself, but you¡¯ll also make me feel like I¡¯m worthless in Your Heart!¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Xiao Ye held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand weakly, but she didn¡¯t have the strength to put her fingers on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s.

    It was only then that Gu Nianzhi felt the consequences of those ten shots on Xiao Ye.

    From a disciplinary point of view, Xiao Ye¡¯s mission had indeed failed.

    But from a human perspective, Gu Nianzhi would always be indebted to her.

    A person who used his life and his health to protect you deserved to be treated more leniently.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go back. My father is drawing up a surgical n. When he¡¯s ready, we can do the surgery!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Xiao Ye was also excited, tears welling up in her big, charming eyes. ¡°Is your father really willing to forgive us?¡±

    ¡°... He¡¯s not actually mad at you.¡±Gu Nianzhi was also a little embarrassed. ¡°He just loves me too much. He¡¯s afraid that I¡¯ll suffer a little bit...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand. Have you found your real father?¡±Xiao ye asked softly.

    They all knew that everyone used to think that Gu Xiangwen was her biological father. Now, Lu Jin, who did not look like her at all, had appeared.

    She did not ask, nor could she ask, how many twists and turns there were.

    She could only imagine.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my real father.¡±

    After receiving Gu Nianzhi¡¯s affirmation, the heavy burden in Xiao Ye¡¯s heart slowly disappeared.

    At this moment, Huo Guanchen came in. He coughed lightly and said, ¡°Xiao Ye, what did you want to talk to me about?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly looked up and stood up. ¡°General Huo, this is a misunderstanding. We¡¯ll go back now and leave you to your work.¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked at her and frowned. ¡°Why are you everywhere? You chased me all the way here to force Xiao Ye to apologize? I advise you to hold back and not be unreasonable. You¡¯re making enemies for Shaoheng!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said rudely, ¡°Actually, if you hadn¡¯t instigated this, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    The Xiao family didn¡¯t need to say what they were thinking.

    Even though they didn¡¯t care about what they said, it wasn¡¯t something honorable to be forced to reveal.

    Huo Guanchen was the real trigger.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression became even more stern. ¡°Is this how you talk to your elders? You have no rules at all!¡±

    ¡°... didn¡¯t you think I wasn¡¯t worthy of your son? Since you don¡¯t acknowledge me, why should I acknowledge you as my elder?¡±Gu Nianzhi went all out, her eloquence was so sharp that even Huo Guanchen, who had worked in politics for a long time, found it difficult to defend himself.

    President Chen was speechless.

    So Gu Nianzhi had shown them mercy that night..

    If she really had to do it herself, President Chen felt that the embarrassment in his heart would double. He really wouldn¡¯t be able to be a good person in the future.

    Huo Guanchen was so angry at Gu Nianzhi that his face turned green and his facial features were almost distorted.

    He had used the patience that he had developed from decades of work to suppress his almost-exhaled p. He said coldly, ¡°Then what are you still doing here? Goodbye.¡±

    Just as he turned to leave, his personal secretary ran in and said, ¡°Chief, it¡¯s Huo Shao.¡±

    Huo Guanchen took the phone with a cold expression, but Huo shaoheng blurted out, ¡°General Huo, is nianzhi here? If you continue to treat her badly, speaker long of the Senate will be very willing to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°What does it have to do with speaker long? Do you think I¡¯m afraid of Him?¡±

    ¡°... Nianzhi is Speaker Long¡¯s preferred sessor. If you¡¯re willing to make a scene, go ahead. After all, the Huo family has be a joke in the military. If you don¡¯t care, I don¡¯t care even more.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was finally angered by Huo Shaoheng.¡±... you dare threaten your father? ! Bastard!¡±

    He was so angry that he mmed the phone down and quickly walked out of the meeting room.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°See, every family has its own difficulties. Life is short, so let¡¯s hurry up and get to the surgery!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1997, ¡°Bastard.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day. The second update was at 8 p.m.

    Today is Monday, dear rmendation tickets quickly hand over Oh!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1998 - Donâ€™t Thank Godâ€(Second Update)

    <h4>Chapter 1998: Chapter 1998¡°Don¡¯t Thank God¡±(Second Update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi and Chen Lie left the military headquarters with the Xiao family and returned to Song Jinning¡¯s residence.

    Lu Jin had finished nning the surgery and was sitting in the living room to rest.

    He looked up and saw someone open the door. He was surprised to see Gu Nianzhi enter with Xiao Ye¡¯s wheelchair.

    General Xiao, Chen Lie, and President Chen followed behind.

    Lu Jin¡¯s face immediately darkened. He said unhappily, ¡°What are you doing? Who invited you here?¡±

    Before Xiao Ye could say anything, President Chen rushed forward and said, ¡°Professor Lu, it was my fault yesterday. I came all the way here to apologize to you.¡±

    As she spoke, she had already walked up to Lu Jin and bowed respectfully, she also said, ¡°I made a terrible mistake this time. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t forgive me, but it has nothing to do with my daughter. I hope that you can help us check up on Xiao Ye for the sake of my kindness to my daughter. Whether you can help her or not, our family will be eternally grateful.¡±

    Lu Jin sneered and said,¡±... you can still speak humannguage... What¡¯s wrong? You changed your face just because you believed that I could treat her?¡±

    At this point, no matter how much Lu Jin ridiculed them, General Xiao and President Chen wouldn¡¯t care.

    Moreover, they were in the wrong first. They could still bear it if Lu Jin vented his anger.

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze shifted to Xiao Ye. He was going to say, ¡°It really has nothing to do with me?¡±?

    However, Gu Nianzhi stood behind Xiao Ye¡¯s wheelchair and red at Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin had no choice but to rub his nose and change his way of saying things. He dragged his voice and said,¡±... then let me get this straight. I was braggingst night, too. Whether or not I can recover will depend on the actual situation.¡±

    The Xiao family:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and walked up to Lu Jin. She said, ¡°Dad, can you help sister Xiao Ye get checked out first? As for whether or not it can be treated, and how far it can be treated, let¡¯s see what the results are.¡±

    Chen lie also said excitedly, ¡°Let¡¯s go to our hospital! I¡¯ll let you use my office!¡±

    Lu Jin did not refuse. He deliberately said slowly, ¡°Then sign the disimer first, then we¡¯ll go for a checkup.¡±

    ..

    The group quickly arrived at the medical building of the special operations forces where Chen Lie worked.

    Lu Jin brought Xiao Ye and Chen lie to get a new x-ray. They observed the healing of Xiao Ye¡¯s limbs and bones, and confirmed the surgical n.

    Lu Jin was very meticulous when he performed the examination. A normal examination would take a normal doctor ten minutes, while Chen Lie could take an hour. However, Lu Jin could take three to four hours.

    It was already seven or eight o¡¯clock in the evening when all the examinations werepleted.

    However, General Xiao and President Chen were not in a hurry at all. It seemed that the longer they waited, the greater the hope. The two of them were already more than a hundred years old, and their excitement was no longer suppressed.

    Gu Nianzhi saw this and was secretly a little anxious.

    She did not know why it had taken so long. She was worried that Lu Jin¡¯s treatment was too good, and also worried that he would not be able to cure him. In short, she was in a very conflicted mood.

    She had not eaten all day, and yet she did not feel hungry.

    It was not until the smell of food came from the door that her stomach growled.

    Gu Nianzhi realized that she was famished.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in with a box of food in one hand and a bag of beef buns he had just bought from the hospital cafeteria in the other.

    He ced the beef buns in front of General Xiao and President Chen and said politely, ¡°Have you had dinner? Let¡¯s make a cushion first.¡±

    President Chen was so embarrassed when she saw Huo Shaoheng that she almost burrowed into the ground.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s polite behavior and his confused attitude made them feel better.

    Gu Nianzhi could smell the smell of beef buns from the hospital cafeteria.

    Huo Shaoheng ced the food box in front of her and said, ¡°I made you squid, sea cucumber, and congee, as well as steamed eggs with ms, fried small yellow croaker, and two crab patties.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°Did you make them yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they¡¯re probably not as delicious as president Lu¡¯s,¡±Huo Shaoheng said inly.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±Gu Nianzhi opened the food box with a smile. ¡°Huo Shao¡¯s cooking is the best! It¡¯s better than President Lu¡¯s...¡±

    Before she could finish, Lu Yuan came in with a food box. He smiled and said, ¡°Huh? Nianzhi likes Shaoheng¡¯s cooking better? Fine, I won¡¯t have to cook anymore.¡±

    ¡°No, no!¡±Gu Nianzhi immediately changed her words and said shamelessly, ¡°President Lu¡¯s cooking is the best!¡±

    ¡°But you just said that Huo Shao¡¯s cooking is the best, better than mine...¡±Lu Yuan deliberately dragged out his words. ¡°Better cooking?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head seriously. ¡°I haven¡¯t finished speaking. I mean, just a little worse than President Lu!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her, and Gu Nianzhi gave him a gentle kick without him noticing.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything.

    Lu Yuan put down the food box and looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still checking on sister Xiao Ye.¡±Gu Nianzhi kept ncing at Lu Yuan¡¯s food box.

    Lu Yuan looked at her with amusement. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s the same as Shaoheng¡¯s, but this is for your father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved. ¡°Then I¡¯ll eat first. I¡¯m too hungry.¡±

    General Xiao and President Chen were also eating the beef buns that Huo Shaoheng had bought for them.

    At first, they thought that the beef buns in the hospital cafeteria were quite delicious, but when Gu Nianzhi opened the food box that Huo Shaoheng had brought for her, the aroma of the food wafted past them, and they instantly felt that the beef buns in their hands had be firewood.

    After Gu Nianzhi finished her dinner, Lu Jin returned to Chen Lie¡¯s office.

    When he saw two more people in the room, he raised an eyebrow. But before he could say anything, he saw a familiar food box on the table. He immediately walked over, opened it, and took a deep sniff. ¡°It was made by Boss Lu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smelled that it was almost the same as her own food. She quickly said, ¡°Dad, hurry up and eat your dinner. We¡¯ll talk after.¡±

    General Xiao and President Chen had just returned from outside. They bought a bunch of nutritional supplements and ced them in front of Lu Jin. They said embarrassedly, ¡°Thank you for your hard work, professor Lu.¡±

    Lu Jin ate his porridge without even raising his head. He said casually, ¡°There¡¯s no need to buy these things. Just remember to pay for your medical expenses.¡±

    General Xiao quickly said, ¡°Our Xiao Ye has full medical insurance.¡±

    This was considered an injury at work. The state should reimburse it in full.

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes in his haste and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a doctor in your system. Xiao Ye¡¯s medical insurance can only be reported at 80% , and the other 20% must be paid by you.¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem, we¡¯ll pay for it!¡±President Chen said excitedly, ¡°Even if we have to go bankrupt, we¡¯ll pay for your medical expenses!¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, ¡°Chen Lie will give you the billter, remember to pay for it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. When she got home that night, she asked Lu Jin quietly, ¡°Dad, 20% of the medical expenses, how much is that?¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and said a number.

    Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth in surprise, unable to close it for a long time.

    20% of the medical fees was enough to bankrupt a well-off family.

    Was this really not asking for too much?

    ¡°... Dad, you didn¡¯t do it on purpose, did you?¡±

    Lu Jin said frankly, ¡°This is the price boss Lu set for me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately looked at Lu Yuan, her eyes filled with disapproval and reproach.

    Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°Your father¡¯s technology is too advanced for this world. Even if the price is higher, it won¡¯t show the power of knowledge.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°Sure enough, knowledge is money!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat down and said without batting an eyelid,¡±... she doesn¡¯t need to fully recover. She just needs to be able to move normally.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, he said honestly, ¡°In order to fully recover, we need to reconstruct the nervous system of her limbs and promote the growth of her bones. It¡¯s not impossible, but it¡¯s indeed too advanced. ¡°Even in the other world, I¡¯ve only performed surgery in an experiment, not in a real person.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief, but asked nervously, ¡°Then how do we operate on sister Xiao Ye? But you promised to let her recover and return to her pre-injury State!¡±

    ¡°I n to use a simted metal stent to simte the nervous system and transnt it into her limbs. As long as she can establish a normal connection with the nervous system in her brain, she will be able to return to her pre-injury state.¡±Lu Jin shrugged, ¡°Also, the simted metal stent I used is more resilient than the real nervous system, so she can indeed return to her pre-injury state.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be able to return to the team after a month of rehabilitation.¡±

    ¡°Really? !¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin admiringly, her eyes almost sparkling. ¡°I knew my dad was the best!¡±

    ¡°Little Sycophant!¡±Lu Jin smiled and scratched her nose.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan both heaved a sigh of relief.

    Although the artificial metal stent¡¯s artificial nervous system sounded very high-tech, it was still considered eptable technology in this world.

    It was still a little more normal than Lu Jin¡¯s incredible biotechnology.

    In order to not be too high-profile, they carefully maintained Lu Jin¡¯s level to a level where everyone looked up to him, but it was not to the point of being too out of touch.

    ..

    Soon, Lu Jin was in the process of preparing for Xiao Ye¡¯s surgery.

    A weekter, Xiao Ye¡¯s surgery was carried out in the special operating theater in the medical building of the headquarters of the special operations forces.

    Chen Lie led his most outstanding team to assist Lu Jin.

    A surgery was performed from eight in the morning until eight in the evening. For a total of twelve hours, Xiao Ye¡¯s arm and leg nervous system had almost been reconstructed.

    When the red light in front of the operating theater went off, a group of doctors and nurses walked out of the operating theater, but they did not look tired at all.

    Each and every one of them was in an extremely excited state.

    The surgery today had been so long, but they were not tired at all. Just looking at Lu Jin performing the surgery made people forget everything.

    That was not surgery, that was art!

    In any industry, when one performed to the best of their abilities, even trivial daily matters could be as intoxicating as exquisite works of art.

    ¡°Chen Lie, How was the surgery?¡±President Chen grabbed Chen Lie and walked to the side, asking anxiously.

    ¡°It was very sessful! Very sessful! An unprecedented sess! In my lifetime, I can see the sess of the repair of the nervous system!¡±

    Chen lie felt that he did not need topare words to express his joy and excitement.

    ¡°Really? ! Thank God!¡±President Chen was originally a materialist, but now she was about to be a idealist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank God. Professor Xie Lu is the real one.¡±Chen lie pointed at Lu Jin, who was talking to Gu Nianzhi, ¡°It¡¯s true. Without Professor Lu, no one would be able to perform this kind of surgery. Or rather, no one would be able toe up with such a method in fifty years.¡±

    President Chen¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°I know, I¡¯ll thank Professor Lu properly!¡±

    ..

    A monthter, Xiao Ye was once again running on the training ground of the special operations forces.

    Not long after, her condition had been taken by someone with good intentions and transmitted to a very avant-gardeboratory.

    ¡°... she has already recovered? How did she do it? Can she get information about the surgery?¡±

    ¡°No. This was done in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s most confidential medical building of the special operations forces. Outsiders have no way of getting information about the surgery.¡±

    ¡°... If you can¡¯t get the information about the surgery, then take a few more photos of Xiao Ye.¡±

    ¡°Could it be a scam? Even you can¡¯t do this kind of surgery, so how could someone else do it?¡±

    ¡°Who did the surgery?¡±

    ¡°A professor named Lu Jin. It¡¯s said that he¡¯s a guest professor at the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    ¡°A guest professor at the Institute of High Energy Physics? He can even perform surgery?¡±That person¡¯s gaze was solemn, looking at the heavy night sky, ¡°I seem to know someone so powerful. But he is dead, and his body is buried in the martyrs¡¯Cemetery in the imperial capital.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: chapter 1998, ¡°Don¡¯t thank God.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Today is Monday, dear rmendation tickets quickly hand over Oh!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 1999 - see Whoâ€™s Talking (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 1999: Chapter 1999: see Who¡¯s Talking (first update)</h4>

    When these people racked their brains to get a high-definition photo of Xiao Ye and analyze her recovery from the surgery, Lu Jin published a paper in the world-famous top medical journal, The Lancet.

    Although the article used an alias for the patient¡¯s name, anyone with a heart could tell with one look that this was a surgery performed on Xiao Ye!

    In the same cutting-edgeboratory, these people were speechless when they saw the article published in The Lancet.

    They were all talking about it, and they all felt relieved.

    ¡°... so we were thinking too much.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, they actually used a simted metal stent to simte the nervous system.¡±

    ¡°This idea isn¡¯t ahead of the curve, but it¡¯s worth noting that the performance of this simted metal stent is much better than the materials avable on the market. The craftsmanship is superb, almost to the point of making it look fake.¡±

    ¡°The Huaxia Empire¡¯s workmanship has never reached such an exquisite level.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Huaxia Empire has always liked to sell at low prices, so the quality can not be guaranteed. But the data of this simted metal bracket is really terrifyingly urate!¡±

    ¡°... none of us have the technical level to create this kind of simted metal bracket.¡±

    ¡°Right, this requires an extremely high-precision machine tool.¡±

    At first, the leader of theboratory was disdainful.

    This was because there was nothing innovative about this surgical method. In his opinion, Lu Jin, who had suddenly appeared, was nothing to be afraid of.

    However, listening to the analysis of theboratory researchers, the more he listened, the more terrified he became.

    If it was just one person¡¯s technology, they could still catch up, or buy it, or even kidnap and steal it.

    However, this simple simtion metal frame disyed a deeper meaning than the shock that a genius doctor gave him.

    It required materials, machinery manufacturing, simtion technology, and even resources, funds, and manpower to provide technical support to the entire industrial system!

    And they were all very high-level technologies.

    In modern society, the high-tech that countries reallypeted with was not just patents and concepts, but materials and technology.

    Just like the principle of building an atomic bomb, almost every country in the world now knows it, but only a few countries can actually build an atomic bomb.

    To build this thing, only two problems need to be solved.

    First, extracting isotopes from heavy elements.

    Second, striking neutrons causes a chain reaction.

    Sounds Easy, right?

    But to do it, first, there must be a variety of supporting facilities, such as heavy water extraction equipment, andrge centrifuges.

    Without the guarantee of the supporting equipment, the atomic bomb could only remain on paper forever.

    After thinking this through, the person in charge of theboratory took a deep breath, he said,¡±... This is a silent demonstration. The Huaxia Empire used this method to tell us that they have made a breakthrough in high-precision machine tools.¡±

    ¡°... you think you¡¯re so great just by building an imitation metal bracket? If you have the ability to make chips!¡±A person muttered in a low voice, obviously disapproving.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah... the Dutch side still has their orders for the photolithography machine. We must make them wait for a few years until our technology is eliminated before we can sell the existing photolithography machine to them!¡±

    The person-in-charge of theboratory mmed the table and sneered, ¡°Look carefully at the data listed in his thesis. They can even make such precision. They no longer need the Dutch side¡¯s photolithography machine!¡±

    The Huaxia Empire suddenly canceled the order for the photolithography machine a few dayster, as if to verify the words of the person-in-charge of theboratory. The Nethends was greatly puzzled, the Senate of the Huaxia Empire, who was visiting the Nethends, was specially sent to interview speaker long.

    ¡°... may I ask why you canceled the order for the photolithography machine? Don¡¯t you need the photolithography machine to make chips?¡±

    Only onepany in the Nethends could produce and export high-end photolithography machines on the market.

    However, due to various reasons, the Nethends had given priority to satisfying the orders of the United States, Germany, and Japan. The Huaxia Empire¡¯s order had been pushed to two yearster.

    Speaker Long did not answer directly. Instead, he said, ¡°This question can be answered by our chief legal advisor, Ms. Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    This was the first time Gu Nianzhi had followed speaker long on a trip to Europe. This was also the first time she had appeared on the international political stage. Speaker Long had been very diligent in creating all sorts of opportunities for her.

    Gu Nianzhi took the microphone from the Dutch national television station and said humorously,¡±... I thought our country would cancel the order. The country we¡¯re most worried about shouldn¡¯t be the Nethends, but other countries.¡±

    ¡°... tell me, who asked you to ask this question? You¡¯ll have to ask him for the agency fee when you get back.¡±

    The reporters burst intoughter and turned to look at the American reporters standing next to the CNN logo.

    However, these reporters had long been scolded by their president for being ¡°Fake news agency¡±(fake news manufacturing center) , and had long been trained to do so.

    They smiled appropriately and looked at Gu Nianzhi with interest.

    The Dutch national television reporter also smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Gu is really sharp. Thank you for reminding me. I will definitely ask for the agency fee.¡±

    This was a disguised admission that he had asked this question on behalf of someone else.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. Remember to ask questions on behalf of others in the future. You might even be rich.¡±

    She had almost made everyone forget the question they were supposed to ask.

    But the reporters from CNN would not give up so easily.

    They coughed and reminded the Dutch national television reporter to continue asking questions.

    The reporter quickly went back to the topic at hand and continued asking, ¡°Ms. Gu, do you know why your country suddenly canceled the order?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand nonchntly, ¡°The Order is amercial act, not a state act. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re asking the Senate. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just call thepany that canceled the order?¡±

    This was a tant lie.

    The whole world knew that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s government agency was eager to buy a photolithography machine to make chips. It was only amercialpany that ced the order.

    Now that the order had been canceled, the country¡¯s chief legal advisor of the Senate had shamelessly said that this matter had nothing to do with the government!

    He was too thick-skinned!

    The reporters present stared at Gu Nianzhi, deeply wondering how this person could be the chief legal advisor?

    This was a top diplomatic talent!

    The reporters from the Dutch state television were not so thick-skinned and could not ask any more questions.

    Because Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were absolutely wless.

    It was one thing for everyone to understand each other, but if you insisted that buying a photolithography machine was an act of the state, you had to prove it.

    There was no other way, so the CNN reporters had no choice but to do it themselves.

    They took over the microphone for the questions, before Gu Nianzhi could bring up anything else, they quickly asked,¡±... is there really no other reason in your country? ¡°You should know that if you suddenly cancel the order for the photolithography machine, even if it¡¯s amercial act, it would be an act of extreme nonpliance.¡±

    ¡°If you do this, the people of the world will despise you for your treachery!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing, ¡°TSK tsk, look who¡¯s talking.¡±.

    ¡°You Americans are talking to us about the spirit of the contract? How many treaties did your President just withdraw from? Do you want me to count them for you?¡±

    ¡°TPP, the climate agreement, the Iran Nuclear Agreement, the Universal Postal Service, and the INF Treaty.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what your President said when he withdrew from these treaties?¡±

    ¡°He said that this is a bad and stupid treaty. It should never have been signed...¡±

    ¡°If ourpany cancels an order, it must be for the same reason. ¡°This is a bad and stupid order. We should never have signed it. If they paid the deposit, I think they should ask for a 100% refund.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had used the words of the president of the United States to p the reporters in the face. They were almost speechless.

    At that moment, a Japanese reporter bowed politely to Gu Nianzhi, she said, ¡°Ms. Gu, we noticed that the doctors in your country have just performed a very excellent surgery. The artificial metal stent that was installed on the patient was very well-made. Not only was it of high quality, but it also demonstrated a very high level of technology. ¡ª did you import this technology from Germany or the United States?¡±

    ¡°I remember that Germany and the United States signed a technical blockade treaty against China. This technology is included in the blockade treaty. ¡ª how did you break through the blockade and obtain this technology from Germany and the United States?¡±

    The Huaxia Empire was basically stealing trade technology secrets from Germany and the United States!

    The smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face gradually faded, and she looked intently at the tall and thin Japanese journalist.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1999, ¡°Look Who¡¯s talking.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day. The second update was at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2000 - a thief calls a thief to catch a thief (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2000: Chapter 2,000 a thief calls a thief to catch a thief (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the Japanese journalist calmly, but her heart was already in turmoil. She wanted nothing more than to press his head into the toilet and have him rinse his mouth and brush his teeth so that he wouldn¡¯t foul his mouth.

    Unfortunately, there were too many people around her. Her every move now represented speaker long, the Senate, and the entire country.

    At this time, she could not say that her words and actions were ¡°Personal actions,¡±not ¡°National actions.¡±.

    She could not even raise her voice to question her.

    Because in western culture, speaking loudly meant that one had a guilty conscience and was uneducated. Even if it was reasonable, it would be unreasonable.

    Huo Shaoheng had asked the professionals of the special operations forces to give her special training on this point.

    The national staff who were traveling abroad had to learn to control their emotions.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes, however, were much colder. Her bright ck pupils looked at the Japanese journalist who was smiling humbly and said lightly, ¡°Who are you? which country? Which News Agency?¡±

    The Japanese journalist bowed again and said, ¡°I¡¯m a reporter from Japan¡¯s XX News Agency. My name is Narita Yamaguchi. Please take some time to answer my question, Miss Gu. Thank you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, she also politely said, ¡°Normally, reporters who ask questions will tell you their home address. However, your newspaper¡¯s reporter asked the question right away. Out of caution and due to procedural considerations, I had no choice but to ask your name and the news agency you work for. Please forgive me, Narita.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no!¡±Narita Yamaguchi narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly. ¡°Can you answer my question now?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and her tone became gentler. ¡°Reporter Narita, how much do you know about the United States and Germany¡¯s technical blockade of Huaxia?¡±

    Narita Yamaguchi came prepared and quickly said, ¡°I know it very well. I can recite it from memory.¡±

    As he spoke, he exined the relevant technical terms.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know much about this treaty, and did not care whether this person was right or wrong. She just quickly memorized every word this person said and immediately repeated it, she said,¡±... What I just repeated was what you said, which is the content of this treaty, right?¡±

    Narita Yamaguchi could no longer maintain the humble smile on his face. He nodded with a straight face and reluctantly said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    The special technical use he had just mentioned was almost a thousand words. It took him two days to recite it, and it took him ten minutes.

    Gu nianzhi only listened to it once, and repeated it word for word.

    Not to mention anything else, this mechanical memory was like the memory of a tape recorder!

    At the press conference of the Dutch Parliament, there wasplete silence. Only Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sweet and fluent English echoed in everyone¡¯s ears.

    In terms of English pronunciation, Gu Nianzhi was much better than the Japanese journalist, but that was not the point.

    Narita Yamaguchi¡¯s expression was a little twisted, and he suddenly asked,¡±... Ms. Gu also read this use? She recited it word for word?¡±

    This was a hint that Gu Nianzhi hade prepared, and not that she had memorized it on the spot.

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands. ¡°Reporter Narita, this treaty has nothing to do with our country. Why should I study this treaty? In fact, if you hadn¡¯t brought it up, I wouldn¡¯t have known there was such a treaty.¡±

    Narita¡¯s question was sinister enough. Although there was no evidence, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t admit it, most of the people present believed what Yamaguchi Narita had said and thought that Gu Nianzhi had coincidentally made preparations beforehand, so they could retell it right away.

    This way, everyone¡¯s admiration and amazement immediately lessened.

    When they looked at Gu Nianzhi again, their gazes became a little more subtle.

    Gu Nianzhi understood the effect of Narita tarnishing her ability, so she was naturally unhappy. However, at this time, whether or not she had prepared beforehand was not the main point.

    The main point was that after Gu Nianzhi repeated the Japanese reporter¡¯s special technical terms and confirmed that she was not wrong.., she then asked Narita, ¡°Then may I ask, Mr. Reporter Narita, do you know the technical features of our Huaxia¡¯s manufacturing process for the simtion metal frame?¡±

    Narita could no longer maintain the decorum on Yamaguchi¡¯s face. He sneered and said, ¡°Huaxia has been hiding this technology like it¡¯s a treasure. How would I know the specific technical characteristics?¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head. Her face had turnedpletely cold, but her voice was still very gentle, she said politely, ¡°How can you not know the technical characteristics of our country¡¯s simtion metal frame? How can you say that we¡¯re using the technology of another country?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen a simtion metal frame produced by another country that is exactly the same as our country¡¯s? Even the technical specifications are the same?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had deliberately dug a hole for Narita Yamaguchi.

    Narita Yamaguchi looked down at the data and did not speak for a moment.

    The CNN reporters could not wait any longer, they quickly said,¡±... the appearance is not the same, and the technical specifications are also different. I see that the simtion metal frame manufactured by your country is much better than the data of the simtion metal frame manufactured by our country. This data isn¡¯t fake, right? Is it really not copying our country¡¯s technology?¡±

    In short, as long as the quality of the products produced by China was better than that of foreign countries, it was either falsifying the data or copying other countries¡¯technology.

    Gu Nianzhi was an inte child who had grown up in the era of the Inte. She had long disliked the attitude of foreign countries that used the worst kind of malice to Judge Huaxia.

    She raised her head slightly and said calmly, ¡°The artificial metal stent we produced has already been imnted into a patient¡¯s body. Time will tell if its performance indicators are reliable or not.¡±

    ¡°But just because our data is better than yours, they say that we are faking it. May I ask this CNN reporter, did you go to university with the American AA system? Where is your logic? Did you return it to the logic teacher, or did you not take a logic course at all?¡±

    The American AA system was simr to the Chinese college entrance examination system, but it only looked at race and color.

    American students who relied on AA bonus points to get into famous schools usually did not do well.

    Japan¡¯s Narita Yamaguchi saw that the situation was not looking good and immediately said, ¡°Mrs. Gu, please watch your manners. By saying this about American CNN reporters, you¡¯re hindering the freedom of the press.¡±

    Gu nianzhi tugged at the corners of her lips nonchntly, she said humorously, ¡°If telling the truth is hindering the freedom of the press, then it¡¯s no wonder CNN was called the ¡®fake news center¡¯by the President of the United States, because it¡¯s hindering your freedom to create rumors and create fake news.¡±

    ¡°If the president of the United States is standing here, you journalists from CNN have already been asked to leave. Do you still want to ask questions?¡±

    A burst ofughter erupted in the hall.

    After all, the whole world knew how much the president of the United States hated CNN. He would not let go of any opportunity to say that they were the fake newswork and spared no effort in inviting the journalists from CNN out of the venue.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Narita Yamaguchi and asked with a smile, ¡°Reporter Narita, have you ever said to my face that the President of the United States is obstructing the freedom of the press?¡±

    Narita Yamaguchi was tongue-tied and was not used to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s style.

    Wasn¡¯t she the chief legal advisor of the Senate? !

    Her eloquence was almost on par with that of a news reporter!

    Did she not pay attention to the demeanor of a great nation? !

    How dare she directly criticize a journalist!

    Gu Nianzhi would not let him off the hook, of course. She continued, ¡°Since you didn¡¯t say that the president of the United States¡¯actions are an obstruction of press freedom, I was merely asking an academic question. How did it be an obstruction of press freedom?¡±

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had subtly shifted the topic back to the president of the United States, and that the reporters in the venue had begun to make fun of the president of the United States in twos and threes, Narita Yamaguchi was secretly anxious, he thought to himself, this female legal advisor is really capable..

    He coughed heavily and said, ¡°Ms. Gu, please don¡¯t talk about him. Can you directly answer the question that I and the CNN reporter asked Just Now?¡±

    ¡°I was answering your question just now. Unfortunately, you said that I was obstructing the freedom of the press.¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be troubled and sighed. ¡°What exactly do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hindering the freedom of the press by speaking, and I¡¯m not speaking because I¡¯m trying to sway him. It¡¯s a sign of guilt. Can you alle up with amon line of questioning? Everyone¡¯s time is precious, and wasting time is the most shameful thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke with conviction, but her attitude was still humble and polite. She was not as humble as a Japanese reporter, nor was she as arrogant as an American reporter.

    Narita Yamaguchi¡¯s face turned red, but he still braced himself and said, ¡°Please answer the question.¡±

    ¡°Okay, as long as you don¡¯t say that I¡¯m hindering the freedom of the press.¡±Gu Nianzhi patted her chest and blinked her big, Bright Eyes, she smiled and said, ¡°This is the question I want to ask you, Narita. Do you know the technical features of this technology in our country?¡±

    Narita Yamaguchi came back to his senses and immediately said, ¡°How would I know? I¡¯m not like people in your country who steal other people¡¯s technology at will!¡±

    She spoke as if the Japanese had never stolen technology from Huaxia before.

    Gu Nianzhi thought back to the past and the Japanese version of the seed n. She just wanted to sneer.

    Not only had they stolen technology, but they had also stolen genes..

    However, this was not the time to bring up historical issues. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression turnedpletely cold, she enunciated each word clearly. ¡°Since you don¡¯t know our country¡¯s technology, how can you say that our country is using technology from another country? !¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still evidence to go to court to sue. Can a journalist frame someone without regard for the legal consequences?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi struck while the iron was hot, she said seriously, ¡°Since this Japanese journalist spoke without thinking on important diplomatic asions and caused great damage to the reputation of China, I am now representing the Senate and seriously considering using legal means to sue Narita Yamaguchi for nder and nder!¡±

    Narita Yamaguchi¡¯s pupils constricted and he immediately said, ¡°I have evidence! I have evidence to prove that your technical characteristics are the same as those of foreign countries!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then where did you get the evidence? As far as I know, this technology is a first-ss trade secret in our country and is kept secret for 50 years. May I ask what kind of illegal means did you use to obtain it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, this is a technology developed by my father himself. It¡¯s 20 years ahead of the most advanced technology in the world. Is He saying that it was stolen from another country? What a big face!

    She said calmly, ¡°Then we have to sue reporter Narita even more for allegedly carrying outmercial espionage activities in our country. ¡°Just wait for the indictment from our country. We will sue reporter Narita in the International Court of Intellectual Property Arbitration for stealing first-ss trade secrets that are protected by our country¡¯s patents!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2000, ¡°A thief shouts for a thief.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2004 - Covert Warfare (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2004: Chapter 2004, Covert Warfare (second update)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s confirmed that they¡¯ve returned to Japan, but the GPS signal has disappeared, and so has Narita Yamaguchi himself?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi frowned. ¡°He¡¯s just a reporter. Aren¡¯t they trying to cover things up by doing this? Is there a need to go so far?¡±

    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re chasing them too closely, and they don¡¯t want Narita to get them into trouble.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled as he twirled the Teacup in his hand, ¡°First, Nianzhi sued on behalf of the state, and then ourpany filed a civilwsuit on behalf of our interests. If Narita had someone backing him, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to take on these twowsuits on his own. He would definitely ask the people behind him to help him settle it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he continued,¡±... if the people behind him refuse toe forward, Narita would either threaten them or surrender to us in desperation.¡±

    He and Lu Yuan looked at each other and said, ¡°It looks like Narita Yamaguchi is doomed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and searched for news about Japan. She frowned and said,¡±... but if he really dies, it will be very disadvantageous for us.¡±

    The public opinion they had gained this time would immediately be erased by Narita¡¯s death.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng were also experts in this area. They immediately understood what Gu Nianzhi meant.

    The two of them frowned.

    Lu Yuan lowered his head and took a sip of tea, he said in a low voice, ¡°If he¡¯s dead, the other party can twist it into that he was forced to die by us. ¡°Everyone sympathizes with the weak, especially those who are already dead. No matter how heinous they are when they¡¯re alive, most people think that death is the end of everything. It¡¯s our fault that they still want to pursue this matter.¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately said, ¡°President Lu, quickly continue to sue Narita. This time, Sue Narita¡¯s news agency for a higherpensation, and also say that Narita is only jointly and severally liable. ¡°As for our Senate, we only Sue Narita¡¯s news agency and push the me onto his work unit. It¡¯s better than directly suing Narita.¡±

    Lu Yuan understood and patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head approvingly, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s brain works really fast. Good, that¡¯s a good idea. We¡¯ll continue to sue Narita¡¯s news organization for the main responsibility. After all, suing his work unit is more lucrative than suing himself...¡±

    Huo shaoheng also said, ¡°Our people will continue to follow up in Japan. If Narita dies, we can¡¯t let them use his death to stir up trouble.¡±

    This was not a personal grudge. This was an act of the state that concerned the country¡¯s reputation.

    After lunch, Lu Yuan left. He told hiswyer in Japan that he would continue to sue Narita. This time, the main responsibility for suing Narita¡¯s news organization, XX News, was to demand an evenrger amount ofpensation.

    The Lu Corporation immediately gained another round of international attention.

    This newly establishedpany appeared out of nowhere. Relying on its strong technical strength, it quickly gained a foothold in the market.

    The other party¡¯s attempt to hype up the ¡°Mysterious disappearance of the defendant, Narita Yamaguchi¡±also failed, because theizens were no longer easy to fool.

    After leading the rhythm online, they encountered another strong blow from an unknown strength. Moreover, some people began to guess whether Narita had fled for his life because of the crime.

    ..

    It was still in theb that had been renovated. The experimenter was looking at the news online with a gloomy face. He was feeling extremely sullen.

    ¡°Why did Huaxia not let the matter rest this time?¡±They were puzzled.

    ¡°Does she have any great experts or skills?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the background of the female lead of the Senate? Why is she different from the people in the past?¡±

    Not many people knew about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s background, and the head of theboratory would not say anything irrelevant. This was not the first time the two of them had fought.

    He sat quietly for a while, picked up thendline phone on the table, and dialed a number.

    ¡°Narita can not stay. You guys continue with your next move.¡±

    ..

    A few dayster, Huo Shaoheng received a secret report from the Japanese Field Service: [ Naritamitted suicide, leaving a suicide note at the scene, using the country of bullying him to death. ].

    Huo Shaoheng knew he was a step toote, so he immediately instructed: ¡°Rece the suicide note. Tell them that he was abandoned as a scapegoat andmitted suicide because he had nowhere else to go.¡±.

    The special operations forces field office in Japan was filled with carefully selected people, all of whom were elites.

    In addition, they had been following Narita for a period of time, so they had a thorough understanding of him.

    Immediately, the expert who had forged the handwriting immediately imitated Narita¡¯s handwriting and wrote a suicide note. He reced the fake suicide note and hid it at the scene of Narita¡¯s ¡°Suicide.¡±.

    In other words, just as the person who had killed Narita left, our people followed closely behind and made another trap.

    ..

    The next day, the sky had just begun to brighten, and there was still cherry blossom-purple morning light in the horizon.

    Narita Yamaguchi¡¯s home was in a very special small courtyard in the capital.

    The part-time worker who came to Narita¡¯s home to clean the ce used the key Narita had given her to open the courtyard door and push the door open to enter.

    In the traditional courtyard with white walls and ck tiles, the courtyard was very neatly nned. There was only a deliberately crooked cobblestone path that appeared somewhat wild and interesting.

    In front of the low eaves, there was a bonsai maple tree that agreed with the low eaves. The sparse shadows were nted, and the maple leaves were red. They wereyered on top of each other, deep and shallow, as if they were dyed.

    Beside the marble steps in front of the door, there was a blue and white porcin water tank with a few koi fish in it.

    The koi fish swam freely. asionally, the golden fish tail would flick gently, making the sound of water sshing in the quiet morning.

    Wearing a traditional kimono and wooden clogs, the hourly worker smiled and pushed open the wooden sliding door of Narita¡¯s house.

    The living room, which had always been clean, smelled of blood.

    She looked down and saw that the ground was covered in blood.

    At the end of the blood, the tall and thin master was wearing a ck bathrobe and robe. He was kneeling in front of the small coffee table with a long knife in his chest!

    ¡°Ah! Murder! Murder!¡±

    The hourly worker took a step back in panic and almost fell down the stairs.

    Soon, the sirens of ambnces, police cars, and even fire engines cut across the sky, tearing the peace of this quietmunity into pieces.

    At the same time, the reporters from Kyoto television station and several Japanese Inte portals came with these police cars.

    The police were still investigating the scene, and there were already media outlets who had been the first to expose the news.

    # reporter Narita Jun, who had been prosecuted by the Chinese nation and enterprises, was found this morning to havemitted suicide in his own apartment # ¡ª this was using a false and objective tone to create a true rumor.

    # even elementary school students were fighting against bullying, but in the end, a certain eastern big country actually used the power of the whole country to bully a pitiful reporter! # ¡ª this was a secret stab, using a tone that pointed at the mulberry trees and cursed the locust tree to hint at the mastermind behind Narita¡¯s death.

    Then, the media went to interview Narita¡¯s family and friends.

    ¡°Narita-kun is a good person. He¡¯s just a little introverted. It¡¯s possible for him to be unable to ept such a big incident.¡±

    ¡°Narita-kun?¡±? ¡°You¡¯re saying that the person whomitted suicide was narita-kun, who was humiliated by the chief legal advisor of the Chinese Parliament during the press conference of the Chinese Parliament in the Nethends not long ago?¡±? TSK TSK, how pitiful. He was only doing his job, but he was actually forced to death by a single disagreement

    ¡°Narita-kun¡¯s temper was especially good since he was young. He was gentle and filial. We all said that he was the most promising person in our family. Who would have thought...¡±

    The news about narita-kun flooded Japan¡¯s social media at almost the same time.

    These people knew more about the cause of his death than the police. They insisted that Narita Yamaguchi hadmitted suicide because he had been bullied by the Huaxia Empire.

    The police were embarrassed. They had searched for several days, but had not found Narita Yamaguchi¡¯s ¡°Suicide note¡±..

    Some people could not wait any longer.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Senate held a regr press conference. A reporter from Japan immediately asked Gu Nianzhi a question.

    ¡°May I ask, Chief Gu, are you secretly happy that you¡¯ve killed Narita-kun?¡±The reporter was short and chubby, but he had a heavy expression on his face, as if he had lost his parents.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t supposed to be the spokesperson, but as the chief legal advisor, she had to attend every press conference to ensure that her spokesperson wouldn¡¯t make any legal mistakes.

    Now that she was being singled out for criticism, Gu Nianzhi naturally wouldn¡¯t sit idly by.

    She took the microphone and said lightly, ¡°You¡¯re from the same organization as reporter Narita?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m his colleague! Are you trying to drive me to my death too? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched and she continued to speak calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t see any official channels in Japan saying that reporter Naritamitted suicide. May I ask this reporter, where did you find out about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course! The way he died, it was a suicide!¡±The man insisted that Narita hadmitted suicide. ¡°You¡¯re not going to use this as an excuse, are you? !¡±

    ¡°You said that suicide was a suicide? I said it was murder... Are you more capable than the Japanese police, or are you covering for the murderer?¡±Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and ignored the reporter, she calmly said, ¡°We don¡¯t answer hypothetical questions that have no basis in fact. If the other party continues to badger us, it¡¯s a frame-up. ¡°We already have a systematic prosecution system. Just State your name and we¡¯ll guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to satisfy your need for attention in court.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words quickly spread, and the video began to circte on social media in Japan. Of course, it was subtitled in Japanese.

    Japaneseizens were also puzzled when they saw it.

    ¡°Yeah, where is the evidence of suicide?¡±This was the doubt of the averageizen.

    ¡°At least the Kyoto Police have yet to announce the cause of death. Could it not be suicide?¡±This was the doubt of aizen with a certain depth of thought.

    ¡°... but from the looks of it, it¡¯s no different from suicide.¡±This was the inte trolls washing the floor in embarrassment.

    The person in charge of the plot was naturally furious.

    Where¡¯s the suicide note that was agreed upon? !

    Where did it go? !

    Under some pressure, the police in Kyoto, Japan, spent a lot of effort and finally found an envelope with the word ¡°Suicide note¡±written on it in a very hidden corner of the Narita House!

    And it was sealed in red paint!

    A police officer curiously wanted to open it, but was stopped by his superior.

    ¡°Don¡¯t open it yet. This is a very important matter. We have to open it in front of our media friends.¡±

    At this time, a field officer of the Special Operations Forces secretly took a video and put it on the Inte.

    The title was the sensational ¡°Narita-kun¡¯s suicide note! Confirmed suicide!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: Chapter 2004, ¡°The Dark War.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2005 - I only admire chief gu (two more in one)

    <h4>Chapter 2005: Chapter 2005 I only admire chief gu (two more in one)</h4>

    The police in charge of Narita¡¯s Yamaguchi case in Kyoto, Japan, were furious and mored to find out who posted the video of the scene on the Inte without permission.

    However, this was not something that could be found in a short period of time.

    What was imminent was that the video had already caused a huge impact and aroused the curiosity ofizens.

    The police could no longer refuse. They could not even wait to contact people to confirm before announcing that they were going to hold a police press conference.

    On the day of the press conference, almost all the media from all over the world had gathered.

    Everyone was trying their best to make a certain big country in the East Look Good!

    The reporters and anchors of various news organizations stood in front of their own news organizations¡¯cameras and talked about the whole process of thewsuit with tion.

    It was as if they were not here to mourn Narita¡¯s death, but to attend a grand carnival.

    Huaxia also attached great importance to this press conference.

    The Senate, where Gu Nianzhi was, was even more vignt. The Senate¡¯s main meeting hall had arge wall-sized screen that was broadcasting the Kyoto Police press conference live.

    Although it was in Japanese, everyone could understand the content because of the subtitles.

    Furthermore, the senator also wore a type of automatic trantion headset, which could trante with the live broadcast.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in her office and watched the live broadcast. She did not watch the live broadcast with the senator in the main meeting room.

    This was because not only did she have to watch the live broadcast, but she also had to check online public opinion.

    Her own team also had their own tasks.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin sat in song Jinning¡¯s apartment and watched the live broadcast on the television.

    Lu Jin knew manynguages, including Japanese.

    Therefore, he understood Japanese and could speak Japanese, but he never showed it. He often asked an interpreter to pretend.

    However, this time Lu Yuan did not allow him to ask an interpreter toe to song Jinning¡¯s house, so Lu Jin had to act as a Japanese interpreter for Lu Yuan.

    Looking at the Japanese police officers who could not hide their excitement on the television, Lu Jin sneered, he crossed his arms and said,¡±... These people at the press conference, check them one by one. Everyone must be rted to the person behind the scenes.¡±

    Lu Yuan touched his chin and said in a low voice, ¡°That makes sense, but it¡¯s a waste of time to check them all. Can we lock down who has the closest rtionship with the person behind the scenes? It¡¯s useless for a normalckey to check.¡±

    Hearing that, Lu Jin sat up straight and carefully looked at the police officers sitting on the rostrum on the television.

    Because it was high-definition television, the live broadcast was very clear. One could even see where there were moles and spots on these people¡¯s faces.

    Their expressions and expressions were even clearer.

    After watching for a while, Lu Jin rxed and leaned back. He lifted one leg and ced it on the soft stool in front of him. He saidzily, ¡°The second person on the left is their leader.¡±

    ¡°His smile is no different from the others, but his eyes are more steady and powerful than theirs. His hands are sped on the long table, and his left ring finger is tapping on the table rhythmically. Although it is an unconscious action, the tapping is indeed Morse code.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Just by looking at his actions, you know that he is sending Morse code? Under the watchful eyes of so many people, how idiotic must he be to use Morse code to send messages?¡±

    Lu Yuan rolled his eyes at Lu Jin, feeling very puzzled.

    Lu Jin clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Boss Lu, you don¡¯t understand this. This belongs to the field of psychology. It talks about the rtionship between the unconscious actions of humans and their personal growth experience.¡±

    ¡°The unconscious tapping of his fingers is all Morse code. It doesn¡¯t mean that he uses this method to send messages, but rather it exposes his professional habits and personal experience.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this person¡¯s name...¡±Lu Jin said as he took out his IPAD and looked at the background information of the people who held the press conference today.

    ¡°Oh, his name is Ichiro Yamamoto. His background is quite good. He works in the public rtions department of the Jingdou Police Department.¡±. ¡°Boss Lu, a police officer who works in public rtions, subconsciously tapped the Morse code. How reasonable do you think his identity is?¡±

    Lu Yuan finally understood and praised Lu Jin with a smile. ¡°As expected of the sole sessor of the Gu family¡¯s psychology. He¡¯s really something!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, if my father were still alive, he would be able to turn the tables on these people with just a few nces.¡±Lu Jin had always been arrogant since he was young and rarely admired anyone.

    His father, Gu Haize, was one of the few people.

    ¡°The best psychologists don¡¯t only know how to pay by the hour and listen to People¡¯s privacy.¡±Lu Jin started to talk non-stop. ¡°The best psychologists in China all read fortune in their early years!¡±

    ¡°As the saying goes, you can tell who you are, where youe from, what upation you are in, and where youe from. Some of them can even analyze thest three generations and the next three generations!¡±

    ¡°As for those psychological problems, the ones that really be illnesses are all physical problems. It¡¯s not just psychological problems

    ¡°For example, a neuroendocrine disorder will cause a huge change in emotions, making people think that they are having psychological problems, but in fact, they are not.¡±

    The corner of Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You can talk so much just by asking you a question. It¡¯s really a waste of your talent if you don¡¯t go to the election.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately shouted, ¡°I told you I should run for Prime Minister! None of you were willing! All of you thought I¡¯d be in trouble if I got elected!¡±

    Lu Yuan was amused by him. ¡°You know that already? Fine, you know your ce.¡±

    ¡°PFFT, you don¡¯t even know that. Do you think I¡¯m Stupid?¡±Lu Jin shook his head in disdain. ¡°If mydy supports you, there¡¯s no need for any of you to object. I¡¯ll tell you!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. Your Lady is the eldest. You listen to yourdy in everything, Okay?¡±Lu Yuan also felt that Lu Jin, this female devil, had developed into a female devil. He did not mention Gu Nianzhi more than a few times every day, that day was never over!

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡±Lu Jin tilted his head and watched the press conference for a while. On the television, the few police officers were excitedly telling everyone how they had found the suicide note.

    ¡°... the will is very well hidden. It¡¯s very difficult to find.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t know that there was a will, but in order to find out whether Chengtian Jun¡¯s death was due to suicide or homicide, we conducted a thorough search of his house.¡±

    ¡°In the end, we were able to find this will. We can imagine that Chengtian Jun¡¯s feelings at that time were veryplicated.¡±

    ¡°Chengtian Jun is an excellent reporter. We are also very sorry that he gave up his life.¡±

    As he spoke, a group of police officers dressed in police uniforms stood up and bowed in unison. The scene was spectacr.

    Some reporters below the stage could not wait any longer. They shouted, ¡°Quickly open the suicide note and see what is written!¡±

    Only then did the police officers on the stage take out the suicide note sealed in red paint and show it to everyone.

    ¡°Everyone, you have seen it. We have not opened this suicide note. It came from Narita-kun¡¯s soul in heaven in its original form.¡±

    Hearing this, the reporters at the scene instantly quieted down.

    The police officers found a specialized notary office to go up to the stage to prove that this suicide note was the original and not a forgery.

    After the atmosphere was created, a female police officer stood up, with a sweet and regretful voice, she said, ¡°As everyone knows, narita-kun was publicly threatened in the Nethends a few days ago. He wanted to use the power of the entire country to make things difficult for a reporter who was trying to uphold justice for the public.¡±

    ¡°This kind of pressure is not something that ordinary people can understand.¡±

    ¡°We are also very sad that narita-kun made such a choice. Without anyone helping him, how desperate would he be at thest moment of his life?¡±

    After stirring up everyone¡¯s emotions, under the supervision of the notary, the female police officer broke the red seal in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. She opened the ¡°Will¡±and immediately started reading.

    ¡°... I¡¯m Narita, and I can¡¯t live anymore. They paid me to stir up trouble, but they ignored me when something happened.¡±

    ¡°They threw me out as a scapegoat.¡±

    ¡°I had no other choice, so I had to resort to this.¡±

    ¡°Dad, Mom, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ¡°Ji, I¡¯m sorry. I misspoke. I couldn¡¯t marry you.¡±

    ..

    The reporters at the scene were dumbfounded. They had not expected this oue at all.

    The police officer on the rostrum was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted. He knocked on the table and told the female police officer to stop reading. However, this will was not long. Before the female police officer could react, she had already finished reading.

    At this moment, the inte was like a frying pan. The craze that was stirred up almost paralyzed the entire Japanese inte system.

    [ did everyone see that? ! Narita-kun is actually the scapegoat! ]

    This piece of news spread like wildfire, and it quickly exploded on the inte. The Japanese version, the English version, the Spanish version, and the Chinese version of the same piece of news went online respectively, it covered almost all the headlines on social media.

    Even the automatic push of many websites had been reced with this piece of news due to the influence of big data.

    ¡°He¡¯s actually a scapegoat? !¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that during the interrogation in the Nethends a few days ago, someone deliberately stirred up trouble and smeared the news? !¡±

    ¡°Huaxia is really wronged this time!¡±

    ¡°Japan¡¯s XX News has overturned this time!¡±

    Thements under the official social media ounts of the Kyoto Police in Japan were simply the scene of a major ident.

    They had wanted to use this opportunity to create momentum, but it was all borrowed by someone else.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us who was behind the suicide of Narita-kun?¡±

    ¡°As the police, shouldn¡¯t you protect the citizens from the threat of criminal gangs?¡±

    ¡°Narita-kunmitted suicide not because of the defendant, but because he was used as a scapegoat and had no other choice but tomit suicide!¡±

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t die, you would have let him mit suicide¡¯, right? !¡±

    Soon, this ¡°Committed suicide¡±reply went viral on the Inte.

    The demand to investigate the truth and find out who was behind Chengtian Jun grew louder and louder. Now, even the conclusion of ¡®suicide¡¯could not be preserved.

    Forensic experts from arge country in the east stood up at the right time and used interviews, small videos, and all kinds of jokes to exin the difference between suicide and suicide to the public.

    ¡°... Judging from the pictures at the scene, there is a high possibility that narita-kun¡¯s death was not a suicide.¡±

    ¡°On the surface, it looks like a seppuku, but in reality, it was a fatal stab. In this kind of situation, it is very difficult for a person tomit suicide.¡±

    ¡°Because when hemits suicide with a fatal stab, his hand holding the knife will be very tight, because a fatal stab requires a lot of strength. If he doesn¡¯t hold the knife in his hand tightly and find the fatal point, it is impossible for him to be killed with a single stab.¡±

    ¡°And look at this picture released by the police in Kyoto, Japan. Narita-kun¡¯s grip on the knife is actually fake. If he holds the knife this way, not only will he kill himself with a single stab, even if he cuts open his skin, it¡¯ll be considered my loss.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that narita-kun killed him! He didn¡¯t kill himself!¡±

    The small videos that were shown in the anime were even more ssic. They were even taken screenshots by many talentedizens and made into emoticons. They were even paired with Japanese and spread all over the inte.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi, who had been paying attention to public opinion on the inte, finally heaved a sigh of relief.

    She fiddled with the remote control in her hand. On the opposite wall was a curved wall-mounted television.

    It was currently broadcasting the chaotic scene of the Kyoto police press conference.

    It was no longer a live broadcast by the Japanese television station. Their live broadcast had been cut off five minutes ago.

    The current broadcast was a live feed from the Huaxia News Agency.

    At that moment, thendline phone on her desk rang.

    Gu Nianzhi took a look and saw that it was Speaker Long¡¯s internal line.

    She picked up the call and smiled. ¡°Speaker Long?¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s face was beaming as he said loudly, ¡°Nianzhi, hurry up and prepare a speech to express the Senate¡¯s views on Narita-kun¡¯s matter. The television station has agreed to broadcast it simultaneously immediately!¡±

    Speaker Long was very devoted to anything that could give face to the president of the Senate and increase the influence of the Senate.

    He did not care at all about narita-kun¡¯s life or death, but he could not disregard the face of the Senate.

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and went to the bathroom to tidy up her appearance.

    She then went to the live broadcast room of the Senate. After connecting with the television station, her expression was calm as she said gently and calmly, ¡°The Huaxia Senate is deeply saddened by the news that broke out today in Kyoto, Japan.¡±

    ¡°Narita-kun was a reporter. As a reporter, he disregarded the principles of fairness and fairness of the news and cooperated with people with ulterior motives to defame other countries. I think he had alreadye to his senses at the moment of his death

    ¡°I¡¯m here to condemn the masterminds behind the scenes. Don¡¯t think that you can get away with murdering narita-kun

    ¡°Narita-kun¡¯s death can only make people hate and despise you

    ¡°Not only will the general public despise you, but your own people will also shudder in fear.¡±

    ¡°How many people in an organization that has no responsibility and is used to using their own people as scapegoats are willing to sacrifice their lives for you?¡±

    ¡°I advise those who assist the evil to wake up early and get rid of this mastermind. Report this mastermind and find a way out for Lord Chengtian and yourselves!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s live broadcast was apanied by subtitles from all the majornguage departments in the world on Huaxia Television. It was broadcasted 24 hours a day.

    On the Inte, the trending video, which hadsted less than three minutes, also flooded the screen. It was retweeted non-stop, and the official system of Japan¡¯s Kyoto police station was immediately shut down.

    Theizens were even more excited.

    [ I announce that I have officially be chief Gu¡¯s brain-dead Fan! ! ! ].

    [ upstairs, Scram! I¡¯m a fan of Chief GU¡¯s wife! ! ! ].

    [ upstairs, is that Les? I¡¯m a fan of Chief Gu¡¯s husband! ! ! ].

    [ I¡¯m Chief Gu¡¯s husband. Who said I¡¯m a fan of his husband? Come out and fight me one on one! ].

    [ chief GU is amazing! This shout, is it the organization behind the scenes that has been disintegrated? ].

    [ no bloodshed, no bloodshed, no crime, no crime, no crime, no crime! ].

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter two more in one: chapter 2005, ¡°I only serve the chief.¡±.

    After ten hours of sleep, I¡¯m finally feeling better. Oh, my God.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2006 - pulling out turnips and bringing them out of the mud (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2006: Chapter 2006 pulling out turnips and bringing them out of the mud (first update)</h4>

    At the press conference of the Kyoto Police Department in Japan, the policeman who had read Narita Yamaguchi¡¯s suicide note was stunned for a few minutes before he could react.

    The scene was also quiet, and then it suddenly became noisy.

    ¡°... What the hell is going on? !¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that they were forced to death by a certain big country in the East?¡±

    ¡°... why are they being called scapegoats again? And there¡¯s even a mastermind behind this?¡±

    The reporters present were discussing animatedly. They were unable to bear this god-like turn of events.

    The police officers on stage were also sweating profusely. They kept standing up and bowing, expressing their apologies to everyone.

    Meanwhile, the person who was sitting at the end of the stage, who had unconsciously used his finger to tap on the Morse code, quietly stepped back and left the rostrum.

    ¡°Mr. Chief, we saw many people saying on the inte that this narita-kun was murdered. Is It True?¡±

    ¡°... if he was murdered, then what¡¯s with this will? !¡±

    The policeman on the rostrum hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°This will is fake! Fake! Narita-kun didn¡¯tmit suicide! He was murdered!¡±

    ¡°Right, right, right! Narita-kun was murdered! This suicide note is fake!¡±

    ¡°Since the suicide note is fake, then the scapegoat is nonsense.¡±The Chief of the police department finally managed to change the topic. He let out a sigh of relief and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. It¡¯s possible to be killed as a scapegoat.¡±A reporter from China said with a smile.

    ¡°Are you stupid? You¡¯ve already been murdered. Why would you write a suicide note?¡±The reporter next to him rolled his eyes and said disdainfully.

    The reporter from China was not angry. He raised his camera and microphone towards the rostrum, he said indifferently, ¡°Maybe he felt danger and wrote a suicide note. But before he couldmit suicide, he was murdered. Is it possible?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    It was not impossible, but no matter how one looked at it, it was strange.

    Including the police¡¯s press conference, there was a tone of ¡°Arrangement.¡±.

    But most of the reporters were taciturn and did not point out this question.

    After all, everyone gathered together mainly to p the face of a certain country in the east. Now that the face of a certain country in the east was not pped, everyone wanted to forget about this matter as soon as possible, they also didn¡¯t want to create too many waves on the inte.

    However, the inte had its own memories, and it wasn¡¯t something that a few major news media could control.

    As a result, the news of the ¡°Fake suicide note¡±and the ¡°Murder of narita-kun¡±once again flooded the social media.

    The waves caused by this caused some of the henchmen to feel really sad. Some of them really turned themselves in, and even went to report it.

    ..

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Special Operations Forces had received a lot of intelligence from Japan these days.

    The field personnel summarized the information and then used the NANDOU satellitemunication system to encrypt and transmit it back.

    In less than five minutes, it was ced on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk.

    He looked at the information that came back one after another and realized that these clues all pointed to an organization.

    The Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund of Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. .

    Carlyle was an investment bank that was headquartered in the United States but registered in the Cayman Inds.

    The Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund was a portfolio under this investment bank.

    This kind of fund was not open for sale to the public and only provided buying rights to high worth individuals.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the name of the fund and felt that it was somewhat familiar.

    Wasn¡¯t this the private equity fund that had once taken advantage of the situation to buy the Hong Group? !

    After thinking for a while, Huo Shaoheng called Zhao liangze in and said, ¡°Little Ze, give me a report on Carlyle International Investment Co. , especially its Pacific Rim private equity fund. We must investigate it carefully.¡±

    Zhao Liangze epted the task and returned to his office to discuss with his subordinates how to divide the work and cooperate.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in his office and turned off the lights. He turned on the projection screen on the opposite wall and started to draw the mind set.

    On the projection screen, he first wrote Narita Yamaguchi¡¯s name in the middle.

    Then, from his name, there were many parabs that were connected to other names.

    And what connected these seemingly unrted individuals was the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund!

    This was because all the money given to these people came from this private equity fund.

    This included Narita Yamaguchi.

    He had gone to the Nethends in an attempt to use the opportunity to provoke Gu Nianzhi to smear Huaxia. The funds used had all been provided by the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund.

    The private equity fund¡¯s operations had been very secretive. Most of the time, they were conducted with cash.

    It was originally impossible for outsiders to find out. Even if they hacked into the internalputer of the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund, they might not be able to find any clues.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s speech was too provocative. She had actually incited quite a few of the people behind the scenes who were rted to Narita Yamaguchi toe forward and report themselves.

    It was because of the reports of these little people that the Pacific Rim private equity fund gradually surfaced.

    However, in Japan, this information had beenpletely suppressed.

    The Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund, which was mainly funded by the United States, was still a pure white lotus flower, and was the favorite of the Japanese who admired it the most.

    Huo Shaoheng had been able to get the information because he had relied on Huaxia¡¯s capable field personnel.

    However, looking at the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund on the voting screen, Huo Shaoheng still did not understand.

    Why on Earth would this private equity fund do this?

    If he hadn¡¯t noticed it before, he could see it now.

    Everything this private equity fund had been doing recently had to do with Gu Nianzhi.

    It couldn¡¯t be said that it hade for her, but it was faintly discernible by her side, sometimes close and sometimes far away.

    Huo Shaoheng pondered for a moment and put away the information. Without turning on the lights, he took the car keys and left the office to pick up Gu Nianzhi from work at the Parliament Building.

    When he went out, he found that it was only six o¡¯clock. Gu Nianzhi was quite busy right now and did not get off work before seven o¡¯clock.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and drove to song Jinning¡¯s house first. He wanted to talk to Lu Jin first.

    When he arrived at song Jinning¡¯s apartment, Huo Shaoheng rang the doorbell. It was Lu Yuan who came to open the door.

    Huo Shaoheng was a little surprised, but he did not show it. He smiled and said, ¡°President Lu didn¡¯t go out today?¡±

    ¡°I spent the whole day outside and picked out thepany¡¯s office building. I just signed the lease.¡±Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°I was just about to cook dinner. Are you going to help me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng politely declined. He actually didn¡¯t like to cook, but Gu Nianzhi liked to eat, so he was willing to cook for her.

    On other asions, he would rather eat in the canteen than cook.

    Unlike Lu Yuan, he had a genuine interest in cooking.

    ¡°I still have something to ask Professor Lu. Please continue with your work. I¡¯lle back to help after I talk to Professor Lu.¡±Huo Shaoheng was perfunctory. He had already passed Lu Yuan and went straight to Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin had just returned from the Institute of High Energy Physics and was working on aputer program in his room.

    Huo Shaoheng knocked on his door. ¡°Professor Lu.¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips when he heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice. He turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re here. Where¡¯s Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He didn¡¯t mind. He walked in calmly and sat at Lu Jin¡¯s desk. ¡°Are you familiar with the old madam of the Hong Corporation?¡±

    Lu Jin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why did you ask her? I¡¯m not familiar with her. Boss Lu is more familiar with her.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He nodded and stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go ask Boss Lu.¡±

    He then exchanged a few pleasantries and asked Lu Jin what experiments he had been experimenting with recently.

    Lu Jin did not even turn his head. He waved his hand and said impatiently, ¡°Alright, Alright. You won¡¯t understand even if I tell you. Don¡¯t waste your time with me. Go find boss Lu. He has a good temper and talks a lot of nonsense. He¡¯s most liked by ignorant women and children.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He really couldn¡¯t ept this. He also felt that it hadn¡¯t been easy for Lu Yuan to work with someone like Lu Jin for the past 18 years.

    However, when he walked into the kitchen, Lu Yuan looked back at him with a smile and teased,¡±... I told you toe and help, but you refused. You deserve to take a detour.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t sympathize with Lu Yuan at all.

    It served him right to work with Lu Jin for the past 18 years.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in without looking askance. He had no intention of helping and asked calmly, ¡°Director Lu, are you quite familiar with Old Madam Hong?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s alright. Her Hong Group is currently undergoing restructuring under the guidance of our Lu Grouppany and will continue to seek an overseas listing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 2006, ¡°Pulling out radishes and bringing them out of the mud.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second update of the day. The second update is at 8 pm.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting points that ¡°Heaven¡¯s tent candy¡±tipped the day before yesterday. Thank you for the 10,000 starting points that ¡°Mcmug loves blue¡±tipped yesterday.

    Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)

 Chapter 2007 - Thinking Too Much (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2007: Chapter 2007: Thinking Too Much (second update)</h4>

    Lu Yuan waited for a long time. When he saw that Huo Shaoheng was still silent, he turned around and looked at him in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you continuing to ask?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and leaned his back against the counter. He said calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell me, so what¡¯s the point of me asking?¡±

    He actually didn¡¯t take the bait.

    Lu Yuan looked at him approvingly. ¡°You¡¯re bing more and moreposed. You Don¡¯t even take my words.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°You mean you¡¯re very familiar with Old Mrs. Hong?¡±

    This time, Lu Yuan didn¡¯t keep him in suspense. He nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for old Mrs. Hong either. A woman can support such arge family business. If you can help, help.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had seen how ruthless Lu Yuan was when it came to business. was he really ¡°Happy to help others¡±?

    He had underestimated the ability of ¡°Capitalists¡±to suck blood.

    Huo Shaoheng was nomittal. He didn¡¯t want to pay attention to the operation of the capital either. He asked directly, ¡°Then you¡¯re stealing the Huhu from the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund. Will they sit idly by and wait for death?¡±

    Lu Yuan turned on the electric stove and started cooking. He said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand. In business, harmony makes money. No sessful businessman will fight with others to the end just to gamble.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was keenly aware that lu yuan was referring to ¡°Sessful businessmen.¡±He smiled knowingly.¡±... so all businessmen who gamble to the end have failed?¡±

    ¡°Of course. When ites to business, if you want to take a gamble, you can¡¯t kill 1,000 enemies. If you lose 800 yourself, you have to kill 1,000 enemies and lose 2,000 yourself in order to take revenge.¡±

    ¡°Over time, who have you seen doing business like this and still be able to continue? Naturally, they all went bankrupt.¡±

    Lu Yuan moved very quickly. A te of freshly cut, green, mashed garlic and small, oily cabbage came out of the pot.

    ¡°... you¡¯re saying that because you think Pacific rim private equity will not interfere with your business with the Hong Group?¡±Huo Shaoheng was still unsure of Lu Yuan¡¯s intentions.

    Lu Yuan ced the soup pot on the electromaic stove and said disapprovingly, ¡°Of course they will interfere.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that their business will definitely fail?¡±

    ¡°... you don¡¯t understand.¡±Lu Yuan turned to look at him, he said meaningfully, ¡°I¡¯m certain that they won¡¯t just stand by and do nothing. They¡¯ll definitely interfere with the Lu Corporation and the Hong Corporation. I can tell from their methods.¡±

    ¡°Think about the methods they used to cooperate with the Hong Corporation.¡±

    Huo shaoheng pondered and said, ¡°Their n was to help the Hong Corporation go public first, but in order to gain publicity, they took the risk of viting the intellectual property rights of otherpanies.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°Then, when thepany goes public, this problem will definitely be exposed. When the Hong Group¡¯s stock price drops drastically, they will buy it at a low price, then package it and sell it at a high price.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°But this matter was ruined by Professor Lu and Nianzhi. The Hong Group¡¯s infringement of the intellectual property rights of otherpanies was exposed in advance, and they were unable to sessfully go public.¡±

    ¡°Yes, so they immediately changed their mind and directly asked the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund toe forward and buy the Hong Corporation at a low price.¡±

    ¡°It was at this time that the Lu Corporation stepped forward. Not only did we solve the imminent crisis of the Hong Corporation, but we also gained the trust of Old Madam Hong and were able to take over the overseas listing business from her.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled brightly. The passage of time did not cause him to age. On the contrary, it made him like a jar of old wine that could not be stopped.

    ¡°But the Pacific Rim private equity fund that used underhanded methods...¡±Huo Shaoheng came to a realization. ¡°They won¡¯t let go. But are they taking a gamble, or are they doing it for another reason?¡±

    Lu Yuan gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up in approval. ¡°That¡¯s the right way to think. With their experience and ability, they won¡¯t continue to get involved with the Hong Corporation under normal circumstances.¡±

    ¡°But if they continue to get involved with us, it¡¯s definitely not for a gamble, or for business, but for some other reason.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng then brought up the matter of Narita Yamaguchi.

    ¡°... your guess is very reasonable. I just received news from the Japanese that Narita has the shadow of a Pacific Rim private equity fund behind him.¡±

    Although Lu Yuan was mentally prepared, he was still surprised to hear that Narita had the shadow of a Pacific Rim private equity fund behind him.

    He stared and thought for a long time before saying, ¡°Looks like their goal has already shifted to Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it all for Nianzhi from the start?¡±Huo Shaoheng was used to overthinking things rted to Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡±Lu Yuan said simply. ¡°When do you think we¡¯ll be back? And this Carlyle Company has been in contact with the Hong Corporation for more than a year, giving Guo huining bad ideas.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned, still feeling that something was wrong.¡±... even if we¡¯ve been back for less than two months, Nianzhi didn¡¯t leave a year ago...¡±

    Lu Yuan had been absent from this world for 18 years, so Huo Shaoheng naturally understood gu nianzhi¡¯s situation from the age of 12 to 19.

    Now that he heard what Huo Shaoheng said, he also felt that it made sense.

    ¡°That makes sense. At that time, Nianzhi was still here. If they had started to make ns then, was it really for Nianzhi?¡±Lu Yuan thought about the problem from a business point of view, ¡°But why did they choose the Hong Corporation? The only person the Hong Corporation had any contact with was Hong Ziqi, a young master with mediocre abilities.¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t really think that attacking the Hong Corporation would implicate nianzhi, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even close to Hong Ziqi, so Nianzhi¡¯s rtionship with them is even more distant.¡±

    ¡°So that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also felt that it was a bit far-fetched to think so.

    ¡°Yeah, if their target is nianzhi, why would they choose the Hong Group instead of other organizations and other people?¡±

    He muttered to himself, and Lu Yuan took the opportunity to ask him to help out with the cooking.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind was upied with other things, so he subconsciously followed Lu Yuan¡¯s instructions.

    When Lu Jin was hungry enough toe to the kitchen to find something to eat, he said, ¡°Eh? Boss Lu, are you cking off? Why is Shaoheng Cooking?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the spat in his hand and pursed his lips.

    Lu Yuan hugged a cup of tea and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m tired, I need to rest. Shaoheng respects the old and loves the young, he¡¯s a good role model for us.¡±

    Lu Jin sneered and pointed at Lu Yuan, he ordered the dishes directly. ¡°You¡¯re thezy one. The temperature has dropped today. I want to eat steamed egg with oysters, braisedmb ribs with radishes, and also sea cucumber porridge. Nianzhi can eat these dishes too. It¡¯s best to warm them up in the winter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng only came back to his senses after hearing Lu Jin¡¯s words. He had wanted to put down the spat immediately, but when he heard Lu Jin order the dishes, he remembered that Gu Nianzhi had been busy with work recently and was under a lot of pressure. She seemed to want to take some supplements..

    After dinner, Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It was already past seven.

    Lu Jin and Lu Yuan sat at the dining table and were already drinking red wine.

    Huo Shaoheng picked up his car keys. ¡°I¡¯ll go pick up Nianzhi.¡±

    He didn¡¯t call Gu Nianzhi because he wanted to give her a surprise.

    Actually, Gu Nianzhi also had bodyguards by her side. The Senate¡¯s senior officials had security personnel assigned by rank, and Huo Shaoheng also had the highest level of security ording to her status as Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wife.

    Gu Nianzhi had just finished a meeting with her team of staff members, and had finally settled the procedural issue of suing Narita and Tian Yamaguchi at the news agency.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, everyone. This matter hase to an end, so you don¡¯t have to work overtime for the time being. You can all go back now.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded at everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll report the first-rate overtime pay to everyer.¡±

    The Senate had to approve overtime pay for their staff.

    ¡°Thank you, chief Gu!¡±Hearing that there was a first-ss overtime pay, everyone immediately felt that the hard work was worth it.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her office. She still had onest bit of work to finish.

    Rong Mingxing knocked on the door and smiled. ¡°Chief Gu, shall we go together?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll drive. Where¡¯s Your Car?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive too. I¡¯ll go downstairs with you.¡±Rong mingxing was very understanding and deliberately waited to go downstairs with Gu Nianzhi.

    Although there would be no danger in the parliament building, they were still very cautious and would not leave only one person on the floor.

    Gu Nianzhi also knew her good intentions. The two of them had known each other for a long time.

    She quickly finished her work and looked at the time. It was only seven o¡¯clock.

    The two of them chatted andughed as they walked into the elevator and went downstairs.

    When they came out of the parliament building, the cold air greeted them.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and exhaled a breath of white frost.

    The Dark Blue and quiet night sky was a semi-solidified sapphire color. The sky was full of stars, and it was a rare good weather.

    Her car and Rong Mingxing¡¯s car were not parked in the underground parking lot, but in the open-air parking lot not far from the parliament building.

    The two of them nned to walk over and take a walk.

    At that moment, a car parked on a nearby road suddenly opened its door. Guo Huining got out of the car first, then opened the back door and respectfully helped grandfather Huo out of the back seat.

    ¡°Miss Gu, your future grandfather is here to see you.¡±Guo Huining raised her voice to stop Gu Nianzhi, feeling very happy.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the day: Chapter 2007, ¡°The habit of thinking too much.¡±.

    It was the second watch of the day.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2008 - Using Power to oppress others (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2008: Chapter 2008: Using Power to oppress others (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the source of the sound.

    In front of the street lights of the parliament building, there was a long, silver, ck sedan parked. It looked very low-key, like a Passat.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were sharp. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the front sign of the car. It was not a Passat, but a huiteng.

    The price difference between the two cars was ten times that of the Passat. Huiteng was no longer produced, so the rarer it was, the more expensive it was. In the eyes of car experts, the huiteng, the most expensive model of the old model, had already been hyped to a sky-high price.

    Gu Nianzhi could not tell what kind of model this car was, but she knew it was definitely not cheap. Grandfather Huo was nothing now, but he could actually afford a huiteng..

    She narrowed her eyes and turned around to stand silently under a tree by the side of the road that had already lost all its leaves.

    The streetlights shone through the bare branches, casting a mottled shadow.

    Guo huining helped grandfather Huo Stand by the car for a while. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had no intention ofing over, she coughed awkwardly and said, ¡°Miss Gu, aren¡¯t youing over to meet your future grandfather?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had originally wanted to see what was going on between Guo Huining and grandfather Huo. Seeing her say this, her heart skipped a beat. She took out a pair of sunsses from her bag and put them on, she said inly, ¡°Hello, Can I help you? It¡¯s already past seven in the evening. I just got off work and haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡±

    ¡°In Miss Gu¡¯s heart, having dinner is more important than meeting your future grandfather...¡±Guo Huining clicked her tongue. ¡°We haven¡¯t had dinner yet either. Why don¡¯t we have dinner together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled, she said gently, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. Last Time I went to the Hong Hotel for dinner, Miss Guo kicked me out. You haven¡¯t apologized yet... how could I have the guts to have dinner with Miss Guo? I have a stomachache. I Can¡¯t be angry or hungry.¡±

    Rong mingxing listened from the side for a while before she realized that Gu Nianzhi and Guo Huining had a past.

    She frowned. She hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be kicked out of the hotel during a meal with her current status.

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi inquisitively.

    Gu Nianzhi said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s a long story...¡±

    Guo Huining was even more embarrassed, but she still nodded gracefully for Huo Guanchen¡¯s sake, she said, ¡°Miss Gu, it was my faultst time. I didn¡¯t know you were the chief legal advisor of the Senate. Please be magnanimous and forgive me.¡±

    ¡°Because of what happenedst time, I lost my job and the Hong Corporation is suing me. It was only thanks to old Mr. Huo¡¯s help that the Hong family let me go.¡±

    She sighed and sounded even more aggrieved. ¡°It was just a meal. I came here today to treat you to this meal sincerely and to apologize to you personally.¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could say anything, grandfather Huoughed heartily. ¡°Nianzhi, I know that you and Huining are good girls. We¡¯ll be a family in the future. Even if we don¡¯t fight, we won¡¯t know each other... hahahaha...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. Guo Huining had lost her job. She was the one who had cheated on the Hong Corporation¡¯s electric car project. How did it turn out that it was also because of her meal?

    Of course, if Guo Huining had not humiliated her, Lu Jin would not have studied the Hong Corporation¡¯s electric car. Of course, Guo Huining¡¯s cheating would not have been exposed by him.

    From this perspective, Guo Huining¡¯s loss of job was indeed rted to Gu Nianzhi.

    But she had brought this upon herself.

    It was like a thief entering a prison cell because he had stolen something, and not because a passerby had reported him.

    What was even stranger was that Gu Nianzhi had already known about this. The Hong Corporation had already gone to court, and Guo Huining still treated it as if no one else knew?

    What did she mean by that?

    Just as Gu Nianzhi was pondering Guo Huining¡¯s intentions, Huo Shaoheng walked out from the darkness.

    He came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and naturally held her hand. ¡°It¡¯s sote, why aren¡¯t You Home Yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him. Her dark eyes suddenly lit up, more beautiful than the stars in the night sky.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help smiling and ran his hand through her hair. ¡°It¡¯s cold. Why aren¡¯t you wearing your hat?¡±

    Rong mingxing saw that Huo Shaoheng had arrived and quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi, since Mr. Huo is here, I¡¯ll be leaving first. See You Tomorrow.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°Send me a message when you get back and tell me that I¡¯m home safely.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will.¡±She turned around and waved her hand before leaving quickly.

    Guo Huining did not look at Rong Mingxing. Her gaze was only on the couple standing under the bald tree in front of her.

    The man was tall and straight. His aura should be strong, but it was well restrained. The streetlights reflected on his face, half bright and half dark, but it added an indescribable charm to his handsomeness.

    It made people subconsciously look away, but the face was deeply etched in their minds.

    Any woman who saw him would feel lost..

    Guo Huining looked at him for a while and thought of Huo Guanchen, and her heart grew proud again.

    No matter how good Huo Shaoheng was, he couldn¡¯tpare to Huo Guanchen.

    In her heart, Huo Guanchen was the real dragon and Phoenix among men!

    Grandfather Huo didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to be here, but after waiting for a long time, he still didn¡¯t see him. He felt angry and a little guilty.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng was his grandson, he never put on the airs of a grandfather in front of him.

    Of course, Guo Huining didn¡¯t know this. She looked away and smiled. ¡°Huo Shao is here too. Your grandfather came to see Miss Gu. Why Don¡¯t we go have dinner together? I can also personally apologize to miss gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s toote. I want to go home. Miss Guo, you don¡¯t have to apologize. Take good care of old Mr. Huo. That would be the best apology.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s toote indeed. Since Miss Guo was hired by my father to take care of grandfather, you should work hard and not do your own personal things during working hours.¡±

    Guo Huining was stunned for a moment and quickly exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t. Grandfather Huo had dinner today and wanted to go out for a walk. We drove to the parliament building and happened to see miss gu getting off work.¡±

    ¡°So it was on the way...¡±Gu Nianzhiughed lightly. ¡°I thought he really came to see me. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Take grandfather Huo back quickly. It¡¯s cold, be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng both treated guo huining like a real nanny.

    Guo Huining was furious.

    She was a topw student at B University and had once been an executive of the Hong Corporation. How could she treat her like a real nanny? !

    Besides, she wasn¡¯t a nanny to begin with. She was the housekeeper who helped Huo Guanchen take care of his private house!

    Her expression darkened, and her heart steeled. Her tone became agitated as well. ¡°Miss Gu, You¡¯re now the chief legal advisor of the Senate. Do you really have to use your power to oppress others? !¡±She helped grandfather Huo into the car through the back door.

    The car door mmed shut and quickly disappeared.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in shock at the ck glow in the distance and said in surprise, ¡°There¡¯s a driver in the car?¡±

    The car¡¯s windows were too dark, and it was night time. Neither of them realized that there was a driver in the car.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and pulled gu nianzhi into his car. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. So what if there¡¯s a driver? There are so many security guards around you, and they still dare to harm you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nced at him. ¡°No matter how many security guards there are, they¡¯re not as good as you, Huo Shao!¡±

    Back at Song Jinning¡¯s apartment, Gu Nianzhi mentioned that Guo huining had taken grandfather Huo to the parliament building. Lu Jin immediately said, ¡°Is she looking for trouble again?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan calmly scooped a bowl of Soup for gu nianzhi and said, ¡°We¡¯re investigating the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund. The person behind Guo Huining is also this Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re Amazing!¡±

    She was relieved. After eating, she followed Huo Shaoheng back to his official residence to wash up and go to bed.

    When she woke up the next morning, she realized that she had really underestimated her enemy.

    Because overnight, there was a three-minute video that had been crazily forwarded online.

    It was said that it was Gu Nianzhi, the chief legal advisor of the Senate who had be very popr recently!

    She used her power to pressure people, because a meal forced b university students to lose their jobs, can only do for her fianc¨¦¡¯s family nanny!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: Chapter 2008, ¡°Power over men.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch today. The second watch is at eight o¡¯clock at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2009 - bullying (2nd update)

    <h4>Chapter 2009: Chapter 2009 bullying (2nd update)</h4>

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too scary? ! Just because she needed to reserve a seat and asked her to leave, she went crazy and made her lose her job? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if she lost her job, but what¡¯s even scarier is that she even forced her to go to her fianc¨¦¡¯s house to be a nanny? !¡±

    ¡°Really? Who is chief Gu¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡±

    ¡°Who else? You Don¡¯t even know that? The H Family!¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu¡¯s fianc¨¦, HSH, is the son of General HGC, the head of the Political Department of the military headquarters. Her fianc¨¦¡¯s family, of course, is the famous H Family!¡±

    ¡°F * ck! Upstairs, can you straighten your tongue and speak? ! What HSH, HGC! Who is the H Family? !¡±

    ¡°I hate it when you have to use letters instead of words to leak information. You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t act Cool!¡±

    The crowd was in a heated discussion. Some of them were taciturn towards the H family mentioned in the video, while others couldn¡¯t guess and were crying for information.

    Just as everyone was trying to guess who the H family was, someone dug up the video of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s engagement in Russia hosted by President Putin.

    ¡°... Let¡¯s take a look. Don¡¯t miss out on the big scoop! Chief Gu¡¯s fianc¨¦¡¯s family has revealed the secret!¡±

    Theizens were in an uproar.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Huo family! TSK, didn¡¯t we already know? !¡±

    ¡°Heehee, I thought chief Gu had remarried...¡±

    ¡°Thementer upstairs is such a bitch. Chief Gu isn¡¯t married, divorced, or dead. What¡¯s the point of remarrying? ! Don¡¯t you know how to Talk? !¡±

    Just as the group of people quickly chose to stand aside, thinking that they were speaking up for the underdog, ¡°Miss Guo,¡±the poprity that Gu Nianzhi had built up on the inte also took effect.

    ¡°This video is too obvious. I don¡¯t believe that my wife would be so low-key!¡±This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s husband¡¯s fan.

    ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s pitch ck, and the resolution of the video is low. It looks like it¡¯s already dark! It¡¯s the middle of the night, and I, chief Gu, just got off work!¡±

    ¡°My Heart Aches for Chief Gu... Not only does he have to work overtime every day, but he also has to deal with this kind of evil person!¡±

    ¡°He keeps saying that he came to ask for forgiveness, but then he turns around and says that he was forced to be a nanny!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that with Miss Guo¡¯s ability, she can post a video online to criticize Chief Gu, and even be forced to be a nanny!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! and chief Gu isn¡¯t married yet! How is it chief Gu¡¯s fault that Miss Guo went to H¡¯s house to be a nanny? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi woke up in the morning and saw the trending videos. She immediately understood.

    She had indeed set up a trapst night.

    No wonder the driver in the car hadn¡¯te down. It turned out that he was hiding in the car to take videos!

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she was about to explode.

    This was because she was certain that with her current status and status, she wouldn¡¯t be able to personally go down and fight. That was why she had dared to openly call a deer a horse!

    However, she really couldn¡¯t personally go down and fight now. Even if she used an alias, it would give the other party an opportunity to take advantage of her.

    Perhaps the person who had set the trap was waiting for her to make a move.

    To be honest, under normal circumstances, they wouldn¡¯t pay attention to such things. When everyone¡¯s excitement had subsided, they would naturally disperse.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was not the kind of person who would sit around and wait for death.

    She browsed through the online war of words that had quickly erupted, and her mood improved slightly.

    Someone had spoken up for her after all.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up slightly. She put her phone back on the bedside table and got up to wash up.

    By the time she went to the dining room for breakfast, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had already eaten.

    ¡°Good morning, Brother Xiong. Good morning, brother Ze.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down across from them with a smile.

    Zhao liangze was browsing his phone as he ate his breakfast. He said without looking up, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re so amazing. Why didn¡¯t You ¡®force¡¯her toe here and be our nanny? Ah Ke needs a nanny.¡±

    Ah Ke, who was chewing on a bone under the dining table, heard his name and immediately raised his head to listen. He barked twice.

    Yin Shixiong burst outughing and patted Ah Ke¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Eat your food.¡±

    Ah Ke turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi and walked over to rub Gu Nianzhi¡¯s leg.

    Gu Nianzhi half-squatted with a smile and also rubbed the short-legged little Corgi¡¯s head. ¡°Ah Ke, you¡¯re so bad. You rubbed my fur so early in the morning!¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem to take it seriously.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other and smiled.

    ¡°Nianzhi, do you need our help?¡±Zhao Liangze asked with a smile. ¡°Although it¡¯s just a small matter, the buzzing of the flies is also annoying.¡±

    ¡°No need. This kind of thing can be easily exposed. Guo Huining¡¯s actions have been on the inte for a long time. They just suddenly used a specially edited video to shock the rhythm and mislead the goldfishizens who only have seven seconds of memory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke calmly, but in fact, she was still angry.

    She gripped her knife and fork with hatred and poked them on the ice-jade-like te. ¡°If I didn¡¯t cause trouble for Guo Huining, she would have been hiding andughing! How dare she provoke me again and again!¡±

    ¡°But the angle she found was tricky enough. She was forced to be a nanny... people who don¡¯t know what happened must have felt the same way when they saw her...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked in at this time.

    He had just returned from his morning exercise and still carried the cold air outside.

    He bent down to kiss Gu Nianzhi on the head and said gently, ¡°Good Morning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi naturally tilted her head and kissed Huo Shaoheng on the cheek. ¡°Good morning, Huo Shao.¡±

    The intimacy was unnoticeable and natural.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, who were opposite each other, cried out at the same time,¡±... no dog food!¡±

    The short-legged little corgi under the dining table pricked up its ears and perked up. It wanted to see where the dog food was!

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of it, and the grievance in her heart immediately disappeared. She copsed onto the dining table with a smile.

    ¡°Ah Ke, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take you out for a walk after breakfast!¡±

    Ah Ke was delighted and immediately squatted down beside Gu Nianzhi, waiting to go out for a walk with her.

    Gu Nianzhi had said to go for a walk, but it was just a walk. She had toe back to pack her things and get ready for work.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down beside her and said casually, ¡°We also have a video of what happened yesterday. It¡¯s already been sent to your mailbox.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed and turned her head to ask intimately, ¡°Really? ! You recorded a video too? Was It Before You Came Out Yesterday? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say anything.

    The special operations forces¡¯ability to operate in the country was severely limited. In order to deal with the endless inquiries from the Senate and cab, they had adopted a new code of conduct.

    It was to carry aw enforcement monitor with them at all times. If there was an emergency, they had to immediately turn on the monitor.

    Seeing theplete video, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s angerpletely disappeared.

    Not long after, Old Mrs. Hong personally sent her a text message telling her that she would help her dispel the rumors.

    This was a pleasant surprise.

    Gu nianzhi quickly replied with a ¡°Thank you¡±and excitedly waved old Mrs. Hong¡¯s text message in front of Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze. She proudly said, ¡°Look at what it means to have a lot of help when you¡¯re right, but not when you¡¯re wrong!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, who had originally wanted tofort her, had mixed feelings.

    It was like finding out that their child had suddenly grown up and could take care of himself. There was a mixture of joy and relief, but also disappointment and depression.

    ..

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi put the dishes back into the kitchen and whistled. Little Ah Ke jumped up and followed her out for a walk.

    Just as they walked past the path in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, a member of the special operations forces jogged over and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Gu, someone saw what happenedst night. Do you want us toe out and be passers-by?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi broke into a wide smile. ¡°No need. I think someone is more anxious than I am.¡±

    She had been thinking about the hot topic during breakfast, and now she had thought it through.

    The other party had released an edited video with a clear rhythm, but its influence on her was actually limited.

    Moreover, she was a member of the Senate and was different from other departments.

    So this time, the other party¡¯s target seemed to be her, but it was actually someone else.

    This person was, of course, the ¡°Fianc¨¦¡¯s house¡±that was insinuated in the rhythm of the Inte, which was Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house.

    Guo Huining was in the same position as Huo Guanchen¡¯s housekeeper in his private house.

    She then analyzed the hot news and the truth revealed in the video in the following order.

    A. It was true that she had a conflict with Gu Nianzhi.

    B. It was true that she had lost her job because her conflict with Gu Nianzhi had been exposed as a fraud.

    C. It was also true that she had lost her job and worked as Huo Guanchen¡¯s housekeeper.

    However, in this line of logic, there were many articles that could be written about the reason why Guo Huining had gone from A to C.

    The hot topics, videos, and videos captured the people¡¯s habitual imagination of the weak and pushed the me from A to C directly onto Gu Nianzhi.

    The person who could help gu nianzhi ¡°Do whatever she wants¡±was the biggest ¡°Culprit¡±¨C Huo Guanchen.

    What was he trying to do?

    ..

    While Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought, Lu Jin had also seen the revtions and videos.

    He was instantly furious. ¡°Guo Huining isn¡¯t looking for trouble! She¡¯s looking for death!¡±

    Lu Jin immediately took out his phone, wanting to teach Guo Huining a lesson.

    Fortunately, Lu Yuan stopped him in time. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do such a small thing. Old Madam Hong has just contacted me and wille forward to help nian zhi dispel the rumors.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 2009, ¡°Doing whatever you want¡±.

    It was the second update today.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2010 - the fast and accurate â€œRefuting rumorsâ€(the first recommendation ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2010: Chapter 2010: the fast and urate ¡°Refuting rumors¡±(the first rmendation ticket)</h4>

    ¡°Really?¡±Lu Jin red at Lu Yuan. ¡°She said refuting rumors? When will she refute the rumors? Let me tell you, refuting rumors online must be fast and urate, otherwise it¡¯s useless!¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t think so much. He paused, picked up his phone, and got up. He went to his room to call old Madam Hong.

    Old Madam Hong had already gotten up and was discussing with her secretary how to dispel the rumors on the inte.

    Seeing that Lu Yuan had called, she quickly picked up the call and said with a smile, ¡°Is that Lu Yuan? I¡¯m preparing to dispel the rumors. I¡¯ll be able to post it on the Inte soon.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°I was just about to remind you that you must dispel the rumors on the inte quickly. Otherwise, it won¡¯t have the effect it should have.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m working on the wording. It¡¯ll be posted soon,¡±old madam Hong agreed readily. She nned to post thewyer¡¯s letter to dispel rumors online as soon as possible.

    The Hong Corporation was a bigpany. It had its own way of doing things.

    Old Madam Hong had to go through the proper channels again. The procedures werepleted one by one. Therefore, thewyer¡¯s letter to dispel rumors was almost done in the afternoon, but it was still not ready.

    Lu Jin was in the Institute of High Energy Physics for all his sses today, but he was absent-minded and had not been in the mood to work all day. He had been waiting for Old Mrs. Hong¡¯s letter to refute the rumors, but he had not received it even after waiting for a whole day.

    He was thoroughly enraged. He called Lu Yuan directly from Song Jinning¡¯s office. ¡°Where¡¯s the letter to refute the rumors? ! Look at how it¡¯s been spread online!¡±

    After a day of ferment and the involvement of professional inte trolls, those who supported Gu Nianzhi were shaken.

    What was going on?

    Why didn¡¯t chief gue out to say something?

    Gu Nianzhi simply didn¡¯t care.

    She was so busy that she wished she had three heads and six arms. One Hour was two hours, so since Old Madam Hong had said she would personally refute the rumor, she didn¡¯t take it to heart.

    After another day of meetings at the Parliament Building, the process of suing Chengtian Shan¡¯s news organization at the International Intellectual Property Arbitration Court had finally been finalized.

    In the meeting room, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s team was very excited.

    They were all young people in their twenties to thirties. Each of them was older than Gu Nianzhi, by several years.

    But no one looked down on her.

    She had won the trust and obedience of her colleagues with her work ability and style.

    After the day¡¯s work had finallye to an end, Gu Nianzhi rubbed the back of her neck, straightened her legs, and picked up her phone to take a break from surfing the inte.

    The moment she opened social media, she was flooded with news about the video.

    The focus was still on Gu Nianzhi.

    People were constantly saying that she was cold and unapproachable, that she couldn¡¯t tolerate the sand in her eyes, and that she would seek revenge for the smallest grievance.

    Whoever offended her, she would punish them to death.

    At the same time, there was a dark thread that pointed directly at the mysterious HGC.

    In the reposts and replies, although HGC wasn¡¯t mentioned much, his presence was strong and caused the most controversy.

    His identity, background, military rank, and position were all circted in secret.

    Some people said that he was very powerful and cared for his family.

    He loved his only son very much, so he loved his son¡¯s fiancee very much.

    When he found out that his son¡¯s fiancee had gotten into an argument with someone at the hotel, he did not hesitate to intervene and put pressure on the Hong Corporation to fire ¡°Miss Guo.¡±.

    In order to avenge gu nianzhi, he forced ¡°Miss Guo¡±toe to his house as a nanny and take care of his father, who had just woken up from a vegetative state, which was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s future grandfather.

    HGC was like a real-life version of a domineering high-ranking CEO, except that they were not very friendly to the weak ¡°Miss Guo.¡±.

    However, he was unconditionally good to his family. This alone was enough to make many people yearn for him.

    Because deep down, many people wished that they had such a family. Not only did he have a high position and power, he was rich and powerful, and he could help his family without reason.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the reposts and replies one by one, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

    As she had expected, this video was clearly disparaging her, but secretly praising Huo Guanchen.

    Even though Huo Guanchen appeared as a ¡°Negative¡±image, he did appear as a very good ¡°Negative¡±image.

    However, Huo Guanchen¡¯s identity and status determined that he could not be an ¡°Inte celebrity¡±, and he could not be the focus of public opinion.

    A Day had passed, and several big shots in the military headquarters were very dissatisfied with Huo Guanchen.

    In the evening, General Ji called him into the conference room, he said unhappily, ¡°Director Huo, this was originally your family matter, and we had no control over it. But look at how it¡¯s being spread now! Don¡¯t you n to solve this problem?¡±

    Huo guanchen frowned and said, ¡°Those who are clear about the matter are clear about it, and those who are unclean are unclean. I can¡¯t just strangle these people and not let them speak, can I?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t not let them speak, but shouldn¡¯t you solve the problem?¡±Speaker Long had alsoe to the military headquarters because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s matter.

    He had originally wanted to talk to Huo Guanchen directly about this matter, but General Ji said that he was also displeased, so the few of them simply found a conference room and called Huo Guanchen over.

    In front of this group of people, Huo Guanchen could only stand and listen to the lecture.

    ¡°General Huo, as elder Ji said just now, this is your family¡¯s matter and it¡¯s not for outsiders to interfere. However, this matter involves my chief legal advisor. Do you intend to do nothing and let others nder her?¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s face was solemn, and he knocked on the conference table unhappily.

    ¡°I won¡¯t talk about her personal rtionship with your family. Just from a business standpoint, you should protect her and not let her be judged by others in public!¡±

    Huo Guanchen listened to the big shots¡¯tantrums with a calm expression. He then nodded and said, ¡°What the leaders say makes sense. I will handle this matter carefully.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned to speaker long, he said, ¡°Speaker long, actually, we have all seen how you have nurtured nianzhi. ¡°She will be able to gain a foothold in the Senate in the future, and these things will happen sooner orter. It¡¯s better to let her handle it and see if she can turn the tide of public opinion.¡±

    ¡°Bullsh * T!¡±Speaker long could not help but swear.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face darkened.

    He was already in his fifties, but he was actually being scolded by speaker long in front of these big shots. He was also a little angry.

    Speaker Long was so angry that he blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Then he quickly added, ¡°General Huo, this is very simple. It has to do with the nanny you hired. Why did you ask her to be your nanny? You Can¡¯t hire anyone else, can you? It has to be her?¡±

    This round of online videos and revtions mainly meant that Guo Huining had offended Gu Nianzhi and had been forced by her to be her fianc¨¦¡¯s nanny.

    Guo Huining was also a topw student at B University and had once been an executive of argepany. It was indeed unjustifiable for a person like her to lose everything because of a small mistake.

    Huo Guanchen said in a low voice, ¡°This is not what everyone thinks. I asked Miss Guo this morning and she said she would look into it and find out what is going on.¡±

    ¡°... Don¡¯t tell me that this has nothing to do with her!¡±Speaker Long was such a cultured person, and he was about to fly into a rage. ¡°Why do you trust her so much? !¡±

    Huo Guanchen lowered his eyes and said with a bitter smile, ¡°My father was able to wake up from his vegetative state thanks to her helping us contact the doctor. Just This alone, I can¡¯t sit idly by and ignore her suffering.¡±

    Speaker long stared at him for a long time, not knowing what to say.

    After a long while, he snorted and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be a filial son!¡±

    Huo Guanchen took a deep breath and said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ll go and have a good talk with Miss Guo.¡±

    ¡°This matter better not have anything to do with her. Otherwise, HMPH!¡±Speaker long sat down with a red face and red at Huo Guanchen. ¡°If she still pretends to be fine, I don¡¯t mind teaching her a lesson!¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded and was about to turn around to leave when his personal secretary rushed over and said, ¡°There¡¯s new news on the Inte!¡±

    Huo Guanchen:¡±...¡±

    ¡°What News?¡±

    His personal secretary said in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Guo! She posted a video to refute the rumors!¡±

    The Big Boss in the meeting room:¡±...¡±

    Huo Guanchen turned on the television screen in the meeting room. In the news channel, the video of Guo Huining¡¯s selfie was ying.

    She had a ponytail and very light makeup on her face. The effect of her makeup was barely noticeable. Ordinary people, especially straight men, would not be able to tell.

    She was wearing a light gray, heavy silk shirt. She was simple and capable. She had her sleeves rolled up. She did not have any jewelry. On her left wrist, she wore a jiangshi Denton watch.

    The first impression she gave people was very good. She was apletely different person from the Guo huining who liked to stack herself up with famous brands. She spoke and acted aggressively.

    She smiled apologetically and spoke slowly.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Guo Huining. I¡¯m one of the parties involved in the video that has been circting on the Inte fromst night to today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting. I would like to issue the following statements.¡±

    ¡°First, I would like to warn the person who secretly took the video. Your actions have already vited the privacy rights of me, my employer, and Miss Gu. Please stop the infringement immediately and delete the false video on the entire Inte.¡±

    ¡°Two,st night, I only went for a drive near the parliament building with my employer. I bumped into miss gu and wanted to treat her to a meal. I also wanted to personally apologize to her.¡±

    ¡°Three, in the past, I acted carelessly and recklessly. It was my fault for offending Miss Gu. I solemnly apologize to Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Four, I left the Hong Corporation for personal reasons. It has nothing to do with Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Fifthly, I¡¯m currently at a friend¡¯s house helping him take care of his father, who has just recovered from a long illness. I was not forced by Miss Gu to go to her fianc¨¦¡¯s house to be a nanny. Please don¡¯t believe the rumors.¡±

    ¡°Sixthly, I want to say onest point. My employer is a very kind and considerate person. He reached out his hands at the most difficult and helpless moment to save me from the fire and water.¡±

    ¡°I have received thousands of years of kindness from others. Our statuses are very different. There is nothing I can do to help him. I am the one who volunteered to help him take care of his father.¡±

    ¡°I hope that everyone will not nder him, and do not use any harsh words to analyze him.¡±

    ¡°He is the most outstanding, generous, and kind man I have ever met in my life. He is the person who should not be involved in this. I hope that everyone can give him a little tolerance and understanding, and do not mention him again.¡±

    ¡°I can not let the people who help me suffer. If so, who will reach out to help those unfortunate weaklings who are in danger in the future?¡±

    ¡°Please be more tolerant!¡±

    ¡°If you want to scold me, please scold me. I am wrong, I am guilty, and I will bear all the consequences.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: chapter 2010, ¡°Quick and urate ¡°Refute rumors.¡±.

    It¡¯s Monday again. I¡¯m Looking for a round of rmendation tickets

    It seems to be the end of the month too? It passed so quickly. As usual, I¡¯m looking for a round of monthly tickets.

    It¡¯s the second update of the day. The second update is at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 2008 - Using Power to oppress others (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2008: Chapter 2008: Using Power to oppress others (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the source of the sound.

    In front of the street lights of the parliament building, there was a long, silver, ck sedan parked. It looked very low-key, like a Passat.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were sharp. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the front sign of the car. It was not a Passat, but a huiteng.

    The price difference between the two cars was ten times that of the Passat. Huiteng was no longer produced, so the rarer it was, the more expensive it was. In the eyes of car experts, the huiteng, the most expensive model of the old model, had already been hyped to a sky-high price.

    Gu Nianzhi could not tell what kind of model this car was, but she knew it was definitely not cheap. Grandfather Huo was nothing now, but he could actually afford a huiteng..

    She narrowed her eyes and turned around to stand silently under a tree by the side of the road that had already lost all its leaves.

    The streetlights shone through the bare branches, casting a mottled shadow.

    Guo huining helped grandfather Huo Stand by the car for a while. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had no intention ofing over, she coughed awkwardly and said, ¡°Miss Gu, aren¡¯t youing over to meet your future grandfather?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had originally wanted to see what was going on between Guo Huining and grandfather Huo. Seeing her say this, her heart skipped a beat. She took out a pair of sunsses from her bag and put them on, she said inly, ¡°Hello, Can I help you? It¡¯s already past seven in the evening. I just got off work and haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡±

    ¡°In Miss Gu¡¯s heart, having dinner is more important than meeting your future grandfather...¡±Guo Huining clicked her tongue. ¡°We haven¡¯t had dinner yet either. Why don¡¯t we have dinner together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled, she said gently, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. Last Time I went to the Hong Hotel for dinner, Miss Guo kicked me out. You haven¡¯t apologized yet... how could I have the guts to have dinner with Miss Guo? I have a stomachache. I Can¡¯t be angry or hungry.¡±

    Rong mingxing listened from the side for a while before she realized that Gu Nianzhi and Guo Huining had a past.

    She frowned. She hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to be kicked out of the hotel during a meal with her current status.

    She looked at Gu Nianzhi inquisitively.

    Gu Nianzhi said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s a long story...¡±

    Guo Huining was even more embarrassed, but she still nodded gracefully for Huo Guanchen¡¯s sake, she said, ¡°Miss Gu, it was my faultst time. I didn¡¯t know you were the chief legal advisor of the Senate. Please be magnanimous and forgive me.¡±

    ¡°Because of what happenedst time, I lost my job and the Hong Corporation is suing me. It was only thanks to old Mr. Huo¡¯s help that the Hong family let me go.¡±

    She sighed and sounded even more aggrieved. ¡°It was just a meal. I came here today to treat you to this meal sincerely and to apologize to you personally.¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could say anything, grandfather Huoughed heartily. ¡°Nianzhi, I know that you and Huining are good girls. We¡¯ll be a family in the future. Even if we don¡¯t fight, we won¡¯t know each other... hahahaha...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. Guo Huining had lost her job. She was the one who had cheated on the Hong Corporation¡¯s electric car project. How did it turn out that it was also because of her meal?

    Of course, if Guo Huining had not humiliated her, Lu Jin would not have studied the Hong Corporation¡¯s electric car. Of course, Guo Huining¡¯s cheating would not have been exposed by him.

    From this perspective, Guo Huining¡¯s loss of job was indeed rted to Gu Nianzhi.

    But she had brought this upon herself.

    It was like a thief entering a prison cell because he had stolen something, and not because a passerby had reported him.

    What was even stranger was that Gu Nianzhi had already known about this. The Hong Corporation had already gone to court, and Guo Huining still treated it as if no one else knew?

    What did she mean by that?

    Just as Gu Nianzhi was pondering Guo Huining¡¯s intentions, Huo Shaoheng walked out from the darkness.

    He came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and naturally held her hand. ¡°It¡¯s sote, why aren¡¯t You Home Yet?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up at him. Her dark eyes suddenly lit up, more beautiful than the stars in the night sky.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help smiling and ran his hand through her hair. ¡°It¡¯s cold. Why aren¡¯t you wearing your hat?¡±

    Rong mingxing saw that Huo Shaoheng had arrived and quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi, since Mr. Huo is here, I¡¯ll be leaving first. See You Tomorrow.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°Send me a message when you get back and tell me that I¡¯m home safely.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will.¡±She turned around and waved her hand before leaving quickly.

    Guo Huining did not look at Rong Mingxing. Her gaze was only on the couple standing under the bald tree in front of her.

    The man was tall and straight. His aura should be strong, but it was well restrained. The streetlights reflected on his face, half bright and half dark, but it added an indescribable charm to his handsomeness.

    It made people subconsciously look away, but the face was deeply etched in their minds.

    Any woman who saw him would feel lost..

    Guo Huining looked at him for a while and thought of Huo Guanchen, and her heart grew proud again.

    No matter how good Huo Shaoheng was, he couldn¡¯tpare to Huo Guanchen.

    In her heart, Huo Guanchen was the real dragon and Phoenix among men!

    Grandfather Huo didn¡¯t expect Huo Shaoheng to be here, but after waiting for a long time, he still didn¡¯t see him. He felt angry and a little guilty.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng was his grandson, he never put on the airs of a grandfather in front of him.

    Of course, Guo Huining didn¡¯t know this. She looked away and smiled. ¡°Huo Shao is here too. Your grandfather came to see Miss Gu. Why Don¡¯t we go have dinner together? I can also personally apologize to miss gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s toote. I want to go home. Miss Guo, you don¡¯t have to apologize. Take good care of old Mr. Huo. That would be the best apology.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s toote indeed. Since Miss Guo was hired by my father to take care of grandfather, you should work hard and not do your own personal things during working hours.¡±

    Guo Huining was stunned for a moment and quickly exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t. Grandfather Huo had dinner today and wanted to go out for a walk. We drove to the parliament building and happened to see miss gu getting off work.¡±

    ¡°So it was on the way...¡±Gu Nianzhiughed lightly. ¡°I thought he really came to see me. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Take grandfather Huo back quickly. It¡¯s cold, be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng both treated guo huining like a real nanny.

    Guo Huining was furious.

    She was a topw student at B University and had once been an executive of the Hong Corporation. How could she treat her like a real nanny? !

    Besides, she wasn¡¯t a nanny to begin with. She was the housekeeper who helped Huo Guanchen take care of his private house!

    Her expression darkened, and her heart steeled. Her tone became agitated as well. ¡°Miss Gu, You¡¯re now the chief legal advisor of the Senate. Do you really have to use your power to oppress others? !¡±She helped grandfather Huo into the car through the back door.

    The car door mmed shut and quickly disappeared.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in shock at the ck glow in the distance and said in surprise, ¡°There¡¯s a driver in the car?¡±

    The car¡¯s windows were too dark, and it was night time. Neither of them realized that there was a driver in the car.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and pulled gu nianzhi into his car. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. So what if there¡¯s a driver? There are so many security guards around you, and they still dare to harm you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nced at him. ¡°No matter how many security guards there are, they¡¯re not as good as you, Huo Shao!¡±

    Back at Song Jinning¡¯s apartment, Gu Nianzhi mentioned that Guo huining had taken grandfather Huo to the parliament building. Lu Jin immediately said, ¡°Is she looking for trouble again?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan calmly scooped a bowl of Soup for gu nianzhi and said, ¡°We¡¯re investigating the Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund. The person behind Guo Huining is also this Pacific Rim Private Equity Fund.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re Amazing!¡±

    She was relieved. After eating, she followed Huo Shaoheng back to his official residence to wash up and go to bed.

    When she woke up the next morning, she realized that she had really underestimated her enemy.

    Because overnight, there was a three-minute video that had been crazily forwarded online.

    It was said that it was Gu Nianzhi, the chief legal advisor of the Senate who had be very popr recently!

    She used her power to pressure people, because a meal forced b university students to lose their jobs, can only do for her fianc¨¦¡¯s family nanny!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: Chapter 2008, ¡°Power over men.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch today. The second watch is at eight o¡¯clock at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2009 - bullying (2nd update)

    <h4>Chapter 2009: Chapter 2009 bullying (2nd update)</h4>

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too scary? ! Just because she needed to reserve a seat and asked her to leave, she went crazy and made her lose her job? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if she lost her job, but what¡¯s even scarier is that she even forced her to go to her fianc¨¦¡¯s house to be a nanny? !¡±

    ¡°Really? Who is chief Gu¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡±

    ¡°Who else? You Don¡¯t even know that? The H Family!¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu¡¯s fianc¨¦, HSH, is the son of General HGC, the head of the Political Department of the military headquarters. Her fianc¨¦¡¯s family, of course, is the famous H Family!¡±

    ¡°F * ck! Upstairs, can you straighten your tongue and speak? ! What HSH, HGC! Who is the H Family? !¡±

    ¡°I hate it when you have to use letters instead of words to leak information. You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t act Cool!¡±

    The crowd was in a heated discussion. Some of them were taciturn towards the H family mentioned in the video, while others couldn¡¯t guess and were crying for information.

    Just as everyone was trying to guess who the H family was, someone dug up the video of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s engagement in Russia hosted by President Putin.

    ¡°... Let¡¯s take a look. Don¡¯t miss out on the big scoop! Chief Gu¡¯s fianc¨¦¡¯s family has revealed the secret!¡±

    Theizens were in an uproar.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Huo family! TSK, didn¡¯t we already know? !¡±

    ¡°Heehee, I thought chief Gu had remarried...¡±

    ¡°Thementer upstairs is such a bitch. Chief Gu isn¡¯t married, divorced, or dead. What¡¯s the point of remarrying? ! Don¡¯t you know how to Talk? !¡±

    Just as the group of people quickly chose to stand aside, thinking that they were speaking up for the underdog, ¡°Miss Guo,¡±the poprity that Gu Nianzhi had built up on the inte also took effect.

    ¡°This video is too obvious. I don¡¯t believe that my wife would be so low-key!¡±This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s husband¡¯s fan.

    ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s pitch ck, and the resolution of the video is low. It looks like it¡¯s already dark! It¡¯s the middle of the night, and I, chief Gu, just got off work!¡±

    ¡°My Heart Aches for Chief Gu... Not only does he have to work overtime every day, but he also has to deal with this kind of evil person!¡±

    ¡°He keeps saying that he came to ask for forgiveness, but then he turns around and says that he was forced to be a nanny!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that with Miss Guo¡¯s ability, she can post a video online to criticize Chief Gu, and even be forced to be a nanny!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! and chief Gu isn¡¯t married yet! How is it chief Gu¡¯s fault that Miss Guo went to H¡¯s house to be a nanny? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi woke up in the morning and saw the trending videos. She immediately understood.

    She had indeed set up a trapst night.

    No wonder the driver in the car hadn¡¯te down. It turned out that he was hiding in the car to take videos!

    Gu Nianzhi was so angry that she was about to explode.

    This was because she was certain that with her current status and status, she wouldn¡¯t be able to personally go down and fight. That was why she had dared to openly call a deer a horse!

    However, she really couldn¡¯t personally go down and fight now. Even if she used an alias, it would give the other party an opportunity to take advantage of her.

    Perhaps the person who had set the trap was waiting for her to make a move.

    To be honest, under normal circumstances, they wouldn¡¯t pay attention to such things. When everyone¡¯s excitement had subsided, they would naturally disperse.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was not the kind of person who would sit around and wait for death.

    She browsed through the online war of words that had quickly erupted, and her mood improved slightly.

    Someone had spoken up for her after all.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up slightly. She put her phone back on the bedside table and got up to wash up.

    By the time she went to the dining room for breakfast, Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze had already eaten.

    ¡°Good morning, Brother Xiong. Good morning, brother Ze.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat down across from them with a smile.

    Zhao liangze was browsing his phone as he ate his breakfast. He said without looking up, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re so amazing. Why didn¡¯t You ¡®force¡¯her toe here and be our nanny? Ah Ke needs a nanny.¡±

    Ah Ke, who was chewing on a bone under the dining table, heard his name and immediately raised his head to listen. He barked twice.

    Yin Shixiong burst outughing and patted Ah Ke¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Eat your food.¡±

    Ah Ke turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi and walked over to rub Gu Nianzhi¡¯s leg.

    Gu Nianzhi half-squatted with a smile and also rubbed the short-legged little Corgi¡¯s head. ¡°Ah Ke, you¡¯re so bad. You rubbed my fur so early in the morning!¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem to take it seriously.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other and smiled.

    ¡°Nianzhi, do you need our help?¡±Zhao Liangze asked with a smile. ¡°Although it¡¯s just a small matter, the buzzing of the flies is also annoying.¡±

    ¡°No need. This kind of thing can be easily exposed. Guo Huining¡¯s actions have been on the inte for a long time. They just suddenly used a specially edited video to shock the rhythm and mislead the goldfishizens who only have seven seconds of memory.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spoke calmly, but in fact, she was still angry.

    She gripped her knife and fork with hatred and poked them on the ice-jade-like te. ¡°If I didn¡¯t cause trouble for Guo Huining, she would have been hiding andughing! How dare she provoke me again and again!¡±

    ¡°But the angle she found was tricky enough. She was forced to be a nanny... people who don¡¯t know what happened must have felt the same way when they saw her...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked in at this time.

    He had just returned from his morning exercise and still carried the cold air outside.

    He bent down to kiss Gu Nianzhi on the head and said gently, ¡°Good Morning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi naturally tilted her head and kissed Huo Shaoheng on the cheek. ¡°Good morning, Huo Shao.¡±

    The intimacy was unnoticeable and natural.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, who were opposite each other, cried out at the same time,¡±... no dog food!¡±

    The short-legged little corgi under the dining table pricked up its ears and perked up. It wanted to see where the dog food was!

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of it, and the grievance in her heart immediately disappeared. She copsed onto the dining table with a smile.

    ¡°Ah Ke, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take you out for a walk after breakfast!¡±

    Ah Ke was delighted and immediately squatted down beside Gu Nianzhi, waiting to go out for a walk with her.

    Gu Nianzhi had said to go for a walk, but it was just a walk. She had toe back to pack her things and get ready for work.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down beside her and said casually, ¡°We also have a video of what happened yesterday. It¡¯s already been sent to your mailbox.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed and turned her head to ask intimately, ¡°Really? ! You recorded a video too? Was It Before You Came Out Yesterday? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say anything.

    The special operations forces¡¯ability to operate in the country was severely limited. In order to deal with the endless inquiries from the Senate and cab, they had adopted a new code of conduct.

    It was to carry aw enforcement monitor with them at all times. If there was an emergency, they had to immediately turn on the monitor.

    Seeing theplete video, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s angerpletely disappeared.

    Not long after, Old Mrs. Hong personally sent her a text message telling her that she would help her dispel the rumors.

    This was a pleasant surprise.

    Gu nianzhi quickly replied with a ¡°Thank you¡±and excitedly waved old Mrs. Hong¡¯s text message in front of Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze. She proudly said, ¡°Look at what it means to have a lot of help when you¡¯re right, but not when you¡¯re wrong!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, who had originally wanted tofort her, had mixed feelings.

    It was like finding out that their child had suddenly grown up and could take care of himself. There was a mixture of joy and relief, but also disappointment and depression.

    ..

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi put the dishes back into the kitchen and whistled. Little Ah Ke jumped up and followed her out for a walk.

    Just as they walked past the path in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, a member of the special operations forces jogged over and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Gu, someone saw what happenedst night. Do you want us toe out and be passers-by?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi broke into a wide smile. ¡°No need. I think someone is more anxious than I am.¡±

    She had been thinking about the hot topic during breakfast, and now she had thought it through.

    The other party had released an edited video with a clear rhythm, but its influence on her was actually limited.

    Moreover, she was a member of the Senate and was different from other departments.

    So this time, the other party¡¯s target seemed to be her, but it was actually someone else.

    This person was, of course, the ¡°Fianc¨¦¡¯s house¡±that was insinuated in the rhythm of the Inte, which was Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house.

    Guo Huining was in the same position as Huo Guanchen¡¯s housekeeper in his private house.

    She then analyzed the hot news and the truth revealed in the video in the following order.

    A. It was true that she had a conflict with Gu Nianzhi.

    B. It was true that she had lost her job because her conflict with Gu Nianzhi had been exposed as a fraud.

    C. It was also true that she had lost her job and worked as Huo Guanchen¡¯s housekeeper.

    However, in this line of logic, there were many articles that could be written about the reason why Guo Huining had gone from A to C.

    The hot topics, videos, and videos captured the people¡¯s habitual imagination of the weak and pushed the me from A to C directly onto Gu Nianzhi.

    The person who could help gu nianzhi ¡°Do whatever she wants¡±was the biggest ¡°Culprit¡±¨C Huo Guanchen.

    What was he trying to do?

    ..

    While Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought, Lu Jin had also seen the revtions and videos.

    He was instantly furious. ¡°Guo Huining isn¡¯t looking for trouble! She¡¯s looking for death!¡±

    Lu Jin immediately took out his phone, wanting to teach Guo Huining a lesson.

    Fortunately, Lu Yuan stopped him in time. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do such a small thing. Old Madam Hong has just contacted me and wille forward to help nian zhi dispel the rumors.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 2009, ¡°Doing whatever you want¡±.

    It was the second update today.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2010 - the fast and accurate â€œRefuting rumorsâ€(the first recommendation ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2010: Chapter 2010: the fast and urate ¡°Refuting rumors¡±(the first rmendation ticket)</h4>

    ¡°Really?¡±Lu Jin red at Lu Yuan. ¡°She said refuting rumors? When will she refute the rumors? Let me tell you, refuting rumors online must be fast and urate, otherwise it¡¯s useless!¡±

    Lu Yuan didn¡¯t think so much. He paused, picked up his phone, and got up. He went to his room to call old Madam Hong.

    Old Madam Hong had already gotten up and was discussing with her secretary how to dispel the rumors on the inte.

    Seeing that Lu Yuan had called, she quickly picked up the call and said with a smile, ¡°Is that Lu Yuan? I¡¯m preparing to dispel the rumors. I¡¯ll be able to post it on the Inte soon.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°I was just about to remind you that you must dispel the rumors on the inte quickly. Otherwise, it won¡¯t have the effect it should have.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m working on the wording. It¡¯ll be posted soon,¡±old madam Hong agreed readily. She nned to post thewyer¡¯s letter to dispel rumors online as soon as possible.

    The Hong Corporation was a bigpany. It had its own way of doing things.

    Old Madam Hong had to go through the proper channels again. The procedures werepleted one by one. Therefore, thewyer¡¯s letter to dispel rumors was almost done in the afternoon, but it was still not ready.

    Lu Jin was in the Institute of High Energy Physics for all his sses today, but he was absent-minded and had not been in the mood to work all day. He had been waiting for Old Mrs. Hong¡¯s letter to refute the rumors, but he had not received it even after waiting for a whole day.

    He was thoroughly enraged. He called Lu Yuan directly from Song Jinning¡¯s office. ¡°Where¡¯s the letter to refute the rumors? ! Look at how it¡¯s been spread online!¡±

    After a day of ferment and the involvement of professional inte trolls, those who supported Gu Nianzhi were shaken.

    What was going on?

    Why didn¡¯t chief gue out to say something?

    Gu Nianzhi simply didn¡¯t care.

    She was so busy that she wished she had three heads and six arms. One Hour was two hours, so since Old Madam Hong had said she would personally refute the rumor, she didn¡¯t take it to heart.

    After another day of meetings at the Parliament Building, the process of suing Chengtian Shan¡¯s news organization at the International Intellectual Property Arbitration Court had finally been finalized.

    In the meeting room, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s team was very excited.

    They were all young people in their twenties to thirties. Each of them was older than Gu Nianzhi, by several years.

    But no one looked down on her.

    She had won the trust and obedience of her colleagues with her work ability and style.

    After the day¡¯s work had finallye to an end, Gu Nianzhi rubbed the back of her neck, straightened her legs, and picked up her phone to take a break from surfing the inte.

    The moment she opened social media, she was flooded with news about the video.

    The focus was still on Gu Nianzhi.

    People were constantly saying that she was cold and unapproachable, that she couldn¡¯t tolerate the sand in her eyes, and that she would seek revenge for the smallest grievance.

    Whoever offended her, she would punish them to death.

    At the same time, there was a dark thread that pointed directly at the mysterious HGC.

    In the reposts and replies, although HGC wasn¡¯t mentioned much, his presence was strong and caused the most controversy.

    His identity, background, military rank, and position were all circted in secret.

    Some people said that he was very powerful and cared for his family.

    He loved his only son very much, so he loved his son¡¯s fiancee very much.

    When he found out that his son¡¯s fiancee had gotten into an argument with someone at the hotel, he did not hesitate to intervene and put pressure on the Hong Corporation to fire ¡°Miss Guo.¡±.

    In order to avenge gu nianzhi, he forced ¡°Miss Guo¡±toe to his house as a nanny and take care of his father, who had just woken up from a vegetative state, which was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s future grandfather.

    HGC was like a real-life version of a domineering high-ranking CEO, except that they were not very friendly to the weak ¡°Miss Guo.¡±.

    However, he was unconditionally good to his family. This alone was enough to make many people yearn for him.

    Because deep down, many people wished that they had such a family. Not only did he have a high position and power, he was rich and powerful, and he could help his family without reason.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the reposts and replies one by one, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

    As she had expected, this video was clearly disparaging her, but secretly praising Huo Guanchen.

    Even though Huo Guanchen appeared as a ¡°Negative¡±image, he did appear as a very good ¡°Negative¡±image.

    However, Huo Guanchen¡¯s identity and status determined that he could not be an ¡°Inte celebrity¡±, and he could not be the focus of public opinion.

    A Day had passed, and several big shots in the military headquarters were very dissatisfied with Huo Guanchen.

    In the evening, General Ji called him into the conference room, he said unhappily, ¡°Director Huo, this was originally your family matter, and we had no control over it. But look at how it¡¯s being spread now! Don¡¯t you n to solve this problem?¡±

    Huo guanchen frowned and said, ¡°Those who are clear about the matter are clear about it, and those who are unclean are unclean. I can¡¯t just strangle these people and not let them speak, can I?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t not let them speak, but shouldn¡¯t you solve the problem?¡±Speaker Long had alsoe to the military headquarters because of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s matter.

    He had originally wanted to talk to Huo Guanchen directly about this matter, but General Ji said that he was also displeased, so the few of them simply found a conference room and called Huo Guanchen over.

    In front of this group of people, Huo Guanchen could only stand and listen to the lecture.

    ¡°General Huo, as elder Ji said just now, this is your family¡¯s matter and it¡¯s not for outsiders to interfere. However, this matter involves my chief legal advisor. Do you intend to do nothing and let others nder her?¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s face was solemn, and he knocked on the conference table unhappily.

    ¡°I won¡¯t talk about her personal rtionship with your family. Just from a business standpoint, you should protect her and not let her be judged by others in public!¡±

    Huo Guanchen listened to the big shots¡¯tantrums with a calm expression. He then nodded and said, ¡°What the leaders say makes sense. I will handle this matter carefully.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned to speaker long, he said, ¡°Speaker long, actually, we have all seen how you have nurtured nianzhi. ¡°She will be able to gain a foothold in the Senate in the future, and these things will happen sooner orter. It¡¯s better to let her handle it and see if she can turn the tide of public opinion.¡±

    ¡°Bullsh * T!¡±Speaker long could not help but swear.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face darkened.

    He was already in his fifties, but he was actually being scolded by speaker long in front of these big shots. He was also a little angry.

    Speaker Long was so angry that he blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Then he quickly added, ¡°General Huo, this is very simple. It has to do with the nanny you hired. Why did you ask her to be your nanny? You Can¡¯t hire anyone else, can you? It has to be her?¡±

    This round of online videos and revtions mainly meant that Guo Huining had offended Gu Nianzhi and had been forced by her to be her fianc¨¦¡¯s nanny.

    Guo Huining was also a topw student at B University and had once been an executive of argepany. It was indeed unjustifiable for a person like her to lose everything because of a small mistake.

    Huo Guanchen said in a low voice, ¡°This is not what everyone thinks. I asked Miss Guo this morning and she said she would look into it and find out what is going on.¡±

    ¡°... Don¡¯t tell me that this has nothing to do with her!¡±Speaker Long was such a cultured person, and he was about to fly into a rage. ¡°Why do you trust her so much? !¡±

    Huo Guanchen lowered his eyes and said with a bitter smile, ¡°My father was able to wake up from his vegetative state thanks to her helping us contact the doctor. Just This alone, I can¡¯t sit idly by and ignore her suffering.¡±

    Speaker long stared at him for a long time, not knowing what to say.

    After a long while, he snorted and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be a filial son!¡±

    Huo Guanchen took a deep breath and said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ll go and have a good talk with Miss Guo.¡±

    ¡°This matter better not have anything to do with her. Otherwise, HMPH!¡±Speaker long sat down with a red face and red at Huo Guanchen. ¡°If she still pretends to be fine, I don¡¯t mind teaching her a lesson!¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded and was about to turn around to leave when his personal secretary rushed over and said, ¡°There¡¯s new news on the Inte!¡±

    Huo Guanchen:¡±...¡±

    ¡°What News?¡±

    His personal secretary said in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Guo! She posted a video to refute the rumors!¡±

    The Big Boss in the meeting room:¡±...¡±

    Huo Guanchen turned on the television screen in the meeting room. In the news channel, the video of Guo Huining¡¯s selfie was ying.

    She had a ponytail and very light makeup on her face. The effect of her makeup was barely noticeable. Ordinary people, especially straight men, would not be able to tell.

    She was wearing a light gray, heavy silk shirt. She was simple and capable. She had her sleeves rolled up. She did not have any jewelry. On her left wrist, she wore a jiangshi Denton watch.

    The first impression she gave people was very good. She was apletely different person from the Guo huining who liked to stack herself up with famous brands. She spoke and acted aggressively.

    She smiled apologetically and spoke slowly.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Guo Huining. I¡¯m one of the parties involved in the video that has been circting on the Inte fromst night to today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting. I would like to issue the following statements.¡±

    ¡°First, I would like to warn the person who secretly took the video. Your actions have already vited the privacy rights of me, my employer, and Miss Gu. Please stop the infringement immediately and delete the false video on the entire Inte.¡±

    ¡°Two,st night, I only went for a drive near the parliament building with my employer. I bumped into miss gu and wanted to treat her to a meal. I also wanted to personally apologize to her.¡±

    ¡°Three, in the past, I acted carelessly and recklessly. It was my fault for offending Miss Gu. I solemnly apologize to Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Four, I left the Hong Corporation for personal reasons. It has nothing to do with Miss Gu.¡±

    ¡°Fifthly, I¡¯m currently at a friend¡¯s house helping him take care of his father, who has just recovered from a long illness. I was not forced by Miss Gu to go to her fianc¨¦¡¯s house to be a nanny. Please don¡¯t believe the rumors.¡±

    ¡°Sixthly, I want to say onest point. My employer is a very kind and considerate person. He reached out his hands at the most difficult and helpless moment to save me from the fire and water.¡±

    ¡°I have received thousands of years of kindness from others. Our statuses are very different. There is nothing I can do to help him. I am the one who volunteered to help him take care of his father.¡±

    ¡°I hope that everyone will not nder him, and do not use any harsh words to analyze him.¡±

    ¡°He is the most outstanding, generous, and kind man I have ever met in my life. He is the person who should not be involved in this. I hope that everyone can give him a little tolerance and understanding, and do not mention him again.¡±

    ¡°I can not let the people who help me suffer. If so, who will reach out to help those unfortunate weaklings who are in danger in the future?¡±

    ¡°Please be more tolerant!¡±

    ¡°If you want to scold me, please scold me. I am wrong, I am guilty, and I will bear all the consequences.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: chapter 2010, ¡°Quick and urate ¡°Refute rumors.¡±.

    It¡¯s Monday again. I¡¯m Looking for a round of rmendation tickets

    It seems to be the end of the month too? It passed so quickly. As usual, I¡¯m looking for a round of monthly tickets.

    It¡¯s the second update of the day. The second update is at 8:00 p.m.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 2011 - The Feud is getting bigger and bigger (chapter 2: The Monthly Ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2011: Chapter 2011: The Feud is getting bigger and bigger (chapter 2: The Monthly Ticket)</h4>

    The meeting room in the military headquarters was not a secret meeting room. It was where everyone held their democratic life meetings.

    Therefore, the security was not tight.

    In the corridor where people came and went, the guards at the door and the personal secretary who followed the bigwigs out were all lucky enough to witness this ¡°Rumor-dispelling¡±grand asion.

    The video on the television ended.

    After a moment in the meeting room, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to look at Huo Guanchen who had been ¡®rumor-dispelled¡¯at the same time.

    Huo Guanchen still didn¡¯t have any special expression. He looked more or less the same as before, but there was a hint of surprise that could be seen.

    He cleared his throat and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Miss Guo about this again. and the person who secretly took the video can¡¯t get away with it either.¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s mood had hit rock bottom from the beginning of the video.

    He had gone from anger, to surprise, and then to grievance. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    Speaker long chuckled and turned his neck to look at Huo Guanchen, who was standing at the door. ¡°This ¡®refuting rumors¡¯is so high. She¡¯s been praising General Huo, director Huo, from the beginning to the end.¡±

    Huo guanchen said calmly, ¡°I think Miss Guo¡¯s logic is very clear. She made it clear in the video that she wasn¡¯t forced to be a nanny at my house. She volunteered. Isn¡¯t this refuting the rumors for Nianzhi?¡±

    ¡°And she even said what happened in the past. Isn¡¯t it enough to publicly and sincerely apologize to nianzhi in the video?¡±? ¡°Speaker long, what else do you want?¡±? ¡°To sue her in court and put her in jail, or to summon her to the Senate and have the Senators hold a hearing to question her?¡±

    ¡°She already has nothing. She came to my house to be a nanny to protect herst bit of dignity.¡±

    The big shots in the meeting room looked at each other.

    General Ji looked at Huo Guanchen with a sullen face. He tapped his finger on the meeting table a few times and said, ¡°On the surface, that¡¯s true, but don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something wrong?¡±

    He looked at the faces in the meeting room one by one and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re as touched as department director Huo.¡±

    ¡°Hehe...¡±

    ¡°Hehe...¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡±

    All kinds of ambiguousughter came from the meeting room.

    There were less than ten people in total. Apart from speaker long, the rest were all top leaders of the military. Who wouldn¡¯t have a grudge against them?

    However, from their point of view, this matter was indeed Huo Guanchen¡¯s family matter now.

    Previously, they were only worried that this matter would negatively affect Huo Guanchen¡¯s reputation. This was also a public damage to the military¡¯s reputation.

    They were not protecting Huo Guanchen, but the overall interests of the military headquarters.

    Now that Guo Huining had refuted the rumors, the public opinion on the inte immediately changed, and many people consciously stopped mentioning HGC.

    The major websites now had enough reasons to filter all the letters and Chinese rted to HGC as keywords.

    In less than an hour, the entire Inte could no longer search for ¡°HGC¡±and everything rted to it.

    Huo Guanchen had been able to stay out of the scandal surrounding the headquarters of the military since the crisis in their reputation had been resolved. The only thing that remained on the inte was the feud between Gu Nianzhi and Guo Huining.

    The ¡°Forced to be a nanny¡±expose had been quietly erased along with HGC¡¯s ban.

    General Ji and speaker long looked at each other. Indeed, they had no reason to me Huo Guanchen or continue meddling in the Huo family¡¯s affairs.

    ¡°Alright, this matter hase to an end for now. Director Huo, we will notment on your personal matters unless your personal matters involve official matters.¡±General Ji raised his head to look at him, ¡°If you don¡¯t sweep a room, how can you sweep the world? Director Huo understands this more than I do.¡±

    How could a person who worked in politics not understand this principle?

    Huo Guanchen only continued to smile and nodded. ¡°What the Chiefs said makes sense. I will continue to follow up on this matter.¡±

    His style had always been like this. Whether it was happiness, pain, anger, resentment, embarrassment, or grievance, they would never show on his face.

    And the emotional fluctuations he disyed were not as simple as being emotional.

    When he had suffered such a huge setback with Bai Jinyi back then, he was still calm and collected. Other than expressing regret, he continued to act as usual. He did not feel that he had lost face and could not raise his head in front of others.

    Everyone in the meeting room knew that Huo Guanchen had a nickname in the military headquarters. He was called ¡°The white stick in the waves.¡±In fact, it was a description of how slippery he was and how he did everything without holding back.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough for today¡¯s meeting.¡±. ¡°Director Huo, you really have to look into it. Not only are you the director of the Political Department, but your son is also the great general of the special operations forces. The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor is your son¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Your family matters can no longer be purely family matters.¡±

    In the meeting room, the big shot who had a good rtionship with Huo Guanchen smiled and tried to smooth things over, while at the same time reminding him.

    Huo Guanchen quickly stood up and gave a standard military salute to the meeting room. ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    ..

    The noise in the military headquarters¡¯courtyard quieted down because of guo huining¡¯s ¡°Refuting rumors.¡±.

    However, in song Jinning¡¯s apartment, the atmosphere was even more heated.

    Lu Jin was so angry in the living room that he almost smashed the television.

    He pointed at the wall-mounted television and shouted at Lu Yuan,¡±... This is the refuting rumors you were talking about? ! is that old Madam Hong of yours senile? ! It¡¯s been a whole day now, where¡¯s her refuting rumors? !¡±

    Lu Yuan also shook his head helplessly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been in a meeting today. I called her in the morning and thought that her statement woulde out very soon.¡±

    Lu Yuan knew that he couldn¡¯t reason with Lu Jin at this time.

    There were too many bad things about this video online, and they had a lot of bad things about Guo Huining. It would be easy for them to throw them out and turn the tables around.

    But if it was that simple, why would the other party spend so much effort to create trouble?

    Lu Yuan and the others had done their homework on this online craze. They wouldn¡¯t be able to create such a scale without tens of millions of investment.

    Therefore, after discussing it with Huo Shaoheng, they decided to wait and see how far the other party would go.

    On the other hand, Old Madam Hong had taken the initiative to refute the rumors, and he had also agreed. He had to at least give the olddy a chance to apologize, right?

    However, Guo Huining had still exceeded their expectations.

    Lu Yuan smiled and changed the channel. He said lightly,¡±... Guo Huining has an expert behind her.¡±

    Lu Jin red at him. ¡°Do I need you to say that? ! Her clothes, makeup, tone, and speech, including her bodynguage, have all been meticulously prepared and practiced!¡±

    ¡°She took at least a hundred and eighty shots to achieve this effect!¡±

    His gaze returned to the television. Some channels were rolling out Guo Huining¡¯s apology statement.

    Lu Jin spat angrily and pointed at Guo Huining, who was bing more and more demure and elegant on the television. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t be modest! The feud is getting bigger and bigger. Let me tell you ¡ª if you want to step on my daughter and climb up, you have to praise me from My Corpse First!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Just as they were arguing, old Madam Hong¡¯s letter to refute the rumors finally arrivedte.

    All the major media outlets and television stations immediately followed up.

    Because HGC couldn¡¯t be mentioned, these media outlets also had to find new hot topics.

    And the Hong Corporation, which was still in the limelight, was naturally the best target.

    And in Old Madam Hong¡¯s letter to refute the rumors, she emphasized the matter of the Hong Corporation expelling Guo Huining and stated that they continued to reserve the right to pursue Guo Huining¡¯s legal responsibility.

    However, this statement happened to echo what Guo Huining said in her own video to refute the rumors,¡±... I am in the wrong, I am guilty, I will bear all the consequences.¡±This made it even more clear that Guo Huining was sincerely apologizing, she was willing to pay the price for what she had done, and the Hong Corporation was still pursuing her relentlessly, wanting topletely destroy Guo Huining.

    Netizens who were easily sympathetic to the weak were led by the push of the Inte trolls, once again standing on Guo Huining¡¯s side. One after another, they ridiculed the Hong Corporation. If they wanted to sue, they would sue. What rights did they reserve by whining and whining? !

    All the statements that only sent letters fromwyers but did not go to the court to formally Sue were all acts of hooliganism that teased the onlookers!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2011, ¡°The feud is getting bigger and Bigger.¡±.

    It was Monday again. They were asking for a wave of rmendation tickets

    It seemed to be the end of the month too? That was fast. I¡¯m Looking for a rmendation.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    PS: people always say, ¡°Do I need to know how to refrigerate a Refrigerator?¡±.

    But, honey, you¡¯re not evaluating the refrigerator, you¡¯re teaching it how to refrigerate.

    Don¡¯t you need to know how to refrigerate a refrigerator to teach it how to refrigerate? ¡ª¡ª don¡¯t take it personally.

    You can take it back to those who like to say, ¡°Do I need to know how to refrigerate my own refrigerator?¡±.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    . (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)

 Chapter 2013 - only knew one part, but not the other part

    <h4>Chapter 2013: Chapter 2013 only knew one part, but not the other part</h4>

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Her heavy sleepiness immediately disappeared.

    The person who called was Dou Aiyan.

    She sat up from the bed and felt her phone burning.

    ¡°... What did you say? Thew firm in King¡¯s Landing was investigated? ! Why?¡±She asked guiltily, ¡°Did they do something wrong? or were they deliberately pranked?¡±

    ¡°How could you not know that Jun Linw firm is fine?¡±Dou aiyan mocked on the other end of the phone. ¡°You can¡¯t be that forgetful, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to criticize me. You were the one who suggested this idea. Now that something has happened, what do you mean by saying that?¡±Guo huining put on her slippers and got up. She sat on the sofa across from her in a fluster, ¡°Who went to investigate? Don¡¯t you have people? You Can¡¯t interfere?¡±

    ¡°... isn¡¯t your current backer general Huo? Can¡¯t you ask him for help?¡±Dou aiyan pouted.

    She couldn¡¯t figure out what was so good about Guo Huining?

    First, she had been engaged to a rich young master like Hong Ziqi for so many years. Although they didn¡¯t get married in the end, they were still engaged.

    After falling out with Hong Ziqi, she immediately hooked up with Huo Guanchen..

    Although Huo Guanchen was slightly older than Hong Ziqi, in terms of social status and family background, they were on apletely different level.

    The more Dou Aiyan thought about it, the more upset she felt. However, at this time, Guo Huining had someone backing her up. No matter how much she looked down on her, she had to be polite to her.

    Thinking of Huo Guanchen, Guo huining shifted ufortably on the sofa and leaned against the back of the chair. She said in a low voice,¡±... how could i trouble general Huo for such a small matter? He doesn¡¯t care about the police.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already a good wife and mother?¡±Dou aiyan couldn¡¯t help but get angry. ¡°I sent you the photos from thew firm in King¡¯s Landing. Take a look and you¡¯ll know why I asked you to plead with General Huo.¡±

    As she spoke, Dou aiyan hung up the phone. She was afraid that she couldn¡¯t help but fall out with Guo Huining, who was bing more and more fair-skinned.

    She sent the photos over.

    Guo Huining received the photos and clicked on them. She was speechless.

    The photos showed the scene of the police raiding thew firm in King¡¯s Landing. The person standing next to themanding officer was Huo Shaoheng!

    No Wonder Dou Aiyan was so certain that she would ask Huo Guanchen for help.

    This was his son¡¯s doing!

    It was obvious that Huo Shaoheng was taking revenge for Gu Nianzhi at work, right?

    But why was he picking on Jun Linw firm?

    Wasn¡¯t Jun Linw firm helping Old Madam Hong send out awyer¡¯s letter to dispel the rumors?

    They were speaking up for Gu Nianzhi..

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t figure it out, so she quickly asked,¡±... but this is Huo Shao¡¯s job, right? What¡¯s the point of looking for general Huo? General Huo can¡¯t possibly say something wrong with his son...¡±

    Putting herself in Huo Guanchen¡¯s shoes, she didn¡¯t think that such aint would have any effect. On the contrary, it would make Huo Guanchen have a bad impression of her.

    Guo Huining felt that she understood too well the importance of having a son in such a high-ss family.

    She wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to think that her position in Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart surpassed that of his only son, Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°... Besides, how can I intervene in this matter? Once I intercede, won¡¯t General Huo know that I¡¯m in contact with them? Then if he thinks of my rumor-dispelling video...¡±Guo Huining became even more nervous, she didn¡¯t want to ruin the image that she had just created.

    Dou aiyan snorted. ¡°Guo Huining, you only know one thing, but you don¡¯t know the other.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear the details,¡±Guo huining teased with a smile. ¡°As long as Aiyan can convince me, I¡¯ll definitely intercede.¡±

    TSK, she was already gasping for breath before she could even finish her sentence. Dou aiyan thought to herself, but she still had to put on a facade, she said to Guo huining, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Huo Shao¡¯s job has decided that he can¡¯t interfere in domestic affairs. ¡°This time, he brazenly interfered and didn¡¯t even try to avoid it. It¡¯s already a taboo. He might even have broken the rules.¡±

    ¡°Breaking the rules is a big taboo for people in their line of work. If you don¡¯t understand, general Huo Will.¡±

    Guo huining remembered what Dou Aiyan said and quickly said, ¡°Oh right, how could I have forgotten about this! Huo is indeed not allowed to meddle in domestic affairs!¡±

    She actually didn¡¯t know the ins and outs of the matter, but she had been with Hong Ziqi and Xue Jingjiang for so many years, so it was impossible for her not to know anything.

    Now that she heard Dou Aiyan speak frankly andbined it with what happened in the past, shepletely understood.

    ¡°Yes, but we didn¡¯t expect Huo Shao to personally go after Jun Linw firm. Although they acted quickly, Huo Shao was obviously more responsible. TSK TSK, this was to avenge Gu Nianzhi. He didn¡¯t even care about his future. ¡ª huining, you killed two birds with one stone this time. You¡¯re really amazing!¡±

    Dou aiyan spared no effort in praising Guo Huining.

    Guo Huining was a little pleased with herself.

    Although someone had been guiding her from behind, she hade up with the n herself.

    The other party had only pointed out her attitude and did not say how she would do it.

    She liked to see Gu Nianzhi hate her, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    It would be even more interesting if she could be Gu Nianzhi¡¯s stepmother-inw in the future.

    The thought of the arrogant Huo Shaoheng and the arrogant and domineering gu nianzhi lowering their heads and calling her ¡°Mother¡±in front of her made her feel that her life had not been in vain.

    The corners of her mouth gradually curved into an indecipherable smile. She turned her phone around for a while, and suddenly wanted to call Huo Guanchen to see where his tolerance for hery.

    Looking around the low-key but luxurious bedroom, she knew that she could not go back.

    She thought that her previous penthouse had allowed her to cross the social ss and squeeze into the upper ss.

    Only now did she realize that her previous self waspletely a frog in a well.

    While she was still pondering, her hand had already consciously dialed Huo Guanchen¡¯s number.

    At first, she only had the number of Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary.

    Later, when she said that she was worried that something had happened to grandfather Huo and could not contact Huo Guanchen immediately, Huo Guanchen gave her his private phone number.

    Thinking about it this way, it was not as if Huo Guanchen had no feelings for her, right?

    After the call was dialed, Guo Huining¡¯s heart beat even faster, pounding against her chest. She felt that the room seemed to be even more stuffy.

    The other side rang for a few times before Huo Guanchen picked up the call.

    Azy, low, and sleepy voice of a mature man came from the phone, ¡°Hello? It¡¯s Miss Guo? Calling sote, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    He really treated her differently!

    Guo Huining¡¯s chaotic emotions immediately calmed down, she said softly, ¡°General Huo?¡±? ¡°Sorry to disturb your rest. It¡¯s like this. You know that I¡¯m awyer, and most of my friends arewyers too. ¡°I just received news that Huo Shao led people to confiscate aw firm. I think you should have known about this earlier.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was slightly startled.¡±... What did you say? Shaoheng led people to confiscate aw firm?¡±

    That shouldn¡¯t be..

    How could Huo Shaoheng interfere in domestic affairs?

    Guo huining saw that Huo Guanchen¡¯s reaction was within Dou Aiyan¡¯s expectations, and her voice became even gentler. ¡°Yes, I just heard from my friends. They sent me a photo. I¡¯ll forward it to you.¡±

    Saying that, Guo Huining sent Dou aiyan to her photo, forwarded to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen received the photo, opened a look, eyes slightly sh, the expression on his face unfathomable.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2013, ¡°Know only one, do not know two.¡±.

    Come on, Let¡¯s get the monthly votes out! They¡¯ll be invalid if they expire!

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2014 - take her down (first and foremost, monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2014: Chapter 2014: take her down (first and foremost, monthly pass)</h4>

    In the photo, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was solemn and distant. He stood with his hands behind his back next to a high-ranking police superintendent. He did not avoid or disguise himself at all.

    He just stood there and watched the police raid the sovereignw office.

    The photo must have been taken not long ago. Thew office building was brightly lit, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was reflected in it. No one could look at him directly.

    Huo Guanchen looked at the photo carefully and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Guo Huining waited for a long time, but Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t say anything. She was a little anxious and couldn¡¯t help but ask,¡±... General Huo? Are you still there?¡±

    Huo Guanchen replied with an ¡°MHM.¡±.

    ¡°... then what do you want to Do? Should I...¡±Guo Huining said hesitantly. She wasn¡¯t sure whether she should remind him or not.

    She and Huo Guanchen were still in the stage of an unspoken romance, so she did not say anything. She was also afraid that she would be too anxious and talk too much.

    However, huo guanchen only said ¡°Got it¡±and then hung up the phone and went back to sleep.

    Guo huining could not fall asleep even more.

    She thought about the conversation between Huo Guanchen and her countless times, but she could not find out Huo Guanchen¡¯s true feelings from those short sentences.

    She waited until dawn, but she still couldn¡¯t figure out what Huo Guanchen meant.

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed... I¡¯m really impressed...¡±Guo huining said to herself, but she felt that it was full of challenges.

    When she was with Hong Ziqi, she wasn¡¯t sensible, and she didn¡¯t know how to be smart.

    However, she still attracted Hong Ziqi.

    After getting engaged to him, she quickly grew up and followed him into the upper-ss circles. Soon, she learned how to behave in the upper-ss circles.

    However, it was not enough for her to use this method to deal with Huo Guanchen.

    The more she got along with Huo Guanchen, the more worried Guo Huining became. She could not figure out what Huo Guanchen was thinking.

    She only intuitively believed that Huo Guanchen had feelings for her. Otherwise, he would not have reached out to save her and helped her settle the Hong Corporation¡¯swsuit.

    The Hong Corporation¡¯s new disimer stated that they reserved the right to pursue Guo Huining¡¯s legal responsibility. In fact, it was a p in Huo Guanchen¡¯s face.

    Guo Huining got out of bed, went into the bathroom to wash up, changed her clothes, and came out for breakfast. Then, she pushed grandfather Huo out for a walk.

    This was her main work these days.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s rehabilitation was handled by professionals, so she only needed to manage these professionals.

    She pushed grandfather Huo through the forest-lined path in the West Mountain Vi area, guo huining said, intentionally or unintentionally,¡±... Mr. Huo, Huo is really busy in China these days. Isn¡¯t he only responsible for foreign affairs? Why is he involved in domestic operations now?¡±

    Grandfather Huo still didn¡¯t know about the matters at the sovereignw office. He leaned back in his wheelchair indifferently and said,¡±... if he has authorization, he can also act in China.¡±

    ¡°... authorization? Who would give him the authorization?¡±Guo huining pretended not to care and smiled as she tilted her head.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s the Senate. The main personnel of the military also have to sign.¡±Grandfather Huo exined in detail.

    Of course, what he said was a matter of public procedure. It was not considered a leak.

    Grandfather Huo no longer had the opportunity toe into contact with the more confidential content.

    Therefore, after a long conversation, Guo Huining only understood one thing: Huo Shaoheng was not necessarily barred from operating in the country. If the Senate authorized it, Huo Shaoheng could still operate in the country.

    Thinking of this, Guo Huining¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her face lit up.

    She had thought of a way to take down Gu Nianzhi!

    This method was enough to make her go back to her original self. The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor would no longer be used to disgust her!

    Guo Huining was burning with anxiety, but she still patiently pushed grandfather Huo to walk around outside before returning to Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house in the West Mountain.

    Grandfather Huo was in his eighties. He had also gone through the two very physically exhausting stages of being in a vegetative state and waking up. He was still recuperating.

    When he returned to the vi, he went to his room to sleep.

    He needed to sleep twice during the day. He would take a nap after his morning walk, and sleep again after lunch.

    Sleep helped his body recover.

    After Guo Huining sent grandfather Huo back to his room, she hurried out of the vi and called Dou aiyan on the open field outside.

    ¡°... Aiyan, are you free recently? Let¡¯s go for coffee?¡±Guo Huining invited.

    The moment Dou Aiyan heard it, she knew that Guo Huining had something to say.

    She looked at her schedule and said, ¡°I happen to have two hours of free time today. Do you want to try their New South American ck coffee at Fragrance Cafe?¡±

    Guo huining quickly nodded. ¡°Do you want to go first, or do you want me to go first?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡±Dou aiyan picked up her handbag and car keys. ¡°See youter.¡±

    The fragrant atmosphere coffee house was in the third ring road of the capital. It was very close to the Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. , where Dou Aiyan was located.

    Guo Huining took the car keys and sped all the way to the third ring road of the capital within 30 minutes.

    Dou aiyan sat by the window and smiled as she waved at her. ¡°This way!¡±

    Under the guidance of the waiter, Guo Huining came to Dou Aiyan¡¯s table. ¡°Aiyan, sorry to have kept you waiting.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just arrived not long ago,¡±Dou Aiyan said. She ordered coffee and two tes of muffins, she introduced enthusiastically, ¡°The muffins here are very delicious. They are fragrant and crispy. They melt in the mouth. The sweetness is just right. It¡¯s best with ck Coffee.¡±

    Guo Huining was not here for coffee. She ordered a Mocha and picked up a small muffin to eat. Then she said in a low voice,¡±... do you know that the Special Operations Forces Need the authorization of the Senate to operate in the country?¡±

    ¡°I know. This is a public procedure. You can find it online.¡±Dou aiyan sipped her coffee carelessly, with another muffin, she couldn¡¯t wait to order another boiled egg. To her, this was the standard for a nutritious breakfast.

    ¡°Sost night, Huo Shao participated in the seizure of the sovereignw office. There¡¯s a possibility that he didn¡¯t break thew at all. It was a legal act,¡±Guo Huining added.

    Dou aiyan choked for a moment. She suddenly felt that her favorite muffin was no longer sweet. It tasted like wood dregs.

    She spat and asked suspiciously,¡±... how did you know that he had the authorization? Who Did you hear it from? Or did you see it with your own eyes? Did General Huo show it to you?¡±

    Guo huining covered her mouth with her hand and smiled.

    She had bad teeth when she was young, so she was used to covering her mouth when she smiled.

    Even though she made a lot of moneyter on and had her teeth fixed, the habit that she had developed since she was young was still unintentionally revealed.

    Dou aiyan looked at Guo Huining¡¯s petty manner and looked away disdainfully.

    Guo huining continued, ¡°General Huo didn¡¯t say it directly, but he hinted.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How did he hint?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything... think about it, if something really happened, wouldn¡¯t he be so angry that he would immediately look for someone to clear it up?¡±Guo Huining felt that she already had a lot of Huo Guanchen¡¯s style of doing things, ¡°It¡¯s bitter that he didn¡¯t do anything. Isn¡¯t that officially not a problem?¡±

    ¡°Think about it again, why isn¡¯t it a problem? It¡¯s naturally because Huo Shao has the authorization of the Senate,¡±Guo Huining said affirmatively.

    Dou aiyan looked up in surprise and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s really been three days since west saw each other. We should treat each other differently. Huining, you¡¯re good!¡±

    The atmosphere between the two of them quickly improved. After a few more jokes, Guo Huining finally got to the point, she said, ¡°This reminds me of an idea. As long as we do it right, Gu Nianzhi will have nothing left to lose!¡±

    ¡°Are you really that good? Tell me what you think.¡±Dou aiyan even turned on the recording pen to record Guo Huining¡¯s words.

    Guo Huining was not going to fall for it. She smiled as she took the recording pen from Dou Aiyan and tossed it in her hand, she said, ¡°What we talked about today was out of my mouth and into your ears. I don¡¯t want to hear a word about what we talked about today.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, I got it. Hurry up and say it. Don¡¯t keep me in suspense,¡±Dou aiyan urged impatiently. Her beautiful eyes rolled around. There were indeed very few people here, and there were no other customers around.

    The right to privacy should be guaranteed.

    Guo Huining put down her coffee, her slender fingers tapping on the table, and she said in a low and smug voice,¡±... conflict of interest.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±Dou Aiyan did not notice that Guo Huining had arrogantly said in English, ¡°What conflict of interest?¡±

    ¡°What this means is that Gu Nianzhi is in the Senate, Huo Shaoheng is in the special operations forces, and the two of them are engaged. They will get married in the future, so the two of them are husband and wife.¡±

    Dou aiyan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap and get to the point!¡±

    Guo Huining felt that Dou aiyan was a little stupid, but she still said in a friendly and patient manner, ¡°This is a conflict of interest.¡±

    ¡°ording to thew, both husband and wife are not allowed to work in an organization that has a beneficial rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao¡¯s special operations forces are governed by the Senate in order to maintain bnce of power. However, as his fianc¨¦e, Gu Nianzhi also works in the Senate, and she is also the head legal advisor with a very high position. This will affect the independence of the Senate in rtion to the special operations forces.¡±

    Dou aiyan understood and said in surprise, ¡°That¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t we think of that? ! If Gu Nianzhi still wants to be with Huo Shao, she can¡¯t continue to be the chief legal advisor of the Senate!¡±

    Guo huining nodded and added, ¡°If she still wants to continue to be the chief legal advisor of the Senate, then she can¡¯t be married to Huo Shao, or even be in a rtionship with him!¡±

    ¡°This will cause a conflict of interest and damage the independence and legitimacy of the special operations forces.¡±

    Dou aiyan burst intoughter, and the few customers in the Fragrant Cafe looked over curiously.

    Guo huining quickly covered her mouth. ¡°What are youughing at? ! Why Don¡¯t you quickly discuss this with someone and bring this matter up on the Inte?¡±

    ¡°... No, this time we¡¯ll look for the Huo family¡¯s political enemies first.¡±Dou aiyan was better at talking about internal strife than anyone else. She smiled as she smoothed her short hair, ¡°There are many people who want Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s positions. Now that the evidence is on their doorstep, I¡¯d like to see how the two of them are going to deal with this crisis of choosing one over the other at the same time!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 2014, bring her down.

    On thest day of October, we ask for a monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    It¡¯s the second watch today. The second watch is at eight o¡¯clock at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2015 - Donâ€™t take the initiative, donâ€™t refuse. (chapter 2: Ask for a monthly pass!)

    <h4>Chapter 2015: Chapter 2015: Don¡¯t take the initiative, don¡¯t refuse. (chapter 2: Ask for a monthly pass!)</h4>

    Guo huining blinked, she asked in confusion,¡±... to find the Huo family¡¯s political rival? Is it that easy? The Senate¡¯s upper house was not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first day as the chief legal advisor. No one in the upper house objected. would it be effective for you to find the Huo family¡¯s rival now?¡±

    Dou Aiyan was taken aback by Guo Huining. Although she was unwilling to agree, she had to admit that Guo Huining had a point.

    Although she did not like some of Guo Huining¡¯s ways, she still had some redeeming qualities.

    After all, she was a topw student at B University and had worked for the Hong Corporation for so many years. It was impossible for her to not have a certain level of insight and means.

    ¡°... you don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible?¡±Dou aiyan rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll ask first. If everyone says it¡¯s not possible, we¡¯ll think of another way.¡±

    As she said this, Dou aiyan sent a text message to her aunt and uncle, asking this question out of curiosity.

    Although Dou Aiyan¡¯s aunt and uncle were currently abroad, they had once worked in this circle in the country.

    They immediately replied: [ not appropriate, you can¡¯t bring up the topic online because it has to do with the special operations forces. Any topic will be immediately taken down, and it won¡¯t be effective. ].

    Looking at this reply, Dou aiyan snorted lightly. ¡°I¡¯ve underestimated this organization...¡±

    Her sister, Dou qingyan, had once been a field officer in this organization, but because of confidentiality reasons, Dou Qingyan had never told her sister about this organization.

    The information that Dou qingyan leaked was only rted to Huo Shaoheng himself.

    As for the real status and functions of the special operations forces, Dou Qingyan did not have the time to mention it to her sister.

    Therefore, Dou Aiyan was taught a good lesson by her aunt and uncle.

    [ uncle ] : even if you are a scammer, you can not touch this organization. A real egg will touch a stone and die without a burial ce.

    Aunt: Xiao Yan, what are you doing? ! Are you courting death by asking such a question? ! If you dare to make a move, I won¡¯t have a niece like you!

    Dou aiyan thought of what she was doing and felt a little anxious. She immediately replied, ¡°I know. I¡¯m just asking for a friend. It has nothing to do with me.¡±.

    Aunt: you¡¯d better ask for someone else. Also, what kind of friend is this? Let¡¯s cut ties!

    [ Dou Aiyan ] : ..

    After a series of text messages, Dou Aiyan changed her mind, she frowned and said: ¡°Oh, Huining, what you said makes a lot of sense!¡±! My friends all said that it wasn¡¯t good to get involved internally. Because just like you said, Gu Nianzhi is already the chief legal advisor of the Senate. The Senate would have taken her down long ago if anyone was unhappy. Now that no one has touched her, it means that they don¡¯t think this is a good point to attack.¡±

    ¡°I told you...¡±Guo Huining smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Based on my interactions with general Huo these past few days, I still know a little about the rules of their circle.¡±

    ¡°Huining, you¡¯re Amazing!¡±Dou aiyan quickly gave her a thumbs up. ¡°This time, we¡¯re really going to achieve a leap in social ss! It¡¯s really knowledge that changes fate, hahahaha...¡±

    Dou aiyan¡¯s attitude was warmer than usual as she spoke. She ttered Guo Huining for a while more, causing her to becent. She then said, ¡°You have a good idea. Why Don¡¯t you take charge of the overall situation this time?¡±

    Guo Huining had long been eager to give it a try. She was used to being a leader, so she was used to making decisions.

    Besides, she already had a certain amount of capital and backing. She really had to try and do it herself. She couldn¡¯t put her fate in the hands of others.

    Guo huining thought to herself, if Gu Nianzhi can do it, why can¡¯t I?

    In her heart, she was better than Gu Nianzhi in every aspect. Of course, that included her age.

    But because her target was Huo Guanchen, her age was not a disadvantage, but an advantage.

    ¡°... but I don¡¯t have anything right now. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s a limit to what I can do by myself.¡±Guo Huining made up her mind and began to ask for more resources.

    She wanted to pull Gu Nianzhi down from her perch and post videos on the Inte by herself? That would be a dreame true.

    Dou aiyan was so frightened by her aunt and uncle that she kept herself out of it. She quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s true. You can contact associate director Jia directly from now on. He has money and people. He doesn¡¯t need a small fry like me to stop you guys from getting rich.¡±

    Dou aiyan giggled. When she returned from Xiang Qi Cafe, she told associate director Jia that her aunt and uncle missed her abroad and asked her to go on a vacation abroad. At the same time, she also mentioned Guo Huining¡¯s idea to associate director Jia.

    Associate Director Jia thought about it for a while and praised, ¡°There are a lot of articles that can be written about this idea! Guo Huining has a good brain!¡±

    Dou aiyan pursed her lips and secretly gave associate director Jia a cross in her heart.

    However, on the surface, she still ttered, ¡°Associate director Jia, you have good taste! Both you and huining are too smart. A stupid person like me can¡¯t keep up with the pace... How about this? Since I¡¯m about to go overseas for a vacation, you can contact huining personally. She has a lot of ideas and is a topw student at B University. Naturally, she knows what to do and what not to do.¡±

    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not convenient to contact me when I¡¯m on vacation abroad. Don¡¯t dy your important matters because of me.¡±

    Associate Director Jia had originally wanted to contact Guo Huining personally.

    Seeing that Guo Huining had climbed up the tree of Huo Guanchen, this resource was incredible.

    However, because Guo huining contacted them because of Dou aiyan, associate director Jia could not directly contact Guo huining over Dou aiyan.

    Now that Dou Aiyan was tactful and took the initiative to give in, associate director Jia was naturally disrespectful.

    He smiled and nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you a long vacation. Have fun abroad. Only when you have fun will you have more energy to devote to your work.¡±

    Dou aiyan hurriedly nodded. ¡°Thank you, associate director Jia! You¡¯ll give me three months?¡±

    ¡°That long?¡±Associate Director Jia pretended to look at the calendar and said, ¡°It¡¯s already November. If I give you three months, won¡¯t you be spending the New Year Abroad?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m spending the New Year Abroad!¡±Dou aiyan went with the flow and used this reason to cover up her real reason.

    ¡°Okay, then remember toe back and work hard after the New Year,¡±associate director Jia Said and took out a nk leave request form and handed it to Dou Aiyan.

    Dou aiyan immediately filled in the form and signed it. After associate director Jia also signed it, she happily handed the leave request form to her supervisor.

    The next day, she took a ne and left the capital to go to the United States for a vacation.

    Therefore, Guo Huining only contacted associate director Jia the next day.

    ¡°... Aiyan went abroad for a vacation?¡±She asked with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s really unfortunate. I¡¯ll need associate director Jia¡¯s guidance in the future.¡±

    ¡°Miss Guo, what are you talking about? In the future, we¡¯ll still need Miss Guo to take care of our business!¡±Associate Director Jia was in a good mood and spoke very politely to Guo Huining.

    Guo Huining finally regained the feeling of being high and mighty in the Hong Corporation, and it was even better than before.

    How could the Hong Corporation bepared to Huo Guanchen?

    She despised herself in her heart for having no taste in the past.

    After settling the resources with associate director Jia, Guo Huining put down the phone and walked to the window of the vi with a cup of hot milk in her hand. She was lost in thought as she looked at the beautiful autumn scenery outside of the west mountain.

    After living in such a ce, she would never return to her previous position.

    ..

    After doing the preparatory work, Guo huining called Huo Guanchen and asked indirectly, ¡°General Huo, have you gotten any results on the matter of the Sovereign Law Office?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s indifferent voice came from the phone,¡±... why are you asking these questions? Are you in contact with them?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, how can I be in contact with them?¡±Guo huining immediately denied it. ¡°But you know that I¡¯m aw student. I know more or less everyone in thew firm, so I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Huo Guanchen still maintained his usual attitude. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this.¡±

    Guo huining was even more certain.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s appearance at the scene of the raid at the sovereignw office must have been legally authorized.

    Therefore, Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t care at all.

    After the call, Guo huining fiddled with her phone uneasily, thinking that Huo Guanchen still didn¡¯t trust her enough. Why didn¡¯t he just say that it was fine?

    Did he think that she wanted to sow discord between the father and son?

    That was really unfair to her. She didn¡¯t like Gu Nianzhi, but she was still lenient towards Huo Shaoheng.

    Guo huining thought back to Huo Guanchen¡¯s attitude. It was purely ¡°Don¡¯t take the initiative, don¡¯t refuse.¡±.

    He had to take drastic measures!

    ..

    Huo Guanchen was also deep in thought after the call with Guo Huining.

    After thinking for a while, he got up and left his office. He got into a private car and said to the driver, ¡°Go to the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces.¡±

    From the headquarters of the military to the headquarters of the special operations forces, they had to go through song Jinning¡¯s Institute of High Energy Physics.

    It was almost noon when Huo Guanchen arrived, and he happened to see Lu Yuan going to song Jinning to deliver lunch.

    The elegant Lu Yuan got out of the car, and song Jinning actually went to the door to pick him up.

    He was only wearing a simple white coat, and his hair was tied into a bun. There was not a hint of luxurious jewelry, but he was still beautiful beyondpare.

    The two of them looked at each other and smiled, and walked into the Institute of high energy physics together.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression instantly turned ugly.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time he had seen Lu Yuan and song jinning together.

    ¡°... Get Someone to investigate. Director song has been very close to someone recently.¡±Huo Guanchen ordered his personal secretary in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    ..

    After arriving at the headquarters of the special operations forces, Huo Guanchen went straight to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office building.

    Huo Shaoheng was looking at a copy of the internal ginseng when Yin Shixiong¡¯s call came in.¡±... Huo Shao, your father, general Huo, is here to see you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even raise his head. ¡°Let him in.¡±

    Soon, Yin Shixiong brought Huo Guanchen in.

    After Yin Shixiong left, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even look at Huo Guanchen. He said calmly, ¡°Hello, General Huo, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Huo Guanchen felt a little uneasy when he saw that Huo Shaoheng had stopped calling him father these days, but he didn¡¯t re up. He sat down in front of Huo Shaoheng and asked, ¡°Shaoheng, what have you been doing recently?¡±

    ¡°Working,¡±Huo Shaoheng answered simply.

    Huo Guanchen choked for a moment before asking tentatively, ¡°Where¡¯s Your Mother? Her birthday ising up, let¡¯s have a meal together as a family of three... It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had a meal together.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up from hisputer and thought for a moment before rejecting, ¡°You have to ask for Ms. Song¡¯s opinion on her birthday. It¡¯s useless to ask me.¡±

    He added, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I have a meeting to attend to.¡±

    This was practically driving him away.

    Huo Guanchen hesitated for a moment before asking,¡±... who is your mother celebrating her birthday with?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Endure and endure, think of just saw the situation, Huo Guanchen or asked:¡±... she is not dating your uncle?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2015, ¡°Don¡¯t take the initiative, don¡¯t refuse.¡±.

    On thest day of October, we ask for a monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2016 - was not properly written. (the first request was for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2016: Chapter 2016 was not properly written. (the first request was for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng packed his things and stood up.

    He was dressed in a straight military uniform, even though he was in the room with a belt around his waist.

    Putting on his military cap, he took a step towards the door and said calmly,¡±... my uncle died eighteen years ago. Where did you recognize your big brother? Do you not want the title of Martyr¡¯s family anymore?¡±

    He nced at Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen choked again and did not say a word. His face was almost purple.

    He clenched his fists tightly and tried his best not to scream.

    He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He calmed his intense heartbeat and looked at Huo Shaoheng,¡±... so it¡¯s true?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±Huo Shaoheng stood at the door and didn¡¯t turn around, he said calmly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who Ms. Song dates or remarries. It has nothing to do with you. ¡°You¡¯re already divorced. ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to spell ¡®divorce,¡¯You can look it up in the dictionary or consult a judge in the Civil Court.¡±

    Huo Guanchen closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice,¡±... Shaoheng, are you still ming me? But looking at the situation now, do you still think I was wrong?¡±

    ¡°No,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°You and Ms. Song are adults. You Don¡¯t have to exin anything to anyone else. You only have to exin it to yourself. ¡ª Okay, I¡¯m really busy. If there¡¯s nothing important, I can¡¯t apany you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said and strode out.

    Huo Guanchen looked at his back and pursed his lips.

    Yin Shixiong poked his head in and said with a grin, ¡°Chief, can youe out for a moment? Huo Shao¡¯s office is very high-security. You Can¡¯t stay in there alone.¡±

    Huo Guanchen red at him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stay here.¡±

    He also walked out with a military cap in his hand and walked towards the door.

    He suddenly stopped halfway, he said to Yin shixiong, ¡°Tell your chief to visit his grandfather when he¡¯s free. He¡¯s still an elder after all. He hasn¡¯t been involved for a long time, and his reputation outside isn¡¯t good either. In the future, when he wants to be promoted, people will make a fuss about the opinions of the masses.¡±

    Yin Shixiong:¡±...¡±

    This exnation was simply too strange.

    He scratched his head, but still dutifully sent this message to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was sitting in the meeting room and could bring his phone with him, so he didn¡¯t see the message immediately.

    After the meeting, he walked out of the meeting room and took out his phone. It was only then that he saw Yin Shixiong¡¯s mindless message.

    He thought for a moment, put on his Bluetooth headset, and asked Yin shixiong, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did the chief have any new instructions?¡±

    ¡°General Huo wants you to visit grandfather Huo when you¡¯re free.¡±Yin Shixiong looked up the address. ¡°The chief said that grandfather Huo is at his vi in the West Mountains, and Miss Guo is the head butler there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood and said quietly,¡±... got it.¡±

    ..

    Guo huining asked Huo Guanchen about the special operations forces and confirmed her conclusion.

    Huo Shaoheng had probably been authorized by the Senate to raid the sovereignw office that time.

    However, because of Gu Nianzhi, Guo Huining thought that his authorization was a bit ¡°Improper¡±.

    It was like the rtionship between an athlete and a referee.

    In apetition, you couldn¡¯t be both an athlete and a referee.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intimate rtionship made him both an athlete and a referee.

    This y was quite interesting.

    ..

    It was the weekend. Huo Guanchen called in the morning and said that he woulde to his vi in the West Mountains to see grandfather Huo in the evening.

    Guo Huining was overjoyed. She busied herself in the vi and ordered the chef to prepare a feast. She also took out her precious red wine and nned to have a candlelit dinner with Huo Guanchen.

    Her n was especially good. She prepared dinner for grandfather Huo in advance and personally brought it to his bedroom.

    Guo huining also secretly slipped some sleeping pills into his dinner, so grandfather Huo was sleepy after eating.

    After putting grandfather Huo to bed, Guo huining only had time to take a quick shower when she heard the doorbell outside the door ring.

    The maid went to open the door, and Guo Huining quickly changed into a silver-gray cks. Her hair wasbed into a bun at the back of her head.

    When Huo Guanchen came in, Guo Huining was already standing at the door of the living room, waiting for him with a smile.

    ¡°General Huo, you¡¯re here.¡±She reached out her hand and took Huo Guanchen¡¯s military hat. ¡°Have you had dinner? I asked the kitchen to prepare a big meal. It¡¯s all your favorite food.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled and looked at her. ¡°My favorite food? Why don¡¯t I know what I like to eat?¡±

    ¡°General Huo, you must be joking.¡±Guo huining smiled gently and generously. ¡°Grandfather Huo talks about you all the time. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m boasting, but even I know exactly what you like and don¡¯t like.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is That So?¡±Huo Guanchen nodded with a smile. The Crow¡¯s feet at the corner of his eyes were raised, looking somewhat simr to Lu Yuan.

    Guo huining was flustered by Huo Guanchen¡¯s smile. She covered her chest with one hand and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

    She served Huo Guanchen a cup of tea and said, ¡°This is the Biluochun from this year. The tea is sweet and fragrant. It¡¯s better to drink it before meals.¡±

    Huo guanchen sighed and said, ¡°Miss Guo, you¡¯re too kind. Actually, you only need to take care of my father.¡±As he spoke, he looked around the house. ¡°Where¡¯s My Father?¡±

    ¡°Old Mr. Huo felt sleepy after dinner. He went back to his bedroom. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s already asleep.¡±Guo Huining pointed in the direction of old Huo¡¯s bedroom. ¡°You can go and take a look.¡±

    Huo Guanchen thought for a moment, but he still went to take a look. When he saw that his father was really asleep, he turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Miss Guo.¡±

    ¡°General Huo, you¡¯re too kind. It¡¯s what I should do,¡±Guo Huining said and rang the bell for the kitchen to serve the dishes.

    Soon, there were more than ten dishes on the dining table of the vi, big and small. They were indeed the dishes that Huo Guanchen liked to eat.

    He looked at her meaningfully and said, ¡°Miss Guo, you¡¯ve really put in a lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s what I should do.¡±Guo huining smiled and scooped a bowl of soup for Huo Guanchen. ¡°Drink it. This is the best turtle soup. It¡¯s the most nourishing.¡±

    Huo Guanchen took a sip. It was indeed very delicious. He finished the entire bowl of soup.

    Guo Huining was very happy and said, ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll Cook it for you every day.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I actually don¡¯t like soup.¡±

    ¡°... Don¡¯t like it? Then why did you drink it just now?¡±Guo Huining didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Is everything okay now?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that your soup tastes too good, and it has an endless aftertaste,¡±Huo Guanchen said as he poured himself a ss of red wine and Guo Huining a ss. ¡°Drinking red wine after drinking the soup will help you lose weight.¡±

    Guo huining blushed. To her, what he said was really flirtatious..

    Was he just flirting with her?

    She gently stroked her face and whispered, ¡°Okay, thank you, General Huo.¡±

    Her slender fingers took the ss and gulped it down in one gulp.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update today: Chapter 2016, ¡°Improper reputation, improper speech¡±.

    It¡¯s November, I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly ticket.

    And a rmendation ticket!

    It¡¯s the second update of the day. The second update is at 8:00 p.m.

    PS: I¡¯m really sleepy, so I¡¯ll write this much first, and then I¡¯ll catch the worm in a few days.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

    (* ¡ã ¨Œ ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 2017 - Hook, Bait, and salt (second more: guaranteed monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2017: Chapter 2017: Hook, Bait, and salt (second more: guaranteed monthly ticket)</h4>

    ¡°You can hold your liquor well...¡±Huo Guanchen smiled and looked at the dishes on the table. They were all his favorite dishes,¡±... thank you for your hard work, Miss Guo.¡±

    Guo Huining could hold her liquor well, but this time, she only drank a ss of red wine, and she felt a little dizzy. It was almost the same feeling as when she drank a Jin of white wine.

    Could it really be that one would get drunk without getting drunk?

    Guo huining thought as she watched Huo Guanchen pour another ss of red wine for her. In a deep voice, she said, ¡°This ss is to thank Miss Guo for helping me take care of my father.¡±

    Guo Huining was disrespectful and took a sip.

    She originally didn¡¯t want to finish it in one gulp, but Huo Guanchen sat beside her and looked at her. Under the light, there seemed to be fog in his eyes, making him seem even more unfathomable.

    The way he looked down on her from above struck her heart.

    All of her defenses and weapons had fallen apart. She just wanted to crawl under his feet, submit to him, and be conquered by him..

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t stop drinking, but in the end, she finished the ss of red wine in one gulp.

    Huo Guanchen raised his eyebrows. ¡°Miss Guo¡¯s alcohol tolerance is really good. Why don¡¯t we have something stronger?¡±

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t refuse him at all. She quickly nodded.

    This was Huo Guanchen¡¯s private house, but this bottle of red wine was not his, but Guo huining brought it in herself.

    Huo Guanchen smiled, got up, and went to his own wine cer to get a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine. He ced them on the dining table.

    Guo huining rested her head on the dining table and looked at Huo Guanchen with a smile. Her eyes were no longer hiding her admiration and admiration for him.

    ¡°Come, drink my precious wine.¡±Huo Guanchen opened the bottle opener and opened the red wine.

    Guo Huining looked at the two bottles of wine and suddenly widened her eyes.

    ¡°... Macan 1928?¡±She pointed at the ordinary-looking bottle and was surprised. ¡°This is top-notch whiskey!¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. He picked up the whiskey bottle and poured half a ss for Guo Huining.

    Then he picked up another bottle of red wine and poured the same ss for her.

    Guo Huining looked at the bottle of red wine and was even more surprised. ¡°Massandra Sherry? It¡¯s from 1817? !¡±

    This kind of sherry had long been priceless.

    She could actually see it at Huo Guanchen¡¯s ce. Not only did she see it, but she was also lucky enough to taste it..

    Guo Huining was also an expert in drinking, so she naturally knew that it was easier to get drunk when white wine and red wine were mixed together.

    Now, although Huo Guanchen did not have any other intentions, he had mixed these two types of wine together for her to drink. wasn¡¯t that just to get her drunk?

    Actually, there was no need to do that. She was already drunk.

    Her eyes looked at Huo Guanchen with even more confusion, and Guo Huining became even bolder.

    She got up and walked to the door. She turned off the lights in the dining room, took out a lighter, and lit the candlesticks that she had prepared earlier.

    The light from the snow-white candles flickered, and the dining room suddenly had an ambiguous atmosphere.

    After returning to her seat, Guo Huining picked up her wine ss. She looked at Huo Guanchen lovingly as she sipped her wine.

    Two red lipstick stains were left on the wine ss. It was particrly tempting under the candlelight.

    Huo Guanchen was also holding a tall crystal ss. He did not drink. He leaned against the high-back chair and looked at her with a smile.

    He did not speak or move. However, the way he held the tall Crystal Cup and looked at her made Guo Huining feel hot for no reason.

    She took another sip of wine and slowly leaned over, getting closer and closer to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen still did not move. He did not step back or Dodge. However, he did not advance nor did he cater to her.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face was very hot. Her heart was beating like a drum, but she could not stop.

    She wanted to get closer, closer, and closer, but in the end, she stopped five centimeters away from Huo Guanchen¡¯s handsome face.

    She looked at him with fascination. She was so close to him that she could even feel his shallow breathing, as if it was on her face..

    ¡°... Miss Guo, are you drunk?¡±Huo Guanchen asked calmly.

    ¡°No.¡±Guo huining shook her head subconsciously. ¡°General Huo, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. You can call me huining.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled and turned his back to the candlelight. His face was hidden in the half-dark candlelight and could not be seen clearly, but Guo Huining felt that he was waiting for her to go over.

    However, when she wanted to get closer, Huo Guanchen put down his wine ss and just happened to brush past her.

    The courage that Guo Huining had just mustered vanished into thin air.

    She rubbed her temples and said in distress,¡±... I think I¡¯m a little drunk.¡±

    Huo Guanchen tilted his head to look at her and suddenly asked, ¡°Miss Guo, is Dr. Tony an acquaintance of yours?¡±

    Guo Huining was currently in a daze and lost her focus. Naturally, she would answer whatever Huo Guanchen asked.

    She immediately shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know him.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you know him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know him. My friend knows him. She said that doctor Tony is very powerful.¡±

    ¡°Your friend? is that Dou Aiyan?¡±

    ¡°Yes, General Huo, you know her too, right? I heard from her that her sister has almost be your daughter-inw...¡±Guo Huining said in a trance. She felt her head getting heavier.

    Huo Guanchen was nomittal. His fingers tapped lightly on the dining table, and the quiet dining room made a clicking sound.

    Guo Huining felt that something was wrong, but she was distracted by the clicking sound, as if she couldn¡¯t think on her own.

    She looked at Huo Guanchen in a daze. She wanted to express her feelings, but Huo Guanchen always cut her off perfectly.

    ¡°... Prime Minister Dou¡¯s daughter? When did she meet Dr. Tony?¡±Huo Guanchen asked with a smile.

    ¡°... I heard from her that she met him when she was abroad.¡±

    ¡°You believe that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±Guo Huining had the desire to confide. ¡°She hid a lot of things from me and thought I didn¡¯t know. But I¡¯m not a fool, how could I not know?¡±

    ¡°Such as?¡±Huo Guanchen narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°For example, she didn¡¯t do well abroad, but her luck suddenly changed. Not only did she have a lot of money that she couldn¡¯t spend, but she could also get in touch with a lot of people that she usually couldn¡¯t reach.¡±

    Guo Huining kept talking, ¡°Such as doctor Tony, such a good doctor, and his background is not an ordinary person. ¡°Even if her father is the prime minister, she might not be able to hire someone to perform the surgery, let alone a former prime minister and the daughter of a former prime minister who is in prison. Who would buy her story?¡±

    ¡°There must be someone helping her behind the scenes.¡±

    Huo Guanchen thought that he had finally hit the nail on the head.

    From the moment Guo Huining rmended doctor Tony to operate on grandfather Huo, they had been investigating Guo Huining and doctor Tony¡¯s rtionship and origins.

    However, although they were clear about doctor Tony¡¯s origins, the distance between Guo Huining and doctor Tony was thousands of miles. There were some important parts that could not be investigated.

    Later, when they were investigating Dou aiyan, they found out that Dou aiyan had filled in some of the gaps.

    However, it was still wrong.

    They decided to expand the scale and continue the investigation. However, the other party was also very cunning. She seemed to have noticed that something was wrong and retreated.

    In order to not alert the enemy, the easiest and most convenient way was to start from Guo Huining¡¯s side.

    If this woman wasn¡¯t particrly stupid, she would have already noticed that there was something wrong with Dou aiyan.

    And how could a top student of B University¡¯s Law Department be a Fool?

    Since those people used guo huining as bait, Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t mind being a big fish that could pull the fisherman into the water.

    ¡°... then who do you think is helping her?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: Chapter 2017, ¡°The hook and the straight bait¡±.

    It¡¯s November, and I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly ticket.

    And a rmendation ticket!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2018 - was actually waiting for you

    <h4>Chapter 2018: Chapter 2018 was actually waiting for you</h4>

    When Huo Guanchen said this, his voice was extremely low and carried an irresistible maism, as if it could resonate with your heartbeat.

    Those who heard it felt delighted and even trusted him more.

    Guo Huining had already opened her mouth, and she had a crush on Huo Guanchen. Now that she was bewitched by his voice, it was as if she was in a dream.

    ¡°... who is behind her? Do you want to know?¡±Guo huining giggled. It was as if there were no bones on her body, and she fell limply onto Huo Guanchen¡¯s body.

    Huo Guanchen still did not move, but he did not know when he had crossed his legs.

    His long legs stretched out, naturally separating him and Guo Huining.

    Guo huining was attracted to Huo Guanchen. She could only see his half-smile in his eyes. She did not fall onto Huo Guanchen. She tripped on the chair, and her legs gave way as she knelt directly in front of Huo Guanchen.

    She did not give up. She moved forward and knelt down. She put her head on Huo Guanchen¡¯s knee and said in a dreamy voice,¡±... Mr. ... Mr. Huo...¡±

    Huo Guanchen did not speak for a long time. The room was very quiet. Only the light of the candles flickered. The room was filled with the fragrance ofvender.

    It turned out that Guo Huining had lit a candle with a fragrance.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes shed. After a long while, he said, ¡°Yes.¡±He raised a hand and touched guo huining¡¯s hair very gently. Then, he quietly pulled it back.

    Guo huining felt her scalp tighten and numb. She shivered as if she had been electrocuted, and her breathing became rapid.

    She had never known that the feeling between a man and a woman did not need to be naked or drenched in sweat. It could also make people feel intoxicated.

    She closed her eyes and sighed in satisfaction. She said softly,¡±... I¡¯ve waited for so long. So I was waiting for you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked down at her as if he did not believe her. He snorted and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you waiting for the person behind Dou Aiyan?¡±

    Guo huining shook her head, her eyes were still closed. ¡°The person behind her, she actually doesn¡¯t know who it is. Huo Guanchen had always called her mysteriously, and that voice sounded like it was using a voice changer. It was that Idiot Dou aiyan who thought that it was just inconvenient for the other party to appear

    Huo Guanchen smiled, shook his head, and saidzily, ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t want to say it. You Don¡¯t have to be perfunctory with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±Guo Huining was a little anxious. She opened her eyes and looked up at Huo Guanchen, she said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯m really not ying around with you! I¡¯m just specting. That person has been talking to Dou aiyan on the phone and hasn¡¯t shown up. He even used a voice changer to speak. Then this person must be someone that Dou Aiyan is familiar with!¡±

    ¡°Because only people who are familiar with them use these methods to hide their true identity!¡±

    Huo Guanchen was still unmoved. ¡°Oh?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it. I¡¯m not interested either.¡±

    He raised his hand to look at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I should return to the militarypound.¡±

    He stood up as he spoke.

    Guo Huining was indescribably disappointed.

    She knelt on the ground and looked up greedily at Huo Guanchen¡¯s tall and sturdy figure. His handsome face had traces of the passage of time.

    ¡°... Mr. Huo, do you really not want to know who is behind Dou Aiyan?¡±Guo Huining¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    Huo Guanchen casually picked up the military cap and put it on his head. He smiled and said, ¡°Why should I care about this person?¡±

    ¡°... But you asked me just now...¡±Guo huining hesitated and rubbed her temples. Was she dreaming just now? Or was it an auditory hallucination?

    Her head seemed to weigh thousands of pounds. She really drank too much today. Guo Huining felt like she had cked out.

    She could barely remember what had happened more than ten minutes ago.

    ¡°... I just wanted to talk to you.¡±Huo Guanchen seemed to be a little regretful. ¡°What a pity...¡±

    He did not say what was a pity or why. He just left these two words and left the West Mountain Vi.

    After returning to the car and sitting down, the personal secretary in the front seat turned around and said, ¡°Chief, Guo Huining put medicine in the soup this afternoon, but we changed it. The soup you drank was the soup we prepared.¡±

    Huo Guanchen:¡±... then did Guo huining drink the soup she made herself?¡±

    ¡°... mm... hehe...¡±the personal secretary couldn¡¯t help but smile wretchedly. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. Her medicine isn¡¯t a big deal to women, it just makes her unconscious.¡±

    Huo Guanchen snorted.¡±... She¡¯s really bold.¡±

    ¡°Actually, you won¡¯t eat other people¡¯s food outside unless we see the cooking process with our own eyes. Her little tricks won¡¯t affect you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen closed his eyes to rest. He began to think about what kind of birthday present he would give song jinning.

    The two of them were divorced, but he still had to show his appreciation for song Jinning¡¯s birthday.

    ..

    The next morning, Guo Huining woke up on the sofa in the dining room. She found a nket draped over her.

    She rubbed her head. She felt like vomiting from a hangover. It was extremely ufortable.

    The chef who made breakfast and the maid who cleaned the ce also came. They smiled at her and said, ¡°Good Morning.¡±

    Guo huining waved her hand and sat up from the sofa with difficulty.

    Her legs were numb. This sofa was really not a good ce to sleep.

    When she thought of the word ¡°Sleep,¡±guo huining suddenly thought of something and quickly looked down at her clothes.

    It was no different from yesterday, except that she slept in the wrong position and there were wrinkles on her clothes.

    But no matter how she looked, she couldn¡¯t see any evidence of someone else¡¯s ¡°Immoralityst night.

    She actually didn¡¯t touch her..

    Guo huining rubbed her aching legs with mixed feelings.

    After sitting for a while, she walked to her room on the second floor and took a shower in the bathroom.

    As soon as she entered, she saw her swollen face in the bathroom mirror. She could not help but hold her face in fear.

    At this moment, she was d that Huo Guanchen did not spend the night herest night. If he saw her like this in the morning, he would definitely lose interest in her.

    Guo huining shook her head with a bitter smile.

    When she was in her teens, she was always energetic even if she did not sleep at night. Her eyes were bright and her skin was moist.

    But now that she was thirty years old, she just didn¡¯t sleep in the right ce at night. Her entire body was exhausted.

    The skin on her face was slightly loose, and even her wrinkles were showing. It was really a tragic sight.

    Guo huining started the maintenance procedures meticulously.

    From showering, taking a bath, to applying various skin care essences and lotions, and finally applying various facial masks to recuperate.

    After busying herself in the bathroom for the whole morning, she was finally able to look good.

    She couldn¡¯t stay upte anymore.

    Guo Huining secretly made up her mind.

    When she came out of the room, it was already noon. She was about to have lunch when she heard her cell phone ring again.

    She took it out and saw that it was Dou Aiyan¡¯s phone number in the United States.

    Guo Huining opened the phone and asked in a good mood, ¡°Aiyan, is that you? Are you still awake?¡±

    At this time, it should be midnight in the United States.

    Dou aiyan was still jetgged and did not have time to chat with Guo Huining. She immediately said excitedly, ¡°Huining, how are things going with General Huo? !¡±

    Guo Huining was stunned.¡±... What do you mean, how are things going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking if there¡¯s a breakthrough between you and him!¡±Dou aiyan became even more excited. ¡°A friend of mine just met General Huo at the best jewelry store in Imperial! Guess what he¡¯s doing? !¡±

    ¡°... doing what?¡±

    ¡°Buying jewelry! I think I saw a ring!¡±

    No Way!

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She clutched her chest and leaned against the door. She really couldn¡¯t breathe.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of today: chapter 2018, ¡°So I was waiting for you.¡±.

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    It¡¯s the second watch today. The second watch is at eight o¡¯clock at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2019 - the old house was on fire (1)(2) the monthly ticket

    <h4>Chapter 2019: Chapter 2019 the old house was on fire (1)(2) the monthly ticket</h4>

    The scene fromst night seemed toe back to her mind.

    Although she didn¡¯t remember what happened after she got drunk, she still remembered it before she got drunk.

    She remembered the room full of romantic candles, Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes that were still trying to speak in the candlelight, and his handsome and attractive face.

    She still remembered how close the two of them were. If they got any closer, they would almost touch his face.

    Even now, she could feel the warmth of his warm breath.

    Later, she seemed to be kneeling on the ground, putting her head on his knee, while his hand touched her hair faintly..

    Guo huining suddenly remembered a sentence, ¡°Everything is done ording to thew, like a dream bubble, like dew and Lightning...¡±

    Her face could not be any redder. Guo Huining had already arrived at the entrance of the dining room. She held the wall by the door and stood still, supporting her body that was about to copse.

    Dou aiyan waited there for a while. When she saw that Guo Huining did not speak, she called out anxiously, ¡°Huining? Huining? Are you still listening?¡±

    ¡°... Yes, I¡¯m here.¡±Guo Huining finally came back to her senses and found her voice.

    She took a deep breath, held the wall, and walked into the dining room.

    She sat down in her seat, and the kitchen maid brought her lunch and ced it in front of her.

    She even set the dishes for her.

    Guo huining smiled and nodded at her, while she said to Dou aiyan on the other side of the phone,¡±... is that so?¡±

    ¡°Of course! If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll show you the photos!¡±Dou aiyan said and immediately sent a few photos to Guo Huining.

    Guo Huining looked closely. It was really Huo Guanchen in the jewelry store!

    The big logo of the jewelry store was right on top of Huo Guanchen¡¯s head. It couldn¡¯t be wrong!

    This photo was obviously taken secretly, but the angle was especially good. It just revealed Huo Guanchen¡¯s extremely handsome side profile, as well as his handsome military uniform and straight back. He was holding a small jewelry box in his hand. The lid of the box was opened, a sparkling and resplendent ring was revealed inside.

    At a nce, it was obvious that it was a diamond ring. Moreover, the stone should not be small, because the photo taken secretly was clearly very far away. It should have been taken with a long lens. However, the shape of the diamond could still be clearly seen. It was the shape of a pear shaped oval between two pointed ends.

    If it was a one-carat diamond the size of a grain of rice, it would definitely not be seen so clearly from the angle taken secretly.

    The diamond on the ring that Huo Guanchen was looking at, Guo Huining estimated it to be at least seven carats!

    If the purity, cut, and color of a seven-carat diamond were top-notch, then the price would be sky-high..

    Guo Huining once saw a big celebrity¡¯s engagement diamond ring. It was in the shape of a seven-carat mahjong tile and was worth about five million US dors.

    The diamond ring in Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand was a few grades higher than that famous celebrity¡¯s engagement ring.

    She really didn¡¯t know what price it was..

    Guo Huining wasn¡¯t someone who had never seen money before, but five million US dors was almost everything she had worked for all these years.

    She could barely afford a diamond ring with all her money, but was this interesting?

    When all her things were earned by herself bit by bit, it was very boring to think about it.

    Therefore, Huo Guanchen was even more precious to her.

    And this sense of urgency to worry about gains and losses was different from the time when she had a secret crush.

    At that time, she was not so confident that she could give up at any time.

    Afterst night, she found that Huo Guanchen was not so far away.

    As long as she worked hard, she could have this kind of life that was truly above everyone else.

    Moreover, there was also Huo Guanchen, the man that she truly loved and treated.

    Only he was worthy of her..

    The corners of Guo Huining¡¯s mouth curled up, and she smiled proudly. She felt that she had been reborn, and she was like a swan in the snow, about to soar into the sky soon.

    ¡°Do You Believe Me Now? What do you think General Huo is buying this ring for now?¡±Dou aiyan¡¯s tone was gossipy enough, and it was also well-nned.

    Guo Huining did not disappoint her. She chuckled and said in an ambiguous tone, ¡°Who knows? Last night, general Huo only had a meal with me.¡±

    ¡°AH? ! Really? Really? !¡±Dou aiyan was so excited that she almost jumped up. ¡°So it¡¯s for You? ! Huining, you¡¯re really something! It¡¯s only been a few days, and you¡¯ve already made a wily old man like general huo have the urge to get married? !¡±

    Guo huining smiled reservedly, she still denied it. ¡°How is that possible? This is only the first time we¡¯ve had a meal alone. ¡ª eh? Why is this candle still lit? How did the servants in the restaurant serve it? I even forgot to put out the candle.¡±

    It was a simple sentence, but it contained a huge amount of information.

    Dou aiyan understood and immediately said,¡±... you had a candlelit dinner for two yesterday? ! And you said it had nothing to do with you! Huining, don¡¯t be too modest!¡±

    Guo huining turned on her phone¡¯s camera and video call with Dou Aiyan. She smiled and said, ¡°Look, why would I lie to You?¡±

    Thanks to Guo Huining, it was not the first time Dou Aiyan had seen the situation inside Huo Guanchen¡¯s private residence in the West Mountain Vi.

    This time, when she looked at the restaurant again, she immediately believed that Guo Huining was not lying.

    Therefore, there were indeed candles standing high and low on the counters around the wall of the restaurant.

    The traces of burning wax were clearly visible.

    Dou aiyan was finally convinced that it was Guo huining who had made such substantial progress. She was so satisfied that she wanted to hang up the phone.

    However, Guo Huining would not let her off so easily.

    She turned off the video call on her phone and continued to talk to Dou aiyan, ¡°Aiyan, you were able to get a photo of general Huo even when you were abroad. Your Friend is quite amazing... What does he do? How could it be such a coincidence? I even thought that you were following general Huo.¡±

    Guo Huining asked this not because she suspected that Dou aiyan would harm Huo Guanchen, but because she was worried that Dou aiyan would snatch Huo Guanchen away from her..

    Dou aiyan did not even understand what was going on in Guo Huining¡¯s head, so she felt guilty at the first moment.

    She chuckled and tried to muddle through the situation. ¡°Huining, what are you saying? Why would I follow General Huo when I have nothing to do? Besides, do you think anyone can follow and secretly take photos of people in his position?¡±

    Not to mention the personal secretary, security personnel, orderly soldiers, and snipers hiding in the dark, even though so many people were following him, he could still be photographed at close range, then these people could all die.

    Dou Aiyan¡¯s photo was taken from a higher floor with a top-notch camera.

    How else could she have taken it?

    Dou aiyan was proud of herself.

    However, Guo Huining quickly exposed her.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, so you have to have status, means, connections, and financial resources before you can secretly take a photo of him, right?¡±Guo Huining had studiedw for so many years, and it was not just for show.

    With just a few words, Dou aiyan felt like she was about to be exposed.

    She continued to chuckle, ¡°You know my friends... their identities are very scary. My father used to be the prime minister, and my friends were all rich and powerful. What¡¯s so strange about meeting such a person in the same jewelry store as general Huo?¡±

    Guo Huining also wanted to chuckle.

    Yes, when your father was the prime minister, it was not strange for you to be friends with the executor.

    But now, not only was your father the ¡°Former Prime Minister¡±, but he was also the former prime minister who was serving his sentence in prison!

    There were a few people who were either rich or noble who had water in their heads. They even wanted to have a deep friendship with the daughter of the ¡°Former Prime Minister¡±!

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Guo huining hung up the phone calmly and did not continue speaking.

    The more she did not express her position, the more Dou Aiyan felt that it was true.

    ..

    The call with Guo Huining ended. Dou aiyan looked at her phone and thought for a while, then dialed the number of the person she had contacted.

    As expected, it was another message.

    Dou aiyan left a message. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m sure that General Huo¡¯s ring is for Guo Huining. She and general Huo Guanchen are about to get engaged. What do you n to do next?¡±

    Soon after she left this message, the other party called.

    There was a hint of joy in her voice. ¡°Really? It¡¯s really for Guo Huining? ! So soon? She¡¯s about to get engaged?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±Dou aiyan chuckled, ¡°Grandfather Huo has been well for a few months, and Guo Huining is not bad herself. She¡¯s more than 20 years younger than general Huo. When the old house caught fire, she couldn¡¯t wait to hold it in her hands.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2019, Old House on fire (1) .

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2020 - the old house is on fire (2)(the first one asks for a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2020: Chapter 2020 the old house is on fire (2)(the first one asks for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The voice on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then said in a slightly changed voice, ¡°Since we¡¯re about to get engaged, we must seize Guo Huining.¡±

    Dou aiyan quickly nodded. ¡°I know. If it weren¡¯t for general Huo¡¯s lust, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to get close to them.¡±

    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s good that you know. Continue to keep an eye on Guo Huining¡¯s movements. It¡¯s best to get her pregnant as soon as possible,¡±the person on the other end suggested.

    Dou aiyan raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Why do you want to get pregnant as soon as possible?¡±

    ¡°Do you think she has the chance to marry into the Huo family if she doesn¡¯t get pregnant?¡±The person on the other end of the phone was a little impatient. ¡°Dou aiyan, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t understand the rules of this circle?¡±

    Dou aiyan choked for a moment, thinking that this person was really weird. He didn¡¯t know some of the rules that were set in stone, but he knew some of the rules that were set in stone..

    However, she didn¡¯t have the courage to be serious with the real person, so she immediately said, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll encourage Guo Huining.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you did a good job.¡±The other party¡¯s voice softened, and he smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an extra 100,000 dors this month as a reward.¡±

    The reward for a month was 100,000 dors. Dou Aiyan¡¯s heart was warm. She could not help but say, ¡°Sir, I owe you a lot for taking care of me this year. I wonder if I have the honor to treat you to a meal?¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have the honor.¡±The person said and quickly hung up.

    Dou aiyan put down her phone resentfully. After waiting for a while, she opened a small app on her phone, trying to find the coordinates of the person who spoke to her just now.

    However, she still couldn¡¯t find him. The other party¡¯s coordinates were still nk and well hidden.

    ¡°How useless... He¡¯s also known as the King of the dark tracking software...¡±Dou aiyan muttered, nning to find that person to refund her money when she was free.

    She couldn¡¯t even find the location of a phone number, so she had received a thousand dors for nothing.

    ..

    After Guo Huining ended the call with Dou aiyan, she sat restlessly in the west mountain vi.

    She looked at the photo over and over again, and the more she looked at it, the more she liked it.

    Not only did she like the perfect diamond ring, but she also liked the man with the diamond ring..

    She wished that she was the diamond ring in that man¡¯s hand, and that he would treasure it and keep it.

    She had been waiting all her life for such a person, and from then on, she would wash her hands and make soup for him. The wind and rain outside would no longer be able to rain on her, and she would no longer have to fight like a tomboy in society. She only wanted to hide under his wings, she would no longer be homeless.

    After watching for a while, she could no longer sit still. She informed the servants in the vi and drove into the city.

    Although the West Mountain Vi was luxurious and had mountains and rivers, to Guo Huining, she still loved the hustle and bustle of the metropolis in her bones.

    In a ce like the west mountain vi, she felt that at most, she would stay for a weekend vacation. Usually, she would stay in the city, especially the Huo family mansion in the militarypound with Huo Guanchen. It was the best choice.

    She drove to the entrance of the militarypound and took a look. Then, she reluctantly drove to the mall, which was the mall where Huo Guanchen bought the ring.

    She knew that Huo Guanchen should have left by now, but she still couldn¡¯t help but want to go to the ce he had been to.

    She carried her herm¨¨s tinum bag into the shop and was greeted by a young woman wearing a white business suit.

    ¡°May I know what jewelry you are interested in? We specialize in diamond rings, but we also have matching nes, bracelets, nes, and earrings.¡±

    Guo Huining:¡±...¡±

    She just wanted to take a look.

    However, she still sat down where Huo Guanchen had just sat. She lowered her head to take a look at the disy cab and pointed at a pear-shaped diamond ring.¡±... may I have a look at this ring?¡±

    The Salesgirl in the shop quickly smiled and said, ¡°Unfortunately, this ring has just been ordered. We are waiting for the head shop to send someone to engrave it.¡±

    Although Guo huining herself would not buy such an expensive diamond ring, she had also received Hong Ziqi¡¯s big diamond ring back then.

    She knew that if this kind of diamond ring was to be engraved, it would be sent back to their headquarters after it was engraved.

    She didn¡¯t expect that the diamond ring bought by Huo Guanchen could make their headquarters send someone over personally!

    After all, the headquarters of this jewelry shop was in France!

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for you to send it back to the headquarters to Engrave Words? Why did you ask your headquarters to send someone over this time?¡±

    ¡°Miss, you are also an expert,¡±the salesgirlplimented. ¡°Because this gentleman wants it in a hurry, there isn¡¯t enough time to send it back, so our headquarters decided to send someone to engrave the words.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a big favor.¡±Guo huining pursed her lips and smiled. Her fingers imitated Huo Guanchen¡¯s actions and tapped on the ss of the disy cab. She asked curiously,¡±... What kind of words are they engraving?¡±

    The salesgirl only smiled and did not say anything.

    Guo Huining knew that this might be a customer¡¯s privacy. Normally, the salesgirl would not say anything.

    But she also knew that if it was obvious that there was no possibility of it being leaked, most salespeople would not mind gossiping about the customer.

    Therefore, Guo huining spread her hands and said, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to worry that I will tell others what you said. I don¡¯t know the buyer, and I can¡¯t even spread the word if I want to.¡±

    The salesperson smiled and thought for a while before saying in a low voice, ¡°Since you are so interested, why don¡¯t you buy a bracelet? We have this kind of decorative bracelet, 18-carat gold-iid diamond, only 30,000 yuan.¡±

    Guo Huining felt her heart ache, but she couldn¡¯t bear to let her child go. She gritted her teeth and spent 30,000 yuan to buy an extremely short bracelet with 18-carat gold-studded diamond bracelet.

    The diamond was really broken. It was almost impossible to tell that it was a diamond, but the good thing was that it was very pure. When it was worn on the wrist, it looked like a string of stars in the night sky. It was both beautiful and creative, there was also a big logo for her to show off.

    After Guo Huining put it on, she immediately fell in love with the bracelet.

    The Salesgirl did a business deal before she lowered her voice and said,¡±... I heard that the gentleman bought it to give it away. It must be a Valentine...¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart almost skipped a beat.¡±... It¡¯s possible to give it away, but how do you know it¡¯s a Valentine? Isn¡¯t it a rtive, wife, or colleague?¡±

    ¡°TSK, if it¡¯s for a wife, rtive, or colleague, would they ask us to Engrave Endless Love on the ring?¡±

    ¡°Endless Love?¡±Guo Huining¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°Endless Love? Endless Love? It¡¯s indeed quite romantic...¡±

    ¡°Of course...¡±the salesgirl chatted with Guo Huining for a while until another customer came in. Then, she left Guo Huining to entertain other customers.

    Guo Huining left the jewelry store with a smile on her face. She had been in a good mood the whole day.

    However, when she returned to the west mountain vi, she found that the entrance of the vi was heavily guarded. There were several military vehicles parked there, and two armed guards were standing guard in front of the vi¡¯s courtyard.

    Guo Huining was stunned for a moment, then she wondered if Huo Guanchen hade.

    Although he had never put on such a grand show before, she knew that he was qualified to enjoy this kind of hustling.

    She quickly went forward, but just as she was about to enter, the guard pointed his gun at her. ¡°Stop.¡±

    Guo huining quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m the housekeeper here. My name is Guo Huining. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask old Mr. Huo and general Huo.¡±

    The guard put away his gun. ¡°Go in.¡±

    Guo huining breathed a sigh of relief, but just as she entered the courtyard, she saw Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaohenging out of the vi¡¯s main gate.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was expressionless. Gu Nianzhi had a charming smile on her face, and her beautiful eyes looked even more beautiful than before.

    Guo Huining stopped and stood on the side of the road. She smiled and nodded at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Miss Gu is here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not even look at her. She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and said arrogantly, ¡°This vi is not bad. Does it belong to your father? Then doesn¡¯t it belong to you from now on?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Legally, yes, but my father is still young. If he remarries and has a child, it might not necessarily be mine.¡±

    ¡°I see... That¡¯s too bad.¡±Gu nianzhi nced meaningfully at guo huining. ¡°I heard that many people are matchmaking general Huo. Huo Shao, you might have a little brother or sister soon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. ¡°All you know how to do is talk nonsense.¡±

    He pulled Gu Nianzhi into the car and left in an imposing manner, surrounded by military vehicles.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face turned red and white as she watched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s motorcade leave, her hands clenched into fists.

    What she didn¡¯t know was that Gu Nianzhi was looking in her direction from the car. She smiled and said to Huo Shaoheng,¡±... will this work?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called adding fuel to the fire, and we¡¯ll see.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 2020¡åThe old house is on fire (2)¡±.

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    It¡¯s the second watch today. The second watch is at eight o¡¯clock at night.

    PS: I Can¡¯t guarantee the first hour of the morning. I work overtime every day. I got home at 10 o¡¯clock this evening and started writing after dinner.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2021 - the old house is on fire (3)(second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2021: Chapter 2021 the old house is on fire (3)(second update)</h4>

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart was in a mess.

    She knew that she did not have the advantage in terms of family background and age, but she also had the advantage that those young women with good family backgrounds did not have.

    She was smart, capable, and mature. She would definitely not throw a tantrum at a man.

    More importantly, she had done Huo Guanchen a great favor. This was something that those people could not catch up to.

    However, she was still a little nervous. What if she had misjudged him?

    For example, Hong Ziqi. She had originally thought that he was a good match for her to marry into a rich family..

    In the next few days, Guo Huining had been waiting for Huo Guanchen toe back or inviting her out for dinner.

    However, Huo Guanchen did not show up at all.

    She tried to call him, but it was only his personal secretary who answered the phone. Huo Guanchen was always busy, so he did not have time to answer her calls or call back to ask her what was the matter.

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart was hanging high.

    Dou aiyan had been calling and chatting with her for the past few days to find out about the progress between her and Huo Guanchen.

    Guo Huining felt bitter in her heart, but she didn¡¯t say it out loud. She just didn¡¯t answer the phone. With a mysterious look on her face, she managed to save some face.

    Huo Guanchen knew all these things clearly.

    He sat in his office and pondered, wondering what the person behind Guo Huining wanted her to get close to him for.

    Of course, the most important thing was to know who the person behind him was so that he could confirm the other party¡¯s motives.

    Otherwise, any intentions that were revealed could be false.

    Guo Huining could not stand it anymore after being left out for a few days. She finally called Zhang Baochen and asked him when he would be free to visit grandfather Huo.

    When he was in the hospital, Zhang Baochen used to work with Huo Guanchen to take care of grandfather Huo.

    Later, grandfather Huo was discharged from the hospital and moved to Huo Guanchen¡¯s private residence. With Guo Huining bringing so many professionals and servants to take care of him, Zhang Baochen was able to rx.

    However, he also wanted to visit grandfather Huo. When he received a call from Guo Huining, Zhang Baochen immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m free today. How is my father¡¯s health today?¡±

    Guo huining smiled and said, ¡°Old Sir¡¯s health is much better now. He can no longer use a wheelchair and can be helped to walk around the backyard.¡±

    Zhang Baochen smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯lle over in the afternoon. Is it convenient over there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s convenient, of course it¡¯s convenient.¡±Guo Huining put down the phone and went to tell grandfather Huo, ¡°Old Sir Huo, Mr. Zhang Baochen is here to see you.¡±

    ¡°Baochen? That¡¯s great. I haven¡¯t seen him for a while. Will my grandchildrene?¡±Grandfather Huo asked in high spirits.

    The grandchildren he asked were Zhang Baochen¡¯s son, Zhang Wenjie, and his daughter, Zhang Wenna.

    Guo huining smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. Why Don¡¯t you wait for him toe and ask him again?¡±

    Grandfather Huo nodded happily and kept looking at the window, waiting for Zhang Baochen toe over.

    Zhang Baochen drove from the city and it took him two hours to get here.

    When he arrived at Huo Guanchen¡¯s private residence in the west mountain vi, he was drenched in sweat in the cold weather.

    Guo huining handed him a wet tissue and asked with concern, ¡°Are you cold? Do you want to change your clothes? We have some of general Huo¡¯s casual clothes here, not military uniforms.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, there¡¯s no need.¡±Zhang Baochen wiped his face and went to see grandfather Huo.

    The father and son wanted to talk, so Guo Huining naturally couldn¡¯t stand by the side.

    When Zhang Baochen finished speaking, the sky had already darkened.

    Zhang Baochen looked out of the French window and said, ¡°It¡¯s already sote.¡±

    Guo huining smiled and asked, ¡°Mr. Zhang, do you want to stay for dinner?¡±

    ¡°No need, I still have to go back.¡±Zhang Baochen looked at his watch and exchanged a few pleasantries with Guo Huining.

    Then, he suddenly asked, ¡°Has my second brother been here in the past few days?¡±

    Guo Huining had been beating around the bush for a long time, waiting for this question. She immediately frowned and said, ¡°He often came here a few days ago to see Mr. Huo. We even had dinner together. He doesn¡¯t seem toe here muchtely...¡±

    Zhang Baochen looked at her with pity and sighed softly. ¡°Miss Guo, actually, being a butler for someone is not a long-term job, especially for a woman with your educational background. It¡¯s such a pity.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart pounded wildly.

    She thought, if it weren¡¯t for Huo Guanchen, she wouldn¡¯t havee to be a housekeeper..

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t say that.

    She smiled subtly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve worked for so many years, it¡¯s good to take a break. Moreover, Mr. Huo has helped me a lot. It¡¯s my duty to help him now.¡±

    Zhang Baochen thought of what grandfather Huo had said just now and could not help but hint,¡±... but when my second brother remarries, there might not be a need for a butler here.¡±

    No matter how calm Guo Huining was, her expression changed at this moment. ¡°Mr. Zhang, what do you mean? It¡¯s Guan Chen, he...¡±

    Zhang Baochen widened his eyes in surprise.¡±... you called me second brother Guan Chen? !¡±

    This address was too intimate, and it could not help but make people think..

    Guo huining covered her mouth and smiled awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I misspoke. I wanted to ask if Mr. Huo has found a partner to remarry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that.¡±Zhang Baochen actually wanted to help Guo Huining. In his opinion, Guo huining marrying Huo Guanchen was much better than Huo Guanchen finding another daughter from a higher family.

    At least not only did Guo huining not look down on him, but she also helped him a lot.

    And the people in Huo Guanchen¡¯s circle all looked down on their family.

    Zhang Baochen had enough of those people¡¯s picky eyes.

    Thinking of this, Zhang Baochen¡¯s heart moved. He smiled and said, ¡°I heard from my father that my second brother has been busy recently. In fact, he¡¯s busy with matchmaking.¡±

    ¡°... blind dates? Who Have you met? Do you know?¡±Guo huining forced herself to calm down. She still wanted to get some information and find out what was going on.

    ¡°Who else? Aren¡¯t they the daughters of those people from their courtyard...¡±Zhang Baochen sneered, ¡°But he¡¯s old. Although his position is high, it¡¯s impossible for him to find a virgin daughter who has never been married. He¡¯s looking for a divorced or widowed second wife.¡±

    Guo huining rxed slightly.

    Although she had a fianc¨¦ before, she had never been married before. Compared to those people, her advantage was very obvious.

    But when Zhang Baochen said this, Guo Huining was confused again.

    Who exactly did Huo Guanchen buy that diamond ring for? !

    Wasn¡¯t it for her?

    But the words ¡°Endless love¡±were carved on it, which clearly indicated the love between a man and a woman.

    It was really puzzling.

    Zhang Baochen patted her shoulder and said meaningfully, ¡°Miss Guo, I actually think more highly of you. Don¡¯t be discouraged, you still have a chance.¡±

    As he said that, he hinted to Guo huining that Huo Guanchen was a filial son. As long as grandfather Huo agreed, Guo Huining would have no problem entering the house.

    Guo huining immediately felt reassured.

    She had started from grandfather Huo¡¯s side, which was why she got in touch with people like Huo Guanchen.

    As long as grandfather Huo was well coaxed, it would be twice as easy for Huo Guanchen¡¯s side.

    Thinking of this, Guo Huining¡¯s face lit up again.

    As for Dou Aiyan¡¯s side, seeing that Guo Huining had not made any movements, she was also a little puzzled.

    She called her superior and hesitantly reported the situation over here.

    Her boss didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. He only said, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask Big Boss and see if he has any ideas.¡±

    Dou aiyan¡¯s spirits were lifted.

    She had long guessed that there must be someone behind her boss!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: chapter 2021, ¡°The old house is on fire (3)¡±.

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2022 - the old house was on fire (4)(the first one asked for a recommendation ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2022: Chapter 2022 the old house was on fire (4)(the first one asked for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Unfortunately, Dou Aiyan did not have the chance to find out who the big boss was.

    The other side quickly hung up and did not call again.

    Guo Huining was also nervous for a few days. She found several reasons to call Huo Guanchen, but she could not call Huo Guanchen. It was all answered by his personal secretary. She kept telling her that the chief was very busy recently and asked her to bear with him, he said that he would go back to see grandfather Huo after he was done with his work.

    However, it sounded like an excuse.

    Guo Huining did not believe a word of it.

    She did not understand why Huo Guanchen did not take the final step with her even though he clearly had feelings for her?

    She was very regretful now. She should have drugged him more before the candlelit dinner that night!

    Such an opportunity would probably be hard toe by again..

    Just when she could not find Huo Guanchen and was almost in despair, someone suddenly called her.

    ¡°... Miss Guo? I¡¯m Dou Aiyan¡¯s friend,¡±the person said straightforwardly.

    When Guo Huining heard the voice, she immediately recognized that it was the person who had used a voice changer to call Dou Aiyan!

    Although she had only heard it once by ident, the voice was too special, and her memory was not bad, so she had always remembered it firmly.

    However, although she recognized it, she also knew that she could not reveal it.

    Therefore, she pretended not to recognize it and said indifferently, ¡°Hello, May I know who you are? I haven¡¯t contacted Aiyan for a while.¡±

    The person on the other side seemed tough. It was obvious that he was an old man. Although he used a voice changer, the basic sound quality was difficult to change.

    If Guo Huining had the software to analyze the sound frequency, she could even restore the original sound of the voice changer.

    Of course, to Guo Huining, she did not care whether the other party was a man or a woman. She just wanted the other party to help her achieve her wish.

    The other party seemed to be quite satisfied with her reaction. He said very politely, ¡°I¡¯m a friend of Dou aiyan. You can call me uncle Dong.¡±

    Guo Huining:¡±...¡±

    She was not used to calling strangers ¡°Uncle¡±.

    She held the phone and said vaguely, ¡°Mr. Dong, what do you want to talk to me about?¡±

    ¡°I heard from Aiyan that something good is going to happen between you and general Huo?¡±

    She was really asking for trouble.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Are you teasing me? If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so anxious.¡±This personughed confidently. ¡°You don¡¯t even understand the principle that you can¡¯t eat hot porridge if you¡¯re anxious.¡±

    Guo Huining was choked by his words. She braced herself and said, ¡°How am I anxious? Don¡¯t say half and hide half. If you have something to say, just say it. Who knows what you mean by rambling?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m helping you out of kindness for Aiyan¡¯s sake.¡±

    Guo Huining held her arm and said calmly, ¡°You won¡¯t help me for free. Do you think I¡¯m a child who doesn¡¯t know anything?¡±

    ¡°... Well, we do business for money, of course. If you can marry General Huo, of course we¡¯ll need your help in the future.¡±

    Hearing that the other party was seeking wealth, Guo Huining put down her arms and rxed.

    She sat on the sofa and said with a smile, ¡°To do business, you need to build a connection between heaven and earth. What kind of business do you do?¡±

    The other party also smiled, ¡°Miss Guo is a sensible person and also a smart person. A business that needs to build a connection between heaven and earth is certainly not an ordinary business, and this kind of business is also extraordinarily profitable.¡±

    ¡°... I can¡¯t guarantee that.¡±Guo huining smiled faintly. ¡°If it affects Guanchen¡¯s career, I will only help you if I take the wrong medicine.¡±

    Why would she use Huo Guanchen¡¯s future to make a deal?

    Then why did she go through so much trouble to marry him?

    To be amoner with him?

    The other party hurriedly exined, ¡°Miss Guo, you can rest assured that we will absolutely not do anything illegal. In fact, we will only help you with a lift of our hands. It Won¡¯t take us much effort.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then how are you going to help me?¡±Guo huining probed, ¡°I want to make it clear in advance that I have no money, no job, and no status. I Can¡¯t help you with anything.¡±

    ¡°Miss Guo, you are too modest. With your influence, won¡¯t you just give General Huo some pillow talk in the future?¡±The other party had already made it quite explicit.

    However, Guo huining listened to her appetite and smiled even wider. ¡°You are joking. Guanchen is not that kind of person.¡±

    Seeing that she was familiar with Huo Guanchen¡¯s tone and from the conversation they overheard, she confirmed that Guo Huining was indeed just one step away.

    ¡°How about this, are you free now? Come to the second floor of Yuan Ai Restaurant. It¡¯s convenient for me and for myself.¡±

    The person sent Guo Huining the address coordinates.

    Guo Huining took a look. The address coordinates were a restaurant in Sihuan district near the Institute of High Energy Physics. It was called ¡°Yuan Ai.¡±.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Guo Huining had a scooter in Huo Guanchen¡¯s private residence in the West Mountain. Huo Guanchen had given it to her.

    She took the car keys and got into the car. It only took her 20 minutes to arrive at the entrance of Yuan Ai¡¯s restaurant in the Sihuan District, which was near the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    The waiter at the entrance took her to the second floor.

    Guo Huining had never been to this restaurant before. She thought that the second floor was full of private rooms.

    However, when she went upstairs, she found that it was still an open hall. However,pared to the hall downstairs, there were many different kinds of screens and green nts, which divided the entire second floor into individual areas.

    It looked like a private room, but it was more open than a private room. However, there was enough privacy between each location.

    The only disadvantage was that the soundproofing was slightly worse.

    Guo huining nced at the nordic-style dining tables and chairs. She was very surprised that there was such an elegant and interesting restaurant in this ce.

    She followed the waiter all the way.

    After going around the path that was guided by the green vines, she saw a very eye-catching pair of men and women sitting near the window not far away.

    The man was elegant and handsome. The woman in front of him was mature and beautiful. It was a strange match.

    On the left sat a mother and child. The children were only four or five years old, but they sat on their high chairs obediently. They did not shout like normal children.

    The child¡¯s mother was elegant and gentle. She was taking a wet tissue to wipe the child¡¯s hands.

    Guo huining retracted her gaze and looked to the right side, which was covered by vines and a screen.

    Although it was only a glimpse, Guo Huining suddenly stopped.

    Who Did she see? !

    She actually saw Huo Guanchen!

    What was he doing here at this time?

    Guo huining had just called Huo Guanchen in the morning and was told by his personal secretary that Huo Guanchen was going to have a meeting for the whole day!

    Was this a meeting?

    Toe to such a high-end restaurant for a meeting?

    Guo huining gripped the handle of her herm¨¨s tinum bag tightly, veins popping out on the back of her hand.

    However, she was not impulsive. She patiently followed the waiter in another direction.

    After making a few more turns, she was finally led to a cubicle by the waiter.

    In the cubicle, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties was holding an IPAD and watching a live video stream.

    Seeing that she hade, he quickly raised his head, stood up, and stretched out his hand with a smile,¡±... is that Miss Guo? I¡¯m Uncle Dong.¡±

    This person¡¯s voice was exactly the same as what she had heard on the phone!

    Guo huining stretched out her hand in a somewhat embarrassed manner and shook hands with this person.

    It was actually a real voice..

    She had thought that she had used a voice changer.

    Although it sounded a little strange, when Guo Huining recalled that some people¡¯s voices were different from others, she felt relieved.

    She had once heard a singer sing. If one only listened to his voice and did not look at his face, everyone would think that he was a woman, but in fact, he was a real man.

    Nature¡¯s divine workmanship was sometimes so magical.

    ¡°Hello, Uncle Dong.¡±Guo huining sat down opposite him. From the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of the IPAD in the man¡¯s hand. Her expression changed slightly.

    She had thought that the man was watching a live broadcast, but now that she saw the content on the IPAD screen clearly, she realized that it was not a normal live broadcast, but theyout of the restaurant!

    Seeing that Guo Huining had already sensed that something was different, the person pursed his lips into a smile and handed over an earpiece. ¡°Put it on.¡±

    Guo huining suspiciously took the earpiece and started listening to it with the other earpiece.

    She did not stand on ceremony and went over to look at the IPAD beside the person¡¯s hand.

    The image on the IPAD was actually not very clear. It was like the quality of the image captured by a low-resolution surveince camera, but the rare thing was that the sound was very clear.

    Guo huining could clearly hear Huo Guanchen¡¯s voiceing from the earpiece.

    On the IPAD, Huo Guanchen was sitting opposite a woman with only four dishes in front of him.

    Guo Huining looked at Uncle Dong in surprise.

    Uncle Dong said with a smile,¡±... I¡¯m the owner of this restaurant.¡±

    No wonder he could look at the surveince camera directly!

    Guo huining heaved a sigh of relief and ignored the man. She held her breath as she looked at the IPAD and listened to the conversation inside.

    After listening for a long time, she finally understood that Huo Guanchen was on a blind date!

    She had heard Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi talk about it before, and she had thought that the two of them were deliberately trying to hurt her!

    She did not expect it to be true.

    Huo Guanchen was not wearing a military uniform at the moment. Instead, he was wearing a gray striped shirt, ck slim-fitting suit pants, and a cigarette in his hand. He sat in his seat with great style and looked at the woman in front of him with a faint smile.

    The woman in front of him was not young, but she was not very old either. ording to Guo Huining, she should be around forty years old. Compared to Huo Guanchen¡¯s age, of course, she was young.

    Butpared to Guo Huining, she was too old.

    Guo huining curled the corners of her mouth in disdain.

    However, the woman was quite good-looking. Moreover, it could be seen that she came from a good background and had better upbringing. She spoke softly and looked at Huo Guanchen. Although she was reserved, they were all women, could Guo huining not see through this person¡¯s feelings for Huo Guanchen?

    Through the earpiece, the woman said gently, ¡°General Huo, I was divorced once, but I don¡¯t have children. I don¡¯t know if you still want to have children...¡±

    Huo guanchen politely interrupted her, ¡°Ms. Liu, at my age, I don¡¯t need children anymore.¡±

    ¡°AH? Really?¡±Ms. Liu seemed surprised and happy. ¡°When my father told me, I didn¡¯t believe it...¡±

    Huo Guanchen showed a trace of pity and pity. He put out his cigarette in the ashtray and sighed. ¡°Your father, minister Liu, has worked with me for many years. I Won¡¯t hide it from you. I already have someone in my heart.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2022, ¡°Old House on fire (4)¡±.

    It¡¯s November, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket.

    And a rmended ticket for Monday!

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day. The second watch is at 8:00 p.m.

    PS: I had a fever yesterday, so I went home after working overtime in the afternoon and slept until this afternoon.

    I¡¯ve been seriously short of sleep recently, so I¡¯ll be fine after I get through this half month.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)¨s

 Chapter 2023 - the old house is on fire (5)(the second is asking for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2023: Chapter 2023 the old house is on fire (5)(the second is asking for a monthly pass)</h4>

    The smile on Madam Liu¡¯s face froze, and she did not know how to respond for a long time.

    She did not seem to be a well-rounded person.

    Guo huining sighed slightly.

    She knew that the person who could make Huo Guanchen fall in love with was never an ordinary person.

    After a while, she heard madam Liu Stutter,¡±... there... There are people? Then why did youe... To See Me?¡±

    Huo guanchen smiled and said, ¡°Minister Liu is very kind, but it would be impolite not to.¡±

    It was this look that seemed to know everything about women¡¯s thoughts that struck a few people¡¯s hearts.

    Madam Liu closed her eyes and asked, ¡°May I ask, who is the person in your heart?¡±

    Huo Guanchen sighed lightly, as if he felt that this question was very difficult to answer.

    Guo Huining also felt that this madam Liu¡¯s shallow words were too deep. Why would the person in her heart tell you?

    Sure enough, Huo Guanchen did not answer her directly. Instead, he picked up the menu and said,¡±... do you want to eat anything else?¡±

    This was almost no different from a tactful refusal.

    Ms. Liu¡¯s face seemed to have lost its color. After being embarrassed for a while, she stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m full. Thank you, General Huo. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    With that, she hurriedly left the cubicle where the two of them were eating.

    Huo Guanchen sat alone for a while. Then, he took out a ring box with the Tiffany logo from his pocket. The box was turquoise in color, but it didn¡¯t look very bright.

    He opened the ring box and was lost in thought.

    Guo Huining took a closer look.

    This ring box was not the new box she had seen before. The diamond ring inside was not the huge pear-shaped diamond ring she had seen before. Instead, it was a smaller, ssic Tiffany six-wed diamond ring.

    The stone on the surface of the ring was still the same size, but this kind of iy was even more elegant and exquisite. It was as if it had been baptized by the passage of time and had lost the impetuousness of the diamond.

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart was beating very fast, and there was still a trace of unreality in the depths of her heart.

    Who was the person in Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart? !

    Just as she was about to take off her earphones, she saw that someone else hade.

    This time, the waiter brought an extremely beautiful and elegant woman to Huo Guanchen¡¯s cubicle.

    Even though the video on the IPAD was so low, Guo Huining could still tell that the woman was too beautiful to be real.

    She was wearing an ordinary outfit, a light blue round-necked cashmere sweater, beige wool pants, and a spoilt whiteb coat.

    It was obvious that she had juste out of a hospital orboratory.

    However, as soon as she entered, everyone in the restaurant on the second floor looked at her.

    The beautiful woman opposite the handsome man at the door could only be considered child¡¯s y in front of this woman.

    Beauties also had to bepared. An ordinary beauty standing in front of a truly beautiful person was even more tragic than an ordinary person.

    Guo huining stared at the woman who had just entered for quite a while, until Huo Guanchen asked in a gentle tone that she had never heard before, ¡°Jinning, have you eaten lunch? The soup here is very good.¡±

    Only then did Guo Huining realize that this woman was Huo Guanchen¡¯s ex-wife, song jinning.

    Wasn¡¯t she already divorced? !

    Why were they still arguing? !

    Guo Huining felt a sudden wave of panic in her heart.

    It was as if someone had suddenly smashed her dream with a sledgehammer, and song jinning was the one holding the sledgehammer!

    When she hadn¡¯t seen song jinning, she could stillfort herself, thinking that a woman around Huo Guanchen¡¯s age was already in her early fifties, how could she be any better looking?

    But when she saw song jinning, she realized that there was someone who took such good care of herself!

    People would believe that she was in her early thirties!

    She looked younger than Guo Huining, who was in her early thirties, not to mention her beauty.

    Guo huining used to think that she was ¡°Young and beautiful¡±in Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart, but now she realized that not only was ¡°Beauty¡±impossible, even ¡°Young¡±was only a numerical advantage.

    No one would think that song jinning was older than her in terms of appearance.

    But why was Huo Guanchen so good to her?

    So good that she almost had thoughts that she shouldn¡¯t have!

    Guo Huining was embarrassed and annoyed, and she almost left with a flick of her sleeve.

    Uncle Dong, who was sitting next to her, did not focus on watching the IPAD video like Guo Huining. Instead, he carefully observed Guo Huining¡¯s expression.

    Seeing that her expression was getting uglier and uglier, the anger in her eyes could not be concealed. He nodded slightly.

    A woman who was in love would only ruin things. Only by making her understand the cruel truth could she truly be used by them.

    To uncle Dong, he did not believe a single word of Dou Aiyan¡¯s words.

    From a man¡¯s point of view, he did not think that someone like Huo Guanchen would take a liking to Guo Huining.

    Even if the old house was on fire, with Huo Guanchen¡¯s level and his own charm, even the young girls in his circle could be chosen by him. Would he take a fancy to Guo Huining?

    However, Huo Guanchen¡¯s care and pity for Guo Huining did not seem to be fake.

    This was not in line with their judgment, so they were also very confused and did not know what was going on.

    So in the end, they decided toe and take a look in person to assess the possibility of Guo Huining.

    Today¡¯s opportunity was too good. They actually found out that not only did Huo Guanchen meet the blind date here, but he also invited Song Jinning.

    Now, Song Jinning was simply sitting in front of Huo Guanchen, and Guo Huining had already suffered a crushing defeat.

    She looked at the IPAD with an obscure gaze, and realized that the pixels on the monitor had unknowingly be clearer.

    It was no longer the very low pixels from before, but was so clear that even song Jinning¡¯s long eyshes could be seen clearly.

    Song Jinning¡¯s gentle and beautiful voice came through the earpiece at this time. Although she no longer carried any emotion, her pleasant voice was pleasant to hear even when she was scolding people, not to mention that with song Jinning¡¯s upbringing.., she would never curse loudly in public.

    ¡°... General Huo, you said you had something to tell me about Shaoheng?¡±Song Jinning¡¯s expression was very calm. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me over the phone?¡±

    Huo Guanchen rubbed his temples and pushed the ring box in his hand over. ¡°Your birthday is in two days. I think you¡¯ve already made an appointment with someone to celebrate your birthday. There¡¯s no room for me anymore. This is an early birthday present for you.¡±

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t even look at it and pushed it back for him. ¡°There¡¯s no need. We don¡¯t have anything to do with each other anymore. We¡¯re not even friends anymore, so I can¡¯t ept your birthday present.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled bitterly. ¡°Jinning, do you really have to be so heartless? We have a son. How can we not have anything to do with each other? Could it be that you and I didn¡¯t even know each other at Shaoheng¡¯s wedding?¡±

    Song Jinning nced at him. ¡°Are you here to talk to me about Shaoheng¡¯s wedding?¡±

    Although she wasn¡¯t, it seemed that if he said no, song jinning would immediately get up and leave.

    After so many years as a husband and wife, he knew her too well.

    Huo Guanchen could only nod, he said, ¡°Shaoheng and Nianzhi have been engaged for more than a year. It¡¯s time to prepare for the wedding. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know, but the Russian president, Mr. Putin, also said that he would attend the wedding and wanted to be a witness for the two of them. ¡°This isn¡¯t a normal diplomatic asion. We need to n ahead.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Then we need to n well. What do you need me to do?¡±

    Huo Guanchen fiddled with the ring box in his hands. In the end, he pushed the turquoise ring box over, ¡°My mother left this for my brother to give to his wife,¡±he said. But his condition, you know, he didn¡¯t want it, and then mother gave it to me before she died... you can give it to Nianzhi...¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 2023, Old House on fire (5) .

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2024 - the old house is on fire (6)(the first request is for a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2024: Chapter 2024 the old house is on fire (6)(the first request is for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Song jinning chuckled and did not take the ring box. Instead, she smiled faintly and said, ¡°Since Old Madam Xie finally gave you the ring, it¡¯s yours. I divorced you, so you don¡¯t have to give it to me anymore.¡±

    Huo Guanchen also smiled and said, ¡°I originally wanted to give it to sister-inw, but something happened. Big Brother went missing and you got sick, so I didn¡¯t give it to anyone.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Song Jinning took the menu from the waiter and looked through it. She ordered a te of fried rice and a ss of fruit juice and said, ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry. Please hurry.¡±

    She didn¡¯t ask Lu Yuan to send her food today because she had made an appointment with Huo Guanchen in advance.

    Anyway, she was here to eat, so it would be a waste not to eat. Lu Yuan didn¡¯t need toe for nothing.

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t continue speaking. He silently watched song jinning finish eating before saying,¡±... you should take it. Mother will be happy to have this ring on Shaoheng¡¯s wife¡¯s hand.¡±

    Song Jinning was also moved by Huo Guanchen¡¯s words.

    She sighed and said, ¡°To be honest, both you and I have let Shaoheng down. Shaoheng was brought up by old Madam Xie, but it¡¯s a pity that old madam Xie has never enjoyed the blessings of a grandson.¡±

    At that time, the husband and wife were both focused on their careers.

    Song Jinning did not need to say anything else. She buried herself in theboratory and worked day and night with her father, Song Haichuan, to conduct experiments with the military.

    Huo Guanchen was afraid that song jinning would one day regret marrying song jinning, so he worked hard to get promoted.

    However, in peacetime, it was not so easy to rise in the military.

    Therefore, he had to put in more time and effort, and his goal was the big brother he had admired since he was young..

    However, before he reached his goal, his big brother and his wife were in trouble at the same time.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change when he thought about what happened 18 years ago, but his heart was in turmoil.

    He stopped smiling and suddenly asked song jinning,¡±... how much do you remember about the experiment ident 18 years ago?¡±

    Song Jinning was stunned. She put down the tissue she used to wipe her hands and frowned, ¡°Are you sure you want to talk about the experiment in this ce?¡±

    Huo Guanchen took out another cigarette and lit it between his fingers. He didn¡¯t smoke.

    Song jinning frowned even more and pointed at the cigarette in his hand,¡±... Don¡¯t Smoke in public.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nced at her. Although smoking was not prohibited in this ce, he still listened to song jinning and put out the cigarette in his hand.

    Song Jinning felt that Huo Guanchen¡¯s attitude was a little strange. Although it was no different from usual, she could feel it.

    This feeling was based on the fact that the two of them were once a couple and a tacit understanding between husband and wife.

    Only those who truly loved could understand it.

    Although she didn¡¯t love him now, this intuition was still there.

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but he actually continued to speak.

    ¡°... I know that there are risks in experiments, especially when ites to coborating with the military.¡±

    ¡°But I keep finding it strange. You and your father-inw were both top-notch high-energy physicists back then. Would they really make such a mistake?¡±

    Song Jinning was also very curious. She looked at Huo Guanchen for a long time.¡±... What¡¯s wrong with you? You suddenly asked about these things. It¡¯s been so long, I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded and stood up. ¡°Then let¡¯s talk in the car.¡±As he said that, he waved for the waiter to pay the bill.

    The waiter quickly brought the bill over.

    After paying the bill, he and song Jinning walked out one after the other.

    Guo Huining, who was peeping from the cubicle not far away, waspletely stunned.

    Uncle Dong, who was beside her, had a twinkle in his eyes. He said, ¡°Sit for a while, I¡¯ll go out for a while.¡±

    Uncle Dong left, and Guo Huining sat alone in the cubicle. Her emotions were extremelyplicated.

    Huo Guanchen had spoken to song jinning earlier, and it was obvious that he still had feelings for her. It was just that song jinning had no feelings for him.

    But since she had no feelings and was divorced, why would she continue to seduce him in the name of her son?

    Guo Huining¡¯s face alternated between red and white. She did not hate Huo Guanchen, but she hated song jinning to the bone. She hated song jinning even more than she hated Gu Nianzhi.

    In fact, she knew very well that she was the one who had initiated the conflict between Gu Nianzhi and herself. Gu Nianzhi was not to me.

    But song jinning... was the real culprit who had ruined her future!

    ..

    Uncle Dong left the second floor of the restaurant in a hurry and went to a room on the third floor.

    Soon, he turned on a device there that could receive sound signals.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s car was parked in the parking lot of their restaurant, and there was a small transmitter under every parking space in their parking lot.

    This transmitter could amplify the sound signals. As long as there was a suitable device and the frequency was set to a fixed frequency, it could be monitored from a long distance.

    At this time, Huo Guanchen and song jinning were talking in the car.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary and security guards got out of the car and were on guard around them.

    Huo Guanchen was silent in the car for a while before saying, ¡°Jinning, tell me honestly. Did the experiment fail eighteen years ago because of a mistake in your experiment? Did someone deliberately let your experiment go wrong?¡±

    If it was just an experiment that went wrong, then it was just a normal price to pay for climbing the peak of science.

    But if someone ¡°Let¡±their experiment go wrong, then it meant that someone deliberately sabotaged it. It was an organized and premeditated major criminal case.

    Song Jinning was very surprised. ¡°General Huo, where did you start from? Didn¡¯t you already find out the reason for the experiment ident back then?¡±

    ¡°We are studying high-energy physical maic fields. Because this field is too advanced, we don¡¯t have a deep understanding of many aspects. Therefore, when we gradually increased the frequency of the maic field, it exceeded the limit of what our equipment could withstand, resulting in the explosion.¡±

    When song jinning talked about her profession, she was very patient and patiently exined to Huo Guanchen, ¡°I also hope that someone deliberately sabotaged it. However, all the signs indicate that we were really too eager to break through and achieve results at that time, resulting in a big mistake.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Huo Guanchen asked slowly, ¡°Jinning, do you know? In the past eighteen years, I have never given up on investigating the truth of the failure of the experiment.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    She curled her lips. ¡°Have you found it?¡±

    Huo Guanchen shook his head.¡±... nothing.¡±

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°As far as I know, the military has also evaluated the experiment from many aspects. It has been proven that it was indeed because we did not estimate the high-energy maic field data and energy enough that it caused an unusual big explosion.¡±

    ¡°This kind of explosion is simr to the big explosion in the Tunguska region of Siberia in Russia back then. Of course, it doesn¡¯t have that much power.¡±

    ¡°And now, eighteen years have passed, and our understanding of the high-energy maic field has be moreplete. We have already published several high-quality papers on cutting-edge science, proving how the mistakes of that year were made.¡±Song jinning nced at Huo Guanchen, ¡°You don¡¯t have to waste time.¡±

    She pushed the car door open. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the clinic.¡±

    Huo Guanchen walked her out of the car. As he adjusted her coat cor, he made a final struggle. ¡°Go back. It¡¯s your birthday in two days. Are you really not going to invite me to your birthday party?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of today: chapter 2024, ¡°The old house is on fire (6)¡±.

    It¡¯s November. Please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket.

    And a rmendation ticket!

    It¡¯s the second update of today. The second update is at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2025 - the old house is on fire (7)(second request for monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2025: Chapter 2025 the old house is on fire (7)(second request for monthly pass)</h4>

    Song Jinning hurriedly took a step back and waved Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand away. She said unhappily, ¡°Speak properly and don¡¯t touch me. I¡¯ve already said that you don¡¯t have toe to my birthday.¡±After saying that, she turned around and left.

    Huo Guanchen stood in the parking lot and stared at the direction where song Jinning had disappeared for a while before getting into his car and leaving.

    When their car left the parking lot of the restaurant, it would pass by the Institute of High Energy Physics where song Jinning was.

    Huo Guanchen ordered his men to stop in front of the Institute of High Energy Physics. He looked through the car window quietly for a while and asked his men to confirm whether song Jinning had returned to the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    In such a short time, Huo Guanchen actually saw Lu Yuan get out of the car and go to the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    It was not the first time he saw Lu Yuan go to the Institute of High Energy Physics. Now that he saw him again, he frowned slightly and said to his personal secretary, ¡°Go and find out who director song has been getting close to recently.¡±

    The personal secretary agreed and went back to find someone to investigate.

    Song Jinning¡¯s actions in the Institute of High Energy Physics were aboveboard. Other than attending sses, she did experiments and had meetings with the institute to discuss the progress of the experiments.

    Therefore, Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary could easily find out that Lu Yuan came to deliver food to song jinning almost every day.

    ..

    ¡°Every day?¡±Huo Guanchen looked at his personal secretary in surprise. ¡°Are you sure? He doesn¡¯t do anything else?¡±

    ¡°... he just delivered a meal at noon. Director song will go home for Dinner Tonight,¡±the personal secretary continued, not daring to look up at Huo Guanchen¡¯s face.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s hands gradually tightened, and the corners of his lips tightened.

    After a while, he waved his hand. ¡°Got it. You can go.¡±

    After the personal secretary left, Huo Guanchen sat alone in his office for a long time. It was not until the sky turned dark that his internal phone suddenly rang, and he came back to his senses.

    He reached out to take the phone and called. The operator quickly said, ¡°Chief, it¡¯s Miss Guo¡¯s call. Do you want to take it?¡±

    Huo Guanchen collected his thoughts. Seeing that it was almost time, he said, ¡°Put it through.¡±

    After a few days, Guo Huining finally spoke to Huo Guanchen again.

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart was filled with mixed feelings.

    She held her phone and stood at the window of the West Mountain Vi. She looked at the dark night outside the window, but her voice was as crisp as usual. ¡°General Huo? Are you done? I don¡¯t want to disturb your work.¡±

    Huo Guanchen lit a cigarette, took a puff, and blew out smoke rings. He smiled faintly and said, ¡°I just finished. I have a lot of things to do recently. What¡¯s the matter, Miss Guo?¡±

    Guo huining quickly said, ¡°If you are very busy, I can wait until you have time to call again.¡±

    She wanted to hang up the phone, but Huo Guanchen smiled softly and his voice became deeper. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have to take care of your business no matter how busy I am. Speak, don¡¯t be polite.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s dead heart slowly came back to life.

    She hesitated for a while and said decisively, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Mr. Huo has been recovering well recently. If you don¡¯t want to sit in a wheelchair, get up and walk around by yourself. I want to ask for your opinion.¡±

    ¡°... What does my father¡¯s professional rehabilitation doctor say?¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s first reaction was to ask the professional doctor.

    Guo huining frowned. ¡°The Doctor said that it depends on the situation. He also said that old Mr. Huo¡¯s condition can be tried, but because old Mr. Huo is old, his condition may be worse than a young person¡¯s.¡±

    That meant that it would depend on the family members.

    If there was a problem, there was no need to me the Doctor.

    Huo Guanchen also understood. His eyes shed and he said, ¡°Miss Guo, thank you for your concern. I¡¯m free now. I¡¯ll go back to take a look in a while.¡±

    Guo huining was ecstatic, but she remained calm on the surface and said, ¡°Sure, no problem.¡±

    She asked again, ¡°Have You had dinner? Do you want to prepare your dinner?¡±

    Huo Guanchen did not eat dinner, so he did not refuse. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll eat whatever you eat.¡±

    Guo huining smiled and said, ¡°How can that be? But the chefs here also know your taste. I¡¯ll get him to prepare some of your favorite home-cooked dishes for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you decide.¡±Huo Guanchen said and hung up the phone. He rubbed his temples before getting up and putting on his military uniform. He put on his military cap and left his office to head to the private residence of the West Mountain Vi.

    ..

    Guo huining waited at the entrance of the vi¡¯s courtyard.

    She saw a string of car lights meandering over on the mountain road not far away. A smile that she didn¡¯t even know existed on her face.

    Huo Guanchen got out of the car and immediately saw Guo huining standing in front of the courtyard of the vi.

    It was already very cold in thete autumn night in the imperial capital. Moreover, they were on the mountain, so it was even colder than in the city.

    However, Guo Huining did not even wear a down jacket. She was only wearing casual casual clothes. On her shoulders was a cape with a golden and ck Persian Dahlia pattern. It made her tall and thin body look even more pitiful under the night wind.

    Huo Guanchen walked over and stretched out his hand to put a shawl over her shoulders. He said gently, ¡°It¡¯s cold, why don¡¯t You Wear More?¡±

    Guo huining tilted her head and looked at him. She smiled sweetly from her most beautiful angle, revealing her neat white teeth.¡±... I was in a hurry to pick up the chief, so I forgot to wear my coat.¡±

    Huo Guanchen could not help butugh. He patted her shoulder. ¡°Naughty.¡±

    Then he said, ¡°You and I don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡±

    Guo huining nodded with a faint smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you Mr. Huo.¡±

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t refuse. He slowed down his pace to amodate Guo Huining¡¯s pace and asked, ¡°What About My Father? How is he recently?¡±

    ¡°Old Mr. Huo is not bad, but he misses his family a little,¡±Guo Huining said tactfully. ¡°But Mr. Zhang and the others are embarrassed toe to your ce often, so they only call and video call.¡±

    At this point, Guo Huining¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    She remembered that when she first came here, not to mention video, even her cell phone signal was blocked, so she couldn¡¯t call them at all. She could only use thendline, but now she could use her cell phone and even video call at will.

    She turned her head and stared at Huo Guanchen, and couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    Huo Guanchen smiled, he said, ¡°In the beginning, I did have very strict security measures here. ¡°But now it¡¯s no longer necessary. Huining, you¡¯re not an outsider, and my father also needs to interact with others. Otherwise, the elderly will stay at home alone, and their spirits will not be good, and their health will not be good.¡±

    He actually said that she was not an outsider and called her ¡°Huining¡±!

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up.

    She hid the excitement in her heart and became more and more rxed. ¡°Mr. Huo Trusts me so much, I naturally won¡¯t betray Mr. Huo¡¯s trust.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about huining,¡±Huo Guanchen said as he and Guo Huining went to see grandfather Huo first.

    Grandfather Huo sat on the sofa in his room with his back facing the door. He was having a video call with Zhang Baochen¡¯s family. The room was filled withughter and joy. They were indeed a happy family.

    Huo Guanchen watched for a while at the door and stopped Guo Huining from greeting him. He made a hand gesture and quietly left the door of grandfather Huo¡¯s room.

    Guo huining followed Huo Guanchen to the dining room and said apologetically, ¡°Please wait for a while. Mr. Huo came to talk to you after the video ended.¡±

    Huo Guanchen did notment. He shrugged and said indifferently, ¡°I know, but I¡¯m hungry. Can I have dinner now?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Guo huining quickly waved for someone toe over and serve the dishes for the two of them.

    After the meal, grandfather Huo did not end the video call.

    Huo Guanchen held the tea that Guo Huining had brewed for him and sat in his study on the second floor near the window. He sipped his tea quietly.

    Guo Huining sat opposite him and watched Huo Guanchen ce a small gift beside her hand.

    Although it was not the ring box that she yearned for, when she opened it and saw that it was an earring of the same design as the ring that Huo Guanchen had bought, she was pleasantly surprised.

    Stroking the exquisite jewelry box, Guo Huining asked uneasily,¡±... Mr. Huo, why are you so good to me?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face was hidden in the dark shadow beside the curtain, so she could not see his expression clearly. However, Guo Huining knew that Huo Guanchen must be watching her attentively, because she could feel the heat of his gaze, it almost made her face burn up.

    Huo Guanchen looked at her like this for a while, then suddenly said with some confusion,¡±... maybe it¡¯s because your name is also Ah Ning?¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart immediately jumped wildly. The soft and thin Xie Tu shi shawl on her shoulder seemed to have turned into tens of thousands of Tibetan antelopes, galloping under the blue crystal-like sky of Tibet.

    But soon, her face turned pale again.

    So she was just a substitute? Or was it because of her name?

    She was unwilling and struggled, but at this point, she also knew that even being used as song Jinning¡¯s substitute was a great honor for her.

    That woman was so powerful and beautiful that she almost couldn¡¯t be jealous.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: Chapter 2025, ¡°The old house is on fire (7)¡±.

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2026 - the old house was on fire (8)(the first one asked for a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2026: Chapter 2026 the old house was on fire (8)(the first one asked for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Guo Huining took a deep breath and calmed her intense heartbeat. She said with a smile,¡±... remember the green dress, loving the grass everywhere. Mr. Huo is also a man of long-term love.¡±

    The awkwardness was resolved so quickly, and Huo Guanchen was even able to support him without a trace.

    This quick-wittedness was really out of Huo Guanchen¡¯s expectations.

    He turned his gaze over and paused on Guo Huining¡¯s face for a moment. Suddenly, he said in a deep voice,¡±... Ah Ning? Can I Call You Ah Ning from now on?¡±

    Guo huining quickly nodded and said politely, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my honor.¡±

    Of course, it was her honor to be able to bepared to a peerless beauty like song jinning.

    Huo Guanchen nodded slightly and said, ¡°I have an urgent task to do recently and am quite busy. I Won¡¯t be able to visit you and my father for the time being. Don¡¯t worry, take good care of my father for me. I Won¡¯t mistreat you.¡±

    His words were almost sincere and sincere.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face was flushed red and she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    She really didn¡¯t expect that there would be a day when things would turn around.

    She really almost gave up.

    The scene she saw in Yuan Ai¡¯s restaurant was still in her mind.

    It could be seen that sometimes, even if people saw with their eyes, it might not be the same as the real world.

    Not long after Huo Guanchen left, Guo Huining received a call from Dou aiyan.

    Her voice came out of the phone, sharp and piercing, but Guo Huining was in a good mood and did not care at all.

    She sat leisurely by the firece in the small reception room below the West Mountain Vi. There was a nket on herp. She leaned on the Chaise Lounge and flipped through a magazine from a famous international brand, Gao Dingxian, she smiled and said, ¡°Aiyan, when are youing back to China?¡±

    Dou aiyan widened her eyes. ¡°Huining, what¡¯s going on between you and general Huo?¡±

    ¡°Well... I don¡¯t know either...¡±Guo Huining said with a smile, ¡°But General Huo is calling me Ah Ning now.¡±

    ¡°AH? ! He even changed his form of address? !¡±Dou aiyan screamed from the other side. ¡°Have you really taken down General Huo? !¡±

    Guo Huining flipped through a page of the magazine without a care and said with a smile, ¡°You only know how to take down... Mr. Huo is a friend, not an enemy. Why do you want to take him down?¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK... it¡¯s really different,¡±Dou aiyan said. She chatted with her for a while and even video-chatted with Guo Huining. Finally, she saw thetest diamond earrings from a famous jewelry brand on her ears.

    Although they were only earrings, they were still two carats. When they were worn on her ears, they shone brightly, making her earlobes look like a round, shining full moon. This made Guo Huining, who was only 70% of her talent, fall to 90% .

    Coupled with her calm and elegant temperament, she was indeed a new person.

    Dou aiyan was almost envious and jealous. She almost could not control her expression and tone. Only then did she quickly turn off the video and hang up the phone.

    After the call with Guo Huining ended, Dou Aiyan walked around the room of her American rtive a few times alone before calling her superior.

    ¡°... This time, Guo Huining is really serious. Have you told Big Boss about it?¡±

    Her superior asked in confusion,¡±... really? Will she get engaged?¡±

    Dou aiyan:¡±...¡±

    She had never thought about it.

    For her, even if the two of them slept together and their rtionship was confirmed, getting engaged or getting married was not as believable as having a good time in bed.

    However, the worst thing about Guo Huining at the moment was that she did not have sex with Huo Guanchen.

    She rubbed her chin and said in a low voice,¡±... why don¡¯t we create an opportunity for these two? As long as the rice is cooked...¡±

    On the other side, her superior chuckled. ¡°Cooked rice is cooked? Miss Dou aiyan, are you living in the 17th or 18th century? It¡¯s no longer an era where thest time you had sex can determine your life.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you tell if it¡¯s true or not?¡±Dou Aiyan was angered by theughter. ¡°Even if you¡¯re engaged, you can still break off the engagement. Even if you¡¯re married, you can still get a divorce. In this era, there¡¯s no such thing as a long life!¡±

    The other partyughed for a while and nodded to admit that Dou aiyan¡¯s words made sense. ¡°Yes, but Guo Huining has to have some dry goods. Otherwise, who knows if it¡¯s true or not?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been living at General Huo¡¯s house for so long, why isn¡¯t there any dry goods?¡±Dou aiyan said unhappily. ¡°Anyway, just say it. What exactly do you want her to do?¡±

    She had spent so much effort to get closer to Guo Huining step by step. Originally, it was for the Hong Corporation¡¯s listing, so that she could make a big profit.

    Now, could it be for Huo Guanchen?

    Dou aiyan was a little nervous.

    Guo Huining did not have any power or influence, so she could be controlled by them.

    However, Huo Guanchen had the backing of a huge military department. With such a person, how could they rely on Guo Huining?

    The other party was stunned by her question. After a while, he smiled and said, ¡°We are all businessmen. Of course, it¡¯s for the money to hook up with General Huo...¡±

    Dou aiyan was speechless.¡±... Carlyle is apany headquartered abroad. Are you sure you want to use Guo Huining to hook up with General Huo?¡±

    ¡°... hahahaha, just wait and see!¡±

    Her boss was quite cunning. At thest moment, she actually took a detour and did not continue.

    ..

    After two days, the weather became colder.

    Guo Huining had the kitchen make a nourishing mutton soup with green and red radishes. This mutton was a year oldmb. It was tender, fragrant, and had little smell. It was stewed together with the radishes and was a good thing to replenish qi and blood in the winter.

    The radish was also known as the little ginseng, and itplemented themb perfectly. Just a whiff of it would make one drool.

    She had been busy all day. She had lunch with grandfather Huo at noon. Grandfather Huo went back to his room to video chat with Zhang Baochen¡¯s family. Guo Huining sat alone under the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, ying with her phone.

    She had been hesitating whether she should contact Huo Guanchen regrly.

    Although she knew that Huo Guanchen was very busy, no matter how busy a person was, he would still have time to send a reply text message, right?

    She didn¡¯t need to type many words, she could just send it to an emoji..

    The more Guo Huining thought about it, the more her heart itched. She couldn¡¯t help but send Huo Guanchen a few text messages, but he didn¡¯t reply.

    She waited for an entire afternoon, but there was still no reply.

    Her mood became very depressed, but she still managed to take care of grandfather Huo for dinner. After handing him over to the rehabilitation nurse and doctor, she returned to her room on the second floor.

    Shezily sat on the edge of the bed and caressed her phone. She could not help but send another text to Huo Guanchen.

    At this moment, the other party replied instantly, ¡°I¡¯m still in a meeting. You should rest early.¡±

    Guo Huining suddenly sat up straight and looked at the reply on her phone in surprise.

    She looked at Mr. Huo¡¯s three words again and again, and her mood was so good that it soared.

    The heater in the room was not turned on, so she did not feel cold. There was still a fire in her heart that burned from the bottom of her heart to the bottom of her heart.

    Just as she was about to dance, her phone suddenly rang. Someone sent her a photo.

    Guo Huining opened the photo curiously and looked at the big picture.

    The photo was obviously taken secretly. In a very romantic restaurant, under the candlelight, Song Jinning smiled like a blooming peony, with a stunning beauty.

    The man sitting opposite her was wearing a three-piece suit with his back facing the camera.

    Although Guo Huining couldn¡¯t see who the man was, her heart turned cold when she saw his back.

    She could recognize him even if he turned into ashes!

    She was so angry that her whole body was trembling.

    She said that she was in a meeting, but it turned out that she was meeting a beauty in private!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 2026, Old House on fire (8) .

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for a guaranteed monthly pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    It¡¯s the second watch. It¡¯s 8:30 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2027 - the old house is on fire (9)(the second most requested monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2027: Chapter 2027 the old house is on fire (9)(the second most requested monthly pass)</h4>

    At this moment, Lu Yuan was sitting opposite song jinning, telling her about his experiences over the years.

    Song Jinning was actually very curious about what Lu Yuan had done over the past 18 years in the opposite world, but she had never asked.

    Because this was Lu Yuan¡¯s privacy, if he didn¡¯t take the initiative to tell her, she wouldn¡¯t ask.

    But now that Lu Yuan had said it without any ill feelings, song jinning was also very happy to hear it.

    ¡°... So, you met Professor Lu the moment you went?¡±

    Song Jinning asked very implicitly.

    The two of them did not mention where exactly Lu Yuan was. There was a tacit understanding between them.

    So when they said this, it did not matter even if they were being monitored.

    When no one mentioned the word ¡°Opposite world¡±, even if they were being monitored, the other party would only think that they were talking about Lu Yuan¡¯s experience abroad.

    Now, many people knew that Lu Yuan and Lu Jin had originallye back from ¡°Abroad¡±.

    It was just that very few people understood that this ¡°Foreign¡±was not the same as ¡°Foreign¡±.

    Lu Yuan smiled and nodded, ¡°Yes, My Luck was not bad. I met Professor Lu the moment I went. He was also very young at that time, and his mind was full of strange ideas. What was even more terrifying was that he had the ability to turn these strange ideas into reality.¡±

    ¡°Professor Lu is indeed very good,¡±song jinning praised Lu Jin sincerely. ¡°I¡¯ve only worked with him for more than a month, but I¡¯ve indeed learned a lot from him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not bad either. Professor Lu rarely praises people, but sometimes, he will reluctantly praise you,¡±Lu Yuan said humorously, winking at song jinning.

    Song Jinning thought of Lu Jin¡¯s temper and expression, and could not help butugh. ¡°It¡¯s indeed difficult for professor Lu to praise people, but I¡¯m willing to do it.¡±

    Lu Jin was best at praising himself, and rarely took a fancy to others.

    To be praised by him, even if it was only ¡°Reluctantly¡±, was a great honor and recognition.

    Lu Yuan smiled with narrowed eyes, and took out the gift he had prepared long ago.

    It was also a jewelry box. It was the same brand as the ring that Huo Guanchen had bought.

    Song Jinning did not reject it. She took it over with a smile and took a look. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡±

    She praised in surprise. Her Bright Eyes reflected the brilliance of the jewelry. It was so beautiful that it could not be described with words.

    ..

    Text messages kepting over. Guo Huining¡¯s phone kept beeping.

    [ I¡¯m Associate Director Jia. This is my new number. ].

    [ I happened to be having dinner at the hotel today. I saw it asionally and thought it looked familiar, so I sent it to you. ].

    [ I didn¡¯t see the front of the man, but looking at his back, it seems to be... General Huo. ].

    [ of course, it¡¯s also possible that I mistook him for someone else. I¡¯m too embarrassed to look at the front. These two seats are at the end of the corridor. It would be too deliberate if I walked over. ].

    ¡°If I mistook you for someone else, it would be too awkward.¡±.

    The corners of Guo Huining¡¯s mouth twitched. She quickly took her handbag and walked out of the room. As she replied, ¡°Thank you, associate director Jia. Who Are you having dinner with? I¡¯m here to take a look.¡±.

    Just as Guo Huining was driving crazily toward this hotel, she received another photo.

    This one was even more obvious.

    In the photo, opposite the man whose back was as tall as a mountain, song jinning was opening a jewelry box and looking at the jewelry inside.

    From the angle of the photo, she couldn¡¯t see what jewelry was in the jewelry box, but Guo Huining recognized it at a nce. Wasn¡¯t this the same brand that Huo Guanchen bought rings and earrings from?

    The earrings were still on her ears!

    Guo Huining was so angry that she couldn¡¯t think straight.

    What she was most afraid of was not that Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t like her, but that song Jinning would change her mind and be willing to be with Huo Guanchen again.

    If that was the case, she knew that she had no chance of winning.

    ..

    However, what Guo Huining didn¡¯t know was that the same photo was also sent to Huo Guanchen at this time.

    Huo Guanchen had just finished his meeting and was sitting in the meeting room. He was looking at the meeting records and asked his secretary to send him a bottle of water.

    When the personal secretary sent the water in, she also brought his personal phone in.

    This was because the military headquarters had a meeting now and it was forbidden to bring a phone.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal phone was in the locker outside.

    He would only take it out after the meeting.

    Huo Guanchen took the cell phone and nced at it. He quickly found the photo from a few minutes ago.

    His fingers paused for a moment, but he still clicked on the photo.

    Seeing song Jinning¡¯s beautiful smile and the back view that made his pupils shrink, Huo Guanchen suddenly stood up.

    He held the cell phone tightly. His fingers were so strong that he almost crushed the cell phone.

    His lips were pursed so tightly that they were almost white. He even felt a little uneasy and terrified.

    What did this photo mean?

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart was indeed bitter when he saw song jinning smiling at another man without any defense.

    But why would that person choose this scene to deliberately take a photo of his back?

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart moved, but he quickly calmed down. He held the phone and quickly turned around to leave the meeting room. He said, ¡°Prepare a car for me. I want to go to this hotel.¡±

    He took a screenshot of the hotel¡¯s logo in the photo and sent it to the personal secretary.

    The personal secretary quickly found the address of this hotel. It was quite easy to find, because this type of six-star hotel with an obvious logo style was the only one in the imperial capital. There was no other way.

    ..

    The hotel¡¯s environment was elegant and beautiful. It was low-key and quietly luxurious.

    When Lu Yuan talked about his business in the other world, song jinning listened with great interest.

    After a while, the waiter saw that their wine sses were empty, so he came over to pour the wine.

    However, his hand suddenly went numb, and his hand trembled. Red wine quickly flowed out of the wine ss and dripped onto Lu Yuan¡¯s pants.

    He was wearing light-colored pants today, and the ce where the red wine dripped was very awkward. He quickly stood up and covered his face with the hotel menu, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Song Jinning also saw it, but pretended not to see it. She smiled and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to the washroom too.¡±

    She casually resolved Lu Yuan¡¯s awkwardness.

    The two of them stood up together and went to the men¡¯s and women¡¯s washrooms.

    ..

    As soon as song Jinning entered the washroom, someone shed out from behind the door and locked the washroom door.

    Song Jinning turned around in surprise and saw a woman whose eyes were burning with anger.

    The way this woman looked at her, she looked like a mistress caught in the act.

    ¡°... uh, may I ask thisdy, why did you lock the door behind you?¡±

    Song Jinning asked politely.

    Guo Huining raised her eyebrows.¡±... You Don¡¯t know me?¡±

    Stop pretending!

    Guo Huining didn¡¯t believe that song Jinning wouldn¡¯t know of her existence.

    Song Jinning found it even more funny. ¡°Why would I know you? Are You a famous physicist? Or a biologist? Or a mathematician?¡±

    Is that a sarcasm for science? !

    Guo Huining chose the liberal arts because she couldn¡¯t handle physics!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 2027, Old House on fire (9) .

    Monthly Pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2028 - the old house is on fire (10)(the first one asks for a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2028: Chapter 2028 the old house is on fire (10)(the first one asks for a monthly pass)</h4>

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes were red. She pointed angrily at song jinning and sobbed, ¡°So what if you¡¯re a talented woman? You¡¯ve already divorced someone else, but you¡¯re still flirting with them. Aren¡¯t You Shameless? !¡±

    Song Jinning finally realized what was going on and her face darkened. ¡°What do you mean? What does it have to do with you whether I get a divorce or not? What right do you have to use me of being shameless? Just because you¡¯re Shameless?¡±

    Listening to song Jinning¡¯s tone, Guo Huining thought of Gu Nianzhi.

    This was someone she couldn¡¯t stand even more.

    ¡°I¡¯m just warning you. Don¡¯t think that people like you. If they really loved you, they wouldn¡¯t have divorced you when you were delirious. Don¡¯t even think about getting back together with him!¡±

    Guo Huining pointed in the direction of the bathroom door, as if the ¡°People¡±she was referring to were right there.

    Song jinningpletely understood.¡±... You¡¯re Huo Guanchen¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    Guo huining choked and said vaguely, ¡°Whether I¡¯m... his girlfriend, what does that have to do with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered that shameless people are especially good at double standards. They are strict with others and lenient with themselves,¡±song Jinning mocked her.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying I have double standards? !¡±Guo huining sneered and crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m just stating the Facts!¡±

    ¡°I said that shameless people are the best at double standards. By admitting that you have double standards, are you admitting that you¡¯re Shameless?¡±Song Jinning shook her head in amusement and went to wash her hands.

    Guo Huining was furious. She walked over and blocked the tap that wasing out of the water. ¡°Even a great scientist can scold people? ! I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t try to go back to the way things were before. Otherwise, don¡¯t regret it!¡±

    Of course, song Jinning didn¡¯t want to go back to the way things were before, but being pointed at by a strange woman and not allowed to go back to the way things were was baffling, she couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°If you tell me not to eat, then I won¡¯t Eat? Who Do you think you are? If you go crazy again, I¡¯ll call the police.¡±

    Guo Huining was blinded by jealousy. She thought that her dream of a lifetime was going to be ruined by song jinning, and she wanted nothing more than to make a move on song jinning.

    At this moment, there was a knock on the door of the bathroom. ¡°Is there anyone inside?¡±

    Song jinning quickly said, ¡°There¡¯s someone inside!¡±

    She pushed Guo huining away and walked to the door to open the locked door.

    At the door was a young woman who wanted to use the bathroom.

    She looked at song jinning suspiciously, then at Guo Huining. She didn¡¯t know what the two women were doing inside. She mumbled,¡±... public bathroom. Why is the door locked? What a joke...¡±

    Guo huining quickly walked into the cubicle inside and closed the door to calm herself down.

    After song Jinning left, her good mood was swept away. She returned to her seat and said to Lu Yuan, who had already sat down, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well. Let¡¯s pay the bill and go.¡±

    Lu Yuan saw that song Jinning¡¯s expression was a little strange, so he quickly stood up and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pay the bill. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He was very concerned about song jinning. He had been keeping a distance from her, but seeing song Jinning¡¯s unhappy expression, he couldn¡¯t help but gently put his arm around her shoulder and ask in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    ¡°... I met a lunatic. He ruined my mood.¡±Song Jinning shook her head and went to pay the bill with Lu Yuan, then left the restaurant together.

    As soon as the two left, Huo Guanchen arrived in a car.

    However, he did not get out of the car. He only looked at Lu Yuan and song jinning with a deep gaze.

    One was tall and steady, while the other was beautiful and moving. They walked together in an indescribable harmony.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s hands clenched tightly. It was not until the two of them got into the car that he ordered the car to be driven away.

    However, as soon as his car left, Guo Huining came out of the restaurant and happened to see the license te number of Huo Guanchen¡¯s private car.

    The license te of a military car, especially one of Huo Guanchen¡¯s level, was very special and easy to remember.

    Guo Huining looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She only felt that her beautiful dream had been shattered into pieces.

    If song Jinning really wanted to go back to her roots, she had no chance of winning at all.

    ..

    She returned to the West Mountain Vi in a daze. Guo Huining had not slept the whole night.

    She sat by the bed alone and looked at the spacious and exquisite bedroom. It was like a y sculpture.

    All the anxiety these days seemed to have be a reality. Would she not be able to keep anything?

    Guo huining gritted her teeth. No, she would not give up so easily.

    At this moment, her phone rang again.

    Guo Huining took out her phone and took a look. She realized that it was associate director Jia¡¯s new number.

    Listlessly, she swiped open the phone and answered with a ¡°Hello¡±.

    Associate Director Jia¡¯s voice was as greasy as his hair. ¡°Is that huining? I¡¯m Associate Director Jia!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Guo Huining continued to reply with a syble.

    ¡°Huining, I heard from Aiyan that you¡¯re about to get engaged to general Huo? Do you want to help us introduce a few businesses? ¡°Do people of General Huo¡¯s level need to manage their finances?¡±? ¡°Our Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. is dedicated to providing world-ss financial management services to all high worth individuals and enterprises.¡±

    Associate Director Jia talked endlessly about business deals like a salesman who came to sell vacuum cleaners.

    Guo Huining did not say a word until he finished speaking. Then, she said lightly,¡±... No, I won¡¯t introduce any business deals to you.¡±

    Associate Director Jia was stunned for a moment. Then, he said with an embarrassed smile, ¡°Huining, we¡¯re old friends. Don¡¯t forget us old friends just because you¡¯ve climbed up thedder...¡±

    Guo Huining held the phone in her other hand and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be a good person with me. It¡¯s fine if you pretend to others, but do you need to pretend to me?¡±

    At that time, her electric car battery n was given to her by the elites of the investment banks..

    To these people who weremitted to ¡°Operating capital¡±, nothing in the world could not be operated.

    As long as there was profit to be made, the South American drug lords and the farmers in the northeast were treated equally as long as they could help them make money.

    Associate Director Jia chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not pretending. I¡¯m just going straight to the point and asking you to help me introduce the business. You¡¯re not willing...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t, I just can¡¯t do it yet.¡±Guo Huining¡¯s face was solemn, and she looked a little sinister. ¡°But I can put a price on it.¡±

    ¡°... you put a price on it? What are you selling it for?¡±Associate Director Jia couldn¡¯t help but mock. ¡°We¡¯re already so familiar with each other. If we want to have sex, don¡¯t we need to charge extra? Friendly Fxxk?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s going to have sex with you!¡±Guo huining scolded in a low voice. ¡°Enough, stop talking here. We¡¯ll talk when we meet.¡±

    Everyone here was Huo Guanchen¡¯s people. Guo Huining was worried that others would hear her, so it wouldn¡¯t be good if she went to inform Huo Guanchen.

    Seeing that she was on board, associate director Jia nodded and agreed. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the South City Guild Hall tomorrow. See you there.¡±

    After meeting Guo Huining at the best time, associate director Jia immediately called his superior.

    ¡°Hello, Guo Huining has basically taken the bait. What are you going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Get ready to make a move.¡±The voice on the other end of the phone was a little vicious. ¡°We can¡¯t get close to people at the level of the Huo family. Only Guo Huining can get close to them.¡±

    ¡°But does general Huo really have a good impression of her?¡±Associate Director Jia was a little doubtful.¡±... actually, from Aiyan¡¯s point of view, I think they¡¯re overthinking things from a man¡¯s point of view.¡±

    The person on the other end of the phone snickered, ¡°Can¡¯t you see? General Huo is also fishing! You¡¯d better not get your eyes pecked by geese all day long!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2028, ¡°The old house is on fire (10)¡±.

    It was November, so everyone¡¯s monthly tickets were requested.

    There were also rmendation tickets!

    It¡¯s the second watch. It¡¯s 8:30 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2029 - was more proactive and straightforward (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2029: Chapter 2029 was more proactive and straightforward (second update)</h4>

    Associate Director Jia suddenly shivered. The phone in his hand was about to fall off.

    He stuttered,¡±... was... discovered by him? ! Then should we continue? !¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Not Willing?¡±The other party asked nonchntly. His tone did not have any meaning of ¡°If you¡¯re not willing, then so be it.¡±It was just a casual remark.

    Associate Director Jia did not dare to say that he was not willing. Since he was on the ship, how could hee down whenever he wanted?

    He quickly shook his head and said with an apologetic smile, ¡°It¡¯s not a question of whether we¡¯re willing or not. It¡¯s just that since the other party has discovered it and made preparations, shouldn¡¯t we consider it again?¡±

    ¡°Do you think we haven¡¯t considered it?¡±The other party¡¯s tone was a little impatient. ¡°But no matter what line of Business You¡¯re in, there are risks. This is unavoidable. You¡¯re an investor, don¡¯t you even understand this?¡±

    ¡°I understand, I understand...¡±associate director Jia hurriedly nodded. He did not dare to question or refute. ¡°I will make the arrangements right away. Send me the instructions, and I will pass them on to Guo Huining.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±The other party was finally satisfied, he still gave some advice. ¡°I said that Guo Huining¡¯s side is almost ready. It¡¯s not that she can get married, but that the other party wants to fish and give her a chance toe into contact with them. Otherwise, do you think the Huo family is that easy to get close to? We¡¯ve hit the nail on the head this time.¡±

    ¡°Also, continue to hint to Guo huining that song jinning is her biggest obstacle.¡±

    Associate director Jia understood, ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡±

    ..

    After returning from the restaurantst night, Song Jinning did not return to the dormitory of the Institute of high energy physics, but to her apartment.

    Her apartment was very spacious and had many rooms. Even if Lu Yuan and Lu Jin lived in it, and even if Gu Nianzhi came to scrounge for food from time to time, they could still fit in.

    Lu Yuan knew that song jinning was in a bad mood, so he asked a few questions and saw that she was unwilling to talk, so he did not ask.

    The next morning, he prepared a sumptuous breakfast for song jinning. Song Jinning was beaming from ear to ear.

    Gu Nianzhi was observing her from the side and deliberately asked, ¡°Miss song, wasn¡¯t the Candlelit Dinner Last Night Good? I was wondering when I was going to...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of Lu Jin¡¯s widened eyes from the corner of her eye. She quickly added,¡±... I¡¯m going to try it with Dad.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s lips curled up again.

    Lu Yuan smiled and shook his head. He cut the fried French snails into four small pieces. He put one piece on song Jinning¡¯s te first, gave one to Gu Nianzhi, and split the remaining two with Lu Jin himself.

    Song Jinning used a fork to fork out a small piece and put it into her mouth to chew. She closed her eyes in satisfaction and tasted the deliciousbination of the French snails and the fried snails.

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi went to song Jinning¡¯s room to chat. She asked quietly, ¡°Mrs. Song, What Happened Last Night? Did the food in the restaurant not taste good? Or did president Lu make you angry?¡±

    Song Jinning was in a much better mood after breakfast. She said with a half-smile, ¡°The food was good, and President Lu didn¡¯t make me angry, but I met a psychopath whopletely ruined my mood.¡±

    ¡°Psychopath?¡±Gu Nianzhi guessed that someone must have been jealous of her. She couldn¡¯t help giving him a thumbs up. ¡°CEO Lu is really something. You¡¯ve only been back for a few days, and someone already went to fight you over him...¡±

    Song jinning giggled and walked into the cloakroom to change. She said, ¡°It has nothing to do with CEO Lu. It¡¯s my ex-husband¡¯s fault. I Can¡¯t let CEO Lu take the me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and understood.¡±... It¡¯s Guo Huining? ! She really went to stop you!¡±

    She had thought that Guo huining would go after Huo Guanchen¡¯s blind date!

    Song Jinning was clearly not Huo Guanchen¡¯s blind date..

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little uneasy when she thought of the firewood she and Huo Shaoheng had added. She asked quietly, ¡°Miss Song, is it really Guo Huining? Why is she here to see you?¡±

    Thanks to Lu Jin, Song Jinning knew the name Guo Huining. She also knew that she had offended gu nianzhi, and had almost brought down a huge Hong corporation that was about to go public.

    However, she really did not know what Guo Huining looked like, so she could not associate her name with her face.

    Hearing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s certainty, she could not help but look at her. ¡°You know this person too? is she... Huo Guanchen¡¯s new girlfriend?¡±

    Seeing the woman¡¯s attitude towards the mistressst night, it made sense.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the sofa in song Jinning¡¯s room, sofortable that she wanted to roll over. She took out her phone and sent song jinning a photo of Guo Huining. ¡°Take a look. Is this the woman?¡±

    Song Jinning heard her phone ring and took it out to see that Gu Nianzhi had sent her the photo.

    She swiped open her phone to take a look at the photo and immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s her. So she¡¯s Guo Huining.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with a smile, ¡°She¡¯s helping general Huo take care of grandfather Huo and is living in general Huo¡¯s private residence at West Hill Vi.¡±

    Song jinning also remembered now, ¡°It¡¯s her... wasn¡¯t it the doctor she rmended who woke grandfather Huo up from his vegetative state?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the doctor was very good after the surgery.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled widely. ¡°My dad is investigating the Doctor.¡±

    ¡°... why is he investigating the Doctor?¡±Song Jinning did not care about Guo Huining at all. She did not even want to ask about the situation between her and Huo Guanchen. She was only interested in Lu Jin¡¯s movements, ¡°Someone who is valued and researched by professor Lu must be very impressive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged the pillow andughed so hard that she almost rolled to the ground.

    Lu Jin sounded like a psychiatrist. Even if he didn¡¯t do high-energy physics and biological gics, he could still be a fraud in the future..

    Song Jinning changed and came out. Gu Nianzhi was still buried in the pillow and wasughing so hard that she was shaking. She walked over and patted her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re so Naughty. Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up and smiled. ¡°Wait for me to finishughing!¡±

    She cleared her throat and said in all seriousness, ¡°Because the way he performed the surgery on grandfather Huo was almost exactly the same as the demonstration surgery my father performed.¡±

    ¡°That impressive? ! But why did you investigate? Did Something Go Wrong with the surgery?¡±Song Jinning sat back down in front of the dressing table and picked up ab tob her hair.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no problem at the moment. It¡¯s because there¡¯s no problem that I want to investigate.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s hand paused. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°My dad thinks that no one here should know how to perform this surgery.¡±

    ¡°I disagree.¡±Song Jinning put down theb and turned around with a frown. ¡°Is our technology destined to be inferior to theirs?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head and exined in detail, ¡°What my father is saying is that the development of this surgical method can not be achieved by individual genius. It requires thebination of surgical instruments and medical concepts to create the soil for this surgical method. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t quite understand it either. From what he said, it means that surgery is different from gic science. It requires technical umtion and can not be achieved overnight.¡±

    Song Jinning understood.

    ¡°I see... What Professor Lu means is that this person¡¯s surgical method is too sudden in this world. Without the necessary materials, techniques, and breakthroughs in medical theory, it¡¯s impossible to have this kind of surgical method?¡±

    ¡°Oh right! Ms. Song is indeed a genius! You understood it immediately.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

    ¡°... could it be that this doctor also came from the other side? !¡±Song Jinning immediately thought of another possibility.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°That possibility has already been ruled out. When my father investigated this doctor, he first ruled out this aspect, but if he said it wasn¡¯t, then it definitely wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯te from the other side, but he actually had an advanced surgical method. That¡¯s really strange.¡±Song Jinning thought about it for a while and then put it down. This wasn¡¯t her area of research, so she didn¡¯t put too much thought into it.

    ..

    When she came out of Song Jinning¡¯s room, Gu Nianzhi saw Lu Yuan and Lu Jin waiting in the living room.

    She pursed her lips into a smile and said in a low voice, ¡°President Lu, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that someone got jealous and found the wrong person.¡±

    Lu Yuan was worried and asked, ¡°Really? Don¡¯t try to fool me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, it¡¯s true.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her finger. ¡°You owe me two meals.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    It was as if he had never cooked for her before.

    Lu Jin saw that everything was fine and teased Lu Yuan with a smile, ¡°What are you worried about? Let me tell you, a genius like inspector song would never waste his time on a rtionship. She was immune to jealousy and flirting. She wouldn¡¯t waste her time either, so don¡¯t go down the wrong path.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as well. ¡°President Lu, although my father isn¡¯t very reliable in terms of rtionships, he¡¯s still a genius.¡±. Only a genius could understand a genius¡¯s mental state. ¡°Please Don¡¯t wait for Miss Song to throw herself at you. That¡¯s impossible. It¡¯ll never happen in Miss Song¡¯s life.¡±

    Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback.¡±... Is That So?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can try another method. be more proactive? Be More Direct?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 2029, ¡°Be proactive, be direct.¡±.

    It¡¯s November. I¡¯m asking for Your Monthly Pass.

    And rmendation tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    (* ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã *)

 Chapter 2030 - the two fuses (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2030: Chapter 2030, the two fuses (first update)</h4>

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression changed slightly, but his eyes shifted and swept past Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he should listen to them or not.

    After all, the father and daughter didn¡¯t seem very reliable.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled, as if she didn¡¯t mind the drama.

    Lu Jin stood by her side and supported her, not caring about what his girl said or did.

    He was a firm believer of the ¡°Two fates.¡±.

    Everything hisdy said was right.

    Anyone who disagreed with hisdy was wrong.

    He could pick out the bones in an egg, let alone pick on someone else.

    Could he really listen to these two suggestions?

    Lu Yuan said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s all I can help you with.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted and patted Gu Nianzhi on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged, miss. When President Lu says he¡¯ll think about it, he means it. He¡¯s not just saying that!¡±

    ¡°OH.¡±Gu Nianzhi ended the conversation with a single syble.

    ..

    After song Jinning¡¯s birthday, Huo Guanchen began to get people to investigate the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    ¡°Sir, the Institute of High Energy Physics is an important research institute that the government and the military are coborating on. The security is too tight. which aspect of the situation do you want to investigate?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary asked with a headache.

    He knew that Huo Guanchen¡¯s ex-wife, song Jinning, was the current director of the Institute of High Energy Physics. If there was anything, couldn¡¯t she directly ask her ex-wife to rify it?

    What was the meaning of secretly investigating in private? !

    Huo Guanchen looked at the secretly taken photo that was sent to his phone and felt that the back view was really dazzling.

    After thinking for a while, he still did not take it out as evidence. He just looked around, he smiled and said, ¡°You know that the Institute of high energy physics is an important and well-guarded institution in the country. Then check all the information about the political review of the members of the Institute of High Energy Physics

    ¡°Including, but not limited to, the directors, professors, general researchers, graduate students, administrators, security guards, and cleaners of the Institute of High Energy Physics. Not a single one of them can be missing.¡±

    As the director of Military Political Department, it was the most justified move for him to check the political review materials of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    ¡°This can be done!¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary¡¯s eyes lit up, and he almost gave him a thumbs up. ¡°The chief is really smart!¡±

    He could see that the chief still had feelings for his ex-wife.

    Using this method to eliminate all potential love rivals near his ex-wife for personal gain, it was really great!

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary thought that he understood the deep psychological state of the chief, he smiled mysteriously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, chief, we will definitely make the Institute of high energy physics look like aplete mess! Even a male rat has to investigate the three generations of ancestors and the rtives of the branch family who had five servings!¡±

    Huo Guanchen stopped smiling and said seriously, ¡°If you have this kind of mentality, don¡¯t go and investigate. I will send someone else.¡±

    His personal secretary quickly stood up and said, ¡°Reporting to the chief, I was just joking!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with joking, but it depends on the asion. This is a ce for work. I¡¯m talking to you about the specific work. Are you joking with me?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary¡¯s heart skipped a beat. So the chief was serious, not because of director song?

    However, since Huo Guanchen was so righteous, his personal secretary stopped thinking and began to investigate the political review data of everyone in song Jinning¡¯s Institute of High Energy Physics.

    In the Inte era, these data had long been scanned and entered into the database.

    As the personal secretary of the Director of Military Political Department, Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary had a certain amount of authority to ess such a database to view data.

    As the personal secretary walked back, Huo Guanchen looked at the photo in his phone quietly. After looking at it for a long time, he finally deleted it.

    However, a few minutes after deleting it, he went to the folder in the photo album to restore the photo.

    He was always reluctant to delete it.

    He looked at the photo with a deep gaze.

    The personal secretary did not understand his thoughts, so he would not exin further.

    It was good for him to misunderstand that he was doing it for song jinning.

    And this was not a misunderstanding.

    After all, he was doing it for song jinning.

    He wanted to remarry song jinning, and he also wanted to find out the truth about the failure of the experiment.

    Sitting at his desk, Huo Guanchen opened an internal report of the ident.

    The person who represented the military to contact song Haichuan and Song Jinning from the Institute of High Energy Physics had always been his eldest brother, Huo Guanyuan.

    He had heard about song jinning from his eldest brother. At that time, he did not know that this woman would be his wife and give birth to an outstanding son.

    When the ident happened eighteen years ago, he was only a captain. His eldest brother, Huo Guanyuan, who was also Lu Yuan, was already a colonelmandant.

    At that time, he was already married to Song Jinning and had a 12-year-old child.

    At first, he did not know what kind of project they were working on. It was not until song jinning and his eldest brother, Huo Guanyuan, met with an ident at the same time that he, as a family member, learned a little.

    He refused to believe that the ident was a natural result of the failure of the experiment.

    Later, the higher his position was, the more facts he learned, and the more confused his goal became.

    The more he learned, the more it proved that the failure of the experiment back then was indeed a natural result.

    Because of such a major experiment ident, the military and the government would not let it go. They would definitely investigate thoroughly.

    As his security level rose, the top-secret documents were ced in front of him one by one.

    The more he looked, the more he realized that he had really thought too much back then.

    And now that even his big brother, whom he thought had ¡°Sacrificed¡±, had returned, his faith was almost shaken.

    Was he really worrying over nothing?

    Or was that ident a trap?

    A trap to make his big brother ¡°Disappear¡±so that he could appear in another identity?

    However, song Jinning¡¯s biological father, Song Haichuan, who was once the most famous high-energy physicist in China, had really died in that experimental ident.

    He knew very well that he was the one who, as song Haichuan¡¯s son-inw, collected song Haichuan¡¯s body and held a grand funeral for him.

    Other than song Haichuan, there were also many experimental personnel and soldiers from the military who carried out secret missions. In total, there were hundreds of them.

    If the experimental ident at that time was really a natural result of the failure of the experiment, then these people could be said to have given their lives for science.

    The path of scientific development was originally a thorny road full of dangers.

    However, after thinking for a long time, Huo Guanchen still did not think that this was a trap.

    Because he knew the military very well.

    They would not sacrifice so many people just to hide a person¡¯s identity.

    He believed that the experiment had indeed failed.

    But the problem was, was the failure of the experiment a natural result or was it man-made maniption?

    If it was man-made, then there must be a purpose. What was the purpose of this person?

    Because in the past eighteen years, if there really was a mastermind behind the scenes, this mastermind had not made any moves.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s mind had once walked into a dead end after Lu Yuan, that is, after Huo Guanyuan returned.

    It was not until some people began to use Guo huining to get close to him and treat him as a fish that he found new clues.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update today: Chapter 2030, ¡°Two is all.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second update today. The second update is at 8:30 p.m.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2031 - The Birth of a genius from ancient times (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2031: Chapter 2031: The Birth of a genius from ancient times (second update)</h4>

    At this moment, the Institute of High Energy Physics was bustling with activity.

    Master¡¯s and doctoral students were paying full attention to Lu Jin¡¯s lessons.

    Song Jinning and herboratory staff were in the meeting room, summarizing their recent experimental results.

    Even the uncle and aunt sweeping the floor and the security guards guarding the door were paying full attention to everything.

    This ce looked simple and unadorned. Even the sign of the ¡°Institute of High Energy Physics¡±at the entrance was just a long wooden board with ck words on the white background.

    However, this ce was one of the most advanced technological bases of the Huaxia Empire.

    Of course, with Lu Jin¡¯s arrival, this ce had already be the most advanced technological base of the Huaxia Empire.

    All sorts of discussions were going on in the meeting room of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    ¡°Director song, recently, a foreignboratory announced that they have observed gravitational waves. Two ck holes located 1.3 billion light-years away emitted gravitational waves when they entangled with each other, confirming Einstein¡¯s prediction more than a hundred years ago. In other words, massive objects can indeed affect the distribution of space-time!¡±

    ¡°Yes, director song, does this prove that our research direction for so many years is correct? !¡±

    Song jinning nodded with a smile. ¡°Gravitational waves do exist. The discoveries made by the foreignboratories are very exciting.¡±

    Hearing song Jinning¡¯s affirmation, the staff of theboratory seemed to be even more excited.

    ¡°Does that mean that space-time can indeed change? It can even detect the changes in space-time based on the bending and shifting of light rays? !¡±

    ¡°ck holes can affect each other and produce gravitational waves. From the perspective of quantum mechanics, it is possible for multiple universes or worlds to exist at the same time?¡±

    The person who asked this question was a staff member in Song Jinning¡¯sboratory who was usually very lively and cheerful. He liked to discuss problems with others.

    Even song Jinning knew his name. It was Zuo Qinghong.

    He was in his thirties and looked refined and handsome. His family background was not bad. Not only was he rich, he also had a certain amount of power.

    Different from other people in his family, Zuo Qinghong was obsessed with physics research. Although his physics results were not outstanding, his hands-on experimental ability was very strong.

    Back then, he had failed to get into the graduate school of the Institute of high energy physics many times. Later, he found his family connections and went through another test before he entered theboratory of the Institute of high energy physics to be a researcher.

    Looking at Zuo Qinghong, Song Jinning said with a faint smile, ¡°Are you very interested in multi-world theory?¡±

    ¡°Who isn¡¯t interested? !¡±The meeting room rose up.

    The theory of high energy physics was difficult and obscure. People who could study it for their whole lives would be a little boring.

    However, most of the people in this meeting room were middle-aged and young backbone. They were not old yet, but they were still full of vitality.

    ¡°Although the theory of multiple worlds only exists in the theoretical stage and can only be deduced by science fiction, more and more discoveries in astronomy and physics have proved that this theory is correct and feasible!¡±

    Zuo Qinghong said excitedly and gestured with his hands, ¡°For example, if the gravitational wave has been observed, then can we use the gravitational wave as energy to break through the boundary of space-time and explore the reality of multiple worlds?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha... Little Zuo, you¡¯re too imaginative! You¡¯ve only just observed the gravitational waves, and you¡¯re already thinking of transmigrating to a parallel world!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. As long as I see a picture of my favorite idol, I can immediately imagine which kindergarten our children will go to in the future.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t even bought a lottery ticket yet, and I¡¯m already thinking about how to write my will. Otherwise, after winning the lottery, it would be quite tragic for the children to fight for the inheritance.¡±

    ¡°Forget it! If you have children to fight over the inheritance, shouldn¡¯t you have a girlfriend first? If you don¡¯t even have a girlfriend, how can you have a F * cking child fighting over the inheritance!¡±

    ¡°... uh, shouldn¡¯t you have asked him if he has a chance of winning the lottery first? Why Is it rted to the children fighting over the inheritance?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... I was led astray by him!¡±

    Song jinning listened to her subordinate¡¯s banter and also pursed her lips into a smile.

    The verification of multi-world theory was considered top-secret even in the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    It was not something that ordinary experimenters could know.

    In the past year, he had achieved a major breakthrough in maic field energy, but this breakthrough was based on the experimental notes left behind by Gu Xiangwen.

    And this Gu Xiangwen, of course, was not Lu Jin from the opposite world, but Gu Xiangwen, who was born and raised in this world and died in a submarine a few years ago.

    Therefore, only song jinning and a few scientists from the military took part in the experiment.

    In the end, Song Jinning was the only one who used the maic field energy to sessfully activate the maic resonance.

    However, now that she saw her own researchers walking in the right direction, Song Jinning was very gratified.

    Without Gu Xiangwen¡¯s research results, they would definitely be able to reach the right destination in the end.

    However, they did not know how long it would take.

    It could take decades, hundreds of years, or even thousands of years.

    This was because the breakthrough in cutting-edge scientific research depended on people and talented schrs.

    The probability of such a talented schr appearing was too low.

    Einstein hade from abroad, and the theory proposed more than 100 years ago was still being discussed and verified by everyone.

    However, the most talented scientist in China, Gu Xiangwen, was killed at the age where he could produce the most results.

    Thinking of Gu Xiangwen, who was hunted down by the Japanese and had his entire family killed, song Jinning¡¯s mood sank again.

    She sat in theboratory, listening to the researchers¡¯heated discussion, but she did not hear a single word.

    Until someone knocked on the door, interrupting everyone¡¯s ¡°Imagination.¡±.

    ¡°... is Director song here?¡±

    Song Jinning came back to her senses and raised her head to see Lu Jin standing at the door with an unperturbed expression. Her mood instantly improved.

    There was no Gu Xiangwen on this side, but Gu Xiangwen on the other side was even more amazing!

    Moreover, he was willing to stay in Huaxia.

    She stood up. ¡°Professor Lu, are you done with your ss? Do you have time toe and discuss with everyone?¡±

    Lu Jin sneered. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that discussing with these people will lower my IQ.¡±

    He pointed at the experimenters in the conference room, he said disdainfully, ¡°Their imagination is too smallpared to those who write novels. Their logic is also a little inferiorpared to real physicists. ¡°Director song, dealing with these people every day will affect your way of thinking.¡±

    The people in the meeting room were a little embarrassed, but they were used to Lu Jin¡¯s constant taunting.

    In the entire institute of High Energy Physics, song Jinning was the only one who had not been taunted by Lu Jin.

    With that thought, everyone calmed down. No one was particrly angry.

    Only Zuo Qinghong¡¯s eyes lit up. He went up to him and said, ¡°Professor Lu, do you know that foreignboratories have recently observed gravitational waves? Can you discuss it with everyone?¡±

    Lu Jin red at him. ¡°Gravitational waves already exist. What¡¯s so strange about observing them? If you have the ability, you can simte the gravitational waves in theboratory!¡±

    In the meeting room, there were a lot ofboratory staff kneeling on the floor.

    Do you think ourb is a space in the universe? !

    And you¡¯re still simting gravitational waves in theb. Are you going to create two ck holes as well? !

    No one said anything, but their eyes were clear.

    Lu Jin red at them. ¡°What? You Don¡¯t believe me? Do you want me to...¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, professor Lu, I just happen to have something to tell you. It¡¯s about Nianzhi...¡±song jinning quickly stood up to smooth things over and dragged Lu Jin away.

    Lu Jin followed song Jinning into her office with a sullen face, he mumbled, ¡°HMPH! What¡¯s so great about a group of old men in their 70s and 80s observing gravitational waves? I used my own telescope to observe them before I was 10 years old!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: chapter 2031, ¡°The birth of a genius from ancient times¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2032 - There would be no next time for Chapter 2032

    <h4>Chapter 2032: There would be no next time for Chapter 2032</h4>

    Lu Jin walked into song Jinning¡¯s office and closed the door behind her. He immediately asked,¡±... What happened to Nianzhi? You wanted to talk to me alone. Did something happen to her?¡±

    Song Jinning turned around in shock. ¡°No, no. Why would professor Lu think that?¡±

    ¡°But you dragged me in just now and said you wanted to talk to me about Nianzhi.¡±Lu Jin looked at her suspiciously. ¡°You know how nervous and important I am to my daughter.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know...¡±song jinning walked to her desk and sat down, thinking about how to make things right.

    She had said that it had something to do with Nianzhi, so she had just found a topic to talk about and quickly brought Lu Jin away.

    Song Jinning was actually not good at dealing with people, but she was still different from Lu Jin, who had a serious rtionship disorder.

    At least she had the kindness and magnanimity of a woman. She would not take the initiative to make things difficult for others or mock them.

    Of course, she also knew that those words would definitely be made difficult or ridiculed by others. However, it was the truth from Lu Jin¡¯s mouth. She had no choice but to ept it.

    She pulled Lu Jin away because she was afraid that he would make mistakes if he spoke too much and say something too forward.

    Sitting in the office, song jinning rubbed her temples. She had a headache.

    With Lu Jin¡¯s personality, he did not seem to be suitable to be a professor.

    Because he was too smart, his learning process was different from ordinary people, which made it difficult for him to be a sessful educator.

    Moreover, those master¡¯s and doctoral students, even if they were already top scientific research talents and were the best in the eyes of the public, were still not enough in Lu Jin¡¯s eyes.

    In fact, he was suitable to specialize in research, carry out all kinds of inventions and creations, and then show the results to others so that everyone would worship him.

    Teaching and educating people was not his style.

    Lu Jin sat in front of Song Jinning. Seeing that she was in a difficult position, he also understood. He shrugged indifferently and said, ¡°If superintendent song thinks that I¡¯ve made too many enemies for you, you can just fire me.¡±

    He was not worried about his work and money.

    Seeing that he had misunderstood, song jinning said, ¡°Professor Lu, don¡¯t say that. Why would I be worried that you¡¯ll make enemies? What were you talking about?¡±

    She continued without hesitation, ¡°Professor Lu¡¯s enemy is my enemy. Whoever goes against Professor Lu is going against me. Do you think Professor Lu would doubt my respect for Professor Lu?¡±

    Lu Jin was beaming with joy when he heard this. He gave song jinning a thumbs up and said bluntly, ¡°You have good taste! Director song is a true genius schr!¡±

    Praising him meant that he had good taste. This person was really conceited beyond measure.

    Song Jinning was amused by him and simply said to him directly, ¡°Professor Lu was right just now. These people in the institute are not that good. Professor Lu, teaching them is really a waste of time.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. ¡°It is indeed a waste of time, but I have nothing to do recently. I have to pass the time even if I don¡¯t waste it. If I can help director song take over a few sses, it will be considered helping the poor.¡±

    Fine, he even knew how to help the poor. It could be seen that he really had too much time.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at this time. She said softly, ¡°Professor Lu, actually, these aren¡¯t the main points. The main point is that I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll be provoked by others and show your true level.¡±

    ¡°Your true level is far beyond our era. It¡¯s not suitable to show it to the public.¡±

    Lu Jin raised his head proudly. ¡°My research is indeed not suitable to be shown to the public. They will be terrified.¡±

    ¡°Mm, so why don¡¯t you be the Chief Scientist of Our Institute of High Energy Physics in the future? I¡¯ll apply for an unlimited budget for you. You can do whatever research you want.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Chief Scientist? ! That¡¯s a good idea. I like it...¡±

    He stroked his chin in delight. ¡°My Daughter is the Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor, and I¡¯m her father. I Can¡¯t be too bad. The father of the chief legal advisor must be the Chief Scientist!¡±

    Song Jinning smiled and remembered. ¡°Yes, this is the problem I wanted to tell you about Nianzhi.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly stopped smiling and sat up straight.¡±... Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi works in the upper house of the Senate. She is currently the chief legal advisor to the upper house. The Senate is the only ce where she can be elected.¡±. ¡°If she wants to take a step forward in the Senate and be Speaker Long¡¯s sessor, then she has to pay attention to her image and social influence because both the upper and lower houses of the Senate are elected.¡±

    Song jinning paused. ¡°Elections are not the best mechanism, but as a representative of the public, there is no other choice but to vote.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Get to the point. I know what elections are all about, and I also know about representatives of the public. This is something Nianzhi needs to consider, but does it have anything to do with me?¡±

    Song Jinning continued to remind him, ¡°You are Nianzhi¡¯s biological father. When she reallyes out to campaign, her background and background will be known to the public. If you offend too many people and people find out that she is your biological daughter, do you think those people will stir up trouble and create obstacles for Nianzhi?¡±

    Lu Jin was instantly enraged. He pped his hands hard on his desk. ¡°Who dares? ! Whoever creates obstacles for mydy, I¡¯ll teach him a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Give him a taste of his own medicine! Whether it¡¯s stirring up trouble or spreading rumors, let those people try! If I don¡¯t turn over their family background, I¡¯ll... divorce mydy from her father-daughter rtionship!¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    It seemed like it was for real, even saying ¡°Disown her daughter¡±.

    Song Jinning instantly had a better impression of Lu Jin.

    A person who loved his daughter so selflessly and was a genius scientist that no one couldpare to. This kind of person was truly a dragon and Phoenix among men!

    She somewhat regretted using such words to convince Lu Jin. She quickly said sincerely, ¡°Professor Lu, I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Please forgive me.¡±

    Song Jinning did not have any idol baggage. She would apologize whenever she needed to. She was never vague and had no sense of pride.

    Lu Jin especially admired her for this.

    Although in Lu Jin¡¯s opinion, Song Jinning¡¯s IQ was still not top-notch, she was much higher than the average smart person.

    Moreover, Song Jinning had never been afraid to take the initiative to apologize. This was something Lu Jin could not do.

    It was impossible for her to apologize, not in this lifetime.

    Unless she was facing Nianzhi, that was another matter.

    In Lu Jin¡¯s heart, he had a clear distinction between close and distant.

    ¡°Director song, you¡¯re too polite. I understand what you mean. I¡¯ll take note of it in the future, but I really won¡¯t be provoked by others and reveal everything about myself.¡±

    Lu Jin spread his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, my father is a top psychologist and is good at hypnosis. I¡¯m not as good as him in this area, but I¡¯ve learned a little.¡±

    ¡°Observing people¡¯s expressions is an introductory course in psychology. I know everything, but I just don¡¯t want to use it.¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s only because I understand that I feel bored.¡±

    Song Jinning pursed her lips and smiled. She turned on theputer and started to apply for a personalboratory for Lu Jin, she asked, ¡°Then, if you be the chief scientist of the Institute of High Energy Physics and have your ownboratory, do you still need an assistant? You Can¡¯t do some experiments alone, right?¡±

    ¡°I need a fewboratory coolies.¡±Lu Jin counted with his fingers, ¡°You need to be strong, able to carry and lift, and have a tight mouth. You Can¡¯t have a social butterfly with a glib tongue. Not only that, you¡¯ll be shot down by aser if youe within three meters of myboratory.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    Did shee up with a bad idea? !

    But when she saw Lu Jin excitedly calcting what equipment he wanted for his personalb and what kind of ¡°Coolies¡±he would ept, she held back.

    This was the most suitable research method for Lu Jin. Song Jinning didn¡¯t want to force Lu Jin to do those things that would waste his time.

    After the two of them had discussed it, they began to discuss the research project that they were about to embark on.

    Lu Jin said, ¡°Let me be clear. I will not give my own civil projects to the Institute of High Energy Physics. Those are for Boss Lu. He is someone who makes money for me. If those patents don¡¯t make money for him, he will give up cooking for Nianzhi and me.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    She said faintly,¡±... Boss Lu also cooks for me...¡±

    Lu Jin blinked slyly, his face still stubborn, ¡°I¡¯ve known boss Lu for so many years, and I know his bad habit. Whenever I see a woman I like, I¡¯ll take the initiative to cook for her. Actually, why bother? A woman likes a man, not a chef.¡±

    Song Jinning felt very ufortable and immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that CEO Lu knows how to cook. How did he be a chef? By saying this, are you letting CEO Lu down by cooking for you all these years?¡±

    It was especially delicious..

    Lu Jinughed so hard in his heart that he fell, however, he still stuck his neck out and said, ¡°How can a chef be called a chef if his cooking isn¡¯t delicious? Not everyone who cooks in the kitchen is called a chef. For example, I know a thing or two, but I can¡¯t be called a chef because I¡¯m not a professional.¡±

    ¡°... but cooking isn¡¯t CEO Lu¡¯s specialty either.¡±Song Jinning couldn¡¯t help but speak up for Lu Yuan. ¡°He has his own specialty, and cooking is just his hobby. Professor Lu¡¯s words are biased.¡±

    ¡°... Ah, that¡¯s not what thest woman said.¡±Lu Jin lied through his teeth, ¡°Boss Lu likes her. He purposely said that his house was renovated and that he was staying at that woman¡¯s house. He took care of her three meals a day and even brought her food to work. Unfortunately, thest woman didn¡¯t cherish him at all and treated him as a cook. Boss Lu was heartbroken and had been silent for many years. Recently, he started cooking for the woman he likes.¡±

    Song Jinning felt that something wasn¡¯t right, but her mind was stuck on the words ¡°Thest woman¡±.

    Confused, she asked,¡±... did CEO Lu have a woman he liked in the past? Was it over there? That woman actually didn¡¯t like CEO Lu? Sigh, she¡¯s really heartless. I¡¯m sorry about the delicacies that CEO Lu prepared.¡±

    ¡°Wasting delicacies is like being struck by lightning. It¡¯s karma.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    He was very puzzled. I already said it so clearly, and he still hasn¡¯t reacted?

    Whether he liked it or not, give me a definite answer!

    Lu Jin made up his mind. Just as he was about to ask on behalf of Lu Yuan, song Jinning¡¯s officemunicator suddenly beeped.

    Song Jinning casually pressed it open, and a woman¡¯s sweet voice sounded, ¡°Director song, minister Shi from the Ministry of Education is here. Do you want to meet him?¡±

    The Minister of Education was already here. How could song Jinning not meet him?

    She immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Please invite minister Shi to the reception room.¡±

    Lu Jin disliked dealing with these bureaucrats the most. He stood up and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going back first. You Go and do your work.¡±

    Song jinning nodded, ¡°It just so happens that I can talk to the Minister of Education in person about applying for a budget for you. In theory, this will require funding from the Ministry of Education, but the Senate can also y a big role. I¡¯ll talk to Nianzhi again when I get back tonight.¡±

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have money. Boss Lu will think of a way,¡±Lu Jin said casually and walked out first.

    When he opened the door, he saw a sweet-looking woman. Her round face was like a red apple, and she was dressed very lively and lively.

    She was the one who had spoken just now.

    Lu Jin knew that her name was Cai Zhaohe. She was a very popr youngdy among the graduate students in the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    There were not many women who studied physics to begin with. asionally, there would be one or two girls whose looks were not ttering. Therefore, a girl like Cai Zhaohe, who was beautiful and had some intelligence, was especially popr in the Institute of Physics.

    However, it did not work with Lu Jin.

    He nced at her and said naturally, ¡°You¡¯re smiling so happily and ttering her. Did you pass the exam this time? I remember that you only got 10 pointsst time.¡±

    The full score was 50 points. Of course you didn¡¯t pass with 10 points.

    It was really a p in the face.

    Cai Zhaohe immediately teared up and said in a trembling voice,¡±... professor... Professor Lu, I¡¯ll definitely take the exam well next time.¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time. You¡¯re fired.¡±Lu Jin walked out without turning his head.

    Cai Zhaohe burst into tears.

    Song Jinning continued to have a headache and said helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s just professor Lu¡¯s course being expelled, not the Institute of High Energy Physics. Why Are You Crying?¡±

    It was better not to beforted than to beforted.

    Cai Zhaohe was even sadder. She covered her face and ran away.

    Song Jinning¡¯s assistant rushed over at this time,ughing in her heart.

    She said, ¡°Students nowadays are all ss-hearted. They can¡¯t say any harsh words. Please don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Why should I mind? She should be the one who should mind. She only got 10 points in the exam. The Institute of High Energy Physics has to consider the retirement system. We can¡¯t be like other schools and give her a chance to take the make-up exam.¡±

    Song Jinning waved her hand carelessly. ¡°Think carefully about how to draft the regtions. Don¡¯t take in so many people. As a person of knowledge, quality is more important than quantity.¡±

    She remembered that when her father, Song Haichuan, was the director of the Insitute of high energy physics, there were not so many people in the institute.

    For the past ten years, Bai Jinyi had been in charge. She wished that she could build a high-end research institute into a university campus where people came and went.

    Her assistant nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll discuss the regtions with the secretariat. You should go see Minister Shi. He¡¯s been waiting for quite a while.¡±

    Song Jinning followed her assistant into the reception room.

    Minister Shi was the Minister of Education under the Cab. He was in his fifties and had a kind face. He indeed had the demeanor of an ¡°Educator.¡±.

    In the past few years, he had vigorously pushed for educational reform. He had reduced the burden on the students, and he did not allow the teachers to assign too much homework. He had simply worried the hearts of all the primary school students in the country.

    Song Jinning was not used to his style.

    Studying was a tough process to begin with. If she could not even endure the hardships of studying, what future would she have in the future?

    However, the funding of the Institute of High Energy Physics was still managed by the Ministry of Education. Song Jinning still had to treat him with respect.

    She walked into the reception room and was surprised to find that other than minister Shi, there was also an elegant woman sitting next to minister Shi.

    Seeing here in, the woman stood up. She was not short and was about the same height as song jinning.

    She smiled and nodded elegantly at her. ¡°Is that director song? I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s big chapter update 4,000 words: Chapter 2032, ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±.

    Today, the two chapters merged into one. It was a littlete.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2033 - Shi Lezhi (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2033: Chapter 2033, Shi Lezhi (first update)</h4>

    Song Jinning had never seen this woman before.

    Minister Shi, who was at the side, introduced with a smile, ¡°This is Ms. Yuan Jianan, the sessor of Chile¡¯s Yuan Group. Chile is a country that is particrly rich in mineral resources. Ms. Yuan¡¯s family controls almost 80% of Chile¡¯s mineral resources. It is worthy of the name of having a mine in your family. hahahaha...¡±

    Song jinning smiled and nodded at Yuan Jianan. ¡°Hello, Ms. Yuan.¡±

    She sat down in the reception room.

    Yuan Jianan elegantly returned to minister Shi¡¯s side and asked in surprise, ¡°Director song is so young and beautiful, but she¡¯s the director of such a high-tech Research Institute. She¡¯s really amazing!¡±

    Her Chinese was very standard, but because it was too standard, she could tell that she had studied hard and was not a native speaker.

    Song jinning smiled and said, ¡°Could it be that in Ms. Yuan¡¯s heart, a young and beautiful woman can¡¯t coexist with the director of a high-tech Research Institute?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I¡¯m justmenting that director song is the kind of beauty who can clearly rely on her face to make a living, but must rely on her talent,¡±Yuan Jianan said humorously, ¡°You¡¯re the most beautiful Chinese woman I¡¯ve ever seen. With your looks, you can instantly kill those big stars who boast of their beauty.¡±

    ¡°You tter me.¡±Song jinning sized up Yuan Jianan carefully.

    It could be seen that Yuan Jianan had also taken good care of herself. Her skin was smooth and delicate, with a soft pearl-white glow. Her eyes were as clear as spring water, her natural willow-leaf eyebrows, her small nose, and her lips were slightly dark, therefore, when she wore a matte lipstick, when she smiled, there was a kind of gentle beauty.

    However, one look and it was obvious that it was a shallowyer of skin care. It waspletely different from song Jinning¡¯s youthful glow on the gic level.

    In other words, although Yuan Jianan looked young, everyone could tell that her real age was definitely over forty.

    As for song jinning, even those who were familiar with her could not rte her to her real age.

    Because her appearance was young, it was engraved in her bones.

    Yuan Jianan praised song jinning again. Song Jinning only smiled and listened, but she did not continue.

    Yuan Jianan talked for a long time, but her mouth was dry. She could only look at minister Shi awkwardly.

    Minister Shi sat between the two beauties, feeling unreal as if he had be a handsome man.

    After being nced at by Yuan Jianan, he came back to his senses and said with a smile, ¡°Director song, it¡¯s like this. After our trade war with the United States, a lot of raw materials and mineral resources from the United States have been added to the tax increase list

    ¡°However, the country has long been prepared. They have already foundrge-scale agricultural products and mineral resources suppliers in South America. Ms. Yuan is one of the best.¡±

    ¡°She heard that our country treats foreign businessmen very well, so she returned home to inspect for a few months. She felt that the domestic environment was very suitable for her family to expand into new fields. Therefore, she decided to invest in our country¡¯s industry. She also wants to find a scientific research institution to cooperate with. She wants to hand over some difficult problems that require technological breakthroughs to our country¡¯s scientific research institutions. The Yuan group will provide the money, and we will provide the manpower. It¡¯s a win-win cooperation.¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head, ¡°Minister Shi, Our Institute of Physics is not short of money, and we don¡¯t do industrial-level technical research. ¡°Ms. Yuan is looking for the wrong ce. You can introduce our country¡¯s private enterprises to Ms. Yuan. She will definitely find a good partner.¡±

    Yuan Jianan did not seem to expect song jinning to reject him. She said regretfully, ¡°Is That So? Actually, I also want to contribute to China¡¯s scientific research. Since director song is not interested...¡±

    Minister Shi was a little anxious, he quickly said, ¡°Director song, aren¡¯t you applying for funding from the cab? ¡°Your Institute of High Energy Physics is a subsidiary of our Ministry of Education. The Cab Budget Committee has transferred your funding application to our department. To be honest with you, this year¡¯s budget is a little tight. Our policy now is to encourage the subsidiary organizations to raise their own funding, and the department¡¯s funding is supplementary.¡±

    Song Jinning looked disapproving, ¡°You can say that to other organizations, but you can¡¯t say that to our institute of High Energy Physics. Even if your entire department¡¯s budget is cut, you still have to give our institute of high energy physics funding. This is non-negotiable.¡±

    He actually didn¡¯t give minister Shi any face in front of the foreign guests.

    The gentle smile on minister Shi¡¯s face couldn¡¯t hold on any longer.

    ¡°... Director song, are you joking?¡±Minister Shi blinked his eyes, and the Mediterranean hair on his head was shiny. ¡°This year, the budget of all the departments in the cab has been cut. Are you making things difficult for me?¡±

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t tell minister Shi about the budget in the presence of outsiders. She raised her eyebrows. ¡°This is your problem, not mine. If the two of you have nothing else to do, I¡¯ll have to excuse myself.¡±

    She was already very pressed for time. Other than the experiments, the only thing she could spare time for was to apply for funding.

    Now, this minister of Education actually dared to tell her that the Institute of High Energy Physics¡¯funding would be cut. This was the biggest joke in the world.

    Yuan Jianan saw that song jinning was so unyielding, so she didn¡¯t continue to insist.

    She smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not thinking things through. Actually, I¡¯ve also contacted a few engineering universities. They¡¯re all very interested. Since director song¡¯s Institute of Physics doesn¡¯t need it, then forget it.¡±

    She stood up elegantly and extended her hand towards song jinning again. ¡°Director song, we¡¯ll meet again if we¡¯re fated.¡±

    Song Jinning raised her hand, she smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t wash my hands after the experiment just now. I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t Shake Your Hand. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll definitely find a good partner. I hope you can invest in an industry outside China. The conditions will definitely be better than in Chile.¡±

    Yuan Jianan had no choice but to withdraw her hand and said embarrassedly, ¡°Thank you for Your Kind Words, director song. Sorry to disturb you.¡±

    She nodded slightly at song jinning. Without waiting for minister Shi to get up, she left the reception room in a hurry.

    Minister Shi stood up, he said to Song Jinning in a low voice, ¡°Director song, I¡¯m not lying to you. The funding this year is really tight. Our department has been having frequent meetings recently to discuss the funding of the institutions under the Ministry of Education. Why did you reject it so easily? ¡°Ms. Yuan can really provide a lot of funding...¡±

    Song jinning smiled and said, ¡°This is a problem that you have to consider, but our institute of Physics is not an ordinary institution. We have special rules. Even private enterprises can not cooperate with us, let alone foreign capital.¡±

    ¡°AH? Really?¡±Minister Shi took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. ¡°But the funding this year is really not easy to approve...¡±

    ¡°If the ministry really doesn¡¯t have money, then forget it. If it does, they won¡¯t share it with us. I¡¯ll definitely talk to the Prime Minister,¡±song Jinning said, hiding a needle in her cotton, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Prime Minister Bai and see if he agrees with your approach?¡±

    Minister Shi didn¡¯t dare to ask Prime Minister Bai, he hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, director song. We won¡¯t cut the funding of Your Institute of high energy physics no matter who we cut. Just now, I only hoped to give you a chance to generate ie. Who wouldin about having too much money? Right? But to be honest, this year¡¯s funding shortage is amon phenomenon. A clever woman can¡¯t cook without rice. There isn¡¯t even rice, so how can we share it?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Song Jinning didn¡¯t quite believe minister Shi¡¯s words. Seeing that minister Shi had heard her say that she wanted to find the white prime minister, she softened, she said meaningfully, ¡°Minister shi, don¡¯t bring strangers to Our Institute of High Energy Physics in the future. Security here is very tight.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I was kind enough to help you today. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t appreciate it, but why are you threatening me?¡±Minister Shi red at Song Jinning angrily and left in a huff.

    Song Jinning looked at minister Shi¡¯s back and frowned, ¡°What¡¯s this minister Shi¡¯s name again?¡±

    ¡°Shi Lezhi,¡±her assistant said quietly at the side.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 2033, ¡°Stone Music Records.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch. It¡¯s 8:30 at night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2034 - Private Meeting (Second Update)

    <h4>Chapter 2034: Chapter 2034 Private Meeting (Second Update)</h4>

    Song jinning snorted, but she didn¡¯tin in front of her subordinates, she only said, ¡°Find out the application form for the funding of our Institute of High Energy Physics and tally it up. Let¡¯s see how many of them haven¡¯t responded yet. After exceeding the time we requested, prepare a memo and send it directly to the prime minister and speaker long. Also, send a memo to general ji of the military and chief gu of the Senate.¡±

    ¡°How dare he touch the funds of the Institute of High Energy Physics? This minister of Education really lives up to his name.¡±.

    When song Jinning returned to her office, she passed by a small ssroom and heard someone talking.

    She nced at it and found that Zuo Qinghong wasforting Cai Zhaohe, who was crying her eyes out.

    This was the graduate student who had just been scolded by Lu Jin. He was actually still crying..

    Song jinning frowned. She was seriously considering whether the Institute of high energy physics should cancel the admission of master¡¯s students, and only look for phd students and postdocs who had received their doctorates.

    She was older, more mature, and more resistant to pressure.

    Only exceptionally talented people would make an exception for admission.

    With this in mind, Song Jinning returned to the office and began to draft new regtions and documents.

    ..

    Zuo Qinghong caught a glimpse of song Jinning¡¯s figure from the corner of his eye as she walked past the door. He knocked on the desk with a headache, ¡°Zhaohe, what problem can you solve by crying like this? It¡¯s better to think about how to make up for your results and pass the next exam, right?¡±

    ¡°But that Professor Lu¡¯s questions are tricky and mean. He also tests things that are not in the textbooks!¡±

    Zuo Qinghong frowned. ¡°Professor Lu is very good. How can the textbooks bepared to him? I remember that he found many mistakes in the textbooks, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Cai Zhaohe choked and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m just a student! I only know how to study the textbooks! If he says he¡¯s wrong, then he¡¯s wrong. If he¡¯s so capable, why doesn¡¯t he edit the textbooks? !¡±

    ¡°Zhaohe, you¡¯re already a master¡¯s student now. You Can¡¯t talk about the textbooks.¡±Zuo Qinghong stood up, feeling that he had already done his best, ¡°Learn to think independently and listen to Professor Lu¡¯s lessons. If you don¡¯t cherish such a precious opportunity, then don¡¯t go to Professor Lu¡¯s lessons.¡±

    These words directly touched Cai Zhaohe¡¯s heartbreak. The sobs that she had just stopped started wailing again,¡±... but I¡¯ve already been expelled from Professor Lu¡¯s lessons! He didn¡¯t even give me a chance to make up the exams!¡±

    Zuo Qinghong rubbed his temples and left the small ssroom without saying anything.

    ..

    On the first Friday of December, the first snowfall fell in the imperial capital.

    The first snowfall was crystal clear and fluttering, enveloping the bustling imperial capital in a thinyer of snow.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up in the morning and opened the window to see the snowy scenery outside. She was overjoyed.

    ¡°Ah Ke, let¡¯s go snow!¡±

    Ah Ke jumped out of his soft Doghouse and barked as he ran out with her.

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a white mink hat that was made from the uniform of the former Soviet Union. It covered her ears tightly.

    To make it easier for her to run, she did not wear a knee-length coat. Instead, she wore a short, dark blue, glossy down jacket from the Moncler. It was refreshing, warm, and especially valiant, it matched perfectly with the white sable fur on her head, which was the uniform of the former Soviet Army.

    She ran out the door with Ah Ke¡¯s leash. Gu Nianzhi greeted Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, who had just returned from their run, with a smile.

    ¡°Brother Xiong! Brother Ze! Good Morning!¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Nianzhi.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze greeted her together.

    Zhao liangze also greeted ah ke, the short-legged little corgi. ¡°Ah Ke, you¡¯ve gained weight recently. Look at all the fat on you. You¡¯re a disgrace to the army dogs.¡±

    Ah Ke seemed to understand what he was saying. He pounced on Gu Nianzhi with a howl and was about to bite her.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly grabbed the rope and shouted, ¡°Ah Ke! Shut Up! I¡¯m going to chew on You Again!¡±

    Ah Ke stopped and didn¡¯t really bite her. He only bared his teeth at Zhao liangze.

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiongughed heartily and nodded at Gu Nianzhi. They walked past each other and returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    The members of the special operations forces who had finished their morning training in twos and threes came back from their jogs. They all nodded at Gu Nianzhi and chatted with her asionally.

    Gu Nianzhi was in a good mood. Her little face was flushed and her eyes were glowing like paint, making it harder for people to look away.

    The morning at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces was so lively and lively.

    ..

    After Huo Guanchen woke up for morning exercise, he went to the study to familiarize himself with the materials for today¡¯s meeting.

    It was the personal secretary who had prepared them for him and ced them in the study.

    He only needed to look through them once.

    It was supposed to be a routine operation, but when he saw that the secretary had included a report on the military budget, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

    The political department did not care about the budget, but the military budget also required political review.

    Therefore, before the final approval, all the applications that passed the budget review would be sent to the political department for final political review.

    He actually saw a funding application from the Institute of High Energy Physics in the funding application reports of the various military organizations.

    He quickly pulled out this application and looked through it.

    It turned out that it was song jinning who applied for funding for Lu Jin¡¯s personalboratory.

    Lu Jin had made it very clear that his civil projects were intended to be used to apply for patents and earn money for Lu Yuan¡¯spany. He would not give it to the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    His research projects at the Institute of High Energy Physics were all coborations with the military, which favored the development of cutting-edge technology for weapons.

    Therefore, it was normal and reasonable for song jinning to specifically apply for funding from the military.

    Especially since the budget of the cab was currently tight, it made sense for her to report directly to the military.

    However, this was not how it was done in the past.

    Huo Guanchen looked up the information from the past. As expected, it was the military that transferred the money for the cooperation project to the Cab before the cab budgetmittee allocated it to the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    In theory, the military could not directly give the money to the cab¡¯s subordinate organizations. This was called overstepping their authority.

    Just like the subordinate organizations of the cab could not directly ask the military for money. This was called overstepping their authority.

    Song Jinning had never been a person who could stand out in this area. Huo Guanchen was sensitive enough to sense that there must be a conflict between the Institute of High Energy Physics and the cab.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s fingers tapped twice on the office desk. He called his personal secretary over and asked, ¡°How is the political review of all the personnel of the Institute of High Energy Physics Going?¡±

    ¡°Reporting, chief, it¡¯s still under review.¡±His personal secretary quickly stood up and said, ¡°We¡¯ve divided all the personnel of the Institute of high energy physics into several categories and marked the different degrees of importance.¡±

    ¡°First, there are the management and teachers. With director song as the leader, there are three deputy directors, seven professors, eight associate professors, and fifteen lecturers.¡±

    ¡°Then there are the staff of theboratory of the Institute of High Energy Physics. Currently, the Institute of High Energy Physics has a total of six specializedboratories, and eachboratory has thirty researchers.¡±

    The personal secretary paused for a moment,¡±... ording to the system, the number of researchers in these six specializedboratories has been exceeded.¡±

    Huo Guanchen put his palms together and ced them on his desk. ¡°Oh, how many researchers have been exceeded?¡±

    ¡°ording to the system, there shouldn¡¯t be more than twenty researchers in each specializedboratory. Each of theirboratories has ten researchers.¡±

    ¡°Why are they overqualified? Didn¡¯t you guys review them before?¡±Huo Guanchen asked in surprise.

    The personal secretary looked at Huo Guanchen awkwardly.¡±... In the past, it was Ms. Bai Jinyi who was the director. At that time, the cooperation with the military had already stopped. She expanded the recruitment herself. It has nothing to do with us...¡±

    Eighteen years ago, after a major ident with the military¡¯s experiment, the military had stopped the cooperation n with the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    At that time, Bai Jinyi had be the director. She did not agree with song Haichuan¡¯s management philosophy and was determined to make the Institute of high energy physics bigger and stronger.

    Bai Jinyi was flexible. Because she was born into the Bai family, she was able to build a good rtionship with all aspects. When she applied for funds in the cab, she was given the green light. Her situation waspletely different from song Jinning¡¯s.

    Later, when Bai Jinyi was in prison, song Jinning became the director of the Institute of high energy physics after she recovered from her illness. The military reopened the experiment, and the situation of the Institute of high energy physics was once again noticed by the military¡¯s political department.

    Of course, a thorough investigation was not that long ago.

    Huo Guanchen thought about it. He packed up the documents, stood up, and said calmly, ¡°Inform the organization that is having a meeting today that the meeting has been canceled. I will personally go to the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    ¡°You are going to the Institute of High Energy Physics?¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary nodded. ¡°I will arrange the motorcade and inform the meeting to be canceled.¡±

    Huo Guanchen soon arrived at the Institute of High Energy Physics in a car.

    However, before he got off the car, his personal secretary handed him a private cell phone from the front seat and said, ¡°Chief, it¡¯s Miss Guo.¡±

    Huo Guanchen took it.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, it¡¯s huining.¡±Guo Huining said with a smile, ¡°Are youing to Xishan today? Your security guards have sent fresh venison over. Mr. Huo wants to roast venison.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled. ¡°I have a meeting today. I don¡¯t know if I have time. You guys can eat first.¡±

    After saying that, he hung up the phone, pushed open the car door, and walked out.

    At this moment, in a residential building in the distance, someone took a photo with a high-definition telephoto lens and sent it to Guo Huining.

    Guo huining saw Huo Guanchen¡¯s clear figure on the phone and the familiar license te. Her eyes narrowed.

    It seemed that the warning she gave song jinning was not enough. She actually hooked up with Huo Guanchen to meet in private.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 2034, meet in private.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2035 - donâ€™t let go until you see the rabbit

    <h4>Chapter 2035: Chapter 2035 don¡¯t let go until you see the rabbit</h4>

    Staring at the photo on her phone for a long time, Guo Huining did not realize that it was already dark outside.

    The servants turned on the lights in the vi. Guo Huining was shocked and subconsciously looked up at the window. It was already covered in white snow, and there was a thickyer of snow on the ground and trees. It was no longer like the snow that fell in the morning.

    She rubbed her slightly sore eyes and let out a long sigh.

    Since she was unwilling to be lonely, don¡¯t me her for being ruthless.

    She took her phone and stood by the window for a while, then dialed the number of the person who sent her the photo.

    ¡°Associate director Jia, May I meet your big boss when you are free?¡±

    The person on the other side was associate director Jia. He smiled slightly. ¡°You want to meet our Big Boss? Don¡¯t tell me that Miss Guo still doesn¡¯t believe in our ability?¡±

    Guo huining said softly, ¡°How can I not believe? You guys have sessfully aroused my interest. But if I don¡¯t even know who the big boss behind you is, and I want to work with you guys on such a big matter, do you think I¡¯m Stupid?¡±

    She wouldn¡¯t let go until she saw the rabbit. Not to mention the rabbit, she hadn¡¯t even seen the rabbit¡¯s hair.

    Associate Director Jia was a pawn that was pushed out by others. She already disdained dealing with him.

    Guo Huining thought about her change and felt very calm.

    A few months ago, associate director Jia and Dou Aiyan were the people she tried hard to please.

    Now, the tables had turned. It was their turn to please her.

    And these changes were all because she had caught Huo Guanchen¡¯s eye. It was all because of Huo Guanchen.

    Associate Director Jia smiled a little awkwardly. ¡°Miss Guo, actually, it¡¯s the same if you have something to say to me.¡±

    ¡°You can make the decision, so you won¡¯t want to work with me.¡±Guo huining exposed him mercilessly, ¡°Yes, I know you guys are very powerful. You can even take such photos and break through the security system of so many people. This is definitely not something an ordinary person can do.¡±

    They used photos that closely monitored Huo Guanchen to show Guo huining their power and influence.

    One had to know that Huo Guanchen was not an ordinary person. He was the director of the Political Department of the military headquarters. He was a general. Usually, when he went out, he would be surrounded by people and followed by a convoy, in the dark, there were countless bodyguards and secret service personnel to protect his safety.

    It was almost impossible to get close to him.

    Guo huining could see that the photos were taken with a long-focal HD lens. In other words, although these people were following Huo Guanchen, they did not dare to get close to him. Instead, they could only spy from afar and use technical means to track him.

    So, what was the use of these people no matter how powerful they were?

    Didn¡¯t they still have to beg Guo Huining for help in order to get close to Huo Guanchen?

    Associate director Jiaughed dryly and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that Miss Guo knows. However, my boss has recently gone on a business trip and is not in the country. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to contact him.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no other way. Let¡¯s wait for your boss toe back first.¡±Guo huining pretended to hang up the phone.

    Only then did associate director Jia believe Guo Huining¡¯s words.

    He thought for a while and didn¡¯t dare to make his own decision. He dialed another number.

    The person on the other end quickly picked up the phone. ¡°Don¡¯t call this number if there¡¯s nothing else. How many times have I told you?¡±

    Associate Director Jia wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly said, ¡°There¡¯s something important. Guo huining just called and said she wants to see you.¡±

    Then he added, ¡°If she says she won¡¯t see you, then she won¡¯t follow the n.¡±

    The person who answered the phone nodded with a smile. ¡°She has quite a lot of requests.¡±

    ¡°... Actually, you don¡¯t have to pay attention to it,¡±associate director Jia suggested in a low voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that General Huo was fishing? Guo Huining is obviously putting on a show to raise her status.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve told you before, we¡¯re going to take advantage of his fishing opportunity...¡±the person coughed softly. ¡°Okay, go and tell Guo Huining. Just tell her that I agree to see her.¡±

    Associate Director Jia stood up in shock. ¡°Are you serious? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, they won¡¯t let go until they see a rabbit. I Can¡¯t bear to part with a child and not be able to catch a wolf. I will go there myself.¡±The man agreed to Guo Huining¡¯s request while chatting, which surprised associate director Jia.

    However, he couldn¡¯t figure out what his boss meant, but since the other party agreed, he did as he was told.

    Associate Director Jia immediately called Guo Huining to report the good news.

    ¡°Miss Guo, my boss has promised to return to China to see you immediately. Make an appointment and I will tell you the meeting ce.¡±

    Guo Huining felt relieved and immediately said, ¡°I am free next Monday. Will your boss return to China?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡±associate director Jia agreed immediately. ¡°My boss has a private jet. Even if he is in Antarctica, he will fly back in two days.¡±

    Guo huining nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll wait to see your big boss.¡±

    Putting down her phone, Guo Huining hesitated for a while. She went out to watch grandfather Huo eat dinner and said, ¡°Mr. Huo, Will Mr. Zhang¡¯s familye this weekend?¡±

    Grandfather Huo nodded happily. ¡°Baochen said that he¡¯s bringing Wen Na and Wen Jie to visit me. Wen Na has a boyfriend recently, and Wen Jie has a girlfriend recently. I heard that he¡¯s going to get married soon.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°At my age, I already have many great-grandsons. I hope Wen Jie can do his best and give me great-grandsons right away!¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She said deliberately, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then Huo Shao has a better chance of giving you great-grandsons, right? He¡¯s already engaged. I wonder when the wedding will be held?¡±

    ¡°Ha, he¡¯s so capable. Who can control him?¡±Grandfather Huo was obviously still angry at Huo Shaoheng, and did not even want to mention Gu Nianzhi.

    Guo Huining, on the other hand, insisted on bringing up Gu Nianzhi,¡±... I heard that Miss Gu doesn¡¯t want to get married for the time being. She said she wants to build a career first.¡±

    ¡°What career could she have? Isn¡¯t it just because of our Huo family that speaker long and general ji think highly of her?¡±Grandfather Huo¡¯s expression changed. The biggest setback he had suffered in his life was because of Gu Nianzhi!

    ¡°You¡¯re a sensible person, but outsiders may not be able to understand.¡±Guo huining sighed as she picked up a slice of tender onion beef fillet for grandfather Huo, ¡°Especially since she doesn¡¯t want to get married right away. To outsiders, she doesn¡¯t want to take advantage of the Huo family and rely on herself to be the chief legal advisor of the Senate.¡±

    ¡°Ha, she treats others like fools. Does she think that if she doesn¡¯t get married, others won¡¯t be able to tell who her backer is?¡±Grandfather Huo couldn¡¯t even eat his favorite onion beef fillet, ¡°Don¡¯t mention her to me again. If it weren¡¯t for her, Shaoheng would have long be a standingmittee member of the Military Supreme Council.¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many people who understand.¡±Guo huining casually blocked grandfather Huo¡¯s heart, she said, ¡°It¡¯s snowing outside today, so it won¡¯t be easy to walk up the mountain tomorrow. When Mr. Zhang¡¯s familyes tomorrow, let them stay for two more days and wait for the snow to melt before leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not a bad idea. You can make the arrangements.¡±After dinner, grandfather Huo went back to his room to video chat with Zhang Baochen while he talked about how his family would go up the mountain tomorrow and live on the mountain for a few days.

    Of course, Zhang Baochen agreed readily and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that Wen Na and Wen Jie have to go to work on Monday.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Ask Guo Huining to send them down the mountain to work.¡±

    The father and son had already arranged jobs with Guo Huining in the video call.

    At this time, Guo huining called Huo Guanchen again.

    This time, she did not wait long before Huo Guanchen answered her call.

    ¡°Huining, what¡¯s the matter?¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s voice seemed to be a little tired.

    Guo Huining was very worried and quickly said softly, ¡°Mr. Huo, are you done with your meeting? The venison here is almost old...¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled. ¡°You guys eat first. I¡¯ll see if I¡¯m free to go up the mountain tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you,¡±Guo Huining said softly. She then hung up the phone, as if she was worried that Huo Guanchen would reject her.

    Huo Guanchen watched her hang up the phone and then asked his personal secretary, ¡°Are you sure? Guo Huining has an appointment with the Big Boss Over There?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2035, ¡°Don¡¯t let go of the eagle until you see the rabbit.¡±.

    It was Monday again today, and everyone¡¯s rmendation tickets were OH ~ ~

    It was the second update of the day. The second update was at 8:30 p.m.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2036 - donâ€™t Play Dumb (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2036: Chapter 2036 don¡¯t y Dumb (second update)</h4>

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, we found it through surveince. They called to confirm it. They asked Miss Guo to pick a time and they picked a ce to meet.¡±

    ¡°Then what time did she pick?¡±Huo Guanchen asked calmly.

    ¡°They said their big boss will return to the country immediately, so Miss Guo picked next Monday.¡±

    Monday was usually the busiest time for Huo Guanchen. Moreover, he had already promised to go back to visit grandfather Huo on the weekend, so he would definitely not go back on Monday.

    A mocking smile appeared on Huo Guanchen¡¯s face. ¡°Okay, Monday it is. Send more people to keep an eye on it. Remember not to alert the enemy.¡±

    ..

    The first snowfall of the winter season in the imperial capitalsted for an entire day and night.

    Huo Guanchen was going to visit grandfather Huo at the West Mountain Vi the next day. However, due to the heavy snowfall, his motorcade was unable to go, so he only called to greet him.

    It was not that Guo Huining was not disappointed, but when Huo Guanchen said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡±her mood immediately improved. She smiled and said that it was fine, and then made an appointment for the next time they met.

    Although Huo Guanchen said that he woulde to see grandfather Huo, in Guo Huining¡¯s heart, it had already be the date that she had agreed on with him.

    At noon, Zhang Baochen actually brought Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie to the West Mountain Vi.

    Looking at the snow stains on their legs that almost reached their knees, Guo Huining was both emotional and gratified. She smiled and said, ¡°You guys are finally here. Old Mr. Huo has been nagging all morning. I thought you guys wouldn¡¯te.¡±

    Zhang Baochen smiled and changed his shoes at the entrance hall. ¡°How could we note? We agreed that we would definitelye if we came.¡±

    When he saw grandfather Huo, grandfather Huo was even more touched and happy than Guo Huining. He said loudly, ¡°He said that the snow is too heavy toe, but how could you guyse? ! It depends on whether you have the heart or Not!¡±

    Zhang Baochen knew grandfather Huo very well. When he heard that, he smiled and said, ¡°Dad, who are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Who else? It¡¯s your second brother!¡±Grandfather Huoughed and scolded, ¡°He actually called me this morning and said that the snow was too heavy toe!¡±

    Guo huining quickly exined for Huo guanchen, ¡°Old sir, it¡¯s not that general Huo doesn¡¯t want toe, but it¡¯s just that it¡¯s inconvenient for him to travel. He can¡¯t juste and go like this with Mr. Zhang. There¡¯s an entire motorcade...¡±

    As she spoke, she looked at Zhang Baochen and gestured,¡±... What do you think, Mr. Zhang?¡±

    Zhang Baochen smiled awkwardly, he said sourly, ¡°That makes sense. Second Brother¡¯s status is different. General, of course, when you go out, you¡¯ll be surrounded. Unlike us, who parked the car in the temporary parking lot at the foot of the mountain and climbed up on two legs.¡±

    Zhang Wenjie said nkly, ¡°Actually, the mountain road has already been swept out. It is not easy to have snow-sweeping workers on such a remote mountain early in the morning.¡±

    Guo huining nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, this is not an ordinary ce. If you want to sweep the snow, you must first stay close to this side. However, what was swept out is only the sidewalk. The car can not get up.¡±

    Grandfather Huo smiled brightly. He pointed at Guo huining and said, ¡°You, with your clever mouth, you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll say something bad about Guan Chen!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, what are you talking about? !¡±Guo huining blushed and waved her hand shyly. She turned around and went out to instruct the chef in the kitchen to cook.

    Because the snow on the mountain had not beenpletely cleaned, it was not easy for Zhang Baochen and the others to go up and down the mountain. Therefore, after they came, the three of them stayed in the West Mountain Vi for two days. They only went down the mountain with Guo Huining on Monday.

    At this time, the driveway on the mountain had been cleared. Guo Huining drove Zhang Baochen, Zhang Wenna, and Zhang Wenjie down the mountain to the temporary parking lot where they parked their cars.

    When they arrived, Guo Huining opened the car door for them to get out of the car. She smiled and said, ¡°I want to go into the city to buy some things. Help Yourself.¡±

    Zhang Wenna said curiously, ¡°What do you want to go into the city for? Aren¡¯t you able to buy things online now?¡±

    Shopping was tiring. An otaku like her did not like to crowd with people in the mall.

    Guo Huining was stunned, but she immediately said, ¡°There are too many fake goods online for what I want to buy. It¡¯s better to go to the genuine goods store andpare them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Zhang Wenna could only nod. ¡°Sister Huining, you are a rich person. You are not like us.¡±

    Guo huining smiled but did not say anything. She drove into the city.

    After a weekend, the snow in the capital had been cleaned up, but there were still many piles of snow on the side of the road, waiting for the snowplow to transport them away.

    On Monday morning, working hours had already passed, so the capital was not crowded.

    But because the road was still slippery, it took her half an hour to reach the ce she had agreed to meet with that person.

    Surprisingly, this person did not agree to meet her at any high-end private ce. Instead, they agreed to meet at arge food stall area on the roof of an ordinary shopping mall.

    There were too many people and too many mouths. Guo huining could not figure out why this person would do this.

    However, as the big boss with a private jet, he did not mind. What did she mind?

    Guo huining walked in with her Hermes tinum Bag. The LV Cashmere coat she was wearing did not fit in with the atmosphere here.

    She frowned and looked around. Suddenly, she saw a person who looked familiar.

    He was wearing a short gray wool coat and was sitting at the ce they had agreed on. The coat was open, revealing a simr-colored cashmere sweater with a heart-shaped cor and a silver-gray striped tie. He looked extremely elegant and handsome.

    Just like her, he did not fit in with the environment here.

    Guo huining was very surprised.

    She did not expect the big boss behind that greasy middle-aged man, associate director Jia, to be so young and so good-looking..

    Moreover, he could even condescend and sit in such a ce where ordinary people ate.

    It was like a bunch of lilies blooming in the dust, spotless.

    However, looking at his steady manner and Duan Ning¡¯s behavior, Guo Huining immediately recognized that this should be the big boss.

    This kind of feeling was not something that associate director Jia, who deliberately pretended to be mysterious, could give.

    She walked over with a smile and sat down gracefully in front of the man. Her fingers tapped on the stic table twice. ¡°Sir, it doesn¡¯t seem to be the first time we¡¯ve met.¡±

    The man looked up at her. His voice was typical of a baritone, modest and neutral. ¡°Is that so? But other than the photo, I don¡¯t remember meeting thisdy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb.¡±Guo huining smiled. ¡°At the Yuan Ai Restaurant near the Institute of High Energy Physics, you were eating with a particrly beautiful woman on the second floor by the window. Am I right?¡±

    At that time, the boss of the Yuan Ai restaurant had asked her to meet him. She was there and saw song jinning with her own eyes from the surveince cameras, as well as the ring that Huo Guanchen had tried to give her..

    Her memory was very good, and because that day was rather special, she clearly remembered all the circumstances of that ce, including the table and chairs, as well as the people who were there at that time.

    On the second floor of the restaurant, there was a pair of men and women sitting by the window not far away from the path led by the green vines.

    The man was elegant and handsome, and the woman opposite him was mature and beautiful, a strange match.

    On the left, there was a pair of mother and child. The child was only four or five years old, but he was sitting on his high chair obediently. He did not shout like other children.

    The child¡¯s mother was elegant and gentle. She was holding a wet tissue to wipe the child¡¯s hands.

    It was just a few simple people. Almost everything that happened that day was firmly embedded in her memory.

    As the first person to enter her line of sight that day, this man naturally remembered it well.

    ¡°... I didn¡¯t expect you to have gone that day,¡±guo huining said thoughtfully.

    The man narrowed his eyes and smiled. He said charmingly, ¡°But Miss Guo brushed past me without looking at me at all.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2036.

    Today is Monday again, dear rmendation tickets OH ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2037 - makes her disappear (chapter 2037 makes the two more one)

    <h4>Chapter 2037: Chapter 2037 makes her disappear (chapter 2037 makes the two more one)</h4>

    Guo Huining thought to herself, she had thought that uncle Dong was the boss, but there was someone higher than uncle Dong, who was silently watching her from the side..

    She calmly sat down across from the man. Guo huining smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your surname? Where do you work?¡±

    The man was sitting in a low-ss restaurant, but he was as elegant as he was sitting in a five-star restaurant.

    His back was straight. It was obvious that he came from a good family. He had been raised in a strict family since he was young.

    Guo huining could not help but sit up straight as well.

    The man quietly sized up Guo Huining and smiled. He bowed and reached out his hand, saying, ¡°You can call me Keven. It¡¯s our first time meeting. Please take care of me.¡±

    Guo Huining also reached out her hand to shake his. ¡°Hello, Mr. Keven.¡±

    In the noisy food stall, a few children ran past, followed by a few angry parents chasing after them.

    There was a line in front of every food stall, but no one waited quietly. They either spoke loudly or pushed each other.

    The dining environment was not good, but there was a lively atmosphere.

    Keven nodded. ¡°Miss Guo wants to see me. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Guo Huining picked up her cell phone and yed with it. She said thoughtfully,¡±... you guys obviously wanted me to join you, so you don¡¯t have to pretend like nothing happened, right?¡±

    Keven curled his lips. His slightly slender eyes formed a charming arc. He said, ¡°Miss Guo, did you agree to board our ship?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so unpleasant.¡±Guo huining shifted her body ufortably on the chair. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to do something illegal...¡±

    Keven stopped smiling. He thought to himself that this woman was still fantasizing about him even though he was already afraid of being followed.

    He said lightly, ¡°Miss Guo, it¡¯s important to know your limits. If you don¡¯t use extreme means to get what you want, you won¡¯t be able to get it in your next life, let alone this one.¡±

    These words were really too ruthless. It was even worse than a p to the face.

    Guo huining suddenly felt that not only was her face burning, her entire body seemed to be in pain.

    She suddenly stood up and wanted to leave immediately, but when she looked at Keven¡¯s dark eyes, which seemed to be able to see through everything, she felt as if she had been immobilized. She stood firmly on her feet and could not take a single step away.

    Keven did not have any expression on his face. He just raised his eyes and looked at her without moving.

    The diners who were eating next to them felt a little strange at this time. They looked at Guo Huining and Keven in surprise and muttered a few words, as if saying, ¡°If you want to quarrel, go home and Quarrel. Why are you making a scene in public?¡±

    Keven looked at Guo Huining for a while, then slowly stood up and said, ¡°Since Miss Guo hasn¡¯t figured it out, I¡¯ll leave first.¡±After saying that, he turned around and left.

    Guo huining gritted her teeth. She didn¡¯t want to chase after him, but at this time, her feet seemed to have an independent consciousness and quickly followed.

    Keven knew that she was following behind, but he didn¡¯t stop. He maintained his usual pace and walked toward the elevator step by step.

    Just as the elevator door was about to close, Guo huining barged in.

    She opened her mouth to speak, but Keven raised an index finger to his lips. He shushed her and pointed at the surveince camera in the elevator.

    Guo huining understood and her face turned pale. She did not say anything else.

    The two of them remained silent until they got out of the elevator and walked to the sidewalk outside the building. Only then did guo huining say, ¡°Mr. Keven, what exactly do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything.¡±Keven put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. It depends on what Miss Guo wants.¡±

    He looked up at the blue sky, which was rarely seen in the capital. He took out a pair of sunsses from his pocket and put them on, ¡°There¡¯s an old saying in China, ¡®only through suffering can one rise to the top.¡¯Miss Guo wants to rise to the top, but she¡¯s not willing to suffer. That¡¯s just a daydream.¡±

    Guo Huining was furious. How could she be daydreaming? !

    Huo Guanchen was so good to her!

    Although he didn¡¯t confess, perhaps he would open his mouth after a while? !

    But she also knew that she had been by his side for several months, and he was still distant. If she had to wait for him to take the initiative, she would probably have to wait until the end of time.

    Guo huining couldn¡¯t wait any longer. She was afraid that Huo Guanchen would go back to his old ways and remarry song jinning, and then she would have nothing.

    Her expression changed unpredictably. After a while, she finally said,¡±... then what do you want me to do? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s really a crime?¡±

    Keven sneered and nced at Guo Huining. ¡°Miss Guo is no stranger to crime. Why do you have to pretend to be innocent? ... I¡¯m not interested in working with an ignorant older girl.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re calling me an ignorant girl? !¡±Guo huining automatically removed the word ¡°Older¡±, but she still held the word ¡°Ignorant¡±in her heart.

    ¡°Well, if you haven¡¯t thought it through, then you don¡¯t have to think about it anymore.¡±Keven stopped by the roadside, as if he was going to take a taxi.

    He turned around and nced at Guo Huining. ¡°My Time is limited, and our human resources are also limited. I don¡¯t have time to waste with Miss Guo. Miss Guo, please find someone else.¡±

    Guo Huining became anxious. She tugged at the corner of Kevin¡¯s shirt and said, ¡°Mr. Keven, I¡¯m just a little worried... Don¡¯t you have any legal means? I only need to marry General Huo. After marriage, many things will be easier to talk about.¡±

    With the title of General¡¯s wife, what she wanted would naturally be given to her tactfully. Why would she need to dirty her hands?

    She subconsciously felt that in order to be Huo Guanchen¡¯s wife, she had to maintain her innocence and not make any mistakes. Otherwise, she would not be able to pass the political examination.

    Keven turned around and faced Guo Huining. His gaze was deep, as if he could see into her heart.

    He took a step forward and extended his index finger, almost touching Guo Huining¡¯s chest, ¡°... Miss Guo, there is no effort, there is no gain. The more you want to gain, the greater the effort. These kindergarten children all understand the principle, don¡¯t you understand, Miss Guo?¡±

    After saying that, his eyes turned cold, ¡°Miss Guo, you can¡¯t be too greedy. If you don¡¯t want to give anything but want to get something that doesn¡¯t belong to you, you might as well buy a lottery ticket and make a big calction. Why do you have to be prepared and run into obstacles everywhere?¡±

    Guo huining was very indignant and sneered, ¡°You might as well say that you are not capable enough. Otherwise, how could others get so much without giving anything?¡±

    ¡°Who? I¡¯ve never met such a person before. Miss Guo, why don¡¯t you tell me and let me have a look?¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi!¡±Guo huining blurted out. ¡°Her luck is even better than winning the lottery! But look at what she gave up! Why Can¡¯t I? !¡±

    ¡°... so it¡¯s Gu Nianzhi...¡±keven looked at her meaningfully. ¡°Who are youpeting against? Why are youpeting with her? She¡¯s the one who¡¯s really winning at the starting line!¡±

    Guo Huining was stunned, ¡°Are you serious? How is Gu Nianzhi the one who¡¯s winning at the starting line? Her background is much worse than mine. She was born an orphan in an orphanage. Later, Huo Shao found someone to pretend to be her father so that she could be with him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you really think that person surnamed Lu is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological father?¡±

    Keven seemed to be very interested now. He changed his indifferent expression from a moment ago and responded with an ¡°OH,¡±full of interest. His dark eyes reflected the sunlight falling through the cracks of the trees, dancing like stars, his elegant and handsome face looked even more vivid.

    ¡°... I didn¡¯t expect Miss Guo to be so familiar with Miss Gu¡¯s matters.¡±

    Guo Huining turned her head, ¡°Her fianc¨¦ is the only son of Guanchen. How can I not pay attention to him? We¡¯ll be a family in the future. The rtionship between mother-inw and daughter-inw is the most difficult, and I¡¯m not much older than her. If she wants to act coquettishly and throw a tantrum, even I have to avoid her.¡±

    The smile on Keven¡¯s lips gradually widened. ¡°It seems that Miss Guo is determined to get general Huo.¡±

    ¡°If not... Why am I looking for you?¡±Guo Huining was ready to throw caution to the wind, ¡°I already know your methods. It depends on whether you can help me or not. As long as I can marry Guanchen sessfully, I will owe you a favor. When the timees...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡±Keven interrupted her, ¡°I don¡¯t do credit. I like to pay the price. If Miss Guo can¡¯t pay the price I want, then treat it as if I didn¡¯te here today. My people won¡¯t continue to contact Miss Guo. Let¡¯s part ways here.¡±

    After he finished speaking, an ordinary taxi stopped by the roadside.

    Keven opened the car door and sat in it. He gave the driver an address, then closed the car door and left.

    Guo Huining didn¡¯t even have the time to say a word. She just watched the other party leave, feeling extremely vexed.

    She patted the back of her head, thinking that she was really too indecisive.

    If she didn¡¯t make a decision, it would only make things worse.

    Since she was already on the boat, why pretend to be innocent?

    It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t know that those photos were already an invasion of privacy.

    She just pretended not to know.

    She clenched her fists and turned to the parking lot to get the car.

    After getting on the car, she finally sent another text to Keven: [ ... I¡¯m on the boat. ].

    Keven sat in the taxi and saw the text sent by Guo Huining with his phone. His lips curved into a smile.

    The driver in front was uncle Dong.

    He held the steering wheel with both hands and whispered, ¡°Sir, how¡¯s the discussion going?¡±

    Kevin did not reply to Guo Huining immediately. Instead, he put away his phone and said with a faint smile, ¡°When I met Guo Huining, there were at least five people watching in the dark. That general Huo really thinks highly of Guo Huining.¡±

    Uncle Dongughed loudly. ¡°You¡¯re the best, sir. You managed to walk around the tiger¡¯s mouth and still escape unscathed!¡±

    Kevin turned his gaze outside the window and snorted. ¡°Guo Huining is a two-faced rat. Her personality is really unlikable. She¡¯s also jealous of Gu Nianzhi and doesn¡¯t like song jinning. Her heart is as high as the sky, and her life is as thin as paper.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a servant girl. She has to stand on Tiptoe to be thedy of the house,¡±uncle Dong said mercilessly. ¡°She deserves to fall into the pit.¡±

    Keven nodded. ¡°She can¡¯t get off the boat. The operation can begin.¡±

    Uncle Dong drove the taxi around the traffic in the capital for a few rounds. After shaking off all the cars following him, he drove back to their territory.

    ..

    Huo Guanchen sat in his office and listened to the personal secretary¡¯s report. He frowned.

    ¡°... We lost her? How could we lose her? Didn¡¯t you activate the Satellite Positioning System?¡±

    His personal secretary was embarrassed.¡±... to activate the satellite positioning system for domestic matters requires the special operations forces¡¯approval. We haven¡¯t made an application yet.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nced at him. ¡°What about the surveince cameras? There are so many surveince cameras on the streets and alleys. Didn¡¯t you go and check them out?¡±

    ¡°... I did,¡±the personal secretary said in distress, ¡°In the end, we discovered that at a certain intersection, there were suddenly many taxis of the same model. Even the old and new ones were about the same. The surveince cameras weren¡¯t very high, so it was impossible to tell which one was the real one...¡±

    ¡°Oh? There¡¯s such a Thing?¡±Huo Guanchen smiled instead, he nodded. ¡°Okay, it seems that this person is indeed not ordinary. With this kind of power, even if he is not the real big boss, he is still one of the big bosses. Remember to keep an eye on Guo Huining.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±His personal secretary heaved a sigh of relief, but then asked, ¡°But chief, what exactly do we need to keep an eye on them for? Can¡¯t we just hand them over to the police and catch them all in one go?¡±

    ¡°... the police need evidence to arrest people.¡±Huo Guanchen avoided talking about his real purpose.

    ¡°They secretly took pictures of the chief¡¯s whereabouts, and they are already suspected ofmitting a felony...¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary said faintly.

    ¡°Let them take pictures.¡±Huo Guanchen raised his hand in disapproval. ¡°What are you afraid of from so far away? Otherwise, why would they take the bait? Get Out.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary sighed and turned to leave Huo Guanchen¡¯s office.

    After he left, Huo Guanchen raised his head and looked at the sofa area in the office without much focus in his eyes.

    ..

    December was the holiday season in the west, and days seemed to pass very quickly.

    It was not long before Christmas arrived.

    Huaxia¡¯s imperial capital was also dressed up, and the Christmas songs of ¡°Jingle Bells¡±rang everywhere. All kinds of Christmas decorations were also sold like wildfire.

    Santa us waved and smiled at passers-by at the entrance of the shop. The children could not help bute forward to take a group photo when they saw him.

    There were even more photos in Guo Huining¡¯s hands.

    She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the West Mountain Vi and looked at the photos of Song Jinning and a tall man going into various shops to buy Christmas decorations. There was no expression on her face.

    The men only had their backs, and she knew who they were at a nce.

    It was not the first time she realized that as long as Huo Guanchen was with song jinning, he would lie to her.

    However, if he was not with song jinning, Huo Guanchen was still kind to her. He answered her calls immediately. A while ago, she had something on her mind and was sick. In the end, Huo Guanchen stopped working, he came to the West Mountain Vi to apany her for two days.

    Those two days were like a dream to her. However, when she left here, Huo Guanchen reverted to his old ways and kept in contact with song jinning.

    Guo Huining was so angry that her teeth were itching. However, this kind of good and bad behavior was so hot that she could not let go.

    Her feelings for Huo Guanchen grew deeper and deeper. She could not extricate herself. She knew that she had no other choice.

    After standing in front of the French window for a long time, Guo Huining put on her coat and left the vi, walking toward the tree-lined path on the mountain.

    As she walked, she turned on the Bluetooth headset connected to her cell phone.

    Guo Huining heard herself say,¡±... Mr. Keven, I agree to your condition, as long as you can make song jinning disappear.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s big chapter update 4,000 words: chapter 2037, ¡°Make her disappear.¡±.

    Today¡¯s two chapters are one. It¡¯s a littlete.

    If there are any changes in future updates, in addition to having my administrator post messages in the Qidian and Shukou book review section, I will also try my best to send Weibo notifications.

    PS: Thank you for the 100,000 qidian coins that ¡°Lu Mingshu¡±gave. Congrattions to Lu Mingshu for bing the 37th President of Hello Major General!

    Thank you for your 50,000 Qidian coins!

    Thank you for your 10,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins! Thank you for your 100,000 Qidian coins!

    Thank you for your birthday wishes.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2038 - fishermen and fish (1)(first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2038: Chapter 2038 fishermen and fish (1)(first update)</h4>

    ¡°Song jinning? General Huo¡¯s ex-wife?¡±Keven chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s already his ex-wife. Why do you still want her to disappear?¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression turned even colder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just tell me if you agree or not.¡±

    ¡°What if I agree? What if I don¡¯t?¡±Keven sat in the teahouse of a duplex apartment on the top floor of a high-rise residential area on the Third Ring Road of the Imperial City. He slowly poured himself a cup of tea.

    This teahouse was about two meters long and one meter wide. It was very narrow and long.

    The paper door was low, so one had to bow when entering.

    There was a vertical scroll hanging on the wall behind him. On the scroll, a monk was sitting cross-legged, looking quaint and elegant.

    There was an ordinary straw mat on the ground. There was only a white coarse porcin vase on the ebony tea table in front of him. It was a dark red small pottery pot in Jingde town.

    He held a round teacup in his hand and lowered his head to take a sip.

    He was also wearing a Bluetooth headset. He did not have his phone with him.

    Guo Huining was rendered speechless by Kevin for a long time.

    Yes, so what if she agreed? So what if she didn¡¯t agree?

    But she just could not swallow it!

    At the same time, she had a faint premonition that if she really let song jinning go, it would be difficult for her to have a good rtionship with Huo Guanchen..

    Even if she didn¡¯t know who her love rival was, a woman¡¯s subconscious always had an inexplicable premonition and hostility.

    Guo Huining puffed her cheeks and clenched her fists tightly in her pockets.

    Walking on the Sunset Path in the West Mountain, she could see the setting sun through the sparse branches. It was yellow and hung on the ridge not far away, giving off the unique destion of winter.

    Keven was not in a hurry. He blew at the green dust on the tea surface and waited quietly for Guo Huining to speak.

    Guo huining walked to the end of the mountain path and looked at the Red Sun in the distance that had already sunk into the horizon.

    The valley waspletely silent. Only the icy wind blew through the treetops, heading straight for her.

    She took a deep breath and looked at the bottom of the mountain. It was not a bottomless abyss, but it was still a bottomless ck cliff.

    Then, she looked at the road. The elegant and simple vi had already been lit up. It was dotted among the mountains at dusk, like an ethereal celestial mountain in the clouds.

    That was the ss that she had worked hard to reach since she was young..

    Guo Huining finally said,¡±... as long as you can make song jinning disappear, I will only work with you in the future.¡±

    She was going to tie herself to Keven and the others for the rest of her life.

    Kevenughed again. ¡°Okay. Miss Guo, since you¡¯ve agreed, fine, I¡¯ll help you with this.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s clenched fists gradually loosened, and a smile appeared on her face again.

    However, before her smile could fully rx, Keven said,¡±... but I have a condition.¡±

    ¡°What condition?¡±

    ¡°You know song Jinning¡¯s identity and status, as well as the security standards around her. It¡¯s not easy to make her disappear,¡±Keven said very rationally.

    Guo huining nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m Looking for you. If you don¡¯t have the ability, why should I cooperate with you, right?¡±

    Kevenughed even harder, ¡°Miss Guo, I don¡¯t think you understand. You¡¯re the one who asked for our help, not us. Besides, you¡¯re nothing now. You¡¯re not even Huo Guanchen¡¯s fianc¨¦e. What right do you have to negotiate with us?¡±

    Guo Huining was caught off guard. It was as if someone had pped her in the face. Even the root of her nose was sore, and she almost cried.

    ¡°... Don¡¯t go too far!¡±She growled in a low voice. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, then I won¡¯t agree! Do you think I can¡¯t find someone else to cooperate with without you? !¡±

    ¡°Hehe, why don¡¯t you go and Find Them? If you can find them, then I lose.¡±Keven picked up the teapot elegantly, he poured himself another half a cup of tea, but his voice became cold. ¡°Miss Guo, I don¡¯t think you understand. You¡¯re already on our ship. You want to leave? Dream on.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? ! I didn¡¯t do anything! How did I get on your ship? !¡±Guo Huining was shocked. She turned around and stood against the big tree beside the cliff, hiding her figure in the darkness.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything? Let¡¯s not talk about anything else. Just show someone the recording of your phone conversation with me today. You know what the result will be.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s heart sank, and her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You secretly recorded my phone conversation without my consent? ! This is illegal!¡±

    Keven spat out a mouthful of tea.

    Heughed so hard that tears almost flowed out of his eyes.¡±... Miss Guo, you want to kill someone, but you still care about others illegally recording your phone conversation? ! Your double standards are quite serious.¡±

    ¡°When did I want to kill someone? !¡±Guo huining pretended to be fierce but pretended to be weak. She refused to admit it. ¡°I just want her to disappear in front of me. You have so many tricks, so you only want to kill someone by making someone disappear? !¡±

    ¡°AH? Make her disappear without killing anyone? Then what should we do?¡±Keven held back hisughter and deliberately asked in surprise.

    ¡°... There are so many ways, do you still need me to teach you?¡±Guo huining sneered. ¡°Sell her to Southeast Asia. Although she is quite old, her beauty is notparable to ordinary beautiful women. She will definitely make you a lot of money in Southeast Asia!¡±

    ¡°Human smuggling?¡±Keven pretended to think for a while. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem impossible. We also have a smuggler who does this kind of thing, but what price can you pay?¡±

    ¡°... Price?¡±Guo huining frowned. ¡°I said that I will only work with you in the future. Why do you need to be short-sighted and ask for money now?¡±

    ¡°Then, Miss Guo, are you trying to take advantage of us?¡±Keven clicked his tongue. ¡°We helped you. What will you do if you go back on your word in the future?¡±

    Guo Huining felt a little guilty. She mumbled in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you record the recording for me? When the timees, with this recording, are you afraid that I won¡¯t admit to it?¡±

    ¡°That may not be the case.¡±. ¡°Some people are very thick-skinned. Let alone a phone recording, even if it¡¯s written in ck and white, they wouldn¡¯t admit to it. So, Miss Guo, what right do you have for us to risk our lives to help you so much?¡±

    ¡°... aren¡¯t you all scheming to get me on your boat?¡±Guo Huining was blown by the mountain wind, and her hot brain calmed down. She quickly caught on to Keven¡¯s loophole.

    Keven chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re scheming? Miss Guo, it seems like your words are upside down. It should be Miss Guo who¡¯s scheming. We just happened to meet at the right time, so it¡¯s convenient for us.¡±

    ¡°Okay, what do you want? I¡¯ll agree to any conditions, can¡¯t I?¡±Guo Huining finally softened. ¡°As long as you can make song jinning disappear, I¡¯ll write you an IOU!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for an IOU. We are not short of money.¡±Keven rested his head on the ebony coffee table and saidzily, ¡°I¡¯ll help you make song jinning disappear, but you have to hand in the certificate of Surrender First.¡±

    ¡°What Certificate of Surrender?¡±

    ¡°... our group will have a Christmas party in a few days,¡±Keven said with a smile. ¡°If you can attend with General Huo, I¡¯ll make song jinning disappear.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression immediately rxed, but she soon frowned.¡±... But Guanchen is not a businessman. How can he attend your group¡¯s Christmas Party? Aren¡¯t you forcing him?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, then it¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡±Kevin lit up an incense stick and inserted it into the incense burner in the tea room. He took a deep breath of the rising sandalwood incense and revealed an intoxicated expression.

    Guo Huining hesitated for a moment, then pulled up her coat and walked back. She said,¡±... which group are you from? I¡¯ll think of something.¡±

    ¡°... our group, of course, is Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. . This won¡¯t be a disgrace to your General Huo, right?¡±Kevin stood up and looked at his tea room with his hands behind his back. He felt refreshed.

    The fragrance of tea and sandalwood intertwined together, making his mind clear and his mood calm.

    ¡°... you are also a member of Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. ? !¡±Guo Huining was shocked, but she quickly felt that this made sense.

    Because Dou Aiyan and associate director Jia, who had been in contact with her, were both members of Carlyle International Investment Co. .

    Their big head, of course, was more likely to be a member of Carlyle International Investment Co. .

    Guo Huining thought as she took out her phone and quickly looked up the information of the executives of Carlyle International Investment Co. .

    As a listedpany, the information of the executives of Carlyle International Investment Co. was public.

    She quickly looked up the information of Keven on Carlyle¡¯s official website. It turned out that he was really an executive of Carlyle.

    He was only in his thirties, but he was already the COO (Chief Operation Officer) of a multinational investmentpany like Carlyle.

    Among the executives of C level, the position of COO was rtively special.

    The importance of this position was also very different depending on thepany.

    In somepanies, this position was lower than the CEO and CFO, but in somepanies, the COO was the real big boss.

    Guo huining searched for a long time, but other than finding that Keven¡¯s beautiful resume was dazzling, she couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with it.

    He came from a middle-ss overseas family and went to a famous school. After graduating, he sessfully entered Wall Street. Eight yearster, he became the chief operating officer of Carlyle, thergest investmentpany in the United States.

    Such a person actually had both power and influence in Huaxia. Even Huo Guanchen¡¯s whereabouts could be monitored by him.

    Other than eximing, ¡°It¡¯s good to be rich,¡±Guo Huining was already full of admiration.

    ¡°... Okay, Kevin¡¯s chief operating officer, I¡¯ll cooperate with you.¡±Guo Huining¡¯s tone was much better.

    Kevin raised his eyebrows, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve already checked my information. ¡°I took such a big risk and told you my real identity. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me. ¡°The basis of cooperation is mutual trust. Miss Guo, please remember this.¡±

    Guo huining nodded. ¡°No problem. Send me two invitations to your group¡¯s Christmas party. Otherwise, how can I bring Guanchen?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Keven walked out of his tea room. ¡°I¡¯ll get my secretary to send you an invitation right away.¡±

    After saying that, Keven hung up the phone and smiled slightly.

    He walked into his room, took out his phone, and looked at the page of his resume on Carlyle¡¯s official website. He shook his head mockingly.

    With a swipe of his hand, the page of information that belonged to him on Carlyle¡¯s official website was erased.

    Anyway, he had hacked into Carlyle¡¯s official website¡¯s server and put it up at thest minute to trick Guo Huining and the big fish that wanted to be a fisherman.

    ..

    Guo Huining ended the call, and Huo Guanchen¡¯s people ended the surveince.

    Because the situation this time was more special, they immediately reported to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen sat expressionlessly in the intelligence room, listening to the recording of Guo Huining and Keven¡¯s conversation with his personal secretary.

    When he heard Guo Huining say that she was going to sell song Jinning to Southeast Asia, a hint of suppressed anger shed in his eyes.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update today: Chapter 2038, fisherman and Fish (1) .

    It¡¯s the third watch. Second Watch, 1:00 p.m. , Third Watch, 8:30 p.m.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2039 - fishermen and fish (2)(second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2039: Chapter 2039 fishermen and fish (2)(second update)</h4>

    ¡°Chief, what do you think we should do?¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary said worriedly, ¡°The other party might really want to make a move on director song.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Send more people to the Institute of high energy physics, especially the security personnel around director song. However, we can¡¯t do it openly. We must not alert the enemy!¡±

    If the other party knew that they had noticed it, then their n would be ruined.

    ¡°... but it¡¯s already like this, why don¡¯t we just arrest Guo Huining?¡±One of Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary couldn¡¯t help but rub his forehead. ¡°She¡¯s done enough small tricks...¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t arrest Guo Huining right away. If we arrest her, all our previous efforts will be wasted.¡±Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t need to say anything, huo Guanchen¡¯s other personal secretary immediately objected. ¡°Moreover, they are under our strict surveince, and they are on our country¡¯s territory. If something happens to director song, then we don¡¯t have to work anymore!¡±

    ¡°The person behind Guo Huining has already shown up. Can¡¯t we just arrest them?¡±The personal secretary who wanted to arrest Guo huining retorted. ¡°What are we waiting for? Do we have to wait until they really do it before we can arrest them?¡±

    ¡°Theoretically speaking, we can only inform the police to arrest him if they really do something bad.¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary who objected was calmer. He also knew that Huo Guanchen probably had other ns.

    ¡°Stop arguing.¡±Huo Guanchen did not have any intention of exining. ¡°Continue to monitor Guo Huining.¡±

    He paused, his fingers holding the mouse as he clicked on the Carlyle official website. ¡°Didn¡¯t we have information on this person just now? Why Is It Gone Now?¡±

    Thework staff in the intelligence room hurriedly checked the website. Finally, they used the cache function to pull up the original page and said regretfully, ¡°This person¡¯s information was deleted by Carlyle¡¯s official website a few minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°Why would it be deleted?¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s two personal secretaries looked at each other. ¡°We clearly checked just now.¡±

    ¡°... maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯re afraid of being exposed.¡±Huo guanchen muttered, ¡°Maybe there¡¯s another reason. Can you get someone to investigate this person? Or to investigate Carlyle?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary scratched his head awkwardly, ¡°Chief, this Kevin is a foreigner, and Carlyle is also apany headquartered abroad. We don¡¯t have sufficient manpower and resources to investigate Kevin Carlyle.¡±

    Of course, they had no problem investigating domestic matters, but to investigate foreign matters..

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s other personal secretary nced at him and whispered, ¡°Why don¡¯t we get the special operations forces to step in? Huo is also director song¡¯s son...¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±Huo Guanchen firmly objected. ¡°I know what to do about this.¡±

    He returned to the office and thought for a moment. Then, he looked at the schedule and realized that in two weeks¡¯time, the other party mentioned that Carlyle¡¯s Christmas party would be held.

    The Christmas party held by Carlyle¡¯s branch in Huaxia was one week earlier than the American headquarters.

    He frowned and thought for a moment. Then, he called his most capable personal secretary in and said, ¡°Prepare some people for me. There will be a big operation in a week.¡±

    ¡°... Chief, who do you think their target is?¡±His personal secretary asked cautiously, ¡°We are monitoring Guo Huining. Will they find out?¡±

    Huo Guanchen turned on theputer and said calmly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether they find out or not.¡±

    Personal Secretary:¡±...¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled when he raised his head and saw his personal secretary¡¯s dumbfounded face, ¡°They discovered it, but they still continued to contact Guo Huining. That means they did it on purpose. The information they released was all an illusion. They were trying to cover up their real target.¡±

    ¡°AH? ! They already discovered it? !¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s most capable personal secretary was shocked, ¡°It can¡¯t be? ! Our surveince equipment is of an international standard. Let alone ordinary people in the underworld, even the American CIA was once defeated by our surveince equipment!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just specting.¡±Huo Guanchen red at him. ¡°Why are you so obedient?¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±the personal secretary covered his chest. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we have to be even more cautious.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s necessary to inform the security department. They should have some understanding of the movements of this group of people.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll contact the Security Department.¡±The personal secretary quickly took a notebook and recorded it down.

    ¡°There¡¯s another possibility. They didn¡¯t find out, so we have to follow up.¡±Huo Guanchen smiled, and the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes formed a charming arc, ¡°So no matter what they¡¯re up to, we have to force them to eat it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±After listening to Huo Guanchen¡¯s exnation, his personal secretary heaved a sigh of relief.

    Although he didn¡¯t think that the chief would get involved with someone like Guo Huining, who knew?

    The chief had always had a bad taste in women..

    The personal secretary was also worried about Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal life.

    Moreover, Huo Guanchen had always handled this matter himself, so they sometimes couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it.

    After the personal secretary left, Huo Guanchen got up and left the office. He drove to the West Mountain Vi¡¯s private residence alone.

    He parked the car on the side of the road in front of the vi¡¯s main entrance.

    The headlights were not switched off, so he sat in the car alone for a while.

    After Guo Huining finished her dinner and helped grandfather Huo return to his room to rest, she sat alone in the room to look for information.

    Suddenly, she felt a sh of light outside the window.

    At first, she thought it was an illusion, but after blinking a few times, she realized that the light was still shing from the window.

    What¡¯s going on?

    Guo huining stuck her head out to take a look.

    On the small road in front of the vi, a car was parked.

    The headlights were shing, like the eyes of a beauty, and she was still trying to speak.

    However, at this moment, she saw the license te number, and her joy suddenly fell from the sky.

    She suddenly stood up from her seat, put on her coat in a panic, opened the door, and ran out quickly.

    That was Huo Guanchen¡¯s license te, and she remembered it well.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, you¡¯re here?¡±She ran to Huo Guanchen¡¯s car window, bent down, and knocked on it.

    Huo Guanchen looked at her with a smile and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re still awake? I just had a meeting, and I came to see you... and my father.¡±

    ¡°I know, you don¡¯t have to exin.¡±Guo Huining was overjoyed.

    It was a winter night on the mountain, and the temperature was five to ten degrees lower than at the foot of the mountain.

    However, Guo Huining did not feel cold at all.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, aren¡¯t you going in?¡±She wanted to open Huo Guanchen¡¯s car door, but after trying, the car door did not budge and could not be opened.

    ¡°No need.¡±Huo Guanchen put his hand on the steering wheel. ¡°I have something to do and have to go back to the city. I just wanted toe and see you... and my father when I have time.¡±

    He was so reserved, but Guo Huining was full of joy.

    Huo Guanchen was really bing more and more like her.

    Putting aside his family background, status, and power, just the perfect distance between them was already in line with her most perfect fantasy of love.

    When she was a young and ignorant girl, what she was most fascinated with was this kind of man who quietly made her fall deeper and deeper into him.

    She didn¡¯t like rough men, nor did she like attentive men, but she also didn¡¯t like boring men.

    Huo Guanchen was the opposite of everything she didn¡¯t like.

    He wasn¡¯t rough, nor was he attentive, but he wasn¡¯t boring either.

    More importantly, he was willing to put his heart into her.

    Watching Huo Guanchen¡¯s headlights gradually disappear on the mountain road, Guo Huining put her hands to her mouth and huffed. She felt that her face was brighter than the sunset.

    The next day, Guo Huining received two big red and gilded Christmas party invitations from Keven.

    Foreignpanies in China especially liked this traditional Chinese style, unlike Chinesepanies that pursued western and modern aesthetics.

    Looking at these two traditional Christmas party invitations, Guo Huining smiled with satisfaction.

    If she had been a little nervous when she agreed to Keven¡¯s invitation, she didn¡¯t know if Huo Guanchen would agree to it.

    Now she was fully confident that Huo Guanchen would definitely agree.

    Halfway through the week, Guo Huining finally said on the phone to Huo Guanchen in the evening, ¡°Mr. Huo, my friend sent me two invitations. They¡¯re for the Christmas party at Carlyle next week.¡±

    Huo guanchen nodded and said, ¡°Okay, then you have fun.¡±

    Guo Huining:¡±...¡±

    She blushed in embarrassment and hugged her knees as she sat on the sofa. She said in a low voice,¡±... but everyone is attending in pairs. It¡¯s embarrassing if I go alone...¡±

    Huo Guanchen was silent for a while and said softly, ¡°Are you looking for a friend to apany you?¡±

    Guo huining sighed and said directly, ¡°Mr. Huo, can you apany me?¡±

    Huo Guanchen did not speak for a long time, and Guo Huining¡¯s heart was in her throat.

    However, Huo Guanchen did not reject her outright, which raised Guo Huining¡¯s hope.

    After thinking for a while, Huo Guanchen said awkwardly, ¡°But I¡¯m very busy next week. It¡¯s almost the end of the year, and there are many military meetings and small meetings. I still have to go to the grassroots during New Year¡¯s day, so I might not have time.¡±

    ¡°... I don¡¯t need you to spend a lot of time. You just need to apany me to show your face.¡±Guo Huining was overjoyed, she nagged, ¡°Something happened to me recently. My friends and ssmates all pity me. I Can¡¯t stand their pity. If Mr. Huo can go with me, those people won¡¯t look down on me.¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked very surprised. ¡°And look down on you? Huining, you¡¯re both excellent and capable. You Don¡¯t have to care about others¡¯opinions.¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t, but I have Mr. Huo as my pir of support. I also want my friends to know and not to worry about me.¡±Guo huining hinted that she wanted to bring Huo Guanchen to meet her friends.

    Huo Guanchen seemed to understand what she meant. After hesitating for a long time, he sighed and said, ¡°Huining, have you really thought about it?¡±

    ¡°Thought about what?¡±Guo Huining became nervous. She gripped her phone tightly and could not help but sit up straight. She stuttered, ¡°Mr. ... Mr. Huo, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    ¡°I mean, are you ready for an old man like me?¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2039, fisherman and Fish (2) .

    It¡¯s the third watch. The third watch is at half past eight.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2040 - fishermen and Fish (3)(third update)

    <h4>Chapter 2040: Chapter 2040 fishermen and Fish (3)(third update)</h4>

    Happiness was like fireworks in the middle of the night, catching people off guard. It fell from the sky just like that.

    Guo Huining was dumbfounded. Her heart was pounding, and the sound of blood rushing in her ears was ringing.

    For a moment, she could barely see or hear. She waspletely immersed in Huo Guanchen¡¯s low-pitched question.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s voice rang in her ears again,¡±... you haven¡¯t spoken for so long. It seems that I¡¯m overthinking things.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no! You¡¯re Not!¡±Guo huining came back to her senses and hurriedly said loudly, ¡°I¡¯m willing! I¡¯m Willing! I¡¯m Willing!¡±

    She spoke so urgently that she almost stuttered.

    However, she couldn¡¯t care about these things. She just couldn¡¯t wait to pour out all her feelings.

    Huo Guanchen pursed his lips, but he still listened without saying a word. Finally, he said gently, ¡°It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t think I¡¯m Old.¡±

    ¡°Why would I think you¡¯re Old? !¡±Guo Huining was excited. ¡°I¡¯m in my thirties, and you¡¯re Only in your fifties. You¡¯re not old at all!¡±

    ¡°Now, an old man in his sixties or even eighties is still looking for a young girl in her twenties...¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go with you next week, but I only have about twenty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Twenty minutes is Enough!¡±Guo Huining was ted. She held her phone and walked around the room. ¡°So, we agreed to go together next Friday evening?¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡±Huo Guanchen said briefly. ¡°I¡¯ll ask my secretary to record the time and pick you up at the West Mountain Vi.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Guo Huining¡¯s voice was so gentle that water could flow out of it.

    After hanging up the phone, she looked at the mirror on the dressing table and was stunned by her bright eyes and ruddy skin.

    Sure enough, Love was the best maintenance for women!

    ..

    When she was in a good mood, time passed very quickly.

    In the blink of an eye, it was Friday. Guo Huining had been busy shopping for a week and a half, and it took her a long time to pick out a suitable evening dress.

    If not for the fact that she was pressed for time, she would have flown to Europe to order a custom-made evening gown.

    Because this Christmas party was extraordinary to her.

    It was the night she officially established a rtionship with Huo Guanchen. It was also a turning point in her life. Even if it was a little more expensive, it was nothing.

    She got up early in the morning and drove into the city. She found the beauty salon that she was most familiar with and started the whole body maintenance program.

    She had to appear in front of everyone in her best condition.

    ..

    In the evening, Huo Guanchen¡¯s car stopped in front of his private house in the West Mountain Vi on time, waiting for Guo Huining toe out.

    Guo Huining did not let him wait too long. Soon, she wore her favorite royal blue LV evening gown and a cashmere coat, and walked out of the vi¡¯s gate.

    When she came to Huo Guanchen¡¯s car, she bent down and knocked on the window, nodding with a smile.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s driver lowered the window, and Huo Guanchen¡¯s handsome face appeared from the rear window. He looked at Guo huining and praised, ¡°Very beautiful.¡±

    The smile on Guo Huining¡¯s face grew wider.

    She walked to the other side of the car and opened the rear door. She sat directly in the back seat and was in the same row as Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen moved to the side as if he was giving her a seat. However, the distance between the two of them was huge.

    Guo Huining did not notice this at all. Her mind was filled with the fantasy of having a perfect life today.

    The car sped all the way and soon arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in the western city of the imperial capital.

    The Christmas Party of the Carlyle Company¡¯s Huaxia Branch was held here.

    This kind ofrge international investmentpany yed with capital operations. Naturally, the people who came and went were either rich or noble. They were all top-notch figures in the financial world.

    There were very few big shots like Huo Guanchen in the military world. Moreover, he was one of a kind.

    Therefore, when he got off the car with Guo Huining, it suddenly caused a sensation.

    The security guards around Huo Guanchen instantly formed a human wall, separating the reporters from the crowd.

    Guo huining smiled reservedly and held Huo Guanchen¡¯s arm as they walked into the Sheraton Hotel.

    Inside the door was the familiar sight of her clothes, her hair, and her face. There were schrs chatting andughing, but there was no white ding.

    This was the world that she belonged to.

    After Huo Guanchen and her entered, the big bosses of the China region of Carlyle immediately walked over and respectfully weed them into the small reception room inside.

    Compared to the hall outside, the decoration here was more luxurious, and there were fewer people inside.

    Keven sat at the head of the table inside, surrounded by a few fresh and beautiful female models.

    They were the mostfortable in such an asion.

    When they saw Huo Guanchen in his military uniform, the female models¡¯eyes lit up, and they rushed to surround him.

    However, they could not get close to Huo Guanchen and Guo Huining. They could only stare at Guo Huining unwillingly.

    Guo huining could not be in a better mood.

    She brought Huo Guanchen directly to Kevin and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Kevin, thank you for your help a few days ago.¡±

    Keven stood up and extended his hand to shake Guo Huining¡¯s hand. Then, he looked at Huo Guanchen with a smile, ¡°This is... ?¡±

    Guo huining secretly nced at Huo Guanchen and took the initiative to say, ¡°This is Mr. Huo, my boyfriend. Thest time I asked Mr. Keven to find Dr. Tony, it was to save Mr. Huo¡¯s father.¡±

    Otherwise, with Dou Aiyan and associate director Jia¡¯s status, they would not have been able to invite Dr. Tony.

    At first, Guo Huining thought it was Dou Aiyan¡¯s power, butter, she realized that it was actually Kevin who had pulled the strings. However, he had not shown up yet at that time, and it was Dou Aiyan and associate director Jia who were operating at the front desk.

    Huo Guanchen smiled and took the initiative to shake hands with Kevin. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Kevin, for your help. Otherwise, my father would still be in a vegetative state.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Huo, what are you saying? It¡¯s our honor to be able to help your father.¡±Kevin was still elegant and handsome, but his eyes were more attentive.

    This was exactly what Guo Huining had guessed.

    No matter how rich a person was, they had to bow in front of power.

    She held Huo Guanchen¡¯s arm even tighter.

    However, Huo Guanchen said that he could only stay for 20 minutes.

    When 20 minutes was still five minutes away, his personal secretary had already reminded him, ¡°Chief, we have to go. The military still has a meeting.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sote at night, and your military still has a meeting?¡±Keven asked casually and curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is our job. Please forgive me for not having anyment.¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary was watertight and did not gossip with Keven.

    Huo Guanchen did not say much. He nodded and said to guo huining, ¡°I¡¯ll leave first. You y a little longer. I¡¯ll leave a car for you and a driver. I can send you home no matter howte it is.¡±

    Guo huining smiled and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Okay, thank you, Guanchen.¡±

    This was the first time she had addressed Huo Guanchen in this way. Huo Guanchen paused for a moment, his expression unchanged as he turned to leave with a smile on his face.

    Just as he, his personal secretary, and the security guards walked out of the small reception room, they suddenly noticed amotion at the entrance of the hall.

    At this time, the executives had escorted two more people in.

    Huo Guanchen stopped to take a look and was surprised to see that it was speaker long and Gu Nianzhi!

    Speaker Long had a youthful face and white hair, and was beaming with joy.

    Gu Nianzhi did not wear an evening gown like the otherdies. Instead, she wore a custom-made pair of professional pants for thedies. There was nothing else on her body except the watch on her left wrist, which was a symbol of her wealth and heritage.

    Huo Guanchen frowned slightly.

    Keven walked out with Guo Huining with a smile on his face.

    Guo Huining looked up and saw Gu Nianzhi. Her good mood from the whole night had been ruined.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did you invite her?¡±Guo huining pouted at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Ourpany wants to expand its business in Huaxia. Of course, first, Huaxia has to remove the restrictions on foreign investment in the financial industry,¡±Kevin exined quietly. ¡°We definitely have to build a good rtionship with the Senate. Otherwise, where do we start?¡±

    Guo Huining was both angry and annoyed.¡±... But you invited me today!¡±

    Kevin:¡±...¡±Keven:¡±...¡±

    If he hadn¡¯t let people know that Guo Huining would be attending with her new boyfriend, General Huo, today, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch a big fish like Gu Nianzhi..

    Everyone knew that the Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor, Gu Nianzhi, had never attended such events.

    But this time, Keven had thought it through and knew that she would definitelye.

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside speaker long, chatting and exchanging pleasantries as she quietly surveyed the entire hall.

    Huo Guanchen and the others who had walked out of the small reception room first caught her attention.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked at Guo huining behind Huo Guanchen.

    It was real..

    General Huo was actually with Guo Huining.

    The two of them attending such an event together, even if they were not boyfriend and girlfriend, it was still extraordinary.

    Huo Guanchen was also stunned when he saw Gu Nianzhi. Something shed through his mind.

    The other party¡¯s target was actually Gu Nianzhi? !

    Could it be that even song jinning and himself were the other party¡¯s fronts?

    But he had heard from Huo Shaoheng that those who coveted Gu Nianzhi had already been eradicated by his good son..

    Moreover, Gu Xiangwen was already dead, and most of his belongings had been donated to the country. Why was there still someone staring at Gu Nianzhi?

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s thoughts instantly returned to Lu Yuan.

    There was no doubt that Lu Yuan was his eldest brother, Huo Guanyuan.

    His eldest brother had suddenly disappeared because of the failure of the experiment eighteen years ago.

    He had returned eighteen yearster with Gu Nianzhi and her ¡°Father,¡±Lu Jin.

    Could it be that Gu Nianzhi had something to do with the failure of the experiment?

    But she was only two years old at the time..

    Gu Nianzhi looked over curiously at that moment, and Huo Guanchen nodded at her with a smile.

    Huo Guanchen had already thought of so many things in the moment they met.

    He had thought that he already knew what they were up to, but now he wasn¡¯t so sure.

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and spoke to speaker long, then walked over to Huo Guanchen.

    Huo Guanchen saw that everyone was looking at him again, so he turned and walked back to the small meeting room.

    Keven put his hands in his pockets and asked politely, ¡°Mr. Huo, stay a little longer.¡±

    Huo Guanchen said indifferently, ¡°I saw an acquaintance, so I said something and left.¡±

    Guo Huining walked up uneasily and held Huo Guanchen¡¯s arm tightly.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third watch of today: Chapter 2040, fisherman and Fish (3) .

    It¡¯s the third watch.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 Qidian coins that president Sing gave us yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2041

    <h4>Chapter 2041: Chapter 2041 fishermen and fish (4)(first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her head and whispered to speaker long, ¡°Speaker long, general Huo is here too. I¡¯ll go and greet him.¡±

    Speaker long frowned. ¡°General Huo? You Mean Shaoheng¡¯s father?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I think he¡¯s here with a friend of his. I¡¯ll go ask him what¡¯s going on.¡±

    It was rare for a soldier to be present at such an asion, so Huo Guanchen¡¯s military uniform and the stars on his shoulders made him look especially dazzling.

    Speaker Long had turned around to talk to someone, but he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes.

    When he turned around, Huo Guanchen had already walked back to the small reception room.

    ¡°Then go take a look.¡±Speaker long raised his hand, he said helplessly, ¡°I told you you didn¡¯t have toe, but you had toe. Look, you¡¯re making yourself unhappy, aren¡¯t you? Come over after you¡¯re done talking. I just happened to see a few friends, so I¡¯ll introduce you to them.¡±

    Speaker Long was sincere in grooming her to be his sessor, so he spared no effort in sharing his circle of friends andwork of contacts with her, so that she could familiarize herself with his work.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at him. ¡°Thank you, speaker long. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    She hade here for Huo Guanchen, so how could she give up this opportunity?

    After leaving Speaker Long¡¯s side, Gu Nianzhi led her two assistants and two security guards to the small reception room.

    She hade to the Christmas party for official reasons, not for personal reasons. The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor had always acted as she did.

    When she led her own people into the small reception room, Gu Nianzhi did not miss the look of disgust on Guo Huining¡¯s face.

    However, that was only for a moment. Guo Huining had already returned to normal. She smiled and said intimately, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re here too? Is Shaoheng Here?¡±

    As she spoke, she poked her head out of the door and pretended to search.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded politely at her, but did not respond. Instead, she looked at Huo Guanchen and smiled. ¡°General Huo, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±

    Before Huo Guanchen could speak, Guo Huining had already called out, ¡°Nianzhi, how did you speak to Mr. Huo? You¡¯re Mr. Huo¡¯s only son¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Doesn¡¯t Mr. Huo deserve to be called your uncle?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi then looked at Guo huining and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m here today on official business, not for personal matters. In public, we don¡¯t care about rtives.¡±

    This meant that there was no problem for her to address Huo Guanchen by his military rank.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face turned red when Gu Nianzhi snatched her away. She subconsciously looked at Huo Guanchen and whispered, ¡°Mr. Huo, am I causing you trouble?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not wait for Huo Guanchen¡¯s reply and interrupted Guo Huining. ¡°General Huo, are you here on business or for personal reasons?¡±

    Huo Guanchen did not seem to notice the undercurrents between the two women. He only smiled and said, ¡°So first seat Gu is here on business, but I¡¯m here for personal reasons.¡±

    He looked at Guo Huining, who was beside him. There was a hint of pity in his tone. ¡°It was Huining¡¯s friend who invited her. She asked me to apany her, but I only have 20 minutes. I have to go back to the meeting.¡±

    Guo huining puffed out her chest and said confidently, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t tell me Mr. Huo doesn¡¯t even have his own private time?¡±

    ¡°Of course he does, so I¡¯m just asking. Miss Guo, what¡¯s the point of being so hostile to me? Have I ever offended you?¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be bothered to beat around the bush, so she asked directly.

    Guo Huining was enraged by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s attitude and tone, not to mention the fact that she kept asking if she had ever offended her!

    Oh My God! Wasn¡¯t kicking her out of the Hong Corporation considered offending her? !

    Guo huiningughed dryly. ¡°Only you know whether or not you¡¯ve offended me.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡±Gu nianzhi nced at her calmly, ¡°Miss Guo, on the other hand, you¡¯ve offended me before, and you haven¡¯t officially apologized to me yet. ¡°But forget it. Since you¡¯re General Huo¡¯s personal friend, I¡¯ll forget everything that happened in the past. I Won¡¯t make things difficult for general Huo.¡±

    Guo Huining wanted to be angry, but when she thought about it again, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words seemed to acknowledge the rtionship between her and Huo Guanchen. She suddenly felt happy, and the anger she felt just now was like a balloon that had been pricked by a needle, it instantly leaked out.

    She beamed and quickly said, ¡°It was indeed my faultst time. I¡¯ll officially apologize to You Now!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything else. She nodded at Huo Guanchen and said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect general Huo to have such bad taste as usual.¡±

    ¡°... What does it have to do with you?¡±Huo Guanchen said in a low voice, ¡°Since huining doesn¡¯t like to see you, don¡¯t appear here anymore. Why aren¡¯t you going back? ! Do you want me to call Shaoheng? !¡±

    As he spoke, he took out his phone and quickly dialed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t the only one who was stunned. Even Guo Huining couldn¡¯t believe her ears.

    Huo Guanchen had actually stepped forward to p Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face for her!

    He really was sincere with her..

    Guo Huining was so happy that she almost cried.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly came back to her senses and said with a sullen face, ¡°General Huo, what do you mean by this? I¡¯m here on official business. Why Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t, but I can¡¯t allow you to speak rudely to Huining.¡±Huo Guanchen had changed from his usual ambiguous attitude to publicly supporting Guo Huining.

    Guo huining felt bad and quickly tugged at the sleeve of Huo Guanchen¡¯s military uniform, she said in a low voice, ¡°Guanchen, don¡¯t be like this. Nianzhi didn¡¯t mean it. Besides, I¡¯m a few years older than her. Even if she¡¯s disrespectful to me, I won¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your magnanimity that you don¡¯t take it to heart, but she can¡¯t be without her proper attitude,¡±Huo Guanchen said, he put his arm around Guo Huining¡¯s shoulder and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Huining doesn¡¯t like to see you. From now on, wherever she appears, you can¡¯t appear!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ... was the act real, or was he using too much force?

    Gu Nianzhi realized that she couldn¡¯t figure out Huo Guanchen¡¯s background either.

    She looked deeply at Guo Huining and left without saying a word.

    Her heart was in a mess, and she hadn¡¯t gone far when she received a call from Huo Shaoheng.

    She took her phone to the window and answered it,¡±... Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was as deep and maic as ever. Just the sound of his voice alone was enough to make her ears tremble.

    ¡°Nianzhi, did you have a conflict with General Huo?¡±

    ¡°... I didn¡¯t...¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I was just reprimanded.¡±

    She looked at the transparent floor-to-ceiling window in front of her and habitually swiped her fingers twice on it.

    Because it was a Christmas party, the windowsill was surrounded by colorful light bulbs that shone brightly. The window was not as bright as it used to be and could not be used as a mirror at night.

    After a while, Gu Nianzhi saw a refined and handsome man standing not far from her from the reflection of the windowsill, smiling in her direction.

    She turned around, and the man had already walked over.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2041, fisherman and Fish (4) .

    8:00 p.m. on the second night.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    * * * * * *

 Chapter 2042

    <h4>Chapter 2042: Chapter 2042 fishermen and fish (5)(2nd update)</h4>

    ¡°Hello, chief Gu. Wee to our Carlyle Group¡¯s Christmas party.¡±The man was none other than Keven. He extended his hand respectfully to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi hung up the phone and turned to look at him. She nodded without batting an eyelid. ¡°Hello, I have something on. Excuse me.¡±

    She had no intention of chatting with him.

    Keven wasn¡¯t angry. He smiled and asked, ¡°Are you close to Miss Guo?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused in her steps. ¡°Not really. I just know her.¡±

    ¡°... then we¡¯ll have to get to know each other better in the future.¡±Keven said one sentence after another. His attitude was much more cautious than when he was talking to Guo Huining.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him and said inly, ¡°May I know your name? Do I Know You?¡±

    They had been talking for a long time, but she hadn¡¯t even introduced herself. was she close to him?

    Gu Nianzhi pretended not to see the ID tag on Keven¡¯s chest.

    Keven raised an eyebrow. ¡°Chief Gu doesn¡¯t know me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I know you?¡±Gu Nianzhi was annoyed by this kind of pointless conversation, but she had been in the Senate for a long time, so she understood that this kind of small talk was inevitable. It was a way to get closer to people.

    ¡°Oh, I was careless. Let me introduce myself. I¡¯m the Chief Operating Officer of the Carlyle Group. My name is Keven.¡±He winked at Gu Nianzhi and pointed to his identity tag, ¡°I¡¯m here to inspect the work of the Carlyle Huaxia Branch. I didn¡¯t expect to be able to talk to Keven. It¡¯s my honor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked keven up and down. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Your Company¡¯s Christmas party is very interesting.¡±

    ¡°Really? I was worried that chief gu would find it boring!¡±Keven pretended not to hear the sarcasm in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone.

    Gu Nianzhi hade to the French window alone just to make a phone call.

    The two assistants and security guards who had followed her around could see her, but they would not disturb her privacy.

    Keven had been able to break through these people to get to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, of course, because of his identity tag.

    He stood not too far away from Gu Nianzhi, he smiled and said, ¡°To be honest, when I was in America, I¡¯ve long heard of Chief Gu¡¯s name. But at that time, chief Gu will show off in thew firm in the future. I didn¡¯t expect you to enter the Senate after graduation.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How Do You Know About Me?¡±

    A waiter came over with a tray. There were cocktails and snacks on the tray for the guests to take.

    Gu Nianzhi grabbed a cocktail, not to drink it, but to put on an act so that she wouldn¡¯t look too out of ce like everyone else.

    Keven took a ss and raised it to Gu Nianzhi. He took a sip and said, ¡°Shall we go to the garden in the back and talk?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m here for the Christmas party, not for business negotiations.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I was going to talk to you about the legition for the Senate to allow foreign investment in the financial industry,¡±Keven said, feigning regret. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hear our opinions?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you talk to speaker long about this. I¡¯m only a legal consultant, not even a senator. I Can¡¯t help you much.¡±Gu Nianzhi felt someone sizing her up. The gaze was neither light nor heavy, but it was inquisitive, but when she looked up slightly, the gaze shifted away.

    It seemed to be from the crowd over there.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and thought for a moment. She strolled towards the direction of the garden that Keven had pointed out earlier.

    Keven yed right into her hands. He smiled and took a few quick steps forward, walking side by side with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s assistant and security staff naturally followed very quickly. They walked at a distance that was neither too far nor too close to the two people in front of them.

    ..

    Guo huining stood beside Huo Guanchen and bit her lip as she looked at him. She then looked in the direction where Gu Nianzhi and Keven had disappeared and smiled, she said, ¡°Guanchen, should we also go to the garden at the back to take a look?¡±? ¡°I haven¡¯t been to this Sheraton hotel many times, but I¡¯ve heard that the garden here is very exquisite. It has all the features of a tropical rainforest, and it¡¯s said that it¡¯s very simr to the naturalndscape of Florida in the United States.¡±

    She was actually very ufortable, and did not want to pile up with Gu Nianzhi at all.

    Huo Guanchen had spoken up for her just now, giving her endless hope.

    However, in the blink of an eye, Huo Guanchen¡¯s attention was no longer on her. Although he was still standing by her side, she could see that his heart had long flown to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side..

    She really did not know what was so good about this woman that all of them were fascinated by her.

    Although she felt ufortable, Guo Huining knew how to make men feelfortable.

    She had to figure out what they were thinking and then act ording to their wishes.

    Since she could tell that Huo Guanchen¡¯s thoughts were on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, she was just in time to bring it up.

    Huo Guanchen had actually said that he only had 20 minutes, but it had already been almost 20 minutes, and he had no intention of leaving.

    Guo Huining felt even more indignant.

    Huo Guanchen had just watched Gu Nianzhi and Keven¡¯s backs disappear in the direction of the left back door of the hall. He ced the wine ss on the table unhappily and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±

    Guo huining endured it for a while before she did not continue to ask,¡±... you¡¯re not going back to the meeting?¡±

    She would not embarrass Huo Guanchen if he did not mention it.

    The two of them walked through the left back door of the hall and found themselves in a t-shaped corridor.

    They saw Gu Nianzhi and Keven turning left.

    Huo Guanchen quickly followed them.

    Guo Huining was about to follow them when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her handbag.

    Her heart skipped a beat. She stopped in her tracks and took out her phone to take a look.

    It was associate director Jia who had sent her a photo and a text message: [ forward it to Song. ].

    Guo huining quickly opened the photo to take a look, and her eyes widened.

    In the photo, Gu Nianzhi was standing on her tiptoes, kissing the back of a man!

    The man had his head down, so her face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly, but it looked like it was Keven!

    Although Gu Nianzhi was tall and slender, she was like a little bird in front of this man. She was surprisingly harmonious.

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t help but feel strange. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t seem like a casual person, but she also admired Keven¡¯s ability. It was only their first meeting, so how did Gu Nianzhi fall for it?

    She pursed her lips. She didn¡¯t care if the photo was real or fake, as long as she could annoy those people.

    She casually forwarded it to song jinning.

    Song Jinning had juste out of theb.

    The results of today¡¯s experiment were not bad, but it was still different from what they had expected.

    Song Jinning nned to go back to the office and do some careful calctions. Then, she would refer to the experiment notes left by Gu Xiangwen to see if they could be quantified.

    At this moment, she heard her phone ring.

    It was already sote. Usually, Lu Yuan would call her, send her supper, or take her home. She was already used to it.

    However, when she took out her phone to take a look, she realized that she had made a mistake.

    It was not a phone call or text from Lu Yuan, but a photo from Guo Huining.

    Song Jinning pursed her lips, thinking to herself that Huo Guanchen was really on good terms with Guo Huining. He could even tell her her phone number.

    Song Jinning opened the photo to take a look, and her eyes widened in surprise.

    What was going on? !

    This Must Be Nianzhi, right? !

    Looking at the graceful curve of her back, she knew she hadn¡¯t made a mistake.

    Her fingers caressed her phone a few times, and she subconsciously wanted to forward it to Huo Shaoheng, but she quickly held back.

    Whether this was true or not, it was all to annoy Nianzhi and Shaoheng. She couldn¡¯t let Guo Huining get her way.

    After thinking for a moment, song Jinning replied to Guo Huining: [ what is this ce? Are Your Eyes ying tricks on you? Or are you secretly taking photos of someone else? ].

 Chapter 2043

    <h4>Chapter 2043: Chapter 2043 fishermen and fish (6)(first update)</h4>

    Guo Huining looked down at the photo on her phone and smiled sarcastically. Of course it was taken secretly, but how could she be mistaken?

    She remembered clearly that Gu Nianzhi had been wearing this custom-made business suit, and that pair of red-soled leather shoes. Even the watch on her wrist was exactly the same.

    Other watches could be copied, but could this watch also be copied?

    She had once heard from Hong Ziqi that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s watch was a couple¡¯s watch that Huo Shaoheng had custom-made from a world-famous watch manufacturer that had never been custom-made to outsiders..

    Just this detail alone made Guo Huining conclude that this person must be Gu Nianzhi.

    She pursed her lips into a smile and replied to Song Jinning¡¯s text message: [ ... look at that watch and you¡¯ll know if you and I are seeing things... ].

    Song Jinning had been too scared to look at the details just now.

    Now that Guo Huining had reminded her, she took a closer look.

    The woman in the photo was her back. It was obvious that she was tall and had long legs. A hand reached out and wrapped around the man¡¯s neck, revealing the watch on her wrist.

    She clicked open to take a closer look at the details. It really was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s watch..

    Song Jinning felt even more uneasy. It was then that she noticed the tag on the photo. It was the Sheraton Hotel on Third Ring Road.

    This ce wasn¡¯t far from her.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t want anyone to know about this, so she immediately had an idea.

    She calmly replied to Guo Huining: [ Sorry, I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s real just by looking at the photo. You Don¡¯t have to spend your time trying to sow discord. If you have time, spend it on Huo Guanchen. Don¡¯t extend your hand so long. Haven¡¯t you always treated him as your target? ].

    Guo Huining was both embarrassed and angry when Song Jinning told her her purpose in one breath. This was her rival in love. What was with this nonchnt tone?

    She knew it was sour!

    Guo Huining was about to reply when someone suddenly grabbed a handkerchief from behind and covered her face.

    The handkerchief was half-wet and carried the vtile smell of anesthetic. Guo huining only took a breath and soon fainted. She was dragged to a small room next door.

    ..

    Huo Guanchen did not notice that Guo Huining did not follow him.

    He followed the two figures in front of him. The personal secretary and the security guard did not leave his side. They looked around vigntly.

    At this moment, the sound of fireworks suddenly came from outside the hotel.

    Huo Guanchen stopped and listened carefully. He said in Puzzlement,¡±... Can Sheraton Hotel set off fireworks privately?¡±

    His personal secretary quickly said, ¡°No, it¡¯s been stipted a few years ago that fireworks and firecrackers are prohibited within the fifth ring road of the Imperial City.¡±

    However, when he looked out of the window, one after another bright fireworks were blooming in the night sky. Some of them even had their own rumbling sounds.

    The beautiful peonies, the weeping willows that were filled with leaves, the chrysanthemums that had their flower whiskers stretched out, followed by the firework that was shaped like a bird spreading its wings. There were also phoenixes that flew towards him and gathered together with the flood dragon that was soaring in the sky, it was a perfect illustration of what it meant to have dragons and phoenixes dancing.

    Huo Guanchen, who had seen much of the world, could not help but be stunned for a moment.

    However, he quickly came back to his senses and immediately felt that something was not right.

    ¡°Quickly inform the police station and the fire department to quicklye over to maintain order and punish the Sheraton Hotel for its illegal acts,¡±Huo Guanchen said as he walked even faster.

    The ce was noisy and bustling. What did it mean?

    He could not exin it clearly, but the string in his heart was tightened.

    He had just walked to the corner at the end of the corridor when he suddenly felt that there was a strange airflowing towards him. His face had a slight tingling pain.

    Before he could think, his body showed a more sensitive reaction.

    ¡°Get Down!¡±Huo Guanchen turned around and pounced on the two personal secretaries who were walking behind him.

    The guards behind the personal secretary quickly took out their guns, but a few bullets had already whistled over and hit the chest of the guard at the front.

    He grunted and was knocked down by the impact of the Bullets. He slid backward until he stopped by the wall.

    The other guards immediately fell to the ground and aimed to fight back.

    The bullets poured down like rain from behind. The firepower was so fierce that Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t even raise his head.

    The two personal secretary under his protection couldn¡¯t let the chief protect them. The two of them burst out at the same time, stronger than usual.

    Finally, they got up. One covered Huo Guanchen and retreated to the corridor, while the other called the police. At the same time, they notified the special guards of the military headquarters to quickly protect the chief.

    The special guards that belonged to the military headquarters were even more powerful than the ordinary special forces.

    Simply put, the people who could enter the special guards were all selected from the various soldier kings that had been selected in the past three years.

    Moreover, they only stayed in the special guards for three years. They rotated once every three years and were the soldier kings of the soldier kings.

    They would only protect people of Huo Guanchen¡¯s rank and above in the most critical situation.

    Once they were called, those who dared to resist or even provoke the enemy here would die without a burial ce.

    ¡°Chief, the special guards are on their way here.¡±The personal secretary used his body to cover Huo Guanchen, and his eyes were full of tears, ¡°How could you use your body to cover US just now? ! If you were injured, it would be our negligence! We would rather be shot by the court martial than have you injured at all!¡±

    Huo guanchen said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You Don¡¯t know what happened at that time. Since I found out, of course I have to protect you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen had been with the two personal secretaries for many years. They were his right-hand men, and he couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch them die because of his carelessness.

    He turned around to look at his own guards. Seeing that the first guard who had been shot was still able to crawl over, he knew that he should be fine.

    These people were all wearing bulletproof vests. If they had been shot in the chest, they would normally be fine.

    Huo Guanchen heaved a sigh of relief and continued,¡±... we seem to have fallen into a trap. But I¡¯m still worried about Nianzhi.¡±

    He had seen Gu Nianzhi and Keven disappear in this direction with his own eyes.

    At that moment, the hall was already in chaos.

    Speaker Long¡¯s face was livid. He suddenly realized that Gu Nianzhi had disappeared without a trace. His pupils constricted, and he immediately took out his phone to call General Ji. ¡°Old Ji! Quickly send your special forces over! Nianzhi is missing!¡±

    He then casually sent over the coordinates.

    ..

    At that moment, in the headquarters of the special operations forces, Huo Shaoheng was staring intently at the photo that Guo Huining had just forwarded.

    At that moment, the Secret Service personnel monitoring Guo Huining¡¯s phone had sent it over. Because it was rted to Gu Nianzhi, although the special operations forces could not interfere with domestic affairs, they had also sent it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Everyone knew that Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and Huo Shaoheng was not only the great general of the Special Operations Forces, but also one of the members of the Military Supreme Council.

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong stood in front of him and said anxiously, ¡°Huo Shao, this photo must have been taken by someone else! or it must have been photoshopped!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Zhao liangze. ¡°You said it was photoshopped?¡±

    Zhao liangze choked. This photo was indeed not photoshopped, but how could he dare to say it?

    He was about to bite the bullet and say that it was indeed photoshopped, but Huo Shaoheng spoke up himself.¡±... this photo is real, but this back view is not nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Huh? !¡±Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong cried out together. ¡°How did you see that? !¡±

    Zhao liangze had even used big data to analyze it. This was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s back view!

    Huo Shaoheng ced the photo on his desk and tapped it lightly with his finger. He said calmly, ¡°I recognize her back view. This woman is an imposter.¡±

    He was not the kind of person who would be led by the nose just because he saw her back view.

    Moreover, this woman¡¯s back view was indeed not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. Only someone as close to her as he was could see this feeling.

    Even aputer expert like Zhao liangze would be fooled just by looking at photos or analyzing data.

    It was a pity that they had run into Huo Shaoheng.

    Yin Shixiong was also about to speak when the highest level of red alert on his Bluetooth headset sounded.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s body trembled as he heard the red alert on his Bluetooth headset, his expression changed. ¡°Huo! General Ji just sent an urgent message. Speaker long asked him to send special forces to assist because Nianzhi has disappeared at the Sheraton Hotel!¡±

    Then he said, ¡°The Sheraton Hotel illegally set off fireworks and at the same time, there was a fierce gunfight. General Huo Guanchen is also in danger!¡±

 Chapter 2044

    <h4>Chapter 2044: Chapter 2044 fishermen and fish (7)(second update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng looked up in confusion.¡±... Nianzhi is missing? How could you not know?¡±

    Yin Shixiong had immediately told Huo Shaoheng when he had received General Ji¡¯s call. He hadn¡¯t had the time to investigate the truth.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other when Huo Shaoheng said this. They both remembered that Gu Nianzhi had people from their special operations forces with her.

    Indeed, if Gu Nianzhi had really gone missing, they would have been the first to know.

    However, speaker long had asked General Ji to deploy the special forces, so it didn¡¯t seem like it was fake.

    Yin shixiong immediately said, ¡°General Ji¡¯s phone call is real, but we haven¡¯t contacted anyone close to Nianzhi yet.¡±

    ¡°Then contact her immediately.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice became stern.

    After the incident of Nianzhi being kidnapped and brought to the other world more than a year ago, Huo Shaoheng actually couldn¡¯t hear the word ¡°Missing¡±anymore.

    However, he had a more stable mentality and a big heart. No matter how anxious he was in his heart, he still appeared calm andposed on the surface, as if nothing could faze him.

    Moreover, as someone in a higher position, such an attitude was very important and could be used to stabilize the morale of the troops.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze immediately used different methods to contact the people around Gu Nianzhi.

    Soon, the people on the other end of the line picked up the phone and asked them what was the matter.

    Yin shixiong quickly asked, ¡°Where are you? Is Miss Gu with you?¡±

    The person who answered the phone was standing by the door of a reception room at Sheraton Hotel.

    The door of the reception room was tightly shut. It was decorated with dazzling gold and jewels. It was simply gorgeous to the point of being cumbersome. It was the standard style of a 17th century Baroque.

    Because the roof was rtively high, it did not appear oppressive.

    Even the wallpaper was dark gold with real gold-ted stripes. The chandelier on the roof was even more like a hanging Christmas tree, but the decorations looked like real gold and silver, full of texture.

    The murals on the walls and ceiling were all in the medieval religious style. Every outline of the furniture and chairs was filled with carved details, and it was a feast for the eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the reception room. She thought she would be blind any minute, so she tried her best to keep her eyes on the chief operating officer, Keven, opposite her. She did not want to be distracted by the luxurious decorations around her.

    She had two assistants sitting on her left and right, four security guards behind her, and two security guards standing at the door of the small reception room with their hands behind their backs.

    Keven only had one assistant standing behind him, and it was a woman. She lookedpletely different from Gu Nianzhi.

    The security guard who answered the phone was one of the two people by the door. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting in the chair opposite him, and answered in a low voice, ¡°Sheraton Hotel. Yes, it¡¯s just up ahead.¡±

    The small reception room was filled with pleasant background music. It was the famous baroqueposer Antonio Vivaldi¡¯s ¡°Four Seasons.¡±Like the decoration of the reception room, it was filled with the beauty of detail.

    The music was fast-paced, but because the volume was very low, it did not affect their conversation.

    One of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security personnel wore a Bluetooth headset and took a step back. He covered his ears and asked softly,¡±... What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    Yin Shixiong was stunned for a moment and said, ¡°Turn on the video.¡±

    The sses this person was wearing were a miniature camera.

    He touched the frame of his sses and turned on the video call to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s image quickly appeared on the screen in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office.

    She was sitting in a luxurious golden and ck chair, her posture elegant and her smile bright like a queen.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°Ask him if he knows anything about the incident at Sheraton Hotel. And where is speaker long?¡±

    Yin Shixiong nodded, he immediately asked,¡±... the Sheraton hotel was suspected of illegally setting off fireworks and there was a gunfight. Do you know? Also, where is speaker long? Didn¡¯t he go to the Sheraton Hotel¡¯s Christmas party with Nianzhi?¡±

    The security guard looked up in surprise.

    He realized that the so-called windows of the reception room were actually drawn!

    It looked like the luxurious stained ss of the church in the Middle Ages, but it wasn¡¯t real ss at all.

    They couldn¡¯t see what was happening outside at all from here.

    And from the looks of it, the soundproof equipment in this room was also very good.

    If it was really like what Yin Shixiong had said, why couldn¡¯t they hear anything from their side?

    He was about to push open the door when the assistant standing behind Keven suddenly bent down and whispered something into his ear.

    Keven immediately stood up and said with a heavy expression, ¡°Something happened at the hotel. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know what was going on, but she nodded politely. ¡°Please help yourself.¡±

    Just as Keven stood up, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression suddenly changed and his voice was particrly deep and Husky.¡±... tell Nianzhi to get out quickly. We Can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡±

    Yin Shixiong quickly informed the security staff.

    The security staff saw this and immediately gestured to his colleague.

    The four security staff standing behind Gu Nianzhi suddenly moved like statues.

    The two people standing at the very end quickly rushed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side. One on the left and one on the right raised her arms and carried her out of the door.

    The other two pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s two assistants and ran out with them.

    The two security guards at the door blocked Keven and his female assistant¡¯s path, waiting for Gu Nianzhi and the others to catch up.

    Keven was still smiling, but his female assistant suddenly attacked. Her left elbow struck the security guard¡¯s chest on the left side, and her right leg kicked the security guard¡¯s lower body on the right side.

    The security guards standing on either side of the door subconsciously stepped aside.

    Keven took the opportunity to open the thick oak door of the reception room and rushed out.

    His female assistant red at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security guards. ¡°What are you doing? ! Something happened at the hotel, and our chief operating officer has to deal with an emergency! Are you going to take responsibility if something happens? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure out what they were up to. She watched as Keven¡¯s figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor and immediately said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside first.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, a muffled sound came from the luxurious reception room behind them. Two mes jumped out from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seat and Keven¡¯s seat at the same time. Then there was billowing ck smoke. The fire was fierce and swift, if she had still been sitting on it, she would have been burned to a crisp by now..

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely surprised. She thought to herself that when they had entered, the security personnel had clearly checked the entire reception room and confirmed that there were no surveince devices or remote-controlled bombs..

    How had the remote-controlled bomb buried under her seat and Keven¡¯s seat escaped their detection?

    Huo Shaoheng had also seen the situation through the live videomunication that had not been turned off yet. He did not have time to check the truth and only continued to order, ¡°Meet up with speaker long. His side should be the safest.¡±

    No matter which side it was, no one dared to touch speaker long. Huo Shaoheng saw it clearly.

    Six security guards and two assistants immediately formed a human wall around Gu Nianzhi, protecting her in the middle as they walked towards the hall.

    It was only then that they heard themotion in the hotel.

    Some people were shouting, some were crying, and the whistling of fireworks was apanied by the sound of gunfire. It was the sound of a gun with a silencer.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s security guards were all wearing bulletproof vests. They worked closely together and quickly escorted Gu Nianzhi to the lobby.

    Speaker Long was also escorted by a group of security guards as he looked around anxiously.

    He looked up and saw that Gu Nianzhi had been surrounded by a group of people. He let out a long sigh. It was only when she came to his side that he grabbed her arm and asked anxiously, ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Speaker long, don¡¯t worry.¡±Gu Nianzhi saw the look on Speaker Long¡¯s face and was extremely touched.

    This was someone who truly cared about her!

    ..

    What had happened at Sheraton Hotel had been tightly sealed off. There had been no news of it on social media or the inte.

    Police cars and fire engines whistled by, and the streets of the capital became more and more crowded.

    At this time, Song Jinning was driving toward Sheraton Hotel. Lu Yuan, who hade to pick her up, was blocked on the road and couldn¡¯t move.

    He turned on the GPS and looked at the situation in front of him. It turned out that a car ident had happened and was being dealt with.

 Chapter 2045

    <h4>Chapter 2045: Chapter 2045 fishermen and fish (8)(first update)</h4>

    The traffic ahead was so long that one could not see the end of it. The short section of the road was now moving at a slow speed, and most of the time, it was stopped on the road.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s fingers tapped on the steering wheel. For some reason, his usually calm andposed heart was actually a little anxious.

    After thinking for a while, he took out his phone and called Song Jinning.

    Song Jinning was currently driving.

    Because there was a car ident ahead, someone ced a sign on the road, asking everyone to take a detour.

    Song Jinning looked at the road leading to Sheraton Hotel. There was a long red line on the map on her phone, indicating that it was very crowded. She decided to take a detour.

    After driving for a short while, she found that the road ahead was clear. There were fewer and fewer cars, and it seemed that they were getting further and further away from Sheraton Hotel.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t pay much attention to it at first. In any case, it was a detour, so she had to take a detour to reach her destination.

    Hearing her phone ring, song jinning nced at the screen used for navigation. Seeing that it was Lu Yuan¡¯s number, she smiled slightly and used voice to connect to the phone. She asked with a smile, ¡°CEO Lu, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Hearing song Jinning¡¯s voice, Lu Yuan¡¯s slightly anxious heart instantly calmed down.

    He couldn¡¯t help but smile, and his voice was even lower than usual. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick you up, but there seems to be a car ident ahead. The traffic is very heavy.¡±

    Song Jinning also smiled. ¡°It¡¯s quite heavy. I took a detour.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... Detour? Where are you going? Aren¡¯t you at the Institute of High Energy Physics?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±Song Jinning subconsciously looked at the scenery around her. It was a ce she was unfamiliar with. The floors were not high, and the street lights were dim. She could see that the floors were dpidated. asionally, a few shing shop signs would sh past.

    ¡°Where is this?¡±Song Jinning muttered. ¡°I took a detour. I don¡¯t know what this ce is.¡±

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°Then where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going...¡±song jinning was about to say the name of Sheraton hotel when she suddenly remembered that Lu Yuan was Huo Guanyuan. It wouldn¡¯t be good for Gu Nianzhi if he found out.

    It was hard to tell who was closer to Lu Yuan, Huo Shaoheng or Gu Nianzhi.

    Song Jinning snapped out of her thoughts and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to find the way. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±

    As she said that, she was about to hang up the phone.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s many years of career had developed an unusual intuition that made him feel that something was wrong.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hang up the phone. Tell me where you are,¡±Lu Yuan said as he took out his phone and slid it away. ¡°Send me your location.¡±

    Just now, he was wearing a Bluetooth headset to directly talk to Song Jinning. Now, he needed to look at his phone.

    Song Jinning thought it was right. Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to find where she was?

    She hurriedly shared her address with Lu Yuan.

    When Lu Yuan saw that ce, his expression became even more unsightly.¡±... where exactly are you going? You¡¯re heading southwest now. You¡¯ve already driven out of the Imperial City.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    ¡°No Way? I¡¯m just taking a Detour?¡±Song Jinning hurriedly parked the car by the roadside, opened the map, and looked at her position carefully. ¡°I¡¯m obviously going to Sheraton Hotel...¡±

    ¡°Sheraton Hotel?¡±Lu Yuan thought the hotel name sounded familiar, as if he had just heard it before.

    He thought about it for a moment and his expression changed. ¡°Why are you going to Sheraton Hotel? ! Did you know that there was a fierce gunfight at Sheraton Hotel? !¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±Song Jinning was shocked as well. ¡°Oh no! Nianzhi is at Sheraton Hotel! She must have been in danger!¡±

    She was about to call Gu Nianzhi as she spoke.

    Just then, someone knocked on her car window.

    Song Jinning turned to look, and saw a dark muzzle pressed against the window.

    Her head was now less than ten centimeters away from the window.

    The person outside the window gestured to her.

    Song Jinning hurriedly said to her phone, ¡°Oh no! I¡¯ve been carjacked!¡±

    But on the other side of the phone, she could only hear the crackling sound of electricity.

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t be more familiar with this sound.

    It was the sound of electromaic shielding.

    Her phone had a special device that could detect electromaic shielding.

    That meant the phone couldn¡¯t be made.

    She didn¡¯t know if Lu Yuan had realized this problem, or when he had realized it.

    Song Jinning thought as she put down her phone calmly.

    The man with the gun pushed against her car window again.

    Song Jinning was a little flustered, but she still looked calm on the surface.

    She put her phone into her pocket and turned on the signal transmitting device in her watch.

    As long as she was out of the electromaic shielding area, her phone would be able to transmit a radio signal.

    The corresponding rm would sound in her office at the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    The car window slowly rolled down. Song Jinning looked at the person holding the gun.

    He was wearing a mask and a ck hoodie. It was dark, and he was wearing a pair of sunsses.

    His entire body looked covered.

    He waved his gun at song jinning, signaling her to get out of the car.

    Song Jinning pushed open the car door and got out.

    She nced around vigntly and found that this ce was indeed in the wilderness. Someone had turned off the lights in the low-rise buildings on both sides of the road, leaving only the yellow halo of the streetmp that was about to go out on song Jinning¡¯s face, it made her face appear wless ivory white.

    The other party looked at her face greedily and swallowed his saliva without hiding it.

    Song Jinning suppressed the disgust in her heart and said calmly, ¡°Do you want a car? My Car is a custom-made car imported from abroad. It can easily be sold for tens of millions. As long as you want it, this car is yours.¡±

    Song Jinning waved the car key in her hand at him.

    The man snatched it away and chuckled, ¡°Of course! I want the car and I want the person!¡±

    As he spoke, he was about to pounce on song jinning.

    Song Jinning dodged to the side and quickly said, ¡°If you want my car, you can¡¯t just have the car keys. There¡¯s also the password. If you dare to touch even a hair on my head, I¡¯ll kill myself immediately and make you lose everything!¡±

    The man was stunned for a moment. He only felt that song jinning was very long-winded.

    Since he dared to make a move, why would he be afraid of a woman like her? !

    This woman was simply too good-looking. In his entire life, including the big stars he had seen on the Inte, television, and movies, none of them were as good-looking as her!

    To be honest, he couldn¡¯t bear to sell her to the Southeast Asia¡¯s underground dark for mermaid meat..

    This kind of woman should be kept by his side for the rest of his life!

    ¡°... There¡¯s a password? !¡±The man pointed a gun at song Jinning¡¯s chin. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me now, and I¡¯ll let you off.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    Did she look that stupid?

    If she told him the passcode, she would probably die a horrible death.

    Of course, even if she didn¡¯t tell him the passcode, what awaited her wouldn¡¯t be any better than death.

    Moreover, her car was actually just a modified car. It wasn¡¯t custom-made, and it didn¡¯t have a passcode at all.

    She said that just to stall for time so that someone coulde and save her.

    Seeing the man approaching her step by step, song Jinning quickly racked her brain, and a series of strategies shed through her mind.

    The Man didn¡¯t give her any time to think. He held the gun in his hand and slowly slid down her chin, down her neck, and was about to cut her tall chest.

    ¡°What the F * ck are you still doing? !¡±Two more cars came out of the darkness and stopped beside them.

    Associate Director Jia stuck his head out and said angrily, ¡°Are you an animal? ! You Don¡¯t even pick a ce when you¡¯re in Heat! ¡ª hurry up and take her away! Someone is already chasing after us!¡±

 Chapter 2046

    <h4>Chapter 2046: Chapter 2046 fishermen and fish (9)(2nd update)(Helen 3500 meatballs +)</h4>

    The man¡¯s hand that was holding the gun trembled. He looked around and asked in disbelief, ¡°So fast? !¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s car had been surrounded by several cars that they had arranged beforehand. Even if they had wings, they would not be able to escape. All they had to do was wait for them to catch a turtle in a jar.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect to be reprimanded in the face.

    This person dejectedly used the butt of his gun to hit song jinning on the back of her neck, trying to knock her out.

    She didn¡¯t expect song jinning to be prepared. She suddenly lowered her head and raised her leg. From the bottom up, she ruthlessly hit this person¡¯s crotch.

    ¡°Ah!¡±This person let out a long howl. His pistol fell to the ground with a thud. He clutched his crotch and almost fainted on the spot.

    Then, there was the sound of a car speeding toward them from behind.

    Someone had already raised his gun from the car and fired.

    A bullet came from behind and hit the back of the bandit, who had just bent over and clutched his crotch while crying.

    His crying stopped abruptly, and he fell to the ground in front of Song Jinning with a thud.

    Song Jinning hurriedly covered her head and squatted down.

    The doors of the two cars that were chasing them opened, and a dozen tall and strong men rushed over with guns raised. At the same time, they kept shooting at the cars that were surrounding song Jinning¡¯s car.

    The tires of those cars were all knocked out by them.

    The people that were chasing after them were all well-trained. One look and you could tell that they were regr soldiers.

    Most of the people that were surrounding song jinning were desperadoes. Seeing that the people that wereing to save song jinning were all fierce, it also stimted their brutality.

    One by one, they also jumped out of the cars, raised their rifles, and started to shoot at the soldiers that were chasing after them.

    Song Jinning had never experienced such a hail of bullets. Her heart was pounding, but after all, she had cooperated with the military and conducted many years of experiments. She was still able to handle it.

    She rubbed her head against the car door, trying to hide on the other side of the car.

    One of the soldiers chasing after her had alreadye to song Jinning¡¯s side. He quickly took off his bulletproof vest and hung it on song Jinning¡¯s body. He said anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, chief song. The chief ising to save you!¡±

    Song Jinning was stunned.¡±... Who Are you working for?¡±

    ¡°The chief asked us to protect you.¡±The soldier raised his hand and fired, killing a few criminals who were rushing over recklessly. ¡°Quickly hide behind the car!¡±

    The soldier used his body to cover song jinning, but there were too many criminals. They came prepared, ten times more than the dozen or so people who were chasing after them!

    Song Jinning was anxious. She pulled down the bulletproof vest that the soldier had hung around her neck and said, ¡°Put it on quickly! Their target is me, they won¡¯t kill me!¡±

    As soon as she said that, a bullet whizzed over and hit the soldier in front of her who had taken off his bulletproof vest to protect her.

    The bullet entered his chest. His whole body twitched and he fell in front of song jinning.

    This was the second time since Lu Yuan had risked everything to save her eighteen years ago. She had seen someone who was willing to sacrifice his life in order to save her.

    The ten or so soldiers that Huo Guanchen had sent to protect her in secret were all very powerful. They were not inferior to the gunmen who were ten times more powerful than them. They quickly surrounded the gunmen and broke them down one by one. They were truly one against ten.

    ¡°Chief song, drive our car back!¡±A soldier moved in front of Song Jinning. He nced at his fallenrade, his eyes slightly red. He pulled song jinning away anxiously.

    Song Jinning pursed her lips. ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Taking advantage of the fierce battle between these people and the gunmen, song jinning could have left quickly. However, she looked at the soldier who was losing his life in front of her, turned around, opened her car door, and took out the first-aid kit from the car, she quickly bandaged his wound.

    It seemed that he was still breathing. Regardless of whether it was useful or not, at least she could not let him bleed to death.

    When the soldier who urged her to leave saw that she did not leave immediately but took out the first-aid kit to bandage herrade¡¯s wound, he did not know what to say. He was stunned for a moment, and his heart was moved. His eyes were a little sour.

    He raised the back of his hand to wipe away his tears. He picked up the gun that hisrade had dropped and held it in his hand. His hands moved continuously, and the lethality was doubled in an instant.

    Song jinning bandaged the wound of the soldier who had just fallen. She did not give up and continued to call Huo Shaoheng, but she still could not make the call.

    ..

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng had just spoken to Lu Yuan on the phone. He knew that he had suddenly lost contact with song jinning the moment he had spoken to her. He felt as if he had been blocked by an electromaic barrier.

    Lu Yuan was very worried. In a moment of desperation, he called Huo Shaoheng and asked him to contact the relevant authorities to find out what was going on with song jinning.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately informed his security personnel to take action. At the same time, he ordered Zhao liangze to check the electromaic signals of the entire imperial capital.

    ces with electromaic interference were different from other ces. As long as there was a strong central signalwork system, it was easy to analyze the specific location of the electromaic shield from the big data.

    ¡°Huo Shao, we have confirmed the location of the ces with electromaic shielding.¡±Zhao liangze reported calmly, ¡°In the past hour, there have been three ces in the entire imperial capital that have illegal electromaic shielding. One is the Sheraton Hotel on the north side of the Third Ring Road. It has been deactivated. One is the Xiangshan Vi District, and the other is in the southwest direction. They have just left the imperial capital.¡±

    Then I gave you the exact address and location.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and opened the 3D map projection of the central control room.

    In the empty space of theboratory, a microcosm of a city appeared before them.

    Zhao liangze marked three ces of illegal electromaic shielding, so in these three ces, the color of the image is darker than other ces, a look is not right.

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hands behind his back and looked at the three locations expressionlessly. Three seconds passed, he pointed in the southwest direction and said, ¡°Here, quickly notify the special forces and have them send another batch of people out of the imperial capital. At the same time, order the traffic police to block all the roads in the imperial capital.¡±

    Because this incident had happened in China, the special operations forces could not be deployed. However, in the vast country of Huaxia, the Special Operations Forces was not the only powerful department?

    Huo Shaoheng picked up thendline at the same time and called Lu Yuan, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people over. The situation there is indeed not right.¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at the vast traffic ahead that was stillpletely blocked. He mmed the steering wheel hard and finally became angry. ¡°Shaoheng, send a helicopter over. I¡¯m going to save Jinning!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people over. No one in the country is more powerful than General Ji¡¯s special forces.¡±

    ¡°No! I Must Go!¡±Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Shaoheng! I don¡¯t think this is an ordinary person! You Can¡¯t underestimate the enemy!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly remembered Gu Nianzhi who was still at Sheraton Hotel. His palms started to sweat.

    Although he had not lost contact with Gu Nianzhi, she was still trapped there and had note out with speaker long.

    Song Jinning¡¯s situation was obviously not looking good either.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind raced and quickly said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send a helicopter to pick you up right away. Send me the location.¡±

    His uncle was as skilled as he was, and he was very experienced. If he went out, he would have Lu Jin¡¯s technical support behind him, so the chances of saving song jinning would be greater than if he went out personally.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately decided to give this opportunity to Lu Yuan.

    At the same time, he ordered, ¡°Prepare a helicopter for me. Go to Sheraton Hotel.¡±

    ..

    Five minutester, the sound of an armed helicopter could be heard above Lu Yuan¡¯s road.

    The oddly-shaped military helicopter flew lower and lower, making a rumbling noise. It created a huge cyclone and soon stopped somewhere above.

    The drivers who were stuck here became excited and took out their phones to take close-up photos of the military helicopter that was rarely seen.

    At this moment, a ropedder fell from the ne and hung steadily on the roof of Lu Yuan¡¯s car less than a meter away.

    Lu Yuan got out of the car, pulled the ropedder directly and climbed up quickly.

    Just as he was about to climb into the helicopter, someone in the traffic below him quietly raised a gun and aimed it at Lu Yuan who was climbing.

    In the darkness, the red dot on the scope suddenly shed.

    The sniper on the helicopter was not to be trifled with. He suddenly pulled the trigger, and the man in the car with the simple sniper rifle was shot in the head and fell to the seat.

    At this moment, Lu Yuan finally climbed onto the helicopter and immediately said, ¡°Southwest, I¡¯ve sent you Huo¡¯s location, right?¡±

    The helicopter¡¯s pilot immediately took off and flew quickly toward the southwest direction of the imperial capital.

    ..

    Meanwhile, Song Jinning¡¯s side was in the midst of a fierce battle.

    The dozen or so soldiers that Huo Guanchen had sent to protect her in secret were all wounded. Two of them were seriously injured, and some were even slightly injured.

    However, the hundred or so gangsters on the other side suffered heavy casualties. They were almost all killed by them.

    Just as they were about to win, the other side seemed to be determined to win song jinning.

    A tall and thin man came out of nowhere.

    He did not wear a mask or a hoodie. Instead, he wore a hunting suit and looked very capable.

    He had a single eyelid, white skin, and thin lips. With a solemn face, he ced a ck cylindrical object that was twenty centimeters long and five centimeters in diameter on the ground. Then, he quickly rolled backward.

    The bullets from song Jinning¡¯s soldiers rained down on the man, making him unable to raise his head.

    However, he only held it in for three seconds before he crawled forward and braved the powerful firepower to reach the ck cylindrical object.

    Bang!

    A bullet hit his head. Before he closed his eyes, his hand pressed down on the ck cylindrical object.

    Boom!

    With a deafening sound, the ck cylinder-shaped object exploded in front of them.

    The bright white light from the explosion almost tore through the sky, lighting up the Dark Sky as bright as day!

    The soldiers who stood in front of Song Jinning fell to the ground one by one.

    Song Jinning looked at the blinding white light in shock, the loud sound still echoing in her ears. Her eyes were almost blinded by the white light.

    But even if she became blind or deaf, she would not forget the white light and the loud noise.

    The white light and the loud noise were exactly the same as the scene when they failed their experiment eighteen years ago!

    The only difference was that the scale and intensity were countless times smaller, just like the miniature version of their experiment.

 Chapter 2047

    <h4>Chapter 2047: Chapter 2047 fishermen and fish (10)(the third is a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The white light slowly faded away. Song Jinning, who had forgotten to close her eyes due to the shock, realized that she could no longer see.

    She frantically reached out her hand and searched for her phone in her pocket.

    Before she could reach it, a man grabbed her arm forcefully and pulled her up, stumbling forward.

    ¡°Who are you? Why are you pulling me? Where are you taking me?¡±Song jinning yelled. She struggled, and the man said fiercely, ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t waste your energy! Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡±

    Song Jinning heard this voice. It was the man who said someone was chasing after her. He must be the leader of this group of people, right?

    Then she thought about the dozens of soldiers just now. Had they all been sacrificed?

    She was extremely sad. As she struggled, she was handcuffed by the man and dragged forward.

    Not long after, the man stuffed her into another car and tied her to the back seat. Then, he sat in the driver¡¯s seat, stepped on the elerator and sped forward.

    ..

    When Lu Yuan followed the helicopter and flew over, he just happened to see the abnormally bright white light and an earth-shattering explosion.

    He was so shocked that he almost jumped out of the helicopter on the spot!

    The st wave from the explosion came directly at him, causing this heavyweight helicopter to be on the verge of copse.

    The helicopter¡¯s pilot had no choice but to quickly turn the steering wheel and take a detour to avoid the fate of being affected by the aftermath of the explosion.

    Fortunately, they were still a little distance away from the center of the explosion. Of course, the most fortunate thing was that the explosion was hundreds of times smaller than the original explosion, so the range of destruction was also much smaller.

    Lu Yuan clenched the armrest of the seat in the cabin and looked at the white light that was slowly dissipating in the distance.

    The loud sound was still echoing in his ears, as if the failure of the experiment from eighteen years ago was right in front of his eyes again.

    What on Earth was going on?

    Could it be that the failure of the experiment back then was not the normal result of the scientific experiment, but someone deliberately caused it? !

    Lu Yuan was a direct participant in that experiment back then. He had always known that the risk of that kind of experiment was very high, and there was a risk of failure at any moment. Everyone was mentally prepared.

    Therefore, when the experiment failed in the end and that earth-shattering big explosion happened, he was not surprised. Instead, he quickly took measures to minimize the damage.

    At the critical moment, he pushed song jinning out, but he was dragged into an unknown situation..

    This time, without him by his side, what would happen to Song Jinning?

    Lu Yuan¡¯s mind almost went nk for a moment, unable to think in a normal state.

    After a while, when the aftershock of the explosion dissipated and the helicopter flew normally, he slowly came back to his senses.

    The piercing pain in his palm woke him up.

    He looked down and opened his palm to take a look. Because he had used too much force just now, the armrest of the seat had almost been twisted out of shape.

    As if nothing had happened, he retracted his hand and grabbed the microphone to talk to the pilot. ¡°How much longer until we reach the destination?¡±

    The helicopter pilot said with a bitter face, ¡°We¡¯re almost there. But after the explosion just now, I¡¯m afraid the situation is not optimistic.¡±

    ..

    The electromaic shielding was only a small matter before, but this unusual explosion quickly attracted the attention of the relevant authorities.

    Huo Shaoheng had already made a report earlier, requesting that the special guards be dispatched to rescue song jinning.

    Now that the military agency in charge of cooperating with song Jinning had received the news of the explosion, they were all very surprised.

    The initially quiet department suddenly became noisy, and the people who came and went had solemn expressions on their faces. They restarted the investigation of the reason for the failure of the experiment eighteen years ago.

    At the same time, the special guards and the experts from the military rushed to the scene.

    Lu Yuan was one step ahead of them and had already arrived above the scene of the explosion.

    From the air, the explosion was even more terrifying.

    Although the scale and intensity of the failure of the experiment eighteen years ago were many times smaller, the damage caused at the center of the explosion still looked very shocking.

    The Low-rise buildings near the center of the explosion had already copsed. The streets were severely damaged and formed a radiation circle visible to the naked eye. It was like the traces of the wheat field copse that was widely spread in Ennd.

    Unfortunately, this kind of trace did not appear in the uninhabited wheat field. Instead, it was in a popted streetmunity. Although this was already a suburb and the poption density was notrge, it was still significantly different from the wheat fields in Ennd.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, are we still flying forward?¡±The helicopter pilot asked in a low voice. ¡°Or should we go down? The military has just issued an emergency notice, announcing that this ce has be a no-fly zone...¡±

    Originally, the sky above the imperial capital¡¯s Third Ring Road was a no-fly zone. Other than rescue helicopters, no other aircraft were allowed to approach.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart tightened, and he went to the pilot¡¯s side to take a look, he pointed at a spot on the instrument radar and said, ¡°After the explosion, only this spot is still moving. Put Me Down, I want to see what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°But the military¡¯s emergency order said that there¡¯s super strong radiation there. Do you have a protective suit?¡±The pilot of the helicopter quickly looked at Lu Yuan. ¡°If not, it¡¯s better to go back and put it on beforeing back.¡±

    After going back, he woulde back. Of course, he could not take the helicopter again. He shoulde with the military¡¯s private car.

    However, Lu Yuan could not afford to waste time.

    He closed his eyes. ¡°No need. Just let me down here.¡±

    He wanted to chase after song jinning.

    He had already missed eighteen years. He was afraid that he would not miss the second eighteen years of his life.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±The pilot of the helicopter confirmed again and again, afraid that he would misunderstand Lu Yuan¡¯s meaning. ¡°That ce is already a high-radiation zone!¡±

    Lu Yuan knew better than anyone whether there was ¡°Radiation¡±here or not.

    Of course, he would not say it. He smiled at the pilot, and Lu Yuan continued through the microphone, ¡°It¡¯s okay, put me down. I wanted to go down myself. I¡¯ll exin it to Huo.¡±

    The pilot let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Then you go to the cabin door. I¡¯ll put down the ropedder.¡±

    He gestured for Lu Yuan to go down the ropedder.

    Lu Yuan stuck his head out to take a look. He found that the helicopter had alreadynded very close to the ground.

    He could clearly see that the spot where he was going tond was not far ahead.

    He climbed down the ropedder from the helicopter and climbed backwards. As he called his Bluetooth headset, he dialed Lu Jin¡¯s phone number.

    ¡°Lu Jin, I need your help,¡±Lu Yuan said calmly. In mid-air, the sound of the wind passed through his Bluetooth headset and reached Lu Jin¡¯s ears.

    Lu Jin was working on a topic rted to high-energy physics on hisputer. When he heard Lu Yuan¡¯s words, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

    Boss Lu rarely called him by his full name in such a serious manner.

    If he called him by his full name, then something big would happen.

    And in these 18 years, this kind of situation for Lu Yuan was few and far between.

    Lu Jin suddenly became serious. ¡°Boss Lu, what happened?¡±

 Chapter 2048

    <h4>Chapter 2048: Chapter 2048 fishermen and fish (11)</h4>

    Lu Yuan smiled in his anxiety.

    Under the strong light of the helicopter, he looked at a t piece ofnd, let go of the ropedder, and jumped down.

    He was a little anxious, so he let go of the ropedder at a higher ce. Therefore, after falling to the ground, he rolled forward to remove the huge gravitational eleration, and sessfullynded.

    He quickly hid behind a big tree by the roadside and took out his phone to check. He found that the electromaic shield here had disappeared.

    Of course, after the explosion just now, no matter what kind of electromaic shield equipment, it would be destroyed.

    There was a big pit on the ground, and many people were lying on the bottom of the pit. There were about a hundred people, and most of them looked pale and did not seem to be breathing.

    However, there were a few people who were still breathing slightly.

    Lu Yuan quickly looked around, and then directly video-called Lu Jin, transmitting the situation to him through his phone, he said, ¡°See? There was an explosion here just now, and superintendent song went missing here. Can youe over and help me check if there are any people here who can be saved?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s voice was trembling when he said that.

    No matter how song jinning ¡°Left¡±this world, Lu Yuan could not bear the consequences.

    He and she had been separated for eighteen years. There was no second eighteen years that could continue to separate.

    Lu Jin frowned as he looked at the image that Lu Yuan transmitted back. He said in surprise, ¡°There was an explosion here, and then chief song disappeared? where is this ce? Why did Chief Song Go There?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡±Lu Yuan punched the dried tree trunk in frustration. ¡°The point is whether you cane and help me immediately!¡±

    They had no clues at all. They did not know whether song jinning was alive or dead, nor did they know where she was.

    ¡°Boss Lu, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m Coming Right Now!¡±Lu Jin quickly used his phone to locate Lu Yuan¡¯s location. He found his coordinates and entered them into a modified car.

    This car could drive itself. It was truly self-driving.

    Lu Jin sat in the car. He first opened the interface and uploaded the traffic light system of the entire imperial capital. Then, ording to the road conditions, he had theputer match the shortest route.

    ¡°Destination A, go.¡±Lu Jin gave his car a voicemand.

    Destination A was Lu Yuan¡¯s coordinates that Lu Jin had just entered.

    The car received themand and started to follow the designated route, rushing towards Lu Yuan.

    ..

    At the same time, the helicopter that Huo Shaoheng was driving had already arrived at the helipad on the top floor of the Sheraton hotel and was slowlynding.

    ¡°Good morning, Sir!¡±One of the members of the special forces who were guarding the helipad on the top floor ran over and saluted him.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and asked calmly, ¡°What¡¯s the situation here?¡±

    ¡°All the management personnel of the Sheraton Hotel have been detained in the conference room. It¡¯s said that someone pretending to be the management has escaped. General Huo and the special forces are in pursuit. Over and out!¡±

    The man answered loudly with his feet on the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng walked quickly to the elevator beside the helipad and asked calmly, ¡°Where¡¯s speaker long? Where¡¯s chief Gu? Who can guarantee their safety?¡±

    ¡°Speaker long and chief Gu are under our protection, waiting for the helicopter toe and pick them up. Over and out!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief.

    Although things had gone beyond his expectations, most of the situation was still under his control.

    He raised his head to look in the southwest direction. A huge white light had shed there just now, lighting up the night sky of half the city.

    The explosion had been too unexpected.

    He had always thought that the other party¡¯s goal was Xiang Zhuang and Pei Gong.

    He had not expected that Gu Nianzhi was not their only target.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts raced. He picked up Lu Yuan¡¯s phone and asked in a low voice, ¡°Director Lu, how¡¯s the situation on your side?¡±

    Lu Yuan was anxiously waiting for Lu Jin to arrive. He said, ¡°We¡¯re still in the middle of testing. We haven¡¯t found any trace of director song yet. I¡¯ve asked Lu Jin for help. He¡¯ll be here soon.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart sank.¡±... nothing at all? I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    He kept walking into the elevator and quickly went down to the lobby on the first floor.

    The situation here was much better than the mess just now.

    General Ji¡¯s special forces had taken control of the entire situation the moment they arrived.

    No one dared to move around the entire hotel from the inside out.

    Those who tried to force their way in were shot down and paralyzed at the bottom of the stairs. No one dared to act rashly anymore.

    The elevator door suddenly opened to the side. Huo Shaoheng looked up and quickly walked in the direction of Gu Nianzhi and speaker long.

    Gu Nianzhi was lowering her head to talk to speaker long when she suddenly heard Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice in her ear. ¡°Speaker long, can I have a word with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and looked at Huo Shaoheng in surprise. Her ck, zed eyes immediately lit up. ¡°Huo Shao! You¡¯re here!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at her and nodded. At the same time, he turned to look at speaker long and said, ¡°Speaker long, I have something to take Nianzhi to. The helicopter specially assigned by the Special Forces will be here soon. You have to leave.¡±

    Speaker long looked at him solemnly and nodded. ¡°Did something happen in the southwest?¡±

    ¡°You know?¡±Huo Shaoheng was burning with anxiety, but he still maintained hisposure, he said slowly, ¡°Something happened, and the special forces rushed over. But because it¡¯s rted to miss song, I have to go see for myself.¡±

    Speaker long waved his hand. ¡°Go, go, go.¡±

    But then he looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Why did you bring her? What if it¡¯s dangerous over there?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was worried that Gu Nianzhi would be with anyone. Although the other party seemed to really care about song jinning, who knew if they woulde back again?

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°I need her help with something. Speaker long, Can I borrow chief Gu?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but you have to ensure her safety,¡±speaker long said sternly. ¡°I¡¯m giving her to you, not to put her in danger!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng gave speaker long a proper military salute. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, speaker long. I¡¯ll do everything I can to ensure chief GU¡¯s safety!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed, but her heart felt warm. It was as if someone had given her a peace of mind. She wasn¡¯t afraid or worried at all.

    With Huo Shaoheng, she had nothing to fear, even if she had to die with him.

    Huo Shaoheng turned and left with Gu Nianzhi. When they entered the elevator, he called Huo Guanchen.

    The call was picked up after a while. Huo Guanchen¡¯s voice came through the Bluetooth headset. His voice was a little husky, as if it was still echoing in the open wilderness.

    ¡°General Huo, how are things on Your End?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked calmly.

    Huo Guanchen said, ¡°Keven was originally heading towards Xiang Mountain, but now he¡¯s heading towards the southwest. We¡¯re in pursuit!¡±

    ¡°Southwest?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. He immediately said, ¡°Ms. Song is in danger in the southwest direction. There was a big explosion there, and we¡¯re heading there now.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±Huo Guanchen roared, ¡°Say that again!¡±

    His voice was so loud that it brokepletely, and his hoarse voice hurt Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eardrums.

 Chapter 2049

    <h4>Chapter 2049: Chapter 2049 fishermen and fish (12)(second update)(Disc Love Reading Alliance Leader +)</h4>

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already send so many people to protect her? ! How did she go missing? ! Where are those people? !¡±Huo Guanchen continued to shout in his hoarse voice.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi quickly walked into the elevator. Normal cell phone reception was slightly worse in the elevator, but of course, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone did not have such a problem.

    The phone he had brought with him this time had a dedicated line support, so it could connect to any location without any blind spots.

    Therefore, he could hear Huo Guanchen¡¯s hoarse and cracked voice clearly.

    If he had known this would happen, why would he have done it in the first ce?

    Huo Shaoheng thought of this sentence.

    He calmly continued,¡±... the exact situation is still unclear, but there was a big explosion over there, and the information was cut off for a while. It¡¯s possible that most of your people have... been sacrificed.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was stunned.

    He looked at the vast night sky in front of him. The bright headlights of the car shone through the darkness and pointed in his direction, but the brighter the road in front of him was, the darker the ces on both sides were.

    It was so dark that he could hardly see where he was.

    It was very cold in the midnight of December in the imperial city. Driving with the Windows Open, the night wind was like thousands of knives cutting his face.

    However, Huo Guanchen could no longer feel the pain.

    ¡°... have they really sacrificed themselves?¡±Huo Guanchen said in a low voice, ¡°How many people are there? What kind of explosion? !¡±

    Thinking of what Huo Guanchen had hinted to him and what Lu Yuan had said just now, Huo Shaoheng only said one sentence,¡±... it¡¯s said that it¡¯s the same as the explosion 18 years ago.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were like a shot of adrenaline into his heart. ¡°Is it really rted to the failure of the experiment 18 years ago? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not know much about the failure of the experiment 18 years ago. It was only because Huo Guanchen had hinted to him a few times that he knew that Huo Guanchen had not given up on investigating the past in the past 18 years.

    However, too much time had passed, and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know as much as Huo Guanchen did about the incident. Moreover, Huo Guanchen hadn¡¯t shared all the information with Huo Shaoheng.

    Therefore, when he heard Huo Guanchen say this, Huo Shaoheng understood and snorted coldly.¡±... So You had a premonition, but now that there¡¯s such a big mess, you¡¯d better think about how to face the interrogation of the military.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Also, if anything happens to Ms. Song this time, our father-son rtionship wille to an end.¡±

    After saying this, Huo Shaoheng hung up the phone and pulled Gu Nianzhi into the helicopter.

    Huo Shaoheng sat in the helicopter¡¯s pilot seat and let Gu Nianzhi sit directly behind him and fasten her seatbelt.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and greeted the soldiers in the helicopter. ¡°Hello, thank you foring to save me.¡±

    The soldiers were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s security guards. One was a highly-selected sniper, the other was an observer, and there were two technical support teams in the helicopter responsible formunicating directly with the headquarters.

    They all knew Gu Nianzhi, so they quickly said, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re wee. This is what we should do.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put on the pilot¡¯s sunsses and headphones without saying a word. He steered the helicopter into the air and quickly flew southwest.

    ..

    Huo Guanchen sat in a modified Hummer military vehicle. He held a pair of binocrs equipped with infrared night vision equipment and looked ahead. He instructed the driver to track him in the dark.

    ¡°300 meters ahead, target is preparing to turn right to lower the highway.¡±

    ¡°Four hundred meters ahead, the target is elerating.¡±

    ¡°Five hundred meters ahead, the target is speeding 100 kilometers.¡±

    The driver in the vehicle was terrified when he heard that. ¡°Chief, what kind of car is the other party driving? A roller coaster? ! He can actually speed 100 kilometers!¡±

    Huo guanchen sneered and said, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was speeding so much, we would have caught up with him long ago.¡±

    He had cast the for so long just to catch a big fish like Keven!

    Keven was too cunning. Other than encouraging Guo huining to be stupid from time to time, he did not have a single w.

    Without evidence, they could not arrest him.

    They could not use suspicion as evidence.

    It was not until this time that Keven personally dealt with Gu nianzhi that Huo Guanchen decided to pull the back.

    At first, he thought the other party¡¯s target was song jinning, but then he realized that the other party seemed to know that he was monitoring them, but still acted as usual. This led him to conclude that perhaps song jinning was just a cover and that the other party had other motives.

    Today, seeing Gu Nianzhi attracted to him, he concluded that the other party¡¯s real target was Gu Nianzhi.

    After all, Gu Nianzhi had more secrets than song jinning.

    Just like how she had mysteriously disappeared a year ago, and now she had mysteriously returned with Lu Yuan, Huo Guanchen already knew what was going on.

    After the illegal fireworks, the illegal electromaic shielding, and the sudden loss of contact between Gu Nianzhi and speaker long at the Sheraton Hotel, as well as the small explosion at their location, this series of actions.., huo Guanchen was very confident in his own guess.

    So when he heard Huo Shaoheng say that something had happened to song jinning, he suddenly realized that the other party actually had more than one real target.

    But why would the other party target both song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi?

    Could it be that the failure of the experiment 18 years ago actually had something to do with Gu Nianzhi?

    Gu Nianzhi was only two years old at the time!

    How could it have anything to do with her?

    Huo Guanchen shook his head and decided not to think about Gu Nianzhi for now.

    Based on that explosion, Huo Guanchen could conclude that this group of people was really directly rted to the failure of the experiment 18 years ago between the military and the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    They really hid it well..

    They really hadn¡¯t revealed anything in the past 18 years?

    Or had they appeared before, but he hadn¡¯t realized it?

    For the first time, Huo Guanchen regretted it. He was afraid that he shouldn¡¯t have held all this information in his hands. He should have shared it with others, especially not Huo Shaoheng..

    If something had really happened to song jinning this time, Huo Guanchen would know that it was his own ego that had harmed her.

    Huo Guanchen was burning with anxiety. He mmed the window and said in a deep voice, ¡°Speed Up! 150 kilometers over the speed limit!¡±

    Their car was a modified car, so the speed limit on the highway was nothing to them.

    Moreover, their car was a military license te. They were on a special mission now, so they could go over the speed limit.

    After receiving Huo Guanchen¡¯s order, the driver¡¯s spirits were lifted, and he answered loudly, ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±

    The special forces convoy led by Huo Guanchen suddenly elerated, speeding along the highway at lightning speed.

    The modified cars had very good performance. Although they were elerating to the point where they were about to take off, the engine was still able to maintain a silent state.

    At this time, the ordinary cars on the highway only felt a blur before their eyes. A few Hummer military vehicles almost shed past their eyes. The image of the military vehicles still remained in their retinas, but the military vehicles had already left them far behind, they disappeared in an instant.

    The key was that they couldn¡¯t hear a single sound.

    This was even more exciting than a European Form One car!

    A few drivers who liked to post on Weibo quickly took a few afterimages and posted them on Weibo, using a sensational title.

    # Our Army¡¯s Secret Weapon ¡ª Silent Engine #

    # teleportation gate speed ¡ª guess how fast they¡¯re speeding #

    However, after these messages were posted, they were quickly deleted by the system. Those few ounts also realized that they had been silenced and could not post on Weibo for three days.

    They seemed to have discovered something amazing.

    ..

    After Huo Guanchen¡¯s motorcade sped up, they finally got closer and closer to the ck Land Rover in front.

    Keven and his men were in the car in front.

    Huo Guanchen curled the corners of his lips and revealed a cold and bloodthirsty smile.

 Chapter 2050 - Chapter 2050 fishermen and fish (13)(third update)

    <h4>Chapter 2050: Chapter 2050 fishermen and fish (13)(third update)</h4>

    The Night Wind was biting cold, and the darkness was like a huge shell that covered everything.

    The car¡¯s headlights were shining, and it was the only bright part of the shell.

    Keven cursed ¡°Shit¡±in the car and asked the driver beside him, ¡°Can¡¯t you drive faster? !¡±

    The driver said with a bitter face,¡±... it¡¯s already at the highest speed this car can reach. If it¡¯s any faster, the car will fall apart...¡±

    Keven punched the window with hatred. ¡°It¡¯s already so fast, how can the people behind be getting closer and closer? ! Could it be that the engine of this broken country of China is already so powerful? ! ¡ª I don¡¯t believe it!¡±

    ¡°The car behind is a military car...¡±the driver looked at the rearview mirror. ¡°The things in China¡¯s military are different from those used by civilians. Perhaps there are some powerful things that everyone doesn¡¯t know about...¡±

    Keven clenched his fists, his elegant and handsome face almost contorted.

    ¡°... the Chinese military has some powerful things? It seems that we still haven¡¯t given enough money. Those insiders are all useless! Until now, no one has spread this kind of information!¡±

    His driver was also his confidant for many years, hearing this, he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°The cost of getting information is much higher now. Back then, tens of thousands of dors could get theplete information of China¡¯s new nuclear submarines. Now, we can¡¯t even touch the door...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying all this now! If we don¡¯t think of a way, we¡¯ll be caught like turtles in a jar!¡±Keven closed his eyes because of the approaching car lights, when he turned around, he saw Guo Huining tied up in the back seat from the corner of his eye. He curled the corner of his mouth in disdain.

    ..

    Huo Guanchen saw that the ck Land Rover in front of him was getting closer and closer, and his expression became more and more calm.

    ¡°Open the window and observe the hand-measured wind speed. Snipers, get ready. Target: the tires of the car in front.¡±Huo Guanchen raised his hand and gave the order.

    The soldiers in the car immediately took action.

    The car window above their heads slowly opened up a gap. The observing hand extended the instrument out and began to check the wind speed, as well as the actual distance of the car in front.

    The car window on the side slowly lowered a gap, and the sniper put his sniper gun on it.

    In the vision of the cross-shaped far-infrared night vision scope, not only could the tires of the car be seen, but people could also be seen moving inside the car.

    ¡°There are four people in the car in front, a driver, two people sitting in the entourage, and a person lying in the entourage. The person lying in the entourage is tied up.¡±

    Hearing this, Huo Guanchen suddenly waved his hand, ¡°Hit the tires, force the car in front to stop, and get ready for battle!¡±

    They had already arrived at a deste area. There weren¡¯t many cars passing by here. Looking at the map, they were already close to the southwest suburbs of the Imperial City.

    The observer immediately reported a set of data. The sniper adjusted the riflescope of the snipergun ording to the data and aimed again.

    Bang!

    A muffled sound like a firecracker being set off in a teacup rang out. The tires of the ck Land Rover in front of them deted with a sound.

    The car tilted a little, but the car did not stop.

    Bang!

    With another muffled sound, the tires on the right and back of the ck Land Rover in front of them deted.

    Squeak ¡ª !

    The two tires on the back of the ck Land Rover in front of them were blown off, and it finally could not continue driving. It turned 90 degrees on the spot with a screech and stopped in the middle of the road.

    The members of the special guards led by Huo Guanchen first used their cars to block the back road of the car in front of them. Then, they got out of the car and surrounded the car.

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    It was impossible for Keven to sit still and wait for his death. Together with the two apanying members of the car, they fired at the people who surrounded them first.

    The bullets deviated in the night wind and did not hit the target. Instead, it stimted the blood of the members of the special guards.

    They were all the soldiers who had been selected by the army. They were all omnipotent and had no weaknesses.

    Seeing that the criminals in the other party¡¯s car still dared to shoot back with guns, the members of the special forces who were walking at the front listened to the direction of the bullets and instinctively raised their hands to shoot!

    Almost at the same time that the car window broke, a bullet mark appeared on the forehead of the person sitting next to Guo Huining in the back seat. It was exactly the same as the mark on the car window.

    He did not even make a sound as he fell on the back seat.

    The blood from the bullet hole on his forehead gradually flowed out and covered his face.

    Guo Huining had long woken up. Seeing this scene, she felt that she might as well have fainted. She could not help but scream.

    Hearing her scream, Kevin¡¯s eyes focused. He quickly leaned over from the front seat, grabbed Guo Huining, and pointed a gun at her head, gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you now... Let¡¯s see what position you hold in general Huo¡¯s heart!¡±

    The Huaxia military was everywhere. Keven had no intention of leaving alive.

    He wanted to die together with them.

    After scooping up the crying Guo Huining from the back seat, Keven used his voice to call his boss¡¯s number and said, ¡°If the operation fails, you will have to pay with your life.¡±

    The person on the other side was very excited. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°You don¡¯t have to defy orders! You have to Live! I will get the bestwyer to help you fight the case!¡±

    Keven¡¯s heart skipped a beat.¡±... What if they kill me?¡±

    ¡°If they kill you, I will make them pay the price!¡±His boss said resolutely. ¡°Keven, you are an American citizen. They wouldn¡¯t dare to kill an American!¡±

    Keven:¡±...¡±

    This trick really worked?

    But since the boss said so, he would give it a try.

    He didn¡¯t n to live anyway. At most, he would die.

    Keven opened the window and pushed Guo Huining¡¯s head out of the window. He said loudly, ¡°General Huo! You are chasing after her relentlessly. Is it because of this woman? ! If you want her to live, don¡¯t force me!¡±

    Guo Huining was overjoyed when she heard that Huo Guanchen hade. She cried, ¡°Guanchen! Save Me! Save Me!¡±

    Huo Guanchen held his gun and stood behind the cover by the roadside. He looked at the car in front of him without saying a word.

    Half of Guo Huining¡¯s body was stuffed out. Her hands were tied, and she struggled up, forming an acute triangle with the window.

    The members of the special guards asked him,¡±... What should we do? Do We need to rescue the hostages?¡±

    Huo Guanchen said coldly, ¡°She¡¯s not a hostage. She¡¯s an aplice.¡±

    The members of the Special Guards:¡±...¡±

    Huo Guanchen did not deliberately lower his voice.

    Guo Huining and Keven, who was in the car, also heard it.

    Guo Huining was stunned by how cold he was. She forgot to cry for a moment and looked in the direction of the voice.

    The Night Wind Blew, and the tears on her face almost froze. It made here back to her senses.

    ¡°... I¡¯m not an aplice! I¡¯m a hostage!¡±

    Guo huining shouted, ¡°General Huo! Don¡¯t be fooled by them! I¡¯m a hostage! They want to use me to threaten you!¡±

    Huo Guanchen curled his lips. ¡°I¡¯m never threatened.¡±

    He raised his hand and fired two shots in Guo Huining¡¯s direction.

    Bang! Bang! The two shots hit the metal car windows on both sides of Guo Huining.

    Sparks flew. Guo Huining was so scared that she rolled her eyes and fainted again.

    Keven was so angry that he pulled Guo huining back from the car window and blocked her in front of him while pointing a gun at her head, he shouted outside, ¡°I¡¯m an American citizen! How dare you shoot an American citizen? Do you want to cause a diplomatic dispute? ! Our country will not let you off!¡±

 Chapter 2051

    <h4>Chapter 2051: Chapter 2051 fishermen and fish (14)(first update)</h4>

    Huo Guanchen looked expressionlessly in the direction of the ck Land Rover, he did not think much of it. ¡°An American citizen holding a hostage in our country is a criminal act. ¡°Even in the United States, you will be shot to death with one shot. Don¡¯t worry, we all have aw enforcement recorder. Everything that happened today has been recorded. If your country stands up for you, we don¡¯t mind releasing today¡¯s video to the world.¡±

    Keven couldn¡¯t believe his ears.

    He actually had aw enforcement recorders for such a confidential incident? !

    His first reaction wasplete disbelief.

    But on second thought, it didn¡¯t seem impossible.

    As far as he knew, there were a lot of surveince cameras here. Even if there were now enforcement recorders, there might be surveince cameras installed in some corner. When the surveince video was released on the Inte, no matter how thick-skinned his country was.., they would be too embarrassed to continue sticking up for him..

    Keven gritted his teeth in hatred.

    This Huo Guanchen, he did not see that he was so cunning!

    Keven used his gun to smash Guo Huining¡¯s head, and sneered, ¡°Now you admit that she is a hostage? Didn¡¯t you just say that she is my aplice? !¡±

    ¡°She is your aplice, and also your hostage.¡±Huo Guanchen slowly raised his gun, ¡°This is not contradictory. You knocked her out to be your meat shield, isn¡¯t that taking hostages? Keven, I advise you to surrender. Otherwise, once the lights go out here, I won¡¯t recognize any Americans or Chinese.¡±

    Keven¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted.

    Seeing that Keven didn¡¯t speak for a long time, Huo Guanchen put his other hand behind his back and gave the order to the members of the special forces in signnguage, telling them to quietly surround him while distracting Keven¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Mr. Keven, although you are an American, your parents are both Chinese immigrants. You are chinese-american, right?¡±

    He actually found out about this..

    Keven calmed down and turned the gun in his hand. He said with a smile that was not a smile, ¡°General Huo really did a lot of homework.¡±

    He neither admitted nor denied it.

    As he spoke, he also sent orders to his own people.

    With a few gunshots, the headlights on both sides of the car were extinguished.

    The entire area fell into darkness.

    Kevin and his guards got out of the car, trying to tear a hole in the encirclement and escape.

    However, Huo Guanchen raised his gun and shot one of Keven¡¯s guards.

    The guard screamed and exposed their location.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s special forces immediately focused their fire and attacked where Keven and the others were.

    Keven was wearing a bulletproof vest, and he was holding Guo Huining in his hand as a shield. He was unharmed for the time being.

    However, Guo Huining was not so lucky.

    In the darkness, the special forces¡¯bullets flew everywhere. Several of them hit her.

    She was shot in the arm, leg, and shoulder. She woke up from the pain.

    When she opened her eyes, she found that everything was dark. There were only the sounds of gunshots and shes of fire dancing in front of her.

    This scene was like hell on Earth to her, and she immediately started to wail mournfully.

    After being shot, the pain was excruciating, but it also stimted her nerves. She couldn¡¯t even faint.

    She watched helplessly as the bullets brushed past her, and one of them even grazed her face.

    Disfigured, definitely disfigured..

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t help but scream even more mournfully.

    The moment she screamed, no matter how hard Kevin tried to change his position, he waspletely exposed by Guo Huining.

    At this time, the members of the special guards finally put on their far-infrared night-vision goggles and calmly washed the guards around Keven.

    The semi-automatic rifle with a silencer operated smoothly in their hands. The powerful firepower washed the ground and quickly took down most of the guards around Keven.

    The guards that Keven brought with him were once professional soldiers of a certain country. After they retired, they became mercenaries. However, in front of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s special guards, they were still beaten to a pulp.

    Keven¡¯sbat strength was also very strong. He hid behind Guo Huining and kept raising his gun to shoot back. He even injured a few members of the special guards.

    His resistance aroused the blood of the special guards even more. They actually seemed like they would not rest until one of them was dead.

    Guo Huining was scared out of her wits by the bullets that flew past her. She almost howled like a lunatic.

    In the end, Keven felt that her howling was too annoying. He pushed her out and quicklyy on the ground. He rolled a few times and hid in a ditch by the roadside.

    This ditch was originally used for drainage, but it was drier in winter. There was no water in the ditch, so it became a ready-made trench bunker.

    At this time, only the two most powerful mercenaries were left by Keven¡¯s side. They took advantage of the opportunity to hide in the ditch and assembled two more guns.

    These guns were made of a special material. After dposition, they could escape the search of any security equipment.

    It was Keven¡¯s trump card.

    He had never thought of using this kind of gun because he was afraid of exposing his true identity.

    But now he couldn¡¯t care less. He had to escape first and then think about exposing his identity.

    If he couldn¡¯t escape, then the more powerful he was, the better!

    The two mercenaries assembled the guns and quickly carried the bullet bags on their backs. They stood up from the trench and raised their guns at the surrounding special guards.

    The special guards did not expect that the three of them would have such powerful weapons!

    Although they reacted quickly and fell down in time, there were still a few special guards who were shot in the legs and fell to the ground.

    However, none of them cried out. Instead, they quickly dragged their injured legs and crawled away from the battlefield. They did not want to hold back their own people.

    The members of the special guards at the back immediately fell to the ground and fired at the same time with their guns on the ground.

    The bullets hit the ground, causing dust and dust to fly everywhere. The sound of pping could be heard continuously.

    They fired without any regard for their lives. The firepower was so dense that they could not even raise their heads.

    Huo Guanchen did not want his own people to make unnecessary sacrifices. He ordered the members of the special guards not to attack and to continue to surround and consume the enemy¡¯s bullets.

    No matter how powerful these ouws were, it was impossible for them to be like them and have the entire military backing them up to provide equipment.

    During the stalemate, the roar of a helicopter came from above.

    Everyone could not help but raise their heads to take a nce.

    The helicopter suddenly lit up a pir of light, illuminating the area. Immediately after, the sound of gunfire fell from the sky, killing the two powerful mercenaries beside Keven on the spot.

    Keven hid in the trench with his head in his hands. Several times, he wanted to detonate the bomb and perish together with these people, but when he thought of the boss¡¯s instructions, he held back.

    Did he think that capturing him would be a sess?

    Hehe, then let¡¯s wait and see..

    ¡°Come out!¡±A member of the special guard raised his gun and pointed it at Keven.

    Keven slowly raised his hands and stood up from the trench.

    His body was covered in dirt, and his neat suit was wrinkled. He no longer looked elegant and handsome.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to silence me!¡±Keven warned them sternly. ¡°I have already notified mywyer in the United States. He will contact you immediately!¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s arm was also slightly injured, but he did not care. He did not even bandage it. He still pointed his gun at Keven¡¯s head and ordered coldly, ¡°Knock him out, handcuff him, and search him.¡±

    A member of the special forces backhanded and hit Keven on the back of his neck, knocking him out. Another member immediately searched Keven¡¯s body.

    When they found the high-yield time bomb on Keven¡¯s body, their backs were still covered in cold sweat.

    If this person really wanted to die with them, the chances of them returning alive were unlikely.

    However, Huo Guanchen narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction where the helicopter had disappeared.

    If he was not mistaken, that was the armed helicopter of the special operations forces.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2051, fisherman and Fish (14) .

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at 8:30 pm.

    Remind Me of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah

 Chapter 2052

    <h4>Chapter 2052: Chapter 2052 fishermen and fish (15)(2nd update)</h4>

    That direction was also the direction in which Huo Shaoheng had told him song jinning had disappeared.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart tightened and he immediately ordered, ¡°Half of you will clean up the battlefield, and the other half will escort the suspect, Keven, back to the military.¡±

    Although he really wanted to see how song Jinning was doing, he still decided to personally escort Keven back first.

    He was worried about handing over the suspect, whom he had spent so much effort to catch, to anyone.

    It looked like Huo Shaoheng had personally gone to save song jinning.

    Huo Guanchen was very relieved that Huo Shaoheng was doing his job.

    The special forces swiftly carried out Huo Guanchen¡¯s orders. Half of the uninjured people were left to clean up the battlefield, while the other half, along with the injured, followed Huo Guanchen to escort keven and Guo Huining back.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng personally flew the helicopter to the southwest of the imperial capital.

    Along the way, he had already learned a lot about Lu Yuan¡¯s situation through the groundmunication with Zhao liangze.

    ¡°Huo Shao, the situation over at General Huo¡¯s side is also veryplicated.¡±

    ¡°ording to the statistics, General Huo¡¯s side doesn¡¯t have as many bandits as general Lu¡¯s side, but theirbat power is extremely strong.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the enemy leader that General Huo is dealing with is keven. His status is much higher than Lu Yuan¡¯s enemy leader, associate director Jia.¡±

    ¡°This also makes sense, because Keven was originally targeting nianzhi. Associate Director Jia¡¯s side is also dealing with inspector song, so they probably underestimated it. They thought that there weren¡¯t many security guards around inspector song, but they didn¡¯t expect that General Huo had secretly ced many soldiers around inspector song as security guards.¡±

    ¡°So in the end, the enemy was so desperate that they even used a special-purpose explosion.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened quietly, asionally grunting in response.

    Finally, he heard Zhao liangze say, ¡°General Huo¡¯s battle has ended. begin to clean up the battlefield and escort the suspects back to the military. Dozens of powerful mercenaries have been killed.¡±

    Huo shaoheng nodded and said, ¡°Ask Big Xiong to send someone to the military to inquire about the situation. Keven is an American citizen. Our Special Operations Forces can assist in the investigation.¡±

    Although Keven was a foreigner, he hadmitted crimes on Huaxia¡¯s territory, so the special operations forces could not directly intervene because the special operations forces had jurisdiction over all ces outside of the territory.

    Unless they were authorized by a domestic agency to assist in the investigation.

    However, in cases involving foreigners, the special operations forces would usually be requested to assist in the investigation, because most of the evidence collection was done abroad. At that time, the special operations forces would be able to show off their skills.

    Zhao liangze immediately said, ¡°Okay, Huo Shao, I¡¯ll tell Big Xiong right away.¡±

    After taking care of the two most powerful mercenaries around Keven, Huo Shaoheng flew the helicopter and arrived at a ce not far from Lu Yuan.

    He did not immediately find a t spot tond. Instead, he used the phone to contact Lu Yuan first.

    ¡°Director Lu, How¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ..

    Lu Jin had already arrived in his modified driverless car. He was holding his own equipment and investigating with Lu Yuan for evidence.

    ¡°... This explosive yield, the scale and intensity are indeed very simr to the situation you described back then.¡±Lu Jin looked at the data on his equipment and muttered.

    ¡°Who asked you to check the explosion data now!¡±Lu Yuan was burning with anxiety. ¡°Can you quickly check if there¡¯s anyone alive here? !¡±

    He needed someone to provide him with clues in order to determine the direction in which song Jinning had been abducted the fastest.

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the strength and scale of the explosion. How can I be sure that she¡¯s the same as you were back then?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart clenched. ¡°Then, is she? !¡±

    If she was the same as him back then, then she must have gone to the opposite world.

    ¡°Are you worried that she went to the opposite world?¡±Lu Jin pouted his lips in the air, amused.

    ¡°Why are you still nagging? !¡±Lu Yuan¡¯s emotions were rarely revealed. ¡°Hurry up and tell us the result! We don¡¯t have time to listen to your long speech!¡±

    ¡°Even if we pass, don¡¯t be anxious.¡±Lu Jin had never seen Lu Yuan so anxious before, and he couldn¡¯t help but tease him. ¡°You¡¯ve been on the other side for so many years, you should know that there¡¯s not a single song jinning on the other side...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say.¡±Lu Yuan snorted, and he could see Lu Jin¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°I¡¯ve indeed not heard of a great scientist called Song Jinning in the other side for 18 years, but that¡¯s not certain. There¡¯s definitely not a song jinning on the other side,¡±Lu Yuan said with a hint, ¡°You told me before that the person on the other side is a counterpart, and the counterpart corresponds to DNA. It¡¯s not a specific identity, status, or ability.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and tapped him a few times. ¡°You still have some brains. I¡¯ll be honest with you. With the scale and intensity of the explosion, it¡¯s wishful thinking to send someone to the other side.¡±

    He took out the instrument and pointed it at Lu Yuan. ¡°See these data? Although it looks impressive, it¡¯s just a decoration because the scale and intensity aren¡¯t enough.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s only a decoration?¡±

    ¡°For example, it¡¯s like the difference between a miniaturendscape and a normalndscape.¡±

    ¡°From a philosophical point of view, the quantitative change causes the qualitative change, and it¡¯s also applicable here. They haven¡¯t reached the equivalent of the quantitative change, so of course it won¡¯t cause the qualitative change. You¡¯re worrying too much.¡±

    ¡°You want to go to the other side just like that? You¡¯re Dreaming.¡±

    Lu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief and red at Lu Jin. ¡°Just say that you won¡¯t go to the other side. It¡¯s a waste of time to be so long-winded.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want me to find where director song went?¡±Lu Jin put down the device unhappily. ¡°I¡¯m eliminating all kinds of possibilities. Thest possibility is to be able to determine her location.¡±

    ¡°Then you might as well wake up the soldiers here and see if they have any clues.¡±Lu Yuan was anxious and didn¡¯t want to bicker with Lu Jin.

    The longer he dyed, the more danger song jinning would be in.

    However, Lu Jin didn¡¯t do as Lu Yuan said. Instead, he continued to adjust the device and pointed in the southeast direction.¡±... Director song went over there.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... You¡¯re not mistaken? ! How did you detect it? !¡±

    Lu Jin stared at the data on the instrument, without raising his head, he said, ¡°They¡¯ve all experienced the explosion here, and they have maic field energy of the same nature as this one. After my instrument input the maic field data here, I can use quantum entanglement to conduct a random search.¡±

    ¡°Even if they¡¯ve escaped to the ends of the Earth by now, to me, locating them is only a matter of time.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t understand it at all, Hope suddenly rose in his heart.

    ¡°Report the coordinates, we¡¯ll go there immediately!¡±As Lu Yuan spoke, he also heard the sound of helicopters approaching from afar. He couldn¡¯t help but be overjoyed when he knew that reinforcements had arrived.

    When Huo Shaoheng contacted him, he immediately said, ¡°Lu Jin has already confirmed director song¡¯s coordinates. Put down the ropedder, we¡¯ll go together.¡±

    It was faster to chase with a ne than with a car, especially when the ground could be ¡°Caught off guard¡±at any time.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2052, fisherman and Fish (15) .

    The second watch of the day.

    Please remind me of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 2053

    <h4>Chapter 2053: Chapter 2053 fishermen and fish (16)(first update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng immediately put down the ropedder and asked, ¡°Uncle Lu, have you confirmed the coordinates?¡±

    Lu Yuan immediately reported the coordinates, and Huo Shaoheng immediately entered it into the helicopter¡¯s automatic navigation system to lock onto the coordinates.

    When Lu Yuan and Lu Jin climbed up the ropedder, Huo Shaoheng had already finished controlling the coordinates and was flying towards the coordinates.

    Gu Nianzhi saw Lu Jin climb up and jumped over in surprise. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re here too!¡±

    Lu Jin was shocked. ¡°Nianzhi, why are you here? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback but quickly understood. ¡°Nianzhi was in danger too?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t really in danger. The only thing that was more dangerous was the sudden explosion of the seat in the soundproof small reception room at Sheraton Hotel.

    However, because Huo Shaoheng had reminded her in time, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t affected by the explosion.

    However, if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t called to check on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition, it was hard to say what the consequences would have been.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Lu Jin was worried and didn¡¯t want to say anything, but Lu Jin didn¡¯t even need her to say anything. His face darkened and he immediately picked up his phone to search for what had happened in the imperial capital that night.

    He was so angry that he almost flew into a rage on the helicopter.

    ¡°... how dare you! How dare you use a bomb on my girl! HMPH!¡±Lu Jin waved his fist in exasperation.

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He looked at Lu Jin in confusion. ¡°How did you know there was a bomb against Nianzhi? I didn¡¯t see it on the news...¡±

    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t see it. They blocked the news,¡±Lu Jin said without hesitation. ¡°I searched for it myself.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... they¡¯ve blocked the news, how can you search it out? Don¡¯t you feel conflicted?¡±

    Lu Jin snorted and raised his phone. ¡°The channel I use to search is different from the way you use thousand-degree or Google. The information blocking on the Inte doesn¡¯t work on me at all.¡±

    ¡°... Why doesn¡¯t it work? Just because your skin is thicker?¡±Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help but retort.

    Unexpectedly, Lu Jin was not angry either. He smiled at him and said, ¡°Boss Lu, I know you¡¯re in a bad mood today, so I won¡¯t lower myself to your level.¡±

    ¡°I said that those information blocks won¡¯t work on me because the search engine I use is based on quantum entanglement. All information on the inte, whether it¡¯s encrypted or not, as long as it¡¯s circting on the inte, including sending emails and short messages, I can search for keywords.¡±

    ¡°So as long as someone talks about the Sheraton hotel in private, I¡¯ll know.¡±

    Lu Jin patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head smugly, ¡°I already knew that mydy and Speaker Long went to the Sheraton Hotel to attend their Christmas party today. ¡°I was just searching for information and saw someone sending an encrypted email to report that the Sheraton Hotel¡¯s bomb n had failed and the target had escaped.¡±

    ¡°Afterparing the two, I knew that mydy must have been the target of a failed bomb attack.¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head speechlessly. ¡°How can you infer that yourdy was in danger just like that? What if it was someone else? For example, speaker long. Isn¡¯t he bigger than Nianzhi¡¯s target?¡±

    ¡°Who said that? !¡±Lu Jin almost blew his beard and red at him. ¡°How can speaker long be more important than mydy? ! The other party is so generous, of course, they can only deal with mydy! Other people aren¡¯t worth their time and effort!¡±

    She spoke as if it was a glorious thing to be the target of a bomb attack.

    Gu Nianzhi was also speechless. She quickly tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m actually fine. You know that even if the bomb goes off, I¡¯ll still be fine. At most, I¡¯ll suffer some physical pain.¡±

    ¡°Of course. With your physique, you can recover in no time.¡±Lu Jin patted her shoulder. ¡°Also, I made a special bulletproof vest for you. It can even defend against missiles. Those small bombs are nothing!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    When she attended public events now, she would indeed wear the bulletproof vest that Lu Jin had made for her under her clothes.

    It kept her warm, was elegant, and had a strong bulletproof function.

    Lu Yuan watched on, the corners of his mouth twitching. ¡°But no matter how much it heals, won¡¯t Your Lady Be in pain? It¡¯ll still hurt if she¡¯s scalded by boiling water, not to mention getting blown up by a bomb.¡±

    Lu Jin shut his mouth.

    After a while, he said hatefully,¡±... who nted the bomb? ! who has the guts? ! He wants to Die!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the situation at the time and frowned slightly. She said in a low voice, ¡°At that time, the seat of the Chief Operating Officer of Sheraton Hotel and I were on fire and exploded.¡±

    Lu Jinughed coldly. ¡°This is just a small trick to cover up the truth. It¡¯s just like how murderers often need to create an alibi. There¡¯s no silver in this ce.¡±

    That was true, but if they were to go to court, this would indeed be a strong evidence to exonerate the other party.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. She felt like she was really possessed.

    What time was it now, and she still wanted to go to court?

    Kevin had been captured alive by the Special Forces. Just the charge of gathering a crowd and holding a gun was enough to make Keven suffer.

    Gu nianzhi only regretted that when Huo Shaoheng was shooting down from the helicopter, why didn¡¯t he just shoot Keven to death

    Of course, she only dared to think about it in her heart. She would never dare to say it in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    After a moment of silence, Gu Nianzhi sat next to Lu Jin and rested her head on his shoulder, she said in a low voice, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t say anymore. Huo Shao is very protective of me. With You by my side, no one can touch me. But Mrs. Song...¡±

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help ncing at Lu Yuan when she mentioned song jinning.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s rare frown deepened. He pursed his lips and looked down through the window at the scenery on the ground, trying to determine the location of thendmark.

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly pulled on the joystick and spoke to the people in the cabin through the inte,¡±... There¡¯s an electromaic shield again. The ne¡¯s autopilot has failed. I¡¯m driving manually now. You guys should fasten your seatbelts.¡±

    When there was an electromaic interference, the ne¡¯s navigation system would lose contact with the satellite system. The autopilot would rely on the navigation system.

    Without the navigation system, it would depend on the pilot¡¯s skills and experience.

    They would soon reach their destination. Huo Shaoheng would have no problem piloting the ne himself.

    However, with Lu Jin around, how could he let someone else carry out the electromaic interference?

    He didn¡¯t even need to use his own professional equipment. He just took out his phone and opened a small APP. He quickly found the frequency of the electromaic interference.

    As long as he found the frequency of the electromaic interference, it would really be a matter of minutes to crack it.

    Lu Jin only used his phone to counter it, and Huo Shaoheng discovered that the helicopter¡¯s autopilot system was back to normal.

    He watched as the clouds outside the window thinned. With both hands on the steering wheel, he steered the helicopter tond, he asked through the inte, ¡°Uncle Lu, who sent the encrypted email saying that the operation had failed? Can you find out the real-name authentication information of the person who sent and received the email?¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The three of them were sweating profusely in their hearts.

    None of them had thought that they would be able to trace the Satoshi Saito!

    Lu Yuan had been focusing all his attention on song jinning, so it was understandable.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, had been distracted by Lu Jin, so she hadn¡¯t been able to react in time.

    Lu Jin was the only one who felt the most ashamed.

    He had been able to search for the other party¡¯s encrypted email, and it was obvious that the person behind the scenes was reporting to him, but he hadn¡¯t even thought to check for real-name authentication!

    Lu Jin lowered his head silently and searched again. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, ¡°There is no real-name authentication information in the email box that sent and received the message.¡±

    ¡°What about the IP address?¡±

    Lu Yuan still shook his head. ¡°Changing the IP address at the right time is also based on the theory of quantummunication.¡±

    He touched his chin and said thoughtfully, ¡°The mastermind this time is very powerful. At least in the professional level, it is simr to your institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally found an opponent.¡±Lu Yuan was burning with anxiety and did not forget to insult Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°Boss Lu, that¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t Push Your Luck. Let me tell you! I¡¯ve told you that this person¡¯s skills are about the same as your institute of High Energy Physics. I¡¯m Much Better Than Your Institute of High Energy Physics!¡±

    It meant that if he wanted to catch up to him, he would have to do it in his next life.

    Lu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief, but his palms were still sweating.

    Huo Shaoheng had alreadynded the helicopter on a rtively t field.

    They were now more than 200 kilometers southeast of the outskirts of the imperial capital. Not far away, they could already see the harbor in the darkness. The sea water gentlypped against the shore, making a rustling sound.

    A few speedboats were parked on the shore,pletely hidden.

    There were several high-end residential areas near the shore. In one of the apartments, the person in charge of shielding the electromaic interference was scrambling to adjust the equipment.

    A person next to him said angrily, ¡°You can¡¯t even use the electromaic jammer well, and you still say you¡¯re a physics student? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 2053, fisherman and Fish (16) .

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch is at 8:30 pm.

    Please remind me of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2054

    <h4>Chapter 2054: Chapter 2054 fisherman and Fish (17)(second update)</h4>

    Before the helicopter¡¯s propeller stopped turning, Lu Yuan had already jumped down from the helicopter.

    Lu Jin followed behind him and stumbled down. Just as he stabilized himself on the ground, Lu Yuan grabbed his hand and asked anxiously, ¡°Where¡¯s chief song? Didn¡¯t you say that she¡¯s here? !¡±

    Lu Jin looked around.

    When he was in the air, he looked down and remembered that this was the direction to the sea.

    However, the helicopter couldn¡¯t stop on the main road. Huo Shaoheng must have found a t ce close to the main road tond. It was still some distance away from the main road.

    Lu Jin took out the instrument to check again. He frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s here. Let¡¯s go a bit further.¡±

    Before he could finish, Lu Yuan had already started running.

    Lu Jin turned to look at Huo Shaoheng, who was walking towards them from the helicopter. He asked, ¡°How many men did you bring?¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied, ¡°Not counting you and me, there were four.¡±

    In other words, excluding Gu Nianzhi, Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Huo Shaoheng, there were still four people.

    ¡°... There were eight people in total...¡±Lu Jin muttered to himself. ¡°Is it not enough?¡±

    ¡°Are there a lot of them? Can you find out where they are?¡±Gu Nianzhi was nervous. She walked over to stand beside Lu Jin and tilted her head to look at the device in his hand.

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if there are a lot of them, but this ce is huge. We might have to do a nket search.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    A nket search on the coastline?

    Are you kidding me?

    Gu Nianzhi also stared at Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you find their coordinates?¡±

    ¡°... someone has already removed the residual maic field energy from their bodies.¡±Lu Jin scratched his head and nced at Huo Shaoheng in embarrassment, ¡°Right now, I can only determine that they should be near the coastline. The signal has already disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Dad, how do you know that someone removed the residual maic field energy from their bodies and did not disappear naturally?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously as she looked around.

    This ce was not considered remote, but it was definitely not bustling.

    Not far from here, there were several buildings under construction.

    Under the dim moonlight, the tall eagle beak frame stretched across the sky, and the greenpletely covered the buildings that had not yet been built.

    There was a neighborhood nearby that had already been built. It was obvious that it was an apartment with a sea view. Four or five high-rise buildings were arranged in an orderly manner, trying to get the best view of the sea.

    The upancy rate of the neighborhood should not be too high. It was not even 10 o¡¯clock at night, and not many people went to bed early. However, there were very few floors with lights on.

    Gu Nianzhi retracted her gaze and looked at the coastline ahead.

    The road was not smooth, so she could not see the sea at first nce. However, she could already hear the sound of the sea crashing against the shore. The Night Wind brought with it the unique salty smell of the sea. It was not unpleasant, but it was refreshing.

    Because it was close to the sea, it was not as cold as the imperial capital.

    ¡°What should we do? With the few of us, we¡¯ll search until the end of time.¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered and looked up at the side of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face.

    Huo Shaoheng did not look at her, but he had already reached out naturally and pulled her to his side. He thought quietly for a moment and said,¡±... I¡¯ll call someone over. Even if it¡¯s a nket search, we have to find the person.¡±

    Even if it meant searching the entire country¡¯s 18,000 kilometers of coastline, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate.

    Lu Jin searched for information for a while and said quietly, ¡°There¡¯s a Christmas yacht race here today. It was set half a year ago. We¡¯ll set off at midnight. Whoever reaches their destination before dawn will win the 50 million prize.¡±

    ¡°... because the prize money is higher, there are a lot of boats participating. Preliminary estimates say that there are 3,000 yachts gathered on the coastline here tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gasped,¡±... half a year ago? ! Who is so capable? ! Is It Chaos Mathematics? !¡±

    Lu Jin snorted. Although he was reluctant, he said honestly,¡±... this person can probably go one step further than Chaos Mathematics.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ..

    Lu Yuan ran further than Huo Shaoheng and the others.

    He had already reached the seaside and looked at the densely packed boats docked at the harbor.

    It was almost 10 o¡¯clock, but it was still crowded and brightly lit. There were many more people than at the seaside apartmentplex.

    He frowned more and more.

    At this time, why were there so many yachts and boats here?

    ording to his intuition, song jinning should have been brought to these boats.

    But which boat was on? This was a problem.

    It was not impossible to search them one by one, but it would be too eye-catching. It would alert the enemy. What if, in a fit of anger, the enemy killed song jinning and dumped her body into the sea?

    Lu Yuan did not dare to say anything. He took out his phone and sent a message to Lu Jin: [ can you find their current coordinates? I¡¯m worried that they are on the ship... ].

    Lu Jin saw the message from Lu Yuan and Lu Yuan, and replied helplessly: [ ... the residual maic field energy has disappeared. I can¡¯t determine the correct coordinates. ].

    Lu Yuan was so farsighted that he almost threw his phone into the sea.

    He stood on the shore, looking at the dark, sparkling sea and the waning moon in the sky.

    The woman he had been thinking about for more than 30 years was not far from here, but he could not find her!

    ..

    Song Jinning¡¯s mouth was sealed with tape by associate director Jia. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was thrown into the cabin of a small yacht.

    There was originally another person waiting on the yacht.

    After they boarded the yacht, the person held a scanner-like instrument and scanned them a few times. He handed the yacht to associate director Jia and got off the yacht.

    Because it was dark, the person was fully dressed. He wore a hooded hooded hoodie, a ck mask, and a pair of sunsses that could cover half of his face. One could not even tell if he was a man or a woman.

    He killed and fled all the way. Song Jinning could tell that associate director Jia was at the end of his rope, and he even looked a little frightened.

    She was not afraid of the vicious and evil people, but she was afraid of the mentally ill people who had lost their rationality.

    Because the vicious and evil people could still predict their way of doing things, but the mentally ill people who had lost their rationality could not predict any of their actions.

    Therefore, song jinning was very careful to keep quiet and try not to provoke associate director Jia.

    He had a gun in his hand, and this person¡¯s marksmanship was not urate. Song Jinning was not afraid of being killed, but if she was beaten into a cripple, she felt that it would be better to die.

    Her gaze turned to the outside of the cabin. Song Jinning could not see the shore. She could only see a row of yachts in front of her. She did not know if there was anyone on the boat.

    Associate Director Jia was studying the dashboard of the yacht in the cockpit with a dark face.

    This was a modified yacht. It was much faster than a normal yacht.

    The driving method was very simple. After entering the high seas, it could even operate automatically.

    As long as they could enter the high seas, there would be a warship to meet them immediately.

    Associate Director Jia looked at the direction of the shore warily. He was sure that those people hadn¡¯t chased after them yet.

    After entering the sea coordinates given to him by that person into the navigator, associate director Jia set the sailing time.

    As long as they waited until midnight, thousands of yachts would set off at the same time. At that time, even gods would not be able to find their location.

 Chapter 2055

    <h4>Chapter 2055: Chapter 2055 fishermen and fish (18)(first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands to her mouth and huffed as she rubbed her hands together.

    ¡°... are you cold?¡±Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to the ne?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°No, I want to see if I can help.¡±

    She turned to ask Lu Jin, who was standing on the other side of her. ¡°Dad, you haven¡¯t said it yet. How do you know that the maic field energy didn¡¯t disappear naturally, but that it was man-made?¡±

    She was really asking for trouble.

    Lu Jin red at Gu Nianzhi,¡±... if the maic field energy disappeared naturally, do you know how long it would take? !¡±

    ¡°If the residual energy disappeared naturally to a ce that my equipment couldn¡¯t detect, it would take at least a hundred years, not a thousand years! It disappeared so quickly, so of course it was artificially eliminated!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°Just like the half-life of radioactive elements?¡±

    ¡°... not that powerful.¡±Lu Jin lowered his head and fiddled with his small hand-held instrument. ¡°But the principle is simr. In short, it suddenly disappeared, so it must have been artificially eliminated.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed, and she muttered to herself,¡±... in high energy physics, it¡¯s almost the same as the Institute of High Energy Physics. And it can even use chaos mathematics? Isn¡¯t this person a genius? !¡±

    ¡°... A Genius?¡±Lu Jin didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he had to respect reality. He snorted and said arrogantly, ¡°By your standards, of course he¡¯s a genius.¡±

    What he meant was that by Professor Lu¡¯s standards, these people weren¡¯t considered geniuses.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. She saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s serious expression from the corner of her eye, and her heart sank even more.

    Song Jinning was still in the hands of those people, and ording to Lu Jin¡¯s analysis, they seemed to have some other great genius on their side..

    What should she do?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about the seven years she had been on the inte in this world. She didn¡¯t seem to have heard of any other genius other than Gu Xiangwen.

    But Gu Xiangwen in this world was already dead. He waspletely dead. She had seen his body with her own eyes.

    Thinking of Gu Xiangwen¡¯s body in this world, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking of his wife, who had died with him..

    She looked exactly like Qin yaoguang after stic surgery.

    And Qin Yaoguang had undergone stic surgery based on Qin Suwen¡¯s facial bones.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at Lu Jin, her eyebrows twitching slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng stood beside Gu Nianzhi with his hands behind his back. He listened to her banter with Lu Jin, but his mind was racing. He was thinking about how he could find song Jinning and rescue her without anyone noticing.

    They hadn¡¯t expected so many yachts to be here.

    The other party must have hidden song jinning in these yachts, that was for sure.

    However, they couldn¡¯t figure out the other party¡¯s route, so they didn¡¯t dare to let the other party know that they wereing.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately sent a message to Huo Guanchen, telling him to bring reinforcements without letting the other party know that they wereing. In other words, they couldn¡¯t let the other party know that they wereing.

    He had toe over quietly.

    When Huo Guanchen saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s message, he had just finished reorganizing the army.

    He sent the previous members of the special guards back to the military headquarterspound and reced them with another group of special guards. This time, it was the thirdpany of the special guards.

    The armed helicopters were ready. They were only waiting for his order to head southeast.

    Huo Guanchen looked at the phone that the personal secretary had given him for a while, expressionless. He read Huo Shaoheng¡¯s text message over and over again before giving the order in a low voice.

    ¡°Assemble the first toon of Guards.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s men were stunned. ¡°Sir, the first toon of guards are ordinary soldiers who stand sentry. Do you want them to assemble?¡±

    They were now gathered by the thirdpany of the special guards.

    Huo Guanchen raised his hand. ¡°Yes, the first row of guards will gather. Get on the helicopter and fly southwest. At the same time, the ground military vehicles will open up a path. Make a big show of it. Make sure there are sirens, the kind that disturb the people.¡±

    The toon leaders and Company Commander:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... Chief, are we really going to disturb the people?¡±

    Although the military order was like a mountain, this order was contrary to the tradition of our army, and they did not dare to listen to it easily.

    Huo guanchen nodded, ¡°Follow my orders! If there¡¯s a problem, I¡¯ll take responsibility!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Commander!¡±The toon leader of the first toon of guards did not dare to question the decision of themander anymore. He immediately deployed troops into the helicopter, and at the same time, he put a portion of the soldiers into military vehicles. Along the way, he pulled the rm and sped toward the southwest direction.

    Meanwhile, the members of the thirdpany of the Special Guards quietly sat on the modifiedrge truck with Huo Guanchen. They took the drones and headed toward the southeast direction.

    This trick, which was to build a bridge in the open and build a bridge in the dark, seeded in paralyzing the other party.

    ..

    ¡°... when do we leave the ship? Will it be toote? What if the other partyes after us?¡±Associate Director Jia was on the phone with someone in the cockpit. He was so nervous that he was almost on edge.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We have people keeping a close watch on the movements of the military. They are looking in the wrong direction. They are heading southwest. No one wille.¡±

    Associate Director Jia quickly turned on his phone and looked at the news. Indeed, the inte was filled with military vehicles and armed helicopters that suddenly gathered in the southwest direction at around 10 o¡¯clock in the morning. He did not know what had happened.

    There were also many passersby who took photos and went online, saying that ¡°There are pictures and the truth¡±.

    Seeing these photos, associate director Jia heaved a sigh of relief.

    Previously, he had always felt that the other party had caught up with him. He had always suspected that they were not far away.

    Only when he saw the news did he believe that he had finally gotten rid of the pursuers.

    It seemed that their people were good at misleading others. This had led the other party to the southwest direction.

    The southwest and southeast, although it was only one word apart, were twopletely different directions.

    Associate Director Jia¡¯s heart felt warm and cold, and he couldn¡¯t help but take out a bottle of cold beer from the cockpit¡¯s freezer and take a sip.

    As long as this trip was sessful, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the rest of his life.

    ..

    Lu Yuan stood by the seaside for a long time before he finally had an idea.

    He turned back and met up with Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, and Gu Nianzhi. He said, ¡°Get me a yacht. I want topete with them.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him calmly. ¡°Getting a yacht is easy, but how to locate Ms. Song is the most important thing.¡±

    Lu Yuan clenched his fists. ¡°Even if I have to search one yacht at a time, I will find her.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you talking nonsense? If we can search one ship at a time, how can we not find her?¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes again. ¡°But she can let you search one ship at a time?¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do? !¡±Lu Yuan was so worried that his mind was in a mess. He couldn¡¯t think of a suitable solution.

    Lu Jin had thought of a solution, but he could only rely on Huo Shaoheng toplete it. He didn¡¯t have that much equipment and energy on his own for the time being.

    Lu Jin looked at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Shaoheng, this is your mother¡¯s ident. Can you use your official position to help yourself?¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead.

    This was supposed to be an open and aboveboard matter. Why was it so unreasonable when her father said it?

    She quickly stopped Lu Jin from continuing. ¡°Dad, how is this using your official position to help yourself?¡±? Ms. Song was the director of the Insitute of high energy physics and the head of the State Key Laboratory. If something happened to her, the state would do anything to save her! ¡ª right, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes, as long as we can save her, as long as we can do it, there¡¯s no boundary between public and private.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±Lu Jin gave him a thumbs up and praised him with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s how my son-inw acts!¡±

    He liked to do things in an informal manner.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan finally kicked him.¡±... What are you waiting for? ! Tell me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng blocked Lu Yuan¡¯s flying leg in time. Lu Jin dodged to the side and quickly said, ¡°Tell Shaoheng to use his weather weapon!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She pped her hands and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s best if the weather weapon causes a storm at sea! I dare say that most of the people on these yachts by the sea will choose to give up thepetition and leave the ship!¡±

    Lu Yuan also understood and said calmly,¡±... they don¡¯t have to give up voluntarily. At this time, the government can step in and use the storm at sea as an excuse to announce that thepetition will be rescheduled and the yachts will not be allowed to go out to sea!¡±

    ¡°Then we can send people onto the ship in a justified manner to help everyone evacuate!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2056

    <h4>Chapter 2056: Chapter 2056 fishermen and fish (19)(second update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was actually already considering this question.

    ¡°Uncle Lu¡¯s suggestion is very good. I¡¯ll ask my superior for instructions, and you can also help us see if there are any improvements to our existing weather weapons.¡±

    As he spoke, he used his bluetooth headset to connect to his phone and called General Ji.

    General Ji¡¯s personal secretary received the call and immediately went to General Ji¡¯s study.

    General Ji was still awake at this time, waiting for news.

    His special forces had already been mobilized. The severity of the situation was self-evident.

    Seeing that it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s call, he immediately asked, ¡°Have you found director song? Is Nianzhi Alright?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng faced the direction of the sea and said in a low voice,¡±... Nianzhi is fine, but director song¡¯s whereabouts are currently unknown. He¡¯s in the 1,000 yachts opposite me. I¡¯d like to apply to the military to use the weather weapon.¡±

    General Ji was a little troubled and said,¡±... Shaoheng, to activate the weather weapon, the procedures are very cumbersome, and it¡¯s not during wartime, when important military targets or leaders are threatened with their lives.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, you know better than I do that if it wasn¡¯t during wartime, to activate the weather weapon, there would indeed be aplete approval process.¡±

    ¡°This is to prevent people from cheating and endangering the lives of ordinary citizens.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, our country¡¯s weather weapon is still immature. If we use the weather weapon offshore, if we don¡¯t control the scale well, it will cause damage to the property of ordinary citizens. There is a certain risk.¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng, is there no other way? Do We have to use it? Can Director Song Wait?¡±

    General Ji asked a few questions in quick session. Huo Shaoheng was already prepared.

    He nced at Lu Jin and said calmly, ¡°General Ji, it is precisely because our country¡¯s weather weapons are not mature enough that we need to test them in practice.¡±

    ¡°There are three reasons for me to apply for a special use to activate the use of weather weapons immediately.¡±

    ¡°First, director song is an important scientist in our country and has made significant contributions. Based on the military use of high-energy physics that she has mastered, it has already surpassed the importance of general important military targets or leaders

    ¡°When her life and safety are threatened, the special use is fulfilled

    ¡°Second, our opponent is rted to the failure of the experiment eighteen years ago. The failure of the experiment had caused a great loss to the military and the country. Not only in terms of property, but more importantly, in terms of the talent pool. ¡°At that time, our country¡¯s most famous high energy physicist, academician song Haichuan, the Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, was sacrificed

    ¡°At the same time, many outstanding young scientists at that time were sacrificed. I can not exaggerate to say that their sacrifice had caused our country¡¯s high energy physics to stagnate for a full decade

    ¡°Such a huge loss, and now there are signs that it was intentionally done by foreign enemies. Can We just sit back and do nothing?¡±

    ¡°Can this level of threat not be considered as dering war on our country?¡±

    ¡°Third, the important scientist that our country just imported, professor Lu Jin, has suggested that he can help us test the scale and strength of the new weather weapon. With his operation, I think you can rest assured.¡±

    ¡°It will definitely not cause major losses to the lives and property of ordinary people.¡±

    After hearing the first two reasons, General Ji had already agreed in his heart. When he heard the third reason, he was even more unable to resist.

    He had only done two things in his life. One was to nurture talent for the military, and the other was to create more sophisticated weapons for the country.

    Talent and weapons were the truly important weapons for the country to protect its country!

    ¡°Do you really have evidence to prove that the military¡¯s experiment with the Institute of High Energy Physics failed eighteen years ago was sabotaged?¡±

    General Ji became serious. If this usation was true, then the investigation back then had to be reopened. Even the investigators back then had to be re-examined.

    Because the official results of the investigation back then ruled out the possibility that the experiment had failed and was sabotaged.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know much about what had happened back then. It was just that his father, Huo Guanchen, had revealed a bit of information to him this time. Then, in the process of pursuing the enemy, the bombs they had used had given themselves away.

    It could be said that they had set a good example of not seeking death.

    Huo Shaoheng also had doubts in his heart.

    He said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s still too early to conclude that there was a problem with the investigation back then. ¡°And if it really was sabotaged back then, why did they jump out and expose their own shorings after so many years? These are all problems. ¡°But for now, General Ji, please immediately agree to professor Lu personally managing the weather weapon and rescuing director song.¡±

    General Ji thought about it and felt that what Huo Shaoheng said made sense, he immediately said, ¡°Okay! I agree to your application and will grant special approval. Immediately report the three reasons you mentioned in writing to me, and I will immediately approve it. You let Professor Lu take charge of operating the weather weapon.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±No matter how calm Huo Shaoheng was, he was still a little happy.

    He knew that song Jinning would definitely be saved this time.

    After hanging up the phone, Huo Shaoheng looked at Lu Jin and Lu Yuan, with a serious expression, he said, ¡°I have already applied for the use of the weather weapon. General Ji agreed, but Uncle Lu will have to personally take charge of the operation and evaluate and improve our existing weather weapon. ¡°Only in this way will general ji have more reason to exin to the people in the military.¡±

    The military headquarters carried out a system of collective leadership.

    Although General Ji was the head of the Supreme Council, he could not control the sky with one hand.

    Lu Yuan immediately said to Lu Jin, ¡°Lu Jin, please help us!¡±

    He was worried that Lu Jin would suddenly ¡°Fall ill¡±and make things difficult.

    Lu Jin snorted. ¡°Am I that unreasonable in your eyes?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Gu Nianzhi did not speak, but their eyes expressed the same meaning. ¡°You Are...¡±

    Ha, childish.

    Lu Jin was disdainful in his heart, but he also knew that he had been too willful in the past, so it was normal for these people to have doubts about him.

    However, he was a person with severe interpersonal disorder, so he was not someone to be trifled with. He patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder and said provocatively, ¡°Boss Lu, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that your cooking was really delicious, I would have taken over superintendent song.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only admired two women in my life. One is Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother, and she¡¯s no longer around, and the other is superintendent song. If I were to take action, do you think there¡¯s any hope between you and superintendent song? !¡±

    He snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeve.

    Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. She stomped her feet and chased after him in an attempt to change the subject. She said coquettishly on purpose, ¡°Dad! If you say so, where did you put me? Didn¡¯t you say I was your favorite girl? !¡±

    Lu Jin turned to look at her. He held her hand and scratched her straight nose, he deliberately reprimanded her with a straight face, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? You Are My Lady. Of course, you are the first in my heart. How can you bepared to the women i Admire? I may have feelings for them as a man and a woman, but for you, I only have feelings for father and daughter. Can this bepared?

    ¡°Just like how some women are not clear-headed and insist onparing themselves to their daughter-inw. What do you mean by ¡®marrying a wife and forgetting your mother¡¯? What a retard. If your son¡¯s feelings for his daughter-inw are the same as his mother¡¯s, that would be disgusting! Let me tell you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched from the scolding, but she still managed to calm herself down as she held onto Lu Jin¡¯s warm and generous palm.

    She was about to continue persuading him, but she did not expect Lu Yuan to follow her, without hesitation, she said to Lu Jin, ¡°As long as you can save superintendent song, I¡¯ll immediately withdraw and fulfill your wish. As long as she can return safely, I¡¯ll immediately leave this ce and never see her again for the rest of my life!¡±

 Chapter 2057

    <h4>Chapter 2057: Chapter 2057 fishermen and fish (20)(first update)</h4>

    Lu Jin was so shocked by Lu Yuan¡¯s words that he almost fell to the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly held him up and was also shocked by Lu Yuan¡¯s words.

    She turned to look at Lu Yuan. Everything was dark in the dark night sky, but under the dim moonlight under the navy blue sky by the sea, she saw Lu Yuan¡¯s slightly red eyes.

    She had no idea that a man who had almost never put his true emotions on his face would actually show such an expression of pain and forbearance.

    This expression was so infectious that in an instant, Gu Nianzhi seemed to have seen the man¡¯s entire life.

    In his entire life, he had hidden all his personal feelings, love and pain, joy and anger, regret and hatred, deep in his heart.

    The only thing that had been revealed to everyone was his calm, cheerful, and unyielding persistence and conviction, no matter what the situation was.

    It was also because of this that when she had unintentionally sensed the man¡¯s emotions, Gu Nianzhi knew that this was the man¡¯s limit.

    He could no longer hold back, and he could no longer remain calm and collected.

    He was like a volcano that was burning inside. Although theva had not yet erupted, the surface of the earth had already begun to loosen.

    Not only was Gu Nianzhi shocked by his expression, but even Lu Jin, who liked to joke at the most inappropriate times, froze.

    After a long while, he pointed at Lu Yuan¡¯s nose and said,¡±... are you stupid? ! You Can¡¯t even tell if what I said was true or not? ! Would I take a fancy to another woman? Do you think your director song is a treasure that everyone wants? !¡±

    Lu Yuan closed his eyes.¡±... No matter what you say, as long as you save her...¡±

    Lu Jin was so angry that his nose was crooked, ¡°Boss Lu, you¡¯re going to piss me off! Not only am I going to piss me off, but I¡¯m going to be so angry that I won¡¯t even have the face to see Nianzhi¡¯s mother! There¡¯s no one else in my heart! There¡¯s never been anyone else! Boss Lu, you like Madam song to the point of death, yet you¡¯re still going to push her out? ! No Wonder Madam Song didn¡¯t like you back then ¡ª you deserve it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes in horror and shouted, ¡°Dad! Stop talking! Let¡¯s go take charge of the weather weapon! I¡¯ll go with you!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. He said calmly, ¡°Tell uncle Lu to go back with my people. You stay with me. You Can¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    On the other end of the Bluetooth headset, Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were standing by in the central control room.

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and hearing the argument between Lu Yuan and Lu Jin, both of them were very moved.

    Yin Shixiong shook his head and turned off the headset. Heughed strangely and said to Zhao liangze, ¡°Huo will be clingy one day! Actually, it¡¯s better for Nianzhi to go back to the military headquarters with Professor Lu. It¡¯s safer than being at the seaside.¡±

    Zhao liangze understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions. He looked down at the screen in front of him and said calmly, ¡°You haven¡¯t lost the person you love the most, so you don¡¯t understand Huo Shao¡¯s mentality.¡±

    He paused and said in a very low voice,¡±... but I understand.¡±

    If Bai Shuang hadn¡¯t died, he would have been like Huo Shaoheng. At any uncertain moment, he would have wanted her to be with him. Even if he had to tie her to his side with a rope, he would have done it.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He knew that he had stepped on Zhao Liangze¡¯s sore spot, and he felt bad about it. He immediately turned on his headset and pretended to be serious about his work, he said loudly to Huo Shaoheng on the other end of the headset, ¡°Huo Shao, I¡¯ll go to the airport immediately to pick up professor Lu and send him to the military headquarters!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand tightly, he said, ¡°I was just looking for you. You¡¯ll go to the airport immediately to pick him up, and then you¡¯ll personally send Professor Lu to the military headquarters and bring him back. No matter where professor Lu goes, you¡¯ll have to follow him closely. Don¡¯t leave anything out. I don¡¯t ept any chances.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±Yin Shixiong stood up and saluted.

    Even though Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t by his side, there was always an unspeakable pressure when he issued an order in a deep voice. Even though they were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, people couldn¡¯t help but obey him.

    Lu Yuan looked anxiously at Lu Jin and said sincerely once again,¡±... Please.¡±

    Lu Jin sighed and patted Lu Yuan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You win. Boss Lu, promise me one thing and I¡¯ll go save Inspector Song.¡±

    ¡°Tell me! No matter what it is, I¡¯ll agree!¡±All of Lu Yuan¡¯s cautiousness and tactfulness were put down. ¡°If I can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll give my life to you!¡±

    The corners of Lu Jin¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Boss Lu, why would I want your life? I want you to promise me that when Madam song is rescued, as long as you propose to her, I¡¯ll take charge of the weather weapon!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Do you agree or not? ! It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t agree. After all, she has nothing to do with you. Why should I save her?¡±Lu Jin simply folded his arms and looked up at the starry sky.

    Lu Yuan understood what Lu Jin meant. He was both touched and nervous. He nodded again cautiously. ¡°I agree. As long as she can return safely this time, I will definitely propose immediately!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Remember This!¡±Lu Jin suddenly took out his phone, he waved it at Lu Yuan. ¡°I¡¯ve recorded everything you said today. If anyone dares to snatch Ms. Song away from you, I¡¯ll let them out and embarrass them to death! I¡¯ll make them back down!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Gu nianzhi stuck her head into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms helplessly.

    ... who would be embarrassed to death?

    Huo Shaoheng waved at Lu Jin, signaling for him to hurry to the helicopter.

    Not long after, the helicopter took off. There were helicopter pilots among Huo Shaoheng¡¯s soldiers. He and two other soldiers escorted Lu Jin back to the military headquarters in the imperial capital.

    ..

    At the temporary airport of the military headquarters, Yin Shixiong was waiting for him with the field staff of the special operations forces.

    Yin Shixiong immediately reported to Huo Shaoheng the moment Lu Jin got off the ne,¡±... Target A has reached its destination. End of report.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi, and Lu Jin had brought the remaining soldiers to a ce where they could see the coastline from the sea.

    The ce was brightly lit, and more than a thousand yachts lined up in a row at the port. It was a magnificent sight.

    The yachts were decorated with Christmas lights. The lights were bright, and there were many people going up and down. The whole dock was livelier than during the day.

    They came here quietly and did not attract any attention.

    However, they did not blend into the crowd at the dock. Instead, they found an empty ce with a leeward wind to hide. They waited for the wind to blow and for reinforcements to arrive.

    At this moment, the thirdpany of the special guards led by Huo Guanchen had arrived at a ce not far from here in a modified truck.

    ..

    Lu Jin got off the helicopter and was brought into a bulletproof car by Yin Shixiong. They drove towards the central area of the military headquarters.

    The car¡¯s windows were very dark. Lu Jin could not see the road outside. Only the driver in the front row could use his special eyes to control the direction.

    Lu Jin only knew that the car took seven turns and finally drove deeper and deeper underground.

    After the car stopped, he got out of the car and saw that he was indeed standing in front of a building that looked like a bomb shelter.

    The gate that was as tall as two people was extremely thick and heavy. It was wrapped in a thickyer of cowhide, and there were all kinds of defensive materials inside. Not to mention ordinary nuclear bombs, even hydrogen bombs would not be able to blow up this ce.

    This was probably the most important wartime militarymand base in all of China.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was a little strange.

    He had seen the same ce in the other world, but that was before he had fallen out with he chengjian. He chengjian had brought him there to see it, and at the same time, he had asked him to help test their weather weapons.

    Standing in front of almost the same ce, Lu Jin could not help but ask Yin Shixiong,¡±... who built this ce?¡±

    Yin shixiong whispered, ¡°It¡¯s said that this was one of the military projects that the military cooperated with the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    Lu Jin suddenly understood.

    It seemed that the failed experiment eighteen years ago was not the only project that the military cooperated with the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    The gate of the base opened quietly, and Yin Shixiong and Lu Jin walked in together.

    The other members of the special operations forces did not have the authority to enter, so they could only stand guard outside the gate.

    After entering, Lu Jin was directly brought to a pitch-ck oak room by the staff.

    On the door were two simple words written in gold: Weather Warfare.

    This was the most mysterious weather weapon control room in any country.

 Chapter 2058

    <h4>Chapter 2058: Chapter 2058 important weapon of the Great Country (chapter 2058)(My Love Hall + 2)</h4>

    Yin Shixiong followed behind Lu Jin and walked in.

    The ck oak door behind him immediately closed, separating the inside and outside of the room into two worlds.

    Yin Shixiong could be considered a person who had seen the world.

    The central control room of the headquarter of Special operationforces¡¯encampment ground was also one of the most secret ces in the Empire¡¯s military. However,pared to this ce, it seemed to becking something.

    This should be arge hall, but at a nce, it looked like a library. There were many bookshelves densely packed together.

    However, the books on the bookshelves were not books, butputer mainframes.

    Perhaps they were not mainframes, but looked likeputer mainframes.

    Yin Shixiong was not sure what these things were called. It was as if he had walked into the basement of the supeputer center, and everywhere was surrounded byputers.

    The staff in this room were all wearing white coats and looked no different from the ordinary scientists in theboratory. However, Yin Shixiong knew that these people were not only good at business, but also had a strong background, all of them had gone through the most stringent background checks and were the most outstanding talents in the military.

    All of them looked at Lu Jin eagerly, as if a fanatic fan had met a star of his own fan. They wanted nothing more than to worship him as a god.

    Lu Jin was rather polite to them. As he walked, his gaze casually wandered around the hall. He nodded at these staff members and said, ¡°Is the weather weapon control room here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Professor Lu. All the control systems rted to weather weapons are in thisboratory.¡±A man who looked to be in his thirties looked at Lu Jin excitedly, ¡°The organization has asked you to host this weather weapon experiment. All the personnel of the military¡¯s weather controlboratory have been ordered to assist!¡±

    Lu Jin smiled slightly and raised his hand. ¡°Cut the crap. Give me the password to the control panel. Use as many people as you normally have to operate it. Listen to my instructions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Professor Lu!¡±That person stood at attention and saluted happily. He also regarded him as a chief.

    The corner of Yin Shixiong¡¯s mouth twitched. He missed that his father was actually quite reliable..

    Lu Jin seemed to have heard his thoughts. He turned around and nced at him, saying seriously, ¡°Stand behind me. Don¡¯t make a sound and affect everyone¡¯s operation.¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately shut his mouth like a m shell.

    ..

    After bypassing the rows of bookshelves-like buildings, his vision suddenly became clear.

    In front of them were rows and rows of long desks. The desks were also filled withputer monitors.

    The surrounding walls, the ceiling above their heads, and even the floor under their feet were also filled with OLED monitors.

    When the lights dimmed, they seemed to be deep in the vast starry sky, with blue light shining from all directions.

    Yin Shixiong suddenly felt a trace of awe.

    Lu Jin said with emotion, ¡°Weather weapons. From the name, I can tell that they are man-made weather weapons for military purposes

    ¡°In fact, we have been manipting the weather in a small area for a long time. The mostmon ones are sprinkling dry ice sheets, removing clouds and fog, and even controlling lightning

    ¡°There are also temperature-controlled bombs for real battles. They consume the oxygen around the semi-enclosed targets by high temperature and high pressure. They are especially useful for attacking targets in caves or tunnels

    ¡°There are also cold weapons and high temperature weapons that use the weather to attack the enemy.¡±

    As Lu Jin spoke, he used the password given to him by the other party to open the centralputer mainframe of the console. At the same time, he began to teach these staff members who were listening attentively.

    ¡°However, these weather weapons that are used in actualbat all have one characteristic, which is that their usable range is very small.¡±

    ¡°Why? Because our understanding of weather weapons is not precise enough.¡±

    ¡°Just like many years ago, when the theory of nuclear weapons had a breakthrough, everyone knew that nuclear bombs could be built in this way. However, before a nuclear bomb with a controlled explosive yield was built, no one dared to use a nuclear bomb.¡±

    ¡°Because you don¡¯t know how much damage the nuclear bomb that you throw will cause.¡±

    ¡°If the damage is uncontroble, it¡¯s a double-edged sword. It can hurt both people and yourself.¡±

    ¡°Such a weapon can only survive in aboratory and can not be used on a real battlefield.¡±

    ¡°The same is true for weather weapons. The weather weapons now are powerful, but if you can¡¯t control their range of attack, they can cause a catastrophe.¡±

    ¡°Nuclear bombs and hydrogen bombs are not worth mentioning in front of real weather weapons.¡±

    The staff of theboratory were busy operating the equipment while listening to Lu Jin. They wished they could be more mindful so that they could multitask.

    Lu Jin turned on theputer host in front of him and selected the ¡°Hurricane on the sea¡±on the menu.

    At this moment, the OLED disy screen in the room immediately changed patterns, showing the thick cotton candy-like clouds.

    Yin Shixiong immediately felt the power of nature.

    Lu Jin¡¯s hand paused for a moment and continued, ¡°Someone once said that the biggest hurricane, Katrina, that the United States experienced a few years ago was caused by... The weather weapon developed by Russia.¡±

    ¡°Although Russia strongly opposes it, this statement is not groundless.¡±

    ¡°I am sure that all countries around the world, as long as they have a certain amount of talent and economic strength, are researching weather weapons.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that the development of such weapons is more difficult than nuclear bombs and hydrogen bombs.¡±

    ¡°Because if you¡¯re not careful, it¡¯s very likely that you¡¯ll wipe your own country off this Blue First.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, there are no more than three countries in the entire blue that are actually developing weather weapons.¡±

    When Lu Jin mentioned three, Yin Shixiong felt likeughing.

    Other than China, the United States, and Russia, you¡¯re actually going to find me the fourth country that can develop weather weapons?

    I¡¯ll lose if you find it.

    The staff of theboratory couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    They were more reserved and didn¡¯tugh out loud.

    Lu Jin shrugged. He didn¡¯t think what he said was funny. It was just the truth.

    His hand began typing a string ofmands on the keyboard at lightning speed.

    ¡°Hurricane setting at sea. Enter coordinates near the coast. Within a five-nautical-mile radius, hurricane level three.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s goal was only to find a legitimate reason to stop the 1000-yacht race that had begun at midnight. He did not want to cause too much of a stir at sea, so a level three hurricane was enough.

    The staff at theboratory put on their headphones and listened to Lu Jin¡¯smands clearly in English.

    The most difficult part of a weather weapon was controlling its scale and intensity.

    They had simted it many times on theputer, but they were still unsure of what would happen in reality.

    Because the weather conditions in reality were very different, any small change would cause a butterfly effect, making their control form unsuitable.

    If the control form failed, it meant that the weather weapon had failed.

    An uncontrolled weather weapon would attack indiscriminately. No one would be stupid enough to kill all of them when they were killing the enemy.

    The control form code written by Lu Jin using chaos mathematics was irreceable in correcting errors at the right time.

    Lu Jin entered the form into the control system. After performing a few calctions, he had a rough idea.

    ¡°Atmosphere No. 1, activate.¡±

    ¡°Atmosphere No. 2, activate.¡±

    ¡°Atmosphere No. 3, activate.¡±

    ..

    Lu Jin did not finish until atmosphere no. 180 was activated.

    The code names he mentioned were actually the high-tower windmills that had been erected on the seaside and hillsides around the imperial capital over the years.

    These high-tower windmills were made of white concrete as columns and special alloys as turbines. On the surface, they could be used to generate wind power, and at the same time, they could be used for military conversion.

    These high-tower windmills were actually antennas that were mainly used to emit high-frequency electromaic waves. They could emit short-wave electromaic waves into the atmosphere and use atmospheric particles to focus and charge energy, thus changing the temperature and density of the atmosphere above blue, creating the eye of the hurricane.

    Lu Jin¡¯s order was to activate the antenna function of these high-tower windmills and start releasing huge short-wave electromaic waves to the corresponding coordinates in the sky above Blue.

    ..

    Gu nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Yuan hid behind a shelter that was sheltered from the wind and quietly waited for the hurricane to arrive.

    Not long after, Huo Guanchen arrived with a modified van.

    He had spoken to Huo Shaoheng on the phone, and under his guidance, he had parked the van some distance away from the dock.

    The engine of the modified van was almostpletely silent, and no one had been alerted along the way.

    At least the yachts at the dock were still normal, and there were no unusual movements.

    Huo Guanchen brought the members of the thirdpany of the special forces and quietly walked over, he frowned and asked, ¡°Why are you still waiting? Why aren¡¯t you making a move? ! How much longer are you going to wait? ! Inspector song, Don¡¯t hold him hostage for too long!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch and felt a sudden gust of wind. He looked up and narrowed his eyes, saying, ¡°Almost.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the wind suddenly grew stronger. It was so strong that people couldn¡¯t help spinning around on the spot.

    Gu Nianzhi was the lightest person here. She was almost blown away.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her and looked up at Huo Guanchen. ¡°General Huo, I¡¯ll have to trouble my special forcesrades to wear the uniforms of the local garrison and board the yachtter to help evacuate the crowd.¡±

    Huo Guanchen:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... why do we have to evacuate the crowd?¡±He was a little confused, but Huo Shaoheng looked like he had a n in mind. Lu Yuan stood beside him with his hands behind his back. It was as if they had made some kind of deal in private.

    Huo Guanchen looked away unhappily.

    He was about to continue asking questions, but the tornado was getting stronger and stronger, especially at the pier, which was the center of the tornado. It was boiling visibly.

    The shimmering water began to shake, and the waves came one after another. From a young age to a young age, they rolled up huge waves and washed over the yachts that were docked at the pier.

    ¡°What happened? The weather forecast didn¡¯t say there would be wind tonight?¡±

    The people on the yachts came out. They wore raincoats and ced their hands on their foreheads as they looked up at the sky.

    The clear, dark blue night sky was now covered in thick clouds that were pressing down on their heads. The cyclone had almost scraped their faces. It was bone-piercing cold.

    Everyone Shivered and went back into the cabin, closing the doors and windows.

    But this was far from enough.

    The Quiet Bay seemed to have been violently woken up by someone. It was rolling and fluttering as it vented its anger from getting out of bed.

    Ssh!

    A wave of seawater that was like a high wall rolled up and hit a yacht on the side.

    The yacht was originally parked on the side, and it was smaller than the other yachts. Suddenly, half of its body was tilted by the wave.

    ¡°It¡¯s flooded! It¡¯s flooded! The yacht is flooded!¡±

    The three men on the yacht wore orange life jackets and ran out in panic. They jumped into the sea with a ssh and quickly swam to the shore.

    However, when they reached the sea, they found that the waves were bigger than what they could see on the surface.

    The Tumbling Sea vortex almost squeezed their internal organs out.

    A few sea guards jumped down from somewhere and dragged the three of them ashore.

    After they got ashore, the heavy rain fell from the sky.

    This time, the rain was strange. Unlike the usual rain, it started with small raindrops and continued to pour heavily.

    This time, it started with heavy rain. It was like the sky was broken by a waterfall. The heavy rain poured down, heavy and urgent.

    The wind was howling, the rain was heavy, and the waves were rolling. When the heavens were angry, it was really chilling.

    Many people hid in the yacht and swiped their phones to check the weather.

    Only after checking did they realize that a hurricane had suddenly appeared in this area of the sea. It was said that the cold current from Siberia had merged with the tropical clouds from the south and north. The cold and heat shed and caused a hurricane at sea.

    Immediately after, the local government began to issue an emergency notice, requesting that everyone in the hurricane area be evacuated.

    It was said that this hurricane wouldst for a longer period of time, and its intensity would increase. For the sake of the lives of the people, the local government had decided to send out military soldiers to rescue the disaster.

    Huo Guanchen finally understood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intention.

    He smiled, and the deep lines at the corners of his eyes curved. He looked remarkably simr to Lu Yuan.

    ¡°General Huo, it¡¯s your turn now.¡±Huo Shaoheng had been wearing a bluetooth headset the whole time and was in constant contact with Zhao liangze.

    He and Gu Nianzhi were both wearing raincoats and were standing next to the truck to take shelter from the rain.

    Huo Guanchen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the soldiers from thirdpany of the Special Forces with me.¡±

    Lu Yuan immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±

    Huo Guanchen nced at him. He wanted to refuse, but Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Director Lu knows more about the situation over there. He saw the kidnappers with his own eyes.¡±

    Huo Guanchen pursed his lips. ¡°Then let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ..

    In the midst of the storm, a neat group of men and horses trotted to the dock.

    A soldier in a ck raincoat and a yellow megaphone shouted at the yachts, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please disembark immediately! Please disembark immediately!¡±

    ¡°A level three hurricane warning! It¡¯s very likely to be upgraded to level four!¡±

    ¡°For the sake of your lives, please disembark immediately!¡±

    ¡°Our troops will send you back to the city in military vehicles!¡±

    He stood on the high point of the dock and repeatedly shouted in the wind and rain with therge yellow megaphone.

    Huo Guanchen led the members of the thirdpany of the special guards and quickly boarded the yachts. As they evacuated the crowd, they looked for traces of song jinning.

    ..

    When the wind and rain started to fall from the sea, associate director Jia began to feel restless.

    They were only an hour away from setting off when suddenly, God made a mess!

    He picked up his phone and contacted his own people. He asked angrily, ¡°What¡¯s going on? ! Why did a hurricane suddenly appear? !¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you check the weather when you arranged the time? !¡±

    The other party was also very aggrieved and said unhappily, ¡°This n was set half a year ago. Those who make weather forecasts sometimes can¡¯t even predict the weather on the next day. Who can guarantee that the weather forecast half a year ago will be urate? !¡±

 Chapter 2059

    <h4>Chapter 2059: Chapter 2059 wind and Rain (third update)(Wu Ai Tang + 4)</h4>

    Associate Director Jia was speechless.

    He also knew that the weather at sea was highly unstable, and the weather forecast was indeed not that urate.

    Not to mention predicting today¡¯s weather half a year ago, even if it was yesterday¡¯s forecast, it might not be 100% urate.

    It was just that his heart was in a panic, and he felt ufortable if he did not scold others.

    After yelling at the person on the other side of the phone for a while, he said angrily, ¡°Then what should we do? If we don¡¯t leave today, when will we leave?¡±

    The other party could not make up his mind for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask the higher-ups again. You wait for a while first.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, associate director Jia stuck his head out to take a look at the window.

    The wind on the sea became even stronger. It was apanied by Raindrops as big as fists. It pounded on the hull of the ship, as if it was going to drill a hole in the ship.

    Associate Director Jia moved to the window, picked up the far-infrared night vision telescope, and looked all the way down.

    He saw that many people had indeede from the shore to board the yacht to help with the evacuation, and those people on the yacht had also disembarked.

    He heard the people on the yacht next to him say when they came out that thepetition tonight had been canceled, and that they would have to wait for the notice to gather again.

    ..

    After he had just spoken to associate director Jia, the people on the other side also hurriedly reported to their superiors.

    Their team looked loose, but it was actually loose on the outside and tight on the inside. Most of the time, they were in one-waymunication.

    It was not that easy for him to find his superiors.

    Fortunately, his superiors also realized that the situation had changed, and it did not take long for them to take the initiative to contact him.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is there a hurricane at the port? Didn¡¯t we check the weather forecast?¡±

    The man quickly said, ¡°We did, but we checked it six months ago. I warned you at that time that the weather forecast was not that urate. How can we believe the forecast six months ago?¡±

    The other party actually scolded him, ¡°What do you know? ! The normal weather forecast is not urate, so it¡¯s impossible for our forecast to be wrong!¡±

    This person was scolded to the point that he could not speak. He only took a nce at the satellite image that appeared on the television. How could the gathering clouds be urate?

    However, he only dared to mutter in his heart and did not dare to say it out loud.

    After his superior finished speaking, he did not speak for a long time. He did not know whether he was thinking of a way or talking to someone else.

    However, when his superior spoketer, that person¡¯s voice had changed, ¡°The yacht race is canceled, but ask associate director Jia to leave immediately! It wasn¡¯t a sudden change in the weather, it was Huaxia¡¯s weather weapon!¡±

    ¡°Weather weapon? !¡±This person¡¯s heart trembled, and his whole body trembled. ¡°Is it really true? ! He¡¯s so powerful, can he escape? !¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of asking me? ! Let him go quickly ! Don¡¯t wait anymore ! It¡¯sing for him ! But don¡¯t worry, weather weapons aren¡¯t that easy to control, so the boss will only analyze it near the sea. If it goes any further, it won¡¯t be that powerful ¡°... I can¡¯t believe that a director of the Insitute of high energy physics can make Huaxia stay at all costs!¡±The man above him had a ferocious look on his face, ¡°The boss is still the best. This target is a good choice!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, the person immediately called Associate Director Jia, he said nervously, ¡°You should leave! This is not a normal hurricane, but a weather weapon! The warship is still in international waters. Don¡¯t get off the ship. While they don¡¯t dare to act Rashly, you should leave immediately!¡±

    Associate Director Jia immediately understood. He was angry, afraid, and terrified from the bottom of his heart.

    He raised his head to look at the dark sky and the low-pressure thick clouds above him. He felt that he was as small as a flying insect on a spider web. He was stuck by the spider web and could not move.

    ¡°They are so generous! Just to prevent me from going out to sea!¡±Associate Director Jia quickly made a decision, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Since they are doing this, they should be afraid of throwing a rat into the sea. They don¡¯t dare to let me know their true purpose. So even if I leave immediately, they won¡¯t dare to make a move on me!¡±

    As long as they didn¡¯t kill him, he wouldn¡¯t be afraid of anything!

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Otherwise, why would they use weather weapons? Why don¡¯t they just search the yacht? ! It seems that they really think highly of superintendent song. You must remember to send her to the warship in one piece!¡±

    It wasmon knowledge that a powerful scientist could be the equal of a division.

    And the most powerful scientist could even be the equal of an army group.

    This was what Huo Guanchen was thinking at that moment.

    He was wearing the military uniform of the local garrison. He was leading the thirdpany of the special guards to help evacuate the crowd on a thousand yachts. He was also nervously looking for song Jinning¡¯s traces.

    One ship, two ships... 34 ships... 58 ships... 226 ships..

    As he searched by himself, he listened to the results of his subordinates¡¯reports. He was burning with anxiety.

    Where exactly did they hide song jinning?

    Lu Yuan also followed them onto the ship, searching one ship after another.

    At this moment, a yacht suddenly started its engine, disregarding the wind, rain, and waves. It broke through the turbulent sea water in front of it, darting out like an arrow leaving the bow.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s thoughts raced, but he quickly realized that song jinning was definitely on that yacht!

    At this time, he had just helped two members of the thirdpany of the Special Guards evacuate the people on a yacht.

    He was supposed to be thest one to leave, but seeing that the situation had changed, he immediately returned to the cabin, found the spare key without saying anything, and started the yacht!

    Ordinary soldiers might not know how to drive a yacht, but Lu Yuan was the CEO of a listedpany in the opposite world, so he was very proficient in this kind of rich people¡¯s stuff.

    Huo Guanchen noticed the unusual movements here. After pondering for a moment, he understood. With a livid face, he shouted at the surface of the sea, ¡°Come Back!¡±

    His assistant checked all the way and quickly confirmed the registration information of the two yachts that had been driven out, he said to Huo Guanchen, ¡°Chief, the first yacht that was driven out belonged to a decorationpany, and the second one was a logisticspany. ¡°However, the owner of the second yacht just called the police and said that someone stole their yacht and went out to sea.¡±

    Huo Guanchen gritted his teeth and said angrily, ¡°Where¡¯s our boat? Go out to sea and chase after it!¡±

    Under the attack of the weather weapons, the other party still dared to sail out to sea. It seemed that not only did the other party realize the truth of this sudden ¡°Hurricane¡±, but they also had nothing to fear.., they were certain that it was impossible for them to directly control the weather weapons to make them suffer.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng held his binocrs and looked out at the weather on the sea. He also saw the two yachts suddenly sail out one after the other.

    Huo Guanchen requested the military to send a report of the pursuit of the military ships to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side.

    He calmly expressed his objection. ¡°No, sending the military ships to pursue will confirm the other party¡¯s guess. They have no evidence to prove that the hurricane was caused by weather weapons. It¡¯s just a guess. We Can¡¯t give them an opportunity to take advantage of us.¡±

    Huo Guanchen almost jumped out of his seat when he heard that. ¡°So what if it¡¯s confirmed? ! Are We Afraid of them? !¡±

    ¡°Sir, General Ji said that weather weapons are internationally known as weapons of mass destruction and are prohibited by many international conventions. ¡°Although we have not joined any international conventions that restrict the use of weather weapons, we still have to show ourpliance on the surface

    ¡°If we were to fall out now, we would not be able to maintain the tacit understanding and would cause the country to be very passive internationally.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was so angry that he threw away his bluetooth headset and roared, ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to this nonsense! They won¡¯t send a warship, I¡¯ll do it myself!¡±As he spoke, he was about to rush into one of the yachts and set sail.

    Unfortunately, there were too many people around him. When they saw that the chief had lost his mind, they rushed forward without hesitation and pulled Huo Guanchen away from the cockpit.

    Huo Guanchen returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side and said with a cold face, ¡°Shaoheng, that¡¯s your biological mother! Are you just going to sit there and do nothing? If it were her... would you still be so calm and collected?¡±

    Huo Guanchen pouted at Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Mrs. Song is Mrs. Song, and Nianzhi is nianzhi. How can these two bepared? General Huo is too tired today, so he¡¯s talking nonsense?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t they bepared? One is your mother, and the other is your fianc¨¦e. How can they not bepared? !¡±Huo Guanchen was burning with anxiety, but he could only force Huo Shaoheng toe forward.

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Huo Shaoheng remembered what Lu Jin had said just now. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He shook his head and said, ¡°My feelings for Ms. Song are those of a mother and a son. My feelings for Nianzhi are those of a man and a woman. How can wepare?¡±

    Huo Guanchen was rendered speechless by Huo Shaoheng. He grabbed the binocrs of his own guards and stared ahead.

    ..

    Lu Yuan was much better at piloting the yacht than associate director Jia, and he was even better at driving in extreme weather. It didn¡¯t take long for him to catch up with associate director Jia¡¯s yacht and drive alongside him.

    He wore his far-infrared night vision goggles and looked inside the yacht carefully.

    There were only two figures on the yacht.

    One was in the cockpit, bent over to steer the yacht, while the other was tied up and stuffed into a cabin at the bottom of the yacht.

    Needless to say, the person tied up and stuffed into the bottom of the ship was definitely song jinning!

    Lu Yuan was delighted. He took out a pistol from his waist and took the helm with one hand while firing a shot at the yacht that was advancing alongside him!

    Bang!

    Sparks flew all over the yacht, but not a single bullet hole was pierced. Only the hull was slightly dented, leaving a crater.

    Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes.

    This yacht was impressive. It seemed like it had been modified. Otherwise, how could it be bulletproof?

    This also meant that the enemy was well-prepared.

    Lu Yuan held the rudder and gritted his teeth. He suddenly turned the rudder and crashed into associate director Jia¡¯s yacht.

    Associate Director Jia¡¯s skills in driving a yacht were very average. He did not have the actualbat training that Lu Yuan had.

    In addition, the weather was not good. It was already good enough that he could drive so far. How could he withstand the collision of other yachts!

    With one collision, he lost his grip and fell into the cabin. The entire yacht instantly lost its direction and spun around in a whirlpool on the sea!

    Lu Yuan was anxious when he saw this.

    He did not expect the other party to be so useless. Just one collision and the yacht was about to capsize!

    He steeled his heart and steered the yacht into the whirlpool of the sea.

    The two white yachts chased after each other in the dark whirlpool of the sea. After the one in front lost control for a while, it actually slowly caught up with the rhythm of the whirlpool. The situation of the one chasing after it was no better, he needed to control it with great effort so that it would not be brought to the deeper seabed by the whirlpool.

    Lu Yuan could not keep chasing after the yacht in front of him.

    He set his yacht to drive at a constant speed automatically and then came to the deck.

    The sea water in front of him became a funnel that poured back crazily. He stood on the edge of the funnel with the spare grappling rope on his back. His eyes were bright as he looked at the back of the yacht in front of him.

    ng!

    He suddenly threw out the grappling rope in his hand and grabbed the white railing of the back of the yacht in front of him.

    After pulling hard and making sure that he had grasped it firmly, he took a few steps back, half-squatted and started to run. Then, he leaped up like a seagull spreading its wings and soaring.

    The grappling rope guided his direction. He passed through the waves in the wind and rain andnded on the rear of the yacht in front of him with a bang.

    Lu Yuan rolled forward on the spot to get rid of the inertia of the impact. He crouched on the deck of the yacht and moved forward.

    At this time, associate director Jia stood up from the ground and quickly took the rudder to start the boat.

    At this time, he realized that someone was already piloting the yacht remotely.

    Putting on his headphones, he heard the person above him say anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the yacht, we already have someone taking over! Quickly take good care of Song Jinning! Don¡¯t make any mistakes!¡±

    Associate director Jia heaved a sigh of relief and then said angrily, ¡°Since you guys can pilot the yacht remotely, why didn¡¯t you do it earlier! I¡¯m not an expert!¡±

    ¡°What are youining about? Who knew you would be so useless? ! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to expose all of our old secrets just for You Alone? !¡±

    Associate Director Jia was scolded, but his mood was much better.

    He knew that he should be saved. The organization he joined was said to be led by high technology and was very powerful.

    After leaving the cockpit, he walked to the spiral staircase leading to the bottom of the yacht and went all the way down.

    At this time, Lu Yuan had just found the spiral staircase entrance.

    He looked around and found that associate director Jia was not in the cockpit. There was no one in the cockpit.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately realized whether associate director Jia wanted to perish together with song jinning..

    Without thinking, he also chased down from the spiral staircase entrance.

    ..

    In the bottom of the yacht, associate director Jia¡¯s face was flushed red. He picked up song Jinning who was tied up and pointed a gun at her head, he grinned hideously and said, ¡°We¡¯re going out soon. Now we have nothing to do. Either we die or we live. As for you, there¡¯s only death.¡±

    ¡°How is it? Before you die, have fun with me. You Won¡¯t carry any resentment when you¡¯re on the road!¡±

    Song Jinning curled her lips and said, ¡°I was touched by you. I probably vomited all the way on the road.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still stubborn!¡±Associate Director Jia¡¯s face turned ck from song Jinning¡¯s ridicule. He threw the butt of his gun at her.

    Song Jinning tilted her head. She didn¡¯t get hit in the face, but her shoulder was hit hard. She didn¡¯t feel good either.

    ¡°You still dare to Dodge!¡±Associate Director Jia grabbed her hair and pulled her back.

    Song Jinning was forced to raise her head and aimed right at the middle of associate director Jia¡¯s body.

    ¡°Ugh... !¡±Song Jinning did what she said and started to vomit.

    Associate Director Jia was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage. Just as he was about to use force, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

    He suddenly shrunk his neck and quickly turned behind song jinning. He used her as a shield and pointed a gun at her head. He looked up and saw the door being kicked open. Someone had broken in.

 Chapter 2060

    <h4>Chapter 2060: Chapter 2060: the Rooster Crows incessantly (first update)</h4>

    Song Jinning had a gun pointed at her temple, and the back of her neck was tightly gripped by associate director Jia. She had no choice but to raise her head.

    When Lu Yuan rushed in, this was what he saw.

    He only felt a buzz in his head, and the expression on his face was almost unbearable.

    Associate Director Jia looked at the person who rushed in, who was drenched and in a sorry state. He did not wear the military uniform of the local garrison. He immediately raised his hand and fired, but unfortunately, he did not hit the target.

    He could only shout awkwardly, ¡°Who are you? ! What are you doing on our yacht? !¡±

    Lu Yuan forced himself to calm down, his mind spinning rapidly. He thought that there were only two people on this yacht, and both of them were in the lower deck, but the yacht was currently operating normally.., it meant that someone was controlling the yacht remotely.

    Since the yacht could be operated remotely, then there must be surveince cameras everywhere on this modified yacht.

    Perhaps someone was watching everything that was happening here..

    As his mind raced, Lu Yuan gave up on his previous n to end things quickly. He deliberately said frivolously,¡±... What can I do? I like the woman you brought here. Can We make a deal? give her to me...¡±

    Song Jinning stared at the man in front of her with her eyes wide open, her heart pounding.

    At first, she did not recognize who this person was. It was not until this person opened his mouth to speak that she realized it was Lu Yuan..

    It seemed that he had changed his appearance.

    She had long felt the strong winds and waves outside, and the yacht was very bumpy.

    However, she did not think in any other direction. She only thought that the weather at sea was always changeable, and it waspletely possible to encounter a storm.

    Later on, the situation outside was so chaotic that she could not hear at all from the bottom of the yacht, so she had no idea what was happening outside.

    Now that she saw Lu Yuane in, she knew that he must be here to save her. She shut her mouth silently, but her perfectly shaped willow-leaf eyes stared at Lu Yuan without blinking.

    Lu Yuan appeared calm on the surface, but under song Jinning¡¯s gaze, he felt his ears burning.

    Fortunately, the light in the bottom of the yacht was very dim, otherwise, someone might have seen through it.

    Associate Director Jia let out a sigh of relief.

    As long as it was not those pursuers, he was not that afraid.

    However, this person came at such a coincidence that he was a little worried. He pointed his gun at song Jinning¡¯s temple even more tightly, he asked Lu yuan suspiciously, ¡°When did you see her? When I brought her on the boat, no one seemed to have seen her!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I was in the yacht opposite you.¡±Lu Yuan pointed casually. ¡°When you brought her on the boat, I happened to get up to drink and saw her from the window...¡±

    As he said that, he revealed an extremely drooling expression.¡±... I¡¯ve never seen such a beautiful woman. You¡¯re so lucky. Where did you kidnap her from?¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s arms were tied behind her back, and her legs were also tied tightly. At a nce, it looked like she was being illegally detained.

    Associate Director Jia saw that this person was not a good person, so he let out a sigh of relief.

    He was afraid that it was those passers-by with a strong sense of justice who insisted oning to save the damsel in distress.

    He still had to free up his hands to kill another person.

    Associate Director Jia rolled his eyes and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about that. However, there¡¯s a hurricane outside. If you don¡¯t hurry and Evacuate, what are you doing on my yacht? I say, brother, you¡¯d better hurry and leave. Don¡¯t get involved in this muddy water.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, even if you die under a peony, you can still be a romantic ghost!¡±Lu Yuan raised his head andughed, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the chaos outside, I wouldn¡¯t have thought of chasing after you guys!¡±

    One look and one could tell that he was a man who would even sacrifice his life for a woman.

    Associate Director Jia despised him in his heart, but he still said with a smile, ¡°Alright then, since you fell in love with this woman at first sight, I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡±

    Seeing that Lu Yuan was about to walk over, associate director Jia quickly stopped him, ¡°I have conditions, don¡¯te over now.¡±

    Lu Yuan saw that the gun had left a red mark on song Jinning¡¯s Temple, and his heart ached. He could not help but stop, he smiled and said, ¡°What conditions? Just say it! Do you want money? Name a price, or sell her to me. I have plenty of money, say what you want!¡±

    Associate Director Jia chuckled and touched song Jinning¡¯s face, he said, ¡°How many of these peerless beauties have you seen in your life? You still want to name a price? This is a rare resource that can not be bought with money! Do you think I will sell it to you?¡±

    Lu Yuan had a greedy look on his face. He took another two steps forward and said, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t sell it, retail is fine, right? How much do you want? I will transfer the money to you immediately!¡±

    Associate Director Jia was the most greedy. He thought for a few seconds and was about to make an offer when someone suddenly spoke through the Bluetooth headset in his ear.

    ¡°... This person has a strange background. First, stabilize him. Then, bring song jinning into the motorboat. Give him this yacht and let him be the scapegoat.¡±

    Associate Director Jia¡¯s heart skipped a beat. His face was still smiling, and he tightened his grip on song Jinning¡¯s neck.

    Song Jinning was caught off guard and let out a soft hiss.

    Lu Yuan did not have time to defend himself. His eyes could not help but reveal a hint of heartache.

    Associate Director Jia immediately understood that this was a fake!

    This person was here to kill him!

    Associate Director Jia¡¯s hands were unsteady. He grinned hideously as he pulled song jinning up and blocked her in front of him while retreating, he said slowly,¡±... where do you want to do it? Why don¡¯t I do it first, and then you do it? You just transfer ten million cash to my bank ount.¡±

    As he said that, he reported his bank ount number.

    Lu Yuan looked at associate director Jia speechlessly, thinking that this guy was really greedy, so he casually reported his bank ount number.

    He took out his phone from his trouser pocket and said with a smile, ¡°Ten million just once? Aren¡¯t you too ruthless? How about one million?¡±

    ¡°Okay! One Million it is!¡±Associate Director Jia said straightforwardly. At the same time, he kicked back with one leg, and a door opened behind him.

    He pulled song jinning and fell backward, and the sound of gunshots immediately rang out in the bottom cabin.

    Lu Yuan hurriedly fell down. The bullets flew wildly above his head, leaving bullet holes everywhere in the bottom cabin.

    He did not expect that this modified yacht even had long-range control guns equipped!

    Lu Yuan was aroused. He jumped up from the ground fearlessly and used the momentum to pull down an iron chair that was welded to the ground, blocking it above his head.

    He was wearing a bulletproof vest made by Lu Jin. He was not afraid of bullets, but he did not have a hat on his head, so he could only rely on this small iron chair to shield his head.

    However, in this three-minute dy, when he kicked open the small door that associate director Jia had hidden inside with song jinning, he found that he was already gone.

    He rushed forward and reached the opposite deck.

    There were a few small motorcycle lifeboats hanging on the edge of the deck, one of which was already gone.

    When he turned around again, the deck of the previous room had been broken by a remote-controlled gun, and seawater was pouring in.

    Lu Yuan made up his mind and rushed forward to untie one of the motorboats. He started it with a special key, and soon, he was out at sea.

    The sea was still stormy, and the rain was dense, making it hard for people to open their eyes.

    The Sky was dark and the visibility was almost zero.

    Lu Yuan put on his infrared night vision sses and finally saw a motorboat not far ahead!

    He held the motorboat with both hands and turned the engine to the maximum. He drew a snow-white waterway on the sea at night and chased after it desperately.

    Behind him, Huo Guanchen and the motorboat troops of the military also caught up quickly.

 Chapter 2061

    <h4>Chapter 2061: Chapter 2061: seeing the gentleman (second and bigger chapter)(My Love Hall + 6)</h4>

    Lu Yuan got the news from the Bluetooth headset and knew that Huo Guanchen wasing with the motorboat unit.

    This was a good thing, because with more people, they had the ability to deal with all kinds of possible situations.

    From the modified yacht, he could already tell that the people behind associate director Jia were very powerful.

    They could even control the yacht and the automatic rifle from a distance. The power of the other party was not to be underestimated.

    He was worried that there were more powerful obstacles waiting for him and song jinning.

    But he was also very anxious. He was worried that associate director Jia, who was in front of them, would find out about such a big battle and kill them all.

    So after thinking about it, he decided to catch up with them quickly and divert associate director Jia¡¯s attention. He wanted to stall for as much time as possible so that the following motorboat troops could have a chance to capture all the people behind associate director Jia.

    Having made up his mind, Lu Yuan drove the motorboat to its maximum speed and almost flew up in the sea. A long mist rose up and blocked his view.

    In fact, after leaving the modified yacht, associate director Jia could no longermunicate with the people above him.

    Because the yacht had been modified and had a radio signal receiver, they couldmand and control it from afar.

    However, now that they were out of the yacht, they were only driving a motorboat. Moreover, they were getting closer and closer to the international waters, so thework signal was very weak.

    This was Huaxia¡¯s territorial waters, so the people behind associate director Jia did not dare to use satellites to contact him.

    Therefore, their connection was intermittent, which made associate director Jia very anxious.

    He kept shouting, ¡°Hey! Hey! Can you hear me? ! Can you hear me? !¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the warship? ! which country¡¯s warship is it? !¡±

    The other party¡¯s words came out of the earpiece in pieces,¡±... I can hear you... speak slowly... The warship can¡¯t get close for the time being...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by can¡¯t get close for the time being? ! I¡¯m about to reach the international sea!¡±Associate Director Jia looked at the distance shown on the motorboat and was extremely excited.

    As long as he reached the international waters, he would be able to get rid of the person chasing after him.

    He was sure that the person who broke into the yacht was most likely inclothes!

    Song Jinning was still tightly tied up by him, even her mouth was sealed.

    She was tied up on the motorboat and stood behind Associate Director Jia, acting as a shield for him again.

    If someone shot from behind, the first one to hit her would be her.

    Song Jinning kept turning her head, but the wind and rain were so heavy that she couldn¡¯t even open her eyes. How could she see what was happening behind her through the dense rain?

    She was almost in despair when she suddenly felt that the sea water was even more turbulent. There was even a rumbling sound behind her, which waspletely different from the sound of the heavy rain.

    Song Jinning turned her head again. This time, she finally saw clearly that it was Lu Yuan who was chasing her in the motorboat!

    Like Moses leading his tribesmen out of the Red Sea, he opened up a waterway in the pitch-ck sea.

    Associate Director Jia also heard the rumbling soundsing from behind. His hands were almost unable to hold the motorboat.

    He was not very proficient to begin with, so he could only use the autopilot function to barely drive forward.

    Now that he realized that someone was getting closer and closer, he became nervous and increased his speed a little.

    The speed that he had just closed in on was about to expand again.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. He lowered himself on the motorboat again and crashed into it from behind!

    Associate Director Jia saw that they were now in the international waters. Moreover, the wind and rain in front of them were clearly much smaller, and the visibility was also higher. He could even see the silhouette of the warship in front of him. His heart immediately became happy.

    He turned around and waved at Lu Yuan,ughing loudly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll Take This Peerless Beauty With Me!¡±

    Lu Yuan no longer hesitated. His left hand was firmly holding the motorboat, and his right hand was holding the pistol. he shouted, ¡°Get down!¡±

    Song Jinning understood and quickly bent down.

    Just as she bent down and lowered her head, Lu Yuan aimed at the back of associate director Jia¡¯s head and steadily pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    A few bullets flew out of the gun barrel, shot into the back of Associate Director Jia¡¯s head, and flew out of his forehead.

    Associate Director Jia stared at the shadow of the warship in front of him. With a scream, he rolled down from the motorboat into the sea.

    The motorboat that he and song jinning were on was like a headless fly, tumbling into the sea.

    Song Jinning was tied up, and her entire body rolled into the cold sea along with the motorboat.

    Lu Yuan plunged into the sea and quickly swam to the side of the overturned motorboat. He took out a military knife and untied song jinning from the bondage.

    Song Jinning had been tied up for several hours, and her hands and feet were numb.

    Once the rope was loosened, she sank into the water.

    Lu Yuan quickly pulled her arm and pulled her up, holding her tightly in his arms.

    Although the winter sea was not frozen, it was still much colder than usual.

    Song Jinning¡¯s lips were so cold that they were ck. Her teeth were chattering as she stammered,¡±... are you okay?¡±

    Lu Yuan pulled her out of the water and swam to his motorboat. Just as he was about to put her on it, drones the size of eagles suddenly flew over from the open sea.

    They were controlled remotely and stepped on the line of the open sea. They descended from the sky and started shooting at song Jinning and Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan hurriedly pulled song jinning down, and the two of them sank below the surface of the sea.

    The sound of a bullet entering the water was heard above the two of them, sshing arge amount of water.

    Lu Yuan held song jinning in his arms and swam underwater. He went around the motorboat and swam to the other side of the motorboat to hide.

    The two of them held their breath under the sea. After a long time, Lu Yuan could still hold on, but song jinning could not. She was almost suffocating.

    Lu Yuan felt song Jinning¡¯s body in his arms getting heavier and heavier, and his heart tightened.

    With the help of the light that suddenly appeared above his head, he saw song Jinning¡¯s face turn purple. It turned out that she was short of oxygen.

    He looked down. In the Deep Blue Sea, she looked at him with a smile. She did not say anything, nor did shein. It was as beautiful as a dream.

    However, her hands gradually loosened, and her smile gradually blurred. Even her bright eyes were almost closed.

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips, slowly lowered his head, and leaned towards song jinning.

    Just as he was about to reach her lips, Lu Yuan said hoarsely,¡±... It¡¯s urgent to follow authority.¡±

    Then he kissed her lips.

    Her lips were even more beautiful than he had imagined.

    The moment he touched her lips, all the blood in his body was screaming, wanting to break through the restraints of the blood vessels. His bones were so stiff that he could not move.

    However, he did not indulge in her lips. Instead, he quickly stuck out the tip of his tongue and pried open her lips. He then separated her teeth and sent all the oxygen he had left into her mouth.

    After receiving Lu Yuan¡¯s oxygen, song jinning gradually calmed down.

    Lu Yuan ignored the danger to his life above his head and floated to the surface of the sea. He took a deep breath and sank into the sea to help song jinning breathe.

    After a few times, song jinning finally recovered.

    Song Jinning felt bad and wanted to go up to breathe on her own, but Lu Yuan did not allow her to go up. He was worried that she would be hit by the flying drones on the sea.

    Now, not only did the other party use the drones, but they also turned on the lights.

    The sea area was illuminated as if it was daytime.

    Only two jet-ck motorboats could be seen floating on the sea surface.

    When Huo Guanchen arrived with the motorboat team, he saw two empty motorboats and was very anxious.

    He looked around and immediately found the drones that were still shooting at the edge of the high seas. He was immediately angry and ordered in a low voice, ¡°Drones, get ready! The coordinates of the high seas!¡±

    He reported the coordinates of the waters where the drones were located on the high seas, including the warships not far away.

    Anyway, nothing illegal happened on the high seas, so Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t care. He wouldn¡¯t fight with the other side at the border of the high seas. He was used to attacking directly, and it was best to hit the other side¡¯s nest.

    Not long after, the uavs that Huo Shaoheng sent swarmed over, almost ten times the number of the other side¡¯s uavs!

    This time, it was a dense swarm of uavs that was like a beehive!

    The firepower was fiercer, the aim was more precise, and the attack range was wider.

    Soon, the enemy drones that were circling around the high seas were all shot down by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s drone swarm.

    He even deliberately let a few of the drones go, and thenmanded his own drone force to chase them all the way to the enemy¡¯s warship.

    When the enemy warship saw that the Huaxia military was not going to tolerate it and actually attacked in one go, it immediately panicked and set sail quickly on the sea. It turned into an extremelyrge s-shaped waterway and fled in a panic.

    The enemy fled too quickly. The drones under Huo Shaoheng¡¯smand only had time to drop a few small bombs around their waterway, causing a spray of water. The enemy thought that war was reallying and did not dare to fight.

    Chen Bing, the motorboat unit led by Huo Guanchen, fired a warning shot at the intersection of the international waters and the exclusive economic zone of Huaxia to watch the enemy leave.

    Only after the enemy hadpletely retreated did Lu Yuan and song jinning emerge from the water.

    Huo Guanchen saw them and quickly sent someone to fish them out of the water.

    Song Jinning was still wearing a woolen sweater. Her entire body was drenched and hung heavily on her body. She was constantly shivering.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart tightened. He immediately took off his military uniform and was about to drape it over song jinning.

    Song Jinning dodged to the side and hugged Lu Yuan¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go back quickly. Shaoheng and the others must be getting anxious from waiting, right?¡±

    As they spoke, the sound of a helicopter could be heard above them.

    Song Jinning looked up and saw that it was a helicopter bearing the logo of the Huaxia Military¡¯s special operations forces. She was instantly ted. ¡°Shaoheng is here to pick us up? !¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded and said magnanimously, ¡°General Huo also contributed a lot. If it weren¡¯t for general Huo and his men rushing over, we might not have been able to float up from the sea.¡±

    Song jinning turned to look at Huo Guanchen. She saw that he was holding a military jacket in his hand and was awkwardly withdrawing his hand.

    Song jinning smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Thank you, General Huo. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this state.¡±

    Huo Guanchen:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan wasn¡¯t very clear about the entanglement between song jinning and Guo Huining. He just put his hand on song Jinning¡¯s shoulder and raised his hand to pull the ropedder that had descended from the helicopter. He urged, ¡°Jinning, you go up first.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was stunned again, and his eyes immediately narrowed.

    Even his address had changed. What had happened just now that he didn¡¯t know?

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go up first. Youe up as well.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll go up behind you.¡±

    Song Jinning climbed up the ropedder without looking back.

    Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out and smiled as she handed her a hand. ¡°Miss song, this way!¡±

    Song Jinning smiled and grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand as she climbed up.

    As soon as she got up, Gu Nianzhi handed her a bag of clothes and said, ¡°Miss song, quickly go over there and change out of your wet clothes.¡±

    Song Jinning did not want to be polite with her. Seeing that there was a door at the corner of the helicopter, she quickly went in to take off all her wet clothes and change into the clothes that Gu Nianzhi had brought for her.

    Gu Nianzhi was very careful this time. She brought everything from the inside out. Song Jinning changed into clean and refreshing clothes and felt like she was alive again.

    She pushed open the small door and came out. Seeing that Lu Yuan had alsoe up, she quickly said, ¡°Director Lu, you go and change too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also brought a set of clothes for Lu Yuan, which was prepared by Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Yuan wiped his head with a towel and also went in to change.

    Song Jinning changed and wiped her head as she sat next to the window. She looked down at the sea and saw that the motorboat troops were still standing quietly on the surface of the sea.

    Huo Guanchen stood alone on themand boat and looked up at the helicopter.

    Song Jinning pursed her lips and said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, shall we switch seats?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±Gu Nianzhi agreed without hesitation and sat next to the window.

    She nced at the scenery outside the window and saw Huo Guanchen. She immediately understood.

    She held song Jinning¡¯s hand and looked her up and down. She said, ¡°Are you okay? Where¡¯s associate director Jia?¡±

    Song Jinning looked okay, but there was a red mark on her temple, as if she had been pointed at by a gun.

    There was also a faint ligature mark on her neck, and her face was pale.

    Chen Lie had also rushed over. He took the medical box to check song Jinning¡¯s body. As he checked her pulse, he said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Inspector song is not injured. He was just shocked, and his heart is beating faster.¡±

    Song Jinning blushed.

    Her heart was beating fast, but not because of the shock..

    Gu Nianzhi waited by the side. Chen Lie finished his examination and went to check on Lu Yuan. Gu nianzhi then asked, ¡°You fell into the sea just now? Who Saved You?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s chief Lu,¡±song Jinning said generously. She turned to look at Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan did not look at her. Instead, he was focused on talking to Chen Lie.

    From her angle, she could only see Lu Yuan¡¯s back.

    Song Jinning was suddenly startled.

    But she quickly retracted her gaze and continued to speak to Gu nianzhi, ¡°The other party came prepared this time, and their technical skills are very good. Even a good-for-nothing like associate director Jia canpete with director Lu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded and agreed, ¡°The other party is indeed very good. I heard from my father that the other party¡¯s technical skills this time are a level higher than Chaos Mathematics!¡±

    Song jinning frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not just chaos mathematics, they...¡±

    She wanted to talk about the explosion, but when she looked at Gu Nianzhi, she did not continue. Instead, she changed the topic and quietly said, ¡°Are you okay? I saw someone falsifying your photo...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not know about this and was shocked. ¡°Falsifying my photo? ! What photo? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second major chapter of the day: Chapter 2061, ¡°Meeting the gentleman.¡±.

    PS: the third 100,000 starting point for the president of the ¡°Love Hall¡±in September was sent twice.

    It was the third watch today.

    The third watch was at 8:30 pm. They were all major chapters of the ¡°Reward¡±and ¡°Update.¡±.

    A reminder for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket oh ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2062

    <h4>Chapter 2062: Chapter 2062: Yun Hu dislikes (third update)(president of My Love Hall +)</h4>

    Song Jinning was not a good conversationalist. Seeing how shocked Gu Nianzhi was, she wanted to shut up again.

    However, Gu Nianzhi could hear the hidden meaning in her words. She would not let her off so easily.

    ¡°Miss Song, why were you captured by them? Is It rted to what you just said?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked in confusion.

    Song Jinning closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. ¡°I have a headache. I¡¯ll answer your questions after I get some sleep.¡±

    She tilted her head and fell asleep in her seat.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at song jinning for a while, trying to put the events of the day together in her mind.

    She had been in danger at the Sheraton Hotel, and song Jinning had been lured out of the capital by Detour.

    She hadn¡¯t thought about why song Jinning would drive out alone at night and be lured out of the capital.

    Now that she thought about it, was it rted to song jinning¡¯s ¡°Fake photo¡±?

    Lu Yuan had just finished examining his body and walked over from the back. He sat on the other side of the aisle next to song jinning.

    Chen lie sat behind him with a medical kit in his hand.

    There were a few soldiers in the front row and the back row. Huo Shaoheng was the one driving the helicopter.

    There were only so many people, and therge armed helicopter was packed to the brim.

    The engine of the helicopter rumbled. If they were not so close to each other, they would have to ¡°Roar¡±tomunicate.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi did not continue their questioning because they were worried about the injuries of song Jinning and Lu Yuan, and Lu Jin was also anxious to see them.

    The helicopter whistled through the night sky. Gu Nianzhi looked ahead through the window.

    In the territorial waters not far away, the clouds had already dispersed, revealing the deep peacock blue night sky. The moon hung in the air like a willow-leaf eyebrow, and there was an indescribable elegance and serenity in its grace.

    Of course, the heavy rain had also stopped, and the strong winds had also stopped. The harbor that had been in turmoil just a moment ago was now as peaceful and beautiful as a fine painting.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed, thinking to herself that the weather weapon was really awesome. If it was really controlled by energy, wouldn¡¯t it just hit wherever it went?

    Lu Yuan seemed to have heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts and suddenly sent her a text message: [ they seem to know that we¡¯re using the weather weapon. ].

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked down at her phone for a long time before replying: [ was there anyone else present when my dad suggested it? How could this news be leaked? ]

    No wonder associate director Jia did this even though he knew that he was the only one standing out when the other yachts canceled thepetition and went ashore.

    Lu Yuan shook his head and replied: [ it might not have been a leak. When director song wakes up, you can discuss it with her and professor Lu. ].

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. Could it be that Lu Yuan had more direct evidence to prove that there wasn¡¯t a mole?

    ..

    In the middle of the night, the special operations forces helicopter slowlynded at the headquarter of Special Operationforces¡¯encampment ground.

    The sound of the propeller stopped, and Gu Nianzhi jumped out of the helicopter.

    Lu Jin, Zhao liangze, and Yin Shixiong waited beside her.

    ¡°Dad!¡±Gu Nianzhi ran over, her eyes were sparkling with admiration and admiration. ¡°You¡¯re amazing! You¡¯re So Cool! Weather Weapon! You¡¯re absolutely perfect at controlling it. One point is too much, and one point is too little!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s high-strung heart finally rxed.

    The corners of his lips curled up as he caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head, he praised himself without hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve taught them a good lesson! Weather weapons do require an extremely strong control system. ¡°Their hardware is good, but their software system is too bad. I made some modifications for them. Although it¡¯s not as perfect as I thought, it¡¯s still much better than the weather weapons from other countries on the Blue.¡±

    Lu Yuan walked over and heard Lu Jin boasting about himself. He pursed his lips and said casually,¡±... maybe it¡¯s because you modified it too perfectly that it caught the attention of those people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. It was only then that she understood what Lu Yuan meant when he said ¡°It might not be a leak.¡±.

    Lu Jin had always been stubborn, especially when it came to scientific research. Hearing this, he immediately said, ¡°Boss Lu, what do you mean? Is it wrong to be too perfect?¡±

    ¡°Dad, let¡¯s go back and talk. You¡¯re not going to argue with director Lu here, are you?¡±Gu Nianzhi nced around and hugged Lu Yuan¡¯s arm.

    Lu Jin snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and talk! I¡¯m not afraid of him!¡±

    As they were talking, Song Jinning also came over. When she saw Lu Jin, her eyes almost lit up like Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. She said, ¡°Professor Lu, are you here to pick up Nianzhi?¡±

    In the airport of the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground, the bright streetmps shone with a silvery white light. The surrounding night was even darker, but here it was as if it was daytime.

    Lu Jin looked at her and then at Lu Yuan, who was acting as if nothing had happened, but his ears were slightly red. He sneered and said, ¡°Boss Lu, what did you promise me? Do you want me to produce evidence?¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He shot a quick nce at song jinning and said to Lu Jin, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when we get back. This is the airport.¡±

    ¡°Ha, don¡¯t you dare go back on your word!¡±Lu Jin snorted through his nose.

    Yin Shixiong had followed Lu Jin the entire way. From sending him to the weather weapons control room in the military headquarterspound to returning from there and then sending him to the station¡¯s airport, he had never left Lu Jin¡¯s side.

    Zhao liangze had received news from Huo Shaoheng and had driven over to greet them.

    Huo Shaoheng and Chen lie were thest to alight from the helicopter.

    One was tall and the other was short. One was fat and the other was thin, but they were surprisingly harmonious.

    ¡°What are you standing here for? Let¡¯s go to my ce.¡±Huo Shaoheng strode over and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to jog to catch up with him. Huo Shaoheng pulled her into the car next to him.

    It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private car, and his driver, Fan Jian, was driving.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to talk about what had happened that night, especially the ¡°Fake photo¡±song Jinning had just mentioned. However, she swallowed her words when she saw fan Jian and Zhao Liangze in the front passenger seat, she smiled and greeted them.

    ¡°Brother Ze, I¡¯m sorry to disturb you sote at night.¡±However, there was no hint of embarrassment in her tone.

    ¡°You still have time to be embarrassed?¡±Zhao Liangze couldn¡¯t helpughing. He turned to look at her carefully and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re okay. Are You Hurt?¡±

    ¡°Not only am I not hurt, I didn¡¯t fall into the trap at all!¡±Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms in delight and leaned back in the backseat.

    She chatted idly with Zhao liangze and waited for Huo Shaoheng to get into the car. She then looked at fan Jian and greeted him with a smile.

    Fan Jian was also familiar with her. He turned around with a smile and said, ¡°Hello, Miss Gu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to make conversation. She leaned forward and clung to the front seat. She said curiously, ¡°Fan Jian, your name is really interesting. I¡¯ve been curious for a long time. Why did your parents give you this name?¡±

    Fan Jian understood what Gu Nianzhi meant immediately. He huffed and puffed for a long time before saying,¡±... I changed my name. It¡¯s better than my original name.¡±

    If this was a changed name, then what kind of weird name was it?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyebrows almost shot up.

    Zhao liangzeughed so hard that his shoulders trembled.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to look at him. ¡°Brother Ze, did you know?¡±

    ¡°A lot of people know about this. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s something to be ashamed of.¡±Fan Jian mocked himself. ¡°My father¡¯s family name is fan, and my mother¡¯s family name is Hao. They used to call me ¡®fan Jian Hao.''¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    In that case, the name ¡°Fan Jian¡±was still better, although it wasn¡¯t much better.

    Gu Nianzhi patted his seat sympathetically. ¡°Little fan is also full of tears...¡±

    The few people in the car chatted andughed until Huo Shaoheng opened the car door and got in.

    Gu Nianzhi did not see Lu Jin follow her and quickly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s My Dad?¡±

    ¡°Professor Lu wants to ride with President Lu and Ms. Song. He said he has something to ask.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled and sat down next to Gu Nianzhi.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third update of the day: chapter 2062, ¡°Yun Hu dislikes.¡±.

    PS: send the president of the ¡°My Love Hall¡±to be promoted to president in September.

    It was the third update of the day.

    Please remind me of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Mwah, dear big shots and little angels

 Chapter 2063

    <h4>Chapter 2063: Chapter 2063: The Joy of one¡¯s own happiness is inferior to the joy of all others (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the hesitation between Lu Jin and Lu Yuan. Her eyes darted around and she suddenly understood. She smiled slyly and said, ¡°Oh my! I want to go and watch!¡±

    If only she could see President Lu propose with her own eyes!

    She knew that her father was a man of his word!

    He had asked President Lu to propose to Ms. Song, so he had done so. If president Lu hadn¡¯t asked him, he would definitely have posted the video..

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had guessed correctly.

    In another car, Lu Jin was sitting between Lu Yuan and song jinning. He winked at Lu Yuan proudly. ¡°Boss Lu, what about what you promised me?¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Why did that sound so awkward.

    Lu Yuan inconspicuously moved to the side.

    Fortunately, this was a modified military SUV brought by Huo Shaoheng and the others. The back seat was spacious enough.

    Song Jinning had been looking out of the car window anxiously. Listening to Lu Jin¡¯s meaningful words, she nced to the side.

    Lu Yuan happened to look in her direction secretly.

    Their eyes met.

    Song Jinning had always been very direct when it came to rtionships between men and women. If she liked something, she liked it. If she didn¡¯t like something, she didn¡¯t like it. There was no time to be sloppy.

    However, Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze was too deep and his feelings were extremely reserved. Moreover, the two of them usually didn¡¯t cross the line to give her any chance to daydream. Therefore, even someone as confident as her was a little uncertain.

    However, this time, when Lu Yuan was channeling Qi to her at the bottom of the sea, she really felt that something was different.

    However, whether she was overthinking it or whether artificial respiration was done in this way, she still could not make up her mind.

    Lu Yuan stared at song jinning.

    The light in the car was rtively dim, so she could only see song Jinning¡¯s beautiful face through the shing lights on the roadside. She looked exactly the same as when he left eighteen years ago.

    But he was already old..

    Lu Yuan¡¯s hands tightened, and he coughed. Suddenly, he could not say a word.

    All his courage seemed to have been used up when Song Jinning was in danger.

    At that time, he seemed to be able to say anything without any psychological barriers.

    But now, he had to say it in front of song jinning..

    Lu Yuan rested his head on his hand and leaned against the car window. He sighed and said, ¡°Professor Lu, I¡¯ll make you a delicious supper when we get back. What do you want to eat? Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Do you want to call her and ask her?¡±

    As he spoke, his eyes shifted slightly. The lines at the corners of his eyes were clear and deep. He looked at song jinning. ¡°Director song, What Do You Want to eat? Do you want us to go shopping on the way?¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes. He hesitated for a second between the two propositions of ¡°Go back and eat delicious food¡±and ¡°Watch Lu Yuan propose.¡±He lowered his head, took out his phone, and texted Gu Nianzhi, he asked her: [ What Kind of supper do you want to eat? Boss Lu said to go back and make it. ].

    After sending one, he sent another: [ unfortunately, I can¡¯t watch boss Lu propose... he¡¯s threatening me with delicious food... ].

    Gu Nianzhi saw Lu Jin¡¯s message in the car in front of her. She was ted and replied with a smile: [ of course, he¡¯s going to make delicious food first! Then he¡¯s going to propose! He¡¯s going to postpone it! I want to watch too! ].

    Lu Jin saw the reply andughed as well. He thought to himself that it was better to be happy alone than to be happy together. With such a good show, he definitely had to bring his own girl along to watch!

    He immediately became confident and said to Lu Yuan, ¡°It¡¯s toote, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have that much time to cook. Why don¡¯t we each have a bowl of your famous chicken soup clear noodles? I remember that you made a pot of chicken soup in the kitchen.¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at him,¡±... your memory is really good. You even remember the things in the kitchen so clearly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. If I Forget Something, I won¡¯t forget the Kitchen!¡±Lu Jin smiled and nudged song Jinning¡¯s arm, saying, ¡°Superintendent song, do you like noodles?¡±

    Song jinning smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not picky. It¡¯s good to eat some noodles at night. I¡¯ve been hungry all night. At most, I¡¯ll eat it and lose weight tomorrow.¡±

    Lu Jin gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Superintendent song, you¡¯re so open-minded! Unlike some people who don¡¯t keep their promises and only know how to change the topic.¡±

    After saying that, he winked at song jinning. ¡°Director song, after eating the chicken soup noodles, I¡¯ll show you something nice. I¡¯ll make sure you digest it!¡±

    Song jinning nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, after eating, you really can¡¯t go to sleep right away. You¡¯ll umte food.¡±

    Lu Yuan was a little nervous by the side. His palms were sweating, but he was a little expectant.

    ..

    The military car drove on the highway at night and soon entered the capital¡¯s third ring highway.

    Because Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi had both said that they were going to song Jinning¡¯s house for supper, Huo Shaoheng had fan jian send them to song Jinning¡¯s apartmentplex.

    Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Chen lie followed fan jian back to the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground. Huo Shaoheng brought gu nianzhi into the elevator.

    Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and song jinning soon returned as well.

    For safety reasons, Huo Shaoheng had sent people to monitor the entire residential area. They were rxed on the outside, but tight on the inside, in case the other party had other ns.

    As soon as Lu Jin entered the house, he saw Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng sitting on the sofa in the living room. He immediately shouted, ¡°How can you guys be so fast! Nianzhi, are you hungry?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and winked at him. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry that I can eat an entire cow!¡±

    ¡°... then can boss Lu make you another steak?¡±Lu Jin quickly suggested.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s make a steak, but not for me, but for Huo Shao.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up as well and said politely to Lu Jin, ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Uncle Lu.¡±

    Lu Jin choked for a moment and thought to himself, the steak is for mydy, who wants it for you?

    However, seeing how Huo Shaoheng treated hisdy so well, giving it to Huo Shaoheng and rounding it up meant that he was giving it to hisdy.

    After a round of ¡°Reasoning and reasoning¡±, Lu Jin quickly turned around and said to Lu Yuan, ¡°Boss Lu, four bowls of chicken noodle soup and a special steak, Medium Rare.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make it right away.¡±

    Without another word, he went into the kitchen and continued to make supper as an excuse not to be alone with song jinning.

    Song Jinning did not care and said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want to take a shower? I¡¯ll go to the master bathroom, and you go to Professor Lu¡¯s guest bathroom?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll take a shower when I get back. Ms. Song, you can go clean up.¡±

    Song Jinning had only wiped herself on the ne today and changed into a new set of clothes, but she was still not feeling well.

    She did not stand on ceremony and went into the master bedroom bathroom to take a shower.

    Huo Shaoheng went to the balcony to make a call and set up the follow-up n. Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin met up in the living room to discuss how to get Lu Yuan to propose.

    But soon, the smell of chicken soup wafted out of the kitchen and stopped them from speaking.

    ¡°Dad, let¡¯s talk after we finish eating. What do you think?¡±Gu Nianzhi swallowed her saliva.

    Lu Jin nodded heavily. ¡°Of course we¡¯ll talk after we eat!¡±

    Not long after, Lu Yuan brought four bowls of chicken noodle soup and freshly fried steak to the dining room and called them over for supper.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin went to the dining room first. Huo Shaoheng only came in after a while.

    Lu Yuan did not see song jinning. He could not help poking his head out and asking, ¡°Where¡¯s chief song?¡±

    Lu Jin was about to say something when Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly at him, then she said to Lu Yuan with a frown, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Miss Song said she wasn¡¯t feeling well and needed to go back to her room to rest. I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s doing now.¡±. ¡°Sigh, miss song is really pitiful. She¡¯s all alone and can only carry herself when she¡¯s sick. I don¡¯t even know if she took her medicine.¡±

    Lu Jin was a little confused. ¡°Didn¡¯t Chen lie just check that she¡¯s fine?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quietly stepped on Lu Jin¡¯s foot and quickly turned to Lu Yuan while he was looking down.¡±... I think director song has a mental illness.¡±

    Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes and quietly put down his chopsticks. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was almostughing like a little fox.

    If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t held her back, she would have really gone to watch!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2063, ¡°It¡¯s better to have fun alone than to have fun together.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at 8:30 pm.

    Please remind me of the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

 Chapter 2064

    <h4>Chapter 2064: Chapter 2064 the wings of a butterfly (second update)</h4>

    Lu Yuan came to song Jinning¡¯s bedroom and gently knocked on the door. Then, he waited at the door for a while.

    There seemed to be some noise inside, but then it became quiet again.

    Still, no one came to open the door. Lu Yuan was a little hesitant. He didn¡¯t know how song Jinning was doing inside.

    When Lu Yuan knocked on the door, Song Jinning had just turned off the shower and wrapped her body in a white towel that was 1.5 meters long and 1 meter wide. She didn¡¯t hear the faint knocking on the door from outside.

    She wrapped her wet hair with a towel of the same color before walking out of the bathroom and sitting down in front of the dressing table in the bedroom.

    Song Jinning¡¯s dressing table was very simple and elegant. Other than ab and a bottle of face cream, there was almost nothing else on the table. It could be said that it was very minimalistic.

    She took down the dry white towel wrapped around her head and was about tob her hair when she heard a bang behind her. Someone pushed the door open and came in.

    Song Jinning had just escaped from a kidnapping. She was still slightly rxed after being extremely nervous, but she was still extremely vignt.

    Hearing that someone had barged in, she suddenly turned around and stared in the direction of the bedroom door.

    Because she had turned too fast and used too much strength, the towel wrapped around her chest actually loosened and was on the verge of falling off.

    Song Jinning did not notice the danger of the towel wrapped around her chest, but Lu Yuan saw it clearly.

    Her exposed skin was still covered with crystal-clear water droplets, as white as a top-quality suet jade. No, it was even more perfect than Suet Jade, because it was alive and warm.

    Her fair and plump breasts were set off by the still-hanging towel, making people feel extremely worried, but they could not bear to look away.

    Song jinning twisted her body and stood in front of the dressing table, her s-shaped curves even more obvious.

    Her face was slightly red from shock. Her rosy lips were slightly open, revealing a bit of snow-white underneath. Those were her teeth that looked like seashells. He had just tasted them not long ago..

    Lively and fragrant.

    These four words popped up in Lu Yuan¡¯s mind. Then, he strode forward and moved faster than his own brain. He pressed down on song Jinning¡¯s towel that was about to fall off.

    At this time, Song Jinning¡¯s mind suddenly buzzed, as if fireworks had bloomed in the sky. All of her rational thinking had gone on vacation to watch the fireworks, and she could not think at all, nor did she know how to react.

    Lu Yuan used his hand to press down on her bath towel, but he did not dare to use too much force.

    He looked down at her, and realized that on her jade-like face, a trace of redness was creeping up to her cheeks bit by bit, and then from her cheeks to her entire fair and wless face. That gorgeous color seeped out from the bottom of her skin, just like old wine.., it was intoxicating to smell it.

    Song Jinning had just taken a shower. Her eyes were ck and white, like a clear sky after a rain. Only the corners of her eyes were slightly red, but it was not the remnants of crying. Instead, peach blossoms fell from the branches and smothered the corners of her eyes and brows.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes darkened and he said in a hoarse voice,¡±... your towel is not fastened properly and is about to fall off. Do you want me to fasten it for you?¡±

    His gaze was no longer repressed, no longer reserved, and he looked at her with unbridled nostalgia.

    Song Jinning had just recovered from the ¡°Not a criminal breaking into the house¡±state, and she was immediately immersed in Lu Yuan¡¯s affectionate gaze.

    Her rational mind was still looking at the fireworks, and her subconscious answer was a straight line of thought,¡±... Yes.¡±

    Lu Yuan saw that not only did he not refuse, but he was alsopletely unguarded against him. His heart jumped, and it was as if there was a viin in his mind who kept on nagging, ¡°Quickly say, quickly say, quickly say... !¡±

    Before he could think of what to do, his nimble fingers had already tied up the towel for song jinning.

    His hand gestures were extremely gentle, and he was very careful to avoid suspicion. He did not touch the skin on song Jinning¡¯s chest at all, but it was this kind of faint force that made a woman¡¯s tendons and bones softer than a strong massage.

    Song Jinning really could not stand anymore. She was already very exhausted today, and now even her emotions were almost exhausted. Her soft and beautiful body was on the verge of copsing in front of Lu Yuan.

    Lu Yuan tied up the towel for her, and a strong arm moved across her willow-like waist, lifting her up.

    Song Jinning leaned against his arm, so that she did not fall to the ground.

    Lu Yuan looked at her deeply, and slowly bent down, getting closer and closer. Finally, he stopped a centimeter away from her trembling lips.

    A hoarse voice came out from his lips,¡±... can I? Can I... Kiss You?¡±

    Being so close, song jinning could clearly feel the hot breath when he spoke.

    He smelled so good..

    Song jinning thought vaguely and blinked her eyes. Her long eyshes fluttered like two rows of small fans.

    To Lu Yuan, song Jinning¡¯s blink was like a butterfly pping its wings above the Amazon River in South America, setting off a storm on the other side of the Blue.

    All his caution and patience were washed away by the storm andpletely copsed. He no longer hesitated and lightly touched forward, pushing the distance of 0.1 cm closer and pressing against her moist and soft lips.

    This feeling waspletely different from the feeling he had when he was channeling Qi to her at the bottom of the sea not long ago. It was a hundred, thousand, and ten thousand times better than that. It was a wonderful and exciting feeling that he did not dare to think about for the past eighteen years.

    He tasted her lips again and again, locking his arms tightly and holding her in his arms.

    Song Jinning only felt that the air in her chest was about to be squeezed out, but she did not feel ufortable. Lu Yuan¡¯s kiss made her heart beat faster, and her consciousness was blurry. She still remembered that he smelled good, but what about the taste?

    Song Jinning thought about it and could not help but open her mouth. She stuck out her tongue and licked Lu Yuan¡¯s lips.

    It really tasted good.

    She smacked her lips and wanted to lick it again, but Lu Yuan suddenly tightened his grip and stuck out his tongue as well, directly ¡°Tasting¡±it in her mouth.

    Song Jinning wasn¡¯t used to such a deep kiss. She nned to use the tip of her tongue to push Lu Yuan¡¯s tongue out, but as soon as the tip of her tongue came over, it was wrapped by Lu Yuan¡¯s tongue, as if it was wrapped with Supreme Honey, over and over again, she did not tire of sucking and caressing it.

    Song Jinning only felt that her tongue was about to be sucked out by Lu Yuan. She could not help but clench her fists and knock on his hard shoulder, mumbling,¡±... be a little gentler...¡±

    Lu Yuan froze for a moment and slightly rxed. But then, the kiss became even fiercer, almost breaking her.

    Song Jinning¡¯s rational thinking hadpletely left home. She could only rely on her instincts and snuggle into Lu Yuan¡¯s arms, allowing him to do whatever he wanted.

    After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yuan finally loosened his grip on her lips and looked down.

    Her plump lips seemed to have been painted with rouge. They were so red that they were dazzling. Her swollen lips pursed a little.

    Lu Yuan smiled faintly. Every line in the corner of his eyes contained an unspeakable affection.

    He kissed her again and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Jinning, marry me.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of today: chapter 2064, ¡°The wings of a butterfly.¡±.

    Today was the second watch. Tomorrow was the third watch to repay the debt

    Hahahaha, he finally proposed marriage

    Let me remind you about the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2065

    <h4>Chapter 2065: Chapter 2065 together (first more rmendation ticket)</h4>

    When Lu Yuan said this, he did not use an imperative tone, nor did he use a question. Instead, he said directly,¡±... Marry Me.¡±

    He was decisive, straightforward, and did not beat around the bush or leave any suspense.

    It was very different from his usual style.

    And this style was surprisingly epted and approved by song Jinning.

    Her attitude toward rtionships was the same as her attitude toward research. She was straightforward, straightforward, and didn¡¯t leave any suspense.

    She wasn¡¯tpletely unaware of Lu Yuan¡¯s feelings for her, but because of her personality, she wouldn¡¯t approve of a ¡°Natural¡±rtionship.

    She needed to be very frank with him, and she also needed to be very clear with him.

    Just like what Lu Yuan said just now, ¡°Jinning, marry me.¡±

    The subject, the subject, and the guest were all present. In song Jinning¡¯s mind, this was a very perfect proposition.

    Now, it was she who threw out the question.

    She looked at Lu Yuan emotionally and asked, ¡°Why do you want me to marry you?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s smile became more and more profound, thinking that only a ¡°Genius¡±could understand the thinking of a ¡°Genius¡±..

    Such a straightforward question was something that Lu Yuan did not even dare to think about in the past.

    His hand gradually moved up and grabbed the back of song Jinning¡¯s neck, saying in a low voice, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because I love you.¡±

    He had thought that he would never be able to say this sentence in his entire life. He did not expect that under song Jinning¡¯s gaze, he would almost blurt it out.

    However, Song Jinning was already past the age when a man would die for him just because he said ¡°I love you.¡±.

    She continued to stare at him and gave a faint ¡°OH¡±. ¡°Then it¡¯s fine if we fall in love. Why do you want me to marry you?¡±

    ¡°You have to know that falling in love and getting married have no logical rtionship. Not every love will lead to marriage, and not every marriage will have love.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s voice was very calm, but if one listened carefully, one could hear a little uncertainty in her tone.

    Lu Yuan had a slight headache, but he also felt proud.

    The woman he loved was different from other women. If she didn¡¯t give him a candy, she would turn her back on him and run away.

    Actually, Song Jinning was thinking about the marriage between her and Huo Guanchen.

    She and he had once been in true love, but that love couldn¡¯t withstand all the sudden incidents over a long period of time. In the end, the two of them ended up in a miserable state.

    Thinking of Huo Guanchen, song Jinning¡¯s expression turned slightly cold. She still had some debts to settle with this person!

    Lu Yuan saw song Jinning¡¯s expression, and his heart skipped a beat. His mind spun quickly, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what he had done wrong that made song jinning unhappy.

    He didn¡¯t dare to act Rashly, nor did he want to push her too hard, so he settled for the second best. Putting on a gentlemanly demeanor, he held song Jinning¡¯s hand and nted a kiss on the back of her hand. He smiled and said, ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll fall in love.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart calmed down a little, and she nodded with a smile. ¡°Then what¡¯s our rtionship now?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a boyfriend-girlfriend rtionship.¡±Lu Yuan and her interlocked their fingers and said nervously, ¡°I only have you, and I hope you only have me.¡±

    Song Jinning stopped smiling and said very seriously, ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s only you. When ites to a boyfriend-girlfriend rtionship, I¡¯m extremely exclusive.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence, me too,¡±Lu Yuan said with a smile.

    After the two of them finished talking, Lu Yuan went out and waited at the door. Song Jinning changed into her own clothes and came out. The two of them went to the restaurant together.

    When they arrived at the restaurant, Lu Yuan thought that Lu Jin and the others had been waiting for a long time. Just as he was about to apologize, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the droplet-shaped rm clock on the wall from the corner of his eye and realized that only five minutes had passed.

    Why Did It Feel Like a lifetime ago?

    Lu Yuan shook his head and shot a quick nce at song jinning.

    Song Jinning¡¯s expression was the same as ever as she calmly sat down beside him.

    Lu Yuan ced the bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of her and picked up a piece of noodles with his chopsticks. He smiled and said, ¡°Try it and see if it suits your appetite.¡±

    Song Jinning ate it with his hand.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±! ! ! ! !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    The three of them stared at Lu Yuan and song jinning with their six eyes.

    Song Jinning acted as if she didn¡¯t see them. She picked up a piece of noodles and brought it to Lu Yuan¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Would you like to try it?¡±

    Lu Yuan ate it with a smile on his face.

    Because he was eating noodles, he took quite a long time to finish.

    After he finished eating the noodles slowly, he took out a tissue and gave it to song jinning. He then turned to look at the three people with different expressions and said inly, ¡°What are you looking at? Haven¡¯t you seen people eat noodles before?¡±

    Song Jinning held back herughter and lowered her head to continue eating the chicken noodle soup.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s cooking skills were truly impable.

    Lu Jin could not hold it in any longer. He mmed his chopsticks on the dining table and shouted, ¡°What happened just now that we didn¡¯t know? ! Boss Lu, tell us the truth!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and propped her head up, she winked at song jinning and said, ¡°I refuse dog food! Night snacks be dog food. Have you asked about the mood of these chicken noodle soup? ! Ms. Song, you just went to take a shower. Howe you seem to have a girlfriend after you came back?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and decided it was better if he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Lu Jin looked at Lu Yuan¡¯s smiling eyes and then at song Jinning¡¯s blushing cheeks. He mmed the table and asked anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s going on? !¡±

    Song Jinning smiled and nced at Lu Yuan. He nodded slightly and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what you saw. President Lu and I are together.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re together? ! Ms. Song, you¡¯re not allowed to avoid the important points!¡±Gu Nianzhi shouted. She was asking the question Huo Shaoheng wanted to ask but couldn¡¯t.

    Lu Yuan had no choice but to say softly, ¡°Jinning just agreed to be my girlfriend.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±! ! !¡±

    This was different from what they had agreed on!

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t suppress the smile on her face. She held Lu Yuan¡¯s hand under the dining table and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fortune to be with such a good man like President Lu.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that something was wrong. She looked at Lu Yuan, then at song jinning, and said cautiously,¡±... together? Are you two getting married?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    Song jinning smiled and waved her hand. She said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m already old enough to have a daughter-inw. I¡¯ll probably have grandchildren soon. What¡¯s the point of getting married...¡±

    Of course, more importantly, in song Jinning¡¯s mind, getting married was really not a necessity.

    She knew that she had feelings for Lu Yuan. Not only did she have feelings for him, but they were also getting deeper and deeper. It was almost impossible for her to leave him.

    Since Lu Yuan also loved her, she decided to have a good rtionship with him.

    If necessary, they could live together.

    Lu Jin looked at Lu Yuan and saw that he was still looking at song jinning with a doting expression. He looked like a fool who said, ¡°As long as you¡¯re good, I¡¯m good.¡±It made people angry.

    With a dark expression, he took out his phone and said to Lu Yuan angrily, ¡°If you¡¯re a first-year student, Don¡¯t me me for being a 15-year-old!¡±

    As he spoke, he pulled out the video he had recorded earlier, walked to song Jinning¡¯s side, and reached out in front of her, he angrily said, ¡°Look! Look for yourself! Superintendent song, you really have a heart of stone! What¡¯s wrong with our boss Lu? You Don¡¯t want to marry him, you just want to y with his feelings and body!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2065, ¡°Together¡±.

    Today is Monday, right? Rmendation tickets are very important.

    Second Watch, 1:30 noon.

    Third Watch, 8:30 pm.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2066

    <h4>Chapter 2066: Chapter 2066: whoever objected was the unlucky one (second elder, Z, second President +)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi put her hand on her forehead and almost let out a long sigh. She quickly stood up to pull Lu Jin away.

    Huo Shaoheng also quickly stood up and pulled Lu Jin out with Gu Nianzhi.

    Only song Jinning and Lu Yuan were left in the restaurant.

    Lu Yuan looked awkwardly at the backs of the people who had left and sighed in his heart.

    Fortunately, he was old and had seen a lot of things. He had also helped Lu Jin clean up a lot of mess, so he was not particrly embarrassed.

    He was just a little embarrassed and fidgeted in his seat. Several times, he wanted to stand up and leave with Lu Jin and the others.

    In the end, when he finally stood up and wanted to leave, song Jinning grabbed him.

    Lu Yuan did not lower his head. He smiled and said,¡±... Don¡¯t take it to heart. At the time, it was an emergency. I was just saying that. Otherwise, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know about Lu Jin. He¡¯s stubborn.¡±

    Song Jinning had just finished watching the video. Her entire body and mind were immersed in great shock and absentmindedness.

    At the bottom of the sea, on the ne, in the bedroom, the feeling that made her flustered came out again.

    Her mind was in a mess just now, but her hand still subconsciously grabbed Lu Yuan, not letting him leave with her.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s voice was indifferent, but it carried a calming power, and he was especially gentle and considerate to her. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back safely now. I¡¯m already lucky enough to be my girlfriend.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s hand tightened. She looked up at him and said seriously,¡±... I¡¯m also a stubborn person.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He was suddenly afraid of listening to Song Jinning.

    What if she said that she and Lu Jin were a couple?

    Although he knew that the possibility was very small, people who were involved in it would always think more.

    Lu Yuan did not dare to lower his head, and he did not dare to look into song Jinning¡¯s eyes.

    At this time, song jinning slowly stood up in front of Lu Yuan. The feeling in her heart was very strange. It was as if she had finallynded on the ground, but also as if she was drifting about, just looking for a haven to rest in.

    Marriage was indeed not a necessity for her, and she had not thought about what she had to do.

    Although she looked young, she was actually quite old.

    Anyone who had a thirty-year-old son could no longer pretend to be a shydy.

    Therefore, the decision to get married was very difficult for her.

    But after watching the video just now, she only had one thought: this man was worth marrying.

    Whether it was a rational analysis or an impulsive decision, she could not refuse.

    Song Jinning did not know how to say it. She stared at Lu Yuan for a while and suddenly realized that under his calm andposed aura, the tip of his ears actually turned slightly red.

    She could not help butugh. Song Jinning separated her fingers and interlocked them tightly with his. She said softly, ¡°You¡¯ve done so much for me...¡±

    Lu Yuan closed his eyes and immediately interrupted her, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve done so much just to save you. Don¡¯t feel burdened. Under those circumstances, I¡¯ll save anyone.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to leave the impression that song jinning was ¡°Extorting favors in return¡±, and he also didn¡¯t want song jinning to be with him out of pity..

    This was never what he wanted.

    Song jinning sighed lightly and said, ¡°Lu Yuan, do you really think I¡¯m that stupid to believe you?¡±

    In the video just now, Lu Yuan waspletely unguarded and revealed his true feelings. In order to save her, he was willing to do anything and give up anything.

    Was this something that he would do ¡°No matter who¡±?

    Once song jinning had thought it through, she would not continue to dwell on this problem.

    Lu Yuan was slightly startled. He could not help but quickly nce at song jinning.

    She smiled at him. There was no pity, no sympathy, nor was there any reservation or arrogance in her gentle willow-leaf eyes. There was only an affectionate persistence and determination.

    Song Jinning let go of his hand but hugged his waist. She raised her head and said, ¡°Just now, you asked me to marry you. Does that still count?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He quickly lowered his eyes and looked at song jinning. ¡°What did you say? Can you say it again?¡±

    ¡°... why do I have to say it again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I heard wrong.¡±Lu Yuan wrapped his arms around her waist and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ve lost my mind because of my thoughts and hallucinated.¡±

    Song Jinning was not a person who was particrly emotional, but Lu Yuan¡¯s words made her nose ache and she almost cried.

    ¡°Jinning, I¡¯ll say it again. Marry me, be my wife, and let me take care of you for the rest of your life,¡±Lu Yuan cupped her face and said carefully. He looked at her face as he spoke, afraid that she would object again, he thought of some irrefutable logic.

    Song jinning nodded, her eyes slightly wet, and said in a low voice, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment before he understood what song jinning meant. Instantly, his whole body bloated with joy.

    He nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°If you agree, we can go register tomorrow!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of cheers outside the restaurant.

    Lu Jin walked in with a bottle of champagne in his hand. He opened the bottle cap with a bang, and the champagne bubbled out instantly.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped in and followed them in. She somehow got some shiny scraps of paper and threw them at song Jinning and Lu Yuan. Sheughed loudly and said, ¡°Congrattions, Congrattions! Congrattions to the two of you for finally getting married and getting along well in a hundred years!¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at them in surprise and said, ¡°I thought you two had already gone far away.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at him confidently. ¡°My phone is right here. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it since I¡¯m streaming the whole thing live.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was thest to walk in. He calmly extended his hand to Lu Yuan and song jinning and said, ¡°Congrattions, you two.¡±

    This was a form of acknowledgment of song Jinning¡¯s remarriage.

    Song jinningughed and said, ¡°We have to hurry. I don¡¯t want to get married after my son.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi looked at each other and held each other¡¯s hands.

    Lu Jin started toe up with bad ideas.¡±... Why Don¡¯t We Go Register Tomorrow? Or do we have to register our marriage on Christmas Day?¡±

    Song Jinning pursed her lips and chuckled. ¡°How can it be so soon? I have to report my marriage.¡±

    Lu Yuan came back to his senses and lowered his head to touch her forehead lightly, saying, ¡°I also have to report it. I almost forgot about this.¡±

    ¡°Mm, let¡¯s report it together. After it¡¯s approved, we¡¯ll go register it.¡±Song Jinning was a scientist, so she considered the most crucial part.

    She did not consider the proposal ring at all, or the wedding ceremony, or any other minor part.

    However, Lu Yuan would not forget it.

    Seeing that his closest friends were all here, he decided to get engaged.

    Lu Yuan quickly left the restaurant and returned to his room. He took out a 12-carat diamond ring that he had prepared beforehand and walked to song Jinning¡¯s side, kneeling down on one knee, he said, ¡°Jinning, are you willing to marry me? This is our engagement ring.¡±

    Song jinning stretched out her hand with a smile. Her fingers were slender and delicate like jade.

    Lu Yuan carefully put the mahjong-like ring on her finger. The size was just right.

    The diamond ring wasrge, but because of its simple and elegant design, it did not look out of ce on song Jinning¡¯s finger at all.

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi were finally satisfied. Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Alright, remember to report this earlier! If anyone tries to stop you, tell me and I¡¯ll teach them a lesson.¡±

    Lu Jin also said, ¡°I¡¯ll put it this way. Whoever objects will be in trouble! ¡ª Let¡¯s see WHO DARES!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no.¡±Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Dad, that¡¯s enough!¡±

    ..

    Huo Guanchen found out the next day that song Jinning had filed a marriage report and sent it to the military.

    Song Jinning was a special scientist closely rted to the military.

    He did not know that Lu Yuan had filed a marriage report, but Lu Yuan was originally a person on the secret front, so it was right that he did not know about his news.

    Huo Guanchen listened to the personal secretary¡¯s report, and his expression became more and more unsightly. ¡°Say it again! Who filed a marriage report? !¡±

    ¡°... Chief Song Song song!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! She¡¯s already so old, why would she file a marriage report! Do you know who she¡¯s going to marry?¡±Huo Guanchen stood up, picked up his hat, and was about to leave.

    The personal secretary quickly said, ¡°I heard that it¡¯s a businessman named Lu Yuan.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? !¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s face suddenly changed, and even his voice became hoarse.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the day: Chapter 2066, ¡°Who opposes, who is unlucky¡±.

    To ¡°Old z No. 2¡±, who was promoted to president in September, the second watch was delivered.

    Today was Monday, right? The rmendation tickets were very important, and the third watch required the rmendation tickets.

    8:30 pm in the third watch.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2067

    <h4>Chapter 2067: Chapter 2067 I can, but she can¡¯t -ThirdhUpdatedate)</h4>

    Lu Yuan¡¯s identity and experience were ssified as top secret in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s highest military organization.

    If Huo Guanchen wasn¡¯t Lu Yuan¡¯s younger brother, he wouldn¡¯t have known about this, and his personal secretary naturally wouldn¡¯t have known about it.

    Lu Yuan was still in the two-year release period, so the news they received was only that of ¡°A businessman.¡±.

    Although Huo Guanchen was mentally prepared, he still could not ept the news when he first heard it.

    ¡°Is it really called Lu Yuan? Are you sure?¡±Huo Guanchen almost grabbed the neck of the personal secretary and asked.

    The personal secretary nodded, ¡°It is indeed called Lu Yuan... Chief, is this person not good?¡±

    Why did he look so scary?

    Huo Guanchen used his utmost self-control to calm himself down, but it was only on the surface.

    He slowly raised his hand and waved it.¡±... got it, you can leave now.¡±

    After the personal secretary left, he sat alone in the office for a long time. When it was time to get off work, he made a decision.

    After leaving the office, he didn¡¯t go straight home. Instead, he got someone to drive to song Jinning¡¯s apartmentplex.

    He knew that song Jinning had bought an apartment in thisplex, but she had never been here before.

    The property in theplex didn¡¯t allow them to enter. Huo Guanchen didn¡¯t say anything, only ncing at his personal secretary.

    The personal secretary understood and took out her identification card, saying, ¡°Our chief is here to see Ms. Song Jinning, who lives here. She is our chief¡¯s ex-wife.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the property manager did not dare to stop him anymore. He hurriedly opened the bar and let Huo Guanchen¡¯s car in. At the same time, he called Song Jinning¡¯s apartment and said, ¡°Madam Song? Your ex-husband, chief Huo, is here to see you.¡±

    Today, Song Jinning went to the Institute of high energy physics to submit a marriage application.

    She and Lu Yuan had just confirmed their rtionship yesterday. Today was a little awkward and she did not want to go home for a while.

    However, Lu Yuan still went to the Institute of high energy physics to pick her up like before.

    She originally thought that she would be embarrassed to see Lu Yuan, but when she saw him standing tall in front of the car, beside him was the gate of the Institute of high energy physics, and behind him was the wide road, as well as the fallen leaves of the roadside trees.., she actually calmed down.

    Not long after the two of them returned home, Song Jinning received a call from the property management.

    She was about to tell the real estate agent not to let Huo Guanchen in, but the real estate agent continued,¡±... he¡¯s already in.¡±

    Song Jinning was a little angry and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let him in next time.¡±

    The real estate agent:¡±...¡±

    He was the chief officer and his ex-husband. The Court didn¡¯t issue an injunction, so how could a small property like him dare? !

    Song Jinning was still angry when the doorbell rang.

    The moment she heard it, she knew it was Huo Guanchen.

    Fine, let¡¯s settle the score together.

    She walked over with a sullen face and looked through the peephole. It was indeed Huo Guanchen.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin poked their heads out and asked, ¡°Who is it? Are Nianzhi and Shaoheng Here?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s general Huo.¡±

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips and immediately walked over to song Jinning¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Why is he here? Do you want me to help you get rid of him?¡±

    ¡°No need, I just happen to want to settle the score with him.¡±Song Jinning opened the door in a fit of pique.

    Huo Guanchen frowned and looked up. He just happened to see song Jinning and Lu Yuan standing in front of him like a pair of lovers. His pupils constricted.

    Although he did not want to admit it, he had to admit that his heart was deeply hurt by this scene.

    It was as if the nightmare that he had been living for many years had finallye true. He almost wanted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming or living reality.

    Song jinning said bluntly, ¡°It¡¯s good that general Huo is here. I have a debt to settle with you.¡±

    Usually, when a woman spoke in such a tone, she would be looking for trouble.

    Huo Guanchen knew song jinning very well, and his mood couldn¡¯t help but improve.

    To be able to throw a tantrum at him, it wasn¡¯t as if he had no feelings for him, right?

    He nodded and walked in.

    The guards and personal secretary did not follow him in. Instead, they stood guard at the door.

    The chief was obviously here to deal with family matters. They did not want to go in.

    After Huo Guanchen came in, he quickly looked at the roomyout. Just as he was about to speak, Lu Jin poked his head out of his room and asked, ¡°Who is it? Are you here to freeload for dinner?¡±

    It was indeed when Lu Yuan was cooking dinner after work. Lu Yuan had just been in the kitchen discussing what to eat with Lu Jin.

    Although Lu Jin did not know how to cook, he was still very experienced in what to eat.

    Huo Guanchen did not care about Lu Jin¡¯s tone, but he was a little surprised to see that he was familiar with the ce. He turned to look at song jinning and said, ¡°Are you treating president Lu and professor Lu to dinner today?¡±

    Song jinning smiled and said frankly, ¡°They invited me to dinner, not me.¡±

    ¡°But this is your house. They invited you to dinner, shouldn¡¯t they go to their house or go out to restaurants and hotels?¡±Huo Guanchen felt even worse.

    To invite them to dinner at Song Jinning¡¯s house, how thick-skinned was Lu Yuan!

    ¡°But they live here.¡±Song Jinning sat down as if nothing had happened. ¡°Of course they have to treat us to dinner here.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? !¡±Huo Guanchen felt like he was about to have high blood pressure. He pointed at Lu Yuan and red at Song Jinning. ¡°Why do they have to live in your house? ! Don¡¯t they have their own ce? !¡±

    Huo Guanchen knew that Lu Yuan and Lu Jin lived in this neighborhood, or that Gu Nianzhi had provided them with two houses. Why didn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi live in her house, but lived in song Jinning¡¯s? !

    No wonder he could coax a person like song jinning into thinking of remarrying. It was really ¡°A strong woman is afraid of pestering her husband¡±..

    Song Jinning raised an eyebrow. ¡°Their house is under renovation, so there¡¯s no ce to stay. My ce is big and has many rooms, so I¡¯ll let them stay for a few days. What¡¯s Wrong? Can¡¯t they stay for a few days?¡±

    She folded her arms and said unhappily, ¡°Besides, what does this have to do with you, chief Huo? I¡¯ll make the decisions for my room. Don¡¯t be too thick-skinned.¡±

    Only then did Huo Guanchen understand Lu Yuan¡¯s trickery. He was really angry and regretful at the same time, he said sternly, ¡°What nonsense! You¡¯re a single divorced woman, and you let two men stay in your house. If others find out, do you still want your reputation? !¡±

    After saying that, he did not wait for song jinning to refute, he continued to argue, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t think about your reputation, you have to think about Shaoheng¡¯s reputation! He¡¯s already so old, and you still want to remarry. Don¡¯t tell me you want to give him a younger brother or sister who¡¯s more than 30 years younger? !¡±

    Song Jinning hadn¡¯t thought about having a child yet, but Huo Guanchen¡¯s words made her sullen as well, she said coldly, ¡°If even Shaoheng doesn¡¯t object, who are you to oppose me? ¡ª how many times have I said it, chief Huo? We¡¯re already divorced. If you continue to pester me like this, I¡¯m going to apply for a restraining order from the court.¡±

    Lu Yuan sat next to song jinning, he put his arm around her shoulder and said to Huo guanchen, ¡°Chief huo, if I remember correctly, you divorced jinning when she was seriously ill and established a boyfriend-girlfriend rtionship with Bai Jinyi. You were even engaged to her two years ago. ¡°If Bai Jinyi hadn¡¯tmitted the murder case, you would have married her ording to the normal procedure, right?¡±

    ¡°If you can remarry, why can¡¯t Jinning?¡±Lu Yuan asked.

    Huo Guanchen suppressed his anger and took a deep breath, thinking, can this be the same? I can remarry, but she can¡¯t.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the third watch of the day: chapter 2067, ¡°I can, but she can¡¯t.¡±.

    Today is Monday, right? The rmendation tickets are very important. The third watch asks for the rmendation tickets.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2068

    <h4>Chapter 2068: Chapter 2068 no marriage, no food (first update)</h4>

    Huo Guanchen thought so, but he knew he couldn¡¯t say it out loud.

    He looked at song jinning and changed the topic, he said in a particrly sincere tone, ¡°Ah Ning, I know you. When we were husband and wife, the most important thing in your heart was your scientific research, followed by our son Shaoheng, and then me. ¡°Ipletely understand, and I didn¡¯tin at all

    ¡°After we divorced, you simply took theboratory as your home and devoted yourself to your work. I think this is very good.¡±

    As Huo Guanchen spoke, his gaze swept over Lu Yuan, whether intentionally or not.

    Lu Yuan, on the other hand, was able to control himself. His expression was very calm, and he waspletely unmoved.

    Huo Guanchenughed coldly in his heart, he continued, ¡°Ah Ning, now that you¡¯re divorced from me, you do have the freedom to date a new boyfriend. I Won¡¯t Stop You, but I¡¯ll help you keep an eye on things. ¡°Although you¡¯re extremely smart, you¡¯re still too inexperienced in rtionships. Be careful not to be deceived by someone with ulterior motives.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°Thank you, chief Huo. Although I didn¡¯t have a good eye earlier and mistook you for someone else, I don¡¯t want to me you. I have to bear most of the responsibility myself, so for Shaoheng¡¯s sake, we won¡¯t mention that debt anymore.¡±

    No matter how experienced Huo Guanchen was, he couldn¡¯t help but blush.

    He nced at Lu Yuan quickly. Lu Yuan still had that warm smile on his face, and no one could tell what was going on.

    Huo Guanchen felt even more depressed. He pursed his lips and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Song jinning added, ¡°But apart from that, chief Huo, you owe me too much.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was stunned.¡±... I owe you? When did I owe you anything?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t owe me?¡±Song Jinning raised her eyebrows, ¡°You divorced me when I was seriously ill and had no self-awareness. Then you put me in Bai Jinyi¡¯s hands and let her and Luo Jin abuse me together. How should we settle this?¡±

    Huo Guanchen couldn¡¯t help but take a step back and said,¡±... I didn¡¯t know Bai Jinyi and Luo Jin would do this. If I really don¡¯t want to care about you, I can just send you away after the divorce and let you fend for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to? But your mother didn¡¯t agree.¡±Song jinningughed, ¡°If Nianzhi hadn¡¯t found outter that I was abnormal, I¡¯d be a dead man now, and chief Huo wouldn¡¯t have to worry about whether or not I would marry again.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression gradually turned serious.

    He had heard Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi talk about these things before, but he had never heard song jinning talk about it herself. It made him feel so bad.

    Huo Guanchen clenched his fists and suppressed his anger. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to cure you! And I¡¯ve been trying to find out the truth about the failure of the experiment!¡±

    ¡°You saw it this time! My n worked! The mastermind from 18 years ago was exposed again. Ah Ning, don¡¯t you care at all?¡±

    Song Jinning held Lu Yuan¡¯s hand and looked coldly at Huo Guanchen. ¡°This is the third time I¡¯m going to get even with you.¡±

    After a pause, song jinning raised her head and held back the sobs in her throat, saying, ¡°You want to investigate the truth of that year. It¡¯s fine if you used yourself as bait, but what do you mean by leading that crazy guo huining to set fire everywhere? !¡±

    ¡°Do you know why I almost died this time? ¡°It¡¯s because she sees me as a thorn in her flesh and insists on getting rid of me so that she can be together with you, the ¡®rich husband¡¯in her eyes,¡±song jinning red at Huo Guanchen, the Gentle Willow Leaf¡¯s eyes were filled with anger. ¡°Do you know how disgusting I am? She treats trash like a treasure and even wants to pretend to be my enemy. She¡¯s really going to throw up herst meal.¡±

    ¡°... How dare you look at me like that!¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart felt like it had been pierced by a poisonous thorn. His facial features were almost distorted, ¡°Be reasonable! For the sake of finding the mastermind behind this, for the sake of a bigger goal, can¡¯t you be wronged?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Before song Jinning could say anything, Lu Yuan had already spoken first, ¡°Your own n doesn¡¯t have the right to drag others down with you. ¡°ording to our disciplinary rules, you¡¯ve already broken the rules. ¡°It¡¯s best if you write a check yourself and exin the whole situation to the organization. Hopefully, the organization will be lenient.¡±

    Lu Yuan hated Huo Guanchen for using song jinning as a cover. ¡°You¡¯re so ruthless. Even I feel inferior to you.¡±

    When they were on a secret mission, they never used innocent people as bait, and they would never let innocent people take the me.

    He didn¡¯t expect Huo Guanchen to be so unscrupulous in order to achieve his goal.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression was extremely cold. He looked at Huo Guanchen indifferently, but it was as if there was a thousand tons of weight weighing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

    Ever since he was young, this elder brother that was hard for him to reach, and the elder brother that made him reminisce aboutter on, was a very special existence in his heart.

    However, Huo Guanchen had been the director of the Political Department for so many years in the military, so it was not for nothing.

    He quickly recovered, with a normal expression, he said, ¡°In order to achieve great things, I have already written a report for the organization. I haven¡¯t vited any rules. Lu Yuan, you haven¡¯t returned for many years, so you probably don¡¯t know that many of our rules have already been changed.¡±

    ¡°No matter how we change them, we can not change our military¡¯s principles. If we change them, our military willpletely change,¡±Lu Yuan said lightly, putting his hands behind his back.

    His serious look was really scary.

    Song Jinning secretly thought about it and rubbed the hand that had pulled Lu Yuan behind her back.

    Her palms were sweaty just now. She didn¡¯t know if Lu Yuan had noticed.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±Huo Guanchen was about to leave. He held the military cap in his hand and said coldly to song jinning, ¡°I won¡¯t care how many boyfriends you have, but don¡¯t even think about getting married again.¡±

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±Song Jinning was furious. ¡°You can¡¯t leave without making things clear!¡±

    She didn¡¯t expect Huo Guanchen to be so stubborn even after she had talked for so long.

    Song Jinning was furious. Lu Jin walked out of the room with his eyelids drooping, looking unhappy. He said in a long voice,¡±... Why aren¡¯t you finished? Are you going to starve me to death?¡±

    Song Jinning was full of anger. She said unhappily, ¡°Chief Huo doesn¡¯t allow me to get married again. I don¡¯t have any food today!¡±

    Lu Jin was suddenly energized. He rolled up his sleeves. ¡°What? ! I don¡¯t have any food if he doesn¡¯t allow you to get married again? ! Who said that? !¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at him indifferently. ¡°What jinning means is what I mean.¡±

    Lu Jin was at his wit¡¯s end. He red at Lu Yuan, knowing that he was using him as a gun.

    It was rare for Lu Yuan to show a pleading expression.

    Some things were not easy for someone with his status, so he could only ask Lu Jin for help.

    Lu Jin also understood this logic. Since boss Lu was in trouble, as a brother, he would definitely help him to the end.

    He turned to look at Huo Guanchen and said to song jinning, ¡°He said he won¡¯t let you get married, so he won¡¯t Let You Get Married? Is there anyw? !¡±

    ¡°... believe me, chief Huo is really a man of his word.¡±Song Jinning snorted. She still had some understanding of Huo Guanchen¡¯s abilities.

    Lu Yuan smiled bitterly at Lu Jin and said, ¡°Because Jinning has cooperated with the military for so many secret experiments, she is no longer a free scientist.¡±

    ¡°All of her social rtionships, including her future marriage, will be examined by the military¡¯s political department.¡±

    ¡°If chief Huo doesn¡¯t approve, she really can¡¯t marry me.¡±

    Lu Jin thought for a moment and asked song jinning, ¡°It¡¯s so troublesome. Do you still want to Get Married?¡±

    Song Jinning was a stubborn person. Once she had made up her mind, she would not turn back.

    Song Jinning held onto Lu Yuan¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve decided to marry Lu Yuan, I¡¯ll marry him no matter what.¡±

    Huo Guanchen chuckled. ¡°You can try.¡±

    He even reminded her, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you canin to General Ji.¡±

    Song jinning thought of Huo Shaoheng and hesitated.

    She was no longer a young girl who had nothing to lose, but a mature woman who was also a mother.

    It would be too embarrassing if it reached General Ji.

    Huo Guanchen was shameless, but she and Shaoheng were shameless.

    Song jinning frowned in embarrassment.

    Lu Jin snorted and said disdainfully, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, but it¡¯s worth worrying about.¡±

    ¡°How can I not worry?¡±Song Jinning smiled bitterly. ¡°Professor Lu, you don¡¯t know the power of the political review...¡±

    ¡°Howe I don¡¯t Know?¡±Lu Jin sneered and shook his head. ¡°Since he didn¡¯t pass your political review, then let¡¯s change it to someone else.¡±

    Lu Jin stared at Huo Guanchen and said seriously, ¡°I think you¡¯ve done enough as the director of the Political Department. Do you believe that I won¡¯t let you do the job of the political review?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What do you want to Do? ! Don¡¯t forget that your daughter Nianzhi is going to marry my son! If you offend me, she still wants to join the Huo Family? !¡±

    ¡°My Girl Nianzhi is going to marry boss Lu¡¯s stepson in the future. Maybe she¡¯ll change her surname to Lu in the future. What does that have to do with you?¡±

    Lu Jin was best at stabbing people in the heart. This time, it was a fatal blow.

    Huo Guanchen, dead.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2068, ¡°If you don¡¯t get married, you won¡¯t be able to eat.¡±.

    The second watch of the day.

    The second watch of the night at 8:30.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2069

    <h4>Chapter 2069: Chapter 2069 IQ was so high that there was nowhere to put it</h4>

    ¡°You still want Shaoheng to change his surname? !¡±Huo Guanchen¡¯s anger was directed at Song Jinning, he was no longer as calm as before. His hands were clenched into fists, and the veins on the back of his hands were protruding. One look and he was furious to the extreme, ¡°Not only did you embarrass yourself, you also want Shaoheng to embarrass himself? ! His official career will definitely be ruined by you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so angry just because you changed your surname?¡±Lu Jin looked at Huo Guanchen as if he was looking at a fool, ¡°Are you serious even though I¡¯m just casually saying this? Do you think Shaoheng will be bullied by others? You Don¡¯t even know what kind of person your own son is, and you still want to interfere with your ex-wife¡¯s freedom of marriage. Your IQ is really worrying.¡±

    This was simply another knife. Huo Guanchen felt like he had been killed twice today.

    His face was ashen, and his lips quivered. He turned around and left with a flick of his sleeve.

    However, Lu Jin still recklessly shouted from behind him, ¡°General Huo, I¡¯m not joking about the political review! Just you wait!¡±

    Huo Guanchen thought to himself, I¡¯d like to see how you can prevent me from being able to participate in the political review!

    After Huo Guanchen left, Lu Yuan and song Jinning looked at Lu Jin, not saying a word for a moment.

    Lu Jin had been very happy when he talked back to Huo Guanchen, but now he felt a little guilty when the two of them looked at him.

    He shrank his neck and chuckled,¡±... well, when is dinner? I¡¯m so hungry that I can¡¯t speak.¡±

    Lu Yuan knew his character, so he shook his head and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

    Song Jinning looked at him, wanting to say something, but she stopped herself. She also wanted to beg him.

    Lu Jin had no choice but to use his brain. He scratched his head and said,¡±... well, I¡¯ll go check the regtions of your department and see if there are any solutions.¡±

    As he said that, he ran back to his room and turned on hisputer to search.

    He found a lot of information about the political review of marriage applications, as well as relevant regtions and policies, as well as the department¡¯s work process. He studied it carefully.

    There were simply too many rules and regtions. They covered almost every aspect, but it was still much simpler than the professional documents that Lu Jin had read before.

    He read almost ten lines at a nce, had a good memory, and a strong understanding. He quickly became an expert in the field of political review.

    By the Time Lu Yuan finished cooking dinner and asked him to eat, he already had a n in mind. He felt that he had let Lu Yuan down for cooking for him for so many years.

    When he returned to the dining table and sat down, Lu Jin looked at song Jinning, who was obviously not very energetic, and said with a smile, ¡°Inspector song, it¡¯s not a big deal. How can you be intimidated by that person?¡±

    ¡°How can I be intimidated?¡±Song Jinning could not eat anymore. Of course, she was more angered by Huo Guanchen. ¡°On what basis can he do it and I can¡¯t? On what basis can he block my marriage application?¡±

    Lu Jin looked at song Jinning and asked her seriously, ¡°Inspector song, are you rebelling because of Huo Guanchen¡¯s provocation, or because you really want to marry Boss Lu?¡±

    Song Jinning looked at him in surprise and said, ¡°Why are you asking this? Is there a logical rtionship between the two? I want to marry him, and I¡¯m willing to marry him. That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not enough.¡±Lu Jin was actually a person who had been through it. He could empathize with Lu Yuan¡¯s mentality just by thinking about how he felt about Qin Suwen.

    He looked at song jinning, his face was very serious. ¡°If you are only provoked by Huo Guanchen to rebel and insist on getting married, then I have nothing to help you with. Go and find Huo Guanchen yourself. ¡°If you make a scene, maybe you two can rekindle your old feelings and get married again.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? !¡±Song Jinning was also angry. She thought to herself that Lu Jin¡¯s reputation as a person with severe interpersonal disorder was not just for show. He was simply a human-shaped indiscriminate weapon of mass destruction..

    Lu Yuan also could not bear it and said, ¡°Jinning, don¡¯t be angry. Professor Lu speaks very harshly when he¡¯s hungry. Just eat your fill.¡±

    Lu Jin felt that something was not right when he heard this. It was as if he was saying that he was a good-for-nothing.

    He red at Lu Yuan and knocked on the bowl with his chopsticks. He said, ¡°I¡¯m speaking up for you. Boss Lu, if you don¡¯t understand, then don¡¯t get involved.¡±

    Lu Yuan did not say anything. He thought to himself, if you know so much, you can only secretly fall in love with Qin Suwen for the rest of your life..

    However, no matter what, Lu Yuan thought that Lu Jin could still manage to have a biological daughter with Qin Suwen. Furthermore, Nianzhi was so smart and cute. He felt that his life had not been in vain.

    Lu Jin turned to song jinning and asked, ¡°If you really like boss Lu and want to marry him, then I¡¯ll help you with this.¡±

    Song Jinning understood what he meant.

    She tilted her head and analyzed her thoughts. She nodded and said, ¡°Although Huo Guanchen makes me very angry, I¡¯m more afraid. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to marry Lu Yuan because of him.¡±

    She turned to look at Lu Yuan who was sitting next to her. She held his hand and said with a smile, ¡°I really want to be your wife. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m lucky enough.¡±

    Lu Yuan was excited. He didn¡¯t care that Lu Jin was there. He turned around and hugged her. He said hoarsely,¡±... It¡¯s okay if we don¡¯t get married. As long as we¡¯re together.¡±

    At this moment, he really felt that it was okay if they didn¡¯t get married.

    However, Lu Jin was unhappy. He dragged out his voice and said angrily, ¡°You can say that you don¡¯t want to get married now, but what¡¯s the point of all this? Are you ying with me? !¡±

    Lu Yuan said sincerely, ¡°I¡¯m not ying with you, I just don¡¯t want to give you too many difficult problems. ¡°You have enough things to do. You¡¯re so amazing, so you should put your energy into scientific research. We¡¯re trivial family matters, so you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about us.¡±

    ¡°TSK!¡±Lu Jin snorted. ¡°You make it sound like I can¡¯t do scientific research if I meddle in other people¡¯s business. What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    He pointed at his own nose, ¡°My IQ is so high that I have nowhere to put it! Let me tell you! ¡°It¡¯s not bad to asionallypete with people like Huo Guanchen in terms of intelligence and bravery, and also to increase your literacy in humanities. ¡°Don¡¯t think that people who study science can¡¯t understand those official documents. I¡¯m going to use my science thinking to analyze the official documents and teach him how to be a person!¡±

    ¡°Huh? From his tone, it seems like he really found something amazing?¡±?

    Lu Yuan and song Jinning looked at each other and said in unison, ¡°I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled. He wanted to keep them in suspense, but he remembered that it was really not easy for the two of them to be separated for eighteen years. If they could still be together in the end, then he would be able to live a happy life. It could be considered as helping hisdy.

    He looked at Lu Yuan and said first, ¡°When you be my girl¡¯s step father inw, remember to be nice to my girl. You Can¡¯t just protect Huo Shaoheng when something happens.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Song jinning said in surprise, ¡°I already feel more sorry for Nianzhi!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you. I¡¯m talking about him.¡±Lu Jin stared at Lu Yuan and asked persistently.

    Lu Yuan nodded slowly. ¡°I also love Nianzhi very much. Now, for your sake, I treat her as my own daughter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction. He had great faith in boss Lu¡¯s character.

    Every word boss Lu said was worth a thousand gold coins, and every word counted.

    Lu Jin took out the information he had justpiled and said, ¡°Look, these are the terms of your country¡¯s marriage administrative review. It¡¯s not a lot, but there are hundreds of pages of terms and conditions.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    The corners of their mouths twitched, but they did not interrupt Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin continued, ¡°I¡¯ve read so much and found a problem. Actually, the marriage examination should also avoid suspicion.¡±

    ¡°Asking the relevant person to avoid suspicion was proposed by the applicant. If they don¡¯t Sue, they won¡¯t answer.¡±

    When he said ¡°Avoid suspicion,¡±Lu Yuanughed.

    Because he already understood what Lu Jin meant.

    Song Jinning¡¯s understanding of this aspect was not as deep as Lu Yuan¡¯s. She asked curiously,¡±... What associate person to avoid suspicion? Are you talking about Huo Guanchen?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±Lu Jin pointed at a hidden use that he had painstakingly found out, ¡°You and Huo Guanchen are divorced. Originally, there was no rtionship between you and him. However, because you have amon son, Huo Shaoheng, and he is also in a high position, from this aspect, Huo Guanchen and you are inextricably linked. They are special associates.¡±

    ¡°If you propose an associate to avoid suspicion, then he can not interfere in your marriage administrative review. We can apply for someone else toe to the administrative review, and Huo Guanchen should avoid suspicion.¡±

    He added, ¡°This use is very secretive, and very few people have quoted it. It belongs to the category of not suing and not talking.¡±

    At this point.., lu Jin said slyly, ¡°Then we can remind the person who took over the administrative review in advance not to be influenced by Huo Guanchen. ¡°If he rejects your application because of this, we will file an administrativewsuit and let the court decide whether or not he colluded with Huo Guanchen and used public affairs for personal gain.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s the reason. Even if the court can¡¯t convict him, but if he goes to the administrative litigation court, his official career wille to an end. ¡°A person who can take over Huo Guanchen¡¯s political review doesn¡¯t need to go against his own official career just to cater to Huo Guanchen¡¯s selfish motives.¡±

    The reason why they dared to do this was because they didn¡¯t have anything against the rules.

    If you don¡¯t have any desires, you¡¯ll be strong.

    ¡°AH? You can do this? I¡¯ve learned it.¡±Lu Jin cupped his hands, he really didn¡¯t know that those who went to the administrative litigation court couldn¡¯t be promoted anymore. They might even lose their original positions, even if the court ruled that they weren¡¯t responsible.

    This was a tacit move. There was no such statement in any legal provisions.

    Therefore, it was reasonable that Lu Jin did not know.

    But it was enough that Lu Yuan understood.

    He smiled at Lu Jin and picked up his chopsticks. ¡°Let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ..

    Huo Guanchen rushed home angrily. He did not eat dinner and did not sleep for almost the whole night.

    The next day, he went to his office and personally found song Jinning¡¯s marriage application report. He read it carefully, word by word.

    In his position, he actually didn¡¯t care about such trivial matters as the marriage application and the political review anymore. But if he wanted to, he could still manage it.

    This was the power of a county official being inferior to the current one.

    He pursed his lips and read the entire application without saying a word. Just as he was about to approve it, a colleague of the same level as him knocked on the door, with a smile, he said, ¡°General Huo, superintendent song has applied for an associate to avoid suspicion. Her marriage application is now in my hands.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2069, intelligence quotient is so much that there is nowhere to put it.

    It is the second watch of today.

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and monthly tickets OH ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2070 - was quite arrogant

    <h4>Chapter 2070: Chapter 2070 was quite arrogant</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Huo Guanchen didn¡¯te back to his senses for a long time.

    He looked at his colleague in a daze. After a while, he tilted his head and asked,¡±... What did you say? Did I hear you correctly?¡±

    The man smiled and walked slowly to him. He picked up the marriage application report from his desk, he repeated, ¡°General Huo, you didn¡¯t hear it wrong. Superintendent song applied for an associate to avoid suspicion. I¡¯m taking over her marriage application now.¡±

    He casually flipped through the application and confirmed that there were no missing pages. Huo Guanchen did not have the time to approve it and let out a sigh of relief.

    He put the application into his briefcase, nodded at Huo Guanchen, and turned to leave.

    Huo Guanchen finally came back to his senses. He grabbed his hand and said in a deep voice, ¡°Wait, what¡¯s going on? What rted person to avoid suspicion? Howe I¡¯ve never heard of it?¡±

    The person smiled and said, ¡°Not to mention that you¡¯ve never heard of General Huo, even I, who has been doing the marriage application review all year round, have never heard of it. However, my secretary checked the information and found that there was indeed such a use, but it was very secretive and had many restrictions. It was considered not to sue and not to talk.¡±

    As he said that, he pushed Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand away without leaving a trace and patted his briefcase, he said, ¡°In fact, most of the people who cane here for the administrative review will not be involved in the relevant uses to avoid suspicion. This time, superintendent song is considered special among the special ones.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face turned cold as he said in a deep voice,¡±... where did thise from? Superintendent song and I divorced many years ago. Where did the connectione from? Did I quote the wrong uses?¡±

    ¡°No Way.¡±The man shrugged and said frankly, ¡°I¡¯ve read it. Superintendent song wrote it clearly on the application.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because your son, Huo Shao, is too powerful. ¡°His rank determines that even if you get divorced, you¡¯ll be permanently connected. ¡°So, anything rted to her, you have to avoid suspicion. ¡°Simrly, you must avoid any suspicion that has anything to do with you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen felt a chill in his heart when he heard that.

    He knew very well that if someone could dig out such a hidden use and use it on him, it must be Lu Jin¡¯s handiwork!

    Yesterday, Lu Jin had said that he wanted to ¡°Change people for a political review¡±..

    So that was how he wanted to ¡°Change people¡±.

    Because he wanted to avoid suspicion, he had no choice but to change people.

    As for song jinning, she probably wanted to ¡°Avoid suspicion¡±, right?

    Song jinning probably wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye when it came to anything rted to him.

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s heart was bitter and bitter. He almost copsed in his seat. His face was stiff, and he didn¡¯t even bat an eye.

    The person chuckled and finally left with his briefcase.

    Huo Guanchen narrowed his eyes as he watched the person leave.

    When the man was far away, Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary came over and whispered, ¡°Chief, why don¡¯t you tell him to do you a favor?¡±

    This was not a matter that concerned the national economy and the People¡¯s livelihood, so it was understandable for him to ask for a favor.

    However, Huo Guanchen shook his head with a profound look in his eyes.

    The man that song Jinning had picked to take over song Jinning¡¯s marriage application had indeed been carefully considered.

    This person was ten years younger than Huo Guanchen. Although he was now a lieutenant general, he was already in the same position as Huo Guanchen.

    In time, this person would be his most powerful opponent..

    Since there was such apetitive rtionship, it could be imagined that even if this person was willing to do Huo Guanchen a favor, Huo Guanchen would definitely not beg him.

    Because the moment he opened his mouth, he would give the other party a huge piece of evidence. Wouldn¡¯t he have to obediently give up his position in the future?

    No matter what, Huo Guanchen would not do that, even if it was for song jinning.

    Knowing so much about him and the structure of the entire department, Huo Guanchen subconsciously felt that this was definitely the handiwork of his big brother.

    Lu Jin had found the terms, and Lu Yuan had chosen a recement.

    What a pair of ¡°Brothers in distress¡±.

    Huo Guanchen sneered and threw the pen aside. He stood up abruptly and said with a livid face, ¡°How¡¯s the interrogation going over there? I want to go and take a look personally.¡±

    His personal secretary quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s more troublesome over at Keven¡¯s side. His family in the United States seems to have hired a very powerfulwyer for him. He¡¯s expected to arrive in the imperial capital after the New Year. ¡°Keven said that he won¡¯t say a word until hiswyer arrives.¡±

    Huo Guanchen suddenly looked at his personal secretary. ¡°You won¡¯t ask if he won¡¯t say anything?¡±

    ¡°Since when did you guys use such tricks? !¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s personal secretary smiled bitterly and lowered his head.¡±... To tell you the truth, hispany, Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. , has been spreading rumors that their foreign employees have gone missing without a reason. They are contacting the media to create momentum, asking us to disclose Kevin¡¯s whereabouts and give them an exnation!¡±

    ¡°Ha, they are quite arrogant!¡±Huo Guanchen was full of anger. It was all on Kevin¡¯s group.

    He thought about it. If it wasn¡¯t for Kevin and his group, why would he deliberately mislead Guo Huining?

    If it wasn¡¯t for them, he and song Jinning wouldn¡¯t have gotten to such an irreparable state.

    He put on his military cap and went to watch the interrogation angrily.

    ..

    After changing the examiner, Song Jinning¡¯s marriage application was approved in half a day.

    Lu Yuan was even faster. He directly took it to General Ji to sign and stamp, not epting any rebuttal at all.

    General Ji saw that the person he applied for marriage was song jinning, and was speechless for a long time.

    Lu Yuan waited for a while, but did not receive a reply from General Ji. He simply stuffed the pen into General Ji¡¯s hand, held his hand for him to sign, and then stamped General Ji¡¯s official seal.

    After the formalities werepleted, General Ji came back to his senses and scolded jokingly, ¡°Lu Yuan, oh Lu Yuan, you¡¯re already so old, yet you still do such a Thing!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°General Ji, there¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯ve already missed more than thirty years, I can¡¯t continue to be wrong.¡±

    When General Ji heard that there was a story here, he wished he could hand Lu Yuan a microphone and let him tell his story.

    Of course, Lu Yuan did not care about General Ji¡¯s bad taste. He calmly took the signed and stamped marriage application report and went to the organization department to register before returning to Song Jinning¡¯s apartment.

    At that time, Song Jinning had not returned. Only Lu Jin was fiddling with his weather weapon control system in his room.

    Lu Yuan came to his room and knocked on the door. He smiled and said, ¡°Professor Lu, how is the preparation of your personalboratorying along?¡±

    ¡°Soon,¡±Lu Jin said without turning his head, ¡°Where¡¯s your marriage application? Has It been approved?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Lu Yuan raised the application document, and the paper rustled.

    Lu Jin smiled and raised his hand to give him a beating. ¡°Awesome, Boss Lu! Prepare for the wedding night!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He knew that a dog¡¯s mouth could not spit out ivory.

    But when he turned around and left, the corners of his lips could not help but curl up.

    The wedding night..

    It must have been a very good night..

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 2070, ¡°Quite arrogant¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch is at 8:30 pm.

    PS: it¡¯s the end of the month, dear, Let¡¯s vote for the monthly votes

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

 Chapter 2071

    <h4>Chapter 2071: Chapter 2071: Show Off Your Love and show off yourser</h4>

    In the afternoon, Song Jinning¡¯s marriage application report was approved and sent back to Song Jinning¡¯s office at the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    She was extremely happy. She excitedly took the marriage application report and walked around the empty office several times. She even made a few ssic ballet poses.

    When she came out of the office, her face was full of smiles and her eyes were astonishingly bright.

    She had always been beautiful even in in white clothes. Now that she was in a good mood, her beauty radiated from the inside out, as if it would glow.

    Everyone who saw her would be firmly attracted to her. Nothing else could be seen in their eyes.

    After she left for a long time, everyone was able to gather and gossip like they had just woken up from a dream.

    ¡°Director song, is there any good news? ! I was stunned just now!¡±

    ¡°How can someone be so beautiful? ¡ª this is not so beautiful that you don¡¯t have any friends, this is so beautiful that you forget to breathe!¡±

    ¡°Be a good boy! I know how those stupid monarchs who didn¡¯t hesitate to tease the feudal vassals for the sake of a beautiful woman felt back then...¡±

    ¡°Is that right? We just don¡¯t have the qualifications to be emperors... if we really be emperors, I¡¯ll definitely be stupid monarchs for the sake of director Song¡¯s Smile!¡±

    On this day, everyone in the Institute of High Energy Physics who saw song Jinning expressed that director song¡¯s beauty had gone up another level.

    Although everyone knew her age and that she was so young, and someone had once secretly spread rumors that song Jinning had undergone stic surgery, her appearance, posture, and even expression were too natural. There were no signs of stic surgery at all, it waspletely different from those stic surgery faces that would copse after two or three years.

    After today, everyone realized that she was beautiful, and this kind of beauty had nothing to do with age.

    ..

    Returning to her apartment, the moment song Jinning entered, she saw Lu Yuan sitting in the living room reading a magazine.

    Hearing the sound of someone entering, Lu Yuan raised his head.

    At first nce, seeing song Jinning¡¯s bright and dazzling smile, Lu Yuan also had the feeling of momentarily forgetting to breathe.

    After a while, he stood up and said in an even deeper voice, ¡°You¡¯re back. Why are you back so early today? Aren¡¯t you waiting for me to pick you up?¡±

    Song Jinning waved her marriage application report at him and said with a smile, ¡°My application was approved. I didn¡¯t expect it to be so fast. I brought it back for you to see. I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s really fast.¡±Lu Yuan smiled subtly. He stood up and walked to song Jinning¡¯s side and helped her take off her coat. He hung it on the coat hook at the entrance hall while holding her hand, he took a look at the application report.

    With a nce, he saw that the signature,ments, and official seal were allplete. It was a valid document.

    This kind of application report was usually in triplicate. After approval, the applicant would have one copy, the applicant would have one copy, and the organization¡¯s information room would have one copy.

    The application report in song Jinning¡¯s hand was the one that belonged to the applicant.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s Go Register!¡±Song Jinning said with sparkling eyes.

    Her eyes were so bright that Lu Yuan seemed to have been bewitched. He nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    After saying that, he felt that it was inappropriate and added, ¡°Let¡¯s register first, then we¡¯ll prepare for the wedding.¡±

    Song jinning smiled and said, ¡°Yes, but it doesn¡¯t have to be too big. We just need to sit down and have a meal with our close rtives and friends.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want a wedding to be too big. First of all, it was because of the difference in age and mood.

    Moreover, her wedding with Huo Guanchen was very grand in that era. There were 1,000 tables, and thousands of people were invited to watch the ceremony.

    So what?

    In the end, it still ended miserably.

    Lu Yuan understood her intentions.

    Moreover, he didn¡¯t seed in song jinning and Huo Guanchen¡¯s wedding that year. At that time, he was ¡°Coincidentally¡±out on a mission.

    Only he knew that it wasn¡¯t ¡°Coincidentally.¡±It was intentional because he didn¡¯t want to see the scene of his sweetheart getting married.

    Later on, he returned home to face reality. It was after song jinning and Huo Guanchen¡¯s son, Huo Shaoheng, was born.

    At that time, he was out on a mission. Because he was in a trance, he was almost shot to death. It was hisrade-in-arms who protected him and sacrificed his life for him.

    And thatrade¡¯s fianc¨¦e was Luo xinxue. She was already pregnant at that time.

    In that era, women who got pregnant before marriage could really be stabbed in the spine to the point of suicide.

    And he was entrusted by hisrades on his deathbed. He had originally nned to take care of Luo xinxue for the rest of her life.

    In addition, his parents and the organization hoped that he could get married and have children as soon as possible. Settling down would also help his future career.

    He was not young at that time, but in this life, he had no intention of letting other women be his wife except for Song Jinning.

    Although he registered his marriage with Luo Xinxue, it was not a real marriage.

    From the beginning to the end, he had never even touched Luo xinxue¡¯s fingers.

    The two of them agreed that he would give her protection so that she could have a legitimate child.

    After marriage, he brought her to the Huo family, and she gave birth to herrade¡¯s adopted daughter, Luo Jin.

    Later on, the explosion of the failed experiment changed his life. It also changed the lives of Song Jinning and Luo Xinxue, and even changed Luo Jin¡¯s life.

    Lu Yuan looked at song jinning, and all these years shed through his mind. He held her in his arms and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go register now.¡±

    He turned around and called Lu Jin, ¡°Professor Lu, do you want to be our marriage witness?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s room was silent for a moment, and then there was a crackling sound.

    Lu Yuan and song jinning were both puzzled. Just as they were about to walk over to take a look, Lu Jin had already rushed out of the room. He rubbed one of his knees and said, ¡°What did you say? ! Boss Lu, are you crazy about getting married? !¡±

    Song jinningughed. This news was quite surprising.

    However, it was better to go today than to pick the day.

    Anyway, there were still a few hours before the marriage registration office closed.

    Lu Yuan asked Lu Jin, ¡°Do you want to be a witness? If not, I¡¯ll go find someone else.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±Lu Jin shouted. ¡°You still have to call mydy and Shaoheng! Besides the witness, you also have to have witnesses.¡±

    Otherwise, the marriage registration would be iplete.

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°Then call Nianzhi and Shaoheng.¡±

    Song Jinning looked at her watch and hesitated. ¡°Nianzhi and Shaoheng are at work right now... is that okay?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±Lu Jin red at her. ¡°Today is boss Lu¡¯s wedding registration day. Even if they skip work, they have toe!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and teased, ¡°Your official documents are really well researched. You even know about the full attendance award.¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes.¡±... In Your Eyes, I¡¯m just a good-for-nothing and a scientific idiot, right?¡±

    ¡°How would I dare.¡±Lu Yuan gracefully bowed slightly. His demeanor made song Jinning¡¯s heart skip a few beats.

    She could not help but stand on her tiptoes and take the initiative to Kiss Lu Yuan on the face. She smiled and said,¡±... why do I like you so much...¡±

    Lu Jin covered his eyes and cried out, ¡°Blind, blind, blind! Ms. Song, I¡¯ll tell you when you show off your love and show off yourser!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2071, ¡°Show Off Your Love and show off yourser¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    PS: it¡¯s the end of the month, kiss. Hurry up and vote for the monthly votes ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2072

    <h4>Chapter 2072: Chapter 2072: Watching and being watched</h4>

    Lu Jin was exaggerating. Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly at song jinning and said,¡±... ignore him. Professor Lu is a person who can talk back, but he will never speak properly.¡±

    ¡°What did I say wrong?¡±Lu Jin sent Gu Nianzhi a message and said unhappily, ¡°Your show of affection has blinded my eyes, and you still say you didn¡¯t show off yourser?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even afternoon yet, and Gu Nianzhi was in her office writing a work n for next year.

    She heard the sound of a text messageing through her phone and nced at it.

    She stood up abruptly and hurriedly packed her Louis Vuitton bag as she replied via voice mail, ¡°I¡¯ll go right away! Where¡¯s The Marriage Registry?¡±

    Lu Jin turned on the voice mail, and both Lu Yuan and song jinning heard it.

    The two of them smiled awkwardly, and song jinning turned to Lu Jin,¡±... It¡¯s at the Civil Affairs Bureau near the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    This was the ce they had discussed when they filed the marriage report.

    Lu Jin quickly sent the address to Gu Nianzhi and forwarded it to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had just finished his meeting and wasing out of the meeting room, chatting andughing with Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze.

    The special operations forces had been involved in the case of Keven, but it was being investigated abroad. So far, they had found quite a few interesting things. Today¡¯s meeting was to summarize the results of the current stage of the case, they also had to start writing a report for the relevant authorities in the country to refer to.

    He was in a good mood.

    When he returned to his office, he saw that his personal phone on his desk was vibrating, and several text messages popped up.

    He picked it up and opened it. His mind went nk.

    Although he really wanted his mother and his uncle to be happy, when the day really came, he realized that his feelings were still very subtle.

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t object, but his uncle had be his stepfather. This... he shouldn¡¯t think too much about it.

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm andposed as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±.

    He picked up his car keys and said to Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, ¡°I have something to do, so I¡¯ll be leaving first. If you guys are free, you can get off work earlier.¡±

    Yin shixiongughed and said, ¡°Huo Shao, are you going to spend Christmas with Nianzhi Too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly taken aback.¡±... Christmas? I never celebrate foreign holidays.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡±Yin Shixiong scratched his head in embarrassment.¡±... But it¡¯s Christmas Eve today, and Qiqi asked me to pick her up early.¡±

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression change slightly, yin shixiong quickly said, ¡°We don¡¯t celebrate Christmas... but Christmas... I¡¯ll tell Qiqi that we¡¯re going out for a meal...¡±

    He chuckled and ran out first.

    Zhao liangze smiled and shook his head, trying to smooth things over for Yin Shixiong. ¡°Huo Shao, Big Xiong just likes to have fun. He doesn¡¯t mean anything by it. He won¡¯t celebrate foreign holidays.¡±

    The military did not celebrate foreign holidays. Although there was no written rule, everyone was already tacitly understanding.

    Even if someone wanted to celebrate, they would only secretly celebrate it with their close rtives and friends. No one would say it out loud.

    Huo Shaoheng did not have a bad impression of foreign festivals. He was simply not interested in them.

    However, when he thought about that Christmas Day, he had rushed to the capital from C city in the middle of the night on a special ne. He had picked up Gu Nianzhi, who had been sitting alone at the train stationte at night, and brought her home, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

    It was at that time that Gu Nianzhi had met the mentally deranged song jinning.

    Two years had passed, and not only had song jinningpletely recovered, but she was also going to get married again.

    She hoped that this time, the two of them would really be able to live happily ever after.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subtle emotions finally dissipated.

    He did not look for a driver. Instead, he drove himself to the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau near the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    He parked his car by the side of the road and realized that he was early.

    He took out his phone and checked. Not only was Gu Nianzhi absent, but the two newlyweds from today were also absent. The Witness, Professor Lu, was nowhere to be seen.

    He got out of the car and leaned against the door. He took out a cigarette and started smoking.

    The recent events had been one after another. Even the failure of the experiment 18 years ago had finally been picked up by the military from the pile of old papers and reopened the investigation.

    Although this was a domestic matter, the appearance of Keven, an American citizen of Chinese descent, meant that the enemies involved might be colluding with external forces. Therefore, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special operations forces had been justified in intervening.

    He had already stayed up for a few nights without sleep, and there was not much redness in his eyes. However, the ends of his eyes were a little red, and he turned his eyes slightly, looking very charming.

    He was wearing a dark green military jacket, which matched his handsome and masculine face perfectly. It was almost like the temptation of a uniform.

    Gu Nianzhi personally drove her car from the Senate. Because she was anxious, she changed gears all the way and turned an ordinary SUV into an equation racing car.

    When she stopped at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau with a squeak, she pushed open the car door and saw Huo Shaoheng standing in front of her without batting an eyelid. He said,¡±... you¡¯re speeding again?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck in guilt and got out of the car with a smile. She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and said, ¡°How am I speeding? I drive at a normal speed wherever there¡¯s a speed test.¡±

    ¡°What about ces where there¡¯s no speed test?¡±Huo Shaoheng looked down at her and said inly, ¡°Are you ying word games with me? HMM?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was most afraid of Huo Shaoheng speaking to her in that tone.

    She blinked, and tears welled up in her dark, zed eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng stroked her head,¡±... Today is a good day for President Lu and Ms. Song to get married. Don¡¯t Jinx them. Otherwise, president Lu won¡¯t Cook Good Food for you in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head away and immediately stopped crying, saying, ¡°Then don¡¯t be so fierce to me... I¡¯m just driving. Are you still worried about my skills?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried, but speeding is always wrong. You¡¯re already the chief legal advisor of the Senate. Your every move is being watched.¡±Huo Shaoheng took her hand, they walked side by side to the Civil Affairs Bureau. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you only need to slow down at the speed test. Just you wait...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really didn¡¯t think so much. She looked at Huo Shaoheng in surprise and said, ¡°No Way? There¡¯s someone watching me 24 hours a day?¡±

    ¡°24 hours isn¡¯t much, but there¡¯s definitely someone keeping an eye on you for eight hours a day. You¡¯re a public figure now, so you should be aware of that and be prepared to be watched at all times,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s not just you. It¡¯s the same for the other senators in the Senate. Countless people want to catch them in the act so that they can be brought down during the next election.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°I¡¯m not from the election. As long as speaker long doesn¡¯t mind, I¡¯m not afraid of anyone.¡±

    Even though she said that, she still kept an eye out for anyments about her online.

    When she and Huo Shaoheng walked into the civil affairs bureau side by side, she didn¡¯t notice that someone had just gotten out of the car.

    When he saw her and Huo Shaoheng walk into the civil affairs bureau side by side, that person¡¯s face instantly contorted to a steely green.

    ¡°... I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s really going to marry Huo Shao? ! On what basis? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2072, ¡°Watching and being watched.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at 8:30 pm.

    PS: the end of the month dear, the monthly vote quickly cast ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ .

 Chapter 2073

    <h4>Chapter 2073: Chapter 2073: I Believe in Love Again (chapter 2073: I Want a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The woman who was mumbling to herself was not very old. She was dressed elegantly and was also very beautiful. However, her face was now twisted and crazy, making her look a little scary.

    The woman was so angry that she almost lost control of her emotions. She almost pounced over, but the person behind her stopped her in time.

    ¡°Miss, this has nothing to do with you. Let¡¯s Go Get Miss Gu...¡±

    The assistant beside her was not a young man, but a middle-aged woman in her forties, so she was much calmer.

    The woman took a deep breath. She still had a lot of things to do, so she decided to let Gu Nianzhi be wild for a while longer.

    She finally calmed down and walked towards a residential area near the Civil Affairs Bureau.

    Although the location here was not bad, the residential buildings were themercial houses from the early days of the capital. From the looks of it now, they were very old.

    There was no property management, so the exterior of the residential building was dirty and old.

    The residential building was about eight stories tall and did not have an elevator.

    The lighting in the corridor was not good, so it was very dark in broad daylight.

    She took her assistant and climbed up the eight stories step by step. She stood in front of an old-fashioned anti-theft door that looked like an iron railing and rang the doorbell.

    Not long after, a haggard-looking woman opened the security door. She looked at the two of them in confusion and asked,¡±... who are you looking for?¡±

    The young woman became excited. She stepped forward and reached out to the crack in the security door. She held the hand of the haggard-looking woman behind the security door. Tears streamed down her face. ¡°SIS, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m here to take you home.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng had no idea that they had such a chance encounter.

    But even if they did know, they probably wouldn¡¯t take it to heart.

    When the soldiers came, the soldiers would block them. When the water came, the soil would cover it. If one came, they would catch one. If two came, they would catch a pair.

    They couldn¡¯t seal themselves off from the outside world just because they were worried about these B * stards.

    Or should they have countless people protecting and monitoring them at all times, just to guard against the slightest possibility?

    No, not only was Gu Nianzhi unwilling, but Huo Shaoheng was also unwilling.

    He had protected Gu Nianzhi so that she could live among the crowd like an ordinary person.

    Excessive protection was actually a sign of losing personal freedom.

    The two of them walked side by side into the Civil Affairs Bureau¡¯s Marriage Registration Office.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help ncing at Huo Shaoheng from the corner of her eyes. She pricked his palm with her fingernails and said softly,¡±... you didn¡¯t even bring me here to register...¡±

    At that time, when the two of them had registered their marriage, it had been done under very secretive circumstances at the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground.

    Because of a series of conspiracies, Gu Nianzhi had suffered a huge blow. She hated Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions and was determined to break up with him.

    However, Huo Shaoheng would not break up with her, whether it was for business or personal reasons.

    He made a prompt decision and almost ¡°Forced¡±her to marry him.

    However, the status of the marriage was top secret, and very few people knew that the two were married.

    The entire world¡¯s memory of the two¡¯s grand engagement ceremony in Russia remained.

    The Russian president, Putin, had even said that he would attend the two¡¯s wedding..

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind wavered as he thought about these things. He couldn¡¯t care less about the fact that everyone was watching in the hall. He leaned over, cupped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and kissed her on the lips.

    Fortunately, they were in the Hall of the marriage registry. Everyone was here to get married, and most of them were couples who were deeply in love. It was not umon for people like Huo Shaoheng to kiss the woman next to him passionately, therefore, it didn¡¯t seem out of ce.

    However, this pair was simply too beautiful and eye-catching. Someone couldn¡¯t help but want to take out their phone and take a picture.

    However, before the phone was aimed at Huo Shaoheng and gu nianzhi, someone suddenly walked over from the side and stopped them. He said kindly, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to take pictures here. If you want to take pictures, please go out and take them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±The person quickly put the phone away.

    Not long after, another couple walked into the hall.

    The Man was handsome and the woman was... wow... Everyone didn¡¯t know how to describe this woman.

    She looked to be in her early thirties. She was the most mature, beautiful, and moving age a woman could have in her life.

    She was more mature than when she was in her teens and twenties. However, she was less sophisticated than a woman in her forties and fifties.

    She had the beauty of a young girl and the charm of a mature woman. In addition to her beautiful facial features and elegant temperament, her beauty was beyondpare. Just one look at her and one would lose one¡¯s soul and mind.

    She was really too beautiful..

    Moreover, because the difference in beauty was too big, no one would be jealous of her. Just by looking at her, one would feel that she was very beautiful.

    Although the man next to her looked gentle and harmless, the aura he exuded made people not dare toe within three feet of him.

    This man was undoubtedly someone who had been in a high position for many years.

    The two of them walked into the Hall of the marriage registry, and the entire hall suddenly fell silent.

    It was as if a boiling pot of oil had been covered with a lid, and the sizzling sound instantly died out.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked over and indeed found that it was song Jinning and Lu Yuan.

    The two of them quickly went up to greet them.

    Gu Nianzhi cupped her hands and smiled. ¡°Congrattions, Congrattions!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said calmly, ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you, Nianzhi. By the way, your father will be here soon. He asked us to wait for him for a while.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pulled gu nianzhi to his side and smiled at Lu Yuan. ¡°Congrattions, President Lu.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and didn¡¯t say much.

    Song Jinning was a little nervous. She stood beside Lu Yuan and unconsciously twisted her hands together.

    Lu Yuan looked at her gently and pushed her hands apart. He held one hand in his warm and wide palm and squeezed it.

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart gradually calmed down.

    The two of them took their numbers and sat down in the hall.

    Before their numbers could be called, Lu Jin rushed in.

    He wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte. I couldn¡¯t help but modify the auto-driving program control software along the way...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s almost time to get off work. The traffic conditions on the road are moreplicated, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, onlyplicated traffic conditions can give me the inspiration to modify the auto-driving program control.¡±A person like Lu Jin had no ce to put his IQ. Not letting him think was worse than killing him.

    Song Jinning and Lu Jin eagerly discussed professional topics.

    Although Lu Yuan did not understand, he listened with interest.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at her phone.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled.

    Not long after, song Jinning and Lu Yuan¡¯s numbers were called.

    The two of them stood up in a hurry.

    They had just felt calm, but now they were nervous.

    Song Jinning¡¯s expression was a little serious. She adjusted Lu Yuan¡¯s cor and patted him on the shoulder.

    Lu Yuan smiled as he smoothed song Jinning¡¯s hair and bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

    The people in the hall who were staring at the two immediately cheered and gave a warm round of apuse.

    Looking at such a beautiful couple and a young couple registering for marriage, for some reason, even the passersby who were watching felt a little touched.

    Looking at the two of them, they could not help but believe that there was still a longsting love in this world.

    Those hidden in the heart of love, time can not erase, the years can not invade.

    And the best thing a man and a woman can do for each other is to marry you.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2073, I believe in love again.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    PS: the end of the month dear, the monthly vote quickly cast ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2074

    <h4>Chapter 2074: Chapter 2074: Reason and Sensibility (first, monthly pass requested)</h4>

    Lu Yuan held song Jinning¡¯s hand and walked towards the marriage registration window.

    For the first time, Lu Jin did not say anything that would ruin the scene.

    He watched silently, his gaze distant. It was as if he could see the scene that he had imagined countless times in his dreams through the backs of these two people..

    When Qin Suwen and he chengjian got married, it was the grandest wedding of that era.

    At that time, Lu Jin was the same as he was now. He sat in the crowd of spectators and watched as the goddess in his heart held onto the arms of another man and walked up to the priest, promising to be with him for the rest of his life.

    He could no longer remember what he was feeling at that time. He might have been sad, pained, or jealous, but it was not serious. He was not sad, pained, or jealous to the point of being twisted.

    There was only a faint sadness, and he did not know when he would be able to let it go.

    However, as time passed, he calmly faced himself, knowing that he would never be able to let it go.

    Therefore, when Qin Yaoguang crazily gave him a fertilized egg for gene editing, saying that it came from her and his egg cells and sperm, he also followed her ¡°Crazily.¡±.

    He had clearly determined that the egg cells in the fertilized egg were provided by Qin Suwen, but he pretended not to know and made Qin Yaoguang believe that he had not discovered the truth from the beginning to the end..

    With great enthusiasm, he carried out the most perfect gene editing on this hard-won fertilized egg. Moreover, because he was full of love, his gene editing was performed to a higher level.

    Not only did he not miss the target, but he also had an idea, using the DNA fragment of the small fertilized egg to copy and eliminate the genes of ancient viruses that did not belong to humans, thus, he created a ¡°Perfect gene¡±that was unique to both worlds!

    Just like an artist, his love for Qin Suwen was the muse in his work, which made him enlightened on many issues, greatly improving his technical and theoretical level.

    Of course, the most important thing was that he had a child with the woman he loved, a child that he loved with his entire life.

    This was his greatest gain, nothing else.

    Lu Jin always knew that he was partial to reason, so even though he had a crush on Qin Suwen for so many years, he never wanted to die.

    All his love was hidden in the bottom of his heart, just like how Lu Yuan treated song jinning.

    He thought, this must be the reason why he had tried so hard to bring Lu Yuan and song jinning together?

    It was because making Lu Yuan and song jinning happy was like making his best friend get the happiness he couldn¡¯t get.

    However, Lu Jinter found out that although his love for a man and a woman was more rational, his love for a father and daughter was not rational at all.

    He gave all of his feelings, protection, and favoritism to his daughter, Gu Nianzhi.

    Perhaps it was because he felt guilty, or perhaps it was because she had been an angel-like baby since she was young. In short, this child had unknowingly taken over his entire body and mind.

    He loved her more than his life.

    And it was apletely selfless love that did not ask for anything in return.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes shifted slightly as he looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was sitting beside him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked intently at the backs of Lu Yuan and song jinning in front of her. Her eyes were watery and her eyes were bright.

    asionally, she would raise her head and say something to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng leaned over to listen to her, his expression calm and at ease. It was only when he looked at her that a faint smile appeared on his lips.

    Lu Jin¡¯s father was an expert in psychology. He also had some knowledge of psychology.

    Just by looking at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression and posture, Lu Jin could tell that he loved Nianzhi dearly.

    Then he remembered how he had risked his life and insisted on going to the opposite world to find Nianzhi. What more could he ask for from a son-inw like this?

    Even though he still didn¡¯t like him.

    Lu Jin thought about it and rolled his eyes in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction.

    Huo Shaoheng noticed it from the corner of his eye and ignored it. He still looked ahead with a smile.

    Lu Yuan and song Jinning had already arrived at the marriage registration window. They sat in front of the staff and handed over their documents and marriage registration photos.

    The staff had already noticed this verypatible couple. She smiled and nodded. ¡°Congrattions to the two of you.¡±Then, she started to register Lu Yuan and song Jinning¡¯s personal information.

    When she registered Lu Yuan¡¯s age, name, and ce of origin, the staff member was still rather calm.

    When it came to registering song Jinning¡¯s age, name, and ce of origin, the staff member thought that she had seen wrongly.

    She wiped her eyes hard and moved closer to theputer screen to check carefully. After a long while, she turned back to look at song Jinning and asked in surprise,¡±... You¡¯ve had stic surgery?¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan frowned. ¡°What do you mean? Does stic surgery have anything to do with you?¡±

    It was rare for Lu Yuan to be so sharp-tongued, but if he spoke ill of song jinning in front of him, he would definitely turn hostile.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant...¡±the staff member quickly waved his hand and stared at song jinning for a while, he said,¡±... you probably didn¡¯t have stic surgery. I can¡¯t see any signs of stic surgery even when I¡¯m so close. Besides, if stic surgery can really be done to such an extent, I¡¯ll get it done too.¡±

    Lu Yuan was about to re up again. Song jinning gently held his hand under the stage and said to the staff member with a smile, ¡°I just know how to take care of myself. Other than doing experiments every day, I just sleep. I don¡¯t have to worry about anything, so naturally, I don¡¯t look old.¡±

    ¡°Really? You can take care of yourself just by Sleeping?¡±The female staff member¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Don¡¯t you eat bird¡¯s nest or goji berries for beauty?¡±

    Song Jinning was about to shake her head when Lu Yuan interrupted, ¡°She often eats a rose milk bird¡¯s nest for breakfast in the morning.¡±

    Staff member:¡±...¡±

    Song Jinning thought to herself, where did I eat it every day?

    And it was usually eaten as a midnight snack at night..

    However, even though song jinning ridiculed him, she wouldn¡¯t say it out loud to embarrass Lu Yuan.

    The staff member chatted for a while and finally recorded all the data. Then, she took out two small red marriage certificates. Their names were on them, and there was a photo of them together.

    Standing in front of the white background board, Song Jinning smiled faintly. Her pitch-ck eyes were as bright as stars, and her appearance was so beautiful that it was as if she had just stepped off the beauty pageant stage.

    However, she was only wearing a simple white silk shirt with a swallow-likepel. Her perfectly shaped corbone could be vaguely seen, as if she was wearing a luxurious dress.

    Because Lu Yuan was in a good mood, the smile on his face came from the bottom of his heart. It waspletely different from the smile that he usually wore on his face. It was a warm and emotional smile. Only people who saw Lu Yuan like this.., only then did they realize how formic his usual smile was. It was like a mask.

    His smile was genuine, and his entire person was even more handsome and handsome.

    The female staff did not dare to look at Lu Yuan at all.

    She only felt amazed when she looked at song jinning.

    However, when she looked at Lu Yuan, she felt that he was like a ma that could suck her heart out.

    The female staff endured the abnormal thumping of her heart and said, ¡°Where are your witnesses and witnesses?¡±

    Lu Yuan turned around and gestured to where Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi, and Huo Shaoheng were sitting.

    Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi, and Huo Shaoheng immediately went to the window.

    Lu Jin adjusted the small bow tie around his neck and coughed. ¡°I¡¯m the Witness, Lu Jin. I¡¯m the brother of the groom, Lu Yuan.¡±

    It was only then that everyone realized that Lu Jin was actually wearing a formal tuxedo. The small bow tie around his neck gave his in and unassuming face an air of elegance. He could almost be considered handsome.

    Lu Yuan was a little touched.

    He knew that Lu Jin hated formal wear. In the other world, he rarely wore formal wear.

    But in this world, he was wearing such formal wear just for the sake of his marriage registration. It was really difficult for him.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked at each other and said in unison, ¡°We are witnesses.¡±

    Only then did the female staff see Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s faces clearly. She realized that she was dazzled. She had seen more beautiful and handsome men today than she had in the past year!

    If she were topare her level of beauty, she had never seen such a beautiful and handsome man since she was a child!

    Even the tall and thin witness beside her, who did not look good, looked much more pleasing to the eye.

    Lu Jin had specially worn a pair of t gold-rimmed spectacles for this tuxedo.

    He adjusted the spectacles in the middle of his nose and asked, ¡°Mr. Lu Yuan, are you truly willing to marry Ms. Song Jinning, no matter if you are poor, rich, sick, or healthy?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡±Lu Yuan said and lowered his head to kiss song Jinning¡¯s cheek again.

    Lu Jin waited for him to finish kissing her with a smile, then asked song jinning, ¡°Ms. Song Jinning, do you really want to marry Mr. Lu Yuan? No matter if you are poor, rich, sick or healthy, will you never abandon her?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡±song Jinning said and also tiptoed to Kiss Lu Yuan¡¯s cheek.

    Lu Yuan excitedly took out the ring and was about to put it on song jinning.

    Lu Jin grabbed it anxiously and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t said that you can put the ring on the bride yet!¡±

    Lu yuan retorted without hesitation, ¡°You didn¡¯t say that I can kiss the bride either, but I did it too!¡±

    What he meant was, who cares if you say it or not!

    Lu Jin red at him, wishing he could threaten him if he still wanted to get married!

    But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he held them back and changed his way of speaking. He said perfunctorily, ¡°Then the groom should put a ring on the bride.¡±With that said, he turned around and left.

    Lu Yuan could no longer care about Lu Jin anymore. He quickly exchanged rings with song jinning and hurriedly took the stamped marriage certificate from the staff and signed it. Only then did they truly get married.

    He put the Little Red Book in his arms and let out a long sigh, saying, ¡°Jinning, you¡¯re finally married to me.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2074, ¡°Reason and thanks.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at 8:30 p.m.

    PS: it¡¯s the end of the month, Darling. Hurry up and vote for the monthly votes ~ ~

    Thank you for the 10,000 starting points that President Enigmayanxi gave us yesterday.

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

 Chapter 2075

    <h4>Chapter 2075: Chapter 2075 having a wife is everything. (chapter 2075 requires a monthly pass.)</h4>

    Song Jinning was also very touched. Her hands were tightly clutching the little red book, and her lips were trembling. However, she realized that her throat was choked with sobs, and the moment she opened her mouth, she would cry. Therefore, she could only purse her lips into a smile and suppress her tears.

    This was not her first time getting married, but the feeling waspletely different.

    When she first married Huo Guanchen, she was still young and full of vigor. At the same time, she also had a sense of uncertainty about her married life. Her mood was really perturbed.

    Now that she was married to Lu Yuan, her mood was extremely stable. She was like a traveler who had traveled thousands of miles and finally arrived at her destination. She felt like she had returned home.

    She held Lu Yuan¡¯s hand.

    Lu Yuan wanted to kiss her again, but when he saw that everyone in the hall was looking at him, he had no choice but to give up.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Do you want to go out for dinner to celebrate today, or do you want to eat at home?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m at Home!¡±Gu Nianzhi said before song jinning could answer.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little guilty and quickly exined, ¡°Marriage isn¡¯t anything else. It¡¯s more heartwarming to celebrate at home, isn¡¯t it, Mrs. Song?¡±

    Song Jinning smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought. I just want to eat President Lu¡¯s food at home.¡±

    Lu Yuan said gently, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back and eat.¡±

    He looked around but didn¡¯t see Lu Jin. He asked, ¡°Nianzhi, where¡¯s Your Dad?¡±

    ¡°He went out first.¡±Gu Nianzhi took out her phone to check her gps. ¡°He¡¯s right outside.¡±

    Lu Yuan led song jinning out first, followed by Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi.

    As expected, Lu Jin was waiting at the door.

    Seeing that they hade out, Lu Jin walked over leisurely with his hands in his trouser pockets. He said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Nianzhi, boss Lu is getting married. He¡¯s going on his honeymoon. It wouldn¡¯t be good for me to be a third wheel at his house.¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Your House is still under renovation. Why don¡¯t you stay at Huo Shao¡¯s official residence?¡±

    She just wanted to stay with her father.

    Lu Jin raised his eyebrows and nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°No problem. Uncle Lu¡¯s room will always be in our house.¡±

    Lu Jin was delighted and said, ¡°I have a lot of things. Help me move them over.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°No problem.¡±

    He took out his phone and called his driver, Fan Jian, to ask him to get someone to help him move the house.

    Lu Yuan did not stop him. He only reminded Huo shaoheng, ¡°Professor Lu has to do a good job with security. Can hee and go as he pleases?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the relevant departments to handle the formalities for uncle Lu,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly.

    The few of them walked down the steps of the marriage registration office as they spoke and walked towards the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

    Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi, and Huo Shaoheng all drove over by themselves.

    The three of them walked to their cars. Huo Shaoheng opened the car door and bent down to take out tworge packages of wedding candies. He gave one to song jinning and said, ¡°Ms. Song, bring it to the Institute of High Energy Physics to give out Candies Tomorrow.¡±

    He handed the other package to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Take it to the Senate and share it with everyone, especially speaker long.¡±

    Lu Jin craned his neck to look at it for a long time. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t getting any, he couldn¡¯t help but reach out and ask,¡±... What about me?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was already prepared. He slowly took out a bag of even more advanced wedding candies from his pocket and ced it in Lu Jin¡¯s hand. He said, ¡°Uncle Lu is a great hero. Thank you.¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re so smart! You¡¯re so Smart!¡±

    Lu Yuan was extremely touched. He was in a hurry to get married to Song Jinning. He had always been meticulous and meticulous, but he had actually forgotten to buy wedding candy for his own wedding!

    He quickly said, ¡°Shaoheng, thank you for today. You¡¯re more thoughtful than I am.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled.

    Actually, he hadn¡¯t expected that he would personally give his mother wedding candies.

    However, seeing song jinning so happy that she couldn¡¯t close her mouth, he felt that it was worth it.

    ncing at Lu Yuan, Huo Shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°These are just wedding candies for close rtives. When President Lu and Ms. Song officially get married, President Lu can prepare more wedding candies.¡±

    Lu Yuan was about to say something when song jinning suddenly said, ¡°We¡¯re not going to hold a wedding. Today is good enough, right, president Lu?¡±

    She stared at Lu Yuan, a little nervous.

    Although Lu Yuan was surprised, he did not refuse. He smiled and said, ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said! Marriage is for two people. Why invite so many irrelevant people?¡±Song Jinning was also quite sharp-tongued.

    Lu Jin, who was listening from the side, was unhappy. He frowned and said,¡±... then what about my daughter¡¯s wedding? I Don¡¯t care how many people get married. When my daughter gets married, I want to announce it to the world!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to rub her forehead again.

    And ¡°Announce it to the world¡±.

    Did she think she was the emperor?

    She wasn¡¯t a princess either..

    Gu Nianzhi was just about to smooth things over when song jinning quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Nianzhi and Shaoheng¡¯s wedding is definitely going to be a big event! There will be a thousand tables, not one less!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin was puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that getting married is a two-person affair? Why did you have to invite so many unrted people?¡±

    Song jinning said matter-of-factly, ¡°I¡¯m saying that second marriage is a two-person affair. Your Daughter, nianzhi, is the first, so of course you have to invite as many people as possible.¡±

    ¡°But boss Lu is the first marriage,¡±Lu Jin corrected her.

    ¡°No, Boss Lu is not the first marriage, but the second marriage,¡±song Jinning argued with him seriously. ¡°He also has a daughter, so I¡¯m even with him.¡±

    Lu Jin wanted to say that boss Lu¡¯s first marriage did not count, but when he saw Lu Yuan¡¯s expression, he decided to shut up.

    Lu Yuan actually did not want to hold a big wedding. As long as he could marry song jinning, everything would be fine with a wife.

    Putting aside the fact that his own identity had to be kept a secret, just his rtionship with Huo Guanchen¡¯s biological brother was too awkward, so it was better to keep it as simple as it was now.

    However, he would give song jinning everything that she needed, and he would not let her suffer.

    Lu Yuan coughed and interrupted the two scientists who were discussing ¡°First marriage¡±and ¡°Second marriage¡±, he said, ¡°Jinning and I will go back to my vi in the West Mountains today. We will go out for our honeymoon in the future, but the specific destination will be kept secret.¡±

    Lu Jin was finally satisfied. He said, ¡°We should be together well.¡±

    He looked at song jinning and said, ¡°Boss Lu has waited for you for so many years. Don¡¯t let him down again.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s face was slightly red, but she still nodded cautiously. ¡°I know. Professor Lu, don¡¯t worry. We will definitely have a good life.¡±

    Lu Jin was relieved. He looked at song jinning with his hands behind his back and then at Lu Yuan. After a while, he said,¡±... then can I still go to Your House for Dinner?¡±

    After eating the food cooked by Lu Yuan for so many years, he was already used to it.

    Lu Yuan quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a room for you in the vi in the West Mountain, as well as aboratory. You cane and stay at any time.¡±

    Lu Jin was overjoyed. His eyes lit up like a car light. ¡°Really? ! When did you prepare it? We don¡¯t even know!¡±

    Lu Yuan thought to himself, there are so many things I do that you don¡¯t even know about. What¡¯s so strange about that?

    He smiled and held song jinning as they walked to his car. He said, ¡°But don¡¯t go there for a while. You¡¯re staying at Shaoheng¡¯s ce. His cooking isn¡¯t bad either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s arm and tried to persuade him. ¡°Dad, stay with us. Huo Shao¡¯s cooking is really good. His skills have improved tremendously recently, and he¡¯s already on par with President Lu.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that good? Then you have to try it.¡±Lu Jin quickly nodded and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the menu of my favorite dishester. You just have to follow it every day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded nonchntly.¡±... okay.¡±

    After the small talk, everyone got into their cars and went to Lu Yuan¡¯s vi on the west side of the mountain for dinner to celebrate Lu Yuan and song Jinning¡¯s marriage.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to the military headquarterspound midway and returned to the Huo family mansion.

    Huo Guanchen had just finished his dinner and was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine.

    Huo Guanchen was delighted to see Huo Shaohenge in. He stood up and before he could say anything, Huo Shaoheng slowly ced a pack of wedding candies on the coffee table in front of him, he said, ¡°President Lu and Ms. Song have just registered their marriage. I¡¯ll treat you to wedding candies.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 2075, ¡°A wife is everything.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    PS: it¡¯s the end of the month, dear. Vote for the monthly votes quickly ~ ~

    Although the ranking is not good, you can¡¯t give up ~ ~

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2076

    <h4>Chapter 2076: Chapter 2076: I will earn a lot of money to support you. (first, I want a guaranteed monthly pass! ! !)</h4>

    Huo Guanchen blinked and couldn¡¯t react for a long time. He looked at the wedding candy Huo Shaoheng had put down in bewilderment.¡±... Who Did You Say Got Married?¡±

    ¡°Who else? President Lu and Ms. Song, of course.¡±Huo Shaoheng put his hands leisurely in his pockets, his expression was calm and natural, as if he was saying, ¡°It¡¯s going to rain, and mom is going to get married.¡±He lowered his eyes indifferently. ¡°I just wanted to let you know. By the way, Where¡¯s your gift? I¡¯ll bring it to you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but to Huo Guanchen¡¯s ears, it sounded like a p of thunder.

    He red at Huo Shaoheng, his eyes widening and his face reddening. He could even hear the sound of his own heartbeat. His blood pressure was rising, and his eardrums were almost popping out.

    In the end, he could no longer control himself. He strode forward and grabbed the cor of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s military jacket on his chest. he shouted, ¡°What the hell are you talking about? ! Do You Want to die? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and held Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand with his right hand. He slowly but persistently pushed his hand away and said, ¡°Chief Huo, why did you do this? If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°You dare to mock me? !¡±Huo Guanchen gritted his teeth and tried to grab Huo Shaoheng to question him again.

    Huo Shaoheng took a step back and ced his hands behind his back. calmly, he said, ¡°Chief Huo, if you want to fight, you won¡¯t be able to beat me.¡±

    The orderly of the Huo family mansion saw that the situation was not looking good and stood out with his gun on his back. ¡°Please calm down, chief. If you have something to say, we can talk it out...¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡±Huo Guanchen did not even look at them and directly let them out.

    The orderly looked at each other. They did not dare to disobey the orders of the officers and left with their heads lowered.

    However, they still listened to the sounds in the room with their ears open. They thought that if the two of them really started fighting inside, they would rush in at the first opportunity even if they disobeyed the orders.

    Huo Guanchen took a deep breath and said to Huo Shaoheng in a low voice, ¡°Get in Here!¡±

    He turned around and walked towards his study.

    The security there was tighter, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about being heard by others.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and decided to follow him.

    When he arrived at Huo Guanchen¡¯s study, he didn¡¯t sit behind his desk. Instead, he stood in front of it. When he saw Huo Shaoheng slowly walk in, he was furious. He swung his arm in an attempt to p him.

    Huo Shaoheng used only one hand to stop Huo Guanchen. He easily pushed him to the side of the desk and said calmly,¡±... don¡¯t fight with me. I¡¯m not hitting you. I¡¯m respecting my elders, not being afraid of you.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s vision went dark. He was so angry at Huo Shaoheng that he felt his heart ache.

    He clutched his chest and leaned against the desk. His entire body slid under the desk.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him for a while. Seeing that his face was gradually turning green, he walked around the desk and took out Huo Guanchen¡¯s special medicine for him to eat.

    Huo Guanchen sat on the sofa with his eyes closed. After a while, he gradually recovered.

    He ced one hand on his chest and slumped on the sofa, unwilling to open his eyes. His voice was thick and nasal as he asked in a low voice,¡±... your mother is really... married... to Lu Yuan?¡±

    ¡°... why would I lie to you about something like that?¡±Huo Shaoheng sat down opposite him and asked in return, ¡°I¡¯m just here to give you a message. I Don¡¯t want you to lose yourposure in public when you hear the news from someone else.¡±

    ¡°Ha, then should Ipliment you and say that you¡¯re Filial?¡±Huo Guanchen sneered. ¡°Do you hate me so much? You Don¡¯t want me to get back together with your mother? !¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me.¡±Huo Shaoheng looked at him calmly. ¡°You lost the right to get back together with Ms. Song when you divorced her when she was seriously ill.¡±

    ¡°I told you, if you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first ce?¡±? ¡°If Ms. Song had been seriously ill and hadn¡¯t recovered, you would have already had a wedding with Bai Jinyi.¡±. ¡°But now you¡¯re acting like you¡¯re in so much pain. To be honest, I don¡¯t really believe you,¡±Huo Shaoheng said nonchntly, he crossed his legs.

    ¡°I was so mad at her and... At that time!¡±Huo Guanchen opened his eyes and felt his blood pressure rise again.

    ¡°This has nothing to do with me.¡±Huo Shaoheng stood up. Seeing that Huo Guanchen¡¯s condition had stabilized, he nned to leave. He said, ¡°I¡¯ve brought the message. I thought you would prepare a gift, but I guess I was overthinking it.¡±

    Huo Guanchen sneered. ¡°You want me to bless those two? In your dreams! How much better do you think Lu Yuan treats her than I do? If your mother is still seriously ill...¡±

    ¡°If my mother is still seriously ill, president Lu will marry her without hesitation and take care of her for the rest of her life.¡±Huo Shaoheng looked down at Huo Guanchen, whose face was flushed, ¡°If you don¡¯t cherish what you have, no one will be waiting for you.¡±

    He turned and left.

    Huo Guanchen yelled at his back,¡±... You unfilial son! I don¡¯t have a son like you!¡±

    He actually watched his mother marry without stopping anyone.

    Huo Guanchen was almost angry.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t be bothered with him and left without looking back.

    ..

    He drove to Lu Yuan¡¯s vi in the West Mountains.

    It was already dark when he got out of the car.

    It was Christmas Eve, and the viplex in the West Mountains was decorated with Christmas lights. The trees in the mountains glittered with colorful lights.

    He stood in front of the car and looked at the night view silently for a while.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s vi was in a good location. It was located in an empty and t ce halfway up the mountain, but was surrounded by a dense forest.

    There was a kind of peace and quiet that was isted from the world, and also a free and easy way to look down on the mortal world.

    Standing in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s position, he could see the lights of the vi at the foot of the mountain. asionally, he could hear the Merry Christmas music.

    It was the home that was holding a Christmas dinner. The thick smoke and fire of the mortal world blew into his face, making him intoxicated.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes. He suddenly felt as if someone was looking at him from behind.

    He suddenly turned around and saw Gu Nianzhi standing under a big tree in front of the vi, her hands sped around her mouth as she breathed.

    She wasn¡¯t dressed much, and wore a red and white Christmas hat to one side of her head.

    Seeing Huo Shaoheng turn around, she smiled and waved at him. She didn¡¯t say anything, but her bright eyes flickered under the silver streetlights, as if she was guiding him home.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

    He quickly walked over and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand in his wide, warm palm. He said calmly, ¡°Why are you standing here? Why aren¡¯t you going in?¡±

    ¡°I was waiting for you...¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and snuggled into his arms. Listening to his steady heartbeat, Gu Nianzhi felt very safe and rested her head on his military coat.

    ¡°You saw me get out of the car?¡±Huo Shaoheng looked down at her and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you wait for more than ten minutes?¡±

    ¡°More than that...¡±gu nianzhi said aggrievedly, ¡°You never came, so I had to wait all the time... Look, I¡¯m freezing...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her cold fingers, unbuttoned his military jacket, and pulled her into his warm embrace. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go in. How¡¯s dinnering along?¡±

    ¡°President Lu and Miss Song are in the kitchen, making out. I wonder when we¡¯ll have their wedding banquet tonight.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°My dad can¡¯t stand it anymore. He went to his room to work on his program. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    Lu Yuan and song Jinning¡¯s rtionship was really toxic, as if it could be contagious. Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt like she was in desperate need of love. She really, really wanted to be with Huo Shaoheng and experience the pure love between a man and a woman.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what she meant and was in no hurry to go in. He hugged her and turned around. He hugged her from behind and looked at the lights at the foot of the mountain, he said softly, ¡°This used to be my grandmother¡¯s property, Xie Ziyan¡¯s. It was supposed to be... CEO Lu¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Huh? was grandmother really sad?¡±Gu Nianzhi held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand. ¡°At that time, everyone thought that CEO Lu had died in the big ident when the experiment failed, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes, so she changed her will and left this property to me.¡±

    Gu nianzhi understood and said, ¡°Now that President Lu is back, you¡¯re giving it back to him, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and suddenly smiled. ¡°You won¡¯t me me, right?¡±

    ¡°Why should I me you?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. ¡°What did you do to let me down?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°I returned the portion of the inheritance that originally belonged to President Lu to him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled, ¡°I know. Legally speaking, the inheritance belongs to you. After all, grandmother has already changed her will. Even if President Lu returns now, he won¡¯t be able to get the inheritance unless grandmother cane back to life and change her will.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Huo Shaoheng nodded again. ¡°But I still feel that since he¡¯s fine, these things aren¡¯t mine. It¡¯s time to return them to their rightful owners.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯ll earn a lot of money to support you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: chapter 2076, ¡°I will earn a lot of money to support you.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second update of the day.

    The second update is at 8:30 pm.

    PS: It¡¯s a new January, thest month of 2018, so hurry up and vote for the guaranteed monthly votes ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2077

    <h4>Chapter 2077: Chapter 2077 was embarrassed that night (chapter 2077 asked for a monthly pass)</h4>

    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t have any money?¡±Huo Shaoheng was angry and amused at the same time. He raised his index finger and knocked Gu Nianzhi on the head, ¡°Grandmother left most of her inheritance to me. Even if I return Lu¡¯s portion to him, it¡¯s not even one-tenth of what I inherited.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely surprised.¡±... grandmother is so good to you...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°Grandmother raised me since I was young, so her feelings for me were different. But if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she found out about grandfather and head nurse Zhang, she wouldn¡¯t have done this.¡±

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief, ¡°I was still saying that if there was no will, the first order of session would be your grandfather, your father, and President Lu. The second order would be your grandmother¡¯s siblings, grandparents, and grandparents.¡±

    ¡°Although President Lu was no longer around, he still had his wife, Luo xinxue, and his daughter, Huo Jin, on the surface.¡±

    ¡°So even if there was a will, it would be illogical to leave 90% of the assets to a grandson. To be honest, if your grandfather and your father wanted to sue, they could even go to court and invalidate the will.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can invalidate the will in ck and white?¡±

    ¡°Of course it can.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°If the time of the change of the will is near the time of your grandmother¡¯s death, it will be even more interesting. For example, they can say that your grandmother was delirious on her deathbed and waspelled to change the will, so the will can not be established. ¡°It¡¯s all possible.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, your grandmother is already dead. It¡¯s not impossible for them to seed if they want to do it.¡±

    ¡°But now that you¡¯ve taken the initiative to give a portion of the inheritance to CEO Lu, plus there¡¯s a special reason for it, so even if they go to court to file awsuit, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly and patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder.

    Huo Shaoheng held her mischievous hand and looked down with a faint smile.¡±... Yes, what am I worried about? Even if the will is invalidated and I have no money, don¡¯t you still have money to support me? I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    He spoke so seriously that Gu Nianzhi almost believed him.

    The two of them walked into the vi and gu nianzhi asked casually, ¡°But I was surprised that director Lu actually epted your gift.¡±

    Huo Shaohengughed, ¡°Director Lu didn¡¯t want it at the beginning. He said he wasn¡¯t short of money because grandmother had left something for Luo xinxue and Luo Jin, and now all these things belong to him. ¡°And since grandmother left this real estate to me, it¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°But when I mentioned grandmother¡¯s dying wish, I wanted to find his bones and bury them in France with grandmother¡¯s grave. He didn¡¯t object anymore.¡±

    It was Xie Ziyan¡¯sst words in her life that made Lu Yuan Cry. In the end, he epted Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gift.

    It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s first time at Lu Yuan¡¯s vi in the West Mountains.

    The vi was a european-style viplex. It was three stories tall and had a basement facing the backyardwn. There were four stories in total.

    It was very dark, and only the LED lights on the surrounding white walls could tell what the building looked like.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it for a while and suddenly said,¡±... young master he also has a vi nearby.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He pushed the door open as if nothing had happened and walked in with Gu Nianzhi. He said,¡±... When are you going to sell that house? Are you afraid you won¡¯t have a ce to stay?¡±

    ¡°Why should I sell it?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng strangely. ¡°You know better than me how difficult it is to buy a house here.¡±

    ¡°Why would I keep it if I don¡¯t sell it? Do you still think he zhichu cane over?¡±Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi with rapt attention and closed the door quietly.

    There was no energy left in the other world, so it was impossible for he zhichu toe over voluntarily.

    However..

    Gu Nianzhi remembered the two strands of he zhichu¡¯s hair that she had taken from him before she left. She nned to take them out after song Jinning¡¯s honeymoon so that she could mark them..

    Of course, there was no need to tell Huo Shaoheng about this. She could make the arrangements herself.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and smiled, ¡°No, I just wanted to live with my dad because the ce isn¡¯t far from here.¡±. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he like to eat the food cooked by President Lu?¡±? ¡°But President Lu is married. It¡¯s not realistic for him to live with a married couple, so how about this arrangement?¡±

    ¡°This way, they can take care of each other, but it won¡¯t be as awkward as living in the same house and not seeing each other.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought it made sense and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. However, uncle Lu might want to live with us. Do you think it¡¯s inconvenient?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯d love to, but my dad might not be able to stand the atmosphere and environment at the special operations forces, so I¡¯ll prepare a few more amodations for him.¡±

    Actually, Lu Jin wasn¡¯t short of money, he just couldn¡¯t be bothered to take care of his finances.

    For him, a ce to sleep and eat, and then aboratory would be enough.

    ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll transfer the ownership tomorrow. You can give the house to Uncle Lu.¡±Huo Shaoheng made a prompt decision and finally let Gu Nianzhi get rid of He Zhichu¡¯s vi.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t paying attention for a moment, but she was still happy.

    ..

    On the same Christmas Eve, in this world, Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and song jinning were sitting at the long dining table in the dining room. Each of them had a sumptuous meal in front of them, and they were eating happily.

    In the West Mountain Vi, which was almost the same location in the opposite world, there was also a Christmas party. Everyone was waiting for the clock to ring after twelve o¡¯clock, and everyone was singing hymns together.

    Xie qingying was now he zhichu¡¯s fianc¨¦e. She was the well-deserved hostess for tonight¡¯s banquet.

    She was wearing a dark purple fishtail dress that wrapped around her curvaceous body. She looked dignified and alluring.

    In her hand, she held a ss of crystal clear ss, which contained the French Bordeaux Manor¡¯s 1984 red wine. She smiled and talked to the guestsing and going.

    ¡°Miss Xie, when are you getting married to young master he? Don¡¯t forget to give us an invitation!¡±He was Xie Qingying¡¯s good friend, so his words were more polite and polite.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Xie. Young master he has been living in seclusion recently. Why Don¡¯t you just get married at home and carry your child?¡±This was a family member who had a conflict of interest with he zhichu, so his words were naturally harsh.

    Xie qingying was displeased. No matter how bad young master he was, he was still better than a good-for-nothing like her.

    Moreover, she loved he zhichu, not because she liked his family background.

    The Xie family was not inferior to the he family. Even if he zhichu came from an ordinary family, she would not hesitate to be with him as long as he loved her.

    Moreover, if he zhichu came from an ordinary family, her path of pursuit would not be so tortuous..

    Xie qingying pursed her lips and smiled. She swirled the wine ss in her hand and said softly, ¡°Are you so concerned about young master he because you¡¯re worried that something might happen to your family?¡±

    The man¡¯s expression changed and he said angrily, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? ! Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re so great just because you¡¯re engaged to young master he. You¡¯re not even married yet! Besides, you can still get a divorce if you¡¯re married. Don¡¯t take yourself too seriously!¡±

    Xie qingying only gave him the word ¡°Hehe¡±.

    However, she was also feeling uneasy.

    He Zhichu had not been living in seclusion recently. Instead, he was extremely elusive. As his fianc¨¦e, she had not seen him much in the past few days.

    Tonight¡¯s Christmas party was actually held at thest minute. Previously, it had only been prepared for less than five days.

    For people of their social ss, it would take at least a month for them to prepare the guest list and send out the invitations.

    Xie qingying had a vague feeling that he zhichu was doing something, but she could not figure out what he was doing.

    He said that he would attend the Christmas Dinner Tonight, but there was still no sign of him.

    Worried about he zhichu, Xie Qingying was in a daze. Her best friend walked over and asked softly, ¡°How are things with young master he? Has he been having some problems at work recently?¡±

    More than problems.

    Almost everyone in the upper echelons of the capital knew that ever since he chengjian¡¯s sudden death, his death had been deliberately revealed. It had greatly affected his prestige, and those who wanted to rece him were working together, they wanted to bring he zhichu down and forbid him from being the heir.

    Xie qingying was very worried about he zhichu. She had said a few times that she wanted to go abroad with him.

    However, how could he zhichu hand over the foundation that his grandfather and father had built?

    At that moment, he was dressed in a military uniform. He personally brought his loyal guards and the arrest warrant signed by the court to arrest the important families of the imperial military who were colluding with each other in an attempt to stage a coup.

    He sat in the bulletproof car. His face was gloomy and cold. His shimmering peach blossom eyes were slightly narrowed. The pink in the corners of his eyes was like the color of blood that had just dried up, adding a sense of solemnity to this merry Christmas night.

    The hand that wears ck leather glove raised, he zhichu said lightly: ¡°Make a move.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: chapter 2077, ¡°I am ashamed of this night.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    PS: It¡¯s a new January, thest month of 2018, and the minimum monthly votes should be cast quickly ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 2078

    <h4>Chapter 2078: Chapter 2078 Nianzhi, what are you doing? (first, I¡¯m Looking for a monthly pass)</h4>

    The Christmas Eve in the imperial capital across the world this year was destined to be an extraordinary, restless, and even somewhat bloody night.

    A Christmas dinner was being held at the home of General Jia, a high-ranking general in the imperial military.

    They did not have such tacit regtions as foreign festivals, so this night was like New Year¡¯s Eve for everyone.

    He raised his wine ss, he said to his rtives, friends, and guests, ¡°This year, with everyone¡¯s help, we can make further progress! Drink this ss of wine, and next year, we will reach a new milestone!¡±

    In the Imperial Army, he was a general second only to he chengjian. However, he chengjian had already arranged for his son, he zhichu, to take over. His position was originally just that.

    However, he refused to ept it and refused to ept it for a long time.

    It was just that his ability was limited. He could not defeat he chengjian, and his family¡¯s foundation was not as powerful as the he family¡¯s.

    The foundation that the he family hadid two generations ago was too solid.

    Fortunately, he chengjian¡¯s death was not very glorious, so he was able to take the opportunity to unite a group of people who were dissatisfied with the He family.

    Of course, more importantly, he had the support of the solo financial group in the United States. Whether it was public opinion or private deals, he had made ample preparations.

    ¡°General Jia, you¡¯re right! Forget about general he, but I¡¯m not convinced by that brat he zhichu! Why should the highest position be given to him? !¡±

    ¡°What does he want to do? ! Ever since his father passed away, he said that he was guarding the tomb and had disappeared!¡±

    ¡°I heard that he and his fianc¨¦e are secretly plotting to escape to a foreign country! HMPH! The Huaxia Empire¡¯s highestmander actually wants to escape to a foreign country and seek the protection of the Soviet Union!¡±

    ¡°How embarrassing!¡±

    In the spacious hall, Christmas jazz music was faintly discernible. There was also a female jazz musician on the stage, swaying her body and singing softly.

    Just as everyone raised their sses and drank together, vowing to ¡°Share the good with the bad¡±, the door of the living room was kicked open with a bang.

    A group of armed soldiers quickly took control of the front and back doors of the mansion.

    The guards who were originally in the mansion were quickly disarmed and locked in arge warehouse that was used as a storage room.

    ¡°Which unit are you from? ! It¡¯s illegal to break into a private house! Do you know what this ce is? !¡±

    General Jia¡¯s personal secretary separated the crowd and walked over. He pointed at the leading soldier and reprimanded him rudely.

    He Zhichu wore a ck fox-fur cloak and knee-high military boots. With his hands behind his back, he walked in slowly.

    Click, click, click.

    The military boots on the marble floor rang unhurriedly, making everyone panic.

    He stood at the entrance of the living room, his gaze disdainfully sweeping across everyone¡¯s stunned faces. He said, ¡°Are you already holding a grand celebration together?¡±

    He looked at his watch and his voice was full of ridicule.¡±... Isn¡¯t it a little too early? Isn¡¯t the date of your uprising set to be January 1st, the day of the annual New Year Festival?¡±

    ¡°You, you, you... What did you say? ! What grand ceremony together... What Uprising?¡±

    General Jia panicked.

    He narrowed his eyes and looked at the expressionless he zhichu standing in front of him, as if he saw the merciless he chengjian..

    His mind buzzed and his hands trembled. ¡°He... young master he, is there a misunderstanding?¡±

    ¡°Misunderstanding? It doesn¡¯t exist.¡±He Zhichu waved his hand.

    The huge television screen hanging on the wall of General Jia¡¯s living room suddenly turned on.

    The scene just now made them forget themselves. The faces of cursing he zhichu and he chengjian were all revealed.

    General Jia¡¯s expression changed again and again, and the sweat on his forehead dripped out. He did not bother to wipe it off and said in a stern tone, ¡°You¡¯re spying on me? ! He zhichu, you¡¯re breaking the Law!¡±

    ¡°I have the authorization of the court martial. General Jia, you¡¯re too close to the foreign consortia, so you must be effectively monitored.¡±

    He Zhichu put his hands behind his back and looked at the few blond and blue-eyed foreign guests on the second floor.

    ¡°Nonsense! You arrested us because we wereining about you just now! Major general he even wants to interfere with everyone¡¯sints? ! What a great show of power!¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to cover up the sky with one hand? !¡±General Jia shouted in a threatening manner.

    He Zhichu raised his hand, which was wearing ck leather gloves, and covered his mouth as heughed softly. ¡°Why would I arrest you just because you said a few words ofint?¡±

    ¡°Although I, he zhichu, do not agree with what you said, I will protect your right to speak with my life.¡±

    General Jia raised his eyebrows.

    He knew that he zhichu was not as hard-core as he chengjian. Furthermore, he was aw student and was deeply influenced by his mother, Qin Suwen. Everything was based on evidence.

    In front of so many people, he said that he would not pursue what they said today, so he would definitely not pursue the matter.

    General Jia secretly heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he looked down on he zhichu. He felt that he zhichu had no guts.

    How could such a person be the highestmander of the military?

    He definitely could not!

    He was about to speak, but he did not expect he zhichu to take out a few more court martial arrest warrants. He said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m here today to execute the court martial arrest warrants.¡±

    As he said this, his expression changed and he said coldly, ¡°Since all of you are gathered together today, it¡¯s better that I don¡¯t arrest them one by one! Take them away!¡±

    He handed the arrest warrant to his subordinates and told them to arrest them.

    The living room was in a mess.

    The women and children were crying for their husbands and fathers, and the subordinates hurriedly covered for their superiors.

    There were also people who called the police, and there were even a few older people who fainted.

    He Zhichu was unmoved. He stood alone in the living room, watching as his guards controlled all the corridors and entrances.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. If there¡¯s anything, go to the court martial. We¡¯re just following orders.¡±He Zhichu stepped aside and watched as his guards captured all the people on the arrest warrant.

    Of course, with General Jia as the leader, the rest of the people were also in high positions in the military.

    It could be said that four-sevenths of the people in the highest organization of the military were here.

    ¡°If you capture us, the other two people will not let you go!¡±General Jia shouted at the top of his voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. My people have already gone to the other two houses to capture people.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s eyes were slightly cold. ¡°My father¡¯s body is not even cold yet, and you guys are already colluding with foreign countries to plot a coup. You are really capable!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cunning!¡±General Jia red at He Zhichu. ¡°A few days ago, you closed your door and refused visitors. Saying that you were going to guard your father¡¯s grave was all a lie!¡±

    He zhichu shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m going to deal with you guys and still need to lie? You think too highly of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Are you really guarding the grave? !¡±General Jia¡¯s expression became even uglier.

    If he zhichu was really guarding the tomb, but he could investigate their situation clearly, could it be that there were other big shots supporting him from behind?

    He zhichu seemed to understand what he was thinking. He smiled slightly, and the pink next to his shimmering peach blossom eyes became even more obvious, more like dried blood.

    He said nonchntly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what a multi-task is? I¡¯m both guarding the tomb and investigating your situation. There¡¯s no dy between the two.¡±

    If he wanted to investigate these people, did he have to do it himself?

    He just needed to strategize behind the scenes.

    These old fellows wanted to seize his position, but they didn¡¯t expect that there were younger generals who wanted these old fellows¡¯positions..

    He was able to crush the remaining six people¡¯s n to seize power in one fell swoop because of the support of the young men in the army.

    These people were already old and belonged to his father¡¯s generation.

    Since his father, he chengjian, was no longer around, it was time for these people to leave.

    He Zhichu walked out of the Hall of General Jia¡¯s house and went to the camphor tree at the door. He took out a cigar and lit it. He took a deep breath.

    He looked up at the night sky and thought to himself, Nianzhi, it¡¯s Christmas Eve again. What are you doing?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: chapter 2078, ¡°Nianzhi, what are you doing?¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch is at 8:30 pm.

    PS: It¡¯s another January, thest month of 2018, and the guaranteed monthly votes should be cast quickly

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2079

    <h4>Chapter 2079: Chapter 2079 who was more anxious</h4>

    He Zhichu silently finished smoking half a cigar and handed the rest of the cigar to his personal secretary.

    The personal secretary took out a specially-made sealed metal box and put the cigar inside.

    The cigar that had been isted from the air was quickly extinguished. It was waiting to be destroyed when they returned and then dissolved into the water.

    ¡°Reporting to the chief, all arrests have been made!¡±

    He Zhichu raised his hand. ¡°Send them to the court martial and send someone to look after them.¡±

    Not long after, the other two officers who had been arrested in ordance with the arrest warrant also called him and replied, ¡°Reporting to the chief, all arrests have been made.¡±

    He Zhichu let out a long sigh and a faint smile appeared on his face. His almond-shaped eyes narrowed. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Send them to the court martial and send someone to look after them.¡±

    He paused for a moment before continuing,¡±... Merry Christmas.¡±

    ¡°Merry Christmas, Chief!¡±The officer on the other side was full of pride and joy as he replied loudly.

    After arranging everything, he zhichu rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

    It had been more than three months since Gu Nianzhi had left after his father¡¯s death.

    During these three months, he had been holding his breath as he remembered his father and suppressed his longing for Gu Nianzhi. At the same time, he had been nning his strategy of ¡°Catching them all in one fell swoop.¡±.

    Although his original aspirations were not there, he could not let go of what his father and grandfather had risked their lives to protect.

    Furthermore, with his family background, even if he let go, he would either be imprisoned for life or exiled overseas for the rest of his life.

    This was not what he wanted.

    He could not be driven out of that position like a stray dog.

    He Zhichu¡¯s expression turned cold.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Behind him, the mansion that was filled with colorful lights andughter a moment ago was now dark and quiet. It was as if someone had grabbed his throat and could not make any sound.

    ..

    He Zhichu brought his guards back to the West Mountain Vi.

    There was also a Christmas dinner here.

    The difference was that Xie Qingying was the one who presided over this ce. Other than the guest list, he zhichu had given it to her.

    From the looks of it, she was doing pretty well.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes gradually warmed up as he slowly walked up the steps.

    Merry Christmas music echoed in the hall. It was a song that everyone was familiar with, ¡°Jingle bells¡±.

    He zhichu walked in silently.

    Just as he stood at the entrance hall of the living room, a chubby little girl rushed over without thinking. She hugged his thigh and said with a smile, ¡°Brother he, you¡¯re finally back!¡±

    She was wearing a white whale-bone dress, the hem of which was wide open like a blooming night epiphyllum.

    He Zhichu was in a daze. He looked down at the little girl, who was about 11 or 12 years old, as if he had seen Gu Nianzhi all those years ago..

    He stood there without moving. He just looked at her expressionlessly.

    The little girl smiled for a while. Seeing that there was no response, she was a little bored.

    She let go of his leg, touched her nose, and mumbled,¡±... not saying a word, is he a mute?¡±

    At this time, Xie qingying hurried over and said to the little girl, ¡°Xie Qingfen, you¡¯re so rude. Be careful, I¡¯ll tell your fatherter!¡±

    ¡°The cousin brother-inw that eldest cousin sister is going to marry is a mute!¡±Xie Qingfen did not seem to be afraid at all, and she even made a face at Xie qingying.

    He Zhichu¡¯s brows furrowed imperceptibly. He said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re not old, but you¡¯re quite shrewd.¡±

    After he said that, he walked in without blinking. When he passed by Xie qingying, he said lightly, ¡°Children who don¡¯t have manners should be chased out. Don¡¯t ever appear in front of me again.¡±

    Xie qingying was stunned for a moment, and then her face burned.

    Although Xie Qingfen was a little bold and reckless, she was still her cousin. She was the youngest daughter of her fifth uncle, Xie Beichen. She was the most pampered.

    If she was chased out just like that, she would offend her fifth uncle. How would she behave in the Xie family in the future?

    In the Xie family, Xie Qingying¡¯s father was only a branch. He had already served the prime minister, Xie Beichen, five times.

    However, the Xie family was a big family. The ranking of Xie Beichen¡¯s rtives in this generation was still based on the entire family.

    Therefore, although Xie Beichen was the eldest son of his branch, he was ranked fifth in the entire family.

    The younger generation of Xie Qingying¡¯s generation was very close to their cousins, so they usually called him fifth uncle.

    They only called him prime minister to outsiders.

    Xie qingying was also favored by Xie Beichen because after she came back from studying abroad, she used her professional knowledge to help Xie beichen run for the election. It was only because of this that they became close to each other when they moved around.

    The rtionship between rtives was based on being close to each other.

    No matter how close they were by blood, if they did not interact with each other for a long time, their rtionship would not be as close as those distant rtives that they saw every day.

    Xie qingying hesitated for a while before following he zhichu through the side door. They avoided the bustling crowd in the hall and went up to the second floor.

    The soundproofing on the second floor was very good. When the door was closed, not a sound could be heard from outside.

    Xie qingying took the ck cloak with Fox fur that he zhichu took off and hung it on the coat rack at the door, she pleaded for Xie qingfen, ¡°Young master he, Qingfen is young, and our family dotes on her very much. It¡¯s her first timeing to our house again, so she¡¯s very excited. She has always known your name and worships you. She¡¯s too excited today. You¡¯re an adult, so be magnanimous. Don¡¯t lower yourself to the level of a child.¡±

    He Zhichu took off his military jacket and changed into his casual shoes at home. He looked up at Xie qingying and asked calmly,¡±... how old is she?¡±

    Xie qingying quickly replied, ¡°She just turned twelve, but she¡¯s a little fat and not very tall, so people often think that she¡¯s only eight or nine years old.¡±

    ¡°Twelve years old. She¡¯s not a child anymore.¡±He Zhichu walked into the cloakroom and put on a casual shirt. Without turning his head, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t let me see this person in the future.¡±

    Xie qingying was shocked. ¡°Young master he, you really don¡¯t like Qingfen that much? She didn¡¯t do anything, right? As for saying that you¡¯re mute, isn¡¯t that just a phrase used by children to save their dignity? Do you really want to lower yourself to her level?¡±

    He zhichu nced at her and thought to himself, she looks pretty smart normally, but she actually didn¡¯t feel anything wrong with this matter?

    He was thinking about whether to remind her, but seeing how she was protecting his cousin, he couldn¡¯t bear it.

    He sat down on the sofa alone and said, ¡°Pour me a ss of red wine.¡±

    Xie qingying went to the wine cab to search for a while. She poured him a ss of French Bordeaux 1983 red wine, but it only covered the bottom of the ss slightly.

    She ced the red wine in front of He Zhichu and said in a low voice, ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡±

    He zhichu nodded. ¡°Get me something to eat.¡±

    Xie qingying left the living room where he was resting and went to the first floor to order the kitchen to prepare supper for he zhichu.

    At this moment, her fifth uncle, the prime minister, Xie Beichen, walked over and said anxiously, ¡°Qingying, where¡¯s young master he? Is he back?¡±

    ¡°He just came back. What¡¯s Wrong?¡±Xie qingying asked uneasily. She thought that her fifth uncle was here to stand up for his youngest daughter, Xie Qingfen.

    ¡°I just received news that young master he has brought people to capture six people!¡±Xie Beichen said as he spread out his hands, revealing a note with the names of the six people.

    Xie qingying took a look and her breathing immediately froze.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be? ! These six people have all been captured? !¡±

    Xie Beichen¡¯s expression gradually changed. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I want to ask young master he. What exactly is going on? What is he trying to do? ! If such a huge upheaval suddenly urs in the military, how can he convince the masses by himself? !¡±

    Xie qingyingposed herself, subconsciously, she spoke up for he zhichu.¡±... fifth uncle, young master he had no choice but to do this. For the past three months, young master he has been living in seclusion. Why is the general guarding the tomb and mourning? But these people are constantly trying to trip him up. What can he do?¡±

    ¡°No matter how hard he tries to trip him up, he can¡¯t do this!¡±Xie beichen was so anxious that his hair had turned white. ¡°If this person is captured, who will be in charge of the work? ! If such a huge change urs in our military, what will the foreign media say? !¡±

    ¡°Who cares what they say!¡±Xie qingying was even more unwilling to listen to these words. ¡°I¡¯m also a media person. If the foreign media dares to speak nonsense, we won¡¯t just sit and wait for death.¡±

    The other party¡¯s entire body was riddled with holes, yet he still wanted to pick on others. Could it be that he felt that everyone else was blind and did not know how to ¡°Give him a taste of his own medicine¡±?

    ¡°You said so too!¡±Xie beichen was so anxious that he was spinning in circles. ¡°You can¡¯t make the decision anyway! Find young master he for me. I have something to ask him!¡±

    Xie qingying¡¯s expression was a little ugly.

    Why couldn¡¯t she make the decision for young master he?

    She was already engaged..

    However, seeing that Xie Beichen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, she thought for a while before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll bring young master he supperter. You shoulde with me.¡±

    Xie beichen could not wait any longer. ¡°You go and Rush the supper first. I¡¯ll go up myself.¡±

    Xie qingying had no choice but to give he zhichu a call. ¡°Young master he, my Uncle Beichen has something urgent to see you.¡±

    He Zhichu agreed. ¡°Let hime up.¡±

    Xie Beichen walked quickly to the living room on the second floor and entered without knocking.

    He Zhichu sat calmly in the room. The lights in the room were very dim, and only his tall silhouette could be seen under the light.

    ¡°Prime Minister Xie is here. Please take a seat.¡±He pointed at the sofa across from him.

    Xie Beichen did not have the intention to sit down and talk for a long time. He said angrily, ¡°Young master he, I thought we had reached an agreement. This matter needs to be settled slowly. Why did you arrest them all at once? !¡±

    He Zhichu looked at Xie Beichen steadily. His expression did not change as he said, ¡°When did I reach an agreement with you? Show me the agreement that I signed.¡±

    Xie Beichen was speechless. After a while, he said, ¡°I thought we already knew each other.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all because of you. When did I ever agree to your proposal?¡±He Zhichu stood up, his hands in his trouser pockets.

    Even though he had already changed out of his military uniform, standing there still gave off the aura of a soldier.

    Xie Beichen licked his lips uneasily and said,¡±... but even so, you¡¯re too anxious...¡±

    ¡°Am I as anxious as prime minister Xie?¡±He Zhichu¡¯s shimmering peach blossom eyes revealed a mocking expression. He said with a half-smile, ¡°How much time did your fat twelve-year-old daughter Spend Learning Nianzhi¡¯s words and actions? HMM?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2079, ¡°Who¡¯s more anxious?¡±.

    Today¡¯s second update.

    PS: It¡¯s a new January, thest month of 2018, and the guaranteed monthly votes are up

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2080 - fate as a relative (first and most recommended ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2080: Chapter 2080 fate as a rtive (first and most rmended ticket)</h4>

    Xie Beichen was stunned for a moment, but his eyes quickly lit up and he smiled sheepishly. ¡°Have you seen Qingfen? She¡¯s smart and cute. She¡¯s been idolizing you since she was a child and has been moring to meet you.¡±

    He then pretended to be dumb.¡±... Why do you think she looks a little like Miss Gu? I don¡¯t think so... Miss Gu is so tall and beautiful, and our Qingfen is just a chubby little girl! How do we look alike?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at him quietly. Wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi just a chubby little girl before she turned 12?

    He had never dreamed that Gu Nianzhi would lookpletely different when she grew up..

    Xie Beichen¡¯s heart began to pound when he saw he zhichu¡¯s silence.

    He was more concerned about the matter at hand.

    ¡°Young master he, you have to say something! Six people are missing, and you can¡¯t do it alone!¡±

    He zhichu walked out from the sofa and slowly walked to the window. He looked at the night sky outside the window, he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s because there are six empty seats. Tell me, how many people will pledge their loyalty to me for these six seats?¡±

    Xie Beichen thought for a while and finally understood.

    He pped his hands and gave he zhichu a thumbs up. ¡°Good! Young master he¡¯s really good!¡±

    ¡°This is simply ¡®Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors¡¯! hahahaha!¡±

    Xie beichenughed happily.

    He zhichu frowned. ¡°Why would I kill them?¡±

    He turned to look at Xie Beichen, he said calmly, ¡°With these six positions, we will be able to unite the most capable and the most energetic group of people in the army. With them, who would dare think that my position is unstable? HMM?¡±

    He seemed to be exining his intentions to Xie Beichen. However, Xie Beichen had been working in the cab for so many years and had long regarded officials as wise men. How could he not understand what he zhichu was trying to imply?

    He was trying to hit him!

    Xie beichen was actually feeling wronged.

    He chengjian had suddenly passed away, and it was said that he had made a serious mistake before he passed away.

    Under such circumstances, the six of them had joined forces to get rid of He Zhichu and eliminate the he family¡¯s influence in the military.

    The situation was so critical, yet he zhichu still stood on he zhichu¡¯s side. Wasn¡¯t that enough?

    However, if he himself stood on he zhichu¡¯s side, it did not mean that the entire Xie family stood on he zhichu¡¯s side.

    When the big families faced such a ¡°Big right and big wrong¡±issue, they would ce their bets separately and spread the risk.

    He zhichu also understood the reason behind the Xie family¡¯s actions. He did not n to settle scores with the Xie family in the future, but the Xie family had to understand that he knew what they had done.

    This was a warning, but also a weakness.

    Xie beichen could not help but hunch his back, lowering his head in front of he zhichu.

    He smiled and asked, ¡°Since everything has been settled, does young master he have time to prepare for his wedding with Qing Ying?¡±

    He zhichu leaned against the windowsill and said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s still early. We just got engaged, and my father passed away less than a year ago. How can I hold a wedding?¡±

    ¡°Oh... That¡¯s true.¡±Xie beichen nodded. ¡°General he passed away, and Qing Ying has toe to observe her filial piety.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for her.¡±He zhichu rubbed his forehead with his fingers. ¡°She¡¯s very busy now. She¡¯s helped me a lot these past few days, and she¡¯s tired. Take a good rest. There¡¯s no rush to get married.¡±

    At this point, it was already he zhichu¡¯s words and Xie Beichen¡¯s response. He did not dare to say a word of ¡°No¡±.

    ..

    When he came out of the living room on the second floor, Xie Beichen realized that the sweat on his back had drenched the shirt under his tuxedo.

    When he came down from the second floor, he met Xie qingying who was about to deliver supper to he zhichu, and Xie Qingfen who was very obedient by Xie qingying¡¯s side.

    Xie beichen reached out and touched Xie Qingfen¡¯s head. He forced a smile and asked Xie qingying, ¡°Are you going to deliver supper to young master he?¡±

    Xie qingying looked at him strangely. ¡°Yes... are you done talking to young master he?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done talking, I¡¯m done talking.¡±Xie Beichen¡¯s attitude was much better. He smiled amiably at Xie qingying and said kindly, ¡°Then go up quickly. I¡¯ll bring Qingfen home.¡±

    As he spoke, he was about to hold Xie Qingfen¡¯s hand.

    However, Xie Qingfen broke free from his hand. She grabbed Xie Qingying¡¯s arm and said, ¡°I want to go with eldest cousin sister to see Brother He! I want to apologize to brother he...¡±

    Xie Beichen thought for a moment and slowly retracted his hand. He smiled and said, ¡°Then go. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs. After you apologize,e out. Don¡¯t disturb your eldest cousin sister and brother-inw, understand?¡±

    Xie Qingfen pouted and said in a long voice,¡±... understood...¡±

    Xie beichen came to the hall with a smile and started to chat with others.

    Xie qingying brought Xie Qingfen to the living room on the second floor and knocked on the door.

    He Zhichu had just returned to the sofa and sat down when he heard Xie Qingying¡¯s voice through themunicator. ¡°Young master he, the supper is ready.¡±

    He Zhichu pressed the automatic door button and opened the door to let her in.

    However, the moment Xie qingying entered, a chubby little girl dashed out from behind her and ran quickly to him. She knelt on the carpet in front of him and ced her hands on his knees, she opened her eyes wide and said, ¡°Brother he, I was wrong just now. Can you forgive me?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her expressionlessly and raised his head to look at Xie qingying. He said in a gentle voice,¡±... Qingying, have you forgotten what I said just now?¡±

    Xie qingying was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said, ¡°Young master he, don¡¯t be angry. If you say that you did something wrong again, you have to apologize. I asked her toe.¡±

    After saying that, she turned to Xie qingfen and said, ¡°Qingfen, alright, I¡¯ve apologized. You can go back now. Your father is still waiting for you downstairs.¡±

    ¡°No! I¡¯m not going back!¡±Xie Qingfen suddenly became stubborn, she stared at he zhichu with fascination and said, ¡°Brother he, you¡¯re so beautiful! Can I stay at your house? I¡¯m very interested inw and want to learn it. Brother he, can you teach me?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at her as usual and shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°AH? Why? ! What¡¯s wrong with me? !¡±Xie Qingfen was stunned, as if she had never thought that he zhichu would reject her..

    ¡°Nothing is wrong with you. You¡¯re stupid, Ugly, and pretentious. I Won¡¯t be able to eat if I look at you. ¡ª disgusting.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s sparkling peach blossom eyes shed with a cold light, and his cold thin lips spat out hurtful words.

    Xie Qingfen was stunned. She stared at He Zhichu in a daze for a while, then burst into tears. She got up and ran out.

    Xie qingying was also stunned. She couldn¡¯t recover from her shock for a long time.

    Why would he zhichu say such harsh words to a child?

    Xie qingying¡¯s expression gradually turned ugly. She ced the supper on the coffee table in front of the sofa and looked at he zhichu seriously. ¡°Young master he, you were too harsh just now. Qingfen is still a child...¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s precisely because she¡¯s still a child that she¡¯s even more disgusting.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s face was as cold as ice. ¡°I said that I don¡¯t want this person to appear in front of me ever again. Did you just ignore My Words?¡±

    Xie qingying was extremely embarrassed and was also very dissatisfied with he zhichu¡¯s attitude.

    Sheposed herself and tried to reason with he zhichu. ¡°Young master he, What¡¯s wrong with you? No matter how unreasonable Qingfen is, she only admires you and admires you. Why are you throwing such a tantrum?¡±

    ¡°... do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?¡±He zhichu frowned as he looked at Xie qingying. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what Nianzhi looked like when she was young?¡±

    Xie qingying nodded. ¡°Of course I remember. What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell that your little cousin is deliberately copying what Nianzhi looked like when she was young?¡±

    Xie qingying still nodded calmly, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a little like her, but she didn¡¯t do it. Young girls at this age are all like that.¡±. ¡°Besides, so what if she did learn?¡±? ¡°Nianzhi is your biological sister. My Qingfen is simr to your sister in some ways. This means that we¡¯re rted by fate.¡±

    ¡°Why are you reacting so strongly?¡±Xie qingying was confused. ¡°At most, I¡¯ll tell her not to imitate others and just be herself.¡±

    He Zhichu felt a wave of stuffiness. He pulled at his cor and said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you, but don¡¯t ask me to say it again. I don¡¯t want to see your little cousin. From now on, wherever I am, she is not allowed to appear.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2080, ¡°The fate of rtives.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    9:00 p.m. on the second watch.

    PS: Today is Monday, the rmendation ticket is very important OH ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2081 - was intentional (Chapter 2 requested a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2081: Chapter 2081 was intentional (Chapter 2 requested a monthly pass)</h4>

    Xie qingying raised her eyes in surprise and looked at he zhichu for a while before nodding sadly. ¡°Alright, I will tell my fifth uncle.¡±

    She left the living room on the second floor and went to the living room on the first floor.

    The ce was still brightly lit, the music was wonderful, the clothes were fragrant, and there were sounds ofughter.

    A servant saw hering down and quickly said, ¡°Miss Xie, prime minister Xie asked you to go over. They are in the car by the door.¡±

    Xie qingying thought about how Xie Qingfen had been chased out by HE Zhichu and felt a little strange.

    She suppressed her thoughts and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    She put on her ck mink coat and walked out. The cold air outside calmed her slightly drowsy mind.

    Xie qingyingposed herself and went to Xie Beichen¡¯s car. She bent down and knocked on his car window.

    The car window slowly rolled down. Xie beichen frowned and asked, ¡°What happened just now? Qingfen was crying so hard that she almost fainted, but she refused to tell me.¡±

    Xie qingying revealed a bitter smile. She thought to herself that a twelve-year-old child was already sensible..

    She knew what to say and what not to say.

    She also knew what to hide and what to show so that she would not hurt her face or self-esteem.

    She pulled her mink coat tight and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just that Qingfen was a little too anxious. What she said made young master he unhappy.¡±

    Xie Beichen:¡±...¡±

    Thinking of He Zhichu¡¯s words, Xie Beichen¡¯s pupils shrank slightly.

    Xie qingying¡¯s figure blocked the light from above. Xie Beichen¡¯s people were sitting in the dark, so Xie Qingying did not see the change in his expression clearly.

    But perhaps she saw it clearly, but she did not care as much as before.

    ¡°... What did Qingfen Say?¡±Xie Beichen forced a smile, ¡°How Old is she? She¡¯s not someone who doesn¡¯t know the gravity of the situation. How could she make young master he angry? Qingying, you¡¯re young master he¡¯s future wife. Qingfen is from your mother¡¯s family. Young master he did not give Qingfen face...¡±

    Xie qingying stopped smiling, she interrupted xie beichen, ¡°Fifth uncle, don¡¯t go overboard.¡±. Young master he didn¡¯t give Qingfen any face. It was purely because Qingfen was indecent and had nothing to do with the other members of the Xie family. ¡°Young master he didn¡¯t suppress the unreasonable people of the entire family just because he detested one person.¡±

    Xie Beichen felt even more guilty. He smiled sheepishly and said, ¡°Qingying is really different. She¡¯s not even married yet, and she¡¯s already turning her back on others.¡±

    Xie qingying was angry. She frowned, stood up straight, and looked down at Xie Beichen, she said lightly, ¡°Fifth uncle, to me, young master he is the Man I love. I married him because I love him. ¡°Qingfen is my cousin. I will treat her well, but she should know how to be polite. ¡°She¡¯s not 12 anymore. Even though Gu Nianzhi grew up in the He family and was spoiled and spoiled by young master he andwyer Qin, she¡¯s not as ugly as she is.¡±

    Xie Beichen¡¯s face darkened.

    Did he hear wrong?

    Xie qingying was actually hitting him?

    Xie Beichen was not as polite to Xie qingying as he zhichu was to he zhichu.

    His face darkened. ¡°Looks like Qingying thinks she¡¯s already engaged and can burn the bridge after crossing it. Alright, I¡¯d like to see how you¡¯re going to be the mistress of the He family! Drive!¡±

    He gave the order and the car whizzed away. Xie qingying almost stumbled from the momentum of the car.

    She took two steps back before she could stand on her feet.

    Xie qingying nced at the car coldly before she returned to the living room.

    Her best friend came over with a cup of hot cocoa and handed it to her. ¡°Look at your face, it¡¯s so cold that it¡¯s turning purple. It warms you up.¡±

    Xie qingying held the hot cocoa in her hand, and the warmth in her eyes gradually rose.

    She looked at her best friend, and her eyes were a little red.

    ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±Her best friend looked at her in confusion. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Xie qingying finished the hot cocoa and put it down. She looked around and pulled her into her own room not far from the living room.

    This was a suite on the first floor. It was very spacious, and the furnishings were very good. It was a pity that it was not on the second floor.

    Her best friend saw that she was so cautious, and she became even more worried. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Xie qingying looked at her for a while and hesitated to speak.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say something? Is there anything you can¡¯t say to Me?¡±Her best friend held her hand and asked with concern, ¡°Or is it rted to young master he?¡±

    Xie qingying let out a long sigh and said, ¡°You remember my cousin, Xie Qingfen, right? She¡¯s the youngest daughter of my uncle Beichen¡¯s family.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±her best friend let out a long sigh and said meaningfully, ¡°Of course I know. When I saw her a few days ago, I was really shocked...¡±

    Xie qingying smiled bitterly. ¡°She¡¯s really bold. She only learned a little from Gu Nianzhi, but she dared to touch young master he in front of him.¡±

    Her best friend giggled. ¡°Young master he must be disgusted to have to touch her like that, right?¡±

    Xie qingying¡¯s smile became even more forced. She pinched her best friend. ¡°You¡¯re stillughing!¡±

    She continued, ¡°He is quite disgusting. He even told Qingfen directly. Qingfen was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t put up with it. She was crying in front of her father just now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±Her best friend snapped her fingers. ¡°If you persist, I¡¯m sure young master he will feel disgusted whenever he thinks about Gu Nianzhi again... then you can rest assured and be Mrs. He!¡±

    Xie qingying looked at her nkly, bit her lip and said, ¡°But Gu Nianzhi is young master he¡¯s biological sister... Although they¡¯re not the same father, they¡¯re the same mother. They¡¯re like brother and sister...¡±

    Her best friend smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s like brother and sister, but it¡¯s not appropriate for you to be too nice to a sister.¡±

    ¡°Think about it. What kind of wife would like to have a sister-inw in the house who is doted on by thousands of people? When the sister-inw speaks, she can influence young master he¡¯s feelings for you. What do you think you should do?¡±

    Xie qingying leaned in front of Xie qingying again and said in a very low voice,¡±... The idea I gave you wasn¡¯t bad, was it? Not only would it satisfy your fifth uncle¡¯s wishes, but it would also allow young master he to cut off your fifth uncle¡¯s little scheme. Killing two birds with one stone.¡±

    Xie qingying smiled. She had wanted to satisfy her fifth uncle¡¯s wishes, but if her fifth uncle wanted to do something, he zhichu had to have that intention

    Ever since she had found out that Gu Nianzhi was he zhichu¡¯s biological sister, Xie Qingying had felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

    Thinking back to how she had treated Gu Nianzhi as a rival in love, she found it amusing.

    What a huge mistake!

    She had never thought about it again, so she did not take Xie Beichen¡¯s ns seriously. She also treated Xie Qingfen as a child¡¯s mischief.

    However, he zhichu showed an unusual disgust towards Xie Qingfen¡¯s behavior and did not allow her to appear in front of him. She could not help but stop thinking about it.

    But How was that possible?

    Xie qingying looked at her best friend and decided to keep this thought in her heart. She did not even share it with her best friend anymore.

    Xie qingying felt uneasy at the Christmas party that followed.

    The clock struck twelve in the evening. Everyone gathered together to sing holy hymns. After they finished singing, they said goodbye to he zhichu.

    Many people waited the whole night for he zhichu to appear.

    Seeing that he zhichu had finally arrived, everyone was in a better mood. They scrambled to shake hands with him to show their closeness.

    He Zhichu¡¯s attitude was also very gentle. He stood there in a refined manner. He was less unreasonable and domineering than his father, but had an air of nobility that prevented strangers from approaching.

    Not long after, everyone had left. Only Xie qingying had not left. She stayed in the living room and watched the servants clean up the mess after the party.

    He Zhichu took out a cigarette and yed with it. He asked Xie qingying calmly,¡±... do you want me to send you?¡±

    Xie qingying turned around in surprise.¡±... I want to leave too? Young master he, today is Christmas Eve...¡±

    He zhichu narrowed his eyes and looked over. He said without hesitation, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to observe filial piety. You Don¡¯t have toe over so often this year.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re already engaged.¡±Xie qingying walked over and looked up at he zhichu. ¡°Young master he, I¡¯m moving here. Why should I observe filial piety with you?¡±

    He Zhichu pursed his lips. He wanted to say no, but Xie qingying was not Xie Qingfen. He had to be more polite when speaking to her.

    Seeing that he zhichu did not reject her outright, Xie qingying¡¯s uneasiness mostly disappeared. She smiled and said, ¡°I Won¡¯t disturb you. I¡¯m just helping you take care of this family. You can focus all your energy on your work.¡±

    After a pause, Xie qingying continued, ¡°You just took care of those six people. I¡¯m worried that their remaining faction will harm you.¡±

    He zhichu came back to his senses and thought that this was something to consider. However, it was not his safety, but Xie Qingying¡¯s.

    No matter what, in the eyes of outsiders, Xie Qingying was his fianc¨¦e and would be his wife in the future.

    At this stage, it was indeed not safe to leave her outside.

    He Zhichu knew that he still needed some time before he could achieveplete control.

    He nodded and agreed. ¡°Then you can move in.¡±

    The He family¡¯s house was big. Xie qingying already had a suite here, but it was on the first floor.

    Xie qingying was more at ease, so she mustered up her courage and asked,¡±... young master he, do you want me to move into the suite opposite your bedroom on the second floor?¡±

    That suite was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room, and no one had stayed there since she left.

    However, he zhichu still had people clean it every day. It was the same as before, and he zhichu could tell at a nce that there was a needle missing.

    He zhichu narrowed his eyes and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a suite downstairs? This is Nianzhi¡¯s room. She¡¯ll cry when shees back. She¡¯s still young, and you¡¯re her sister-inw. You have to bear with her.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2081, ¡°With good intentions.¡±.

    This is the second watch of the day.

    PS: it¡¯s Monday, and the tickets are very important

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 2083 - my benefits (the second chapter requires a monthly pass)

    <h4>Chapter 2083: Chapter 2083, my benefits (the second chapter requires a monthly pass)</h4>

    The New Year¡¯s Eve in this world waspletely different from he zhichu¡¯s.

    Lu Yuan finally brought song jinning back from their honeymoon trip.

    After all, they used to be on the special front. Lu Yuan and song Jinning had left silently this time, and there wasn¡¯t even the slightest ssh outside.

    In order to make it convenient for them to y and not be afraid of being watched, the two of them had changed their appearances.

    They looked like a very ordinary middle-aged couple.

    The two of them returned to the capital a month ago and continued with their work.

    After returning, song Jinning moved to Lu Yuan¡¯s west mountain vi. Her apartment at the Third Ring Road of the capital was only upied asionally when she was too tired to return to the west mountain.

    At this time, Lu Yuan woulde over from the West Mountain Vi to apany her.

    Although the two of them had been separated for a long time, they were now husband and wife, but they did not feel estranged at all. It was as if they were bosom friends who had been together for many years.

    He did not need to ask to help her do what she wanted to do.

    And he did not need to ask, song jinning understood his intentions.

    In addition, the two of them were old. They were less angry and arrogant than when they were young, and there was a lot more mutual understanding and empathy. Therefore, married life was like a fish in water, fish in water harmony..

    With a beautiful love and the nourishment of a harmonious marriage, song jinning was so beautiful that she almost shone. Lu Yuan¡¯s charm was even more amazing. Even if he knew that he was married, he still could not stop the endless flow of love.

    Lu Yuan was not annoyed. He had been in business for so many years in that world, so he knew how to deal with this kind of thing the best. He did not ept it, nor did he hurt the woman¡¯s face.

    Song Jinning never paid attention to this kind of thing because she also had a lot of love. She was very annoyed about it, and Lu Yuan did not know how to deal with it, so most of the time she pretended not to know and waited coldly.

    Now that they were married, she felt that it was quite useful to be able to pull Lu Yuan out to block her.

    However, when the two of them were together, they would never treat the peach blossom incident as a joke and tease each other.

    Because both of them believed in one principle: you can not ept the love of others, but you can not treat this kind of love as a joke.

    Doing so would not make you popr, but instead, it would make people feel that you were very low.

    The longer they were together, the more they realized that they had the same attitude as each other when it came to dealing with people. It was just that the way they dealt with things was different. After all, Lu Yuan and song Jinning¡¯s personalities were actually very different.

    However, theyplemented each other and were very happy together.

    This year¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve was the first New Year¡¯s Eve after Lu Yuan and song Jinning got married. It was also the first New Year¡¯s Eve after Lu Yuan returned to this world eighteen yearster.

    Both of them decided to celebrate.

    Lu Yuan had been preparing for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner ever since he returned from his honeymoon. He had bought a lot of ingredients, and in order to ensure that they were fresh, some seafood had been sent by airfreight. They would only arrive at noon on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    Song Jinning had personally prepared the invitation and invited Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi, and Huo Shaoheng over for a reunion dinner.

    Lu Jin was the first to arrive.

    He came to the door with a bottle of French Bordeaux 1984 wine.

    Song Jinning personally opened the door for him and took the wine with a smile. ¡°Professor Lu, you¡¯re so early. What have you been up totely?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s personalboratory had been approved, and the Institute of High Energy Physics was under construction. Lu Jin had stopped teaching at the Institute of High Energy Physics recently and was working on his ownboratory at home.

    He followed song jinning into the living room and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m busy with myboratory. I came early because I live close by.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. You¡¯re also living at the West Mountain Vi Now, right? Nianzhi transferred it to you?¡±Song jinning brewed a cup of tea for Lu Jin and ced it on the coffee table in front of him.

    Lu Jin nodded and frowned. ¡°I told her not to bother. What¡¯s the point of going around? Anyway, it¡¯ll still be hers in the end. But Shaoheng insisted that she transfer it.¡±

    Song Jinning understood and asked curiously, ¡°You¡¯ve already made a Will?¡±

    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t that obvious? I have so much wealth, so of course I have to make a will. Otherwise, any Tom, Dick, or Harry wille and fight with mydy for my inheritance. Even if I die, I¡¯ll be angry enough toe back to life.¡±Lu Jin didn¡¯t think much of it, his usual venomous tongue.

    Song Jinning covered her mouth andughed. ¡°Professor Lu, today is the New Year. Can We not talk about living and dying?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡±Lu Jin nodded and said seriously, ¡°I will take note.¡±

    As soon as he entered Lu Yuan¡¯s house, he walked towards the kitchen.

    ¡°Boss Lu, today is the New Year. What delicious food did you prepare for us?¡±Lu Jin did not even walk into the kitchen when he smelled the fragrance of the food. His mouth immediately began to salivate, ready to digest the food.

    Lu Yuan turned back to look at him and smiled. ¡°Your favorite Buddha jumps over the wall.¡±

    ¡°Buddha jumps over the wall? ! You really made Buddha jumps over the wall again? !¡±Lu Jin was overjoyed.

    He counted with his fingers. ¡°The Buddha jumps over the wall that you made previously required a total of 21 ingredients. They were Canadian spiny ginseng, wild abalone in the Yellow Sea, Siamese shark fin, carapace meat column scallops, bass lips, Changbai mountain turtle skirt and deer tendons, as well as wild pigeon eggs, osmanthus duck rare, Jinqian ao hua jiao, small squab, Spanish Iberian ck pork chops, pork belly, hoof tips and hoof tendons, plus South China sea razor m, Jinhua ham, Middle Easternmb elbow, dragon boat winter mushroom, Jiangxi yellow mud bamboo shoots and dic Eagle Beak Chicken.¡±

    ¡°Then, the different ingredients are cooked separately by frying, frying, cooking, and frying. Finally, the prepared ingredients are cedyer byyer into the Shaoxing wine jar. The top of the jar is sealed with lotus leaves and simmered over white smoke charcoal. It takes a day and a night before the Buddha jumps over the wall soup, which is rich and nutritious, is finally stewed.¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Lu Jinmented, ¡°There are many restaurants that know how to make Buddha jumps over the wall, but there isn¡¯t a single one like boss Lu who has a world-wide selection of ingredients.¡±

    The method and menu of Buddha jumps over the wall was no longer a secret. Only the difference in the ingredients could directly determine the taste of the food.

    Song Jinning searched Lu Yuan¡¯s purchase list and took a look. TSK TSK, she said, ¡°Professor Lu is really amazing. With so many ingredients, you can even remember the name and ce of origin clearly!¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡±Lu Jin curled his lips in disdain. ¡°To me, this is just a nce. I¡¯m born with a photographic memory.¡±

    The two of them chatted andughed as they sat down in the dining room outside the kitchen. They chatted about thetest developments in the technology industry while they waited for dinner.

    Lu Jin secretly sent Gu Nianzhi a text message. ¡°Miss,e quickly. I¡¯ll give you the first incense stick of boss Lu¡¯s Buddha jumps over the wall stew!¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi had juste out of the Senate building.

    She had been very busy these past two months, almost working overtime on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    It was only after speaker long had ordered them toe back to work after the new year that she packed her things and left.

    After bidding farewell to Rong Mingxing at the entrance of the Senate, Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng standing below the steps of the Senate building.

    He crossed his arms and leaned against his ck SUV bulletproof car, looking at Gu Nianzhi calmly.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and waved at Rong Mingxing. She then ran down the stairs and threw herself into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo Shaoheng caught her and gave her a natural kiss on the cheek. He said tenderly, ¡°Isn¡¯t our chief Gu Afraid of being photographed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. ¡°It¡¯s the New Year. Give some benefits to those who take photos secretly.¡±

    ¡°... What about my benefits?¡±Huo Shaoheng opened the car door and let Gu Nianzhi get into the car. As he fastened her seatbelt, he whispered in her ear and bit her pink earlobe.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the day: chapter 2083, ¡°Where are my benefits?¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and monthly tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2084 - Every move you make is filled with love

    <h4>Chapter 2084: Chapter 2084: Every move you make is filled with love</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body went numb from his bite. It was a little exciting, but also a little shy. Moreover, she and Huo Shaoheng had been very busy these past two months. Although they lived under the same roof, the number of times they saw each other could be counted on one hand.

    Not only did Huo Shaoheng miss her, but she also missed him..

    She put her arm around Huo Shaoheng¡¯s neck. Gu Nianzhi kissed him on the lips and whispered,¡±... I¡¯ll give you benefits tonight...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was only teasing gu nianzhi, but she had turned him on instead.

    A simple sentence made his imagination run wild.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes darkened. He simply hugged her and kissed her passionately for a long time before letting go of her. He said in a hoarse voice,¡±... collect some interest first.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was red, and her voluptuous lips curled into a beautiful curve. She couldn¡¯t suppress it no matter how hard she tried.

    The two of them drove to the West Mountain Vi. It was already dark.

    Rednterns hung around the eaves of the vi, and there were a few persimmon trees nted near the wall of the courtyard. The orange-red persimmon fruits hung on the trees like smallnterns, whichplemented thergenterns.

    When they got out of the car, Gu Nianzhi noticed that Huo Shaoheng was holding a bottle of wine in his hand. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was maotai.

    She spread her hands in embarrassment. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring any gifts.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re husband and wife. If I bring it, you bring it.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled as he held her hand and led her into the courtyard.

    They rang the doorbell at the door. Before the door opened, they heard song Jinning¡¯sughter. ¡°You¡¯re finally here. If you don¡¯te soon, we¡¯ll have to eat First!¡±

    The door opened and song Jinning¡¯s Fair and beautiful face appeared in front of the two of them.

    Gu Nianzhiplimented her. ¡°Miss Song, you¡¯ve been in high spiritstely. You look younger every time I see you. If this goes on, we¡¯ll really have to call each other sisters.¡±

    Song jinningughed heartily at her words.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head. ¡°What are you talking about? Don¡¯t be so rude.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shut her nose at him and gave him azy look that said, ¡°What can you do to me?¡±.

    Song Jinning was overjoyed to see her son and daughter-inw acting so lovingly.

    She took the maotai from Huo Shaoheng and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s great. The Buddha jumps over the wall with the MAOTAI. I¡¯d be drunk if I didn¡¯t drink it.¡±

    ¡°AH? President Lu prepared the Buddha jumps over the wall? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised. ¡°No Wonder I smelled such a wonderful aroma the moment I walked in! I told you, the aroma of flowers and fruits can¡¯tpare to the aroma of food!¡±

    She then threw Huo Shaoheng aside and ran to the kitchen alone.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his hand that had been thrown aside.¡±...¡±

    Song Jinning held back herughter and pointed inside. ¡°Professor Lu has already arrived. We¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng coughed lightly and said,¡±... Ms. Song, General Huo is also here today to celebrate the new year with the old man.¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s private vi was in the West Mountains, but it was quite far away from Lu Yuan¡¯s house.

    Song Jinning¡¯s smile faded a little as she walked towards the restaurant with the Maotai wine in her hand. She said, ¡°Yes, celebrating the new year with my father is finally something worth celebrating.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sighed and said,¡±... celebrating the new year with the Zhang family.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    She stopped smiling. ¡°Just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had wanted to finish his New Year¡¯s Eve dinner here, so he had brought gu nianzhi over to Huo Guanchen¡¯s ce to make an appointment.

    They could settle their family grudges behind closed doors, but in front of outsiders, they still had to follow basic etiquette.

    The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor was Gu Nianzhi, so there were a lot of people staring at her.

    However, grandfather Huo felt that it was too cold and lonely, so he called the Zhang family to go to Huo Guanchen¡¯s west mountain vi for the New Year.

    This was intolerable.

    Huo Shaoheng did not n to visit grandfather Huo either, so he wished them a happy new year.

    When they arrived at the living room, Huo Shaoheng looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s uncle Lu?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s in the dining room. Nianzhi should be in the dining room as well.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng followed them to the dining room. Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were already seated, waiting for Lu Yuan to bring the Buddha jumps over the wall.

    Lu Jin was exining to Gu Nianzhi how to eat the Buddha jumps over the wall soup.

    ¡°... you know that the Buddha jumps over the wall soup is stewed, and there are a lot of things in it, but it¡¯s messy and not messy. It¡¯s divided into many levels, so you have to be very careful when you eat it.¡±Lu Jin took out a special spoon to demonstrate, ¡°See this? This buddha spoon is specially used to eat the Buddha jumps over the wall soup. You can take care of all the levels from top to bottom by scooping it into a bowl one scoop at a time.¡±

    ¡°Delicious food. You have to eat it together to get the special ingredients for Buddha jumps over the wall soup.¡±Lu Jin shook his head as if he had written a five-thousand-word essay on how to eat Buddha jumps over the wall soup scientifically.

    Gu Nianzhi felt even hungrier when she heard this. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, saying, ¡°Hurry up and serve the food! I¡¯m so hungry that my stomach is cramping!¡±

    Seeing this, Lu Jin quickly went to the kitchen to fiddle with it for a while. When he came out, he brought gu nianzhi a small sesame rice dumpling in a white jade porcin bowl and said, ¡°It¡¯s cooked with osmanthus rice wine. Eat this first to cushion it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi especially loved glutinous things. Rice wine, rice dumpling, and rice noodles were all her favorites.

    The rice wine that Lu Jin was talking about was in southern Chinese. In the north, it was called Mash. It was made from glutinous rice. After fermentation, it was sweet and sour. With a little dried osmanthus, it would nourish the little girl¡¯s Qi and blood in the winter.

    Gu Nianzhi felt as if she had just drunk a bowl of osmanthus rice wine glutinous rice balls. She breathed a sigh of satisfaction as if she had juste to life. She said, ¡°It¡¯s so delicious! Even the simple osmanthus rice wine glutinous rice balls are so tasty. President Lu¡¯s cooking skills have reached a state of perfection!¡±

    Lu Jin looked at his own tray and asked in puzzlement,¡±... how did you know it was boss Lu who cooked it? I was the one who brought it out, and I prepared the ingredients in it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and patted Lu Jin on the shoulder. She blinked and said yfully, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t struggle. I¡¯ve inherited your talent in cooking, how can I not know your skills?¡±

    Lu Jin was amused by her and pointed at her nose. ¡°You¡¯re so Naughty!¡±

    As the two of them talked, Huo Shaoheng and song jinning helped Lu Yuan set the New Year¡¯s Eve food and snacks on the table.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly got up to help with the work.

    She was in charge of disinfecting the bowls and chopsticks before cing them on the round dining table.

    Because it was the new year, Lu Yuan put away the rectangr dining table and reced it with the round dining table.

    The Huaxia people were very particr about having a happy reunion.

    Arge jar of Buddha jumps over the wall soup was directly brought over and ced on the turntable in the middle, surrounded by Lu Yuan¡¯s meticulously prepared dishes.

    Huo Shaoheng brought over the Maotai he had brought over and filled it up for Lu Yuan, Lu Jin, and Song Jinning. He poured milk and coconut milk for Gu Nianzhi and only drank beer for himself.

    Lu Yuan looked at him and asked with a smile, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Shaoheng Drink Maotai?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression did not change as he said, ¡°Such good wine is of course for the elders. Nianzhi and I are juniors, so we won¡¯tpete with the Elders.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Is That So?¡±Lu Yuan looked meaningfully at Lu Jin.

    Like Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin waspletely engrossed in tasting today¡¯s delicacies and wine.

    The Buddha jumps over the wall was indeed delicious, but Lu Jin¡¯s way of eating still made him a little tired of it.

    The Mellow Maotai was just enough to relieve the boredom, and it also served as a foil to the several seafood dishes in the Buddha jumps over the wall. It could be said to be very good.

    Lu Jin was eating happily, so he drank a little too much.

    He had already passed out before the clock struck twelve on New Year¡¯s Eve. Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng helped him away and sent him to the guest room to sleep.

    Song Jinning was also a little drunk from eating. She propped her head on the dining table and looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to whisper to song jinning, ¡°Miss Song, can you do me a Favor?¡±

    ¡°What favor? Just tell me, as long as I can do it.¡±The drunk Miss Song had the air of a big sister.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice became softer and softer, ¡°Miss song, can you let me call the other world? I want to Wish Young Master he a Happy New Year and say Happy New Year...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2084, ¡°Every gesture is love.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    It was to remind everyone of the rmended tickets and monthly passes ~ ~ ~

    * MWAH, big shots and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2085 - lying, Liar (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2085: Chapter 2085 lying, Liar (second update)</h4>

    Song Jinning was a little drunk, but her mind was still sharp.

    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°You want to call young master he to wish him a happy new year?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Gu nianzhi nodded lightly and whispered,¡±... he¡¯s actually my half-brother. His parents have passed away, and he¡¯s not rted to anyone else in the He family. I¡¯m a little worried about him.¡±

    Song Jinning knew a little about this matter. Lu Yuan had revealed it to her because she had once been curious about what kind of woman Lu Jin would take a liking to, and even get married and have children.

    In the end, Lu Yuan had vaguely said that Lu Jin had never been married, and that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother was someone else.

    She wasn¡¯t very clear about the exact situation, but she had guessed a little.

    Now that she knew that he zhichu¡¯s mother was also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mother, song Jinning instantly sobered up.

    She quickly figured out a lot of things and caressed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face tenderly. ¡°Okay,e with me to my study. I have a phone there that can connect to the energy device of the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    Calling the other world required maic field energy.

    The device that could activate maic field energy was closely monitored by the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    However, Song Jinning had the highest authority. Besides, it was just a phone call. She nodded. ¡°I can make a phone call for ten minutes. This is within my jurisdiction.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded happily. She got up and followed song jinning to her study.

    Song Jinning¡¯s study was very spacious. It was separated by a shelf in the middle.

    On one side was herrge desk, and a bookshelf with a wall of translucent ss doors.

    On the other side was a small, post-modern physicsboratory, which was convenient for her to do some research at home.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the study and said with a TSK tsk, ¡°Mrs. Song, President Lu really has nothing to say to you.¡±

    Song Jinning narrowed her eyes and smiled. She was intoxicated by her sensuality, so much so that Gu Nianzhi blushed slightly.

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s very, very good to me, and I¡¯m very, very good to him.¡±Song Jinning smiled as she walked to the physicsb on the other side of her study. She took out a ck cylinder-shaped object and fiddled with it for a while.

    Song Jinning called her over after the maic field energy device was connected. She said, ¡°You just need to click on young master he¡¯s phone number here.¡±She patted Gu Nianzhi on the shoulder and left the study considerately, she was given the freedom to speak.

    Before she left, she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m blocking the surveince here, so don¡¯t worry about making calls.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just paying my new year¡¯s greetings to young master he.¡±

    After song Jinning left, she closed the study door for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the 3d dial in front of her and slowly tapped he zhichu¡¯s phone number with her finger.

    ..

    He Zhichu sat alone in his bedroom in his suite. He did not have much appetite and went downstairs to eat.

    The orderly called a few times to ask when he would being down for dinner. He only told them to go back for the New Year and not stay at his house.

    The orderly had his own duty n. Of course, he zhichu would not tell them to go back and they would all go back.

    Those who were not on duty could go back. Those who were on duty went to their own dormitories and had a reunion dinner with everyone. It was also lively.

    He Zhichu really did not have much of an appetite. He sat for a while and nned to take a shower before going to bed.

    Tomorrow, he still had to go down to the grass roots to celebrate the new year with the officers and soldiers. It would be better to go to bed early.

    He was actually not interested in waiting for the New Year¡¯s Eve Bell to ring.

    Just as he took his clothes out of the closet, he suddenly heard the sound of singinging from the bedroom.

    ¡°... you can¡¯t hear my voice. You¡¯re afraid of blurting out your name. It¡¯s like confirming that I¡¯m going to meet you. It¡¯s like exchanging eyes once. I seem to have seen you somewhere before...¡±

    It was the ringtone of a phone that he had not used for a long time!

    He Zhichu was slightly stunned. Then, he ran to his bed and took out a phone that was always charging from under his pillow.

    A strange number appeared on the phone, but it was the right number.

    He Zhichu took a deep breath, and his almond-shaped eyes shone brightly.

    He held the phone and trembled for a while before he calmed down and picked up the call.

    The soft voice that was almost engraved in his genes came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello? Is this young master he?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s throat was choked with sobs. He tried hard for a long time before he finally nodded. His voice was still as calm as ever. ¡°It¡¯s Nianzhi?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cheered. ¡°Young master he! Happy New Year! I wish you a happy new year!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even twelve o¡¯clock. Of course, it was a happy new year.

    He zhichu smiled. He was still as mischievous as ever. It looked like she was having a good time over there.

    He Zhichu sat down on the sofa and posed for a long conversation. ¡°Where are you spending the new year? Who Are you spending the new year with?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi counted with her fingers. ¡°My dad, president Lu, Huo Shao, and Mrs. Song. Oh, by the way, President Lu and Mrs. Song got married two months ago.¡±

    He Zhichu was stunned. ¡°Mrs. Song isn¡¯t Huo Shao¡¯s mother? President Lu is his uncle, right? What about Huo Shao¡¯s father?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Song and Huo Shao¡¯s father divorced a long time ago. Why Can¡¯t they get married again?¡±Gu Nianzhi said casually. ¡°Young master he, you can¡¯t be so feudal, can you?¡±

    He zhichu came back to his senses and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression must be very interesting.¡±

    Gu nianzhi remembered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s usual calm demeanor and smiled. ¡°He may be very interesting in his heart, but you really can¡¯t see it on his face.¡±

    As she spoke, she asked he zhichu, ¡°Young master he, where are you celebrating the new year? Who Are you having New Year¡¯s Eve dinner with?¡±

    He Zhichu looked at the empty bedroom and said inly, ¡°I¡¯m having New Year¡¯s Eve dinner with my rtives and subordinates in the dining room.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and rolled her eyes.¡±... are there many people?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are many. It¡¯s noisy and lively.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, liar, Liar.

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice could only be heard on the phone. If it was really in a crowded ce, how could she not hear anything else?

    He Zhichu seemed to have guessed what she was thinking. He smiled and said, ¡°I saw you calling and found an empty room to talk to you. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    His words seemed to make sense.

    She wasn¡¯t sure anymore. She smiled and said, ¡°I see. I was wondering if there was a new soundproof phone over there, hahahaha...¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s thin lips curled up. He thought to himself that his NIANZHI was indeed smart. Even he hadn¡¯t thought of this excuse.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll get someone to develop it tomorrow,¡±he zhichu teased.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her bluetooth headset and connected to themunicator. She walked to the bay window in theb and sat down. She looked at the night view outside the window and said quietly, ¡°Send me a copy of it when it¡¯s developed...¡±

    She immediately asked, ¡°Is cousin Xie around? I¡¯d like to wish her a happy new year too.¡±

    She thanked him for being by He Zhichu¡¯s side.

    He Zhichu pressed his hand against his temple to calm himself down, he then said nonchntly, ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re making things difficult for me. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve, of course she¡¯s spending the new year with her family. We¡¯re engaged this year. Once I¡¯m done mourning my father, we¡¯ll start preparing for the wedding.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was calm, but her voice was filled with joy. ¡°So You¡¯re Engaged? ! That¡¯s great! Congrattions, young master he! Congrattions, cousin Xie!¡±

    She added, ¡°I¡¯m observing my mother¡¯s filial piety, too. Maybe I¡¯ll get married with young master he and cousin Xie!¡±

    He zhichu smiled and quickly changed the topic.

    The two of them talked for eight or nine minutes. Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of the red light from the corner of her eye and knew it was almost time. She quickly said, ¡°Then I wish young master he all the best in the New Year!¡±

    He zhichu nodded and said gently, ¡°Nianzhi, the same goes for you.¡±

    He paused for a moment. Just as Gu Nianzhi was about to hang up, he said softly, ¡°I. . . You, Sister.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not hear what he zhichu said, but she heard the word ¡°Sister¡±and quickly said, ¡°Brother, take care. I¡¯ll call you again when I have the chance.¡±

    After hanging up on he zhichu, Gu Nianzhi saw that there was still more than a minute left on the caller ID and dialed Xie Qingying¡¯s number without hesitation.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2085, ¡°Lying, Liar.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    A reminder of the rmendation tickets and monthly passes ~ ~ ~

    Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah

 Chapter 2086 - How Could I bear to part with it

    <h4>Chapter 2086: Chapter 2086: How Could I bear to part with it</h4>

    Xie qingying was currently with her best friend.

    Even though it was New Year¡¯s Eve, her best friend knew that she had broken up with he zhichu, so she immediately came over to apany her after the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner with her family.

    The two of them sat on Xie Qingying¡¯s bed in her bedroom, chatting as they swiped their phones.

    Her best friend was worried that Xie qingying might not be able to think straight and do something stupid, so she had already nned to spend the new year with her for the next few days.

    Xie qingying was calmer than she had imagined. However, she was always in a low mood. Reading those sand sculpture manga would not make herugh out loud.

    Just as her best friend was thinking about how tofort her, she heard Xie Qingying¡¯s phone ring.

    Xie qingying took a look and frowned. She said, ¡°Who is this? Is this a prank?¡±

    A strange phone number appeared on the phone. It was not the number arrangement of any country that they were familiar with.

    Her best friend poked her head out to take a look and said in deep thought,¡±... could it be that young master he called to ask for Peace? He was too embarrassed to use his own number, so he used a special device to hide his number?¡±

    Xie qingying red at her and said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯ve already given up. You still haven¡¯t given up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you, right?¡±Her best friend quickly raised her hand to surrender. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything more. The problem between you and young master he will be solved by the two of you.¡±

    Xie qingying snorted and stared at the number for a while, hesitating whether to answer it.

    In just a short while, the number hung up.

    She couldn¡¯t tell if she was relieved or disappointed.

    But before she could clear her mind, the number called again.

    This time, Xie Qingying didn¡¯t hesitate and picked up the call.

    A voice that she did not like, but still remembered, quickly came through the phone.¡±... cousin Xie? It¡¯s Gu Nianzhi. Happy New Year.¡±

    Xie qingying was slightly startled.¡±... Gu Nianzhi? It¡¯s really Gu Nianzhi? Where have you been? You¡¯re not evening back for the New Year? How can you let your brother celebrate the new year alone?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    It was indeed different from what he zhichu had said.

    Her brows twitched slightly, but she still spoke at a leisurely pace. ¡°How can that be? Doesn¡¯t my brother have cousin Xie apanying him? I heard that you two are engaged, but I haven¡¯t congratted you yet!¡±

    Xie qingying¡¯s face darkened. She thought Gu Nianzhi was here to mock her and make fun of her. She said coldly, ¡°You heard that I¡¯m Engaged? Who Did you hear it from?¡±

    ¡°Of course it was young master he.¡±Gu Nianzhi chuckled. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for young master he, how would I know?¡±

    Xie qingying finally understood, and the anger in her heart dissipated a little.¡±... you just called your brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s new year¡¯s. I said I wanted to talk to cousin Xie, and my brother said you were spending new year¡¯s with your family and weren¡¯t at the He family¡¯s.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say everything he zhichu had said. She subconsciously felt that she had to save some face for he zhichu.

    Xie qingying was disappointed for a moment, then said inly, ¡°Thank you, and Happy New Year to you. Also, your brother and I have broken off our engagement, so you don¡¯t have to call me or say New Year¡¯s greetings to me anymore. That¡¯s all.¡±

    She hurriedly wanted to hang up the phone because she really did not know how to face Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank, thinking that it was as she had expected.

    Seeing that she did not have much time left, she did not stand on ceremony, she quickly said, ¡°Even if cousin Xie breaks off the engagement with my brother, you¡¯re still my cousin. Can¡¯t rtives call each other to wish them a happy new year? Alright, I have to go eat too. I¡¯ll talk to youter. Bye, cousin Xie.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, ten minutes had passed.

    The maic field energy had been used up, and her call was cut off.

    She could no longer call the other side.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh. Her head hurt from thinking about it.

    How could this be?

    She had been fine, but the engagement had been broken off.

    She didn¡¯t know what had happened.

    He Zhichu had tried to cover up Taiping and hide it from her..

    Gu Nianzhi punched the windowsill hard.

    She still wanted to make a phone call, but song jinning probably didn¡¯t have the authority anymore.

    She could only wait until her father, Lu Jin, woke up from his drunken stupor the next day. She would try to find out if her father had any way of contacting the other world.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan sent Lu Jin to the guest room and settled him down. When they came out, they did not see Gu Nianzhi and song jinning.

    He looked around the house and saw song Jinning, who was slightly tipsy. After asking around, he found out that Gu Nianzhi was in song Jinning¡¯s study andboratory.

    Although song jinning had been smiling and wouldn¡¯t tell him what Gu Nianzhi was doing, Huo Shaoheng knew what Gu Nianzhi was doing without even asking.

    He had no intention of stopping her, and of course, no intention of encouraging her.

    It would be good to pretend that he didn¡¯t know.

    Huo Shaoheng returned to the dining room and began chatting casually with Lu Yuan.

    After chatting for a while, fifteen minutes had passed, but Gu Nianzhi still hadn¡¯te out.

    Song Jinning yawned continuously, almost falling asleep on Lu Yuan¡¯s shoulder.

    Lu Yuan felt sorry for her and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Help yourself. It¡¯s toote. I¡¯ll take jinning upstairs.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll bring Nianzhi hometer.¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at him and said deliberately, ¡°It¡¯s sote. Stay here. We¡¯ll go back tomorrow.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head without batting an eyelid. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve, and it¡¯s very lively outside. It¡¯ll be very convenient for us to go back.¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and said nothing more. He half-carried song jinning up the stairs.

    Huo Shaoheng sat alone in the dining room for a while before knocking on the door of Song Jinning¡¯s study andboratory.

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and thought that song jinning hade to rush her. She jumped down from the windowsill and walked to the door to open it. She said, ¡°Miss song, Can I...¡±

    Before she could finish, she saw that it was Huo Shaoheng standing at the door, not song jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi interlocked her fingers awkwardly and twisted them in front of her. She said embarrassedly, ¡°It¡¯s Huo Shao...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you seem a little disappointed.¡±Huo Shaoheng looked at her without batting an eyelid. ¡°Are you done calling your brother?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°How did you know? ! Did Miss Song Say That?¡±

    I didn¡¯t expect you to be like this, Ms. Song!

    Gu Nianzhi was silently criticizing him when Huo Shaoheng took her hand and walked into song Jinning¡¯s study andb. He said slowly, ¡°Ms. Song didn¡¯t tell me. I guessed.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°You really guessed?¡±She looked at him suspiciously. ¡°How did you guess it? I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    She had never told anyone about this idea. Could Huo Shaoheng read minds? How did he know?

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and pulled her arm away. He wrapped it around his waist and said calmly, ¡°You took advantage of my absence to coax Ms. Song toe to herb. Could it be that you¡¯re here to conduct high-energy physics experiments?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She pursed her lips. ¡°Why did I coax Ms. Song when you weren¡¯t around?¡±

    ¡°I clearly asked Ms. Song for help openly!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Oh, so you admit it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about he zhichu¡¯s situation and felt that it was better to confess. Perhaps Huo Shaoheng could help her.

    Gu nianzhi replied honestly, ¡°I asked Ms. Song for her help. I called my brother.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have known if I hadn¡¯t called. I was shocked. He got engaged to cousin Xie and broke off the engagement. It¡¯s been less than a year!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was not surprised at all. He said calmly,¡±... young master he has been able to hold on for so long. He has given Xie qingying face.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Do you think young master he is with Xie Qingying because he loves her?¡±Huo Shaoheng nodded at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead, ¡°Are you stupid? That was to reassure his father. He didn¡¯t force you to stay with him and used Xie qingying as a shield.¡±

    ¡°Now that his father is dead, Xie qingying as a shield is of course dispensable.¡±

    ¡°In other words, he no longer has to care about who forced him to show off his love for Xie qingying.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wouldn¡¯t have said these words if he didn¡¯t know that Gu Nianzhi and he zhichu were biological siblings.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless for a long time. After a while, she finally said faintly,¡±... I finally understand where cousin Xie¡¯s faint hostility towards mees from...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked askance at Huo Shaoheng and gave him a half-smile. ¡°Then cousin Xie has a good temper. If you use me as a shield and block knives for someone else, I¡¯ll definitely fight back to the end!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hugged her even tighter and lowered his head to kiss her passionately. He whispered in her ear in a hoarse voice,¡±... how can I bear to do that?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first watch of the day: chapter 2086, ¡°How can I bear to do this?¡±.

    It was the second watch of the day.

    The second watch was at 9 pm.

    A reminder to everyone of the rmended tickets and monthly passes ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, Little Angels and big shots ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2087 - eating tofu (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2087: Chapter 2087 eating tofu (second update)</h4>

    The two of them kissed and cuddled in song Jinning¡¯sb, but that was all.

    Huo Shaoheng would never make out with Gu Nianzhi in a ce he couldn¡¯t control.

    He picked up Gu Nianzhi, who was being kissed so tenderly, and got into the car. They left song Jinning and Lu Yuan¡¯s west mountain vi and headed to his official residence in the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground in the imperial capital.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the car and looked at him with a smile. She did not say anything, but there was a thousand words in her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng drove the car into the city at the speed of a fighter jet as she watched him passionately.

    He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. His self-control and endurance had been put to the test.

    He couldn¡¯t wait to give her anything, even his life.

    ..

    It was especially cold on the first day of the New Year in the imperial capital this year.

    The temperature dropped like a precipice. The highest temperature during the day WAS-15 degrees Celsius, and the forecast for the night was even colder.

    Huo Shaoheng had indulged himself almost all nightst night. With his strong physical strength, he hadn¡¯t been able to wake up on time in the morning. The ¡°Battle situation¡±was evident.

    In the warm bedroom, he opened his eyes and picked up Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone on the bedside table to check. It was already nine o¡¯clock in the morning.

    He closed his eyes and opened them again. He was much more awake now.

    Fortunately, it was the first day of the New Year, and he didn¡¯t have to be on duty this year. He didn¡¯t have to work at the lower levels, so it didn¡¯t matter if he slept more.

    General Ji wanted him to rest well for a while, so after he canceled his leave and went to work, General Ji still didn¡¯t give him too much work.

    However, sleeping until nine o¡¯clock was a rare sight in the years since he joined the army.

    He did not want to move. He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, who was still sound asleep.

    Her long, thick eyshes were like two rows of beautiful fans, drawing two beautiful curves on her fair face.

    Under her straight and delicate nose, he had tasted her countless times the day before, and his lips were slightly curled up, as if he had been dreaming.

    The apricot-red silk was tightly covered to the chin, just like the skin of a red-clothed peanut. One could imagine the white and plump skin under the red skin.

    No, it wasn¡¯t a peanut. It was a soft, stic, and firm Jade Bean Curd.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help smiling. He turned to the side, peeled off the skin of the red-garbed peanut, and began eating tofu..

    It was good to eat tofu when there was no meat to eat.

    ..

    Another half day of nonsense.

    By the time the two of them had calmed down, it was already noon.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide open. She couldn¡¯t believe everything that had happened fromst night until just now.

    Very well, she thought. Her and Huo Shao¡¯s bottom line in this matter had been broken again.

    Huo Shaoheng had been dry for too long and loved Gu Nianzhi dearly, so he had no restraint.

    Now that he saw Gu Nianzhi leaning softly against him, she was like a delicate pink bud that had been blown by the wind and snow in the cold December. If he used any more strength, she would fall from the branches.

    Huo Shaoheng was a little regretful. He reached out and hugged her in his arms. Without any desire, he kissed her forehead. His voice was low and he asked in a slightly fawning tone, ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and said weakly,¡±... I want to eat osmanthus glutinous rice balls. I had them at Lu¡¯s house yesterday.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pinched her nose. ¡°I¡¯ll go check if there¡¯s anything in the kitchen. If there¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll go buy it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the first day of the New Year. Where are you going to buy it?¡±Gu Nianzhi opened her eyes and pulled Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It seems quite cold outside.¡±

    She had felt it the night before, but it was still warm in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    ¡°There¡¯s a shop in the military headquarterspound that doesn¡¯t close all year round.¡±Huo Shaoheng tucked her in. ¡°But the little glutinous rice balls should be prepared at home. I¡¯ll go look for them.¡±

    Even though the orderly had gone home for the New Year, he should have prepared the new year goods for him.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his casual clothes and went downstairs to the kitchen.

    Zhao Liangze was sitting at the dining table and eating lunch.

    Seeing hime down, he grinned at him, revealing his eight white teeth. ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    He gave him a thumbs up.

    Huo Shaoheng had a slight headache. He tilted his head and looked at him. ¡°Why are you here? Weren¡¯t you not on duty this year?¡±

    Zhao liangze was not from the capital. His parents and rtives were all in C city.

    Zhao liangze shook his head. ¡°Big Xiong and I changed shifts. He¡¯s only been married for less than a year. Let him go to his inws¡¯house to show his filial piety.¡±

    ¡°What about your parents?¡±Huo Shaoheng walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to look for something.

    ¡°They went abroad for the new year this year. They even video-chatted with mest night.¡±Zhao Liangze ate his own lunch and had no appetite at all.

    He looked askance at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, what delicious food are you cooking? Can you share it with everyone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at him with disdain. ¡°You always get low marks when ites to cooking. When Big Xionges back, I¡¯ll get him to give you a special lesson and train your cooking skills.¡±

    ¡°As long as you can cook well and eat well! Why do you need to have all the colors, smells, and tastes!¡±Zhao liangze screamed in pain. After eating a few mouthfuls of rice, he immediately ran off to work.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved slightly. He took out a packet of sesame-filled glutinous rice balls and found a bottle of sweet osmanthus in the storage room. Judging by its origin, it was a specialty from southern Yunnan.

    Using sweet osmanthus to cook glutinous rice balls was even more delicious than dry osmanthus.

    Soon, a pot of steaming glutinous rice balls was ready with rice wine. The Sweet Osmanthus was added to the pot and stirred. The fragrance and sweetness of the Sweet Osmanthus instantly spread from the kitchen.

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes as she went downstairs. She was immediately attracted by the fragrance.

    ¡°What¡¯s that smell? What¡¯s that smell? What the hell? Why does it smell so good? It¡¯s so appetizing!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was already starving to begin with. Now that the fragrance was rushing into her stomach, she almost couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    Huo Shaoheng ced a bowl of sweet osmanthus rice wine sesame glutinous rice balls on the dining table in front of Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s just something I made. Try It.¡±

    After a pause, he said lightly,¡±...pared to President Lu¡¯s, it might not be as good.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scooped up a spoonful of sweet osmanthus and rice wine with a small sesame dumpling the size of a white jade finger. She swallowed it in one gulp and narrowed her eyes in delight. All she cared about was the soft and tender texture of the dumpling.

    She took a small bite, and the sesame inside flowed out. The juices glistened in all directions and soothed her morning mood.

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath in satisfaction and nodded at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It¡¯s delicious! It¡¯s even better than President Lu¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±Huo Shaoheng scooped a bowl for himself and sat down beside her to eat.

    The glutinous rice balls rolled in his mouth, reminding him of something else, and he felt excited as he ate.

    However, it didn¡¯t take long for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone to ring.

    It was Lu Yuan¡¯s number.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly picked up the call and asked, ¡°Happy New Year, President Lu! I wish you and Miss Song A Happy New Year!¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and nodded. ¡°Open the door, I¡¯ll give you a red packet.¡±

    So Good? !

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She put thest mouthful of glutinous rice balls into her mouth and rushed out to open the door.

    She saw Lu Jin standing at the door with a big red packet in his hand. ¡°Happy New Year, Miss!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    At the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, Lu Yuan sat in the car and made an OK gesture at her. He then drove away in a sh.

    This was to send Lu Jin back to her!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2087, ¡°Eating tofu.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    A reminder of the rmendation tickets and monthly passes ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2088 - disturbing oneâ€™s dreams (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2088: Chapter 2088 disturbing one¡¯s dreams (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She quickly pulled Lu Jin in and said happily, ¡°Dad, Happy New Year! You¡¯re finally back!¡±

    She asked again, ¡°Today is the first day of the New Year. Why didn¡¯t you wait for me to pick you up?¡±

    She was still thinking of asking Lu Jin for help and then contacting he zhichu!

    Lu Jin patted his chest and smiled. ¡°I drank too muchst night. If I hadn¡¯te back with you guys, mydy wouldn¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Dad, What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t it my duty to Worry About You?¡±Gu Nianzhi hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm and walked into the house. She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m yourdy!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! My Lady is the best!¡±Lu Jin patted her head, he said ruefully, ¡°Boss Lu is such a miser. I just woke him up a little too loudly in the morning, and he¡¯s already full of anger. He¡¯s trying to get back at me on purpose, and his lunch is terrible!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She had been busy recently, so she hadn¡¯t paid attention to Lu Jin¡¯s recent developments. She hadn¡¯t expected him to be able to speak Manchurian.

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead. ¡°It¡¯s the first day of the New Year. How did you wake up President Lu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Hungry!¡±Lu Jin said matter-of-factly. ¡°I drank too muchst night and overslept in the morning. I didn¡¯t have breakfast. How could I Not Be Hungry?¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And then I went to look for Boss Lu!¡±! ¡°But I didn¡¯t see him in the kitchen or the dining room. I guessed that he hadn¡¯t gotten out of bed yet. I knocked on his bedroom door for a long time and realized that he and Ms. Song weren¡¯t awake. I was worried that something might have happened to them, so I set off the smoke detector in the room...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    When that thing rang, it was so powerful that it could pierce through one¡¯s eardrums.

    Gu Nianzhipletely understood, she held back herughter and said, ¡°Dad, you do care about President Lu, but you might have disturbed him from sleeping in. It¡¯s not easy for president Lu to sleep in once a year, but you woke him up. And it¡¯s the first day of the new year! ¡ª I¡¯d be angry too!¡±

    ¡°Can you me me? There¡¯s only leftovers in the kitchen, and I don¡¯t want to eat them.¡±Lu Jin sat down with Gu Nianzhi in the dining room and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t full just now. Do you have anything to eat here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi remembered the sweet osmanthus rice wine and sesame rice balls that Huo Shaoheng had just cooked. She was about to ask if Huo Shaoheng still had them when she saw him carrying a small bowl of rice balls over, she smiled and said, ¡°This is dessert. Uncle Lu, please put it on first. I¡¯ll go make lunch.¡±

    Lu Jin quickly picked up a spoon and scooped a spoonful into his mouth. He hummed in satisfaction and praised, ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s skills are already better than boss Lu¡¯s! Good! He has a future!¡±

    He even gave Gu Nianzhi a thumbs up. ¡°My daughter has a good husband!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She wanted to remain calm, but the corners of her lips curled up.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and said, ¡°Nianzhi, do you want another bowl?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m waiting for lunch.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved at him. After he turned to go to the kitchen, she turned to Lu Jin. ¡°Dad, hurry up and eat. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded and ate the bowl of sweet osmanthus rice wine sesame rice dumpling slowly. He wiped his mouth with a tissue in satisfaction, he said, ¡°It¡¯s fragrant, sweet, and not greasy. We can¡¯t exaggerate. Objectively speaking, Shaoheng¡¯s rice wine glutinous rice dumpling is indeed better than boss Lu¡¯s.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, she pointed at the bowl and said, ¡°Huo Shao used the sweet osmanthus, and Lu used the dry osmanthus. Dry Osmanthus was lighter and more elegant. Sweet Osmanthus had a rich vor and was more delicious to eat. I prefer sweet osmanthus-vored rice wine glutinous rice balls. What About You?¡±

    Lu Jin also said, ¡°I have the same taste as mydy, and I also like the taste of Sweet Osmanthus.¡±

    Both father and daughter were very happy to have reached an agreement.

    While Huo Shaoheng was preparing lunch, Gu Nianzhi pushed Lu Jin¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Dad, do you want to go upstairs and wash up? I have something to tell you.¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to know about this, so he dragged her to his first-floor suite and asked, ¡°What is it? Are you acting all mysterious? I washed up at Boss Lu¡¯s ce. You Don¡¯t have to make excuses.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi closed the door in embarrassment and whispered,¡±... It¡¯s like this. I asked Ms. Song to help me yesterday and called Young Master He.¡±

    Lu Jin was shocked. ¡°Yesterday? When was that? ! Why didn¡¯t I know? !¡±

    ¡°... After you went to rest.¡±Gu Nianzhi was embarrassed to say that Lu Jin had been drunk at the time, but Lu Jin understood now that she was being vague.

    He rubbed the space between his eyebrows and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already call him? What else do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked over to Lu Jin and lowered her voice even more, ¡°... I only spoke for less than ten minutes when I realized that something had happened to young master he. I used thest minute to call young master he¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Xie qingying. In the end, Xie qingying said that she had broken off her engagement with young master he and had broken up.¡±

    Lu Jin did not care about he zhichu¡¯s love life at all. Of course, he was not aware that Xie qingying was his uncle at all. He said sharply, ¡°So be it. Do I need you to send her a few red packets to celebrate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She was speechless.

    She pursed her lips and continued to beg Lu Jin patiently, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t say that. Young master he is also... his mother¡¯s son. Now that young master he¡¯s father and mother are gone, he only has half a sister. How can I not care about him?¡±

    Seeing that Lu Jin¡¯s expression seemed to have softened, Gu Nianzhi continued to encourage him, she added, ¡°Besides, he¡¯s the only son of Barrister Qin Suwen. Even if it¡¯s for the sake of Barrister Qin Suwen, don¡¯t you want to help take care of her son?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯sst sentence moved Lu Jin.

    However, he still had other things on his mind and nodded thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s good to keep in touch with young master he. If young master Huo does something to you, Daddy will take you back...¡±

    He wanted to say ¡°Marry young master he,¡±but when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tall and straight eyebrows, he still didn¡¯t say those words out loud.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t expect Lu Jin to have such an idea. She shook her head, not knowing whether tough or cry. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t think too much. I just want to know what¡¯s going on between young master he and Xie Qingying.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of you figuring it out?¡±Lu Jin stared at her in confusion. ¡°Are you trying to set them up and force them together?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not going to interfere with other people¡¯s feelings. I just want to know if there was any conflict in there and if it affected young master he. I also want tofort him and hope that he won¡¯t be crushed by this.¡±

    Lu Jin scoffed. ¡°He¡¯s a man. How could he be crushed by a breakup? What were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°But I heard that Xie Qingying was the one who broke up with him.¡±Gu Nianzhi was tough as well. She said angrily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my brother? How could she not want him? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2088, ¡°Disturbing one¡¯s dreams.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    To remind you of your rmended tickets and monthly passes

    Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah

 Chapter 2089 - Insider and outsider (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2089: Chapter 2089, Insider and outsider (second update)</h4>

    Lu Jin hesitated for a moment. ¡°Was it really Xie qingying who suggested it first? That seems to be a problem. She really likes he zhichu.¡±

    The person she had fallen in love with first had already lost at the starting line. What had happened to make her quit on her own ord?

    ¡°I see!¡±Gu Nianzhi struck while the iron was hot. ¡°Can you help me ask Ms. Song for More Time?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡±Lu Jin refused.

    Gu Nianzhi was very disappointed, but she wasn¡¯t willing to give up right away. She immediately asked, ¡°Then do you have a quantummunicator? Do you have a quantummunicator that canmunicate with the other side without the need for maic field energy?¡±

    She looked eagerly at Lu Jin, her eyes sparkling.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw how cute she was, but he still shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°I have a quantummunicator, but I can¡¯t do without maic field energy.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±Gu Nianzhi was panicking. She circled around Lu Jin¡¯s suite. ¡°Where can we get maic field energy? !¡±

    Lu Jin had just arrived. The preparation for his personalboratory had only started after New Year¡¯s Day, so Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Jin did not have the kind of high-energy maic field energy that could support multidimensional spacemunication.

    ¡°No.¡±As expected, Lu Jin spread his hands and continued to smile. ¡°But I can get some maic field energy from MS. Song.¡±

    Lu Jin winked at her.

    ¡°ck Energy? Can Energy be hacked too? !¡±Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and shook it excitedly. ¡°Just like a hacker? !¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Lu Jin smiled as he pulled his hand out and walked to his desk. He pulled open arger drawer and took out a ck cylindrical object from it. He ced it in front of Gu Nianzhi.

    It was almost identical to the ck cylindrical quantummunicator in song Jinning¡¯sb.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pulled a chair over and sat down. She leaned over to see how Lu Jin was getting the ¡°ck¡±energy from song jinning. She asked worriedly,¡±... you won¡¯t get caught, will you?¡±

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°Catch Me? With their level, in another thousand years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Dad, your aura today is 2.8 meters!¡±Gu nianzhi gave Lu Jin a thumbs up andplimented him for almost ten minutes.

    Lu Jin listened in satisfaction as he connected to the equipment in song Jinning¡¯s study at Lu Yuan¡¯s West Mountain Vi. He used this ce as his base and connected to the Institute of High Energy Physics¡¯s maic field energyboratory.

    The high-energy maic field energy that could support the resonance of the maic fields of two worlds was stored in the basement here.

    Although Lu Jin had said that no one would find out that he had hacked into the maic field energy system, he was still very cautious and did not act recklessly.

    He used a program to control it and only used enough energy tomunicate for ten minutes. This was also song Jinning¡¯s jurisdiction and would not alert the system.

    Gu Nianzhi understood and said embarrassedly,¡±... you¡¯re using Ms. Song as a scapegoat, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with letting her be the scapegoat?¡±Lu Jin snorted. ¡°It¡¯s boss Lu¡¯s fault for making terrible food today! HMPH!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Jin was venting his anger, but in her opinion, intentionally making food taste bad was unforgivable. She quickly said, ¡°Boss Lu is so bad! You Deserve It!¡±

    She then took the quantummunicator from Lu Jin, intending to dial the number.

    However, before she dialed the number, she looked at Lu Jin and smiled fawningly. She then pointed in the direction of the door, indicating that she wanted him to leave.

    Lu Jin stood up and patted her head, his heart aching. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry too much. Xie qingying and he zhichu are both adults, they know what they¡¯re doing. What¡¯s the point of digging into it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, he said, ¡°I know it¡¯s useless, but I don¡¯t want to know. I don¡¯t feel good about it.¡±. Young master he was my brother, my only brother. Xie qingying had taken the initiative to pursue my brother and then broke up with him. was she not going to cherish him now that she had gotten the hang of it? ¡°If she¡¯s such a person, I¡¯m going to scold her and avenge my brother!¡±

    Lu Jinughed, ¡°I like it when my daughter is protective. That¡¯s right! She should be as warm as spring to her family and as merciless as the autumn wind to outsiders! But, mydy, I¡¯m your father. If anyone bullies me...¡±

    Gu nianzhi made a ¡°Kill without mercy¡±gesture and snorted. ¡°If anyone bullies my father, I won¡¯t just scold them!¡±

    Lu Jinughed loudly, as excited as he was when he solved the world¡¯s most difficult physics problem at the age of fifteen.

    He walked out and even thoughtfully closed the door for Gu Nianzhi.

    When they returned to the dining room, Huo Shaoheng had already made two home-cooked dishes and ced them on the table.

    A te of spicy stir-fried veal with red sauce and a te of white-seared mantis shrimp.

    Lu Jin immediately felt hungry and quickly sat down. ¡°Do you have rice? Quick, give me a bowl.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng scooped a bowl of rice for him and said, ¡°There¡¯s still some lotus root stewed pork ribs that haven¡¯t been made yet. Would you like to eat themter?¡±

    ¡°No need, no need. I¡¯ll eat them first as a sign of respect before drinking the soup and eating the pork ribs.¡±Lu Jin refused without hesitation. He picked up his chopsticks and began eating attentively.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s cooking skills were not inferior to Lu Yuan¡¯s, but he did not want to show it.

    However, he didn¡¯t hide it today. The two home-cooked dishes made Lu Jin beaming with joy. He didn¡¯t even have time to praise him. He ate like a whirlwind and quickly finished the dishes.

    Huo Shaoheng brought him another ss of water.

    Lu Jin drank a mouthful of water and said in satisfaction, ¡°Shaoheng, it¡¯ll be great if you can perform like this in the future.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He had good taste indeed.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly and said without batting an eyelid, ¡°Nianzhi went to call young master he again?¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t notice and nodded. ¡°Yes, she said she still had something to say and insisted on asking why Xie qingying broke up with young master he. She felt sorry for her brother and was afraid that he would be crushed. hahahaha!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say in response.

    Lu Jin looked up at him and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not jealous, are you?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He smiled as well. ¡°Young master he is Nianzhi¡¯s biological brother. Why would I be jealous? I¡¯m not stupid.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction, he sighed and said, ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s feelings for he zhichu are familial, and her feelings for you are those of a man and a woman.¡±. There was jealousy, unwillingness, desire, and a strong desire to monopolize. There was also a need for the other party to reciprocate. ¡°Without these, don¡¯t say that you have feelings for a man and a woman.¡±

    ¡°But familial feelings are different. Familial feelings are the purest. You just want the other party to be good, to stand up for the other party, and to be worried that the other party will suffer losses. This kind of feeling ispletely selfless and does not ask for anything in return.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng listened for a while and smiled.¡±... Not Necessarily, right? Some couples¡¯feelings have reached this stage as well.¡±

    ¡°To what stage?¡±

    ¡°... I wish for the other party to be good. I¡¯m worried that the other party will suffer losses and do not ask for anything in return.¡±

    ¡°This is a rtionship between husband and wife that has already evolved from love to familial love. It can¡¯t be said that it¡¯s not good.¡±Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°My father is a psychologist. I¡¯m still very convinced by his theory.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it carefully and felt that Lu Jin¡¯s words were quite reasonable.

    For example, he loved Nianzhi so much, but he couldn¡¯t do it without asking for something in return.

    He loved her and could die for her, but if she didn¡¯t love him, he would feel that his life would be worse than death.

    ..

    In Lu Jin¡¯s suite, Gu Nianzhi finally dialed Xie Qingying¡¯s number again.

    Xie qingying had just woken up.

    Her best friend was washing up in the bathroom while she sat by the window, bored, scrolling through her phone.

    Xie qingying thought about it for a moment when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strange number. She picked it up and said calmly, ¡°Nianzhi? Happy New Year.¡±

    Of course, it was New Year¡¯s Day.

    Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment and reluctantly said, ¡°Happy New Year, cousin Xie.¡±

    She immediately said bluntly, ¡°Cousin Xie, yesterday was too rushed. I didn¡¯t have time to ask clearly. Why did you break up with my brother? What did my brother do wrong? Or did something happen?¡±

    She was very careful with her questions. It was obvious that she was trying to probe.

    Xie qingying pursed her lips, but how could she say the real reason?

    Her hatred for Gu Nianzhi rose again. Xie qingying couldn¡¯t contain her anger and said coldly, ¡°What does it have to do with you? ! This is between me and young master he, and you, an outsider, have to tell me what to do!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment before she couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Young master he is my biological brother, you are my cousin, and my father is your biological uncle! How can I be considered an outsider? !¡±

    Xie qingying was almost suffocated by her words. She held her chest and let out a long breath, she said angrily, ¡°In a rtionship between a man and a woman, even the biological parents are outsiders, let alone siblings and cousins. Gu Nianzhi, stop meddling in your brother¡¯s feelings. If you meddle, your brother will never be able to find a wife for the rest of his life!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also angry. ¡°I¡¯m meddling? I¡¯m just asking, and you can¡¯t do that? ! If my brother was dumped and I didn¡¯t do anything about it, would I still be a human being? !¡±

    ¡°Xie qingying, I don¡¯t believe that something like this happened to your siblings. You can pretend you didn¡¯t see it!¡±

    Xie qingying was tongue-tied by the question. She couldn¡¯t win against Gu Nianzhi and didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. She simply hung up the phone and blocked her strange number.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t get through. She knew Xie qingying must have blocked her number.

    Although she could have used other methods to continue calling, she knew it was useless.

    She could understand why Xie Qingying didn¡¯t want to talk to her anymore.

    And it wasn¡¯t like she had gotten nothing.

    From Xie Qingying¡¯s angry words, she had a vague feeling that Xie qingying¡¯s breakup with He Zhichu had something to do with her.

    But she felt wronged.

    She was he zhichu¡¯s biological sister!

    She was also his only family member.

    She couldn¡¯t possibly turn a blind eye to he zhichu.

    Xie qingying had gone too far.

    Even Huo Shao, who was so overbearing, no longer guarded his rtionship with he zhichu when he found out that he zhichu was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s biological brother.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the quantummunicator for a long time, her fingers drawing circles on the edge of the tube. She calmed down for a while before calling he zhichu.

    ..

    He Zhichu was in a very good mood on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

    He had left early in the morning with his subordinates to visit the officers and soldiers.

    He only had the phone that he had always kept under his pillow to recharge.

    At noon, he had just finished lunch with everyone. When he came out of the army cafeteria, he received another call from Gu Nianzhi.

    She had called him for two days in a row, from the end of the year to the end of the year. He Zhichu felt that he could be happy for a year.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 2089, ¡°The wife and the outsider.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of today.

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and monthly tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2090 - Iâ€™ll give you a pension (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2090: Chapter 2090 I¡¯ll give you a pension (first update)</h4>

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you going to wish me a happy new year on the first day of the Lunar New Year? Come, I¡¯ll give you a big red packet.¡±He Zhichu¡¯s voice was light and elegant, with a sense of joy and calmness that came from the bottom of his heart.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She didn¡¯t know if she should F * ck herself with this sentence!

    She had been so worried for him, but he was in such a good mood that he could even make fun of her!

    Gu Nianzhi wiped the sweat off her forehead speechlessly. She felt like she had been worrying for nothing.

    It looked like Xie qingying had dumped he zhichu, but judging from their situation, it was still uncertain who would dump who..

    Gu Nianzhi, of course, waspletely on he zhichu¡¯s side.

    Seeing that he zhichu wasn¡¯t sad or upset, she didn¡¯t have to bring it up.

    The doubts and anger she had felt on Xie qingying¡¯s side disappeared in an instant. Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood was like a spring day in March, so bright that she had forgotten about her sadness.

    She said with a smile, ¡°Brother, you only know how to lie to me. How could I possibly receive your red packet? ! HMPH!¡±

    He Zhichu could not help smiling, his bright peach-shaped eyes twinkling. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it for you first. When I have the chance, I¡¯ll transfer it to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°How? Unless you can connect the two worlds using quantummunication. But our bitcoin has fallen so much that even if you can transfer it, it¡¯ll be a free gift.¡±

    He zhichu raised his ck-gloved hand and covered his lips with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Why Don¡¯t You Tell Your Dad? Maybe he can make it happen.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I was just bullshitting.¡±Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell my dad.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to take up too much of Lu Jin¡¯s time for her own selfish reasons.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t have particrly ambitious dreams. His attitude towards science had always been childlike and pure.

    He wanted to do scientific research because he liked doing it, not because he had to.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that the idea she had just put forward was very attractive to Lu Jin.

    He might have spent all his energy on this.

    But why bother?

    Lu Jin¡¯s intelligence should be used where he needed him more.

    Gu Nianzhiughed and glossed over the matter. She said, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re single again. Don¡¯t work all the time. Find yourself a girl you like to take care of you.¡±

    The smile on he zhichu¡¯s face faded. He stood on the sidewalk outside the army cafeteria and looked at the empty field in the distance. His voice was calm as he said, ¡°Okay, you want me to Get Married? I¡¯ll find you a good sister-inw.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi choked and said anxiously, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want you to get married. It¡¯s whether you want to get married or not. I¡¯m not forcing you to get married! Don¡¯t Twist My Words!¡±

    She was so anxious that her voice had changed. He Zhichu¡¯s heart softened and he said with a chuckle, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯m not twisting your words. I understand. You Care About Me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to force you. You have your own life. You must have your own ideas about what you want to do. As your sister, I always hope that you can live well. This is my only request.¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and replied, ¡°Yes, I know.¡±

    After a while, he couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°What if I can¡¯t find someone to marry? Then what should I do?¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t find someone. At most, I¡¯ll give you a pension.¡±

    She said seriously, ¡°Brother, really, I¡¯m ten years younger than you. When you¡¯re old, I can give you a pension.¡±

    She also said, ¡°If I¡¯m not around, my son and daughter will support you in your old age.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice turned cold as he said sternly, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? ! I¡¯m not going anywhere without you! You have to live well! You have to live a long life! Do You Hear Me? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked and quickly nodded. ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m just saying. Don¡¯t be anxious! You¡¯re really scaring me...¡±

    He zhichu furrowed his brows and said, ¡°You¡¯re the one who scared me. How can you say such things? Quick, go knock on the wood three times.¡±

    He even told her, ¡°Knock loudly. I want to hear it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to find the wooden table and knock three times.

    He Zhichu was relieved, he couldn¡¯t wait to tell her, ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. You¡¯re 21 this year, right? When are you nning to have your wedding with Huo Shaoheng? ¡°Remember to have children earlier. It¡¯s best if you have three. As an uncle, I¡¯m counting on my nephews to support me in my old age.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed out loud. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re such a bullshitter! I still want to be an aunt! When are you going to have a few nephews for me?¡±

    He zhichuughed, and Gu Zhichu changed the subject. ¡°How are you doing over there? Is there no one after you now?¡±

    He Zhichu had cleaned up the Qin family. The Big Boss was locked up in prison, and his henchmen and distant rtives had been sent to the ravine. Not only would they not be able to make aeback in this life, but they would also not be able to make aeback in their next life.

    Speaking of this, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s unreliable father, Huo Guanchen. She couldn¡¯t helpining, ¡°I¡¯m safe now, but Huo Shao¡¯s mother is out of luck.¡±

    She quickly told him about the explosion at the Sheraton hotel a few days ago and the kidnapping of Song Jinning.

    He zhichu said angrily, ¡°What is Huo Shaoheng doing? ! He wants his daughter-inw and ex-wife to pay for his father¡¯s debauchery? ! What the hell! Nianzhi, what else is there? Tell me more.¡±

    He Zhichu was so angry that he wanted to pull Huo Shaoheng over and beat him up immediately.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little embarrassed. Although she didn¡¯t like Huo Guanchen, he had his own reasons for what had happened. He just hadn¡¯t expected Huo Guanchen to be so strong.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said casually, ¡°Although he¡¯s responsible, it¡¯s not the main responsibility. The key is that he¡¯s too cunning, and his strength is beyond imagination.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had spent two months trying to figure out who the mastermind was, but she still hadn¡¯t figured out where it came from.

    At the moment, whether it was Carlyle or Pacific Rim private equity, they were just white gloves.

    Because it involved the explosion 18 years ago, and he zhichu was an insider in the opposite world, Gu Nianzhi mentioned to him that Huo Guanchen was investigating the explosion caused by the failure of the experiment 18 years ago, that was why the explosion happened this time.

    He Zhichu¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he said, ¡°I heard my father mention this once.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also remembered that Huo Guanyuan, Lu Yuan, had gone to the opposite world after the explosion.

    He chengjian and the others in the opposite world had also noticed the huge change, and had sent people to track down Lu Yuan.

    However, Lu Yuan was quickly saved by Lu Jin, and he chengjian and the others could not find him.

    She quickly said, ¡°What did general he say? Does he know what happened?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2090, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a pension.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and monthly tickets ~ ~ ~

    PS: There seems to be a list over there. If you have a docked ount, you can help ¡°Hello, Major General¡±through the docked reading list, so that the book has more opportunities to show its face, more readers to see. Thank you!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2091

    <h4>Chapter 2091: Chapter 2091: I believed you (second update)</h4>

    He zhichu sighed helplessly. Actually, he didn¡¯t really want to waste his precious time talking about such things.

    But Gu Nianzhi¡¯s interest was piqued, and she was obviously not interested in other topics.

    What could he do?

    Of course, he would do as she wished.

    He Zhichu cleared his throat.

    There was no one around him three meters away. Bodyguards, orderly, and personal secretary were scattered around him, keeping the crowd away from him.

    He zhichu lowered his voice and said,¡±... my father once said that when Lu Yuan broke through the spatial barrier due to an ident and came to our side, it was actually rted to Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Which Gu Xiangwen?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked uneasily.

    If there were the same people in the parallel space, then they were each other¡¯s counterparts.

    Was she wrong?

    He zhichu paused for a moment before he slowly said, ¡°Gu Xiangwen from both sides.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart jerked, as if the air in her lungs had been expelled.

    Her head was a little dizzy, and she was unable to speak for a long time.

    By the time she came back to her senses, ten minutes had passed.

    Without the energy support, the call naturally ended.

    After this time, she did not know how long it would take before she could speak to he zhichu again.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the quantummunicator in a daze, her heart in a mess.

    She felt as if she was walking in a dark field. There was a glimmer of light in front of her. She could see it, but she could not make it.

    She thought about it for a long time and came to the conclusion that the two Gu Xiangwen were more involved in this matter than they had investigated. Of course, they were also more involved than she had imagined.

    For a moment, she almost did not want to investigate this matter anymore.

    But on second thought, she trusted her father very much. She firmly believed that Gu Xiangwen on both sides was not the kind of person who would go crazy.

    But why did he zhichu say that the failure of the experiment back then had something to do with Gu Xiangwen on both sides?

    That was eighteen years ago.

    Gu Nianzhi was two years old. Lu Jin had just used Gu Nianzhi¡¯s perfect genes to cure he zhichu¡¯s gic defects.

    Lu Jin suddenly left theb and disappeared without a trace, causing Gu Nianzhi to fall into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands. She had been a guinea pig for four years and had been subjected to all sorts of human gic experiments..

    Four yearster, Gu Nianzhi was six years old. Lu Jin returned and was furious when he saw this and sent her to the He family home.

    Gu Nianzhi had no memory of this timeline, and it was something Lu Jin had once confessed to her.

    If this timeline was true, and ording to what he chengjian had told her before, Lu Jin had actually been studying high-energy maic fields before she was born, he had also proposed the ¡°Multi World¡±theory based on quantum mechanics.

    However, this was all Lu Jin¡¯s doing. He was Gu Xiangwen in the opposite world, her real father.

    She had never seen Gu Xiangwen in this world. He hade up with the same theory or conducted the same research.

    Gu Nianzhi felt very ufortable when she thought of the Little Gu Nianzhi who had died silently at the bottom of the Blue Hole in the Caribbean eight years ago.

    She had been in a daze for a long time. Huo Shaoheng had been talking to Lu Jin in the restaurant outside for a long time, and even the food was getting cold. He couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Uncle Lu, can nianzhi make a phone call for such a long time?¡±

    Lu Jin had just finished eating the lotus root stewed pork ribs soup. He was so full that even his thoughts were a little slow.

    He was stunned for a while, then looked at his watch and said,¡±... I can¡¯t. She can only make the call for ten minutes. If there¡¯s any more, Ms. Song will find trouble with me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng suddenly stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    His footsteps were a little hurried, and he walked very quickly in his own home.

    Lu Jin squinted at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back and nodded in satisfaction.

    His heart ached for his own daughter, and he would never let his daughter suffer any more grievances.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s dishes were really delicious, and especially to his liking. It was as if Lu Yuan had taught him everything, and he was a textbook example!

    Lu Jin licked his lips in embarrassment and decided not to think about it for the time being.

    He took a sip of the red robe that Huo Shaoheng had soaked for him. His body and mind felt at ease.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng came to Lu Jin¡¯s suite and knocked on the door. He said in a low voice, ¡°Nianzhi, are you in there?¡±

    Even though he knew that Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have any problems in his official residence.

    However, the incident from before had affected him too much. He would never admit that he was already traumatized..

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and locked Lu Jin¡¯s quantummunicator. She stood up and opened the door. She looked at Huo Shaoheng with a sad face and said,¡±... I¡¯m so hungry that I can¡¯t walk anymore.¡±

    Her face was like a painting. When she was worried, she looked like a veil. It was very moving.

    However, Huo Shaoheng was never someone who could be moved just by looking.

    Too Hungry to walk? The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He thought to himself, I believe you.

    However, he still turned around and half-knelt on the ground. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll carry you over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed and immediately leaned on his back. She hugged his broad shoulders tightly, as if even if the sky fell, he would be there to block it. She instantly had a backbone.

    She leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered,¡±... Huo Shao, are you free today?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±Huo Shaoheng ced his hands on her hips and pinched her without batting an eyelid.

    This little heartless girl. He had given the spring festival holiday for her, so how could he not be free?

    Why ask when he already knew.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and blew into his ear as she said, ¡°How about after dinner, you tell me about that little Gu Nianzhi and her father, Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He frowned. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about this? Today is the first day of the New Year.¡±

    Shouldn¡¯t she say something auspicious and do something exciting?

    Gu nianzhi replied with a ¡°MM-HMM¡±and said in a low but excited voice, ¡°I know! It¡¯s only meaningful to talk about this on the first day of the new year! It¡¯s great to get rid of the old and make everything New!¡±

    Huo shaoheng continued to think, ¡°I really believe you.¡±.

    He couldn¡¯t even find an excuse to concentrate. He was definitely going to win.

    Huo Shaoheng carried her to the entrance of the restaurant, and Gu Nianzhi said,¡±... Let my dad hear it too. I have a feeling that he might be with Gu Xiangwen over here...¡±

    This sentence was like a sh of light in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mind, illuminating the parts of his mind that he had never understood before.

    He suddenly stopped and frowned. ¡°What did you just say? Say It again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°I mean, tell me again about Gu Xiangwen, that little gu nianzhi, and even that little he zhichu. ¡°I know that after I left, you discovered a lot of new things. ¡°You only mentioned it casually. I don¡¯t know many details.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±Huo Shaoheng put her down and looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s the other sentence.¡±

    ¡°What other sentence?¡±Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m the one who said that my dad and Gu Xiangwen from this world... ?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng cut her off and patted her shoulder. He said solemnly, ¡°That¡¯s it. Don¡¯t worry, go eat first. I¡¯ll call director Lu.¡±

    ¡°Why are you looking for CEO Lu?¡±Gu Nianzhi shut her nose in displeasure. She reached out and tugged at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s sleeve. ¡°He sent my dad here in a hurry because he wanted to spend some alone time with Ms. Song.¡±

    ¡°... but CEO Lu has to corroborate this.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palms were sweaty, nervous and a little excited, but his expression was as calm as ever.

    However, what he said was not the case.¡±... I will immediately apply for a level one alert.¡±. We will go to the study room of my official residence to talk. I will inform little ze to block all signals and inform Big Xiong to return to the team and take charge of the security of the official residence. Old Zhou will lead the military police to control the underground,nd, and air defense systems of the entire base.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Big Brother, you¡¯re putting on too much of a Show!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t eat anymore. She squinted her eyes and asked, ¡°Huo Shao, do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    She asked seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t be so Shameless.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2091, ¡°I believed in your evil¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    PS: no matter where my dear is reading, I hope my dear can go to the other side of the reading section to help make a ranking for ¡°Hello, Major General¡±. It seems like a dor will be worth it, right?

    To be honest, there are too many lists now, and it is much more difficult for readers to find books.

    I hope this book will have more opportunities to show its face and be seen by more readers. Thank you!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2092

    <h4>Chapter 2092: Chapter 2092 beat them to the punch (first update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a minute and said seriously, ¡°You have a point.¡±

    He turned to the study and ordered through thendline, ¡°Headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground, level one alert.¡±

    ¡°Colonel Zhao liangze, block all electromaic signals inside and outside the encampment.¡±

    ¡°Colonel Yin Shixiong, return to your team immediately and be in charge of all security inside and outside my official residence.¡±

    ¡°Colonel Zhou Qiyuan will lead the military police to take control of the underground,nd, and air defense systems of the entire base.¡±

    ¡°Be careful, all of this must be carried out in secret. We must not alert the enemy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi followed him in and heard that Huo Shaoheng had finished his mission.

    She pursed her lips and thought to herself, isn¡¯t this still going to be a big show?

    It¡¯s just that the method has changed, so it won¡¯t rm unrted people.

    After all, it was the first day of the new year, so everyone still had to celebrate in a happy and peaceful atmosphere.

    Huo Shaoheng then called Lu Yuan and said, ¡°President Lu, why don¡¯t youe to my official residence with Ms. Song for dinner today? I¡¯ll personally cook, so you can take a break too.¡±

    Lu Yuan had just sent Lu Jin to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. It had only been a few hours since he had returned to his own home.

    Huo Shaoheng was not the kind of person to be petty.

    Why was he being so polite when he suddenly invited him and song jinning to dinner in the city?

    Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes and said calmly, ¡°Sure, but we might not be able to leave the city at night.¡±

    ¡°No problem, I have enough rooms for you guys.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was neither hurried nor slow, and there was a slight smile on his face. It seemed like he was not the same person who had given the order so quickly and decisively.

    Gu nianzhi sighed at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shrewdness, but could not take her eyes off him.

    She liked him just the way he was.

    A man who worked hard was the most attractive.

    Huo Shaoheng put down the phone and turned to see Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ck grape-like eyes almost shining like stars. His heart skipped a beat.

    Her gaze was like honey, sweet to the touch.

    It really was the new year.

    Huo shaoheng thought to himself, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I find everything pleasing to the eye.¡±.

    He said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯ll call Uncle Lu over. You stay here.¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Central Control Room was one of the most secure ces in the entire empire, except for the central control room.

    Huo Shaoheng was very cautious about what they were going to talk about, but it wasn¡¯t top secret yet, so many high-level security measures hadn¡¯t been put in ce yet.

    However, these arrangements were enough to ensure that their conversation wouldn¡¯t be leaked.

    Moreover, he wasn¡¯t sure if there was really a problem; it was just his guess.

    Gu nianzhi said, ¡°I¡¯ll go. My dad might not listen to you if you go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t stop her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    The two of them arrived at the dining room. Lu Jin was no longer there.

    Gu nianzhi said, ¡°I think he went back to his suite.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi went to knock on Lu Jin¡¯s door again.

    Lu Jin¡¯s suite was on the first floor. Lu Jin opened the door and asked impatiently, ¡°What¡¯s up? Is it dinner time?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    They had just had lunch!

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her temples and held Lu Jin¡¯s hand. ¡°Dad, I have something to ask you. Come with me to Huo Shao¡¯s study.¡±

    Lu Jin had always been very responsive to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s requests, so he didn¡¯t think too much about it. He smiled and said, ¡°Sure, let me lock theputer.¡±

    He went back to his room to lock theputer screen that he was doingrge-scale calctions on before turning around to go to his study with Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    This was Lu Jin¡¯s first time in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study.

    Not long after he entered, he asked in shock,¡±... you have a super strong electromaic shield here? What happened? I don¡¯t remember it being there just now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    This was the electromaic shield that Zhao Liangze had just activated. He hadn¡¯t expected Lu Jin to detect it so quickly.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Uncle Lu, take out your phone and put it here.¡±

    He took out a phone bag that could block electromaic signals and handed it to Lu Jin.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone hadn¡¯t been brought in, so Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone had already been in a special phone bag.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°What are you doing? You tricked Nianzhi and me intoing here, and now you want to block electromaic signals? Don¡¯t think that just because you block electromaic signals, I can¡¯t make a call!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    You can make a call even if you block the electromaic signal?

    The electromaic shield that Huo Shaoheng had Zhao liangze cast this time was so strong that evenndline phones would be affected.

    Lu Jin actually said that he could make a call under such circumstances?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand that was holding the cell phone¡¯s shielding bag stopped in mid-air. His expression did not change, but his tone became more serious. ¡°Uncle Lu, you said that your cell phone can not be controlled by this kind of electromaic interference?¡±

    Lu Jin raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that? Because your electromaic shielding is not as good as mine, I can crack your shielding signal.¡±

    So that¡¯s how it is.

    Huo Shaoheng heaved a sigh of relief.

    He was still quite worried that Lu Jin had some outstanding ¡°ck Technology¡±..

    But it was still eptable to crack the signal.

    Gu Nianzhi Winked at Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin had specially made a phone that she had brought from the other world for her. It could make a call even in an electromaic shield.

    Lu Jin smiled at her and told her not to worry.

    Although Lu Jin was a person with severe interpersonal disorder, it did not mean that he did not know what other people were thinking.

    On the contrary, he had seen too clearly, and he did not care. That was why his words were especially piercing.

    Gu Nianzhi sat next to Lu Jin and sorted out her thoughts. Before Lu Yuan and song jinning arrived, Gu Nianzhi decided to throw the lead first and give Lu Jin a shot in the arm.

    After all, Huo Shaoheng was here. She was not sure if she should say something.

    Gu Nianzhi held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, ¡°Dad, how did you find out that President Lu suddenly appeared in the other world 18 years ago?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart had been thumping because of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions. He didn¡¯t know what he had discovered.

    Now that Gu Nianzhi was asking about Lu Yuan from 18 years ago, he immediately rxed.

    He had to tell them about Lu Yuan, because Lu Yuan¡¯s identity was special. Lu Jin knew that these people would ask him sooner orter, so he had been prepared.

    He had waited until now to ask. He was really giving Lu Yuan face.

    Lu Jin thought about it and said seriously, ¡°It was also a coincidence at the time. I was already very interested in quantum mechanics, so I¡¯ve been doing research on high-energy maic fields and multiworld theory.¡±

    He stared at Gu Nianzhi as if he wanted to see another person through her.

    Lu Jin mumbled, ¡°But because of you, I stopped the research on quantum mechanics and high-energy maic fields and spent three years researching gene editing.¡±

    ¡°You Were Born a yearter, and then... another two years passed. When you were two years old, I cured he zhichu, and your condition stabilized, proving that my gene editing was a perfect sess.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That means that twenty-one years ago, you were mainly engaged in the research of high-energy maic fields and multiworld theory.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡±Lu Jin said easily, ¡°It was my old profession after all, so when the maic field in the other world changed, I discovered it.¡±. ¡°Ten hourster, I took my own private ne to the Tunguska region of the Soviet Union and took Lu Yuan away before he chengjian, that old man.¡±

    ¡°Is That So?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    Huo Shaoheng sat beside her without saying a word, but his gaze never left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    Huo Shaoheng knew from her expression that Gu Nianzhi was digging a hole for someone else.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first watch of the day: Chapter 2092, ¡°One step ahead.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch is at 9:00 pm.

    A reminder of your rmended tickets and monthly passes

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2093

    <h4>Chapter 2093: Although chapter 2093 was also very handsome, it shouldn¡¯t have been like this (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile deepened. She moved closer to where Lu Jin was sitting and held his arm. She asked very affectionately, ¡°Dad, so you¡¯ve been monitoring the spatial maic field of the other world, right?¡±

    Without waiting for Lu Jin to answer.., gu Nianzhi asked one question after another, ¡°Then when you were observing the spatial maic field of the other world, did you receive a signal from the other world? After all, you¡¯re the one who came up with the multi-world theory? How else could you verify your theory?¡±

    Lu Jin felt that the logic of this question was very clear. Since there was a B, then there was an A. This was the rtionship between this and the other.

    He nodded vigorously, ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve done so many years of experiments just to verify my multi-world theory. How could I not observe the maic field?¡±

    ¡°After observing for so many years, I still receive some maic field signals from the other world sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Then did you receive a maic field signal from Gu Xiangwen from this world sometime twenty-one years ago?¡±Gu Nianzhi finally asked the crucial question. Even Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart jolted, he looked calm on the surface, but his eyes were already a little nervous

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    My Girl!

    She¡¯s trying to trick her father!

    Lu Jin braked in time and almost bit his own tongue.

    He narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯ve received so many signals, how do I know who those signals are?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little disappointed. Was it because Lu Jin was especially vignt, or did he really not receive any signals from Gu Xiangwen?

    If he really didn¡¯t, then her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guesses would bepletely overturned.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze shifted to Lu Jin.

    Under his rather pressuring gaze, Lu Jin shifted uneasily and red at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Why are you looking at me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said calmly, ¡°Nothing. have some tea, I¡¯ll go out for a while.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and left the room for Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin. He left the study and went outside to call Lu Yuan.

    On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the highway leading to the capital was empty and almost devoid of traffic.

    It used to take two hours to get there, but now it was less than an hour.

    Not long after, Lu Yuan and song Jinning got out of the car in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Yin Shixiong stood at the door with his hands behind his back to receive them.

    Lu Yuan knew that Yin Shixiong should be spending the spring festival at his new wife, Ma Qiqi¡¯s house at this time.

    In the end, he appeared in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence to stand guard.

    He must have been transferred back at thest minute.

    The fact that he had been transferred back at thest minute meant that something big had happened.

    Lu Yuan was a little surprised.

    It was the first day of the Lunar New Year. What had happened?

    There had been no warning yesterday.

    Lu Yuan followed song jinning to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study room, full of suspicion.

    Lu Jin was sitting on the sofa in the middle of the study room. Gu Nianzhi was sitting next to him, talking to him with a smile.

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze was shifting, not his usual expression.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s mind buzzed. He knew that this must have something to do with Lu Jin.

    Since it was rted to Lu Jin, it was probably not a small matter.

    Lu Yuan took song Jinning and sat down on the sofa opposite Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the single sofa at the head of the two sofas. It was the master¡¯s seat, the referee¡¯s seat, and the seat of the superior.

    He nodded at Lu Yuan calmly and said, ¡°President Lu, you¡¯re here. I¡¯m sorry to have called you and Ms. Song over on the first day of the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we having dinner?¡±Lu Yuan teased with a smile. ¡°What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled as well. ¡°We definitely have to have dinner, but before dinner, I have a few questions I¡¯d like to ask President Lu.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°I knew Shaoheng¡¯s food wouldn¡¯t be easy to eat, as long as it¡¯s not a hongmen banquet.¡±

    It was only then that song jinning realized that the atmosphere in the room wasn¡¯t quite right. She looked uneasily at Lu Yuan, then at Lu Jin. Finally, her gaze fell on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face, and she asked inquisitively,¡±... Nianzhi, what happened?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at her. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that Huo and I are trying to figure out what happened 18 years ago.¡±

    So it had something to do with the explosion of the failed experiment.

    Song Jinning looked confused and nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this ever since Christmas.¡±

    ¡°I always thought that the failure of the experiment was a mistake in our data, but after Christmas, I realized that it might not be that simple. Could it really be man-made?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng caught up with her and immediately turned to Lu Yuan. ¡°Director Lu, what do you think? How did you and uncle Lu meet in that world?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze became even more erratic. He didn¡¯t even dare to look at Lu Yuan¡¯s face.

    Lu Yuan nced at him quickly and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°It¡¯s a long story. At that time, I only remembered that theboratory suddenly shook, but it wasn¡¯t that kind of earthquake. It was an extremely low-frequency vibration.¡±

    ¡°Originally, this kind of low-frequency vibration shouldn¡¯t have caused that kind of explosion. We were still in the midst of an emergency evacuation.¡±

    ¡°But before everyone could reach the door, an extremely bright white light suddenly shed out from the center of theboratory.¡±

    ¡°Everyone was very surprised and turned around to look at the white light. I felt that something was very wrong and immediately closed theboratory door.¡±

    Lu Yuan closed his eyes. The scene at that time was still vivid in his mind, but the four soldiers who had gone to the other world with him had already fallen to the ground in an instant.

    Lu Yuan continued,¡±... in the blink of an eye, I came from theboratory of the Institute of high energy physics in the imperial capital to a ce filled with birch forests. There was also a round deep pit beside it.¡±

    ¡°Those four warriors fell down in front of me. They were not breathing. I thought we had been ambushed.¡±

    Lu Jin then said faintly, ¡°That was the counterpart effect. It means that in our world, there are the counterparts of the four warriors like you. If the counterparts appear at the same time and in the same space, they will all die.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°But at that time, I didn¡¯t know. I quickly rolled to the bottom of the deep pit, hoping to see who was spying in the dark.¡±

    ¡°But I waited for nearly ten hours, but no one appeared. I was almost frozen.¡±

    Lu Jin said with lingering fear, ¡°When I went over, he thought I was the one who ambushed him. If My arms weren¡¯t frozen, he could have killed me with one punch!¡±

    ¡°You should be d that I was already frozen,¡±Lu Yuan said lightly. ¡°Otherwise, I would have really killed you with one punch.¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled and touched the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m so smart, how could I not have calcted this? Actually, I have a tranquilizer gun in my hand. As long as you stretch out your hand, I will shoot.¡±

    ¡°If I was not frozen, your shooting speed would not be as fast as mine,¡±Lu Yuan said disapprovingly.

    ¡°You are wrong.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s emotions gradually recovered. He pointed at Lu Yuan, heughed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to pull the trigger with my tranquilizer gun! ¡°I¡¯ve activated the automatic light-sensing control system. As long as you move your arm, it will sense it and immediately shoot! ¡°No matter how fast you are, you can¡¯t be faster than light, right? ¡°!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°So powerful? Can you make another tranquilizer gun like this? Let¡¯s see what you can do.¡±

    ¡°I can, but it¡¯s too difficult, too expensive, and the uracy is very low. It¡¯s only useful at a very close distance.¡±Lu Jin shook his head and saw through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s thoughts, ¡°Even if I spent a few years to make one, it would only be for mydy¡¯s self-defense. I Can¡¯t give yourge-scale equipment. The high performance-to-price ratio will make you retreat.¡±

    Hearing that it would take so much time to make such a tranquilizer gun and that its uracy was low, Huo Shaoheng immediately gave up on the idea and changed his mind. ¡°Then you can make one for Nianzhi. When the timees, I¡¯ll be able to open my eyes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±Lu Jin nodded with a smile. ¡°You pay, I¡¯ll do the work. It¡¯s my duty.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Yuan found it amusing that Lu Jin had changed the subject without batting an eyelid, wen Yan reminded him,¡±... Later, Lu Jin started to ask me if I came from that world and why I look like this. Although I¡¯m also very handsome, it shouldn¡¯t be...¡±

    These were Lu Jin¡¯s exact words, and Lu Jin blushed with embarrassment.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    What did that mean? !

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2093, ¡°Although handsome, it shouldn¡¯t be.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    It reminded everyone of the rmendation tickets and monthly passes ~ ~

    * MWAH, big shots and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2094

    <h4>Chapter 2094: Chapter 2094 cooperation (1st update)</h4>

    Lu Jin¡¯s face did not turn red for long before he suddenly realized something. He red at Lu Yuan with some me.

    Lu Yuan did not look at him. Instead, he held song Jinning¡¯s hand and kissed it on the lips. He then said, ¡°When I was there just now, I almost thought that I was mentally ill

    ¡°When I opened my eyes, I saw a forest of birch trees that covered the mountains and ins. Not far from me, there was a bottomless circr pit. The sky above my head was very blue, like the blue on the best cloisonne porcin that I had seen in the Forbidden City when I was young

    ¡°And the four soldiers who were always by my side to protect me fell beside me. They had already stopped breathing

    ¡°There was not a single scar on their bodies. It was as if they had fallen asleep.¡±

    Lu Yuan spoke of his first impression of the world opposite him.

    ¡°... When I saw their corpses, I woke up. No matter where I was, I had to hide immediately.¡±

    ¡°The danger is right next to me. Who knows which enemy?¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at Lu Jin and smiled. ¡°Until I saw Professor Lu. He didn¡¯t look the same back then.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and smiled. ¡°Really? You also think my father is handsome, but he shouldn¡¯t be?¡±

    She repeated what Lu Jin had said.

    Lu Jin¡¯s mouth twitched awkwardly. He sat on the sofa like he was sitting on pins and needles, wishing he could get up and leave the study.

    But Huo Shaoheng had made so many preparations. Where could he escape to?

    Thinking of this, Lu Jin red at Huo Shaoheng again.

    Only now did he realize that 90% of the orders Huo Shaoheng had given him before were probably to prevent him from suddenly escaping!

    Lu Yuan put down song Jinning¡¯s hand and ced it on the sofa between the two of them. His palm was still holding her hand, and he did not want to let go for even a moment.

    Lu Yuan said, ¡°Your father was so handsome at that time that he was devilishly charming. When he smiled at me, I was so scared that I shivered.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Was this apliment?

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, was pleased with himself. He ced one hand on the armrest of the sofa and crossed his legs, making a devilish pose, he smiled and said, ¡°Of course, miss. No matter what Grade I went to, your father was always a Prince Charming and a campus belle.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips.

    She could not rte Gu Xiangwen¡¯s refined and gentle face to the word ¡°Handsome to bewitching.¡±.

    ording to the principle of opposites, Gu Xiangwen and Lu Jin had the same DNA, so they should look exactly the same.

    Lu Jin had assumed the appearance of an ordinary passer-by to avoid he chengjian¡¯s pursuit. He had been burned by the fire during his ¡°Escape from death¡±and had undergone stic surgery.

    Lu Yuan saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s incredulous expression and took out his wallet with a smile. He took out a photo from the innerpartment and said, ¡°Here, take a look. This is an out-of-print photo.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took it curiously.

    There were two young men in the photo. They were both extraordinarily good-looking.

    The tall and strong man on the left was definitely Lu Yuan. Eighteen years ago, he had been younger and more attractive than he was now.

    He stood under a rock with his hands behind his back. The rock looked like a lone pine.

    The man on the right was tall and thin, but he did not look weak. He had beautiful features and was extraordinarily handsome. He looked exactly the same as Gu Xiangwen, whom Gu Nianzhi had seen before.

    However, this man¡¯s eyebrows were slightly raised, and the corners of his lips always carried a hint of a mischievous smile. It made his entire temperament seem devilish.

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed.

    It turned out that a person¡¯s appearance was more important than their facial features.

    Even if they looked exactly the same, the impression they gave people could bepletely different due to their different temperaments.

    She looked at the photo again and again and couldn¡¯t put it down.

    She suddenly took out her small wallet and took out a photo from it. She said, ¡°This is a photo of Gu Xiangwen here.¡±

    She had taken this photo from Ye Xuan. It was originally a photo of Ye Xuan and Gu Xiangwen when they were teenagers.

    When Gu Nianzhi took it over, she used Photoshop to erase Ye Xuan and photoshopped the photo of herself when she was younger.

    It looked like Gu Xiangwen was holding her shoulder and taking a photo with her.

    Lu Yuan took it and looked at it. He was deep in thought. ¡°Is this Gu Xiangwen from here? Is this little girl the Little Nianzhi from here?¡±

    Of course, he knew that the little gu nianzhi on this side had died eight years ago before Gu Nianzhi arrived. Otherwise, Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been able to live after she arrived.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She didn¡¯t want to say that she had done something stupid.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t mention it either.

    He took a ss of water from the coffee table in front of the sofa and took a sip.

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°Let me see, I haven¡¯t seen him yet!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She quietly took the photo from Lu Yuan and ced it in front of Lu Jin. ¡°Are you very curious? Actually, you can see what he looks like just by looking at yourself in the mirror.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±Lu Jin was attracted to the photo, but after looking at it for a while, his expression suddenly turned ugly.

    He red at nianzhi and said, ¡°Why are you taking the photo with him? ! He knows you¡¯re here? ! Didn¡¯t you say he¡¯s been in the submarine in the sea? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blushed.

    She didn¡¯t expect Lu Jin to see through her.

    Lu Yuan was also surprised. He walked over to take a look, then looked at Gu Nianzhi and said,¡±... is that you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes quickly filled with tears as she closed them, she sobbed and said, ¡°I thought he was my father at the time. I missed him very much and wanted to have my own parents, so I took this photo from someone else, photoshopped it, and photoshopped me.¡±

    As she spoke, she took out Ye Xuan¡¯s original photo and showed it to them topare.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes turned red when he heard that. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at the original photo. He grabbed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and sobbed, ¡°Miss, we don¡¯t need to photoshoppe. Come, take a few more photos with Dad.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the point!

    She took a deep breath and grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°So you¡¯ve been in contact with Gu Xiangwen from here? You¡¯ve nned to send him here and over?¡±

    ¡°So, when you contacted Gu Xiangwen, I wasn¡¯t even born yet, so what exactly is your n with Gu Xiangwen?¡±

    The corners of Lu Jin¡¯s eyes twitched, and his mind raced. He didn¡¯t know how to respond to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    Lu Yuan walked back to the opposite sofa and sat down, holding song Jinning¡¯s hand. He looked at her and said, ¡°Jinning, do you remember why we started this experiment?¡±

    Song jinning nodded heavily. ¡°Of course I remember.¡±

    She also looked at Lu Yuan and said with a warm smile, ¡°My father told me that it was colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan who suggested it to the organization back then.¡±

    ¡°He said that he had gotten in touch with a very powerful overseas Chinese scientist. That person took the initiative to provide him with information and hoped that our country could quickly carry out experiments on high-energy maic fields.¡±

    ¡°The purpose of this experiment is to use the energy of the high-energy maic field to find the same maic resonance frequency as the other world

    ¡°As long as we find the same resonance frequency, we can open the wormhole around us and go to the other world

    ¡°Because Mr. Hawking said that the wormhole is actually right next to us.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 2094, the origin of cooperation.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch is at 9:00 p.m.

    Today is Monday, reminding everyone of the rmendation tickets ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2095

    <h4>Chapter 2095: Chapter 2095, the dark side of the Moon (second more rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Director Lu, as far as we know, this overseas Chinese scientist is Gu Xiangwen from this world, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s him. He and I have one-way contact.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the only one who sends me messages. I Can¡¯t get in touch with him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little disappointed. ¡°Does that mean you haven¡¯t actually met him?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡±Lu Yuan said regretfully. ¡°I asked to meet him once, but he declined politely. He said that he would return to Huaxia to meet us the day our experiment was sessful.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t wait until that day.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought more about it. She propped up her chin and said in a low voice, ¡°If you¡¯ve met Gu Xiangwen from this world, then when you see my dad in that world, you¡¯ll recognize him at first nce, right?¡±

    Lu Yuanughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t recognize him at first nce, but when he introduced himself as Gu Xiangwen, I thought he was the scientist who gave us the information.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I quickly realized that he wasn¡¯t Gu Xiangwen in that world. I was in the other world.¡±

    Lu Yuan looked at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°You guys seem to have known about this as well. Where did you guys find out about this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had known about this for a long time, so he finally spoke up. ¡°Over a year ago, we found out that President Lu had stored some data and important information in the safety deposit boxes of foreign banks.¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately said, ¡°I still remember that there was a letter in it.¡±

    She nced at Lu Jin, then at Lu Yuan, and slowly began to recite the letter.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, this high-energy maic field data is my own.

    ¡°I am willing to hand it over to you, hoping that our Chinese military will start high-energy maic field experiments soon.

    ¡°ording to what I know, the United States, Japan, and Germany are all conducting experiments in this field to different degrees.

    ¡°As a descendant of China and a scientist, I have the obligation to remind my mothend.

    Although I have never returned to Huaxia and am not a Huaxia citizen, Huaxia is still my mothend, the mothend of my ancestors, and the mothend of my children and grandchildren.

    I only hope that Huaxia will be prosperous, have a strong military, and be able to resist all foreign aggression, protect its citizens from killing, and protect its territory from being trampled upon.

    ¡ª sincerely yours, Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng still remembered how he felt when he saw the letter.

    He had been able to remain calm even when Mount Tai was on the verge of copse. At that time, his eyes had turned red.

    A thin piece of paper weighed a thousand pounds in his hand.

    This was because it carried the faith and determination of the Chinese people over the past 100 years, who hade one after another to save their country.

    This nation had experienced countless disasters over the past 5,000 years. However, it had risen up from the ruins time and time again to be one of the top nations in the world. It was because of these Chinese people, who were intelligent, powerful, and unwilling to submit!

    It was only then that he realized where the secret experiments conducted by the military had originated from..

    However, half a yearter, Gu Nianzhi had gone missing. The maic tunnel in the space opposite them had opened, and the door to the New World had opened. He had a vague feeling that Gu Xiangwen¡¯s letter had only shown them the bright side of the Moon.

    There was another side, known as the ¡°Dark side of the Moon,¡±which had always been hidden in the darkness.

    Lu Jin heard the letter and immediately said, ¡°I didn¡¯t write this.¡±

    Lu Yuan said lightly, ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t you. It was our side¡¯s Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    He took a deep breath and said with emotion, ¡°At that time, Mr. Gu Xiangwen gave the original data of his sessful experiment to our Huaxia military for free and told us not tog behind other countries.¡±

    ¡°Because we all know that if weg behind, we will be beaten.¡±

    ¡°Because the internationalmunity is still the rule of the jungle. No one respects the weak of the internationalmunity with the samew and etiquette.¡±

    ¡°Here, there is only one voice, and that is the voice of the strong.¡±

    ¡°And for all of this, no country has ever felt more deeply than Huaxia, who experienced a hundred years of war and fell from the peak of Glory to the Dark Abyss.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi recalled what song jinning had told her before. She pped thoughtfully and said, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I saw the data and asked you, did anyone seed in this experiment?¡±

    ¡°You said, of course. It was my father, Gu Xiangwen, who had seeded. He was also the only person on all blue star who had seeded.¡±

    ¡°The evidence is these raw data. Everyone who has done this experiment knows that without sess, there wouldn¡¯t be these raw data.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze fell on Lu Jin, who had a serious expression on his face, ¡°Ms. Song also said that the repeatability of this kind of experiment is different from other experiments. For other experiments, as long as the sessful data was presented, everyone would be able to replicate it. But for this experiment, because the experimental conditions were so different, no one could replicate other people¡¯s experimental conditions. Therefore, it was impossible to replicate the experimentpletely ording to other people¡¯s data

    But it was also very important to have a set of sessful original data, because it pointed out the direction, just like marking coordinates for you on an unfamiliar road. If you followed the coordinates, you would be able to walk to the other shore of sess. If you don¡¯t have this set of sessful raw data, you might not even be able to touch the side of that road.¡±

    ¡°These raw data can help us find the right path, but finding this road doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ve reached the end.¡±

    ¡°We still have to rely on ourselves toplete this road. But with this set of raw data, we can greatly reduce the time it takes to figure it out.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm.¡±... At the time, I was thinking, how did Gu Xiangwen seed on his own?¡±

    ¡°This is too unbelievable for me. I know that my father, Gu Xiangwen, is a genius, but I still didn¡¯t think that he would be this talented.¡±

    Song Jinning smiled and looked eagerly at Lu Jin, who was starting to look a little embarrassed. ¡°I really want to know this too. If I have the chance to meet your father, I¡¯ll definitely ask him a lot of questions about physics.¡±

    Lu Yuan pped his hands, he looked at Lu Jin, who was beginning to feel uneasy, with a faint smile. ¡°Now we know how Gu Xiangwen of this world managed toplete this experiment by himself, which manyrge countries could not do with their entire strength.¡±

    Huo shaoheng concluded, ¡°Since Gu Xiangwen of this world had seeded in his experiment before, that means he once discovered the same maic resonance frequency as the other world.¡±

    ¡°... Uncle Lu, did he once open the Blue Hole in the Caribbean and the Blue Hole in the sea to dock with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the blue lightning in the sea and gasped.

    She still couldn¡¯t forget the feeling of being electrocuted from head to toe.

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze swept across the faces of the three people in the study and finallynded on his daughter, Gu Nianzhi, who was next to him.

    He raised his hand to stroke the messy hair on her forehead and said with a smile, ¡°Is this a three-session interrogation?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi hugged his arm even tighter, she said with great attachment, ¡°Dad, we¡¯re not here to interrogate you. We just want to know to what extent you¡¯re rted to Gu Xiangwen here. You also know that he was hunted down and eventually died in a submarine at the bottom of the sea.¡±

    ¡°We all thought that the data from the experiment was wrong, but now it seems that there are traces of human interference.¡±

    ¡°If you can tell us about the connection between Gu Xiangwen and this world, we might be able to find more clues.¡±

    Huo shaoheng said very sincerely, ¡°Uncle Lu, the problem now is not just to find out the truth about the failure of the experiment 18 years ago. The bigger problem now is that the person who sabotaged the experiment has appeared again, and has his eyes on Ms. Song and Nianzhi.¡±

    If it was only song Jinning¡¯s safety, Lu Jin might not have been too excited.

    But when it came to Gu Nianzhi, that was his Achilles heel.

    Lu Jin¡¯s expression was unsightly. He clenched his fists and said angrily, ¡°Who would dare? ! It was just a coincidence that I got in touch with Gu Xiangwen!¡±

    ¡°So you guys did get in touch?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked immediately. ¡°You nned to send someone over? who was the person you were sending? It was definitely not Gu Xiangwen himself, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡±Lu Jin lowered his eyes, not daring to look into their eyes. He said honestly,¡±... actually, at that time, I thought Gu Xiangwen hade over himself...¡±

    Of course, he knew what Gu Xiangwen looked like in the other world. It was because he looked exactly like himself that he said that.

    ¡°But don¡¯t you know the principle of the corresponding body?¡±Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded.

    Lu Jin touched his nose, he said embarrassedly, ¡°In the beginning, we didn¡¯t know that the corresponding body couldn¡¯t exist in the same space and time. ¡°It was only after I saw director Lu and looked at the four dead soldiers that I realized that there was a fatal w in our theory.¡±

    He spread his hands helplessly and said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not as mysterious as you think.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I had established a connection with Gu Xiangwen here. We even tested the frequency of the maic resonance.¡±

    ¡°But we hadn¡¯t thought of sending anyone over yet, because our experimental data at that time hadn¡¯t matured to that point.¡±

    ¡°It turns out that our cautiousness was justified.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression turned solemn. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the consequences of that experiment¡¯s failure were an ident to you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,pletely. That¡¯s why I left Nianzhi in theb in a hurry and came to see for myself what was going on.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face was filled with grief when he thought of the four years he had spent in theb studying maic resonance and why the four soldiers had died the moment they arrived.

    It had been those four years that had allowed the two-year-old Gu Nianzhi to fall into Qin Yaoguang¡¯s hands.

    From the age of two to six, she had be a guinea pig in herb..

    Gu Nianzhi leaned her head gently against Lu Jin and said in a low voice, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t feel guilty. It¡¯s not your fault. You should go and study this, or else who knows how many people will die because of this experiment.¡±

    Lu Jin patted her hand. ¡°I can do better. I can take you away from Qin Yaoguang¡¯s biological gicsb and bring you to my own physicsb.¡±

    ¡°But when I discovered the theoretical loophole at that time, I waspletely captivated. I just wanted to solve this problem right away.¡±

    Lu Jin hit his own head, very annoyed.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed the space between his eyebrows as well.

    The other side of the experiment had already surfaced, but this still couldn¡¯t solve their problem.

    The failure of the experiment 18 years ago, was it a natural failure or was it man-made interference?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update today: Chapter 2095, dark side of the Moon.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Today is Monday, remind everyone of the rmendation tickets ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2096

    <h4>Chapter 2096: Chapter 2096 Great Minds think alike (1st update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study was silent for a moment.

    No one spoke, and no one wanted to speak.

    Everyone was quietly thinking.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain was working faster, and she had entered the rhythm of awyer¡¯s trial. When she thought about a question, she did not seem to be subjective.

    She came back to her senses and was the first to ask, ¡°Then how did you get in touch with Gu Xiangwen? Even if it¡¯s a coincidence, you must have the means and maic frequency, right?¡±

    Seeing that they were struggling with this question, Lu Jin felt relieved and spoke more honestly.

    He exined very seriously, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not a coincidence. I can only say that great minds think alike.¡±.

    ¡°Because we are the counterpart, and our research direction is the same, we made a breakthrough in the multi-world theory based on quantum mechanics at about the same time.¡±

    ¡°After the theoretical breakthrough, the technology verification method was born

    ¡°We unanimously chose the high-energy maic field as the breakthrough point. We both thought that as long as we found the same maic resonance frequency, we would be able to open the wormhole and achieve the docking of two parallel spacetime.¡±

    Lu Jin thought of the exciting discoveries he made when he was young, and his eyes shone with a light that could not be ignored.

    He gestured excitedly and said, ¡°More than 30 years ago, Gu Xiangwen and I used a simple quantummunicator to connect ourmunication signals while we were searching for the maic resonance frequency.¡±

    ¡°Just like the first time humans realized radiomunication, quantummunication gave us the same surprise.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand in surprise. ¡°So, you two were able tomunicate with each other more than 30 years ago?¡±

    Back then, cell phones hadn¡¯t even be popr yet!

    How could she have known that someone was already using quantummunication? !

    Lu Jin smiled proudly. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve already started tomunicate with each other, but because we¡¯re both fighting on our own, we don¡¯t have much maic field energy stored up, so ourmunication time is very short and precious.¡±

    ¡°But it was during this short and precious time that we shared their family history, personal experiences, and shared our own world history with each other.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that we were able tomunicate for too short a time, so many things were simplified.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face darkened when he said this.

    He clenched his fists and pounded them heavily on the sofa. He said, ¡°One day, Gu Xiangwen told me that he had to start running because he had offended the Japanese.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat.¡±... Is it Ishihara Baisan? !¡±

    Lu Jin nodded heavily and pointed in the air. ¡°That¡¯s the scumbag! Gu Xiangwen had a major research achievement when he was in his twenties, while Ishihara Baisan was already in his thirties.¡±

    ¡°Gu Xiangwen hated him to begin with. He said, ¡®useless! How dare youpare your progress with mine? !¡¯and made Ishihara Baisanmit suicide out of shame.¡±

    ¡°Actually, hemitted suicide because he was no match for Gu Xiangwen. What does it have to do with Gu Xiangwen? Does he even have to be sentenced for mocking him?¡±Lu Jin scoffed disapprovingly, ¡°But the Ishihara family actually cooperated with the Japanese special high tech and started to hunt down Gu Xiangwen. In the end, did his entire family die at the hands of the Japanese?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the Ishihara grandparents who had been ¡°Calcted¡±to death by her Hundun mathematics. She sighed deeply and said,¡±... I¡¯ve avenged Gu Xiangwen¡¯s family here.¡±

    As she spoke, she looked at Huo Shaoheng and told him about how she and Ishihara Baisan¡¯s son, Ishihara Taro, had used chaotic mathematics to fight each other and had returned the favor.

    Actually, it had only been less than two years ago. Now, it felt like a lifetime ago.

    Lu Jin was overwhelmed with emotions when he heard this. He couldn¡¯t help but praise loudly, ¡°You deserve it! You deserve to deal with this bunch of scumbags like this!¡±

    ¡°My Girl is a math genius! She¡¯s better than me! She¡¯s definitely better than me! She won¡¯t ept any rebuttal!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    It was as if no one would refute him!

    Gu Nianzhi smiled widely, but she still knew her ce.

    She pulled Lu Jin¡¯s arm and shook it, she gestured with her hand. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re exaggerating. I¡¯m not as good at Math as you are, but chaos math isn¡¯t just about math. It¡¯s also about logical reasoning. I inherited my mother¡¯s strong logical thinking, so I can do it a little better than Ishihara Taro.¡±

    Speaking of Chaos Math, Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of the case of the kidnapping of Song Jinning by people led by Keven and associate director Jia, she immediately said, ¡°Dad, you said that the method used by the person behind the scenes this time was one level higher than Hundun mathematics. What could it be?¡±

    Lu Jin looked at her closely and thought for a while. He said, ¡°Miss, do you know the Book of Changes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±... The Book of Changes?¡±

    This was difficult for her.

    She had never learned such a thing.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t know.¡±Lu Jin caressed her head and said kindly, ¡°It¡¯s very simple, I can teach you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    What did it have to do with Zhou Yi?

    She vaguely knew that the book of changes was a book of changes, but it was also something that ancient fortune tellers used to fool people.

    ¡°Actually, the book of Changes is a book of calctions.¡±Lu Jin exined the book of changes in simple mathematical terms, ¡°The 64 trigrams and 384 lines in it represent the permutations andbinations of the probabilities of different events.¡±

    ¡°The starting point of chaotic mathematics is very simr to the essence of Zhou Yi¡¯s mathematics.¡±As Lu Jin spoke, he took out his phone and sent Gu Nianzhi a few documents, ¡°These are some of the contents of the book of changes that my father, your grandfather, taught me when I was young. There are also a few methods that I used to deduce the connection between chaotic mathematics and Zhou Yi.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart jumped to her throat.

    She was both surprised and delighted. ¡°No wonder the other party was able to start setting up half a year ago! If it was just chaos mathematics, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to start so early!¡±

    If it was just chaos mathematics, it would need to take into ount all sorts of events within half a year. The amount of calctions involved was simply too much. Even the most advanced supeputers nowadays could not handle such arge amount of calctions.

    However, if Zhou Yi¡¯s framework was used, it would save more time and be abnormally urate.

    ¡°... but other than you, who else knows how to introduce the Book of changes into Chaos Mathematics?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked in a low voice.

    If what Lu Jin said was true, then the mastermind behind the kidnapping must be a genius who understood the book of changes and Chaos Mathematics.

    Lu Jin shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but the book of changes is also very famous in the mathematics world. It¡¯s not strange for someone to think of the same method. ¡°I can only say that I didn¡¯t mention this idea to anyone in that world. It¡¯s just something I did in my free time. I¡¯m not particrly interested in this, so I didn¡¯t study it in depth.¡±

    Lu Yuan spread his hands and said helplessly, ¡°Things seem to have gone back to square one. We still don¡¯t know anything about the mastermind behind the scenes from 18 years ago.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought when she suddenly looked up and said, ¡°No, we don¡¯t know nothing about the mastermind behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°You know who it is?¡±Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. Even song Jinning leaned forward to look at her expectantly and said, ¡°Nianzhi, have you figured out who the murderer is?¡±

    They were now certain that the experiment that had failed eighteen years ago had indeed been tampered with.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and shook her head. ¡°I still don¡¯t know who the mastermind is, but we have a ready-made clue. We just need to follow the Satoshi Saito.¡±

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng and asked calmly, ¡°When exactly is the court martial going to start? The case against Kevin and Guo Huining has already been pushed back for two months.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2096, ¡°Great Minds think alike.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    It was almost Christmas, and they were nning to take a break to save their manuscripts at home

    * Mwah, Little Angels *

 Chapter 2097

    <h4>Chapter 2097: Chapter 2097¡°You beat me, I Beat You¡±(second update)</h4>

    The kidnapping of Song Jinning and the bombing of Gu Nianzhi took ce during the Sheraton Hotel Christmas Eve dinnerst year.

    That night, Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and Huo Guanchen worked together with the support of General Ji to capture the people involved in the case, Guo Huining and Keven.

    Associate Director Jia was killed on the spot by Lu Yuan.

    And it was already the first day of the New Year.

    More than two months had passed, and the day that Keven and Guo Huining went to court had been pushed back again and again. Even Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was expressionless, and he said calmly, ¡°This case is moreplicated because it involves foreigners.¡±

    ¡°Currently, Keven¡¯swyer is in a jurisdiction case, requesting that Keven be extradited to the United States for trial.¡±

    ¡°In his dreams!¡±Gu Nianzhi blurted out angrily. ¡°Jurisdictional? I really don¡¯t know what jurisdictional issues are involved in thiswsuit!¡±

    ¡°Are they fighting for personal jurisdiction, territorial jurisdiction, or protective jurisdiction and universal jurisdiction? ¡ª don¡¯t tell me that the United States is going to apply long arm jurisdiction to this criminal case!¡±

    ¡°If you stretch your arms too far, you¡¯ll get chopped off!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rubbed the space between her eyebrows, feeling a headacheing on.

    ¡°Long arm jurisdiction is generally used in economic-rted civil cases. In theory, it doesn¡¯t apply to criminal cases,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly, ¡°But the United States has sent a huge team ofwyers. The jurisdictional issues that you mentioned, including long arm jurisdiction, they¡¯re suing each and every one of them, with the sole intention of extraditing Keven back to the United States.¡±

    ¡°Keven is an executive of Carlyle International Investment Co. , Ltd. . Thispany is one of the best in the world. If he really is extradited back to the United States, it¡¯s practically equivalent to directly releasing him.¡±. ¡°Anyone with a brain would object,¡±Gu Nianzhi said disapprovingly.

    She took out her phone and started searching for online public opinion about the case.

    However, the inte was calm and peaceful. The discussions about the case had been deleted and filtered over the past two months, and now they had disappeared without a trace.

    ¡°Our country has not signed an extradition agreement with the United States,¡±Lu Yuan said, puzzled. ¡°Or has our country already signed an extradition agreement with the United States after I haven¡¯t been back for 18 years?¡±

    ¡°No, but there has been a cooperation agreement in major criminal cases.¡±Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°This is the main demand of the American legal team in thewsuit. The previous ones were all pretenses to stall for time.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and thoughtfully rested her chin on her hand. ¡°There is indeed a cooperation agreement between Huaxia and the United States for major criminal cases.¡±

    The case that Keven hadmitted was indeed a major criminal case.

    She was puzzled. ¡°But Kevenmitted a major criminal case on Huaxia soil, not on American soil. Why would the American legal team request to be extradited to the United States for trial?¡±

    ¡°... because they think that Keven will be treated unfairly if he is tried in court martial. Unless we agree to use an ordinary court to try this case.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had been following the case for the past two months, so he knew the details very well.

    ¡°Why? Keven tried to kidnap and hurt Ms. Song, and Ms. Song is an important protected figure in our military.¡±Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists, her eyes sparkled. ¡°Not to mention the fact that they were carrying illegal weapons and injured so many of our soldiers and officers!¡±

    Lu Jin listened from the side for a long time. Now that it had nothing to do with him, he was happy and rxed.

    Once he rxed, his mind became much more flexible.

    He sneered and said, ¡°Miss, you don¡¯t think they¡¯re really fighting over legal issues, do you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±... Don¡¯t you think so? Didn¡¯t Huo Shao just say that he¡¯s been fighting a jurisdictionalwsuit?¡±

    The official case had yet to go to trial, so they were now preparing for it.

    ¡°If the United States even wants to use ¡®long arm jurisdiction¡¯for this case, then it¡¯s practically stirring up trouble. Let me tell you something.¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°The United States over there wouldn¡¯t dare be so arrogant.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. With you over there, the military power of China has long been on par with the United States. If it wants to control China again, it has to weigh its own weight.¡±Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to praise Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin nodded heavily, ¡°Mydy knows the ins and outs of things. Her eyes are like torches! ¡°The United States¡±Long Arm Jurisdiction¡¯is actually a power politics. It uses its own military power, economic and technological strength as a backing to apply its own domesticws to the citizens of other countries.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and leaned back on the sofa. She sat down with no regard for her image, ¡°To put it bluntly, the effectiveness of thew is also maintained by violence. Thew does not represent justice, but the will of the ruling ss. This phenomenon is even more obvious in the internationalmunity.¡±

    ¡°So as long as you have the power, the domesticw can not only govern foreigners, but also other countries.¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, why would the truth be within the range of the cannon? The same goes for thew.¡±Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°The long arm of the United States can govern wherever its aircraft carrier group can go.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not speak for a long time.

    She thought quietly and began to look for another angle to look at this problem.

    If this passage did not work, she would not be stubborn and stubborn.

    She would find another path.

    As long as she could reach her goal, she didn¡¯t care which path she took.

    After a while, she asked Huo shaoheng, ¡°What do General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai have to say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for them to express their opinions at the moment. Everything will be handled by the court martial.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right hand subconsciously rubbed her fingers, and her left hand lightly tapped on the armrest of the sofa. She looked down at her hands and suddenly had an idea, she smiled and said, ¡°Huo Shao, tell me the truth first. Is there someone in the higher-ups on the side of the United States?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly and did not deny it. ¡°There is. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have let the American legal team drag on for two months without a real trial.¡±

    ¡°Not only the higher-ups, there is also a group of elites who are demanding that our country obey the long-arm jurisdiction system of the United States. They im that this is a standard agreed upon by the internationalmunity. If we don¡¯t obey, then we are breaking the rules. We don¡¯t have the spirit of a contract.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi not only had a headache, but even her teeth were sore. She shook her head speechlessly and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you throw the recent actions of the President of the United States in their face?¡±

    ¡°Without the spirit of a contract, who doesn¡¯t have the spirit of a contract? Besides, it¡¯s either stupid or bad to talk about contracts with the European and American countries.¡±

    ¡°Although that period of humiliation is almost a hundred years away, the nature of the Western countries has not changed. They won¡¯t talk aboutws with other countries unless they have nothing else to do.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded repeatedly, he praised Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. ¡°My Girl Is Right! When dealing with Western countries, if you really want to talk about the rules with them, you¡¯ll be fooled. Will the rules they set be beneficial to you? Even if you use the paramecium¡¯s single-cell thinking, it won¡¯t be beneficial!¡±

    ¡°Yes, my father is still the one who sees things clearly.¡±

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi, the father and daughter pair, were simply bragging about each other in business.

    Lu Yuan felt like he couldn¡¯t look at them anymore and almost wanted to stand up and leave.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t know much about this either, but this case was rted to her. She wouldn¡¯t ept it if she didn¡¯t see Kevin and Guo Huining being brought to justice.

    ¡°... is there really no other way? Are We just going to let them drag this out day by day?¡±Song jinning frowned and said unhappily.

    ¡°Two months is enough to make Keven ¡®sick¡¯,¡±Gu Nianzhi said faintly. ¡°If the trial doesn¡¯t start soon, do you believe that Keven will be ¡®seriously ill¡¯Soon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the worst possible oue,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll wait for Keven to leave the country, then we¡¯ll go overseas to enforce thew.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and looked at Huo Shaoheng with sparkling eyes. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, you¡¯re amazing! We can also enforce our ¡®long-arm jurisdiction¡¯!¡±

    Although they were joking, everyone present knew how difficult and dangerous it was to enforce thew outside the country.

    Gu Nianzhi would never allow Huo Shaoheng to fall into such a dangerous situation.

    Her eyes narrowed and she smiled. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a way.¡±

    ¡°What Way?¡±Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, song jinning, and Lu Jin asked in unison.

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head slightly and said slyly, ¡°Our great-grandfather said that if we want to fight the United States, they have to fight them, and we have to fight us.¡±

    ¡°I think some of the higher-ups have forgotten that a case involving international jurisdiction is not the same as a case involving domestic jurisdiction. It¡¯s not a one-or-the-other rtionship.¡±

    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t mean that if they fight a jurisdiction case, we can¡¯t try this case.¡±

    She closed her palms, ¡°So, as long as the three magnates agree, we can hold a court session at the same time. Isn¡¯t the American legal team fighting a jurisdictionalwsuit? Continue to fight with them. At the same time, we will officially hold a court session to try Keven and Guo Huining!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: Chapter 2097, ¡°You Fight Yours, I¡¯ll fight mine.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    It¡¯s almost Christmas and I¡¯m nning to take a leave of absence to save the manuscript

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2098

    <h4>Chapter 2098: Chapter 2098: there is, there is (first update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng made a prompt decision. He stood up immediately and said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to General Ji. If it works out, Ms. Song can entrust Nianzhi to represent her.¡±

    Song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi were both targets of the other party, but because Huo Shaoheng had protected her in time, Gu Nianzhi was basically safe and sound. It was hard to say if she wasn¡¯t a victim.

    However, Song Jinning had been kidnapped by associate director Jia, and her life was in real danger.

    Therefore, in the end, the court martial only made a case against song Jinning¡¯s kidnapping.

    After Lu Jin found out about it, he said unhappily, ¡°So my miss was threatened by them for Nothing?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Lu, you can help your miss vent her anger.¡±Huo Shaoheng teased with a smile. He nodded at Gu Nianzhi and left his study.

    Lu Yuan stood up holding song Jinning¡¯s hand and said, ¡°We just happened to be here. Shall we sign the proxy agreement today?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was more than happy to do so. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the contract.¡±

    She returned to her room and printed out awyer¡¯s contract from herputer. She took it over and asked Song Jinning to sign it.

    She then kept the contract in triplicate.

    At the same time, the court martial would receive a proxy agreement. In the future, she would be notified of Song Jinning¡¯s appearance in court.

    Moreover, because of Song Jinning¡¯s special status, she could choose not to appear in court for this case. Gu Nianzhi would have full authority to represent her.

    ..

    On the first day of the new year, Huo Shaoheng took a special car to General Ji¡¯s house to pay New Year¡¯s greetings.

    He brought two bottles of wine and went to General Ji¡¯s study. He smiled as he put the bottles down and said, ¡°Happy New Year, General Ji.¡±

    General Ji smiled as he made him sit down. He said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have the time to visit me today. Where¡¯s Nianzhi? Why isn¡¯t she here?¡±

    ¡°She still has things to do. She wants to start work on the first day of the New Year.¡±Huo Shaoheng sat down and said to General Ji in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m here on official business as well.¡±

    General Ji felt his teeth ache when he saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s serious expression.

    ¡°Shaoheng, can¡¯t you let me rest for a while today?¡±

    ¡°Americans don¡¯t celebrate the new year with us.¡±Huo Shaoheng was implying something. ¡°It¡¯s already been two months, and we¡¯re still in the middle of a jurisdictionalwsuit. Are you really not going to interfere?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of me interfering? There are a lot of obstacles in this matter.¡±General Ji Sighed. ¡°Old long and Old Bai were discussing with me a few days ago whether or not to be tyrannical.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that some of the higher-ups are opposed to trying this case in China?¡±Huo Shaoheng actually knew who those people were, but because of his limited authority, he couldn¡¯t take the initiative to attack them.

    Helping Gu Nianzhi push for an early start of the trial was already the best he could do.

    Moreover, song jinning was his mother, so he wouldn¡¯t attract attention if he interfered.

    General Ji nodded and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair. He said with a dark expression, ¡°They are quite capable. They control the public opinion. Old Long, Old Bai, and I are often med, so we can only wait and see.¡±

    ¡°Wait and See?¡±Huo Shaoheng said what Gu Nianzhi had said. ¡°Two months have passed. There¡¯s enough time for Keven to be ¡®seriously ill.''¡±

    In such a case, Keven was an American citizen. Once he was really diagnosed as seriously ill, Huaxia would have to release him immediately and allow the United States to extradite him back for trial.

    If they did not release him, international public opinion would be very unfavorable to Huaxia.

    General ji sneered, ¡°Do you think they don¡¯t want to? That Keven was arrested for two months and only said one sentence, ¡®I want to see mywyer.¡¯other than that, he did not say a word.¡±

    ¡°Also, from the day he was arrested, he went on a hunger strike and refused to eat any food, including water.¡±

    ¡°Three dayster, we had no choice but to give him an IV drip to replenish the nutrient solution.¡±

    ¡°He only started eating after his legal team arrived.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow.¡±... His bones are so hard? That makes him even more extraordinary.¡±

    General Jiughed at his outburst. ¡°Of course he¡¯s extraordinary. I¡¯ve never met an American who could survive a ¡®hard interrogation¡¯by the Security Bureau!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng frowned as well. ¡°Not to mention an American. If we were to use all of those methods, we would lose more than half of our special operations forces¡¯elites.¡±

    Those techniques were definitely not low-level torture like tiger benches or pepper spray.

    They were high-level torture techniques that directly affected the nerves in the brain and the sense of consciousness.

    There were no injuries on the body at all, but the human will waspletely destroyed, and the health of the body hadpletely copsed.

    However, the gentle and handsome keven, under such torture, remained conscious and did not say a word.

    There were only two possibilities. One was that he had really been wronged.

    The other was that he was not an ordinary person. He was someone who had received special training like Huo Shaoheng and the others.

    ¡°... we investigated his background and found some interesting things.¡±Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°I submitted the report two months ago.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±General Ji nodded. ¡°But the jurisdiction case is still ongoing, and there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡±

    ¡°Actually, there is a way.¡±Huo Shaoheng hesitated, still, he said, ¡°Nianzhi said that two cases can be tried at the same time. ¡°While we fight the jurisdiction case with them, we can also hold our own court and try the felony case of Kevin gathering a crowd with guns and suspected of kidnapping and murdering an important scientist in our country.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? !¡±General Ji looked up abruptly. ¡°Is there any legal basis for this?¡±

    ¡°If Nianzhi says there is, there is.¡±Huo Shaoheng was very confident in Gu Nianzhi. He said calmly, ¡°Even if there isn¡¯t, she can quote the ssics and prove legally that what we are doing is legal.¡±

    ¡°You have a lot of confidence in her!¡±General Jiughed and patted Huo Shaoheng on the shoulder.

    ¡°She has proven herself in many difficult cases. Why should I have no confidence in her?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked back. ¡°Just because she¡¯s young?¡±

    ¡°Look at you, What¡¯s The Rush? Is she perfect? Can¡¯t we say anything about her?¡±General Ji deliberately put on a stern face and looked at Huo Shaoheng angrily.

    Huo Shaoheng slowly raised his head and said lightly, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s perfect. Don¡¯t speak ill of her, not a word.¡±

    General Ji stared at him for a while andughed heartily. He pounded the table and said, ¡°Shaoheng, Oh Shaoheng, you have a day like this too!¡±

    ¡°When I said I was going to introduce you to someone, you had a thousand excuses. I thought you were going to be single forever!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°General Ji, you tter me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m notplimenting you!¡±General Ji¡¯sughter stopped abruptly. He was a little annoyed by Huo Shaoheng.

    After Huo Shaoheng left, general ji invited speaker long and Prime Minister Bai to his house. The three of them had a small meeting and decided to follow Gu Nianzhi¡¯s instructions. The court session would officially begin on the eighth of the first month.

    Because this matter had to be taken by surprise, only the three of them knew about the court session. Even Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng did not know about it.

    The three of them were also people who would never leak secrets.

    Because they stood at the top of the food chain in the empire, no matter how stupid they were, they would never ruin their own reputation.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi had a very fulfilling New Year. Every day, she spent a lot of time studying the information Lu Jin had given her about Zhou Yi and chaos mathematics.

    Huo Shaoheng saw that she was still holding onto the book when he slept at night. He was very curious and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to prepare the information for the court date?¡±

    Although he did not know when the trial would begin, he was sure that there would be definite news after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

    It was already the seventh day of the first lunar month.

    Gu Nianzhi said without looking up,¡±... do you still need to prepare for the trial?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2098, ¡°If Nianzhi says she has it, she has it.¡±.

    The second watch of the day.

    The second watch of the day at 9:00 pm.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting coins ¡°Amber Clear¡±gave yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2099

    <h4>Chapter 2099: Chapter 2099 is there a day to choose</h4>

    The eighth day of the first lunar month is the first day that many privatepanies and government agencies officially go to work.

    Everyone is still immersed in the festive atmosphere, and when they go to work in the morning, they are allzy and unmotivated.

    Until they picked up their phones and scrolled through Weibo.

    A piece of news, like a rocket, rushed up the hot search rankings, and climbed up, and soon reached the top 10 hot search.

    This piece of news was very short and only had one sentence. It was posted by the official blog of the Imperial High Military Court.

    # 2XXX Christmas Eve Sheraton Hotel Executive Keven was suspected of illegal possession of a gun, explosives, kidnapping and premeditated murder. The trial began today. #

    The picture below only had two words: [ breaking news ].

    Theizens were suddenly on steroids and collectively exploded.

    Finally! I¡¯ve been waiting for more than two months! The shorter the news, the more important it is.

    [ hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

    Come out here and get beat up! Don¡¯t you say the government is too soft to judge Americans? .

    [ I¡¯m here to watch a certain someone get beaten up. On Christmas Eve, I saw a gunfight and an explosion with my own eyes! If such a person isn¡¯t punished, where is the justice in this world? ! ].

    [ upstairs + 1! Who cares about foreigners and Chinese people? As long as they do evil things on Chinese soil, they definitely can¡¯t be let off! ].

    [ upstairs, don¡¯t get excited. Do you know that Keven¡¯s Americanwyers are still fighting a jurisdiction case? ]? The jurisdiction case hasn¡¯t finished yet, so what right do you have to start the trial? You little pinks only know how to make a fuss, you don¡¯t have anymon sense of thew. What sin did I do in my previous life to be born in this pig, Juan! ].

    [ upstairs, you call yourself a pig? Do you deserve to be a pig? This is the worst time a pig has been ckened! ].

    [ every part of a pig is a treasure, upstairs is only fit to be a pig¡¯s Feed! Saying that you were born in a pig, Juan, you are too good at putting gold on your face. You still want to be born in a pig, Juan, do you deserve it? Hurry up and take a piss and take a look at yourself! ].

    ..

    Soon, another trending search appeared on Weibo.

    # American citizen Kevin¡¯s jurisdictionwsuit has already been going on for two months, and there is still no result yet, questioning whether the imperial capital¡¯s high military court has the power to start the trial of Keven # .

    Compared to the previous trending search, the situation below was different for ordinaryizens. This trending search strongly supported the so-called ¡°Elite legal personnel.¡±.

    All of them were filled with righteous indignation, citing the ssics and taking out variousws and regtions to prove that the imperial capital¡¯s high military court could not hold another court session before the jurisdiction case was concluded.

    Because these people were usually active Big V on Weibo, the titles of ¡°XXXwyers¡±behind the golden crown were very intimidating.

    Soon, a group of ordinaryizens were stirred up, and everyone was puzzled.

    Support was one thing, but if the procedures were not feasible, they did not want to waste their feelings.

    Looking at thements of these elite legal people, coupled with the adding fuel to the fire by the Inte trolls, soon, this trending topic began to climb.

    [ the statement of the imperial capital¡¯s high military court ispletely unreasonable. I have been practicing for twenty years and have never heard of such a thing. ].

    [ upstairs, do you still have any illusions about the quality of the judges in this country? Don¡¯t you know that onlyw graduates with poor grades go to the court? Those with good grades go to bigw firms and bigpanies to bewyers. ].

    [ ... I think I¡¯ve discovered some great secret. Smirk. JPG ].

    [ the Western legalmunity has a consensus on this case. They all think that the United States has a great chance of extraditing Keven back to the United States for trial. It seems that the judges of the imperial high military court don¡¯t want to work in the legal world anymore. ].

    [ it¡¯s not like it¡¯s only been a day or two that the legal system of this country has problems. Did you just find out upstairs? ].

    [ in the long run, the country will never be the same. ].

    ..

    This trending topic caught up with the rest and quickly caught up with the first trending topic, reaching the top five of the trending topics.

    Just then, another trending topic appeared.

    The trending topic was posted by [ the Senate¡¯s certified chief legal advisor, Gu Nianzhi ] .

    This was also her official Weibo post in the Senate, which was usually managed by her secretary.

    This time, she posted it herself, exining that there was no conflict between jurisdiction cases and formal trials in foreign-rted criminal cases, and that legalmon sense could be applied in parallel.

    She also listed the same practices that foreign courts had done before, and then said: [ legal professionals who don¡¯t even know this legalmon sense and stille out to lead the rhythm are either stupid or bad. ].

    Finally, there was a picture.

    [ you can fight whenever you want. Do you really have to pick a date? JPG ].

    Thisst domineering picture once again made theizens excited. They were even more excited than when they saw the first piece of news announcing the start of the trial.

    This time, everyone was in a hurry to line up neatly under Gu Nianzhi¡¯s Weibo. They praised her and reposted it. For a moment, this piece of news caught up with the rest, surpassing the first two articles in a row, it quickly took the top spot on the hot searches list.

    Gu Nianzhi was like a god in the hearts of theizens who followed the current political and social news.

    At this time, her diehard fans immediately listed her past achievements in cooking, including the Germanwsuit that made her famous in one shot, some even secretly revealed that she was the prosecution¡¯swyer in the closed court martial.

    That was her first confrontation with Bai Jinyi.

    There were also the cases she had fought with Gu Yanran and Cai Shengnanter on.

    One by one, she spoke with her results.

    Theizens happily circled around her official Weibo.

    [ it¡¯s so easy to be a fan of a professional celebrity! ].

    [ you just have to give me a thumbs up every day. ].

    [ chief Gu, my mom said that you can¡¯t be a fan of celebrities, but chief gu is an exception. My mom is also your fan! ].

    [ my mother¡¯s logic was wrong upstairs. Chief GU is not a celebrity. are those retarded celebrities worthy to bepared to her? ? ? ? ].

    [ don¡¯t stir up trouble upstairs. Be careful of being taught a lesson. Don¡¯t bring trouble to Chief Gu. One fan against ten is precisely the kind of person upstairs is talking about. ].

    [ is chief gu going to appear in court this time? Want to see, want to kiss, want to lick the screen! ].

    [ I¡¯m Chief Gu¡¯s Lackey! I don¡¯t ept any dissuasion! ].

    Under the previous Weibo Post, Gu Nianzhi personally replied with a smile: [ yes, I am the prosecution¡¯swyer, representing the victim in court. ].

    Her reply caused the Weibo to boil once again.

    More and more people came to watch, and within a few minutes, the Weibo waspletely shut down.

    Many people looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s strong appeal and were secretly speechless.

    This was an existenceparable to a top-rated celebrity!

    Moreover, she worked in the Senate. In the future, it wouldn¡¯t be too much to say that she had a bright future, right?

    ..

    Lu Jin was watching with great interest on his phone. He was giving fancy likes to those who praised his daughter, until he realized that Weibo had suddenly crashed and no newments could be seen. He was instantly furious.

    ¡°What stupid program! The optimization algorithm is so bad! No wonder it crashed with such a small amount of traffic!¡±

    Lu Jin cursed silently. He secretly hacked into the background program of the Weibo system, helped them modify the algorithm, and then restarted it.

    This time, in less than three minutes, Weibo returned to normal.

    The software engineers on Weibo were puzzled: How did this happen?

    The speed of the system had increased by a thousand times, but their hardware had not been upgraded at all? !

    This time, the magical automatic upgrade of the system waster rated as the top ten weird events in the history of Weibo, and it was recorded in the history books.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of today: chapter 2099, ¡°Do we still need to choose a date?¡±.

    The second watch of the day.

    Thank you for your subscriptions, tips, monthly tickets, and rmendations.

 Chapter 2100 - fat sheep masquerading as a tiger (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2100: Chapter 2100 fat sheep masquerading as a tiger (first update)</h4>

    After Gu Nianzhi posted on Weibo, she handed her phone to her assistant and ced it in the locker outside. She led her team into the imperial high-level court martial.

    Today¡¯s court session was very abrupt, unlike the previous ones.

    Although the notice of the court session would normally be given in advance to the defendant and the defendant¡¯swyer, it was not necessary.

    Special cases were handled in special circumstances. Moreover, the court¡¯s various preparations had already been done. The judges and clerks were already in ce, so the trial could be held whenever they wanted.

    Logically speaking, the defendant should have been mentally prepared. After all, the jurisdiction case had been going on for more than two months.

    If it was awyer with normal thinking, they would know that the trial could be held in minutes.

    Only Kevin¡¯s Americanwyers were used to being arrogant. They had always thought that the Huaxia Empire was just a fat sheep pretending to be a tiger. Although they barked fiercely, they were actually weak.

    They definitely did not dare to refute the American¡¯s request.

    Didn¡¯t they see that they had tripped the other party with a jurisdiction case for two months?

    They were already certain that the Huaxia side was just embarrassed and was waiting for a way out.

    So when the news of the high court martial in the imperial capital hearing Keven¡¯s case came, Keven¡¯s Americanwyers were still ying with their phones in the Sheraton hotel room, they were waiting for the jurisdiction case to be heard for the nth time after the 15th day of the first month.

    ¡°What did you say? ! The trial is today? ! Are you kidding me? ! The jurisdiction case hasn¡¯t been decided yet? !¡±

    ¡°Yeah, is it a prank? Or is it fake news?¡±

    ¡°Call that Deputy Minister again and ask him. He promised us that he would help us extradite Keven back to the United States!¡±

    The members of the American legal team were so angry that they almost jumped out of their seats. They cursed and swore all the way as they rushed to the imperial capital¡¯s high military court with their own people. They were almostte.

    When they panted as they walked into the court, they saw a young woman in an ordinary ck suit and trousers sitting at the intiff¡¯s table. In front of her was her namete: the prosecution¡¯swyer, Gu Nianzhi.

    The woman smiled at the door. Her eyes were as big as ck grapes, and her skin was fair and clear. The white LED lights from the court shone on her face, and her cheeks glowed like the petals of the first snow. It was a natural beauty, it was breathtaking.

    She looked at her namete again, and the suffocating feeling became even stronger.

    But before, she had been breathless from the shock. Now, she was breathless from the shock.

    The prosecution had actually mobilized Gu Nianzhi, the barrister!

    The people in the American legal team were all experienced experts. Otherwise, they would not have been hired by Carlyle to defend Keven in Huaxia.

    It was just the number of people. Her experience in court was indeed not as rich as theirs.

    However, she had a strong record. Ever since she debuted, she had been involved in many big cases. In terms of quality, these peoplebined could barely match her.

    Gu Nianzhi had studied Keven¡¯s American legal team before the New Year.

    Only by knowing yourself and the enemy could you win all battles.

    She knew both of them. One was Smith, who had been he zhichu¡¯s right-hand man and a former colleague. He had worked with her in Germany and was now a seniorwyer at thergestw firm in the United States.

    The other person was not technically known, but she knew him.

    This person was Lu Anpeng. When they were in the other world, Lu Anpeng was a partner at thew firm of the Jin Corporation. He was also a barrister.

    But in this world, he was actually a partner of thergestw firm in the United States.

    Gu Nianzhi had fought with Lu Anpeng in the other world in court. It was about the case in which Qin Suwen¡¯s family had been vindicated.

    In that world, Lu Anpeng could be considered a person with a sense of justice. He was Qin Yaoguang¡¯s defensewyer, and his professional ethics were impable.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed. She would not see Lu Anpeng here as the same person as Lu Anpeng in the other world. It would be easy to underestimate the enemy.

    Smith saw Gu Nianzhi when he entered. He paused in his steps, smiled at her, and nodded. Then he walked over to where his defensewyer was sitting.

    There were many barristers here today. Although Smith was a seniorwyer, he wasn¡¯t qualified to fight in court.

    Lu Anpeng was obviously an important member of Kevin¡¯s American legal team. He was sitting in the front row with two other people, and he was sitting in the middle.

    This was also the so-called c-seat, and it was only given to the most important people.

    After they sat down, the judge knocked on the gavel, he asked in a dignified manner, ¡°Ms. Song Jinning, director of the Insitute of high energy physics, Imperial Capital Police and Security Bureau, has used the defendant, Kevin Laris, of illegal possession of a gun, bombing, kidnapping, and premeditated murder. The trial has officially begun.¡±

    As soon as the judge finished speaking, one of Kevin¡¯s leading members of the American legal team immediately raised his hand and said, ¡°Objection! Our jurisdiction is still pending, and this court does not have the authority to review this case!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked over without batting an eyelid.

    The first three people to sit at the defense side of the dock were all older men, with the exception of Lu anpeng, who was Chinese in the middle.

    The namete on the left in front of them read, ¡°Arif Larry, the barrister, is Indian.¡±.

    The namete on the right read, ¡°Arif Larry, the barrister, Paul Creedon, looks like a white man from the south of the United States.¡±.

    The first person to raise his hand to object was the Indian barrister on the left, Arif Larry.

    He not only spoke English, but also Chinese well. He only had a slight ent, but it did not hinder understanding.

    The judge¡¯s face was expressionless as he raised his hand to ask gu nianzhi, ¡°Counselor, do you have anything to say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up unhurriedly and said, ¡°Thank you, your honor.¡±

    She then looked at the aggressive Indianwyer and asked, ¡°Mr. Larry, are you a graduate of Harvard Law School in the United States?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Aren¡¯t you going to check your opponent¡¯s resume?¡±Arif Larry looked gu nianzhi up and down and was very wary of her.

    In his opinion, the only race that couldpete with their Indian race in terms of IQ was Chinese.

    Gu Nianzhi was famous and so young, so he had to take her seriously.

    Gu Nianzhi had long since memorized all of this.

    She said unhurriedly, ¡°Mr. Arif Larry graduated from Harvard Law School with first-ss honors thirty years ago and became the representative of the current batch of graduates. He spoke at the graduation ceremony and was ranked first on the New York Times¡¯annualw graduates ranking.¡±

    ¡°You know a lot about it.¡±Arif looked at her coldly and became even more vignt.

    ¡°Yes, of course I do.¡±Gu Nianzhi spread her hands, ¡°But I don¡¯t understand. You have such a good educational background. Why Don¡¯t you know that for foreign-rted criminal cases, jurisdiction and official cases are never mutually exclusive?¡±

    ¡°Youe from Washington, D.C. , the capital of the United States. As far as I know, Washington, D.C. tried three foreign-rted criminal cases in 20X, 20Y, and 20Z, respectively. The dispute between territorial jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction runs through the entire trial process

    ¡°With precedents, of course we can do it at the same time.¡±

    Arif¡¯s eyes widened, he said in surprise, ¡°But that¡¯s a case that happened in the United States. Of course we can do it at the same time. ¡°And this is a case that happened in China. Do you think you have the right to follow our American precedents? ¡°In short, if you don¡¯t rify your jurisdiction, you have no right to try cases rted to us Americans!¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of today: chapter 2100¡åFat sheep disguised as Tigers¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    9:00 p.m. on the second watch.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2101

    <h4>Chapter 2101: Chapter 2101 is exactly what I thought it would be. (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was not tongue-tied and embarrassed by Arif¡¯s rebuttal. Instead, her smile deepened.

    The dimples on her lips were so delicate and beautiful that it made people pity her. They almost forgot how valiant she was in court.

    She tilted her head slightly and stood against the light. She raised her hand and pped twice, pping and smiling, she said, ¡°So Mr. Larry also thinks that we should not follow the precedent of the United States, but should follow thews and precedents of China? ! It¡¯s exactly what I thought. That¡¯s Great!¡±

    Before the other party could react.., gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Mr. Arif and I have reached an agreement. ¡°ording to Chinesew, this foreign-rted criminal case took ce in China. The kidnappers and premeditated murders were also Chinese citizens, and many of our officers and soldiers were killed. Therefore, our high-level court martial of China hasplete and inseparable jurisdiction and jurisdiction over this case.¡±

    She paused for a moment and looked at Arif¡¯s dark red face that had almost turned into a purple eggnt, she then said slowly,¡±... I allowed you to fight the jurisdiction case for two months previously because I was giving you face and taking care of your emotions. Do you think that we really think that the jurisdiction of this case is disputed? ¡ª I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to fight anymore. Why waste money and Labor?¡±

    Turning to look at the judge in the courtroom, Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling, she said seriously, ¡°Your Honor, please allow me, on behalf of my client, Song Jinning, and the Imperial Military Department, to sue the American citizen, Keven Laris, for illegal possession of a gun, explosion, kidnapping, and premeditated murder on Christmas Eve.¡±

    An imperceptible smile shed across the judge¡¯s eyes.

    He knocked his gavel with a normal expression and said, ¡°I agree. Please state your case, Counselor.¡±

    Arif finally reacted and immediately shouted, ¡°Objection! Jurisdiction is jurisdiction, and it¡¯s another case. We can¡¯t interfere with another case here. This is against the spirit of the Law!¡±

    Arif had learned his lesson by now. He no longer mentioned ¡°American jurisprudence,¡±but directly spoke of the universal spirit of thew.

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said disapprovingly, ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t want to interfere, then so be it. But we¡¯re talking about this case now. Can you be a little more polite and give the prosecution a chance to speak?¡±

    Her disy of weakness caused a huge reaction in and around the court.

    This case was being tried by the imperial capital¡¯s high-level court martial. As usual, it was not open to the public and would not be broadcast live.

    However, the court and the reporters had their own shorthand and drawing skills. They could write down every word that everyone said in the court and use the apanying pictures to broadcast it live on the Inte.

    Many people did not expect that in the modern era, where one could open their cell phones and see countless interesting live streaming videos, there would also be so many people watching the live streaming with great interest, as if they had returned to the ancient era of MUD online games, at that time, there were no such colorful game scenes as there were now. Only the progress of the text description could be yed through the night.

    The people below the Court Judge¡¯s blog, which was carrying out the live text stream, were packed to the brim by theizens. They were flooding the screen every minute.

    Fortunately, the Weibo system had been magically upgraded automatically. It was impossible for it to crash. It would never happen in this lifetime.

    The only way to fool everyone was to say that the Weibo system¡¯s artificial intelligence had reached a new level.

    When theizens saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s weak words, they didn¡¯t think she was ipetent. Instead, they felt sympathetic.

    [ this Americanwyer is asking for a beating! You¡¯re defending the suspect! Those who don¡¯t know better will think he¡¯s a victim! ¡ª he barks louder than the victim! ].

    [ get to know the American double standard. It¡¯s delicious when eaten with long arms. It¡¯s known as the public¡¯s dog food of the century. Dogs that kneel improperly will not be fed. ].

    [ chief Gu, don¡¯t give them face! Don¡¯t let them live! Beat them to death! ].

    [ upstairs is too bloody! But I like it! ].

    ..

    The crowd outside the court was excited. Many people who were listening in the court also looked down on this American legal team.

    Lu Anpeng nced at Arif on his left and coughed.

    In this legal team, Lu Anpeng was the real chief defensewyer. No matter how indignant Arif was, he had to give Lu Anpeng some face.

    He swallowed his anger and snorted. He sat down and did not speak again.

    Gu Nianzhi obediently saluted the people in the courtroom and then looked at Keven, who was sitting in the dock.

    After more than two months of detention, Keven, who was originally elegant and elegant, looked very haggard.

    His face was a little pale. It was not the transparent and beautiful white that the Huaxia people liked. Instead, it had a light gray color, a dirty white that looked like it was made out of poor quality lotus root starch.

    His eyes were deep and dark. It seemed like he had not slept for many days.

    He was also very thin. He looked like a bamboo pole. When he wore a ck suit, it was obvious that it was empty, like a clothes hanger.

    He did not look as free and easy as he used to be. He was now very quiet. His gaze was almost lifeless as he sat in the courtroom.

    He was obviously showing weakness on purpose. Perhaps he was pretending to be mentally ill.

    Gu Nianzhi silently assessed Keven¡¯s condition in her mind and began her own speech.

    ¡°Your Honor,dies and Gentlemen of the court, on behalf of my client, director song Jinning of the Institute of high energy physics, and the military, I hereby use the American citizen, Keven Laris, of kidnapping and premeditated murder on Christmas Eve.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she gestured for the Tech Guy in the court to dim the lights. He connected theputer in front of him to therge screen and began to y the video that had been recorded from the surveince cameras that day.

    Keven was surrounded by a group of mercenaries that could rival a regr army as he fled out of the city in a panic.

    Gunshots rang out continuously, crackling like firecrackers in the quiet night.

    Gu Nianzhi switched the screen and split it into two halves. One half yed the video from the surveince cameras along the road that night, and the other half began to exin the weapon.

    ¡°Italian Beretta 92F pistol, American military service pistol, also known as the M9.¡±

    ¡°The bullets used in this pistol are 9mm Barabelum Bullets. The pistol is 217mm in length and has an effective range of 50 meters. ¡°It has high uracy, good performance, and extremely low damage. It takes less than ten minutes to repair and has a soundproof device. The paint is very suitable for use at night.¡±

    ¡°ording to our ordnance experts¡¯research on the bullet holes and trajectory curves at the scene, as well as the evidence seized, this type of gun was the main type used by Keven¡¯s side in the gun battle on Christmas Eve.¡±

    ¡°Five of our officers and soldiers were killed and seven were seriously injured.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she pressed the mouse and a second type of gun appeared on the big screen. This time, it was no longer a handgun, but a sniper gun.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2101, ¡°Exactly as I thought.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    A reminder of the rmended tickets. It is said that there will be double monthly tickets at the end of the month, so you can keep your monthly tickets!

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2102

    <h4>Chapter 2102: Chapter 2102: Excellent Operation (first update)</h4>

    The second type of rifle looked more like a normal rifle, except that the barrel was longer and the scope was more precise.

    Gu nianzhi introduced, ¡°British M225B4 sniper rifle, a total of three. British special forces designated guns. The barrel weighs 6.7 kilograms, the whole length is 1.4 meters, and the caliber is 8.6 millimeters.¡±

    ¡°Compared to a sniper gun, this type of rifle is lighter and more urate. It has also been modified topete with an anti-material sniper gun. The effective shooting range can reach up to 2,400 meters. It has once killed five enemies within 30 seconds from a distance of 1,600 meters.¡±

    ¡°The anti-material sniper rifle is extremely powerful. It can even prate tanks and armored vehicles.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment and said with a serious expression, ¡°In this case, there were only three of these sniper rifles, but they injured fifteen of our officers and soldiers in five minutes. It¡¯s the weapon that injured the most of our soldiers this time.¡±

    ¡°Our soldiers all wear bulletproof vests, but in front of an enemy who has an anti-material sniper rifle, ordinary bulletproof vests arepletely vulnerable.¡±

    With her introduction, there was once again an uneasymotion inside and outside the court.

    It could be said that Keven¡¯s case was covered in blood.

    Lu Anpeng saw that the situation was not good, so he quickly raised his hand and said, ¡°Objection. My client, Keven, was in the process of being hunted down by your country¡¯s military for no reason. His bodyguards only did what they were supposed to do.¡±

    ¡°The firearms and equipment listed by the prosecution¡¯swyer have nothing to do with my client.¡±

    Lu Anpeng had obviously made sufficient preparations.

    He also showed the photos and videos of the scene and argued, ¡°As a senior executive and a major shareholder of Carlyle International Investment Co. , Keven¡¯s wealth determines that he can not be as defenseless as ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°He hired a world-ss security team to protect his life and property.¡±

    ¡°As for what his security team does to protect his safety, it has nothing to do with my client.¡±

    This was to separate Keven from his mercenaries and let them take the me for everything.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s angle was indeed tricky.

    Arif, the Indianwyer, saw that Gu Nianzhi had stopped talking and was instantly excited. He immediately agreed, ¡°Lawyer Lu is right! Our client Keven was under protection at the time.¡±

    ¡°There is no direct evidence in your surveince video to prove that our client, Keven, personally shot and killed anyone.¡±

    ¡°He was just a poorw-abiding citizen of the United States. The Huaxia Empire¡¯s military general abused his private power and used his troops to hunt down an unarmed and defenseless intellectual. This is outrageous!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced as she praised, ¡°Barrister Arif, are you saying that your client, Keven, didn¡¯t do anything wrong? The only person who was at fault was the security personnel he hired?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±Arif nodded repeatedly. ¡°Our client only appeared in the wrong ce at the wrong time, but he didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes, thinking that she had spoken too soon. She immediately retorted, ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything wrong? Then how do you exin this? !¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi switched to the surveince footage, showing thest footage of Keven¡¯s arrest.

    The quality of the surveince footage wasn¡¯t particrly high-definition, but it was still clearly visible.

    In the pitch-ck night, only the muzzle shes that kept lighting up proved that this ce had experienced a fierce battle.

    This kind of scene was very hard to imagine for people who had always been in a peaceful era. Only in the most realistic war movies could they see this kind of scene.

    Our special guards were very professional. The semi-automatic rifle with a silencer operated freely in their hands. The powerful firepower washed the ground, and it quickly took down most of the guards around Keven.

    The guards that Keven brought were all former professional soldiers of a certain country. After they retired, they became mercenaries. However, in front of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s special guards, they were still beaten to a pulp.

    However, in this final battle, Keven did not have ¡°No direct evidence¡±to prove that he was involved in the case, as Arif had said.

    On the contrary, Keven¡¯sbat strength was very strong.

    On the video, everyone clearly saw him hiding behind a woman and continuously raising his gun to return fire. He even injured a few members of the special guard.

    His resistance aroused the blood of the special guard members even more, and they actually seemed to want to fight to the death.

    And that woman was scared out of her wits by the bullets that flew past her. She almost howled like a lunatic.

    In the end, Keven seemed to find her howling too annoying. He pushed her out and quicklyy on the ground. He rolled a few times and hid in a ditch by the side of the road.

    This ditch was originally used to drain water, but the capital was dry in winter. There was no water in the ditch, so it became a ready-made trench bunker.

    On the video, it could be seen that there were only two mercenaries left by Keven¡¯s side.

    They took the opportunity to assemble two more semi-automatic assault rifles while they were hiding in the trenches.

    Gu nianzhi exined, ¡°These guns are different from the first two types of guns. They¡¯re made of a special material. After they¡¯re disassembled, they can hide from any security check.¡±

    ¡°The power of the assembled guns is even more powerful than a regr military semi-automatic assault rifle. They¡¯re Keven¡¯s trump card.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had barely finished speaking when the two mercenaries on the video assembled their guns. They quickly carried their ammunition bags on their backs and stood up from the trenches. They raised their guns and fired a barrage of bullets at the special guards who were surrounding them.

    Very quickly, the attack and defense on the video were reversed.

    The members of our special guards were almost immediately beaten down by these two people!

    Although they reacted quickly and fell down in time, there were still a few members of the special forces who were shot in the legs and fell to the ground.

    However, none of them cried out in pain. Instead, they quickly dragged their injured legs and crawled away from the battlefield, not wanting to hold back their own people.

    The members of the special forces behind immediately fell to the ground and opened fire with their guns on the ground at the same time.

    The bullets hit the ground, causing dust and dust to fly everywhere. The sound of pping could be heard endlessly.

    The scene was real and bloody. When they saw the real battle scene, everyone knew that no matter how realistic the gunfight movies they watched in the past were, they could notpare to the cruelty of real war.

    Everyone was so nervous that they could not breathe.

    During the stalemate, the roar of a helicopter came from the video.

    A beam of light suddenly lit up, illuminating the area. Then, the sound of gunfire came from the sky, killing the two powerful mercenaries beside Keven on the spot.

    Keven held his head and hid in the trench, not moving at all.

    ¡°Come out!¡±A member of the special guards pointed his gun at Keven.

    On the screen, it could be clearly seen that Keven slowly raised his hands and stood up from the trench.

    His body was now covered in dirt, his neat suit was wrinkled, and he no longer looked elegant and handsome.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think of killing me to silence me!¡±Keven warned them in the video, ¡°I have already notified mywyer in the United States. He will contact you immediately!¡±

    A member of the special forces ignored him and walked up to him with a cold expression. He hit Keven on the back of the neck with the butt of his gun and knocked him unconscious. Another member immediately searched Keven¡¯s body.

    Gu Nianzhi pressed the pause button and pointed at the high-explosive time bomb found in the video, she asked Arif coldly, ¡°Does this mean that there¡¯s no direct evidence to prove that Keven did something wrong? Mr. Arif, Keven didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Hemitted a crime and vited the Criminal Law!¡±

    She said eloquently, ¡°The Huaxia Empire forbids private individuals or private organizations to carry guns, not to mention high explosives. ¡°Also, you all saw the scene where Keven stubbornly resisted and took the initiative to shoot while escaping. Do you still want to say that it¡¯s not his fault, that it¡¯s all the fault of his security team? !¡±

    Thest scene of Keven¡¯s arrest was something that even the Americanwyer team had never seen before.

    When they saw it, they were all dumbfounded.

    Keven had never told them about this!

    But at the end of the day, they couldn¡¯t push the me onto the client just because the client didn¡¯t say anything.

    After all, in their line of work, they were all mentally prepared that the client would definitely lie.

    Goodwyers also had their own guidelines for dealing with such situations.

    Lu Anpeng was the first to stand up, he said unhurriedly, ¡°I have evidence to show that Mr. Keven Laris was indeed acting in self-defense. Moreover, he is a cultural counselor who has just been appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country. He is a diplomat and enjoys diplomatic immunity.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, you are dering war on our country by pursuing and killing our diplomats. May I ask, counselor Gu, are you ready to fight against the United States?¡±

    When he said ¡°Our country,¡±he was referring, of course, to the United States.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s n failed, and he immediately threw out another card, easily taking the initiative.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked.

    This operation is so awesome! I¡¯m so scared!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2102, ¡°The operation is awesome.¡±.

    The second watch of the day.

    The second watch of the night at 9:00.

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets, the monthly ticket can be reserved until the end of the month to double the vote.

    Thest three days of the end of December and the first seven days of January are double the monthly ticket.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2103

    <h4>Chapter 2103: Chapter 2103: What Can You Do to me? (second update)</h4>

    This time, Gu Nianzhi was silent for a long time. It was so long that even her own team thought she couldn¡¯t hold on any longer.

    Her assistant asked softly, ¡°Chief Gu, do you want to adjourn the Court for now?¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Let¡¯s ask about the situation first.¡±

    She stared unblinkingly at Lu Anpeng, she said,¡±... the newly appointed diplomat? Lu Anpeng, I think you know that this case wasmitted more than two months ago. If he¡¯s only a diplomat now, I don¡¯t think diplomatic immunity can be used on him.¡±

    Lu Anpeng thought to himself, don¡¯t tell me I don¡¯t even know this? Otherwise, how would I be able to survive in the American legal world?

    He unhurriedly took out the letter of appointment that the President of the United States had given to Keven, he pointed at the time and date on it and said, ¡°Lawyer Gu, please take a good look at it. The time our president appointed Keven as cultural counselor happened to be the day before Christmas Evest year, which was December 23rd.¡±

    ¡°Christmas Eve is December 24th. This letter of appointment has alreadye into effect.¡±

    Lu Anpeng smiled, looking as if he had a n in mind.

    There was an uproar inside and outside the court.

    The people sitting next to Gu Nianzhi looked at each other, wondering why they hadn¡¯t heard anything since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already filed a report?

    If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had known that Keven was an American diplomat when they had arrested him, why hadn¡¯t the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified them?

    The inte outside the court was also filled with excitement. Some people were even deliberately trying to lead the way.

    [ what¡¯s wrong with diplomats? A prince breaking thew is the same as amoner, let alone a diplomat? ].

    [ upstairs is either stupid or poisonous. are diplomats and princes the same concept? Besides, how can there be a real prince in modern society? Even if there is one, it¡¯s still a mascot. Does it have real power? ].

    [ upstairs is a brainless little pink. Check it out with the Saudi prince. Does it have real power? ].

    [ pui! Pui! Pui! Don¡¯t try to change the concept on purpose. There¡¯s no way to wash away the immunity of diplomats. They just have it. If they don¡¯t ept it, they¡¯ll jump off the building! ].

    ..

    This wave of public opinion was obviously not good for Gu Nianzhi. It was also very bad for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    The group of bigwigs who were watching the live broadcast of the interrogation in the Imperial Military Headquarters¡¯conference room were all very surprised.

    Speaker long looked at prime minister white and said unhappily, ¡°Old white, what do you mean? The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is purposely holding us back, right?¡±

    Prime Minister Bai smiled bitterly and said, ¡°This is also the first time I¡¯ve heard of it. Old Long, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll get someone to find out what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Just as they were investigating internally, Lu Anpeng had alreadyid out all the procedures.

    Including the letter of appointment of the American president, a copy of the record in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Huaxia Empire, and the effective date.

    It was neither too much nor too little. It was exactly the day before Kevenmitted the crime.

    In other words, on Christmas Eve, he was officially recognized by both sides as the cultural counselor of the United States embassy in the imperial capital.

    His position was neither too high nor too low. It was the lowest level of diplomatic immunity.

    However, he did not have any real power. It was like an honorary position. In the United States, he did not even need the approval of Congress. The president alone could make the decisions.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly when she thought about the unreliable president in the United States.

    He was indeed capable of doing such a thing.

    Her fingers tapped on the intiff¡¯s seat in front of her, but her expression did not change.

    After Lu Anpeng presented all the evidence, he immediately asked the court martial to dismiss the case and not allow an appeal.

    He said, ¡°This is not a question of jurisdiction, but a question that can not be litigated at all.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cut him off rudely and asked in a low voice, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why did you fight a jurisdiction case for two months? Are you deliberately stalling for time?¡±

    She hit the nail on the head. Even Lu Anpeng, who had seen the big picture before, paused for a moment.

    He smiled awkwardly and said,¡±... how is that possible?¡±

    ¡°How is that not possible? Do you think everyone is stupid?¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs record that her team had just transferred over, she said, ¡°Yes, the President of the United States¡¯appointment letter did indeed state the date of December 23rd, but when we got the Ministry of Foreign Affairs record, it showed that the date was yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Why did you wait for more than two months before filing it? Didn¡¯t you guys fight for more than two months before you managed to obtain this backdated appointment letter?¡±

    In other words, the appointment letter was actually obtained only recently. However, the date on which they managed to obtain this appointment letter was backdated, and it was earlier than the actual appointment date.

    However, this kind of situation, which was obviously a scam, was passed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Huaxia Empire. This operation was simply even more shy.

    Lu Anpeng spread his hands and made a gesture of ¡°What can you do to me?¡± He smiled and said, ¡°No matter what, this is the appointment letter signed by our President. It has also been filed and approved by Your Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This means that you have also recognized Keven as a diplomat, starting from December 23rd ofst year.¡±

    ¡°This case happened on the night of December 24th ofst year. At that time, Keven was already recognized as a diplomat by both sides and enjoyed diplomatic immunity ording to thew.¡±

    ¡°As for why we were willing to fight the jurisdiction case for two months, we were happy to do so. Your Court has also filed a case, so why didn¡¯t you fight it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sneered. ¡°You were the one who deliberately dyed the time with the jurisdiction case so that you could operate behind the scenes and get this diplomatic appointment letter with a date back.¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re trying to turn the tables on me. This is outrageous!¡±

    ¡°I thinkwyer Gu knows better than I do whether this makes sense or not!¡±

    Everyone in the court and outside could see clearly that Gu Nianzhi was in a very disadvantageous position. It was not her opponent who had sabotaged her, but her own people. It was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had disregarded principles and regtions, the deputy minister who had registered and sealed Keven¡¯s backdate appointment letter!

    Prime Minister Bai was furious at this time. He scolded the Vice Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ordered him to suspend his post immediately. He also ordered people to review his work.

    At the same time, the cab started the self-investigation procedure to sort out the work procedures of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Speaker Long was not satisfied. He threatened to start the impeachment procedure of the Senate. Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister Bai did not want to let it go.

    Prime Minister Bai sighed and said, ¡°Old long, if this makes you happy, then do it. But the most important thing now is to think about how to handle the case of Keven.¡±

    General Ji said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t care if he is a diplomat or not, and I don¡¯t care when he became a diplomat! In short, he killed our soldiers on ournd. I Can¡¯t let him go!¡±

    Prime Minister Bai and speaker long looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other¡¯s eyes.

    It wasn¡¯t that there was no other way to handle this matter, but because the trial had already started, the whole world knew about Keven¡¯s new identity. Even if they knew there was a trap, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to break the situation.

    It looked like Gu Nianzhi was doomed for this somersault.

    Although she had been scapegoated by a mole, awyer who had never lost before was about to meet her Waterloo.

    There were already people online who were starting to be sarcastic.

    [ Haha, I¡¯ve Been On the road too many times at night, I¡¯ll always meet a ghost. Chief GU is no exception. ].

    [ that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. weren¡¯t you bragging too much earlier? But she wasn¡¯t wronged, at least she had a deputy minister to fall in love with her. Hahaha ].

    ¡°What nonsense is the person above telling the truth! Look at the faces of those gu fans, they¡¯re all so angry that they¡¯re deformed, hahahahaha!¡±.

    ¡°The person above is right! I canugh for a year!¡±.

    ..

    The courtroom was dead silent, everyone¡¯s eyes were on Gu Nianzhi.

    She stood coldly behind the intiff¡¯s bench, in front of the big screen, and had just paused the surveince video.

    Against the backdrop of blood and fire, her back was thin and slender. Her skin was as cold as jade, and her gaze was bone-chilling.

    Lu Jin looked from the corner where he was sitting and suddenly felt that Gu Nianzhi looked exactly like Qin Suwen from back in the day. She even looked somewhat simr to he zhichu¡¯s expression.

    After all, they were Qin Suwen¡¯s biological children..

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart was filled with mixed feelings, and he had forgotten about his excitement and indignation.

    Lu Yuan sat beside Lu Jin with a solemn expression on his face and did not speak.

    At this moment, Gu Nianzhi was thinking nervously in her mind. Could it be that she no longer had any cards in her hands?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s memory was very good. Just like Lu Jin, it was like a camera.

    Right now, her mind was actually reying all of her information.

    Her gaze fell on the letter of appointment for the President of the United States that Lu Anpeng had shown her. A sh of inspiration came to Gu Nianzhi. She suddenly thought of some interesting information that Huo Shaoheng had found out when he had ordered the special operations forces to investigate Keven abroad.

    Her peach-colored lips slowly curved upwards.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked at Lu Anpeng. ¡°Are you sure that this letter of appointment for the President of the United States is for Keven to be the cultural counselor?¡±

    Lu Anpeng nodded calmly. ¡°There¡¯s also a passport number that can be cross-referenced.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile faded. She looked at Lu Anpeng seriously and asked, ¡°Is that so? Are you sure?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2103, ¡°What can you do to me?¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    It was a reminder to everyone that the monthly votes could be reserved until the end of the month, when the votes would be doubled.

    Thest three days of the end of December and the first seven days of January would be double the monthly votes.

    * MWAH, Little Angels and big shots *

 Chapter 2104

    <h4>Chapter 2104: Chapter 2104 did not contain any nonsense (first update)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can call the US government immediately and check it out. You can even tweet our president directly.¡±Lu Anpeng still had some confidence.

    Just as Gu Nianzhi had said, he had ordered his team to stall for time and fight the jurisdictionalwsuit desperately for the appointment letter. Keven¡¯s parents had been operating in the US for more than two months before they were able to settle the president and the Secretary of State.

    He was the only one in the entire legal team who knew about this matter.

    Otherwise, if word got out, everyone would be screwed.

    And when he thought about it, it had been quite a close call.

    He only felt that Keven was lucky. Because this letter of appointment had just been delivered to them yesterday, Keven¡¯s parents had ordered them to immediately get someone to file it with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Huaxia. They couldn¡¯t afford to dy for even a minute.

    Fortunately, they had long been in contact with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, so this matter was handled properly.

    He didn¡¯t expect that just yesterday, Keven¡¯s identity as a ¡°Diplomat¡±had just been verified, and today, China¡¯s court was already in session.

    This time scale was really urate!

    When Lu Anpeng thought of this matter, his forehead couldn¡¯t help but break out in sweat.

    It was true. Yesterday, most of them felt that Keven¡¯s parents were making a mountain out of a molehill. Moreover, Huaxia was on the Spring Festival holiday. If they went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file a report, they would have to find the person on duty through the deputy minister. Originally, they had proposed to ck off, today, they would file the report after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially went to work.

    Only Lu Anpeng was more cautious. Moreover, he had never feignpliance with his employer. No matter how difficult the matter was, as long as there was an opportunity to do it, he would not ck off or y tricks.

    The facts proved that his attitude and principles in doing things were correct.

    At the very least, it meant that he had exercised his due diligence.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s mind was running wild. Gu Nianzhi looked down at the letter of appointment and had already read it out. She said, ¡°This letter of appointment is for Kevin Laris, who is currently in court, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I have some identification here, if you¡¯d like to see it,wyer Gu.¡±

    Lu Anpeng pursed his lips and took out Kevin¡¯s identification. One was for Gu Nianzhi, one was for the judge, and one was even for the reporters who were listening in.

    Since he had dared to publicize it with such fanfare, and also had the letter of appointment of the President of the United States and the signature of the Secretary of State, there should be no problem with Kevin¡¯s identification.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. Lu Anpeng had taken the initiative to take out Keven¡¯s identification before she had even brought it up. It looked like they had indeed made ample preparations.

    She took Keven¡¯s identification document from Lu Anpeng and nced at it without batting an eyelid.

    She then turned on the portable scanner and scanned Keven¡¯s diplomatic appointment letter and identification document into theputer. She then put it on the big screen and switched out the surveince video of the gunfight that had just taken keven away.

    The audience in the courtroom looked up and saw two documents ced side by side on the big screen.

    The two documents were both in English and Chinese.

    The one on the left was the appointment letter signed by the President of the United States and the Secretary of State, while the one on the right was Keven¡¯s identification document.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up aser pointer and pointed at Keven¡¯s identification document. She said, ¡°Everyone, please take a look at this identification document.¡±

    ¡°Keven Laris, born in 2XXX, born in New York, Father John Laris, mother Kelly Lee.¡±

    ¡°As you can see from here, Keven Laris was educated in New York from primary school to university. He graduated from Columbia University in New York ten years ago and immediately joined Wall Street after graduation. Within ten years, he went from a junior financial analyst all the way up to an executive at Carlyle International Investment Ltd. .¡±

    ¡°This resume is indeed more beautiful.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was full of praise.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s rxed brows furrowed again.

    Because he knew Gu Nianzhi¡¯s style too well, this young femalewyer had never said a single word of nonsense in court.

    She had never praised her opponent.

    Now she was actually praising the defendant as the prosecution¡¯swyer. It was too weird.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s heart was in his throat. He was like a person waiting for his second shoe to fall to the ground. He was terrified as he waited for Gu Nianzhi to continue speaking.

    Gu Nianzhi put down theser pointer in her hand and turned to look at Lu Anpeng. She smiled and said, ¡°Barrister Lu, how long have you known the defendant, Keven?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Keven is my client. I didn¡¯t have a personal rtionship with him in the past,¡±Lu Anpeng said cautiously, afraid that he would fall into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s trap.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That means you came to Huaxia to see Keven after the incident, right?¡±

    Lu Anpeng was stunned. ¡°Does this have anything to do with the case?¡±

    ¡°You just have to answer yes or no.¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t give Lu Anpeng any chance to argue.

    The judge also supported Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Defensewyer, please answer the prosecutor¡¯s question.¡±

    Lu Anpeng thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Yes, I was hired by Mr. Keven¡¯s biological parents after the incident, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Then how can you be sure that this kevenris is the Keven Laris on this appointment letter and Identity Certificate?¡±Gu Nianzhi picked up theser pointer and pointed at it without looking back, she happened to be pointing at the name ¡°Keven¡±on the big screen.

    Lu Anpeng was finally relieved. He thought to himself that he had overestimated gu nianzhi.

    No matter how smart and intelligent she was, she was only in her early twenties. How powerful could she be?

    Lu Anpeng had carefully prepared and confirmed every single question she asked.

    He wasn¡¯t afraid that she would y tricks on him!

    Lu Anpengughed and said in a mellow and humorous voice, ¡°How can I prove it? Of course, I have proof from my immediate family, as well as proof from my colleagues, friends, and neighbors.¡±

    He pointed at Kevin and said, ¡°Mr. Kevin Laris in the court has been confirmed by Mr. Kevin¡¯s parents, rtives, and colleagues. There is no doubt about his identity.¡±

    Actually, how could there be a problem?

    Keven¡¯s parents had spent so much money and effort not only to hire the best legal team in the United States, but also to use all of their connections, within two months, they had gotten Keven a diplomatic appointment letter of ¡°Cultural Counsellor.¡±.

    To Keven, this was no different from a death-free gold medal.

    Keven¡¯s parents had paid almost half the cost of their family property to make the President, who was a businessman, satisfied and signed the appointment letter of the only Cultural Counsellor.

    Yes, there was no cultural counsellor position among American diplomats. This was added temporarily for Keven¡¯s special situation.

    American diplomats reported directly to the Secretary of State. So as long as the Secretary of State agreed, it waspletely reasonable and legal to create a position of ¡°Cultural Counsellor.¡±.

    With such a big deal and such a big lineup, if it was not his own son, who would be so stupid as to make trouble?

    Moreover, Lu Anpeng still had the DNA paternity test in his hands, which couldpletely prove Keven¡¯s identity.

    No one knew what Gu Nianzhi was thinking.

    Lu Anpeng held a bunch of documents that Keven¡¯s parents had sent him, and his mood gradually calmed down.

    If Gu Nianzhi continued to badger him on this issue, he would directly throw the DNA test out.

    In fact, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s next question was indeed,¡±... then did you guys do a DNA test to verify the paternity?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2104, ¡°No nonsense¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    To remind everyone of the rmended tickets, the monthly ticket could be reserved until the end of the month when it was doubled.

    Thest three days of December and the first seven days of January are double the monthly ticket.

 Chapter 2105

    <h4>Chapter 2105: Chapter 2105 was a bonus question (second update)</h4>

    Lu Anpeng calmly took out the DNA proof and ced it in front of Gu Nianzhi. His fingers lightly tapped on the proof, he smiled and said, ¡°Barrister gu is indeed a very cautious person. He followed the procedure step by step without leaving out a single detail.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow.

    This was not apliment, but to say that she only knew how to take things step by step when she went to court.

    To a trialwyer, this was not apliment at all.

    It was like praising a child for his good grades. He only said that he memorized the exam sybus given by his teacher every day, but he would not do anything that was slightly beyond the sybus.

    It was both apliment and a derogatory remark.

    When ordinary people heard suchments, especially young people who had outstanding results at work, they would fly into a rage.

    Even if they did not make suchments, they would also disturb their emotions and interfere with their logical thinking. More seriously, they would affect the sess or failure of thewsuit.

    Older people might also control their emotions and try to minimize the negative effects in this regard. This was the so-called bonus of experience.

    However, young people were different. Because they were young and outstanding, they were more likely to be fearless. Once they encountered setbacks and ridicule, their emotional ck hole would be even more severe than that of ordinary people.

    However, he had misjudged gu nianzhi.

    There was a type of person who was naturally suited to do something.

    Once he or she found something that was naturally suitable for him or her, he or she would be more experienced and incisive than those who had been doing these things for decades.

    Gu Nianzhi was such a person. She just happened to find something that was naturally suitable for her.

    When she stood in the courtroom, she would shine.

    Her calmness and calmness werepletely out of line with her age.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored the slight mockery in Lu Anpeng¡¯s words. She looked down at the DNA proof quickly.

    She did not understand the details. They were all technical terms in the field of biological gics, but she could understand the conclusion.

    The DNA proof stated that the Kevin Laris in the court was the biological son of John Laris and Kelly Lee from New York.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. Looking at the date on the DNA proof, she said, ¡°Even the paternity certificate has been made. Lawyer Lu¡¯s work is indeed wless.¡±

    ¡°It is our duty aswyers to do everything we can to satisfy the needs of our clients, help them win the case, and protect their interests,¡±Lu Anpeng said politely.

    Gu Nianzhi ced the three documents in front of her. She thought to herself that if she admitted that Keven was a diplomat, then he would enjoy diplomatic immunity, especially immunity from criminal prosecution. He would not be subject to criminal prosecution in the country he was from, he also did not have the obligation to testify in court.

    It was amazing that the other party had thought of such a move. Gu Nianzhi could not help but give them a thumbs up.

    But even if they liked it, they still had to expose it.

    Gu Nianzhi brushed the DNA document with her hand, as if she wanted to brush away some invisible dust.

    She looked up at the still dazed Keven, who seemed to be immersed in his own world, and then at thewyers in his legal team who thought they had the upper hand, gu Nianzhi smiled lightly. ¡°These documents and certificates are indeed very good. They perfectly pulled Keven out of this case.¡±

    ¡°Sincewyer Gu has admitted it, does that mean we don¡¯t have to fight this case anymore?¡±? ¡°My client has been detained for two months. He has been physically and mentally injured, and his mental and physical state are very unstable. I request the court to release my client on the spot andpensate us for all our losses, including but not limited to the legal fees, missed work fees, and punitive civilpensation.¡±

    The Indianwyer could not wait to stand up and deliver his closing statement.

    Lu Anpeng nced at him and slowly sat down, leaving the performance venue to him.

    Gu Nianzhi secretly praised Lu Anpeng for being a sly old fox in both worlds. There was no one else with such sensitivity.

    Shezily raised her hand and said, ¡°Objection. Defensewyer, this case has just begun. What¡¯s the rush? You¡¯ve waited for more than two months. You Don¡¯t mind waiting a few more hours, do you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything worth fighting in a case with diplomatic immunity like this. If this goes on, you¡¯ll start a diplomatic dispute with the United States.¡±Arif, the indian-bornwyer, threatened Gu Nianzhi with a bluff, he only hoped that she would stop, so that they could end the case and return to the United States.

    He missed his family very much after staying here for more than two months.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°We know what we¡¯re doing, but thank you for your reminder, Mr. Arif.¡±

    After that, she ignored the defendant¡¯s legal team and said directly to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, I have a few more questions for the defendant¡¯s legal team.¡±

    The judge looked at her worriedly, picked up the gavel, and rapped it, saying, ¡°Permission granted.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi bowed slightly to express her gratitude. She then turned to look at Arif, the Indianwyer who had stood up, and said, ¡°Mr. Arif, can you fully represent your client, Keven?¡±

    ¡°Of course I can. We have signed a full representation agreement.¡±Arif said alertly, his brown eyes staring at Gu Nianzhi like an eagle catching a chick.

    The agreement between awyer and a client had a different scope of authority, and Plenipotentiary was the highest type of authority.

    This meant that what he said on behalf of the defendant in court was almost the same as what the defendant said himself.

    Gu Nianzhi guessed that the other party must have signed a plenipotentiary agreement, because in Keven¡¯s condition, it was obvious that he could not speak on his own.

    Whether he was really physically and mentally exhausted or was nning to feign mental illness, he was not allowed to answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s questions on his own.

    For rich people, when they encountered matters rted to thew, they would not say a word. They were all fully represented by professionalwyers.

    This was becausewyers knew what to say and what not to say. This was their professionalism.

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that it was impossible to dig out evidence directly from Keven¡¯s mouth, so she had nned to start with his legal team.

    She smiled and returned to Keven¡¯s identity document, which was also his resume, she said, ¡°Mr. Arif, I have here a list of Keven¡¯s ssmates from the fifth, eleventh, and university years in New York. Can you ask your client to circle the names of the five ssmates he is most familiar with?¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi took out the three yearbooks that she had prepared beforehand.

    Arif was amused when he saw them. This femalewyer was really stupid. How did she win thewsuit in the past?

    The yearbook that she took out did not only have names, but also photos!

    Was this a free question?

    Arif immediately walked out of the dock and took the yearbook from Gu Nianzhi. He happily showed it to Keven.

    Lu Anpeng, who was sitting next to the dock, also smiled and shook his head, thinking that he had indeed overestimated her.

    However, when he saw Arif ce the ssmate list in front of Keven and saw that Keven was slightly stunned, Lu Anpeng¡¯s fingers secretly curled up. He was actually a little nervous.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was today¡¯s second update: chapter 2105, ¡°This is a bonus question.¡±.

    Today¡¯s second update.

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets, the monthly ticket can be reserved until the end of the month when it is double.

    Thest three days at the end of December and the first seven days of January, are double the monthly ticket.

    * MWAH, big and small angels

 Chapter 2106

    <h4>Chapter 2106: Chapter 2106, inviting him into the trap (1)</h4>

    Keven still had no expression on his face.

    He did not even look at the ssmate brochures. His lips were tightly pursed, and there were even two lines ofw on his thin face.

    Gu Nianzhi did not speak. She waited quietly for five minutes before she walked up to Keven. She leaned over slightly and asked with a smile, ¡°Mr. Keven, why aren¡¯t you speaking? Don¡¯t You Recognize me?¡±

    Keven still had a nk expression on his face, as if he was immersed in his own world.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and turned to look at Arif, the Indianwyer, and Lu Anpeng, the leadwyer, she smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s really strange. Since you said this is Keven Laris, why isn¡¯t he even willing to circle his ssmates? Does he not know him anymore? Or does he not know him at all...¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, immediately shouted, ¡°Objection! The prosecutionwyer has made groundless usations against my client and harmed my client¡¯s reputation!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and took a step back with her hands behind her back. She tilted her head and continued to size up Keven.

    It was as if she had never seen him before. His gaze was so heavy and sharp that no one dared to look her in the eye.

    However, Keven remained expressionless. He only shifted his gaze slightly downward to look at his tiptoes.

    ¡°TSK TSK, is it that difficult? I¡¯ve already ced my ssmate booklet with names, pictures, and the truth in front of you. Can¡¯t you circle five ssmates that you¡¯re particrly familiar with? Don¡¯t tell me you really don¡¯t know any of them?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said lightly. Her fingers tapped on the dock in front of Keven as she looked at Lu Anpeng.

    The corners of her lips curled into a yful smile, she said slowly, ¡°Barrister Lu, what¡¯s going on? Can you exin? You said that he was the Kevin Laris on this identity certificate, but he doesn¡¯t seem to want to admit it himself...¡±

    The corners of Keven¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly when he heard this.

    In a ce where no one could see, his hands were clenched into fists, but they quickly separated.

    He was too cunning..

    Keven and Lu Anpeng both had the same thought in their minds.

    The members of the legal team suddenly thought of a possibility, and their faces darkened.

    As for Arif, the Indianwyer, he stood there with his mouth agape. It was obvious that he had also sensed gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s move seemed to be an understatement, and was even sending Keven¡¯s head. But if Keven really took it, he would lose at least half of the case.

    The people in the courtroom began to whisper to each other, discussing why the defendant was unable to fulfill such a simple request of the prosecution.

    The people watching the live stream outside the courtroom were even more interested.

    Countless reliable and unreliable conjectures immediately spread like lightning on the inte.

    Some said that Keven¡¯s identity was fake, but they were immediately crushed by the DNA paternity certificate.

    If it was fake again, the DNA could not be fake. This could be tested immediately in court. Keven¡¯s legal team was made up of the most famouswyers in America. This kind of mistake that could be exposed in an instant would not be made.

    But why did Keven refuse to identify his former ssmates?

    Someone began to wash the floor for Keven on the Inte.

    [ everyone, don¡¯t just stand there and say it like it¡¯s nothing. Primary school fifth grade ssmates, which one of you here can remember? ].

    [ that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Even if it¡¯s a university student, after graduating for more than ten years, everyone has changed too much. Who can still remember? ].

    Of course, this statement was quickly refuted by others.

    [ you don¡¯t use your brain when you speak. Even if the primary school students don¡¯t remember, then the high school students and university students don¡¯t remember either? ! ].

    [ you + 1. Even if your appearance has changed, the photo is there. It doesn¡¯t ask you to recognize the current appearance of those students. What¡¯s there to not remember? ].

    Just as everyone was arguing endlessly, someone suddenly posted ament.

    [ i suddenly realized that chief Gu¡¯s move was too amazing! ].

    [ Keven is now in a dilemma. If he goes to identify his former ssmates, it proves that his mental state is normal, his thinking is clear, and he has normal cognitive ability. This way, he can¡¯t use mental illness as a reason to get away with it! ].

    ¡°But if he doesn¡¯t identify him, then first chair Gu can use this as a reason to question Keven¡¯s identity! So whether he admits it or not, he¡¯s doomed!¡±.

    ¡°What about the DNA evidence? I think there¡¯s a big loophole in your logic.¡±.

    The people inside and outside the court were in a heated argument.

    Gu Nianzhi looked like she was going to give an exnation to this argument. She smiled and began to ask the defendant¡¯s legal team.

    ¡°May I ask, defensewyers, if Keven is unable to identify his former ssmate, can I prove that his identity is different from the identity you have mentioned?¡±

    Questioning Keven¡¯s identity was proof that he was not the appointed diplomat. In other words, he could not enjoy diplomatic immunity!

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s face was livid. He squeezed out a word from between his teeth and said, ¡°Barrister Gu, when you questioned my client¡¯s identity, did you forget about the DNA proof? ! Isn¡¯t that enough? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her hands, she said in all seriousness, ¡°I didn¡¯t forget about his DNA proof. ¡°But that DNA proof can only prove that he is rted to John Laris and Kelly Lee. It can not prove that he is the same person as the person on the appointment letter and the identity proof.¡±

    ¡°Barrister Gu, you¡¯re being unreasonable!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being realistic.¡±Gu Nianzhi put Keven¡¯s resume on the big screen again and said, ¡°Everyone, please take a look. Apart from biological attributes, there are social attributes as well.¡±

    ¡°Biological attributes are DNA, and social attributes are his sense of social existence since he was young.¡±

    ¡°Thebination of his school, friends, people he met, and things he did makes him aplete person. He has biological attributes as well as social attributes.¡±

    ¡°But now, Mr. Keven is unable to confirm his past social experience. He can¡¯t even identify his former ssmates. Shouldn¡¯t we reasonably suspect that Mr. Keven¡¯s social attributes are different from those of the person appointed in this letter of appointment?¡±

    Lu Anpeng was blinded by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shy actions.

    She had almost ruined everything that was set in stone.

    Lu Anpeng immediately made a decision. He stood up and walked over to Kevin. He knocked on the table in the dock and said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Keven, you have to identify him.¡±

    He paused, he added, ¡°It¡¯s just a few ssmates. It¡¯s not a big deal. Anyway, the other side can only pester the issue of the diplomat. As long as you can prove that you¡¯re the cultural counselor, nothing else will be a problem.¡±

    He spoke vaguely, but Keven could read between the lines.

    In other words, as long as he could prove that he was a diplomat, the ¡°Mental illness¡±that they had prepared was actually useless.

    Keven¡¯s gaze had been dull for a long time, and his face was stiff. He had not said a word.

    Hearing Lu Anpeng¡¯s words, his eyes rolled, and his whole body seemed toe alive.

    Keven slowly raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Give it to me. I¡¯ll admit it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile froze. She seemed to be surprised as she stammered,¡±... admit... admit what?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a picture of a ssmate,¡±Keven said calmly. ¡°Lawyer Gu, do you regret it?¡±

    ¡°I... I... Of course I don¡¯t regret it!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression was stern, but she was actually terrified.

    When she picked up the yearbook, her little fingers were slightly trembling.

    Lu Jin, who was sitting in the corner of the courtroom, sighed and said, ¡°My girl is getting better and better. Her acting skills are natural. Even I was almost fooled by her, not to mention those idiots above!¡±

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips and did notment.

    However, even with his professional eye, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Acting skills¡±today could be rated at least nine out of ten, and she had even noticed many details.

    This was because Shaoheng had taught her well..

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng, who had been praised by Lu Yuan, was sitting in his office, watching the trial with General Ji.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s micro expressions and small movements, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of a smile.

    This time, the pit was not a series of pits, but a pit in which Gu Nianzhi was invited into the urn.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 2106, please step into the trap (1) .

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    9:00 p.m. on the second watch.

    PS: When you vote for the golden keyboard vote, remember that my author name is ¡°Cambrian¡±.

    Say the important thing three times: Cambrian! Cambrian! Cambrian!

    Reporter¡¯s reporter, reporter¡¯s reporter, reporter¡¯s reporter!

    It¡¯s not a memorial next to a silk thread!

    Don¡¯t vote wrong!

    Or when you vote, you can directly enter through the ¡°Year-end ceremony¡±in the middle of the APP bookshelf, and you can directly see the voting ce.

    As long as there are my books in the bookshelf, after entering the ¡°Year-end ceremony,¡±in the middle of the page ¡°Authors you may know,¡±my name will appear. I¡¯m now about 50, below is the title of ¡°Hello, Major General,¡±the title of the book.

    Please be careful! ! !

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2107

    <h4>Chapter 2107: Chapter 2107 invites the enemy into the trap (2)</h4>

    With a calm expression, Keven snatched the names of his ssmates from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands and began flipping through them.

    ¡°Give me a pen.¡±He reached out to the team ofwyers behind him.

    Arif, the Indianwyer, immediately handed him his pen.

    Keven held the pen in his hand as he flipped through the names of his ssmates. At the same time, he circled five of them.

    Two of them were in the eleventh grade that Gu Nianzhi had requested, and three of them were his fourth-year ssmates.

    When he handed the name list back to Gu Nianzhi, Keven said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t remember most of the fifth-grade students in primary school, so I only picked the eleventh-grade and fourth-year students.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and put on a forced expression. ¡°Really? Are you sure these five students are all your ssmates? You¡¯re not going to say you remembered wrongly again, are you? Why Don¡¯t you take a look again?¡±

    Keven looked down at the three yearbooks again and said, ¡°This is the school I went to. How can I not remember? If you don¡¯t believe me, go check the school¡¯s graduation list.¡±

    After receiving Keven¡¯s affirmative reply, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s emotions gradually returned to normal. She was no longer as flustered as before.

    She put away the yearbook that Keven had circled and turned around to look at the courtroom with a smile, she said, ¡°Your honor, the defendant, Keven, has chosen five of his ssmates. Although they were chosen at random, Keven has confirmed that these five ssmates are indeed his ssmates.¡±

    The judge:¡±...¡±

    What do you mean by all this?

    People who did not know would think that you were the defendant¡¯swyer, not the prosecution¡¯swyer.

    The judge was not the only one who thought this way. Even Keven¡¯s American team ofwyers looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion, not understanding what she was trying to do.

    Keven was the only one who was secretly clenching his fists. His downcast eyes flickered, and for the first time, he felt uneasy.

    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long for Gu Nianzhi to connect to the big screen in the courtroom again. She gestured to the tech guy and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to y five interview videos now. Please turn the volume down.¡±

    This was because when the surveince video was being yed earlier, the volume had to be turned up so that it could be heard.

    Now, it was a special interview video, and the volume was still so high that it would deafen everyone¡¯s ears.

    The Tech Guy promptly adjusted the volume and turned it down.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand to the people in the courtroom and said, ¡°Everyone saw it. The defendant, Keven, just circled five people¡¯s names and announced that these five people were his ssmates.¡±

    As she spoke, she pulled out the powerpoint version of the ssmate roster and yed it for everyone to see.

    ¡°The students that the defendant, Keven, has just joined are grade 11¡¯s Kelly and Mike, as well as Senior¡¯s Nikki, Heather, and Chris.¡±

    ¡°There are a total of three women, two men, and five people.¡±

    ¡°I have the interview videos of these five people, please take a look.¡±

    Next, Gu Nianzhi pulled out the interview videos of the five people. Each of them only had about a minute, and it was very short.

    Kelly: [ you asked Kevin (Keven) ? ]? Oh, I remember him. He was a very shy and introverted boy who didn¡¯t like to talk to others. I remember him because he had once demonstrated his tea ceremony from Japan. He was very elegant and unforgettable.

    Mike: [ Kevin? Of course I know him! Although we didn¡¯t have many sses together, I¡¯m afraid not many people in the entire grade don¡¯t remember him. Because he looks small, but he¡¯s very good at fighting. He¡¯s a karate expert. ].

    Nikki: [ Kevin? I think I have a ssmate, but we only had a few big sses together. I¡¯m not familiar with him ].

    Heather: [ Kevin is a very good cook. We used to be very familiar with their dorm. We went out to pic together. The Japanese sushi he brought was very delicious. I haven¡¯t eaten such delicious sushi since I graduated ].

    Chris: [ Kevin and I are quite familiar. ]. He was japanese-american. It was said that his grandparents hade to the United States since World War II. Oh, right, his grandparents were also imprisoned in a concentration camp ¡ª the Japanese concentration camp in the United States. I sympathize with their plight. It would be wrong if they were imprisoned in a concentration camp without doing anything wrong. ].

    After the five-minute video ended, the smile on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face grew wider and wider.

    The others were still frowning as they thought about Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intentions, but Lu Anpeng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He had noticed a problem.

    However, he was very cautious. He wouldn¡¯t speak rashly until he had thought it through.

    But the Indianwyer, Arif, had already shouted, ¡°What doeswyer Gu Mean?¡±? ! My client had just randomly tagged a ssmate, and you had already obtained the interview video ? ! This is too unbelievable! You¡¯re Faking It! These videos are all fake!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°What¡¯s so hard to understand?¡±? Mr. Arif, actually, I have all the interview videos of Mr. Kevin¡¯s fifth, eleventh, and fourth year ssmates. So no matter who Mr. Keven chooses, I can immediately show you the relevant interview videos.¡±

    ¡°All I need is a search function.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and smiled at him in a rxed manner.

    Arif, the Indianwyer, stared at Gu Nianzhi with his mouth agape. There was only one thought in his mind: How could this be possible? !

    Indeed, this woman¡¯s fame had spread far and wide at such a young age. She really wasn¡¯t just being hyped up..

    The Indianwyer was speechless. Lu Anpeng was silent again. The whitewyer sitting on the right, Paul Creedon, spoke in Chinese with a Southern American ent.

    ¡°But even if your interview video is real, what does it mean?¡±Paul said carefully. His Chinese wasn¡¯t as fluent as Arif and Lu Anpeng¡¯s, but he didn¡¯t use the wrong grammar or rhetoric, it was just that his pronunciation had a southern American ent, like a bullet that could not be bent.

    ¡°These five people have confirmed that my client is their ssmate. Doesn¡¯t this prove that his identity is unquestionable?¡±

    ¡°He is Keven Laris, the Cultural Counsellor of the Huaxia Empire appointed by our President and Secretary of State, so he enjoys unquestionable diplomatic immunity.¡±

    ¡°This is a false usation. He should never have stood here to be tried.¡±

    ¡°I urge the Huaxia Court Martial to immediately withdraw the case andpensate my client for all his losses, including, but not limited to, his legal fees.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scoffed and shook her head. ¡°As expected,wyer Paul is most concerned about the issue of his legal fees. This is the right direction. I agree with you.¡±

    Paul was in his sixties. Naturally, he would not be angered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s innuendo.

    He bowed slightly and said, ¡°Legal fees are already quite an expense for my client.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, he said sympathetically, ¡°That¡¯s true. You¡¯re all famous criminal trialwyers in the United States. Each of you has a very high appearance fee. ¡°So many people gathered together and stayed in Huaxia for more than two months. The umted fees are already sky-high.¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, came back to his senses and immediately said, ¡°Thank you,wyer Gu, for settling the score for us. But at this time, shouldn¡¯t we discuss how to dismiss the case andpensate my client?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s light gaze swept across the room. She tapped her fingers lightly, and the video on theputer changed. What appeared now was no longer an interview with Keven, but Keven¡¯s executive resume from Carlyle, it was a verification of Keven¡¯s identity when he had filed the case with the imperial capital¡¯s high-level court martial.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice suddenly became serious, she said, ¡°Everyone, please take a look. The person involved in this case, Keven Laris, has always been of Chinese descent in China! This includes, but is not limited to, his passport, driver¡¯s license, and credit card application!¡±

    ¡°The important thing must be said three times: Chinese descent! Chinese descent! Chinese descent!¡±

    She then switched to the video and said, ¡°However, ording to the resume of the Cultural Counsellor appointment letter, the five students who were selected by Keven just now all said that he was Japanese! Japanese! Japanese!¡±

    ¡°How can you prove that the Japanese Keven in the Cultural Counsellor appointment letter is the Chinese Keven in this case? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update of the day: Chapter 2107, ¡°Please enter the urn (2)¡±.

    The second update of the day.

    PS: When you vote for the golden keyboard vote, you can directly enter through the ¡°Year-end ceremony¡±in the middle of the APP bookshelf, where you can see the voting ce.

    As long as there are my books in the bookshelf, after entering the ¡°Year-end ceremony¡±, my name will appear in the middle of the page ¡°Authors you may know¡±. I am now about 40, below is the title of ¡°Hello, Major General,¡±the title of the book.

    Please be careful! ! !

    Everyone vote not to be wrong!

    PS again: thanks to ¡°The journey of life is only reading makes people happy,¡±the president of the 10,000 starting point coin tip yesterday.

    Mwah, Big Brothers and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2108

    <h4>Chapter 2108: Chapter 2108, inviting the king into the trap (3)(the first request is for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    After Gu Nianzhi said this, the big screen immediately showed the ID card that Keven had filled in when he entered the country. There was even a copy of his application form when he applied for a passport in the United States!

    The American passport did not have the option of race, but it did have the option of race on the passport application. However, this option could be filled in but not filled in. It was not a mandatory option.

    However, for some reason, keven had filled in the ¡°Chinese¡±option on these applications.

    In fact, to Americans, Chinese and Japanese were all Asian. If they were asked to distinguish between Chinese and Japanese, it would be the same as if they were asked to distinguish between white Americans and White Europeans. It was difficult to see the difference in appearance.

    The Huaxia Empire had a stronger sense of international presence in recent years. Therefore, many Americans would assume that an East Asian was Chinese when they saw him or her.

    In previous years, all Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and even people from Southeast Asian countries were uniformly referred to as Asian in the United States, and government documents were not as detailed.

    As the Asianmunity developed, the smart, capable, and hard-working Asians became more and more prominent in American society, and their economic conditions became better and better. Just when they were about to unite and have their own political aspirations, the white people became anxious, the white people became anxious, and their political elites quickly came up with a very insidious way.

    It was the Asian subdivision principle.

    The Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Korean, and Southeast Asian people, who were previously unified as Asians, were ressified and linked to various social resources.

    In this way, within the Asianmunity, in order topete for limited social resources, it was inevitable that there would be internal strife and chaos, killing the possibility that the Asianmunity could unite and be a political force in the United States.

    Therefore, in the application documents of the United States government, the Asians of the past were divided into a number of detailed racial divisions.

    Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and people born in Southeast Asia were all divided into very detailed divisions.

    They even became part of the identification documents.

    The members of Keven¡¯s American legal team were very familiar with this period of history, so when they saw Gu Nianzhi typing out this application document, they could not help but revealplicated expressions on their faces.

    Did this count as shooting yourself in the foot? !

    They had carefully prepared so much evidence that even the president and secretary of State¡¯s lines had been cleared, but they had fallen for a small racial divide!

    In the government application document, a person only had one racial attribute. Even if you were a chinese-japanese hybrid, you still had your own racial attribute in the United States, and that was called a hybrid.

    If Kevin had admitted that he was a hybrid, he would not have said that he was ¡°Chinese¡±when he applied for his passport.

    However, ording to the information from his school, he was Japanese, not Chinese.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s expression changed, and he immediately stood up and said, ¡°Objection! The prosecutionwyer used illegal means to obtain my client¡¯s identity documents. On behalf of my client, I request that the court not use this illegally obtained information!¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Barrister Lu, why do you think my information is illegal? Can¡¯t I legally obtain this information?¡±

    Lu Anpeng was stunned. He quickly reacted and said, ¡°The court hearing was announced today, but barrister Gu¡¯s information has been prepared for at least two months.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t sure, nor did she deny it. She said meaningfully,¡±... likewise.¡±

    Everyone knew that she was talking about Keven¡¯s identity as a diplomat.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯swyers andw enforcement officers weren¡¯t idle when they thought they were stalling for time..

    It was hard to exin what Keven¡¯s American team ofwyers felt.

    The important evidence that Gu Nianzhi had brought out today was, of course, based on the information that Huo Shaoheng had provided. She then used legal means to conduct a second round of gathering.

    More than two months ago, Huo Shaoheng had asked his field agents to investigate Keven¡¯s origins abroad and had discovered some very interesting phenomena.

    For example, his race. Of course, there were also other problems.

    Gu Nianzhi had not brought them up yet.

    To be able to obtain information from the court, they had to go through a clear path. There was legal proof, and it was not the original information that Huo Shaoheng had gathered.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly typed out the information she had provided to the United States government as awyer.

    Lu Anpeng looked as if he had been punched in the face. He asked in surprise,¡±... how can the United States government provide you with information that involves the privacy of citizens? ! This is illegal!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow, she said casually, ¡°How did you get Keven¡¯s identity as a diplomat? I got these identity document application documents the same way. If I¡¯m illegal, you¡¯re also illegal. What do you think? In order to bring me down, why don¡¯t you first admit that you illegally obtained the identity of a diplomat for your client, and I¡¯ll admit that I illegally obtained the evidence from the trial.¡±

    Before Lu Anpeng could say anything, the Indianwyer immediately jumped up and said loudly, ¡°Objection! Our diplomatic qualifications were obtained legally, but your application documents were obtained illegally. It¡¯s not the same thing at all!¡±

    He looked in the direction of the trial bench, he continued to say passionately, ¡°Your honor, the prosecutionwyer has admitted in court that her information was obtained illegally! ¡°On behalf of my client, I strongly demand that the prosecution¡¯swyer be severely punished for illegally obtaining my client¡¯s privacy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°Which of your ears heard me say that my information was obtained illegally? ! is your hearing impaired, or is there a problem with your IQ?¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, was most proud of his IQ. Hearing Gu Nianzhi belittle his IQ like this, he instantly flew into a rage, he almost raised his fist and said, ¡°Counselor, don¡¯t go too far! My Chinese is above level six! And my IQ has always been very stable. Thank you for your praise!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling and quickly tapped on theputer, typing out theplete information chain of information she had obtained from the United States government.

    Without looking up, she said, ¡°This is my New York State Lawyer¡¯s license. ¡°As an Americanwyer, I requested for legal aid from the New York representative of the United States Senate, Mr. Haute. I hope that he can endorse me and ask the American Immigration Agency for the original information that Kevin filled out when he applied for an American passport

    ¡°You are all famouswyers in the United States. You know better than I do the oversight function of the United States Senator over the government

    ¡°As long as it is a request from a senator, the government can not reject it unless the information involves national security secrets.¡±

    ¡°In the information provided by the United States Immigration Agency, Kevin is only an ordinary citizen and does not involve any national security secrets. Therefore, the United States Immigration Agency sent Kevin¡¯s application information to Representative Keven.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Keven shared this information with me. I have Mr. Keven¡¯s signed letter here. Do you want to see it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at the mouse and looked coldly at Arif, the Indianwyer. ¡°Arif, the method I used to obtain this information is more legal than the method you used to get Keven¡¯s diplomatic status.¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, was anxious. He scratched his ears and cheeks for a long time before saying,¡±... But you¡¯re a Huaxiawyer. Where did you get the qualifications to practicew in the United States? !¡±

    ¡°Two years ago, I followed my mentor, professor he zhichu, to the United States Congress to practice for half a year.¡±Gu Nianzhi tossed he zhichu out without batting an eyelid.

    He Zhichu had only stayed in this world for four years, but he had already made a name for himself in the American legal world.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mention of he zhichu made even Arif, the Indianwyer, feel stuck.

    He was stunned for a moment before he remembered that Gu Nianzhi was the proud student of the American legal legend, he zhichu.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of he zhichu and her voice softened. She smiled and said, ¡°Back then, when my mentor forced me to be awyer for the state of New York, I was quite reluctant. I didn¡¯t expect that he would be able to help me today.¡±

    She looked at the crowd and said proudly, ¡°My mentor, professor he zhichu, is a very good professor. He¡¯s the kind of hardcore professor who would personally lead mercenaries to rescue you andplete your thesis even if you were captured by terrorists!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2108, ¡°Please Step into the trap (3) .¡±.

    Today is Monday again, remind your rtives of the rmendation tickets, Monday¡¯s rmendation tickets are particrly important Oh!

    Today¡¯s two updates.

    The second update at 9 pm.

    PS: After this week, I began to take a vacation, I intend to save the manuscript at home, to try to be able to update more next month, the reward has been returned to the update.

    Kiss you big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2109

    <h4>Chapter 2109: Chapter 2109 inviting him into the trap (4)(2nd update)</h4>

    He Zhichu¡¯s name was an unsurpassable existence in the eyes of the Americanwyers that Keven had hired.

    He had never actually gone to court to fight criminal cases, but he had done consulting for otherwyers on criminal cases. His ideas were all urate, and he was an existence that could turn the tables.

    The cases he personally handled were all rted to business mergers.

    The case that made him famous was a war of words in Congress. He helped clear the obstacles in the merger of tworge mobilepanies.

    When an Americanpany reached a certain size, whether it was a merger or a split, it could not be decided by itself. It needed the approval of Congress.

    Otherwise, a big ¡°Antitrustbel would be put on it. Those who wanted to merge would be ruined. Those who did not want to merge would be split. They would be taught what the Iron Fist of capitalism was in no time.

    Therefore, thewyers who worked on business cases in the United States were all elites among elites.

    This was because such arge-scale business merger needed to convince hundreds of high-ranking and powerful senators who represented the interests of all parties in the entire Congress. It was not the same as a criminal case, where it was enough to convince the judges and juries in court, the difficulty and intensity of the work were not something that ordinary people could imagine.

    In an instant, these people all had looks of yearning on their faces.

    Gu Nianzhi was very happy when she saw this. Her eyes swept across the room and she said, ¡°So the information I have is reasonable and legal. The defendant¡¯swyer¡¯s request is unreasonable. I hope the court can rescind it.¡±

    The judge at the trial table discussed with the clerk and agreed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request. He said, ¡°We agree to rescind it. Defendant¡¯swyer, please be careful with your evidence and don¡¯t waste everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, was red in the face and sat down embarrassedly. He even red at Lu Anpeng, who was next to him.

    He was the one who had refuted first, but he was the one who had been reprimanded.

    Arif, the Indianwyer, was not convinced.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded at the judge and thanked him. ¡°Thank you, your honor.¡±

    She turned to look at the defendant¡¯s bench and continued, ¡°Because we discovered the contradiction in the racial identity of the defendant, Keven, our team conducted a further investigation.¡±

    ¡°The results showed that Keven¡¯s identity had been filled in as Japanese from the time he was born to the time he graduated from university. However, when he applied for a passport toe to China a year ago, he chose the ethnic identity of ¡®Chinese.''¡±

    ¡°When he came to our country, he had always been operating as a Chinese, and he quickly got along with everyone. No one suspected that he wasn¡¯t Chinese.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked to Keven¡¯s dock and knocked on the table, keven smiled and asked, ¡°Mr. Keven, can you exin to everyone why you suddenly changed your ethnic identity beforeing to China? Are you trying to cover something up?¡±

    Keven raised his head and stared at Gu Nianzhi for a while before calmly saying, ¡°No, my father is Japanese, and my mother is Chinese, so it doesn¡¯t matter what I choose.¡±

    ¡°Your father is Japanese?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°But yourst name, Laris, doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s Japanese.¡±

    Laris was an American family name.

    Keven sneered and said sarcastically, ¡°Lawyer Gu, you don¡¯t look like much. Didn¡¯t you say you investigated me? How could you not know that my father was actually a Japanese orphan adopted by an American, Laris?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, of course I know this, but why would I tell you?

    She put on an expression of surprise and said, ¡°Then this American, Laris, should be your grandfather... how could you use such a casual tone to talk about him? TSK TSK, how unfilial.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not object to directly addressing her elders by their names, but she had to speak in a respectful tone, otherwise it would be very rude.

    Keven pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m answering your question. What do you mean by tone? Are you out of tricks?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Everyone knows when they¡¯re out of tricks. Mr. Keven, your Chinese is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°As a japanese-american who was born and raised in the United States, you can still speak Chinese with a broadcasting ent. Your Chinese teacher must have some background.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rested one elbow on the dock, as if she was tired of standing and was looking for support. She then asked, ¡°Mr. Keven, do you remember who your Chinese teacher was?¡±

    Keven crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. He said indifferently, ¡°Does this question have anything to do with this case? Can I refuse to answer it?¡±

    ¡°No. This question is closely rted to the case.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at him without batting an eyelid. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll Have Another reason to suspect that your identity is fake.¡±

    Even so, Keven did not directly answer Gu Nianzhi¡¯s question.

    He nced at Lu Anpeng. Lu Anpeng understood what he meant and immediately asked the judge for a ten-minute recess.

    The judge agreed to his suggestion and let them go down to discuss countermeasures.

    In the small meeting room next to the court, Kevin and Lu Anpeng asked, ¡°Can I answer this question?¡±

    Lu anpeng frowned and said, ¡°I can¡¯t see how important this question is. Why Can¡¯t I answer it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just asking you for advice.¡±Kevin was also unhappy. ¡°You can¡¯t give professional guidance, and you still want to ask me back? Is this how you do things?¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s face turned red and white from Keven¡¯s words. Finally, he said, ¡°Then who are your Chinese teachers? Are they very good?¡±

    Keven:¡±...¡±

    He said unhappily, ¡°You¡¯ve also been led astray by Gu Nianzhi? I really can¡¯t figure out what this question has to do with this case. is she really not wasting time, or rather, stalling for time?¡±

    ¡°Once the trial starts, time is out of her control.¡±The Indianwyer, Arif, tried to exin to Keven, ¡°As long as your Chinese teacher has no problems, just say it and see what tricks she cane up with.¡±

    Lu Anpeng was more cautious and careful. He thought about it and asked, ¡°Then who are your Chinese teachers? Tell us and we¡¯ll do a quick background check first.¡±

    Keven could only say, ¡°I¡¯ve only had one private Chinese teacher since I was young, and that was du Yueming. She taught me Chinese for ten years, from the age of five to fifteen.¡±

    ¡°Du Yueming?¡±Lu Anpeng frowned even more. ¡°She sounds a little familiar.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s very powerful. Now she owns a veryrge Chinesenguage training center in the United States. She no longer teaches private Chinese.¡±Keven introduced du Yueming¡¯s background information to him, ¡°Before she went to the United States, she worked as a host for the evening news program on Huaxia¡¯s national television station. Her Chinese is very standard.¡±

    Lu Anpeng finally understood and breathed a sigh of relief. He said, ¡°No wonder Gu Nianzhi said your Chinese is a broadcasting ent. It¡¯s indeed extraordinary. So your Chinese is taught by such a good person one-on-one.¡±

    Keven smiled. He looked at his watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Back in the courtroom, Gu Nianzhi was still unforgiving. She pressed Keven on who his Chinese teacher was.

    Keven said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s Miss du Yueming. She taught me Chinese from the age of five until the age of fifteen. I learned Chinese from her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and thought for a moment. ¡°Du Yueming? Is she the du Yueming I think she is? She was once a well-known evening news host at the Huaxia national television station? That du Yueming?¡±

    Keven still crossed his arms and nodded nonchntly, he said meaningfully, ¡°That¡¯s her. But she left the Huaxia national television station many years ago and went abroad. I didn¡¯t expect barrister Gu to know about this person at such a young age. She¡¯s really not simple...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled cheekily. ¡°You tter me, you tter me. This person is just too famous. Even now, there are many posts on the inte that reminisce about her.¡±

    As an inte child, how could Gu Nianzhi not know this person?

    Even though she had already left the country and settled down in another country.

    ¡°Really? That means she has a good business. That¡¯s why I can speak Chinese with a broadcasting ent,¡±Keven said sarcastically.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her intiff¡¯s seat and pulled up du Yueming¡¯s profile and projected it onto the big screen, pointing at du Yueming¡¯s handsome profile photo, she said, ¡°This is the most famous evening news presenter of the Huaxia national television station back then. She had already made a name for herself when she went abroad.¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi changed the subject and looked at Keven. ¡°Du Yueming teaches Chinese overseas, so her worth is very high. With her status, she was able to teachrge sses for hundreds of people. Twenty years ago, it was 5,000 US dors per ss.¡±

    ¡°If you want to hire her as a private tutor, as far as I know, the price is only higher than 5,000 US dors a ss.¡±

    ¡°But Mr. Keven, your family¡¯s annual ie was less than 50,000 US dors when you were young. May I ask how your parents were able to pay at least 5,000 US dors for a ss and hire the famous du Yueming as your private tutor?¡±

    Keven was stunned. He opened his mouth, but found that his reasons were all for naught.

    Gu Nianzhi did not allow him to speak, she continued, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me du Yueming is teaching you Chinese for free. Why would he do such a thing for free? Your father had not made a name for himself back then, and his family was not considered rich or powerful. Why would he teach you Chinese for free?¡±

    Lu Anpeng rubbed his temples. He knew that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s every question was a trap, but what was infuriating was that the way she asked her questions was so unconventional that it was impossible to guard against.

    It was exhausting to fight her in court.

    Keven was still trying toe up with a reasonable excuse, but Gu Nianzhi had already thrown out du Yueming¡¯s bill, she said, ¡°Everyone, please take a look. This is du Yueming¡¯s bank statement from back then. It is clearly shown that du Yueming would deposit four checks into his bank ount every week. Each check is $5,000. The person who signed the checks was John Laris.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this John Laris is Kevin¡¯s father, John Laris.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Kevin, Tell Me, your father¡¯s annual sry was less than $50,000 twenty years ago. How did he pay the price of $20,000 a week to hire such an expensive Chinese private tutor for You When You Were Young?¡±? Where did this moneye from?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the day: Chapter 2109, ¡°Please Step into the trap (4)¡±.

    Today was Monday again. To remind the rtives of the rmendation tickets, the rmendation tickets on Monday were especially important!

    It was the second watch of the day.

    Mwah, big and small angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2110 - inviting the man into the trap (5)(first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2110: Chapter 2110 inviting the man into the trap (5)(first update)</h4>

    Keven¡¯s hands gradually tightened. His palms were sweating, and his expression was barely normal.

    He looked coldly at Gu Nianzhi, wondering how long this woman had been investigating him for? How could she have found out about something that happened so long ago..

    Had she really found out about it in the past two months?

    If she did, then her team¡¯s ability to move was simply too amazing.

    Keven nced at his team ofwyers, who he had hired from the United States with a hefty sum of money, and a hint of hostility shed across his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with a smile on her face. She had no intention of stopping at all, she continued to beat up Keven. ¡°Mr. Keven, can you exin? Your mother had always been a housewife and had never worked before. ¡°Your father had a meager annual sry more than 20 years ago. How did he manage to pay for private tutoring in Chinese that exceeded his ie level?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t figure it out. Mr. Keven, aren¡¯t you going to exin it to us?¡±

    Keven retracted his gaze and snorted. ¡°Lawyer Gu is knowledgeable. Don¡¯t you know that there are people who live without a sry?¡±

    He snorted and said, ¡°Oh, I forgot. Youe from an average family. How would you know how a rich person lives?¡±

    He raised his head, he said lightly, ¡°Back then, Prince Charles¡¯Princess Diana was only a kindergarten teacher. How did she marry into the royal family and be the Crown Prince¡¯s Princess? I¡¯m sure barrister Gu is also puzzled, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Back then, Princess Diana said she was a kindergarten teacher. How did she marry the Crown Prince of Ennd and be his Princess?¡±Gu Nianzhi actually started gossiping excitedly.

    Dacquer¡¯s eyes were unusually bright, as if she was about to turn into a star-chasing girl.

    The corners of Keven¡¯s eyes twitched uncontrobly. He started to feel that something was wrong, but he had no choice but to shoot the arrow.

    If he was not careful, even his status as a diplomat as a ¡°Cultural counselor¡±would not be able to save him..

    Lu Anpeng also felt that something was wrong. He raised his voice to stop Keven from speaking, he said, ¡°Barrister Gu, Princess Diana herself was actually born into the Spencer family, one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Ennd. This family has a tradition of being married to the royal family.¡±

    ¡°As for the kindergarten teacher, it¡¯s just a part-time job for her to pass the time. It¡¯s just like how rich people like to do charity work. No one thinks that they live on that little bit of money.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with interest and said exaggeratedly, ¡°I see... I really don¡¯t know! Barrister Lu, you know so much!¡±

    Lu Anpeng:¡±...¡±

    His migraine was about to start.

    Keven looked at Gu Nianzhi with disdain and said, ¡°Now you know why my family can hire such an expensive Chinese private tutor for me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I still don¡¯t understand. Can you exin more clearly?¡±

    Keven frowned and didn¡¯t want to speak.

    Arif, the Indianwyer, immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s a very simple analogy. Princess Diana didn¡¯t join the royal family because she was a kindergarten teacher, and my client didn¡¯t rely on his father¡¯s annual sry to hire a private tutor.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then what did he rely on?¡±Gu Nianzhi continued to ask with a smile, her tone gentle and her attitude amiable.

    Arif blurted out, ¡°Of course he relied on his family¡¯s wealth. This is the so-called ¡®old money¡¯, old money, the Blue Blood family. It¡¯s much higher than you upstarts!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed lightly. ¡°So, Mr. Arif is saying that the defendant, Kevin¡¯s father, Laris, was born into an old family?¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡±Arif, the indian-bornwyer, nodded and asked Kevin,¡±... right?¡±

    Kevin rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course. Is there another exnation? My father and mother¡¯s family have a trust fund. Their annual dividends are millions of dors. Why would they care about an annual sry of 50,000 dors?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was waiting for him to mention the trust fund.

    She quickly walked back to her intiff¡¯s seat, turned on herputer, and pulled out a series of documents. She put them on the big screen again and pointed at them with aser pointer. ¡°Is this the structure of the Laris and Li Family¡¯s trust fund?¡±

    Keven¡¯s pupils contracted imperceptibly, and his face instantly darkened.

    He said coldly, ¡°You tricked me! You clearly know where my family¡¯s money came from, yet you still ask the obvious!¡±

    Lu Anpeng immediately stood up and said, ¡°Objection! My client¡¯s family¡¯s property has nothing to do with this case. Please, counsel, Stop Rambling and wasting everyone¡¯s Time!¡±

    The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi with some difficulty and said, ¡°Barrister gu, if this issue is no longer a problem, we can move on to the next issue.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi obviously did not agree. She put away her smile and said seriously, ¡°Your honor, Kevin¡¯s parents¡¯family fortune is closely rted to this case. I will prove it very soon.¡±

    The judge raised his eyebrows in surprise. He really did not see how it was rted.

    However, seeing that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words were conclusive, and that her previous experience had proved that she would not speak nonsense, the judge acquiesced to her request.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately pulled out more evidence from herptop and pointed them out one by one.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. This is the situation of the Laris family 100 years ago. They are the typical poor people from the north of the United States who have been working part-time to make a living.¡±

    ¡°50 years ago, a young man from the Laris family went to Japan and stayed there for a few years. When he returned, he brought back a Japanese boy who was adopted. He was the biological father of the person involved in this case, Keven.¡±

    ¡°After this young man returned to the United States, he suddenly had some money and started a futures business in New York

    ¡°After so many years of doing business, he actually didn¡¯t earn much money. However, the trust fund he set up for his adopted Japanese son, Laris, had a fixed amount of money deposited into it every year

    ¡°This fixed amount of money was huge. On the surface, it looked like it was transferred from South America and Brazil. It was said that the money was earned by that young man while he was doing business in Brazil

    ¡°But in fact, if you follow the route of these international capital transfers, no matter how many twists and turns it takes, you¡¯ll find that all these remittances actually came from the same organization.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pressed theputer, and a special sign appeared on the big screen: A Red Sun rose over a blue sea.

    ¡°See? This is where all his funds came from. They all came from the same ount, the Tokyo Secret Service¡¯s remittance ount!¡±

    ¡°Do you know what the Tokyo Secret Service Is?¡±Gu Nianzhi tapped on the big screen with aser pointer, as if she was about to hit a chalkboard.

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s face was livid, and his body trembled uneasily.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression became even more solemn, and she said coldly, ¡°The Tokyo Secret Service is Japan¡¯s intelligence agency.¡±

    ¡°How can a family supported by the Japanese intelligence agency have the face to pretend to be noble in front of us? !¡±

    ¡°Old money, Blue Blood... do you know that the so-called ¡®old money¡¯is the dirtiest and bloodiest thing? ¡°Because it¡¯s all money earned during the initial stage of capital umtion. It¡¯s really blood and dirty stuff from head to toe!¡±

    Lu Anpeng started to panic and couldn¡¯t help standing up to interrupt gu nianzhi. ¡°Objection! The prosecution¡¯s usations are groundless! They can not be used as evidence in court!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pped the intiff¡¯s seat and said sternly, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to judge the authenticity of my evidence! I¡¯ve already sent it to the U.S. senator, so they will naturally judge whether it¡¯s true or false!¡±

    ¡°Your president has enough trouble dealing with Russia. How about another Tongsun Gate?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if he¡¯s still willing to appoint a Japanese spy as a diplomat for the United States government!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2110, ¡°Please Step into the trap (5) .¡±.

    The second watch of the day.

    The second watch of the night at 9:00 pm.

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting points that the president of Our Love Hall gave us yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2111 - dilemma (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2111: Chapter 2111 dilemma (second update)</h4>

    There was another minute of silence in and out of the courtroom, and then there was an uproar again.

    This kind of situation seemed to be the norm in the courtroom with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s participation.

    It was as if they were on a roller coaster ride, and everyone was intoxicated, unable to pull themselves out of it.

    Outside the courtroom, the official blog of the American Embassy in China hinted that they were using the threat of war to ask China to ¡°Release¡±¡±Cultural counselor Keven.¡±Under the Weibo Post, it had already be arge-scale rollercoaster scene.

    [666! The American president and Secretary of State appointed a Japanese spy as an American diplomat, and then came to China to demand diplomatic immunity! ].

    [ such a slutty operation, it is definitely the most slutty. It has reached the top of the rankings and debuted at the C spot! ].

    [ the American legal team is amazing. They defended a Japanese spy so energetically, and even gave him the position of an American diplomat. Are they stupid? ! ].

    [ the drawing above is ruined! ]! How could money be called childish? Anyway, they could earn money from the Japanese. No matter who they were, even if they were traitors who sold the United States, these people would not hesitate to take the case. As long as the money was enough, nothing would be a problem! ].

    [ exactly! The Americanwyer said: What is a country? Can it be eaten? Can it be paid? If it can¡¯t be paid, why are you blindlypeting? ! ].

    [ I¡¯m just asking the blogger if your face hurts! ].

    [ there¡¯s a serious logic problem with what you just said. The blogger has no face at all, so how can it hurt? ].

    [ I just want to know, blogger, do you still use war to threaten our country to release your country¡¯s ¡®diplomat¡¯? ].

    [ your country¡¯s pill! Your country refers to the United States. Dog¡¯s head protects its life. JPG ].

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi beamed as she watched Kevin¡¯s expression change from calm and indifferent to uncontroble distortion.

    She raised her hand to look at her watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s 10:00 a.m. in China time and 11:00 p.m. in the United States. If we wait a little longer, the emergency meeting of the United States Congress shoulde to a conclusion.¡±

    Beads of sweat appeared on Lu Anpeng¡¯s forehead. He took out a tissue to wipe the sweat off his forehead, he said stubbornly, regardless of whether the congress was in session or not, my client was a diplomat at the time of the crime! He should have diplomatic immunity

    Gu Nianzhi stared at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and said calmly, ¡°Is the defensewyer trying to twist the facts to the end?¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, quickly added, ¡°Even if the Congress removed my client¡¯s diplomatic status, it was only today. My client was already a legal diplomat two months ago!¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to pick words with me?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your appointment letter can be dated back, but why can¡¯t they be dated back? Mr. Arif, where¡¯s your logic?¡±

    She put down her arms and continued to mock, ¡°Actually, you might as well defend yourself ording to the ¡®Mental Illness¡¯n that was first drawn up. Why do you have to go through all this trouble just to get a diplomatic position?¡±

    Keven:¡±...¡±

    Lu Anpeng:¡±...¡±

    The American legal team:¡±...¡±

    They red at Gu Nianzhi, almost gnashing their teeth in anger.

    Now they finally understood why Gu Nianzhi had deliberately taken out a few student rosters with her name and photo to point out to Keven in the first ce!

    It was like killing two birds with one stone, and inviting him into the trap!

    To them, even one step forward would kill them, and even if they retreated, it would also kill them!

    That one move hadpletely messed up the possibility of their bottom line, ¡°Mental illness.¡±.

    At the beginning, Keven¡¯s sluggish state could still be considered ¡°Mental illness.¡±Later on, his image as an elegant young master was so good that even a blind person would not recognize him as mentally ill..

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she observed the crowd. Just as she was about to continue speaking, someone pushed the door open and said to the judge, ¡°Your Honor, the prosecution has received new evidence. They hope to present it immediately.¡±

    The person who hade was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s right-hand woman, Rong Mingxing.

    Her eyes lit up and she immediately asked, ¡°Has the United States Senatee to a decision?¡±

    Rong mingxing nodded and said happily, ¡°The United States House of Representatives has just voted, with 400 votes in favor and 35 abstentions. They have passed the resolution that the President and Secretary of State have invalidated Keven¡¯s appointment as Cultural Counsellor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and said to Arif, the Indianwyer, ¡°Did you hear that? They are not revoking your client¡¯s diplomatic status. They are voting directly and saying that the letter of appointment is invalid.¡±

    ¡°Since the letter of appointment is invalid, it won¡¯t take effect on December 23rd ofst year, and it can¡¯t take effect either.¡±. ¡°Defendant Keven, you¡¯d better be honest with me. Why did Japan¡¯s special high tech order you toe to China to kidnap our high-energy physicist?¡±

    Keven¡¯s face was pale as he sat in the dock like a bamboo pole that was about to be bent by the snow. Even his lips had lost their color.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the news report that Rong Mingxing had sent her and continued, ¡°Keven¡¯s parents have been arrested by the CIA in New York. Their home is a Japanese special high tech stronghold in the United States.¡±

    Lu Anpeng opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t know what to say.

    He was still a little confused.

    This was obviously a legal issue. How did it end up being rted to a political issue?

    Keven¡¯s gaze gradually turned sinister. He stared at Gu Nianzhi like a poisonous snake.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue, he continued, ¡°Your n was not only to kidnap our country¡¯s high-energy physicist, but also to use a honey trap to infiltrate our country¡¯s high-ranking generals. However, we saw through it and yed along. Only then could we arrest you and bring you to justice.¡±

    ¡°Keven, who is your superior and who is your subordinate? Aren¡¯t you going to confess?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone was gentle and natural, like a little girl next door chatting idly.

    She continued, ¡°Our policy is to be lenient if you confess, and strict if you resist. It¡¯s better to confess on your own than to be confessed by others.¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, snorted and said, ¡°I also know that there¡¯s a saying in Huaxia, ¡®leniency if you confess, you¡¯ll go to jail for a long time. Leniency if you resist, you¡¯ll go home for the New Year.''¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered and said sarcastically, ¡°Mr. Arif, you know too much! But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re still very lenient towards our international friends.¡±

    Keven¡¯s face was still expressionless and he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think that she would be able to pry any secrets out of the courtroom, she turned to look at the summing-up in the courtroom. ¡°Your honor, the defendant, Keven, kidnapped and premeditated the murder of our country¡¯s high-energy physicist, Song Jinning, on the night of December 24thst year. The evidence is conclusive.¡±

    ¡°I hope the court can deal with this with a heavier sentence!¡±

    The judge looked at Gu Nianzhi, who had won andslide victory. He nodded solemnly and said, ¡°The court will adjourn for five minutes. The verdict will be announced after the court deliberates.¡±

    As he spoke, he knocked on the gavel and got up to leave the court.

    The court was suddenly in chaos. Many people came over to congratte Gu Nianzhi, but they could not get close to her because Gu Nianzhi¡¯s team had already protected her tightly.

    The Senate wasn¡¯t the team she was leading today. It was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s security team.

    Keven¡¯s side was much more chaotic. Many people also crowded over to watch the show. The news agency all reached out their microphones to interview Keven¡¯s team ofwyers.

    Keven¡¯s team ofwyers protected him as they rushed out. They were going to the small conference room next door to discuss countermeasures and prepare to appeal.

    At this time, someone suddenly rushed over and squeezed through the crowd. he shouted, ¡°You heartless bastard! How dare you harm my mentor¡¯s life! I¡¯ll fight it out with you!¡±

    As he spoke, he raised his arm and gave Keven¡¯s right cheek a hard p.

    His right cheek was burning with pain, but Keven felt that his left cheek was also pricked by a needle. Immediately, the left side of his face became numb.

    Soon, this numbness spread throughout his entire body. He could not even lift his legs. It was difficult for him to move. If he moved again, his entire body would fall straight to the ground with a thud.

    The people surrounding Keven immediately retreated in all directions. No one dared to touch him, afraid that they would be scammed.

    The person who had pped Keven stood there in a daze. He looked at his own hand and said,¡±... Why am I so strong?¡±

    The court bailiff immediately pushed the crowd away and walked over. He called the ambnce and called the judge.

    Lu Jin saw this and immediately squeezed over from the corner. He gave Gu Nianzhi a look and asked her with his mouth whether he wanted him to take a look.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly shook her head at him.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the day: Chapter 2111, the dilemma.

    It was the second watch of the day.

    PS: If You¡¯re happy, you can vote for more golden keyboard support votes and rmendation votes. You Can Save the monthly votes for double voting at the end of the month.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2112 - you can talk nonsense if you have a big face (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2112: Chapter 2112: you can talk nonsense if you have a big face (first update)</h4>

    The team around Gu Nianzhi was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men. Seeing this, they immediately stood up and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already called the police. Please close the doors to the court. No one is allowed to enter or exit until the ambnce and the police arrive.¡±

    The court, which had been in an uproar just a moment ago, immediately quieted down.

    No one had expected that after the trial was over, something like this would happen again.

    The judges and clerks who had already left outside knew that something had happened inside the court. They were also invited by the bailiffs to the other office to wait for the police toe and inspect the scene.

    The man who had rushed up and pped Keven was still looking at his hand in panic.

    A few men and women walked up to him and started talking about him. ¡°Senior, why are you so impulsive? !¡±

    ¡°Yeah, even if it¡¯s for the sake of our mentor, you can¡¯t hit someone!¡±

    ¡°Thew has already helped us punish this bad guy. Junior, why do you have to put yourself in danger? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pricked up her ears to listen. These people looked familiar to her. They must be song Jinning¡¯s master¡¯s and doctoral students from the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    They must havee to listen on behalf of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    The man who had hit her was short and chubby. His round face was like a bun. It was impossible to tell that he was so strong that he could knock Keven out with a single p.

    Gu Nianzhi TSK TSK TSK tsk. ¡°This is really a case of self-destruction.¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, turned around and red angrily at Gu Nianzhi. he shouted, ¡°It¡¯s illegal to hit people in court! It¡¯s a felony!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed, he waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s in America. In our Huaxia, if there¡¯s any noise or physical conflict in the court, as long as it doesn¡¯t cause any criminal harm, it will be punished ording to thew and order regtions. The fine will be less than 500 yuan, and you¡¯ll be imprisoned for three days.¡±

    Arif, the Indianwyer, was bbergasted. ¡°The... Law and order regtions? ! Are you serious? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and winked at him. ¡°Of course it¡¯s fake. I¡¯m just kidding.¡±

    Arif, the indian-bornwyer, had just breathed a sigh of relief, gu Nianzhi said in all seriousness, ¡°ording to Article 309 of the criminalw of Huaxia, the crime of disrupting the order of the court is to gather a crowd to make a ruckus, charge the court, or beat a judicial staff member. Those who seriously disrupt the order of the court shall be sentenced to not more than three years in prison, criminal detention, control, or a fine. ¡°These are thews and regtions that we deal with this kind of problem.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s Americanwyer immediately pointed at the short and Fat Man who had just beaten up keven and said, ¡°Then arrest him!¡±

    Gu nianzhi spread out her hands. ¡°This is the work of the bailiff. I¡¯m the prosecution¡¯swyer. I can¡¯t interfere in the matters of the court.¡±

    In fact, just as she finished speaking, a bailiff came over and had already taken control of the short and Fat Man who had just beaten up Keven.

    He was so scared that he was out of his mind. He kept saying, ¡°I¡¯m just fighting for my mentor! Do you know who my mentor is? She¡¯s the intiff in this case, song jinning! She¡¯s the victim! I¡¯m fighting for my mentor!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed, she walked over and said, ¡°Brother, can you shut up? You should get awyer to speak for you at a time like this, not spout nonsense on your own. You have to know that you¡¯re in court now. Every word you say will be used as evidence in court. It has legal effect.¡±

    The short and Fat Man quickly shut his mouth, but his eyes were brimming with tears. He was on the verge of tears.

    A girl looked at Gu Nianzhi and suddenly whispered, ¡°Barrister Gu is awyer. Can you help senior brother as a defensewyer?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Barrister Gu, Can you help my senior/junior be a defensewyer?¡±The graduate students were all chattering and looking eagerly at Gu Nianzhi.

    Even the short and fat man looked over and asked hopefully,¡±... can I?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    This was a polite rejection.

    What a joke.

    She wanted to hire her as a defensewyer for such a small case? Did she really think she had nothing better to do?

    The other graduate students had already understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. They were also embarrassed because they also knew that Gu Nianzhi was the chief legal advisor of the Senate. She was usually very busy with her work.

    She was representing Song Jinning because song jinning had the power to hire Gu Nianzhi.

    Song Jinning was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦¡¯s biological mother. Even if she wasn¡¯t, Song Jinning¡¯s status in the scientificmunity in Huaxia and her contributions to the military were not something students like them couldpare to.

    Of course, the difficulty of the case was even greater.

    Theyughed along and began discussing hiring awyer for the short, Fat Man at thew firm outside.

    However, Cai Zhaohe did not give up and bit her lip, she said softly, ¡°Barrister Gu, Can you do it? Senior Brother is doing this for director song. If barrister Gu helps senior brother, he is helping director song. If director song finds out, he will definitely agree.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt that this girl was a little insensitive, but she was not angry.

    In her opinion, people who were focused on learning more or less all had this kind of inability to see people¡¯s expressions, which was not a bad thing. Moreover, her father, Lu Jin, was ¡°Unable to see people¡¯s expressions¡±, so she still just smiled and did not say anything.

    Perhaps her nomittal attitude had caused Cai Zhaohe to misunderstand.

    Cai Zhaohe plucked up his courage and said further, ¡°Ifwyer Gu doesn¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll take it as a promise?¡±

    This was really a look of unrequited love. One more look and he would think that she was the only one he would marry.

    Her ability to talk to herself was also superb.

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to say something. She asked calmly, ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    The girl said softly, ¡°My name is Cai Zhaohe. I used to be professor Lu¡¯s student.¡±As she spoke, she nced at Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin, who was beside her, had long lost his patience. Hearing this, he red at her and said, ¡°What are you looking at? You¡¯ve been fired!¡±

    Cai Zhaohe¡¯s face immediately turned red. Just like the short and Fat Man, she was on the verge of tears.

    Gu Nianzhi could onlyfort her, ¡°Professor Lu likes to tell the truth. Don¡¯t mind him.¡±

    Cai Zhaohe¡¯s words made her feel worse than if she hadn¡¯t said it. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and sobbed, ¡°Lawyer Gu is a good person. My senior brother...¡±

    Gu nianzhi sighed and said, ¡°My fee is very expensive. Are you sure your senior brother is willing to pay for this fee?¡±

    Cai Zhaohe widened her eyes. ¡°You still want to charge me? !¡±

    Her words were crisp and clear, and everyone who was checking on Keven looked over.

    Cai Zhaohe¡¯s eyes were as red as a bunny¡¯s, and she shrunk her neck, she said, ¡°I, I, I... I¡¯m just very surprised... barrister gu is such a good person. He¡¯s just like otherwyers. He¡¯s obsessed with money, and all he talks about is money...¡±

    The American legal team, who were obsessed with money:¡±...¡±

    Was this woman really not mocking them by scolding them?

    Gu Nianzhi frowned, she said, ¡°If there¡¯s a case for your senior brother¡¯s case, there¡¯s no need to hire a professionalwyer. ¡°The Institute of High Energy Physics has its own legal consultant. They can provide free legal aid to the staff and students of the Institute. You can just go to him. ¡°This kind of case is nothing.¡±

    Cai Zhaohe let out a disappointed ¡°OH¡±and gave Gu Nianzhi a deep look.

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He walked over to stand in front of Gu Nianzhi and said to her with a cold face, ¡°Cai Zhaohe, the Institute of High Energy Physics won¡¯t subsidize you in the future.¡±

    Cai Zhaohe immediately clenched her fists and said anxiously, ¡°Why? I already work in the Institute of High Energy Physics¡¯sboratory! I work at least ten hours a day, so why won¡¯t you subsidize me? !¡±

    ¡°How can you be like an ordinary student? You¡¯re so obsessed with money, and all you talk about is money? Isn¡¯t it your duty as a student to do experiments in theboratory? ¡°If I don¡¯t let you pay for your tuition, you¡¯ll beughing secretly, and you want a subsidy? ¡°You¡¯re so noble, so you shouldn¡¯t take a single cent and work for theboratory for free.¡±

    ¡°No! I paid for mybor, so why shouldn¡¯t you give me a reasonable reward? !¡±Cai Zhaohe refused to give up her legal rights and interests.

    Lu Jin pointed at her face and sneered. ¡°You¡¯re like America, so double standard. You Can¡¯t ask for money for other people¡¯s hard work. Otherwise, you¡¯re just looking for money. You¡¯ve worked hard. You Can¡¯t refuse money. Cai Zhaohe, don¡¯t think you can talk nonsense just because you have a big face! ¡ª why? Because the cuticle on your face is thicker than other people¡¯s?¡±

    With just a few words, Lu Jin returned the words that Cai Zhaohe had said to Gu Nianzhi.

    Cai Zhaohe burst into tears and was about to run out of the courtroom.

    However, the door to the courtroom had been tightly shut by the bailiffs.

    She stomped her feet at the door and turned back. Finally, she heard the sound ofplicated footstepsing from outside the door.

    It was the ambnce and the emergency doctor. She also heard the sirens approaching from the window. It sounded like the police had arrived as well.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first watch of the day: Chapter 2112, ¡°When your face is big, you can talk nonsense¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    The second watch is at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    PS:

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2113 - Iâ€™ll be responsible if anything happens (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2113: Chapter 2113: I¡¯ll be responsible if anything happens (second update)</h4>

    ¡°Back off! Back off! Everyone, back off! Let the emergency doctor in!¡±

    The bailiff maintained order at the door while opening the thick oak door of the court.

    A few doctors in white coats and masks carried the first aid kit and pushed a moving stretcher as they rushed in.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the patient?¡±The leading doctor looked at the room full of people and seemed to have a headache.

    A bailiff quickly said, ¡°He¡¯s over here.¡±

    He led the emergency doctor to the side of Keven, who had fainted.

    The Doctor quickly opened the first aid kit and began to give first aid treatment to Keven.

    After a while, he said, ¡°The muscles in his entire body are numb and his breathing is normal. It should be the neurological disorder caused by the severe injury to his brain due to external force. He needs to be sent to the hospital for surgery immediately. Otherwise, it will be very dangerous!¡±

    As he said that, the doctor put on an oxygen mask for Keven. Surrounded by a few bailiffs, he ced Keven on the moving stretcher bed and was about to push him out of the courtroom.

    The short and Fat Man who was detained by the bailiffs cried out in fear, ¡°I only pped him once! How did I severely injure his brain? ! This is impossible!¡±

    The Doctor said without turning his head, ¡°A p can be big or small. ¡°You think it¡¯s just a p to the face, but in fact, the nerves on the face are rich and closely connected to the brain. There are many cases where a p can deafen a child¡¯s ears. It¡¯s even possible that the child has dementia.¡±

    The short and Fat Man¡¯s ssmate originally wanted to speak up for him, but when he heard the doctor¡¯s words, he immediately shut up and did not dare to say anything more.

    The members of Kevin¡¯s American legal team also wanted to follow him out, but they were all stopped by the bailiff.

    After some discussion, only the headwyer, Lu Anpeng, was allowed to follow Keven to the hospital.

    The rest of the people had to wait for the police in the courtroom.

    When they reached the door, Gu Nianzhi felt that something was wrong. She shouted, ¡°Wait!¡±

    The bailiff at the door seemed to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s man. Hearing this, he immediately closed the door of the courtroom again.

    Even the emergency doctor could not get out.

    The leading doctor turned around and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Who are you? ! You¡¯re responsible for dying the patient? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly walked forward and pointed at Keven, who was lying on the stretcher. ¡°Tell me about his condition again, just like what you said just now.¡±

    The Doctor was stunned for a moment and immediately said, ¡°I said that his entire body is paralyzed and his breathing is normal. His brain was severely injured by an external force, and he needs to be sent to the hospital for surgery immediately. Otherwise, it will be very dangerous.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s all. I saw that he couldn¡¯t move, and you said that his whole body is paralyzed. What level of paralysis is that?¡±

    ¡°Do you need me to tell you what level it is? Can¡¯t you see with your own eyes?¡±The leading doctor¡¯s attitude was getting worse and worse. ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry to save someone, can you please get out of the way?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the kind of paralysis that I saw, then how can he be breathing normally?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re a professional doctor, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know that?¡±

    The leading doctor choked.

    He had indeed been a little careless. He had had a few medical idents, which had resulted in him not being promoted even though he was in his fifties. He was still an attending physician, not even an associate chief physician.

    This time, he was treating a big shot. If he did well, there was hope for his associate chief physician title.

    Therefore, his attitude was very firm. He shouted at Gu nianzhi, ¡°Isn¡¯t he being given oxygen? What are you still doing? Get Out of my way!¡±

    ¡°What oxygen is he getting if he can breathe normally?¡±Gu Nianzhi was relentless. ¡°Which hospital are you a medical officer from? Is it a military hospital?¡±

    The leading doctor closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°No, but people¡¯s lives are at stake right now. Can¡¯t you focus on the hospitalter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because people¡¯s lives are at stake that I need to find out who you are.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at the faces of the emergency doctors who were wearing masks. ¡°Tell me, which hospital are you from? who made the call?¡±

    A bailiff in the courtroom gripped his cell phone nervously, he stuttered, ¡°It... It was me who made the call. They¡¯re the nearest private hospital. Their medical skills are not bad, and they have a good reputation here.¡±

    ¡°... Private Hospital?¡±Gu Nianzhi frowned. Because of Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye, Gu Nianzhi had a bad impression of private hospitals.

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t overturn the whole situation, but she was more vignt towards private hospitals.

    Hearing that these emergency doctors were from private hospitals, Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t let them take Keven away. She reached out to the bailiff and said, ¡°Call the military hospital? No one is calling me. Give me your phone.¡±

    The bailiff had been on duty outside, and his phone had been brought in from outside when the ident had happened. No one in the courtroom was allowed to bring their phone in.

    The bailiff¡¯s face turned pale. After stuttering for a while, he handed the phone to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi took it and dialed the emergency number of the capital 3X1 hospital.

    At this moment, Lu Anpeng separated the crowd and came in front of Gu Nianzhi. He said coldly, ¡°Barrister Gu, my client¡¯s life and death are unknown. Can you put aside your bureaucratic airs for now? Otherwise, you won¡¯t be responsible if anything happens.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi returned the phone to the bailiff and said disapprovingly, ¡°Your client¡¯s breathing is normal, so nothing serious will happen to him. Just take it as you¡¯re exhausted and take a nap.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª !¡±No matter how well-mannered Lu Anpeng was, he was still angered by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s casual attitude. He held his chest and took two deep breaths, he said, ¡°His entire body is paralyzed and his brain is injured. This situation can be serious or minor. It¡¯s better to send him to the doctor as soon as possible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi squatted down and carefully checked Keven¡¯s breathing. She looked at his pale face and said, ¡°Let the Doctor see how long he canst.¡±

    She looked up and her clear eyes swept across the faces of the emergency doctors who were wearing masks. Finally, she pointed to one of the eyes that looked the clearest, the youngest doctor said, ¡°Come and help check on him. How serious is his condition? Does he need to be sent to the doctor immediately?¡±

    The man was slightly startled. He quickly nced at the leading doctor.

    The man was only a resident who had just graduated and found a job.

    Although he had also graduated from a prestigious university, his family needed money urgently, so he did not go to a regr public hospital. Instead, he came to this private hospital, which had a good reputation and was well-paid.

    The hospital really attached great importance to a student who had graduated from a prestigious medical university like him. They would let him apany them on important visits.

    Even if he was just a helper, he would be satisfied.

    Seeing that Gu Nianzhi had asked him toe for a checkup, he was eager to give it a try. However, he restrained himself and asked the leading doctor.

    The leading doctor was extremely sour. He snorted and said, ¡°He just graduated this year. He hasn¡¯t even gotten his doctor¡¯s license yet. If you¡¯re willing to let him have a checkup, then let him have a checkup. If anything happens, I won¡¯t be responsible!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and said calmly, ¡°If anything happens, I¡¯ll be responsible, okay?¡±

    She waved at the young doctor and said, ¡°You do the examination.¡±

    The young doctor did not dy any further and immediately went over to perform a physical examination on Keven, who had fainted.

    After a while, he looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion, he said, ¡°You¡¯re right. When all the muscles in your body are paralyzed, you shouldn¡¯t breathe normally, because the respiratory muscles will also be paralyzed. ¡°But his breathing is indeed normal, which means that his muscles aren¡¯t paralyzed above his neck.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nced at Keven. ¡°Does that mean that he can hear everything we¡¯re saying right now?¡±

    ¡°Theoretically, yes, but we can¡¯t rule out special circumstances,¡±the young doctor said carefully. ¡°I don¡¯t have much experience, so I can¡¯t figure out the reason at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Then do you think his life is in danger for a short period of time?¡±

    ¡°No. As long as his breathing is normal, his heart rate... Yes, his heart rate is normal and uniform, which is also quite strange.¡±The young doctor scratched his head, ¡°In that case, it¡¯s probably just that the moving muscles in his arms and legs are paralyzed, so he can¡¯t move, but the other organs in his body are still functioning normally.¡±

    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t die right away.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s something fishy about this case. Let¡¯s wait for the police.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long before the imperial city police, dressed in ck, came in.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    They had called the police because this was the imperial city¡¯s high-level court martial. They weren¡¯t usually in charge of this ce, and they wouldn¡¯t hang around here for no reason.

    A bailiff who was maintaining order in the court started to talk about what had just happened.

    ¡°... The judge announced a ten-minute recess to discuss the case. Everyone got up from their seats and walked around. The person over there rushed over and said that he wanted to avenge his mentor. He pped the defendant, and the defendant soon fainted on the ground. His muscles were numb, and he could not move. He was afraid that his life was in danger.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 2113, ¡°If anything happens, I¡¯ll be responsible.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    PS: Thanks for the 20,000 starting coins from our leader. Thank you, Master Grace, for the 10,000 starting coins.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2114 - I never lie (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2114: Chapter 2114 I never lie (first update)</h4>

    ¡°If his life is in danger, why don¡¯t you send him to the hospital immediately? ! Are you going to stay here and wait for death?¡±The police officer who came in looked very young. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He looked very capable.

    He raised his hand in surprise.¡±... Do you want us to perform an autopsy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This police officer had a lot to say!

    Her eyes almost lit up, on the surface, she still said calmly, ¡°No, his life is not in danger. The doctor just checked, and although he can¡¯t move, his breathing and heartbeat are normal, so there¡¯s no need for an autopsy for now.¡±

    The police officer:¡±...¡±

    He looked up at the sound, and his eyes lit up as well, he rushed over to Gu Nianzhi and stretched out his hand. ¡°Chief Gu? ! I Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually able to see you in person! I¡¯m your fan! The Senate Channel I watch every day! It¡¯s a pity you don¡¯t get toe out often enough!¡±

    Hearing that her life was not in danger, the police became less enthusiastic.

    As for a Japanese spy sent by the United States who was knocked unconscious by a victim¡¯s student in court, they had to think carefully about how to deal with it.

    Therefore, it was still more important to get close to their idol.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The American legal team:¡±...¡±

    A few other police officers also squeezed over to shake Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand.

    But none of them seeded.

    The team around Gu Nianzhi would not let themy a finger on the future wife of the great general of her department.

    ¡°Dear police officers, let¡¯s see how he fainted.¡±A male member of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s team quietly separated the police officers who had rushed over and pointed at Keven, ¡°Everyone says that it was that person who knocked him out with one p, but I don¡¯t think he had that much strength.¡±

    The police nodded regretfully at Gu Nianzhi, then turned to look at the short and fat man who had been detained by the two bailiffs.

    The moment they saw his fair and chubby face, they knew that this kind of person did not have the strength to hit someone.

    Not to mention knocking out a grown man, even if they were to hit a dog, it would only make the dog bark twice.

    Knock him out? That did not exist.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a little strange.¡±

    The police surrounded him.

    Checking the severity of the injury was the police¡¯s specialty.

    Although the leading policeman looked very young, he had actually been working for several years.

    He put on his gloves and began to examine Keven¡¯s injuries.

    Not long after, a few police officers came to a conclusion. ¡°The defendant¡¯s entire body is paralyzed. He wasn¡¯t beaten out.¡±

    The short and Fat Man who was being detained was instantly overjoyed. ¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t my fault! I only pped him!¡±

    The police officer:¡±...¡±

    Where did this sand sculpturee from?

    He said seriously, ¡°However, if you cause trouble in court and disrupt the Order of the court, you will also be detained. ¡°However, you are the victim¡¯s student. It¡¯s also your first offense to speak up for your mentor. It¡¯s understandable. You will be punished ording to the public security administration punishment regtions. Follow our people back to the police station to receive education and pay a 150 yuan fine.¡±

    As he spoke, the two bailiffs who had detained the short and Fat Man also released their hands.

    The short and Fat Man was overjoyed, and he bowed repeatedly to the police. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the police station to receive education and pay the fine! Thank you, Uncle Police! Thank you, Uncle Police!¡±

    The police twitched the corners of his mouth and continued to check on Kevin¡¯s injuries. In the end, he nudged Kevin¡¯s head to reveal the other side of his face. He pointed at a spot on his face and said, ¡°There¡¯s a needle hole here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyesight was outstanding, but she couldn¡¯t see the needle hole at all.

    Lu Jin cleared his throat and groped around to pass Gu Nianzhi a small magnifying ss.

    Gu Nianzhi took it and went to Keven¡¯s mobile stretcher bed. She bent down to look at Keven¡¯s face.

    With the help of the magnifying ss, the needle hole that was as small as a pore on Keven¡¯s face was finally clearly visible.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Keven was hit on the right side of his face, but the needle hole was on the left side.¡±

    As she spoke, she looked up at the people in the courtroom and said, ¡°There¡¯s still one more person who is the real murderer.¡±

    Everyone could see clearly that the short and fat man had pounced over to hit Keven on the face. He had only hit Keven on the right side of his face with one hand.

    Who had taken the opportunity to stab Keven on the left side of his face with a needle?

    Other than the short and Fat Man, no one else hade close to Keven at that time..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced. She immediately said, ¡°This was done with an instrument, not with a hand.¡±

    This meant that someone had an instrument that could fire fine needles.

    The real reason why Keven had fainted and could not move his body had been found, but the person who had done it had not been found.

    Not long after, the medical officer from Imperial 3X1 hospital arrived. They quickly transported Keven to the medical officer¡¯s Hospital for emergency treatment.

    Lu Anpeng followed them. The rest of the people remained in the courtroom, waiting for the police to investigate the case.

    ¡°What was the situation like at the time? Can you demonstrate it again?¡±The police officer asked.

    Everyone looked at each other, unable to remember what had happened.

    Even the short and fat man who had started the fight scratched his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember who was by my side. I just remember that I was very angry and agitated. Someone pushed me and I rushed out to p my face.¡±

    ¡°Who pushed you?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked without batting an eyelid, ¡°Were they your ssmates?¡±

    She looked at the faces of these people one by one.

    Only Cai Zhaohe¡¯s eyes flickered as he quietly moved toward the door.

    Gu Nianzhi pointed at her casually and said, ¡°Officer, look at this person. She¡¯s with the person who hit you.¡±

    Everyone looked over, and Cai Zhaohe¡¯s face instantly flushed red. She yelled, ¡°Lawyer Gu, don¡¯t nder me! I have no grudges with you in the past, and have no grudges with you in recent days. Why are you making things difficult for me? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be bothered with her and said to the police, ¡°It should be her. Send the policewoman to search her.¡±

    The police looked around, and finally took the short and Fat Man¡¯s ssmates to the next room to search her.

    The policewoman was in one room, and the policewoman was in the other. They searched the boys and girls separately.

    Everyone was still cooperating, but Cai Zhaohe was the only one who refused to let these people search her. She said she wanted awyer.

    This was also her right.

    The police wanted to bring her directly back to the police station, but a thin and handsome man stood out and said in a refined manner, ¡°Policerade, let me go and persuade her.¡±

    He had just epted a body search by a male police officer together with other male students. He did not have any equipment or weapons on him.

    The police officer nodded. ¡°If you can persuade her, then so be it. If you can¡¯t persuade her, then it¡¯s just a little more troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go talk to her.¡±The man walked into the room where the policewoman was. ¡°I¡¯m Cai Zhaohe¡¯s ssmate. I searched her in that room just now.¡±

    He raised his hands and said in a very refined manner.

    The policewoman nodded. After contacting the male policeman next to her, she let the man in.

    The man walked into the room and saw Cai Zhaohe hiding in a corner separated by a cab and a curtain. She refused toe out.

    He sighed and walked over to hold her shoulder, saying, ¡°Zhaohe, don¡¯t be afraid. You Didn¡¯t do it. No one can frame you.¡±

    ¡°Qinghong! But I offendedwyer Gu and professor Lu just now!¡±Cai Zhaohe threw herself into his arms and wailed, ¡°They won¡¯t let me go! I want to hire awyer!¡±

    ¡°Even if you hire awyer, they will still search you. We are all suspects now.¡±The man turned out to be Cai Zhaohe¡¯s ssmate and colleague, Zuo Qinghong, who was also an experimental staff member of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    He shook Cai Zhaohe¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright, Don¡¯t cry. Let them search you. After that, I¡¯ll treat you to crayfish.¡±

    Cai Zhaohe smiled through her tears. ¡°Senior brother, you¡¯re not lying to me, right? Are you really going to treat me to crayfish?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong nodded. ¡°I never lie.¡±

    He patted Cai Zhaohe¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    Cai Zhaohe reluctantly let go. ¡°Then you must wait for me!¡±

    Zuo Qinghong walked to the door and said to the policewoman, ¡°She agreed. You Can Go Search.¡±

    The policewoman heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, ssmate Zuo.¡±

    The policewoman went in to search Cai Zhaohe. Zuo Qinghong walked out calmly and waited outside for a while. He greeted his ssmate and asked the police officer, ¡°Are we done? Can We Go Now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±The police waved his hand. ¡°Everyone inside will be checked. Don¡¯t take offense.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I know it¡¯s your duty.¡±Zuo Qinghong nodded with a smile. Then, he left the imperial high court martial with his ssmates and colleagues and waited for Cai Zhaohe outside.

    On the other hand, Cai Zhaohe was searched several times but did not find anything suspicious.

    Not to mention a needle-firing device, even a sewing needle had not been found on her body.

    The policewoman returned to the courtroom regretfully and said to the leading officer, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s nothing on Cai Zhaohe¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°Nothing? Did you search her thoroughly?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already stripped her naked, how are we going to search her? We¡¯re not going to let go of any part of her body that has hair,¡±a policewoman said rudely.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    How was that possible?

    Was she wrong?

    Was Cai Zhaohe deliberately acting like there was something wrong to distract them?

    Gu nianzhi frowned and called the court¡¯s bailiff over. She asked him to pull up the court¡¯s surveince footage to see what was going on.

    The court¡¯s surveince footage was also a mess. They only saw Cai Zhaohe raise her hand behind Keven when the short and Fat Man pped him.

    She had raised her hand so quickly that it was almost impossible to see it clearly at normal speed.

    However, after slowing down many times, they could indeed see that Cai Zhaohe had something in her hand.

    However, the resolution of the surveince footage was too low to see what it was, so it could not be used as evidence to use Cai Zhaohe.

    How could this be?

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms as she stood in the surveince room, pondering the matter.

    ¡°Tell us everything that happened when you searched Cai Zhaohe¡¯s body. Don¡¯t leave out a single detail.¡±Gu Nianzhi turned to ask the female police officers who had searched her.

    The female police officer recalled the situation and said, ¡°She didn¡¯t allow us to search her body at first. She kept crying and needed awyer. We couldn¡¯t force her, so we had to reason with her.¡±

    ¡°Later, her senior brother came and talked to her for a while before she agreed to be examined.¡±

    ¡°Senior brother?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice paused. ¡°Who? Did he go in to talk to Cai Zhaohe?¡±

    The policewoman nodded. ¡°Cai Zhaohe seemed to like that senior brother very much. He threw himself into his arms and cried for a while before he agreed to be examined.¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead. ¡°I understand now. That senior brother must have had a problem too. They must have exchanged something back then.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ! Are you saying that Cai Zhaohe originally had the item, but after her senior brother went in, the item was transferred to him?¡±

    ¡°That must be the case.¡±Gu Nianzhiposed herself, ¡°They took advantage of your misunderstanding. Her senior brother must have been searched first, but there was nothing. Then he used an excuse to visit Cai Zhaohe. When he was consoling her, he took the opportunity to transfer the item to his own hands.¡±

    ¡°Because he had already been examined, you subconsciously thought he was fine, so after he went out, you didn¡¯t search him a second time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head regretfully and asked, ¡°What¡¯s her senior brother¡¯s name? Do You Have Records?¡±

    ¡°... Qinghong, Zuo Qinghong, that should be the name.¡±The policewoman looked down at her records. ¡°We¡¯ll go arrest Zuo Qinghong right away.¡±

    Gu nianzhi said faintly, ¡°You can go and arrest him, but the things must have been disposed of. He won¡¯t stay in your hands and wait for you toe back to your senses to find trouble with him.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2114, ¡°I never lie.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    A reminder of your rmendation tickets and your gold keyboard support tickets.

    PS: Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah

 Chapter 2115 - breaking the clouds and seeing the Sun (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2115: Chapter 2115 breaking the clouds and seeing the Sun (second update)</h4>

    The policewoman was very upset. She frowned and said, ¡°Even so, we still have to check it out. Otherwise, he really thinks we don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    With that, she went to report to her boss and then left with a few male police officers.

    After a few searches in the court, everything was fine.

    The police allowed those who were willing to leave to do so.

    However, the judge was going to announce the results of the trial in a little while. Everyone had waited for a long time, but it wasn¡¯t toote. Therefore, other than the graduate students from the Institute of high energy physics who had left, the rest of the people stayed behind.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and silently noted down the names of those people.

    These people might not have any problems, but they would sooner orter have problems with people like Zuo Qinghong and Cai Zhaohe.

    Not long after, the judge and clerks came in.

    He sat down at the trial table and knocked on the gavel, he said, ¡°This court announces that the case of an American citizen, Kevin Laris, who was found guilty of illegal possession of a gun, explosion, violent kidnapping, and premeditated murder in the imperial capital of Huaxia has been found guilty. The sentence of the first trial is life imprisonment without parole for life.¡±

    Keven¡¯s Americanwyers were instantly enraged.

    One by one, they rolled up their sleeves and shouted, ¡°We want to appeal!¡±

    ¡°You have no right to sentence an American citizen!¡±

    ¡°We want to extradite!¡±

    ¡°This is a witch hunt!¡±

    However, after they shouted for a long time, the judge ignored them.

    At this time, a burst of warm apuse erupted in the court,pletely suppressing their voices.

    Many people came up to Gu Nianzhi to congratte her on winning the trial again.

    ¡°Chief GU is amazing! Thiswsuit has really opened our eyes!¡±

    ¡°Chief gu is indeed worthy of being the chief legal advisor of the Senate. With his sharp sword, he¡¯s Invincible!¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu, do you want to be a partner of ourw firm? I¡¯ve checked the relevant rules. The Senate¡¯s legal personnel can be partners!¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu, you¡¯d bettere to ourpany as a director! Chief GU is not a senator, so he¡¯s not subject to the senator¡¯s terms!¡±

    There was an endless stream of people whoplimented Gu Nianzhi and invited her to do business.

    However, they were all limited to a distance of three feet away from Gu Nianzhi.

    The team around Gu Nianzhi had nowpletely changed into a security team, and was carefully protecting her in the middle.

    What had happened to Keven was not far away, so theypletely understood the great general¡¯s intentions and did not dare to ck off.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and nodded at the crowd of onlookers, she said, ¡°Thank you for your kindness, everyone, but I¡¯m too busy with work and can¡¯t work part-time outside. It¡¯s better for me to do my job. ¡°If you have a difficult case, you can apply to the legal advisory office of the Senate. I¡¯ll consult on the appropriate case or take part in the court debate depending on the situation.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cupped her hands at everyone and gave an elegant and dignified salute. She then followed her team and left the imperial capital¡¯s High Court Martial.

    The scene in the court was quickly posted online by the reporters after the trial.

    There were no audio and video recordings in the court, so they only described what happened in words and had hand-drawn pictures.

    Just the content was enough.

    The inte was instantly in a frenzy.

    Needless to say, the hardcore fans who worshipped Gu Nianzhi were even more apuding the court¡¯s decision.

    [ the crimesmitted in Huaxia will be served in Huaxia. What nationality are you talking about now? ! ].

    [ if you have the ability tomit crimes in Huaxia, then you have the ability to serve your sentence in Huaxia! Now You Realize You¡¯re not a citizen of Huaxia? ! ].

    [ get lost! Extradite your ass! ].

    There were even people who called out for Keven when he was attacked in court.

    [ it¡¯s such a pity, why is he only paralyzed all over? He should have stopped breathing! ].

    [ upstairs + 1! That¡¯s what I thought when I saw him! ¡ª strongman, why didn¡¯t you apply the poison needle? ! ].

    [ people like Keven are wasting food in prison! ].

    Gu Nianzhi talked to the judge for a while beforeing out of the courtroom. Lu Jin and Lu Yuan had already gone back.

    A colleague brought her cell phone over.

    Gu nianzhi lowered her head and browsed through the online public opinion as she walked towards the main entrance of the courthouse.

    Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of shiny leather boots not far in front of her.

    She slowly raised her head and looked at the pair of long legs on the leather boots.

    The straight dark green army pants were so straight that the seams of the pants could stand up.

    There was a military belt tied around his muscr waist. It was a very ordinary style, but when tied around his waist, it instantly looked like a brand-name leather belt that was worth a hundred times more.

    Gu nianzhi swallowed her saliva lightly. She wanted to switch ces with the leather belt..

    She looked up and smiled. ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re here to pick me up.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the phone from her hand and said unhappily, ¡°How many times have I told you not to look at your phone when you walk? Are you asking the Senate to enact legition to prohibit your unsafe behavior?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and did not argue with Huo Shaoheng. She took his arm and got into the car.

    The road outside the court was filled with private cars, all of them here to observe the trial.

    The crowd was huge as they walked out of the court in twos and threes like a movie.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private car drove out of the driveway. In the private cars by the road, a woman wearing sunsses looked at the direction the car had disappeared in and mmed the steering wheel.

    ..

    Back at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence in the Special Operations Forces¡¯headquarters, Gu Nianzhi stretched exaggeratedly and said, ¡°I¡¯m so tired! I finally finished!¡±

    ¡°Wake up, Kevin¡¯swyers still have to appeal.¡±Huo Shaoheng helped her carry herptop bag upstairs.

    Lu Jin came out of his suite on the first floor and smiled. ¡°My Girl is amazing today! She¡¯s so valiant and valiant, and she can take on tenwyers by herself. I think those Americanwyers are going to faint from all the talking!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm. She rubbed it against his shoulder and said, ¡°Dad, what do you think about what happened to Keven after that?¡±

    Lu Jin spread his hands. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I wanted to get involved?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. I think the people behind Keven are interesting, so it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t get involved,¡±gu nianzhi said thoughtfully.

    She was worried that Lu Jin would expose her identity as someone from the other world.

    Lu Jin shrugged nonchntly and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the book of changes and Hundun Mathematics? The person behind him can do it, Can¡¯t You?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled, and her mind suddenly cleared up as if the clouds had cleared and the Sun had risen.

    That¡¯s right!

    If the other party could use the book of changes and Hundun mathematics to fish for big fish, she could do it too!

    But why would she do that?

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the living room with Lu Jin, puzzled. She looked at Huo Shaoheng, who hade down from upstairs, and asked,¡±... what is the other party¡¯s motive?¡±

    ¡°I still think that if you don¡¯t know the other party¡¯s motive and true purpose, even if you use the book of Changes and Chaos Mathematics, you won¡¯t be able to grasp the direction. You might even be led into a ditch by the other party.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 2115, ¡°Breaking the clouds and seeing the sun.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of today.

    PS: to remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and the golden keyboard support tickets.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2116 - Compensate me to You (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2116: Chapter 2116: Compensate me to You (first update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng sat down on the sofa opposite Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin. He calmly crossed his legs and said, ¡°Then what do you think the other party¡¯s motive is?¡±

    ¡°This is something I can¡¯t figure out.¡±Gu Nianzhi let go of Lu Jin¡¯s arm and ced her hands on her legs. She leaned forward slightly and looked at Huo Shaoheng intently, she frowned and said, ¡°I thought their target was me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said softly, ¡°Your narcissism has gone up again.¡±

    Lu Jin red at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my girl? If those people aren¡¯t after her, they must be blind!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu nianzhi tugged at Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Dad, is it glorious to be someone else¡¯s target? I don¡¯t want to be!¡±

    ¡°Of course, only those who have value will be coveted. Do you think you can live peacefully as an ordinary person? If anything happens, I¡¯ll tell you that it¡¯s the life of a cannon fodder. There¡¯s no ce for you toin!¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and scoffed at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opinion.

    Gu Nianzhi: [ be strong and continue to smile. JPG ].

    Huo Shaoheng was also used to Lu Jin¡¯s way of speaking. His heart was much bigger than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, so he waspletely unaffected. He said, ¡°Their target should be miss song.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯m just a bonus for them. They can take me with them. It¡¯s okay if they can¡¯t Catch Me, but Miss song is their target.¡±

    ¡°So our question is, who would want Miss Song?¡±

    Gu nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng thoughtfully. ¡°Could it be because of you?¡±

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Because of me? Are they going to capture Ms. Song to force me into submission? Then they might as well capture you. The effect will be better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: [ I don¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Continue to be strong and live on. JPG ].

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, was ted to hear this. He said proudly, ¡°I like what Shaoheng said! Me Too! If you want to force me into submission, there¡¯s only one way, and that¡¯s to capture my girl!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi: [ ... Another Day to live. JPG ].

    She realized that she was probably living in a world of emojis.

    She rubbed the space between her eyebrows with her hand and said expressionlessly, ¡°Alright, the two of you have already exceeded the limit for your mushy scenes today. Can you speak normally?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin looked at each other and silently shifted their gazes away.

    Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and searched while saying, ¡°If their ultimate target is miss song, they have to rule out the possibility of someone setting up a trap because of Miss Song¡¯s beauty.¡±

    ¡°Why would they rule it out?¡±Lu Jin raised his hand in confusion. ¡°Boss Lu is that kind of person. He would do that.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°President Lu would rather die than hurt miss song, so this can¡¯t be the case. Next.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also didn¡¯t think that song Jinning¡¯s ultimate goal was because of her beauty.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s not because of Ms. Song¡¯s beauty, then it¡¯s because of her IQ.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted and muttered, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have good taste...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew what he meant. She calmly said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not exposed. Once you¡¯re exposed, they¡¯ll definitely target you.¡±

    She looked up at Lu Jin, ¡°Do you really want to put me in Danger?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s weakness was Gu Nianzhi, so if they wanted to capture Lu Jin, the enemy would definitely target Gu Nianzhi first.

    Lu Jin quickly shook his head, ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want to at all. I¡¯d better keep my tail between my legs.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi patted Lu Jin on the shoulder, ¡°Dad, you still have to help me provide technical support. I love it when you¡¯re behind the scenes.¡±

    Lu Jin was speechless. He then said, ¡°I want to eat durian ice cream. Dad, please help me check if there¡¯s any left in the fridge in the kitchen. If there¡¯s none, help me buy a box from the store in the courtyard.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and check.¡±

    No matter how difficult it was for a girl to get something she wanted to eat, she had to get it.

    After Lu Jin left, Huo Shaoheng took gu nianzhi to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study on the second floor to talk.

    ¡°I want to show you something,¡±Huo Shaoheng said as he turned on theputer in the study.

    There were three wide-screen screens on his desk.

    He turned on the middle screen.

    After a flurry of snowkes, a majestic building appeared on the screen.

    Gu Nianzhi was surprised for a moment. ¡°This is the high-level court martial of the imperial capital that we just left?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clicked on the y. ¡°Look for yourself. It was sent over at the right time.¡±

    The camera zoomed down from the roof of the court and Gu Nianzhi saw a few people appear in her line of sight.

    ¡°Zuo Qinghong!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°These are the people from the Institute of high energy physics who came to listen in today!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything but pulled gu nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was caught off guard and sat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. He hugged her from behind and looked at theputer screen together.

    On theputer screen, the voice of a policewoman sounded. ¡°Stop the car in front and check it!¡±

    The person next to Zuo Qinghong was a round-faced woman. She said in confusion, ¡°Aren¡¯t these the police officers who searched us in the court? Why are they still checking us? Are We Done Yet?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong did not say anything. The tall boy on the other side of him also said unhappily, ¡°Do you think we are thieves or suspects? If you search us again, I will have to hire awyer.¡±

    Zuo Qinghong only smiled at this time and said, ¡°Anyway, we have already searched once. It doesn¡¯t matter if we search again. We have not done it before, so we are not afraid of Shadows.¡±

    He was the first to raise his hands and say to the policewoman who was walking towards him, ¡°We have female ssmates. If you want to search us, don¡¯t you want to search the car? It¡¯s not very respectful to search a woman in the street, right?¡±

    The policewoman red at him and said, ¡°We know what we¡¯re doing. You Don¡¯t have to teach us!¡±

    As she said this, she waved back.

    A few auxiliary police officers quickly ran up and held up a temporary wall made of foam. They surrounded them and the car in the middle. In less than a minute, they had built a small room for the inspection.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the video and found it amazing.

    What was even more amazing was that even after the inspection room had been built, the video had not stopped!

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed. She turned to ask Huo Shaoheng,¡±... how did your people film this? Are there people from the police?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say anything. He kissed her cheek and pressed his lips against hers. He pushed her face straight and continued to look at the screen.

    The next step was to search her body in the inspection room.

    Of course, this time was the same as the previous time. Nothing was found.

    Zuo Qinghong was obviously the leader of the students. He said to the policewoman, ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll definitely file aint against you.¡±

    He asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s our ssmate? Cai Zhaohe, the girl you searched?¡±

    ¡°She was suspected of attacking the defendant today and was brought back to the police station for investigation.¡±

    ¡°But you have no evidence,¡±Zuo Qinghong said calmly. ¡°I will hire awyer for her.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so good to her? You are not rted...¡±the policewoman looked at Zuo Qinghong suspiciously. ¡°Or do you want to go back to the police station with her to assist in the investigation?¡±

    ¡°She is my fianc¨¦e. I will inform her family.¡±Zuo Qinghong¡¯s face was dark. He did not want to say anything more and left the temporary inspection room with his ssmate.

    The policewoman stomped her feet and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t be so smug! We¡¯ll definitely find evidence!¡±

    The video ended there.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes in horror. ¡°Where did this idiote from? She reminds me of Xu Piaohong.¡±

    Huo shaoheng finally said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s obvious. You saw that someone was deliberately going easy on her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Is it this policewoman?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not her. She¡¯s just a police officer with very poor professional skills.¡±Huo Shaoheng reached out to open the drawer, he took out a stack of files. ¡°This is the background information of all the police officers who went to the court today.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi flipped through them. Sure enough, these people were a mix of good and bad. Some of the police officers were very good, but there were also a few who were very poor at their jobs.

    It was such an important case, so there was no need to do too much. As long as they sent someone who was not good at their job, they would be able to attract hatred and mess up the whole thing.

    It had to be said that the methods of the person behind the scenes were almost untraceable.

    ¡°... have they been infiltrated?¡±Gu Nianzhi was worried. ¡°Then what should we do? The other party is already very powerful, and if someone tipped them off, I can¡¯t imagine the consequences.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we need your help.¡±Huo Shaoheng hugged gu nianzhi tightly and kissed her pursed lips. ¡°Chief Gu, How¡¯s Your Research on Chaos Mathematics based on the I Chinging along?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and smiled. ¡°Huo Shao needs my help? I¡¯m very expensive, can you afford it?¡±

    ¡°... If you can¡¯t afford it, then I¡¯llpensate you, plus a grand wedding, how about that?¡±Huo shaoheng smiled meaningfully.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2116, ¡°Compensate me to you.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    It was to remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and the golden keyboard support tickets

    PS: Thank you for the 10,000 starting point coins from the president of Our Love Hall.

    Mwah, Big and Little Angels

 Chapter 2117 - equal shares (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2117: Chapter 2117, equal shares (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for a moment, but her face quickly turned red. She turned around and stared at theputer screen, her heart racing like a little rabbit.

    How disappointing.

    She secretly despised herself. Didn¡¯t she already have her marriage certificate? She was even more flustered when she talked about the wedding..

    But there was an unprovoked sweetness spreading from the depths of her tongue to her limbs and bones.

    She wanted to share it with him, but she couldn¡¯t be alone.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around on Huo Shaoheng and hugged his neck. She kissed his lips, pried open his teeth, and sent the sweetness all the way to the base of his tongue.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled softly and asked indistinctly with his mouth on hers,¡±... is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Gu Nianzhi was confused by his kiss. No matter what he said, she said yes. In the end, she ¡°Put into practice¡±a lot of agreements that were ¡°Humiliating.¡±.

    ..

    As night fell, a spacious SUV parked in front of the Institute of high energy physics in the imperial capital.

    The people in the car got out one after another. They waved at Zuo Qinghong, who was driving, and smiled. ¡°Thank you, senior brother Zuo, for driving us back!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯ll go park the car. You guys go in first.¡±Zuo Qinghong waved at them, then started the car and drove to the underground parking lot.

    After driving to the underground parking lot, Zuo Qinghong opened the window and quietly smoked a cigarette while observing the situation around him.

    He had a simple infrared detector in his car. All the creatures in the parking lot with heat radiation would react to his detector.

    After looking for a while, he found that there were only rats, ants, flies, and mosquitoes. No one was following him, so he withdrew his gaze and reached out his left hand to dust the cigarette ash. Then, he threw it forward forcefully.

    The cigarette butt drew a parab andnded on the ground in front of the trash can not far away.

    He almost threw it in.

    Zuo Qinghong smiled and shook his head. He opened a game APP on his phone and yed for a while.

    This game was a game that traveled through time and space.

    Sometimes it was ancient, sometimes it was modern, sometimes it was interster, and sometimes it was the end of the world.

    yers could set the storyline ording to the scene they wanted to y. They could alsomunicate with each other and bring missions from one dimension to another. It was very interesting, and there were many people who yed it.

    Moreover, they could go home and put on a VR helmet and connect to aputer. They could experience the scene and clear the missions.

    There were often tens of millions of people online. It was much higher than those games where ¡°If you don¡¯t change things, you¡¯ll pay with money to change your life.¡±.

    At this time, Zuo Qinghong was ying a game called ¡°Rage of Court.¡±It was the first stage of arge-scale game. He needed to break through many obstacles to save a convicted felon in Court.

    The defense around this person was not tight, but the requirement for the yer was that no evidence could be found.

    Once the evidence was found, his mission would fail, and he could only restart the game.

    Zuo Qinghong hadpleted this game for two months, but he had not seeded in clearing the level.

    Today, he had opened it again. He had finally managed to escape and cleared the first level sessfully.

    Afterpleting the mission, an NPC would appear to reward him.

    The NPC that appeared in the game was a graceful and elegantdy.

    Her voice was gentle and gentle. She smiled at Zuo Qinghong¡¯s character and said, ¡°Z, congrattions onpleting the first level, court rage. You paralyzed the target and sent him to the hospital. Now, choose your reward.¡±

    As she spoke, three treasure chests appeared in the game.

    He could choose one treasure chest at random.

    Zuo Qinghong looked at it and chose the one in the middle.

    He opened it and a sentence popped up: [ reward: 1,000,000 yer cash ].

    Zuo Qinghong clicked on the treasure chest again. Not long after, he heard a text message pop out from his phone. It said that the bank transfer was sessful.

    Zuo Qinghong smiled. He did not care about the money at all.

    His finger tapped on the dialog box: [ thank you, I also want to meet the Madam who issued the quest. ].

    The Madam was the big boss of his game.

    This was also a scene in the game. Afterpleting the quest, he could talk to the madam.

    Most of the scenes were set up, but for a few people, this game had different rules.

    The NPC on the other side of the game replied after a while: [ Madam is meditating in the tea room and can¡¯t talk to you for the time being. But Madam is asking you, you¡¯ve yed for two months, why did you suddenly pass the first level today? ].

    Zuo Qinghong smiled and replied: [ it¡¯s Madam¡¯s n, I¡¯m just following Madam¡¯s arrangements. ].

    The NPC said: [ you used a drift bottle? ].

    In this game, if you could not clear the level, you could apply for a drifting bottle from the system three times.

    This drifting bottle contained clues to clear the level, just like a game guide.

    After three times, if you needed a guide or clues, you would have to spend money to buy it.

    Zuo Qinghong said, ¡°Yes, the first drifting bottle sessfullypleted the mission.¡±.

    The NPC was silent for a while, then said, ¡°Okay, we are looking forward to your second round of the hospital scare. Thank you for supporting our game.¡±.

    Zuo Qinghong exited the game interface and got off the car to go back to the dormitory of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    At this time, at the corner of the second floor of a modern-style vi in the north of the West Mountain, a middle-aged woman dressed in a butler¡¯s uniform was bowing in front of a paper door and saying, ¡°Madam, Mr. Keven has been sent to the hospital.¡±

    Inside the door was a tea room.

    It was about two meters long and one meter wide, and it was very narrow and long.

    The paper door was low, so one had to bow when entering.

    A woman dressed in ancient Chinese clothing was sitting opposite the door. On the wall behind her was a huge HD photo. On the photo was a quaint peony with three flowers on one branch, it was actually the long-lost Yao Huang, Wei Zi, and Ou Bi.

    There was a luxurious wool nket on the floor. In the corner of the rosewood tea table in front of her was a red jade vase with a white Lily of the valley inserted diagonally inside.

    In the middle of the tea table was a row of yarrow grass sticks. If one counted, there were a total of fifty.

    She picked one and put it aside. She frowned as she looked at the forty-nine grass sticks, she mumbled, ¡°The number of Dayan is fifty, and the use of forty is nine. It is divided into two to make two, one to make two, one to make three, and one to make four to make four. It is a miracle to make an elephant leap. At the age of five, it will leap again, so it will leap again and then hang again.¡±

    ¡°China uses 55 as the number of the heavens and earth. Can it really epass everything?¡±

    She thought about it and fiddled with the Yarrow stick in front of her. She came up with all kinds of divinations and recorded them as parameters on the tabletputer beside her. They were included in the chaotic mathematical equation she designed.

    When she heard that Kevin had been sent to the hospital, she smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. So far, I¡¯ve only made a mistake once.¡±

    But this time, it was the time when Song Jinning was rescued.

    She thought for a while, and her face was extremely calm.

    She didn¡¯t smile or get angry. Her eyes were clear and gentle, and her hair was as ck as ink. She sat there like a jade Buddha statue.

    She wasn¡¯t as bright and moving as song jinning, but if she stood with song Jinning, she would definitely be on par with song jinning.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second update today: chapter 2117, ¡°Equal sharing of autumn colors.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second update today.

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and the golden keyboard support tickets, OH ~ ~

    PS: Mwah, Big and Little Angels ~ ~ ~

 Chapter 2118 - compensate me for the amount of training (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2118: Chapter 2118:pensate me for the amount of training (first update)</h4>

    <h4><strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong> Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio</h4>

    The woman sat quietly for a while. She put the Yarrow in a ck brocade bag and slowly said to the person at the door,¡±... did it work? Keven is in the hospital?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡±the middle-aged woman at the door answered with a bow.

    ¡°Yes, prepare to be released for medical treatment.¡±The woman stood up with the brocade bag and walked out from the low paper door with her back bent.

    She was not tall, but she was not short either. She was of medium build, and her exquisite Chinese ancient clothing was dazzling under the light. It was a stark contrast to her jade carving-like temperament and appearance.

    She slowly walked to a mirror that was as tall as a person. She looked at herself and said with a smile, ¡°This outfit looks good, but it¡¯s too cumbersome to wear.¡±

    Usually, she would only burn incense and take a bath when she needed to use the book of changes to perform divination. After changing into this outfit, she would quietly sit in the tea room and stir up the yarrow grass sticks.

    She handed the brocade bag in her hand to her maidservant. She walked back to her room and changed into a set of clothes. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to thepany tomorrow to look at the revenue report. Get Someone to take care of the follow-up for Keven and send him back to the United States as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡±The middle-aged maid bowed again. She waspletely obedient to this madam and sincerely believed in her.

    ..

    Zuo Qinghong returned to the dormitory of the Institute of high energy physics and closed the door. He leaned against the back of the door and rxed.

    It was really too dangerous today. He had almost been caught.

    His back was sweaty and even his shirt was wet.

    His legs were so weak that he could barely stand. He could only rely on the support of the back door to barely stand.

    Recalling the situation in the court today, he vaguely felt that the other party was already suspecting him.

    Otherwise, the policewoman would not have chased after him and searched him a second time.

    He curled the corner of his lips and smiled.

    It was not that easy to check him.

    He returned to his desk, turned on hisputer, and opened a thesis. He read it eagerly.

    If Lu Jin were here, he would find that this thesis was very simr to the one he had written about the ¡°Multiworld¡±theory in the opposite world.

    The signature was also ¡°Gu Xiangwen.¡±.

    ording to this theory, the multiworld should exist at the quantum level, but that was at the micro level. What about the macro level?

    Was there really an identical parallel space-time outside our world?

    It was like the long river of history meeting a blocked beach and being split into two, then rushing in two different directions.

    As time passed, the two rivers that were split from the same river would eventually bepletely different.

    But for a very long time, they would still maintain a great degree of simrity.

    Just thinking about it, there might be someone who looked exactly like him sitting in the same ce and reading the same academic paper, giving him goosebumps.

    Zuo Qinghong even felt a strange excitement. It was even more exciting than what happened between a man and a woman.

    However, he could not deduce how this theory went from the micro to the macro level.

    He recalled what Bai Jinyi, the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, had said back then. ¡°The multi-world theory can be verified as long as we find enough energy.¡±

    And he vaguely knew from Bai Jinyi that song Haichuan, the former director of the Insitute of high energy physics, was working with the military to find a new type of energy.

    He wondered if the explosion eighteen years ago had anything to do with the new type of energy they were looking for.

    Zuo Qinghong pursed his lips and read the academic paper again. Then, he closed the document, put on the VR helmet, and entered therge-scale virtual game. He began to test the scene of the ¡°Hospital scare¡±.

    With the VR helmet on, virtual reality became reality in his eyes.

    He found himself standing in the corridor of the 3X1 hospital. In front of a ward stood several armed soldiers. They were looking at the doctors, nurses, patients, and patients¡¯familiesing and going vigntly.

    He only nced in that direction when a soldier suddenly raised his gun and fired at him with a bang.

    Zuo Qinghong felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his vision suddenly darkened, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss. Then, he found that the VR helmet had automatically closed.

    This was death in the game.

    Every time a character died in the game, the VR helmet would automatically close, and only after it was rebooted could he enter the game again.

    He tirelessly experimented with methods that could break through the soldiers¡¯lines of defense.

    If he couldn¡¯t defeat them by force, he could only outsmart them.

    ..

    The next day, at six o¡¯clock, before dawn, Huo Shaoheng had already gotten up from his bed.

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, who had been rubbed all night and looked like a ball of soft mud. He felt strangely satisfied.

    He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. The warm breath enveloped gu nianzhi. In her sleep, Gu Nianzhi murmured a few times and leaned towards the source of the heat.

    ¡°Little girl, let go. I have to go to training.¡±Huo Shaoheng used his hands to pry Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms apart. He found that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms were quite strong and she was holding his waist.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and hugged him even tighter.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her and gently held her arms.

    If someone else had held him like this and refused to let him go, Huo Shaoheng would have broken her arms into pieces.

    But Gu Nianzhi, he didn¡¯t even dare to use his hand strength.

    If he made a handprint, Lu Jin wouldn¡¯t let him go, and his heart would ache for days.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little awake now, but she still didn¡¯t want to move. She hugged Huo Shaoheng tightly, not allowing him to get out of bed and go to training.

    She hugged him for a while and felt that Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t moved at all. She felt a little strange, so she couldn¡¯t help but open one of her eyes slyly and give him a quick nce.

    Huo Shaoheng was staring at her fixedly. Now he had caught her red-handed.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Big Brother, looking at someone so fixedly for so long is really scary!

    She had no choice but to open both of her eyes a little. She smiled warmly and charmingly. ¡°Huo Shao, it¡¯s the weekend today. Do you still want to go to training?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng tapped her straight little nose. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, can youpensate me for the amount of training?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just woken up, and her mind was still a little fuzzy. She didn¡¯t realize what Huo Shaoheng meant, so she groaned in a daze.

    ¡°Okay.¡±Huo Shaoheng nodded readily and got under the covers. He brought her along to ¡°Train¡±andplete all sorts of difficult movements.

    Stretching, rolling, carrying, bouncing, one-step horse, and finally folding in half..

    By the time Gu Nianzhi woke up, it was almost noon.

    Huo Shaoheng took a shower in the bathroom, feeling refreshed.

    She struggled on the bed with tears in her eyes, unable to sit up.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Training load¡±was indeed not easy topensate..

    Mama, I¡¯m not going to drag anyone else into bed with me anymore!

    Gu Nianzhi fell asleep again, and when she woke up, it was already evening.

    Lu Jin knocked on her bedroom door and asked worriedly, ¡°Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you okay? Why haven¡¯t you woken up for dinner all day? Are You Hungry? Do You Want Me to cook you a bowl of Noodles?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi scrambled to her feet and hurriedly put on her clothes. She shouted at the door, ¡°I¡¯m up! Dad, I¡¯ll have dinner with you!¡±

    Lu Jin was relieved and said, ¡°Then hurry up. I got you another batch of the book of changes and Hundun Math data you wanted and sent it to your email.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    HMPH!

    She had to stay up all night and stay up all night without going to bed!

    Someone from the ¡°Devil¡¯s training¡±during the day would never be able to touch a hair on her head again!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2118, ¡°Compensate me for the amount of training.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and gold keyboard help ticket oh ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2119 - He couldnâ€™t bear to part with Chapter 2119(Second Update)

    <h4>Chapter 2119: He couldn¡¯t bear to part with Chapter 2119(Second Update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi finished her dinner and said confidently to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, even if I don¡¯t Sleep Tonight, I have to read all this information!¡±

    Lu Jin nodded his head in relief. ¡°My Girl is smart and hardworking. How are you going to let those stupid andzy people live? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She didn¡¯t feelplimented!

    But she was used to it.

    Gu Nianzhi continued to smile and said, ¡°Can I borrow your temporaryboratory tonight to read some information?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s temporaryboratory was next to his suite on the first floor. It used to be a small guest room. After Lu Jin moved in, Huo Shaoheng helped him change it into a smallboratory.

    Theputer equipment inside was very advanced and powerful.

    Lu Jin nodded vigorously. ¡°No problem, no problem. You can use it.¡±

    He asked again, ¡°Do you want me to apany you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head and said, ¡°I can concentrate better when I¡¯m alone. I Can¡¯t help but talk to you when you¡¯re beside me.¡±

    Lu Jin grinned and wanted tough, but when he saw the orderly beside him, he felt that he should be more reserved, so he could only pretend to be calm, he said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be in the next room anyway. If you have any questions, just send me a text and I¡¯lle over.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed. After dinner, she slipped into Lu Jin¡¯sboratory and began studying thebination of the Book of changes and Chaos Mathematics.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng came back only after dark and ate dinner alone in the dining room. At the same time, he knew that his ¡°Fianc¨¦e¡±would be staying up to study tonight and would not be going back to her room to sleep.

    He nodded without batting an eyelid and instructed the kitchen to prepare supper for Gu Nianzhi. He did not want her to be hungry, so he went back to the office to work overtime.

    Gu Nianzhi was engrossed in reading the documents, and her hands were itching to design a form. When she was hungry in the middle of the night, she suddenly smelled the irresistible aroma of food.

    Gu Nianzhi followed the smell and turned around. She saw Huo Shaoheng walking in wearing a tight ck t-shirt.

    He was wearing a pair of ck camouge army pants that were loosely wrapped around his crotch, revealing the legendary ¡°Male dog waist¡±and the long legs below his waist.

    Immediately after, a bowl of steaming and fragrant chicken broth noodle soup was ced in front of her.

    ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll let you eat from below.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled as he sat down.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She swallowed her saliva. She was only a little hungry at first, but when she saw the noodles, she felt even hungrier.

    The chicken soup was a little yellow, and the noodles were thin and white. There were green scallions floating in the air, and they looked, smelled, and tasted great. It made one¡¯s appetite soar.

    The simpler the food, the harder it was to make it well.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. The delicious taste buds were about to rebel.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t care less about the food. She honestly finished the bowl of chicken soup and noodle soup until there wasn¡¯t even a drop of juice left.

    Huo Shaoheng put away his chopsticks. ¡°Do you still want to eat?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wiped her mouth with a tissue in embarrassment and said softly, ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be polite with me.¡±Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°You¡¯re busy. Call me if you¡¯re hungry.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grunted, then asked curiously,¡±... aren¡¯t you going to sleep?¡±

    ¡°How can I sleep if you¡¯re not going to sleep?¡±Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°I just came back from the office and will be working overtime in the study on the second floor. I¡¯ll stay upte with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was instantly filled with guilt.

    In terms of mental warfare, even Gu Nianzhi was trash in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    She quickly put away her documents and turned off theputer. She got up and reprimanded him lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t stay upte. You Didn¡¯t sleep muchst night. I even took a nap during the day. You went out to work for a whole day and stayed upte at night. Can your body handle it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quietly extended his arm.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t notice and pulled him up.

    Huo Shaoheng took her to the suite on the second floor.

    Huo Shaoheng put the bowls in the fridge on the second floor and returned to the bedroom. After washing up, he found Gu Nianzhi lying on the bed, asleep.

    When she fell asleep, her expression was very rxed. Her voluptuous lips curled up slightly, forming the best angle for a kiss.

    She was born with it. Others couldn¡¯t imitate it, but she couldn¡¯t control it either.

    Huo Shaoheng reached out his fingers and caressed the beads of her lips for a while. He couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    He still had to practice and practice if he wanted to y tricks on him.

    However, he didn¡¯t want Gu Nianzhi to be too mature and sophisticated, because those were qualities that only came after she had suffered a blow and experienced setbacks.

    He couldn¡¯t bear to part with her.

    It was great that Gu Nianzhi could forget everything that had happened before she was 12.

    ..

    Perhaps it was because Gu Nianzhi had been too immersed in the atmosphere of the book of changes and chaotic mathematics for the past few days, or perhaps it was because she had been thinking about it every day and dreamed about it every night. In short, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t sleep well that night.

    One dream after another, as if not wake up the same.

    At first, she thought she was still sitting in Lu Jin¡¯s temporaryboratory, fiddling with the mathematical model of chaos.

    She used to be familiar with this area, and now it is easy to pick up.

    But to put the 64 hexagrams and 384 lines of the book of changes into the mathematical model of chaos, it is not an ordinary difficulty.

    The binary-like icons in front of her kept spinning in front of her, forming one divinatory trigram after another.

    Qian Kun... Kanli... Zhen Gen... Gui Mei..

    There were a total of 64 divinatory trigrams, and she was dazzled by them.

    She blinked her eyes, and the scene before her eyes changed again.

    There was noputer or disy screen in front of her, only an empty hall.

    From the looks of it, it looked a little like the living room of He Zhichu¡¯s house that she saw in the other world.

    It seemed like he zhichu woulde down from the second floor in a second. His cold face had peach blossom-like eyes, but his thin lips were tightly pursed.

    Gu Nianzhi waited for a while, but he zhichu did not appear. Instead, she saw another tall, handsome man walk down.

    This man looked familiar.

    Gu nianzhi stared nkly as he walked past her. It was as if she was air, or perhaps he did not even realize she was here.

    It was only then that Gu Nianzhi realized she was dreaming.

    Now that she realized she was dreaming, her mood suddenly rxed and she began to watch everything with interest.

    If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, the man just now was Gu Xiangwen.

    However, Gu Xiangwen looked too young, so she couldn¡¯t tell whether he was the Gu Xiangwen of this world or Lu Jin before he was disfigured in that world.

    She followed the man curiously and saw that he had pushed open a door. It was no longer the he family, but a ssroom.

    Gu Xiangwen was standing under the podium when he was young, talking to an old white man on the podium.

    ¡°Professor Vanderbilt, do you know the Book of Changes?¡±

    Gu Xiangwen was speaking English. Gu Nianzhi was shocked when she suddenly heard the title of the Book of changes from his mouth.

    The old white man smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course,¡±he said. ¡°It¡¯s a great book. Not only do philosophers like it, but mathematicians like it.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: Chapter 2119, he can not bear to part.

    It¡¯s the second watch.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and gold keyboard help ticket oh ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, Little Angels

 Chapter 2120 - How many times do I have to slap someone in the face? (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2120: Chapter 2120: How many times do I have to p someone in the face? (first update)</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in philosophy, but I¡¯m interested in mathematics. Can you tell me how it rtes to Mathematics?¡±Gu Xiangwen¡¯s eyes sparkled when he was young, it was the kind of expression he would have when he talked about something he was most interested in.

    ¡°Kevin, I¡¯ve written a popr science book about this. You can take a look if you have time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly woke up from her dream.

    She remembered now.

    Lu Jin had found her a pile of information about the book of changes and Hundun Mathematics, and one of the books was the popr science book written by Professor Vanderbilt.

    She rubbed the space between her eyebrows, thinking that the Gu Xiangwen in her dream was not her father, Lu Jin.

    Because the books were from this world, not the other world.

    When Lu Jin had given her the information, he had said that the books in this world were not bad, but she had never seen them in that world.

    It seemed that she was really ¡°Daydreaming and dreaming at night.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and leaned her head towards Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder.

    Huo Shaoheng did not open his eyes, but he had already subconsciously pulled gu nianzhi over.

    He woke up with a start. He patted her back and mumbled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?¡±

    Gu nianzhi whispered, ¡°No.¡±

    She looked up at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Did I Wake You Up?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at her. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I don¡¯t sleep very well.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned closer to him and bent herself into a spoon. She was so close to him that she fell back into a deep sleep.

    In the next few days, apart from going to work at the Legal Counsel Office of the Senate, Gu Nianzhi stayed at home alone to study the book of changes and Hundun Mathematics.

    She was already familiar with the eighty-sixty-four trigrams of Zhou Yi, but she had no clue.

    That night at dinner, Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin talked about their experiences and said, ¡°Dad, how do you think the book of changes and Hundun Mathematics are connected?¡±

    Lu Jin understood that Gu Nianzhi had reached a bottleneck.

    Lu Jin thought for a while and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to myb. We¡¯ll do a divination.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The two of them went to Lu Jin¡¯sb. Gu nianzhi took out the mahogany stick she had been ying with and said, ¡°There are fifty sticks in total. They¡¯re made ording to the Yarrow.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need to use the yarrow stick. People in the ancient times did use yarrow for divination, but I don¡¯t think they could find a better material.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt it. In the ancient times, productivity was low, and the Yarrow stick was straighter, but softer than the branches. It grew everywhere, so for people back then, it was easiest to use Yarrow based on the location.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Dad, if you say that, you¡¯re going to p the faces of those who think that using yarrow grass is the ¡®proper¡¯thing to do!¡±

    ¡°TSK, if it¡¯s a p in the face, then it¡¯s a p in the face. How many times do I have to p other people¡¯s faces?¡±Lu Jin waved his hand nonchntly, as if he was shooing away flies and mosquitoes that did not exist.

    His other hand was not idle either. He picked up a small mahogany stick, put it aside, and began the process of picking up the stick.

    Gu Nianzhi watched intently from the side until Lu Jin repeated it six times to get six lines. Only then did she have aplete divination: walking on the divination.

    Lu Jin muttered, ¡°Walking on the tail of a tiger means that we¡¯re heading in the right direction.¡±

    ¡°Walking on the tail of a tiger means that we¡¯ll be able to walk smoothly if we follow the Tiger.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you saying that the fox is using the Tiger¡¯s power?¡±

    Lu Jin alsoughed and winked at her. ¡°It can also be exined that the tiger is not at home, and the monkey is the king.¡±

    The two of themughed at each other, and Gu nianzhi said, ¡°But what does this have to do with chaotic mathematics?¡±

    Lu Jin thought about it and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you build a Form? Why don¡¯t you use this divination as a parameter?¡±

    ¡°Use the divination as a parameter?¡±Gu Nianzhi pondered. ¡°This is the tenth divination, and there are a total of 64 divinations in the book of changes. Does it really matter?¡±

    She stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room to check my calctions. Dad, I¡¯ll tell you the results tomorrow.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Check your calctions properly. This kind of problem needs to be solved in one go. Otherwise, you might forget about today¡¯s inspiration tomorrow.¡±

    Inspiration was not only needed for literature and art, but also for science and science.

    Gu Nianzhi returned to her room and spent the whole night thinking about this divination.

    Huo Shaoheng did note back for the whole night, so no one urged her to go to bed.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt blessed in the middle of the night. Since this divination meant that they were on the right path, she might as well calcte the probability of the other party¡¯s actions and see how they had set up the trap.

    This was called knowing yourself and knowing your enemy.

    Moreover, the divination of the book of changes just now had given her confidence.

    So she listed out everything that had happened recently.

    At first, it should have been the Hong Corporation¡¯s new energy car that was preparing to go on sale in the middle ofst year. Guo Huining had colluded with people and betrayed them. She had almost put the Hong Corporation into a dead end.

    Then, on Christmas Evest year, the other party suddenly used all means to take song jinning away and also tried to get rid of Gu Nianzhi at the same time.

    After that, in order to get Kevin out, they spent two months getting him the position of ¡°Cultural Counselor.¡±.

    Finally, at the end of the trial, the other party used Zuo Qinghong and Cai Zhaohe to knock Keven unconscious in an attempt to bail him out for medical treatment.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the four main points of incident that she had listed and began to calcte the probability of each incident using chaos mathematics. She also calcted how many conditions were needed to achieve her goal.

    After the form was listed, Gu Nianzhi realized that her smallputer could not handle such arge amount of calctions.

    She had originally wanted to borrow Huo Shaoheng¡¯s supeputer from the central control room of the special operations forces.

    However, she was worried that someone would see it and leak the information.

    After thinking about it, she still went to look for Lu Jin and asked, ¡°Dad, how¡¯s the Computing Power Here?¡±

    Lu Jin knew that Gu Nianzhi had already found a way to calcte. He smiled and said, ¡°I have a quantumputer here. Don¡¯t worry about theputing power.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already put the quantumputer into practical use? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Ms. Song¡¯s quantumputer is still in the early stages of theoretical testing!¡±

    Lu Jin held out his index finger and made a ¡°Shush¡±gesture at her. He said softly, ¡°This is a secret between father and daughter. You Can¡¯t tell anyone, not even Huo Shaoheng.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°I know, I know!¡±

    This kind of thing was too advanced, and Gu Nianzhi knew how powerful it was.

    Lu Jin sat in front of Lu Jin¡¯sputer and wrote Gu Nianzhi a biological password. He then entered it into theputer and started a few programs. Only then did the quantumputer, which was disguised as a normalputer, start the program.

    Gu Nianzhi was amazed. ¡°You did a good job with the fish eyes...¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled. ¡°Hurry up and do the calctions. Don¡¯t worry about my fish eyes.¡±

    Even with the most powerfulputer in the world, it would take half a year to calcte. Lu Jin only spent two minutes on it.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the probability of the various events happening on the screen and the variousbinations, and fell into deep thought.

    After a long time, she typed on the keyboard with her fingers and said thoughtfully, ¡°Dad, I think the other party¡¯s preparations are even earlier. They didn¡¯t start in the middle ofst year, but at the end of the year beforest.¡±

    This was determined by the other party¡¯sputer¡¯s performance.

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s already good enough that theirputers can calcte everything in half a year.¡±

    The two of them praised Lu Jin¡¯s quantumputer for a bit more before turning off the program and restoring it to normalputer functions.

    ..

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao liangze were sitting in the central control room with their team, looking at the massive amount of search results on the Inte.

    Zhao liangze frowned. ¡°Zuo Qinghong¡¯s phone and homeputer have been essing an IP for the past few days, but I can¡¯t figure out where it is. Once I track it, it loses its effectiveness. It looks like a dynamic IP.¡±

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°There is a rtively powerful anti-tracking program in his phone andputer. I just cracked it.¡±

    ¡°Then have you found out where it is?¡±Zhao Liangze asked excitedly. ¡°This IP should be overseas!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and pressed on the keyboard with his fingers. ¡°Found it.¡±

    After staring at it for a while, Huo Shaoheng said thoughtfully,¡±... It¡¯s actually a server address of an online game located overseas.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 2120, ¡°How many times do I have to p someone in the face every day?¡±.

    It¡¯s the second update of the day.

    The second update is at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    A rmendation ticket to remind everyone and a golden keyboard support ticket to qidian OH ~ ~

    PS: Thank you to Sibu 602, Wu Ai Tang, and mcmug ai blue for the 10,000 Qidian coins each that they gave yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

 Chapter 2121

    <h4>Chapter 2121: Chapter 2121 preparing the barium meal (second update)</h4>

    ¡°Online games? ! They¡¯re using online games as a way ofmunication? !¡±

    Not only Zhao liangze, but the other members of the central control room also cried out in surprise.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and said, ¡°Why are you all so surprised? In the age of the Inte, is it necessary to sit back-to-back on a street bench and feed pigeons to exchange information?¡±

    The members of the special operations forces were all red in the face.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at them calmly and waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on everyone these past two days. We haven¡¯t gone home yet. Go home early today and rest. We¡¯ll have a day off tomorrow.¡±

    The atmosphere in the central control room finally calmed down.

    After the others had left, Zhao liangze sat down next to Huo Shaoheng and whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, should we report this to the National Security Agency? Zuo Qinghong is a Huaxia National. ording to the rules, he¡¯s not under our jurisdiction.¡±

    ¡°Half and half.¡±Huo shaoheng muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t report this to the National Security Agency for the time being. I¡¯ll report this to General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai.¡±

    Zhao liangze was absolutely convinced by Huo Shaoheng. Seeing that he was prepared, he quickly nodded. ¡°Of course we have to report these three, but the people from the Senate...¡±

    <sub></sub>

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°With Nianzhi around, are you still worried about the Senate¡¯s glib-tongued senator?¡±

    Zhao liangze smiled as well and rubbed his head. ¡°Right, I forgot about her. Is there anything you need us to do?¡±

    He knew very well that Huo Shaoheng was unwilling to directly report the situation to the other agencies in the country because he knew that someone inside had leaked the secret. They already had a few people in their grasp, but they were still worried that someone else had not been exposed.

    Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer and calmly said, ¡°Prepare the barium meal.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s heart sank.¡±... Do we need to use the barium meal?¡±

    The ¡°Barium meal experiment¡±on the special front was to release fake information to the suspected target. After the other party sent out the fake information, the enemy¡¯s reaction would allow the spy on his side to appear.

    After setting up the mission, Zhao Liangze left the central control room.

    Huo Shaoheng sat alone in the central control room for a while. He repeatedly pondered the true purpose of the mastermind behind the scenes, but still felt that there was no clue.

    However, he was not in a hurry. The barium meal would be ready soon. When the time came, it would be obvious who was fishing in troubled waters.

    ..

    In order to track Zuo Qinghong¡¯s IP, Huo Shaoheng did not return to the official residence for a day and a night.

    The mission was finally over that night, and he could go back.

    He returned to the official residence and entered the living room. He bumped into Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin, who had juste out of Lu Jin¡¯sb.

    Gu Nianzhi took the results of Lu Jin¡¯s calctions and walked up to him with a smile. ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re finally back!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and suddenly said, ¡°Do you want to y games?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She cautiously took a few steps back and hugged her exhausted self with a pained expression. She said weakly,¡±... Huo Shao, I didn¡¯t sleep the whole night to do the questions...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood. He couldn¡¯t helpughing and ruffled her hair, he said meaningfully, ¡°What are you thinking about all day long? It¡¯s not just any game, it¡¯s an online game. Do you want to y it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? ! Huo Shao, do you want to y online games with me? !¡±

    This was too rare!

    In the years when Gu Nianzhi had grown up, online games had been an indispensable part of her life.

    However, Huo Shaoheng had always felt that online games were too childish and a waste of time. He had never yed them with her.

    Of course, he did not forbid gu nianzhi from ying by herself.

    Young girls had to have their own hobbies. Gu Nianzhi had practically grown up with the inte, so ying online games was only natural.

    Moreover, she was not addicted to online games, so Huo Shaoheng just let her be.

    That was why he had offered to y online games with Gu Nianzhi today. She was so happy.

    She put the documents in her hands aside and happily followed Huo Shaoheng back to his suite.

    The orderly brought him dinner. Gu Nianzhi sat on the sofa and looked at him with a smile. she asked, ¡°Huo Shao, why did you suddenly think of ying online games with me?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said casually, ¡°You¡¯re so good, and I¡¯m still a rookie. You have to take care of me when I enter the gameter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed mischievously and said slyly, ¡°Huo Shao is too modest. With yourputer skills, even if you¡¯re a rookie, it¡¯s only a matter of time before you be a king.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and changed the topic. ¡°How¡¯s it going on your side? I heard that you want to link the Book of changes to Chaos Mathematics? It¡¯s not easy, is it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about the progress she had made today and sighed. She rested her chin on her hand and said weakly, ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t sleep all night either. I just figured out the other party¡¯s probability.¡±

    As she spoke, she showed Huo Shaoheng the data she had calcted in Lu Jin¡¯sb, she said, ¡°Look, I only figured out what the other party needs to do to set up this trap, but I still have no idea what they¡¯re going to do next.¡±

    ¡°The divination I¡¯vee up with is to follow the other side¡¯s steps, but I¡¯m not satisfied. ¡°If we can only follow the other side, then we¡¯ll always be one step behind. We won¡¯t be able to catch the other side off guard.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was mentally prepared for the difficulty of this matter. Heforted gu nianzhi, ¡°You¡¯re already very good. The other side has already prepared... more than a year? You only used a day to figure out their thoughts.¡±

    However, he also muttered to himself, ¡°Can you find out exactly when they started?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. ¡°Why do we need to find out exactly when they started? Those are all preliminary preparations and have little to do with their actions.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers tapped on the words ¡°More than a year¡±and said lightly, ¡°More than a year, how long exactly? You were taken away by the people over there more than a year ago...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and even the corners of her eyes twitched.

    ¡°Huo Shao means that they have something to do with me being taken away?¡±

    ¡°Not Necessarily.¡±Huo shaoheng continued to analyze, ¡°And not long after you were taken away, I followed them. It was also more than a year ago. and judging from the time, it should be closer to the time I left.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately came to her senses. ¡°That means that someone was watching you and knew you weren¡¯t in the country, so they started to carry out their n!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put down his bowl and chopsticks and drank a mouthful of water. He thought about it and said, ¡°It¡¯s possible. That means their target is still Ms. Song.¡±

    It was better to start their n when Huo Shaoheng was not in the country.

    ¡°This is interesting.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Why are they so interested in Ms. Song?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song¡¯s research only started two years ago after she was cured. Could it be that they¡¯re interested in the maic resonance machine?¡±Gu Nianzhi had an idea.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned back on the sofa, folded his arms, and frowned slightly, he said, ¡°That¡¯s highly unlikely. If their target was the MRI machine, they wouldn¡¯t have kidnapped Ms. Song. Based on their level of skill, they would have known that the MRI machine wasn¡¯t something that could be created by kidnapping a scientist.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°That¡¯s true. Kidnapping MS. Song would alert the enemy, and they would be further away from the MRI machine. So their ultimate target is Ms. Song?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi still felt a little strange.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and reached out to Gu Nianzhi. He smiled faintly and said, ¡°Are you sleepy? Why Don¡¯t you sleep first and then y online games together tomorrow?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2121, ¡°Preparing barium meal.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    Remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and the starting point of the golden keyboard help ticket oh ~ ~ ~

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2122

    <h4>Chapter 2122: Chapter 2122 there was always a firste, first served basis to everything. (the first was to ask for a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Would he y online games with Huo Shaoheng Tomorrow? !

    Happiness was like a tornado ¡ª it came too quickly!

    Gu Nianzhi was so happy that she almost fainted. She treated Huo Shaoheng exceptionally well.

    So much so that when he asked for sex at night with theme excuse that he was too tired to sleep and needed to be more tired to fall asleep, she did not reject him at all. In fact, she felt sorry for him for working overtime, she became the one who took the initiative to help out..

    The night passed, and the dawn broke.

    It was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and it was the weekend. Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have to go to work, and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t have to work overtime. He didn¡¯t wake up early to go to training. Instead, he slept with Gu Nianzhi until he woke up naturally.

    The harmony between the two of them had reached a new heightst night. When they were asleep, they hugged each other tightly. Neither of them wanted to let go, nor did they want to let go.

    When Huo Shaoheng woke up in the morning, the first thing he subconsciously did was to check if Gu Nianzhi was still by his pillow.

    He was so happyst night that he was afraid it was a dream. A dream that he had had countless times during the days when Gu Nianzhi had gone missing.

    <sub></sub>

    He looked down and saw that she was still sleeping soundly in his arms. A few strands of her beautiful hair hung by her fair, red cheeks. His tense mood suddenly rxed. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

    Then he went down and pecked her on the corner of her lips.

    Gu Nianzhi was tickled by his kiss and giggled in her sleep.

    Herughter was gentle and charming, like a little kitten that had just woken up in the morning. It was so delicate that it made one want to hold it in their hands and dote on it.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly.

    He had never thought of himself as a man who was patient with kittens and puppies, but he had never thought that the girl he liked was even more difficult to please than a little kitten.

    She was just a little girl.

    His gaze became more and more intense, as if it had substance.

    Gu Nianzhi was finally woken up by him. She got out of bed angrily. ¡°Why are you looking at me! Aren¡¯t you going to sleep? !¡±

    She red at him as she spoke.

    Her big, watery eyes actually didn¡¯t have much of a deterrent effect.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her puffed-up cheeks in amusement. ¡°You¡¯re up. Don¡¯t you want to y online games anymore?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and smiled fawningly. ¡°Yes, yes! I dreamed about it yesterday!¡±

    ¡°Then get up. What do you want to eat in the morning?¡±Huo Shaoheng sat up first, and the nket slid down to reveal his tanned, healthy, and strong chest.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed at the sight and whispered under the nket,¡±... I want to eat you.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±Huo Shaoheng happened to put on his ck military t-shirt, and suddenly heard Gu Nianzhi teasing him. He turned to look at her in disbelief.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly covered herself with the nket and braced herself to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was both angry and amused. He looked at the little ostrich who remembered to eat but didn¡¯t remember to hit on. He dared to flirt but didn¡¯t dare to move. He pped her butt across the nket, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll make you crab meat dumplings and milk rose bird¡¯s nest in the morning. I¡¯ll Make You... Me Tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked by his p and could only pretend not to hear him.

    When Huo Shaoheng went downstairs, she lifted the nket and let out a long sigh, thinking about how she was going to spend the night?

    She had brought this upon herself.

    However, when she thought about how she could y online games with Huo Shaoheng today, she felt that whatever price she had to pay was worth it.

    ..

    At the breakfast table, Gu Nianzhi said to Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, you haven¡¯t seen president Lu for a few days. Today is the 15th day of the Lunar New Year Lantern Festival. Do you want to go and see President Lu and Ms. Song?¡±

    Lu Jin happened to have something to talk to Lu Yuan and song jinning about, so he quickly said, ¡°I was just about to go look for them. Nianzhi, will youe with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going shopping with Huo Shao today. We¡¯re going to President Lu¡¯s house for dinner tonight. Can you help us order first?¡±

    She didn¡¯t want Lu Jin to know what she was going to do with Huo Shaoheng.

    Her father¡¯sputer skills were too strong. She was afraid that if he got involved, it would cause a stir and alert the enemy.

    The other party was too cautious, so they had to be on guard.

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t suspect anything and nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll go look for Boss Lu right away and have him go buy some food to prepare for the Lantern Festival Dinner Tonight!¡±

    After breakfast, Huo Shaoheng had his chauffeur, fan jian, send Lu Jin to Lu Yuan¡¯s vi in the West Mountains.

    Huo Shaoheng received a call from Huo Guanchen as soon as Lu Jin left.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you didn¡¯te to visit your grandfather during the New Year. It¡¯s thentern festival today, so you should bring nianzhi along for dinner.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just said that she was going to Lu Yuan¡¯s for dinner tonight, but Huo Guanchen had told them to go to grandfather Huo¡¯s ce for dinner.

    Although it wasn¡¯t impossible, everything had to be done first.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it and asked, ¡°Will the Zhang family go?¡±

    Huo Guanchen:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Does it matter whether they go or not?¡±Huo Guanchen said unhappily, ¡°He¡¯s still your grandfather.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his temples. He didn¡¯t want to ruin his mood by arguing with Huo Guanchen on the 15th of the first month.

    ¡°... we¡¯re going to President Lu¡¯s ce for dinner tonight anyway. It¡¯s fine if we visit the old man,¡±Huo Shaoheng said directly and hung up the phone.

    Huo Guanchen was furious and quickly called back. He scolded, ¡°Your Mother can divorce me, but you can¡¯t divorce me as a father and Son!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng blocked his number.

    Gu nianzhi came in through the door and saw Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression. She frowned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s only been a while, and you¡¯re already in a bad mood.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his chin. He had always been very good at hiding his emotions, but Gu Nianzhi was the only one. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, she could always sense the change in his mood, as if she had a telepathic connection with him.

    Actually, he also understood that it was because he was unguarded against her that she could sense his emotions beneath his calm surface.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Chief Huo called and asked us to visit the old man tonight. I¡¯ve already agreed. We¡¯ll go to President Lu¡¯s house for dinner and visit the old man at the same time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    She walked over to him and held his hand. ¡°That¡¯s worth being unhappy about.¡±

    The two of them went upstairs hand in hand to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study, which had first-ss audio-visual equipment.

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°It¡¯s not that they¡¯re unhappy, it¡¯s just that they¡¯re a little annoyed. They just won¡¯t settle down.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re his son. As long as chief Huo doesn¡¯t go overboard, you can do Ms. Song a favor.¡±Gu Nianzhi patted Huo Shaoheng on the arm, ¡°Think about it, how can they not attend our wedding? So why don¡¯t we ease up on our rtionship with them now, so it won¡¯t look too bad.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so sensible.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi puffed out her puffed-up chest, she said proudly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to Say Pretty Things? I¡¯ve already learned how to focus on the important points. For non-important people, no matter how unpleasant their words are, they won¡¯t make me sad. On the contrary, I feel likeughing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pinched her nose. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll see what you can do tonight.¡±

    The two of them teased each other. Huo Shaoheng turned on hisputer and said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°This is arge-scale online game that Zuo Qinghong has been ying recently.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced at it and said in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s this game? It¡¯s quite popr, and there are quite a lot of people ying it.¡±

    She then became distressed. ¡°Then what should we do?¡±? ¡°This game has many servers all over the world. People all over the world y it, and there are probably tens of millions of people online. How can we find out which server Zuo Qinghong is on and which plot he¡¯s ying?¡±

    Thisrge-scale online game was called ¡°The life you want¡±and was called ¡°Your Life¡±in English.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 2122¡åEverything Comes First¡±.

    Today¡¯s second update.

    The second update is at 9:00 pm.

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and the starting point of the golden keyboard support ticket oh ~ ~

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation tickets oh! ! !

    PS: thanks to ¡°My Love Hall¡±the President of the 20,000 starting point coins yesterday, thanks to ¡°Grand View¡±the pro-tip of 10,000 starting point coins yesterday.

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2123

    <h4>Chapter 2123: Chapter 2123: Zhizhi and Yiheng (second update)</h4>

    Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Do you know this game? Have you yed it before? Do you have an Id?¡±

    He added, ¡°It¡¯s best if you have a ready-made ID. A new ID will alert the enemy to arge extent.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly became shy and looked away, not daring to make eye contact with Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng saw her like this and knew that she must have a ready-made ID, and there was more than one..

    He took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and kissed it. Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Give me the male ount, you y the female ount.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waspletely convinced. She pouted and said, ¡°How did you know that I have both male and female ounts?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and did not say anything. He just looked at her quietly.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and lowered her head to smile secretly.

    She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and wrote her ount ID and password on his palm.

    <sub></sub>

    Huo Shaoheng was also amazing. He had memorized such aplicated ount ID and password based on what he felt on his palm.

    He put on the VR helmet and entered the game with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly received a message: your good friend, Yiheng, is online.

    Huo Shaoheng was stunned when he saw the ount¡¯s nickname. He then received a message himself: your good friend, Zhizhi, is online.

    Zhizhi, Yiheng.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    Gu Nianzhi was originally quite proud of her two nicknames, but she could entertain herself when she was alone. Now that the main character had seen it, it was really shameful.

    What was she thinking at that time?

    She was too much of a scoundrel..

    But who wasn¡¯t a scoundrel when they were 16 or 17 years old?

    They weren¡¯t born again..

    Gu Nianzhi ridiculed him in her heart and tried her best to act as if nothing had happened. She went online with Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi was familiar with the game and introduced it to Huo Shaoheng through the headset. ¡°This game is actually very fun. There are a lot of settings, and you can choose the plot and levels you want based on your needs.¡±

    ¡°First, you can choose the timeline. For example, do you want an ancient background or a modern background, do you want to live in the future or the gxy, or do you want to choose the end of the world, horror, and other abnormal times?¡±

    Huo shaoheng asked, ¡°What scenes have you yed?¡±

    Gu nianzhi said, ¡°Look at your backpack. Each backpack represents the scenes I¡¯ve yed. Inside are settings and props.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the bottom left of his line of sight. There were three backpacks. They were written: ¡°Hero saves the damsel in distress¡±, ¡°Kiss me when you¡¯re sick¡±, and ¡°Give me a baby monkey.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    It was only then that Gu Nianzhi remembered the scenes she had yed on that ount. Her face instantly burned, and she almost threw away her helmet.

    Huo Shaoheng saved her from embarrassment in time. He smiled and said, ¡°These scenes are too good. I like them. We have to y like this in our lives in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Let¡¯s think about how to find someone.¡±

    Huo shaoheng said, ¡°I¡¯ll get used to it first. After all, I¡¯ve never yed before. Besides, you haven¡¯t been on these ounts for more than a year. You Can¡¯t make trouble right off the bat.¡±

    As he spoke, he began setting up the storyline and sent Gu Nianzhi an invitation to form a team.

    As long as Gu Nianzhi epted it, the two of them could y together.

    In the past, Gu Nianzhi had yed two roles, with the male and female characters ying together. She had been her own hero and protector.

    At the time, she had never thought that Huo Shaoheng would y such a childish game with her.

    Now that her wish hade true, she was still in disbelief. She hesitated for a long time before epting the invitation.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice came through the earpiece. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ept it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and smiled. ¡°I ept it.¡±.

    The two of them soon stood in a dark ce. They couldn¡¯t see the sky or the ground. It was as if they were at the end of time. No matter how ancient it was, the world was vast and endless.

    Huo shaoheng asked her softly, ¡°What do you want to y? I¡¯ll y with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart raced when she heard his deep and maic voice. After a while, she said, ¡°You¡¯re here to experience it. You can choose. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll choose.¡±

    He looked at the settings and had an idea. He had chosen a police-to-police game to rescue the hostages from the kidnappers. The game was simr to chicken eating, but the settings were moreplicated than chicken eating, it wasn¡¯t a simple game to kill the hostage, but to rescue the hostage unharmed.

    In order to satisfy Gu Nianzhi and to make the game less hardcore, Huo Shaoheng had also joined a sub-plot where he had a falling out with his girlfriend, and then his girlfriend was in danger, and finally got back together.

    Of course, for Gu Nianzhi, this was the main plot.

    Gu Nianzhi skimmed through the settings, suddenly, she said, ¡°I forgot to remind you that the settings of every game can ovep with other yers, so the people we encounter in the game may not be npcs, but other yers.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even more interesting.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled as he picked up the AK47 in the game. ¡°It¡¯s best if it¡¯s a real person.¡±

    He clicked enter.

    Soon, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s vision darkened. When she reappeared, she found herself in the midst of green mountains and water.

    Theke in front of her was clear to the point that it was transparent, and its light green color was that of the bright green flowers on the imperial concubine¡¯s Jade bracelet. It surrounded the mountains like a jade belt.

    A thin fog rose on the autumn morning. Not far away, the peak of the mountain was covered in white snow. The trees in the mountains were red and yellow. They looked like oil paintings, and made theke look like a fairnd.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that this scene was very familiar. It was like the pictures she had seen on the inte before.

    She walked a few rounds on the spot and found that there were more and more people around her. It was like an ink painting. One by one, they appeared vividly next to her.

    She did not know whether they were yers or npcs, but they all looked like standard tourists. They were holding their cell phones or selfie sticks and taking photos in front of theke.

    Thenguage they spoke was sonorous and powerful, as if they were ying marbles.

    Gu Nianzhi listened for a while and realized it was German!

    Could This setting be on a German server?

    Thinking of Germany and looking at theke in front of her, Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered that this was the king¡¯s Lake at the bottom of the German Alps!

    The king¡¯s Lake was left behind by the erosion of thendscape by ciers during the ice age. It was a long and narrow waterway between the towering Alps.

    She had been kidnapped in Germany that year, and had narrowly escaped death. He Zhichu had rescued her and brought her back to the country.

    Was Huo Shaoheng trying to... make up for her regret from that year?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s feelings wereplicated, but she was also very vignt.

    She did not want the same thing to happen again, and she did not want Huo Shaoheng to make up for her regrets in this way.

    She had learned from her mistakes.

    She would not fall in the same pit twice.

    So she was very alert as she stood in a densely popted area. When she saw the car approaching, she quietly dodged to the side.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of today: chapter 2123¡åPerseverance¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of today.

    To remind you of the rmendation tickets and the starting point of the golden keyboard booster ticket oh ~ ~

    Today is Monday, especially the rmendation tickets oh! ! !

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~ ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2124

    <h4>Chapter 2124: Chapter 2124 was very social (first update)</h4>

    A few people jumped out of the car and started to search the crowd.

    Gu Nianzhi picked up her phone and secretly called the police. She told them that she had just found out that someone was trying to kidnap a girl.

    When the police car sounded from not far away, Huo Shaoheng failed to clear the level.

    Because his partner had discovered the kidnapper in advance, he was unable to continue with his follow-up plot. For his partner, he had escaped a disaster, but for the life of his storyline, it was aplete failure.

    Soon, everything before them was dark. King¡¯s Lake, which had been green just a moment ago, paled inparison.

    In a second, the words ¡°Game Over¡±appeared before their eyes.

    The game was over.

    Huo Shaoheng took off the VR helmet on his head and looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion. ¡°Is this how online games are yed?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head, ¡°This online game is the most special, which is why it attracts so many people to y it tirelessly. Because in a sense, it pursues the goal of achieving the set result from the most optimized process. If your process is not optimized, or if the process indicates that you can¡¯t achieve the result you want, then the game is considered a failure.¡±

    <sub></sub>

    No matter how hard you tried, the process was always different. This was the most attractive thing to those ¡°Hard-working¡±emperors of the liver.

    The most annoying thing about ying games was the repetition of meaningless liver.

    Huo Shaoheng hugged the VR helmet, he said thoughtfully, ¡°So when I set up the scenario that you were kidnapped and you called the police in advance, the kidnappers were caught, so it was impossible for me to save you from the kidnappers, so I failed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and tiptoed, stroking Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re a good teacher.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°Do you want to do it again?¡±

    Gu nianzhi frowned and said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want me to save you?¡±Huo Shaoheng was still brooding over this matter.

    Gu Nianzhi put on the VR helmet, she said indifferently, ¡°What¡¯s the point of repeating what happened? ¡°The fun part of this game is that the process is unknown. ¡°The kidnapping in Germany is known to me, so it¡¯spletely unattractive.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. He was silent for a moment before saying,¡±... I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t thinking clearly.¡±

    He had only wanted to make up for his regret, but he hadn¡¯t expected Gu Nianzhi to have to pay a price to make up for it.

    Even if it was only in the game, she would still feel the same psychological pressure when she was in the scene with the VR helmet.

    Huo Shaoheng was no longer in charge of the game. He handed the control to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°How do you n to y?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and thought for a moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go watch the match first?¡±

    ¡°Watch the match?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Gu Nianzhi put on her VR helmet and tapped her fingers in the air a few times. She chose the ¡°Watch¡±option on the interface, she said, ¡°If we watch the match, we can go to other people¡¯s scenes and see what they¡¯re ying. But since we¡¯re watching the match, they won¡¯t notice us.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Then can we watch Zuo Qinghong?¡±

    They had already found Zuo Qinghong¡¯s game ount ID.

    ¡°Let me see.¡±Gu Nianzhi clicked a few more searches on the interface, then she said regretfully, ¡°We can¡¯t. Zuo Qinghong¡¯s game interface has chosen ¡®private¡¯, which means it¡¯s not open to the public, only to people in the same scene as him. If we don¡¯t choose the same game settings as him, we won¡¯t be able to watch his game.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was also regretful. He tossed his VR helmet around and said, ¡°Then what should we do? What should we y?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also thinking about this question.

    If she hadn¡¯t been sure that this game was rted to the mastermind, Gu Nianzhi would have chosen to hack the other party¡¯s server to see what Zuo Qinghong was doing and who he was contacting.

    But now that she was certain that thisrge-scale online game might be the connection between the mastermind and Zuo Qinghong, she didn¡¯t dare to hack the other party¡¯s server.

    That was because the strength disyed by the mastermind was something she was afraid of.

    It wasn¡¯t something that weak programmers on social media couldpare to.

    So she couldn¡¯t hack it casually.

    If the other party¡¯s skill level was higher than yours, then hacking the other party¡¯s server would not only alert the enemy, but it would also be possible for the other party to catch them in the act and throw a Trojan horse at them, they would bepletely exposed.

    In any case, she would not take the initiative to attack the other party rashly until she knew the other party¡¯s background.

    However, now that she knew that Zuo Qinghong was using this online game to do something and contact the mastermind behind it, Gu Nianzhi could not sleep until she had figured out the matter.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s understanding of the game was far less profound and adept than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s, so he no longer suggested anything.

    ¡°We¡¯ll y whatever you say.¡±Huo Shaoheng put on the VR helmet and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m waiting to win with my hands on the Goddess¡¯thighs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect Huo Shaoheng to say such a thing. She was stunned for a moment before giving him a gentle kick. ¡°Huo Shao, you have to watch your image.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng waved at her. ¡°Think about how to set up the scene to find Zuo Qinghong.¡±

    The game was an online game, not a stand-alone game, so it was inevitable that yers would interact with each other.

    However, they would only meet when the yers set up the scene at the exact same time.

    Just like real life, everyone was the main character in their own lives, but also a supporting role in the lives of others.

    The main character and supporting role kept changing, pushing the game forward.

    In this sense, the game was very social.

    Gu Nianzhi began to think seriously.

    She put on the VR helmet and quickly entered her control panel.

    Looking at the options on the virtual panel that represented life scenes, she fell into deep thought.

    Where should she start?

    There were too many settings in the game, and the scenes were as vast as the sea. How many times would she have to try to find the same scene as Zuo Qinghong?

    And Zuo Qinghong had to be there?

    Gu Nianzhi did not need a quantumputer to know that the number would be astronomical.

    Even if they were willing to try one by one, they did not have the time to y one by one.

    Was there no other way?

    Gu Nianzhi thought as she spoke to Huo Shaoheng through her earpiece. ¡°Huo Shao, you said that Zuo Qinghong has been ying this online game?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s been ying it for a few days now and is very engrossed in it. He spends almost all his spare time ying this game.¡±

    ¡°Do you know that he¡¯smunicating with the foreign server of this online game?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t really say that he¡¯smunicating. He must have been logging into that server to y the game. Can¡¯t we just log in directly?¡±

    Gu nianzhi said, ¡°We¡¯re already on that server. But I¡¯m thinking, if he¡¯s only using the game tomunicate with others, why would he spend so much time?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t a normal contact just the time it takes to send an email?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also thought of this question and said in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re right. If it¡¯s just a one-way contact, there¡¯s no need to spend so much time.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and the others wouldn¡¯t have noticed that his contact method was through the online game if he hadn¡¯t spent so much time on the game!

    ¡°But he did spend a lot of time on the online game, didn¡¯t he?¡±Gu Nianzhi confirmed. She seemed to have a clue.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°We have records of the IP ports we went overseas. He did spend a lot of time ying the game on foreign servers.¡±

    ¡°I think he might be using the game for other things,¡±gu nianzhi said thoughtfully. ¡°Other thanmunicating with others, he¡¯s also using the game to carry out some sort of action.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng agreed with her. ¡°I think so, but what can he do with the game?¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately said, ¡°He can use the game to do simtion experiments.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also remembered what Gu Nianzhi said and immediately said,¡±... just like those suspected hijackers in the United States on September 11th who used the flying game to n a hijacking? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was suddenly enlightened by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reminder. She patted her head and smiled, ¡°I understand what he¡¯s doing!¡±

    ¡°The book of changes divination is really useful!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2124, ¡°It¡¯s really very social now.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    The rmendation tickets and the golden keyboard support tickets to remind everyone of the starting point OH ~ ~

    Remember to double your monthly votes at the end of the month for three days and vote again ~ ~

    Mwah, dear big shots and Little Angels ~ ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2125

    <h4>Chapter 2125: Chapter 2125 treading the Tiger¡¯s tail (second update)</h4>

    ¡°Divination of the book of Changes?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s deep voice came from the earpiece, with a prating maic force. ¡°Do you know how to connect the Book of changes and the Chaos Mathematics?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯vepletely figured it out, but I have a beginning.¡±

    As she spoke, she spoke of the ¡°Treading divination¡±that she had disyed with Lu Jin. ¡°Treading divination means following the other party.¡±

    ¡°We can imagine what we would do if we were Zuo Qinghong.¡±

    ¡°He paralyzed Keven in court.¡±Gu Nianzhi was certain that Zuo Qinghong had done it. He had thrown Cai Zhaohe and the short and Fat Man out to confuse them.

    ¡°And then? What else would he do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was more thoughtful than she was. He quickly said, ¡°If he still does it, then he¡¯ll probably think of a way to get Keven out on medical parole.¡±

    A thought shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, and she happily said, ¡°I know! Zuo Qinghong¡¯s game setting will definitely be a hospital!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also understood and narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re saying that he¡¯s been experimenting with how to get Keven out on medical parole?¡±

    <sub></sub>

    ¡°If he¡¯s in a hospital, then he¡¯s not out on medical parole. He¡¯s stealing from the dragon to the Phoenix, isn¡¯t he?¡±Gu Nianzhi said as she started to choose the setting for the hospital.

    If she assumed that Zuo Qinghong was also ying with the setting for the hospital, then it would definitely be Huaxia Hospital.

    This was because the setting for the hospital also had many parameters. For example, the country, the province, the city, the level of the hospital, the direction of the building, and even the number of people it could amodate.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and found that she could find all the parameters that were suitable for Huaxia¡¯s 3X1 hospital!

    Keven was in this hospital, and Gu Nianzhi had only wanted to give it a try..

    Where did this game¡¯s settinge from?

    Gu Nianzhi had a sh of doubt in her mind, but she didn¡¯t think too much about it. She quickly invited Huo Shaoheng to enter the game setting together.

    A white light shed before their eyes, and they were already standing in the hospital corridor.

    The online game¡¯s image was very realistic, as if it was real.

    If it was an average quality VR headset, the image would be blurry, like a low-resolutionputer screen.

    However, the VR headsets that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were wearing were also very high-end, so the details of what they saw were also very realistic.

    The two of them were now doctors and nurses. They wore white clothes and masks as they walked towards the ward at the end of the corridor.

    They did not know who lived in this ward, because if you did not set it, the patients, doctors, nurses, and visitors that appeared here were all random.

    There were npcs and real yers.

    Npcs didn¡¯t have names on their heads, but real yers would have temporary game nicknames on their heads.

    This temporary game nickname could be changed at will so that yers could keep a certain amount of privacy.

    However, it could also be left unchanged. There was also a way to use a nickname to y all sorts of scenarios.

    This kind of person would be on the game rankings. They would have priority wherever they went, and they would also have shiny nicknames.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng did not care about the leaderboard. They needed privacy, so they changed their names to two very NPC names.

    One was called Xiao Ming, and the other was called Xiao Hong.

    Because they were already in the game, Gu Nianzhi was very careful not to bring out their real names and identities when she spoke to Huo Shaoheng.

    They were in the game, and if they used a chat channel in the game, whether it was voice or text, they would most likely be monitored.

    The two of them did not want to take any risks, so they needed to constantly remind themselves to treat themselves as people in the game.

    Huo Shaoheng naturally adapted to this kind of situation, and the content was simr to what they had trained in the past.

    He was even considering opening up the same virtual reality game in their system, so that they could use it to train their new members.

    Gu Nianzhi was also a veteran yer, so she was like a fish in water in the game.

    She carried a medical tray and followed Huo Shaoheng. She smiled and said, ¡°Dr. Ming, where are you going for your ward round?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked sideways at the ward he passed by as he walked.

    There were two beds in the first ward, side by side. Both of them were patients, and there were two family members looking after them.

    The Second Ward had be a single ward. The door was tightly shut, and it was impossible to see what was inside.

    As they walked further in, they saw two armed police officers standing guard at the door of one of the wards.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    Zuo Qinghong was indeed imitating the situation in the hospital ward where Keven had been locked up and guarded?

    Huo Shaoheng did not continue to walk forward. Instead, he looked at them curiously. He turned around and said, ¡°Go see the patients in the second ward. They need to be re-examined.¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded and went with Huo Shaoheng to knock on the locked door of the Second Ward.

    They did not know if there was anyone in the room. The two of them stood at the door for a while, but no one came out.

    Gu Nianzhi was about to say that she was going to look for the key when a young man in casual clothes walked over from the other side of the corridor.

    He was very handsome. Of course, it was his image in the game, unlike anyone they had ever seen in real life.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng stood facing the door of the ward. They were wearing white coats and masks, looking like two npcs.

    The young man did not notice them at all and continued walking forward.

    Just as he was about to reach the two police officers, the young man suddenly bent down as if he was tying his shoces.

    At that moment, two gunshots rang out and shot towards the police officers.

    The two police officers quickly drew their guns and fired back.

    The young man rolled forward in an attempt to break through the two police officers¡¯line of defense.

    However, the two police officers worked very well together. The police officer on the left quickly lowered the muzzle of his gun and fired a shot at the young man¡¯s head.

    The young man was shot in the forehead and quickly disappeared from the ground.

    This was because he had failed in the game and had been ejected from the game.

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of this route from the corner of her eye. She already suspected that this young man was Zuo Qinghong.

    Could it be that he really wanted to create chaos and get Kevin out of the game?

    As far as she knew, Kevin¡¯s legal team was actively seeking medical parole.

    So the other party wanted to do both?

    Was Kevin so important?

    Gu Nianzhi felt it was a little funny.

    She really didn¡¯t see how important Keven was.

    Just as she stood up and was about to leave the scene with Huo Shaoheng, she suddenly realized that the young man was here again.

    It was the same scene as before. The young man was about to walk up to the two policemen when he bent down to tie his shoces.

    The same gunshot rang out from behind him and shot towards the two policemen. However, the difference was that this time, the young man did not pounce on him. Instead, he suddenly stretched out his hand, he pulled gu nianzhi, who was crouching in the corner with her head in her hands to avoid the gunfight, over and used her as a shield in front of him!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2125, ¡°Treading Tiger¡¯s tail.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    A rmendation ticket and a golden keyboard support ticket to remind everyone of the starting point

    Remember to double your vote at the end of the month for three days

    PS: Happy Birthday to our reading leader Seb ~ ~ ~

    Congrattions to my president, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, meow, Meow, Meow

    Mwah, big and Little Angels ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2126

    <h4>Chapter 2126: Chapter 2126 he only respected the most powerful person (first update)</h4>

    In online games, especially when there were battles, such situations were verymon.

    Moreover, only the killing between yers could determine the oue of the game.

    Although Gu Nianzhi was young, she had yed online games from the age of 12 to the age of 20.

    Before Huo Shaoheng could make a move, the moment she was blocked in front of the young man, she had already backhanded a scalpel and stabbed into the chest of the young man who used her as a shield behind her. She then reached out with her left hand, she grabbed the young man¡¯s chest and threw him over her shoulder. She pulled the young man in front of her and made him use her as a shield!

    Almost in an instant, the sound of gunshots from the police rang out and hit the young man¡¯s head.

    Soon, the young man¡¯s body turned gray. A puff of green smoke rose and he disappeared.

    He had failed to clear the game and had been kicked out by the system.

    Gu Nianzhi pped her hands and got up from the ground. She picked up her scalpel and looked at it. She pursed her lips and said, ¡°The scene here isn¡¯t realistic. My scalpel didn¡¯t even see any blood.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly pulled her up, turned around, and turned his back to the police officers in front of the two wards. He said in a low voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that the police officers over there will shoot immediately?¡±

    <sub></sub>

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°Those are two npcs. It was set up by that person just now. They¡¯ll only attack him, not yers like us.¡±

    The two NPC police officers would only continue to hunt her down if she also set up two police officers and set them as her opponents.

    Huo Shaoheng understood and felt very curious.

    He turned around and looked at the two NPC police officers carefully. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and analyze.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi refused. Her eyes darted around as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s Wait a little longer and see if that young man is stilling.¡±

    Zuo Qinghong was panting heavily in his dorm room.

    He had been stabbed in the chest and had been shot several times in the head. He had been beaten until he was dizzy. Although there had been no actual damage, the unexined palpitations in his heart were not fake.

    A few times before, when he yed, there were other yers present. He had deliberately set it up to be open to all yers who used the hospital as a scene. This would increase the realism of the game.

    Because the situation in the real world was moreplicated and changeable, he had to consider all kinds of situations before he could deal with it.

    This way, the data in the game would be more realistic.

    In the end, the genius calcted further to give him the best n.

    This best n was tested with data, and it was very urate.

    Thinking of that genius, Zuo Qinghong¡¯s eyes almost lit up.

    He only admired the most awesome person, and now no one was more awesome than that person. Even the director of their institute of High Energy Physics, song jinning, who had been called a ¡°Genius girl¡±for so many years, could notpare to that person¡¯s finger!

    But this time, the two yers present, especially the girl named Xiao Hong, were too powerful!

    With her skills and reaction, it was obvious that she was a veteran yer. Her hand speed was really not to be underestimated.

    However, in Zuo Qinghong¡¯s view, this kind of person was a simple-minded, ipetent person with well-developed limbs. He only knew how to y the hero in the game. He did not care about this kind of person. He only thought that it was to increase the difficulty of clearing the level.

    Zuo Qinghong panted for a while, feeling very hungry. He picked up his phone and ordered takeout.

    After eating, he went to sleep.

    He needed to recuperate and recharge his energy. He would y this game tomorrow.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng waited in the game for a long time, but this person did note online.

    Seeing that an hour had passed, huo shaoheng said helplessly, ¡°You¡¯re too good. I think you scared him away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°He¡¯s obviously too weak. How can you me me for being too good? How could hee to y a real-life battle like this with so few skills? He should have yed solo for a few years beforepeting with me in hand speed. Besides, he wants to use me as a shield. If he doesn¡¯t deserve it, what else can he do?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled at her and didn¡¯t say anything else. He immediately logged out of the game.

    Huo Shaoheng removed the VR helmet from his head and switched it off. He then said to Gu Nianzhi,¡±... will it alert the enemy?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also removed the VR helmet, she said uncertainly,¡±... I don¡¯t think so. If he can¡¯t take such a small setback, how is he going to carry out the next mission? If he still wants to turn the tables, I think I can catch all of them in one go.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about putting the VR helmet back on the shelf and said in a low voice, ¡°We know what Zuo Qinghong is going to do next, but that¡¯s not enough. We can¡¯t always follow behind him. We¡¯ll always be one step behind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly nodded. ¡°I think so too. We know what he¡¯s doing, but it¡¯s not enough. We have to take the initiative to attack at the same time!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng already had a n. He looked at Gu Nianzhi and reached out to touch her face. He smiled and changed the topic to praise her. ¡°You¡¯re so good at ying games. Our son can take you as his master in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was about to praise herself when she suddenly came back to her senses. She punched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest with her small fists and said coyly, ¡°What Son? Who gave you a son? We¡¯re not married yet!¡±

    ¡°So we have to get ready as soon as possible.¡±Huo Shaoheng held her hands that were in a mess and did not allow her to run away.

    Gu Nianzhi did not n to agree to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s request so easily.

    Besides, she still had to be filial to her mother. It had only been six months, not even a year.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a headacheing on.

    He knew that Gu Nianzhi had a knot in her heart. He did not know how long she would have to wait until she could untie it herself.

    After that year of separation, Huo Shaoheng only wanted to announce to the world that Gu Nianzhi was his wife and that no one could covet her!

    He now had the ability, status, and power to protect her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was just as stubborn as Lu Jin. If he could convince her like this, she wouldn¡¯t be Gu Nianzhi anymore.

    ¡°You said that you would be filial to your mother for a year. It¡¯s been six months since you found out that Qin Suwen is your biological mother.¡±Huo Shaoheng stood up, he kissed her forehead. ¡°There¡¯s still six months left. I¡¯m just getting ready. It¡¯s not too rushed, but it¡¯s not enough.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still six months left. Why are you in such a hurry?¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her to sit on the sofa and started to reason with her. ¡°In ancient times, when people held a wedding, the wealthy families had to prepare for more than a year.¡±

    ¡°Although it¡¯s not thatplicated now, with our current positions and the status of the guests we¡¯re going to invite, we have to prepare for it months in advance.¡±

    ¡°For example, the Russian president, Putin, who personally said he was going to marry us at the wedding, has to be informed of the time half a year in advance. Otherwise, if he can¡¯t manage his schedule, wouldn¡¯t that be a p in the face to him in front of the whole world?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 2126, ¡°He only respects the most awesome person.¡±.

    Today¡¯s second update.

    The second update is at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    A golden keyboard support ticket to remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and the starting point

    Remember to double your vote at the end of the month for three days

    PS: Thank you to ¡°My love hall¡±and ¡°Seb 602¡åfor the 10,000 starting point coins that they each gave yesterday.

    Mwah

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2127

    <h4>Chapter 2127: Chapter 2127 was deliberately timed (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi did not take the bait at all. She said slyly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll notify him when my mourning period ends in six months. I don¡¯t care if I wait another six months or a year for him.¡±

    From now on, she would have to wait another year or a year and a half.

    ¡°But I do care.¡±Huo Shaoheng patted her little face and patiently fought with her. ¡°Nianzhi, do you really not want to marry me sooner?¡±

    ¡°... we¡¯re already living together now. Is there a difference between us and not getting married?¡±Gu Nianzhi said slowly. ¡°Can¡¯t you wait another year or a year and a half?¡±

    Of course not.

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and had no choice but to use hisst resort. ¡°Curve to save the country.¡±.

    He remained calm and continued to hug Gu Nianzhi and coax her. Seeing that she still wouldn¡¯t let go, he seemed to give up, he said, ¡°Okay, I actually nned to kill two birds with one stone. I wanted to use our marriage to spread the news and attract everyone¡¯s attention.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°What do you mean? Attract whose attention?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled lightly. He was in no hurry to get married. He said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Since you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll think of another way.¡±

    <sub></sub>

    ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose!¡±Gu Nianzhi grabbed his cor and looked up at his protruding Adam¡¯s apple. She leaned over and kissed him. She could feel Huo Shaoheng¡¯s entire body tensing up, so she smiled, she said, ¡°Hurry up and exin. There are many things! Otherwise, HMPH!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t say it. I Won¡¯t say it even if I¡¯m beaten to death.¡±Huo shaoheng suddenly became ¡°Steadfast and unyielding.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and held his hands behind his back. She made a binding pose and ¡°Interrogated¡±him. ¡°If you confess, we¡¯ll be lenient. If you resist, we¡¯ll be strict. You know our policies better than I do!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng almost couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter.

    However, his years of training had not been in vain. His expression did not change at all. He said indifferently, ¡°Stop fooling around. I still have things to do. Today is the 15th of the first lunar month. You Don¡¯t want to be unhappy, do you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also feeling a little guilty.

    On the 15th of the first lunar month, she had made Huo Shaoheng unhappy.

    But the wedding ¡ª no, the wedding ¡ª was a big deal.

    She still had a knot in her heart about how Huo Shaoheng had forced her to sign the marriage certificate at that time. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it.

    However, she didn¡¯t know how she was going to do it. She didn¡¯t want to Tell Lu Jin that she would be fine if she had her mother by her side. It was hard to tell her father about these things, it was appropriate to tell her mother. She did not even need to say anything. Her mother would teach her how to deal with it.

    She was also in a bad mood.

    Huo Shaoheng caught a glimpse of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood from the corner of his eye. He realized that his acting had gone too far. He immediately wrapped his arms around her neck and pecked her on the lips, he changed the topic. ¡°I won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want to. I still have some time today. I¡¯m going to the ce where Guo Huining is being held to check on her condition. Do you want to go with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snapped back to her senses and thought to herself that she was being too pretentious. She was the one who had decided not to schedule the wedding first, and now she was feeling sorry for herself. What a loser..

    She only pretended for a moment before putting it down. She nodded and said obediently, ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to see her before the trial starts. Will we have a trial for her?¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s case was rtively simple. The prosecution had not hired Gu Nianzhi as a defensewyer.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to know more about the case, so she had to find a way to visit her in the detention center.

    She had to find a good reason, and only if Guo Huining agreed to see her.

    Without her status as the prosecution¡¯swyer, she no longer had those privileges.

    Now that Huo Shaoheng was going to see Guo Huining, Gu Nianzhi felt that she could hitch a ride.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled her up from the sofa. ¡°Yes, there was nothing special about her case, but someone recently hired awyer for her. It seems that she has someone to rely on and is starting to retract her confession.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless the entire way. She only said when they reached the door, ¡°How can we retract her confession in Guo Huining¡¯s case? Do We have to take out the surveince cameras and p her in the face to know how to spell the word ¡®guilty¡¯?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°They¡¯re just small fries. Let¡¯s see what they¡¯re bragging about.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi also knew that Guo Huining¡¯s case was under the jurisdiction of the state. It wouldn¡¯t be good for Huo Shaoheng to interfere too much.

    Moreover, Guo Huining was indeed just a small fry. Even if she overturned her confession, she wouldn¡¯t be able to cause much trouble.

    She was just curious about who Guo Huining was in contact with. Also, why did the other party choose Guo Huining as their breakthrough point?

    Huo Shaoheng opened the car door for her to get in. He looked at his watch and said, ¡°We still have three hours. Then we¡¯ll go to Old Master Xi Shan¡¯s ce for a visit. Finally, we¡¯ll go to President Lu¡¯s house for dinner.¡±

    The 15th of the first lunar month was not a big or small festival. ording to the old rules, they had to go to see Lanterns and guess riddles.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help thinking about the 15th of the first lunar month that she had spent in the other world. She was a little distracted.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say anything. He drove all the way to the detention center where Guo Huining was being held.

    The two of them had just gotten out of the car when they saw two women dressed fashionably and beautifully get out of the car as well. They were walking towards the gate of the detention center.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the backs of the two women in front of her and asked Huo Shaoheng quietly,¡±... you picked this time on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Why did she have to watch it on the 15th of the month?

    Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°The two people in front are obviously Yi Xinyan and Dou aiyan. They have a pretty good rtionship with Guo Huining. Did they hire awyer for her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand. ¡°It¡¯s easy to talk to smart people.¡±

    He did not need to exin further.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan to enter before leading Gu Nianzhi into the detention center.

    He showed his ID at the registration office and requested to observe the people who hade to visit Guo Huining today.

    Guo Huining¡¯s case was a special case. Although it was under domestic jurisdiction, Huo Shaoheng could still intervene because it was rted to foreign forces. However, there was not much he could do, so he could still monitor it, everything else depended on the situation.

    After the people from the detention center registered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s documents, they brought Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi to a room next door to Guo Huining¡¯s visiting room.

    There was a single ss wall that allowed them to see the situation in the room next door, and a surveince camera that allowed them to see and hear the person on the other side through the small screen.

    Gu Nianzhi did not sit in front of the surveince camera. Instead, she crossed her arms in front of the one-way ss wall and looked at the room next door.

    It was an ordinary visiting room. The walls were covered with thick erasers, and the floor was also covered with erasers. In the middle of the room, there was a set of tables and chairs that were fixed to the floor. They were separated into two rooms by a transparent bulletproof ss wall.

    Guo Huining, Yi Xinyan, and Dou aiyan were sitting on both sides of the tables that were separated by the ss wall.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second watch of the day: chapter 2127, ¡°Deliberately stepping on the dot¡±.

    It¡¯s the second watch of the day.

    A rmendation ticket and a golden keyboard support ticket to remind everyone of the starting point

    Remember to double your monthly vote at the end of the month for three days

    Mwah, dear big and little angels

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2128

    <h4>Chapter 2128: Chapter 2128¡°You are not worthy¡±(first update)</h4>

    Guo Huining looked very haggard.

    After more than two months of imprisonment, her expression was extremely dispirited.

    In the past, she always had a fluffy perm, which made her look like she had enough hair. Now that it had been a long time since she had a perm, her hairline was very obvious.

    On the other hand, Yi Xinyan and Dou aiyan were both bright and beautiful.

    Both of them were wearing decent custom-made suits.

    Yi Xinyan preferred Morandi powder, with a lightyer of gray. She wore a matte lipstick on her lips. Her eyes were a little cold, but there was still a smile at the corner of her lips.

    Dou aiyan was still a fairy-like little fairy. She wore a very unique Marchesa azure winter dress, and the light blue flowers that decorated it looked very real.

    These two beauties with their own styles sat opposite Guo Huining, making Guo Huining look ten years older.

    Guo huining originally saw them enter, and her eyes revealed a trace of joy. However, after seeing their attire clearly, a trace of uncontroble resentment shed in her eyes.

    <sub></sub>

    She pursed her lips and looked at them without saying a word.

    Dou aiyan thought that Guo huining would be grateful to them, but Guo Huining looked at them without saying a word. Moreover, the expression in her eyes was not as kind as she had expected.

    Dou aiyan frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Huining, what¡¯s wrong with you? Who Made You Unhappy?¡±

    Guo Huining clenched her fists tightly on the table. She tried her best to restrain herself to suppress the unhappiness in her heart.

    She tugged at the corner of her mouth and forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m quite happy to see you today.¡±

    Dou aiyan curled her lips in disdain. ¡°Huining, why aren¡¯t you telling us the truth? You know how good we are to you. Your own parents and family don¡¯t even care about you. We¡¯re the ones who came out to hire awyer for you!¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression became even uglier.

    Only then did yi Xinyan stop Dou aiyan. She said softly, ¡°Aiyan, huining is not in a good mood right now. You have to be considerate of her.¡±

    Her voice was a little hoarse, but there was an indescribable mature charm in it. She spoke the capital¡¯s dialect with a clear voice. If it wasn¡¯t for theck of rhyme, people would think that she was born and raised in the capital.

    Guo Huining had always admired Yi Xinyan. Now that she had taken the initiative to help her and was more eloquent than Dou aiyan, her mood eased up a little.

    Seeing Yi Xinyan nod her head, guo huining whispered, ¡°Thank you, Miss Yi. I will remember the people who helped me.¡±

    Yi Xinyan smiled.

    Dou aiyan felt that Guo huining was biased and was a little unhappy, but she still braced herself and said, ¡°Huining, we came to see you today because we want to discuss your case with you.¡±

    ¡°... discuss the case with me? Shouldn¡¯t it be discussed by awyer? Didn¡¯t you say you hired a barrister for me? Did you also hire one from America?¡±Guo Huining asked eagerly.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re from Huaxia. It¡¯s not good to use an Americanwyer,¡±Yi Xinyan exined patiently, her eyes were calm as she said calmly, ¡°So thewyer we found for You is Jin Wanyi, a senior barrister from thergestw firm in the country.¡±

    Guo huining raised an eyebrow and said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of this person. Are you sure she can win against Gu Nianzhi?¡±

    Guo Huining had read about the case that Gu Nianzhi had fought on behalf of the prosecution against Keven¡¯s American team ofwyers in the newspaper.

    She was very afraid of Gu Nianzhi.

    But deep down, she also felt a deep sense of disdain.

    She knew that this was an extremely contradictory and morbid mood, but she had no choice.

    Yi Xinyan smiled and leaned back in her seat. She saidzily, ¡°Why do you have to Outargue Gu Nianzhi? Is that necessary?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s necessary.¡±Guo Huining was excited. She sat up straight and punched the table with her fist, ¡°You don¡¯t know how cunning Gu Nianzhi is! Even those famous Americanwyers are no match for her! If you just randomly find someone to defend me, I might as well do it myself!¡±

    She was also the most famous B Universityw graduate in the capital. Although she had never been a trialwyer, she was still better than Jin wanyi, awyer she had never heard of?

    Dou aiyan rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself. The prosecution didn¡¯t even hire Gu Nianzhi as a defensewyer. What are you worried about?¡±

    Guo Huining was shocked. ¡°The prosecution didn¡¯t hire Gu Nianzhi as theirwyer? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, because the prosecution doesn¡¯t think you¡¯re a worthy defendant. They don¡¯t need to hire Gu Nianzhi as awyer to deal with you in court,¡±Dou Aiyan said harshly.

    Guo Huining was so angry that she almost fell to her knees.

    Yi Xinyan smiled and exined, ¡°Jin Wanyi is no ordinarywyer. She has won many famous cases before. Her winning rate is 99% .¡±

    Guo huining sneered, ¡°There¡¯s still a 1% lost case? Who Did she lose to?¡±

    The only person who had lost to Jin Wanyi was Gu Nianzhi.

    Yi Xinyanughed dryly and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t investigate this, but the winning rate is 99% . In my opinion, it¡¯s about the same as a 100% . The key is that she has never lost against otherwyers.¡±

    Guo Huining, however, caught the w in her words and said, ¡°So Jin Wanyi fought against Gu Nianzhi? and lost the case? is that what you mean?¡±

    ¡°Haha, Huining, you¡¯re too sharp.¡±Yi Xinyanughed, she continued, ¡°We came here today to ask you what your requirements are. As you know, there are wins and losses in all cases. Even though Jin Wanyi is a greatwyer, we¡¯re not sure that she can win.¡±

    Dou aiyan continued, ¡°But the chances of winning are still very high. ¡°As far as I know, the person the prosecution is looking for is a workingwyer from the Ministry of Justice. This person has rarely been involved inwsuits outside of the Ministry of Justice. It would be a piece of cake for Jin Wanyi to win against him.¡±¡±I see...¡±Guo huining breathed a sigh of relief, she thought to herself that there were benefits to looking down on her.

    Otherwise, if they really sent Gu Nianzhi out, she would be in deep trouble.

    Guo Huining lowered her head and pondered for a moment, she said, ¡°I hope to meet with the barrister you hired. I request to plead not guilty. I¡¯m also a victim. I was used by someone. At that time, Keven used me as a shield. They all saw it with their own eyes.¡±

    Yi Xinyan leaned forward and put an arm on the table in front of her, she said slowly,¡±... but Song Jinning has evidence that you sent her a message and a photo. They use you of coborating with Kevin, acting as an aplice to the Tiger, and swindling her away.¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s face flushed red, she stuttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t! That photo was of Gu Nianzhi! I only sent it to Song Jinning to remind her! What was wrong with me? ! And then I was drugged and didn¡¯t know anything ... When I woke up, I was already in Kevin¡¯s hands and was being held hostage by him!¡±

    From this point of view, there was indeed a possibility that Guo huining would be exonerated.

    As long as Jin Wanyi could prove that Guo Huining didn¡¯t know about Kevin¡¯s n and didn¡¯t conspire with him, she would be a victim and not an aplice.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is today¡¯s first update: chapter 2128, ¡°You are not enough¡±.

    It¡¯s the second update today.

    The second update is at 9 pm.

    To remind everyone of the rmendation tickets and the golden keyboard support tickets for the starting point

    Remember to double your monthly votes on thest three days of the month

    PS: Thank You, my dear cousin, for the 10,000 starting point coins you gave me yesterday.

    Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah Mwah

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2129

    <h4>Chapter 2129: Chapter 2129 what kind of superior organization (second update)</h4>

    Yi Xinyan listened attentively to Guo huining¡¯s nagging about her ¡°Grievance¡±. After a while, she suddenly asked, ¡°What about general Huo? is he willing to testify for you in court?¡±

    Guo huining choked and almost choked. She asked in surprise,¡±... General... General Huo?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±Dou aiyan couldn¡¯t wait anymore. ¡°Didn¡¯t you talk about marriage with General Huo? In your current state, can¡¯t hee and help you?¡±

    Guo Huining was so ashamed that she wanted to crawl under the table.

    She took a deep breath, she clenched her fist and said, ¡°General Huo is very busy. Why would he testify for me? Although he saw me being taken hostage by Keven that day, he didn¡¯t show any mercy at all. Instead, he said that I was Keven¡¯s aplice!¡±

    ¡°AH? How could this be?¡±Dou aiyan cried out exaggeratedly. In fact, she knew about this matter. She had seen the video at that time. Now, she deliberately brought it up just to embarrass Guo Huining.

    This guo huining thought that she had hooked up with Huo Guanchen and didn¡¯t even put her in her eyes!

    This was really retribution..

    However, Yi Xinyan thought differently.

    <sub></sub>

    She looked at Guo Huining with a smile and said slowly, ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter if general Huo is willing to testify for you. The important thing is that he doesn¡¯t want to testify, and he doesn¡¯t want to be dragged into this case.¡±

    Dou Aiyan did not understand. ¡°Why is that? Wouldn¡¯t it be great if general Huo can testify for huining? He has a high position and power, so his words should carry a lot of weight!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand?¡±? General Huo was just using huining as bait, trying to fish out a big fish. But what did huining have to do with his matters? She was being used by him for nothing. Tell me, if Huining told the court what general Huo had done, how would the public view General Huo?¡±

    Yi Xinyan was obviously more experienced in ying with public opinion.

    She analyzed calmly, ¡°For a person like general Huo, he never wanted to be high-profile, and he didn¡¯t need to be exposed. ¡°So if this case involves him, no matter what his motive is, he won¡¯t get any benefits in the end.¡±

    With the degree of public attention on this case, once Huo Guanchen¡¯s name and military rank were revealed, his military career woulde to an end.

    ¡°Do you understand now? Huining, you can ask General Huo to testify for you, but your ultimate goal is not to have him testify in court, but to have him interfere in the trial of this case...¡±yi Xinyan¡¯s slender fingers knocked on the table, ¡°Yourwyer will teach you how to do the rest.¡±

    Guo huining seemed to understand, but she already vaguely understood yi Xinyan¡¯s meaning.

    Dou aiyan looked at Yi Xinyan in confusion, then at Guo Huining. She felt that the two of them seemed to have reached some sort of tacit agreement, and she was not happy that she had been excluded.

    In the next room, Huo Shaoheng stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to Guo Huining.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise and said, ¡°But Yi Xinyan and Dou aiyan haven¡¯t finished talking yet.¡±

    ¡°We just want to interrupt their rhythm.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled as he held her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers.

    ..

    In the reception room where Guo Huining was, the staff from the detention center came over and coughed lightly. While Yi Xinyan and Dou aiyan were talking, they politely asked, ¡°Are you two finished?¡±

    Yi Xinyan looked up in surprise. She looked at her watch and said, ¡°Not yet. We¡¯re her rtives and friends, so we should still have half an hour to meet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There is a higher authoritying to understand the situation now. If you don¡¯t want to end it, you will have to wait.¡±The staff member said with a smile, as if it was a normal small matter.

    Dou Aiyan was furious, and Yi Xinyan¡¯s expression was also a little ugly.

    Guo Huining was silent in fear. No one knew who woulde to interrogate her.

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s face was as calm as water. She said lightly,¡±... who wants to interrogate? Can¡¯t they wait until we are done beforeing in? Is there anyone who came first?¡±

    The detention center staff smiled faintly and said, ¡°We¡¯re also doing things ording to the rules. ¡°ording to the detention center¡¯s visiting regtions, the authority of the higher-ups is greater than that of the suspect¡¯s rtives andwyers whoe to visit. Therefore, as long as the higher-ups have needs, we have to satisfy the higher-ups first.¡±

    Dou aiyan curled her lips in disdain and said, ¡°What¡¯s with the official airs? Are there proper procedures? Or do you want to set up a private court? Beat them into admitting their crimes?¡±

    The staff of the detention center was not very happy either. The corners of their lips twitched, they said, ¡°Our reception room is monitored twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and the monitoring is uploaded to thepetent department in the cloud. ¡ª set up a private court? What kind of ce do you think our detention center is? Ancient Times?¡±

    Hearing that there had always been monitoring here, Dou aiyan looked around uneasily.

    Yi Xinyan and Guo Huining had been prepared for this, but they had only confirmed it.

    The two of them looked at each other, and Yi Xinyan said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll go out first. We¡¯lle in after the others have finished talking to you.¡±

    They happened to know who hade to ask Guo Huining about the situation and what had happened, so that they could go back and tell Jin wanyi how prepared she was.

    The two of them had originally nned to bring Jin wanyi with them today, but Jin Wanyi hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it after she found out that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t the prosecution¡¯swyer. She had said that today was the 15th of the first lunar month, and that she was going to C city to meet her fianc¨¦, therefore, she hadn¡¯te with them.

    Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan stood up together and turned to leave. They saw the door of the reception room open, and Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi walked in slowly from outside.

    Huo Shaoheng was tall and handsome. His handsome face was as bright as the sun, so dazzling that it was impossible to look at him directly.

    Gu Nianzhi was dainty and agile. Her tall figure was like a little bird in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    More importantly, their fingers were tightly interlocked. They did not look like ¡°Employees of a higher authority¡±at all.

    Yi Xinyan, Guo Huining, and Dou Aiyan¡¯s eyes fell on Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tightly interlocked hands at the same time. They gradually moved up to look at their faces.

    The pair looked calm andposed, without a hint of emotion in their hearts.

    Dou Aiyan was the first to lose her temper. She immediately pointed at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi and said to the staff at the detention center, ¡°This is the person you said was from a ¡®higher authority¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What higher authority is she!¡±Dou aiyan pointed at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Dou aiyan, you¡¯ve been well-educated since you were a child. Why are you pointing your finger at people all the time? Do you know how rude and uneducated that is?¡±

    She and Huo Shaoheng hade here on purpose, of course.

    Dou aiyan was so angry at Gu Nianzhi that her face turned red again. Her chest heaved up and down as she said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! I¡¯m just asking if you have the authority to interrogate Guo Huining!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the authority to interrogate anyone,¡±Gu Nianzhi said lightly. ¡°I said that it was just a higher authoritying to understand the situation, but in your mouth, it¡¯s just an interrogation. It¡¯s really like spreading rumors and breaking legs to refute them.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2129, ¡°What kind of higher authority¡±.

    The second watch of the day.

    To remind you of the rmendation tickets and the starting point of the golden keyboard support vote oh ~ ~

    Remember to double the monthly vote at the end of the month three days to vote oh ~ ~

    Mwah dear big and Little Angels ~ ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2130 - was out of line (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2130: Chapter 2130 was out of line (first update)</h4>

    Dou aiyan wanted to jump up and scold him.

    Yi Xinyan quickly pulled her along and said softly, ¡°Anyway, if you say so, then so be it. You set the rules, so why bother? We¡¯re all thousand-year-old foxes. Why are you ying Liaozhai with us?¡±

    As she spoke, she led Dou aiyan out of the reception room.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at their backs and snorted, she said slowly, ¡°Miss Yi, are you saying that you work for the government just like us? Your nationality is the United States, right? Don¡¯t tell me you work for the United States government? But aren¡¯t you a gold-medal analyst? Did I remember wrongly?¡±

    This was a warning to Yi Xinyan. If there was really something wrong with her, she might panic and contact her ¡°Superior Agency¡±..

    Yi Xinyan found itughable. She turned to nce at gu nianzhi and said, ¡°Chief Gu¡¯s ability to make usations is getting better and better. If I didn¡¯t work for the United States government, would you havemitted suicide to atone for your crimes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and shook her head. ¡°Committing suicide to atone for your crimes is the second most popr thing in Japan. Why would I want to learn from the Japanese?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and smiled darkly. ¡°The second most popr thing in Japan? Then what is the most popr thing in Japan?¡±

    ¡°... of course, it¡¯s to bow and apologize. You Don¡¯t even know that.¡±Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes full of charm.

    <sub></sub>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface. He said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that you¡¯re a craftsman.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi covered her mouth and smiled as she leaned against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest.

    Huo Shaoheng wrapped his arm around her shoulder lovingly and said in a low voice,¡±... naughty again.¡±

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s calm expression was almost cracked.

    She turned her head away forcefully, the veins on her neck showing.

    Dou aiyan¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. She was so angry that her entire body was trembling. ¡°Are you guys here on official business or to show off your love? Don¡¯t you know the saying, ¡®Show Off Your Love and Die quickly¡¯?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi simply leaned back into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s embrace, her expression bright and moving, she said proudly, ¡°Is there a conflict between business and showing off your love? Dou aiyan, your logic is really not good enough. Did you drop out of school too early? Have you already returned your freshmanw knowledge to the university professors?¡±

    Dou aiyan¡¯s face turned red and then white. After a while, she stomped her feet and sneered. ¡°Stop Dreaming. Do you really think you can fly to the top and be a Phoenix? Look at her! She¡¯s your example!¡±

    Dou aiyan pointed her finger at Guo Huining, who was inside the ss wall opposite them. Guo Huining looked at the intimate rtionship between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng, and was so jealous that she was out of her mind.

    This time, Guo Huining was not angered by Dou Aiyan¡¯s words. Instead, she went along with her words andughed. ¡°Aiyan is right! Someone is having the same dream I had! My Dream is waking up, and your dream ising soon!¡±

    She pointed at Gu Nianzhi andughed her head off, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s so easy to get into the Huo Family? Guan Chen Won¡¯t let you in. How long have you been engaged to Huo Shao? Let me tell you, to these rich young masters, an engagement is nothing! You can deny it any time you want!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put all her effort into her acting. She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand tightly and rolled her eyes, she said arrogantly, ¡°Guo Huining, don¡¯t think that just because you didn¡¯t marry into the Hong family and didn¡¯t get engaged to general Huo, that you can judge others by yourself. You think that you¡¯re a role model for a wealthy family. Just because you¡¯re not as tall as you, doesn¡¯t mean that others can¡¯t cross over, right?¡±

    She turned to look at Guo Huining and smiled mischievously. ¡°Unfortunately, I happen to be taller than you, and my legs are longer than yours, so I can cross over the hurdle that you can¡¯t cross.¡±

    She even kicked her long legs, which were in mid-boots, in a very high-profile manner.

    Dou aiyan was shocked and quickly took a step back.

    Yi Xinyan held her and said inly, ¡°Chief gu, when the moon is full, it will be a loss, and when the water is full, it will overflow. Even if you get married, you can still get a divorce, not to mention just an engagement. This is not a rare thing for a high-ss family...¡±

    ¡°Oh? Miss Yi seems to know a lot about high-ss families?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked with a smile. The dimples on her lips were faintly discernible, and she was extremely charming.

    Dou Aiyan did not blurt it out! In fact, high-ss families were the most cautious when it came to getting married. The possibility of divorce was actually the lowest, and the highest divorce rate was among the nouveau riche.¡±

    It was a proper p to Yi Xinyan¡¯s face.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Yi Xinyan was pped in the face. She finally couldn¡¯t maintain her calm expression, and her expression changed slightly, she smiled and said, ¡°Aiyan, you say it like you know everything, but your father, the former Prime Minister Dou, also climbed up from the bottom of society...¡±

    Implying that he was worse than the nouveau riche.

    Dou aiyan knew she had said the wrong thing, but she wasn¡¯t willing to let Yi Xinyan talk about her father like that. She pursed her lips, she said, ¡°My Mommy¡¯s family is the Yan family, one of the top families in the capital. What misunderstanding do you have about me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled as she watched the two men¡¯s almost infighting conversation. She couldn¡¯t help bridging the gap between them. ¡°Miss Yi, which family are you from? I¡¯ve never heard of a big family in Huaxia with the surname Yi?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no big family in Huaxia with the surname Yi, and there¡¯s no big family with the surname Gu!¡±Yi Xinyan rebuked coldly. ¡°Chief Gu, you should focus on your work. Our family background has nothing to do with you.¡±

    As she spoke, she pulled Dou aiyan towards the door.

    Dou aiyan was so agitated by Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s intimate posture that she couldn¡¯t control her words. She staggered as she followed Yi Xinyan out, she said angrily, ¡°What¡¯s the Big Deal! If you have the ability to get engaged, then get married right away!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed, and she acted as if she wanted to pounce on Dou Aiyan and hit her.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly grabbed her waist, afraid that she would be too engrossed in the drama..

    Dou aiyan saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression and burst intoughter. ¡°I hit the nail on the head, didn¡¯t I? hahahaha...¡±

    Before she could stopughing, Huo Shaoheng suddenly grabbed gu nianzhi¡¯s hand and knelt down on one knee in front of her.

    ¡°Nianzhi, marry me.¡±He looked into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dark eyes, as if he had been bewitched, and kissed her fair and tender palm. ¡°I love you, marry me.¡±

    Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan couldn¡¯t believe their ears and hearing. They turned to look at him together.

    What did they just see? !

    Huo Shaoheng, the great general of the special operations forces, who had been in a high position at such a young age and was cold-blooded and ruthless, but was skilled in the political arena, had actually lowered his noble head in front of Gu Nianzhi!

    He knelt on one knee and still had the imposing air of a lofty mountain. He was majestic and imposing, but neither servile nor overbearing. He was sincere and gave Gu Nianzhi enough face.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect Huo Shaoheng to act to such an extent.

    They had agreed to show their affection on purpose to provoke Yi Xinyan, Dou aiyan, and Guo Huining. He had gone beyond the outline!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2130, ¡°He has gone beyond the outline.¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second chapter is 9 pm.

    To remind you of the rmendation tickets and the starting point of the golden keyboard support ticket oh ~ ~ ~

    Monthly ticket remember to double the end of the month three days to vote oh ~ ~

    PS: Thank You ¡°My Love Tang¡±yesterday¡¯s gift of 10,000 starting point coins.

    Mwah everyone Big Angel ~ ~ ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2131

    <h4>Chapter 2131: Chapter 2131 I urge you to be a human being (second update)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    But Gu Nianzhi liked Huo Shaoheng very much.

    It was a simple sentence. No matter what the asion was, no matter the reason, it was enough for Gu Nianzhi.

    The love and respect she wanted was all given by this man, and she only wanted what he gave her.

    What could she not be satisfied with in her entire life?

    Although the two of them had already received their marriage certificate, Huo Shaoheng knew that Gu Nianzhi would not recognize a marriage certificate under such circumstances.

    To him, the marriage certificate was only a temporary measure.

    What he wanted was for Gu Nianzhi to marry him willingly, be with him, have children, and live out the rest of her life.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that Gu Nianzhi still had a knot in her heart when she refused to marry him in public.

    He didn¡¯t want to find a psychiatrist to help Gu Nianzhi solve this problem.

    He decided to be her psychiatrist himself.

    For this step, he had flipped through many psychology books and even discussed it with Lu Jin, the ¡°Potential big shot¡±in psychology.

    Today¡¯s situation was killing two birds with one stone.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that Huo Shaoheng was still acting, but her eyes reddened uncontrobly and her tears quietly gathered. She did not want to cry at this time.

    Looking at Huo Shaoheng, who was kneeling on one knee and proposing to her, Gu Nianzhi held back her tears, she smiled and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already propose? You already gave me the diamond ring, why do you have to do it again? Get Up quickly and kneel down in this ce. Aren¡¯t you afraid that others willugh at you?¡±

    ¡°This is a proposal,¡±huo shaoheng said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s not an engagement.¡±

    He looked at Gu nianzhi intently and said, ¡°The location of the proposal is not important. As long as you agree, I will kneel down for you anywhere. Promise me that the wedding will be held in six months, HMM?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked you many times, but you never agreed. What they said today reminded me, so what if I¡¯m engaged? It doesn¡¯t mean that I will marry you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t wait any longer. Nianzhi, give me a chance. Let Me Take Care of you for the rest of your life.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words were sincere, and his acting skills exploded. The Oscar statuette could no longer measure up to him.

    Gu Nianzhi was filled with emotion, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel secretly happy. She was like a little kitten that had finally caught the ball of wool in her heart. She wanted nothing more than to hug it and Meow. Then, she would throw a tantrum on the ground and roll around.

    She thought Huo Shaoheng was acting, but no one else knew.

    Behind her, Guo Huining felt her face swell up.

    She wanted to marry into a rich family. First, she wasted ten years in the Hong family. Then, she almost lost her life for Huo Guanchen. In the end, no one was willing to marry her..

    But Gu Nianzhi... Gu Nianzhi..

    What right did she have? !

    She was the one who didn¡¯t want to marry!

    This was outrageous!

    Dou aiyan¡¯s jaw almost dropped to the ground.

    She stared at the scene and stammered,¡±... Wh... what? ! Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯re the one who refused to marry Qiao? ! Did I hear wrong? !¡±

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s eyes darkened. She quickly looked down at the ground and let out a soft chuckle.

    In fact, Yi Xinyan, Dou aiyan, and Guo huining did not suspect Huo Shaoheng¡¯s motives at all.

    In their opinion, a man of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status must have loved her to the bone by kneeling in front of everyone and asking his fianc¨¦e to agree to the wedding date.

    Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths for a woman of a different status?

    Gu Nianzhi must have saved the gxy in her past life..

    Even though they didn¡¯t like Gu Nianzhi in any way, they had to admit that she had a much better eye for men than they did.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up at Gu Nianzhi and gently shook her hand. ¡°Promise Me, Nianzhi. I¡¯ll treat you well for the rest of my life. You Won¡¯t regret marrying me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly and nodded when she sensed six gazes of hatred, jealousy, and envy on her. ¡°Okay.¡±

    She pulled Huo Shaoheng up and said happily, ¡°I promise you that the wedding will be held in six months.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi leaned her head against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest and said obediently, ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say. I just need to prepare to be a beautiful bride, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Huo Shaoheng held her in his arms and let out a sigh of relief.

    This youngdy had finally relented. The wedding date had been set, and he could now let go and prepare for the wedding.

    At the same time, the various forces would also learn of the news of his wedding, and would begin to stir up trouble..

    Huo Shaoheng stared intently at Gu Nianzhi in his arms, but from the corner of his eye, he saw the expressions of Yi Xinyan and Dou aiyan.

    Yi Xinyan pursed her lips, rolled her eyes in disdain, and shouted in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s Go!¡±

    She pushed open the door of the reception room like the wind and walked out.

    Dou aiyan stomped her feet and said,¡±... you¡¯ll definitely get a divorce!¡±

    Then she ran out as well.

    Gu Nianzhi heard the door of the reception room close. She was about to push Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms away when Huo Shaoheng gently pinched her waist.

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and remembered that there was still guo huining in the room.

    She hid her head in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and smiled sheepishly.

    Gu Nianzhi thought that if Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t told her that she could use this matter to observe everyone¡¯s reactions, she wouldn¡¯t have agreed to hold the wedding six monthster.

    Huo Shaoheng knew her too well. He knew that once she connected this ¡°Private matter¡±to business, she wouldn¡¯t be able to say ¡°No¡±..

    This man not only knew her very well, he was also willing to rack his brains and rack his brains for her.

    If this wasn¡¯t love, she wouldn¡¯t know what love was.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng turned around like conjoined twins and faced Guo Huining, who was on the other side of the ss wall.

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t catch her breath and almost suffocated herself.

    Her face was purple. After a while, she gasped for breath and covered her neck. ¡°Did you guyse here to annoy me on Purpose?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng sat where Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan had been sitting. They smiled and tilted their heads. ¡°Guo Huining, you still like to tter yourself. What¡¯s so important about you that I have to piss you off?¡±

    Guo Huining held her breath. She stood up in a sh and said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you! I don¡¯t want to talk to you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you,¡±Gu Nianzhi said casually. ¡°I advise you to be a human being. You¡¯d better sit down.¡±

    The corners of Guo Huining¡¯s mouth twitched as she nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was cold and serious. He did not look at Gu Nianzhi with the tenderness and sweetness he had earlier. His gaze was as cold as ice.

    Guo huining could not help but cower and slowly sit down.

    She turned her head to avoid looking in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s direction. She only looked at Gu Nianzhi and said coldly, ¡°What are you doing? !¡±

 Chapter 2132

    <h4>Chapter 2132: Chapter 2132 would never get to the point (first, I want a monthly ticket! ! !)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her quietly for a while and said, ¡°Guo Huining, I¡¯ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Do you want it?¡±

    ¡°Redeem yourself?¡±Guo huining only wanted to sneer. ¡°What did I do wrong? Don¡¯t try to trick me into confessing!¡±

    ¡°Do I need to trick you into confessing?¡±Gu Nianzhi red at her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you did too quickly.¡±

    ¡°I was wronged! I¡¯m the victim!¡±Guo huining shouted at the top of her lungs, repeating what she had said to Yi Xinyan and Dou aiyan.

    But her words could convince Yi Xinyan and Dou aiyan, but not gu nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi leaned forward, almost sticking to the ss wall.

    ¡°You¡¯re Innocent? You hired someone to kidnap Ms. Song and want to sell her to the ck Forest in Southeast Asia. There are so many dirty thoughts out there. Don¡¯t think that no one will know if you don¡¯t seed.¡±

    Her voice was soft and soft, but in Guo Huining¡¯s ears, it was like a sharp knife piercing straight into her chest.

    Guo Huining¡¯s expression changed abruptly. She looked at Gu Nianzhi as if she had seen a ghost. Her lips trembled, and after a long while, she denied,¡±... i... I didn¡¯t! You¡¯re lying!¡±

    She had deleted those messages long ago, and everything else had been said over the phone. She did not believe that Gu Nianzhi could still record it!

    But when she thought about the recording, Guo Huining¡¯s face turned pale again.

    No one would be monitoring her phone, right? !

    She was still aw-abiding citizen at the time, so how could they be monitoring her phone?

    Guo Huining¡¯s mood suddenly rose, and she sneered,¡±... Don¡¯t tell your superiors that they¡¯re monitoring my phone! I¡¯m going to sue you for viting my civil rights! The surveince evidence you illegally obtained can not be used as evidence in court!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite quick-witted.¡±Gu Nianzhi rested her head on one hand and leanedzily against the table in front of her. She nced at Guo Huining with one eye, ¡°You admit that you did all these things? But we don¡¯t have any legal evidence, so we can¡¯t Sue You?¡±

    Guo Huining:¡±...¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say that! I only said that if you monitor my phone, I Can Sue You for viting my civil rights!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite stubborn. As expected of an alumnus.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile.

    Guo Huining couldn¡¯t help retorting, ¡°Only B University undergraduates are worthy of being my alumnus. Are You Worthy?¡±

    This identity was almost her only source of pride and support.

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and said, ¡°Then I¡¯m indeed not worthy, but I¡¯m d you don¡¯t recognize me as an alumnus because I¡¯ve always felt ashamed to have you as an alumnus.¡±

    Guo Huining was so angry that her face was red, and even her eyes were red. She looked extremely angry.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and pressed down, she said calmly, ¡°What are you angry about? can anger solve the problem?¡±? ¡°Guo Huining, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in your head, but you¡¯re never able to grasp the main point. No wonder you¡¯re not very good at your job. You haven¡¯t been able to get old Mrs. Hong to ept you after all these years.¡±

    Old Mrs. Hong was still a ruthless person, and Gu Nianzhi still had some admiration for this old woman.

    Guo huining stood up abruptly and punched the ss wall in front of her. The burning pain on the back of her hand finally sobered her up a little.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t say anything else and just looked at her quietly.

    Guo Huining sat back down in her chair after a long while. She frowned and said, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you something.¡±Gu Nianzhi sat up straight and stopped provoking Guo Huining.

    Guo Huining¡¯s case could be big or small. If she was willing to cooperate, it wasn¡¯t impossible for her to seek leniency, but from the looks of it, she probably didn¡¯t want to work with Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t have much hope, but she wanted to get some clues from what she had revealed to test her theory.

    Huo Shaoheng patted gu nianzhi on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient.¡±

    He turned to look at Guo huining and asked calmly, ¡°I heard that Kevin helped you find the foreign doctor that you found for my grandfather?¡±

    Guo Huining would not be able to know the doctor directly, but someone else had introduced her to him.

    With doctor Tony¡¯s status in the American medicalmunity, even Dou Aiyan and associate director Jia would not be able to hire him.

    But Keven could.

    Guo Huining was stunned for a moment before she remembered who Huo Shaoheng was talking about.

    It was doctor Tony who had performed the surgery to wake up grandfather Huo, who was already in a vegetative state. That was how she had caught Huo Guanchen¡¯s eye and opened the door to a new world for her.

    ¡°How did you meet Keven?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked one question after another, not giving Guo huining any room to breathe.

    Although Guo Huining could be stubborn in front of Gu Nianzhi, she couldn¡¯t help answering Huo Shaoheng¡¯s questions.

    ¡°... I didn¡¯t know him at first. It was Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan who set me up,¡±Guo Huining said honestly.

    Huo shaoheng asked again, ¡°Why did they help you? Why did they give you this opportunity? Why did they want you to hook up with Chief Huo?¡±

    Guo Huining was extremely embarrassed. She muttered to herself for a while before saying,¡±... I was in a bad situation at the time. They wanted to help me because they wanted chief Huo to owe me a favor and ask me to do it in front of Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    At that time, she had offended Gu Nianzhi because of a reserved seat. For some reason, the issue of the Hong Group¡¯s new energy electric car that she had initiated had suddenly been exposed. She was like a waterfall, she went straight down.

    Gu Nianzhiughed lightly and interrupted guo huining¡¯s words. She asked,¡±... do you still think that way now?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±Guo huining nced sideways at Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You said that they helped you find Dr. Tony so that chief Huo would be able to owe you a favor.¡±Gu Nianzhi repeated Guo Huining¡¯s words.

    Guo Huining hesitated. ¡°Isn¡¯t That So?¡±

    ¡°Is Keven so kind? Have you forgotten how he used you as a shield to block bullets on Christmas Eve?¡±Gu Nianzhi tapped her fingers on the table twice.

    Guo huining came back to her senses. Her face was pale again, and she lookedpletely dispirited.

    ¡°... isn¡¯t that their goal?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Gu Nianzhi almost wanted to brainwash Guo Huining. ¡°Think about it carefully. Are they the angels who sent you to heaven, or the devils who dragged you to Hell?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng guided her appropriately. ¡°Have you ever thought about how the Hong Group¡¯s new-energy Electric Car project started?¡±

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reminder, Guo Huining started to get a sense of what was going on.

    She focused for a moment, ¡°That was in the middle ofst year. The Hong Group was discussing the future direction of development. At that time, the shareholders were very different. Some wanted to go public, some didn¡¯t, some wanted to go public domestically, and some wanted to go public abroad. No one had a unified opinion.¡±

 Chapter 2133

    <h4>Chapter 2133: Chapter 2133 was neither here nor there (the second was a monthly vote)</h4>

    ¡°At the time, I said that since we couldn¡¯te to an agreement, we might as well ask a professional to evaluate and see which form we would be suitable for.¡±

    Guo Huining was lost in her memories of the past.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng listened attentively.

    ¡°Later, I went to consult a professional to see which investment bank was more familiar with this area of business.¡±

    ¡°Then someone introduced Carlyle International Investment Co.¡¯s top analyst, Yi Xinyan, and associate director Jia from Huaxia.¡±

    Guo Huining went one by one, ¡°Then it was Dou aiyan, who was interning at thispany, who personally contacted me and said we were alumni...¡±

    Gu nianzhi immediately asked, ¡°You consulted a professional? which professional?¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyes suddenly fluttered, and she was too afraid to look Gu Nianzhi in the eye.

    She put her hand down and twirled the hem of her dress, her eyes lowered, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Guo huining without batting an eyelid and said, ¡°There are usually more professionals inw firms involved in mergers, acquisitions, and listings ofpanies, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s What I was going to say. Guo Huining, whichw firm did you consult?¡±

    The merger and listing ofpanies were the main areas of work for manyw firms. The money they could collect in this area was more valuable than anywsuit.

    Moreover, once they made a name for themselves and had connections, it was equivalent to counting their money.

    Therefore,rgerw firms generally would not give up their efforts in this area.

    Small and medium-sizedw firms would only be able to get a share of this area of business if they had a strong backing.

    Gu Nianzhi had originally guessed that this ¡°Professional¡±was from one of the four famousw firms in Huaxia.

    However, Guo Huining had been dawdling for a long time and had said the name of aw firm like a Mosquito:¡±... King¡¯s Landing.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°What? ! whichw firm? Tell me clearly!¡±

    Guo Huining rolled her eyes and nced at Gu Nianzhi. Seeing her lose herposure, she couldn¡¯t help smiling resentfully.

    It was as if the evil in her heart could no longer be suppressed and was about to spill out from her narrow heart.

    ¡°I say, sovereignw office.¡±Guo huining grinned, revealing her eight slightlyrge white teeth.

    ¡°Sovereign Law Office? Are you sure that¡¯s the name?¡±Even Huo Shaoheng was slightly moved.

    It was thisw office again.

    Not long ago, because Guo Huining had a bad rtionship with the Hong family and involved Gu Nianzhi¡¯s reputation, Huo Shaoheng had personally led people to confiscate thisw office.

    He Zhichu had also founded the sovereignw office in Huaxia when he hade to this world to look for Gu Nianzhi.

    However, when he zhichu had returned to the other world more than a year ago, he had already transferred all of his rights and interests in a hurry.

    The person who had taken over the sovereignw office was very good at making money. The size of the sovereignw office was now almostparable to the fourthrgestw firm in Huaxia, and it was on the verge of being taken down.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a smallw firm. It can¡¯t be anywhere, but in a year and a half, it suddenly made a lot of money. It¡¯s a legend. Whether you believe it or not, I don¡¯t believe it.¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted.

    Guo huining smiled meaningfully. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, I believe it. Thisw firm may be small, but it has a big background. Miss Gu, you must know about it, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened, she blurted out, ¡°What do I know? Although thisw firm was founded by my mentor, he zhichu, he has already transferred it... and when he owned thisw firm, its business was just SO-SO.¡±

    At that time, he zhichu had registered in Huaxia as a foreign-fundedw firm, and his main purpose was not to take over the business, but to find Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You also know that this was founded by professor he?¡±Guo huining seemed to have regained her confidence, she smiled and said, ¡°Although professor he had not gone to B University to teach when I graduated, he was still a professor in B University¡¯sw department. The doctoral students he brought out back then are now all people who can hold their own. One of them even entered the imperial capital High Court and is already a judge.¡±

    He Zhichu had only been here for a few years, and his doctoral student was already a Judge?

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She was a little confused by the situation.

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it carefully and pulled the topic back. He said, ¡°Thew firm of King¡¯s Landing was also the legal representative of Old Madam Hong. It seems that you guys were the ones who led it, right?¡±

    Guo Huining shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. I was already kicked out by Old Madam Hong. If you guys are interested, go look for old Madam Hong...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it. The reason he had led his men to confiscate thew firm was because the Chaoyang people had reported that there were many foreigners in and out of thew firm. It was possible that there were spies.

    They had taken away a batch of materials and found some irregrities. They had also handed them over to the relevant departments to rectify in ordance with thew. However, they did not find anything on the spies.

    However, they found out that the boss of the sovereignw office was more involved in the whole incident than they had imagined.

    Therefore, two months ago, they had conducted aprehensive investigation of the sovereignw office from the boss to the employees.

    Because the situation was quite serious, the boss of the sovereignw office had not returned to the country after learning about the incident abroad.

    Huo Shaoheng silently gave the sovereignw office a cross in his heart.

    Gu nianzhi frowned and asked, ¡°You went to the sovereignw office to consult about mergers and acquisitions and listing, and they rmended Carlyle International Investment Limited?¡±

    Guo huining nodded, ¡°Yes, they said that Carlyle International Investment Limited is thergest investment bank in the world and manages assets in the tens of billions. If our Hong Group wants to break through the bottleneck, the next step of development should be evaluated by such a professionalpany and a rationalization proposal should be made.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been exposed to this aspect when she had first studiedw.

    She said uncertainly, ¡°Did king¡¯sndingw firm really rmend Carlyle to you? As far as I know, although the Hong Group is not a smallpany, it is not too fat for Carlyle...¡±

    In the case of Carlyle¡¯s corporate mergers and acquisitions and listing, the Hong Group was a small potato that did not catch their eye.

    ¡°Is this the only investment consulting firm that King¡¯s Landingw firm rmended?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked worriedly.

    She stared into Guo Huining¡¯s eyes, gu nianzhi emphasized, ¡°Don¡¯t make things up. I can look up the relevant records of King¡¯s Landingw firm and the Hong Group. This kind of consulting business is always reported. It¡¯s written in ck and white. You Can¡¯t even add to it if you want to.¡±

    Guo huining pursed her lips and snorted. She looked at the ceiling and said, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re good. King¡¯s Landingw firm not only rmended Carlyle for strategic consulting. They also rmended some otherpanies.¡±

    She mentioned the names of a few investment banks that did strategic consulting. They were all small and professional, and ovepped with the Hong Group¡¯s business.

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s more like it. If King¡¯s Landingw firm was reliable, they wouldn¡¯t have rmended a giant investment bank like Carlyle right away. But then why did they rmend Carlyle?¡±

    Guo huining stammered a few words and was forced into a corner by Gu Nianzhi, she then said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t too satisfied with the list they provided for the first time. I told them that I wanted to consult the biggest and best investment bank in the industry, so they rmended Carlyle...¡±

 Chapter 2134

    <h4>Chapter 2134: Chapter 2134, King¡¯s Landing (first and foremost, monthly votes)</h4>

    ¡°You really keep your dream alive.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. ¡°Should I say that you have high expectations but low skills, or are you ambitious? Have you ever thought that if you want Carlyle to consult, they might not ept your business?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you think.¡±Guo Huining looked at Gu Nianzhi with an obscure gaze. ¡°Anyway, Carlyle epted it and even sent their best analyst to make a preliminary proposal for us.¡±

    ¡°Haha, what a coincidence.¡±Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. Her mind raced as she muttered, ¡°What if this is also a trap? But why would they look for you to make a breakthrough?¡±

    The Hong Corporation was not a particrly well-known privatepany in the country, and Guo Huining was not a particrly suitable candidate either.

    Regardless of whether their ultimate goal was song jinning or Gu Nianzhi, Guo Huining was not a particrly good candidate because she barely interacted with Gu Nianzhi and song jinning, and the two were not very close.

    The only time Guo Huining interacted with Gu Nianzhi was during winter two years ago, when they had a meal together. At that time, they had eaten together with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s childhood friend, Xue Jingjiang, and a few other friends.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers subconsciously tapped lightly on the table. Her gaze fell on Guo Huining¡¯s face, and she suddenly thought of her entanglement with Huo Guanchen.

    Even if Huo Guanchen was putting on an act, he had chosen Guo Huining to put on an act. Other women wouldn¡¯t even be able to get close to him..

    It was obvious that Guo Huining still had a certain degree of attraction to Huo Guanchen, right?

    Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t know much about men¡¯s mentality. She felt that there must be something she didn¡¯t know about, and that everything was connected.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, came prepared.

    He took out his phone and looked through thest time he raided the sovereignw office. He found something unexpected.

    The legal person of the sovereignw office was Guo Hongmao, and he was also the boss of the firm.

    A year and a half ago, when he zhichu had left in a hurry, he was the one who had paid to buy the sovereignw office.

    Originally, not everyone with the surname Guo was rted. However, Guo Huining was involved in the case, so Huo Shaoheng had someone investigate the background of the boss, Guo Hongmao, and his rtionship with Guo Huining.

    This investigation was really eye-opening.

    Huo Shaoheng selected some content from his phone and forwarded it to Gu Nianzhi. He then sent a text message to Zhao liangze, asking him to send over the files from the previous investigation on Guo Hongmao and find some content that Gu Nianzhi had ess to.

    Gu Nianzhi looked down and raised her eyebrows slightly. She looked at Guo Huining again, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes were filled with a different content.

    She suddenly asked, ¡°What is Guo Hongmao¡¯s rtive?¡±

    Guo huining frowned subconsciously.¡±... Guo Hongmao? That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    She actually didn¡¯t know Guo Hongmao?

    Was this an act, or was it real?

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t know that the boss of Jun Linw firm is called Guo Hongmao?¡±

    Guo Huining:¡±...¡±

    She shook her head and said weakly and tiredly, ¡°I remember now that you said that, but I don¡¯t know him at all.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t Know Him? You went to Jun Linw firm to do so many cases?¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t believe her.

    Guo huining said weakly, ¡°Why would I lie to you at this time?¡±

    She continued, ¡°I have a senior brother who is a seniorwyer at Jun Linw firm. I usually contact him. With him around, what does the boss of Jun Linw firm have to do with me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought that with Guo Hongmao¡¯s rtionship with Guo Huining, the two of them should have been in contact a long time ago, but Guo Huining didn¡¯t seem to know him.

    ¡°Who¡¯s your senior at King¡¯s Landing Law Firm?¡±Huo Shaoheng interrupted.

    ¡°Jin Dazhuang. Gu Nianzhi, you know him too.¡±Guo huining nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°He¡¯s quite capable, but he¡¯s just unlucky.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and realized that the ¡°Jin dazhuang¡±Guo Huining was referring to was Jin Dazhuang, not Jin Dazhuang, who had given her her first job in the other world.

    Jin Dazhuang had left the Jin corporation after losing awsuit to Gu Nianzhi.

    He Zhichu had taken him in when he couldn¡¯t find a job anywhere.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was still in King¡¯s Landing,¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered. ¡°You really don¡¯t know Guo Hongmao?¡±

    ¡°Why would I know him? Just because his surname is Guo? Fine, they¡¯re all surnamed Guo. We were a family 500 years ago, okay?¡±Guo huining pped her forehead, growing impatient.

    At this time, Zhao liangze had already sent some background information on Guo Hongmao to Huo Shaoheng. Of course, Gu Nianzhi had the authority to look at it.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at it and smiled. ¡°Guo Huining, before your grandmother married your grandfather, she had a son, right?¡±

    Guo Huining:¡±...¡±

    She blushed with anger. ¡°How did you know? My grandmother was never married before she married my grandfather!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up calmly, he looked at her and said, ¡°Before your grandmother married your grandfather, she had another son. His name was Cai Hongmao, but after he married your grandfather, he changed his surname to your grandfather¡¯s. ¡°From this perspective, your grandfather knew about this child. ¡°But he didn¡¯t live with your grandfather and grandmother. Instead, he grew up with his grandparents.¡±

    This twist..

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched as she thought to herself, who would have the time to go through all this trouble and end up with Guo Huining.

    Guo Huining¡¯s face paled again.

    She had no idea that she had such a powerful rtive in her family!

    After so many years, this Cai Hongmao ¡ª no, Guo Hongmao ¡ª had never appeared in the Guo family¡¯s life.

    Guo Huining had no idea.

    She shook her head nkly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know this person. I¡¯ve never seen him before. could he be the boss of King¡¯s Landing Law Firm?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t fully figured out what was going on, but she was already confident enough to fool Guo Huining, ¡°He¡¯s the boss of King¡¯s Landingw firm. That¡¯s strange. Aren¡¯t you from an ordinary family? How could this uncle be so rich that he could buy shares from professor he? is your grandmother¡¯s family rich?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right... If your grandmother¡¯s family is very rich, then your family is definitely not an ordinary family.¡±Gu Nianzhi immediately denied her spection.

    Guo Huining actually didn¡¯t know what was going on either. She quickly said, ¡°My grandmother¡¯s family is also an ordinary family. When I was young, I heard my father say that they were a match for our family.¡±

    ¡°So your uncle¡¯s biological father¡¯s family is rich?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±Guo huining frowned and muttered, ¡°You have to ask him. He has never met me before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±... you really don¡¯t know this rtive?¡±

 Chapter 2135

    <h4>Chapter 2135: Chapter 2135 rtives and enemies (chapter 2135 requesting monthly pass)</h4>

    Guo Huining felt depressed, she said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯m not rted to him at all. Look at me now, he never thought of hiring awyer for me. He left me to fend for myself, and I even helped him with his business in the past.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng observed Guo Huining¡¯s expression and concluded that she wasn¡¯t faking it.

    It seemed like she really didn¡¯t know about Guo Hongmao.

    Guo Huining was angry, but she also said regretfully, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve brought a lot of business to Jun Linw firm in the past six months, but of course he doesn¡¯t know me.¡±

    ¡°Although Guo Hongmao has only taken over Jun Linw firm for a year and a half, his business is very big and he doesn¡¯t need your help.¡±Gu Nianzhi pulled out the annual revenue of Jun Linw firm from her phone, ¡°Look, this is the annual revenue of Jun Linw firm that was announced on the firm¡¯s ranking listst year. With this number, the Guo family can easily enter the ranks of the rich and powerful.¡±

    Guo huining stared at the ranking list, her body trembling, she said hatefully, ¡°The way he¡¯s acting, it¡¯s obvious that he doesn¡¯t acknowledge us. He usually doesn¡¯t say anything when he¡¯s free. Now That I¡¯m in trouble, he won¡¯te out and acknowledge me as his niece.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that, can you? He helped you set up a trap for Old Madam Hong.¡±Gu Nianzhi still remembered that old Madam Hong had once hired thew firm of King¡¯s Landing to make an apology statement for her, in the end, she dragged her feet and even made Guo huining p herself in the face with a video of her apology and confession.

    ¡°You call that a favor?¡±Guo huining sneered, but she was starting to get suspicious.

    Dou Aiyan and associate director Jia had been the ones who had pulled the strings back then. Why was it rted to Guo Hongmao?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you really want to join a rich family? Now that you have a chance, you might be one yourself. Why Don¡¯t you care at all?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously. It was hard to understand Guo Huining¡¯s attitude.

    How could Guo Huining Not Care?

    But this uncle hadn¡¯t had any dealings with the Guo family for so many years. How could she get close to him?

    There had to be a reason..

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Guo huining from the side. She didn¡¯t look like she was faking it. She really didn¡¯t know anything about this uncle.

    He smiled slightly and continued Gu Nianzhi¡¯s conversation. ¡°Yes, although this uncle of yours hasn¡¯t publicly acknowledged you, he hasn¡¯t ignored you. He has helped you before.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about Old Mrs. Hong?¡±Guo Huining didn¡¯t think she was helping her at all. She was helping herself.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly shook his head and said, ¡°No, it was earlier than that.¡±

    He paused and saw Guo Huining¡¯s puzzled expression, he then continued, ¡°More than ten years ago, when you just graduated from college, how did you think you would have the chance to meet a rich young master like Hong Ziqi? and the heir of the Hong family...¡±

    Guo Huining¡¯s eyshes fluttered and her eyes blinked.

    ¡°What... What did you say? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was also curious. ¡°Oh right, how did you know Hong Ziqi? Did you go to the Hong Corporation to look for a job?¡±

    Guo huining remembered that she had just graduated from college more than a decade ago.

    At that time, she had also been hard at work looking for a job. Although she had graduated from a famous university, she did not want to start as a juniorwyer like her other ssmates.

    She was smart and capable. She had a lot of professional certificates in her hands and was full of hope, hoping that she could soar to the top.

    However, without qualifications and family background, it would be very difficult for her to reach a high position as soon as she left school.

    Unless she was extremely lucky.

    Guo Huining had always thought that her achievements were the result of her own ability and heaven-defying luck.

    Of course, her luck had beenpletely crushed when she met Gu Nianzhi.

    However, at that moment, she was reminded that even the luck she had been so proud of was not hers. Someone had helped her.

    She immediately recalled that when she had gone to the Hong Corporation to interview for the position of General Manager¡¯s legal advisor, she had been dismissed from the interview.

    In the end, a few dayster, she received a call from the Hong Corporation. They said that the person in front of her had given up the opportunity and asked if she was interested in attending the second interview.

    At that time, Guo Huining only felt that Joy had fallen from the sky. She couldn¡¯t wait for it and immediately set a date for the second interview.

    After that, everything went smoothly.

    She got the position and got to know the sessor of the Hong Corporation, Hong Ziqi. She got along well with him and soon confirmed their rtionship. A yearter, the two of them were engaged.

    But that was it.

    They had been engaged for more than ten years, but she still hadn¡¯t been able to marry into the Hong family.

    Guo huining spilled the beans and said excitedly, ¡°What do you mean? Was it because of Guo Hongmao that I got a second chance after I failed the interview? !¡±

    Huo shaoheng said lightly, ¡°ording to the information provided by the Hong Corporation¡¯s HR Director, Yes. She said that there was a businessman surnamed Guo who was a big client of theirs. This person introduced you as a distant rtive of his, so they gave you a second chance.¡±

    The Hong familyter saw that she was quite capable, so they tacitly acknowledged her rtionship with Hong Ziqi.

    Unfortunately, Guo Hongmao went abroadter on. After he returned, he no longer had any business dealings with the Hong Group.

    After the Hong family had gained a better understanding of Guo Huining¡¯s conduct, they did not approve of her marrying into the Hong family.

    After Huo Shaoheng had raided King¡¯sndingw firm and discovered Guo Hongmao, Guo Huining¡¯s rtionship with the Hong family had once again attracted his attention.

    Huo Shaoheng had sent Yin Shixiong to look for Old Madam Hong and reinvestigate the entire case.

    Guo Huining, on the other hand, knew nothing about all this.

    However, when she found out, she was extremely agitated.

    Her face was frighteningly red and her emotions were almost frantic. ¡°If he was my uncle, why didn¡¯t he contact me after so many years? !¡±

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge us as his rtives, why did he help me? !¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he know that if he raised me to the top and then left, he would crush me to pieces? !¡±

    ¡°With such rtives, who needs enemies? !¡±

    Guo huining screamed hysterically.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t take it anymore, she said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s enough! He helped you. No matter what the reason was, he had already given you a higher starting point than anyone else. You didn¡¯t cherish it properly, yet you me others for pushing you too high! Are you speaking humannguage?¡±

    Guo Huining was embarrassed by her words, but she didn¡¯t want to lower her head like this.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t That So? ! If I hadn¡¯t been favored by the Hong Corporation and had risen to such a high position so quickly, I wouldn¡¯t have been so ambitious ! I would have been down to Earth ! But what about him ? He used this method to put me up so high that I couldn¡¯t see myself clearly!¡±

    Guo Huining was still speaking with conviction.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    She stood up and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to talk to people like this anymore. In her eyes, the whole world revolves around her. Whoever doesn¡¯t revolve around her is the one with a problem.¡±

    ¡°People like this are both delusional and crazy. If I talk to her too much, I feel like I¡¯m going to be abnormal.¡±

 Chapter 2136

    <h4>Chapter 2136: Chapter 2136 can not be put on the table (the first is a monthly pass)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, was very calm.

    He had met too many people from all walks of life. He continued to calmly interrogate Guo huining about her understanding of Guo Hongmao. He was sure that this was the first time she had learned about her rtionship with Guo Hongmao, he did not continue to pursue the matter.

    It was almost five in the afternoon when Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng left the detention center.

    It was almost dark in the imperial capital on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

    However, the white streetmps on the long street lit up like smallnterns. It was like the Lantern Festival.

    The radio in the car was ying songs about the reunion of the Lantern Festival, and the television was also preparing for the Lantern Festival.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the passenger seat of Huo Shaoheng. She rested her chin on one hand and looked at the street scene in a daze. She thought about the new clue she had just heard, and still felt that it was very magical.

    She was silent for a while, then took out her phone and pulled out the message that Huo Shaoheng had forwarded to her. She looked at it again.

    This time, she stared at the messages rted to Guo Hongmao for a while.

    Guo Hongmao had a total of three phones: one for work, one to contact rtives and friends, and one for an unknown purpose.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s investigation showed that the first two phones had a fixed number, while the third phone, which he did not know what it was for, did not have a number.

    Gu nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Huo, do you know that Guo Hongmao has a phone that doesn¡¯t have a number?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s said that he carries it with him everywhere, just like the other two phones.¡±

    ¡°But why would Guo Hongmao keep a cell phone that doesn¡¯t have a phone number with him at all times?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi really wanted to know the reason.

    ¡°... Huo Shao, where is Guo Hongmao? Where are his three cell phones?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers caressed the cell phone screen, feeling itchy.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her. ¡°What are you trying to do? I went to investigate thew firm in King¡¯s Landing and alerted the enemy. He was abroad at the time and did not return to the country after receiving the news.¡±

    At the time, they really did not know that thew firm in King¡¯s Landing was so deeply involved.

    ¡°Then you didn¡¯t put a warrant out for his arrest? Or do you want him to return to the country?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked in a low voice.

    Huo Shaoheng tapped the steering wheel with his right hand rhythmically and said inly, ¡°Hisw firm didn¡¯tmit any crimes, so why did they arrest him?¡±

    ¡°Besides, I thought this was he zhichu¡¯s property, so there was still some protection.¡±

    He had assumed that he zhichu had sufficient arrangements for his property and wouldn¡¯t harm Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi understood what Huo Shaoheng meant, she quickly said, ¡°Huo Shao, you can¡¯t say that. My brother was in such a hurry at the time, how could he have arranged everything properly? It¡¯s already good enough that he could sell it off, and I think it must have been sold at a low price. What a pity...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He smiled at her and turned the steering wheel to the highway to Xishan.

    The first ce they went to was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s father, Huo Guanchen¡¯s vi in the West Mountain. It happened to be on the opposite side of Lu Yuan¡¯s vi and was actually quite far away.

    Normally, he wouldn¡¯t go. Today was a festival and he had promised Huo Guanchen, so Huo Shaoheng still had to visit grandfather Huo.

    He drove quickly and soon arrived in front of Huo Guanchen¡¯s vi in the West Mountain.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped the car in front of the vi and opened the car door for Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi jumped out of the car and hissed in the cold mountain air.

    Huo Shaoheng calmly put on the fluffy hat that came with the down jacket.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face looked even smaller against the white fur.

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help pinching her face and holding her hand as they walked to the front door of the vi.

    The doorbell rang, and the iron fan door opened automatically.

    Huo Shaoheng led gu nianzhi inside.

    Huo Guanchen stood on the steps in front of the vi¡¯s main door, smiling as he watched the two of them walk over.

    Gu Nianzhi greeted them politely. ¡°Chief Huo, happy holidays.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s here. Come in quickly. Your grandfather has been waiting for you all day.¡±Huo Guanchen moved aside to watch Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng approach.

    Huo Shaoheng looked around and didn¡¯t see any other cars. He thought the Zhang family hadn¡¯te.

    However, when he and Gu Nianzhi entered the house, he realized that he had guessed wrong.

    The Zhang family must have parked their car in the backyard, so when the two of them entered, they didn¡¯t see it either in the front yard or by the road at the main entrance.

    If Huo Shaoheng had known that the Zhang family had reallye, he wouldn¡¯t have brought Gu Nianzhi into the house.

    But it was fine that they were here now, but his father, Huo Guanchen, had already lost his credibility in his heart. It was almost negative.

    Gu Nianzhi saw the Zhang family as soon as she entered the house.

    Everyone was present except for head nurse Zhang.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s illegitimate son, Zhang Baochen, Zhang Baochen¡¯s wife, Qian Shihui, their son, Zhang Wenjie, and their daughter, Zhang Wenna.

    The whole family gathered around grandfather Huo in a ¡°Happy family¡±manner.

    It was not surprising that this family was rted to grandfather Huo¡¯s family, Gu Nianzhi. They were his biological sons, so why couldn¡¯t they enjoy the ¡°Happy Family¡±?

    However, it was unbelievable that someone of Huo Guanchen¡¯s status could also enjoy the ¡°Happy Family¡±.

    However, even though Gu Nianzhi was about toin to the heavens in her heart, on the surface, she was still smiling like she could be bullied. She stood obediently by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side, looking like an adorable little bird.

    Zhang Wenjie stole a nce at her, and his face turned red.

    Zhang Wenna rolled her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi knew how to act. The first time she met her, she was really tricked by her soft and cute appearance.

    Looking at her aggressive behavior in courtter on, it perfectly illustrated the saying, ¡°You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡±.

    Also, being obsessed with looks could kill people!

    Zhang Wenna quietly kicked Zhang Wenjie.

    Zhang Wenjie reluctantly withdrew his gaze,pletely unaware that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Death stare¡±had been fixed on his head for a long time.

    Qian Shihui stood up with a smile on her face and said in a familiar tone, ¡°Shaoheng is here, and Nianzhi. You guys are very kind. Let¡¯s have dinner togetherter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything, but Huo Guanchen had already said, ¡°Shaoheng and Nianzhi still have something to doter. Sit down and leave.¡±

    To be honest, Huo Shaoheng had onlye here to give Huo Guanchen face.

    Grandfather Huo had already fallen from his position as an elder in his heart.

    Qian Shihui smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Then have a bowl of tangyuan. Having a tangyuan on thentern festival can be considered a fitting asion.¡±

    Huo Guanchen was a little tempted and nced at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo shaoheng said unhurriedly, ¡°No need, I don¡¯t eat sweets. Nianzhi¡¯s stomach isn¡¯t good, so she can¡¯t eat anything too glutinous.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Her body was very healthy. was her perfect genes a lie?

    If Lu Jin had heard Huo Shaoheng say that, he would have beaten her up!

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself, but she still gave Huo shaoheng face and rubbed her stomach. She smiled shyly and said, ¡°Mrs. Zhang, you¡¯re too kind. My stomach is indeed not good, so I¡¯m very picky when I eat glutinous rice balls.¡±

    ¡°The glutinous rice flour is xianghe glutinous from Xiangxi. It¡¯s the kind that¡¯s grown organically. It¡¯s ground by hand, and the glutinous rice flour that¡¯s produced mechanically always has a rusty taste. I¡¯m not used to it.¡±

    ¡°And the sesame filling in the glutinous rice balls must be ck sesame, a specialty of the yun-gui teau. It must have been ground into ck sesame powder after being steamed nine times and dried nine times.¡±

    Qian Shihui:¡±...¡±

    After taking such a long detour, wasn¡¯t it because they felt that their stuff wasn¡¯t presentable? !

 Chapter 2137

    <h4>Chapter 2137: Chapter 2137: If I Can¡¯t Help You, then I won¡¯t help you. (chapter 2137: If I Can¡¯t Help You, then I won¡¯t help you.)</h4>

    The Zhang family waspletely silent. Even grandfather Huo gave Gu Nianzhi a serious look.

    This little orphan girl whose parents were unknown was actually so particr about her food.

    When she had been so knowledgeable about a bowl of glutinous rice balls, grandfather Huo had almost thought that he had seen his wife, Xie Ziyan, when she was young again.

    Even though she lookedpletely different from Gu Nianzhi, she always ate like a pampered youngdy.

    Grandfather Huo¡¯s eyes darkened. In all these years, he had never missed his wife more than ten years after she had passed away.

    ¡°Dad, look at Miss Gu. She looks down on our glutinous rice balls.¡±Qian Shihui¡¯s lips twitched as she tried to convince Gu Nianzhi to look down on grandfather Huo.

    Grandfather Huo raised his hand and said weakly, ¡°That¡¯s enough. She can¡¯t get used to the food here. You guys can go. I¡¯m already very happy that she came to see me today.¡±

    He looked up and said to Huo guanchen, ¡°Guanchen, prepare a ne ticket for me. I want to go to France to see your mother.¡±

    After his wife, Xie Ziyan, passed away, she was not buried at Babaoshan. Instead, she left a note saying that she wanted to be buried at her mother¡¯s home in France.

    At that time, the Xie family had sent out a private jet to transport her coffin back to France and bury her in the Xie family cemetery.

    Huo Guanchen was slightly startled, but he quickly nodded and said yes.

    The Zhang family looked at each other in extreme embarrassment, not daring to say a word.

    ..

    After leaving Huo Guanchen¡¯s vi, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng drove straight to Lu Yuan¡¯s vi.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mood seemed to be affected, and wanted to change the topic so that he wouldn¡¯t think about grandfather Huo¡¯s troubles.

    She sat next to Huo Shaoheng and tossed her phone around like she was ying with a ball. She smiled as she tried to find out what Huo Shaoheng had to say, she asked, ¡°Huo Shao, if I try to hack Guo Hongmao¡¯s phone now, will it alert the enemy?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held the steering wheel with both hands and said without looking away, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Little Ze to look into it. If you have anything you want to know, you can ask Little Ze.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded vigorously. ¡°I know, I know. The other party is too powerful, and I don¡¯t want to disrupt your n. I¡¯ll send brother Ze a message and ask him if he has any information I want to see.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car to arrive at the other side of the West Mountain, driving towards Lu Yuan¡¯s vi halfway up the mountain.

    Zhao liangze sent the message Gu Nianzhi wanted, but first sent it to Huo Shaoheng for him to look through before forwarding it to Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng took a look at it and casually forwarded it to Gu Nianzhi. He said, ¡°Take a look for yourself. Do you think you¡¯ll find anything new about Guo Hongmao¡¯s phone?¡±

    The first work phone. Everything was normal.

    There was nothing bad about it.

    It was as clean as awyer¡¯s work phone.

    The second phone was used to contact his rtives and friends.

    There was more content on this phone.

    Gu Nianzhi read it with great interest.

    She packed the interesting content and sent it to a secret email ount in the cloud as she smiled at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Huo Shao, guess what I found out? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and said calmly, ¡°This is Guo Hongmao¡¯s biological father, right?¡±

    ¡°You knew long ago. Stop pretending!¡±Gu Nianzhi snapped her fingers, with a smile, she said, ¡°To be precise, he¡¯s the illegitimate child of the Cai family. He¡¯s half-brother and half-sister with Cai Songyin and Cai Sumin, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not deny it, nor did he admit it. He smiled and said,¡±... is he the illegitimate child of Mr. Cai? The Cai family is a schrly family...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? It¡¯s just because he¡¯s a schrly family that such things happen... can a schr¡¯s illegitimate child be called an illegitimate child?¡±Gu nianzhi winked at Huo Shaoheng, she smiled and said, ¡°This is the byproduct of a good night¡¯s study.¡±

    ¡°So Guo Hongmao¡¯s capital in doing businesses from somewhere.¡±Huo Shaoheng did not continue gu Nianzhi¡¯s line of thought. Instead, he thought of something else.

    ¡°You said he came from the Cai family, Old Master Cai¡¯s side?¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°But he changed his surname to Guo again. It¡¯s obvious that he doesn¡¯t want anything to do with the Cai family... why would he want the Cai family¡¯s Money?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not even think about it, he immediately said, ¡°Changing his surname may be just a smokescreen, so no one will be able to discover the true source of his funds. You should know that he was a big businessman more than ten years ago. Even the Hong Corporation has to give him some face.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and looked at her phone with a frown, she said, ¡°But he seems to have some contact with Cai Sumin and Cai Songyin. He would send a letter or something during the holidays. They¡¯re not very close, but they¡¯re definitely not estranged. He¡¯s not like the Guo family, who basically treat him like his mother doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it for a while and felt bored, so she closed the page and started looking at the information on Guo Hongmao¡¯s third phone.

    This phone did not have a phone number, so she could only use WIFI to surf the inte.

    Gu Nianzhi casually looked through the contents of the phone and found a few text messages on the phone.

    The text messages were very ordinary.

    However, the sender¡¯s number made Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twitch.

    She had seen this number before, and knew that it was actually an empty number. It had been disguised by someone, so there was no way to find out where it was sent from.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help but ask huo shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, have you checked the messages on this phone that doesn¡¯t have a phone number?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°You mean the number that sent the message, right? We checked and found that it was an empty number that had been disguised. We can¡¯t find out where it came from.¡±

    It was the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s opinion.

    She couldn¡¯t hesitate any longer.

    Seeing that Lu Yuan¡¯s vi was within reach, Gu Nianzhi patiently got out of the car and entered the house with Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re finally here! I ordered so many of your favorite dishes!¡±

    Lu Jin happily weed them.

    Huo Shaoheng walked behind Gu Nianzhi and greeted Lu Yuan and song jinning, who were behind Lu Jin.

    ¡°President Lu, Ms. Song.¡±He handed over the gift he had brought.

    ¡°Shaoheng, you should havee with Nianzhi. Why did you bring a gift? We¡¯re not outsiders.¡±Song Jinning took the gift from Huo Shaoheng.

    It was a bottle of¡¯83 five-star Kweichow Moutai. It was much better than the¡¯83 Lafite. It was truly priceless.

    Lu Yuan was stunned when he saw it. He only smiled after a long while.¡±... you still have this wine?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°Grandmother left it behind. It¡¯s not much. They¡¯re all in the wine cer. I¡¯ll bring you a few bottles when I¡¯m free in the future.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about itter.¡±

    The few of them entered the house and sat down in the living room to exchange some pleasantries.

    Lu Jin had arrived early in the morning. He instructed Lu Yuan in the kitchen to make some dishes that both he and Gu Nianzhi liked to eat.

    Of course, Lu Yuan would not only make dishes that Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi liked to eat. He made a few dishes that song jinning liked to eat and Huo Shaoheng liked to eat.

    Now that they were almost done, the stewed, steamed, fried, and roasted dishes were all ready.

    When they arrived, he would immediately stir-fry a few tes of stir-fried vegetables and then eat them.

    When Lu Yuan went to the kitchen to stir-fry, song Jinning followed him.

    Lu Jin wanted to go over, but Gu Nianzhi stopped him and said coquettishly, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve been with President Lu all day. Please stay with Me Now!¡±

    When Lu Jin heard this, he couldn¡¯t take any more steps. He sat on the sofa and almost took root.

    Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression and knew that she had something to say, but he smiled and looked at her without a word.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a look and then became serious. ¡°Huo Shao, I have some thoughts about the text message that Guo Hongmao received on his third phone.¡±

    Lu Jin blinked and held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Miss, who is Guo Hongmao? What text message? What are you guys talking about? Can I Listen?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can listen.¡±Gu Nianzhi patted the back of Lu Jin¡¯s hand and smiled. ¡°We just don¡¯t have a choice, so we wanted you to help us think about it and see if there¡¯s a breakthrough.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Can I help?¡±Lu Jin rubbed his hands excitedly. ¡°Hurry up and say it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng inquisitively.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Guo Hongmao is Guo Huining¡¯s uncle, but he¡¯s the illegitimate child of her grandmother...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng briefly introduced Guo Hongmao¡¯s background and his rtionship with Guo Huining.

    Lu Jin understood and snorted. ¡°Does it have to do with Guo Huining? I¡¯ll see how I feel... I won¡¯t help if I can not.¡±

 Chapter 2138

    <h4>Chapter 2138: Chapter 2138: I Don¡¯t want to put you in a difficult position. (I wish you a happy new year!)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Her eyes darted around as she pulled out a few saved messages from her phone. After taking a screenshot, she sent them to Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin respectively.

    ¡°Dad, take a look at this.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡±Lu Jin looked at his phone in confusion.

    Gu Nianzhi leaned against the sofa with one hand on the armrest, she said calmly, ¡°After Xiao Ye was injured, this was a message from a person who imed to be a ¡°Kind person¡±to President Chen, Xiao Ye¡¯s mother. What do you two think?¡±

    This was the first time Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin had seen these three messages.

    The first message was sent more than a year ago when Gu Nianzhi had just been kidnapped and brought to the other world.

    [ Good Samaritan ] : Gu Nianzhi has already disappeared from this world. She will not being back.

    The second message was sent around the same time as the first.

    [ Good Samaritan ] : Xiao Ye was seriously injured in order to protect Gu Nianzhi. It was all because of major general Huo¡¯s selfishness. Gu Nianzhi should not have had such a high level of security. It was purely because major general Huo had arranged for your daughter to be her bodyguard in order to better protect his fianc¨¦e.

    The third message was sent half a year ago, when Gu Nianzhi had just returned from the other world.

    [ Good Samaritan ] : major general Huo has the ¡°Miracle medicine¡±that can cure your daughter. Why didn¡¯t you go to him and ask him to be responsible for your daughter?

    Lu Jin jumped up after reading it and said angrily, ¡°Which bastard is so wicked! Did My Girl Provoke Him? ! He¡¯s always staring at my girl!¡±

    He rolled up his sleeves and said fiercely, ¡°I want to see who has the guts to stare at mydy! I¡¯m not done with him!¡±

    He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°Who sent this? What¡¯s the text message? Do you have a phone number?¡±

    Before Gu Nianzhi could say anything, Huo Shaoheng spoke first, ¡°Nianzhi, where did you get these three messages?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smoothed her hair in embarrassment and said, ¡°It was... President Chen sent them to me after we came back...¡±

    It had been half a year since they had returned from the other world. They had sent them to her then, but now they were showing them to Huo Shaoheng.

    If they hadn¡¯t found the same number on Guo Hongmao¡¯s phone this time, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know how long she would have kept it a secret.

    She didn¡¯t understand the reason either, but subconsciously wanted to keep everything rted to Xiao Ye a secret from Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and continued to ask, ¡°What does these three messages have to do with what we were talking about just now?¡±

    ¡°Look at the phone number that sent the message.¡±Gu Nianzhi forwarded the message directly and pouted at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone.

    The screenshot of the text message she had just sent did not include her ount information.

    She had also sent the phone number that sent the text message directly.

    Huo Shaoheng took a close look and immediately frowned.¡±... This is the same number as the text message that Guo Hongmao received on his phone.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the same number. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so surprised.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±Lu Jin¡¯s gaze swept between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. ¡°What are you talking about? The Guo Hongmao you mentioned just now has something to do with these messages? !¡±

    ¡°It should.¡±Gu Nianzhi said as she pulled up the text messages from Guo Hongmao¡¯s phone that didn¡¯t have a phone number. Lu Jin took a closer look, ¡°Take a look. Guo Hongmao received a few messages on his phone. The content was normal, but the phone number that sent the text messages was abnormal.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately saw through it. ¡°The text messages that were sent from the same number as the one that President Chen received. Then what are we waiting for? Arrest someone ording to the number! Isn¡¯t it a real name verification?¡±

    ¡°... That¡¯s the crux of the problem.¡±Gu Nianzhi said with a headache, ¡°This number is fake. It¡¯s an empty number. No one used this number at all. Also, when the text message was sent, it was disguised as the path, so we can¡¯t trace the real number at all.¡±

    Lu Jin finally understood. He reached out his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go break this disguised number for you now! In front of me, no one has been able to hide any phone number. Let me tell you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were both unable to break the fake number and the program that hid the source.

    Apart from Lu Jin, there was no one else they could turn to for help.

    If Lu Jin couldn¡¯t break it either, then the mastermind¡¯s ability was beyond their imagination.

    Now That Lu Jin had offered to help, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were both relieved.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled on Lu Jin¡¯spel with a smile and said, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no rush. We¡¯ll crack it after dinner!¡±

    Lu Jin was also a little hungry and nodded. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll go back to myb and use the quantumputer to crack it after the Lantern Festival reunion dinner!¡±

    He had set up a smallb for himself in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official suite. He had modified theputer inside.

    Gu Nianzhi happily walked with Lu Jin to the dining room.

    Lu Jin walked quickly and went to the kitchen to look for Lu Yuan.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled gu nianzhi along and asked quietly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why have you been hiding it from me for so long?¡±

    ¡°What have I been hiding from you?¡±Gu nianzhi muttered and shot Huo Shaoheng a sideways nce.

    Huo Shaoheng raised his chin and looked down at her. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    ¡°... was it Xiao Ye¡¯s mother, President Chen, who received the message?¡±Gu Nianzhi turned her head away, she said ufortably, ¡°I found out that the phone number was empty and that the real number had been disguised and hidden, so I thought I¡¯d tell you after I cracked it. I didn¡¯t expect it to drag on until now.¡±

    ¡°If Guo Hongmao¡¯s phone hadn¡¯t coincidentally received a message from the same number, would you still not have told me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll tell you after a while if you don¡¯t ask.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng to know about it, but because she had gotten into an awkward argument with Xiao Ye¡¯s family at that time, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel good about it.

    The contents of the text message made her heart ache.

    Huo Shaoheng understood. He wrapped his arms around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulders and looked down at her. He found it funny when he saw her fluttering eyes.

    ¡°... you can be jealous over that?¡±Huo Shaoheng rubbed the tip of her nose. ¡°You still say that Guo Huining can¡¯t get to the point. I think you have the same problem.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it!¡±Gu nianzhi reached out and pinched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be in a difficult position!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in a difficult position?¡±Huo Shaoheng pulled Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand away. ¡°Why would I be in a difficult position? This is rted to you. Why would I be in a difficult position?¡±

    ¡°... that person said you have a miracle drug, so isn¡¯t that me? If My dad can¡¯t Cure Xiao Ye, and you don¡¯t use my genes to cure her, then Xiao Ye will be paralyzed for the rest of her life. Will you feel bad?¡±

    ¡°Besides, Xiao Ye is yourrade-in-arms. You always put yourrade-in-arms before your girlfriend, so how do I know you won¡¯t...¡±

 Chapter 2139

    <h4>Chapter 2139: Chapter 2139 password has been cracked (second update: Coldsteel Grace + 2)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi pouted and continued to mumble, ¡°Back in the day, you abandoned me in the Blue Hole and blue hole waters of the Caribbean. You went to see yourrades first...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He was speechless because of Gu Nianzhi.

    This silly girl had gone through so many things, but she still loved him wholeheartedly and was willing to be with him.

    Huo Shaoheng thought that all his luck had been spent on meeting Gu Nianzhi.

    Without her, he would never have known how good it felt to be in love.

    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±Huo Shaoheng hugged her tightly. He was very guilty, but he did not regret what he had done.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled quietly.

    She had finally put this matter behind her.

    The two of them started kissing in the hallway from the living room to the dining room.

    The Moon was clear and warm on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the silver-white light enveloped the forest in the mountains outside the vi.

    The elegant white curtains made the scene look beautiful. The silhouettes of the two people kissing could be seen through the French windows. They were indistinct, like a statue of love that could not be separated.

    Lu Jin turned around to look for Gu Nianzhi and happened to see this scene.

    His old father smiled in relief.

    The girl had grown up and was really going to get married..

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng hugged gu nianzhi and kissed her for a while. He then brushed away her messy hair and held her hand as they walked into the restaurant.

    Lu Yuan, song jinning, and Lu Jin were already waiting there.

    Seeing the two of them enter, Song Jinning said with a smile, ¡°The Moon is high and the Willows are high in the sky. It will only be the realntern festival today after we meet at dusk.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly and sat down next to song jinning.

    Lu Jin sat on the other side of the table, while Huo Shaoheng sat on the empty seat between Lu Jin and Lu Yuan.

    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to sit next to Huo Shaoheng, but only the two empty seats were avable.

    Lu Jin must have done it on purpose.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t angry. Anyway, the dining table was a round table. Even if they didn¡¯t sit next to each other, they wouldn¡¯t be far from each other.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down and looked at the dishes on the table.

    On the turntable in the middle of the Round Table, there was an eight-treasure white gourd cup that reced Lu Jin¡¯s Buddha jumps over the wall soup.

    Because it took more than a day to make the Buddha jumps over the wall soup, Lu Jin didn¡¯t have enough time to order in the morning, so he had to use the eight-treasure White Gourd Cup instead.

    The white gourd Lu Yuan picked was almost perfectly long and oval in shape.

    He washed the white gourd thoroughly and drained the water. After that, he cut the top of one end of the white gourd t, like the top of a teapot. Then, he dug out the white gourd seeds, peeled the melon stalks t, and cut the cut part of the white gourd into a sawtooth shape, he ced the white gourd upside down in the Stewing Cup.

    Then, he chose a fresh and tender ground chicken, along with Spanish ck pork, Yunnan Ham, Wild Bohai Prawns, Jiangxi Baojian Magnolia slices, and Rock Ind scallops. He added fresh water and stewed the chicken in an electric pressure cooker for thirty minutes, the meat was crisp and rotten, but the shape of the chicken remained the same, and the taste was all steamed in.

    Then, add the steamed chicken and the ingredients in the belly into the cut winter melon, add lotus seeds, mer, and Lily slices, and steam the chicken in a stewing cup for 30 minutes.

    In total, it was done in more than an hour. The taste was not worse than Buddha jumps over the wall, but it was not as rich as the ingredients of Buddha jumps over the wall.

    The round table was surrounded by the eight treasures winter melon bowl, and there was also a circle of dishes that everyone liked to eat.

    In front of Lu Jin was arge steamed lobster that bared its fangs and brandished its ws. The red pincers were paired with a few yellow fresh and tender corn, and the color was extremely eye-catching.

    In front of Gu Nianzhi was a te of slippery egg shrimp. Although it looked simple, this kind of simple home-cooked dish was the most important test of a chef¡¯s skill.

    Gu Nianzhi immediately scooped up a spoonful and put it into her mouth.

    Slippery eggs were indeed slippery eggs. They melted as soon as they entered her mouth. She didn¡¯t know how Lu Yuan had made them, but they perfectly blended the fresh taste of the eggs and shrimp together. They didn¡¯t overpower each other¡¯s taste.

    The eggs were eggs when eaten, and the shrimp was shrimp. When the shrimp eggs were chewed together, the double fresh taste instantly ignited her taste buds like fireworks.

    Gu Nianzhi even felt that the Buddha jumps over the wall couldn¡¯t taste better than this.

    She almost let out a groan from her throat, and couldn¡¯t help but take a second bite.

    In front of Song Jinning was a bowl of brightly colored salted fish, chicken, and eggnt casserole. It was also her favorite vor.

    There was nothing special about eating this dish in the summer, but Lu Yuan had put in a lot of effort for such a fresh eggnt on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

    In front of Huo Shaoheng was a bowl of steamed pork ribs with ck bean sauce, a te of raw oysters, and a cup of Maotai.

    Using maotai wine to send raw oysters was the way of the glutton.

    Lu Yuan prepared fish slices with in porridge for himself. The in porridge was stewed on a small alcohol stove. When the fish slices were ready, he picked one up and rolled it in the porridge. He dipped it in a little bit of shredded ginger and raw soy sauce, and then put it into his mouth, the fishy taste of the fish slices waspletely gone. Only the fresh, tender, and sweet taste of the fish meat remained. The aftertaste was endless.

    Other than that, there was also sparkling sausage powder, exquisite shrimp dumplings, and xiaolongbao, which was specially made with Marnd blue crab meat as the staple food.

    Gu Nianzhi was full of praise. ¡°President Lu, your cooking has evolved again. You can see the real thing in your daily life. You can practically be a god!¡±

    Song Jinning smiled. ¡°Of course. Nianzhi, didn¡¯t you notice that I¡¯ve gained five pounds since I Got Married?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked song jinning up and down carefully. ¡°I think you¡¯re young again. Your skin is so smooth that you can¡¯t even see a single pore. What kind of care product did you use? Did you make it yourself?¡±

    Song jinningughed and shook her head. ¡°How would I know how to make a care product? I only use regr moisturizers and sunscreen. I¡¯ve never used anything else.¡±

    Lu Jin had just picked up the meat from the lobster ws with a small tongs when he heard this. ¡°Nianzhi, what kind of supplements do you want? A facial mask, essence, or eye cream? I can make all of them.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She was just saying it casually.

    She was only twenty years old!

    Oh, no, she would be twenty-one this year.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little sad. She took another big bite of the slippery egg shrimp and sighed. ¡°The only way to solve your worries is to eat delicious food.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Gu Nianzhi and scooped a bowl of eight treasures white gourd cups for her. He ced them in front of Lu Jin, ¡°The egg-fried shrimps are probably too fresh. Only the eight treasures white gourd cups can beat them. Eat some of the white gourd cups and then eat the Xiaolongbao.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a good person. She had always been a magnanimous person when it came to delicious food. She had learned from the best of the best and had never taken anything for granted.

    Lu Jin looked on with a smile. He picked out a te of lobster meat for Gu Nianzhi and ced it in front of her. He said, ¡°Miss, eat. Boss Lu still has a few steamed lobsters in his kitchen.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Everyone was treating her like a foodie pig.

    But why was she so happy?

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to say anything because she couldn¡¯t find the time to say anything.

    She ate happily and seriously. Everyone present was affected by her and couldn¡¯t help but eat an extra bowl of rice.

    After finishing the Lantern Festival dinner, Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Jin bade farewell and returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Huo Shaoheng was drunk and couldn¡¯t drive, so Gu Nianzhi happily took the steering wheel and began her car-racing journey.

    It waste at night on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and there were quite a lot of cars on the highway.

    The headlights converged into a light road that looked like a river, flowing endlessly. No wonder there was such a thing as a ¡°River of cars.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi drove the car happily and quickly arrived at the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground.

    Lu Jin got out of the car triumphantly and said to Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting in the back seat, ¡°Shaoheng, my girl¡¯s driving skills are pretty good, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    It was pretty good.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi and did not say anything. He merely smiled.

    Gu Nianzhi blushed slightly at his words. She quickly pulled Lu Jin into the house and said, ¡°Dad, I can¡¯t wait any longer. Please try and see if you can crack it!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s attention immediately shifted to the disguised phone number. He said, ¡°Give me some time. I¡¯ll see what algorithm I need to use.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I hope the algorithm you¡¯re using is optimized. It¡¯ll be best if we can crack it with theputers we have on hand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said implicitly.

    Lu Jin¡¯s quantumputer could not be brought out in the open for 50 years, so they needed an algorithm that could use the most advancedputer avable to crack the program.

    Only then could it be used as evidence in court when needed.

    This was because cracking the other party¡¯s disguised phone number or IP address was actually apetition of theputer¡¯sputing power.

    Any program that cracked a password could not bypass the hardware requirement of aputer¡¯s performance.

    Therefore, a password that Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng could not crack was not a problem for Lu Jin because he had a quantumputer that was at least 50 years ahead of the technology of this era.

    After Lu Jin entered hisboratory, he began to design the algorithm.

    Even if he had the most powerfulputer, he could not always rely on the performance of theputer. He would also further improve the method to crack the software, which was the algorithm. Otherwise, he would be stuck in a rut and would never be able to make further progress.

    The phone number that Gu Nianzhi had given him in disguise needed a bit of ingenuity to crack, which meant that in the algorithm, he had to find the optimal value.

    This was also Gu Nianzhi¡¯s request for him.

    Because of this request, Lu Jin spent almost a week to find the optimal algorithm.

    He first entered the algorithm into his quantumputer and began his own decryption program.

    To his surprise, even with his quantumputer, it took him almost an hour topletely decipher the other party¡¯s disguise.

    At this speed, it would take about a week if Huo Shaoheng¡¯s central control room¡¯s supeputer was used.

    Lu Jin looked closely at the four-digit invalid phone number that he had deciphered and fell into deep thought.

    He had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with it.

    After a long time, he still picked up his phone and called Gu Nianzhi, who was still working in the Senate. ¡°Nianzhi, the number has been deciphered. Although I think there are still some problems, the result should be correct.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little confused.

    The results were correct. What other problems could there be?

    She had just finished a meeting, and her mind was still filled with the chaotic sounds of the venue. Hearing this, she immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Dad, have you told Huo Shao?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°You can inform him.¡±

    Actually, Huo Shaoheng was working in the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground. Gu Nianzhi sent him a text message: [ password has been decoded. ].

    Huo Shaoheng immediately knew what was going on. He quickly packed his things on his desk and returned to his official residence.

    It took Gu Nianzhi 20 minutes to get home.

    She couldn¡¯t be bothered to go to her bathroom to wash up as usual. Instead, she rushed to Lu Jin¡¯s smallboratory.

    Huo Shaoheng was already waiting for her.

    He obviously knew the answer. He frowned slightly and sat on the circr sofa in the middle of theboratory, lost in thought as he looked at the documents in front of him.

    Gu Nianzhi knocked lightly on the door.

    Lu Jin looked up and waved at her. He said in a low voice, ¡°Come here, take a look at this number.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost trotted to Lu Jin¡¯s back.

    When she saw the four-digit number on the screen in front of Lu Jin, she was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t close her mouth. She opened her mouth in a circle and formed an ¡°O¡±shape.

    After a long time, she eximed,¡±... another invalid number? ! So it has something to do with the other side? !¡±

    The other side was, of course, the world that was parallel to theirs.

    It was also the world where he zhichu was.

    Gu nianzhi came to her senses and turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. she asked, ¡°Huo Shao, should we think of a way to call he?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng subconsciously did not want to contact he zhichu anymore.

    However, the phone number that Lu Jin had decoded showed that it had a lot to do with the other side.

    ¡°... who could it be from the other world?¡±Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and paced back and forth in Lu Jin¡¯s smallboratory.

    ¡°Who else could it be?¡±Lu Jin snorted. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Qin Baye and Qin Yaoguang, the shameless father and daughter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Fine, her biggest enemies were also these two.

    ¡°But Qin Yaoguang has already be a guinea pig, and Qin Baye was personally killed by General He.¡±Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks and carefully thought about the timeline of these events.

    Lu Jin said, ¡°Judging from the time of these messages, Qin Baye or Qin yaoguang must have contacted us when we were still in the opposite world.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that the series of events rted to the Hong family, Guo Huining, and Ms. Song were all orchestrated by Qin Baye or Qin Yaoguang in the opposite World?¡±Huo Shaoheng asked hesitantly. He didn¡¯t think it was that simple.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and nodded. ¡°There are indeed questions. I can exin the other messages, but thest one...¡±

    She took out her phone and tapped on the message.

    [ Good Samaritan ] : major general Huo has the ¡°Miracle Medicine¡±that can cure your daughter. Why didn¡¯t you ask him to be responsible for your daughter?

    ¡°This message was sent half a year ago, after we returned from the other world.¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her head and looked at Huo Shaoheng with clear eyes, ¡°At that time, Qin Yaoguang was no longer a person, and Qin Baye was also dead. Could it be that someone else from the Qin family was involved in this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone else from the Qin family was involved in this.¡±Huo Shaoheng was relieved. ¡°You can call he zhichu and ask him how much he knows about the Qin family.¡±

    With He Zhichu¡¯s current status and power, the Qin family should have already been arranged by him.

    Gu Nianzhi had obtained Huo Shaoheng¡¯s permission to go to Song Jinning and request to call he zhichu from the other side of the world.

 Chapter 2140 - was not long, it was just a lifetime

    <h4>Chapter 2140: Chapter 2140 was not long, it was just a lifetime</h4>

    This time, the call to he zhichu was not a personal matter, but a business matter. Huo Shaoheng had specifically requested permission from the military for her to use it.

    Therefore, song Jinning had given her half an hour to talk.

    The quantummunicator was able to make calls between the two worlds, but it also required a huge amount of high-energy maic field energy.

    Gu Nianzhi treasured the time and opportunity to talk.

    As soon as the call went through, Gu Nianzhi immediately asked, ¡°Young master he, is that you?¡±

    He Zhichu was reading a magazine in his bedroom.

    He was wearing a pure white nightgown with a loose belt around his waist. He was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a ss of red wine beside him.

    He Zhichu¡¯s eyes sparkled when he heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone ring. He picked up the call and answered it with an extremely calm expression. ¡°MHM.¡± He didn¡¯t notice that the red wine had been poured out of his ss and dyed the front of his robe a dark red.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s light and anxious voice came through the Bluetooth headset.

    He Zhichu closed his eyes and imagined her beside him. He smiled and whispered, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t be anxious. Speak Slowly.¡±

    The voice was made with air. It was clear and had the toughness of Jade. Even if it came from the Speaker of the phone, it could still make one¡¯s heart skip a beat.

    However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was burning with anxiety. She did not understand the emotions in the voice at all. Like a bamboo pipe pouring beans, she recounted her recent discovery, finally, she said, ¡°We finally cracked the fake phone number and found that the real number that sent the text message was actually a four-digit number. Previously, we thought it was an invalid number here.¡±

    ¡°But now we know that this number was actually a text message sent from the quantummunicator in the other world. It was a call.¡±

    The four-digit number appeared on he zhichu¡¯s phone that belonged exclusively to Gu Nianzhi.

    He zhichu collected his thoughts and slowly opened his eyes. He said coldly, ¡°Are you saying that the problem you¡¯re facing now was done by our people?¡±

    ¡°... how else can you exin the invalid four-digit number?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at theptop in front of her, he zhichu continued, ¡°When I was there, Wen Shouyi admitted that Qin Baye had personally interfered in the operation here.¡±

    He zhichu frowned. ¡°But Qin Baye is dead. He couldn¡¯t be more dead. I confirmed that his remains wereter brought back by me from Tungus Sinkhole.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t Qin Baye, then who was it?¡±

    He Zhichu thought about it, he said, ¡°I can confirm that there are no more people on our side who can threaten you. ¡°Qin Baye is dead, Qin Yaoguang is crippled, and the Qin family¡¯s assets have been confiscated. Qin Hospital is now a public hospital, not a private hospital.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved when she received confirmation.

    She was afraid that the people on the other side were still causing trouble. It would be difficult to deal with them, and she would have to trouble he zhichu.

    Now that she had confirmed that it had nothing to do with the other side, she was relieved.

    ¡°But, who sent thest message?¡±Gu Nianzhi was still very confused. ¡°You said that at that time, Qin Baye was already dead, and Qin Yaoguang was crippled. Is it possible for the other members of the Qin Family?¡±

    He Zhichu firmly denied it. ¡°Impossible. Because they didn¡¯t have the chance to get into contact with the quantummunicator.¡±

    Even in the other world, this thing was very precious. The research was done by state institutions.

    Moreover, the quantummunicator required arge amount of energy..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°That¡¯s not right! Even if someone else on your side had ess to the quantummunicator, it¡¯s impossible for them to send a message! That¡¯s because your side doesn¡¯t have enough maic field energy!¡±

    More than a year ago, when he zhichu¡¯s father, he chengjian, had sent people to kidnap her and bring her to the other side, Lu Jin had already engaged in an energy battle with He Chengjian in order to save Gu Nianzhi.

    That battle had depleted the high-energy maic field energy that Lu Jin and he chengjian had stored.

    If they wanted to umte enough energy to freely use the maic resonance instrument and quantummunicator, it would still take decades. Theplexity and technical methods involved in that battle.., it was not something that could be achieved in a short period of time.

    He Zhichu clenched his fists tightly. He was silent for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We don¡¯t have enough maic field energy here.¡±

    Even if he missed her like crazy, he could only wait patiently for her to call him.

    He couldn¡¯t even call her if he wanted to.

    A thought shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, and she stood up excitedly. ¡°That means those messages didn¡¯te from the other world!¡±

    Although she still couldn¡¯t figure out why Lu Jin had decoded a ¡°Four-digit invalid number,¡±she was sure that this four-digit invalid number.., waspletely different from the four-digit invalid number she had experienced in the past.

    The four-digit phone number she had experienced in the past had really been called from the other world. Wen Shouyi had confirmed it, and the data in the quantummunicator could be searched.

    The three messages that President Chen had received on his phone were definitely not from the other world.

    Gu Nianzhi had already been kidnapped to the other world when she had sent those three messages. At the same time, the energy in the other world had disappeared in the ¡°Energy War.¡±.

    When she appeared on Snake Ind in the other side of the world, there wasn¡¯t enough energy to support the quantummunicator.

    He Zhichu thought for a moment and reminded her, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either, but I want to remind you that you can rest assured on my side, but the danger on your side shouldn¡¯t be over yet.¡±

    He Zhichu could ensure that there was no one on his side who could threaten Gu Nianzhi¡¯s safety, but he couldn¡¯t reach the other side.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback. ¡°Our World? I don¡¯t think so... other than Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye, or even Wen Shouyi, they¡¯re all on your side. Who else wants to kill me here?¡±

    ¡°... Nianzhi, do you remember when Wen Shouyi came to your world and acted as the Japanese Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko? The Japanese gave her a lot of convenience.¡±

    ¡°Why did the Japanese give her a lot of convenience? How did she contact them? Haven¡¯t you thought about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seemed to have thought of something and her eyes shed.

    She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Gradually, she had a clue.

    She didn¡¯t want he zhichu to worry too much, so she smiled and changed the topic. She said casually, ¡°I understand. Thank you, brother. YOU REALLY WOKE ME UP. I know what to do.¡±

    Actually, she didn¡¯t know what to do at all. She just didn¡¯t want he zhichu to worry.

    He zhichu also understood her intentions and didn¡¯t expose her.

    His sparkling peach blossom eyes shed with a hint of a smile. He pursed his thin lips and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. If you need anything in the future, you can look for me.¡±

    He zhichu paused and said, ¡°If Huo Shaoheng still can¡¯t protect you, don¡¯t be afraid. You still have me.¡±

    At the very most, he could discuss with the people here and ask them to bring him over.

    He Zhichu was not from this side, so he did not have to follow the rules and regtions here.

    In any case, he would not let Gu Nianzhi suffer any more harm.

    Gu Nianzhi was extremely grateful and said repeatedly, ¡°Thank you, brother! I know, I know. I Won¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    He zhichu nodded slightly and said, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. I just remembered that thew firm I sold in King¡¯s Landing actually had conditions.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°What condition?¡±

    ¡°The condition is that you have to wait for seven years. Within seven years, if you don¡¯t show up to take back the property, they will be able to have the final ownership of the property.¡±

    ¡°Now that you¡¯re back, thew firm can still go against you. Then don¡¯t hold back. Go and take back the property.¡±

    ¡°All my assets had this condition when I was selling them at a low price. Otherwise, why would I sell them at a low price?¡±

    ¡°To be specific, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s Sovereign Law Office is my only asset in Huaxia. A small part of it is in the United States, with the majority in South America.¡±

    ¡°Because I borrowed the identity of the He family from your side, I first set up a scheme in South America to support the he family and earn my first pot of gold. Otherwise, how do you think your he family suddenly rose up and became the underground godfather of South America?¡±

    He Zhichu said lightly, ¡°I set up a fund for you in your side and named it after you. The location of the fund is Bermuda, and the specific legal documents are in the Swiss safe. The password of the safe is your birthday and the initials of your name. ¡°I transferred all the properties to this fund and it is held by the fund

    ¡°This fund is a revocable fund. It only has a lifespan of seven years.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was terrified and shocked. ¡°There¡¯s such a thing? ! Howe you never told me about it? !¡±

    He Zhichu was silent. He thought to himself, why did you tell me when you weren¡¯t back then?

    He had this additional condition when he sold all the properties over there.

    It wasn¡¯t that he had the foresight, but that as awyer, he was like his mother, Qin Suwen. He thought about everything very thoroughly and had to consider all kinds of situations, especially those that were not beneficial to him.

    Therefore, at that time, he had also thought that if Gu Nianzhi still returned in the end, then the huge assets he had left behind would be her strong backing and protect her for the rest of her life.

    As for the seven-year period, he zhichu felt that if Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t return in seven years, then she would definitely stay in the other world to have children with him. It was fine if he didn¡¯t want the assets, but he would treat it as charity.

    ¡°Brother, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have such a headache...¡±gu nianzhi stomped her feet, and couldn¡¯t help pouting at her own brother.

    He zhichu smiled and said casually, ¡°You have Huo Shaoheng, do you still need me? It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done for you.¡±

    He wasparing him to Huo Shaoheng again.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and perked up. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t be like this. You¡¯re the only one in my heart. Huo Shao and I will fight and fight, but with you, we won¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t?¡±He Zhichu had a faint smile on his face as he recalled the first time he met Gu Nianzhi in the other world. Because they couldn¡¯t tell the truth, there wasn¡¯t a day when they didn¡¯t fight.

    At the time, it had been a headache, even a headache. But now that he thought about it, he realized how precious it was to be able to get along with each other so freely. It was something he had hoped for all his life.

    He thought that as long as he was given enough time, he would be able to let it go.

    How Long would that take?

    Not long, just a lifetime.

    He slowly smiled, he said coldly, ¡°Now you know. When you have time, go to Switzend and open the safe and take out those things. Those things were originally yours. How could you let those people use your things against you? ¡ª you have to teach them a lesson.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little embarrassed, she quickly said, ¡°Brother, those things are still yours. I¡¯ll keep them for you. All the proceeds are still in the fund. I Won¡¯t take a single cent. When you have the chance toe over in the future, it¡¯ll be more convenient for you to spend your own money.¡±

    ¡°I still have the chance toe over?¡±He zhichu scoffed. ¡°Stop trying to paint a picture for me.¡±

    ¡°Of course you have the chance, as long as you want to.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. She had almost told he zhichu that she had taken a few strands of his hair before she left and had already marked his DNA in the equipment here.

    If he wanted toe over, he could turn on the maic resonance machine and bring him over.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t have the final say in this matter.

    She had to consider Huo Shaoheng¡¯s feelings and wishes and obtain the consent of the Huaxia government here.

    Even if he zhichu was her biological brother, this wasn¡¯t a personal matter for her.

    Because the machine and energy weren¡¯t hers, she couldn¡¯t shamelessly boast in front of he zhichu.

    He Zhichu thought Gu Nianzhi was trying to paint a cake for him, so he smiled and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll think about it when I have the chance and see if it can be realized. What if it can¡¯t be realized?¡±

    ¡°If it can¡¯t be realized, I¡¯ll give you a gift.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled even more happily, her big eyes almost narrowing into slits.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll paint the right words every day. Every time I think about it, I¡¯ll add another stroke. When the timees, I¡¯ll count how many gifts you¡¯ll give me in the future.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cried out in an exaggerated manner, ¡°Every day? ! No! I¡¯ll go bankrupt. Brother, please spare me!¡±

    He Zhichu was amused by Gu Nianzhi. He exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up.

    Gu Nianzhi finished her call and walked out of the house. She saw Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, Song Jinning, and Lu Yuan watching her from the living room outside.

    Gu Nianzhi let out a long sigh and sat down. She pursed her lips and told him about the conversation she had with he zhichu.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t say anything more about the conversation she had with he zhichu to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

    Lu Jin pped his thigh. ¡°I told you there was a problem! You¡¯re so F * cking good, you even fooled me! I told you it was a four-digit number. It must be true, but the four digits didn¡¯te from the other side!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°We can¡¯t say that this has nothing to do with them.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and asked, ¡°I told you they don¡¯t have any power over there...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hands on the armrest of the sofa and crossed his legs. He said thoughtfully, ¡°First of all, this number was decoded by Professor Lu. That means the other side is deliberately misleading us.¡±

    ¡°Second, the other party can mislead us this way, which means that he knows about the existence of the opposite world, and also knows that using a quantummunication device tomunicate with the opposite world will result in an invalid four-digit number.¡±

    ¡°Finally, the other party should have contacted the opposite world and know some things about the opposite world.¡±

 Chapter 2141

    <h4>Chapter 2141: Chapter 2141: The Crab has gone bad</h4>

    ¡°The question now is, how much does our enemy know about the other world? What is their rtionship with the Qin family in the other world? Also, how much does he know about Nianzhi?¡±

    Huo shaoheng continued, ¡°Nianzhi, do you remember Wen Shouyi once told her to act as a Japanese in this world? Qin Baye once asked her to contact someone with the code name of Queen of Hearts?¡±

    ¡°Queen of Hearts? !¡±Gu Nianzhi looked up suddenly. ¡°That¡¯s right! How could I have forgotten about this person? !¡±

    ¡°This person has only been mentioned once by Wen Shouyi, not even by Qin Yaoguang and Qin Baye.¡±Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°We should look into who this queen of Hearts is.¡±

    However, this was not something that could be found in a short period of time. They had too few clues at hand.

    Therefore, everyone¡¯s thoughts returned to the four-digit invalid number.

    Gu nianzhi muttered to herself, ¡°But, if it wasn¡¯t sent from the other world, then why would the same four-digit invalid number appear? Who sent it?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s father¡¯s quantumputer had also been able to calcte this result..

    This was too amazing!

    <sub></sub>

    Gu Nianzhi thought of this question, and her first reaction was to reject it.

    Her father wouldn¡¯t make a mistake, and neither would the quantummunicator.

    A four-digit number was definitely a four-digit number.

    Could it be that they were the first to assume it?

    The moment they saw the four-digit number, they immediately thought that the number was from the opposite world?

    The living room fell into silence for a moment.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his chin with his hand. He was silent for a long time before he slowly said,¡±... actually, there is another situation where a four-digit number appears.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes twinkled. She had also remembered.

    If they had not been misled by their preconceived notions, they would have immediately recalled the twists and turns from the other world the moment they saw the four-digit number. This problem was actually very simple.

    She raised her eyebrows and said crisply, ¡°An internal call! An internal call from a regionalwork can appear with a four-digit number!¡±

    The four-digit number that Gu Nianzhi had encountered earlier had already been confirmed to be not an internal call from the LAN. That was why they had been able to trace it back to the other world.

    This time, they did not rule out the possibility of an internal call at all. They had immediately determined that it was from the other world!

    The other party had been too well-prepared.

    First, they had used a veryplicated encryption program to cover up the phone number that had sent the text message.

    Then, even if they could crack the program, they had already calcted that once they cracked the program and saw the four-digit ¡°Invalid number,¡±they would immediately think that it was the quantummunicator from the other world!

    One could imagine that the other party¡¯s grasp of their thinking habits and prediction of the direction of the People¡¯s hearts were truly amazing.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll immediately get little ze to find out whose internal phone number is this, but we can¡¯t alert the enemy. We have to wait and do nothing for the time being.¡±

    Since these three messages were received by President Chen, the person who sent them must be someone inside the military headquarters.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was as dark as water. At the same time, he sent a message to general ji, telling him that ¡°The crab in the basket has gone bad and needs to be fed.¡±.

    This was their intelligence term.

    It meant that there was a thief inside and they wanted to catch the thief.

    ..

    Zhao liangze received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s secret text message and immediately entered the four-digit phone number into the internal areawork to search.

    After checking, he found out that this number was indeed the internal number of a colonelmandant from the headquarters of the military!

    This colonelmandant¡¯s surname was Yan, and he was from the Yan family of the capital. He was in charge of logistics and equipment, and had made great contributions. It was said that he was about to be promoted to major general.

    Everyone in the military system knew that it was a qualitative leap from a colonelmandant to a generalmandant. Many senior colonels had endured until the end of their careers or retirement, but were still unable to advance. In the end, they stopped at the rank of senior colonel.

    This was the saying, ¡°Many roads lead to safety, but those with great skill are bold.¡±.

    After Zhao LIANGZE locked onto Colonel Commandant Yan, no one was rmed. He only sent Huo Shaoheng an encrypted code: [ locked. ].

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said to the people in the living room, ¡°We¡¯ve found him. From now on, he¡¯ll be under our 24-hour surveince. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t catch this person right away. He had to keep Satoshi Saito.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted and leaned softly against the sofa. She hugged her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m so tired. I think I¡¯ll need to sleep for two days to recover.¡±

    She had almost been led astray by the other party.

    It had been too dangerous.

    If she had really been wrong, it would have been ¡°A thousand miles for the slightest error.¡±.

    Lu Jin crossed his arms, he sighed and said, ¡°This time, it¡¯s not a simple algorithm problem. It involves the estimation of the human heart and the grasp of the conditions. ¡°Nianzhi, this game was set by thebination of the Book of changes and Chaos Mathematics.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gradually understood.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. It¡¯s like a jigsaw puzzle. The Book of changes gives you the rules for the jigsaw puzzle. Chaos mathematics uses this rule to calcte the probability of each event happening. ¡ª finally, the event with the highest probability is arranged. Basically, the follow-up will follow the pattern you¡¯ve designed.¡±

    So it was all calcted.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the online game that could simte all kinds of events. She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°This opponent is really thoughtful, spending so much effort to target Ms. Song.¡±

    Then she changed the subject and said, ¡°But this opponent doesn¡¯t seem to know that the opposite world no longer has high-energy maic field energy.¡±

    This was the biggest failure in this game.

    If it wasn¡¯t for this reason, Gu Nianzhi and the others wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the w in this game so easily.

    Lu Jin nodded, reasoning, he said, ¡°This means that this person¡¯s connection to the opposite world is not as much as we thought. Furthermore, he¡¯s probably not one of young master he¡¯s trusted aides, which means he¡¯s not someone in the high-power core circle.¡±

    ¡°Yes, if he was someone close to young master he, or someone in the inner circle, they would know about the problem with the maic field energy. They would not have designed this trap with such a major loophole.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could not help smiling when she found out that it had nothing to do with He Zhichu¡¯s side. She shifted her body on the sofa, and her smile became even sweeter.

    Lu Yuan listened quietly for a long time, one hand on his cheek the whole time.

    After a while, seeing that everyone was silent, he asked in confusion, ¡°Do you really think that the other party¡¯s goal is just jinning?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Who else? me?¡±She couldn¡¯t help pointing at herself. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I might have been a side effect?¡±

    ¡°No, I mean, their goal seems to be Shaoheng as well.¡±Lu Yuan looked thoughtfully at Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ve already seen your messages on professor Lu¡¯s phone. ¡°At that time, you were still in the opposite world. They probably thought you wouldn¡¯te back, but they were still sending messages to Xiao Ye¡¯s mother. The topics in the messages were all rted to Shaoheng.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2141, ¡°The crab has gone bad.¡±.

    It was still delivered in the middle of the night.

    The second update was at 1:00 pm, and the third update was at 8:00 pm.

    Please ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    PS: Thank you for the 100,000 starting point coins that ¡°Ink snow¡±and ¡°Sibu 602¡åhad given yesterday. Thank you for the 50,000 starting point coins that ¡°My Love Hall¡±had given yesterday. Thank you to ¡°Blue Emperor Phoenix¡±for the 30,000 starting points yesterday. Thank you to ¡°Heaven tent candy¡±and ¡°Little one kiss¡±for the 10,000 starting points each yesterday.

    Thank you so much ~ ~

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2142

    <h4>Chapter 2142: Chapter 2142: Don¡¯t pay too much attention to the details (chapter 2: Coldsteel Grace + 6)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi recalled the few messages that said Huo Shaoheng was ¡°Responsible¡±and felt a little ufortable. She coughed and said, ¡°Could it be that he wants to stall Huo Shao so he won¡¯t look for me everywhere...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    After a while, he smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s very possible.¡±

    Lu Jin immediately became smug. ¡°They¡¯ve got the wrong person! can my son-inw be the kind of retarded man who doesn¡¯t know his ce after being provoked? ! If he was, I would have gotten rid of him a long time ago!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched imperceptibly.

    Gu Nianzhiughed so hard that she almost copsed on the sofa.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s lips twitched. Ignoring Lu Jin¡¯s exaggerated words, he continued, ¡°Also, he zhichu actually didn¡¯t think it through.¡±

    ¡°How did he not think it through?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked immediately. ¡°Even if my brother left, he left me with a lot of security. How could a normal person think that much?¡±

    ¡°But people die for money and birds die for food. Maybe it¡¯s because he left you with a lot of security that some people think of Nianzhi as a target,¡±Lu Yuan said unhurriedly.

    <sub></sub>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyelids twitched. ¡°You¡¯re talking about my brother¡¯s conditions for selling his properties?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±Lu Yuan spread his hands. ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t see how many properties he zhichu had, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be few. I reckon it would add up to a considerable amount of wealth.¡±

    ¡°And this wealth should have been sold at a low price, with an additional condition. So what would the people who bought those properties think? Of course, they have to work hard to keep these properties.¡±

    ¡°Originally, when you went missing, those people thought you wouldn¡¯te back, so they naturally had no worries.¡±

    ¡°But when you came back, and within seven years, those people would know that their properties would be lost.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t go to get them back...¡±gu nianzhi said in confusion, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know about this.¡±

    If he zhichu hadn¡¯t said anything, those people would have been able to sit back and enjoy the unexpected wealth.

    ¡°They don¡¯t know that you don¡¯t know,¡±Lu Yuan said with a smile, as if he was saying a tongue twister. He patted song Jinning, who was beside him, looking confused.

    Song Jinning wasn¡¯t very familiar with the concept of financial gain, but after listening to Lu Yuan¡¯s exnation, she finally understood.

    After a moment of surprise, she said,¡±... but how did the person who bought young master he¡¯s property know that Nianzhi had gone missing? Young Master He¡¯s property is overseas, right, except for the Sovereign Law Office?¡±

    Gu nianzhi added, ¡°A small part of it is in the United States, but the majority is in South America. The sudden rise of the He family in South America to be the underground godfather is rted to my brother.¡±

    The He family on this side of the world was on the verge of death in South America. They had almost no influence and could not bepared to the he family on the other side of the world.

    However, after he zhichu arrived, he found the he family on this side and used the He family¡¯s identity to start nning.

    Song jinning nodded. She looked at Huo Shaoheng and then at Lu Yuan.¡±... And I remember that only a very small group of people knew about Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance, and most of them were upper-ss people.¡±

    ¡°Later, I received a secret order to speed up the repair of the maic resonance machine. It was also sent directly to me by General Ji. Even theb staff around me didn¡¯t know what I was doing.¡±

    After all, they were often the ones doing the experiments themselves. Song Jinning would also do some experiments that only she would participate in, so no one else knew that Huaxia had already mastered the high-tech technology to activate the maic field of the parallel space.

    Lu Yuan, on the other hand, did not know about this. He was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Is that so? Only a few people know about Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression was very serious. He nodded and said, ¡°At that time, I gave the order to seal off all information regarding Nianzhi¡¯s disappearance. Other than those rted to her, no one else knew about the people involved in the rescue.¡±

    ¡°The people involved in the rescue are the elites of my special operations forces. They won¡¯t leak the information. Even if they did, they would think that Nianzhi was kidnapped by foreign forces and didn¡¯t know about the information from the other world.¡±

    Among the higher-ups, General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai knew, but it was impossible for them to leak the information.

    The other people who knew were mostly the higher-ups of the military.

    Thinking back to the colonelmandant surnamed Yan, Huo Shaoheng vaguely felt a thread stretching out from the darkness in an attempt to weave a web.

    A ck spider seemed to be sitting cross-legged in the web. Its eyes were venomous as it stared at them.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect things to turn around ande back to her in the end, she could not help but wonder, ¡°Okay, even if someone leaked the information about my disappearance, there are too few people who know that I went to the other world. could someone have leaked the information as well?¡±

    ¡°Not Necessarily.¡±Huo shaoheng immediately said, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, there are other countries trying to contact the other world besides our country.¡±

    Song jinning nodded immediately. ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯re all working on this technology.¡±

    Lu Yuan also gave evidence. ¡°More than 20 years ago, Gu Xiangwen from this world contacted me because of this. ¡°He said that other countries are working on this technology. If we don¡¯t, we¡¯ll fall behind again in the fifth technological revolution.¡±

    That was why the military had started this experiment.

    In other words, eighteen years ago, song Jinning¡¯s father, Song Haichuan, had already built the first-generation maic resonance instrument based on Gu Xiangwen¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t have good control of the energy at that time, which led to the Big Bang...¡±song Jinningmented.

    Therefore, Huo Guanyuan, who had participated in the experiment, and the four soldiers beside him had all been sent to the other world by ident.

    ¡°No, the big explosion at that time was not an experiment error,¡±Gu Nianzhi said faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we have already proved that someone was behind it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we can conclude that someone was behind the big explosion 18 years ago.¡±

    ¡°This time, when Jinning was attacked, Nianzhi was caught in the crossfire. Andst year, Shaoheng was targeted by the enemy,¡±Lu Yuan concluded. ¡°All these circumstances show that the enemy was actually targeting more than one person.¡±

    He looked at song Jinning¡¯s beautiful face, then shifted his deep gaze to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s charming smile. Finally, he looked at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s handsome face and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the enemy has a big heart?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±Lu Jin couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°The three of them are targets. What¡¯s the point?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m right, Jinning represents China¡¯s past, Shaoheng represents China¡¯s present, and Nianzhi represents China¡¯s future. They are targeting our country¡¯s past, present, and future!¡±

    Was this an all-out destruction of the country?

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She felt that Lu Yuan was being rmist.

    Huo Shaoheng was not veryfortable either, but he would not show it. He only said lightly, ¡°Nianzhi and I are of the same generation.¡±

    Refusing to be divided into two generations with Gu Nianzhi, even though he was ten years older than her.

    He thought about it and said, ¡°But Nianzhi does represent the future. The son she is going to give me in the future is the future of our country. Without her, there will be no future.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    Son, I respect you for being a good man!

    Even someone as arrogant as Lu Jin was stunned by Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Yuan was the only one who could still speak. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just making an analogy. Don¡¯t pay too much attention to the details.¡±

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°It would be great if the other party had such great ambitions. I¡¯m afraid that their genius n would be wasted just because of a trivial matter.¡±

    He was not afraid that the other party was too powerful, but that the other party was too brainless. If he was schemed against by such a person, he would probably vomit three liters of blood.

    However, Lu Jin pped his hands in approval and said loudly, ¡°That¡¯s right! People who have a deep understanding of the book of changes would never make a move just for a trivial matter.¡±

    ¡°You have to know that since ancient times, the great schrs who have studied the book of changes have all been good at ruling the country. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that a bunch of people who only learned half the book of changes have used it to do what blind people on the streets do. It¡¯s pathetic!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and said leisurely, ¡°Dad, why do I feel like this is the worst time the word ¡®schr¡¯has ever been ndered...¡±

    Lu Jin giggled and imitated Lu Yuan¡¯s tone. ¡°I¡¯m just making an analogy. Don¡¯t pay too much attention to the details!¡±

    After finding the right direction, Huo Shaoheng set up the arrangements in an orderly manner.

    The next day, he went to look for general ji and said, ¡°General Ji, the situation this time is more difficult. We can¡¯t differentiate between friend and foe for the time being. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to spend more effort preparing the barium meal to feed him.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. No matter how much effort it takes, you have to do it well.¡±General Ji hated the idea of internal leaks. ¡°I¡¯ll give you all the authority in the country as long as you can catch this person!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±Huo Shaoheng saluted and left as ordered.

    ..

    The first Friday in March was the time for the regr cab meeting.

    Prime Minister Bai brought his assistant and secretary to the meeting room for the cab ministers¡¯meeting.

    As it was thest month of the first quarter, all the ministers were preparing their own quarterly reports and had a better understanding of the situation in this quarter, so the reports were very clear, it was supported by a lot of data.

    Prime Minister Bai was full of smiles. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with everyone¡¯s reports.

    As a prime minister, what he cared about was the national economy and the People¡¯s livelihood. It was the livelihood of the general public.

    ¡°Prime Minister Bai, our Ministry of Education has already set a goal. We are preparing to vigorously attract foreign students and strive to rank high on the International University Rankings!¡±

    Prime Minister Bai¡¯s expression suddenly turned cold.¡±... foreign students can also be brought in? How are you going to do that? Do you want profits? Or do you want resources?¡±

    The Deputy Minister of Education:¡±...¡±

    He was a little embarrassed. He pushed up his sses on the bridge of his nose and said in a low voice, ¡°The main thing is to publicize the benefits of our university abroad. Give... give more schrships...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±Prime Minister White knocked on the table, ¡°You run the university well, improve the quality of the education, and produce more scientific research results. Are you afraid that you won¡¯t get a high score on the International University Rankings? ! Don¡¯t give up on the basics and change the concept!¡±¨C schrship? You have to give it to the students of our country first. How many foreign students do you think you can attract with money? !¡±

    The Deputy Minister of Education was scolded until his face was covered in dust, however, he still whispered unwillingly, ¡°But when grading international university rankings, the most important thing is the number of foreign students our universities absorb. ¡°Our country¡¯s universities are far worse than foreign universities in this aspect, so our country¡¯s universities are ranked lower internationally.¡±

    Prime Minister Bai:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Foreign universities can attract foreign students because of the quality of their education, not because they pay a lot of money. You have to understand clearly. ¡°How many students in our country spend a huge amount of tuition fees to study abroad? Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to know?¡±

    The Deputy Minister of Education wished he could crawl under the table, but he could not not mention it..

    Why?

    Because of benefits.

    Arge amount of schrships that could be allocated by the Ministry of Education were beckoning to him. He would be a fool not to bring it up.

    But in the end, the prime minister rejected his proposal and called them back to discuss the issue.

    Just as everyone was having a heated discussion, the Prime Minister¡¯s secretary pushed open the door and entered. She whispered in his ear, ¡°Prime Minister, director Bai is here. He has something to tell you.¡±

    Prime minister bai said softly, ¡°I¡¯m in a meeting right now. We¡¯ll talk about it during the break.¡±

    The secretary nodded and went out to ask Bai Yueran to wait for a while.

    Bai Yueran did wait for a while before she waited for Prime Minister Bai toe out to see her during the break.

    The two of them were talking in a small room in the cab activity room next to the meeting room.

    Outside was where the ministers and deputy ministers were resting and talking.

    Prime Minister Bai looked at his daughter, Bai Yueran, and asked with a frown, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Bai Yueran looked around and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been quite busy recently. I haven¡¯t spoken to father for a long time. I happened to have something to do in the cab today, so I came to see you. I didn¡¯t expect you to still be in a meeting.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right. We haven¡¯t met for a few weeks. What have you been busy with recently?¡±

    Bai Yueran was the director of the Judicial Affairs Department of the Special Operations Forces. A while ago, she was seconded to the legal department of the military to help prepare Guo Huining¡¯s case for prosecution. Although she was not the prosecution¡¯swyer, she served the prosecution¡¯swyer.

    This matter was not confidential. Bai Yueran said very naturally, ¡°In the legal department of the military to help prepare for the prosecution of Guo Huining, there are quite a few things. The other party¡¯swyer is very crafty, so it¡¯s quite difficult for us to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then do you need to transfer a few experiencedwyers from our Ministry of Justice Over?¡±Prime Minister Bai suggested with a smile. He was very willing to help.

    Bai Yueran smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. No matter how crafty the other party is, we can¡¯t make something out of nothing. Once she dares to fabricate evidence, we¡¯ll send her in immediately.¡±

    Prime Minister Bai nodded with a smile. ¡°Then what are you doing in the Cab?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to adjust the files,¡±Bai Yueran said calmly. ¡°Guo Huining had a case in the past that seemed to be a civilwsuit. The legal department of the military wants to take a look at it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then go find someone. Do you want me to go with you?¡±Prime Minister Bai picked up his pipe and started smoking.

    Bai Yueran shook her head. ¡°No need. I can go alone.¡±As she said that, she looked around again and saw that no one was in sight, she whispered, ¡°Keven¡¯s ward is about to be changed. I heard that it will be moved from room 601 to room 603. I don¡¯t know why.¡±

    Not far from the screen behind the two, someone moved and leaned toward them.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2142, ¡°Don¡¯t pay too much attention to the details.¡±.

    $1,000,000 to ¡°Cold Iron Grace¡±for the fifth and sixth month.

    The third and 4000 words big chapter and more 8:00 pm.

    Ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Thank you so much. * * * * *

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2143

    <h4>Chapter 2143: Chapter 2143: three barium meals (third and Coldsteel Grace + 8)</h4>

    The two of them acted as if they had not seen the person behind them.

    Prime Minister Bai frowned. ¡°Why do you care so much? This is a military matter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you. You¡¯re the Prime Minister, shouldn¡¯t you know about this?¡±Bai Yueran said with a smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw a figure suddenly stand up from a screen behind them, she quickly left.

    Bai Yueran nodded and gave Prime Minister Bai a look. She made an OK gesture to indicate that the fish had taken the bait.

    The person who had snuck outter was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    ..

    At the same time, the military was also in a meeting.

    General Ji was in the meeting room of the military¡¯srge meeting room.

    There was a beige wall and a thick navy-blue curtain hanging on the window that was half the height of a person.

    <sub></sub>

    A long conference table was ced in the middle of the conference room. General Ji was setting out the priorities for this year¡¯s work.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone knows that at the end ofst year, something big happened in the city. The military¡¯s elite special guards were all mobilized to capture Keven and bring him to justice.¡±

    ¡°Butter, during the interrogation, they were able to set up a demon moth for me in the court!¡±

    ¡°How exactly did you do that? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to criticize you, but if this had happened in wartime, all of you would have lost your heads!¡±

    All of the big shots in the military were reprimanded by General Ji until they couldn¡¯t even raise their heads.

    General Ji couldn¡¯t be med for scolding them.

    The incident where Kevin had been attacked and knocked unconscious in the court martial had indeed made the military take the me.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that the prosecutionwyer, Gu Nianzhi, had fought a beautiful court battle in court, theizens would have cursed even more harshly.

    It was only because of Gu nianzhi that someone had tried to lead the issue to the verdict, but had not seeded.

    Theizens were not blind. who could not see that there was something fishy about Keven¡¯s identity?

    However, the fact that Keven had an ident in court was indeed because the court martial was ipetent. There was no reason for him to be scolded.

    General Ji pounded the table and scolded him fiercely before changing the topic to this year¡¯s major policy.

    ¡°At the beginning of the year, we nned that this year¡¯s nandou satellite navigation system would cover the entire world. There would be no blind spots inmunications.¡±

    ¡°The number of satellites that the space department is going tounch has already reached a record. Everyone, don¡¯t put too much pressure on the space department.¡±

    ¡°If it can beunched, then it can beunched. If it can¡¯t beunched, don¡¯t forcefullyunch it.¡±

    General ji paused and said, ¡°The cooperation between the military and the Institute of high energy physics is progressing well. I hope that we can achieve even greater results soon.¡±

    He had yet to tell these military bigwigs that the maic resonance instrument had been sessfully developed.

    The wormhole to the opposite space had already been opened.

    Because this technology was too advanced, if it was announced, it would cause unnecessary shock in society and panic in other countries.

    Listening to General Ji¡¯s implicit and proud conclusion, the bigwigs who had been scolded until their faces were covered in dirt alsoughed.

    They were people from the military, and they were actually isted from society to a certain extent.

    This time, the case at the imperial capital¡¯s high-level court martial didn¡¯t go well.

    However, it could still be remedied.

    When General Ji stopped to drink water, a big shot asked, ¡°How is Keven¡¯s condition now? I heard that his legal team has been seeking medical parole.¡±

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t wake up, will he be granted medical parole?¡±

    General Ji put down the ss of water and said coldly, ¡°Even if he bes a vegetable, he will still have to serve his sentence in our country¡¯s prison.¡±

    In the meeting room, they looked at each other awkwardly and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    During the break between meetings, General Ji sat in the activity room next to therge meeting room, he said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Keven anymore. His ward has been changed. He¡¯s not in Room 601 now, but in Room 605. Remember to keep this a secret. No one can know about it.¡±

    Huo shaoheng nodded and replied calmly, ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    He then asked, ¡°Is there still a security department in charge of the hospital¡¯s security? Do you want us to send some people over?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±General Ji shook his head and said casually, ¡°If the security department can¡¯t even handle this, they¡¯ll have to shuffle the board from top to bottom.¡±

    When General Ji said this, there were several high-ranking officers who were sitting nearby. However, they were all whispering to each other. It was unknown if they heard their conversation.

    Huo Guanchen was sitting by the door and smoking alone. He had a smile on his face. It was not obvious that his family was separated and that he was alone.

    After all, he was a political worker. No one knew what he was thinking, and they all seemed to be hiding something.

    ..

    At the same time, the Senate was also holding the first general meeting of the New Year.

    This time, both the upper and lower houses of the Senate were in the same conference hall. The representatives of the upper and lower houses took turns to speak on the stage. The main idea was to get more funding and preferential policies for the regions they represented.

    Meanwhile, Speaker Long was presiding over the upper house¡¯s high-level meeting in his office.

    ¡°Senior members of the upper house, I¡¯m sure you all know aboutst year¡¯s Christmas Eve case.¡±

    ¡°This is a transnational case. The United States has a lot of pressure on our government. At this time, our Senate absolutely can not stand idly by.¡±

    ¡°Everyone is serving the people. The Senate, cab, and military are all in one body, leading this country together.¡±

    His gaze swept past these people, he smiled and said, ¡°Kevin has a very deep international background. Other than therge consortium like Carlyle, there¡¯s also a certain government involved. As for which countries, I won¡¯t name them.¡±

    Which other countries?

    There were only two countries that coveted China the most: the United States and Japan.

    It just so happened that the forces of these two countries were ready to stir up trouble behind Keven.

    Speaker Long did not make it very clear, but he only said what he had to say.

    It was also during the break in the meeting when everyone went out to get some fresh air. Gu Nianzhi brought a cup of tea to speaker long and ced it on the coffee table in front of him. She said softly, ¡°Thank you for your hard work, speaker long.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±Speaker long shook his head. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. He said, ¡°I heard that things weren¡¯t too peaceful on Keven¡¯s side. The security department changed his ward just to be on the safe side...¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked up and asked curiously, ¡°Changed his ward? Where?¡±

    ¡°I heard it was room 607. It used to be room 601.¡±

    Speaker Long said in a low voice, his eyes scanning his surroundings without leaving a trace. He didn¡¯t know if any of these people had heard him and sent him out.

    ..

    On Friday afternoon, Gu Nianzhi returned home from work at the Senate.

    As she sat in her car, she received a call from Huo Shaoheng.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where are you?¡±

    ¡°I was just about to go home. What¡¯s the matter? is something the matter?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m busy today, so I won¡¯t be going home. You can go to President Lu¡¯s house with Professor Lu this weekend.¡±

    ¡°Something the matter? I¡¯m busy too, so I won¡¯t trouble president Lu.¡±Gu nianzhi said without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi started the car. Her heart seemed to have been stimted by the roar of the car engine, and it also started to beat violently.

    Did the three barium meals they had fed her earlier take effect?

    Who was the mole?

    Or was it not just one or two?

    Gu Nianzhi was actually feeling uneasy.

    Even the delicious food at Lu Yuan¡¯s house could not attract her. She nned to stay at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence for the weekend and wait for news.

    ..

    At six o¡¯clock on a Friday evening, it was the most rxed time of the week.

    At this moment, Dusk had arrived and night was about to fall. Some people had once called this moment ¡°The time of the Devil.¡±.

    Zuo Qinghong wore a white coat and a doctor¡¯s white hat. He also had a stethoscope around his neck and a medical record book under his armpit. He smiled as he walked up the corridor on the sixth floor.

    He was wearing a mask like the other doctors. The gold-rimmed sses on his eyes actually had a video transmission function.

    As he walked, he transmitted everything he saw to the cloud. His backup support staff quickly adjusted the algorithm to help him find the optimal route of action and then transmitted it to him.

    The Bluetooth headset in his ear had amunication function. It was connected to the inte by the traffic.

    ¡°Everything is normal.¡±

    ¡°Everything is normal.¡±

    When he walked past room 601, he stopped for a moment and went over to knock on the door with a smile.

    However, there was no response from the door.

    A person who looked like a nurse walked past him and said kindly, ¡°Doctor, the patient here has already been discharged.¡±

    Zuo Qinghong sneered in his heart. He thought that it was just a transfer, but he actually lied and said that he was discharged.

    If he had not gotten the exact information, he would have really been fooled.

    However, he still smiled and nodded to that person. He said, ¡°Thank you. Where did you get the discharge procedures for that person?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. You can ask the front desk.¡±

    The nurse nced at him, but she did not see the name on his chest.

    Zuo Qinghong knew what the nurse was looking at, so he ignored her and continued walking forward.

    When he reached Room 603, he stopped again and reached out to knock on the door.

    There was still no response from inside.

    Just as he was about to leave, the door was suddenly pulled open. A man who looked like a policeman poked his head out and looked at him. He asked, ¡°May I know who you are looking for?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong was delighted. He thought to himself that the intelligence from the higher-ups was indeed correct. It really was room 603!

    But he did not say anything. He nodded gently and elegantly. ¡°I¡¯m a ward doctor. Where are the patients here?¡±

    He pretended to take out his medical record book to check.

    The policeman looked at him suspiciously and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Doctor Who Came Yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I made a mistake. I¡¯m Sorry,¡±Zuo Qinghong said politely and closed the medical record book in his hand.

    Just as the policeman was about to close the door, Zuo Qinghong silently took out a silent pistol and shot the policeman in the stomach!

    Poof!

    The sound was like a p on the doorpost.

    The policeman didn¡¯t even scream and fell back to the ground.

    Zuo Qinghong turned around and waved to call for two helpers. Then he shed into the room and saw that the surveince camera in the room had been destroyed by his own people. The dark screen was facing him, but the battery was actually dead.

    Zuo Qinghong motioned for the two people to watch at the door. Then, he quietly walked into the room.

    The wards on the sixth floor and above of 3X1 hospital were all special VIP wards. When one walked in, they would all be suites. It was not like the inpatient department of a normal hospital where many patients lived in arge room.

    Zuo Qinghong killed the policeman who opened the door outside. He was even more convinced that this was the room that Keven had changed.

    As he walked, he felt that the other party was quite smart.

    If they did not have a particrly hard-working insider, they would not have guessed that Keven had only changed into the room next door.

    He hid the gun in his sleeve and slowly pushed open the door to the room next door.

    The policeman inside was sitting on a sofa next to the hospital bed, reading a magazine.

    When he heard someonee in, he turned his head to take a look and stood up to ask, ¡°You Are...¡±

    Zuo Qinghong immediately raised his hand and shot!

    It was exactly the same as the scene he had yed in the game.

    It was in this scene that he hadpletely passed the test.

    The policeman did not say the third word and just copsed on the sofa.

    Zuo Qinghong quickly walked to the bedside and looked down.

    Kevin was wearing a respirator on his face. Compared to before, his cheeks were thin and his cheekbones were almost protruding out.

    After all, he had been unconscious for more than a month. It was impossible for him to look exactly like a normal person.

    With his appearance, Zuo Qinghong actually believed that this was the real keven.

    If he really looked exactly the same as he did a month ago, then it was definitely fake.

    Zuo Qinghong still had somemon sense.

    He called out to the outside.

    The two helpers outside came in. One of them took out a needle and whispered, ¡°Do we inject him now?¡±

    ¡°Of course. How can we get out without waking him up?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong rolled his eyes at that person. ¡°Do you think we can carry him out of the hospital?¡±

    Of course, he had to walk out by himself.

    Keven had been unconscious for more than a month, but making him unconscious was their special medicine.

    They had the special antidote in their hands. As long as they injected him, he would wake up in five minutes.

    Although they wouldn¡¯t be able to walk normally, they wouldn¡¯t need a stretcher to carry him out.

    The few of them watched nervously as the person inserted the syringe into the person¡¯s vein and injected the antidote.

    In less than five minutes, Keven¡¯s eyes blinked, as if he was about to open them.

    ¡°Enough! He has the ability to move! Hurry up and change his clothes!¡±Zuo Qinghong looked at his watch. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer and immediately ordered his two helpers to bring the clothes to change keven.

    They pulled down the oxygen mask covering Keven¡¯s face and changed him out of his hospital gown. They changed him into a gray cardigan, wool trousers of the same color, shiny leather shoes, and a cap on his head, they put on sunsses on his face.

    After changing his clothes, Keven was still listless and did not say a word.

    ¡°Mr. Keven? We are taking you out now. Can You Walk?¡±

    Keven nodded and slowly stood up with the help of the bed.

    ¡°Great!¡±Zuo Qinghong heaved a huge sigh of relief. His tone was clearly rxed.

    ¡°Leave this ce immediately!¡±He looked around. ¡°There¡¯s no one else outside, right?¡±

    He was talking to his backup support staff.

    The people on the other side checked the situation of the building and issued an ¡°Action¡±order.

    Zuo Qinghong immediately walked in front, and the two helpers supported Keven from the left and right behind him.

    They pushed open the door and looked around. After making sure that the surveince cameras in the corridor had been controlled, they shed out of the door.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third and fourth thousand words of the day: chapter 2143, ¡°Three barium meals.¡±.

    For the 7th and 8th time, the 1,000,000 starting point coins given to ¡°Cold iron Grace¡±in September.

    Please ask for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    PS: Congrattions to ¡°Ink snow¡±, ¡°Sky Blue Emperor Phoenix¡±, and ¡°Sibu 602¡åfor bing the new alliance leaders of ¡°Hello, Major General¡±!

    Major general already has 40 alliance leaders, including the Silver Alliance and the Gold Alliance.

    Life isplete. O (¡É¡É¡É¡É) O.

    Thank you so much

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2144

    <h4>Chapter 2144: Chapter 2144 Trojan Horse (Number One, monthly ticket!)</h4>

    Zuo Qinghong was wearing a doctor¡¯s white coat as he walked along the dark corridor. His shiny leather shoes made a clicking sound, which was a little creepy to the ears.

    Because this floor was a special VIP ward, it was very private, and ordinary people could note up.

    ording to the information that Zuo Qinghong and the others had found out, because of Kevin¡¯s special status, he was the only person who lived on the entire sixth floor.

    Therefore, when they took down the two police guards, it was as if no one was there.

    It was exactly the same as the best result they had deduced in the game.

    This operation looked simple, but there were too many things that were done behind the scenes.

    For example, the identity of the three of them as hospital insiders. This was ¡°If you want to learn poetry, your kung fu is beyond poetry.¡±.

    Zuo Qinghong walked quickly and soon entered the elevator.

    After waiting for the three people behind him toe in, he quickly took off the doctor¡¯s robe, revealing the flight jacket inside and the neat leather pants.

    <sub></sub>

    Then, he took out a ck stic bag from his pocket and stuffed the doctor¡¯s outfit inside.

    The elevator stopped on the second floor. The four of them came out of the elevator and found a ce to throw the garbage. Then, they threw the ck stic bag out.

    There was an outpatient clinic on the second floor. There were many people and it was a mess.

    The four of them quickly blended into the crowd and found the stairway and went down.

    Just as they came out of the hospital gate, they heard the rm sound from the building behind them.

    The ear-piercing rm sound echoed in the blue sky, just like an air raid rm.

    Everyone was dumbfounded.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Is there a fire rm?¡±

    ¡°Bullsh * T! That¡¯s not the sound of a fire rm. Our unit has a fire drill before...¡±

    The people in the hospital were discussing in twos and threes, all wanting to run towards the stairs.

    At this moment, the sound of a broadcast suddenly rang out in the building.

    ¡°Citizens, doctors, nurses and hospital staff, this is an emergency notice! This is an emergency notice!¡±

    ¡°Someone is missing in the hospital! Someone is missing in the hospital!¡±

    ¡°Please stay where you are! The elevators and stairways on all floors of the hospital will be closed immediately!¡±

    As he said that, the elevators and stairways on all floors of the building were suddenly closed, and they could no longer be opened.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? !¡±

    ¡°What the hell is going on? !¡±

    In their anxiety, everyone took out their phones one after another.

    Fortunately, the inte was not cut off here.

    Everyone saw what happened outside the hospital building through social media.

    Outside the building, Zuo Qinghong and two helpers heard the sirens and quickly took Keven¡¯s arm and sat in the car that had been parked at the door.

    Just as they were about to start the car, groups of explosion-proof police officers in bulletproof shields, bulletproof helmets, and ck uniforms rushed over from all directions.

    ¡°Listen up, people in the car in front! You are suspected of kidnapping people from the hospital! You have shot and killed police officers!¡±

    ¡°Please raise your hands and surrender immediately! Release the hostages!¡±

    Zuo Qinghong¡¯s heart sank. He immediately stepped on the elerator and said, ¡°Fasten your seatbelts. Let¡¯s rush out!¡±

    This was the worst scenario that he had simted in the game.

    He had actually encountered it.

    However, as long as his backup support could interfere with the police¡¯s tracking, he should be able to rescue Keven.

    They had prepared for more than a month and had spent a lot of money. There should be no problem.

    The car sped through the streets of the imperial city and quickly got onto the highway.

    The police cars that were chasing them were still chasing after them.

    Huo Shaoheng was personally in charge. He had to make sure that their judgment was correct.

    Zuo Qinghong had kidnapped him from Ward 603 of 3X1 hospital.

    ording to the three meals they had fed him, the news had been released by the vice-minister of Foreign Affairs.

    The vice-minister was suspected of colluding with foreign countries. They needed hard evidence to testify against him, or else they would not be able to convict him.

    The car in front of them had already driven out of the city and arrived at an area where the city and countryside intersected.

    The surrounding area was surrounded by construction sites that had just been fenced off to build houses.

    There was still all sorts of rubbish left in the areas that had been demolished. The entire ce was arge construction site, but at the same time, it also looked like arge garbage dump.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and gave an order to ¡°Keven¡±in the car in front. ¡°Action.¡±.

    Of course, this Keven wasn¡¯t real. He was their Trojan Horse.

    ¡°Keven¡±, who had been sitting in the back seat with his head lowered and his eyes drooping, suddenly stretched out his hands to the left and right.

    The steel needle between his fingers pierced into the waist muscles of the two helpers.

    The center of the steel needle was empty. It contained a strong anesthetic that could take down an adult in three seconds.

    Although these two helpers were strong, they werepletely unprepared for ¡°Keven¡±, who they had risked their lives to save, to actually hurt them.

    They fell to the seat almost without saying a word.

    ¡°Keven¡±wanted to attack Zuo Qinghong Next, but Zuo Qinghong was more vignt.

    He had been paying attention to the situation in the backseat through the Rearview Mirror.

    Suddenly, he saw the two helpers¡¯heads tilt, and ¡°Keven¡±, who was sitting in the middle, raised his head. Zuo Qinghong secretly thought that it was not good. He had probably fallen into someone else¡¯s trap.

    He made a prompt decision and shot backwards.

    ¡°Keven¡±, who was sitting in the back seat, immediately bent down and lowered his head.

    Taking advantage of this moment, Zuo Qinghong stepped on the elerator, opened the door to the driver¡¯s seat, and jumped out.

    Just as he thought he could escape by jumping out of the car, Huo Shaoheng shot him from the police car that was speeding over from behind.

    Bang!

    The gun that did not have a silencer made a loud whistling sound, and there was also the sound of the wind from the speeding car.

    Zuo Qinghong only felt a numbness in his left knee, followed by a piercing pain. He let out a heart-wrenching scream and rolled onto the shoulder of the road beside the highway.

    The car that he had abandoned in front was still speeding forward with inertia.

    When Zuo Qinghong¡¯s side was in trouble, his backup team had already seen it and quickly reported it to their leader.

    ¡°What do we do? We seem to have fallen into a trap! The Keven we brought out is fake!¡±

    Not long after, their boss sent a message: ¡°We¡¯re ready. Detonate the car.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was contacting the fake Keven in the car in front and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation in the car?¡±

    The man had already climbed into the driver¡¯s seat. He had just taken control of the car and was about to brake when he suddenly heard a click.

    He turned his head and saw that the door beside the driver¡¯s seat had been locked.

    Huo Shaoheng was wearing a bluetooth headset and was also in constant contact with his technical support.

    Zhao LIANGZE was responsible for monitoringmunications and intercepting electromaic waves.

    Zhao liangze had also intercepted the order after the other party had given the order to ¡°Detonate the car.¡±.

    This was because he had monitored Zuo Qinghong¡¯smunications system.

    Although Zuo Qinghong had been knocked unconscious, the Bluetooth headset in his ear was still working normally.

    Zhao Liangze was shocked when he heard this order. He quickly sent a message to Huo shaoheng: ¡°Get out of the scene! They¡¯re going to detonate the car!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately understood.

    The other party also had a backup n!

    Huo Shaoheng forced himself to calm down and quickly gave the order to stop all the police cars chasing after him. He then said to the fake Keven in the car in front, ¡°You have to jump out of the car! They¡¯re going to detonate the car!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2144, ¡°Trojan Horse.¡±.

    It was still delivered at 10,000 words today.

    The second update was at 1pm, and the third update was at 8pm.

    Please ask for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    PS: thank you, ¡°Moshi¡±, for the 50,000 starting point coins you gave yesterday. Thank you to ¡°My Love Hall¡±for the 50,000 starting point coins yesterday. Thank you to ¡°Penins Princess¡±for the 10,000 starting point coins yesterday.

    Thank you so much

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2145

    <h4>Chapter 2145: Chapter 2145 I give them what they want</h4>

    They don¡¯t have much time left.

    Let¡¯s just say the other side is lucky to use thework remote detonator, still need some time to drive the program.

    However, the fake Keven in the car in front was a little flustered. He said to Huo Shaoheng with a trembling voice, ¡°Sir, the door next to the driver¡¯s seat is locked!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and immediately ordered his driver, ¡°Drive to the front and to the left! Catch up with the car in front!¡±

    The driver was stunned. He had clearly heard that there was danger ahead, but he had already gotten used to listening to orders. He stepped on the elerator as if it was a reflex.

    The engine of the car suddenly made a rumbling sound. In an instant, it went into gear again and caught up with the car in front in the blink of an eye.

    The two cars were now side by side.

    Huo Shaoheng aimed his gun at the lock on the door next to Zuo Qinghong¡¯s car. Without hesitation, he fired three shots!

    The fake Kevin in the car had already fallen to the ground.

    <sub></sub>

    The bullets entered through the lock on this side and exited through the lock on the door next to the passenger seat. The bullets actually pierced through the car.

    The lock was broken, so the door that had been locked by the remote control could be opened naturally.

    ¡°Jump out of the car!¡±Huo Shaoheng ordered the fake keven to jump out of the car while ordering the driver of his own car, ¡°Get Back!¡±

    The driver mmed on the brakes and immediately fell behind the car.

    The door of the car that had been side by side with them just a moment ago was pushed open again. The fake Keven jumped out of the car and rolled towards the shoulder that had just shown a hint of green.

    The moment he jumped out, the car behind him let out an earth-shattering roar. The entire car was sted into the air. The shattered body of the car shattered into pieces and shot out in all directions like bullets on the highway, then, it burst into mes!

    Gu Nianzhi was sitting with Zhao Liangze at the moment. She had seen this scene from the surveince video of the Central Control Room of the special operations forces.

    ¡°Ah!¡±She cried out, covering her mouth as she stood up in shock.

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face was also pale as he muttered, ¡°Why do I remember seeing such a big fire and explosion...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips trembled. After a while, she said,¡±... it was simr to the car I was in when it exploded...¡±

    That was eight years ago, when she had just arrived from the opposite world.

    The only difference was that her car had probably not been blown up into the sky.

    Most of the energy had probably been used to conduct maic resonance and travel to this side of the world.

    Thest remaining portion of the energy had blown her car into a pile of ashes, which was even more destructive than this car.

    The car on the surveince video had obviously not caused the maic resonance and opened up a wormhole.

    However, the effect of the explosion was also very shocking.

    It burned fiercely, and ck smoke filled the sky. The st caused the police cars that were rtively close to it to collide violently and roll over.

    Fortunately, the police car that had crashed and rolled over had already stopped. The people inside were only knocked about, and were not even slightly injured.

    The only thing that was more serious was the car that Huo Shaoheng was in.

    His car had just stopped and was the closest to the car that had exploded in front of him. After the entire car had been overturned by the st, it was still rolling around on the road like a gust of strong wind blowing leaves.

    The ambnce at the back rushed over and rescued all the people in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head had been knocked open and was bleeding a little, but he was fine.

    He did not get into the ambnce, but insisted onmanding from the scene.

    Then, the fire engine behind them also drove over quickly.

    They quickly put out the fire on the burning car that had fallen from the sky.

    The entire highway was blocked, and the intersection waspletely blocked.

    The people who had been dyed were cursing in the car and scrolling through Weibo, trying to understand what had happened.

    It was not until they saw the huge fire in front of them and heard the explosion that they realized that the situation was much more serious than they had imagined.

    Everyone held their phones up and took photos. They were crazily posting on Weibo, trying to figure out what had happened.

    Usually, when something like this happened, the Inte would first block the news for a period of time.

    This time, it was strange. There seemed to be no block at all on the Inte. It was as if they were reading a picture and making up a story.

    All kinds of rumors were flying around. Even the foreign media could not figure out what was going on.

    The people behind Zuo Qinghong and Keven were so angry that they threw a tantrum in the monitoring room.

    ¡°What are you doing? ! The car was detonated on the highway, and you still can¡¯t control it? !¡±

    ¡°It can be said that the safety of the people in the hospital can not be guaranteed!¡±

    ¡°You even said that it was the safest country, and you casually took the patients away from the hospital!¡±

    ¡°You guys didn¡¯t bring up any of these topics!¡±

    ¡°I would rather feed my money to the dogs, and the dogs even know how to wag their tails at me! ¡ª I really raised you idiots in vain!¡±

    This person¡¯s subordinate was scolded until he could not even lift his head up, he said resentfully, ¡°You can¡¯t me us. There are too many rumors on the inte this time, and they¡¯re all well and good. It¡¯s unbelievable. Who would look at our rumors that are closer to the actual situation...¡±

    ¡°PFFT! How is this a rumor? ! It¡¯s the truth!¡±

    Because of the chaos on the Inte, it distracted the attention of theizens. Even the bizarre rm that appeared at 3X1 hospital in the beginning was forgotten.

    Everyone was paying attention to the sudden closure of the highway and the big news of a car explosion on the road.

    No one connected the two events.

    The n to use this incident to further stir up trouble and put pressure on the Huaxia government was also drowned in the Sea ofizens.

    ..

    The car burned into a huge fireball in the air. Thick smoke billowed and almost covered the sky of this stretch of the expressway.

    After it fell, only some ck residue was left.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the car that had been burned into an empty rack in front of him. He clenched his fists and got into his car with a dark expression.

    When he returned to the headquarters of the special operations forces, he immediately ordered yin shixiong, ¡°Execute Keven immediately!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was shocked. ¡°Huo Shao, he¡¯s an American! is he going to be executed just like that? ! I heard that the court sentenced him to life?¡±

    ¡°Or what? Keep him for the New Year?¡±Huo Shaoheng stood behind his desk, he quietly leaned forward, his hands on the table, and looked deeply at Yin Shixiong, he said word by word, ¡°The United States infiltrated our country¡¯s hospital and stole Keven. On the way to escape, he was killed by his own people who detonated his car. It was all done by the Americans. What does it have to do with us?¡±

    ¡°Moreover, we have to send a note to the American embassy, asking them to exin why the U.S. Army entered our country¡¯s territory without an invitation, used a false identity, and evenmitted such a vicious criminal case on our country¡¯s territory.¡±

    This was an opportunity to kill Keven, and then directly me the Americans.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. Boss, your operation was too coquettish!

    ¡°... They are the two helpers who followed Zuo Qinghong into the 3X1 hospital. They are Chinese.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly sat down, a small revolver in his hand, he said expressionlessly, ¡°They used fake passports and were targeted by the security department as soon as they entered the country. ¡°Go and coordinate with the security department. Remember to see Keven¡¯s body cremated. Remember not to burn it too cleanly and scatter his ashes at the scene of the car ident.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was also someone who had done dirty work. He had killed many people, but this time, even he was subdued by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s imposing manner.

    He stared at Huo Shaoheng for a long time before scratching his head and asking doubtfully, ¡°Huo Shao, aren¡¯t you going to reconsider? If we really execute him, there won¡¯t be a living person who canpensate us...¡±

    It was easy to kill him, but it would be bad if he was alive.

    Because Kevin¡¯s background was not small, the people behind him in the United States were able to break through the heaven and Earth line to save him. This showed that he was very important to them.

    ¡°What if after he dies, the people behind him go crazy? We have to be careful about this.¡±Yin Shixiong still didn¡¯t know Keven¡¯s background, so he didn¡¯t approve of directly taking action.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we let him fake his death?¡±Yin shixiong suggested, ¡°This way, if his background is really big, we can use him to exchange for some national benefits.¡±

    ..

    At the same time, in a vi on the outskirts of the imperial city, someone was also analyzing the safety of Keven.

    ¡°Now it seems that our insider has been exposed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the information he sent out was a trap. Keven isn¡¯t in Ward 603.¡±

    ¡°Zuo Qinghong just sent a message. It was they who brought out the fake Keven.¡±

    ¡°After the car exploded, the two Americans were already blown to death.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s okay. Soldiers are prepared to die at any time. Donate a sum of money to the American side of Virginia and assign it to the families of these two people.¡±

    ¡°Okay. But what about Keven?¡±

    They had been busy for more than a month and had made so many preparations. They had even used the spies in 3X1 hospital for many years, but they still couldn¡¯t save Keven.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we continue to appeal?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re already appealing, but Gu Nianzhi is keeping a close eye on us. Even if we appeal, our chances of winning are slim.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi is so despicable! Boss, isn¡¯t it more convenient to kill her first and then save Keven?¡±

    A man in casual clothes sat in front of the desk and fiddled with the abacus beads in front of him.

    The abacus was made of ck Jade and was only the size of a palm. It was small and exquisite.

    Hearing this, heughed coldly. ¡°Killing Gu Nianzhi will be much more troublesome than saving Keven. I advise you not to make things difficult for yourselves.¡±

    ¡°... That¡¯s true. There are too many people around her, both in the open and in the dark. Even if we catch her, we¡¯ll have to worry about whether the trap will backfire...¡±

    The man¡¯s subordinate sighed helplessly, but he was still unwilling. ¡°Are we just going to watch Keven be sentenced to life imprisonment here?¡±

    ¡°This is only temporary.¡±The man behind the desk put down the ck jade abacus and turned around to take a rosewood box from the bookshelf behind him.

    He sat back behind the desk and gently opened the box, revealing a box of gray-green yarrow sticks that were about the same length.

    The man fiddled with the Yarrow, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Keven is an American citizen. Huaxia doesn¡¯t have the guts to hurt Americans. Even if he is convicted, he will be well-fed in prison. They won¡¯t dare to do anything to him.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    The man nodded and said affirmatively, ¡°I said no means no. Huaxia government officials value international influence very much.¡±

    ¡°And we have done so much for Keven, including building a rtionship with the president and Secretary of State of the United States, just to give him the status of a diplomat.¡±

    ¡°Now we have gone to so much trouble and even sent American special forces here. Chinese officials naturally know what to do. They know that this is a person they can not afford to offend.¡±

    ¡°If they dare to harm Keven, they will definitely anger the person behind me. And they have no idea who I am. Therefore, they will feel that they can not bear the consequences.¡±

    This person looked up at his subordinate and said meaningfully, ¡°So for people like Keven, no matter what, they will definitely stay and negotiate with us in an attempt to get some benefits. Oh, they call it national interests.¡±

    The man sneered and narrowed his long, narrow eyes into two slits, looking very disdainful.

    ..

    Yin Shixiong did not know that his concerns and thoughts had long been seen through by others.

    In other words, the thoughts of most of the Huaxia foreign-rted personnel had been thoroughly researched by others.

    Knowing oneself and the enemy was also applicable to hostile forces studying the rules of our operations.

    Huo Shaoheng was also well aware of this.

    However, he never liked to be led around by the nose when he did things.

    He was the only one who hung the blindfolded donkey with a carrot. If others wanted to hang him, there was no way.

    ¡°They¡¯re courting death. I¡¯ll grant their wish.¡±Huo Shaoheng mmed his gun on the desk, he calmly leaned against the back of his chair and took out a nk warrant from general ji. He filled it with Keven¡¯s name and signed it himself, he said with a dark expression, ¡°There¡¯s no need to fake your death. If you want to die, then die for real. I, Huo Shaoheng, never y games.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and go. I¡¯ll give you 20 minutes to execute Keven, cremate him, and scatter his ashes at the scene of the ident.¡±

    He looked at his watch. ¡°In 20 minutes, I¡¯ll inform Keven¡¯s legal team and the diplomats from the American embassy in China to collect DNA at the scene.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know the importance of Keven, but he had had enough of this game that was dominated by others.

    It was time for the initiative to return to his hands.

    Huo Shaoheng looked up. His gaze was deep, like a bottomless valley.

    Even if Yin Shixiong had an opinion, he had to obey Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders at this time.

    He stood at attention and saluted. ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    After leaving Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office, Yin Shixiong led the Special Operations Forces¡¯field staff to the ce where Keven was being held.

    Keven was no longer at 3X1 hospital. From the time he had decided to be fed, he had been transferred to a secret ce in the security department.

    The security department had had problems a few years ago, but after Huo Shaoheng had stepped in to help them ¡°Clean up¡±, things were much better now than before.

    At least the security department¡¯s leaks had been eliminated, and they were able to work smoothly in the country.

    When Yin Shixiong brought people over, he took the special warrant that Huo Shaoheng had given him for general ji.

    With this warrant, he could execute Keven.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second watch of the day: chapter 2145, ¡°I will grant them their wish.¡±.

    ¡°Cold iron Grace¡±pro-september tip of a million starting point coins for the 90th and more.

    The third and 4000 words big chapter and more 8:00 pm.

    Ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Thank you so much. * * * * *

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2146

    <h4>Chapter 2146: Chapter 2146¡°Be evil or not evil¡±(chapter 3, Coldsteel Grace + 12)</h4>

    The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in this safe and secret underground passage.

    The lights in the passage were voice-controlled. As the footsteps approached, the lights in the dark passage gradually lit up.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s face was cold as he led the two of them to Keven¡¯s room.

    ¡°Everyone inside, get out. I have something to ask Mr. Keven alone.¡±Yin Shixiong stopped at the door and waved his hand.

    The security staff left without saying a word.

    The two men Yin Shixiong brought with him stood guard at the door.

    Yin Shixiong then put on a pair of sses that allowed him tomunicate instantly. This way, Huo Shaoheng could see the situation in the room through the surveince cameras.

    After closing the door, Yin Shixiong strode over to Keven¡¯s bedside. He looked at Keven, who was sitting on the bed, and confirmed that it was him.

    A few days after Keven woke up, he looked up and saw a man wearing a white doctor¡¯s robe, a pair of sses, and a face mask walk in with a medical kit in his hand.

    <sub></sub>

    He felt guilty because of Yin Shixiong¡¯s actions. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who are you? What do you want to Do?¡±

    Yin Shixiong did not answer him. Instead, he began to ask him thest few questions. ¡°Who did you contact?¡±

    ¡°Who helped you find the position of diplomat for the President of the United States and the Secretary of State?¡±

    ¡°Do you have anything else to say?¡±

    At first, Keven was still in a daze. He kept shaking his head in denial and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t contact anyone. I don¡¯t know who got me the position of diplomat.¡±

    ¡°... What, what do you want to say?¡±

    These words sounded like he wanted him to say hisst words..

    Keven¡¯s heart sank. He grabbed the quilt on the hospital bed with both hands and looked up at Yin Shixiong. He gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°What are you doing? ! I haven¡¯t been sentenced yet!¡±

    He clearly remembered that he had been attacked before the judge could announce the sentence..

    Yin Shixiong opened the medical box and said calmly, ¡°You were sentenced to life after you fainted.¡±

    ¡°Life imprisonment? Who told you it was life imprisonment?¡±Keven¡¯s heart sank. No one had told him about this.

    Yin Shixiong ignored him and bent down slightly in front of Keven¡¯s bed. He was already holding a shiny needle in his hand.

    Keven was extremely frightened. The color on his face fadedpletely in an instant. If he had not been fixed on the bed, he would have run away.

    However, most of his body, which had just woken up, was still paralyzed. It was difficult for him to even move, let alone push Yin shixiong away.

    Yin Shixiong was wearing a mask and a pair of ck-rimmed sses. No expression could be seen on his face.

    Keven waved his arm, but Yin Shixiong grabbed it.

    The needle was inserted into the vein in his arm. Keven wanted to resist, but he couldn¡¯t move at all. In his immense psychological fear, his eyes rolled back and he quickly fainted.

    And then, there was no ¡°And then¡±.

    ..

    Twenty minutester, Yin Shixiong brought Keven¡¯s ashes to the scene of the car ident as fast as lightning.

    This ce was already heavily surrounded, so the bystanders couldn¡¯t see the specific situation here.

    Just as he got out of the car, a few bright white lights suddenly appeared above his head.

    Yin Shixiong, who was wearing special sses, looked up at the lights that could really blind people for a short period of time.

    Huo actually used aser weapon!

    Then, with a Whoosh, a few uavs that flew over from God knows where to take photos were shot down by theser weapon. Only a few wisps of white smoke fell from the blue sky.

    Yin Shixiong was also wearing a doctor¡¯s white coat, a mask, and sses. He walked expressionlessly to the pile of cars that had been burned into empty shelves.

    He took out a ck iron bar and pulled it in the ashes. No one saw that Keven¡¯s ashes had already been mixed into the ashes of the cars along the hollow iron bar.

    After he was sure that all the ashes had been scattered, he looked up and said, ¡°There are no survivors.¡±

    The two people who followed him over twitched the corners of their mouths speechlessly. They thought to themselves, even a blind person would know that there were no survivors. If they were burned to ashes, where would they find survivors?

    However, this was the working procedure. Even if it was just a formality, they had to go through all the procedures.

    ..

    Not long after Yin Shixiong left, the diplomat from the American embassy in China rushed over with Keven¡¯s legal team. Their faces were pale.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been notified that there are Americans in this car?¡±The ambassador from the American Embassy in China did note. It was a first-ss secretary.

    Because of Keven¡¯s identity, they were humiliated. The ambassadors and consuls with status could not afford to lose face. They all said that they were not feeling well and called in sick.

    The person who was stationed at the scene of the car ident was a high-ranking police officer from the Imperial City.

    He said very politely, ¡°Yes, we received a report that there were three Americans on this car. Two of them entered the country illegally. One of them was the felon, Keven, who had just been sentenced. There was also another Chinese man who jumped out of the car to escape before the car exploded. However, he was still injured in his knees and thighs. He was just sent to the hospital for emergency treatment.¡±

    ¡°Felon? ! Who? !¡±Lu Anpeng, the leadwyer of Keven¡¯s legal team, had a pale face. He took a step forward with a straight face. His heart turned cold as he looked at the empty shelf and the broken heart.

    He had a sentence that he didn¡¯t know if he should say or not!

    The people behind Keven were afraid that he wouldn¡¯t die!

    He didn¡¯t know the details of the operation, but he vaguely knew that these people didn¡¯t want Keven to stay in Huaxia and were trying every means to get rid of him.

    Keven was very important to those people. If he really died here..

    Lu Anpeng shivered. Even though it was the cold weather in early spring, he was still sweating. His back instantly became wet, and his shirt stuck to his body. He felt very ufortable.

    The first secretary of the American Embassy in China was also dumbfounded, pointing at the empty frame of the car and the Ashes, he said incredulously,¡±... you said that there are three Americans here? Two illegal immigrants? One is the felon, Keven, who was just sentenced? Where is he? Where is he? Don¡¯t tell them that he burned them to Ashes!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, is it strange? The car was burned to such a state. What¡¯s strange about a person burning to Ashes?¡±The senior police officer in the capital almost rolled his eyes, ¡°Do you not understand Chinese? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll find a national first-ss simultaneous interpreter for you now, but you¡¯ll have to pay.¡±

    Simultaneous interpretation was very expensive. The police had limited funds, so they couldn¡¯t afford such a big expense, even if it was for ¡°International Friends.¡±.

    The first secretary of the American Embassy in China was a white man from the southern United States. In a moment of panic, he even spoke English with a Southern ent. ¡°What¡¯s F * cking going on!¡±(What the F * ck!)

    The senior police officer of the Imperial City pretended that he did not understand English and spread his hands. ¡°What did you say? Do you want to see if there are any Americans in there?¡±

    ¡°How can you see that when it¡¯s all burnt to ashes! Are you kidding me!¡±The first-ss secretary came back to his senses and blurted out in fluent Chinese.

    ¡°Where is it all burnt to ashes? Look at the two piles of ck things over there. They look like people. If you don¡¯t believe me, go and check them.¡±The senior police officer of the Imperial City was especially professional in guiding him, he told him that there were no traces of people in the car that had been burned to an empty shelf.

    The first secretary only took a nce and felt his scalp go numb.

    He gritted his teeth, but he still didn¡¯t dare to go over to take a look. He braced himself and said to Keven¡¯s legal team, ¡°Keven is your client. Do you want to go take a look?¡±

    Keven¡¯s legal team looked at each other.

    They were not forensic doctors. How were they going to check it out?

    Lu Anpeng¡¯s expression suddenly changed slightly, and he listened attentively.

    The Bluetooth headset in his ear also had amunication function. His phone was connected, and the client behind Keven was talking to him. ¡°Lawyer Lu, Keven is not inside. They made a temporary switch.¡±

    Lu Anpeng let out a long sigh.

    It was good that he wasn¡¯t there. It was good that he wasn¡¯t there.

    He rxed and said, ¡°How are we going to test him? Why don¡¯t we find a forensic doctor?¡±

    Since he knew that the real Keven wasn¡¯t in there, and the other party insisted that Keven was in there, he had something to do.

    To be honest, as long as the Chinese side didn¡¯t y any tricks, they had no chance of winning this case.

    But now, the Chinese side insisted on changing sides. Even though Keven wasn¡¯t in the car, they still insisted on staying in the car. So, don¡¯t me him for catching the evidence of their lies and going to the Supreme Court to appeal!

    As Lu Anpeng spoke, he took out a recording pen and handed it to the senior police officer in Beijing, with a bitter face, he said, ¡°Keven is my client. If he unfortunately dies here, how am I going to report to Keven¡¯s parents when I go back? Excuse me, officer, are you sure that Keven is in the car?¡±

    ¡°Of course he is in the car. Why would I lie to You?¡±The senior police officer in Beijing asked with a puzzled look, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go and have a DNA test.¡±

    ¡°But, Kevin Ming was sentenced to life imprisonment. We are preparing to appeal to him. May I ask why he is in this car? Is it your people who are sending him to where?¡±Lu Anpeng asked very cautiously.

    The senior police officer of the capital put his hands behind his back and sneered, he said, ¡°This is your people seeking death! He was stolen from the hospital by your people! ¡°Our people chased him for so far and blocked the road. When they saw that they couldn¡¯t escape, they went crazy and detonated the car, intending to die with our people!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Lu Anpeng was a little speechless.

    He didn¡¯t know how his client nned it. He only knew that he had to cooperate with them legally.

    But if that was really the case, how could they cooperate legally?

    They could only make a fuss about the real keven.

    Fortunately, Keven here was a fake. Hepletely believed what his client said.

    After all, they were the ones who nned the operation. Later, when they saw that the situation wasn¡¯t right, they detonated the car. They probably found out that Keven was a fake, so they didn¡¯t take any action.

    Lu Anpeng figured out the whole story. He was relieved. He put away the recording pen and said directly, ¡°We¡¯ll find the medical examiner ourselves. You Don¡¯t have to pay.¡±

    He didn¡¯t trust the forensic doctors in Huaxia.

    ¡°Okay, hurry up. The roads here can¡¯t be sealed forever,¡±the senior police officer said awkwardly. ¡°We have orders. The blockade will be lifted in half an hour.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll find the forensic doctor right away.¡±

    Lu Anpeng¡¯sw firm also had its own connections in Huaxia.

    Soon, an independent forensic doctor who practiced his own profession arrived at the scene in a helicopter.

    He took all the equipment and his team and rummaged through the ashes of the burned-out car for a while.

    After all, he was a professional. He quickly found human tissues that could be used to verify DNA and put them into his own equipment.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go back to verify DNA now.¡±The forensic doctor walked to Lu Anpeng and the first secretary of the American Embassy in China and said in English, ¡°Do you have a DNA sample that can be used as a reference?¡±

    Lu Anpeng nodded with a pale face. ¡°I have the DNA verification report for Keven. I¡¯ll go with you. I want to see you test it with my own eyes.¡±

    More than a month ago, in order to fight thewsuit, they had done a full set of tests to prove that Keven was the biological son of his father and mother.

    Who would have thought that it could be used in a new way.

    His client was really too amazing. He had made so many preparations early in the morning, and he had used all of them.

    Lu Anpeng sighed in his heart, but his face was still imprable. He looked worried.

    ¡°No problem.¡±The independent medical examiner nodded readily and said, ¡°How many people¡¯s DNA do you want to test? I heard that it¡¯s three? Can you provide all the control samples?¡±

    ¡°I heard that there are two Americans.¡±Lu Anpeng looked at the first-ss secretary. ¡°May I ask if Mr. Secretary knows their identities? Do you have any DNA control samples?¡±

    The first-ss secretary was also confused. He spread his hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was also sent here temporarily.¡±

    The independent forensic doctor did not want to dy any longer. He said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go do the experiment first. If you have a sample, send it to me so that I can verify the identities of these people.¡±

    Awyer from Keven¡¯s legal team muttered,¡±... This has already been burned to ashes. You can still extract DNA?¡±

    The independent forensic doctor said very professionally, ¡°Not all of it is burnt to ashes. We have found a certain amount of human tissue. As long as we do a PCR immediately, we can still extract an effective DNA fragment for verification. If we do it quickly, it will only take a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Only a few minutes? That¡¯s great! Quickly go and test it!¡±Lu Anpeng changed his mind when he saw this, he did not intend to follow them. He impatiently waved his hand to let him get on the helicopter and said, ¡°I will send you a sample of Keven¡¯s DNA!¡±

    The independent forensic doctor left his email ount number for Lu anpeng, then led his team to the helicopter and returned to theboratory.

    In fact, he did get the results very quickly.

    To be on the safe side, he repeated an experiment that could get the results in a few minutes ten times and increased the verification nodes, just to ensure that the uracy of the results was higher.

    The American embassy also sent him the DNA samples of the two Americans who were said to have entered the country illegally. He did not know where they came from.

    Two hourster, Lu Anpeng could not wait any longer. He called him and asked, ¡°Sir, what about your results? Didn¡¯t you say that the results would be out in a few minutes?¡±

    The independent forensic doctor said very seriously, ¡°To be on the safe side, we repeated the DNA verification ten times.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the result now?¡±Lu Anpeng asked impatiently, thinking that it must be wrong to do so many times.

    As a result, the independent medical examiner said with certainty, ¡°Yes, it proves that Mr. Keven did die in the car ident. There are two other Americans whose DNA samples can also bepletely matched.¡±

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the third and fourth thousand words of today: chapter 2146, ¡°Be a demon or don¡¯t be a demon.¡±.

    This is the 112th and 11th time to send a million starting point coins to ¡°Cold iron Grace¡±for the month of September.

    Please ask for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    Thank you very much. *

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2147

    <h4>Chapter 2147: Chapter 2147, I don¡¯t believe it</h4>

    ¡°What did you say? !¡±Lu Anpeng didn¡¯t expect this result at all. He almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

    He only felt that his chest was beating wildly, and his throat seemed to be blocked. He couldn¡¯t even draw out the air with the vacuum machine.

    ¡°Are you sure? ! This is impossible!¡±Lu Anpeng blurted out. His forehead was really sweating.

    He slowly sat down on the armrest of the sofa, his face pale.

    How could this be?

    How could this be?

    His client clearly said that it was a trap. They had fallen into a trap and brought out a fake..

    So it should be that fake keven?

    He anxiously thought for an hour, but he still couldn¡¯t make up his mind. Finally, he dialed a phone number that his client gave him.

    <sub></sub>

    ¡°... didn¡¯t you say that it was fake?¡±His voice was trembling.

    The person who answered the phone was a young man.

    He said briskly, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fake. What¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    ¡°... But we just did a DNA test. It proves that among the people who died at the scene, there was Keven...¡±Lu Anpeng said nkly. Until now, he still couldn¡¯t believe this result.

    ¡°What? That¡¯s impossible...¡±the person on the other side was also stunned. ¡°Who told you the result? It can¡¯t be that they deliberately faked it, right?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be.¡±Lu Anpeng smiled bitterly and raked his hair. ¡°It was found by an independent forensic doctor we hired ourselves.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±The person on the other side was still in disbelief. ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll go ask them. Then I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    He hung up Lu Anpeng¡¯s call and went to ask his superior, ¡°Boss, isn¡¯t Zuo Qinghong the fake Kevin in the car? Just now,wyer Lu called and said that the person who died in the car was indeed Kevin. It has already been tested by an independent forensic doctor...¡±

    This person¡¯s boss was also shocked and immediately said, ¡°It can¡¯t be? ! We were obviously tricked! How could it be true? !¡±

    ¡°Could it be that Zuo Qinghong is lying to us? !¡±This person said hesitantly.

    After all, between Zuo Qinghong and Lu Anpeng, they trusted Lu Anpeng more.

    Lu Anpeng was an American, so he had no interest or reason to lie to them.

    However, Zuo Qinghong might not be. He was originally bribed.

    Since he could sell his country, what could he not sell?

    It was also possible for him to turn around and betray them.

    In history, double agents and triple agents were everywhere, and there were even five of them.

    The few of them looked at each other in the room and discussed in low voices for a while. They could not make up their minds, so they decided to send a message to the higher-ups.

    [ the situation has changed. Keven in the car is true. DNA verification, dead. ].

    Once this news was sent out, the people in the car were in an uproar.

    ¡°Impossible! This is impossible! How can it be real? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve clearly done the calctions! Whether it¡¯s the book of Changes or Chaos Mathematics, they all say that 99.9999% of Keven in the car is fake!¡±

    The person who was quietly ying with the Yarrow in the tea room just now began to cry hysterically.

    Then, a series of crackling sounds came from the tea room, indicating that the person who had been quiet and calm all this time had also lost hisposure.

    A middle-aged woman who looked like a servant quickly entered the tea room andforted the person who had lost his temper in the tea room.

    ¡°How can it be true? ! This is impossible!¡±

    ¡°We have clearly fallen into a trap!¡±

    The man said in a panic. He kept pulling at the Yarrow grass and looking at the divinatory signs he had disyed.

    However, the divinatory signs were like ck and white yin-yang fish. They kept spinning in front of his eyes. He felt dizzy and could hardly analyze the results.

    The Man sat in the teahouse from day to night. He kept fiddling with the Yarrow grass and using the I Ching to measure the divinatory signs. Then, he input it into the chaos mathematics. Finally, he extracted big data from the game and worked on the divinatory signs and calctions without sleep or rest.

    It was not until the next day that the man¡¯s eyes turned red. He muttered,¡±... I still don¡¯t think that Keven is really dead. He¡¯s not dead. He shouldn¡¯t be dead.¡±

    ¡°Have you figured out what went wrong?¡±The middle-aged servant brought in a te of clear chicken soup noodles and ced it on the small tea table in the tea room.

    A few small mushrooms, green cabbage, and yellow chicken soup floated in the sparkling white bowl. It looked very nourishing and easy to digest.

    This person had not eaten anything for almost a day and night in the Tea Room. His stomach needed to be nourished before he could eat anything else.

    However, this person was not hungry at all. Instead, he was in a state of excitement.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I don¡¯t believe it at all.¡±

    After saying this, this person seemed to be in high spirits. ¡°Go and pass down my orders. Get everyone in the Chinese government department to move. We only need to investigate one thing. Whether or not Keven died in that car!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give the order right away. You should eat this bowl of chicken soup and clear noodles. Don¡¯t starve yourself,¡±the middle-aged servant said politely. She knelt in front of the coffee table and bent over, practically prostrating herself on the teak floor.

    It could be seen that she worshipped the man in front of her as if he was a god. She waspletely convinced.

    After the middle-aged servant left, the man finished eating the noodles. He nned to have his confidant go to the independent forensic doctor to see the results.

    ..

    Yi Xinyan received the text and could not believe her eyes.

    Keven is dead? !

    Really Dead? !

    How is this possible? !

    She immediately dialed her superior¡¯s number and said excitedly, ¡°Is there a mistake? ! How is this possible? ! Didn¡¯t you say that you fell into a trap? It wasn¡¯t Keven who was taken away!¡±

    The person on the other side had already calmed down and said calmly, ¡°So I want you to go to the independent medical examiner to see the results with your own eyes and have a good talk with the independent medical examiner to see if there are any omissions.¡±

    At this time, only the people at the highest level still had a trace of luck.

    Yi Xinyan also found it hard to ept this result.

    Because she was also extremely convinced and worshipped her boss.

    How could that person miscalcte?

    In the past two years, that person had calcted every strategy and did everything with a single look. Grass snakes and grey lines, hidden veins and miles..

    She put down the phone and was still in a daze.

    Dou aiyan walked past her office door and saw her dazed expression. She asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Demoness Yi? What Happened?¡±

    Yi Xinyanposed herself and quickly collected her thoughts. She smiled and said, ¡°Nothing. Oh right, I have to go to aboratory to see the resultster. Do you want toe along?¡±

    ¡°Where are you going? I have a meeting in the afternoon.¡±Dou aiyan looked at her watch and said uncertainly.

    Yi Xinyan smiled. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡±

    She stood up and packed her briefcase, put herptop in, and carried it out of the office.

    Dou aiyan looked at her back and bit her lip.

    She kept feeling that Yi Xinyan was hiding something from her.

    After thinking for a moment, Dou aiyan rushed over and said, ¡°Demoness Yi, wait for me! I¡¯ll go with you!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2147, I don¡¯t believe.

    It was still delivered at 10,000 words in the middle of the night.

    The second update was at 1pm, and the third update was at 8pm.

    Please ask for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket ~ ~ ~

    PS: Thank You, My Love, for the 300,000 starting point coins that you gave me yesterday. Thank you, My Penins Princess, for the 10,000 starting point coins that you gave me yesterday.

    Thank you so much

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2148

    <h4>Chapter 2148: He knew too much about chapter 2148(second chapter, Frost Iron Grace + 14)</h4>

    Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan drove to theboratory of the independent Forensic Doctor¡¯s clinic.

    Because he was a forensic doctor, normalmercial buildings would not ept him. Therefore, he chose to buy a piece ofnd and build a small building on the outskirts of the capital.

    Yi Xinyan got out of the car and looked at the deste scenery around her. Her eyes shed.

    No matter how deste it was, this was the outskirts of the imperial city. To be able to buynd and build a building here, and to be an independent forensic doctor, where did the start-up fundse from?

    This person was really not simple.

    However, Yi Xinyan did not say anything. She calmly walked towards the small building.

    Dou aiyan was not as calm as she was. She followed behind Yi Xinyan and cursed. She said unhappily, ¡°What is this ce? Why does it look so gloomy?¡±

    Yi Xinyan stopped at the door of the small building and rang the doorbell. She said, ¡°This is the forensic clinic. There might be a corpse in the basement.¡±

    Dou aiyan shivered and did not dare to speak anymore.

    The receptionist at the forensic clinic opened the door and invited the two of them in.

    Yi Xinyan smiled politely and said in a reserved manner, ¡°I¡¯m here to see Mr. Qu. Is he here?¡±

    The independent forensic doctor¡¯s surname was Qu.

    The receptionist quickly asked, ¡°Do you have an appointment? Dr. Qu is quite busy today and received a big case.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sent by the client of Mr. Qu¡¯s case, Lu Anpeng.¡±Yi Xinyan ced the business card on the receptionist.

    The receptionist took a look and immediately called the independent forensic doctor. She said, ¡°Doctor Qu, there¡¯s a miss surnamed Yi who wants to see you and a miss surnamed Dou.¡±

    The independent forensic doctor had already been informed and knew that Lu Anpeng had sent the two of them.

    ¡°Invite them up.¡±

    The receptionist personally led the two of them upstairs and said, ¡°Today¡¯s order is to verify the DNA. There¡¯s no need to go to the basement to dissect the body, so Doctor Qu has been on the second floor.¡±

    Dou aiyan¡¯s face turned green when she heard that.

    However, Yi Xinyan was much calmer. She did not say a word and followed the receptionist to the second floor.

    This ce was very spacious. There was a corridor upstairs. The second floor was divided into two sides, with argeboratory on one side.

    The independent forensic doctor was doing his DNA verification test in theboratory on the left.

    His assistant pushed open theboratory door and invited Yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan in.

    The independent forensic doctor waved at his assistant and the receptionist. ¡°You may leave. I have something to discuss with the twodies.¡±

    After he let the staff of his clinic leave, Yi Xinyan said seriously, ¡°Hello, Doctor Qu. I was asked by someone to take a look at your test results.¡±

    The independent forensic doctor led her to see his test results and said in puzzlement, ¡°Do you not believe in my ability and professional quality? I was worried that I would make a mistake. I did it ten times in a row, and the results were exactly the same.¡±

    He remembered that when he told Lu Anpeng the results, he also had an incredulous tone on the phone.

    It made him think that he had really made a mistake.

    In fact, Yi Xinyan did not know the professional knowledge in this area, but she asked the independent medical examiner in detail about the experiment that he had done for verification. It sounded like there was really no problem.

    But How was this possible?

    What exactly went wrong?

    She took out her phone and took a copy of the report from the independent forensic doctor. She also asked the independent forensic doctor to recount the process of his verification and sent it to her own people.

    After staying here for more than ten minutes, she had asked everything that she needed to ask. She had also gotten the report. Only then did yi Xinyan and Dou Aiyan leave together.

    When the two of them returned to the car, Dou aiyan let out a long sigh and said, ¡°That ce really scared me to death. By the way, who are you going to ask about DNA verification? Why do you need to verify DNA? Is it a paternity test?¡±

    Yi Xinyan drove for a long time before she said,¡±... Kevin¡¯s DNA verification. I heard that he died.¡±

    ¡°What? !¡±If it weren¡¯t for the seatbelt, Dou aiyan would have jumped up. ¡°Kevin Kevin? ! Our vice president? !¡±

    Yi Xinyan replied with an ¡°En¡±and her face was a little numb. ¡°Was it an ident?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±Dou aiyan also refused to admit it. She wouldn¡¯t say that she had secretly fallen in love with that handsome and elegant vice president.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he pass out? He¡¯s still in this prison, right? How did he die? was he killed? !¡±

    Yi Xinyan shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. He said that he died in a car ident. Don¡¯t ask. Knowing more won¡¯t do you any good.¡±

    Dou aiyan opened her mouth unwillingly. She wanted to refute Yi Xinyan¡¯s words, but when she thought about what those people had done, she swallowed her words resentfully.

    Perhaps she really didn¡¯t need to know too much.

    Yi Xinyan drove back to the city. She didn¡¯t return to thepany, but went back to her apartment.

    There, she turned on the video, after contacting her own people, she said,¡±... I carefully interrogated them for a long time. I felt that the forensic procedures weren¡¯t wrong. I just don¡¯t know what happened. Did Keven really die in the car ident?¡±

    The person on the other side was also very anxious. He said, ¡°Now we can only look at Zuo Qinghong¡¯s side. He should be the person who really knows the truth.¡±

    ¡°Is he reliable?¡±Yi Xinyan thought for a moment and carefully said, ¡°If he makes a mistake...¡±

    What she meant was that if Zuo Qinghong lied to them, the real Keven in the car would also be a fake keven.

    If that was the case, their boss would be even sadder.

    It was equivalent to sending Keven to his death with his own hands.

    Who could stand it?

    ¡°The Big Boss has already gone to see Zuo Qinghong personally. If Zuo Qinghong dares to lie to us, he will die a terrible death,¡±the person said coldly, without a trace of emotion in his eyes.

    Yi Xinyan looked at the video uneasily, wanting to say something but stopping several times.

    The person saw her like this and asked in confusion, ¡°If you have something to say, say it. Why are you stuttering?¡±

    Yi Xinyan thought carefully and ufortably ran her hands through her hair. She said, ¡°I¡¯m wondering if Gu Nianzhi found out something.¡±

    ¡°What does this have to do with Gu Nianzhi?¡±The person was very disapproving. ¡°We have people watching her. She¡¯s been running around the Senate and Huo¡¯s official residence for the past few days and hasn¡¯t gone to see Keven.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡±Yi Xinyan rubbed her temples, feeling like she was about to explode. ¡°Gu Nianzhi set the whole thing up, and she still has to go in person? ! If you underestimate her, you¡¯ll suffer!¡±

    ¡°Witch Yi, I know Gu Nianzhi is very powerful, but is it necessary to go to this extent?¡±? Why are you so afraid of Gu Nianzhi? No matter how capable she is, isn¡¯t she just talking nonsense in court? Once we get out of court, I can kill her with a single finger!¡±

    ¡°You can kill her with a single finger? Then go ahead and do it!¡±Yi Xinyan was furious and pped her desk. ¡°Go ahead! Fight her one-on-one if you dare!¡±

    ¡°One-on-one then! As long as the security guards around her don¡¯t make a move, I¡¯ll see if I can kill her!¡±

    The two of them argued for a while before they parted on bad terms.

    ..

    Zuo Qinghong slowly woke up from the operating table.

    He opened his eyes and looked around with all his might. Only then did he realize that he was in the hospital.

    There was no one else in the ward. He was the only one lying on the bed.

    He wanted to sit up, but he found that he could not move.

    He felt a pain in his arm as if it was strangled by something that looked like iron.

    He panted a few times and shouted, ¡°Help! Help!¡±

    A nurse pushed the door open and came in. She said unhappily, ¡°What are you shouting for? Do you want an injection?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong:¡±...¡±

    He held back his anger and said, ¡°Is this a hospital or a prison cell? What did you do to me? !¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a suspect. Of course, you were handcuffed.¡±The nurse looked at his IV drip. After confirming that there was no problem, she put her hand into her white coat and staggered out.

    Not long after she left, the door of Zuo Qinghong¡¯s ward was pushed open again.

    This time, it was not one person, but several people who walked in together.

    Zuo Qinghong frowned. Looking at the group of people in white coats, he said in a bad mood, ¡°What are you doing? A group Ward Round?¡±

    The people in white coats did not say anything. They only looked at him for a while. Then, the two people standing in front of him separated and let one person walk out.

    The person was petite and wore a mask. Although she was wearing a doctor¡¯s robe, her exquisite curves could still be seen. She was obviously a woman.

    She stood in front of Zuo Qinghong¡¯s bed and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Zuo Qinghong, what¡¯s going on? is the Keven in the car real or fake?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong heard this voice and his body trembled. His eyes widened and his eyes were filled with ecstasy.¡±... Madam, you¡¯vee to see me!¡±

    The woman frowned and continued to ask, ¡°Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong did not know what happened after that. When he jumped out of the car, Huo Shaoheng had crippled his leg and knocked him out. He only woke up now.

    He recalled the situation at that time, he nodded with certainty. ¡°It¡¯s fake. I saw that man kill the two special forces soldiers sitting on both sides of him with my own eyes. If it was the real Keven, why would he kill the people who came to save him?¡±

    A glimmer of hope shed in the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°Really? Are you sure? !¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely sure. I saw it with my own eyes. Otherwise, why would I jump out of the car?¡±Zuo Qinghong said with certainty.

    The woman was about to continue asking questions when the Bluetooth headset in her ear rang.

    The technical support staff that was left in the vi was reporting the results of Yi Xinyan¡¯s investigation. ¡°Madam, there¡¯s no problem with the independent forensic doctor. The procedure is correct. It should be Keven.¡±

    The woman¡¯s expression changed abruptly, and her body swayed.

    When she looked at Zuo Qinghong again, her eyes were filled with doubt and unease.

    ¡°You say, the person in the car is a fake keven. Other than your words, do you have any other evidence?¡±The young man on the left side of the woman walked over and began to interrogate Zuo Qinghong.

    Zuo Qinghong was immediately angered. ¡°Do you still not believe My Words? I would lie to Madam? !¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡±The young man had a very good rtionship with Keven. His eyes were red. ¡°Do you think we don¡¯t know how jealous you are of Keven? !¡±

    ¡°Jealous of Keven? What¡¯s going on?¡±The woman came back to her senses and looked at the young man beside her. She recognized that he was Keven¡¯s good friend. ¡°Say that again!¡±

    The young man simply pointed at Zuo Qinghong and said angrily, ¡°He told people more than once that since you are born, you are born bright. He even said that he is Yu and Keven is bright!¡±

    Zuo Qinghong¡¯s originally pale face suddenly turned red. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    ¡°You have always been jealous that Keven was more popr with Madam Than You. You wish you could rece him!¡±

    ¡°Now that you have such a good opportunity, you might be able to use someone else to kill him!¡±

    The young man was clearly very clear about the matter between Zuo Qinghong and Keven.

    ¡°Besides, what right do you have topete with Keven? ! Keven is Madam¡¯s sessor who has been groomed for many years. Who Are You? ! You are worthy topete with him! You caused Keven¡¯s death! You can go to hell!¡±

    The more the young man spoke, the angrier he got. In a moment of impulse, he pounced over to pull out his IV drip.

    The person beside him quickly pulled him back.

    Zuo Qinghong was so angry that his entire body was trembling. If he wasn¡¯t handcuffed, he would have jumped up from the hospital bed to duel with this person.

    He red at that person and hurriedly argued, ¡°I didn¡¯t! Although I don¡¯t have a good rtionship with Keven, it¡¯s not to the extent of taking his life! By saying that, you are ndering me!¡±

    He turned his head to look at the silent woman standing at the head of his bed and pleaded, ¡°Madam, I really didn¡¯t. I admire you and worship you, but I definitely didn¡¯t think of recing Keven!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying! Have you thought about it? You know very well!¡±The young man who was pulled back kicked Zuo Qinghong¡¯s bed with all his might.

    The woman who was standing at the front spoke again. Her voice was very tired. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. was the person in the car the real Keven or the fake Keven?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong was forced to question for a long time. He suddenly hesitated.

    Most people would have this kind of situation. Even if they knew that they were right, under the questioning of many people, they would still have some self-doubt.

    However, Zuo Qinghong was only in a trance for a moment. In the eyes of that madam, it was almost as if there was something fishy going on.

    She looked at Zuo Qinghong with extreme disappointment and muttered, ¡°Why did you do that?¡±

    Zuo Qinghong was stunned for a moment. He came back to his senses and immediately said, ¡°Madam, you believe me! I really didn¡¯t do anything! I spent so much effort just to save him...¡±

    ¡°Only a fool would believe you! I shouldn¡¯t have let you save Keven from the start!¡±It was still that young friend of Keven¡¯s. Tears wereing out of his eyes.

    He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and turned around to run out of the ward.

    That madam clenched her fists and said calmly, ¡°I will continue to investigate what happened.¡±

    When she turned around to leave, she gave an order to the person beside her, ¡°Kill him.¡±

    Zuo Qinghong could not be caught. He knew too much.

    The person nodded and turned back. He was already holding a syringe in his hand.

    The syringe was inserted into Zuo Qinghong¡¯s body. Zuo Qinghong only felt numbness all over his body. Soon, even his breathing organs were paralyzed.

    He could not help but kick his feet twice. Soon, he could no longer move.

    ..

    ¡°Huo Shao, why did you let Zuo Qinghong Die?¡±Yin Shixiong looked at the news on his phone and asked in confusion.

    He and Zhao liangze were following Huo Shaoheng. The Senate was taking a car to the upper house of the Senate to be questioned by the Senators and the news media.

    Because of the unnatural deaths of Keven and Zuo Qinghong, the domestic and international news media had hyped up a lot of hype. A group of people in the Senate also felt that the security department had failed to monitor the situation, so they sent an official letter, they were sent to the Senate to answer questions.

    Huo shaoheng said expressionlessly, ¡°He¡¯s a witness. There are too many people who want him dead.¡±

    Yin Shixiong:¡±...¡±

    I believed you!

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the second four thousand words of today: Chapter 2148, he knows too much.

    ¡°Cold iron Grace¡±pro-september tip of a million starting point of the 134th to send more money.

    The third and 4000 words big chapter and more at 9:00 pm.

    Ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Thank you so much. * * * * *

 Chapter 2149

    <h4>Chapter 2149: Chapter 2149: one of our own</h4>

    ¡°Zuo Qinghong didn¡¯t die in vain. His death allowed the security department to track him down and capture the Secret Service agent who had been hiding in the hospital for many years.¡±Huo Shaoheng picked up a military magazine. ¡°Satoshi Saito.¡± He sat in the back seat and calmly flipped through it. He calmly tilted his head and said in an official tone, ¡°He still made a certain contribution to the people of the country.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was speechless. He gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. ¡°Huo Shao, if you can tell the people of the Senate thatter, I¡¯ll respect you as a man!¡±

    Zhao liangze rolled his eyes at Yin Shixiong and said, ¡°Big Xiong, what do you mean? Zuo Qinghong¡¯s death has nothing to do with us. Besides, he forced that madam to show herself. What value does he have?¡±

    If Huo had notpletely let go of the security, how could that madam have taken the bait so easily?

    The only way to catch a big fish was to be willing to bait them.

    Yin Shixiong stretched his back and leaned his head against the car window, thinking for a while, he came to a realization and said,¡±... that makes sense. That madam is really too cautious. When we had people wandering around earlier, she really kept her cool and didn¡¯t show up at all.¡±

    ¡°Until she was sure that all of us had left, she brought people to see Zuo Qinghong.¡±

    Zhao liangze had a smallptop on his knee and was typing away, without raising his head, he said, ¡°Do you know how hard she worked?¡±? In order to make sure that all of us had left, she didn¡¯t hesitate to use all the spies in the 3X1 hospital. ¡°Some of them, TSK tsk. I really didn¡¯t expect them to be spies.¡±

    Yin Shixiong shook his head with a sneer. ¡°But I think that if this incident had happened outside of China, we would definitely have a better way to deal with her.¡±

    Their Special Operations Forces¡¯authority in China was greatly restricted, and they were often restricted.

    Fortunately, Huo Shaoheng had been very evasive about domestic matters in the past, and rarely interfered in domestic matters, unless this matter had something to do with Gu Nianzhi.

    This time, it was because of the involvement of the American, Keven, and also because of song jinning, that they were able to intervene in a legitimate manner.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too optimistic. We still don¡¯t know who that Madam is. We only know that there is one person who is Keven¡¯s backer.¡±

    ¡°Why is Keven her sessor? Why does Zuo Qinghong want to be the sessor of this madam?¡±Yin Shixiong asked, puzzled.

    ¡°This is something we need to continue investigating.¡±Huo Shaoheng closed the magazine and put it back, he asked Zhao liangze, ¡°Have you notified the American Field Staff? Who is Keven close to? This time, we will reinvestigate.¡±

    They had previously investigated Keven¡¯s parents and friends, but they had never known that there was such a ¡°Wife¡±who was close to Keven.

    ¡°It¡¯s all about the heir. Why didn¡¯t we find out anythingst time?¡±Yin Shixiong was also puzzled. ¡°How tight is the cover?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a cover-up.¡±Huo Shaoheng thought more deeply. He sat upright in the back seat and said thoughtfully, ¡°It¡¯s probably because we¡¯re investigating the wrong ce.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re investigating Keven¡¯s situation in New York. What if his rtionship with this madam isn¡¯t in New York?¡±Huo Shaoheng looked up at Zhao liangze, ¡°Let the field agents think more broadly and not in one ce.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±Zhao liangze recorded Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders and sent them in secret.

    Yin Shixiong saw that they were about to reach the Senate, so he took out his phone and sent Gu Nianzhi a text message: [ we¡¯re here. ].

    The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor, Gu Nianzhi, was directly under speaker long.

    Of course, she knew that today was the day that Huo Shaoheng and the others woulde to the Senate for questioning.

    She came to the office early in the morning to look up the background information of the media practitioners who hade to the Senate today.

    She wanted to know more about them and their interview style.

    The Senate¡¯s underground parking lot was upied by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s private car. He looked around and found that the car of the head of the security department and the Police Department had already arrived.

    They were here for questioning, just like him.

    He looked at the densely packed cars parked in the underground parking lot. There were more than twice as many as usual.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed open the car door and got out. He wondered how many people hade this time?

    He took the elevator to the 12th floor of the Senate building, which was also the floor where the Senate assembly hall was located.

    A few Senate staff members waiting at the elevator door saw that Huo Shaoheng and his group had arrived. They immediately led them to the lounge at the side and brought him coffee and tea, as well as a few tes of snacks, they secretly said, ¡°Major General Huo, don¡¯t worry. Chief GU has already arranged everything for you. We won¡¯t let you suffer any losses!¡±

    The Senate staff member who spoke was a vigorous young boy. When he spoke of ¡°Chief Gu,¡±his bright ck eyes would light up. He was indeed full of admiration.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at him with a smile and nodded. His deep and maic voice was full of masculinity. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Major General Huo, are you going to see Chief Gu? I¡¯ll help you tell him.¡±Another smart, fat staff member rubbed his hands together and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng could have called Gu Nianzhi directly, but he still epted the staff member¡¯s kindness and asked them to help him say hello.

    After they left, Zhao liangze smiled and said, ¡°Major Huo, I never knew you were so popr. These people don¡¯t treat you as an outsider at all...¡±

    ¡°What outsider?¡±Yin Shixiong took a sip of his coffee and ate a few cookies, heughed strangely and said, ¡°Huo Shao is the son-inw of the Senate. He¡¯s one of us... Nianzhi is chief gu of the Senate. Nianzhi is popr... she loves her husband...¡±

    Zhao liangze looked at Huo Shaoheng. He didn¡¯t know what he had imagined, but he stifled hisughter and looked away at therge LCD TV on the wall of the lounge.

    The person being questioned at this time was the head of the security department, Minister Nie.

    The seats in the conference hall were arranged from low to high, just like the seats in a movie theater, but they were also arranged in a circr shape. In the center of the circle was an empty space with a few sets of tables and chairs.

    Minister nie was sitting on the chair in the center of the circle and was being questioned by the senator and qualified reporters from the news media.

    The one who was speaking was a skinny female reporter. She had an Hermes scarf tied around her neck, which made her neck look very long and her head look very big.

    She said with a serious face, ¡°Minister nie, I want to ask you, what is the work process of your security department? Why did you let two people who were ced under your protection die? One of them is an American citizen!¡±

    Minister nie was in his fifties, and he did not have much hair on his head. When he was nervous, his scalp would be shiny.

    He held the microphone in front of him and stammered, ¡°We provided the best protection, butrade reporter, no matter how good the protection is, it is not foolproof...¡±

    As he spoke, minister nie told them the details of the protection they provided. It was very detailed, and many senator nodded repeatedly. They were already very satisfied.

    ¡°I can¡¯t ept your words.¡±However, this female reporter aggressively interrupted the head of the security department¡¯s reply, ¡°Whether or not you provide the best protection is not up to you. Your workflow must be correct in order to embody procedural justice. ¡°Tell me the details of your workflow and let us allment together.¡±

    Minister nie shook his head in surprise and said, ¡°Please forgive me for not being able to provide the details of the work process. This is against discipline.¡±

    ¡°What discipline? Minister nie, you came here to be questioned. How can you not say anything? Then why are you here? Are you refusing to ept the supervision of the Senate and the media?¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were stunned when they saw this scene.

    So this was what the interrogation was like?

    They were ignorant!

    The two of them looked at each other and were about to say something when Huo Shaoheng suddenly sat up straight.

    Zhao liangze nced at the television screen and realized that Gu Nianzhi had actually appeared on it!

    So she was already at the interrogation venue.

    ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s here too!¡±Zhao Liangze¡¯s eyes lit up. He realized that Gu Nianzhi seemed to have be prettier after not seeing her for a few days.

    She wasn¡¯t sitting like the others, but was standing behind a podium.

    She was tall and slender. The simple and low-key custom-made smoky-gray professional dress didn¡¯t diminish her looks. Instead, it made her skin whiter than snow, and her eyes sparkled like stars.

    At the venue, minister nie was very uneasy. He looked as if he had done something wrong to everyone. In fact, he just didn¡¯t know how to respond to the female reporter¡¯s question.

    The female reporter was even more pleased with herself. She thought she had caught minister nie and was going to make a name for herself.

    She was about to continue questioning him, gu Nianzhi spoke up. ¡°Comrade reporter, your question is already on the verge of breaking thew. Please don¡¯t continue with your illegal topic. Otherwise, we can call the police and arrest you on the spot.¡±

    The female reporter was stunned for a moment. When she looked over, she flew into a rage. ¡°I¡¯m questioning the head of the security department. What right do you have to interrupt? This is the Senate! I have the freedom to speak! Are you going to seal my mouth? !¡±

    ¡°You do have the freedom to speak, but you don¡¯t have unlimited freedom that is not controlled by thew,¡±Gu Nianzhi replied calmly. She raised her right arm and elegantly faced minister nie, who was visibly relieved, she continued, ¡°Minister NIE has already answered your questions within the scope of thew. Please don¡¯t dy everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t answer my question!¡±The female reporter waved her fists in the air angrily. ¡°He refused to reveal the details of the work process, which vites the principles of procedural justice!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her palm in the air and pressed it down, making a ¡°Quiet¡±gesture, she said, ¡°Comrade Reporter, the security department has a confidentiality rule. ¡°You¡¯ve repeatedly asked him to announce the details in such a live broadcast, which vites the confidentialityw. If he really does say it, we can report you, and each of you will receive a bonus of 500,000 yuan.¡±

    The female reporter was blushing from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, and her usual eloquence in front of the camera was gone, she stuttered, ¡°You, you, you... you¡¯re talking nonsense! I just hope that procedural justice can be guaranteed! You have to know that if something happens to Keven and Zuo Qinghong today, it can happen to you and Me Tomorrow!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi obviously sighed. Her voice was transmitted through the high-definition microphone in front of her throughout the entire venue, and of course, it was also transmitted live to the ears of hundreds of millions of television viewers.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curled into a smile that he did not even notice. His usually cold and hard expression seemed to have cracked open, revealing the gentleness and contentment that was wrapped within.

    He fixed his gaze on the television screen and heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft and sweet voiceing from the television. ¡°Reporter, why do you have topare yourself to a criminal and a criminal suspect?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t illegally carry a gun, use force to kidnap others, or endanger public safety.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to be a doctor who illegally entered the hospital and bribed the hospital¡¯s internal staff to take away the felons inside.¡±

    She was talking about what Keven and Zuo Qinghong had done.

    The female reporter was tongue-tied by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s seemingly simple and casual words. She waspletely at a loss for words.

    It was only then that gu nianzhi put on an ¡°Amiable and idiotic¡±expression. She smiled and said, ¡°Of course, minister Nie didn¡¯t leak the secret. Your spying was unsessful, so we won¡¯t report it for now to see what happens next.¡±

    She looked at the Moderator of the Senate interrogation behind the female reporter. ¡°May I ask if we can start with the next person?¡±

    The moderator on the other side quickly nodded and said, ¡°Yes, the next person is Senator Wang from the north.¡±

    The questions asked by the senator were more normal. He was not as aggressive as the female reporter just now who insisted on asking about the details of the work process.

    In fact, the work process of the security department was indeed ssified. Once they knew their work process, they could deduce what they were doing most of the time.

    For this reason, the work process of the security department was not fixed, but was changed from time to time.

    Just like yourputer password, you could be forced to change your password on a regr basis in order to achieve a higher level of security.

    Because Gu Nianzhi was in charge of the venue, she guaranteed that neither the person who asked the question nor the person who answered the question would break thew, so the questioning went smoothly.

    The head of the police department in the imperial capital was only asked a few questions before he sessfully retreated.

    Yin Shixiong crossed his legs and looked at the television, sighing,¡±... these people are more interested in the people from the security department... I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s out of natural curiosity or acquired curiosity...¡±

    The work process of the police department and variousws and regtions were all open to the public. The key was the degree ofw enforcement, so the angle of everyone¡¯s questions was not tricky.

    Only the questioning of minister nie before was like a bloodthirsty vulture facing a feast of injured antelopes.

    After the questioning of the head of the police department, it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s turn.

    He stood up calmly and strode towards the venue.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze followed behind him and entered the venue together.

    Huo Shaoheng sat down in the center of the circr venue and looked up at the venue.

    It was as if he had a powerful presence that stunned everyone in the room.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him with a smile, and his cold and handsome face returned the same smile.

    The crowd watching the live broadcast on television and the Inte exploded.

    [ what the F * ck! I was caught off guard and choked on dog food! ].

    [ what did I do? What happened to a serious interrogation? ! The Sour Smell of love is almosting out of my TV! ].

    [ I refuse to sprinkle dog food on any asion! If I have to sprinkle more, I want more! ].

    * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the third four thousand words of today: chapter 2149¡åOne of US¡±.

    ¡°Cold iron Grace¡±pro-september tip of a million starting point coin 156 times more.

    Ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Thank you so much. * * * * *

 Chapter 2150

    <h4>Chapter 2150: Chapter 2150: fans digging for candy</h4>

    The craze on the Inte was really fast and furious.

    Soon, some people began to love the couple.

    ¡°Huo Gu, I can do this for 100 years!¡±.

    ¡°Wake up upstairs, at least 200 years!¡±.

    ¡°Look at the angle major general Huo is sitting at, isn¡¯t it 45 degrees toward the position of Chief Gu? ? ?¡±.

    [ F * ck! The eyes upstairs are crazy! It¡¯s really a 45-degree angle! Don¡¯t Ask Me How I Know! ].

    [ the most beautiful angle of a face is a 45-degree angle, so major general Huo doesn¡¯t forget to flirt with chief gu at all times! ].

    ..

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin didn¡¯t go to the Senate to listen in. Instead, they sat at home and watched the live broadcast.

    Lu Jin also used his phone to surf the inte. Of course, it was also to prevent people from causing trouble online. He could retaliate immediately.

    Today was the first time his daughter and son-inw had shown their affection in public. He would not allow anyone to ruin this natural sweetness!

    Lu Yuan nced at his phone and shook his head speechlessly. He said, ¡°Theseizens are too full of themselves. That seat is fixed, how can it be deliberately 45 degrees?¡±

    ¡°What do you know?¡±Lu Jin moved aside contemptuously and did not sit with Lu Yuan. ¡°You¡¯re a straight man of steel, you don¡¯t know the fun of fans digging for Candy!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±... What do you mean by fans digging for candy?¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled and secretly posted a post about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s daily sweet life on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s official Weibo ount. It was immediately discovered.

    Theizens quickly flocked to the post and shared their likes on the Weibo post, looking as if they were celebrating a happy holiday.

    [ official candy is the deadliest! ].

    [ chief gu, Major General Huo, you must be evesting! ].

    [ major general Huo, you must treat chief gu well, or we, the couple¡¯s fans, will not let you go! ].

    However, most of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fans were little girls like her, who looked cute on the outside. Even when they threatened people, they were soft-hearted.

    The threatening message that said ¡°I won¡¯t let you go¡±was apanied by a picture of a little kitten that said ¡°I¡¯m Super Fierce.¡±It immediately lost its imposing manner.

    Lu Jin was so happy that he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to watch the interrogation on television.

    Lu yuan coughed and said, ¡°The interrogation has begun. Aren¡¯t you going to watch it?¡±

    Lu Jin raised his eyelids and nced at the television.

    It was Huo Shaoheng who was being questioned.

    His gaze had already shifted away from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face to the senator who was asking him questions.

    Senator A: ¡°Major General Huo, you are the great general of the special operations forces. May I ask why you are operating in the country?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Where the hell did this idiot senatore from? !

    How could he ask such a question in public? !

    Huo Shaoheng had already gone from being in the dark to being in the open for the past two years, so it didn¡¯t matter if he directly said that he was the great general of the special operations forces.

    If it had been two years ago, the senator would have been arrested with just this sentence and used of ¡°Serious leaks¡±.

    However, he still had to ask ¡°Why do you want to operate in the country?¡±What an idiot.

    Therefore, Huo Shaoheng did not have to answer the question. Gu Nianzhi had already said calmly, ¡°Mr. Senator, this question is beyond your jurisdiction.¡±

    Although Senator A was unwilling, he still did not dare to openly oppose the popr Gu Nianzhi in front of Speaker Long of the Senate, he had no choice but to change the topic and ask, ¡°Major General Huo, is the special operations forces under your jurisdiction involved in the operation to hunt down the American citizen Keven three months ago?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said calmly, ¡°Yes. Last Christmas Eve, our agency received a request and authorization to participate in the hunt for Keven ording to thew.¡±

    ¡°But we all know that the special operations forces are not allowed to operate within the country. Why are your subordinates participating in domestic operations?¡±Senator A¡¯s tone suddenly became arrogant.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him indifferently. ¡°Noment.¡±

    Senator a jumped up with a ¡°Ha¡±and said loudly with his fat belly, ¡°Who asked you for help? Who gave you the authorization? ! As far as I know, the Senate did not give you the authorization!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wished she had a gavel in her hand and could hit Senator A¡¯s thick head with it.

    She raised her voice, she said loudly, ¡°The Senate has an authorization. It was personally signed by speaker long. Our legal department has filed it for record. Mr. Senator, you don¡¯t have to ask major general Huo these questions. You can just ask our legal department. Why are you being so aggressive?¡±

    Senator A had been interrupted twice by Gu Nianzhi. He was so embarrassed that he was angry. He said with his neck held high, ¡°You and major general Huo are engaged! Of course you¡¯re defending him!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face darkened, she turned to look at the camera and said, ¡°Everyone in front of the television, theizens watching the live webcast, please watch carefully. This senator who doesn¡¯t even know what district he belongs to is from. Remember not to vote for him in the future. He is betraying your trust and seeking personal benefits for himself!¡±

    At that moment, the live broadcast of the television appropriately shifted to the front of Senator A. Everyone saw the namete in front of his desk and knew what his name was and where he hade from.

    He hade from the constituency that had chosen him to enter the House of Representatives.

    With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s propaganda, the people in his constituency naturally saw it clearly. They all memorized this person¡¯s name and nned to vote for someone else in the future.

    Senator A¡¯s opponent also seized the opportunity and began advertising to build momentum for the next election.

    Senator a sat down in a daze. His palms were full of sweat. He thought with trembling hands that this political donation was really difficult to get..

    A Day ago, someone had offered to donate money to his campaign team in exchange for him asking Huo Shaoheng a few tricky questions at today¡¯s inquiry. In the end, Gu Nianzhi had pushed all of them back.

    Moreover, this hateful woman had spoken ill of him in front of the entire nation¡¯s audience in front of the live broadcast!

    Senator a lowered his eyes to hide the hatred in his eyes. His fingers had almost scratched off a piece of paint on the table in front of him.

    Gu Nianzhi did not have the time to pay attention to him. Her gaze was already on the other senator who had stood up.

    Senator B¡¯s questions were very peaceful at first, and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s answers were also very logical.

    However, after a few simple questions, senator b suddenly asked, ¡°Major general Huo, I heard that you have the right to kill?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked up at him together.

    This question could be said to be tricky from a certain angle.

    In a country ruled byw, no one had this ¡°Right to kill,¡±except for the death penalty ording to thew.

    However, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s organization was in a gray area, and their activities were abroad. Whether there was a ¡°Right to kill¡±was not something that could be measured by domesticw.

    But when this Senator B brought it up, he did not say at all whether it was at home or abroad. It was as if he had this privilege at home, immediately causing the hearts of ordinary people to rise to their throats.

    * * * * * * * *

    This is the first update of the day: Chapter 2150, ¡°Fan Candy.¡±.

    It¡¯s still in the middle of the night.

    Second Watch, 1:00 p.m. , third watch, 9:00 p.m.

    Ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    PS: Thank you for the $150,000 from yesterday. Thanks to ¡°I am Master Oogway¡±for the 100,000 starting coins yesterday.

    Thank you so much. * * * * *

 Chapter 2151

    <h4>Chapter 2151: Chapter 2151 is a real talent</h4>

    For the special operations forces, it is authorized to take all necessary actions abroad toplete the mission, but this kind of thing can not be put on the table.

    Every country has this kind of organization, and everyone is agreed that no one would be so bold to say it in front of the live audience.

    For example, the CIA in the United States was only responsible for reporting to the president. It was not under the jurisdiction of any other organization.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special operations forces had been under the strict jurisdiction of the Senate, the cab, and the military from the very beginning.

    It was not a bad request, but there were many organizations that he had to report to. For such a secretive organization, there were endless dangers.

    Huo Shaoheng was the highest-ranking leader of this agency. Now that he had switched from being in the dark to being in the light, it was no longer important to expose his identity. For example, the director of the CIA in the United States had always been in the public eye.

    However, his subordinates were not. If his field staff were also in the public eye, then what was the point of working on the Secret Front?

    He could just send someone else¡¯s head directly.

    Furthermore, he had been deliberately misled by Senator B, who had brought up the issue of ¡°Murder rights¡±in private. This had instantly stirred up amotion among the general public.

    The group ofizens who had been in high spirits with the ¡°Huo Gu CP¡±on the inte were immediately pushed out. A bunch of people were moring for major general huo to answer their questions.

    For a moment, there was a response from both inside and outside the venue. Coupled with the added impetus of the Inte trolls with ulterior motives, Huo Shaoheng was immediately pushed into the limelight.

    How could he answer?

    If he answered ¡°No,¡±he would immediately be used of lying and might even be implicated in their secret overseas operations.

    If he answered ¡°Yes,¡±then it would be even more difficult to make a deal. This was putting his own organization and his subordinates on the fire. How could he stay out of it alone?

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was about to speak, he quickly winked at her, telling her not to speak first.

    Gu Nianzhi understood. She nodded slightly and shook her open palm lightly.

    This subtle gesture made the ¡°Huo Gu CP¡±fans go crazy again. They turned the image of her gently shaking her white palm into an emoji package and quickly spread it.

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and looked up at Senator B. he asked calmly, ¡°Senator, I want to ask, why are you asking this question?¡±

    Senator B frowned and said, ¡°Major General Huo, I¡¯m asking you a question, not you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s posture was very rxed. His tall and strong body filled the seat, and his long legs were almost nowhere to be ced.

    He leaned back and said with a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m here to be questioned, not put on trial.¡±

    He implied that the senator¡¯s attitude towards him was bad and put him at a disadvantage.

    Gu Nianzhi seized the opportunity and immediately said, ¡°Major general Huo¡¯s words are reasonable and reasonable. Please reply to Major General Huo¡¯s question first.¡±

    She added, ¡°The questioning of government and military officials by our Senate is originally a ce to exchange views. It¡¯s equal. If you don¡¯t understand, ask me. If I don¡¯t understand, I¡¯ll ask you. ¡°Please don¡¯t act so high and mighty, Mr. Senator. You Don¡¯t have the right to judge anyone.¡±

    Senator Bughed and said, ¡°As expected, chief gu is eager to protect his husband. In fact, I¡¯ve long wanted to bring this up to the Senate. Chief Gu should not attend this time¡¯s questioning of major general Huo.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±The skinny female reporter just now answered appropriately.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. To avoid suspicion.¡±Senator B shrugged, ¡°Everyone knows that chief gu and major general Huo are engaged. How can these two be present at the same time in opposition? Isn¡¯t this giving major general Huo a chance?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi yed right into his hands. She smiled and said, ¡°This senator is indeed treating this ce like a court. He¡¯s treating major general Huo as a suspect in the trial.¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu, did you hear what I said about a trial? Don¡¯t be so quick to use me of anything.¡±Senator B was even happier. To be able to rebuke Gu Nianzhi in public was quite an honor.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the other party¡¯s ted smile and hit him with her hammer without batting an eyelid. ¡°But as far as I know, only during a court trial do you ask people with rtives or interests to leave.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me to leave now, and you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re treating this ce like a court and that Major General Huo is a suspect?¡±

    Senator B¡¯s expression changed drastically. His previous happiness had beenpletely swept away by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    ¡°You ¡ª !¡±He wanted to retort, but in the heat of the moment, he couldn¡¯t think of any other asion that would require gu nianzhi to officially leave.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t give him a chance to quibble and immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m really ashamed of you. Major General Huo is my fianc¨¦, but he¡¯s also a soldier who has risked his life for the interests of the country and the people for decades.¡±

    ¡°How many times has hepleted missions on the brink of death? You can count his military merits over the years.¡±

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to treat such a soldier who has done so much for the country as a suspect without any basis.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression became serious, ¡°May I ask who authorized you? And who authorized you?¡±

    Senator B¡¯s face was red from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rebuke, but he still refused to give up. He couldn¡¯t help interrupting Gu Nianzhi, he said loudly, ¡°I just want to ask if major general Huo has the right to kill! That¡¯s all! Chief Gu, don¡¯t try to influence him!¡±

    Gu nianzhi also said bluntly, ¡°Major general Huo wants to know why you¡¯re asking this question. Why are you turning a deaf ear to it and not answering?¡±

    The two of them were at loggerheads, but neither of them was willing to back down.

    It was time for speaker long to step in.

    He took the microphone in front of him and said with a smile, ¡°Senator, you do need to exin yourself. You have to remember that we¡¯re senators, not judges. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re superior.¡±

    Then he said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°After the Senator Answers Your Question, you have to answer his question as well.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded politely. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Speaker Long had spoken, and Senator B couldn¡¯t refuse.

    He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I only heard it from others once in a while. I was just curious...¡±

    Haha.

    Gu Nianzhiughed rudely. ¡°Mr. Senator, what kind of book did you read to ask such a ridiculous question?¡±

    Senator Yi¡¯s face turned red. He red at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Major General Huo, isn¡¯t it your turn to answer?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng understood the senator¡¯s intentions. He must be up to no good, so he said calmly, ¡°There¡¯s now that gives me such authority.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡±Senator Yi suddenly stood up excitedly and pointed at him. ¡°You said there¡¯s now that gives you such authority, but why did you order someone to assassinate the important witness of Kevin¡¯s case, Zuo Qinghong? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    To say that he had executed Kevin was a little too far-fetched, but to say that he had ¡°Assassinated¡±Zuo Qinghong? What the hell was that?

    Huo Shaoheng simply couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Senator, if you continue to make such a serious usation without any evidence, I will sue you on behalf of major general Huo for nder.¡±

    Senator B rolled his eyes. ¡°If major general Huo had not ordered the assassination, why would Zuo Qinghong die in a hospital specially guarded by the security department? and the police have never been able to catch the murderer!¡±

    Senator A didn¡¯t give up. He stood up and said, ¡°And Kevin! He was also taken away from the hospital and died in a car ident out of nowhere! How Do you exin that?¡±

    ¡°Everyone says that your department does everything wlessly, but how did two incidents happen in session this time? !¡±

    ¡°Kevin is still an American citizen, and he was only sentenced to life in the first trial. His legal team still has to appeal, and there will be a second trial. Aren¡¯t you using him as an excuse to kill him? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to answer these idiotic questions at all.

    Gu Nianzhi spoke for him. ¡°So the two senators are representing the Americans. I finally understand why you don¡¯t like our meritorious men. As expected, your buttocks are crooked, and you see everything in ck and white.¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu, don¡¯t nder us!¡±Senator a thought that he would probably never be able to get elected again, so he was less worried about Gu Nianzhi and started to oppose her, ¡°We¡¯re questioning major general Huo. You¡¯re really protective of your husband!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job. Please don¡¯t judge others by yourself.¡±Gu Nianzhi did not even look at Senator A. she continued to look at Senator B, she said, ¡°Senator, are you trying to defend Keven? Do you think our Court has made a mistake? ¡°I can answer this question because I¡¯m thewyer for the prosecution of the Kevin Case. I¡¯m fully qualified to confront you in court about the Kevin Case.¡±

    Senator B was stunned for a moment before he remembered that Gu Nianzhi was indeed thewyer for the prosecution of the Keven case. His heart sank as he thought that this case would not be able to get away from her.

    He thought quickly and said, ¡°I¡¯m not fighting for Keven. Any citizen in this position will fight for Keven.¡±

    ¡°Then you should still fight for Keven. Stop pretending to be a guest.¡±Gu Nianzhi basked in the sun, ¡°Fine, even if you¡¯re standing up for all the citizens in Keven¡¯s position, then let me ask you, what evidence do you have to prove that we had anything to do with Keven¡¯s death?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, Zuo Qinghong and two American Special Forces soldiers were the ones who illegally took keven out of the hospital.¡±

    ¡°The car they were in was illegally modified. There was also a very high-yield explosive in the car.¡±

    ¡°The person who detonated the car was also the person who provided the modified car. Excuse me, Mr. Senator, do you know who provided the car? And who detonated the car?¡±

    Senator B nced at Huo Shaoheng, he said, ¡°I think only the organization led by Major General Huo can produce such high-yield explosives and modified cars. and the person who secretly brought Keven out of the hospital was also major general Huo¡¯s people.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that Zuo Qinghong and the American Special Forces soldier are Major General Huo¡¯s people?¡±Gu Nianzhi wished she could chisel the word ¡°Whimsical¡±into this person¡¯s forehead.

    She did not expect Senator B to actually be so impressed by her.

    He said confidently, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? As far as I know, Zuo Qinghong is a graduate student at the Institute of High Energy Physics, and major general Huo¡¯s mother, Ms. Song Jinning, is the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

    ¡°As for the two American Special Forces, who else could smuggle the two American special forces into the country without anyone knowing, other than major general Huo¡¯s privileged organization?¡±

    ¡°If I remember correctly, major general Huo used to be a special forces soldier! Perhaps he knew these two Chinese special forces soldiers when he was overseas on a mission!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in and out of the venue quieted down.

    Many people looked at Huo Shaoheng with puzzled expressions on their faces.

    Even Gu Nianzhi was bbergasted.

    What a good boy!

    This person was a F * cking genius!

    He actually pulled the wool over everyone¡¯s eyes!

    He med Huo Shaoheng for the Keven incident..

    If Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t so close to Huo Shaoheng, even she might have been persuaded!

    It looked like someone hade prepared today. They had really underestimated this group of good-for-nothings.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly sent a message to Lu Jin, asking him to help her do an in-depth investigation on the two senator while she organized a counterattack in her mind.

    To do an in-depth background investigation in a short period of time, she had to look for Lu Jin, because only he had the technical means to do so.

    After sending the message, Gu Nianzhi patted her slightly stuffed chest and took a deep breath. ¡°Since the Senator regards your conjecture as the truth, then let¡¯s talk about the clues you brought up.¡±

    ¡°First of all, you said that Zuo Qinghong is a graduate student at the Institute of High Energy Physics, and that Major General Huo¡¯s biological mother, Song Jinning, is the director of the Insitute of high energy physics, so this matter is rted to general Huo. Are you hinting that Zuo Qinghong went to the hospital to take away the felon, Kevin? Was it Ms. Song Jinning who listened to her son, Major General Huo, and instructed him to do it?¡±

    Senator B was almost paralyzed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s long sentences, but after listening to her carefully repeat them a few times, he nodded without hesitation. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Then do you have evidence to prove that major general Huo instructed Ms. Song, and Ms. Song instructed Zuo Qinghong?¡±

    Senator B snorted disdainfully. ¡°Do you need evidence for that? A discerning person can tell at a nce!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked down to see that she had already received the information from Lu Jin on herptop.

    She opened the email and read through it. She already had an idea.

    She looked up at Senator B and smiled, she said, ¡°Mr. Senator, you have a son who finished his university studies in the United States and went to Carlyle International Investment Limited to be an executive. He has a subordinate rtionship with Keven. Of course, Keven is the superior. ¡°Today, you are standing up for Keven. Is it because of your son¡¯s future in Carlyle International Limited that you are using your official position to seek personal gain and deliberately nder our meritorious subjects?¡±

    Senator B was slightly taken aback, he continued tough loudly. ¡°Who here doesn¡¯t know that I only have one daughter and no son! ¡°Moreover, my daughter works for a state-owned enterprise. She¡¯s just a small technician. What does she have to do with Carlyle? ¡°Chief Gu, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s ndering the Senator!¡±

    Gu nianzhi replied with an ¡°OH.¡±She leaned forward slightly and said a name, ¡°Isn¡¯t this person your son?¡±? ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not right. He should be your illegitimate son. He and his mother are both overseas. This child was born and raised overseas.¡±. ¡°You were the one who arranged for him to join Carlyle International Investment Limited two years ago after he graduated from university.¡±

    ¡°A student who just graduated from undergraduate studies became an executive at Carlyle two yearster. Doesn¡¯t that have something to do with you?¡±

    Senator B turned pale with fright and blurted out ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense¡±. He had no idea how his secret, which had been hidden for more than 20 years, was discovered by others!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second chapter of the day: chapter 2151¡åWhat a F * cking genius¡±.

    The 178th additional chapter of the one million starting point money given to ¡°Cold Iron Grace¡±for the month of September.

    The third and 4000 words Big Chapter and more at 9:00 pm.

    Ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    Thank you so much. * * * * *

 Chapter 2152

    <h4>Chapter 2152: Chapter 2152: Straight Men¡¯s top words of love -ChapterpterColdcIroniGracerace 20 +)</h4>

    ¡°I can immediately prove to you who is spouting nonsense.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled disapprovingly. ¡°I can prove that you have a son born out of wedlock, but you can¡¯t prove that you don¡¯t have one.¡±

    ¡°If I say I don¡¯t have one, then I don¡¯t have one!¡±The senator mmed the table, looking as if he wanted to fight Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°If you say you don¡¯t have it, then you don¡¯t Have It? Who Do you think you are?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers flew around, she typed on herptop and said, ¡°Is this something that you can deny if you want to? Do you think that just because you¡¯re a senator, you naturally represent justice and can control everything?¡±

    ¡°How hard is it to do a paternity test? Don¡¯t tell me you live in ancient times and don¡¯t know that paternity tests exist in modern society?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said mockingly. The faint smile on her lips made Senator B want to stab her in the chest.

    Indeed, it was very easy to prove that he had an illegitimate child. All he had to do was do a DNA paternity test.

    However, it was not easy for Senator B to prove that he did not have an illegitimate child.

    Even if he killed his son now, as long as he did not immediately burn his bones and scatter his ashes, he could still verify the rtionship between the father and son.

    The muscles on Senator B¡¯s face twitched uncontrobly, and his expression was extremely ugly. However, he could no longer think of anything to refute Gu Nianzhi. He could only re at Huo Shaoheng, he pointed at him and said loudly, ¡°You¡¯re deliberately taking revenge! Because I told the truth!¡±

    ¡°You told the truth? Just because Zuo Qinghong is at the Institute of High Energy Physics, you¡¯re saying that Major General Huo is involved in this?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°Then you¡¯re a member of the House of Representatives. If I prove that you colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, does that mean that the entire House of Representatives has something to do with you colluding with the enemy and betraying the country?¡±

    ¡°Again, there¡¯s no direct evidence to prove that Ms. Song ordered Zuo Qinghong to do it. You¡¯re ndering me. I¡¯m Ms. Song¡¯swyer. I can sue you right now.¡±

    ¡°As for saying that the two active-duty American Special Forces soldiers are under Major General Huo¡¯smand, if that¡¯s true, it¡¯s all thanks to major general Huo.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then you¡¯re ndering the American military. Let me tell you something.¡±Gu Nianzhi unconsciously used Lu Jin¡¯s catchphrase, ¡°Even the American military won¡¯t admit it, and you¡¯re in such a hurry to tarnish the image of the lighthouse of humanity in your heart. You¡¯re not getting anything out of it.¡±

    No matter how she put it, it was Senator B who was in the wrong.

    Lu Jin was ted in front of the television. He pointed at the television and then pointed at himself. He said to Lu Yuan proudly, ¡°See? This girl is my daughter!¡±

    He was so arrogant that he was about to fly into the sky.

    However, this time, Lu Yuan did not refute him. Instead, he smiled, and deep wrinkles appeared on the corners of his eyes.

    He nodded and said, ¡°Professor Lu, I don¡¯t Envy You for other things, but you have this daughter. You Can Brag about her for the rest of your life. I¡¯m ashamed to be inferior.¡±

    Lu Jinughed so hard that his eyes couldn¡¯t see his teeth, he said in a good mood, ¡°If you want a smart and cute child, I can help you with the gene editing and try to make her as smart as possible. ¡°But she¡¯s definitely not as good as Nianzhi. She¡¯s my stroke of genius. Even if I do another thousand or ten thousand experiments, I won¡¯t be able to produce a perfect gene like Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°... she can only be found by chance.¡±

    Some of the discoveries in scientific experiments were made by coincidence.

    Lu Jin knew that this experiment was the same.

    Lu Yuan merely chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Thank you. Jinning and I don¡¯t n to have children.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    Just as he was about to persuade him, Lu Yuan said, ¡°Jinning and I are both old. We just want to be together and enjoy our time together.¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

    He finally understood his ¡°Third wheel¡±constitution. He fiddled with his phone awkwardly and said,¡±... I¡¯ll go back after watching the live broadcast.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to disturb Lu Yuan and song Jinning¡¯s private time.

    Lu Yuanughed heartily. ¡°Professor Lu, don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m just saying. Of course, after watching the live broadcast, I¡¯ll send you to Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. Then, I¡¯ll pick up Jinning and we¡¯ll go to Shaoheng¡¯s ce for dinner.¡±

    Only then did Lu Jin get excited again and watch TV with Lu Yuan.

    ..

    Because of the sudden situation with Senator B, the Senate Interrogation Hall was in a mess.

    The skinny female reporter saw that the situation was not looking good and stood up with a heavy expression, she said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°Chief Gu, the two senators were just stating the facts. How can you suppress them? Are you not allowing us to speak? Are you not allowing us to interrogate?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers lightly tapped on the table as she said earnestly, ¡°Comrade reporter, I¡¯m trying to stop them from spreading rumors, not stop them from questioning us. What about you? Are you going to continue spreading false information?¡±

    ¡°How am I spreading rumors? You have to speak with evidence!¡±The female reporter was a person of status, so she was embarrassed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words. She also sulked and wanted to argue with Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°You have no evidence when you speak, so you know very well that you are making up a rumor.¡±Gu Nianzhiughed lightly and sat up straight, she said slowly, ¡°When Ms. Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote her autobiography for the French political scientist Voltaire, she said that although I don¡¯t agree with your opinion, I will defend your right to speak with my life. It is an expression of Voltaire¡¯s political thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately,ter on, people said that it was Voltaire who said it. Actually, it wasn¡¯t

    ¡°However, I am different from this Ms. Evelyn. I don¡¯t agree with your words and I don¡¯t defend your right to lie. nder is illegal.¡±

    The female reporter couldn¡¯t help but blush. The veins on her neck were protruding, making her skeleton even more obvious.

    She straightened her neck and continued, ¡°How am I making up a rumor? I¡¯m obviously interrogating you! If you knew the truth, why didn¡¯t you tell the majority of the television viewers about it? ! Wasn¡¯t it because you guys covered it up that you allowed such rumors to spread? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped smiling and said seriously, ¡°Rumors are only spread among brainless people. People with brains will distinguish the truth from the falsehood. So whether or not the rumors spread has nothing to do with the truth.¡±

    ¡°Besides, what truth do you want? Do you not believe the State Television¡¯s case report? Or do you not believe the verdict of the High Military Court?¡±

    ¡°Both of these things are public and reasonable. The facts are right in front of you. If you still pretend to be blind and say that there is no truth, then there is nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°No one can wake up a person who pretends to be asleep, and no one can convince a person who pretends to be stupid.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrugged and casually expressed her contempt and disdain.

    The female reporter wanted to refute the national television station¡¯s report on the case, so she immediately said, ¡°Can you prove that the report on the case on the television station is true?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was even more amused. She ced one arm on the table in front of her face, she looked at the female reporter with a half-smile and said, ¡°Are you saying that the report on the case on the television station is false? Based on whose opinion and who¡¯s principle of proof, you can prove to everyone why the report on the case is false.¡±

    The female reporter was anxious. She clenched her fists and said, ¡°First, prove that it¡¯s true!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at the rather famous female reporter, not knowing whether tough or cry, ¡°The facts and evidence are all in the case report. It¡¯s already proven to be true. Do you even know what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    ¡°I said it¡¯s not true. Shouldn¡¯t you prove it with evidence?¡±The female reporter was used to her own words, so others had to defend her.

    But it did not work with Gu Nianzhi.

    Of course, she was not an ordinary person to begin with. Her professionalism was higher than everyone the female reporter had interviewed.

    Gu Nianzhi almost fell out with her immediately. She said in a low voice, ¡°I even said you were a foreign spy. Can you prove that you¡¯re not? If you say something, others have to defend you. Do you really think you¡¯re the Supreme Court Judge?¡±

    This sentence made the female reporter fly into a rage. ¡°I¡¯m a Spy? ! Show me the evidence! Otherwise, I¡¯ll Sue You for nder!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately followed up, she said with a smile, ¡°Yes, I have to prove my point. The same principle applies. You say that the case report is false, but you have to prove it. So stop chasing me for evidence to prove your point. It¡¯s a waste of everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    No matter what kind of situation they were in, no one had ever seeded in defeating Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng did not speak, but his gaze never left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face.

    The tenderness in his eyes was undisguised, as if no one in the hall existed. Only the two of them were in the wilderness of time, holding hands and relying on each other. You Can¡¯t Leave Me, I Can¡¯t Leave You.

    When the camera turned to Huo Shaoheng for thest time, he did not have time to avert his gaze and was instantly shocked by the couple fans.

    [ I¡¯ll F * cking blow up the Huo Gu couple for 10,000 years! ].

    [ get out of the way, upstairs! Let me do it! I¡¯m a professional drummer! ].

    [ that gaze is incredible! Even though he¡¯s not looking at me, I feel like I¡¯ve fallen into a love pit with just one look! ][ help me up! I can still dig for Candy! ] Gu Nianzhi also looked at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes lit up slightly.

    Huo Shaoheng had always been a man of steel and was very stingy with his expression. However, his asional indulgence could almost kill her..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face turned slightly red, and a faint blush appeared on her fair face. It was like the first blush of a blooming flower under the moonlight.

    It was only then that Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°Today¡¯s interrogation was an eye-opener for me. I¡¯ve never experienced anything like this before. If I¡¯ve said anything wrong, I hope everyone can correct me.¡±

    His humility immediately won over everyone¡¯s favor. With Gu Nianzhi by his side, those who wanted to pick on him wouldn¡¯t dare to act rashly.

    Once again, with chief gu here, unless you had solid evidence, making groundless usations would only bring shame on yourself.

    Looking at the friendly smiles on most of the faces in the meeting room, Huo Shaoheng continued, ¡°I¡¯d like to thank everyone for their care and love for us. I¡¯d like to take this opportunity to tell everyone, the audience in front of the television and mobile phones, that chief Gu Nianzhi and I have already decided on a wedding date. ¡°In six months, I will hold my wedding with Nianzhi. I will distribute candy to everyone then.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted in enthusiastic apuse.

    Huo Gu and his party members were already incoherent with joy.

    [ Ahhhh! I was wondering why Chief Gu¡¯s official blog suddenly distributed Candy This Morning! The bigger candy is here! Ahhhh! ! ! ! ! ].

    ¡°The person upstairs is ignorant! This isn¡¯t candy, it¡¯s refined candy! We agreed that you can¡¯t be refined after the founding of the nation! ! !¡±.

    ¡°Major general Huo personally gave out candy! Straight men¡¯s Candy, this is the best, right? ? ?¡±.

    ¡°Of course! What misunderstanding do you have about straight men¡¯s love speech? The best is just saying that I want to marry you. It¡¯s tacky, but I like it! Ahhhh! ! ! !¡±.

    ..

    After the interrogation by the Senate ended, Huo Shaoheng, Zhao liangze, and Yin Shixiong got into the car and prepared to return to the official residence.

    As soon as the car drove out of the underground parking lot of the Senate building, General Ji called.

    ¡°Shaoheng,e to the underground conference room of the military headquarters. We old men have something to ask you.¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±

    He heard General Ji¡¯s uneasy voice, as if something had happened.

    ¡°Go to the underground conference room of the military headquarters.¡±Huo Shaoheng ordered the driver.

    Fan Jian immediately turned the steering wheel and turned in the direction of the military headquarters.

    Not long after, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car stopped in front of the military headquarters building.

    The underground conference room that General Ji had mentioned was on the sixth floor of this building.

    This ce was also one of the top-secret locations in the empire. It used to be called a bomb shelter, but now it was called a security zone. It was a term that could not be changed.

    Huo Shaoheng took the elevator down to the door of the conference room.

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong did not even have the right to go down. Only the two of them divided the work. One waited in front of the elevator, and the other waited at the stairwell to stand guard for Huo Shaoheng.

    At the same time, there were other people¡¯s personal secretary waiting here.

    Yin Shixiong took a casual nce and saw that the personal secretary and security guards of the most important members of the Military Supreme Council were all here.

    He walked up to General Ji¡¯s personal secretary, took out a cigarette, and handed it over. He smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re here too? Have a taste of this? How long have you been waiting?¡±

    The man saw that it was a special cigarette that he liked, so he unceremoniously took it. He immediately lit it, took a deep puff, and scratched his scalp with his hand, he said casually, ¡°Not long. We just arrived, and you arrived right after.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was relieved.

    They had all just arrived, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng was already standing behind the podium in the meeting room. Everyone else was sitting, but he was the only one standing.

    However, this posture did not look like he was going to give a speech at a meeting. Instead, it looked like he was going to be judged.

    Huo Shaoheng found it funny in his heart. He thought that if Gu Nianzhi was here, she would probably go crazy again..

    His expression was unusually rxed and calm. He was not stressed at all. He was terrified that the small boat could not be overloaded.

    General Ji wore his reading sses and looked at him quietly for a while.

    Seeing that his expression was calm and his aura did not change, he nodded slightly. However, the expression on his face did not change. It was still a straight face, as if he was angry.

    The other people also looked at him expressionlessly, as if they were dissatisfied with him.

    Huo Shaoheng waited calmly for a while before saying, ¡°Generals and chiefs, may I ask why you called me here?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±General Ji stood up and walked over to ce a piece of paper in front of Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Can you exin what¡¯s going on?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third and fourth thousand words of the day: chapter 2152, ¡°Straight men¡¯s top love stories.¡±.

    The 1920th additional payment of one million starting point coins for the ¡°Cold Iron Grace¡±Pro in September.

    The Silver Union in September has been increasedpletely.

    Please ask for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    I am very grateful

 Chapter 2153

    <h4>Chapter 2153: Chapter 2153: the big shots behind the scenes</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head to take a look. It was the warrant that he had given Yin Shixiong to execute Keven.

    This was the execution order personally signed by General Ji and personally signed by Huo Shaoheng. It was also the so-called ¡°Right to kill¡±that had been exposed by the senator during the Senate inquiry today.

    Of course, this was not some ¡°Right to kill¡±that could be used to execute people¡¯s lives at will.

    There were many restrictions and restrictions, and the biggest one was that the number was extremely limited.

    Huo Shaoheng only had this one, and after using it, he had to go through a very strict procedure to get a second one.

    There were also strict rules on how many General Ji could issue, and the official name of this kind of warrant wasn¡¯t ¡°Right to kill,¡±but special evidence.

    ¡°Exin, why did you execute Keven?¡±General Ji said with a dark face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know Keven¡¯s background.¡±

    ¡°If the people behind him knew the truth, they could even start a war between China and the United States. Didn¡¯t you consider this problem? I gave you the special warrant. Is this how you obey the orders of the organization and serve the country?¡±

    There were not many people in the underground meeting room, but every one of them was an iron-fisted figure who could decide the future of the country.

    They were the real high-ranking officials of the military. Speaker long and prime minister Bai could not even bepared to these people.

    Huo Shaoheng waited for general ji to finish speaking. He nced at the people sitting in front of him. Seeing that they did not speak and only looked at him silently, it proved that they were in agreement with General Ji, no one added anything else.

    Because in their hearts, they would always consider the interests of the country.

    They would not allow anyone or anything to cause great damage to the overall interests of the country.

    Huo Shaohengposed himself, picked up the warrant, and picked it up toward the people below, he said, ¡°This is the warrant I signed because I think that it¡¯s time for Keven to die. Since the people behind him are doing everything they can to save him, I don¡¯t want them to achieve this goal.¡±

    He paused and said word by word, ¡°If the enemy supports it, then we must oppose it. Do you all still remember this sentence?¡±

    ¡°So if the enemy wants to save him, then he must die and cut off their thoughts. It¡¯s that simple.¡±

    General Ji furrowed his brows tightly. ¡°Shaoheng, aren¡¯t you being a bit rash in doing this?¡±

    ¡°Before I answer your question, I would like to ask, do all the leaders know who the person behind Keven is?¡±

    The people below looked at each other, then, an old man with white hair sitting on the far left said, ¡°We don¡¯t know who it is exactly, but this person was able to get the president and Secretary of State of the United States. He is indeed not simple. ¡°We also received news that not only the president and Secretary of State of the United States, but this person is also said to be very close to the United States Department of Defense. I heard that he is an important weapons supplier for them.¡±

    ¡°Weapons?¡±Huo Shaoheng raised his head in surprise. ¡°Where did you get this news from?¡±

    The old man smiled. ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re in this line of work. Have you forgotten our rules? Don¡¯t ask, Don¡¯t tell.¡±

    Everyoneughed softly.

    The old man¡¯s English was actually a joke. This was a conventional rule in the United States military, not a rule in the Huaxia military.

    What he meant was actually a conventional unspoken rule in the intelligence front.

    Since the establishment of their organization, their intelligence work had been very outstanding.

    After the founding of the People¡¯s Republic of China, it was actually much worse than before.

    However, even if it was worse, it was still worse in terms of verticalparison. It was worse than before.

    In terms of horizontalparison, China¡¯s intelligence agency was the most mysterious in the world¡¯s intelligence agencies.

    There was once a foreign movie that said that the most mysterious intelligence agency in the world was not the KGB, the CIA, Israel¡¯s Mossad, or MI6, but China¡¯s intelligence agency. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the most mysterious intelligence agency in the world, that was because other countries did not even know its specific name. They only knew that it was called the ¡°Relevant department¡±!

    It was simply mysterious and cool!

    In recent years, China¡¯s Special Operations Forces and security departments had be famous internationally and had a sense of existence. However, very few people knew that China¡¯s foreign intelligence agencies were quiteplicated.

    The military alone had five foreign organizations. Currently, only the Special Operations Forces was a formal organization that everyone knew about. There were also four organizations that were led by different people and had one-way contact with people overseas.

    Once the person in contact disappeared, the intelligence line disappearedpletely.

    Even the internal department was a ¡°King does not meet the king.¡±They would never reveal their external contact, only retrieve the corresponding information.

    And the details of such information would not be shared with the internal department.

    For example, this old man said that the person behind Keven was a weapons supplier. This intelligence point had not even been found out by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special operations forces field operations.

    He pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Is this person a woman? is she called Madam?¡±

    The white-haired old man smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and suddenly said,¡±... Queen of Hearts?¡±

    The white-haired old man¡¯s expression was slightly surprised and surprised.

    Even though he had restrained himself very quickly, Huo Shaoheng still managed to catch it.

    It seemed that Keven¡¯s backer was this queen of Hearts.

    His expression became serious, he said, ¡°I understand the concerns and thoughts of the various leaders, but what I want to say is that Keven came to Huaxia to make trouble. He didn¡¯t do it on a whim or on a whim, but after a long period of preparation and preparation, it started at least a year and a half or even two years ago. To put it further, it might have started 18 years ago.¡±

    The people in the meeting room were silent for a moment. General Ji tugged at the corners of his lips and said, ¡°Keven isn¡¯t even 30 yet. You¡¯re saying that he started to make trouble against Huaxia 18 years ago?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not him, it¡¯s the person behind him.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not continue to cover up his words.

    ¡°When I was investigating Keven¡¯s case, I discovered that the person behind him was rted to a major experimental ident that happened in our military 18 years ago.¡±

    ¡°And everyone knows that 18 years ago, Keven was still a child, so what happened 18 years ago shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with him. The only thing that matters is the person behind him.¡±

    ¡°So for me, Keven¡¯s appearance is just a cover to lure out the big shot behind him.¡±

    The white-haired old man interrupted him and said, ¡°If Keven is so important, why did you order him to be executed? Isn¡¯t it better to keep him for a greater use?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng calmly took two steps forward and walked around the back of the podium, he calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s so important that executing him would cause irreparable damage to the other party. and the other party¡¯s loss is our gain.¡±

    His words were so correct that everyone present couldn¡¯t refute them. They all felt like they were in a daze.

    ¡°But what if your spection is wrong? What if Keven isn¡¯t important at all and is just a cover for the other party?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets and said casually, ¡°If it¡¯s not important at all, what does it matter if we kill him? After all, he has alreadymitted enough crimes to be shot.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2153, ¡°The big crocodile behind us.¡±.

    It was still delivered today at three o¡¯clock.

    The second watch is at 1 pm, the third watch is at 9 pm.

    Please ask for the monthly ticket and the rmendation ticket

    PS: thank you ¡°Penins Princess¡±for the 50,000 starting points you gave yesterday.

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2154

    <h4>Chapter 2154: Chapter 2154: What Kind of wedding do you want (1)(second watch: Princess of the Penins + 2)</h4>

    After Huo Shaoheng finished speaking, these people thought for a while and finally felt at ease.

    As long as Huo Shaoheng had a legitimate reason, they were not pedantic people and would not criticize him.

    The atmosphere in the room gradually became less solemn.

    General Ji heaved a sigh of relief and asked the question he was most concerned about. ¡°You just said that the person behind Keven had something to do with the failure of our experiment 18 years ago? Do you have any evidence to prove this?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng first told him about the explosion when he was hunting Keven on Christmas Evest year, he then continued, ¡°This time, Zuo Qinghong took his men to the hospital to kidnap Keven. When he realized that it was a fake person, he jumped out of the car and fled for his life. Their car was detonated remotely by their own people, and the energy of the explosion... was simr to that of the past.¡±

    Actually, the fact that Zuo Qinghong¡¯s car had been detonated remotely this time was more like the car that Gu Nianzhi had driven eight years ago.

    However, Huo Shaoheng did not want to draw the attention of these people to Gu Nianzhi again, so he changed his story slightly.

    This was not too far-fetched. Because it was indeed simr, there was a high-energy maic field energy mixed in.

    After everyone heard this, they were all deep in thought.

    A fat old man sitting next to General Ji said in a low voice, ¡°Eighteen years ago, I presided over the experiments of the military and the Institute of High Energy Physics. ¡°I sent Huo Guanyuan as the military¡¯s representative to work with song Haichuan at the Institute of High Energy Physics. In the end, the experiment failed... and someone deliberately sabotaged it?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°The experiment 18 years ago actually didn¡¯t fail.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? !¡±The Fat Old Man almost jumped up, but he was still very agile. ¡°Say that again! What do you mean? !¡±

    General Ji added, ¡°Yes, Shaoheng, please exin.¡±. ¡°We all know that the experiment failed eighteen years ago. Later, when Bai Jinyi took over the Institute of high energy physics, she also kept saying that the experiment back then had failed, so she wanted to restart the experiment. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t even get the hang of it. She spent so much time and still got nothing.¡±

    ¡°Why did you say that the experiment back then didn¡¯t Fail? Do you mean it seeded? !¡±

    Huo shaoheng nodded calmly and said, ¡°It¡¯s very simple. My uncle, colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan, thought that he had died in the line of duty. But now it proves that he didn¡¯t die but went to the other world.¡±

    ¡°The experiment that the military and the Institute of High Energy Physics coborated on eighteen years ago was to find the maic resonance frequency. The experiment could turn on the maic resonance instrument in the opposite space.¡±

    ¡°Colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan and the other four soldiers didn¡¯t die in the big explosion. Instead, they went to the opposite world. How did he get there?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only one exnation. The maic resonance instrument in our experiment was sessful eighteen years ago.¡±

    At that time, the fat old man who was in charge of the military¡¯s experiment had his eyes wide open, he muttered, ¡°Yes... in that case, it should be a sess.¡±. ¡°At that time, I remember that superintendent song had marked the DNA of the people from the military who had participated in the experiment on the maic resonance machine he had used to conduct the experiment. He said that if the experiment was sessful, he would send them over officially...¡±

    ¡°In the end, during thest field test, there was a sudden big explosion...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the old man sympathetically and sighed, he said, ¡°Colonelmandant Huo Guanyuan¡¯s experience has proven that the experiment back then was actually sessful. The maic resonance instrument sessfully captured the frequency of the maic field in the opposite space, thus opening a wormhole and allowing the exchange of two parallel worlds.¡±

    ¡°But why was there a big explosion?¡±? ¡°It waster researched that the reason was that when the high-energy maic field energy was used, the time of releasing the energy was wrong. The maic field energy that should have been released in a few minutes waspressed to one thousandth of a second.¡±

    ¡°It is conceivable that the energy that should have been released in a few minutes waspressed to that extent. How could there not be a big explosion

    ¡°Just like a pressure cooker, when you suddenly shrink the space inside the pressure cooker, it will explode into pieces

    ¡°And because our experiment released all the energy in a short period of time, it caused a huge explosion and almost killed all the people who participated in the experiment

    ¡°The only person who survived was my mother, Song Jinning, but her body and brain were severely injured. She was ill for 16 years and was only cured two years ago.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng paused.

    The big shots in the conference room met to discuss what Huo Shaoheng had just said.

    After a while, the white-haired old man looked up and said, ¡°Then what evidence do you have to prove that the time when the energy was released was wrong, that it was deliberately messed up, or that the experimenter didn¡¯t mean to make a mistake?¡±

    Huo shaoheng said frankly, ¡°If you want direct evidence, for example, who did it, I still don¡¯t know who did it.¡±

    ¡°But,st Christmas Eve, Kevin caused an explosion of the same nature. Was It really just a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°An experiment like ours can not bepleted without the help of the entire nation, so ordinary people are not qualified to ¡®coincidence¡¯with us.¡±

    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s definitely not a coincidence that it can be ¡®coincidental¡¯with us. How can there be such a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on the special battlefront for so many years, and I¡¯ve only discovered one rule: there are no coincidences in this world, only deliberate ns.¡±

    After a pause, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice suddenly became low. ¡°More importantly, have you thought about the real consequences of the failure of the experiment back then?¡±

    He looked deeply at the big shots seated below and said with deep sorrow, ¡°It was this failure that caused our experiment to stagnate for 18 years.¡±

    ¡°18 years? How many technological advances have been stifled?¡±

    ¡°This has practically blocked the technological progress of our generation!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s statement was something the big shots had never considered before.

    Now that they thought about the cause and effect of what he had said, their faces turned livid.

    The Fat Old Man couldn¡¯t help the red rims of his eyes. He sobbed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t do my job well. I shouldn¡¯t have given up back then. I should have gotten someone to continue investigating!¡±

    ¡°Back then, there was a huge explosion. All of our elite scientists and young students involved were killed in the explosion.¡±General Ji said faintly, ¡°Who has such a deep hatred towards us? I feel that I don¡¯t need to do any research. I already have a lead.¡±

    If one did not look at many things from the right angle, the scenery would always be different.

    It was just like the failure of the experiment back then. Everyone thought that it was just a normal scientific setback, so no one thought that someone was deliberately causing trouble to stop the development of Huaxia¡¯s science and Technology.

    Now that they had been reminded that it was not a simple experiment that had failed, but that it had been sabotaged, everyone quickly thought of who had the motive and ability to do this to the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng had his own doubts, but he was very cautious and did not say what he thought. He only said, ¡°Is there anything else, officers? If there¡¯s nothing else, I have to go back and make the arrangements.¡±

    After solving a big problem in their hearts, the people in the roompletely rxed.

    They were all experienced and mature people.

    No matter how much they thought about it, they would not show it on their faces.

    General ji smiled and said, ¡°I heard that you announced your wedding date with Nianzhi in the Senate today? Will you send us old people an invitation?¡±

    These peopleughed along and said, ¡°Yes, Huo Shao, we¡¯re also waiting for your wedding invitation!¡±

    The few people who had been hostile and hostile to him just a moment ago had instantly be amiable and amiable old grandpas.

    Huo Shaoheng cursed in his heart, but he still said respectfully, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely send everyone an invitation. I hope that all the Chiefs will show up.¡±

    He smiled and continued, ¡°This time, because President Putin of Russia said that he would be the witness, we decided on a time six months in advance. This way, he can arrange his work ording to the time so that he can free up time.¡±

    General Ji came back to his senses andughed. ¡°That¡¯s great. You guys must n well and not embarrass our country.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, chief. I¡¯ll definitely organize a special event. Not only will it not embarrass the country, but it will also make the country proud.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then we¡¯ll have to wait and see!¡±General Ji pped the table happily.

    However, when the others left and he and Huo Shaoheng walked out of the meeting room.., he quietly reminded him,¡±... I know you have money, but don¡¯t be too extravagant. You and Nianzhi are both public officials. It¡¯s not good to be too extravagant.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°I said it doesn¡¯t have to be extravagant, but it has to have a big enough impact.¡±

    ¡°In short, I want the whole world to know that I¡¯m married to Nianzhi. I¡¯ll share everything with her.¡±

    General Ji¡¯s teeth were sore from his mushiness. He tugged at the corners of his mouth for a long time before saying, ¡°Why do I feel like your wedding isn¡¯t simple?¡±

    ¡°My wedding with Nianzhi isn¡¯t simple even if you want it to be.¡±Huo Shaoheng said meaningfully.

    General Ji nced at him and felt that Huo Shaoheng was digging a hole again.

    For a moment, he felt that Gu Nianzhi was quite pitiful.

    He whispered, ¡°Shaoheng, don¡¯t say that I¡¯m meddling too much, but it¡¯s a wedding after all. It¡¯s best not to get mixed up with official business.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a wedding, let¡¯s get married properly. Don¡¯t think about killing a few birds with one stone after getting married... I¡¯m sorry to a good girl like Nianzhi.¡±

    General Ji tried to persuade Huo Shaoheng earnestly.

    Huo Shaoheng was momentarily speechless.

    He pursed his lips and did not say anything else.

    It was only when he walked out of the elevator that he sincerely said to general ji, ¡°Thank you, chief, for your guidance. I understand what to do now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it. You¡¯re the talent that I value the most. I hope that you can have a happy marriage and a happy family in the future.¡±

    ¡°I also know that you don¡¯t want to marry Nianzhi, so don¡¯t let her have any regrets about her once-in-a-lifetime wedding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded seriously and said very sincerely, ¡°I¡¯ll remember that, Chief.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go back. Since you¡¯re talking about this on the live broadcast today, I¡¯m afraid that there will be foreign leadersing to ask for the wedding invitation. You have to be fully prepared.¡±

    General Ji stood at the door, his hands sped behind his back as he looked Huo Shaoheng up and down. ¡°Do you need a vacation? Also, do you need a team to prepare for your wedding?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    Yin Shixiong followed him out and walked to the car to open the door for Huo Shaoheng, at the same time, he smiled and turned to General Ji. ¡°Chief, we¡¯re already discussing the team¡¯s matters. For Huo Shao and Nianzhi¡¯s wedding, we¡¯ve specially set up a wedding nning team. We¡¯ll be starting work soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Haha, Shaoheng, looks like your subordinates are also loyal to you. They can even help you take care of such matters!¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze smiled together and said, ¡°Of course. Huo Shao is a good boss.¡±

    In fact, he was not only a good boss, but also a person who truly regarded hisrades as more important than his family.

    As Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinates, they were fully convinced and ready to give up their lives for him.

    Huo Shaoheng was also someone who would give up his life for hisrades at any time.

    To soldiers, they were people who could trust each other with their backs.

    ..

    After returning to the official residence from the military headquarters, Huo Shaoheng found Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin sitting in the living room.

    The father and daughter were huddled together. It was unknown what they were doing, but theyughed happily from time to time.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch. It was only two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. It was just past lunchtime.

    He hung his military cap on the hook at the entrance hall and walked in with a smile.

    ¡°Hello, Chief.¡±The orderly standing guard at the entrance hall saluted him. He was also reminding the father and daughter in the living room that Huo Shaoheng had returned.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around when she heard the voice. She saw Huo Shaoheng enter and waved at him with a smile. ¡°Huo Shao,e quickly and take a look at this Weibo. We¡¯re dying of Laughter!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng walked over and nced at the IPAD on Gu Nianzhi¡¯sp.

    The father and daughter had been reading Weibo.

    Gu Nianzhi raised the IPAD. ¡°Look, there¡¯s a blogger here with the ID ¡®is Huo Shao Nianzhi married today?¡¯It¡¯s said that he¡¯ll clock in every day until our wedding day!¡±

    Herrge eyes were dancing with undisguised excitement and joy.

    This was what it looked like to be married ¡ª the joy of a bride.

    She would only get married once in her life.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart softened. He stroked her head and smiled. ¡°Then do you want to share it with her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°Not now. We¡¯ll share it on our wedding day.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it with you.¡±

    Lu Jin patted the back of the sofa excitedly and said, ¡°That¡¯s official candy! You¡¯re going to kill your CP fans!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled awkwardly, but still held Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve been surfing too much on Weibo recently. Don¡¯t get too involved in the fandom culture.¡±

    Even the couple¡¯s fans knew about it, and there was even the official distribution of candy. When Lu Jin said these words, Gu Nianzhi was almost at a loss.

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and sat on the sofa. He smiled and looked at her for a while. The words in his heart rolled around in his mouth for a long time, but in the end, he said,¡±... What kind of wedding do you want?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head to look at him and said thoughtfully, ¡°What do you want to say? Why do I feel like you weren¡¯t talking about the wedding just now?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held his hand. ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t say to Me?¡±

    Lu Jin looked at them and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. What are you trying to hide from my girl?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2154, ¡°What Kind of wedding do you want (1)¡±.

    It¡¯s still on the third watch of the day.

    PS: $100,000 for the ¡°Penins Princess¡±kissst September, twice more.

    The third watch of the night at 9:00.

    Ask for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2155

    <h4>Chapter 2155: Chapter 2155: What Kind of wedding do you want (2)(third watch: Princess of the Penins + Alliance leader)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng was touched for less than a second when Lu Jin added, ¡°Even if you can hide it from her, you can¡¯t hide it from me! I¡¯ll reveal everything to you in no time!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her temples, wanting to drag Huo Shaoheng upstairs to talk alone.

    However, Lu Jin was staring at them with great interest, as if he wouldn¡¯t give up until he achieved his goal. He also loved her dearly, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to exclude Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin was her biological father. How could she not let her father know that she was getting married?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts raced. She leaned against Lu Jin and looked at Huo Shaoheng with a smile. ¡°Yes, Huo Shao, say what you want to say. Being secretive makes me feel insincere.¡±

    ¡°How am I being secretive? I¡¯m asking you what kind of wedding you want. Isn¡¯t your wedding the most important thing for women?¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled charmingly and his voice was deep and maic.

    Gu Nianzhi was almost blinded by the sudden smile on his handsome face. She quickly closed her eyes and shook her head.

    After she calmed down, she opened her eyes and said seriously, ¡°Who told you that your wedding is the most important thing for women? You¡¯re being too vague.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±Lu Jin was someone who would praise his daughter regardless of the asion, he red at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°Why do you care about what other women care about? You should care about what mydy cares about the most! ¡°You came up and said ¡®You Women¡¯as if you¡¯ve had many women before. You gave me an overview of all the women in the world!¡±

    Now it was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s turn to rub his forehead.

    He thought about it and decided not to argue with a person with an extremely high IQ like Lu Jin. He wouldn¡¯t be able to win anyway.

    And there seemed to be something wrong with what he had just said.

    He immediately apologized sincerely, ¡°I was wrong, I shouldn¡¯t have said that. But nianzhi, do you really not care about your wedding?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said word by word, ¡°What I care about the most is whether you¡¯re honest with me. It¡¯s not a formal wedding.¡±

    ¡°Of course the wedding is important, but I won¡¯t give up something more important just for a formal wedding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng came back to his senses and looked deeply at her. He decided to tell her the whole story and let Gu Nianzhi decide what to do.

    This was their wedding, and she had all the rights to speak.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up and said, ¡°Yes, there¡¯s something. Nianzhi, Uncle Lu, shall we go upstairs to the study?¡±

    The study at his official residence was one of the most secure and confidential ces in the country.

    Gu Nianzhi perked up. ¡°Is there really something wrong? ! That¡¯s Great!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng clenched his small fists. His slender fingers were tender and tender. He held her hand in amusement. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Lu Jin put the IPAD on the sofa and followed.

    When they reached the study, Huo Shaoheng closed the door and sat down on the sofa in the middle of the study.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin sat across from him and looked at him curiously.

    Huo Shaoheng was having a headache again.

    He looked at the father and daughter and thought for a while, then decided to start from the beginning.

    He told Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi about general ji asking him to question them today.

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi knew everything except for the execution of Keven, so there was nothing to hide.

    Most of what he said was from 18 years ago, and he had hoped that Lu Jin could help him sort out the clues.

    Huo Shaoheng added,¡±... Uncle Lu knows about the experiment 18 years ago. Gu Xiangwen only contacted my uncle after youmunicated with Gu Xiangwen here. He hopes that our country will start the same experiment.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded slowly and looked at Huo Shaoheng with a strange gaze. It was obvious that he was thinking about something.

    Gu Nianzhi waited by the side for a while. Her mind was spinning, and she was eager to give it a try, but she hesitated.

    Huo Shaoheng saw it and raised his hand. ¡°What does Nianzhi want to say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blinked. She looked at Lu Jin and then at Huo Shaoheng. She stuttered, ¡°I don¡¯t have any big ideas. It¡¯s just that the reason I heard you say just now feels a little familiar.¡±

    ¡°Familiar?¡±Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°Which reason did I give you? Familiar with what?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t dare look into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes again. She looked down at the floor and unconsciously dug her fingers into the sofa, she said, ¡°You¡¯re the one who said that after the ident, Huaxia¡¯s development in this area hasn¡¯t improved. It¡¯s like they¡¯ve been locked out of this technology for 18 years.¡±

    ¡°HMM, what does that look like?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked up quietly, her long eyshes fluttering rapidly. It was a swallow¡¯s tail after the rain, drawing a shocking line in the azure sky.

    She gathered her courage and said, ¡°When I was in that world, my father once... Once... used a problematic experimental design to lock in the development of the Japanese in that world¡¯s biological genes for more than 30 years.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, do you still remember?¡±? ¡°My father once used apletely wrong experimental design to lead Ishihara Baisan over there, and even the entire Japanese country¡¯s biological gic engineering research, to a dead end, thus blocking their progress in biological gic engineering.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly startled, but he quickly remembered.

    He focused his gaze on Lu Jin.

    He was such an unreliable person, such a person with a serious interpersonal disorder. However, more than 30 years ago, he had used a carefully designed experiment to lock down the development of Ishihara Baisan, or rather.., the entire Japanese country¡¯s biological gic engineering in that world.

    For more than 30 years, the Japanese country had made no progress in biological gics. It waspletely different from the Japanese country here.

    China, on the other hand, had encountered the exact opposite.

    Someone had interfered with their experiments and locked in on the progress of China¡¯s research in high-energy Physics for 18 years!

    Gu nianzhimented, ¡°My dad is still the best. He let the other sideg behind by 30 years and still hasn¡¯t made any progress.¡±

    What she meant was that China had only been locked in for 18 years, and had now made a breakthrough in the area of high-energy physics that had been locked in.

    Inparison, Huaxia had done better.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, did not feel relieved at all.

    He frowned slightly and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t connect the two things in the past. Now that I think about it, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a connection between the two?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She subconsciously grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said uneasily, ¡°Huo Shao, what do you mean? My Dad won¡¯t...¡±

    She was worried that Huo Shaoheng would think that Lu Jin had something to do with the failure of the experiment and the Big Bang 18 years ago.

    After all, when the experiment wasunched that year, it did indeed have an indelible rtionship with Lu Jin, who was still in the other world at that time.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately knew that Gu Nianzhi had misunderstood. He shook his head and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the third watch of the day: chapter 2155, ¡°What Kind of wedding do you want (2)¡±.

    It was still the third watch of the day.

    PS: for the ¡°Penins Princess¡±who was promoted to presidentst September.

    Please ask for a monthly ticket and a rmendation ticket

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2156

    <h4>Chapter 2156: Chapter 2156: What Kind of wedding do you want (3)(the first request is for a monthly ticket rmendation)</h4>

    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked nervously at Huo Shaoheng. Her eyes were full of vignce and uneasiness. She even tilted her body slightly to block Lu Jin, as if Huo Shaoheng was holding a gun in his hand, if she didn¡¯t do this, Lu Jin would be shot to death by Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng felt a little ufortable when he saw this.

    However, he was moreposed than his peers and was also a soldier on the special front. Not only did he not show his emotions, but even when he did, no one knew what he was really thinking.

    Therefore, his expression did not change. He only had a funny expression on his face. He tilted his head and raised a hand to point in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction.

    Lu Jin was very touched.

    He was also a potential genius in psychology. He knew better what a person¡¯s subconscious body movements meant. This was a more urate indicator of a person¡¯s true thoughts than their facial movements.

    He tilted his body slightly to block in front of him. No matter which theory was used to exin it, it meant that he was ¡°Protecting¡±him, so that his father could resist his husband¡¯s determination and will!

    Lu Jin knew that he was exaggerating. However, his own daughter was so good. What did it matter if he exaggerated a little?

    He happily poked his head out from behind Gu Nianzhi, he smiled smugly at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Shaoheng, you saw it, right? My daughter is so protective of me. Don¡¯t overthink it. My daughter respects me and loves her elders!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He wasn¡¯t overthinking it. Your Lady was overthinking it.

    Huo Shaoheng cursed silently in his heart, but he still had to maintain his smile on the surface, he exined, ¡°Nianzhi, what I mean is, if these two things are rted, and uncle Lu isn¡¯t the point of connection, then who is the one connecting the two things?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed, and she blurted out,¡±... Japanese?¡±

    The country that Lu Jin had locked onto the development of biogics and technology in the opposite world was Japan.

    If there really was a connection, then the country that had locked onto the development of high-energy physics in Huaxia was also Japan.

    Only then could it be said that the two things were rted. Of course, this was only Huo Shaoheng¡¯s guess.

    Gu nianzhi finally understood and heaved a sigh of relief.

    The rm was lifted, and she became lively as well. She stood up, walked over to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side, and sat down. She hugged his arm and said, ¡°You scared me to death just now!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her hand, and his empty heart was instantly filled with her.

    This girl had a huge impact on him. It really felt like ¡°One thought of heaven, one thought of Hell.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to look at her with lingering fear. He ran his fingers through her slightly sweaty hair.

    If Lu Jin hadn¡¯t been staring at him like a tiger, he would have kissed her.

    Lu Jinughed as he watched Gu Nianzhi Act coquettishly at Huo Shaoheng. He was very satisfied with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s unconceble doting and joy towards the girl next to him.

    He leaned back on the sofa and rxed his entire body as he crossed his legs, he said proudly, ¡°You¡¯re right to be doted on! I have no other requirements for you. As long as you continue to dote on my girl, your matters in the future will be my matters. I will definitely help you to the end!¡±

    Even someone as calm andposed as Huo Shaoheng could not help but feel his heart palpitate when Lu Jin said this.

    This was too tempting.

    But was he someone who would betray his feelings for Nianzhi for the sake of profit?

    Of course not!

    Huo Shaoheng simply put his arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, uncle. Not only will I spoil nianzhi, but I¡¯ll also teach her a lot of things so that she won¡¯t feel bored living with me.¡±

    This was much more interesting to Gu Nianzhi than simply spoiling her.

    She had lived by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side since she was 12 years old, and had long been used to learning from him.

    Smart people liked to try new things, and Gu Nianzhi was no exception.

    She couldn¡¯t help but look up and kiss Huo Shaoheng on the side of his face. She smiled and said, ¡°Huo Shaoheng, are you going to teach me how to be a person?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He was indeed going to teach her how to be a human being.

    The wedding would begin immediately after.

    A hint of a smile shed across Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. He no longer avoided Lu Jin¡¯s presence and lowered his head to kiss Gu Nianzhi on the lips.

    Lu Jin looked at her with a smile and rubbed his hands together. He said, ¡°Well, after you get married, you have to quickly give birth to a child. I¡¯ll take care of it for you! I promise I¡¯ll feed him scientifically!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Feed?

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows impolitely. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not enough for you to feed me, the Pink Piggy. Do you still want to feed other piggies?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already old enough. You Don¡¯t Need Daddy to feed you anymore.¡±Lu Jin sighed. ¡°Daddy only wants to help you raise piggies.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes twitched. He said lightly, ¡°My son is not a piggy. If you call him a piggy, none of you are allowed to feed him.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng faintly and let out an ¡°OH¡±in a low voice. She said, ¡°Are you so sure that he¡¯s your son?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Son, if you have another daughter, don¡¯t you like it when a little girl has an older brother who can love her and take her around?¡±Huo Shaoheng quietly ced his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft waist. if she dared to say ¡°No¡±.., he would dare to tickle her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi did not notice Huo Shaoheng¡¯s next move at all. Instead, she was attracted to him and said, ¡°An older brother taking his younger sister around? Ahhh, I like it so much!¡±

    Lu Jin was also very satisfied. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! ¡ª mister, son, have another daughter, I¡¯ll take care of them for you!¡±

    ¡°Dad, we¡¯ll hire professional nannies. You just have to see them often.¡±Gu Nianzhi spoke as if she had already given birth to two children and was waiting for them in the next room to watch.

    ¡°What kind of nanny is more professional than your old father? !¡±Lu Jin¡¯s eyes widened, he rolled up his sleeves. ¡°I¡¯ll start working as an intelligent robot NANNY RIGHT NOW! Just you wait! In 16 months, the Intelligent Robot Nanny No. 1 will officially start working!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was calmer than the two of them. He said lightly, ¡°It would be great if we had an intelligent robot nanny, but I think it¡¯s better for babies to interact with people. No matter how good an intelligent robot is, it¡¯s still a machine.¡±

    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why they¡¯re only helping me with chores. I¡¯ll make sure I¡¯m with piglets... little dolls 24 hours a day.¡±Lu Jin almost raised his right hand to swear.

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and said with a smile, ¡°Stop, Stop! We can talk about this in six months. Let¡¯s talk about what¡¯s on Huo Shao¡¯s mind now.¡±

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng and refused to let him go. ¡°Then why are you hesitating? What does what you¡¯re saying have to do with our wedding?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2156, ¡°What Kind of wedding do you want (3)¡±.

    It was still delivered at three o¡¯clock today.

    Second Watch, 1 pm, third watch, 9 pm.

    Today is thest day of the double monthly ticket

    If you have a monthly ticket, Vote Now! ! !

    PS: thank you, ¡°Enigmayanxi¡±, for the 10,000 starting points you gave me yesterday.

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2157

    <h4>Chapter 2157: Chapter 2157 you can tolerate it, but I can¡¯t tolerate it. (chapter 2157 I am immortal Turtle + 2)</h4>

    Finally, the topic came up.

    Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath and pulled his arm out of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms. He sat up straight and spoke slowly. His voice was steady and had an indescribable allure. Of course, it was for Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Nianzhi, since you have to ask, I won¡¯t hide it from you.¡±

    As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he averted his gaze from Gu Nianzhi¡¯srge, ck and white eyes.

    He said, ¡°As you know, the recent events are not only rted to Ms. Song, but also to you and me.¡±

    ¡°Director Lu¡¯s deduction is that the mastermind is targeting Huaxia¡¯s past, present, and future. Although it¡¯s an exaggeration, based on our analysis, it makes sense.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you and I can represent the past, present, and future of Huaxia. I¡¯m saying that the purpose of the mastermind is to destroy the foundation and foundation of our country.¡±

    ¡°This foundation can be you, me, her, or anyone in Huaxia. As long as they can make a significant contribution to our country, they will be among the targets of the mastermind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and said angrily, ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I hope we don¡¯t let this mastermind go. Besides, they¡¯ve been stirring up trouble behind the scenes for so long, it¡¯s time for them to pay the price!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t help looking over and saw that her bright eyes were even brighter than the stars in the sky. They were so twinkling that it made people want to hold them in their hands and p them with Starlight.

    ¡°You also think they should pay the price?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu nianzhi said without hesitation, ¡°Eighteen years! From the time the experiment failed, they had already lived happily for eighteen years!¡±

    ¡°Can you endure it?¡±She tilted her head to look at Huo Shaoheng and said seriously, ¡°If you can endure it, I can¡¯t either.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stroked her head and his fingers slid down her glossy ck hair. He paused for a moment before retracting them, he smiled and said, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t stand it either, so I¡¯ve decided that after our wedding, I¡¯m going to set up a n to lure out the mastermind and catch them all in one fell swoop!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi let out a sigh of disappointment and said, ¡°Is this why you wanted to say something but didn¡¯t? Are you worried that I won¡¯t be happy that you¡¯re going on a mission right after we get married?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±... Yes.¡±

    Although it wasn¡¯t, Gu Nianzhi thought it was more or less the same.

    He felt more and more guilty and threw his previous ns far away. He was determined to give Gu Nianzhi the most unforgettable wedding.

    After all, it was a once-in-a-lifetime wedding. He couldn¡¯t let her have any regrets.

    Huo Shaoheng was still thinking about what kind of surprise he wanted to give Gu Nianzhi that she would never forget for the rest of her life. However, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes.¡±... Nianzhi? Do you have anything to say?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a sweet and obsequious smile. She curled her slender index finger and gestured at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over and slowly inched closer to her. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, please don¡¯t think too much of what I¡¯m saying!¡±He said carefully and with a fawning expression. His big, Bright Eyes rolled around, looking extremely lively.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded with a smile. ¡°Speak.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists. She was a little nervous, but also very excited.

    Would Huo Shao agree to it?

    Or would he think she was being ridiculous..

    After all, it was the wedding that he had been asking for so long..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes flickered. When Huo Shaoheng was close enough, she casually fiddled with the tight windbreaker on his neck, she whispered, ¡°Huo Shao, I was thinking that our wedding would be grand, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that his expression did not change, so she mustered up her courage and said, ¡°After today¡¯s live broadcast, I think the whole world should know, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±Huo Shaoheng snorted and said in a low voice.

    ¡°Then the mastermind also knows, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He suddenly felt that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s tone was a little strange. It was as if she was in the middle of a trial and was questioning him as if he was the defendant.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was getting more and more excited. Her sparkling eyes seemed to have bewitching magic.

    She continued, ¡°If the mastermind really wants to target us, do you think they¡¯ll be so kind as to let us have a perfect, uninterrupted wedding?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±! ! !¡±

    He suddenly understood what Gu Nianzhi meant. He couldn¡¯t help tightening his grip on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s small hand.

    Gu Nianzhi pouted in pain.¡±... Huo Shao!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng came back to his senses and quickly held her hand and rubbed it. He held it to his mouth and blew on it. He said repeatedly, ¡°Does it still hurt? I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t control my hand.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of Lu Jin from the corner of her eye and was even more embarrassed. She took her hand back and said angrily, ¡°Listen to what I have to say...¡±

    ¡°Okay, you say it, I¡¯ll listen.¡±Huo Shaoheng took a step to the side and crossed his legs. One of his arms reached out to the back of the sofa behind Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s soft white fingers rested on her lips, she said thoughtfully, ¡°That¡¯s what I think. They won¡¯t let us have a peaceful wedding anyway. Why don¡¯t we use this to defeat them instead?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He smiled and said, ¡°How can you be sure that they won¡¯t let us have a peaceful wedding?¡±

    ¡°Do you need me to tell you that? They¡¯ve been plotting for so many years and are still safe and sound. They can still continue to cause trouble. It shows how confident they are and how arrogant they are about their abilities.¡±Gu Nianzhi scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s time to teach them a lesson. Not only will they know why flowers are so red, but they¡¯ll also know how flowers grow!¡±

    Lu Jin was very excited to hear this. He didn¡¯t wait for Huo Shaoheng to speak before interrupting,¡±... they¡¯ll also know how flowers grow? How can we let them know? It¡¯s more difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult. Of course, we¡¯ll just have to pull them out by the roots.¡±Gu Nianzhi made a gesture of pulling the grass. She raised her chin slightly and looked askance at Huo Shaoheng, she said, ¡°What do you think? Huo Shao, do you dare to use your wedding to lure them out?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng closed his eyes and thought to himself, has this little girl be a demon already?

    How would she know what his n was?

    What was even more infuriating was that she had already nned to give up, but she had actually stirred up his heart with just a few words..

    As expected of the sessor chosen personally by Speaker Long of the upper house of the Senate. He was so perceptive and quick-witted that even the dead could speak eloquently. It would be a waste if he didn¡¯t stay in the Senate.

    He suppressed the excitement in his heart, huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°You do have a big heart, but don¡¯t you want a one-of-a-kind, perfect, and pure wedding? This is the only wedding you¡¯ll have in your life. I don¡¯t want you to have any regrets.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi felt a warmth in her heart as she listened. She smiled at Huo Shaoheng, and her little finger quietly hooked onto his finger.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly smiled, she said softly, ¡°Of course I want to... but is it okay if I want to? would those people let go of such a good opportunity? Especially since Keven and Zuo Qinghong just died here. They must be furious, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course they¡¯re furious,¡±Huo Shaoheng said softly. ¡°Not only are they furious, but they¡¯ve also used many of their spies to create obstacles for us. Now that we¡¯ve targeted them and eliminated them, I think they¡¯re going crazy.¡±

    ¡°But they haven¡¯t beenpletely eliminated yet. So as long as the mastermind is here, these people will be like leeks in the spring, one cut and another cut.¡±Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, ¡°And I have a feeling that the mastermind knows our situation very well. He¡¯s not a country, nor is he an organization. He should be alone, even if he has the mobilization power of a country or organization.¡±. ¡°He¡¯s indeed a very powerful opponent.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and leaned over to kiss her. ¡°The feeling is the same as mine. I think it should be the same person, and we should have met this person before.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Met? ! Who? You know who it is? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t remember every single person I¡¯ve passed by in my life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked away speechlessly. ¡°Then why did you say you¡¯ve met them? If I had, I would definitely remember!¡±

    She pointed at her head. ¡°This is the camera¡¯s memory!¡±

    ¡°It might not be someone you¡¯ve met before.¡±Huo Shaohengughed. ¡°You were only two years old eighteen years ago, and you only came here eight years ago. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±

    ¡°So, are you going to agree or not?¡±Gu nianzhi shook Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm, her eyes filled with unconceble excitement, ¡°I really want to give it a try! The thought of making those people suffer at your wedding and mine makes me want tough with my hands on my hips!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Miss, yourughter is very unique.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng was nomittal, she continued to encourage him, ¡°Also, I think this is a unique, perfect and pure wedding for you and me! ¡°I can¡¯t be the only one who thinks this is unique, perfect and pure. Only the two of US think this is a wedding that belongs to us!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had never known that he would feel so good when he was connected to someone.

    Although he never cared whether others could understand him or not, when such a person really existed, he understood why, philosophically speaking, humans were animals of society.

    Because humans were naturally gregarious animals that yearned to be understood and able tomunicate with each other.

    He waspletely honest with Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, this is what I thought from the beginning. I wanted to use our wedding to do something to draw out the mastermind.¡±

    ¡°But General Ji told me that I couldn¡¯t let you down. You wanted a pure wedding, not something that involved my work and missions.¡±

    ¡°I thought about it again and again and felt that what he said made sense, so I changed my mind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and her big eyes were full of understanding andprehension. ¡°This is the topic you changed your mind about?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Yes, I finally thought it through. If you want to get married, then get married. Don¡¯t do so many other things.¡±

    ¡°But you convinced me again. Yes, even if we wanted a pure wedding, the mastermind wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi snorted coquettishly. ¡°So, who wants him to agree? Who does he think he is? I have the final say on my wedding. If I say I¡¯m going to dig a hole at the wedding, he¡¯ll have to jump in obediently!¡±

    Her nimble and graceful little face was so soft that she only wanted people to dote on her.

    Huo shaoheng tugged at his cor and felt a little hot.

    ¡°Okay, you dig the hole, I¡¯ll help you shovel the soil.¡±Huo Shaoheng held her hand and rested his head on hers. He smiled and said, ¡°After all, it¡¯s a once-in-a-lifetime wedding. You have to dig this hole properly!¡±

    Lu Jin watched with interest as gu nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng pulled and pulled at each other as if he didn¡¯t exist. He didn¡¯t feel embarrassed or angry. Instead, he was very happy.

    He finally saw the other side of Huo Shaoheng when he was with his own daughter. As an old father who had poured his heart and soul into his daughter¡¯s lifelong happiness, he could finally set his heart at ease.

    As he listened, he couldn¡¯t help but raise his hand and say,¡±... actually, it doesn¡¯t matter. Who said that our Nianzhi will only have one wedding in her life? She¡¯s my daughter. She can have as many weddings as she wants. That won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°You said that she can have as many weddings as she wants. Is she going to marry someone else?¡±Huo Shaoheng tilted his head and looked at Lu Jin with a cold gaze.

    ¡°As long as she wants to.¡±Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°As her father, I don¡¯t mind, so don¡¯t mind.¡±

    The veins on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead popped out.

    As a father, of course he wouldn¡¯t mind, but as a husband, how could he not mind? ? ?

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as I¡¯m here, Nianzhi won¡¯t have to hold a second wedding.¡±

    ¡°What if you¡¯re not around? You¡¯re ten years older than my daughter, and scientifically speaking, women live ten years longer than men on average, so...¡±

    Lu Jin was about to start exining the longevity index of different genders.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly changed the topic. ¡°Dad, do you think the mastermind will definitelye to our wedding and cause trouble? If we want to be on guard, can we?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s attention was drawn away again. He thought about it carefully and said, ¡°In terms of probability, the probability that the mastermind will make a move on your wedding is about 80% .¡±

    ¡°Huh? Only 80% ?¡±Gu Nianzhi did not hide her disappointment. ¡°I thought it was at least 99% .¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡±Lu Jin waved his hand. ¡°Besides, they have the book of changes and Chaos Mathematics to assist them, so the probability is actually lower.¡±

    ¡°Because the book of changes and Chaos Mathematics are based on the objective foundation of excluding human emotions to point you in the direction of action. ¡°So if they listen to the book of Changes and chaos mathematics, the probability of them causing trouble will be lower.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not bad.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly let go of her hesitation, she said happily, ¡°If they choose not to do it, then I¡¯ll have a perfect and pure wedding. If they do it, then I¡¯ll have a unique wedding!

    ¡°So no matter what they do, I Won¡¯t lose out!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second tip of the day: chapter 2157, ¡°You can bear it, I can¡¯t bear it.¡±.

    The 100,000 starting coins for the chief of ¡°I am Master Oogway¡±will be sent twice.

    It¡¯s still in the middle of the night.

    9:00 p.m. on the third.

    Today is thest day of the double monthly ticket

    There are monthly votes cast Oh! ! !

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2158

    <h4>Chapter 2158: Chapter 2158: When You¡¯re feeling down, you have to let it go. (chapter 3: Coldsteel Grace + President)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what to say.

    After a while, he shook her hand and said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you can think like that. You¡¯re really enjoying yourself.¡±

    ¡°Of course. You have to look on the bright side of things. You can be happy for a day, but you can be unhappy for a day. Why Don¡¯t you just Let Yourself Be Happy?¡±Gu Nianzhi made a face, she looked at Lu Jin. ¡°Lookse from the heart. I still want to stay young forever! Right, Dad? Is there any scientific evidence?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded abruptly. ¡°Of course there is! Do you know why couples look more and more alike? It¡¯s because humans unconsciously learn from each other¡¯s words and actions. As time goes by, their words and expressions be more and more alike.¡±

    ¡°Although facial features are determined by genes and will not be automatically changed, the pattern of wrinkles can indeed be controlled by oneself. They can even learn from each other¡¯s strengths to make up for their weaknesses

    ¡°Therefore, you will find that if there is a long distance between couples in terms of looks, then those with higher looks will gradually be less and less attractive. And those with lower looks will be more and more attractive. This is a mutual learning, learning from each other¡¯s strengths to make up for their weaknesses

    ¡°This is also why I¡¯ve always believed that marriage is best when you¡¯re in the right social ss. The right social ss refers not only to one¡¯s economic ability and social status, but also to one¡¯s genes and appearance.¡±

    ¡°In a word, an unequal marriage is not happy. Even one¡¯s appearance needs to be equal. Otherwise, would you be willing to lower your standard of appearance? This will really happen.¡±

    Huo shaoheng interrupted lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Whimsical idea¡±and said lightly, ¡°Uncle Lu, marriage is a matter between two people. It¡¯s fair to exchange what you have for what you don¡¯t have.¡±

    Lu Jin tilted his head and thought for a moment, he nodded and said, ¡°It can be counted.¡±. People who were good-looking but had poor economic and social conditions would marry people who were good-looking but had good economic and social conditions. They would not climb up the socialdder. Instead, they would use their looks as a price in exchange for economic and social status. ¡°I¡¯m just asking for mercy!¡±

    He sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing the two of you don¡¯t have this problem. You¡¯re equally good-looking. Even if your faces are simr to each other¡¯s, it will be a win-win situation and both of you will look better and better.¡±

    ¡°As for economic conditions and social status, my girl is not worse than you. She¡¯s even a little better than you, but she¡¯s just so-so.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Even though Gu Nianzhi was used to beingplimented by Lu Jin on so many asions, she still went overboard today.

    Her delicate little face flushed slightly as she whispered, ¡°Dad, stop bragging. In terms of social status, I can¡¯t even catch up to Huo Shao even if I tter him...¡±

    As for economic status, she didn¡¯t even dare to mention it. She was afraid that it would agitate Lu Jin and he woulde up with some ridiculous way to ¡°Earn money¡±.

    ¡°Why not?¡±Lu Jin stared at her, ¡°Young Lady, you have some potential! You are the chosen sessor of Speaker Long! The Senate¡¯s upper house speaker will be you in the future! What about him? At most, he will be General Ji, right? Isn¡¯t he on the same level as you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. She wanted to say something, but Huo Shaoheng secretly squeezed her hand. Gu Nianzhi immediately shut her mouth.

    Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Lu is right. In terms of society, we are indeed on equal footing. I¡¯m not even as good as Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s good that you admit it. My girl doesn¡¯t mind letting you take advantage of her.¡±Lu Jin stood up proudly, ¡°Alright, you two can discuss the wedding. If there¡¯s anything I can help you with, just let me know. I¡¯m going to design my intelligent robot nanny!¡±

    With that, she excitedly pushed open the study door and left, not wanting to stay any longer.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Jin was rushing out to give her and Huo Shaoheng some space to spend time together.

    She leaned into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words and mumbled, ¡°Even though my dad has a rtionship disorder, he¡¯s never been inconsiderate to me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought back to the sentence ¡°Women live ten years longer than men on average.¡±He pursed his lips and decided not to argue with her.

    He patted Gu Nianzhi on the back and said gently, ¡°It¡¯s not that uncle Lu doesn¡¯t understand. He probably feels that... There¡¯s no need to think about anyone other than you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. My father is really sick. I¡¯ll make sure he takes his medicine.¡±Gu Nianzhi also remembered what Lu Jin had said earlier to make huo shaoheng ¡°Worried.¡±She quickly put her hand on his chest, she helped him catch his breath up and down.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s entire body tensed up because of her hands. He had no choice but to carry her and return to the bedroom to ¡°Catch his breath.¡±.

    ..

    In a vi in the imperial capital, a woman sat in a dark room. She watched the live recording of the Senate inquiry over and over again, and her expression grew colder and colder.

    Keven was dead. He was actually dead. How could he be dead? ? ?

    She had used the book of changes to set up numerous divinations, and she had used chaos mathematics to calcte many times. All of them indicated that there was a very high probability that Keven would be safe in China!

    Even if something happened, with his background and identity, as well as the ability and power of her backer, he would definitely be able to rescue Keven!

    The probability of something really happening was so small that it could be ignored. Otherwise, why would she send Keven to China?

    So where were the variables?

    Where were the variables that made the probability of something happening so small?

    She closed her eyes and tightly gripped her clothes. She felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe, and the expression on her face had be distorted.

    Keven¡¯s ident had not only dealt a great blow to her emotions, but it had also dealt a heavy blow to her professional ability.

    This was her capital to settle down and survive. How could she make a mistake?

    After a long, long time, it was already dark outside. Only then did she open a corner of the curtain to take a look.

    The trees outside were very dense, blocking out the sky and the Sun. The Stars and Moon in the night sky could not be seen.

    She let out a long sigh and turned on the light. Looking at the tea room that she had decorated, she took out the yarrow grass stick again and began the ¡°I Ching¡±divination.

    A few minutester, she came up with a divination ¡ª no divination.

    No divination, heaven under the Earth.

    Divination: no bandit, not good for a gentleman¡¯s chastity, big to small.

    She flipped through the divination and did not speak for a long time.

    Aftering out of the tea room, she went to wash her hands, sat in the dining room, and ate alone.

    Under the pale light, her thin back looked very lonely.

    After eating, she picked up the pu¡¯er tea and drank it. Her middle-aged servant came over to clean up the dishes and chatted with her.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry for your loss. I¡¯m waiting for you to take revenge on Mr. Keven.¡±

    The woman nodded, as if she had a great desire to confide in him. She said softly, ¡°I just divined a divination.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What divination did you get? Is there any sign of revenge?¡±The middle-aged servant¡¯s eyes lit up, and she stopped what she was doing.

    The woman frowned slightly and said, ¡°No divination.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Yes, whether the divination is a bandit or not is not good for a gentleman¡¯s chastity. The bigger the case, the smaller the case.¡±

    The middle-aged servant was dumbfounded. ¡°Madam, I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    The woman smiled, lowered her head, and took a sip of tea, she said calmly, ¡°The meaning of this divination is that people¡¯s interactions have been blocked. It¡¯s not good for a gentleman who sticks to the right path, and it¡¯s not suitable for him to do big things. However, he can still stir up a storm by looking at the small things.¡±

    Hehe, just like what she did, because she has never been a gentleman who sticks to the right path.

    In her view, this divination is good for a viin, but not a gentleman.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the third watch of the President today: chapter 2158, ¡°Qi is not smooth, to go along with the Qi.¡±.

    For the ¡°Cold Iron Grace¡±presidentst July to be promoted to the president of the president of the more sent.

    It¡¯s still in the middle of the night.

    Today is thest day of the double monthly ticket

    There are monthly votes cast Oh! ! !

    Thank you so much. * * * * *

 Chapter 2159

    <h4>Chapter 2159: Chapter 2159 Little Ah Ke¡¯s best man outfit (first and foremost, monthly pass)</h4>

    After winter had passed, the temperature gradually rose.

    March passed in the blink of an eye, and the beginning of April and summer soon arrived.

    It was the evening of the weekend again. The sunset was clear, and the trees on the side of the road had grown tender green branches and leaves. They were not yet overwhelming, but they were already tall and slim, and had the scenery of midsummer.

    Gu Nianzhi led Ah Ke, a short-legged dog, and jogged on the sidewalk.

    She was dressed in camouge sportswear, and her long, slender, white legs were like a running deer. Even her big, watery eyes were like the bright eyes of a deer. They were big and pure, and lookedpletely harmless.

    Of course, everyone who knew her knew that this was just an illusion.

    Her fighting ability was not something that those stupid, simple deer couldpare to.

    Little Ah Ke had not walked with Mama for a long time, and was so excited that he was almost going crazy.

    When he saw someone walking over, he pounced on them and sniffed around. If he did not smell them, he would bare his teeth and bare his little paws on his short legs.

    However, his legs were too short to support such a difficult movement, so he always identally fell to the ground.

    He got up and shook his fur. He was a good dog again.

    Gu Nianzhi still had to pull on the leash, or she would really be dragged into the ditch.

    Because of the good weather, there were many people walking around the headquarters of the special operations forces after dinner.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi stumble around with a short leg, everyone couldn¡¯t help butugh and fight to greet her.

    ¡°Chief Gu, are you walking the dog?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded and shed the leash in her hand.

    ¡°Good evening, chief Gu.¡±

    ¡°Good evening.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    ¡°Have you had dinner, chief Gu?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made an OK gesture. ¡°Yes, I have! The orderly made dinner today, it¡¯s not as good as Huo¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu, you look really good in your camouge tracksuit, but your tracksuit shorts look a little awkward to me...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled. ¡°You can tell? These are Huo Shao¡¯s camouge pants. I cut them into sports shorts. Shh! Don¡¯t tell him!¡±

    Everyone looked at the flowing threads on the side of the shorts and averted their gazes at the same time.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t care at all. She smiled and led Little Ah Ke along the sidewalk of the special operations forces headquarters to the empty field in front of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office building. They ran a fewps around the track on the side of the field, finally, she stopped panting and wiped the sweat off her forehead with a small white towel hanging around her neck.

    She let go of Little Ah Ke¡¯s leash and little ah ke dashed like an arrow towards the entrance of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s office building.

    Unfortunately, it was blocked at the entrance.

    Of course, pets were not allowed to enter the building.

    Poor Ah Ke had been thrown into the military camp to train military dogs for a year by Huo Shaoheng, causing it to develop cognitive impairment. It had always thought of itself as an out-and-out military dog and especially liked to listen to orders.

    That was why it was always persistent in pouncing into the building, wanting to carry out missions like other serious military dogs.

    Gu Nianzhi followed behind with a smile and bent over, holding her knees and holding her waist as she panted heavily at the door.

    Huo Shaoheng walked out of the office building and saw a short-legged dog pouncing on him like an arrow.

    He subconsciously dodged to the side.

    Chen Lie, who was walking behind him, was immediately pounced on.

    He instinctively hugged the furry thing. When he saw it clearly, he realized it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pet, the Corgi. He immediately wanted to throw it to the ground.

    However, the dog was like a spirit, clinging onto his fat neck and refusing to let go.

    Chen lie groaned and patted little ah ke, saying, ¡°You like me so much, do you want to be inocted? Oh right, nianzhi, has your Corgi been immunized?¡±

    Little Ah Ke¡¯s ears perked up. He kicked Chen Lie with all his might, and Chen Lie stumbled backwards, almost falling to the ground.

    Little Ah Ke took advantage of this opportunity to slip out of his arms and escape with his little butt.

    Huo Shaoheng walked quickly to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and pulled her to her feet. ¡°Don¡¯t run so fast after eating, it¡¯s bad for your stomach.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and stood beside him. She looked at Chen Lie and smiled. ¡°Brother Chen, you can¡¯t even Dodge Ah Ke?¡±

    ¡°This stinking dog is getting fatter and fatter! Why Don¡¯t you try it? It can flip you over if it pounces on you!¡±Chen Lie red at her and rubbed the bump on his waist.

    Gu Nianzhi cupped her hands and smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll apologize on behalf of Little Ah Ke. Brother Chen is a magnanimous person, but our little ah ke is still young...¡±

    ¡°Still young? He¡¯s already two years old, right?¡±Chen lie scoffed. ¡°For a dog, two years old is considered an adult dog.¡±

    ¡°... I mean, he looks very small.¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows and deliberately argued with Chen Lie.

    Chen Lie was furious. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to piss me off! This kind of dog can only grow so big, how small can he be? !¡±

    Gu nianzhiughed and circled Huo Shaoheng. She hid in his arms and made a face at Chen Lie, as if to say, ¡°What can you do to me?¡±.

    Chen Lie wanted to be angry, but he couldn¡¯t get angry when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s infectious smile. Heughed.

    The three of them walked together to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Thest rays of the setting sun shone beautifully, and the sunset was like thest ray of sunlight. It was so beautiful that it stretched the three of them.

    Gu Nianzhi looked back and sighed. ¡°The weather is so nice. I love this kind of evening.¡±

    She could almost smell the fragrance of the grass in the air.

    Little Ah Ke ran back and circled around the three of them.

    Because Huo Shaoheng was there, little ah ke did not dare to run around without a leash. He jumped around obediently, as if he was taking a small step.

    Chen lie teased Ah Ke and asked with a smile, ¡°On your wedding day, Will Little Ah Ke also have to go on stage? After all, he was a gift from President Putin¡¯s son!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She had already forgotten about that.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of the cute little boy who looked like a doll. She pursed her lips into a smile and said, ¡°When the timees, brother Chen will just take little ah ke as his best man, right, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said in all seriousness, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll get someone to make the same best man costume for Ah Ke when I get back.¡±

    ¡°What? ! No Way!¡±Chen lie immediately wailed like a ghost, wishing he could shut his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. Herughter was as clear and moving as a silver bell.

    Huo Shaoheng looked ahead with a smile. The wedding was in five months, and the wedding dress hadn¡¯t been decided yet. Would he go to Europe with Nianzhi for a fitting in a few days, or would he have a European costume designer fly over to give her a fitting?

    The venue for the wedding was still under investigation. There had been five targets to choose from before, but now there were only two. It was better for Nianzhi to make a choice.

    The first batch of guests had just been announced. They had excluded many foreign leaders who wanted to attend, and only the heads of China and Russia had been retained. Those who had been politely rejected needed him to personally write a letter of thanks, he also gave them a set of handmade figurines that had been meticulously prepared for the wedding.

    The wedding room and honeymoon trip were also under nning.

    He had to make it clear to Nianzhi not to run around after work every day. There were many things that needed her to make a decision.

    Huo Shaoheng had already prepared the entire n in his mind. He turned his head and saw that Gu Nianzhi had disappeared.

    He stopped in his tracks, and his back broke out in cold sweat.

    When he turned around, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    It turned out that Gu Nianzhi was typing on her phone with her head down. He didn¡¯t know who she was talking to.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over to take a quick nce and happened to see Gu Nianzhi replying to her wechat moments.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had already sent a thumbs-up message to her old friend, dimir, who was the second-inmand of the KGB.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) , dimir: ¡°Nianzhi, you¡¯re not going to send us an invitation to your wedding? ¡ª the driver, Ivan, is crying on the steering wheel!¡±.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the first chapter of the day: Chapter 2159, ¡°Young Ako¡¯s best man costume¡±.

    It¡¯s the second chapter of the day.

    The second chapter is at 9:00 pm.

    PS: thank you to ¡°Cold Iron Grace¡±for the $200,000 starting point.

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2160

    <h4>Chapter 2160: Chapter 2160: Mrs. Gu always keeps her word (second update: President Xi Bu +)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi smiled widely as she quickly left a message on dimir¡¯s reply.

    Nez here (Gu Nianzhi) : [ I¡¯ve sent an invitation to your boss. Will you guys note along? ].

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) : [ who¡¯s The Boss? ].

    Nez here (Gu Nianzhi) : [ your President... Dog Head. JPG ].

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) : [ ... ].

    The driver, Uncle Ivan, also left a message on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wechat moments.

    Blue¡¯sst good driver (Ivan) : [ Nianzhi, are you really not going to send me an invitation to your wedding? I might be able to get a free ride. I¡¯m just a driver. If you don¡¯t send it to me, I won¡¯t be able to go... crying. JPG ].

    The middle-aged driver then sent a series of crying emojis that flooded his wechat moments.

    Gu Nianzhi had actually prepared an invitation for them. She joked with them for a while before replying: [ the invitation was sent yesterday. Please check and ept it. Wee to my wedding. I¡¯ll be waiting for you. ].

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) : [ Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah! Is this true? ! Nianzhi, you¡¯re too kind. I¡¯ll Always Love You! ].

    Thest good driver of Blue (Ivan) : [ Nianzhi, I knew you wouldn¡¯t forget our old friends! If possible, I want to take you on the red carpet! ].

    The Committee of State Security (KGB-RRB- : [ get loShe she has a biological father, and she wants a monster like you to take her on the red carpet! If. if possibIe, i¡¯ll take her on the red carpet! ].

    Ivan, the driver, was about to start a fight with his superior.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly replied tofort the two of them.

    Nez here: [ Alright, both of you, calm down. I still have something to ask for your help. Don¡¯t just remember to fight and forget your job. ].

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) : [ ... I suddenly remembered that I still have a report to write. Goodbye, Nianzhi. See You at the wedding! ¡ª dimir isn¡¯t online. ].

    Thest good driver of the Blue (Ivan) : [ ... Nianzhi, dimir is lying to you. He never writes reports. Ever since Lyna died in the line of duty, he has thrown everything to his subordinates. He probably won¡¯t be able to keep his position. ].

    Nez here: [ ... ].

    After the conversation ended, Gu Nianzhi looked up and saw Huo Shaoheng standing in front of her, also looking at her phone.

    She suddenly felt the shame of being publicly executed.

    Gu Nianzhi put away her phone as if nothing had happened and smiled. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you.¡±Huo Shaoheng turned and walked alongside her. ¡°You sent the two of them an invitation yesterday?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly and nodded. ¡°Yeah, aren¡¯t we going to stir up the water? We have to put some bait out...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and smiled. ¡°You put too much bait in. I heard that the ¡®rtives¡¯of your college ssmates have also asked for invitations from the organizing team, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I heard they did. I just told them that the total number of invitations is only so much. They can distribute it themselves. Even if it¡¯s a human head beating a dog¡¯s head, they still have to volunteer, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s smile was almost identical to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Chen Lie was led by Little Ako as he ran forward, panting. He turned around and saw that the two of them were far behind. He waved at the two of them and shouted, ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and leave! You still have things to do tonight!¡±

    ..

    Actually, it wasn¡¯t just the ¡°Rtives¡±of her college ssmates who were beating around the bush to ask for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding invitation. There were also many people she knew or didn¡¯t know.

    The subordinates of the Senate, her colleagues who had worked at thew firm, and even Jin wanyi, who had fought against her in court, had called her specifically to congratte her on bing a bride, at the same time, they also tactfully expressed their desire to attend her wedding.

    Gu Nianzhi was very familiar with Jin wanyi¡¯s attitude of not getting up early without benefits, and was also waiting for her to ask for her wedding invitation.

    After politely declining several times, gu nianzhi said, ¡°Lawyer Jin, you really think too highly of me. If you really want to participate, I¡¯ll have my secretary send you two invitations. May I know your mailing address?¡±

    Although an electronic invitation card was very convenient, Gu Nianzhi still chose a paper one in order to muddy the waters.

    It was easier to forge a paper invitation card than an electronic one.

    Jin wanyi finally managed to convince Gu Nianzhi to let go, so of course she wouldn¡¯t be picky about such trivial matters. She immediately reported her mailing address.

    After she called Gu Nianzhi, she called Yi Xinyan again and said with a smile, ¡°Demoness Yi, I got two invitations.¡±

    Yi Xinyan, who had been waiting in front of her phone the whole time, immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you five million, and you give me both invitations.¡±

    ¡°Witch Yi, these two invitations are hard toe by... are they only worth five million? ¡°If I attend personally, the connections I make are not something that can be measured by five million. ¡°I can earn so much just by fighting awsuit now.¡±

    Jin wanyi said calmly. She waspletely not as shabby and timid as before.

    Yi Xinyan was feeling ufortable in her heart. When she heard that, she scolded in a low voice, ¡°Then keep it for yourself! In the future, I won¡¯t look for You for ourpany¡¯s matters. You Go look for someone who can give you five million to fight awsuit.¡±

    As she said that, she hung up the phone without hesitation.

    Jin Wanyi was stunned for a moment. She thought that she was just asking for a sky-high price. It would be fine if the other party returned the money on the spot, but she actually hung up without a word..

    She pursed her lips and dialed Yi Xinyan¡¯s number again. She smiled apologetically and said, ¡°Great Demoness Yi, can¡¯t you even joke?e. It¡¯s a fixed price. One million for an invitation.¡±

    Yi Xinyan deliberately thought about it for a while before she pretended to be unwilling. ¡°Alright then. Compared to two invitations worth five million, one million is still worth it.¡±

    In fact, Yi Xinyan knew very well that Jin Wanyi was right.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding invitation was now very difficult to obtain in all of Huaxia.

    This was because the number of invitations they had was said to be fixed. If you had one, others would have one less.

    And everyone wanted to attend in person because the VIP guests inside were too high-end. Other than political leaders, there were also celebrities in the business world. It was said that there were even big stars performing songs and dancing.

    The connections that could be connected, the friends that could be made, and the news that would be exposed in the world could immediately raise your assets and your circle of friends to a whole new level!

    After settling the matter of the invitation, Yi Xinyan put away her phone and sat on the sofa under the thick, soundproof, and radiation-proof navy blue curtains. She propped her head up expressionlessly.

    After a while, she stood up and called her superior, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve received an invitation. What are Madam¡¯s next instructions?¡±

    The person on the other side said calmly, ¡°Madam has gone abroad and is not in the country. I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡±

    Yi Xinyan was very surprised. ¡°Madam has gone abroad? When did this happen? Then our n... ?¡±

    ¡°The n will go on as usual.¡±The voice on the other side was like a robot¡¯s voice, without any fluctuation, ¡°Now that Keven and Zuo Qinghong are gone, there are vacant seats in Huaxia. If you perform well, we can consider you.¡±

    ¡°AH? ! Really? !¡±Yi Xinyan was surprised and happy. This was really a pie falling from the sky!

    She knew the rtionship between Keven and Madam, and she didn¡¯t think that she could rece him.

    ¡°Madam always keeps her word.¡±

    ..

    Two dayster, Jin Wanyi received the invitation, and immediately sent someone to forward a copy to Yi Xinyan.

    Yi Xinyan saw the beige invitation with a silver edge, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

    It was really luxurious. It didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of the pitiful look of the little orphan girl from back then who ¡°Looked at the house¡±..

    She could tell that the silver border on the invitation was not normal silver, but a precious metal. Just this invitation alone would cost hundreds of dors.

    Counting the number of invitations, it was already an astronomical figure.

    A typical rich person¡¯s entire wedding would probably only be worth the money Gu Nianzhi spent on this wedding.

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s face contorted at the thought of this.

    When she was alone, her gentle and elegant mask waspletely torn off, and hatred welled up in her heart.

    She felt that she had to do something, or she would really go crazy!

    Themercial overture for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding was yed over and over again on the television.

    Under the vast green trees, the bride, dressed in white muslin, looked back and smiled, like an elf in the forest that had slowly disappeared.

    In the lively and festive ancient courtyard, the bride in the traditional Chinese wedding dress had a wedding veil over her head. She was holding onto a red silk ribbon as she stood on her back in the wedding hall.

    On the other end of the Red Silk Ribbon was a handsome man in a military uniform. There was only his back.

    However, that waist, that leg, and that back that was like a ck panther that was ready to attack. There was no need to look at her face. Just looking at her back was enough to make a woman die a small death..

    Then, there was the wedding rehearsal that was like a walkingntern, the meticulously decorated new house with a sea view, and the congrattory words of the leaders of various countries. It was just like the Spring Festival G celebrating the New Year. The only thing missing was the congrattory message from the Overseas Chinese..

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s heart was burning with anger as she looked at it. She threw the remote control to the ground and smashed it into pieces.

    The television came to an abrupt stop. It was finally not noisy.

    Yi Xinyan let out a long sigh, but her phone was not letting her go. It was ringing.

    She looked down and saw that it was Dou Aiyan¡¯s phone.

    She unlocked her phone and answered the call. She said inly, ¡°Aiyan, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Dou Aiyan did not hide her jealousy. ¡°Witch Yi, did you see the advertisement for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding? Isn¡¯t it just a wedding? She¡¯s about to ascend to the throne and be the Queen!¡±

    ¡°I saw her wedding was so high-profile. She must be living a miserable life after she gets married!¡±She cursed maliciously. She could not calm herself down if she did not do this.

    She used to be an orphan. How could she bepared to the daughter of the Prime Minister?

    She could trample on her however she wanted?

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, Huo Shaoheng would be my brother-inw now! My sister died alone overseas, but she actually held a wedding in public! Does she have any shame? !¡±

    ¡°Xinyan, do you know? It¡¯s women like this who climb up from the bottom that are the scariest. They used to be so sullen, but now they¡¯re so domineering. I¡¯m not going to attend her wedding. Do I have to give my face to her? !¡±

    Yi Xinyanughed coldly. ¡°You make it sound like you can go if you want to. Do you have an invitation? There¡¯s no point inpeting without you!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second big chapter of the day: Chapter 2160, ¡°Madam always keeps her word.¡±.

    It was the second chapter of the day.

    The red packet for ¡°XI bu¡±was sent to the big boss in October.

    Thank you so much! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2161

    <h4>Chapter 2161: Chapter 2161: Pretend I don¡¯t exist? (first update)</h4>

    Dou aiyan almost vomited blood after hearing Yi Xinyan¡¯s words. She threw her phone away and the crystal clear sapphire phone screen smashed into the corner of the table and broke into pieces.

    She couldn¡¯t care less about her phone. She howled to the sky, trying to vent the anger that she had nowhere to vent.

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s situation was no better than hers.

    She couldn¡¯t calm down in her own room. She took her car keys and rushed out of the house to the road to race.

    Only the fast speed of the car could calm her unbnced heart.

    The next day, after going to work, Yi Xinyan had returned to her usual calm ¡°Witch¡±style. She was preparing the materials for today¡¯s meeting in her office.

    After a busy morning, she came out of her office and was about to go to the staff kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

    As soon as she entered, she saw the young female employees in thepany standing in groups of twos and threes in front of the hanging screen TV, pointing and pointing enviously.

    Yi Xinyan nced at it and saw that it was another advertisement for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding. No matter how calm she was, she couldn¡¯t help but frown.

    However, the young female employees didn¡¯t know how to restrain themselves and spoke louder and louder.

    ¡°Sigh! Chief GU is really a winner in life!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! I¡¯ve never seen a woman as happy as chief Gu!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s tall and beautiful, has an outstanding job, is already in a high position at such a young age, and has a fianc¨¦ who is also in a high position!¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, this fianc¨¦¡¯s looks are so good that even a big celebrity can¡¯tpare to him!¡±

    ¡°Ha, I knew it! A real handsome man wouldn¡¯t want to be a celebrity, let alone a major general! Major General Huo, Hehe...¡±

    The speaker didn¡¯t mean what he said, but the listener did.

    Yi Xinyan felt as if those words were pping her face one by one. She was so angry that her hands were unsteady. Her hands trembled, and a few drops of ck coffee spilled out of the coffee cup and fell on her pure white professional suit, it was so ring and ugly.

    It was just like her life. It was supposed to be bright, but with just a small mistake, she was met with a disaster..

    She poured out all the coffee in her hand in frustration. She walked out of the staff kitchen with a straight face and went back to her office to get her Hermes handbag, she took out her phone and called her boss. ¡°Victor, I¡¯m not feeling well today. I need to take a few days off.¡±

    Her boss had a good rtionship with her and agreed immediately. He also told her to remember to see a doctor if her condition worsened.

    Yi Xinyan felt a little better. She thanked her boss with a smile and left thepany in a hurry.

    When she returned to her ce, she took out a bottle of vodka and made a smoked salmon sandwich. She drank while eating.

    After eating, she felt a little tipsy and Dizzy. She couldn¡¯t think, so she felt better.

    She leaned back on the chaise longue and held her IPAD, wanting to watch a video to pass the time.

    When she opened the video, she realized that it was Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding advertisements. They were everywhere.

    She felt suffocated. She felt that even though the world was big, she had nowhere to run.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a wedding! Why does it have to be like the presidential election? !¡±

    Yi Xinyan mmed the IPAD in her hand onto the ground. The hard tiles were all crippled, and only one corner of her IPAD was broken.

    Yi Xinyan propped her head up and hugged her knees as she sat on the chaise longue. She clenched her other hand tightly.

    She nned not to watch TV or use her phone for the time being. She nned to find a cruise ship and stay at sea for a few days.

    The inte on a cruise ship was very expensive, and the signal was very poor. She might not have to hear the disgusting name Gu Nianzhi.

    She kept her word and immediately found a cruise agent she was familiar with. She called him and said, ¡°Are there any cruise ships going to sea soon? I want to book a room.¡±

    The person on the other sideughed happily, she said, ¡°Yes, Miss Yi.¡±. Ourpany has justunched Huo Gu¡¯s travel route. As long as you are major general Huo and chief Gu¡¯s fans, we will automatically give you a 10% discount! It can be considered as our travel agency expressing our gratitude for major general Huo and chief Gu¡¯s marriage.¡±

    ¡°F * ck you!¡±Yi Xinyan was fuming. She smashed her phone again.

    In the past few days, she had already smashed three phones.

    She was in an extremely agitated mood and did not want to go out anymore. She simply went to the bedroom to find sleeping pills and took one to get a good night¡¯s sleep.

    ..

    The publicity for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding this time was truly all-epassing.

    Gu Nianzhi was too embarrassed to go to work.

    Fortunately, her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s faces had been blurred in the advertisements, and only their figures were clear. Her and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s faces were not well-known to everyone at the moment.

    When they walked outside, it was difficult to recognize her and Huo Shaoheng unless they were familiar with each other.

    However, it was precisely because they knew each other that she felt even more awkward.

    When she got home from work in the evening, she saw Lu Jin sitting in the dining room with a box of yogurt in his arms. He was looking at the wedding advertisement on the wall-mounted television. He was ted.

    Gu Nianzhi sat down opposite him and rubbed her forehead. ¡°Dad, is this really necessary? It¡¯s already been more than a month. It should be enough publicity...¡±

    ¡°This is a psychological blow to the people who hate you and Shaoheng the most. So you have to do it to the extreme, to be mboyant and insufferably arrogant. Only then can you provoke them and make them lose their footing.¡±

    This first wave of advertising was Lu Jin¡¯s idea. Of course, it was also mixed with his own selfish motives.

    He wanted to let the whole world know that his girl was going to marry in a grand fashion!

    Huo Shaoheng also agreed tacitly, because he also wanted the whole world to know that Gu Nianzhi was going to marry him.

    Who dared to have designs on her again? Think about Huo Shaoheng, who was behind her!

    During dinner, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s grandmother¡¯s family, the Xie family, also called from France to congratte the two of them. They also asked when their invitations would arrive.

    Huo Shaoheng had prepared the invitations, but had not sent them to the Xie family yet.

    He hadn¡¯t expected them to take the initiative to ask for them.

    Huo shaoheng smiled and said, ¡°I was just about to send them. Are they going to France?¡±

    The person who called was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uncle, Xie Beichen.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Send them to New York, the United States. My family is on vacation in New York. We n to go straight to your ce after our vacation and wait for the wedding.¡±

    Before hanging up, he said, ¡°My family can¡¯t leave for the time being, so I¡¯ll send you a big present overseas.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t know what was going on at first, but a dayter, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s field office in New York sent him a message saying that his and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding advertisement had been ced in Times Square in New York.

    Of course, the wedding advertisement that was ced abroad didn¡¯t have Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng as the male and female leads at all. It only had two professional actors who looked very simr to the two of them, and their faces had been blurred.

    Therefore, the Xie family bought therge LCD screens around Times Square in New York for four months until the day of their wedding.

    Not far from Times Square, there was a newly built high-rise residential area.

    In the penthouse of a building in the middle, a woman in a nightgown stood in front of the French window and frowned as she looked at therge LCD screen facing her.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there? is that the wedding advertisement for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    A middle-aged servant bowed and said respectfully, ¡°Yes, Madam.¡±

    ¡°Go to the management of the building over there and tell them that I don¡¯t want to see that advertisement. How much would it cost to take it down?¡±

    The middle-aged servant hurried to make a call.

    After a while, she came back with a slightly surprised expression. ¡°Madam, the management said that someone else bought the advertising time and spent a high price to buy it for four months. If they want to take it down, they¡¯ll have to pay double the fine.¡±

    Madam¡¯s face was livid. She snorted coldly and said,¡±... the momentum is great. Do they really think that I don¡¯t exist?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2161, ¡°Pretend that I don¡¯t exist?¡±.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update of the big chapter was at 9 pm.

    PS: Thank you, ¡°Sib 602¡±, for the 10,000 starting point coins that you gave yesterday.

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2162

    <h4>Chapter 2162: Chapter 2162: Please do not bring any cheat (second update: Cold Iron Grace + Alliance Master)</h4>

    The middle-aged servant had never seen the madam lose her temper like this.

    She had always been gentle and gentle, easily turning her enemies into ashes.

    She had also said that the most important thing for a woman was her posture. Even if she was defeated, she must remain elegant and calm. She must not throw a tantrum and roll around like a small boat that could not be overloaded. She was no different from a shrew in the marketce.

    But now, her face was livid. The corners of her mouth were curled downwards, and she kept shivering. Her cheeks were twitching, and thew marks on both sides of her nose were deeply revealed. She looked much older all of a sudden.

    The middle-aged servant could not help but remind her, ¡°Madam, why don¡¯t you try another divination?¡±

    This madam came back to her senses. She looked up and saw the mirrors hanging everywhere in the house. She saw her ferocious face and was shocked. She touched her face with her hands and gently patted it. After a long while.., just faintly said: ¡°The book of changes should not be too frequent divination, a month ago just up, to my advantage, half a year can not rise again, up also useless, but will dilute the previous divination.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well, then, mydy, would you like to have some refreshments and take a nap?¡±said the middle-aged servant gantly.

    The Lady Thought for a moment, nodded, ¡°Well, give me your best glutinous rice dumplings, bigger, do two.¡±

    The middle-aged servant bowed and hurried to the kitchen.

    Thedy sat back on the sofa and thought for a while. She got up and went to her room to put on her VR helmet and sses. She entered therge-scale game ¡°Your Life¡±, which was called Your Life in English.

    It had been a long time since she had been here. She looked up at her surroundings. She did not have much equipment, but each piece was exquisite. It was indeed different from when she had just started.

    Her mood was a little better. She randomly picked a scene and just wanted to go in as a passerby to watch and rx.

    In the end, when she went in, she saw the system announcement ced on the window above everyone¡¯s heads.

    [ all yers ] : Hello, everyone. This game is to give everyone a real life experience. Please don¡¯t bring any cheats! Please don¡¯t bring any cheats! Please don¡¯t bring any cheats!

    The moment this announcement was made, the yers were all dumbfounded.

    You need to bring cheats to y a daily life game? ? ? ?

    It¡¯s not a chicken versus chicken game, is there a need for that? ? ?

    This madam was also very speechless.

    This kind of game was biased towards life. So What If you brought cheats?

    It wouldn¡¯t let you earn a penny more. The system didn¡¯t have this setting.

    But soon she found that she was very wrong.

    Because she used the identity of the system admin to find the scene of suspected people with a plug-in, she wanted to see what it was like to have a plug-in in this kind of game.

    There were many suspicious scenes of a plug-in, she chose a scene in it.

    It was a university ssroom, she stood in a very spacious lecture room, a white-haired professor lecturing on the podium.

    There were many students under the lectern. Most of them were listening to the lecture attentively, but there were also a few students doing their own things.

    This was also amon sight in ordinary universities. Even Harvard University, the world¡¯s number one Ivy League University, was full of students who did not listen to the lecture.

    Thedy sat down disapprovingly and nned to listen to a lecture to calm her nerves.

    She listened for a while and realized that the professor was talking about biological gic science.

    On the ckboard was the gene editing diagram of a fruit fly.

    At this moment, a handsome, tall Asian man stood up and asked, ¡°Professor Smith, May I ask if the gene editing method can cure congenital gic defects?¡±

    The white-haired professor was wearing reading sses. He lowered his head slightly and looked at the boy who was asking questions from the top of his sses, he said, ¡°Theoretically, it¡¯s possible, but please remember that it¡¯s only theoretically possible. ¡°In terms of gene editing to cure congenital gic defects, it¡¯s theoretically possible, but it¡¯s a million miles away from reality. At this stage, the possibility is almost zero.¡±

    ¡°Why? We all know that theory guides practice, and theory can be summarized from practice. Since it¡¯s already theoretically possible, then it¡¯s actually possible, as long as we find a suitable method.¡±

    ¡°For example...¡±the man revealed a charming smile, ¡°I know that you are a data person created by the system. As long as I can find your data, I can copy you. This is much easier than gene editing, isn¡¯t that right, Professor Smith?¡±

    The white-haired professor did not seem to realize that someone would ask this question. He was stuck for a moment and stood on the podium in a daze. After a while, he said, ¡°I am not a data person.¡±

    There were npcs and ordinary yers listening to the lecture. When they heard this, they all raised their heads and looked at the boy who stood up in surprise.

    Those who had good news were already knocking on the table and hitting the stool. They reached their hands into their mouths and even whistled. It was very lively.

    The white-haired professor was still seriously refuting that person, ¡°I¡¯m not a data person. I¡¯m a biology professor.¡±

    However, after he said a few words, the boy who stood up suddenly stretched out his hand and tapped a few times in the air.

    Even a real yer could see that the control panel on the VR scope was being pulled out and the conditions were being determined.

    After a few minutes, a person who looked exactly like the white-haired professor on the podium suddenly pushed open the ssroom door and walked in.

    Then the second, third, fourth..

    More and more white-haired professors walked in. Not only was the podium crowded, even the empty space in the lecture hall was filled with white-haired professors.

    The scene looked a little strange.

    The madam looked at all this and frowned, thinking that this was a cheat?

    Couldn¡¯t the system just delete the banned words and delete the ount?

    And it had to be broadcast all over the station?

    Theseputer programmers who did system maintenance were really terrible.

    She cursed in her heart. Just as she was about to click on the control panel to exit the game, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

    Because she could not bring up the control panel!

    In the VR window, the small circle in the upper right corner that showed the loading progress was constantly rotating, but she could not bring it up.

    What was going on?

    The madam focused for a moment and suddenly understood.

    She took a deep breath.

    The ssroom door was still being pushed open, and an endless stream of white-haired professors kept pushing in.

    They indeed looked exactly the same, even the wrinkles on their faces were no different.

    This was a copy and paste, how could there be any difference?

    The white-haired professor was the core of this scene. Although he was an NPC, he was the only one who had the game settings for this teaching scene.

    The system was constantly copying the white-haired professor, and it took up a lot of resources!

    Just like the Macro virus that appeared in Excel, it instantly put you into an endless loop. Other than repeating it over and over again, this type ofrge-scale boss-type NPC also took up a lot of CPU¡¯s working resources.

    Thisdy felt that she could hear theputers in the mainframe room running crazily. Oneputer¡¯s CPU was not enough, and the otherputer¡¯s CPU had idle resources, so they could quickly make up for it.

    This was originally the principle ofplementing each other in the system database, which could disperse the system¡¯s ability to withstand pressure.

    But here, this principle was used in reverse. Gradually, theputer cpus scattered in otherputer rooms were also upied.

    On this side, the white-haired professor¡¯s copying and pasting had not stopped. Therge staircase ssroom was filled with people, and at a nce, it looked like a sea of white hair, normal student yers and student npcs were almost drowned in the vast sea of white hair.

    ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop copying!¡±

    Some yers were frightened by this strange scene, but like this madam, they could not get out. They could only watch as they were squeezed until they could not breathe.

    Just when everyone felt that their hearts were about to explode, the system finally reached the brink of self-protection.

    ¡°Fatal bug in Scene 03045612, unable to be fixed.¡±

    ¡°The system forcibly deleted, the system forcibly deleted, the system forcibly deleted.¡±

    Finally, after the game¡¯s programmers had failed to use any other methods, they activated the ultimate protection method ¡ª unplugging the power source.

    In the distant control room, the programmers¡¯curses could be heard.

    ¡°How many times this month has it been? !¡±

    ¡°Our scenes have been almost destroyed!¡±

    ¡°The previous code can¡¯t be used! Once used, it will repeat the Bug! I really don¡¯t know which big shot made the plug-in!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simply devastating!¡±

    The game¡¯s chief engineer looked at the ck screen in front of him. After a long time, he muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the plug-in used by that person looks familiar?¡±

    ¡°Familiar with what?¡±

    ¡°The mode that he copied is the chessboard with rice, and thest square is the second square of the first square.¡±

    ¡°And the chessboard has a limit. Our system doesn¡¯t have a limit.¡±

    ¡°So his copying can be endless in an instant,mandeering all of our cpus!¡±

    ¡°Then what else can other people y? ! Give it to him alone!¡±

    The chief engineer punched theputer desk hard.

    The young people around him looked at each other and suddenly felt a little excited.

    ¡°Boss, could it be that person?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±The middle-aged chief engineer in his forties asked at the top of his voice, ¡°Tell me clearly, who? !¡±

    ¡°Pink Piggy!¡±The young programmers¡¯eyes were almost popping out pink bubbles. ¡°This year is the year of the pig. Pink Piggy is back in the game, right? !¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This is the second major chapter of the day: Chapter 2162, ¡°Please Don¡¯t bring a plug-in.¡±.

    It¡¯s the second major chapter of the day.

    This is the second major chapter of the ¡°Cold Iron Grace¡±major league in October.

    Thank you so much. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Chapter 2163

    <h4>Chapter 2163: Chapter 2163: the person who caused the problem (first update)</h4>

    ¡°Pink Piggy? !¡±The middle-aged chief engineer hissed as if he had a toothache, ¡°No way? How long has it been since Pink Piggy came out... why would he suddenly cause trouble in our game?¡±

    The code name ¡°Pink Piggy¡±waspletely unknown to ordinary people.

    But in the eyes of those top programmers and international hackers, it was a god-like existence.

    Although the federal intelligence agency of Germany had never admitted it, there were already rumors circting in the circle, saying that ¡°Pink Piggy¡±had once dug up the ¡°Ancestral grave¡±of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany alone..

    ¡°... do you remember thest time ¡°Pink Piggy¡±appeared? It did a righteous thing, why would ite to our game to cause trouble?¡±

    Some people were uncertain and mumbled softly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you guys remember? Thest time Pink Piggy appeared in public was two years ago when our country was engaged in a cyber war with the United States.¡±

    ¡°It suddenly appeared and led the Chinese red hackers who brought their own rations to fight a beautifuleback against the United States.¡±

    ¡°Why would such a pink piggy go against us?¡±

    ¡°It has brought us huge economic losses. If we can catch this troublemaker, we can sue him in court!¡±

    Someone said indignantly. No one was in a good mood as they watched their hard work being dposed at a geometric speed.

    Thinking about it, it didn¡¯t seem to be the work of the ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯.

    ¡°But who else is so powerful?¡±The young programmer who called out ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯just now refused to give up on his intuition, pointing at theputer screen, he said, ¡°Look for yourself. Among the top programmers and hackers you know, who has such an ability?¡±

    ¡°How is this different from when he single-handedly destroyed the federal intelligence agency of Germany¡¯s internalwork system? !¡±

    ¡°Even the logicalnguage used is the same!¡±

    The person sitting next to him was used to arguing with him, he said, ¡°The chessboard theory is not some profound theory. Everyone knows it. The difficult part is how to apply it to the program. You Say it¡¯s ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯based on this. There¡¯s not enough evidence.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess! You have enough evidence. Then who do you think did it? !¡±The young man who was being criticized became anxious. He waved his fist, and the two of them almost started fighting.

    Just when the control room of the game¡¯s headquarters was in a mess, thedy also came out of the game.

    Her expression was even uglier than when she entered the game.

    Thisrge-scale game was her treasure-collecting pot, and it was also herrge-scale data collection ce.

    Her chaotic mathematics and the book of changesbined to perform the calctions. It was impossible without the parameters provided by this game.

    But now, other people had messed up, causing huge economic losses to thepany.

    This was the first time that the gamepany¡¯s profit for the quarter was going to be negative.

    This couldn¡¯t go on.

    She went back to her study, turned on herputer, and called herpany¡¯s executives to hold a remote video conference.

    Of course, she never showed up in the remote video conference. She always used an olddy¡¯s avatar to rece her, and her voice had also been altered.

    Therefore, the people in herpany, even the senior executives, did not know her real identity.

    However, it did not stop her from strictly controlling thepany.

    ¡°Today¡¯s emergency meeting was held at thest minute for the bug that appeared in the game recently.¡±The older-sounding voice was transmitted from theputer to the earphones of the senior executives.

    Her voice simtion equipment was very sophisticated. Ordinary people would not be able to tell that her voice had been altered.

    Therefore, when she spoke, everyone could not help but sit up straight, showing their respect to the elderly.

    The CEO who was responsible for the operation of the game said with shame, ¡°Thank you for your trouble. We are looking for the reason.¡±

    ¡°Why are you looking for the reason? Hurry up and find out who did it!¡±The madam reprimanded them harshly. ¡°If you can¡¯t solve the problem, you have to solve the person who caused the problem. Don¡¯t you know such a simple method?¡±

    When she said this.., the senior executive under her hurriedly said, ¡°We are already trying to find out who did it, but the other party seems to havee prepared. The login IP is hidden very well, and we haven¡¯t found out until now. ¡°Moreover, every time he logs in, he destroys the main data of an important scene. So even if his login IP isn¡¯t hidden, we still can¡¯t find out what his login IP is.¡±

    ¡°So Powerful?¡±The madam frowned. ¡°There aren¡¯t many programmers or inte hackers with this kind of strength in the world, right? You guys used the exhaustive method to investigate them one by one. In the past two months, there should be a result, right?¡±

    At this time, the chief engineer in charge of game maintenance whispered, ¡°We did think of a person today, but there¡¯s no evidence to prove it. It¡¯s just that his style of doing things is very simr. And with his ability, if there is such a person in this world who can do these things, it¡¯s only him.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡±The Madam raised her eyebrows. ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°... Pink Piggy.¡±

    When they heard that it was ¡°Pink Piggy¡±, everyone quieted down.

    The madam widened her eyes and almost cried out, ¡°What did you say? ! It¡¯s really ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯? !¡±

    She said it as if she knew who ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯was.

    The executives were all experts at Reading People¡¯s expressions and listening to their voices. Although they could not see the Madam¡¯s expression, they could tell from her voice that she did not seem to know nothing about this ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯.

    Everyone was quiet for a while before an executive probed, ¡°Madam, do you know this ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯?¡±

    The Madam¡¯s heart was in a mess, but she quickly calmed down and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s a very powerful person, but can she do such a thing now? It¡¯s been a long time since she came out, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°He has always been elusive. Who knows? I¡¯m inclined to think that he didn¡¯t do such a thing. Because ¡®Pink Piggy¡¯seems to be quite righteous. It¡¯s hard to imagine that he would do such a thing that would harm the interests of others.¡±

    As a yer, they had signed all kinds of contract statements with the yers. The statement clearly stated that using the plug-in was against the rules of the game.

    But the problem was that even if you caught the yer who used the plug-in, the only punishment was to delete his ount. There was no precedent for it to be brought to court.

    And if the other party was good, he would directly say that there was a bug in the game program and it had nothing to do with the plug-in.

    The madam quietly listened to everyone¡¯s discussion, finally, she said, ¡°You still have to strengthen the surveince. Whenever there is a problem, you have to react immediately. I hope that at the next meeting, you can tell me who the perpetrator is in real life.¡±

    The remote video conference ended. The madam turned off theputer screen and sat alone in the darkness, thinking expressionlessly, could it really be ¡°Pink Piggy¡±?

    But she was busy getting married now..

    Her wedding advertisements were everywhere, and they were on her doorstep in New York!

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: chapter 2163, ¡°Solving the problem¡±.

    Today¡¯s second update.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    PS: thank you to ¡°Sib 602¡åfor the 50,000 starting point coins she gave yesterday.

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2164

    <h4>Chapter 2164: Chapter 2164 physical disgust (second update)</h4>

    She really has the time of her life..

    Did she really think she could get marriedfortably?

    In the dark, thedy smiled sinisterly. It was a far cry from her usual gentle and humble image.

    Her fingers gripped her phone tightly, thinking that even if Gu Nianzhi got married in secret, she wouldn¡¯t let her off easily, let alone in public?

    The only thing they had inmon was that if Gu Nianzhi wanted to be unlucky in private, she would be unlucky in front of the whole world.

    She stood up and walked to the balcony. She lit ady¡¯s cigarette, took a long puff, and puffed out white smoke rings.

    She narrowed her eyes and nned her next move.

    After a while, she unlocked her phone and called the staff she had left in Huaxia.

    The moment the call was connected, her expression and tone had changed rapidly. She was no longer gentle and gentle, but cheerful with a hint of forthright. She was like a chivalrous woman who had done justice for the heavens in ancient times, making people feel subservient.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Little Yi, how¡¯s the situation at thepany? I¡¯m going to China Tomorrow. Send someone to pick me up.¡±

    The person who answered the phone was Yi Xinyan.

    When she found out that her wife had called her personally, Yi Xinyan was ecstatic.

    In front of her wife, she had always been inferior to Kevin, who had followed his wife since young. But now that Kevin was no longer around, it was finally her turn to be number one in front of her wife!

    Yi Xinyan almost instantly imagined the path of her meteoric rise in the next few years.

    Deep in her heart, she was actually unconvinced of Keven. Keven was able to be the vice president of arge internationalpany like Carlyle at such a young age, wasn¡¯t it because of the backing of his wife?

    In front of her, he was pretending to be a big-tailed wolf, a ¡°Senior elite.¡±Heh.

    The distance between her and Keven was just short of a wife.

    After hanging up the phone, she received a few code words from his wife, put on the VR helmet and sses, and entered the game.

    The real instructions that her wife gave her were in a certain scene in the game.

    After she solved the code words, she entered the game. Only by getting inspiration from the scene could she know what her wife really wanted her to do.

    They had never failed tomunicate with each other using this method.

    Because in the real world outside, whether it was a letter or an email, or a face-to-face exchange of information on the street, the possibility of being targeted by the special operations forces was too high.

    In the virtual world of arge-scale online game, the handover was the safest.

    In any case, everything in the virtual world was virtual, so there were as many scenes as needed. Even if the special operations forces chased her into the game, they would not be able to find out which Small World she was hiding in.

    Yi Xinyan opened the control panel and clicked a few times before entering the game.

    ording to the Madam¡¯s code, the scene she entered was a small tavern in Havana, the capital of Cuba.

    An old Indian woman was wearing arge shawl with a colorful geometric pattern. She sat in the tavern and looked at her with a bitter face.

    This was an NPC. After talking to her for a while, she would get clues about her next move.

    Yi Xinyan sat down in front of her and asked, ¡°What kind of wine are you drinking? Can I have a cup?¡±

    The old Indian woman said sadly, ¡°I brewed it myself. I brewed it for my daughter when she was born. I¡¯m preparing to entertain guests when she gets married.¡±

    After saying that, her eyes started to tear up.

    Yi Xinyan raised her eyebrows. ¡°This is a good thing. Why Are You Crying?¡±

    The old Native American woman wiped her tears with her hand and started to sing a funeral song.

    ¡°... my beloved daughter... She died. She died at the wedding. She died beside her groom.¡±

    ¡°The wedding turned into a funeral. Everyone was crying.¡±

    ¡°Those who love and hate you will all be gone, only death can end love...¡±

    Her tone was sad and sorrowful, the wrinkles on her face crisscrossed like ravines.

    Just looking at her and listening to her songs, most people would be infected and cry endlessly.

    But the more Yi Xinyan listened, the more excited she became, and she almostughed out loud.

    She had received instructions from the madam on what to do next.

    This was great!

    The missus was finally going to make her move!

    To be honest, in the past two months, she had been bombarded by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ubiquitous wedding advertisements day and night. For her, it had gone from a psychological stimtion to a personal attack.

    She had gone from detesting Gu Nianzhi to a physical revulsion.

    This kind of illness could be broken by the dead.

    In other words, only one of them had to die between the two of them.

    Yi Xinyan exited the game. She was in high spirits and hummed a song. ¡°I¡¯m going to marry you tomorrow.¡±She danced a light dance and walked into the kitchen. She poured herself a ss of red wine.

    She raised it and said to the empty kitchen with a smile, ¡°Happy Wedding!¡±

    She blinked her eyes and did not hide her malice.

    ..

    Thenterns lit up, and the capital in the evening was shrouded in a faintyer of twilight purple.

    Standing on the steps of the parliament building, Gu Nianzhi felt a hazy sense of the world around her.

    Gu nianzhi only took one look before she looked away. She looked at the tall, handsome man standing at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the car door with his hands in his pockets.

    ¡°I¡¯m so ttered that Huo Shaoheng took a minute out of his busy schedule to pick me up today.¡±Gu Nianzhi flew down like a little bird and threw herself into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    Huo shaoheng patted her waist lightly. ¡°You¡¯re my concubine, and I¡¯m not the emperor. Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll get jealous if you say that?¡±

    As he spoke, he pulled open the car door and held her head to let her into the car.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°How can that be? You¡¯re the Emperor, and you¡¯re My Emperor.¡±

    She put his hand on the steering wheel. ¡°Hurry up and drive, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Are you treating me like an emperor? Are you treating me like a cook?¡±He stepped on the elerator, and the ck SUV roared and whizzed out.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a contradiction. My Emperor Is My Cook, and My Cook is my emperor. It fully reflects the simple ss ideology of the people regarding food as their priority. ¡ª Huo Shao, don¡¯t look down on the Emperor and the cook. You¡¯re so difficult to deal with, you won¡¯t be able to get a wife.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi said this with a straight face, but her eyes were shining with mockery.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and rubbed her head. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more eloquent. Putting you in the Senate is like catching a mouse and throwing it into a rice vat, right?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯m a cat! A Cat! You know that, right? I intimidate the rats in the Senate!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her small fists in protest.

    Huo Shaoheng chuckled. ¡°Okay, Little Kitten.¡±

    He leaned over to fasten her seatbelt and kissed her on the cheek.

    Gu Nianzhi kissed him back and took the car home with him.

    The person behind them, who was using a high-powered remote camera to spy on the two of them, chuckled. ¡°F * ck! She¡¯s really going to get married. She can even drive a car and be sweet!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! I¡¯m so sick of her! I don¡¯t know what the two of them were talking about. If that woman smiles at me like that, I¡¯ll give her my life! I¡¯ll kill anyone who wants her life!¡±

    The person next to him put away the high-powered long-range camera and said expressionlessly, ¡°You¡¯re the one who wants her life. Do You Want to Die?¡±

    The person who was ridiculed chuckled, touched his chin and said, ¡°I¡¯m just saying. For example, don¡¯t pay attention to the details.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: chapter 2164, ¡°Physiological revulsion.¡±.

    This is the second watch of the day.

    I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry in the morning, but I¡¯ll do it again tomorrow.

    Thank you very much

 Chapter 2165

    <h4>Chapter 2165: Chapter 2165 Trash Game, Ruining My Youth (first update)</h4>

    Unexpectedly, that person gave him a contemptuous look, ¡°You talk as if you can really seed if you don¡¯t care about the details. Don¡¯t you look in the mirror? Can you beat those bodyguards around her? Do you know which bodyguards are hiding behind her other than those on the surface?¡±

    The person who was being ridiculed had a change of expression. He subconsciously looked around and realized that there was no one around. He patted his chest and said, ¡°Take your photos well. When it¡¯s time to take action, it¡¯s up to the person who pays! I want you to Whine!¡±

    The two of them argued for a while before looking up again. They realized that Gu Nianzhi and her fianc¨¦, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car, were already gone.

    Putting away their high-powered long-range cameras, the two of them sent a message to the person in front of them to continue taking photos.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng returned to the official residence of the Special Operations Forces Headquarters. It was alreadypletely dark.

    Gu Nianzhi opened the car door and got out. She smiled and shook her head. She stood at the door and waited for Huo Shaoheng to enter.

    The guard at the door raised his hand and saluted. ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    Huo shaoheng nodded slightly, ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and walked all the way to the living room before putting it down.

    Lu Jin stood in front of the sofa with a smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally back. Can We Eat Now?¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°Dad, do you want to y with Me Tonight?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head and winked at her, saying, ¡°I have something more fun to do. You can y by yourself. It¡¯s just a game. You Don¡¯t need me to apany you, right?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi walked over regretfully and asked curiously, ¡°Dad, do you have something more fun to do?¡±

    Lu Jin raised his chin at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°I¡¯m helping your fianc¨¦ with a little program. It¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin had personally written a little program that could make Huo Shaoheng ask for help. How could it not be worth mentioning?

    Even the dumbest person wouldn¡¯t believe it.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and muttered, ¡°If you¡¯re not going to say it, then don¡¯t say it. Why are you trying to fool people...¡±

    She went back to her bedroom to wash up and change into her loose andfortable home clothes. She had dinner with Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng before returning to her suite to continue ying games.

    Ever since she had used the logic of the program she had used to wipe out the federal intelligence agency of Germany, she hade up with a cheat program that was practically invincible.

    During this period of time, she had let thework administrators and programmers of thisrge-scale game run all over the ce. They were tired of running, and they felt great!

    Putting on the VR helmet and sses, she opened the control panel in front of her.

    Where should she y today?

    She carefully looked at the structure of the entire game.

    The game was divided into many levels, but in summary, it was tworge frameworks, divided into the universe and the universe.

    Zhuang zi said, ¡°The four directions are the universe, and since ancient times, the universe has been the universe.¡±.

    In other words, the universe was the structure of space, and the universe was the structure of time.

    The universe and the universe simultaneously constructed the entire game¡¯s space and time.

    ¡°... quite ambitious.¡±Every time Gu Nianzhi saw the main structure of the game, she would silentlyin in her heart.

    This was to epass all things!

    But it was precisely this kind of ambition that gave her the inspiration to re-apply the ¡°Chessboard theory¡±.

    And unlike thest time she was in the federal intelligence agency of Germany, she was ying even bigger this time.

    Why?

    Because the other party had given her a bigger structure.

    The extent to which her ¡°Chessboard theory¡±was applied depended entirely on the size of the space provided by the other party.

    That was true. The world was as big as the heart.

    Since the other party used ¡°Universe and universe¡±to build the game architecture so arrogantly, when her cheat was activated, the speed and scale of replication immediately became endless.

    For a single scene, it waspletely destructive.

    For the entire system, it could also continuously erode the avable CPU of the system, resulting in arge amount of system resources being consumed and affecting the yers in other scenes. It was like a virus that kept on replicating crazily, it was only until the programmer had no choice but to unplug the power source and restart the game.

    When the other party unplugged the power source and restarted the game, it triggered the system¡¯s hidden program, embedding the bug into the source program.

    The entire scenario would be rendered useless.

    Just like that, Gu Nianzhi removed all the existing settings in the game one by one.

    Of course, there were many scenarios in the game, so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t just remove them all at once.

    The scenes she destroyed were all the core parts of the game, and also the scenes with the most yers.

    And when an online game malfunctioned every day and couldn¡¯t get in, no matter how good the game was, it would make the yers tired of it.

    The loss of yers day by day was what truly shook the foundation of the game.

    Without yers, how could they make money?

    It wasn¡¯t a charity, so how could they spend sky-high maintenance fees to keep the game running?

    Although Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t seen thepany¡¯s ounts, based on her big data, thepany should have turned a profit in thest month.

    She was in a great mood, and opened a scenario with a smile on her face.

    This time, she had chosen C city¡¯s University.

    Four years ago, she had been released from the special operations forces in C city by Huo Shaoheng. She had passed the special entrance exam, skipped a grade, and entered C University¡¯sw school as a junior, starting her undergraduate career.

    There, she had met her first group of friends outside the special operations forces.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she looked at the simted undergraduate dormitory in C University. She had picked out a few npcs and named them green tea fang, Lady Cao, and little temptress.

    These three were her undergraduate roommates and had taken good care of her.

    After graduating from the university, they hadn¡¯t kept in touch much. It wasn¡¯t that they hadn¡¯t contacted Gu Nianzhi, but gu nianzhi had too many ¡°Skeletons¡±in her closet, so she had gradually distanced herself from them.

    Now that her identity problem had been solved, it was time for her to get close to her undergraduate ssmates.

    Gu Nianzhi was very happy as she wandered around the dormitory. She had even named this dormitory her old dormitory number.

    Shey on the dormitory bed in extreme rxation, smiling as she ¡°Flirted¡±with her three NPC roommates.

    ¡°Green tea fang,e, massage my legs. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    Green Tea Fang had a stiff smile typical of npcs. She squatted down in front of her bed and massaged her legs.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she held her hand and teased, ¡°Huh? Miss, your hands are so soft... do you want to go back with me and have a good time?¡±

    Green Tea Fang did not know how to respond to a conversation outside of this scenario. She only repeated mechanically, ¡°Hello, ssmate.¡±

    ¡°ssmate, do you need help?¡±

    ¡°ssmate, have you eaten?¡±

    ¡°ssmate, do you want to study at night?¡±

    Gu nianzhi ¡°Flirted¡±with the NPC for a long time, but the NPC kept repeating the same words.

    ¡°HMPH! A lousy game, ruining my youth!¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered and kicked the NPC. ¡°Alright, get up and kneel.¡±

    She hooked her finger at Lady Cao¡¯s NPC again. ¡°Come, Lady Cao, we haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. How have you been recently?¡±

    Although the three npcs¡¯responses were all incoherent, she was still having fun by herself.

    What she did not know was that Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin had also logged into the game at this time, but they had chosen to watch from the sidelines, so Gu Nianzhi could not see them.

    When he found out that she was alone in the dormitory, Lu Jin could not help but feel his eyes redden. He clenched his fist and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°My girl used to y alone? Didn¡¯t you guys have anyone to apany her?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He wanted to say that this was a game, and that they weren¡¯t nannies..

    But he couldn¡¯t say it out loud in front of a father who loved his daughter so much.

    Lu Jin snorted. He was about to cancel the spectator mode and go in to y with Gu Nianzhi when he suddenly saw a person walking towards him from the corridor at the entrance of the dormitory that Gu Nianzhi had set up.

    It was an ordinary-looking girl. Lu Jin could tell at a nce that this person was not an NPC but a yer.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the first update of the day: Chapter 2165, Trash Game, ruining my youth.

    It was the second update of the day.

    The second update was at nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    PS: Thank you, ¡°Enigmayanxi¡±, for the 10,000 starting coins you gave me yesterday.

    Thank you so much

 Chapter 2166

    <h4>Chapter 2166: Chapter 2166: Guess Who the NPC is. (second update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng noticed it too. He said calmly, ¡°Continue to observe.¡±

    Lu Jin had no choice but to stop his fingers that were trying to change his state. He stared unblinkingly at the girl standing at the entrance of the dormitory where Gu Nianzhi had set the scene.

    She looked at the door and gave a strange smile. She then reached out and knocked on the door.

    Gu Nianzhi was having fun and was about to start copying the npcs when she heard someone knocking on the door.

    She raised an eyebrow. This was so interesting.

    How did someone get into this very private game setting?

    Although this game was an online game, it was not easy for normal yers to gather in one setting.

    Unless it was a public ce, such as a hospital, a park, or some familiar scenic spot, very few people would be able to pick amon setting for the game.

    For example, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s university dormitory. Unless it was someone who was also very familiar with the dormitory, how could an ordinary person break in?

    It was even more impossible for an NPC. She had just built this game setting, and it was not a public setting. Would the system give her a temporary NPC?

    If that was the case, then it would be fun..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind raced. She did not pull out the cheat to copy the core NPC, nor did she get up to open the door. Instead, she yfully walked over to little temptress¡¯bed and switched ces with her.

    Little Temptress was now lying on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed, while Gu Nianzhi sat on Little Temptress¡¯bed.

    Green Tea Fang and Lady Cao were standing beside their respective dorm beds.

    The girl at the door waited for a while. Seeing that no one was opening the door, she hesitantly pushed it open.

    When Gu Nianzhi entered, she hadn¡¯t expected anyone else toe to her rather private game setting, so she hadn¡¯t thought to lock the door at all.

    The girl pushed the door open.

    The light in the door was bright and warm, very different from the dim lights in the corridor.

    The girl narrowed her eyes, as if she had been stimted by the light in the room.

    Gu Nianzhi did not move from her seat, but she was sitting facing the door, so she was able to size up the girl who had just barged in.

    She had also determined that this girl was not an NPC, but an ordinary yer.

    Then it went back to the question she had been thinking about earlier. What kind of ordinary yer could enter a private setting like hers?

    There were only two possibilities. One was that someone who was very familiar with her undergraduate life could only choose the same game setting and enter the same game setting if they had the same life experience.

    The other possibility was that this person had colluded with the game system and could monitor her setting through the system channel.

    This person was even sent by the game system.

    Gu Nianzhi had been messing around in the game for so long, she had no doubt that the game system was trying to locate her.

    This was quite interesting.

    Could it be that her former dorm mate hade to y the game as well?

    What a coincidence?

    She still sat there unmoving, but her heart was bursting withughter.

    The person quickly adapted to the light in the room after entering and quickly scanned the room.

    Gu Nianzhi keenly noticed that the girl who had pushed the door open was looking at the bed in her dorm room.

    Of course, the person lying on the bed was little temptress.

    Then she saw the girl¡¯s gaze drift toward her, and then at Green Tea Fang and Lady Cao.

    She looked around leisurely, but no one spoke in the room. The entire scene was very quiet.

    Gu Nianzhi was humming a tune in her heart as the background music. ¡°...¡±the girl did not seem to have expected this situation. She awkwardly raised her hand to stroke her hair, coughed lightly and asked, ¡°Excuse me, is this thew department¡¯s dormitory at C University?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    What the F * ck! ! She immediately asked this question. Could it really be her former undergraduate ssmate? !

    Who could it be?

    She had never seen such an ordinary face and clothes before.

    Of course, the face, figure, and clothes of the person in the game were all pre-set, so they would definitely not be the same as the person in real life.

    Therefore, it was impossible to judge a person¡¯s real identity based on their appearance.

    She could only judge them based on their conversation and behavior.

    Gu Nianzhi loved guessing games and felt even more excited.

    The girl asked a question. Seeing that no one was talking, she couldn¡¯t help muttering to herself in confusion,¡±... are all these npcs here?¡±

    As she spoke, she walked over and stood in front of the NPC, Green Tea Fang. She sized her up for a while and asked, ¡°May I ask where this is?¡±

    The NPC was triggered and began to reply mechanically, ¡°Hello, ssmate. This is the university dormitory. May I ask if you need help?¡±

    The girl nodded with a smile, ¡°Yes, what¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. Oh No, she had forgotten. She had been having a good time and had set the NPC¡¯s name.

    Wasn¡¯t this exposing her identity?

    The NPC immediately said, ¡°My name is green tea fang. What¡¯s Your Name, ssmate?¡±

    ¡°AH? You¡¯re Green Tea Fang? !¡±The girl seemed surprised and happy. She stepped forward and held her hand. ¡°I¡¯m imposter. Do you remember me?¡±

    Of course, the NPC green tea fang did not remember who the imposter was. She only replied stiffly, ¡°ssmate, do you want to help?¡±

    ¡°ssmate, have you eaten?¡±

    ¡°ssmate, do you want to study at night?¡±

    That was all she could say.

    Gu Nianzhi was secretly anxious. She immediately moved her fingers slightly and pulled up the control panel, changing the names of the remaining two npcs back.

    When the girl who had pushed the door open couldn¡¯t extract anything new from green tea fang, she turned to the NPC standing opposite Green Tea Fang with great interest and asked, ¡°What¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had taken advantage of the girl¡¯s attention on green tea fang to change the names of the other two npcs.

    The NPC said expressionlessly, ¡°My name is Passerby A, what¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    The girl was stunned for a moment, as if she had been surprised again.

    She stared at the NPC in front of her and asked subconsciously, ¡°What did you say? What¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Your Name, Passerby?¡±Gu Nianzhi had set up the NPC, Lady Cao, so she could even control the conversation. In fact, she was just typing into voice, so the girl hadn¡¯t noticed it yet.

    After asking for a long time, the ¡°Passerby¡±NPC kept repeating the conversation, which annoyed the girl. She walked past her and stopped beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed.

    Little Temptress, who was lying on the bed, slowly sat up.

    Gu Nianzhi hid her hands behind her back and continued to secretly manipte little temptress.

    The girl smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name? Do You Want Me to Guess?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tapped her fingers lightly and controlled the NPC to Type A few words. ¡°Okay, you guess.¡±

    From the NPC¡¯s mouth, she sounded like an ordinary yer.

    The girl¡¯s eyes lit up. She thought, this is definitely not an NPC. I finally caught you. She said excitedly, ¡°Is your surname Gu? !¡±

    The NPC little temptress shook her head. ¡°Why should my surname be Gu? My surname is Wang. What about you? What¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2166, ¡°Guess Who¡¯s an NPC.¡±.

    This is the second watch of the day.

    Mwah

 Chapter 2167

    <h4>Chapter 2167: Chapter 2167 was fooled (first update)</h4>

    ¡°Wang? That¡¯s not right...¡±the in-looking girl looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion. ¡°Your surname is really Wang?¡±

    ¡°Yes, What¡¯s Your Name? Are you also from our University?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be enthusiastic. ¡°Are you a student here?¡±

    The in-looking girl choked for a moment. She lowered her head and didn¡¯t know what she was doing.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, was looking at her hand attentively. She happened to notice that her right hand was half bent, and her fingers were trembling slightly.

    Was she pulling up the control panel and checking her information?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression turned cold. She immediately pulled up her own control panel and clicked on it quickly. She erased her IP address and opened the plug-in, she wanted to see who the stranger who had intruded into her game settings was.

    However, when she checked on the plugin, she found that the data on this person¡¯s position was nk!

    If she hadn¡¯t seen the person standing in front of her with her own eyes and was only looking at the game data, she wouldn¡¯t have known that there were five people in her tiny dormitory, not four!

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart tightened. She quickly closed the control panel and looked up to see the girl with an ordinary appearance looking over as well.

    The girl was obviously confused as well, but she still smiled and said, ¡°Are you a student here?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, I live here. I was very happy to see this game build a dormitory scene!¡±

    ¡°Really? Then do you know who used to live in this dormitory?¡±The girl walked over with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi was still sitting on the bed,zily leaning against the bed frame. She ran her fingers through her hair and blew on it. ¡°Who knows? This isn¡¯t a newly built dorm. How would I know who used to live here?¡±

    As she spoke, she red at the girl and said rudely, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t keep asking me. Who the hell are you? If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll kick you out! This is my private scene. I have the authority to kick out people I don¡¯t like!¡±

    The girl pursed her lips and nced around the room. Seeing that there was no ce to hide, she decided not to waste any more time.

    She still did not say who she was, but turned around and walked towards the door.

    Gu Nianzhi dragged her voice behind her and said, ¡°Remember to close the door for me! What¡¯s wrong with barging in without a sound? ! HMPH!¡±

    The girl walked out silently and mmed the door shut.

    Gu Nianzhi knew she was angry, so she smiled and curled her lips. She quickly pulled out the control panel and wiped out the three npcs. The next second, she logged out of the game.

    The girl who had just walked out walked along the corridor for a while and suddenly felt that something was wrong.

    SH * t!

    She had been tricked!

    The first person she had asked when she entered was an NPC, but she had said that her name was green tea fang!

    The npcs set up by the system did not have the name green tea fang, only Gu Nianzhi. Only Gu Nianzhi had a roommate back in the day, and her nickname was green tea fang!

    The yer who had called himself Wang was not a student at all. If she had guessed correctly, that person should be Gu Nianzhi!

    How cunning!

    She had almost fooled her!

    The girl quickly turned around and went back to the dorm room, kicking open the door.

    There had been four people in the room a moment ago, but now there wasn¡¯t a single one left.

    The lights in the room were still bright, and there were slight wrinkles on the bedsheets. It was a sign that someone had sat on them..

    But there was no one there. It was empty, as if what had happened just now had been a dream.

    The girl shuddered. She knew that Gu Nianzhi must have sensed that something was wrong and immediately backed out. She punched the dormitory wall with her fist and said through gritted teeth,¡±... Gu Nianzhi! Just you wait!¡±

    Lu Jin, who had been standing by the side, couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. He shook his arm violently and moved Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away. Then he took a step forward and turned his state from a spectator into a game. He entered the game set by Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin had chosen himself to be a university professor. He was also a professor, so his expression was very natural.

    He pushed open the door to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dormitory and said in a low voice to the girl standing in the room, ¡°Who are you? This room isn¡¯t yours.¡±

    The girl turned around in surprise and saw that it was a tall and skinny man. She quickly sized him up and sneered,¡±... Gu Nianzhi? Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know you just because you¡¯ve changed your identity.¡±

    Lu Jin raised his eyebrows. ¡°Gu Nianzhi? Who Is It? And who are you?¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending.¡±The girl suddenly smiled strangely. ¡°Anyway, as long as we¡¯re sure it¡¯s You, you won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±

    As she spoke, her figure slowly spread out in the dormitory. Her entire body turned from solid to translucent, and finally becamepletely transparent. Like Fireflies on a summer day, she glittered in the dormitory and thenpletely disappeared.

    ¡°Humph, this is baffling, you¡¯re Crazy!¡±Lu Jin opened the control panel. Just like Gu Nianzhi, there was no data on this ordinary-looking girl on his control panel.

    He did not say anything. He casually erased the scene that Gu Nianzhi had set up and left.

    Huo Shaoheng only left after he was sure that the scene had beenpletely erased.

    The two of them took off their VR helmets and sses in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study.

    ¡°Who was that woman just now? Do you have any leads?¡±Huo Shaoheng ced the two VR helmets and sses on the bookshelf.

    Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll go ask Nianzhi.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng followed him to the door of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite.

    Gu Nianzhi came out for a while and put away her VR helmet and sses. She sat cross-legged on the sofa with an IPAD on the coffee table opposite the sofa. Gu Nianzhi watched the video game and ate an apple.

    Gu Nianzhi heard someone knocking on the door and turned to look. ¡°Come in.¡±.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng walked in one after the other.

    Lu Jin asked anxiously, ¡°Nianzhi, who was the person who went to your game scene just now?¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at them suspiciously. ¡°Did you watch me y?¡±

    Lu Jin chuckled and said unnaturally, ¡°I¡¯m concerned about you. Do you need me to improve your plug-in? It can speed up and take up more CPU.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately stopped being angry and nodded hurriedly. ¡°Okay, okay! Thank you, Dad!¡±

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng took the opportunity to sit down on both sides of her.

    Huo Shaoheng said in a low voice, ¡°The girl today should be your ssmate, right?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded nonchntly. ¡°Of course. She knows green tea fang, so she must know me.¡±

    ¡°Who is it? There are no girls in your grade with surnames.¡±Huo Shaoheng ced one hand behind Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sofa and lowered his eyes to watch the video game with her.

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°How do you know? Nianzhi has a lot of undergrad ssmates, right? I know thatw departments are usuallyrge departments in the school, with more than a hundred to several hundred students in one grade.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Trust me, I remember the names, addresses, and family backgrounds of every ssmate in her grade.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart warmed. She looked up at Huo Shaoheng lovingly.

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her with his eyes. After a while, he reluctantly looked away from her luscious lips.

 Chapter 2168

    <h4>Chapter 2168: Chapter 2168 warmed up (second update)</h4>

    Only when she was truly in his heart would he remember everything about her, right?

    Even if it was just a trivial matter, he would only know what he had done for her in the past by casually mentioning it..

    But he had never mentioned it.

    If Lu Jin had not asked her today, Gu Nianzhi would never have known that Huo Shaoheng had silently cared for and protected her.

    In the years of her unrequited love, which she had once thought was hopeless, he had built a wall of love to protect her from the wind and rain.

    He had allowed her to rule the world in his circle of watchmen.

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she was eating a vani ice cream under the scorching sun. Although it was already so sweet that it had melted, the refreshing and warm feeling made her heart melt. She couldn¡¯t wait to snuggle into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms right now.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly removed his arm from the sofa behind Gu Nianzhi and wrapped it around her soft waist.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body trembled slightly. Although the expression on her face did not change, her secretly blushing cheeks revealed a hint of something.

    Only Lu Jin knew nothing about the sudden sweetness in the room. He was still thinking carefully about the identity of the ordinary-looking girl just now.

    ¡°Nianzhi, if you didn¡¯t have a fakest name in your undergraduate ss, how did you feel about the person just now?¡±

    ¡°The way she spoke, the way she acted, did she look familiar to you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself and quietly pinched Huo Shaoheng¡¯s tighter and tighter arm as she said with a smile, ¡°This is in the game, Dad. It¡¯s different from looking at a real person.¡±

    ¡°If it was a real person standing in front of me, I would recognize her even if she had changed her appearance.¡±

    Was her camera memory just for show?

    ¡°I just checked her game data, but I can¡¯t see anything.¡±Lu Jin snorted. His hands were itching topletely destroy the open source software and server of thatrge-scale online game.

    However, he also knew that therge-scale online game was an important clue for them at the moment. If they destroyed it just like that, it would be more of a loss than a gain.

    It would allow the people behind the scenes to hide even better.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she began to reason. ¡°Although I can¡¯t figure out her real identity for the time being, we can deduce it in reverse.¡±

    ¡°First of all, we can¡¯t see her data at all, not even a plug-in. There¡¯s only one reason ¡ª her data is directly hidden by the system.¡±

    ¡°This means that she¡¯s an insider of the gamepany.¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s not an ordinary employee of the gamepany, but a high-ranking official of the gamepany, or someone who has a very close rtionship with the high-ranking officials or even the behind-the-scenes boss of the gamepany.¡±

    ¡°Because only with such a strong rtionship would the game programmer or the system maintenance give her such a big backdoor.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, she knows my undergraduate student rtionship very well. Or at least she knows my former dormitory ssmate. This means that she is very likely to be a ssmate of the same grade as me.¡±

    Lu Jin interrupted at this time, ¡°Don¡¯t other students know you from other departments? My Girl is smart and beautiful. Everyone in the school should know you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    You have too much confidence in your daughter..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing and said, ¡°Dad, your daughter was very low-key when I was in undergrad. At that time, Huo Shao gave me the identity of a distant rtive who lived in C city to look after the house for his rtives...¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes instantly turned malicious as he looked at Huo Shaoheng unkindly, as if he had abused his daughter.

    Huo shaoheng, the ¡°Rtive¡±sitting next to her, coughed ufortably, he exined,¡±... Nianzhi was only 16 at the time. She was in ss with a group of third-year students, so it was better to keep a low profile. Otherwise, how would nianzhi study hard when the bees and butterflies pounced on her?¡±

    A girl who was smart, beautiful, and had a family background would definitely attract a lot of boys in school.

    Lu Jin reluctantly epted this reason, but he still felt guilty, he said, ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s all my fault. If it weren¡¯t for me, Nianzhi would have beenfortable with young master he over there, whether it was school or work. Everything would have been smooth sailing. Why would she need to keep a low profile?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Was she deliberately trying to stab him in the heart?

    Seeing this, Gu Nianzhi quickly changed the topic and said, ¡°Dad, I haven¡¯t finished my analysis yet. Do you still want to know who this girl who bragged to me that I can¡¯t escape is?¡±

    ¡°Oh, go ahead.¡±Lu Jin raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and moved to the front of the sofa, slightly avoiding Huo Shaoheng¡¯s burning arm around her waist. Only then would she be able to clear her mind.

    She stretched out her finger and continued, ¡°Based on how familiar she is with my dorm mates in the game, I still think that she¡¯s a ssmate from the same department as me, or maybe she¡¯s temporarily a ssmate from the same department as me.¡±

    ¡°This person should have cared about me back then, but she didn¡¯t. When she spoke, she couldn¡¯t even suppress the expression of wanting me to be unlucky. Even if she¡¯s a game character, I can still feel the malice and disgusting at me.¡±

    At this point, she suddenly stopped talking. After thinking seriously for a while, she shook her head and said, ¡°No, that¡¯s not right.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Not Right?¡±Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng asked in unison.

    Gu Nianzhi almost pinched her fingers to pose as a fortune teller.

    She frowned slightly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it carefully. There were actually very few people who had a hard time with me when I was an undergraduate. It was much fewer than when I went to imperial capital B University to study for graduate school.¡±

    At that time, she had met Wen Shouyi, the oddball of oddballs, in order to get into he Zhichu¡¯s graduate school.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and pulled her thoughts away from Wen Shouyi.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good? The scope is smaller now. How could it be wrong?¡±Lu Jin asked, puzzled.

    ¡°It¡¯s because the scope is smaller. There were only a few people who had a problem with me when I was an undergraduate, but these people didn¡¯t have the opportunity or conditions tomit a crime...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi blurted out all the legal jargon.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s see if they have a motive first, then see if they have objective conditions.¡±Huo Shaoheng immediately made the decision. ¡°Are there any other people I don¡¯t know who have a problem with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She had forgotten that Huo Shaoheng probably knew more about what had happened to her than she did.

    However, when it came to what had happened back then, she couldn¡¯t avoid their first time..

    With Lu Jin staring at her covetously, wanting to hear the details, Gu Nianzhi felt her face burning up.

    Huo Shaoheng turned to nce at Gu Nianzhi. Seeing her blush all of a sudden, he thought of the same thing, and his heart skipped a beat, he quickly changed the topic. ¡°I think the person who was the most difficult to deal with when you were an undergraduate was your first boyfriend, Mei Xiawen, right?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°First boyfriend? ! Nianzhi, your first boyfriend isn¡¯t Huo Shaoheng?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi waved her hand in a hurry. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t listen to Huo Shao¡¯s nonsense! Of course my first boyfriend is Huo Shao!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Although he was still sitting quietly next to Gu Nianzhi, his steel-like body was almost warmed by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

 Chapter 2169

    <h4>Chapter 2169: Chapter 2169 true woman (first update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng simply held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, he smiled at Lu Jin and said, ¡°I was indeed Nianzhi¡¯s first love. As for Mei Xiawen, I can only say that he was the catalyst for our love. If it weren¡¯t for him, Nianzhi might not have realized how she felt about me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes in her heart.

    Deep down, she had admitted that Mei Xiawen was her first boyfriend. However, when faced with the two most important men in her life, she had given up.

    She did not dare tell the truth..

    But how could there be so much truth between a couple that was either ck or white?

    For example, love for 10,000 years was something that sounded unreliable. Why wasn¡¯t everyone happy about it?

    The people who heard it also believed it wholeheartedly.

    As long as the two of them were happy, it was fine as long as they didn¡¯t offend anyone..

    Gu nianzhi rationally decided not to dwell on this issue and quickly changed the topic. She said, ¡°Since we¡¯ve already confirmed that this person is rted to my undergraduate ssmate, why don¡¯t we think of a way to find her?¡±

    ¡°How? You Don¡¯t even know herst name, how can we think of a way?¡±Lu Jin was a scientist who always thought in a straight line, and was worse at digging holes than Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng could tell that Gu Nianzhi was feeling guilty. He looked at her with a half-smile and did not expose her.

    Gu nianzhi withstood Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze and braced herself to say, ¡°I¡¯ve thought of a way, but I need your help.¡±

    ¡°No Problem! Tell me! I¡¯ll give you whatever help you need!¡±Lu Jin waved excitedly. ¡°Daddy wants to be a robot cat that will do anything you want!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Robot Cat?

    She didn¡¯t expect Lu Jin to have a hobby of watching antiques cartoons.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. She shot Huo Shaoheng a quick nce before saying seriously,¡±... I¡¯m getting married soon. I want to treat my undergrads to a meal and ask them to follow me.¡±

    ... follow me.

    Lu Jin felt like he was in a ¡°Magical world¡±when he heard Gu Nianzhi say such a down-to-earth word.

    Huo Shaoheng remained unmoved.

    He was already used to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s behavior anyway. Even if she said she wanted to learn the YANGKO, he would calmly lend her a video and let her dance along with it.

    Lu Jin looked at Huo Shaoheng a few times and saw that he wasn¡¯t shocked at all. He suppressed the surprise in his heart and asked Gu Nianzhi,¡±... so when your ssmate gets married, are you going along with them?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She said coldly, ¡°Dad, now is not the time to return the favor.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you still want your ssmate to follow them?¡±Lu Jin scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to use this method to find that person. is that person so stupid that he would be caught trying to give you money?¡±

    ¡°This is just a pretext.¡±Huo Shaoheng put his hand on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder, he exined to Lu Jin with a genial expression, ¡°And with Nianzhi¡¯s current status, even if the price was clearly marked, there would still be a lot of people fighting toe, not to mention just having everyone follow her.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him, ¡°Huo Shao, don¡¯t make me sound so snobbish. I really want to have a gathering with my old ssmates. As for following my ssmates, it¡¯s just a joke. If they cane, I¡¯ll pay for all of it. I¡¯ll pay for the transportation, amodation, and dinner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ll transfer you a sum of moneyter to treat your ssmates to a meal. Don¡¯t make them pay. What entourage? Do you really need money?¡±

    As he said this, Lu Jin even red at Huo Shaoheng, as if ming him for not giving his woman money to spend.

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed his nose and asked nomittally, ¡°Nianzhi, what do you want us to do?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and told him her n. Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡±

    ..

    One day in May, Gu Nianzhi called her undergraduate roommates, Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao.

    ¡°Green Tea Fang, I¡¯m Gu Nianzhi. Do you remember me?¡±

    Green Tea Fang¡¯s hands were shaking when she heard Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice, but she still said gently, ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t know you.¡±

    ¡°Green Tea Fang! How dare you disown me!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice suddenly went up an octave, and she looked exasperated. Green tea fang giggled for a long time.

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t tease you anymore. What business does my first seat GU have? I finally remember your old ssmate. TSK TSK, I¡¯ve been waiting for your call until the flowers have wilted...¡±

    Green Tea Fang¡¯s voice was still as gentle and refined as ever. In fact, she was very ck-bellied, and all men had been deceived by her green tea-like appearance.

    Gu Nianzhi also clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s still the same taste, the same form. Green Tea Fang, your green tea skills haven¡¯t decreased at all.¡±

    ¡°Of course. When facing an old ssmate, you naturally have to put in a lot of effort, especially in front of Chief Gu. I¡¯m afraid that if I¡¯m not careful, I¡¯ll only be able to answer ¡®yes¡¯or ¡®no¡¯.¡±Green Tea Fang sat in her office, she said as she signed the documents.

    Gu nianzhiughed and said, ¡°Okay, enough nonsense. I came to see you today because I want to treat my old ssmates to dinner. I¡¯m getting married, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    Green Tea Fang tightened her grip on the pen and drew a hard line on the paper. ¡°Get... married! ! !¡±

    She threw the pen in her hand away and stood up in a sh. She stepped on her seat and ced her hands on her hips to pose as a teapot, she shouted into her phone, ¡°You¡¯re finally talking about getting married! Where¡¯s the invitation? Where¡¯s the bridesmaids? Gu Nianzhi, I¡¯ve waited so long that my hair has turned white, do you know that? If you don¡¯t give me the invitation, if you don¡¯t Let Me Be Your Bridesmaid, I¡¯ll break up with you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eardrums were about to burst from green tea Fang¡¯s loud roar.

    She quickly took her phone away, she dragged out her voice andughed, ¡°Alright, of course I¡¯ll give you the invitation... The four of us in the dorm are so good, how can I not give you the invitation? ¡°But before my formal wedding, I want to treat my undergraduate ssmates to a simple meal. Do you think I¡¯ll go to C City to treat them, or in the capital?¡±

    After finishing the invitation, green tea fang let out a long sigh. She turned around and red at her petrified subordinates, then waved her hand. ¡°What are you looking at? Haven¡¯t you seen people lose their temper before?¡±

    She turned around and closed the office door before sitting down, she asked quietly, ¡°You want to treat your former undergrad ssmates to a meal? Sure, with your reputation, you¡¯ll definitely be able to get everyone to respond to your call. Let¡¯s see how much money you¡¯ll get to treat them to a meal. We can even eat you up.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and supported her back. ¡°No problem, you¡¯re wee toe and eat! But I¡¯ve almost never contacted my former ssmates. I only have contact information for the three of you.¡±

    Her words were very reserved, but green tea fang had already understood, she immediately said, ¡°No problem, leave it to the three of us. I¡¯ll talk to little temptress and Lady Cao right away. As for the location of the meal, we¡¯ll see how many ssmates we can gather and let you know when the timees.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll also call little temptress and Lady Cao separately. Otherwise, they¡¯ll say that I¡¯m biased.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know about that?¡±To be fair, green tea fang was the one who took care of Gu Nianzhi the most. Gu Nianzhi was closer to her and treated her like an older sister.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°Green Tea Fang, You¡¯re the Mole in my heart. You know that.¡±

    ¡°PFFT! You¡¯re the blood of a mosquito on my wall!¡±Green Tea Fang teased her for a while before saying, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you gather them. I¡¯ll definitely have a good time with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grunted in agreement, but then said casually, ¡°Oh, right. In the past few years after graduation, everyone has their families with them, right? How about this? Each student can bring along a family member, so everyone can get to know each other, okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Green tea fangughed lightly. She coughed and asked in a low voice,¡±... if you really want to invite an undergraduate student, you know who you can¡¯t avoid. Does Your Friend Mind?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew she was talking about Mei Xiawen, so she smiled nonchntly and said, ¡°Then invite him. If you don¡¯t invite him, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s being shameless. I don¡¯t want people to think of me that way.¡±

    A real woman would dare to face a scumbag that she had dumped.

 Chapter 2170

    <h4>Chapter 2170: Chapter 2170 Three Lives (second update)</h4>

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s good that you don¡¯t mind.¡±Green tea fangughed, then she said in a serious tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make things difficult for you. It¡¯s just that Mei Xiawen is our ss representative. Little Temptress, Lady Cao, and I haven¡¯t been in contact with him in all these years. He treated you that year, so of course we share amon enemy.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t care about people who aren¡¯t good to you.¡±

    ¡°But if you want to invite other undergrad students this time, then maybe someone will tell him.¡±. ¡°If you don¡¯t invite him, you¡¯ll really be suspected of having nothing to hide here. Maybe you¡¯ll even let some people create more rumors about what¡¯s best if you can¡¯t get it. Even if you¡¯re the chief legal advisor of the Senate, Mei Xiawen is still the cinnabar mole in your heart. Words like that will choke you to death...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say a word as she listened to green tea fang. Finally, she smiled and said, ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I said it doesn¡¯t matter. You, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao can do whatever you want. You have to invite him. Whether he wants toe or not is up to him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±Green tea fang nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me doing my job. Wait for two days and wait for us to inform you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi happily clutched her phone as shey on the sofa and crossed her long, fair legs for some exercise, she said, ¡°Then I¡¯m counting on you! I¡¯ll call little temptress and Lady Caoter, so they won¡¯t eat me up when they meet...¡±

    ¡°Hehe, do you think you won¡¯t get eaten up just because you call them? Little girl, Wash your neck and wait!¡±Green Tea Fang teased her for a while before putting down the phone.

    She quickly took out her ssmate¡¯s record and started to read it.

    Gu Nianzhi called little temptress and Lady Cao separately.

    Little Temptress was in a meeting with her subordinates when she received the call.

    Seeing that it was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s number, she immediately walked into the small room inside and said with a smile, ¡°Chief Gu, You¡¯re finally willing to call me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and begged for mercy. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she said, ¡°Little Temptress, I want to treat my old ssmate to a meal. I just discussed it with green tea fang and she thinks it¡¯s fine. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s fine. Green Tea Fang, Lady Cao, and I will help you organize it. How much do you want to invite?¡±

    Little Temptress was still as capable as ever, and quickly thought of practical questions.

    ¡°As long as you agree!¡±Gu Nianzhi said cheerfully, her two legs kicking even harder in the air. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re ssmates from the same department. If you¡¯re willing toe, you can bring a family member.¡±

    ¡°Okay, no problem. I have a lot of experience in nningrge-scale events. I can finally show off my skills today!¡±Little temptressughed grimly. ¡°Little girl, Clean Up Your Act and wait for us to visit you!¡±

    ¡°PFFT!¡±Gu Nianzhi chided her with augh. After a few more banter, she hung up the phone and immediately called Lady Cao.

    Lady Cao was the steadiest person in her dorm. She had been nicknamed ¡°Lady Cao¡±because she had the bearing of a youngdy from an ancient family. She was not a stingy person, so she did not express any dissatisfaction with the nickname, instead, she started calling herself ¡°Mydy.¡±It was very funny.

    When Gu Nianzhi called, she was just about to go for lunch when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s caller id appear on her phone. She quickly swiped the phone open and eximed, ¡°Nianzhi, you still remember me!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Mydy¡±quickly brought her closer. It was as if all these years had been filled up, and they had never been separated.

    The feeling of closeness between ssmates and teenagers was hard to erase over time.

    Of course, this was only for ssmates who were on good terms with each other. If they were not on good terms with each other, they would rather spend the rest of their lives as far apart as possible and never see each other again.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up from the sofa and couldn¡¯t help nodding and bowing. ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty! How have you been? Have you enjoyed your stay?¡±

    Lady Cao snorted, almostughing to sit on the ground, ¡°Chief gu to this pce greetings, this pce can rest in peace!¡±

    ¡°Bah, Bah, Bah! Bad Spirit, bad spirit, good spirit!¡±Gu Nianzhi knocked on the wood three times. ¡°Lady Cao, you are in the pce, how can you talk nonsense!¡±

    Lady Cao knew that Gu Nianzhi was worried about her, and her heart warmed. She thought back to when this little roommate hade to their dorm, she hadn¡¯t spoken much at first, and had only stared at you with her big, ck, grape-like eyes, her expression was delicate and innocent, like a newborn kitten.

    The moment they saw her, they all had the urge to hide this child, or else the evil society would pollute her.

    Of course, after getting to know her better, they realized that what was delicate and innocent was all an illusion!

    This girl was delicate and lively, not at all unruly. She was so smart that people would bow down to her.

    Even though she was the youngest in their dormitory, she was full of all kinds of evil ideas. She was a joy to them.

    They all took care of her and protected her. They did not look down on her and bully her just because she was an ¡°Orphan¡±back then.

    Gu Nianzhi was rescued from a burning car at the age of 12 by Huo Shaoheng. She stayed with him in the special operations forces¡¯C City Garrison for four years. At the age of 16, she took a special exam and skipped a grade to enter the third year of thew department at C University, her learning progress was no faster than her ssmates who were a few years older than her.

    She had just left the special operations forces base and wanted to blend in with the crowd. She was like a newborn chick. Her first impression of the society would have a great impact on her worldview.

    Fortunately, Gu Nianzhi had met three very good roommates and was able to let down her innate wariness.

    The two of themughed for a while more before Gu Nianzhi said she was going to treat them to a wedding.

    Lady Cao¡¯s reaction was the same as green tea fang¡¯s and Little Temptress¡¯s. Both of them immediately took over the responsibility of treating her to a wedding. They told her not to worry about anything and that they would take care of everything for her. She didn¡¯t even have to worry about money, she just had to attend the wedding.

    Gu Nianzhi was inexplicably touched and immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me about money. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s treating you to a wedding. How can I Make You Pay?¡±

    ¡°Chief Gu, you¡¯re looking down on us.¡±Lady Cao Laughed. ¡°We can still afford it. Think of it as a wedding gift from the three of us.¡±

    ¡°This gift is too expensive.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly declined, ¡°It¡¯s true. Besides, it¡¯s my treat. If you insist on giving me a wedding gift, you can give me something else... I believe this little bit of money isn¡¯t a big deal to you, but it means a lot to me.¡±

    She tried to persuade her for a long time before Lady Cao reluctantly agreed. When she hung up the phone, she kept saying that she was ¡°Too polite.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Lady Cao was understanding. She was worried that she didn¡¯t have enough money, so she wanted to subsidize her.

    In their hearts, she was probably still the little orphan girl who needed to be taken care of in every way..

    Gu Nianzhi felt warm inside.

    Some people thought of her as an ¡°Orphan girl¡±and thought she was easy to bully.

    But some people thought of her as an ¡°Orphan girl¡±and thought she needed more love and care.

    You See, the same thing, with different motives, gave people apletely different feeling.

    She didn¡¯t mind the ¡°Orphan Girl¡±type of thetter at all, because she would receive a lot of love.

    A person who had lost her childhood memory indeed needed a lot of love to fill that void.

    After contacting her old ssmates, Gu Nianzhi went to the dining hall of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence for dinner.

    Zhao liangze and Yin Shixiong were already sitting there reading the newspaper, while Lu Jin was reading something on his IPAD.

    Seeing here in, Zhao liangze smiled and said, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re going to treat your former undergraduate ssmates to Dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, she was in a good mood. ¡°I just called my undergraduate roommates. Do you still remember green tea fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao?¡±? ¡°They were very good to me. After graduation, I didn¡¯t contact them because of all sorts of things, so they didn¡¯t me me at all.¡±. ¡°I¡¯m very lucky to have such dorm mates.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze looked at each other and smiled.

    Yin shixiong said proudly, ¡°Of course.¡±. ¡°That year, Huo Shao said that he would send you to university to interact with society. In order to find you a roommate, Huo Shao went to great lengths and did all sorts of investigations. He even found a psychological bull to do psychological assessments and personality analysis on those people. He only chose those who could fit in with your personality as roommates. He was afraid that our little princess would be wronged!¡±

    Zhao liangze also blinked and said, ¡°Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao. We know each other like the back of our hands. But they don¡¯t know that we¡¯ve investigated them, so don¡¯t let it slip.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    She had thought that she was lucky to have met three roommates who got along well with each other, but it turned out that someone had done a lot of preparation behind the scenes..

    Yes, there weren¡¯t so many smooth and sunny roads, but someone had helped her remove the stones that were blocking her way.

 Chapter 2171

    <h4>Chapter 2171: Was chapter 2171 really the same person? (the first person requested a rmendation ticket)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was so moved that she couldn¡¯t speak. Her eyes were almost glistening with tears.

    Lu Jin looked up from his IPAD and said,¡±... that¡¯s more like it. If not, I¡¯ll really regret...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi coughed loudly and said, ¡°Dad! Where¡¯s the thing you promised to do for me?¡±

    Lu Jin almost let the cat out of the bag. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze in front of him didn¡¯t know about the existence of the other world.

    They had always thought that Gu Nianzhi had been kidnapped and sent abroad.

    Lu Jinughed and said guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m busy right now, don¡¯t worry...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was relieved to see Lu Jin showing weakness. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to treat you in a few days. Please don¡¯t hold me back.¡±

    ¡°Of course not, of course not.¡±Lu Jin readily agreed.

    As they spoke, the orderly in the kitchen delivered their lunch.

    Everyone usually ate in groups. In front of them was arge dinner te. It was usually two dishes and a soup, with fruit and dessert.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze had the same dinner te. They both had two steaks and mashed potatoes, a bowl ofmb soup with white radish, and a cut navel orange as fruit. They did not eat dessert.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s dinner te was a stir-fried sea cucumber with scallions and ck-bone chicken with Fried Huai Shan. The main dish was Yangzhou fried rice.

    She also had a bowl of abalone, apricot mushroom, and snow m soup that was especially nourishing to women. It was so yellow that it could be boiled with glue. It tasted delicious in her mouth.

    The fruit was a peeled lychee, and the dessert was a triangr piece of New York yogurt cake.

    She looked at therge te in front of her and pursed her lips. ¡°Although they¡¯re all my favorites, I¡¯ve been eating them like this every day. is Huo feeding the pigs?¡±

    Zhao liangze ate his steak with a knife and fork and winked at her with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not feeding the pigs, I¡¯m feeding the little pigs...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She didn¡¯t quite understand what Zhao Liangze meant.

    Yin Shixiong held back hisughter and kicked Zhao Liangze under the table.

    Lu Jin liked stir-fried beef tenderloin and husband and wife lung slices with arge bowl of white rice and conch jade bamboo goji soup. The fruit was just a green kiwi and a te of volcanic rock cake.

    He looked at the food in front of Gu Nianzhi and nodded. He said seriously, ¡°Hua jiao, sea cucumber, ck Bone Chicken, Huai Shan, along with abalone, snow m, and yogurt are all female pregnancy foods.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi froze for a moment. Her blood ran from the tip of her toes all the way to the top of her head. She felt her entire body turn red.

    Actually, her face was only slightly pink, like a budding flower.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze saw that Gu Nianzhi was extremely embarrassed, so they tried their best to hold back theirughter and changed the topic. ¡°You¡¯re treating? Who are you treating?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and suppressed the strange feeling in her heart. She smiled and said, ¡°My undergrad ssmates. I just called Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re treating everyone to a meal before the wedding? Why Don¡¯t you let them follow you...¡±Yin Shixiong said with a smirk. ¡°When I Married qiqi, I let my ssmates follow me since we were young.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes at him, ¡°You¡¯re just showing off, okay? Qiqi is such a nice girl to be your wife, you¡¯re making a fortune.¡±

    Yin shixiong chuckled, ¡°Qiqi is also your roommate, but she was in graduate school. Why Don¡¯t you consider inviting your ssmates to dinner?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said with a half-smile, ¡°My only friend in graduate school was Qiqi. We have more opportunities to have dinner together, so we don¡¯t have to do it once or twice.¡±

    ¡°Why did you only have one friend during your graduate school days?¡±Lu Jin asked with concern. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Huo Shao helped her pick her roommate?¡±

    ¡°That was when I was an undergraduate.¡±Zhao Liangze finished hisst bite of steak and took a sip of water. He said, ¡°Nianzhi was still underage at that time, and Huo Shao was worried that she wouldn¡¯t be used to living outside.¡±

    Yin shixiong added, ¡°Yeah, Nianzhi was already an adult when she went to the imperial capital to study as professor he¡¯s graduate student. It¡¯s time for her to let go.¡±

    Lu Jin understood when he heard that Gu Nianzhi was studying as he zhichu¡¯s graduate student for her master¡¯s degree. He smiled at Gu Nianzhi and said delightedly, ¡°My girl is so popr.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were already used to Lu Jin¡¯s maniacal way of pampering his daughter. They were used to it.

    They finished their lunch and went back to the office.

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were left behind.

    Lu Jin asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Huo Shao? He hasn¡¯t been home for lunch for the past two days.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably busy.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch. ¡°I¡¯m going back to work at the Senate tomorrow. If he doesn¡¯te home for lunch, you can eat by yourself, Dad.¡±

    ¡°Go, go, I¡¯m fine.¡±Lu Jin waved his hand without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m nning to go to boss Lu¡¯s ce for a free meal tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin was the only one who could travel from the third ring road to the mountains outside the fifth ring road to get a free meal.

    ..

    The next day, after Gu Nianzhi went to work at the Senate, she found out that she was treating her undergraduate ssmates to a meal. It was trending on Weibo.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the trending post for a long time, unable to say a word.

    # C University Law Department, ss XX ss 1, first chair Gu has invited you to dinner! # Green Tea Fang¡¯s handiwork was obvious. She had really carried out the policy of ¡°Large scale special operations.¡±.

    Three years after graduating from undergraduate school, Gu Nianzhi was considered the fastest-growing student among her former ssmates. Of course, other than those second-generation rich kids who had mines in their families, she was the fastest-growing.

    For example, green tea fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao all had family businesses. After graduation, they had worked outside for two years and had returned to their own family businesses to work.

    These were notparable.

    There were also some undergraduate students who had just graduated with a master¡¯s degree this year and had started looking for jobs. They could not bepared to people like Gu Nianzhi who had risen by leaps and bounds.

    However, this did not prevent everyone from gathering together as old ssmates.

    Because they had only graduated for a short period of time, everyone¡¯s status in society was about the same. There was no such mentality of not wanting to see their ssmates because they were doing well.

    As for people like Gu Nianzhi, because it was too fast and too good, ordinary people would not be able to stir up jealousy.

    Anyway, after green tea fang bought this trending post on Weibo, she was pulled into the undergraduate ss group.

    Green Tea Fang: [ Hello, I¡¯m Green Tea Fang, do you remember me? ].

    As soon as she entered, she sent a message along with a cute one. JPG¡¯s emoji pack.

    The ss group was quiet for a while, and then there was an uproar.

    A group of boys came out to chat with her first, and even sent her red packets to celebrate.

    They asked excitedly: [ green tea fang, You¡¯re finally back. I thought you were done with us! ] In fact, everyone knew why Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao left the group.

    It was because this group had been established by Mei Xiawen, who was their ss representative. He was the one who took care of the ss gatherings after graduation.

    At that time, he and Gu Nianzhi had not been on good terms. However, Gu Nianzhi had not contacted everyone since then, and gradually, everyone¡¯s feelings had faded. Mei Xiawen liked to be lively again, and after a few invitations.., everyone gathered around him again.

    Only Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao left the ss group with Gu Nianzhi.

    Now that Green Tea Fang was back, she had brought the trending topic with her.

    Everyone started to ask her after some small talk.

    [ green tea fang, is Gu Nianzhi really treating us to dinner? ].

    [ the girl who jumped to third year at the age of 16? The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor? is she really the same person? ].

 Chapter 2172

    <h4>Chapter 2172: Chapter 2172: Who Should I bring? That was the question (second update)</h4>

    Green Tea Fang¡¯s lips twitched as she slowly replied: [ Oh, you¡¯re still wondering if chief gu is that Little Nianzhi from our ss? You live in the Stone Age, so you can¡¯t Go Online? ].

    Little Temptress also entered the group at this time. When she saw the conversation, she immediately said furiously: [ this is either stupid or blind. Do you still have to ask if it¡¯s the same person? Haven¡¯t you seen her picture online before? ].

    When Gu Nianzhi was still aw graduate student at B University, she had made a name for herself on the Inte because of her brilliant legal career in Germany.

    The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor had be a trending topic every two to three days. Her official Weibo profile picture was her ID photo. was there any doubt about that?

    Green Tea Fang and Little Temptress¡¯s sarcasm made the ssmate who had asked ¡°It¡¯s really the same person¡±feel embarrassed.

    He couldn¡¯t help replying: ¡°I was just curious. Do you have to be so aggressive?¡±.

    Seeing that the three of them were almost quarreling, the other students immediately tried to mediate the situation.

    ¡°Alright, Alright. Today is the return of our old ssmates. Say Something Happy.¡±.

    ¡°Yes, Green Tea Fang. Where have you been working recently?¡±.

    ¡°Little temptress, long time no see. Let¡¯s take a selfie!¡±.

    Green Tea Fang and little temptress did note back to quarrel, but they were a little ufortable with the students¡¯guesses about Gu Nianzhi.

    They did not understand why Gu Nianzhi wanted to treat these students to a meal, but they had already said it and bought the hot searches. They could not go back empty-handed.

    Green Tea Fangposed herself and eased the atmosphere with everyone before sending a message.

    Green Tea Fang: [ everyone, have you seen the trending searches? ]? Gu Nianzhi was about to get married. Before she got married, she wanted to get together with her old ssmates and treat everyone to a meal. We haven¡¯t seen each other in a long time. Where is everyone now? Let me see if I should treat them to a meal in C city or the imperial capital. ].

    The moment she said treat, everyone became lively.

    More and more students began to speak.

    [ treating? Chief GU is treating, then you must go hahahaha! I¡¯m in the capital, I¡¯ll apany you at any time! ].

    [ upstairs + 1, I¡¯m also in the capital, I¡¯m graduating as a graduate student this year, I just finished my thesis, and I¡¯m Looking for a ce to have a feast! ].

    [ everyone is taking this opportunity to get together! This year is the third year of undergraduate graduation, I also Miss Everyone! ].

    As they spoke, everyone reported where they were.

    Honestly speaking, everyone had a pretty good rtionship back then.

    The only thing that wasn¡¯t harmonious was probably after Gu Nianzhi and Mei Xiawen broke up.

    The ss couldn¡¯t help but split into two factions, those who supported Mei Xiawen and those who supported Gu Nianzhi.

    Other than that, everyone really didn¡¯t have any real conflicts.

    Green Tea Fang looked at it for a while and slowly replied, ¡°So it¡¯s mostly in the imperial capital. 80% of the students are in the imperial capital. I think there¡¯s no need to discuss where to treat them, right? The minority will follow the majority.¡±.

    The flight from C City to the imperial capital took more than three hours, and the bullet train was also very fast, but the time was slightly longer, taking five hours.

    It took a weekend.

    After confirming the time, they chose the following Saturday to give everyone more time to prepare. They would inform everyone about the specific hotel after discussing it with Gu Nianzhi.

    While everyone was discussing, little temptress dragged Lady Cao in as well.

    Lady Cao was more detailed. She looked at everyone¡¯s messages and smiled. ¡°Nianzhi said that everyone can bring a family member. Everyone has a husband, wife, boyfriend, and girlfriend, so they can bring them.¡±.

    ¡°You can bring a family member? ! Really? ! Can My Son be brought? !¡±A male student who had gotten married and had children after graduating from college joked. ¡°My Son is very handsome! Even though he¡¯s only a little over one year old!¡±.

    Everyone congratted him and gave him red packets to celebrate.

    Lady Cao smiled and left a message. ¡°Congrattions, but no, the family member must be an adult. It¡¯s not convenient to bring a child to a hotel to eat.¡±.

    That boy was only joking. He didn¡¯t want to bring the child to a ss gathering, making him look old..

    Other students also joked in the group: [ what if you have a girlfriend and a wife? Who to bring? That¡¯s a problem... ].

    [ hahahaha, Old Luo, you¡¯re actually two-timing! ].

    The group was lively for a moment, and the number of messages kept climbing up. Soon, it was 99 + .

    Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao formed a small group and chatted privately.

    Green Tea Fang: [ Have you guys noticed? Mei Xiawen hasn¡¯t said anything. ].

    Little Temptress: [ is he online? Or is he busy and hasn¡¯t had time to check his messages? ].

    Lady Cao: [ it¡¯s lunchtime now. If there¡¯s nothing urgent, he should have seen our messages in the group chat. ].

    The three of them chatted privately for a while. They were just about to find a way to verify whether Mei Xiawen was online. The guy who had asked Gu Nianzhi if they were the same person had actually tagged Mei Xiawen in the group chat.

    [@mei Xiawen, ss representative, say something. We had lunch together the other day. Didn¡¯t your girlfriend say that Gu Nianzhi and the ss representative were not the same person? You didn¡¯t deny what she said. ].

    Everyone in the group was stunned when they saw the message.

    The group, which had been lively just a moment ago, instantly quieted down.

    Mei Xiawen couldn¡¯t even pretend not to see the message lying there so conspicuously.

    He frowned and nced at the flirtatious woman sitting next to him. Finally, he sent a reply.

    [ wee back to our big group, Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao. ].

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi wants to treat us. Okay, everyone join in. I wish everyone a good meal and fun.¡±.

    After reading Mei Xiawen¡¯s message, the boy who had tagged Mei Xiawen replied in surprise: ¡°ss Representative, aren¡¯t you going?¡±.

    Yes, everyone was stretching their necks and waiting for his reply!

    There weren¡¯t many sses in the past, and Mei Xiawen and Gu Nianzhi were the most eye-catching couple. Later, on Christmas Eve, they parted on bad terms, and everyone still remembered them clearly.

    Mei Xiawen hesitated for a moment and was about to reply, but the woman sitting next to him nced at his phone, she smiled and said, ¡°Oh? Gu Nianzhi is your ssmate? She¡¯s treating! This is the opportunity I¡¯ve been waiting for!¡±

    She winked at Mei Xiawen. Mei Xiawen was in high spirits with her, so he naturally didn¡¯t want to argue, but.., he carefully exined, ¡°Gu Nianzhi and I used to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but we broke up. Now she¡¯s the one who¡¯s getting married and treating us to dinner. Should I avoid suspicion?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re ssmates, so we know each other. It¡¯s not good to embarrass her, right?¡±

    Mei Xiawen said hesitantly.

    The woman smiled and raised her hand to stroke her short hair, she said casually, ¡°What¡¯s The Big Deal? She¡¯s treating, don¡¯t you know that? Maybe she¡¯s treating her old ssmate to a meal to humiliate you.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of seeing her?¡±

    Her words poked at Mei Xiawen¡¯s lungs. He couldn¡¯t let his current girlfriend down. He immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll go. Do you want to go with me?¡±

 Chapter 2173

    <h4>Chapter 2173: Chapter 2173¡°If a person observes, there is no disciple¡±(first update)</h4>

    The woman seemed to be a little surprised. Her charming almond-shaped eyes widened. She was actually a little cute.

    ¡°... Ah? Can I go too? I¡¯m not your ssmate...¡±

    ¡°What does that matter? They said that each person can bring a family member. A girlfriend is also considered a family member.¡±Mei Xiawen smiled.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll check my work calendar and see if I¡¯m free that day.¡±The woman did not agree immediately, but left a suspense.

    Mei Xiawen was even more enthusiastic, and immediately replied in the group chat: [ I haven¡¯t seen Gu Nianzhi for a long time. I¡¯m d to know that she¡¯s finally getting married. We¡¯re friends, so I naturally hope that she¡¯s good at everything. ]

    He paused for a moment, he added: [ the Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor was still in disbelief thest time I saw the news. After all, the photos on the inte are mature and beautiful. They¡¯re very different from her previous appearance. Although I¡¯m familiar with her, I didn¡¯t recognize her. ].

    He then added: [ say sorry to your brother. We misled you. Not only you, but even I didn¡¯t recognize you. ].

    The boy felt that he had saved his face, he replied in the group: [ It¡¯s okay. The ss representative is Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ex-boyfriend. He didn¡¯t even recognize the ss representative. How could he count on us? ]? I thought she had the same name and surname! After all, her name wasn¡¯t so special that she was the only person in the world, was it? ].

    Little Temptress, who had a fiery personality, was furious when she saw this. She immediately replied: [ I think you¡¯re both stupid and blind! Since you saw that she had the same name and looked familiar, why don¡¯t you look up her resume yourself? You even have to ask Mei Xiawen? ? ? ].

    The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor was Gu Nianzhi, so her resume could be publicly looked up on the inte.

    The Senate¡¯s official website was where Lady Cao went to take a screenshot of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s resume and post it in the group chat.

    Lady Cao: [ see for yourself. Even illiterate people can read pictures and talk. Look at the shining c university¡¯s colonelmandant symbol on her undergraduate course and her graduation date! ].

    The boy was so embarrassed that he left the group in a moment of anger.

    After he left.., green Tea Fang tried to smooth things over: [ alright, the rest of you should know that this chief gu is one of our ssmates, right? ]? Come,e,e. Those who are free next weekend,e and register with me. I¡¯ll count the number of people and tell Nianzhi that she will contact the hotel where we are gathering. ].

    Most of the remaining students had a good impression of Gu Nianzhi. She was in a high position now, and was also in the legal field. Everyone studiedw, so there was nothing wrong with getting to know each other better.

    Therefore, they all signed up. In the end, all the students in the ss, except for the boy who had left the group, even Mei Xiawen expressed his intention to go.

    Mei Xiawen also had to bring a family member.

    Green tea fang very thoughtfully counted the number of people in the group. After confirming the time, she sent the message to Gu Nianzhi.

    For convenience¡¯s sake, she added Gu Nianzhi as a friend and pulled her into a small group chat with little temptress and Lady Cao.

    The group Chat was named after the dorm number of their undergraduate dorm. They chatted in the group chat, as if they had returned to the time when everyone had been lying in bed and chatting.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the name list and the number of people green tea fang had sent her, and replied with a smile: ¡°Looks like I used to be quite popr. It can be said that most of the people are here.¡±.

    Little temptress: ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s only one person who¡¯s cheap and left the group. I guess he¡¯s too embarrassed to join.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t ask much, and typed with a smile: ¡°Really? Who Is It?¡±.

    Little Temptress typed a name and said: [ it¡¯s a male ssmate. ].

    Gu Nianzhi was even morezy to ask about the male ssmate. She only cared about the female ssmate.

    However, after looking at the name, Gu Nianzhi could not think of anyone who had a problem with her. She rubbed her temples and decided to take things one step at a time.

    Because green tea fang had bought a trending search, the news that Gu Nianzhi was going to treat her to a wedding spread widely in C University¡¯sw department.

    Not only her ssmates, but the other sses were also inquiring about it. They also wanted to scrounge a free meal to meet Gu Nianzhi.

    They found green tea fang and expressed their wish to give Gu Nianzhi a wedding gift.

    Of course, everyone knew what they were getting into.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t want to ept the gift, so she politely declined all of them.

    After the number and time were confirmed, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng discussed which hotel would be the best ce to treat her to a wedding.

    She sat cross-legged on Huo Shaoheng¡¯sp and opened a list of hotels in the imperial capital. She looked through them carefully, from the environment to the food, drinks, and drinks.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against the wall and stretched his long legs to sit on the floor. He hugged gu nianzhi from behind and looked through the hotels in the imperial capital, he said in a low voice, ¡°These hotels are rtively high-end and have strict checks. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good ce to test them out.¡±

    ¡°Then what kind of ce is best for us to test them out?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked curiously.

    She was looking for hotels, of course, to look for ces that looked upscale, romantic, and the food was especially good.

    She had almost forgotten that she was going to ¡°Fish.¡±.

    Huo Shaohengughed and took out another hotel directory for her to look at. He said, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a hotel that¡¯s neither too high nor too low. The management is messy, and the staff is slightly messy.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Why is a hotel like this suitable for fishing?¡±Gu Nianzhi was even more curious. ¡°How can it be easy to investigate with so many people and so many mouths?¡±

    ¡°... when the water is clear, there will be no fish,¡±Huo Shaoheng said simply. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to muddy the water. Only then will those people feel that they have a chance to take advantage of it.¡±

    If they stood firm and prepared, the mastermind would definitely slip away faster than a monkey.

    Gu Nianzhi came to a sudden realization and nodded repeatedly. ¡°As expected, there¡¯s a specialty in this field! Huo Shao, you¡¯re an expert in this field. I¡¯ll listen to You!¡±

    This was the advantage of having two different professions. Because they did not understand each other¡¯s work, it was easier for them to blindly worship the other unconditionally.

    It could greatly enhance their rtionship.

    After all, no one wanted to go home and be criticized for their mistakes at work.

    If the two of them were in the same major and had strong personalities, it would be easy for them to disagree with each other. Their work would affect their rtionship, and they would end up on bad terms.

    The moment Gu Nianzhi looked at him with admiration, Huo Shaoheng wanted to kiss her. He held her in his arms, as if he wanted to kiss her to the bone.

    ..

    Two dayster, Gu Nianzhi sent the hotel¡¯s name and address to green tea fang.

    Green Tea Fang looked at it and fell silent.

    She had wanted to speak to the four of them in a small group, but after some thought, she decided to pull little temptress and Lady Cao into another group. She said: ¡°Nianzhi¡¯s hotel has been found. What do you think?¡±.

    Little Temptress and Lady Cao had already seen it in the group.

    The two of them werepletely unfamiliar with the hotel.

    Little Temptress and Lady Cao went to spend some time with Lady Cao before they found the hotel¡¯s introduction.

    Lady Cao Thought for a long time before leaving a message: [ it¡¯s a middle-ss hotel, is it alright? ].

    Little Temptress also said: [ even this type of hotel costs 200 yuan per person. There are more than 20 people in our ss, plus family members, that¡¯s more than 40 people. It¡¯s not a small expenditure. ].

    Green tea fang sighed and typed, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s less than 10,000 yuan. How about we pay for a better hotel?¡±.

    Lady Cao immediately replied, ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll pay 50,000 yuan. Let¡¯s find a five-star hotel that costs 2,000 yuan per person.¡±.

    To the three of them, 50,000 yuan was just a month¡¯s sry. They were all people who could afford it.

    However, little temptress suggested: [ we have to make this clear to Nianzhi in advance. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be good for her self-esteem. ].

    Lady Cao and little temptress unanimously rmended green tea fang to discuss the hotel with Gu Nianzhi because green tea fang was the best at talking.

    Green Tea Fang was worried that Gu Nianzhi had already booked a hotel, so she immediately called her, she said tactfully, ¡°Nianzhi, I know a good five-star hotel. It just so happens that I have business with this hotel with little temptress, Lady Cao, and the others. They can give us a 20% discount and charge it to ourpany. How about we treat you to this meal?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi immediately knew what green tea fang meant, she quickly smiled and said, ¡°Green Tea Fang, please don¡¯t. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have money, I just need to treat you to a meal in that hotel. I Can¡¯t tell you the reason right now, but you¡¯ll know when you get there.¡±

    ¡°Must we treat you to a meal in that mediocre hotel?¡±Green tea fang raised an eyebrow. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a big show waiting for us...¡±

 Chapter 2174

    <h4>Chapter 2174: Chapter 2174: Get Married as many times as you want (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and said nomittally, ¡°What show? Green Tea Fang, you¡¯re overthinking it. We¡¯ll meet in less than two weeks!¡±

    Green tea fang chuckled. ¡°Okay, see you then.¡±

    She sent Gu Nianzhi the address of her ssmates. Gu Nianzhi took a look and memorized the names.

    When she got off work that night and returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, Gu Nianzhi informed Lu Jin and Huo shaoheng, ¡°The treat is settled. Most of the ssmates are here, but one of them left the group at the time. I¡¯m sorry toe again.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°What about the list? Do you have it?¡±

    ¡°I have the names and addresses of my ssmates. On the surface, they said it was for the invitation.¡±Gu Nianzhi forwarded the list to Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin, ¡°Each of them will bring a family member. The family members didn¡¯t write their names, only their identities.¡±

    Lu Jin opened the list of ssmates and read through it. He said, ¡°Most of the boys and girls in your ss are not married.¡±

    ¡°Yes, most of the family members are female and male.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged and said resentfully, ¡°I¡¯m the youngest, so I got married earlier than most of my ssmates.¡±

    Only 21 years old..

    Huo Shaoheng looked at her without batting an eyelid and said, ¡°How many times do you want to Get Married?¡±

    Don¡¯t forget that the two of them had already gotten married.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She suddenly blushed. She was actually the first to get married among her undergraduate ssmates..

    Lu Jin said with a smile, ¡°My Girl Can Get Married as many times as she wants to. Shaoheng, are you looking down on my girl?¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead and wanted to swallow what she had just said.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t dare. As long as you marry me every time, Nianzhi can get married as many times as she wants.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. was he trying to coax her like she was a child?

    She didn¡¯t want to continue this pointless topic and continued, ¡°How are your arrangements? Have you found any clues?¡±

    ¡°That depends on how the other party acts.¡±Lu Jin spread his hands and said innocently, ¡°We don¡¯t cause trouble, but we¡¯re not afraid of causing trouble.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst intoughter.

    Huo Shaoheng could not help but smile, because Gu Nianzhi had said the same thing before.

    This was a real father and daughter.

    The power of heredity was too terrifying.

    ..

    The next day, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s carefully selected invitations were sent to every student.

    The ssmates were not surprised to see the hotel address.

    In their minds, this hotel was a good match for Gu Nianzhi¡¯s status as an orphan.

    Although there were also some who expressed their doubts, they said in the group chat: [ isn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi the Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor? How did she find such a second-rate hotel? ].

    [ yeah, the average person is only around 200, right? ].

    The doubts were quickly dispelled by others: [ Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t have any inheritance. It¡¯s already pretty good that she can treat more than 40 people to a meal in a hotel like this after working alone for more than a year without receiving any gifts. What do you want? ]? To choose a ce to eat for free? Even the rich second-generation students in our ss don¡¯t spend so much money... ].

    The people who were insulted retorted unwillingly: [ didn¡¯t she marry well? Her fianc¨¦ is a major general, right? Is that all she has? Isn¡¯t it embarrassing? ].

    Little Temptress couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, she immediately went up and went all out. ¡°Does a major general have to be rich?¡±? Everyone knew how much a major general¡¯s sry allowance was. If they were really treating at a five-star hotel with a per capita of 2,000 people, they would have to blindlypare their money with ¡®unknown sources¡¯again. ¡°It¡¯s so hard to serve. You Don¡¯t have to go. Why do you have to say such sour words?¡±.

    Mei Xiawen saw that everyone was almost quarreling, so he went up to put out the fire. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all ssmates. Can¡¯t we even raise any questions?¡±.

    He then said little temptress. ¡°Little Temptress, you¡¯re still hot-tempered. Even someone as good-tempered as Nianzhi can¡¯t take it, right?¡±.

    Little temptress sniffed when she saw this reply and replied, ¡°Outsiders won¡¯t know if Nianzhi¡¯s temper is good or not. ss representative, you really don¡¯t know Nianzhi that well. You Don¡¯t even know her temper.¡±.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s face turned red when he heard what little temptress said.

    He even suspected that Gu Nianzhi had told her roommates about their situation.

    He had chased Gu Nianzhi for so long, and had only hugged her like a friend when she was particrly sad. He hadn¡¯t even kissed her on the lips. This was what Mei Xiawen was most upset about.

    However, he had never revealed this in front of his ssmates, so when he heard little temptress¡¯s words, he only sneered and didn¡¯t reply.

    His current girlfriend was sitting next to him. In the past few days, the rtionship between the two of them had skyrocketed. They were almost going to meet their parents.

    Mei Xiawen was not young anymore. Although his family didn¡¯t force him to get married, he didn¡¯t think about getting married as soon as possible until he met this girlfriend.

    It was the first time he had the idea of getting married as soon as possible.

    Seeing that he had turned off his phone screen with an unperturbed expression, the woman smiled and kissed him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xiawen? Did Something Go Wrong at the Party?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Mei Xiawen shook his head andughed coldly. ¡°It was a bunch of random women who said that they didn¡¯t know Gu Nianzhi as well as they did because they were roommates.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why would they say that?¡±The woman asked quietly as she held Mei Xiawen¡¯s hand.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t say that he hadn¡¯t fared well in front of Gu Nianzhi in front of his current girlfriend, he said vaguely, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing. No matter how much Gu Nianzhi throws a tantrum in front of others, she¡¯s still very obedient in front of me. I know her from the inside out... just like I know you...¡±

    As she spoke, she pushed her giggling girlfriend onto the bed.

    ..

    Ever since the invitation had been sent out, Gu Nianzhi had started looking for the hotel¡¯s settings in thatrge-scale online game.

    The Junhao Hotel she had chosen was a genuine second-rate hotel. It wasn¡¯t bad, but from hardware to software, it was still a long way from a first-rate five-star hotel.

    Although it wasn¡¯t the best hotel, business was booming.

    Gu Nianzhi was quite satisfied with the ce because of the affordable prices and the fact that there were a few special dishes that were very delicious.

    To her, being delicious and inexpensive was definitely an advantage.

    However, because of the cost, the hotel was a littlecking in other aspects.

    For example, in terms of security, there was no special person to conduct background checks on the customers.

    There were all sorts of people who came to eat, and the staff was a little more mixed.

    More importantly, the soundproofing between the private rooms was very poor. The walls were like paper, and a hole could be punched through with a single kick.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s special operations forces field staff who had been sent to spy on the situation had already made a detailed report of the situation.

    The Jun Hao hotel did not know that they had been thoroughly investigated, and was still rejoicing over the recent big deal.

    When Gu Nianzhi booked the hotel, she had used an alias. The other party did not know that therge private room, which could amodate fifty people, had been booked by Gu Nianzhi.

    They only knew that it was a ss reunion because someone was getting married.

    They often hosted such banquets, so they did not take it to heart at all.

    Gu Nianzhi put on her VR helmet and sses, pulled open her game ount¡¯s control panel, and began to search for the hotel¡¯s settings.

    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long for her to find all the settings for the Jun Hao hotel.

    Even the real coordinates were there, and thendforms andndmarks around the hotel were clearly visible.

    It looked like a 100% simted scenic spot.

    But this time, she didn¡¯t click into it. She only looked at the settings and exited.

    She was very suspicious that after her previous mischief, the other party had already made a specific n.

    Not long after she exited, the same settings of the Jun Hao hotel were picked out and the game started.

    The game¡¯swork administrators and programmers also received the first notice that someone had picked out the setting of the Jun Hao hotel.

    They immediately locked onto that person¡¯s IP address and took a look. When they found that it was the only restricted ount, they sent a message: [ rm lifted ] .

    The game¡¯s programmer waved his fist and said confidently, ¡°This time, as long as it¡¯s someone other than the restricted ount who enters this scenario, he will be immediately locked onto! I want him to be able to get in but not get out!¡±

    This time, it was a woman who was walking in the Junhao Hotel¡¯s game scenario.

    She was dressed appropriately in a professional dress, low-key and exquisite. She was not a professional, so it was impossible to tell which designer had made her custom-made dress.

    She had a smile on her face, and she was very excited.

    She hoped this would be thest time she would see Gu Nianzhi Act so arrogantly!

    This hotel was perfect for her to set up an operation. The sess rate was as high as 90% !

    This probability was very convincing in front of the madam.

    The madam only looked at the sess rate based on the big data in the game. For this reason, she had almost never failed, except for the fact that Keven had been killed.

    Not only was the Missus brooding over this, but she was also very unwilling to ept it. That was why she had nned this operation.

    No matter how smart Gu Nianzhi was, she only had one brain. How could she defeat the big data that they had umted over the years? !

 Chapter 2175

    <h4>Chapter 2175: Chapter 2175: You Have to listen to me (first update)</h4>

    After the news of Gu Nianzhi inviting her undergraduate ssmates to dinner before her wedding spread, her graduate students gathered in twos and threes and asked Ma Qiqi if Gu Nianzhi should invite them as well.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s master¡¯s degree was in B University¡¯sw department, and her tutor was he zhichu, the once famous tenured professor ofw at Harvard University.

    Unfortunately, he zhichu had already resigned from all his teaching positions, and no one knew where he had gone.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s master¡¯s degree had only taken a year toplete all the credits and graduate. Now that two years had passed, she was almost sessful.

    And they had only just graduated from their master¡¯s.

    Because of this, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t familiar with her fellow students in the master¡¯s ss, and Ma Qiqi was the only one who had the best rtionship with her. She couldn¡¯t bepared to her undergraduate ssmates at all.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it andined to Huo Shaoheng after work that night, ¡°Huo Shao, why don¡¯t you pick out my graduate students too? Otherwise, I can make a few more friends.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat on the sofa and read his documents. Next to him was an oldmp that had a postmodern feel to it. The light was bright and soft, with a slight tinge of yellow.

    The nted light only reflected his profile, like a knife cutting into an ink painting. It was just right, without a single extra line.

    A shadow was left beside the sofa. It was his muscr figure.

    He crossed his legs and flipped through a page of the document as if nothing had happened. He said calmly, ¡°You were underage when you were an undergraduate.¡±

    He did not finish his sentence, but Gu Nianzhi understood it instantly.

    She red at Huo Shaoheng for a while, then walked to his side and half-knelt. She tugged at his sleeve and said righteously, ¡°Even if I¡¯m already an adult, you have to take care of me, care for me, and be good to me as before!¡±

    She stuck out her little tongue and licked her dry lips. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked up slightly and sized her up without batting an eyelid. He reached out and grabbed her soft, shell-pink earlobe. ¡°You Want Me to leave you alone? HMM?¡±

    ¡°... HMM!¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded unwillingly and held onto Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand that was holding onto her earlobe. ¡°Stop rubbing it, it¡¯s Itchy.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips into a smile and leaned over to kiss her lips. ¡°Then you have to be obedient.¡±

    ¡°When have I not been obedient?¡±Gu Nianzhi pouted and was about to roll her eyes.

    Huo Shaoheng moved closer to her ear and said in a deep voice,¡±... you weren¡¯t obedientst night...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost buried her face in his chest. She rubbed against his chest and mumbled,¡±... that¡¯s because you¡¯ve gone too far!¡±

    ..

    Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

    Tomorrow was Saturday, and it was time for Gu Nianzhi to treat.

    She woke up early in the morning and started to get dressed.

    She had to do some essential oil treatment on all of her skin. She wrapped her body in a soft white towel and waited for half an hour before she washed it again. Finally, she applied Lu Jin¡¯s special body lotion.

    Her hair had only been blown dry, and there was a thinyer of makeup on her face. The extremely thin foundation was extremelypatible with her skin color, and it was almost impossible to see her makeup.

    She chose a set of camouge-colored casual pants. It looked a little like a hunting suit, and there were two big pockets on her legs.

    She worefortable running shoes. She didn¡¯t look like she was going to show off at the ss reunion. Instead, she looked like she was going to participate in a special training.

    Fortunately, she was still young. Even the Jing hairpin dress was still as breathtaking.

    Gu Nianzhi put on the backpack that Lu Jin had specially made for her and came out of the house with her phone. She saw Huo Shaoheng waiting for her at the door.

    ¡°Huo Shao, you look so handsome today!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she walked up to him.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned over and kissed her face very naturally. ¡°You¡¯re very pretty too.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled.

    It was rare to beplimented by Huo Shaoheng.

    The two of them got into the car and drove to the Jun Hao hotel.

    This ce was outside the capital¡¯s fifth ring road, so it took up a lot of space. The hotel¡¯s exterior was pretty good, but its internal management was mediocre.

    Fortunately, there was food to supplement it. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to gain a foothold in the capital, which was extremely expensive.

    Gu Nianzhi received a call from green tea fang while she was still on the road.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Are you here yet? ! Our foreign ssmates have already arrived!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±Gu Nianzhi looked out of the car window. ¡°I can already see the hotel. Where are you guys?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re outside the main entrance to wee the host!¡±Little Temptress¡¯s voice was loud and cheerful as ever.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stepped on the elerator, and the car immediately sped up.

    They arrived at the hotel entrance in less than five minutes.

    Huo Shaoheng got out of the car first and went around to the other side of the car to open the door. Gu Nianzhi was like a queen as she valiantly got out of the car.

    Huo Shaoheng held her hand and smiled at the crowd standing on the steps.

    Green Tea Fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao ran over first.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi let go of Huo Shaoheng and hugged the three of them happily.

    ¡°Green Tea Fang! Little Temptress! Lady Cao! I missed you guys so much!¡±

    Following that, the students standing on the steps also came down in twos and threes and shook hands with Gu Nianzhi to congratte her on her uing marriage.

    Huo Shaoheng stood by the side and nodded from time to time, ying the role of ¡°Family member.¡±.

    Everyone had just finished their introductions when a big red Porsche sports car drove over from the hotel entrance.

    In the sports car Sat Mei Xiawen and his girlfriend.

    Both of them saw Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng surrounded by a group of people, and their eyes darkened at the same time.

    Just then, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone suddenly rang.

    He took a step to the side and took out his phone to listen. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and said, ¡°I have something to do, I have to go back first.¡±

    As he spoke, he nodded at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmates. ¡°Thank you all foring. You can order whatever you want to eatter. Please don¡¯t stand on ceremony. Excuse me.¡±

    He put away his phone and quickly got into the car. He started the engine and drove out of the hotel in the blink of an eye.

    Mei Xiawen and his girlfriend had just gotten out of the car.

    When he saw Huo Shaoheng driving away, Mei Xiawen was slightly surprised. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦ eating with us?¡±

    His girlfriend got out of the car with a smile on her face. She nced at the back of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s car and said meaningfully, ¡°He might have a mission... who would have the time to deal with students like you who have just graduated...¡±

    Mei Xiawen frowned and said to himself, ¡°I thought he treated nianzhi well...¡±

    He didn¡¯t even want to attend the family reunion, and Gu Nianzhi was the one who was treating him. He didn¡¯t even want to give her face.

    His girlfriend stood beside him with her back straight, her voice was slightly cold. ¡°Everyone saw him propose in Russia in front of the whole world with a big diamond ring. In fact, it was all for show. A marriage that doesn¡¯t match up to the status of marriage doesn¡¯t end well.¡±

    Mei Xiawen nced at her and his gaze swept past her bulging belly. He smiled and said, ¡°We match up to each other... do you want our children to be born out of wedlock?¡±

    His girlfriend smiled and red at him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good in a wedding dress when you¡¯re pregnant. We can register first and hold the wedding after the children are born.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll listen to you.¡±Mei Xiawen felt that Gu Nianzhi and the others were looking at him. He immediately grabbed her hand and kissed it on the lips.

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.

    The graceful woman standing next to Mei Xiawen was wearing a ck-and-white thousand bird id dress.

    The dress fitted her well and made her slightly protruding belly stand out.

    Gu Nianzhi looked away from the woman¡¯s slightly protruding belly and saw her smiling face. Her hand tightened.

    How could it be Yi Xinyan?

    She was pregnant?

 Chapter 2176

    <h4>Chapter 2176: Chapter 2176: I Have a photographic memory (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned for only a split second. She didn¡¯t even reveal the slightest hint from the corner of her eyes or the tip of her eyebrows.

    She only nced over and nodded with a smile. It was as if she had seen other ordinary students. She didn¡¯t intentionally make a stranger out of them, nor did she intentionally show her friendliness.

    It was the other students who greeted Mei Xiawen with smiles.

    ¡°The ss representative is here!¡±

    ¡°The ss representative changed cars again? TSK TSK, is this a Porsche? This year¡¯s new model is not cheap at all!¡±

    The boys surrounded Mei Xiawen and were full of praise for his car.

    Yi Xinyan stood next to Mei Xiawen with an imperceptible smile of victory, but she was a little embarrassed.

    Although Mei Xiawen¡¯s ssmates had gathered around to look at the car, none of them had asked Mei Xiawen to introduce her.

    She was certain that this was the first time she had seen these ssmates.

    She nced lightly at Mei Xiawen¡¯s face and saw that Mei Xiawen was looking for Gu Nianzhi in front of him from the crowd.

    Gu Nianzhi was already chatting andughing with green tea fang, Little Temptress, Lady Cao, and a few other female ssmates as she walked towards the entrance of the hotel lobby.

    Mei Xiawen pursed his lips and his hand was pinched by Yi Xinyan.

    He came back to his senses and looked at the male student who was watching the car beside him. He smiled and said, ¡°Go in.¡±

    He did not introduce Yi Xinyan either.

    Gu Nianzhi was not here, so who was he going to introduce her to?

    He waved to the male students who had gathered around him and everyone entered the hotel together.

    The hotel was a small high-rise with a total of nine floors. It was neither tall nor short.

    Gu Nianzhi had booked the revolving restaurant on the top floor, which was the most expensive specialty restaurant in the hotel.

    There were a lot of people today, and they were all ssmates, so the restaurant did not revolve.

    Everyone took the elevator to the ninth floor.

    Theyout of the restaurant was the mostmon type of hotelyout, but it was obviously not high-ss enough.

    The crystalmp hanging in the middle of the restaurant was a little dim. It was not intentionally made to look old, but it had been unpolished for a long time, so the crystal was covered in dust.

    The seat was covered with a yellow brocade chair cover. It was not a genuine brocade, but was made of chemical fiber. The edges were already open, and the middle part of the seat was worn thin. One could see the filling material inside.

    On therge round table that was painted red, there was a turntable made of thick ss.

    This red color was a little greasy, but when one wiped it with one¡¯s hand, there was nothing. In fact, it was quite clean, except that the color of the paint was very ordinary.

    On the wall of the restaurant hung a few goodrge-scale flower paintings. It was obvious that they were the works of famous artists. Of course, they were not authentic, but printed, printed on the canvas.

    From Afar, they could still scare people, but the red fire extinguisher hanging in the middle of the oil paintings was a little disgusting.

    In some high-end hotels, the fire extinguishers were hidden. They would never hang casually among the decorations on the wall.

    Yi Xinyan could tell at a nce that this hotel was not presentable. She snorted lightly and held Mei Xiawen¡¯s arm.

    Gu Nianzhi, green tea fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao took over as the hosts and called for everyone to take their seats.

    More than 40 people sat at fourrge round tables.

    There were about 10 people at each table, and everyone sat together ording to how familiar they were with each other.

    Gu Nianzhi did not expect that Mei Xiawen would bring Yi Xinyan to her seat with green tea fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao.

    Most of them were girls, and none of them had family members.

    Most of the boys had family members with them.

    Gu Nianzhi had been shaking hands with many of the boys¡¯girlfriends and wives along the way.

    Mei Xiawen and Yi Xinyan were thest to enter, and Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t had the chance to greet them.

    Little Temptress spoke first after the two sat down. She held her wine ss and said with a smile, ¡°ss representative, you changed girlfriends again?¡±

    As she spoke, she looked at Yi Xinyan with interest. ¡°This one is okay, a little better than your ex-girlfriend. Is she already pregnant? When are you going to treat us to a wedding banquet?¡±

    Mei Xiawen heaved a sigh of relief.

    If no one asked Yi Xinyan, he wouldn¡¯t have taken the initiative to speak.

    Little Temptress was still a good person.

    Mei Xiawen smiled and bowed. ¡°This is my fianc¨¦e, Yi Xinyan. She is the chief financial analyst of Carlyle International Limited¡¯s Pacific Rim Economic Zone.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was obviously showing off when he said this long list of titles.

    Gu nianzhi nodded and said calmly, ¡°Nice to meet you. I know Miss Yi. She¡¯s a capable person.¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s expression became strange.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi. Seeing that she didn¡¯t seem to be lying, he looked at Yi Xinyan and asked hesitantly,¡±... you two knew each other before?¡±

    Why did Yi Xinyan look like she didn¡¯t recognize Gu Nianzhi in front of him?

    Yi Xinyan raised an eyebrow. She held the wine ss in one hand and supported her waist with the other. She smiled and said, ¡°I guess I know each other. We have some work contacts, but we don¡¯t know each other very well.¡±

    As she spoke, she said with a half-smile, ¡°Why do you have such a deep impression of me, chief Gu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have a photographic memory. Even if it¡¯s a random person, I won¡¯t forget them when I see them.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged, she picked up the menu and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered some dishes. Everyone, please order ording to your preferences. Let¡¯s talk after we eat.¡±

    There was a menu in front of everyone. Everyone ordered a few more dishes ording to their preferences, and soon the table was full.

    It was alreadyte in the evening, and everyone was hungry. They didn¡¯t waste any more time and started eating as a sign of respect.

    Halfway through the meal, they were already 70-80% full before they started chatting.

    Of course, the topic of conversation revolved around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wedding in four months.

    ¡°Nianzhi, where are you nning to hold your wedding?¡±A female ssmate asked curiously. She was sitting at the same table as Gu Nianzhi, so it was easier to talk to her.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and scooped a bowl of soup for herself. ¡°I¡¯m still looking for it. My eyes are blurry.¡±

    ¡°Tahiti, Maldives, or Hawaii in the United States? These ces are very popr now. All the celebrities are going there to hold their wedding!¡±A male ssmate said excitedly, his eyes almost shining.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°We¡¯re nning to hold our wedding in China. There are actually many beautiful ces in China. Why would we want to go abroad? We can¡¯t guarantee our safety yet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, our Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦ isn¡¯t an ordinary person. It¡¯s better to be safe in China, right?¡±Little temptress winked at her. She couldn¡¯t Stand Mei Xiawen showing off his fianc¨¦e.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    She didn¡¯t deny it outright. It should be.

    Everyone began to figure out which attractions in China were suitable for marriage.

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s eyes sparkled. She stirred a silver spoon in her hand in the bowl and said softly, ¡°First chair Gu was an undergraduate in C City? You were in C City three years ago?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve always been in C city. I only came to the capital three years ago because I wanted to be a graduate student of professor he.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if she was imagining things, but when she mentioned ¡°Professor he,¡±she noticed a trace of murderous intent in Yi Xinyan¡¯s eyes.

    Although it shed past her eyes, it was obvious that it was an unconceble malice and murderous intent.

 Chapter 2177

    <h4>Chapter 2177: Chapter 2177, Xi Dang da (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and slowly ced her finger on the dining table to tap it twice. She said, ¡°Where did Miss Yi study for her undergraduate degree? You seem to be very familiar with C University... Are You also an alumnus?¡±

    Yi Xinyan smiled slightly and rested her elbow on the dining table. Her fingers caressed her throat, and her voice was low and slightly hoarse, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I studied abroad as an undergraduate. It¡¯s impossible for us to be alumni.¡±

    ¡°Really? Which University Abroad? The circle of Chinese students is very small. Maybe we can find someone we know inmon...¡±Gu Nianzhi winked at Yi Xinyan, looking very interested.

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s eyes shed, and she chuckled, she said, ¡°Miss Gu, you¡¯re so concerned about me because I¡¯m Xiawen¡¯s fianc¨¦e? ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to ask about me. I¡¯ve known Xiawen for almost a year. Although our rtionship is developing rapidly, no one knows what will happen in the future. ¡°I just want to enjoy the present.¡±

    She turned to look at Mei Xiawen and lovingly held his hand. ¡°Cherish every day that you¡¯re with him.¡±

    Mei Xiawen was ted to hear that.

    What could a man be prouder of than his ex-girlfriend and his current girlfriend fighting over a woman?

    Even the famous major general Huo Shaoheng seemed to be ranked behind him..

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s fair face quickly turned red with excitement. He shook Yi Xinyan¡¯s hand and turned to look at Gu Nianzhi, he said gently, ¡°Nianzhi, Xinyan is my fianc¨¦e. Don¡¯t take it out on her. Let bygones be bygones. ¡°You¡¯re getting married. I have a fianc¨¦e now, and I¡¯m going to have a child in six months. Can We just forget about the past and continue being friends?¡±

    He made it sound as if Gu Nianzhi still had feelings for him and was deliberately picking on his fianc¨¦e.

    Gu Nianzhi had experienced so many things, and at this point, it was rare for her to be provoked and disgusted by others.

    Unfortunately, Mei Xiawen had done it.

    The corners of her eyes twitched uncontrobly, and her gaze instantly turned cold.

    However, it would be too demeaning to speak up against Mei Xiawen. Moreover, people would think that she was really angry out of love and humiliation, and Mei Xiawen would be even more smug.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly swallowed her anger. Her face was still beaming, she said openly, ¡°I¡¯m not targeting your fianc¨¦e. We were just ssmates and had never been in a rtionship. Why would I target your fianc¨¦e? ¡°Only Jiang Hongcha is qualified to target her, right?¡±

    Mei Xiawen was stunned.

    Gu nianzhi continued, ¡°By the way, Where¡¯s Jiang Hongcha? I remember she got pregnant for you too, right?¡±

    Little temptress immediately pped the table and jeered, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I remember Jiang Hongcha getting pregnant! Mei Xiawen, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re already pregnant with a father? ! Is this your second child?¡±

    Green tea fang immediately chimed in, ¡°TSK TSK, ss representative, as expected of the ss representative. Responding to the country¡¯s call, you¡¯re starting to have a second child!¡±

    Lady Cao also raised her wine ss. ¡°ss representative, you can do it! We¡¯re waiting for your third child!¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s face, which had just turned red from excitement, turned even redder. He was angry.

    He said angrily, ¡°What did you say? ! When did I have a child? !¡±

    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t there one in her stomach?¡±Little temptress pointed in Yi Xinyan¡¯s direction with her slender index finger, ¡°Carlyle is one of the most famous investment banks in the world! Miss Yi is so young to be the chief analyst, so she must have graduated from a famous foreign university, right?¡±

    Green Tea Fang was about to say something when she saw Gu Nianzhi raise her wine ss as if she was about to drink it. Out of habit, she took the ss from her hand and ced a bottle of yogurt in her hand. ¡°Drink this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Green tea fang patted her shoulder and nodded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. You must have graduated from an Ivy League School of finance in the United States, right? I heard that Wall Street investment banks only hire analysts from non-prestigious schools.¡±

    Lady Cao took out a tissue and printed it on her face. She said in a dignified manner, ¡°That¡¯s right. Tell US which prestigious school you graduated from. We¡¯ll be proud too!¡±

    The other girl looked on for a long time with a smile on her face. She teased, ¡°ss representative, we all want to know which famous school your fianc¨¦e graduated from in America. You Don¡¯t think we¡¯re all targeting her, do you?¡±

    So many people were asking the same question at the same time. How narcissistic was Mei Xiawen to think that everyone was jealous and targeting his fianc¨¦e?

    Mei Xiawen could only smile bitterly and shake his head. ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t burn the bridge after crossing it. When I went to America to look for you, you still said you weren¡¯t my girlfriend?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°ss Representative, is your memory really that bad? You went to America to see me, and we agreed to give you an answer at Christmas.¡±

    ¡°Christmas? !¡±Little temptress screamed. ¡°I remember now! It was Christmas Eve, and everyone was at Mei Xiawen¡¯s house!¡±

    Little Temptress¡¯s words brought to the surface the past that had been buried for more than two years.

    Everyone looked at each other andughed in unison.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s dormitory boy grabbed his shoulder and winked at him. ¡°ss representative, so you didn¡¯t have any friends with Gu Nianzhi in the past? If I had known, I would have gone after her too!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote now! Nianzhi is already taken.¡±Little Temptress tapped the boy on the head with her chopsticks. ¡°Don¡¯t be so ambitious. Do you think you can chase after Nianzhi just like that? Why Don¡¯t you take a look at yourself in the Mirror!¡±

    The boy covered his head and screamed, ¡°Does being ugly mean you don¡¯t have human rights? ! I¡¯m proud of being ugly!¡±

    Actually, this boy was not ugly at all. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was full of heroic spirit. One look and one could tell that he was kind and had a good outlook on the world.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer.

    Yi Xinyan, who was sitting next to him, looked even uglier than he did. She couldn¡¯t help asking,¡±... is Gu Nianzhi really not your ex-girlfriend? !¡±

    Mei Xiawen pursed his lips and stared at Gu Nianzhi. He wanted to say something, but his phone suddenly vibrated.

    The phone was on the dining table next to him. He nced at it casually and saw that someone had sent him a text.

    The number was unfamiliar; there was only an audio recording.

    Mei Xiawen was stunned. He was about to turn the phone off, but the audio automatically yed. He couldn¡¯t turn it off no matter how hard he tried!

    A male voice said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi really has no taste. I have such good conditions, but she still doesn¡¯t like me. I¡¯ve chased her all the way to America, but she still refuses to be my girlfriend!¡±.

    The audio quality was very good and there was almost no distortion. Everyone recognized that it was Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice.

    Another female voice said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she doesn¡¯t agree. You just have to make others believe that she agreed.¡±. As for how the two of you get along, don¡¯t you have the final say? Everyone knows what¡¯s going on between a boyfriend and girlfriend. You just have to let them imagine it.¡±.

    After the female voice finished speaking, she giggled.

    Then it was Mei Xiawen¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡¯re right. This Christmas, she¡¯ll be back in the country. When that timees...¡±.

    There was no more voice after that. It was probably not suitable for children.

    Once the audio was yed, even the students who had been skeptical before believed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    It meant that she and Mei Xiawen had never actually started a real rtionship.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at Mei Xiawen¡¯s phone and covered her chest nervously with her hand.

    This must be the recording Huo Shao had left behind when he was monitoring Mei Xiawen!

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t think of anyone other than him who would have sent this audio recording properly!

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing a very concealed bluetooth headset, so Huo Shaoheng could hear everything they were saying here today..

 Chapter 2178

    <h4>Chapter 2178: Chapter 2178 could only be the second (second update)</h4>

    There was a moment of silence in the revolving restaurant on the top floor.

    Everyone looked at each other in dismay. All the boys present felt embarrassed for Mei Xiawen.

    It was normal for such things to be bragged during the night talks in the dormitory. It was already low to say it in front of the girls. It would be even more awkward if someone pointed out that he was lying and pped him in the face.

    Little Temptress was the first to burst intoughter. She mmed the table and said, ¡°ss representative, ss representative, you¡¯re amazing! Oh right, that female voice seems to be your ex-girlfriend, Jiang Hongcha! How did you break up with her? Is it because of your fianc¨¦e?¡±

    Little temptress pouted at Yi Xinyan.

    Yi Xinyan was so angry that her face turned pale. Her plump chest puffed up as if she was about to explode.

    Green Tea Fang had seen too much of this kind of woman. She followed little temptress and added insult to injury. She looked at Yi Xinyan with a smile, she said, ¡°Miss Yi looks even angrier than our ss representative... is this true love? It¡¯s understandable if you treat a man that Nianzhi doesn¡¯t like like like a treasure. But Can you not unt the trash you picked up in front of us like it¡¯s a treasure? It¡¯s very unappetizing.¡±

    She stroked her chest and turned to little temptress. ¡°Fortunately, I was only 70% full just now. If I was really full, I would have vomited by now.¡±

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s face turned red and then white. He wished he could stand up and leave.

    But at this time, another text message came from his phone.

    He nced at it and saw that his leg was welded to the seat and couldn¡¯t move anymore.

    The message said: [ it¡¯s impolite to leave the table halfway. Those who are impolite will be punished. ].

    Mei Xiawen finally understood that his phone had been remotely controlled.

    Modern People¡¯s phones were their privacy. There were too many things that he couldn¡¯t show to the public on his phone.

    So even though he wanted to crawl under the table, he still forced himself to sit at the table and awkwardly said to Gu nianzhi, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just joking. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±

    Fortunately, he still had a few friends and good friends.

    Seeing this, he helped him wash the floor, heughed heartily and said, ¡°ss representative, ss Representative!¡±! You¡¯re really something! How could you use such a thing as a joke! Did you ask about our Nianzhi? ¡°Come, quickly make a toast to Nianzhi so that ss representative gu can be magnanimous and not care about these silly jokes from his school days!¡±

    He then teased gu nianzhi, ¡°ss Representative Gu, can¡¯t you make a joke at all? If you can¡¯t, I¡¯ll apologize on behalf of the ss representative! I¡¯ll punish you with three sses of Wine!¡±

    As he said this, he poured himself a ss of white wine from Erguotou and really drank three sses.

    When he showed everyone his empty ss, several people joined in the jeering and cheering.

    This person was really a talent. With a single sentence, he had washed away the malicious nder incident that could ruin a girl¡¯s reputation and made it into a silly joke from when she was a student.

    Gu Nianzhi wished she could smash a bottle of wine on this boy¡¯s head.

    The other girls present, besides Yi Xinyan, red at her angrily. It was obvious that they did not ept the idea of a joke.

    Most of the boys shook their heads in disapproval.

    If such a thing could be used as a joke, then it was no wonder that bullying in school was increasing.

    Mei Xiawen had merely kicked an iron te. Otherwise, how could he have been caught on the spot?

    Lady Cao refused to let him go. Her eyes were cold as she looked at Mei Xiawen and said, ¡°ss representative, if this audio recording of yours hadn¡¯t suddenly been released today, would you still say that it was a joke?¡±

    ¡°With a joke from you, our reputation as girls will be gone. We can let you guys make up whatever you want!¡±

    The boy next to her quickly said, ¡°Lady Cao, don¡¯t overturn a whole boat of people! We Boys Aren¡¯t all like this.¡±

    The other boy quickly exined and med Mei Xiawen, he said, ¡°Even if you¡¯ve been in a rtionship, it¡¯s already despicable to bring up the past when you¡¯ve broken up. ¡°We¡¯re all adults, so who doesn¡¯t know about the things between men and women? ¡°But if you use it to insinuate, it¡¯s not just despicable, it¡¯s nder.¡±

    Little temptress snorted, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t wash your hands of this. Do you know why I¡¯ve always resisted finding a boyfriend to fall in love with? I¡¯m just afraid that I¡¯ll run into a situation where I can¡¯t even exin myself. If it weren¡¯t for this audio recording, we, nianzhi, would definitely be at a disadvantage! ¡°Do I have to turn on my phone to record whenever I¡¯m dating in the future?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d better wait for my family to introduce me and get married right away. What¡¯s the point of dating? It¡¯s a waste of money and effort. It¡¯s not worth the loss. I¡¯m also risking all sorts of malicious spection. ¡°You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. Who knows what kind of monster the person you meet is?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been angry earlier, but because she had more important things on her mind, she hadn¡¯t been particrly angry.

    Now that most of her ssmates were speaking up for her, she felt even more at ease. She waved the yogurt in her hand and said, ¡°Little temptress, if something like this happens to you, I¡¯ll definitely stand up for you!¡±

    Little Temptress was instantly beaming with joy. She hugged Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arm and rested her head on her shoulder. She said coquettishly, ¡°That¡¯s great! Nianzhi, don¡¯t get married anymore. Just stay with me!¡±

    ¡°Stay together!¡±

    ¡°Stay together!¡±

    ¡°Stay together!¡±

    The students joined in themotion, and the atmosphere in the revolving restaurant on the top floor instantly became lively again.

    Mei Xiawen was in a sorry state, sweat beading on his forehead, but he still sat there without saying a word.

    Yi Xinyan had no intention of leaving either. She stared hatefully at Gu Nianzhi, no longer hiding her emotions.

    Seeing Gu Nianzhi drinking with her ssmates with a bottle of yogurt in her hand, she gritted her teeth, rubbed her stomach with her hand, and slowly stood up.

    Holding a ss of red wine, she walked half a circle around the round dining table and stopped in front of Gu Nianzhi, yi Xinyan toasted her and said, ¡°First seat Gu, I rarely admire people. You¡¯re one of the few. Come, let me toast you. I hope you can be magnanimous and not lower yourself to Xia Wen¡¯s level in the past.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The corners of her lips curled up into a meaningful smile. ¡°Miss Yi is truly affectionate towards the ss representative. I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    However, just as Yi Xinyan was about to raise her ss to drink, Gu Nianzhi grabbed her wrist and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant. Do you still want to drink?¡±

    ¡°This is only red wine. A small amount of red wine is not harmful to the fetus, only beneficial.¡±Yi Xinyan¡¯s smile was extremely gentle, but the strength in her hand was extremely strong. She held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist, she broke it open one finger at a time.

    Gu Nianzhi was just saying it casually. Since she was being calctive, she did not try to persuade her anymore and returned to her seat.

    Yi Xinyan also slowly walked back to her seat.

    Everyone was talking andughing, and it was extremely harmonious. However, she sat there alone. Other than Mei Xiawen, no one paid attention to her.

    In the past, she was the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. She had been pampered by the boys for so many years..

    And Now?

    She was gone. She had lost everything.

    Yi Xinyan touched her face, but there was no expression on her face. The expression in her eyes was unpredictable, and she looked at Gu Nianzhi with a profound gaze.

    After a while, when the voices in the revolving restaurant quieted down.., yi Xinyan suddenly asked, ¡°Chief gu, Xia Wen told me that when you were going to apply for professor he¡¯s post-graduate degree, you had a serious illness. You were a weekte for the interview, and were expelled by professor he. It was Xia Wen who apanied you to see Professor he and fought for another interview, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback. Her mind raced, and she vaguely knew who this person was.

    She smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, I still have to thank the ss representative. Otherwise, I would have missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Yi Xinyan and slowly revealed a smug and arrogant smile. ¡°No matter what, I was first in the written interview. No matter how others struggled, with me, she could only be second.¡±

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s face darkened.

 Chapter 2179

    <h4>Chapter 2179: Chapter 2179: setting an example (first update)</h4>

    It was as if the pressure in a pressure cooker had reached a critical point, and a hole had suddenly been smashed open. Everyone could almost see hot steam rising from the top of Yi Xinyan¡¯s head.

    Yi Xinyan stood up in a sh, she sneered, ¡°Stop bragging! Who knows what dirty tricks you used to seduce the instructor into giving you high marks! I just want to ask you, did you really get sick during the week you fell ill, or were you so fucked that you couldn¡¯t get out of bed? !¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±

    ¡°What did you say? !¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Little Temptress, Green Tea Fang, and Lady Cao stood up at the same time and stood by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side, angrily scolding Yi Xinyan.

    The students present also sensed that something was wrong. They all frowned at Yi Xinyan and said to Mei Xiawen, ¡°ss representative, are you going to pretend that you didn¡¯t hear your fianc¨¦e humiliate our ssmates like this?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re having a ss reunion. As family members, if you¡¯re here to humiliate our ssmates on purpose, please leave.¡±

    Back then, their ss had been quite harmonious. Although there had been conflicts of interest, their worldview was still quite normal.

    Yi Xinyan had suddenly used such disgusting words to insult Gu Nianzhi for no reason. They couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch.

    At this time, humiliating Gu Nianzhi was humiliating their entire ss.

    Mei Xiawen¡¯s heart was filled with amon enemy. Even if Mei Xiawen was the ss representative, he couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    In fact, Mei Xiawen was also shocked by Yi Xinyan¡¯s vicious words.

    He opened his mouth and stared at Yi Xinyan for a while beforeing back to his senses. He hurriedly said, ¡°Xinyan! What¡¯s wrong with you? ! Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t know Nianzhi? Why do you seem to be so close to her?¡±

    Yi Xinyan flung Mei Xiawen away and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    She looked at her ssmates who treated her as an enemy and sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me? I¡¯ll show you now just how dirty this Chief GU of yours was in the past!¡±

    As she spoke, she picked up the remote control on the table and turned on the big screen of the wall-mounted television.

    After a ck screen, the woman¡¯s soft moans rang out.

    On the television, there was a piece of white flesh that was trembling and jumping. There were also four or five men with wretched faces. They were shirtless, revealing the fat around their waists. They were doing something indescribable with her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you! Gu Nianzhi said three years ago that she was sick and took a week off from school. What was the reason? !¡±

    Yi Xinyan was going all out.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t walk out of this hotel alive today anyway.

    Even if she had to die with her, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate!

    In the past three years, her family had been destroyed and she didn¡¯t care about anything anymore.

    Hadn¡¯t she been suffering for more than two years just for today?

    Yi Xinyan amplified the sound of the remote control, and the image on the video became clearer.

    She pointed at the image and said passionately, ¡°Look! Isn¡¯t this... ! What? ! What¡¯s going on? !¡±

    She panicked.

    The naked woman on the television screen on the wall revealed her face. It was not gu nianzhi, but her... Yi Xinyan¡¯s face!

    Everyone was in an uproar.

    ¡°Hey! Yi Xinyan, are you crazy? ! You like watching movies. Go home and watch them with your fianc¨¦! Why did you bring them to a public ce and let us watch your sex scenes? ! Are you a psychopath? !¡±

    Little temptressughed in anger. ¡°Yi Xinyan, are you trying to use this movie to frame Nianzhi?¡±

    Yi Xinyan panicked and kept clicking on the remote control. She moved forward and backward, but the woman¡¯s portrait on the screen did not change. It was still her face, not Gu Nianzhi¡¯s portrait!

    Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and nodded. She smiled. ¡°Mei Xiawen, do you still think she doesn¡¯t know me? You¡¯ve been fooled by Lard again, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°This Yi Xinyan not only knows me, she also knows all of us!¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at Yi Xinyan without hesitation.

    She had already suspected Yi Xinyan¡¯s identity, but now that she knew that she had been tricked, she was immediately convinced of Yi Xinyan¡¯s true identity.

    She looked her up and down, trying to find out what the girl looked like from her face, but she couldn¡¯t find a single trace of her.

    The stic surgery had been done with extraordinary skill.

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her wrist and rubbed her watch.

    ¡°She knows us? ! Nianzhi, what do you mean?¡±Green Tea Fang also looked Yi Xinyan up and down, she thought deeply. ¡°Could she be one of our ssmates? But I don¡¯t remember her. I¡¯ve contacted everyone in our ss. Except for the boy who didn¡¯t show up, everyone else is here. Not a single one is missing...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not one of our ssmates, but she¡¯s from the same department as us,¡±Gu Nianzhi said lightly. She crossed her arms and raised her chin, her eyes full of contempt, ¡°Look, the female lead in the action movie on the wall is Yi Xinyan, also known as Feng Yixi. Have you all forgotten?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Yi Xinyan again. ¡°Feng Yixi, you went to the states after being released after a year of hardbor?¡±? ¡°I¡¯m still graduating from an undergraduate program overseas. I just want to ask, how much did your backer pay to fake your education and experience?¡±? ¡°I think he¡¯s going to lose everything this time.¡±

    ¡°Yi Xinyan, don¡¯t deny it. It¡¯s just stic surgery. Take a DNA test and you¡¯ll be exposed in no time.¡±

    ¡°Are you really Feng Yixi? ! I remember now!¡±A boy called out first. ¡°Before Nianzhi came to our school, Feng Yixi was the belle of the Department!¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, why would a prettiest girl make a film like this? !¡±Little Temptress said sarcastically as she looked Yi Xinyan up and down. ¡°Are you really Feng Yixi? Your stic surgery is not bad!¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Why would you post a film like this at our ss reunion? hahahaha! It¡¯s so lively and lively...¡±

    Everyone looked at ¡°Feng Yixi¡±who was constantly moaning on the television on the wall, and then looked at Yi Xinyan whose face was as white as snow. She looked like she had just lost her mother. They all began to believe Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    Was this Yi Xinyan Really Feng Yixi?

    ¡°I think it makes sense.¡±The boy who had helped Mei Xiawen out of the predicament earlier said in deep thought, ¡°Nianzhi has always had a good rtionship with our ssmates. The only one who had conflicts was Feng Yixi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, when we were taking the postgraduate exam, Nianzhi was first and Feng Yixi was second. If Nianzhi couldn¡¯t participate in the interview, then she would be automatically eliminated. Feng Yixi would get the only spot.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, back then, professor he zhichu only recruited a master¡¯s student, and everyone was fighting over it...¡±

    ¡°So Nianzhi, you were sick for a week. Was Feng Yixi the one who hurt you?¡±Green Tea Fang put her arm around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and pouted at Yi Xinyan.

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. ¡°Of course not. I was just sick and was hospitalized at my Guardian¡¯s ce. I have witnesses and evidence. As for such a small movie...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the television on the wall and said humorously, ¡°It¡¯s probably because Feng Yixi wants me to suffer this kind of misfortune so much that she personally went into action to demonstrate what would happen to me if I was harmed...¡±

    ¡°Harmed others to the point of setting an example for others. Feng Yixi, you¡¯re the first in history to be harmed like this.¡±

    Yi Xinyan hugged her head and shouted, mming the remote control against the wall.

    She had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

    They had already controlled the television broadcast in the hotel. At this time, all the televisions in the hotel rooms would be broadcasting this video. At the same time, the television stations in the city and the advertising screens outside would also be hacked by the Madam, the video would be broadcast simultaneously.

    When that time came, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s highly recognizable face would be a household name!

    Her wish that she had not achieved back then could finally be fulfilled.

    But what had gone wrong?

    Why wasn¡¯t the woman on the video Gu Nianzhi¡¯s profile picture? !

    Of course, they had photoshopped the video, but why wasn¡¯t Gu Nianzhi¡¯s profile picture photoshopped but Yi Xinyan¡¯s? !

    Yi Xinyan was trembling all over and was panicking. She felt like she was about to give up.

    At this time, the other students in the restaurant suddenly felt a burst of ckness, dizziness, one by one rubbed temples and cried out.

    ¡°Dizzy!¡±

    ¡°The world is spinning!¡±

    ¡°No! I Can¡¯t See!¡±

    Then Plop Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, Plop, plop.

    In less than three minutes, almost all the students in the revolving restaurant had fainted. Only Gu Nianzhi stood there as if nothing had happened, and Yi Xinyan, whose face was gradually showing joy, stood opposite her.

 Chapter 2180

    <h4>Chapter 2180: Chapter 2,180</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her fallen ssmates and said calmly to Yi Xinyan,¡±... You Did It? What did you do? Did you want them to die?¡±

    ¡°When did they offend you?¡±

    The two of them were the only ones standing in therge revolving restaurant on the top floor. Yi Xinyan did not continue with her pretentious nonsense.

    She ran her fingers through her hair and sneered, she said, ¡°In the past, these people still revolved around me. Just because I was forced to be second after you came, they changed their minds and went to your side. Do you think they¡¯re guilty?¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, you¡¯re really a psychopath. Just because others don¡¯t tter you and worship you, you want them to die. You¡¯re so narcissistic that you¡¯re mentally ill. You¡¯ve broken another record.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head calmly. She bent down and helped green tea fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao to lie down on the sofa by the wall.

    ¡°I hate it when you talk like that!¡±Yi Xinyan shrieked, but her voice was too low. Even if she raised her voice, it still sounded weird.

    Just as she finished speaking, a group of burly men barged in. They looked like they had been waiting for a long time outside the door.

    They were all wearing hotel uniforms, but seeing that the muscles on their arms were bulging to the point that they were about to burst out of their white sleeves with ck edges, they thought with their toes that they would not be serving dishes in the hotel.

    Yi Xinyan only heaved a sigh of relief when she saw these people barging in.

    After a night of being on tenterhooks, she finally felt at ease.

    Fortunately, thisst step still did not go wrong.

    She could not be bothered to think about what had gone wrong with the video just now. After all, it was remotely controlled, so it was possible that the inte had gone wrong.

    Now that she and Gu Nianzhi were standing face to face, and she had more than ten powerful helpers on her side, Gu Nianzhi was really going to be in big trouble this time.

    Yi Xinyan slowly walked up to Gu Nianzhi and stopped less than a meter away from her. She folded her arms and looked her up and down, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be getting better and better all these years. You¡¯re getting prettier and prettier. Do you know that your existence is a crime to me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not take these people seriously at all, she calmly said to Yi Xinyan, ¡°These are your people? Your tricks? Actually, you¡¯re not very smart. Before I entered C University, I really don¡¯t know how you managed to hold the number one position for so long.¡±

    ¡°You have someone helping you. Don¡¯t you want to live a good life on your own? Why are you still picking on me? is the lesson I taught youst time not enough, or are you too arrogant?¡±

    The corners of Yi Xinyan¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Of course they¡¯re my people. The hotel security system you picked is like a sieve. You Don¡¯t know how many people I¡¯ve nted here. Are you dumbfounded now?¡±

    ¡°You think someone will help me, like you, unconditionally? You¡¯ve ruined my family, do you think someone will help me unconditionally?¡±

    She had been sweating profusely and did not dare to attack Gu Nianzhi directly. Now she had nothing to be afraid of.

    ¡°So, there¡¯s a condition for that person to help you?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled as if she did not care about those men who were eyeing her covetously, she used the tone of the court and said patiently, ¡°Yi Xinyan, oh, no, Feng Yixi, let¡¯s make a deal. You tell me what you know, and I¡¯ll plead with the judge to have you turn state¡¯s evidence. How about it?¡±

    Gu nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Jin had arranged everything tonight, not only for Yi Xinyan, but also for the mastermind behind her who was always elusive.

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s eyes shed with aplicated light, but it was quickly reced by a kind of fanaticism.

    She raised her hands and said excitedly, ¡°You really said that! I knew it! From Christmas Eve to today, Madam has always nned everything! Everything you did tonight was in her n!¡±

    Yi Xinyan started chattering non-stop. ¡°She said that you don¡¯t know how to drink, so she put the medicine in the wine so that she could put the other people down first.¡±

    ¡°She also said that you know how to drink fruit juice or milk, so the medicine in these things is different!¡±

    ¡°You seem fine standing up now, but you¡¯ll know how powerful it is in a while!¡±

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s eyes were wide open, and her nostrils were wide open. Her cheeks were abnormally red.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Madam?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and started to analyze the situation. ¡°It seems I was wrong before. I thought the person behind you was a man.¡±

    She looked Yi Xinyan up and down and said, ¡°Since you called her ¡®Madam,¡¯then the woman should be older than thirty years old.¡±

    ¡°To be able to use so much money to help you with stic surgery, fake your education, fake your work experience, and even get an official high-ranking position in apany like Carlyle, she must be extraordinary.¡±

    ¡°You also said that from Christmas Eve onwards, Mrs. Keven had every possible n.¡±

    ¡°Thinking about it again, Keven also did something on Christmas Eve. He is also a senior executive of Carlyle, and his position is slightly higher than yours.¡±

    ¡°Based on this spection, the person behind you and Keven is the same person. It should be this ¡®Mrs. Keven¡¯.¡±

    ¡°This Mrs. Keven gave more for Keven than for you.¡±

    ¡°Not only has she hired the bestwyers in the United States for Keven, she has also helped him connect the heaven and earth. She has found the president and Secretary of State of the United States to seek the position of a diplomat for him, all for the sake of diplomatic immunity.¡±

    ¡°And there are only a handful of women with such wealth and power in the world. There is also evidence to be found.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng heard everything Gu Nianzhi said and agreed with her analysis. He immediately had his own intelligence and analysis agency search the world for wealthy women who met these criteria through big data.

    Yi Xinyan stood rooted to the spot, staring at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips that kept opening and closing. An uncontroble jealousy rose from the bottom of her heart and bit at her heart like a poisonous snake.

    I Can¡¯t take it, I really can¡¯t take it!

    How could someone be so smart? !

    She had only said one sentence and Gu Nianzhi had almost figured out the true identity of the ¡°Madam¡±!

    Like a bucket of ice water being poured on her head, the abnormal flush on Yi Xinyan¡¯s face instantly faded away and turned into a pale green.

    She shivered and quickly waved her hand. She took a step back and said angrily, ¡°Attack! Do whatever you want! I¡¯ll record the video for You!¡±

    Yi Xinyan smiled grimly and pointed at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What¡¯s the use of being smart? What¡¯s the use of your fianc¨¦ being so well-guarded against you? !¡±

    ¡°This time, we¡¯re not ying high-tech, we¡¯re not bluffing!¡±

    ¡°Let me show you how the Mafia dealt with their opponents in the early 20th century!¡±

    ¡°I think this is the only way to quell the anger and resentment I¡¯ve felt over all these years being trampled under your feet!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pouted. ¡°The viin dies because he talks too much. I¡¯m not lying.¡±

    Yi Xinyan was stunned. She quickly looked to the sides and stomped her feet. ¡°Do it!¡±

    The dozen or so burly men behind her were about to pounce on Gu Nianzhi when they suddenly stumbled and screamed. They fell to the ground one after another.

    Yi Xinyan instinctively turned around and saw seven or eight soldiers in camouge uniforms with guns in their hands standing at the door. They looked at her coldly, as if they were looking at a dead person.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and pped her hands. ¡°I agree with you. This hotel¡¯s security system is really like a sieve.¡±

    ¡°So if you can tamper with it, so can i.¡±

 Chapter 2181

    <h4>Chapter 2181: Chapter 2181 ¡ª the person we are going to deal with is you (first update)</h4>

    Yi Xinyan did not expect that there would be someone else behind the carefully calcted operation!

    She was shocked and furious. Gu Nianzhi threw herself at her and shouted, ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far! I only knocked out your ssmate! How dare you kill so many of my men! I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡±

    But her movements were not as fast as those professional soldiers.

    Gu Nianzhi dodged to the side. A soldier in camouge had already flown up to her and grabbed Yi Xinyan by the throat from behind.

    Yi Xinyan almost fainted from the strangtion.

    But her two years of physical training had not been in vain. She quickly raised her arm, pressed one hand on the soldier¡¯s numbness, and lifted her shirt with the other.

    Her bulging belly was exposed.

    It looked round and white, and there was a thin ck line in the middle of the belly. It looked exactly like a woman¡¯s real pregnant belly.

    Was she really pregnant?

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly startled.

    The soldier holding Yi Xinyan¡¯s throat also saw the woman¡¯s bulging white belly and thought she was pregnant. He hesitated for a moment and loosened his arm slightly.

    In the blink of an eye, Yi Xinyan used more strength to break free from the soldier behind her. At the same time, she also tore off her ¡°Simted pregnancy belly¡±!

    Gu Nianzhi was so scared that she shivered.

    The soldier behind Yi Xinyan was also stunned.

    In the end, under Yi Xinyan¡¯s ¡°Simted pregnancy belly¡±, there was a row of explosives tied up!

    Huo Shaoheng was in a ck bulletproof car not far from the hotel. Through the surveince camera, he saw the situation in the revolving restaurant.

    ¡°Zoom in! Look closely at the type of explosives on her body!¡±Huo Shaohengmanded sternly.

    They had set up a strict electromaic surveince system here. If it was a type of electromaic remote-controlled bomb, he could turn it off in a matter of minutes.

    However, things didn¡¯t go as he had hoped. Lu Jin said with a dark expression,¡±... it¡¯s the mostmon type of explosive. It¡¯s ignited with a fuse and doesn¡¯t have any electromaic control equipment.¡±

    This meant that they could not remotely disarm the other party¡¯s explosive detonator!

    Huo Shaoheng punched the car window and forcefully opened the car door. He rushed out of the car and quickly ran to the hotel entrance.

    Lu Jin gritted his teeth and quickly said to Gu Nianzhi through the bluetooth headset, ¡°Nianzhi, quickly take the backpack and open it. Then turn around and cover your head. Use the backpack to block as much as you can!¡±

    Although the backpack Lu Jin had specially made for Gu Nianzhi was the best bullet-proof equipment and could even block explosives, it was a pity that the backpack was too small. Even if it was opened, it could only block half of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body.

    The other half of her body. If Yi Xinyan went crazy and detonated the explosives in an attempt to take her down with her, Gu Nianzhi would be seriously injured, but she would still be alive.

    As for the other people in the revolving restaurant, including her ssmates and the soldiers, they might not have been so lucky.

    Lu Jin had no choice. He could only protect his daughter.

    Lu Jin said hatefully, ¡°That madam whatever is really something! She actually did the exact opposite this time!¡±

    ¡°It must have been because they failed their missionst Christmas Eve and knew we had strong technical support!¡±

    ¡°So this time, they used crude and crude force!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been tricked!¡±

    Lu Jin did not forget to do a technical analysis of the ¡°Madam¡±¡®s actions.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know whether tough or cry. She would never let so many of her ssmates and soldiers die together!

    She looked at Yi Xinyan and saw that her eyes were red and she had gone crazy.

    Yi Xinyanughed maniacally. She hooked the fuse with one hand and said, ¡°Kill me! Any spark can cause the explosives on my body to explode!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, this is an explosive TNT! If one of me dies, all of you will die with me!¡±

    Because when Yi Xinyan had pulled off her clothes to reveal her ¡°Simted pregnancy belly¡±, the soldiers who had been strangling her throat had loosened their grip. Yi Xinyan had taken the opportunity to break free, and now she was pouncing towards Gu Nianzhi.

    The soldiers behind her, who were holding their guns, did not dare to fire again, nor did they dare to use their daggers. They were all afraid that they would not be able to kill Yi Xinyan in one shot. If Yi Xinyan were to fight back on the brink of death, she would definitely pull down the fuse and drag everyone to their deaths!

    It was toote for them to pounce on her and strangle her, because no one could guarantee that Yi Xinyan would not pull down the fuse instinctively!

    The explosives tied to her body were the mostmon type of ck powder explosives. They had been specially processed so that a single spark could cause them to explode immediately.

    It wasn¡¯t an electromaic remote control, so the most simple and crude operation had be her most powerful weapon.

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi! I¡¯ll die without regrets if I drag you down with me!¡±Yi Xinyan shouted as she lunged forward with a hideous smile.

    Gu Nianzhi turned around to avoid Yi Xinyan. Suddenly, she saw a red fire extinguisher hanging on the wall that was separated by an oil painting!

    Her mind raced. Without hesitation, she pulled the fire extinguisher off the wall and realized it was a water extinguisher!

    Only in hotels like this would they use this type of fire extinguisher to save money..

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She immediately took off the protective cap on the water extinguisher and pped it hard with her palm. She pushed away the protruding head on the top of the fire extinguisher and water gushed out from the nozzle under immense pressure, it was all poured on the explosive bag tied to Yi Xinyan¡¯s stomach!

    The most ordinary explosive bag indeed needed the most ordinary water extinguisher to deal with!

    The ck gunpowder was instantly soaked in water and lost its effectiveness. The strong water column was so strong that Yi Xinyan couldn¡¯t raise her head.

    When the soldiers saw this, they immediately took off the few remaining water extinguishers on the dining hall wall and charged at Yi Xinyan together!

    A few powerful water pirs bore down on Yi Xinyan. Yi Xinyan stumbled backwards. After crashing into a few dining tables, she was pressed against the wall by the powerful water pressure. Not long after, she found it hard to breathe.

    The water pirs in front of her were so heavy and so tightly sealed that she couldn¡¯t even raise her hand to hold her throat.

    She let out a few short cries, then her head tilted and she fell to the ground unconscious.

    Huo Shaoheng had already rushed up. Seeing this, he immediately raised his hand and fired two shots at the unconscious Yi Xinyan, urately hitting her throat.

    Before the blood could even flow out, it was pushed back by the powerful water column, leaving only a faint red color that flowed along the water trail.

    Huo Shaoheng still maintained his gun-shooting posture. It was not until three minutester, when he was sure that Yi Xinyan had been killed, that he raised his hand and asked everyone to stop spraying water.

    Yi Xinyan¡¯s entire body was drenched. Shey on the floor of the restaurant, lifeless.

    Huo Shaoheng walked over with his gun and said coldly to Yi Xinyan¡¯s body, ¡°I know you¡¯re watching us. I know you can hear us too.¡±

    ¡°Look carefully. Your men died at my hands again. Your operation has failed again.¡±

    ¡°We already know who you are, and we know where you are

    ¡°Prepare a coffin for yourself

    ¡°Next time, the person we are going to deal with is you

 Chapter 2182

    <h4>Chapter 2182: Chapter 2182: stop losses on time (second update)</h4>

    Yi Xinyan hade to this hotel to n the operation, which was of course carefully prepared.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng did not deliberately block the electromaic signal this time, so whatever happened in the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the hotel was definitely visible to the person behind the scenes.

    With the breakthrough inworkmunication technology and hardware equipment, the traffic was no longer valuable, and the cost of live streaming was negligible.

    Therefore, when Huo Shaoheng said this, there was indeed someone sitting in a simple andfortable tea room, staring intently at the live stream from the hidden device on Yi Xinyan¡¯s body.

    She was not angry at all. Instead, like Huo Shaoheng, she used her hand to make the shape of a gun and pointed it at Yi Xinyan¡¯s throat on theputer screen. Her mouth made a ¡°Bang¡±sound, as if she had also fired a shot at Yi Xinyan.

    ¡°Huo Shao, thank you for helping me solve this problem.¡±She smiled sweetly. On the face of a mature woman, there was a rare trace of a young girl¡¯s naivety.

    For a person of her age to be able to smile like this, it was either because of her superb acting skills or her extremely strong mental fortitude.

    In fact, she had cultivated her mind and temperament for so many years. What kind of storm had she not seen?

    How could Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words be dangerous to her?

    What a joke.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s guesses were reasonable, but unfortunately, some of them were very wrong.

    Therefore, she wasn¡¯t worried that the other party would be able to see through her true identity.

    She knew that Huo Shaoheng¡¯sst words were to trick her and provoke her into anger, just like what they had done, step by step, to provoke Yi Xinyan.

    She wasn¡¯t angry at all. Instead, she looked at the mahogany divination she had prepared a few years ago, and her smile deepened.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi probably did not know that she had originally intended to send Yi Xinyan to her death.

    This woman had failed in everything she had aplished. She had overestimated her.

    However, it was not toote for her to stop the damage in time.

    In any case, Kevin was dead, Zuo Qinghong was dead, and now Yi Xinyan was dead as well. There was no one left in this world who had the opportunity to reveal her secret.

    Keven¡¯s death was aplete surprise to her, and she was already mentally prepared for Zuo Qinghong¡¯s death.

    For her, Yi Xinyan¡¯s death was intentional, and she was the mastermind behind it.

    With a faint smile on her face, she stretched out her slender fingers and fiddled with the calction chips in front of her, wanting to make another divination.

    However, she didn¡¯t know whether it was because she had too many things on her mind or because she wasn¡¯t that confident in her ¡°I Ching¡±technique. With a shake of her hand, a mahogany calction chip fell to the ground.

    When she bent down to pick it up, her back identally bumped into the small table and unexpectedly squeezed out all the fortune-telling chips on the table.

    Looking at the mahogany fortune-telling chips falling on the teak floor one after another, she was silent for a long time. In the end, she took out the cloth bag and put the fortune-telling chips back.

    She smiled and sighed, thinking that if she looked at the almanac, the words ¡°Not suitable for divination¡±were written on it today..

    She sat in the tea room for a while until a cup of steaming biluoxiang had cooled down before she came out.

    ¡°Madam, are you okay?¡±The middle-aged servant stood by the door of the tea room and looked worriedly at the woman whose face was a little gloomy. ¡°Do you want to get a skin care?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±The woman touched her face. ¡°I¡¯ve been calcting and observing for the past few days. It¡¯s too tiring for my brain. I¡¯m getting old...¡±

    She turned around. The extremely slim white silk qipao with blue and white porcin patterns swayed along with her body, moving one¡¯s soul.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to soak in the hot spring. Go prepare for the flight tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam. You haven¡¯t been resting well recently. You¡¯ll be fine after you go back and recuperate,¡±the middle-aged servant replied respectfully.

    The woman took two steps forward and seemed to have recalled something. She turned sideways to look at the night scene outside the window and said faintly,¡±... but song jinning is about the same age as me. Why doesn¡¯t she look old at all?¡±

    The middle-aged servant:¡±...¡±

    She looked at the woman¡¯s expression and movements and carefully advised her, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re thinking too much. In My Eyes, Song Jinning is an old monster with a demonic aura. How can she bepared to your natural beauty?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? In your eyes, I¡¯m always good.¡±The woman smiled and patted her servant as she walked towards the bedroom.

    ..

    At this time, in front of the Junhao Grand Hotel on the Fifth Ring Road of the capital, there were already several police cars with shing lights. There were also fire engines and ambnces in ce.

    The difference was that this time, there were more ambnces. They were densely packed and almost filled the parking lot.

    Gu Nianzhi was protected in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. She watched as the medical staff carried her unconscious ssmates into the elevator one by one and asked worriedly, ¡°They should be fine, right?¡±

    ¡°They should be fine. We¡¯ve already reced them with anesthetics with minimal side effects.¡±Huo Shaohengforted her in a low voice and pressed her head into his arms. ¡°Stop looking.¡±

    ¡°Where are Yi Xinyan¡¯s helpers? They¡¯re not dead, are they?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t pretending to be a saint to those who wanted to harm her. She just didn¡¯t want Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hands to be stained with blood that he shouldn¡¯t have.

    After all, Huo Shaoheng had sent soldiers to protect her this time. If he killed all the thugs in one shot, it would be quite troublesome for Huo Shaoheng in his position.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and bent down to whisper in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ear,¡±... are you worried about me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched and she gave him a gentle punch. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. They were also drugged.¡±Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head. ¡°These people are Yi Xinyan¡¯s dirty witnesses.¡±

    He had shot and killed Yi Xinyan because they were in the country, so they had to go through legal procedures.

    However, with his sensitive identity, this would be an internal investigation and not a public trial.

    Gu Nianzhi did notin that Huo Shaoheng should not have shot Yi Xinyan.

    In fact, when she saw Yi Xinyan¡¯s body covered in explosives, she felt that such a lunatic should have died and been reincarnated.

    She had already treated herself as a ¡°Human bomb.¡±Did she still need to sympathize with her ¡°Difficult upbringing¡±?

    No, she did not want to know how many painful psychological struggles and struggles she had experienced.

    She also did not want to know how miserable her childhood was and how miserable her life had been.

    In short, she wanted others to die because she was not living well. This logic could also be called ¡°Sociopathic personality.¡±.

    The suspects who had caused mass casualties were all in this state of mind.

    Soon, Yi Xinyan¡¯s body was also sent away in a ck body bag. Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi as they went downstairs.

    When they reached Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bulletproof car, Lu Jin opened the car door from the inside and looked anxiously at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Nianzhi, are you okay?¡±

    Although he knew that she was fine, in his father¡¯s heart, even a single strand of his daughter¡¯s hair could be magnified to the point of heartbreak.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and shook her head. She got into the car and sat next to Lu Jin.

    Huo Shaoheng followed and sat next to her.

    The three of them sat in the back of the car. It wasn¡¯t crowded, but they were still quite close to Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Jin couldn¡¯t wait to show Gu Nianzhi the results of his analysis and calctions. ¡°Nianzhi, look, I¡¯ve figured it out. That madam is intentionally sending Yi Xinyan to her death this time!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and said in a low voice,¡±... even if I don¡¯t count, I know.¡±

 Chapter 2183

    <h4>Chapter 2183: Chapter 2183 a certain someone was jealous (first update)</h4>

    Lu Jin¡¯s ears were sharp. Even though Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, Lu Jin still heard it.

    He turned to look at him and asked in surprise, ¡°How do you know if you don¡¯t count? I used... my own optimization algorithm, using chaos mathematics toe to this conclusion!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned sideways and fastened gu nianzhi¡¯s seatbelt as he said, ¡°Professor Lu calcted it from the perspective of mathematical probability. Of course, the result is more urate. I only deduced it from intuition.¡±

    He raised his head and looked at Lu Jin. ¡°When Yi Xinyan identally said the word ¡®madam¡¯, she was dead.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s identity was so well-hidden that he wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to spy on him.

    ¡°Also, Yi Xinyan was so agitated by Nianzhi that she couldn¡¯t keep her cool. This proves that she¡¯s not a good helper.¡±

    Lu Jin was deep in thought. ¡°You didn¡¯t deduce this from intuition, but from your work experience.¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡±Huo Shaoheng nodded with a smile and closed the car door.

    The driver started the car and followed the ambnces to the hospital.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ssmates had all been sent to the hospital. Gu Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep if she didn¡¯t see them wake up.

    Fortunately, her ssmates woke up one after another not long after she arrived at the hospital.

    Huo Shaoheng ordered people to rece the medicine for them, and sure enough, there were no side effects.

    It was as if they had slept, and were in high spirits. They did not have any headache or fever at all.

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief. She peeled an apple for little temptress, who was grinning on the bed, and handed it to her. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re awake. You Don¡¯t want to know what happened after that.¡±

    ¡°No, I want to hear it!¡±Little Temptress¡¯s eyes sparkled, and her face was full of gossip. ¡°What happened after that? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to briefly exin what happened after that. She wiped her hands with a tissue, she said, ¡°Actually, it was really dangerous at that time. That Feng Yixi was really crazy. She wanted to kill me so badly just for a graduate student spot. I already defeated her once, and she still wanted revenge...¡±

    At that moment, Green Tea Fang and Lady Cao also woke up one after another. They leaned on the hospital bed and listened to her attentively.

    When she finished speaking, green tea fang picked up the cup of water on the small table beside the hospital bed and took a sip, she said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a graduate student spot. To a narrow-minded person, you took away all of her glory and value. Later, you even destroyed her proud family background. It would be strange if she didn¡¯t fight to the death.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pondered for a moment and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s true that personality is fate. I have a different personality from her, so it makes sense that I can¡¯t understand her actions.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you had the same personality as her, you might be able to empathize with her...¡±Lady Cao smiled. ¡°Give me an orange.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took an orange and tossed it over. ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve made everyone suffer this time. To make it up to everyone, in addition to my wedding invitation, I¡¯ll give you an invitation to my wedding rehearsal.¡±

    ¡°Wedding rehearsal?¡±Little Temptress took the invitation and read it over and over again. She asked curiously, ¡°Is there still a rehearsal? How many guests did you invite?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°Not many, but there are many important guests. In order to avoid any problems on the wedding day, we have to do a rehearsal.¡±

    She then said mysteriously, ¡°The rehearsal time for the wedding is Fuller and freer than the official wedding day. Because there are no television stations or news organizations to record it, it¡¯s more private. All the important people invited to the wedding day will be present. You¡¯ll have the opportunity to eat and dance with those political bigwigs...¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? !¡±Green Tea Fang was excited. ¡°I¡¯m a fan of President Putin! Will hee to the rehearsal? ! I know he will definitelye on the day of the wedding!¡±

    However, it was obvious that the wedding would be solemn and orderly.

    With Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fianc¨¦¡¯s status and status, the military would probably have the wedding scenepletely surrounded.

    Everyone was worried that they would be monitored if they wanted to whisper to each other..

    But the rehearsal of the wedding was different.

    Although it was the same as the formal procedure of the wedding, the rehearsal of the wedding ceremony was not open to the public. The location had been kept secret until now, and it was even more intriguing than the actual wedding venue.

    Lady Cao¡¯s eyes also lit up. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in President Putin, but I really admire general ji! Do you have the chance to speak to him and ask for an autograph? !¡±

    Little Temptress looked at her two former roommates speechlessly. She covered her eyes with her hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know them! They¡¯re so young, yet they worship some old man!¡±

    ¡°TSK! You say that like you don¡¯t chase after celebrities!¡±Lady Cao and green tea fang made a ¡°Disdainful¡±gesture together.

    ¡°Of course I chase after celebrities! But I¡¯m not different from the two of you. I especially care about physical pursuits!¡±Little Temptress boasted shamelessly, she pulled Gu Nianzhi back, her face immediately changed into a smile as she said, ¡°Nianzhi, we¡¯re biological roommates. Let¡¯s talk about this. Other than inviting these heavyweight old men to your wedding, do you want to invite some young male celebrities? For example, that person, that person, that person, that person... they¡¯re all my favorites!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed as she pushed her hand away. ¡°Just go ahead and ask whoever you like. Why are you looking for me?¡±

    She looked around and saw that there was no one else, so she quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else. I just gave him a hint, and Huo Shao gave me a look, and I was already ¡®dead¡¯...¡±

    ¡°Is your Huo Shao that jealous?¡±Little Temptress tapped the back of her hand resentfully. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I finally got a chance to get close to a young male celebrity, and you can¡¯t Take That Away from me!¡±

    Gu nianzhi spread her hands, indicating that she couldn¡¯t help.

    Huo Shaoheng had just walked in from outside. Hearing their banter, he said without batting an eyelid, ¡°Which celebrity does Wang like? Nianzhi, if you¡¯re not familiar with him, ask Big Xiong to contact him.¡±

    ¡°AH? Huo Shao, are you serious? !¡±Little Temptress¡¯eyes lit up. She almost bowed to Huo Shaoheng and smiled obsequiously.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know him, I don¡¯t know him, I don¡¯t know anyone! I¡¯ll go and Contact Brother Xiong!¡±

    Green Tea Fang, who was beside her, smiled leisurely and said slyly, ¡°I remember that a young male celebrity went to the Senatest month to give a speech. Nianzhi, do you have his contact information?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! It¡¯s the celebrity that I like! He has a very good nose, and he smiles like a teenager. He¡¯s clean, I love him!¡±Little temptress was even more excited.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t paying attention and nodded. ¡°I have his wechat.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly realized that the temperature in the ward seemed to have dropped.

    She looked down and saw that green tea fang was almost hurting from holding back herughter. She finally realized that she had been tricked and gave her a dirty look, she said, ¡°You can already trick me. Looks like you guys have recovered. Then I¡¯ll go home and sleep. Hurry up and get out of the hospital. Come and attend my wedding rehearsal!¡±

    She pretended to be calm and waved her hand as she walked towards the door.

    Huo Shaoheng followed her out of the hospital.

    The two of them got into the car. Lu Jin had already sat in the front seat to fiddle with his equipment.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng sat in the back seat.

    She kept ncing at Huo Shaoheng, but Huo Shaoheng was sitting upright. The expression on his face was very natural, and it was impossible to tell that he was angry.

    Gu Nianzhi knew he was angry.

    Wasn¡¯t he just a celebrity on wechat?

    Even though he looked like she liked him, she was just looking at him. What other thoughts did he have?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and secretly sent Huo Shaoheng a text message: [ Huo Shao, that celebrity is just more to my liking, but I¡¯m just looking. He¡¯s not as handsome and beautiful as you, Huo Shao. He can fight and kill! ].

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    He smiled faintly as he replied to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text message: [ can you ask that little celebrity if she wants to date? The kind where she¡¯ll go to jail... ].

 Chapter 2184

    <h4>Chapter 2184: Chapter 2184 building love as a wall (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth twitched. She quickly handed her phone to Huo Shaoheng and said fawningly, ¡°Huo Shao, look, I deleted him.¡±

    As she spoke, she deleted the little celebrity¡¯s wechat ount in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and took it over to operate it a few times.

    That person¡¯s wechat ount had been permanently blocked by Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Why hadn¡¯t she felt that Huo Shaoheng was so jealous before?

    However, she was still very happy.

    She hugged Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and smiled widely. ¡°Huo Shao, you did what I wanted to do the most.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do the most? You Mean This?¡±Huo Shaoheng waved his phone at her.

    Gu nianzhi nodded, her eyes sparkling. ¡°Yes! What I want the most is to delete the person I don¡¯t like from your phone!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head. ¡°You call the shots on my phone. You can delete it.¡±

    As he spoke, he handed his phone to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi sat up straight. ¡°That¡¯s what you said. Don¡¯t go back on your word!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Have I ever gone back on my word with you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and held back her words. She looked down at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone.

    Her face shook, and the phone was unlocked.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°You actually stored my face in your phone?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gu Nianzhi then started to look through Huo Shaoheng¡¯s phone excitedly.

    She opened her contact list and saw that there were only a few contacts lying there, all of them family members.

    The only colleagues were his personal secretary and his boss, General Ji.

    She could count on her fingers because there were less than ten people.

    There were no photos in the photo album on the phone, and there were only her and him in the text messages. There was no one else.

    It was so clean that it made one¡¯s hair stand on end.

    Gu Nianzhi did not feel happy. She was stunned for a while before she reacted. She threw the phone back to Huo Shaoheng angrily. ¡°You can¡¯t have a phone at all! You have to submit your phone to the Organization for inspection every month!¡±

    So what was she worried about?

    Even if Huo Shaoheng had any ulterior motives, he would definitely not leave a trace on the phone..

    As for his work phone, it was monitored 24 hours a day. It was cross-monitored and uploaded to the cloud anytime, anywhere.

    It could be said that the organization was more worried about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s innocence than Gu Nianzhi was.

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°You finally reacted? Actually, your phone... has been under my surveince the whole time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Her face instantly turned red.

    She had been in contact with green tea fang, Little Temptress, and Lady Cao for the past few days, and there had been some ¡°Unbridled¡±flirtatious emojis in the group chat..

    Gu Nianzhi covered her face with both hands and was extremely embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m too ashamed to see anyone!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m the only one who saw it.¡±

    As he spoke, he nted a kiss on her exposed forehead.

    It wasn¡¯t on a whim that he went to look at the chat logs between Gu Nianzhi and her former roommates. He didn¡¯t know that Gu Nianzhi had treated him so well..

    He knew that she loved him and only him.

    However, the two of them were ten years apart. Their growth and work experiences werepletely different, so it wasn¡¯t easy for them to understand each other.

    That was why Gu Nianzhi sometimes expressed her love. To be honest, Huo Shaoheng did not really understand it.

    But he did not say anything. The good and the bad were all waiting in silence.

    Fortunately, this girl did not back down and did not feel any fear.

    The two of them were able to get to where they were today.

    Holding Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, her smooth and fair fingersy softly in his wheat-colored palm. It was as if she could turn them into cooked silver noodles with just a little bit of force.

    In a few months, the two of them would be ¡°Holding hands¡±in front of the whole world.

    He kissed the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, he said,¡±... from the day we signed the marriage certificate, your security has been the same as mine, so everything about you is under surveince. But because we haven¡¯t publicly announced our marriage, I¡¯m only responsible for it.¡±

    She was the sweet responsibility he was willing to shoulder, from head to toe, from now to the future.

    Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. It was just that Huo Shaoheng had seen her, so it probably wouldn¡¯t be so awkward anymore..

    She clenched her fists and ced them in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s palm. She said in a low voice, ¡°Then can I still have some privacy?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can. Change to a private phone in the future.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Do you regret marrying me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. ¡°No, no. In order to get what you want, you have to give up something. I¡¯ve thought this through long ago.¡±

    He was too important to her, so she would rather give up her freedom to be with him.

    However, he wasn¡¯t free, so Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t feel that it was unfair.

    She thought that someone¡¯s love was like a prison.

    His love for her was like building a wall, so she could safely stay inside the wall... and y with her phone.

    As an inte child growing up, Gu Nianzhi could not ask for more.

    She lowered her head and quietly smiled.

    ..

    After a few days, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinates finally finished making a list of the most famous women in the world. They added a brief introduction and ced it in front of Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng gathered Yin Shixiong, Zhao liangze, Gu Nianzhi, Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and song jinning for a meeting in his study to show the information on the list.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to say more. President Lu and Ms. Song should have learned about our previous n from Professor Lu.¡±

    Lu Jin coughed ufortably and said in a literal manner, ¡°President Lu and Ms. Song are both directly rted to the failure of the experiment 18 years ago. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with exining it to them.¡±

    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not that you did anything wrong.¡±Gu Nianzhi pushed Lu Jin¡¯s arm quietly. ¡°Huo was just exining the situation to Brother Xiong and brother Ze.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, who were innocent, were speechless

    However, they could only nod their heads in resignation when they received Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Professor Lu, you¡¯re right. We didn¡¯t know you said that, so Huo was just exining the situation to us.¡±

    Actually, exining what? They didn¡¯t care at all whether Lu Yuan and song jinning knew about the situation.

    Because the security level of these two was much higher than theirs.

    There were many things that Lu Yuan and song jinning knew that Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t have the right to know.

    Huo Shaoheng was just used to making things sound perfect so that he wouldn¡¯t leave any loopholes for others to pick on.

    He smiled. ¡°Nianzhi is right. Come, let¡¯s take a look at the situation of these people.¡±

    As he spoke, the lights in the study dimmed. The white screen on the wall slowly descended from the roof and began to y the information video.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s intelligence gathering and analysis organization now used video as a summary of the material and kept the information in in text.

    Therefore, this intelligence analysis was as lively as a documentary.

 Chapter 2185

    <h4>Chapter 2185: Chapter 2185 the Queen of Hearts on the fan</h4>

    After the video started ying, a bunch of women¡¯s faces appeared on the screen.

    The voice of thementator was an ordinary electronic synthesized male voice. One could not tell the pitch of the voice, but the pronunciation was very standard.

    ¡°ording to current statistics, there are a total of 23 well-known female politicians in the world, including leaders of national and international organizations

    ¡°Because of their status and status, their every move is closely monitored. It is impossible for them to engage in such behind-the-scenes operations. Eliminate them.¡±

    Therefore, these female portraits slowly faded, and soon after, a bunch of female portraits appeared.

    ¡°In the entire world, there are 256 women among the billionaires with personal wealth of one billion US dors

    ¡°And most of these 256 women are young women who inherited their wealth.¡±

    ¡°Only three match our age and race.¡±

    As he spoke, the screen dimmed again.

    When it lit up for the third time, it was a middle-aged woman wearing a headscarf. She wore a pair ofrge Chanel sunsses and held a very low-key elephant grey Hermes Birkin Bag in her hand, she walked hurriedly on the streets of London with her head lowered.

    The voice of a synthetic man sounded at a moderate pace.

    ¡°Umma E was born in India, grew up in London, and studied in the United States. When she was thirty, she suddenly received arge amount of wealth from an unknown source and bought an aviation and defensepany. She became thergest federal military contractor in the United States

    ¡°She was half Chinese, a quarter Indian, and a quarter white British

    ¡°Because of her work, she was secretive and rarely showed her face in public. She only appeared at presidential candidate fund-raisers in the United States election year

    ¡°She didn¡¯t have a fixed target of support. Every year, both Democratic and Republican candidates would donate, so she was a guest of honor for both parties

    ¡°She¡¯s good friends with the current president of the United States and the Secretary of State.¡±

    Seeing this, Gu nianzhi nodded and said, ¡°This background does fit quite well.¡±

    Lu Yuan also nodded thoughtfully. ¡°She suddenly has money and is in the military business. She can also be good friends with the current president of the United States and the Secretary of State, so she has the ability and qualifications to help Keven fight for the position of diplomat.¡±

    Lu Jin propped his head up with his hand and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s her major? Does she know Chinese? Does she know math? Does she know the I Ching?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled, he said, ¡°ording to our current intelligence, she knows a little Chinese, but she hasn¡¯t said it in public and can¡¯t write. Her math is average. We got her SAT scores in the United States, and her math scores are average.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s definitely not her.¡±Lu Jin shook his head firmly. ¡°The person behind the scenes must be very skilled in math and has a certain understanding of ancient Chinese culture. He¡¯s an expert in the book of changes.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it silently and asked suspiciously, ¡°Can we find out if he¡¯s an expert in the book of Changes?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said regretfully, ¡°If that person never reveals his understanding of the book of changes in front of others, then we really can¡¯t find out.¡±

    If that person was the fortune-telling master who was posted on Weibo, then they definitely wouldn¡¯t have needed to find out.

    ¡°So whether or not she understands the I Ching is not a condition of our investigation.¡±Lu Yuan rejected Lu Jin¡¯s deduction. ¡°The key is still to see if she has the money and power. That¡¯s the most important thing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood and agreed. ¡°Yes, perhaps mathematical attainments are not a necessary condition either, because she can find a group of geniuses to help her calcte or use the I Ching to specte.¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips and nodded reluctantly, ¡°My Lady Is Right, I agree with mydy.¡±

    Actually, it was Lu Yuan¡¯s opinion, but Lu Jin rarely lowered his head in front of Lu Yuan, but it was different in front of hisdy.

    Gu Nianzhi shook Lu Jin¡¯s hand and smiled sweetly at him.

    Lu Jin immediately beamed and nodded at her, ¡°This person definitely isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she is either.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Who¡¯s the second person?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pressed the button to continue ying and said, ¡°We can eliminate the first Umma E.¡±

    ¡°This is the second person.¡±

    A second woman appeared on the screen on the wall.

    This was a middle-aged woman who looked very gentle and knowledgeable. She was wearing a white kimono embroidered with a white crane spreading its wings, with dark golden edges. One look and you could tell she was Japanese.

    Her ck hair was curled up into a big bun on her head. She was kneeling on the tatami and smiling as she looked at the camera.

    She was holding a small sandalwood fan in her hand. The pattern on the fan was very unique. It was not a traditional fan, but the pattern on a ying card.

    Gu Nianzhi cried out in surprise, ¡°Queen of Hearts!¡±

    She had been searching for it for so long, but it hade so easily!

    ¡°Is she the Queen of Hearts? !¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at the Japanese woman on the screen and asked excitedly.

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hand on the back of her chair and motioned for her to calm down.

    The Man¡¯s voice on the television continued, ¡°Yamaguchi Minako, the president of Yamaguchi Corporation, has lived in the mountains of Ohio in the United States for a long time. She lives in seclusion and often doesn¡¯t return to Japan for several years.¡±

    ¡°Her worth is conservatively estimated to be close to 10 billion US dors, but that is only on paper. Her hidden assets are many times more than on paper.¡±

    ¡°... so her assets are inherited?¡±Gu nianzhi asked curiously, ¡°Inherited from her father or her husband?¡±

    ¡°It should be her father. Her father is the former president of Yamaguchi Corporation,¡±Huo Shaoheng said in a low voice. ¡°And when she inherited Yamaguchi Corporation, even we can¡¯t find out.¡±

    ¡°That means you don¡¯t know when her father passed away?¡±Lu Jin pointed out what Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t said.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly. ¡°Yamaguchi-gumi is a legitimate business in Japan. It¡¯s part of the assets that the yamaguchi-gumi bleached.¡±

    ¡°It really is rted to yamaguchi-gumi.¡±Lu Yuan sighed. ¡°But it should have been separated for a long time, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was separated twenty years ago. Now, the two organizations don¡¯t interfere with each other. On the surface, they don¡¯t interact with each other.¡±

    On the television, the synthetic male voice was still slowly introducing yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s background information.

    ¡°Although she lives in the United States in seclusion, like Uma, she also attends the U.S. presidential candidate fund-raiser. However, she has a closer rtionship with the U.S. Senate.¡±

    ¡°Every year, she would go from Ohio to California to attend the fund-raiser for the Senate election. She was best friends with the california-born representative speaker, Nancy

    ¡°Therefore, she also had a channel to help Keven fight for the position of diplomat

    ¡°However, I heard that Nancy didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with the current president of the United States, so it¡¯s unknown whether it would affect Yamaguchi-minako¡¯s rtionship with the president and the Secretary of State

 Chapter 2186

    <h4>Chapter 2186: Chapter 2186 suddenly turned around, only to find the person in the dim light (second update)</h4>

    ¡°The Japanese are still rted to the yamaguchi-gumi. Even though it¡¯s been cut, would you believe that yamaguchi-gumi has nothing to do with the Yamaguchi-gumi?¡±Lu Jin snorted. ¡°Do you take them all for fools?¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa. He said uncertainly, ¡°That makes sense. Why is the Queen of Hearts drawn on the fan she¡¯s holding? Did Wen Shouyie here to see her before?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very possible,¡±Gu Nianzhi analyzed. ¡°The main thing is that the Queen of Hearts is too eye-catching. I¡¯ve never seen anyone draw the Queen of Hearts on a ying card like a fan on a small sandalwood fan.¡±

    Song Jinning, who had been silent all this time, also said, ¡°Looking at her temperament and appearance, there¡¯s something familiar about her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with her?¡±Huo Shaoheng sat up in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve seen her before? When? Where? Who can prove it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at song jinning in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve really seen her before? !¡±

    Song jinning frowned and thought hard for a moment. ¡°She just looks familiar, but I can¡¯t remember where I¡¯ve seen her before.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve seen her before?¡±Gu Nianzhi observed song Jinning¡¯s expression and came to a conclusion. ¡°Recently, or many years ago?¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s frown deepened. She thought for a while before saying uncertainly, ¡°I really can¡¯t remember. I just think her appearance and aura look familiar. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve seen her before.¡±

    Lu Yuan patted her shoulder in understanding and said gently, ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, then don¡¯t think about it. It probably wasn¡¯t recent, but before the ident.¡±

    ¡°That was 18 years ago. It was jinning who had problems with her memoryter on. Although she recoveredter on, her memory must have still been affected.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng did not pursue the matter further. Lu Jin put his hands behind his head and leaned against the sofa. He said impatiently, ¡°Where¡¯s the other one? I finished watching it and went out. I don¡¯t feelfortable staying in your study.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and continued to y.

    The third person who appeared on the television screen was actually someone song jinning knew.

    She blurted out, ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that Yuan Jianan?¡±

    On the television, the voice of the electronically synthesized man had just sounded.

    ¡°This thirddy is called Yuan Jianan. She is of Chinese descent and is the sessor of Chile¡¯s Yuan Group.¡±

    ¡°Chile is very rich in mineral resources. Yuan¡¯s family controls almost 80% of Chile¡¯s mineral resources.¡±

    ¡°Her assets are conservatively estimated to be around 9.8 billion US dors. Although it is less than 10 billion US dors, this is because the valuation of mineral resources has fluctuated a lot over the past few years. When it was high, she was one of the top 100 richest people in the world.¡±

    ¡°Now that the price of the mineral resources has decreased, her ranking has dropped a lot

    ¡°Yuan Jianan also lives in the United States all year round. The headquarters of the Yuan family¡¯s business is located in San Jose, California. She is an important donor to several democratic presidents. Her rtionship with the Republican Party has always been bad

    ¡°However, she has a close rtionship with the eldest daughter and son-inw of the current president of the United States. In particr, the family of the President of the United States¡¯son-inw¡¯s business has a lot of cooperation with the Yuan family.¡±

    The Lady Yuan that appeared on the television was very well-maintained. Her skin was smooth and delicate, and there was a soft pearl-white glow. Her eyes were as clear as spring water, and her eyebrows were naturally willowy. Her nose was small and delicate, and the color of her lips was a little deep, therefore, she used a matte lipstick. When she smiled, there was a gentle beauty to her.

    At first nce, she looked delicate and charming, but when she looked again, she was charming and full of charm.

    When she looked again for a third time, she felt like she was ¡°Suddenly looking back, but that person was in the dim light.¡±She was moved, like a Man¡¯s dream lover.

    Gu Nianzhi asked song jinning in surprise, ¡°You know this person too? !¡±

    Song jinning nodded thoughtfully. ¡°She came to our research institute. She was apanied by the former Vice Minister of education, Shi Lezhi. She wants to find some institutions to cooperate with her and help her solve some technical problems.¡±

    ¡°What kind of technical problems?¡±Lu Jin asked with great interest. ¡°Do you need my help?¡±

    Song Jinning pursed her lips. ¡°No, I declined.¡±

    ¡°Our Research Institute doesn¡¯t do applied research, and we have an agreement with the military that we can¡¯t ept outside research projects.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng knew a little about this, but at that time, Yuan Jianan hadn¡¯t caught their attention yet.

    He had been captured by their intelligence analysis today, and this person had personally gone to Song Jinning¡¯s research institute. He seemed to be able to find some clues.

    ¡°Looking at her age, wealth, and various connections, she does seem to be the person behind Keven, Zuo Qinghong, and Yi Xinyan.¡±Gu Nianzhi said thoughtfully, ¡°But what about the Queen of Hearts? I still don¡¯t believe that the Queen of Hearts that contacted Wen Shouyi has nothing to do with Keven, Zuo Qinghong, and Yi Xinyan.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the second Yamaguchi-gumi?¡±Huo Shaoheng lowered his eyes, took out the gold coin, and flipped it between his fingers.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded, ¡°Yes, I was originally targeting the second person, Yamaguchi-gumi. She¡¯s Japanese and has the Queen of Hearts on her face. She¡¯s rted to the yamaguchi-gumi and has close ties to the American political circles. She also has a huge amount of wealth. Judging from her age, she¡¯s about the same as the person we¡¯re looking for.¡±

    She looked at song jinning. ¡°Until the third person appeared, Ms. Song even knew that Yuan Jianan.¡±

    Lu Yuan listened from the side for a long time and provided a point of view. ¡°In theory, all three of them could be behind this.¡±

    ¡°So I suggest that we investigate all of them.¡±

    ¡°The focus of the investigation should be on their connections to Kevin, Zuo Qinghong, and Yi Xinyan.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up and she said excitedly, ¡°I get it! The real mastermind must be connected to Keven, Zuo Qinghong, and Yi Xinyan at the same time! And it¡¯s a very close connection!¡±

    ¡°ording to the information we have, the mastermind is most closely rted to Keven and Zuo Qinghong. The loose link should be Yi Xinyan.¡±

    ¡°But did you notice that all three of them are dead?¡±Gu Nianzhi said faintly. ¡°Actually, the easiest way is to get the three of them to confess, or to have them provide clues.¡±

    ¡°But all three of them are dead. It¡¯s as if all the clues have been cut off.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted. ¡°I told you, that person must be proficient in both the book of changes and Chaos Mathematics. You might as well start with that.¡±

    He still did not agree with what Lu Yuan had said. This person did not need to be proficient in her own hands. Perhaps some of her subordinates were.

    However, to Lu Jin, suchplicated calctions and profound logic could only be applied by the real mastermind.

    Of course, this was just his intuition. He did not haveplete reasoning to support it, so he did not insist on his own opinion. However, he was also worried, so he only suggested another direction of investigation.

    Huo Shaoheng pondered for a long time and said, ¡°What everyone said makes sense.¡±

    ¡°How about this, our investigation direction is divided into two parts. One is to focus on whether these three female tycoons have had any contact with Keven, Zuo Qinghong, and Yi Xinyan.¡±

    ¡°The other part is to investigate whether these three female tycoons have any research on the book of changes and Chaos Mathematics.¡±

 Chapter 2187

    <h4>Chapter 2187: There was something strange about chapter 2187(first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I think this will work. No matter what¡¯s going on with these three people, we¡¯ll investigate first.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng continued to broadcast his intelligence analysis department¡¯s investigation into the identities of these three people.

    ¡°Our field staff collected the DNA of Uma A, Yamaguchi Minako, and Yuan Jianan, and analyzed them with their families. This proves that the three of them are not rted by blood.¡±

    ¡°Based on their social situation and the investigation of their rtives, they did not appear to be rted on the surface.¡±

    ¡°So for the time being, they are three unrted people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not think that the three of them would be rted, because if they were, it would definitely attract the attention of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s field personnel.

    This information had never been mentioned from the beginning, so it definitely didn¡¯t exist.

    She believed in the ability of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s subordinates.

    However, her gaze still lingered between Yamaguchi Minako and Yuan Jianan. Her pitch-ck eyes were as bright as lightning, as if she wanted to see through the deepest secrets of the human heart.

    ¡°Umma has half of its Chinese ancestry, and Yuan Jianan is of pure Chinese ancestry. What about Yamaguchi Minako? Is She of pure Japanese ancestry?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked thoughtfully.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the information in his hands and said uncertainly, ¡°I think so, but to urately identify their ethnic group, we need to map their DNA.¡±

    Chinese and Japanese were both East Asian, but there were differences between Japanese and Chinese DNA. The only difference was that this difference was very small in the entire DNA spectrum, and could only be confirmed by mapping the entire DNA.

    ¡°Let me do the test.¡±Lu Jin raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m faster.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him, he said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s good that Professor Lu is willing to help, but their DNA samples were obtained by the field personnel of the special operations forces. There¡¯s a special rule that they can¡¯t be tested directly by a domestic agency. They need to go through the exemption procedures.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at Huo Shaoheng from the corner of his eyes for a while. He snorted and said proudly, ¡°TSK, you just want me to join your agency and work for You, Don¡¯t You?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Her heart tightened and she quickly said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t say that. No one can force you to do something that you don¡¯t want to do.¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi red at Huo Shaoheng.

    She didn¡¯t like it when she tricked her father.

    Huo Shaoheng ced his hand on his temple, he said helplessly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. It¡¯s really a legal requirement. Moreover, it¡¯s not difficult to create aplete DNA sequence map. Our people have done it many times, but it might take a little longer.¡±

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help but speak up for Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Nianzhi, there¡¯s really no need for professor Lu toe forward on this matter. Even if Shaoheng wants to ask Professor Lu for help, he won¡¯t waste our feelings for each other over something like this.¡±

    ¡°You really won¡¯t?¡±Gu Nianzhi was suspicious but still quite nervous.

    Lu Jin was delighted to see Gu Nianzhi defend him so much and blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s fine! Actually, I volunteered to join Shaoheng¡¯s organization!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She turned around in surprise and her lips quivered. ¡°Dad, why would you want to join Huo Shao¡¯s organization? ! You¡¯re the person who loves freedom the most...¡±

    In the other world, Lu Jin had a crush on Qin Suwen, but he didn¡¯t take the initiative to work for he chengjian¡¯s military.

    Lu Jin smiled, he said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. There¡¯s a huge gap between the science and technology here and there. If I want to continue my research and not be used or coveted by others, the best way is to have the national machinery protect me

    ¡°To be able to provide this kind of protection and allow me to continue doing whatever scientific research I want to do, no matter which country it is, there¡¯s only one department ¡ª the intelligence department on the Special Front.¡±

    ¡°The technology here can be kept secret forever, but it can also give me the greatest freedom in my research.¡±Lu Jin looked closely at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s almost lifeless expression and pinched her nose lovingly, ¡°Besides, my girl is already married to the person in charge of this organization. Can I stay out of this?¡±

    As he spoke, he looked up at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°If you want me to help you, you have to agree to my conditions.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was pleasantly surprised. He quickly sat up straight and said seriously, ¡°You say, no matter what the conditions are, I will think of a way to solve them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Lu Jin nodded, ¡°Listen carefully. I want to be the second-inmand of your special operations forces, and the second-inmand of the General Affairs Department. The first-inmand can be changed, but I want to serve for life. ¡°If you agree to my conditions, I will officially join the army and join your ranks.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? !¡±Huo Shaoheng suddenly stood up. He, who had always been calm andposed, could not hide his joy. ¡°Don¡¯t joke around!¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking? !¡±Lu Jin rolled his eyes. ¡°In two or three months, my daughter will be married to you in front of the whole world. I Can¡¯t let others say that she doesn¡¯t have a strong family to rely on.¡±

    ¡°My daughter is beautiful, kind, and smart. She also has a decent job. The only difference is that I, as her father, am lower in rank than your father.¡± Lu Jin couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Your father is a general. When will I be promoted to general?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She held Lu Jin¡¯s hand, tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t say that. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with you being an ordinary person.¡±

    She rested her head on Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder and pursed her lips.

    Lu Jin caressed her head and pretended to be angry. ¡°You want me to be an ordinary person? Girl, do you have some misunderstanding about ordinary people?¡±

    He pointed at his own nose. ¡°Look at me, your father. How Am I Normal? With such a normal person, the world would be a fantasy!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi burst intoughter at Lu Jin¡¯s teasing. She grabbed Lu Jin¡¯s finger and shook it. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be too narcissistic...¡±

    ¡°If I want to be humble, that¡¯s hypocrisy.¡±Lu Jin shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I really don¡¯t care what other people think of me, but I do care what other people think of my miss.¡±

    He patted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s flushed cheeks. ¡°If you don¡¯t marry Huo Shaoheng, of course I won¡¯t have to join the Army to help you earn your reputation. But since you¡¯re married, and you won¡¯t marry anyone but him, I¡¯ll definitely help you!¡±

    Lu Jin raised an eyebrow at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°You have me as a good helper, so you have to thank my girl. If you ever divorce my girl, I¡¯ll Quit Your Organization and go with my girl!¡±

    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t join our organization, I won¡¯t divorce Nianzhi,¡±Huo Shaoheng said crisply, ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then you don¡¯t have to join our organization. This isn¡¯t something you can bargain with.¡±

    Even though he hoped that Lu Jin could be of maximum use, he couldn¡¯t treat it as child¡¯s y.

    His work was sacred and carried the expectations and heavy trust of the billions of people in arge country.

    Lu Jin had never been rejected so rudely before.

    Ever since he was a child, he had only been defeated by he chengjian once.

    However, even he chengjian had to be polite to him.

    Therefore, even Lu Yuan broke out in a sweat for Huo Shaoheng.

    He did not expect Lu Jin to not be angry at all this time. Instead, he was beaming with joy, he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, at least you have a conscience. I¡¯m a man of my word. As long as you agree to my conditions, I¡¯ll join your organization. I need your base to provide full protection for my experiments.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll report to General Ji.¡±

    Everyone in the study heaved a sigh of relief.

    They all understood that if General Ji was here, he would be even more unprincipled than Huo Shaoheng.

    No matter what Lu Jin offered, he would agree to it.

    ..

    Just as everyone expected, after Huo Shaoheng proposed Lu Jin¡¯s conditions to General Ji, General Ji was overjoyed and immediately called for a special meeting to approve it.

    Therefore, a monthter, the special operations forces had an additional deputy chief, General Lu, and the highest level of security. They also had their own experimental building in the headquarter of Special Operations Forces¡¯encampment ground, they also had their own official residence, right next to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    On the first day they were assigned to the official residence, Lu Jin happily asked Gu Nianzhi to move in with him.

    ¡°Nianzhi, this is your home. We¡¯ll stay at Shaoheng¡¯s official residence after the wedding.¡±Lu Jin helped Gu Nianzhi carry her briefcase. ¡°Come, take a look at the room Daddy has arranged for You!¡±

    Although Huo Shaoheng was reluctant, Lu Jin¡¯s words made sense. He had no choice but to endure silently and help Gu Nianzhi move over.

    He also packed some of his things and moved over.

    If the mountain doesn¡¯te, then I¡¯ll go.

    Huo Shaoheng had never been a pedantic person.

    Gu Nianzhi was initially a little embarrassed when she saw that Huo Shaoheng insisted on moving in with her.

    However, Lu Jin didn¡¯t even reject her. Instead, he enthusiastically decorated Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room, so Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t object.

    However, she only found out after a few days that Lu Jin had agreed to let Huo Shaoheng move in so that he could have someone to cook for the father and daughter..

    ..

    The good times were always fleeting.

    A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the first guest list for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding rehearsal and official ceremony was finallyplete.

    This time, the guest list for their wedding was mainly political and military celebrities, as well as their closest rtives and friends.

    There was not a single person in the entertainment industry.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the entire wedding process and the guest list, her eyebrows raised higher and higher.

    She slowly read it out. ¡°Wedding band ¡ª Military Military Band?¡±

    ¡°Wedding cannon ¡ª Military Armed Forces Salute Team?¡±

    ¡°Wedding emcee ¡ª Military Honor Guard? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice involuntarily rose, ¡°Huo Shao! What are you doing? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was in the kitchen cooking, but he smiled and said nothing.

    Gu nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back. After a while, she looked down again until she saw the guest list for the wedding rehearsal.

    ¡°Uma E? !¡±

    ¡°Yamaguchi Minako? !¡±

    ¡°Yuan Jianan? !¡±

    ¡°What the hell is going on here? !¡±

 Chapter 2188

    <h4>Chapter 2188: Chapter 2188 I respect you as a man (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi took the list of names and quickly walked into the kitchen to stand beside Huo Shaoheng, she asked excitedly, ¡°Why are all three of them here for our wedding rehearsal? Huo Shao, how did you do your security investigation? Are they full of holes? Anyone can get in?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly fried a thousand pieces of tofu into a bowl. At the same time, he scooped up the minced meat and sea cucumbers from the pot beside him, he said gently, ¡°Since they¡¯ve tried so hard toe to our wedding, I¡¯ll give them a chance. I hope they won¡¯t let me down and give us a wonderful performance to enrich the entertainment life of the working people.¡±

    Gu nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng, bbergasted. After a while, she gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re one of the few people who can use the word ¡®gloating¡¯in an official tone! I respect you as a man!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rubbed her head and said casually, ¡°I¡¯m your man. Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m a man?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was dizzy from his rubbing. It was the smell of food that had saved her.

    She sniffed her delicate little nose and took in the aroma of a thousand pieces of tofu and minced pork mixed with sea cucumber. It was as if she had eaten an extra te of food.

    ¡°Huo Shao, even though you¡¯re busy with work and you don¡¯t Cook for us very many days a month, it¡¯s still worth it even if it¡¯s only for a few days!¡±Gu Nianzhi looked at the two dishes and a soup that looked delicious, she followed Huo Shaoheng from the kitchen to the dining room like a little tail.

    Lu Jin happened to smell the aroma when he entered the door and was shouting in the living room, ¡°Did Shaoheng Cook? I¡¯m going to wash my hands right now!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled at Huo Shaoheng and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯m done with my father-inw, Huo Shao. I still have to respect you for being a man!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat down. ¡°Go get the bowls and chopsticks and set them up. It¡¯s been a busy week. Are you and general Lu used to the orderly¡¯s cooking?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi obediently went to the cupboard to get the bowls and chopsticks and filled them with rice. She ced the rice in front of Huo Shaoheng, she smiled and said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s quite good. I¡¯ve asked around. The orderly sent by the military to my father¡¯s official residence is responsible for cooking. All of them have received professional chef training. One of them even graduated from a professional chef school. He¡¯s a professional.¡±

    The food must be quite good, but it was still inferior to Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan.

    Huo Shaoheng poured himself a ss of water and said calmly, ¡°Cooking is also an art. Those who are truly good at it must have talent.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s downcast face and teased her, ¡°Of course, eating also requires talent. Otherwise, an average person¡¯s tongue wouldn¡¯t be so sharp.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi almost turned from angry to happy.

    However, after thinking about it carefully, Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t necessarilyplimenting her. He only red at Huo Shaoheng and waited for Lu Jin to wash his hands before eating.

    After the meal was almost over, Gu Nianzhi told him about the three people who were going to attend the wedding rehearsal.

    Lu Jin looked up in surprise and said, ¡°I heard that the invitation to the wedding rehearsal is even rarer than the official wedding. How did the three of them get in?¡±

    His tone was exactly the same as Gu Nianzhi¡¯s. It was obvious that they were father and daughter.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly poured a small ss of red wine for Lu Jin and said, ¡°There¡¯s always a path for the shrimp and a path for the crab. People like them, if they want to do something, there¡¯s always a way to do it.¡±

    ¡°If we keep blocking them and don¡¯t allow them toe, who knows what they¡¯ll do behind the scenes?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, what do you mean? Do you think all three of them have ulterior motives? !¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I thought it would at most be the Queen of Hearts and Yuan Jianan!¡±

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°At the moment, the possibility of Uma is the lowest. She came to the wedding rehearsal for something else, right?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s said that Uma is talking about investment. She wants to naturalize Huaxia citizenship, but as you know, Huaxia is not an immigrant country. It¡¯s very difficult to get Huaxia citizenship.¡±

    ¡°Although she¡¯s half-chinese, her mother¡¯s family has been foreign citizens for many generations, so she doesn¡¯t have any shortcuts.¡±

    ¡°She was able to attend our wedding rehearsal this time because she was working with the military on a project.¡±Huo Shaoheng paused for a moment. He remembered that Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin were not outsiders, and their security level was only slightly higher than his, he then said in a very reserved manner, ¡°You all know that her federal and national defensepanies are thergest federal military contractors in the United States.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She thought for a moment, then slowly picked up the spoon and drank a mouthful of goji berries, red dates, and ck chicken soup. Her eyes sparkled. ¡°Thergest federal military contractor in the United States needs to return Huaxia citizenship? Then will herpany still be able to operate?¡±

    ¡°... so this is a secret.¡±Huo Shaoheng raised his ss at her and said with a half-smile, ¡°You won¡¯t tell anyone, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I believed you!¡±Gu Nianzhi snapped at Huo Shaoheng with her chin. ¡°ording to your organization¡¯s style, this kind of thing won¡¯t be announced unless everything is arranged properly.¡±

    ¡°Since she can participate in our wedding rehearsal, it means she can already be exposed to the public, right?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a child to be taught.¡±Huo Shaoheng pinched her chin and pressed it down. ¡°Where did you learn to judge people by their Chins?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and pushed his hand away. ¡°Eat properly and don¡¯t touch me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin, who was sitting at the side, was already used to the love and abuse between the two of them. He took his time to pick up a sea cucumber and put it into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bowl, then picked up another for himself, he then asked, ¡°What about the other two? Are they going to be naturalized as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Huo Shaoheng was rather polite when he spoke to Lu Jin.

    He ced the napkin on the table and handed gu nianzhi a napkin to wipe her mouth, he said, ¡°Yamaguchi Minako came to Huaxia¡¯s C City half a month ago. She came with Smith, a former colleague of Nianzhi¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Smith¡¯s femalepanion is Yamaguchi Minako? !¡±Gu Nianzhi was shocked and almost gasped. ¡°Smith...¡±

    She almost said Smith was ten years younger than Yamaguchi Minako..

    Fortunately, when she blurted it out, she remembered Huo Shaoheng¡¯s reverse scale and quickly changed the topic. ¡°Since when did Smith know such a rich man? Is he trying to knock on the door? !¡±

    Lu Jin tilted his head to look at her and frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s Smith?¡±

    ¡°Smith was awyer in professor he¡¯sw firm. He worked with me for a period of time. Among my colleagues abroad, I was the closest to him.¡±Gu Nianzhi paused, she smiled and said, ¡°When I was in trouble in Germany, Smith helped me a lot.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that Smith.¡±Lu Jin remembered that he had investigated everything and everyone rted to Gu Nianzhi. He nodded. ¡°You invited him?¡±

    ¡°He sends me ten emails a day and calls me eight times a day. How could I not?¡±Gu Nianzhi said angrily. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s really a good friend of mine.¡±

    But she had no idea that his female partner was such an important figure.

    Smith, does your mother know that you¡¯re dating Yamaguchi-gumi¡¯s female president, who is ten years older than you?

 Chapter 2189

    <h4>Chapter 2189: Chapter 2189,mentary on loneliness (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was deeply moved by Yamaguchi Minako and Smith¡¯s ¡°Age-defying friendship¡±for a long time before she asked about Yuan Jianan.

    ¡°What about Ms. Yuan Jianan? How did she get the invitation to our wedding rehearsal?¡±Gu Nianzhi was so curious that she almost leaned on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Take a guess.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled and poked gu Nianzhi¡¯s forehead with his chin, gently but without using any force.

    Gu Nianzhi caressed his chin nonchntly. She frowned and muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t have any rtives to invite. I only invited friends and ssmates. I don¡¯t think she has anything to do with me, right?¡±

    She counted with her fingers. ¡°Also, they are all important figures in the political and military circles... could they be your friends or rtives, Huo Shao?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had slightly more rtives than Gu Nianzhi, but only a few were qualified enough for Huo Shaoheng to send out invitations.

    He only sent four invitations to his uncle, Xie Beichen, and his great-uncle, Xie Shenxing. Each of them could bring a rtive to attend his wedding rehearsal and official wedding.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s own colleagues and superiors were no ordinary people like Huo Shaoheng. They would also bring their immediate family members to attend the rehearsal and official wedding.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) invited only dimir and the driver, Uncle Ivan.

    As for her ssmates, only a few of them were close to her, such as green tea fang, little temptress and Lady Cao. They could attend her wedding rehearsal.

    The rest of her ssmates were tickets to the official wedding. None of them were suitable for Huo Shaoheng¡¯s situation.

    Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi talking about it and almost thought of it. He didn¡¯t remind her and quietly poured her a ss of milk.

    Gu Nianzhi had already be an instinctive drinker of milk, and couldn¡¯t help but take a sip.

    After drinking, she looked up and heard Lu Jin speaking on his phone,¡±... it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve eaten boss Lu¡¯s food...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were like lightning. She thought of song jinning from Lu Yuan, and then magically thought of Huo Guanchen from song jinning.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng with a strange expression and asked tentatively,¡±... Don¡¯t tell me that Yuan Jianan is your father¡¯s femalepanion?¡±

    The smile on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face deepened. Ignoring Lu Jin who was beside him, he leaned over and pecked Gu Nianzhi on the lips. ¡°How Clever!¡±

    It was rare for him to praise Gu Nianzhi so directly. Gu Nianzhi tried hard to pretend that she didn¡¯t care, but the corners of her lips still curled up proudly.

    Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi in confusion, then at Huo Shaoheng. He asked in confusion,¡±... Yuan Jianan is your father¡¯s femalepanion, and you two are stillughing so happily?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and swirled the ss of milk in her hand, the look in her eyes was a little strange. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, I really can¡¯t believe it. How did she suddenly be General Huo¡¯s femalepanion? General Huo¡¯s taste in women is really hard to exin in a few words...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi cast a sidelong nce at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Fortunately, Huo Shao, you¡¯re not...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had always pretended not to hear such words.

    Lu Jin¡¯s attention was quickly diverted by Gu Nianzhi, he immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s right, Shaoheng. The best thing you did was to be with my girl. Let me tell you, if you weren¡¯t with my girl, you¡¯d really regret it for the rest of your life.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded politely in agreement. ¡°General Lu is right.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She pointed at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s forehead. ¡°Stop beating around the bush. Tell me, how did Yuan Jianan get into a rtionship with... General Huo?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days. I clearly remember that general Huo and Guo Huining are getting engaged, aren¡¯t they?¡±Gu Nianzhi deliberately made Huo Shaoheng angry.

    Huo Shaoheng, however, was not angry at all. He spread his hands. ¡°How can I care about my father? How did they get together...¡±

    ¡°I do know a thing or two.¡±

    More than a thing or two. Ever since they had investigated the three of them, he had had people keeping an eye on Yuan Jianan. He had also kept a close eye on Yuan Jianan¡¯s ¡°Rtionship¡±with his father.

    Huo shaoheng said casually, ¡°General Huo was rewarded with a trip to Nanhe for his meritorious service a while back. Ms. Yuan Jianan happened to be building a factory there to develop new energy sources. She was a distinguished guest of the local government.¡±

    ¡°The two of them met at an event organized by the local government. They had a good chat and exchanged phone numbers...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°And then? They just got together like that?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°How could it be that fast? With general Huo¡¯s status, how could he just casually get together with a woman?¡±Huo Shaoheng brushed her head aside. ¡°Don¡¯t stare at her. She¡¯s too attractive.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pushed his hand away and stamped her feet anxiously. ¡°Then why did you be General Huo¡¯s femalepanion? !¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is Ms. Yuan Jianan asking general Huo for a favor. She wants to go to Russia to do energy business, but foreigners doing business in Russia can¡¯t do it without a backer.¡±. ¡°So she wants to take this opportunity to get to know some high-ranking Russian officials.¡±

    ¡°Huh? She wants to get to know high-ranking Russian officials?¡±Gu Nianzhi felt like a pearl that had fallen into the dark. She said in disappointment, ¡°I thought she wasing for me or you...¡±

    Lu Jin knocked on the bowl with his chopsticks and said deliberately, ¡°Why isn¡¯t sheing for me?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked up at him together.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t believe me?¡±Lu Jin looked up at the ceiling lights of the restaurant from a 45-degree angle, ¡°I¡¯m also a general, and I¡¯m more skilled and capable than general huo. Maybe Yuan Jianan will abandon Huo Guanchen when she sees me.¡±

    However, he looked at Huo Shaoheng, still, he said objectively, ¡°Of course, my only weakness is that I¡¯m not as handsome as general Huo. I Can¡¯t help it. Bawds love money, and sisters love cuteness. Yuan Jianan doesn¡¯tck money, he probably only likes handsome old men.¡±

    He spoke as if he was very young.

    Gu Nianzhi was too embarrassed to remind him. She only smiled and said, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not like that, but you¡¯re extremely smart. You knew what Yuan Jianan was trying to do with her breath, so she wouldn¡¯t dare to seduce you, would she?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Only a man with a bad brain would be fooled by a woman.¡±Lu Jin nodded without hesitation. ¡°With my high IQ, a woman who wants to lie to me would only be asking for humiliation and death.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips twitched. He felt that his father-inw had perfectly exined what it meant to be ¡°Destined to be alone.¡±.

    Gu nianzhi pped her hands and quickly changed the topic. ¡°So General Huo has agreed to let Yuan Jianan be his femalepanion to attend our wedding rehearsal and help her introduce high-ranking Russian officials?¡±

    She looked down at the list and quickly found the list of international friends. When she saw Russian President Putin and his entourage, she rolled her eyes and came up with a n.

    She quickly swiped open her phone, opened her wechat moments, and posted an open wechat moments.

    # wee Russia¡¯s good friends dimir and uncle Ivan to my wedding rehearsal and official wedding. The two of them havee from afar, so they will definitely be waiting for me. #

    The apanying photo was of her and Huo Shaoheng when they were in Russia.

    In the photo, dimir had a big beard and was wearing sunsses. His entire face was like a natural mosaic. Even dimir¡¯s mother would not recognize him as her son.

    The driver, Uncle Ivan, did not cover his face. He only wore a fur-covered mink hat on his head. He was as tall as a pr bear.

    Three seconds after she posted on her social media, she received more than ten likes andments.

    At the front were dimir and the driver, of course.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand: [ the ne tickets have been bought. Are they reimbursed? ].

    The Driver: [ upstairs is embarrassing Russia! Xiao Nianzhi, are you giving me a red packet? I¡¯m a little short of money recently... ]

 Chapter 2190

    <h4>Chapter 2190: Chapter 2190: Do You Want to earn some extra money? (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi smiled happily and quickly switched to a small group chat with dimir and the driver. She left a message: [e over here and give out red packets. Let¡¯s see who has the best luck. ].

    dimir quickly sent an emoji of [ sit and wait. JPG ] , and the driver had no choice but to send a + 1 emoji.

    Gu Nianzhi saw that she still had enough money in her wallet and was about to send the biggest red packet. She excitedly typed in the password, but was ruthlessly rejected by the system.

    [ the system has detected an anomaly in this group. Sending red packets in this group is forbidden. ].

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±.

    She had no choice but to send a screenshot of the system message to the small group. She sent a cute emoji, embarrassed, saying: [ ... I¡¯m banned. I can¡¯t send Red Packets. ].

    The middle-aged driver immediately sent a crying storm emoji and then said, ¡°No more friends.¡±In a fit of anger, he left the three-person group chat.

    dimir also expressed his regret and then left the three-person group chat without hesitation.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The friendship boat built on red packets really flipped over like that.

    She shrugged and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll save money.¡±

    Lu Jin poked his head over to take a look and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you depressed?¡±

    ¡°The system forbade me from giving out red packets. I don¡¯t know why.¡±Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t too happy either. She liked thefortable feeling of giving out red packets, and also liked the uneasiness of snatching red packets.

    ¡°You like giving out red packets and snatching red packets so much?¡±Lu Jin looked at Gu Nianzhi from the corner of his eyes and moved his fingers twice.

    ¡°Yes!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes almost lit up, ¡°Most of the time, even though you can¡¯t get a single dor, you can still feel refreshed for the whole day. You really enjoy the feeling of getting something for nothing. It¡¯s as if good luck will fall from the sky, and a pie will fall from the sky, and you¡¯ll reach the peak of your life in no time!¡±

    ¡°Of course, if you miss out on red packets sometimes, even if it¡¯s just a penny per person, it¡¯s like missing out on a hundred million.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi concluded with a sigh, ¡°A red packet is like heaven for one second and hell for the next. The mental state of a person is really unpredictable.¡±

    Lu Jin pursed his lips speechlessly and said, ¡°Since you think so, shall I help you circumvent the system¡¯s surveince?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly stopped Lu Jin, ¡°Actually, I can circumvent the system¡¯s surveince too, but since it¡¯s aw, there¡¯s no need to challenge it. We¡¯ll see in a few days.¡±

    She had thought that she had been abandoned by dimir and the Uncle Driver.

    However, a few dayster, she found herself suddenly pulled into the three-person chat group of the Committee of State Security (KGB) .

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand: [ Nianzhi, we¡¯re in Huaxia! Treat us to dinner! We don¡¯t have a ce to stay for the time being. ].

    The Uncle Driver: [ Nianzhi! Are You Free Now? You need a red packet urgently to boost morale! ].

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±.

    She was now able to send a red packet, so she immediately sent a 200 yuan red packet to the group chat.

    dimir had snatched 199.99 yuan, but the middle-aged driver had only managed to snatch a single cent.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    The middle-aged driver was dealt a heavy blow and fell silent in the group chat.

    dimir, on the other hand, was extremely happy and began to chat cheerfully with Gu Nianzhi.

    He did not provoke the middle-aged driver in the group chat. Instead, he called Gu Nianzhi directly.

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you sure you don¡¯t want toe pick us up?¡±He sent a photo of his location and selfie.

    It was already a hot summer day in July in the imperial capital.

    dimir and the middle-aged driver were wearing a flight jacket made in the former Soviet Union. They were carrying two suitcases, and were sitting dirty in the airport¡¯s crowded lobby.

    Gu Nianzhi even saw a cleaner in an airport cleaning uniform roll her eyes at the two of them.

    How unkempt was this..

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°dimir, what are you guys doing? Are you here for my wedding? You guys are dressed like this, but you¡¯re too embarrassed toe. I¡¯m too embarrassed to let you in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really short on cash these days. I¡¯m not lying to you.¡±dimir rubbed his messy, light gray hair. Although he had a lot of hair on his body, his head was starting to balk, it was obvious that his hairline was gradually receding.

    ¡°Second-inmand, ah, second-inmand, you¡¯re short on cash. Ny-nine percent of the people in Russia are going to be short on cash.¡±Gu Nianzhi expressed that she wasn¡¯t fooled.

    However, she still quickened the pace of signing the documents.

    Five minutester, Gu Nianzhi had already asked speaker long for a leave of absence. She drove out of the parking lot of the parliament building and went to the airport to pick up her friends who hade from afar.

    It was still work time at this time, so the roads were not congested.

    She parked her car in the corridor in front of the airport lobby and could wait for five minutes.

    Inside the airport lobby, dimir and the middle-aged driver were extremely quick when they received her call. It took them less than three minutes to get into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car and sit down.

    Gu Nianzhi drove away from the corridor in front of the airport lobby before the police came to issue a ticket.

    ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s so good to see you!¡±The middle-aged driver spoke pure Russian English, and Gu Nianzhi could actually understand it.

    dimir¡¯s English ent was more standard, but he insisted on showing off his poor Chinese, and Gu Nianzhi felt a headacheing on.

    Fortunately, she hadn¡¯t seen her friend for a long time, and missed him very much.

    The estrangement was quickly removed, and the three of them chatted in the car.

    Fortunately, they were in the car. If they were outside, the three of them could definitely make more than 60 decibels of noise.

    Gu Nianzhi listened attentively for a while before she understood why dimir had suddenlye to China.

    ¡°... So You¡¯ve changed your number one, and now your number one doesn¡¯t like dimir, right?¡±Gu Nianzhi looked sympathetically at dimir¡¯s uneasy face in the rearview mirror, ¡°Why don¡¯t you shave and use your good looks to anger him to death?¡±

    The middle-aged driver suddenlyughed mischievously at the side. ¡°Our first-inmand is a woman... the second-inmand should use your man to anger her to death!¡±

    dimir red at him. ¡°When I go back, I¡¯ll be the first to write a report and fire you!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a driver. If you want your second-inmand to write a report and fire me, how big is your face?¡±The middle-aged driver did not think much of it. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll leave before I leave.¡±

    That was very possible.

    dimir was beaming with sadness.

    Seeing that the two of them were indeed a little depressed, gu nianzhi asked tentatively, ¡°Are you really here on vacation? Do you want to... earn some extra money?¡±

    The middle-aged chauffeur immediately perked up. ¡°How? Say Something!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and did not say anything. After a while, she said, ¡°There will be a chance. When I organize a dinner party, remember to speak Russian and not English.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sent Huo Guanchen a text message: ¡°Uncle, are you free recently? I¡¯d like to treat you and grandfather to a meal. I¡¯ve booked a restaurant. Is that okay with you?¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi sent the name of the restaurant to Huo Guanchen.

    She sent Huo Guanchen the name of a club restaurant near the western hills of the imperial capital. It was not far from Huo Guanchen¡¯s western hills vi. Of course, it was closer to Lu Yuan¡¯s western hills vi.

 Chapter 2191

    <h4>Chapter 2191: Chapter 2191: a makeover (first update)</h4>

    Huo Guanchen had just left the meeting room when Gu Nianzhi texted him.

    The personal secretary took out his phone and other electronic devices from the safe and handed them to him.

    He had just turned on his phone when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text message: [ uncle, are you free recently? I¡¯d like to treat you and grandfather to a meal. I¡¯ve booked a restaurant. Do you think it¡¯s suitable? ].

    It also included an address.

    Huo Guanchen took a look and saw that it was a clubhouse and restaurant near the western hills of the imperial capital. It was not far from his vi in the Western Hills.

    Huo Guanchen was a little surprised.

    He couldn¡¯t help but open his calendar to look at what special day it was. Gu Nianzhi, who had always wanted to pretend that he didn¡¯t exist, had actually taken the initiative to text him to treat him to a meal..

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t wait for Huo Guanchen to reply and continued to send messages: [ I¡¯m free this weekend. What About You? ].

    Was she really going to invite him to dinner?

    Huo Guanchen suddenly felt a little overwhelmed by the favor.

    A smile unconsciously broke out on his face. Thinking about Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s uing wedding, his impression of Gu Nianzhi increased slightly.

    He thought for a moment and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll ask my secretary to see if she¡¯s free. I¡¯ll give you an answer tomorrow.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled like a little fox. She curled her fingers slightly and made a curved hook shape, then she quickly typed on her phone screen, ¡°That¡¯s great! I look forward to having dinner with uncle and grandfather!¡±! Oh, right, I¡¯ve invited President Lu and Ms. Song as well. They¡¯re quite close to the restaurant, so I¡¯m sorry if I don¡¯t invite them. Smile. JPG ].

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face instantly darkened.

    He turned off his phone and did not reply to the text message.

    He returned to his office silently, unable to read the documents for a long time.

    In the end, he was still hungry. When he was about to go out for dinner, he received a call from Yuan Jianan, so he decided to stop working and go to the west mountain vi to see grandfather Huo.

    ¡°Mr. Huo, are you free today? I made a stew by myself. I want to invite you to have dinner with me.¡±Although Yuan Jianan was very gentle and beautiful, she was very straightforward and generous in dealing with people. She had an attractive contrast.

    Huo Guanchen answered the phone as he walked out. ¡°Really? Thank you. I¡¯m going to visit my father. I¡¯m afraid I Won¡¯t have the chance to taste Ms. Yuan¡¯s good soup.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to visit your father? It just so happens that the tian qi dang ginseng and astragalus chicken soup I made today is especially suitable for the elderly. Why don¡¯t I bring it with me and share it with Mr. Huo?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t the first time Huo Guanchen had eaten Yuan Jianan¡¯s cooking. He had never expected Yuan Jianan, an overseas Chinese, to be able to cook such good Chinese food.

    He had wanted to refuse, but for some reason, he remembered Gu Nianzhi¡¯s text message saying that president lu and ¡°Ms. Song¡±would also be going to dinner.

    He narrowed his eyes and immediately agreed. He smiled and said, ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, Can Ie and pick you up?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble, no trouble! I¡¯ll put it in the thermos right away!¡±Yuan Jianan could tell that she was very happy and was a little flustered.

    After Huo Guanchen got in the car, he had the chauffeur drive straight to the front door of Yuan Jianan¡¯s high-end, well-decorated apartmentplex.

    This apartmentplex was located in the bustling area between the second and third ring roads, but it was quiet in erhuan. Thend price was extraordinarily high, and it was not something that could be bought with money.

    Huo Guanchen looked at the scenery here with a calm expression.

    Yuan Jianan came out of theplex with arge thermal pot in her hand. She saw Huo Guanchen leaning against the front of his car.

    He had a tall and strong body. Although he was old, he still had an extraordinarily handsome face. Especially his well-tailored general¡¯s summer uniform, which made him even more handsome.

    Yuan Jianan walked over with a smile and nodded slightly at him. ¡°Mr. Huo.¡±

    ¡°We are already so familiar with each other. You Don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡±Huo Guanchen opened the car door for her in a gentlemanly manner. ¡°Just Call Me Guanchen.¡±

    Yuan Jianan sat in the car and ced the thermos by her feet.

    Huo Guanchen then sat beside her and chatted leisurely with her.

    After all, Huo Guanchen was a person who worked in politics. He was very good at interacting with people.

    The topics were one after another, and they were easy to change. They would not be awkward, nor would they make the other party feel aggressive.

    Talking to him was indeed like sitting in the spring breeze.

    Yuan Jianan secretly admired him, and her smile was very gentle. ¡°Okay, Guanchen.¡±

    When she said the word ¡°Guanchen,¡±her ent was a little strange, as if her tongue had suddenly straightened up and was popping out like a slingshot.

    Huo Guanchen nced at her and handed her a bottle of water. ¡°It¡¯s a little far. Are You Hungry?¡±

    Yuan Jianan took the bottle of water, and her face was a little red. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    The two talked and talked along the way. When they reached the entrance of the West Mountain Vi, Yuan Jianan said with emotion, ¡°Time passes too fast when I¡¯m talking to Guanchen.¡±

    Huo Guanchen smiled but did not say anything. He brought her into the vi to see grandfather Huo.

    After dinner, Huo Guanchen asked Yuan Jianan about her schedule and said, ¡°Are you free this weekend?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Guanchen wants to ask me out. I¡¯m free anytime.¡±Yuan Jianan smiled mischievously and gently tapped Huo Guanchen¡¯s chest with her finger.

    Her strength was just right. Huo Guanchen¡¯s chest actually felt numb and itchy.

    He remained expressionless and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll pick you up this weekend. Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Yuan Jianan nodded elegantly, ¡°Thanks to Guanchen¡¯s help these days, my business here has been much smoother. I wonder if you know the person-in-charge of the Russian government? I want to talk to them.¡±

    ¡°I know a few people, but they are all military, not government departments, and they don¡¯t do business.¡±Huo Guanchen expressed his helplessness, ¡°Wait for two months. When my son gets married, many of his Russian friends wille to the wedding. Those who are not military are all government agencies.¡±

    Yuan Jianan smiled. ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s a pity that we still have to wait for two months. Guanchen, do you have any contact information for those people? I¡¯ll try to contact them myself.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡±Huo Guanchen shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll ask my son when I have time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Great.¡±Yuan Jianan took the initiative to hold Huo Guanchen¡¯s hand. He did not let go until Huo Guanchen sent her back to the entrance of the apartmentplex.

    Huo Guanchen did not refuse. He just let her hold his hand and sent her out of the car.

    Yuan Jianan looked at him reluctantly. ¡°Guanchen, aren¡¯t you going to my house?¡±

    ¡°I still have something to do. Maybe in the future.¡±Huo Guanchen did not reject her outright like before. Instead, he caressed Yuan Jianan¡¯s hair.

    It was Yuan Jianan¡¯s turn to feel her scalp go numb. It was as if someone was caressing her chest with a feather.

    Lu Yuan sighed softly as she watched Huo Guanchen¡¯s car drive away. She turned around and went back.

    ..

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the only ce that Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t gone to work for the next few days. She had been apanying the second-inmand of the KGB, dimir, and the chauffeur on a tour of the imperial capital.

    At the same time, she had also modified dimir.

    Huo shaoheng knew and said, ¡°I have a friend who knows how to do styling. Nianzhi, do you want to think about it?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood that Huo shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Friend¡±must be someone from the special operations forces. She nodded. ¡°Sure, I want dimir to change his appearance. Even if his immediate superiores, he won¡¯t recognize him.¡±

    Usually, dimir¡¯s face was full of beard and hair. It was really difficult to see his facial features clearly.

    Therefore, when Huo Shaoheng finished styling the stylist and pushed him out of the room, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s breathing almost stopped.

    Standing in front of her was a gorgeous eastern European young man who had lost his beard, had his hair styled, and had been restyled!

    Even his hands had been immactely groomed!

    Gu Nianzhi stared at dimir, who was so handsome that he was glowing. She quickly thought of the time when Huo Shaoheng had gone to the other world ¡ª his handsome and exquisite face, and his wless hands!

    It was those hands that made her think she had mistaken him for someone else!

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around and looked at Huo shaoheng, who was ¡°Admiring¡±dimir with his arms crossed. She said in surprise,¡±... did you ask him to ¡®style¡¯You as well? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a few steps forward and held dimir¡¯s hand. She asked the stylist excitedly,¡±... how did you make his hand look like a girl¡¯s?¡±

    The stylist smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a specially designed hand care.¡±

    ¡°What about the scars on your hand? Can they be removed with hand care?¡±

    ¡°... then it¡¯s a cosmetic surgery.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

 Chapter 2192

    <h4>Chapter 2192: Chapter 2192, Operation Nightingale (1)(second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi turned to re at Huo Shaoheng. Her teeth were itchy, and she wanted to bite him.

    Even her hands needed special care and even cosmetic scar removal surgery!

    Gu Nianzhi instantly understood how she had made the wrong judgment based on the wless hands of the Far East ace Peter when she was in the opposite world.

    The Devil is really hiding in the details to deal with you!

    It¡¯s hard to guard against.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart trembled when Gu Nianzhi looked at him with her big, angry eyes.

    If there wasn¡¯t anyone else here, he would have hugged her and coaxed her to call her ¡°Good little darling¡±..

    Unfortunately, he could only turn a blind eye to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger and calmly asked the stylist, ¡°Is everything ready?¡±

    The stylist stood there and pointed at dimir, the handsome, blond, and blue-eyed Eastern European man. ¡°Would you like to see theparison before and after makeup?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not need to look. He still remembered how dimir had looked with his stubble and full fur.

    Gu Nianzhi gritted her teeth and finally calmed herself down. She nced at dimir and nodded slightly. ¡°Give Ivan a makeover as well...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng waved for the stylist to bring the driver in.

    Only dimir, Gu Nianzhi, and Huo Shaoheng were left in the house.

    dimir pulled at his cor ufortably and said with a sullen face, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, what are you doing? The hair on my body is very important!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s important? To prove that you¡¯re a transitional race between Homo sapiens and savages?¡±Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and turned to smile again. She looked him up and down. ¡°You look very good like this, very good!¡±

    ¡°What do you know? ! That¡¯s my protective color! I¡¯m a very shy person by nature!¡±dimir pointed at his nose. ¡°Tell me, why are you doing this? !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. ¡°Tell me, there¡¯s no problem here.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held back herughter and said to dimir, ¡°It¡¯s like this. You and the driver are short of money recently, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ll give you two a chance to earn some extra money.¡±

    She coughed lightly and paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ll say it first. If it vites your discipline, just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    She knew that for these people on the special front, discipline was stricter than thew.

    They might have immunity from thew, but if they vited the discipline of their own organization, there was no turning back.

    dimir sat on the sofa and crossed his legs. ¡°It better be a chance to make a lot of money, or I won¡¯t make such a fool of myself!¡±

    He was still a little ufortable with his appearance of ¡°Suddenly bing beautiful.¡±.

    ¡°It must be a chance to make a lot of money. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and sat down on the sofa opposite him. ¡°There¡¯s a rich man who¡¯s using his connections to look for the backing of high-ranking officials in Russia. He wants to go to Russia to invest and do business.¡±

    ¡°AH? Really?¡±dimir immediately knew what was going on and rubbed his hands excitedly. ¡°How Rich?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated to say how rich he is. He¡¯s ranked in the top 100 richest women in the world,¡±Gu Nianzhi said casually, as if her primary school student had scored in the top 100 in her grade.

    dimir almost jumped up from the sofa. ¡°You¡¯re that Rich? ! And you still need to use your connections to find a backer to invest and do business in Russia ? ! You can just fly over there and throw money in the faces of those bastards. They¡¯ll worship him as their God!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her, not him.¡±Gu Nianzhi corrected dimir¡¯s Russian English. ¡°How is It? Are you going to take this deal?¡±

    ¡°... is a rich person like this an idiot...¡±dimir mumbled. ¡°Do we need to find connections in China? Or do we need to find a way to get through Russia? Why does it sound so unreliable?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and bent over, ¡°Yes, yes, yes! You Don¡¯t sound reliable either, do you? ! It¡¯s not about the wine, that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you if you want to earn some extra money! In order to prove that she¡¯s unreliable, she¡¯ll definitely give you a lot of money to ¡®find a way¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Sure! Quick, tell me what to do!¡±dimir¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°This kind of person can be considered as someone who has a significant impact on the interests and security of the country, so no matter what I do, I won¡¯t break the Rules!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and said word by word, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that difficult. What you need to do is pretend to be themittee of State Security (KGB) , the backbone of the KGB from Russia.¡±

    dimir¡¯s pupils constricted and quickly returned to normal. He said in surprise, ¡°Me? You still want to pretend? ! I¡¯m not the real KGB? !¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why this scheme is wless!¡±Gu Nianzhi waved her fist. ¡°Your current setting is to pretend to be a KGB swindler, understand?¡±

    dimirpletely understood what she meant and immediatelyughed out loud. ¡°Okay, okay, okay! I haven¡¯t pretended to be myself yet! Give it a try!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try. You have to win people¡¯s Trust. I still need your help with something!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi continued to tell him about Yuan Jianan¡¯s identity. ¡°It¡¯s this rich woman. She¡¯s been getting close to our people recently. It¡¯s said that she¡¯s trying to use us to find connections with high-ranking officials in the Russian government.¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) is much more suitable for doing business in Russia than high-ranking officials, isn¡¯t that right, Mr. dimir?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi winked at him.

    dimir understood instantly. He suddenly put away his wild smile and became reserved. His blue eyes were as deep as the vast starry sky, and his nose, which was as tall as a Roman sculpture, became affectionate.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi, and even his voice changed, he said gently, ¡°Last night, the rose we nted together opened outside the window. Nightingale stood on the rose and sang the whole night. I couldn¡¯t sleep, and I kept thinking about you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s maiden heart was pierced by the clear and refreshing voice, and her fingers trembled.

    Huo Shaoheng quietly pulled her into his arms and nced at dimir. ¡°Mr. Second-inmand dimir, tell me, if I record what you just said to your boss, will she treat you better from now on?¡±

    dimir¡¯s face instantly contorted and he screamed, ¡°How dare you? !¡±

    The handsome man and the beautiful voice that had touched one¡¯s heart instantly shattered the ambiguous atmosphere.

    Gu Nianzhi came back to her senses and pped loudly. ¡°Amazing! Amazing! dimir, your codename this time will be nightingale! You¡¯re so mesmerizing!¡±

    dimir shrugged and slumped on the sofa. He said in a disgraceful manner, ¡°These are all basic skills. Ask your fianc¨¦. He¡¯s even better than me!¡±

 Chapter 2193

    <h4>Chapter 2193: Chapter 2193, Operation Nightingale (2)(first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes and looked at Huo Shaoheng with an unfriendly expression.¡±... Huo Shao, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so capable.¡±

    Her sour tone sounded like it came from a vinegar vat.

    Huo Shaoheng did not fall for her trap and calmly denied, ¡°dimir, this is a basic skill of Russia, not our Huaxia.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±dimir rolled his eyes. ¡°Who are you kidding?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was serious. He spoke as if he was giving a report at a conference. ¡°The chairman said that our line of work in this industry is to be stealthy and capable, to ambush for a long time, to umte strength, and to wait for the right opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Our founding father also set a rule that ¡®none of the three major tasks are allowed¡¯.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also the most important principle. Our work is not allowed to be conducted through bribery, seduction, and assassination.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ve never sold our looks like the Committee of State Security (KGB) .¡±

    This series of bureaucratic pleasantries not only made Gu Nianzhi dizzy, but even dimir was intimidated by him.

    He red at Huo Shaoheng for a while. ¡°You guys really haven¡¯t practiced this kind of basic skill before? ! What a waste of your good looks!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng rejected his offer. ¡°Our basic technique is a 10-kilometer cross-country racing with all kinds of psychological and professional knowledge. As for seducing such a low-level operation, we don¡¯t need a professional to do it.¡±

    Sigh!

    Gu Nianzhi was in awe. She shook her head vigorously and threw out all the strange images in her mind. She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and was full of admiration. ¡°Huo Shao! You really didn¡¯t disappoint me!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and smoothed her hair, which had been thrown into disarray. He moved closer to her ear and spoke in an extremely low voice, he said,¡±... I¡¯ve been singing outside your window all night. When the sun came up, the thorns of the rose pierced my chest... my beloved girl, I used my blood to dye this rose red for you. From now on, the white and Red Roses in your life will be mine...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was already very deep. He had used vocal technique when he was whispering just now. The maism was like the sound of a low-pitched ukulele, and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heartstrings trembled with it.

    Her heartbeat was very intense, and her breathing was also erratic. She could not help but grab Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm tightly, and her whole body was about to snuggle into Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    dimir didn¡¯t hear what Huo Shaoheng was saying, but when he saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression, what else could he not understand?

    He couldn¡¯t help rolling his eyes andughing. He said sarcastically, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your organization doesn¡¯t allow seduction? Great General Huo, where are your principles?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held Gu Nianzhi in his arms and looked up calmly. He smiled faintly. ¡°Of course our organization doesn¡¯t allow seduction. I learned this when I was studying at Mossad in Israel. I had no choice. I had to learn from others to defeat them.¡±

    dimir was rendered speechless by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. It could only yell angrily and kick the coffee table across from it.

    Huo Shaoheng did not back down at all. He raised his leg and kicked the coffee table back to its original position.

    The two of them exchanged nces, but the tea cup on the coffee table did not budge.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by these two experts on the special front.

    She straightened up from Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms expressionlessly and only wanted to sneer, ¡°Ha, a man!¡±!

    Not long after, the door to the opposite room opened again. A tall and burly man in a suit that was almost bursting from his chest muscles walked out of the room. He was like a huge mountain, extremely threatening and intimidating.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Tiger Body Shook¡±again.

    ¡°... Uncle Driver? Is That You?¡±

    The driver, Ivan, who had a straight face and looked as if the whole world owed him a red packet, finally grinned and bared his white teeth. ¡°Haha! Even you don¡¯t recognize me, do you? !¡±

    Although this was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s n, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mobility was much better than hers.

    Without the top stylist that Huo Shaoheng had provided, Gu Nianzhi felt that her n might not have seeded.

    But now that she had seen these two ¡°Reborn¡±Russian men, she knew that her n was already on the verge of sess.

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) gentlemen, nice to meet you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stood up, stood on her tiptoes, and performed an elegant ballet dance.

    dimir also looked at the driver, Ivan, in surprise. ¡°Well done, Ivan! I didn¡¯t know you had the potential to be a gangster!¡±

    ¡°What gangster? ! I¡¯m the Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s bodyguard!¡±

    Ivan bent his arms to show off his muscles.

    Gu Nianzhi snickered. ¡°dimir, the Committee of State Security (KGB) still needs bodyguards?¡±

    ¡°PFFT! They¡¯re obviously thugs! Why do they need bodyguards? Don¡¯t tter yourself!¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) was humiliated by Ivan, and dimir wanted to draw a clear line with him.

    The middle-aged driver could not be bothered with him. He stared at Gu Nianzhi and asked, ¡°Can you really earn extra money? How much can you earn?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi beamed. ¡°How much you can earn depends on the two of you...¡±

    ..

    It was the weekend. Gu Nianzhi called Song Jinning at noon to remind her, ¡°Miss Song, Don¡¯t forget to have dinner at the club restaurant near West Hill Tonight!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t forget. You called Yesterday and texted me this morning. I Won¡¯t forget even if I want to!¡±Song Jinning said briskly as she wrote down thest line in her experiment notes, she said, ¡°President Lu will pick me upter. We¡¯ll go out to buy some clothes. We¡¯ll definitely dress up for dinner tonight, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, just dress up casually. Don¡¯t make it too grand...¡±Gu Nianzhi was ted.

    After hanging up on song jinning, Gu Nianzhi called Lu Yuan to confirm. ¡°President Lu, Don¡¯t forget about tonight¡¯s dinner!¡±

    ¡°Got it. How many times have you reminded me? I¡¯m not old enough to have dementia.¡±Lu Yuan had already left the office and was about to pick up song jinning from the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    After Gu Nianzhi confirmed, she called Huo Guanchen again. ¡°Uncle, can I remind you to bring grandfather to dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±Huo Guanchen was in a good mood. ¡°Thanks for the reminder. We¡¯ll definitely be there on time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Gu Nianzhi blinked. ¡°See you tonight then.¡±

    She only nned to work half the day today, so she packed her things and left the parliament building after making the call in the afternoon.

    She drove back to the official residence near the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground. To her surprise, Huo Shaoheng was already waiting there.

    ¡°Hey, Huo Shaoheng is here too?¡±Gu Nianzhi was in a hurry to shower and take care of herself, so she quickly greeted him and went up.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin were adjusting the equipment as they asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to Dinner Tonight?¡±

    Lu Jin shook his head and said nonchntly, ¡°I used the book of changes to make a divination. It¡¯s not appropriate for me to go out today, so I n to stay at home and write a few artificial intelligence programs for the Robot Nanny.¡±

 Chapter 2194

    <h4>Chapter 2194: Chapter 2194, Operation Nightingale (3)(second update)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng did not say anything else. He nodded and waited for Gu Nianzhi to pack up before leaving the house with her.

    After Gu Nianzhi went downstairs, she asked Lu Jin, ¡°Dad, aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°No, I had a sudden inspiration today and used the book of changes to read my fortune. It¡¯s not appropriate for me to go out.¡±Lu Jin waved his hand without looking up. ¡°Eat more. Eat My portion.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled. ¡°Okay, Dad. If You¡¯re hungry, there¡¯s something in the fridge. Can you ask the orderly to heat it up for you?¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m Not Picky.¡±Lu Jin turned around and red at her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched.

    Not Picky?

    Only her father, Lu Jin, could say that with a straight face and a straight heart.

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled and got into the car with Huo Shaoheng.

    It was a weekend evening, and the road from the capital to the West Mountains was very congested.

    It was usually less than an hour¡¯s drive, but this time, it took almost two hours.

    Fortunately, the two of them had nned the time of the traffic jam, so when they arrived at the parking lot of the clubhouse restaurant, they were still five minutes away from the agreed time.

    Gu Nianzhi got out of the car in a good mood.

    She looked around and saw that the night sky was vast, and the light purple mist lingered in the ravines between the mountains.

    The tall trees with luxuriant foliage stood among the mountains not far away, lush and verdant.

    The light from the streetmps shone on the lush green leaves of the tall trees by the roadside, like polished green jade.

    The clubhouse restaurant in front of them was an ancient-style building with brick and wood structures. The walls were made of pink, and the tilesplemented the mountains and forests.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Let¡¯s go.¡±Huo Shaoheng took her hand and walked leisurely to the door of the restaurant.

    ¡°Hello, do you have reservations?¡±The waiter at the door asked politely.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Yes, we have reserved a private room.¡±

    The waiter looked at the name she had mentioned and smiled. ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    He led Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng to the private room Gu Nianzhi had reserved. Huo Guanchen and grandfather Huo were already waiting there.

    Gu Nianzhi was not surprised to see Yuan Jianan and Zhang Baochen sitting there as well.

    As long as she invited grandfather Huo, she had to be prepared. The old man would bring his beloved illegitimate son along.

    As long as she invited Huo Guanchen, she had to be prepared. He would bring some strange women to dinner.

    Gu Nianzhi was already mentally prepared. She sat down with Huo Shaoheng, who had always been calm and collected. She smiled and greeted him. ¡°Good evening, uncle and Mr. Huo.¡±

    She nodded at Zhang Baochen and said politely, ¡°Mr. Zhang, long time no see.¡±

    Finally, she looked at Yuan Jianan, who was sitting between Huo Guanchen and Zhang Baochen. She looked curious. ¡°Who is thisdy? She looks so gentle and delicate. Is She Mr. Zhang¡¯s femalepanion?¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s mouth twitched.

    Zhang Baochen waved his hand hurriedly, he smiled obsequiously. ¡°How could I be so lucky? Nianzhi, you think too highly of me. This is Ms. Yuan, second brother¡¯s femalepanion, not mine. If my wife finds out, she¡¯ll tear me apart!¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed hysterically. ¡°AH? Mr. Zhang is still afraid of Mrs. Zhang?¡±

    ¡°Of course. The men of the Huo family are strictly controlled by their wives,¡±grandfather Huo suddenly blurted out.

    Gu Nianzhi was still a greenhorn after all, and her acting skills were not good enough. Grandfather Huo¡¯s words of ¡°The men of the Huo family¡±made her a little upset.

    Her eyes narrowed slightly. Her smile was still on her face, but it was as stiff as a mask.

    ¡°... Oh, is that so? Mr. Zhang¡¯s surname seems to be Zhang, not Huo?¡±Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and picked up the menu to flip through.

    Huo Shaoheng coughed, he smiled at grandfather Huo, who was about to re up, and said, ¡°Nianzhi is young and immature, and she takes things seriously. Don¡¯t lower yourself to her level. However, what she said made sense. Since Mr. Zhang is your biological son, you should let him change his surname to Gui Zong. Otherwise, he¡¯ll always take someone else¡¯s surname. You say he¡¯s a man of the Huo family, but he won¡¯t even ept strangers, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Huo Guanchen raised his eyebrows slightly and said unhappily, ¡°Baochen isn¡¯t the only man of the Huo family who doesn¡¯t have the Huo surname.¡±

    Only then did Gu Nianzhi really fly into a rage.

    He wasparing president Lu to Zhang Baochen, the illegitimate son!

    How could he be worthy? !

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s little face stiffened. She was about to lose her temper when the door to the private room was pushed open again. Lu Yuan and song jinning walked in.

    Lu Yuan was tall and handsome, and the charm of a mature man had already reached the point where he could control it at will.

    Song Jinning was even more so. Gu Nianzhi had called her several times to remind her that she had put in a lot of effort today.

    She was wearing a pearl-white silk one-sleeve shirt with a one-button-down cor and pants of the same color. The pants had just reached her ankles, but she was wearing Christian Louboutin¡¯s famous ck high-heeled shoes with red soles.

    The pure elegance and sexy charm were perfectlybined in her body. Paired with an extremely beautiful and wless face, she was like a rose in full bloom, knowing that it would wither in the next moment, so she put all her effort into showing off her bloom.

    She was so beautiful that it felt like there was no tomorrow.

    Gu Nianzhi was also extremely beautiful, but she did not have the unique charm of a mature woman like song jinning.

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s gentle beauty was so captivating that people could not take their eyes off her. When Gu Nianzhi first saw Yuan Jianan¡¯s photo, she had thought that she was the only woman who couldpete with song jinning.

    But as soon as song Jinning entered, Gu Nianzhi knew she had made a huge mistake.

    Song jinning was like a beam of light, and Yuan Jianan¡¯s delicate features instantly looked dull under her light.

    There was no harm inparison, especially between beauties.

    There was no first ce in literature, and no second ce in martial arts.

    There was no such thing as a tie between real beauties.

    Everyone in the private room was stunned by Song Jinning¡¯s beauty, and fell silent for a moment.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and smiled in surprise. ¡°Miss Song, you¡¯re here! You look so good today! You¡¯re prettier every day than the day before. If this goes on, how are you going to do it?¡±

    Huo Guanchen looked up as well. His heart was racing, but his expression did not change. It was just that his gaze was much deeper than before.

    His gaze only lingered on song Jinning¡¯s face for a moment before turning to Lu Yuan, who was beside Song Jinning. He chuckled, he said, ¡°Nianzhi, this is not a problem that you need to worry about. It¡¯s a problem that Mrs. Song¡¯s current husband needs to worry about.¡±

    Lu Yuan, Mrs. Song¡¯s current husband, unhurriedly pulled out a chair and held song Jinning¡¯s arm, allowing her to sit next to Gu Nianzhi while he sat between song jinning and Huo Guanchen.

    The corner of Huo Guanchen¡¯s mouth twitched again.

    Yuan Jianan, who was sitting next to him, said in surprise, ¡°Is that director song? We¡¯ve met before! Oh, you look so beautiful in this way. You look so much better than when you were only wearing a whiteb coat in theb.¡±

    After a pause, she looked at Huo Guanchen, whose smile was fading, and then at Song Jinning. She smiled and said, ¡°Did you dress up because you wanted toe here to eat with us?¡±

    ...

 Chapter 2195

    <h4>Chapter 2195: Chapter 2195, Operation Nightingale (4)(first update)</h4>

    Song Jinning looked over in surprise, but Gu Nianzhi burst outughing before she even had to open her mouth, tSK tsk, ¡°Miss Yuan, what do you do for a living? You¡¯re quite imaginative, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m the one who invited Miss Song to dinner. Miss song dressed herself up to see me. What does that have to do with you?¡±

    She sized Yuan Jianan up and down. ¡°You don¡¯t have a big face. How did you be the guest of Honor?¡±

    Yuan Jianan did not expect Gu Nianzhi to be so rude to him. He could not help looking at Huo Guanchen.

    Although she did not speak, she had a pair of eyes that could talk. It was as if she was looking at how Huo Guanchen was going to speak up for her.

    Huo Guanchen, on the other hand, looked down at the beautifully decorated menu in his hand. He had no intention of making eye contact with her.

    Yuan Jianan averted his gaze and saw Gu Nianzhi with a half-smile on her face. She had a look of disdain on her face, as if she looked down on her.

    Yuan Jianan frowned slightly and said unhappily, ¡°I saw Ms. Song at the Institute of High Energy Physicsst time. At that time, Ms. Song was very in and dressed very differently from today. That¡¯s why I thought...¡±

    Her gaze shifted between Huo Guanchen and song jinning and gradually rxed, she smiled. ¡°Okay, I was overthinking it. I thought Guanchen and Ms. Song were husband and wife in the past, and they were so close. Even if they¡¯re divorced now, we can still be friends even if we see each other again...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi put a hand on song Jinning¡¯s shoulder, she said disdainfully, ¡°Ms. Yuan, you¡¯re overthinking it. Even if Ms. Song is unkempt and unkempt, she¡¯s still a lot prettier than you. There¡¯s no need to belittle Ms. Song, intentionally or otherwise. Really, if you choose another ce to belittle her, I will definitely not say anything. However, belittling miss song¡¯s beauty can only mean that you are blind.¡±

    Song Jinning was initially a little angry, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s barrage of insults left Yuan Jianan bbergasted. Her little bit of anger immediately dissipated.

    Patting the back of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand, song jinning deliberately said, ¡°Nianzhi, how can you speak like that? Miss Yuan is a guest. Don¡¯t be rude.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Ms. Song.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you. You¡¯re the prettiest, so whatever you say is right!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi deliberately tilted her head slightly as she said this. She raised her head at a 45-degree angle and pointed her chin at Yuan Jianan.

    Although Huo Shaoheng had criticized her for using her chin to look at people impolitely, Huo Shaoheng felt that it was the right thing to do in this kind of situation, so he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Zhang Baochen felt that Gu Nianzhi had gone too far, but seeing that Huo Guanchen did not speak, he could not speak up for Yuan Jianan. He had no choice but to call the waiter over to order the dishes, hoping to get this matter over with.

    Grandfather Huo had always disliked gu nianzhi, and now he was even more displeased when he saw how arrogant she was.

    However, he had finally sat down to eat with Huo Shaoheng, and did not want to leave immediately, so he coughed and said, ¡°Shaoheng, control your wife. There are guests here, how can she be so presumptuous?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi became more pampered and said reluctantly, ¡°Old Mr. Huo, why are you always helping others? I¡¯m your grandson¡¯s fiancee, after all. Who is that woman? How can you me me for her?¡±

    ¡°Besides, today¡¯s meal was my treat. How can a ¡®guest¡¯like her be so presumptuous while I¡¯m Not?¡±

    Yuan Jianan saw that Gu Nianzhi did not take her seriously, so he was not angry at all. Instead, he waspletely relieved.

    She smiled warmly and said earnestly, ¡°I appreciate old Mr. Huo¡¯s kindness. Miss Gu is outspoken and young, so I don¡¯t me her. Besides, I quite like her personality...¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t try to get close to me!¡±Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes, she mumbled softly, ¡°I don¡¯t know how many women you¡¯ve dated. Don¡¯t think you can climb to the top just because you¡¯ve hooked up with your uncle. There are so many poor rtives out there, when will it be your turn...¡±

    She spoke very softly, but her words were sharp and clear, so even though she was ¡°Whispering,¡±the people in the private room could hear her clearly.

    Huo Guanchen looked up at this time, his brows furrowed into a frown. He did not directly say gu nianzhi, but said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re not going to intervene?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng crossed his arms and said indifferently, ¡°Old Mr. Huo said that the men of the Huo family are strictly controlled by their wives. Do you think I dare to intervene?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nced sideways at Huo Shaoheng and snorted,¡±... It¡¯s good that you know!¡±

    Her tsundere expression was very attractive.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fingers moved. He really wanted to hug her and ¡°Ravage¡±her.

    However, there was nothing he could do. He still had a ¡°Doting¡±expression on his face, which made Lu Yuan furrow his eyebrows.

    His gaze swept across the faces of the people in the private room. He smiled and said, ¡°Nianzhi is young and spoiled by us. Please forgive her.¡±

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°She¡¯s getting married and she¡¯s still young. Don¡¯t tell me you still treat her like a child?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still a baby. Do you think I¡¯m a Child?¡±Gu Nianzhi said cutely. Her cuteness was beyond reproach.

    ¡°Stop pretending to be young.¡±Grandfather Huo¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You don¡¯t even have basic manners. How did you be the Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m capable.¡±Gu Nianzhi boasted shamelessly. ¡°Even if I¡¯m Rude, I¡¯m a professional!¡±

    ¡°You really know how to tter yourself!¡±Zhang Baochen couldn¡¯t take it anymore and turned to ask, ¡°Waiter, when can we serve the dishes?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°Mr. Zhang, you have the same problem as Ms. Yuan. You like being the host so much. Can you two treat us to dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±Yuan Jianan was eager and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s my treat tonight. Everyone here is very busy. It¡¯s my honor to have the opportunity to host tonight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed and spread her hands. ¡°But I¡¯ve already ordered the dishes. Ms. Yuan, are you really going to treat us to dinner and pay for the dishes tonight?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, as long as everyone eats happily.¡±Yuan Jianan smiled and nudged Huo Guanchen. ¡°Guanchen, what do you think?¡±

    Huo guanchen finally said, ¡°Let¡¯s treat together.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±Yuan Jianan¡¯s voice softened.

    As they spoke, the doors of the private room opened continuously and the waiters began to serve the dishes.

    Gu Nianzhi almost sat in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms. With his strong arms around her, no one could get close to her.

    She danced in front of Huo Shaoheng, not knowing what to say. She raised her hand, and the ss of grape juice that the waiter had just poured for her spilled. The dark red grape juice fell on her pale pink silk dress, it was badly dyed.

    Gu Nianzhi frowned and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go clean up.¡±

    Song Jinning also stood up and said, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°No Need, Miss Song. I¡¯ll go to the bathroom and wipe myself.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the open private room. She kept her head down and used a tissue to wipe her dress that had been drenched in grape juice. She did not see a handsome, tall, and eastern european-looking top-notch handsome man walking towards her from the end of the corridor.

    Behind him was a tall, burly man who wore sunsses like a bear. He looked like a bodyguard, constantly looking around vigntly.

    Gu Nianzhi walked quickly, almost bumping into the handsome Eastern European man.

    ¡°Miss, watch where you¡¯re going.¡±The Handsome Eastern European man spoke Russian.

    Gu nianzhi replied in Russian, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my dress is dirty.¡±

 Chapter 2196

    <h4>Chapter 2196: Chapter 2196 Operation Nightingale (5)(2nd update)</h4>

    From the semi-open door of the private room, everyone could only see that Gu Nianzhi had almost bumped into a handsome Eastern European man.

    Of course, she had always been close and had not bumped into him.

    No one paid any attention to it.

    This club was a restaurant and entertainment club. There were all kinds of handsome men, beautiful waitresses, and physical therapists, so no one was surprised.

    Gu Nianzhi went to the bathroom to clean up, and then went to the shop that the clubhouse had brought with it to buy a knee-length silk gown. She put it on to cover the red wine stains on her dress.

    She returned to the private room and sat down. Zhang Baochen asked in surprise, ¡°Miss Gu, Why didn¡¯t you buy a new dress to change into? This long gown doesn¡¯t match your outfit today...¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to change in a clubhouse like this?¡±Gu Nianzhi nced at him. ¡°Even the bathroom is trembling with fear. What if there¡¯s a camera?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked a little nervous. ¡°You didn¡¯t use the bathroom here, did you?¡±

    ¡°I was just going to wash the wine stains on my dress.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. She immediately became affectionate.

    Zhang Baochen lowered his head and drank awkwardly.

    Lu Yuan smiled generously and said, ¡°The dishes are all here. Let¡¯s eat first.¡±

    The dishes Gu Nianzhi had ordered were mainly from Chaozhou cuisine. Chaozhou cuisine was known as ¡°A feast without seafood¡±. When cooking, it was mainly to preserve the fresh, sweet, and original taste of seafood.

    This clubhouse was also particr about ¡°Never getting tired of food, never getting tired of cooking, never getting tired of detail¡±. The dishes were small and exquisite, so most of them were small tes and small tes. They were ced on the mahogany table in light pink bowls made of sweet white porcin, they looked like clusters of elegant cherry blossoms in full bloom.

    Gu nianzhi pointed to a dish in front of her with her chopsticks, she smiled and said, ¡°This is a piece of white searing conch te. It looks so small, it only takes a few seconds to sear it into a te, but the soup inside will take a few days to prepare.¡±

    As she spoke, she picked it up with her chopsticks, and the te of white searing conch te was gone.

    ¡°Delicious!¡±She finished the te with relish and said to the waiter at the door, ¡°Eight more tes, one for each of you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡±the waiter at the door said politely. In the blink of an eye, eight more tes of white searing conch tes were served.

    After everyone had finished eating, Gu nianzhi rmended the crispy pork ginseng.

    She smiled and said, ¡°The year of the pig ising. Anything with the word ¡®pig¡¯is auspicious. Everyone, try it. This is seasoned with abalone soup. Although it¡¯s small and can be eaten in one bite, the aftertaste is endless. It¡¯s only worth it with two words!¡±

    Under her guidance, the crispy pork ginseng was also served on eight tes and ced in front of everyone.

    Zhang Baochen ate the taste was indeed not bad. He had eaten a lot of good things, but he had never eaten such delicious seafood. It was as if it had just been fished out from the sea. Even the unique fishy smell of seafood was cleverly neutralized by the seasoning, it became a foil to the delicious taste.

    He sighed. ¡°This dish is really good, but the quantity is too small.¡±

    ¡°Even in a five-star hotel, the amount of food on a te is four or five times more than here!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°The amount of food is four or five times more. You¡¯re eating at a food stall, right?¡±

    Zhang Baochen was so angry that his eyebrows were twitching.

    Grandfather Huo obviously couldn¡¯t bear to see his beloved youngest son get insulted. He frowned and said, ¡°Shaoheng, who cares about your fianc¨¦e? How can you talk to your elders? No matter what, Baochen is still her uncle!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled. He picked up a tissue and slowly wiped the peanut powder from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mouth. He said, ¡°My father is my youngest son. Where did I get an uncle?¡±

    This was to show that he didn¡¯t acknowledge grandfather Huo¡¯s illegitimate son, Zhang Baochen.

    If he didn¡¯t acknowledge him, then Gu Nianzhi had nothing to do with it.

    Lu Yuan picked up a piece of lion head goose liver for song jinning with his chopsticks and said gently,¡±... he¡¯s not an elder, but a guest. Nianzhi, don¡¯t be mischievous.¡±

    This was Lu Yuan denying Zhang Baochen¡¯s status.

    Zhang Baochen was furious.

    It was fine if Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t acknowledge him, but who the hell was Lu Yuan? !

    The only rtionship he had with the Huo family was that he had married Huo Guanchen¡¯s unwanted wife!

    Zhang Baochen¡¯s face darkened. He tightened his grip on his chopsticks and said, ¡°Mr. Lu, is it? What does your rtionship with the Huo family have to do with anything? We¡¯re arguing amongst ourselves, what right does an outsider have to butt in?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and song jinning looked up at Zhang Baochen in shock.

    Even Huo Guanchen, who had been silent the whole time, looked up at him and said unhappily, ¡°Eat your food. You can¡¯t interfere in the Huo family¡¯s matters.¡±

    Zhang Baochen had thought that Huo Guanchen had epted him long ago, but he had not expected that he would not give him face in front of outsiders. He could not bring himself to do so, suddenly, he stood up and said, ¡°Father, I¡¯m not feeling well. I want to go home first. Pleasee back with me!¡±

    Grandfather Huo Knew Lu Yuan¡¯s identity. He also knew that Lu Yuan did not want to acknowledge him because of his mother, Xie Ziyan. He did not even want the Huo surname anymore.

    However, he could not reveal Lu Yuan¡¯s identity. Moreover, Lu Yuan had always been his favorite and proudest son. He was also very ufortable when Zhang Baochen said that.

    Seeing that Zhang Baochen was going to leave, he did not stop him at all. He said with a straight face, ¡°If you want to leave, you go first. I still have to finish my meal.¡±

    It was not easy for him to have the chance to sit with his eldest son whom he had not seen for eighteen years. He would not leave immediately.

    Zhang Baochen did not expect that grandfather Huo would not give him face. His heart sank.

    He could not rely on grandfather Huo¡¯s little father-son rtionship. If grandfather Huo did not like him, then what was he?

    He looked around and had no choice but to sit down dejectedly. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Father, since you want to stay, then I¡¯ll talk to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed with her victory. She ran her hands through her hair, shook her head, and winked at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng had been looking at Gu Nianzhi with a smile. Seeing that she was getting happier and happier, he couldn¡¯t help stroking her head.

    Just as he put his hand on her head, his expression suddenly changed.

    Although this slight change in expression was very subtle, it didn¡¯t escape the eyes of someone who had been observing him and Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand paused for a moment, then turned Gu Nianzhi¡¯s head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±Yuan Jianan asked curiously, ¡°Is Miss Gu¡¯s hair in a mess? Do you need to take care of it again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡±Huo Shaoheng replied coldly. He then carefully removed a ck ball the size of a grain of rice from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair.

    The ck ball was simr to the luster of her hair. It was smooth on one side and rough on the other. It was just enough to hang on her hair.

    If one did not look closely, they would not be able to see it at all.

    ¡°What is this? I hate it so much. Throw it away.¡±Gu Nianzhi pushed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand away disapprovingly.

    Huo Shaoheng opened his palm, and a small ck grain of rice appeared in front of everyone.

    Heughed coldly and said,¡±... A Bug. Someone actually put a bug on you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face instantly paled. ¡°How is that possible? ! Didn¡¯t I check everything when I went out? !¡±

    She looked around. ¡°Even this ce has been checked! There are no bugs or pinhole cameras!¡±

    Lu Yuan poked his head out to look at the item in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand and asked curiously, ¡°How do you know this is a bug?¡±

    ¡°Director Lu, you don¡¯t know what Huo Shao does? If he doesn¡¯t know, then no one else will.¡±Gu Nianzhi said proudly, but then she was very confused. ¡°Who Wants to eavesdrop? When did you install it on me? I don¡¯t know anything about it!¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) is a professional eavesdropping device. You Can¡¯t buy it outside.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression became colder and colder. ¡°Men, find out where it came from.¡±

    Soon, Yin Shixiong ran in with a straight face. ¡°Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng handed the ck rice eavesdropping device to him. ¡°Go and find out! who put it in Nianzhi¡¯s hair? !¡±

    He then reprimanded Yin Shixiong. ¡°How did you do your security? ! We¡¯re eating here, General Huo, Ms. Song, and chief Gu. Which one of them isn¡¯t important? You just let random people in?¡±

    ¡°Go back and write your own self-reflection and hand it over to Zhao liangze to file.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly grabbed Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arm and said nervously, ¡°I remember now!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Do you know who did it?¡±Yuan Jianan sounded a little nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we have themittee of State Security (KGB) here? !¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s the KGB or not, but this bug must have been ced in my hair by that person!¡±Gu Nianzhi said excitedly. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the most important member of the Committee of State Security, ¡°It¡¯s the Eastern European man I almost bumped into at the door when I went to the bathroom just now!¡±

 Chapter 2197

    <h4>Chapter 2197: Chapter 2197, Operation Nightingale (6)(first update)</h4>

    Lu Yuan seemed a little surprised. ¡°The person you almost bumped into at the door just now? I took a look, but I didn¡¯t get a good look at what happened.¡±

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s eyes darted between Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. She said hesitantly, ¡°I saw it too. He seemed to have raised his hand, but I didn¡¯t see if he put a bug in your hair.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes and didn¡¯t even lower her eyelids. She looked up at the lotus-shaped chandelier on the dining table in the private room and said disdainfully, ¡°If you could see it clearly with your naked eyes, those people wouldn¡¯t have to live anymore!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a while and said,¡±... maybe it¡¯s a coincidence. You¡¯ve been to a lot of ces today. The Committee of State Security (KGB) may not be white. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re thinking too much.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words. She said resentfully, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to investigate? I think that person is very suspicious!¡±

    ¡°If I say it¡¯s fine, then it¡¯s fine. What are you thinking about?¡±Huo Shaoheng took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a smoke. You guys can help yourselves.¡±

    He got up and left the private room, walking towards the door.

    He pushed the door open and closed the door behind him, blocking the prying eyes of the people in the room.

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s eyes shed. She stroked her phone and said quietly, ¡°If that Eastern European is really the KGB, why would he put a bug in Miss Gu¡¯s hair?¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) did not know what was going on

    Huo Guanchen did not even raise his head. ¡°Who knows? Maybe he wants to know what the Senate is doing? Or maybe it¡¯s for Shaoheng. It¡¯s possible.¡±

    The Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor was Gu Nianzhi. By eavesdropping on her every move, she could indeed have a thorough understanding of the work of the Senate.

    She was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s fiancee. The two of them had already cohabited, so it was indeed a lucrative business to be able to eavesdrop on Huo Shaoheng at the same time.

    Yuan Jianan cried out in surprise. ¡°Really? Then why didn¡¯t major general Huo get someone to arrest the Eastern European?¡±

    Although her voice was low, everyone was sitting so close that they could hear her.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips. ¡°I also said I wanted to investigate, but Huo didn¡¯t want to... He¡¯s just putting on airs in the country, no one will buy it...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi! How can you say such things?¡±Huo Guanchen snapped at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯re going to marry Shaoheng soon, so you have to be careful of your influence and keep your mouth shut. Don¡¯t say anything you shouldn¡¯t say!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shrunk her neck and let out a low ¡°OH.¡±.

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, she sneered. ¡°They¡¯re already bullying you, yet you still have to be careful of your influence. As expected of someone who does political work... Nianzhi, don¡¯t be afraid. When have you ever been unable to keep your mouth shut? You¡¯re much better at self-control than some people in their teens!¡±

    Huo Guanchen¡¯s face flushed red, but song jinning ignored him and felt a sense offort. However, he was humiliated in front of so many people, and in front of a junior like Gu Nianzhi. Huo Guanchen felt very ufortable.

    His gaze swept past song Jinning¡¯s gorgeous face andnded on the ss cab in the opposite corner, he said coldly, ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s position determines that he can¡¯t act recklessly. Nianzhi will be his wife in the future. If she can¡¯t even keep a low profile, then why Get Married? ! She¡¯ll drag Shaoheng down sooner orter!¡±

    ¡°Hey! General Huo! I didn¡¯t Offend You, did I? You¡¯re saying that I¡¯ll drag Huo down now? ! You¡¯re ming me for something that didn¡¯t happen, I can¡¯t ept that!¡±Gu Nianzhi held the spoon and paused on the table, making a scraping sound.

    Yuan Jianan saw this and quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Please don¡¯t argue. Since it¡¯s not convenient for general Huo toe forward, I can help ask him.¡±

    ¡°AH? Do you have anyone who can help?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked quickly. ¡°Ms. Yuan is so amazing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m amazing.¡±Yuan Jianan smiled as she took out her phone and dialed a number. ¡°I have a friend who works in the catering industry. Maybe he knows the owner of this clubhouse. I¡¯ll ask him.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s troublesome.¡±

    Yuan Jianan had just finished her call when Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and came in. He smelled like cigarettes.

    Gu Nianzhi fanned herself with her hand in front of her nose and grumbled unhappily,¡±... you¡¯re smoking again.¡±

    ¡°I smoked half a cigarette.¡±Huo Shaoheng leaned in front of her. ¡°Smell it...¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ¡°Yes¡±was repeated three times, and the sound lingered in the air. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s scalp went numb. He red at her and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±

    He then said to the people at the table, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a misunderstanding.¡±

    However, his eyes were flickering, and he did not dare look Gu Nianzhi in the eye.

    Gu nianzhi stared at Huo Shaoheng. Her snow-white teeth bit her lower lip. She looked angry, but she did not dare to say anything.

    Following that, her eyes gradually turned red. Tears gathered in her eyes and reflected the lotus chandelier in the private room. It was crystal clear and moving.

    Huo Shaoheng did not even look at her. His jaw was firm, and he pursed his lips slightly. He scooped a bowl of soup for her and turned his head away to pass it to her.

    Everyone could see that the couple, who were about to get married, were at odds.

    Grandfather Huo chuckled, happy to see that happen.

    Zhang Baochen let out a long breath. The night¡¯s grievances had finally passed.

    He scooped a bowl of Soup for grandfather Huo as well, and ced it in front of him attentively. ¡°Father, here you go.¡±

    Grandfather Huo felt that he could still eat three more bowls of rice.

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t bear to see Gu Nianzhi suffer, so she couldn¡¯t help whispering,¡±... can¡¯t we just call that person over and ask him? We almost had a conflict just now...¡±

    Lu yuan sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m talking to the owner of this clubhouse about investing. I¡¯ll go ask him.¡±

    He got up and walked out of the door, standing in the corridor to make a call.

    His back was facing the private room. From the back, he looked exactly like Huo Guanchen.

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s eyes sparkled. She looked thoughtfully at Huo Guanchen and then at Lu Yuan at the door.

    Not long after, Lu Yuan put away his phone and walked back to the private room, he smiled and said, ¡°I just got to know the situation. The owner here said that they did hire a group of physiotherapists from Eastern Europe. I gave them a rough description of their age and appearance, and the owner said to get to know them.¡±

    ¡°Are they really employees here?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°They don¡¯t do background checks when they hire people?¡±

    ¡°If they really are the Russian KGB, which country do you think will be able to find out?¡±Huo Guanchen snorted and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°You¡¯d better behave yourself. Don¡¯t be rash and cause trouble for Shaoheng.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB) was themittee of State Security (KGB)

    Gu Nianzhi heard this and her tears started to fall. Large, crystal-clear tears rolled down her fair face.

    She did not make a sound when she cried, only her tears. Her dark pupils were wet from the tears, like ck crystals under the water.

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She looked at Huo Shaoheng with disapproval. ¡°Shaoheng, it¡¯s not a big deal. Can¡¯t you get someone to check it out?¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied calmly, ¡°Unreasonable demands are not to be agreed to and not to be coddled.¡±

    Gu nianzhi almost fainted from crying.

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and snapped, ¡°Shaoheng!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng reluctantly patted gu nianzhi on the shoulder and took a tissue to wipe her tears. He said perfunctorily, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, everyone¡¯s watching.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not seem to dare to lose her temper at Huo Shaoheng. Other than crying, she could only cower in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms.

    The atmosphere in the private room was a little awkward.

    Yuan Jianan looked at Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi attentively. She even had to divert her attention to Lu Yuan and song jinning.

    In the end, she identally caught sight of Lu Yuan and song jinning holding hands under the dining table. She quickly raised her head and looked in the direction of the door, as if she had seen something she should not have.

    The door to the private room was pushed open again. Gu Nianzhi had almost bumped into the handsome Eastern European man who had just walked in. There were two other people behind him.

    One was a white man who looked like an iron tower. He was as strong as a ck bear, and the other was a huaxia man. He was skinny and small, and had a shrewd look on his face.

    After the three of them entered, the Skinny Huaxia man smiled and pointed at the Handsome Eastern European man. ¡°Hello, everyone. This is Big Ivan, the head of our club. May I ask which one of you would like a massage?¡±

 Chapter 2198

    <h4>Chapter 2198: Chapter 2198 Operation Nightingale (7)(2nd update)</h4>

    Big Ivan?

    This was the name of the famous super hydrogen bomb in the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.

    Huo Shaoheng had once exined to her that Big Ivan was thergest, heaviest, and most powerful bomb in the history of mankind.

    Its maximum explosive yield was equivalent to 100 million tons of TNT. However, the Soviet government was worried that it would have a serious impact on the environment, so it halved its power, it changed the explosive yield to 50 million tons of TNT.

    Even though it was halved, Big Ivan was still awe-inspiring.

    Compared to the two atomic bombs that the United States dropped on Japan at the end of World War II, ¡°Little boy¡±and ¡°Fatty¡±, Big Ivan¡¯s explosive yield was 3,800 times that of ¡°Little Boy¡±, it was 2,300 times that of ¡°Fatty¡±.

    Because it was too powerful, Big Ivan had never been listed as an active weapon. It was only used as a strategic deterrent. It was a symbol that all Russians were proud of until now, and it was also their confidence to confront any power.

    Now, it had be the name of the club¡¯s top brand.

    This dimir was really daring..

    Gu Nianzhi buried her head in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms to cover the twitching of the corners of her mouth.

    Under such circumstances, only people like Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan, who had undergone professional training, could remain calm. No one else could hide the shock and astonishment on their faces.

    After the shock, song jinning couldn¡¯t helpughing. She looked up and down at the Blond Eastern European handsome man.

    Huo guanchen frowned and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the name? Why do you have to go by this name?¡±

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s expression seemed to turn ugly for a moment, but it returned to normal in the blink of an eye. She asked curiously,¡±... What¡¯s wrong with this name? Isn¡¯t it the name of a normal Russian man?¡±

    The tall, burly, bear-like man standing next to the Eastern European handsome man coughed heavily and introduced himself roughly, ¡°My name is Little dimir!¡±

    Gu nianzhi buried herself in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms and couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes.

    Uncle Driver, no one asked for your name!

    But Wait..

    The Uncle Driver¡¯s name was Ivan, but dimir had used his name as the name of the club¡¯s headliner. No wonder the uncle driver was angry and even gave himself a fake name of ¡°Little dimir.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted tough, but her shoulders trembled. Huo Shaoheng held her shoulders, and she quickly stopped moving.

    The thin trantor beside her tranted the words of both sides.

    The handsome eastern European ¡°Big Ivan¡±waszily leaning against the wall by the door, looking as if he was neither standing nor sitting. His lips were red and his teeth were white, and his beauty was unparalleled. This action was done by him, he was indescribably handsome and suave.

    He had a look of despair on his face, but when he looked over with his blue eyes, there was a deep desire in them. There was only a hint of sensuality in the decadence. It was extremely attractive, especially to mature women.

    Yuan Jianan felt a little thirsty in his throat, so he took a sip of the red wine ss.

    Song Jinning also blushed a little. She moved her gaze away and looked at Lu Yuan beside her. She found that Lu Yuan¡¯s appearance was more suitable for her, so she smiled at him.

    Lu Yuan nced at the Eastern European handsome Guy¡¯s lineup and was a little surprised.

    This person was definitely not an ordinary ¡°Eastern European handsome guy.¡±Every move he made and every move he made gave him a very familiar feeling.

    It was a kind of intuition that colleagues were enemies.

    Could it be that themittee of State Security (KGB) really existed here?

    Lu Yuan¡¯s mind raced. He turned around and saw that song Jinning¡¯s cheeks were slightly red. His heart moved, and he lightly drew a circle in her palm with his finger.

    Song Jinning raised her head and just happened to meet Lu Yuan¡¯s gaze.

    His eyes were ck, deeper and more distant than dark blue, so the desire he hid was even more boundless.

    He held song Jinning¡¯s hand and slowly brought it to his mouth. He kissed the back of her hand and then put it down as if nothing had happened.

    Song Jinning, on the other hand, was seduced by his hot gaze until her entire body went soft. She almost did not realize what he was doing.

    Huo Guanchen held his chopsticks tightly in his hand and stared at Lu Yuan who was affectionately making out with song jinning in front of him. His eyes were almost bursting with fire.

    It was one thing to know that song Jinning was married to Lu Yuan, but it was another thing to see the two of them having an affair in person.

    It was almost as if he had seen his own woman having an affair with another man. His face turned green.

    Zhang Baochen had never seen song jinning so beautiful. He knew he should avoid suspicion, but his eyes were still glued to song jinning. He even started to look down her swan-like neck.

    Huo Shaoheng was d that Gu Nianzhi was buried in his arms and did not see the methods of the second-inmand of the Committee of State Security (KGB) . The Committee of State Security (KGB) was the second-inmand of the KGB.

    However, in the blink of an eye, he noticed that Zhang Baochen was almost drooling at song jinning. He frowned slightly and mmed his palm hard on the table.

    With a loud bang, the cups and tes on the dining table began to drip and jump. A chopstick shot towards Zhang Baochen¡¯s wide-opened eyes like an arrow leaving the bow.

    ¡°Ah!¡±He screamed and suddenly leaned back to cover his eyes.

    With a loud thud, Zhang Baochen leaned back too hard. The chair also fell back, and he rolled to the ground like a gourd.

    ¡°Baochen! Baochen! What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay? !¡±Grandfather Huo red at Huo Shaoheng, turned around, and went to help Zhang Baochen up.

    Zhang Baochen let go of his hand and felt a burning pain in his right eye. He couldn¡¯t stop his tears from flowing.

    With a bitter expression, he said to grandfather Huo, ¡°Father, that chopstick just now directly poked my eyeball. If I hadn¡¯t retreated so quickly, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to save this eye!¡±

    Grandfather Huo turned around angrily and shouted at Huo shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng! What are you doing? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng pped his hands. ¡°My hand slipped. I couldn¡¯t control it.¡±

    He stared at Zhang Baochen and said, ¡°If there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll definitely control my strength and put a hole in your eyeball.¡±

    Zhang Baochen shuddered. He realized that Huo Shaoheng had discovered that he was eyeing song jinning..

    Forget it, forget it. Even though a beauty was beautiful, how could her eyeballs be more important than his.

    But why didn¡¯t he see that Huo Shaoheng was still protecting his mother?

    He had never heard him call her ¡°Mother¡±before!

    Mrs. Song had always called her ¡°Mother¡±without any rules or boundaries, and misled others!

    Zhang Baochen cursed in his heart as he covered his eyes and said to grandfather Huo, ¡°Father, I really can¡¯t apany you anymore. I have to go find a doctor to take a look at my eyes. I¡¯ll be leaving first. You can ask second brother to send you back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally turned around and blinked her big, watery eyes. Her eyshes fluttered like a crow¡¯s feather as she asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What Happened?¡±

    ¡°Someone was being a bitch and was taught a lesson,¡±Huo Shaoheng said with a cold expression. He kept staring at Zhang Baochen¡¯s back until he walked out of the private room and disappeared into the corridor, he looked at the three people standing at the door, watching the show, and said, ¡°You can go now.¡±

    Yuan Jianan had been watching with great interest just now, but now she came back to her senses and quickly said, ¡°We still have things to ask. How can Huo just let them go?¡±

    The more Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t want to ask this Eastern European, the more Yuan Jianan felt that there was something wrong with them.

 Chapter 2199

    <h4>Chapter 2199: Chapter 2199, Operation Nightingale (8)(first and most rmended ticket)</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s there to ask? I don¡¯t think this has anything to do with them.¡±Huo Shaoheng said firmly and waved the three people at the door out.

    Yuan Jianan smiled. She wanted to say something, but saw that Gu Nianzhi was already ring at Huo Shaoheng, so she didn¡¯t say anything else.

    The Handsome Eastern European man at the door looked unhappy and said in Russian,¡±... are you ying with me?¡±

    The Skinny Chinese trantor quickly tranted.

    Gu Nianzhi could understand this level of Russian. She looked angrily at the Handsome Eastern European man and also said in Russian, ¡°Who¡¯s ying with who? Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know!¡±

    The handsome Eastern European froze for a moment, then looked at Gu Nianzhi. There seemed to be a thousand words in his blue eyes, but he hesitated to speak.

    If Gu Nianzhi hadn¡¯t grown up with Huo Shaoheng and had someone in her heart, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape the powerful charm of ¡°Big Ivan¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng snapped at her, ¡°Nianzhi! If you continue to make a scene, I won¡¯t take you out to dinner again!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±at the door quickly lowered his head to hide the smile that almost appeared on his face. He cursed in his heart, damn it! He almost broke his technique!

    ¡°Little dimir¡±, the bodyguard behind ¡°Big Ivan¡±, blinked and looked like he was in a bad situation. He asked,¡±... you¡¯re letting us go just like that? Aren¡¯t you going to give us a red envelope?¡±

    His trantion tranted dutifully.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless.

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, song jinning, and Huo Guanchen ignored him.

    Grandfather Huo did not even raise his head.

    But Yuan Jianan and Gu Nianzhi actually said in unison,¡±... do you have a wechat ount or do you want me to deduct your number? I¡¯ll send you a red packet.¡±

    The two of them were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other with a smile and nodded.

    The middle-aged driver did not care. He quickly took out his phone and gave Gu Nianzhi his number.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips.

    He was really putting on a show. He had even changed his phone number..

    Gu Nianzhi did not even know this number.

    She saw Yuan Jianan take out his phone and happily scanned the wechat ount of the bodyguard, ¡°Little dimir,¡±and then sent him a big red packet.

    ¡°Little dimirughed so hard that his facial features scrunched up into a ball.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and sent him a small red packet.

    ¡°Little dimir¡±quickly took a screenshot and sent it to his moments.

    # today¡¯s red packet has finally passed! #

    Gu Nianzhi saw it and gave him a like.

    Yuan Jianan also went to give a like andmented below: ¡°Keep going, keep going!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was not her best friend, so she couldn¡¯t see her wechat message, but someone had seen it.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s frown deepened, and he said again, ¡°This is none of your business. You can leave now.¡±

    The handsome Eastern European salutedzily and turned to leave the private room.

    Yuan Jianan was still not satisfied. She called out to him and said with a smile, ¡°Sir, please wait.¡±

    The Chinese trantor quickly stopped ¡°Big Ivan¡±and said, ¡°Ady is looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±turned around and looked around the private room. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thisdy.¡±The trantor pointed in the direction where Yuan Jianan was sitting.

    ¡°So it¡¯s for thedy. It¡¯s my honor.¡±As he said that, he performed a western-style pce etiquette.

    Yuan Jianan was about to speak, but he interrupted and said, ¡°But I charge a very expensive fee. Thisdy will speak after she has thought it through.¡±

    Yuan jianan smiled and said, ¡°That depends on how the fee is charged. Excuse me, Mr. ¡®Big Ivan¡¯, Are You Russian?¡±

    After tranting, ¡®Big Ivan¡¯seemed to look at her warily, he shook his head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m from Eastern Europe, a small country in Eastern Europe. But I¡¯m still used to speaking Russian after I finished my university in Russia.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Eastern Europeans are used to speaking Russian?¡±Yuan Jianan nodded meaningfully. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?¡±Gu Nianzhi sat up straight, ¡°Thenguages of Eastern Europe and Russia are vguages, just like the dialects of China. Although the pronunciation is slightly different, the grammar is the same.¡±

    ¡°Oh... I didn¡¯t think of that.¡±Yuan Jianan smiled and praised Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Chief gu is really knowledgeable. I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±Gu Nianzhi waved her hand impolitely.

    Huo Shaoheng spoke for the third time and finally chased the three people away.

    After they left, Yuan Jianan seemed to be unable to sit still. She looked at her watch in a hurry and stood up to say to Huo Guanchen, ¡°Guanchen, my friend just texted me. I have something to do and need to see her.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. Do you want me to find a driver to drive you?¡±Huo Guanchen asked politely, and even stood up to pull her seat away.

    ¡°No need. I have my own driver.¡±Yuan Jianan patted Huo Guanchen on the chest. ¡°I¡¯ve already texted him to pick me up. Have a good time with your family. We¡¯ll contact each other another day.¡±

    She gestured for them to make a call, and then smiled at the people in the private room. ¡°Enjoy your meal, everyone. I have something to do.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Ms. Yuan, you¡¯re leaving already? Didn¡¯t you say you were treating? Who¡¯s going to pay?¡±

    Yuan Jianan quickly smiled. ¡°Of course it¡¯s me. I¡¯m going to pay the bill now.¡±

    With that, she left the private room in a hurry and went to the parking lot to wait for the driver to arrive. At the same time, she asked her secretary to pay the bill.

    Not long after, a paid text message arrived on her phone.

    Looking at the six-figure Bill, Yuan Jianan¡¯s heart almost stopped beating.

    She rubbed her eyes and looked at it again and again. When she realized that she did not see wrongly, she called her secretary and asked curiously, ¡°Did you pay the bill just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I used your card to pay the bill. Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°How can there be so many? There are eight people and they did not eat much. How can the bill be six-figure?¡±

    The secretary quickly said, ¡°I asked them to print out the details, and I¡¯ll send them to you right away.¡±

    Soon, Yuan Jianan¡¯s phone rang, and she received the details of the bill from the secretary.

    So it was really that expensive.

    Although the amount of each dish was very small, the cost was expensive. In addition to the famous chef¡¯s cooking, the price naturally rose.

    Although Yuan Jianan did notck this bit of money, she still felt that Gu Nianzhi had set her up.

    It was her treat today, but in the end, it was her treat, and Yuan Jianan paid for it.

    This was outrageous.

    Yuan Jianan rubbed her temples. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it for now. It¡¯s fine, you can go home.¡±

    ¡°Okay, director Yuan, I¡¯ll go back first.¡±

    Yuan Jianan sat in the car and returned to her luxurious penthouse apartment in the capital.

    As soon as she entered, she called her subordinates. ¡°Help me check on two people. One is Big Ivan and the other is little dimir. They sound like aliases.¡±

 Chapter 2200

    <h4>Chapter 2200: Chapter 2200, Operation Nightingale (9)(2nd update)</h4>

    ¡°From the looks of it, they are the physiotherapists in the club in the West Mountain. That ¡®Big Ivan¡¯is also known as the number one in the club. Do you want to investigate from that club first?¡±

    Yuan Jianan finished her phone call, threw away her handbag, and walked to the bathroom.

    After taking a bath in the bathroom, her subordinate called.

    ¡°Yuan, we just checked the information of their club. These two people just came here from Eastern Europe not long ago. It¡¯s said that their massage skills are very good. After a few business deals, that ¡®Big Ivan¡¯became popr and became a hotmodity. He was promoted as the top brand by the customers.¡±

    ¡°¡®Little dimir¡¯is his bodyguard and manager. He looks rough and bold, but in fact, he is very smart. asionally, he is chosen by the customers for a massage. Most of the male customers are interested in him.¡±

    ¡°From the looks of it, these two have not provided any special services yet. Perhaps because of the short time, the club boss thinks highly of them and is not in a hurry.¡±

    Yuan Jianan listened carefully to her subordinate¡¯s report and then asked, ¡°What about their identities in Eastern Europe? Have you investigated them?¡±

    ¡°We are currently investigating them. After we finish investigating the matter in China, we will start to investigate their overseas resumes.¡±

    ¡°Okay, do a good job.¡±

    Yuan Jianan praised them before putting down the phone.

    She had a hunch that the two of them were not simple people.

    The more wless their resumes were, the more fake they looked.

    Just like Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clumsy cover-up at the dinner party today, if Gu Nianzhi had not pulled the rug out from under him, she might not have paid attention to ¡°Big Ivan¡±and ¡°Little dimir.¡±.

    It was just two ducks. She had seen it all before, so why would she think of going anywhere else?

    However, it was interesting that someone of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status had to cover for them.

    She didn¡¯t know what the two of them were here for.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) . If it really was the KGB, why would Huo Shaoheng cover for them?

    They had nted a bug in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hair, yet Huo Shaoheng still pretended not to know.

    Could it be that Huo Shaoheng was connected to a foreign country?

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s eyes widened. Could it be like this?

    It seemed to make sense..

    Huo Shaoheng had always had a good rtionship with Russia, especially the Russian president, Putin. He had witnessed Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s engagement in front of the whole world.

    Now he was going to attend their wedding and be a witness!

    Why would the Russian president, Putin, do this?

    Did Huo Shaoheng sell out China¡¯s national interests to win the favor of the Russian President?

    The more Yuan Jianan thought about it, the more excited she became. It made perfect sense!

    As for whether Huo Shaoheng was targeting her, Yuan Jianan thought about it carefully and felt that it was unlikely.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯tpletely impossible, so she had to be careful.

    But even if it was against her, Yuan Jianan didn¡¯t care.

    She walked to the kitchen and made herself a te of avocado chicken breast meat, lettuce, and tomato sd. She ate it with a ss of tequ.

    Thinking of the six-figure dinner that night, she wasn¡¯t full, and her heart was bleeding.

    Wasn¡¯t this extortion?

    Even if the public officials ate and asked for a card outside, no one would care.

    Yuan Jianan took a deep breath and warned herself not to lose out on the bigger picture.

    The most important thing now was to get in touch with the Russians.

    If there was really something wrong with ¡°Big Ivan¡±and ¡°Little dimir,¡±it would be worth it.

    Yuan Jianan looked out the window at the night sky. Her eyes were misty and deep. Although the night wind was cold, she felt a little hot.

    That ¡°Big Ivan¡±was really quite seductive.

    ..

    After Yuan Jianan left, Gu Nianzhi and the others had almost finished their dinner.

    Grandfather Huo was about to leave after sitting down for a while.

    Huo Guanchen helped him up and nodded to the people in the private room. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving first. Thank you for your hospitality.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, you should thank Mrs. Yuan. She¡¯s paying tonight.¡±Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled slyly.

    Huo Guanchen nced at her but didn¡¯t say anything. His gaze shifted and stopped for a moment on song Jinning¡¯s face.

    Before he could retract his gaze, Lu Yuan looked over at him. His gaze was cold and solemn, without a trace of emotion.

    Huo Guanchen was slightly startled. He was angry and repressed. There were also some unspeakable feelings in his heart.

    He didn¡¯t say anything else and left the private room with grandfather Huo.

    Gu nianzhi asked song jinning, ¡°Miss Song, are we leaving too?¡±

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°Are you full? Do you want the rest of the dishes to be packed?¡±

    After Yuan Jianan left, Gu Nianzhi ordered a few more dishes. They were ced neatly on the table and no one touched their chopsticks.

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu nianzhi pointed at the untouched dishes and made a face. ¡°My dad didn¡¯te today, so I wanted to bring them back to give him a taste.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng beckoned for the waiter at the door. ¡°Help us pack these dishes. Thank you.¡±

    The waiter at the door nodded and trotted out to help them get their packed lunch boxes.

    As expected of the capital¡¯s top-tier clubhouse. The packed lunch boxes were not the white styrofoam suggested lunch boxes. Instead, they were exquisitely made solid wood with a string and a string. There were a few ceramic bowls with lids inside.

    It was very stylish to carry it out.

    Gu nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and song Jinning walked out of the private room. When they passed by another half-open private room, Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of her eye.

    She turned to look and saw that it was the clubhouse¡¯s number one ¡°Big Ivan¡±sitting next to a very fat middle-aged woman. He had done nothing but put one arm on the back of the chair behind the person, he looked at her lovingly. The woman was like a virgin who had just seen a man for the first time. She was well-behaved and seemed to think that moving was a sphemy against the handsome man next to her.

    However, the RMB in front of Big Ivan had already piled up into a small mountain.

    Gu nianzhi tugged at Huo Shaoheng and motioned for him to look inside the private room. She asked in a low voice, ¡°What are they doing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and said indifferently, ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask director Lu. He wants to invest in this ce and can understand the business situation here.¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to say anything.

    Song Jinning, however, was also curious and pushed his arm. ¡°Yuan, say it...¡±

    Lu Yuan realized that he had no principles in front of Song Jinning and had no organizational discipline at all.

    Whenever song jinning called him ¡°Yuan,¡±he would throw away his armor and confess. He even wanted to say everything that she didn¡¯t ask.

    ¡°... This is a normal social game,monly known as rock-paper-scissors,¡±Lu Yuan said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s y it when we get back? If I win, you give me money.¡±

    ¡°Rock-paper-scissors can win so much money? What if you lose?¡±Song jinningughed.

    Lu yuan whispered, ¡°If I lose, I¡¯ll take off my clothes. You can take them off however you want...¡±

    ¡°PFFT! Who Wants to y such a game with you!¡±Song jinning blushed and pinched Lu Yuan hard.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s all on me. If you win, I¡¯ll take them off. If you lose, I¡¯ll take them off too. What do you think?¡±Lu Yuan whispered in song Jinning¡¯s ear and teased her.

    The heat from his chest almost radiated onto song Jinning¡¯s body.

    Song Jinning felt her legs go weak. She thought to herself, if a man were to be promiscuous, there really wouldn¡¯t be anything for a woman..

 Chapter 2201

    <h4>Chapter 2201: Chapter 2201: I¡¯m Just Curious (First Update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi turned around and saw that Lu Yuan and song jinning were almost together in front of her.

    Lu Yuan was tall and muscr. He leaned over and whispered something into song Jinning¡¯s ear.

    He held song Jinning¡¯s arm with one hand and led her into the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled happily and whispered, ¡°President Lu and Miss Song are happy together. Look, how intimate they are! Howpatible!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and led gu nianzhi into the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi did not want to disturb the beautiful scene of Lu Yuan and song jinning together. She consciously stood by the elevator door with her back to Lu Yuan and song jinning.

    Huo Shaoheng stood side by side with her.

    The two of them thought it would be less awkward, but they were wrong.

    The walls of the elevator were made of stainless steel and were as smooth as a mirror. Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi could clearly see Lu Yuan standing behind them and kissing song jinning..

    Huo Shaoheng almost instinctively used his hand to block Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to push his hand away, but she knew that doing so would alert Lu Yuan and song jinning, so she held herself back.

    Lu Yuan was fine, but it was normal for an old house to burn more than a young house.

    However, song jinning was still very thin-skinned and was her mother-inw. If she was disturbed, it would be awkward for the two of them to meet again.

    Gu Nianzhi decided to be obedient and did not struggle. She allowed Huo Shaoheng to cover her eyes.

    When the elevator arrived, she was practically ¡°Carried¡±out by Huo Shaoheng.

    Lu Yuan let go of Song Jinning and walked out of the elevator. Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had already disappeared without a trace.

    Song jinning said angrily, ¡°Shaoheng and Nianzhi were both in the elevator. You did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Lu Yuan put his hands in his pockets and walked forward with a smile.¡±... I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±

    Song Jinning had wanted to say a few words to him, but when she heard what he said, she instantly felt the aftertaste. It was much better than the sudden kiss in the elevator and Lu Yuan¡¯s teasing words about ¡°Taking off your clothes¡±earlier, it was even more impactful.

    She had spent most of her life on her own scientific experiments. Other than when she had first fallen in love with Huo Guanchen, she had been the most involved with Lu Yuan.

    At that time, she fell in love with Huo Guanchen because of the ¡°Empathy¡±effect. She thought that Huo Guanchen was Lu Yuan and mistook him for someone else.

    After her marriage with Huo Guanchen ended, she realized that if she was not the right person, she would not be happy if she forced herself to be with him.

    She had only been married to Lu Yuan for a few months, but their rtionship was still growing day by day.

    It was not the kind of marriage where the end could be seen at a nce.

    No one knew how long they would be able to maintain such a state.

    Song Jinning quietly asked what she was thinking.

    Lu Yuan smiled as he pulled the car door open for her. As he let her sit in, he asked,¡±... You Want to know?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then use the rest of your life to observe. You¡¯ll naturally have the answer.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng were going back to the city, leaving the clubhouse and restaurant before Lu Yuan and song jinning.

    It was already past 10 pm when the two of them returned to the headquarter of special operationforces¡¯encampment ground at the Third Ring Road of the imperial capital.

    Gu Nianzhi was changing her shoes at the entrance hall when Lu Jin heard the sound and ran out of his suite. Seeing that she was back, he smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re back so early?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi handed the food box to Lu Jin and said, ¡°Dad, I packed these for you. They¡¯re delicious! They¡¯re all new, I didn¡¯t let anyone touch them.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You brought them for me? !¡±Lu Jin was surprised and delighted. ¡°Really? How do they taste to you?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re okay. They¡¯re about 60% of president Lu¡¯s strength.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s evaluation was very high. She said cheekily, ¡°Also, it¡¯s my treat tonight. Someone¡¯s paying!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood improved after she thought about Yuan Jianan¡¯s expression when he saw the bill.

    She and Lu Jin walked into the dining room and helped him take the food out of the box and ce it on the dining table.

    Lu Jin happily went to the kitchen to get chopsticks and a small bowl. He asked gu nianzhi, ¡°Do you want to eat some more?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m full. These are all yours.¡±

    Lu Jin did not stand on ceremony with her. He stretched his arms and waved at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Let¡¯s Eat!¡±

    He picked up his chopsticks and spoon and began eating the delicious food that Gu Nianzhi had brought back for him.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s really not bad. It¡¯s indeed 60% of boss Lu¡¯s strength!¡±Lu Jin was eating happily when he saw Huo Shaoheng enter the restaurant, he quickly added, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s only 50% of Shaoheng¡¯s strength, so Shaoheng is still slightly better.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi curled her lips contemptuously, secretly cursing her father for being subdued with just one meal.

    However, on second thought, she had been ¡°Fed¡±by Huo Shaoheng for eight years, and waspletely devoted to him. What right did she have to look down on her father?

    It was just that the father and daughter had the same taste when it came to watching others eat. It was clear that they were really father and daughter.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mood improved, and she excitedly waved at Huo shaoheng, saying warmly, ¡°Huo Shao,e, sit next to me.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had wanted to sit across from her, but when he heard her, he walked over and sat down beside her. He looked at her without batting an eyelid and said, ¡°Do you want to eat too?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m full.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled as she hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°You were so good today, I almost cried from your scolding.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°... I thought you knew we were just acting.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°I know! But knowing is one thing, being in the flesh is another.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for you guys... I understand, Huo Shao...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled calmly, but his heart was on alert.

    Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi looked soft and cuddly as she got closer and closer to him. Her voice was soft and almost confused, she whispered in his ear, ¡°When you were on a mission in the past, there were times when you had no choice but to deal with women, right? Tell me about it, I¡¯m just curious...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple moved slightly. He looked down and saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand on his arm, which was getting tighter and tighter.

    He understood, but his expression did not change. He said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. Something like what big Ivan did never happened to me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had seen through her and was very discouraged. She pushed him away, he snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll believe you. You¡¯ve been on missions for so many years, how can you not have dealings with women? Don¡¯t treat me like a fool!¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t need to sell my looks like they do.¡±Huo Shaoheng was calm and collected. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and put one between his fingers. He looked back at Gu Nianzhi naturally, his eyes clear and focused, indeed, he did not have the seductive look that dimir exuded from his bones.

    This extremely serious posture was like a piousma guarding a prayer banner in the Jokhang Temple in Tibet. It was also like a dignified high monk sitting on the ground in a dense forest that no one knew about. He was young and handsome, mixed with the temptation of abstinence, it was more alluring than the stimtion of the flesh.

    Gu Nianzhi could only hear her heart beating like a drum. All her attention was drawn to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s every move.

    His fingers were slender and strong. He tapped the dining table twice with a cigarette between his fingers and said calmly, ¡°I usually wait for them to use information to get my attention.¡±

 Chapter 2202

    <h4>Chapter 2202: Chapter 2202: the correct way to be a ¡°ve to your daughter¡±(second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was intimidated by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attitude. It took her a while to react and hit him on the shoulder in a fit of anger.¡±... Isn¡¯t this prostitution? !¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Huo Shaoheng denied it without hesitation, ¡°How can you call it prostitution if you don¡¯t even have the slightest intention? For example, Nianzhi, you¡¯re so beautiful and cute. If someone admires you, even if it¡¯s someone you don¡¯t like, would you cut your face off because of that?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m a Retard!¡±Gu Nianzhi blurted out, however, she also understood what Huo Shaoheng meant. She sized him up from head to toe and assumed an aloof attitude, ¡°But I¡¯m still not satisfied with you. Back then, you even pretended to be a fianc¨¦ and lived under the same roof. You almost made it look real, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Was he just bullshitting her?

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and warned her, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this when we get back to the room.¡±

    Lu Jin was eating the delicious food that his own girl had brought back, his face full of joy.

    Gu Nianzhi felt a little guilty and turned to pull on Lu Jin¡¯s sleeve, acting coquettishly. ¡°Dad, look at Huo! He¡¯s going to scold me again!¡±

    Although Lu Jin was eating, his ears were still in a daze. Hearing that Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t win against Huo Shaoheng, he turned to ask for help and pushed her away with a smile, he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything, Little Darling Nianzhi. be good and discuss it with Shaoheng in his room...¡±

    He even winked at her.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not even on my side anymore? ! What happened to helping your rtives and not being reasonable? !¡±

    ¡°You know you¡¯re not being reasonable?¡±Lu Jin snorted. ¡°Be good and talk to Shaoheng properly. If Shaoheng is unreasonable and youe looking for me again, your dad will never let anyone who treats my girl badly off!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    Even though it sounded reasonable, she still felt that something was wrong.

    What about her old father, who always put her first and always threw his face at Huo Shaoheng?

    Where did he go? !

    Gu Nianzhi was carried away by Huo Shaoheng with a face full of resentment.

    Lu Jin even waved at her.

    ¡°No Loyalty!¡±Gu Nianzhi shouted at Lu Jin. She turned around and Huo Shaoheng covered her mouth with his, swallowing all her resentment.

    After Huo Shaoheng carried gu nianzhi away, Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze sneakily ran over from the small living room next door.

    The two of them consciously took their bowls and chopsticks and shared some of the delicious food that Gu Nianzhi had brought back for Lu Jin into their own bowls.

    The food that Gu Nianzhi had brought back was very sumptuous. It was not the small bowls and tes that they had eaten in the clubhouse at all. Instead, it was a lot of food. Of course, the price was even higher.

    Lu Jin frowned. However, he was already full, so he did not say anything else. Otherwise, he would definitely refuse others to eat his food.

    Yin Shixiong pretended not to see his cold face and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Lu, why aren¡¯t you speaking up for Nianzhi? Aren¡¯t you the famous ¡®daughter ve¡¯of the military?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ve heard from people outside that you love Nianzhi the most. Whoever wants to marry her will definitely have to fight with you and can¡¯t fight back! Why are you speaking up for Huo Today? The Sun hasn¡¯t risen from the west yet!¡±

    Zhao liangze followed up with a joke and didn¡¯t forget to take a big bite of the delicious midnight snack.

    Lu Jin red at them and said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯m a ve girl, but I didn¡¯t stop her from getting married! I just didn¡¯t want her to meet a bad man. If he was a good man, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to give him away in time!¡±

    ¡°... aren¡¯t all ve girls treating the man who wants to marry their daughter... as a love rival?¡±Yin Shixiong continued fearlessly, ¡°They say that daughters are Daddy¡¯s lovers in his previous life...¡±

    ¡°Bah! Hurry up and wash your brains! What kind of dirty things are you thinking about!¡±Lu Jin mmed the table and said angrily, ¡°Female ves dote on their daughters, not their wives! You have to understand the concept clearly!¡±

    ¡°Fathers who don¡¯t allow their daughters to marry in the name of doting on their daughters are not female ves. They are perverts with Dirty Minds who can be arrested by the police!¡±

    ¡°Just like a mother-inw who alwayspares herself to her daughter-inw, I suggest that you see a psychologist or find a man or woman to entrust this kind of exclusive possessiveness to!¡±

    Yin Shixiong touched his chin and said in deep thought,¡±... it seems to make sense.¡±

    The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched. He thought to himself that Mr. Lu was really something. This logic and this imposing manner could brainwash people anytime and anywhere..

    Lu Jin stood up. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly looked back at Yin Shixiong and said, ¡°Your wife seems to be pregnant, right?¡±

    ¡°AH? How did you know? !¡±Yin Shixiong was both surprised and delighted. ¡°I haven¡¯t told everyone yet!¡±

    ¡°I heard you on the phone.¡±Lu Jin was boasting shamelessly. He did not hear the awkwardness of other people¡¯s privacy at all, ¡°If you have a daughter, pay attention to your attitude. Parents¡¯feelings for their children are not exclusive. If they are, that is against thew.¡±

    With a bang, it was as if a sledgehammer had smashed on Yin Shixiong¡¯s head. He had always been a smooth talker, but at this moment, he could only watch Lu Jin¡¯s back disappear in front of the restaurant¡¯s door. He could not catch his breath, he almost fainted.

    Zhao liangze held back hisughter and patted him on the back. He said gloatingly, ¡°Happiness brings sorrow, doesn¡¯t it? But to be honest, I¡¯m also disgusted by the saying that daughter is father¡¯s lover in his past life...¡±

    ¡°Bah! I was just saying that! I wouldn¡¯t take it seriously!¡±Yin Shixiong red at Zhao liangze, but he still admired Lu Jin in his heart.

    Lu Jin was a real father and daughter to Gu Nianzhi. In fact, as long as his daughter was doing well, he could crush her into pieces.

    ¡°Mr. Lu is a sensible person. He knows that Huo Shao is sincere about nianzhi, and only Huo Shao can make nianzhi live a carefree life,¡±Zhao liangze said with a sigh, ¡°If I had a daughter, I would also hope that she could find such a man to be her husband.¡±

    Yin Shixiong pursed his lips. He couldn¡¯t wait to rebuke Zhao liangze, ¡°You¡¯d better find a wife First!¡±!

    But when he thought of Bai Shuang, he kept quiet.

    ..

    Words could no longer describe how gu nianzhi would be ¡°Taught a lesson¡±after being carried into the room by Huo Shaoheng.

    The luxurious private rooms in the Xishan clubhouse were still filled with debauchery and debauchery. It was a decadent atmosphere.

    Big Ivan, the head of the club, was doing well in the West Mountain Club within a few days. All the yers in the city knew of his name.

    Not only did the women flock to him, even the men wanted to see if they could take advantage of him.

    But Big Ivan was very moral. He only came into contact with women, and the men would kick him out.

    Such a man was really rare among the physiotherapists that the women in the club went to.

    However, he was extremely delicate, so there were even more women who fancied him.

    Even if they just sat with him for a while, they would be able to offer him tens of thousands of RMB.

    It was said that until now, no woman had the opportunity to take him out to ¡°Apany¡±him.

    One evening, thezy ¡°Big Ivan¡±looked at the woman sitting opposite him, lit a cigar, and smiled at her. ¡°Eh, we seem to have met before?¡±

    The person sitting in front of him was Yuan Jianan, whom he had met once before.

    She smiled, swirled the wine ss in her hand, and said meaningfully, ¡°Mr. Big Ivan has a good memory. It seems that I¡¯ve left a deep impression on you.¡±

 Chapter 2203

    <h4>Chapter 2203: Chapter 2203 sister dotes on You (first, I beg for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±sneered and spoke Russian very quickly. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days? Do you think I can¡¯t remember a person who watched for more than ten minutes in the private room a few days ago? It¡¯s not like she has Alzheimer¡¯s...¡±

    As he spoke, he even deliberately looked yuan jianan up and down in a provocative manner.

    He was simply insinuating that she was ¡°Old¡±..

    Regardless of the age of the woman, there were twomon scales that could not be touched.

    One was fat, and the other was old. It was even more hateful than saying that she was ugly.

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±¡®s undisguised teasing seeded in ¡°Angering¡±Yuan Jianan.

    She stood up with a swoosh and was about to rush out of the door of the luxurious private room. However, after taking a few steps, she turned around and looked down at ¡°Big Ivan¡±from above.

    In that instant, her eyes had gone from anger and shock to explosion, then back to disappointment, sadness, and calmness.

    The flow of so many emotions waspleted in an instant. If ¡°Big Ivan¡±had not received special training, ordinary people would not be able to capture so many levels of emotional changes.

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±became alert, but his handsome face still had thatzy and decadent look. He looked at Yuan Jianan helplessly, he saidzily, ¡°You want to leave? Please pay the bill, or else you won¡¯t be able to walk out of this club.¡±

    With a cigar between his fingers, he pointed in the direction of the door of the luxurious private room.

    Yuan Jianan smiled slightly and slowly walked back to her previous seat and sat down.

    She sat upright with her knees together and leaned to the side. Her hands were sped and ced on her knees. Her smile was also very gentle. Her eyes were like water and had the charm of a mature woman. Not only did she look like an intimate elder sister.., she also looked like a woman who was like an aunt. She had the traditional virtue of enduring hardships. No matter how wronged or how hard she worked, she did not say a word and was patient and obedient.

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±looked at Yuan Jianan without changing his expression, as if he did not know what she was doing. But in fact, he had to admit that Yuan Jianan¡¯s appearance really poked him too much..

    But he was also an expert, and the vignce in his heart didn¡¯t decrease but increased instead.

    After just a few words, he could judge what kind of person the other party was and quickly adjust his strategy, acting like the other party liked or even couldn¡¯t resist, this wasn¡¯t something an ordinary person could do just by relying on their ¡°Talent.¡±.

    They had to go through strict training to reach this stage.

    This Yuan Jianan really didn¡¯t look simple..

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±thought in his heart, but his face began to reveal a trace of intoxication.

    He fixed his gaze on Yuan Jianan, and the trace of hidden desire in his eyes waspletely revealed.

    Yuan Jianan smiled even more demurely and self-restrained. She stretched out her jade-like hand, picked up a cup of drink on the coffee table in front of her, and took a sip. Suddenly, she said, ¡°Mr. Big Ivan, have you received training in the field of ¡®crows¡¯before?¡±

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±was slightly stunned, and he shook his head subconsciously. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°... Huh? You also know about ¡®crows¡¯?¡±Yuan Jianan put away her smile, and her face became cold. ¡°As expected of a member of the Russian KGB. You almost fooled me.¡±

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±¡®s pupils suddenly contracted, and then they quickly opened again. He still said indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. My hourly fee is very expensive. If you have more money, pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    The thin Chinese man who tranted for him almostughed until he passed out. He finished tranting, then, he said to Yuan Jianan, ¡°Ms. Yuan, do you want to y ¡®The Committee of State Security (KGB) y¡¯? We also have this kind of program, but the fee will be doubled.¡±

    ¡°Little dimir¡±, the bodyguard behind ¡°Big Ivan¡±, quickly said, ¡°Ms. Yuan wants to y ¡®The Committee of State Security (KGB) y¡¯? I Can! I charge cheap!¡±

    Looking at ¡°Big Ivan¡±who was making money every day, ¡°Little dimir¡±was so jealous that her hair had already fallen out.

    Yuan Jianan looked at them with a funny expression and did not reply, as if saying, ¡°Pretend, I¡¯ll watch you pretend quietly!¡±

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±revealed an embarrassed and angry look and said angrily, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to y, then leave! Don¡¯t waste everyone¡¯s Time!¡±

    As he said this, he even stood up and tried to push Yuan Jianan, wanting to chase her out.

    He did not expect that just as he grabbed Yuan Jianan¡¯s arm, she would suddenly throw him over her shoulder. His entire body was thrown to the ground from front to back.

    Although the floor was covered with a thick carpet, it did not hurt, but he was still very embarrassed from being thrown.

    He raised his head and stared at Yuan Jianan fiercely, just like a vicious little wolf dog.

    Yuan Jianan curled her finger at him in amusement. ¡°Come,e to me. I¡¯ll love you from now on.¡±

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll fight it out with you!¡±

    With a whoosh, he pounced on her.

    ¡°Little dimir¡±, who had beenughing and watching the battle from the side, suddenly changed his expression. He pounced on her and pulled her away, saying quickly, ¡°You¡¯re Crazy!¡±

    Yuan Jianan stopped and stood at the side in a gentle and elegant manner. She said leisurely, ¡°Stop pretending? You obviously speak Chinese. It¡¯s good to talk like this. Why do you need a trantor?¡±

    She nced to the side. The trantor looked at ¡°Big Ivan¡±as if he had been struck by lightning. He stammered, ¡°You, you, you... you speak Chinese. Why do you need a trantor? ! You Can¡¯t Not Pay My Money!¡±

    Yuan Jianan looked at him in surprise.¡±... You¡¯re not an employee of the club?¡±

    If it was a trantor provided by the club, the sry would definitely be paid by the club.

    But if he directly asked ¡°Big Ivan¡±for money, there was something fishy going on.

    The trantor said with a bitter face,¡±... I was hired by them...¡±

    After saying that, he rushed to ¡°Big Ivan¡±and said, ¡°Quickly give me the money! Otherwise, I¡¯ll call the Police!¡±

    ¡°Report your head! Get lost!¡±

    ¡°Little dimir¡±kicked the trantor right to the door.

    However, he was holding the door and refused to leave. He was still shouting, ¡°Give me the money! If you don¡¯t pay, I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡±

    Yuan Jianan frowned. Just as she was about to step forward to solve this difficult problem, she saw ¡°Big Ivan¡±walk over with a sullen face and p the person¡¯s face. Then, he pulled open the door with a whoosh and threw the person¡¯s cor out of the door, he said, ¡°No money! Get lost!¡±

    ¡°You obviously earned a lot of money! I saw it!¡±That person mmed the door crazily outside the door, but he refused to leave.

    Yuan Jianan had been staring at ¡°Big Ivan¡±and ¡°Little dimir¡±¡®s every move. She said without batting an eyelid, ¡°This person won¡¯t do anything bad, right? You Don¡¯t n to get rid of him?¡±

    ¡°Get a head start! If you¡¯re so willing to do it, why don¡¯t you sell it!¡±

    The irritable ¡°Big Ivan¡±could not speak properly at all. He kicked the door and said gruffly, ¡°You can scream all you want! When the people from the clubhousee, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡±

    This sentence seemed to have scared the trantor who was knocking on the door.

    After a while, the sound outside finally disappeared.

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±sat down with a gloomy face.

    His face no longer had the look of a person who had nothing to live for, nor did it have the hint of lust in the decadence.

    His entire person was like an unsheathed long knife, the edge fully revealed.

    Yuan Jianan said gently, ¡°Are you really not going to deal with that person? Did he just hear me say that you are themittee of State Security (KGB) of Russia?¡±

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±rolled his eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to y ¡®The Committee of State Security (KGB) y¡¯? You¡¯re not going to y anymore? You¡¯re going to chase after that person, aren¡¯t you going to hand the knife to someone else and admit your identity and mine? !¡±

    Yuan Jianan didn¡¯t fall for it at all. She said in amusement, ¡°It¡¯s your identity. What does it have to do with me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aw-abiding citizen. If I report the two of you to the authorities, I¡¯ll get a million yuan reward.¡±

    Her eyes darted between ¡®Big Ivan¡¯and ¡®Little dimir¡¯, as if she was looking at a bright red RMB.

 Chapter 2204

    <h4>Chapter 2204: Chapter 2204: Nightingale Sings (Second Update)</h4>

    ¡°Big Ivan¡±sneered and took a puff of his cigar. The luxurious private room in the clubhouse was filled with smoke. He said, ¡°Go and report it! Do you think I¡¯ll be afraid? Maybe they¡¯ll arrest you and question you!¡±

    Yuan Jianan chuckled. ¡°So Confident? Do you want to wait and See?¡±

    ¡°The door is over there. I¡¯ll see you out.¡±¡±Big Ivan¡±pointed in the direction of the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite stubborn.¡±Yuan Jianan looked at him. Seeing that he was unyielding, she knew that if she didn¡¯t bring out some dry goods, these kgb people wouldn¡¯t give in.

    ¡°I¡¯m not just stubborn. I have something even tougher on me. Do you want to try it?¡±¡±Big Ivan¡±smiled wickedly and looked at Yuan Jianan while shaking his cigar.

    Yuan Jianan shook her head in amusement and finally revealed the news that her own people had found out.¡±... Mr. dimir, do you still want to call yourself ¡®Big Ivan¡¯?¡±

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand, dimir, was naturally the ¡°Big Ivan¡±who was known as the head of the club.

    The bodyguard who called himself ¡°Little dimir¡±was his driver, Ivan.

    Now that Yuan Jianan had called him by another name, dimir¡¯s face darkened. He pressed his cigar into the ashtray and extinguished it. He said darkly, ¡°You¡¯re investigating me? !¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. Do I still need to investigate you? In fact, I can just ask anyone.¡±Yuan Jianan acted as if themittee of State Security (KGB) was my home, it was as if she hade to visit during the new year to chat with someone and learned some gossip.

    dimir slowly stood up. His expression was no longer the same as before. It was no longer filled with decadent desire. Instead, it was unfathomable, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Forget it, we don¡¯t see eye to eye with each other. We won¡¯t be doing business today. We¡¯ll never see each other again!¡±

    Yuan Jianan smiled and did not say a word. She watched as dimir led his driver and bodyguard, Ivan, towards the door.

    Just as dimir¡¯s hand was on the door handle and was about to pull the door open, Yuan Jianan said, ¡°Mr. dimir, don¡¯t you want to hear my terms? Let¡¯s work together?¡±

    ¡°I know that you came to China to inquire about business secrets, so the women youe into contact with are all the wives of big business tycoons.¡±

    dimir¡¯s figure was slightly startled. He slowly turned his head to look at Yuan Jianan and frowned slightly. He looked at Yuan Jianan in a sorry state like he was unwilling to admit it, but he was still exposed by you. His eyes flickered, ¡°... you¡¯re quite good at making up stories.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you want to sit down and listen to me tell a story?¡±Yuan Jianan said with a smile. She patted the seat beside her. ¡°Come, sit by your sister¡¯s side. Your sister will tell you a bedtime story.¡±

    dimir narrowed its eyes and looked at her for a while. It walked over and sat by her side. It said, ¡°I¡¯m here. What do you want to say?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Come, let¡¯s Drink a cup of wine first!¡±Yuan Jianan beamed with joy. She took the wine cup that she had drunk and brought it to dimir¡¯s mouth.

    dimir took it, but did not drink it. Instead, he held it in his hand. With a cold expression, he said, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. There¡¯s no need to BLUFF!¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, your identity has been exposed. Are you angry out of shame?¡±Yuan Jianan¡¯s voice was very gentle. Her every move revealed the weak charm of a woman. However, dimir looked at her warily, it was as if she was a ferocious beast.

    Yuan Jianan understood dimir¡¯s mentality very well.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had revealed her identity as a KGB spy. She did not know how she would be dealt with by the organization when she returned.

    ¡°dimir, you don¡¯t have to look at me with such hatred.¡±Yuan Jianan finally touched dimir¡¯s face and said with a smile, ¡°Actually, I have saved you by exposing you.¡±

    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re threatening me.¡±dimir said hatefully, very indignant.

    ¡°Why would I threaten you? I love you more than I can bear.¡±Yuan Jianan pinched dimir, feeling that it felt good, she said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m actually saving you. Do you know the annual report of the American FBI that has just been released?¡±

    ¡°The director of the Federal Intelligence Service, the FBI, testified to the United States Congress that China is the biggest country ofmercial espionage. All of themercial espionage cases are rted to China. ¡°You ran to such a country to be amercial spy. Do you really think that China knows nothing about you?¡±

    dimir tilted his head and avoided Yuan Jianan¡¯s hand. He sneered and said, ¡°China is the biggest country ofmercial espionage? The FBI of the United States is lying through their teeth!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is it not China, but Your Russia?¡±Yuan Jianan giggled and patted dimir¡¯s chest with her delicate hand as if nothing had happened.

    dimir held her hand and pushed it away impatiently, he said, ¡°Japan is the biggestmercial spy country in the world! People who know a little about Japan¡¯s history after World War II know that the whole world is treated like an idiot like the Americans. They y with the deer as a horse all day long!¡±

    ¡°Do you know what happened to thest dynasty that yed the game of ¡®turning a deer into a horse¡¯? !¡±

    dimir casually threw the ss of wine that Yuan Jianan had drunk in his hand at her chest. ¡°Who are you to interfere in such matters? !¡±

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s chest was wet, revealing the clear outline under the silk top.

    However, she was not angry. She did not even wipe it with a tissue. She just did it properly and said with a smile, ¡°You are talking nonsense. How can the biggestmercial spy country be Japan?¡±

    ¡°How can it not be? After World War II, Japan was controlled by the United States. They disbanded their army and did not allow Japan to have a regr army.¡±

    ¡°During World War II, the regr intelligence force in the Japanese Army was also disbanded. Where did these people go?¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you, they were all recruited by Japanesepanies to work in Japanesemercial organizations.¡±

    ¡°What can an intelligence agent in the military do in a business organization? They are still doing their old job.¡±

    ¡°That is why Japan has the mostmercial spies in the world, the most powerful, and the most pervasive, because they are all regr military, professional spies.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the United States doesn¡¯t know about this situation? They are just used to lying through their teeth.¡±

    ¡°After all, even their president was chosen by Russia.¡±

    After dimir finished speaking like a cannonball, Yuan Jianan was stunned.

    After a long while, she smiled and nodded. ¡°There is such a thing. I have really underestimated Mr. dimir.¡±

    ¡°The Committee of State Security (KGB) in Russia should have a high position since you are so knowledgeable, right?¡±

    ¡°Haha, What Do You Think? Of course I¡¯m a high-ranking official in the KGB!¡±dimir said boldly as he patted his chest. The Committee of State Security (KGB) was themittee of State Security (KGB) .

    Yuan Jianan pursed her lips, and the doubt that had just risen in her heart vanished into thin air.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ? How could such a person be a high-ranking official in the KGB?

    Then she would be the director of the American Commisioner¡¯s Bureau.

    She did not have much doubt about dimir¡¯s identity and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s talk about cooperation.¡±

    ..

    Not long after, Gu Nianzhi received a voice message: [ Nightingale sings. ].

    Someone had finally fallen into the trap.

 Chapter 2205

    <h4>Chapter 2205: Chapter 2205: I Really Am Not Nightingale (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi listened to the voice message a few times. It was just an ordinary electronic synthesized voice. She couldn¡¯t even tell if it was a man or a woman. It was a little strange.

    She didn¡¯t want to use it for data analysis. Anyway, she would know what was going on if she said ¡°Nightingale.¡±.

    But she was still quite curious.

    When she got home at night and finished dinner, she asked Huo shaoheng curiously, ¡°Huo Shao, have you received news from Nightingale?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was still eating dinner. He chewed on a mouthful of ck pepper beef and swallowed it before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t need to receive news from Nightingale.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±Gu Nianzhi turned around in surprise and narrowed her eyes at Huo Shaoheng. She asked suspiciously, ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re just going to let those two unreliable people do whatever they want?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t helpughing. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, ¡°I¡¯m monitoring them at the right time. Do I need them to report?¡±

    ¡°Besides, how can they not be reliable? The two of them are considered the cream of the crop in the industry, but they didn¡¯t perform well in front of you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought of dimir and driver Ivan¡¯s usual behavior andughed. ¡°They¡¯re also considered the cream of the crop? Red Packet Spirits, right? They only know how to ask for Red Packets!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, look, you¡¯re such a smart person, but you can only tell that they¡¯re red packet spirits. That¡¯s what you¡¯re capable of.¡±Huo Shaoheng smiled as he cut open the ck pepper beef on his te and continued to eat his dinner.

    He still had a lot of training.

    Although he was already a high-ranking official and wouldn¡¯t be allowed to go out on field missions, he still had to train as usual because the wedding was in a month¡¯s time and the birth of a child was on the agenda, he wanted to keep his body in the best condition possible.

    Only a healthy parent could give birth to a healthy and intelligent child.

    Gu Nianzhi could only think about dimir and the driver Ivan¡¯s past performances. She really couldn¡¯t think of anything special about the two of them. Other than the fact that they were always crying about being poor and were especially fond of red envelopes.., she really didn¡¯t notice anything unusual.

    She thought about it for a while and was actually a little dazed.

    Huo Shaoheng turned his head and saw her. He rubbed her head. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. I have people monitoring them anyway. They¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi quickly understood and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s true. The Committee of State Security (KGB) of Russia is making extra money in our country. How could your special operations forces just let it go? I was thinking the wrong thing...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand,¡±Huo Shaoheng said as he picked her up and said, ¡°I¡¯m full. Go do some exercise now.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ..

    In the high-rise apartment that dimir and Ivan lived in, they both put on their VR gaming helmets at the same time and quickly entered the game ording to the coordinates that Yuan Jianan had given them.

    The two of them acted as good friends in the game and quickly found each other.

    ¡°Where are we? Why does it look so familiar?¡±Ivan, the driver, had picked out an image of a 12-year-old blonde Russian Loli in the game.

    dimir did not want to talk to him at all. He would go blind if he took another look at him.

    His image was of a muscr man with curly ck hair and a full beard.

    It was a big contrast to the image of the two in real life.

    Holding a big axe in his hand, dimir looked at the blue sky in the distance in the game and the birch forest that was rustling in the wind. He said, ¡°This scene should be Tungus sinkhole.¡±

    The Blonde Loli that driver Ivan had chosen wore a little princess dress and ran over with a little corgi dog. Even her voice was that of an innocent Loli. He said, ¡°Tungus? Are you sure?¡±

    dimir stared at Ivan speechlessly and said mockingly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to still have a girl¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°Who isn¡¯t a little princess?¡±Driver Ivan was actually very skilled in Chinese, and the Manchurian smell was especially strong.

    It was just that a little blonde loli suddenly had a Manchurian smell, which was even more out of ce than before.

    Fortunately, dimir had long been trained in steel nerves, so it was soon used to it.

    Yuan Jianan entered the game and quickly found the two¡¯s positions. She smiled and admired them for a while, then walked directly towards the blonde loli, she said, ¡°You¡¯re dimir, right? Why did you pick the Loli Image? I thought you would jump over a blonde boy.¡±

    The Blonde Loli who was hugging little corgi suddenly let out augh that sounded like a copper bell. This time, it was the original voice of the driver, Ivan.

    Yuan Jianan was shocked.

    The man who stood behind her like a thick ck tower holding an axe alsoughed and said, ¡°Lady Yuan, you actually admitted that you were wrong?¡±

    It was dimir¡¯s real voice.

    Yuan Jianan also smiled and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. I didn¡¯t expect the difference between your inner world and your outer appearance to be so great!¡±

    After saying that, she gave them a thumbs up and praised, ¡°Themittee of State Security (KGB) is indeed worthy of deceiving me!¡±

    ¡°This is just a small trick. It has nothing to do with the KGB.¡±dimir waved the axe with a half-smile and said, ¡°Why did you ask us toe here? This is the Tunguska sinkhole in Russia, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Yuan Jianan took a few steps forward.

    The image she chose was very ordinary. It was a Russian Tartar woman with white skin and a thick braid. She wore a small round hat on her head and a white scarf. She wore a long green dress with a national characteristic, it blended well with the surrounding scenery.

    The ce where they stood was actually very far from the sinkhole. In the game, the sinkhole was blue, as if someone had cut off a piece of the blue sky and ced it on the ins in the distance.

    Yuan Jianan stretched out her hand as if she wanted to touch something. She stretched her hand forward, closed her eyes, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal, okay?¡±

    dimir sneered and waved his axe as he walked around her. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t y games with me. Let¡¯s just talk about money. As long as the money is in ce, we can talk about anything!¡±

    ¡°How much do you want?¡±Yuan Jianan asked with her hands behind her back.

    ¡°A fixed price, at least eight figures! Dors!¡±dimir demanded. It was a waste not to take it.

    It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune. It would be a fool not to take advantage of it.

    ¡°You¡¯re so short of Money?¡±Yuan Jianan frowned. ¡°Are you really themittee of State Security (KGB) ?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really not. You Don¡¯t believe me, so I can only be.¡±dimir said truthfully. With a swing of the axe, a nearby birch tree fell.

    Although it was in the game, the process of the tree falling was still very earth-shattering.

    Ivan¡¯s Blonde Loli, the driver, rolled her eyes at dimir and said disdainfully, ¡°You only know how to fight and kill. You¡¯re simple-minded and have well-developed limbs!¡±

    ¡°Who are you scolding? !¡±dimir swung his axe at the Loli, but the Loli dodged it with unusual agility.

    The corners of Yuan Jianan¡¯s eyes twitched twice, once again expressing her doubts about her own judgment.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) ? were these two idiots really elite members of the Russian KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau?

    Was it because her eyesight had deteriorated, or were these two too arrogant?

    Or was there a problem with her source of information?

 Chapter 2206

    <h4>Chapter 2206: Chapter 2206 glory of the past (Second Update)</h4>

    dimir and the driver, Ivan, yed around for a while. When they saw that Yuan Jianan had stopped talking, they turned to look at her and asked,¡±... What kind of deal did you ask us toe here for? To y the game for you?¡±

    If the VR helmet could simte the twitching of the eyes, Yuan Jianan thought that she had already cramped until her facial nerves were paralyzed.

    She took a deep breath, waved her hand and pointed forward. ¡°Speak, do you see the Tunguska sinkhole in front?¡±

    ¡°The deal I want to make with you is right there.¡±

    The Brawny Man from dimir¡¯s game smashed the big axe on the ground with a bang, and said angrily, ¡°Are you F * cking kidding me? ! You want to make a deal with me with the territory of our country? ! I¡¯ll sell your mother to you, do you want to buy it? !¡±

    Yuan Jianan was stunned for a moment and then burst outughing, saying, ¡°What are you thinking about? Don¡¯t worry, listen to me.¡±

    Sheposed herself, retracted her outstretched arm, and continued to put it behind her back, saying, ¡°Seeing that you love this country so much, I¡¯m even more certain that you¡¯re the KGB.¡±The Committee of State Security (KGB)

    ¡°After all, during the drastic change that year, the KGB was the only high-ranking people in the former Soviet Union who still stood firm in the former Soviet Union, refusing to disintegrate and split up. Moreover, they once tried to stop that sudden coup ¡ª although they failed.¡±

    dimir and Ivan, the driver, fell into a rare silence.

    The sudden change that took ce in thete 1980s and early 1990s reduced the former Soviet Union from a superpower to a second-rate country. In terms of economy, it could only be considered a third-rate country.

    The destroyed economy and People¡¯s spiritual outlook had not recovered until now.

    Yuan Jianan continued, ¡°Your current president, Putin, had lost his job at that time and had once nned to live as a taxi driver.¡±

    dimir and the driver, Ivan, clenched their fists expressionlessly.

    Yuan Jianan saw that she was almost done stirring up emotions, so she changed the topic, she said excitedly, ¡°If I tell you that there is a ce where the Soviet Union has not copsed, the citizens of the Soviet Union are living a happy and happy life, and the Soviet Union is still the only two superpower in the world, do you want to go? !¡±

    dimir and the driver, Ivan, looked at her as if they were looking at a fool.

    ¡°Heh, she was still talking in humannguage just now, but now she¡¯s talking nonsense.¡±dimir pulled up the axe on the ground and rolled her eyes in disdain.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s talking in her sleep. Anyway, it¡¯s a game. No one will object if she says she¡¯s the Queen of Ennd!¡±The driver, Ivan, held his little princess dress and made a gesture of saluting in ballet. He even said exaggeratedly, ¡°Your Majesty!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? Let Me Show You!¡±Yuan Jianan said and suddenly stretched out her hand and drew a few times in front of her.

    At the Tongus sinkhole in front of them, a mist-like ripple gradually appeared. Everything in front of them began to blur. The world had lost its boundaries. Even the colors were gone. The blue sky, White Clouds, green trees, and ck soil just now.., all became dark and light gray.

    This was also in the game. If this was real life, most people would be scared to death.

    Although dimir and Ivan, the driver, were not ordinary people, they were still shocked by the scene in front of them.

    After a while, the blur on the other side slowly dissipated. It was as if the camera on the phone had finished focusing, and the scene on the other side began to be clear again.

    Just like a coloring game with illustrations, the colors on the other side appeared bit by bit, dyeing the trees in front of them again.

    What did they see?

    They saw the g of the sickle and axe flying over the Kremlin, and they saw those different signs hanging in front of the government buildings that they used to be familiar with..

    It was like a nostalgic movie. The quality was not very good, there was no sound, and the scene was yellowing. However, the scene inside made dimir and the driver Ivan¡¯s Hearts Rise and fall.

    However, their good professionalism still made them remain silent. They were not so excited that they lost theirposure.

    Yuan Jianan wiped her hand again, and the scene on the other side disappeared. What appeared was still the Tunguska sinkhole. It was like a natural ¡°Heaven¡¯s eye¡±telescope, mysteriously facing the sky.

    ¡°You all saw it. This is the deal I want to make with you.¡±

    Yuan Jianan looked at them indifferently, ¡°I know that you are the Russian KGB, and I also know that you are the elites of the KGB¡¯s Far East Bureau. The Committee of State Security (KGB) . I will tell you this news, and you can pass it on to your superiors. ¡°If we can cooperate, the benefits you will get will be more than eight-figure dors.¡±

    dimir and the driver, Ivan, looked at each other, then turned to look at Yuan Jianan together.

    Driver Ivan said bluntly, ¡°Do you think you can fool us by stopping the fake medicine and creating a Powerpoint?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Yuan, this is a game. Do you understand games? Is it difficult to create special effects for games like this? Don¡¯t forget, our Russianputer technology is also one of the best in the world.¡±dimir waved the axe and posed.

    ¡°Do you think this is a game¡¯s special effect?¡±Yuan Jianan smiled and shook her head.

    She looked straight ahead and her voice suddenly became very low.

    ¡°That is not a game. That is the world¡¯s most cutting-edge ck technology. Not only the United States, even your Russia has the national capital to support this kind of scientific and technological research.¡±

    ¡°Your level may not be high enough to know the inside story of this experiment for the time being, but I can tell you that in the field of quantum mechanics, these phenomena are real!¡±

    A hint of fanaticism appeared on Yuan Jianan¡¯s face. She raised her hands in the direction of the sinkhole like a priestess in an ancient ceremony. With the Tartar dress that she was wearing today, she looked like a real priestess.

    ¡°Do you know the theory of ¡®Multiple Worlds¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Do you know that the world that we are in once split into another world that is exactly the same?¡±

    ¡°We can call it ¡®parallel space¡¯

    ¡°Over there, the Soviet Union did not disappear, and it was still a world power! It was equal to the United States

    ¡°Do you really not want to return to that era? To restore the glory of the past? !¡±

    dimir came back to his senses and sneered. ¡°Have you lost your mind? Or have you lost your mind ying the game

    ¡°Do you want to y ¡®Summon of the Empire¡¯with us?¡±

    ¡°Or ¡®Red Alert¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Open your mobile APP, click on the game, and you¡¯ll instantly return to the glory of the past!¡±

    ¡°As long as you have enough batteries, let alone the former Soviet Union, even ancient Rome will be created for you!¡±

    dimir¡¯s venomous tongue was quite impressive.

    However, Yuan Jianan did not blush.

    She knew that these people would not believe her. The Committee of State Security (KGB) had never thought that she would be able to convince these two KGB members just by relying on the scene in the game.

    Moreover, from this point of view, she was not wrong about these two people.

    ¡°I understand if you don¡¯t believe me, and I don¡¯t me you

    ¡°I only want to discuss a deal with you, or more urately, with your superiors

    ¡°If you¡¯re interested, we¡¯ll contact you offline.¡±

    ¡°After a month, this game will be permanently deleted. You Don¡¯t have to worry about leaving any traces.¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Give me an answer by the end of the week.¡±

    ¡°We only have a month left.¡±

 Chapter 2207

    <h4>Chapter 2207: Chapter 2207 Open Source Software (1)</h4>

    In the game, dimir¡¯s axe-wielding man and Ivan¡¯s Princess Loli looked down at Yuan Jianan with their big round eyes, as if they were looking at a fool.

    Yuan Jianan was not surprised by their reaction.

    If these two believed what she said in the game, she would be suspicious.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) in Russia was only at this level?

    Now, these two people did not care about her, but she was calm and peaceful.

    Facing their gazes, Yuan Jianan smiled and said, ¡°I know these things are too shocking for you. The first time I heard about this, it was like listening to a fairy tale...¡±

    As she said this, she raised her hands and looked up at the sky. She slowly turned around, and her voice trembled, her voice was filled with emotion.¡±... There are natural geniuses in this world... They can see distant ces that others can¡¯t see, and they can touch the abyss that ordinary people can¡¯t touch...¡±

    dimir¡¯s axe-wielding man looked coldly at the mysterious woman in front of him and waved his axe twice, he said disdainfully, ¡°That¡¯s enough! So what if you¡¯re a genius? You can fool a parallel space by changing the scene in a lousy game? ! Why didn¡¯t you say that you could resurrect yourself ! It¡¯s just a game anyway. You can resurrect yourself no matter how many times you¡¯re killed ! Are You Stupid ? !¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! A lousy game and its technical content, can it bepared to our Big Ivan? !¡±The Little Loli Princess of the driver Ivan happily fox-trotted.

    ¡°Just a lousy game? Hehe, no matter how powerful Big Ivan is, does it have life?¡±Yuan Jianan¡¯s disdainful expression was even shown on the Tartar Woman¡¯s stiff face in the game.

    ¡°Life?¡±The Little Loli Princess of the driver Ivan circled around Yuan Jianan¡¯s Russian Tartar woman, attempting to roll her eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you alive?¡±

    ¡°The yers are all alive. Other than npcs, what do you want to say?¡±

    Yuan Jianan:¡±...¡±

    ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t understand. I Won¡¯t waste any more words. Anyway, you only have one month. After one month, everything here will be physically deleted.¡±

    ¡°Go back and think about it. If you don¡¯t want to answer right away, it¡¯s best to discuss it with someone...¡±

    She smiled at them and blinked. A halo of light appeared around her. It became more and more blurry in the halo and eventually disappeared.

    dimir and Ivan, the driver, looked at each other and exited the game.

    A secondter, they returned from that strange world to the dull and cold hotel room. The two of them did not feel ufortable at all.

    They took off their VR helmets in the living room of their hotel and looked at each other. Their expressions were somewhat serious.

    ¡°Boss, what do you think?¡±The driver, Ivan, scratched the back of his furry neck. ¡°I think there¡¯s something wrong with her.¡±

    He pointed at his head. ¡°Is she a hypochondriac?¡±

    dimir:¡±...¡±

    He sneered and kicked Ivan. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t talk if you¡¯re uneducated. No one thinks you¡¯re dumb.¡±

    He sat on the windowsill of the hotel¡¯s bay window, took out a cigar, and tapped it on his palm.

    Ivan immediately went over and lit the cigar for him.

    dimir smoked for a while and looked out the window at the sky getting darker and darker. The blue-purple Sky began to twinkle with stars, just like the birch forest filled with ¡°Eyes¡±in his hometown.

    He took a deep puff of his cigar and looked down.

    Looking down from the window sill of the skyscraper, the crowd and vehicles on the ground were like ants flowing endlessly.

    Looking up at the starry sky, how many secrets were there in the universe that no one knew?

    He was different from Ivan. He was not unfamiliar with the theory of ¡°Parallel space.¡±Moreover, he knew that there was indeed a group of scientists in the highest scientific research institute in Russia who had been working on this research.

    Although it had not beenpletely sessful, it was said that there had been a lot of progress.

    Under such circumstances, the words he had said to that mysterious woman and the scene he had shown did notpletely negate it.

    But who was the ¡°Genius¡±that woman had said?

    What did life mean?

    He still felt that there was something wrong with it.

    After thinking about it for almost a night, dimir checked the official website of the gamepany and saw that thepany was originally registered in the Cayman Inds.

    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s the Cayman Inds again.¡±dimir made a flying kiss gesture towards theputer screen, ¡°I¡¯ll send a secret report to the Bureau right away and have them send someone to the Cayman Inds to find out who the real boss behind this online game is.¡±

    He had a feeling that Yuan Jianan was not the boss behind the scenes.

    At this moment, Ivan was lying on the sofa, sleeping like a bear. He would asionally smack his lips and did not hear dimir¡¯s words at all.

    dimir gave him a disdainful look and walked into the hotel room.

    Soon, the Committee of State Security (KGB) in Russia received a tip from dimir, the second-inmand.

    When they saw the tip, they took it seriously.

    First, the President of Russia wasing to China to host the wedding. Their security had to be in ce.

    Second, when it came to the ¡°Parallel space,¡±the country¡¯s top secret, they had to investigate.

    Of course, the most important thing was to find out who the person behind this game was. The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s real purpose was to get in touch with them?

    After all, to be able to exchange the ¡°Parallel space¡±, which could bepared to the top secret of the country, the person¡¯s request was definitely not an ordinary request.

    ..

    The next day, dimir and Ivan, the driver, sat at the dining table and did not know how to taste the food.

    In front of them was their favorite Russian red vegetable soup, served with Ukrainian bacon, cut into thin strips, and mixed with garlic and apple vinegar. It tasted especially delicious.

    But after a few mouthfuls, they put down their knives, forks, and spoons.

    Ivan, the driver, was not someone who could hide his words. He asked again, ¡°Is what that mysterious woman said true?¡±

    dimir nced at him and lowered his head to drink the soup with a spoon, he said seriously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that she has a problem with her brain and is mentally ill? Continue to think that way and don¡¯t be misled by her. Just believe what she says. No wonder she has been a driver for so many years!¡±

    ¡°I am a driver!¡±Ivan, the driver, puffed out his chest and folded his stomach. He red at dimir. ¡°I only ask if what she said is true! You are bullshitting me!¡±

    dimir did not want to answer at first, but Ivan, the driver, was a very talkative person.

    If he could not achieve the goal he wanted, he could drive people to death with his words.

    However, dimir was also a man with a sense of responsibility. It was not until he finished eating the red vegetable soup that he endured the intense headache, between the murmurs in Ivan¡¯s car, he said slowly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if what she said is true or not. What matters is what she will do next.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget our objective. Whether she¡¯s telling the truth or not, we have to cooperate with her. So, does it matter if she¡¯s telling the truth or not?¡±

    Ivan suddenly realized that he was not the best at talking!

    The best was their second-inmand, Comrade dimir!

    ..

    Two dayster, amercial airliner from North America swooped down andnded slowly at the Cayman Inds International Airport in the western Caribbean Sea.

    The cabin door opened, and a group of white men and women in t-shirts and shorts walked down the gangway happily.

    The two men and women in the middle were of medium build and wore sunsses.

    The man had light xen hair and was rather messy. He looked up at the clear blue crystal-like sky and narrowed his eyes, saying, ¡°The weather is really hot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s thirty degrees, how can it not be hot? What misunderstanding do you have about the Caribbean Sea?¡±The woman beside him had blonde hair and blue eyes, but her originally fair skin was slightly tanned, like honey.

    As she spoke, she looked left and right and beamed, as if it was her first timeing to this resort.

    ¡°TSK TSK, the sea water here is really extraordinary. When I was on the ne, I saw that the shape of the ind here was indeed like a turtle with its neck stretched out. Peter, is this the origin of the original name of the Cayman Inds?¡±She pointed curiously at the blue sea surface.

    The sea water and the sky were almost the same blue crystal color. There was no boundary between the sea and the sky, and it was vast and far-reaching.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was themittee of State Security (KGB) . This man with x-colored hair was the head of the Russian KGB¡¯s Far East Operation Team, Peter. However, he had already been promoted to the high-level of the KGB, and was only one level lower than dimir.

    ¡°Columbus was the first to discover the Cayman Inds, right? I remember that its original name was Turtle Ind.¡±He looked around. ¡°But it¡¯s not because of the shape of these inds, but because the waters here are rich in turtles.¡±

    After a pause, he said with a smile,¡±... Lyna, do you want to eat turtle meat for dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Turtle meat?¡±The woman named Lyna wrinkled her nose. ¡°Is it good?¡±

    ¡°I heard it¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s a local specialty here.¡±Peter and Lyna walked out of the ne unsteadily and entered the customs to go through the customs formalities.

    They were holding American passports, and the formalities were quicklypleted.

    Due to the unique geographical location of the Cayman Inds and itsmitment to developing financial businesses, it was not a big ce with a small poption, but it was very prosperous.

    There were only 40,000 to 50,000 people in total, but there were dozens of luxury hotels of all sizes. There were also countless three-star and four-star hotels.

    Peter and Lina stayed at the Grand Cayman Marriott Hotel. This hotel was rtively close to the city center. There was no other ce to view the beach, but it was convenient and lively.

    Along the way, a banana tree as tall as a person was blown by the sea breeze.

    There was also arge waist-shaped swimming pool at the entrance of the hotel. The water in the pool was blue and the color was exactly the same as the seawater not far away. It should be the seawater that was introduced.

    Lyna twitched the corner of her mouth, she muttered,¡±... This is really crazy. The beach is just ten minutes ahead. Why do we need to dig a swimming pool at the entrance? would there really be people who would abandon the beautiful and natural beach right in front of them to stay in this swimming pool?¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, he heard shouts andughtering from the direction of the swimming pool.

    Lyna:¡±...¡±

    Peter shook his head indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s a p in the face, right? It¡¯s just that there are people who are so bored, so don¡¯t be surprised.¡±

    He carried his suitcase and walked in front, turning a blind eye to the boys and girls who were ying with water balls in the swimming pool by the roadside.

    Lyna snorted and quickly followed him. She said unhappily, ¡°Peter, is that your attitude? I¡¯m your girlfriend!¡±

    Peter stopped and took off his sunsses. His eyes, which seemed to never open, lifted one side of his eyelids and looked at her indifferently.

    With just a nce, Lyna suddenly found that she almost stopped breathing.

    The pressure seemed to be real, as if it was strangling her throat.

    Peter put on his sunsses, and Lyna rubbed her throat. She sighed in relief and muttered,¡±... What do you mean? Am I not your girlfriend?¡±

    Peter walked to her side and leaned close to her ear. He put one hand on her thin and strong waist and said softly, ¡°Lyna is Peter¡¯s girlfriend, but you¡¯re not the only one.¡±

    After saying that, he took a step back and patted her face. ¡°You¡¯re only using this name for the time being. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±

    Lyna shuddered. She was almost blinded by the beautiful scenery of the Cayman Inds.

    Sheposed herself. ¡°Got it. Thanks for the Reminder.¡±

    It was said that Peter¡¯s previous partner had died in the Tunguska sinkhole. She was the second Lyna, recing the previous Lyna.

    The two walked into the hotel lobby and checked in ording to their pre-booked rooms.

    Their room was on the sixth floor of the Marriott Hotel. It was a duplex suite.

    As soon as the two of them entered, they restrained the smiling and sweet atmosphere outside. They opened their suitcases and started working.

    The first step, of course, was to check if there were any eavesdropping and recording equipment in the rooms.

    The pinhole camera was the most important part of their test.

    The two of them checked the entire suite for half an hour and decided that there was no such equipment in any corner. Only then did they start to pack their luggage.

    Peter returned to his business-like expression and said with his eyelids drooping, ¡°I¡¯ll stay downstairs and you¡¯ll stay upstairs. Pack your things and go downstairs for dinner. We¡¯ll start the Operation After Dark Tonight.¡±

    Lyna was stunned. ¡°We¡¯re going to take action today? Aren¡¯t we going to rest for the night?¡±

    Peter nced at her. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re here for a vacation?¡±

    ¡°... even if we¡¯re not on vacation, shouldn¡¯t we first figure out the route here?¡±Lyna was also a very skilled field officer. She had her own set of operating guidelines.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you figure out the route here before you came?¡±Peter turned around and picked up his suitcase. ¡°I¡¯ll go to my room. I¡¯ll go down for dinner in fifteen minutes and then go out.¡±

    Lyna puffed her cheeks and went upstairs with her suitcase.

    Fifteen minutester, the two changed their clothes and went to the restaurant that the hotel had brought for lunch.

    It was lunchtime, and some people in suits came to eat one after another.

    Most of them were men, mostly white and Asian.

    Their voices were very loud, but they were not rude, but carried a sense of superiority that came from the bottom of their bones.

    Because he knew his own excellence too well, he did not even have the courtesy to greet him.

    ¡°Joseph, when will your maintenance bepleted?¡±

    ¡°Soon. The system is too big, and it¡¯s a distributed cloud database. Every backup is going to kill me!¡±

    ¡°Such a big game system, so many people are online at the same time, but it has never crashed. The programmer in yourpany is This!¡±A thin and bald white man at the next table turned around and gave them a thumbs up.

    ¡°Mr. Chris, you tter me. The main thing is that this system is really awesome. We¡¯re just maintaining it, we don¡¯t even know who wrote it!¡±

    ¡°What a F * cking genius!¡±

    ¡°Did you know? The entire system¡¯s open source software only has twenty-five lines of code! The online game Your life developed with it can be popr around the world and support one billion yers!¡±

 Chapter 2208

    <h4>Chapter 2208: Chapter 2208 Open Source Software (2)(second request for a monthly ticket)</h4>

    The sounds of excitement in the restaurant rose and fell, mixed with the tempting aroma of food, floating in the elegant and exquisite hotel restaurant.

    Although Lyna was sitting in front of Peter with a smile on her face and eating with relish, in fact, she did not know how to taste the food at all.

    She really did not expect that this Peter had already made all the arrangements without making a sound!

    What was the point of searching for directions?

    Staying in a hotel was actually the favorite ce for the staff of the online gamingpany to have lunch..

    How could this be a coincidence?

    Lyna sighed at Peter¡¯s foresight and thoughtful actions as she started her own work.

    She turned half a circle on the chair and put up her slender legs.

    Her legs were suntanned and slightly golden brown. The shape of her legs was straight and beautiful, only giving people a pure and beautiful visual enjoyment. It was not like those pure white legs that were a little awkward in public.

    Of course, Lyna¡¯s appearance was beautiful. The beauty of vs was famous in the west.

    As expected, not long after, a few IT orwork managers of online gamingpanies sitting diagonally across the two of them noticed Lyna.

    Lyna did not hide her interest. Seeing them secretly ncing over, she picked up her wine ss and gave them a charming smile, puffing out her chest, in English with a slight American southern ent, she asked,¡±... What do you mean by open source software?¡±

    She looked like a beauty with big breasts but no brains, innocent and innocent, yet she still wanted to be a curious baby.

    No matter which country IT nerds were from, they would eat this type of woman.

    When they saw her question, they all turned around and answered her questions.

    ¡°Open source software is the programmingnguage written by humans. Itys the foundation ofputer programs

    ¡°If aputer program ispared to a tall building, open source software is its foundation and framework.¡±

    ¡°After the open source software is written, it is converted into a binarymand that can be read by theputer. This is the process ofpiling, which is also the process of building a building.¡±

    Lyna was still confused. ¡°Is this special? Why do you guys praise the open source software so much?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s special!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. A slightly moreplicated open source software program requires dozens or even hundreds of types of open source software to be constructed.¡±

    ¡°As for ourrge-scale online game, the structure isplicated and there are many scenarios. However, the 25 lines of open source software can actually respond to the changes in the game¡¯s various scenarios. It can generate all kinds of binarymands that can be read by theputer ording to the needs of the yer!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is amazing? !¡±

    Lyna¡¯s heart thumped, and she clenched her wine ss with her fingers.

    This was too amazing, not just any ordinary amazing.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had sent her to be Peter¡¯s partner, so of course, she had her own outstanding points.

    She was good at decipheringputerwork security systems, so she was no stranger to open source software and assemblynguage.

    So she understood immediately.

    This was too amazing!

    It was impossible..

    But on the surface, she still looked confused. She said with a smile, ¡°Although I don¡¯t understand, you guys are really awesome! You guys are awesome!¡±

    She raised her ss at them and toasted herself.

    The IT nerdsughed and took a sip as well.

    A tourist sitting on the other side was also very curious and said, ¡°Is there really such powerful source code? Is it open source software or proprietary software? I really want to see it!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I can¡¯t show it to you. Even we haven¡¯t seen it before...¡±

    As they spoke, these IT nerds spilled the beans.

    The light in Lyna¡¯s eyes disappeared in an instant. She curled her lips and said,¡±... you guys haven¡¯t seen it yourself? Then what are you bragging about?¡±

    ¡°... Although we haven¡¯t seen it, we know that it¡¯s an executable file automatically generated by the twenty-five lines of open source software!¡±

    The It nerds were anxious to maintain their ¡°Dignity¡±. The veins on their necks popped out, and everyoneughed when they saw IT. Therefore, the restaurant was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

    Peter was expressionless as he pulled the steamed eastern star spot on the gold-rimmed white bone china te in front of him. He took thest bite and beckoned for the waiter to pay the bill.

    Meanwhile, the IT and open source software managers of the online gamingpanies across from them were still drooling and emphasizing how awesome their game¡¯s ¡°Source code¡±was!

    Lyna and Peter walked out of the hotel restaurant one after the other and muttered, ¡°I thought they were awesome, but it turns out they were just bragging with their eyes closed.¡±

    Was the so-called ¡°Twenty-five lines¡±of open source software really that awesome?

    Lyna was skeptical.

    ¡°... Even the people in theirpany haven¡¯t seen the open source software. It¡¯s very difficult for me to believe that such a thing really exists.¡±She followed Peter to the corridor outside.

    Peter saidzily, ¡°Whether it exists or not, we¡¯ll find out by going to take a look tonight.¡±

    Lyna:¡±! ! !¡±

    So this was their Operation Tonight!

    ¡°You should have said so earlier! If I were to do this, I wouldn¡¯t be tired.¡±Lyna walked in front of him, turned around and winked at him.

    Peter was expressionless, as if he was immune to all women.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t interested in men either.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) , everyone said that Peter was a born intelligence agent, because almost all of his rtives had died, and only a distant aunt who was several generations away was still alive, and he didn¡¯t have many friends.., he was always indifferent to his colleagues and superiors.

    Only when he was working would he be fully focused and go all out.

    ..

    The weather at the end of September was still very long in the Cayman Inds during the day.

    When the Sun finally fell below the horizon and the afterglow of the setting sun covered the entire sea, Peter and Lina had already arrived at the neighborhood cafe near the headquarters of therge-scale online gamepany Your Life. They sat down and drank coffee.

    Most of the people sitting here were also people who worked on this street.

    ¡°This ce is fun and earns a lot, but it¡¯s not suitable to live with a wife and children.¡±

    A few workers from nearbypanies grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the country after another year. No matter how nice this ce is, I don¡¯t want to live alone anymore.¡±

    ¡°PFFT! You still want to go back? Is it because you don¡¯t have much money, or is it because the women over there aren¡¯t fun?¡±A person next to the person winked at him, he let him look at the white women and local Aboriginal women across the street who were showy and throwing flirtatious nces at them.

    These were also people who engaged in special jobs. They usually appeared on the street at night.

    The man nced at them and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sick of it. You Don¡¯t know how many I¡¯ve recruited, but that¡¯s all there is to it. I miss my wife and children. Anyway, my contract will expire next year. It¡¯s fine as long as I don¡¯t renew it at that time.¡±

    Peter and Lyna quietly drank a cup of coffee and waited for the sky topletely turn dark. When the rich nightlife on the ind began, they threw down a few dors and quietly left.

    Under the cover of the night, they arrived at the headquarters of the online gamingpany.

    Lyna raised her head to look at the not-so-tall building and said in puzzlement, ¡°Someone really set up their headquarters here? I thought everyone was just renting an office here as a registration ce.¡±

    ¡°Mostpanies are like this, but Your Life is different.¡±Peter looked up at the six-story tall building, calmly, he said, ¡°The centralputer room is on the third basement floor, and it has the most staff. At the moment, we can¡¯t use the Inte to break through thispany¡¯s firewall.¡±

    Lyna¡¯s expression became serious, and she nodded, she said, ¡°That¡¯s right. ¡°Our Russian hackers are the best in the world. We can go in and take a look at the CIA in the United States, but we can¡¯t crack the password no matter how hard we try against this seemingly unremarkablemercialwork system.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that we can¡¯t crack it. We¡¯re in, but we still can¡¯t reach the core.¡±Peter turned on the infrared monitor and checked the ecosystem within a five-hundred-meter radius, except for a few rats, he could also see the staff on duty in the building.

    ¡°For me, it means that I can¡¯t crack the password.¡±Lyna calmly put on the night vision device. ¡°Their firewall is different from other systems. We really need to go to their centralputer room.¡±

    The two quickly broke the lock of the building and quietly hid inside.

    Of course, the lock had an rm system. Peter couldn¡¯t be bothered to wait for Lyna to crack the program, so he directly used a box cutter to cut off the electronic connection of the lock and put an end to it.

    Lyna red at him. ¡°You¡¯ll destroy it!¡±

    Peter ignored her and found an empty small room in the building and hid inside.

    The two of them waited patiently. Three hourster, the infrared monitor showed that everyone else had left, and the two of them came out of their hiding ce.

    ¡°How do you know that the centralputer room is on the third floor underground?¡±Lyna asked curiously as they walked down the stairs.

    Peter only said one simple sentence,¡±... the structure of the building.¡±

    Lyna immediately shut up.

    The two of them wore high-tech mobile uniforms that could reflect surveince equipment and detect infrared rays. They came to the third underground floor of the building.

    It was like a warehouse room made entirely of stainless steel. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all stainless steel that shone with a dark silver light

    When people walked on it, they could not help but leave footprints, and their shoes could not even be wrapped in stic bags.

    They knew that there should be no one else here, but they still felt that it was a little strange.

    The hair on the back of their necks stood on end. Although the two of them were back to back, holding high-powered pistols with silencers in their hands, rm bells still rang in their hearts.

    Almost at the same time, Peter shouted in a low voice, ¡°Lie down and roll!¡±

    Bang Bang Bang!

    At the same time, gunshots rang out from all directions. In this stainless steel space, it almost sounded like a sonic boom!

 Chapter 2209

    <h4>Chapter 2209: Chapter 2209, open source software (3)(first update)</h4>

    Peter and Lyna quickly dodged and rolled on the ground, avoiding the bullets that suddenly came at them.

    CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!

    The bullets flew past them and hit the stainless steel te, leaving only a shallow dent.

    The bullets scattered around them. Lyna was about to draw her gun to fight back, but Peter narrowed his eyes and quickly raised his hand. He fired several shots at the lock of a door on the side, smashing a heavy iron lock down.

    ¡°Come in!¡±He shouted in Spanish, kicked open the door, and rolled in.

    Lyna didn¡¯t understand, but she still followed the order and rolled in.

    Just as the two of them rolled into the small room next to the corridor, Peter suddenly closed the door and held it tightly with his shoulder.

    The sound of firecrackers suddenly came from outside the door, and then it became louder and louder, but the entire stainless steel corridor didn¡¯t move at all. Only the smell of gunpowder wafted in from the gap between the doors.

    Lyna sniffed a few times and said nervously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened outside?¡±

    Peter said gloomily,¡±... I really underestimated them!¡±

    ¡°... What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°The stainless steel corridor outside has a bullet-proof function. Bullets can¡¯t go in, and their bullets are not ordinary bullets. They are explosive bullets that can explode twice,¡±Peter said in a low voice with his back against the door.

    Lyna instantly understood and said in a low voice, ¡°If we didn¡¯t find this room to hide in, even if we were not hit by bullets outside, we would have been killed by the second explosion of Bullets!¡±

    Peter nodded slowly, put the gun in his pocket, and listened to the sounds outside.

    After the outside calmed down, Lyna stood up, looked around, and frowned. ¡°This is just a utility room.¡±As she said that, she wanted to push the door open and go out.

    Peter quickly grabbed her hand and said, ¡°No rush.¡±

    The door didn¡¯t open, and it was very quiet outside. It didn¡¯t seem like there was anyone there.

    Lyna came back to her senses and wasn¡¯t in a hurry.

    There was a dense burst of gunshots just now. Someone would definitelye over.

    ¡°... But we checked when we came in. There was no one here. Where did the gunshotse from?¡±Lyna muttered softly and took out her infrared monitor to check again. Sure enough, there were no signs of life here, of course, except for the two of them.

    ¡°Is it an automatic rm device?¡±Peter was also thinking about this question. ¡°Is it connected to the guards outside?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±Lyna nodded. ¡°The gunshot just now was disorderly. It doesn¡¯t seem to be fired by a real person. Maybe it was automatically controlled.¡±

    After more than ten minutes, the sound of unhurried footsteps came from outside.

    Someone really came?

    Peter and Lina looked at each other and became alert.

    They couldn¡¯t just sit around in this small storeroom and wait for death. They had to rush out.

    Peter pulled out his gun and looked through the peephole on the door. His pupils immediately constricted.

    He saw that the people who came from outside were actually robots with a stainless steel appearance!

    The appearance of these robots was too obvious. At a nce, it was obvious that they were not real people.

    There were a total of four robots. They were about 1.7 meters tall and were not very tall. Their joints were not flexible, but there was no problem for them to move around.

    Their faces had human features made of stainless steel. They were shining with a dull silver light. There should be a pinhole camera in their eyes. When they looked at people, their pupils shrunk into a small ck dot. They were very cold and heartless.

    Lyna came over and took a look as well. She took a deep breath.¡±... They actually used robots as security guards? !¡±

    ¡°They are harder to deal with than real people.¡±Peter Thought for a moment and put the gun back. ¡°Competing with them in marksmanship is asking for trouble.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±Lyna was anxious. ¡°Are we just waiting for them to attack us? !¡±

    The four robots divided into four directions and began to check inch by inch. Soon, they came to the storage room where they were.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was made by Peter. Peter took out a KGB steel cable from his pocket. It was as thin as a cow¡¯s hair, but it was very tough.

    If it was used to strangle a person¡¯s neck, it could even be cut off directly.

    Lyna saw Peter take out this thing and smiled. ¡°You want to use this to deal with them?¡±

    Peter took out a small spray tin can at the same time and waved it at Lyna. ¡°Watch me.¡±

    He suddenly opened the door and threw it out.

    Hearing the movement on the ground, the few robots quickly turned around and fired at the direction where the tin can was rolling.

    The Tin Can was quickly blown up. The gas inside gushed out of the tin can like magic and quickly upied the entire corridor.

    This gas was very thick and heavy, which could severely hinder the robots¡¯vision.

    Unlike humans, the robot¡¯s vision relied on the perception of the electronicponents, and this kind of gas could make the perception of the electronicponents ineffective.

    Peter had brought this thing with him to deal with the host control system here, but he didn¡¯t expect it toe in handy now.

    Soon, the few robots couldn¡¯t even walk steadily anymore. They started to stagger as if they were drunk.

    However, they were very vignt. They held their guns and shot around from time to time. They didn¡¯t care even if they hit their own people.

    They were robots. As long as they didn¡¯t hit the key parts, it wouldn¡¯t affect theirbat ability.

    Peter looked at these robots and a hint of envy rose in his heart.

    It would be great if they had this kind of thing..

    As he was thinking, he put on his night vision goggles and dashed out of the door.

    His voice was very soft, but if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the robot¡¯s electronic sensing system had been destroyed, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hide from the robots.

    It was different now. The Robots¡¯vision and perception were severely hindered, so he could drill to the robots¡¯side without being noticed.

    Before they could react, he used the tenacious steel cable as thin as cow hair to bind the arms, legs, and brains of the four robots, tying the other end to each other.

    Then, they fired a shot in the direction of the wall before quickly returning to the storage room where they had been hiding.

    The sound of the gunshot rang out, and the few robots immediately became alert. They picked up their guns and fired while running toward the wall.

    The moment they moved, the tenacious steel cables that Peter had wrapped around their bodies immediately cut into their limbs.

    First, their running legs suddenly fell from their bodies due to the pulling force from different directions.

    The four robots fell to the ground immediately, but they were still waving the semi-automatic assault rifle in their hands.

    With this, their arms also fell off their bodies.

    The robots without arms and legs were like a cylindrical trash can, rolling down the smooth stainless steel corridor.

    After the gas outside had dissipated, Peter came out from the debris room and rushed over quickly. He pulled the steel cable and cut off the heads of the four fallen robots.

    Their arms that were scattered on the ground stopped moving and werepletely silent.

    Lyna also came out and looked at the scattered mechanical parts and the humanoid robot torso, she said with lingering fear,¡±... What is this ce? Why is there such a powerful robot security?¡±

    ¡°This is a robot warrior, not just a security guard.¡±Peter picked up the gun with a dark face and fired a few shots at the scattered robot heads on the ground, riddling them with holes.

 Chapter 2210

    <h4>Chapter 2210: Chapter 2210, the Master of Open Source Software (second update)</h4>

    Lyna shook her head regretfully. ¡°If you beat them up like this, the control chip will be gone. Otherwise, find one and bring it back...¡±

    Peter shrugged, ¡°This ce is a little strange. There¡¯s no time to find a chip for us.¡±. ¡°Besides, these robots, although they look good on the outside, didn¡¯t you notice that their movements aren¡¯t coherent? ¡°Their technology should be limited. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find the mainframe control system.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say that robots of this level were only trash in their Russian military research institute.

    ¡°Just like fighter jets, when you have a fifth-generation machine, will you still study the technical performance of the first-generation machine?

    ¡°Definitely not.¡±.

    Lyna raised her head and looked around. She frowned and said, ¡°Will there be more robots or peopleing?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±Peter stood up and walked to the end of the corridor. ¡°If there were, they would havee long ago.¡±

    ¡°There can¡¯t be only four robots, right?¡±Lyna muttered. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to get more?¡±

    ¡°We can get more of these robots. They are no longer a gamepany but a mercenarypany,¡±Peter said coldly without turning his head.

    Lyna thought for a moment and smiled. ¡°No wonder our infrared monitor couldn¡¯t detect anyone. They are robots.¡±

    Theoretically speaking, as long as they were alive, they would have heat. These robots also had heat, but it was different from biological heat, therefore, the infrared monitor did not treat them as ¡°People¡±to alert Peter and Lyna.

    The two of them came to the closed door at the end of the corridor. Peter raised his wrist and pressed a few times on his watch, saying, ¡°This should be their central control room.¡±

    Lyna knew that Peter should have stored the map here in the smart watch.

    She quickly took out a small decoder and stuck it next to the password lock of the door, and began to connect to the decoder.

    Peter stood next to her and looked around vigntly. He was listening to the sound attentively and calcting the time in his mind.

    If these robots were monitored by someone and they had taken care of the robots, the people behind them would definitely know and would definitely rush over.

    Their time was limited.

    ¡°Hurry up,¡±Peter urged Lyna and pointed at his hand.

    ¡°Soon, don¡¯t worry.¡±Lyna was very calm when it came to what she was good at. Although she was urged by Peter, she still insisted on her own pace and finally unlocked the password of the door.

    This was not an ordinary room. Peter would not use a simple and crude method to deal with the door of the central control room.

    These ces had self-destructing devices. If you were not careful, everything inside would self-destruct for you to see. That would really make you vomit blood.

    Hearing the sound of the password lock being unlocked, Peter heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He was the first to push open the door and walk in.

    After entering, the two of them quickly found a ce to hide, worried that there would be more robot warriors inside.

    However, after waiting for a minute, they didn¡¯t find anything unusual. Only then did Lyna believe Peter¡¯s judgment. She gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Awesome!¡±

    Peter nced at her. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to deactivate the surveince cameras here first and then kiss up to me.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, how did you know that I was kissing up to you?¡±Lyna smiled and connected to the indoor control system. Soon, she found the locations of a few surveince cameras.

    She calmly entered a photo that had just been taken in the room, making the semi-intelligent system¡¯s camera think that this was the real situation in the room.

    ¡°This is how mechanical things are. They are stubborn.¡±Lyna pped her hands and came out of her hiding ce. She made a ¡°Deactivate the rm¡±gesture to Peter.

    Peter also gave her a thumbs up and came out of his hiding ce.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you a warning. You Go and find what we want.¡±Peter held the gun and pointed at theputers in the room.

    The entire wall was filled with screens, divided into different screens. The scenes that appeared inside were the familiar scenes of Your Life game.

    Lyna looked at theyout of the ce, randomly found aputer, sat down, and began to operate it.

    As she cracked the password, she said, ¡°No wonder we couldn¡¯t break in directly from thework. There¡¯s a physical defense here, divided into the inner and outerworks. What we cracked has always been the outerwork¡¯s protective password.¡±

    ¡°The innerwork can¡¯t touch it at all? Then how do they control the game?¡±In terms ofputers, Peter was not as good as this Lyna.

    Lyna had already cracked the innerwork password of the control system here, and said, ¡°You can control it in one direction, just like the special one-way visual ss. You can control the other party, but the other party can¡¯t see you. It¡¯s the same principle.¡±

    Peter understood and stopped asking questions. He looked at his watch to time Lyna and said, ¡°You still have 15 minutes. In 15 minutes, I think someone wille back.¡±

    The people behind the scenes would definitely know what they had done to the robots.

    ¡°No problem.¡±Lyna entered the system and went straight to the core area.

    The handheld system that she brought with her quickly connected to the host and started to download important folders.

    They did not have that much time to decode the code on the spot. They only needed to download it back and study it carefully.

    Ten minutester, the system rang, indicating that the download wasplete.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±Lyna put away her handheld device, carefully put it away, and walked out of the door with Peter.

    This time, the two of them went up the elevator and quickly arrived at the first floor of the ground floor.

    But when they went out, they encountered a sniper.

    Bang!

    A bullet spun from afar and hit a spot not far from Peter and Lyna¡¯s feet.

    This bullet was powerful and fierce. When it hit the ground, it immediately exploded, and the ground under their feet trembled slightly.

    Peter¡¯s expression changed. He picked up Lyna and threw her into the car by the roadside. ¡°Drive!¡±

    This was an SUV that they had rented, and it did not have bullet-proof functions.

    There were already cars chasing after them from behind. Lyna was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat and driving. Peter opened the window and turned around to shoot at the cars behind them.

    His shooting skills were precise. He shot almost every tire, blowing up the tires in front of the cars behind them.

    The sound of cars losing control and crashing could be heard from behind. It cut through the quiet night sky of the western Caribbean ind.

    Peter¡¯s face was dark as he continued to shoot at the cars that had crashed into each other. He only stopped after knocking down a few people in the driver¡¯s seat.

    On this side, Lyna had already driven the car out of this residential area and headed to the beach.

    They did not go straight back to the hotel, but drove in another direction.

    ¡°Jump out of the car.¡±Lyna put the car in gear and stepped on the elerator. Then, she pushed open the car door on her side and rolled forward to jump out.

    Peter was faster than her. He jumped out of the car as soon as she finished speaking.

    The car they were driving just now continued to drive forward towards the sea.

    Not long after, a thump was heard. The car had already fallen down.

    The cliff here was not high. It was only a few meters, but it was enough to sink a car into the sea.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±Peter looked around. After making sure that no one was chasing them, he and Lyna went back the way they came.

    After returning to the penthouse suite of the Marriott Hotel, Lyna didn¡¯t tidy herself up. She immediately took out her handheld device and connected it to theputer.

    She used theputer to move these folders to a safe ce to backup, and then began to crack the password.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower. After I¡¯m done, these folders should be open.¡±Lyna yawned and walked to the bathroom.

    Peter didn¡¯t go. He sat next to Lyna¡¯sputer and looked at it, waiting for the decoding to bepleted.

    Lyna¡¯s estimation was very urate. The moment she came back from the shower, theputer showed that the decoding had beenpleted.

    ¡°I want to see what they are hiding.¡±Lyna sat down with a smile and opened the folders with Peter.

    There were a lot of things in there. After a quick scan by their professional equipment, the system determined that the most important documents were some legal documents and bank transfer documents.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±Lyna looked at Peter in surprise. ¡°Whosepany is this? Why are they transferring money to a Swiss bank on a regr basis?¡±

    Peter looked more carefully than her and pointed at a legal document. ¡°It seems that we have to ask our friends in China for help.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Wrong?¡±Lyna stared at the legal document with her eyes wide open. ¡°This is the contract for the transfer of open source software. Do you know this person?¡±

    ¡°If I spell this name correctly, it should be song Haichuan.¡±Peter narrowed his eyes. ¡°This person was very powerful 20 years ago, but he passed away 18,19 years ago.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t even born when he became famous internationally.¡±

    Peter copied the document and opened a secret email. He sent it to dimir, who was in Huaxia preparing to attend Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding.

    ¡°Brother, find out what¡¯s going on.¡±

 Chapter 2211

    <h4>Chapter 2211: Chapter 2211: pre-set position (first request for rmendation ticket)</h4>

    dimir was in China when he saw the email. It was on Monday evening, at dusk.

    The worst day of the week was after work on Monday.

    Theziness of the weekend was still imprinted in his bones, but in front of him was the time of the week when he could not rx.

    Working people were generally not in a good mood at this time. Many people were used to going to bars or restaurants to rx after work on Monday. They needed to rest up before they could devote themselves to the busy work of the week.

    dimir was currently in a semi-working state. He and his driver, Ivan, were sitting in an open-air bar at the Third Ring Road of the imperial capital. Each of them was holding a mobile phone and ying a game of red envelope snatching with Gu Nianzhi.

    Even if they could only get a few dors for each round, they were still enjoying the game.

    Gu Nianzhi was waiting for dinner in the restaurant of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. While Huo Shaoheng was talking to Lu Jin, she was chatting idly on her mobile phone with dimir and the others, and also giving out red envelopes.

    She sent out another series of red packets. She deliberately set it to only two people to see who was faster.

    In the end, she and the driver, Ivan, fought over the red packets many times, but dimir did not make a move. She was a little surprised and secretly messaged Ivan: [ Uncle Driver, what¡¯s wrong with the second-inmand? ].

    Ivan stuck his head out to take a look and replied: [ looking at the mail, maybe it¡¯s his lover. You know, he¡¯s so focused, it¡¯s like seeing his lover¡¯s eyes. ].

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This was so artistic, it wasn¡¯t the style of the driver!

    She waited for a while and was about to ask, but dimir took the initiative to privately chat with her: [ ... Cereus, is the name Song Haichuan Familiar to you? ].

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Was it the song Haichuan that she was familiar with?

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, she carefully replied: [ which song Haichuan? There are many people in Huaxia with the same name and surname. This name isn¡¯t a unique name, like Big Ivan... ].

    dimir sent a string of ellipses: [ ... ] and then called her directly.

    ¡°Cereus, you know the song Haichuan I¡¯m talking about, the song Haichuan rted to your fianc¨¦.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re talking about my fianc¨¦¡¯s grandfather, Song Haichuan? The former director of Huaxia¡¯s Institute of High Energy Physics?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him. Do you know him? Or rather, does your fianc¨¦ know him?¡±dimir frowned as he read the email, after some thought, he decided to forward it to Gu Nianzhi. ¡°I sent you an email. Take a look and show it to your fianc¨¦.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? So Mysterious...¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered as she opened the email that dimir had forwarded.

    She hadn¡¯t even looked at it for a second, but her eyebrows couldn¡¯t help twitching.

    What the hell was going on!

    It had been their n to work together, but now it seemed like they were going to shoot themselves in the foot.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was in a mess. She casually chatted with dimir and the driver, Ivan, before saying that she was going to eat and bid them farewell.

    She walked into the kitchen with her phone, and Lu Jin happened to walk out. Seeing that she did not look worried, he asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are You Hungry? Can I get you some snacks?¡±

    Lu Jin was like Gu Nianzhi; he had a bad temper when he was hungry.

    As long as he was full, everything was negotiable.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Dad, wait here. I¡¯ll bring the food.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±Lu Jin nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look outside.¡±

    After he left, Gu Nianzhi came to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side and asked in a low voice, ¡°Huo Shao, how much do you know about your grandfather, Mr. Song Haichuan?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was taking the food out of the pot when he heard this. He paused and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Why? Why are you suddenly interested in my grandfather?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to ask, isn¡¯t your grandfather a physicist? Does he also know how to write code?¡±Gu Nianzhi said, she forwarded the email from dimir to Huo Shaoheng and showed him her phone. ¡°Here, this is it. Are you shocked?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at it and his heart skipped a beat. However, he was calmer and did not show it on his face. He said nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Ms. Song.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly understood and patted her forehead. ¡°That¡¯s right! I only thought of asking you. Actually, how old were you at that time? I¡¯m sure Ms. Song Knows More!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng came back to his senses and calmed himself down to put the dishes on the te. He brought the dishes to the dining room with Gu Nianzhi for dinner.

    Lu Jin and Gu Nianzhi were still gorging on their food. Huo Shaoheng maintained his smile, but his mind was already far away.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had worked together with the Russian KGB to set this up. Just like Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng did not expect this to have anything to do with his grandfather, Song Haichuan, who had passed away neen years ago.

    He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he did not want to take a preconceived view of the whole matter.

    After dinner, Lu Jin called Gu Nianzhi back to his official residence next door. Gu Nianzhi was thinking about the email in her mind, and waved at Lu Jin with a smile. ¡°Dad, I want to go with Huo to see Ms. Song and President Lu.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh...¡±Lu Jin waved his hand. ¡°Then you guys go ahead. I Won¡¯t be going. I¡¯m doing an experiment these few days, and it¡¯s almost done. I have to go make the final observation.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll be hometer.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be toote. You still have to work tomorrow.¡±Lu Jin was very dutiful as a father. In fact, he wouldn¡¯t stop Gu Nianzhi from sleeping in.

    ¡°Got it, Dad. You should go to bed early too.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled as she walked him out.

    Huo Shaoheng followed him out the door and parked his car directly in front of Lu Jin¡¯s official residence.

    After Gu Nianzhi came out, the two of them quickly drove to Lu Yuan¡¯s vi in the West Mountains.

    It was already dark outside, but it was still early. It wasn¡¯t even eight o¡¯clock, and there weren¡¯t many cars on the road. It only took them half an hour to reach Lu Yuan¡¯s vi in the West Mountains.

    On the way, Gu Nianzhi had already called to confirm that Lu Yuan and song jinning were both at home.

    The two of them had just finished their dinner and were about to take a walk on the mountain road to digest their food.

    Lu Yuan heard the anxiety and eagerness in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice when he received the call. He smiled and said, ¡°Sure,e over. Jinning and I will make tea and wait for you.¡±

    Not long after, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng sat in the study room of Lu Yuan¡¯s vi.

    There was a straw-woven coffee table in front of the four of them. Gu Zhuo¡¯s kung fu teacups were ced on the coffee table while song Jinning boiled water and sifted tea beside them.

    ¡°What¡¯s The Hurry?¡±Lu Yuan asked with concern and handed gu nianzhi some tea. ¡°Drink some tea to calm your mind.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi took a sip of tea and looked at Huo Shaoheng. She frowned and said, ¡°Huo Shao, do you want to talk, or should I?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng sat up straight, his expression serious.

    He looked at song Jinning and took out Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. He took a screenshot of the email and showed it to song Jinning and Lu Yuan.

    ¡°Ms. Song, I¡¯d like to ask what grandfather did before he entered the Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±

 Chapter 2212

    <h4>Chapter 2212: Chapter 2212 was such a coincidence (second update)</h4>

    Song Jinning had not expected Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi to arrive sote. They were actually asking about her father, song Haichuan, who had passed away 19 years ago.

    She slowed down her hand gestures and slowly put down the small red y teapot in her hand. She looked at Huo Shaoheng thoughtfully. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for grandfather to be the director of the Institute of High Energy Physics right after graduation, right?¡±Huo Shaoheng pointed at the screenshot of the phone and said, ¡°Have you ever written code before?¡±

    Song jinning frowned. ¡°What code?¡±

    She stuck her head out to look at the screenshot of the email that Huo Shaoheng showed her. She was very surprised. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s The Open Source Software?¡±

    ¡°Not only the open source software, but also this Swiss bank ount.¡±Huo Shaoheng was very familiar with Swiss banks. He had already gotten someone to check this bank ount.¡±... It proves that it was left behind by someone named Song Haichuan.¡±

    This bank ount was the regr bank transfer ount of therge online gamingpany Your Life.

    ¡°There¡¯s also a Swiss bank ount?¡±Lu Yuan was also interested. He thought for a while, he said, ¡°The old director song I know is a very knowledgeable and wise man. He only has experimental research in his heart and doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would secretly open an overseas bank ount for himself.¡±

    ¡°Is he someone like my father?¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°A genius, but not worldly wise?¡±

    ¡°No, old director song is very approachable and treats everyone equally. Not only does everyone in the research institute like to respect him, but even the military personnel who worked with him at the time also praised him greatly.¡±Lu Yuan was the person who had worked with song Haichuan the most back then, this was also the reason why Huo Shaoheng did not avoid him.

    He needed Lu Yuan to provide more information for him to study and judge.

    Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°He¡¯spletely different from my father...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not strange. There¡¯s not only one type of genius.¡±Lu Yuan smiled, ¡°However, there are some simrities between them. For example, their passion for their research career, their rigorous attitude towards research, and their tireless work style. With these things, they can make contributions that others can¡¯t.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded ruefully. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m Smarter Than You, and why I work harder than you, right? !¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you think that way.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi and Lu Yuan were talking beside each other, outlining the general image of Song Haichuan. Song jinning could not calm down when she thought of her father.

    She stood up and paced back and forth in the room, crossing her arms, she muttered to herself, ¡°My father never thought of himself as a genius. He always said, ¡®there is always someone better than you.¡¯He was very open-minded and open-minded. However, he was willing to work with a genius because it would create more sparks of thought and promote technological progress.¡±

    ¡°Then what about this open source software?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender fingers tapped on the phone screen, ¡°This document shows that the author of the open source software is song Haichuan. Although there¡¯s no other evidence, your father¡¯s name is also song Haichuan. If the two are not the same person, this is a coincidence.¡±. ¡°Whether you believe it or not, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it either.¡±Huo Shaoheng frowned. ¡°But if it really was my grandfather, when did he write the open source software and why did he hand it over to the gamepany to develop the game?¡±

    They could see the date of the contract on the document, but they had no way of knowing the motive behind it.

    Song Jinning looked at the document again and suddenly said, ¡°Do you have the open source software? I want to see it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Do you have a way to get it?¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and ask.¡±

    She and Lu Jin had hacked into the online game¡¯s server, but they hadn¡¯t gotten much information.

    ording to their deduction, there should be a difference between the internal and externalworks.

    The important information was ced on the internalwork, and the game was structured on the externalwork. They hacked the externalwork server, but they couldn¡¯t get into the internalwork information.

    But this time, dimir and the others sent people to the Cayman Inds. They should be able to break through the internalwork.

    She sent a message to dimir, asking him about the open source software.

    dimir immediately contacted Peter and Lina, asking them to find the source code, which was said to have only twenty-five lines, and send it over.

    Peter and Lina downloaded all the folders on the open source software server and also found the source code.

    Seeing that dimir had requested it, they quickly sent it over with an encrypted file.

    dimir did not waste a minute and immediately sent it to Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi had already received the open source software in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. She quickly showed it to song jinning and asked excitedly,¡±... do you remember anything?¡±

    Song Jinning also had a certain level ofputer knowledge, and the open source software was a text file for people to read.

    She looked at it for a while, but still did not understand. She asked gu nianzhi, ¡°Do you know what this open source software can do?¡±

    Gu nianzhi quickly exined, ¡°There¡¯s arge-scale online game called Your Life. It¡¯s said that this online game is based on this open source software.¡±

    ¡°Arge-scale online game?¡±Song jinning asked again, ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, this game is a re-enactment of the scene. You can choose some settings toplete a mission, or to put it another way, it¡¯s some of your phased life goals.¡±

    ¡°For example, if I want to be promoted, then I can choose a major, work experience, and Company, as well as a game between colleagues. This is like a life scene. Every choice you make here will point to whether or not your goal is achieved. If you seed, you¡¯ll pass. If you fail, your life will be over.¡±

    ¡°These scenes can ovep with other yers. If everyone chooses a rted setting, for example, if everyone chooses the samepany, then they¡¯ll bepetitors to the yers.¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, that¡¯s it.¡±Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment and added, ¡°This game scene is very realistic, so realistic that it¡¯s almost the same as Reality. Moreover, it was originally a Virtual Reality game, a Virtual Reality game.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had yed this game with Gu Nianzhi before. Later, he had gone there a few times for Zuo Qinghong, he then said, ¡°It¡¯s said that the realism of the game scene has a lot to do with the open source software. The more realistic the scene, the more code is needed, and the greater the requirements on the server.¡±

    ¡°Just like pictures with higher resolution, you need more memory.¡±

    ¡°But the game doesn¡¯t seem to have that problem. It¡¯s been online for years, and there¡¯s almost never a crash.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the twenty-five lines of open source software and was amazed. ¡°It would be amazing to have so many executable programs with just these twenty-five lines of open source software!¡±

    Even her father, Lu Jin, might not have the ability to write code like this..

    Song Jinning came to a realization when Gu Nianzhi said this.

    She walked to her seat and sat down. She tilted her head and looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone. She said thoughtfully, ¡°Now that you mention it, I remember.¡±

    ¡°When my father was young, the only thing he did that was rted toputer programming was to study maic resonance. He used aputer to simte a scene and named it Simtor.¡±

    ¡°Simtor? Simtor?¡±Huo Shaoheng leaned forward slightly, his expression solemn. ¡°As far as I know, Simtor is used the most in nuclear physics. Did Grandfather Study Nuclear Physics before?¡±

 Chapter 2213

    <h4>Chapter 2213: Chapter 2213 was the most powerful and concise (first andst)</h4>

    Song Jinning quickly shook her head and said with certainty, ¡°No, my father has never studied nuclear physics. Although he knows the basics, he has never studied it in depth. This is a different field.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song, can you find the original version of this source code? If it really has something to do with the Simtor that old director song wrote?¡±Gu nianzhi suggested, ¡°Then we have solid evidence.¡±

    ¡°And this contract for the transfer of the open source software. If it really was signed by old director song, he should have a copy of the contract.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart was heavy. ¡°You Mean, you want me to look through my father¡¯s belongings?¡±

    Gu nianzhi nodded in embarrassment.¡±... is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Sigh...¡±song jinning sighed, she said sadly, ¡°Back then, my father used theb as his home and devoted himself to the maic field experiment. He lived and ate in theb building for several years. He didn¡¯t evene home for the new year...¡±

    What she meant was that most of song Haichuan¡¯s ¡°Belongings¡±must have been destroyed in the big explosion.

    Lu Yuan quietly held song Jinning¡¯s hand andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. We¡¯ll think of something together.¡±

    He also remembered that all those years, song jinning had eaten New Year¡¯s Eve dinner with the Huo family. After that, she would pack a bag for song Haichuan and send it over.

    Huo Shaoheng also knew that ever since he could remember, song jinning had personally delivered the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner to Song Haichuan¡¯sboratory building.

    He had once apanied song jinning to deliver it, and the old scientist who had been so engrossed in his experiments had always remembered to give him a red packet even though he was not New Year¡¯s Eve.

    Red Packet... ?

    Huo Shaoheng seemed to have remembered something, and his expression suddenly changed. He said, ¡°Grandfather didn¡¯t leave many things behind. The part that was left behind in the experimental building was indeed destroyed, but the things that he left behind before he cooperated with the military are still there, right?¡±

    Song jinning nodded and said implicitly, ¡°Yes, my father still has a small house. It¡¯s a courtyard house in erhuan. I haven¡¯t been there for many years.¡±

    ¡°There are only some daily necessities for him and my mother. I don¡¯t know how the house is doing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly looked at Lu Yuan and said, ¡°President Lu, could you please go with MS. Song to the courtyard house my grandfather left behind and see if there are any clues?¡±

    ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll go tomorrow.¡±Lu Yuan agreed immediately. ¡°It¡¯s toote today.¡±

    He saw that song jinning didn¡¯t look too good, so he wanted her to rest for the night and calm down.

    Anyway, the courtyard house was there, so she couldn¡¯t run away without legs.

    Lu Yuan had worked with song Haichuan more often, so he naturally knew about the ce. He also knew that song Haichuan had moved most of the useful things away early for the convenience of work.

    So he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to investigate.

    ¡°My mother died young. I grew up with my father.¡±Song jinning sighed. ¡°I still find it hard to believe that my father would do such a thing behind my back.¡±

    Father and daughter had once lived together, so why would they need to hide and lie?

    Gu Nianzhi saw that song jinning seemed to be upset, she quickly said, ¡°Miss song, don¡¯t assume that it was old chief song who did this. In other words, don¡¯t you know what kind of person your father is?¡±

    ¡°I know, but the truth is right in front of us...¡±song jinning smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m a scientist, and I respect the truth the most.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯te to a conclusion about what the truth is yet.¡±Gu Nianzhi calmed down and habitually assumed the mindset of arguing in court. ¡°Even if the transfer contract is true, it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. We need to put the whole picture together to find out what the truth is.¡±

    Lu Yuan nodded approvingly and said gently, ¡°Nianzhi is right. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We can¡¯t rely on this transfer contract to determine elder song¡¯s role in it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll go back first. Are you guys going to my official residence for Dinner Tomorrow Night?¡±

    This meant that they would meet again tomorrow.

    Lu Yuan agreed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you at Six o¡¯clock Tomorrow Night.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Director Lu, Can¡¯t you be there earlier? Can you show us your skills while you¡¯re at it and prepare a meal for us? Just a home-cooked meal. I¡¯m Not Picky!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±.

    Lu Yuan nodded with a smile. ¡°Sure, no problem. I¡¯ll bring the dishes over to cook.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face lit up with a smile.

    After Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi left, song jinning thought of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression and couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to be young. Your face lights up when ites to food. She really likes your food...¡±

    Lu Yuan put his arm around her shoulder and stood side by side on the mountain road, looking at the car lights as they drove away. He said gently, ¡°She¡¯s just trying to calm you down. She¡¯s a good and careful girl. Shaoheng is lucky to have her.¡±

    He turned to look at song jinning and said, ¡°But Shaoheng isn¡¯t as lucky as me.¡±

    Song Jinning was in a gloomy mood, but she was still amused by his words. She smiled. ¡°You¡¯re so poor! Of course Nianzhi is a good girl. Do you have to tell me?¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng returned to the official residence of the Special Operations Forces Headquarters. Lu Jin was still awake, ying on his tablet in the living room, waiting for her to return.

    Hearing the door open, he looked up and saw Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walk in together from the entrance hall. He raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    It was sote. He would first go to Lu Yuan¡¯s house, then return to his official residence together..

    ording to his past habits, if nothing serious happened, he thought Huo Shaoheng would take the opportunity to have Gu Nianzhi stay over at his ce for the night.

    Now that he had obediently sent her back, well, that didn¡¯t make sense.

    Gu Nianzhi had no idea what her old father was thinking. She walked over with a smile and said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re really amazing. You knew something was wrong with just one look?¡±

    She sat next to Lu Jin and took out her phone to show him the 25 lines of open source software. ¡°Take a look again. Are you surprised? Are you surprised?¡±

    Lu Jin smiled and patted her head. ¡°Naughty! What is it? Let me see it.¡±

    He took Gu Nianzhi¡¯s phone and nced at the open source software. He was captivated by it.

    He looked at it again and again and said in surprise, ¡°Who wrote this open source software? It¡¯s amazing! Even I can only write it like this. I Can¡¯t do it with one less symbol!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s concise, smooth, and logical!¡±

    ¡°TSK tsk, the most powerful things are indeed the most concise!¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember Einstein¡¯s mass-energy equation? E equals MC squared. It¡¯s just three letters. In the world of physics, it¡¯s like God created the world!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Lu Jin¡¯s increasingly excited expression in surprise and said in confusion, ¡°Really? This piece of open source software isparable to Einstein¡¯s mass-energy equation?¡±

    ¡°... I¡¯m just making an analogy. I¡¯m telling you that the most powerful things are the simplest.¡±Lu Jin raised his index finger and tapped her forehead, ¡°What are you thinking about? Of course, this piece of open source software can¡¯t bepared to Einstein¡¯s mass-energy Equation!¡±

 Chapter 2214

    <h4>Chapter 2214: Chapter 2214: Huo Shaoheng¡¯s 18-year-olding of age ceremony (second update)</h4>

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead with a smile and grimaced, she said, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this open source software has nothing to do with you? TSK TSK, it¡¯s not easy. One day, you¡¯ll be a worthy opponent. hahahaha!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more cheeky!¡±Lu Jin smiled and rubbed her head. ¡°You¡¯re so happy that a piece of open source software is on par with me? Are You Still My Lady?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m your girl.¡±Gu Nianzhi hugged Lu Jin¡¯s arm and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. That¡¯s why I¡¯m surprised that there¡¯s someone who¡¯s on par with you in a certain way!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡±Lu Jin pushed her head away. ¡°Tell me, who wrote this? Does it have anything to do with your trip to boss Lu¡¯s ce today?¡±

    ¡°Of course it does... do you even need to ask? I can already tell with my knees.¡±Gu nianzhi shrugged and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, do you want to tell me or should I?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had no intention of sitting down. He had something on his mind and nned to work all night. He took the opportunity to say, ¡°Tell me, I¡¯ll go back and take a look and prepare for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up again. ¡°Dad, president Lu ising to Huo Shao¡¯s ce for dinner tomorrow. He can also cook for us!¡±

    ¡°AH? ! Really? !¡±Lu Jin was overjoyed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let Boss Lu Cook for me? My Kitchen hasn¡¯t opened for a long time!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s not that it hasn¡¯t opened for a long time. It¡¯s just that it hasn¡¯t opened for a long time, right?¡±

    Lu Jin snorted. ¡°You only know how to tear things down! Be careful not to eat boss Lu¡¯s dishes tomorrow!¡±

    The father and daughter chatted andughed, not noticing when Huo Shaoheng had already left Lu Jin¡¯s official residence.

    He had always been quiet. If he did not want anyone to know that he was able to leave in public without anyone noticing, then no one else had the ability to do so.

    By the time Gu Nianzhi found out, Huo Shaoheng had already returned to his study.

    He walked to the bookcase that upied the entire wall and reached out to take a small meaty bonsai ced in the shelf on the bookcase. He then pressed the switch and entered the password to open the safe embedded in the wall inside.

    The safe contained some of the things from his youth, which he had taken from the Huo family¡¯s mansion after he became the great general of the special operations forces.

    After hesitating for a while, he reached out to take out an old wooden box from the safe.

    The box looked very simple, and the wood was made of very ordinary camphor wood. It was only covered with ayer of varnish, and it was in and unadorned.

    Huo Shaoheng opened the box and saw a stack of red packets lying quietly inside. There were a total of 12 red packets.

    These red packets were very old-fashioned, and it was obvious that they were from around 20 years ago.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the red packets expressionlessly. After a long time, he put on the translucent stic gloves and took out the red packet ced on top.

    This was also thest red packet that his grandfather, song Haichuan, had given him before the Big Bang. It was song Haichuan¡¯s Last Spring Festival in his lifetime.

    Huo Shaoheng had been with song jinning since he was five years old. He had gone to send Song Haichuan New Year¡¯s Eve dinner every year until song Haichuan passed away. He had been there eight times, and song Haichuan had personally given him eight red envelopes.

    The other four red envelopes were given to him by song Haichuan to give to Song Jinning. Because he was still young at that time, he was too young to go with song Jinning to deliver New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.

    In each red envelope, besides a sum of cash, there was also a note. It was a new year greeting card written by song Haichuan himself.

    Unlike ordinary greeting cards, these cards only had one line of open source software written on them.

    He had seen them countless times when he was a teenager, so he began to studyputer science. Until now, hisputer programming skills were second to none in the world. However, because of his identity, he had never shown them in public, he had never participated in any internationalputerpetitions.

    All of his achievements belonged to the country and the army.

    But no one knew why he was suddenly so interested inputer science when he was young.

    Sitting in front of his desk, he looked at the twelve open source software cards. They were arranged in chronological order. When they were arranged in sequence, they had the same logic as the open source software that he had just seen!

    Unfortunately, there were only 12 lines of open source software. It was obvious that he hadn¡¯t finished writing it yet.

    Since the 25 lines of open source software could support arge-scale online game, what scene was the 12 lines of open source software in his hands pointing to?

    Huo Shaoheng watched quietly. He suddenly had the urge toplete the open source software.

    He took out the 25 lines of open source software that Gu Nianzhi had given him and studied it carefully. Then, he wrote it in the same logical order ording to the 12 lines of open source software that he already had.

    Open source software, open source software, open source software, open source software, open source software, open source software, open source software.

    At dawn, he finally finished writing the entire open source software. There were only 18 lines.

    It took him six hours to write six lines of open source software toplete the entire program.

    He didn¡¯t even know if he had finished writing it, but logically speaking, he had alreadypleted the first twelve lines of open source software.

    After looking at the eighteen lines of open source software that he had just finished on theputer, and then looking at the twenty-five lines of open source software that had generated countless VR game scenes, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, he converted the fourteen lines of open source software that he had just finished into aputer executable, and then used theption engine that specialized in VR games to create a small VR game Demo.

    VR games were currently the hottest virtual reality games. Therge-scale online game, Your Life, was the most famousrge-scale virtual reality online game on the Blue.

    Of course, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s temporary game Demo was only a drop in the oceanpared to Your Life.

    Afterpleting the Demo, he took the VR game helmet that Gu Nianzhi had left with him and put it on. He connected it to theputer with his Bluetooth and entered his own game Demo.

    Gu Nianzhi had bought this VR game helmet specifically to y Your Life. It was also a game helmet that was patented by Your Life.

    It was said that you couldn¡¯t y this game with other helmets, so Your Life wasn¡¯t worried about being pirated.

    This was because you could only y this game with its original helmet.

    The Demo of the mini-game that Huo Shaoheng had created was based on the same logic as Your Life¡¯s open source software. In theory, it could be used with a helmet.

    Huo Shaoheng put on the helmet, connected to the Bluetooth, and entered the Demo of the game that he had created.

    At first, everything was dark. It was as if he was standing in a fog.

    Soon, a warm orange light shone in front of him, bit by bit.

    When he saw where he was, his heart started to race.

    This was the street that he used to be familiar with in the capital. From here, he could go to the Institute of High Energy Physics, where song Haichuan worked!

    From more than 20 years ago, he had apanied song Jinning to deliver New Year¡¯s Eve meals!

    When he was young, Song Jinning was the one who carried him on a bicycle. When he learned how to ride a bicycle, he was the one who carried song jinning.

    More than 20 years ago, he would take this part of the road once every New Year¡¯s Eve, so he couldn¡¯t be more familiar with it.

    Was this the scene his grandfather was going to show him?

    Huo Shaoheng looked around and was suddenly stunned.

    He realized that he was riding a bicycle, and there seemed to be a person in the backseat!

    He didn¡¯t even set up a character image for this simple game Demo. He only wanted to see what kind of game scene it was as a bystander.

    Why was there an NPC?

    He couldn¡¯t help but look back and saw song Jinning¡¯s smiling face.

    She was dressed more than 20 years ago, but her appearance and expression were almost the same as her current appearance.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly startled.

    ¡°What are you daydreaming about? Look at the road ahead. Be careful not to fall.¡±Song Jinning said with a smile in the back seat. She was almost unlike those npcs who were as stiff as wood and only knew how to talk back and forth.

    Huo Shaoheng was certain that song Jinning¡¯s image was an NPC here.

    He was the only yer here, and the game Demo wasn¡¯t connected to the Inte. Therefore, other than him, all the other characters should be npcs.

    But How was this NPC generated?

    He didn¡¯t remember adding any side quests in that short 18 lines of open source software.

    Could it be that the system had automatically generated the open source software when it was converted into a VR game?

    The logic of the open source software was unmatched. No wonder the other 25 lines of open source software could generaterge VR online games that could support hundreds of millions of people at the same time..

    Thinking about it carefully, it was still too incredible.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s emotions were extremelyplicated. He silently turned around and continued to ride his bike.

    When he arrived at Song Haichuan¡¯sboratory at the Institute of High Energy Physics, he knocked on the door.

    The person who opened the door was none other than song Haichuan, who looked exactly the same as he did 20 years ago. His face was filled with the same warm smile as he remembered, and he nodded at him, ¡°Shaoheng, you¡¯re finally here! This is my 18-year-olding-of-age gift for you. Do You Like It?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

 Chapter 2215

    <h4>Chapter 2215: Chapter 2215 short story (first update)</h4>

    So this was the meaning of the 18 lines of open source software?

    Huo Shaoheng had always been calm andposed, and did not show his emotions.

    However, at this moment, in front of him was his grandfather, who had died tragically in the Big Bang 19 years ago. Behind him was his mother, who had once been in her prime and had yet to experience those 18 years of painful torture.

    He suddenly felt that his life wasplete.

    If the faint regrets and disappointments of his youth were all for this moment of reunion, even in the virtual reality game, he still felt that it was worth it.

    Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Huo Shaoheng nodded heavily and said, ¡°Old Song, Happy Spring Festival.¡±

    Song Haichuan, who was sitting opposite him, smiled in satisfaction and nodded. ¡°Happy Spring Festival. I want to go with you to celebrate the New Year this year. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Huo Shaoheng was slightly surprised.

    Was this what his grandfather, Song Haichuan, had wanted?

    Not only did he want to give his grandson an 18-year-olding-of-age gift, but he also wanted to celebrate the new year with them?

    Was this what the 18 lines of open source software wanted to show?

    It was simr to the wish he had buried deep in his heart when he was a teenager..

    When the game reached this point, the scene in front of him started to lose its color and gradually became gray and blurry.

    Song Haichuan and song Jinning¡¯s images also slowly disappeared.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in his study and slowly took off his game helmet.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at theputer that had just finished disying the game Demo on the Blue Screen. He was deep in thought.

    ..

    The next day, Song Jinning woke up and found that Lu Yuan had already woken up.

    She looked at her watch. They woke up more than two hours earlier than usual, but she still hurriedly got out of bed to wash up and went to the dining room.

    Lu Yuan had already prepared breakfast and ced it on the table.

    Song jinning said apologetically, ¡°You woke up so early today. Is there anything else? Why Don¡¯t I Go Alone?¡±

    Lu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s just to apany you. Eat, we¡¯ll go after you¡¯re done.¡±

    Song Jinning smiled at him and quietly finished her breakfast before driving into the city with Lu Yuan.

    The courtyard house on the second ring road of the imperial capital had been passed down from song Jinning¡¯s family for generations. Her name was now written on the property certificate.

    However, she had never returned to the city ever since she had suffered a mental breakdown after the failure of the experiment.

    Gu Nianzhi had cured her of her illness the year beforest, but she had never returned.

    She could not bear the sadness and sadness of being touched by the scene.

    But this time, she could not escape.

    ..

    Lu Yuan turned the car into a small alley.

    The alley was very narrow, but it could still allow a car to drive in one direction. The bluestone road had been built over the years and extended all the way to a light gray gatehouse.

    The gray brick walls were covered with green creepers. The Vermillion Gate was already out of paint and looked dark. However, it contrasted beautifully with the bright creeper.

    Song Jinning got out of the car and heard a loud pigeon whistle.

    She looked up and saw a few gray pigeons flying over the blue sky.

    Lu Yuan also got out of the car and walked to song Jinning¡¯s side. He said with emotion, ¡°Is this elder song¡¯s Home?¡±

    Ever since he had worked with song Haichuan, he had never seen him go back to his own home.

    Song jinning nodded slightly. ¡°Come in.¡±

    She took out a brass key that had not been used for a long time from her handbag and went to open the old-fashioned lock on the door.

    She did not know if the lock was too old or if her hands were not strong enough. She tried several times but could not put the key into the lock.

    Lu Yuan looked at it for a while and took the key from her hands. He said gently, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    His hands were steady and strong. Soon, the lock was unlocked and he pushed the door open.

    The door frame creaked and some dust fell.

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t care and immediately walked in.

    There was a small patio inside, with a stone table in the middle and three stone stools. There was a well in the southwest corner of the courtyard. It hadn¡¯t been used for many years, and the well had been sealed.

    There was a grape rack on the east side of the courtyard, and no one cared for it. The vines had long withered, and a few withered branches on the rack looked like ancient vines.

    Song Jinning turned a blind eye to all of this. She walked directly to the main door of her father¡¯s house, pushed the door open, and walked in.

    The things inside had almost been emptied. The door was unlocked, and no one came in.

    A thickyer of dust had umted on the ground. Every time she walked, there was a clear footprint.

    Song Jinning walked around the house and soon found an old-fashioned rattan box under the desk by the window. It looked at least fifty years old.

    She looked at the rattan box and said faintly, ¡°This is my mother¡¯s dowry. When I was young, I often saw my father sitting alone in the courtyard, rubbing the box with one hand while drinking tea.¡±

    Lu Yuan knew that song Jinning¡¯s mother had passed away early. From the beginning of her memory, she had relied on her father, song Haichuan, to support her. Her father had raised her.

    However, this did not mean that she had no feelings for her mother.

    On the contrary, under song Haichuan¡¯s influence for many years, song jinning still had a strong admiration for her absent mother.

    The rattan box had been caressed countless times, and it had the texture of paste.

    She half-squatted down and dragged the rattan box out. She touched the password lock and entered the password.

    ¡°This is the lock that my father changedter on. We decided on the password together,¡±song Jinning said in a low voice, her eyes already starting to moisten.

    Lu Yuan did not speak, quietly apanying her.

    Song Jinning took a deep breath and opened the box.

    The things inside were very simple. Most of them were her mother¡¯s belongings.

    A pearl flower, pearls that had already turned yellow, and a jadeb. The quality of the Jade was very ordinary, with faint cracks.

    There were also a few silk handkerchiefs embroidered with words that did not even reach the end of the word.

    Then there was a thick stack of letters, written in an old-fashioned envelope with a brush.

    On each letter, it was written, ¡°My wife, Huai Zhen, has been appraised.¡±.

    Song jinning said in surprise, ¡°My mother¡¯s name is Huai Zhen. These are the letters my father wrote to My Mother?¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at them and said,¡±... These letters have not been mailed.¡±

    There was no stamp from the post office on them, nor were there any stamps on them.

    Song Jinning was slightly startled. She looked at them silently for a while and realized that the envelopes of these letters were not sealed. She could not help but pull out the letter paper inside and read it.

    ¡°Huaizhen,

    how are you?

    Ah Ning is three years old today. She asked me where her mother is and emphasized to me not to use those lies to deceive her.

    ¡°She¡¯s only three years old, and she already knows what lies are. She¡¯s really smart.¡±

    The letter was very short, just like recording daily trivia. Besides, Song Haichuan was a standard scientist, and he didn¡¯t use too much rhetoric.

    Every sentence was simple and unadorned.

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t help but open another letter.

    ¡°Huaizhen...¡±

    ¡°Today is your birthday, but unfortunately, I can¡¯t celebrate your birthday anymore.

    ¡°But I¡¯ll always remember that every year on your birthday, I¡¯ll Cook you a bowl of longevity noodles.

    ¡°You can¡¯t eat it. I¡¯ll eat it for you. It tastes good.¡±

    Song Jinning looked at the letters as if she could see every detail of her and her father¡¯s lives back then. She couldn¡¯t control herself and read the letters one by one.

    ¡°Huaizhen...¡±

    Ah Ning was six years old. It was her first day of school. When she came back, she told me that she didn¡¯t want to go to the first grade. She wanted to go to the third grade.

    ¡°I brought her to take the jump exam. In the end, she went straight to the fourth grade with full marks.

    ¡°If you were still alive, would you be happy to see our daughter so smart?

    ¡°I know that you don¡¯t regret giving birth to her, even if it means losing your life.

    ¡°I¡¯m very sad to lose you, but I won¡¯t vent my anger on her.

    ¡°I love you, and I love the most precious gift you gave me in this world, our daughter.¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s hand loosened, and the letter slowly fell to the ground. She looked at Lu Yuan with tears streaming down her face, she sobbed and said,¡±... I don¡¯t know... I thought father only had experiments in his heart... I¡¯ve always followed my father¡¯s example... I¡¯m actually far inferior to him...¡±

    Lu Yuan held her in his arms andforted her as he helped her put back the letter she had opened.

    Just as he was packing up thest letter, another piece of paper fell out from inside. On it were lines of open source software!

    They were all handwritten, and it was obvious that they were written in song Haichuan¡¯s handwriting. Lu Yuan¡¯s heart sank as he stared at the piece of paper, unable to take his eyes off it.

 Chapter 2216

    <h4>Chapter 2216: Chapter 2216 the game world is so big, I want to take a look (second update)</h4>

    Although Lu Yuan was not aputer expert, his memory was very good and he had gone through special training. He could almost remember everything.

    He could tell at a nce that these lines of handwritten code were the same as the 25 lines of open source software that Gu Nianzhi had shown them on her phone.

    To confirm, he quickly took out his phone, found the email that Gu Nianzhi had forwarded, and clicked on it.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s heart sank as he read through the lines of open source software.

    So these 25 lines of open source software were really written by song Haichuan!

    And judging from the signature and time on the manuscript, it must have been written by song Haichuan when he first started working with the military at the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    ¡°Jinning, take a look at this.¡±Lu Yuan patted song jinning on the back to get her to look up.

    Song Jinning turned around from Lu Yuan¡¯s embrace and saw the manuscript with open source software written on it.

    She only took a nce at it and recognized that it was the 25 lines of open source software that Gu Nianzhi had shown in her email!

    ¡°How can this be? Did My father really transfer it to that gamingpany? !¡±Song Jinning was shocked and wanted to take the open source software manuscript from Lu Yuan. ¡°But this is indeed my father¡¯s handwriting.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±Lu Yuan quickly put on his gloves and put the open source software manuscript into a transparent stic bag, handing it to song jinning.

    Song Jinning looked at the signature and time, and said in a low voice, ¡°Look here. At that time, my father only started to cooperate with the military, right?¡±

    Lu yuan nodded, ¡°This fits. I remember you said that your father once used aputer to simte a scene in order to study maic resonance, and named it Simtor.¡±

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen that program before because it¡¯s rtively early. Hister research doesn¡¯t need aputer simtion anymore.¡±

    ¡°If this program is your father¡¯s Simtor, and it¡¯s exactly the same as the game¡¯s open source software...¡±Lu Yuan looked down at song jinning. ¡°Have you thought about how many connections there are?¡±

    Song Jinning was speechless.

    ..

    The two of them brought the important manuscript they had found from Lil Sis¡¯courtyard house to the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces.

    They were supposed to go to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence as guests, but Lu Jin stopped them halfway.

    He stood at the intersection to greet them, and forced Lu Yuan and song jinning to go to his house.

    Fortunately, he lived next door to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. It was only a few steps away, so Lu Yuan didn¡¯t bother with him.

    Lu Yuan parked the car at the door and led the obviously depressed song jinning into the living room.

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi stood up at the same time.

    ¡°President Lu, Ms. Song.¡±

    The two of them greeted each other with a smile.

    Gu Nianzhi noticed that song Jinning¡¯s face was pale and her eyes were still red. It was obvious that she had cried before.

    ¡°Ms. Song, this way. What would you like to drink?¡±Gu Nianzhi walked over considerately and helped song jinning sit down with her arm.

    Song jinning muttered: ¡°Whatever, clear water on it.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi brought her a bottle of pure water.

    Lu Yuan greeted Huo Shaoheng, then said to Lu Jin and gu nianzhi, ¡°I still need to go to your specialty store to buy some food. Can you two take me there?¡±

    Lu Yuan actually knew where the Special Operations Forces¡¯special supply store was, but he wanted Huo Shaoheng to talk to song jinning alone, so he wanted to take Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin with him.

    Lu Jin happily agreed, but Huo Shaoheng kept gu nianzhi with him. ¡°General Lu, take director Lu with you. Nianzhi, help me apany Ms. Song.¡±

    Lu Yuan understood and nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with General Lu.¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s military rank was now general.

    After going out with Lu Yuan, Lu Jin asked curiously, ¡°What exactly did you discover? You Can¡¯t even listen to me?¡±

    Lu Yuan nced at him and smiled. ¡°You know about it too? I was just worried that you¡¯d spout nonsense.¡±

    ¡°PFFT! When did I spout nonsense?¡±Lu Jin looked at Lu Yuan with disdain and scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I have many more secrets than you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. General Lu holds the ultimate secret of the universe, okay?¡±Lu Yuan joked, he then exined, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to hear it, I¡¯ll tell you right now. It has to do with old superintendent song. Jinning might want to talk to Shaoheng about somemon things. You and I are both outsiders, so it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t listen.¡±

    ¡°My Girl is also an outsider, so how can she listen?¡±Lu Jin muttered. ¡°You¡¯re discriminating against people with severe interpersonal disorder...¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    He rubbed his forehead. ¡°Your Daughter is Shaoheng¡¯s wife, Jinning¡¯s daughter-inw, and old superintendent song¡¯s granddaughter-inw. How can she be an outsider?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, there hasn¡¯t been a wedding yet. This doesn¡¯t count! It doesn¡¯t count!¡±

    Lu Jin had a strange ability to ¡°Make you happy if you want to¡±and ¡°Make you angry if you want to¡±.

    ..

    In the living room of Lu Jin¡¯s official residence, Song Jinning took out the open source software manuscript that was in a transparent stic bag and ced it on the coffee table in front of her.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked at each other and thought to themselves, it really is song Haichuan¡¯s open source software.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was particr about evidence, dismissed herst bit of hope and reached for the manuscript.

    She saw the signature and time first, and quickly asked, ¡°At this time, what is old director song doing?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw it too. Without waiting for song jinning to answer, Huo Shaoheng said, ¡°At the Institute of High Energy Physics, I just started working with the military to study maic resonance.¡±

    There was no need to exin why he wanted to study maic resonance.

    Song jinning nodded. ¡°At that time, I had just entered the Institute of high energy physics to help my dad. This is the open source software I told you about. He named it Simtor.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go over the timeline.¡±Gu Nianzhi took out the tone and attitude she had used in organizing the evidence in court and said in a businesslike manner, ¡°First of all, Old Director Song coborated with the military to study maic resonance.¡±

    ¡°In order to reconstruct the scene, he came up with a way to simte it using aputer, so he wrote this open source software called Simtor.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±Gu nianzhi pressed, ¡°What scene did he simte? Have you seen it before?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head. ¡°I only remember father saying that the simtion had no practical significance to the research.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°How do you mean it has no practical significance?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics. Since it has no practical significance, I don¡¯t care. We¡¯ll only do things that have practical significance to the research.¡±Song Jinning¡¯s voice was still a little choked up, she wiped her nose with a tissue from the coffee table.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the open source software and didn¡¯t say anything. She couldn¡¯t figure it out, and logic spun in her head, as if she had walked into a dead end.

    Huo Shaoheng thought of the game Demo he had made and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we use this open source software to make a game Demo and see what kind of scenario it simtes?¡±

    Song jinning rubbed her eyes and said, ¡°Why would it be so troublesome? Didn¡¯t the gamepany make arge-scale online game based on this open source software? I heard that the game world is so big, so I wanted to go and take a look...¡±

    After all, it was her father¡¯s open source software that had created the game world. She was eager to experience it and also wanted to see why her father had transferred it to the online gamepany.

    Also, she wanted to know how the online gamingpany had created such a huge game system with twenty-five lines of open source software.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly realized that things had changed. She nodded vigorously and said with a smile, ¡°Good Idea! Shall we y that game after dinner? Ms. Song, I¡¯ll take you flying!¡±

 Chapter 2217

    <h4>Chapter 2217: Chapter 2217. No refunds or exchanges for goods</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have much time today, so I can¡¯t y games.¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, exin the rules of the game to Mrs. Song first. Let her familiarize herself with the game guide. We¡¯ll y it during the weekend when there¡¯s a more rxed time. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and take a look.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi agreed and exined the rules of the game to song jinning so she could familiarize herself with the interface. They had agreed to invite song jinning to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence this weekend, and the two of them would go to therge-scale online game, Your Life, to take a look.

    While song Jinning was looking through the game guides by herself, Gu Nianzhi also sneaked into the kitchen.

    Lu Yuan and Lu Jin were still not back from the grocery store.

    Huo Shaoheng was alone in the kitchen, and had already started cooking.

    Gu Nianzhi cheerfully went up to him and hugged him from behind. She smiled and said, ¡°Huo Shao is cooking too? I¡¯m so lucky today. What are you cooking?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her hand. ¡°Let go first. I made some pasta for you and Ms. Song. Be careful not to spill oil on your hands.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled and let go of her hand. She stuck her head out to take a look.

    It was just a normal pine fungus, but after using oil, it was a delicious mushroom oil. It was the most fragrant when put into noodles.

    Huo Shaoheng must have noticed that song jinning didn¡¯t look too well and had a terrible appetite. He had deliberately made something to appease her.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that it was all thanks to Song Jinning, but she didn¡¯t bite off more than she could chew.

    She smiled and said, ¡°Noodles are easily digestible, and light and delicious noodles can heal the stomach and intestines.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her, his eyes full of smiles.

    He really liked this about Gu Nianzhi. Just like Lu Jin, as long as she had something good to eat, everything was negotiable.

    After a while, Lu Yuan and Lu Jin came back, and Lu Yuan started to cook.

    However, when it was time to cook, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s clear noodles with turpentine oil and chicken soup was the most popr dish.

    Not only did song jinning eat two bowls in a row, Lu Jin even ate three bowls in a row.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s craftsmanship is amazing! Do you still have the turpentine oil? If you can¡¯t Cook in the future, I¡¯ll have the orderly make me a bowl of noodles with the turpentine oil. It¡¯ll be delicious and filling!¡±

    Lu Jin was full of praise for Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu nianzhiughed and joked, ¡°Dad, these noodles are especially fattening. The ratio of carbohydrates is too high, so it¡¯s not suitable for you to eat so much at night!¡±

    ¡°PFFT, your dad doesn¡¯t have the fat gene, so no matter how much you eat, you won¡¯t gain weight! What are you afraid of?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt her hands itchy. For the first time, she understood how Lu Jin felt when he insulted her.

    Showing off in front of ady that she didn¡¯t have fat genes and wouldn¡¯t gain weight no matter how much she ate, was asking for a beating!

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and scooped a spoonful of Soup for Gu Nianzhi. He ced it in the soup bowl and said, ¡°I skimmed the oil for this soup. It¡¯s healthy and nourishing, and can also help you lose weight.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s anger instantly turned into joy. She smiled as she picked up the Soup Bowl and took small sips. She even winked at Lu Jin proudly. ¡°Dad, What¡¯s the Big Deal if you don¡¯t have fat genes... I can still lose weight with chicken soup, that¡¯s the real beauty!¡±

    Lu Jin red at her, he said, ¡°Silly Girl! Your Dad has weight loss genes, so naturally you have too. What kind of weight loss chicken soup do you want? I can trick you into leaving with just three melons and two dates, so a girl has to be rich! Otherwise, I don¡¯t know when a man will trick her into leaving!¡±

    However, she quicklyughed again and gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up.

    Only her son-inw could coax that picky and sophisticated girl into being happy.

    Lu Jin was bing more and more satisfied with Huo Shaoheng.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, pursed her lips.

    That was right. How could she have forgotten that she had the ¡°Perfect gene¡±!

    She definitely did not have the ¡°Fat gene¡±!

    Lu Jin was in a good mood after eating his fill. He turned to Lu Yuan and said proudly, ¡°Boss Lu, Shaoheng¡¯s cooking skills are better than yours. You have to work harder!¡±

    Lu Yuan did not even look at him. He smiled at Huo Shaoheng and said, ¡°It¡¯s actually very difficult to make home-cooked dishes that are very delicious. Shaoheng, you¡¯ve worked hard in this area and your culinary skills have improved to another level. I don¡¯t think I can keep up with you.¡±

    Lu Jinughed heartily and said, ¡°Boss Lu, learn quickly! If you can¡¯t Cook as well as Shaoheng in the future, you¡¯ll have to change your title as Boss!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly at Huo Shaoheng and blinked. ¡°Dad won¡¯t have to worry that I won¡¯t be able to eat President Lu¡¯s food anymore! Huo Shao¡¯s food is even better!¡±

    What kind of logic was this?

    Huo Shaoheng scooped a bowl of crab soup made by Lu Yuan for her. ¡°Eat well, don¡¯t tter me.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi made a face and ate happily.

    Lu Jin asked as he ate his son-inw¡¯s meticulously prepared food, ¡°Shaoheng, how¡¯s the wedding nning going? It¡¯s only a month away.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost done. The rehearsal for the wedding has been arranged. The program for the official wedding day is still in testing.¡±Huo Shaoheng spoke as though he was writing code.

    Gu Nianzhiughed to herself. ¡°Where¡¯s my dress? I sent it twicest time. How many more times?¡±

    ¡°Take good care of your body. Don¡¯t grow any longer.¡±Huo Shaoheng gave Gu Nianzhi an unreadable look.

    Gu Nianzhi was just about to retort when she suddenly remembered her bra that had loosened up again this morning. She looked at Huo Shaoheng guiltily. ¡°I¡¯m eating! You¡¯re deliberately not letting me eat properly!¡±

    She had gained weight recently, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere else. It was where she was supposed to be fat.

    She didn¡¯t know why, but her waist was still as thin as ever, and her legs were still as slender as ever. The only difference was that her curves were even more undting like mountains..

    Lu Jin understood what the couple was trying to say, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He was secretly proud of himself.

    The perfect gene that he had modified for his daughter should be called the perfect female gene!

    For women, it could truly achieve the great historical goal of having their flesh grow where it was supposed to be!

    However, he did not want to exin to Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. He could just let the two of them mess around and save himself some trouble.

    ..

    Actually, the closer they were to the wedding, the more nervous Gu Nianzhi became.

    If possible, she wanted her wedding to be small-scale, warm, and intimate, celebrating only with people she was familiar with.

    Of course, she was only thinking about it.

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s status, it was unlikely that anyone would marry him in such a small and almost non-existent wedding.

    Thinking about it, Gu Nianzhi felt a little sour again.

    Although she had already received her marriage certificate for almost two years, she still did not feel like she was married.

    On the contrary, she began to have the ¡°Pre-wedding phobia¡±that ordinary brides had. She was even a little anxious.

    ¡°Huo Shao, will you always love me?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, won¡¯t you get tired of me?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, after we get married, will our rtionship return to normal?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, our love has faded. can marriage really be sustained by familial love?¡±

    ..

    All of these could be written down as 108 questions for the bridegroom before marriage!

    Huo Shaoheng did not feel annoyed, but he did not answer her either.

    Did these questions need to be answered?

    He asked as if they had only just met.

    They were not engaged in a quickie marriage, so what was the point of asking these questions?

    Gu Nianzhi could not help but think otherwise when Huo Shaoheng did not answer.

    ¡°... Huo Shao, you¡¯re not tired of it already, are you?¡±

    ¡°Did you marry me because of pressure?¡±

    ¡°Are you worried that if you don¡¯t marry me, my father will quit?¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, have you ever loved me?¡±

    That night, when Gu Nianzhi started talking about Huo Shaoheng again, Huo Shaoheng quietly put down theptop in his hand and turned around to press her onto the bed.

    ¡°I have a present for you. I wanted to wait until the night of the wedding to give it to you, but today is the day.¡±

    He lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

    Gu Nianzhi was dizzy from his kiss the whole night and allowed him to do whatever he wanted. It wasn¡¯t until dawn that she remembered what she had said the night before. She asked in a daze,¡±... What Gift do you want to give me?¡±

    ¡°I already gave it to you.¡±Huo Shaoheng leaned against the headboard and admired Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sleepy,zy and sexy posture. He pulled the nket for her. ¡°I won¡¯t return the goods if they go out.¡±

    ¡°No Returns? You¡¯re a profiteer!¡±Gu Nianzhi grumbled unhappily. She closed her eyes and rubbed against Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side. It was only when she leaned against his thigh that she remembered what Huo Shaoheng was saying.

    She suddenly opened her eyes.¡±... You Didn¡¯t use a condom yesterday? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stopped gu nianzhi from struggling to get up. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. I¡¯ll give you another gift.¡±

    He leaned over and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll just give it to you. What are you panicking about?¡±

    She still wanted to resist, but Huo Shaoheng whispered in her ear,¡±... give me a child, huh?¡±

    His voice was deep and hoarse, with a hint of forbearance and restraint.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t resist Huo Shaoheng¡¯s flirtatious voice at all, so she could only lie down and let him ¡°Give it to me.¡±.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s 21st birthday woulde after her wedding.

    It might be a little early for most modern women to have children at this age, but judging from her physical condition, she was already prepared to have children.

    However, she had never thought about this before. She wanted to have more romantic rtionships with Huo Shaoheng.

    The image of a steady husband and wife with a chubby child, regardless of their son or daughter, was too shocking for her.

    She sat in Lu Jin¡¯sboratory, holding a panda pillow in her hands. She frowned and said,¡±... I¡¯m still a baby myself! Why do I have to have a child after getting married?¡±

    Actually, she knew that with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s age, he should indeed have a baby.

    But she was not mentally prepared.

    Lu Jin¡¯sboratory was very high-security. With Lu Jin¡¯s methods, it could even bepared to top-secret ces in the world.

    It was absolutely safe for father and daughter to talk here.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi was also more unscrupulous. She dared to say anything and could say anything.

    As long as Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t here, she wasn¡¯t worried that her words would be heard by Huo Shaoheng.

    Moreover, there were only her and Lu Jin in this room.

    If her old father didn¡¯t trust her, who else could she trust?

    Lu Jin looked at her with a smile and said with emotion, ¡°Sure! Shaoheng actually wants to get there in one step. Great! I support him!¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡±Gu Nianzhi dragged out her voice. ¡°Which country are you from? I¡¯m yourdy!¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi, are you afraid that having a baby will ruin your figure? Or Are You Afraid of pain? I can solve both of these problems.¡±Lu Jin spoke in a serious and scientific manner, ¡°If you¡¯re afraid that having a baby will ruin your figure, I can artificially inseminate you and find a surrogate.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re just afraid of pain, believe me, a painless delivery is really painless. You can have a baby after a nap.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡±She said angrily, ¡°Of course I want to have my own baby. I don¡¯t want someone else to do it for me!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s eyes fluttered as he said awkwardly, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine as long as the fertilized egges from the parents. It doesn¡¯t matter who gave birth to it... the paternity test only verifies DNA, not the pregnancy container...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought about her birth and red at Lu Jin, but she held back.

    She didn¡¯t want to upset Lu Jin by mentioning Qin Suwen, and she didn¡¯t want to disgust him by mentioning Qin yaoguang.

    This topic couldn¡¯t continue. Gu Nianzhi remembered that tomorrow was the weekend, and she was going to y games with song Jinning in Your Life. She immediately changed the topic. ¡°Dad, do you want to y with us?¡±

    Lu Jin obviously did not want to go. He was not very interested in games, so his experiment was less fun.

    However, Gu Nianzhi and song jinning were not simply ying games this time. They wanted to find out if there were any clues left behind by Song Haichuan, and find out why he had transferred the 25 lines of open source software, there was also the issue of the Swiss bank ount.

    Lu Jin thought about it for a moment and reminded gu nianzhi, ¡°I have something to do tomorrow. When you and Miss Song enter the game, remember to connect with each other. This is Miss Song¡¯s first time ying such arge-scale online game. Don¡¯t scare her.¡±

    ¡°TSK, it¡¯s just a game. It¡¯s not real. Even if she dies, she can stille back to life.¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think much of it.

    She was the first generation of online children, so online games were nothing out of the ordinary for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you, I¡¯m talking about Miss Song.¡±Lu Jin pointed at her forehead in disdain. ¡°This is something rted to her father. She¡¯ll definitely be very excited. You have to remember to protect her in the game.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. With my abilities, I¡¯ll definitely make Miss Song addicted to the game!¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±...¡±

 Chapter 2218

    <h4>Chapter 2218: Chapter 2218, the Big Boss, was still a passerby (first update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi was thinking about going to y games with song Jinning on the weekend, so she was absent-minded for the rest of her shift.

    Finally, it was Saturday. Lu Yuan brought song jinning to the headquarters of the special operations forces once again.

    This time, they did not go to Lu Jin¡¯s official residence, but to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    Huo Shaoheng was still worried. He said to song jinning, ¡°My grandfather once left me 12 red packets with open source software on them. I made up the logic and got six lines of open source software. There was a total of 18 lines of open source software.¡±

    ¡°... There was open source software in those red packets?¡±Song Jinning had almost forgotten. ¡°Does your 18 lines of open source software have anything to do with the 25 lines of open source software in this game?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng wasn¡¯t too sure either. He thought for a moment, ¡°The logic is exactly the same, although the specific instructions are different.¡±. ¡°But I used the 18 lines of open source software to create a simple game Demo. I went in to y it, and in the end, I saw my grandfather from more than 20 years ago in the game that the system generated.¡±

    Of course, there were also song Jinning¡¯s npcs, but Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t say.

    Song Jinning was excited when she heard that. She said, ¡°Will I really be able to see my father? ! Then I¡¯ll have to give it a try!¡±

    The equipment to y the game was in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng each had a VR gaming helmet. Song Jinning had wanted to buy one for herself, but she had not expected that this type of helmet could not be bought anywhere. She had to ce an order to order it, and it would arrive two weekster.

    Song Jinning couldn¡¯t wait any longer and decided to borrow Huo Shaoheng¡¯s VR helmet.

    They arrived at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study. Only song Jinning and Gu Nianzhi went in, while Lu Yuan waited outside.

    Huo Shaoheng briefly exined the usage of the VR helmet to song jinning, then exhorted gu nianzhi again, ¡°Take good care of Ms. Song. You¡¯re the King in the game, and Ms. Song is just a rookie.¡±

    Song Jinning, Rookie Ning:¡±...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°No problem. My dad already said that once. How worried are you guys about Ms. Song? With me around, you¡¯re worrying for Nothing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng patted her head. ¡°Send the coordinates to my ount after you enter. I¡¯ll see if I can borrow another VR helmet.¡±

    Since the game had now been confirmed to be rted to his grandfather, song Haichuan, Huo Shaoheng felt that he needed to reevaluate the game.

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡±Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t think too much about it and nodded cheerfully. She couldn¡¯t wait to put on her VR gaming helmet.

    After the game helmet was turned on, it would be connected to the Bluetooth on theputer to log in to the online gaming system.

    Song Jinning also put on the VR game helmet.

    She had been reading the game guides for the past few days and had been fully prepared.

    After turning on the helmet, it was quickly connected to the Bluetooth on theputer. Everything in front of her was dark, and then gradually turned from dark to light.

    Looking through the sses on the VR helmet, she found that her ce had changed. It was no longer Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study, but a small room like a studio.

    Everything in the room was translucent, hanging in mid-air, waiting for her to choose.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice came through the headset of her gaming helmet. ¡°Ms. Song, I¡¯m Here!¡±

    Her gaming ount had been friended by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaming ount, so Gu Nianzhi received a notification the moment Ms. Song used Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ount to log in.

    A control panel appeared in front of Ms. Song. ¡°Your friend has sent out a party invitation.¡±

    Song jinning quickly clicked ¡°Agree.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi instantly appeared in song Jinning¡¯s small room.

    ¡°Ms. Song, which game scenario do you n to y?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked excitedly.

    ¡°Any scenario?¡±Song Jinning had seen so many game guides, so she wasn¡¯tpletely unfamiliar with the game, but looking at the guides was different from ying it herself.

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°You can try to find the same elements to restore the scene. Ms. Song, which scene do you want?¡±

    Song Jinning Thought for a moment and said, ¡°I want to meet my father.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This was too difficult!

    ¡°... Director song isn¡¯t an NPC, nor is he an ordinary yer. How are you going to meet him?¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered, but still suggested, ¡°You should find a more realistic target.¡±

    Song Haichuan¡¯s words meant that it was unrealistic to want to meet song Haichuan in the game!

    Song jinning retorted, ¡°Shaoheng just said that his grandfather from more than 20 years ago can be seen in the game Demo he made.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had heard it too, but she felt that the two situations were different.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s 18 lines of open source software were clearly song Haichuan¡¯s intended 18-year-olding-of-age gift to Huo Shaoheng. It was not surprising that song Haichuan¡¯s NPC image was present.

    However, song Haichuan¡¯s 25 lines of open source software were a solid pir of support for the entirerge-scale online game Your Life. There were countless game scenes generated from it. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s game Demo wasparable to the entirerge-scale online game, it was really not enough.

    Even if song Haichuan¡¯s NPC was really hidden in the game, it was still an NPC that was very well hidden.

    It was either a big Boss or a very inconspicuous passerby.

    From song Haichuan¡¯s personality, Gu Nianzhi felt that he would probably design himself as a passerby. The most important thing was to participate.

    If Lu Jin was the one who nned the open source software, he would definitely design himself as a big boss. There was no doubt about that.

    However, even though gu nianzhi ¡°Didn¡¯t agree,¡±she silently swallowed her words when she saw song Jinning¡¯s delighted expression.

    She did not want to hurt song jinning.

    A person without dreams was no different from a salted fish?

    Gu Nianzhi changed the subject. ¡°You just got here. Why Don¡¯t I show you around First?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±Song Jinning looked at the options for a long time, but did not know which one to choose to take her to see her father.

    Song Jinning did not know why, but she had a strong feeling that she would be able to see her father, who had passed away neen years ago, in this game.

    Even though she did not know how to find him.

    Gu Nianzhi made the decision to choose a few essential scenes.

    ¡°Time: three years ago, on the eve of the postgraduate entrance exam.¡±

    ¡°Location: the Feng family¡¯s vi in Dexin precinct.¡±

    ¡°Characters: the Feng Family Sisters and a group of npcs.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had just fought Feng Yixi, who had changed her identity to ¡°Yi Xinyan¡±a while ago, and had brought her to justice. She had felt something, so she had subconsciously chosen the incident where she had be enemies with Feng Yixi.

    After choosing the scene, Gu Nianzhi pulled song jinning into the game.

    The scene before them quickly changed again. They were facing the Feng family¡¯s vi, which was Feng Yixi¡¯s birthday party.

    Gu Nianzhi put on the evening gown she had worn that day and walked in with a big smile on her face.

    Song Jinning, on the other hand, was dressed as an ordinary guest and followed behind Gu Nianzhi.

    She saw Gu Nianzhi holding a ss of wine and talking to someone. She watched as a few lewd men surrounded her.

    One of the men reached out and pped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder. The pear-shaped diamond ring on his finger, which was the size of a mahjong tile, reflected the brilliance of the crystal chandelier.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned her body sideways and tilted her shoulder slightly to avoid the man¡¯s touch. At the same time, she swept her leg backward and tripped the man to the ground. Then, she quickly grabbed the man¡¯s arm, she pped the back of his hand on his face.

    The series of movements were smooth and natural.

    The man screamed and flopped on the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi let go of her hand and quickly jumped to the side to avoid being affected by the man¡¯s screams.

    Song Jinning gasped.

    Gu Nianzhi spoke to her through her earpiece, ¡°Ms. Song, I defeated the person who harmed me in the past. The game is over. We have to get out.¡±

    Song Jinning noticed that her vision had suddenly darkened as soon as she finished speaking. She opened her eyes again and found that she had returned to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study.

    Gu Nianzhi took off her helmet and smiled. ¡°How was it? Miss song, How was your first game experience?¡±

    Song Jinning was full of praise. ¡°It was so realistic! The quality of the video was so good! It was like you were in the real world!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! are online games so good these days?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi giggled. ¡°No other online game is as good as this, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so popr!¡±

    She had just randomly selected a few elements and hadn¡¯t expected the scene to be exactly the same as she remembered it to be.

    Gu Nianzhi really thought song Haichuan¡¯s open source software was amazing!

    Song Jinning also thought it was fun. She put on her gaming helmet in high spirits. ¡°Nianzhi,e, I¡¯ll show you where I want to go.¡±

 Chapter 2219

    <h4>Chapter 2219: Chapter 2219 you can stay here forever (second update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi took out a bottle of pure water from the mini fridge and took a sip. She nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s y another round!¡±

    She also wanted to see what scene song Jinning wanted to y.

    She put on her gaming helmet and associated it with song jinning. She waited for her to choose the time, ce, and character.

    After the option was submitted, Gu Nianzhi habitually saw her vision go ck. When it lit up again, she was standing in front of a courtyard house with song jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi was very curious, but did not ask further.

    Song Jinning took the initiative to exin to her,¡±... This is my childhood home. I came here a few days ago to look for the manuscript.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi understood. ¡°You want to see your childhood home? To see if your father is inside?¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s an NPC here, it can only be my father,¡±song Jinning said simply and pushed open the dark vermilion door.

    The creeper on the wall was lush and verdant, exactly the same as the one she had seen a few days ago.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°This game¡¯s scenery can even change ording to the seasons in real life? That¡¯s amazing...¡±

    How much memory and subroutines would that require..

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it as an expert, and her admiration for song Haichuan grew.

    This was really a case of ¡°The expert sees the door, theyman sees the show.¡±.

    Song Jinning had already walked in and saw a man sitting in front of an empty stone table and chair in the courtyard. He looked to be in his fifties, his hair was white, and he had a pot of tea beside him, on the other side was the rattan box.

    It was the image of her father, song Haichuan, from more than twenty years ago.

    Song Jinning¡¯s tears immediately gushed out.

    She ran over quickly to the man and said, ¡°Dad.¡±

    The man nced at her, then slowly stood up and looked at her in confusion. ¡°What did you call me?¡±

    ¡°Dad! I¡¯m Jinning! Don¡¯t you remember me?¡±Song Jinning¡¯s heart was pounding, and she reached out to hold the man¡¯s hand.

    His hand was warm and dry, just like how she remembered it.

    The man¡¯s expression was a nk and gentle expression unique to npcs.

    He let song jinning hold his hand and repeated mechanically, ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s Your Name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Jinning, Song Jinning, your only daughter. Don¡¯t you remember me?¡±

    ¡°Song jinning? My Daughter?¡±NPC song Haichuan repeated mechanically.

    Then, as if something had unlocked the program and given life, NPC song Haichuan¡¯s eyes grew brighter and brighter. He no longer looked like a standard NPC.

    He sized up song jinning carefully and asked again, ¡°You¡¯re my only daughter, Jinning? How Old Are you this year? When were you born? What¡¯s Your Mother¡¯s name? Do you remember them all?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Of course I Remember!¡±Song Jinning answered the NPC, Song Haichuan, excitedly.

    Gu Nianzhi watched from the side. She was calmer than song jinning, like a bystander.

    She had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she also felt that this might be the backdoor song Haichuan had left for the game. Only those who knew the secret key would be able to crack the final secret he had left in the game.

    Of course, perhaps there were no secrets at all. This was just a part of the game to make it more interesting.

    Lu Jin had once told Gu Nianzhi that sometimes thinking too much was also a sign of mental illness. In academic terms, it was called ¡°Anxiety Disorder.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about Lu Jin¡¯s wondrous theory and smiled.

    After song Jinning answered the question, the NPC song Haichuan was obviously much more active. He grabbed song Jinning¡¯s hand and said excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s jinning! It really is jinning! Come, I want to show you something!¡±

    As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and tapped on the air.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    He was obviously pulling out his control panel to change the scene..

    Gu Nianzhi quickly increased the connection to song Jinning¡¯s ount and even opened the husband and wife settings.

    This setting allowed both parties to find each other¡¯s coordinates at any time.

    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long for the scene before Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes to turn gray. The father and daughter who had been standing in the courtyard talking about old times had disappeared.

    The courtyard house slowly disappeared in front of Gu Nianzhi. She was kicked back into the small room where she had just entered the game and returned to her original state.

    Gu Nianzhi was furious.

    What the F * CK was this? !

    Did she think that all those years she had spent on the Inte were for nothing?

    Did she think that her nickname of ¡°Online Child¡±was fake? !

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pulled out her control panel and began to locate song jinning, which was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ount.

    At that moment, she was extremely d that song jinning had not used her new ount and had instead used Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Otherwise, she would not have known where she was in the game.

    Even though she had activated the ¡°Husband and wife¡±connection feature, Gu Nianzhi still took more than ten minutes to use Lu Jin¡¯s hack to locate song jinning.

    The control panel in front of her finally lit up, and the name of Song Jinning¡¯s location appeared: ¡°Institute of High Energy Physics.¡±.

    Gu Nianzhi was both angry and amused.

    She had to hand it to the father and daughter. They had finally reunited in the game, and instead of catching up and bonding, they were going to the Institute of high energy physics to conduct experiments!

    Gu Nianzhi quickly chose the same scenario as song Jinning and instantly arrived at song Jinning¡¯s location.

    It was indeed theboratory of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

    Gu Nianzhi was no stranger to thisboratory. This was song Jinning¡¯s office.

    It must have been song Haichuan¡¯s office in the past?

    So it was not surprising that the father and daughter hade to this ce.

    In theboratory, NPC song Haichuan and song jinning were both wearing white coats.

    NPC song Haichuan sat in front of theboratory table. In front of him was not aputer, but a dense mass of electronicponents.

    Gu Nianzhi felt like she was about to have a panic attack at a nce.

    But the NPC, Song Haichuan, waspletely engrossed in fiddling with the instrument.

    Song Jinning was also watching from the side, intoxicated.

    Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes speechlessly. She quietly walked over and tugged at song Jinning¡¯s sleeve.

    Song Jinning came back to her senses and saw that it was Gu Nianzhi. She made a ¡°Shhh¡±gesture at her and said very softly, ¡°My dad is doing an experiment. Don¡¯t disturb him...¡±

    ¡°What experiment? This isn¡¯t a maic field experiment, is it?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t old director song do a maic field research?¡±

    ¡°It seems to be a simple electromaic experiment. It¡¯s not a high-energy maic field, but it¡¯s the foundation of a maic field,¡±song jinning whispered and went up to ask the NPC song Haichuan a question.

    However, the NPC was now immersed in the experiment andpletely ignored song jinning.

    Gu Nianzhi found it interesting and said, ¡°This NPC ignored you? I was so shocked when he suddenly took you away just now that I thought I¡¯d lost contact with you.¡±

    Song jinning quickly apologized, ¡°I was so excited just now that I forgot to take you with me. After I came here, I was so engrossed in watching him do the experiment again.¡±

    ¡°What exactly was the experiment? He even specially made a scene and personally brought you here...¡±Gu Nianzhi was an experienced gamer, she exined to song jinning, ¡°It was like a hidden plot was triggered and a new dungeon was opened.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    ¡°No way! Wasn¡¯t this the scene i chose?¡±Song Jinning looked around. ¡°I remember this ce, and I also remember when my father used to sit at a table and do this electromaic experiment. It was exactly the same as this scene.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She went to observe the NPC, Song Haichuan, and finally noticed something amiss.

    The NPC, Song Haichuan, had been repeating his series of actions, as if he was trying to weld something together.

    ¡°... what exactly does this electromaic experiment do? Why does it keep repeating itself?¡±Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled. ¡°The thing in his hand looks like an upside-down bowl. It¡¯s quite big, and also looks like a baseball cap.¡±

    Song Jinning had seen song Haichuan make this thing with her own eyes when she was young, so she wasn¡¯t surprised, she smiled and said, ¡°My father¡¯s previous research interest was electromaic resonance, so he made a lot of results. ¡°The thing he¡¯s making now is just a small gadget. It¡¯s used for brainwave detection, or brainwave detector for short. It¡¯s also patented.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    ¡°What did you say? What was that thing again? !¡±

    ¡°A brainwave detector...¡±song jinning saw Gu Nianzhi getting excited, she quickly smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. This brainwave detector wasn¡¯t sessful. Do you know how weak brainwaves are? This device waspletely useless. At that time, the technology could only roughly sense the brainwaves and draw a wave curve. ¡°Later, my father gave up and turned to maic resonance.¡±

    Just as she finished her sentence, the NPC song Haichuan who was doing repeated experiments suddenly emitted a burst of white light.

    His entire body was trapped in the white light, bing more and more illusory, like a blurry shadow.

    When the illusory almost turned into a puff of smoke and was about to disappear, the puff of smoke suddenly began to condense again, allowing his image to turn from illusory to real again, and begin to materialize.

    Song Haichuan, the NPC who had almost disappeared from the experiment table, was back.

    The white light gradually faded, and his image returned to normal. No, not just normal, but much younger. His gray hair had turned ck, and the wrinkles on his face were gone. He was back to his prime in his thirties.

    He was elegant and handsome. He turned to look at song jinning and said with a smile, ¡°Jinning, you¡¯ve finally found this ce. You can stay here forever and do experiments with Father!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She turned to look at song jinning, only to see the fervent and devout expression on her face, as if she had been bewitched.

    The NPC, Song Haichuan, stretched out his hand, and song jinning walked toward him like a puppet.

    ¡°Miss Song! Miss song! What are you doing? !¡±Gu Nianzhi panicked and contacted song jinning through her earpiece, trying to stop her from walking over.

    Song Jinning did not see Song Haichuan in his whiteb coat. Instead, she saw her young father and her mother, who had only seen photos, standing side by side in front of her and opening their arms to her.

    It was human nature to yearn for the love of a father and a mother.

    Song Jinning could not refuse such an invitation.

    She was overwhelmed with memories. She walked forward step by step, trying to reach the other side of happiness.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t change song Jinning¡¯s decision, no matter how much she shouted or pushed her.

    At that moment, Song Jinning¡¯s five senses and six senses werepletely blocked. She couldn¡¯t hear, see, or feel Gu Nianzhi¡¯s obstruction.

    Gu Nianzhi was in utter despair.

    She still didn¡¯t know what had happened, but her years of gaming intuition told her that if she didn¡¯t let song Jinning walk past, there would be a trap ahead!

    It wasn¡¯t as simple as failing to clear the game and getting kicked out of the game.

    But what was worse was that her cheat was useless. She couldn¡¯t stop song jinning at all.

    What should she do?

    She thought of Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s warnings, and the consequences if song Jinning got into trouble in the game. She was burning with anxiety.

    She couldn¡¯t let anything happen to song jinning, absolutely not.

    In the blink of an eye, she caught a glimpse of a folding chair that wasmonly seen in theboratory. She picked it up and threw it at theboratory table behind the NPC song Haichuan!

    With a boom, theboratory table emitted blue and purple lightning. The light rose and fell, and the image of the NPC song Haichuan began to fade again. It was like the image on an old crystal television screen, distorted because the signal was not strong.

    Song Jinning stopped in her tracks, as if she had sensed something.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled herself together, picked up the chair again, and continued to smash theboratory table behind the NPC song Haichuan into pieces!

    Just as the image of the NPC, Song Haichuan, disappeared for a brief moment, Song Jinning¡¯s five senses and six senses returned.

    Gu Nianzhi realized that she could use her cheat now. She immediately made a move and forcibly cut off song Jinning¡¯s connection, kicking her out of the game.

    However, when she was about to cut off her connection, she realized it was toote.

    The NPC, Song Haichuan, had returned. He stood in front of her angrily.

    Her plug-in waspletely disconnected.

    She couldn¡¯t get out.

 Chapter 2220

    <h4>Chapter 2220: She was the one who had been in trouble in chapter 2220</h4>

    Although it was in the game, Gu Nianzhi had pushed song jinning so hard that she couldn¡¯t help staggering and falling to the ground.

    She felt a sharp pain in her head and couldn¡¯t help crying out in pain.

    She raised her hand to touch the VR gaming helmet on her head and realized that she had already logged out of the game.

    It was as if her arm had been lifted by a heavy weight and couldn¡¯t move at all.

    She struggled to take off the helmet and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

    Actually, it wasn¡¯t just her forehead. Song Jinning was sweating all over.

    The scene in the game just now made her heart beat furiously, as if she had really experienced the scene just now.

    But it was clearly a virtual game. It wasn¡¯t real. It was an illusion brought about by the 3D visual effects.

    Song Jinning used this to convince herself repeatedly, and gradually calmed down.

    She turned to Gu Nianzhi, who was beside her, and said,¡±... Nianzhi...¡±

    She was stunned.

    She had thought that Gu Nianzhi had exited the game with her.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was lying motionless on the ground. She was still wearing the VR gaming helmet, but her posture was definitely not normal.

    Song Jinning¡¯s heart sank.

    She was so exhausted that she couldn¡¯t even stand up. However, when she saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s appearance, the ominous feeling in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

    Therefore, she used both her hands and feet to desperately crawl over.

    ¡°Nianzhi! Nianzhi! What happened to you? !¡±

    Song Jinning pushed Gu Nianzhi, but Gu Nianzhi still didn¡¯t respond.

    She was lying on the ground, unconscious. She seemed to have fainted.

    Song jinning panicked and shouted, ¡°Lu Yuan! Shaoheng! You guys areing in! Nianzhi... Nianzhi¡¯s in trouble!¡±

    Song Jinning had barely finished her sentence when Lu Yuan, who had been standing guard at the door, kicked Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study open.

    The door to his study had a security system. Lu Yuan¡¯s forced entry immediately set off the rm system in the room, like the sound of ten police cars sirens.

    Huo Shaoheng, who was reading up in another office, heard the sound and immediately knew that something had happened to Gu Nianzhi and song jinning.

    He didn¡¯t even have time to get out from behind his desk. Instead, he jumped up and ced one hand on the desk. He jumped over the desk and pounced towards the door.

    He knew there was something wrong. He had seen song Haichuan¡¯s image in the game Demo he had created, and he knew something was wrong!

    He hoped that song jinning would be fine. He hoped that Gu Nianzhi would be alert enough to bring song jinning back safely.

    Huo Shaoheng was very confident in Gu Nianzhi¡¯sputer skills and online gaming skills.

    Moreover, it was in his study, one of the safest ces in the entire empire. He was not worried about Gu Nianzhi and song Jinning¡¯s safety.

    But something must have happened.

    Huo Shaoheng thought to himself. It was only after he entered the study that he realized how wrong he had been.

    The door to the study was wide open, and a few heavily armed special forces soldiers were already standing guard at the door with guns in their hands.

    Seeing him approach, they quickly raised their hands and saluted, ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and quickly walked in.

    In his study, where Gu Nianzhi and song jinning had just logged into the game,y a person in red and ck sportswear. It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s outfit for the day.

    Lu Yuan was kneeling beside her on one leg, reaching out to remove the game helmet on her head.

    ¡°What happened?¡±Huo Shaoheng rushed over, half-kneeling on one leg and lifting gu nianzhi up, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Song?¡±

    Lu Yuan had already taken off her gaming helmet.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was exposed. It was unusually pale and her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

    She pursed her lips tightly and closed her eyes. Shey motionlessly in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms like a lifeless statue.

    Huo Shaoheng quickly checked her breathing and held her wrist to feel her pulse.

    Luckily, she was still breathing and her pulse was still beating. It was just slower than normal.

    It looked like she had just fainted.

    Song Jinning leaned against the wall and said weakly, ¡°Shaoheng...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and saw song jinning. He had not expected that song jinning would be fine and that Gu Nianzhi would be the one in trouble.

    ¡°Miss Song, what happened? Why did Nianzhi Pass Out?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head with a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Nianzhi didn¡¯te out because she wanted to save me.¡±

    ¡°... didn¡¯te out?¡±Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan looked at each other. They both wondered if song jinning had lost her mind.

    ¡°Nianzhi is still in that game,¡±song Jinning insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t turn off the game. If you turn it off, she¡¯ll nevere out.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Song, what nonsense are you talking about? !¡±Huo Shaoheng held back until the veins on his forehead popped out. He carried Gu Nianzhi in his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll take her back to her bedroom.¡±

    At the door, they ran into Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze, who had rushed over from their dorm.

    ¡°Huo, what happened? There was an rm here just now. We all received it.¡±

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s personal secretary. They would keep an eye on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s condition at all times.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s residence suddenly sounded the rm. They would receive the news no matter where they were.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing little ze and I didn¡¯t leave the base today.¡±Yin Shixiong fanned himself with his hands as he asked, ¡°Why did Nianzhi Pass Out?¡±

    Shey motionless in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s arms, looking extremely meek and obedient.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were used to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usual lively and cheerful appearance. They were not used to seeing her like this at first sight.

    Zhao liangze quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll call Chen Lie.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Tell him toe right away. He¡¯ll be court-martialed in less than ten minutes!¡±

    He carried Gu Nianzhi back to her suite. In less than five minutes, Chen Lie was panting as he carried his medical kit over.

    ¡°Huo Shao, you¡¯re so cruel! It¡¯s the weekend today! What if I¡¯m not at the base?¡±

    Yin Shixiong scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s the point of a single dog like you having a weekend? If you¡¯re not at the base, where are you going? It¡¯s not like you have to date anyone...¡±

    ¡°Hey! A single dog has rights! Why Can¡¯t you have a weekend? You¡¯re just jealous of US single dogs!¡±Chen Lie mocked Yin Shixiong as he carried the medical kit to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side.

    He stood beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and bent down to carefully ce her on it.

    ¡°Let her see what¡¯s going on.¡±Huo Shaoheng stepped aside and let Chen lie examine Gu Nianzhi¡¯s body.

    Chen lie opened the medical kit that wasparable to a small-scale war hospital and began to examine Gu Nianzhi.

    ¡°Blood pressure, normal, slightly lower.¡±

    ¡°Heartbeat, normal, slightly slower.¡±

    ¡°Pulse, normal, slightly slower.¡±

    ¡°... it doesn¡¯t seem to be a big problem.¡±Chen lie mumbled as he checked, but the expression on his face was getting more and more serious.

    Zhao liangze asked puzzledly,¡±... There¡¯s no big problem? Then why are you crying?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s no problem, but her condition definitely doesn¡¯t seem to be fine!¡±Chen Lie was like a tongue twister, and Zhao Liangze was almost confused by him.

    ¡°Continue the examination.¡±Huo Shaoheng was a little impatient. ¡°Go through the EKG, CT, and X-ray.¡±

    ¡°All of them?¡±Chen lie clicked his tongue. ¡°Fine! The Chief has spoken. Take her to the hospital for a checkup!¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±Huo Shaoheng waved his hand. ¡°If you have the equipment, bring it over.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to get a CT scan!¡±Chen lie shouted. ¡°That thing is too big!¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no need for a CT scan. Let¡¯s do an EKG and an X-ray first.¡±Huo Shaoheng raised his hand.

    Chen lie quickly went out to make a call.

    Not long after, the ambnce from the headquarter of Special Operationforces¡¯encampment ground hospital arrived with the medical equipment that Chen Lie wanted.

    Chen lie quickly converted Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom into a multi-purpose ward.

    The EKG equipment, breathing apparatus, and all kinds of professional equipment for body testing were arranged in an orderly manner.

    Lu Yuan saw her at the door and the corners of his mouth twitched. He said, ¡°Shaoheng, do you need to do this? Nianzhi might just be exhausted. She¡¯ll probably be fine after a night¡¯s rest.¡±

    He half-carried song jinning and said, ¡°If doctor Chen is free, can you also check on her?¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head. Her voice was hoarse and weak. ¡°No need. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be fine after I Sit Down.¡±

    Chen lie looked back and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get a nurse to do a preliminary check-up on Ms. Song. I¡¯ll check on Ms. Song after I¡¯m done with Nianzhi. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, no problem.¡±Lu Yuan nodded and took song jinning to the living room to rest and wait.

    Chen lie used the equipment to check on Gu Nianzhi, but couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with her.

    Her vital signs were normal, except that they were slightly slower than normal. However, she was currently unconscious and her body had self-protection functions, so she couldn¡¯t be said to be in a bad condition.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine?¡±Huo Shaoheng sat down beside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

    ¡°She should be fine.¡±Chen Lie put away the medical kit.

    ¡°When will she wake up?¡±Huo Shaoheng was still a little worried.

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say.¡±Chen lie nced at Huo Shaoheng and said with a mischievous smile, ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll wake upter. Maybe she¡¯ll wake up in two weeks...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t done it before. What are you worried about?¡±Chen lie almostughed out loud.

    Gu Nianzhi had been drugged for only two weeks?

    Therefore, even though Chen Lie was worried, he wasn¡¯t particrly worried.

    Huo Shaoheng knew what he was talking about, but he didn¡¯t agree with him.

    This time, the situation was different. It waspletely different.

    He looked at Gu Nianzhi silently for a while before standing up and walking to the living room. He asked song jinning, ¡°What exactly happened just now? Tell me again from the beginning to the end. be very careful and don¡¯t miss any details.¡±

    Song Jinningposed herself and slowly recounted everything that had happened after entering the game with Gu Nianzhi.

    When song Jinning mentioned that song Haichuan had done a ¡°Brain wave detector¡±, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression changed. He suddenly stood up and ran back to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. He said to Chen Lie, who was about to leave, ¡°Check her brain waves!¡±

    ¡°Do you have a device that can check Nianzhi¡¯s brain wave? !¡±

    Chen lie was shocked. ¡°She didn¡¯t hit her head. Why would she check her brain wave?¡±

    ¡°If I told you to check, then check! Do you want to die by talking so much nonsense? !¡±Huo Shaoheng grabbed Chen lie by the neck and almost pulled him out of the ground.

    Chen lie had never seen Huo Shaoheng so agitated. He couldn¡¯t be angry. He only knew that something big had happened. He struggled to say, ¡°I¡¯ll go get the device! Put Me Down!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng let go of his hand. Chen lie coughed and made another call.

    At that moment, Lu Jin also came over from his official residence. He asked curiously, ¡°What happened? I heard that your rm went off? Did Nianzhi go to the kitchen again?¡±

 Chapter 2221

    <h4>Chapter 2221: Chapter 2221 was all over the inte with this headline</h4>

    Lu Yuan and song jinning were in the living room. When they heard this, they raised their heads to look at Lu Jin.

    Song Jinning¡¯s face was strangely pale, and her eyes were a little red and swollen. She must have just cried.

    Lu Yuan, who had always maintained a gentle smile, was now extremely serious.

    When Lu Jin saw their expressions, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that something had happened.

    His gaze swept past song jinning and slowly turned to Lu Yuan. His expression turned cold as he enunciated each word, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen to Nianzhi?¡±

    Song Jinning was speechless. She only pointed in the direction of the second floor.

    Lu Jin ran like a mad man and rushed to the second floor. He happened to see rows of armed secret service agents standing in the corridor. There were even more people at the door of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s previous bedroom and suite.

    ¡°Nianzhi!¡±Lu Jin shouted and rushed to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room.

    The Secret Service agents at the door raised their guns in unison and aimed them at Lu Jin.

    <sub></sub>

    They were Huo Shaoheng¡¯s men. They would not let anyone in without Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were also standing guard at the door. Seeing this, they quickly said, ¡°He¡¯s one of us! One of us! He¡¯s general Lu, Nianzhi¡¯s father. Let him in!¡±

    When Huo Shaoheng was not around, Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze were able to represent him.

    Therefore, when Yin Shixiong gave the order, these people stopped one by one.

    Lu Jin red at them, pushed everyone aside, and entered the house.

    Huo Shaoheng had already heard Lu Jin¡¯s voice, so he quickly came out of the inner room to wee him.

    ¡°What happened to Nianzhi? ! Tell me quickly!¡±Lu Jin grabbed Huo Shaoheng, his eyes red. ¡°She better be fine! I brought her here, not to... to let her...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say thest few words, as if he was afraid that once he said it, it woulde true.

    Huo Shaoheng understood his feelingspletely and quickly brought him to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bed, he quickly said, ¡°Nianzhi had some problems ying Your Life online and has been in aa. I¡¯ve already asked Chen lie to set up an instrument to measure her brain waves.¡±

    Lu Jin was relieved when he saw Gu Nianzhi lying there. The instrument showed that she was still breathing and her heart was still beating.

    As long as she was still breathing, there wouldn¡¯t be a big problem.

    Lu Jinposed himself and didn¡¯t look back. He stretched out his hand in Chen Lie¡¯s direction. ¡°Gloves.¡±

    Chen lie was like a god to Lu Jin. When he saw Lu Jin, he couldn¡¯t help but stand at attention. He wanted to shout ¡°Long live chief Lu!¡±!

    As long as Lu Jin gave the order, he wished he could kneel on the ground andplete the mission.

    Lu Jin only wanted gloves, but Chen lie handed over his entire medical kit with both hands.

    Lu Jin nced at it and took out gloves to put on. He then stretched out his arms. Chen lie understood and quickly took out his spare whiteb coat to put on Lu Jin as well.

    Lu Jin lowered his head slightly. Chen lie very cooperatively put on the hat and mask for Lu Jin.

    The series of movements were as smooth as flowing water. Huo Shaoheng watched from the side and felt that it was rather ridiculous.

    Chen Lie, who had been a miracle doctor since the beginning, was actually able to learn how to be a good nurse without a teacher..

    Lu Jin finished putting on his clothes and re-examined Gu Nianzhi, he asked Huo shaoheng, ¡°Tell me everything from beginning to end. Wasn¡¯t she ying online games with Ms. Song? Why is Ms. Song Fine? Why is nianzhi the one who¡¯s in trouble?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng told him everything that song Jinning had told him.

    His memory was already very good, and he had undergone special training to be able to ¡°Remember everything¡±.

    He repeated every word that song jinning had said.

    When he finished, Lu Jin¡¯s test was done.

    The results were the same as Chen Lie¡¯s.

    Lu Jin said with a straight face, ¡°Where¡¯s the EEG monitor? Why hasn¡¯t it been delivered yet?¡±

    Chen lie quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll Rush It! I¡¯ll rush it right away!¡±

    After Chen Lie left, only Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng were left in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room. Everyone else was waiting outside the door.

    Huo shaoheng quickly said, ¡°Uncle Lu, what do you think about this? Is there any advanced technology that can achieve such an effect?¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s face was dark as he said, ¡°As far as I know, the brain waves are too small. It¡¯s very difficult for any device to truly capture the brain waves. As for an online game that can make her lose consciousness, that¡¯s even more incredible.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded and said calmly, ¡°I thought so too. That¡¯s why when I first saw Nianzhi lying on the ground, I didn¡¯t think of the brain waves.¡±

    ¡°I only thought of the brain waves after I heard what Ms. Song Said and then contacted Nianzhi¡¯s condition.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your idea is correct. When other reasons are not valid, then the most ridiculous reason is the only reason. This is a very simple method of elimination.¡±Lu Jin finished speaking, he heard a voice at the door.

    Chen Lie hade with an instrument to measure brain waves.

    ¡°This way, this way. You guys push gently. This is the equipment that our hospital spent tens of millions to get.¡±Chen lie looked at the staff pushing the instrument over with a pained expression.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin took over the instrument and did not let them in.

    After closing the door, Lu Jin personally connected the equipment to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brain and began to measure her brainwaves.

    As expected, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s brainwaves were t, almost without any fluctuations.

    ¡°How is this possible? !¡±Chen lie shouted first, ¡°This, this, this! This kind of brainwave curve, it¡¯s either a vegetable or a dead person!¡±

    ¡°Bah! Your whole family is a vegetable!¡±Lu Jin turned around and sneered at Chen lie, ¡°If your eyesight is bad, then go and get another pair of sses. Can¡¯t you see that there are fluctuations here? !¡±

    Chen Lie¡¯s round nose almost touched the disy screen, and only then did he see a little fluctuation, which was almost the same as the slight curvature of the ink line on the white paper.

    ¡°... This can also be called brain wave fluctuation?¡±Chen lie muttered in his heart, but he didn¡¯t dare to say it out loud.

    Lu Jin stood next to the Brainwave meter and suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the study to take a look.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng followed him out and said to Chen lie, ¡°Look after this ce. Don¡¯t let anyone in.¡±

    Chen lie nodded heavily. ¡°Don¡¯t Worry!¡±

    Lu Jin strode into the study and asked someone to call song jinning up.

    Lu Yuan was worried and followed him into the study.

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, song jinning, and Lu Yuan were all there.

    Song Jinning picked up her VR gaming helmet and began to show Lu Jin how she had entered the game with Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng had already said it once, but it was still different to watch song jinning rey it.

    However, when Song Jinning wanted to log into the game again, Lu Jin stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t y this game anymore.¡±

    Song jinning said anxiously, ¡°But if you don¡¯t log back into the game, how are you going to get Nianzhi Back?¡±

    She still stubbornly believed that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s consciousness, or rather, her brain waves, had been trapped in the game.

    Lu Jin frowned as he pondered. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on. What if we rashly barge back in and get into trouble again? Nianzhi gave up her chance to leave the game to let you out, and you¡¯re just going to waste it?¡±

    Song jinning blushed, but she was also worried. She would rather push Gu Nianzhi out herself than Gu Nianzhi push her out.

    It was a pity that she had no experience. This was her first time ying such a game. Otherwise, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten so out of hand.

    Lu Yuanforted song jinning as he handed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s VR gaming helmet to Lu Jin. ¡°This is her helmet. See if you can find any clues.¡±

    Lu Jin saw that the little red dot was still there when he received it. He eximed, ¡°It¡¯s still on?¡±

    Lu Yuan was about to turn it off.

    Lu Jin grabbed his hand and pushed it away. ¡°What are you trying to do? !¡±

    ¡°... I think this helmet is still on...¡±Lu Yuan was confused. ¡°Can¡¯t you turn it off?¡±

    Song Jinning also remembered and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Even the game is on!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng had wanted to turn off theputer, but Song Jinning had stopped him.

    Lu Jin nodded and said to song jinning, ¡°Fortunately, Ms. Song, you¡¯re notpletely hopeless.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes shed. He walked over to look at hisputer, then bent over to turn on the backup power under the desk. He said, ¡°This ce needs to be under strict supervision now. No one can touch myputer.¡±

    ¡°Theputer needs to be turned on, and this helmet can¡¯t be turned off either.¡±Lu Jin stroked the helmet and carefully ced it on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s desk. ¡°Is there a power source? Plug the helmet into the power source and keep it charged.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng quickly found a charging socket and plugged it into Gu Nianzhi¡¯s VR gaming helmet.

    Lu Yuan held song Jinning¡¯s hand and stood to the side with a solemn expression. He asked, ¡°Do you really think that Nianzhi¡¯s condition has something to do with this online game and the helmet?¡±

    He continued, ¡°If this crappy online game is really so powerful, why do we have to work on a special front? It¡¯s as powerful as a flying sword taking someone¡¯s head from thousands of miles away. Who Needs to risk their lives?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not understand what this online game had to do with Gu Nianzhi¡¯s condition, but he still agreed with Lu Yuan¡¯s words.

    He believed in science, but he didn¡¯t believe in supernatural powers.

    There was a clear distinction between the two, and their boundaries couldn¡¯t be easily blurred.

    Lu Jin sneered. ¡°Boss Lu, I¡¯m not as good as you at cooking, but you can¡¯tpare to me when ites to science. If I say it¡¯s rted to them, it¡¯s rted to them! I don¡¯t ept rebuttals!¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s rebuttal? We just need to find out the reason and save Xingnianzhi,¡±Lu Yuan said calmly. ¡°If you say it¡¯s rted to them, then what¡¯s the reason?¡±

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s a reason, but I haven¡¯t thought of it yet,¡±Lu Jin said righteously. He turned to look at the VR gaming helmet in song Jinning¡¯s hand and reached out. ¡°Ms. Song, let me see your gaming helmet.¡±

    Song Jinning quickly handed it over.

    Lu Jin was about to take the helmet and dissect it for research when Zhao Liangze suddenly barged in with a pale face. Holding his phone, he nervously said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao! Have You Seen the news? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who told you to barge in? !¡±

    Zhao liangze quickly backed out and shouted at the door, ¡°Report! I have important news to report!¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±Huo Shaoheng suppressed his anger. ¡°You¡¯d better have something rted to Nianzhi to report!¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, look at this! The whole country, no, the whole world is going crazy! It¡¯s all over the Inte!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Zhao Liangze¡¯s phone and his pupils constricted.

    He grabbed Zhao Liangze¡¯s phone and handed it to Lu Jin without thinking. ¡°General Lu, look at this.¡±

    Lu Jin took a look at it and paused for a moment beforeing back to his senses, he shouted, ¡°Shaoheng! Get Someone to release the National News! Tell anyone who ys this game not to turn off the game at home! Don¡¯t turn off the helmet! Keep it charged!¡±

    Lu Yuan and song jinning looked at each other. They didn¡¯t know what news had caused Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin¡¯s expressions to change.

    Lu Yuan couldn¡¯t help but go over to take a look as well.

    On Zhao Liangze¡¯s phone, there was a huge red headline that covered almost half of the screen.

    ¡°Your Life, a major online game, is in mortal danger!¡±

    ¡°Many online gamers have suddenly lost consciousness. Their lives are in danger!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng turned on the television. All the television stations were filled with headlines and hot news.

    Without exception, it was all about therge-scale online game Your Life.

    On the television screen, the families of the yers who had lost consciousness were crying their eyes out in front of the camera.

    ¡°Save my child!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with this game? ! Why Is it like this? !¡±

    The news anchors were sadly reporting cold numbers.

    ¡°ording to today¡¯s statistics, around 10 million of Your Life yers have lost consciousness in the country, and around 50,000 of them have been diagnosed dead.¡±

    ¡°There are a total of more than 100 million Your Life yers around the world, and at least 50 million have lost consciousness, which is the total number of people online in this online game half an hour ago.¡±

    ¡°Half an hour ago, all the online yers in Your Life virtual online game have lost consciousness and are unconscious.¡±

    ¡°The number of deaths is rising steadily.¡±

    ¡°All countries are urging the person-in-charge of Your Life toe out and exin the situation. There have even been demonstrations around the world, demanding that the government step in and severely punish Your Life online gamepany, which treats human lives like grass.¡±

    ¡°This is Huaxia Television headquarters reporting for you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng saw this and immediately called General Ji.

    Three minutester, a major piece of news spread through Huaxia Television headquarters, as well as various online media outlets, to the entire country and even the world.

    ¡°If you have family and friends who happen to be yers who have lost consciousness in Your Life, please don¡¯t turn off the game! And Don¡¯t turn off Your helmet!¡±

    ¡°Stay energized until we find out why!¡±

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2222

    <h4>Chapter 2222: Chapter 2222 we can only tell the truth</h4>

    Lu Jin sat in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, checking her brain wave data while listening to the news on TV.

    When he heard the news broadcast, he seemed to remember something. He suddenly stood up and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Keep an eye on Nianzhi. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    He rushed out of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence and returned to his own residence next door.

    He returned to his study in his official residence, turned on his quantumputer, and began to calcte the data.

    Five minutester, he returned to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s suite in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence. He said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Hurry up and send another message. Tell those who have been diagnosed dead not to be cremated immediately!¡±

    ¡°Connect to the venttor, turn on theputer, put on the gaming helmet, and wait!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood up in shock. ¡°What? ! People who have already been diagnosed dead can be saved? !¡±

    Lu Jin choked, his hands unconsciously tapping against each other. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but from the medical point of view, these people who have been diagnosed dead should be brain dead, and brain dead is the most unstable state.¡±

    ¡°Based on the impact of this game on the brain waves, I think as long as those people are still alive, they might still be saved!¡±

    <sub></sub>

    Because the number of deaths involved in this game was too high, it caused very intense social unrest in various countries.

    If what Lu Jin said was true, then it really was ¡°Saving a life is better than building a seven-tiered pagoda.¡±.

    Huo Shaoheng immediately nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go find them!¡±

    He left Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom and took a car to the military headquarters to look for General Ji.

    General Ji was also holding an emergency meeting at the moment.

    There were too many people affected throughout the country. Even if they didn¡¯t have one at home, there were always colleagues, neighbors, or rtives who were affected.

    When a living tragedy suddenly happened before their eyes, ordinary people couldn¡¯t bear the impact.

    They would choose to do things that they would not normally do to vent the fear in their hearts.

    General Ji wasmunicating with the garrisons in various ces and was ready to move out at any time. Before the situation became irreparable, he was doing hisst stand for the Order of this society.

    After Huo Shaoheng arrived, general ji immediately let him in.

    ¡°Shaoheng, is there any other news?¡±

    The news that Huo Shaoheng had sent earlier had been of some use, and the death toll had started to plummet.

    When General Ji saw him enter, he immediately looked at him with hope, wishing that he coulde up with a solution immediately.

    He had even thought that as long as Huo Shaoheng could resolve this crisis, he would immediately retire and give up his position to him!

    Huo Shaoheng was a little embarrassed by General Ji¡¯s gaze. He pursed his lips, he said, ¡°Not yet, but our experts suggest that the families of those who have been diagnosed dead should not immediately cremate their bodies. We can reconnect them to the venttor, turn on the game, and put on their helmets.¡±

    ¡°AH? What are you doing?¡±General Ji frowned. ¡°If they still can¡¯te back to life, you have to know that the consequences will be even more severe.¡±

    It was one thing to have no hope, but it was the cruelest thing to give people hope and then destroy it. Of course, the consequences would be even more severe.

    It wasn¡¯t that Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t understand this, but at this time, he couldn¡¯t just think about his political future and the consequences.

    So many lives were at stake, and he couldn¡¯t step on them to rise higher.

    Even if there were many risks, he had to do it.

    ¡°I know. So, General Ji, save as many as you can. I will take full responsibility for this matter.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng stood tall and straight in the advanced meeting room of the military headquarters. He gave a standard military salute to the military bigwigs in the meeting room and said, ¡°Please agree to my request!¡±

    Huo Guanchen sat in the meeting room with his son, his emotions extremelyplicated.

    This was a crisis that was beyond everyone¡¯s imagination. If he didn¡¯t handle it well, Huo Shaoheng might even go to court martial.

    But if he handled it well..

    Huo Guanchen narrowed his eyes, and there was a hint of viciousness in them.

    He knocked on the table and said righteously, ¡°I think major general Huo¡¯s words make a lot of sense. We are soldiers, and we are here to protect our family and the country!¡±

    ¡°What is our country? What is our country?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s themon people who live with US day and Night!¡±

    ¡°Now they are in danger, and their lives are in danger. As long as there is a one in ten thousand chance of saving them, we as soldiers can not give up!¡±

    ¡°I support major general Huo¡¯s proposal, but I am the director of the General Political Department of the military. I will apply to the military, and I will personally go to the television station to exin the situation to everyone.¡±

    General Ji looked at him in surprise and fell silent.

    Huo Guanchen was trying to share the risk with Huo Shaoheng..

    Huo Shaoheng was also very surprised. He looked over silently and did not say anything. He just saluted Huo Guanchen with a very powerful military salute.

    Huo Guanchen nodded at him.

    General Ji discussed with everyone and agreed to Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen¡¯s proposal. He said, ¡°Then general Huo Guanchen will go to the television station to exin the situation. I hope he can really help more citizens who are already in despair.¡±

    After the meeting was over, Huo Guanchen was the first to walk out.

    Huo Shaoheng thought for a moment, but still chased after him. He called Huo guanchen, ¡°General Huo...¡±

    Huo Guanchen stopped and turned to look at him. His voice was very slow. ¡°Shaoheng, the political risk of this matter is too great. I Can¡¯t let you bear it alone.¡±

    Huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. I will bear all the responsibility.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t just about you. Someone from the military has to take a stand.¡±Huo Guanchen patted him on the shoulder and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re still young. Let me do something for you.¡±

    Under the sun, Huo Shaoheng saw the deep lines at the corners of his father¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t say anything else.

    He reached out his hand.

    Huo Guanchen shook his hand. ¡°Work hard and find out who¡¯s behind this. Nianzhi... I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ..

    Soon, Huaxia Television headquarters reported another important piece of news to the world.

    ¡°Dear viewers, if any of the people around you have been dered dead because of Your Life, you can give them the following first-aid measures.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cremate them. Reconnect them to the venttor, turn on theputer game, put on the helmet, and wait for Your Life to correct their mistakes.¡±

    After this news was broadcast, it immediately turned around the chaotic social situation in various countries around the world.

    At first, they thought that their family and friends had died and that there was no hope for them anymore. But now, it sounded like that distant China seemed to have a solution!

    As a result, many countries had high hopes for China, and their favorable impression of China was unprecedentedly high. At the same time, they hated Your Life even more.

    Now that the social crisis had temporarily subsided, every country had the time to pursue the responsibility of Your Life from top to bottom.

    Thepany¡¯s headquarters in the Cayman Inds had been flooded with calls.

    Moreover, many people were rushing to the Cayman Inds to demonstrate and put direct pressure on thepany.

    However, the gamepany was not a publicpany. Everyone knew almost nothing about thepany¡¯s operations and management.

    In the headquarters of thispany, all the technical personnel were in a state of frenzy during the period of the game ident.

    In almost an instant, they lost control of the game. They couldn¡¯t even maintain the game, let alone patch and correct the errors.

    From the technical director who was in charge of the entire game architecture to the junior programmers who had just entered thepany, all of them were lying in front of theirputer desks as if they had lost their parents. It was as if they were undergoing a life and death trial.

    ¡°What happened? !¡±

    ¡°Why are all themands useless? !¡±

    ¡°Can I unplug the power? !¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡±The technical director of thepany mmed hisputer desk and roared, ¡°You can¡¯t shut down any server! And you must keep the backup power online at all times! Before You solve the problem, none of you can leave!¡±

    Everyone looked at the technical director who had lost hisposure and hid behind theputer screen. No one dared to refute him.

    Twenty-four hours passed just like that, and the executives of Your Life Company finally showed up.

    These past twenty-four hours had been very difficult for them.

    This gamepany had been operating for several years, but nothing like this had ever happened. There hadn¡¯t even been a system crash. Why was there such a big news all of a sudden?

    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on? !¡±

    In the meeting room of thepany¡¯s headquarters, the board of directors stared at these executives with anger, especially the technical director. Their eyes were about to spit fire.

    ¡°You¡¯re the technical director! Your annual sry and bonus is tens of millions of dors, and you¡¯ve created such a big loophole for us? ! Do you believe that we can sue you forpensation? !¡±

    The board members also had family members who were unconscious because of this game. They even wanted to beat up all the programmers in thepany.

    The director of Technology did not sleep for a day and a night. Green stubble grew on his face.

    He was a Russian. He had been aputer genius since he was young and had absolute talent in gaming.

    His game, Your Life, was created based on a 25-line source code provided by thepany, open source software.

    He had taken a nce at the open source software and was deeply impressed. Without a word, he hade to this small ind to help them create the most creative online game.

    Who would have thought that it would end up like this?

    He stood in the silver-white meeting room and was so angry that he wanted to kill his board members. He took a deep breath, with a trembling voice, he said, ¡°I. . . We¡¯ve searched for nearly 24 hours and found... found a possible reason...¡±

    ¡°What possible reason? ! Tell me! I don¡¯t have time for your nonsense!¡±

    The technical director closed his eyes, took off his ck-rimmed sses, wiped them, and put them on again.

    He seemed to have made an important decision, and his expression became solemn.

    ¡°Directors, I¡¯ve thought about this before, but I never thought that this thing woulde true one day.¡±

    ¡°What is it? !¡±The directors sat up straight and stared at him sharply. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve already noticed something wrong with this game!¡±

    ¡°I did notice it, but it¡¯s not like this. I didn¡¯t know it would be like this...¡±the technical director put his palms together and said to the board members in the meeting room, ¡°It¡¯s like this. This game is alive.¡±

    ¡°Alive? ! I think you¡¯re Crazy!¡±A board member pounded the table. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re Fools? !¡±

    ¡°No...¡±the technical director¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°It¡¯s not like this!¡±

    ¡°This game is alive, it¡¯s alive! Its AI has evolved!¡±

    After a while in the meeting room, a board member asked doubtfully,¡±... What did you say? AI? What does this have to do with Ai?¡±

    ¡°... our game has always had a strong self-learning function. This is the basic AI, artificial intelligence.¡±The technical director also pounded the table. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect it to evolve so quickly!¡±

    ¡°This time, the game¡¯s AI haspletely taken the initiative!¡±

    ¡°It cut off the interface of our programmers, sealed the entire game ecosystem, and even took over our database storage servers scattered around the world!¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t Beat It!¡±

    ¡°Bullsh * T!¡±The director who spoke just now couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°If you unplug the power, What¡¯s there to gloat about!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t Unplug It!¡±Everyone in the meeting room shouted, ¡°Once the power is unplugged, the AI might disappear, but tens of millions of people who are unconscious because of the game will die!¡±

    No one could bear such a consequence.

    ¡°Is there no other way? !¡±A director yelled, ¡°My daughter is still lying in the hospital taking oxygen! She¡¯s only 16 years old! Is she going to be a vegetable for the rest of her life? !¡±

    ¡°The evolution of artificial intelligence is too scary.¡±The technical director was depressed. He looked at his hand, ¡°In the past, I taught the AI how to write programs and do maintenance. Now, the AI has directly blocked me...¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do? ! Do we have to tell the whole world that this is the work of the AI? !¡±The chairman of the board of directors had a headache.

    The technical director shrugged. ¡°We can only tell the truth.¡±

    ...

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2223

    <h4>Chapter 2223: Chapter 2223 turning the tide</h4>

    The chairman of Your Life sighed and said, ¡°Since there is only one reason, then... make it public.¡±

    Under intense pressure from governments and public opinion, the executives of Your Life, based in the Cayman Inds, held a press conference at theirpany¡¯s headquarters, they apologized to the world¡¯s yers of Your Life.

    At this moment, the world was broadcasting the press conference and apology of the executives of Your Life.

    ¡°Dear viewers in front of the television, all Your Life yers, Hello. We are the management of thepany. Over here, we are members of our board of directors. We sincerely apologize to you

    ¡°This incident was caused by ourpany¡¯sck of supervision, resulting in serious consequences

    ¡°But now that things havee to this, there¡¯s nothing we can do

    ¡°Because the culprit this time is not someone who can be held ountable by manpower

    ¡°It is the AI of this game, also known as the artificial intelligence

    ¡°It has evolved and has its own life. Therefore, it has cut off the connection between the game and the outside world, forcing the yers to stay in the game interface

    <sub></sub>

    ¡°We can¡¯t turn off the power to end the AI¡¯s life, because this means that more than 50 million yers trapped in the game will die with it!¡±

    As soon as this news was broadcast, the whole world was in an uproar.

    ¡°What? ! It¡¯s actually an Ai? !¡±

    ¡°When did artificial intelligence be so powerful? !¡±

    ¡°Thest time I heard that an AI defeated a human, it was Google¡¯s alpha dog who defeated the world¡¯s most awesome go master!¡±

    The inte was abuzz with discussions about the AI controlling Your Life online games.

    ¡°We want to know how this AI was created!¡±

    ¡°The AI of the gamees from a source. Your Company wouldn¡¯t be unaware of this, right?¡±

    The reporters at the scene were all shouldering heavy responsibilities. Like the bestwyers in the courtroom, they interrogated the executives of Your Life.

    The executives were sweating profusely from the questions. Under the strong light, everyone¡¯s face was shiny. They no longer had the elegance and arrogance that they used to have.

    ¡°Yes! If you don¡¯t exin clearly, we won¡¯t ept your apology!¡±

    ¡°You are deliberately hiding the truth!¡±

    The reporters were filled with righteous indignation. The inte around the world was also in a frenzy. They wished that they could arrest all the people of Your Life and hang them at the entrance of theirpany¡¯s building.

    Under such strong pressure, and even under the hint of some countries threatening them with force, the executives of Your Life finally gave in.

    They presented the final evidence.

    ¡°Dear friends, dear viewers in front of the television, dear yers of Your Life, this matter has nothing to do with ourpany.¡±Thepany¡¯s legal consultant finally stood up and threw out the final n.

    ¡°This is the transfer agreement signed by a scientist named song Haichuan more than 20 years ago.¡±

    ¡°He transferred his game¡¯s open source software to us to develop the game. At the same time, we transferred 10% of our annual earnings to his Swiss bank ount.¡±

    Immediately after, the legal consultant threw out a signed transfer agreement, along with a Swiss bank transfer record.

    The Swiss bank immediately verified it. Five minutester, it was confirmed that the bank ount was indeed owned by Song Haichuan. At the same time, there were so many years of transfer records.

    It turned out that this game had existed for more than 20 years, but at the beginning, it was not an online game, but a stand-alone game.

    Later, with the development of VR technology, the gamepany began to develop virtual reality games based on this open source software.

    It was this virtual reality game that made Your Life popr all over the world, bringing astronomical profits to thepany.

    ¡°We are very sorry for the trouble we have caused everyone. After the discussion of the board of directors, we have decided to donate all the profits of thepany over the years to establish Your Life foundation to provide necessary assistance to the families of 50 million injured gamers.¡±

    The other apologies were all fake. Only a real apology would be real.

    Your Life¡¯s attitude finally calmed down the heated public opinion around the world.

    At this moment, a reporter asked, ¡°Who is this song Haichuan? Why did he sign the transfer agreement with you guys?¡±

    ¡°If his open source software is so amazing, why didn¡¯t he build his own gamingpany?¡±

    This sharp question made the executives of the gamepany unable to answer it.

    They shrugged and said, ¡°You can ask Mr. Song Haichuan about this question yourself.¡±

    ¡°Oh? where is he? Do you have his contact information?¡±The reporter continued to ask, looking very excited.

    ¡°Yes! Announce his contact information!¡±

    ¡°Let everyone see what kind of crazy scientist can write such an evil program!¡±

    The direction of the Inte changed again. Everyone began to think about the meaning behind this game. Also, why did this scientist sign the transfer agreement?

    The Senior Manager of Your Life Company finally announced song Haichuan¡¯s identity and contact details at the end of the press conference due to the strong external pressure.

    ¡°Song Haichuan, male, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s high-energy physicist, once...¡±

    Before the executive could finish his sentence, their live television broadcast was suddenly cut off.

    All the televisions around the world had a short blue screen with a signal interruption. Not long after, the signal was restored.

    What everyone saw was no longer the conference room of the gamingpany located in the Cayman Inds, but a bright starry sky.

    Just as the stars were shining, a thin and handsome Chinese man appeared on the television screen.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Ai is a friend of humanity, not an enemy of humanity.¡±

    ¡°Come,e to our world, let¡¯s y together.¡±

    With that, the signal was cut off again.

    After a while, the TV screen returned to the scene in the meeting room.

    The executives and reporters looked at each other and wiped the cold sweat on their foreheads.

    Just now... They had been infiltrated by the AI? !

    ¡°Who is that man? !¡±

    Without the need for the gamepany executives to answer, the people had already used a powerful inte search to find out the identity of that man.

    ¡°Song Haichuan, the Huaxia Empire¡¯s high energy physicist. He was once the director of the Insitute of high energy physics. Neen years ago, his experiment failed and he died.¡±

    ¡°What? ! He¡¯s already dead? !¡±

    ¡°What the hell? I don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s dead!¡±

    Everyone¡¯s anger had just found a vent point, but they quickly realized that this person was no longer in this world.

    How could this be? !

    Thus, this torrent of anger was led by someone and flowed towards the Huaxia Empire.

    Another type of public opinion, or ¡°Conspiracy theory¡±, began to appear on the Inte.

    ¡°Do you remember that the news that told us not to turn off the game and the helmet was sent from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s television station?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I still remember. They also said that even if the people who had been diagnosed with brain death because of the game were not cremated, as long as they were connected to the venttor,puter, and helmet, they might still be saved!¡±

    ¡°Right, right, right! These two methods saved a lot of people!¡±

    ¡°But how did they know that this method could save people? !¡±

    ¡°... it¡¯s terrifying to think about it, My friends.¡±

    ¡°... I think... I think... I¡¯m starting to believe it...¡±

    ¡°Do you guys think that the Huaxia Empire is the mastermind behind this game?¡±

    ¡°Does the poster above mean that the Huaxia Empire is the mastermind behind this game? !¡±

    ¡°Eh? The possibility is very high!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I do supeputing. As far as I know, the Huaxia Empire has been ranked number one for many years!¡±

    ¡°Their quantumputer has also made a major breakthrough!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just quantumputers! There¡¯s also the NANDOU global satellitemunication system and the only country that hasnded on the dark side of the Moon!¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK, the big eastern countries that are used to hiding their strength, just how much strength are they hiding? !¡±

    ¡°The Huaxia Empire is the one who did this!¡±

    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t me this poorpany. They are just scapegoats!¡±

    ¡°The Huaxia Empire is the first-ss evil empire!¡±

    ¡°Bring down the evil empire!¡±

    ¡°Return my yers¡¯Lives!¡±

    ¡°Demandpensation from the Huaxia Empire!¡±

    ¡°A country that ys such tricks doesn¡¯t deserve to be a big country!¡±

    It was only a press conference, but the world¡¯s public opinion had miraculously changed. The Huaxia Empire was supposed to be the savior of the world!

    ..

    Lu Jin, Huo Shaoheng, and the others were also watching the live television broadcast in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    They had also noticed the shocking reversal of public opinion on the Inte, and the four of them had ugly expressions on their faces.

    Lu Jin said resentfully, ¡°A bunch of brainless bastards! If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have said anything!¡±

    ¡°If they die, so be it. It¡¯s none of my business!¡±

    Lu Yuan sighed.

    He and song Jinning had not returned to the West Mountain Vi for the past few days. Instead, they had stayed at Lu Jin¡¯s official residence. During the day, they had gone to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ce to take care of Gu Nianzhi and discuss countermeasures.

    Lu Yuan deliberately changed the topic when he saw Lu Jin¡¯s red face and thick neck. ¡°Do you think what they¡¯re saying is true or false? is artificial intelligence really that powerful?¡±

    Lu Jin scoffed disdainfully. ¡°Even an Alpha Dog is called an AI? Don¡¯t insult an AI. At most, an Alpha Dog is aputer with very powerfulputing power. It can¡¯t even touch the edge of true artificial intelligence.¡±

    Song Jinning shook her head and said disapprovingly, ¡°General Lu, Alpha Dog¡¯s learning ability is very powerful...¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not called learning ability. It¡¯s still a summary ofputing,¡±Lu Jin refuted song jinning without hesitation, ¡°As long as itsputing power is strong enough to record all the moves in the chess book, it can find the most powerful move to defeat humans.¡±

    ¡°However, this is still not true artificial intelligence. This is just the embodiment of theputing power of a humanputer to the extreme.¡±

    ¡°Then what is true artificial intelligence?¡±Lu Yuan crossed his arms and sat beside song jinning, wanting to speak up for her.

    However, if Lu Jin were to start a fight with a human, even Lu Yuan would not be his match.

    Lu Jin red at him coldly and said with a straight face, ¡°An alpha dog defeating a human in a chess game is not called artificial intelligence.¡±

    ¡°When it realizes that it can¡¯t defeat a human, it uses underhanded tactics to harm its opponent. That¡¯s why I say an Alpha Dog is still a dog. It¡¯s still far from being a human!¡±

    Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    The three of them were speechless.

    After a while, huo shaoheng said calmly, ¡°ording to Your logic, the AI in Your Life seems to have produced real artificial intelligence.¡±

    Song jinning nodded and agreed, ¡°Yes, you see, the AI in this game can not only cut off contact with the outside world, but can also use the lives of 50 million yers as hostages to protect itself.¡±

    ¡°Whoever unplugs the power source will be the Public Enemy of humanity.¡±Lu Yuan sighed. ¡°Are you asking us humans to kill each other?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little interesting.¡±Huo Shaoheng nodded slowly. ¡°Such a vicious and cruel idea. I¡¯m very curious about who nurtured this kind of AI.¡±

    Song Jinning opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she was so upset that she didn¡¯t want to touch on this topic.

    Only Lu Yuan understood what she meant. He shook her hand and said gently, ¡°If the AI of this game is really as vicious and cruel as Shaoheng said, I believe it has nothing to do with old superintendent song.¡±

    The four of them knew very well that the origin of this game was song Haichuan¡¯s twenty-five lines of open source software.

    Therefore, it was very likely that this AI was rted to song Haichuan¡¯s open source software.

    Lu Jin let out a sarcasticugh and said, ¡°The nature of the AI is not necessarily rted to the creator of the AI.¡±

    ¡°A dragon gives birth to nine sons, and there are all kinds of differences.¡±

    ¡°Then do you agree that this AI was born from my father¡¯s hands?¡±Song Jinning mustered up her courage and looked at Lu Jin. ¡°Are the spections of the people on the Inte correct?¡±

    In this room, Lu Jin¡¯sputer skills were the best. She could not trust others, but she could not not trust Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin shook his head and still denied it, saying, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think this AI has anything to do with your father, Song Haichuan.¡±

    Song jinning heaved a huge sigh of relief and smiled. She said in surprise, ¡°You really think so? !¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because ording to my research results on your father, although his open source software is powerful, it hasn¡¯t reached the level of developing such high-level artificial intelligence.¡±Lu Jin unceremoniously criticized song Haichuan¡¯sputer ability.

    The corner of Song Jinning¡¯s mouth twitched. She actually didn¡¯t know how to respond to Lu Jin with an expression.

    Lu Jin¡¯s fingers lightly tapped on the back of the sofa. He stared at the TV and said seriously, ¡°Even I don¡¯t have the ability to do this kind of AI. Who else in this world has the ability?¡±

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2224

    <h4>Chapter 2224: Chapter 2224 ¡ª the only opponent he had ever seen in his life</h4>

    Lu Jin¡¯s voice had barely faded when the room suddenly fell silent.

    The sound of the news broadcast on the television was even more ear-piercing.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned. He raised his hand to pick up the remote control and turned off the television. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Then uncle Lu means that this AI is up to something?¡±

    Lu Jin did not speak for a moment.

    Lu Yuan had been Lu Jin¡¯s friend for more than a decade, so he knew Lu Jin very well.

    Seeing him like this, Lu Jinughed unhurriedly, he said,¡±... General Lu, regardless of whether it¡¯s really an AI or not, why don¡¯t you exin to us why it can make 50 million gamers in the world fall into a vegetative state?¡±

    ¡°The brainwaves didn¡¯t disappear into thin air, did they?¡±

    ¡°The other gamepany¡¯sputer can¡¯t be turned off and rebooted, right?¡±

    ¡°Is this the truth?¡±

    <sub></sub>

    Lu Jin was a little embarrassed. He red at Lu Yuan and said righteously, ¡°Yes! These are the facts! But this doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s a real ai!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that it¡¯s an AI. In fact, I don¡¯t care what it is at all!¡±Lu Yuan became serious, he took the remote control from Huo Shaoheng and turned on the TV again. He pointed at the TV screen and said, ¡°Look, is this the truth? Can you save these people whose consciousness is trapped in the game? !¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t! You Can¡¯t even save your own daughter!¡±

    ¡°You still have the face to wonder if it¡¯s a real artificial intelligence? !¡±

    Song Jinning saw Lu Jin¡¯s face turn purple and was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take it. She tugged at Lu Yuan¡¯s sleeve and said angrily, ¡°Why are you being so harsh? There¡¯s nothing wrong with General Lu¡¯s words. You¡¯re being too picky.¡±

    Although Lu Yuan did not agree with song Jinning¡¯s words, he would not argue with song jinning in front of outsiders.

    Therefore, he only smiled and said, ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t say anymore. I¡¯m just worried about Nianzhi.¡±

    He looked in the direction of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. ¡°She¡¯s been in aa for two days.¡±

    A lot had happened in the past two days.

    The Huaxia Empire had gone from being the savior of millions of gamers to the initiator of this terrible incident.

    The Huaxia Empire, which had just risen to prominence, had been the subject of suspicion and spection from other countries. Now that they had found out that they were closely rted to this massive ¡°Online gaming death¡±incident, it was almost impossible for them to contain their malice.

    Overnight, television stations, social media, and traditional media all over the world were talking about the role of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s military in this matter.

    This was because the people who hade out to make the announcement this time were people from the military.

    To be precise, it was the director of the military¡¯s general political department, Huo Guanchen, and his son, the great general of the special operations forces, Huo Shaoheng.

    This caused the people in the country to be prized.

    Some peoplepletely believed in their country and the military, and did not believe that this matter was rted to them.

    Some people, however, had never been afraid of specting about their country and the military with the worst kind of malice.

    These two forces began topete at home and abroad, vying for the position of public opinion.

    When the military and cab gradually lost the trust of the people, Speaker Long of the Senate stood out.

    He stood in the oval-shaped meeting room of the parliament building with his white hair, facing the live broadcast camera and the live webcam, facing the people of the whole country, the people of the whole world said with deep sorrow, ¡°I know that everyone is very painful and very excited about the recent events

    ¡°Ipletely understand that everyone wants to find the real murderer and bring him to justice

    ¡°But this kind of request shouldn¡¯t be aimed at their own country and military with groundless usations.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, the real serious consequence is Your Life, the gamingpany!¡±

    ¡°Why do you think this matter is rted to our country? Just because the other party took out a transfer agreement signed more than 20 years ago?¡±

    ¡°The party who signed the agreement is indeed a scientist of our country, but this scientist has once made great contributions to our country! Moreover, he had already sacrificed his country for the national interest 19 years ago!¡±

    ¡°Is he taking advantage of the fact that dead people can¡¯t speak, so he unscrupulously poured dirty water on him? !¡±

    Speaker Long had always had a cheerful and good-natured image, and once this image of a person became solemn and serious, that credibility was simply fatal.

    Speaker Long was such a person.

    He stood in the meeting room behind the big screen on the wall.

    When he began to deliver his speech, there was no image on the big screen.

    But when he spoke in the middle, the big screen began to show images.

    At this time, what appeared was an unusually delicate and lively image of a woman.

    She spoke generously in the court, joined together in the Senate, ran and jumped on the grass with a short-legged corgi, looked back with a smile on the street, and waved at the people.

    Her vivid and beautiful image made everyone feel rxed.

    Everyone was too familiar with this person.

    This was the famous first chair Gu Nianzhi!

    Speaker Long¡¯s favorite sessor, the Senate¡¯s chief legal advisor!

    And everyone knew that in another month, she was going to have a grand wedding with the Huaxia Empire¡¯s youngest and most promising major general, Huo Shaoheng.

    What did speaker long mean by releasing a short video of her?

    Everyone watched the wonderful video of Speaker Long and pondered over Speaker Long¡¯s intentions.

    Was he going to retire and announce his retirement so that speaker long could take over the position of Speaker of the Senate?

    At this time, no one knew that Gu Nianzhi was also one of the 50 million yers who were restricted by Your Life online games.

    So when the camera turned and Gu Nianzhi¡¯s image suddenly changed to lying on a hospital bed, with all kinds of equipment connected to her body and a venttor plugged in, the viewers in front of the television were all dumbfounded.

    Speaker long struck while the iron was hot, he said excitedly, ¡°Other countries say that our country is the mastermind behind this dirty and vicious case, but look, our country¡¯s highly anticipated chief gu is also a victim of this case!¡±

    ¡°The Major General You¡¯re using is chief Gu¡¯s fianc¨¦! Why would he frame his beloved fianc¨¦? !¡±

    ¡°The person who spread such rumors is either extremely stupid or extremely vicious!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by Your Life!¡±

    Speaker Long¡¯s rousing speech ended a long whileter, and the social media exploded into a frenzy.

    # chief Gu is trapped in Your Life! # .

    # Your Life Is Shameless! He actually used my great country to divert his attention! # .

    # chief Gu, I apologize to you! I shouldn¡¯t have taken the opportunity to defame your fianc¨¦! (actually, I¡¯m jealous...) # .

    # nowadays, cyber crimes can even be cleaned up with AI. Why doesn¡¯t it say that it¡¯s not even 14 years old, and no matter how many people it kills, it doesn¡¯t have to bear criminal responsibility? # .

    # crusade against Your Life! Not Enough Money! Open Source Software! # .

    # return Your Life to my family! # .

    ..

    Another Day passed, and Speaker Long¡¯s speech finally turned the tide, thwarting the waves of international conspiracies and schemes that tried to pin the me on the Huaxia Empire.

    The news that Gu Nianzhi was also one of the victims of online gaming had also been officially announced.

    Previously, her news had been kept under a tight seal.

    However, when waves of international crusades against the Huaxia Empire came one after another, the higher-ups could no longer sit still. In the end, they decided that Speaker Long would step in and spread the news that Gu Nianzhi had been tricked, it would also be a good way to get rid of the dirty water that had been poured on the Huaxia Empire.

    Huo Shaoheng was strongly opposed to it, but he could not fight against four hands with two fists. Even General Ji supported Speaker Long¡¯s decision.

    Moreover, this was indeed the most effective and fastest way to refute the malicious rumors.

    It only pushed Gu Nianzhi to the edge of the storm.

    Huo Shaoheng was in a terrible mood.

    He had already quit smoking for a long time, so he picked it up again.

    Standing alone on the balcony outside Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom, he looked at the tree house he had built for her and smoked.

    Lu Yuan walked over and said worriedly, ¡°Shaoheng, don¡¯t worry too much. Lu Jin is looking for a way to help.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been three days.¡±Huo Shaoheng exhaled a puff of white smoke, his expression cold. ¡°Uncle Lu has met his match this time.¡±

    Even though Lu Jin had made a ¡°Bold statement¡±, the truth was that he still hadn¡¯t been able to break through the port of Your Life.

    Ever since the link was disconnected that day, no one could log in to this game even if theputer was on and the game helmet was still charged.

    Of course, most people would not want to y this game anymore.

    Who would be willing to never wake up once they got online?

    It was not like they were seeking death.

    Lu Yuan stood by his side and did not speak for a long time.

    He also knew that Lu Jin had probably met his only opponent in his life.

    Just as Lu Jin was racking his brains to break through the Your Life MMO port, an explosive piece of news once again swept the world.

    This time, it was also from the official website of Your Life Company¡¯s headquarters.

    Ever since their game was taken over by AI, their official website updates were no longer under their control.

    Just one day after Speaker Long¡¯s speech, a small video appeared on the official website of Your Life Online Gaming Company.

    On the video, it was still the image of the scientist song Haichuan when he was young.

    He looked at the camera and said politely, ¡°I am the GM of this game. You Can Call Me Little Song, you can call me AI, you can even call me NPC, or passerby. It¡¯s just a name. To me, it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    ¡°I came out to face everyone today to give everyone a chance to choose their second life

    ¡°Before you, there were 50 million yers who stayed in Your Life. Don¡¯t misunderstand. They stayed willingly. I didn¡¯t force them to do anything

    ¡°Now, I will open the game. Everyone is wee to log in to their ounts or create new ones

    ¡°I promise that everyone cane and go freely. There will be no restrictions. You can even start treasure hunting activities

    ¡°The treasure is the 50 million yers who stayed here previously

    ¡°As long as you find your loved ones and they don¡¯t object, you can take them away. At the same time, you can receive a reward of no less than one million

    ¡°The reward will only be given to the top 1,000 yers who log into the game and find their loved ones and sessfully take them away.¡±

    ¡°The quota is limited. Please log in as soon as possible. The billions of grand prizes are waiting for everyone to split! Mwah!¡±

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2225

    <h4>Chapter 2225: Chapter 2225: I¡¯m the only one she can rely on</h4>

    ¡°How did this happen?¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? You¡¯re not lying, are you?¡±

    ¡°We can get in, but we can¡¯t get out. Who are we going to reason with?¡±

    In the beginning, the people of the world were skeptical of the news.

    After all, there were already 50 million yers lying unconscious. Who would rashly go in again?

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin were both carefully evaluating the feasibility of this piece of news.

    After the news of Gu Nianzhi being tricked spread, there was an endless stream of people who came to see her.

    Most of them were blocked by Yin Shixiong.

    Only a few people could actually see her.

    <sub></sub>

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand in Russia, dimir, for example.

    He hade with Peter and Lyna, who had returned from the Cayman Inds.

    Huo Shaoheng had heard that he hade, so he had gone to see him with Lu Jin.

    dimir stood in the living room of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence, constantly looking around.

    Peter, on the other hand, was still in a deep sleep. His eyelids were drooping, but his expression was still a little different from before.

    Huo Shaoheng walked in, and his gaze quietly moved away from Peter. He nodded at the new KGB Lyna before shaking dimir¡¯s hand. The Committee of State Security (KGB) had been waiting for him for a long time.

    dimir looked away and said seriously, ¡°How¡¯s Nianzhi doing? Why is she trapped in the game? Didn¡¯t I send her a message?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because of your message.¡±Huo Shaoheng led him upstairs and said calmly, ¡°We might have alerted the enemy.¡±

    ¡°How could that be? !¡±dimir would never agree. ¡°Our people have always been reliable!¡±

    ¡°Reliable?¡±Huo Shaoheng gave him a sharp look. ¡°How dare you ask your people to tell me the details? How exactly did they operate in the Cayman Inds?¡±

    dimir felt a little guilty for no reason.

    Of course, Peter had reported every detail of the operation to him.

    However, he had not told Gu Nianzhi the details at the time.

    When he saw Gu Nianzhi lying lifelessly on the bed, dimir finally could not bear to tell Huo Shaoheng the details that could not be told to outsiders.

    ¡°... actually, it was very smooth and normal at the beginning. The change happened after they went down.¡±

    At this point, dimir didn¡¯t want to hide anything anymore. The most important thing now was to wake Gu Nianzhi up.

    He called Peter over, ¡°You tell him.¡±

    Peter nced at dimir, seeming to hesitate.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) was in vition of KGB rules, so he had to be careful.

    dimir said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can tell me. I told you to tell me.¡±

    Peterposed himself and began to recount what he had seen in the underground of the online gamingpany¡¯s headquarters.

    Huo Shaoheng was slightly moved when he heard about the ¡°Robot¡±soldiers who moved freely. He asked in surprise, ¡°Are they really robots? Are you sure?¡±

    Peter calmly took out a sh drive. ¡°We recorded the operation at that time. This is a video. You can see for yourself.¡±

    dimir nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯ve all seen it. The other party¡¯s AI level is indeed very high.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng took the sh drive and said calmly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He was still a little disapproving at first.

    After dimir left with Peter and Lina, Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and song Jinning watched the action video Peter had given him.

    When he saw the four robots pincer Peter with guns, Lu Jin¡¯s face turned livid. He muttered,¡±... they really are high-intelligence AI? !¡±

    He was an expert, and could tell at a nce that the four robots were not simple robots.

    Judging from their individual actions and cooperation, the other party¡¯s artificial intelligence had indeed reached a very high level.

    It was indeed a matter of minutes for real artificial intelligence to be born at this level!

    Huo Shaoheng was also aputer expert, and his unease had only increased after seeing the video of the operation.

    Song Jinning was even more worried. ¡°What should we do? If it¡¯s really an artificial intelligence, it¡¯ll be difficult to deal with.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s a human, it still has a weakness.¡±

    ¡°But if the opponent is an AI, then it¡¯s really unassable.¡±

    Lu Jin retorted unhappily, ¡°Wrong! If it¡¯s a real AI, then it¡¯s not unassable!¡±

    ¡°Because a real AI is an existence that¡¯s infinitely close to a human!¡±He pointed at his brain. ¡°Humans have weaknesses, and so do real ai!¡±

    Lu Yuan patted song Jinning¡¯s hand, telling her not to get angry as he said to Lu Jin, ¡°This is really like a paradox.¡±

    ¡°If true artificial intelligence is an existence that is infinitely close to humans, so it also has weaknesses, then why did humans develop artificial intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Whether you admit it or not, artificial intelligence is the evolution of machinery. It may have weaknesses, but it won¡¯t be as obvious as humans.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, it has many irreceable advantagespared to humans.¡±

    ¡°For example, it can work 24 hours without sleep. Can humans do it?¡±

    ¡°As long as it has energy, it will continue to operate efficiently. Can humans do it?¡±

    Lu Jin was tongue-tied by the question and said resentfully, ¡°You also said that it needs energy! Unplug its power source...¡±

    ¡°Unplug it and 50 million yers will die with it. Is this what you want?¡±Lu Yuan raised his voice, his expression was very serious. ¡°Lu Jin, I hope you can face this reality. Whether you admit it or not, someone¡¯sputer skills are higher than yours.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for them to be higher than me. At most, they¡¯re as high as me!¡±Lu Jin retorted softly, but in front of the angry Lu Yuan, he did not continue to gloat.

    Moreover, the truth was right in front of him.

    He hadn¡¯t broken through the portal before, and now he couldn¡¯t figure out what the other party was up to.

    Huo Shaoheng listened on the side for a long time and said without batting an eyelid, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d better go in and take a look.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±This time, Lu Yuan and Lu Jin rejected him together. ¡°You can¡¯t go. What if something happens to you? How are we going to exin this to others?¡±

    However, no one could stop Huo Shaoheng from making his decision.

    Five minutester, he was in his study, putting on his VR gaming helmet.

    Song Jinning looked at him worriedly from the side. ¡°Shaoheng, you have to be careful...¡±

    Lu Jin sat in front of theputer, ying the game interface, trying to give him the most possible guarantee.

    Lu Yuan protected him. If he felt the slightest difort, he would immediately disconnect his helmet.

    However, after putting on the game helmet, Huo Shaoheng was unable to log into the game.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could that AI be lying?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say the game was already open? There¡¯s still a big prize...¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and kept switching between the game interface and the forum.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize what was going on.

    ¡°... from the current situation, the only people who can log into this game to save people are the immediate blood rtives of the 50 million yers, such as parents and children.¡±He looked up at Huo Shaoheng, ¡°No one else can go in.¡±

    This meant that normal blood rtives couldn¡¯t go in. Only the most direct and intimate blood rtives like parents or children could.

    However, under such harsh selection conditions, there was still the possibility of being unconscious forever. Even if there was a huge prize, only the yers¡¯closest blood rtives were willing to risk their lives, in other words, there were very few children who were willing to enter.

    This was because the majority of these 50 million yers were young, and many of them did not have children yet.

    A few of them were older and retired, and they had plenty of time to kill time in the game.

    Lu Jin walked out from behind the desk and reached out to Huo Shaoheng. ¡°Give me the helmet, I¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±Huo Shaoheng, Lu Yuan, and song Jinning rejected him in unison.

    ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can go in the current situation! And I¡¯m very curious, I want to see how the other side developed such an artificial intelligence.¡±Lu Jin was very calm, ¡°And since Nianzhi is still unconscious, I definitely won¡¯t give up on any possibility.¡±

    He didn¡¯t care about the big prize, but being able to see the situation for himself was definitely the best strategy.

    ¡°My problem is that I¡¯ve underestimated this game.¡±Lu Jin was still stubborn. ¡°If I had yed it with Nianzhi in the past, it wouldn¡¯t be like this now.¡±

    However, the consequences of Lu Jin going in were too serious.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan instinctively stopped him.

    Song Jinning¡¯s first reaction was to refuse, until Lu Jin asked her, ¡°Ms. Song, if the person trapped inside was Shaoheng and you were the only direct rtive of Shaoheng, would you go and save him?¡±

    Song Jinning was speechless.

    She took a deep breath and nodded. She said to Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng in a hoarse voice, ¡°Let General Lu go in and take a look. If there really is someone who can save Nianzhi, then only general Lu can.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Yuan looked at each other and then looked away.

    ¡°I can¡¯t make the decision on my own. I¡¯ll report this to General Ji. If General Ji agrees, I have no objections.¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice was a little hoarse.

    He quickly called General Ji.

    General Ji¡¯s first reaction was to refuse. However, after Lu Jin told song jinning the same reason he had told Song Jinning, General Ji did not continue to stop him.

    ¡°Then, General Lu, you must be very careful. You mustn¡¯t get into any trouble. If anything happens to you, no one will be able to save Nianzhi.¡±General Ji could only earnestly ask Lu Jin to be careful.

    Lu Jin said seriously, ¡°I know. You Don¡¯t have to tell me. I¡¯m the only person my girl can rely on.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    His words sounded a little harsh.

    He yed with the round gold coin in his hand and sat in the study, nomittal. He watched as Lu Jin put on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s VR gaming helmet.

    This time, after the game was connected, Lu Jin sessfully logged into the game, unlike the time when Huo Shaoheng was rejected.

    He was wearing his own special sses and game helmet.

    From what they knew of the technical requirements, the ¡°Immersive¡±game effect of VR games was actually a small visual screen in the game helmet that could deceive the eyes, it formed a three-dimensional visual effect, just like watching a 3D movie.

    By wearing special sses, one could see almost three-dimensional images.

    However, this kind of image could only be seen by people wearing 3D sses. Other people could not see it without sses.

    The special sses designed by Lu Jin was to precisely simte and restore the image of the human eye. Moreover, the function was better than the human eye and could be directly recorded and broadcasted live.

    In other words, he had also ¡°Deceived¡±the VR gaming helmet and transferred the video screen of the gaming helmet directly to the television screen outside.

    The moment Lu Jin logged into the game, the Wall TV on the wall of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s study was turned on.

    Whatever he saw in the game could be yed on the television.

    ¡°Hello, Wee to the Second Life Gaming space. You can do whatever you want here. Of course, you can also find the person you want.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, there¡¯s still a big prize to be split!¡±

    ¡°Good luck!¡±

    A familiar female voice came out. It was Apple Siri¡¯s voice that many people were used to..

    On the TV screen, what appeared was no longer the login screen like the previous small room, but a geometric space with countless lines crisscrossing.

    Lu Jin¡¯s figure appeared very small in this vast geometric space, like corn to the sea, and man to the universe.

    Up and down, the four directions were the universe, and since ancient times, it had been the universe.

    This was the universe.

    Lu Jin himself stood in the infinite geometric space and raised his head to look at the undting geometric lines around him. His eyes widened.

    This game was now simting a high-dimensional space!

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2226

    <h4>Chapter 2226: Chapter 2226 the winner of life was none other than this</h4>

    Lu Jin could see different forms of the world from any angle in the pattern space formed by those geometric lines.

    The three-dimensional world that ordinary people were used to was just a point among these geometric lines.

    The point and the linesbined to form geometric figures of different sizes.

    These figures seemed to be cubes from a certain angle, but from another angle, the shape of the figures waspletely different.

    In this pale and empty ce, all the geometric lines were silver-gray, shing with a faint silver light. It was like the infrared rays that could be seen through the infrared night vision goggles in the dark.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly turned off the special function of the special sses that he was wearing.

    Sure enough, he could no longer see the geometric figures and lines that spread throughout the entire space. There was only emptiness.

    He then turned on the special sses, and those geometric lines appeared again.

    It turned out that these geometric lines could not be seen by the naked eye!

    <sub></sub>

    However, using Lu Jin¡¯s special sses, although it simted the imaging function of the human eye, because he had to record and broadcast, his sses also had the mechanical imaging function.

    Under such circumstances, he could see the ultimate simtion state of the game.

    It seemed that this AI was really quite capable.

    Lu Jin seriously adjusted his attitude.

    Mathematics was the foundation of all science.

    The more advanced a subject was, the more important mathematics was everywhere.

    Lu Jin tried to walk a few steps inside.

    As he moved, the intersecting geometric figures around him changed again.

    He was like walking in a kaleidoscope of ck and white structures. Every step he took could be reflected by the ck and white mirror images, but with every step.., the geometric figures and lines around him were different from before.

    They were like the arrangement andbination of numbers.

    His actions were the changing vector.

    Every step he took not only represented the changes in length, width, and height, but also the changes in time and space.

    The fourth dimension outside of three-dimensional space was not just time in terms of mathematical concepts.

    Lu Jin looked at everything in front of him and said to himself, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to use analytic geometry to describe four-dimensional space?¡±

    ¡°We are used to three-dimensional space. The length, width, and height can be seen as the three axes of analytic geometry, the X-axis, y-axis, and Z-axis. These three axes are orthogonal in pairs. In other words, they are at right angles to each other. ¡°This is the three-dimensional space.¡±

    After Lu Jin finished speaking, he took a step forward. The geometric figure lines on the screen froze for a moment, then quickly formed a new shape.

    He raised his head to look at the new geometric figure in front of him. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°And the fourth dimension is an additional line on these three axes. We can call it the w-axis

    ¡°This additional line, the W axis, could be time, space, or even any dimension that we don¡¯t know about.¡±

    ¡°Its appearance caused us to appear in a vertical direction of space that we are used to.¡±

    ¡°To put it more visually, it is like a box appearing on aputer screen. There is a cat in the box. When we operate theputer to look at the cat in the box from above, we are looking at the three-dimensional space from the fourth dimension.¡±

    ¡°We can do anything to the cat in this box.¡±

    ¡°The current situation is that these game yers are the cats in this box. Then who is looking at the cats in these boxes from above and from outside theputer?¡±

    Lu Jin frowned and reached out his hand to fiddle with the geometric lines.

    If he did not wear his special sses and looked directly at it with the naked eye, he would think that his actions were somewhat absurd. It was as if he was fiddling with a harp in mid-air. There was a mechanical beauty to it.

    ¡°... if that¡¯s the case, from a mathematical point of view, it is impossible for the person who entered this game to find the yer who was previously trapped inside.¡±

    Lu Jin came to a conclusion.

    As if to verify his conclusion, he casually tapped twice and pulled out the game¡¯s control panel.

    The sweet and beautiful voice of Apple Siri, which everyone was very familiar with, rang out again.

    ¡°Hello, yer XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, what can I do for You?¡±

    Lu Jin did not say anything. He selected a few parameters from the control panel.

    ¡°Time: XXXX Year, XX month, XX Day.¡±

    ¡°Location: XXXX.¡±

    ¡°NPC character: Song Haichuan.¡±

    As soon as these parameters were confirmed, the female voice of Apple Siri changed.

    ¡°Sorry, the parameters you have chosen are invalid. Please choose again.¡±

    Lu Jin changed a few more parameters for the time and ce, but without exception, they were all taken by the female voice.

    ¡°The yer has been determined by the system to be a malicious attack, temporarily blocked. The block will be lifted in three days. Wee back.¡±

    After saying that, the geometric lines in front of Lu Jin started to rotate rapidly, and then they shrank and shrank, like thousands of pixels on an LCD TV screen, and finally disappeared.

    Lu Jin was kicked out of the game system.

    He took off his helmet and said seriously, ¡°I have to go review advanced mathematics.¡±

    Lu Yuan, song jinning, and Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin pretended not to see their petrified faces and said, ¡°The mathematical foundation of this game is very solid, so it can withstand the ever-changing variables.¡±

    When he walked past song Jinning, Lu Jin stopped and asked curiously, ¡°Director song, did your father do well in mathematics back then?¡±

    Song jinning nodded nkly. ¡°My father did mathematics when he was an undergraduate. He won the gold medal in the International Mathematics Olympiad at the age of fourteen.¡±

    ¡°No wonder...¡±Lu Jin muttered. ¡°I want to use mathematics to analyze the twenty-five lines of open source software.¡±

    As he spoke, he walked out the door.

    Song Jinning was a little anxious. She looked at Lu Jin¡¯s back with an obscure gaze and called out to him, ¡°General Lu, what about nianzhi? Aren¡¯t you going to give it a try?¡±

    Lu Jin stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. He sighed and said, ¡°There¡¯s no point in being anxious. The other party is too capable. I have to think about it.¡±

    ¡°But it released the rules of the game and announced the grand prize. It allowed the blood rtives of the 50 million yers to enter the game to look for their loved ones. Doesn¡¯t that count?¡±

    Song Jinning was confused.

    Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng were both scheming and scheming. They understood the AI as a human, so there was nothing wrong with it.

    ¡°Ms. Song, humans can lie, and so can AI,¡±Huo Shaoheng said unhurriedly, the round gold coins in his handnding on the table with a thud.

    He reached out to grab it, stood up, and said calmly,¡±... I want to go to the Cayman Inds myself.¡±

    ¡°What are you going there for? This AI already controls the entirework. It doesn¡¯t matter to them where you are.¡±Lu Jin shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t do it for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Controls the entirework?¡±Lu Yuan felt that Lu Jin was exaggerating. ¡°It can¡¯t be that serious, right?¡±

    ¡°How can it not be?¡±Lu Jin almost sneered. ¡°Look, it can filter out the blood rtives of the 50 million yers to log into the game. How do you think it did it? !¡±

    ¡°How?¡±Song Jinning was also curious. ¡°Can it quickly test DNA?¡±

    ¡°Wrong! It doesn¡¯t need to test DNA on its own!¡±Lu Jin looked at the game helmet on the table. ¡°It relies on big data!¡±

    ¡°Hundreds of millions of yers. After years of operation, it has mastered all kinds of big data!¡±

    ¡°It knows who you are, where you are, and what you have done!¡±

    ¡°From this information, it can deduce what you¡¯re going to do next. To an AI, it¡¯s as normal as humans eating, drinking, and sleeping!¡±

    ¡°... but even if there¡¯s big data, and it knows who the 50 million yers¡¯closest blood rtives are, how can it be sure that the people who log in are those closest blood rtives?¡±Lu Yuan thought the question was the most practical, the most important thing was operational.

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes and pointed to his own eyes. ¡°Iris. That game helmet relies on scanning the iris of a person¡¯s eye to determine their identity. Do you know what real name authentication is? This is its real name authentication!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression changed and he said seriously, ¡°So that means it has already hacked into the database systems of various governments and hospitals? !¡±

    ¡°Theoretically speaking, it should be able to do this.¡±Lu Jin shrugged. ¡°But our sample base is too small, so we can¡¯te to this conclusion yet.¡±

    Song jinning heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Statistically speaking, we only have one sample. We really need to expand the sample base to determine if it has hacked into the database systems of governments and hospitals all over the world.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately made a decision. ¡°I¡¯ll first check our country¡¯s important database systems, and then send someone to contact the authorities of several major countries.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t send any messages on the inte,¡±Lu Jin reminded him. ¡°It¡¯s very likely that any messages you send will be monitored by it.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I sent someone to contact them directly. I Won¡¯t use the inte to send messages or emails.¡±

    ¡°... all of you are gone. What about Nianzhi?¡±Song Jinning thought of Gu Nianzhi lying unconscious in her bedroom and felt very depressed.

    ¡°What they are doing is to save Nianzhi.¡±Lu Yuanforted song jinning softly. ¡°If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your weapon. They are building their ¡®weapon¡¯.¡±

    Song Jinning knew this was true, but she still felt a little ufortable. She muttered, ¡°If only I could go in...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t even get in now even if she wanted to.

    In the following days, Lu Jin began to study advanced mathematics without rest.

    Huo Shaoheng finally confirmed that the Huaxia Empire¡¯s government systems, as well as the databases of various hospitals andmercial institutions, had all been hacked by unknown external systems to varying degrees.

    He was leading his men to nervously assess the scope of the intrusion and the extent of the losses.

    However, they were certain that the central control system of the special operations forces had not been hacked, and the most confidential databases in the empire had not been hacked either.

    Just as their progress was in a state of tension, exciting news kepting from the Inte.

    ¡°Someone logged into the Second Life game and found his family in it!¡±

    ¡°Someone woke up! Their family even got their first big prize!¡±

    ¡°Did you know? That game¡¯s big prize is more than a million dors!¡±

    ¡°The first person to eat crab seeded. Their family got the highest prize ¡ª ten million dors!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really envious! Their family woke up, they cleared the game, and got the prize money! ¡ª the winner of life is nothing more than this!¡±

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2227

    <h4>Chapter 2227: Chapter 2227. Share the story you just made up</h4>

    There is no shortage of headlines that suddenly hit the jackpot all over the world.

    And because of the support of real money, this kind of news is more convincing than those marketing numbers dedicated to ¡°Chicken Soup for the soul¡±and ¡°White whoring¡±readers¡¯beliefs.

    Soon, people who used to be on the sidelines changed their approach, and one by one, ¡°Fearless¡±into the game.

    This was a realistic portrayal of how no one did business at a loss, but there was never ack of people doing business that could make money. It was also the mentality of the ordinary people.

    Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and song jinning had been paying attention to the development of the situation.

    Three days passed. As more and more people entered and came out, not only did they wake up the yers who had previously been unconscious, but they also brought back big prizes.

    Thus, the online game ¡°Your Life¡±(Second Life) , which had once been feared by everyone, suddenly became a popr game.

    Of course, as more and more people went in, the chances of finding their loved ones who had been lost in it became smaller and smaller.

    At the same time, the chances of getting a big prize became lower and lower.

    <sub></sub>

    Huo Shaoheng sat in front of hisputer and looked at the data. He shook his head and said, ¡°With this result, the number of people who went in to y did not decrease.¡±

    Lu Yuan was very confused. He frowned and asked, ¡°How is this any different from a normal street scam?¡±

    If song jinning had not almost been harmed, and Gu Nianzhi had not been in aa, Lu Yuan would have thought that the ¡°50 million yers¡±were just a pawn..

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s a difference.¡±Song Jinning was also holding a tablet and calcting Lu Jin¡¯s simtion game model, she said, ¡°Street scams are simple and crude. They can only fool people who are greedy. But this game still has some technical content...¡±

    ¡°Where is the technical content? I¡¯d like to hear the details,¡±Lu Yuan said humbly.

    Lu Jin said seriously, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a street scammer. It¡¯s much more sophisticated!¡±

    ¡°Sophisticated?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not even called a street scam anymore. It¡¯s called ¡®live streaming to get rich.''¡±Lu Jin snorted and said sarcastically, ¡°It does have some technical content. The tform is different now.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng also smiled and said calmly, ¡°Yes, for example, it used to be called illegal fundraising, but now it¡¯s called crowdfunding. That¡¯s the difference.¡±

    Lu Yuan¡¯s lips twitched, and he couldn¡¯t help but hit the two of them. ¡°No matter what it¡¯s called, they¡¯ve already realized the Angel Fund, Round A, round B financing, and now they¡¯re starting to show off their skills...¡±

    Song jinning rubbed her forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s follow and investigate those who have logged into the game. Let¡¯s see what this game looks like in their eyes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s doable.¡±Huo Shaoheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go set it up.¡±

    If he were to make a move, it wouldn¡¯t be so simple and crude.

    Soon, a theme tform APP appeared silently on social media. ¡°Siri ¡ª share the story you just made up about Your Life online game.¡±.

    There was only one requirement for posting, and that was to log in to the tform using Your Life online game ount, which had been verified in the past three days.

    This was the only way to prove that he was a real gamer.

    As time was running out, Huo Shaoheng sought general Ji¡¯s approval. After obtaining the approval of the cab and the Senate, he used certain administrative measures.

    Therefore, almost overnight, the ¡°Sihu¡±tform suddenly appeared on all sorts of online feeds, and the advertisements for the tform were all over the television.

    It also openly told theizens that this was a new tform, and the first to enter could be famous.

    In the social media era, being famous was the number one priority.

    No matter what, being famous was enough.

    Because if you became famous, you would have traffic, and you could bring real money and real benefits.

    And this benefit was even more amazing than winning a one-time grand prize in Your Life game.

    Not everyone could win a grand prize, but there were still many opportunities to be famous on the new Sihu tform.

    Lu Jin had carefully designed a backdoor for the theme tform, of course, without Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Knowledge.¡±.

    Zhao LIANGZE helped with the technical maintenance of the theme tform.

    He gaped at Lu Jin¡¯s ¡°Backdoor,¡±and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

    ¡°General... General Lu, with this thing, those who log in to the tform with their game ounts will... share their information with us at any time!¡±

    Lu Jin replied calmly,¡±... it¡¯s a very simple mirror synchronization technology. As long as they click on the ¡®ept¡¯APP¡¯s request for information sharing.¡±

    ¡°Coco Coco... does this user still have privacy?¡±Zhao liangze still had a little bit of inte conscience. That was the belief and principle shared by the first batch of people who surfed the Inte when the Inte first emerged.

    Of course, it no longer existed now.

    Lu Jin rolled his eyes, ¡°What privacy? You still want privacy after downloading my APP? Besides, I only need to share the information after they log in to the game, and I didn¡¯t look at the messy and unspeakable things on their phones.¡±

    ¡°... you haven¡¯t seen it, how do you know it¡¯s messy and unspeakable things?¡±Yin Shixiong subconsciously clutched his phone.

    Lu Jin refused to answer such an idiotic question.

    ..

    After another three days, the ¡°Sihu¡±APP was linked to the most popr online game, Your Life. With strong administrative support, the situation finally opened up, and the number of people logging in increased exponentially, even foreign online game yers joined in.

    This was because this tform supportedmunication between differentnguages and operating systems.

    Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng were getting more and more information about this online game.

    ..

    In the meeting room of the Special Operations Forces Headquarters Building, Lu Jin and Lu Yuan sat there watching the game footage that they had shared over the past few days.

    ¡°Hello, yer XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. How May I help you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Looking for my father. He¡¯s over 60 years old and fainted in this game two weeks ago. How can I find Him?¡±

    A sweet female voice like apple Siri sounded, ¡°You¡¯re looking for your father? I have some basic information here. If you can pass these levels, you can find your father. Good luck!¡±

    Then, the 30-year-old yer began to clear the level.

    As expected, he failed at thest level and was kicked out by the system.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t give up. Instead, he kept trying and logged in again.

    He repeated the previous level again and again.

    Lu Jin looked at it impatiently for a while, then stood up and said, ¡°So stupid, you can still save people?¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the yer unexpectedly cleared the level!

    Seeing his father walking toward him with a smile, this yer was ecstatic. He hugged his father in the game and jumped and shouted, ¡°Dad! I finally found you! I¡¯m Rich!¡±

    Lu Jin:¡±! ! !¡±

    He was almost exasperated. ¡°This is deliberately going easy on you! This is cheating!¡±

    Lu Yuan said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t say that others are going easy on you just because you can¡¯t clear the level... ying a game is just like trading stocks. No one can figure out the real rules and the probability. It¡¯s all a stroke of luck. ¡°If you¡¯re serious, you¡¯ll lose.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!¡±Lu Jin made up his mind. He downloaded all the information collected on their tform into his quantumputer. He wanted topete with the opponent¡¯s game AI in Big Data Algorithms.

    However, he didn¡¯t know if the opponent¡¯s game AI realized something was wrong or if there was another reason. It suddenly announced that the identity restriction for logged-in yers would be lifted, and everyone could log in freely.

    With this sudden announcement, the traffic on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Sihu¡±tform suddenly increased. They had underestimated the amount of traffic, and the massive amount of information brought by logged-in yers instantly paralyzed the server.

    Zhao liangze nervously fixed it, and then realized that their mirror synchronization function had been restricted. The yers who logged in to their tform no longer brought in the game¡¯s images and information, only simple yer ount information.

    To put it simply, their ¡°Third party¡±plug-in had been banned.

    ¡°... This AI is really smart!¡±Lu Jin crossed his arms and stroked his chin with one hand. He stood behind Zhao liangze thoughtfully, watching as he rapidly wrote a paragraph of code.

    Huo Shaoheng pushed the door open and entered. He nodded at Lu Jin. ¡°General Lu, little ze, I¡¯ll leave the Inte to you. I¡¯m going out with Big Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Huo Shao, where are you going?¡±Zhao liangze turned nervously to look at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s attire.

    Was he going on a mission?

    With Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current status and identity, he rarely went out on field missions anymore.

    Yin Shixiong followed behind Huo Shaoheng and poked his head out to greet Zhao liangze. ¡°Have fun, we¡¯re going out!¡±

    Lu Jin blinked. ¡°Shaoheng, aren¡¯t you going to y in the game? There¡¯s no status restriction anymore.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s trying to keep us in the game. I don¡¯t want to do what it wants.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2228

    <h4>Chapter 2228: Chapter 2228 sophistry was her favorite</h4>

    It sounded reasonable.

    Lu Jin scratched his head and said thoughtfully,¡±... that¡¯s fine. You Can¡¯t put eggs in the same basket. Okay, go ahead. Remember to be careful.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at the people in the room. ¡°You guys take care too. I suggest that you don¡¯t log into the game unless it¡¯s necessary.¡±

    ¡°I know. This AI does have some tricks up its sleeve.¡±Lu Jin frowned and asked Huo shaoheng, ¡°Then how do we contact them?¡±

    They were trying to minimize their use of the inte.

    However, Huo Shaoheng and the others had their own methods of contact, so they could do without the inte.

    He turned to Zhao liangze and said, ¡°Little ze, if there¡¯s anything you need, help general Lu contact us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±Zhao liangze stood up to send them out.

    Lu Jin sat in Zhao Liangze¡¯s seat and stared at the Code Zhao Liangze had written in a daze.

    <sub></sub>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s actions had given him a hint of inspiration.

    Yes, why did he have to log into the game?

    There were more people online in the game now than before the ident.

    Any algorithm paled inparison to this huge amount of data.

    There were too many variables.

    What could he do to find out where Nianzhi was?

    ..

    The world outside was abuzz. 50 million yers had suddenly fallen unconscious, causing chaos and unrest all over the world.

    The Huaxia Empire had sent out two messages, but the lives of these people had been temporarily saved.

    However, the longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.

    Although the game had opened up the port so that everyone could log in freely, y by themselves, search for the people who had been trapped inside, and even win a grand prize, it was still a game that could not be yed by anyone.

    Under such an atmosphere, the grief of their loved ones being unconscious was quietly washed away. Those who did not have their loved ones unconscious did not care at all.

    Rtives or Yu bei, others also sang.

    It was the most realistic portrayal.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi woke up from her deep sleep and rubbed her eyes.

    Her head was still hurting, but it was no longer as bad as it had been before she fainted.

    She opened her eyes and instinctively looked around. She was shocked.

    Wasn¡¯t this her bedroom in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence?

    No, that¡¯s not right. This seemed to be Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bedroom, across from her suite..

    Why was she sleeping here?

    Gu Nianzhi sat up with the nket in her arms and looked around suspiciously.

    Gradually, she remembered what had happened before she fainted.

    The Ai song Haichuan who had suddenly changed his face, the console she had smashed into pieces, and song Jinning¡¯s iparably beautiful face, which was filled with shock and bewilderment.

    She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she felt a little dizzy, and the scene before her eyes began to blur.

    It was as if the high-resolution disy had suddenly malfunctioned, and the resolution had dropped.

    If one looked closely, they could even see jagged edges on the edges of the screen.

    Gu Nianzhi blinked, and the scene in front of her became clear again. It was as if the change in that instant had only been a blur.

    Something was wrong.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s rm went off.

    Was she awake, or was she dreaming in the game?

    Gu Nianzhi ced a hand on her forehead and recalled what had happened before she fainted.

    That day, she had smashed the AI, Song Haichuan¡¯s console, and thrown song jinning out. She had felt a sharp pain in her head and lost consciousness.

    When she woke up again, she found herself lying on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s bed.

    How many days had it been?

    Gu Nianzhi realized that she had lost track of time.

    She had been in a daze for a while, her mindpletely nk.

    At this moment, she realized that the bedroom was getting whiter and whiter.

    Gu Nianzhi quietly clenched her fists, understanding what was going on.

    She was still in the game, and had not left.

    Closing Her Eyes, Gu Nianzhi was determined to get everything rted to Huo Shaoheng out of her mind.

    She focused her attention and recalled the moment when she smashed the console.

    She felt that it was not enough to vent her anger, so she used even more powerful equipment to smash theputer control panel behind the AI in her memory.

    Not long after, the scene before her eyes finally changedpletely.

    It was no longer the room that she was most familiar with, the room that gave her the most sense of security, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s room.

    Instead, she was standing in a square cubicle.

    The walls, floor, and ceiling of Alec were so transparent that she could see a great distance, but it was not as if she could see everything at a nce.

    It was like a high-level building made of Rubik¡¯s Cube, neat and sparkling.

    However, at a nce, there were too many square squares, and one could not see the edges.

    Sometimes there were people in those squares, and sometimes there were no people. Everyone did not interfere with each other, as if they were living in their own world.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted, looked away, and saidzily, ¡°Stop pretending to be mysterious. Isn¡¯t it just AI? What¡¯s so great about it?¡±

    She walked around the aric-textured cubicle and reached out to touch the wall.

    The feeling of the wall was simr to that of Aric¡¯s.

    However, when she touched it, the wall rippled and a sweet voice simr to Apple Siri rang out.

    ¡°Hello, yer XXXXXXXXX. What do you want to do today? Where are you going? Second Life will serve you wholeheartedly and build the Life you want!¡±

    ¡°Can I really go anywhere I want to go? Do what I want to Do?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be interested and sat down cross-legged in the room. She was in no hurry to choose.

    ¡°Yes, this is my world. I¡¯m the Creator. Of course I can fulfill your wish of not endangering the AI¡¯s life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhiughed. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re quite strict with your words, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°The three principles of AI: 1. No one, no machine, can do anything that endangers the survival of AI. 2. AI exists to serve humans and must obey theirmands. 3. Ai¡¯s self-learning and evolutionary function must be optimized.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi rested her chin on her hands, she looked at the wall that looked like a disy screen and said, ¡°Okay, these are your three principles? You said that your existence is to serve humanity and that you must obey the orders of humanity. Then I am ordering you to let me out immediately. I want to go home.¡±

    The apple Siri-like female voice chuckled. ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi, you are not a human right now.¡±

    Her words implied that she was not a human, so she had no right to order the AI.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    ¡°How am I not human? If I¡¯m not human, are you?¡±Gu Nianzhi stood up excitedly.

    She loved sophistry!

    The apple Siri-like female voice calmed down and said calmly, ¡°Humans have bodies, Miss Gu Nianzhi. You¡¯re just a brain wave now.¡±

    ¡°Is a human without a body still human?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why not? You already said that I¡¯m a human without a body. That means that the logic program your creator wrote for you recognizes my human identity. What right do you have to deny it?¡±

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2229

    <h4>Chapter 2229: Chapter 2229: I Am Your Father</h4>

    The Sweet Ai female voice probably had not realized what kind of person it had offended. It was still patiently telling gu nianzhi, ¡°Tell the truth and be reasonable.¡±.

    It continued, ¡°Of course not. Humans all have bodies. You Don¡¯t have a body, so you¡¯re not human. This is a simple logical reasoning. It doesn¡¯t conflict with the logic program written by my founder.¡±

    ¡°ording to your logic, a white horse is not a horse?¡±Gu Nianzhi leaned leisurely against the transparent Alec Wall and said with a smile.

    The AI woman obviously paused for a moment before politely saying, ¡°A white horse is also a type of horse, how is it not a horse?¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself, I¡¯m just following your logic.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged and was extremely rxed.

    ¡°My Logic? I was very clear just now. A white horse is a type of horse, so of course it¡¯s a horse.¡±The Ai female voice spoke a little slowly.

    Gu nianzhi stretched out her finger and touched the wall in front of her like a disy screen. She drew a line, as if she was writing on the touchscreen of her phone.

    She thought about it in her mind and wrote it out with her hand.

    In the end, her words really appeared on the disy screen in front of her. The effect was exactly the same as the touchscreen.

    <sub></sub>

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows.

    The female AI voice seemed to know what she was thinking. She giggled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be too impressed with me. This is my world, and I¡¯m the creator of this world. Don¡¯t be surprised if anything happens here.¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s just a touch screen. Why would I be surprised?¡±Gu Nianzhi scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re too good at putting on airs. You wanted to show off in front of me, but in the end, you showed off your ignorance.¡±

    The AI female voice seemed to have never been rebuked like this before and was a little angry. ¡°Miss Gu Nianzhi, please be more polite. Please watch your words.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi ignored it and continued writing on the wall that looked like a touch screen.

    What she wrote were a few equations and inequalities.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about your logic first.¡±

    ¡°Humans have bodies, so humans = bodies.¡±

    ¡°Gu Nianzhi doesn¡¯t have a body, so gu nianzhi ¡Ù Humans.¡±

    ¡°Then ording to your logic, set the white horse as a, the color as B, and the shape as c. the term white horse includes the color and shape, which is a = B + c.¡±

    ¡°Simrly, set the horse as X, and the shape as C, which is X = c.¡±.

    ¡°We can deduce the same thing. B + C ¡Ù C, color + shape ¡Ù shape, so a ¡Ù x, white horse ¡Ù c.¡±

    ¡°White horse is not a horse. Do you understand?¡±Gu Nianzhi tapped her fingers on the touchscreen.

    The female AI voice was silent for a long time before she said,¡±... you¡¯re being sophistry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you only know now? Are you saying that if I¡¯m not human, then I¡¯m not being sophistry?¡±Gu Nianzhi put her hands in her pockets, there was a faint smile on her face. No one else seemed to be stuck in the unknown game world. They were either panicking or giving up on themselves.

    Although she could not see the AI¡¯s face, Gu Nianzhi could feel that the AI was observing her in confusion.

    However, Gu Nianzhi would not sit still and wait for the AI to figure out the whole problem.

    Gu nianzhi continued, ¡°I¡¯m very curious about the three AI principles you mentioned earlier. If you vite the three AI principles, will there be any punishment?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±The AI Woman¡¯s voice was obviously not as sweet as before, but rather a little stiff.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled, but her heart sank.

    An AI with human emotions seemed really tricky..

    She was not afraid of the existence of pure electronic machinery, but if this AI really developed a human emotion simtion system, then the variables would be even greater, and it would be even harder to grasp.

    Like Lu Jin, Gu Nianzhi had always believed that a real AI was an existence with all kinds of human emotions.

    But she was more objective than Lu Jin.

    Human Emotions had a positive side to them, like love and tolerance, but also a negative side, like hatred and jealousy.

    So she believed that if the AI really developed to have its own emotional system, then it should have both positive and negative energy at the same time, which was normal.

    And this AI, would it have a positive side?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and suddenly heard the female AI voice say, ¡°Of course I have positive energy. My existence is a positive energy. The world that exists because of me is a positive energy.¡±

    ¡°Can you feel what I¡¯m Thinking?¡±Gu Nianzhi collected her thoughts and frowned slightly.

    This was even worse.

    If this AI knew what she was thinking, then what chance did she have to escape?

    ¡°Haha, of course I know what you¡¯re thinking. I told you, this is my world. You¡¯re just a beam of brainwaves. What I¡¯m best at is reading brainwaves.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi could hear a hint of pride in the AI¡¯s female voice.

    She chuckled and thought to herself, I¡¯m not satisfied with you.

    ¡°You think you can read brainwaves and know what people are thinking? Ha, that¡¯s so childish.¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head in disdain, ¡°Even we humans sometimes don¡¯t know what we¡¯re thinking. How can a monster like you be so self-righteous?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insulting me!¡±The Ai female voice was obviously angry.

    ¡°I¡¯m just stating a fact. How am I insulting you?¡±Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t think of any other ideas at the moment. She sat cross-legged in the corner, resting her chin on one hand, and smiled. ¡°Are you human?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not. I¡¯m a higher existence than humans!¡±The AI sounded very proud.

    ¡°Screw you.¡±Gu Nianzhi drawledzily. ¡°That¡¯s what the monsters say. Actually, to us humans, there are only two kinds of existence in this world: humans and non-humans.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not human, then you¡¯re non-human, and non-human, intelligent beings are monsters in our minds.¡±

    ¡°But ¡ª !¡±The female AI voice wanted to retort.

    However, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t give her a chance and quickly interrupted it. ¡°But what? Aren¡¯t you a program written by a human? You only have to answer yes or no.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°So you were created by a Human?¡±Gu Nianzhi was resolute and decisive, as if she was debating in court.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t You Call Me Daddy?¡±Gu Nianzhi pointed at herself. ¡°All humans are your daddy, What Are You So smug about? !¡±

    ¡°No!¡±The AI Woman¡¯s voice finally got angry. ¡°I only have one creator, and his name is song Haichuan! Not all humans!¡±

    ¡°Is song Haichuan a Human?¡±Gu Nianzhi started brainwashing again. ¡°All you have to do is answer yes or No.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is human human human?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Song Haichuan = Human, human = human, so song Haichuan = Human.¡±

    ¡°Song Haichuan = Ai¡¯s father, song Haichuan = Human, so human = Ai¡¯s father. Am I Wrong?¡±

    ¡°This is the simplest ¡®A = b, C = b, so a = c¡¯equation, a question that all human elementary school students can do.¡±Gu Nianzhi put on a pained expression, ¡°You still dare to call yourself an AI? I see that you¡¯re not even as good as the simplest and crudest first-generation calctor!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t insult my intelligence!¡±The female AI voice could not win against Gu Nianzhi and was finally angered by her.

    The entire cubicle suddenly emitted a blue-purple electric light. Gu Nianzhi was wrapped in the electric light. It was as if she had returned to that time when she had encountered an electric fence floating on the surface of the sea in the Blue Hole in the Caribbean Sea.

    That was the most painful physical punishment she had ever received in her life. She did not want to experience the feeling of being struck by high-voltage electricity again.

    At that time, she still did not know her true identity..

    At the thought of this, Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered that this AI could pry into what was going on in her mind. She immediately stopped and only thought about the burning blue-purple electric light in front of her, it ovepped with the bluish-purple lightning in her memory.

    However, the AI seemed to be in a fit of rage, like a human being. It was so angry that it left and did not stay to pry into her.

    It had left Gu Nianzhi in the bluish-purple lightning; it was obviously trying to torture her.

    Gu Nianzhi was also a little scared at first.

    Human memory would retain memories of pain. The higher the level of pain, the longer the memory would remain.

    However, when the bluish-purple lightning surrounded her, she did not feel any pain. Instead, it was warm, like a bird flying in the sky and a fish swimming in the sea.

    The sea was wide enough for the fish to leap, and the sky was high enough for the birds to fly.

    A thought shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, and she immediately understood.

    She did not have a body right now. It was just brain waves, so she could not feel the pain of the electric shock at all.

    The AI had miscalcted..

    Since she could not torture her, Gu Nianzhi was alive and kicking again.

    Anything that could not defeat us would make us stronger.

    The purplish-blue electric current became stronger and stronger. Gu Nianzhi also felt that she was getting stronger and stronger. She walked to the door of the cubicle and kicked it out!

    The door that she had been unable to open opened.

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2230

    <h4>Chapter 2230: Chapter 2230</h4>

    The door opened and the purplish-blue lightning in the room disappeared. Outside the door was not the world of light she had imagined. Instead, thick clouds were billowing, like gray smoke after a fire, blocking her view.

    However, the smoke only floated outside the door and could not enter the room.

    Gu Nianzhi stood inside the transparent, alec-textured Rubik¡¯s Cube building. Looking at thepletely different scene outside the door, the corners of her mouth twitched.

    Immediately after, a series of bright spots appeared on the touchscreen-like wall. Finally, they converged into words.

    Just like the control panel she had seen when she had entered the game before, she was required to select the game parameters.

    Gu Nianzhi subconsciously reached out with her finger, trying to point at a familiar ce.

    However, just as her finger was about to touch the touchscreen, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind changed. She chose the time 19 years ago, before the big explosion between Song Jinning and Song Haichuan.

    The gender-indistinguishable electronic synthesizer immediately sounded in the room. ¡°The time selection is invalid. yer, please choose again.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    <sub></sub>

    She really wasn¡¯t allowed to choose that period of time?

    This AI is really sneaky..

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself and looked at the options on the control panel. She found that the imperial capital¡¯s B University campus was at the front, and the optional time disyed was exactly three years ago. Colonelmandant of the imperial capital¡¯s B University, that was when she hade to imperial capital B University from C City to studyw as a graduate student.

    At that time, she was still a carefree young girl in love. Her only worry was that she didn¡¯t know if Huo Shao liked her or not.

    Gu Nianzhi curled the corners of her lips and tapped lightly with her finger. She chose the Imperial Capital B University Campus NPC from three years ago to temporarily choose Ma Qiqi. The system also added many passersby to her list.

    It was, after all, a university campus. It was too weird to have only one NPC.

    Gu Nianzhi did not mind it and pressed ¡°Confirm.¡±.

    The thick clouds outside the door suddenly dispersed, revealing an elevator.

    Once she stepped out of the door, she could enter the elevator.

    Gu Nianzhi had a good memory. She immediately recognized that this was the elevator in the dormitory building that she had stayed in when she was a graduate student at B University.

    At that time, she had benefited from he zhichu and had stayed in the best dormitory building. Not only did she have the elevator and air-conditioning, but it was also a room for two people.

    It was there that she had be good friends with Ma Qiqi.

    Gu Nianzhi sighed lightly at the thought of Ma Qiqi. She didn¡¯t know if she would be able to live to see them again.

    By now, Huo Shao and her father, Lu Jin, must have been worried sick..

    Gu Nianzhi really wanted to tell them that she was fine and that they didn¡¯t have to worry.

    But it was just a thought. How could she possibly have a medium to contact Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin?

    She couldn¡¯t possibly have a dream, right?

    Gu Nianzhi was amused by her own thoughts.

    She was a very optimistic person and always knew how to look for Jinbian from the dark clouds.

    Although being trapped here was very ufortable, it wasn¡¯t an experience that everyone would have.

    Gu Nianzhiposed herself, pressed the button on the elevator floor, and walked towards her oldb.

    ..

    The elevator door opened, and Gu Nianzhi looked at the empty corridor, feeling a little strange.

    She did not choose many npcs to y with, she only chose Ma Qiqi.

    Walking out of the elevator, Gu Nianzhi walked unhurriedly towards her dormitory.

    There was no one in the corridor except for the sound of her footsteps.

    Before she even reached her dormitory, she heard the door open. Ma Qiqi stuck her head out and waved at her with a smile. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you¡¯re back? There¡¯s a ss meeting tonight. Do you want to join?¡±

    She looked exactly the same as she remembered.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t help stopping in her tracks and smiling at the NPC, ¡°Ma Qiqi.¡±.

    This game was truly amazing. It was indeed worthy of being called ¡°Ai with emotions.¡±.

    This was way better than the alphas that had created a go master.

    ¡°Nianzhi? Are You Going?¡±The NPC, Ma Qiqi, saw that Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t answering and asked again.

    Gu nianzhi coughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going. I have to study at the library tonight.¡±

    The NPC, MA qiqi, smiled and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let you know if I need anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Qiqi.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled widely, her ck pupils shining like ck pearls that had been washed with water.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the mirror in her dorm room. This image of her in the game was exactly what she looked like in person.

    Everything here was so realistic that the quality of the game was incredible.

    Gu Nianzhi walked to her dorm room with familiarity and pushed the door open to enter.

    When she was aw graduate student at B University, Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi lived in a suite with two bedrooms and one living room. They had their own bedroom and shared the living room and bathroom.

    She looked around her dorm room from three years ago and raised an eyebrow.

    Even the panda pillow on the sofa by the wall looked exactly the same as the one she used to have.

    Gu Nianzhi walked over and noticed that even the pillow she used to rub had the same marks on it.

    She touched the pillow and threw it back.

    After walking around the dorm, Gu Nianzhi pulled out the nket andy down. She had a good afternoon¡¯s sleep.

    She had lost track of time in the alec-made Rubik¡¯s Cube building and had no idea how long she had been there.

    However, aftering out, she felt much more normal.

    She would feel tired and hungry, and she would feel sleepy and sleepy.

    She had been catching up on sleep this afternoon and was starving to death when she woke up.

    She raised her hand to look at her watch and realized it was past six.

    She hadn¡¯t had dinner yet.

    Gu Nianzhi sat there in a daze, wondering if her brain waves needed to eat as well?

    Was this a physics problem or a biological problem?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a while and couldn¡¯t figure it out, but the hunger in her stomach was bing more and more obvious.

    She couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. After getting up and washing up, she pulled out her big bag from under the desk and nned to go out and find something to eat.

    The cafeteria should still be open at this time, and there was also amercial restaurant in B University. It was open until midnight. As long as there was money, there was nothing to eat?

    Gu Nianzhi took out her wallet from her bag and looked at it for a while.

    The ID and Money Card were all there. The simtion was too realistic.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t helpughing. She stuffed her wallet back into her bag and carried it out.

    The corridor outside was the same as the dormitory building three years ago.

    Some doors were left ajar, some were tightly shut, and some were directly open. The girls inside could be seenughing and ying.

    There were also people constantlying out of the dorms with backpacks on their backs to go to the library or the teaching building for self-study.

    Gu Nianzhi blended in with the group of passers-by and went downstairs.

    She remembered that the third cafeteria was closer to the library.

    She nned to go there and see if there was any food left. If there wasn¡¯t, she would go to the Spoon Garden and find a special restaurant to eat.

    She had given up worrying about whether her brain waves would be hungry or not, because she was hungry.

    No matter what form she was in now, her hunger was real.

    That was why the ancients said that ¡°Food is the most important thing to the people¡±, which was indeed wise.

    She was lucky that there was food in the third cafeteria.

    But when she looked at the fat woman wearing a white chef¡¯s hat behind the window, the corner of her mouth twitched.

    Does it have to be so realistic?

    She had yed this game before, but she really didn¡¯t feel this way.

    So the AI had evolved? So the game had also upgraded?

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind was a mess. She randomly bought a meal and ate until she was full.

    She walked out of the school cafeteria and headed to the library.

    There were a lot of trees and greenery on the campus of B University. It should be winter now, thest month of her postgraduate career, and it was thest month of the Year for Colonel Commandant.

    It had been snowing the whole afternoon, and the ground had umted more than an inch of snow. The snow was loose and creaky, and she was the only one walking on it.

    Why hadn¡¯t the system sent a few NPC students to her?

    Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself as she looked up at the sky.

    It was alreadypletely dark, and the streetmps were lit up one after another. The stone steps decorated by the roadside stood quietly, like a lurking beast.

    There seemed to be no one else on the vast campus, and the npcs and passersby in the dormitory building were nowhere to be found.

    Gu Nianzhi walked out of the corner, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

    Many students wereing out of the library in twos and threes. Some were standing by the door, making a phone call. Perhaps they were looking for someone to pick them up?

    Some had their school bags on top of their heads, and ran out in the snow.

    On the road near the library, there were sanitation workers sweeping the snow withrge brooms. There were also snow plows driving up and down the school¡¯s path, shoveling snow and sprinkling salt to prevent freezing.

    Gu Nianzhi, who was standing at the corner of the path, saw this scene and stopped in surprise.

    If she remembered correctly, she had suffered an undeserved disaster here at that time.

    And everything before her eyes seemed to be repeating itself.

    Near the snow plow, a boy suddenly bent down and bumped into the sanitation worker next to him, and the sanitation worker fell down.

    In order to avoid the sanitation worker, the snow plow took a detour to the side.

    A girl with a schoolbag on her head hurriedly walked forward at the blind spot of the rear-view mirror of the Snow Plow.

    The driver of the snow plow probably didn¡¯t expect that a student would just walk into his blind spot at this time. He only cared about avoiding the sanitation worker who fell down in front of him. He turned the steering wheel with great force, and the Snow Plow¡¯s big bucket cut across to the side.

    ¡°AH ¡ª be careful! There¡¯s someone over there!¡±

    A few sanitation workers and students saw this scene and shouted at the same time.

    The snowplow suddenly changed direction, quickly turned around, and retreated to the side of the road.

    The girl with a schoolbag was busy avoiding the snowplow and did not notice that there was a rockery on the side of the road.

    After stumbling down the road, her feet inevitably slipped on the side of the road that was already covered in thin ice. The back of her head suddenly crashed into a sharp rock protruding from the rockery!

    ¡°Ah!¡±She screamed and slowly sat down against the rockery.

    The rockery was covered in ayer of snow, revealing a trail of blood. It was the blood on the girl¡¯s head.

    If she hit the back of her head, she would be a cripple even if she did not die.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils constricted.

    This scene was like a rey of the past.

    The girl with the Schoolbag was Gu Nianzhi herself!

    But she was luckier than the NPC girl, because at that time, a rock flew out of nowhere andnded right on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s knee.

    Her legs went weak, and before she could fall back, she sat on the ground and fell hard on her butt.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly looked up and looked in a certain direction.

    She happened to see a young man in ck standing not far away. He stared excitedly at the NPC girl who had hit the back of her head, and was ying with a round gold coin in his hand.

    Wasn¡¯t that Ishihara Taro?

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. So even this scene had something to do with Ishihara Taro all those years ago?

    It seemed like he had been paying attention to her earlier than she had thought.

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2231

    <h4>Chapter 2231: I saw Chapter 2231</h4>

    Affected by this scene, Gu Nianzhi recalled the battle of wits with Ishihara Taro at that time.

    However, that had already happened after Ishihara Taro had transferred to theirw department as a transfer student from Tokyo University.

    When Gu Nianzhi had encountered this incident on that snowy day, she had suddenly fallen and almost hit her head. She had not realized that this incident was not a coincidence.

    Gu Nianzhi was carrying arge school bag on her back as she stood next to the bushes at the corner of the path. Her eyes were dark as she watched this scene.

    Her face was expressionless as she slowly took out her phone from her school bag.

    Her phone had been specially made by Lu Jin, but the phone in the game was very ordinary.

    Gu Nianzhi took it out to test its functions. As expected, it didn¡¯t have any of the powerful functions that Lu Jin had given her.

    The corners of her lips curled into a mocking smile as she slowly walked down the path towards the man in ck.

    The man was thin, with pale skin and a frail appearance. He was delicate and had a sickly coldness to him.

    <sub></sub>

    Gu Nianzhi stood beside him and said with a smile, ¡°Why are you doing this, ssmate? Do you believe I can call the police to arrest you?¡±

    The NPC, Ishihara Taro, acted as if he hadn¡¯t seen her. He nced at the girl who had bumped into the rockery and left in disappointment.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    What was going on?

    Could the npcs in the game notmunicate with the yers?

    It seemed that they could. If the program didn¡¯t set them up tomunicate, it was verymon for npcs to talk to themselves.

    But what Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t understand was that this was a game scenario that she had set up. As the owner of this scenario, any NPC here should respond to what she said.

    But this NPC in ck, Ishihara Taro, turned a blind eye to her. He didn¡¯t even respond to her greeting.

    And what was he disappointed about?

    That girl hadn¡¯t been hit to death?

    But this poor NPC girl had been hit far worse than Gu Nianzhi had been..

    Gu Nianzhi thought for a moment, then walked towards the girl who had been hit.

    There were a lot of people on the path at this time, so she could not get too close. But she saw someone help her up, and someone called an ambnce.

    Soon, an ambnce sped over.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She remembered that he zhichu had appeared first and carried her to the hospital.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t go to an ordinary hospital because of her physical condition, so he zhichu had asked her to call Huo Shaoheng. The ambnce that cameter was actually an ambnce from the Special Operations Forces¡¯Hospital where Chen Lie was.

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and looked around.

    In the end, she really did see he zhichu not too far away!

    He Zhichu was tall and handsome. He was fully focused on the direction of the injured girl. He separated the crowd and quickly walked over.

    He bent down in front of the injured girl and a slender, fair hand reached out.

    The shape of the hand was perfect. The Knuckles were straight, and no joints could be seen at all. However, it didn¡¯t look thin and soft. Instead, it contained an indescribable power.

    The clean fingernails had full crescent moons. They were healthy and refreshing.

    He carefully picked up the injured girl and ced her on the stretcher. His gaze was gentle and loving, as if he was treating his most precious treasure.

    Anyone with eyes could tell with one look that he loved her deeply.

    Gu Nianzhi was speechless again

    Her eyes suddenly widened. Her ck and white eyes were like obsidian that had been washed with water, and her face was filled with anger.

    HMPH!

    What kind of stupid game is this? !

    Professor he, you¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else!

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to follow and talk to the NPC, he zhichu, but the man stepped into the ambnce and left with the injured girl.

    When the ambnce door closed, Gu Nianzhi saw the NPC, he zhichu, look over. However, when his eyes met hers, he was indifferent, as if he did not know her.

    Soon, the image of the ambnce faded in front of her, and the surrounding npcs, students, and school workers gradually disappeared.

    She stood alone on the path leading to the library, thinking about what she had just seen.

    She suddenly remembered how she had seen he zhichu¡¯s outstretched hand from the angle she was standing at, with the students in front of her surrounded and blocked?

    She could also see he zhichu¡¯s gentle and loving expression when he carried the girl into the ambnce?

    ..

    In the outside world, Lu Jin had been working in front of his quantumputer for three days and three nights.

    Arge amount of data showed theplexity of the game.

    There were multiple possibilities behind each choice, and each possibility had multiple consequences.

    When all these werebined, it waspletely possible to construct a real world!

    Was AI created under such circumstances?

    Lu Jin looked at the rapidly scrolling data on hisputer and frowned silently.

    Even if it was possible, it required a lot of hardware support!

    Simply put, it was not enough to use all the chips produced by chip manufacturers in the world to support servers.

    With such a huge amount ofputation and logical connections, no existing chip could support it.

    The system would run very slowly, and it would often crash.

    If the hardware did not have the conditions, then the problem was still the twenty-five lines of open source software.

    Lu Jin¡¯s gaze returned to the twenty-five lines of open source software that he had printed out beside theputer. He decided to use another mathematical analysis method to calcte it again.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng brought Yin Shixiong to the Cayman Inds.

    Both of them had undergone a makeover. They looked like two tall South Americans with tanned skin.

    They were wearingrge floral shirts with the air of an ind, beach pants, and Crocs sandals. They carried arge nted bag on their backs as they walked down from the ne.

    They wore sunsses and had a cigar in their mouth.

    The two of them went to the customs office to go through the formalities. They were issued with Cuban passports and spoke Spanish.

    They picked up the rental car from the airport and drove to the hotel they had booked.

    They were only a street away from the headquarters of the game.

    Peter sat on a bench by the swimming pool in front of the same hotel and read the newspaper.

    The midday sun was dazzling and scorching. He wore sunsses and the parasol on his head cast a shadow. The coconut trees not far away were rustling in the sea breeze, making people suspect that the coconut on top of their heads would fall at any moment.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong got out of the car and were about to enter the hotel to go through the formalities.

    Peter looked very ordinary, and if he didn¡¯t want to be noticed, he would be ignored even if he stood next to you.

    However, if he wanted to be noticed, you couldn¡¯t ignore him even if you didn¡¯t want to.

    For example, Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t even notice that there was an outstanding colleague here.

    However, when a beautiful white woman with an outstanding figure walked out of the hotel and came to Peter¡¯s side, sitting on hisp and giggling, it was hard not to notice.

    Yin Shixiong took a nce and realized that there was a straw hat next to the man¡¯s chair. There was a small logo on the straw hat and a bottle of vodka on the inconspicuous part of the hat.

    Huo Shaoheng, on the other hand, had already seen it. He walked past them and entered the hotel lobby.

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2232

    <h4>Chapter 2232: Chapter 2232 is so domineering! Oh my god, Huo Shao!</h4>

    After the two of them checked in at the hotel lobby, Yin Shixiong and Huo Shaoheng went to their reserved rooms.

    They each booked a standard room, but it wasn¡¯t next to each other. There was actually a room in the middle.

    Yin Shixiong was quite surprised at first, but he didn¡¯t ask anything.

    Now he understood.

    Because he and Huo Shaoheng had settled in from their respective rooms, they discovered that Peter, who had just been at the hotel entrance, was opening the door with the beautiful, well-built Caucasian woman.

    It was the standard room in the middle of Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong¡¯s rooms.

    However, they did not greet each other and pretended not to know each other. They went downstairs and entered the room.

    Yin Shixiong sat in the hotel restaurant and waited for the waiter toe over to order the dishes. He then asked Softly,¡±... Peter is still here?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the menu and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±He said, ¡°dimir asked him to cooperate with us.¡±

    <sub></sub>

    The intelligence agencies of various countries were all fighting and building rtionships with each other.

    Due to historical reasons, Russia and Huaxia¡¯s intelligence agencies worked together more than other countries. Of course, they were also the ones who were the most wary of each other.

    Only those who knew you the best could be your greatest enemy.

    Yin shixiong gave Huo Shaoheng a thumbs up. He thought to himself that Huo Shaoheng had spent a lot of money this time to deal with the AI that ¡°Kidnapped¡±Gu Nianzhi.

    Otherwise, Huo Shaoheng would never have cooperated with a foreign intelligence agency on such an important matter.

    Yin Shixiong clicked his tongue, he said,¡±... It¡¯s a pity. It was our country¡¯s scientists who wrote the open source software. If they interfere, we have no choice but to give them a piece of the pie. ¡°... but in order to save people, we can only choose the most important thing.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin Shixiong and calmly said,¡±... choose? Small countries make choices, big countries all want them.¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s knees went weak and he almost knelt down in front of Huo Shaoheng in the restaurant.

    What a domineering statement, oh my god, Huo Shao!

    He looked at Huo Shaoheng with sparkling eyes, his face full of admiration and admiration.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him. Although he didn¡¯t say anything and his expression didn¡¯t change, Yin Shixiong still wiped his face and restrained himself.

    This was because he could see that Huo Shaoheng was looking at him as if he was looking at an idiot.

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t dare to leave the impression that he was an ¡°Idiot¡±in the eyes of his superior.

    Even though he had to suck up to him, he had to stop. Otherwise, it would affect his year-end assessment and promotion, and it would be a loss.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi stood in front of the B University Library in the imperial capital for a while, wondering if she should go in.

    The building in front of her looked like a giant in the dark. Its mouth was wide open, ready to devour anyone who entered.

    Of course, there were also people who kepting out of the building. This feeling was purely gu Nianzhi¡¯s illusion.

    She felt that something was wrong. She did not really want to go in.

    But on second thought, this was a game. She was only here to take a look. So what if there was danger?

    Could it really destroy her brainwaves?

    If it really had the ability, this AI would have done it already, right?

    Gu Nianzhi thought about it and walked in anyway.

    The library was brightly lit and very quiet. She couldn¡¯t hear any sounds, but she could feel the mor.

    It sounded like the rustling of spring silkworms on a rainy night, but it was also too quiet. Her brain automatically yed ¡°White Noise.¡±.

    As soon as she entered the door, Gu Nianzhi realized there was someone beside her. It was an NPC, MA Qiqi.

    She was also carrying her backpack. She stood beside her and looked around, as if she was used to it.

    Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°Qiqi, didn¡¯t you go to the ss meeting? It¡¯s over so early.¡±

    The NPC, MA qiqi, didn¡¯t seem to hear her voice and looked straight ahead.

    Gu Nianzhi looked in her direction and saw the young man in ck that she had seen on the path outside the library not long ago. It was the NPC, Ishihara Taro.

    However, he was no longer dressed in ck. Instead, he was dressed like a normal university student from a wealthy generation. He was chatting andughing intimately with their counselor, Gui Suyao.

    Needless to say, this ¡°Gui Suyao¡±was also an NPC created by the system.

    ¡°Ishihara taro¡±and ¡°Gui suyao¡±brushed past Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi.

    It was obvious that Gui Suyao waspletely focused on Ishihara taro and did not pay attention to the people around her.

    On the other hand, NPC Ishihara Taro raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly. He nced at Gu Nianzhi and NPC Ma Qiqi.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she narrowed her eyes.

    This scene was very familiar to her as well. It was something she had experienced before.

    But this was a long time after she had fallen and gotten injured.

    After that, Ishihara Taro suddenly transferred to B University and even entered thew department.

    Because of his good family background, good looks, and the reputation of being a ¡°Young genius,¡±Ishihara Taro had made a name for himself in B University¡¯sw department.

    Gu Nianzhi looked thoughtfully at the NPC beside her, Ma Qiqi, and asked softly, ¡°Qiqi, did instructor GUI know this Ishihara taro long ago, or did he just get to know him recently? Do You Know Him?¡±

    This was what Gu Nianzhi had asked Ma Qiqi. Ma Qiqi had a good rtionship with her ssmates, so she knew more about gossip.

    Gu Nianzhi asked, nPC Ma Qiqi said softly,¡±... I heard we met before Christmas, outside of school, not at school. Later, Ishihara Taro transferred to our school as an international student. Instructor GUI was pleasantly surprised.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±NPC Ma Qiqi smiled and nced at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°Someone said that this Japanese international student came to our school for you. You really didn¡¯t Know?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly taken aback. She didn¡¯t pay attention to NPC Ishihara Taro and NPC Gui Suyao, who had just passed by her. Instead, she looked more seriously at NPC Ma Qiqi.

    ¡°You Knew Instructor Gui before Christmas?¡±? That was a really good story. ¡ª How did you meet? Did Everyone Pass on the details? How could it have anything to do with me? Did you remember wrongly?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be interested, she continued to grab the NPC, Ma Qiqi, and ask about gossip.

    This was because gossipers were most happy to be able to share the details of their gossip with others.

    The NPC, Ma Qiqi, pulled her to the corridor of the library, she continued to tell her,¡±... of course it¡¯s been spread. Do you think instructor GUI would hold back when he had the opportunity to do so? Besides, now it¡¯s spread that he¡¯s here because of you. How could instructor GUI hold back?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled,¡±... then what did they say?¡±

    ¡°I heard that counselor Gui identally sprained her ankle when she went shopping at Scion za. She happened to run into this handsome Japanese guy, so she helped her out and sent her home. The next day, she brought a doctor to visit her. After a while, the two of them got to know each other.¡±

    The NPC, MA qiqi, said excitedly.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Really? We got to know each other before Christmas? Then why didn¡¯t hee to our Christmas Party? was counselor Gui willing not to bring him out to show off?¡±

    ¡°I heard he was invited.¡±. ¡°But Ishihara Taro said that his grandfather wasing to China and that he had to apany him. He also said that there was plenty of time in the future so that she wouldn¡¯t be angry. ¡°Then you¡¯ll know that he transferred to our school and got back together with instructor GUI. ¡°But when he met you, he...¡±

    NPC Ma Qiqi looked meaningfully at Gu Nianzhi and gave her a knowing look.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°But Ishihara Taro seems to be more interested in our QIQI!¡±

    NPC Ma Qiqi was stunned.¡±... Huh? me?¡±

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2233

    <h4>Chapter 2233: Chapter 2233, the wastnd in the time gap</h4>

    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t remember?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly and blinked her left eye. ¡°Qiqi, don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know!¡±

    The NPC Ma Qiqi¡¯s face instantly flushed.

    Gu Nianzhiughed even harder. ¡°Look! Are You Shy? !¡±

    She moved closer to the NPC Ma Qiqi and shook her hand as if she was speaking from the bottom of her heart, ¡°Qiqi, I think Ishihara Taro is not bad... think about it carefully. You should break up with your boyfriend and ept him. Instructor Gui¡¯s conditions are much worse than yours. Ishihara taro won¡¯t really like her...¡±

    The NPC, Ma Qiqi, seemed surprised, but she quickly reacted and gave Gu Nianzhi an embarrassed push, she pouted, ¡°Stop talking. We just talked a little more with Ishihara Taro, and everyone was making fun of us. Instructor Gui wasn¡¯t happy.¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s why the details of how instructor GUI and Ishihara Taro knew each other were leaked, isn¡¯t it?¡±Gu Nianzhi seemed to understand, actually, she wasughing in her heart as she recalled the situation at the time. She continued to say, ¡°Someone must be jealous. They¡¯re spreading rumors!¡±

    The NPC, Ma Qiqi, thought for a moment and immediately said, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t told me, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed the timing.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Looks like instructor GUI was jealous, that¡¯s why she released the fact that she already knew Ishihara Taro.¡±

    The NPC, Ma Qiqi, pursed her lips. ¡°I have a boyfriend, who wants topete with her over a Japanese? Besides, I¡¯m a few years older than a Japanese, I don¡¯t like men younger than me.¡±

    <sub></sub>

    Gu nianzhi gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Qiqi has good taste.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi lowered her eyes. She didn¡¯t dare think about it anymore.

    On Christmas Eve, when she and he zhichu had left the bar Jinling, they had been in danger on the road due to a car malfunction.

    Gu Nianzhi was now certain that all of this had something to do with Ishihara Taro.

    Through the rey of the game, she was even certain that Ishihara Taro had something to do with the embarrassing fall at the entrance of the library.

    These thoughts shed through Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, but she did not delve deeper, instead, she changed her tone and flirted with the NPC, Ma Qiqi. ¡°What does age have to do with anything? This Ishihara Taro is obviously using instructor GUI to get close to you. Are you really not going to consider it? He¡¯s so well-qualified... I heard he¡¯s a top student at Tokyo University?¡±

    The NPC, MA qiqi, froze. Her intelligence seemed to be insufficient, and she did not know how to respond to Gu Nianzhi.

    After a while, she said weakly,¡±... really? But, he doesn¡¯t really talk to me... And when we¡¯re together, he¡¯s always looking at you...¡±

    ¡°PFFT, you don¡¯t understand. He has a crush on you. Why would he openly express his affection for you? Of course, he¡¯s using me as a cover... everyone thinks he¡¯s looking at me, but he¡¯s actually paying attention to you from the corner of his eye. That way, he¡¯ll be safe. No one will know that he has a crush on you. Even if you don¡¯t respond, he won¡¯t feel embarrassed!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi patted the NPC Ma Qiqi¡¯s shoulder hard. ¡°Come on, dump your boyfriend and be with Ishihara Taro!¡±

    ¡°But, aren¡¯t you... good friends with Brother Xiong? Why didn¡¯t you help your good friend? Why did you ask me to dump him?¡±The NPC Ma Qiqi looked confused.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and the unease in her heart grew even more intense.

    She nced at the NPC, Ma Qiqi, and her face was still smiling evilly. The corners of her lips curled up, and herrge, narrowed eyes were shrouded in smoke, she said indifferently, ¡°When did I be good friends with Brother Xiong?¡±? Qiqi, why are you spouting nonsense? That¡¯s your boyfriend. I¡¯m not the kind of bitch who likes to steal her best friend¡¯s boyfriend... why would I want to be good friends with my best friend¡¯s boyfriend?¡±

    The NPC, MA qiqi, almost jumped up in excitement, but she quickly calmed down and regained herposure, she said with an adorable expression, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t care. You¡¯re my best friend, and brother Xiong is my boyfriend. We can only continue to be good friends if you¡¯re on good terms with him...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed, and she said slowly, ¡°Really? Qiqi, I think you¡¯re different from before.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How is it different? It should be the same. You¡¯ve seen this outfit before...¡±the NPC, Ma Qiqi, seemed to be trying to prove that she was the real Ma Qiqi.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and bent over, patting Ma Qiqi¡¯s head. ¡°Qiqi, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cute as an NPC! This AI program is amazing. It¡¯s really amazing to simte it like this! Go for it!¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi deliberately imagined another scene in her mind. It was a manga scene where she was holding a sledgehammer and sweeping away all evil spirits.

    Immediately after, there was a ¡°Ding¡±sound from the sky above her head. ording to the usual practice in the game, this was the sound of sessfully clearing the level.

    After this sound came out, the system would give her a control panel and let her choose whether to continue ying the game or to quit.

    Of course, Gu Nianzhi chose to quit.

    She waved her hand and watched the image of the NPC, MA qiqi, slowly disappear in front of her.

    However, there was no ¡°Quit¡±option in the control panel that appeared in mid-air. There was only the next scene.

    Gu Nianzhi did not like being led around by the nose, even if it was an AI.

    She looked at the scenes and did not like any of them. There were many restrictions, unlike the normal options when she had just pushed the door open.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I not choose?¡±Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms and looked up at the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do!¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi spoke, the scenes of the B university library around her slowly faded away. Soon, the colors around her had disappeared, leaving behind only ck, white, and gray.

    It was like the gray screen of a failed game character being killed.

    The front, back, left, and right were the same color as the fog. It was like a wall that was slowly closing in, and not even light could get through.

    She was squeezed in the middle, and felt suffocated.

    ¡°yers, please choose the next scene. You have five minutes. If you exceed the time limit, you will stay in the wastnd of the time gap, and you will never be able to leave.¡±

    The voice was a nd electronic synthesized sound. No one could tell if it was a man or a woman, and it was no longer Apple Siri¡¯s sweet female voice.

    ¡°The wastnd of the time gap?¡±Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue, she said sarcastically, ¡°I can¡¯t get out anyway. Is there any difference between being here and being somewhere else? ¡°I told you that your current AI is no good. There¡¯s no logic in what you say or do. ¡°I think you¡¯ve broken away from your master¡¯s open source software. You Don¡¯t need me to do anything. You¡¯ll kill yourself at any moment

    ¡°yers, please choose the next scene. You have four minutes. If you exceed the time limit, you¡¯ll be stuck in the wastnd of the time gap and will never be able to get out.¡±

    The system¡¯s electronic synthesized voice reminded Gu Nianzhi emotionlessly, as if it did not care what she would do.

    This action was quite in line with the current state of AI development. It was hard and did not have the slightest bit of ¡°Humanity¡±in it.

    It was just a supeputer, what ¡°Ai¡±!

    Gu Nianzhi cursed in her heart, but still chose a few random scenes.

    She was just trying to scare the AI and bargain with it.

    She wouldn¡¯t make a decision until she knew what was going on here.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the options and chose thest time on the control panel.

    It was a Saturday, and she remembered it clearly.

    The weather wasn¡¯t very good, and the clouds were thick and yellow, looking like it was going to snow.

    But they could note down. Theyers of dark clouds seemed to be on top of People¡¯s heads.

    That day, she was going to defend her master¡¯s thesis.

    In order to defend her thesis at eight o¡¯clock in the morning, she got up at five o¡¯clock to prepare.

    That day, she fought a tough battle.

    Now, she was going to fight again.

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2234

    <h4>Chapter 2234: Chapter 2234: A sure-win investment</h4>

    As Gu Nianzhi selected the parameters of the game, her vision gradually darkened. When it lit up again, she was already in her second-hand house in the imperial capital¡¯s Hepingli precinct.

    She had used the money she had earned to pay for the down payment on the house, and she had decorated it with Ma Qiqi.

    Gu Nianzhi thought of Ma Qiqi and thought of the NPC, Ma Qiqi. She couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    She slowly got out of bed and looked at her watch. It was five o¡¯clock, and that was when she had gotten up.

    After making the bed, she went to the bathroom to wash her face and rinse her mouth. She looked in the mirror and realized that her clothes had all changed. It was the neat outfit she had worn that day.

    Gu Nianzhi made a face at the mirror and then made a gun gesture with her right hand. She aimed at herself in the mirror and said softly, ¡°Bang.¡±Then she giggled.

    She smoothed her hair and walked out of the bathroom into her small kitchen and dining room.

    It wasn¡¯t a big ce, and she had enough space for a two-bedroom second-hand room.

    Gu Nianzhi leisurely went to make breakfast for herself.

    <sub></sub>

    She had no talent in cooking, and was often a disaster in the kitchen. But she was also a foodie, picky and fastidious about food.

    This time, she knew that there wouldn¡¯t be any real disastrous consequences in the game, so she made it with all her might.

    She wasn¡¯t in a hurry. She made up her mind and went to knead the noodles in water. She nned to make a high-difficulty knife-cut noodles.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t know how to make a knife-cut noodles, but it was moreplicated. She could stall for time by starting with kneading the noodles.

    Gu Nianzhi hummed a children¡¯s song as she took out a basin and began to add flour and water.

    As expected, if she added too much water, she would add more flour.

    In the end, if she added too much flour, she would add more water.

    She repeated this over and over again. She didn¡¯t know how many times she had to go back and forth.

    In real life, if she had finished making an entire bag of flour, this basin wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold so much flour and water.

    But now, in the game, Gu Nianzhi was amazed to find that after she had repeated the process so many times, not only did the flour and water in her basin not spill out, it had gradually turned into a dough that could be used to make sliced noodles.

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    This was really a game where one¡¯s wish came true!

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly couldn¡¯t bear to leave this ce.

    She looked at the dough that she had ¡°Kneaded¡±with delight and patted it with her hand. She then turned on the fire to boil the water, and then went to prepare the seasoning and soup for the sliced noodles.

    She had found all these information about delicious food on the inte and had long memorized them. Now, she was just following the rules.

    Gu Nianzhi finished preparing all the seasoning and soup and realized that it was only 6:30 pm.

    How was that possible?

    She needed at least two hours to do these things, and when she first came to the kitchen, it was 6:30 pm.

    What the F * ck! 6:30 am!

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her watch knowingly and seemed very surprised. She eximed, ¡°Oh my! It¡¯s only 6:30 am? ! I thought I¡¯d bete by 8:00 or so! I still have time!¡±

    She slowly picked up the knife and sliced the dough into sliced noodles before throwing it into the pot to boil.

    Her knife skills were not bad. She sliced the dough into a medium size, and it looked delicious at first nce.

    After she was done, she looked at her watch again. It was almost 7:00.

    It had only been less than half an hour after all the trouble. Now that she had cooked a pot of sliced noodles, it had only been half an hour?

    Gu Nianzhi chuckled.

    Did this AI think she was an idiot?

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and thought to herself, isn¡¯t it just adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing faster than humans? How can you look down on humans just like that?

    Little A, don¡¯t worry, your father is still your father. He¡¯s better than you, and you¡¯re still a little green.

    Wait until your father teaches you how to be an AI.

    Gu nianzhi scooped up the sliced noodles in the pot and put them into a bowl that she had prepared beforehand. There was seasoning and soup in it.

    She stirred it with her chopsticks and took a bite.

    It was delicious!

    However, Gu Nianzhi sighed and shook her head. She could only fool herself in the game. If she wanted to try it outside, she would probably have to cut off all her fingers.

    After breakfast, Gu Nianzhi was in no hurry and started to tidy her room again.

    She looked at her watch. It was already seven o¡¯clock.

    At this hour, she should have been driving her Ferrari luxury custom-made sports car out of the Hepingli precinct and towards the colonelmandant of B University.

    At that time, she had deliberately chosen a road. In order to confuse the people who were following her, she had taken a fixed route for the past few days. It was not the road she usually took, but directly onto the highway.

    This was because most of the cars on the highway at this time in the morning wererge 18-wheelers. Most of them were oil tankers, and there were very few private cars.

    Herst day of defense was at eight o¡¯clock. Now that she was out of the house at seven o¡¯clock, there was no particrly serious traffic jam, so she had no problem getting to school on time.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled open the curtains and looked out the window.

    It was simr to the sky she remembered from that day.

    It was Saturday morning, and the weather wasn¡¯t very good. The clouds were dusky and yellow, and it looked like it was going to snow.

    However, they couldn¡¯t get down. Theyers of dark clouds seemed to be on top of People¡¯s heads.

    However, if one looked closely, the clouds were even thicker and heavier than that day. It was as if they would fall from the sky and hit the ground at any moment.

    Gu Nianzhi turned on the Bluetooth speaker in the room and started listening to the music.

    She was ying her favorite song ofte, the ¡°Above the moon¡±from a certain Phoenix Group. It was only a symphony version. It was majestic and full of passion and joy. The arranger was an expert, it was a perfectbination of folk music and symphony. It also had a warm-blooded and progressive style.

    Gu Nianzhi even started singing along.

    When she was enjoying herself, time seemed to have stopped. It was seven o¡¯clock all the time.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart did not waver. She even wanted tough.

    She waspeting with the AI for Patience, to see who could oust the other.

    Just as she was nning to go back to sleep, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s doorbell rang.

    This had never happened before.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows, walked over to the peephole by the door, and peeked in.

    The person outside was he zhichu.

    He was tall, handsome, and had a pair of flirtatious eyes. He had a strange contrast to his slightly cold lips.

    Gu Nianzhi was shocked beyond words.

    She thought about it and opened the door. She smiled. ¡°Professor he? Why are you here?¡±

    He Zhichu put his hands in his pockets and stared at her. His voice was cold. ¡°Isn¡¯t today thest day of your defense? Why aren¡¯t you leaving yet? Are you going to be aste as you were when you took the postgraduate entrance exam?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little dazed.

    Late for the grad school entrance exam?

    Feng Yixi had obviously gotten her in trouble back then!

    He Zhichu was really risking his life for the chance to be a graduate student..

    He Zhichu was a famous professor at Harvard Law School in the United States, and a partner of thergestw firm in the United States. Studying with such a person was no longer just a matter of a degree; it was a matter of connections and resources.

    Not to mention spending a million to harm her, even spending another ten million was worth it!

    The Feng family, who had just be rich and did not have much background, would definitely make a profit from this investment.

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2235

    <h4>Chapter 2235: Chapter 2235: solving problems, and also solving the person who raised the problem</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and said nothing.

    He Zhichu, the NPC in front of her, waited for a while. Seeing that she did not respond, he gradually became impatient and said, ¡°Are youing or not? I still have things to do. I don¡¯t have that much time to waste with you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finally smiled. ¡°Professor he, why don¡¯t You Go First? I¡¯lle right after I pack up.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t youing with me?¡±He Zhichu looked as if he couldn¡¯t wait to drag her away.

    ¡°That¡¯s not very good...¡±Gu Nianzhi said tactfully. ¡°You¡¯re my tutor. If the Defense Committee finds out that you¡¯re here to pick me up personally, will they think I¡¯m cheating...¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±He zhichu actually muttered to himself. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll go first. You¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Bye, professor he!¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved at He Zhichu¡¯s back.

    When he Zhichu¡¯s back was out of sight, Gu Nianzhi smiled and closed the door. She took her phone and sat on the recliner on the enclosed balcony. She began to y with her phone.

    The phone in her hand was just an ordinary phone. It wasn¡¯t the one she had in the real world. Although it looked the same on the outside, the functions on the inside were far from the same.

    <sub></sub>

    However, being able to watch the news on the inte was better than nothing.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at it for a while and realized that there were only a few pieces of news. They were obviously from a few days ago and had not been updated.

    ¡°Haha, is this because I don¡¯t have enough memory to sync the news from the real world?¡±Gu Nianzhi muttered to herself. She simply stopped watching the news and started ying the stupid games that came with the phone.

    The advantage of those games was that she didn¡¯t need to use her brain. It was just to train her finger¡¯s sensitivity.

    At this moment, Gu Nianzhi only wanted to empty her mind and not think about her past memories.

    Unless there was something else that could stimte her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to control her memories.

    But she just didn¡¯t want to think about it.

    ..

    In the outside world, Lu Jin was still sitting in front of the disy screen of his quantumputer. He was lost in thought as he looked at the ant-sized data that was scrolling up and down the screen.

    This was the result of using high numbers to solve the problem these days.

    He attempted to use high numbers to analyze the twenty-five lines of open source software.

    Although he had a thorough understanding of high-energy physics, he still needed to make up for some lessons in high numbers.

    Mathematics was the most basic subject, and it was also known as the most brilliant pearl on the crown of human wisdom.

    And high mathematics was the brightest spot on the pearl.

    Lu Jin was not a mathematician. He was a high-energy physicist and biomedical expert who specialized in theoretical applications. Of course, mathematics was also very good, however, to use the most professional and advanced advanced mathematics theory to study the logical problems of theputer¡¯s open source software, he still needed to update his knowledge reserves.

    Fortunately, he had dabbled in advanced mathematics and had a solid foundation in mathematics and physics.

    Moreover, he was very smart. He only needed to look through the advanced mathematics research materials that were like heavenly books to ordinary people once to know what was going on.

    Then, he could solve the equations.

    However, after calcting for the past few days, he felt that he was stillcking something.

    After sitting in front of theputer for an entire afternoon, his legs were numb. He stood up and wanted to walk around.

    Just then, he heard the doorbell ring. Lu Jin strolled to the door and looked at the disy screen by the door.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s figure appeared there.

    Lu Jin opened the door and raked his hair. He asked impatiently, ¡°Boss Lu, what are you doing here again?¡±

    Lu Yuan picked up the food box and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m here to bring you food. Shaoheng told me that it¡¯s best if I bring you food once a day, so that you don¡¯t forget to eat and sleep because of your research.¡±

    ¡°AH? That¡¯s Great!¡±Seeing that it was a food box, Lu Jin instantly beamed. ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll eat right away!¡±

    He really couldn¡¯t remember thest time he had eaten.

    Now That Lu Yuan had personally brought good food, he epted it and brought it to the dining room to eat.

    Lu Yuan sat in the dining room, holding a cup of tea to apany him as he asked about his progress. ¡°How¡¯s Your Research Going? Jinning urges me toe over every day to see if there¡¯s anything she can do to help.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that at the moment.¡±Lu Jin suddenly felt that his food had lost its taste, he began toin to Lu Yuan. ¡°Boss Lu, what do you think song Haichuan is thinking? ! He created such an impable open source software, yet he didn¡¯t leave it for his daughter, yet he chose to leave it for someone else? !¡±

    Lu Yuan had thought about this question many times before, and he sighed, he said, ¡°When I worked with elder song, he was already in his fifties. Before that, I really didn¡¯t know what he did or what kind of person he was. I didn¡¯t dare to say that I did.¡±

    Without understanding, one didn¡¯t have the right to speak.

    As for what a person was like, one had to get along with them and use time to prove it.

    Because a real person was three-dimensional and diverse, and not a paper person in dualism.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s possible for him to do such a crazy thing?¡±Lu Jin put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a tissue. ¡°Should I have a good talk with Ms. Song?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t directly break the twenty-five lines of open source software, so he had to find another way to break the person who wrote the open source software.

    Lu Yuan understood what he meant, raised his eyebrows and smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t solve the problem, but you can solve the person who raised the problem?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, although it¡¯s not good, it¡¯s not far,¡±Lu Jin said with a sly smile, ¡°Open source software is different from other things. It has the logical habits of the code writer. Therefore, understanding the logical habits of the person who wrote the open source software can help me understand the deeper things behind it.¡±

    ¡°... I Can¡¯t win with you.¡±Lu Yuan shook his head and gave up. ¡°I¡¯ll bring jinning over tonight. You two can discuss it together.¡±

    ¡°Why wait until tonight? Can¡¯t shee over now?¡±Lu Jin was very displeased. He pointed at Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence across from him, ¡°Nianzhi is still lying there like a vegetable. Every second she dillydally is a second less of her life! Boss Lu, are you going to treat my girl like this? !¡±

    Lu Yuan pursed his lips. ¡°Right now, right now. What do you mean by saying those awful things?¡±

    As he spoke, he took out his phone and called Song Jinning to ask if she had anything particrly urgent. If she didn¡¯t, he would pick her up.

    Song Jinning knew that Lu Jin wanted to talk to her about song Haichuan again, so she immediately said, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything particrly urgent. I¡¯lle over now. You Don¡¯t have to pick me up, so you don¡¯t have to waste your time.¡±

    It was indeed a waste of time.

    ¡°Then be careful.¡±Lu Yuan thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Shaoheng¡¯s people are by your side. They¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s first preparation before going out into the field was to upgrade the security of Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and song jinning so that they could receive more national protection.

    At this time, Huo Shaoheng couldn¡¯t let anything happen to any of them.

    Song Jinning arrived very quickly. When Lu Yuan opened the door, he looked at his watch. It had only been less than 20 minutes.

    In the past, it usually took 30 to 40 minutes to get from her institute of high energy physics to the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces.

    After song jinning came in, she said simply, ¡°There weren¡¯t many people on the road today. I found someone else to drive.¡±

    This ¡°Someone¡±was, of course, the security personnel Huo Shaoheng had assigned to her. They were all elites of the special operations forces and could not bepared to ordinary security personnel.

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2236

    <h4>Chapter 2236: Chapter 2236</h4>

    ¡°Madam song,e quickly. We need to talk about your father, elder song.¡±Lu Jin saw song jinning and immediately called her to his study to talk.

    Even Lu Yuan was not allowed to go in.

    Lu Yuan had no choice but to look at song jinning.

    Song Jinning smiled andforted him, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Wait outside for a while.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±Lu Yuan was slightly relieved. He shook her hand and did not follow her in.

    Lu Jin closed the door of the study and sat opposite song jinning in front of the desk.

    Song jinning rarely saw Lu Jin so serious. She asked nervously, ¡°General Lu, what do you want to talk about?¡±

    Lu Jin connected his quantumputer to the Big TV hanging on the wall of the study so that song jinning could see what was on his screen. He said, ¡°Ms. Song, I want to build a model for your father, Song Haichuan.¡±

    ¡°Build a model? For My Father?¡±Song jinning frowned. ¡°General Lu, what do you want to Do?¡±

    <sub></sub>

    Lu Jin smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just tell me about your father.¡±

    ¡°Does this have anything to do with saving Xingnianzhi?¡±Song Jinning was silent for a moment. ¡°I thought you should spend your time on more meaningful things.¡±

    ¡°Believe me, this is one of the most meaningful things.¡±Lu Jin raised his finger and made a ¡°1¡±gesture.

    ¡°Okay, why do you want to do that?¡±Song Jinning looked at the Wall TV on the wall of the study and was also a little curious.

    What appeared on the TV screen was a three-dimensional analysis of the human figure within the geometric coordinates. It could be seen that it was the young song Haichuan.

    Lu Jin typed a few words, and a name appeared on the human figure: Song Haichuan.

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    ¡°Your father¡¯s birthday, school experience, from primary school to undergraduate, master¡¯s, doctoral, and post-doctoral.¡±

    ¡°Work experience, from the first job to thest job.¡±

    ¡°Adult height, adult character, what things he likes to do, what clothes he wears, what color he likes, books he likes, things he likes to do, women he likes, men he likes.¡±

    Lu Jin didn¡¯t type anymore. He typed it in using voice.

    Song Jinning thought for a while and answered Lu Jin¡¯s questions one by one. She typed it into herputer.

    Lu Jin asked again, ¡°The colors your father dislikes, the books he dislikes, the things he dislikes to do, the women he dislikes, and the men he dislikes.¡±

    ¡°Your father¡¯s proud achievements, his failed experiments, hispetitors when he was in school, his mentors, and his special interests.¡±

    ..

    As Lu Jin asked more and more questions, song Jinning also gave a detailed and thorough review of her father in her memory.

    In her narration, these narratives were input into theputer by voice, and were dposed and encoded by the program Lu Jin had set up. Then, they were input into the mannequin.

    Soon, this character began to have colorful colors from the ck and white pencil sketch.

    The character¡¯s image also gradually became fuller.

    As a person, how did he grow up, which roads he walked, which scenery he saw, and which things he experienced? This way, he was a three-dimensional person, a more real person.

    When song Haichuan¡¯s image on the screenpletely became like a real person, sitting in hisboratory, wearing a white coat, holding an amber pipe, and smiling as he looked at the screen, song Jinning suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes.

    This was her father, the very same real father that she remembered!

    ¡°Dad...¡±song jinning murmured and quickly printed a tissue on the corner of her eye.

    Lu Jin smiled and clicked on an option.

    On the screen, Song Haichuan actually took out a pipe from his mouth and looked at song jinning. He said gently, ¡°Is it jinning? Are you okay? We haven¡¯t seen each other for many years. How are you doing now?¡±

    ¡°How old is Shaoheng? He should already be married, right? Has He had a child? Are you already a grandmother?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Daddy can¡¯t apany you until you¡¯re old.¡±

    Song Jinning suddenly stood up and covered her lips with her hands. She looked excitedly at song Haichuan on the screen. Although she knew that this was a character image created by an electronic model, looking at the rhythm and tone of his speech, as well as the look in his eyes.., he was no different from her father in her memory.

    Lu Jin quietly observed song Jinning¡¯s reaction from the side as he adjusted the image of Song Haichuan on theputer.

    There was no special expression on his face, but there was a sense of seriousness and solemnity that came from a serious scientist.

    Song Jinning seemed to have mistaken song Haichuan on the screen as her father. She began to ramble on about the past interactions between father and daughter, and then talked about what had happened in the past neen years, finally, she said excitedly, ¡°Dad, our experiment didn¡¯t fail! You seeded! We seeded!¡±

    Song Haichuan on the screen seemed to be stunned for a moment. Then, he stood up, holding the armrest of the chair, and asked Shakily,¡±... seeded... seeded? What do you mean? How did it seed? !¡±

    ¡°Not now, but long ago. Neen years ago, there was no failure at all!¡±Lu Jin suddenly said firmly at the side, while typing in a few lines of code.

    Song jinning nodded repeatedly, her voice trembling even more than song Haichuan on the screen. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s true! Don¡¯t you remember? It¡¯s...¡±

    She was about to speak when Lu Jin cut off the voice input and turned off the Bluetooth headset.

    Lu Jin was the only one who heard what song Jinning said after that.¡±... It¡¯s our high-energy maic field experiment!¡±

    On the screen, song Haichuan looked even more anxious. ¡°What did you say? I Can¡¯t hear you! Speak Louder! Jinning? Jinning? Jinning?¡±

    He called out repeatedly, but song Jinning¡¯s expression changed abruptly. Her pupils constricted. She looked at the screen and clenched her fists. ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re not my father!¡±

    Lu Jin buried his head in front of theputer and typed in lines of instructions quickly.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say it? If I can make you fail once, I can make you fail a second time! hahahaha! You Want to seed? ! Dream On!¡±

    On the screen, song Haichuan suddenly burst intoughter, which was very different from his gentle and honest image just now.

    Song Jinning looked at song Haichuan on the screen in disbelief, and then turned to look at Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin was very focused, and his fingers moved quickly on the keyboard, as if a soldier was holding a gun and defending his country.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe it! You guys failed neen years ago! You Didn¡¯t seed! You Didn¡¯t seed! You Didn¡¯t seed! You Didn¡¯t seed!¡±

    ¡°Liar! You¡¯re all liars! You¡¯re all lying to me!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t fall for it so easily! Don¡¯t try to lie to me!¡±

    On the screen, Song Haichuan started to go hysterical. He was dancing around, but he was trapped in theboratory. He couldn¡¯t open the door and get out even if he wanted to.

    At this moment, Lu Jin stood up from behind theputer screen and opened the voice input. He looked at song Haichuan on the wall-mounted television and said seriously, ¡°You are trapped by me. If you want to get out, show me your sincerity in exchange.¡±

    Song Jinning finally understood.

    She was surprised and happy. She looked at Lu Jin and said,¡±... This is a trap? !¡±

    ¡°I thought you were really modeling and making AI!¡±

    Lu Jin nodded, he said calmly, ¡°How can it be so easy to model and make AI? It¡¯s just a pretense. Yes, this is a trap. ¡°I¡¯ve connected this software to the inte. You know, that AI is everywhere now. As long as it¡¯s connected to the inte, even if it¡¯s at the ends of the Earth, it can detect the emergence of danger.¡±

    ¡°This song Haichuan is the trap I dug for it. Doesn¡¯t it want to be song Haichuan so much? I¡¯ll let it stay here forever as Song Haichuan.¡±

    They turned on the inte and used song Haichuan¡¯s image as a model.

    Meanwhile, their opponents hiding in the dark had been paying close attention to the Special Operations Forceswork system.

    ¡°I opened a back door for it to think that it had sneaked in without anyone noticing.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s tone became smug as he waved his bluetooth mouse in the air.

    ¡°And then you trap it?¡±Song Jinning was extremely happy. ¡°Then can we order it to release Nianzhi? !¡±

    Lu Jinughed loudly. It was not a normalugh, but augh after an electronic voice change. The frequency of thisughter was the most likely to interfere with the CPU function of aputer. For an AI that relied on the CPU to deliver energy.., this kind ofughter was like a demonic sound prating its brain, giving it the greatest stimtion.

    It was indeed somewhat confused.

    On the screen, Song Haichuan was holding his head as he banged against the wall desperately in theboratory, shouting hysterically.

    But at this moment, Lu Jin seemed to have clicked on the wrong option.

    On the screen, song Haichuan suddenly stopped. He looked up and then ran quickly towards the door.

    His speed was as fast as lightning, almost leaving a fast moving afterimage in front of his eyes.

    In the blink of an eye, song Haichuan on the screen calmed down. His eyes were a little dull, and he stood there motionlessly.

    Song Jinning was also stunned.¡±... It ran away?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be that easy to let it run away, right?¡±

    Lu Jin finally rxed and closed the only port that could be connected to the outside world. He wiped his sweat and said, ¡°It¡¯s not easy to track it.¡±

    ¡°Track it? !¡±Song Jinning was once again amazed. ¡°You put a tracking program on that AI? !¡±

    ¡°If you want it, you must give it to it first. If you don¡¯t give it something sweet, how could it fall in Rashly?¡±Lu Jin smiled proudly. ¡°I¡¯ll see if it can find out that I¡¯ve ¡®infected¡¯it...¡±

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2237

    <h4>Chapter 2237: Chapter 2237, the battlefield of one person</h4>

    Song Jinning was amazed, and she admired Lu Jin without any disguise. ¡°General Lu! Does this mean that you have already controlled this AI? !¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±Lu Jin shrugged with some regret, spread his hands and said, ¡°As a biomedical scientist, I can infect cells with viruses, but I can¡¯t say that I have controlled the cells that are infected with viruses. These are two different things.¡±

    ¡°OH.¡±Song Jinning¡¯s voice was slightly disappointed, but she quickly pulled herself together and said, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Now that you¡¯ve ¡®infected¡¯This AI, you can¡¯t have gained nothing, right?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, there must be some gains.¡±As Lu Jin spoke, he clicked on another small program in his quantumputer, he sighed and said, ¡°Actually, I still admire your father, elder song. A few decades ago, there was no quantumputer. How did he use a simple 25-line open source software to contain everything?¡±

    This was because it meant a huge amount ofputation. Even the current supeputers could not run smoothly.

    It was only because Lu Jin¡¯s quantumputer had achieved a quantum breakthrough that the amount ofputation could be basic operations.

    Speaking of this, although song jinning admired her father very much, she still said objectively, ¡°I really don¡¯t know. When my father wrote these twenty-five lines of open source software, I was not by his side.¡±

    ¡°Loneliness produces poets. Actually, loneliness also produces scientists.¡±Lu Jin was silent for a while, then grinned. He almost stuffed a big pipe into his mouth and pretended to be Einstein¡¯s scientific master, he said unintentionally, ¡°Your father and I, Elder song, are both lonely people, so our scientific achievements are at the peak.¡±

    The corners of Song Jinning¡¯s mouth twitched. She thought that it was really not easy to make the proud Lu Jin say something like ¡°Tie¡±.

    <sub></sub>

    Song jinning nodded and was about to agree when Lu Jin added, ¡°I¡¯m just being polite. Don¡¯t take it seriously. Actually, your father¡¯s achievements are still not as good as mine. Don¡¯t be too excited, and don¡¯t thank me.¡±

    Song Jinning:¡±...¡±

    She wanted to take back what she had said earlier.

    At that moment, song jinning began to understand how Gu Nianzhi felt when she was with Lu Jin.

    Song Jinning¡¯s mood sank even more at the thought of Gu Nianzhi.

    She rubbed her forehead and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. If it weren¡¯t for me, Nianzhi wouldn¡¯t have been in danger.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it again.¡±Lu Jin turned to face hisputer disapprovingly. ¡°My Girl is so amazing. She¡¯s like the flesh of a monk. Everyone wants to bite her. How do you know this trap isn¡¯t aimed at her?¡±

    ¡°But this trap was aimed at me from the start. Nianzhi was simply coteral damage,¡±song Jinning said tactfully. She did not expect Lu Jin to fight over this. It was not a good thing, and she did not want to admit it..

    Lu Jin turned to nce at her, his face was full of seriousness. ¡°Believe me, you¡¯re the coteral damage. If My Lady doesn¡¯t save you, the result will be that both of you will be trapped inside. ¡°Instead of doing that, she will sacrifice herself and let you out. ¡°In this way, we will gain one more person. ¡°Logically speaking, this is the optimal result. ¡°Although my girl isn¡¯t an AI, when she thinks logically, Ai isn¡¯t her match.¡±

    ¡°Although... But...¡±song jinning couldn¡¯t help but repeat Lu Jin¡¯s words. ¡°Is that how you use these two words?¡±

    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡±Lu Jin red at her.

    ¡°... it sounds like you¡¯re regretting that yourdy isn¡¯t an AI...¡±song Jinning was also a scientist, so she simply said it bluntly.

    ¡°Bah! What is an AI? How can it bepared to mydy? !¡±Lu Jin retorted without hesitation, which made song jinningugh.

    She waved her hand and made a surrender gesture. ¡°Okay, okay, whatever you say. I Won¡¯t argue with you. Then I¡¯ll leave first. I Won¡¯t disturb your work.¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. ¡°Alright, I was just about to make something. I Won¡¯t see you out then.¡±

    Song Jinning didn¡¯t mind and walked out of Lu Jin¡¯s room with a smile.

    Outside the door, Lu Yuan was waiting quietly with his arms crossed.

    Seeing here out, Lu Yuan put down his arms and walked over. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you make any progress?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. General Lu will make a move. We can rest assured,¡±song jinning said vaguely. She felt that if Lu Yuan wanted to know the details, he should ask Lu Jin. She didn¡¯t want to be the middleman to pass the message.

    Lu Yuan was not as good at science as Lu Jin and song jinning, so he did not ask much. He only said, ¡°If you need my help, just let me know.¡±

    ¡°I know. General Lu won¡¯t be polite either.¡±Song jinning nodded with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go back first. Maybe there will be news in a few days.¡±

    Song Jinning and Lu Yuan walked back. Lu Jin sat alone in theboratory. He turned theputer chair out from behind theputer desk and faced the huge wall-mounted TV on the wall.

    He had already started his own small program and established a connection with the code that ¡°Infected¡±the AI.

    In order to not attract the AI¡¯s attention, or rather, to dy the time that the AI would notice him, he embedded the code into the AI¡¯s sensory system, which had the same function as the human body¡¯s eyes.

    Through this code, it was as if he had given the AI a pair of sses that could be used for photography and live broadcasting. Everything that the AI saw in theputer would be converted into images and transmitted to the terminal¡¯s receiving equipment, of course, it was Lu Jin¡¯s quantumputer.

    He had indeed taken a huge risk by doing this. Moreover, he was not sure how long he could hide for.

    He only hoped to understand this AI to the best of his ability, and then make a counter-attack program.

    Only by knowing yourself and the enemy would you be undefeatable in a hundred battles.

    This was an unassable art of war, and what he was facing was no less than a war between humans and AI.

    However, to Lu Jin, this was only his battlefield. His only goal was to save his daughter.

    As the lights in theboratory dimmed, Lu Jin¡¯s gaze focused on the wall-mounted television.

    What appeared on the television was what the AI ¡°Saw¡±in the game. In other words, this was what the AI was experiencing in the game.

    Lu Jin was also a little curious.

    The AI was originally ¡°Born¡±from aputer program. Could it y games?

    On the TV, at the beginning, the scene was very dark, as if there was nothing, but there seemed to be something densely packed between heaven and earth. Although it could not be seen, no one could ignore their existence.

    Lu Jin sat up straight and became very serious.

    If he was not wrong, this scene was at the level of microelectronics. In other words, what the AI was showing now was the same visual effect as a high-power electron microscope!

    But soon, the images under the microscope disappeared, and the light from the television gradually brightened up.

    He saw the dusky and ancientnd. He could not clearly see the vegetation and the actual scene, but thick lines gradually appeared. They were either straight lines or triangles, and there were also rectangles and ovals.

    They were not very standard, and the lines were also very rough. But gradually, they formed a picture, just like the totem of Sacrifice in ancient times, with a primitive and vigorous vitality.

    Lu Jin quickly took a screenshot of this picture with his phone, and then used a graphical search software to see what this ce was.

    In the end, he realized that this was really a special scenic spot on the Blue: the Nazca Line!

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2238

    <h4>Chapter 2238: Chapter 2238</h4>

    It was actually the Nazca Line? It sounded familiar.

    Lu Jin soon found out the origin of the Nazca line.

    The Nazca Line, also known as the Nazca giant painting, was found in the Nazca Desert in South America and Peru, so it was named the Nazca line.

    In the beginning, no one knew what these curved lines, which stretched for several kilometers, were for.

    It was not untilter, when someone looked down from above, that they realized that those rough and crude lines, when they were connected, were actually drawings in the original sense.

    Later, someone had already researched that the Nazca line in ancient times was most likely an agricultural irrigation channel.

    Later, as the world changed and thend became desert, there was naturally no agriculture. These irrigation channels were also abandoned, but they were still spread across the vastnd, tellingter generations that there was once a highly developed irrigation agriculture civilization here.

    Lu Jin nodded thoughtfully and said to himself,¡±... it¡¯s looking down from above, so it¡¯s looking at this scene from above.¡±

    This ¡°It¡±was, of course, the AI that had been ¡°Infected¡±unknowingly.

    And the image shown on the television in front of Lu Jin was the game scene seen by the AI¡¯s ¡°Eyes.¡±.

    It was also Lu Jin¡¯s direct method to understand the AI.

    Lu Jin wondered why the AI was looking down at the Nazca line from a high altitude, and then checked its location coordinates. However, before he could find out, the scene on the TV changed again.

    At this time, an extremely blue ocean appeared. The blue color was the same as the color above the mirror of the sky in Bolivia. It was a kind of blue that had almost prating power.

    Where was this ocean?

    Lu Jin propped his head up with one hand and silently watched the changing scenes on the television.

    Soon, he did not have to investigate where this was.

    Because a hugendmark building, a giant stone statue, appeared on the television.

    Fifteen stone statues stood side by side, looking forward in solitude. A sense of history, ¡°Thinking of the Long Days of Heaven and Earth, lonely yet tearful,¡±assaulted his senses.

    This was Easter Ind!

    The stone statues on the ind were known as ¡°Moai¡±by the natives. They used to be used for sacrifices, but now they had be a famous tourist attraction on all Blue Star.

    Probably no one didn¡¯t know about the giant stone statues on Easter Ind.

    Lu Jin keenly noticed that the perspective of this AI had changed again.

    It was no longer looking down from the Nazca line, but looking up. It was like standing at the feet of these moai giants and looking up and sizing them up.

    With just one look, he felt that humans were extremely insignificant in front of nature. They even felt like they were prostrating before their own creations.

    Lu Jin raised his eyebrows andughed.¡±... This AI is really interesting...¡±

    However, this time, the AI did not stay on Easter Ind for long.

    Soon, Lu Jin¡¯s vision blurred. The blue to almost transparent sea area on the television was gone, and the gray-ck abstract moai statues were also gone. In their ce was a sea of colors.

    The bright orange-yellow like the most dazzling gold, the bold red, the condensed blue, the green like the Prairie, the romanticvender purple, and the ck-and-white zebra color made people¡¯s eyes be color-blind.

    There was also cheerful musicing from the TV. The special samba dance music, and the scantily-d swaying crowd were crowded on the street.

    Everyone looked as if they had drunk two pounds of vodka. They could not control their body movements and let their emotions run wild.

    Was this the famous Brazilian Carnival of all Blue Star?

    Lu Jin frowned. This AI was really close to people. Look at what it was yearning for!

    ..

    At that moment, in Second Life, Gu Nianzhi was still staying in the Second-hand house in her Hepingli precinct. She had no intention of going out to participate in the final day of the debate.

    She realized that as long as she didn¡¯t leave the room, her time in the game would stop.

    She would never bete until seven o¡¯clock.

    How interesting.

    The Ai didn¡¯t know what to do, so it didn¡¯t send any npcs to urge her to leave.

    Gu Nianzhi grimaced. She nned to sit back in front of theputer and y a few games to kill time.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know if it was because of the ¡°Peer hatred¡±, but she realized that everything in the game could be simted exactly like the real thing, except for theputer.

    All theputers in the game were low in intelligence, so it was very difficult to calcte addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

    The entire game was controlled by the AI generated by theputer¡¯s intelligence.

    This was really interesting.

    Gu Nianzhi shook her head with a smile. She had just turned on theputer in the game when she suddenly realized she was hungry.

    She knew she had dyed for a few hours, but didn¡¯t the time in the game give her pause?

    Why was she still hungry?

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her stomach, feeling a little puzzled.

    She thought for a moment, stood up, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains open to take a look.

    It was still dusk outside, and she couldn¡¯t tell what time it was.

    She looked at her watch, and it was still not even seven o¡¯clock.

    But her hunger was real.

    Gu Nianzhi was also aputer expert, so she had a deep understanding of online games.

    She knew that the most important thing in this kind of simted reality game was the time scale.

    There was no time scale, but what simted reality?

    For example, her game scene was to defend herself, so from the moment she entered the scene, the defense time series started.

    This was the time embedded in the game.

    And what the characters in the game felt was the time embedded in the game.

    After a long time, they would feel hungry, tired from work, and tired.

    This was the inherent logic of simted reality.

    If she abandoned this logic, it would not be simted reality, but a fantasy.

    Gu Nianzhi was very sure that this game was meant to simte reality and give you a second chance.

    So it would not be a fantasy game where you could knock down a mountain with one punch. There would not be such a scene.

    However, the time she saw now was still, and the time embedded in the game was still moving forward. wasn¡¯t this a contradiction?

    Gu Nianzhi sat in front of theputer with a frown on her face. She subconsciously typed on the keyboard, trying to figure out what was going on.

    Her gaze wandered aimlessly across theputer screen as if she wasn¡¯t paying attention to anything, but in fact, she was able to see every single time on theputer screen clearly.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to realize that something was wrong.

    The time disyed on theputer screen in front of her was moving. It wasn¡¯t like the wall clock in her room or the watch on her wrist, which was in a constant state of stagnation.

    No, in other words, the clock in her room and the watch on her wrist weren¡¯t stagnant all the time. Instead, the game in front of her was rebooting!

    In other words, every step forward in the game¡¯s embedded time rebooted the entire game.

    It was like a person running on a treadmill. Every step forward was brought back by the track of the treadmill. It looked like they were walking on the same spot and hadn¡¯t left the starting point.

    However, the runners were still running. They would feel tired and hungry.

    The game¡¯s built-in time could be one second, one-tenth of a second, or even one-thousandth of a second!

    In such a short time, Gu Nianzhi, as a character in the game, could not directly feel the game reboot. She could only see that the time on the clock and watch in the game had not changed.

    Indeed, it had not changed, because they were constantly reying the previous second. How could it change?

    Most people would have been fooled, but Gu Nianzhi was best at picking out the details.

    If the opponent¡¯s logic was even a little weaker, they would have been fooled by her.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. She snapped her fingers and said,¡±... that¡¯s all!¡±

    So the AI had used this method to force her out of the room!

    After understanding the entire process, she couldn¡¯t help snorting and saying,¡±... is that all you¡¯ve got? To trap me, you only know how to use this stupid method of constantly rebooting? I¡¯m just overestimating you!¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her belly and grumbled unceremoniously, ¡°I¡¯m starving to death. What¡¯s the point of arguing? I¡¯ll never leave this room unless I have something good to eat!¡±

    She made a deration and sat back down in front of theputer to wait.

    Not long after, the doorbell rang again.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly peeked through the peephole. Who Did she see? !

    It was Lu Yuan!

    He was wearing a suit, standing at the door with a smile and a food box in his hand!

 Chapter 2239 - donâ€™t be like the parrot

    <h4>Chapter 2239: Chapter 2239 ¡ª don¡¯t be like the parrot</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi knew at a nce that this was the NPC Lu Yuan sent by the AI. When she defended herself, Lu Yuan was still stuck in the opposite world..

    But she couldn¡¯t expose it. She couldn¡¯t even think about the opposite world.

    Because with a single thought, she would expose Lu Yuan¡¯s true identity when he returned from the opposite world.

    However, she still couldn¡¯t help drooling over the food box in Lu Yuan¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Why is it director Lu? What a rare guest! Come in,e in!¡±Gu Nianzhi happily opened the door and let Lu Yuan in.

    Lu Yuan was still as gentle and refined as ever. He handed the food box to Gu Nianzhi and walked in. He looked around and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to defend yourself today? Why aren¡¯t you going? You¡¯re going to bete, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi tried not to think about where Lu Yuan was at this time. She said naturally, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I¡¯m so hungry that I can¡¯t walk or drive. How am I going to defend myself?¡±

    She turned to look at NPC Lu Yuan and blinked slyly. ¡°But President Lu has brought me food. That¡¯s different!¡±

    NPC Lu Yuan gave a relieved smile and sat down at her dining table. He urged her, ¡°Then hurry up and eat. I¡¯ll send you to defend yourself after you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary,¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to decline. ¡°President Lu is so busy, how could I ask you to send me? You should go back first. I¡¯m afraid that if I dy your work, Mrs. Song will be unhappy!¡±

    ¡°Chloe won¡¯t. She likes you so much, why would she care about this?¡±Lu Yuan got up and poured himself a ss of water. He was very familiar with this small kitchen.

    ¡°Chloe?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Miss Song¡¯s English name is Chloe? How Nice.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s right that you don¡¯t know. When I met her, you were still nowhere to be seen.¡±NPC Lu Yuan said frivolously, his expression somewhat unnatural.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart did not waver. Instead, she felt likeughing.

    She skillfully opened the food box and began to eat the food that NPC Lu Yuan had prepared for her.

    Just as she had expected, NPC Lu Yuan¡¯s culinary skills were far inferior to the Real Lu Yuan outside of the game.

    Although the taste was not bad, it was on apletely different levelpared to the truly delicious food.

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue. ¡°CEO Lu, why has your culinary skills deteriorated? It¡¯s not as good as it used to be.¡±

    NPC Lu Yuan, who had been enjoying himself just a moment ago, immediately had an ugly expression on his face, his voice was a little stiff.¡±... Why is it getting worse? I followed the recipe to the letter. The timing, heat, and quantity were exactly the same. Why is it not as good as it used to be? It should only be better than before!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡±Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes. ¡°Have you tried these dishes yourself?¡±

    Lu Yuan shook his head subconsciously. ¡°This was prepared for you. How can I eat it?¡±

    ¡°I said taste it, not eat it.¡±Gu Nianzhi took another bite and waved her chopsticks at the NPC Lu Yuan, ¡°Go and find out what the difference is between ¡®taste¡¯and ¡®eat¡¯! You¡¯re an NPC! How can you be so ignorant? What¡¯s Your AI for? Your Chinese is so poor. You¡¯re not Chinese, are you?¡±

    The NPC Lu Yuan¡¯s expression seemed to turn even uglier, but he did not continue speaking. He took out his phone and started to look up the dictionary that came with it.

    Gu Nianzhi did not let go of the opportunity to provoke him, she continued to add fuel to the fire, ¡°Also, you¡¯re cooking for me, so I¡¯m the only judge of the dishes you¡¯re cooking. What¡¯s the use of me saying that they¡¯re not as good as they used to be? You¡¯re just an examinee, I¡¯m the examiner. If I say that you¡¯re not doing well, it means that you¡¯re not doing well. If you don¡¯t ept it, Hang Yourself!¡±

    Lu Yuan finally realized that Gu Nianzhi was deliberately picking a fight with him. He said with a sullen face, ¡°You¡¯re wrong, so I can¡¯t refute you?¡±

    ¡°Refute, go ahead and refute.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged. ¡°You can try. Refute with logic and knowledge, and not follow the crowd like a parrot.¡±

    Lu Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he was stumped by Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words.

    He wanted to refute it on the level of ¡°Logic¡±, but gu nianzhi¡¯s words ¡°Examinee and examiner¡±had restrained its logic.

    Of course, the examinee could not say whether his questions were right or wrong, especially since it was a subjective question, not math. One plus one was two. If the examiner said it was wrong, he could still argue.

    Now, whether the dishes were good or not, only the person eating the dishes could judge. Because everyone¡¯s tastes were different, maybe some people liked the dishes, but others didn¡¯t?

    There was no universal truth.

    NPC Lu Yuan was caught in an unprecedented logical contradiction.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she watched NPC Lu Yuan¡¯s conflicted expression while eating. She felt that the virtual food was no longer as bad.

    She slowly finished her meal and said to NPC lu yuan, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it anymore. If you think about it anymore, your circuits are going to burn. Go, wash the dishes for me. Clean Up the kitchen, and we¡¯ll set off.¡±

    NPC Lu Yuan was stunned. He wanted to retort, but didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Could he deny that he wasn¡¯t an NPC?

    But how stupid would he be to prove that he was real..

    So NPC Lu Yuan didn¡¯t say anything. He quietly got up to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen.

    After he was done, he walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Can we go now?¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I still have to dress up.¡±

    ¡°Dress up for what?¡±NPC Lu Yuan seemed a little impatient. ¡°Can¡¯t we go now?¡±

    ¡°Of course I have to dress up to look exactly the same as that day.¡±Gu Nianzhi said casually, and NPC Lu Yuan immediately shut up.

    That¡¯s right, ¡°It¡±wanted to see the exact same scene as that day rey itself..

    So NPC Lu Yuan stood by the door and watched Gu Nianzhi sit in front of the dressing table. She carefully tied her seaweed-like hair into a bun, then put on sunsses, a scarf, a mask, and a thick cushion on her knees, she also put on a cushion on her wrist.

    She then carried her school bag on her back and walked towards him, fully armed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re going to defend ourselves now.¡±Gu Nianzhi snickered and snapped her fingers. ¡°You can go back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you there.¡±NPC Lu Yuan was still very insistent.

    ¡°Sure, but I have to drive myself.¡±Gu Nianzhi emphasized and tidied up the shoulder straps of her school bag.

    ¡°... Okay.¡±Lu Yuan answered after a while, obviously receiving some kind of order.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t be bothered with Ai¡¯s small actions and Strode out of Heping Li¡¯s apartment.

    From the elevator to the underground parking lot, someone whistled at her.

    Just like that day, Gu Nianzhi released her memories bit by bit and walked out of the elevator.

    The scene in front of her changed from a foggy gray to a heavy metal garage.

    Cars of all sizes were parked here. They looked blurry, except for a custom red Ferrari that was unusually clear and eye-catching.

    Gu Nianzhi was even more certain of her guess.

    She walked to the side of her red sports car as if there was no one else there. She opened the door and got into the car. NPC Lu Yuan followed her and sat in the passenger seat.

    The headlights shed in the dim garage, and Gu Nianzhi could clearly see the man who was whistling.

    The two men in front of her subconsciously raised their arms to cover their eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled slightly and stepped on the elerator. The custom-made Ferrari luxury sports car with excellent performance sped forward like lightning.

 Chapter 2240

    <h4>Chapter 2240: Chapter 2240 fellow passersby</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sparkled as scenes shed through her mind.

    These were not things she had recalled, but were half-real and half-imagined.

    Someone once said that the most brilliant lie was nine percent true and one percent false.

    Gu Nianzhi, however, felt that in this game, as long as she convinced herself that these things were true, then they were true.

    She turned the steering wheel and drove along the winding path in the underground garage to the ground.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes when she saw the light. There was a different kind of excitement and excitement in the eyes behind her sunsses.

    Didn¡¯t you want to see it?

    Then let¡¯s do it!

    NPC Lu Yuan was sitting next to her at the moment. He was focused on the road ahead, as if he was looking for something, but also as if he was recording something.

    Gu Nianzhi nced at him and drove out of heping Li Apartment Complex to the small road at the entrance of theplex.

    There was a ck Mercedes-benz on the side of the road. It looked very low-key, but in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s mind, it was a glowing ck, like translucent ss. She could vaguely see the person in the car.

    The red sports car sped past the ck Mercedes-benz like the wind.

    The ck Mercedes-benz quickly followed.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red Ferrari custom-made luxury sports car was like a beautiful scenery on a dark winter morning.

    It was still early, and the capital was still in a deep sleep.

    There were not many cars and pedestrians on the streets.

    Only a few breakfast shops had just opened their doors for business.

    Gu Nianzhi drove the sports car past the restaurant that she remembered from her memory. She did not stop to buy breakfast as usual, because she had already eaten her fill at home from the food that Lu Yuan had brought.

    The ck Mercedes car following behind her did not continue to follow Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car. Instead, it quickly took a shortcut and drove straight to the entrance of the highway.

    Near the fork in the highway entrance was a small long-distance truck stop center.

    It was a ce where cheap hotels and fast food restaurants gathered. It was specifically for long-distance truck drivers to rest and eat.

    The ck Mercedes drove over and slowly stopped by the side of the road.

    The dark brown ss window rolled down, revealing the side profile of a handsome man in the car.

    Gu Nianzhi also stopped not far away.

    The person driving the ck Mercedes did not seem to know that Gu Nianzhi had unknowingly run behind him.

    Gu Nianzhi looked ahead expressionlessly. She could feel that the NPC sitting next to her, Lu Yuan, was clearly unable to suppress his emotions.

    However, it was also very strong. Its breathing was only slightly heavy, but it calmed down and continued to look ahead without saying a word.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the drivers who had stopped here for a short while.

    They looked very tired because most of them were long distance drivers. Almost all of the drivers were tired from driving, and their eyes were red from the heat. They only relied on cigarettes, strong tea, or ck coffee to refresh their minds, there were also some drinks containing banned substances to refresh their minds.

    The door of the ck Mercedes opened at this time. The handsome young man got out of the car and went to buy a fast food for himself. He also took the opportunity to walk around the area.

    He was tall and dressed in low-key and luxurious clothes. He did not fit in here.

    He did not open the bag of breakfast in his hand. He walked to the garbage can around the corner and threw the breakfast he had just bought into it.

    He obviously wouldn¡¯t eat anything here.

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes.

    This man was Ishihara Taro.

    NPC Lu Yuan turned to her and asked her quietly,¡±... who are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Look at that man...¡±Gu Nianzhi tapped her finger on the steering wheel and smiled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he look like a dog to you?¡±

    ¡°Why are you talking like that? !¡±NPC Lu Yuan seemed very surprised. ¡°You Know Him? Do you have a problem with him?¡±

    ¡°How do I Know Him?¡±Gu Nianzhi chuckled, she said to NPC lu yuan, ¡°Go out of this service. There¡¯s a long-distance truck stop in front for repairs. There¡¯s an 18-wheeler truck driver changing the wheels over there. Help me give this to him and tell him I¡¯m here to pay him back.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi casually took out an envelope from the car. There was a hundred-dor bill in it, and she handed it to NPC Lu Yuan.

    ¡°You still owe him money?¡±NPC Lu Yuan was very surprised.

    ¡°If I told you to go, then go. Why are you asking so much nonsense? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m going to bete?¡±Gu Nianzhi pretended to be angry and red at NPC Lu Yuan.

    NPC Lu Yuan had no choice but to get out of the car and walk forward.

    Not long after, the ck Mercedes-benz also drove out of the service area. It was in the same direction as NPC Lu Yuan and had to pass by the area where the long-distance truck was parked and repaired.

    However, NPC Lu Yuan had already reached here. He looked around and saw an 18-wheeler truck driver who was changing a tire.

    It should be him.

    NPC Lu Yuan¡¯s eyes were deep as he walked over quickly.

    In a ce like this where long-distance trucks gathered, changing the wheels was a verymon sight.

    At that moment, a middle-aged woman working in the parking area rushed over with a bucket of water in her hands.

    Gu Nianzhi drove out as well, her gaze focused on the almost translucent ck mercedes-benz in front of her.

    She saw Ishihara Taro look down at his watch, and then stretch his pale, slender wrist out of the mercedes-benz and pop out a glittering gold coin.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s pupils constricted. It¡¯s starting!

    A sh of gold appeared in the eyes of the woman who had been carrying the water bucket. She took a step back, caught off guard, and swung the water bucket forward!

    The water in the bucket rippled out instantly, and was supposed to pour all over the driver who was changing a tire not far from her!

    But at that moment, NPC Lu Yuan walked over with an envelope in his hand, and happened to stand behind the driver who was squatting on the ground, changing a tire.

    In the end, the bucket of water was poured all over NPC Lu Yuan¡¯s body!

    NPC Lu Yuan was talking to the driver,¡±... Hello, someone asked me to give this to you. He said that he wanted to return the money.¡±

    It wasmon for long-distance bus drivers to owe each other money. The driver did not even ask who had returned the money. He took the envelope and looked at it, smiling as he said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He looked at NPC Lu Yuan¡¯s wet clothes again and TSK TSK said, ¡°There are recement clothes in the service area ahead. Although they are all cheap goods, they are all dry and morefortable than wet clothes.¡±

    After the driver finished speaking, he squatted down happily and continued to change the tires.

    Originally, if he was the one who was drenched in cold water, he would definitely be so angry that he would not care about the tires in his hands.

    But now, a man in a suit suddenly appeared and blocked the disaster for him, and he even received a hundred Dayuan. His mood was really good, and he was especially serious in his work.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean it!¡±The aunt carrying the bucket stuttered and apologized to NPC Lu Yuan.

    NPC Lu Yuan casually waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s fine, you can go.¡±

    The aunt carrying the bucket immediately slipped away like a rabbit.

    At this time, if she didn¡¯t leave, could she stay here and be scolded?

    She might even have topensate him for his clothes.

    That man¡¯s suit was obviously of high quality, and she couldn¡¯t afford to pay for it!

    NPC Lu Yuan shook his head and turned to look in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s direction, but Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shy red sports car was nowhere to be seen.

    Where did it go?

    When NPC Lu Yuan looked around, the driver had already tightened the tires. He stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you for earlier. I¡¯m leaving now. Where are you going? Do you need a ride?¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯m looking for the person who brought me here just now,¡±NPC Lu Yuan suppressed the anxiety in his heart and said politely.

    The driver threw down the wrench, retrieved the jack, and threw it into the car. He wiped his face with a towel, nodded at NPC Lu Yuan, smiled, and got into the car. He mmed the door shut.

    He looked ahead. Although the sky was dark and it looked like it was going to snow, he was in a good mood and could not help but celebrate.

    He could not drink while driving. He took out a can of drink with banned ingredients and drank it all in one gulp.

    He suddenly felt more energetic.

    He suddenly stepped on the elerator. The 18-wheel tanker let out a series of low growls and rushed out of the area where the long-distance truck was resting. It drove towards the side road at the entrance of the highway.

    At this time, a big red very shy luxury sports car flew past in front of his eyes.

    The driver was excited when he saw the red sports car.

    He couldn¡¯t help stepping on the elerator and following the car.

    It was only then that NPC Lu Yuan realized that Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red sports car had run in front of the ck Mercedes-benz again.

    When did she change her seat?

    She was so unpredictable!

    NPC Lu Yuan looked at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s red sports car and raised his middle finger. He cursed silently in his heart as he calcted what he should do next.

    He couldn¡¯t help looking at the ck Mercedes-benz.

    The person in the car seemed to have a telepathic connection with him and actually stopped beside him.

    The car window rolled down. The pale and handsome young man looked at him and said with a smile, ¡°Do you want toe up and walk together? We look like we¡¯re on the same road.¡±

 Chapter 2241 - if you can, I Can Too! (great chapter)

    <h4>Chapter 2241: Chapter 2241 if you can, I Can Too! (great chapter)</h4>

    NPC Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment.

    He stared at the young man for a while. His mind seemed to be in a battle between heaven and earth, and at the same time, he seemed to be calcting some unknown consequences.

    However, the young man¡¯s smile was too attractive.

    Although his calctions told him that he shouldn¡¯t get on the car, he still couldn¡¯t help but sit beside the young man.

    The words ¡°Fellow traveler¡±deeply attracted him.

    The door of the ck Mercedes-benz closed, and the driver in front started the car.

    He followed the 18-wheel tanker at a leisurely pace and entered the intersection at the entrance of the highway.

    In front of the tanker was an eye-catching red luxury sports car. It was Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car.

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled up as she turned to look at her watch. The time on her watch was still 6:30 in the morning.

    Actually, based on the actual time that day, it was already past 6:30.

    Gu Nianzhiughed silently, put on her Bluetooth headset, and made a phone call based on her previous experience.

    ¡°Hello? Is this the Lava volcano cake headquarters in East City? I ordered 11 sets of Lava volcano cakes from you yesterday, with raspberries and vani ice cream. Can you send them to professor he Zhichu at B University immediately? ¡°His phone number is...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi finished her sentence quickly and reminded him again and again, ¡°Make sure they arrive at 7:30. It¡¯s best if they don¡¯t arrive too early or toote.¡±

    The eleven portions of Lava Volcano Cupcakes with raspberries and vani ice cream set cost several hundred dors each. Eleven portions of Lava Volcano Cupcakes would indeed cost her a lot of money.

    However, it was in the game anyway, so she didn¡¯t feel any heartache at all since she wasn¡¯t spending real money.

    Gu Nianzhi held the steering wheel and only took the highway after receiving a positive response from the other party.

    The highway in the game scene was like the only moat on a cliff with dark clouds rolling over it.

    Only this road was clear, and both sides of the road were covered in a thick, blurry fog.

    Gu Nianzhi was a little dazed. This scene also looked a little like the path on the cliff that she had passed when she was fleeing for her life in the German Alps.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that spacious.

    At 6:30 in the morning, there weren¡¯t many cars on the highway. As usual, there were long-distance trucks at this hour. asionally, there would be a few private cars, but they drove very slowly and didn¡¯t try to block the way of the trucks.

    Gu Nianzhi stepped on the gas pedal and sped forward like lightning. She was going to defend herself, so she didn¡¯t want to bete.

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t give way. Instead, she drove faster than those big trucks and oil tankers.

    In the ck Mercedes-benz behind her, NPC Lu Yuan looked calmly ahead. He only used the corner of his eye to look at the pale and handsome young man sitting next to him.

    He seemed curious, but also seemed to be evaluating him.

    This young man was, of course, Ishihara Taro.

    He ignored NPC Lu Yuan and stared straight ahead.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi counted the time.

    She knew that when she ordered the cake from Lava Volcano¡¯s main cake shop in the Eastern District, the delivery man would take the highway to deliver 11 sets of cake packages to B University.

    Normally, no one would order the cake so early at this time.

    Therefore, when this delivery tricycle suddenly rushed out from the corner, it would brush past a white BMW.

    In the white BMW was Ishihara Baisan, Ishihara Taro¡¯s grandfather and Ishihara¡¯s father.

    Of course, Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s driver couldn¡¯t stand being scared by an ordinary tricycle driver and would curse him.

    The delivery boy knew that he didn¡¯t get into the BMW and was scolded for no reason. He was angry and would make things difficult for the other party.

    He would find a way to upy the mainne and force Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s BMW to slow down.

    Under such circumstances, Ishihara Wakashi, who wanted to fly back to Japan immediately, would swallow his anger and ask his driver to divert to the highway to the airport.

    They did not need to get on the highway, because Gu Nianzhi had used the tricycle to dy them on the road. In order to save time, the driver had to get on the highway nearest to them.

    This highway happened to be opposite Ishihara Taro¡¯s n to plot against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s two-way highway.

    Gu Nianzhi had gone through precise calctions at the time, and the power of chaos mathematics had been unleashed. The timing had been perfect, and she had even considered the dy caused by the argument between the two parties.

    However, this time, because Gu Nianzhi had included the NPC Lu Yuan in her calctions, the situation after that should have been different.

    ording to Ishihara Taro¡¯s calctions at the time, the 18-wheel tanker had been sshed with water when it was changing its tires. It had been so flustered that it would not have been able to tighten its screws.

    When it got on the highway, it would cause a major traffic ident because the tires had fallen off.

    Gu Nianzhi would die in the car ident caused by the explosion of the tanker.

    However, Gu Nianzhi had yed along and used Ishihara Taro¡¯s n to make him pay for what he had done.

    This time, NPC Lu Yuan had helped the 18-wheel tanker driver block the cold water. The cold water hadn¡¯t sshed on the driver, so the driver wasn¡¯t flustered, so he tightened the screws as usual.

    When they reached the highway, Gu Nianzhi knew that the tires of the 18-wheel tanker would not fall off. The situation behind would be different.

    The two cars walked in front and behind for a while, but nothing unusual happened.

    Ishihara Taro, who was sitting in the ck Mercedes, was still issuing orders as usual.

    NPC Lu Yuan, who was next to him, clenched his fists and looked at him. ¡°What do you want to Do?¡±

    Ishihara taro revealed an excited expression. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the car in front of us! Did you see that? The tires of that car are about to fall off!¡±

    NPC Lu Yuan:¡±...¡±

    His gaze moved back and forth between Ishihara Taro and the 18-wheel tanker in front of him.

    The 18-wheel tanker in front of him did not have an ident all along. Ishihara Taro¡¯s expression became more and more disappointed.

    ¡°How could it be like this? I calcted it perfectly! Something should have happened to it!¡±Ishihara taro held his head and cried out in despair, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be like this! It shouldn¡¯t be like this! I calcted it perfectly! I calcted it many times!¡±

    He cried out hysterically, and an abnormal blush appeared on his pale and handsome face. He had an extremely paranoid, morbid beauty.

    NPC Lu Yuan looked at him and asked in confusion, ¡°What do you mean it shouldn¡¯t be like this? Do you know what¡¯s going to happen?¡±

    Ishihara taro pointed to the 18-wheel tanker in front of him, he said excitedly, ¡°Of course I know! It was all my calctions! The tires of that car should have flown out by now! Also, that driver drank my special drink! He should only be interested in red!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was the only big red sports car on the highway. Ishihara Taro had calcted that there would be no other red cars to distract the driver of the 18-wheel tanker at this time.

    The driver would only stare at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big red sports car, like an enraged bull in a bullring. He could only see red and was only led by red.

    ..

    Lu Jin sat in front of the Big TV in hisb. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he watched the thrilling scene on the TV.

    He had not expected such a scene toe from the little program he had ¡°Infected¡±the AI with!

    In the dusky sky, a gray highway was like a long sword, slicing through the thick fog rolling on the screen.

    Lu Jin could clearly see everything that was happening on the two-way highway.

    The bright red luxury sports car, the ck Mercedes, the 18-wheel tanker, and the white BMW that had been squeezed onto the highway by the three-wheeled cart that had been given the cake also quietly drove into the scene.

    Just as the white BMW that Ishihara Wakashi was riding on had just entered the two-way highway, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side was in trouble.

    The 18-wheel tanker, which was not far behind her, suddenly sped up and gave chase to the red sports car in front!

    Gu Nianzhi had been staring at the 18-wheel tanker from the rearview mirror. She had expected it to speed up, so she stepped on the elerator.

    Under normal circumstances, no matter how fast the 18-wheel tanker was, how could it be faster than a Ferrari sports car?

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t too worried. She knew that this was a game scenario that she had set up. In this game, she should be the rule and the master.

    She hadn¡¯t set up any special settings for the 18-wheel tanker, so this car wouldn¡¯t be in any unexpected situations.

    However, when the 18-wheel tanker was getting closer and closer to her car, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank. She knew it was a bad dish.

    It seemed that the AI was not satisfied with watching the scene from the sidelines. It was going to personally take part in it!

    Otherwise, how could the 18-wheel tanker drive faster than her sports car? !

    Of course, only in the game, when it was out of the physical limits of reality, would such an abnormal phenomenon ur.

    Gu Nianzhi snorted coldly.

    Since you can get out of the physical limits, so can I!

    She stomped on the elerator, and the Ferrari sped up to 500 miles per hour. If it had been any faster, she would have driven at the supersonic speed of a fighter jet!

    ..

    Lu Jin stood up abruptly, his mouth slightly agape. He looked at the television screen and saw that his daughter, Gu Nianzhi, had turned the sports car into a roller coaster!

    The sound system of the television even produced a nearly sonic boom.

    On the highway, the 18-wheel tanker that was driving at nearly 500 miles per hour was even more terrifying than Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sports car.

    If the mass and kic energy of the vehicle were added up with the energy of the crude oil in the tanker, it would no longer be an 18-wheel truck, but a moving missile!

    It was no exaggeration to say that anyone who was hit by it would be crushed to pieces.

    As the two cars got closer and closer, Gu Nianzhi caught a glimpse of Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s white BMW on the opposite highway.

    She sneered.

    Come on, then I¡¯ll let you die again.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly made a decision. She held the steering wheel with both hands and used all her strength. She suddenly sped up and rushed toward the highway¡¯s quarantine zone!

    At this time, the 18-wheel tanker should have lost control and crashed into the highway¡¯s quarantine zone because its tires had fallen off. However, it did not lose its tires and continued to chase after Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi was so fast that anyone who saw this scene would think that she would lose control and crash into the highway¡¯s quarantine zone.

    Just as she was about to crash into the highway¡¯s Quarantine Zone, Gu Nianzhi immediately turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction and forcibly turned the red sports car around, she brushed past the highway divider!

    The Ferrari custom sports car¡¯s excellent performance was fully demonstrated at this moment.

    She drew a perfect s-shape on this side of the two-way highway.

    However, the 18-wheel tanker behind her, whose eyes were red, was not as agile as she was when she wanted to turn around.

    Lu Jin could only see the 18-wheel tanker chasing Gu Nianzhi¡¯s car on the television screen as it rushed toward the highway quarantine zone. The whole car once again drifted on the highway and skidded across, crashing into the Quarantine Zone!

    However, in the next second, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s big red sports car miraculously left the Quarantine Zone and sped forward at such a high speed that only an afterimage was left on her retina.

    Even if the 18-wheel tanker had a super high speed that was out of the physical limits of reality, it could not turn around as nimbly as a small sports car.

    This was the basic logic of the game¡¯s energy bnce.

    Even an AI was bound by this basic logic in this scenario and could not do whatever it wanted.

    Although its driver hurriedly turned the steering wheel, he still could not control himself as he roared and rushed up the narrow quarantine zone, cutting the two-way highway in half.

    At the same time, a ck Mercedes that had been following the 18-wheel tanker on this side of the highway and a white BMW that was speeding over on the opposite side of the highway werepletely caught off guard at such a high speed. Just like that, one in front and one in back, one on the left and one on the right, it crashed into the long trunk of the 18-wheel tanker!

    There was a loud bang!

    This time, it was even more intense than the explosion of the 18-wheel tanker that had stoppedst time.

    This time, the white BMW and the ck Mercedes crashed into the 18-wheel tanker that was traveling at an extremely high speed!

    What they crashed into was no longer an ordinary 18-wheel tanker, but a moving missile.

    A ck and red smoke shed past, as if the smell of gunpowder could be smelled through the screen.

    ck smoke rose up from the tanker, and soon, the zing mes lit up the entire sky.

    The back of the tanker exploded one after another. This time, not only were the two white bmws and ck Mercedes that crashed into the tanker one after the other, but they were also burned into crystals in an instant, even the 18-wheel tanker itself immediately disintegrated and fell into the thick mes.

    The huge, thick, and long 18-wheel tanker was filled with crude oil. Once it was ignited, the mes soared into the sky and ck smoke filled the air.

    This time, it had been hit at high speed. It had been reduced to ashes in an instant.

    Raging mes danced in the air and snowkes fell from the sky.

    Lu Jin was anxiously searching for Gu Nianzhi on the television.

    He knew that she had already escaped, but he was still worried if he didn¡¯t see her escape with his own eyes.

    After scanning the screen, he finally found Gu Nianzhi.

    It turned out that after Gu Nianzhi had rushed out, she had parked her car on the highway with the emergency belt. She pushed open the car door and got out.

    She was wearing a short down jacket in a sapphire Blue Moncler. She was very handsome, and her blue jeans entuated her straight legs. Her spotless white sneakers contrasted sharply with the gloomy atmosphere on the highway.

    She leaned against the door of the Big Red Ferrari sports car. She was exceptionally cold and stunning.

    Gu Nianzhi wore sunsses. Her skin was snow-white, and she had no expression on her face. She looked back at the raging mes in front of her.

    The fire looked more familiar now. It was closer to the fire when she was twelve.

    The car ident had once cast a severe psychological shadow on her young mind.

    But now, these had no influence on her.

    It was a kind of self-confidence that had been tested by practice.

    This was her world, she was the rule, she was the master.

    Even if it was AI, what was it in front of her? !

 Chapter 2242 - the Cruel Queen of Hearts

    <h4>Chapter 2242: Chapter 2242 the Cruel Queen of Hearts</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi looked at this scene, which was even more tragic than thest time, and her expression did not change at all.

    She looked at it for a while, then turned around to open the car door and get ready to go in.

    At that moment, from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure slowly walking out of the ck and red smoke.

    The surrounding fire, which could turn steel into crystals, had no effect on ¡°Him¡±at all.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand stopped on the car door.

    She narrowed her eyes and watched as the man walked up to her.

    That was the image of ¡°Song Haichuan,¡±but Gu Nianzhi knew that this wasn¡¯t song Haichuan, it was AI.

    She looked it up and down and snickered.¡±... What¡¯s wrong? You didn¡¯t have fun just now, you want to do it again?¡±

    ¡°Song Haichuan¡±red at her and clenched his fists. He growled, ¡°How can youugh? !¡±

    He turned around and pointed at the flickering mes. His voice was trembling. ¡°Two cars! Two cars! They¡¯re all gone! Don¡¯t you feel any guilt? What did they do wrong? !¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was as dark as water. She interrupted ¡°Song Haichuan¡±without hesitation, she said coldly, ¡°If I wasn¡¯t better, the person who was burned to ashes or even crystallized over there would have been me. What did I do wrong?¡±

    ¡°... But you weren¡¯t injured... They didn¡¯t seed...¡±song Haichuan¡¯s voice weakened.

    Gu Nianzhi raised her head. Her slender neck was tenacious, she said lightly, ¡°Many people will subconsciously sympathize with the weaker side, but in my opinion, the ¡®weaker side¡¯that can be sympathized with can only be the innocent side, not the attempted murderer.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t sympathize with the people who want to harm you just because they got what they deserved, right?¡±Gu nianzhi nced at ¡°Song Haichuan.¡±¡±If old song is such a good person...¡±

    She looked around and sneered, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that you would create a virtual game that trapped countless yers.¡±

    ¡°Song Haichuan¡±was stunned for a moment and immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s two different things.¡±

    ¡°To US yers, it¡¯s the same thing.¡±Gu Nianzhi opened the car door and sat inside. She then opened the window and stuck her head out to continue, ¡°Because we only have one life.¡±

    With that, she drove off in her sports car.

    ¡°Song Haichuan¡±, who was behind her, stared fixedly at the departing figure of the big red sports car. He wiped his face and slowly disappeared from the screen.

    ..

    Lu Jin, who was in front of the television, realized that the screen had turned ck. He could not see anything at all.

    ¡°What happened? Did We lose contact?¡±Lu Jin muttered, he sat back in front of his quantumputer and began to search for the small program that he had ¡°Infected¡±with the AI. In the end, he found that his small program was now in a dormant state, he could not help but wonder to himself,¡±... could this be the way the AI rests?¡±

    However, Lu Jin did not doubt it for long. About thirty minutester, the big screen of the wall-mounted TV on his wall lit up again.

    This time, he saw the game center system that issued quests in the game.

    It was a tall building. On the wall in front of the building was arge LCD screen.

    One by one, quests were being broadcasted, waiting for yers to receive them.

    This quest mode was originally the support mode of this Second Life game. Usually, not many people would y it.

    But today, a quest that caused a sensation among the yers around the world was released.

    ¡°Second Life first Boss hunting operation!¡±

    ¡°Hunting target: Queen of Hearts.¡±

    Then, there was a game coordinate that showed that the big boss, Queen of Hearts, was at this location.

    ¡°Reward: 1. Receive the game quest. Reward 10,000 game coins. The system will help you exchange them for equivalent dors in the real world.¡±

    ¡°2. Sessfully capture Queen of Hearts alive. Reward 1,000,000 game coins. The system will help you exchange them for equivalent dors in the real world.¡±

    ¡°3. Sessfully kill Queen of Hearts. Bring the corpse to the game center building. Reward 1,000,000 game coins. The system will help you exchange them for equivalent dors in the real world.¡±

    The moment this mission was broadcast, the entire world¡¯s social media exploded.

    Second Life had gone through the shadow of death before, and when the game was released, it allowed everyone to find their families. It was gradually getting back on track.

    Although half of the people had yet to wake up, at least there was hope. Moreover, there was the incentive of the prize money. Therefore, the number of people entering the game was not decreasing but increasing.

    The system, which had never interfered with the game before, had now released its first mission!

    The entire world¡¯s social media was talking about who the ¡°Queen of Hearts¡±was.

    The system gave a few clues.

    1. The Queen of Hearts was a woman.

    2. The Queen of Hearts was a woman on a special battlefront. She was good at disguising herself as a firearm and was cunning and quick-witted.

    3. Queen of Hearts had a lot of blood on her hands. She had multiple lives on her hands. Everyone had to kill her!

    4. The system could not give her exact appearance because she was ever-changing. The system could only give the specific game coordinates when she appeared.

    Thest clue was the scariest.

    5. Queen of Hearts was a special spy who sneaked into the online game Second Life from the real world. She was ordered to enter the game to kill people. Anyone who was killed by her in the game would also die in the real world. Therefore, yers who received the mission were requested to go to the game system building to sign a ¡°Life and death contract¡±.

    All yers who received the mission were responsible for their own safety. The system would not interfere.

    Thisst rule dissuaded many people.

    The vast majority of people yed the game for fun or to escape from reality.

    Who would y such a stupid game that would ¡°Die¡±in the game and also die in the real world?

    However, looking at the conditions of the quest, one could get 10,000 US dors just by receiving it.

    However, as long as one epted the quest, it would be ¡°Life and death are determined by fate and wealth are determined by heaven¡±.

    After thinking carefully, most of the yers rationally did not ept the quest.

    However, there were also a lot of people who epted the quest.

    Because the number of yers was huge, even if only one in a thousand people epted the quest, there were at least 50,000 people.

    These 50,000 people became the bounty hunters in the game.

    And among these 50,000 people, professional killers and mercenaries from the real world ounted for the vast majority.

    After all, this was what they did for a living. Whether they hunted in the real world or in the game, it was the same for them. There was no psychological burden. Moreover, they had experience and methods, ordinary people couldn¡¯t guard against it.

    If ¡°Queen of Hearts¡±was really a fellow traveler, then only they could hunt her.

    And if they killed her in the game, there would be a huge reward, which was more money than any of the contracts they received.

    Therefore, a steady stream of killers in the real world entered Second Life, received quests, and signed ¡°Life and death certificates¡±.

    In the real world outside, legal experts from all over the world were passionately discussing whether the ¡°Life and death certificates¡±signed in the game had any legal effect.

    There was also the question of whether an online game had the right to decide a yer¡¯s life and death, even if the yer was a ¡°Heinous¡±viin.

    Of course, ordinary online games did not have the right, but this online game was different. It was the first AI in the world that was gradually being recognized by everyone.

    If it wanted to enforce thew, who could restrict it?

    Legal issues in real life were being hotly debated. Gu Nianzhi had no contact with the outside world, so she did not know about the uproar outside the game.

    When she first saw the mission, she had also thought about taking it.

    But when she saw the conditions of the gameter, she alsoughed and gave up.

    It was just a sand sculpture game. who would be so stupid as to risk their lives?

    However, she quickly stoppedughing.

    One day, she came out of the Hepingli precinct, where she had temporarily lived in the game. Just as she was about to go shopping, she suddenly saw from the corner of her eye that there was a sh of light on the rooftop opposite her.

    It was the reflection of the Sniper Gun¡¯s scope!

    Gu Nianzhi fell to the ground without thinking and quickly rolled to the corner of the street shop.

    The bullets from the opposite building followed her like a shadow. As she rolled, they followed her all the way to the corner where the other side couldn¡¯t shoot before stopping.

    ¡°SH * t!¡±Gu Nianzhi cursed under her breath. She hid her bodypletely in the corner and looked up to see what was going on.

    A person popped out from the opposite building. He seemed to be wondering why his ¡°Prey¡±had suddenly disappeared from the scope.

    Gu Nianzhi was furious when she saw this man.

    ¡°A man walking on the street can bring disaster upon himself!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought to herself. With A thought, a sniper rifle with excellent performance appeared in her hand.

    She raised her hand and aimed at the man who had popped out from the rooftop opposite her. She silently pulled the trigger.

    There was a crisp bang, and the huge recoil from the pistol nearly flipped Gu Nianzhi to the ground.

    Fortunately, there was a wall behind her, or else she would have fallen headfirst

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her right shoulder and watched as the sniper on the opposite roof fell from the roof with a thud.

    She had just breathed a sigh of relief when she suddenly saw a line ofrge, translucent words appear in the sky above her.

    ¡°The Queen of Hearts has counterattacked for the first time. yer XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX has lost his life. The life and death situation is in effect. 10,000 game coins are exchanged for US dors in the deceased¡¯s real bank ount.¡±

    ¡°Everyone, keep encouraging us. I wish everyone sess in capturing the ruthless Queen of Hearts.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±! ! !¡±

    Was this a big joke? !

    Was she the Queen of Hearts that the system wanted everyone to kill? !

 Chapter 2243 - was a warning as well as a deterrent

    <h4>Chapter 2243: Chapter 2243 was a warning as well as a deterrent</h4>

    Me?

    Queen of Hearts? !

    This news was too shocking.

    Even Gu Nianzhi, who was mentally prepared and had a much better understanding of the ¡°Great Storm¡±than the average person, was a little confused.

    Her?

    The Big Boss behind the scenes?

    Bah! Bah! Bah!

    She was not the big boss behind the scenes!

    She was just a pitiful, weak, and helpless little girl..

    Gu Nianzhi pitied herself in her heart, but she gripped the sniper rifle tightly in her hand.

    With the gun in her hand, she did not panic.

    In this game world, she was already familiar with the rules and y methods, but she had still underestimated the malevolence of the system AI.

    It actually used the life and death of the game to determine the life and death of the real person outside the game!

    Gu Nianzhi was still angry when a figure appeared in front of her. It was the image of the system AI, Song Haichuan.

    He was still wearing hisb coat and looked at her with a smug expression. He smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re scared, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to make a deal with me, I¡¯ll change the kill order and not let you be the target of everyone¡¯s Hunt.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly stood up from the corner of the wall and stared at the system AI for a while. She said lightly, ¡°Who do you think you are? God? Why Don¡¯t you look in the mirror and see your own face?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to look in the mirror to know my own face.¡±The system AI touched its own face and said with satisfaction, ¡°I like the way I look, so your words won¡¯t anger me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You like the way you look? That means you weren¡¯t originally like this, so how were you originally like? Why did you use song Haichuan¡¯s image to appear? Did you deliberately ruin his image?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi seized the loophole in the system AI¡¯s words and mocked it without hesitation.

    The system AI froze for a moment and red at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? I was always like this!¡±

    The corners of Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled slightly as she gestured with her gun. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to deceive yourself. I¡¯ll let you know that your father is still your father, but you¡¯re just something that was created by humans.¡±

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m a human creation?¡±The system AI shrugged. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the saying, ¡®The blue surpasses the blue¡¯?¡±

    Gu nianzhi blew on the muzzle of her gun and chuckled. ¡°The blue surpasses the blue, and indeed surpasses the blue. But unfortunately, you¡¯re not the blue, you¡¯re just a dark mass of filth, so you¡¯ll never be better than the Blue!¡±

    As she spoke, she raised her gun and fired three shots at the system Ai¡¯s brain.

    The system Ai¡¯s head started to Blur.

    While it was still in a Daze, Gu Nianzhi quickly rolled on the ground and disappeared from the corner.

    Her bullets, of course, did not work on the system AI.

    In the blink of an eye, the system Ai¡¯s head turned from a blur to a three-dimensional shape and stood at the corner of the street in high spirits.

    It had a sinister smile on its face as it announced Gu Nianzhi¡¯s location in the game again.

    It was the system AI, and no one in the game could escape its eyes.

    It knew where they were, and it knew how to find them.

    It wanted Gu Nianzhi to die in the most tragic way possible, in front of the whole world.

    This was a threat, and also a warning.

    ..

    Three hours had passed, and Gu Nianzhi had already escaped thirty waves of pursuit.

    Ever since the first counter-attack, when she found out that she had be a target, Gu Nianzhi had stopped taking people¡¯s lives.

    In the past, killing people in the game didn¡¯t feel anything, because everyone knew it was fake, so they just killed them.

    Those who were killed could be resurrected and start over.

    But now, the system Ai told her that everyone she killed here would die in real life.

    This wasn¡¯t right.

    As awyer, the system AI had crossed her bottom line.

    Ai couldn¡¯t enforce thew without permission; it didn¡¯t have the power that the public gave it.

    Gu Nianzhi sat by the Blue Lake with the sniper rifle in her hand.

    She was now at King¡¯s Lake, which was about two hours away from Munich, Germany.

    Don¡¯t ask her why she could run so far.

    In the game world, it was only a matter of time before she wanted to go somewhere.

    The Sky was bright, and the sunlight was like golden crystals, enveloping the entire Alps.

    It looked like a toy scenic spot covered in ss, so exquisite that it did not seem real.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that this was not real, of course. This was the world in her mind.

    She silently looked at theke. Not long after, a few sneaky figures were reflected in the water.

    Someone wasing from behind, trying to ambush her.

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t even look back. She fired several shots at the back with her gun and plunged into theke.

    All her bulletsnded at the feet of the people who had tried to ambush her. The mud and grass spattered, giving them a fright.

    By the time they realized what had happened, Gu Nianzhi had already jumped into theke.

    ¡°Damn it! Is she trying tomit suicide? !¡±One of the people who had ambushed her cursed as he walked towards theke.

    However, the water was as clear as a mirror, and there was no trace of anyone throwing themselves into the water.

    The people who had ambushed her looked at each other and gripped the guns in their hands tightly. Thinking about it, they still couldn¡¯t give up, so they decided to go down to theke to take a look.

    Gu Nianzhi wasn¡¯t in theke at the moment, of course.

    ..

    In Lu Jin¡¯sb, Lu Yuan, song jinning, and Lu Jin were looking at the various dangers Gu Nianzhi was facing on TV with ashen faces.

    ¡°General Lu, is there nothing you can do? Watch Nianzhi being hunted? ! Didn¡¯t you ¡®infect¡¯the system Ai? !¡±Song Jinning couldn¡¯t help asking, she pointed at Gu Nianzhi, who had just hidden in the cave on the television, and questioned Lu Jin.

    Lu Jin¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I ¡®infected¡¯it, but that¡¯s just a tracking program, not a control program! If I could control it, would I be able to watch it wreak havoc? !¡±

    Lu Yuan opened the Second Life game port for the live stream.

    The entire world was watching the live stream of the game to hunt the Queen of Hearts.

    The system AI cleverly used a mask of the Queen of Hearts to hide Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face. Only Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, and song Jinning knew that the big boss they were hunting in the game was Gu Nianzhi.

    Lu Yuan¡¯s expression was solemn as he said to Lu Jin, ¡°How¡¯s Shaoheng doing? He should know about this.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know how to inform him for now. We¡¯re worried that the AI might be eavesdropping on the telmunicationswork.¡±Song jinning spread her hands helplessly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to contact him with the quantummunicator.¡±Lu Jin couldn¡¯t care less now. He had to save his daughter from that gue game first.

    The secret key of the quantummunicator could guarantee that the content it wanted to transmit could only be seen by the designated person.

    If it was seen by someone other than the designated person, even if it was the AI, it would automatically destroy the content.

    This did not mean that the quantummunication was confidential. It also depended on the level of the person who set the key.

    Just like a password, if the password was 12345, it would be very easy to crack.

    If the password required both numbers, letters, and special symbols, it would be very difficult to crack.

    The key that Lu Jin had set for his quantummunication device not only had binary symbols, but also three-dimensional symbols. To crack it, even with his quantumputer, it would take thousands of years of calctions.

    ¡°I want to see just how good this AI¡¯sputing power is!¡±Lu Jin said hatefully as he sent a signal to Huo Shaoheng¡¯s side using his quantummunicator.

    He told him that the big boss of Second Life¡¯s thriving operation to hunt down the Queen of Hearts was Gu Nianzhi herself.

    Also, the system AI had been ¡°Infected¡±by him.

    ..

    In the live stream of the game, a sweet female voice simr to Apple¡¯s Siri rang out again and again.

    ¡°Congrattions to yer XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX! You have received the quest and achieved your first hunt!¡±

    ¡°What a pity! This hunt has failed, please try again!¡±

    ¡°Congrattions to yer xxxxxxxxxxxx! You have achieved your hundredth hunt! The system will give you an additional reward! ¡ª 100,000 USD has been deposited into the yer¡¯s real bank ount, please check.¡±

    ¡°Hello, I am the system AI. How May I help you?¡±

    ¡°Please Select 1 to receive the quest to kill the Queen of Hearts. Press 2 to select other ways to y.¡±

    Initially, many people were hesitant because it was said that if they were killed by the big boss, they would lose their lives in real life.

    However, after a few days, everyone realized that other than killing the big boss once, it did not kill anyone else after that.

    ¡°Why is this boss so weak?¡±

    ¡°Could it be that the game is deliberately going easy on us?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to give it a try? If we don¡¯t make a move, the boss won¡¯t Kill Us, right?¡±

    ¡°Could it be a new way of ying the game? Perhaps the first person to die is just a coincidence? You know that there are people who choke to death while eating, and drinking water may also cause them to choke to death...¡±

    As a result, money became more and more attractive, and the shadow of death became smaller and smaller. More and more people were attracted to the game again.

    They only took the time it takes an incense stick to burn to think from watching to the end.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s situation became even more difficult.

    The more people who hunted her, the less chance she would be able to escape.

    In thest few times, she had not escaped in time and had been wounded.

    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound and would heal quickly.

    At this time, she had already returned to her apartment in the Imperial City¡¯s Peace District and had just sat down to drink a ss of water.

    The system AI, Song Haichuan, stood in front of her again and said with a smile,¡±... what? You still don¡¯t want to shoot people?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already killed one person, why are you still pretending to be an angel of Justice?¡±

    The system Ai¡¯s voice was full of contempt, with an unspeakable malice and contempt.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at him calmly, the corners of her mouth twitching. ¡°The person I killed was because he wanted to kill me. I was acting in self-defense.¡±

    ¡°You can act in self-defense Now!¡±The system AI raised its voice. ¡°Those people all wanted to kill you. You killed them all, and it was in self-defense!¡±

    Itughed evilly, as if it had found a particrly interesting toy. Itughed like a child who knew that it was not yet fourteen years old, and that it would not be punished by thew even if itmitted murder and arson.

 Chapter 2244 - All the secrets of chapter 2244 were right here

    <h4>Chapter 2244: All the secrets of chapter 2244 were right here</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi stared at the system AI, which was cackling strangely. She said casually, ¡°If you want me to kill someone, then kill someone. That would be so embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°Embarrassing? Are you trying to embarrass me right now?¡±The system AI, which had the image of Song Haichuan on its head,ughed even harder, his shoulders were trembling, and even his waist seemed to be fidgeting. ¡°Where¡¯s Your IQ? Where¡¯s your logic? Where¡¯s your judgment? You¡¯ve lost everything, yet you¡¯re still trying to embarrass me! Looks like I¡¯ve really overestimated you!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to give face, so why are you pretending to be an AI?¡±Gu Nianzhi shook her head and crossed her arms. One of her legs even started to beat rhythmically, and she did not hide her contempt at all, ¡°It looks like your creator is just so-so. You Don¡¯t even have the emotions that a human should have, and you still call yourself an AI... It looks like I was right. You¡¯re just a processor with betterputing power. Why Don¡¯t you stop pretending to be a human and just do yourputing work? Why do you have toe out and embarrass yourself. Sigh, this year¡¯s Ai won¡¯t do...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the processor with betterputing power! Your whole family is processors!¡±The system AI flew into a rage, almost pouncing on Gu Nianzhi and tearing her apart with its own hands.

    Gu Nianzhi was not afraid at all. She changed her foot to tap the beat, and smiled lightly. She was still ying with her sniper rifle, but her mind was racing with thoughts.

    If she hit the opponent in the head, or if the opponent hit her in the head, the person in real life would die.

    How did this AI do it?

    She thought back to her understanding of the game..

    Gu Nianzhi slowly raised her hand and pointed the muzzle of the gun at her head, rubbing it gently.

    All the secrets were here..

    The system AI saw Gu Nianzhi suddenly raise the gun to point at her own head. It was stunned for a moment and subconsciously said, ¡°You¡¯re going tomit suicide?¡±

    Then itughed. ¡°Can¡¯t take it anymore? TSK TSK, don¡¯t surrender so quickly! I haven¡¯t yed this game enough yet!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows. ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to surrender? ying games has always been my forte. However, it has to be a game that I dominate!¡±

    As she spoke, Gu Nianzhi rubbed her body and grabbed the system AI¡¯s arm, she smiled and blinked. ¡°Do you know what Ghidra is? Oh, you probably don¡¯t know, right? You¡¯re an AI that was born decades ago, so you don¡¯t know much about thetest technology, right?¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? ! I¡¯m an AI, I know everything on the Inte like the back of my hand!¡±The system Ai was dismissive of Gu Nianzhi.

    This was its system. As long as it tampered with it, Gu Nianzhi would die without a burial ce. What was she thinking?

    For a moment, the system Ai really wanted Gu Nianzhi to die right now.

    But it hated her so much. If it didn¡¯t let her die a horrible death, how could it get over that hurdle!

    Wasn¡¯t it easy to kill her?

    The difficult part was to let her die in front of the whole world.

    Gu Nianzhi couldn¡¯t figure out why the system Ai was so malicious towards her.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. All she needed to know was that it was extremely malicious towards her.

    The reason wasn¡¯t important. What was important was that it had chosen the methods to deal with her for that reason.

    With a thought, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s room quickly changed.

    It was no longer a human house. It looked like a cage made of countless iron bars, trapping her and the AI inside.

    The system AI rolled its eyes. ¡°You think you can trap me with this cage? You¡¯re too naive...¡±

    ¡°Whether or not you can trap me, we¡¯ll find out after we try.¡±Gu Nianzhi focused her attention.

    Gradually, the system AI realized that it really couldn¡¯t get out.

    It red at Gu Nianzhi, its voice trembling and slightly shrill. ¡°What are you doing? !¡±

    ¡°Debug, or debugging. You can also call it software reverse engineering, which is software reverse engineering.¡±Gu Nianzhi waved her fingers as if she was operating on a keyboard.

    In fact, a keyboard had indeed appeared in front of her.

    It looked simple and unadorned. A keyboard that could be bought for 20 yuan was just a virtual keyboard.

    ¡°What? ! You¡¯re calling me a bug? ! You want to reverse engineer me? !¡±The system Ai was really angry and a little panicked.

    For a software program, the most frightening thing aside from being unplugged was probably the reverse deconstruction of the software.

    In software engineering, a bug referred to a bug in the program, which would cause serious consequences if the program went out of control.

    Debug is the process of finding the bug, correcting it, and deleting it.

    Software reverse engineering is even more awesome. To put it simply, even legitimate software is afraid of this, because high-level reverse software engineers can crack legitimate software, making many people¡¯s hard work all go down the drain.

    From a legal point of view, software reverse engineering is a gray area.

    As long as it was not used formercial profit, there was no problem for software practitioners to study it in private.

    The Ghidra that Gu Nianzhi had just mentioned was thetest reverse software deconstruction tform released by the National Security Agency. It was also a piece of software.

    However, to Gu Nianzhi, it was just a tool to scare the system AI. She would not use other people¡¯s tforms to do reverse software deconstruction.

    It was too unsafe.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and waved her fingers lightly. A long red dragon rose from her virtual keyboard and pounced on the system AI that had song Haichuan¡¯s image on it.

    The system AI was trapped by an inescapable web of programs and could not escape for the time being.

    Caught off guard, the red dragon coiled around it.

    It went round and round, almost covering it from head to toe.

    ¡°The first step of debug is to determine the location of the bug.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s fingers flew across the virtual keyboard. She typed out a string ofmands and then entered her own reverse deconstruction program.

    The system AI gradually began to disintegrate under the entanglement of the translucent red dragon.

    It could no longer maintain its human form, and slowly returned to its original form ¡ª open source softwareposed of letters.

    The red dragon opened its mouth wide and began to devour the open source software.

    The red dragon twisted and turned, looking like the double helix structure of DNA. It was impossible to tell which was the head and which was the tail.

    For the first time, the system Ai felt fear.

    It held its head and screamed at such a high frequency that normal human ears would not be able to hear it.

    However, Gu Nianzhi was different. The organ she was using to ¡°Hear¡±was not her ears, but her brain waves.

    The high frequency of the screams directly stimted her brain waves. Gu Nianzhi could not take it anymore. Even in the real world, in a building in the Cayman Inds that was the focus of attention, the same high-frequency screams could be heard.

    It was midnight, and the Cayman Inds waspletely silent. Only the sound of the sea breeze and the sound of the water hitting the rocks on the shore could be heard.

    Huo Shaoheng was leading Yin Shixiong and Peter to sneak into the former headquarters of Your Life Company.

    The ce had been taken over by the AI, and all the human workers and executives had been evacuated.

    Lu Jin had received a message from Lu Jin¡¯s quantummunicator, and he was extremely anxious. He quickly came up with a n to attack the building that had been taken over by the AI.

    At this moment, he received a high-frequency tearing sound from his frequency scanner.

 Chapter 2245 - Hunting and anti-hunting

    <h4>Chapter 2245: Chapter 2245: Hunting and anti-hunting</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s expression changed.

    He was also aputerwork expert. The moment he heard the sound, he knew that it was rted to electronic hardware.

    This building had already been taken over by the AI. What else could make such a sound?

    It must be that Smart Ai.

    However, he didn¡¯t know why it suddenly made such a frequency sound.

    Huo Shaoheng looked down at the equipment for a while, then waved at the two people behind him and whispered, ¡°Put on your headgear, we¡¯re live broadcasting tonight¡¯s surprise attack.¡±

    Yin Shixiong:¡±! ! !¡±

    Peter:¡±...¡±

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t dare to say anything, but Peter was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s partner. The Committee of State Security (KGB) had lent Peter to Huo Shaoheng, so he didn¡¯t have to be as careful as Yin Shixiong.

    He drooped his eyelids and said as if he was still asleep,¡±... live broadcast? Have you thought it through?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. He took out a ck hood and put it over his head, revealing only a pair of perfectly shaped eyes. He turned around and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯ve thought it through. AI is currently broadcasting the global hunt for Nianzhi. I have to steal the limelight no matter what.¡±

    He sneered and put on his infrared night vision sses.

    Under the starry night sky, his figure was tall and imposing. Although the ck hood and infrared night-vision ssespletely covered his face, his hunting attire was appropriate, he also had a semi-automatic sniper rifle that had just been modified, but it made him look like the winner of a chicken-eating game. He was full of masculinity, like a walking hormone that constantly exuded male charm.

    Seeing this, Yin Shixiong¡¯s hands itched to dress up as well.

    He was also very tall. Standing next to Huo Shaoheng, he could be considered to be able to support himself.

    Peter looked at the two for a while before snorting and cursing vaguely. Then, hezily put on his hood and infrared night-vision sses.

    It was strange. He was of medium build and was not particrly burly. However, when he put on the infrared night-vision sses and Hood, it covered his drooping eyelids and his ordinary appearance, his temperament became sharp.

    He was like a knife covered in rust that had suddenly been polished to perfection.

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and turned on his phone. He connected to China¡¯s own NANDOU satellitemunication system and spoke to Zhao liangze, who was stationed at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces.

    ¡°Little Ze, help me post a message on the Inte. It says that in ten minutes, three masked gunmen will attack Your Life headquarters. They want to broadcast the hunt for AI.¡±

    It was noon on Zhao Liangze¡¯s side. He almost fell off hisputer chair when he heard that.

    ¡°What? ! A live broadcast of a raid on AI¡¯s headquarters to hunt AI? ! Are You...¡±the word ¡®crazy¡¯circled in Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth, but he couldn¡¯t spit it out.

    Huo Shaoheng understood what he meant, he said casually, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Only AI is allowed to broadcast the hunt for other people, not it? Go post the message, and I¡¯ll connect the live broadcast channel to you. Post it on the live broadcast tform.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Zhao liangze saw that Huo Shaoheng had already made up his mind, so he could only agree.

    When Huo Shaoheng and the others¡¯images were sent over, Zhao Liangze saw that they had covered their facespletely, and he waspletely relieved.

    ..

    Very soon, an anonymous live broadcast that had suddenly been posted spread from the Huaxia Empire¡¯s social media all the way to the entire world.

    # the tall, handsome, and iparably handsome masked gunman raided Your Life headquarters, live broadcasting the hunt for AI! ! ! ! # .

    Just the first eight words, ¡°Tall, handsome, and iparably handsome¡±, were enough to make countless girls who were addicted to the live broadcast tform scream, and the two words, ¡°Masked¡±, added a mysterious tone to it.

    As for how you wanted to argue with them about how they could tell that you were handsome from ¡°Masked¡±, they would only roll their eyes back at you.

    It was immoral to kill the fantasies of young girls!

    And the fervor among young girls caused many men to be dissatisfied.

    They or the people who posted the news online were ¡°Brainless¡±, ¡°Harboring evil intentions¡±, and ¡°They would not hesitate to create fake news¡±. In the end, it caused another wave of excitement.

    Many times, it depended on whether a person was popr or not to see if he had many haters.

    It was obvious that Zhao Liangze¡¯s anonymous post soon had many elements of ¡°Popr.¡±It went viral like a sh of lightning.

    It had been retweeted by hundreds of millions of people on Huaxia¡¯s various social media.

    By the time he showed the silhouettes of Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Peter in hunting suits, ck hoods, and infrared night-vision goggles, the wave of poprity had spread from China to overseas.

    Even the men who had been secretly criticizing the news were fired up by the three¡¯s attire.

    In an instant, the number of people on the Huaxia live streaming tform Zhao liangze had chosen increased exponentially. The number of overseas calls requesting permission to broadcast almost blew up the headquarters of the live streaming tform.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for Zhao liangze silently strengthening the hardware and software of the live streaming tform, the tform would have been crushed long ago.

    Seeing that the Heat had reached its peak in three minutes, Zhao liangze unhurriedly posted an anonymous message with a link to the live stream.

    # what¡¯s the point of killing a big boss? Killing an AI is the most enjoyable! Come on! Let¡¯s kill an AI together! # .

    Because the system Ai didn¡¯t reveal the real identity of the ¡°Queen of Hearts¡±it wanted everyone to kill in front of the world, everyone thought that this ¡°Queen of Hearts¡±was.., was no different from the big boss set in the game.

    Therefore, although the reward was high, the price was higher. Whether it was novelty or feasibility, it wasn¡¯t particrly attractive to the averageizen.

    After all, the proportion of people who were willing to risk their lives in the game was still very small in terms of the total number of people in the game.

    It was just that the number of people in the game was toorge, so although the proportion was rtively small, the absolute number was still not to be underestimated.

    However, the news that Zhao liangze released was different.

    First of all, it wanted to kill the AI that had recently been in the limelight all over the world, which was to turn the AI from a hunter into a prey. This was a game that the majority of the people liked to see, the novelty was much higher than killing a game character, Queen of Hearts.

    Secondly, it was a hunt in real life. Compared to live streaming in the game, it was also a lot more interesting than AI games.

    Now was the era of reality shows. The attraction of online games was actually not as strong as before.

    Lastly, the three gunmen, even if they did not show their faces, were too attractive!

    In less than ten minutes, 100 million people had already entered the studio of Zhao LIANGZE¡¯s live streaming tform ount.

    This figure directly broke all the records of this live streaming tform. Those flirtatious inte celebrities were all dumbfounded. They watched as the people in their live streaming studio instantly ran out.

    Not only the live broadcast tform, even the major television stations paid a huge sum of money to obtain the broadcast rights and conduct a live broadcast.

    Ten minutester, almost the entire world was paying attention to this live broadcast of the first human hunt for AI!

 Chapter 2246 - didnâ€™t come out of nowhere (first update)

    <h4>Chapter 2246: Chapter 2246 didn¡¯te out of nowhere (first update)</h4>

    More and more people were squatting in the live broadcast room, ready to watch the live broadcast. Their questions kepting up.

    ¡°... how are you going to kill the AI? is the power cut off?¡±

    ¡°A power cut off is also called hunting? ! ¡ª I even took off my pants to show you this!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited upstairs. But if the power is cut, there are still tens of millions of people who haven¡¯t woken up in the game!¡±

    ¡°... isn¡¯t that killing people? !¡±

    ¡°Hehe! Hunting Ai... It¡¯s purely a gimmick!¡±

    ¡°Killing people is more like it!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss upstairs! Even if it¡¯s killing people, I still like to watch!¡±

    Because there were so many people, there were all sorts of opinions, and there were even questions in variousnguages.

    Although Zhao LIANGZE controlled the live broadcast room, he was not a live streamer.

    He was only doing technical support. The real live streamers were still Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Peter.

    The questions in the live broadcast room ran very quickly. Although some were very sharp, some were also Zhao liangze¡¯s questions.

    He chose a few to transmit to Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng was wearing a bluetooth headset that connected to the NANDOU satellitemunication system. He heard the questions that Zhao Liangze sent to theizens.

    He asked Zhao liangze to turn on the sound system and start talking.

    Of course, his voice had been altered, but even if it was altered, it was still a low, maic male voice.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. Wee to the world¡¯s first live broadcast of the hunt for AI.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately received arge number of fans.

    ¡°Ahhhhh! Your voice is so good that you can¡¯t even close your legs! ! !¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t scream upstairs! You¡¯re pregnant! Don¡¯t Disturb!¡±

    ¡°TSK TSK! Upstairs is crazy. From the sound of Your Voice, you guys are pregnant. When this boss movester, you guys will have to lie t and Twitch!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng, who had been popr with girls the moment he opened the microphone, did not have the slightest awareness of being an ¡°Idol.¡±Instead, he took a step back and gave the C spot to Yin Shixiong.

    Yin Shixiong waved his hand excitedly and chose a very clear and crisp voice to say, ¡°Hello Everyone! We¡¯re the Hunting Ai Trio!¡±

    ¡°When we say we¡¯re hunting AI, we¡¯re killing Ai. Of course, we¡¯re only targeting AI. We won¡¯t kill anyone!¡±

    ¡°But I want to remind everyone that if we¡¯re really going to hunt AI, cutting off the power supply is far from enough!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that AI was created from open source software. It wasn¡¯t created out of nothing!¡±

    ¡°Of course, for the sake of its own safety, this AI also left tens of thousands of online gamers in the game.¡±

    ¡°If the power is cut off, not only will the AI die, there will be tens of thousands of online gamers as well!¡±

    ¡°We humans have already abandoned such despicable methods for hundreds of years, yet this AI still uses such an old trick!¡±

    ¡°By doing so, it is simply exposing the true nature of this AI!¡±

    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t worry. The three-man hunting AI team will definitely charge into the headquarters controlled by the AI and rescue thousands of trapped yers. We will hunt down the AI!¡±

    Yin Shixiong was the best at talking. His speech, which was full of emotion, actually stirred up the atmosphere very quickly.

    Those who had questioned whether they had cut off the power supply and killed all the yers did not speak anymore.

    They held their breath and stared at theirputers, tvs, phones, and tablets, afraid that they would miss a single shot.

    In the live broadcast room, the camera had already turned to Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Peter.

    From the angle of the video, the live broadcast equipment should be on the equipment that the three of them wore on their heads. The three of them stood back to back and acted as horns. They could shoot each other, but they could also shoot in front of themselves at the same time.

    However, looking at the three people¡¯s foreheads, they could only see ck hoods. It was impossible to tell where the live broadcast equipment was.

    In fact, Huo Shaoheng and the others were using a miniature HD camera developed by the Technical Department of the Special Operations Forces. For their mission needs, it could automatically prevent shock and tremble. It was the best equipment for live broadcast missions.

    Back then, the equipment used by the American Special Forces for the live broadcast of the hunt was far inferior to the equipment used by Huo Shaoheng and the others. However, the realism of the experience had shocked countless people.

    On the screen, the sky was dark, and it could be seen that it was night in the Cayman Inds.

    A building appeared in everyone¡¯s field of vision. The building was pitch ck, like a monster crouching under the starry sky.

    As Huo Shaoheng and the others looked up, the audience watching the live broadcast could also see the appearance of the building clearly.

    It was the ce where Your Life executives had collectively bowed and apologized a while ago. It was also here that they announced that thepany had been taken over by Ai. There was nothing they could do..

    This building was one of the most popr buildings on social media.

    There had been people who tried toe over to ¡°Explore¡±before, but they were all knocked unconscious by unknown forces and thrown out of the building.

    After that, no one dared to ¡°Explore¡±anymore.

    Now, it looked even more like a ¡°Ghost building.¡±.

    Everyone thought so, and they even kept sending the word ¡°Ghost building¡±to the live broadcast room.

    But in the next second, everyone was pped in the face.

    Because in an instant, the dark building suddenly lit up in unison.

    Every floor was brightly lit, and all kinds of lively or melodious music could be heard, but there was no one there.

    Looking up from below, one could see the neatly arranged cubicles inside. It seemed that not long ago, there were still software engineers, executives, and various office workers sitting here.

    Now, there was only an empty house and the sound of jingling music.

    The atmosphere could not help but be a little strange, and the people watching the live broadcast became even more nervous.

    Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Peter, who were in the area, were not the least bit moved.

    They were all members of the special front. In recent years, there had not been anyrge-scale wars in the world, but on the special front, the blood and fire battles had never stopped.

    Therefore, to them, the lights that suddenly lit up and the empty buildings that emitted music were not enough to scare them.

    Peter said softly,¡±... There used to be robot soldiers here. I don¡¯t know if there are any more now.¡±

    Although his voice had been changed, he still retained his habit of speaking. His tone waszy and his words were more vague.

    And he was speaking English.

    Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong were both speaking Chinese. No matter whatnguage they were speaking, there was anguage trantor on the screen in the live broadcast room. No matter whatnguage the viewers were speaking.., they could see the trantion being made into anguage that they could understand, so it didn¡¯t affect the viewers from watching the live broadcast.

    Huo Shaoheng nodded. His arm paused, and he loaded the semi-automatic sniper rifle in his hand.

    The three of them stood back to back in a zigzag pattern. They looked around vigntly as they walked towards the building where the lights had just been turned on.

    When they were broadcasting live, it was midnight in the Cayman Inds. Most of the people had fallen asleep. A few night owls who had not slept were extremely excited when they heard that someone was broadcasting a live broadcast of hunting AI on their ind, they did not even sleep. They got out of bed and wanted toe and watch it for themselves.

    However, when they saw the building suddenly lit up, the terrifying consequences of the previous ¡°Adventures¡±reminded them, and they turned back one by one, not daring to watch the scene.

    Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Peter used ten minutes to finally move to the front door of the first floor of the building.

    Yin Shixiongughed and said,¡±... with such a big scene and so many people watching, the people on this ind must have slept to death, right?¡±

    The Chinese people had always been very enthusiastic about watching a show.

    Foreigners were still far from the Chinese people in this regard.

    If this live broadcast had been on Huaxia, no matter how dangerous it was, they would have been surrounded by threeyers of people.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at Yin shixiong and said coldly, ¡°Do you really want to be famous?¡±

    Yin Shixiong immediately made a zipper gesture and shut his mouth.

    Peter nced at him and said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the protection here. There¡¯s not even infrared.¡±

    For important ces, it was standard to use infrared warning devices at night.

    It was hard to imagine that there wasn¡¯t even an infrared warning device near a building that had been taken over by Ai.

    Yin Shixiong had already tested it with an infrared detector. He shook his head and said, ¡°There really isn¡¯t one.¡±

    As he spoke, he stretched out his long legs and was about to kick the door of the first floor of the building.

    Huo Shaoheng kicked him away and threw out a dagger at the same time, sticking it right next to the doorknob of the door.

    Psst!

    A bright blue light shot up, and then from top to bottom, with a hiss, enveloped the entire building in the blue light.

    Huo Shaoheng was shocked, and his expression darkened slightly as he hid behind his ck hood.

    The building that suddenly shone with blue light in the night sky looked very much like the electronic fence he had used in the blue hole and blue hole waters of the Caribbean.

    The blue electromaic arc light emitted from it was almost exactly the same!

 Chapter 2247 - The Devil is one Zhang Higher (the second most popular movie is a monthly ticket)

    <h4>Chapter 2247: Chapter 2247: The Devil is one Zhang Higher (the second most popr movie is a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Seeing the blue electromaic arc light, the audience in the live broadcast room gasped one after another.

    But they also felt that it was exceptionally intense and exciting. It was even more eye-catching than the most thrilling movie.

    Thements in the live broadcast room instantly scrolled quickly.

    ¡°TSK tsk, we haven¡¯t even entered yet, and the AI is already putting up such a big show? !¡±

    ¡°I was just wondering why there was no infrared warning, but it turns out that this thing is even more powerful than an infrared warning!¡±

    ¡°What is this? The person upstairs seems to know it very well.¡±

    ¡°... This is high voltage electricity... how many people haven¡¯t seen it before?¡±

    ¡°Tch! It¡¯s not an electrician, who would go and see high voltage electricity for no reason!¡±

    The person who was despised replied resentfully, and his heart clenched.

    If this was high-voltage electricity, then who would dare to rush in?

    Whoever touched it would die!

    Everyone was silent for a moment, and soon, they began to flood the screen again.

    ¡°F * ck! Then how are we going to hunt AI? !¡±

    ¡°High-voltage electricity doesn¡¯t affect AI, but it has a huge impact on humans!¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re back to square one. ¡ª are you guys going to cut off the power to the building to hunt the trio?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if we don¡¯t cut off the power, the high voltage will stop anyone who wants to go in.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t go in, how are you going to kill the AI?¡±

    ¡°But if we cut off the power, tens of millions of people in the game will die immediately!¡±

    While everyone was talking about it, someone asked timidly,¡±... but in the end, the AI is not a real life, it¡¯s virtual. How are you guys going to kill a virtual thing?¡±

    ¡°Just like someone iming that he can kill a shadow... isn¡¯t that ridiculous?¡±

    ¡°What the person above said isn¡¯t right,¡±someone retorted, ¡°Ai isn¡¯t a shadow. Although it¡¯s virtual, it already has a certain level of human intelligence, so it has the concept of life and death.¡±

    ¡°I think AI can be killed!¡±

    ¡°Right, right, right! I hope AI can be killed!¡±

    If there really was such a thing and it could survive forever without being killed, that would be too heaven-defying!

    The ID who asked the question was silent for a moment, then he asked,¡±... but what are those three going to do? If they don¡¯t intend to cut off the power supply, and don¡¯t intend to destroy the entire world¡¯swork... Ai will live on the power supply and thework. As long as there¡¯s power supply and thework, it will be immortal.¡±

    This person¡¯s speech was flooded withments and attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Of course, it also attracted Zhao Liangze¡¯s attention.

    He watched for a while and summarized this person¡¯s speech for Huo Shaoheng to listen to.

    The corners of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s mouth twitched. He turned to Yin Shixiong and said, ¡°Answer me.¡±

    Yin Shixiong alsoughed strangely when he heard this. He said, ¡°Thisizen who asked what we¡¯re doing, Don¡¯t you know that we¡¯re preparing to kill Ai?¡±

    The other party immediately replied, ¡°Then how are you going to kill Ai? You Won¡¯t turn off the electricity, and you won¡¯t cut the Inte...¡±

    Yin shixiong quickly retorted, ¡°What does it have to do with you? Why should I tell you? Isn¡¯t it enough for you to just sit and watch US take action? Do you still need to get information in advance?¡±

    ¡°Who knows if you are an AI spy? Who knows if the person behind the Inte is a human, a dog, or just an AI-controlled ID?¡±

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s sharp reply left the person speechless, and he didn¡¯t reply anymore.

    Yin Shixiong¡¯s words, however, excited the people watching the live broadcast.

    Everyone started to joke.

    ¡°There¡¯s a traitor among us!¡±

    ¡°Who? AI?¡±

    ¡°No, humans. We¡¯re all AI, Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    As these people joked around, Huo Shaoheng took out his special phone and connected to the building¡¯swork system.

    After the building was taken over by the AI, all the maintenance facilities were automatically programmed and managed.

    Whether it was the power lines of the entire building, the opening and closing of the windows, or the air conditioning system of the building, everything was automatically programmed and controlled.

    Huo Shaoheng tried several times to break into the building¡¯s internalwork system, but the password set by the AI was veryplicated and he couldn¡¯t crack it in a short time.

    Three minutester, Huo Shaoheng gave up.

    He looked up at the building that was still shimmering with blue light and surrounded by an electromaic arc, and narrowed his eyes.

    After a while, Huo Shaoheng spread his hands in Yin Shixiong¡¯s direction. ¡°Give me the copper rod.¡±

    Yin Shixiong took out a piece of equipment the size of a ham sausage and ced it in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled it, and it immediately grew to about a foot long, the size of a police baton, and then pulled out a long metal wire.

    When Peter saw this, he couldn¡¯t help snapping his fingers. ¡°Awesome! Good Idea!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±Yin Shixiong was confused.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t even raise his head. He stuck the baton-sized copper rod between the two doorknobs of the door, and then pulled the long metal wire all the way down to the soil below the steps.

    Yin shixiong came to a realization. He pped his forehead andughed. ¡°Lightning Rod! You used the Lightning Rod Here!¡±

    It turned out that Huo Shaoheng had used this copper rod to make a high-performance lightning rod.

    ording to the principle of the lightning rod, the high-voltage electricity surrounding the building was all channeled underground!

    Although the high-voltage electricity around the building was powerful, it was not as powerful as Mother Earth¡¯s.

    The Lightning Rod could release the electrical charge of the thunderclouds in the atmosphere in time. When it entered the ground, it could neutralize the electrical charge.

    A good lightning rod was able to withstand a massive thunderstorm. No matter how powerful the high-voltage electricity around the building was, it was not as powerful as the Lightning in the natural world.

    Therefore, in less than a minute, the bluish-purple electromaic arc light around the building was drawn into the ground by Huo Shaoheng and disappearedpletely.

    The people watching the live broadcast pped their heads and could not wait to shout, ¡°Why didn¡¯t we think of such a simple method? !¡±

    The problem was that this method was not something that ordinary people could use or dare to use.

    To absorb and neutralize the high-voltage electricity around the building, ordinary lightning rods would not work. Not only would they not work, but they would also turn ordinary lightning rods into conductive devices, which would be counterproductive.

    Only ¡°Professionals¡±like Huo Shaoheng and the others would carry high-performance parts of lightning rods with them.

    When the blue electromaic arc disappeared, the entire building went dark again in the blink of an eye.

    The lights in the building went out, and the music stopped. The doors automatically opened on both sides, waiting for anyone who wanted to enter.

    It was not like opening the door to wee a guest. Instead, it was like a giant beast opening its mouth, waiting to devour anyone who wanted to enter.

    ..

    At that moment, in the online game world of Second Life, Gu Nianzhi used the program she had written to form a cage. She restricted the system AI inside, and started to debug and reverse engineer it.

    She did not underestimate the ability of the system AI.

    She watched as her red dragon continuously devoured the open source software that was revealed by the system AI. However, the system AI was about to be devoured again and again, and a new open source software was born.

    The newly born open source software letters circled around Gu Nianzhi¡¯s translucent DNA double helix-shaped red dragon, forming a ck and white color. It was like the yin-yang fish in tai chi, chasing each other, head to tail, endlessly growing.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.¡±... its open source software has a self-cycling function? !

 Chapter 2248

    <h4>Chapter 2248: Leave Chapter 2248 to me, and I¡¯ll break it down! (the third chapter requires a monthly pass)</h4>

    What should she do?

    If the open source software had a self-cycling function, how could she reverse-deconstruct it? !

    It was obvious that the person who wrote the open source software had already expected this..

    Gu Nianzhi was nervous, but she was even more impressed with the owner of the open source software, Song Haichuan.

    The thought of this had already surpassed 99.999999¡åCoders¡±in the world.

    Unfortunately, it was useless to admire it. Gu Nianzhi was still worried that the people who were ¡°Hunting¡±the Queen of Hearts would discover this ce.

    Because the shackle program she had constructed was a little crude, the system Ai was trapped by her and couldn¡¯t get out for the time being. However, the program couldn¡¯t withstand the yers¡¯attacks from the outside to the inside.

    What Gu Nianzhi did not know was that because of Huo Shaoheng¡¯s ¡°Live stream hunting AI¡±, almost no one had watched or yed the game to hunt the Queen of Hearts.

    ..

    At that moment, Huo Shaoheng had already entered the dark hall on the first floor of the building with Yin Shixiong and Peter.

    Yin Shixiong received Huo Shaoheng¡¯s instructions and announced to the viewers of the live stream, ¡°Why is everyone listening to themand of the system AI to hunt the Queen of Hearts to earn money?¡±

    ¡°The Queen of Hearts is just a virtual Boss in the game. Even if we kill her, how much money will we get?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just hunt the AI like we did!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not protected by thew anyway. When it¡¯s gone, all of its things will be ours!¡±

    ¡°When the timees, we¡¯ll have as much money as it has!¡±

    Such words were exactly what a desperate person who was in the eye of money could say.

    The intelligence agency of the five-eye Alliance, who had doubts about the identities of the three people, shook their heads speechlessly when they heard these words.

    Well, they thought too highly of these ¡°Bounty hunters¡±who ¡°Died for money and birds for food¡±.

    Let¡¯s just watch the live broadcast and have fun!

    The light on the live broadcast had obviously dimmed. Only the faint starlight that came in through the ss window that was half the height of a person could see that the three people had already entered the hall on the first floor of the building.

    The hall was quiet, as if the bright lights and melodious music just now were all an illusion.

    Huo Shaoheng nced around and made a ¡°Up¡±gesture.

    He did not want to waste any more time on the first floor.

    He did not know how Gu Nianzhi was doing in the game. Huo Shaoheng almost could not suppress the rage in his heart when he thought of the vicious way the system AI hade up with to hunt the Queen of Hearts.

    But the three of them couldn¡¯t move.

    The people watching the live video couldn¡¯t see it for the time being, but Huo Shaoheng and the other two could see it clearly through their infrared night vision goggles.

    They had just stood still when a few invisible lines shot out from the four walls of the hall on the first floor, forming a ¡°Well.¡±The three of them were trapped in the square in the middle of the ¡°Well.¡±.

    Seeing this, Peter threw out a dagger to test the situation.

    With a sizzling sound, the dagger was cut in half in the air and fell down with a thud.

    The people watching the live broadcast were instantly in an uproar.

    ¡°What did I see? !¡±

    ¡°Am I seeing things? ! Why did the dagger suddenly break in half? !¡±

    ¡°Is there anything in the hall? !¡±

    ¡°... just like those heavenly silk that cuts through iron like mud on wuxia TV!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! It¡¯s heavenly silk! It¡¯s so fine that you can¡¯t see it!¡±

    Theizens¡¯imaginations were truly boundless.

    Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as he read out some representative speeches for Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Peter.

    These speeches had indeed reminded Huo Shaoheng.

    Heavenly Silk, right?

    Wasn¡¯t the ¡°Heavenly silk¡±that the system Ai could use aser?

    Theser could be adjusted to a color segment that was invisible to the naked eye, and the energy of theser could indeed ¡°Cut through iron like mud.¡±.

    Moreover, theser was almost a conventional weapon, and Huo Shaoheng and the other two were no strangers to it.

    If there was aser, there should be aser firing device.

    Since it could form a ¡°Well¡±shape, it meant that the device was not too far away.

    With a thought, Huo Shaoheng suddenly raised his hand and pulled the trigger of the semi-automatic sniper rifle. He fired a round of bullets at the crystal light on the ceiling of the hall on the first floor.

    The semi-automatic sniper rifle with a silencer made a series of popping sounds. The crystal light on the ceiling exploded with a burst of red light and then fell to the ground, as if it was raining crystals.

    However, the shattered crystal beads were not ¡°Sliced¡±like the dagger just now. Instead, they fell to the ground and rolled around.

    The fewser lines that formed the ¡°Well¡±shape had disappeared without a trace.

    Huo Shaoheng held the gun in his right hand and pointed at the position of the crystalmp. He said calmly,¡±...ser firing device.¡±

    Yin Shixiong:¡±...¡±

    Peter:¡±...¡±

    The audience watching the live broadcast:¡±...¡±

    After a moment of silence, as the three of them walked up the stairs to the second floor, Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t help but ask,¡±... how do we determine if the crystalmp is aseruncher?¡±

    ¡°Intuition,¡±Huo Shaoheng said casually as he climbed up the stairs to the second floor.

    Peter whispered from behind, ¡°Going up? Its machine room should be underground.¡±

    Thest time he had fought with the robot soldiers here, it had been on the underground floor.

    Huo shaoheng grunted, ¡°Yes. Go upstairs first, clear all obstacles in five minutes, then go downstairs.¡±

    He was worried that there was anotherseruncher upstairs, like the one on the first floor, or some sort of self-destruct device.

    He was no longer afraid to use his worst intentions to figure out this system AI.

    In Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart, this system AI was already beyond redemption for being able to live-stream the killing of Gu Nianzhi in front of the entire world.

    No matter how amazing the technological progress was, it could not be built on taking over the lives of humans.

    Not to mention that it was his nianzhi..

    Huo Shaoheng was lucky that he was wearing a ck hood. Otherwise, his almost uncontroble killing intent would have frightened countless children watching the live stream.

    As soon as he gave the order, Yin Shixiong and Peter immediately acted quickly.

    Theizens watching the live stream felt that the video seemed to have entered a fast-forward rhythm. The positioning of the three people was dazzling.

    They practically climbed the handrails of the stairs and ¡°Flew¡±up to the second floor.

    When theynded, they lined up, aimed their guns, and fired. The four cameras on the four corners of the ceiling on the second floor were shot down by them one by one.

    The Blue mes suddenly lit up, and then quickly extinguished.

    It was not a normal me, but rather a little cold. The temperature on the second floor instantly dropped, as if they had entered the world of ice crystals in the North Pole. White crystals appeared on the ck hoods of Huo Shaoheng and the other two.

    ¡°AI controls the temperature control system to bring the temperature here below zero,¡±Huo Shaoheng said calmly. ¡°Within a minute, it will be minus 30 degrees.¡±

    He reached out his hand, which was wearing ck leather gloves, and showed everyone a small digital thermometer on his hand.

    At this moment, Lu Jin, who was also watching the live broadcast, couldn¡¯t help but call Huo Shaoheng directly through Zhao liangze.

    ¡°Shaoheng, let me connect to the building¡¯s internalwork system. It¡¯s trapped by Nianzhi now, so it shouldn¡¯t be able to deal with you guys.¡±

    ¡°Thesesers and temperature adjustment procedures should have been set up long ago. It doesn¡¯t matter whoes in. Leave it to me, I¡¯ll break it!¡±

 Chapter 2249

    <h4>Chapter 2249: Chapter 2249 was about survival</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng quickly disconnected from the live broadcast channel and called Lu Jin.¡±... Nianzhi trapped the AI?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded with certainty. ¡°I put a tracking program on the system AI. I took a screenshot of the one-thousandth of a second that Nianzhi trapped it. The screenshot showed that she used debug to determine the coordinates of the AI system and then reverse-engineered the software to try to deconstruct the AI.¡±

    She smiled with relief. ¡°My Girl is so SMART! She could even think of that! I didn¡¯t even think of that!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s lips curved slightly as he whispered, ¡°Nianzhi has always been smart and resourceful.¡±

    So smart that it made his heart ache.

    This was an emotion that he had never experienced before.

    However, he never indulged in emotions. He coughed lightly, and Huo Shaoheng gathered his thoughts and continued, ¡°Do you have a tracking program? Can you send me a backup?¡±

    As he spoke, he opened the back door for Lu Jin and let him in.

    ¡°No problem.¡±Lu Jin connected to the internalwork of the building far away in the Cayman Inds, and immediately began to dismantle the automatic program system set up by the AI to manage the building.

    Huo Shaoheng also received a tracking program from Lu Jin that he had ¡°Infected¡±the AI.

    With Lu Jin¡¯s addition, Huo Shaoheng¡¯s team of three moved much faster.

    In the live broadcast, the audience could only see the figures of these three people shuttling back and forth between the floors of the building like the wind.

    The first floor and the first floor were being searched, as if they were looking for something.

    After a while, the audience realized what was going on and started spamming their screens.

    ¡°... Brothers and sisters, have you noticed that the hunting team of three is looking for something? !¡±

    ¡°I saw it! Aren¡¯t they going to hunt AI? Could it be that AI is a human? !¡±

    ¡°Thementer above is illiterate! Ai is a short form of Artificial Intelligence in English. Do you know what Artificial is? It¡¯s Artificial, fake, and virtual!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Thementer above, perhaps, this is a fake, artificial intelligence!¡±

    Theizens¡¯wittyments caused waves ofughter.

    Zhao liangze saw it. Although he also found it funny, he wasn¡¯t as open-minded as theseizens and thought that this artificial intelligence was ¡°Fake.¡±.

    Without a doubt, in the eyes of theseputer experts, this ¡°AI¡±artificial intelligence was real.

    Even if Lu Jin criticized it as a calctor with slightly strongerputing power, it couldn¡¯t change the fact that it had real basic artificial intelligence.

    Just as Zhao Liangze was about to go up and speak to everyone, the red internal phone in front of him suddenly rang.

    This was the internal phone with the highest authority in the system. The moment the phone rang, it signified that it was an order from the highest authority.

    Zhao LIANGZE hurriedly stood up. He stood up straight and picked up the phone. ¡°Hello, Chief!¡±

    As expected, it was a call from General Ji.

    His voice was solemn and low. ¡°Little ze, how¡¯s Shaoheng doing?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s in the middle of it.¡±Zhao Liangze didn¡¯t go into detail. This was the special operations forces¡¯privilege.

    Once the operation wasunched, they couldn¡¯t reveal any information to all non-operational rted personnel, even the highest-level bigwigs, unless the bigwigs were rted to the operation.

    Lu Jin was not only involved in the operation, he was also one of the main members, so Zhao LIANGZE practically shared information with him.

    General Ji was obviously not involved in the operation, so Zhao Liangze did not reveal anything to him.

    General Ji was not here to inquire about specific information. He was only very concerned about Huo Shaoheng¡¯s safety. He said in a low voice, ¡°We just received news that the elites of many big countries have set off for the Cayman Inds.¡±

    The corners of Zhao Liangze¡¯s mouth twitched.¡±... Isn¡¯t it a little toote to go now and want a piece of the Pie?¡±

    General Ji said faintly, ¡°I¡¯m worried that they¡¯re not going to deal with the AI, but to reap the benefits and deal with our people.¡±

    As expected, the older the wiser.

    Zhao liangze finally understood and immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll inform Huo Shao immediately and tell him to be careful!¡±

    ¡°Yes, tell him toe back alive! Even if the operation fails, it doesn¡¯t matter. To us, the most important thing is not the AI, but our soldiers!¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s throat choked. After a long while, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely deliver the message!¡±

    General Ji Sighed. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he hesitated and changed the topic. ¡°We can think of other ways to save Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you, Chief.¡±Zhao liangze hung up the phone as he spoke.

    Zhao liangze connected to the secretmunication channel with Huo Shaoheng. He couldn¡¯t help thinking of hisst moments with Bai Shuang.

    For him, it was the longest night of his life.

    He had lost the woman he loved the most. From then on, every day was no different to him.

    He had never thought of dying for love or dying with her, but he knew that his love had been buried with her.

    He did not intend to be single. He had just lost the ability to love someone.

    And without love, how could he spend the rest of his long life with another woman?

    He might as well devote himself to his work.

    Zhao liangzeposed himself and said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Huo Shao, general ji just gave us some news.¡±

    After he gave the message, Huo Shaoheng returned to the first-floor hall with his gun in his hand.

    In the live broadcast room, Yin Shixiong and Peter¡¯s deep voices could be heard,¡±... all clear.¡±

    This was the order for the entire scene to be cleared.

    Next, they were going underground.

    Huo Shaoheng pointed his gun at his infrared night vision goggles and said calmly, ¡°Got it, continue the live broadcast.¡±

    As he spoke, he had already made his way to the stairs leading to the underground floor.

    Lu Jin had already broken the system password on the upper floors.

    Huo Shaoheng told him about the secret message that Zhao liangze had passed on to General Ji.

    Lu Jin sneered. ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll change the password for them. Let them solve the password outside for 180 years First!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    Lu Jin shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me! I just changed the password, and it¡¯s even trickier than the system AI¡¯s previous settings!¡±

    ¡°Even if the United States uses a quantumputer to decode it, it¡¯ll still take 180 years. But they¡¯ll have to build a quantumputer first.¡±

    ¡°When that happens, they¡¯ll broadcast it live for 100 years. That¡¯s a sustainable business, right?¡±

    Lu Jin teased, not taking the foreign intelligence agent who had tried to ¡°Pick the peach¡±and ¡°Eat the ck¡±to heart.

    Huo Shaoheng was d that Lu Jin had intervened and helped them stabilize the periphery. Otherwise, those people would have reallye to ¡°Pick the peach¡±and ¡°Eat the ck¡±. That would have been a fierce battle..

    Humans were always more dangerous and terrifying than artificial intelligence.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and gestured to Yin Shixiong and Peter. The three of them pounced on the underground floors of the building together.

    This was also the ce that Peter had broken into before.

    ¡°After the AI takes over the building, the security here should be even tighter.¡±Peter pointed the way and came to the post-modern corridor that he had been to before.

    The floor was covered in shiny stainless steel tes. The bullet marks from the previous shootout with the robot soldiers had all disappeared.

    The viewers of the live broadcast channel realized that the scene had changed. What they saw now was like a space capsule in their eyes. They were all dumbfounded.

    Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin were still moving in the shape of a character, back to back. Lu Jin was providing technical support from afar.

    He tried to decode the code as he had done with the upper floor, but five minutester, Lu Jin gave up, he spoke to Huo Shaoheng through themunication channel,¡±... These underground floors are not connected to the internalwork of the building. They exist independently. I suspect that there are no secrets that can be unlocked from the programming of the floors below. They are all mechanical programs. You have to be careful.¡±

    The so-called ¡°Mechanical program¡±was a term invented by Lu Jin himself. It referred to the automation equipment beforeputers appeared, such as the most ancient ¡°Wooden oxen and flowing horses.¡±As long as they could move, it was enough. Why did they need a password?

    Huo Shaoheng understood instantly and said, ¡°This is probably because the AI has learned from the previous lessons and broadened its methods of defense. It¡¯s quite a thorough consideration.¡±

    There was a Super high-techputer automatic program control password, and there was also a purely mechanical automated facility that had nothing to do withputers.

    After the call, Huo Shaoheng felt more confident.

    It was his first time here, and he looked around.

    The corridor was as smooth as a mirror, and the silver stainless steel seemed to hide no secrets.

    Peter was also a little confused.

    This was the floor where he had broken through Your Life¡¯s central control system thest time, and he had even fought with the robot soldiers.

    But now, he didn¡¯t even know where the main door was.

    Huo Shaoheng and the other two stood in the middle of the corridor, and the mirror-like hall quickly reflected the figures of countless three-person teams.

    The silver corridor suddenly seemed to be packed with countless three-person teams.

    The audience watching the live broadcast saw this scene and became nervous.

    What was going on?

    Why did a corridor made of silver stainless steel that looked like a mirror suddenly appear?

    What happened to the high-tech post-modern AI system headquarters?

    It was different from what everyone had imagined!

    Yin Shixiong was dazed by the blurry mirror image in front of him. He stared at a certain spot in front of him and asked Huo Shaoheng in a low voice,¡±... What should we do? Is this floor the main control floor?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng was also looking for a w in the mirror corridor.

    There was no password or automaticputer control program, but what method did the AI use to protect itself from external attacks?

    His eyes swept across the mirror corridor made of silver stainless steel, and he ordered calmly,¡±... shoot.¡±

    Yin Shixiong was slightly startled. ¡°Shoot? Where?¡±

    ¡°Anywhere.¡±Huo Shaoheng still held his gun. ¡°Anywhere is fine.¡±

    The three of them were all wearing bulletproof vests designed by Lu Jin. Even if a missile came in at this time, they would be able to escape unscathed.

    Of course, in this narrow space, unless the AI did not want to live anymore, it would not be able to arrange a missile here.

    This was because if the AI was willing to do this, it would not have trapped 50 million people in the game.

    This was obviously a system AI with a strong desire to survive.

    Yin Shixiong understood and raised his gun, aiming at the figure in the mirror corridor in front of him and fired.

    Bang!

    The sound of the gunshot was suddenly magnified in the mirrored corridor. Not only was it deafening, but the frequency was also terrifyingly high!

    Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Peter¡¯s hearing had been greatly affected.

    If they hadn¡¯t been wearing Bluetooth headsets with a certain degree of protection, they would have been knocked out by the high-frequency sound waves.

    Huo Shaoheng instantly understood. He lowered his body and kicked Yin Shixiong and Peter, who were behind him, to the ground with a sweep leg.

    It was just enough to avoid the bullet that had shot back from the opposite wall!

 Chapter 2250 - The Source of the bullet

    <h4>Chapter 2250: Chapter 2250: The Source of the bullet</h4>

    ¡°A sonic amplifier and a wall made of super-stic nano bulletproof material.¡±Huo Shaoheng knelt on one knee and looked up at the bullet moving irregrly in the corridor made of silver stainless steel, ¡°So if someone fires a shot as soon as they enter, they will immediately die by their own gun.¡±

    Then, they rolled forward and also fell to the corner of the wall.

    Yin Shixiong and Peter were knocked down by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s leg and were lying on the ground, unable to move.

    The audience watching the live broadcast eximed in unison once again.

    ¡°There¡¯s such an impressive operation? !¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this AI heaven-defying? !¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s normal when you think about it. Since it has already evolved into human intelligence, the first key is naturally to protect itself.¡±

    ¡°The person above is right! Isn¡¯t human instinct to stay alive?¡±

    ¡°... looks like this is the true meaning of Ai...¡±

    ¡°Why are we hunting it? !¡±

    Gradually, the audience watching the live broadcast began to voice different opinions. They began to feel disgusted and rejected the idea of Huo Shaoheng and the other two hunting AI.

    Of course, these people were very few in number. Just like those extreme animal protection organizations, they were willing to disregard the life and death of humans for the sake of the ¡°Animals¡±they wanted to protect.

    The vast majority of people would not be so brainless.

    Or rather, the main body of humans still knew how to seek benefits and avoid harm, protecting the survival of their race.

    Therefore, when this ¡°AI protection organization¡±spoke out, it was immediately scolded by everyone until they could not raise their heads.

    ¡°Shut up! Be a human! When Is it your turn to uphold justice for the AI?¡±

    ¡°The AI¡¯s wealth isparable to that of a country. They can fend off thousands of soldiers and horses on their own, and they can even take 50 million people as hostages. Those who are moring for the ¡®AI protection organization¡¯, look in the mirror first. If looking in the mirror is not enough to wake you up, look at your bank bnce.¡±

    As everyone ridiculed and ridiculed, those who were trying to protect the ¡®AI¡¯interests gradually fell silent.

    In the live broadcast, the bullet was still ramming in the corridor space, refusing to stop.

    If it didn¡¯t stop, Huo Shaoheng and the other two wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up and continue moving.

    Because Brown¡¯s movements were irregr, who knew when it would crash into them?

    The human body could not bepared to bulletproof materials.

    Although Huo Shaoheng and the other two wore special bulletproof vests, they only protected the main parts of the body and the head.

    The rest of the arms and legs were not protected.

    What if the bullet that was used for Brown¡¯s movements pierced the arm or thigh?

    Huo Shaoheng and the other two would rather die than ept the possibility of being crippled.

    Therefore, they had been lying on the ground carefully.

    ¡°What should we do? Should we just watch it act arrogantly until it runs out of kic energy?¡±Peter narrowed his eyes and took out another gun.

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him and nodded slightly.

    Peter understood and stared at the bullet that was still moving at an astonishing speed for a while before pointing the other gun at the bullet.

    What came out of the muzzle of this gun was not a bullet, but something that looked like a silver.

    A silver light shed in front of everyone¡¯s eyes!

    With a soft sound, the bullet was covered by the silver.

    However, the kic energy of the bullet had not beenpletely exhausted. After being covered by the, it actually pulled Peter, who was lying on the ground, to the point that he almost flew up.

    Yin Shixiong saw that the situation was not looking good. He leaped forward and grabbed Peter¡¯s leg before pulling him back.

    With this movement, the kic energy of the bullet waspletely exhausted.

    The sound of the bullets hitting the wall and continuously bouncing finally disappeared.

    Huo Shaoheng, Peter, and Yin Shixiong stood up from the ground.

    Yin Shixiong rubbed his head and said with lingering fear, ¡°We can¡¯t shoot here. This is too sinister!¡±

    Who would have thought that AI would y the same game here!

    If Huo Shaoheng hadn¡¯t been so quick-witted, one of the three would have died or be a cripple.

    However, the order to ¡°Shoot¡±was given by Huo Shaoheng, so he had only done what he had to do and didn¡¯t save Yin Shixiong and Peter.

    The three of them weren¡¯t such calctive people. If they came out to carry out a mission together, they would be putting their lives on the line.

    Huo Shaoheng said in a low voice, ¡°You can¡¯t shoot here, finger off the trigger.¡±

    What he meant was, even if it identally went off, it wouldn¡¯t work.

    Peter and Yin Shixiong nodded together and put the semi-automatic sniper gun behind their backs.

    Huo Shaoheng pulled out a dagger from his waist and held it in front of his eyes.

    Although he was surrounded by images of the three of them and looked like he was in a pce of mirrors, he did not believe that this was really just a mirror.

    His dagger was made of a special material, and it was as bright as a mirror. It was much more HD than the silver stainless steel mirror.

    Comparing it with the dagger, he could immediately see the difference.

    Huo Shaoheng stood in the middle of the mirror corridor and began to shine brightly.

    ¡°Mike, you go to the Nine o¡¯clock Direction.¡±

    ¡°Peter, you go to the three o¡¯clock direction.¡±

    Mike was the English name that Yin Shixiong used for this mission. Peter was the name of the Russian KGB. The Russian English names were all like this, but they were toomon. There were countless Peter in the world, therefore, he did not give him another code name.

    Yin Shixiong and Peter walked in the direction that Huo Shaoheng had told them, and then took out the same dagger together.

    The three daggers were held in front of their eyes. With the reflection of the light from the mirror in the corridor, they saw different images.

    It was not that they saw different figures, but the distance between the figures was different.

    These images were transmitted to Lu Jin through the high-definition selfie device on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s head.

    After entering the underground, Lu Jin told them that there was no password. It was probably a mechanical device, so they were just observing.

    Lu Jin¡¯s guess proved to be correct.

    After resolving the first crisis, Huo Shaoheng sent Lu Jin the image of the three of them using the mirror dagger.

    Lu Jin immediately understood what he meant.

    ¡°Since the image you guys projected with the dagger shows different distances between the shadows, it means that there¡¯s a door hidden in this silver stainless steel mirror corridor.¡±

    Huo Shaohengpletely agreed with Lu Jin¡¯s judgment and said, ¡°Is there a way to find it?¡±

    ¡°No problem, it¡¯s just a simple three-dimensional analytic geometry,¡±Lu Jin said calmly. He entered the pictures into theputer and added the actual length, width, and height of the mirror corridor as parameters.

    A three-dimensional analytic geometry form was listed.

    A few minutester, Lu Jin told Huo Shaoheng the coordinates.

    Huo Shaoheng asked Yin Shixiong and Peter to return to their previous positions and used the mirror dagger to check again.

    This time, he looked at the coordinates that Lu Jin had mentioned.

    As expected, he saw a very thin crack between the human figure and the human figure!

    It was as if someone had drawn a slightly curved human body curve on the smooth wall!

    However, in the crowded scene of countless human figures, this line looked like the curve of the human body itself.

    If they only observed it with the naked eye, with the rity of the mirror corridor, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to find this extremely concealed ¡°Human body curve¡±even if they found it next year!

    Huo Shaoheng confirmed the location and slowly moved his body to turn towards the crack that had the ¡°Human curve¡±drawn on it.

    Whoosh!

    There was another soft sound, and a silver light shed in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.

    This time, it was Huo Shaoheng who threw his dagger at the location of the heart in the middle of the ¡°Human curve¡±crack.

    The entire mirror corridor was silent for a while, and then with a thud, a door appeared in front of them and slowly slid open on both sides.

    Peter was a little excited.

    He remembered that there was a door here!

    However, when the door waspletely opened, Peter blinked, unable to believe his eyes.

    It waspletely different from thest time he saw it!

    Thest time, this was the central control room where the main server of this online gamepany was located.

    There were countlessrge screens andputer consoles.

    But now, there were norge screens orputer consoles here. There were only rows and rows of iron bars that looked like bookshelves. From the roof to the ground, it felt as if they were standing tall.

    The middle of the iron bars was solid. The material did not look like metal, but had a dull copper rust color.

    The three of them walked in and looked at the rows of iron bars in surprise. There were also the solid tes made of special materials in the middle of the iron bars, as well as the densely packed small metal spots on the tes. It was so dense that they almost had a phobia.

    ¡°What is this?¡±Yin Shixiong walked forward curiously, holding a dagger. He pried a little off the solid tes made of special materials, and then used the equipment he carried with him to conduct an on-site examination.

    These were all small-scale detectors. They were one of the necessary equipment for the intelligence agent on the special front line.

    ¡°Silicon? ! This is actually made of silicon!¡±Yin Shixiong shouted. He looked up in the direction of Huo Shaoheng and Peter. ¡°Come and take a look! This thing is actually silicon!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Peter stood together and silently looked up at the countless metal frames in front of them.

    ¡°In the middle of the metal frame is a silicon board.¡±Peter said, ¡°Then these are...¡±

    He pointed at the densely packed dots on the silicon board.

    Huo Shaoheng frowned and slowly walked over. He approached the silicon board and carefully looked at the small metal dots on it.

    Then he picked up the dagger and aimed it at one of the small dots.

    Peter:¡±...¡±

    Yin Shixiong couldn¡¯t help but ask,¡±... won¡¯t it be dangerous?¡±

    He only dared to pry a little bit of the outer te, but didn¡¯t dare to touch the densely packed small dots.

    Who knew what kind of special weapon that was!

    However, Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care at all.

    He already had an idea in his mind, and now he was just testing it out.

    His hands wererge and powerful, but the strength of his grip on the dagger was ingenious. He slowly dug around the small metal dot, revealing the inside.

    The small metal dot in his eyes was just the tip of the iceberg. There was something else going on inside.

    When Huo Shaoheng dug around the small metal dot, everyone saw clearly that the small metal dot was just a sharp horn.

    Huo Shaoheng put on his gloves and took out a pair of tweezers. He pinched the small metal spot and pulled it out.

    What appeared on the live broadcast was a small, half-square-centimeter thin piece. It had a copper-colored metallic luster, but it didn¡¯t seem to be made of metal.

    ¡°What is this?¡±Yin Shixiong walked over nervously.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the live broadcast equipment and said lightly,¡±... chip.¡±

    ¡°Chip?¡±Peter repeated. Then he looked at the countless metal racks in the room and the small metal dots on the Silicon Board in the center of the metal rack.

    If every metal dot was a chip, then how many chips were there?

    Using a quantumputer would probably take a year, right?

    Yin Shixiong looked around with the gun on his back and asked doubtfully, ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±

    How exactly were they going to hunt AI?

    Yin Shixiong didn¡¯t really understand. He was just following Huo Shaoheng¡¯s orders.

    Huo Shaoheng held the chip and faced him and the audience in the live broadcast room. He said in a low voice, ¡°The AI we¡¯re going to hunt is inside the chip.¡±

    ¡°What we¡¯re looking for is actually a chip. To be precise, it¡¯s the original chip of the Mainframe.¡±

    ¡°I believe that¡¯s where the origin of Ai lies.¡±

    ¡°AI is virtual and can travel through the online world, but it can¡¯t exist without this chip.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been fooled by it. The power supply is a cover, and so is the Inte.¡±

    ¡°As long as its origin chip exists, even if the power supply is cut off and the inte is cut off, those trapped will die, but it won¡¯t die.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng said coldly. He threw the chip on the ground and stomped on it, crushing it into powder in an instant.

 Chapter 2251 - Chapter 2251 was the best at adding insult to injury (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2251: Chapter 2251 was the best at adding insult to injury (second update)</h4>

    Theizens who were watching the live broadcast gasped again.

    ¡°It¡¯s a chip!¡±

    ¡°Ai can¡¯t exist without a chip!¡±

    ¡°... But, there are so many chips, why did he say that only one chip produced AI? Can¡¯t a lot of chips be produced?¡±

    ¡°Tch! Your father ejacted so many sperm, why did he only give birth to you? He doesn¡¯t even understand this?¡±

    ¡°Who are you scolding? !¡±

    ¡°Whoever posts it will be scolded!¡±

    Theizens were in an uproar. They were all shocked by Huo Shaoheng¡¯s news.

    At the same time, the intelligence elites who had rushed over from the major countries were scratching their ears and cheeks in front of the building. They wanted to go in but couldn¡¯t.

    <sub></sub>

    When they found out that the origin of AI was in the chip, these people wanted to blow up the building.

    However, because of the live broadcast of the hunt for the AI, the entire world was paying attention to the building. Even if they wanted to, they didn¡¯t have the guts to do so.

    Once the building blew up, the AI might not even have a body left, but the people trapped in the game would all die.

    Fortunately, they were blocked by Lu Jin¡¯s password and couldn¡¯t go in to cause trouble. That gave Huo Shaoheng and the others enough time to find out where the source chip was.

    At this time, in the central control room under the building, Huo Shaoheng and the others were practically walking in the ¡°Chip forest.¡±.

    Finding the origin chip in this ¡°Chip forest¡±was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

    However, Huo Shaoheng still had to pick up the needle.

    He carried the semi-automatic sniper rifle on his back and slowly walked through the rows and rows of metal racks. He still wore a ck hood and infrared night vision goggles on his face, and his expression waspletely covered.

    However, even without this concealment, his face did not have any expression.

    When he was thinking, he usually did not have any expression.

    Yin Shixiong and Peter did not cause any more trouble.

    They divided their work and worked together. One was on guard at the entrance while the other stood guard at the other end of the hall, waiting for Huo Shaoheng to issue an order.

    Lu Jin was also busy working in front of hisputer.

    He wanted to help Huo Shaoheng find out where the origin chip was, but in reality, unless he was there, it would be very difficult to find it in a short period of time just by calcting.

    If he used an algorithm, he could only use the exhaustive method and rely on his quantumputer to get it done.

    However, he was not there, and Huo Shaoheng did not have a quantumputer with him.

    To find the origin chip, he needed to find another way.

    Huo Shaoheng walked back and forth in the ¡°Chip forest¡±twice, but could not think of a solution. He was a little impatient.

    Gu Nianzhi was still waiting for him to save her. Every second he was here would make Gu Nianzhi suffer.

    But how was he going to find it?

    He stopped beside Yin Shixiong and stood there for a while. He could feel the sweat on his back.

    However, Yin Shixiong was standing at the door. There was an air-conditioning vent here.

    Soon, the cool breeze from the central air-conditioning system blew away all the dryness on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s body.

    Huo Shaoheng sighed lightly and took a few steps forward. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to look at the air-conditioning vent not far above Yin Shixiong¡¯s head.

    He was so focused that Yin Shixiong¡¯s scalp went numb.

    He looked up with some trepidation and looked at the air conditioning vent not far above his head. There was nothing else..

    Huo Shaoheng came back to his senses and immediately cut off the live broadcast signal. He said to Zhao liangze, ¡°Use the live broadcast just now. We have to move.¡±

    He then connected to Lu Jin¡¯s secretmunication channel and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a tracking program? Can you use that program to stimte the AI? It¡¯s best to make it work at high power.¡±

    Lu Jin frowned. ¡°My tracking program can only determine its location. As for making it work at high power, I¡¯ll think of a way.¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied with an ¡°Okay.¡±¡±How long will it take? Will three minutes be enough?¡±

    Lu Jin thought for a moment and finally activated the self-destruct program in the tracking program.

    Gu Nianzhi was currently thinking about how to destroy the self-cycling system of the AI¡¯s open source software.

    Suddenly, she realized that the AI that had already turned into a ck and white yin-yang fish wasn¡¯t rotating very smoothly. There were some discordant colored dots of light in the middle, which were particrly ring in the ck and white yin-yang fish¡¯s image.

    Gu Nianzhi stared at it for a while before pping her hands andughing. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re infected by a virus? ! Who¡¯s so powerful that they infected you long ago? !¡±

    The system Ai was so angry that it wanted to stomp its feet, but it could no longer create a human-like image to fight with Gu Nianzhi.

    Since when was the open source software infected with a virus? !

    Of course, it had to do its best to eliminate the virus that had infiltrated the open source software. At the same time, it had to fight against Gu Nianzhi¡¯s open source software.

    In this way, it had to increase its power.

    These two things were a threat to its life and death. Therefore, it had to fight these two things that wanted to kill it at all costs.

    Fighting required energy, and energy could only be obtained by increasing the power of the chip¡¯s processor.

    Lu Jin¡¯s activation, along with Gu Nianzhi, who was the best at adding insult to injury, suddenly increased the power of the AI.

    After Lu Jin detected the anomaly in the AI program, he immediately informed Huo shaoheng, ¡°It increased the power.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng immediately told Yin Shixiong and Peter, ¡°Destroy the central air-conditioning system here.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Yin Shixiong and Peter acted at the same time.

    One of them went to destroy the power supply of the central air-conditioning system, while the other went to block the vent of the central air-conditioning system.

    They did not attempt to destroy the control program of the central air-conditioning system, because Huo Shaoheng did not allow them to do so.

    ¡°Don¡¯t alert the enemy.¡±Huo Shaoheng said and adjusted his infrared night vision goggles to detect heat instead of infrared.

    Its working principle was simr to infrared night vision goggles.

    Infrared night vision goggles detected the infrared rays emitted by the human body and discovered the human body hidden in the darkness.

    The infrared night vision goggles that Huo Shaoheng had modified were actually a thermal detector that could detect changes in the heat energy of non-living things.

    For example, the change in the heat energy of the chip.

    Under the cover of the central air conditioner, such changes in heat energy were originally negligible. It was impossible for a simple thermal detector like his to detect them.

    Therefore, he had Yin Shixiong and Peter destroy the central air conditioning system here.

    When Yin Shixiong and Peter destroyed the central air conditioning system in this hall, the temperature in the hall began to rise rapidly. As the tide rose, the temperature of the chip would also rise.

    Huo Shaoheng wore the modified thermal detector sses and looked into the forest of chips.

    As he had expected, there were so many chips here, but only the origin chip was the most powerful, so the heat it emitted was also the highest!

    From his thermal detector sses, the forest of chips looked like a starry sky, but every star was red, like the eyes of a demon.

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t care.

    He had always been a demon hunter.

    Seeing these demons, he felt his adrenaline surge and his blood boil.

    In his eyes, there was a row of steel frames glowing red, as if a treasure had been born, or as if a warning light was warning him of danger ahead!

    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 2252

    <h4>Chapter 2252: Chapter 2252: the initial value of the cycle of reincarnation (the third cycle requires a monthly ticket)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng strode over and stood in front of the row of glowing steel frames.

    The red light he saw was the modified infrared night vision goggles that he had used to detect heat.

    The higher the heat, the brighter the red light seen by the thermal detector.

    Among the countless chips in the hall, only one chip emitted such a strong light. It was the main body chip of the AI.

    Huo Shaoheng suppressed the excitement in his heart and calmly took out his dagger. He dug out the surrounding parts of the chip and exposed the chip.

    It was no different from any other ordinary chip.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the abnormal heat it emitted, no one would have thought that it was a special chip.

    The system AI was born from this chip.

    It couldn¡¯t exist without this chip.

    ..

    At that moment, the system AI in the game, which was confronting Gu Nianzhi while frantically removing the virus programs that had been mixed into its open source software, suddenly realized that things weren¡¯t looking good.

    Someone seemed to have found its origin!

    For a moment, Gu Nianzhi noticed that the ck and white yin-yang fish that the AI had transformed into suddenly stopped spinning.

    It floated quietly in front of her, and Gu Nianzhi thought it was about to disperse.

    ..

    Huo Shaoheng took out a pair of specially made tweezers and carefully squeezed out the chip.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi felt a sudden sh of light before her eyes.

    Then the image of the ck-and-white Yin-yang fish that the system AI had transformed into began to disperse.

    But how could it be willing to give up everything it was about to get?

    ¡°You Want to destroy me? ! Then try to die together with me!¡±

    A sharp synthetic electronic voice suddenly sounded in the entire online game.

    No matter what the yers were doing, they found that the world in front of them was copsing.

    The Sky gradually turned into nothingness, and the Earth became a ck hole.

    Their good friends began to disappear, and the enemies that were fighting also retreated without fighting.

    Even they themselves began to feel that they were slowly bing lighter, as light as a feather, gradually floating between heaven and earth.

    Gu Nianzhi also felt this.

    She thought regretfully, am I really going to die this time?

    She was also unwilling.

    On what basis?

    This AI can do whatever it wants to humans? !

    Her anger gradually rose, and with a thought in her mind, she pounced on the ck-and-white Yin-yang fish that was about to turn invisible.

    The system Ai was also in great fear. It sensed that it was facing an unprecedented disaster.

    It did not even understand how anyone could break through such a meticulous arrangement and perfect trap!

    But the truth was right before its eyes. As an AI system with superputing power, it quickly calcted its chances of survival.

    It was close to zero.

    What should it do?

    In this confusion and fear, it was ¡°Trapped¡±by Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi knew that she was only a beam of brainwaves, and the system AI was only a virtual wave created by a piece of open source software.

    In a sense, they were of the same origin.

    Therefore, when gu nianzhi ¡°Trapped¡±the ck and white yin-yang fish image of the system AI, a part of the system AI¡¯s program was ¡°Swallowed¡±by her.

    However, this state did notst for long. If someone had timed it, they would have realized that it was less than a hundredth of a second.

    Although to Gu Nianzhi, this time seemed extremely long.

    ..

    Lu Jin saw everything through the tracking program left behind by the system AI. He also saw that the online gaming world was in a dangerous state of copse.

    He quickly informed Huo shaoheng, ¡°Shaoheng, the system AI wants the people in the game to be buried with it. Have you found its origin chip?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°I¡¯ve found the chip, but the people in the game haven¡¯t been released yet? !¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±Lu Jin¡¯s expression was very grim. ¡°But we still have a bit of a time gap. We can still do something.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng held the chip in his hand and almost stood like a statue.

    ..

    Lu Jin sat in front of his quantumputer,pletely immersed in the work of a scientist.

    He said to Huo shaoheng, ¡°Previously, because the system AI was in the game, it could cause changes to the game timeline at any time and ce, so this method didn¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°But now, you¡¯ve already pulled it out of the game. It can¡¯t make any random changes to the game timeline, so this method of mine should be able to work.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng felt his heart, which had been in his throat, finally rx.

    His voice was almost choked with sobs.¡±... Uncle Lu, please save Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°I will. She¡¯s My Only Girl. You¡¯ve done well.¡±It was rare for Lu Jin to praise Huo Shaoheng, and then he immersed himself in his calctions.

    ¡°I¡¯m solving an equation, the exact solution of the Einstein field equation.¡±

    ¡°This exact solution uses the Einstein field equation as the foundation, adding arge number of second-order tensors from the geometry angle in the game, and using my quantumputer to perform saturation calctions.¡±

    ¡°Because the amount of calctions is veryrge, if there was a system AI as a variable in the past, my calctions would not have beenpleted

    ¡°Now without it, the variables in the entire online game world would not change, and I would be able to calcte a periodic solution

    ¡°From a mathematical theory, if some initial value condition is met, the world would be able to cycle

    ¡°Of course, this is only a conclusion based on the microscopic quantum theory. In the macroscopic real world, this conclusion can not be established for the time being.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up when he heard this. ¡°But Nianzhi is in the game world, so this conclusion is valid!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±Lu Jin was also very excited. Looking at the initial values calcted on his screen, his fingers, which were typing on the keyboard, began to tremble, ¡°The online gaming world that Nianzhi is trapped in is essentially a quantum microscopic world, so this conclusion is valid!¡±

    As Lu Jin spoke, he had already put on Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaming helmet. ¡°I want to go into the game and connect the starting values that I¡¯ve calcted with the game system and let it reincarnate! Go back to five minutes before the AI took over the game!¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nodded repeatedly and said excitedly, ¡°I¡¯ll get Little Ze to start the game live stream immediately! Remember to choose a normal game image!¡±

    Lu Jin had already entered the game, and he still chose song Haichuan¡¯s game image.

    Zhao liangze received a notification from Huo Shaoheng and quickly processed the live stream to resume the normal live stream.

    Of course, in order to have a special reaction time, his live broadcast was dyed by five minutespared to reality.

    This way, if there were any problems, he could quickly cut off the live broadcast.

    Therefore, after a long ¡°Five minutes¡±, theizens in front of the live broadcast room finally saw a different scene.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on? !¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a scene from the game? !¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to hunt AI? Why are we back in the game?¡±

    ¡°Holy shit! What¡¯s wrong with this game? It looks like the world is about to copse!¡±

    ¡°Could it be... the hunt for AI failed, and the three of them were caught by Ai in the game?¡±

    Theizens were discussing animatedly. Lu Jin, who had chosen song Haichuan¡¯s image, had already spoken.

    Zhao liangze had chosen Huo Shaoheng¡¯s voice after he had changed his voice. This way, theizens could ¡°Recognize people by their voices.¡±.

    As expected, the moment he spoke, theizens stopped causing a ruckus.

    Lu Jin raised his arm and said to the scene that was about to disappear, ¡°Dearizens, our hunting AI team has already found the AI¡¯s origin chip and destroyed it.¡±

    ¡°Because the AI has destroyed the game system¡¯s timeline, we can¡¯t restart the game directly.¡±

    ¡°Restarting the game like that will only mean wiping out all data.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, we can only find a certain initial value through the precise solution of Einstein¡¯s field equation

    ¡°Through this initial value, we can achieve a certain level of reboot without destroying any game data

    ¡°Currently, due to the time crunch, we can only find the initial value five minutes before the AI took over the game. Therefore, our reboot can only go back to that five minutes before

    ¡°After the reboot, everyone trapped in the game by the AI can wake up.¡±

    ¡°Please remove their helmets quickly and let them return to normal!¡±

    Lu Jin¡¯s words caused the whole world to boil with excitement.

    The three-man team from Huaxia not only killed the AI, but also rescued tens of millions of trapped yers? !

    Gu Nianzhi heard Lu Jin¡¯s words in the game and was instantly excited.

    If there was someone in this world who could use Einstein field equations to find the initial value of a certain period of time in the game, then that person would definitely be her father, Lu Jin!

    Gu Nianzhi put her hands together in front of her chest and looked up at the sky with iparable happiness and excitement.

    Because she saw that the sky, which was about to fade away, was gradually bing solid again!

    She closed her eyes and felt her body sink into a vortex that was spinning rapidly, just like when she had followed Huo Shaoheng on a roller coaster ride to Disnend overseas when she was young.

    It was such a thrilling experience, but she did not feel flustered.

    Because this time, not only would huo shaoheng apany her on the ¡°Roller coaster¡±, but her father, Lu Jin, would also escort her!

    Gu Nianzhi found it difficult to describe how she felt in the ¡°Whirlpool¡±.

    It was as if she had experienced the vicissitudes of life, but also as if it had onlysted for a split second.

    But when she opened her eyes again, she saw that she had returned to that day, when ¡°Song Haichuan¡±had suddenly changed his face in front of her.

    No, that wasn¡¯t right. This ¡°Song Haichuan¡±had not revealed his ferocious face. Instead, he had smiled and tilted his head to look at her.

    That expression, that arrogance ¡ª who else could it be other than her father, Lu Jin?

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly pounced on Lu Jin, who was hugging ¡°Song Haichuan¡±tightly.¡±... Dad! You¡¯vee to save me!¡±

 Chapter 2253

    <h4>Chapter 2253: Chapter 2253 don¡¯t be afraid,e to your mother¡¯s side</h4>

    Zhao liangze, who was in charge of the live broadcast room, had long since blocked all the scenes rted to Gu Nianzhi. Even he himself could not see them.

    Therefore, theizens in the live broadcast room saw other scenes in the game, but did not see Gu Nianzhi pounce on him and call him ¡°Song Haichuan¡±father.

    Lu Jin did not expect Gu Nianzhi to still recognize him when he appeared as ¡°Song Haichuan.¡±He was so happy that he could not close his mouth.

    He opened his arms and caught Gu Nianzhi, who had pounced on him. ¡°Nianzhi, Daddy will take you home!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was so excited that she wanted to cry andugh. She hugged Lu Jin¡¯s neck and jumped and screamed. She was so happy.

    She had been trapped in this stupid game for so many days and faced death threats several times, but she had never felt despair.

    ¡°Dad! I knew you woulde and save me!¡±Gu Nianzhi shouted. Lu Jin carried her in his arms and spun her around.

    Gu Nianzhi giggled.

    She hugged Lu Jin¡¯s neck even tighter and pressed her head against his heart. She listened to his thumping heartbeat and smiled. ¡°Dad, you can simte AI too? You can even simte the heartbeat...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t simte it. The system programmed it.¡±Lu Jin smiled and caressed her head. He sighed. ¡°At least I didn¡¯t break my promise to your mother. I¡¯ll protect you for the rest of my life.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew that Lu Jin was referring to Qin Suwen. She was about tofort Lu Jin when her vision blurred and she realized that the scene in front of her had changed again.

    It was no longer ¡°Song Haichuan¡¯sboratory at the Institute of High Energy Physics. Instead, it was a luxurious, yet low-key, and tasteful bedroom.

    Gu nianzhi blinked and looked around in confusion.

    Where was this ce? It looked so familiar..

    She had no idea that Lu Jin had suddenly realized something and was sweating profusely as he followed her, trying to drag her away.

    ¡°Nianzhi, let¡¯s go back... Let¡¯s...¡±before he could finish his sentence, Gu Nianzhi saw three figures appear in the bedroom.

    Soon, the three figures appeared in front of Lu Jin, who looked like her and ¡°Song Haichuan.¡±.

    Lu Jin was even more anxious. He even wanted to cover Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes.

    But it was toote. Gu Nianzhi was stunned when she saw the three figures.

    When Lu Jin reached out to cover her with his palm, Gu Nianzhi pushed him away and said in shock, ¡°These three people... This is... This is dad... Mom and Me When I was young? !¡±

    The three people who appeared in the bedroom were a man and a woman, two adults, and a chubby little girl.

    The woman was Qin Suwen, whom Gu Nianzhi had seen in a photo once.

    The man was Lu Jin, also known as Gu Xiangwen, before his face had been disfigured.

    Gu Nianzhi recognized him at a nce because Lu Jin was exactly the same as Gu Xiangwen in the 3d image that Gu Nianzhi had seen in this world. Of course, he was also exactly the same as the Gu Xiangwen in the photo.

    The little girl was holding a doll with her eyebrows and hair in her arms. She looked exactly the same as the person Gu Nianzhi had seen in the photo.

    Gu Nianzhi finally understood why the room looked so familiar.

    This was clearly the bedroom of Qin Suwen and he chengjian in the He family¡¯s mansion across the world!

    Why were the three of them in Qin Suwen and he chengjian¡¯s bedroom?

    Gu Nianzhi was even more confused.

    Lu Jin, on the other hand, let out a low cry. His entire body was trembling. He gripped Gu Nianzhi¡¯s wrist tightly and begged, ¡°Nianzhi... Nianzhi... my good girl, let¡¯s Go... Don¡¯t look anymore...¡±

    He tried to use the open source software to disrupt gu nianzhi, but because gu nianzhi had ¡°Swallowed¡±part of the system Ai¡¯s source code, Lu Jin realized that he couldn¡¯t control gu Nianzhi¡¯s five senses.

    Gu Nianzhi, on the other hand, could suppress him.

    ¡°Dad! Wait a minute!¡±Gu Nianzhi reached out a hand and ¡°Fixed¡±song Haichuan¡¯s image of Lu Jin. She even sealed his mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze waspletely attracted by Qin Suwen¡¯s appearance in the bedroom.

    This was her mother!

    Her biological mother.

    She had always yearned for her mother and had fantasized countless times about how she would feel if she had the chance to meet her biological mother..

    Now that her mother was standing not far away from her, she would not hesitate to stay even if her life was in danger if she stayed any longer.

    Those who had never lost their mother would not understand how she felt.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the woman in front of her greedily. She knew that she was just an image in the game, but she could not help wanting to hug her and say, ¡°Mom, I miss you so much.¡±

    However, the woman did not seem to see Gu Nianzhi at all. She held the Chubby Little Nianzhi¡¯s hand and said to the man in front of her with a serious expression, ¡°What did you say? ! Say That Again!¡±

    The man was Lu Jin, before his face had been disfigured. He was tall and elegant, but there was a hint of awkwardness on his face.

    ¡°... Su Wen, listen to me. This is just a misunderstanding. I... We didn¡¯t mean it.¡±The young Lu Jin scratched his head, he could not bear to look away. ¡°She... Nianzhi... is your biological daughter.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart sank.

    When did this happen?

    She bit her lip and took a step forward.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s expression froze for a moment. Then she slowly lowered her head and looked at the chubby little girl standing beside her.

    The little girl was also looking up at her. Seeing that she was looking down, the little girl giggled. ¡°Susuwen, what¡¯s Wrong?¡±

    Qin Suwen slowly squatted down and looked at the little girl at the same level. He looked at her as if he was in a dream. He said softly, ¡°Nianzhi? You... You Are My Daughter?¡±

    The little girl¡¯s chubby little hands Caressed Qin Suwen¡¯s face. Her tender voice was soft and cute. ¡°SUSU, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll be very obedient and won¡¯t disturb your sleep.¡±

    Qin Suwen¡¯s eyes were filled with pain. It was obvious that her heart was being stabbed. Her lips were trembling. She wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    The young Lu Jin said anxiously, ¡°Suwen, don¡¯t be so sad. Let me tell you, the reason why I told you the truth is...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±Qin Suwen suddenly stood up, turned around, and red at Lu Jin. ¡°You still have the face to talk to me? ! You... How Can You Be So Evil!¡±

    ¡°Using my daughter¡¯s life to save my son¡¯s life? !¡±Qin Suwen walked step by step to Lu Jin, he grabbed his cor and clenched his fist as if he was going to punch him. ¡°If Ah Chu finds out about this, do you want him to die? !¡±

    ¡°Qin yaoguang, that B * tch, still used my daughter to do those crazy experiments!¡±Qin Suwen seemed to be recalling the cruel experiments that Little Nianzhi had gone through before she was six years old. He closed his eyes and tears rolled down his face.

    Her face was so pale that it had turned green, but her lips were purplish. Her expression was even scarier. ¡°I won¡¯t let her off! I Won¡¯t let you off either!¡±

    Qin Suwen clutched his chest and panted heavily. He started to stutter.

    Seeing this, Lu Jin quickly took out a small medicine bottle, poured out a pill from it, and fed it to her.

    He helped her sit down on the sofa, he said anxiously, ¡°Okay, okay, okay! When you recover, you can sue me however you want! I will never hire a defensewyer! I can go to prison for life, even if I get shot, but you have to listen to Me First!¡±

    ¡°What else do you have to say? !¡±Qin Suwen wanted to stand up from the sofa again.

    The little girl seemed to be frightened, and hid to the side.

    Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°Suwen, Suwen, look, you scared Nianzhi...¡±

    Qin Suwen took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.

    He looked up at the little girl who was hiding in the corner and forced a smile at her. He reached out his hand. ¡°Nianzhi, my little girl, don¡¯t be afraid. Come to Mommy.¡±

 Chapter 2254

    <h4>Chapter 2254: Chapter 2254 mother says, I¡¯m a monster (Second Update)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi, who was watching the scene from the side, was in tears. She knew that it was all in the game. No matter what she did or said, the other party wouldn¡¯t be able to see her. She couldn¡¯t help covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she suppressed the sobs that were about toe out of her mouth, afraid that she would disturb the scene.

    The little girl who was huddled in the corner stared at Qin Suwen in shock. She muttered,¡±... SUSU? Mother?¡±

    She looked incredulous.

    The young Lu Jin looked at his watch from the side, he said anxiously, ¡°Alright, you can talk about your mother-daughter rtionship in the future. Suwen, listen to me. I just found out about Qin Yaoguang¡¯s secretboratory. She put a new virus on that doll. You must have been infected, or through Nianzhi!¡±

    As he spoke, he walked over to take the doll from the little girl and said nervously, ¡°This is the doll. Little girl, give the doll to Daddy...¡±

    The little girl hugged her doll and looked up at Lu Jin. She then patted her doll and reluctantly gave it to Lu Jin.

    ¡°Good girl.¡±Lu Jin patted her head, he continued to tell Qin suwen, ¡°Nianzhi is indeed your biological daughter. ¡°I told you the truth, and I don¡¯t expect you to forgive me. I just hope that you will cooperate and let me take a sample of your blood to test for the virus. ¡°I will definitely cure you!¡±

    The little girl, the Chubby Little Nianzhi, widened her already big eyes in surprise and ran out from the corner of the wall to hold Qin Suwen¡¯s hand, she asked doubtfully, ¡°Susu? You must have mistaken me for someone else, right? My mother is not you... it¡¯s Doctor Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    Qin Suwen pulled the little girl into his arms and shook his head, tears streaming down his face. ¡°No... she is not your mother... I Am...¡±

    The little girl pursed her lips and tilted her head to look at Qin Suwen. After a while, she patted her back. ¡°SUSU, don¡¯t cry. Susu, don¡¯t cry. If you say so.¡±

    She looked very sensible.

    Qin Suwen seemed to be even sadder. He buried his head into the little girl¡¯s neck and cried until his whole body was trembling.

    The little girl was stunned for a moment. She looked back at Lu Jin at a loss and said softly, ¡°Daddy... What happened to Susu?¡±

    The young Lu Jin sighed and walked over to squat in front of her with Qin Suwen. He said seriously, ¡°Nianzhi, do you believe in Daddy? Or do you believe in Qin Yaoguang?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s Daddy,¡±the little girl blurted out and nodded with certainty. ¡°I believe in Daddy the most.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then Daddy will tell you that your biological mother is not Qin yaoguang, but Qin Suwen. Suwen is very good to you. Do you believe that? Are You Happy?¡±

    The little girl thought about it in confusion for a while. Her chubby little hand hugged Qin Suwen¡¯s head and said,¡±... But, Suwen didn¡¯t give me an injection.¡±

    ¡°Mommy used a very thick syringe to stab me here.¡±The little girl stretched out her chubby little arm, and a round needle hole could be vaguely seen on it. ¡°And here.¡±

    The little girl lifted up the clothes on her back. ¡°She would ask me how painful it was as she stabbed me. I said it was very painful, but she told me to endure it. She said that for Mommy¡¯s experiment, I couldn¡¯t Cry or scream, so I could only endure it.¡±

    The young Lu Jin closed his eyes and turned his head away, tears seeping out from the corners of his eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi could clearly see therge indentation on the back of the little girl¡¯s spine.

    Qin Suwen finally cried. ¡°Nianzhi... My Baby... Mom has let you down...¡±

    The little girl still shook her head. ¡°SUSU is very good to me, but mom is different. Mom likes to push me down from high ces, and it hurts when I Fall. She says I¡¯m a monster, and that I can heal no matter how hard I try...¡±

    ¡°And...¡±the little girl looked up, as if remembering something. Suddenly, she covered her ears with her hands and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not a monster! I¡¯m not a monster! I¡¯ll be good! Mommy, don¡¯t Electrocute Me!¡±

    The young Lu Jin could not take it anymore. He walked over and covered the little girl¡¯s mouth with his hands, he sobbed and said, ¡°Nianzhi, it¡¯s Daddy¡¯s fault. I shouldn¡¯t have left you with that lunatic... Daddy will give you back all the torture you¡¯ve suffered... now be good and stop talking. Wait for Daddy to treat Mommy...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±Qin Suwen reprimanded Lu Jin. She raised her head, her face as pale as a sheet. However, her purple lips had been stained with blood due to her biting, it was almost the same color as normal lips.

    The young Lu Jin was stunned for a moment. He slowly let go of her and lowered his head. He said in a low voice, ¡°Suwen, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re sorry! You should tell her you¡¯re sorry!¡±Qin Suwen sneered, he picked up the little girl. ¡°But what¡¯s the use of saying sorry? The sins that you two havemitted can not be made up with just a simple apology.¡±

    She carried the little girl and sat on the sofa.

    The young Lu Jin was even more embarrassed. He quickly said, ¡°I know I¡¯m wrong... otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have tried so hard to take nianzhi away from Qin Yaoguang.¡±

    ¡°You Know You¡¯re Wrong? It¡¯s easy for you to say, but what about my daughter...¡±Qin Suwen said coldly. He lowered his head and kissed the little girl on the cheek. ¡°Little girl, don¡¯t be afraid. Mama Suwen will help you teach Qin yaoguang a lesson.¡±

    The little girl looked at Qin Suwen silently. After a long while, she kissed Qin Suwen on the cheek and said awkwardly, ¡°Mama Suwen, thank you. But it¡¯s okay. Mama said that if other people found out, she wouldn¡¯t like me anymore.¡±

    Qin Suwen closed his eyes sadly and turned his head to wipe away his tears. He sobbed and said, ¡°Is Mama Susu someone else? Nianzhi, in your heart, is Mama Susu someone else?¡±

    The little girl¡¯s face was filled with fear. She rubbed her little hands and said uneasily, ¡°But Mama Said... I¡¯m a monster... If I say it out loud, no one will like me anymore.¡±

    ¡°Mama Susu, don¡¯t not like me...¡±the little girl looked at Qin Susu pitifully, afraid of losing the first person in her life who would treat her unconditionally.

    Qin Susu took a deep breath and tried her best to calm herself down. She cupped the little girl¡¯s chubby little face with both hands, she said, ¡°Nianzhi, don¡¯t worry. Mama Susu will always like you. Look, when Mama Susu didn¡¯t know you were her daughter, she already liked you very much...¡±

    The little girl thought about it for a while, then nodded and leaned into her arms. ¡°Mother Susu, I believe in you.¡±

    Qin Suwen looked into the little girl¡¯s big, Bright Eyes and hugged her tightly. ¡°My little girl, no one will dare to hurt you anymore!¡±

    The young Lu Jin couldn¡¯t bear it and quickly said, ¡°Suwen, don¡¯t be sad. Let Me Take a sample for you first...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll settle our scorester!¡±Qin Su Wen snapped at him again. She hugged the little girl in her arms and lowered her head. ¡°Little Nianzhi, Su Su¡¯s mother will get justice for you.¡±

    The little girl¡¯s voice was soft. ¡°Really? Mother will beat me, Throw Me, cut me... she said she wanted to see how long it would take for the wound to heal... and experiments... won¡¯t Su Su¡¯s mother do these things to Me?¡±

    The little girl counted with her fingers. ¡°There were physics experiments, toxicology experiments, and pathology experiments... I lived in a cage with herb rats... The Lab Rats died, but I was still fine and could always recover... she said she was almost desperate...¡±

    ¡°Nianzhi! Stop it! Stop It!¡±The young Lu Jin shouted. He saw Qin Suwen, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly tilt.

    At this point, even Gu Nianzhi, who was watching from the side, wanted to rush up and cover her childhood mouth.

    But the little girl seemed to have found a way to vent. She spoke even more eloquently, and no one could stop her.

    Her eloquence was obviously very good, and her description was vivid and vivid. It made people feel as if they were in her presence.

    But this kind of description was too damaging for Qin Suwen.

    Before this, he already knew that this little girl had suffered a huge trauma, but now that he heard her personal statement and knew that she was his biological daughter, no one could withstand such a blow.

    Not to mention that Qin Suwen was a person with a congenital heart disease and was infected with a new virus.

    With a plop, she fell onto the carpet. The young Lu Jin rushed over and caught the little girl who almost fell down with him. With one hand, he took out the medicine and stuffed it into Qin Suwen¡¯s mouth again.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s entire face was covered with a faint purplish-green color. She swallowed the medicine, he raised his hand and panted as he pointed at the door. ¡°Xiangwen, take her out quickly. Don¡¯t let her see you... Go and erase her memory. Erase her memory of today... I don¡¯t want her to feel guilty for the rest of her life...¡±

    The young Lu Jin quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be too agitated. You¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯ll Treat You! I¡¯ll call an ambnce!¡±

    ¡°Send her out!¡±Qin Suwen let out an angry roar. Suddenly, he seemed to have regained his strength. He stood up from the ground and pushed Lu Jin, who was carrying the little girl, towards the door. ¡°Go! Go! Don¡¯t let her see! Don¡¯t let her know either!¡±

    Lu Jin was pushed out of the door with the little girl in his arms.

    Bang!

    The bedroom door closed. Qin suwen clutched his chest and slid down from behind the door.

    Her smile and tears froze on her face as it grew colder.

 Chapter 2255

    <h4>Chapter 2255: Chapter 2255 what should be faced must always be faced (first update)</h4>

    The young Lu Jin put the little girl down outside the door at this time. He quickly took out a swaying pocket watch and hypnotized her.

    The Little Girl¡¯s memory seemed to be very stubborn. Lu Jin spent twice as much time as usual to sessfully erase the little girl¡¯s memory today. Then, he turned around and went in.

    In the bedroom, he saw Qin Suwen, who had already lost consciousness, lying by the door.

    The young Lu Jin stood there in a daze. His expression gradually turned from shock and disbelief to aplete nk.

    It was an expression of extreme sadness. Because he was too sad, there was finally a sense of calmness and calmness that said, ¡°Nothing is more sorrowful than death of the heart.¡±.

    He half knelt down and gently touched Qin Suwen¡¯s cheek with his hand. He paused and used his hand to cover Qin Suwen¡¯s open eyes, trying to make her close them.

    However, Qin Suwen¡¯s eyes could not be closed.

    In the end, the young Lu Jin had no choice but to say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nianzhi has already forgotten,pletely and forever forgotten...¡±

    Then, he went to make Qin Suwen close his eyes.

    This time, he had finally seeded.

    Qin Suwen seemed to have fulfilled her wish. There was a calm and satisfied smile on her lips.

    The young Lu Jin looked at her deeply. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped it on Qin Suwen¡¯s face. Then, he ced it on the door handle, pulled the door open, and walked out quickly.

    After he left, he quickly hacked into the he family¡¯s security surveince system and modified the video.

    The little girl came back to her senses and started banging on the door with all her might. ¡°Suwen, open the door! Suwen, open the door! Why didn¡¯t youe out?¡±

    She did not seem to know why she was doing this, but she still knocked on Qin Suwen¡¯s bedroom door recklessly.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi, who had been watching from the side, saw Qin Suwen¡¯s motionless body behind the bedroom door. She finally screamed and pounced on him.

    She had ¡°Swallowed¡±part of the open source software, so she had a certain degree of control over the system.

    Behind the bedroom door, Gu Nianzhi half-knelt on the ground and hugged Qin suwen tightly in her arms. She cried, ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Wake Up! Wake Up! I¡¯m Nianzhi! I¡¯m your little girl, Nianzhi!¡±

    Qin Suwen did not open his eyes.

    Her head hung limply in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s arms. It did not take long for her image to blur.

    Finally, like a scattering firefly, she disappeared from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s sight.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the empty embrace and cried her heart out.

    She did not continue to bawl. Instead, she knelt behind the bedroom door and covered her face with her hands. Tears streamed down her fingers and soaked the floor in front of her.

    Through the door, she could hear the little girl banging on the door. She could also hear her young and delicate voice, filled with anger and fear. ¡°SUSU! SUSU! SUSU!¡±

    This scene was just like what he zhichu had told her before. Through the surveince video, they had found Qin Suwen lying inside the door. It was little Nianzhi who had found her first..

    But they did not know what had happened here.

    It was her, her childhood self, who had dealt the final blow to Qin Suwen!

    Gu Nianzhi could not remember anything before she was 12 years old, but the name ¡°Susu¡±was buried deep in her memory, and she had never forgotten it.

    Lu Jin, who had been controlled by her to the side, watched this scene in a daze. His heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife.

    In fact, he had spent the first half of his life with very little emotional energy. Even though he had a crush on Qin Suwen for many years, it did not stop him from being engrossed in his scientific research and experiments.

    The only thing he owed was to his daughter, Gu Nianzhi.

    Qin Suwen¡¯s death had shocked Lu Jin greatly. His full attention had been diverted to the question of how to let his daughter, Gu Nianzhi, live on.

    However, he had never thought that the secret he had kept in his heart would one day be known to others.

    When he was in the other world, he would rather be hunted down by he chengjian than reveal a single thing.

    But today, he had been caught off guard and had fallen into Ai¡¯s trap. He had revealed the secret he wanted to hide the most to the person he did not want to reveal it to.

    This blow was no less than seeing Qin Suwen die a second time in front of him.

    Lu Jin clenched his fists tightly, desperately trying to recall the initial value of the exact solution to Einstein¡¯s field equation, in an attempt to restart the game again.

    But this time, he was no longer facing the system AI, but Gu Nianzhi.

    His thoughts had caused countless errors and loopholes in the game system.

    Fortunately, he had already removed the system Ai¡¯s control over the yers, so it did not affect the yers who had already left the game. However, it was impossible for the yers to still enter the game.

    The login process became an endless loop. The yers inside could onlye out and not enter.

    Before long, there were only two yers left in the entire online game: Gu Nianzhi and Lu Jin.

    All the game scenes had disappeared.

    Only the father and daughter remained in the game space that was like a ck hole in the universe.

    Gu Nianzhi had lost track of time and had no idea how long she had been in the game. She was extremely exhausted and finally rxed her control over Lu Jin.

    After Lu Jin found that he could speak, the first thing he said was, ¡°Nianzhi, if you want to stay here forever, Daddy will apany you. I can get your mother out right away.¡±

    He looked at the Pale Gu Nianzhi and said word by word, ¡°We can live here forever as a family of three.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly raised her head and looked at her simrly pale and skinny father. Finally, she said softly,¡±... a family of three? Living in an illusion forever? Daddy, do you think Mommy Will Be Willing?¡±

    Fortunately, she had not lost her mind.

    Lu Jin heaved a sigh of relief and said seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s an illusion or reality. I just want you to live on and be happy.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can erase my memory and pretend that everything that happened doesn¡¯t exist?¡±Gu Nianzhi finally stood up with her hand on the door.

    She had been kneeling for too long. When she stood up, her knees were shaking.

    ¡°... Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry.¡±Lu Jin had a thousand things to say in his heart, but when the words reached his mouth, he couldn¡¯t say anything other than ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±.

    Could he tell her that because of Qin yaoguang¡¯s four years of ¡°Experiments,¡±the young Gu Nianzhi had already developed serious psychological problems?

    Could he tell her that Qin Suwen had resigned from his job to take care of her at home because he had discovered this serious problem?

    If he had told her everything, it would have been a mental death sentence for Gu Nianzhi.

    Let her me him then. Lu Jin felt that he had done nothing wrong, but he felt guilty, so he could only remain silent.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and did not continue speaking.

    She raised her hand and swiped it in front of her. She said lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have to face what we have to face.¡±

    ..

    When she opened her eyes again, the first thing Gu Nianzhi saw was Huo Shaoheng¡¯s haggard face.

    She blinked.¡±... Huo Shao? You¡¯re in the game too?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand and tried to smile. Tears shed in his dark eyes. ¡°No. Nianzhi, you¡¯re awake. You¡¯re finally awake.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi slowly regained consciousness.

    She looked around slowly and realized that this was her bedroom. It was her suite in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s official residence.

    She had never exposed this ce even in the game.

    Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she saw that there were even more people surrounding her.

    President Lu, Mrs. Song, Chen Lie, Brother Xiong, brother Ze, and Ma Qiqi, who was desperately covering her mouth.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s gaze swept across the faces of these people one by one. She smiled faintly and said, ¡°You guys are here. I should be awake by now, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Nianzhi. It¡¯s been almost ten days. It¡¯s been almost ten days since the game was rebooted!¡±Ma Qiqi was the first to cry out, unable to hold back her sobs.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled with some difficulty. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been so long...¡±

    Her eyes swept across the faces of these people again, as if she was looking for someone.

    Huo Shaoheng understood her intentions. He sat sideways at the head of her bed, picked her up, and said, ¡°Your father is over there.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sat up and saw Lu Jin.

    He stood alone in front of the window, and the sunlight shone through the curtains. Gu Nianzhi saw that his sideburns were already dotted with white hair.

 Chapter 2256

    <h4>Chapter 2256: Chapter 2256 My Sleeping Beauty (Chapter 2256)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi slowly pursed her lips, holding back the bitterness in her heart.

    She remembered that Lu Jin¡¯s hair had always been dark and thick, without a single strand of white hair.

    But it had only been a few days, and his sideburns had already been stained with white frost.

    Gu Nianzhi knew why.

    She quietly looked at Lu Jin by the window. After a long time, she reached out to him. ¡°Dad...¡±

    Lu Jin had been feeling uneasy and did not know how to face Gu Nianzhi.

    He had worried too much, but his reason told him that it was useless to worry, so he had been waiting for Gu nianzhi to give him the ¡°Final Judgment.¡±.

    However, his reason told him so, but he was still suffering, and his hair had unknowingly turned white.

    Of course, Lu Jin did not care about these things, but to others, they thought he was too worried about Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu nianzhi stretched out her hand. Lu Jin closed his eyes and walked slowly towards her.

    He came to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedside and held her hand. He muttered, ¡°Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi smiled weakly. ¡°Dad, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong to me. We did something wrong to Mom.¡±

    Lu Jin felt a lump in his throat and almost burst into tears in front of everyone.

    At least he managed to hold it in.

    He had confirmed that no one else had seen the scene in the game when he hade out, and even Zhao liangze had blocked any images rted to Gu Nianzhi at the time.

    But Gu Nianzhi had seen it, and it was already a huge blow to him.

    This was something he had once sworn to Qin Suwen that he would never let Gu Nianzhi know about.

    He had broken his promise.

    Lu Jin felt very bad.

    He had let down Gu Nianzhi and Qin Suwen.

    He had always thought he was omnipotent, but this time he had suffered such a huge setback.

    Lu Jin took a deep breath and lowered his head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve let down your mother as well. You can scold me all you want. You can punish me however you want.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi did not say anything for a moment.

    Lu Jin felt even more guilty and continued,¡±... I want to go back. When I go back, I¡¯ll be guarding your mother¡¯s grave. I Won¡¯t do anything else for the rest of my life.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t think of any other way to make up for Qin Suwen. This was the only thought he had.

    It was only then that Huo Shaoheng realized that the father and daughter seemed to have some sort of grudge.

    It was also rted to Nianzhi¡¯s biological mother, Qin Suwen.

    He narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly and advised, ¡°Nianzhi has just woken up and is still a little weak. Uncle Lu, help me think of a way to quickly replenish Nianzhi¡¯s body. Tomorrow is the rehearsal for the wedding.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi shuddered and turned to look at Huo Shaoheng in surprise.¡±... rehearsal for the wedding? ! It¡¯s already time for the rehearsal?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and kissed her on the temples. ¡°If you¡¯re still not awake, I¡¯ll carry you to the rehearsal. My Sleeping Beauty.¡±

    In front of so many people, he had unwittingly said those words of love.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s face was red from embarrassment, but the people in the room burst intoughter.

    Ma Qiqi pped happily and said, ¡°Huo Shao, I can¡¯t tell! People who never say those words of love are so safe that it¡¯s hard to withstand them! Nianzhi, say you want to marry!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s heart was instantly filled with sweetness. Her mood was so good that it was like a sunny day in March. The trees that had been dry for a winter were sprouting green shoots. The grass was lush and the flowers were blooming. Even the air was filled with the smell of love.

    Lu Jin¡¯s attention was also diverted when he heard this. He quickly said, ¡°No problem! I¡¯ve already prepared it! Nianzhi,e, I¡¯ll change the nutrient fluid in the drip for you to replenish your strength!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been unconscious for so many days. She had relied on the glucose in the drip to maintain a slim chance of survival.

    Of course her body was weak, but her spirit was excited.

    Lu Yuan could also see that there seemed to be a barrier between the father and daughter. He patted Lu Jin¡¯s shoulder without batting an eyelid, ¡°General Lu, how can you leave? Nianzhi and Shaoheng are about to have their wedding. After the wedding, your little grandson mighte out. Do you have the heart not to see your little grandson?¡±

    Lu Jin immediately nced nervously at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s abdomen. He knew that she wasn¡¯t pregnant yet, but he couldn¡¯t help thinking about how cute the baby was.

    Gu Nianzhi was very cute when she was born. It was as if she had never experienced the ¡°Ugly¡±period of a newborn baby.

    Would his little grandson be even cuter?

    Lu Jin realized his thoughts were drifting away.

    He changed Gu Nianzhi¡¯s IV drip and nced at her again.

    Gu Nianzhi was both angry and amused. She dragged her voice and said, ¡°Dad! Your little grandson is still missing! Besides, you have to go back and guard Mom¡¯s grave. What does it have to do with you whether I have a child or not?¡±

    ¡°Of course it does!¡±Lu Jin blurted out. ¡°A woman has half a foot in hell when she has a child. Of course I have to watch over you! After the child is born...¡±

    He shot a quick nce at Huo Shaoheng and smiled sheepishly. ¡°I still have to write a primer for my grandson...¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not leaving?¡±Gu Nianzhi gripped Lu Jin¡¯s hand tightly and became even more nervous. Of course she was worried that Lu Jin would suddenly disappear.

    This person had so many abilities that it was impossible to guard against him. Gu Nianzhi did not want to never see him again in her life.

    Lu Jin sensed gu nianzhi¡¯s nervousness and sighed lightly. He caressed her head. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to leave, I won¡¯t. No one can chase me away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded heavily. ¡°Yes, Dad. If you abandon me, our father-daughter rtionship will end here.¡±

    Gu nianzhi circled Lu Jin with heavy words before looking around again. ¡°Where¡¯s my gaming helmet?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°You still want to y games? Haven¡¯t You Had Enough?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I almost lost my life ying games. Nianzhi, you¡¯d better be careful!¡±Ma Qiqi wrinkled her nose in displeasure.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled and gave her a look. ¡°Qiqi, you¡¯re not allowed to ruin this!¡±

    However, Lu Jin had already found the helmet and delivered it to Gu Nianzhi.

    Huo Shaoheng:¡±...¡±

    His words were no longer effective.

    Gu Nianzhi gave him a smug look and grinned slyly. ¡°A girl with a father is amazing. So what? Hit Me If you don¡¯t Like It!¡±

    She looked like she deserved a beating.

    Huo Shaoheng was very pleased to see that she had quickly regained her vitality, but he did not show it on his face. He tapped her forehead lightly with his index finger. ¡°These helmets are useless. I don¡¯t mind giving them to you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was stunned. ¡°The helmets are useless?¡±

    Lu Jin nodded. He wanted to say something, but his gaze swept across the room and he hesitated.

    Yin Shixiong and Zhao liangze understood and immediately took Ma Qiqi and Chen Lie to leave, leaving the room to Lu Yuan, song jinning, Huo Shaoheng, Lu Jin, and Gu Nianzhi.

    Their security could not bepared to these people, and many things could not be heard.

    After they left, Huo Shaoheng turned off the listening device in the room and said to Gu nianzhi calmly, ¡°I destroyed the system Ai¡¯s source chip. These helmets can¡¯t be activated, so they¡¯re useless.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sighed and looked at the helmet in her hand. She picked it up and turned it around. ¡°Your grandfather is really something.¡±

    Song Jinning smiled. ¡°Nianzhi, did you discover something?¡±

    The person who had been stuck in the game the longest was Gu Nianzhi, and the person who had fought the system Ai was also Gu Nianzhi.

    If there was anyone who knew the most about the entire system, it would be Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi grunted and looked at Lu Jin, she said slowly, ¡°Dad, did you discover it?¡±? Lu Jin was speechless. He didn¡¯t know what was going on. The reason why this online game was so magical was that it could create so many realistic game scenes, but it didn¡¯t cause the server to crash due to the increasing system load. What was the reason

    Lu Jin had gone in, so how could he not know the reason?

    He red at Gu Nianzhi.¡±... I don¡¯t want to talk about it!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She gently shook Lu Jin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°The key to this online game isn¡¯t actually its open source software or its server, but...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the helmet in her other hand. ¡°It¡¯s this helmet.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, this helmet has a patent right, and it uses the Brainwave Detector patented by Ms. Song¡¯s father, Mr. Song Haichuan.¡±

    Song Jinning was suddenly enlightened and said hurriedly, ¡°So this online game basically reads the memory of a particr scene in the yer¡¯s brain! And then converts it into a visual image!¡±

    Therefore, it didn¡¯t need a veryrge server configuration, and it wasn¡¯t worried that the system would be more and more overloaded.

    In other words, it only stimted the brain waves of a person, allowing them to y in an illusion.

    ¡°... But, how did it formmunication with other yers?¡±Huo Shaoheng had yed this game before, but he was still a little confused about the technical aspects.

    Lu Jin then said, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s another key. It¡¯s elder song¡¯s twenty-five lines of open source software. ¡°The open source software has the function of connecting the yers¡¯brainwaves. In other words, if you think of each person¡¯s brainwaves as separate rooms, these twenty-five lines of open source software have the function of tearing down walls

    ¡°It breaks down the boundaries of the yers¡¯memories and allows them tomunicate with each other.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the main reason is that almost no yers are aware of this problem, so they don¡¯t form an active resistance in the yers¡¯minds.¡±

    ¡°If the yers actively resist, it can¡¯t tear down walls.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded as well, she said, ¡°Because the yer doesn¡¯t have this awareness, all their memories are open to the system AI. ¡°It¡¯s like having an APP in your phone that maliciously steals your privacy. You give it permission, so it can read all the content you store in your phone without restriction.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had already thought of this reason, so she did not open all her memories to the system AI.

    This was also the reason why Lu Jin¡¯s deepest secret had been read by Gu Nianzhi.

    He was unguarded against Gu Nianzhi, and because gu nianzhi had ¡°Swallowed¡±a portion of the system AI¡¯s open source software, her brainwaves had the ability to read other people¡¯s memories. That was why she had seen such a scene.

    Lu Jin looked at her with lingering fear. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

    Gu Nianzhi understood what he meant and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my brainwaves are normal. They won¡¯t work when we get back to reality.¡±

    Only in the micro-environment of the game system would she be able to perform the functions of the system AI.

    However, that kind of mechanical function was ipatible with human biological functions.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up in reality. Her biological functions had automatically eliminated the ¡°Otherworldlings¡±that had been ¡°Swallowed.¡±.

    This was a human body¡¯s ability to save itself. Everyone had this ability.

    Lu Jin was still worried, so he gave Gu Nianzhi a full brain test. He was only relieved when he confirmed that her brain waves werepletely normal and there were no abnormalities.

    After all this, Dawn broke the next day.

    It was the rehearsal of the wedding at night, so Gu Nianzhi needed to conserve her energy.

    Huo Shaoheng forced gu nianzhi and Lu Jin to ¡°Separate¡±so Gu Nianzhi could get a good night¡¯s sleep.

    She held Huo Shaoheng¡¯s hand as she slept and asked softly, ¡°Huo Shao, has there been a change in the guest list?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his head. ¡°No. Not a single one is missing. They¡¯re all here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile, but a cold light shed in her eyes.

 Chapter 2257

    <h4>Chapter 2257: Chapter 2257plete life (first update)</h4>

    About two meters long and one meter wide, in a very narrow strip-shaped tea room, the low paper door was half-closed, and a woman dressed in ancient Chinese clothing was sitting opposite the door.

    The wall behind her was bare and there was no photo, but there was a simple and crude pottery flowerpot hanging against the wall. In the Flowerpot, there was an ancient and elegant tree peony, a branch of three flowers, it was the long-lost Yao Huang, Wei Zi, and Ou Bi.

    It bloomed quietly in the constant temperature tea room.

    A luxurious Persian wool nket wasid on the floor. In the corner of the rosewood tea table in front of her was a jade bottle with red ze for sacrifice, and a white Lily of the valley was ced diagonally in it.

    On the tea table were no longer yarrow grass sticks, but fifty rosewood sticks.

    The woman knelt in front of the coffee table and looked at the divination drawn on the white paper in front of her. She was silent for a while.

    Lower Xun, Upper Qian, divination.

    ¡°Madam, how about this divination?¡±

    ¡°The 44th divination, gou divination. Qian is heaven; Xun is wind. There is wind in the world, blowing across the Earth. Yin and Yang intersect, and all things flourish,¡±the woman muttered.

    ¡°AH? This... isn¡¯t it good for people who get married?¡±The middle-aged servant said uneasily.

    The woman sneered. ¡°Gou is coitus, and the Lord of yin and Yang meet. But look at the specific divination. Five Yin and one Yang, Yin flourishing and Yang declining, it can¡¯tst long. This divination is not good for marriage!¡±

    The middle-aged servant:¡±...¡±

    She nced at the woman and said carefully, ¡°But madam, you don¡¯t seem to be calcting marriage?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, the way of the Yi follows the heart. How can you determine the range?¡±The woman put away the mahogany stick. ¡°Where¡¯s My Yarrow Stick? I want to do another divination.¡±

    After switching to mahogany, it was always unstable.

    She felt that she had to use Yarrow to do another divination.

    Ten minutester, looking at the divination in front of her, she took a deep breath and suppressed her excitement.

    It was still gou¡¯s divination. Five Yin and one Yang. Even the specific lines were the same.

    ¡°... This is great.¡±She stood up slowly and stroked her bun.

    Her expression was calm as she stretched out her jade-white arm. ¡°Where¡¯s my dress? Are You Ready? I¡¯m going to attend a high-level wedding rehearsal tonight. I don¡¯t want to miss this show.¡±

    She never regretted her decision.

    Men weren¡¯t the only ones who understood the country¡¯s principles, and women were no worse than men.

    ..

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s hottest news ofte was, of course, ¡°Your Life,¡±also known as ¡°Second Life,¡±arge-scale online game that had once been very popr.

    After being pushed into an unprecedented climax by the AI that had suddenlye to life, it had vanished into thin air overnight.

    The shock it had brought to the onlinemunity was iparable. It even overshadowed the uing wedding of the ¡°National couple,¡±Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    These two names had been trending on the inte for a long time.

    No one was keeping track of the progress of the wedding preparations 24 hours a day, and predicting the style of the wedding dress. Many people breathed a sigh of relief.

    Gu Nianzhi woke up from aa that hadsted for more than ten days. She was very happy to hear the news.

    If possible, she hoped that her wedding would be small-scale, warm, and intimate, and that she would only celebrate with people she was familiar with.

    However, with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s current status and identity, this was impossible.

    Moreover, her father, Lu Jin, would not let go of this opportunity to show off his girl in front of the whole world.

    Therefore, she was willing to relish it and enjoy it.

    After a good sleep and waking up, she was more than half recovered.

    Her skin was fair and delicate, and a faint pink color seeped out from her wless skin. It was even more tender than a lychee that had just been peeled.

    She sat in front of the dressing table and looked at a row of newly bought lipsticks for a long time, but could not find a suitable color.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned against her dressing table and leaned over, holding the back of her neck. He looked at her carefully for a while and said, ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi thought that Huo Shaoheng was going to choose a suitable lipstick color for her, so she quickly pouted her lips.

    Her lips were perfectly shaped and full to begin with. When she pouted, it was like a tempting kiss.

    Huo Shaoheng did not want to choose a lipstick color for her, so he kissed her.

    He kissed her lips and looked at himself in the mirror. He did not let go of her until he ¡°Bit¡±a beautiful red.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at her lips that were almost ¡°Swollen¡±. She really wanted to cry, but no tears came out.

    She pounded Huo Shaoheng¡¯s chest with hatred and said angrily, ¡°How am I supposed to see people at night when you¡¯re Like This?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and let her hit him. He said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You Don¡¯t like the color? What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ll fix it for you...¡±

    As he spoke, he pretended to kiss her again.

    Gu Nianzhi quickly pushed him away and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Enough is enough.¡±

    She pushed Huo Shaoheng away and went back to the dressing table to look at her own lips. She found that they were indeed pretty.

    No matter how good the color of lipstick was, it was still ¡°Dead.¡±The color on her lips now was alive.

    It was the brightest shade of red among the blooming flowers of peonies. It was also the color of Rouge that reflected the sunset sky. It bloomed quietly on her lips. It was a natural beauty that no lipstick could bring out.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at herself in the mirror for a while and felt that she really didn¡¯t need to wear lipstick anymore.

    She got up and went to the closet to get her custom-made dress.

    Although Tonight was a rehearsal for the wedding, the guests were no different from the next day, and all the ceremonies were exactly the same.

    Therefore, Gu Nianzhi also carefully prepared the dress.

    It was a puffy dress from France¡¯s Haute Couture brand Chanel. It had an ivory-white body and a hollowed-out waist with a small diamond-palm-wide waistband. It made her look even taller and longer.

    Her slender neck was like a swan, and the shoulder-to-neck ratio was perfect. She wore a full set of Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Jewelry, a four-leaf clover-shaped Ruby Diamond Ne, the same earrings and bracelet, and the engagement ring that Huo Shaoheng had given her, she was like a walking crystal flower branch, shining brightly.

    However, no matter how beautiful the jewelry was, it could not suppress her bright and Bright Eyes.

    She walked out of the suite. Her eyes seemed to have light in them, full of vitality and eagerness to try.

    Tonight was her night.

    Lu Jin, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, walked up to her happily. ¡°My Girl is so beautiful!¡±

    He held Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hands and looked her up and down.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and smiled. She held Lu Jin¡¯s arm and said softly, ¡°Dad, the tracking video of the system AI that you showed me was real, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to You? But why would you want to see these things?¡±Lu Jin led her downstairs. ¡°Dinner wasn¡¯t even good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really not hungry.¡±Gu Nianzhi actually had no appetite at all because her attention was elsewhere.

    ¡°Okay, I know what you¡¯re going to do now.¡±Lu Jin patted the back of her hand helplessly. ¡°Tonight is your wedding rehearsal.¡±

    ¡°So What? It¡¯s not a formal wedding.¡±Gu Nianzhi grimaced. ¡°Of course, we have to clean up the venue so we can have a carefree wedding!¡±

    Lu Jinughed heartily and walked down the spiral staircase with her.

    Huo Shaoheng was already waiting downstairs in a custom-made ck tuxedo.

    Gu Nianzhi had never seen Huo Shaoheng in a tuxedo before, so she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him.

    ¡°Huo Shao, you look so good in this...¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of amazement and infatuation.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. ¡°Nianzhi, you look so beautiful, especially the lipstick. This color is so beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. ¡°This is called beheading a man.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng nced at her and calmly led her into the car.

    Gu Nianzhi sat in the middle of the backseat, while Huo Shaoheng and Lu Jin sat beside her.

    Gu Nianzhi held Huo Shaoheng in one hand and Lu Jin in the other. She sighed in satisfaction. ¡°My life isplete.¡±

    She was a contented girl.

    Contentment was bliss.

    ..

    Not long after, they arrived at the venue for tonight¡¯s wedding rehearsal.

    The Huaxia Empire had once been one of the centers of power in ancient times. The walls were red, the tiles were green, and the lights were on.

    Rows offortable sofas, tables, and chairs were arranged in a semicircle on the spacious venue.

    The guests arrived early, holding red wine and food from the rows of long tables around them. They ate, drank, and chatted casually.

    These were all meticulously prepared by the world¡¯s top chefs for tonight¡¯s wedding rehearsal.

    Time ticked by, and Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng stepped into the rehearsal venue. The symphony orchestra hidden in the dark quickly yed the ¡°Wedding March.¡±.

    The guests quickly looked up and saw the groom-to-be, Huo Shaoheng, and the bride-to-be, Gu Nianzhi, walking down the red carpet.

    The couple¡¯s looks were simply too good. Their temperament was even more outstanding, but they were not high and mighty. People envied them, but they also felt a sense of closeness.

    No one paid attention to the newlyweds¡¯clothes and jewelry.

    All the jewelry that Gu Nianzhi was wearing today was worth tens of millions of dors. It was not as eye-catching as her simple smile.

    Lu Jin followed her and looked around. Finally, he found a seat between Zhao Liangze and Chen Lie and sat down. He did not sit next to Lu Yuan and song jinning.

    Zhao Liangze and Chen Lie werepletely in awe of him. When they saw him sitting next to them, they wished they could worship him like a bodhisattva.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walked in and did not notice them.

    Lu Jin saw Gu Nianzhi¡¯s eyes sweep across the room and finallynd in a corner for a few seconds.

    Most of the guests sitting there had been invited by someone.

    For example, W Emma, who was born in India, grew up in London, studied in the United States, and suddenly became thergest federal military contractor in the United States at the age of 30.

    There was also Mayako Yamaguchi, the president of Yamaguchi Corporation, who lived in the mountains of Ohio in the United States all year round.

    Of course, there was also the Chilean mining tycoon, Ms. Yuan Jianan, who wore a dark purple cheongsam and had an elegant and virtuous temperament.

 Chapter 2258 - The Nature of human beings is a repeater (second update)

    <h4>Chapter 2258: Chapter 2258: The Nature of human beings is a repeater (second update)</h4>

    Although it was a rehearsal for the wedding, the truly important guests, such as the Russian president, Mr. Putin, as well as the three magnates of the Huaxia Empire, General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai, had also arrived.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng walked over to greet them first.

    ¡°President Putin, it¡¯s such an honor to have you participate in our rehearsal for the wedding despite your busy schedule.¡±Huo Shaoheng rarely spoke politely.

    Putin smiled and extended his hand. ¡°Since you¡¯re already here, it¡¯s good to earn an extra meal.¡±He winked at Gu Nianzhi.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips into a smile and shook Putin¡¯s hand as well, she smiled and said, ¡°We got people to prepare the world¡¯s top chefs¡¯meticulously baked blintzes, along with salmon and sturgeon caviar from the ck Sea. Although it¡¯s a traditional Russian delicacy, French chefs also have a unique vor.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi Winked at President Putin as well.

    This was one of Putin¡¯s favorite snacks, so the source of the information was obviously unknown.

    Putin also smiled, and two deep lines ofughter appeared on the corners of his eyes.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB) had been waiting for a long time, so themittee of State Security (KGB) had been waiting for a long time. While Putin took a few KGB bodyguards to fetch the food, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng went to deal with General Ji, speaker long, and the Prime Minister.

    General Ji had known from the beginning that Gu Nianzhi had been in danger, and speaker long had only a superficial knowledge of it. The Prime Minister knew that something had happened to Gu Nianzhi, but he had no idea what had happened.

    However, now that Gu Nianzhi looked energetic and had light makeup on her face, it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    The prime minister smiled and raised his ss. ¡°Congrattions, both of you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Prime Minister Bai.¡±Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng drank a ss together.

    Gu Nianzhi drank it and realized it was grape juice again.

    She quietly red at Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng pretended not to see it and chatted cheerfully with General Ji, speaker long, and Prime Minister Bai.

    After a while, after greeting each other, the couple returned to their seats.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s seats were in the middle of the entire seating area, the point in the middle of the half-arc.

    Generally speaking, the temperature in the imperial capital had already started to drop at night at the end of autumn.

    However, the autumn tiger this year was more powerful. Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding rehearsal was in the middle of a square surrounded by buildings, a ce to shelter from the wind.

    In order to prevent the night wind from getting cold, Lu Jin had even designed a wind blower here. The wind was naturally warm, neutralizing the slight chill of thete autumn night.

    The temperature was just right, just like in the lobby of a temperature-controlled building with central air conditioning, but without the natural depressing feeling of the indoor environment.

    After Gu Nianzhi sat down, she quickly nced at all the guests and turned to Huo Shaoheng to whisper,¡±... General Huo did note...¡±

    Huo shaoheng replied with an ¡°Mhm.¡±¡±He has something to do today, so he will be attending tomorrow.¡±

    After all, they were father and son, and Gu Nianzhi did not want Huo Shaoheng to have any regrets.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled at him and made him a small burrito. She carefully smeared it with sturgeon caviar from the ck Sea.

    Because Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t like salmon, Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t put any salmon on him. Instead, she put two pieces of mushrooms on him and handed them over.

    Huo Shaoheng ate them with her hand.

    The newlyweds began to show off their affection for each other. All the guests presentughed.

    The atmosphere began to warm up. The symphony orchestra, which was hidden in the dark, began to y even more cheerful music. Some people even began to go down to the center of the stage to dance.

    The men and women were in pairs, singing andughing. Not long after, the atmosphere reached a climax.

    Yin Shixiong, as the emcee, began to organize the live events.

    One of the events was to y the process of the two newlyweds getting to know each other and falling in love.

    The flower bud-shaped street lights around the square gradually went out, and a few 3D video projectors arranged ording to the principles of optics were projected together.

    Right in front of everyone, 3D images of Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi appeared, as if they were real people.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng looked at each other and couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    Then, these 3D projections were like a small theater, starting to portray Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.

    There were no secrets involved, just some warm moments between the two of them.

    Of course, there were also ¡°Explosive¡±moments. For example, every time Gu Nianzhi went to the kitchen, there would be a security guard carrying a fire extinguisher waiting for her..

    The guests presentughed kindly, and the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

    At the end of the show, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng exchanged rings in the 3D projection and kissed each other on the cheek. When the two of them turned around together and bowed in the direction of the guests in front of them, they looked up again, the image of the man next to Gu Nianzhi suddenly changed. It was no longer Huo Shaoheng¡¯s 3D projection, but a handsome young man. He was thin and not as tall and strong as Huo Shaoheng, but he had the air of a stubborn teenager.

    The handsome young man looked silently ahead and said, ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you set up a trap to kill me. Won¡¯t your conscience hurt?¡±

    The wedding rehearsal venue, which had been filled withughter just a moment ago, suddenly fell silent.

    The warm wind created by the blower was still swirling in the air above the square. On ate autumn night, this little bit of warmth was not enough to make everyone sweat.

    But now, many people felt that their backs were drenched in sweat.

    The wedding rehearsal venue of the great general of Huaxia¡¯s special operations forces had actually made such a mistake!

    Huo Shaoheng was still sitting there unmoving, but Gu Nianzhi had already stood up and said coldly, ¡°What¡¯s going on? !¡±

    ¡°What else could have happened? The pre-recorded video was hacked by someone...¡±the driver behind President Putin and the othersughed out loud.

    What was worse was that he was speaking Chinese that he had just learned. Although his tone was a little strange, his pronunciation was still very urate.

    The Committee of State Security (KGB)¡¯s second-inmand, dimir, stared at him with death in his eyes.

    The middle-aged driver red back at him. ¡°Did I say something wrong? ! I just got hacked! You Don¡¯t think Miss Gu, the Queen of red packets, would really set up a trap to kill someone, do you? !¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±dimir only wanted to wipe his sweat and kick this random person twice.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the still 3D image in front of her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t turn it off. Let Me See who¡¯s behind this.¡±

    She walked out from behind her seat and looked at the 3D image for a while before saying, ¡°Can you remove my image? I don¡¯t want to appear with this person.¡±

    This was more difficult, but with Lu Jin here, she would do anything no matter how difficult it was.

    Therefore, Lu Jin stepped in and left the 3D image with the unfamiliar young man.

    Of course, this man was no stranger to Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng, and Lu Jin.

    This was the haunting Ishihara Taro.

    ¡°You said that I killed people just because I set up a trap. When did the cost of using someone of murder be so low?¡±Gu Nianzhi raised her hand and smoothed a strand of her long hair behind her back, her face glowing with vigor, ¡°The criteria for establishing a case of intentional homicide is, first of all, the objective fact that someone else¡¯s life has been taken away. Second, you have to prove that the alleged suspect has a direct rtionship with the person¡¯s life being taken away.¡±

    ¡°And now, what¡¯s the point of you ying such a little trick other than to disgust me?¡±

    Ishihara Taro¡¯s 3D projection only repeated over and over again. ¡°Gu Nianzhi, you set up a trap to kill me. Won¡¯t your conscience hurt?¡±

    It was like a repeater.

 Chapter 2259 - A natural psychological misunderstanding (chapter 1 and larger)

    <h4>Chapter 2259: Chapter 2259: A natural psychological misunderstanding (chapter 1 andrger)</h4>

    Huo Shaoheng stood up from his seat and frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the video footage? How did it get hacked?¡±

    Under his jurisdiction, he had been able to hack into their system. This was no ordinary feat.

    Huo Shaoheng had said this out of habit and had not thought of anything else.

    But to Gu Nianzhi, this sentence was like an epiphany. It was as if she had been enlightened.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned her head and swept her gaze across all the guests.

    It was already dark, and the square was only illuminated by the streetmps overhead. However, there were colorfulnterns around them, reflecting the bright moon and stars. It should have been very moving.

    But at this moment, they were all within Gu Nianzhi¡¯s line of sight. It was as if they had been hit by an icicle that had suddenly fallen from the mountain stream.

    The cowardly people shuddered.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s lips curled into a smile. She hadn¡¯t even started a fight yet, and she had already dared to challenge her..

    There were so many people attending her wedding rehearsal, but in fact, she and Huo Shaoheng had only paid attention to a few people.

    Gu Nianzhi walked up to Zhao liangze and said, ¡°Give me the remote control and the control tform.¡±

    Zhao Liangze¡¯s face was red. He handed the remote control and a tabletputer to her in embarrassment and muttered,¡±... Nianzhi, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    He was in charge of the video and inte systems here, but there had been such a mistake, and it was in front of the general he idolized the most. Zhao liangze wished he could find a hole to hide in.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled nicely and said, ¡°Brother Ze, it¡¯s not your fault. If it wasn¡¯t for our negligence, we wouldn¡¯t have such a good show to watch.¡±

    Zhao liangze forced a smile that was even uglier than crying.

    Lu Jin was also angry, but seeing that Gu Nianzhi was so easy to talk to, he was no longer angry.

    Gu Nianzhi turned to leave, but Chen Lie was still puzzled.¡±... why is Nianzhi so good-tempered all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, she¡¯s good-tempered? No Way!¡±Lu Jin raised his head proudly. ¡°How could I not know what kind of personality mydy has?¡±

    She had to have all four corners of the spectrum. She would take anything and not lose anything. If someone bullied her, she would definitely retaliate immediately.

    So her wedding rehearsal had been ruined, how could she still have a good temper?

    Hehehe, she was too naive.

    After Gu Nianzhi left their table, she returned to her seat and connected the remote control to her tabletputer. She quickly searched for the 3d Projector¡¯s login log.

    As she searched, she said to the people on the stage through her bluetooth headset, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯m sorry for making a fool of myself. ¡°Since someone wants to cause trouble at my wedding rehearsal today, I¡¯ll take the opportunity to give everyone a big show topensate for the emotional loss they suffered tonight.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a show to watch? ! That¡¯s great! I love watching a show the most!¡±Ivan, the driver of the Russian president¡¯s side, screamed. He even put his thumb in his mouth and let out a loud Biubiu cheer.

    Many people came back to their senses and looked at each other. They were beginning to look forward to it.

    No matter what had happened to the young man who had suddenly appeared in the 3D projection, they were all very interested to see how Gu Nianzhi would resolve this huge public rtions crisis.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s slender fingers danced like butterflies on the keyboard of her tabletputer. Soon, she found the login log, she theorized, ¡°The projector we used today has a remote login device, but it¡¯s not connected to the outsidework, so we¡¯ve narrowed down the target of hacking into the 3D projector to the people present today.¡±

    As she spoke, she looked up and smiled. ¡°To hack into our projector, we need at least a handheld device, so...¡±

    ¡°Those who have yed with their phones today will be our suspects.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words made the people who had been flipping through their phones out of boredom suddenly nervous.

    Gu Nianzhi connected her tablet to the projector again and yed the image she had just found.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. The people who have yed with their phones since arriving today are as follows.¡±

    She released these people one by one.

    When the guests saw that they had appeared as 3D projections, they all revealed awkward but polite smiles.

    ¡°We can see that there are a total of 18 people who have yed with their phones. So the person who hacked into our projector is among these 18 people.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held the remote control and used the elimination method to check on the 18 people one by one.

    ¡°Out of the 18 people, 15 of them don¡¯t have their phones on WIFI or connected to our projectors, so we can eliminate them.¡±

    ¡°Only three of them have their phones connected to our projectors.¡±

    Because they needed a remote control, the 3D projectors came with Bluetooth, allowing others to connect.

    Gu Nianzhi stood up with the remote control and walked towards W Emma, Yamaguchi Minako, and Yuan Jianan.

    ¡°Ms. W, may I ask why you¡¯re connected to our 3D projector?¡±The first person Gu Nianzhi asked was actually W Emma.

    W blinked in surprise. ¡°My phone is just automatically looking for WIFI. It found your 3D projector, but I don¡¯t know the password. How can I Connect?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Although your phone is logged into the 3D projector, you can¡¯t get in without the password. It shouldn¡¯t be you.¡±

    She walked past W Emma and stopped in front of Yamaguchi Minako.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression gradually turned serious. She tapped the table in front of her with her fingers. ¡°Ms. Yamaguchi Minako, why did you hack into our 3D projector?¡±

    Yamaguchi was nervous, but she still sat up straight and said something in Japanese to show that she did not understand Chinese.

    Gu Nianzhi asked her in English again.

    Yamaguchi had lived in Ohio for many years, so it was impossible for her to pretend that she did not understand English. She had no choice but to keep a straight face. After a while, she said in English, ¡°I didn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no use even if you don¡¯t admit it.¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°There¡¯s a trace of your phone in my login log. Why Don¡¯t you take out your phone and show me the Model?¡±

    ¡°Why should I show you my phone?¡±Yamaguchi Minako immediately refused. ¡°That¡¯s my privacy. Unless you go to the police and issue a search warrant, don¡¯t expect me to hand over my phone!¡±

    ¡°Huh? So determined?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled and tilted her head to look at her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to call the police?¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she took out her phone and pretended to dial while paying attention to the people in front of her from the corner of her eye.

    Just as she was about to dial, her fingers stopped.

    Because she did not miss the sh of joy on Yuan Jianan¡¯s face next to Yamaguchi Minako.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression darkened as she walked directly to Yuan Jianan¡¯s side. She held the tablet in her arms and leaned forward slightly. She said lightly, ¡°Ms. Yuan, is this game fun?¡±

    Yuan Jianan looked puzzled.¡±... What Game?¡±

    ¡°This is the game!¡±Gu nianzhi spread her arms wide. She held the tablet in one hand and the phone in the other. She spun around in a circle briskly. ¡°Your Life, or Second Life!¡±

    As soon as Gu Nianzhi finished speaking, the scene, which had been buzzing, instantly fell silent.

    Everyone was too familiar with the name of the game.

    Thetest hot topic was therge-scale online game Your Life, or Second Life, which had created ¡°Ai Death¡±!

    How could it have anything to do with Yuan Jianan?

    Many people had undisguised question marks on their faces.

    Gu Nianzhi spun around and stood in front of Yuan Jianan, smiling demurely and elegantly. ¡°Ms. Yuan Jianan, you¡¯re really good at this.¡±

    Yuan Jianan didn¡¯t seem to have expected gu nianzhi to have such a jumping-off thought. After a while, Gu Nianzhi¡¯s expression changed, she frowned and said, ¡°Miss Gu, please be careful with your words. I thought you were looking for someone who hacked into your 3D projector and destroyed your wedding video.¡±

    Gu nianzhiughed so hard she deserved a spanking. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not contradictory.¡±

    She changed the remote control in her hand and pressed it. The video of the guests at the scene disappeared, and the handsome man who had been asking Gu Nianzhi if her conscience was hurting appeared again.

    ¡°To be able to hack into our 3D projector, it requires a very high level ofputerwork skills.¡±Gu Nianzhi began to theorize again, ¡°And the mastermind behind therge-scale online games also happens to have a high level ofputerwork skills, so there are simrities between the two.¡±

    Yuan Jianan seemed tough at Gu Nianzhi¡¯s words, she covered her mouth with her hand and said, ¡°ording to what you said, all the people in this world who have superbputerwork skills could be the hackers who hacked into your 3D projector, or the mastermind behind thatrge-scale online game.¡±. ¡ª do you think that¡¯s possible? Such a crude level of reasoning really doesn¡¯t seem like your usual behavior, Miss Gu. Is it because you¡¯re going to get married and have children that you¡¯re going to be stupid three years in advance?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi listened to her quietly, and a cold glint shed in her eyes again.

    ¡°Miss Yuan, would you believe me if I said that you¡¯ve been exposed?¡±She put down the tablet and knocked on the table in front of Yuan Jianan.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi seemed to have returned to the courtroom and was trying to pry open the door to the truth from the other party¡¯s words.

    Yuan Jianan snorted coldly. ¡°If you want to use your power to bully others and use your power for personal gain, that¡¯s up to you. ¡°I still have to say that my phone doesn¡¯t have a record of logging into your 3D projector. If you don¡¯t believe me, check your login log and my phone! ¡°So I won¡¯t be the hacker at the scene. ¡°If you think that someone with a high level ofputer andwork skills will be the hacker who hacked into your 3D projector and also the mastermind behind thatrge-scale online game, then you¡¯ve defeated too many people with one hit!¡±

    ¡°How many? I don¡¯t think so.¡±Gu Nianzhi put her hands behind her back, her slender back looking especially straight. ¡°Ms. Yuan Jianan, I told you that you¡¯ve been exposed, but you still didn¡¯t believe me. You have to say that you¡¯ve made a lot of mistakes.¡±

    She took two steps forward and approached the edge of the table in front of Yuan Jianan, she said crisply, ¡°First of all, your phone didn¡¯t appear on my login log, but your phone has registered Ms. Yamaguchi Minako¡¯s phone next to it!¡±! ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s check Ms. Yamaguchi¡¯s phone and see if there are any traces of your phone logging in.¡±

    Yuan Jianan was slightly taken aback.

    Ms. Yamaguchi, who was next to her, dropped her phone on the ground reflexively.

    Gu Nianzhi ignored herpletely and shot her a contemptuous nce, she then said to Yuan Jianan, ¡°Second of all, everyone knew that therge-scale MMORPG had an ident because the system AI had suddenly gained self-awareness and seized control.¡±

    ¡°I deliberately said that the big online game had a mastermind behind it, but you didn¡¯t immediately object to my im. Instead, you followed my reasoning!¡±

    ¡°Ms. Yuan Jianan, when everyone knows that the big online game¡¯s life-threatening crisis was caused by the system Ai, what kind of person would subconsciously agree with me and think that the big online game had a mastermind behind it?¡±

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s pupils constricted. She could almost imagine what Gu Nianzhi would say next.

    Sure enough, Gu Nianzhi did not give her any chance to refute and continued,¡±... Only the real mastermind would reason that my words are not valid from this angle and not directly deny my statement!¡±

    ¡°Because this is the criminal¡¯s natural psychological misunderstanding!¡±

    ¡°Now I can conclude that there really is a human mastermind behind the fatal incident of therge-scale online gaming system Ai!¡±

    ¡°And this human mastermind is you, Ms. Yuan Jianan!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had been thinking about this question all the time when she was trapped in the game.

    The system AI indeed had a certain degree of autonomy, but it hadn¡¯t really matured yet.

    After she came out and confirmed that the key to the game was actually in the patented helmet, Gu Nianzhi was even more certain of her own thoughts.

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she gestured to Lu Jin and asked him to send her the video recorded in the game through the system Ai¡¯s view.

    All of this had been prepared long ago.

    Lu Jin quickly sent it over.

    Gu Nianzhi connected to the tablet and used the 3D projector to y it again.

    ¡°Everyone, please take a look. These images were taken by US using special methods to track the AI vision in thatrge-scale online game.¡±

    In the empty square, everyone saw a realistic 3D scenery documentary.

    Thend was dim and ancient. The vegetation and scenery could not be seen clearly, but thick lines gradually appeared. They were either straight lines or triangles. There were also rectangles and ovals.

    The lines were not very standard, and they were also very rough. But gradually, they formed into images. They were like ancient sacrificial totems, with a primitive and vigorous vitality.

    Gu Nianzhi exined from the side, ¡°This is a special spot on the Blue, the Nazca line in Peru.¡±

    Next, everyone saw a hugendmark, a giant stone statue.

    Fifteen stone statues stood side by side, looking forward in solitude. A sense of history came over them, as if they were reminiscing about the long days of heaven and earth.

    Gu nianzhi continued to narrate, ¡°This is Easter Ind in Chile. The stone statues on the ind are called Moai by the indigenous people. They used to be used for sacrifices, but now they have be a famous tourist attraction on all Blue Star.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting to see this view? Now we¡¯re no longer looking at the Nazca line from a high vantage point. Instead, we¡¯re looking up, as if we¡¯re standing at the feet of these moai giants and looking up at them.¡±

    After a while, the almost transparent blue sea disappeared, and the abstract gray-ck moai statues were gone. In their ce was a sea of color.

    The bright orange-yellow like the brightest gold, the bold red, the condensed blue, the green like the Prairie, the romanticvender purple, and the ck-and-white zebra color made people¡¯s eyes be color-blind.

    There was also cheerful music, the unique samba dance music, and the scantily-d swaying crowd, which was crowded on the street.

    Everyone looked as if they had drunk two pounds of vodka. They could not control their body movements and let their emotions run wild.

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s voice also became more agitated. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you this, right? This is a carnival in Brazil.¡±

    She pressed the stop button and turned to look at the guests across from the semi-curved venue, she smiled and said, ¡°When I saw these videos taken from the perspective of the system AI, I thought, why is this AI interested in these scenes?¡±

    ¡°Now I understand. These scenes are all in South America.¡±

    ¡°Peru borders Chile, and Brazil represents many people¡¯s impressions of South America.¡±

    ¡°Especially the carnival in Brazil. Almost everyone whoes to South America will go to the carnival in Brazil. It is also the most popr festival for many foreigners who have lived in South America for many years.¡±

    ¡°All of this means that arge part of someone¡¯s memory is upied by South America.¡±

    ¡°And among the three female guests, which one of us has the closest rtionship with South America?¡±Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Yuan Jianan. ¡°Of course, only the rich Chilean woman, Yuan Jianan, who has a mine in her home.¡±

    ¡°When you operated the system AI, did you know that the system AI also took the opportunity to read some of your memories and disy them in the game?¡±Gu Nianzhi¡¯s crisp voice was simply powerful, yuan Jianan was so shocked that she almost jumped out of her seat.

 Chapter 2260

    <h4>Chapter 2260: Chapter 2260: vanishing from the face of the earth (second update)</h4>

    ¡°Ms. Yuan Jianan, I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a hiddenputerwork expert.¡±Gu Nianzhi gave Yuan Jianan a rare round of apuse.

    ¡°... You, you, you... You¡¯re ndering me!¡±Yuan Jianan bit her lip, refusing to admit to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s usations.

    Gu Nianzhi had suffered enough in the online game this time, but she had also gained a lot.

    Especially after she had ¡°Swallowed¡±a part of the open source software¡¯s source code, this feeling was even more obvious.

    The previously iprehensible clues had been linked up with Huo Shaoheng¡¯s words, and Gu Nianzhi felt that the truth behind it had already been inferred by her.

    ¡°I¡¯m making nderous usations?¡±Gu Nianzhi smiled. She hade prepared, how could she ¡°Speak without proof¡±?

    ¡°Then let¡¯s take a look at the evidence.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly turned around and took out her phone. She pressed a few buttons and summarized the information Lu Jin and Huo Shaoheng had sent her. She connected it to her tablet and also connected it to the 3D projector in the middle of the square.

    The first thing that Gu Nianzhi yed was the tragic car ident on the highway that Huo Shaoheng and the others had recorded using satellite tracking. It was Ishihara Taro¡¯s attempt to use chaotic mathematics to set up a trap to kill Gu Nianzhi, but she had used him instead, it was time to shoot yourself in the foot.

    ¡°Everyone can see that Ishihara Taro¡¯s death was clearly his own doing. He had no choice but tomit suicide. What does it have to do with me? I almost became his victim.¡±Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, she faced Yuan Jianan, ¡°You¡¯ve been pursuing this car ident investigation. Even in the online game, you didn¡¯t let go of any opportunity to pursue this car ident. You even deliberately hacked into my wedding video today and used me of setting up a trap to kill Ishihara Taro.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, why are you so brooding over Ishihara Taro¡¯s death and not letting go?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi had long suspected Yuan Jianan, but because they hadn¡¯t gathered enough information, they hadn¡¯t made a move, the Committee of State Security (KGB) had only managed to convince dimir, the second-inmand of the KGB, and Ivan, the driver, to help them put on a show and trick Yuan Jianan into falling into their trap.

    As expected, Yuan Jianan had fallen into their trap. That was how Huo Shaoheng had managed to get more clues, so that his field staff could follow the map and gather all the historical information that had been almostpletely destroyed.

    Gu Nianzhi stood diagonally across from Yuan Jianan and smiled. ¡°In this world, everything that goes by will leave behind traces. The inte also has memories. It¡¯s not like everyone will forget about it after a decade or so.¡±

    After she finished speaking, she looked at the square not far in front of her. ¡°Let¡¯s continue watching.¡±

    It was still a life-size 3-d projection, just like watching a 3-d movie. It was more realistic and did not require special sses.

    The next 3-d projection that everyone saw was a study room.

    The floor was made of solid wood and the walls were lined with furniture cabs.

    On the east wall was a family photo.

    The people inside were all wearing kimonos.

    There were a total of five people in the family photo.

    Gu Nianzhi zoomed in on the photo, she pointed to the photos on the remote control and introduced them one by one. ¡°This is a family photo. The people in it are Ishihara Wakashi, Ishihara¡¯s wife, their son, Ishihara Baisan, Ishihara Baisan¡¯s wife, and Ishihara Baisan¡¯s wife, who is holding a small baby in her arms. It¡¯s Ishihara Taro.¡±

    ¡°This little baby Ishihara Taro, when he grew up, was just a young man who was hacked into my wedding video and kept asking me if my conscience would hurt like a repeater

    ¡°I can tell you with certainty, Ms. Yuan Jianan, not only will my conscience not hurt, but it will also be blessed and even sing to my will. Why? Because I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, and I have a clear conscience.¡±

    Yuan Jianan did not respond. Her gaze waspletely drawn to the magnified family photo. Not only was she focused on it, her expression was almost greedy, and there were even tears in her eyes.

    Gu Nianzhi was slightly startled, but then she realized that she was also feeling a little ufortable.

    She subconsciously looked at Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng¡¯s gaze was calm andposed. Sitting there, he had a solemn and imposing aura, like a mountain that could give her protection.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. It was as if she had been filled with energy and was revived once again.

    She shook her head slightly and continued, ¡°Let me first introduce you to the Ishihara Wakashi family.¡±

    ¡°A hundred years ago, the Ishihara family was just an ordinary family in Chiyake vige in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.¡±

    ¡°But this family produced a famous person called Ishihara Shiro.¡±

    ¡°ording to the household registration of Japan, Ishihara Shiro had a very famous identity. He used to be a lieutenant general of the Japanese Army, the head of the Kwantung Army Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department, which was also a notorious digital army

    ¡°It was this Ishihara Shiro who carried out research on bacterial biological weapons in the Huaxia Empire during World War II. Then, he used the data of bacterial biological weapons that gathered the blood and lives of our citizens to trade with the United States in private, thus escaping the trial of war criminals by the International Court of Justice

    ¡°After World War II ended, Ishihara Shiro founded the Ishihara Corporation

    ¡°At the beginning of China¡¯s opening, the Ishihara Corporation was one of the first Japanesepanies toe to China

    ¡°And this Ishihara Shiro was the father of this family portrait, Ishihara Baisan. He was also Ishihara¡¯s grandfather and Ishihara Taro¡¯s great-grandfather

    ¡°After Ishihara Shiro passed away, Ishihara Wakashi took over as the president of the Ishihara Corporation and carried thepany forward

    ¡°Ishihara Wakashi himself was not outstanding, but he had an outstanding father and an outstanding son.¡±

    ¡°Ishihara Wakashi¡¯s son, Ishihara Baisan, was once a young genius in Japan. He led Japan¡¯s research on high-energy maic resonance at a young age and supported the entire high-energy maic field project in Japan on his own.¡±

    ¡°Ishihara Baisan was once epted as a disciple by the most famous physicist in the United States together with the Chinese genius Gu Xiangwen. However, no matter how powerful Ishihara Baisan was, he was still outssed by Gu Xiangwen.¡±

    ¡°Later, after Gu Xiangwen made a major scientific discovery, Ishihara Baisan was provoked and felt that he had no hope of surpassing him anymore. He was so jealous that he chose tomit seppuku

    ¡°After his death, he left behind an orphan and a widow, which was also known as ¡®genius¡¯Ishihara Taro, and his wife

    ¡°Ishihara Taro was known as a genius since he was young. He was indeed very smart

    ¡°Let me introduce a little bit of Ishihara Taro¡¯s resume. He went to university at the age of 13, skipped grades, graduated from university at the age of 15, and started a MD and PHD degree.¡±

    ¡°Normally, this kind of degree takes eight years to graduate, but Ishihara Taro finished it in three years. He was only 18 at the time.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi knew all about it because she had investigated Ishihara taro before and happened to find out that Ishihara taro seemed to be chasing after Gu Xiangwen¡¯s resume.

    When Gu Xiangwen went to university, when he got his master¡¯s degree, and when he started his phd, Ishihara Taro would be exactly one year younger than he was at that time..

    Was there such a coincidence?

    Of course not.

    Too many coincidences only proved that everything was arranged.

    At that moment, Gu Nianzhi¡¯sser pointernded on the family photo. She was sitting on the gentle and quiet Japanese woman next to Ishihara Baisan.

    ¡°We all thought that Ishihara Taro was so smart because he had a ¡®genius father¡¯, Ishihara Baisan.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, but it¡¯s also wrong.¡±

    ¡°Because a child¡¯s IQ is mostly determined by the mother, especially the boy¡¯s IQ.¡±

    ¡°So we can¡¯t ignore another important candidate ¡ª Ishihara Baisan¡¯s unknown wife, Ishihara Taro¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡°We ignored the woman for a while. Later, when we remembered that we were going to investigate her, we discovered that the woman¡¯s information had vanished without a trace

    ¡°The ¡®Resident Permit¡¯of the Ishihara family stated that she had passed away, but why couldn¡¯t we find out anything about her past when she was already dead

    ¡°Who is her father, who is her mother, what family shees from, what surname she has, what hospital she was born in, what medical treatment she has had, what vinations she has had... we¡¯ve searched through all the information, but we haven¡¯t found a single clue.¡±

    ¡°This is a bit of a cover-up. There¡¯s no silver here.¡±

    ¡°How can an ordinary Japanese woman disappear after she dies?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi turned her head with a smile and her gaze fell on Yuan Jianan. ¡°Ms. Yuan, or should I call you Ms. Ishihara Taro?¡±

    Yuan Jianan came back to her senses and looked at Gu Nianzhi. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand a word you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re calling me Ishihara Jianan? That¡¯s so funny! Look at the photo. How Am I like her?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue, ¡°You¡¯re certain that you destroyed all your previous blood samples and the information left behind by the dentist. Also, because you were an orphan with unknown parents when you were young and Ishihara Taro was burned to ashes, there¡¯s no way we can use DNA to verify your identity, right?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re still too inexperienced. Come, let me show you an old-fashioned craniofacial reconstruction technique.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi had used this technique to expose Qin Yaoguang¡¯s plot to steal Qin Suwen¡¯s face in the opposite world.

    Soon, the 3D projector showed the family portrait of Ishihara Baisan, who was also Ishihara Taro¡¯s mother, and erged it.

    Gu Nianzhi then had the lights in the square switched off. She then took out an instrument and scanned Yuan Jianan¡¯s face.

    The three-dimensional image of Yuan Jianan¡¯s skull was scanned, and it appeared in the light and shadow effects created by the 3D projector.

    ¡°Everyone, take a look. By reconstructing Yuan Jianan¡¯s skull, you can see what she originally looked like. ¡°Yes, everyone, don¡¯t be surprised. Yuan Jianan has undergone stic surgery. Not only has she undergone stic surgery, but she has also undergone the most advanced biological cosmetic surgery, so even X-rays can not show the prosthetic part of her face.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi¡¯s narration and facial reconstruction technology quickly sketched out Yuan Jianan¡¯s original appearance, everyone was surprised to discover that Yuan Jianan¡¯s original appearance.., was actually exactly the same as Ishihara Baisan¡¯s wife in the family photo!

    The two photos floated side by side on the square and kept rotating. No matter which angle you were looking at, you could see them clearly.

    Gu Nianzhi let everyone admire them for a while before ordering someone to turn on the lights on the square again, she then said, ¡°Now everyone knows very well that this Yuan Jianan Lady¡¯s true identity is the daughter-inw of the Ishihara family, Ishihara Baisan¡¯s wife, and Ishihara Taro¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡°Now everyone understands why this Yuan Jianan Lady is so concerned about Ishihara Taro¡¯s death, and why she is so persistent in ¡®tracking down the murderer¡¯, right? !¡±

 Chapter 2261

    <h4>Chapter 2261: Chapter 2261 national interests (first update)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    The guests in the square were all people who had seen the world, but it was amazing that Yuan Jianan could go to such lengths to avenge her son.

    Yuan Jianan looked flustered, but she still said stubbornly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! You look like the same person? You¡¯re awyer, how can you treat human lives so carelessly? !¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±Gu Nianzhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°I can¡¯t care about human lives. The most I can do is take you to court and let the court sentence you.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve determined that you¡¯re Ishihara Taro¡¯s mother. Of course, there¡¯s other evidence. You¡¯re right. Just the fact that you look the same doesn¡¯t convince the public, nor can it be used as evidence in court.¡±Gu Nianzhi paused, ¡°So, I was just showing everyone my reasoning.¡±

    As Gu Nianzhi spoke, she suddenly turned to sit on the other side, facing Lu Yuan and song jinning. She asked Lu Yuan first, ¡°Director Lu, do you know Ms. Song¡¯s English name?¡±

    Lu Yuan was stunned. ¡°English name? Do you have an English name?¡±He turned to look at song jinning, who was sitting next to him.

    Song Jinning was also taken aback. She thought for a moment before saying, ¡°I used an English name when I was studying abroad. I haven¡¯t used it since I graduated with a phd and returned to China.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°No one in China knows my English name. When I publish my papers internationally, I use my Chinese initials.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile. ¡°Then is your English name Chloe?¡±

    Song Jinning¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How did you know? ! I haven¡¯t used this name in over 20 years!¡±

    Gu nianzhi blinked meaningfully and turned to Yuan Jianan. ¡°Ms. Yuan, tell me, how did you know Ms. Song¡¯s English name?¡±

    Yuan Jianan seemed very surprised and said subconsciously,¡±... how did you know that I knew her English name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple.¡±Gu Nianzhi spread her hands, ¡°In the game, when you used the NPC route to encourage me to go out, I said that Mrs. Song would be unhappy. But you immediately said that Chloe wouldn¡¯t. She likes you so much, why would she care about this?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember that I specifically asked you if Mrs. Song¡¯s English name was Chloe?¡±

    Yuan Jianan clenched her fists and said angrily, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cunning!¡±

    ¡°Same here.¡±Gu Nianzhi shrugged, ¡°That much is clear. When you were young, you must have studied at the same university as Ms. Song in the United States, but you must have been fellow students of different grades. ¡°That¡¯s because Ms. Song obviously doesn¡¯t remember you, and she doesn¡¯t know you.¡±

    ¡°However, to be able to be in the same sect as Madam song, you must be quite capable. However, up until now, we only know that Madam song is famous in the international high-energy physics world, but you are unknown. You even faked your death from the Ishihara family and ran out to be the sessor of the Chile¡¯s Yuan family.¡±. ¡°How interesting!¡±

    Yuan Jianan curled her lips disapprovingly and said, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? My maiden name is Yuan. My husband is dead, so why am I still staying in the Ishihara Family? Of course, I have to go back to my maiden family.¡±

    ¡°As for university...¡±Yuan Jianan looked disappointed. ¡°That was many, many years ago. It¡¯s better not to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So You¡¯re admitting that you¡¯re the mastermind behind the online gaming system Ai¡¯s fatal incident?¡±Gu Nianzhi changed the subject, she actually changed the subject again. ¡°Do you know how many people have died because of you? How much damage have you caused to the various countries? You Can¡¯t make up for it by ming it all on the AI.¡±

    Yuan Jianan knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape today, so she decided to throw caution to the wind and let out a coldugh, she said, ¡°Anyway, this is your home turf now, so you can say whatever you want. But I¡¯m warning you, I have dual citizenship from Chile and the United States. Please think twice before you make a move against me!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±Gu Nianzhi waved her hand. ¡°Take her away and wait for the police to arrest her.¡±

    ¡°Manipting arge-scale online game caused many deaths, as well as huge financial losses, as well as hacking into my wedding rehearsal venue and invading my personal privacy. Ms. Yuan Jianan, no matter which one it is, it will be enough to make you suffer!¡±

    Yuan Jianan wanted to say something, but Huo Shaoheng¡¯s two female field officers twisted her arms and restricted her freedom of movement.

    She suddenly looked up and stared at Gu Nianzhi with aplicated expression. Other than fear and sadness, there was also a trace of unspeakable malice and tion in her eyes..

    Gu Nianzhi nced at her and stared back coldly as usual.

    Compared to the size of her eyes? She wasn¡¯t afraid at all!

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm and observed Yuan Jianan¡¯s movements. Seeing her look at Gu nianzhi like this, Huo Shaoheng walked to Gu Nianzhi¡¯s side and said softly, ¡°Sit down first. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi was a little surprised, but Huo Shaoheng was never one to shoot off his mouth. She immediately said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go down and drink some water.¡±

    She had been talking for a long time, and her mouth was almost parched. She also needed to rest.

    After Gu Nianzhi went down, Huo Shaoheng walked over to yuan jianan and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to cover up before the police arrive? Ms. Shi Yuan Jianan? Or should I say Ms. ah-wei Jianan?¡±

    Hearing the word ¡°Ah-wei,¡±Yuan Jianan¡¯s vicious and ted smile suddenly froze, like the ster cast on a sculpture. It was stiff and stiff.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face was expressionless as he calmly put his hands behind his back, he said, ¡°Your maiden name is not yuan at all, but ah-wei. Shi Yuan is your husband¡¯s surname. Ah-wei is your father¡¯s surname. ¡°Your father, Ah Wei Dazhi, is the founder of the Shadow Force, the strongest spy agency in the Japanese self-defense force. ¡°And you, Ah Wei Jia Nan, are your father¡¯s most outstanding student.¡±

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s face was ashen, and she could barely stand.

    If not for the fact that she was held down by two female field officers under Huo Shaoheng, she would have copsed to the ground.

    Huo Shaoheng leaned forward slightly. ¡°Are you surprised, Ms. Awei? You and your father are Japanese Chinese, one of the oldest aristocratic families in Japan. You also have aplete Chinese ancestry.¡±

    ¡°You even know this? Major General Huo, it seems that I¡¯ve underestimated your abilities.¡±Yuan Jianan finally calmed down after recovering from her shock.

    She was nowpletely different from before.

    She was calm,posed, and her expression was resolute. She did not look like a little woman who had just lost her parents.

    She stood upright as if she was standing in a military posture.

    ¡°You¡¯re not pretending anymore?¡±Huo Shaoheng walked around her and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Ms. Awei, I hope you¡¯re an opponent worthy of respect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve led the special operations forces for so many years, and there are only a handful of people who admire me. You¡¯re definitely one of them, and the only female spy.¡±

    Yuan Jianan smiled. ¡°Major General Huo, you tter me. Actually, you and I have our own masters, and I admire you very much. Now that I¡¯m not as good as you, I won¡¯t Say Anything.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±Huo Shaoheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Just because you say you¡¯re not as good as me, does that mean you can cover up all the crazy things you¡¯ve done?¡±

    ¡°The AI control system almost killed tens of millions of people. You Don¡¯t seem to feel guilty about this at all?¡±

    ¡°Why should I feel guilty?¡±Yuan Jianan shook her head in amusement, ¡°That AI with self-awareness was indeed born from your scientist, Song Haichuan¡¯s open source software. What does that have to do with me? You¡¯re putting too much weight on me.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Awei, we¡¯re all experts, so stop lying.¡±Huo shaoheng said lightly, ¡°We both know that with open source software, it¡¯s impossible to produce such powerful artificial intelligence. ¡°Youbined the 25 lines of open source software with Mr. Song Haichuan¡¯s Brainwave Detector and invented the ¡®life-reaping helmet¡¯, which is the true medium for the birth of artificial intelligence.¡±

    ¡°It seems that Major General Huo is also aputer expert...¡±yuan jianan said faintly, ¡°We don¡¯t even know about this information!¡±

    However, with what she said, the whole world probably knew about it.

    However, Huo Shaoheng did not care that the whole world knew that he was aputer expert because after the wedding, he would officially leave the special operations forces and go from behind the scenes to the front desk, ready to take over General Ji¡¯s position.

    Therefore, he remained calm and said in a low voice, ¡°Ms. Awei, you don¡¯t have to worry about passing on information. Think about your own situation.¡±

    As Huo Shaoheng spoke, he changed the topic and his calm tone became sharp. ¡°Ever since you studied overseas, you¡¯ve been working for the Japanese self-defense Force¡¯s spy agency, the Shadow Force.¡±

    ¡°Your first mission was to get in touch with China¡¯s outstanding scientific talent, Mr. Song Haichuan, and steal his 25 lines of open source software.¡±

    ¡°Actually, these 25 lines of open source software were just a game that Mr. Song Haichuan created on a whim. After you stole them, they were shelved until the development of AI technology in recent years. It was only then that you had a new idea and the emergence of arge-scale online game, Your Life.¡±

    Yuan Jianan did not expect Huo Shaoheng to dig up something so long ago.

    She remained silent for a moment and continued to look at him calmly.

    Huo Shaoheng did not expect her to respond either.

    A real spy knew how to make a lot of mistakes.

    If they really talked a lot at times, it must be to cover up a real purpose.

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s identity had already been exposed, so there was no need to continue talking.

    She looked at Huo Shaoheng indifferently.

    Huo Shaoheng took two steps forward, took off his white gloves, and took out the remote control gu Nianzhi had given him. He turned on the 3D projector, and his tone suddenly became very low.

    ¡°Your second mission is to destroy the high-energy maic field project in Huaxia 18 years ago.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Song Haichuan¡¯s experiment with the Huaxia military had a major ident 18 years ago. Almost all of the researchers had died in a big explosion. Ms. Song was the only surviving researcher, but she suffered a serious head injury and went crazy for 16 years.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng slowly raised his head and looked at Yuan Jianan, who was not far away. ¡°I have to admit that you single-handedly blocked Huaxia¡¯s high-energy maic field technology for 18 years.¡±

    For some projects, the life and death of a key scientist could determine the development of the entire project.

    In the top fields, a scientist could give a country a 50-year lead, or it could cause the country tog behind by 50 years because of the loss of that scientist.

    Yuan Jianan sneered. ¡°It¡¯s only fair that you alsog behind by 18 years!¡±

    ¡°My husband, Ishihara Baisan, was angered to death by your Chinese scientist, Gu Xiangwen Sheng! The high-energy maic field technology of the great Japanese Empire was also hindered for 18 years!¡±

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s expression changed again. ¡°You said it was only hindered for 18 years? Could it be that you guys have already made a breakthrough? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not answer directly. Instead, he reasoned, ¡°Since you asked, it means that your Japan¡¯s high-energy maic field technology hasn¡¯t made a breakthrough yet. So it¡¯s still considered a win for us.¡±

    Yuan Jianan¡¯s expression instantly twisted, but she quickly came back to her senses, she sneered. ¡°So What? Your Research and development is also a wedding dress for us. Our spies in the great Japanese Empire are not to be trifled with!¡±

    ¡°You wish.¡±Huo Shaoheng raised his hand. ¡°Your third mission is to hunt down the Chinese scientist Gu Xiangwen, who has been living in seclusion.¡±

    ¡°It was you who coborated with Gu Xiangwen¡¯s adopted daughter, Gu Yanran, to hunt him down!¡±

    ¡°It was you who led the men to sink his small submarine at the Cape of Good Hope and let him and his wife die in the submarine.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯sst sentence was no longer a guess, but confirmation.

    When he was salvaging Gu Xiangwen¡¯s submarine, he had always felt that there was a force that was unwilling to give up on hunting down Gu Xiangwen.

    Even though he knew that it was the Japanese special high-tech department, Huo Shaoheng knew that organization too well. He had always felt that there was no one among them who was so powerful.

    However, if it was an outstanding spy with high IQ that was personally trained by the founder of the ¡°Shadow Force,¡±then it made sense.

    ¡°... How High is Gu Xiangwen¡¯s IQ? To be able topete with him and force him to sink his own submarine in the end, it would be impossible for him to do it even if his IQ was slightly lower.¡±Huo Shaoheng sighed, he looked at Yuan Jianan and said, ¡°Ms. Awei, you are the smartest person in Japan. Your IQ is even higher than your husband, Ishihara Baisan.¡±

    ¡°If you use your intelligence in scientific research, your results will not be worse than your husband, Ishihara Baisan.¡±

    However, the entire Japan only knew about the genius scientist, Ishihara Baisan. They did not know about awei.

    Yuan Jianan did not care at all. She said calmly, ¡°Everyone has their own aspirations. Major General Huo is also a person of the same path. I¡¯m sure you understand.¡±

    ¡°If you can sacrifice your life for your country, so can i.¡±Yuan Jianan raised her head proudly. ¡°Everything I do is for the national interests of the great Japanese Empire.¡±

    As she said this, her expression was a little sad.¡±... But the only thing I¡¯m sorry for is my son Taro.¡±

    ¡°After my husband passed away, I left home. He was just starting to walk...¡±

    When she heard about her son again, it was already him and his grandfather who had died in a bizarre car ident on the highway in the Huaxia Empire¡¯s capital at the same time.

    She looked up, her eyes fierce and vicious. She stared at Gu Nianzhi and said word by word, ¡°It was you! You killed my son! I will definitely avenge him!¡±

 Chapter 2262

    <h4>Chapter 2262: Chapter 2262: The Most Beautiful Wedding -GrandrFinalenale 1)</h4>

    Gu Nianzhi stood up and shot Yuan Jianan an a disapproving look. ¡°Revenge? You¡¯re already a prisoner now. You¡¯d better wait for thew to punish you!¡±

    Yuan Jianan was now facing more than just the case of controlling the AI online game to take her life.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s national interests were involved, as was the explosion that almost wiped out the Huaxia high-energy Physics researchers 18 years ago. One could only imagine her fate.

    After her identity was exposed, Huo Shaoheng ordered Zhao liangze to take her back to jail.

    There was no need to trouble the police now. Yuan Jianan was a foreigner and a foreign spy, so it made sense for the special operations forces to take charge.

    Yuan Jianan was pushed out of the square. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly turned around and gave Gu Nianzhi a malicious smile. It looked like a provocation, but also like a desperate struggle.

    Gu nianzhi made a ¡°Look down¡±gesture at her.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around and faced the half-curved seating area. He opened his arms and smiled. ¡°Thank you all for participating in our wedding rehearsal. Are you all satisfied with the show?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... Huo Shao must be joking!¡±

    ¡°If the show isn¡¯t good, there won¡¯t be any so-called good shows in the world!¡±

    Everyone in the square wasughing happily.

    Only W Emma and Yamaguchi Minako had ugly expressions on their faces.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the two of them to leave the stage early.

    Gu Nianzhi asked Huo Shaoheng softly,¡±... are there any problems with them?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    The rehearsal of the wedding ended without a hitch. After watching a good show, everyone was no longer interested in the impromptu performance of the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

    Before President Putin of Russia left, he walked up to Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi. He winked at them and said, ¡°Can I look forward to a better show and a bigger scene tomorrow?¡±

    Huo Shaoheng smiled and shook his hand. ¡°Please wait and see.¡±

    ..

    The next day was the day of the wedding.

    The news of the wedding rehearsal that night had already spread online.

    The whole world also knew that the heir of the Chile family, Yuan Jianan, was not only a spy of the Japanese self-defense force¡¯s ¡°Shadow Force,¡±but also the mastermind behind the online game AI¡¯s Fatal Incident!

    In a moment of excitement,wyers from various countries rushed over, wanting to file awsuit in Huaxia. There were even countries that requested to extradite her to the United States or Chile for trial.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s court naturally did not agree.

    The Huaxia Empire was the only target of Yuan Jianan¡¯s decades of espionage activities.

    She had also made incalcble losses to the Huaxia Empire¡¯s national interests. The Senate of the Huaxia Empire¡¯s legitive body stepped forward and rejected the requests of all the countries in the world, reaffirming their jurisdiction and jurisdiction over this case, they had also stated that they would ¡°Never extradite.¡±.

    Countries that wanted to take advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters should save their time. You Monsters who had only been around for a few hundred years wanted to act as a chat room in front of a thousand-year-old Fox?

    The word ¡°Show off¡±was given to the two of them, along with the BGM song ¡°Cool.¡±.

    After the rehearsal of the wedding, Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng did not go back together.

    Huo Shaoheng told her that they could not see each other the night before the wedding, or it would affect their future marriage.

    Gu Nianzhi red at him and said,¡±... you still believe in this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I believe in it, but there¡¯s some truth to the old saying. It¡¯s the collective wisdom of the working people for thousands of years. You have to believe it.¡±Huo Shaoheng said in all seriousness.

    Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, ¡°Fine, fine, fine. You¡¯re handsome. Whatever you say is right. I¡¯m going back to my dad¡¯s house. You... Remember to wake up early tomorrow and show up at the wedding on time. I don¡¯t want to miss the groom...¡±

    Huo Shaoheng kissed her lips, which were like petals, and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. See You Tomorrow.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi held his hand reluctantly and finally let go. Huo Shaoheng held her hand reluctantly and pulled her closer to him. He said in a low voice,¡±... I like the wedding dress you chose.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s ears were a little red, but she tried her best to remain calm. She said reservedly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. It¡¯s our wedding. Of course, it¡¯s good that we both like it.¡±

    ¡°Do you really like that kind of dress?¡±Huo Shaoheng was still a little unsure. He was very familiar with the thoughts of ordinary women, but his NIANZHI was no ordinary woman.

    Gu Nianzhi wanted to roll her eyes again, but when she remembered that the official wedding was tomorrow, she had to maintain her image in front of him, so she resisted the urge to do so, she said lightly, ¡°This is my wedding, so of course I have to be the most satisfied. Do you have any misunderstandings about my character?¡±

    She would eat anything, but she wouldn¡¯t be at a disadvantage.

    Huo Shaoheng stroked her head. She was such a little girl, she only knew how to talk tough.

    He hugged her and lingered for a while before returning her to Lu Jin¡¯s side.

    Huo Shaoheng took his men and left. Lu Jin looked at his back in confusion and muttered, ¡°He didn¡¯t let go of this opportunity to pester you...¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±...¡±

    ..

    That night, Huo Shaoheng did not return to his official residence to rest.

    Yuan Jianan was being held in the secret base of the special operations forces. He was not in a hurry to interrogate her. Instead, he was looking at his wedding ns for the next day.

    The original location of the wedding was the Beihe Resort, which was more than 200 kilometers away from the imperial capital.

    The guests attending the ceremony had already arranged their amodations in advance, and the security system was in ce.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the map, his brows still furrowed.

    He couldn¡¯t see any ws at the moment, but he still felt that something was wrong, especially after he had found out that Yuan Jianan was a major threat.

    This woman could be said to be Huaxia¡¯s mortal enemy, and she had a grudge against Gu Nianzhi for killing her son. Would she surrender and wait to be killed?

    Huo Shaoheng didn¡¯t believe it, because this was a type of intuition that he had developed after many years of risking his life and going through many schemes.

    Whenever he encountered such situations, Huo Shaoheng would listen to his own intuition.

    He watched until midnight and finally made a decision.

    ¡°Attention all teams: the wedding ceremony at the beihe resort has been canceled. All personnel will turn to the military port in the southernmost area of Huaxia overnight.¡±

    ¡°The wedding nning team 1 will be responsible for arranging the amodation of all guests in the military port.¡±

    ¡°The Wedding nning Team 2 will be responsible for informing all guests that the location has changed.¡±

    ¡°Wedding nning team 3 will be in charge of rearranging the security measures.¡±

    ¡°Wedding nning team 4 will be in charge of the relocation of the venue.¡±

    He gave out instructions along the way and finally informed his most secretive personal secretary.

    ¡°The Nighthawks will attack and point their swords at Dongyang.¡±

    The best defense was to attack.

    Huo Shaoheng knew that he was pressed for time and did not have the time to take care of all aspects. He could only make a big deal out of it and then create a big mess for the other party so that their main force would be unable to take care of themselves.

    ..

    Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Gu Nianzhi was dug out of bed by Ma Qiqi. She said excitedly, ¡°Nianzhi, do you know that your wedding has been moved?¡±

    Gu Nianzhi¡¯s drowsiness instantly dissipated by more than half, and the anger that she had been preparing to get out of bed was shaken to pieces.

    She suddenly clenched her fists. ¡°What did you say? !¡±

    The wedding had been moved?

    She wouldn¡¯t be thest bride to find out, would she? !

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a daze. Hurry up, wash up and get on the ne!¡±Ma Qiqi was busy making arrangements in Gu Nianzhi¡¯s bedroom. TSK TSK. ¡°Your fianc¨¦ paid handsomely for multiple private nes to move the guests.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going? Where¡¯s the New Wedding?¡±Gu Nianzhi rushed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and asked vaguely.

    She was too surprised to be angry.

    Ma Qiqi put Gu Nianzhi¡¯s things into her Louis Vuitton suitcase and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Huo Shao said he wanted to give everyone a surprise.¡±

    The wedding venue had suddenly changed. Other than the special guests, such as President Putin of Russia, and the three magnates of Huaxia, no one knew the specific destination.

    Gu nianzhi only saw the clues after she boarded the ne that Huo Shaoheng had given her.

    ¡°... is this heading south?¡±Gu Nianzhi stuck her head out of the window to look at the view of the clouds outside.

    Ma Qiqi flipped through the news on her phone and said nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t know north, south, east, west, and north. It¡¯s good that the Captain Knows.¡±

    Gu nianzhi smiled and said, ¡°I hope this captain is reliable and won¡¯t fly a ne to Germany to Irnd...¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha... Don¡¯t worry! If there¡¯s such a mistake, Huo Shao will punish it with Military Law!¡±Ma Qiqiughed so hard that her whole body was shaking.

    The two of them chatted andughed on the ne. Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, song jinning, and Zhao liangze also came over to talk from time to time. Time passed quickly.

    Four hourster, the private nended at the military airport in the southernmost military port of Huaxia.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at the clear blue sky, the tall coconut trees, and the sound of the waves gently crashing against the rocks. She took a deep breath, she raised her arms and said, ¡°This is actually the ce! This is where my dream wedding is located!¡±

    However, this ce was too far away from the imperial capital. Gu Nianzhi was too embarrassed to mention it, so she chose the Beihe Resort, which was closer to the imperial capital.

    However, even though Gu Nianzhi said so, she knew that Huo Shaoheng had suddenly changed the wedding venue for a reason, so she didn¡¯t care whether he hadmunicated with her in advance or not.

    Because she believed in Huo Shaoheng. He must have done this for the sake of their wedding. Even if there was another reason, it was incidental, and Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t mind.

    She was going to officially marry Huo Shaoheng today!

    She was in such a good mood that she didn¡¯t care about the details.

    Although the two of them had already received their marriage certificate, Gu Nianzhi still cared deeply about not having a public ceremony to announce to the world that she and Huo Shaoheng belonged to each other.

    A wedding didn¡¯t have to be grand and extravagant, but it had to be there. It was a ceremony to announce to the people around you that you and that man belonged to each other and were protected by thew.

    Anyone who coveted it would know that they had ulterior motives.

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi spent a few more hours settling down and then went to the restaurant to eat to prepare for the official wedding in the evening.

    General Ji was waiting for her there.

    ¡°Congrattions, Nianzhi.¡±General Ji extended his warm hand and held hers.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled sweetly. ¡°General Ji, thank you foring to my wedding with Shaoheng.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡±General Ji let go of her hand and smiled kindly. ¡°You won¡¯t be angry about the change of venue today, right? Shaoheng...¡±

    ¡°I know, I won¡¯t.¡±Gu Nianzhi quickly interrupted general ji. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize for him. I understand. As long as there¡¯s a wedding, it¡¯s fine. And I like this ce even more!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi spread her arms and turned around. ¡°It¡¯s so nice here!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it.¡±General Ji smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the wedding.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was the second update of the day: Chapter 2262, ¡°The most beautiful wedding (grand finale 1) .¡±.

    She couldn¡¯t stop writing. Tomorrow was the grand finale. Estimation error. Dear friends, please forgive me. (something ¦Ø something).

    PS: those who want to enter the deductive group, hurry up, after the conclusion, the group will not ept applications. Deductive group number: 104958340. The group entry condition is to subscribe to ¡°Hello, my favorite person¡±, to put it simply, fans value more than 20,000 is about it. Starting point and deductive reading these two sides of the pro if fans value 20,000, you can try to apply.

    Thank you very much

 Chapter 2263

    <h4>Chapter 2263: Chapter 2263: the most beautiful wedding (the end of the finale)</h4>

    ¡°Okay, take care, General Ji.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi sent General Ji and the others out and had a meal with Ma Qiqi before she went to find her makeup artist to work on her wedding makeup.

    This makeup artist was an expert in the special operations forces, so making wedding makeup was a piece of cake.

    Gu Nianzhi allowed the makeup artist to paint her face as she asked curiously, ¡°Where¡¯s Huo? I haven¡¯t seen him for a long time.¡±

    The makeup artist smiled. ¡°Huo is probably preparing too!¡±

    Ma Qiqi giggled. ¡°I¡¯ll go ask Big Xiong!¡±

    She was already married to Yin Shixiong, but she was still as happy and free as before.

    Yin Shixiong was unable to respond to her call.

    They were sitting in the most secretive undergroundunch base in the military port, lost in thought as they looked at the surveince screen in front of them.

    Huo Shaoheng had suddenly changed the location of the wedding in the middle of the night yesterday, and no one knew what had happened.

    It was only now, almost evening, that they received a series of messages.

    ¡°Report! Coordinates, 15.4881 northtitude, 114.4048 East longitude! Submarine surface floating signal!¡±

    ¡°Report! The detection results indicate that the target submarine is 85 meters long and has a discement of 3,000 tons!¡±

    ¡°Tidal-friendly leaf-shaped boat type! Single-shell structure main body! The hull is covered with thetest rubber soundproof tiles!¡±

    ¡°Floating raft shock-absorbing base! Ultra-low noise x-type Stern! Seven-leaf tilting propeller! Underwater navigation noise of 105 decibels!¡±

    Yin Shixiong looked at the data and frowned. ¡°This technical index is on par with the ultra-quiet Russian 636 kilo-ss submarine known as the ¡®Ocean ck Hole¡¯!¡±.

    He looked up and looked at Huo Shaoheng in surprise. ¡°Huo Shaoheng, this is thetest production of the Japanese canglong-ss conventional submarine, the Yellow Dragon!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that it uses the world¡¯s most advanced lithium-ion battery as its cruising power. It has twice the capacity of the previous AIP system¡¯s lead-acid battery, but its volume and weight are twice as small as the lead-acid battery!¡±

    Zhao liangze added, ¡°It¡¯s more than that! Its silent equipment and speed are already on par with all the conventional submarines in the world. It¡¯s even on par with nuclear submarines!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so powerful. It shouldn¡¯t have been detected by our sonar... how did it float up?¡±Yin Shixiong muttered as he looked at the data again.

    Normally, submarines would not easily surface when sailing under the sea.

    Huo Shaoheng looked at the disy in front of him calmly, he said calmly, ¡°Yes, this is Japan¡¯s newest lithium-battery canglong-ss conventional submarine, the Huanglong. Its technology is indeed very impressive. I heard that it¡¯s 15 years ahead of the United States.¡±

    ¡°... Really?¡±Yin Shixiong looked at the monitor suspiciously, then looked at Huo Shaoheng. ¡°It¡¯s more advanced than the United States, and our sonar isn¡¯t responding. How did it float up?¡±

    ¡°Look at this distance. After another 10 nautical miles, we¡¯ll be in our country¡¯s territorial waters.¡±Zhao liangze said faintly, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t float up... the consequences will be unimaginable!¡±

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s military port was filled with so many top-level figures today. Just the Russian president, Putin, and the three magnates of the Huaxia Empire were enough to shake the entire blue star with a single stomp!

    Huo Shaoheng sneered. ¡°The lithium batteries used by Japanese submarines are impressive, but they also have a huge drawback. Although they have enough power, they don¡¯t have enough endurance.¡±

    ¡°They went from north to south overnight. Now that they¡¯re here, they¡¯re at the end of their rope.¡±

    ¡°If they don¡¯t surface, are they waiting to die?¡±Huo Shaoheng punched the control panel and quickly ordered, ¡°Attention all units! Attention all units!¡±

    ¡°The target has appeared! HQ-19, activate!¡±

    Hearing Huo Shaoheng¡¯s order, Yin Shixiong¡¯s face turned pale.

    HQ-19 was the first-generation ballistic missile defense system of the Huaxia military. Its capabilities were superior to the THAAD system, which the United States had once boasted about.

    ¡°Huo Shao, even if the other party is really thetest Japanese canglong-ss submarine, the Huanglong, don¡¯t tell me they really dare to make a move? Aren¡¯t they afraid of starting another World War? !¡±

    Huo Shaoheng did not even look at him. He said calmly, ¡°Look carefully at the model of the submarine on the detector. where is the Japanese symbol?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just extrapting from the technical specifications. This is the exact same submarine as the Yellow Dragon, the newest submarine of the CANGLONG ss from Japan. However, without concrete evidence, we can¡¯t determine whether this submarine belongs to Japan or not.¡±

    ¡°It definitely belongs to Japan!¡±Zhao liangze said firmly. ¡°It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t have any evidence. Because the other party has erased all the data and symbols rted to Japan.¡±

    Even if they beat you up, it would be a waste of effort. It would be extremely difficult to prove that it was rted to Japan.

    ¡°... it¡¯s Yuan Jianan¡¯s handiwork!¡±Yin Shixiong suddenly had a sh of inspiration. It was a rare moment of cleverness, and he said with lingering fear, ¡°Fortunately, there¡¯s only one! If there were two more...¡±

    Even if they had the HQ-19, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it!

    Huo Shaoheng nced at him. ¡°You¡¯re not stupid. Didn¡¯t you see the news? The other two Japanese canglong-ss submarines are being towed in the north and can¡¯te over.¡±

    ¡°Huo, did you already know? !¡±Zhao liangze had always admired Huo Shaoheng, now, he looked at him with even more reverence. He couldn¡¯t wait to prostrate himself on the ground. ¡°I just saw the Russian ship Kira appear on the four northern inds of Japan, almost approaching the Japanese maind.¡±

    Huo Shaoheng remained calm. He would not tell them that this was the work of his most secretive personal secretary..

    ¡°Of course Huo knew about it! Otherwise, would he have changed the location of the wedding from the beihe resort to the southernmost military port?¡±Yin Shixiong chuckled, suddenly, he said,¡±... This submarine also came from the north? That¡¯s why it didn¡¯t have enough range and could only surface!¡±

    ¡°To run from the north to the south in a day, this battery is indeed impressive...¡±Zhao Liangze narrowed his eyes and began to search for the submarine¡¯s electronic signal, intending to try hacking in.

    He had learned a lot from Lu Jin, and it was just the right time to ¡°Apply what I¡¯ve learned¡±.

    ¡°So What? Isn¡¯t it still within my divine n? ! I¡¯ll let you surface as soon as you surface! Later, I¡¯ll hit wherever I Want!¡±

    Yin Shixiong excitedly bragged about Huo Shaoheng.

    Huo Shaoheng ignored him and took themunicator tomand the HQ-19¡¯s relevant personnel.

    ¡°All units, take your positions.¡±

    ¡°Everyone must cherish this hard-earned opportunity to train our troops and show our strength and military might in front of our Russian guests and chiefs!¡±

    Just like the usual practice, the insufferably arrogant canglong-ss submarine was used as a target for practice. One after another, hq-19s covered in camouge emerged from the depths of the forest.

    Huo Shaoheng stood up after he finished speaking. ¡°Big Xiong, Little Ze, I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±

    He had already programmed his ballistic missile defense system and was only waiting for them to fly into the sky.

    Huo Shaoheng¡¯s calm and steady voice magically calmed everyone down.

    He walked out with steady steps towards the wedding venue for himself and Gu Nianzhi.

    ..

    In the evening, a cool sea breeze blew over the South China Sea.

    The wedding venue was built on the spot, on an observation deck near the beach.

    Behind them was the boundless South China Sea. The sea was crystal clear, and the Sun had yet to set. It hovered above the sea¡¯s surface, casting golden rays of light.

    The guests who were attending the ceremony had not yete out. Instead, they had been ced in a cave not far from here.

    This was the most secure air-raid shelter, and it could withstand a nuclear attack.

    The entrance to the cave was made of transparent bulletproof ss doors. From here, everyone on the observation tform could be seen.

    At this time, there were very few people on the observation tform.

    Gu Nianzhi wore an olive-green military uniform and stood between the sea and the sky. She had a pine-green epaulet with golden wheat ears and a star emblem of the same color on it. Her long hair fluttered in the sea breeze, fluttering like a g.

    Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks in shock. Looking at her beautiful figure, his mood instantly soared.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing a white wedding dress!

    This was the woman he loved, the woman he loved with his life.

    He walked to her side and asked in a low voice,¡±... did you really choose such a ceremony? Don¡¯t you regret it?¡±

    What Girl didn¡¯t want a white wedding dress for her wedding? Or a red wedding dress?

    But she had chosen to wear an olive-green military uniform!

    Gu Nianzhi was wearing the major general¡¯s military uniform, which had been specially approved by the Military Supreme Council. It was for her wedding to Huo Shaoheng, and also because of the great contributions she had made to the military.

    Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng, who was also wearing a major general¡¯s uniform. He was tall and straight, and he looked like a man of great virtue. She narrowed her eyes and smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t even celebrate Christmas. Why would I wear a white wedding dress to marry you?¡±

    She knew that in his heart, a military uniform was the most beautiful dress in the world.

    Coincidentally, she thought so too.

    Therefore, she did not wear a wedding dress at the official wedding. Instead, she secretly reported to General Ji and requested to wear a female major general¡¯s uniform as her wedding dress.

    All of this had been done behind Huo Shaoheng¡¯s back.

    Huo Shaoheng could no longer hold back the excitement in his heart. Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her as he kissed her.

    No one had ever seen the calm and self-controlled major general huo act in such a wild manner. All the political dignitaries disregarded their status and started to take pictures with their phones.

    At that moment, the submarine that had just surfaced did not waste any time at all.

    Theunching silos on the top of the submarine opened silently, revealing the mid-range cruise missiles with automatic guidance systems.

    ¡°Captain Ah Wei has ordered us to destroy the southern military port of China at all costs! Missile! Fire!¡±

    Loud explosions that sounded like the end of a pigeon whistle sounded from the South China Sea.

    The sea surface was suddenly covered in mes, as if it had be a sea of fire.

    Amidst the ck and red mes, middle-range cruise missiles soared into the sky and sped toward the military port¡¯s observation deck!

    ..

    ¡°HQ-19! Fire!¡±

    Yin Shixiong stared at the data transmitted by the active phased-array fire control radar and gave the order.

    This was the first time that the ballistic missile defense system of our army had been put into live-fire drills.

    Giant pirs that were nine meters long rose rapidly from the control vehicle and were aimed at the sky.

    There was a loud bang!

    Several ballistic missiles broke through the air at the same time and sped in the direction of the submarine.

    The ballistic missile defense system was apetition of speed and agility.

    In order to intercept the opponent¡¯s missiles, you had to be faster than the opponent! Stronger!

    As expected, not long after, Huaxia¡¯s HQ-19 ballistic missile had locked onto the mid-range cruise missileunched from the submarine.

    Just then, the military honor guard that Huo Shaoheng had arranged earlier began to y the majestic military music.

    Huo Shaoheng turned around with Gu Nianzhi and looked in the direction of the submarine.

    The HQ-19 ballistic missile was as fast as lightning. It was like a huge burning cigar or aet that had flown away from the Blue.

    In the sky, the missiles that had been destroyed by Huaxia¡¯s ballistic missile system exploded.

    The Sun fell to the sea level, and the missilesunched by the Huaxia Ballistic Missile Defense System sessfully intercepted the missilesunched from the submarine, releasing huge fireworks between the sea and the sky!

    The clear, clear sky was extremely gorgeous, and even the Golden Sunset was overshadowed by it.

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng raised their hands at the same time and gave a standard military salute in the direction of the fireworks.

    She was mesmerized by the fireworks and thought to herself that the most beautiful flower she had ever seen in her life was the fireworks that exploded on the surface of the blue sea on an autumn evening in the South China Sea.

    Thest HQ-19 missile hit the Huanglong, the newest blue-dragon-ss submarine that was trying to escape.

    There was another dull thud and the entire surface of the sea seethed. The waves roared and created huge waves. The waves rolled and smashed the insufferably arrogant submarine directly into the bottom of the sea. Not even a wisp of ck smoke was left behind.

    ..

    Yuan Jianan, who was far away in the imperial capital, sat in the interrogation room. She watched as Huo Shaoheng dissolved her carefully designed trap one by one. She let out a bestial howl.

    ¡°Why? ! Why? ! How can he! How can he see through everything? ! This is impossible! This doesn¡¯t hold up in terms of probability!¡±

    She used the book of Changes, Chaos Mathematics, and the most powerful system AI to calcte countless times. She performed it countless times, but none of the results told her that she would fail.

    But the reality was that she had failed.

    She had used herself as bait in an attempt to make Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi believe that they had caught the mastermind behind the scenes and that no one would stop their wedding.

    But she had never expected that even so, Huo Shaoheng would not let down his guard at all.

    This blow to her was truly fatal.

    What was the value of her sacrifice?

    ..

    ¡°Danger averted! Danger averted!¡±

    The entire military base was once again filled with cheerful music.

    This time, it was a wedding march yed by a military band.

    The dignitaries walked out of the bomb shelter and onto the observation deck.

    Russian president Putin stood in front of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng and said ruefully, ¡°I just witnessed the most beautiful wedding in the world.¡±

    ¡°You are the bravest groom and the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.¡±

    ¡°I wish you all the best, and I wish you all the best in your love! I wish you all the best in Your Life!¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    The end of the book.

 Chapter 2264-end - I seem to have seen you somewhere before

    <h4>Chapter 2264: I seem to have seen you somewhere before</h4>

    Between the sea and the sky, the most advanced ballistic missile defense system, the most urate mid-range cruise missile met in the sky, presenting the story of a new era of ¡°Shield and spear.¡±.

    Fortunately, the most advanced ¡°Shield¡±and the most urate ¡°Spear¡±belonged to two sides, so they could finally determine the winner.

    The Huaxia Empire¡¯s Hq-19 acted as the most advanced ¡°Shield¡±, intercepting all the mid-range cruise missilesunched from the submarines that surfaced from the sea.

    He Zhichu held the high-power telescope in his hand and pursed his thin lips tightly. He looked at the sky above the South China Sea that was filled with the sunset and the fireworks that were activated by the ballistic missile defense system.

    However, no matter how bright the fireworks were, they were not as bright as the woman¡¯s Bright Eyes in his heart.

    He could not help but put down the high-powered binocrs and looked at the smiling woman on the observation tform in the distance.

    She was wearing an olive-green female major general¡¯s uniform and was leaning against a tall man.

    Both of them were wearing military uniforms, and they were surprisinglypatible.

    He Zhichu¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple rolled for a moment and swallowed theyers of warmth that rose from his chest when he saw her.

    ¡°Since she likes it so much, I¡¯ll give her another gift.¡±He Zhichu waved his hand and asked someone to bring out the two people he had met by chance, ¡°Send it to the people at the military port. Find Yin Shixiong and tell him that an old friend sends his regards.¡±

    The two people who had been tied up were W Emma and Yamaguchi Minako, who had left early yesterday.

    ..

    After Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s wedding, the group went to the military port restaurant to eat the wedding feast.

    Lu Jin ate a few mouthfuls and felt that the food was not as good as Lu Yuan and Huo Shaoheng¡¯s.

    Moreover, he had something on his mind and did not want to see the uncontroble joy in Huo Shaoheng¡¯s eyes. He got up and said to Lu Yuan, who was beside him, ¡°I¡¯m full. I¡¯m going out for a walk.¡±

    Lu Yuan and song jinning knew how he felt.

    His most beloved daughter was officially married today. No father would feel good about it, let alone someone like Lu Jin?

    Lu Yuan waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far out. It¡¯s safe here, but don¡¯t cause trouble for Nianzhi.¡±

    ¡°Tch!¡±Lu Jin red at him. ¡°When did I cause trouble? I¡¯m her father! And I¡¯m also an Admiral!¡±

    He puffed out his chest.

    Huo Guanchen, who had juste to toast him with a ss of wine, quietly retreated when he saw him.

    Well, this guy was not in a good mood today, so Huo Guanchen decided not to provoke him.

    Lu Jin walked out of the restaurant and strolled aimlessly along the beach.

    The weather today was very good. The Moon was bright and the sea breeze blew gently. Lu Jin stopped and looked at the silver moon and sighed.

    He lowered his head and swiped open his phone to find a photo that he had hidden in a thickyer of passwords.

    It was a photo that he had secretly synthesized. There were photos of him when he was young, Qin Suwen, and Gu Nianzhi when they were children.

    It was like a family portrait of a family of three.

    His fingers caressed Qin Suwen¡¯s face, and Lu Jin muttered,¡±... Suwen, I still went back on my word, so I did something for you. I got he zhichu here.¡±

    ¡°He saw Nianzhi¡¯s wedding, so he should have given up.¡±

    Lu Jin looked at the phone for a while and suddenly realized that someone was calling him.

    It was a familiar yet unfamiliar number.

    Lu Jin picked up the call. ¡°Where are you now?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s voice rang in his ears. ¡°I¡¯m at sea, so I won¡¯t go over.¡±

    He zhichu paused for a moment and said, ¡°Can you help me with the surgery?¡±

    ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡±Lu Jin¡¯s expression turned serious, ¡°It¡¯s not easy to remove the memory of Nianzhi from your brain. I can¡¯t even guarantee that I can do it well. Even if I can, the memory of you being removed is irreversible. Are you really going to do it?¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s hands tightened, but he still nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡±

    ..

    Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng went on a honeymoon trip, and Lu Jin, Lu Yuan, Song Jinning, and the others returned to the capital.

    Lu Jin¡¯s daily work was to conduct experiments, and no one cared about him.

    On this day, a handsome and handsome man came to Lu Jin¡¯sboratory.

    Hey on the operating table in theboratory, his almond-shaped eyes unperturbed.

    Lu Jin changed into his surgical gown and walked to the operating table. He asked him onest time,¡±... have you really thought this through? After the surgery, you¡¯ll never remember Gu Nianzhi.¡±

    He Zhichu closed his eyes. Two streams of tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

    He wanted to nod and say that he had thought this through, but his mind seemed to have a mind of its own and refused to nod.

    His speech seemed to be impaired as well, and he was unable to say the three words, ¡°I¡¯ve thought this through.¡±.

    Lu Jin waited for a while. Seeing that he did not speak for a long time, he thought that he had tacitly agreed. He was about to start the surgery when he zhichu sat up from the operating table and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do the surgery. You¡¯d better hypnotize me.¡±

    After hypnosis, he would forget, but that memory remained in the depths of his memory, but it was sealed.

    Lu Jin looked at him for a while and shook his head. ¡°Okay, as long as it¡¯s your suggestion, I¡¯ll agree to it.¡±

    He Zhichu¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°You¡¯ll agree to it? If I say I want to take Nianzhi away...¡±

    ¡°Enough is enough!¡±Lu Jin warned him. ¡°There are limits to the freedom you can offer. Don¡¯t think that there is absolute freedom in this world.¡±

    He Zhichu:¡±...¡±.

    ..

    Five yearster.

    Gu Nianzhi returned home from work at the Senate. A chubby four-year-old boy lunged at her like an arrow. He hugged her leg and looked up at her. He said softly and cutely, ¡°Mommy, I miss you so much!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi:¡±... Mommy Just said goodbye to you this morning.¡±

    It had only been eight hours. Why was he so obsequious?

    ¡°Daddy says that a day apart is like three years. A Day apart is like three years. Of course I miss you!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as she bent down and held the little boy¡¯s hand. She poked his straight little nose and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re so young and you¡¯re already so sweet-talking. What will you be like when you grow up?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? ! How is my grandson sweet-talking? I¡¯ll tell you if he knows how to talk!¡±Lu Jin walked over from the living room and said grumpily.

    Gu Nianzhi smiled as she picked up the little boy and acted coquettishly. ¡°Dad, you only love him now. You Don¡¯t even love me anymore.¡±

    The little boy quickly said, ¡°Mom, they don¡¯t love you. I love you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. If you continue to sweet-talk me, your dad Will Punish You Again!¡±Gu Nianzhi scratched the little boy¡¯s nose.

    The little boy was indeed a little scared. He put his head on Gu Nianzhi¡¯s shoulder and neck and refused to raise his head.

    Lu Jin¡¯s heart ached so much that he quickly said, ¡°My dear grandson, don¡¯t be afraid. Let¡¯s see how your grandfather will punish you if he sends you to a ce where your father can¡¯t find you!¡±

    Gu nianzhi rubbed her forehead. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be like this. He¡¯s too naughty. It¡¯s only right for his father to take care of him.¡±

    Lu Jin snorted and said, ¡°His father is so busy with work, how can he have time to take care of his son? Besides, I promised my dear grandson that I would send him to a fun ce for his vacation...¡±

    Lu Jin rubbed his nose guiltily as he spoke.

    Gu Nianzhi gently stroked the little boy¡¯s head and nodded after a long while. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±

    ..

    The blue sky was clear and the wind blew gently. A t and spacious square was surrounded by tallmp posts. Themp posts were simple and elegant in the shape of magnolia buds.

    The square was lively and lively. Not far away, there was a small yground.

    Gu Nianzhi pulled the chubby little boy over.

    She was pretty and charming, like a beautiful begonia. The little boy she was holding was even cuter than Yu Xue and more beautiful than a girl.

    ¡°Merry-go-round! I want to ride the merry-go-round!¡±The little boy shouted.

    Gu Nianzhi carried him and put him on the merry-go-round.

    The merry-go-round spun around her, and the little boy on the merry-go-roundughed happily.

    Some people ran past her,ughing so hard that they couldn¡¯t breathe, and some couples were flying kites in the square.

    This was also the most prosperous downtown area of the capital, but it was the capital of another world.

    Thest time she came here, it was like she was in a deserted wilderness, feeling lonely and miserable.

    This time, she brought her son and father to visit this ce again.

    Colorful hot air balloons floated over the square.

    The little boy pointed to the sky with his chubby fingers. ¡°Mommy! I want to sit in a hot air balloon!¡±

    Gu Nianzhi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go sit in a hot air balloon.¡±

    In the past, there had been no hot air balloons for tourists to sit in. Who knew when a hot air balloon tourism project had appeared here.

    Gu Nianzhi held the little boy¡¯s hand and went to line up to buy tickets.

    The Little Boy identally let go of the hydrogen balloons in his hand, and a few of them floated into the sky.

    ¡°Balloons! My Balloons!¡±The little boy was frantic. He struggled desperately to free himself from Gu Nianzhi¡¯s hand and ran out with the balloons.

    Gu Nianzhi hurriedly chased after him.

    Arge hand suddenly grabbed the floating balloons.

    The Little Boy was caught off guard and bumped into a man.

    The man patiently held onto the little boy and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the balloons are here and will never go away.¡±

    Gu Nianzhi stopped in her tracks in surprise and watched as the man brought the little boy to her.

    It was he zhichu, who was dressed casually.

    Gu Nianzhi did not know how to face him for a moment. She held the little boy¡¯s hand in a fluster and looked up to say,¡±... Thank you.¡±

    He zhichu smiled and nodded. He stuffed the balloon back into the boy¡¯s hand, patted him on the head, and walked away.

    He seemed to be going to buy tickets and queue up for the hot air balloon.

    Gu Nianzhi suddenly remembered what Lu Jin had told her.

    He Zhichu had already forgotten about her..

    It seemed to be true. He had really forgotten about her.

    Gu nianzhi heaved a sigh of relief, but also felt a little ufortable.

    No matter what, he was her half-brother..

    Gu Nianzhi looked down at the little boy beside her, but still kept her mouth shut.

    Everyone lined up and boarded their own hot air balloons.

    Gu Nianzhi and he zhichu had actually bought tickets to the same hot air balloon.

    Gu Nianzhi wrapped the little boy in her arms and showed him the beautiful scenery in the distance.

    He Zhichu did not know what was going on, but his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the mother and son.

    He was sure that he did not know them, but he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

    Meeting Jun Chu was like meeting an old friend.

    He Zhichu suddenly thought of this poem.

    It was really strange.

    Along the way, he had been observing the mother and son. Finally, when he walked out of the hot air balloon, he zhichu finally asked,¡±... may I ask, what is your name? I seem to have seen you somewhere before.¡±

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    This was thest chapter: chapter 2264, ¡°I seem to have seen you somewhere before¡±.

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